Mount Holyoke News AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1917 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2020
MOUNTHOLYOKENEWS.COM
Pro-Trump ‘Back the Blue’ rally is met with counter-protests BY CASEY ROEPKE ’21 & LIZ LEWIS ’22 NEWS EDITORS
On Monday, Sept. 7, a group of Trump supporters participated in a “Back the Blue” pro-police demonstration in front of the South Hadley Village Commons. The event, advertised on Facebook and hosted by Dianna Ploss, whose Facebook profile indicates she is a former Massachusetts deputy state campaign director for Donald J. Trump for President, garnered pushback from Mount Holyoke College students. Over the weekend, students circulated a petition demanding a response from the administration regarding the planned protest. The petition was written by student representatives from a number of cultural organizations and racial justice social media groups including the Association of Pan-African Unity, the Instagram account @bipocatmountholyoke, the MHC Asian American Students in Action, the MHC Asian Students Association, La Unidad, La Familia, the Muslim Student Association, STEM POC, Palestinian Solidarity MHC, and the Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Student Association. In the petition, the students wrote that “the implication of the stance held by the ‘Back the Blue’ rally is in direct opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement and the safety of all POC groups and LGBTQ+ community. Not only could this rally be a threat to the safety of the students currently on campus, but allowing it to proceed sends a much larger message to the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ community of the College that they do not matter.” Because the Village Commons is owned by the College, the petition demanded that “the school makes a response or bans the protest.” The petition collected over 1,600 signatures. On Sept. 5, President of the College Sonya Stephens released a statement in response to the petition. “Over the past few days, the College leadership was made aware of a series of ongoing rallies in Western Massachusetts in support of President Trump and ‘Back the Blue,’ a pro-law enforcement group,” she wrote. “Participants will gather
u
on the public area around the gazebo, which is not owned by the College. This intersection, and the sidewalks along Route 116 in front of the College, have in recent weeks seen regular, peaceful and non-partisan vigils in support of racial justice.” In the original statement, Stephens also wrote: “Those organizing the rally have obtained a permit from the town of South Hadley.” Because obtaining a permit was not required for the demonstration, this sentence has since been removed from the letter. After reaffirming the College’s anti-racist guidelines, Stephens added, “The right to peaceful assembly, and indeed to free speech, are protected in the First Amendment, and together with the freedoms of association, petition and the press are what we understand more broadly as freedom of expression. … The College cannot, then, prevent an assembly from being held on town property in proximity to the campus.” On Monday, a number of students and community members staged a counter-protest across the street from the “Back the Blue” demonstration. Avery Martin ’22, a student who attended the counter-protest, described the environment as “tense but mostly peaceful.” One exception, Martin said, was a moment when “a young Black man driving by flipped off the rally and then had to stop at the light, and one of the Trump supporters aggressively approached his car and swung his sign at the young man.” When the man started to get out of his car, a handful of counter-protesters including Martin “quickly moved to make a line of bodies around the car to keep the Trump supporters from hurting him or engaging violently further,” Martin said. After the light turned green, “a police officer in an unmarked car came out and directed traffic.” When the officer drove off, the counter-protesters returned to the sidewalks. Martin, who went with a small group of friends to the side of the road where the “Back the Blue” supporters stood in an effort to limit how far the rally could spread, was in close proximity to many
5 GLOBAL: International student testimonies
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
u
u
Photo courtesy of Rin Elwell ’21 Protestors gathered across from campus on Monday for the ‘Back the Blue’ rally, waving flags and chanting.
College unveils anti-racism plan BY ANNABELLE SHEA ’23 STAFF WRITER
“Mount Holyoke must be persistent and uncompromising in addressing the challenges that members of our community who identify as BIPOC — Black, Indigenous and people of color — have brought to our attention. We must identify and address all forms of implicit and explicit racism, bias and discrimination on our campus,” wrote President of the College Sonya Stephens in an Aug. 27 letter to Mount Holyoke community members. The letter, written in response to recent national cases of police brutality, outlined Mount Holyoke’s new “Anti-Racism Action Plan.” In her statement, Stephens described the various components of the plan. She divided the action plan into several categories: “Faculty and Curricular Actions,” “Resources and Equity,” “Planning and Accountability,” “Understanding and Acknowledging College History” and “Education, Training and Professional Development.” Each of these categories contain commitments by the College to institute “anti-racist” measures such as racial sensitivity training and faculty workshops. Under the “Faculty and Curricular Actions” section of the plan, Stephens renewed the College’s commitment to
6 FEATURES: Professors talk modules
u
creating a more diverse curriculum. This initiative is a continuation of the College’s efforts to include a Native and Indigenous studies program — which was enabled by the grant awarded to the Five College Consortium by the Mellon Foundation in January. In her statement, Stephens announced that the search for a position in Native American History would commence in the fall 2022 semester. In the meantime, the College created a new faculty grant program intended for the “development of courses, projects and collaborative research proposals that focus on race, racism and anti-racism.” According to Stephens’ statement, the grant will be open for application in October and has funds of up to $50,000 available. For Vice President for Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, the College’s faculty grant program is a promising effort to further diversify curriculum. “Examples like the faculty grants program are a great manifestation of ongoing work,” she said. “We want to encourage more faculty to engage in this process. The grants, we believe, will allow for collaborative research between students and faculty particularly to engage topics of race and racism.” The College has also committed to inCONTINUED ON PAGE 3
u
10 H&S: Remotely-operating museums
2
EVENTS
September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
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
Managing Editor of Layout Rose Sheehan ’22
Publisher Liz Lewis ’22 Managing Editor of Web Zoe Farr ’21 Business Manager Sarah Nam ’23
Copy Chief Kelsey Thomas ’21
Editorial Board News
Health & Science
Casey Roepke ’21, Kate Turner ’21 & Liz Lewis ’22
Arts & Entertainment Sabryna Coppola ’22
Zoe Greenberg ’23
Features Mimi Huckins ’21 & Tishya Khanna ’23
Sports
Opinion/Editorial
Gigi Picard ’22
Nina Larbi ’22 & Libby Spy ’24
Environmental
Books
Meryl Phair ’21
Sidney Boker ’21
Photos
Global
Ali Meizels ’23 & Rosemary Geib ’23
Layout Assistants
Saman Bhat ’22 & Sophie Soloway ’23
Copy Editors
Karina Wu ’23 & Zoe Tang ’24
Audrey Hogan ’21, Molly Kleinman ’21, Audrey Shannon ’22, Kenna Hurtuk ’23, Zoe Latham ’23, Lauren Leese ’23, Rhitom Mishra ’23 & Kay Brown ’24
Thursday, Sept. 10 Virtual Community M&Cs with Special Guests, MHC Votes!
Editor-in-Chief Lily Reavis ’21 Managing Editor of Content Flannery Langton ’22
Event Highlights
Web Assistants
Georgia Fish ’23, Shloka Gidwani ’22 Audrey Hogan ’21, Maggie Donovan ’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.
Subscriptions Mount Holyoke News is a weekly publication that will publish online-only throughout the fall semester 2020. 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.
“Want to know more about getting registered to vote, want to get involved with getting out the word about voting, want to learn more about the coalition of students and student groups who are working together to get Mount Holyoke students to a 100% registered votes - join us.” Registration required through the Office of Student Involvement. 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 11 Deeper than Skin
Deeper Than Skin is a weekly supportive, discussion space for Asian identified students. Asian, Asian American, Asian Pacific Islander, South Asian individuals welcome. Join at: https://zoom.us/j/96365314502 4:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.
Fimbel from Home!
