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Impacts of COVID-19 on Science and Global Climate Action

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During peak lockdown in early April of this year, carbon or CO2 emissions dropped worldwide by 17 percent as compared to 2019. Current CO2 emission levels are nearly equivalent to those measured in 2006, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. However, researchers emphasize that this decrease may not be sustained, as CO2 emissions will likely only drop by about 4-7 percent depending on the trajectory of the pandemic.

In the wake of COVID-19 , some countries have already made decisions to move toward a greener future. The European Commission, the executive branch of the European Union, put forth a $572 billion economic recovery plan with the goal for the EU to be climate-neutral by 2050. South Korea has also introduced the Korean New Deal, which puts a $135 billion investment in green and digital technology. President Xi Jinping announced recently that China will aim for carbon neutrality by 2060 and plans to peak its carbon emissions by 2030. China is currently the world’s biggest emitter of carbon and the largest energy financier with the biggest market. These moves from China, the EU and others put pressure on other countries to follow.

Physical Education Program and Equestrian Center Face External Review

Physical Education Program and Equestrian Center Face External Review

In a Sept. 17 financial update, College President Sonya Stephens and Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Shannon Gurek announced the discontinuation of the College’s varsity golf team and stated that the Equestrian Center and physical education program will be undergoing external reviews.

Director of Athletics and Chair of Physical Education Lori Hendricks said these external reviews are a normal procedure for academic departments, centers and other offices on campus, and they are typically held once a decade. The reviews aim “to assess the operations of the area and alignments with broader organizational priorities, identify future opportunities and needs and think about the strategic investment of resources.”

College Named First-Gen Forward Institution

The Center for First-generation Student Success recently named Mount Holyoke College a First-gen Forward Institution, a national honor recognizing the College’s commitment to advancing first-generation college student success.

Sarah E. Whitley, senior director of the Center for First-generation Student Success, welcomed the College into the 2020-21 cohort of First-gen Forward Institutions. “Through the application process, it was evident that Mount Holyoke is not only taking steps to serve first-generation students but is prepared to make a long-term commitment and employ strategies for significant scaling and important advances in the future,” Whitley said.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Remembered

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Remembered

On Sept. 18, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away after her battle with metastatic pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg had served on the court since she was appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993. At the time of her appointment, she was only the second woman to have served on the court. Before that, she had been appointed by Jimmy Carter in 1980 to serve on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. A majority of her legal career was spent advocating and arguing for gender equality and women's rights.

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College Update on Finances

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On Thursday, Sept. 17, the College provided an update on the financial situation and announced permanent structural changes. In a statement by College President Sonya Stephens and Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Shannon Gurek, it was announced that “the pandemic has created both short-term and longer-term challenges to our operations, negatively impacting the College’s financial outlook.” This letter was a follow-up response to an Aug. 19 statement in which Stephens and Gurek announced furloughs and budget reductions.

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Former Professor Rie Hachiyanagi Has Been Held Without Bail Since December 2019

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Former Mount Holyoke Professor of Art and Studio Art Chair Rie Hachiyanagi has been in custody since December 2019. She will continue to be held without bail until her trial, which is scheduled for November 2020.

Hachiyanagi was charged with multiple counts, including attempted murder, following her alleged assault on a fellow Mount Holyoke faculty member some time between Dec. 23 and Dec. 24, 2019. She has pleaded not guilty on all charges.

Students Launch MHC Votes! Campaign

Students Launch MHC Votes! Campaign

According to a Tufts University study from the National Study of Learning, Voting and Engagement, 94.6 percent of eligible Mount Holyoke students registered to vote in the 2016 election, but only 73.2 percent of that group actually voted. Members of MHC Votes!, a new student initiative hoping to increase voter participation on campus, seek to address this disparity.

MHC Votes! was officially launched in June but started recruiting new students during the fall 2020 semester. The group gained momentum after two of its co-founders, Kate Murray ’22 and Jaxzia Perez ’22, participated in a student internship program with the nonpartisan organization Massachusetts Public Interest Research Groups.

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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