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College operations suffer from staffing shortages Guard to compensate for school bus driver shortages across the state. James Hartley, chair of the Mount Mount Holyoke College is facing the Holyoke economics department, says same staffing shortages that have been incentives not to work can be narrowed affecting the rest of the country since down to three factors: unemployment the start of the pandemic. Employment benefits, the eviction moratorium and in the United States is down nearly 3 fear of COVID-19. “The general phenomenon, we can million jobs from March 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, say, is you think about why people want with about half of those jobs coming to go to work in the first place,” Hartley from the food industry. The 1.5 million explained. You go to work because you workers who have not yet returned want the income from the work.” “If you were making $40,000 if you make up about 12 percent of the food inwere going to work and $38,000 if you dustry’s workforce. Mount Holyoke’s campus is no ex- stayed home — do you want to work ception. Dining Services is still under- for 40 or stay home for 38?” Hartley staffed. Chisato Kimura ’22, a student said. “Everybody will have a number at dining manager who oversees student which they’ll say, ‘I want to go to work.’” Employers, he continued, have a employees working in the Dining Commons, estimates the school is still look- choice: they can offer higher wages now and attempt to win ing to fill roughly 10 back workers, or they full-time positions. “A lot of [the “Mount Holyoke doesn’t pay can wait for workers to lose their incentives to work] has kind of enough. For its student work- stay home and return come on[to] the ers; for its full-time staff. ... at the same pre-panstudents,” Kimura They don’t pay enough, so ob- demic wages. said. “We’ve had a In a survey conlot of great student viously people aren’t going to ducted by One Fair cashiers who have work.” Wage, as published really stepped up, in Time, 76 percent of because we don’t - Chisato Kimura ’22 food service employhave as many caees said low wages shiers as we used was one of their top to, and all the students are doing great in stations — but five reasons for leaving, and 55 percent cited concerns about COVID-19 as one definitely a lot of shortages.” Kimura noted that the number of of their top five reasons. “The awful truth is that hundreds of student workers in dining reaches nearly 400, and the open positions give more thousands of people have died, and a lot people opportunities to work, especially of those people were service industry as the College has capped each student’s workers, so it’s unfortunately not super surprising to me that there’s a worker employment at 15 hours per week. Still, according to Kimura, student shortage,” Kimura said. For Kimura, workers have every workers cannot run stations themselves. “It’s pretty obvious that if we had reason not to return. “This is an institution-wide probenough people, the Perk would be open, the Pub would be open,” Kimura added. lem. It’s not just dining,” Kimura said. “I think it’s pretty clear that we’re not “Mount Holyoke doesn’t pay enough, for its student workers, for its fulloperating at full capacity right now.” A lack of employees is not only af- time staff,” Kimura added. “It’s also fecting the nation’s food industry, how- an American problem. They don’t pay ever. Massachusetts governor Char- enough, so obviously people aren’t golie Baker is using the state’s National ing to work.”
ELLA WHITE ’22 NEWS EDITOR
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Upperclassmen readjust to MHC
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Photo by Ali Meizels ’23 A sign in Blanchard Hall announces the Breakfast All Day station remains closed due to staffing shortages.
Mount Holyoke College enters COVID-19 ‘Operating Level One’ KATIE GOSS ’23 BUSINESS MANAGER & NEWS EDITOR
The College announced changes to its COVID-19 and fall break guidelines in a Sept. 22 email detailing the recent shift in operating levels from “Semester Launch” to “Operating Level One.” This new operating level is described as “normal COVID-19 operations,” where transmission is controlled and cases are low on campus. This change came after a week with no COVID-19 cases reported on campus. Additionally, the College announced that the mask mandate for indoors was extended through October. They will officially review the visitor policy before the end of September and will notify the community with any changes, but Admissions tours are still the only permitted visitors within campus buildings. The testing policy for both students and
Five movies for Latine Heritage Month
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employees will continue until at least the end of the fall semester. Marcella Runell Hall, vice president for student life and dean of students, also sent out an email explaining testing policies for fall break from Oct. 9-12. Students are able to travel over the break across any distance, but the College asks that students refrain from visiting COVID-19 hotspots, as designated by Mayo Clinic. Students are required to test twice during the week of fall break, with one of those tests on the Monday or Tuesday during break, regardless of travel plans. If a student has traveled off campus for the break, they are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test on the Monday or Tuesday of break before classes restart. The testing center will be open from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 11, and from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 12.
11 Former Amherst coach files lawsuit
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EVENTS
September 24, 2021
Mount Holyoke News Mount Holyoke News is an independent student newspaper written by and for Mount Holyoke College students since 1917. VISIT US: www.mountholyokenews.com www.facebook.com/themhnews www.twitter.com/mtholyokenews_
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Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Declan Langton ’22
Publisher Ali Meizels ’23
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Managing Editor of Web Mariam Keita ’24
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Copy Chief Emma Watkins ’23
Human Resources Annabelle Mackson ’23
Editorial Board Ella White ’22, Katie Goss ’23 & Mariam Keita ’24
Environmental
Rose Cohen ’22
Catelyn Fitzgerald ’23
Opinion/Editorial
Rosemary Geib ’23 & Ali Meizels ’23
Photos
Graphics
Anjali Rao-Herel ’22
Books
Audrey Shannon ’22, Rose Sheehan ’22, Lauren Leese ’23 & Ella Jacob ’24
Health & Science Zoe Greenberg ’23
RACE AND … Dance, Part 2: House Dance with Tatiana Desardouin
This workshop series allows our community, regardless of their dance experience or training, a creative mode to learn about and appreciate African diasporic cultures, whose contributions to contemporary dance are often underexplored. In a time when race is at the forefront of national conversations, RACE AND … Dance offers embodiment as a unique entrypoint for discussing race. Free and open to the Mount Holyoke community. Zoom link on Embark 4 - 6 p.m.
Lithia Springs Reservoir Walk
Join the Mount Holyoke Outing Club for a walk at Lithia Springs Reservoir. The walk is a 3 mile flat trail leading to a beautiful tree-lined reservoir where there is possibility to wade. Participants should bring water, snacks and wear comfortable shoes and clothes that they would be okay getting wet in. Please eat breakfast before.
Copy Editors
Cat Barbour ’24 & Ella Jacob ’24 Amelia Luo ’23 & Sophie Soloway ’23
Friday, Sept. 24
Sports
Gigi Picard ’22
Arts & Entertainment
Global
Event Highlights
Saturday, Sept. 25
News
Tasnia Mowla ’23, Jahnavi Pradeep ’23 & Ladin Akcacioglu ’24
. Mount Holyoke News
Layout Editors
Free and open to the Mount Holyoke community. Registration on Embark 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Web Editors
Monday, Sept. 27
Maggie Donovan ’23 & Zoe Tang ’24
Features
Rebecca Gagnon ’23 & Jesse HausknechtBrown ’25
Anika Singh ’24
Publication Guidelines Mount Holyoke News does not endorse any of the opinions or views expressed within the pages of the paper, excluding staff editorials. All content copyright of Mount Holyoke News. All rights reserved. Mount Holyoke News does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age.
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Field Day
Join your friends for a “Be Well Break” program on Skinner Green including corn hole, hula hoops, music and more. This event is brought to you by the Office of Student Involvement. Free and open to the Mount Holyoke community Skinner Green 1 - 3 p.m.
