Mount Holyoke News
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Convocation speakers celebrate TGNC10 announcement
BY JESSE HAUSKNECHT-BROWN ’25
MANAGING EDITOR OF LAYOUT | FEATURES EDITOR
Pom-poms in hand and gowns zipped up, the graduating class of 2025 marched down the steps of Gettell Amphitheater while the Five College West African Music Ensemble played energetic music. This processional marked the beginning of the 2024 Convocation ceremony held on Sept. 3, this time at 10 a.m. instead of the usual 12 p.m.
Members of the crowd cheered and chanted, many wearing their class colors and some carrying signs to show class pride.
Sally Durdan ’81, who is beginning her first year as the chair of the Board of Trustees, spoke first, beginning with a land acknowledgment and then thanking the staff members who made Convocation possible. She spoke about the loss of the copper beech tree outside of Dwight Hall, which stood for over a century before it was struck down by lightning. Then, she turned her attention towards the class of 2025, explaining that she is also a Green Griffin.
“Hello to my fellow Griffins, the class of 2025,” Durdan said before being met with loud applause.
Durdan introduced President Danielle R. Holley, who began by recognizing each class year. “Mount Holyoke, we are a community that is bold, unique, curious and unstoppable, so are we ready to do the official roll call?” Holley asked. She acknowledged each class year — the first-year Blue Lions, sophomore Yellow Sphinxes, junior Red Pegasi, senior Green Griffins, Frances Perkins scholar Purple Phoenixes and graduate student Teal Owls — who each responded with loud applause.
The focal point of the ceremony was the official announcement of TGNC10: Commemorating TGNC Inclusion at MHC. The student-led project commemorates the 10-year anniversary of the College’s trans and gender-nonconforming inclusive admissions policy.
“In 1837, Mount Holyoke opened the gate to a rigorous education regardless of gender. In 2014, we cracked that gate wider and we had more students we needed to serve, more students whose diverse perspectives would enhance our academic excellence and more students who would thrive in our inclusive community,” Holley said. “Mount Holyoke’s admissions policy is a 21st century expression of our core mission. The community we’ve built as a result of that policy is and will always be too bold for boundaries.”
She explained how, at the 2014 Convocation ceremony, then-president Lynn Pasquerella announced that Mount Holyoke would officially admit transgender women, transgender men and nonbinary people, regardless of their sex assigned at
birth. The College became the first of what were then called the Seven Sisters to initiate a trans-inclusive admissions policy.
“We’ll be celebrating this anniversary all year guided by the student-led work, called ‘TGNC10: Commemorating TGNC Inclusion at Mount Holyoke College’,” Holley said. Some audience members stood up and cheered while many waved pom-poms and signs with the TGNC10 logo.
Holley asked for the members of the TGNC10 advisory committee — which is comprised of students, faculty and professors — to stand up and be recognized, which was followed by more enthusiastic cheering. Holley then explained that TGNC10 is part of a task force she is creating for the 2024-2025 academic school year called the Presidential Task Force for the Trans and Gender Nonconforming Community.
“This group will help me to ensure Mount Holyoke strengthens its commitment to inclusivity and enhancing resources and support for TGNC community members,” Holley said.
“Before I close, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that we have a lot of work cut out for us,” Holley said. “We are living in a world that needs so much of our attention; we are navigating a contentious election, an ongoing heartbreaking political and humanitarian crisis, the alarming effects of climate change and a world in which too many people are struggling to move forward from the losses of the pandemic.”
Student Government Association President Julia Keane ’26 was the next to address the crowd. She discussed her role as SGA President and explained that, throughout her academic journey at Mount Holyoke, she has been in three out of the four main class colors: all but Yellow Sphinx.
Keane then introduced the three student members of the TGNC10 advisory committee: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fellows Raven Joseph ’25 and Emma Quirk ’26 as well as
TGNC10 Project Coordinator and Founder Lily Rood ’27.
Describing the committee’s work, Joseph explained that they are “building on the legacy of trans women of color activists such as foremothers whose names we call forth: Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson … who sought full equality for all members of the LGTBQ community.”
Quirk explained upon Joseph’s sentiments by highlighting two student activist organizations whose members were advocating on campus in the years leading up to the 2014 policy announcement. “Today, I am proud to call forth the names of student activists and organizations called Femmepowered and Open Gates,” Quirk said. “In 2014, they said what we proudly affirm today: trans women belong at Mount Holyoke.”
Open Gates, as described on their Tumblr page, was “a student led community organization dedicated to the full inclusion of trans women at Mount Holyoke College.” Femmepowered was a campus organization dedicated to fighting misogyny on campus by creating space for femme-identified queer people. The “About” page of their Tumblr highlights Femmepowered’s belief that “the full inclusion of trans women on campus, both in admissions policies and campus cultural attitudes, is a vital part of addressing misogyny on campus.”
While Joseph and Quirk’s remarks reflected on past trans advocacy, they then turned it over to Rood to speak to the present moment through a poem called “Taking the Stage at Last.”
Rood explained that her poem was participatory and would ask questions; she invited audience members to engage with it however they saw fit, whether that be waving a pom-pom or answering aloud.
“When we are faced with a moment in history, we must ask the critical question: what do we stand for?” Rood began. “For too long, when my sisters in transition sought
to be here, without fear, on the stage, the crowd was asked: ‘Do you stand with us?’ and the call rang out unanswered. Today however, I am here, without fear, on the stage. I am loud, proud, a trans woman leader speaking to a crowd.”
Students, staff, faculty and community members in the audience embraced Rood’s words, many standing up and applauding loudly. She continued by asking a series of questions, pausing after each one as the crowd cheered.
“And I need not ask, should I not choose, for at last, I know: Mount Holyoke stands with me,” Rood said. “So for all to see, what I know in my heart, I will ask with no fear but rather with expectation: do you stand with us? Do you stand for gender affirming care? Do you stand for intersectional trans equity and racial justice? Do you stand for a world in which trans women and people of every gender-expansive identity are here, without fear, on the stage?”
Speaking in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, Rood explained that she had spent a lot of time envisioning what a “community-wide embrace of TGNC folks might look and feel like,” and that after Convocation, “that dream has begun to be realized.”
She closed out her remarks by addressing that there is more work to be done within the Mount Holyoke community to support TGNC people, but that the College has come a long way. “Today we stand united,” Rood said. “We will stand up and fight until every last trans sibling of ours is embraced and supported and loved and handed this microphone here, without fear, on the stage.”
When Rood found out in August that she would have the opportunity to speak at convocation, she wanted to honor the TGNC people, especially trans women, who haven’t had the same or similar opportunities in the past.
“I wanted to lean into an idea that I think and talk about frequently within my DEI work, which is honoring past, present and future stories all at once,” Rood said. “So, I was inspired by visions of future trans leaders at Mount Holyoke, too. By seeking to honor those who came before me and those who will come after me, I was able to show up as myself in the present moment in a way that felt right.”
Zoë Crabtree ’15, a Technical Support & Content Specialist who spoke on behalf of the staff, built upon Rood’s address by speaking about their experience at the Convocation ceremony in 2014.
“[2014] was my senior year, I was sitting right back up there, at the top of the amphitheater, next to a Green Griffin I’d recently met. Now, he and I are married,” Crabtree said, drawing applause from the crowd. “In the
last 10 years, I’ve seen the college’s continued commitment to our trans and nonbinary community members.”
They highlighted a number of programs that the College has added in the past 10 years including the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; BOOM, an annual DEI learning symposium; and the Affirming Practices for Trans and Gender Nonconforming People Working Group, which they’ve served on during their time as a staff member.
“I wish we didn’t have to push so hard to be recognized and accepted on top of everything else going on in our lives, but as you can, keep pushing,” Crabtree said. “And when you need rest, lean on each other and on the MHC staff that are here to support you.”
Assistant Professor of psychology and education Jackson Matos spoke next, referencing his own marriage to a Green Griffin Mount Holyoke alum, and current staff member, Natasha Matos, Laboratory Instructor in psychology and education.
