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Student repeatedly targeted with antisemitic graffiti ceiving the support they needed in order to feel safe. According to the student, they were told to keep the targeted incident private. However, on Oct. 14, Director of Public Safety and Service Raymond LaBarre readily confirmed the second incident after inquiry from Mount Holyoke News. The College declined to comment on this incident and the support offered to the student.

BY DECLAN LANGTON ’22 & LIZ LEWIS ’22 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF | MANAGING EDITOR OF CONTENT

Content warning: this article discusses antisemitism and contains antisemitic slurs. “I might be loud and vibrant and outspoken. However, that does not give you the right to put up hate signs against me,” an anonymous resident of 1837 said. The student, a member of the Jewish community, was the repeated target of antisemitic graffiti at Mount Holyoke College in fall 2021. As previously reported by Mount Holyoke News, a Nazi swastika was found drawn on the mirror of the single stall bathroom on the third floor of 1837 Hall on Oct. 6. Since then, two further incidents of antisemitic vandalism have occurred on this floor, all explicitly targeting this student.

Student targeted with vandalism

On Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, two days after the first incident, the student was on the way to meet some friends, intending to unwind after a stressful couple of days. When they left their room on the third floor, they ran into an officer from Public Safety and Service outside of the multi-stall

Student targeted in third incident

Photo by Carmen Mickelson ’24 1837 Hall, above, has been the site of three targeted antisemitic hate crimes since October 2021.

bathroom. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” the student remembered thinking. The officer asked their name, and informed them that there had been a second incident. This time, the graffiti included both a Nazi swastika and a message targetting the student, reading, “coming for you [student’s first name].” According to Director of Public Safety and Service Raymond LaBarre, the graffiti was drawn inside of a bathroom stall. The student remembered retreating to a nearby stairwell in distress. “I just started crying,” they said. “It was heartbreaking, truly heart-

breaking … [to] work so hard to come back to a place that has a problem with you,” they described, referencing the challenging 2020-2021 remote school year. Feeling increasingly threatened by the new development, the student decided to reach out directly to the College administration concerning their safety. “The second time, I had my name tagged on it,” the student said. “So it became personal, but it was always personal to begin with.” During this time, the student was meeting regularly with members of the College administration, but felt as though they weren’t re-

On Dec. 10, 2021 Stephens announced a third incident in a letter to the community. “Earlier this week, [Public Safety] recieved reports of a hand-drawn Nazi swastika in a residence hall bathroom,” Stephens wrote. According to the student, this was another targeted message, though they were not the one who discovered it. On Dec. 8, the student heard whispers of something having happened on the third floor, but no specifics. Concerned, they reached out to Residential Life but received no reply. According to the student, it took over 12 hours for them to be contacted by the College following the discovery of the graffiti. When they did find out, it was from a detective in Public Safety. The student wondered why it took so long.

“Why wasn’t I alerted if this is about safety?” they said. According to the student, on the wall was a Nazi swastika, poorly drawn in black marker, the words “k*ke” and “miss me?,” as well as an explicit death threat including their name. In conversation with Mount Holyoke News, LaBarre confirmed that this was drawn once again in a bathroom stall. On Dec. 10, President Sonya Stephens announced the third incident in a letter to the community, within 24 hours of its discovery. Feeling as though the administration’s support was insufficient, the student turned to the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-hate, non-governmental organization that combats antisemitism in the United States, according to their website. “I need resources, I am just not keeping it to the administration,” the student said. The College declined to comment on support offered after the third incident. For this student, the ADL provided support in “going through the incidents and trying to get in contact with [the administration] which took multiple efforts,” the student said. The student also hoped the

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LITS seeks solution to Wi-Fi outages Mount Holyoke RAs negotiate for higher pay BY TARA MONASTESSE ’25 STAFF WRITER

Photo by Naomi Jiang ’25 Some RAs have formed the RA Collective to negotiate for better conditions and higher wages.

BY ELLA WHITE ’22 NEWS EDITOR

Since the fall semester, Resident Advisors have been negotiating with Mount Holyoke College for higher wages and better working conditions on campus. The RA Collective is made up of a group of RAs that have been negotiating with the College administration on behalf of many of the RAs and Residential Fellows working on the Mount Holyoke campus. Vice President for Student Life and Dean of Students Marcella Runell Hall is mediating these negotiations. Over the course of the pandemic, COVID-19 policies and staffing shortages have made RAs feel more strained, according to Mickey Pope ’23, who is an RA in Rockefeller Hall and a member of the RA Collective. RAs are expected to be first responders to mental health crises, alcohol poisonings, room lockouts and interpersonal conflicts at any given time. “I’ve had to deal with alcohol poisoning and watching people throw up on themselves, and it’s scary and traumatizing,” Pope said. “But you don’t get paid for that stuff.” The central demand of the RAs is higher pay. Mount Holyoke caps student workers at 15 hours per week but does not pay RAs at an hourly rate. Instead, they offer a yearly stipend which starts at $3500. This is less than wages for RAs at Smith College, Amherst College and University of Massachusetts Amherst. “We’re one of the few schools who don’t get any room and board, any subsidy for housing,” Pope said. “We get very little to no money and if you need to make a living off of this, you’re not.” Students at UMass Amherst are

paid by the hour, which allows them to be paid for the middle-of-the-night emergencies RAs often deal with, as well as a partial room subsidy. At Mount Holyoke, RAs can be called to work at any time. “You are on duty 24/7,” Pope said. “You have a duty to interact with your residents, you have a duty to fix problems that they are telling you [about]. You have a duty to be involved.” If students hold a party in a given building, according to Pope, the RAs are responsible for ensuring the safety of anyone on their floor, even visitors from other dorms. Negotiations are stalled as the RA Collective waits on information on the 2022-2023 budget and wages for RAs. “If we can’t see the budget, we won’t know [if we’re] getting paid the amount we’re asking for,” Pope said. “We won’t sign the contract for next year. And we’re hoping that any future RAs or RFs applying won’t sign the contract until we see the [budget].” The Collective has not gone on strike yet, but members of the group reached a consensus that they were willing to strike under certain conditions. “Let’s say Mount Holyoke does try to fire somebody [for speaking out],” Pope said. “Then we’re all not working, because that’s not fair.” The RA Collective is also organizing a safety net fund in case of a possible strike, during which student workers would risk forgoing their pay. “You do [this work] because of the community,” Pope said. “But it makes it hard when you don’t feel like you’re being recognized for doing that hard work.”

NEWS: LCC introduces new name

The first reports of campuswide Wi-Fi issues began to trickle in on Jan. 25, one day after the spring semester launched in an entirely virtual format for a two week period. Internet traffic was at an all-time high during the day as students across campus simultaneously accessed their courses via Zoom. Alex Wirth-Cauchon, chief information officer and executive director of LITS, stated in an email to Mount Holyoke News that approximately 4,500 devices were connected to the College’s wireless network during peak hours last week. The College’s two main student Wi-Fi networks — LyonNet-Encrypt and eduroam — dropped connections unexpectedly, leaving students unable to access the internet unless they had access to an alternative method of connection, such as a phone hotspot. LITS launched diagnostic and corrective efforts on Jan. 25. Between then and Jan. 28, 21 initial reports of Wi-Fi issues were received by LITS through various channels. Sara Robillard ’23 experienced internet outages on a daily basis during the virtual learning period, but was able to work around it by joining Zoom meetings from her phone. However, even that was not a foolproof solution, as this alternative used up her phone’s data plan. “One of my classes [kicked] me out, and I could not get back in, and I had already used a lot of my data plan earlier in the week connecting on my phone,” Robillard said. “I think we had 25 minutes left, and I was so fed up. I was just like, ‘All

Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22

right, I’m done, I’m done with class for the day.’” Robillard felt as though there was little class time spent catching up on the missed material, but she considers this an understandable loss. “You have to keep moving forward,” she said. The Network, Systems and Applications Support team, consisting of seven members, has played a key role in monitoring and addressing issues with the College’s network. Other members of LITS, including the Help Desk, have also contributed to addressing widespread technology issues such as the recent outages. In addition, LITS sought assistance in resolving the issue from experts at the technology firm that designed the network, as well as from the information security firm that helps to protect it and from the hardware vendor who manufactured key com-

ponents of the network. Wirth-Cauchon released an update to the community via email on Feb. 3, which identified two specific issues simultaneously affecting the Campus network. “The first issue is related to how personal devices now connect to wireless networks,” Wirth-Cauchon wrote. “Recent updates by technology providers use a randomized approach to device identification resulting in multiple requests to the network seeking an internet address from each device.” “While we have plenty of bandwidth and hardware, the address allocation system would periodically become overwhelmed with the requests for new addresses as devices request a change,” his update continued. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Senate discusses campus Wi-Fi issues BY GILLIAN PETRARCA ’23 STAFF WRITER

The Feb. 8 SGA senate meeting opened with a land acknowledgment by Chair of Senate Shula Mathew ’22. The agenda for the meeting included an info session with Library, Information, and Technology Services in order to discuss the recent Wi-Fi outages on campus. Senators were asked to gather with their commission groups at the beginning of the meeting to submit questions for the info session. President of SGA Lasya Priya Rao Jarugumilli ’23 moderated the session between Alex Wirth-Cauchon, chief information officer & executive director, and David Po-

wicki, director of Technology Infrastructure & Systems Support. “Can you explain the difference between the three Wi-Fi networks?” Jarugumilli asked. Powicki explained that MHC-Public is designed for anyone who would like to connect to the internet to use, including campus guests as well as students and faculty. He explained that eduroam and LyonNet-Encrypt are essentially the same networks. However, eduroam can be accessed across universities within the Pioneer Valley and abroad. Powicki recommended choosing one of the Wi-Fi networks and sticking to it. Jarugumilli asked, “How should students go about reporting Wi-Fi outages that happen more in a cer-