Intragroup Dialogue on Anti-Blackness and Colorism (Latinx community space)
The Community Care Circle, “Mejora la Raza”: Anti-Blackness and Colorism in Latinx Communities, is a brave space designed for Latine students to engage in self and collective reflection about the ways anti-blackness and colorism appear in their lives and how they deteriorate well-being. Participants will be asked to speak about their lived experiences with these issues and encouraged to request what they need to thrive unapologetically. Free and open to self-identifying Latine students. The Ortega Cultural Center 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.
September 24, 2021
NEWS
. Mount Holyoke News
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Mount Holyoke receives high rankings in college reviews BY GILLIAN PETRARCA ’23 STAFF WRITER
On Sept. 13, the U.S. News & World Report released its 2022 Best Colleges ranking. Mount Holyoke College was among several schools to receive high rankings. Mount Holyoke moved up four places and is now tied with Berea, Bryn Mawr, Kenyon and Scripps colleges as #30 for National Liberal Arts Colleges. The College was further recognized for Most International Students, Best Value Schools and Best Undergraduate Teaching. The Princeton Review also released their 2022 rankings. Although they were not able to survey students’ experiences on campus because most colleges conducted remote learning during the past year, they did release a list of colleges
that would have ranked in each category. Mount Holyoke was included on the lists for Best Value Colleges, Great Professors, Great College Library, LGBTQ Friendly, Most Beautiful Campus, Best Northeastern and Great Classroom Experience. Additionally, Mount Holyoke is still ranked by the Princeton Review as #1 for Making an Impact among private schools and #10 of the Best Alumni Networks among private schools. In its 2021 college rankings list, the Washington Monthly also ranked Mount Holyoke as #47 for liberal arts colleges and #215 for “Best Bang for the Buck: Northeast.” In a Sept. 13 email about the College ranking, Mount Holyoke President Sonya Stephens said, “We are confident that Mount Holyoke continues to compete with the very best schools in the nation and the world.”
Photo by Ali Meizels ’23 Mount Holyoke continues to rank high in multiple college reviews, including the U.S. News 7 World Report.
Students struggle with course cancellations BY MARIAM KEITA ’24 MANAGING EDITOR OF WEB & NEWS EDITOR
As the start of the semester drew near, many students were left scrambling to find new courses after some classes were canceled within weeks or even days of the commencement of the fall semester on Monday, Aug. 30. At least one cancellation was directly related to Mount Holyoke’s return to inperson classes. Sarah Parsons ’24 was notified in an email from the Office of the Registrar that their 200-level geography course, “Human Dimensions of Environmental Change,” had been canceled on Aug. 27, just three days before classes were set to begin. “I am in the process of finding a replacement course. The Registrar offered an alternative course that meets at the same time, but it is an introductory course in a different department. I understand it’s a difficult thing to figure out last minute, and I am sure everyone is doing their best to fix the situation, but it has been frustrating to try to figure this out while classes are starting,” Parsons wrote in an email to the Mount Holyoke News. After some time, Parsons was eventually able to find another 200-level course to replace the one that had been canceled. “I’m taking Atmosphere & Weather … it’s another geography course, so it’s
fulfilling similar requirements for me,” Parsons wrote in a follow-up email to the Mount Holyoke News this week. “I am enjoying it. It’s very different from the canceled course, but I like the content.” Much like Parsons, Dana Seville ’24 was notified that her introductory math course had been canceled in an email from the Registrar, which she received on Aug. 25. “I don’t understand why it took them until one week before the start of classes to find out that information,” Seville told the Mount Holyoke News via email. “To be in the course we had to take short tests to qualify … I felt as though my time was wasted once the course was canceled.” Seville was unable to find an alternative math course at Mount Holyoke, as all of the other math courses that she could find were already at capacity. Seville ultimately found a class that would allow her to fulfill the science and mathematics distribution requirement as intended. “I did find an astronomy course that would fit the gap in the amount of credits I would get this semester. It’s not a course I would have thought I would be taking, but I wanted to meet a requirement this semester,” Seville wrote. “At first I was worried that the cancellation of my course would affect my progress because so many classes are waitlisted, but my advisor helped me a little bit … by telling me to keep searching.” Dara Weingarten ’24 was planning
to take another course with the same professor as Seville. However, just five days before the spring semester began, Weingarten and her classmates received an email from the professor announcing its cancellation because the professor’s request to teach remotely was denied. “After I received that email [from my professor], the [Registrar] sent out an email to the people who were registered for that class and waitlisted for it,” Weingarten said. According to Weingarten, the Registrar’s email recommended that students look for classes in the Five College Consortium, as the classes at Mount Holyoke were largely full and heavily waitlisted by that point. Upon independently continuing her search, Weingarten was able to locate a replacement math course offered by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. For Weingarten, an athlete on Mount Holyoke’s rowing team, this registration cycle was particularly stressful. “There’s a requirement for how many credits you have to have by a certain date. Last Friday [Sept. 3] was the deadline to have at least 12 credits. I started off that morning with four,” Weingarten said. “That entire day, I was running around trying to get registered for those classes,” which Weingarten expressed is a much longer process at UMass Amherst. Weingarten was eventually able to register for a course load, but it “was a struggle.”
Netflix’s recent remake of the classic romance film “She’s All That,” titled “He’s All That,” is a modern spin on the original coming-of-age movie. The motion picture, starring Tik Tok-erAddison Rae, falls short, banking less on its cast’s acting abilities and more on their internet fame. With a lackluster script and direction from Mark Waters, the Netflix original proves to be just an awkward spoof of the hit ‘90s film it is inspired by, and, ultimately, is unnecessary. Rae stars as a bubbly influencer BY HIBAPadgett NAWAID Sawyer. ’23 AND ANIKA named Actor TanSINGH ’24 ner Buchanan plays opposite her, takSTAFF WRITERS ing on the role of an outsider-turnedheartthrob, Cameron Kweller. The film follows the plotrecent of “She’s All That,” Netflix’s remake of thein which a popular malefilm character classic romance “She’stakes All a bet and attempts to transform the That,” titled “He’s All That,” ismost a simple and “hopeless” girl —comingin terms modern spin on the original ofof-age high school social — into prom movie. The status motion picture, queen. “He’s That” Addison presents Rae, a genstarring TikAllTok-er der swap of the characters, falls short, banking less on as its Padgett cast’s tries to abilities beautifyand themore school’s resident acting on their inloner, Cameron. ternet fame. With a lackluster script and direction from Mark Waters, the Netflix original proves to be just an awkward spoof of the hit ‘90s film it is inspired by, and, ultimately, is unnecessary. Rae stars as a bubbly influencer named Padgett Sawyer. Actor Tanner Buchanan plays opposite her, taking on the role of an outsider-turned-heartthrob, Cameron Kweller. The film follows the plot of “She’s All That,” in which a popular
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
‘He’s All That’ is a film worth skipping
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OPINION/EDITORIAL
September 24, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Juniors and seniors talk growing pains as they return to campus BY WOODLIEF MCCABE ’23 STAFF WRITER
