While Europe is leading the world in renewable energy development, many Americans are still unsure or in denial about the threat posed by global warming. We drive around in large gas-guzzling SUVs, consume more on average than any other country in the world and account for about 25 percent of fossil fuel use worldwide. Clearly we need an Earth Day, one day out of the year when we can feel good about ourselves by cleaning up streams, holding rallies and raising awareness about the ecological crisis.

But is that all that Earth Day is? Just one day when we awake from our collective slumber and realize that the planet is in peril? Evidence of the degradation of the planet is everywhere – from garbage dumped on the side of the road to toxins pouring out of city smokestacks to large patches of forest being clear cut for timber production. Today you can barely travel ten miles without running into a shopping mall or some sort of urban establishment. Billboards loom in city centers, plastered with ads encouraging us to consume more. The reality is that the biosphere cannot sustain the lifestyles enjoyed by many Americans. According to some statistics, if everyone around the world were to consume at the same rate as the average American, it would take three to five Earths to support this kind of consumption.

We only have one Earth, and the damage we as humans are doing to it is frightening. The Earth is our home, a home we share with millions of other species, species that will not survive if we don’t take care of and protect the natural resources we all depend upon. Dozens of species disappear each day, yet their extinction is never acknowledged on the nightly news. We go on with our daily lives, often without even a thought of the environmental tragedy that’s unfolding. This crisis is merely soft background music amidst the hustle and bustle of our tech-powered lives.

Of course, many people are aware that the Earth’s systems are out of whack and that humans are largely the cause. It’s no coincidence that places all over the globe have recently experienced record-breaking natural disasters: a crippling summer heat wave in Russia, epic flooding in Queensland, Australia and devastating drought in east Africa that sparked famine in Somalia. The catastrophic consequences of climate change are already beginning to play out. To raise awareness about the link between climate change and extreme weather events, Bill McKibben’s global climate campaign group 350.org is organizing a Climate Impacts Day on May 5, 2012. The theme and purpose of this day of action is to “connect the dots” between the wacky weather and the tons of CO2 we continuously pour into the atmosphere. On May 5, thousands of demonstrations will take place around the world to call attention to the urgent climate crisis.

Likewise, Earth Day brings environmental awareness into the open and raises hope that we are capable of doing something to reverse the ecological damage. Then something happens. People’s confidence and faith in saving the planet seems to diminish, especially when reports continue come in about the extent of Arctic Sea ice projected to be lost this year, or the number of inner-city children hospitalized due to asthma. The scale of the environmental crisis seems too large for us to conceptualize, and certainly too large for the average Joe to think he can make a difference.

The truth is that everyone can do something. We all have a role to play, and I believe, as inhabitants of this planet, it is our moral responsibility to do what we can. Each day presents us with the opportunity to experience the beauty and nature that is all around us, and to think about and promote ways we can sustain it.

Change starts at the individual level. It starts when you plant a tree in your backyard, organize a community recycling contest, write letters to your local newspaper or decide to buy organic, locally-grown produce. The list of things you can do to promote a sustainable lifestyle is endless. If you start by making small lifestyle changes and then encourage your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers to do so, you are helping to initiate the change that our world so desperately needs. If each day you do something to make the planet a little bit greener, the world will end up being a better place for us and for future generations.

Related posts:

1. Earth Insights: Rising grassroots activism
2. Earth Insights: Environmental Governance and Rio+20
3. Earth Insights: Lessons from Oz

Next Monday, April 23, Danuta Janiszewski ’12 will showcase her newly completed exhibit, “The Power of the Period.” The works are a collection gathered from students of all five colleges, and aim to provoke deeper reflection on how menstruation has played a role in the historical confinement of women with both negative and positive stereotypes. Portrayals of stigmas, rites of passage, curses and divine gifts appear in the exhibit, increasing the visibility of a wide variety of experiences.

