Mount Holyoke News – March 10, 2023

Mount Holyoke News

Cochary Pub & Kitchen reopens after almost three-year hiatus

BY TARA MONASTESSE ’25 NEWS EDITOR

After being closed since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cochary Pub & Kitchen in Blanchard Hall celebrated its reopening on the evening of March 2 with a night exclusive to members of the Class of 2023. The pub reopened to the entire student body the following night, allowing Mount Holyoke students to once again gather and dine in the space on the first floor of the Community Center.

Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell announced the reopening in a Dean’s Corner email to the community on Feb. 24. In the same email, she confirmed that the Cochary Pub & Kitchen will regularly be open from 5 p.m. to midnight on Thursdays and Fridays. According to Geoffrey Searl, Associate Vice President of Auxiliary Services, the pub will close early at 10 p.m. on Friday, Mar. 10, in preparation for spring break.

“The plan is to add more days. We just don’t know exactly when we can commit to that,” Searl said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. The interview took place in the pub while it was closed on Monday afternoon. While the restaurant was silent and nearly empty during the interview, Searl recalled how, on

the night of the reopening, the line of eager students had eventually stretched out of the pub’s doors.

“We did about 250 transactions, so it was busy,” Searle said. “We found out the point of sale system was having a hard time keeping up with the amount of people coming through the door, and then we found out there’s a setting we can adjust to make it go faster. It’s those things that, as you open a restaurant for the first time in three years, [make] you go, ‘so what are the takeaways?’ … And now we’ve got another week to regroup and figure it out.”

To cope with the high volume of customers expected on opening night, seniors used a reservation system to book their tables. Students waiting in line were offered cookies and free samples of the pub’s french fries by the staff.

The Cochary Pub & Kitchen originally opened in fall 2018 after extensive construction that expanded the Community Center, as part of the centralized dining initiative colloquially referred to as SuperBlanch. Prior to the campus shutdown in 2020, it was known for providing a cozy atmosphere and locally-sourced food and drink for students looking to unwind and socialize and was often home to community activities such as a regular trivia night.

In an email interview, Mollie

Wohlforth ’19 reminisced about spending time at the pub, which she and her friends all referred to as “the Coch.”

“The Coch was a fun and fairly standard part of our senior fall and spring,” Wohlforth wrote. “I was writing my thesis at the time, so my other thesis friends — and anybody else doing work on Thursday nights

— would always head there for a drink and some end-of-week work time.”

Members of the Class of 2023 are some of the only current students who may have accessed the pub prior to its shutdown in March 2020.

Chelsea Gyimah ’23, who visited the pub during its reopening on March 3, recalled fond memories of kara-

oke nights and spending time with friends there as a first-year.

“The pub was always really good, old-fashioned stomping grounds,” Gyimah said. “And I think it’s nice because us being the last class to know what it was like pre-COVID was really sentimental.”

Previous community updates from Dining Services and the College have attributed the pub’s sustained closure to staffing issues, which caused its anticipated reopening to be delayed multiple times. At one point, the pub was estimated, by Dining Services, to be able to reopen in September 2021. Staffing issues have also contributed to the delayed reopening of the Frances Perk cafe located in Williston Memorial Library, which began serving students again in October 2021, as well as the limited availability of several stations in the Dining Commons over the past few years.

Searl stated that there will be a few opportunities for student workers to prepare coffee bar drinks, but the majority of the pub’s staff will be hired outside professionals who can handle alcohol and food preparation.

The current Cochary Kitchen & Pub menu offers a variety of hot and cold coffee bar drinks, as well as a

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Judith Heumann, mother of the disability rights movement, dies

BY BRYN HEALY ’24 NEWS EDITOR

Content warning: This article mentions the Holocaust and ableism.

On Mar. 5, Judith Heumann, On Mar. 5, Judith Heumann, known as the mother of the disability rights movement, died at the age of 75. According to NBC, she was dealing with complications from post-polio syndrome the week before her death.

Heumann was born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1947 to Werner and Ilse Heumann, who both lost most of their families in the Holocaust, according to the National Women’s History Museum. The oldest of three children, Heumann got polio as a toddler. When she was due to attend school, she wasn’t allowed to because she was deemed a fire hazard due to her wheelchair, writes New Mobility. In her memoir, “Being Heumann,” Heumann acknowledged that her life would have gone very differently if she had had different parents. Unlike other parents at the time, many of whom put their disabled children into institutions, her parents fought for her independence and were able to finally get her into school in the 4th grade.

As a child, Heumann attended

Camp Jened, the subject of the Academy Award-nominated documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.” Heumann told The New York Times in 2020 that Camp Jened “was this playground. We were dating like you would if you didn’t have a disability, we were swimming, and playing baseball and arts and crafts, but we were also having time to gather our own voices.”

After graduating college, Heumann passed the oral and written exams to become a licensed teacher

in New York but was denied by the New York City Board of Education as she was determined to be a fire hazard yet again in 1970, according to NPR. At the age of 23, Heumann sued the Board of Education for discrimination and won, becoming the first New York state teacher to use a wheelchair and garnering national news attention. “We’re not going to let a hypocritical society give us a token education and then bury us,” Heumann explained, according to NPR.

She is widely known for leading the Section 504 protest and sit-in in 1977. As explained by The New York Times, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act was the first federal law that would have protected the rights of disabled individuals, but the government kept pushing off its enforcement throughout the Nixon administration and the beginning of the Carter administration. When the Carter administration took over, activists feared that the appointed regulatory task force would change how the law would have been enacted, weakening it severely. Disabled activists said that they would have a sit-in at Heath, Education and Welfare offices across the country, and they did. The sit-in at San Francisco’s HEW office lasted 25 days, ac-

Senate debates health and safety concerns

BY PAIGE COMEAU ’26 STAFF WRITER

On March 7, Student Government Association senate began with the Mount Holyoke land acknowledgment and a reading of the agenda. Next were E-Board updates. The E-Board informed those present that all of the binders ordered by the SGA had been received and they were currently holding extra office hours for people to be able to pick them up.

As for the ongoing discussion of Narcan availability on campus, SGA said that although there was no concrete information available, there is a steady conversation happening between the Five Colleges about Narcan training and availability. Then, hall senators were reminded to distribute the March Newsflush and encouraged to grab a stack on their way out. Following the E-Board updates was open floor.

Open floor began with announcements and updates, where the senators and representatives were invited to publicize any upcoming events or important information.

The representative for the Student Athletic Advisory Committee reported that both soccer and field hockey would have open sessions before spring break. The represen-

tative for the Folk Music and Dance Society stated that there would be an Early Spring Folk Sing event on Friday, March 10. The Class of 2024’s senator announced that the date of the upcoming J-Show will be March 24. The event will be held in Chapin Auditorium.

A student speaking on behalf of the All Campus Elections Committee affirmed that the period to declare candidacy and campaign ends March 26. Voting will occur between April 3 and 9. The student

also reminded everyone of the Student Conference Committee Survey, which they stressed is incredibly important to fill out, as the results are presented to the Board of Trustees and have a significant impact on the school. Another member of the Senate informed the students of a joint SGA-Marks event: a workshop on legal name change, on March 23 in the Great Room from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30.

cording to the National Museum of American History. Massive public attention was garnered toward the issue, and Section 504 was signed into law without any legislative changes. The New York Times writes that this sit-in is often considered the “longest nonviolent occupation of a federal building in American history.”

Her leadership, alongside other key disability rights advocates of the era, led to the writing and adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, according to CBS. Heumann created the Disabled in Action organization, helped lead the Center for Independent Living and co-founded the World Institute on Disability. She served as the first Director for the Department on Disability Services of Washington D.C., was on the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, was the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services for the Clinton administration and was the first Special Advisor on International Disability Rights for the Obama administration. She worked so that disabled individuals today can get accommodations in schools, public spaces and on transportation, and the reason

disabled people are legally protected from discrimination. Heumann launched the disability rights revolution in the U.S. and then brought it to the international level with her roles in the federal government, writes NPR.

Tributes poured in for Heumann on March 5. Barack Obama wrote on Twitter that “Judy Heumann dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights — starting as a young organizer at Camp Jened and later helping lead the disability rights movement. Michelle and I were fortunate to work with Judy over the years, and are thinking of her family and friends.” Oscar Award-winning Deaf actress Marlee Matlin remembered Heumann for being her hero and friend. “Judith Heumann was a fearless champion for the rights of people with disabilities in our nation and around the world and millions of people who have faced barriers owe her a debt of gratitude,” she tweeted.

Disability justice advocate and mentee of Heumann Anna Landre tweeted, “[Heumann] was larger than life. Her impact on the disability community is incalculable. It felt like she would be here forever. I already miss her. But I know she’ll live on, in every feisty disabled person that fights for our rights & our place.”

Bi-partisan daylight saving bill reintroduced to the US Senate

BY BRYN HEALY ’24 NEWS EDITOR

Last year, a bill to end daylight saving was passed in the Senate. Later, the bill died in the House. According to The New York Times, Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida reintroduced the bill to the Senate on March 1.

In the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Republican Representative of the 16th District of Florida Vern Buchanan is quoted saying “[t]here are enormous health and economic benefits to making daylight saving time permanent. Florida lawmakers have already voted to make daylight saving time permanent in my home state and Congress should pass the Sunshine Protection Act to move Florida and the rest of the country to year-round daylight saving time.”

