Mount Holyoke News AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1917 THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021
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Mount Holyoke campus opens to admitted students for tours BY KATIE GOSS ’23 STAFF WRITER
Starting at the beginning of April, newly admitted students have been allowed to come onto campus for a self-guided tour with two guests at most. Upon arriving for their tour, admitted students must provide either a negative COVID-19 test result from within the last 72 hours or a vaccination card showing they have been fully vaccinated at least two weeks before their visit. Additionally, their temperature must be under 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, and they and their family must wear a green lanyard that has their name on it as well as the date and time of their tour. Every incoming student and member of their group must be wearing a mask at all times. According to the Dean of Admission Leykia Nulan, the Office of Admission had received a dozen or more emails a day from newly admitted students asking if there was a way they could see the campus. With the campus still closed to the public due to the pandemic, they wanted to create an opportunity for students to see the campus before officially enrolling in May. “We had already seen people visiting campus on their own, and we knew that was happening, and we had no authority to stop it. … We thought this would be a really good way for us to actually help mitigate some of that and manage at least a few of the folks that you see,” Nulan said. “Another piece of it was also just knowing that we wanted to provide a safe way — a safer way — for guests to come to campus.” In an April 14 email to the community, the College reiterated that “the Mount Holyoke College campus is still closed for health and safety reasons.” All on-campus community members, “including residential students, approved commuters, faculty and staff” are required to wear their OneCards on lanyards which are non-transferable to guests or other individuals. As admitted students are welcomed to campus for short tours, they are also required to wear lanyards and masks as health
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and safety measures. “The campus closure is a necessary and reasonable action in support of the health and safety of students and employees who live and work on campus,” the email stated. “Since students aren’t able to have visitors to campus, it follows that other visitors not be allowed as well. While we all look forward to the day when our beautiful campus can be reopened, it is extremely important that we commit as a community to these restrictions for the foreseeable future.” Still, the exception for admitted student tours has meant that new safety measures were implemented in the campus visit process. Once students and their families get to the Office of Admission, they must call before coming into the building. After they go through their health screening and provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test or vaccination records, they are given a bag and a green lanyard with a badge before being let onto campus. In total, Nulan said that students and staff working in the Office of Admission come into close contact with the visitors for no more than three minutes. Although this is a way for new students to see the campus, the green lanyards are also meant to help determine who is really allowed on campus. Even though the campus is not open to the public, people have still been entering the property. “Campus is not open to the public, period. So if you see people wandering around without a mask, or people wandering around who aren’t current students, staff or faculty, and they don’t have a green lanyard on, then they are likely not supposed to be there unless they are a vendor or contractor working on campus,” Nulan said. “None of us can control strangers [and] community members feeling like they have the right to walk around.” Additionally, another reason for allowing students to take tours of campus is to keep a record of outsiders who are coming into the community. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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Photo by Trinity Kendrick ’21 Mount Holyoke has chosen to allow newly admitted students to tour campus this semester despite its closure.
Italian lecturer’s contract renewed after community outcry Italian program would no longer be able to sustain itself, as a department requires three full-time faculty members. From that point, the program would phase out, On April 11, the College announced it as the College had not filled the position. would renew Visiting Lecturer in Classics Following the announcement, the three and Italian Martino Lovato’s contract. Lo- faculty members in the department advovato will remain at Mount Holyoke in his cated that Lovato’s contract be renewed current faculty position. to the dean of faculty. “[This] means that his position is as Frau expressed how happy the decivulnerable as it was sion has made the before,” Ombretta department. “We Frau, chair of Rocan use the time to “[The terms of Professor Lomance languages start working to crevato’s contract renewal] means ate a path forward and cultures and a professor of Italian, and to engage with his position is as vulnerable as said. new conversations it was before. ” This decision with the dean of facalso means that the ulty’s office,” Frau Italian department said. - Ombretta Frau will not have to shut Frau also notdown its major and ed that the support minor programs, a possibility that the de- from the Mount Holyoke community partment was worried about when they played a huge role in the decision. were originally told a few weeks ago that “This is the most amazing part for Lovato’s contract would not be renewed. us,” Frau said. “I am sure that without Three faculty members — Lovato, the students and without many faculty Frau and Lecturer in Italian Morena Sval- members’ support, this would not have di — make up the Italian department. happened. We asked for help and the Lovato’s dismissal would mean that the community responded.” BY KATIE GOSS ’23 STAFF WRITER
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