At the beginning of September, Mount Holyoke students re-introduced themselves to campus. Freshmen and sophomores got their first taste of in-person learning, while juniors and seniors found themselves adjusting to being on campus for the first time in a year and a half. Those who went home as first years in 2020 returned as juniors while 2020’s sophomores are now completing their final year. The leap forward has left some Mount Holyoke upperclassmen unsure of where they stand. I spoke with several students who talked about feeling like they’d lost part of the “Mount Holyoke experience.” Hongtian Wang ’22 expressed that “missing one and a half years really brought us a lack of knowledge about Mount Holyoke.” For many students, internship and job opportunities were pushed back or scrapped completely, leaving many in an odd situation of having academic experience but an empty resume. Ziyadah Zeigler ’23 is the Black History Month coordinator for the Association for Pan-African Unity. While excited to take on the role, she feels that campus restrictions continue to limit the capabilities of the APAU and the organization’s ability to adequately pro-
vide a good representation of the organization to new students. This is also Zeigler’s first time on the board of a student organization. Some juniors and seniors are taking on leadership roles despite feeling new to the organizations themselves. Not all groups were able to hold events or put together activities virtually. Many saw lower turnout, and technology became a barrier. Now on campus, many upperclassmen, like Samantha Pittman ’23, aren’t sure how to feel. “Sometimes I just sit and wonder how my college experience is halfway done when I have never been on campus for the full year,” Pittman said. Zeigler expressed a similar sentiment, saying that “coming back now as a junior sort of feels like the Twilight Zone.” As a junior myself, I have also noted the surreal time-jumping feeling of being back on campus. We are trying to simultaneously pick up where we left off and find a place as upperclassmen. “I feel like last year never happened, and keep accidentally referring to our first year as ‘last year,’” EJ Jankovic ’23 said. Even though they spent the last year on campus, Jankovic feels the return of the entire student body and in-person classes is like the end of an “incredibly long summer.” The upperclassmen I spoke to indicated a cautious optimism — we are eager to catch up on things we
missed, and that includes being a resource for underclassmen. Pittman said that she “missed out on sophomore year when [she] could still explore,” which led her to join new organizations that she hadn’t as a first-year. Jankovic is now Chair of Halls and the Promotions Officer in the newly-formed Tea Club. Wang joined the Chinese Cultural Association to “do more for our college” before graduating. Being on campus after so long is re-energizing the student body. We are trying new things and looking forward to the experiences that we missed out on. Most of the spring traditions haven’t happened on campus since the current seniors were first-years; we are going to be experiencing these for the first time alongside the first-year and sophomore classes. Still, those I talked to largely felt ready and willing to guide the underclassmen through campus life. Zeigler took it upon herself to become an orientation leader, saying, “I was glad to give them the welcome that I was given, [and honestly took for granted], as a freshman.” Many juniors and seniors have still taken classes throughout the pandemic, learning and growing as students the entire time. Though sometimes overwhelmed, and a bit disoriented, Mount Holyoke upperclassmen are intent on filling their roles as leaders and resources for the newly-arrived classes.
Can Kathy Hochul bring welcome change to the NY government?
Photo courtesy of WikiMedia Commons Kathy Hochul was sworn in as New York Governor on Aug. 24, 2021.
BY ANNABELLE MACKSON ’23 HUMAN RESOURCES COORDINATOR & STAFF WRITER
On Aug. 24, 2021, Democrat Kathy Hochul was sworn in as the Governor of New York, the first woman to hold the position. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s resignation after a string of sexual assault allegations should have been shocking — he was so adored in 2020 that his fans were dubbed “Cuomosexuals.” To many, though, this was just another name in a long list of men in power taking advantage of their young, often female, subordinates. The spotlight now lies on Hochul, a relatively unknown politician despite having decades of involvement in public policy. I hope she’ll turn out to be the breath of fresh air New York needs, but I also fear she’ll be another so-called #girlboss politician, prompting wall art of empty one-liners while her constituents remain suffering. So far I have seen no evidence of the latter, which is a good sign for my sanity.
Hochul served as Lieutenant Governor of New York for six years. After assuming the position of Governor in August, Hochul was quick to make it known that despite her previous work for Cuomo, she condemned his alleged assaults against 11 women. In The New York Times, Hochul is quoted as saying, “the governor had his own tight inner circle,” implying she was not part of it. Hochul gave herself a 45-day grace period to clean out Cuomo-era employees and interview new hires. Hochul’s message was clear — as stated in an AP News article, “she will not keep anyone found to have behaved unethically.” Her transparency, especially concerning COVID-19, is very promising, but I looked into her political history to try to dispel my continued apprehension. Hochul is staunchly pro-choice, even receiving funding in 2011 from EMILY’s List, an organization committed to electing more female Democrats in favor of abortion rights to office. She also supported the Affordable Care Act and expressed support for increasing taxes on incomes greater than $500,000 a year. These stances were documented during her 2011 run for the U.S. House of Representatives, so they could have changed during the past decade. One stance that has not wavered over the years is Hochul’s continued support of the LGBTQ+ community. Even in the relatively small role of Erie County Clerk, Hochul was outspoken in her support of marriage equality and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” as highlighted in an LGBTQ Nation article in 2011. In 2021, she continues to affirm the LGBTQ+ community and appears receptive to the demands of queer communities in New York. As someone who dealt with the threat of a school shooting and traveled to Washington D.C. for the 2018 March for Our Lives, I was shocked to see that Hochul
was endorsed by the NRA in 2012. To my surprise, during her 2014 campaign for Lieutenant Governor, Hochul spoke of her A- rating from the NRA, and how it would likely drop following her criticism of their failure to support background check legislation after the Sandy Hook Massacre. The Observer quotes her as saying, “I thought it was a national disgrace that after the slaughter of children, they wouldn’t support background checks … I doubt I’d get that rating now.” She has continued her support for gun control legislation and even spoke at a gun control rally in 2018. The case of Cuomo is not the first time Hochul has picked up the pieces after the resignation of a politician due to sexual misconduct. In 2011, Hochul ran for Congress in a special election following the resignation of Republican Chris Lee after he was exposed for soliciting a woman on Craigslist. I can’t criticize her for taking charge in a less than ideal situation, but not many people can attribute their major political successes to someone else’s wrongdoings. Ultimately, I support Hochul, but with cautious optimism; it is your choice if you want to support her as well. I agree with her stances on some social and economic issues, and applaud her COVID-19 response, especially regarding vaccination mandates. I also look forward to seeing her future in prison reform after CBS News reported that she “ordered the immediate release of 191 inmates housed at Rikers Island” as part of the “Less is More Act” aimed at parolees. I was elated that her stance on gun control had shifted so drastically, and as an ally, I was pleased to see her ongoing commitment to support the queer community. I will remain skeptical of her, as I will for any person in power, but at this point, I truly believe that Kathy Hochul is here to do good and invoke real change.
September 24, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
OPINION/EDITORIAL
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Netflix’s recent remake of the classic romance film
All That,” titled “He’s All That,” is a modern Mount Holyoke needs to be more transparent “She’s ‘He’s Allcoming-of-age That’movie. The motion spin on the original picture, starring Tik Tok-erAddison Rae, falls short, regarding COVID-19 precautionary measures banking on its cast’s acting abilities and more on is alessregrettable their internet fame. With a lackluster script and direction from Mark Waters, the Netflix original proves to afilm it is inbe reimagining just an awkward spoof of the of hit ‘90s spired by, and, ultimately, is unnecessary. Rae stars as a bubbly influencer named Padgett classic, cont’d Sawyer. Actor Tanner Buchanan plays opposite her,
Photo courtesy of Rosemary Geib ’23 Above, the Mount Holyoke community gathers at Gettell Amphitheater for the 2021 Convocation celebration to mark the start of the semester.