A&E: Students react to ‘Euphoria’ season two

tain building than others?” Wirth-Cauchon answered by explaining that the College has made the decision to not make the entire campus wireless. This means that all of the buildings on campus are Wi-Fi accessible but many outdoor areas may not be. Students may experience connection issues after changing buildings. Wirth-Cauchon and Powicki hope that, with the new network updates, this issue will be solved. Wirth-Cauchon said, “I am hopeful after our updates to the system tomorrow we will hopefully not experience any more campuswide Wi-Fi outages.” Many students raised conCONTINUED ON PAGE 2

SPORTS: Swimming & Diving hosts senior meet

NEWS

February 11, 2022

. Mount Holyoke News

Jewish Student Union launches ‘Fighting Antisemitism’ series, cont’d u

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ADL would help them understand what the College was doing about the multiple incidents. Additionally, the ADL “wanted to offer the College advice and resources on how to deal with the whole situation,” they explained. According to the student, the College didn’t respond to inquiries from the ADL. However, when the ADL publicized this story, it was picked up by major news outlets in both Massachusetts and the United States, including WBUR, AP News and Teen Vogue. “Things started to blow up,” the student recalled. The student was glad the incidents received media attention. “I can’t stress enough how this isn’t just about antisemitism and racism within the [Five College] Consortium,” they said, refering to growing national and global issues of antisemitism and racism. Just over two weeks ago, on Jan. 27, antisemitic grafiti — including Nazi swastikas and targeted profanities — was found in Marblehead Elementary School, according to NBC Boston. Further, in October, “a mezuzah was desecrated at Northeastern University’s Hillel House,” WBUR reported. These increasingly emboldened acts both at Mount Holyoke and beyond point to growing violence against Jewish people in the United States. On Jan. 15 of this year, a Texas synagogue was the site of a terrorist attack in which four people

were held hostage, according to The New York Times. The director of the FBI later called this an “intentional” and “symbolic” act of antisemitism.

trator was likely a Mount Holyoke student, based on the surrounding circumstances. “We have pretty good security, right? Like, card access, the time Public Safety investigates of year this was, where we were in In her Dec. 10 letter to the com- the stage of COVID[-19], [we] were munity, Stephens provided an up- locked down pretty good,” LaBarre date about the ongoing investiga- said. “I don’t think it was … a strangtions into the antisemitic vandalism. er walking through a residence hall “There have been three inci- during COVID[-19], during lockdents in the same residence hall, and down, during all these things. And in all instances I bet you don’t we have commueither. It doesn’t “Through education and nicated immeditake a criminal ately with local, justice degree.” conversation about the state and federWhile reharms of antisemitism and al law enforcesults of the inveswhite supremacy, we can ment partners tigation are still and continue to inconclusive, Lamake Mount Holyoke a share informaBarre hopes that place which lives up to its tion about the someday there core values.” ongoing inveswill be definitive tigation,” Steanswers. “That phens wrote. She would be beauti– Emma Mair ’23 noted too that ful. Nothing I like she believed the more than clearincidents were conducted by a stu- ing investigations,” LaBarre said. dent living on campus during the fall “This is so open, this incident. Do semester. we have more than one thing going According to LaBarre, little prog- on? Is this a person reaching out for ress has been made on the investiga- help? Is this truly a hate-type motition. “We did a series of interviews vated issue?” early on,” LaBarre said. “There’s not “Hate crimes are really, really a lot of new information … and no- difficult to navigate,” LaBarre furbody’s reported any new information ther explained. “They need to be either.” Collaborating on this case clear and obvious [with a goal] to are Public Safety and the local South put somebody in harm,” LaBarre exHadley police, as well as statewide plained. and national partners. According to the FBI, a hate Though nothing is confirmed, crime is defined as an offense such LaBarre theorized that the perpe- as “murder, arson or vandalism with

an added element of bias.” Based the vandilism reports in 1837, bias is present through the use of antisemitic symbols and language, marking these incidents as hate crimes. Depending on what new information Public Safety finds and when, LaBarre said that it “could end up in a criminal prosecution.” In the event of a prosecution, any legal proceedings would be public knowledge, LaBarre confirmed.

Combatting antisemitism

In an effort to combat antisemitism, the Jewish Student Union launched an event series called “Fighting Antisemitism at Mount Holyoke and Beyond.” On Jan. 31, the series began with a day-long teach-in covering everything from a history of Jewish life in the United States to building solidarity between Jewish and Black communities. This series will continue its run on Feb. 28 with an event called “The Ties That Bind: African Americans and Jews in America and our shared future” with guest speaker Anthea Butler, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania. “The Jewish Student Union Board is grateful to the College’s administration for working with us to develop programs this semester which we hope will engage and educate community members about antisemitism and work to eradicate it from Mount Holyoke and beyond,” JSU Co-Chair Emma Mair ’23 said. “It is our sincerest hope that our peers take time this semester to par-

ticipate in these events and learn about how antisemitism manifests in today’s society.” In addition to their teaching panels, the JSU has worked with the College administration to combat antisemitism specifically in the Mount Holyoke community. According to the organization’s fall 2021 newsletter, antisemitism education will now be included in student organization anti-racism trainings. In addition, antisemitism will be addressed and discussed at the BOOM! conference this spring. “My hope is that through education and conversation about the harms of antisemitism and white supremacy, we can make Mount Holyoke a place which lives up to its core values and where each student feels they belong,” Mair said. LaBarre also drew attention to the incidents’ impact on both the targeted student and the wider Mount Holyoke community. “This is a pretty big issue, not only for campus, [but] worldwide,” LaBarre said. “I think the whole community … was affected by these incidents.” Speaking about an ideal vision for Mount Holyoke’s future, the student hoped that “once you come through … the gates, you’re safe.” Still, the student expressed, there is a lot of work left to do in the community. “If you think hate has no home here,” the student said, “you need to start your spring cleaning early.”

Language Resource Center rebrands as Language & Culture Commons BY SOPHIE SOLOWAY ’23 GLOBAL EDITOR

At the start of spring semester, the College announced that the campus resource once known as the Language Resource Center, located in Ciruti, would be renamed as the Language and Culture Commons via an ‘MHC This Week’ email. Though this name change has been in motion for years, its recent retitling signals the Commons’ commitment to cultural and linguistic education. “The LRC/LCC has always been a space where people from different backgrounds are welcome to share their languages and cultures and to learn about new ones. This new name better reflects the Language & Culture Common’s mission and atmosphere,” the January announcement said. According to Jean Janecki, the director of the LCC, the idea was originally conceived in 2017 as a means of better reflecting the Commons’ initiatives and values, which have long centered the importance of language and cultural education across disciplines. Aya Sakonju ’22, an LCC student consultant, noted that much of the name-changing process was highly collaborative. “The name change was voted on by students who visit Ciruti. We had a whiteboard up during the fall

semester of 2021 and many people were drawn to capturing the equal importance of language and culture,” Sakonju said. “We had conversations together as staff before winter break and it was decided that we would officially change the name to Language & Culture Commons. It was a gradual process, but we began to revise the logo and anything written with its original name.” Janecki noted that, though the title change may take some getting used to, the priorities and values of the Commons itself have not markedly changed. “In a sense, our focus isn’t changing because we’ve always been about language and culture. So it’s [more about] really having the name reflect who we are and what we do,” Janecki said. Sakonju echoed this sentiment, stating, “Language and culture can’t be mutually exclusive because in order to truly speak a language, you also have to understand the culture. While we provide and encourage various language learning platforms, as consultants many of our goals have been to foster a deeper appreciation for languages, whether it’s our native tongue or one we are learning at school. In order to do so, we try to come up with fun ways to get the school involved through events we host which also integrate cultural elements. By changing the name to Language & Culture Com-

Photo by Xinran Li ’23 The Language & Culture Commons, previously the Language Resource Center, announced a name change to better reflect its commitment to culture.

mons, it provides students with more freedom to share not only language but also culture.” Nhi Nguyen ’24, a student consultant at the Commons, embraced the shift optimistically, saying, “I think the new name better reflects our mission and celebrates the diversity that our consultants and students of

all languages and cultures bring to campus.” According to Janecki, the Language & Culture Commons will announce an upcoming Open House during the spring semester, which may be an opportunity for students to reacquaint themselves with the Commons and its mission.

Though the name change reflects a new chapter for the campus resource, its staff notes that its emphasis on cultural programming will not be novel for the Commons. As Sakonju reflected, “I know the LCC will continue to be a space that builds community as it has done for me.”

