Mount Holyoke News – September 30, 2022

Mount Holyoke News

Trump accused of fraud by New York Attorney General in lawsuit

BY AMELIA POTTER ’26 & ANOUSHKA KUSWAHA ’24 STAFF WRITER | NEWS EDITOR

On Wednesday, Sept. 21, New York Attorney General Letitia James filed an extensive lawsuit accusing former President Donald Trump of “overvaluing his assets by billions of dollars,” The New York Times reported. James is suing the fami ly-run Trump Organization, as well as Trump’s three eldest children, Ivanka, Eric and Donald Trump Jr.

James’ lawsuit accuses the for mer president of fraud through the false exaggerated valuations of his properties and other assets to re ceive favorable insurance policies and loans, as reported by The New York Times. The duplicity is wide spread. The lawsuit accuses Trump of over 200 intentionally “false and misleading asset valuations” in just 11 of the Trump Organization’s financial statements spanning de cades. In a press release, James said, “The very foundation of his purport ed net worth is rooted in incredible fraud and illegality. … There are not two sets of laws for people in this country; we must hold former pres idents to the same standards as ev eryday Americans. I will continue to ensure that no one is able to evade the law, because no one is above it.”

In response, former President Trump called James “a fraud who campaigned on a ‘get Trump’ plat form” on social media, as reported by The New York Times. The same arti cle also referenced that in the past,

Trump has rallied his supporters by painting himself as a “political mar tyr” in response to law enforcement accusations. Nevertheless, there is no historical precedent of a former U.S. president confronted with such an ample assemblage of lawsuits as Trump now finds himself up against, according to The New York Times.

James is using a decades-old statute known as Executive Law 63 (12) against Trump. This law has pre viously been used against “the most egregious corporate malefactors,” The New York Times stated. Execu tive Law 63 (12) grants the Attorney General the upper hand regarding the lawsuit, permitting extensive in vestigation into the Trump family’s financial statements and business dealings. Because of the statute, James has a relatively “low bar,” as to what can be defined as fraud, said David Nachman, a visiting lecturer at Yale Law School, according to The New York Times. Essentially, the law allows the Attorney General to heav ily investigate companies before su ing them, an action typically only permitted after a lawsuit against a company has been filed. James has utilized this law by “issu[ing] sub poenas, conduct[ing] depositions and do[ing] other digging upfront,”

The New York Times reported.

The New York Times reports that the lawsuit seeks an estimated sum of $250 million gained through Trump’s false representations of as sets. Furthermore, according to the website of the Office of the Attorney General, it requests the court to per

manently bar Trump and his eldest children from serving running busi nesses in New York State, as well as to appoint an independent authority to oversee all financial asset report ing done by the Trump family and by their associated businesses.

This lawsuit is the result of a three-year investigation into Trump and his organization by the Office of the Attorney-General. However, as reported by NBC, Trump’s most probable defensive strategy will be to delay the proceedings for as long as possible, and former prosecutors said that it might “take years for the case to get to trial.”

This lawsuit comes amidst a storm of other legal woes for Trump, who is no longer shielded by the presidential protections he enjoyed while in office. In addition to this lat est lawsuit, The New York Times re ported that Georgia’s Fulton County district attorney Fani T. Willis is currently building a case accusing Trump of attempting to undermine the results of the 2020 election. Fur thermore, the Jan. 6 investigatory committee has laid the groundwork for a possible criminal case against Trump. The former president is also experiencing controversy from this past August wherein the FBI un covered classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence and he is now being sued with criminal charges for mishandling documents, as well as obstruction of justice in relation to his handling of the documents, The New York Times reported.

Facilities and dining workers reach contract agreement with the College

ing. “For years that two percent that they were giving us, you seem like you’re always taking a step back ev ery year because of the cost of living, insurance, groceries, bills that we all have, unfortunately.”

The Union chapter echoed that, historically, the College has grant ed much lower wage-increase rates during previous negotiations. Rox ana Rivera, the 32BJ chapter of the SEIU’s executive vice president, pointed to working conditions since the beginning of COVID-19 as an ad ditional factor in changing this pat tern. “The pandemic really moved people in this workforce in a way that … they were saying, we need more from the College. … I think we were able to kind of lift the floor.”

proud about where they work, and [they’ve] spent so much of their life there, you know. They identify with the College.”

In addition to uniform and wage improvements, those facilities work ers who are considered skilled labor ers will also receive wage increases based on their particular fields and licenses. This group of employees has been divided into levels based on their role, and will receive raises corresponding to these categoriza tions.

BY SOPHIE SOLOWAY ’23 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Months after their contracts initially expired, Facilities and Dining Services employees have signed contracts and will receive retroactive pay raises. occurred over the past year now. But of course, ... going into this next … fiscal year … inflation is still high.”

Following months of negotia tions with the Mount Holyoke Col lege administration, and a lapse in contracted work, Facilities Manage ment and Dining Services workers on campus have come to a consen sus with the College. These recent agreements have resulted in across the board incremental wage increas es during this fiscal year and over the rest of the three-year contractual period, according to a press release from the 32BJ chapter of the Service Employees International Union.

When workers’ contracts with the College initially lapsed in late June 2022, as previously reported by

Mount Holyoke News, negotiations had already taken place on a weekly basis throughout May, with neither party reaching an agreement. As ne gotiations continued into July, much of the staff’s concerns revolved around wages, according to Steve Slater, an engineer at the College’s Central Heating Plant and shop steward for the facilities negotiating team.

According to Slater, both facili ties and dining services employees sought out higher raise rates during spring negotiations, largely moti vated by high inflation rates across the country. “Before we had agreed on … our proposals, we were just … at a standstill with the waging — not just for the inflation part of it that’s

The recently signed contracts are set to increase facilities workers like Slater’s salaries by “at least a 5.5-percent wages retroactive to July 1, 2022, and a three-percent wage increase on July 1, 2023 and 2024,” according to the SEIU 32BJ press release.

These increases, according to Slater, are high in comparison to recent contracts signed with the College, which, in his memory, gen erally granted two-percent wage increases to facilities workers and Dining Services employees alike. For Slater, those raises were insuffi cient in combating rising costs of liv

On top of these wage increas es, facilities workers will receive an improved shoe allowance, which will pro vide more pairs of work shoes for workers that need them throughout the year. Facilities workers that did not previously receive uniforms will now be eli gible for Mount Holyoke insignia.

People in dining have so many years of service, they know how to do the job, and they can help inform how things could work. … The workers want to do a good job and want to be able to share what they’ve learned to better the whole operation.

According to Rivera, this re quest “[seemed] simple,” but was important in building a sense of belonging for many facilities em ployees on campus. “We had the ex ample of one member that actually made his own shirt, he paid for his own shirt to say Mount Holyoke. Because, again, … they want to be

– Roxana Rivera

Dining Services employees will receive identical wage increases with facilities workers, and are now entitled to wage increases relative to how long they’ve worked for the College. The Union reported that “over half of dining service workers will receive an immediate 12 percent increase and a third of workers with 10 or more years of service will get an imme diate 18.5 percent increase” based on their respec tive amounts of time employed by the College. Rivera re ported that this longevity clause was introduced in order to rec ognize the com mitments made by dining staff, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. She shared that this ‘rec ognition for longevity’ has been “huge for morale because … the pandemic took a toll on people. But

Campus mask mandate extended without end date due to high transmission

BY SOPHIE SOLOWAY ’23 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

In a Sept. 28 MHC This Week: Mount Holyoke College Updates email to the community, the College announced that it would be extend ing its on-campus mask mandate. The news was delivered just two days before the mandate was sched uled to end, and does not cite an end date.

In her letter to the community, Interim President Beverly Daniel Tatum referenced “the relative ly high confirmed COVID-19 case counts on campus,” and shared that

approximately 50 cases have been reported per week in the four weeks since the semester began.

Tatum also accredited the deci sion to extend the mask mandate to short-staffing and depleted resourc es on campus, writing, “current levels of infection have taxed our campus health care system and resi dential services to the limit.” Beyond the COVID-19 levels on campus, the letter shared that the College is fac ing understaffing levels parallelling those “across the country.” Tatum’s note stated that it would be “impru dent” to lift the mask mandate given

these constraints.

In addition to the mask mandate extension, the College announced its plans to “host both a COVID-19 and an influenza vaccine clinic on cam pus.” The flu vaccine clinic will be held on Oct. 5, while the COVID-19 vaccine clinic does not yet have a set date.

Tatum concluded her letter to the community with the note that “we will eventually shift from a pandemic to an endemic phase,” marking her “eagerness” to impose a “‘masks welcome and encouraged’ policy.”

Photo courtesy of Thomas Good / Next Left Notes via WikiMedia Commons

Attorney General Letitia James, pictured above in 2008, has filed a suit against the Trump family.

Photo by Jenny Yu ’24

reporting

cases

College

Photo by Carmen Mickelson ’24

On-campus space centers first-gen, low-income students

BY NORAH TAFURI

WRITER

A common denominator for many first generation and low in come students is resilience — the resilience to transcend the bonds of circumstance and fearlessly and fiercely advocate for their commu nity. Mount Holyoke College strives to make the campus welcoming, but as many FGLI students can attest, there will always be work to be done.

