Mount Holyoke News — Nov. 19, 2020

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Two Georgia Senate races head to runoff elections

BY KATIE GOSS ’23 STAFF WRITER

Joe Biden was announced the projected winner of the state of Georgia on Friday, Nov. 13. Leading by 0.3 percent in the state, the win pushed Biden to 306 electoral votes, leaving President Donald Trump with 232. Biden is the first Democratic nominee to win Georgia in 28 years, after Bill Clinton last did so in 1992.

“I think we were all really surprised.

I feel like it’s kind of an assumption that southern states are normally red. …

When Georgia flipped [blue], I was kind of like, ‘Is it real? What’s going on?’”

Syd Williams ’23, who was involved with MHC Votes!, said. “I’m happy, but I feel like there is still so much that is in the air.”

Trump had originally been leading in the typically red state. As mail-in ballots were counted, especially in major cities like Atlanta, there was a gradual shift in the votes from red to blue.

Because the vote was so close, Trump asked for a recount in the state.

FairVote, an organization that studied about 30 statewide recounts in recent election history, concluded that only a few hundred votes are typically flipped in favor of the other candidate.

According to Adam Hilton, a professor of politics at Mount Holyoke, it is unlikely that Georgia’s recount will produce a victory for Trump, as Biden is ahead in the state by almost 15,000 votes.

Williams commented on this topic, saying, “15,000 votes is a lot, and one thing we are all forgetting in general is just how much stress the poll monitors [and counters] have been under.”

Even if Georgia’s electoral votes went to Trump, it would still not give him the numbers needed to win the Electoral College. Williams does not believe that Trump will ever accept losing this election.

“I find it kind of funny because I am seeing all over social media and on the news, like in 2016 when Hillary [Clinton] was calling for some recounts and all of the Republicans were like ‘She just needs to accept it, [she] lost. … Move on,’ and now here we are four years lat-

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er, and they’re not accepting it, they’re not moving on, and they’re calling for recounts,” Williams said.

Although the Trump administration has claimed a “stolen” election since the night of Nov. 3, they have yet to show evidence of one. Now that Republican-leaning states like Georgia and Arizona have voted in Biden’s favor, the fraudulent claims have only become more persistent.

“When you lose, the first thing you start doing is planning how to win next time,” Hilton said. “If, instead, the stakes are so high and so important to you that losing is not an option, then you don’t prepare to play the game again. Instead, you just destroy the game.”

There are two Senate seats in Georgia waiting to be decided in a runoff election in early January. Georgia has “unique rules,” according to Hilton: If no person running for Senate clears a 50 percent threshold in the race, the two candidates with the most votes proceed to a runoff race in January. Since none of the top four voted officials in the two Senate races reached that threshold, a runoff will be held. Furthermore, two of the officials are Republicans, and the other two are Democrats.

“I would bet some money that these will be the two most expensive Senate elections in history,” Hilton said.

The Senate is currently sitting at 48 Democrats and 50 Republicans, so the Georgia Senate runoffs are critical for the Democrats. Should the Democrats win both seats in January, the Senate would become equally split between the two parties. If this split led to a tie, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris would be the tiebreaker. If both open Senate seats go to Republicans, the Biden administration will likely have a tough time passing legislation. A similar situation happened during Barack Obama’s presidency when he lost control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Hilton said that Trump’s behavior until the runoff elections could be critical. “On the ‘positive’ end — positive for

A&E: Student launches art business

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Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia in 28 years. Democrats hope his win indicates further wins in January runoff elections, which will determine the party in control of the Senate.

Trump White House replaces lead climate change expert

BY MERYL PHAIR ’21 ENVIRONMENTAL EDITOR

The executive director of the U.S. Global Change Research Program, Dr. Michael Kuperberg, was removed as lead scientist for the National Climate Assessment on Nov. 9 and is expected to be replaced by David Legates, a longtime supporter and advocate for climate change denial groups. The decision came directly from the Trump administration and follows four years of policy decisions that increased environmental degradation and reined in large-scale federal initiatives necessary to adequately address climate change. Nearly 100 environmental and climate change policies have been rolled back under the administration.

The NCA is the U.S. government’s effort to research climate change science.

It operates under the U.S. Global Change Research Program, which establishes teams of experts and works with the Federal Advisory Committee. NCA research is collected and filed in National Climate Assessment Reports reviewed by the public, experts, federal agencies and a panel from the National Academy of Sciences.

9 FEATURES: Literary mag’s first edition

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There have been four official NCA reports since the Global Change Research Act of 1990, with a fifth volume, known as NCA5, currently being worked on and anticipated to come out in 2023. Kuperberg had run the USGCRP since 2015 and was working toward developing NCA5. He will now be transferred to the Department of Energy.

Kuperberg’s removal is one in a string of White House replacements to control climate change rhetoric. Neil Chatterjee, chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, was removed from his position on Friday, Nov. 6, after publicly announcing that he would support the use of renewable energy and sustainable power sources. This announcement was a direct turnaround from his previous stances on climate, as Chatterjee has been a reliable supporter of the fossil fuel industry for the past two years.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the nation’s most prominent climate science agency, similarly experienced an installation of new staff members per White House orders.

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EVENTS

November 19, 2020

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Event Highlights Thursday, Nov. 19

A Personal Journey of Reflection on Two-Spirit Identity with Nohham Cachat-Schillingand This event welcomes Two-Spirit Medicine Elder, Nohham Cachat-Schilliingand, who will share their experiences and reflections on the concepts, histories, legacies and experiences of Two-Spirit people within Indigenous cultural societies.

Registration is required through the MHC Events calendar.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST

Our Existence is Our Resistance: The Intersections of Black Trans Politics and Liberation

Andrea Jenkins, the first Black transgender woman to be elected to public office in the United States, will be speaking to the Mount Holyoke Community on BIPOC, trans and gender non-conforming liberation as well as representation in politics.

Registration is required through the MHC Events calendar.

4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. EST

Halfway Huzzah Class of 2022, come celebrate marking the halfway point of your college journey together at the Halfway Huzzah!

Halfway Huzzah will be filled with your fondest memories at Mount Holyoke and a visit from the Connection class of 1972.

Registration is required through Embark.

5:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. EST

Friday, Nov. 20

Trans Day of Remembrance and Resilience Vigil and Healing Space

This tradition commemorates and honors transgender individuals lost to violence since the death of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998.

Registration is required through the MHC Events calendar.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST

Online Performance: Much Ado About Nothing

A radio-play version of William Shakespeare’s delightful screwball comedy, “Much Ado About Nothing,” performed by Mount Holyoke students.

Participation details are on the MHC Events calendar.

11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. EST

Saturday, Nov. 21 VariAsians

VariAsians is an annual ASA tradition that aims to celebrate PanAsian culture and heritage in it’s various forms! Join our livestream to watch performances from Five College groups and for the chance to win prizes with our intermission trivia game.

Registration is required through Embark.

10:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. EST

November 19, 2020

NEWS

. Mount Holyoke News

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Trustees meet virtually, discuss endowment, enrollment

BY REHAT THUSSU ’23 & SOLEIL DOERING ’24 STAFF WRITERS

The Mount Holyoke Board of Trustees met virtually between Oct. 8 and Oct. 10 to discuss the College’s endowment, enrollment and non-discrimination policy.

On Oct. 28, the College released an update via email from Chair of Trustees Karena Strella ’90 about the Board’s recent virtual meeting. According to the update, “a Mount Holyoke graduate and trustee and her family have committed a $10 million lead gift for the College’s upcoming financial aid fundraising initiative.” This donation is the largest gift in support of financial aid that Mount Holyoke has ever received. The update expressed gratitude for this “extraordinary generosity, which ensures that now more than ever students have access to the distinctive, 21st-century liberal arts education offered at Mount Holyoke, and, in turn, give rise to a better world for all.”

According to the endowment report’s statistics, the endowment generated an investment return of 3.3 percent in FY20, despite the difficulties posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As previously reported by the Mount Holyoke News, the College lost upwards of $7.6 million in the early months of the pandemic and expected the endowment to garner “less revenue than anticipated” for the FY21 operating budget. Still, this most recent report places the College’s endowment — estimated to be $789 million as of June 2020 — in the top 15th percentile of nearly 400 peer institutions. The endowment, along with tuition and fees and gifts and grants for operating purposes, is one of Mount Holyoke’s main sources of revenue. It funds various expenses,

Photo by Trinity Kendrick ’21 Though the trustees would normally meet in the Mount Holyoke New York Room, like classes, their fall meeting was virtual this year. They discussed the College’s endowment, enrollment and other matters.

such as research, experiments, faculty positions, libraries and financial aid.

According to the report, the Board voted to increase the draw from the endowment in FY20-21 “to help close the budget gap” caused by the impact of COVID-19. A detailed budget update from the Finance and Investment Committees “noted that COVID-19 will have a long-lasting impact on the financial picture for the College” continuing at least through FY24.

Many U.S. colleges’ and universities’ enrollment rates have declined this year due to the ongoing pandemic. Mount Holyoke was not spared from this reality, and the College saw a slight decrease in first-year fall enrollment from the class of 2024. However, Mount Holyoke experienced a marked 30 percent increase in inquiries from prospective students. According to Vice President of Enrollment Management Robin Randall, this growing interest directly correlates to new virtual

enrollment and recruitment strategies.