Wi-Fi outages persist, cont’d Senate features LITS representatives, cont’d u

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The second issue outlined in the email was the widespread loss of connection across campus, correlated with times of particularly high demand. In these cases, one of the four controllers that supports the wireless network would unexpectedly drop its connections. On Feb. 2, LITS sent out a simple Google Form to the College community via email that allowed users to report Wi-Fi issues. It prompts respondents to indicate which WiFi network they are experiencing issues with, as well as whether the incident occurred within the last 30 minutes. From Feb. 2 to Feb. 3, the form received feedback from 924 unique community members, according to Wirth-Cauchon. An additional update from LITS sent out on Feb. 8 included a graph that tracked reports day-by-day — the total number of reports on Feb. 2 reached 1,409. Both the LITS Help Desk and Wirth-Cauchon highlighted the form as a key component in tracking how network maintenance affected the community in real time. For students unable to access their classes in the meantime, however, it was sometimes the only action they could take. Peggy Chen ’25 recalls filling

out the feedback form at least twice during her distanced learning experience, during which she experienced Wi-Fi issues at least once a day. “[Filling out the form] was the only thing we could do,” Chen said. “And in that situation, it kind of just enhanced the helplessness. You’re giving us updates, but really there’s nothing we can do except sit and wait.” When her classes were interrupted due to connection issues, Chen would instead view video recordings of the lectures she had missed and take notes later in the day. The return to in-person learning on Feb. 7 greatly reduced the demand on the wireless network. However, the issues have still persisted, albeit on a much smaller scale than the previous week. An updated architecture was applied to the networks one at a time, beginning with LyonNet-Encrypt on Feb. 9 and followed by eduroam on Feb. 10. “We recognize the impact the ongoing intermittent Wi-Fi disruptions have been having on the College community, even as we return to in-person learning. We are committed to resolving the problem and continue to make progress in that direction,” the Feb. 8 Help Desk email stated.

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cerns about access to ethernet cables. Wirth-Cauchon replied that there are a limited number of ethernet cables available for students to sign out at the circulation desk. The info session ended with Wirth-Cauchon and Powicki expressing thanks to the Senators as well as the wider Mount Holyoke community for helping report the Wi-Fi outages. Senate then entered the open floor portion of the evening in order to allow senators to make comments, voice concerns, ask questions or inform others of events happening. SGA Treasurer Maahi Jaiswl ’24 reminded everyone about the involvement fair on Feb. 13 from 12 to 3 p.m. Louise Olivier ’23 informed the room that Model UN will be selling rose grams for Valentine’s Day. The Outing Club announced that they are hosting a “Charcuterie and Sunset” fundraiser on the Delles Hill on Feb. 12. After the open floor portion, the E-Board provided the senate with some updates. Vice President of SGA Ananya Singh ’22 informed the group that providing toilet paper liners, which was suggested at a previous meeting, would not be possible due to conflict with the College’s

Photo by Tzav Harrel ’24 David Powicki (left) and Alex Wirth-Cauchon (right) addressed the campus wifi issues at Senate.

sustainability goals. Singh offered the solution of having spray bottles available for students to use in the restrooms. Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer Maille Romulus ’24 said that they will be meeting with Dining and Auxiliary Services soon and requested that senators email them questions or concerns regarding either department. Chair of Halls EJ Jankovic ’23 gave updates on their

meeting with Residential Life and Dining Services. They made Dining Services aware that many vending machines are not taking one cards or are overcharging students. Senate concluded with Singh acknowledging Dean Western’s passing and remembering Western’s substantial advocacy for the Mount Holyoke student body.

GLOBAL 3 Denmark first EU nation to lift COVID-19 restrictions February 11, 2022

. Mount Holyoke News

BY HANNAH RAYKHER ’23 STAFF WRITER

This past week, Denmark made the decision to drop all current COVID-19 restrictions. This decision has made Denmark the first nation in the EU to end their restrictions. According to CNN, there will no longer be a need to show a “COVID pass” — which was previously used to indicate vaccination status or a recent negative COVID-19 test — to attend a concert or restaurant, and there will be an upcoming end to the indoor mask mandate. The decision was informed by Denmark’s high vaccination rates, with 82 percent of Danes having received two doses and half of those people also having received a booster shot, according to the Associated Press. Olivia Wilson ’23 is currently studying abroad in Denmark and noticed a dramatic difference between Americans and Danes regarding COVID-19 protocol. These differences are especially apparent surrounding testing. “There are … free rapid tests centers for anyone, so it’s suggested to get tested twice a week and before you go to large social events, but you can also get tested every

day. They don’t restrict the number of times a week you can get tested … You can also get free PCR tests at the airport without an appointment,” Wilson explained. Wilson also felt that Danes have more trust in their government, and because of this, feel more confident that COVID-19 protocols are for the good of the people rather than a political agenda. Due to this trust, the elimination of COVID-19 restrictions is not the same hot-button issue that it may be here. “COVID[-19] isn’t really a hot topic anymore,” Wilson said. “When COVID[-19] restrictions were lifted, it wasn’t really a big deal. Masks are a personal choice, I see some people wearing them in the grocery stores, and some aren’t. Wearing a mask isn’t a political indication like it is in the U.S.. The change has been well received, [and] people are antsy to go out like old times now that clubs are finally opening up.” International Relations and Politics Professor Christopher Mitchell concurred. “Greater social cohesion may also be a factor, as in general the Nordic states, with their higher social cohesion, have been more willing to rely on trust that their cit-

izens will take voluntary steps to be responsible in containing the spread than states with lower social trust, such as the United States or France, where government restrictions play a more important role,” Mitchell said. “One thing that is clearly not a factor is actual case numbers, as Denmark has had one of the higher case levels in Europe.” According to The New York Times, Denmark has reported that approximately one percent of the nation’s population tested positive in a single day within the past week, placing the country near the top of COVID-19 cases per capita throughout the world. Mitchell also discussed Denmark’s smaller population size as a reason why the nation has been able to drop these restrictions. “Smaller economies need to be more open to thrive than large ones, as their smaller populations mean that they have fewer domestic consumers to buy their goods, and shallower reserves to support a cessation of economic activity.” In past weeks, COVID-19 cases in Denmark have been at an all-time high. According to Politico, the Danish medical authorities are confident

Photo courtesy of Flickr Denmark recently became the first nation in the EU to drop all COVID-19 restrictions. The decision comes amid rising cases, which have reached an all-time high over the past several weeks.

that with widespread vaccination and testing, the milder Omicron variant and a decrease in intensive care patients, the nation is safe to

Students celebrate Lunar New Year on campus

open up. Officials warn that the end of the restrictions may not be permanent due to the ever-changing nature of the virus.

‘East Meets West’ held at MHCAM BY LUCY OSTER ’23 STAFF WRITER

Photo courtesy of Wanqi Zhu ’23 Zhu decorated the blackboard in Blanchard as students across campus celebrated Lunar New Year.

Photo courtesy of Xhujun Gao ’23 Gao drew a portrait of a parrot wearing a red traditional Chinese hat to celebrate the new year.

BY QINGYUN SHI ’23 STAFF WRITER

The Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a holiday celebrating the first day of the year as calculated by the traditional lunar calendar. This year, the Chinese New Year fell on Feb. 1, beginning the Year of the Tiger. Jingyi Yuan ’23, a student from China, spoke about how she celebrated the new year. “On January 30, we gathered in the evening and made wontons together,” Yuan said. “The process of preparing the stuffing and cooking the wontons showed unity and our appreciation for the upcoming New Year. My friends also brought homemade desserts to share with the whole group. We hope the appreciation of friendship and the Tiger spirit will bring us good luck in 2022.” According to Baidu, since the Ming Dynasty, Chinese New Year festivities generally did not officially end until after the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first month, and in some places, the celebrations even lasted until the end of the entire first month. The Chinese New Year is mostly celebrated on the same day as the Korean New Year, the Vietnamese New Year and the Japanese New Year before the Meiji Restoration. In China, there are many traditions to celebrate the new year. During the Chinese New Year, the elderly will give the younger generation red envelopes containing “New Year’s money.” The amount of money in the red envelope varies: in mainland China, it ranges from Ren Min Bi 100 to over RMB 10,000, depending on the different areas. In the evening, people usually gather together for a meal while watching the live CCTV Spring Festival Gala, a show broadcast on the eve of the Chinese New Year. Wanqi Zhu ’23, a student from China involved with the Chinese Cultural Association, spoke about how she shared the day with friends. “In the morning, I posted ‘fu’ on

the blackboard in Blanchard, which represents best wishes in Chinese. Then I watched the Spring Festival Gala while waiting for lunch,” Wanqi said. “After that, I had my Zoom classes as usual. Once my class ended at 4:30 p.m., I started to prepare for dinner. I had hotpot with my friends and we celebrated the Chinese New Year together.” In some cases, however, students may have class all day that interrupted celebrations. Cuiling Sun ’24, for example, had three classes on the festival day. “This is my first Lunar New Year celebration outside of China,” Sun explained. “It’s really hard to feel the ‘Chinese New Year vibe.’ I did not realize the new year was coming until two days before it came.” “I didn’t actually celebrate the Lunar New Year since I had classes for the whole day. Fortunately, the college dining hall provided a special meal for the Lunar New Year. I watched the Spring Festival Gala while eating,” Sun said. “This is one of the things that I do every year, so I tried to keep doing it this year as well,” Sun explained. “This reminded me of the time that our family sat in the living room and watched the Gala together. Later, I FaceTimed with my parents and grandparents and said ‘Happy New Year’ to them.” Xhujun Gao ’23 drew a picture to celebrate the new year during the interval between classes. “I drew pictures of my parrot with a traditional Chinese red hat on its head to create a cute and warm spring festival atmosphere,” Gao said. The new year celebration can last from New Year’s Eve until the sixth day of the first month. In some years, New Year’s Eve does not fall on a day off, and the seventh day of the first month is used to compensate for the holiday, Baidu reported. Due to the short time interval between the start of the semester and Chinese New Year, China Night, which is held by Mount Holyoke’s Chinese Cultural Association, will be held on February 18.