“I am a spouse in an interracial marriage, but it’s just not any marriage. I had the good sense to marry a Mount Holyoke alum,” Matos began. “I identify as first-generation, low-income, a person with disabilities, Puerto Rican, Catholic and I am a proud trans man.” As he listed his different social identities, members of the audience interrupted after each one to cheer.
Matos continued by prompting the crowd to think about why Mount Holyoke was the first institution of its kind to put a trans-inclusive admissions policy into place. His answer traces back to Mary Lyon’s challenge to Mount Holyoke students back in 1837, “to go where no one else will go” and “do what no one else will do.”
Matos explained that, in the 21st century context at Mount Holyoke, this means doing the right thing “not in the service of what’s trendy right now, but in the service of what’s right, always.”
This sentiment, Matos said, should be applied to and taken out of the Mount Holyoke community: it looks like caring for neighbors and Community Based Learning partners, using people’s correct pronouns and being in solidarity with, not trying to save, marginalized communities.
“The system of oppression prescribed us a gender binary, but we are called to imagine a different world,” Matos said. “As adrienne maree brown says, ‘all social justice work is science fiction. We are imagining a world free of injustice, a world that doesn’t yet exist.’ At Mount Holyoke we work to turn the science fiction of social justice into
Students gather in Great Room to watch live presidential debate
BY TARA MONASTESSE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
There were scarcely seats available in the Great Room on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 10, as students gathered to watch a live screening of the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. While the two candidates debated at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a projection of the ABC News broadcast played for watch party attendees as they spectated from decorated tables under red, white and blue stage lighting. The event was organized through a collaboration between the Division of Student Life, the Office of Student Involvement and the student-led Mount Holyoke College Democrats. MHC Votes!, a non-partisan student coalition dedicated to increasing voter engagement among students, also tabled at the event. The Mount Holyoke College Republicans student organization was not present at the event, as the group is no longer active on campus this academic year. Emma Cranage ’25 and Rebecca Sandoval ’26, president and vice president of the MHC Democrats
respectively, introduced the event shortly before the debate began at about 9 p.m.
“We’ve put watch parties together before, but never on such a scale,” Cranage said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. “I really regret that we didn’t until now. It was so wonderful to see everyone show up and just hear everyone’s reactions. It was a really good way of bringing the student body together at such a complicated time.”
Overall, Cranage felt that the event “went really great.”
The Princeton Review recently named Mount Holyoke #1 for “Most Liberal Students” in its annual rankings last month, which are based on how students rate their schools. With this in mind, the general crowd reactions during the College’s debate watch party were largely unsurprising. Well-timed jabs from Harris typically earned applause and cheers, while comments from Trump were often met with laughter. However, not all of Harris’ statements were met with approval.
“I think some of Kamala’s comments were a little disheartening to some people in our crowd, and I definitely understand that,” Sandoval said in an interview with Mount
Holyoke News. Sandoval said that she found Harris’s stance on fracking to be disappointing, especially as Sandoval is herself a resident of Pennsylvania where the presence of fracking is controversial.
“When they brought up Pennsylvania, [Harris] brought up fracking. I think maybe she was going towards more of a centrist audience, but I don’t know if she’s going to win over that youth vote with the whole fracking thing,” Sandoval said.
“I think the watch party was very helpful because even though it seemed like people were more on the Democratic representative’s side, we still felt like there were some things that we disagreed on with the candidate,” Campbell Waters ’25, a student watch party attendee, said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News immediately following the debate. “ I think [it] is very important to show that we’re not just mindlessly following someone.”
According to Cranage, the MHC Democrats are currently planning to host a vice presidential debate watch party on Oct. 1 in collaboration with the same groups as the presidential debate watch party. Planning is also underway for an on-campus election night watch party, to be held on Nov.
5. The Office of Student Involvement has stated that if the MHC Republicans student organization becomes once again active, they would “gladly include” the group as co-hosts of the vice presidential debate watch party. “I think the watch party went amazing,” Sandoval said. “I went around talking to people quite a bit, and it was really cool to see people building the sense of community with their other peers on campus, talking about their states, where they’re from, how they think the debate is going.” “I think it’s only up from here,” she said. Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.
Photo by Max Paster ’25
Lily Rood ’27, the TGNC10 project coordinator, delivered a poem during her Convocation address.
’25
Photo by Tara Monastesse ’25
Emma Cranage ’25 (left) and Rebecca Sandoval ’26 (right) introduced the debate’s watch party.
2 FEATURES
Kaplan scholars begin transfer journey at Mount Holyoke
BY TARA MONASTESSE ’25 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
By the time Paula Mayorga ’27 and Barbara Abreu Bicelis FP ’27
set foot on Mount Holyoke’s campus for the first time last October for a tour, they had already become fast friends. Both community college students had been hard at work looking for ways to further their education after receiving their associate degrees. Their pursuit had led them to apply to the Kaplan Leadership Program, an NYC-based program which seeks to enroll community college students from underrepresented communities into elite four-year colleges to receive their bachelor’s degrees. During their visit to campus in the fall of 2023, Mayorga and Bicelis were also touring some of the most elite colleges in the country alongside their fellow Kaplan scholars as they each prepared upwards of ten applications to transfer into a bachelor’s degree program.
Mayorga clearly recalls two things about their Mount Holyoke tour. One, that she had to remove her blazer on account of how unexpectedly hot it was that October day. Two: “We loved it.”
This fall, the two friends are again taking the next step in their educational journeys together: this time as members of the class of 2027, after they both decided to matriculate at Mount Holyoke to pursue bachelor degrees. On the afternoon of Sept. 3, just hours after experiencing the fervor of Convocation for the first time, Mayorga and Bicelis sat down for an interview with Mount Holyoke News to discuss their educational journeys thus far and their plans for the future.
“One of the things that I love about Mount Holyoke is the community that you have here,” Bicelis
said. A Venezuelan immigrant who arrived in the United States twelve years ago, Bicelis had attended a girls’ school in Venezuela when she was younger and found the sister-like support she received from her classmates invaluable. “I want to have a strong community of women that are going to be my sister,” Bicelis said. “They’re going to support me through the process. And that’s the thing that I love about this school.”
“I’m a first-generation [student], so I never knew about the Seven Sisters historically women’s colleges,” Mayorga said. “When I came to Mount Holyoke … I fell in love. I really felt the community. I feel like I belong here.”
Mayorga, who recently graduated with an associate degree in criminal justice from Hudson County Community College, is looking to pursue an international relations major with a potential minor in Latinx studies or Spanish. Her primary area of career interest is immigration, as she hopes to support immigration reform in the United States and make higher education more accessible to new immigrants. To that end, she sees law school on the horizon.
Having relocated to the United States from Ecuador five years ago, Mayorga said that her personal experience with the American immigration system has fueled her career passion.
“I was afraid to go to a four-year university,” Mayorga said. “I did not have the right guidance and the confidence.”
“[Kaplan] helped me to embrace my internal voice and also helped me to actually dream big, like things I never thought I would be capable of … I never thought I would be able to come to such an intellectual environment and feel that I belong here, and I earned it.”
Meanwhile, Bicelis is looking to pursue a career on Wall Street as either a financial analyst or an investment banker after finishing her studies. A graduate of Borough of Manhattan Community College with an associate degree in business administration, Bicelis is now majoring
in economics and exploring other options such as a politics minor. She plans to use her career in business to search for ways to provide economic support to financially struggling countries in the Americas, including Venezuela.
“You don’t need to do a lot of things to change the world,” Bicelis said; rather, she believes it is important to focus on working “oneby-one” with the people around her. “That’s the force that drives me to be a better person, that’s the force that drives me to go back to school, even if I’m 29 years old, because I know if I go to school, my little cousins can feel motivated … My sister, she’s thinking to go back to college right now because of me.”
Bicelis stated that she views finance as a gateway for opportunity, hoping that through her work she will be able to support individuals, such as artists, who need funding to pursue their own dreams.
