Letter to the Editor: Senior Dance Concert connects heritage and performance
I scurried quickly to my spot on stage with my seven other dancers, waiting in anticipation for the work lights to fade to black. I listened to the slow hum of the audience behind the curtain, most likely captivated by the artistry of the previous dances. A much-deserved reaction, in my humble opinion. Even though I only did a light warm-up, I could feel the sweat clinging my black leotard onto my skin as I waited for the music to start.
Trans visibility means nothing without action
Thursday, March 31, was the 13th International Trans Day of Visibility. The holiday was started by activist Rachel Crandall as a response to Trans Day of Remembrance in acknowledgment of living trans people. The day also emphasizes that we deserve to be seen and recognized for our presence. This past Thursday was the first to receive federal recognition, as President Joe Biden issued a proclamation declaring March 31 the nationwide Transgender Day of Visibility. But as protective bills hang with uncertainty in the House and Senate, states rush to pass anti-trans bills and trans people continue to be disproportionate victims of violence, it is increasingly clear that visibility will do nothing to protect trans people. What we need instead is action.
History is integral to a well-rounded liberal arts education
As of late, the Save Our Departments movement, a student group of the same name advocating for the preservation of the Mount Holyoke arts, languages and social sciences departments, has garnered attention across campus. As the College merges departments and cuts programs, some students are increasingly worried about what budget cuts will mean for their areas of study. As a prospective history major, I have a lot to lose from potential budget cuts and the downsizing of departments.
Legislative elections have international importance: India and the US
Content warning: this article mentions racialized violence.
2022 is already a year of turbulence with global wars, a pandemic and the anxiety of upcoming midterm elections in the United States. This election cycle may challenge the Democratic party’s majority in the House and their 50-member stake in the Senate. It is also a year of state legislative elections in India, where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party could potentially be overturned in crucial electoral states like Uttar Pradesh. What makes this year of legislative assembly elections so important is the fact that it can dictate India and the U.S.’ moves toward tolerance.
Children should not be judged for having academic interests
The older I get, the more I realize how unfairly children and young adults with traditional academic interests are treated by both adults and their own peers. This criticism is a reflection of how intelligence is only valued in the classroom. This sentiment particularly affects children whose academic interests extend beyond the classroom. Furthermore, school has become less about actually learning new things and more about filling the requirements of academic proficiency that signifies success in education. Children are not being praised for being voracious readers because classes often treat reading as a checkpoint rather than a way to understand new material. Students whose interests aren’t being supported by their peers or teachers can feel as though their efforts and genuine interests don’t really matter. I know that was the case for me.
Reimagine your understanding of gender: pronouns do not equal gender identity
When we look at other people, we make instant assumptions about them, from the way they dress, act or even what they are interested in. These expectations can be damaging, not only because they are often untrue, but also because they can be incredibly hard to unlearn. This is often true for those who do not fit within the gender binary, and even more so for those who do not fit into the androgynous stereotype often ascribed to non-binary people. It is one thing to understand that gender identity, pronouns and gender expression are three separate categories, and it is another to actively deconstruct the notions of gender that place those groupings together.
Mount Holyoke must live up to its promise of providing a global liberal arts education
Four years ago, a group of Mount Holyoke students organized a campaign aptly titled “Mount Holyoke Doesn’t Teach Me.” As archived by the Daily Hampshire Gazette in 2018, students at the time organized this campaign to address the lack of inclusion in our curriculum. The Gazette quoted several anonymous students who pointed out that Mount Holyoke fails to teach its students “that South Asian poets and authors are significant;” about “non-Western art history;” “about [their] culture without the colonizer’s perspective;” and about the “history of Muslim countries in an unbiased way.”
Good cinema and white cinema are not the same
At the first meeting of Mount Holyoke’s Film Society, we discussed our plan for the semester’s screenings. I created a screening schedule featuring Black-centered films in February to honor Black History Month. It was also important that the club continue to show films led by people of color throughout the semester. The world of film criticism disproportionately recognizes white-centric cinema as the pinnacle of quality, even though filmmakers of color consistently produce remarkable work.
‘Dune’ proves that the white savior trope is alive and well
Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel “Dune” is a science-fiction classic that influenced the subsequent development of the genre. Dune is back in headlines following the 2021 film reboot, which is the second most nominated film at the Oscars this year. Herbert has faced criticism for his protagonist Paul Atreides who is a white messiah figure to the Indigenous people of planet Arrakis. At a roundtable conversation with a group of journalists, director Denis Villeneuve responded to the longstanding view that the source material glorified the white savior trope. “It’s a criticism of the idea of a savior, of someone that will come and tell another population how to be, what to believe,”' he said.
Selective celebration compromises the authenticity of history
America has a systemic issue of selective storytelling to make history more digestible. While simplicity has its place, loss of nuance can be incredibly damaging when attempting to reckon with our past. There often seems to be a collective forgetfulness when engaging in harsh truths about historical events or people. This tendency to celebrate and recognize redeemable parts of history compromises its authenticity.
Ballet and body dysmorphia shouldn’t go hand-in-hand
I have been dancing for as long as I can remember: since I started movement classes at the Lawrence Arts Center in my hometown at the age of two.
When I was around four or five, I was deemed ready to start ballet. By the time I was 14, I had been accepted into the Lawrence Ballet Theater, the pre-professional dance company at my studio. Throughout high school, I was a member of this company, adding more and more hours to my schedule to meet the demands of dancing at such an intense level. I went to the University of Kansas Dance Intensive every summer and participated in several productions a year, as well as worked with visiting choreographers who set pieces for the company.
Corporations and the CDC see disabled COVID-19 deaths as collateral damage
Content warning: this article discusses ableism and mass death.
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the lives of every human being for over two years. People are tired of restrictions, tired of fear and tired of putting their lives on hold for a virus that keeps spreading and mutating, especially as stubborn holdouts refuse to get vaccinated. This sentiment is entirely justified; I am annoyed and frustrated by how much my college experience and my early 20s have been negatively impacted by the virus. What is not justified, however, is the idea that we should normalize living with the virus and return to business as usual because it seems that people are now more likely to get it than not. Though this idea has recently taken hold in much of the United States, its roots lie in corporate greed. While the average vaccinated and boostered individual will likely avoid hospitalization and death if they contract the virus, as shown in a Jan. 7 study from the CDC, those who are immunocompromised and disabled may not. The fact that their concerns are being pushed to the side for the sake of returning to the status quo is horrifying to me, yet unfortunately, unsurprising.
PCOS treatment needs a focus on mental health
When Sara Ali Khan, a famous Bollywood actress in India, endorsed a fitness app called “HealthifyMe,” her face was emblazoned on billboards all across the city of Mumbai. Khan claimed that she had lost over 80 pounds during her fitness journey. Khan has been candid about her struggle with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a hormonal disorder that causes irregular periods, weight gain, acne and [the production of] excess androgens due to the presence of cysts in the ovaries.
Embrace train travel: public transit should be supported within the United State
As my Amtrak train rumbled through the striking East Coast fall landscape, I wondered why I’d never traveled by rail before and questioned why train travel isn’t more ubiquitous across the country.
The U.S. is so vast, and air travel only lets us touch down in travel hubs. From my window, I got to see swamps and woods.
In spring 2021, Mount Holyoke created an environment set on driving students apart
During the spring 2021 semester, the normally vibrant Mount Holyoke College was a ghost town. Walking across campus, you might’ve seen one or two other students also making the trek to the Dining Commons. We’d exchange our used plastic containers for new ones, get more food and return to our dorm rooms — the only place we were allowed to take off our masks or eat.
