Mount Holyoke suffers staffing shortages
Mount Holyoke College is facing the same staffing shortages that have been affecting the rest of the country since the start of the pandemic. Employment in the United States is down nearly 3 million jobs from March 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, with about half of those jobs coming from the food industry. The 1.5 million workers who have not yet returned make up about 12 percent of the food industry’s workforce.
COVID-19 sends 7 students into isolation
When Mount Holyoke College announced its return to the first in-person semester since March 2020, they did so with substantial expansions to the Community Compact. Among other requirements, the College mandated that all students, staff and faculty receive a COVID-19 vaccination either on or before move-in day.
College to require employee vaccinations
College’s decision to close Gorse Children’s Center sparks outrage from faculty and community members
“Mount Holyoke has removed a really key part of what made me feel safe — not just [as] an employee, but made me feel safe living here,” said Assistant Professor of Politics Ali Aslam, who faced uncertainty in his child care options after the College’s recent announcement that it would close the Gorse Children’s Center.
Virtual Community Ambassadors Aim to Promote Remote Community
In an effort to continue cultivating community within its remote student body, Mount Holyoke recently introduced Virtual Cohorts into the Residential Life virtual programming. Student participants applied to join one of the cohorts supervised by a virtual community ambassador. According to the job description, a VCA “is an essential member of the administrative staff of Residential Life and plays a critical role following the College’s shift to remote learning.”
Attorneys Present New Arguments in Hachiyanagi Case
In a hearing on Tuesday, Dec. 8, Assistant District Attorney Matthew Thomas filed a motion to obtain the employment records of former Mount Holyoke Professor of Art and Studio Art Chair Rie Hachiyanagi based on the advice of an unidentified third party. According to Hachiyanagi’s defense attorney, Thomas Kokonowski, the anonymous third party is also employed by Mount Holyoke College.
As previously reported by the Mount Holyoke News, Hachiyanagi was charged with multiple counts, including attempted murder, following her alleged assault on a fellow Mount Holyoke faculty member sometime between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2019, to which she has pled not guilty. She has been in custody since December 2019.
Student Employment Updates
Mount Holyoke students received an update on student employment from the College on Sunday, Nov. 29. The email included information on winter break employment as well as guidelines for the spring semester.
The statement provided a reminder of general remote work policies for student workers. Under federal regulations, students who are living abroad are barred from working for the College. Students who have worked for the College previously and currently live in the U.S., as well as any student currently living in California and Massachusetts, can work remotely. There will be limited in-person work allowed for students living on campus.
BRIEF: MHC joins Racial Equity Leadership Alliance
The University of Southern California launched the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance, the newest project of their Race and Equity Center, this week. Mount Holyoke College joined LACRELA as an inaugural member.
Mount Holyoke joined 51 other liberal arts colleges across the United States in being named an inaugural member institution. Six colleges, in particular, were named founding institutions, including Macalester College, Depauw University, Oberlin College, Occidental College, Pomona College and Skidmore College. The 51 institutions identified as inaugural members alongside Mount Holyoke include other schools of similar size, structure or endowment, such as Wellesley College, St. Olaf College, Grinnell College and Bard College.
College Update on Finances
On Thursday, Sept. 17, the College provided an update on the financial situation and announced permanent structural changes. In a statement by College President Sonya Stephens and Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Shannon Gurek, it was announced that “the pandemic has created both short-term and longer-term challenges to our operations, negatively impacting the College’s financial outlook.” This letter was a follow-up response to an Aug. 19 statement in which Stephens and Gurek announced furloughs and budget reductions.