Join the Fimbel Maker & Innovation Lab staff for a meet & greet that will include a guided virtual tour of the Makerspace and an optional interactive maker project. Because people can’t make it to campus we want to bring a little bit of campus to you! Registration is required at this link: https://mtholyoke.libcal. com/calendar/fimbel/fimbelfromhome 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 14 Athletes Connected
“Are you missing teammates, sad over the loss of your season, reeling from the lack of structure practices provide, unmotivated with workouts and struggling to develop new coping devices to ward off daily stress? This group may be able to help.” Join at: https://zoom.us/j/98979734301 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 17 Anti-Racism Action Plan Feedback Session
This session is for all students who want to discuss the AntiRacism Action Plan. Registration is required through the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 7 p.m. - 8:30 p.m
September 10, 2020
NEWS
. Mount Holyoke News
3
Anti-racism action plan promises new programs, grants CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
u
creasing the number of BIPOC faculty via the Consortium for Faculty Diversity, an initiative started by Gettysburg College. According to the CFD mission statement, “The Consortium was founded as an association of liberal arts colleges committed to strengthening the ethnic diversity of students and of faculty members at liberal arts colleges.” In response to the College’s plan to diversify its faculty, Assistant Professor of Politics Ali Aslam said, “I think the initiatives to hire more BIPOC faculty and develop curriculum will result in meaningful differences for how we talk about racial injustice and white supremacy.” “Educating faculty and having faculty whose experiences reflect those of BIPOC students will make these students feel less isolated on campus, which I believe will translate into those students taking up more space,” Aslam added. The “Resources and Equity” section of the plan announced the increase of funds available through the Student Safety Net Fund, an initiative designed to assist students with unexpected financial needs. The section also states that the College will “further invest in cultural centers” by increasing staffing and “securing
resources for capital improvements.” Stephens also explained the College’s plan to increase the enrollment of students of color. “The Division of Enrollment Management has established an Admissions Diversity Working Group,” she wrote. “The group is focused on building anti-racist strategies to increase the enrollment of BIPOC students at the College.” In “Planning and Accountability,” Stephens introduced the “Bias Education Response Team,” a group overseen by the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion that will handle incident reports of acts of discrimination. Stephens also announced the creation of employee affinity-based dialogue groups and related programming for the fall 2020 semester. In an attempt at reconciling the College’s past, in the “Understanding and Acknowledging College History” section of the plan, Stephens established the “History and Legacy Task Force.” This task force will, in collaboration with the Archives and Special Collections, review the College’s past handling of racial discrimination and generate an annual report describing its findings. Listed under the “Education, Training and Professional Development” section of the plan, Stephens described
Photo by Lily Reavis ’21
several initiatives, such as the incorporation of racial training into new employee orientation, the enhancement of programming for the First Gen Network, the hiring of an assistant director of campus diversity and the creation of a racial training module for new students.
The module, entitled “Race, Racism and Racial Oppression,” will be incorporated into new student orientation for the fall 2021 semester. This training was CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
u
College introduces new campus quarantine policies, case tracker BY KATIE GOSS ’23 STAFF WRITER
With COVID-19 affecting schools across the country, Mount Holyoke reversed their plan to bring students back to campus this fall. Instead, the fall semester is being conducted entirely online. This semester, the College is only allowing students to stay on campus if their travel home is restricted, if they cannot effectively work in their home environment or if campus is their legal permanent residence. These students are experiencing a different kind of college life on campus, as they now have specific guidelines to follow in regard to curbing the spread of COVID-19. All students living on campus have been placed in a single room across a handful of residence halls to ensure roommates do not infect each other. Upon arrival to campus, all students underwent a two-week self-isolation. Although the Dining Commons are open, they are only serving takeout meals to students. The Health Center and the Community Center are also open but with very limited hours. When in any spaces outside of their own
rooms — both outside and inside — students must wear a face covering and remain six feet apart. Students are also tested twice weekly in Clapp Laboratory. Additionally, students may travel off campus, but are limited to a radius of 10 miles. The campus is now open again to the public for outdoor recreation, exclud-
ing the track and tennis courts; however, all visitors must still wear face coverings when on the College’s grounds. Employees are only allowed inside of buildings on campus if they have been approved to do so by the school. While on campus, they must wear a face covering and maintain social distancing. All
Graphic by Karina Wu ’23
employees and staff currently working on campus are tested based on how frequently they come into contact with students. Should a student test positive for COVID-19 on campus, they will be placed into quarantine housing, as will other students they have come into close contact with. As quarantine housing is separated from the rest of campus, students will be asked to bring all necessities for school and entertainment for the length of their quarantine. While in quarantine, they will be asked to check in daily with the Health Center in order to assess their condition and determine what next steps might need to be taken. During this time, they will not be permitted to leave their space. Food will be delivered to their rooms daily. Once they have been approved by the Health Center, they can return back to their rooms and resume their daily routines, all while keeping within the guidelines. As of Sept. 9, two students on campus have tested positive for COVID-19 since August 12 and are in quarantine. The Health Center is keeping daily contact with the students and closely monitoring their recovery.
4
NEWS
September 10, 2020
International students reflect on changing housing situations due to COVID-19
Photo courtesy of Amelia Luo ’23 Annie Teoh ’23, a student from Malaysia, learned how to skateboard from a friend this summer, while living on Mount Holyoke’s campus.
BY AMELIA LUO ’23 STAFF WRITER Last March, Mount Holyoke College officially announced that it would pivot to a remote spring semester in response to the rapidly-growing coronavirus pandemic in the United States. Months later, on Aug. 10, 2020, the College announced that it would once again provide a fully remote education for the fall term. The suddenness of these decisions causes challenges regarding housing and stabilization for some, particularly international students. Annie Teoh ’23, a student from Malaysia, discussed how
difficult of a decision it is to decide whether or not to fly back home. “I feel sometimes that the situation is very hard on everyone. They want to go home, but they cannot. They are afraid of their grade or the internet, or the price of the plane ticket,” Teoh said. “Besides, even if you bought the ticket, you will never know if you can really leave. It’s just very emotionally stressful.” After living on campus for several months, Teoh recently moved into an apartment with friends, deciding not to return home or remain on campus. Although some students went home when Mount Holyoke closed its campus in March, others deemed it safer and easier to remain in the U.S. The decision to remain on cam-
. Mount Holyoke News
pus was the start of an experience full of both difficulties and silver linings. Following Mount Holyoke’s decision to move to remote learning in spring 2020, the College announced that it would close Ham, MacGregor, 1837, Prospect and Buckland Halls, condensing those left on campus into a few residential buildings. This was only the first of three moves students who opted to remain on campus experienced in the past six months. Students were asked to move again at the beginning of summer break, as well as directly before the start of the fall semester. Charlotte Mao ’23 moved three times, switching from Ham Hall to Abbey Hall, then from Abbey Hall to Mandelle Hall. “I feel like what I can see from this whole thing is that the College is also unsure of what they are doing,” Mao said. “Ham to Abbey is like the farthest distance [between] two dorms that you can find on campus.” Four days before her departure to her home in Xiamen, China, Mao was informed that the College was closing Mandelle Hall, forcing her to move to Porter Hall instead. “At that time, the College did not even provide a van. All you have is that cardboard bin and you have to drag it by yourself,” Teoh recollected. In March, the College implemented a 10-mile radius limitation for students living on campus. Despite the isolation from anything off campus, there was still a silver lining, Teoh said. “The good side is that since [everyone is] on campus, I have the opportunity to meet more friends who I would never know if everything is normal. I feel I can really trust them because we are all [in] this together.” Mao also built a community around her during her time on the closed Mount Holyoke campus. She hiked up nearby mountains, tried to learn Korean and regularly watched shows with her friends. “It was a way of getting the human interaction I needed,” Mao said. By the end of the summer, Teoh decided to move off of the College’s campus and instead moved into an apartment with one of her friends. When she saw her name on the lease, the idea of suddenly growing up struck her. “When living in the dorms, there are many things that you take for granted, but living on your own, you have to be responsible for cooking, maintaining and cleaning, even after you have a very long day,” she said. “Nevertheless, the freedom of living off campus is much needed during this difficult time.” Both Teoh and Mao left campus before the College began to administer more extensive precautions against COVID-19, including required face coverings in public spaces, regular testing and social distancing. Currently, just under 200 students — including many international students — continue to reside on the closed Mount Holyoke College campus.