BY KAVERI PILLAI ’23 STAFF WRITER
In a world where the COVID-19 situation is constantly evolving, keeping up isn’t an easy task. It is essential to be on top of the facts and make way for conversations that address a simple yet crucial question: What’s next? Mount Holyoke College President Sonya Stephens’ email in March 2021 was a breath of fresh air for many, bearing the news that Mount Holyoke would open its doors for all students in the fall semester. While many rejoiced at this decision, there were still questions and concerns littering students’ minds about masks, testing and overall safety about in-person school. Before the fall semester started, these initial questions regarding COVID-19 were answered. The MHC precautions seem to be working so far, with only a few bumps obstructing our way to normalcy: The future, however, may not remain as bright. The uncertainty about contingency plans is approaching a level of urgency. Big questions remain unanswered: What is the future of COVID-19 precautions at MHC, and if these plans are already in place, will the student body be privy to the details soon? According to the Boston Herald, daily positive COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts have gone up from 64 cases in late June to a staggering 831 cases in September. The Massachusetts state government reported a confirmed total of 738,303 positive cases and a vaccination rate of 63 percent. Hampshire County is also slowly catching up, with state numbers at 734 reported cases in the past two weeks, as mentioned on the county COVID-19 dashboard. MHC alone has reported 12 positive cases since Aug. 16, 2021. On March 13, 2020, the College informed students who wished to stay on campus that “in order to remain in housing: you agree not to travel outside of a 10-mile campus radius for the remainder of the semester.” The email issued on Jan. 8, 2021 echoed the same
message at a time when there were under 800 students staying on campus. While the 10-mile radius rule has since been removed from the community compact, the threat of contracting the virus is as severe as it was eight months ago. Upcoming breaks in October and November will inevitably result in students stepping outside the campus and meeting people whose vaccine and testing information go beyond Mount Holyoke’s scope. There still remains uncertainty about how the College plans on dealing with students coming back to campus at the end of the breaks after not knowing where they’ve been and who they have been in contact with. The school’s lack of transparency has increased COVID-19 anxiety among students. Moreover, the plans should not be changed without the student body’s involvement. This has to be acknowledged by the college administration sooner rather than later. Breaks aside, the current classroom structure is to be questioned as well. Classes at Mount Holyoke are in-person, with a few exceptions where professors request students to attend some sessions remotely due to personal reasons. The school, however, has not issued a hybrid or even remote class model for this semester. Contingency plans in the time of a pandemic are of utmost necessity, and without addressing the “what if?” situations, students are left in the dark. These plans require coordination with residential staff and student accommodation services, as well as clear communication between the school and students, which is lacking at this moment. Contingency plans aren’t intended to instill fear in the minds of students. They are simply precautionary measures that are necessary in times of crisis. Without transparency regarding COVID-19 measures, students are given the impression that they are to fend for themselves. Mount Holyoke needs to do its duty toward its students by discussing the future of COVID-19 precautions that will ensure the institution’s ability to be dependable and safe during a time of uncertainty.
taking on the role of an outsider-turned-heartthrob, u CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Cameron Kweller. The film follows the plot of “She’s All That,” in which a popular male character takes a betmale and character attempts takes to transform most simple and a bet andthe attempts to trans“hopeless” — in termsand of high school social form thegirl most simple “hopeless” girl —status in — terms into prom queen. “He’ssocial All That” presents gender of high school status — intoa prom swap of the“He’s characters, as Padgett tries to beautify the queen. All That” presents a gender swap school’s loner, of theresident characters, as Cameron. Padgett tries to beautify the school’s resident loner, Cameron. Waters, who directed the 2000s teen classics “Freaky Friday” and “Mean Girls,” misses the mark with this reimagining of “She’s All That.” Those in front of the camera miss the mark as well as the majority of the main cast gives consistently underwhelming performances. In his re-imagined role, Buchanan is no Rachel Leigh Cook, the actress who played the made-over main character, Laney Boggs, in the original. Meanwhile, Rae struggles to maintain a convincingly authentic performance in scenes that should be more hard-hitting. In the film, she fails to present enough emotion and enthusiasm to make the audience care for her character. Whether it involves a rather public and embarrassing break up with her boyfriend, or the autotuned cover of Katy Perry’s hit song “Teenage Dream,” Rae does not provide a convincing performance. The poorly-constructed dialogue doesn’t offer the actors any help in delivering an authentic performance. In one particularly egregious scene, Cameron’s sister says if she wasn’t related to him she’d think he’s hot. The half-baked writing, especially when combined with the unnecessary FaceTime cameos from celebrities such as Kourtney Kardashian, fails to immerse its audience in the film. The film just barely holds itself together with a semblance of nostalgia and the type of secondhand embarrassment that obliges audience members to laugh out of discomfort. The script features a visible effort to reimagine the plot of “She’s All That” for a 2021 audience. However, instead of addressing the underlying misogyny of its predecessor, “He’s All That” objectifies its male lead. The film’s cinematography is also monotonous, evidenced by shaky camerawork and unimaginative visual storytelling on the part of cinematographer John Guleserian, who uses tried-and-tested camera angles that do not add any flavor to the film. “He’s All That” seems to have the budget — around $20 million — to be a finely produced film, but lacks quality execution. It’s as if the producers were under the assumption that featuring Rae and cast members from “She’s All That” would CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
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GLOBAL
September 24, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
New AUKUS deal angers rivals as well as allies
Photo courtesy of EurAsian Times The new AUKUS deal aims to establish greater Western naval power.
BY ADITI PARASHAR ’22 STAFF WRITER
The United States, the United Kingdom and Australia have announced a tripartite security agreement on Sept. 15. The deal, titled AUKUS, a combination of the three nations’ abbreviated initials, is meant to challenge China’s increasing claims over territory in the Pacific, reported The New York Times. The U.S. and the UK will help Australia establish a stronger Western presence in the region by providing at least eight nuclear-powered submarines. Scott Morrison, the Australian Prime Minister, clarified in his speech that the submarines would be nuclear-powered, not nuclear-armed, since Australia is a signatory to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty,
according to The New York Times. The Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty effectively bans signatory countries from either procuring or deploying nuclear weapons. Morrison said, “Let me be clear: Australia is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons or establish a civil nuclear capability.” AUKUS comes at a time when Australia and China are seeing a breakdown in an usually amicable relationship. Australia has recently denied the tech giant Huawei entry into the country while also refusing other investments from China and its defence and foreign ministers, alleging that the Chinese government is trying to interfere in Australian politics, according to the BBC. Australia also supported the U.S. call for investigation into the origins of COVID-19 which only heightened tensions between China and Australia. China, Australia’s biggest trading partner, retaliated by placing sanctions on a variety of Australian goods. As tensions increase between Australia and China, Visiting Lecturer in international relations and politics Bryan Nakayama sees the AUKUS deal as a solidification of the alliance between the three nations. “[AUKUS] should be seen as a piece with[in] the broader turn by the U.S. to engage more deeply with the Asia-Pacific region and the strategy of ‘Great Power Competition,’ specifically vis-a-vis China,” Nakayama said. “This helps cement an ally, since transferring a high-end technology like nuclear propulsion is a vote of trust in the stability of the alliance. Australia has been facing strategic pressure from China recently on a range of issues, so it likely serves as a reassurance.”
The New York Times reported that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian said the agreement would “seriously damage regional peace and stability, exacerbate an arms race and harm international nuclear nonproliferation agreements,” according to the Chinese Communist Party controlled newspaper, Global Times. China is not the only country to react strongly to this new deal. According to Bloomberg, AUKUS puts an end to a previous submarine deal estimated to be worth $66 billion made between France and Australia in 2016. The decision elicited a forceful response from the leaders in Paris. French officials called the new alliance “a stab in the back,” according to EuroNews. The deal, according to CNN, is expected to impact the French defense sector significantly. France also holds interest in the Indo-Pacific region that it now stands to lose out on. Al Jazeera reports that the French government has pulled back ambassadors from the United States as well as Australia, citing “duplicity, disdain and lies.” Benjamin Haddad, a member of the Atlantic Council in Washington, told The Atlantic that the new deal “had set relations between the U.S. and France back to their lowest point since the Iraq War.” “To my knowledge, the relations between France and the U.S. will take time to mend, but mend they will,” Rehat Thussu ’23, an international relations major, said. “While the U.S. does not have the strongest relationship with France, it is nowhere near weak enough to break down simply over this matter.”
