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Posts published in “Opinions”

R. Kelly: Why did it take so long?

R&B music star R. Kelly was finally convicted for sexual assault, sex trafficking and sexual abuse of underage women Sept. 27 of this year. He faces life in prison and although it appears some justice has been served, I’m still skeptical. If this case is like so many others, the reality of this sentence will probably be a short period of public punishment before he’s given an ankle bracelet and sent home.

On the S.A. Allegations at UMass Amherst

How do you begin the opinion piece about sexual assault on a college campus? Maybe, if you’re like me, you’ve had a decade or so of practice in the area. You know the talking points by heart– you know that assault is especially pervasive among college students. That universities tend to prioritize their donors, not their survivors. Maybe you’re like 27% of my peers: you’re practiced at managing the aftershocks of your own assault as you navigate higher education.

Letter to the Editor

We, the Community Health Organizers, constructively disagree with the article, “How to Have a Good Convocation,” published on September 1st in The Sophian. Although we recognize that the article was not meant to be taken seriously, all Smith students have a responsibility to model safe and inclusive practices for living in community, meeting new people, partying, and participating in consensual sexual encounters. This is even more important during a pandemic, to keep everyone safe and healthy. 

But What Can We Do About the Peeping Toms at Convocation?

Women of color need to be protected at all costs because our identities have been marketed to evoke sexual utility by an industry that makes our bodies readily accessible to anyone on the internet. While we are conditioned to feel vulnerable, men are miseducated to believe that our bodies are objects for them to take, distort and photograph.

Ode to Hubbard

The coolest of the cool had slept through the unconscionably early dining hall breakfast, only to convene two hours after its close in the beautiful light of the Hubbard dining room at 11am, cherry-white chocolate chip scones in hand.