Mount Holyoke News AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1917 THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021
MOUNTHOLYOKENEWS.COM
College’s decision to close Gorse Children’s Center sparks outrage
Photo by Kate Turner ’21 Community members and families gathered at the gates on Thursday, Feb. 25, to protest the College’s announcement that it would close the Gorse Children’s Center, an on-campus day care used by community members.
BY CASEY ROEPKE ’21 & KATE TURNER ’21 NEWS EDITORS
“Mount Holyoke has removed a really key part of what made me feel safe — not just [as] an employee, but made me feel safe living here,” said Assistant Professor of Politics Ali Aslam, who faced uncertainty in his child care options after the College’s recent announcement that it would close the Gorse Children’s Center. On Wednesday, Feb. 24, Mount Holyoke announced in a public statement that it would be closing Gorse within the year. The announcement has been met with organized outcry from families of the center’s students and the wider community. The Gorse Children’s Center has a long-standing relationship with the College. According to the College’s website, the Gorse Lab School opened in 1952 in partnership with the psychology and education department. In 2008, Bright Horizons Children’s Centers LLC was selected as the management partner and entered into a contract with Mount Holyoke. The College previously partly subsidized Gorse tuition for some College-affiliated families through the Mount Holyoke College Child Care Scholarship Program. Under this program, full- or part-time employees — faculty and staff of the College — were eligible to receive scholarship as-
u
sistance if they met an “annual household income of less than $85,000” and applied for the need-based scholarship program. Discounted rates were then accessible on a sliding scale. According to faculty parents of Gorse students, the on-campus child care offered by Gorse allows them to work without worrying about the safety of their children. “The service that is provided by Gorse is absolutely crucial for the faculty and staff at MHC to be able to do their jobs,” Associate Professor of Anthropology Elif Babül said. Babül’s description of the services provided by Gorse — full-time day care, including infant care, after-school care, College schedule coordination and transportation for students to and from public schools in South Hadley — indicates how interwoven with the lives of faculty and staff the child care service has been. Students, too, rely on Gorse, which was previously central to the College’s psychology and education program in its capacity as a laboratory school. The College announced the closure of Gorse on Wednesday, Feb. 24, two days after families were alerted to the change. In an online statement, it was explained that the College had formed an ad hoc committee on “employee caregiving issues”
6 FEATURES: Art museum reopening
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
u
10
u
In a remote setting, the burden is on students of nontraditional age BY LILY REAVIS ’21 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
J.J. DiPietro left behind a different life when she chose to return to college as a nontraditionally aged student in 2018. She enrolled at Holyoke Community College for two years before moving to South Hadley, MA, and enrolling at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For DiPietro, the switch to online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic was a welcome change. Her two small dogs, privately owned cleaning business and general responsibilities of being an adult in college all benefited from the extra time spent at home. When UMass shifted to hybrid in-person and online learning this semester, though, DiPietro realized she was expected to travel to campus and participate in in-person events far more than she felt comfortable with. Living 30 minutes from campus with a relatively rigid schedule, she found it hard to keep up with twice-weekly student testing, and her professors were slow to communicate about required in-person activities. Now, DiPietro feels uncomfortable returning to campus due
A&E: February Sounds of MoHo
to the recent COVID-19 outbreak among students, and she’s found that faculty and administration are less flexible than previously during the pandemic. “Very few of the professors are even giving extensions and more take the stance of, you know, ‘If you just can’t do it, you need to drop the class,’” she explained. DiPietro is taking a hybrid mechanical engineering lab this semester. The course is a 300-level, meaning it’s mostly made up of upperclass students. In order to comply with the social distancing measures outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the students were split into several sets of partners this semester. Only six pairs are allowed inside the lab at any given time, and each is expected to attend three in-person lab sessions throughout the semester. Aside from those three sessions, DiPietro will remain in her off-campus housing for the entire semester. Living in South Hadley, she’s roughly 12 miles from campus, which adds up to a travel time of 20 minutes by car and 40 minutes CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
u
14 OP/ED: ‘Cruella’: Another Disney remake
u
2
EVENTS
March 4, 2021
Mount Holyoke News Mount Holyoke News is an independent student newspaper written by and for Mount Holyoke College students since 1917. VISIT US: www.mountholyokenews.com www.facebook.com/themhnews www.twitter.com/mtholyokenews_
EMAIL US: mhnews@mtholyoke.edu
Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Lily Reavis ’21 Managing Editor of Content Flannery Langton ’22
Publisher Liz Lewis ’22
Managing Editor of Layout Rose Sheehan ’22
Managing Editor of Web Zoe Farr ’21
Copy Chief Kelsey Thomas ’21
Business Manager Sarah Nam ’23
Editorial Board News Casey Roepke ’21, Kate Turner ’21 & Liz Lewis ’22 Arts & Entertainment Mariam Keita ’24
Books Sidney Boker ’21 Global Sophie Soloway ’23 & Amelia Luo ’23 Health & Science Kessh Bhasiin ’22 & Zoe Greenberg ’23
Sports Gigi Picard ’22
Photos Ali Meizels ’23 & Rosemary Geib ’23 Graphics Anjali Rao-Herel ’22
Opinion/Editorial Nina Larbi ’22
Features Mimi Huckins ’21
Environmental Meryl Phair ’21
Copy Editors Hunar Anand ’21, Audrey Hogan ’21, Audrey Shannon ’22, Margaret Connor ’23, Lauren Leese ’23, Emma Watkins ’23, Raina Brown ’24 & Ella Jacob ’24 Layout Editors Angie Romero ’24 & Zoe Tang ’24 Web Editors Audrey Hogan ’21, Shloka Gidwani ’22, Georgia Fish ’23 & Aarushi Sharma ’23
Publication Guidelines 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.
. Mount Holyoke News
Event Highlights Thursday, March 4
Student Office Hours With President Stephens
A virtual forum where students are invited to participate in private, informal discussions with President Stephens about the topics of their choice. 3:30 p.m. EST Students should contact Julie Yurgielewicz via email at jyurgiel@ mtholyoke.edu or by phone at (413) 538-2663 to receive a link to the virtual meeting room no later than 24 hours in advance.
Saturday, March 6
The Feeling of Being Watched Film and Discussion
The Muslim Student Association kicks off Islam Awareness Month with this documentary. The film concerns FBI surveillance of an American Muslim community and its effects on its members. A short discussion will follow the screening. 1:00 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. EST Registration is required through Embark.
The “Little” Big Broadcast!
An annual salute to the 1940’s by the Jazz Ensembles of Mount Holyoke, this year taking place virtually on the MHC Zoom platform. The show, conceived and directed by Mark Gionfriddo, has been slimmed and trimmed down for pandemic times — and for the first time ever, it’s free of charge. 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. EST Registration is required through Embark.
Monday, March 8
Fighting Anti-Asian Hate: A Dialogue on Coalition Building and Community Care
We are witnessing increases in acts of violence, discrimination, harassment, and hate speech that have harkened us back to a time when vitriolic language targeting this community first led to horrific injustices. We invite all individuals who wish to further explore how to build solidarity within Asian communities and as allies to these communities to join us for a special dialogue between Amer Ahmed and Lydia X.Z. Brown facilitated by Gabe Hall. 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. EST Registration is required through Embark.
Tuesday, March 9
Last Day of Module 1 Classes
Subscriptions Mount Holyoke News is a weekly publication that will publish online-only throughout the spring semester 2021. To subscribe through email, please visit the following form: https://forms.gle/VPCyskE4kMTDeDan8.
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.
Wednesday, March 10
Language of Angels: A Play by Naomi Iizuka
While partying with her friends in the deep dark meandering caves of a rural North Carolina town, Celie disappears. What ensues is an investigation of the fate of the friends who outlive her. Recurring times. Additional information is available on Embark.
March 4, 2021
NEWS
. Mount Holyoke News
3
Smith staff member resigns, alleging ‘racially hostile environment’ After preparing for a library orientation program in August 2018 which she “poured a tremendous amount of time and effort” into, she was told that she Jodi Shaw, the former student sup- would not be able to perform it since it port coordinator in the department of was a rap. She said she was told by her Residence Life at Smith College, publicly supervisor, “‘because you are white’ … resigned from the college at the end of that could be viewed as ‘cultural approFebruary due to what she called a “racial- priation.’” ly hostile environment.” Cultural appropriation is the practice She outlined that this “hostile envi- of borrowing traits or customs from culronment” had been brought to campus tures other than one’s own. This can be through anti-bias and racial sensitivity contentious if the culture being appropritraining. Shaw, a Smith alum who grad- ated is oppressed or marginalized, paruated in 1993, originally wrote in her ticularly when the borrowing party has resignation letter that she was “over the historically held power over them. “My moon” to be back at Smith as a staff mem- supervisor made clear he did not object to ber. She highlighted that a shift into this a rap in general, nor to the idea of using “hostile environment” started in July 2018 music to convey orientation information after Oumou Kanoute, a Black student at- to students. The problem was my skin tending Smith at the time, had campus color,” Shaw claimed. police called on She had been her while she was up for a new fulleating lunch in a Shaw said that, as an employee of time position in dorm lounge. the library and felt the college, she was expected to Shaw wrote, that her candida“The climate — “participate in racially prejudicial cy for the position and my place was “dead in the behavior” by managing student at the college water” since she conflict “through the lens of race,” had to come up — changed dramatically when, with a new proas she described it. in July 2018, the gram after spendculture war aring months crerived on our camating her original pus when a student accused a white staff one. As a result, she took her former posimember of calling campus security on tion as the student support coordinator in her because of racial bias.” the department of Residence Life. Kanoute took to social media to Shaw said that, as an employee of spread her story of what had happened, the college, she was expected to “particsaying, “All I did was be Black. It’s out- ipate in racially prejudicial behavior” by rageous that some people question my managing student conflict “through the being at Smith College, and my existence lens of race,” as she described it. She said overall as a woman of color.” she was asked to support and help teach Although a private investigator by a a curriculum to the students that would hired law firm found no “persuasive evi- teach them to project assumptions and dence of bias” in the incident, according stereotypes onto not only themselves, but to a New York Times article, the College others as well. “I believe such a curricuinstituted anti-bias training for faculty lum is dehumanizing, prevents authentic and staff, including campus police. connection, and undermines the moral Kathleen McCartney, the president of agency of young people who are just beSmith College, wrote a public apology to ginning to find their way in the world,” Kanoute. “This painful incident reminds Shaw wrote. us of the ongoing legacy of racism and In January 2020, Shaw attended a bias in which people of color are targeted mandatory retreat focused on discussing while simply going about the business of racial issues. After stating that she was their ordinary lives,” McCartney said in not comfortable answering a question in the letter. regard to her racial identity, she said the Shaw argued in her resignation let- facilitator said “a white person’s discomter that when Smith instituted anti-bias fort at discussing their race is a symptom training, the college only supported the of ‘white fragility.’” She felt that because idea that the incident with Kanoute was she was white, her discomfort was being racially motivated and that faculty and “framed as an act of aggression.” staff at the college are racist. She went After filing a complaint about this on to explain how she felt this personally incident, she said she thought it was not affected her in her job and life on campus taken seriously due to her whiteness. and in the community. Shaw even wrote that she was told the BY KATIE GOSS ’23 STAFF WRITER
civil rights laws were not “created to help people like me.” She then felt that there was retaliation from her employer when certain parts of her job were “taken away without explanation.” After this, Shaw decided that she could no longer be a part of the Smith community. Throughout her employment and after her resignation, Shaw created YouTube videos discussing her concerns and complaints about this implemented system at Smith. She now has a total of 13 videos. “It terrifies me that others don’t seem to see that racial segregation and demonization are wrong and dangerous no matter what its victims look like. Being told that any disagreement or feelings of discomfort somehow upholds ‘white supremacy’ is not just morally wrong. It is psychologically abusive,” Shaw wrote. “Equally troubling are the many others who understand and know full well how damaging this is, but do not speak out due to fear of professional retaliation, social censure, and loss of their livelihood and reputation.” Shaw also mentioned that she was offered a settlement if she left the college and did not speak up on the issues she had, but that she turned it down. “My need to tell the truth — and to be the kind of woman Smith taught me to be — makes it impossible for me to accept financial security at the expense of remaining silent about something I know is wrong,” she explained. In a public message to the Smith community the following day, McCartney denounced this accusation, stating that Shaw had actually demanded money in exchange for “dropping a threatened legal claim and agreeing to standard confidentiality provisions.” “At Smith College, our commitment to, and strategies for, advancing equity and inclusion are grounded in evidence,” McCartney wrote in her response letter. “The aim of our equity and inclusion training is never to shame or ostracize. Rather, the goal is to facilitate authentic conversations that help to overcome the barriers between us, and the college welcomes constructive criticism of our workshops and trainings.” Shaw wrote a response to McCartney’s letter, claiming that Smith did offer her a severance in exchange for leaving and her silence. Although she said she strongly considered taking the severance, she decided not to in order to show “the importance of telling the truth and … urging others to do the same.” Her response letter to the College ended with, “I look forward to seeing Smith in court.”