In a show of bipartisan support, the Sunshine Protection Act is co-sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans, including Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey. According to NBC, the previous iteration of the bill passed in the Senate unanimously. The bill would make the time during daylight saving, also known as the hours we have during

the summertime, the standard yearround.

Numerous groups have come out in favor of abolishing daylight saving time in past years.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine released a statement in 2020 saying that there should be a standardized time year-round in order to reduce the risks of “adverse cardiovascular events, mood disorders and motor vehicle crashes.” According to The New York Times, six U.S. states and territories and parts of Arizona have already abolished daylight saving within regional borders.

64 percent of a sample of 1000 U.S. adults want to stop changing clocks, with 53 percent wanting permanent daylight saving time, according to a YouGov poll in 2022.

The origin of daylight saving time is commonly believed to be for the benefit for farmers in the summer, but this is actually a myth. The change in time bi-annually was enacted in order to save electricity and oil during World War I, NBC explained.

Daylight saving time begins this March 12 at 2 a.m. The clocks will turn forward an hour.

Photo by Tara Monastesse ’25

Students from the class of 2023 were invited to return to the Cochary Pub & Kitchen on March 2.

Photo by Taylordw on Wikimedia Commons Judith Heumann is most well known for leading the 1977 Section 504 protest and sit-in.

Photo by Ali Meizels ’23 SGA senate hosted discussions regarding student health concerns, upcoming elections and Narcan.

Alison Bechdel speaks at Smith College, discusses career

BY EMMA QUIRK ’26 STAFF WRITER

On Thursday, March 2, 1,300 people gathered in Smith College’s John M. Greene Hall to listen to award-winning cartoonist and lesbian icon, Alison Bechdel. According to Bechdel, it was her fourth time speaking at Smith, and the largest, most highly attended venue yet.

For some, this was their first time engaging with Bechdel, while for others it was one of many. “Bechdel is very much a celebrity of my childhood … I was pretty young when I was reading her ‘[The] Essential Dykes to Watch Out For’ … and my mother is a superfan,” Saira Sukthankar ’26 said. After attending this event, she felt as though she had “developed an independent relationship with [Bechdel’s] work.”

Throughout her talk, Bechdel discussed her various books and the inspiration behind them. Beginning with “The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For,” her first collection of comic strips that followed a group of lesbian friends, she explained how she stumbled upon Adrienne Rich’s writing in college. Inspired by Rich’s exploration of “the way lesbians were historically rendered invisible,” she began this project. “I didn’t see people who looked like me or my friends reflected anywhere in our culture. We were literally undetected, omitted from the record,” Bechdel said.

As she continued writing and drawing, her work became more po-

litical, and she began exploring how being out as a lesbian is inherently political. She claimed it “felt like sort of a political act, even a radical act,” to be out and proud about her identity. However, her comics didn’t originally intend to be political statements. “In the early 1980s, I wasn’t addressing people who thought I didn’t exist. Or shouldn’t exist. It was just for me and for my friends, for ourselves,” Bechdel said.

Lia Di Lisio ’26 was excited to hear that the original intended audience was Bechdel’s friends. “I enjoyed learning that ‘[The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For]’ was created for her and her friends. This work gave us comedy, representation and exposure to the inherent politicization of queerness,” Di Lisio said.

Bechdel shared the way her worldview shifted after she came out as a lesbian.

“Once I came out and found myself outside of that [white middle-class] world … It was amazing to suddenly have this perspective. You couldn’t see how things worked when you were on the inside, but from the outside, it was suddenly revealed it was like I woke up from a dream. And I was becoming woke,” Bechdel explained. She acknowledged the queer people and movements before her that allowed her to live her life in the way she has. “‘Fun Home’ and [‘Are You My Mother?’] … are both ways my life was made possible by liberation movements of the 1960s — women’s liberation and

gay liberation — which both came out of the civil rights movement,” Bechdel said.

She stated that “Fun Home” and “Are You My Mother?” are also about “how [her] parents had missed out on much of the possibility and promise of those things.” Her existence was possible because of the previous generation, and she has, in turn, opened up doors for the generations after her.

This notion resonated with students, who were able to realize their own position as queer people in our current society. “Although it shouldn’t surprise me, I didn’t expect her to be so politically moved. I forget that the queer people of the generations before me didn’t really have a choice but to be politically moved,” Sydney Bloom ’26 said.

Bechdel’s presentation emphasized how individual contributions to visibility, like her comic strips, are important to improving the world for future generations. “People like her have helped set up a society where I can be proud of who I am,” Di Lisio said.

Lydia Moland speaks about her new book

BY LUCY ISAACS ’25 STAFF WRITER

On March 2, the Odyssey Bookshop hosted Lydia Moland, author of “Lydia Maria Child: A Radical American Life,” published in October 2022 by the University of Chicago Press. Moland, a professor of philosophy at Colby College, provided a brief but comprehensive overview of Child’s work as an active proponent of abolition in the 19th century.

Born in 1802, Child was a Massachusetts abolitionist who published a number of texts advocating for racial equality, and her activism frequently took the form of prose. Describing Child as a “prodigious writer,” Moland detailed Child’s initial career as a novelist, poet and author of “The Frugal Housewife.” Moland further explained how the trajectory of Child’s life shifted upon her introduction to the abolitionist movement via William Llyod Garrison, prompting Child to dedicate her literary talents to anti-slavery activism.

Moland expressed excitement at the talk’s proximity to Northampton, MA, as Child lived in Northampton for a number of years, described by Historic Northampton as a period in which she attempted “to grow sugar beets to undermine the plantation sugar trade.”

Holding that abolitionist women were hardly a monolith, Moland shared a portion of her book in which she describes the “in-fighting” that occurred within abolitionist movements, specifically concerning the “woman question,” which asked to what extent women should publicly be included in anti-slavery activism. Moland specifically described Child’s complex relationship with fellow abolitionist Maria Weston Chapman and the internal division that ensued amongst abolitionist women, as they debated the complicated role they played within anti-slavery movements.

Moland, whose previous academic works have focused primarily on philosophy, cites the shift in topic as a product of former President Donald Trump’s election. “I found myself after that election desperately looking for examples in our history of what people had done when there was a moral emergency in the country — a sense that our country’s values were under attack and that it was going to take all hands on deck

to right the ship. Obviously, the Civil War was a kind of emergency, and since I know 19th-century history fairly well, I decided to start there,” Moland said of her decision to research abolitionists in an interview with the Mount Holyoke News.

Moland initially learned of Child’s work when doing archival research, coming across a letter that Child had written to a friend. In her interview, Moland described being drawn to the prose’s “blend of wit, self-deprecation, wisdom and solidarity,” prompting her to explore Child’s life and work. Moland was subsequently frustrated by Child’s historical neglect and inspired to bring attention to her activism.

Despite her expressed admiration, Moland did not shy away from leveling criticism against Child when she felt it warranted, nor from addressing the privilege Child possessed as a white woman who had continual access to formal education. Moland urged attendants of the talk — who joined both in person and virtually — to pair the reading of her book with “The Color of Abolition: How a Printer, a Prophet and a Contessa Moved a Nation” by Linda Hirshman and “The Grimkes:

Toward the end of her presentation, Bechdel came back to Adrienne Rich. Bechdel explained that she drew on a paper scroll each day to get out of an inspiration rut, and thought of the words “Transcendental Etude.” She could not remember right away where she knew this from “but it was deeply familiar.” It is the title of a poem by Adrienne Rich, one that had been “pretty formative” to college-aged Bechdel.

“I realized that [rediscovering Transcendental Etude] actually helped the ending of my book, my final chapter, a quote from her final stanza. [Rich is] not concerned with virtuosic display, or the narcissistic longing for eternity, she’s interested in a different kind of creative. One that involves the musings of a mind, body,” Bechdel said. Like the students who see Bechdel’s books as formative for them, Bechdel was constantly inspired by Rich.

After her presentation concluded, Bechdel was joined on stage by Nanci Young, the Smith College archivist. Young asked about the intention of including historical refer-

ences in her work, such as political t-shirts and pins. “I very consciously thought about what I was doing as a kind of archive,” Bechdel said. In this discussion of archives, Young encouraged audience members to visit the Smith archives and see Bechdel’s work that is preserved there. Once this portion ended, there was a book signing, and the night was over.

Overall, Sukthankar and Di Lisio left the talk feeling content and inspired. “She used the space really well, with large projections of her work, which she worked into her talk seamlessly. She was funny and interesting,” Sukthankar said. Bechdel “is truly a role model,” Di Lisio stated.

“The best way to describe the way I felt during the event is full of love,” Bloom said. “I would take time to look around and I saw so many different kinds of queer people. The ones that warmed my heart the most were the old lesbian lovers. They were the kind of people who made me feel seen because they reminded me that the love I feel has existed for decades.”

Glascock contestant Portlyn Houghton-Harjo talks poetry

BY JESSE HAUSKNECHT-BROWN ’25 MANAGING EDITOR OF LAYOUT & FEATURES EDITOR

Portlyn Houghton-Harjo, a senior at Pratt Institute, is “very excited” to be representing her school at the 100th annual Glascock poetry contest. After Houghton-Harjo had heard that the Pratt writing program had a call for submissions and decided to enter her poems, she was chosen for the contest.

