I love Mount Holyoke and its people, but I feel it’s important to say the one thing that surprised me when I arrived at this school- the way some students behave towards other students. My idea of a women’s college is pretty clear cut. My sister’s best friend (a practical family member) attended Barnard, and I have heard countless positive comments from many teachers and people I’ve spoken to about women’s colleges. I heard that people here are kind, strong, and most of all, accepting. However, I was surprised to discover that some of my friends have felt excluded, ostracized, and even attacked by some students at Mount Holyoke for what they think and believe in. Here is a list of a few things I think Mount Holyoke as a community can work on:
1. A safe haven for all.
And this means all. Including students who were raised in conservative households or states. People should be able to share their ideas freely with others even if they may not hold a similar opinion.
2. Practice what you preach/the Golden Rule.
Every student should feel free to express themselves without backlash or attacks. Let’s break away from the idea that if someone doesn’t share the same mindset as you, then their views are wrong. If you come to Mount Holyoke to be free, give other students that same sense of freedom you wish to be given.
3. First thing’s first: education.
Remember: not everyone comes to Mount Holyoke to break away from the oppressing lifestyle or ideas at home. Many students come here simply for the outstanding education. I think it’s wrong to suggest that if you simply aren’t aware of social issues then Mount Holyoke isn’t the place for you. Fortunately, everyone who goes to Mount Holyoke is intelligent and comes here to get one thing: their degree.
4. We’re students but we’re also teachers.
Since Mount Holyoke is a learning institution, it seems only appropriate to not only take the time to learn, but take the time to teach. Many students want to learn about a/the liberal society, but feel discouraged after asking questions, where common first responses are attacks or a brazen “Well look it up yourself, it’s not my responsibility to educate you.” It’s A-OK to not want to explain something to someone, but doing so in an antagonising way makes people who really do want to learn, significantly less likely to actually go and do it.
Ask yourself, “is it really because they meant to be hurtful?” or “is it because they don’t know what they said was wrong?”. If it’s the latter, let’s make times like these a learning opportunity, and explain why what the individual said was hurtful or offensive instead of demonizing them for something they simply didn’t know about.
I think Mount Holyoke is famous for nurturing and creating strong people, but we don’t need to knock each other’s ideas and opinions down as we do it. As a whole, I think we can all afford to be a little kinder, more forgiving, and more patient with the people around us. It will not only help build our character, but others’ as well.
In my opinion, Mount Holyoke is an accepting school to many, and I am proud to say I am a Mount Holyoke student. But at times I am embarrassed by how my peers act when it comes to controversial topics, as they sometimes deal with the individual in a negative light. There will not often be a clear cut way to distinguish between the people who are uninformed, and the people who are being intentionally malicious, however, it is important to remember at these times that Mount Holyoke is a safe space where we can, as Toni Morrison said in her 1987 novel Beloved, “Lay ‘em down. Sword and shield. Down by the riverside. Sword and shield.” and afford to be a little more caring and compassionate with one another.