Sonya Stephens

Sonya Stephens reflects on career at Mount Holyoke, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion

Sonya Stephens reflects on career at Mount Holyoke, sustainability and diversity, equity and inclusion

“I wake up in the morning … I see the sun rising behind the buildings and the outline of the College, and I think, ‘What will I do today to advance Mount Holyoke,’” College President Sonya Stephens said.

COVID-19 sends 7 students into isolation

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.

Mount Holyoke Tentatively Prepares to Bring 60 Percent Student Capacity to Campus in the Spring

President of the College Sonya Stephens wrote a letter to the Mount Holyoke community regarding the College’s preliminary plan for the spring 2021 term on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Stephens wrote that the College is preparing to welcome up to 60 percent of the student population to campus in the spring.

“Our goal is to safely accommodate as many students wishing to return as we possibly can, and to continue to ensure that those for whom Mount Holyoke is their permanent address or who need to be on campus can remain in residence,” Stephens said in the letter.

Mountain Day 2020 To Be Held Virtually During Module Break

On Sept. 30, Mount Holyoke announced that Mountain Day, a tradition nearly as old as the College itself, would be held during the fall break between Module 1 and Module 2. This decision was taken by the administration to “best maximize the academic schedule for curricular content and the break for time to rest and rejuvenate,” according to the College webpage. This year, like with all of the challenges of remote school, the much-awaited tradition will look different.

Guneet Moihdeen ’21 expressed sadness about how her last Mountain Day is happening during the module break. “I’m kinda sad. The whole point [of Mountain Day] for me is dropping everything and having fun or self-care,” Moihdeen said.

Physical Education Program and Equestrian Center Face External Review

Physical Education Program and Equestrian Center Face External Review

In a Sept. 17 financial update, College President Sonya Stephens and Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Shannon Gurek announced the discontinuation of the College’s varsity golf team and stated that the Equestrian Center and physical education program will be undergoing external reviews.

Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education Lori Hendricks said these external reviews are a normal procedure for academic departments, centers and other offices on campus, and they are typically held once a decade. The reviews aim “to assess the operations of the area and alignments with broader organizational priorities, identify future opportunities and needs and think about the strategic investment of resources.”

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.

College Issues New Anti-Racism Plan

“Mount Holyoke must be persistent and uncompromising in addressing the challenges that members of our community who identify as BIPOC — Black, Indigenous and people of color — have brought to our attention. We must identify and address all forms of implicit and explicit racism, bias and discrimination on our campus,” wrote President of the College Sonya Stephens in an Aug. 27 letter to Mount Holyoke community members.

MHC Faculty Recommends Module-Style Learning Plan for 2020-2021 Academic Year

MHC Faculty Recommends Module-Style Learning Plan for 2020-2021 Academic Year

On Thursday, May 14, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Jon Western announced in a campus-wide email that the faculty decided to recommend a module-style learning plan for the 2020-2021 academic year.

College loses $7.6 million in COVID-19 pandemic response

College loses $7.6 million in COVID-19 pandemic response

On Tuesday, April 7, the Mount Holyoke College community received an update from President of the College Sonya Stephens briefing community members on the College’s financial situation. “Over this time period, we have focused on our emergency response and continuity of operations,” Stephens wrote.

Mount Holyoke evacuates campus due to COVID-19 pandemic

Mount Holyoke evacuates campus due to COVID-19 pandemic

“All students must move out of their on-campus housing beginning on Saturday, March 14, and must be moved out by Friday, March 20, at the latest,” read a campus-wide email sent from College President Sonya Stephens on Tuesday, March 10. “Students should not expect to live on campus for the remainder of this semester.”