Mount Holyoke has hosted the Glascock poetry contest every year since 1923 and has invited other colleges to join since the competition’s second year. As described on their website, the “Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest is the oldest continuously-running poetry contest for undergraduate students in the United States.”

The Legacy of Slavery in an American Family” by Kerri Greendige, both of which are available for purchase at the Odyssey Bookshop. Moland also urged the audience to explore the collected works of bell hooks, stating that she tries to read hook’s “All About Love: New Visions,” at least once each year.

Moland does not intend for her most recent book to serve as her final piece on Child’s work and life.

“I’m right now writing a few pieces about her more philosophical writings as well as some of the tensions in the abolitionist movement about women’s involvement. And I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of many of the other things she’s done — she also wrote a history of religion and edited a book on religious tolerance that I think would be interesting to think more about,” Moland said to the Mount Holyoke News.

Though the talk concluded at 8 p.m., Moland lingered to speak with audience members and sign copies of her book, which are currently available at the Odyssey Bookshop. Moland will be speaking at the Boston Athenaeum on March 20, for which in-person and virtual tickets can be purchased online.

When she was younger, Houghton-Harjo’s parents read her Emily Dickinson poetry, Shel Silverstein books and Tim Burton’s “The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories.” She explained that she “loved how these writings dealt with death, love and change.”

Houghton-Harjo first began writing poetry for a poetry unit in middle school, then, in her first year of high school, her English teacher encouraged her to share one of her poems with her parents.

“I did, and people said it was good, so I kept going,” Houghton-Harjo said. “Soon after, I participated in a young Mvskoke women’s writers workshop with Joy Harjo — no relation — and Mary Kathryn Nagle. I was also mentored by the poet Jennifer Foerster for the [For] Girls Becoming program, which paired young Mvskoke women with a mentor in the arts.”

Houghton-Harjo acknowledged that she was very lucky to have these writing opportunities when she was younger and credited them as one of the reasons why she stuck with writing. Lots of things inspire Houghton-Harjo to write and she describes herself as “a very observational writer.” She is also inspired by being Mvskoke and Seminole.

“I think that part of being a poet is finding a bit of inspiration in a lot of things, so I could list so much

here. Right now, I’m working on my thesis which focuses on the cyber world, death/mourning rituals and Indigenous states of mind,” Houghton-Harjo said.

She is currently writing “cyber-Indigenous-horror poetry,” which she describes as “good ol’ experimental poetry inspired by folktales, folk art and loss in the digital era.” She also enjoys painting and sewing and altering her clothes; she tries to be “as multidisciplinary as possible.”

Houghton-Harjo is majoring in writing with an emphasis on poetry and hopes to minor in book arts. She has an internship at the Center for Book Arts and enjoys printmaking. “The possibility of language as visual art is vital to my practice. I grew up around art, so I try to keep my finger on the art world pulse. Being in New York, it’s pretty easy. Betye Saar’s work is a major inspiration to me right now. I’ve always loved horror movies and stories, so that’s a big inspiration,” Houghton-Harjo said.

The Glascock poetry contest will be held on Friday, March 31 and Saturday, April 1. The weekend will include a roundtable discussion with the judges, the contest itself and a poetry reading by this year’s judges: Eileen Myles, Evie Shockley and Hoa Nguyen.

Photo by Emma Quirk ’26 Alison Bechdel, left, and Smith College Archivist Nanci Young, right, chatted about Bechdel’s work.

Photo by Lucy Isaacs ’25 The Odyssey Bookshop hosted author Lydia Moland who discussed her new book about Lydia Child.

Photo by Emma Quirk ’26

Famous lesbian cartoonist Alison Bechdel spoke at Smith College on March 2. She discussed intertextual references in her work and queer politics.

Photo courtesy of Shana Hansell Portlyn Houghton-Harjo will represent Pratt Institute at the 100th Glascock poetry contest.

‘Indecent’ centers queer, Jewish resistance to censorship

BY OAKLEY MARTON ’25 CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Content warning: This article discusses antisemitism and homophobia and mentions the Holocaust.

On March 6, 1923, after 16 years of popularity, translations and performances in a dozen languages across Europe, the Yiddish play “God of Vengeance,” which features a romantic relationship and kiss between two women, was censored for obscenity in New York City by the city vice squad. The play’s run was cut short and the entire cast, producer and one theater owner were convicted on charges of obscenity.

This January, a group of high schoolers from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts in Jacksonville, Florida, rehearsed for their production of “Indecent,” a play based on “God of Vengeance” that tells the story of its production and censorship. The students intended to open their production on March 6, which marked the 100th anniversary of the censorship of the original play. However, they were informed by Florida school district officials that they would not be permitted to perform. “‘Indecent’ contains adult sexual dialog that is inappropriate for student cast members and student audiences,” the district announced amid the community’s anger and questions regarding if this decision reflected how far

Florida’s infamous “Don’t Say Gay” bill would stretch. “It’s that simple. The decision has no relevance to any legislation but is rather a function of our responsibilities to ensure students engage in educational activities appropriate for their age.” The school performed the musical Chicago last year with seemingly no issues. Despite this sustained history of censorship, one theater just under an hour away from Mount Holyoke College, Playhouse on Park in West Hartford, is tackling the play.

obscenity charges shortly after its U.S. premiere, “God of Vengeance” became the first lesbian kiss on Broadway. “Indecent’s” playwright Paula Vogel read the original play in graduate school: “One of my thesis advisors came to me and said, ‘I think you should read ‘God of Vengeance,’” she recalled in an interview with the Museum of the City of New York, “which was his code word for saying, ‘I know you’re a lesbian Jew.’”

“Indecent” spans across nearly 50 years, beginning with “God of Vengeance”’s playwright Sholem Asch attempting to table read the play with the most well-known writers in the Yiddish arts scene at the time. This includes a fictionalized version of I.L. Peretz, who in reality was considered by many to be one of the three greatest classic Yiddish writers. This is a contentious scene in the play, with the writers refusing to read a script involving a lesbian relationship and sex work. It is based on a real meeting, where after reading the script, Peretz told Asch, “Burn it, Asch, burn it!”

“Indecent” focuses not only on “God of Vengeance’s” actual censorship but addresses concerns within the Jewish community that “God of Vengeance’s” representation of taboo subjects, like sex work and lesbian relationships, would aid the rapidly compounding antisemitism during the early 20th century.

After the play I went up to [Helen Laser and Kristen Peacock] who played the lesbians to tell them that, as a Jewish lesbian myself, I really appreciated their performance and they got super excited.

– Axis Familiant

The play includes many scenes of debates between Jewish characters on how to live and create freely as a Jewish artist and how impossible it seems to have trust in your audience to interpret your work in good faith when Jewish people are under threat.

“Indecent” is deeply moving, at times funny and self-referential; smart, angry, a generational and an igniting experience to watch. Following the performance, many in the audience stayed afterward for a talk-back, and the number of raised hands for questions vastly outnumbered the allotted 30 minutes. “After the play, I went up to [Helen Laser and Kristen Peacock] who played the lesbians to tell them that, as a Jewish lesbian myself, I really appreciated their performance and they got super excited,” Axis Familiant ’25 recounted. The play’s inspiration, “God of Vengeance,” has been a touchstone of inspiration, representation and visibility for Jewish lesbians. Though the cast was convicted on

As modern viewers, it’s difficult to escape the knowledge that the Holocaust is looming in the play’s future. There are scenes with the real-life rabbi, Joseph Silverman, who speaks about what he perceived as the threat of “God of Vengeance” to Jewish people during an especially antisemitic time. It was later revealed that he was the one who called the New York City vice squad to arrest the cast of “God of Vengeance.”

In “Indecent,” Asch, the writer of “God of Vengeance” rails against criticism from other Jewish writers and their insistence on prioritizing sanitized, conforming Jewish representation, which they deem as “what is good for the Jews” — a phrase often repeated in the play and it seems, in real life. In reality, it seems that Asch felt similarly. “A ‘Jewish play’ is a play where Jews are specially characterized for the benefit of the Gentiles,” Asch wrote in an open letter after the Broadway production was shut down. “I write, and inci-

dentally my types are Jewish, for of all peoples, they are the ones I know best. The ‘God of Vengeance’ is not a milieu play — it is a play with an idea.”

While looming forces of censorship and antisemitism are constant themes in “Indecent,” the heart of the play is the web of Jewish and Yiddish artists across time who keep making and remaking this story as an act of rebellion. With the censorship of “Indecent” in Florida, that same message of solidarity and community has again joined forces. Since Madeline Scotti, a member of the Jacksonville production of “Indecent” spoke out about the district’s censorship of the play on Instagram, the issue has gained national attention, including support from Vogel. When talking with the actors, Familiant also found out that Scotti also came to West Hartford to see “Indecent” and meet the cast.“The

Senate discusses safety concerns, cont’d

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Open floor then turned to questions and concerns, a part of the meeting where students are asked to voice their opinions on various matters. The first student to speak was the representative for the Neurodiverse Students Association. They voiced two concerns. First, due to accessibility concerns and other complications, they asked if the school could review its snow day policy. By the time 8:30 classes begin, they stated, it is not often safe for the students to move around campus.

Second, as a student with Celiac disease, they were particularly concerned about the lack of gluten-free food options during school breaks. The senate said that they were in conversation with administrators about the food availability for students over breaks.