Mount Holyoke College defines a first-generation student as any student who is “the first to attend a four-year university and attain a col lege degree, did or do not have par ents, guardians or family systems to assist them in navigating the college process [or] have current parents or family systems who did not attend a traditional four-year institution and attain a college degree.”

Additionally, the College iden tifies low-income students by the measure of their household’s annu al income, which is “low relative to other households of the same size in their area/region. In the United States, a household is commonly classified as low-income and may be eligible for certain types of govern ment assistance, including Federal Pell Grant, if its income is less than two times the poverty threshold, as determined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In 2021, a family of four living in the 48 contiguous states or Washington, D.C. would be considered low in come if their household income was less than $53,000.”

According to the American So ciological Association, because of the absence of support in meeting students’ basic needs, “including food and housing insecurity, trans portation, technology, family care and health care … colleges and universities have not been able to reach equity in [FGLI] persistence and graduation rates compared to their higher income peers, especial ly those whose parents attended college.” In the challenging effort to sustain themselves, FGLI students may struggle to participate actively and successfully as a student.

Professor of Psychology and Education Becky Wai-Ling Packard is one of many FGLI faculty at the College, and she describes a similar experience observed in her personal life and her academic research. As stated on her Mount Holyoke profile page, “Packard’s research focuses on mentoring, with an emphasis on how individuals such as first-gener ation college students, women and persons of color construct mentor ing networks as they navigate com plex pathways toward higher educa tion and work.”

Packard said, “I am now in a po sition where I can guide college completion and transfer efforts on the regional and national lev el — [for exam ple, for] people like my dad who earned 62 credits but no creden tial, and count less others who are trying to make a life for themselves, sometimes school gets pushed to the side in or der to survive.” Admission is only one part of the process, and the so cial mobility to be gained through a degree becomes very challenging for students continuing to face personal and financial instability.

system as well as a vibrant commu nity” to aid in these challenges.

FLIP is a student organization composed of FGLI individuals who recognize the needs of their commu nity members from a position of per sonal experience. Its organizational operations are largely housed in the Unity Center, which is also home to the Mixed Identity Student Collec tive, Student Government Associa tion Students of Color Committee, MoZone Peer Justice Educators and Cultural Center student employees.

FLIP President Deepika Ku mawat ’24 relayed her experience in her first year at Mount Holyoke College. She described the time spent anxiously working through her first housing form. “I spent like three hours on it because I didn’t know I could just tap on things. I was … [reviewing] everything, making sure that it was accurate.” Kumawat elaborated on her strenuous com munications with Residential Life, explaining that she had to ask a lot of questions such as, “‘What do you mean by this question? Can you re phrase it?’”

This sort of frustration is not an isolated phenomenon. The American Sociological Association also noted that, “First-generation students are left to puzzle through bureaucracies of advising, financial aid, career ser vices, health care and more, with out family guidance or intervention with the institution. The puzzlement can be amplified for first-generation students who are also low-income, as [FGLI] students face opaque pro cesses such as financial aid verifica tion.”

Kumawat is determined to assist her community members. “[FGLI students] don’t expect … to [buy] $100 books. … You need to be used to staying away from your family and [build] … a community here.” Kumawat said “What else? Genu inely knowing how college works [is difficult], because our parents don’t know, [for example,] how many credits we have to take.” With FGLI students lacking familiarity with the college system and stable financial resources, every expense and deci sion is made alone.

Kumawat is motivated by the joy of FGLI students and is prepared to undergo enormous strain in order to ensure their security. Passionately, Kumawat proclaimed, “What do you want? Let me know. … 10 o’clock, I’ll be there for you.” Feeling similar to Kumawat, previous community members stepped forward as lead ers to meet each other’s needs and recognize the intersecting concerns of first-generation and low-income students to form FLIP.

When I was growing up I struggled with the complexity of my life — at times, it felt unfair that I had to work so many hours and figure things out without an extensive family network to help me.

– Becky Wai-Ling Packard

With great effort, FLIP has es tablished a vari ety of programs, including the Safety Net Fund, which is open until April 27, intended to “sup port first-gen eration and/or low-income stu dents who may have a difficult time accessing living necessi ties, technology, laundry … seasonal clothing and other needs to support academic learning in a remote environment, [such as] food, books and academic supplies [and] internet access.”

change my life trajectory at a critical point in my life. When I became a professor at Mount Holyoke College, I was only 25 years old. Throughout my adult life, I have become really proud of my first-gen identity — and my multiracial identity — and what I have been able to do to support stu dents’ in their pathways.” Reaffirm ing the system of support, faculty members hope to help students who might have been in a similar position to themselves.

Additionally, when any student finds themselves unable to afford essential supplies ranging from text books, to mini fridges and winter gear, the Fearless First Resource Center can help ensure that the FGLI College community is as wellequipped and as comfortable as pos sible on campus. Finally, these FLIP resources are coupled with a variety of events held throughout the year such as mixers, panels with former alumni and cap decorating events for seniors. FLIP also has routine open hours at the Unity Center for members to discuss the organization alongside its leadership.

An anonymous FGLI student criticized the College administra tion, stating that these gatherings and the FLIP network are insuffi cient in empowering students in this community. They believe that the College administration’s gestures are not lessening the weight of the burdens FGLI students are forced to carry, but that more material sup port would. “What’s gonna fix [the College’s insufficiency] is material support that actually elevates and brings me up from [my] circum stances and makes me feel at home here and better able to … show up in the classroom,” the anonymous stu dent said. “I can’t do that when I’m worried about work study or taking on loans.”

ient because I’ve had to do a lot to be here and so I think I’m more able to be an advocate.”

Assuming the role of an advo cate for first-generation and low-in come communities, the anonymous student made it clear that while the social events and traditions make FGLI students known to one another, a deeper forum is required to make them seen by MHC administration.

“It seems like there’s a very strong disconnect in the culture of administration and the students,” the anonymous student said. They later elaborated on the significance of “[being] able to organize your selves and talk to each other about issues that are important regarding first-gen, low-income, [and] class backgrounds at Mount Holyoke — because if no one speaks up and talks about their experiences, it’s not going to be solved ever.”

ple, and now you want to fight for things, right?” Kumawat said. “You just need people with similar back grounds to talk about it and then you decide what you want to do … like a dialogue space, which would be won derful.”

Both students agreed that FLIP will change to continue to represent the needs of FGLI students. The next step in enabling a greater sense of interconnectivity among FGLI stu dents would be creating a Living Learning Community. Kumawat ex plained, “FLIP could also be such a great LLC. … I feel like there’s so much community and bonding hap pening, and if you have a floor ded icated to everyone who was a little confused … we can solve it togeth er.” Kumawat believes that, while the changes will help many students, there needs to be more expansive, recorded support from the FGLI community.

Reversing this fact is the core mission of the First-Generation and Low-Income Partnership, otherwise known as FLIP. Mount Holyoke rec ognizes that “Dreams are universal, but opportunities aren’t always” on their website. With FLIP’s program ming and the guidance of first-gen faculty, Mount Holyoke administra tion assures that FGLI students will “find a strong network and support

The First-Gen and Low-Income Faculty & Staff Directory, available on the FLIP website, helps facilitate mentorship between students and faculty and bridge the resource gap that many first-generation students may have. Packard is listed in the directory, and noted, “When I was growing up I struggled with the complexity of my life — at times, it felt unfair that I had to work so many hours and figure things out without an extensive family network to help me. Yet at the same time, I was so for tunate to have a mentor who helped

The effects of class are not only bound to the physical and financial resources, but manifest in every as pect of student life. “Being first-gen/ low income, woman of color, child of immigrants … was a very different upbringing [from] a lot of the peo ple here who grew up upper-middle class, white, [with] their parents … college educated. A lot of them [went to] very nice schools. And it’s a very different experience because … I’m just astounded by … how much I [feel] like, ‘Wow. I went through a lot of shit,’” the anonymous student stated. “I am … working through [this] almost every single day, but that’s also made me more … resil

Thus, the anonymous FGLI stu dent proclaimed the necessity of two spaces — one in which students can speak together, and another where students can speak directly to the College’s administration to voice their concerns. In the absence of a distinct forum to amplify the com munity’s voices, the sincere and con tinuous obstacles for FGLI students persist, and FLIP leadership is faced with a constant struggle to meet the basic needs of their community members.

Kumawat agrees that clearer communication between FGLI stu dents is needed. “Sometimes you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s only me going to the bat, and then you see two other peo

The anonymous FGLI student continued, “I don’t need a fucking journal. … I don’t need those mixers. … It needs to be followed up with the proper support.” For this student, lest Mount Holyoke boast about the grand achievements of FGLI stu dents while letting them exist in alienation, the administration needs to do better. Be it establishing an LLC, or solidifying representation of FGLI in administrative decision making, everyone on campus must actively and loudly participate in the process of FLIP’s expansion and Mount Holyoke’s continual progress to ensure that the needs of FGLI stu dents are met in full.

Facilities and dining workers sign updated contracts, cont’d

for this workforce in dining, it was even more because of the amount of short staffing there was.

… They wanted that acknowledge ment that they stepped up for the College when it was most needed.”

Slater voiced his hope that the wage increases would not only ac knowledge this short-staffing bur

den, but alleviate it in some ways. “If they do start to hire … some more people to help in dining, [because] I know they’re short staffed, hope fully these increases and knowing what you’re gonna get over the next couple of years in a guaranteed raise will help bring people in.”