“We are reaching more students as a result of putting our programs online and having them accessible in that format,” Randall said. “Putting it online meant we didn’t have to have that regional limitation. The virtual nature of our work takes down those borders.”

Dean of Admission Leykia Nulan explained the objectives of the updated student recruitment strategies. “Our goal is to not only produce opportunities for the students who know about us, but to also generate opportunities for students who haven’t heard about us yet,” Nulan said.

“So [we are] thinking critically about how we can be robust in the ways that we are conducting our outreach.”

“It is easy to forget that the work we’re doing in enrollment will impact what you see on campus in years to come,” Nulan said. “We’re often thinking about tangibly how what we’re able to bring home [to Mount Holyoke] trans-

lates into your experience in the classroom and outside of the classroom.”

During their October meeting, the Board also held an extended session to discuss “proposals for new Board committee configurations,” according to the College’s update. Ultimately, they voted on “a two-year pilot of a model that coordinates the Board’s deliberations around the three distinct experiences of Mount Holyoke constituents: before Mount Holyoke, maximizing interest in and the reputation and reach of the College; during Mount Holyoke, with a focus on enhancing the College experience; and after Mount Holyoke, maximizing connectivity to the College.” The Board anticipates that the new structure will be in place by spring 2021.

In their formal actions, the Board also approved a Statement of Nondiscrimination. The statement asserted Mount Holyoke’s gender diversity and clarified the College’s commitment to “providing equal access and opportunity in employment and education to all employees and students” in compliance with current state and federal guidelines. It states, “Mount Holyoke College does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, genetic information, sex, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, gender identity or expression, ancestry, veteran or military status, or any other legally protected status under federal, state or local law.”

Though the update reads that the Board “will more fully engage faculty and students as a result of the changes,” at this time, the Board has not elaborated on how they will do so.

The Board will reconvene in early 2021 for their annual spring meeting.

Climate change expert replaced by Trump administration, cont’d CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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These staff members have been noted to question the validity of climate change science and instituted stricter policies on communication within the agency itself.

In October, chief NOAA scientist Craig McLean sent the new appointees a message requesting acknowledgment of the agency’s scientific integrity policy that explicitly denounces manipulations in research and the presentation of ideology-based findings. McLean was promptly removed from his position by Erik Noble, a White House policy advisor.

The head of President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agen-

cy transition team and director of the Center for Energy and Environment at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, Myron Ebell, has stated that the replacement of Kuperberg has been underway for weeks. David Legates, a geography professor at the University of Delaware, works for NOAA as the deputy assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction. In the words of Science Magazine, Legates claims that “burning more fossil fuels would benefit humanity and that policy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions is a regulatory scheme that runs counter to market principles.” He has also argued that carbon dioxide “is plant food, not a pollutant.”

The assumption of the role by Legates could have far-reaching implications on climate policy and NCA5. According to The New York Times, a biased or diminished climate assessment could support fossil fuel companies’ legal battles over inflicted climate damage. It could provide a counter argument for congressional efforts in limiting carbon emissions, further exacerbating climate change. It could also weaken the strength of the “endangerment finding” by the Environmental Protection Agency, the official scientific discovery from 2009 that found that greenhouse gas emissions threaten human health and are therefore required to be regulated by the government.

The succession of removals of qual-

ified experts within climate change research has raised serious concerns for the Earth’s future. This dilemma presents obstacles along with potential setbacks for an incoming Biden administration.

Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Trump continues to remove qualified experts from key positions of power on U.S. climate research.

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NEWS

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

Georgia runoff elections will decide control of Senate, cont’d is something a lot of Mount Holyoke stu- be the results.” dents care about.”

“I think that’s ridiculous, calling for The Georgia Senate races will not be him to lose his job. He didn’t do anydecided until right before Biden’s inau- thing at the end of the day,” Williams guration. Georgia residents have until said. “America prides itself on being a Dec. 7 to register to vote in this runoff democracy [and] we’ve been a ‘democelection. racy’ for centuries now. If that’s how the Georgia’s secretary people vote, then that is of state, Republican how the people vote.”

“America prides itself Brad RaffenspergAccording to Hiler, has also received ton, it was one thing on being a democracy backlash from many [and] we’ve been a ‘de- for Trump and other Republican politicians Republicans to blame mocracy’ for centuries over the outcome of Democratic state govthe state’s presidential ernments for having now.” election. Since Raffen“fraudulent” ballots sperger serves as the due to their positions state’s chief elections “against” him. Howev- Syd Williams ’23 officer, he has received er, now that Republican considerable criticism states like Georgia have from his party after Georgia flipped flipped, it is harder to make such claims.

Graphic courtesy of WikiMedia Commons blue. Georgia Senators Kelly Loeffler “This is disturbing stuff,” Hilton U.S. Senate map for the 2020 election, indicating races with incumbents and retiring senators in both parties. The winners of the upcoming Georgia runoff elections will gain Senate control. and David Perdue called for Raffen- said. “I think this is a great confirmasperger to step down from his position, tion that what we feared all along seems as they alluded to their runoff elections to be confirmed in that [the] Trump Rejor issues, such as climate change and being attributed to illegal ballots. How- publican Party is a cult of personality CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 u ever, they have not provided any evi- where loyalty to a particular person, the COVID-19.

According to Hilton, Obama similar- dence of these “illegal” ballots. Raffen- party leader, is the litmus test for everythe Republican Party — is that Trump’s ly “expanded the powsperger has refused to thing.” behavior, his continuing insistence that ers of the presidency” step down and insists Starting on the same day Biden was the Democrats are an existential threat when he realized the that he has not done announced as the winner in Georgia, “I would bet some to the republic, … I see that becoming split government would anything but count le- the hand recount of about 5 million balmoney that these will a galvanizing message for Republican not work with him. gal ballots. lots began, and the state had until Nov. be the two most expenvoters in Georgia,” he said. “Control In a CNN article, 18 to finish. The Senate runoff elections “In terms of acting of the Senate will, to a very large de- independently from sive Senate elections in he said, “The voters of will take place on Jan. 5, 2021. gree, shape the Biden presidency. Any Congress, there is still Georgia hired me, and Williams concluded that “I just want history.” ambitious legislation will have a tough quite a lot the Biden the voters will be the to stress the importance of voting in time getting through a Republican-con- administration will be one to fire me. … Ob- these down-ballot races. I think people trolled Senate.” viously, this is a very kind of assume the presidential election able to do through reg- Adam Hilton Even if Democrats do not gain ma- ulations,” Hilton said. close race, and people is the biggest one because the presijority control of the Senate, there are “I think we can actualthat were on one side of dent, that’s who we [primarily] see. But methods that Biden can use to advance ly expect them to do most of their cli- the aisle don’t like the results. I get that. it’s just really important to vote in every legislation and make headway on ma- mate-related [legislation], which I know I’m a Republican. … But the results will single election that you can.”

Mount Holyoke becomes inaugural member of Racial Equity Alliance

BY LIZ LEWIS ’22 NEWS EDITOR & PUBLISHER

The University of Southern California launched the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance, the newest project of their Race and Equity Center, this week. Mount Holyoke College joined LACRELA as an inaugural member.

Mount Holyoke joined 51 other liberal arts colleges across the United States in being named an inaugural member institution. Six colleges in particular were named founding institutions, including Macalester College, Depauw University, Oberlin College, Occidental College, Pomona College and Skidmore College.

The 51 institutions identified as inaugural

members alongside Mount Holyoke include other schools of similar size, structure or endowment, such as Wellesley College, St. Olaf College, Grinnell College and Bard College.

According to an article for Inside Higher Ed, member institutions will receive access to “a range of campus surveys, resources and monthly virtual learning sessions about antiracism, diversity and equity provided by the USC center.”

Among these materials is a virtual resource portal currently in development by the Race and Equity Center. It is set to launch in spring 2021. All employees of LACRELA-member colleges will receive access to the portal, which will include

readings, rubrics and other multimedia resources.

The Race and Equity Center will also be launching a monthly live Racial Equity eConvening series in the coming year.

Each of the 12 meetings, which will occur synchronously once a month beginning in January 2021, will focus on a different aspect of racial equity.

According to the Mount Holyoke website, these learning sessions will be led by facilitators of color and will focus on practical strategies for facing racial equity problems on liberal arts campuses.

“The learning sessions, each on a different topic, will be delivered by highly-respected leaders of national higher education associations, tenured profes-

sors who study race relations, and people of color, chief diversity officers and other experienced administrators and specialists from the Center,” Director of News and Media Relations Christian Feuerstein wrote for the Mount Holyoke College website’s News and Events page.

Mount Holyoke will also participate in three campus climate surveys run by the Equity Center’s National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates. Another survey modeled after the NACCC, which will focus on the workplace climates of LACRELA-member colleges, is also in development.

Presidents of colleges in the alliance will also remain in contact through quarterly standing meetings.

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

Artist profile: Aftan

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

‘Dash & Lily’ is worth a watch this winter

BY KENNA HURTUK ’23 STAFF WRITER

Aftan ’23 is an artist in more ways than one.