Following the NDSA representative, the senator for the class of 2024 sparked a discussion surrounding student health and safety. The senator for the class of 2024 is concerned about the availability of healthcare for students, especially in the middle of the night. Between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Health Services is operational; after hours, students are directed to an on-call nurse, who is not exclusive to the College and is often very busy. Sen-

ate responded by saying that if the nurse was busy while there was a serious issue, students are encouraged to ask their RAs for assistance or perhaps visit an emergency room. This sparked a new question from another student, who asked how students without access to a car could get to and from the ER or an urgent care center. Alicia Erwin, the assistant vice president for student life and strategic operations, explained that Lyon’s Lift, a new after-hours transportation system staffed by students being developed by SGA and administration were jointly working on, would be able to respond to these calls. Although the program is very new and not yet in effect, the idea is that a student would be able to call Public Safety and they would direct the student to whichever Lyon’s Lift driver was on-call.

On this note, a different representative asked about the availability of student EMTs on campus. Several students chimed in, discussing liability and other schools with similar programs. Erwin again stepped in to explain that Mount Holyoke used to have a program where students were trained to help aid medical emergencies, but it was phased out several years ago when students were no longer interested. Students present at the meeting expressed interest in restarting the program.

A final concern was raised by

the MacGregor Hall senator about Disability Services. With the current intake officer on leave, the senator wanted to know if there were any plans to expand the Disability Services staff. A senator who works with Disability Services added that they are in the process of hiring a new staff member, but as a senior accommodations coordinator. Senate then moved on to discuss spring semester town halls. The temporary schedule for future town halls states the following: ResLife on March 21; a taxes workshop on April 4; Library Information and Technology Services on April 18; and Dining Services on April 25. While on the topic of town halls, SGA members made sure to discuss proper town hall etiquette.

They underscored the principles of mutual respect and calling in vs. calling out, and stated that town halls are not the time to bring up personal anecdotes. Senators pointed out that senate is an open meeting, completely available to the public. Each of the senators and representatives were then directed to check their email for a form where they could submit questions for the Town Hall. After being given a few minutes to answer questions, students were asked to work on their commissions until an E-Board member came around to let them know who to send their finished petitions to.

support from the Broadway theater community feels like we have found our own mishpoche,” Scotti posted on Instagram, using the Yiddish word for “family.”

The Yiddish theater and art community is a hidden gem of the Connecticut River Valley, from West Hartford to Amherst and beyond, and functions as a family in a way itself. In the Playhouse on Park’s lobby, where “Indecent” is showing, there is an information display on Yiddish theater connections in West Hartford curated by the Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford. To the side, there are pamphlets for the National Yiddish Book Center and their new exhibit, “EVERY PROTECTION: Exploring Pregnancy and Childbirth in the Jewish Pale of Settlement.” The Yiddish Book Center sits on the Hampshire College campus, a 15-minute bus ride from Mount Holyoke.

Dr. Mindl Cohen, the academic director of the YBC, was invited to teach a class called “The Gender of Yiddish” last semester at Mount Holyoke and spoke at last week’s annual Latke Hamantaschen debate, a Jewish Student Union tradition. In her presentation, she introduced students to the Yiddish concept of “the golden chain, de goldene keyt, which is the chain of cultural continuity, connecting us to generations of our ancestors, their experiences.”

“God of Vengeance” and “Indecent,” in their many variations across time, are acts of de goldene keyt. Each production, writer, actor and activist involved has forged new links on a chain that spans across time and location, tying together a history of queer, Jewish and Yiddish communities bonding together in direct resistance to fascism and censorship.

The Cochary Pub & Kitchen welcomes students, cont’d

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modest selection of alcoholic beverages. For snacks and appetizers, the pub offers hand-cut french fries with additional BBQ and truffle salt variations, as well as a Mediterranean platter and a honey sriracha fried cauliflower dish. Main entrees available for order include a house salad and a bacon cobb salad, as well as a selection of sandwiches, including a Mount Holyoke beef burger, a grilled chicken sandwich and a vegan kelp burger. The menu for each night is available on Mount Holyoke’s website.

Alcoholic beverages can be purchased by students over the age of 21 who present a valid legal photo ID, such as a driver’s license, with one beverage allowed per customer. All alcohol purchased must be consumed within the pub area.

The menu items are made primarily with locally sourced ingredients obtained through partnerships between the College and various farms and breweries located throughout Massachusetts, Maine and Vermont. According to a board in the pub, the Cochary Pub & Kitchen also uses ingredients obtained from Teatulia and Pierce

Bros. Coffee to prepare drinks. Many of these partnerships existed before the pub’s 2020 shutdown, as well as some partnerships carried over from the Dining Commons.

Currently, students can purchase food and drink at the Cochary Pub & Kitchen with any tender valid on campus. This includes cash, credit/debit, MHC Dollars, or the money in a student’s MHCXpress account. The only exception to this is that alcoholic beverages may not be purchased with MHC Dollars, due to state law.

Photo courtesy of Oakley Marton ’25 Playhouse on Park revives the queer, Jewish resistance spirit of “Indecent,” despite its century-long history of being censored in the United States.

Photo by Tara Monastesse ’25 The Cochary Pub & Kitchen reopened on March 3, after an almost three-year hiatus.

German Studies Department hosts Dr. Damani J. Partridge

BY ELIZABETH MURRAY ’26 STAFF WRITER

Content warning: This article discusses the Holocaust.

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Mount Holyoke College’s department of German studies hosted a discussion with Dr. Damani J. Partridge titled “Blackness as a Universal Claim: Holocaust Heritage, Noncitizen Future, and Black Power in Berlin” in the Great Room of the Community Center. Partridge, a graduate of Amherst College, is a professor of Anthropology, Afroamerican and African Studies at the University of Michigan.

To start off the discussion, Partridge showed a short film called “Change the System” by Ibrahim Telly Balde, which showcased his and others’ experiences as Black undocumented immigrants in Germany and the struggles they face within the systems that the state has established.

Professor Partridge’s ideas about Blackness and its claim and how it has been seen throughout history is very interesting and [I also find it interesting] how this identity has been shared using theater.

One such challenge is that the easiest way for undocumented immigrants to get documentation is to marry or have a child with a German citizen, steps that Telly Balde is not ready for at this stage in his life. The film is a mix of documentary and drama. Street interviews are conducted with other African immigrants as well as German citizens.

He is also vice president and president-elect of the German Studies Association. In attendance at the event was a mix of students and several faculty members, including interim president of Mount Holyoke College, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, who introduced Partridge to the audience.

– Molly Brown

Telly then gives his own perspective and dramatizes his experience of living as an undocumented immigrant in Germany. The interviews and scenes when Telly speaks to the camera are spoken in English, and the dramatized instances are spoken in German.

While there were no subtitles for the film, Partridge translated the German-speaking portions for the audience.

Partridge began by discussing the research he conducted with the Black immigrant community in Berlin while writing his book, “Blackness as a Universal Claim: Holocaust Heritage, Noncitizen Futures, and Black Power in Berlin.”

He told the story of an immigrant from Guinea who, after coming to Berlin, became involved in the theater community, learned about the Black Power movement and embraced Blackness in modern-day Germany. Partridge then spoke on the political act of claiming Blackness and how other communities of color have used it to fight against discrimination. In Berlin, in this type of theater — which he calls insurrectionary theater — actors are encouraged to improvise and everyone must participate.

This practice has served as a way for Black actors to explore their identities and spark activism. Partridge argued that Germany’s history of the Holocaust heavily impacts discussions of race and discrimination and that while German society is well-known for fighting hate and white supremacy when many com-

munities of color bring up their experiences, they are seen as trying to diminish the impact of the Holocaust.

Partridge ended his lecture on a note of uncertainty, referencing the fall of the Berlin Wall and how similar the historical event is to the current moment of uncertainty about the next steps forward in terms of universal Blackness.

Partridge then took questions from the audience. Attendees asked

him about his time studying the insurrectionary theater troupes, and his observations on Blackness as an identity.

When asked about their thoughts on the lecture, Molly Brown ’25 said, “I think that Professor Partridge’s ideas about Blackness and its claim and how it has been seen throughout history is very interesting and [I also find it interesting] how this identity has been shared using theater.”

Migrant boat carrying over 200 people sinks off coast of Calabria, Italy

BY SARAH BELL ’25 STAFF WRITER

Content warning: This article discusses mass death.

On Feb. 26, 2023, a small wooden boat carrying over 200 passengers collided with rocks off the coast of Calabria in the southern region of Italy, BBC News reported. The boat had originally sailed from Turkey a few days prior to the crash and sunk due to collision during rough weather conditions.

At least 63 migrants, including 12 children, have died from the accident. Most of the passengers were from Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria and Somalia. According to BBC News, the coastguard reported that at least 80 people have survived, with many more currently unaccounted for. BBC News explained that Italy has become an accessible landing destination for migrants

coming from Turkey to either settle or continue to Western or Northern European countries.

The crash sparked debate regarding migration within Europe — specifically Italy in this case — due to Italy’s recently elected right-wing government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a Reuters article explained.

Meloni stated that her government “is committed to preventing departures,” and hopes to work in cooperation with migrants’ countries of origin. According to Reuters, she went on to accuse migrant rescue charities of encouraging migrants to attempt dangerous journeys and to work with traffickers. Many charities strongly rejected the accusations and amplified the need to help the ongoing migrant crisis.

