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Theta Chi allegations spark protests at UMass KATIE GOSS ’23 BUSINESS MANAGER; NEWS EDITOR
Content warning: this article contains discussion of sexual abuse and drugging. Students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst led protests on their campus this weekend in response to allegations of sexual assault made against fraternity Theta Chi. A post on the anonymous social media app Yik Yak alleged a first-year student at the university had been drugged and assaulted by a member of the fraternity at a Theta Chi party on Saturday night, Sept. 18. The following Sunday, Sept. 19, around 300 people gathered outside the fraternity house to protest the member’s involvement in the sexual assault allegations. According to a Boston Globe article, Mark Doherty, a junior at UMass Amherst, said that “at least one police officer already was in the area when demonstrators began to gather.” A little past noon, the fraternity called Amherst Police for assistance due to the growing crowd in front of their house. Amherst Police later called for backup from several other police departments, including Hadley Police, UMass Police and the Massachusetts State Police. Overall, there were about ten officers at the protest. The protests began peacefully, but escalated as the day went on. According to Doherty, two of the fraternity members came out of the house and mocked the protesters while raising an American flag. One of the protesters threw a water bottle, hitting a fraternity member on the head. After about 2 p.m., the police diffused the group. Around 7:20 p.m. on the same night, the police witnessed a crowd of students throwing items, such as rocks, through the windows of the fraternity house. The students also vandalized and damaged a fence on the property, as well as some cars. Two students were arrested following these events, on the charges of “disorderly conduct, inciting a riot and failure to disperse from a riot,” ac-
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Late Night “Climate Night”
cording to the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Noah Barton, a junior at UMass Amherst, said, “I participated in the first day of protesting outside of Theta Chi. I unfortunately had to leave due to things getting out of hand.” The following Monday, Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy wrote in a letter to the UMass Amherst community. “Let me be unequivocally clear, we condemn sexual violence of any kind,” he wrote. “The allegations of sexual assault that came to light this weekend, prompting an outpouring of concern and outrage among students, are deeply troubling.” The school encouraged students who have any information relating to the Theta Chi incident, or any other incident of assault or misconduct, to contact the authorities at the school immediately. Because no victim or witness has officially filed a report to the school or police, the school stated they are unable to take legal action at the moment. “While we respect and support a survivor’s decision whether or not to report an assault or pursue sanctions, we cannot take actions against alleged perpetrators, whether they be individuals or organizations, without actionable evidence,” Subbaswamy wrote in the letter. A petition circulated online, calling to disband or suspend the Theta Chi chapter. By Tuesday, Sept. 21, it had received about 20,000 signatures. On Friday, Sept. 24, students also organized a walkout protest. Around 100 students gathered inside of the Whitmore Administration Building to protest outside Subbaswamy’s office. After they found out he was not there, they went to the office of Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs and Campus Life Brandi Hephner LaBanc. She eventually came out and spoke to the students. Clare Sheedy, a junior at UMass Amherst, told Western Mass News that Hephner LaBanc “expressed that she would be happy to have a meeting with some of us to start out, but it would be a little too difficult to talk to an entire group of people.” Sheedy continued, “We’ll take a meeting to start, but it is CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
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Photo by Katie Goss ’23 Allegations made against the UMass chapter of Theta Chi led to protests by students on the university’s campus. Some windows had to be boarded up after they were broken by rocks that were thrown at them.
Dining Hall to limit meal swipes BY GILLIAN PETRARCA ’23 STAFF WRITER
Dining at Mount Holyoke College has gone through several changes during the 2021-2022 school year. Unlike before the pandemic, food may now be carried out of the dining hall, and students have access to limited inside dining but are encouraged to eat outside in a tent on Skinner Green. There have also been several changes to the meal plan, including a switch from unlimited swipes to a limit of 25 swipes per week. Yet, despite common misconceptions, dining swipes remain unlimited for the time being, as Dining Services navigates a transitional state between indoor and outdoor dining. According to the Dining Services website, “all full-time residential students must be on the 25-swipe meal plan, which includes $30 MHC Dollars and three guest passes per semester.” The meal plan swipes will reset each Sunday. In addition to the 25-swipe meal plan, all full-time residential students get one meal swipe at Kendade Grab and Go per weekday. Emma Xue ’23 was concerned about
Rethinking Greek Life after Theta Chi
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this new change to the dining plan. “I would have chosen to be on the limited meal plan if it was less money. However, the school’s increased board fee makes this limited option more expensive than the unlimited options that were offered in the past,” she said. Xue also mentioned that entering the dining hall for a limited amount of times was inconvenient. “Sometimes I would like to enter [the Dining Commons] to not eat and to just sit with my friends. I feel like if I do that now I am wasting a meal swipe.” According to Executive Director of Auxiliary Services, Rich Perna, the swipe limit was decided on in a fall dining plan group comprising three students and three professional staff members. Students were invited to Zoom meetings to decide on what the exact swipe limit would be. Xue, who attended these meetings, said, “I felt like the meetings were more for taking feedback and complaints about an already-made policy, not meetings to make policy.” Perna stated that the 25-swipe limit will not go into place until Dining Services has transitioned into full capacity indoor dining.
Russian elections spark protests
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EVENTS
October 1, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
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Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Declan Langton ’22
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Staff Editorial: Statement on racist emails & incidents at UMass In the second week of September, Black student organizations at the University of Massachusetts Amherst started receiving racist emails. This has since developed into an ongoing onslaught of bigotry and racist language. On Sept. 17, an email was sent to Black student organizations at UMass by a group called the UMass Coalition for a Better Society. Screenshots of the email, which contained hateful rhetoric against the existence of Black students at UMass, circulated on Twitter and Instagram. On Sept. 25, the UMass Black Student Union took to social media to condemn these emails and share their experience since the start of the fall semester. “We are hurt. We are tired. And although we are disappointed, we are certainly not surprised,” the organization wrote. This most recent email was the latest in a growing line of bigoted acts on the UMass campus, the first of the year being an incident in late August “involving offenders driving by and yelling anti-Black racist epithets at a group of Black Students,” UMass BSU wrote on Instagram. The incident in August and the recent emails indicate a continuing need to examine the elements of UMass and other college campuses that enable racist incidents such as these to occur and go unchecked. As the independent student newspaper at Mount Holyoke College, we condemn the racist email and events happening at UMass and stand in solidarity with the UMass Black Student Union, the other Black affinity groups on UMass’ campus and the UMass Black community. We, too, call on the UMass administration to not only acknowledge the rampant racism happening on their campus but to take firm steps to ameliorate their wrongs and prioritize the safety of all students, which, as these incidents prove, they have failed to do. We would like to offer an apology for the times we failed to use our platform to condemn these racist events, and commit ourselves to speaking out on issues like these in the future. As Mount Holyoke students, we stand with the Black community on each of the Five College campuses and offer the Mount Holyoke News as a platform for Black students to use at this, and all times, to share your stories, opinions and demands for the College and broader community. As the Mount Holyoke student newspaper, we strive to serve all communities on our campus. We call on President Sonya Stephens and the Mount Holyoke administration as a whole to take action against these horrific acts at UMass. The Five College Consortium is a community and it is all of our jobs to ensure that it is a safe, welcoming environment for all. The Mount Holyoke News condemns racism in all its forms within the Five College Consortium and beyond. — Mount Holyoke News Editorial Board
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October 1, 2021
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NEWS
. Mount Holyoke News
The Odyssey Bookshop persists, living up to its name
Photo by Rosemary Geib ’23 The Odyssey Bookshop storefront as it appears today, having survived two fires and an ongoing pandemic.
