Interim President Tatum invites senators to give input on state of the College, cont’d

u CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 plained that the College completes strategic planning because it’s necessary for continuous improvement. Additionally, it is required for the College’s re-accreditation. Tatum examined the many goals achieved by the previous and current plans. Triumphs include but are not limited to: funding for internships and research experiences, expansion of the Blanchard Community Center, creation of the Fimbel Maker & Innovation Lab, sustainability commitment to be carbon neutral by 2037 and advanced student recruitment. inspired to write. “I ended up writing a couple of poems, Penelope-inspired poems, I call them my Penelope poems, but those are the opening ones,” Trice said.

In general, Trice draws inspiration from art, whether it be literature, paintings or music. He describes small moments of inspiration and credits Toni Morrison for “[bringing] out a lot of those moments.”

Additionally, he has a habit of writing poetry on planes. His family lives in Tampa Bay, Florida, and every time he gets on a plane to fly home, he ends up writing. “I’ve been trying to tease out why that is but I think it’s partly because I’m listening to music and I have nothing else to do to distract me, no [cell] service or anything,” Trice said. “It’s just whatever music I’ve downloaded on my phone and then I’ll be listening to something and then it’ll just come.”

Trice explained that some of his favorite writers are Toni Morrison, Allen Ginsberg, Maya Phillips — whose poetry collection “Erou,” Trice described as “possibly my favorite poetry collection at the moment” — and Evie Shockley, who is one of the 2023 Glascock judges and who Trice saw read at Amherst during the fall of 2022. “I’ve been moving in between excited and nervous,” Trice said. “But I think right now I’m feeling excited for [the contest]. I’m excited to meet the other people [and] to meet Evie Shockley again. It seems like a great time and it’s the 100-year anniversary so it sounds like it’s gonna be a very, very fun time.”

Tatum then asked the room how the college could improve. First, she examined the data presented by prospective students. This data showed that the college has the opportunity to distinguish itself and increase demand by underscoring cross-cutting themes, career focus, experiential learning, inclusivity and gender diversity.

As for already admitted students, Tatum looked at the student conference committee survey This survey is sent to MHC students every spring, asking them how they feel about certain aspects of the school. The major recommendation from this data was to increase the opportunity for inter-group dialogue — something that, as Tatum explained, the college has been expanding on this year.

Next, the Consortium on Financing Higher Education New Student Survey, a questionnaire sent out to all new and accepted students, collected data surrounding student demographics and the thoughts of incoming students. These results showed that 73 percent of students identified as LGBTQ+, 23 percent identified as having a chronic mental health condition, 35 percent felt unprepared or only somewhat prepared to succeed academically and 44 percent felt unprepared or only somewhat prepared to get along at college. Tatum stated that she believes that the growing anxiety and mental health issues can be attributed at least in part to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COFHE 2022 Senior Survey showed that compared to other schools, Mount Holyoke students were more likely to be satisfied with having gone to Mount Holyoke and would recommend this school to their younger selves.

When this data gets broken down, Tatum illuminated the fact that minority students did not necessarily feel that way. The data shows that less than 30 percent of African American students, compared to more than 80 percent of white students, felt that they would have done so. Likewise, around 60 percent of Latinx students, 75 percent of Asian American students and over 90 percent of international students would have recommended this school to their younger selves.

When asked what experiences seniors would recommend, the survey found that students who were satisfied with their academic experiences had done research with a professor, an independent study, worked as a tutor, received tutoring or attended a LEAP symposium. Students who were satisfied with opportunities outside of Mount Holyoke had studied abroad, done an internship or completed volunteer work. As for participation in extracurricular activities, students recommended a usic/ theater group or student publications. Research shows that Mount Holyoke College, among other historically women’s colleges or liberal arts schools, has fewer students graduating with a job offer or official position. This is the same for students who had reached out and spoken to college alums. This is even though 75 percent of early career alums indicate that they would like to serve as a resource for current students interested in the industry.

Green, how safe the construction would be for members of campus.

Tatum responded by first acknowledging that no accident should have happened in the first place. But, she added, it was a construction accident. No student or staff was at risk for harm. The areas under construction will be roped off and safe. She warned, jokingly, that although it would be safe, it would be ugly.

Another student asked how the President felt about the statistics presented, especially since she has known the MHC community for longer than any of the senators. Tatum responded by saying that she felt as though Mount Holyoke College was evolving.

These results showed that 73 percent of new students identified as LGBTQ+, 23 percent identified as having a chronic mental health condition, 35 percent felt unprepared or only somewhat prepared to succeed academically and 44 percent felt unprepared or only somewhat prepared to get along at college.

A third member asked a general question that they knew other students had concerns about. Regarding the recent school shooting at Michigan State University, they asked, was Mount Holyoke taking any specific measures to update campus security? Tatum said that there were systems in place and that the OneCard system made the school remarkably safer than in previous years. But, she added, there’s no way to build a wall around campus. As such, we must rely on each other. She emphasized that it is important to remember that if you see something, you need to say something.

When thinking about how to communicate the MHC experience to the market, Tatum stated that she liked to use the acronym BIG, as in, “Think BIG: Build our community; Improve our infrastructure; Grow our distinctive programs.”

One senator asked a question regarding the geothermal project, an energy system that will take Mount Holyoke’s carbon footprint down 80 percent. They wondered, referencing the recent accident on Skinner

A final student took the chance to ask about accessibility. Many of the buildings, they stated, were not very accessible above the first floor. They asked if the College had any plans to change that. Tatum took the time to reference the earlier mentioned facilities update plan and said that as the buildings were renovated they would be made fully accessible, but many may not be for several years. Following the last question, Tatum presented an activity in which the senators were allowed to give their input on what needs to be done within the school. These ideas, she stated, would be organized and read by a committee, before being prepared as a list for President-Elect Holley.