Additionally, according to Rive ra, these wage increases run parallel to the financial gains made by the College during the same time period.

“This was reflective of … how Mount Holyoke fared out of the pandemic.

… They have a pretty strong pro jection in the years going forward.

I think that we just want it to also be recognized in the workforce that makes it work on a daily basis,” Ri vera said.

Continuing to look to the fu ture, Rivera shared, “We’re looking towards having a good relationship with Mount Holyoke, because …

workers rely on the College, [and the] College relies on them. I think that we’re looking to have a good la bor-management relationship, and we’re [here to] help the College on certain issues, … like recruitment,” Rivera continued. “People in dining have so many years of service, they know how to do the job and they can help inform how things could work.

… The workers want to do a good job and want to be able to share what

they’ve learned to better the whole operation.”

In the meantime, Slater shared that he has already seen a better sense of morale among his cowork ers, stating that the signing of these contracts “gives people a sense of appreciation for their job that they do here in whatever position they are in, throughout the tradesmen in facilities and even in dining.”

Photo by Norah Tafuri ’25 Deepika Kumawat ’24 is the president of the First Generation Low-Income Partnership, which provides resources and advice for FGLI students.

Photo by Tzav Harrel ’24 The Fearless First Resource and Community Center provides support and care for FGLI students.

Mount Holyoke College Art Museum exhibition highlights the diversity of Indigenous experiences

BY OAKLEY MARTON ’25 STAFF WRITER

Last Thursday, Sept. 22, the kickoff event for the annual Native American Indigenous Studies As sociation Northeast Gathering and Five College Native American Indig enous Studies Symposium was held at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum. Attendees made up of Five College NAIS faculty, students and local NAIS academics ate Wampano ag cuisine from Sly Fox Den Restau rant & Bar and concentrated in the front gallery, where they examined one of the newest MHCAM exhibits, “Considering In digeneity.”

“I think I’ll stand [for this interview],” Syd ney Nguyễn, one of the exhibit curators, told MHN following the kickoff. “I’m overexcited right now.”

When asked about the process of choosing the exhibit name, Nguyễn said that the curators “wanted to … really emphasize that this exhibition is a conversation. We’re not trying to tell people anything, we’re not trying to give any answers. We just want people to look at these objects and, through that lens, interrogate things that maybe they’ve never thought about before, like the role that museums play in furthering or hindering tribal sovereignty. … We wanted something that … would suggest that this is not an answer. This is merely a place to start con versations.”

We wanted to … [show] that Indigeneity is not a finite or sure concept. Just like Indigenous people, it’s vast and diverse, and sometimes it conflicts.

– Sydney Nguyễn

Nguyễn is the current exhibi tions coordinator for Smith Col lege’s Neilson Library and formerly worked as the Post-Bacc assistant for Indigenous American collections for the Five College Consortium. She curated “Considering Indigeneity” along with Associate Curator of Vi sual and Material Culture and NAG PRA Coordinator Aaron F. Miller, Five College Indigenous American Collections Assistant Isabel Cordova and Claire Louise Wagner ’22.

Through out the exhib it, this theme of challenging and questioning one’s perception of Indigeneity and how muse ums influence that perception shines through.

On the MHCAM website, the ex hibit description reads, “What is Indigeneity? How is it defined and who does the defining? What can museums do to acknowledge their past and present roles in this conver sation — both harmful and, ideally, reparative?” Even that fundamental question of what Indigeneity means is left for the audience to uncover, with artifacts pulled from many dif ferent continents challenging what the viewer considers Indigenous.

“We wanted to … [show] that Indige

neity is not a finite or sure concept,” Nguyễn says. “Just like Indigenous people, it’s vast and diverse, and sometimes it conflicts.”

One striking part of the exhibit that encapsulated these challeng ing questions was the empty case framed against the wall that held a description of the exhibit. Original ly, the case was intended to be filled with a ceremonial bowl, but the cu rators had concerns that it could fall under the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act. “Having … a suspicion that it could be NAGPRA, I don’t think it’s right to display it — especially [because of] the things we’re trying to say in this exhibi tion,” Nguyễn said. “ [Cordova] brought up [the idea, saying] ‘What if we just left an empty case to rep resent how collection histories are flawed, but being critical and aware and addressing them is the way to go rather than running away?’”

And so, the empty case stayed. Miller added that the goal of the exhibit was really to bring the visi tor along in the significant conver sations many museums are having about their relationships to Indige neity, “conversations that we’re hav ing internally,” he said, “that nor mally would be happening behind closed doors.”

Christen Mucher, a Mount Holy oke alum, associate professor of American studies at Smith College and NAIS symposium planning com mittee member, emphasized that this year’s theme is “museums, li braries, archives and representation in the Northeast.” She continued,

“This is a really good example of the way representation in a small col lege’s museum … is changing,” she said, “It’s changing to specifically look at its past and trying to figure out how to be in [the] right relation in the present and also the future.”

Miller told MHN that in the com ing years, MHCAM is planning to rehang its works and rethink the eu

rocentric focus of its permanent col lection. “Considering Indigeneity,” which is made entirely of objects in the College’s permanent collection, may be a striking example of what’s to come for MHCAM.

The artifacts held in the exhib it vary, from modern portraits by

New Art Studio professors promote interdisciplinary dialogue

BY LENOX JOHNSON '24 COPY CHIEF & ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

This semester, the Mount Holy oke Department of Art Studio on boarded Visiting Lecturers in Art Studio Vick Quezada and Xuân Pham and Assistant Professor of Art Studio Marianna Dixon Williams. Bolstered by the soft opening of Me dia Lab, each of the new faculty mem bers offers a distinctive perspective to the College’s rapidly-evolving in terdisciplinary dialogue.

Upon their welcome to the Col lege in 2020, Associate Professor of Art and Chair of Art Studio Lisa Iglesias aimed to nurture the seeds of collaboration in the art depart ment. While centering collective conversation around principles of equity, transparency, “playful rigor” and experimentation, their holistic approach prioritizes partnership within the liberal arts environment. The synthesis of Quezada, Pham and Dixon Williams into the community this academic year signifies a period of content expansion and increased interdisciplinary partnership within the Mount Holyoke Department of Art Studio.

“These three professors are re ally bringing to the community a commitment to interdisciplinarity and collaboration. These three indi viduals are prolific and creative and imaginative and innovative,” Igle

sias said. “They diversify our facul ty body. They bring new books, new experiences and new perspectives into the art studio community and therefore to the campus community as a whole. We feel very lucky to be welcoming them [to] campus.”

Quezada, who grew up in El Paso, Texas, channels their Lat inx-Mestizx, first-generation college student and transgender nonbinary identities into their work, the Mount

Holyoke Department of Art Studio shared on their Instagram. This fall, Yale University named Quezeda a Yale Center for the Study of Race, In digeneity and Transnational Migra tion Mellon Artist & Practitioner Fel low. In their art, they seek to “create counter-narratives that are brown, two spirit and queer [and] that go be yond settler myths, binaries and bor ders,” they shared in conversation with the Mellon Foundation. “It is

my top priority to create an environ ment in which students’ academic accomplishments and content mas tery are prioritized, but also where social and conceptual thought is in corporated into visual intelligence.

I push students to experiment with a wide range of materials and take calculated risks in their artwork,” Quezada said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. “I’m a huge proponent of interdisciplinary learn ing, where students work across dis ciplines linking their practices and integrate them into original works. Ultimately, a key goal of mine is to empower students and transform them into socially aware citizens and leaders.”

Pham, an interdisciplinary art ist whose work touches on ideas of memory, racialized melancholia, co lonialism, autobiographical issues, migration and immigration works through varied mediums including collaborative performance, textile and traditional visual. According to the Mount Holyoke Department of Art Studio, her work “centers the relationship between trauma, migra tion and race, investigating how the political and psychological impact of trauma and grief transpires within the Asian American communities and how it informs the formation of subjectivity and of racial identity, es pecially in representations of race in the United States.”

Dixon Williams, who assumed

the position of assistant professor of art studio this semester, works with sound, video, computer science and fabrication in their work, according to the Mount Holyoke website. In an interview with the College, they described teaching as “an act of ser vice and an act of constant investiga tion.” Dixon Williams’ role is integral to the expansion of interdisciplinary cultural production, and opens the door to collaboration between art studio and external majors like ar chitectural studies and music. A key player in these continued exo-major relationships has been the launch of the MHC Media Lab, the soft-open ing of which Williams was an inte gral actor in.

The Media Lab, according to Associate Professor of Music, Proj ect Manager of Arts & Technology Thomas Ciufo, “enhances existing course work in several departments, makes possible many new courses and provides students a space to work and collaborate at the intersec tion of emerging technologies and innovative creative practices.” The resource, which includes a primary teaching and lab space with 16 highend computer workstations and iP ads; a work room, interaction design and VR space; and a small-group digital media production suite for advanced audio, video editing and multimedia production work, has

‘Pearl’: A love letter to classic slasher films fosters nostalgia and originality

BY JADA JACKSON ’26 STAFF WRITER

Content warning: This article dis cusses murder.