Incorporating both visual and written elements into their work, they create warped yet reality-based pieces that reflect the existing world as well as the utopias they envision. Their poetry casts a dark but wistful spell over the page, and their art displays darkness openly but with powerful nuance.

“I feel like there’s a lot of exploration of the body in my art,” Aftan reflected. A psychology major with a particular interest in memory and self-narrative, Aftan uses art to make the internal experiences of physicality and corporeality tangible, often through depictions of the body. Aftan said that their emotions gain tangible form in their art.

This mind-body dialogue is a recurrent theme for Aftan. They said they are “constantly thinking about the narrative my [written and visual] art create in isolation from each other, but also in relation to each other.”

Differing mediums provide this cyclical basis of inspiration in Aftan’s work. “My visual art is a byproduct of my poetry,” they explained. “The way I think is through poetry, and then that manifests itself in my [visual] art.” Aftan acts as an artistic translator, ensuring that their sketches and paintings maintain the poetic qualities of their written counterparts.

Aftan is inspired by Franny Choi, Kaveh Akbar, Kristin Chang and Yanyi. “I’ve learned a lot from queer Asian poets,” they explained. These voices both reflected and introduced new perspectives to Aftan’s identity as a South Asian nonbinary poet.

Another influence in Aftan’s work is their boundless love and care for others. “Love is everywhere in my art,” Aftan said. “I love very deeply. Love languages are important to me — making art and writing poems for people.” Their greatest hope is that those on the receiving end of their emotional energy “think about the emotions it evokes with intentionality.”

This intentionality is ever-present in Aftan’s life and work. Just as their written and visual art build on and lend creativity to each other, Aftan hopes to see more instances of community where people can depend on each other and build from their resources. They define simply surviving as “allowing the community to sustain us materially, physically and emotionally.”

However, they are looking for more than that.

“What drives my art,” they said, “is the community around me and envisioning a future where living is considered beyond survival.”

To support Aftan’s work, direct contributions can be sent to Amika19 on Venmo. Aftan can also be reached at sethi23a@mtholyoke.edu for inquiries about commissions.

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Graphic by Trinity Kendrick ’21

ing her days playing board games with her grandfather.

Like in “You’ve Got Mail,” writer-director Nora Ephron’s 1998 romantic comedy, the two main characters have never met in real life. For the majority of the series, they only communicate through dares that they create for one another in the notebook. This means that Dash accepts Lily’s challenges, even if they tell him to sing Joni Mitchell’s Christmas folk song “River” in the middle of the Strand. He then creates his own dares and leaves the notebook for her to find so their game can continue. If you accept this improbable premise, you

will enjoy the show.

You will also need to embrace the fact that Lily

BY ROSE COHEN ’22 knows a good amount of the people involved in her STAFF WRITER & PHOTOGRAPHER dares. Her cousin works at the Strand, and he can ensure that Dash completes the challenges that take place there. Her uncle dresses up as Santa Claus at the During the first weeks of November, a handful of Macy’s department store, and that makes it okay for cheesy Christmas movies and shows begin to appear Dash to steal his Santa hat to complete a dare. on streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. Most of As the series progresses, we find out about the two them do not deserve your attention; they’re Hollywood teenagers’ past heartbreaks. Lily has felt like a freak fluff filled with cringe-worthy lines, cliches and pre- and an outsider since her middle school crush bullied dictable character arcs. However, this year, Netflix’s her years earlier. Dash dealt with loneliness after his adaptation of David Levithan ex-girlfriend moved to Brazil, and Rachel Cohn’s 2010 young leaving him bereft in New adult novel, “Dash & Lily’s Book With each dare, the characters bring York. With each dare, the of Dares,” proves that worthy characters bring out the best out the best in one another and holiday series do exist. in one another and slowly slowly force each other out of their The show tells the epic force each other out of their love story of two 17-year-olds comfort zones. comfort zones. who live in New York City. The It’s heartwarming to see romantic comedy takes place Dash encourage the socialduring the days leading up to Christmas. ly-anxious Lily — who spends her time sewing her Austin Abrams of “Euphoria” plays the finicky own clothes — to attend a 2 a.m. Jewish punk show on Dash, who detests the “forced cheer” and “frenzied the seventh night of Hanukkah. And it is just as meancrowds” that the holiday brings to the Big Apple. ingful to see the impatient Dash “go with the flow” in Among the tinsel, the carolers and the red and green a mochi-making class, surrounded by Japanese grandlights, he finds peace inside the Strand Bookstore in mothers. downtown Manhattan. Surrounded by stacked aisles Another great storyline in the show includes Lily’s of fiction and nonfiction, the pessimistic Dash escapes queer brother, Langston (Troy Iwata). We get to see the holiday joy by informing an employee that Gabri- his love story unfold and witness him as a three-diel García Márquez’s biography was mis-shelved. It mensional character. In an interview with The Wrap, “should be under ‘G’ for García, not ‘M’ for Márquez,” Iwata commented on the role, stating, “Langston is he explains. just this really fun, quirky, snarky human who hapThe show begins to pique interest when Dash pens to be gay and it’s never really questioned or chalscans the J.D. Salinger section of the shop and pulls lenged by himself or any of his friends.” out a medium-sized red notebook. Dash, intrigued by “Dash & Lily” allows you to fall in love with the the question on the front cover, which reads, “Do You challenges in the red notebook and the characters Dare…?”, flips through the pages. He finds a series of involved. If you are looking to binge-watch a holiday clues and challenges written by the Christmas-loving series that actually has a somewhat meaningful plot, Lily (Midori Francis). She wants to find a clever teen- set aside roughly three-and-a-half hours for “Dash & age boy to go on adventures with; she’s tired of spend- Lily.”

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GLOBAL

Quick quarantine snacks from China

November 19, 2020

Palestinian prisoner ends hunger strike

BY SAMAN BHAT ’22 & AMELIA LUO ’23 GLOBAL EDITOR & STAFF WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER

BY MADHAVI RAO ’24 STAFF WRITER

Staying at home all day has many of us reaching for quick treats to tide us over. Some of the Chinese students at Mount Holyoke shared how these snacks might look for them.

Many of these snacks seem to be on the sweeter side. Yonglin Huang ’24 said that her favorite snack is walnut shortcake. According to Huang, “It is a Chinese traditional snack made of walnuts, lard and flour. It tastes like walnut cookies but is much more crispy than normal cookies.” China Sichuan Food, a food blog dedicated to sharing “traditional authentic Chinese food,” shared that the walnut shortcake (or cookie) is a popular dessert for both kids and adults in the country.

Photo courtesy of Yonglin Huang ’24 Yonglin Huang ’24 shared her favorite snack, walnut shortcake.

Lisa Sun ’24 also shared a favorite quarantine snack: pineapple cake. “It has pineapple filling and a cookie-ish shell. It is originally from the south part of China,” Sun said.

Photos courtesy of Lisa Sun ’24 Sun shared another favorite snack, pineapple cakes.

. Mount Holyoke News

Maher al-Akhras, currently a Palestinian prisoner, has ended his over three-month-long hunger strike after Israeli forces agreed to grant him freedom on Nov. 26, rather than renewing his sentence. Beginning on July 27 of this year, the day he was detained, the 49-year-old father of six went on a hunger strike for more than 100 days. According to The Guardian, he lost over 90 pounds.

Al-Akhras was arrested and detained under what is known as “administrative detention,” a controversial policy that Israel implements to legally detain Palestinians for indefinite periods due to suspicion of undisclosed security offenses. These detentions can last for years without trial. According to Al-Jazeera, Israel claims that the “procedure allows authorities to hold suspects and prevent attacks while continuing to gather evidence.” However, some critics think the country is abusing its power through this practice. Amnesty International, along with several other Palestinian rights groups, have claimed that Israel’s administrative detention policy is a human rights violation, as it obstructs Palestinian peoples’ right to due process.

According to a Time magazine article written in 2016, Israel has imprisoned nearly 4,000 people under administrative detention over the past decade, with only 35 of them being Jewish. This procedure heavily targets Palestinian citizens, as over 350 Palestinians — including two minors — were being held in Israeli prisons under the policy as of August 2020, as reported by the Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories. This violates international humanitarian laws, as Article 76 of the fourth Geneva Convention states that protected people under occupation should be detained only in the occupied territory.

One anonymous Mount Holyoke student noted that administrative detention has a historic connection to colonization, writing, “I think that the parallels between the methods of administrative detention taken by Israel and the colonization efforts made by Great Britain in the past highlight the fact that Israel is clearly colonizing Palestine.”

According to the Shin Bet, Israel’s security agency, al-Akhras was arrested because information suggested that he was an active member of the Islamic Jihad Movement and was involved in “activities that endanger public safety.” Michael Lynk, a special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Palestinian territories, called for al-Akhras’ immediate release. In a report to the United Nations Human Right Council, he said that “Israeli security forces who arrested and detained Mr. Al-Akhras have not provided any persuasive evidence in an open hearing to justify its allegations that he is a genuine security threat.”