Photo courtesy of Jingyi Yuan ’23 Yuan prepared her own wontons for a Chinese New Year celebration with her friends on Jan. 30.

Photo courtesy of Jingyi Yuan ’23 To bring in the new year, some students cooked and shared traditional dishes and meals together.

Photo courtesy of Wanqi Zhu ’23 After attending Zoom classes on Tuesday, Feb. 1, Zhu made hotpot for dinner to share with friends.

The Mount Holyoke College Art Museum held “East Meets West: The Art of Tseng Kwong Chi,” its first event of the spring semester on Wednesday, Feb. 2. According to the MHCAM website, the museum hosted “East Meets West” to commemorate the acquisition of “Lake Moraine, Canada (Canoe Mountain, Alberta),” a black and white photograph by Tseng Kwong Chi. MHCAM purchased the piece in fall 2020 after faculty members working across different departments met in the 2019-2020 academic year to discuss acquiring pieces that could increase the diversity of artists featured in the museum’s collection. According to Ellen Alvord ’89, the Associate Director for Engagement and Weatherbie Curator of Academic Programs at the MHCAM, Tseng’s photo is only one of the latest additions to have emerged from this seminar, which also led to the museum acquiring new pieces by artists Hector Dionicio Mendoza and Sandra Brewster. “Lake Moraine” is part of a series entitled “East Meets West” — or sometimes “Expeditionary Self-Portrait Series” — in which Tseng Kwong Chi, referred to as Tseng, photographed himself at iconic tourist sites, such as the Eiffel Tower. Tseng is Chinese, but he immigrated to Canada when he was 16 and was based in New York City for the later part of his life until he died of AIDS in 1990. In New York City, he associated with artists Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring and was the official photo-documenter of Haring’s work. Iyko Day, the Elizabeth C. Small associate professor of English and chair of critical social thought and gender studies, was part of the faculty group that discussed pieces to purchase, and she specifically advocated for the acquisition of “Lake Moraine.” Day shared that “Lake Moraine” is one of her favorite Tseng photos. “It really challenges notions of authenticity and nature,” she said. Day was interested in Tseng’s work before the faculty seminar. She discusses some of it in her book about settler colonialism through Asian racialization called “Alien Capital: Asian Racialization and the Logic of Settler Colonial Capitalism.” At the talk, Day discussed Tseng’s persona, saying, “He CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

February 11, 2022

. Mount Holyoke News

MHCAM acquires Tseng Students react to ‘Euphoria’ second season Kwong Chi photo, cont’d BY ELLA JACOB ’24 STAFF WRITER

Photo courtesy of Five Colleges and Historic Deerfield Museum Consortium Tseng Kwong Chi’s photo, “Lake Moraine, Northwest Territories, Canada,” is now at the MHCAM.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

discovered this persona in a time in which there was a lot of ignorance about Chinese people, so he was playing in some ways on peoples’ Orientalism.” According to Day, Tseng did so by wearing what is referred to as a “Mao Suit” — a suit that resembles those worn by members of the Chinese army during Chinese communist revolutionary Mao Zedong’s regime — in his photographs. At the event, Day also suggested that Tseng had, in a way, been an inventor of the selfie. She noted that his photos are perfect squares, much like the photos posted on Instagram today. During “East Meets West,” Day interviewed Muna Tseng, Tseng’s’s sister, a choreographer and dancer who also runs his estate. Muna Tseng shared personal anecdotes about her brother, such as a story about him wearing his iconic “Mao Suit” to a New York City restaurant because he hadn’t brought another. She also talked about his history with painting. Last semester, in their senior studio class, Fred Bird ’23, an art studio major, presented on “Lake Moraine.” After attending MHCAM’s “East Meets West,” Bird described the talk and Muna Tseng’s anecdotes about Tseng as moving. “[The event was] very touching, there [were] a lot of emotional insider stories that we were getting from … his sister,” they said. Alvord agreed, saying, “It’s been really engaging … to feel like you’re

really getting to know information that you might not get to know normally when you’re just reading an academic article about something. You’re kinda getting those personal stories, and understanding some of the ideas behind the art.” Alvord also spoke about her appreciation for the discussion that the faculty acquisitional seminar led to. “It was really enriching to hear about areas that they teach … and it helped the museum think of ways that we could expand our collection that would be really relevant to the curriculum and to areas of interest that connect both with our faculty and students,” she said. Even faculty who were not a part of the original seminar, such as Associate Professor Timothy Farnham, the chair of the Environmental Studies department, have spent time discussing the recently acquired work in their classrooms. Farnham, who attended the talk, shared that he discussed “Lake Moraine” in his environmental studies senior seminar class during a close-looking exercise. “With environmental studies students we’re always looking at [the] human relationship to the natural world. And this just kinda gets us out of our normal mode of assumptions, so through the close-looking exercise I think we were really able to explore some of those assumptions and start to bust them apart,” he said. Tseng’s “Lake Moraine” is currently available for viewing at the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum and on the MHCAM website.

The second season of “Euphoria,” which drew a record-setting 2.4 million viewers when it premiered on HBO Max, has received unprecedented levels of attention from both new and returning fans. With each episode featuring dramatic twists and turns, it seems that this season is taking its characters and viewers on a rollercoaster. “Euphoria” is an HBO adaptation of an Israeli show of the same name, created by American filmmaker Sam Levinson. Season one of “Euphoria” introduced a group of suburban Southern Californian teenagers dealing with mental health problems, drug abuse, sexual assault and toxic relationships. Although the story follows the lives of multiple main characters, the first season is mostly centered around Rue (Zendaya), the narrator. In order to determine whether “Euphoria” viewers at Mount Holyoke are fans of the show’s the show is heading, Mount Holyoke News asked about their thoughts on the newest season.

Character development

As Michela Marchini ’22 put it, “Rue had an incredibly fleshed out plot line and emotional storyline [in season one] … I didn’t really feel like anyone else did because the show was so focused on Rue.” In season two, Marchini explained, more characters are being given the chance to go through a full emotional arc. “There are certain characters who do feel like they’re left out of that [progression],” Marchini said, discussing the main character Jules (Hunter Schafer). New relationships are also emerging in the second season, with the characters’ lives crossing paths in unexpected ways. One such relationship is that of Cassie Howard (Sydney Sweeney) and Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi), the ex-boyfriend of Cassie’s best friend Maddy. As Cassie spirals further and further each episode as a result of this relationship, some fans are having difficulty grasping her actions. Approaching Cassie’s character with an analytical eye, Soli Guzman ’24 emphasized that Cassie has suffered from a lot of trauma. “She has seen the fact that her body has been used by men … and is constantly [in] the view of men,” Guzman said. “It obviously makes sense to her that the only way she can be loved, which she wants so dearly, is by the use of her body. And that’s why she’s seeking out terrible men.”

Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ’24

Conversely, the character development of Cassie’s sister, Lexi Howard (Maude Apatow), has generated excitement in viewers, like Marchini. “I am really, really, really excited by what they’re doing with Lexi [this season]. I think it’s really cool,” Marchini said. Lexi often feels like a stereotypical, sheepish teenager, who is a third-person observer to not only her life, but the lives of those around her. She is incredibly creative, shown through her ambition to write and direct a play based on her life. The character was not given a lot of screen time in the first season, but with her increasing presence in the show comes further fan interest.

Creator Sam Levinson

Sam Levinson, the show’s creator, executive producer, showrunner and writer of nearly every episode, has a knack for writing complex, stressful and rousing storylines, according to Marchini. “The core of Euphoria has always been [a] bruised storyline, and Sam Levinson is incredibly good at writing [a] bruised storyline,” Marchini said. Despite Levinson’s aptitude for this type of writing, these storylines have the potential to communicate harmful messages to younger and more impressionable members of “Euphoria”’s audience. “The more I think about it, it’s kind of concerning to me that Sam Levinson keeps on showing these situations where teenagers are being extremely dangerous and extreme, experiencing extremely risky behavior,” Guzman said. “There’s little to no repercussions, often.” There has also been a lot of crit-

icism from fans surrounding Levinson’s position as one of the sole writer’s of the show. “[Levinson] doesn’t have a lived experience that lends him to writing other characters, and I wish that he would get people into the writers’ room that do,” Marchini said. “Please get anybody else into that writer’s room along with you. I’m literally begging you.” Guzman echoed this belief, saying, “My whole issue with Sam Levinson is this: you can create a good show, but you also have to invite other people to help you.” On top of Levinson’s lack of inclusion in the writer’s room, there has also been a decrease in diversity in season two. One of the few Black characters, Christopher McKay (Algee Smith), has had little screen time in this season. Not only does this mean that there is one less character of color for some viewers to relate to, but it also means that the main characters are primarily white, with the exceptions of Rue and Maddy. According to Guzman, this lack of inclusion could be attributed to Levinson’s lack of inclusion in the writers’ room. “He’s a white, straight, 32-year-old man, meaning that he wants to write these inclusive storylines without knowing jack shit about them and, in turn, is creating a pile of horseshit,” Guzman said. “Euphoria,” which has been greenlit for a third season, has been the subject of widespread debate and discussion throughout its second season. Though opinions on the show itself differ, the show continues to keep viewers engaged, anticipatedly waiting for “Euphoria” episode release days.