Violation of Indian woman reveals country’s structural inequalities MADHAVI RAO ’24 STAFF WRITER
Content warning: The following piece discusses the sexual abuse and murder of women and of a minor. It also includes brief mentions of suicide. “How much longer can we look away! Women’s rights are human rights,” Indian journalist Faye D’Souza declared on Instagram. “Enough is enough.” D’Souza’s post referred to a series of cases in the news surrounding sexual violence against Indian women. The most recent of countless such cases was the rape and murder of a 34-year-old woman in Sakinaka, a suburb of Mumbai on Friday, 17 September. The case bears a striking resemblance to one of the most famous and protested rape cases in Indian history, which has come to be known as the Nirbhaya rape case of 2012. In 2012, a 23-year old woman was gang-raped on a bus by six men and brutalized with an iron rod, eventually dying of her injuries. Due to Indian media laws which prevent news journals from publishing rape victims’ identities, newspapers gave the woman a pseudonym — Nirbhaya, meaning “fearless” in Hindi. The Nirbhaya case led to mass outrage across the country as people protested for women’s rights and an end to sexual violence. Of the six men, four were hanged in March 2020. One of the men was found dead in his prison cell, having apparently killed himself, as reported by BBC News. The sixth perpetrator was 17 at the time of the crime and served three years in a ju-
venile delinquent center before being released in 2015. Less than two years after the execution of the Nirbhaya rapists, the 34-year-old woman was found raped and unconscious in the back of a bus in Sakinaka. According to CNN, she was also assaulted with an iron rod. The victim was admitted to a hospital in the city, but later died of her injuries. The rapist has been arrested and confessed to the crime. “The case will be tried on fast track and the culprit will be severely punished, ensuring justice to the woman who lost her life due to this dreadful crime,” Uddhav Thackeray, Chief Minister of the state of Maharashtra, Mumbai, said. “It’s pretty horrifying that abuses like this are taking place, and I think the main problem in such a context is that swift justice is promised, but is usually not kept,” Maahi Jaiswall ’24 said. “The legal system and processes in place take too long.” When first reading about the case, Isha Ela Chinniah ’24 was shocked at the similarity to the Nirbhaya case. “Having to witness such a cruel crime repeat itself for a second time within a period of nine years was sickening,” Chinniah said. “To top it all, the man accused of rape and murder commented on the woman’s caste to justify his actions. No words can express the anger and sadness I felt on hearing this.” Chinniah continued, “This barbaric crime was the result of a patriarchal system coupled with a long-standing caste system that allowed an individual to believe they could violate a human being in the most cruel way.”
The threat of sexual violence and death is statistically more pronounced for lower caste and Dalit — formally known as “untouchable” — women and children. According to The Diplomat, close to ten Dalit women or girls were raped every day in 2019. The journal emphasizes that this number is likely much higher since 99 percent of rape cases in India go unreported. In August 2021, a nine-year-old Dalit girl was raped and forcibly cremated in the Indian capital of New Delhi. The girl was raped and killed by a Hindu priest, part of the uppermost caste, and three other men while she was fetching water. “This is not an isolated incident. It’s just that it came to light,” Suman Dixit, a women’s rights activist, told Al Jazeera. “Sexual violence against women, particularly those from [lower] classes, is common in this country and they have to struggle hard to get justice.” In a report, Equality Now, a global NGO which works to uphold women’s rights, stated, “Violence, including rape and gang rape, [has] been systematically utilized as [a] weapon by dominant castes to oppress Dalit women and girls and reinforce structural gender and caste hierarchies.” “There isn’t a day that goes by when a woman in India isn’t violated in the most horrifying way,” Chinniah said. “Unfortunately these crimes against women are normalized in areas of India and simply don’t receive the attention they deserve. As horrendous as this crime was, it is necessary to have it brought to the spotlight in order to spread awareness about sexual assault in India.”
September 24, 2021
ENVIRONMENTAL
. Mount Holyoke News
7
Climate Activist Spotlight: Mari Copeny 2020 marks record high in environmental activist killings BY HELEN GLOEGE ’23 STAFF WRITER
Graphic by Sofía Savid ’24
Amariyanna “Mari” Copeny, known to many as “Little Miss Flint,” is a 14-year-old activist based in Flint, Michigan. Her activism began at just eight years old, when she first became aware of the undrinkable water in her hometown, in which high levels of lead were detected. Copeny began to gain national attention when she wrote a letter to then-President Barack Obama to convince him to come to Flint and see the water crisis firsthand. This letter prompted Obama’s May 2016 visit to Flint. After his visit, he declared a federal state of emergency for the Michigan town and allocated $100 million in aid to address the issue. Since 2016, Copeny has raised over half a million dollars for Flint Kids, an organization that supports children affected by the water crisis. In addition to her work with Flint Kids, she has raised over $250 thousand to provide community members with bottled water. In 2020, she began producing her own water filter as a longer-term solution to the crisis.
Tourist destinations introduce green fees BY CATELYN FITZGERALD ’23 ENVIRONMENTAL EDITOR
The COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the power dynamics that exist between countries with large tourism economies and the rest of the world. On Aug. 23, the governor of Hawai’i asked travelers to abstain from vacationing on the islands through the end of October in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. These concerns extend into an ethical debate about the negative effects that large influxes of tourists can have on local communities. As more attention is given to the roles and responsibilities tourists hold in protecting the health of vacation hot spot communities, there is also an opportunity to reflect on the environmental consequences of tourism. In an effort to protect the natural wonders that draw in droves of travelers, some countries have turned to environmental visitor fees, or “green fees,” as a way to have tourists take responsibility for protecting the local environment. Palau is leading the effort with their “Pristine Paradise Fee,” which charges visitors $100 each when they purchase a flight ticket to the island. In November 2019, just one year after the fee’s introduction, the Palau government announced that it raised $9 million. According to environmental nonprofit Conservation International, income generated by the fee is used to fund fisheries protection, the Protected Areas Network and other facets of both environmental protection efforts. Travelers must also sign a pledge before beginning their vacation. Addressed to the “Children of Palau,” the pledge includes a promise to “preserve and protect your beautiful and unique island home.” Bhutan, known for its sweeping mountainscapes, charges visitor groups of more than three travelers $200-$250 per person per night. According to the website of the Bhutan Tourism Corporation Limited, included in the cost is a $65 “sustainable development
fee” that is put toward free education and healthcare for the Bhutanese, infrastructure development and other welfare initiatives. Green fees are also prevalent in American vacation destinations. The Hawai’i state legislature approved a $1 “ocean stewardship user fee” on June 10 as part of Hawai’i House Bill 1019, the proceeds of which will support marine restoration projects. Another state bill, HB805, which was proposed in Jan. 2021 and would have enacted a more all-encompassing green fee of $40 per visitor, made it to the state Senate but died in committee. The growing ecotourism industry offers another approach to decreasing tourism’s environmental footprint. This niche type of travel is centered around tourists’ exploration of natural wonders, from national parks to coral reefs. According to international ecotourism company Responsible Travel, ecotourism creates an incentive to preserve the landscapes and wildlife that are central to tourist activities. The industry also generates profits that support local communities while keeping the impacts of travel on the environment relatively low. One drawback to ecotourism, according to Responsible Travel’s website, is that the label is “misused” by companies who wish to capitalize on the ecotourism movement without actually adopting sustainable practices. To increase accountability in the Hawai’ian ecotourism industry, the Sustainable Tourism Association of Hawai’i developed a Sustainable Tour Operator certification, the only certification of its type in the country. As travelers begin to explore the world again, vaccine cards in hand, both ecotourism and green fees provide opportunities to give the tourism industry a fresh start. Only through the implementation of these practices can tourism transform from an industry that threatens idyllic destinations to one that sustains them for decades to come.