Since her resignation, news outlets such as Fox News and The New York Times have written about the issue. An article titled, “Inside a battle over race, class and power at Smith College” was published by The New York Times on Feb. 24, explaining in detail the 2018 incident with Kanoute and making Smith out to have a hostile environment in regard to race. A Fox News article titled, “‘Lifelong liberal’ resigns from Smith College over allegations that school was ‘racially hostile’” described Shaw’s resignation as well as the college’s response to it. This is the most recent story in regard to race at Smith and Mount Holyoke colleges. In 2018, Sonya Stephens, president of Mount Holyoke, said the N-word at the Posse Plus retreat when she invoked the title of a book. Although she publicly apologized to the College and even wrote an apology in the Mount Holyoke News titled “Doing the work and the power of personal reflection,” students were offended by this incident, especially since she had not yet been officially inaugurated as the College’s next president. “While my reasons for referring to this work were in support of racial justice — and were, paradoxically, a reflection on white privilege and historic (colonial) economic, social and cultural oppression — the use of this word in any context is hurtful and inflammatory. My saying it made it all the more so, given my racial and national identities and my educational privilege — not to mention my current role as acting president of the College,” Stephens said in her apology. Stephens was later inaugurated as the new president of the College, a position she still occupies. In 2014, McCartney faced backlash after writing in an email to members of the Smith community titled, “We are united in our insistence that all lives matter,” in response to juries in Missouri and New York that did not indict the two police officers responsible for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner. She later apologized and said she did not know the phrase “all lives matter” was being used to take attention away from the violence against Black people. McCartney even added a few student messages she had received that she felt were helpful in explaining the phrase “Black lives matter.” After the summer of 2020, during which the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Jacob Blake and more were followed by massive protests across the country, Smith and Mount Holyoke each put forth plans to address racism on their campuses, both historical and ongoing.
4
NEWS
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
“My child has been evicted”: Parents on Gorse closure, cont’d CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
u
and conducted a review of the current on-campus child care options. However, according to Babül, administrators later admitted “that they [had] not considered whether there are any alternative providers in the area that can absorb the families who would be left without child care in the middle of a pandemic.” “Essentially, it seems like the College did not consult with any stakeholders who would be directly affected by this decision,” Babül added. Through this process, the College decided not to renew the contract with Bright Horizons and initially announced that Gorse would close on June 30, 2021, when the College’s current contract with the company expires. The College declined to comment on any aspect of the Gorse closure decision or subsequent communication. Backlash and extension on child care Immediately after the original announcement, a letter of protest sent by a Gorse parent gathered hundreds of signatures in 12 hours, according to the Hampshire Gazette. A petition that also circulated around the College and South Hadley community gained over 500 signatures. Faculty, staff and community members held a protest at the College gates on Thursday, Feb. 25. Families held signs painted with slogans like “Don’t evict toddlers” and “Save 24 daycare center jobs.” Following the outcry from faculty, staff and parents of Gorse students, College President Sonya Stephens sent an email to faculty and staff on Sunday, Feb. 8, “to acknowledge and sincerely apologize for the extraordinary stress” caused by the announcement and to tentatively offer on-campus early education for the children of Mount Holyoke faculty and staff as a bridge solution to Gorse’s closure. On Tuesday, March 2, the College followed Stephens’ email with an announcement that it had extended its contract with Bright Horizons for a single year, an “interim solution” that will keep Gorse in operation past July 1, 2021. As of March 3, the College has not publicly indicated an end date to Gorse’s operation. Associate Professor of Art History Jessica Maier is not convinced by the College’s apology, nor by Stephens’ promises. “I believe she [Stephens] is sorry, but the problem is that she offered no real solutions in that message,” Maier said. “‘Bridge care’ is by definition temporary. Seeking feedback, meanwhile, just creates work for people who are already
overworked without any clear goal — and I fear it is a stalling tactic.” While Maier thought Stephens’ statement was a start, she highlighted the importance of continuing to advocate for permanent child care support through the College. “I will still fight hard for what it’s missing: namely, an explicit commitment to long-term, quality, financially sustainable, on-campus child care at Gorse — in the same building with the same staff — beyond next year,” she said. “That might well be with new management, but so be it. I want to make very sure that this oneyear contract is not seen as a temporary bridge toward closure but rather a lifeline leading once and for all to making child care an established fixture of our campus and community. We can’t fight this fight every 10 or 20 years. I think it is part of the mission of Mount Holyoke to be a leader when it comes to supporting women and families.” Parents, faculty and staff remain frustrated with the College’s initial decision as well as the lack of transparency concerning the process that led to the decision and the way it was communicated to Gorse families. According to Allison Lepper, a parent of a Gorse student, “The message conveyed to the community of Gorse families was that Mount Holyoke had decided to end its partnership with Bright Horizons, and that the contract with Bright Horizons is set to expire on June 30, 2021.” This message raised a few questions for Lepper, namely “when Mount Holyoke knew negotiations had broken down such that the relationship with Bright Horizons would not be continued” and whether or not the College “had explored any alternatives for keeping the center open beyond June 30th prior to communicating its intent to close the center.” While Lepper is unaffiliated with the College, she said that the “limited communications” she had received from Mount Holyoke “indicated that it did not believe the management fee for the center was financially sustainable, that the center served a small population of Mount Holyoke employees, and that they were concerned about ‘equity’ in continuing the center’s operation.” “We dispute these justifications,” Lepper said. “It has become common knowledge that Gorse staff and management were not aware that the closure of Gorse was happening, or even up for discussion,” Emily Hartley-Robles, a former Gorse employee, said. “In fact, [the College] administration admitted to faculty that this information was intentionally withheld from Gorse staff and families in order to
Photo by Kate Turner ’21 Associate Professor of Biological Sciences Amy Camp and family protested Gorse’s closure near the campus.
prevent them from looking for other jobs or childcare options, respectively. Withholding this information gave families and staff even less time to make alternate plans.” “Intentionally setting up the Gorse community to have to scramble would be immoral in regular times, but to do this during a pandemic when both child care and employment options are in short supply is truly inexcusable,” Hartley-Robles said. Long waitlists, few providers “My child has been evicted from Gorse,” Aslam said. After the College announced the closure, Aslam and other parents were given the challenging and urgent task of finding replacement child care options. “We all scrambled to call other providers, which is something Mount Holyoke did not do,” Aslam said. “We all discovered [that] in a pandemic, social distancing in classrooms means fewer spots available. To me, the idea that Mount Holyoke has set up an emergency fund to address equity is a reversal. It has created a greater problem of equity, because it has turned families away from a safe reliable child care option. Even if I get a subsidy … that means nothing to me if I have nowhere to spend it. Where am I going to find child care?” Aslam isn’t the only parent to feel this way. “My husband and I both work full time,” Lepper said. “We have contacted numerous day care centers in the area and are being told that there is a one to two year waitlist for new enrollees. Most, if not all, of the families at Gorse are currently faced with this untenable situation.” “I have been told that a nearby child care center might have a spot for my 4-year-old beginning September 1, but there is no guarantee and in fact seems
unlikely,” Maier said. “They state with certainty that the soonest they might have a spot for my 1-year-old would be fall of 2022. They have almost 60 families on their waitlist.” Nicole Amrani is the department coordinator for the physics and astronomy departments. Her two children were enrolled in Gorse prior to the pandemic, though with the shift to remote working and learning, she has kept them at home all year. Still, she was anxious about the decision to close Gorse, even after its extension through next year. For Amrani, finding alternative child care options in South Hadley was extremely difficult even before the pandemic forced centers to limit their enrollment numbers and class sizes. “If [the College] had done any research, just in South Hadley, they would’ve seen there are no options,” Amrani said. While the College provided guidance to Gorse families in a Caregiver Resources document, the recommendations included links to websites for hiring a caregiver or finding remote learning groups, which are not congruent with the curriculum-based programming run through the Gorse Children’s Center. “It’s not the ’90s,” Amrani said. “I’m not going to call 1-800-BABYSITTER. It’s just not like that.” While nannying or permanent caregivers — such as family members in the area — were options put forward by the College, Amrani was frustrated by the eventual closure of Gorse’s structured curriculum. With long waitlists and few providers, Maier said there are only a few options for parents to pursue. Short of hiring a private nanny, which might be prohibitively expensive apart from other curricular concerns, Maier said that she or her husband would have to consider CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
u
March 4, 2021
NEWS
. Mount Holyoke News
5
Announcement of upcoming Gorse closure enrages parents, cont’d u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
taking an unpaid leave of absence from work. “My husband works out of state and his income is higher than mine, so logically it would be me making the career sacrifice — and yet again my kids would miss out on critical socialization and have a professionally unfulfilled mom,” she said. The other option she envisioned would be to take on additional child care duties while remaining a full-time employee. “I [could] try to full-time parent and teach simultaneously — forget research in that scenario, there’s just no way — which will mean I will have to choose whether to do a horrible job at one or the other: being either a completely failure as a professor and scholar or a complete failure as a parent,” Maier said. “As someone whose spouse works in an out-of-state college with a two-hour commute each way, I am practically a single parent during the week,” Babül said. “I count on Gorse to have child care that is fully coordinated with the College calendar for my two-year-old daughter and after-school care for my kindergarten-age son in order to be able to do my job.” Because the closure has forced parents to find individual solutions, it has the added effect of separating Gorse families at a time when they are attempting to organize. “They are going to effectively scatter Mount Holyoke families, and in the process of doing so, weaken our ability to hold them even to account to this vague promise of looking into other service providers,” Aslam said. “Gorse is where I built my community” Gorse stood out to parents not just for its College-adjacent working hours and affordable tuition but also its pedagogical approach and commitment to cultivating community among students and families. Aslam’s older daughter graduated out of Gorse during the pandemic, and his son is still enrolled in the program. Gorse’s closure was devastating to Aslam for its larger implications on his children’s comfort and sense of community. “Both of [my kids] had fantastic teachers, but they have been the only children of color at Gorse,” Aslam said. “I took a great measure of security of the fact that Gorse is associated with Mount Holyoke. … The pedagogy was harmonized with the values that I take pride in and uphold at Mount Holyoke — the commitment to diversity — and I can’t get that at other places.” Babül also valued the intention and care that Gorse teachers brought to the
Photos by Kate Turner ’21 Left: Julie-Anne Stebbins, organizer of the parent group Save Gorse, protested the closure at the College. Right: A protester who requested to remain anonymous holds a sign reading “DON’T EVICT TODDLERS.”