Janiszewski is an educator for in*Touch, Mount Holyoke’s reproductive rights and sex education group, and often uses gender-neutral language. This exhibit intends to inspire similar care and consideration in the use of language and bring attention to the definitions we place on each other. “I think people from all walks of life should say, ‘this is menstruation, and this is how it works.’ It’s a natural experience,” Janiszewski said.

Janiszewski chose to focus her analysis on mestruation because she finds that the fertility cycle is a neglected topic in discourse, often ignored because of its private nature. “I want to push people’s barriers that they’ve put around their understanding,” she said. “There’s more that can be said in a spot of paint than in a politician’s word,” she said. “It’s good because it’s not trying to convince you if it’s right or wrong, it’s simply a statement.”

Janiszewski is using her exhibit as a springboard into further work as a reproductive health advocate. She called attention to the intersectionality of her work in how reproductive health connect to other health-related issues, including the importance of investing in health insurance, education and clinics.
She expects to have at least a dozen pieces in Blanchard Room 8, with facts and figures about fertility and menstruation dispersed throughout. The selection of poems, drawings, and multimedia works will be on display until Pangy Day on April 27. Janiszewski  commented on the great variety of information she found in taking advantage of the resources around campus, including research librarians, guest speakers and Taboo talks.

In putting together her first exhibit, Janiszewski enjoyed the opportunity to learn about logistics, publicity and staying flexible in academic pursuits “to whatever comes your way.” With in*Touch, she feels she’s been able to practice and learn experiences “outside of the classroom, doing things with more community spirit, more about other people.” It’s in this spirit that she invites the community to come and interact with the art, and see what it says to them.

Related posts:

1. Breaking the barriers
2. Self & Space: Senior Art Exhibition
3. Language barriers in international business

In the midst of convincing myself that, “Yes, I will find a job after graduation so I need to pull myself together. And no, I will not allow myself to crumble into a monsoon of tears and submit to my serious (yet embarrassingly drastic) fear of living in my parent’s basement for the rest of my life,” I have always been able to count on music to center myself and take a break from life. I know most of us are in limbo between wanting to finish with a bang and hoping that a magic carpet will miraculously whisk us away to the sunny days of summer, but it is what it is.

My advice? Turn the volume up and get jiggy with it.

Shake Your Tailfeathers
Chapin parties just discovered it’s new playlist.

Don Omar & Lucenzo – Danza Kuduro 
Rihanna & Jay Z – Talk That Talk
Big Sean & Nicki Minaj – Dance (A$$) Remix
Chris Brown – Turn Up The Music
Damian Marley & Eve – Where Is The Love?
Wale & Lady Gaga – Chillin
Lupe Fiasco – I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now
LMFAO & Lil Jon – Shots
DEV & Enrique Iglesias – Naked
Pitbull ft. Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer – Give Me Everything
Britney Spears – I Wanna Go
Alexandra Stan – Mr. Saxobeat
Gym Class Heroes ft. Neon Hitch – Ass Back Home
B.o.B. ft. Lil Wayne – Strange Clouds
Lil Wayne ft. Nicki Minaj – What’s Wrong With Them
Wiz Khalifa ft. Josh Everette – Right Here

Ragin’ Machine
Grab your iPod, cause this playlist won’t stop until you do.

Kap Slap – Guetta’s Calling Solveig Up
Basshunter – Now You’re Gone
Martin Solveig – The Night Out (Madeon Remix)
Skrillex – Bangarang
Nero – Promises
Radio Killer – Lonely Heart
Kap Slap – E.T. Feels Starry Eyed (Club Mix)
Calvin Harris – Flashback
Kap Slap – Breakin’ The Doors
Nero – Me & You (Dirtyphonics Remix)
Sabi – Wild Heart (Zeds Dead Remix)

Chill Pill
For those times when all you want to do is sprawl on the floor.

