Simran Altar ’21 | Features Staff Writer
As we enter the fourth week of classes, I can only assume that most of us are prematurely beginning to feel the mid-semester slump that inevitably affects us all at one point or another. We’ve sailed through syllabus week and are now faced with the the reality of endless readings and essays and presentations.
Amanda Jiang ’20 | Jandon Center Student Fellow
Hanne Gaukel ’19 participated in the Springfield Bound during her sophomore year at Smith. She came across the opportunity through an introductory course with the community engagement department. For Gaukel, the most memorable part of the Bound was getting to know Gardening the Community, a food justice organization.
Emma Kemp ’20 | Assistant News Editor
Divest Smith hosted a panel discussion titled “Climate Justice and Migration” last Friday afternoon in the Campus Center, led by Gabriella Della Croce ’11 and Andrea Schmid ’17 from the Pioneer Valley Workers Center and Professor Rick Lopez from Amherst College. Friends greeted each other as more chairs were pulled out to seat a full audience from both the Five College and greater Northampton communities. Conversation centered on the enormous effects of climate change on marginalized groups.
Claudia Olson ’22 | Features Editor
This weekend, I went to UMass Amherst and attended Hack(H)er 2019, the first hackathon exclusively for women and non-binary students in Western Massachusetts. For those unfamiliar, a “hackathon” is what it sounds like: a computation marathon. Teams are expected to create something from scratch using computers, whether their creation takes the shape of hardware, software or a website. The teams are given 24 hours to get their project done, and often teams use all 24 of those hours. Over 300 students attended the hackathon, a signal that the tech world could be becoming more equitable in terms of gender.
Olivia Handoko ’21 | News Staff Writer
Every year, the Pioneer Valley Central Labor Council hosts a “Legislative Breakfast”: an event where community members discuss their concerns over labor issues with legislative leaders and lawmakers. With events like these, the Labor Council strives to become a more inclusive and representative union of all members of the Pioneer Valley.
Emma Stewart ’19 | Contributing Writer
At the Kensington International School in Springfield, Mass., 23 Smith tutors are working with children from nine different countries. Around the classroom you can hear students and tutors speaking several different languages. Tutors are encouraged to learn some basic phrases in Kiswahili and Arabic, such as “osha mikono” (“wash your hands” in Kiswahili) or “ma asmak?” (“what’s your name?” in Arabic).
Emma Kemp ’20 | Assistant News Editor
The Hampshire College Board of Trustees announced Friday, Feb. 1, their decision not to admit a full freshman class for the coming 2019-2020 academic year amidst tensions on campus. The decision came after the announcement Jan. 15 of enormous economic challenges the college faced, causing concern in the Hampshire community.
Jackie Richardson ’21 | Editor-in-Chief
Astrology aspects messing up your schoolwork. It’s here again. The part of the semester where things get hard. Syllabi, once sheets of paper you collected while glibly sampling classes, have turned into lists of assignments you actually have to complete.
Patience Kayira ’20 | Contributing Writer
Prompted by the incident July 31, the College announced new Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Initiatives Jan. 30. College Relations reports: “The college has taken action in policing policies and training, employee training and cross-campus education focused on culture change.”
Claudia Olson ’22 | Features Editor
“An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.” This quote by Nina Simone, an African American singer who became involved in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, formed the first words of Bree Newsome’s keynote address at Smith’s Black Students’ Alliance conference. Like Simone, Newsome is both an artist and an activist.