classroom. “In all the classes that my son has been in, the teachers made the effort to learn some words in Turkish, label the classroom items and [play] songs in my son’s mother tongue,” she said. “They recognized and celebrated Ramadan and Eid alongside other holidays. … I trusted the administration, the teachers and the parents to operate in line with the worldview that I want my children to grow up with.” Gorse’s services also played a role in the living arrangements and locations of some Mount Holyoke families. “As someone who started in campus housing,” Aslam continued, “Gorse is where I built my community.” “I immensely valued their attention, care and effort to be inclusive — something that I do not feel like I can automatically count on in other child care centers,” Babül added. “I made my decision to purchase a house in South Hadley because I thought I would have a child care service I could count on.” “The fact that they had the audacity to do this during a pandemic, when the general stress levels are already high [and] particularly acute for parents, people of color and women who have been picking up greater care responsibilities, … [and to pay] back the all-female caregivers who were furloughed for six months with no pay [only to] come back and take care of our children [by] cutting them loose in a pandemic — … this does not square with the values I thought Mount Holyoke was committed to,” Aslam said. “Studies show that the significant adverse effects of having children on research productivity is doubled for women,” Babül said. “Women are also overwhelmingly bearing the effects of increased child care burden due to the pandemic. For all the progressive values that Mount Holyoke professes to adhere by, provision of on-campus child care
should be an unwavering long-term commitment.” An equity decision? In the College’s online College Advisory statement, the decision to close Gorse was presented as a remedy to inequity. “[Currently the] few employee families who choose [the] Gorse Children’s Center receive a disproportionately large subsidy and families that choose other providers for affordability or other reasons receive no College-sponsored financial support for childcare,” the statement said. “This inequity in the distribution of resources allocated to subsidizing child care simply cannot continue.” Administrators including Stephens have reiterated several times that only 10 Mount Holyoke families currently enroll children at Gorse, a statistic Babül and other faculty members say is “completely misleading,” as it only takes into account Gorse’s pandemic enrollment numbers. “Many families had to take their children out of day care during the pandemic for safety reasons,” Babül explained. “The center had to operate in half capacity as per state regulations. Also, many of the services other than full-time preschool care … were suspended, therefore excluding from the picture families who regularly used those pre-pandemic.” These considerations suggest that the number of Mount Holyoke-affiliated families who normally enroll or have enrolled children in Gorse may be higher than administrators have indicated. When questioned about enrollment numbers, a College spokesperson was not available for comment. While the College has not commented on the exact group responsible for this decision, the Financial Review Group was consulted in an advisory capacity. Maya Sopory ’22 currently serves as the
president of the Student Government Association, and, along with Juniper Glass-Klaiber ’21 and Maha Mapara ’21, is one of three students serving on the Financial Review Group, one of the College’s Coronavirus Emergency Response Teams. Sopory said that as an advisory committee, the FRG was not involved in any voting process, but heard a presentation on the financial topics surrounding Gorse, and FRG members were invited to provide feedback and discuss the issue. “This decision exemplifies to me that individual student representation is not enough,” Sopory said. “While it is important, the reality is that inclusion is the first step of many. A genuine shared governance institution is much more than bringing in three students to represent the immense array of experiences, especially those with marginalized identities, of over 1,500 students. To me, this decision is endemic to Mount Holyoke’s governance system and a symptom of a larger problem.” Sopory also emphasized that while this decision was problematic for its impact on Gorse families, the effects would be even more widely distributed. “The closure of Gorse hurts all members of the community,” Sopory said. “Students for years have demanded that the College hire more faculty members of color. Gorse is a significant incentive to potential incoming faculty, and its closure would take away a space for safe and comfortable integration into the Mount Holyoke community.” Sopory added that the increased burden of child care, in addition to placing faculty in a difficult position, will worsen the effects of the pandemic on students’ learning, too. “Parents without a safe place to send their children will be less available to students [for] office [and] drop-in hours, [have less] meeting availability [and have less time to] create resources, and the increased stress of child care will stretch working parents even further,” Sopory said. Psychology and education program Beyond the more general effects on faculty engagement, students in Mount Holyoke’s psychology and education department are anxious about what the closure means for their curriculum. “I genuinely had to take a moment after the news to wonder if I should transfer or not,” said Camy Mayo ’22, a psychology major. “One of the main reasons I applied to Mount Holyoke was because it had access to a developmental center like Gorse — a good developmental center.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
u
6
FEATURES
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Mount Holyoke College Art Museum reopens for in-person visits
Photo by Lily Reavis ’21 Online, residential students can make reservations for self-guided tours.
BY ANSLEY KEANE ’23 STAFF WRITER
On Friday, Feb. 26, the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum invited residential students back into the space — the space’s first in-person visitors since March 2020. The MHCAM will continue to offer virtual programming, but residential students are now able to make reservations online to visit the museum between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Fridays and 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. “I’m so thrilled to have you all back,” Director of the MHCAM Tricia Y. Paik said. The shift to virtual offerings necessitated by the pandemic created challenges, but also inspired creative problem solving at the museum.
“Except for a few hiccups, … since we are professionals committed to the visual, we already had a lot of training into how we can transform the visual from in-person to the digital,” Paik said. “Limitations bring creativity. … All of us are creating better material and content because we have to,” she added. Since the museum’s offerings moved online, there have been opportunities for virtual exhibitions, including exhibitions that showcase students’ work. “One of the things we started doing was creating virtual exhibitions,” Associate Director for Engagement and Weatherbie Curator of Academic Programs Ellen Alvord ’89 noted. “That’s always amazing, when we can showcase the creativity and the brilliance of the students,” Alvord said. For A’mara Braynen ’22, a student museum educator and education intern at MHCAM, not being able to physically be in the museum was a challenge. “When we shut down, I had to pivot completely,” Braynen said. Mimi Perez ’21, a collections intern at MHCAM, was a student receptionist when campus closed in March 2020. Since then, her role at the museum has also pivoted to the collections intern position. “I love, love, love the museum so much. I’m grateful that they’re still involving us in every way possible,” Perez said. Reopening is an exciting moment for MHCAM staff like Paik and Alvord. Together, they are hoping the museum will again become a resource for students on campus. “I think it’s really important that, with the limited spaces on campus for all of you, you have another space … [where you can] take in culture,” Paik said. “We want [the museum] to be a place for contem-
plation and beauty,” Alvord added. In order to safely reopen, MHCAM staff have worked to put social distancing protocols in place while still maintaining a welcoming environment for the community. “Mostly, we just want it to be accessible at times that are good for students. That’s why we went with … Friday afternoons and … Sunday afternoons,” Alvord said. Braynen and Perez discussed their involvement in the planning of the reopening. “Because [Perez] and I are on campus, we can give good insight into what reopening will look like. One of the first meetings was about timing,” Braynen said. “We talked about colors for a long time, what the graphics would look like,” Braynen added. Inside the museum, the social distancing signs are distinct from those seen elsewhere on campus. The signs declare, “Protect the art and others!” above two painted figures with masks photoshopped on their faces. “Please stay six feet apart” is written below. “All the residential students have to register on the EMS platform. If you’re not able to register and you want to come, we might have spots available. Students should come and check and see if there is space,” Paik said. When students visit the museum, they will be offered brochures so they can follow a self-guided tour of the museum. The brochure highlights nine works of art and includes prompts and additional information for each one, providing student visitors with the opportunity to engage with the art in a socially distanced CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
u
Students host virtual open mic night, hoping to involve first-years BY REBECCA GAGNON ’23 STAFF WRITER
Everyone has had a memorable “first” at least once in their life. Perhaps it was your first step, your first kiss or your first year at Mount Holyoke. A memorable “first” was the theme for the open mic night held by the Office of Student involvement on Feb. 24, 2021. “A lot was definitely on my mind about encouraging firsties to reach out or attend the event,” Amanda Windsor’22, a co-organizer of the event, said. “This semester especially, we are really focusing on firstyears and trying to make sure they feel included in the community. … Going through those first experiences with college and things of that nature was definitely something I was cognizant of.” Windsor works in the Office of Student Involvement with Amirah Winston ’21, the other organizer of the event. “Our boss [Ymani Francis] actually came up with it [the theme],” Winston said. “We thought maybe, it being so broad, it might encourage people to want to share.” Meggie Czepiel ’24 is a first-year who sang at the open mic night. “The song [I performed] ties into the theme because it was among the first six songs that I released ever,” Czepiel explained. “The song is called
‘For Free.’ It is basically taking a bunch of moments that my friends and I had with people we didn’t know super well who had just done something really kind for us. It is sort of telling different stories — each story happens in one line — and putting them all together and coming to the conclusion that these moments have become really important to us and that it is impressive to think about how much power we have as human beings just to make someone happy.” Czepiel, who is considering a music major, has been playing music since she was about three years old, participating in various musical groups such as church choir and taking piano lessons on the side. She can currently play piano and guitar, which are her two main instruments, along with ukulele and a bit of flute. “I miss performing,” Czepiel said. “It’s been over a year now since I played a live gig, and I used to go to a lot of open mics before COVID[-19] hit. … I was just really happy to see that there was an opportunity here because I haven’t gotten to play my music live very much lately.” Czepiel’s song was released last year in her EP called “The Clock,” available on all streaming services. Czepiel and Winston were the two performers in this event. A few people came to watch as well. Between the performances, there was some discussion about the performers’ skills and getting to know people in general.
“Getting some more performers would have been nice,” Windsor said with a laugh. “I think overall our goal was to bring students together and have this raw sharing of things and hav[e] that connection, which I … think was there but not on the scale of what we would hope for.” Winston agreed with this sentiment. “That is the purpose of every event we put on. Just to bring the community together and allow them to have a dedicated time and space to do whatever and [bond].” Czepiel was proud of the event, adding, “It was a warm environment with such a friendly crowd, and that is always nice.” Looking ahead, Windsor believes it is important that the community realizes virtual events like open mic night are taking place. “We definitely try to put a lot of time, energy and work into these things and figuring out what is actually going to be relevant, helpful and [beneficial]. It is not just something that appears in your email or on Embark one day — there is a whole process to it,” Windsor said. Windsor added that it is important for others to recognize that students are behind these events, and they require the support and attendance of other students in order to succeed. “Even if that gets one student to come to one event then that is still one more thing we find worthwhile, and we will take any small victories at this point,” Windsor said.