The independent entertainment company A24 has been at the fore front of modern female-led slasher films from “Bodies Bodies Bodies” to “X” and now “Pearl.” Film director Ti West’s newest female-led slasher film “Pearl” starring Mia Goth hit theaters on Sept. 16, just six months after “X,” which the film prequels.

The film, set in 1918, is chock-full of colorful symbolism, unsettling monologues and scenes that resem ble those of classic slasher films like “The Texas Chainsaw Massa cre” (1974), “Children of the Corn” (1984) and “Scream” (1996) while still bringing something new to the popular genre.

Despite being a prequel, “Pearl” is able to stand on its own within the slasher genre while paying a beautiful homage to the classics. Symbolism is at the heart of all great slasher films, and A24 is no stranger to engaging it. A24 films often use

color to show a transformation and to establish a character’s identity. Older horror films often use color as well, especially red to symbolize that the worst is near and to show the manifestation of repressed rage. West doesn’t try to give movie-goers something too different but plays on nostalgia and maintains what makes a slasher film good while still orient ing it for modern audiences through costuming, cliches and allusions.

The titular character, Pearl, is portrayed in promotional media adorned in a red outfit, but for the majority of the movie she wears blue denim overalls with a pale blue but ton-up shirt underneath, with two white bows pulling her hair back. As the movie progresses, the audience learns just how dark this farmer’s daughter is, and with that discovery comes a different color palette for Pearl. After killing both her lover and her mother, Pearl dons a bright red dress — the only blue remaining in her outfit being a pale blue bow on the back of her head. She is also visibly happier. She is no longer the reserved girl she was raised to be, but is on her road to stardom — at

least she thinks she is. The film itself is about transformation, from blue to red, from farm girl with a dream of being a star to an almost star, then ultimately to failure and murder. She wears red to give her an “X-fac tor,” which she is later told she lacks. She isn’t as special as she thought.

Slasher films are also filled with cliches. Typical clichés include “the final girl” — the strong, independent girlboss who somehow makes it out alive and alone — and the slut — the girl who is usually blonde and is killed, more often than not, while having sex. Cars are mysteriously unable to turn on when the killer is chasing someone. Corn fields are one of the most dangerous places to go. “Pearl” uses this last cliche, although instead of death taking place in the field, the seeds of Pearl’s infidelities are planted there. Pearl humps and dances with a scarecrow who she imagines as a man other than her husband, who is away fight ing in the war. The music bolsters this trope and plays the scene up with loud, suspenseful music, which ends with a crow flapping it’s wings aggressively in Pearl’s face meant to Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ‘24

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Art Museum “Queen mother figure” by Ashanti artist Osei Bonsu, above, is composed of wood and gold paint.

Photos courtesy of the Mount Holyoke Department of Studio Art Above, left to right, new Art Studio faculty Marianna Dixon Williams, Xuân Pham and Vick Quezada.

New language libraries spread stories across campus

BY LAUREN CINCOTTA ’25 STAFF WRITER

This semester, there are new language libraries all around Mount Holyoke’s campus. The outdoor libraries are a project by the Lan guage & Culture Commons to help students connect with books in a variety of languages. According to an article from Mount Holyoke Col lege, LCC coordinator Jean Janecki had the idea for the project after be ing inspired by Little Free Libraries she saw in the larger Western Mas sachusetts community. She worked with several Mount Holyoke stu dents to make it a reality.

In her first year on campus, Ruby Sapkota ’25 worked as a part of the team that built the libraries along side the Fimbel Maker and Innova tion Lab design mentor and Tech nical Lead Kris Camp. “I was in the building team which included cut ting the wood for the libraries, shap ing them, attaching them together with nails and painting them. I was also involved in a few of the design meetings to finalize how to [create] the final design by decorating the little libraries,” Sapkota explained. Working on the project also gave her the opportunity to learn new skills and form a deeper connection with the campus community. “It was my

first time using nails, painting in the woods [and] working with a wood cutting machine… together with other LCC friends. We put [in] a lot of time, effort and love so the little library is a precious project for me.”

The students that worked on the project are passionate about sharing their love of learning languages with other community members. “We want people to know about different languages taught here and appreci ate their importance. We hope these libraries also become a symbol of inclusion present in the diverse stu dent body at MoHo. Most people find it difficult to learn a new language but with the little library, I want people to get interested in learning them because it’s also about learn ing about other cultures,” she con cluded.

Claudia Gonzalez-Vazquez ’25 joined the project to incorporate her love of books, learning and crafting into something to share with the community.

She was involved in several as pects of construction including “the design of the boxes, from the struc ture to the colors… [cutting] the wood and [building] the boxes from scratch, [helping] with the painting and [producing] the decorative de signs the boxes have on the sides.” Gonzalez-Vazquez noted that the

books in the language libraries come from professors and students or oth er donors. “Instead of staying inside of a shelf gathering dust, people can check them out on the way to class and learn something new,” she ex

plained.

The LCC has created a digi tal map of the libraries’ locations to help students easily find them. Spanish books can be found in front of the Ciruti Language Cen

ter, Arabic and Korean at Kendall Sports & Dance Complex, Chinese and Vietnamese at Pratt Hall, French and Italian at Dwight Hall, Japanese at Eliot House and Russian and Ger man at Prospect Hall.

American imperialism in the Global South is reflected in Guatemala

BY KIERA MCLAUGHLIN ’26 STAFF WRITER

Content warning: This article dis cusses anti-Indigenous violence, mass death and police brutality.

The U.S. was involved in Latin American politics throughout the 20th century, which has had a pro found impact on Indigenous citizens in Central America. This influence was discussed in “U.S. Policy in the Global South,” a keynote speech that took place on Sept. 19, 2022, as part of the “Confronting Empire: 2022-2023 Feinberg Family Distinguished Lec ture Series” presented by the Uni versity of Massachusetts Amherst. During the event, American broad cast journalist Amy Goodman inter viewed Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum, an Indigenous Guatemalan activist, and Vincent Bevins, a journalist who covers global violence fueled by the U.S. against communist movements. The keynote highlighted the speak er’s understanding of the U.S.’s in fluence throughout the globe, with a focus on imperialism in Guatemala.

U.S. intervention in Guatema lan politics has brought about the deaths of thousands of Indigenous people. Laura E. Gómez discussed this history in her book, “Inventing Latinos: A New Story of American Racism,” in which she explains how the United Fruit Company, an Amer ican company that used Guatemalan land and laborers wrongfully sought U.S. government intervention and the removal of the democratical ly-elected president by lying about his ties to communism. In reality, United Fruit Company wanted to remove the president at the time, Jacobo Árbenz and the “new Agrari an Reform Law — designed to break United Fruit’s strangehold on the nation’s best land,” one of the many “pro-labor” reforms that he intro duced. Since UFC owned over 42 per

During her interview in the “U.S. Policy in the Global South” keynote, Menchú spoke powerfully in Spanish about the direct effect the Guatema lan Civil War and the American gov ernment had on her people and fam ily. “I am a leader, I am a woman, but when I look to the past, I don’t seek revenge. I love life, I want to lead a life that is free and that is spiritually full,” she announced according to a translation provided by the Feinberg Family Distinguished Lecture Se ries.

Tum identifies as a Mayan K’iche’ woman, a part of the Mayan Indigenous people, UMass Am herst reported. Her father and oth er activists were targeted by the Guatemalan police in the 1980s for protesting the military occupation

in their region, according to INT LAWGRRLS. During this time, the U.S. provided weapons and training for a Guatemalan security forces that later attacked and killed thou sands of civilians in an event known as the Guatemalan Genocide, The Washington Post Foreign Service re ported. During the lecture, Menchú talked about her father being pub licly burned alive at the Spanish Embassy and the kidnapping of her mother, who was never found. The Holocaust Museum of Houston re ported that “the army destroyed 626 villages, killed or ‘disappeared’ more than 200,000 people and displaced an additional 1.5 million.”

These deaths and traumas, Tum explained, are a direct consequence of the United States’ influence in Guatemala. While Tum explained her personal experiences with American policy’s lasting effects in Guatemala, Bevins provided a historical comparison to the Guate malan Genocide by speaking about

Indonesia and other countries that America has infiltrated, intent on stopping communism.

Photo courtesy of Thinker78 via WikiMedia Commons Dr. Rigoberta Menchú Tum critiqued the influence of the United States on Guatemala’s history, recounting personal losses she suffered when the U.S. provided weapons to Guatemalan security forces. cent of the land in Guatemala, Presi dent Árbenz fought to buy back that land and require the company to pay taxes. By overthrowing Árbenz, the U.S. triggered the Guatemalan Civil War, which lasted for 35 years.

When asked how to help Indig enous people, Bevins said, “It’s very important to be in touch with and support whatever causes around the world that you also believe in and I think an easy way to answer that question is to listen to what the actu al Indigenous groups say they need, whatever that may be.” Tum was also asked about what she’d like to see in reparations for survivors of violence. She answered, “Reconcilia tion would be to have no more inter ventions — at a local level [and] at a regional level. [It would be to keep] the same crimes from happening and to have recognition of the past and to have young people recognize and get to know what happened. Not to hide the past.”

Tum has turned her rage into empowerment, fueling her fight for equality for Latin American im migrants while talking about her

past and standing up for what she believes in. She said, “Within my story there’s a lot to tell but I think the most important thing, probably, is that I didn’t shut up. I didn’t go si lent. I broke the silence.” The senti ment isone she hopes students listen to and follow.