BY MARIAM KEITA ’24 MANAGING EDITOR OF WEB; NEWS EDITOR
The relationship between Mount Holyoke College and The Odyssey Bookshop dates back to 1963 and has survived many trials — economic recessions, global health crises and arson, to name a few. At least that’s how Joan Grenier, the Odyssey’s current owner, tells it. However, last academic year, one aspect of the relationship between the two entities changed. In years past, The Odyssey stocked all textbooks listed on the College’s course rosters. Now, students may not be able to find all the textbooks they need for class conveniently located across the street. “We still have a relationship [with Mount Holyoke]. We’re just not selling textbooks, and that was part of the relationship,” Grenier said. According to Grenier, after several conversations with the College’s Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Shannon Gurek, she decided to terminate the textbook contract with the College. “I had been talking with [Gurek] for a number of years that our textbook sales declined, every semester for ten years,” Grenier said. The decision came just before the global health crisis that hit the U.S. in March 2020. She stated that there were a variety of contributing factors that weighed heavily on her choice to discontinue the contract — the proliferation of cheap used textbooks entering the market, publishers selling directly to students and the shipping costs associated with delivering heavy books to
and from her South Hadley location. “It got to the point where we were either losing a little money, making a little money or just kind of breaking even,” Grenier said. “It just didn’t make sense to do the textbooks anymore, and you know [Gurek] understood that, and the professors did too. The business model changed.” Despite the fact that textbooks will no longer be made widely available at The Odyssey, Grenier emphasized that the partnership between the College and the bookshop will persist in other ways. “We do sell the [Mount Holyoke College] merchandise back in the corner [of the store]. Our relationship is very good with [the] college,” Grenier said. Grenier also described the multiple ways in which the relationship between the two has been somewhat symbiotic over the years. “Our relationship with the College has always been good for a long time, going back to my father, who started this store,” Grenier said. Romeo Grenier, Joan’s father, a French-Canadian immigrant, first moved to Western Massachusetts at the age of 13, when he settled in Holyoke. Later in life, after becoming a pharmacist, he went on to establish a drugstore right across the street from the College that supported a small book department with 500 titles from the publisher Penguin Books. Later, Grenier claims that the College approached her father, asking him to expand the book department into what is today, the Odyssey Bookshop. For more than two decades, the partnership between the store and the school continued to develop, and the store continued to grow.
Then, it all burned down. More than 30 years later, Grenier still remembers the phone call that she received. It was the ’80s. Her father was now 75 years old, and Grenier, who attended University of Massachusetts Amherst, was studying for her GREs. She was helping him out around the store in the aftermath of his knee replacement surgery. “In May of ’86, my dad called me in the middle of the night and said, ‘Joan, The Odyssey is burning,’ and I said, ‘Dad, go back to bed, you’re having a bad dream,’” Grenier recalled. She would soon discover that Romeo had not been dreaming after all. According to a 1986 article from the United Press International archives, it was the second fire to strike The Odyssey in a five-month span. This one, though, was caused by an arsonist. According to Grenier, her father, disheartened by the back-to-back fires, told her that he was ready to give up on the bookshop. “My dad said, ‘I don’t know if I’m giving you anything more than headaches but, I can’t do it again.’ So I said I would [run the shop] for a little while. That was 1986,” Grenier reflected. Grenier would later take over as The Odyssey’s owner in 1991 after her father’s passing, and has been running it ever since. While the store has not seen any more fires, it has faced other challenges over the years — most recently, a global pandemic. “On March 17, I cried. I had a lot of bills, and I brought in a lot of stuff for graduation and reunions. May is our biggest month, but we did make it through,” Grenier said. “A lot of our customers, including the ones around the country, supported us during the first part of [the pandemic]. They always have supported us, but during the pandemic, our website went wild.” To help offset losses due to the store’s closure at the start of the pandemic, Joan launched a GoFundMe, which ultimately raised a total of $63,929. Many of its contributors were Mount Holyoke alums and other members of the College community. While the pandemic is still ongoing, Grenier says that vaccinations have reintroduced the opportunity for inperson events, which The Odyssey has recently begun hosting again. “Our first event was actually with a Mount Holyoke alum who teaches in the MFA program at UMass [Amherst], Sabina Murray,” Grenier said. “We had about 20 people for that, and, you know, we just don’t know what to expect right
now.” In the meantime, Grenier and The Odyssey have continued to roll with the punches, amping up their technological capabilities. “We’ll continue with the hybrid [model],” Grenier said. “Some Zoom, some in-person, and hopefully, you know, pretty much get back to in-person [events] as soon as people get vaccinated.”
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not ending there.” Students also took this time while sitting down in the hallways of the building to discuss their own experiences on campus relating to this issue. “I have had many close friends have the same or similar experiences at various UMass frats. From what I can tell, it happens often, and the University often does nothing about it,” Helena Middleton, a junior at UMass Amherst, said. After a week of students speaking out and protesting the fraternity, Michael Mayer, chief executive officer of the fraternity on an international level, wrote a letter to the college on Friday afternoon, calling on Subbaswamy to be an advocate for UMass Amherst’s Theta Chi chapter. “UMass must publicly acknowledge that Theta Chi has not been found guilty of any crime or violation of any policy and must be afforded the same courtesy and dignity as any other UMass organization or student,” Mayer said. “Leadership from you and other senior administrators is needed to further underscore that vigilante justice is unacceptable and that Theta Chi and its members are deserving of due process and presumption of innocence.” Some students, like Middleton, believe Mayer’s statement only worsened the situation. “I think the National leader made a horrible move … I think that move made things look even worse for Theta [Chi],” Middleton said. Scott Livingstone, the Amherst Police Chief, reminded students of multiple resources to report any assaults or unlawful behavior in the community. This included the Amherst and UMass police departments, the Northwestern District Attorney’s office and The Center for Women and Children at UMass.
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FEATURES
October 1, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Liz Sevigny ’23 elected as a Circle K Readjusting: gap international trustee in summer 2021 year students return to campus
Photo courtesy of Samantha Wagner Liz Sevigny ’23 has been a member of Circle K since high school.
BY LIV PITCHER ’23 STAFF WRITER
This past summer, Liz Sevigny ’23 was elected as an international trustee of Circle K, a group devoted to promoting service projects within communities. According to Sevigny, Circle K allows members to develop leadership skills while working to enrich the world around them. Sevigny, a double major in East Asian studies and computer science, spoke about how they originally became involved with Circle K. They began their journey with the group through the high school counterpart of the organization, called Key Club. After a positive experience in high school, Sevigny wanted to continue in college. They said, “I wanted to bring Circle K with me wherever I went, because I knew that I would have a support system; I knew that I could continue to serve my community.” In order to fulfill this wish, Sevigny chartered a club at Mount Holyoke, coordinating with staff and students to start the chapter. “I applied early decision in round two, I got in and then the second post on the class Facebook page was me trying to recruit people to start a chapter of Circle K on our campus,” Sevigny said. Sevigny found several other incoming students that had been involved with Key Club in high school and expressed interest in forming a chapter on campus. Sevigny also connected with some sophomores who also had high school Key Club experience. They helped Sevigny get involved and acquire the resources to begin the club. The next step was to apply to district level committees, who are responsible for crafting policies that affect all chapters of Circle K. This included the Service and Fundraising Committee for the New England district and the International Finance Committee. While Sevigny was nervous they might not be appointed to
any board, they were eventually appointed to the latter. In January, Sevigny decided to run for a position as a Circle K international trustee. While elections are normally held in the summer, a space had opened up unexpectedly and Sevigny’s peers encouraged them to run. “ I [ran] and I didn’t get [the position],” Sevigny said. “Which was okay, because I think one of my big philosophies with this organization is that some of the best officers and leaders are the ones that failed to achieve the position the first time that they ran, and they can learn a lot from that. I was like, ‘Okay, it hurts a little, but I understand.’” Sevigny would not run again until that following summer. They decided to use the time in between to refresh their campaign. To Sevigny, campaigning is not for the faint of heart. It involves requesting endorsement from one’s home club and the district officers — in this case, those representing New England. “[New England] has not had a lot of international representation,” Sevigny mentioned. “I believe I’m officially the second international officer to get elected from New England.” Sevigny’s favorite part of campaigning was the Meet the Candidates segment. “It’s kind of an open house … where you’re in your own breakout room,” Sevigny said. “Members can just circle around. I got to know a lot of different members within our district and in our organization overall. I also got to hear some of their more unique concerns.” Sevigny campaigned on issues related to membership development and diversity, equity and inclusion. “As a kind of traditional service organization, our membership is mostly middle class to upper class white people,” Sevigny noted. “There’s a lot of identities that are kind of marginalized, as in most organizations. So, I really wanted to focus on bringing those forward.” After extensive campaigning, Sevigny won their seat in the summer of 2021 as an international trustee and was charged with overseeing various districts and running the social media platforms for them. In addition to being appointed to the Membership Experience Committee, Sevigny is part of a charter task force, a response to dwindling membership. “I feel like we’re losing [members] to sororities and fraternities that are kind of doing the same service idea, but they also have this cohesive family unit and a lot of tradition,” Sevigny explained. “We’re trying to combat that by creating some new clubs and getting a little bit more life into the organization, especially after we took a hit with COVID-19, as most clubs did.” Sevigny is excited about the future of the organization. Currently, they are working on a grant writing workshop to be hosted in October. But, Sevigny is also studying abroad this semester. “I feel a little bit disconnected,” they said.“But I’m also really excited about the things I can do when I return, so spring semester is really exciting for our organization.”