South Hadley ‘Back the Blue’ counter-protest, cont’d.
Photo courtesy of Rin Elwell ’21
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
u
of the Trump supporters. Though the atmosphere was generally nonviolent, minor verbal arguments broke out regularly between the two sides. Martin and an-
other BLM protester engaged in one argument with a few Trump supporters, who claimed the students were “being lied to, America isn’t racist and Black people who get shot shouldn’t have broken the law,” according to Martin. Sonya Stephens and Dean of Students Marcella Runell Hall each made appearances at the rally. According to Martin, President Stephens was quietly present for about 20 minutes and then departed, while Hall “stayed a lot longer and participated more.” Some of the counter-protesters, mainly South Hadley residents, chanted the message that South Hadley is not represented by the Trump supporters, and that the “real” South Hadley stands against racism. To Martin, this view is somewhat reductive. “South Hadley IS racist and that’s the problem,” they said.
At Mount Holyoke News, our inbox is always open and we are specifically focused on highlighting the voices of students of color. Any personal experiences, contributing articles, opinion pieces, testimonials or other journalistic works from BIPOC students can be sent to mhnews@mtholyoke.edu. Any questions regarding the editing and publishing process may be sent to the same address.
GLOBAL 5 COVID-19 cases continue to vary geographically September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
BY CORRINE CELUPICA LUI ’23 STAFF WRITER
Over the past nine months, coronavirus case levels have fluctuated around the world. In the United States, life during a global pandemic looks strikingly different than it did back in March. The U.S. has seen both community compliance and resistance in efforts implemented to suppress the virus. According to a New York Times report on Sept. 6, 2020, there are 26.9 million confirmed cases worldwide and the virus is spreading at its fastest recorded speed, with a global cumulative of 200,000 daily new cases. As of early September, there are rising surges in many parts of Europe, including Germany, Spain and France. Similar patterns are also occurring in North America, where geographically-diverse hotspots have sporadically developed over the past six months. Megan Horner ’23 lives in Herrin, Illinois, and has expe-
rienced the state’s response to each new hotspot of the coronavirus. “In the beginning, the state was able to slow the spread, but once things began opening, a lot of people stopped adhering to rules,” Horner said. “The state instituted pretty strict measures, and it was pretty effective but has since been rescinded.” As of Sept. 6, 2020, Herrin has recorded 1,024 confirmed coronavirus cases, which is up from 530 total confirmed cases reported on Aug. 9, 2020. Due to the lack of standardized federal testing and containment protocol in the United States, the reported number of cases has varied from region to region. Abroad, countries’ various strategies mixed with a more collaborative community response have been more effective in controlling the spread of the virus. Rachel Kang ’23, who has been living in Seoul, South Korea, since March, noted the effectiveness of the South Korean government’s response. “From the beginning, [the government] made it man-
‘Never Have I Ever’ lacks accurate Indian representation BY JAHNAVI PRADEEP ’23 STAFF WRITER
This summer, as my Netflix subscription was renewed, I excitedly scurried to my laptop to watch Mindy Kaling’s new and much-hyped show, “Never Have I Ever,” pakoras and coffee in hand. But, as the show progressed and my coffee cup was downed, a sense of disappointment set in. “Never Have I Ever,” while striving to fill in the space of representation, falls short of the goal it sets out to achieve, instead caricaturing Indian identity and recycling regressive stereotypes. It doesn’t attempt to explain the origins of these practices, nor does it try to challenge them. The show works to reimagine what it means to be Indian in a way that caters to non-Indians and reinforces casteism, racism and other stereotypes. The show begins with our protagonist, Devi Vishwakumar, arms folded and praying to a set of Hindu gods — and her geometry textbook. She prays for a high school survival kit: parties, alcohol, drugs, thinner arm hair and a boyfriend (“a stone-cold hottie who could rock me all night long”). As she prays, a different voice takes over, introducing us to Devi and himself — legendary tennis player John McEnroe — the narrator throughout the whole season. The problems start here. “Never Have I Ever” could have been an opportunity for an Indian voice to talk about the Indian experience, but instead, this voice is handed over to an American man, one who cannot tell the story from the inside and one who cannot even correctly pronounce Ganesh Puja or Devi Vishwakumar. The very idea of representation is defeated by delegating the voice of the Indian diaspora to the white man once again. John McEnroe’s clumsy placement is coupled with cringey characters, mainly Devi’s mom Nalini and cousin Kamala. Both characters talk with an eccentric
College Anti-racism plan, cont’d. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
accent, desperately trying to establish their “Indianness.” On a talk show with the Los Angeles Times, Richa Moorjani, who plays Kamala, describes how she watched YouTube videos and underwent coaching to establish her “Indian accent,” as she herself had more of an “American accent.” While Moorjani claims this as a move to establish authenticity, it does quite the opposite. It others the Indian from the Indian American, making the former seem backward. Worse, it sounds nothing like an actual Indian accent. I have personally viewed the Indian accent as a source of embarrassment. I remember arriving in the United States before my first year of college to stay with family. I was asked how I would manage my accent in the United States and was advised to take accent classes to fit in like they had decades ago. Did I want all the contact numbers? I politely declined. Devi feels similar embarrassment when Kamala speaks, and the Never Have I Ever team does nothing to battle this, instead normalizing this feeling. The caricaturing continues throughout the show. As writer Paroma Soni discusses in The Swaddle, a gender and culture magazine in India, “inspired in part by Kaling’s own life, this show does touch on many experiences familiar to Indians everywhere,” but “points them squarely at a Western, non-Indian audience in an exotified treatment of everyday Indian life.” From Nalini and Kamala to the group of gossiping aunties, an endless volley of tiresome tropes permeates the series. Nalini bears the brunt of several of these, from commenting on dropped textbooks to chiding Devi for wearing sleeveless clothes during a TikTok dance to telling her that the itchiness of her saree is a “rite of passage for women.” These dialogues scratch the surface of the ideas they want to CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
datory for everyone entering from abroad to quarantine for 14 days and get tested for COVID-19,” Kang said. “If there is someone who caught the virus in your neighborhood, the government sends emergency alerts to their county [and] track[s] ... where the anonymous individual has been since they started showing symptoms.” Kang also praised South Korea for its citizen safety requirements, such as wearing a mask in certain buildings and on public transit and participating in regular temperature checks. In South Korea, there is a 1.1 percent positivity rate from coronavirus testing. Additionally, the country has been able to maintain lower rates of contraction. From April 1 to August 12, it reported less than 100 cases daily. Across all the different strategies regions have attempted to control the coronavirus, one truth remains: keeping the spread suppressed requires a sense of intentionality. As Kang noted, “As much as the idea of a virus is terrifying, if the correct precautions are being taken at the right moment, it is possible to control the numbers of cases.”
u
u
the fall 2021 semester. This training was proposed by students and outlined in an online petition created by Lasya Priya Rao ’23. In her petition, which received over 470 online signatures, Rao explained the necessity of racial education as a part of new student orientation. “Many students come from backgrounds where they have received very little to no education on these subjects [racial awareness.] Some students who have received education on these subjects may have received it from biased institutions.” “Not knowing the right way to talk about race means even when you have the best of intentions, you might accidentally cause harm to the people you’re talking to,” Rao elaborated in an additional statement. On Instagram, the confessional account @bipocatmountholyoke released a response, saying that the Anti-Racism Plan is a start, but should not be the end of the College’s work on racial justice. “We are grateful but obviously a bit cynical about this plan, but at least it’s no longer just a plan to plan” they wrote. “Since at least the mid-2000s, Mount Holyoke has dedicated a portion of orientation to conversations about diversity and inclusion. However, these conversations were very surface level. They did not acknowledge white supremacy and orientation leaders were not equipped to help students understand their privilege. That is supposedly changing.” For Rao, the creation of the “Race, Racism and Racial Oppression” module marks a new beginning for Mount Holyoke — one founded on the principle of social justice, “The new training is definitely a good first step, and I know they’re planning on adding to it in the future,” she said.
