May 2022

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COUNTERPOINT the wellesley college journal of campus life may 2022 volume 58 issue 3


Images: Victoria Moura ’22 (cover), Elizabeth Weaver ’25

Dear reader,

Ch2rs and farewel, Parker PisciteloiFay and Zaria Gevge ’22 EditvsiiniChief

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E D I TO R I A L S TA F F Editors-in-Chief

Parker Piscitello-Fay ’22 Zaria George ’22

Managing Editor

Stella Ho ’22

Features Editor

Aidan Reid ’24

Staff Editors

Harriet Martin ’24 Iris Martinez ’24 Sarah Meier ’24 Aidan Reid ’24 Noshin Saiyaara ’24 Alina Willis ’24 Lauren Witt ’24 Precious Kim ’25 Katie Manno ’25 Camille Newman ’25 Edha Sing ’25

D E S I G N S TA F F Layout Editors

Zaria George ’22 Jennifer Long ’25

B U S I N E S S S TA F F Art Director

Kelly Song '24

Publicity Chair

Hailey Cho ’23

Events Manager

Alice Mei ’23

Treasurer

Lauren Witt ’24

COUNTERPOINT THE WELLESLEY COLLEGE JOURNAL OF CAMPUS LIFE MAY 2022 Volume 58 / Issue 3

IDENTITY PARKER PISCITELLO-FAY

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A LIST OF THE MOST BITTERSWEET THINGS ABOUT MY TIME AT WELLESLEY AS SUMMARIZED BY HEADLINES TO COUNTERPOINT ARTICLES I DIDN’T END UP WRITING

ZARIA GEORGE

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WHAT I WISH I COULD TELL MY YOUNGER SELF

LIZETTE MIER

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ALTERNATIVE LIVES AT WELLESLEY COLLEGE

STUDENT ART ZARIA GEORGE

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UNTITLED

ZARIA GEORGE

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UNTITLED

ZARIA GEORGE

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UNTITLED

CAMPUS LIFE 12

33 DOVER ROAD

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THE HARM OF SILENCING THE CRIME OF APARTHEID

COUNTERPOINT STAFF

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POLL: SENIOR SURVEY

COUNTERPOINT STAFF

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CROSSWORD: PURPLE CLASS

STELLA HO

E.G., ANIKA LANGBERG, & SARAH PARDO

TRUSTEES Olivia Funderburg ’18, Allyson Larcom ’17, Hanna Day-Tenerowicz ’16, Cecilia Nowell ’16, Oset Babur ’15, Alison Lanier ’15, Kristina Costa ’09, Kara Hadge ’08

counterpoint / may 2022

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IDENTITY

a list of the most bitter, sweet, and bittersweet thing about my time at Wellesley as summarized by headlines of

COUNTERPOINT

Image: cnn.com

articles I didn't end up writing

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BY PARKER PISCITELLOFAY

(

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in chronological order No Really, Where Am I? (a case for more signage on Wellesley College’s campus and admitting you don’t have everything figured out) An Ode to the Compassion and Honesty with which Esteemed Poetry Professor Dan Chiasson Approaches Discussions of Odes It’s Tuesday, November, 2018 at 3:29 pm and the Idea of Shadow Grading is the Only Thing Holding Me Together (why we need to talk about first years when we talk about Wellesley’s stress culture) People React Weirdly When I Tell Them I Have a Job (why this is and what this weirdness means) So Everyone Just Assumed I Knew About Sleet (fake spring is worse than winter, and I think I can prove it) Do I Need to Change My Class Schedule, All the Orgs I'm In, and My Major or Is It Just A Monday and Cloudy Outside? An Ode to Honey Roasted Peanut Butter An Ode to My Roommate An Ode to the Rotting Vegetables My Roommate Hid From Me in Our Room

for Weeks I’m Studying Abroad Next Fall And It’s Definitely Going to Happen (it didn’t) I Cannot Wait To Spend All of Spring Semester With My Friends (I didn’t) When We Eventually Return to Wellesley College, Everything Will Be As We Left It (it wasn’t) This is Just to Say: I Really Miss Honey Roasted Peanut Butter I Haven’t Become Better at Procrastination; I Have Become More Creative About It (on doing laundry and pandemic-era burn out) The Science Center is Beautiful and I’ll Barely Get to Use It (a metaphor for my time at wellesley and, perhaps, life itself ) I May Be Depressed, But Check Out My Sweet New Pair of Pants! All I Do All Day Is Say Hi To People (a case for acquaintances, their little waves, and their smiles) Do I have a Rough Draft of My Thesis or Does It Have a Rough Draft of Me? (the physical, emotional, and mental