MoZella – Can’t Stop
Ellie Goulding – Lights (Bassnectar Remix)
Perfume Genius – Take Me Home
Amos Lee – Sweet Pea
Lofticries – Purity Ring
Bebe – Simpre Me Quedarå
Samantha James – Amber Sky
JJ – Still
Slash ft. Adam Levine – Gotten
Ben’s Brother – Apologise
Gemini – Blue
Building 429 – Right Beside You
Massive Attack – Paradise Circus (Zeds Dead Remix)
John Legend ft. Estelle – No Other Love
Gemini – Graduation
Blue Foundation – Eyes On Fire (Zeds Dead Remix)
Ellie Goulding – Starry Eyed (Jakwob Remix)
Strange Behaviour ft. Tasher Baxter – Feed Me
Ginuwine – In Those Jeans
Nero – This Way

Crusin’ and Movin’
Whether you have a car or not, you can always pretend on the PVTA.

Alex Clare – Too Close
Fun. – We Are Young (ft. Janelle Monåe)
Calvin Harris – Feel So Close
M83 – Midnight City
Mark Ronson ft. Tiggers – Toxic
Hugo – 99 Problems
Jakwob ft. Jetta – Electrify
Biz Markie – Just a Friend
Gyptian – Drive Me Crazy
The Black Keys – Howlin’ For You
The Wanted – Glad You Came
Carly Rae Jepsen – Call Me Maybe
Rusko – Hold On (Sub Focus Remix)
Train – Drive By
The White Panda – Midnight Life
Michael Franti – Sound of Sunshine
Wretch 32 ft. Josh Kumra – Don’t Go
Yasmin – On My Own

Related posts:

1. Playlist ideas to start the Spring Break Jamfest
2. You know you’ve made it if you’re being mocked on SNL
3. The MH News’ road map for awards season

1. Start a fun, new morning ritual. Instead of rolling out of bed five minutes before class, wake up a little earlier so you have time to put on your favorite outfit and enjoy breakfast with friends.

2. Make study dates or go out for Starbucks after a long, hard day of studying. When writing that 20-page final sounds more grueling than running a 10K on a full stomach of ice cream, having friends there to cheer you on through the finish line can make all the difference.

3. Choose a fun event that is going on in the area. Pick something you’re excited about, like the upcoming Avicii concert. It will give you something positive to look forward to so your horizon is not clogged with responsibilities.

Flayvors of Cook Farm is a delicious springtime hot spot nestled in the picturesque Hadley countryside. Grab a cone of freshly made Pistachio ice cream and walk around to chat with the cows. They also serve a full lunch and dinner menu, along with fresh local artisan products like honey, seasonal produce, creams and cheeses, maple syrup and other handmade crafts.

Open 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. 7 days a week, 129 South Maple Street

Hadley, MA 01035

Extravaganga 2012

Sat. April 28 at the Amherst Town Common

The UMass Amherst Cannabis Reform Coalition brings the 21st annual political rally/music festival Extravaganja to the Amherst Town Common this April 28!

Join the CRC as well as thousands of people from all around the state and beyond for this day of incredible bands, speakers, artisans, food vendors and friendly people. Come show your support for ending the Drug War and legalizing marijuana!

Band Schedule:

11:55 a.m – 12:35 p.m. – Alchemystics

12:50 p.m – 1:25 p.m. – Deadfish

1:40 p.m – 2:25 p.m – Orange Television

2:40 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. – Downbeat Keys

4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. – Spirtual Rez

5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. – Kids on a Hill

Spring Concerts

Timeflies April 21 at Chapin Auditorium  7:30p.m.

J. Cole, Third Eye Blind, Big K.R.I.T. April 15 at UMass 7:00 p.m. at the Mullins Center

Avicii April 19 at UMass 7:30 p.m. at the Mullins Center

Ludacris April 21 at Amherst College

Tickets are onsale for $10 for 5-College Students

Related posts:

1. Pioneer Valley Bike Week
2. Pioneer Valley turns out to support cannabis reform at Extravaganja
3. Pioneer Valley organizations plan events in conjunction with TDOR

P Tracker Lite: Conveniently disguised so as not to say “period,” this app tracks users’ periods and includes a countdown based on passed menstruation. It also features a calendar with “ovulating,” in case you want to miss your period…

DJ Mixer Pro: With a bus and often-underage ID keeping many students away from the hopping Western Massachusetts club scene, impromptu dance parties often occur. As a result, having a DJ app only requires speakers. Or, according to Pinterest, just a bowl.