BY ANSLEY KEANE ’23 STAFF WRITER
Like many colleges and universities around the United States, Mount Holyoke offered almost exclusively remote courses during the 2020-2021 academic year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This turn of events prompted some students to choose to take a gap year or semester instead of attending online classes. Mount Holyoke students who took one semester off were able to remain a part of the class year they entered college with. However, some who took a full year off are adjusting to a social life in flux and sometimes to a new class color and mascot, which has complicated the return to the College. “When I applied to college, I knew I wanted inperson classes,” Samantha Pittman ’23, a student who took a leave of absence in the fall 2020 semester, said. “I know that how I learn best is in-person, small room engagement. I [thought], ‘You know, I don’t know what [the fall] semester is going to look like, [but] this isn’t what I signed up for when I went to college, so I’m going to take a semester off.’” For transfer student Naomi Okumura ’23, the decision to take a gap semester during the spring of 2021 was because she wanted the opportunity to take more of her Mount Holyoke classes in person. She also realized that taking a gap semester would make it possible for her to have a May graduation rather than a December one. “I just thought that there’s going to be more chances of the classes being in-person if I wait a semester, and especially as a transfer student I really wanted more of an in-person experience,” Okumura said. Hayley Cline ’24 also took a gap year during the 2020-2021 academic year because they did not think remote courses would provide the best learning experience for their field of study. “When they made the switch to everyone being online, I knew that’s not really what I wanted, especially because I’m a STEM major and I wouldn’t be getting the laboratory experience I needed,” Cline stated. Transitioning back to Mount Holyoke College after an extended time away from the community has been a varied experience for students who took time off. Marisa Allyn ’24 took a leave of absence for both semesters of the 2020-2021 academic year. She explained that being in a new class year has complicated her return to Mount Holyoke, partly because she has had to adjust to having a new class color and mascot, despite not fully identifying with CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
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FEATURES
. Mount Holyoke News
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either 2023’s yellow sphinx or 2024’s blue lion. “It’s been harder than I thought it would be,” Allyn said. “Mainly because … the class that I started with, 2023, they’re juniors now and I’m starting my second year, so it feels almost like I’m behind.” While the tradition of assigning a color and mascot to each class year is a unique and celebrated aspect of the Mount Holyoke experience, the clear distinction between classes can be an obstacle to gap year students such as Allyn. Events like Convocation, when everyone dresses in their class colors, were particularly challenging for Allyn, she said. “That’s something I didn’t realize I would be so closely connected with, like being the yellow sphinx or being the blue lion,” Allyn said. Allyn also feels that the College has not offered much support to students who took time off. “They haven’t done anything,” Allyn said. Although there was a Sophomore Re-Orientation, Allyn was not able to attend because her move-in date was still classified with the Class of 2023. Additionally, Allyn noted that she heard very little from the College about taking leave. “Basically the only communication
I received about … taking leave and coming back was an email from the Registrar … It was very cold, very disconnected from the student experience,” Allyn said. Still, the experience of returning back to the Mount Holyoke community has been positive for some students. “It’s exciting being back in person and finally getting to what I wanted initially in college,” Pittman shared. “It’s so nice to finally have that college independence I planned on getting.” Cline has enjoyed being able to finally see people they knew from their first year, even though, due to the change in class year, they are having a different experience from many of their friends. “It’s just been good to see people I knew from before,” Cline said. … “[There is also] a weirdness going on because my friends, they’re going through junior milestones, but then I’m like, ‘Wait, I don’t get to do that yet, but I feel like I should be,’” they added. This semester is Okumura’s first one on campus. She explained that while she initially thought that the transition would be more difficult, it has actually gone well. She explained, “It wasn’t as bad, because I genuinely like this area. I’m from a really big city, so it’s really nice to not be in a city and [to] have all these trees.”
Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22
‘Climate Night’ shows a lack of commitment to the environment BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER
This past week, Sept. 20 to 26, was Climate Week NYC, an event that aimed to collectively pressure businesses and governments towards action in response to climate change. Last Wednesday night, seven talk show hosts participated in “Climate Night,” an event coordinated by veteran producer and writer Steve Bodow. The night brought together shows on various networks including Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night With Seth Meyers, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, The Daily Show With Trevor Noah and Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. While a good idea in theory, the late night shows demonstrated a lack of effort during Climate Night, reflecting the current inaction around climate change around the world. For Mount Holyoke News, I watched each late night host’s Climate Night segment and ranked them on how well they addressed the issues at hand and provided actionable steps on how to combat climate change. Jimmy Kimmel, host of Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC, featured real climate scientists who had urged action on the same show in 2016. Kimmel’s monologue focused mainly on politicians responsible for inaction on climate change, pointing to Republicans, like Florida Senator Rick Scott, who are known to have combated climate legislation. Kimmel joked, “You would think these politicians who call themselves conservatives might want to conserve.” Kimmel also criticized the Biden administration’s role in
offshore drilling, saying, “Biden is on track to approve more oil and gas permits than any year of the Trump administration.” Kimmel ended his segment by encouraging the audience to lobby politicians to vote for the upcoming Build Back Better Plan. Kimmel favored a path to solve climate change through politics, which may have resonated in particular with audience members who are already educated on the climate crisis. For viewers without that background, the show may have left them hanging. Still, Kimmel was successful in providing his audience with concrete action steps that went beyond taking individual responsibility for climate change. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on CBS covered the widest range of topics during Climate Night, focusing both on less severe issues as well as the need for systemic change. Colbert joked about climate change-driven situations that have gained recent media attention, mimicking a subway conductor saying, “stand clear of the closing doors and apocalyptic tidal wave, this train will be skipping 23rd Street because...” the host the paused to check his imaginary notepad “… it just says here ‘fire bees.’” Colbert also interviewed a cartoon earth about climate change, using the segment to promote the understanding that there has to be change at a greater level outside personal carbon footprint and the average individual’s actions, saying that society must “make the right choices, not the easy ones.” Colbert’s choice to dedicate more time to discuss climate change allowed him to bring further attention to the issue, but he failed to touch on solutions beyond relying on the government to make changes. A failure of Colbert’s performance was his
lack of specificity. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central also took a closer look at effects linked with climate change, on both the macro and micro scales. For example, Noah discussed how warming temperatures will produce more female sea turtles, as the temperature of the sand affects sea turtles’ biological sex. Noah also interviewed Greta Thunberg, discussing her call to “treat a crisis like a crisis” and the exhaustion that she experiences as a climate activist. One drawback to the show was Noah’s lack of in-depth explanation of ideas surrounding climate change, which risked making it difficult to understand the reality and urgency of the crisis at hand. During Climate Night, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS zoomed in on specifics, focusing on sewage and sewage systems. Bee went over the history of U.S. water sanitation infrastructure and outlined how today’s combined sewer systems do not separate wastewater and storm runoff. This segment was unpleasant to listen to. Focusing on sewage may have served as an indirect example of climate change, creating the risk that Bee’s message may have been lost in translation. Bee was the only late night host to link climate change to racism during Climate Night. The late night host highlighted a specific neighborhood where a mostly non-white community lives close to a wastewater lagoon and lacks a quality septic system. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
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OPINION/EDITORIAL
October 1, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
UMass Theta Chi incident calls college Greek life into question
Photo by Katie Goss ’23 The Theta Chi fraternity house was the site of protests on Sept. 19.
BY KAVERI PILLAI ’23 STAFF WRITER
Content warning: this article discusses rape and drugging. While higher education seems to have student safety in mind as we readjust to the “new normal” pandemic world, the sexual assault case at the Theta Chi chapter at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Sept. 18 compels us to question if these institutions are really monitoring student welfare. On Sept. 19, a female first-year student made an anonymous confession on the social media app Yik Yak calling out Theta Chi members for drugging and sexually assaulting her. The widespread attention given to this case highlights the issue of accountability that UMass Amherst as an institution has failed
to address. One cannot ignore the severity of this sexual assault report and its connection to Greek life in colleges. The problem isn’t unique to the Theta Chi chapter at UMass; the very institution of fraternities widely promotes a toxic culture for students. The need to rethink Greek life is imperative to create a healthy college environment. On Sept. 25, within a week of the events at UMass, 22 Indiana University sororities pledged to boycott fraternity parties after 11 rape cases were reported against the fraternity brothers since the reopening of campus. This decision, along with the Theta Chi incident at UMass, define the image Greek societies have created for themselves. Originally created as literary societies and social clubs in contrast to the bleak dormitory halls, Greek life in the late eighteenth century was established to fulfill the social needs of university students. They were initially aligned with tenets of leadership, scholarship, service and fellowship. These student communities were intended to be the bedrock of social engagement and designed to instill a sense of belonging. That being said, Greek life has deteriorated and now encourages cliquishness, classism, sexism, homophobia and racial insensitivity. According to a 2014 article from The Guardian, men who join fraternities are three times more likely to rape someone than men who do not. Conversely, women in sororities who attend fraternity parties are 74 percent more likely to be raped as compared to non-sorority women. A 2021 article from Vox states that the popularization of rape culture, sheer ignorance surrounding hazing and nonobservance of COVID-19 precautions have resulted in a substantial drop in fraternity and sorority enrollment.
