BY SIGGY EHRLICH ‘26
MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE STUDENT
To the Mount Holyoke Community,
The behavior of Marcella Runell and the Administration around the chalking by the Stop Asian Hate group is deeply upsetting. They were clearly deliberately erased, considering it happened a day after they were done, and it does not seem to me and many others to have been “erased in error” as claimed in the weekly Dean’s Corner. She diminished the harmful washing away, the dumping of water onto messages of support for Asian and Asian-American students, by saying “erased.” Her small paragraph in the Dean’s Corner is an embarrassment to the institution that prides itself on a diverse student body and makes me question her own knowledge and understanding of our campus history. In spring 1997, the work of student activists centered around many issues of inclusivity, including creating more support and academic spaces for Asian students. This activism established the Jeannette Marks LGBTQ+ and the Asian Center for Empowerment cultural centers. They also advocated for the establishment of an Asian-American studies program through a series of protests, rallies, and a sit-in in Mary Lyon Hall. Clearly, however, the institutional scaffolding they created then is not enough to support our students, but this cannot be completely to blame those in power in 1997.
It is rather the responsibility of white students like myself to continue to evaluate our own privilege and behaviors towards Asian and Asian-American students. Asian international students are looked down upon by many white students, staff, and faculty. We must do our part to support our peers because it is becoming increasingly clear that our administration is not doing theirs to support Asian and Asian-American students. Community requires work, support, and activism from all of us, not only for those that we share identities with, but most importantly for those we do not.
We pride ourselves on being a liberal institution and the past few weeks have reminded me again that it is the responsibility of students, staff, and faculty to uphold this standard through our actions. We must continue to support and advocate for our peers and call out the actions of others. #StopAsianHate
Siggy Ehrlich ’26