BY HELEN GLOEGE ‘23 STAFF WRITER
Content warning: This article discusses murder and mentions sexual violence. On Sept. 13, human rights organization Global Witness reported that a record 227 climate activists were murdered in 2020. The “land and environmental defenders,” as they were referred to by Global Witness, included people who acted against the exploitation of natural resources and the environment. The toll for 2020 is fifteen deaths higher than the prior record reported by the same organization in 2019. Global Witness is an international non-governmental organization that studies the link between the climate crisis and human rights abuses. The organization began collecting data on murders of activists in 2012 and has found that since 2015 — the year the Paris Agreement was signed — an average of “four defenders have been killed every week.” The report states that their findings are an underestimate and the number is likely much higher. Data in the report relies on consistent and accurate reporting of killings; in some countries with higher levels of press suppression, it is unclear if the data the organization received presents a complete picture of the situation. According to Time, “most killings went unpunished.” Further, murder is not the only form of violence these activists face: Global Witness reports the range of threats includes “death threats, surveillance, sexual violence or criminalization.” The Global Witness report identified a possible correlation between the increase in murders and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as detailing some of the challenges the pandemic has brought to activism work in general. The pandemic left many activists confined to their homes, making them easier targets for attacks. Additional restrictions were placed on activism during the pandemic, such as limitations on where protests could occur. The victims of these killings were advocates for their communities and the greater world in the face of the climate crisis. One-third of the activists killed in 2020 were Indigenous people. The study reports that more than half of the murders occurred in Colombia, Mexico and the Philippines. In the affected countries, some are calling for government regulations to protect current and future “land and environmental defenders” from violence.
8
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
September 24, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Watch these five movies by Latine and Hispanic directors
Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ‘22
BY ROSE COHEN ’22 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
In honor of National Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month, Mount Holyoke News asked Bianka Ballina, Mount Holyoke Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in the department of film, media and theater, to recommend five movies by Latine and Hispanic directors. According to Ballina, all of the films listed below revolve around Latine narratives and “take into account more recent representations of the Latinx community, particularly made by female directors, in order to account for the long history of male-centric narratives.” In April 2021, the University of California Los Angeles released their annual Hollywood Diversity Report and acknowledged there was an increasing number of people of color who worked as directors last year. Despite this reported rise of a racially diverse group of filmmakers in 2020, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, a think tank studying diversity in entertainment, reported in their 2021 study, titled “Hispanic and Latino Representation in Film: Erasure On Screen and Behind the Camera Across 1,300 Popular Movies,” that only 4.2 percent of directors working on top-grossing films were Hispanic or Latine.
“Zoot Suit” (1981)
Hank Reyna (Daniel Valdez), the young leader of the 38th Street gang in Los Angeles, has recently been
accepted to the United States navy. Throughout the movie, he has to navigate these two worlds clashing in the midst of a legal battle. The drama film, based on a true incident and a play of the same name, takes place during World War II and follows the wrongful conviction of the aforementioned gang. Directed by Luis Valdez, brother of American actor Daniel Valdez, it keeps viewers interested by blending suspenseful courtroom scenes and glimpses of romance. At times, the combination of violence, dance sequences and lively, upbeat Spanish music creates an atmosphere that feels like a fever dream, prompting the viewer to question whether what they’re seeing on screen, or the narrator himself, can be trusted.
“Mosquita y Mari” (2012)
Yolanda (Fenessa Pineda) is a quiet fifteen-yearold who gets good grades in school and has a close relationship with her parents. Meanwhile, Mari (Venecia Troncoso) has a rebellious streak and worries about her family’s financial future. The two do not know one another, even though they live across the street from each other. When Mari winds up in Yolanda’s geometry class, Yolanda notices Mari needs help studying for exams. The girls become close friends, but the lingering glances shared between the two suggest they have romantic feelings for one another. Viewers get to see the relationship between Yolanda and Mari unfold as the story progresses. Part of the film’s beauty lies in its richly developed atmosphere, shown over numerous picturesque shots of Huntington Park, California, where the story takes place.
“Selena” (1997)
In this American biographical film, Jennifer Lopez, an iconic Latina singer and actress, delivers a stellar performance as Selena Quintanilla, the “Queen of Tejano Music.” “Selena” follows the pop star’s childhood and adolescence with a focus on her complicated yet tight-knit relationships with her family and her husband, guitarist Chris Pérez. The movie does not dwell
too centrally on Quintanilla’s brutal murder, and viewers only learn of Quintanilla’s death toward the end of the film. In an interview with NPR, Deborah Paredez, cultural critic and author of “Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory,” spoke about the film. “We learn about how [Quintanilla] ascended to fame as both a Tejana superstar, but also as an international superstar,” Paredez said.
“Beatriz at Dinner” (2017)
In this comedy-drama, Puerto Rican director Miguel Arteta provides an insightful commentary on the privilege enjoyed by wealthy white Americans. The story centers around the relationship between Beatriz (Salma Hayek), a health therapist, and a pair of her clients, a husband-wife duo (Connie Britton and David Warshofsky). When Beatriz’s blue Volkswagen breaks down at the couple’s lavish mansion, the wife invites her to stay for a dinner party that will be attended by their wealthy friends in the business world. Hayek steals the show, especially when delivering poignant lines about the duality of life and death. In one particularly intense scene, Hayek says, “You think killing is hard, huh? You wait in the bushes, the animal might outrun you or charge you. It’s not easy to get your shot, hm? Try healing something. That is hard.”
“Real Women Have Curves” (2002)
A young America Ferrera plays Ana, a MexicanAmerican teen who excels in high school but cannot afford to attend college. While her old-fashioned mother shames anyone with a little fat on their stomach, Ana promotes body positivity and rejects gender stereotypes assigned to women. Once Ana begins working at her family’s sewing factory in East Los Angeles, she becomes more confident in herself and realizes her self-worth, when it comes to relationships with boys. This comedy-drama, directed by award-winning writer and producer Patricia Cardoso, captures the struggles and triumphs of a teenage girl in the process of finding herself.