Initially an organization of student self-governance, fraternities have now become a breeding ground for issues stemming from a lack of control, authority and surveillance. Issues regarding sexual assault, drugs and alcohol abuse would be better handled if the college administration intervened. On Sept. 20, UMass’ Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy’s response to the sexual assault allegation was illustrative of administrative incompetence regarding incidents pertaining to Greek life. Subbaswamy stated, “While we respect and support a survivor’s decision whether or not to report an assault or pursue sanctions, we cannot take action against alleged perpetrators, whether they be individuals or organizations, without actionable evidence.” This statement is a slap in the face to women who have come forward to report sexual abuse, and is a warning to those who choose to stay silent on similar mistreatments they have faced in fraternities. This level of misogyny and negligence speaks volumes with respect to the unequivocal support these institutions give to these houses of hate, inequality and chauvinistic ideals. As a woman who has been to this fraternity house and has felt incredibly uncomfortable in the presence of these white, entitled and smug men, I am nauseated at how UMass as an institution is responding to the case and the protests taking place. Their lack of accountability permits chapters like Theta Chi to continue participating in these disgraceful activities. It is imperative that we rethink Greek life and put philanthropy and harmonious community-building in its place. Educational institutions need to urgently address these crucial issues. If the safety of students is a priority, the time to make a change is now.
Prisoners’ rights and environmentalism go hand in hand BY KARLA BIERY ’24 CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Russell Maroon Shoatz is a 78-year-old prisoner dying of stage 4 colon cancer that he developed in prison. He has been in prison for over 50 years and is currently incarcerated in State Correctional Institute in Dallas, Pennsylvania. In 2014, PennEnvironment revealed that “Industrial facilities dumped 10,470,231 pounds of toxic chemicals into Pennsylvania’s waterways in 2012 making Pennsylvania the 7th worst in the nation for toxic releases.” Shoatz is one of many prisoners experiencing the first-hand health-related effects of climate change. Human rights are central to environmental rights because climate change is killing people; we need to respect the lives of all our fellow human beings in order to heal the planet. The phrase “the world is dying” has been ringing in my ears since a recent conversation I had with a fellow student on the Mount Holyoke green. She expressed the pervasive urgency for planet earth, but the impact that climate change is currently having on people was left out of the conversion. Casual discourse of the “dying Earth” creates anxiety and panic, hindering our generation from believing that there are real ways we can protect the future of the planet and
people’s lives. Prisoners in the United States experience some of the most vicious repercussions of climate change exacerbated by the congested conditions of prison. According to Statistica, the U.S. has the highest rate of prisoners in the world: for every 100,000 people, 639 of them are in prison. This means that U.S. prisoners are subjected to cramped living conditions, high levels of pollution and are at great risk of contracting airborne illnesses such as COVID-19. The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an organization that supports criminal justice reform and racial justice through public education, details that not only are the environmental conditions surrounding prisons dangerous to the climate, but prisons are creating virulent air pollution as well. “EPA data shows that 92 informal actions and 51 formal actions were brought against prisons, jails and detention centers across the country under the Clean Air Act during the past five years,” according to EJI. The air around prisons is also becoming intoxicated by dangerous fumes. According to U.S. News, the state with the highest incarceration rate, Louisiana, also has the worst air quality in the country. Paul Wright, the Human Resources Development Council executive director and a former prisoner,
spoke of his personal experiences with pollution in prisons in an article from Prison Legal News. “I’d go to brush my teeth and the water coming out of the faucet was brown,” he said. The EJI also reported that “federal and state agencies brought 1,149 informal actions and 78 formal actions against regulated prisons, jails and detention centers during the past five years under the Safe Drinking Water Act.” There is a cruel intersection between prison and environmental justice: no one should be forced to use polluted water. The tie between cancer and incarceration is still being investigated in the medical world. A 2021 study supported by the National Cancer Institute concluded that “incarcerated and formerly incarcerated patients likely have a higher risk of dying from cancer than the general population.” A monthly newsletter from The Jericho Movement writes that there was a recent call for his immediate release into hospice care due to his terminal illness, yet Judge Kai Scott decided that he was too dangerous to be released despite being an elder dying of cancer. We need to rethink how we view climate change. It is not only about turning off the lights and going vegan, though both are ways to reduce personal carCONTINUED ON PAGE 7
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. Mount Holyoke News
OPINION/EDITORIAL
Progressives underperform sive movement should realistically result in a larger share of these candidates in office, but numerous barriers keep these politicians out of power. A better understanding of the political arena in which these politicians compete can give insight into the future of the movement and inform activist agendas to remove obstacles progressive politicians face. One major challenge for progressive politicians vying for office is primary elections. Since these candidates have to win the primary before advancing to the general election, it can be difficult to stage successful challenges against more moderate and sometimes more established candidates. Politics major Amelia Malpas ’22 is currently writing her honors thesis on the post-Sanders movement of progressive challengers and its impact on the Democratic Party. She expressed that primaries are often an uphill battle for progressive candidates, especially those running against an incumbent. “Media framing and voters’ conceptions of the lack of ‘electability’ of progressive candidates probably play the biggest role when they run in swing seats where Democrats have a chance of winning if they mobilize and/or flip enough votes,” she said. “That’s because the partisan stakes are higher in these districts than in heavily Democratic districts … or when progressives run in heavily Republican seats where the chance of a Democrat winning is very low.” Another considerable obstacle that progressives Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22 face when running for office is the role of the media in curating public opinion. “Something that bothers BY KATE MURRAY ’22 me is how the media calls the conservative wing of the STAFF WRITER Democratic Party ‘moderate’ when they are opposing policies that are extremely popular among Democratic Medicare for all! Taxing the rich! Green New Deal! voters and even a sizable number of Republican votStudent debt relief! These values are among those ers,” Malpas said. “It’s actually fairly extreme and heard in the rallying cries of progressive politicians not moderate at all to oppose policy that a majority of and voters in the 2020 election cycle. However, candi- people want.” dates who espouse these values The future of the movement are vastly underperforming on remains a mystery, but historical the national stage. “It’s actually fairly extreme trends may provide insight. On The progressive wing of the and not moderate at all to op- the bright side, 2018 and 2020 saw Democratic party is a sect that a surge of progressive candidates supports bold and substantive pose policy that a majority of occupy the House of Representasocial change rather than incretives, so this trend may continue people want.” mental reform. They differ from for the next several cycles. In moderates in their promotion of theory, it’s possible that the pro- Amelia Malpas ’22 policies that challenge establishgressive wing may break away ment interests and advance eqfrom the Democratic establishuity, especially for marginalized ment and form a separate party, Americans. but this may not be an electorally-viable option. While The proportion of progressive voters has been they aren’t as powerful a block as voter preference steadily increasing over the last quarter-century, would predict, progressive politicians have gained so much so that they now make up 47 percent of the some representation in Congress by identifying with Democratic party, according to an average of 2019 po- the Democratic party. Given the constraints of Amerlitical surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center ica’s two-party system, it appears that primarying and presented in a 2020 article. A Feb. 2020 Economist/ moderate challengers is currently the most effective YouGov poll, as cited by New York Magazine, found option available to progressives. Nevertheless, it is that this trend is especially pronounced amongst empowering to keep in mind that American voters still millennials and Gen Zer’s. According to the poll, an wield considerable power in carrying these candidates estimated 60 percent of Democrats younger than 30 to victory. That is why elections must be kept open, endorsed Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders in the free and fair so the American people can make their presidential election. The broad appeal of the progres- voices heard.
