BY MADELINE FITZGERALD ’21
It is often said that journalism is the rough draft of history and nowhere is this more apparent than on a college campus. Institutional memory is naturally short and information is held in the memories of students who are only on campus for four years before leaving forever. But what remains at the College forever is the Mount Holyoke News.
BY MADELINE FITZGERALD ’21
The snipping of scissors and a pile of hair on a dorm room floor — this is the start of a Mount Holyoke tradition. It’s not one listed on the College’s Wikipedia page, nor is it mentioned on campus tours. And it is certainly not one that every student will participate in. But for many students, the MoHo Chop is as much a part of their Mount Holyoke experience as Mountain Day or M&Cs.
BY MADELINE FITZGERALD ’21
Any mention of the name Sonya Stephens is sure to stir up a heated conversation. In student Facebook groups, memes and jokes criticizing her presidency abound. And in real life, she had a sparsely attended inauguration, where the few audience members were predominantly guests from other colleges. While Stephens’ personal conduct plays a major role in this controversy, the College and indeed the nation at large is experiencing a cultural upheaval. Mount Holyoke has become a microcosm for major debates involving the diversity of race, politics and gender.
BY MADELINE FITZGERALD ’21
This is the first in a two-part series on Sonya Stephens, Mount Holyoke’s newly appointed 19th president.
Warm. Kind. Funny. Aloof. Deceptive. Racist. In her three-year tenure as acting president of Mount Holyoke, a myriad of descriptors have been thrown at Sonya Stephens. She is alternatively depicted as a kindhearted academic striving for diversity and a closed-off fundraiser known among students for her perceived insensitivity. The Board of Trustees appointed her to the presidency with “unanimous enthusiasm” but her inauguration was sparsely attended, with fewer than 50 students present.
BY MADELINE FITZGERALD ’21
There is a predictable rhythm to starting college. Scan department store lists of dorm room essentials. Check Rate My Professor. Check the Facebook group. Check everything, then load the car and leave home. For Caroline Castonguay ’20, however, there was one more necessary task to complete. Castonguay, who has cystic fibrosis, a chronic and debilitating illness, needed to meet with AccessAbility services, the office that provides students with disability accommodations.
BY SHEBATI SENGUPTA ’19 AND MADELINE FITZGERALD ’21
In an effort to increase awareness around queer history, Smith College hosted several events surrounding Transgender Day of Visibility last week, including a screening of the documentary “Major!” and a talk with the film’s subject, LGBT rights activist Miss Major. An iconic figure in the fight for transgender rights, Miss Major was a participant in the 1969 Stonewall Riots and today is the executive director emerita for the Transgender, Gender Variant and Intersex Justice Project. Today, she focuses primarily on mass-incarceration and the way it intersects with issues of racial justice and queer activism. Miss Major is also a prominent advocate for prison abolition, an issue which was featured heavily at the talk.