ClockIn: For many of us working at Plums or Saw Center, time really is money. With ClockIn, the app not only times activities– that would be a stopwatch– but stores the data, making filling out time cards a breeze.

Instagram: I feel confident most people have heard of this application, but in case you haven’t, this is how people get their vintage-looking photos.

Mint: Alexa Von Tobel started learnvest.com to teach others about personal finance in 2006, and recently launched Mint.com to do the same with a mobile device. Mint’s app alerts users when bills are due and allows users to see how much they spend with its easy way of inputting everyday costs.

Pulse: The. Best. App. Even though I’m a news junkie, everyone should have Pulse. Pulse has all recent news articles from every publication, and gives users the ability to decide the order of their publications. In addition, each article is in the same phone-friendly format.

IRB Laws of Rugby: The International Rugby Board (which is also available in French!) app has video examples and every rule in the game of Rugby to help even the most enthusiastic player perfect their game. Perfect for cheering on Moho Ruggers!

Daily Horoscopes: While there are many horoscope applications, this one in particular is my favorite because it has a bar graph for different aspects of the day, including wellness, love and money. It also allows users to change the icon.

Netflix: The 30-minute PVTA ride to Northampton or Amherst is perfect for an episode of 30 Rock or Queer Eye for the Straight Guy…just make sure to have a fully charged phone.

Mixology: As a 21-year-old, I can legally suggest this app to my fellow of-age friends. This application provides every recipe for shots, cocktails and even has explanations about different types of beer. For those indecisive drinkers, a feature allows users to shake the phone to choose a drink for them.

AdobeReader: This app allows anyone to open PDF documents on your phone from emails and websites, and even search through them.

Evernote: Though iPhones feature a “notes” section, Evernote is much easier to organize and includes saved pictures and voice recordings as well. Because users must create an account, Evernote can be accessed anywhere incase something happens to your phone or iPad.

Sparknotes: While the Sparknotes website can be accessed from any phone with internet, the app allows users to download a study guide that can be read offline.

PVTA: Yes, it’s the only application that isn’t free on this list, costing a $1.99. But the PVTA app (UMass has their own as well) can be used both offline and on, includes maps and schedules and can find the nearest station using your phone’s GPS.

Tumblr: Tumblr can be accessed from anything with the internet, but the app gives Tumblr a phone-friendly format.

Related posts:

1. Mount Holyoke campus culture inspires internet gems
2. Women in Computer Science lecture series organized at Mount Holyoke
3. Uncommon Women returns to Mount Holyoke

After speaking with students who have had incidents with a healthcare transaction and Director of College Health Service Karen Engell, it’s clear that misinformation and miscommunication are the source of most conflicts. “In my experience the shocking or ‘horror’ stories arise out of either misinformation, lack of response to request for information of bills or lack of following some of the requirements for referrals or use of out of network providers. Healthcare in the U.S. if very expensive, with and without insurance. It is very important for all of us to be informed consumers,” said Engell.

Insurance claims can be time-consuming and stressful, but this process can become downright painful if ignored. Should a mistake occur and you find a $500 medical bill in your mailbox, that debt doesn’t disappear with an “I didn’t know!” or “It wasn’t my fault!” That debt is tied directly to your name and credit score. Engell insists on the importance of advocating for yourself by knowing all the rules and costs involved while taking all variables into account.

“When you go to college, you are thinking where you’re going to live, who you’re going to eat with, what clubs you’re going to join,” Engell said. “Parents with an incoming first year also need to be very aware. They don’t really think about how insurance works for their child in South Hadley but they need to.” Perhaps you were thinking more about finding a sturdy shower caddy and not about what you’d do if you fell on icy stairs and broke your ankle.