The Shin Bet also suggested that al-Akhras had been arrested five times previously for the same reason, but the involvement was denied by al-Akhras’ family and by al-Akhras himself, who claimed not to have any involvement in “security activity.” According to the International Association for Democratic Lawyers, two of al-Akhras’ previous arrests were under the same circumstances he is now facing. Al-Akhras was held for 16 and 11 months during 2009-2011 and

2018, respectively. He was not charged with a crime or given a trial either time.

Mount Holyoke’s Palestine Solidarity Group commented on how al-Akras’ situation is far from unique, but has brought global attention to the true nature of Israeli detention. They stated, “The Israeli prison system is an inhumane and violent tool of the illegal occupation of Palestine. Maher al-Akhras’ 103-day hunger strike has brought the conditions faced by Palestinian political prisoners to the eyes of the world, but he is far from the first or the last Palestinian to experience this violence.”

Al-Akhras is not the only Palestinian prisoner that has been detained for long periods of time due to questionable circumstances. In 2016, a Palestinian journalist named Muhammad al-Qiq was freed from six months of administrative detention after a 94-day hunger strike. Time magazine reported that “75 percent of administrative detainees are held for longer than ​six​months without trial, and 40 percent for more than a year. Just 5 percent of Palestinians held in administrative detention are indicted at the end of their detention.”

Anat Matar, a Tel Aviv University philosophy professor who coordinates the Israeli Committee on Palestinian Prisoners advocacy group, told The Guardian about how the goal of al-Akhras’ hunger strike was not just his immediate release but also to highlight the injustices and suffering caused by administrative detention. She said, “The point for us is to protest administrative detention. What he wants is to move the discussion from his own case to the general one, and that is why he pays with his own life.”

According to Al-Jazeera, many Palestinian prisoners state that they have been subjected to torture and violence while in custody. As a result, these Palestinian detainees stage protests, including hunger strikes, against their prison conditions. This form of protest seems to be an effective tool in undermining Israeli occupation. “A hunger strike offers a rare opportunity to take back control. It is a paradoxical move, asserting the essence of your freedom by denying your oppressor control over your body,” Sally Abed wrote for The Nation.

Al-Akhras was set to be transferred back to a prison medical facility on Oct. 23, but submitted an urgent petition against the transfer. The interim order was granted by the court. According to The Times of Israel, there were concerns from Physicians for Human Rights that the prison medical facility might engage in forced treatment or feeding, which a public hospital would not do.

Al-Akhras’ family stated that he would be in Kaplan hospital until Nov. 16, and would then be transferred to an Arab hospital in east Jerusalem for another 10 days.

The Palestine Solidarity Group stated that they are “overjoyed that al-Akhras won his freedom.” They added, “We know that freedom for one man does not solve the collective punishment that Palestinians face on a daily basis at the hands of the Israeli occupation.

We stand in solidarity with Maher al-Akhras and all imprisoned Palestinians and are committed to working against carceral systems in Palestine, in the U.S. (Turtle Island) and across the world.”

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

HEALTH & SCIENCE

7

Pharmaceutical companies release coronavirus vaccine updates

BY LILY CAO ’21 STAFF WRITER

As COVID-19 levels spike across the globe, many places around the world are heading into another round of lockdowns. Along with this growing second wave come announcements from companies working on possible coronavirus vaccinations.

On Nov. 9, American pharmaceutical corporation Pfizer Inc. and German biotechnology company BioNTech SE shared that their mRNA-based vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, has shown record-breaking early results with over 90 percent efficacy against COVID-19.

This finding from Phase 3 of their clinical trial was the first interim efficacy analysis, which tests the vaccine’s effectiveness under ideal circumstances. The vaccine was given in two doses with results collected seven days after the second dose. Even though it is unclear how strong the elicited immune response is and how long it will last in human bodies, this achievement marks a milestone in the vaccine development process and provides hope for the days ahead.

Pfizer and BioNTech SE launched the Phase 3 clinical trial of their vaccine candidate on July 27. As of Nov. 9, they have enrolled 43,538 participants worldwide. This is also the first American trial to have permission to enroll children as young as age 12. On Nov. 8,

94 trial participants had tested positive for COVID-19, enough to allow for the first analysis on all cases.

According to its Nov. 9 press release, Pfizer plans to present a submission for Emergency Use Authorization to the FDA in the third week of November. The FDA requires the safety and manufacturing data of the vaccine to obtain approval. Meanwhile, in order to ensure the safety and long-term protection conferred by the experimental vaccine, clinical trial participants will be monitored for an additional two years after receiving the second dose.

One of the challenges the companies face is the widespread distribution of the vaccine once it is approved. The vaccine requires that the single-stranded mRNA be kept below -80 C to preserve the structural integrity of the genetic material. Consequently, the transportation of the vaccine requires special storage boxes and precise techniques.

Similar to Pfizer and BioNTech SE, Moderna Inc.’s vaccine candidate also uses mRNA technology, and recent results from its trial indicate an efficacy of over 94 percent. Moderna’s vaccine, however, does not require storage at temperatures of -80 C and can be preserved at about -20 C, giving it a slight advantage. At the same time, there are currently 17 vaccine candidates that have entered the Phase 2 safety trials, and 12 have begun Phase 3 trials for large-scale efficacy tests.

Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22

If Pfizer and BioNTech SE’s vaccine candidate is approved, the companies expect to manufacture globally up to 50 million doses in 2020 and up to 1.3 billion doses in 2021.

President-elect Joe Biden plans to prioritize COVID-19, health care

Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons President-elect Joe Biden plans to rejoin the World Health Organization and continue promoting the Affordable Care Act while in office.

BY NANCY JIANG ’23 STAFF WRITER

After Joe Biden was announced the winner of the presidential election, focus turned toward the policies he will be bringing into office on Jan. 20, 2021. As cases rise around the country, a particular area of interest is Biden’s COVID-19 strategy.

According to Biden’s Nov. 13 statement, people need to see a change in the approach to the pandemic.

Biden said, “I will not be president until next year. The crisis does not respect dates on the calendar, it is accelerating right now.”

A representative from Biden’s team said that officials from the Department of Health and Human Services have gathered to plan a vaccination campaign for February and March focusing on logistics and policies.

They will also consider factors such as prioritizing vaccination and distribution based on socioeconomic and racial equity.

Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have promised that their administration will increase

testing sites, supply more personal protective equipment and implement comprehensive guidance on social distancing nationwide. Whether these promises will be effective in combating COVID-19 remains uncertain, as details on policy implementation are relatively unknown.

Aside from issues on a national level, Biden promised to restore the relationship between the U.S. and the World Health Organization to fix issues caused by the pandemic. Biden tweeted: “On my first day as President, I will rejoin the @WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage.” Although there is no formal procedure required for rejoining the WHO, similar to Trump’s withdrawal from the organization, returning would be as easy as an executive action. However, given that many other countries are actively improving their own health care systems and contributing to global wellness, it could be difficult for the U.S. to “restore [its] leadership on the world stage.” The U.S. has been hugely impacted by previous failures in preventing and responding to the pandemic.

Biden’s health care policy, which promotes the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, has also recently received attention because it relates to COVID-19 vaccine distribution and vaccination costs.

The Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, requires all U.S. citizens to be enrolled in a health insurance plan approved by ACA guidelines.

The ACA is designed to assist both individuals and families who cannot afford a health care plan by reducing their fees. People with preexisting conditions would also have greater options available and would not need to worry about being denied health care by private insurance companies under this plan. Signed by former President Barack Obama in 2010, the ACA has since been challenged as unconstitutional by var-

ious district courts. In 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional for the ACA to coerce states into expanding Medicaid programs, though it ruled that the law as a whole was constitutional.

Moreover, the ACA received massive opposition from members of the Republican Party. One Republican dissenter called the plan a “welfare program disguised” and cited concerns that under ACA, they would pay more in taxes for strangers who may use their money on medical procedures conservatives oppose, such as abortions. In response, Biden aims to “protect the Affordable Care Act from these continued attacks” and make the system less complex to navigate.

One of the key campaign promises that President Donald Trump ran on in the 2016 presidential election was to repeal the ACA. However, the ACA has actually become more favorable among the public during Trump’s presidential term. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the percentage of those who favor the ACA increased from approximately 40 percent in March 2016 to 55 percent in October 2020. The poll also shows that two-thirds of Republicans, along with 79 percent of all people surveyed, do not want the court to overturn the protections the ACA gives those with preexisting conditions. Republicans believe that protecting people with preexisting conditions is still important even though they want to overturn the ACA as a whole.

As mandated by Massachusetts law, all Mount Holyoke students are required to have health insurance even if studying remotely. The only exception is for students studying remotely in another country.

Mount Holyoke charges all students for the Student Health Insurance Plan, which is ACA compliant. Students whose family insurance meets the Massachusetts state requirements can waive their fees.

8

FEATURES

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

MoHome Sickness Skylar Hou: Artist, photographer, student

BY TISHYA KHANA ’23 FEATURES EDITOR

I’m writing this week’s edition with a bit of caution — it may be too emotional, too nostalgic.

If, like me, you perform better in structures and routines, online classes aren’t ideal. Joining Zoom meetings or Discord channels for office hours just doesn’t cut it for the conversations that happen in professors’ actual offices flooded with books.