ramifications of an “enriching” academic endeavor) Everyone and Everything Needs to Get In My Suitcase (what am I going to do without my friends, Barbara, the seemingly hundreds of acquaintances I say hi to everyday, the English Department, Counterpoint, my friends, Lulu, Honey Roasted Peanut Butter, Clapp’s Librarians, Duck Day, the sound of laughter in the hallway on wednesdays at 10:42 pm EST, my friends, texts that say, “Want to work on the pset together?”, Hoop’s C3, early spring mornings when the campus is bright, beautiful, and silent, El’s Ginger Tea, late night popcorn, overhearing the weirdest discussions, Bates’s 3rd floor common room, Bates’s 2nd floor common room, fuck it, all of the common rooms, the screams before finals, the sighs after finals, both my deep hatred and devout protectiveness of the geese, the bells, and the particular, beautiful sound of half-asleep people shuffling into early classes post-grad) Parker Piscitello-Fay ’22 (ppiscite) (she/ her) is going to miss Wellesley and all of the bittersweet moments it has brought her. Van An Trinh ’24 (vt100) has finally found a fun fact about herself – and, no, you are not allowed to know what it is.

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IDENTITY

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s I’m writing this, you are two days short of turning 22. You will develop a love for art that you never knew had been there. You will lose a lot of people who you loved. Don’t let that harden you. Please still open your heart up to the world. Please still share your thoughts, worries, and dreams. There is a lot more good than there is bad. People are not binary. Continue to be a nice person, and don’t close yourself off to everyone. Your personality will eventually consist of resignation. You won’t feel like you can truly be yourself around anyone. You should continue cheerleading. You’ll miss it every now and then. You are very quiet. I wish that you would speak more and understand what I know now—how low-stakes a lot of life is. Talk to people. Befriend people. Talk to the boys you’ll get crushes on. Those people you’re intimidated of right now will be in the back of your mind years later. No longer to seek their approval, but just to wonder where life has brought them. You will lose Spartacus when you are 5. You will lose Jericho when you are 21. At 12, you will experience depression for the first time. It’ll come quickly one night as you’re lying with Jedi. You’ll realize everything is temporary, and you won’t stop crying. You’ll cry yourself to sleep. The next few days—weeks—months—you’ll rotate through cycles of vicious thoughts. It will be on-and-off for many years. You’ll get help for the first time your sophomore year of high school. page 6

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I Could

I’m sorry that it took so long. Mom and Dad didn’t understand, but they really did care. They just couldn’t comprehend that there is no Brown or Black cure for it. That the thoughts just couldn’t simply go away, with the way that they’ve suppressed and internalized so much hardship for so long. You’ll grow a newfound appreciation for them when you’re in college. It will still feel difficult to talk to them about your thoughts, worries, and dreams, though. High school and college are nothing like the movies. Take that as you may. You will have more fun in college, though. You won’t get into your dream school. But you’ll go somewhere else, far enough from home, where you’ll learn you love photography, writing, and graphic design. You’ll be an Art History and English major. You really don’t know a lot about the world or life, even

though you may think you do. And you never will.

Tell My Younger Self BY ZARIA GEORGE I know that it is a lot—because of your BPD, because of your OCD—to take everything in. It’s okay to rather feel less than too much; it’s okay to seek help. Just please don’t let it disconnect you from the world. Learn to stop self-sabotaging yourself. People aren’t mind readers and can’t magically understand your change in mood. You yourself don’t understand it. You’re not a mind reader, either, though. Trust that things just happen for a reason, and you’ll be okay. You’ll be a life-long, voluntary insomniac. You’ll never be able to give up the night. When you do very briefly want to, though, then you’ll have trouble sleeping. Sorry. Ask mom to speak to you in Spanish, because you’ll be stuck wanting to learn it later in life. You will lose your abuelo when you’re 18. Your abuela will become your biggest inspiration. I wish you could talk to her in the same language. Stop looking for validation. You have yet to fall in love (you might not ever, to be honest). Understand sometimes knowledge can’t transfer past the cerebral. You so easily empathize for some but can’t for others. Figure that out now. You push away the people you love. You will finally have an answer for what your favorite song is.

Zaria George's ’22 (zgeorge) favorite weather has always been a storm.