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
FEATURES
7
Students balance remote education and in-person parenting, cont’d in which she would not have to expose herself to public transportation or the campus community. public transportation. Despite this distance and Hybrid learning complicates in-person participation plans to stay off campus, DiPietro is still required to For students living off campus at UMass, missing make the trek twice weekly in order to get tested and COVID-19 tests can have drastic consequences. uphold the UMass student contract. “If we were not in compliance, and we missed a green check where we weren’t getting tested twice a week, Remote learning, in-person parenting … we were gonna have Moodle access denied,” DiPietRobin Gencarelle, a senior and nontraditionally ro explained. “It’s where we get all of our information, aged student at UMass, has where we submit our homework run into a similar issue while assignments and quizzes and evliving off campus. She lives in Often, Gencarelle finds herself work- erything.” Easthampton — a few miles After one of DiPietro’s gening on detailed paintings in her spare der studies further from campus than professors heard that bedroom in the middle of the night, the college intended to restrict South Hadley — and is taking no in-person classes this Moodle access for off-campus stuafter her daughter goes to sleep. semester. As a painting madents who did not get tested twice jor, her coursework generally weekly, she chose to take matters doesn’t require a trip to caminto her own hands. pus, since there are no labs or “She thinks it’s crazy,” DiPietcollaborative requirements on her syllabi. Still, she says ro explained. “[The testing requirement] overlooks marthat the university’s communication has been limited ginalized members of our community, people who are and slow in the wake of recent off-campus outbreaks. To less able to get in and be tested, people who don’t live on Gencarelle, it can feel unsafe to enter the campus com- campus. … She ended up giving us her guest passwords munity to receive testing because of its high case num- on Moodle just in case we had Moodle access removed.” bers. DiPietro agrees — leaving her quarantine bubble “There were frats having parties. And then there and entering the campus community just to receive a were like 400 people that tested positive in a weekend,” COVID-19 test can feel counterintuitive when she would she explained, referring to a significant February on- and otherwise stay at home. off-campus outbreak. “So we had to get shut down for Gencarelle, on the other hand, feels relatively safe two weeks. And then we just reopened and they want with the rate at which she is required to visit campus. us to go get tested twice a week. … It’s a half an hour What’s more difficult is her daughter’s kindergarten one way. So that’s two hours a week that I would have to schedule in Easthampton, which is currently operating spend driving to get tested. I can’t do that.” one week on, one week off in half days. The schedule is Gencarelle is a single parent to a 5-year-old daughter confusing for her daughter, who needs a more consistent who is currently attending hybrid online and in-person routine to fully succeed, according to Gencarelle. kindergarten. “It’s pretty much impossible to do things While her professors at UMass have been underwith her around. I love her to death, but she just needs a standing about Gencarelle’s position as a single parlot of attention,” Gencarelle said. “She gets a lot of anx- ent, her schedule has been altered to accommodate her iety.” daughter’s schedule multiple times. She handles dropGencarelle’s course schedule does not line up with offs and pickups, meals, online classes, visits with her her daughter’s kindergarten classes either, which can re- child’s father, parent-teacher conferences and the daysult in her joining in on college lectures, demanding to be to-day needs of her child, which pushes her schoolwork held while Gencarelle is giving presentations and other- down on her list of responsibilities. wise needing attention at inopportune times. Professors Often, Gencarelle finds herself working on detailed have been generally understanding and lenient about paintings in her spare bedroom in the middle of the this, and learning from home has been largely beneficial night, after her daughter goes to sleep. for Gencarelle. For her, being remote means being able “I feel like I can figure my stuff out. And if I have to shift her schedule around her daughter’s needs with any issues, I can talk to my professors,” Gencarelle exa quick email. plained. But the pressure of her constantly changing But in her last semester at UMass, Gencarelle is un- schedule, coupled with worries about her daughter’s soable to stay completely off campus. She is currently writ- cialization, is a difficult weight to bear. ing a thesis, which requires her to meet in person with The instability of UMass’ schedule has been complicommittee members. cated for other nontraditionally aged students as well. Working from her two-bedroom apartment and with A few weeks ago, DiPietro ran into trouble when her only an iPhone for a camera, she says that it’s impossible mechanical engineering professor announced on a Frito accurately photograph her work for her professors. So, day afternoon that her group would be in person in the every so often when an adviser asks to meet, Gencarelle lab the following Tuesday. “I … got an email the Friday loads her artwork and supplies into her car to drive to before the Tuesday that we were supposed to have the campus — after testing negative through the university. lab — Friday at 4:30 p.m. — from my professors saying, DiPietro believes that this testing requirement you know, ‘We’re not virtual anymore,’” she explained. makes sense for students living on campus or in the “‘Next week, we are going to be meeting face-to-face and immediate vicinity but is potentially dangerous for stu- if you can’t make it, withdraw from the class,’” DiPietro dents like herself who are living farther away. For her, recounted. it would be easier to learn from a fully remote setting She was unable to get tested that weekend. UMass’
u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
COVID-19 testing program is closed from 5 p.m. Friday through the weekend. Even if DiPietro had driven to campus the moment she received the email, she would have been unlikely to receive a test that day. If she went on Monday, she was unsure that results would come back in time. “Your test results will be ready in 24 to 36 hours,” the university’s COVID-19 testing program webpage reads. Still, DiPietro was expected to attend class that Tuesday. “A lot of people did go to the lab,” she explained. Between the snow storm that passed through that day, her uncertainty about being properly tested and the short notice of her in-person requirement, she chose not to attend the lab session. “I mean, it’s just something I couldn’t do,” she said. “I thought, ‘Well, what if I had, you know, tested positive? They wouldn’t have let me make up the lab.’” Instead, she emailed her adviser, a dean and the chancellor, hoping to secure an excuse for missing the in-person component of her course. “Basically, everybody said the professor is well within his rights to make these calls. And really, it seemed like no help,” she explained. “I just felt like I have to be right enough to have this decision overturned.” Instead, DiPietro changed her enrollment status in the class from graded to pass/fail. She hopes that, even having missed one in-person lab, she receives enough credit hours to pass the course and continue her degree program. “It’s several thousand dollars that I forfeit if I withdraw [from] this class at this time,” DiPietro said. “It’s one thing if the campus is offering a refund. I mean, they just were giving [us] absolutely no time to make the consideration. I just thought … it’s really tough.”
College Art Museum reopens, cont’d u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
format. For the time being, the only in-person offerings the museum will have this semester will be the visiting hours, Paik explained. However, virtual events will continue to be offered, and details about those can be found on the museum’s website. “We have a [virtual] artist talk we’re really excited about. We also are going to do our annual queer and trans poetry reading and open mic, … [and] there’s a new group of student guides who will be presenting their thematic tours,” Alvord said. Both Paik and Alvord emphasized that, although the museum’s offerings look different, the museum and its staff are still available for students. “We just want students to know that we’re here for them,” Alvord noted. “For us, the museum is not a vital space without the students. We need the students in there to make the art [come] alive.”
8
GLOBAL
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Rapper Pablo Hasél’s arrest inspires outrage in Spain BY SOPHIE SOLOWAY ’23 GLOBAL EDITOR
A popular Spanish rapper, Pablo Hasél, was arrested on Feb. 16 under public security law charges accusing him of criticizing the monarchy and glorifying a separatist group. This action sparked massive and widespread protests spanning several major cities and resulting in the arrests of multiple protesters. These arrests follow a long history of repression and separatist support in Spain. Hasél is a well-known and controversial musician who has been charged several times, including for assaulting a journalist in 2016 and repeatedly criticizing monarchs. His most recent arrest came after he mocked politicians and voiced support for the ETA, a militant separatist group, resulting in a nine-month sentence. Antonio Illescas, a language instructor in Spanish at Mount Holyoke, says that Hasél’s prison sentence is a consequence of his convictions and several failures to pay the associated fines. “These legal proceedings are initiated by the opinions and comments made by the rap singer on social networks and in the lyrics of
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Protests have emerged in various Spanish cities after rapper Pablo Hasél was arrested for allegedly criticizing the country’s monarchy.
his songs, which were qualified by the courts as ‘apology of terrorism’ and ‘insults to the institution of the monarchy,’” Illescas says. Created in 1958 during the height of Francisco
Franco’s dictatorial regime in Spain, the ETA has long pursued the secession of the Catalonian region. Before its nominal disbanding in 2018, the group was responsible for countless deaths, including the 1973 killing of Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco, a close associate of Franco. Although the ETA has dissolved, Illescas notes that its sentiments still relate to demands being made by Spanish citizens today. “Currently, the most important ETA-related issues being discussed in Spain are two: the recognition and moral compensation to the victims it [created], and the future of the many ETA prisoners still serving sentences in Spanish prisons,” Illescas said. Hasél’s arrest was not the first under the public security law, which attempts to bar widespread protests through fines and arrests. According to Visiting Associate Professor of Spanish at Mount Holyoke Megan Saltzman, who researches the politics of public spaces within the context of Spanish cities like Barcelona, “Sometimes the Citizen Security law is used to reprimand other left-wing actions that authorities find extreme or insulting — for example, to punish voices CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
u
Snowball is less accessible to international remote learners
Photo courtesy of Maeesha Tasnim Naomi ’24 Naomi’s workspace for the remote semester is her childhood desk.
BY MADHAVI RAO ’24 STAFF WRITER
Over the past year, the meaning of a normal college experience has changed drastically. What was supposed to be a time of meeting new people and making memories has transformed completely. The online college experience is devoid of interaction with peers beyond an educational setting, which is negatively impacting many students. Mount Holyoke has been working hard to help new students form friendships and come closer to a normal experience through activities such as orientation groups and Spirit Week. However, for first-year students like Deepika Kumawat ’24 and Maeesha Tasnim Naomi ’24 who are neither on campus or on the East Coast, this can feel even more alienating. The only interactions that many remote interna-
tional students have with other students at the Col- emails. I used to want to participate in them, but belege are through their classes. Kumawat, an Indian cause of the time zone [difference] I couldn’t and evenstudent, expressed her disappointment with this situ- tually stopped checking my emails,” Naomi explained. ation, saying, “My classes involve a lot of group work “I don’t have a routine for sleeping. My sleep schedule and collaboration, which allow[s] me to get to know is so messed up. Even if the time works for me, I probnew people — but it’s only about our work. We don’t ably wouldn’t have enough energy to attend the event. actually talk to each other.” Pretty much, I just go to class and get on with my day,” She continued, “Social media [can] help, but it can she added. only do so much.” The last day of Spirit Week involved a virtual Naomi, a Bangladeshi first-year, echoed this senti- Snowball, which took place on Saturday, Feb. 27, at 7 ment. “When I’m doing online p.m. EST. On the class of 2024 classes, I make acquaintances, Instagram page, the Snowball not friends. I don’t have regular “I was excited when I saw the event was promoted as a night of contact with them once class music, games, karaoke, tarot on Instagram, but then I saw that finishes. I get to know them and other activities, and as beduring class, but our conversaing “an event to celebrate and part of it involved people playing tions last only for those seven meet our class and welcome in the snow. It was fun seeing the weeks,” Naomi said. Springies.” Instagram stories, but I didn’t know Kumawat did enjoy her While the event was prefirst-year seminar, finding it to sented as an opportunity to how to engage in that.” be more relaxed. “Other classmeet the class of 2024, time es were about work, but this zone differences made the - Maeesha Tasnim Naomi ’24 was about getting to know the event inaccessible to internapeople in my class [year],” she tional students. said. For Kumawat, the event During the week of Feb. 21, the Orientation Com- took place at 5:30 a.m., meaning she would have to mittee organized Spirit Week, an opportunity for first- wake herself up for it. “The timings are bad,” she exyear students to bond as a class. The activities includ- plained, “I don’t think I can wake up that early just to ed “twinning” with another first-year, dressing up as attend these events.” Especially in a situation where a meme and wearing fashions from another decade. international students often have to stay up until after The results were shared on the class of 2024 Instagram midnight for their classes, attending events early in page through daily story updates. the morning seems impossible. “When I see these things on Instagram, I just skim Naomi added, “I was excited when I saw the event through them,” Kumawat said. “They look fun for the on Instagram, but then I saw that part of it involved people on campus, but participating in them online people playing in the snow. It was fun seeing the Instadoesn’t seem that enjoyable.” gram stories, but I didn’t know how to engage in that.” “For the Spirit Week events, I honestly just get the
March 4, 2021
GLOBAL
. Mount Holyoke News
West Africa Ebola outbreak being treated Free speech
9
protests spread in Spain, cont’d u
Photo courtesy of Flickr The Ebola virus has reemerged in several West African countries.