Netflix’s ‘All Of Us Are Dead’ shows gore and love in the time of adolescence BY ANIKA SINGH ’24 STAFF WRITER

stances. The show manages to seamlessly intersect these two storylines despite their differing locations Netflix’s horror series “All Of within the school. For these charUs Are Dead” is a thrilling, adren- acters, the common denominator is aline-fueled saga of zombie chaos. survival. The third storyline follows police Based on Joo Dong-Geun’s 2009 Korean webtoon, “Now at Our School,” detective Jae-ik (Lee Kyu-hyung), “All of Us Are Dead” follows the out- who questions the science teacher break of a zombie virus at a high who invented the virus about the inschool in Hyosan, South Korea. “All creasing threat of deadly monsters. Of Us Are Dead” is an action-packed When the science teacher discloses thriller that successfully strikes a that there might be a possible cure balance between gore and the ex- for the virus, Jae-ik returns to the ploration of deeper themes of love, high school to retrieve the supposed cure and stop the spread. As he atfriendship and loss. The show ties together four sep- tempts to find the cure, the fourth arate storylines. The first two focus storyline begins, mainly focusing on the military’s on the students response to the stuck at Hyosan zombie crisis. High School, “All of Us are Dead” does “All Of Us introducing Onnot necessarily focus on Are Dead” won’t jo (Park Ji-hu) themes of love and frienddisappoint fans and Cheong-san of gore. As the (Yoon Chanship, but instead treats episodes progyoung), childthem as a byproduct of ress, and the hood best friends deadly experiences. city is overrun who are part of by the undead a small group creatures, the of students attempting to escape several zombie zombies get scarier and scarier. In attacks. In true high school fash- its first episode, the show provides ion, this group also includes On-jo’s ample action and gore as the very crush, Su-hyeok (Park Solomon), first cases of the virus arrive at the and Su-hyeok’s crush, Nam-ra (Cho high school. The zombies show no Yi-hyun). This configuration makes mercy, biting off limbs, stomachs for awkward tension between the and intestines. By the end of the characters and emphasizes that, first episode, “All Of Us Are Dead” even in the middle of a zombie apoc- manages to introduce the main charalypse, their day-to-day teenage acters and tease at the coming plot, all the while providing a promising problems won’t just disappear. On the other end of the school’s thrill of action. Episode to episode, the series campus, two high school seniors, archer Ha-ri (Ha Seung-ri) and delin- is fairly successful at building tenquent Mi-jin (Lee Eun-saem), shoot sion through consistent elevation arrows through the zombies, all the of stakes. One of the most hair-raiswhile worrying about getting into ing scenes occurs at the end of the college amid these strange circum- first episode, as the virus spreads

Graphic by Jieru Ye ’23

throughout the city. As students and teachers try to escape from the undead, whose numbers seem to be increasing every second, pandemonium ensues. Throughout the show, the survivors aim to observe the zombies’ behavior and find their weaknesses in an effort to escape and make it out alive, but the zombies seem to catch on to the group’s plan. As the group loses its members to the zombie herd, a bone-chilling transformation scene occurs, complete with eyes reddening and bones ricketing. To add to the students’

problems, the virus finds new ways to mutate, creating an entire breed of human-appearing zombies who are bloodthirsty and brutally strong. As the stakes of the outbreak constantly compound, the show invites the viewer to feel the tension build alongside these characters. Alongside its thrills, “All Of Us Are Dead” develops compelling relationships as the apocalypse worsens. With the apocalypse upon them, Cheong-San and On-jo seem to be stuck in an undefined relationship filled with denial and yearning. The

show also explores the love between Su-hyeok and Nam-ra as they confess their feelings for one another. The introduction of these dynamics makes it easier to root for the characters as it provides light-hearted and positive themes during a dark, depressing time. “All of Us are Dead” does not necessarily focus on themes of love and friendship, but instead treats them as a byproduct of deadly experiences. The students, now depending on each other for survival, must reckon with the emotional reality of losing their families and friends. While the show has a light-hearted side to it, the deaths of the students’ families and the realization that they might be the only ones alive creates a tinge of sadness. Overall, the show highlights the incompetence of powerful institutions, such as the government and the military, during times of crisis. The fictional government within the story struggles to have a uniform response to the disaster, while the military desperately takes extreme actions — such as mass violence — to contain it. Each student echoes the sentiment that the adults have failed them, as they are certain that there is no help on the way. In one scene, the group of survivors finds a tape recorder and records themselves in case they don’t make it out alive. Their dire states as they suffer the consequences of poor disaster management is heartbreaking to witness. “All Of Us Are Dead” does a stellar job portraying the destruction of innocence as the surviving students realize that there is no one to help them in their time of need. Such themes make the show even more heartbreaking.

SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT California experiences rare winter wildfires Climate February 11, 2022

. Mount Holyoke News

BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER

Unlike hurricane season, there is no defined start and endpoint to wildfire season. In California, “wildfire season typically begins in July and runs through the first fall rainfall, peaking in Sept. and Oct.,” as explained in The Tufts Daily. Yet with increasing global temperatures, drought and other factors, wildfires now happen year-round in the U.S. The Forest Service coined this as a “fire year.” The shift from a wildfire season to the “fire year” is apparent from the recent Colorado Fire in California on Jan. 22, 2022 and the Marshall Fire in Colorado that started on Dec. 30, 2021. The Washington Post reported the Colorado Fire began in Palo Colorado Canyon and eventually burned around 1,050 acres of land. The Marshall Fire spread through 6,000 acres of the suburban Boulder County towns of Superior and Louisville, “destroying 1,084 homes and seven businesses and displacing over 30,000 residents,” according to the Daily Camera. Both fires occurred during times that are uncommon for wildfires in either state, as stated by KGW 8. California’s wildfire was named for its point of origin — Palo Colorado Canyon, a rural area in Monterey County — according to The Washington Post. Tufts Daily reported that the fire itself “pales in comparison to other fires in recent years,” but is a cause for concern, nonetheless. The article points to heavy rainfall in California at the end of 2021 as particularly worrying, as it shows that the rain wasn’t enough to prevent wildfires. According to the National Weather Service Bay Area branch’s Twitter account, “recent rains and cold winter weather isn’t helping to keep fires from developing.” Therefore, conditions of the wildfire are exacerbated by the inconsistent rain patterns in California and the long-term drought from which the state suffers. NBC reported that agencies were able to

Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons The Forest Service dubbed 2022 a ‘fire year’ in California due to the unusual off-season wildfires.

respond to the fire quickly with over “250 firefighters from multiple agencies and volunteer groups, aided by water-dropping aircraft” that allowed them to contain the fire faster. The fire spread at a faster rate due to assistance from strong winds. The Washington Post quoted assistant fire chief George Nunez as saying that the fire “moved surprisingly fast for a fire around this time of year.” There were strong winds across the San Francisco Bay Area at the time that “[caused] outages to at least 18,000 Pacific Gas & Electric customers in the region” with “a peak gust 90 mph … recorded,” as reported by NBC. Similarly, the Marshall Fire was fueled by strong winds. “Wind speeds were reported as high as 115 miles per hour,” the Daily Camera stated. 9 News reported that the combination of high winds, dry grass and homes’ close proximity to one another caused the fire to spread rapidly and more houses to be lost. It is unclear what the origin of the Marshall Fire was and its cause is still under investigation, as reported by 9 News. One popular theory is

that the fire was caused by an underground coal mine fire. The area where the fire occurred is the site of “one of the oldest coal mining operations in the western United States,” according to CBS Denver. They also reported that there are “38 active underground mine fires in Colorado,” with two of the mines located near the initial site of the fire. CBS Denver pointed to the possibility that the windstorm may have caused the underground coal mine fires to reach the soil surface, causing the wildfire. As reported by 9 News, underground mine fires are difficult to control as the fires are self-sustaining. According to Jurgen Brune, a professor at the Colorado School of Mines, “there’s not much you can do from the outside to stop these fires.” The Colorado Sun reported that in addition to the mines’ unpredictability, the mine fires “can break through to the surface without warning.” In 2005, the Marshall mines caused a “brush fire that was sparked by a ‘hot vent’ from the mine,” as reported by 9 News. There are other possibilities for how the fire started, including near-

by powerline outages and a trash fire. 9 News quoted wildfire investigator Brenda Rice as saying, “We have to look at all the possible ignition sources,” adding that there will likely be a long-term investigation. In the aftermath of fires comes rebuilding and additional aftereffects. According to The Denver Post, after a fire, buildings must be cleared before rebuilding can start. They also reported that the cost of cleanup will be over $100 million, which includes “1,118 destroyed structures, 353 damaged buildings and 1,741 trees.” The rebuilding process may allow for changes to regulations and rules in the area’s landscaping and design in order to prevent or slow down a possible future fire, as described by The Denver Post. According to Colorado Public Radio, the homes that the Marshall fire burnt down were built without a wildfire building code. Additionally, Boulder County, where the fire took place, has now adopted wildfire building codes that include fire-resistant siding and roofing . However, there is no statewide wildfire building code in Colorado, while other states that are prone to wildfires already have building codes in place. Insurance for fire-risk locations is also changing for some customers, according to the Wall Street Journal. American International Group Inc. and Chubb Ltd. are reportedly ending coverage for many customers in California. AIG is offering an alternative policy for homeowners that “would cost three to five times what AIG’s clients now pay, with less-generous coverage,” according to the Wall Street Journal article. The source also reported that the policy changes are more likely to impact the ability of the “biggest and most-expensive homes” to find replacement insurance coverage. We are beginning to see changes in wildfire patterns cause “fire years” and more damage. The compounding factors of drought, warm temperatures and wind have caused these fires.