The Health Center also devises stop-gap measures to try and force students and parents to confront and understand their roles in the process, most notably the yearly waiver required for registration. “We ask questions in the waiver to make sure people are really giving it the thought it requires. The farther away you are from home, the more you need to think about insurance options [. . .] College is expensive and insurance is expensive, so if there’s anything that can be done to avoid spending more money, parents and students will push health insurance to margins.”

“I always tell parents to really think about these questions and how best to guide their daughter in answering them for herself.” Engell makes a point of urging awareness when addressing families at Orientation, but it doesn’t always sink in. “We feel like we spend half the visit talking, which is only 15 minutes, about insurance instead of symptoms [ . . . ] but  we ask simple questions like, ‘What kind of insurance do you have?’ and they look at us like we’re speaking Russian.”

In early May, the Health Center sends out an email to all graduating seniors alerting them about the upcoming upheaval of their healthcare change. “We try to prompt students to think about this carefully and pull it up on their radars,” said Engell. The email also includes a digital copy of the student’s immunization record.

Students on the College insurance plan have until August 14 at midnight before their insurance expires, so if you’re thinking of crossing anything risky off your Mount Holyoke Bucket List, you’re covered until then.

When Engell’s daughter graduated from college last spring, she was offered a job with an employer who provided insurance. Suddenly faced with the task of selecting the best plan for her personal health needs, Engell shared her tedious experience in helping her daughter to closely examine and “play the math game” to pick the best plan for her personal health needs. In doing so, they accounted for everything from money spent on prescriptions to how she would be covered if leaving the state or country. Though grueling, the time was well spent, as it saved her daughter from making a costly mistake.

Before Engell began working at Mount Holyoke 15 years ago, the Health Center operated very differently. It had a much larger staff, was open to Mount Holyoke employees, and was open 24/7. A few years before Engell arrived, a decision was made to downsize the Health Center staff, limit hours, and commit fully to pursuing a healthcare experience specifically geared toward students. Most physicians’ offices have one and half to two billing staff per one physician, but our Health Center has well below that and does not do third party billing.

Another problem in providing insurance education and support is transparency about one’s needs. “The problem we run into is that when asking questions about ‘comparable coverage’ is that people aren’t always answering honestly,” Engell said. There are also things that students need that they don’t want to tell their parents about, and so are afraid to ask any questions that might bring those things to the surface.

While navigating the difficulties in health insurance, take heart in knowing that Mount Holyoke employees are dedicated and working hard to create a better healthcare experience for you. Engell, Financial Services, and the college’s risk manager meet with insurance agent company Gallagher Koster on a regular basis to reevaluate benefits and re-bid costs. “We meet with everyone to get the best possible care options,” Engell said. An unseen amount of time and effort is spent negotiating and exploring ways to improve quality while reducing cost.

Another challenge the College faces is addressing the issue of, “How can we enhance the benefits without raising the rates too much?” While $1,500 for 12 months of insurance may seem steep, other colleges use plans that charge double that. Gallagher Koster is certainly not without its limitations, caps, co-pays, and deductibles, but so is every other insurance company in the U.S. There was a serious concern that the cost for student health insurance would experience a remarkable increase for the next year, but all parties were able to devise a way to keep the increase manageable.

Related posts:

1. Obama takes a step in the right direction towards healthcare reform
2. Demystifying healthcare reform
3. Students adjust to higher birth control prices

From wrangling pots and pans in the kitchen to pouring over resumes, there are a wide variety of student jobs on campus and they all come with their fair share of quirky incidents. Workers at the Kendall Infodesk encounter a range of people in a single shift including students, professors, staff, alumnae and local residents and their families. Checking out badminton racquets and unlocking stuck lockers seems innocuous enough, but a running list kept behind the desk is proof of how strange people can be in the pursuit of physical fitness. Here are a few of the best questions asked of Infodesk workers over the years.

“Can you hold this for us? It’s our marriage certificate.”

“Can we check out cricket racquets?”

“Are you guys volunteers?”

“Hi, this is _____ at the pool. This is going to sound odd, but there’s a squirrel running around the pool deck.”

