This year, the Mount Holyoke Posse community held its annual PossePlus Retreat virtually. The Posse Foundation “identifies, recruits and trains individuals with extraordinary leadership potential.” Posse Scholars from various chapters throughout the country receive full-tuition scholarships from Posse’s partner colleges and universities, including Mount Holyoke.
Remembering Karen Lewis ’74, a Champion for Public Schools
Karen Jennings Lewis ’74 told the Mount Holyoke College Alumnae Association in 2012 that her education at Mount Holyoke “taught me you can do anything.” Later that year, Lewis went on to lead the Chicago Teachers Union through their first strike in over 25 years. During her tenure as president of the CTU, Lewis advocated on behalf of 30,000 teachers across nearly 650 public schools that serve over 350,000 students. As a result, she revolutionized union organizing and cultivated an environment that promoted activism over corporate interests.
Rise in Positive COVID-19 Cases on Campus Leads To Residence Hall Lockdown
After a number of students tested positive for COVID-19 in North Rockefeller Hall, the College placed one floor — and then the entire building — under temporary quarantine lockdown.
According to several students, one floor of North Rockefeller was put under modified quarantine last week. When further test results showed cases on a different floor of the residence hall, the entire building was locked down — though students were still permitted to leave for normal to-go meals at the Dining Commons. During the quarantine period, Health Services visited the dorm to administer COVID-19 test swabs to students each day. The initial full-building quarantine period, which began on Jan. 31, was extended twice, once on Feb. 2 and again on Feb. 4.
College Creates Community Compact and Dining Restrictions for COVID-19 Residential Life
Week Two of the College’s Week of Racial Justice and Reconciliation Week Features More Virtual Events
Mount Holyoke continued its second annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Week of Racial Justice and Reconciliation with a series of events and virtual talks.
On Jan. 24, Mount Holyoke alumna Quanita Haley ’12 gave a sermon entitled “Let Justice Roll Down: A Christian Service in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.”
Carmen Yulín Cruz Named College’s Distinguished Fellow in Leadership
After serving as a member of the House of Representatives and mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico for a combined 12 years, Carmen Yulín Cruz was recently appointed the Harriet L. Weissman and Paul M. Weissman distinguished fellow in leadership at the Weissman Center for Leadership. She will hold the position in the Weissman Center through December 2021, though her contract could extend another year.
College COVID-19 Restrictions Enter Phase 2 as Cases Continue To Rise
After an initial two-week quarantine period, Mount Holyoke College has officially marked a shift into Operating Level 2: Modified Normal COVID-19 Operations with Heightened Awareness. Residential students received a series of communications from the Office of Residential Life alerting them of the new restrictions and guidelines beginning on Feb. 1.
Mount Holyoke Celebrates MLK and Coretta Scott King With a Week of Events Devoted To Racial Justice
Mount Holyoke began its first week of the spring term with the second annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Week of Racial Justice and Reconciliation. The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion partnered with the Division of Student Life to create a program of events “in recognition of the ongoing challenges with race relations in the United States.” According to the Mount Holyoke events calendar, the week’s theme was “Our Interconnectedness Binds Us Together.”
Trump Supporters Storm US Capitol in Deadly Insurrection
New Presidential Administration Is Inaugurated
On Wednesday, Jan. 20, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were officially sworn in as the 46th president and vice president of the United States, respectively. With the COVID-19 pandemic now having claimed over 400,000 American lives and still surging across the country, the inauguration itself looked different. Everyone in attendance wore face masks, and the people in front of the Capitol sat physically distanced from each other. Supreme Court justices, members of Congress and other government officials, as well as past presidents, were seen in attendance. The number of tickets for each person to hand out, as well as receive, was limited to keep the size of the crowd down. The National Mall, where people can usually stand to watch the event, was instead decorated with American flags.