Explore the Pioneer Valley with these winter activities BY CAYLEY DELANCEY ’22 STAFF WRITER

Between the icy sidewalks, cold temperatures and short daylight hours, outdoor recreation might be near the bottom of your wishlist for the beginning of spring semester. But with current COVID-19 restrictions, getting outside can be a fun way to spend time with friends, get to know the campus and Pioneer Valley and enjoy some wintery New England fun. Here are eight outdoorsy activities to try on and around campus this winter.

Enjoy campus trails

The College has an extensive network of trails beyond the popular Upper Lake Loop. Check out Prospect Hill, which is accessible from the Prospect Parking Lot via the Old Carriage Road, the Ham/MacGregor Parking Lot or the Delles Hill. Keep your eyes peeled for an old stone structure and a student-made tree lean-to. Sunset is especially pretty from Prospect Hill in the winter as you overlook campus, but make sure to bring a headlamp to look out for ice on the way back. An additional trail on the far side of the Upper Lake trail follows Stony Brook to the cross country jumping course used by the Equestrian Center. Along these trails are equestrian cross country jumps, as well as beautiful views of Stony Brook and the cross country field. This is a great place to go to feel secluded out in nature.

Go sledding on the Delles hill

The Delles hill is a perfect sledding location with a long sledding history. On snow days, the Outing Club hosts office hours for most of the day so that you can easily rent sleds for free and hit the slopes. No sleds available? Try a piece of cardboard, or mask up and ask to share with someone on the hill — it’s a great way to meet new people.

Go cross country skiing at the Mount Holyoke golf course

In the winter, Mount Holyoke’s golf course is a popular cross country skiing area for South Hadley locals. Located just a 10 minute walk from Kendall Sports and Dance Complex, you can ski on ungroomed trails around the golf course for

Photo by Carmen Mickelson ’24 Following a recent blizzard, the Mount Holyoke campus was blanketed in snow, as seen from this view to the side of the Williston Memorial Library.

some classic Nordic fun. No skis? No problem. Rent a pair from the Outing Club before heading out. The Mount Holyoke Outing Club holds office hours every school day, usually from 5-6 p.m. Check updated hours by joining the Outing Club mailing list on Embark.

Hike in the Holyoke Range

Although the Notch Visitor Center, located right off the PVTA 39 route, is currently closed for the winter season, the location offers a host of outdoor activities. Go cross country skiing down the Robert Frost Trail, or hike Mount Norwottuck, 3.8 miles round-trip, or Bare Mountain, one mile round-trip. If you’re feeling ambitious, hike the Seven Sisters Range from the Notch Visitor Center to the Summit House on the actual Mount Holyoke and back for a challenging 10.2-mile round trip.

Get outside on an Outing Club trip

Every weekend, the Mount Holyoke Outing Club leads trips around the Pioneer Valley and beyond. Activities range from winter hikes in New Hampshire to arts and crafts in the local area, so no matter your

outdoor skill level, there’s an activity for everyone. You can sign up for trips on Embark, and if you join the mailing list, you’ll be alerted when new trips are posted. If you want to get more involved, students can become Outing Club leaders and host their own trips. The Outing Club also rents out skis, ice skates, sleds and camping equipment during their office hours.

Join a guided trip with the Hampshire OPRA Program

Mount Holyoke College students can sign up for the outdoor trips that Hampshire College’s Outdoor Programs, Recreation and Athletics department runs on the weekend. Trips range from learning how to track animal prints to multi-day ski-packing over extended breaks. During the winter, they’re hosting a weekly bus to Berkshire East for downhill skiing. Prices vary between trips. More information can be found at their website.

Shop Local at the Amherst Winter Market

If you love supporting local businesses, check out the Amherst Winter Market. Local vendors from

around the Pioneer Valley sell items ranging from fresh produce, cheeses and wines to pastries, coffee, soaps and knit goods. The market is open every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Amherst Regional Middle School. You can reach the Amherst Winter Market by taking the PVTA 38 to Pray Street and walking 0.7 miles.

Try out ice skating at UMass’ Mullins Center

Have the recent U.S. Figure Skating Championships inspired you to try out skating yourself? At the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Mullins Center, Mount Holyoke students can ice skate to their heart’s content in UMass Amherst’s indoor rink. Admission costs $5 for Mount Holyoke students, with an additional $5 cost for gear rental, although students can also rent gear from the Mount Holyoke Outing Club for free. Free skate times generally fall on Sundays, although hours vary from week to week, so check the Mullins Center Free Skate website prior to making plans. The Mullins Center is accessible from Mount Holyoke by taking the PVTA 38 to Haigis Mall and walking 0.5 miles.

Activist Spotlight: Mitzi Jonelle Tan

Graphic by Sofía Savid ’24

BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER

Mitzi Jonelle Tan is a 24-year-old climate justice activist based in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to her biography on Youth Advocates for Climate Action Philippines, Tan has long held an interest in climate action. “At the age of nine, she would go up to strangers and tell them about greenhouse gases and global warming,” the biography reads. Later in 2017, when meeting with Lumad Indigenous leaders in her country, “she decided to fully commit her life to activism,” as they made her realize “collective action and system change is what we need for a just and green society,” the biography outlines. According to Climate One, Tan’s activism involves organizations such as YACAP, Fridays for Future of the Philippines, FFF International and FFF Most Affected People and Areas. Tan’s work expands also outside of the Philippines, as she has recently been protesting Standard Chartered Bank in London, England, according to her interview with Democracy Now. Tan is focused on Standard Chartered Bank because the bank “has the largest investments in fossil fuel companies in the Philippines,” she explained. This led to greater use of fossil fuels whose emissions caused increasingly violent typhoons. In addition to on-the-ground activism, Tan writes opinion pieces in a variety of different news sources, including Teen Vogue, Vice and Voices of Youth. In collaboration with other activists, Tan writes and publishes letters directed to world leaders like the G20 finance ministers and President Joe Biden, which are linked in her biography on the YACAP website. Tan’s activism and writing focus on amplifying “voices from the Global South,” as mentioned in her YACAP biography. She explained their focus on the Global South in an article for Aljazeera, saying countries in that region of the world “are most vulnerable, aren’t able to bounce back, deal with and minimize the loss and damages.” Tan has also engaged in activism through a staged demonstration, wherein she and three fellow activists held “a fake press conference to call out Standard Chartered’s policies on coal” after the company released an announcement, as described in an article from the Sierra Club.

OPINION

February 11, 2022

. Mount Holyoke News

Graphic by Sunny Wei ’23

Ballet and body dysmorphia shouldn’t go hand-in-hand BY ZORA LOTTON-BARKER ’25 STAFF WRITER & COPY EDITOR

I have been dancing for as long as I can remember: since I started movement classes at the Lawrence Arts Center in my hometown at the age of two. When I was around four or five, I was deemed ready to start ballet. By the time I was 14, I had been accepted into the Lawrence Ballet Theater, the pre-professional dance company at my studio. Throughout high school, I was a member of this company, adding more and more hours to my schedule to meet the demands of dancing at such an intense level. I went to the University of Kansas Dance Intensive every summer and participated in several productions a year, as well as worked with visiting choreographers who set pieces for the company. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to dance seriously, but it was not always sunshine and rainbows. For years, I have struggled with severe body dysmorphia because of the unattainable aesthetic of the

white, slim, tall ballerina with long legs and hardly any fat or curves apart from lean muscle. The image of the perfect ballerina that I grew up with was a dainty size zero — and I was not that. Even at a size six, I was the biggest girl in my company — something that is very telling of the culture that has been cultivated by the ballet community. Though I was never directly told to lose weight, the implication was always there. I was surrounded by mirrors, participating in an art that asked me to analyze my every movement for the sake of improvement. Constant comparison to an unattainable ideal can be incredibly harmful, especially in your adolescent years, a time in which you start to build a relationship with your body. I am not alone in this struggle, it is a phenomenon felt by many dancers. This trend was noted by Josh Spell, former mental health consultant and dancer for the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, in a 2020 interview with Dance Spirit. “This standard of the thin body as a dance ideal has been passed

down from generation to genera- a self-awareness of my own weight tion,” Spell said. “It’s definitely the compared to that of my peers colBalanchine model, those long legs.” ored my perception of my placement The Balanchine model describes in the world,”’ Lynette said. “I soon the ideal dancer, as envisioned by recognized that, perhaps more so George Balanchine, an extremely than the young dancers around me, influential choI was expected reographer and to ‘earn my keep’ public figure in compensating Though I was never directly by the dance world. for my comparatold to lose weight, the im- tively large proHe is even recognized for his plication was always there. portions.” own style of One of the I was surrounded by mirballet, which is reasons that rors, participating in an art body dysmorphia practiced widely around the is so common that asked me to analyze world. dancmy every movement for the among For Balers is because sake of improvement. anchine, the in some cases, perfect ballerina our mentors fail was one that was to acknowledge “tall and slim to the extent of hav- body positivity and mental health. ing no figure with long necks, long Dancers are often dismissed when legs and short torsos,” according to they raise complaints related to a Twirl, the Art and Science of Move- myriad of issues, including body imment. age, injuries and mental health. Sarah Lynette, a writer on MeIn my sophomore year of high dium.com, observed the way ballet school, I was on the verge of breaking had impacted her relationship with down in a rehearsal, both because of her body. my frustration with my movement “Before I was even 10 years old, quality and an undiagnosed mental

illness. My director described my state as merely an “off day” and encouraged me to keep working. The problem of body dysmorphia stems from a long cycle of silencing dancers in the name of art. Rather than acknowledging the harmful practice of companies and teachers pushing dancers to the brink, the dance industry continues to reinforce its problems by promoting unachievable standards. I believe that if I had been given the opportunity to have open and honest conversations about mental health and body image with my fellow dancers from a young age, I would have a very different relationship with my body. The only way the long lasting tradition of body dysmorphia in dancers will change is if major ballet companies commit to drastically changing their modus operandi, coupled with reformation of how ballet is taught to children and adolescents. Change is possible, but real improvement will not occur until the ballet world is willing to let go of the damaging aesthetic of the thin body.

