BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21
The Nice Shoes, one of Mount Holyoke’s a cappella groups, was founded in 1992 by women who wanted to have an intentionally feminist a cappella group. “Their goal, at that time, was to perform music that was by women and for women, which they felt was lacking on campus,” said Leanna Bonafini ’19, who has been a member of the Nice Shoes for four semesters.
BY SHEBATI SENGUPTA ’19
With the opening of the new Dining Commons in January, the College set out to build community through food. Reflecting the diversity of Mount Holyoke’s students, the Commons features new stations such as the Global station, the Wok station, the L’Chaim (Kosher) station and the Baraka (Halal) station. The latter is undergoing changes as the College works with students to create a more inclusive dining experience.
BY EMILY BERNSTEIN ’18
“1,800 women is a hell of a lot of problems,” said Professor Suarez-Galban, in a Choragos-sponsored discussion group among faculty and students in November 1969. The discussion, which began as a dialogue on campus drug use, ultimately turned to the availability of counseling services at Mount Holyoke, or the lack thereof.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
When Sofia Rivera ’18 first arrived at Mount Holyoke College in the fall of 2014, she was thousands of miles away from her vibrant community in Puerto Rico and, like most students, felt anxious about being in a place so culturally different. Her anxiety soon subsided as she realized that Puerto Ricans make up almost 50 percent of the population in Holyoke. She instantly felt an affinity for her new home and soon became involved in movements to solve the political issues which affected her community.
BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21
As the daily lunch rush begins, a crowd of people come flooding in to Mount Holyoke’s newest addition — the Dining Commons, popularly known as SuperBlanch. This is a chaotic hour for students, especially during the weekdays, as they hurry to find good seats, line up for food and then return to classes. There are piles of utensils on the dishroom conveyor as student workers and staff members rush around to keep things in order.
BY LINDSEY MCGINNIS ’18
CNN, Fox, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, NBC… Every one of the Mount Holyoke newsroom computers was live-streaming the election on Nov. 8, 2016. A small group of staff members had gathered there, two floors above the main viewing party in the Blanchard Great Room, to watch Hillary Clinton make history. It was their first election, as voters and as reporters, and one of the News editors had brought champagne to celebrate.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
If you happen to stop by Rockefeller dining hall for lunch any day during the week you will likely run into Leslie Crossen, a checker who has been working in the dining hall since 2016. Unbeknownst to Leslie, her uncle John Herr also worked as a checker at Rockies in the exact same spot for 15 years before he retired two years ago. Leslie remembers the shock when, during her interview with Dining Services, the interviewer told her that she would be taking John Herr’s spot. “I knew he worked at a women’s college but I always assumed it was Elms College in Chicopee,” said Crossen. “My cheeks turned red when I realized I would be filling my uncle’s shoes; I couldn’t believe it. I always remembered him telling me that I should work [where he did] because it’s such a great place but I never knew he was talking about Mount Holyoke.”
BY CAITLIN LYNCH ’20 AND HELEN ELDRED ’20
“Most majors will tell you that you only end up in this major if you really, truly love it,” said theater major Miranda Wheeler ’19. Although all majors require students to be dedicated, the application of their commitment varies across departments. A significant factor influencing each student’s Mount Holyoke experience is the type of work their major demands.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
The gracious dinner tradition has been a key component of Mount Holyoke life for decades. In the 1950s students would dress up for a special meal, known as “gracious living” dinners, which were served in dorms and often followed by tea or coffee in the common room. Through the years, the tradition has evolved — for example, students are no longer required to come wearing stockings and heels — and the launch of centralized dining in the spring will kick-start a new phase.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
On Saturday, Halloween spirit reached its peak as Mount Holyoke students dressed up in costumes and made their way to Spooky Skate in Chapin Auditorium. From 8 to 10 p.m. Chapin was converted into a roller rink with games, a photo booth, pizzas and numerous other activities. Students clad in elaborate costumes started queuing up outside Chapin at least 30 minutes before to seize their chance at the roller rink.
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.