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bon footprint — it is about the livelihood of all people. We are future change-makers who have the ability to decide how prisoners in the U.S. are treated. The state of the Earth is in our hands. If we overlook the climateinduced sufferings of prisoners, we will continue to ignore other life-threatening environmental issues that prevent the world from being safer for all people.
GLOBAL Russian elections spark protests BY MADHAVI RAO ’24 STAFF WRITER
Hundreds of people joined together on Sept. 25 to protest the outcome of the Russian parliamentary election, in which Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party won a 324 out of 450 seat majority in the parliamentary Duma — the Russian legislative assembly. The protests were organized by the leading opposition party, the Communist Party of Russia, which secured 19 percent of the vote, a notable increase from 13 percent in 2016. This apparent decline in the United Russia party’s influence, coupled with allegations against the government of voter fraud, led to the protests at Pushkin Square on Saturday. The Russian parliamentary elections were held over three days, from Sept. 17 to 19. As reported by The Moscow Times, the United Russia party received around half of the votes, with around 51 percent of the eligible population voting. According to The New York Times, the twoday length of the elections facilitated the ability of the State to commit fraud. Furthermore, videos surfaced on the internet during the elections which show fraudulent practices such as “ballot stuffing, disappearing ink and ballot boxes with secret doors,” The Moscow Times reported. According to Reuters, Leonid Volkov, chief of oppositionist Aleksei Navaly’s campaign, stated that, “Millions of people in Russia hate United Russia.” United Russia was founded in 2001 as a pro-Putin centrist party. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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President Putin, who played a part in the founding of the party, has been supported by United Russia since its inception. The party has held the majority of seats in the state Duma since 2007. However, in recent years, the party’s popularity has decreased. Reuters reported that surveys conducted before the election suggesting poor living conditions and corruption led to the drop in United Russia’s popularity. Stephen Jones, Professor of Russian studies at Mount Holyoke, explained, “It’s always very hard in Russia to know how people are really thinking. So even with opinion polls, you can’t be sure that the respondent is going to give a truthful answer because they might be a little afraid that this information will get out.” “What the opinion polls do reflect is increasing disillusionment with the United Russia Party, because it’s been in power so long and the situation is getting worse for most ordinary people economically,” Jones explained. “The economy seems to be stagnating. There’s a lot of corruption, which affects people in their daily lives. So when they look at the United Russia party, I’m sure that they are not very enthusiastic about its sincerity or its ability to help citizens improve their lives.” The repression of opposition candidates played a large role in the United Russia party’s victory. Aleksei Navalny, the country’s main opposition candidate, has been banned from running for parliament. Moreover, the Russian government strong-armed companies such as Google and Apple into removing all Navalnyrelated content from their platforms. “People in Russia have rallied around Navalny,
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so much so that during this election several apps and YouTube videos have been banned in Russia by Google and Apple which prevented Putin’s opposition from being able to organize effectively this weekend,” Allyssa Dallacqua ’23, who is currently studying Russian politics, said. “If something surprised me in the latest elections, it was not how Putin forged the results, but how obediently the almighty Big Tech turned into his accomplices,” Navalny tweeted on Sept. 23. Navalny continued the fight against the United Russia party through a strategy known as “smart voting.” This strategy involved oppositionists voting for any party other than the United Russia party in order to reduce their majority. “While voting in Russia is, unfortunately, neither a fair nor an accurate reflection of the people’s will, we can still see that the people are still opposed to the current power and will vote any way they can to reflect that despite the consequences,” Dallacqua stated. “[Smart voting] is one of the only effective mechanisms, since the voting system is so skewed to the party currently in power. It serves only to chip away at Putin’s support and to visibly show the people’s discontent, until one day it hits a turning point and ideally elections can be made fair by a new power.” The country still has a large voter base that supports Putin. According to The New York Times, people are motivated to vote for a strong figure like Putin out of fear of the chaos surrounding the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. Jones echoed this thought, saying, “We in the west make assumptions that there’s a natural tendency among people to want democracy, participation and so on, but that’s not necessarily the case.” To Jones, the voter base in Russia may have different priorities. “I
Mount Holyoke News
Photo courtesy of Flickr Russian parliamentary election sparks controversy across the country.
would say in Russia right now, the primary concerns are about inflation, about the economy, about corruption,” he continued. “There would be disillusionment with the United Russian party, but not necessarily with Putin. He doesn’t head the party, though he’s associated with it. But people might arguably separate … Putin from the party.” Jones emphasized that though it may have a strong hold on the Russian Parliament at the moment, United Russia is not invincible. “Nothing lasts forever, even Putin isn’t going to last forever. It’s difficult for a genuine opposition party to make a headway because of the level of control that the State has. But things could change,” Jones said. “The United Russia party is facing many challenges and it’s in place essentially because it has a constitutional majority in the legislature which gives it great power, and it’s supported by Putin and it’s protected by the media. Those are important supports. But I think they’re much more tenuous than we think.”
The US lifts COVID-19 entry ban on international travelers
Photo courtesy of Flickr Jeffrey D. Zients is the White House COVID-19 response coordinator.
ADITI PARASHAR ’22 A&E EDITOR
On Sept. 20, Jeffrey D. Zients, the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, announced that the United States will be lifting its travel ban for most international travelers as long as they are fully vac-
cinated and have a negative COVID-19 test 72 hours before flying, The New York Times reported. The new rules should come into effect by early November. According to CNN, everyone traveling into the United States, including both foreign nationals and American citizens, will also have to take a COVID-19 test three to five days after their arrival. The U.S. will be following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s definition of “fully vaccinated.” This includes two doses of vaccines approved by the World Health Organization for emergency use, such as the AstraZeneca vaccine, and U.S.-approved vaccines, CNN reported. Unvaccinated foreign nationals will remain barred from entering the U.S. Anouk Alquier, visiting instructor in French, spoke about how her mother, who usually visits every other year, was unable to visit due to the travel ban. “It is tough, you know. You’re stuck in a pandemic and you hope you’re going to be able to connect with your loved one and it doesn’t happen,” she said. “My mother isn’t getting younger, and the older you get, the easier it is for disappointment like this to take an emotional toll. Visiting us was something positive she was looking forward to. It’s been difficult in that regard.” According to the Atlantic, the decision to lift the
ban is a foreign policy measure to alleviate the current tensions between the European Union and Washington. Natalie Sabanadze, visiting professor in international relations, said, “The EU opened up its borders when the number of cases started going down and vaccination rates were increasing in America. However, when America did not do the same, it created a lot of bad feelings. In diplomacy, reciprocity is a big thing.” “The lifting of the ban now is definitely being interpreted as a gesture to ease tensions as the tensions have peaked due to the sequence of events that have taken place. By the time Biden was arriving for the UN General Assembly, they had to do something,” Sabanadze added. “The EU had high hopes to improve the relationship with the new administration in Washington but it has been a bumpy start.” However, Jen Psaki, the White House spokeswoman, told reporters on Monday the timing of the travel ban being lifted had nothing to do with diplomacy. “If we were going to make things much easier for ourselves, we would have done it prior to June, when the president had his first foreign trip, or earlier this summer. This is when the process concluded,” she said. “We’re basing it on science.” Sabanadze stated, “The U.S. would never admit it was a political move, even when it clearly is.”
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. Mount Holyoke News
ENVIRONMENTAL
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‘Climate Night’ review: Late night efforts fall flat, cont’d u
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While Bee focused on specifics rather than the big picture, she was able to bring the audience up close to infrastructure issues to potentially shock them into action. Late Night with Seth Meyers on NBC took a more comical approach to Climate Night, showing a collection of clips of recent news and historic weather conditions. Meyers made jokes about New Jersey tornados, New York City flooding and warmer seasonal weather, saying, “the traditional Thanksgiving feast is going to be replaced by a clothing optional backyard barbeque.” He then took his monologue in a musical direction, singing a climate crisis-themed version of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire.” Meyers then took a more serious tone, discussing the need to transition to cleaner energy and the need for the U.S. government to pass a “pair of infrastructure bills” that aim to “make significant investments in climate infrastructure.” While Meyers was able to talk about climate change in an entertaining way, his approach subtracted from his message. The audience is much more likely to remember his Billy Joel impression than the infrastructure bills. Viewers of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC should be advised to keep their eyes peeled during the 40-minute segment — one blink and they could miss the entirety of Fallon’s contribution to Climate Night. Fallon stuck primarily to his standard content, straying only for a short interview with Jane
Goodall. During the interview, they discussed Goodall’s campaign, Trees for Jane, which aims to plant a trillion trees by the end of the decade. This reflects the general sentiment that planting trees will help solve climate change, but new research published in “Science Advances” last January found that trees themselves are becoming less able to mitigate climate change due to carbon overload. Overall, Fallon made a feeble attempt at discussing climate change, and when he did he failed to highlight its most important aspects. The Late Late Show with James Corden on CBS focused on inspirational news stories about individuals and companies fighting climate change. Corden asked his show’s staff what they are doing to help mitigate climate change, an ill-advised choice considering that, according to the Carbon Majors Report in 2017, 100 large oil and gas companies are responsible for about 70 percent of emissions, and placing sole responsibility on the individual ignores these larger, more direct causes. The choice to focus on the positives was risky, as it may communicate to audiences that there is no need for any urgent action or change. Corden also interviewed Bill Gates about his new book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster.” Gates, who has a net worth of about $131.2 billion, encouraged people to switch to renewable energy sources, which would bring their prices down. Gates also encouraged people to make sure the company they work for is engaged in fighting climate change and to pay attention to their own purchasing behavior. Gates’s statements showed how out of touch he is with the rest of the world, which comes as no surprise considering the bil-
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Trevor Noah was one of eight hosts to participate in “Climate Night.”
