Language department cuts fracture the Arabic program and Middle Eastern studies major
“If I [had known] they weren’t going to keep Arabic, I honestly wouldn’t have come,” prospective Arabic minor Sofia Nojaim ’25 said.
Nojaim is one of 13 students currently enrolled in the second semester of first year Arabic.
According to Safiyah Bey ’23, an international relations major, on Feb. 16, the members of the first year Arabic class were informed that intermediate Arabic classes would no longer be taught on the Mount Holyoke College campus.
Senate discusses booster clinic, injured duck and upcoming Town Hall with AccessAbility Services
College hosts series of talks on antisemitism during spring semester
On Feb. 10, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Kijua Sanders-McMurtry sent an email out to the Mount Holyoke community discussing the College’s efforts to educate the community on antisemitism. The letter focused on the progress made so far as well as steps forward in preventing it on campus.
Academic Priorities Committee proposes changes to class meeting times for fall 2022
In a recent faculty meeting, the Academic Priorities Committee announced new proposals to the class meeting time schedule for the 2022-2023 academic year. According to documents obtained by Mount Holyoke News, these schedule adjustments center on changes to the Tuesday and Thursday morning class meeting times.
LITS team searches for solution to Wi-Fi outages
The first reports of campuswide Wi-Fi issues began to trickle in on Jan. 25, one day after the spring semester launched in an entirely virtual format for a two week period. Internet traffic was at an all-time high during the day as students across campus simultaneously accessed their courses via Zoom. Alex Wirth-Cauchon, chief information officer and executive director of LITS, stated in an email to Mount Holyoke News that approximately 4,500 devices were connected to the College’s wireless network during peak hours last week.
Senate discusses campus Wi-Fi issues
The Feb. 8 SGA senate meeting opened with a land acknowledgment by Chair of Senate Shula Mathew ’22. The agenda for the meeting included an info session with Library, Information, and Technology Services in order to discuss the recent Wi-Fi outages on campus. Senators were asked to gather with their commission groups at the beginning of the meeting to submit questions for the info session.
Mount Holyoke RAs negotiate for higher pay
Student repeatedly targeted with antisemitic graffiti
“I might be loud and vibrant and outspoken. However, that does not give you the right to put up hate signs against me,” an anonymous resident of 1837 said. The student, a member of the Jewish community, was the repeated target of antisemitic graffiti at Mount Holyoke College in fall 2021.
As previously reported by Mount Holyoke News, a Nazi swastika was found drawn on the mirror of the single stall bathroom on the third floor of 1837 Hall on Oct. 6. Since then, two further incidents of antisemitic vandalism have occurred on this floor, all explicitly targeting this student.
Spring semester begins with virtual learning, testing requirements
Following changes to the spring semester move-in plan, Mount Holyoke students and community members have begun adapting to two weeks of remote learning as well as new COVID-19 quarantine and isolation procedures. On Jan. 13, President Sonya Stephens announced significant changes to the College’s spring semester plan, which included details regarding move-in, remote learning and testing requirements. This email was sent 11 days prior to the start of classes.