BY EMILY BERNSTEIN ’18
On Feb. 28, 1980, members of the Mount Holyoke Campus Social Committee wrote an Op-Ed lamenting the “MHC social disease.” This referred to the students’ tendency to complain relentlessly about their social lives while doing nothing to amend the situation. The Committee ruthlessly posited that the typical Mount Holyoke student’s daily schedule consisted of the following:
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21 AND FALGUNI BASNET ’21
Mount Holyoke’s Building on our Momentum (BOOM) conference that was held on March 26 and 27 featured a number of sessions reflecting on Mount Holyoke’s efforts to be diverse, equitable and inclusive. One of the workshops led by Acting President Sonya Stephens was titled “Mount Holyoke in the 21st Century,” and featured group discussions addressing community concerns.
BY CAITLIN LYNCH ’20
The LEAP (Learning from Application) Symposium is an annual gathering where Mount Holyoke students present on their summer internships or research to the public. According to the Mount Holyoke website, the LEAP symposium for summer work has been around at the College for 13 years, and has gone by the name LEAP since 2008.
BY ELEANOR HARRIS ’20
Tinder? Tired. Bumble? Boring. MoRomance? Magical.This week, we matched Hannah*, a sophomore, who described herself as “spunky, fun-loving and artistic,” with Rose*, a “silly but thoughtful” junior. On paper, they seemed like a perfect match. Both told us that they like dance, music and similarly wholesome activities. Rose called her romantic history “limited,” while Hannah referred to her own as some “friendly flirting.”
BY CAITLIN LYNCH ’20
“I feel the campus hum with wishful thinking about this time of year,” said Rachel Fink, a biology professor who’s been working for Mount Holyoke since 1986, on the prospect of Mountain Day. “Every year there is the same level of excitement and enthusiasm, and everyone has their own way of calculating odds.”
BY ANNA SHORTRIDGE ’19
The slogan “Powered by Mount Holyoke” can be seen across campus — it’s found on water bottles, the charging ports in the library, posters around campus and even a baby onesie in the Odyssey Bookshop’s campus store. Many have wondered where this slogan comes from and what it means.
BY EMILY BERNSTEIN ’18
The 1972 Act that sought to end sex-based discrimination in schools receiving federal funding known as Title IX is making headlines this month as Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced that the U.S. Department of Education would be rescinding the non-binding Title IX guidelines around campus sexual assault put in place under the Obama administration.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
Moving to a new place is always challenging, regardless of who you are and where you come from. International students, however, not only have to deal with the complications of acclimating to a new place, but also have to spend a significant period of time trying to get accustomed to the culture and social life of their new home.
BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21
This week, many students from Mount Holyoke College visited New England’s great state fair, “The Big E.” Held every September in West Springfield, Massachusetts, the 17-day event features a wide range of attractions, including rides, concerts, a petting zoo, cooking shows, car shows, fair food vendors and much more.
BY FLORI NEEDLE ’20
Mount Holyoke’s stated goal in renovating Blanchard is to create a space in which intellectual and social interactions can happen at once. According to the Mount Holyoke website, most of the $50 million renovations will be completed in the spring of 2018. However, some of the changes to Blanchard happened over the summer of 2017.
BY LINDSEY MCGINNIS ’18
100 years ago on Oct. 3, 1917, Mary E. Aplin, class of 1918, printed the first ever issue of Mount Holyoke News with the help of Business Manager Catherine McCausland, class of 1918, and a small team of staff and reporters. A publication called “The Mount Holyoke” had previously taken on the mantle of both alumnae and campus news, to the dissatisfaction of most students.
BY EILEEN O’GRADY ’18
Ralph Nader, tall and stoop-shouldered in his pinstripe suit, leaned both hands on the borrowed podium set up in the cozy sitting room of professor Christopher Pyle’s house in South Hadley last Wednesday evening. A group of 15 students perched on a collection of sofas and dining room chairs in a lamplit circle around him, their gazes fixed on the 83-year old political activist with rapt attention.
BY HALEY ROBINSON ’17
Carolina Rivadeneira ’16 is the perfect example of a Mount Holyoke graduate who has translated their academic and cocurricular work into a full-time career. Rivadeneira, born in Ecuador and raised in Miami, chose Mount Holyoke for its interdisciplinary academic offerings and longstanding feminist history.
BY MICHALA SAWYER ’17
Passover, known as Pesach in Hebrew, is an eight-day celebration of the freedom from slavery of the Israelites in Egypt. It is observed by keeping kosher, avoiding anything leavened and participating in the seder meals, which include four cups of wine, matzah, bitter herbs and retelling the Exodus narrative. Eating on campus can potentially be difficult for Jewish students observing Passover. To avoid leaven, or chametz in Hebrew, students have to avoid pasta, bread, cake, cookies, cereal, pizza and most alcoholic beverages, which make up some essential meals for college students.