lionaire has a private jet collection worth close to $200 million. Maybe Corden’s monologue about personal responsibility was aimed more at the Bill Gateses of the world than at the average consumer It was clear from the beginning that there was not an adequate effort in creating Climate Night. The programs frequently overlapped in content, which dulled their combined impact. If viewers continue to hear the same action steps over and over without meaningful expansion, it runs the risk of breeding complacency. The hosts can’t continue to call this a crisis if they only use part of a dedicated night to talk about climate change. Their inability to even focus on the environment for a whole show reveals the lack of care from the hosts and their teams around climate change, an issue in which they could make a real difference if they truly utilized their platforms.
College green spaces are an integral part of student wellness BY SIONA AHUJA ‘24 STAFF WRITER
The lush botanical gardens, lakes and hillocks stitching together the buildings at Mount Holyoke provide spaces for students to decompress, take part in age-old traditions and build new memories — all integral parts of one’s academic experience. Green spaces, like those mentioned above, are recreational areas, which the EPA website says aim to “enhance the beauty and environmental quality of neighborhoods.” The Enrollment Services branch of EAB, a technology and research oriented firm formerly named the Educational Advisory Board, shows that green spaces affect students’ college decisions. After surveying 200,000 students in 2017, EAB discovered that campus environment is the number one reason students choose to enroll at different universities, considered more than academic reputation or cost. A poll conducted by the Mount Holyoke News Environmental section asked students whether campus landscaping and/or the green spaces around campus influenced their choice of college, to which approximately 80 percent of the 46 respondents said “yes.” Not only is the landscape of a college campus one of the significant deciding factors for prospective students, but new studies have also revealed that such areas are vital for students’ mental and physical wellbeing, and their academic performance. Researchers
at the German University of Bonn have documented evidence of “interlinkages between students’ perceptions of their health and physical, social and mental well-being in place and academic space,” as said in their 2021 article which was published in the journal Wellbeing, Space and Society. The research cites numerous physical, mental and social advantages to green spaces on university campuses, including faster illness recovery, reduced prevalence of cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses, stress reduction, avoidance of negative moods and enhanced facilitation of social interaction. Data from the Environmental section’s surveys resonate with the study conducted by the German researchers. 51 percent of MHN poll respondents reported they utilize campus green spaces every day, and 31 percent reported using them at least once a week. As students return to college campuses following the upheaval caused by the pandemic, the conversation around campus landscape has acquired new meaning. With social distancing and indoor masking rules still upheld by the College administration, the outdoors has become a welcome refuge to many returning students, as indicated by MHN’s poll. 92 percent of the students who responded to the poll and had been on Mount Holyoke’s campus before the pandemic reported that their use of green spaces has increased as compared to pre-pandemic times. The connection between students’ outdoor environment and mental well-being is not a new concept.
Frederick Law Olmsted was the prolific landscape architect behind the designs of Niagara Falls, Central Park, Yosemite and Mount Holyoke College. According to Mount Holyoke’s webpage on Olmsted, titled “The Olmsted Legacy,” “Olmsted felt that the landscape should occupy the mind ‘without purpose’ and produce a moment that would be free from stresses and refresh the mind and body.” His views on landscaping were congruent with the philosophy behind green spaces where embracing the natural state of the landscape is crucial. Olmsted’s loyalty to the natural environments in which he designed outdoor spaces is reflected in the College’s approach to landscaping today, which focuses on sustainability and the use of native species in landscape design and management. The College’s landscaping philosophy is outlined by the Miller Worley Center for the Environment’s Responsible Building Principles and Guidelines. The guidelines include suggestions to select plants native to the region, orient plants in the direction they originally grew in the nursery and to choose plants whose water requirements are met by the region’s usual precipitation patterns. When designing Mount Holyoke’s campus in the 1890s, Olmsted and his sons, who carried out their father’s plan, followed these principles through. To this day, these 130 year old values remain pertinent to the College and its ever-changing landscape.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
October 1, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
‘star-crossed’ review: Kacey Musgraves reflects on her divorce BY DECLAN LANGTON ’22 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“Let me set the scene / Two lovers ripped right at the seams,” country music star Kacey Musgraves sings in the first lines of her recently released fourth studio album, “star-crossed.” In this opening track, Musgraves outlines her marriage falling apart — from the painful split from American singersongwriter Ruston Kelly, to the divorce itself, to finally breaking free from the hurt. In this album, Musgraves makes the definitive step to what some critics would call pop music, but others, myself included, would have a hard time categorizing “star-crossed” within strict genre lines. Leaning into psychedelic synths, wild flutes and, of course, her crooning country vocals, Musgraves creates a satisfying followup to her Grammy-winning album “Golden Hour,” while following the age-old American country tradition of the divorce album. The divorce album, defined by its guitar-driven angst and fueled by revenge, is a pillar of country music. Country-folk legend, and Musgraves’ primary songwriting influence, John Prine was known for saying, “Seems like some of the best country songs over the years have come from some of the sadder situations in life — like divorce.” Predecessors of “star-crossed” include divorce albums like Miranda Lambert’s “The Weight of These Wings” and Willie Nelson’s “Phases and Stages,” among others. Through her songwriting choices, though, Musgraves works to move away from the sound of this tradition and carve her own path. The New York Times described Musgraves’ album as “a tragedy in three acts.” Like any good opener to a concept album, the song “star-crossed” outlines the plot of what’s to come: two lovers who were once happy are pulled apart by circumstances outside their control. She will move out and give up his last name, and he will take his things. In the chorus, Musgraves sings about calling the angels to save her and her former husband’s relationship. “But I guess they got lost,” she sings, revealing a central theme of the album — nothing could be done to save the marriage, as things were always doomed from the start. Shakespeare invented the term “star-crossed” when describing his well-known protagonists Romeo and Juliet, who met their doom by falling in love against the will of fate. Throughout her album, Musgraves explores the idea that star-crossed love is dangerous and hurtful. The second track, “good wife,” flashes back to the beginning of Musgraves’ marriage. She sings about waking her husband in the morning, bringing him coffee in bed, listening to his problems and touching him so “in his heart he knows, he’s the only one.” Throughout the song, an insecurity emerges, both in the hus-
pushes herself out of the remaining hurt. Songs like “keep lookin’ up” and “what doesn’t kill me” don’t add much to her story. They also run the risk of being preachy as she sings well-known pieces of advice: keep your head up and what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. Alongside these more preachy songs are heartbreaking tracks like “camera roll,” in which she sings about a familiar post-breakup conundrum — scrolling through your phone and seeing the person you least want to see. What follows is a flood of memories that she captures exquisitely with lyrics like “chronological order and nothing but torture.” Despite some lulls, there are moments of daring instrumental genius throughout the album. In “easier said,” picks of a banjo appear at the end of the later choruses and verses that give strength to an otherwise mundane song. The penultimate “there is a light” highlights Musgraves’ slickly auto-tuned voice alongside noodling guitars Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ’24 and ends with an expressive flute solo. In the song’s final lyrics, she band character, who is always in need of reassurance, speaks, “there is a light inside of me” signifying the and in Musgraves, asking God to help her be a good end of her journey through her divorce. The closing flute solo is like her spirit breaking free through the wife, to loosen up and to be more fun. Throughout this song, Musgraves repeats the album, something suppressed through her relationline “he needs me,” as she describes their relation- ship and through the depression that followed its end. One final track officially ends the album. In this ship dynamic. But in the outro she