Now classes begin and end with the opening and closing of your laptop’s lid and suddenly, there’s an unbearable silence on both ends. Before class, many of us need to find the right headspace to pay attention, even to simply listen. Got your notebooks? Done your homework? Checked the forums? All right, let’s do this. You click the meeting link and it begins.

It’s stressful to think about all this, let alone write about it. Ironically, that stress is somehow alleviated when I think of how we used to walk to our classes. (Remember walking to classes?)

What a privilege. I like to think of how some days when I had plenty of time before class, I used to enjoy looking at the leaves and trees and everything on the way with extra attention. Have they changed colors? Are they rustling a little more?

The weather is colder now, another way to tell the semester is coming to a close. Should you have worn another layer?

I like to think of the enclosure of buildings when you’re walking to your class — when you’re tracing the map of the campus. You walk out of SuperBlanch after a good meal. The class is in Shattuck. You walk toward beautiful Porter Hall CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Graphic by Trinity Kendrick ’21

u

I feel like it. Sometimes I make a whole series of drawings in one day and sometimes I could even forget that I [can] draw,” they said.

In addition to creating art for themself, Hou’s art connects them to the people in their life. “I use art to express my love to the people around me,” they said.

“I am good at expressing my feelings with words, but when it comes to friends and other people I love, I just feel words are not enough.”

Hou explained that they create personalized art to give to their friends as birthday and holiday gifts. One of these customized gifts was an activity book for their friend’s birthday. “There were Jorge Connect the Dots, Pearsons Hall coloring pages [and a] finding Waldo [challenge in the activity book],” Hou noted.

Creating art for family and friends is not only a wonderful way to express their love to the people they care about, but also a positive thing for Hou individually. “I enjoy doing these projects so much because Artwork by Skylar Hou ’22 they make me think about all the things we have gone through, and I also genuinely love seeing my friends’

BY ANSLEY KEANE ’23 face[s] when they get a personalized present,” Hou STAFF WRITER said.

Being a Mount Holyoke student has been a great Art has been a feature of Skylar Hou ’22’s life since source of inspiration for Hou. “Almost all of my art and they were a child.

“Drawing has been such an important part of my designs are about Mount Holyoke since 2018. I rememlife since I could remember,” Hou said. “I got my first ber my first MHC artwork was a drawing of me riding a flying pegasus. I drew that digital camera when I was 8.” the week I got the acceptance For Hou, art has personletter from Mount Holyoke,” al meaning. “Mostly, I draw “Almost all of my art and designs Hou shared. and take pictures just to make are about Mount Holyoke since They posted their flying memories last,” they said. “I pegasus drawing on Instahave a sketchbook with me all 2018. I remember my first MHC the time so that I [can] draw artwork was a drawing of me riding gram, where it caught the attention of the College and was things whenever I want. Somea flying pegasus.” featured on the @mtholyoke times it is a scene that makes Instagram account. Sharing me feel happy, sometimes it’s that drawing immersed Hou in just a tiny random object, like a - Skylar Hou ’22 the Mount Holyoke communisoda can. In the past two years ty. “Many alums and students at Mount Holyoke, I [have taken] so many pictures and I created a scrapbook and reached out to me and welcomed me to the community. I was so happy to get those messages and immedilots of art projects of the memories.”

Hou is a psychology and education and French ately felt [like I] belonged [at] the school,” Hou said. double major, and an active member of the Mount Hou noted that since they have been a college student, Holyoke community. Many of their drawings and pho- they have developed their own unique drawing and tographs are inspired by their experiences as a Mount photography style. “I feel so happy and loved [in] this Holyoke student. In addition to creating art in their community all the time [and] that makes me want to spare time, Hou is a student digital content assistant record every second of my life and inspires me to do those drawings and take those pictures,” they shared. for the Office of Communications.

For anyone who is just beginning to create art or “I work with an amazing supervisor, Ali, and a group of talented MHC students to create content [for do photography, Hou advises they should “have fun the Office of Communications],” they explained. “I do with it and know that there is no right [or] wrong [way mostly photography and some art for [the Mount Holy- to do it]. … The most important thing about art is to oke Instagram] account and sometimes the school make yourself happy and to make your voice [heard]. website so that more people can know about our com- Don’t let the techniques and theories stop you, just follow your intuition and feelings. Everyone is a good munity.”

Hou also noted that they are a Chinese language artist,” Hou added.

The process of creating art is what Hou loves most. assistant, a French tutor and “a student assistant at the ESOL program that strives to make Mount Holy- “Especially when I create artwork about my friends and about MHC. I feel like I [am] reliving the moment oke a more language-diverse community.”

“I have never thought about making a career out again and putting all my happiness into the work,” of [art],” Hou said. In Hou’s perspective, creating art is Hou said. Despite being a busy college student, Hou not something stressful or forced. “Art is just a way for has managed to find the time to engage in art and stay me to express my feelings and have fun. I do not want connected to their loved ones and the Mount Holyoke to have deadlines or textbooks when it comes to mak- community through their passion for recording meming art. I enjoy how I can do whatever I want whenever ories and expressing themself through art.

November 19, 2020

FEATURES

. Mount Holyoke News

9

The Mount Holyoke Review publishes first magazine edition

BY REBECCA GAGNON ’23 STAFF WRITER

Editor’s note: Flannery Langton ’22 and Liz Lewis ’22 are current members of the Mount Holyoke News.

The newest literary magazine at Mount Holyoke, the Mount Holyoke Review, published its first issue on Nov. 12. In celebration, the organization held a publishing party on the same day, during which the editors and founders of the Review spoke and some students read their work aloud.

“We are a place for Mount Holyoke students to submit their writing,” Morgan Sammut ’22, one of the fiction editors of the Review, said. “We mostly do creative works, so a lot of poetry, prose, and we have discussed if we would take essays. We haven’t gotten any of those yet, but we now have things to look forward to.”

The Review currently has a website on Embark which states that the mission of the organization is “to provide a platform for Mount Holyoke College’s diverse voices through creative writing in the form of an annually printed quality literary magazine that will be compiled by the org.”

“Our current goal is working to collect more submissions for this semester and put out a publication in the spring,” Olivia Brandwein ’22, one of the editors-in-chief at the Review, said. “Since we are such a new org, there is so much we want to do and so many things that we definitely want to accomplish. We want to be more engaged in the community with more open mic nights and things like that.”

Over 40 pieces of writing were featured in the first issue. Sammut, being a fiction editor and one of the writers whose work was published, was able to talk a little bit about the process.

“You submit your piece without your name attached,” Sammut explained. “Each piece is put into a Google Drive that we all have access to and each piece

Artwork by Jackie Hahn ’24 The first edition of the Review displayed student artwork on the cover.

is number[ed] so we refer to them by their numbers.”

Sammut shared how every piece then goes into a Google Sheet with its number at the top. The organization reads all of the submissions and gives it a certain color and number. Green is “I love the piece,” yellow is “I am not sure,” and red is “I’m not sure this is right for the issue.” If a piece is also given an average score of seven, then publication of the piece is considered.

“We will be in smaller groups of four people or so, pick a small group of works that we have received and

kind of divide and conquer,” Brandwein stated. “We get to talk out any questions or things we really liked about it and have a space to read really great writing and share what we liked or didn’t like.”

The staff of the Review consists of three editors-in-chief: Brandwein, Flannery Langton ’22 and Liz Lewis ’22. Brandwein, Langton and Lewis are also the org’s founders. Brandwein commented that the title they share could be deceiving because they do not edit anyone’s writing; they just get the final say in what pieces will make it in or not. Also on the staff are two editors each for fiction and poetry, a treasurer, a senator and a social media manager. The rest of the staff is composed of readers tasked with reviewing the submissions.

The editors-in-chief initially had a difficult time getting their organization started. Once they were approved, they went forward with their original plan to publish their first issue in the spring of 2020. However, COVID-19 was a major hurdle to this process.

“It took the org a long time to create, meaning that it was a long process getting it approved to be a recognized org,” Brandwein said, “And when we finally got things off the ground, we got sent home and it was hard to adjust because it was demoralizing.

Since we had been so committed to print, it felt really bad to have to go online.”

Through all of the struggles, the Review now has one issue out and is planning to release another next semester. All are welcome to submit their pieces or join the staff.

“We are always happy about new submissions,” Sammut exclaimed. “My advice is just to go for it.”

“There is nothing to lose by submitting work,” Brandwein added. “Worst comes to worst, you don’t get in, but if you try, the best-case scenario is you get to see your work in a beautiful book, [a] virtual book.”

The Review’s submissions will reopen in the coming weeks. The most up-to-date information about submission deadlines and coming events can be found on the Review’s Instagram page, @mountholyokereview.