A modern take on a classic coming-of-age movie falls flat, cont’d u
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
garner enough social media attention — good and bad — to encourage individuals to see the film. Despite its long list of flaws, “He’s All That” does a few things right. Though it’s not much, viewers do see some queer representation in the film. The lesbian couple, Quinn (Myra Molloy) and Nisha (Annie Jacob), adds a breath of fresh air, but are never given enough screen time to receive full character arcs. Cook, who plays one of the main characters in “She’s All That,” takes on the role of Padgett’s mother in the new film. But, despite a decent performance, her feature is hollow. It’s disheartening to see her participate in a movie that diminishes the already tenuous legacy of “She’s All That,” which will likely age all the more poorly because of the association with this remake. The comedy the film offers is even more disheartening. “She’s All That,” despite having thinly-veiled
Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ’24
misogynistic jokes, reached the young adult audience of its time and had moments of comedic success. “He’s All That” offers the same energy as a 50-year-old cisgender white man trying and failing to relate to Gen Z. The jokes regarding social media feel like a misplaced attempt at youth-driven humor, and, as a result, often fall flat. The terrible comedy, superfluous casting and clichéd plot make “He’s All That” a cash-grabbing, overhyped film production that seems to aim solely to launch Rae’s career into mainstream stardom. If this transition was its main goal, then perhaps it worked. Despite dismayed reviews from critics, evidenced by a 31 percent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Rae has signed a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix. Variety cited the deal as a result of the success of “He’s All That” in the United States. “Getting the opportunity to work with Netflix was such a pinch-me moment and now to be able to continue the relationship is beyond my wildest dreams,” Rae said in an interview with the media company.
PHOTO SPREAD 9 Julien Baker brings crowds to Gateway City Arts
September 24, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
BY ALI MEIZELS ’23 PUBLISHER & PHOTOS EDITOR
On Saturday, Sept. 18, Julien Baker performed to an excited and emotional crowd at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, MA. Playing a mix of favorites from her debut album as well as most of the content from her newest release, “Little Oblivions,” Baker interacted with her audience like old friends. Baker was joined onstage by a small band, including Mariah Schneider on guitar and vocals, Noah Forbes on piano and Matthew Gilliam on drums. The four musicians created an intimate environment that allowed Baker’s striking vocals to shine. The size of the audience — all fully masked — showed that the Pioneer Valley is more than ready for the return of live music.
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10
BOOKS
September 24, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
Celebrate Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month with these new and upcoming releases by must-read authors BY CAT BARBOUR ’24 BOOKS EDITOR
“Thirty Talks Weird Love” by Alessandra Narváez
Hispanic/Latine Heritage Month takes place each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. As readers take this time to reflect on Hispanic/Latine presence in literature, it should be noted that there is a recorded underrepresentation for this demographic across genres. The Cooperative Children’s Book Center found that, out of the 4,035 children’s and YA books they received in 2019, 6 percent were written by Latine/Hispanic authors, and 5.8 percent were about Latine/Hispanic characters. To spotlight more of these authors and characters, Mount Holyoke News has compiled a list of upcoming and recently published books by Latine authors featuring Latine characters.
“The Soul of a Woman” by Isabel Allende In the latest of her highly acclaimed works, Isabel Allende shares her thoughts on “aging, romance, sex, love and, above all, her feminism,” according to Kirkus Reviews. “The Soul of a Woman” follows Allende’s personal relationship to womanhood, from watching her mother’s forced dependence on men to Allende’s own marriage at the age of twenty, which ended in a liberating divorce. At seventy-nine years, the Chilean writer has decades worth of experiences to offer. Allende has written 25 books and won numerous awards over the course of her career. In 2014, President Barack Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She has also won several international awards. Published: March 2, 2021
“Mango, Mambo, and Murder” by Racquel V. Reyes Miriam Quinones-Smith has a lot on her plate. She’s just moved from New York to Miami, her toddler has frequent tantrums and her husband is suffering through a midlife crisis. On top of that, her best friend, Alma, is now being framed for murder. After Alma gets Miriam a new job as an on-air cooking expert on a talk show, a socialite dies of poisoning right at Miriam’s table — and as more deaths follow, Alma falls under suspicion. Only food anthropologist Miriam can try to clear her friend’s name before it is too late. Reyes is a co-chair of SleuthFest and the author of several mystery novels featuring Latine characters. Expected Publication: Oct. 12, 2021
Do you ever wonder what your future self would be like? Thirteen-year-old Anamaría doesn’t need to after experiencing one weird day in 1990s Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. A woman claiming to be her thirty-year-old-self won’t leave her alone, spouting advice, encouraging her to be kind to herself and insisting that she will save someone in the future. Anamaría doesn’t know of anyone who needs saving; she’s just a hard-working student at an academically over-achieving middle school. Not known as a light read, “Thirty Talks Weird Love” prompts the reader to self-reflect. From Ciudad Juárez herself, Varela is a poet and lecturer at the University of Texas at El Paso. Expected Publication: Oct. 12, 2021
Graphic by Anjali Rao-Herel ’22
“Martita, I Remember You” by Sandra Cisneros Many years ago, Corina left her family in Chicago to pursue her dream of becoming a writer in Paris. Along the way, she met her two close friends, Martita and Paola, who gave hard times a warm and fond glow in her memory. Two decades and an ocean now separate the women. When she stumbles upon a letter long forgotten, Corina’s memories of Paris are brought to the surface. Sandra Cisneros, best known for her novel “The House on Mango Street,” quotes her father’s business card for his upholstery company on her website, saying, “over 55 years of custom quality work.” Her numerous awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995 and a PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature in 2019, speak to the quality of her writing. Published: Sept. 7, 2021
“Velvet was the Night” by Silvia Moreno Garcia Maite is a bored secretary in 1970s Mexico City who only looks forward to one thing: the latest publication of “Secret Romance,” a serial comic book. Leonora is her beautiful next-door neighbor who lives the life Maite wants to lead: one filled with mystery and romance. But Leonora is not who she seems. After Maite agrees to watch Leonora’s cats for a few days, Leonora doesn’t return, so Maite sets out to find her herself. Author of “Mexican Gothic” and “The Gods of Jade and Shadow,” Garcia is a Mexican-Canadian author with many awards to her name. Published: Aug. 17, 2021
“Fat Chance, Charlie Vega” by Crystal Maldonado “Coming of age as a Fat brown girl in a white Connecticut suburb is hard,” Crystal Maldonado writes. “Harder when your whole life is on fire though.” The world wants many things from Charlie Vega: to be thinner, whiter, quieter. It doesn’t always see her brains, humor and ambitions. When Brian, a cute artist, asks her out, Charlie can’t help giving in to her romantic side. She thinks she’s living a dream come true — that is, until she learns Brian asked out her thin best friend Amelia first. In a tale of self-acceptance and female friendship, Maldonado takes the reader on a surprisingly wholesome journey of teenage girlhood. Currently residing in western Massachusetts, Maldonado works as a social media strategist for higher education by day and is a writer by night. This is her debut novel. Published: Feb. 2, 2021
AD: Senate Senate is a part of the Student Government Association. Senate operates as a way for students to express concerns to the SGA in an open forum. Training for all senators is Sept. 28, 7:30-9 p.m. in the Blanchard Great Room. The first official Senate open to the public will be Oct. 5, 7:30-9 p.m. in the Blanchard Great Room.
September 24, 2021
SPORTS
. Mount Holyoke News
11
Former Amherst College lacrosse head coach files lawsuit
Photo courtesy of Stantec Aerial view of outdoor athletic facilities on Amherst College campus.
