Letters to the editor appear exactly as they were sent to us. No changes were made to the text, except for the name of the paper, which, as is written in the masthead, is The MH News, not the MHC News. Letters cannot exceed 450 words. All letters must include the writer’s name and telephone number for verification purposes. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Names may be held upon request and with the approval of the Editor-in-Chief. The News reserves the right to decide which materials will be printed. Email submissions to mhnews-oped by Sunday at 5 p.m.
Dear editor:
The Mount Holyoke administration is concerning me. First of all, this past J-Term only a few academic credit courses were offered. The administration didn’t plan to announce this disturbing fact right away. However, as fate would have it, the MH News broke the story. Immediately, an email was sent out regarding this matter. Budget cuts were cited as the main reason. Now we, Mount Holyoke students, face another dilemma, starting the spring semester earlier.
Penny Gill made the announcement via email Monday night. So many questions are up in the air for me. Will we begin fall semester early in order to have the five weeks of winter break that we are accustomed to? If not, then how are we supposed to have a productive J-Term? Some students secure an internship for those weeks. Some students would prefer to relax from a hectic workload semester. The disastrous news that J-Term will no longer offer academic credit courses in a year or two is completely unfair to the student body. Most spring admits need to take academic credit courses over J-Term in order to graduate on time. Also students that endure personal circumstances over a semester and as a result can’t take the recommended 16 credit courses, usually could always rely on taking courses over J-Term to make up for lost credits.
With the turmoil of starting the spring semester early and J-Term coming to an end, all I could predict is the rise of tuition. I love being a student here but at times like this all I could do is shake my head in disappointment. The administration is capable of doing a better job than this. Hopefully, with the upcoming weeks, we will have answers to an unknown academic future.
Estefanie Lliguichuzca ’12
Staff Writer
Dear Editor,
I am writing you deep disappointment and disgust regarding an up-coming event sponsored by the A cappella Group the V-8s they have chosen to call “Cockapella.” As a member of the Mount Holyoke College community, and a male, I feel the obligation to speak to how this title offends me. I find choosing to name an event highlighting male a cappella vocalists based on their genitalia, to be rude and offensive. This is not something I have come to expect from the bright, socially-just students of Mount Holyoke College.
Sexualizing men through your choice of title is degrading and I ask that the V-8s immediately reconsider their name choice. No person should be objectified in the way that they have chosen, and this title sends a message implying promiscuity of fellow MHC students and invites unwanted comments, actions and ridicule from our guests and neighbors.
The type of community that I wish to be a part of is not one that calls me these names, nor invites guests to campus while at the same time insulting them. While I wish the success of this event, I hope that my fellow community members will stand with me and not take my objections lightly. There is a history of sexual objectification of men and women in our culture and instead of being an active participant in it, I hope that we all can choose to stand against it.
Sincerely,
Joshua Nelson
Assistant Director of Student Activities
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