6
FEATURES
September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
Professors share experiences, challenges teaching online
Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22 BY MIMI HUCKINS ’21 FEATURES EDITOR
Across departments, professors have expressed that they have been feeling stress, anxiety and confusion, but also immense sympathy, for their students this module. Cramming what should have been a semester’s worth of information and growth into seven weeks is a challenge on both sides of the teaching and learning experience. Over the summer, Mount Holyoke College professors took in-depth training and participated in workshops in order to create their courses for the new module system. Three Mount Holyoke professors in the mathematics, English and politics departments spoke with Mount Holyoke News to shed light on their experiences and perspectives during the beginning of this new version of Mount Holyoke classes. Professor Alanna Hoyer-Leitzel, Mathematics Mount Holyoke professors received the news that the College would be fully remote in the fall semester at the same time students did this summer. This left only a short period of time for professors who planned on teaching hybrid classes to transition to a fully remote method instead. Luckily, Professor Hoyer-Leitzel, who is teaching Multivariable Calculus in Module 1, had been planning on keeping her class fully remote all along. “I had already been planning on teaching my class entirely online, just knowing how many students I had in my classes who weren’t going to be on campus,” she said. Despite having planned for this, Hoyer-Leitzel commented that she was “definitely surprised” when the College announced its new plan for the fall semester. “We knew how many of our students weren’t going to be on campus, and how do you do a class that follows best teaching practices, which include things like group work, when half of your students aren’t even there?” she asked. For her Multivariable Calculus course this Module, Hoyer-Leitzel meets with her class every day, Monday through Friday. Still, students aren’t able to maintain the same learning experience as before. “When people
are learning math, sometimes the ideas have been filling in your head for a little bit before your brain gets comfortable with it,” she said. “And there’s no time to do that, because we’re there the next day and we’re covering new material.” Not only is the new schedule tiring for her students, but Hoyer-Leitzel feels the effects as well. She reflected back on a different time, pre-pandemic, when she could spend days off making lesson plans and finishing grading. Now, it’s a constant sprint to the finish line. With accelerated classes, it is still not possible for many professors to assign the same amount of work as in a normal semester. Hoyer-Leitzel played with the idea of having two homework assignments a week instead of one, but ultimately decided that grading double the work would be unachievable. She has attempted to remedy this problem by additionally assigning daily homework problems. “The class is still rigorous,” Hoyer-Leitzel said. “I’m going to try to cover all of the things. I hope we’ll get through it.” She believes that, despite everything, it is important to be kind and understanding regarding personal limitations and those of students. “Everybody’s approaching this differently. All of my students have their own lives and personal circumstances,” she said. “I’m gonna be really nice to my students, and I hope they’ll be really nice to me, because I know at some point, I’m going to mess something up.” Professor Chris Benfey, English Professor of English Chris Benfey described the summer as “a time of constant adjustments.” In addition to campus-wide discussions about how to handle the pandemic, there have also been departmental debates about how the courses will be taught. The English department had its own regular meeting to share ideas for teaching a remote class. “It was interesting how quickly all of us sort of came up with a somewhat similar shape for the week,” Benfey said. This Module, Benfey is teaching American Literature I. He has tried to space out Zoom sessions and supplement them with other activities for the other days. On Fridays, Benfey tries to introduce something different to keep his students engaged. “[For] the Friday class I try to do something different,” he said. “I try to break the sort of traditional rhythm of an English class.” He has planned Fridays to include activities such as virtual field trips to the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum or reading modern poetry to contrast the 17th century poetry that is usually read in his class. Even with the accelerated lesson plan, it is impossible to fit the same amount of reading that would occur in a normal semester into a module. Still, Benfey has worked to maintain the same complexity of readings while diminishing the length. “I’ve taught at Mount Holyoke for more than 30 years,” Benfey said. “I’ve never seen anxiety among the faculty at the level that I’ve seen it now.” Although he has witnessed firsthand the intense anxiety of the faculty, he acknowledges the stress students are enduring as well. “All of us are experiencing various levels of stress and trauma in our own lives and in our own communities,” he said. “We’re in it together,” he added. “We’re in it together with the damn Wi-Fi connections, we’re in it
together with the damn Zooms, and we’re just — you know — we’re trying to figure it out.” Still, he maintains an optimistic view. “Zoom and Moodle and these other technologies — they’re kind of miraculous,” he said.” “It’s incredibly exciting to have a student in Vietnam, a student in Portland, Oregon, a student in Chicago. I mean not only are these places really far apart,” Professor Benfey reflected, “but also they’re different.” At a time when there is a worldwide pandemic, an upcoming presidential election and historic protests, he feels that having students attend class from all over the world is “almost like getting reports from the warzone.” “If you told me 30 years ago, ‘You’re going to be teaching by seeing your students on a computer screen and they’ll be able to talk to you from wherever they are,’ I [would have] thought, whoa, it sounds like, you know, we’re all gonna have spaceships and stuff. But here we are.” Professor Adam Hilton, Politics Professor of politics Adam Hilton is teaching a first-year seminar titled “The Politics of Disruption” this module. Hilton said he has encountered struggles in trying to fit a first-year seminar into seven and a half weeks. “There’s a novel that I like to use in this particular class, and I can’t really teach the class without it. I can’t assign a part of it, right. You’ve got to read the whole thing because it’s one complete story,” Hilton said. “Last fall, we read it over two weeks. And now I gave the students four days to read it. That was tough.” With first-year students, a very specific challenge arises. Students who have not experienced college have no “normal” semester to compare this to, and that can create uneasiness when it comes to the workload and the fast-paced environment of a module system. “I had to preface [the book] with, ‘Look, this is out of the ordinary. Don’t worry. If it was hard to get through this much reading, don’t worry, you’re not an imposter. You’re supposed to be in college,’” Hilton said. That being said, the experience of reaching students from across the globe has also been exciting for him. “I love that they’re from all over the world,” Hilton said. “I’ve got students in East Africa, students in Vietnam and China and the West Coast of the United States. It’s amazing to think about the classroom spanning the world. It’s remarkable.” Normally, Hilton likes to use the first-year seminar as a chance to introduce the new students to campus. Instead of forgoing that goal completely, he has begun to experiment with alternative methods. He is currently planning a virtual tour of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum in an effort to familiarize students with campus. Despite the challenges of this semester, Hilton said he is enjoying the experience of teaching firstyear students during this time because they seem to have a brighter attitude than the other disappointed and MoHome-sick class years. “This is an occasion that we kind of have to rise to,” Hilton said. “And frankly, I’m very pleased with how people are rising.”
September 10, 2020
FEATURES
. Mount Holyoke News
7
Virtual M&C’s hint at the future of online Mount Holyoke traditions BY REBECCA GAGNON ’23 STAFF WRITER
An essential part of the Mount Holyoke experience is the traditions, from Milk and Cookies in residence halls to Convocation and “Dirty Dancing.” It may be harder to create a sense of community through the pandemic; however, Mount Holyoke College is attempting to keep the connection intact by continuing some beloved traditions online. The Office of Student Involvement and the Student Experience Emergency Response Team has organized one favorite tradition, M&Cs, so that it is now online and available to all students. This event takes place every Thursday at 7 a.m. EDT and 10 p.m. EDT in an effort to connect community members across multiple time zones. “We have a Student ERT [Emergency Response Team] that has been meeting since mid-June, both made up of faculty, staff and students, and we have used data and feedback from students in particular from the Student Voices Survey,” Alicia Erwin, associate dean of students and director of student involvement, said. “Big themes from that [survey] revolved around student traditions being such an important part and how we could reimagine these online.” The apparent goal of virtual M&Cs is to get to know each other and to create a connection that would have normally been established in person. At the first event, everyone brought their favorite types of cookies and their preferred beverage, many in casual wear. The co-hosts of the event, Erwin and Lasya Priya Rao ’23, came up with a series of questions to foster a bond between the people there. “I think it is fun to ask questions that connect to our community and you get to know someone on that deeper level,” Erwin said. “That is what I found to be really wonderful about this space.”
Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22 BY WOODLIEF MCCABE ’23 STAFF WRITER
Pandemica is an advice column for anyone struggling to make life function normally in isolation. I’ll address different challenges we are all facing, and give you some tips that will ease the stress. Separate your mealtimes and work times This one might be controversial, but I’m going to be completely straight with you: It’s absolutely effective. When we do our classes from home and don’t leave our houses, our routines start to fall apart. You’ve probably felt like the days are slipping together, attached only by Zoom meetings. We’re also constantly in artificial lighting, giving us a false
Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22 Every Thursday, a new discussion topic or guest speak will be introduced. In the upcoming M&Cs, students from the MHC Votes! coalition will be taking the stage. The following weekly sessions will be open to student groups to talk about their activities and will include Be Well sessions. “It has been for fun events, but also it allows students to positively meet with and almost network with people across the College and alums and other things like that,” Rao said. “We gain a sense of community, but also students can build networks with people when they are at home.” Erwin mentioned that feedback from students showed how hectic the 2020 spring semester felt, and because of that, the College wanted to create a stable time and plan for M&Cs. “We looked at the time blocks either before or between class schedules and designated those as community hours. We have been encouraging that people
… use those times to hold things,” Erwin said. Along with M&Cs, there are events related to the College-wide Common Read that started at the kick-off event with celebrated journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones on Monday. There have also been discussions of doing a voting event and 8-10 other events connected to that. As well as numerous events for cultural center hours, Intergroup Dialogues and Interfaith Lunches will continue on Wednesdays. “The other thing that has come up, and [Rao] says this a lot, is the big traditions as touchpoints,” Erwin said. “So we are reimagining Mountain Day and the core of the tradition, knowing that we need to do it in an online environment.” To get involved in other community hour activities, Rao suggests checking out Embark to find many of the College’s student-run groups and sending messages instead of using email — another way the College is digitizing to build a community at a distance.
sense of daytime. Suddenly, “dinnertime” and “lunchtime” aren’t really times of the day anymore. If you’re like me, you eat whenever you remember, probably at your desk while attending a class or doing your readings. However, making a conscious choice to set down your work to get a snack or prep a meal will help you form a routine and make sense of the day. Many times, I have been a victim of absent-minded eating, blindly reaching for another chip only to find that the plate is empty — and has been for a while. This is another benefit of giving your meals their own distinctive time. It will help you savor the food and improve your mood. I get that eating breakfast on Zoom seems like killing two birds with one stone, but your oatmeal can wait, and you won’t end up called on by your professor with a mouthful of food. Journaling. Yes, yes, you’ve heard this one before. I’ve rolled my eyes at plenty of faux self-help guides that say bullet journaling will solve all your problems. Sure, for some people that works amazingly, but for the rest of us sitting here without tiny pristine handwriting and a 24-pack of colored pens, that’s not really going to cut it. Luckily, journaling doesn’t have to be so manicured. Keeping a diary-type account of your life
can be a productive way of organizing your emotions and experiences at the end of the day. Sometimes simply writing about what is stressing you out can relieve that stress. A therapist once told me to get a planner and write something that happened each day and then how I felt about it. I personally keep a pocket-sized Moleskine notebook with me. Sometimes I’ll write, but most of it is filled with drawings, stickers and Polaroids I’ve taped inside. I’m not an artist by any stretch, but the act of filling the pages feels great. There is a direct line from your brain meat to your hand meat to the paper. As an incredibly wise former roommate and friend of mine once said, you don’t have to be good at drawing to draw. If you go to Mount Holyoke, you probably have about four or five empty notebooks just sitting around, waiting for a purpose. Bonus tip: be patient. Whoever else is in your household is also living through a pandemic. Sometimes that’s hard to grasp when your conversations with your parents devolve into shouting matches. You don’t have to excuse anyone’s behavior if they’re mean or hurtful, but you can decide for yourself what’s worth arguing about.
8
OPINION/EDITORIAL
September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
Performative Activism: the new trend on social media BY KAVERI PILLAI ‘23 STAFF WRITER
Content Warning: This article includes mention of domestic violence and violence against women. In a world where social constructs like gender, race and religion seem to divide the public, social media has provided a platform to bridge that gap. For the past decade, social media users have been using their platforms to express their opinions. With the work of social movements rising in 2020, critics must question if this expression is just a way of ranting, or if it actually is a revolutionary form of activism. According to Robert Putnam’s work in “Bowling Alone,” social capital is a network of relationships made within the society, enabling them to work efficiently within the system. He highlights how active civil engagement has been decreasing for the past 30 years, which gives critics a reason to analyze this new type of activism more carefully. This is where the question comes up: Do we post on social media to enhance our social capital? Or do we attempt to be “woke” and conform to the trend of speaking up out of fear of being left behind? Performative activism is a superficial way of demanding or making change. New York Times writer Nikita Stewart’s article, “Black Activists Wonder: Is Protesting Just Trendy for White People?” is about a new wave of protests that consisted of predominantly white people during the Black Lives Matter marches in 2020. She expressed her reservations regarding their involvement, fearful that it would only be temporary. Her piece communicates a common theme of frustration with the fact that “allyship,” especially that of white people, has only occurred in response to recent social media trends. The immediacy of social media makes it easy to engage with, but this version of activism does not go far enough. Often, the core motivations for activism are misconstrued on social media. The “Challenge Accepted” trend resulted in women across the globe posting black and white pictures of themselves to show the idea that
women stick together. Not only was the ones who fail to turn up at the origin of this online trend elimthe voting booths. While perforinated from the posts, but it also mative activism may turn out to merely scratched the surface of the be a shortcut to increasing one’s original feminist issues which startsocial capital, it is constant ened the trend. gagement with the system which Gendered honor killings is fulfills democratic duties. an issue Turkish feminists are Voting is one such demoattempting to combat with. The cratic duty that is an integral elrecent brutal killing of a 27-yearement of activism. In 2016, only old student Pınar Gültekin by her 13 percent of the youth voted ex-boyfriend reiterated the imporin the presidential election. In tance of raising awareness of fethat same election, 47 percent of micide. The trend of posting these white women and 62 percent of monochrome pictures was initiated white men voted for President as a way of echoing the pictures of Donald Trump. These staggermurdered Turkish women that end ing numbers justify the appreup in the newspapers on a daily bahension people of color have resis. garding the idea of allyship. This strong wave against paIf this new age of activists is triarchal and misogynistic oppresall about the talk and not about sion was unfortunately reduced to performing one’s duty as a demyoung women using photoshoots ocratic citizen, there will be no to showcase their superficial soli- Graphic by Trinity Kendrick ’21 change in the way we view BIdarity with other women instead of POC, rewrite legislation or implehonoring the original purpose of the challenge. This ment a sense of human decency in everyday life. The not only cheapens the social capital produced by a youth, regardless of their #blacklivesmatter posts and generation working tirelessly to demand legitimate signatures on “Justice for Breonna Taylor” petitions, change, but it also damages the growth they have ac- will continue to casually use racist slurs and make complished in the fight to achieve justice. racist jokes because they haven’t actually committed On any given day, social media is flooded with themselves to the eradication of systemic racism. content regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. A #blackouttuesday post does nothing, and neiPosts and stories address a myriad of points from ther does sharing videos of violence toward marginchecking your privilege to signing petitions calling for alized groups — which, if anything, desensitizes othreal structural change. “People know that Black peo- ers to human rights violations. Generation Z might ple are constantly being murdered at a disproportion- have produced great activists like Greta Thunberg ate rate, and seeing a video on Instagram that ‘proves and Malala Yousafzai, but in the end, our fight to be it’ isn’t going to make any real change — the fact is trendy over our fight to make real change has made that they just don’t care,” Chia Webb-Cazáres ’24 said. our social performance meaningless. We have become An overt sense of hypocrisy is laced in these posts. the epitome of performative activism and social media Many of the same people who repost CBS footage or has unwittingly promoted that. the unforgettable words of Martin Luther King Jr. are
‘Never Have I Ever’ lacks accurate Indian representation, cont’d. u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
explore. Introducing the superstition of books falling on the floor, for example, provides no context for why the religion holds that practice. Additionally, is it an oversight that the mangalsutra, an auspicious thread that is worn during marriage by a woman, still hangs around Nalini’s neck? Or is it a tokenistic attempt to make her look more culturally Indian? The cliches continue; Devi’s crush, Paxton Hall Yoshida, likens Devi’s beauty to Priyanka Chopra in a dream sequence. This generalizes all Indians to look like the token Indian actress in Hollywood, again catering more to Western audiences. Mindy Kaling’s position as an Indian American assumes the audience will accept the show as gospel. Simply having a diverse cast does not absolve her of her responsibilities to the South Asian diaspora.