Photo courtesy of Flickr Health care workers attempt to respond to the most recent Ebola outbreak, which had killed at least five people in Guinea as of Feb. 25.
BY AMELIA LUO ’23 GLOBAL EDITOR & PHOTOGRAPHER
medication is 100 times the cost of production,” Dennedy explained. Guinea is equipped with an inefficient health care infrastructure, with most of its citizens’ deaths associated with “communicable, maternal, and neonatal diseases and nutritional disorders,” according to Quartz Africa. However, due to sufficient preparation this time, the response took place quickly after the first case in Guinea had been confirmed. Guinea began to vaccinate its citizens with a priority on high-risk communities. As of Feb. 25, 2021, around 225 people have been vaccinated for the Ebola virus in the country. The U.N. Central Emergency Response Fund granted $15 million to Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Those funds would also be used to prepare for the potential spread of the Ebola virus in neighboring countries, setting up testing centers and preparing treatments. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, about 11,000 people were killed during the Ebola outbreak from 2014 to 2016. Regional Director of the IFRC for Africa Mohammed Mukhier told the IFRC Media, “We need a response that is faster than the virus itself. Unless the response is swift, the health, economic and social impacts are likely to be immense for millions of people in a country with a relatively weak health system, and where more than half of the population lives below the poverty line.” Learning from their past experiences, the IFRC called for the first wave of responses: The government and more than 700 trained Red Cross volunteers were activated to advise preventive measures and report signs of the disease to authorities. Yuxi Zhu ’22, a biology major, commented on the link between COVID-19 and Ebola outbreaks. “Interestingly, the world is giving more attention to prevent the spread of deadly diseases at an early stage after the outbreak of COVID-19 was out of control,” Zhu said. “We learned from the past year of suffering and inconveniences that the world is highly connected. At the time of emergency, we need to put down the nationalist view and act responsibly as global citizens. For countries, that means to level the ground of inequality and give aid to the vaccination process.”
Nine Ebola cases have been reported in Guinea, leading to the deaths of five people, as of Feb. 25, 2021. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization has confirmed its third case of Ebola as of Feb. 12. On Feb. 27, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a travel precaution to all individuals traveling from Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the U.S. Since this year’s outbreak took place in relatively remote areas, the risk of importing Ebola cases to the U.S. is extremely low, meaning this is just an extended precaution, according to CNN. According to the WHO, the first Ebola case, or “the original community source,” is still unclear. The Ebola virus is deadly, with an average mortality rate of 50 percent. The virus mainly spreads through people who are visibly sick by direct contact with bodily fluids or contaminated surfaces. On Feb. 23, the WHO sent over 11,000 Ebola vaccines to Guinea. The WHO’s Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti claimed that a vaccination team has been set up in N’Zerekore, Guinea’s second largest city, and is prepared to vaccinate citizens. He also suggested that they would soon receive an additional 8,600 doses of vaccine from the U.S. Reilly Dennedy ’23, an international relations major, commented on the inequality of vaccine distribution globally. “Generally, there is devastating inequality when it comes to global access to medicine. … The way that would have worked is that pharmaceutical companies would agree to join it and when they developed a new medication, it would become totally open source,” Dennedy said. “The company would get a royalty for [its] contribution, but making the information open source would mean decreased prices and increased medical advancements.” For Dennedy, this case brought up a much larger issue. “The majority of information about medicine comes from state-funded labs, yet Big Pharma is allowed to use this open source information to create something that they are able to sell at inflated prices for their own profit — generally, the market price for
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
in favor of the independence of Catalonia.” Written in 2015, the law follows a long history of repressing critical voices in Spain, which Saltzman traces back to Franco-era regulations. Although democratic rule and political protections have emerged since this regime, Saltzman notes that “less obvious is that history, the past, doesn’t disappear. The right-wing today has roots in the dictatorship of yesterday and occasionally, it surfaces in situations like what happened this past week with Hasél.” Despite these legal and political obstacles to political protest, citizens have taken to the streets in numerous Spanish cities, including Barcelona and the national capital. Dozens of arrests have been made following the looting of businesses and the emergence of violence in select demonstrations. Protesters largely demand a “total pardon” for Hasél, a sentiment not uncommon within Spain. Their violence, however, according to Illescas, may shift public opinion: “The serious thing is that some of these protests ended in vandalism and looting, and this creates a rejection in public opinion even if the demands are fully justified,” Illescas says. However, Illescas notes that these protests are shrouded in various other political and social concerns, including COVID-19-era economic suffering, long-standing calls for Catalonian freedom and a more general defense of free speech in Spain. Indeed, the protesters — reportedly majority young, and likely mobilized by rampant rates of unemployment — have expanded their chants to call for more general progress and support from the Spanish government. Saltzman concluded that, “These protests bring a lot of contemporary and future issues to the forefront that span across countries, and that students in the US care about. The protests trigger difficult debates about where we draw the lines around freedom of speech in the public sphere, in person and online.”
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Pablo Hasél’s arrest has raised questions regarding freedom of speech in Spain, where he is being held for criticizing the monarchy.
10
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Obama and Springsteen team up for Spotify podcast
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Former President Barack Obama and singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen first worked together during Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.
..
BY ZOE FARR ’21 MANAGING EDITOR OF WEB
On Feb. 22, 2021, former United States President Barack Obama and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Springsteen of the E Street Band released the first two episodes of their eight-part podcast series, “Renegades: Born in the USA,” on Spotify. Spotify describes the podcast as, “a series of conversations between President Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen about their lives, music, and enduring love of America — despite all its challenges.” The series was originally born from the struggles the country was experiencing — and continues to face — with the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests that began in June. Sparked by the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, by Minneapolis police officers, the Black Lives Matter protests became a central focus of American life, broadcasting the demand for liberty, equality and justice for Black Americans. Inspired by these protests, the initial two episodes of the podcast revolve around racism in the U.S. The episodes are introduced through voiceovers recorded by Obama. During the first episode, Obama makes note of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, tying the predated episodes to the recent developments of 2021. Prior to the more intense portions of their conversation, Obama and Springsteen detail the history of their friendship, beginning during Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and strengthened when Springsteen performed at his inauguration in 2009. They credit their shared sensibilities rather than their similar lifestyles as the foundational blocks of their friendship, claiming that they’re both “outcasts” who felt isolated in childhood, which affected their outlooks on life. The easy banter between Obama and Springsteen cushions the reality of the conversation: a Black man and a white man speaking candidly about racism in the United States. The friendship between the two is apparent throughout the entirety of each episode, as they trade taunts about their ages, swear a bit and continuously make each other laugh. The ambiance of the whole experience is easygoing, remaining true to the theme of “two friends shooting the breeze.” They recorded each episode of the podcast sitting
face-to-face at Springsteen’s converted farmhouse. To ings regarding his own privilege and offered insightful an extent, they really are just a couple of friends hav- commentary about the duty of Americans to the beting a deep conversation surrounded by “a thousand terment of the U.S., as long and winding as that road guitars,” because one of them happens to be a rockstar may be. Obama also speaks in a much freer manner and the other is a former U.S. president. They trade than he was able to during his presidency, showing a off the role of interviewer, which reveals their differ- side not often seen by the public. His stories regardences in professions and interpersonal strengths. ing racism he has faced and the effects it has left on Due to Obama’s previous roles in the public sphere, his worldview are intriguing, especially when he comhe commands the flow of the conversation a bit easier pares his personal beliefs to his political stances. and comes across as a professional interviewer. AlI went into these episodes warily; every celebrity ternatively, Springsteen stumbles more, grasping for or politician seems to be making some form of media words in a more informal manner. This contrast adds “in these unprecedented times,” so their messages can an interesting element to their dynamic, and listeners feel a little redundant. However, there is a weight addfollow along as they explore the line between formal ed to this podcast by virtue of a former U.S. president’s and intimate. involvement. These first two episodes being centered The first episode, “Outsiders: An Unlikely Friend- around violent examples of racism within the U.S., ship,” focuses on comparing the differences in era, and being released during Black History Month is esregion and circumstances that affected each host’s pecially symbolic. This is amplified when considering childhood, specifically the racism both noticed despite that the trial of Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis police their different backgrounds. Interspersed with musi- officer who killed Floyd, begins on March 8, 2021. cal interludes by Springsteen, the two probe subjects There is an element of cliche to the whole expesuch as Springsteen’s teenage experiences during the rience. Springsteen does randomly strum his guitar Newark race riots of 1967, Obama’s background being throughout the episodes. There’s a few playful pokes raised by a white mother in Hawaii and the megalo- about how Obama is “The Chief” and Springsteen is mania necessary to become a politician. While Spring- “The Boss.” They rejoice in being outcasts who have steen mentions the unspoken rules surrounding inter- found a kindred spirit in one another while their actions between Black and white people living in his wealth and fame go relatively unmentioned. conservative, majority-white hometown of Freehold, CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 u New Jersey, Obama muses on feeling isolated due to the scarce Black community in Honolulu. The overarching theme of the episode cements the idea that both Obama and Springsteen are outsiders, whether that’s due to their ideologies or racism. Springsteen grew up as a white Roman Catholic in a town of white Roman Catholics in New Jersey. Feeling like you’re on a different wavelength than your community is different than being systematically oppressed for being a different race. The second episode, “American Skin: Race in the United States,” focuses on the integrated E Street Band, which was led by Springsteen and his lifelong friend Clarence Clemons, a renowned African American saxophonist who died in 2011. Despite the close nature of their relationship, Springsteen addresses his own inability to fully understand Clemons due to his privilege as a white man. The episode ends with insight into the song “American Skin (41 Shots)” by Springsteen himself, which was inspired by the shooting of Amadou Diallo by New York police officers on Feb. 4, 1999. The song plays in the background as the pair relate the shooting of Diallo in 1999 to the death of Floyd in 2020, highlighting the lack of improvement made by police regarding their treatment of Black Americans. Both Diallo and Floyd were unarmed Black men. I was surprised by the demeanor of Springsteen in this episode, a product not of his time but of his own experiences. He was quick to acknowledge his shortcomGraphic by Mariam Keita ’24
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
11
Removing my rose-colored glasses from ‘The Bachelor’ franchise BY ROSE COHEN ’22 STAFF WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER
Anyone close to me knows that I’m a hopeless romantic who watches ABC’s popular reality dating programs, “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” to see love-crazed singles attempt to find their future spouses. I became interested in the franchise as a sophomore in high school, and I have been obsessed ever since. As a white viewer, I wasn’t focused on the shows’ lack of diversity even though the majority of contestants were white and the first Black lead, Rachel Lindsay, only appeared in 2017. Three weeks ago, I began to question whether I could continue to watch the show after seeing longtime host Chris Harrison defend current contestant Rachael Kirkconnell during an interview with Lindsay on “Extra.” Pictures recently resurfaced online of Kirkconnell attending an “Old South” antebellum plantation-themed fraternity party in 2018. “We all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion,” Harrison said in response to a question from Lindsay about the allegations of racism made against Kirkconnell. “Because I have seen some stuff online — this judge, jury, executioner thing w h e r e people are just tearing this girl’s life apart.” Vi n c e n t Finch-Brand ’21, whose roommates got them interested in the show this summer, said that Harrison’s “comments and choices to defend Kirkconnell’s blatant racism are inexcusable.” The most recent “Bachelorette” and the second Black lead in both shows’ histories, Tayshia Adams, formed a friendship with Harrison outside of the franchise. During her podcast, “Click Bait with Bachelor Nation,” which she hosts with two franchise fan favorites, she shared that her jaw almost dropped to the floor because she sensed so much ignorance in the interview. “I definitely will say watching that interview, my eyes were wide open,” Adams said. Harrison issued his first apology on Instagram shortly after his appearance on “Extra.” He explained
that he realized sympathizing with Kirkconnell per- and racist stereotypes — that Black contestants are petuates racism. encouraged and edited to occupy on the show,” Finch“I have this incredible platform to speak about Brand, who is white, said. love, and yesterday I took a stance on topics about Robyn Jedkins, a Black woman who appeared on which I should have been better informed,” Harrison, Sean Lowe’s season of “The Bachelor,” told HuffPost who has 1.3 million followers on Instagram, wrote. He that producers pushed her to ask Lowe whether he ended his post by thanking viewers for holding him had dated Black women before. Taylor Nolan, anothaccountable and promising fans that he would “do er former contestant, explained in the same interview better.” that she felt that she was depicted as “angry” and “ag“How is Chris Harrison going to be gressive” because of her race. better?” Lindsay asked in an episode It’s unclear what the of her biweekly podcast “Higher future holds for “The Learning”. “Can that please be Bachelor” and “The the next tweet, the next post, Bachelorette.” Harriof you telling me how what son has not yet anyou did was wrong, benounced how long cause I need you to he will be stepping see it, and then how aside, and the acyou’re going to be tions the shows’ better.” producers will Four days after take to combat the interview, Harracism in the rison announced in franchise remain another Instagram stateunknown. For now, ment that he will be stepping my decision to conaside from the franchise for an untinue watching will specified period of time. depend on whether the Finley Severin ’22, who watches “The Bachcreators acknowledge the seelor” and “The Bachelorette” for the drama, Graphic by Mariam Keita ’24 ries’ shortcomings. couldn’t care less about Harrison stepping aside. “I don’t have that much sympathy for him. I think he’s gross, and I don’t think he should have a platform if those are his beliefs, so I’m glad he’s stepping down,” Severin said. u CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 I would have stopped watching the show if Harrison had not stepped aside. But his decision to leave There are also issues with the concept of “a the program is not nearly enough. conversational podcast,” especially when disIn 2012, Nathaniel Claybrooks and Christopher cussing the prevailing racism prevalent in the Johnson, who are both Black, filed a class action lawU.S. While encouraging dialogue is important, it suit against the shows’ creator Mike Fleiss, ABC and doesn’t necessarily breed results. the other production companies involved in both realWhile encouraging dialogues surrounding ity shows. Claybrooks and Johnson argued that “The race is important, these conversations can be just Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” intentionally exthat: conversations. It can create an endless cyclude people of color from the lead role. cle of dialogue where talking just leads to more “The absence of Bachelors and Bachelorettes of talking. The creation of forms of media like this color suggests, to both white viewers and viewers of podcast can further cement the “Having Convercolor, that interracial or non-white relationships are sations Industrial Complex,” as they legitimize it, undesirable or unworthy of the nationally broadcastplaying into the idea that talking is key. As a fored platform of ‘The Bachelor’ and ‘The Bachelorette,’” mer U.S. president and a self-proclaimed activist, the lawsuit reads. respectively, Obama and Spingsteen should know: District Judge for the Middle District of TenInitiating dialogue is important, whereas institutnessee Aleta Trauger dismissed the discrimination ing change is imperative. claims, stating that casting decisions are protected by In the end, there is nothing particularly revthe First Amendment. olutionary about this podcast. While the stories In 2011, when asked by Entertainment Weekly rethe two exchange are interesting and the overall porter Lynette Rice about whether there would ever atmosphere is pleasant, there are no concepts be a “Bachelor” or “Bachelorette” who is not white, introduced in this podcast that haven’t been exFleiss said that he thinks, though he could not conplored before. It’s not overtly rebellious; it’s just firm, that the lead of that year’s season, Ashley Hetwo men talking. “Renegades: Born in the USA” bert, is “one-sixteenth Cherokee Indian.” is an interesting auditory experience that started “Sometimes we feel guilty of tokenism. Oh, we off on a provocative note: attempting to disentanhave to wedge African-American chicks in there!” gle racism from the perspective of a former U.S. Fleiss added. “We always want to cast for ethnic diverpresident and a political activist-slash-rockstar. sity, it’s just that for whatever reason, they don’t come The series is available on Spotify, and they’ve got forward. I wish they would.” several more installments to dish out. “I am conscious of the roles — rooted in racism
Podcast, cont’d
12
ENVIRONMENTAL
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Changes in the atmosphere result from human activity BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER
Human activity has a significant impact on the Earth’s atmosphere. The disastrous consequences of changes to the atmosphere have been widely researched regarding carbon emissions, but changing cloud formation and holes in the ozone layer play significant roles as well. Clouds are responsible for simultaneously reflecting the sun’s heat and trapping it in the atmosphere. The ozone serves as a protective layer in absorbing ultraviolet radiation from the sun. It is predicted that as climate change progresses, clouds will diminish in frequency, allowing more solar energy to reach the Earth. NASA’s ACTIVATE program has planned six flights for researchers to study cloud formations to advance climate models’ accuracy. The third of these flights began on Feb. 3. The campaigns began in 2020 and will end in 2022 with two campaigns each year. From the campaigns, scientists are hoping to understand how variations in particles from human and natural sources affect clouds over the ocean, as well as how clouds may be affecting the removal of particles from the atmosphere. Currently, climate models lack valuable information on cloud feedback, absorption and reflection of solar energy. They hope these campaigns will provide key data. The study picked the western North Atlantic Ocean, as it provides a wide range of weather conditions and contains a variety of aerosol types. 2020 flights revealed that there is a broad range of cloud droplet concentrations in this area of the Atlantic. These cloud droplets can form on aerosols. The flights
also indicated that North compromised immune American pollution is a systems, damaged DNA major source of aerosols and sunburn, along with activating into droplets, harm to agricultural lands and there is a trend toand forests. ward lower particle and As of April 2020, a largdrop concentrations at er hole in the ozone that distances further from formed over the Arctic shore. The study will take was fully healed. Ozone samples in cold air outholes have formed yearly break conditions, as dry over the past 35 years due air will create aerosols to human-made chemicals near the ocean’s surface in the stratosphere. To reto change shape, which al- Photo courtesy of Pixabay store the ozone layer, the Clouds present a paradox to climate research in both reflecting the ters light that is reflected. sun’s heat and trapping it in the atmosphere in the form of droplets. Montreal Protocol was ACTIVATE employs developed to phase out 99 two coordinated aircrafts. One aircraft is an HU-25 percent of ozone-depleting chemicals found in air-conFalcon that flies through clouds and takes measure- ditioners, refrigerators and other products. Since 2000, ments from the nearby atmosphere. The other aircraft parts of the ozone layer have recovered 1-3 percent is a King Air that flies at a higher altitude and is re- every 10 years. This regeneration has helped to curb sponsible for collecting remote sensing measurements the effects of climate change. In 2018, it looked like the and launching dropsondes for weather data. A drop- ozone layer wasn’t healing as quickly as planned. Illesonde is a weather reconnaissance device that, when gal chlorofluorocarbons production was occurring in dropped from an aircraft, measures storm conditions eastern China. Specifically, CFC-11 was responsible. as it falls to the surface. The current flight campaign CFC-11 is most commonly used in refrigerators and inwill go through March, and the second flight campaign sulators, and when it is released into the atmosphere, this year is set for May and June. This is part of a larg- it can reach the stratosphere and release chlorine that er data collection of five U.S.-based expeditions that breaks down the ozone layer. Now, CFC-11 production focus on air, land and sea. has declined dramatically, leading to significant ozone Human activity’s impact on the ozone layer is an- recovery. other detriment to the Earth’s atmosphere. The ozone The atmosphere plays an important role in climate layer is considered our protective shield that limits change and climate research. There has been an inthe amount of ultraviolet radiation from reaching the crease in research done around the atmosphere that Earth’s surface. These ultraviolet rays are responsible will give us a clear idea of the climate’s state and what for increasing incidents of skin cancers, eye cataracts, needs to be done.
Winter storm Uri barrages Texas, leaving many without utilities
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons A lone car drives through the snow-covered streets of Dallas, Texas.
BY SIONA AHUJA ’24 STAFF WRITER
An unusual snowstorm hit Texas and nearby states with sub-freezing temperatures on Feb. 12, 2021, and has since led to the death of 26 people. President Joe Biden announced a state of Emergency as Texas faced the chilliest temperature on record in the past three decades. Snowfall at around 10 inches and low temperatures have disrupted the state’s energy grid, jeopardizing the lives of over 4 million Texans, many of
whom were forced to live without heat, electricity and running water for several days. The winter storm, officially named Uri, is thought to have originated in Siberia and made its way to the United States through an anomaly in the polar vortex. A polar vortex is a collection of cool air that swirls around both poles and is contained by jet streams. The Arctic is rapidly warming, causing the jet streams to wobble and shoot the frigid air up to different parts of the Earth — in this case, the central United States. While not all scientists agree with this theory, many climate experts believe that Arctic warming is the primary cause of the storm and more bouts of cold weather are to come. According to NASA, the Earth’s average surface temperature has risen by 2.12 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century, heating almost 10 times faster than the planet did after the ice age. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration additionally reported that in the second half of the 20th century, the United States was hit by nearly twice the amount of extreme winter storms than in the first half. On Feb. 15, millions of Texans faced rolling electricity blackouts after the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which regulates almost 90 percent of the state’s electric load, announced it was experiencing record-breaking electric demand. Texas’ energy in-
frastructure was not adequately adapted for colder weather, resulting in the blackouts. Natural gas wells and wind turbines froze over, limiting gas supplies. Pumps that relied on electric power immediately shut down. When asked about the residents’ survival plans, Chey Louis from Irving said in an article for CNN, “I’ve duct taped my doors and windows to slow the temperature drop and I’m in multiple layers of clothing, in multiple blankets using my cats for warmth. For now it feels like a waiting game.” The Houston Emergency Operations Center urged Texans to boil their water before consuming it, unplug nonessential appliances and conserve energy by turning their thermostats down to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. In addition to residential difficulties came environmental consequences. According to operators at oil refineries, chemical manufacturers and petrochemical plants based in Texas, these plants may have released greenhouse gases and chemicals such as nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds into the atmosphere. The power outages caused by the storm also hit industrial plants, forcing the release of an additional 3.5 million pounds of pollutants, according to analyses by Texas environmental groups Environmental Defense Fund, Environment Texas and Air AlCONTINUED ON PAGE 13
u
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
ENVIRONMENTAL
13
US environmentalism is linked to Republican anti-statism
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons The Grand Canyon is administered by the National Parks Service and was established in conservation efforts of early environmentalism.
BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 STAFF WRITER
“As a case of partisan polarization and politics, environmentalism, broadly speaking, is one of the most curious and important ones out there,” Adam Hilton, assistant professor of politics at Mount Holyoke College, said. The transformation of environmental issues’ place in the political sphere over the past century is unique, from its bipartisan origins to the Republican Party’s reversal of support for sustainable initiatives. In the early 20th century, the romantic and transcendentalist movements, both of which emphasized the natural world’s aesthetic and spiritual value, inspired prominent leaders and led to the first conservation initiatives in the United States. One of these leaders was President Theodore Roosevelt, who established 230 million acres of public protected lands during his presidency and created the National Park Service and Federal Bird Reserves. Environmental action also thrived during this time period, known as the Progressive Era, due to the widespread faith in American scientific experts. “One of the things that characterized the politics of progressivism was to actually try to remove a lot of policy out of partisan politics and place it in the hands of technocratic experts,” Hilton explained. Led by the conservationist value of preserving natural beauty, these actions marked the early days of environmental policy. The modern environmental movement emerged in the 1960s. Over subsequent decades, a powerful coalition of environmental nongovernmental organizations and activist groups formed. These groups lobbied both Democratic and Republican presidents, leading to the establishment of key environmental legislation in the 1960s and 1970s, such as the passage of the Clean Air Act under President Lyndon Johnson and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency under President Richard Nixon. The first organized opposition to the environmental movement arose in the early 1980s, consisting
mostly of Republicans and corporate lobbyists who saw environmental policy as a form of government overreach. “[Their] anti-statist ideology was already predisposed to launch an attack against environmentalism,” Hilton said of the GOP. Anti-statism refers to the political ideology in favor of small, limited government, which is a central piece of the Republican Party platform today. Despite a growing opposition to environmentalism, environmental policy remained a priority for both parties through the end of the 20th century. According to Hilton, it was Republican presidents who were often at the helm of major environmental legislation. This stance underwent a complete turnaround in what Hilton referred to as the “Republican reversal.” This drastic change has been attributed to “a broader ideological shift in the party as well as the mobilization of the business community.” Anti-statism in the Republican Party emerged not only as a reaction to the expansion of government control of the environment but to other movements that peaked around the same time, including the civil rights and feminist movements. Unable to take the unpopular stance against equal rights for these groups, cultural and religious conservatives instead argued that government intervention against discriminatory practices breached individual freedom. At the same time, businesses began to organize politically in the 1970s. Their alliance with the Republican Party led to the integration of laissez-faire, anti-taxation and limited government ideologies into the party platform. According to Hilton, these groups, paired with the geographical shift in the Republican Party coalition towards the fossil fuel-rich interior West and South, combined to create the political context that enabled the GOP to drastically alter its stance on the environment. “All of those things sort of happening over the last 30 years or so have become a really potent mixture and explain why the Republican Party not only stands out against its own history, in its dramatic reversal, but why now the U.S. stands out internationally as an outlier,” Hilton said. As this perfect storm of political events cemented the limited government, and consequently anti-environment, pillar of the Republican Party platform, Republican presidents continued to oversee the passage of environmental legislation due to the power of the Democratic Party in Congress and of environmental lobbyists. Sustainability also remained popular among Americans despite staunch Republicans’ resentment of the issue, giving Republican presidents an incentive to back successful initiatives and increase their own popularity. “We forget that Democrats still had firm control of Congress even under Republican presidents, so what we call divided government back then was a situation where Republican presidents actually saw it in their interests to work with the Democrats in Congress, or to build, at least, bipartisan coalitions,” Hilton said. Today, Congress is often evenly divided between the two parties, leaving legislative power up for grabs every election year. “Neither side has any incentive to give in to the other, because why give in when you can just wait two years and see if Congress changes hands again?” Hilton commented. While this even division between the parties has occurred in the past, it
has become a consistent occurrence in recent decades, creating a political climate marked by stalemate. Party deadlock and political polarization, both of which have grown substantially over the past decade, have made bipartisan collaboration on environmental issues no longer an option. Environmentalism is now considered to be purely a progressive issue. The politicization of environmental legislation has brought it to a slow crawl in Congress. According to Hilton, environmental politics are now conducted outside the halls of Congress as a result. Today, environmental policy is conducted primarily through executive action, which is vulnerable to becoming caught up in the courts or reversed by future presidents. The congressional stalemate also means that environmental laws are not regularly adapted to changing global circumstances, a phenomenon called “policy drift.” This period of polarization may have an end in sight. “Someday,” Hilton said, “the party system will depolarize, and environmentalism, I assume, will return to bipartisan consensus. I don’t know when we’re gonna get there — I hope it’s soon — but I don’t see us getting there [in] this 50-50 polarized situation. … Something has to give … first.” Hilton added that we will likely see the beginning of a new era of environmental action as voters become more directly affected by climate change. “We actually have pretty good evidence that voters don’t really care if something is an ‘act of God’ or if there was bad policy that was made by an officeholder — electorates punish officeholders when they’re unhappy.” As climate change increasingly impacts everyday life, Americans will put pressure on politicians from both parties to support environmental legislation, leading to a return to bipartisan consensus on environmental issues.
Texas storm, cont’d u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
liance Houston. The disaster-struck state is currently in recovery from the storm. The Perryman Group, a domestic economic research firm, predicted that Uri could end up costing a total of $195 billion on the lower end and approximately $295 billion on the higher end. The total cost of recovery could top more than that of hurricanes Harvey, 2017, and Ike, 2008. “For many people in our city who are already on the margins … and were fighting every day just to keep a roof over their head and food in their refrigerator, this past week has been a major, major event and has really disrupted their lives,” Mayor of Houston Sylvester Turner said in a news conference last week. “For many of these individuals, many of these families, they will be in crisis mode for weeks and months to come,” he added. Turner later announced the formation of the Houston-Harris County 2021 Winter Storm Relief Fund to aid those residing in Houston and Harris County.
14
OPINION/EDITORIAL
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Is Trumpism here to stay for the Republican Party?
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Trump and Minority Leader McConnell at a press conference in 2021.
BY KATE MURRAY ’22 STAFF WRITER
It has been over two months since Donald Trump left the White House, but his recent acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial signals that Trumpism may be here to stay. Trump was acquitted on Saturday, Feb. 13, rendered not guilty of inciting the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol at the beginning of January. While seven Republicans voted alongside Democrats to convict Trump — the greatest number of senators ever to vote on the impeachment of a president from their own party — an overwhelming majority of Republicans voted to clear him of the charge despite undeniable evidence that democracy (not to mention their lives) was threatened during the insurrection. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who voted to acquit the former president, was quoted in a speech directly following the verdict, saying, “There is no question, none, that President Trump is practically
and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day.” We have seen this kind of hypocrisy from the Republican Party time and time again. Such two-faced behavior came to be expected when Trump was in office because GOP politicians were reasonably afraid that they would be the next target of Trump’s bullying and risk losing reelection. When a new commander-in-chief took office, many were optimistic that congressional Republicans would finally be able to do their jobs with integrity now that they were out from under Trump’s tweeting thumb. Clearly, a large number of them are still performing a delicate balancing act: publicly condemning Trump while pandering to the powerful pro-Trump base through their voting record. A few weeks ago, I attended a virtual lecture given by Seth Masket, a professor of political science at the University of Denver who specializes in political parties and polarization. The lecture, titled “The Future of the Republican Party,” highlighted Masket’s predictions of where the party will go with Trump out of the White House. When discussing the deep divides within the Republican Party, he asserted that they have less to do with ideology and more to do with an acceptance or rejection of democracy. In other words, it’s not the moderate-conservative split that is driving cleavages within the GOP as much as it is a commitment to upholding democratic principles versus a rejection of those principles. As a young person who risks inheriting current political decisions for most of my life, it deeply concerns me that so many of members of Congress do not view the political violence that occurred on Jan. 6 as a threat to our democracy. I am horrified that outspo-
ken Trump allies in Congress such as Marjorie Taylor-Green, Lauren Boebert and Lindsey Graham seem to get away with spewing lies and conspiracy theories unscathed while the GOP doesn’t hesitate to label moderates like Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney “traitors” for believing in democracy and accountability. But what terrifies me above all else are the millions of Americans who believe that the 2020 election was fraudulent and that white supremacist violence can go unnamed and unpunished. This is not the work of a few corrupt politicians — this is a new normal being established by American citizens. There has been talk of the pro-Trump faction of the GOP splitting into their own party. However, I believe this is unlikely. First of all, Trumpist conservatives are currently benefiting from staying a part of the Republican Party. The last four years have proven that the insurgent factions have the capacity to drastically reshape mainstream parties, and this trend won’t stop any time soon. On a more pragmatic note, the cost of splitting the party is too high. America’s winner-take-all election system with political primaries makes a third-party candidacy extremely unlikely. Perhaps from the perspective of the Trumpist faction, it would be much easier to restructure the GOP from the inside, especially if boosted by their advantage in the Electoral College — since Republican voters are so scattered throughout the nation, a GOP president is more easily able to win a presidential election without obtaining the popular vote. While the exact directional future of the Republican Party remains unknown, one thing is certain: There are politicians and voters alike who are passionate about carrying on Trump’s legacy.
‘Cruella’ continues Disney’s line of superficial live-action remakes BY NINA LARBI ’22 OP-ED EDITOR
Set to release in May 2021, Disney’s “Cruella,” based around the “101 Dalmations” antagonist Cruella de Vil, is the company’s newest addition to its series of live-action movies. The trailer promises a dark backstory for the classic villain, with actress Emma Stone’s voiceover declaring, “I am woman, hear me roar.” “Cruella” appears to mark a shift in Disney’s live-action remake series, choosing to play up the titular character’s villainy rather than painting her as misunderstood like “Maleficent” did. Despite this, the film follows in the footsteps of the company’s other remakes. Rather than engaging with the original material and creating a story that aptly represents marginalized groups without relying on sexist tropes, Disney cloaks the story in a “girl boss” narrative with a few pithy statements to make it more socially conscious. Disney’s track record on minority representation and gender roles has slightly improved since the early 2000s thanks to the release of animated films such as “Brave,” “Moana” and “Raya and the Last Dragon.” There continue to be concerns, such as the hiring of primarily East Asian actors rather than South Asian actors for “Raya,” which takes place in the Philippines, but overall, it is better than the era of “Pocahontas” and “Aladdin.”