According to Al Jazeera, Shahida Raza, a former hockey player who represented Pakistan, has been identified as one of the victims.

Raza, who also excelled in football and martial arts, was making the journey in search of a better future for her disabled son. Her friend, Summaya Kainat, explained to Al Jazeera that Raza believed that seeking refugee status was easier to obtain than a regular visa.

Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres called for international cooperation in the creation of safer travel routes and rescue operations for migrants, BBC News stated. Francesco Creazzo of SOS Méditerranée, a non-governmental organization, explained to BBC that “it reminds us all that the Mediterranean is a giant mass grave, with tens of thousands of souls in it, and it continues to widen.”

He continued, saying that “now the words ‘never again’ are not even pronounced anymore. We only hear ‘no more departures,’ but unfortunately, people keep venturing on this journey and they keep dying.”

Over 100,000 protesters in Mexico demonstrate against election reform bill

BY KIERA MCLAUGHLIN ’26 STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 26, 2023, over 100,000 demonstrators in Mexico participated in a protest against a new law that weakens the Instituto Nacional Electoral, the nation’s election agency, The New York Times reported. According to Reuters, protesters yelled “Viva Mexico!” and “Lopez out!” while wearing bright pink, the color that represents the INE, and waving Mexican flags during the march into the Zócalo square.

The New York Times reported that this protest went beyond calling out President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who proposed the law, for actively undermining Mexican democracy, and was used to make public opinion known to Mexico’s Supreme Court, which will be ruling on the new law in the coming months.

According to AP News, the law will reduce salaries and funding for local elections, providing less training for the people who run polling

stations and further trimming the sanctions on candidates that do not report campaign finances. The same article reported that Lorenzo Córdova Vianello, director of the INE, said that these new reforms “seek to cut thousands of people who work every day to guarantee trustworthy elections, something that will of course pose a risk for future elections.”

According to Reuters, some political analysts say that the role of the INE has been essential in securing a stable multiparty democracy, especially because of the prominence of a one-party rule in Mexico before the 2000s.

AP News reported that the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian

A. Nichols tweeted on the day of the protests that “the United States supports independent, well-resourced electoral institutions that strengthen democratic processes and the rule of law.” In response, Samantha Power, current Administrator of the United States Agency for Interna-

tional Development, tweeted that “the Mexican Electoral Institute … is a model for electoral transparency and efficiency across Latin America. Non-partisan, well-resourced electoral institutions are key to ensuring every voice is heard, and every vote is counted.”

The location of the protest, the Zócalo square, invokes a powerful history, according to El País, as it is a famous public square in Mexico that allows thousands of people to demonstrate in the capital and is a site that represents landmark events throughout modern Mexican history. On the day of the demonstration, José Ramón, a retired minister, spoke in front of protesters with the Supreme Court courthouse behind him. Addressing the crowd, Ramón said, “those of us who are here have not only wanted to fill the Zócalo. We come to occupy, respectfully and temporarily, the Plaza de la Constitución,” El País reported.

According to AP News, President López Obrador’s reaction to

this demonstration has been to criticize concerns about the weakening democracy and “[to dash] hopes that he would try to ease rising political tensions.” The same article reported that López Obrador has used his platform to discredit claims that the new law is a threat to democracy, and has even claimed that instead of the actual slogan of the protest, “Don’t touch the INE,” the demonstra-

tors said “Don’t touch corruption,” “Don’t touch privileges,” and “Don’t touch the Narco Government.”

The New York Times reported that some analysts have said that the crowd of demonstrators on February 26 was large enough to prove that Mexicans are ready to support the institutions they believe in and express their frustration with the president.

Northern Irish party weighs risks and rewards of the Windsor Framework

BY NORAH TAFURI ’25 STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 27, 2023, legislation from the British parliament titled the Windsor Framework was introduced.

According to PBS News, the bill will open the border between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, allowing free trade in place of the previously restrictive custom checks on some goods such as meat, eggs and medicine.

“Only those goods bound for the Republic of Ireland now need to go through full customs checks before entering Northern Ireland.”

Christopher Mitchell, assistant professor of international relations and politics at Mount Holyoke College, explained. “This is an improvement for Northern Ireland in trade terms, as previously all goods from Great Britain needed to go through full customs checks to enter Northern

Ireland. The [Windsor Framework] also preserves an entirely open trade border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, which is why there were customs checks out of Great Britain in the first place.”

According to BBC News, Northern Ireland operates on a unique power-sharing structure mandated by the Good Friday Agreement to be both representative of nationalists and unionists. Provided the history of security surveillance by Britain in Northern Ireland, both parties felt unease at the prospect of enhanced checkpoints on the border. Irish Borderlands, a website dedicated to providing resources for understanding the Irish borderlands, states that “the border continues to affect the lives of those who live nearby. It still marks the boundary between one political unit and another and still means that people living along the border live with the

practical effects of differences in the national organization of society — different government policies, laws, regulations and services.”

In a concrete sense, “there is a continued sense of the neglect of the borderlands by governments on either side of the border. Many parts

of the border still suffer from under-investment, lack of services and employment opportunities.”

The Windsor Framework, Mitchell said, “provides a potential way to appease both the republicans who insist on an open border with the EU — especially the Republic of

Ireland — and unionists who want an open border with Great Britain and to be outside of EU jurisdiction […] It’s definitely a compromise that favors the republicans a bit more than the unionists, but at the same time is a much improved situation for the unionists than the previous Northern Ireland Protocol, which essentially left Northern Ireland totally under EU jurisdiction economically.”

Mitchell concluded by noting the way in which the Windsor Framework opens the door for U.K. and EU cooperation on other issues. “Previously, the U.K. had been shut out of a lot of other programs until the Northern Ireland deadlock [was] resolved,” he said. He closed the interview by advising that the U.K. will likely be let back into Horizon Europe, the EU’s main scientific research funding program now that a major roadblock has been resolved by the Accord.

Photo by Elizabeth Murray ’26

Dr. Damani J. Partridge discussed the role of theater in the claiming of black identity on Feb. 28.

Photo courtesy of UN Women via Flickr Protestors gathered in Mexico in opposition to a new bill that would place restrictions on the INE.

Photo courtesy of Mstyslav Chernov/Unframe via Wikimedia Commons

A boat carrying over 200 migrants from Turkey to Italy sank off the coast of Calabria on Feb. 26.

Photo courtesy of UK Parliament via Flickr New legislation may open the border between Northern Ireland and the UK, allowing free trade.

Tuvalu becomes the first digital nation in response to climate change

once was.”

Tuvalu,” the site said. The country has also taken on several climate adaptation and resilience projects to protect its resources from climate change, the United Nations Development Programme reported. One of Tuvalu’s islands, Teafualike Islet, now exists digitally on tuvalu.tv.

“Teafualiku Islet, our smallest island, is the first part of our country we’ll lose — so it’s the first we’ve recreated digitally. Without immediate, global climate action, all of Tuvalu will only exist here,” the website states.

Piece by piece we will preserve our country, bring solace to our people and remind our children and grandchildren what our home once was.

– Simon Kofe

He emphasizes that while Tuvalu does what it can to minimize its own environmental impacts, other countries need to come together and take action to truly make a difference. “Without a global conscious and a global commitment to our shared well-being, we may soon find the rest of the world joining us online as their lands disappear,” he said. Towards the end of the video, the full expanse of the digital islet came into frame, surrounded by an empty digital abyss.

BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT EDITOR

Global temperatures are inching closer to 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming and global greenhouse gas emissions continue to be on the rise, according to the 2022 International Panel on Climate Change report.

Of these increases in emissions, the report explains, Small Island Developing States are responsible for a “negligible” quantity. Despite their minimal contributions to climate change, small islands are highly vulnerable to its effects, the United Nations said. As climate change’s worst impacts come closer to being reality, small islands have turned to digital preservation as they face the possibility of being wiped from the physical plane.

Severe storms, rising sea lev-

els, coral bleaching, increases in invasive species and drought are all impacts of global warming that are already being felt by small islands, according to the United Nations. Climate change also destroys island ecosystems, which threatens their populations’ access to key resources and livelihoods.

For the Pacific Island countries, this could include a decline in fish yields of over half by 2100, the UN reported. These effects may grow beyond what small islands are able to adapt to before the turn of the century, forcing their populations to migrate, a process for which their governments and legal systems are not prepared.

One of these small island nations is Tuvalu, a country in the Pacific Islands that is composed of nine islands and has a population of just

over 10,000 people, according to Britannica. To respond to the imminent threats posed by climate change, Tuvalu has become the world’s “first digital nation” as part of what was dubbed the Future Now Project.

In recent years, Tuvalu has not shied away from demanding climate action. During the COP26 conference Simon Kofe, Tuvalu’s Minister for Justice, Communication and Foreign Affairs recorded his speech to the United Nations while standing kneedeep in the ocean to show the country’s struggle with sea level rise, the Guardian reported.

According to Timeless Tuvalu, the country’s official tourism site, children are taught about climate change starting at the age of six. Children are also taught about emigration, as they “could be the last generation of children to grow up in

California and Texas lead US in green energy

land in Texas is regulated by the federal government.”

