BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21
It’s that time of the year when rising sophomores, juniors and seniors at Mount Holyoke participate in the housing lottery. The process can be stressful, and students often worry about who they are going to end up sharing a room with and whether they will get into their desired residence halls or living learning communities (LLCs).
BY GRACE FITZGERALD ’20
This week we set up first-years Aleasha* and Daphne* on a movie date in Skinner Hall, where the pair found a room stocked with movie snacks and a copy of “The Princess Bride.” Aleasha is a “dynamic and dedicated person looking for someone caring who she could make laugh.” Daphne is a film studies nerd looking for someone to watch movies with and be close to. Their similar senses of humor and a love of film made them seem like the perfect match! Here’s how it went...
BY SHEBATI SENGUPTA ’19
There is currently a campaign running which, on the surface, seems counterintuitive. The senior gift campaign asks graduating Mount Holyoke students, who as of yet are still college students and not yet earning significant amounts of money, to make a donation to the College. According to Rebecca Hughes ’18, one of two head class agents for the senior gift campaign, the gift “is not a physical gift…it is a sum of money that the senior class fundraises in their senior year which is given to the Mount Holyoke fund.” This fund consists of money “which gets spent on campus the next year,” said Hughes. “You can think of the endowment as the College’s savings account, and the Mount Holyoke fund as our checking account.” The senior gift campaign is only a small part of what goes into the fund, but it can be integral.
BY MOLLIE GRUBMAN ’20
On Thursday, Feb. 8, the sound of air forced through a ram’s horn reverberated through the streets of Northampton. This ram’s horn is a shofar, a Jewish ceremonial instrument. Some hear this as a primitive call to battle, while others may hear the cry of a dying goat. Either way, the instrument represents an awakening, a call to action and a respect for Jewish tradition. Spearheaded by the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) alongside the Pioneer Valley Worker Center, the rally called for a clean DREAM Act. A clean DREAM Act, in their eyes, would not include concessions to Trump’s wall, funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and their detention centers, or the mandatory E-Verify — a vision that seems unlikely under Donald Trump’s administration.
BY MIA PENNEKAMP ’20
I remember the blackened tooth my sister had for a year because I let go of the rope. The game was tug-of-war; she was three and went crashing down onto the hard marble floor. I think I won that round. Ivy, four years my junior, looks a lot like me — with a few key variations. While I’m pale, she’s sun kissed. While I wear my dark hair straight and long, she embraces the natural tumble of her lighter locks. All of our shared features are softer on her. In both looks and personality where I’m sharp, she’s soft. I thrift cleavage-bearing tank tops, blue jeans and mini-skirts. She buttons up in head-to-toe J.Crew. Our differences become increasingly apparent beyond the physical. She’s calm and content while I’m loud and restless. Sweet where I’m snarky. Faithful where I’m questioning. She is orderly and organized, relishing in routine. I don’t make the bed, or the curfew. She would never let go of the rope.
BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21
The Mount Holyoke history department is one of the earliest academic departments, with records dating back to 1837, the year the College was established. According to a report from the archives “first-year students were required to know American history when they entered, were launched on a sweeping survey of ancient and modern times, [and] while in the last year, the minds and morals of the seniors were informed by the study of ecclesiastical history.”
BY EMILY BERNSTEIN ’18
In 1883, 46 years after the College was founded, Hortense Parker made history as the first known black graduate of Mount Holyoke. It would not be until 89 years later — and more than half a century after the creation of the school newspaper — that Mount Holyoke News would provide a dedicated space to the voices of black students.
BY GRACE FITZGERALD ’20
First-year Taylor* was looking for someone she would be happy to spend time with. Elliott* — also a first-year — was looking for a partner with complimentary vibes. Both envisioned going out for coffee and getting to know each other as their perfect date. This week we set Taylor and Elliot up on a date to get coffee before visiting the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College. What could be more romantic than a walk amongst dinosaur fossils on a winter day? The two met on the PVTA and here’s what happened…
BY MIA PENNEKAMP ’20
“I love last Valentine’s Day, our first. Purple orchids and high black boots. You gave me a letter and a memory and a bottle of maple syrup wrapped in paper, and it was the best present I had ever received,” begins the Valentine’s Day card I wrote this year. It continues with 12 more “I love…” until the last one: “I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day.” Signed: “Always, M.”
BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21
For many, the phrase “applying to college” evokes the image of an anxious 17-year-old, laden down by a multitude of test prep books. But for some, applying to college is a process which occurs again, this time as a college student, sitting on a sunny quad or secluded in a dimly lit library.
BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21
Deputy Chief Barbara Arrighi has worked for the Mount Holyoke police department for almost 44 years. Throughout her career in law enforcement, Arrighi maintained a fervent passion for karate. She has an eighth-degree black belt and is possibly the only woman in the world to be awarded the title of Hanshi, a name given to teachers of masters in Shito-rya International Karate DO Kai.
BY SHEBATI SENGUPTA ’19
Throughout Mount Holyoke’s history, there have been numerous student organizations which cater to members of the queer community. One of the most recently founded organizations is the Coalition for Asexual and Aromantic Awareness (CFAA)... Last week, CFAA held their first Valentine’s Day event, a self-care night entitled #NOROMO.
Dear first-year Sally,
You will hate snow. Really hate snow. Continue to take photos, especially of your friends. Don’t confuse homesickness with actual sickness. Go to the health center. Don’t let anyone judge you for eating ice cream for dinner (and for dessert). Eventually, you will need to stop saying “I think” and start saying “I feel.” Lowell High School will follow you around in weird ways.
BY MIA PENNEKAMP ’20
There are many things I claim to love: cheeseburgers, books, tube tops, ginger ale, airports, lingerie — none of which surpass my love for Mount Holyoke College. As a self-proclaimed die-hard MoHo, you may be interested in how I find my ~bliss~ on campus. Or maybe not. Either way, let’s dive in to some of my not-so-secret Mount Holyoke pleasures.
BY MIA PENNEKAMP ’20
1. Take the class. Email the professor. Wear the backless silk top. Go to the party. Take the road trip. Run to the stop to catch the last bus. Listen to the lecturer. Walk around the lake. Get lost in the museum. Hike the mountain and eat ice cream at the top. Kiss them. Laugh hysterically on your dorm room floor. These are the things you’ll remember.
BY GRACE FITZGERALD ’20
We at MoRomance are working diligently to help MoHos find new love, or at least a new pal this Valentine’s season. This week we set up “cute but anxious” sophomore Frida* with junior Georgia,* who described themself as “funny but quiet.” The two seemed like a good match. Both said that they love art, so we thought an arts and crafts date in Mead’s Golden Pear would be perfect. The pair arrived to find the common room stocked up with origami paper, coloring pages and Shrinky Dinks for an afternoon of crafts and romance.