Corporations and the CDC see disabled COVID-19 deaths as collateral damage

Photo by Ali Meizels ’23 Since January, Mount Holyoke College has operated under Semester Launch COVID-19 protocols.

BY ANNABELLE MACKSON ’23 HUMAN RESOURCES COORDINATOR & STAFF WRITER

Content warning: this article discusses ableism and mass death. The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected the lives of every human being for over two years. People are tired of restrictions, tired of fear and tired of putting their lives on hold for a virus that keeps spreading and mutating, especially as stubborn holdouts refuse to get vaccinated. This sentiment is entirely justified; I am annoyed and frustrated by how much my college experience and my early 20s have been negatively impacted by the virus. What is not justified, however, is the idea that we should normalize living with the virus and return to business as usual because it seems that people are now more likely to get it than not. Though this idea has recently taken hold in much of the United States, its roots lie in corporate greed. While the average vaccinated and boostered individual will likely avoid hospitalization and death if they contract the virus, as shown in a Jan. 7 study from the CDC, those who are

immunocompromised and disabled may not. The fact that their concerns are being pushed to the side for the sake of returning to the status quo is horrifying to me, yet unfortunately, unsurprising. Although scientific literature surrounding COVID-19 is constantly being adjusted, there currently appears to be a link between disabled and immunocompromised people and increased hospitalizations and COVID-19 deaths. The CDC study from January determined that in breakthrough COVID-19 cases — cases in which the patient is vaccinated — nearly 57 percent of survivors with severe respiratory failure and ICU hospitalization had multiple risk factors that made them more susceptible to disease. Additionally, 78 percent of the people who died had multiple risk factors that greatly decreased their odds of survival. An August 2021 Drexel Now article that highlights the increased risk of COVID-19 in autistic individuals, explains that autistic individuals and the neurodiverse population in general are at a higher risk of contracting the virus due to a higher likelihood of them needing to rely on the care of others to survive. Drexel

Now also highlighted a 2021 report from the scientific journal Autism and spoke to the importance of increasing vaccination outreach to these populations so they have the best protection available to them. Despite increased efforts, there are still people for whom vaccines are not effective or whose immune systems are so weak that they cannot receive a vaccine at all. Often, these conditions are comorbid, meaning that an individual might have a disability and be immunocompromised, and the treatment of one greatly affects that of the other. These compounded risk factors put individuals with comorbid conditions in danger of severe illness or death should they contract the virus. The COVID-19 response regarding disabled people was already lacking, as reported in a NorthJersey.com article from November of last year, but things have gotten worse for disabled people in a very public way. The article mentions a hospital point system developed by a Pittsburgh hospital in the early days of the pandemic which scored people based on survivability in determining usage of the very scarce ventilators available. Patients with lower scores were put on ventilators first, because they were more likely to survive treatment, while patients with higher scores, and who had a higher chance of dying even with medical intervention, were not put on them. It does not seem to have been intentionally designed to deny care to disabled patients, but given diseased and disabled people’s increased risk factors and shorter life spans, they would more often than not be left without treatment. In December 2021, Delta Airlines requested that the CDC shorten the COVID-19 isolation period from 10 days to five for vaccinated individuals with breakthrough infections, and the CDC complied. Delta’s argument was centered around the essential service their airport employees provide, and how a truncated isolation would allow them to more

quickly resume that service. While ly there to comment on the spread this could be seen as evidence of a of the Omicron variant, but she also decrease in COVID-19’s danger, the called the aforementioned study of implications of a massive corpora- vaccinated people “encouraging,” tion asking a government-funded since over 75 percent of those who had died “had organization for at least four coleniency for the morbidities,” sake of profit is The CDC did not care according to a sickening. This enough in December when Newsweek artishows that the they folded to the demands cle covering the CDC will priinterview. Addioritize keeping of Delta’s truncated isolational comments companies’ profit tion period, and they cerquote Walensky margins up and tainly don’t care now. as saying that supporting cor“these are peoporations’ hold ple who were on the working class over the health and safety of unwell to begin with,” implying that healthy individuals need not Americans. This push for people to go back worry since they aren’t the ones at to work, possibly before they have risk of dying. Disabled professional fully recovered from COVID-19, advocate Kayle Hill wrote in a Teen puts vulnerable individuals at even Vogue op-ed that Walensky’s later more risk. Even if they don’t catch clarifications did little to dispel Hill’s COVID-19 from their caregivers, heightened fears, and that “if anydisabled and immunocompromised thing, it feels like an attempt to appeople will likely receive a lesser pease the disability community, with quality of care, since those respon- no tangible indication from CDC sible for their well-being aren’t be- policies that they are prioritizing the ing given the time to recover them- lives of immunocompromised peoselves. These people are being put in ple.” I agree with her. The CDC did more vulnerable circumstances than not care enough in December when before and aren’t being heard even they folded to the demands of Delta’s when they advocate for themselves. truncated isolation period, and they The U.S. National Council on Dis- certainly don’t care now. In fact, they ability outlined government chang- lowered restrictions for vaccinated es that need to be made in order people even further by saying that to avoid further increase in deaths if they are exposed to COVID-19 but among disabled and immunocom- don’t display symptoms, they do not promised people. The report these have to quarantine. I am vaccinated and boosted provisions appeared in, including a proposal for a disabled patient’s Bill and I had COVID-19 over the winter of Rights and allocating funds for break. I have no conditions that negproviding compensatory education atively affect my immune system, to disabled children affected by the but I am still dealing with lingering pandemic, was published at the end issues from being ill over a month of October, and as of February 2022, ago. As much as I hate how much my no major legislative action has been life has been affected by this virus, I am not willing to throw caution to taken. The nail in the coffin for me, and the winds and stand by as immunoI assume many others, came in a compromised people are essentially statement from the U.S. director of treated as biological cannon fodder the CDC, Rochelle Walensky, which by a system that refuses to protect aired on Good Morning America in them — or anyone else, for that matearly January. Walensky was large- ter. I hope I am not the only one.

February 11, 2022

SPORTS & PHOTOS

. Mount Holyoke News

Mount Holyoke Swimming & Diving team honors seniors

College varsity teams celebrate women in sports

BY JESSE HAUSKNECHT-BROWN ’25 FEATURES EDITOR

Sitting in the stands by the poolside, Mount Holyoke families and students cheered on athletes competing in the annual Mount Holyoke Swimming and Diving senior meet, hosted at home against Smith College. Mount Holyoke triumphed with a score of 163-131, with diver Kathryn Murphy ’22 breaking the one-meter board school record for the second week in a row. The first event was the 200-yard medley relay, where Mount Holyoke placed second, with swimmers Anais Magner ’23, Megan Schneider ’25, Hannah Heierhoff ’25 and Caitlyn Richmond ’22 putting up a time of 2:01.40. Mount Holyoke swimmers finished first, second and third in the 100-yard backstroke, with Adji Diouf ’24 placing first with a time of 1:06.28 and Magner placing second with a time of 1:07.53. In the 50-yard freestyle, Mount Holyoke swimmers touched first, second and third again with Richmond coming in first at 26.68 and Diouf placing second with a time of 27.63. “I really … tried to focus on what I could do during [the] moment [and] stay in my lane … and just really … think about what I’ve been working on for the past few weeks and … [bring] that into play” Richmond said. Murphy scored 293.17 points on the one-meter board, breaking the pool record of 289.80, which she’d set at a home meet against Western New England the previous weekend. Sophie Simon ’25 qualified for the NCAA Division III Regional Championships alongside Murphy by securing a second qualifying score of 248.17. “It was just great to see [Murphy] performing at such a high level,” Head Coach David Allen said. “The perseverance she’s had has been amazing because she’s had a number of different injuries that she’s overcome in the last four years … So to see her where she is right now is just awesome.” Allen spoke of his optimism

Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics Marley Berano ’25 dribbles the ball across the court at a home game against Wellesley College.