The show also asserts its main characters as complacent upper-caste Hindus, as seen in their trysts with marriage. Aarti Mann makes a cameo as Jaya Kuyavar, a woman ostracized from the community (and her family) for the cardinal sin of marrying a Muslim man. When she later dialogues with Kamala on her marriage and divorce, she regrets not listening to her parents, warning Kamala not to screw up her own impending arranged marriage. This quietly encourages the formula: Adhere to existing upper-caste Hindu norms and marry within your community, and you will be happy. When Kamala finally finds herself preferring her arranged marriage to being with her boyfriend, Steve. While trying to foster the idea that all arranged marriages are not bad, “Never Have I Ever” does so while once again promoting caste endogamy and pushing out characters like Steve and Jaya’s ex-husband as examples of what not to do.
As discussed in Wear Your Voice magazine by Monica M, “Kaling is more interested in packaging Indian upper-caste Hindu American identity for the white gaze than she is in authentic storytelling. Shows like these continually erase the complex dynamics of South Asian experience and place their heads in the sand when it comes to critical socio-political realities that ground their shows.” Coming from a Tamilian family like Devi’s, I felt a twinge of discomfort when I saw my cultural practices tossed about carelessly. I hope “Never Have I Ever” does not stop at making the show relatable, but in season two, takes the opportunity to question and challenge stereotypes. Only a show that commits itself to these goals will give the South Asian diaspora more of what it deserves in terms of representation.
September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
ENVIRONMENTAL
9
Arctic drilling raises climate concerns Climate change could
reportedly recirculate historical diseases BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER
Photo courtesy of Pixnio.com. Caribou graze in the wilderness of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, where recent new drilling efforts have caused climate concerns. BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 STAFF WRITER
On Aug. 17, the Trump administration authorized the sale of leases for exploratory drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, a decision resulting from years of political debate and controversy. Drilling in the region would win President Donald Trump’s support from proponents of domestic oil production and those looking to maximize the economic potential of American resources. Drilling authorization had previously been granted by Congress in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, but turbulence within the Department of the Interior paired with restrictive environmental requirements brought the project to a standstill before any drilling leases were obtained by extraction companies. The more recent Record of Decision provided greater detail as to where and how drilling would occur to ensure a smoother transition from the planning to execution of drilling operations. The ANWR, located in northeastern Alaska, is considered by scientists to be one of the best remaining examples of wilderness on Earth. Preserving wilderness, areas that are relatively undisturbed by humans, is important to scientific research, as these regions act as “controls” which can be compared with similar ecosystems to measure the impacts of human development. The ANWR is also one of the most biodiverse regions in the Arctic. It is home to many arctic animal species including polar bears, arctic foxes and over 200 species of migratory birds which live there during various parts of the year. The refuge hosts more polar bear dens than anywhere else in the Arctic. Much of the refuge’s wildlife can be found in its coastal plains, which would also be the epicenter of drilling projects. Concerns regarding the disturbance of these species and their natural habitats as a result of exploratory drilling are shared by many environmentalists. Not only does the potential drilling present environmental concerns, but high economic costs are also expected. Low oil prices due to the coronavirus pandemic combined with the general economic risk that comes with exploratory drilling means that efforts may cost oil companies more money than they make. Addi-
tionally, rising interest in the development of renewable energy sources acts as a deterrent from costly efforts to find new oil reserves. Several oil companies have released statements saying they do not plan on exploring in the ANWR, likely to protect themselves from consumer backlash and economic risks. Alaskan Indigenous groups are divided in their support of drilling. Some are concerned about the threat posed to the wildlife they rely on for subsistence, while others welcome drilling as a producer of jobs and income in the region. The results of the 2020 presidential election in November will likely determine the fate of drilling in the Arctic, where the reversal of Trump’s decision would be likely under a Biden administration. Even without a change in the political regime, efforts to begin drilling in the ANWR are expected to be faced with lawsuits from environmental groups who claim the evaluation of the region was too insufficient to authorize the drilling. The success of these efforts depends greatly on their timing, as a reversal of the decision will be increasingly difficult once the purchasing of leases begins.
COVID-19 has changed the world in unprecedented ways. Worldwide, close to 27 million cases have been reported. In the U.S. alone, there have been close to 200,000 deaths with no indication of when the number will cease to rise. While many hope COVID-19 is the only pandemic dealt in their lifetime, recent research indicates climate change may cause a comeback of several historical diseases. The return of historical diseases may come from permafrost, ground that remains completely frozen at 32 F (0 C) or colder for at least two consecutive years. In many cases, permafrost has been frozen for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years. Permafrost includes rock, soil, sediments and varying amounts of ice that bind the elements together. Under a layer of soil, permafrost can be 3 to 4,900 feet thick and stores carbon-based remnants of plants and animals that were frozen before they could decompose. When permafrost warms and begins to thaw, it releases the stored carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere. This past summer, the Arctic experienced wildfires which caused additional permafrost to melt. Along with the risk of melting permafrost releasing carbon dioxide, it may also cause a resurgence of ancient disease-causing bacteria. The microorganisms that live in soil particles will have the ability to move toward the surface and thrive again in the environment outside the permafrost. Carcasses in the permafrost may also be infected with harmful pathogens. Professor Jean-Michel Claverie and Chantal Abergel from Aix-Marseille University in France have been working with and studying viruses from permafrost. Claverie compares virus dormancy to seeds. When you put a seed in frozen soil for thousands of years, nothing happens to the seed, but when the soil warms and is no CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
Weekly climate news A record-setting heat wave swept through Southern California reaching a high of 121 F. An unprecedented wildfire season left about 200 hikers in the Sierra Nevada National Forest trapped as a result of spreading flames. The heat wave and wildfires in the West, a massive derecho in the Midwest and a record-breaking 2020 hurricane season have been made worse by climate change. The European Environment Agency confirmed that environmental factors such as air pollution and heat waves worsened by climate change contribute to around 13 percent of all deaths in Europe.
Ministers from 11 African countries met virtually on Monday, Sept. 7 to discuss progress on implementing the Great Green Wall, an initiative to develop a 15-kilometer-wide and 8,000-kilometer-long vegetation strip across Africa. Oil refineries in the Louisiana petrochemical industry have been impacted by recent hurricanes, dumping harmful substances into the environment and disproportionately impacting communities of color. Organizations help youth of color enjoy the outdoors in the middle of the global pandemic. In Ottawa, Canada, farming techniques that reduce greenhouse gas emissions are being developed.