Texas has also constructed transmission lines directly linked to businesses and homes to more efficiently connect wind farms to the grid. According to The Guardian, this is a major obstacle that many states face in the implementation of renewable energy, as most wind and solar farms are in rural areas and thus require transmission lines to connect them to the central electrical grid. As of 2021, over 8,100 projects in the U.S. were seeking approval for grid connection, which is already at capacity. This “backlog” is one of the leading delays for the switch to clean energy, The Guardian stressed.

Alongside a digital recreation of the islet, complete with swaying trees and an endlessly circling flock of birds, visitors to the site can view information about the islet’s weather and tides. The site also contains a recording of a speech given by Kofe about the project.

In the recording, Kofe addresses the audience from a podium on one of Teafualike’s sandy beaches. Kofe begins by explaining that as global temperatures continue to rise, “we in the Pacific would not sit idly by and wait for the world to act.” He adds that the country has had to take its own action in the face of climate change. “As our land disappears, we have no choice but to become the world’s first digital nation,” he said.

A minute into the video, the camera begins to slowly zoom out, revealing Kofe’s surroundings. The background glitches and flickers as it comes to life, with gray rectangles turning into patches of sand and tree branches that haphazardly flash in and out of the background as they come into frame. As the video continues to zoom out and Kofe appears smaller and smaller, he continues his address. “Piece by piece we will preserve our country, bring solace to our people and remind our children and grandchildren what our home

Future Now does not symbolize Tuvalu’s resignation to the changing climate, Kofe told Long Now. Rather, it serves as a way of bringing local stories, places and culture to Tuvaluans wherever they are. As the project develops, it will include more elements such as cultural practices, songs, and historical records.

It can also act as a tool to monitor the impacts of climate change on the islands through the display of real-time data and help predict future impacts, Kofe said. He also expressed that he hoped it would signal Tuvaluans to prepare for the realities of climate change.

In addition to the Future Now project, Tuvalu partnered with the Marshall Islands to develop the Rising Nations Initiative, a project that aims to “protect their sovereignty, cultural integrity, human and economic capital” even after their physical territory is lost. According to the Global Center for Climate Mobility, the initiative consists of four pillars. These include a political declaration to affirm the sovereignty of Pacific island nations, climate adaptation efforts, the creation of a “living repository” to preserve their cultural heritage and the designation of these countries as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

BY SARAH GRINNELL ’26 STAFF WRITER

According to a new report by Climate Central, the amount of clean energy produced by the U.S. skyrocketed in 2022, with wind and solar producing enough energy to power “the equivalent of 64 million average American households.” Among the largest renewable energy producers of this dramatic increase are California, Florida, Iowa, Oklahoma and Texas.

Due to heightened renewable energy development in states such as these, The Guardian states that “national wind and solar capacity grew 16 percent compared to 2021.” This statistic will become increasingly important as the Biden administration moves forward with its billion-dollar renewable energy projects promised as part of the commitment to decarbonize the grid by 2030 and reach net zero emissions by 2050. The Climate Central report explained that California produced the most solar energy and Texas produced the most wind power in 2022. The report suggests that if current production trends stay on track, the U.S. could potentially produce enough electricity from sunlight and wind to reach that 2050 goal.

California’s sunny weather makes it well-suited to the transition to clean energy, The Los Angeles Times reported. During one weekend in 2021, the state was powered by 95 percent renewable energy. However, renewable power is largely dependent on shifting environmental

conditions, so these peaks in renewable energy can be short-lived. On hot summer nights, California has repeatedly encountered blackouts, The Los Angeles Times reported. Furthermore, California still simultaneously burns natural gas and exports electricity to its border states, a factor that is not accounted for in state-level calculations of renewable energy use.

Texas’ leadership in wind production may come as a surprise given that it is a red — or Republican-voting — state, and as OilPrice. com points out, many conservative local and federal level Republicans are notorious for opposing climate spending. Despite this, the state has been a leader in renewable energy since last year, installing 7,352 megawatts of new wind and solar capacity. In comparison, California only installed 2,697 megawatts of energy storage projects.

The Guardian shows that Texas’ performance makes sense given the regional context of the state. Irfan Khan, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Texas A&M, said to The Guardian, “Texas is rich in wind speed and rich in sun.” This means that while the initial investment in renewable energy is costly, the weather conditions in Texas make wind a cheap energy source once the infrastructure is implemented.

Texas’ deregulation of its energy market has also advanced the amount of land able to be leased for wind turbines, The Guardian explained, as “only two percent of the

Another obstacle that keeps states from following the examples of Texas and California is the vast amount of misinformation regarding renewables, NPR explained. According to NPR, common misconceptions about wind turbines’ noise levels, their supposed lack of effect on reducing carbon emissions and stories of the low-frequency infrasound of turbine noise supposedly causing health problems or wind turbines breaking, burning and falling have deterred a number of states and legislators from hopping on the trend, despite professionals debunking these concerns. Nonetheless, NPR says that researchers cite misinformation as a leading source of doubts about clean energy which have slowed or derailed a number of renewable projects.

While the Climate Central report shows a promising trend towards more renewable energy, NPR emphasizes that it is important to remember that 60 percent of U.S. electricity still comes from carbon-based sources. Texas, for example, still ranks 10th in the country for fossil fuel consumption, despite its use of renewables.

Therefore, while experts like Climate Central’s senior data analyst, Jennifer Brady, cite the report’s findings as evidence of how “we are moving closer to the goals we need to reach in order to hit net zero,” these statistics, as well as The Guardian and NPR’s emphasis on the structural issues involved in the implementation of renewables, caution that steps still remain to be taken before the U.S. can become completely carbon neutral.

Graphic by Sunny Wei ’23

All about endometriosis

BY YUYANG WANG ’24 STAFF WRITER

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, the endometrium is the layer of tissue inside the uterus. The endometrium grows during each menstrual cycle to prepare for a fertilized egg. If no eggs are fertilized during the menstrual cycle, the endometrium is shed during what is commonly known as a period, according to Cleveland Clinic.

Endometriosis refers to a condition where the endometrium grows on the outside of the uterus. When endometrial tissue grows in areas that do not shed during a period cycle, it can build up and cause “inflammation, scarring and painful cysts,” Johns Hopkins Medicine explains.

Statistics from Johns Hopkins Medicine show that one in 10 women between the ages of 15 and 44 have endometriosis. While the exact cause of endometriosis is unknown, several theories exist, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Endometrial tissue has been found to leave the uterus through the veins or lymphatic system, similar to the spread of cancer cells through the body. Endometrial cells can also be indeliberately attached to some areas outside the uterus after surgeries such as a C-section or hysterectomy.

Another possible cause is “reverse menstruation,” when instead of being shed from the body during a period, endometrial tissue goes into the fallopian tubes and the

abdomen, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Certain hormones can also “transform” cells in other parts of the body into endometrial cells, the Mayo Clinic reported.

The most typical symptoms of endometriosis are pain and infertility. However, the symptoms may vary between different persons.

People who have endometriosis may not feel any pain, and severe pain during the period cycle is not directly correlated with endometriosis, said Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Johns Hopkins Medicine points out that there are some factors that can cause a higher risk of developing endometriosis. These include other family members having endometriosis, an “abnormal uterus, which is diagnosed by a doctor,” starting menstruation before the age of 11, short menstrual periods and “heavy menstrual periods lasting more than seven days.”

On the other hand, there are some factors that can lower the risk of endometriosis including experiencing a pregnancy, breastfeeding and eating citrus fruits.

There are three treatment methods for endometriosis, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. The most common non-surgical treatments include hormone therapy and pain management. If the disease is already in the late period or is more severe, a laparoscopy or laparotomy is required. Hysterectomy, or removing the uterus, is another treatment method that results in decreased estrogen levels and an inability to become pregnant.

Photo courtesy of UNDP Climate via Flickr Nanumea Atoll is one of the nine islands and coral atolls that make up the country of Tuvalu, which recently became the world’s first digital nation.

Photo courtesy of John Morton via Flickr

Grapic by Sofía Savid ’24

BY SOPHIE FRANK ’26 STAFF WRITER

Content warning: This article discusses racism, misogyny, homophobia and sexual assault.

As the James Bond books prepare to be rereleased after racially offensive language was removed, questions about sensitivity and censorship rage on in the publishing world. The James Bond books, written by British author Ian Fleming, were published from 1953 to 1966. The series is made up of spy thrillers that follow James Bond, a British Secret Service agent.

with inclusive language

ements that will reportedly remain include queerness being referred to as disability and the mockery of the Korean villain of the 1959 novel “Goldfinger.”

Sensitivity reading in the publishing industry centers around character traits and topics like those in the Bond books that might be problematic or inaccurate to the lived experiences of a group of people. A 2021 article from The Spectator that describes the daily work of a sensitivity reader says “much of their work involves checking for simple, widely applicable errors. ‘It’s … about what wouldn’t make sense, like [for example], someone with my hair wouldn’t go swimming right after doing their hair,’ [a sensitivity reader described as non-binary and mixed race said].”

that encourages authors to work with what they call an authenticity reader, saying “when authors are writing outside of their experience, feedback from experts within the communities they’re writing about is crucial.”

Sensitivity readers will read a work in progress that features characters or plotlines whose experiences may not be those of the author but are the sensitivity reader’s. Salt and Sage’s homepage features editors for hire who list categories or groups they identify with and feel comfortable representing.