Disney’s earlier forays into diverse narratives felt more like an exotic change of scenery rather than an actual attempt at representation. Now, though, audiences are holding them to higher standards and demanding representation at all steps of the production process, because in the end, Disney isn’t doing minorities a favor — they’re creating a product for profit. The recent live-action movies are a different case, though. Most are direct remakes of the original animated classics, with the exception of “Cruella” and “Maleficent,” which focus on the antagonists of said classics. The problem Disney seems to encounter when producing a live-action remake is that the source material has sexism, racism and other prejudices so baked into the story that they have to take steps to mitigate it. But rather than creating a product that reworks the story, they lampshade or outright mention the problematic aspect instead. Alternatively, they repackage the protagonist as an empowered woman, despite most Disney princesses never having arcs of their own — many of them only existed originally to affirm the importance of virtue and chastity to young girls. To be fair, most Disney classics are based on highly moralistic fairy tales from centuries ago that seek to do that exact thing: teach young girls to be virtuous and adhere to gender roles. However, these stories were written centuries ago and desperately need to be
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Emma Stone, who plays Cruella, at the 2016 Mill Valley Film Festival.
revised for modern young audiences. The way to do that is not by adding an ironic remark about how women shouldn’t be able to read, like in the 2016 Disney remake of “Beauty and the Beast.” The way Disney has been rewriting their female protagonists is indicative of a wider trend within film, CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
u
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
HEALTH & SCIENCE
15
Europe faces COVID-19 vaccine shortage, lags behind US BY ANOUSHKA KUSWAHA ’24 STAFF WRITER
unrealistic. The initial vaccine shortage and subsequent slow rollout caused panic at the highest levels of the European Commission. At first, the region took on the controversial measure of attempting to block vaccine exports from the EU into the United Kingdom via Northern Ireland. The bloc w a s rebuked by the United Kingdom, Ireland and the World Health Organization.
Since early 2021, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Europe has faced difficulty after difficulty. Certain countries in the bloc, such as Spain, went so far as to partially suspend immunizations due to a shortage of doses. The European Commission, the European Union’s executive branch, signed contracts for over 2.3 billion va c c i n e d o s e s from several companies weeks after the U.S. and Britain had arranged such deals T h i s for their own countries. The compapublic feud and nies’ lack of preparation to expand unusually agtheir plants to meet the gargantugressive display an global demand for the COVID-19 by Europe toward vaccine partially caused the shortage. Graphic by Trinity Kendrick ’21 its former member Additionally, the pharmaceutical compacaused the European ny AstraZeneca has been unable to meet president, Ursula von its quarterly delivery goals for the European bloc be- Commission’s cause of production issues. This makes the European der Leyen, to come under fire. It also brought into Commission’s goal of vaccinating 70 percent of the Eu- the limelight the stark difference between Europe’s ropean Union’s adult population by the summer seem efforts and the state of the vaccine rollout across the
Channel. The United Kingdom was the first country to approve the Pfizer vaccine, and the U.K. has since administered at least one dose to more than 20 million people, compared with more than 75 million single doses of the vaccine administered in the U.S. However, a more serious issue is Europeans’ refusal en masse of non-Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines due to lack of faith in the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine. This was bolstered by European leaders initially expressing false skepticism of those vaccines due to anger over AstraZeneca’s perceived lack of willingness to meet its contractual obligations. AstraZeneca had a very public feud with the European Commission and members of the EU — including French President Emmanuel Macron, who falsely claimed that the company’s vaccine, produced in conjunction with Oxford, was “quasi-ineffective on people older than 65, some say those 60 years or older.” This comment furthered skepticism and refusal of vaccines amongst an already wary public. Leaders across the bloc have since attempted, to very little avail, to revoke their skepticism in a scramble to convince their citizens that the vaccine is safe. Despite vaccine distribution issues abroad, at present, it appears likely that Mount Holyoke students residing in Europe will be vaccinated sooner than those living on campus. According to the Massachusetts Department of Health, higher education workers and administrators, as well as members of the general public that are not listed in Phases 1 and 2, will receive vaccines in Phase 3, which will launch in April 2021. In an interview with Mount Holyoke News, a Health Services official said that updates regarding vaccine distribution would be shared through the weekly MHC This Week email.
Consequences of sleep deprivation hit international students hard BY NANCY JIANG ’23 STAFF WRITER
The National Sleep Foundation recommends that young adults should sleep for 7-9 hours per evening. For a college student who takes an 8 a.m. class, that means going to sleep before midnight to get eight hours of sleep, not including the time necessary to get ready in the morning or have breakfast. This official standard does not align well with the 6-6.9 hours of sleep that college students get on average. According to Mayo Clinic, studies show that those who don’t sleep enough may have lower baseline levels of cytokines, which are proteins that help immune systems fight against infections. People often don’t realize the effects of sleep deprivation until an obvious, severe change occurs — such as cardiovascular diseases or diabetes. A habit of constantly staying up late can hugely impact one’s performance at school and work. In a 2016 article, David Earnest, a professor with the Texas A&M College of Medicine, revealed that pulling all-nighters decreases study efficiency. According to Earnest, with each hour of sleep deprivation, the brain
becomes more dysfunctional, affecting our ability to understand and memorize information. With the end of Module 1 approaching, many Mount Holyoke students may be tempted to stay up late to cramming for final projects and exams. The bad news is that by trying to learn rapidly, we only use our shortterm memory, which lasts no more than a few hours. The frustration of not retaining most of the information despite study efforts can cause further anxiety and stress or even lead to other mental health concerns. A vicious Photo courtesy of Rosemary Geib ’23 cycle is borne out of the ef- College students routinely miss out on sleep, which can have major social and professional impacts. fects of sleep deprivation, leading to unfruitful study sessions which, in turn, your work until nighttime, try to do tasks in the morning, when the brain is much more productive. Second, lead to more late nights and less restful sleep. Here are two pieces of advice for voluntary and develop a consistent routine that allows for an adeinvoluntary all-nighters: First, instead of leaving all quate amount of sleep.
16
COMMUNITY
March 4, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Disney remakes disappoint, cont’d u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
which is a move away from white male protagonists toward white women. Coming-of-age stories now feature white girls as the main characters, such as in Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird” and Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart.” Meanwhile, charismatic corporate types like Jordan Belfort in “The Wolf of Wall Street” are swapped out for the white lady capitalist complete with platinum blond hair and red lipstick. “Cruella” fits into this latter category. The term “girl boss” is a joke at this point, reserved for vitamin-peddling multi-level marketing schemes and ill-conceived Netflix shows. However, its spirit, a superficially feminist, often capitalist, woman, is becoming a staple
in Disney remakes. Cruella de Vil is now a “psycho girl boss” for skinning puppies, and Belle is “empowered” because she reads books and makes overt comments about the fact that she is a hostage. Yet, this is superficial and does nothing to challenge the sexist core of many of these stories. Ultimately, I would like to see Disney work meaningfully to better represent marginalized people. They should write stories that don’t have misogynistic, heterosexist ideals of love and gender roles at their core. These remakes are nothing but a cursory revision of older, insensitive works in an attempt to gain social currency all while profiting from their well-cultivated Disney brand nostalgia.
A tracker of positive test results on campus since Aug. 12, 2020. Data was input here on March 3, 2021.
Gorse decision raises question: ‘After child care, what is next?,’ cont’d CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
u
In its original announcement, the College stressed that “the relationship with [the] Gorse Children’s Center is no longer integral to the curricular needs of the Psychology and Education Department.” “This is an accurate statement,” said Katherine Binder, chair of psychology and education and professor of psychology. Binder explained that Gorse was “just one of many potential sites” for student placement in several lab courses. Binder explained that part of the subsidy that the College paid to Bright Horizons supported curricular initiatives for the psychology and education department. “The Dean’s office had several conversations with me … and with the faculty who might place students at Gorse for various classes … over the past year,” Binder said. “At all of the meetings, I felt Dean [Dorothy] Mosby asked excellent questions so that she had a good understanding of how we use Gorse in our curriculum, and she discussed with us alternative options for placements. I always felt that she wanted to make sure that our curricular goals would be met, even if we did not have access to Gorse, and importantly, that students would have the experiences that were an important part of their psych/ed education.” “We are a resourceful department and there are a number of resources in the area where our students can learn about child development in diverse settings,” Binder said. “We have been communicating with other sites this year.” Still, students worry not only about the effect of the closure on their education, but also about the impact on Gorse
students. “It kind of makes me sad thinking about how many kids I knew in the classroom had been going to Gorse since they were babies, like the employees have watched them grow up since then,” Mayo said. “There were a lot of kids I knew that had just started coming out of their shell, and I wonder how this change will affect them, you know?”
important.” According to Aslam and confirmed by other anonymous faculty members, tensions were high at this listening session. “I think that a lot of people who attended were very upset, I know I was,” Aslam said. “The administrators present were impassive in their listening, and that also is really troubling. It was upsetting to me especially when the administrators Listening session admitted that they had done no research Three days after notifying families whatsoever to investigate the situation of of Gorse’s closure, the College held a families cut loose from Gorse.” listening session to field comments and Maier was present at the listening concerns. Vice session and felt President for Fithat faculty connance and Ad“We need the College to decisive- cerns went unministration and addressed by the ly commit to continue providing Treasurer Shanadministrators. accessible, reliable and quality non Gurek and “The atmosphere Vice President for [at the listenon-campus child care in the long College Relations ing session] was run.” Kassandra Jolley marked by exrepresented the treme frustration administration at at the inability - Jessica Maier the event. or unwillingness “[The listenof the adminising session] was to allow community trators present to answer our questions members to express how they felt but about such basic matters as how the decithat also meant that those words would sion came about, what alternatives were have no bearing on the finality of this de- explored or why weren’t they explored, cision,” Aslam said. “That was made clear what data the decision was based on at the start of that session. I think a lot of [and] why they couldn’t or wouldn’t cite Mount Holyoke students understand ex- pre-pandemic data,” Maier said. actly what I’m talking about.” Faculty were later dismayed to disThe listening session was also sched- cover that this year does not mark the uled in a class slot during which profes- first instance of such conflict over child sors — including Aslam — were teach- care provisions. ing. “I just think there is no reason other “During our conversations with sethan to suppress our participation and nior colleagues, we realized that the MHC attendance,” Aslam said. “Maybe you community has been consumed by the exshouldn’t schedule a listening event on act same crisis in the early 2000s. When such short notice for something that is so we look at correspondences from that
time, we see that the lines of argument are almost identical. We should find a permanent solution to what seems to be a recurring problem so that we don’t have to fight the same battle every 20 years,” Babül said. “We need the College to decisively commit to continue providing accessible, reliable and quality on-campus child care in the long run,” she said. “As an institution that espouses women’s empowerment, Mount Holyoke should not settle for anything less.” The College’s handling of the initial closure decision, and its subsequent apology, has raised questions from faculty over the efficacy of Mount Holyoke’s “shared governance” structure in which administrators, faculty, staff and students are supposed to share decision-making responsibilities. After a year in which faculty retirement benefits have been cut in half and over 100 staff members have been furloughed, faculty are frustrated at what seems like an additional cost-cutting measure being framed as an equity decision. In a response to Stephens’ apology, a group of nine faculty members including Maier and Babül wrote, “After childcare, what is next? … Will we see permanent loss of retirement benefits? Salary cuts? Raised course loads?” “This matter, which was so shortsighted and outrageous, and executed in such a ham-fisted manner, raises larger issues with trust in the governance of the College [and] its decision-making processes, not to mention its ability to foster good will with the various stakeholders — faculty, staff, students, temporary and permanent employees, alums,” Maier said. “What other decisions are next?”