Want to learn more? Read all articles online!
u
10
HEALTH & SCIENCE
September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
Facing COVID-19 closures, museums seek new forms of connection
Photo by Lily Reavis ’21 The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum is not currently open to the public, but is finding new ways to engage the community. BY ANOUSHKA KUSWAHA ’24 STAFF WRITER
In the face of COVID-19, museums have had to adapt to the challenges that the virus presents, like every other institution or business. Museums in Europe and North America were quickly able to create a digital presence for themselves on the internet toward the beginning of the pandemic. In the digital museum era, viewers are able to see a larger showcase of individualism. Many museums highlighted their curators and conservationists, as well as the artists that provide their content. Mount Holyoke’s art museum, for example, is highlighting the input of its students, employees and alumni. Currently, the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (MHCAM) is highlighting the work of alumna Joan Jonas ’58 and artist Bisa Butler, with a spotlight specifically on the museum’s recent acquisition of her portrait quilt, “Broom Jumpers” (2019). The museum, like many of its kind around the globe, has created virtual recreations of its exhibitions. Others currently utilizing the same virtual model include the Musée du Louvre in
Paris and the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid. In addition to the creation of these virtual exhibitions on their websites, museums are using social media to continue their work at this time. Some have created prompts for their followers, the most well known being the Getty Museum’s challenge, which asks self-isolators to recreate one of the many paintings in its collection. Upon the museum’s announcement of this online challenge, bored art enthusiasts flooded social media threads with their own at-home interpretations. In the U.K., self-described “museum-weirdos” are creating and posting videos about their favorite art pieces and museums with the hashtag #MuseumAtHome. Their goal is to keep the love for museums alive while they are not accessible to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Museum of Digital Art in Zürich, Switzerland — this writer’s city of residence — is hosting a variety of classes with creative contributors for all ages through live streaming. Close to Mount Holyoke, the National Museum of African American History and Culture documented and collected artifacts from the current Black Lives Matter protests. Despite the many inventive ways that museums have gone digital this year, the inaccessibility of technology was made apparent just as quickly as these digital presences became known. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s reports on museums found that only 5 percent of African and Small Island Developing States were able to create and maintain a virtual presence that is comparable to those presented by North American and European museums. In this same report, it is stated that more than 10 percent of museums will never reopen after this period of closure. Museums are intrinsically linked to scholarly work and the knowledge of diverse cultures, religions and societies. They spark inspiration and dialogue, as they
hold tangible links to the past. In the time of COVID-19, where human volatility and differences are becoming more and more apparent, the knowledge and appreciation of cultures different from one’s own has become even more important. This year, museums around the world have taken on a second and perhaps more important role as conservationists. Using the internet and social media, museums have begun collecting, documenting and disseminating information about the virus and its impact on current and future generations. An example of this is the Museum Europäischer Kulturen located in Berlin, Germany. The MEK is using the hashtag #CollectingCorona on social media to collect videos, writings, photos and art in any language, asking people all around the world how the pandemic has impacted their lives, their jobs, their mental health and their families. All of this media will be compiled for a future exhibition at the MEK. In Sweden and Norway, a website called Minnen, or “Memories,” has been created for the purpose of collecting stories from around the world that document the human experience with COVID-19. Museum curators using social media currently have the opportunity to hear firsthand accounts from residents of all corners of the world. A small business owner sends in a poem. An autistic student describes his experience with homeschooling. A schoolboy describes the different social media that he uses throughout the morning and how he prepares his breakfast. A six-yearold girl questions how her mother told her to eat eggs to boost her immune system. As havens of anthropology, museums are markers for the level of civilization we have achieved as a collective human society. Their work in the time of the coronavirus pandemic serves as a reminder to generations in the present and the future of humanity’s hope, whimsy, courage, hate and appreciation for the world around us.
“Science Fictions” is a guidebook for avoiding untrustworthy research BY ZOE GREENBERG ’23 HEALTH & SCIENCE EDITOR
Common guidance for researching scientific information on the internet is to avoid social media, be wary of news coverage and only trust studies published in peer-reviewed journals. However, while the peer review system increases the likelihood that information presented in studies will be accurate, peer-reviewed journals should not be considered infallible sources of information. The peer review process is indeed flawed and allows for mistakes. This is the premise of social psychologist Stuart Ritchie’s recently published book, “Science Fictions: How Fraud, Bias, Negligence, and Hype Undermine the Search for Truth.” Over the course of the book, Ritchie reveals that inaccurate scientific findings, such as falsified data and misleading statistics, routinely make it into peer-reviewed journals. According to Ritchie and several other researchers who have documented corruption in the scientific community over the years, studies cannot be assumed to be credible simply because they were published in a peer-reviewed journal. When reading any scientific studies, readers should be wary of possible misinforma-
tion, whether or not an article has been peer-reviewed. The first piece of advice Ritchie gives for accessing the accuracy of a paper is to look at the reputability of the authors’ employers and the outlet the study is published in. If a website looks unprofessional, it may be one of the many untrustworthy journals that exist online. Reputability alone is not proof enough, however — several well-known researchers and publications have been caught publishing false information. Readers should also look for proof that participants registered to participate in a study, and for the data collected for the study. Ritchie recommends considering the sample size, as it is easier for researchers to claim that small effects are significant when pulling from a small pool. Larger sample sizes can increase the statistical validity of a study. We should also think about both statistical significance and how the study stacks up against other established research, Ritchie says. If a study is so groundbreaking it seems implausible, that may be a sign that it should not be trusted. As another metric, Ritchie recommends paying attention to the language used in a study. For example, researchers should only conclude causation if the study is an experiment. The most researchers can conclude
from observational studies is correlation; therefore, Ritchie says, a scientist who claims causation in an observational study is incorrect. Other clues found in the language of a study may allude to bias, such as words that exaggerate the findings. Bias also can be detected by looking into the funding behind the study, to see if a social or political group might benefit from the results. How plausible findings are — especially in studies that use human participants — and whether the study has been replicated by other researchers are two other metrics that Ritchie recommends readers use to measure the trustworthiness of studies. He suggests looking in news publications for quotes from third party scientists who have weighed in on the research and whether their judgment tends to be positive or negative. Students and faculty at Mount Holyoke College depend on online scientific information for their own research. The Mount Holyoke News Health and Science section is committed to providing advice on how the community can assess the accuracy of research in addition to practicing these principles in our efforts to provide the most reliable information on the latest health and science news.
September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
11
Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ sparks love, hate and dance BY SABRYNA COPPOLA ’22 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Being in quarantine this summer has brought us some great music (and subsequently some great TikTok dances), and Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s duet “WAP” made a huge splash. The song spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 list and has become an instant hit, breaking 93 million streams in its first week. “WAP” has received tons of support from fans of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, but has also drawn the attention of conservative public figures weighing in with their opinions. The song itself is a sexy, boisterous anthem, celebrating sexuality for anyone with a “WAP” (wet ass pussy). The song opens with a sample from Frank Ski’s song “W----- in This House,” looping throughout the song and setting the tone right away. The lyrics are explicit and detailed, putting euphemisms and double entendres to brilliant use. The music video is visually striking and iconic in its own right, using water to double down on the message, and other symbols of prowess — like tigers — to denote the fierce attitude and intentions of the performers. The video was choreographed by JaQuel Knight who is also known for his work with Beyoncé. Personally, I loved the song. I love the message, the honest celebration of women’s sexuality and the bold self-awareness of “WAP.” The song has received a lot of attention on the social media app TikTok, sparking a viral dance choreographed by Brian Esperon for viewers to partake in. TikTok influencers, parents and church groups alike have used the song to record their own rendition of Esperson’s dance, embarrass their kids or make up their own parodies. However, not everyone had such positive feelings
Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have been nominated for their collaboration on MTV’s “Song of the Summer” for ‘WAP’.
about “WAP.” Most notably, political pundit Ben Shapiro made a video on his YouTube channel dissecting the lyrics and reacting to the song. He read the lyrics in his signature monotone, adding his own commentary, which later would inspire remixes with the song performed in his voice. He mocked the song, implying that the sexual confidence portrayed by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion would only lead to further objectification of women, and gave the opinion of his wife, a doctor, who apparently advises people with “WAP” to see a doctor themselves.