James Bond cinematic universe, the original books have been criticized for racist and misogynistic language.

The republication has raised questions about what offensive content gets to stay, and who gets to decide. The publishing industry has begun to trust sensitivity readers to read new and old works for the identification and removal of stereotypes.

while keeping as close as possible to the original text and the period in which it is set.”

According to the Spectator article, sensitivity readers are editors who often work freelance for publishing companies, such as Salt and Sage Books. Sensitivity readers will read a work in progress that features characters or plotlines whose experiences may not be those of the author but are the sensitivity reader’s. Salt and Sage’s homepage features editors for hire who list categories or groups they identify with and feel comfortable representing. These categories range from identity groups, such as a person’s racial or LGBTQ+ identity, to lived experiences, such as immigration or gender-based violence, to areas of interest, such as 2000s pop culture.

Sensitivity reading is not a perfect science, according to the Spectator. It can border on tokenism to hire one person to speak as a representative for a large and diverse group. As an article by the Spectator says, “If the book was read by a female sensitivity reader, how would she be able to take into account the broad and varied life experience of all women?” The same question applies to any identity group. The work requires members of marginalized communities to read potentially triggering or harmful portrayals of communities they are a part of, which a source in the Spectator article described as “emotionally exhausting.”

As the field continues to develop, it remains to be seen whether people in publishing will commit to diversifying their industry, or whether sensitivity reading, per the same Spectator article, will “[keep] the most socially vulnerable in the most vulnerable financial positions.”

It’s unclear who the sensitivity readers for the James Bond books will be. What is known is that the changes are supported by Ian Fleming Publications, which “work[s] … to protect and uphold the legacy of Ian Fleming and his writing.”

It is uncertain if or how a sensitivity read will remove offensive racial stereotypes and misogynistic tropes from the books, as some of them are highly integral to the plot. Much of the editing process appears to have been choosing select words or phrases to erase, rather than overarching tropes, according to Euronews.

However, not every offensive idea or word choice will be expunged during the editing process.

The editor will read a manuscript and make edits based on how accurately an author writes about a certain issue. The Salt and Sage website says they have “brought together our diverse skills and experiences in a single welcoming place … to help writers like you.” A sensitivity reader for Salt and Sage is paid $0.009 per word, according to the Spectator article, and will work with an author to figure out what kind of read would be most helpful.

When announcing the rerelease, the company put out a statement to The Telegraph saying they had “reviewed the text of the original Bond books and decided [their] best course of action was to follow Ian’s lead.” This lead refers to when, prior to the United States publication of “Live and Let Die” in 1954, Fleming himself approved the removal of harmful language used towards the book’s Black characters.

In the same vein as recently announced sensitivity edits to a number of Roald Dahl books, the Bond books will be republished with offensive language removed. The newly edited versions will include a disclaimer at the beginning: “This book was written at a time when terms and attitudes which might be considered offensive by modern readers were commonplace. A number of updates have been made in this edition

Euronews reported that “The Spy Who Loved Me,” published in 1962, contains a passage that asserts that women like being sexually assaulted that will not be removed during the book’s republication. Other el-

Major publishing houses now promote the hiring of sensitivity readers, or an “authenticity reader,” as Penguin Random House refers to it on their website. The Penguin Random House website currently features a page first posted in 2018

The books in their original forms will still be available, and the Ian Fleming Publications statement encouraged people “to read the books for themselves.” The updated Bond books will hit the shelves in April, and readers will have a chance to decide for themselves how they think future revisions should be handled.

Upcoming mystery novel is set at Mount Holyoke College

BY JUDE BARRERA ’24 STAFF WRITER & COPY EDITOR

On Feb. 25, 2023, The Sunday Telegraph released a report on the edits to the James Bond books because despite the successes of the Mount Holyoke’s campus in the nineteenth century is the setting for the upcoming book “Killingly” by Katharine Beutner, a professor at the College of Wooster in Ohio. Based loosely on true events, the novel follows the search for missing Mount Holyoke student Bertha Mellish.

In an interview with Mount Holyoke News, Beutner described “Killingly” as “a queer historical crime novel … It was a time when there was a lot of anxiety in the culture about women’s roles and this idea about the new woman now as an independent, possibly even financially independent, figure.”

ferred to in her research was scrapbooks made by students in the era.

“It was around the time that people had more access to cameras … So they actually have snapshots, and it’s so recognizable. Here’s a pile of laundry … Here’s the girls having a party and cooking fudge in somebody’s room on a Friday night, or here’s the girls playing softball outside in this one, and things like that. There’s something about the technology of printing at the time that [makes the photos] turquoise,” Beutner noted. These scrapbooks helped to populate the setting of “Killingly,” giving depth and accuracy to the description of college life in the 1800s.

It was an interview with the family doctor of all people. He was describing his ideas because, of course, she was never found … I’m a Smith [graduate] … I was very familiar with … the Pioneer Valley, and so I was like, what? How did I not know about this student who disappeared?

Beutner has based the plot on her findings within the Archives and Special Collections. There, Beutner came across a file with material relating to Bertha, containing records of classes she took at Mount Holyoke, newspaper clippings from her disappearance and letters written by her classmates to their families that mention her. Beyond these documents pertaining to Bertha, Beutner also studied photographs of the campus and dorm life at the time.

– Katharine Beutner

“Killingly” is Beutner’s second novel. Her debut novel “Alcestis” is a retelling of the Greek myth of Alcestis, in which the titular character chooses to die so that her husband will be allowed by the gods to live, but is then brought back from the underworld. “Her voice kind of disappears part way, like she goes to the underworld, and then the story doesn’t follow her there,” Beutner said of the original myth. “It has not escaped to me that both of [these novels] are stories about women who disappear in some fashion … It’s really striking to me that there are just erasures … of women’s voices … and the voices

One of the sources Beutner re-

by her undergraduate studies as a classics major at Smith, as well as a longer interest in Greek mythology. The beginnings of “Killingly” can be traced back to 2009, when Beutner discovered a news article about

Mellish’s disappearance within the archives at the University of Texas at Austin that was written three years after the incident. “It was an interview with the family doctor of all people,” Beutner said. “He was describing his ideas because, of course, she was never found … I’m a Smith [graduate] … I was very familiar with … the Pioneer Valley, and so I was like, what? How did I not know about this student who disappeared?” Since then, Beutner has been writing the novel on and off whilst continuing her professorial career.

Reflecting on the difference between her academic and fiction writing, Beutner said, “In fiction, you’re creating a feeling … It’s a very embodied kind of writing, and to me, that’s very different from academic writing, which can certainly have a strong voice but … it’s not really in the body.” Being based on a true incident, “Killingly” draws from historical, archival and academic references as well as the emotive, embodied writing that Beutner describes. Beutner has also woven feminist themes into “Killingly.”

“I’m also really invested in environmental writing and organizing, and I wasn’t quite sure if I had figured out how to do historical fiction in a way that felt suitably urgent … I do feel like I have now … Reproductive justice is an important element of the book, and that’s something that I care about a lot,” Beutner said.

“Killingly” will be released on June 6, 2023, in both chain and independent bookstores. A digital version of the novel and an audiobook will also be available. Preorders are currently open.

As the James Bond books undergo sensitivity reads, publishing industry reckons

of queer people too.”

Both of Beutner’s published novels have been inspired by her academic career. “Everything I do in the two portions of my life comes together,” she said. “Alcestis” was inspired

Photo courtesy of Alexander Cox Katherine Beutner, above, described her new book “Killingly” as “a queer historical crime novel.”

Maddy Sewell ’24 reflects on her ongoing diving journey

BY GENEVIEVE ZAHNER ’26 STAFF WRITER

Maddy Sewell ’24 is a junior on the swimming and diving team at Mount Holyoke who has earned numerous awards and accolades for her diving. Sewell’s swimming and diving journey began long before her time at Mount Holyoke. She first started 15 years ago when her mom signed her up for swim lessons.

“I would always go to class, and then I’d see the divers going and I’d be like, ‘Mom, that’s what I want to do,’” Sewell said. “She told me, ‘Oh, you can do that, but you have to keep up with swimming.’ So for a long time, I did both.”

Once Sewell reached high school, she decided to focus primarily on diving. Her favorite category of dive is a twister, which she does forwards and backward. “Backs are probably my favorite,” she said.

Although she was unable to visit Mount Holyoke during the application process due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sewell said the reason she fell in love with the school and with the swimming and diving team was due to a good friend she had growing up who had previously competed on the team.

“I [understood] what Mount Holyoke was because of her because she was the reason why I fell in love with the team,” Sewell said. “Then when I finally applied here, I met [Head Swimming and Diving Coach]

Dave [Allen] and [Diving Coach] Rachael [Araujo] over Zoom. And so it just, like, instantly clicked. I [belonged] here.”

Sewell is one of two divers on the team and said that this was a challenge she had to overcome at the beginning of the season. Being part of such a small section of the team gave her more one-on-one time with her coaches, but she missed having more people on the dive team to practice with.

“I do miss some of my teammates, but the swimmers really stepped up and really made me feel part of them,” Sewell said.