BY GIGI PICARD ’22 SPORTS EDITOR
Over the summer, Amherst College received a wrongful termination lawsuit from former men’s lacrosse Head Coach Rashad Devoe. According to the Boston Globe, Devoe was fired one year into his threeyear contract because he “verbally mistreated” the lacrosse athletes. The alleged verbal mistreatment occurred after athletes reportedly held a practice out-
side on an Amherst College green, in violation of the college’s COVID-19 rules. But Devoe, a Black man, felt there was more to the story. The Amherst College men’s lacrosse team has a recent history of controversy. Prior to Devoe’s arrival, the lacrosse team had been put on probation following a racist incident in March 2020. The incident involved three white players from the team who “chanted the N-word outside a Black teammate’s dorm room,” as reported by the Daily Hampshire Gazette. In retaliation, the victim punched one of the white players, and was “‘immediate[ly] punish[ed],’” according to the Gazette. Amherst College swiftly fired then-coach Jon Thompson and hired Devoe as his replacement, with the expectation that Devoe would rebuild the program by creating a more inclusive team environment. From the beginning, several Amherst parents considered Devoe’s coaching methods to be unacceptable. The Globe sat down with parents of athletes who claimed Devoe’s style was “overly aggressive, verbally threatening at times, disruptive and divisive.” Further, according to the Globe, Devoe allegedly made a misogynistic comment about female Amherst students. This is a claim which Devoe has refuted. The lawsuit alleges that there was more to Devoe’s removal than was officially communicated by the school. As revealed by WBUR, “According to the lawsuit, administrators pressured Devoe to reveal the identi[t]ies of three Black athletes who complained about a racist comment made by a lacrosse player, and when he refused, he was fired.” The timing of the termination is cause for speculation because the
refusal and removal happened around the same time. The Globe also noted that Devoe said he “reported the alleged discrimination but school officials declined to assure him they would protect him and the students from ‘retaliation and continued discrimination.’” Amherst College’s director of media communications, Caroline Hanna, responded to Mount Holyoke News on the matter. “We have reviewed the complaint filed on behalf of Mr. Rashad Devoe against Amherst College and categorically refute the allegations made about the College’s decisions and motives in the matter,” she said. Hanna highlighted Amherst College’s values, which are “[promoting] diversity, inclusion, and respect,” adding, “We have a majority minority student body, an increasingly diverse faculty and staff and a community dedicated to the work of inclusion … We are confident that a full legal review of the complaint will support our position that it is without merit.” WBUR stated that Devoe’s intention with the lawsuit is to regain his position at Amherst College, in which he made $90,000 a year, as well as financial damages. In the wake of this latest controversy, the team is struggling to retain both its players and status. According to the Globe, “players have transferred, parents have expressed outrage and recruits are wary of enrolling in the elite small private liberal arts college.” This August, following Devoe’s dismissal, Amherst College announced the hiring of former head coach at Colorado College, Sean Woods, as the program’s new head coach. Woods’ leadership may be a deciding factor in the lacrosse program’s future.
Mount Holyoke Tennis and Rowing start their competitive seasons BY GIGI PICARD ’22 SPORTS EDITOR
Tennis
Rowing After Mount Holyoke Rowing underwent their preseason, the Lyons made their way to Albany, New York to compete in the Head of the Hudson. In a Women’s Collegiate 8+ boat race, three Mount Holyoke Boards faced off against one another. The first boat to cross the finish line included Dara Weingarten ’24, Simran Kaur ’22, Emma Waldron ’24, Piper LaPointe ’23, Katherine Delamere ’25, Anna Karns ’25, Autumn Lee ’24, Mackenzie Windus ’24 and Arin Rinvelt ’24. Their final time was 15:06.11 minutes. The second place team finished just five seconds behind Mount Holyoke’s top boat and he third and final boat ended with a time of 15:47.47 minutes. Next, the Lyons will row at Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, starting from Beacon Point Marine on Oct. 2.
Mount Holyoke Tennis opened their competition season at home against College of the Holy Cross on Sept. 16. Annissa Aamoum ’22 beat the competition in the No. 3 singles match with scores of 6-2 and 6-1. The Lyons fell to Holy Cross in the rest of the singles and all of the doubles matches. The Lyons’ doubles pairings were Aamoum and Annika Chai ’25, Shweta Kiran Cavale ’23 and Vy Hoang ’24 and Hannah Middleton ’22 and Nikki Cheng ’22. “The match against Holy Cross was tough, but everyone was motivated and came onto the court as prepared as possible,” Cheng said. “I’ve learned a lot from this match, and I’ll try to incorporate it in my upcoming game.” “Our team already has a powerful bond even though half of them are new to Mount Holyoke, and it’s their first year on campus,” Cheng added. Head Coach Aldo Santiago said, “We had a great competitive effort. Annissa Aamoum competed well and got a well deserved win.” Santiago also expressed gratitude for the athletic and College administrative teams “for
Photo courtesy of Len Greer Mount Holyoke Rowing team competes at the Head of the Hudson.
their never ending efforts coordinating all the groundwork that allows our student athletes to compete.” Mount Holyoke Tennis will travel to Bowdoin College to compete at the Women’s ITA Northeast Regional Small College Championship on Oct. 1.
12
COMMUNITY
September 24, 2021
. Mount Holyoke News
^ R HOROSCOPES ^ R Sept. 23 – Oct. 22
Do a thing. Don’t do a thing. Change that thing. Don’t change that thing. Make that a thing. Don’t make that a thing. It’s all up to you to make it happen. Or not.
Oct. 23 – Nov. 21
You’re about to get dinner with an old friend. Or not if you choose not to. Beware of potentially being stood up. It happens to the best of us. But not necessarily to all of us.
Nov. 22 – Dec. 21
This week, you’ll tap into some unexpected hubris. Or not. Maybe you’ll embark on an unexpected voyage. Check Embark, it’ll tell you. Don’t forget to do your anti-hazing form!
Dec. 22 – Jan. 19
Walk out the front door of your dorm about 10 paces, and then make a hard right. Walk another 15 paces and then take a hard left. Walk about 20 paces and stop. Start digging. You won’t believe what you’ll find there.
Jan. 20 – Feb. 18
Avoid a specific food at late night this week at all costs. We can’t necessarily tell you which one, or why. But trust us on this. The consequences may be disastrous.
March 21 – April 19
Ride the wave of COVID-19 testing! Be sure to visit the testing center twice a week. If you don’t, stormy seas will brew and send us all overboard.
April 20 – May 20
Use your best British accent this week. It makes your crew more likely to listen to you. With your newfound influence, bring the whole entourage to get tested. And then, you can all try the duck hunt! (That’s a student involvement activity, not a hunting trip).
May 21 – June 20
You’ll notice so many Lighthouses in your life this week. But not traditional Lighthouses that line the coast. They are your best mates, the ones who make you smile and the ones you pick you up when you’re down. You are loved.
June 21 – July 22
You’re the captain of this ship, powerful Cancer. Use your sway to give Leo a run for their money. But don’t let it go to your head. Let your inner astrolabe guide you on this week’s heroic voyage.
July 23 – Aug. 22
Act like you’re the chosen one. You may be, and you might not be, but if you act like you are, you can do anything. You are exploding with main character energy. Set sail.
Feb. 19 – March 20
There are many fish in the sea, dear Pisces. Taurus is looking pretty good lately with their British accent. Now that’s a fish you should try to catch. Perhaps suggest a hot date to the testing center?
Aug. 23 – Sept. 22
It’s not your season anymore, cherished Virgo. We miss it. And you. Maybe. Maybe not. Who’s to say.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH 1. Se Murió by Vicente Jáuregui 2. Vinito Chilenito by FrioLento 3. Imagino by Mereseft 4. Luna en piscis by Eve Calletti 5. LA NOCHE DE ANOCHE by Bad Bunny, ROSALÍA
BY SILVIE SCHLEIN ’23 STAFF CARTOONIST
Want to see if your favorite song made the list? Scan the QR code to find the full playlist on Spotify.
In honor of Hispanic and Latine Heritage month, we asked Mount Holyoke students to submit their favorite songs from Hispanic and Latine artists. These were the results.