Both Mayorga and Bicelis cited the support of the Kaplan Educational Foundation as being indispensable to their pursuit of higher education. In addition to receiving personalized assistance during the transfer application process, Kaplan Leadership Program scholars are also given access to a variety of resources to support their higher education journey. According to Bicelis, she was able to take courses to improve her English language skills with support from the Kaplan Educational Foundation. She was also able to rent a car in order to transport her belongings to the College during move-in.
Bicelis’ advice to other community college graduates looking to continue their education is to be unafraid to ask for help.
“If I can do it, they can do it,” she said.
Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking.
Students celebrate the new academic year at Nightfest: Celebration Edition
BY EMMA QUIRK ’26
PHOTOS EDITOR | STAFF WRITER
Students enjoyed a silent disco, light-up games, Batch ice cream and more at Nightfest: Celebration Edition.
Hosted on Sept. 7 by the Office of Student Involvement, students could participate in a dance party in Chapin Auditorium or a silent disco on the Abbey/Buck Green. Besides the music, there was a photo booth for taking pictures with friends and bags of kettle corn to snack on. Outside, there were LED ping pong tables and mini golf, as well as two food trucks, where students could choose between five flavors of Batch ice cream and three styles of grilled cheese sandwiches.
The night was planned by Julia Keane ’26, Student Government Association president, and Justin Terlisner, coordinator of Student Involvement and Events in the Office of Student Involvement, during the summer.
The silent disco was a highlight of the evening. Kit Moore ’27, who got a spot job through OSI passing out bags of kettle corn to students inside Chapin, said that her “favorite part of the evening was definitely the silent disco.” Overall, she thought it was a nice start to the school year, stating that “It was so great to see everyone dance together and have a
moment to just be with their friends again.”
Keane agreed. “It’s so fun when a good song comes on and you see everyone switching over to that playlist on their headphones so we can all collectively sing and dance to it,” she said.
This year, Nighfest was celebrating not only the new academic year, but a multitude of milestones and initiatives. These include American politician and former Mount Holyoke professor Shirley Chisholm’s 100th birthday, the 10th anniversary of Mount Holyoke’s transgender and gender-nonconforming inclusive admissions policy, the 10th anniversary of the residential Living-Learning Communities and the launch of the College’s new strategic plan, MHC Forward. Furthermore, the College wanted to create a space to honor students and build community.
Due to rain, the organizers were unsure how successful the turnout would be. However, they were pleasantly surprised.
“We ended up with a great turnout,” Keane said. “It was exciting seeing many students come out for what I think was a great event. I hope everyone had a joyful time celebrating the start of a new academic year.”
Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking.
Photos by Tara Monastesse ’25 Nightfest was held on both the Abbey/Buck Green and in Chapin Auditorium, where students enjoyed a Silent Disco, food trucks, games and popcorn.
Photo by Tara Monastesse ‘25 Barbara Abreu Bicelis FP ‘27 (left) and Paula Mayorga ‘27 (right) enrolled at Mount Hoyloke through the Kaplan Leadership Scholars program after earning their associate degrees.
A cappella groups showcase their skills at O-JAM
BY SARAH BERGER ’27 ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Mount Holyoke College’s a cappella groups brought their best to a mixed group of auditioners and supporters at O-JAM, hosted on Friday, Sept. 6. Each group was greeted by chants from the audience, as well as individual shoutouts to some particularly supported performers. However, no matter who they were there to see, the crowd had consistent energy and enthusiasm for the entirety of the performance.
The M&Cs opened the night with a description of their group as friends who have sung together since 1989. They explained that their name stands for milk and cookies, one of the College’s most beloved traditions, and that they wear black and red to their performances. They performed “What you Don’t Do” by Lianna La Havas, led by Rory Hagerty ’27, followed by “You Go Down Smooth by Lake Street Dive” with Clara Murphy ’25, as the soloist. Bee Mayberry ’25 soloed on the group’s final track, “Thank You” by Boyz II Men.
The
BY ISABEL DUNN ’27 STAFF WRITER
In the coming weeks, the Odyssey Bookshop will host numerous literary events open to the public. With five in-person author appearances, two storytime events, an on-campus talk at Mount Holyoke, a book club and a book launch party, there are plenty of events for readers of all sorts to enjoy.
Kicking the upcoming author events off, on Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. author David Daley will be presenting his new book “Antidemocratic: Inside the Far Right’s 50-year Plot to Control American Elections” in conversation with Dusty Christensen. The book covers the importance of voting rights and the history that has led the country to the upcoming presidential election.
On Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., Hannah Goodwin, associate professor of film and media studies at Mount Holyoke, will introduce her book “Stardust: Cinematic Archives at the End of the World.” Li Cornfeld, a visiting lecturer in the College’s department of film media theater, will join Goodwin in conversation.
Jedediah Berry will be joined in conversation by Kelly Link on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. to discuss Berry’s book “The Naming Song,” a fantasy novel about the importance — and danger — of names. In the novel, an unnamed main character travels through a lawless world to uncover secrets about her past and possibilities that could change her future.
After the M&Cs were the Victory 8s, who kept a light mood and opened with the colorful “Mount Holyoke Drinking Song.” They then continued with “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)” by Stevie Wonder, with Lizzy Alzawahara ’25 as the soloist. Autumn Gebhardt ’26 sang “Boyfriend” by Dove Cameron, and the V8s finished with a performance of “Samson” by Regina Spektor. The Nice Shoes closed out the night by explaining that they’re a cause-based group, which means that all of their performances are a fundraiser of some kind. Last semester, they raised over $700 for Palestinian charities and individuals. However, in addition to their charity work, they described themselves as a group of friends who hang out and sing. They opened with “Feelin’ Good” by Nina Simone, with Ghost Seay ’27 as their soloist. Faye Broughton ‘27 and Grace Morgan ’27 followed up with “Shake it Out” by Florence and the Machine. Clara Canavan ’27 finished with a rousing performance of “Fuck You” by CeeLo Green. After the show concluded, the groups held an audition
Both speakers have experience as booksellers: Berry co-runs the independent publisher Ninepin Press, while Link is a local author and co-owner of the independent bookstore Book Moon in Easthampton.
“Testing Education: A Teacher’s Memoir” by Kathy Greeley will be presented on Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. Greeley, a member of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, will be joined by Massachusetts Teachers Organization activist Rick Last. The pair
hope to shed light on a Massachusetts ballot question surrounding standardized tests in public schools, which will be voted on in the upcoming Nov. 5 election.
Finally, on Sept. 26 at 7 p.m., Thérèse Soukar Chehade will read from her novel “We Walked On,” set at the beginning of the Lebanese Civil War. Joined by Pam Thompson, another historical fiction novelist, Chehade will discuss topics of war, peace and morality.
The Odyssey Bookshop is also supporting several storytime events for families and children. On Sept. 18 at 10:30 a.m., Christina Uss will read her book “The Island Before No,” and on Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m., Jason Perkins will read “Rock Stars Don’t Nap” for a special pajama storytime. Both events will be held at the South Hadley Public Library.
For an event taking place in Gamble Auditorium on Sept. 23 at 4:45 p.m., the Odyssey Bookshop
will be partnering with Mount Holyoke College’s department of Jewish studies and department of religion to virtually host author and poet Joy Ladin. The event, “Extended Family: The Shekhinah, Trans Identity, My Mother and Me,” will center around the intersection of transgender and Jewish identities. Ladin’s works, “Once Out of Nature: Selected Essays on the Transformation of Gender and Family” and a collection of poetry titled “Family,” are available now at the Odyssey Bookshop. Odyssey’s Open Fiction Book Group meets on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. to discuss “Heartburn” by Nora Ephron. The group meets on the fourth Monday of every month to discuss a selected paperback. The club is free and open to the public.