This response is rather unsurprising from the likes of Shapiro, but parents and critics have denounced the sex-positive anthem as well. The National Review describes the song as “hoary sexual cliches and deification of lowlifes in a music-video milestone,” demonizing both artists for their pasts and shaming them for their sexual content. This song does what so many songs have done for men in the past. Singing and rapping about sexual prowess is nothing new for men in the music industry. What makes it a problem in “WAP,” besides the fact that it’s two women singing? American culture embraces the sexuality of men while suppressing the same sex positivity for women. The layer of respectability politics overlaid only proves the point more: Rapping about sexuality is only okay when it’s a man, forget two women of color. Negative reviews and slut-shaming aside, the song has generally been embraced by audiences around the world. It has already been nominated for MTV’s Song of the Summer award, and its star status doesn’t seem to be subsiding. “WAP” makes it clear it is a song made for female empowerment. Its adoration on TikTok makes its generally positive reception obvious, mirroring the popular use of songs by ppcocaine (or Trap Bunny Bubbles) known for their sexual content and inspiring many viral dances. The National Review writes, “This wanton spectacle is praised as ‘sex positive’ by college-grad journalists who’ve never known any sexual propriety (or the deliciousness of restraint).” The author seems to miss the point that the song was not created for them, or anyone else, but that it’s a form of self-expression and a celebration of the artists’ bodies. As myself, a “college-grad journalist” — if the shoe fits...
‘The Owl House’ is a spooky and heartfelt show from ‘Gravity Falls’
Graphic by Karina Wu ’23
BY EZRI BRAID-GRIZZELL ’23 STAFF WRITER
On Aug. 29, 2020, the Disney Channel aired the season one finale of its new animated series, “The Owl House.” The show tells the story of Luz Noceda, a teenager deemed “too weird” after her frequent chaotic mishaps at school and sent off to “Reality Check” camp for the summer. But as a name as strange as “The Owl House” might imply, Luz does not find herself at camp.
Instead she stumbles through a door into a magical world full of witches, demons and spider-breathing griffons. (Who knew?) After Luz (Sarah-Nicole Robles) settles in with the rogue witch and con woman, Edalyn Clawthorne (Wendie Malick) and King (Alex Hirsch), a demon, she sets off to find her own magical calling. There have been so many stories in the world that, at this point, it’s impossible to avoid common narrative tropes. But “The Owl House’’ doesn’t fall into cliches. A magical school may at first scream “Harry Potter,” and while there are many purposeful nods to the franchise, Hexside is completely unique and full of new possibilities to explore. “Chosen One” quests and “impossible” trials are included in the show as a warm, giggling acknowledgment that the show knows exactly what it’s supposed to do as part of the fantasy genre. But perhaps one of the most celebrated elements of “The Owl House” is that Luz, the main character of the series, is confirmed as bisexual. According to creator Dana Terrace, there was some initial resistance from Disney higher-ups, but now she is “VERY supported by current Disney leadership” (@DanaTerrace, Twitter). Another major character, Amity Blight (Mae Whitman), is initially introduced as the gold star student and the main rival to Luz. Over the course of the show, however, she gets her own redemption arc and
is revealed to have feelings toward Luz. That’s not one main character, but two, confirmed as LGBTQ+. That’s a big step up from Disney’s shallow attempts at representation with LeFou in the live-action “Beauty and the Beast” or the minor character of Officer Slater from “Onwards” (who was considered by many to be Disney’s first-ever openly gay character). When I first started watching “The Owl House” about a week before the final episode of this season aired, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect. My only real connection to the show was Alex Hirsch, the creator of another Disney favorite, “Gravity Falls,” who is now the voice of a two-foot, tummy-rub-loving demon in “The Owl House.” But actually, the connection tracks — Terrace worked as a storyboard revisionist on “Gravity Falls” way back in 2012. Because of these overlaps, it’s not hard to notice the similarities in animation style, writing and humor. The overarching elements of the supernatural, mystery, family-friendly cosmic and eldritch horror and government conspiracy all align as well. That, and Alex Hirsch is still the voice actor for many minor characters in the show. If you’re looking for a sort of spiritual sequel to “Gravity Falls,” or just a segue into the new, quirky and colorful era of animation, “The Owl House” has got your back.
12
COMMUNITY
September 10, 2020
. Mount Holyoke News
Chef Jeff Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe: Make at Home Recipe courtesy of Yankee Kitchen Ninja and Jeff Sadowski via the Recipes Beyond the Gates student cookbook project. BY FLANNERY LANGTON ’22 MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT
Published in 2012, “Recipes Beyond the Gates” contains recipes from Mount Holyoke’s preview of 175 years of cooking. Recipes were submitted by students, staff and faculty. The most notable of which is Chef Jeff’s famous chocolate chip cookies, an old M&Cs classic. Other notable recipes in the book include Deacon Porter’s Hat, a regular Founder’s Day treat. While M&Cs has expanded beyond these cookies to serve vegan, gluten free and other desert options, Chef Jeff’s chocolate chip recipe remains the classic amongst alums.
Ingredients:
Directions:
• • • • • • • • • •
1. Heat oven to 350 F.
1 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup sugar 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 egg 1/8 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2. In a bowl, whisk together the first four ingredients (flour through salt) and set aside. 3. Cream together the sugars and the butter using a mixer until very light and fluffy (optimally, this should take between 5-10 minutes!). Add the egg and vanilla and mix until well blended. Gradually add the flour to the butter mixture, followed by the chocolate chips, and mix until blended (do NOT overmix). 4. Spoon the dough onto a prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies several inches apart, as they will spread. Bake for about 10-11 minutes, or until the edges just begin to brown but the centers are not completely cooked.
Try making these, while attending M&Cs during Thursday community hours, 7am and 10pm EST. Turn back to page 7 to learn more about virtual M&Cs and how the College is adapting to the challenges of distance and remote learning.
5. Cool for a minute on the pan, then place cookies on a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 12 large cookies. Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons
Historical diseases caused by climate change, cont’d.
Image courtesy of WikiMedia Commons BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER
u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
longer frozen, the seed will germinate. In the case of viruses, the same rules apply. There have been fragments of the 1918 influenza virus found in corpses in Alaska’s tundra,
and smallpox and bubonic plague are likely buried in Siberia. Vectors of deadly infections of the 18th and 19th centuries may come back, especially in cemeteries where victims of infections have been buried. In the 1890s, there was a major epidemic of smallpox in Siberia that led to a 40 percent population loss. The victims from that incident are currently buried under the upper layer of permafrost. In the 1990s scientists from the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology in Novosibirsk tested remains of people from the Stone Age found in southern Siberia where they didn’t find the virus itself, but did find fragments of DNA. Later in 2005, NASA scientists were able to revive bacteria that were located in a frozen pond in Alaska for 32,000 years. Then, in 2007, scientists revived an 8 million-year-old bacteria as well as bacteria over 100,000 years old. In 2016, there was a large anthrax outbreak in Siberia that caused further curiosity about permafrost and viruses. It is believed that a heat wave in the Arctic thawed a layer of permafrost and reindeer carcasses containing anthrax warmed, causing the bacteria to thaw and an-
thrax to spread. Anthrax and other bacteria such as the one that causes botulism to form spores can then survive for extended periods of time. Increasing heat as a result of climate change isn’t the only environmental factor threatening the release of viruses. The Siberian north shore — now more accessible by sea — is being exploited through mining and drilling, which exposes ancient layers of permafrost. Permafrost-caused viruses might not seem immediately problematic, as most viruses are inactive outside host cells and some viruses can’t survive long periods. However, there are exceptions. The idea that a virus can be eradicated gives a false sense of security. Bacteria that have been isolated and never come into contact with people or antibiotic drugs can, in some cases, produce antibiotic resistance and the human immune system wouldn’t be prepared. This causes future pandemic-level concerns.