BY GIGI PICARD ’22 SPORTS EDITOR Photo courtesy of Mount Holyoke College Athletics On the Feb. 5 senior meet, diver Kathryn Murphy ’22 broke the college’s one-meter board record.

about Murphy’s trajectory for this season and her potential to compete at the National Women’s Swimming & Diving Championship meet. “She’s — knock on wood, I don’t want to jinx anything — but she’s going to Regionals and has a good shot of making it to Nationals this year.” As for the senior celebration, colorful posters honoring this year’s graduating swimmers and divers lined the pool walls. “The fellow … younger class teammates make up what we call psych up signs, which are a whole bunch of usually eight-and-a-half by 11 pieces of paper that they just hang up on the wall [along] with encouraging messages. Everyone signs [on] a poster for them,” Allen said. Additionally, each senior wrote a short blurb about their time on the team, thanking the people who have helped and supported their swimming and diving. At the beginning of the meet, these speeches were read aloud and each senior was given a bouquet of flowers. “[To] have … your family and friends [in the] stands and kind of see all the hard work your teammates went through and all the hard work your coaches went through is really great,” Richmond said. However, she felt that “the best part is you get to

Photographer spots squirrels BY JENNY YU ’24 STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

These pictures of squirrels were all taken on campus, in various locations. I feel like squirrels on campus are so different from any other squirrels you can find elsewhere. They can be very scary sometimes, but I love seeing them all over campus. I have so much fun photographing them and I am so happy to share them with everyone.

be surrounded by your teammates and then the other seniors.” “It was really great being able to walk out on deck and just kind of see all the decorations and hard work, and have everyone kind of there to celebrate you [with] your other teammates,” Richmond said. Looking toward the future, Richmond is excited for the team to compete again at the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference championship beginning on Feb. 17. “I’m feeling pretty confident going into NEWMACs … It’s super fun to be in that atmosphere where you have a huge crowd, you have a lot of great competition, and you’re swimming against some teams who you’ve waited the whole season to swim against,” Richmond said. [For] some teams you’re racing … [it] might be your second or third time racing against them. … It’s just a great way to end this season no matter what happens.” Most of the Swimming and Diving team members will end their season with the NEWMAC championship meet. Afterwards, Murphy and Simon will continue to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Regional Diving Championships at Smith College.

This year marked the 36th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day The United States holiday, which was celebrated on Feb. 2, recognizes the achievements of female athletes and the ongoing struggle for equality in women’s sports. According to Sports Illustrated, Nicole Tepper, an employee of the National Football League team the California Panthers, wrote a letter to the female athletes of the future in honor of the day. “Be brave, be confident, challenge yourself, take constructive criticism to your advantage, be strong, be a team player, be loyal. Love what you do every day but most of all be happy,” the message said. To add to the celebration, the Women’s Sports Foundation hosted a “Virtual 5K and 50 Mile Challenge” event, according to the organization’s website. The challenge invited participants to swim, bike, run or travel by some athletic means a distance of five kilometers or 50 miles, completed all at once or spread out over the course of the event. While both the 5K and 50 mile portions started on Feb. 1, the 5K segment will end on Feb. 28 and the 50 mile segment on June 23. Mount Holyoke Basketball competed on NGWSD against the Coast Guard Academy, and was also among several of the College’s varsity teams to honor the holiday on its

Instagram account. The team posted a collage of its players with a caption that read, “Massive shoutout to the student-athletes, coaches, officials and everyone supporting our awesome team. Thank you to those that have come before [us] and paved the way for more women in the sport industry.” Basketball’s Head Coach Jackie Ward said, “It is great to see the rest of the world celebrate and fight for something that has been central to Mount Holyoke’s ethos since it was founded.” Ward continued, “It is astounding how much inequality and stigma still surrounds gender in sport, and … celebrating this day … helps bring these issues to the forefront and acts as a reminder and a commitment to continue addressing them.” The Soccer team posted an image of its players with a caption that stated, “MHC Soccer celebrates the accomplishments of the athletes that came before us, and will continue to fight for gender diversity in sport going forward.” A post by the field hockey team also featured its athletes. Its caption said, “[Mount Holyoke College Field Hockey] wants to shout out all of our current and former student-athletes, coaches, officials, [athletic trainers] and support staff … Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day.” Next year, National Girls and Women in Sports Day will fall on Feb. 1, 2023.

COMMUNITY

February 11, 2022

. Mount Holyoke News

HOROSCOPES BY DAVID NEJEZCHLEBA ’22 COPY EDITOR & HOROSCOPE WRITER

March 21 – April 19

July 23 – Aug. 22

Buried in summer’s green bounty lies spring’s seeds which never sprouted. Luckily for us, it’s winter. Still, there are pieces of you which never grew, nestled within your soul. You are vibrant, Aries, but honor your past desires and dreams.

There’s a feather at your feet, so don’t step too quickly. It could be a crow’s, or an owl’s — but forget species, it doesn’t matter the fowl. There’s a fleeting symbol waiting to be seen, so keep your eyes peeled. Don’t allow this message to remain concealed.

April 20 – May 20

Aug. 23 – Sept. 22

You have a lot for which to be grateful. The seas are currently calm for you, so drink up the sun. Swim in its light. There is good contained in uneventfulness, poetry in that which is tranquil. Each moment is eternal — let “forever” touch your soul.

May 21 – June 20

Feeling down? Hopeless? Listless? Worried about the future? You’re not alone, all Geminis are definitely feeling downright bonkers right now. For this week, just remember to girl-boss, they-boss or boy-boss through it all and accomplish what you can.

June 21 – July 22

You feel like a pair of washed-up sunglasses on the beach. Maybe scratched, maybe lopsided. But there’s beauty in that which is undecided. Today, Cancer, admire your own loveliness, your glory. Don’t let others write your story.

Stress has made you into an old blanket: stained, weathered and fraying. Your fabric is worn, but it’s as autobiographical as it is torn. Virgo, your experiences have made you who you are. As always, remember to keep slaying.

Sept. 23 – Oct. 22

It’s hard to decide if your former self is withering away, or if you’re undergoing metamorphosis. Perhaps the two are not so different. It’s okay to reinvent yourself, to let yourself go, to change. Accept the process, and mold yourself from shadow into being.

Event Highlights Saturday, Feb. 12 Make a Valentine

Come hang out in the Prospect common room to have some fun and make cards. We will have stationary, paper and art supplies to make as many Valentine’s Day cards as you would like. Private Location. 4:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.

Sunday, Feb. 13

Spring Involvement Fair

The Involvement Fair showcases all of our student groups on campus. Come to Chapin Auditorium on Sunday, Feb. 13 from 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. to see how you can get involved on campus. From club sports to arts, cultural to academic and dance to politics – no matter your interests, we have a group for you. To mitigate the spread of COVID, all students who want to attend the Involvement Fair will be required to register for one of three time slots before arriving. Chapin Auditorium in Mary Woolley Hall. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Thesis Writing Circle

The Thesis Writing Circle is open to any MHC senior and is designed to provide ongoing writing support, structure and space for writers. Attendees can: Discuss and refine your thesis writing goals, stay motivated with the help of your peers, receive feedback and advice on your writing, bring your work and write on-site and discuss strategies for overcoming writer’s block and other obstacles that impede progress. Dwight Hall. 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Watch Party: Superbowl LVI

It’s game day! Come watch the Superbowl on the big screen with your friends. Game day snacks will be provided. This event is a “Be Well Break” program, sponsored by the Office of Student Involvement. The Great Room. 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Feb. 15

Working with Oral and Documented Traditions

This event is part of a series of panel discussions exploring the performance practice issues regarding the performance of the world’s first opera fully sung in Chickasaw, Jerod Impichchaachaacha’ Tate’s “Shell Shaker.” Moderated by Tate and Tianhui Ng from the Music Department, each session explores an aspect of concern regarding the performance of work by Native American/ American Indian/Indigenous creators of musical art. Virtual Event. 1:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 16 TransFormation

TransFormation is designed to provide an intentional space for all students of trans experience, including those exploring or questioning their gender identities, and those who identify explicitly as transgender, nonbinary, agender, and on. Participants are invited to join together for community, solidarity, support and discussion about gender-related themes, how we experience ourselves and the world around us. Facilitated by Hal Sposato, LICSW and Dade Scolardi, BA and sponsored by the Counseling Service. Virtual Event. 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 17

Deep Relaxation/Nidra

Join Kerry Ouimette, Neuroscience & Behavior Dept. Lab Instructor and FP ’19 for deep relaxation/nidra, or yogic sleep. Activate your relaxation response. Withdraw your senses. Wear comfortable clothes and bring a blanket or pillow for comfort and warmth. Please be on time. No one will be admitted after 4:50 p.m. Each session is limited to 18 participants. Private Location. 4:45 p.m. - 5:45 p.m.

Oct. 23 – Nov. 21

Old patterns often re-emerge during unexpected times. If you’re seeing something familiar, Scorpio, you have all the power to sculpt the future into something different. A painful past needn’t be repeated.

Nov. 22 – Dec. 21

Honey-covered garlic may not sound good, and that is because it is not good. This week, don’t try to understand that which appears unfathomable — it may simply be a dead end. Things can be as uncomplicated as you perceive them, so resist overthinking.

Dec. 22 – Jan. 19

How do you define luxury? What’s your delicacy of choice — oyster, lobster, caviar? Whatever your answer may be, treat yourself to it. You’ve been working hard, and particularly self-disciplined as of late. This week, Capricorn, indulge — spoil yourself. It’s well deserved.

Jan. 20 – Feb. 18

It seems as though the dark storm cloud above your head has not yet gone away. The trials have been hard, but you’re more than capable of waiting out this dark period. Grab your umbrella and a raincoat. The warmth of the sun will be well worth the pain of your tribulations.

Feb. 19 – March 20

The ocean can be as vast as it is suffocating, and being lost at sea is as daunting as it is awe-inspiring. Forget the map, just make sure your ship has sunscreen and snacks. Allow the obfuscating forces of nature to guide you through this tumultuous period in your life.