MoHome Sickness: In-person classes and a walk on campus, cont’d u

This is the part I miss the most: simply sitting in the classroom. On days when you lack the energy to engage, being in the presence of other people with a and climb up to see Mary Lyon’s grave. The leaves similar goal centers you. It’s also easier to simply ask are all over — the grass, the pavement, the puddles. the people sitting next to you, “Uh, so what are we You keep walking and on your doing here?” Now, it’s more left are the Williston Library difficult to handle being conand the Abbey Chapel. You’re fused on your own. Asking for in awe of the beautiful Gothic This is the part I miss the most: sim- help requires greater effort. architecture. On your right is You cannot discuss the topics ply sitting in the classroom. On days before or after class — you the old Clapp Laboratory, full of all things mathematics, geology when you lack the energy to engage, cannot check what’s due and and biology. You pass Clapp and being in the presence of other people when in casual conversation. see the new and modern KendNow, we have to keep track with a similar goal centers you. ade Hall — standing in contrast of everything by ourselves, with the buildings around it — make even more extensive toand then right there in front of do lists and keep track of our you is Shattuck, your final desschedules when time is an iltination. You open the door — you are engulfed by the lusory concept. warmth of the building, a pleasant change from the Yet there’s also something homey about seeing wind outside — and you go to your classroom. a mosaic of everyone’s faces and surroundings evCONTINUED FROM PAGE 8

eryday. Sometimes the image changes, sometimes it doesn’t even appear, sometimes puppies and kittens show up and sometimes the people simply don’t show up. It’s nice to be part of each other’s lives in this oddly intimate way.

My room at home, full of drawings on the walls that I usually keep private, is now a familiar image to people I’d never spoken to a few weeks back. Logging into Zoom is preparing myself to welcome others into this private space.

We’re burnt out, and it’s only natural to feel this way. We’ve done so much on our own (even the things we shouldn’t have to do alone). And we have come so far. Although asking for help outside of class is now more of an effort, this is a reminder that when you reach your hand out, someone will pull you up. We have one more month left in the semester and we have almost made it. Think of South Hadley skies, in-person conversations during office hours, and the huge blackboards and whiteboards. Remember that we will soon have that again.

10

OPINION/EDITORIAL

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

Making an effort to correctly pronounce names is basic respect

BY KAVERI PILLAI ’23 STAFF WRITER

With over 7 billion people engaging with approximately 7,000 languages, the world we live in is becoming more diverse. Differences in faith, religion and socioeconomic status create a sense of organic solidarity in which every individual on Earth has a unique role to play. The duty to unite and establish harmony in this pool of heterogeneity comes with an enormous amount of responsibility.

It is inevitable that, with so much variety, one starts to question their authentic self. Genetic composition, family and names — these three elements help determine one’s personal history and co-constitute one another. The name-giving process has deep roots in culture and self-identity. Unfortunately, with the rise of globalization and this incessant need to create uniformity, we are losing the authenticity of names, especially the proper ways to pronounce them.

With a myriad of ethnicities worldwide, it is understandable that one cannot attain knowledge of every group and every culture. However, this cannot be used to justify the sheer ignorance that is present while attempting to understand the importance of names. The Namkaran ceremony in Hindu rituals is a symbol of the celebration of birth with the name-giving tradition. Astrological charts are aligned to produce a name so prosperous that it is a gift from God to the child who is about to take their first steps into the world. So when Republican Senator David Perdue intentionally mispronounced Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ name, he didn’t just manage to show to the world how deeply immersed he is in his Anglicized racism — he robbed Harris of her identity.

By adding the culturally deteriorating phrase, “I don’t know. Whatever,” to get a few cheap laughs from the political rally, Perdue diminished the value of a Namkaran ceremony in which the name given to the child represents the auspicious nature of their arrival Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22 and how prosperous their journey and identity will be.

This particular example from last month echoes pronounce and identified them as slaves. Indian workthe historical Western ideal of accepted names, which ers pre-independence were given first names recorded in public records to reaffirm their we still follow today. status as people who didn’t even have What might have started the right to keep their own names. with the wave of coloni“I know it’s hard for English This transition from mispronouncing zation and the degradation of people as slaves speakers to pronounce the Chinese given names to completely obliterating them has repercussions in tohas slowly transitioned name right since the ‘x’ phonetic day’s world, too. into the 21st century doesn’t exist in the English lanXiaohui Xu ’24 said, “As a Chinese McDonaldization realm in which Starbucks will guage. For the sake of convenience, [person], there is a reason why I use an English name instead of my given invariably print “Karen” I’ve decided that for the school[’s] Chinese name. I know it’s hard for on my coffee cup. It’s not just the pure laziness of purposes, I will use ‘Amanda,’ English speakers to pronounce the Chinese name right since the ‘x’ phorefusing to improve or which is my English name.” netic doesn’t exist in the English lanbe receptive that bothguage. For the sake of convenience, ers thousands of people, - Xiaohui Xu ’24 I’ve decided that for the school[’s] but that this belief of purposes, I will use ‘Amanda,’ which “usual” and “unusual” is my English name.” names is so deeply-rootMoreover, not putting effort into accurately proed in a majority of people that raises concerns.

Colonization marked the plundering of resources, nouncing names is not a problem solely faced on an inmanpower and even native identity. Pre Emancipation, ternational level. Saee Chitale ’22 said, “All my life, I’ve enslaved Africans were given names by slave owners struggled with people back at home pronouncing my in the United States that were supposedly easier to name improperly. Every time a person has read out a

list of people and have paused, it has invariably been my name that has created this confusion.” Sadly, the issue of mispronunciation reinforces the Western idea of “normal” names as the uniform setting that all ethnic groups refer to, regardless of where you are from.

Often, children of nursery school age in countries like India use names like “Sam” and “Molly” while writing about villagers in their country. While this might seem to be a result of immaturity or even innocence, it is important to acknowledge that this idea of “accepted” names creeps into children’s thinking from an early age. This standard diminishes the stories and even the existence of people who simply don’t operate in the restricted Western world.

Mount Holyoke College’s implementation of name recordings on Moodle, our primary academic platform, helps tackle the problem of name pronunciation.

It allows professors and students the opportunity to respect others by addressing them accurately. While this might be a small step toward shattering the power dynamic that dictates what is or is not accepted, the world needs to become more aware of cultures that go beyond their narrow circle of traditions to fulfill that responsibility of creating harmony.

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

OPINION/EDITORIAL

11

Due to environmental and ethical concerns, firecrackers should no longer be used for Diwali celebrations

BY JAHNAVI PRADEEP ’23 STAFF WRITER

though a ban was imposed on its sale and use in the in the excitement of the celebration. national capital region in view of rising air pollution Additionally, while evaluating if the Diwali celeand COVID-19 pandemic.” Hindu groups, including bration is staying true to its intent, we must be aware many Bharatiya Janata Party members, argued that of the horrors of the firecracker industry bolstered As November comes around annually, I prepare the bursting of firecrackers was an essential part of on this day. The firecracker industry in India carries myself for a time of celebration and festivity. In the the festival and should not be banned. a history of child labor. Young children were used for time of this pandemic, Diwali However, caught in the rolling fireworks and stuffing explosives into them is a light of hope, an opportumiddle of a pandemic and fac- because they had tiny hands and fingers that would nity to get out of the drudgery ing global warming, we must ensure precision. Working in unsafe conditions, the of online classes and celebrate.

Amid a pandemic, we must realize rethink how we can do justice children’s jobs expose them to harsh chemicals, injuHowever, as I partake in this to both festivities as well as ries and lifelong health issues. While there has been how bursting crackers demonstrates environmental consciousness. a decline in child labor in the industry, we cannot necelebration, there is a lingering thought in the corner of our privilege and negligence toward We must work to celebrate glect its presence and history. When we burst these my mind asking me if I am those who are more at risk for health festivals like Diwali with these crackers in celebration, we are also bolstering these celebrating with awareness. dangers in mind. Given that young children’s trauma and suffering. This act of celissues. Along with harmful smoke, the fireworks are only a recent ad- ebration is definitely not in line with the intent to celAs the holiday season engulfs us, we must rethink the ways crackers also produce noise pollution, dition, perhaps we can return ebrate Diwali and honor the triumph of good over evil. in which we celebrate and enRight now, we have an opportunity to reevaluate detrimental to both people and to lighting diyas as the main sure that we are doing so with attraction. We can draw rango- the ways we celebrate Diwali and other festivals, keepanimals. a sense of sustainability and lis, make sweets and, in a safe ing in mind an awareness of the times we are in and responsibility to health and manner, come together with the changes that we and the environment are going the environment. friends and family, preserv- through. It is an opportunity for us to review some of Traditionally, Diwali is ing the essence of the festival. our practices while staying true to the festivals and celebrated by lighting “diyas” After all, Diwali is the celebra- their intent. or oil lamps. However, since around the 1940s, the tion of good over evil, and we must not forget that even rampant usage of fireworks to mark the occasion has made its way into the festival.

Growing up, my grandfather would buy sacks of fireworks, called firecrackers or just “crackers” in India, for all of us to celebrate, and Diwali would be filled with the noise and smoke of firecrackers burning all over the city. However, today, caught amid the climate change crisis, we must pause to reconsider these crackers’ place in Diwali celebrations. Crackers are pollutants, harmful to both our health and the environment, and to purchase them is to bolster an industry of fireworks factories that employ child labor.

Diwali fireworks have led to a 30-40 percent increase in recorded breathing problems. The fireworks’ chemicals contain “a mixture of sulfur-coal compounds, traces of heavy metals, and other toxic chemicals or gases.” All of these lead to breathing problems, and bursting the crackers in such a rampant manner puts many people, especially the elderly and vulnerable, at risk.