Fans of Sally Rooney will be pleased to hear that Odyssey is hosting a pre-order launch event for her latest novel, “Intermezzo.” Rooney rose to popularity with the success of her debut novel “Normal People.” Her latest work follows two brothers and their experiences with love, loss, grief and family. Those who pre-order the book will be presented with a signed copy at the launch event on Sept. 24 at 4:30 p.m., as well as several themed giveaway items while supplies last.
The Odyssey Bookshop welcomes all local students and members of the community to their events. For more information, visit Odyssey’s website. Gemma Golovner ’25 contributed fact-checking.
Debate over AI creates discourse during NaNoWriMo writing challenge
BY HONORA QUINN ’27 STAFF WRITER
Content warning: This article briefly mentions child abuse. Artificial intelligence has been lurking in every conversation involving the literary world, covering topics from publishing to the classroom. It is therefore not surprising that an institution like National Novel Writing Month — or NaNoWriMo — would issue an official statement for participants in the annual novel-writing contest on the use of AI within the competition. However, instead of reassuring writers, the release of the document brought shock and outrage to the writing community. Within days, the document was taken down and replaced.
NaNoWriMo occurs annually, having started small in 1999 and grown to hundreds of thousands of participants in the 2020s with the goal of writing 50,000 words in the month of November, or 100 pages of text. Books like Marissa Meyer’s Cinder and Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, for example, have been success stories of the program, showing that anyone could participate and potentially get a publishing deal, hitting The New York Times bestseller list in a few thousand keystrokes. In the original, now stricken policy, NaNoWriMo claimed that the banning of AI within writing spaces is both “classist” and “ableist” and that they will not outright condemn the use. They claimed banning AI
is classist because “Not all writers have the financial ability to hire humans to help at certain phases of their writing. For some writers, the decision to use AI is a practical, not an ideological, one.” The statement also described the banning of AI as ableist because “Not all brains have the same abilities and not all writers function at the same level of education or proficiency in the language in which they are writing” and need AI as a technical crutch.
This policy did not go over well with many, with some authors like Rebecca Thorne taking to social media to share their criticisms. The controversy also ended up resurfacing previous discourse involving the company and its approach to forum moderation, which originated after an incident where a volunteer moderator was accused of inappropriate interactions with minors.
These compounding events have caused some members of the writing community to boycott the use of NaNoWriMo this November, and instead create their own challenges for communities to participate in instead, such as the Pathfinders Writing Collective.
Within days of the original policy’s release, it was stricken from the official website and replaced with the following statement: “NaNoWriMo neither explicitly supports nor condemns any approach to writing, including the use of tools that leverage AI … the fact that AI is a large, complex technology category, which encompasses both non-generative
and generative AI, applied in a range of ways to a range of uses, contributes to our belief that AI is simply too big and too varied to categorically support or condemn.”
This was followed by an excerpt of the company’s mission which emphasizes “encouragement to help people use their voices.” The company clearly does not see the irony within this notion due to its refusal to criticize the use of artificial intelligence, which arguably takes away and replaces the voice of the people it claims to champion.
Controversy surrounding the
use of AI is not strictly contained to the bigtime world of publishing, and has endured as an underlying current of tension in almost every college campus and classroom. Mount Holyoke College is no exception. Sept. 4 marked the first day of classes for the 2024-25 school year, meaning that professors have begun to address the syllabus and outline classroom policies, including the institution’s AI policy. The College used to have a standard statement prohibiting the use of generative AI on its website’s “Student Accountability” page, and professors across
the board often include some variation of the sentiment in their respective syllabi. This statement has been criticized by students, including in a Mount Holyoke News opinion piece, who argue that the institution’s values of “innovative, adventurous education” contradict this AI edict. There is no quick and easy solution to the current predicament in either education or the publishing industry. AI books are uploaded every single day to online marketplaces like Amazon, and often pose as ripoffs of those that are traditionally published. Literary Hub documented this phenomenon last May in an article that chronicled the influx of AI-written Kathleen Hanna biographies after the author’s memoir was released.
Additionally, a report from the Stanford Graduate School of Education has noted that, in academic spaces, about 60%-70% of students admitted to cheating before the rise of ChatGPT. Education Week also reports that Turnitin flagged about 1 in every 10 submitted assignments for AI use, although only 3 in 100 assignments used AI to generate the majority of the assignment. Technology and art will likely continue to merge as they have done throughout all of history with the advent of new inventions. The fact remains that art is a human construct, as is everything, and humans continue to crave and create that exposed, raw humanity.
Gemma Golovner ’25 contributed fact-checking.
Photo by Sarah Berger. Rory Hagerty solos on “What you Don’t Do,” originally performed by Lianna La Havas, with the M & Cs.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons Odyssey Bookshop
Photo From Creative Commons, smengelsrud Caption (has to reach across full image)
4 GLOBAL
Lower house of the Mexican legislature passes judicial plan
BY MIRA CRANE ’27
GLOBAL EDITOR
In Mexico, judges may soon be chosen by ballot. On Sept. 4, the lower house of Mexico’s Congress passed a proposal that would redesign the entire judiciary of Mexico, according to the New York Times. The plan would allow almost all of the country’s judges — more than 7,000 — to be elected by voters, be they at the federal, state or local level. Currently, the Mexican president
appoints judges by virtue of their qualifications and training.
According to Judiciaries Worldwide, Mexico’s Supreme Court is composed of 11 justices and one chief justice, whose appointments are confirmed by the Senate. There is no mandatory retirement age. Justices must not have served in any other branches of government within one year prior to their appointment.
Proponents of the bill argue that it will increase judges’ accountability, according to the BBC. Mexico’s
current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has advocated for judicial reform for a long time, citing the current system as corrupt and inefficient. The president has routinely criticized the Supreme Court during his six year term following its hold up of changes he had proposed in the energy and security sectors.
President López Obrador intends to approve the reforms before the end of his term in office, which comes at the end of this month. His party, Morena, won the election this past
June and the incoming president, Claudia Sheinbaum, also supports the proposed judicial reform.
According to the New York Times, the proposed judicial overhaul has led to protests throughout the country. Hundreds of federal judges and judicial workers began a strike last month in response to the overhaul plan.They were joined by judicial employees at the high court early in the week of Sept. 4. In support of the strike, eight of Mexico’s 11 Supreme Court justices voted to suspend sessions for the rest of the week. The workers on strike attempted to delay the vote in the lower house by blocking the entrance as a human chain, but the legislature simply switched venues. According to NPR, three separate judges have also attempted to issue injunctions in an attempt to prohibit debate of the reform among lawmakers and bring it to a halt, which has been unsuccessful. Opponents of the president’s plan argue that it does not address “impunity and chronic underfunding,” two of the biggest issues Mexico’s judiciary faces, according to the BBC. They also argue that having to stand for election may make judges more vulnerable to the influence of organized crime and powerful local figures.
The proposed system would reduce the judgeship’s qualifications to a law degree and “relatively little” experience, the New York Times reported. The US Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar and the Canadian ambassador to Mexico Graeme Clark have both spoken out against the proposed reforms, the BBC reported. President López Obrador responded by pausing relations with
both countries, stating, “They have to learn to respect Mexico’s sovereignty.”
If Mexico’s judicial reform plan passes, it would become an outlier among democratic states.
“This is a disappointing though not unexpected development in Mexican politics,” Andy Reiter, an associate professor of politics and international relations at Mount Holyoke, said in an email to Mount Holyoke News. “While some judges are elected in other countries, this is an extremely expansive proposal that will severely erode a major check on other branches of government.”
The New York Times reported that few democratic countries elect judges. The United States is an exception, where many states hold elections for judges. However, elections are not utilized for the entire federal judiciary, which is appointed by the president; a system many other countries find perplexing. Switzerland allows elections for judges at the local level, and Japan allows for judges to be reviewed by a referendum every 10 years. The closest system to Mexico’s proposed plan is Bolivia’s, in which some powerful judges have been elected following the enactment of a new constitution in 2009, but this is not applicable to the entire judiciary.
The Mexican lower house of government will now have to work out the details of the bill before it moves on to the Senate, according to the New York Times. It is expected to pass, despite the fact that the ruling coalition is one seat shy of a supermajority.
Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.
Dear Emily Dickinson
Dear Emily,
It’s only the third week of the semester, and it seems like everyone on campus is bursting with stress. The firsties are desperate to settle into classes and friend groups. The sophomores can’t decide what to major in. The juniors are about to go abroad and not see their friends and family for like, half a year. And the seniors — oh god. Pile a thesis and a few 300-level courses on top of not knowing where they’ll end up after graduation (251 days away!) — that’s Overwhelming with a capital O. Me personally? My Rockbot app won’t connect to the Dining Hall server, Embark has a personal vendetta against me, and would it be weird to ask out one of the ducks in my Lower Lake cohort? It’s just too much.
I’m not looking for answers to all this right now, but I AM looking for a space for students to seek some heart-to-heart. Do you know a guy?
I don’t think this is something I can fix with a couple obnoxious honks and a menacing waddle.
Sincerely, Supreme Overlord of Lower Lake
Dear Supreme,
It sounds like you and your friends on campus could really use some advice.
Look no further. I have just the solution. Allow me introduce you to Mount Holyoke News’ NEW advice column, run by yours truly: Emily Dickinson ’49.
Worried about how to navigate that fight with your roommate? Need tips on what to wear to the next themed party? Trying to figure out how to ask out your crush? MHN’s new advice column is your one-stopshop for sound guidance to soothe all your campus worries. Submissions for questions are now open, and you can access the submission form via the QR code on this page.
Remember, respect is key! Submissions should not reference specific individuals within the campus community, and any identifying details will result in your submission being rejected. MHN reserves the right to refuse publication to any submission at the discretion of the Editorial Board.
I hope this helps, Supreme, and students: I look forward to answering your burning questions.
Love, Emily
Photo courtesy of rawpixel.com
Graphic by Betty Smart ’26
&
College updates community on geothermal energy project
BY PAIGE COMEAU ’26
EDITOR
OPINION
As the Mount Holyoke College campus has become populated with students arriving for the fall semester, some may have noticed the ongoing construction throughout the grounds. Places like Skinner Green, Mary Woolley Hall and the Reese Psychology and Education building continue to be renovated while students, staff and faculty live and work across campus.
The construction, which began over a year ago, is a result of the College’s ongoing geothermal energy project, which College hopes will help reach the Sustainability Task Force’s goal of a carbon-neutral campus by 2037. The project began in 2018 when a directive to reach carbon neutrality by the College’s bicentennial was approved by the Board of Trustees. This directive planned to reduce carbon emissions by replacing old and outdated infrastructure with an advanced, cost-effective and renewable energy source for heating and cooling. After working with external consultants to decide on the best system, in 2021 the College settled on “a ground source heat pump system with a geo-exchange array,” or geothermal energy.
In a recent email update to students, Mount Holyoke President Danielle R. Holley stated that the geothermal project has entered its second phase following the large amounts of work done to campus
infrastructure over the summer. According to a statement emailed to Mount Holyoke News by Associate Vice President for Facilities Management Karla Youngblood FP ’99, “Communications on the next phase of work will start later in the semester.”
Geothermal energy uses water as a conduit to repel heat from buildings in the summer and store it underground for the campus to use in the winter, according to the College’s website. The water is then pushed around campus using heat pumps on the ground level, as well as bore holes and exchange loops much deeper underground. This system differs from other renewable resources like solar or wind power as it does not depend on certain conditions to produce energy. Ultimately, the College claims on its website that the efficiency of this system will result in “lower energy consumption, reduced reliance on fossil fuels, and ultimately lower utility bills.”
As announced last February by Youngblood, work on buildings and residence halls began in mid-March to prepare them for an updated heating and cooling system. These buildings included Blanchard, Brigham, Porter and Safford halls.
Shortly afterwards in May, electrical work began in Reese and the Science Center. Although this construction occurred while staff and students were still on campus, there were no reported interruptions in utilities. Work was contained to the
daytime, between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Construction to the heating systems under Skinner Green also began during this time, resulting in the area getting blocked off to students during much of the Spring 2023 semester.
Beginning in June, several other residence halls and buildings were closed off for construction either in or around the premises, including Wilder, Mead, Chapin, North Rockefeller, South Rockefeller and Mary Woolley halls. This work was largely confined to the basements of these buildings, as well as large trenches dug around the buildings, in order to demolish the old heating systems and install new ones in their places. Due to this construction, much of Blanchard Circle, Rockefeller Road, Gateway Road and Chapin Road were closed off for the summer. Pedestrian walkways were rerouted for on-campus students and workers.
In August, construction crews began demobilizing their work so residence halls could be opened in time for student arrivals. According to an email sent out by Holley on Sept. 4, updated heating systems are now in place in nearly all of those buildings. As of this publication, no residence buildings are currently being worked on for the geothermal project. The construction of new student rooms on the first floor of North and South Rockefeller halls as announced last spring is still underway, although much of the floor, such as hallways and common rooms, re-
mains within student use.
Construction in Mary Woolley, Reese and the Science Center is still ongoing, mainly focusing on electrical work and heating installation. Work in Reese and the Science Center will continue for much of the semester, while work in Mary Woolley will be completed by mid-October.
Moreover, the construction on Skinner Green is currently in the process of being demobilized, with the fence surrounding
be roped off with
to allow the
Youngblood said she understands that this is a large and invasive project and that the “team is grateful for the grace and support shown by students, faculty and staff when impacted.” Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.
Mount Holyoke Soccer defends 2-0 record in second win of the season
BY GENEVIEVE ZAHNER ’26
SPORTS EDITOR
Mount Holyoke Soccer secured their second season win this past Wednesday, Sept. 4 against Western Connecticut State University. This is the first time the Lyons have faced WCSU, and the matchup ended in a 1-0 shutout win to defend their 2-0 season record.
The first and only goal of the game was scored after 56 minutes by Ada Siepmann ’26, a midfielder from Vlotho, Germany. The team was able to hold on to their lead for the remaining 39 minutes of the game, resulting in their 1-0 win against the Wolves. Despite the shutout score, WestConn was able to end the game with seven shots on goal to Mount Holyoke’s six.
Evie Kreig ’27 was goaltending for the Lyons, helping out the team by saving all seven of the Wolves’
scoring attempts. Mount Holyoke defense held strong throughout the game as well, playing tight on the WestConn players, making it increasingly difficult for the Wolves to get any shots or chances at scoring.
The Lyons had a quick turnaround after their victory, as they matched up against Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday, Sept. 7 in Boston. While the Leopards were able to get off more shots on goal with seven total, Mount Holyoke’s Hannah Keochakian ’25 was able to land a goal first, bringing the score to 1-0 in the second half. The Leopards were able to catch up in the 87th minute of the contest, which brought the score to a tie with only three minutes and 16 seconds remaining. A loose ball attacked by both the Mount Holyoke goalkeeper and a defender left an open goal, which gave WIT an opportunity to score.
Goaltender Emma Zoubok ’27 made a collegiate debut and contributed five saves to hold the score, while the Lyons defense prevented the Leopards from getting any shots on goal for the 37 minutes after
Mount Holyoke’s goal. The Mount Holyoke soccer team hosted Endicott College on Saturday, Sept. 14 for their most recent competition. They will be playing against Rhode Island College in an away
game tonight at 7 p.m. Next up, they will host Massachusetts Institute of Technology at home on Saturday, Sept. 21. Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.
September event highlights: workshops, receptions, panels and more
Tuesday, Sept. 17
National Voter Registration Day with the Weissman Center for Leadership Stop by the Weissman Center for Leadership’s table to learn more about voter registration, absentee ballots, voting in South Hadley and more.
Blanchard Hall Dining Commons, 12 p.m.-1 p.m. Blanchard Hall Atrium, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 18
“We have to show the world who we are” - An Archival Exhibition
In collaboration with Archives and Special Collections, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion invites you to the opening reception for this new exhibit, curated by Lily E. Rood ’27. This is part of TGNC10 @ MHC programming.
