Elite colleges need to acknowledge their contributions to stress culture

Elite colleges need to acknowledge their contributions to stress culture

BY JULIA SIENKIEWICZ ’20

My pre-Mount Holyoke life story is, I imagine, much like many of my fellow students. I came from an affluent, pressure-cooker high school that offered all the AP exams and churned out future Ivy League graduates. I participated in the rat race of applying to 13 top-tier schools and I agonized over whether the schools that accepted me would like me enough to award a scholarship. This sense of competition is socialized into us at a young age: personally, I planned my high school class schedule in seventh grade, and I was signed up for a wide range of activities in the hopes that I would distinguish myself in at least one of them.

Boy Scouts’ new policy overshadows the value of Girl Scouts

Boy Scouts’ new policy overshadows the value of Girl Scouts

BY JULIA SIENKIEWICZ '20

I’m very restrained in my emotions; I don’t cry often, maybe once or twice a month. The night following the Boy Scouts’ decision to let girls in, I made the mistake of reading too many awful articles, and seeing far too many of the comments. I wept for an hour; seeing how many people fail to understand the mission of Girl Scouts and the positive impact it has on its members made me feel like all I’d learned from my 13 years of scouting was meaningless. 

Kneeling is an important form of racial protest

Kneeling is an important form of racial protest

BY JOURNEY MARTIN '21

What does it mean to be American? As a black American woman, this is something I constantly ask myself. We celebrate our independence on July 4, when the 13 colonies claimed independence in 1776 from England. We celebrate by dressing up in our national flag’s colors and watching fireworks at the end of the night. However, how does this day represent independence for black Americans when we were still enslaved during this time? 

At Mount Holyoke, biphobia is the norm

At Mount Holyoke, biphobia is the norm

BY LILY REAVIS

Being bisexual at Mount Holyoke is an experience of conditional acceptance. It’s an invitation to a meeting where you’re not allowed to speak. Comments from community members frequently discredit bisexuality, even though the intention is often to create a more supportive environment. 

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Haute Cuisine Hot-Takes:

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Haute Cuisine Hot-Takes:

BY SARAH PAUST ’20

Pasta E Basta is a quaint Italian restaurant located on Main Street in downtown Amherst. It has two dining options: you can enjoy a sit-down meal with typical service upstairs, accessible via a windy staircase; or peruse the (downstairs) counter-service if you’re in a rush. I visited on a lazy Sunday evening with my friend, Mary Di Buono ’20, and we decided to sit upstairs in order to take advantage of the more leisurely setting.

Nutrition information protects our most vulnerable

Nutrition information protects our most vulnerable

BY LILY REAVIS ’21

The other day, I decided to test out the College’s Dining Services website, which lists the nutritional information for each meal served on campus. I’d picked up Indian dal for lunch, and wanted to know what was in it. During my search, I discovered that the nutritional information available online is difficult to find and often false.

Relationship status does not affect worth

BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19

If you have ever come across a vapid, face-palm-worthy, pseudo-inspirational article on Facebook shared by one of your insufferable relatives, then you should know that, as millennials, we are incapable of meeting the exceptional standards set by our predecessors — especially when it comes to maintaining successful relationships. 

Saving the environment starts by not leaving your Blanch takeout on Skinner Green

Saving the environment starts by not leaving your Blanch takeout on Skinner Green

EILEEN O’GRADY ’18

Last Monday night as I walked the darkened path from Blanchard to Creighton Hall, I decided to count the pieces of litter that I saw on the ground along the way. I assumed that I would see some, but I didn’t ever imagine I would see the amount of litter that I did — plastic spoons, trampled plastic bags, dirty hand wipes, candy wrappers, paper towels, cigarette butts and an entire half-eaten paper bag full of Blanchard popcorn, just sitting on the ground beside the sidewalk.

Hefner should not be idolized for his minor activism and objectification of women

Hefner should not be idolized for his minor activism and objectification of women

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

After the death of Playboy Enterprises owner and founder, Hugh Hefner this past week, many people said he should be acknowledged for his advocacy of the early feminist and LGBTQ rights movement. However, despite his early efforts to normalize LGBTQ people and the feminist movement, his support was built on the premise of profit rather than the movements themselves. Hugh Hefner is absolutely not the LGBTQ supporter or feminist icon that we need, and his exploitation and objectification of women makes that clear. 

Title IX rescindment further silences victims

Title IX rescindment further silences victims

BY LILY REAVIS ’21

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced that her department is formally rescinding Obama-era guidance on how college campuses should handle sexual assaults under the Title IX law on Sept. 22. This decision effectively silences sexual assault victims, protects perpetrators and creates a community of silence on college campuses. 