“Hi, this is a [well-known academic dean]’s mother. I’m 97 years old, lead an active lifestyle and was wondering if I can use the gym for free.”

“I have a suggestion… The gym should have theme night! Like 80s night!”

“Can I drink the water from the fountain? Like, is it safe?”

“Do you know math? Like Calculus? Can you help me with my homework?”

“Do you know how many laps equals a mile? Could you call someone to find out?”

“How do I get upstairs?”

[After the power goes out] “Do we really have to leave?”

“Do you know how to treat a sprained ankle?”

“I’m here to pick up the fruit.”

“You have workout clothes for us, right?”

“Is there a hot tub for faculty?”

“These towels get washed every once in a while right?”

“Do you have a tennis racquet with a greater surface area?

“Can I photocopy a poster in the weight room?”

“Are there are socks in the lost and found I can borrow?”

Related posts:

1. Kendall drop-in classes offer fitness and fun
2. Kendall steps up its green game
3. Tina Fey: The funny feminist

This past February, the African town of Ber, Cameroon gathered for the opening of a brand new school. In Amherst, Massachusetts, a group of students were equally elated, as they tirelessly worked for three years to raise the $20,000 needed to build the school. Juniors Justin Kim, Jack Schrader, Maia Bix and Althea Schenck, members of a student-run club at Amherst Regional High School called SHUMAS, raise money to fulfill the club’s mission to “better the lives and atmosphere of communities in Cameroon.” With one school built, they are pushing onwards and already have another school in the works.

SHUMAS is a non-governmental human rights organization involved in a variety of issues around sustainable development and the improvement of living standards for the disadvantaged, particularly women and children. They are primarily active in the northern regions of Cameroon, at present, but are in the process of expanding further into the country, no doubt aided by the efforts of high school satellite groups like Kim’s. Working to reduce poverty and empowering communities regardless of gender, political status or tribal affiliation, they have organized programs to help agriculture, health care, women’s issues, forestry and adult literacy.

The Amherst High School club was founded by Ryan Diplock in his sophomore year in 2008, with the goal of raising enough money to build a school in Cameroon. The cost of a complete school is $24,000. The club is responsible for devising ways to raise $20,000 and the $4,000 gap is covered by donations from philanthropists around the world supporting the same cause.

The proceeds are directly wired and stored in a personal bank account through SHUMAS, where the funds accumulate with other donations. The money funds the construction of a new water well, clean facilities (bathrooms), and a new building to house the school. The benefits don’t stop there. After construction is completed, the towns often take advantage of the freshly turned and aerated soil around the school to create community gardens. The arrangement speaks well to collaborative effort, successfully creating a reliably equipped and safe space for the nurture and cultivation of a community.

Kim joined the club in the beginning

of his freshman year in 2009. “I first learned about it in middle school, where I met the club founder,” said Kim. He began supporting the club early by assisting with bake sales and concessions. However, it wasn’t until after he learned more about the issues that he became passionate and committed himself to a leadership position. “Those buildings have air inside them that is dangerous to breathe,” said Kim, disturbed by “all the diseases the children got from studying in the old building.” Alongside the hazardous health conditions of the building was gross overcrowding. Often four students were crammed onto a bench built for two. “I learned this later on, but bricks actually fell from the ceiling and

hit teachers’ heads a few times,” said Kim. “I guess that’s funny when you first hear it, but it’s actually scary. People are studying and learning in a structure that can literally collapse on them at any second.”

In devoting time to work with SHUMAS, Kim found himself on the receiving end of a fun and supportive community with like-minded interests. “We have cookouts and unique events that always turn out awesome. We’ve had duck races where we race plastic ducks with numbers on them down a river,” said Kim. Prizes are also part of the fun, as participants can win prizes to local stores and events.

Members of SHUMAS spend a lot of time planning and working together at events, and in doing so have found friendship and cooperation with each other. Despite the inspiring momentum of the club thus far, it would appear that not even the work of do-gooders is safe from the sandpit of teen drama that can be a high school environment.