Williston Library, Reading Room, 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 19
Navigating the News During Election Season 2024
To participate as a citizen in a democracy, it is essential to follow current events and local and national issues and debates. This workshop offers prompts, tools, activities and discussions aimed at understanding the bias in information sources and ourselves as we navigate the news and media landscape during the 2024 election season. This event is hosted by Library, Information and Technology
Services.
Williston Library Stimson Room, sixth floor, 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 19 Meet the News!
Come meet section editors, the editor-in-chief and other members of Mount Holyoke News to learn more about how you can get involved with Mount Holyoke’s only independent student newspaper.
Green patch between Blanchard Hall and Wilder Hall, 4 p.m.-5 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 19
Opening reception for “Clapp and Concrete: 100 years of Clapp Laboratory”
The exhibit was curated by Peregeine Basich Whitney ’25, Asya Anna Begovic ’24, Tara Castellano FP ’24 , and Becca Moses ’24. Learn more about the history of science at Mount Holyoke College. Refreshments will be provided. This event is hosted by Archives and Special Collections.
Dwight Hall Archives and Special Collections, opens at 4:30 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 20
Mid-Autumn Festival
Join the Chinese Culture Association in making your own lantern, eating mooncake and enjoying a photobooth in this mid-autumn event.
The Great Room, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 23
Extended Family: The Shekhinah, Trans Identity, My Mother, and Me
Joy Ladin is an American poet and the former David and Ruth Gottesman Chair in English at Stern College for Women at Yeshiva University. She was the first openly transgender professor at an Orthodox Jewish institution.
This event will celebrate the launch of two new books, Once Out of Nature: Selected Essays on the Transformation of Gender and Family, a new collection of poems (Family), with readings and reflections on the braiding of trans and Jewish perspectives in theology, poetry and family.
This event is being sponsored by Religion, Jewish Studies and the Odyssey Bookshop.
Please note, Joy Ladin will be joining us virtually, but the event will be in-person.
Gamble Auditorium, Art Building, 4:45 p.m.-6:15 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 27
Donuts in Dwight with the Miller Worley Center for the Environment
Get to know the Miller Worley Center for the Environment and the staff of Dwight Hall. Bring your own coffee or tea and they’ll bring the donuts! Other Donuts in Dwight events will be hosted on Nov. 1 and Dec. 6.
Dwight 202, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Convocation speakers celebrate TGNC10 announcement,
the reality of liberation.”
After Holley gave brief closing remarks, the Mount Holyoke Convocation Choir, who sang “Vuelie” by Christophe Beck and Frode Fjellheim earlier in the ceremony, performed the alma mater before the recessional began, accompanied by the Five College West African Music Ensemble.
“I would describe the [Convo-
cation] atmosphere as an amazing community experience with so much evidence of the incredible solidarity that Mount Holyoke students demonstrate every day,” Kijua
Sanders-McMurtry, Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and a member of the TGNC10 advisory committee, said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. “I’m grateful for the ways I continue to witness MHC students and how deeply they invested in one another.”
Sanders-McMurtry felt inspired by all of the speeches and is excited to continue work on the TGNC10 project. “Every speech evoked feelings of joy and hope but the most deeply moving part for me was seeing Raven Joseph, Emma Quirk and Lily E. Rood on the stage together,” they said. “It felt like such an important moment for all of us but especially significant to have a program centering the voices of TGNC students, alum, staff and faculty.”
As the school year progresses, TGNC10-affiliated events have started up. The Policy in Practice: Availability for Community Support tabling sponsored by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion occurred on Sept. 10 and 12. The opening reception for the archival exhibit titled “‘We have to show the world who we are’: Trans and Gender Nonconforming (TGNC) history at Mount Holyoke,” curated by Rood, will take place in the Reading Room
of the Williston Library on Sept. 18 at 4:30 p.m. “I’m so excited to see how our community works together to shape TGNC10,” Rood said. “This project is led by TGNC students for TGNC students, and I hope that we can collaboratively create a year full of meaningful programming.”
Kamlyn Yosick ’25 contributed fact-checking.
Editor’s note: Emma Quirk ’26 is a member of Mount Holyoke News.
Photo by Ella Shelton ’26 Construction on Skinner Green for the geothermal project began during the last spring semester.
Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics Anna Kennedy ’26 prepares to kick in the game against Western Connecticut State University on Sept. 4. The game was their second season victory.
6 CONVOCATION
Letter to the Editor: Made to Order Wok station serves important function
Dear Editors of Mount Holyoke
News:
As I am sure you are aware, recent freezer failures have caused the usual Harvest Salad Bar to be moved to the Made to Order Wok station. To the average student, this does not pose a problem. It is in fact a clever way to deal with an unexpected failure in the hardware needed to keep the Salad Bar open and running safely. However, this poses a specific problem for people with dietary restrictions, specifically those who are allergic to dairy or are lactose intolerant.
I am allergic to dairy, not in a way that poses a threat to my life –I do not go into anaphylactic shock when exposed to dairy – but it does essentially give me food poisoning for the next day, or in severe cases the next couple of days. As I am sure you can imagine, this is something I try very hard to avoid. As a result, parts of the dining hall pose difficulties on occasion to me and others who have similar dietary restrictions.
All other stations, Classics, Global, Grill, Kosher, Halal, and even the Made to Order Sandwich or Omelet stations are all open to cross contamination, from mixing utensils, or griddles and countertops (as is the case of Made to Order sandwiches), even if they have items that do not contain dairy.
I am aware, although am by no means an expert, that Kosher laws dictate that dairy and meat cannot be mixed for meals, or whole days. However, this only provides a haven for dairy-free individuals part of the time, as Kosher is not, and by no means should be dairy free all the time. Made to Order Wok is the only station that is truly and completely dairy-free station in the dining hall (except for the cereal bar) every day.
Unlike other Made to Order stations in Blanchard Dining Hall, Wok is absent of any ingredients that contain dairy. The Woks used, to my knowledge and experience, are only used for the made to order orders, are oiled with a neutral oil, and none of the items or sauces contain dairy. Hence there is no risk of cross-contamination. Wok Made to Order is also reliable dairyfree. It is true that all the stations in the dining hall do provide dairy free options at one point or another, and ignoring cross contamination, this in theory would be an amazing solution.
However, the days where at least some of the stations have enough to constitute a meal are rare, and trust me, they are good days. But these days are rarely so coordinated. It is also true that the dining hall does have staple items that are dairy free and available for students all the time, such as Halal’s Dal, which uses coconut milk. However, it is unreasonable to expect students with dietary restrictions to eat the same few things every day for whole semesters with little variation. Made to Order Wok offers the opportunity for dairy free people to have variety, and control in what they eat on a day-to-day basis. It has a variety of ingredients and sauces that can be put together in a variety of ways to the individual’s preference. I am aware that I do not know everything there is to know about the dining hall. However, as someone with a moderate to severe dietary restriction this is a moderate inconvenience to my day-to-day, and it would greatly improve my, and others’, day to day when it is returned to its original purpose as a Made to Order Wok station. Sincerely, Morgan Trudeau ‘27
1, 4, 6, 7:
Photo by Max Paster ’25. 2: Photo by Tara Monastesse ’25. 3, 5, 8: Photo courtesy of Annabelle Katz ’25.
Top items first-years forget to pack for dorm living
BY QUILL NISHI-LEONARD ’27 COPY CHIEF
Going to college for the first time is a new and exciting experience, but amid moving out of home and into residence halls, many first years quickly realize they forgot to pack essentials. This issue proves to be an especially frustrating one for Mount Holyoke College students, because the College is not located within walking distance of any major retail outlets.
To minimize the number of shopping trips needed for the class of 2028, Mount Holyoke News has compiled a list of our top forgotten college essentials.
Batteries
Batteries are one of the most important things any college student could pack, as they’re needed to power many common household devices. Alas, they are also among the most forgotten.
