Mount Holyoke Implements New Chosen-Name Policy

In August 2020, the College implemented a new Chosen-Name Policy, allowing Mount Holyoke community members to administratively change their names from their given name to their chosen name. This new policy is an effort to introduce more gender-inclusive policies that support transgender and gender-nonconforming community members at the College.

Before this policy, transgender students could still change their deadname — their birth or former name — to their preferred name or “nickname,” by contacting the Office of the Registrar. However, if not completed before the beginning of a semester, not every document would automatically change, such as professors’ rosters.

Faculty and Students Participate in Scholar Strike Through Class Cancellation and Discussion on Racial Inequality in Academic Settings

“We are calling for a Scholar strike ... on September 8-9 2020 to protest ongoing police violence and murders in America,” tweeted Anthea Butler, a professor of religious studies and Africana studies at the University of Pennsylvania, on Aug. 26.

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Mount Holyoke Marks Beginning of Academic Year With First Virtual Convocation Held Over Zoom

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Mount Holyoke’s 183rd Convocation took place, as much of the semester has so far, over Zoom. As students virtually filtered in, photos of past Convocations and calls to “Make some noise for the class of 2021!” flashed across the screen. A short montage of photos submitted by students and other community members followed.

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Residential student staff living on campus have new responsibilities: Zoom events, enforcing social compact

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The group of student residential staff living on the College’s campus this fall is drastically smaller than previous years and they are working in unprecedented circumstances. Abiding by the social compact, and in some cases enforcing it, the responsibilities of Community Assistants (formerly known as Community Advisors) and Residential Fellows (formerly Senior Community Advisors) have shifted in response to COVID-19’s interruption to campus life.

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“Back the Blue” Rally on Village Commons Met With Counter-Protests

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On Monday, Sept. 7, a group of Trump supporters participated in a “Back the Blue” pro-police demonstration in front of the South Hadley Village Commons. The event, advertised on Facebook and hosted by Dianna Ploss, whose Facebook profile indicates she is a former Massachusetts deputy state campaign director for Donald J. Trump for President, garnered pushback from Mount Holyoke College students.

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Brief: Quarantine policies on Mount Holyoke’s Campus

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Brief: Quarantine policies on Mount Holyoke’s Campus

With COVID-19 affecting schools across the country, Mount Holyoke reversed their plan to bring students back to campus this fall. Instead, the fall semester is being conducted entirely online. This semester, the College is only allowing students to stay on campus if their travel home is restricted, if they cannot effectively work in their home environment or if campus is their legal permanent residence. These students are experiencing a different kind of college life on campus, as they now have specific guidelines to follow in regard to curbing the spread of COVID-19.

College Issues New Anti-Racism Plan

“Mount Holyoke must be persistent and uncompromising in addressing the challenges that members of our community who identify as BIPOC — Black, Indigenous and people of color — have brought to our attention. We must identify and address all forms of implicit and explicit racism, bias and discrimination on our campus,” wrote President of the College Sonya Stephens in an Aug. 27 letter to Mount Holyoke community members.

College reverses fall 2020 reopening plan

On Friday, Aug. 7, College President Sonya Stephens announced the reversal of Mount Holyoke’s original residential reopening plan. Following similar announcements by Smith College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst earlier in the week, Mount Holyoke became the third of the Five Colleges to disinvite students from living on campus for the upcoming semester.

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Residential Life Student Employees Share Their Experiences With Fall Planning: Inequitable Pay, Room and Board Fees, Increased Labor

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Residential Life Student Employees Share Their Experiences With Fall Planning: Inequitable Pay, Room and Board Fees, Increased Labor

Students were asked to decide by July 8 whether they wanted to take up Residential Life positions for which they had been previously hired. These positions, previously titled Senior Community Advisor and Community Advisor have been renamed based on modifications to responsibilities under the new social compact and campus reopening plan: Residential Fellow and Community Assistant, respectively.

International Students Are “Angry, Upset and Tired” Regarding Revised Financial Aid Packages, Academic Plan

International Students Are “Angry, Upset and Tired” Regarding Revised Financial Aid Packages, Academic Plan

Many rising juniors and seniors — as well as international students living domestically — were unsure if their requests to live on campus during the fall semester would be approved. For international students living outside of the U.S., returning to campus for the fall semester was never an option, as consulates remain closed in other countries.

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