What was your best memory this school year?

How did time fly by so fast? We were just getting to know each other when things got a little crazy and I decided that the answer to all my problems, i.e. homework and deadlines, was to nap as much as possible. Not the best solution in hindsight. But this academic year I spent most of my time between, before, after and dare I even say during class napping. The more hardcore students on campus who sleep less than 12 hours a week might frown upon this excessive sleep but for me this ability to doze off anywhere, anytime is a personal victory after two years of sleep deprivation.

At the beginning of the year Bank of America smugly petitioned college students on campus to sign up for new bank accounts; bank accounts that would inevitably throw them into the dangerous realm of debt. Forty dollars overdraft fees for small debit purchases, sometimes only of the amount of three dollars for a coffee, were responsible for offsetting a series of overdrafts that could amount to unimaginable money owed to the bank.

I’m sure there are various problems with All Campus Elections at Mount Holyoke, but I would suggest that among the most pressing is the problem of apathy. Perhaps students don’t have faith in the democratic process, perhaps they don’t care about SGA or perhaps they don’t think it is significant to their personal lives. Whatever it is, the vast majority of students aren’t voting. There are often candidates that win because they run uncontested, and there are often vacant offices once elections have run their course.

Adderall, Zoloft, Ambien, Ritalin, Hydrocodone, Valium, Xanax, Dexedrine, OxyContin…these are only a few examples of the vast amount of prescription drugs available to the general public in the modern age. But studies have found that the most frequent use of these prescription drugs occurs among college students and young adults ages 18 to 24, and much of this usage falls under the classification of abuse.

As I sit down to write my last article ever for the Mount Holyoke News, I cannot help but ponder how I want to leave this organization and this school. I most certainly wish to “go out with a bang.” Going out with a bang brings to mind fireworks and pyrotechnics—a display similar to that of the rock concerts and wrestling programs that pepper memories from my youth…and, okay, last July. I most certainly do not, however, wish to do as so many rock stars and wrestlers have done and “crash and burn.”

What’s your favorite lyric from a song?

Students debate choice of spring concert performer, Mickey Avalon: At Mount Holyoke, we are taught to put everything in context. Rap artist Mickey Avalon’s lyrics could be interpreted as misogynistic if read at face value. However, his official Web site demonstrates his commitment to clearing up misunderstandings about his lyrics and actions, many of which are intended to provide commentary on social issues through irony.

Students debate choice of spring concert performer, Mickey Avalon: As a women’s college, do we have a responsibility to respect women? Do we have a duty to encourage healthy views of female sexuality and women’s worth? To decry those who would promote violence against women, and give voice to those women who need it? Yes, we do.

I like you just the way you are. For the past three years I may have made snide comments about your mustardy hue. But in light of recent events, I cannot help but appreciate you for what you are. Yellow – bright, possibly even incandescent, yellow.