pleads, “Help me be a good wife / ’Cause I need him.” In “star-crossed,” final song, Musgraves ventures into a language other subtle switches like this define her songwriting, as she than English for the first time in her recording career. wrestles with realizing divorce isn’t always someone’s She covers Argentine singer Mercedes Sosa’s “gracias a la vida,” meaning “thanks for life.” As the final track fault, and she can’t always be strong. In “breadwinner,” the couple’s insecurities contin- on the album, this song serves as a closing statement to the narrative of her divorce. ue. In this track, she sings about While her vocals in this track are knowing the husband character Like any good opener to a beautiful in their pitch and intois nervous about her success and the amount of money she concept album, the song “star- nation, it seems like a misstep to makes. In the chorus she sings, crossed” outlines the plot of end an album seemingly about finding your voice once more by “He wants a breadwinner / He wants your dinner / Until he ain’t what’s to come: two lovers who singing the lyrics of someone hungry anymore / He wants your were once happy are pulled else, especially after the daring shimmer / To make him feel bigapart by circumstances outside “there is a light.” Perhaps Musgraves actually had to find that ger / Until he starts feeling insecure.” Musgraves shows again their control. She will move light outside of herself. While “star-crossed” is far how divorce and marital conflict out and give up his last name, from a perfect album, it fits right doesn’t have to be explosive, and he will take his things. alongside the stripped down, yet rather, it can be in gestures and experimental, indie music of 2020 intimate feelings and most danand 2021, such as Phoebe Bridggerously: insecurity. Both “good wife” and “breadwinner” are stripped- ers’ “Punisher” and Arlo Parks’ “Collapsed in Sunback songs with a pop beat, but their sound isn’t beams.” Musgraves finds a seat next to genre benders what’s expected after the all-encompassing symphony like Lorde and Taylor Swift, artists whose recent muthat is “star-crossed.” The booming instrumentation sic doesn’t fit cleanly into any specific category. Very of the first track takes a major backseat throughout few country albums end with flute solos that bleed the rest of the album and is replaced with stripped- into covers of Argentine folk songs, but “star-crossed” down guitar licks and synths, creating a constant hum does, solidifying that Musgraves isn’t a typical country singer. behind Musgraves’ vocals. The latter half of the album drags as Musgraves
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
. Mount Holyoke News
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‘RACE and … Dance’ celebrates house dance After nearly a year and a half away from live theater, Rooke productions return
Graphic by Sofía Savid ’24
BY LUCY OSTER ’23 STAFF WRITER
On Friday, Sept. 24, Five College Dance and Mount Holyoke Division of Student Life, Office of Community and Belonging and the campus Cultural Centers hosted the second session of “RACE and … Dance,” a threepart dance workshop hosted on Zoom. The event was designed to allow the general public to learn about and appreciate African diasporic cultures “whose contributions to contemporary dance are often underexplored,” according to the event’s Embark page. The session was curated by assistant professor of dance Shakia Barron and was led by Tatiana Desardouin, a professional dancer who founded, directed and choreographed the New York-based Passion Fruit Dance Company, which focuses on street and club dance styles. Desardouin explained she decided to teach the
workshop because “the representation of Black people is important.” She continued, “For us to represent our culture in this way is important. It would be stupid for me to say no [to teaching the session] now that we have the opportunity to do it.” During the workshop, Desardouin taught house dance for around an hour and a half. Desardouin explained she partially likes house dance because, for her, there is “a sense of self-expression and spirituality.” She also prioritizes “the fact that it was created by Black people,” explaining that house dance gives people the freedom to be who they are. “Anyone can come in, no matter who you are, as long as you acknowledge that this is a Black gay culture and you know that as a non-Black person and a nonqueer person, you are a guest in this community, you are welcome in it,” Desardouin said. Desardouin found the African diasporic element of “RACE and … Dance” to be deeply important. She shared that Afrocentric dance styles were not created to be taught in classrooms, but for more natural circumstances, like celebrations or storytelling. House dance was also not created to be taught in a classroom, “It was created in clubs, in order to celebrate, in order to release. Nobody taught it, it wasn’t a specific thing. It was really natural,” Desardouin said. Desardouin recreated this natural style of teaching during the Zoom workshop by offering consistent encouragement and not pressuring anyone to share. According to the Five College Dance website, the next session of “RACE and … Dance” will take place on Oct. 15, from 4 to 6 p.m. It will focus on modern dance taught from an Africanist perspective with Christal Brown, a choreographer who works as an Associate Professor of Dance at Middlebury College.
THE EMMYS Outstanding Comedy Series: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series: Outstanding Drama Series:
Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”) Jean Smart (“Hacks”) The Crown
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series:
Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”)
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series:
Olivia Colman (“The Crown”)
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series: Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie: Outstanding Variety Talk Series:
(“The Queen’s Gambit”) Ewan McGregor (“Halston”) Kate Winslet (“Mare of Eastown”) Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ’24
BY ROSE COHEN ’22 & EMMA WATKINS ’23 A&E EDITOR & COPY CHIEF; A&E EDITOR
The Mount Holyoke College department of film, media and theater will open Lynn Nottage’s 2004 play, “Fabulation, or the Re-Education of Undine,” on Thursday, Oct. 21. The show will run until Sunday, Oct. 24 and will be directed by visiting lecturer in film, media and theater Michael Ofori, who teaches acting, “as well as various other courses in interdisciplinary arts and African theater and performance,” according to his staff biography. Described on the film, media and theater website as a “satirical take on classic American self-reinvention tales,” “Fabulation” is sure to be comical, yet poignant, telling the story of an African American woman who deals with multiple stressors after being left by her husband, who embezzled all of her money. After almost a year and a half without live theater, “Fabulation” will open Rooke Theater’s 2021-2022 season. “We are excited to be back on campus to share this theatrical experience with the Mount Holyoke community again,” Ofori stated, expressing the film, media and theater department’s eagerness to return to live performance. With “Fabulation,” the film, media and theater community has an opportunity to highlight a plethora of BIPOC actors on campus. “The film, media and theat[er] department is also engaging in conversations about anti-racist practices. A part of that work inspired the selection of this play,” Ofori explained in a recent email to the Mount Holyoke News. “Our campus is littered with an array of incredibly talented BIPOC actors and I’m glad that this play is going to introduce many of them to our community. I hope that more BIPOC students find the opportunity to act or see themselves represented on stage,” Ofori stated.
12
PHOTOS
October 1, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
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Mountain Day elevates student spirits to close out September
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1: Mountain view by Imaane Patel ’24; 2: Group photo by Carmen Mickelson ’24; 3: Lily Nemirovsky ’24, Caroline Odlin-Brewer ’24, Eliza Williams ’24 by Lynn Sleiman ’24; 4: Shanen Arellano ’24, Sierra Sullivan ’24, Kate Delacorte ’25, Ana Branas ’24, Blythe Alger-Meyer ’24 by Carmen Mickelson ’24; 5: Artemis Chen ’25, Bria Carlson ’23, Nico Boutaugh ’22, Siqi Yang ’22 by Jenny Yu ’24; 6: Group photo by Naomi Jiang ’25; 7: Karina Wang ’25, Fan Chu ’25 by Naomi Jiang ’25; 8: Kyla Core ’24, Gabriela Alvarez ’24, and Kyarah Altieri ’24 by Rosemary Geib ’23; 9: Brooklyn Bui ’22, Van Nguyen ’23, and Phi Do ’22 by Rosemary Geib ’23; 10: Rachel Wood ’22, Laura Dutilloy ’22, Len Yeomans ’22 by Rosemary Geib ’23; 11: Kate Delacorte ’25, Sierra Sullivan ’24, Ana Branas ’24, Shanen Arellano ’24, Blythe Alger-Meyer ’24 by Carmen Mickelson ’24; 12: Maddi Grossman ’23, Riva Magistad ’23, Anna Sophie Tinneny ’23, Maddy McAlexander ’23, and Gigi Downey ’23 by Ali Meizels ’23; 13: Anneke Craig ’22, Olivia Brandwein ’22, Michela Marchini ’22, Eva Volckova ’22, Morgan Sammut ’22 by Declan Langton ’22
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October 1, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
SPORTS
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Sunday Night Football hires Maia Game of the Chaka as first Black female NFL referee Week: Mount Holyoke Volleyball hosts trimatch BY GIGI PICARD ’22 SPORTS EDITOR
Photo courtesy of Flickr Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers, one of the teams from the first game Chaka refereed as a line judge on Sept. 12.