Additionally, amid a pandemic, we must realize how bursting crackers demonstrates our privilege and negligence toward those who are more at risk for health issues. Along with harmful smoke, the crackers also produce noise pollution, detrimental to both people and animals. This pollution leads to a sense of anxiety, sleep disturbance and, according to The Indian Express, “asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, allergic rhinitis, lower respiratory tract infections, and lung cancers.”

In light of the pandemic, some state governments in India passed a ban on the usage of crackers for Diwali. However, while the government called for the ban, it was not entirely carried out. According to The Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Hindu, “bursting of firecrackers could be heard across Individuals light candles and lamps during a Diwali celebration. The festival occurs in mid-October or November and lasts for five days each year.

Delhi and its neighboring areas on Diwali night even

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ENVIRONMENTAL

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

Plant breeding adapts seeds to current and future climate conditions

BY DNYANESHWARI HAWARE ’23 STAFF WRITER

The impact of climate change can be seen in everything around us, from the loss of habitats to the migration of animals and plant species — even the crops planted and growing on farms. Climate change has already destroyed many agricultural lands through frequent floods, increased forest fires and intensified droughts. This is made more worrisome by research concluding that crop species are becoming sensitive to the increase in average surface temperatures due to global warming. Wheat, which is considered the foundation of life in much of the world, is predicted to suffer the most from rising temperatures, and countries where it is predominantly grown will be the most impacted and least equipped to cope. Rising temperatures are likely to impact more species upon which life depends. A possible solution that has emerged is modifying plant species to adapt to the climate, a practice known as climate-adapted plant breeding.

Climate-adapted plant breeding uses existing or old varieties of plants to breed new varieties so they will be adapted to current and future climate conditions. Recently, a research team from the Technical University of Munich was able to show that material

from gene banks can be used to improve traits in the maize plant using a combination of new molecular and statistical methods. A prerequisite for this is the preservation of old and present species through proper storage and seed handling. Seed banks, or seed vaults, have emerged as a solution that preserves genetic diversity by providing the necessary conditions for the longevity of seeds. Seeds are stored in low temperatures that keep them dormant until they are needed for replanting.

One of the largest seed vaults is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, located on the Spitsbergen island of Norway above the Arctic Circle. It is frequently called the Arctic Doomsday Seed Vault because it contains over a million seed types from all over the world and, should a global catastrophe occur, the vault’s collection would allow for a theoretical restart to world agriculture. In case the regional diversity of wheat, rice or any other food plant is destroyed by war, climate change or natural disaster, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault holds a backup. The facility was made to withstand a nuclear blast, and other structural improvements have been made over the years.

More and more species are continuously added to the vault’s collection. Modifying varieties of organisms to climate change has already been successful,

Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Seed vaults, like the one above, preserve plant genetics for replanting.

giving some researchers hope that this could be possible in the seed world. For example, modifying coral reefs to withstand higher temperatures and genetically modifying plant species have both been successful projects. In these cases, the change in temperature a species adapts to is limited, but in the case of climate change, rises in temperature are likely to be long-term and continual.

Boston-based chemical company develops eco-friendly polymer

Photo courtesy of Pixabay Novomer, a chemical company, released a more eco-friendly polymer.

BY SIONA AHUJA ’24 STAFF WRITER

This November, the Boston-based chemical company Novomer launched its newest innovation: Rinnovo, a new class of compostable polymers. Conventionally, plastics are polymers made from carbon and a host of hazardous petrochemicals, and its production is extremely energy intensive, meaning it emits large amounts of CO2. Novomer’s technology produces biodegradable and compostable polymers that use almost half the materials that regular polymers require. The other processing ingredient is waste CO2 –– gas waste that is extracted from industrial processes –– which goes through a process that refines carbon molecules

for use in manufacturing. This process, using the company’s trademark technology, Novo 22 Catalyst, enables the creation of “high performing, carbon efficient, cost efficient” material. Because of waste CO2’s affordability, the finished polymer is inexpensive, unlike other bioplastics, some of which can be 20 to 50 percent costlier than normal plastics.

In an interview with Waste360, Novomer CEO Jeff Uhrig talked about Rinnovo’s compatibility with nature. He explained that their polymers are made from a polyhydroxyalkanoate backbone, which is produced by various organisms like algae. Since these are already found in nature, the ecosystem is prepared to disintegrate the final product following its usage. Its biodegradable nature allows it to reduce aquatic toxicity and waste sent to landfills or incinerators, as is routine with non-biodegradable polymers.

As with Novomer’s polymers, all biodegradable plastics are less harmful substitutes to plastics made from fossil fuels. They can be used in a wide variety of ways, from packaging to waste collection products.

Despite rules and bans against certain non-biodegradable plastic, especially single-use plastic, the production and distribution of biodegradable “bioplastics” is very low. According to a 2018 study, only 4,409,245 tons of plastic, just above 1 percent of global annual plastic manufacturing, is biodegradable. More so, a “bioplastic” label does not guarantee eco-friendliness because there are several issues within this family of polymers.

The term “bioplastic” can mean plastics made out of natural ingredients like sugarcane or naturally made plastics that are biodegradable. However, not all bioplastics are biodegradable, and they leach toxins into the environment for years. Plastics that do biodegrade can also be made from synthesizing fossil

fuel products. A rarer subset of bioplastics are compostable, which can be further segregated into home compostable plastics or industrially compostable plastics, the majority of which fall into the latter category Out of the 6.3 billion tons of plastic humankind has mass produced and thrown away since the 1950s, only a meager amount — 600 million tons — has been recycled while the rest lies in landfills, on the soil or in the oceans.

While biodegradable plastics curb the plastic problem on land to an extent, their biodegradable properties are inefficient in seas. Thick plastics that line coffee cups and cup lids, clear plastic tumblers, drinking straws and other food packaging are expected to act like traditional plastic in seawater and won’t break down at all, severely damaging the marine ecosystem. By the mid-century, researchers expect the amount of plastic in the ocean to overtake the fish.

In addition, littered plastics also cause the decay of plastics into microplastics. In an experiment, Imogen Napper of the University of Plymouth concluded that natural factors like UV rays, sunlight, rain and soil can cause bioplastics to break down into smaller pieces that can cause more harm. Animals can unconsciously ingest these pieces and choke or the pieces can block their digestive tracts, resulting in death.

In 2015, the United Nations Environment Programme published a report on the misconceptions and concerns regarding biodegradable plastics. It concluded that “the adoption of plastic products labeled as ‘biodegradable’ will not bring about a significant decrease either in the quantity of plastic entering the ocean or the risk of physical and chemical impacts on the marine environment, on the balance of current scientific evidence.”

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

ENVIRONMENTAL

13

Food production systems continue to impact global climate

Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Agriculture can be harmful to the environment in a myriad of ways, including monoculture, toxic waste leakages and freshwater pollution.

BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER

The Paris Agreement, which aims to keep global temperature rise below 2 C above pre-industrial levels and limit temperature increase to 1.5 C, will be hard if not impossible to reach without changes to the worldwide food production system, according to new research from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford in England.

As the food industry continues to grow, food-related emissions are expected to double by 2050, potentially heating the planet more than 1.5 C by the 2060s, and close to 2 C by the end of the century.

A report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that 37 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions come from food production systems, including emissions from transportation and packaging. The emissions come from direct sources such as carbon dioxide, methane and other planet-warming gases. There are also indirect sources such as land clearing and deforestation, both of which allow for agricultural advancements and grazing. In addition, fertilizers, the cultivation of rice and flooded paddies have contributed to these numbers.

Emissions for carbon-intensive sectors have been decreasing as clean technology is more widely adopted worldwide. Farming has received less attention from policymakers than other greenhouse gas pro-

Weekly Climate News November 19, 2020

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a 10-point plan for a “green industrial revolution” with the long-term goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The plan includes an increase in green investments along with the creation of 250,000 jobs in the sector.

The U.N. approved a fuel efficiency deal with the International Maritime Organization that allows shipping emissions to decrease by only 1 percent until 2030, despite much opposition to the inadequacy of the deal.

ducers, even though it is estimated that half of all habitable land is currently used for agriculture purposes.

Agriculture also accounts for 70 percent of freshwater withdrawal. It is estimated that a majority of the global ocean and freshwater pollution is caused by agriculture.

Another development in food production that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions is monocropping, the agricultural practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same plot of land. This process uses up all the nutrients from the earth, leaving the soil weak and unable to support healthy plant growth.

This often forces farmers to use chemical fertilizers to encourage plant growth. Monocropping also fails to provide diversity to diets or ecosystems.

In animal agriculture, concentrated animal feeding operations or factory farms are used to maximize production while minimizing costs. The process involves intensive methods in which poultry, pigs, fish or cattle are confined indoors under strictly controlled conditions in a small, enclosed area. These farms result in excess animal waste and have been linked to high contents of nitrogen and other nutrients in manure runoff that cause dead zones in downstream waterways. These methods of food production use finite resources without replenishing them.