Tum is a seasoned speaker, and sharing her story solely in Spanish added to the passion and pride she has for Indigenous people and im migrants. “We lived it in our own skin but we continue, we are still here,” she said. Tum is confident in the next generation of students and the work she and her fellow activ ists have accomplished. She fully believes that “we have to leave his tory to the new generations to come. We’ve settled some principles of struggle against violence. We’ve set some principles, some footprints for human dignity.”some principles of struggle against violence. We’ve set some principles, some footprints for human dignity.”

Native American Indigenous Studies Symposium hosts kickoff event

Indigenous artists like Martine Gutierrez and Stan Natchez to ob jects like arrowheads and pottery made centuries ago by Indigenous people with artifacts from every in habited continent, including a soap stone bowl and arrowheads acquired locally. However, the one artifact many returned to was the newest in the collection, a possum-skin cloak, created last spring as part of Assis tant Professor of Anthropology Sa bra Thorner’s class “Decolonizing Museums,” where students worked with Aboriginal artist Maree Clarke.

According to the Daily Hamp shire Gazette, “Centuries ago, Ab original people in the cooler climates of southeastern Australia made pos sum-skin cloaks to keep warm in winter and as a means of preserving ties to their communities and land, etching the insides of the garments with decorative art and maps that were designed to tell something of each person’s history.”

The possum cloak in the exhibit

is called “Seven Sisters,” a reference to the constellation and the origi nal seven historically women’s col leges in the Northeastern U.S. The cloak integrates the constellations and mountains of the Five College

area with the traditional Aboriginal art form. The exhibit also features a slideshow of pictures of students standing in the cloak.

“It’s beautiful,” Heid E. Erdrich, an Indigenous writer and profes sor at Dartmouth, said. Dr. Sindiso Mnisi-Weeks, an associate profes sor of legal studies at the Universi ty of Massachusetts Amherst with a focus on Indigenous law in South Africa, added, “It’s such a beautiful piece of work. I love the combina tion of beauty, aesthetically … and functionality as well. Then to see the students wearing it … it’s almost a transformative experience to put it on.” Erdrich echoed this sentiment. “The story behind it is so fantastic,” Erdrich continued, “The students in the robes, … you can just tell it gives people a lift.”

“The fact that [the cloak] was made here, … made by hand in such a deliberate, revived practice. It has the work of the hands of Mount Holy oke students in it and it has the work of the hands of the Aboriginal art ists. To see that on the wall, taking

pride of place in this exhibit, I think is really awesome,” Mucher agreed.

“I thought [the cloak] was really great because sometimes it’s hard to articulate what it means to see the land … [as] a relative,” Nguyễn said. “At least for me, a lot of that kind of relationship with my homeland is facilitated by our cultural practices, we have dances and when the sea son comes for certain plants, going to pick sage with my family is a thing that we do. I feel like it’s hard to ar ticulate how we see our relation ships with the lands by just saying, ‘Oh, yeah, we see them as relatives.’

It’s like, yeah, you can say that, but it’s hard to feel that and really un derstand that until you really en gage with it in a more tangible way. So for the artists to come here and make something so beautiful with the students who could have been native or non native, I thought that was so great.”

“Considering Indigeneity” lets its visitors into a larger reckoning that museums are having with their colonial histories, through \the ques

tions that its curators hope can take root and reshape how museums and settlers interact with Indigeneity. No matter what happens, it’s clear that the Five Colleges and the surround ing area are deeply enmeshed in questions of sovereignty, legacy and ownership.

“I think the area where we’re located is a central spot in under standing the kind of crossing and migration and evolution of how In digenous peoples in this region are related to one another and related to colonialism in this sort of long-term way that you can see visibly and can trace historically,” Edward Wingen bach, the president of Hampshire College, said at the event on Thurs day, “and that has led to [a] signifi cant ethical and moral interest in this question that is sort of parallel to the academic question.”

“Considering Indigeneity” will be at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum from Sept. 7 through May 23, 2023. Its curators hope it brings even more questions on the legacy of museums and Indigeneity.

Photo by Rosemary Geib ’23

Mount Holyoke students collaborated with the Language & Culture Commons to create and display free libraries highlighting diversity of languages.

Photo by Oakley Marton

MHC Art Museum hosts Stan Natchez’s oil on silkscreen canvas art piece “Homage to

hol” in “Considering Indigeneity” exhibition.

Hadley Climate Change Committee drafts Climate Emergency Declaration

BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT

EDITOR

On Sept. 22, 2022, town residents gathered in the Hadley Senior Cen ter to review the newest draft of the town’s proposed Climate Emergency Declaration. The meeting — a “cli mate change public input forum,” per the Hadley, Massachusetts, town website — included presentations from local experts on the potential impacts of climate change on the town and gave opportunities for res idents to voice concerns and make comments on the emergency decla ration before it is acted upon by the Hadley Select Board .

The Climate Emergency Decla ration was created by Hadley’s Cli mate Change Committee, a group with seven members founded about three years ago, Committee Chair Jack Czajkowski said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. Accord ing to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the declaration forum was present ed to the Hadley Select Board in summer 2022. Rather than accepting the initial draft, Czajkowski said the Select Board recommended the Cli mate Change Committee “get more voices involved” in the declaration.

As a result, the Committee went back to the drawing board and pre pared a new draft of the declaration to be presented to the public for feed back, he said. Czajkowski described the new draft as more “Hadley cen tered,” and while he explained that much of the declaration remained the same between the two drafts, it was adjusted to contain less legal jargon. “We have listened [to Hadley residents] from first draft to second draft, and now we’re listening again from second draft to third draft.”

Czajkowski is an eighth grade science teacher, and, during his time off in the summer months, helps his brother run their family farm. Because of this background, he has both expertise in and first-hand ex perience with the consequences of climate change.

He recalled this summer being particularly harsh on the farm. “We didn’t really have much rain to speak of. … It was really rough,” Czajkow ski said. The dry summer created a difficult working environment in the fields. “It totally demonstrated that the problem is here and now. Folks I was working on the farm with were

wearing dust masks — not because of [COVID-19], but because of the is sues with the rain,” he said.”

The current draft of the Climate Emergency Declaration takes up both sides of a letter-sized sheet of paper and is made up of eight sec tions. A key message of the docu ment is an acknowledgement that climate change “is a matter of grave, urgent public concern” for the town of Hadley. The declaration details ex isting climate legislation such as the Paris Agreement, an international agreement to keep global warming below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

The declaration also highlights Massachusetts legislation adopted in March 2021 under Governor Char lie Baker that “brings the state’s climate change policy ambitions in line with the Paris Agreement.” The Massachusetts legislation includes a commitment to produce zero emis sions by 2050 and create 100,000 new jobs in the state through clean en ergy development, according to the declaration. The Climate Emergency Declaration includes a commitment to align town policy with the state’s net-zero emissions goal. In addition to calling for measures to prevent climate change from worsening, the declaration also calls for the town to engage in climate “adaptation and resilience planning,” such as prepar ing for increased flooding.

Czajkowski recalled feeling con fident bringing the draft forward af ter the Climate Change Committee’s success in passing a plastic bag ban for the town in the spring of 2022. “We’re comfortable taking this Cli mate Emergency Declaration to the whole town and saying ‘stand with us,’” he said.

At the public input forum, print ed copies of the Climate Emergency Declaration draft sat on each table for attendees to review. The forum began with presentations that out lined the risks climate change poses to the town. University of Massachu setts Amherst Professor of Sociology Julie Brigham-Grette presented first on “the causes of climate change and what we can do about them,” Czaj kowski said, adding that she “did a wonderful job.”

Retired local firefighter Josh Stanley presented on the potential for increased flooding due to climate change in the region around the

Connecticut River, including Had ley, and advocated for updates to the local infrastructure to adapt to the flood risk.

Stanley was accompanied by An drew Smith, the coordinator for the Greater Connecticut River Valley region Municipal Vulnerability Pre paredness Program, which is work ing on securing grant funding to sup port these upgrades. “You might say ‘what do all those people have to do with a climate resolution,’” Czajkow ski remarked before explaining that the presenters “were really painting the broader picture of ‘this is urgent and we need to act now.’”

Following the presentations, the Climate Emergency Declara tion was read aloud by members of the Climate Change Committee and then the meeting was opened up for questions and comments. “We were curious about what people’s objec tions would be,” Czajkowski said of his thoughts going into the forum. He noted that a number of the people in attendance were farmers, from whom the Committee expected some

pushback against the declaration. “A lot of the concerns are, ‘Are you say ing I can’t use my tractor,’ and other things like that,” he said. “We don’t want people having those fears,” he continued.

These concerns regarding elec trification as a way to reach carbon neutrality were shared by several of the attendees. One attendee asked if the declaration would cut off their access to fossil fuels and expressed concern over the cost of electric vehicles. Czajkowski said that the Climate Change Committee already has plans in place to address these concerns, such as securing grants to help fund environmental protection policies.

“There might have been a little frostiness, but we are really trying to work hard,” he said. He added that he does not wish for the town to be seen as divided into “factions” after the forum, going on to explain that climate change solutions look dif ferent to everyone, from electrifying transportation to making buildings more eco-friendly. He also explained

Health panel recommends routine anxiety screenings for adults in acknowledgment of national mental health crisis

BY SHIRA SADEH ’25 SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT EDITOR

Content warning: This article dis cusses mental illness and eating dis orders.