emy in Virginia, an alternative education school for at-risk students who face difficulties behaviorally and academically, for 14 years. The Undefeated reported The National Football League kicked off its regular that Chaka officiated high school games, and pasted season this September with a new “first” for women in to her office wall were the words: “Hustle. Grind. Consports. After starting out in the NFL’s Officiating De- quer. Dominate.” velopment Program, Maia Chaka recently became the Chaka quickly moved up the ranks from being a first Black female NFL referee. Originally from Roch- high school referee to officiating collegiate games in ester, NY, Chaka was a line judge for the first Sunday the Conference USA and the Pac-12 Conference. Night Football game of the season on Sept. 12 between USA Today discussed Chaka’s college-officiating the Carolina Panthers and the experience and how being a New York Jets. woman impacted her job. Start“This historic moment, to me, ing when she was a referee in According to the NFL, Chaka’s addition to the list of referis an honor and it’s a privilege Conference USA, coaches beees for the upcoming season was haved differently around her, that I’ve been chosen to rep- particularly when in situations announced last March. In a NFL resent women and women of that would usually inspire a Communications press release from March 2021, the NFL execucolor in the most popular sport “chew out,” a coach yelling at a tive vice president of football opreferee over a call. in America.” erations, Troy Vincent, Sr., said “I think that coaches were that Chaka deserved the promoafraid to talk to me,” Chaka told tion because of her “hard work, USA Today. “My sideline partner - Maia Chaka dedication and perseverance.” used to get an earful, because He continued, “[Chaka] is a trailcoaches didn’t want to offend me blazer as the first Black female official and inspires us or say the wrong thing. So they were leery when I first toward normalizing women on the football field.” came in. But after a year or so, it was equal-opportuniDr. Javaune Adams-Gaston, the current president ty chew-outs,” Chaka said. of Norfolk State University, Chaka’s alma mater, reTwo days before Chaka’s first game as referee, leased a statement in March saying, “We are so very Troy Vincent, Sr. tweeted a video of Chaka talking proud of Maia Chaka for the history she made today by about her thoughts on the achievement. becoming the first Black female referee in the Nation“This historic moment, to me, is an honor and it’s al Football League. She is a trailblazer, proudly repre- a privilege that I’ve been chosen to represent women senting NSU, Black women and HBCUs.” Adams-Gas- and women of color in the most popular sport in Amerton continued, “As I have learned more about [Chaka] ica,” she said. and her connection to NSU, her story should be one Chaka is the third woman to officiate an NFL game, of inspiration for the entire Spartan community and after Sarah Thomas and Shannon Eastin. In her statefor all women seeking careers in the sports entertain- ment, Chaka expressed hope that her new position as ment industry.” an NFL referee would “[give] somebody else … some USA Today reported that Chaka has been a health inspiration, and empower … them to step outside the and physical education teacher at Renaissance Acad- box and to do something different.” BY GIGI PICARD ’22 SPORTS EDITOR
Last weekend, Mount Holyoke Volleyball hosted their third trimatch of the season against Bay Path University and nationally ranked Babson College. The Lyons were shut out in the first match with 3-0 sets by the Babson Beavers. Sarah Bishop ’22 had a team best of eight kills for Mount Holyoke. The Beavers then took on Bay Path and swept the court in 3-0 sets against the Wildcats. In the final match of the day, the Lyons redeemed themselves by blowing away the Wildcats in 3-0 sets. Bishop came up with a career-best of 13 kills. Brayden Walden ’22 delivered 23 assists and two kills. Walden, according to the Mount Holyoke College Athletics website, recently became the fourth student-athlete in Mount Holyoke Volleyball history to produce 1,500 career assists. Lucie Berclaz ’25 generated a team-high of 12 digs. Chelsea Galicia ’22 brought up seven digs and a match-best of six service aces. McKenna Crosby ’23 put up four kills and four service aces. Marion Abeja ’23 had five kills and five digs. Gabi Davis ’22 and Mar Simon ’23 each contributed five kills and Iyana Alleyne ’22 had two. Though Volleyball didn’t win their first match, “The team was actually really positive throughout the whole thing,” Simon said. “We all knew what we were striving for and how much effort we had to put in. I think there was a lot of joy when we won that second match by a landslide.” According to Berclaz, to prepare for the coming games, the team will adjust their strategy based on a scouting report of their opponent. “We will use our upcoming practices to become comfortable with these adjustments, as well as work on other skills that our team believes [are] important to focus on,” Berclaz said. “The team played at its highest level of the season this past weekend — we are playing tough against the top teams in our conference and capitalizing on what we do well,” Head Coach Iris Carpio said. “Playing the sport they love is never a hard adjustment … Our goal is to get better every time we step on the court — and so far, we have been doing just that.” With the 1-1 weekend, the Lyons’ season record advances to 3-8. Mount Holyoke Volleyball will battle Wellesley College in an away match on Saturday, Oct. 2.
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COMMUNITY
October 1, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
^ R HOROSCOPES ^ R
Event Highlights
BY DAVID NEJEZCHLEBA ’22 HOROSCOPE WRITER; COPY EDITOR
Sept. 23 – Oct. 22
You might be feeling stagnant, or that your hard work might not be paying off after all. Pay close attention to what actions yield results, and cut the dead branches off your tree. If you’re feeling unimaginative, try mixing up your routine.
Oct. 23 – Nov. 21
Now is the time to make some bold career moves. Stop hesitating — -- your gut feeling won’t lead you astray. You’re the captain of the ship, you can change direction if you desire. Be dauntless, not impetuous.
Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
You’re more than capable of climbing that mountain, just remember to pack snacks. Pay attention to your emotional needs, and your goals will be within reach.
Dec. 22 – Jan. 19
Prepare for love in the air: romance is coming your way, whether or not you anticipated it. If you allow yourself to be vulnerable, it may melt your icy heart.
Jan. 20 – Feb. 18
You’re green with envy, varnished red with rage, but stop letting your emotions take the stage. Internally, you may have some worries, perhaps some unresolved tension. Just don’t let it distract your attention.
Feb. 19 – Mar. 20
Understanding your own shortcomings has never been easy for you. Don’t accept defeat, but take frequent breaks. Try picking up that lonely, crusty paintbrush —-- creative outlets can be your secret weapon.
March 21 – April 19
If you smell smoke, it means your cake is burning. Slow down this week, and focus on the process rather than the result; prioritizing the latter will yield in a dish most unsavory.
April 20 – May 20
Your fire has been burning hot and wild lately, but don’t forget to clean your chimney. Your long- term goals have been neglected, and planning for your future will be a valuable undertaking.
May 21 – June 20
A farmer in summer waits patiently for his corn to grow. He also isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, so stop contemplating and start achieving. You will have a harvest most bountiful.
June 21 – July 22
You cannot repeat the past. It didn’t work for Gatsby. Life isn’t always a riddle, and time is on your side as long as you’re looking forward. The stars might ‘align for you,’ as they say, if you’re attentive enough.
July 23 – Aug. 22
Living fast and wild has been your game; you’re the boulder moving fast down the mountain, but try to control that inner flame. Just be mindful of those around you. It’s not a crime to stop and smell the lilacs, either.
Aug. 23 – Sept. 22
Accept that your destiny is not always within your control. Chaos is ultimately inevitable, so be prepared to catch that fly ball if it comes your way.
Friday, Oct. 1 Songs & S’mores
Join the Mount Holyoke Folk Music & Dance society for an evening of singing your favorite folk songs around the fire. No singing experience necessary! Share a tune or join in on some of our favorites: sea shanties, ballads, pub songs and so much more. The Fire Pit 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 2 Big/Little Meet & Greet
Meet your Big or Little for games and activities on Skinner Green! This is an outdoor event. (Rain Location: Chapin Auditorium) Skinner Green 1 - 3 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 3 MHOC Canoeing Extravaganza
Come splish and splash with MHOC this Sunday! We will be paddling around Upper Lake, enjoying the plants, birds, critters and general splendor of the day. Stop by anytime from noon to 2:00 p.m. Please register for this event ahead of time, so we know how many people to expect. A note on safety: personal flotation devices will be provided and must be worn at all times. We also ask you to not do silly things in the canoe that could endanger yourself or others. Upper Lake 12 - 2 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 5 Be Well Crafternoon: Button Art
Come find out what sort of cool things you can make with buttons, hot glue and creativity! Register on Embark for the location. 1 - 3 p.m.