MHC’s body-positivity movement is hypocritical

MHC’s body-positivity movement is hypocritical

BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19

As the body-positivity movement advances through the Mount Holyoke College community, more and more questions surrounding the authenticity of these words are raised each day. With a large number of Lena Dunham-type “free-spirited” students roaming the campus and dominating the social scene, one would expect attitudes of self-love and appreciation to prevail just as confidently. Sadly, this is not the case and feelings of self-hate and struggles to meet conventional beauty standards continue to plague our daily existence. Although self care and body-positivity can be helpful, its language can be convoluted and not accessible to all. 

Healthy coping mechanisms aren’t neurotypical

Healthy coping mechanisms aren’t neurotypical

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

When you’re struggling with depression or anxiety, it is very acceptable to passively deal with it through a slew of unhealthy coping mechanisms: binge-drinking every weekend, smoking cigarettes, developing eating disorders and self-harm, to name just a few. While students are struggling with their mental health, it is very socially acceptable for them to engage in gluttonous behavior while completely disregarding healthy and productive coping mechanisms and labeling them as “neurotypical.” This is toxic and maintains the attitude that healthy, self-care activities are only for non-mentally ill people.

Living Learning Communities should focus on learning and not on their location

Living Learning Communities should focus on learning and not on their location

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

While Mount Holyoke’s Learning Communities may be seemingly quirky and community-building, many of their interest-based floors prove to be an elaborate excuse to live in nice dorms, like Wilder or the Mandelles, and leave non-participating students with a higher chance of living in a lesser dorm. 

DACA creates Dreamers, the ideal citizens

DACA creates Dreamers, the ideal citizens

BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19

Mount Holyoke College students have recently been hit by President Trump’s withdrawal from the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. First issued in the summer of 2012 by President Obama, this program was able to provide some level of relief for undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children by allowing youths to defer their immigration case for a period of two years. This meant young people were able to further their educational and professional goals and become accomplished community members. According to state records, the program has been a successful exception to an otherwise broken immigration system. Today, thousands of “Dreamers” face the prospect of losing the only home they’ve ever known, as the country’s attitude towards immigrants and ethnic minorities grows increasingly hostile each day. 

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Haute Cuisine Hot-Takes: The best and worst M&Cs

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BY SARAH PAUST ’20

Are you new to Mount Holyoke and unsure if that “Milk & Cookies” thing is all it’s cracked up to be? Are you a cynical returning student looking to validate your burning hatred for craisin oatmeal bars? Here are some hot takes to help you navigate M&Cs.

The government can no longer afford to neglect climate change

The government can no longer afford to neglect climate change

BY LILY REAVIS ’21

Last week, Hurricane Irma hit the southern tip of Florida and continued up the Gulf Coast, prompting the evacuation of 6.3 million people and causing at least 26 deaths, according to CNN. This supposed “500-year storm” occurred just two weeks after Hurricane Harvey touched down in Texas, where city and county officials reported at least71 deaths. 

“What Happened” invites bias from left and right

“What Happened” invites bias from left and right

BY JULIA SIENKIEWICZ ’20

Hillary Rodham Clinton. The name provokes varied reactions. Just as it was this time last year it’s difficult to detach opinions on Clinton’s present actions from preformed opinions of her as a person, whether that view be positive, negative or some other combination of feelings. Starting her time in the public eye as a politician’s wife, her projected image has changed so often over the years that it’s easy for many to dismiss her as the embodiment of everything wrong with American politics. 

Daisy Chain: a rewarding Time

Daisy Chain: a rewarding Time

BY ELIZABETH NELSON ’18

Daisy Chain, Mount Holyoke’s very own Ultimate Frisbee team, has been around since 2005. The team arose from humble beginnings with just a few friends who had a passion for frisbee. Fast forward 12 years, and the team has already accomplished more than the team’s founders ever thought possible. A supportive, loving environment of energetic players has largely contributed to the success of Daisy Chain over the past 12 years. I joined the team during my first year at Mount Holyoke during the fall of 2014, and soon realized that I had made one of the best decisions of my college career.

Orientation hits all the right notes for Roepke ‘21

BY CASEY ROEPKE ’21

Let me just preface this by saying: I am that first year. I wear my lanyard everywhere, with my free green flashlight from the move-in resource fair attached to it. I post pictures with my “best friends” the second day of knowing them. And I most definitely took a selfie with Jorge the first time I saw him (okay, also the second. And the third). So, as you can probably tell, I am absolutely the target audience for Mount Holyoke Orientation — and I loved every minute of it, from trekking up four flights of stairs with my mini-fridge to making stress balls during the Be Well workshop to having the alma mater stuck in my head for three days in a row.

Student whining will not make laundry cheaper

Student whining will not make laundry cheaper

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

As a college student, I understand how every little thing seems to add up during the semester, whether it’s from washing laundry or adding extra Dining Dollars on your OneCard or buying textbooks. With the first week back at Mount Holyoke,  I saw many students outraged over the 50 cent price increase in laundry. 

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