MOUNT HOLYOKE CLASS OF 1975 WINTER 2021 NEWSLETTER
Today is February 5, and I’m wearing red for Women’s Heart Health Day. Take care of your hearts, everyone, as I am sure the anxiety of scrambling to schedule a Covid vaccine has raised your blood pressure several points! Hopefully, our next class Zoom will bring you some cheer. To replace Covid anxiety with hygge, the Danish feeling of winter well-being, Holly Hughes is planning another Class of ’75 Trivia Night. Mark your calendar for March 11, 7 p.m. EST to join the fun! Holly’s January trivia night was travel themed, but her March theme will be TV, movies, and pop music. Our Zoom coordinator, Coral Grout, will send a registration email to your inbox soon.
As a biology major at Mount Holyoke, I was well aware of groundbreaking MHC science faculty such as Lydia Shattuck, Emma Carr, and Cornelia Clapp, but I had never heard of geologist Mignon Talbot until recently. Talbot was on the MHC faculty from 1904-35, and was the first woman to discover, unearth, and scientifically report the discovery of a dinosaur. Near Mount Holyoke, she discovered one of the two dinosaur species that have ever been discovered in Massachusetts. Her finding of Podokesaurus holyokensis, which translates to “sure footed dinosaur of Holyoke”, was made in 1910 and reported in the American Journal of Science the following year. The Podokesaurus holyokensis fossil was displayed in the old Williston Hall, and was tragically lost when Williston Hall burned to the ground in 1917. Fortunately, replicas of the fossil remain for today’s paleontologists, and now in 2021, legislation is underway in to make the “Mount Holyoke dinosaur” the State Dinosaur of Massachusetts! Courtesy of MHC geology prof Mark McMenamin, the attached photo shows Mignon Talbot (left) and her students, forlornly searching for her lost fossil among the rubble of Williston Hall.
Williston rubble photo, pages file
Following are some highlights of the January State of the College update by President Sonya Stephens and her team. Stephens stated that although the Covid-19 pandemic has presented an “existential threat” to liberal arts colleges, MHC remains in a strong position. The past year has given MHC the opportunity to address inequities, work collaboratively, take risks that lead to new accomplishments, and create new courses relevant to the pandemic. Although faculty research and publications, which are important to obtain tenure and promotions, are down, faculty continue to be innovative and invested. Most students are still studying remotely. However, in mid-January, 725 students returned to campus staggered over a 4-day move in, where first-years were given a welcome package which included a Mount Holyoke mask. All students have single rooms, all meals are picked up “to go” from Blanchard, and all students get tested for Covid twice weekly. Students quarantined for two weeks upon arrival, and signed a compact that they would not have any off-campus visitors. A virtual Student Involvement Fair took place for the 72 campus groups which are valiantly continuing co-curricular activities online. Each day, a “Be Well” program features online fitness classes.
The Admissions Office reports applications are up 13 percent so far this year, with the increase largely coming from the western and southern U.S. This matches current trends in the national distribution of the American high school age population. Early Decision applications were down, and international applications are flat.
Mount Holyoke has an excellent anti-racism action plan which was well underway before the events of last summer. In January, the College held special events for a Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King week. Online events like these are available to alumnae at events.mtholyoke.edu
Financially, MHC’s fiscal year 2020 ended with a balanced budget after $22.6 million in spending cuts, but FY 2021’s revenue has a $28 million shortfall. To address the shortfall, there will be a maximal use of restricted funds and an increase of $1 million spending from the College Endowment. The endowment has increased 14% in value in the first 6 months of this fiscal year, and there is a goal of bringing endowment spending down to 5% from a current 5.1%.
Valentine’s Day is coming up, and Mary Lyon’s birthday is February 28, so why not contact an old Mount Holyoke friend on those days to say hello? Please feel free to contact me at any time with concerns relevant to our Class.
With best wishes for a healthy and safe February,
Elizabeth Stone,
Co-president, Class of 1975