This winter, the Health Center and other health institutions in the Pioneer Valley recorded a higher volume of students with influenza and flu-like symptoms than last year.

WMHC and The Network’s Five-College “Turn Me On” party attracted many more guests than Mount Holyoke’s department of Public Safety anticipated. On Feb. 16, Public Safety assigned four to six officers to patrol the Speed Dating and Black Light Party that took place in Chapin Auditorium.

Members of the Student Government Association (SGA) formally approached the Library and Information Technology Services (LITS) Advisory Committee in December regarding the printing crisis that affects many of Mount Holyoke’s students.

In 2006, birth control product manufacturers informed the Mount Holyoke health center that their prices would raise dramatically due to new legislation. In response to the increasing prices, the health center quickly purchased a large amount of birth control at the cheaper price in an attempt to ease the cost for students.

UMass Amherst’s Faculty Senate held off on voting on whether to eliminate J-Term at their March 15 meeting. The decision to table the vote will further delay Mount Holyoke’s decision, which will be larely influenced by UMass.
The University was due to decide by their March meeting, but said that they needed more time to consult the faculty, staff and students in the Five College area in order to properly explore their options.

Birth control prices are doubling and tripling at college and university health centers across the country due to the Reduction Act of 2005, but the Health Center says it does not expect to raise the price of birth control next year.
Among the many conveniences that campus health clinics offer college students is the opportunity to purchase birth control regularly at minimal prices.

The Recording Industries Association of America (RIAA) is pursuing lawsuits and hefty fines against college students nationwide for piracy.
Last week the Association sent 400 notices to 13 colleges fining students about $3000 in an effort to settle the issue without any lawsuits.

The SGA and the student body congregated on Tuesday at the Town Meeting to discuss the possible elimination of J-term from Mount Holyoke’s academic calendar. Public Relations Officer Becca Lenn ’07 welcomed participants and introduced J-Term as a mandatory establishment that started in 1971 as a means to take courses.