Push pins
The most popular battery types are AA and AAA, and they’re both better to have on hand than not.
At Mount Holyoke College, all students living on campus have cork boards on their residence hall doors. Students typically use push pins to post pictures, draw-
ings and flyers on their boards to express themselves and their interests. Many first years forget to bring pins, which make up a vital part of the dorm decoration experience.
Cold medicine
Practically a Mount Holyoke College tradition of its own, the seasonal flu claims many students’ time and energy every fall. To compound this issue, first years often forget to bring cold medicine when they move in, and only realize they forgot after they’ve fallen ill. To avoid a deeply uncomfortable trip to CVS, it’s best to acquire cold medicine before you acquire a cold.
Ice tray
The College does not have ice machines in its residence halls, so students need to bring their own ice tray or do the unthinkable: go iceless. Luckily, most local department stores carry ice trays, so they aren’t hard to find and purchase.
For maximum fanciness, ice trays that make cute shapes — such as hearts, stars and flowers — can be found online.
Bag clips
Potato chips are a staple in practically every student’s diet, but many forget to bring bag clips. Bag clips
can be used to preserve the longevity of your precious chips and other snacks. They’re especially useful when living on your own; it often takes one student longer to eat a full bag of chips than it would take a larger household.
In a pinch, a hair tie can also be used to secure a bag of chips.
To get a broader understanding of what people forgot to bring as first years, MHN also interviewed several students during Nightfest on Sept. 7. Here’s what they had to say.
“Trash bags”
Maria McAlexander ’26
“A hairbrush”
Anna Akter ’25
“A stepping stool”
Liadan McElfresh ’28 and Jordan
Balestrier ’28
“A fan”
Margot Hilyard ’26
“Dishes”
Sierra Bond ’28
“Hangers and a razor”
Sachi Robinson ’28
“Bug spray”
Keira Carvin ’26
“Sneakers”
Cal Shearer ’27 and Taylor Adam ’27
From the Editor: returning to print
To our readers: Greetings! If you are reading this note, it means you are holding a physical copy of Mount Holyoke News (or perhaps perusing a digitized version of this publication online). In whatever way you are accessing our journalism today, MHN is thrilled to once again bring the Mount Holyoke College community its essential reporting through print, with copies of our newspaper being distributed across campus and the Village Commons. I would like to personally thank you for taking the time to support our independent student journalism through your readership. Our staff at MHN is also incredibly grateful to our print publishers at The Republican especially to IT Manager Rob Chapin for working with us to make this return to print possible. Our print publication had been on hiatus since last December, due to insufficient available funds for printing and staffing issues that left us unable to support a functioning layout design team. Thanks to the diligent work of both our current and former business team members, as well as the support of the Student Government Association, we have been able to secure the funding needed to sustain a biweekly print publication for the fall semester. This publication was also made possible due to the hard work of our new and returning layout team members, whose skill and dedication have resulted in the well-crafted pages you are browsing right now. MHN returns to print at a critical time for student journalism.
While few college-age people alive today can recall a time not beset by global turmoil and political unrest, we are now emerging as mature scholars and thinkers during an unprecedented time in American history. From the Israel-Hamas war and its corresponding student protest movements to the pending results of a controversial presidential election, there is great tension in our country, which brings with it a great need for reliable and fair journalism. As we set out to document and analyze these events for our readers, MHN is committed to prioritizing accuracy and truthfulness. To that end, we encourage readers to direct their feedback to our Executive Board via email at mhnews@mtholyoke.edu. Instructions for how to submit a Letter to the Editor can also be found on page 8 of this issue, at the bottom of our masthead. We welcome your thoughts and criticism as our team of student journalists seeks to responsibly navigate the issues of today.
If you are a current Mount Holyoke student reading this, please note that our newspaper staff is currently accepting applications and will continue to do so throughout the academic year on a rolling basis. Applications can be submitted through our website at https://www.mountholyokenews.com/apply-to-mhn. We accept all applicants and use the application forms to gauge interest and staff placement. We welcome your applications and look forward to getting to know you further.
Tara Monastesse Editor-in-Chief
Find the class mascot that truly matches your personality
BY TARA MONASTESSE ’25 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Here at Mount Holyoke College, every undergraduate class year is assigned a class mascot: Red Pegasus, Blue Lion, Yellow Sphinx or Green Griffin.
However, since these mascots are assigned solely based on class year, your mascot assignment turns out to be more about which year you happened to be born in, rather than any affinity you might have with each creature.
This quiz will right the wrongs of arbitrary assignments, connecting you with the mascot that best represents your personality. Grab a pen and get ready to upgrade your wardrobe: you might need to start repping a new color!
1. You arrive in Blanch after your 10:30 a.m. class, only to discover that the lines are all at least a dozen people deep and all your favorite seats have been taken! What do you do?
A) Get in line. You’re not leaving this Dining Commons without your Made-to-Order sandwich.
B) Walk back to your dorm and prep something in the kitchenette instead.
C) Just head to the Grab & Go.
You don’t have time for this.
D) Find a friend who already has a table and steal some of their curly fries.
2. You just found the perfect wardrobe addition in the free bin! What is it?
A) A crisp button down.
B) A pair of good, sturdy jeans.
C) A pair of cowboy boots.
D) A cozy grandpa sweater, perfect for fall.
3. Class just got canceled, and it’s a gorgeous sunny afternoon. How do you spend it?
A) Grab a frisbee and a few friends, then head to Skinner Green to play catch.
B) Go goose-watching by Lower
Lake while you read a book.
C) Rearrange and redecorate your dorm.
D) Set up a picnic blanket on the Delles hill with a speaker.
4. Oh my gosh… your crush is at this party in the North Delles common room, and it looks like they came alone! Do you approach?
A) What kind of a question is this? You’ve already done it. They’re entering their number into your contacts right now.
B) You’d wait for a Chappell Roan song to come on, then make your move and ask for a dance.
C) You don’t need to - it’s only a matter of time before they approach you first.
D) No, you’d totally chicken out. Hopefully they’re still single at the next party…
5. Which fall 2024 course title is the most intriguing to you?
A) Abolition and Radical Textiles (Gender studies)
B) Medieval Architecture (Art History)
C) Stars and Galaxies (Astronomy)
D) Envisioning Apocalypse (Film Media Theater)
6. Where’s your favorite study spot on campus?
A) Blanchard Hall
B) Library Atrium
C) Kendade, bottom floor
D) Shattuck Hall, Cassani Room
RESULTS:
If you selected mostly A’s… you’re a Red Pegasus! The first to raise your hand in class and the last to abandon a heated seminar debate, the color red suits your fiery spirit. You also love your friends with a ferocious loyalty. However, your passion brings with it an impulsive streak you’d do well to keep in check. So spread your wings and fly; your time at Mount Holyoke is only as bold and adventurous as you make it.
If you selected mostly B’s… you’re a Blue Lion! While you might be the only non-mythical creature on this list, people would be foolish to underestimate your true power. Your words are few, but when you speak it’s with complete conviction. You’ve got a plan for the future, and act intentionally every day to reach it. But remember, you’d do well to go with the flow once in a while.
If you selected mostly C’s… you’re a Yellow Sphinx! Elegant and self-assured, your confidence can sometimes make you seem a bit intimidating. But don’t dull your shine for anyone: you’re a beacon for others to feel inspired by. You’ve got the best outfits on campus and a sharp eye for detail. Just be sure you’re taking enough time off from slaying to pay attention to the needs of others.
If you selected mostly D’s… you’re a Green Griffin! The author of this quiz is a bit biased, but you might be the most unique of the four mascots. You see things differently than most people and love to express yourself, whether it’s through art, music or pitching an opinion piece to Mount Holyoke News. However, you can be a bit aimless: hone your focus on a single interest and see how far you get.
This club hosted the presidential debate watch party. 3.) The mascot of Mount Holyoke College’s newest class. 5.) Mount Holyoke Soccer will play against a college originating from this state on Sept. 16. 6.) A large project to help propel the College towards carbon neutrality. 8.) All students living in Mount Holyoke College dorms have one of these on their door. 13.) This dining hall station has partially been taken over by Harvest’s salad bar.