In a historic first, the U.S. Pre ventive Services Task Force — a panel of health experts — recom mended routine anxiety screenings for all adults under the age of 65, according to The New York Times. The task force explained that their declaration is in an effort to detect and treat mental health disorders earlier, and follows a similar adviso ry released earlier this year for chil dren and young adults, reported The New York Times.

Associated Press News reported that this is the first time the U.S. Pre ventive Services Task Force has is sued advice on screening for anxiety before a patient displays symptoms. The proposal, which was made pub lic by the task force on Sept. 20, 2022, will be open for public commentary until Oct. 17.

According to AP News, this rec ommendation follows studies that found that the potential benefits of widespread screening outweigh the costs. Lori Pbert, task force member and psychologist-researcher at the University of Massachusetts’ Chan Medical School, called this recom mendation “very timely,” especially after increased reports of declining mental health resulting from isola tion during the pandemic.

Pbert told The Washington Post that “[COVID-19] has taken a tre mendous toll on the mental health of Americans.” She added that COVID-19 is “a topic prioritized for its public health importance, but clearly there’s an increased focus on mental health in this country over the past few years.”

In the AP News article, Pbert explained that anxiety disorders account for some of the most com mon mental health complaints from patients. They affect 40 percent of

women in the United States at some stage of their lives, one in 10 people during antepartum and postpartum stages and one in every four men, according to the article.

Those facing discrimination, liv ing in poverty or experiencing deep personal losses are more susceptible to developing an anxiety disorder, which can manifest in the form of frequent or infrequent panic attacks, phobias or feeling “on edge,” the ar ticle reported.

According to the New York Uni versity Langone Health website, anxiety screenings include a phys

ical examination and a blood test recommendation, which the doctor will use to first determine if the symptoms originate from a physical condition, such as hypothyroidism, which has similar symptoms. Then, the doctor will ask a series of ques tions regarding any medications the patient is taking, some of which may cause anxiety as a side effect, such as levodopa for Parkinson’s disease or Cyclosporine, an immunosuppres sant used to manage rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis. If it is deter mined that the patient’s symptoms do not originate from physical condi

tions or medication side effects, the doctor will conduct a psychological evaluation, according to the article.

The psychological evaluation starts with an investigation into fam ily history of anxiety disorders or depression. Then, the specialist will ask for a more in-depth description of symptoms and how they affect the patient’s life which may or may not include a self-completed question naire.

This more detailed explanation of symptoms helps determine if there are additional disorders ac companying the anxiety, a frequent occurrence, at times existing along side eating disorders or post-trau matic stress disorder. Following these assessments, the doctor will facilitate a feedback session, during which they will describe appropriate treatment options, Langone Health said.

According to The Washington Post, while the task force’s recom mendation may be a big step forward in addressing rising mental health statistics, some worry that it will not achieve practical results. The Wash ington Post article explains that some doctors, such as Massachu setts General Hospital psychiatrist and executive director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds Eu gene Beresin, are worried that this recommendation is unrealistic when it comes to their everyday practice.

Many health providers are struggling to keep up with patient demand, and many therapists have waitlists of over a month, the article said. “Screening is great, but with a dire shortage in the workforce, it’s perplexing unless there are plans for increased funding of clinicians,” Beresin said in an interview with The Washington Post.

The article went on to explain that the task force expects doctors to use their own clinical judgment when implementing this recom mendation, stating that this is not a mandate, but will no doubt influence common medical practice across the country.

that any action plan resulting from the emergency declaration will allow residents to act on climate change in a way that works best for them. “I hope it doesn’t come across as us against them,” he said, refer ring to the Committee and the town residents.

Czajkowski noted that the forum lacked the presence of younger Had ley residents and expressed his hope to see more youth involved in the town’s sustainability efforts. “This is your life and our town,” he stated, addressing local youth.

According to Czaijkowski, the next steps for the Committee are to redraft the Climate Emergency Dec laration and prepare it for a presen tation at the next town meeting in November, where it will be held to a vote.

He explained that if approved in the town meeting, the declaration will be treated as a mandate requir ing the Hadley Select Board to take action on climate change, and will additionally be passed to the gover nor.

MHC Art Studio expands faculty

u

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been woven into multidisci plinary curriculum.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing the different connections and relationships that … our new faculty especially, but our studio faculty as a whole create with students, faculty, staff and com munity members,” Iglesias said. “Art studio is very looking much looking forward to continuing cross-listed classes with other de partments.”

The reconfiguration of the De partment of Art Studio faculty and its on-site resources have been a welcome addition to the College’s humanities disciplines. Maeve Kydd ’24, an art studio major who has taken to the lab in their “Ex panded Print Media” course with Assistant Professor of Art Studio Amanda Maciuba, views the ex pansion as a step in the right di rection. “It’s nice that the depart ment is expanding access to digital media as the industry is growing,” Kydd said. “In class, we’ve used the Media Lab to design files for our mural, which has offered op portunity to rethink mediums like printmaking. We’re able to learn skills that are applicable to real life outside of the school.”

Iglesias hopes the changes within the department contribute to the fabric of the College. “We are reflecting and illuminating a constellation of information where history and culture collide and intersect where arts and science might intersect — where some one’s unique life experience might reveal a host of histories and nar ratives that propel that identity,” Iglesias said. “The students, the staff, the faculty [and] the com munity are interested in this very holistic way of creating knowl edge and reflecting on our shared knowledge. I think the mixture of faculty that we have in art studio really [speaks] to that.”

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Hadley’s Climate Change Committee held a public input forum in the Hadley Senior Center to review the new Climate Emergency Declaration draft.

Graphic by Jieru Ye

Queen Elizabeth II’s death sparks critique of the monarchy

rican colonial memories, Mamphe la Ramphele, a distinguished an ti-apartheid activist and politician, shared insight on what the queen’s response to the treacherous period of Apartheid in South Africa was like. With racial segregation and the ill-treatment of Black South Africans engulfing the nation, the monarchy as an institution remained apolitical.

Ramphele said, “The queen as an individual probably cared. But the fact is that [she was] a symbol, and the head of the British [state], and there weren’t really any steps taken to acknowledge, let alone to … undo the structural inequalities that were built into a racist, exploit ative South Africa, both during the colonial period, under apartheid and even post-apartheid.” The mon archy’s inability to enact proactive measures in preventing these atroc ities in their own Commonwealth state highlights the pressing issue of what the true purpose of the institu tion is.

to confront the ghosts of its past and move constructively toward repara tions.

When discussing the respon sibility of the monarchy as a whole in addressing and working towards change, it is necessary to look at the new monarch King Charles III for any hints as to what the monar chy could do next. Noted in a TIME magazine article, while the Crown is still recognized to head over a doz en states such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Belize, anti-mon archist sentiments are simmering too close to the ground. Echoing the habit of the monarchy to shy away from confronting and admitting their mistakes, this March the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales, experienced the frustration of a former colony as they visited Belize.

BY KAVERI PILLAI ’23 OPINION EDITOR

Sept. 8, 2022, was supposed to be Sept. 8, 2022, was supposed to be a day like any other. At Mount Holyoke, many of us spent the afternoon cele brating the end of the first week of classes. I myself was raising a silent toast to the beginning of my senior year as I sat in the Dining Commons, when hushed gasps and phone noti fications brought me back to reality. After a number of scattered updates from Buckingham Palace on Thurs day regarding Queen Elizabeth II’s deteriorating health, her death was finally shared with billions of people around the world.

As reported by the BBC, Queen Elizabeth died at the age of 96 in her Scottish holiday home, Balmoral Castle, handing over a 1,200-year-old monarchy to her eldest son Charles III. My emotions on Thursday ranged from shock and grief to a more pro nounced sense of reflection. As pic tures of the departed queen and dev astated Londoners made the rounds on social media, so did posts about the history of the British Empire.

As an Indian woman who lives to see a religiously-divided India today, it would be impossible for me to ig nore that the origins of the religious strife can be traced back to the hor rific British colonization and their heinous “divide and rule” land-con quering strategy. The list of harms done by the British Empire cannot possibly end at pitting religious communities against each other. The question for many of the once-colo nized nations is not the scale of the offenses committed by the imperial power but what the monarchy can do next in mending the relationship be tween the United Kingdom and the rest of the Commonwealth.

With the British monarchy in the limelight in the 21st century — an era committed to asking questions about social justice and challenging power structure — it is crucial to question if the monarchy wishes to move toward reparations for its colo nial past and clearly admit guilt for its plundering legacy.

Additionally, with Charles III as the new face of the British monarchy, it is natural to ask if the once-colo nized world will move away from the

looming cloud of imperialism that hovers over any chance of true ad vancement, and whether countries that are still tightly connected to the Crown will give in to rising an ti-monarchist sentiments and estab lish themselves as republics of the free world.

Acknowledging the severity of the harms done by the British Em pire and urgently questioning the future of the monarchy is even more so justified during the mourning of Queen Elizabeth II.