“A lot of people make new friends this way, but somehow it’s gotten a bad rep[utation],” said Kim. “Some people say it’s a club revolving around just friends and the ‘cool kids,’ but that’s because they don’t really understand what we do.”

At one point, a peer verbally accused

the club of “not having a single black kid in the club…and that we don’t actually do anything.” Unsure of how to respond to this, it was pointed out that there are in fact eight African American members. It’s clear that there is residual tension and the situation is an interesting one in terms of the intersection of race, class and philanthropy in a younger demographic.

Kim discussed the club’s future goals with no hints of a decrease in ambition. “Ryan [the founder of the club] raised $20,000 in three years,” Kim said. “We have two years before we’re out and into college to raise money for another school, so we’re already ahead of the game.” Planning the fundraising of $20,000 in less than one year is no easy feat, but the fact that they remain ambitious and committed amidst the additional challenges of high school life and college on the horizon is a good omen of a caring and motivated younger generation. The club hopes to raise enough money to build at least one more school before they graduate, and they admit this will be a difficult task. “We really need a lot of extra support because we’ve lost a number of donors,” said Kim. “We really want to build another school in Cameroon before we graduate next year!”

Related posts:

1. The high school boyfriend phenomenon: ‘Tis the season to be clingy’
2. A campus gem: Lapidary Club to close at end of semester
3. First muggle Quidditch game draws crowds to Amherst

In the real world of careers and interviews, it can be difficult to express yourself while maintaining a sense of professionalism and discretion. College is the perfect time to take a chance and get a haircut that is totally out of the ordinary. Stephanie Dowling ’12 said, “I wish I had done something exciting with my hair! I love the really edgy cuts like shaving part of it. When you’re in college is the time to give it a try.”

Jen Passios ’13 agrees that Mount Holyoke is the perfect place to go with a short cut. She explained that the length of one’s hair seems to correlate with length of time one has been in attendance at Mount Holyoke and stated, “If you still have all of your hair, you’re probably a first year. If you’ve cut your hair at least once, you’ve been here long enough to express that you’re comfortable with making a change. If you’ve shaved half your head, you’ve probably been here a little too long (although I’m not quite sure how valid that is because the half head shaving thing seems to be a new trend this year). If you’ve shaved both sides of your head you’ve been here way too long, and if you’ve shaved part of your head and then shaved designs into the part that you’ve shaven, you’re edgy.”

At Mount Holyoke especially, we are surrounded by very accepting, unique individuals. If you have ever fantasized about doing something wild with your hair, there is no better place to pull it off than at Mount Holyoke.

Sarah Flagg ’14 describes her hairstyle as a “cross between a faux-hawk and a top-hawk [a mohawk on the top of the head versus covering the entire length].

She had wanted to cut her hair short for quite some time, but wasn’t allowed to because of an opera and various shows that she was in. When she transferred to Mount Holyoke in the fall, she decided that it would be a good time to try something new. She donated over a foot of hair to Locks of Love just two weeks before arriving on campus.

Flagg doesn’t think that cutting her hair changed anything else about her, but that it has possibly changed the way that others treat her. However, the change is not necessarily bad. “There is a potential to be perceived as more masculine, but that could also be because I joined the Rugby team. People talk about not putting me in a box based on appearance, but they still kind of do in certain cases. It’s really funny actually because my roommate buzzed her hair recently and she gets a lot of ‘Oh, you’re so masculine’ even though she wears dresses and makeup everyday. It’s like Natalie Portman all over again,” she joked.

I think that in general people always make some sort of mental assumption about each of us from the moment we meet. However, at Mount Holyoke, different is the norm. These quick assumptions don’t carry as much weight as they would in most places. In my hometown of Malvern, Pennsylvania, for example, young females with short hair cuts are automatically deemed more masculine and tend to actually be so. Here, so many girls experiment. If you catch my eyes lingering a little too long on your edgy haircut, it’s because I’m impressed or trying to imagine it on myself!

