South Hadley Town Meeting Members vote down proposal to reduce police funding by $90k
“The Movement for Black Lives calls for us to … actively invest in systems that promote the wellbeing rather than the harm of Black people,” Adam Reid said at South Hadley’s annual Town Meeting on June 9, as he proposed a police budget decrease. The proposal, which would reallocate some money from the police budget to public schools, was shot down by voting members during the meeting.
Mead Hall struck by lightning; Will likely be closed fall 2021
Mead Hall was struck by lightning on Saturday, July 17. According to an email sent to the Mount Holyoke community by the Office of Communications, Mount Holyoke Public Safety and the South Hadley fire department were on the scene at just after the event, around 6 p.m. EDT. The building was unoccupied at the time of the lightning strike and the College reported no injuries. Reportedly, there was a fire on the top floor of the building.
College to require employee vaccinations
Robert Hosmer, former Smith College lecturer, accused of sexually abusing a minor
Robert Ellis Hosmer Jr., an emeritus Smith College faculty member, was among the clergy members and lay employees named by the Diocese of Springfield, Mass. for sexually abusing a minor. Hosmer was named along with 60 others in a list first published on May 24. At Smith, Hosmer was a lecturer in the English Language & Literature department for 27 years. He retired in 2016 but has since occasionally taught courses. He taught most recently in spring 2020.
Career Development Center policy and practice changes begin Sept 1
College removes faculty status for coaches
College Cabinet holds open town hall meeting for student questions
Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell Hall and other members of the Mount Holyoke Cabinet held a town hall meeting open to students on Monday, April 26. In notifying students of the event, Hall wrote that the town hall would be “an opportunity for [students] to learn and ask questions about how the college works and about the present and future of Mount Holyoke.”
Mount Holyoke offers COVID-19 vaccine for students, requires vaccination for fall 2021
Hampshire County has received the lowest number of doses per capita of any county in Massachusetts, but the county has still managed to vaccinate a larger share of the population than many other counties. Hampshire has consistently had the lowest number of doses throughout the pandemic.
Weissman Center holds virtual town hall event with Rep. Cori Bush and Nina Turner
Rep. Cori Bush and former Ohio Sen. Nina Turner joined Carmen Yulín Cruz, the Harriet L. Weissman and Paul M. Weissman distinguished fellow in leadership at Mount Holyoke College, for a discussion on racial justice on April 26. This event was one in a series of town halls held by the Weissman Center for Leadership as a part of the “Our Voices, Our Platforms” series. According to the Mount Holyoke website, these town halls seek to “explore how people can use their voices to make meaningful change and how people can discover and create the platforms necessary to achieve that transformative change.”