A large part of the 20th century saw Queen Elizabeth as the face of the British monarchy following her 1953 coronation at age 27. As men tioned by the BBC, Queen Elizabeth led the British monarchy through the tumultuous post-war decades, the transition from the empire to the Commonwealth and the recent with drawal of the UK from the European Union. Yet, one can argue that while the world was on the path of rapid democratization and social liberty, the monarchy remained stagnant in the face of societal progress.

In a BBC article about the queen’s death triggering South Af

Echoing the monarchy’s sheer lack of mirroring the reignited sense of global activism and desire for change is also its inability to truly address the dark colonial past of the institution. While the later half of the 20th century saw countries gain ing independence from their coloniz ers, it didn’t witness visible remorse or regret from the British.

A Guardian article on India’s sentiments on the late Queen Eliz abeth II and its history as a British colony helps shed light on how coun tries across the globe struggle with a lack of closure and still live with traces of British colonialism. The queen’s visit to Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, India, a place that wit nessed a massacre of grotesque scale of peaceful protestors, is one of the few times that the queen even dared to mention British colonial rule.

The queen said, “Jallianwala Bagh, which I shall visit tomorrow, is a distressing example. But history cannot be rewritten, however much we might sometimes wish other wise.” What makes this quote truly disturbing is the fact that it is the first of many attempts to skirt away from apologizing for the harms done by the British Empire.

While the colonial histories of South Africa and India predate Queen Elizabeth II, it is the institu tion that was in her name that justi fied these attacks on countries and it is the responsibility of the institution

With clear demands for apolo gies for the enslavement of the native people going unnoticed by the Duke and Duchess and a rise in protests in the areas, the monarchy can’t look the other way for too long. As men tioned in a New York Times article on the matter, much like Barbados breaking off from the queen as their head of state to become a republic other states will follow — pushing the monarchy, and more specifically King Charles III — to reconsider the trajectory for the British monarchy.

Although the former British col onies have come a long way from being under complete monarch rule, the wounds of imperial power run deep within our bodies today. While I see the world celebrating the life of a woman who dedicated her life to service, I see an institution that upholds tenets of territorial control, discrimination and hegemonic au thority.

The idea of the monarchy coex isting with modernity seems to be paradoxical in nature, with history showing the monarchy’s hesitation to embrace change that could dis rupt its conservative foundation. With the world being pushed to en gage with unequal power dynamics and gender and racial bias, if an in stitution can’t keep up in this race to be progressive, it will fall behind. The question of whether the monar chy will adapt or perish is one that needs to be examined immediately. It is time for the monarchy to address its systemic issues of oppression and denial in order for it to be truly ac cepted in our modern world.

Graphic by Sunny Wei ’23

Mount Holyoke tennis players react to Serena Williams’ last tennis match

zalez-Vazquez said. “When Roger Federer hugged Nadal at the end, my heart again shattered like it was glass,” she said of the latter.

“Serena Williams and Roger Federer were my idols growing up,” Gonzalez-Vazquez continued. “Ser ena Williams and her sister Venus inspired me by representing women and [people of color] in a sport that has [a] classist and predominant ly-white background. … Roger Fed erer inspired me [in proving] that even a ball-boy could one day be come a legend.”

“Living in a post-Serena and post-Roger world doesn’t seem real,” Gonzalez-Vazquez finished. “I’m still waiting for someone to wake me up and tell me it was all a dream and [that] I still have a chance to watch them play someday.”

Kate Vavra ’26 shared how Wil liams inspired her as a Mount Holy oke varsity tennis player.

“Throughout [Williams’s last match], I felt an overwhelming sense of pride,” Vavra said. “Even when she lost, she still looked up and smiled at the crowd.”

By studying Serena’s technique, Vavra was able to improve her own game. “Serena’s serve inspired me to put more effort and power into my serve,” Vavra said. “Having a strong first serve has helped my game so much, and I win significantly more when my serve is on point.”

Club Corner: Introducing Ice Hockey and Fencing

BY LAUREN LEESE ’23 STAFF WRITER

After a 27-year long profession al tennis career, Serena Williams played her last match at the 2022 U.S. Open. On Friday, Sept. 2, Wil liams competed against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic, who beat Williams 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-1, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.

According to Tennis World, mil lions of spectators tuned in to watch the 23-time Grand Slam title win ner’s final game. The match attained a new record for the most-watched ESPN tennis event ever, attracting 4.8 million viewers.

In a post-game, on-court inter view, according to the U.S. Open website, an emotional Williams thanked her parents and her sister Venus for their support. “I just thank everyone that’s here, that’s been on my side [for] so many … decades,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t be Serena if there wasn’t Venus. … I’m just so grateful to every single person that’s ever said ‘Go, Serena!’ in their life. I’m just so grateful.”

Reuters reported that Toml janovic, a longtime fan of Williams, described the match as the “most conflicted I’ve ever felt after a win.” She continued, “When it ended, it almost didn’t feel right. When she started talking about her family and everything, I got emotional because I can relate to having a strong bond with your family.” According to the

U.S. Open website, on Williams’s legacy, Tomljanovic did not mince words: “She’s the greatest of all time. Period.”

In a Sept. 24 interview with Va riety, Williams spoke about her deci sion to quit, but hinted that it might not be the ultimate end of her ten nis-playing days.

“I always said I wanted to stop when I’m playing really good tennis and winning and beating good play ers. For me, it’s really about things I want to do spiritual ly and spend ing time with my daughter and family,” Williams said.

“I feel like if I want to come back, I defi nitely can still come back.”

Vavra also noted that Williams’s commitment to both her family and tennis reassured her about her own future. “I really want to have children one day … [and] I also re ally want to build a career for myself and be successful in the workplace. I worry a lot that I won’t be able to do both, but Serena has proven that it is attainable.”

Jaskirat Kaur ’26, another var sity tennis player, discussed what Williams meant to her as an athlete.

Living in a post-Serena and post-Roger world doesn’t seem real. I’m still waiting for someone to wake me up and tell me it was all a dream and [that] I still have a chance to watch them play someday.

– Claudia Gonzalez-Vazquez

Mount Holyoke varsity tennis player Clau dia Gonzalez-Vazquez ’25 spoke about her conflicting emotions re garding Williams’s last match — as well as Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, who played his last match on Friday, Sept. 23, according to the Olympic Games website.

“Watching Serena enter and exit the court was a really emotion al moment for me. When she waved goodbye, I was so proud of her and heartbroken at the same time,” Gon

“She is by far my favorite athlete and part of the reason why I play ten nis. It is incredible to see someone of color, like me, dominate the sport to the extent that she has,” Kaur said. “Although she lost, we got to see the same relentless spirit and determina tion she brings to every match. For me, she is one of the greatest tennis players in the history of the sport, and not just on the wom en’s side. Tennis will never be the same without her.”

Making good on her resolution to spend time with her family, Williams shared in a Sept. 23 Instagram post that she is now an assistant coach for her daughter’s soccer team.

No matter where Williams goes next, many feel that she left a lifelong impact on her sport and her fans. As Vavra said, “She really changed the game.”

Game of the Week: Lyons Field Hockey loses its match to Worcester Polytechnic Institute

BY KENDALL MAURER ’26 STAFF WRITER

Mount Holyoke Field Hock ey was defeated 3-1 as they faced Worcester Polytechnic Institute in a home game on Saturday, Sept. 24.

The Lyons were cheered on by student-athletes from Mount Holy oke Basketball through posters spot lighting each player and signs that read ‘Basketball loves Field Hockey’ and ‘Let’s go FHockey.’ The basket ball team also decorated the pave ment around campus with chalk art to encourage students to attend the game.

“The atmosphere of the game was very energetic. We had a lot of people come out to support us. … We really wanted to play to the best of our abilities and put our best foot forward,” forward Siggy Ehrlich ’26 said. “We’ve all been working really hard on and off the field.”

The WPI Engineers started off the game by scoring one goal in the fourth minute. The Lyons then brought the score to a tie in the second period as Phoebe Aaronson ’23 assisted Mollee Malboeuf ’23 to

a goal. The Engineers maintained that score for the first two periods as Mount Holyoke Goalie Rachel Katzenberg ’25 deflected six of WPI’s shots. The Engineers scored twice

in the third quarter and ended the game with a two-point lead over the Lyons.

“We knew going in [that] WPI [was] a good team, so we knew we had to come out strong and play a great game. After they scored their third goal, … we knew we had to stop them from scoring and get some offensive power going,” Kat zenberg said. “While the outcome of the game was not what we had imagined, it will not deter us and it will motivate us to work harder and come back stronger.”

Overall, the Lyons made four shots, with two shots from Caroline Thompson ’24, one from Aaronson and one from Malboeuf. Thompson and Malboeuf also contributed one shot on goal each. Katzenberg ended the game with 10 saves total.

The Lyons will play fellow New England Women’s and Men’s Athlet ic Conference member Clark Univer sity on Saturday, Oct. 1. The team’s current season record is 3-5.

Editor’s Note: Kendall Maurer ’26 is a member of Mount Holyoke Basket ball.

BY EMILY TARINELLI ’25 SPORTS EDITOR

website also has our game sched ule! Even if you’re not interested in joining, you can always come support us in the [fan] section at a home game in Holyoke. Also, follow us on Instagram @mhcicehock ey and stay tuned for open skate events.