Leakages of toxic waste also come from concentrated animal feeding operations. Overapplying manure in fields emits nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas, into the air. This application of manure is carried out to avoid manure leakage into lagoons. A manure lagoon or anaerobic lagoon is a human-made basin filled with animal waste. These lagoons have been shown to harbor and emit substances that can have adverse environmental and health effects. The most prevalent gases emitted by the lagoons are ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, methane and carbon dioxide. Overflow of these lagoons releases harmful substances into the surrounding land or water and may include antibiotics, estrogens, bacteria, pesticides, heavy metals and protozoa. In North Carolina, after Hurricane Florence in 2018, 38 manure lagoons had been structurally damaged, breached or overtopped with nine more lagoons inundated with surface water. When lagoons overflow, untreated waste flows into local waters.

New advances in sustainable agriculture are rooted in regenerative practices. This means that farmers invest in the land and adopt a holistic ecosystem approach. A report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change describes following better land practices, switching to less meat-intensive diets and eliminating food waste as global priorities. They also recommend stopping deforestation, limiting greenhouse gas-emitting fertilizers and raising crops that add more carbon to soil. Other goals involve increasing crop yields per hectare and switching to healthy calorie supplies based on plant crops. Dietary changes would mainly need to occur in richer countries where the consumption of meat, dairy and eggs is well above average health recommendations. This allows for a reduction in the consumption of unhealthy, high-carbon foods in large quantities. If this is achieved, it would allow poorer nations to feed their populations better and would increase their consumption of animal products without exhausting the global carbon budget.

Techniques including organic, free-range, low-input, holistic and biodynamic practices would allow for agricultural sustainability and mimic natural ecological processes. In reality, this would mean farmers minimizing water, encouraging healthy soil by planting fields with different crops, integrating croplands with livestock grazing and avoiding pesticide use by nurturing organisms that control crop-destroying pests.

The process of sustainability will also allow for just treatment of farmworkers and food pricing that allows farmers to have a livable income.

Earlier this month, health professionals from the U.K. called for a tax on meat to entice people to change their consumption habits, but taxes are not the only solution. Health professionals explained that meat, tobacco, alcohol, sugar and fuel should be taxed because of the negative impact they have on human health and the environment. Currently, meat is cheaper than most fruits and vegetables, so a tax could be used to increase the availability and affordability of healthy, plant-based foods. This would also allow for sustainable foods to be the easy and affordable choice for those with lower incomes who must often choose meat, the less expensive option, over pricey fruits and vegetables.

With no plans to achieve carbon neutrality before the end of the century, Russia is looking to expand its Arctic gas industry.

oil from refineries in Michigan, will be shutting down due to environmental concerns. The pipeline has been in operation since the 1950s.

Tucson, Arizona, experienced record-breaking heat this September, which prompted city officials to declare a climate emergency. Read this article on where they stand now.

U.S. President-elect Joe Biden stated that he will “name and shame global climate outlaws.” Potential climate outlaws may include Australia, Brazil, Russia, Mexico, Indonesia, China and Saudia Arabia.

The Trump administration will face challenges if it moves forward with its plan to sell the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that Line 5, an underwater pipeline that provides Ontario with

Astypalea, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, will be replacing all fossil fuel cars with electric vehicles as part of its climate-neutral approach.

A new study found that urban greenery adds CO2 to the atmosphere through decomposition, which increases overall greenhouse gas emissions.

14

ENVIRONMENTAL

November 19, 2020

. Mount Holyoke News

Controversial wolf restoration proposition is approved in Colorado

Photo courtesy of Flickr In Colorado, gray wolves will be reintroduced to rural land after an effort for the species’ repopulation was approved on the state’s recent ballot.

BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 STAFF WRITER

On Nov. 3, Colorado voters passed Proposition 114, an effort to restore the state’s gray wolf population.

Hunted nearly to extinction in the 1900s, Proposition 114 aims to reintroduce gray wolves into Western Colorado to restore the population to self-sustaining levels as other states have successfully done in the past.

Reintroducing gray wolves in Colorado will play an important role in connecting existing wolf populations in the Rocky Mountain regions above and below the state. The text of the proposition states that bringing wolves back to Colorado “will help restore a critical balance in nature” by helping to complete ecosystem cycles interrupted when the wolf population dropped.

Wolf restoration projects have garnered a positive reputation among environmentalists due to their success in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. After wolves were reintroduced into the park, subsequent reduction in elk and deer populations allowed willow and aspen trees along riverbanks to recover from overgrazing. As a result, the park’s rivers became more stable,

and other animal populations grew in abundance as the natural environment was restored.

The powerful effect of wolves on the environment comes from their importance as an apex predator, or a species at the top of its food chain. This means that any changes to the population of wolves in an area will ripple through the ecosystem.

Despite the reintroduction of wolves making immediate changes to the park’s environment, other factors such as drought and hunting also decreased the elk population. This means that wolves were not the sole saviors of Yellowstone National Park and that the positive effects of wolf restoration on the environment may not occur in other projects.

According to Proposition 114, the reintroduction of wolves will be restricted to “designated lands,” referring to the area west of the continental divide that runs down the ridge of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. This region constitutes the rural area of Colorado, with most of the state’s urban population living east of the Rockies, making support for the proposition lie strongly with the state’s urban voters. Ranchers and big game hunters make up the bulk of opposition to the measure due to their concerns over wolves presenting a danger to livestock and creating competition for hunters.

According to Proposition 114, a plan for wolf reintroduction will be formulated based on the “best scientific data available” and regular state hearings, as well as opportunities for public input. The measure also includes an allocation of funds to “assist owners of livestock in preventing and resolving conflicts between gray wolves and livestock” and “pay fair compensation to owners of livestock for any losses of livestock caused by gray wolves.” Colorado has had a higher number of wolf restoration projects than other states, warranting extra consideration from voters about the potential for unwanted contact with wolves.

The potential of wolf-livestock conflict is a major concern for Colorado ranchers. While wolves have been reported to kill livestock at low rates — Colorado State

University estimates that under 1 percent of cattle in the Rocky Mountain states are killed by wolves — these killings are often unevenly distributed, meaning that the livestock of a small group of ranchers could become the target of multiple attacks.

An additional source of controversy surrounding Proposition 114 is its position as an unprecedented method of determining state wildlife policy. The proposition represents the first time that wildlife restoration issues in Colorado have been put in the hands of voters rather than determined by the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission. The commission is appointed by the governor and its members come from a variety of backgrounds, from a hunting outfitter owner to an environmental attorney.

Some opposition to Proposition 114 comes from the belief that wildlife management decisions should be made by those with experience rather than the general public. In 2016, the CPWC rejected a wolf reintroduction proposal based on Colorado not being part of the historic range of gray wolves, the success of other states’ restoration efforts and potential damage to the agriculture and big game hunting industries.

Donations to campaigns for and against the proposition show the stark differences between the two sides.

The Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund led the campaign in support of the measure and raised over $1.7 million to help pass the proposition. Many donations to the fund came from environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council. On the other hand, Stop the Wolf PAC raised over $70,000 in an effort to prevent the proposition from being passed, most of which came from individuals donating small amounts.

Given the divisiveness of the issue, its passage with 51 percent of the vote comes as no surprise. The measure passed by a narrow margin of about 57,000 votes, according to Ballotpedia. Proposition 114 will go into effect in Colorado by the end of 2023, but its results will be seen over the next several decades.

The future of climate policy: Can Biden slow environmental change?

BY ABBY WESTER ’22 STAFF WRITER

After many grueling days spent counting absentee ballots, Joe Biden was announced president-elect of the United States on Saturday, Nov. 7. Biden’s win is generally seen by climate policy experts as a step in the right direction, but the efficacy and strength of his environmental policies have still yet to be determined.

In the Democratic primary, Biden was seen as one of the least progressive candidates when it came to climate. But when Biden became the candidate for the Democratic Party, he ran on a platform that prioritized combating climate change in the hopes of rallying his base. He has since proposed the most ambitious climate plan to ever be released by a major U.S. presidential candidate.

The political alignment of the Senate might challenge Biden’s ability to implement his plan. The Senate has been majority Republican since 2015. As of today, the political divide of the Senate is still in question, with Republicans holding 50 seats, Democrats holding 46 and independents holding two. Two more Senate seats are

still up in the air in Georgia, where a runoff election will occur in January. The results of that election will either create a Republican majority or a tie between the parties.

A majority Republican Senate is traditionally seen as an enemy to climate policy and could block the legislation promised by Biden during his campaign. If any votes the Senate takes are divided 50 against 50, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will vote to break the tie.

If Biden is able to follow through on his climate promises, there may still be pressure and resistance from the political left. Biden’s moderate approach to climate in the primaries, along with his allegiance to fracking, have not left the minds of climate activists.

Groups such as the Sunrise Movement have already spoken about their high expectations of Biden and are ready to be critical of his climate policies.

No matter the political makeup of the Senate or the hastiness of climate activists, Biden will have his work cut out for him when it comes to climate policy. President Donald Trump has spent the last four years disregarding climate science, reversing environmental regulations and, most recently, removing the U.S. from the

Paris Agreement. Biden’s response to climate change will likely displease many Americans given the divided politics of the nation. Climate change, however, will not wait for political disagreements as it continues to ravage our world.

Photo courtesy of Flickr President-elect Joe Biden rallied around climate action in his campaign.