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Posts tagged as “smith college”

Saying Goodbye to the Pioneers: Campus-wide Discussion to Decide Smith’s Next Mascot

On March 12, 2025, Smith College released an announcement that they are committed to changing the school mascot from the Pioneers, which have been Smith’s mascot since 1986, to a moniker that better represents the values and interests of the Smith community by the end of the academic year. They sent out a survey where students can submit up to three nominations for the new mascot for a period of two weeks. No current or former mascots can be nominated. 

‘The War on DEI’ and the Systemic Deconstruction of Higher Education  

This article was originally published in the March 2024 print edition.

One week after the 2025 Presidential Inauguration, the United States Office of Management and Budget issued a directive abruptly suspending federal grants, loans and other financial aid programs. The official explanation? A “temporary pause” to reassess fiscal priorities. Though the freeze was lifted within 24 hours, its purpose was clear: to initiate a sweeping overhaul of public funding, focusing on cutting expenditures linked to so-called “woke” ideologies.

Jogging for a Cause: Smith Students Take Action to Aid California Wildfires

With 20% of Smith students calling the West Coast home and California being one of the most represented states on campus, the California wildfires have devastated the Smith community. California’s Incident Archive states that in 2025 alone, there have been 359 wildfires, 29 fatalities and 16,248 structures destroyed. Gaby Ayala Becerra ’25 and Hadley Vareschi-Woelfel ’25, with the help of Smith Athletics and the Smith Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), have transformed their grief into action by organizing a campus-wide Jog-a-Thon to raise money for relief efforts.

New Title IX Rollbacks and NCAA Bans: How New Policies Impact Smith Students

On Feb. 4, the Department of Education (ED) sent a “Dear Colleague” letter stating that the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will be reverting back to the 2020 Title IX Rule, created by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos during Trump’s first term. 

Union Faces Resistance from Administration Over Worker Protections and Improved Conditions in Contract Negotiations

On Thursday, Nov. 21, United Smith Student Workers (USSW) union bargaining committee members met with representatives of Smith College to discuss their new contract proposal.…

Who’s Afraid of Protest?

This article was originally published in the November 2024 print edition. On Oct. 24, 2024, President Sarah Willie-LeBreton announced a review of the college’s policies…