1. Describe ice hockey in three words. Fast, thrilling and fun.

2. What are the basics of ice hockey? It’s a contact sport in which players — on ice skates and wear ing protective gear — use sticks to push a round, flat-sided “puck” on ice, trying to score points by getting the puck into the other team’s goal. Each team has five players and one goalkeeper on the ice at a time. It’s a total blast!

3. When and where do you prac tice? We practice in the Kendall [Sports & Dance Complex Field House] on Tuesdays and at Fitz patrick Ice Arena in Holyoke on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

4. What is your favorite team memory? My first game — we lost horribly, but no one cared. Every one was joking and high-fiving the whole time. Even though we lost, I had a great time because no one made it about winning. We play every game that way and it’s awe some.

5. Tell me about your coach. Coach Tom [Cardosi] is all about creating an atmosphere where everyone feels safe and support ed and has a good time. His “Rule One” is to always have fun, and he teaches the team to skate and play with that in mind.

6. What’s the best part about ice hockey? Playing a sport on ice skates is so fun, and our team is full of fantastic people.

7. If you had to pick a song to describe ice hockey, what would it be? Jokingly, … “Livin[g] the Dream (Junior Hockey Anthem)” by Chucky Slick –– our team loves this song.

8. Who would ice hockey be perfect for? Anyone who wants a chance to get on the ice [and] try something new.

9. How can someone join the team? We have a website you can visit! It pops up first if you type “MHC club ice hockey” into the search bar. There, you can find in formation about how to join. Shoot an email to the captains if you’re interested.

10. Anything else to add? Our

1. Describe fencing in three words. En garde, prêt, allez.

2. What are the basics of fenc ing? Fencing is a combat sport [with] three different weapons that each have a distinct set of rules, target area and personality types [that] they attract. It’s modern-day sword fighting that’s all about tech nique and good form.

3. When and where do you practice? Monday through Thurs day from 7:30-9:30 p.m. in [Kendall Sports & Dance Complex] gym.

4. What is your favorite team memory? We play ultimate frisbee as a warmup every practice, and it gets so intense — it’s so awesome.

5. Tell me about your coach. Our coach, [Dianna McMenamin], is re ally great with beginning fencers and getting them comfortable with the sport. She has so many fun sto ries — you should ask her to tell [you] some!

6. What’s the best part about fencing? Fencing is all about prob lem solving mixed with skills, so for me, learning your opponent’s pat terns and tricking them into a hit is the most satisfying thing in the world.

7. If you had to pick a song to describe fencing, what would it be? “Cut Self Not” by Faraquet.

8. Who would fencing be perfect for? Fencing is perfect for those with attention to detail [and] any one who is competitive and com passionate. … If holding a sword sounds fun to you, come check it out!

9. How can someone join the team? Contact anyone on the board! We are so enthusiastic about invit ing new people to the team. [Find] our posters around campus or vis it our [team] Instagram page, [@ mhc_fencing].

10. Anything else to add? If you haven’t heard it yet from absolute ly every member of the team, you should join the fencing team!

Editor’s Note: Sophie Soloway ’23 and Jenny Yu ’24 are members of Mount Holyoke Ice Hockey.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Serena Williams finished her professional tennis career on Friday, Sept. 2 at the 2022 U.S. Open.

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics Mollee Malboeuf ’23, above, scored a goal in the game vs. Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

Club Corner is a new biweekly column dedicated to highlighting Mount Holyoke College club sports. This week, Club Corner spotlights Ice Hockey and Fencing.

Ice Hockey Answers by Abby Mann ’24, cap tain

Fencing Answers by Willow Gumpel-Jones ’24, captain

Photo courtesy of Anneke Craig ’22 Mount Holyoke Club Fencing welcomes interested new members to join the team this semester.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Yu ’24 Mount Holyoke Club Ice Hockey plays at Fitzpatrick Ice Arena on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

The wind may push you in many different direc tions, but remember where you want to end up. At the end of it all, you are the one in control. Monday is your day.

Do: Flowers | Don’t: Time

Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

It’s almost your day in the sun. Be patient, and respect your time in the shade. Be careful on Wednesday. Take the week slowly.

Do: Shuttle | Don’t: Overpower

Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

You already know the answer to the question you’re asking. So, why ask at all? Focus on your confidence this week and it will surely pay off.

Do: Address | Don’t: Suppress

Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

You are a fish swimming upstream. It does not need to be this difficult. Go with the flow and the rest will fall into place.

Do: Care | Don’t: Assign

f

HOROSCOPES f

Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

There is a lot to know about you. Teach them your ins and outs. It’s fun to try something new, and you’re the perfect example of how.

Do: Brights | Don’t: Volume

Feb. 19 – March 20

An apple at the top of the tree is hard to pick. Look behind you. The apple on the floor is just as ripe. Rise early this week.

Do: Perspective | Don’t: Bashful

March 21 – April 19

Keep your fiery passion. Don’t mistake passion for pride. Make sure to keep all your ducks in a row this week.

Do: “Made Your Mama Cry” by Nana Lourdes| Don’t: Procrastinate

April 20 – May 20

Stay grounded. When the time is right, you will know. Don’t bury your horns in the dirt.

Do: Water | Don’t: Frames

Mount Holyoke News

Executive Board

Editor-in-Chief Sophie Soloway ’23

Managing Editor of Content Emma Watkins ’23

Managing Editor of Layout Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25

Copy Chief Lenox Johnson ’24

Editorial Board

Publisher Ali Meizels ’23 Managing Editor of Web Zoe Tang ’24

Business Manager Katie Goss ’23 Human Resources Hannah Raykher ’23

Copy

Emma Quirk ’26, Caroline Huber ’26 & Georgia Fish ‘23

Web Editors Maira Khan ’25, Aditi Menon ’25, Chloe Wang ’25, Lily Hoffman Strickler ’23, Ar temis Chen ’25, Thao Le ’25, Sophie Simon ’25, Ramisa Tahsin Rahman ’25 & Michelle Brumley ’24

Publication Guidelines

Mount Holyoke News does not endorse any of the opinions or views expressed within the pages of the paper, excluding staff editorials.

All content copyright of Mount Holyoke News. All rights reserved. Mount Holyoke News does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age.

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Interest in advertising in MHN can be directed to mhnews@mtholyoke.edu for pricing and deadlines. MHN reserves the right to refuse submissions on the basis of, but not limited to, advertisements considered to be libelous, obscene, defamatory or discriminatory.

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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.

May 21 – June 20

There is more waiting for you than what you be lieve. Know what you deserve and don’t settle for less. That’s what being a Gemini is all about.

Do: Search | Don’t: Subtlety

June 21 – July 22

You are in the eye of the storm. Whatever you have been waiting for will soon find you. Allow yourself to be sought after.

Do: Stripes | Don’t: GPS

July 23 – Aug. 22

Why don’t you try again? Third time’s a charm. Luck is on your side this week. Stay humble.

Do: Carry | Don’t: Plastic

Aug. 23 – Sept. 22

Little boxes in a row — although they look sim ilar, they are riddled with complexities beyond each other. Hone in on your details and keep them in a row.

Do: Prepare | Don’t: Yellow

A24 debuts ‘Pearl,’ slasher film with classic roots, cont’d

aggressively in Pearl’s face meant to jumpscare the audience.

Another cliche that “Pearl” cashes in on is a character running and mys teriously tripping on nothing, allowing the sauntering mur derer to catch up to them and kill them. Pearl’s sister-in-law Mitsy becomes her last victim of the movie when she catch es up and is able to hack Mitsy with an ax. Instances like this may point to why Pearl states “killing is easier than you think.”

“Pearl” uses yet anoth er cliche, where Pearl has a phase of killing animals be fore moving onto people. This cliche isn’t completely made up by the genre but is influ enced by real-life serial kill ers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy who, according to A&E Networks, often started out harming animals before escalating to harming people. Pearl confesses to this in a nine-minute monologue, ex plaining the darkness within her that the audience has al ready been shown.

The monologue really re minds the audience that this is a modern take on a clas sic genre, rather than a film during which the slasher re veals their motives after be ing caught, like in “Scream.” Pearl delivers the unsettling monologue willingly. She unloads all of her misdeeds and, in between the tears and

ruined makeup, she sounds remorseful for what she has done and accepts that her mess of a life is her fault.

Like in “Pearl,” Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom From Want” painting was paro died in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” Rather than an all-American family coming together for dinner, it depicts a murderous family sitting down to eat with their cap tive. In one of the final scenes of the film, West also uses Rockwell’s painting as an inspiration. Pearl sits at the table still in her red dress, with her now-dead parents and a maggot-infested pig at the table center. Pearl’s de luded mind allows her to pray over her food as her mom had done just scenes before. The scene reminds viewers that this group was once a family, destroyed, like the pig, from the inside out. In this scene, Pearl is free from want. She has accepted her life for what it is and is no longer chasing the spotlight.

“Pearl” is more than an other slasher film inspired by the originals — it’s a beautiful addition to the genre. Like all slasher films, the slasher of ten is driven by real motives.

Pearl is driven by her want to be a star. In modern day, being an influencer, YouTuber, Tik Toker or celebrity are very real aspirations. The only thing that sets Pearl apart from the average dreamer is that she would actually kill for it.

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

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Photo courtesy of Debbie Cerda of Slackerwood via Wikimedia Commons Ti West directed ‘Pearl,’ the prequel to his film ‘X,’ which debuted in March 2022.