“My hair complements my overall style, and I have my own aesthetic sense which is a big part of my identity. I do my own thing and always feel good about myself so even though it’s not the most typical look, inside of MHC or outside, if you project confidence, people pick up on it,” Lalitha Muthasamy ’13 said. Muthasamy sports what most people call an “undercut” about which she explains, “The left side of my head is shaved as well as an inch behind my ear, and everything else is until my neck. My hair is dyed bright red, except the shaven part which is black, my natural color.” She has not found it difficult to be her own person and wear her hair however she wants at Mount Holyoke and hasn’t experienced negative judgement because of it.

Members of our campus community have popped up over the last semester with trendsetting new hairstyles that inspire self-expression within us all. Some women like to experiment with color whether it’s just the tips of their hair, half, or the whole head! Others are now trying new cuts in a similar way, in which they shave part or all of their hair. Flagg expressed to me that since she cut her hair many girls have been asking her to cut theirs as well. She said, “It’s funny because I cut my hair before getting here, but it was mostly for boys, which is actually helpful here because so many of my friends have shorter hair or want shorter hair.”

So try something new and be bold this year. Flagg gave a helpful tip when I mentioned the possibility of cutting my hair short. “You have to mentally prepare yourself for it. Your head feels so different.” I think that a young lady mulling new hair ideas over in her head also has to really keep in mind that hair grows back.

Hair is the ultimate way to experiment with appearance and self-expression because it will grow back over time. Also, remember that it may not work out exactly the way that you are picturing it in your mind. Muthasamy stated, “When I plan some hairstyle, it rarely works out exactly. Then it just evolves from there.” It may not come out just the way you planned, but you can always mess with it a little more until you’re satisfied. Maybe it will look even better than you had originally hoped! After the mental preparation and once you have made the decision to go ahead and do it, work your new do with confidence and get ready to impress!

Related posts:

1. Shear Identity
2. Style with a Social Conscience
3. Ghanian obsessions with hair extensions

This semester the theme is “stories of compassion, faith, failure and forgiveness.” Last week a guest speaker, Gail Herman, came to tell us the story of a frog who wanted to be in a talent show. The frog wandered around, observing many different species of animals practicing for the show.  He would ask to join them, only to be rejected when he couldn’t hop like the kangaroos or sing like the birds. In the end he discovered his own talent directing the noises of the swamp, and he was a smashing success at the talent show.

The story was an interactive one.  The storyteller would stop at certain points and ask us, “Do you know what happened?”  And someone would reply, “Storyteller, I was there.” Whoever was called on would then make up the next animal or event that happened in the story. We would all reply “Ah, for sure you were there!” Throughout the hour, the storyteller had some of us hopping like kangaroos, others imitating monkeys and some singing Britney Spears songs in chipmunk voices.

Afterwards we briefly discussed the story about how it made us feel and if any of us had ever felt like we didn’t belong, like the frog did in the story. Almost everyone raised their hands.
We do this every week.  This semester we’ve been sharing stories and last semester we shared presentations. We sit, ready to learn, and afterwards we discuss, sometimes with a partner and other times with the whole group. While the presentations are incredibly inspiring, a significant part of the experience for me is the ability to listen and take in the insights and experiences of my fellow Mount Holyoke students.

If all that is not enticing enough, then the food will suffice. Each week we have a delicious free lunch (mostly vegan, all vegetarian) of soup, salad, bread, cheese and crackers and to top it all off,  gourmet Chef Jeff cookies.

Interfaith lunches are often the highlight of my week.  I find that whatever weight I’m carrying on my shoulders, whatever petty things I’m fretting over seem to disappear, at least for a short while.  I am able to stop stressing out and instead absorb myself in the stories of other cultures and religions.

I feel that interfaith lunches represent the epitome of the Mount Holyoke community: stimulating conversation, diversity and delicious food. While the lunches are interfaith, you don’t have to be part of a faith group to come.  They’re every Wednesday from 12 to 1 in Eliot House.  Regardless of what your faith group may be, all are welcome.

Related posts:

1. Walking together in peace: A community remembers
2. Breaking the barriers
3. Swiftly topping charts and breaking hearts