Across: 1.) This student sang “Boyfriend” by Dove Cameron at O-JAM.
3.) This small business from the Village Commons operated a food truck during Nightfest.
4.) The time Convocation began this year.
7.) The vice presidential debate will be held during this month.
9.) This student a capella group is known for raising money for various charities and causes.
10.) The title of the book that Odyssey’s Open Fiction Group will be discussing on Sept. 23.
11.) In this country, judges are reviewed by referendum every 10 years.
12.) This organization has recently faced controversy for its stance on AI.
Graphic by Melanie Duronio ’26
BY ELSPETH HOWLAND ’26 AND AMELIA POZNIAK ’26
HOROSCOPE WRITERS
Aug. 23 – Sept. 22
A new era is approaching. If all the signs point in one direction, follow them. No one is thinking about you as much as you worry they are. Now is the time to be bold and attract attention for the right reasons.
Do’s: Brownies on ice cream, citing correctly, the oxford comma Don’ts: Rose colored glasses, red herrings, old wounds
Sept. 23 – Oct. 22
Your room is your fortress. Let it treat you well. You need your alone time, sometimes and that is okay, especially now. Settle down with a book or a show until you’re recharged. Once you are ready, a flourishing social life will await you – just don’t rush in too soon.
Do’s: House of the Dragon, hopscotch, trading cards
Don’ts: Top 10 radio, sunny-side-up fried eggs, LinkedIn stalking
Oct. 23 – Nov. 21
You are on a road with many forks – it is not a time to think too hard. Instead, test the waters and let your feelings and intuition lead the way. Thinking too hard will only keep you stuck in the dirt. It is also important to pack light on your journey and take only the essentials with you!
Do’s: Macaroni art, sleeping on the floor, bathroom magazines
Don’ts: Cruise control, self checkout, cole slaw
Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
Keep your enemies close. You may be surprised at what you will find. Having an open heart will allow you to make unexpected connections.
Do’s: Basketball shorts, reggae, loveseats
Don’ts: Espresso, nail art, Apple Music
Mount Holyoke News
Mount Holyoke News is an independent student newspaper written by and for Mount Holyoke College students since 1917.
Executive Board
Editor-in-Chief
Tara Monastesse ’25
Managing Editor of Content
Emily Tarinelli ’25
Managing Editor of Layout
Rachel Adler ’26
Copy Chief Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27
News
Madelyn Dalley ’27
Arts & Entertainment
Sarah Berger ’27
Opinion Paige Comeau ’26
Books Sophie Frank ’26
Global Elizabeth Murray ’26 & Mira Crane ’27
Sports Genevieve Zahner ’26
Dec. 22 – Jan. 19
Your dreams have been vivid and disorderly, but don’t look too closely at the meaning. You’re experiencing a change in scenery and your thoughts may be running wild. Spend your free time with a close friend and talk about your worries as well as your favorite things.
Do’s: Shuttles, white water rafting, alter egos Don’ts: Speed walking, raisins, baby name books
Jan. 20 – Feb. 18
Let go of the things you don’t need and revisit them at a later time. You’re booked and busy, so make sure to keep your priorities straight. Leave behind unnecessary drama and gossip… until you feel ready to dive back in, of course.
Do’s: Duolingo streaks, frozen grapes, origami Don’ts: Uber, slime videos
Feb. 19 – March 20
You’re unbalanced. Reach out to a special person in your life and they can set you straight. Make sure to pour your heart out while also lending a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on. The more reciprocity in your relationship, the more you will gain.
Do’s: Even numbers, front handsprings, megabed
Don’ts: To-go utensils, stale bread, umbrellas
March 21 – April 19
There is a fine line between juggling obstacles and losing control. If it seems like too much, reevaluate what it is you wanted in the first place. The ends don’t always justify the means if you lose more than you can afford.
Do’s: Blanch tea, walks around Lower Lake, headphones in public spaces
Don’ts: Ignoring red flags, separate group chats, coffee for dinner
Publisher Melanie Duronio ’26
Managing Editors of Web Scarlett Han ’25 and Cal Smith ’26
Business Manager
Gabriella Rodriguez ’27
Human Resources Abigail McKeon ’26
Editorial Board
Features Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25
Science & Environmental Silas Gemma ’26
Photos Emma Quirk ’26 & Zeyu Zhao ’27
Graphics Betty Smart ’26
Layout Editors Jiyang (Barbara) Chen ’25, Sophie Dalton ’25 & Leah Royes ’27
Publication Guidelines
Copy Editors Angela Drake ’25, Mackenzie Fleming ’25, Gemma Golovner ’25, Meghan MacBeath ’25, Kamlyn Yosick ’25, Sophia Baldwin ’26, Sophie Glasco ’26, Eva Hanson ’26, Brianna Janeira ’26, Camila Juarbe ’26, Kate Koenig ’26, Abigail McKeon ’26, Ellen Tang ’26, Genevieve Breen ’27, Melissa Geller ’27, Namuuna Negi ’27, Karishma Ramkarran ’27, Sofia Ramon ’27 & Gabriella Tonn ’27
Web Editors Jennifer Zhuang ’25, Ama Abrokwa ’26, Amanda Adjei ’27, Casey Chee ’26, Annette Martekuor Darpoh ’27 & Sadia Tijjani ’27
Mount Holyoke News does not endorse any of the opinions or views expressed within the pages of the paper, excluding staff editorials. All content copyright of Mount Holyoke News. All rights reserved. Mount Holyoke News does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age.
Advertising in MHN
Interest in advertising in MHN can be directed to mhnews@mtholyoke.edu for pricing and deadlines.
MHN reserves the right to refuse submissions on the basis of, but not limited to, advertisements considered to be libelous, obscene, defamatory or discriminatory.
Subscriptions
Mount Holyoke News is a biweekly publication that prints throughout the academic year. To join our mailing list, please contact the Publisher at mhnews@mtholyoke.edu.
Letters Policy
Letters to the Editor appear exactly as they are sent to MHN, except for corrections to spelling, grammar and AP style. Letters cannot exceed 500 words. All letters must include the writer’s name and telephone number for verification purposes. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Names may be held upon request with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. MHN reserves the right to decide which materials will be printed. Email submissions to mhnews@mtholyoke.edu by Sundays at 5 p.m. for publication the following week. EMAIL US: mhnews@mtholyoke.edu VISIT US: www.mountholyokenews.com www.facebook.com/mountholyokenews www.twitter.com/mtholyokenews_
April 20 – May 20
Change is best done through many intentional steps rather than one great leap of faith. Surround yourself with the right people and you will see the best version of yourself emerging. Don’t take yourself too seriously this week, and see what happens.
Do’s: Fall playlists, texting back, reading list Don’ts: Procrastination, dwelling on the past, leaving your rings in the bathroom
May 21 – June 20
Today is the time to reconnect with your passions. The end of summer means a new routine, and it can be easy to slip into complacency–but don’t forget there are still things to be done. You have the tools you need to create the life you want.
Do’s- Berries on yogurt, movie nights, your homework
Don’ts- The Blanch lunch rush, second guessing, excuses
June 21 – July 22
Was your perception of yourself built by genuine design or the rejection of wrong assumptions? Some days it feels like everyone is against you, but that may be an old idea. If you feel burned out, try a new hobby. You will get to your destination one way or another.
Do’s: Polaroids, duck watching, your homework
Don’ts: Chasing the Delles’ skunks, skipping lunch, indecision
July 23 – Aug. 22
If you feel your true self lost in translation, look for those who speak your language. True compatibility isn’t found easily and trust isn’t built overnight. What others have may look easy, but remember you don’t have the full story.
Do’s: Mindful rockbot selections, catching up, adding to the conversation Don’ts: Fake Fizz drama, forgetting class readings, walking 2-by-2 across spider bridge