The value of college for a low-income student

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

“As a low-income student, I see every step I take here as an opportunity to advance from where I came from,” Izabella Czejdo ’20 says. She has taken the time out of her busy schedule as a full time student, international relations liaison, dining hall worker and intern for the Naruna Center for Peacebuilding located in Amherst to speak with me. Growing up in a lower-income household, she feels, has taught her the true value of what it means to take advantage of opportunities that Mount Holyoke gives her, since she did not grow up with them at her disposal. 

How computer science sets its students up for failure

BY MARYANNE MAGNIER ’18

Last spring, Jean Sammet ’48, one of the first computer programmers ever, came to campus to give a talk. As a computer science minor, I eagerly attended in order to gain advice and insight about my field. During the talk, she shared information that stood out to me: The vast majority of the first computer programmers were women. Since, according to U.S. News, only around 18 percent of computer science majors today are women, I began to wonder when this changed. I stumbled upon an NPR Planet Money episode titled “When Women Stopped Coding.” When computers started becoming more common, they were marketed heavily toward men. In the 1980s, it was common for men to have grown up using computers. It was less so for women. Young men were often coming into classes with that advantage, and young women became discouraged by their obvious disadvantage of simply being less familiar with computers. 

A response to professor Gail Hornstein’s article in the Chronicle of Higher Education

BY OLIVIA COLLINS ’18

Dear professor Hornstein:

I’m here to help.

I’m here to help you understand what your students might be going through when they request accommodations for your class. I’m here to help you put yourself in the shoes of some ‘punk’ student who averts her gaze from time-to-time and might get a little sweaty at the prospect of explaining her mental health to a person in a position of power. I’m here to help explain, to the best of my ability, why a good portion of campus has its hackles up over your article in the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Getting back to Mount Holyoke’s roots: Support a garden education program at MHC

Getting back to Mount Holyoke’s roots: Support a garden education program at MHC

BY SAMANTHA ABNEY '17

The roots of agriculture run deep in Western Massachusetts, dating as far back as the 1600s and enduring throughout the birth of modern American agriculture and community supported agricultural efforts in the Connecticut River Valley, according to WGBY.

Go further than “Autism Awareness”: Appreciate autistic people for who they are

BY HANNAH ROACH '17

Autism Awareness Month is a misnomer. Chances are, you are aware of autistic people. The far more difficult question is whether or not you appreciate autistic people. A month that is supposed to be for the support, love and appreciation of autistic people becomes corrupted when we “light it up blue.”

The Jensen Column: How to be an ally to lower-income students

BY CHLOE JENSEN '20

While it may seem as though I only write this weekly column to complain about the Mount Holyoke economic elite, I do genuinely believe that many of our wealthiest students can and should reflect appropriately on their privilege in order to benefit low-income students.

Lessons from Passover: the importance of continuing to ask questions

BY MIRIAM LEVY '17

“And why do we call it matzah? Well, it looks like matzah, and it smells like matzah, and it
has those funny little round holes like matzah,” my aunt Joan reads from our Passover Haggadah as my dad giggles from the head of the table, as proud of his silly matzah joke as ever.

Admissions needs to acknowledge and respect transgender students

BY EMILY JETMORE '18 

Three years ago, I sat in the amphitheater during my first convocation and listened to then-President Lynn Pasquerella announce that transgender students would be welcomed into Mount Holyoke. 

Why is social justice optional at Mount Holyoke?

BY TEAGEN WEBB '18 

On Monday at the BOOM conference, I had a lot of productive interactions with acquaintances, staff and faculty. I have spent the last three years of my time here studying critical gender and race theory, dedicating time to radical anti-capitalist action.

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The Chloe Jensen Column: College applications and low-income students

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BY CHLOE JENSEN '20 

Elite colleges are fundamentally not designed for low-income students, which makes the application process unnavigable without help from an elite college attendee

Allies should not be the face of social justice movements

BY SARAH WASHINGTON 

Allies need to take a smaller role in the social justice movement. Currently, privileged people are taking the spotlight instead of passing the mic to those primarily affected by the actions of our current presidential administration and those who are the targets of oppression.

“Virtually homeless” in a globally conservative world

BY SIDDHI SHAH '19

I am a French and an English double major, but I read more pieces about international relations and politics than literature. Why? Because I’m an international student of color and for me, it’s not only an interest in current events but a fear of survival that compels me to stay educated.

Standard etiquette is acknowledging white privilege

BY TAYLOR LONGMIRE '20

Standard etiquette when entering a room is to acknowledge the presence of all those with whom you interact. Making eye contact and giving a simple smile indicates recognition that you and another person are both human and both deserve the respect to know that. Likewise, if someone were to verbally interact with you, the proper response is to say something back.

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Extracurriculars: Inaccessible for lower-income students

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BY CHLOE JENSEN '20

The culture of extracurricular and co-curricular involvement is one that often circumstantially excludes working-class students. In the world of elite colleges and universities, volunteer and extracurricular work seem to hold more value than paid work.

Activists need to be mindful of their language

Activists need to be mindful of their language

BY SARAH WASHINGTON '19

On Thursday Feb. 16 and Friday Feb. 17, I had the privilege of seeing the activist and author of “Bad Feminist” Roxane Gay, give a lecture and lead a writing workshop. Although she had many lessons to teach us, what struck me the most was her view on the careless ways in which we treat language as activists. 

The experience for first-generation students at Mount Holyoke College needs to be a priority

BY CHLOE JENSEN '20

“Mount Holyoke prides itself on diversity and really needs to do a better job being accessible to first-generation and low-income students,” said Andrea Corbett ’20, a first-generation college student from the Bronx in New York.  For students who are the first to attend college in their family, the experience of confronting classism is unique.

Letter to the Editor

The Feb. 9 issue of the Mount Holyoke News featured an article  —  Pot Legal In Massachusetts: What’s Next For Mount Holyoke Students?For this piece, an anonymous junior spoke about her experiences with smoking marijuana on campus, and I want to use this letter as a platform to address this student. 

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