Sewell earned the Diver of the Week title twice for the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference and was the runner-up at this year’s NEWMAC championship for both one-meter and three-meter springboard diving. She also placed within the top 12 at this year’s National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Regional Diving Championship. Sewell was unsure of what her season was going to look like coming in, considering the fact that she was coming off of a back injury that led to her being pulled out of competition for most of last season. After the injury, she says she almost made the decision to leave the team entirely. “For a while, I didn’t even know if I wanted to come back, which was a choice that I’m glad I didn’t make.”

However, Sewell said, “About

a month or two in, I did make that decision that I wanted to be at Regionals,” and although she did not qualify for this year’s national championship, she is still proud of the forward movement she has made in her career. Coming back from her back injury has been a large part of Sewell’s development this season. She said working with a mental performance coach for sports has been a large part of what aided her in her journey

back to the pool.

“I personally [met] with her once a week, but she [also met] with us as a team, I think biweekly, and she just goes over lessons and goes over what to do to have more of a positive mindset on things,” Sewell said. “She [helped] me a lot with getting over fear and such.”

Sewell said that since she was injured while diving, part of coming back to the pool involved facing her fears. Working closely with

her coaches and the mental performance coach was a crucial part of her return and building trust in herself and her coaches.

“I trust [Rachael], and seeing that I’m safe, that I am not going to make that [same] mistake [that injured me],” she said, “it was more of telling myself, look, I’ve been doing this for 15 years. I’ve been doing this dive most of my life. I can’t let the one mistake that I [made] last year hold me back.”

Sewell says she has had many memorable experiences in diving, but one moment that stuck out was from this year’s NEWMAC championship.

“There was this moment between me and my coach where we realized that I got second place and [that] I was really close to being first,” she recalled. “She and I both kind of started breaking down together. It kind of surprised both of us … how well I did.”

Sewell also reflected on her journey towards that moment at NEWMACs. “It just kind of showed how much work I had been putting into the season and how much it’s paid off,” she said.

Diving has been part of Sewell’s life since she was little and has given her a significant release. “That’s where I go to de-stress from school … where I can go and have two hours where I don’t have to think about anything else,” she said. “That’s my happy place.”

Squash sends three first-years to CSA Individual Championship

BY LAUREN LEESE ’23 STAFF WRITER

Mount Holyoke Squash newcomers Habiba Abouelatta ’26, Tina Mei ’26 and Ku Paw ’26 played in the College Squash Association Individual Championship last weekend. The competition took place from Friday, March 3, to Sunday, March 5, at the Arlen Specter U.S. Squash Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Abouelatta took on the individual championship tournament on Friday, competing for the Holleran Cup: B Division West as the 16th seed. The

draw put Abouelatta against the Holleran West’s highest-ranked player, Margot Prow of Drexel University.

Prow won the match with scores of 11-1, 11-2 and 11-1. Abouelatta then played in the First Consolation draw that night, facing off against the University of Pennsylvania’s Natasha Pensler, who entered the competition ranked eighth in the division.

Pensler prevailed with scores of 11-5, 11-8 and 11-2.

Friday’s competition rounded off Abouelatta’s first season of college play, which saw Abouelatta competing at the No.1 position for Mount

Holyoke. Her record stands at 10-8. Also on March 3, Paw and Mei competed in the Doubles Championship against Isabel Kelly and Nikita Srivastava from Williams College. The team from Williams won the match with scores of 11-5, 11-5 and 11-3. Paw achieved an individual first-year season record of 7-15, playing at the No. 3 spot for the Lyons.

Mei’s first college Squash season resulted in an 8-14 record at the No. 4 position. Last weekend’s championships constituted the Lyons’ last competition until the 2023-24 season starts up in the fall.

Bulbs and petals are thriving in the Talcott Greenhouse

BY CARRIE LEWIS ’23 & SOPHIE SOLOWAY ’23 HOROSCOPE WRITER | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

This

Photo courtesy of Worcester Polytechnic Institute Athletics Maddy Sewell ’24 was the runner-up in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events at NEWMACs.

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke Athletics Habiba Abouelatta ’26 competed in the CSA Individual Championship on Friday, March 3, 2023.

week, the 51st annual Flower Show opened to the public in the Talcott Greenhouse on March 4, 2023. With vibrant colors and creative arrangements, the flowers and plants on display included freesias, tulips and daffodils. These spring blooms, known for their beauty and aroma, will be on display until March 19, 2023.

BY SHIRA SADEH ’25 GLOBAL EDITOR

Italy Ireland Mexico Meloni Yiddish Indecent Killingly Bechdel Squash Senate

Mount Holyoke News Word Search: March 10 f HOROSCOPES f

Moland Odyssey Pratt Senate Cochary Runnell Endometrium Energy Tuvalu Sewell

3/3 Crossword Answers

CROSSWORD BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23

Mount Holyoke News

Mount Holyoke News is an independent student newspaper written by and for Mount Holyoke College students since 1917.

Executive Board

BY CARRIE LEWIS ’23 & MADDEN LACOSTE ’23 HOROSCOPE WRITERS

Editor-in-Chief Sophie Soloway ’23

Managing Editor of Content Emma Watkins ’23

Managing Editor of Layout Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25

Copy Chief Lydia Eno ’26

News Tara Monastesse ’25 & Bryn Healy ’24

Arts & Entertainment Eliška Jacob ’24 & Lucy Oster ’23

Opinion Jahnavi Pradeep ’23 & Silas Gemma ’26

Books Olivia Wilson ’24

Global Shira Sadeh ’25 & Jendayi Leben-Martin ’24

Sports Emily Tarinelli ’25

Publisher Ali Meizels ’23

Managing Editor of Web Artemis Chen ’25 & Michelle Brumley ’24

Business Manager Katie Goss ’23

Human Resources Hannah Raykher ’23

Editorial Board

Features Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25 & Melanie Duronio ’26

Science & Environmental Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23

Photos Rosemary Geib ’23 & Ali Meizels ’23

Graphics Gabriella Gagnon ’24 & Sunny Wei ’23

Layout Editors Summer Sit ’25, Orion Cheung ’25, Sophie Dalton ’25, Rachel Adler ’26 & Melanie Duronio ’26

Publication Guidelines

Copy Editors Jude Barrera ’24, Eliška Jacob ’24, Max Endieveri ’25, Gemma Golovner ’25, Meghan MacBeath ’25, Kamlyn Yosick ’25, Liv Churchill ’26, Kate Koenig ’26, Abigail McKeon ’26, Hema Motiani ’26, Emma Quirk ’26 & Caroline Huber ’26

Web Editors Maira Khan ’25, Aditi Menon ’25, Chloe Wang ’25, Lily Hoffman Strickler ’23, Thao Le ’25, Sophie Simon ’25 & Ramisa Tahsin

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Letters to the Editor appear exactly as they are sent to MHN, except for corrections to spelling, grammar and AP style. Letters cannot exceed 500 words. All letters must include the writer’s name and telephone number for verification purposes. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Names may be held upon request with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. MHN reserves the right to decide which materials will be printed. Email submissions to mhnews@mtholyoke.edu by Sundays at 5 p.m. for publication the following week.

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ARIES

March 21 – April 19

Is anyone else really scared for the future? Try not to be, I’m there for you. We all have fears, and it’s time we learn from them. Take your time.

Do: Diagonals | Don’t: Bacteria

TAURUS

March 21 – April 19

Being genuine is not only being kind. Hard truths are important too. Put yourself out there and others will do the same for you. Isn’t that what you need?

Do: Stick | Don’t: Gentle

GEMINI

May 21 – June 20

Is it better to speak or to die? I’m afraid that you’ve been afraid recently. I’m not worried for you, because I know you’ll do well. Put your best foot forward on Tuesday.

Do: Rough | Don’t: Hold

CANCER

June 21 – July 22

This is definitely your sign. I know you’ve been asking a question. Don’t let others get in the way of your answer.

Do: Nudity | Don’t: Mist

LEO

July 23 – Aug. 22

Put your phone down, please. Now is not the time. I want you to experience things more often. This will only happen if you pick your head up and look around. Throw out your phone charger.

Do: Fire | Don’t: Nuts

VIRGO

Aug. 23 – Sept. 22

Why do you want attention some days and to be invisible on others?

One is not better than the other, but evaluate the purpose of your actions. Maybe you’ll find yourself wanting the opposite after learning the why.

Do: Peel | Don’t: Dry shampoo

LIBRA

Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

Did you get my text? I’ve been waiting to hear from you, and you ghosted me again. What are we going to do next? The decision is in your hands. Take some deep breaths and make wise choices.

Do: Sheep | Don’t: Nudity

SCORPIO

Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

What safe decisions have you made recently? Did you appreciate the outcome? Try something outside of your comfort zone. This will unlock a new side of you that others will love. However, you will love it even more.

Do: Put | Don’t: Slay

SAGITTARIUS

Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

Right now is the time for you to explore. The corners you haven’t turned are waiting to see you. Leave your footprints but not too deep. You don’t want to get stuck when you’re on your way back.

Do: Red | Don’t: Bright

CAPRICORN

Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

I wish I could hold you in my palm. You would be great in my pocket, but don’t shrink yourself for others’ enjoyment. You were meant to be more.

Do: Covet | Don’t: Lust

AQUARIUS

–

18

Even though it’s still winter, you’re dying to jump in the lake. This is your adventurous side taking over. Stay safe, but make sure to follow this voice. You never know where you may end up.

Do: Rubbing | Don’t: Rubber

Rahman ’25