A vote for a third-party candidate is not a waste

BY FRANCIS MCKANE '17

People who plan to vote for third party candidates, such as Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, are often told their votes are wasted, but not all votes are equal. Within the electoral college system, voters in swing states have a greater influence over the outcome of the election than voters in decided states. Decided states, such as New York, California, Massachusetts, Oklahoma and Alabama lean so heavily Democratic or Republican that they are considered uncompetitive. Swing states, such as Ohio, Florida and Virginia, are where candidates focus their energies instead.

The importance of banned books week at MHC

BY SARAH CAVAR '20

Students, faculty, staff and visitors walking into the LITS atrium may have noticed a display table, on top of which rest piles of banned books. You may have read these books or you may not have. Either way, the books’ physical presence at our library, free for anyone to pick up and read, sends a powerful message: we have the right to read these books, in their original form. This is a right that is too often denied by censors, who think that they have the right to control the words we can read.

Rankings don’t matter: providing resources and support for minority students does

BY DANIELLE BROWN '18

Mount Holyoke’s rankings don’t bother me in the slightest. This is because I’m vehemently opposed to public relations being prioritized over actual experiences. I’m not saying that I am entirely disappointed with my experience here because the people I have met, including my closest friends, powerful and impressive professors, and some of the most dedicated staff on this campus make it worthwhile. Add those things to the resources available to us and I’m actually pretty content here.

Lack of postgrad opportunities reflects poorly on MHC

BY SARAH RACICOT '13  

Though I had the grades and SAT scores to go just about wherever I wanted when I applied to college, I looked exclusively at women’s colleges: Wellesley, Mount Holyoke and Smith. I felt by far the most comfortable at Mount Holyoke and that was the main thing that influenced my decision. However, at that point Mount Holyoke was in the top 25. If Mount Holyoke had been ranked much lower, I would have likely gone elsewhere. 

Alums Speak on the Direction of Mount Holyoke College: Marion Messmer '13

BY MARION MESSMER '13

This drop in Mount Holyoke’s ranking might come down to workforce preparation. It seems that a lot of effort goes into fellowship applications — which is great and meant I had a funded master’s at Cambridge as a “fallback” when I couldn’t get a job in the US before my visa ran out — but not that much into career preparation. 

Alums Speak on the Direction of Mount Holyoke College: Sara Taylor '95

BY SARA TAYLOR '95

A similar drop out of the top 25 occurred while I was a student, from 1991–1995. I would not be surprised if one reason for the drop both times is tied to demographic trends. My generation (X) is very small relative to the Baby Boom and Y generations, which meant fewer college-bound women and higher acceptance rates to achieve desired yields. I believe that we have entered a similar situation now that much if not all of Gen Y has finished college. 

Rankings don’t accurately represent colleges

BY CARA MURPHY '14

I am of the opinion that rankings are garbage, but, because so many people pay attention to them, schools should do what they can to ensure they are providing the best experience for their students so their numbers organically improve rather than focus specifically on targeting one thing or another.

Receiving accommodations for invisible disabilities is not “lucky”

BY KATIE PRINCE '19

Before arriving at Mount Holyoke College, I had never received any sort of accommodations for the conditions that I learned to cope with on a daily basis. In fact, I had never even been aware that I had any disabilities.  Like many others who suffer from disabilities that are not visible, I had learned that the ailments I faced everyday were ones that I had to personally learn to cope with, and adjust my life accordingly. 

The value of the private vote during this election season

BY NORA BARON '18 

Someone recently asked me who I was voting for in this year’s elections. I knew they were a die-hard Bernie fan and I didn’t really feel like having a political debate so I told them that I wasn’t sure yet. I wasn’t going to lie to them and say I “felt the Bern” or even find common ground hating Donald Trump. However, they demanded to know how I did not know yet. They also went on to say how there wasn’t even a choice and how me not answering must mean I’m voting for Trump. 

Snapchat lessens the pressures of social media

BY ODICHE NWABUIKWU '18

I’ll admit Snapchat and I got off to a rough start. I’m a more traditional social media user, which means that my experience is limited to Facebook (and that one time I tried Twitter three years ago). Plus, I hate having my picture taken, and my friends' pleas could not convince me to get an app that was crafted specifically for that purpose. It seemed that I would never use the app.

Autism should be accepted, not pitied

BY HANNAH ROACH '17

I love talking about my brothers. They are the kindest, most loving, most giving individuals I have ever known. I love bragging about them, speaking on their attributes, sharing stories of the funny things they’ve done or the loving moments we’ve shared. But, when I share these moments and memories, they are never greeted as I want them to be.

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