25-swipe limit in dining hall
Dining at Mount Holyoke College has gone through several changes during the 2021-2022 school year. Unlike before the pandemic, food may now be carried out of the dining hall, and students have access to limited inside dining but are encouraged to eat outside in a tent on Skinner Green. There have also been several changes to the meal plan, including a switch from unlimited swipes to a limit of 25 swipes per week. Yet, despite common misconceptions, dining swipes remain unlimited for the time being, as Dining Services navigates a transitional state between indoor and outdoor dining.
College updates COVID-19 and fall break guidelines
The College announced changes to its COVID-19 and fall break guidelines in a Sept. 22 email detailing the recent shift in operating levels from “Semester Launch” to “Operating Level One.” This new operating level is described as “normal COVID-19 operations,” where transmission is controlled and cases are low on campus.
Mount Holyoke ranks high in college rankings
Students struggle to fill schedules after several courses were cancelled with little notice
As the start of the semester drew near, many students were left scrambling to find new courses after some classes were canceled within weeks or even days of the commencement of the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 30. At least one cancellation was directly related to Mount Holyoke’s return to in-person classes.
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.
Indoor mask mandate will return on August 15
In the most recent MHC This Week newsletter email, sent out to students on July 22, the College announced once again that it is preparing to welcome students back to campus for a full residential experience this fall.
Plans include a reversion to the 15-week semester system and in-person instruction. This is a departure from the 7-week module system enrolled students participated in during the 2020-21 academic year.
College enacts vaccination mandate for community members
Jury convicts Derek Chauvin on three counts
BY KATIE GOSS ’23
STAFF WRITER
On Tuesday, April 20, Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who has been on trial for the murder of George Floyd, was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The murder of George Floyd last summer sparked protests nationwide against police brutality, and this trial was considered “one of the most consequential trials of the Black Lives Matter era,” according to CNN.
After the verdict was read, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to the Floyd family and released public statements.
“Nothing is going to make it all better. … Nothing can ever bring their brother or their father back. But this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America,” Biden said, according to CNN.
Philonise Floyd, George Floyd’s brother, also commented on the verdict. “Justice for George, it means freedom for all. … The world has sparked, and lit up with a blaze tonight. And it’s a celebration. Business can be taken care of tomorrow, but it’s a celebration today,” Philonise Floyd said.
Judge Peter Cahill said that sentencing for Chauvin is expected to be delivered about eight weeks from now. According to Minnesota state guidelines, it is recommended that there should be 12.5 years for each murder charge, and another four years for a manslaughter charge. State prosecutors will request a stricter sentence.