Image: wallpaperaccess.com

What I Wish


IDENTITY

Alternative Lives at Wellesley College Fall 2020, tried org after org to find a solid group of friends, studied endlessly, and would probably be more familiar with Boston than I am now. In another life at Wellesley College, the pandemic did happen and maybe instead of going home, I stayed on-campus. I never studied abroad. I lost my on-campus jobs and all sources of income. Maybe the food choices would have resurfaced memories

of food insecurity as a kid. Maybe the strict rules and isolation would drive me to withdraw. Wellesley was isolating pre-pandemic, so what could I have expected at the height of our panic? But maybe, I made a group of friends I blocked with and enjoyed my time with. Maybe they would be the reason I continued at Wellesley. In another life at Wellesley College, I never came to this school. I would have gone to another elite college thanks to the careful guidance of my scholarship program, but it might have been one with more of a

social scene. It might have been one with less studious and serious people. It might have been one that’s co-ed, or another HWC . Maybe the alumni network wouldn’t be as strong as the one Wellesley promises, as the one whose magic I’ve already benefited from. As funny as it sounds, maybe I would have had a boyfriend my senior year and rather than me returning home to Phoenix, we would have ventured off to another city. At a different school, I would have had different opportunities. At a different school, I would have become a different person. —In this life at Wellesley College, I lived off-campus for almost two years. I did virtual classes, work, and hangouts from my childhood bedroom. I unexpectedly studied abroad in Greece from April to May 2021, which forced me to interrogate issues of personal identity, linguistic access, and the privilege of citizenship in the country you reside in. I surprisingly went to Denmark in fall 2021 instead of the planned 2020 and saw the struggles of being a refugee or undocumented immigrant in the context of another country. I gained friends for the moments I lived. In this life at Wellesley College, I lost touch with the limited sense of community I had pre-pandemic. My experiences abroad influenced me to daydream of a life where I majored in linguistics or anthropology instead of sociology and education studies. An unpaid, virtual internship, obtained counterpoint / may 2022

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Image: wellesley.edu

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his was my first semester back on campus since March 2020, and I spent a lot of my time daydreaming about the alternative lives I could have had here. It was surreal to be back as a senior post-remote learning and my studying abroad. Due to the pandemic, many of my friends disappeared from my Wellesley experience. Some withdrew. Some I never heard from again. Some I barely kept in contact with because it was just hard to keep up with virtual school, virtual work, and virtual meet-ups. Being back on campus made me rethink my Wellesley career. What personal choices along the way would have made me a different person? How did external global events influence my education, career prospects, and connections to Wellesley? There’s a quote that comes to mind by Soren Kierkegaard: “Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.” As I look at my life backwards, I see the key choices I made that shaped me and my future. Here are some choices that molded me, whether influenced by global events or personal preference: In another life at Wellesley College, the pandemic would not have happened. My life would have continued as follows: I, a first-generation college student, would have stumbled my way through classes. I would have kept my on-campus jobs, met interesting professors and kept in contact with them, repeated an endless application cycle every summer for the next big internship, studied abroad in Denmark

BY LIZETTE MIER


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In this life, I recognize that we all take the little moments for granted, and I am trying to spend more time with friends, family, and mentors while they are near me. In this life, I took advantage of every single opportunity Wellesley offered: internships, study abroad, Knapp Center creative station and rentals, the LTS help desk, tutors, disability services, nutritionists, the First-Gen Network, WellesleyPlus, the boathouse, the edible garden, the Stone Center, the multifaith center, etc. In these past four years, I lived a fulfilling life. To quote an OneRepublic song, “I did it all. I honed every second that this world could give, saw so many places and things that I did. With every broken bone, I swear I lived.” In this life, I leave Wellesley College confident and adventurous. I leave thankful for the faculty, staff, and students that made my experience worthwhile. I leave in a better financial and emotional position than when I began. I leave Wellesley College as a better person. . Lizette Mier ’22 (lmier) is a graduating senior.

Image: wellesley.edu

through a Wellesley connection and funded through the Career Ed grant, led to a two-year part-time position that secured me a career post-undergrad. I met high-level executives virtually, many of whom were once first-generation Hispanic/Latinx college students like me. Many gave me inspiration to finish my degree. In my final semester, I finally saw the real-world applications of my education on a larger scale. In these classes, I conducted my own interviewbased research projects and learned about college friendships, high school role models, and lunch ladies’ plight during the height of the pandemic. I found a group of friends that I feel adopted me into their lives and have made my college experience end on a hopeful note. I don’t know how I would have thrived in my final semester without them. As I finish this life at Wellesley, I am thankful. I do have some resentment towards the college experience I feel robbed of, but recognize that I wouldn’t be in the secure position I am in now without some of the lifestyle changes from the pandemic. I am aware of the privilege this elite college degree brings me and am excited to join the Alumnae network that’s already taught me the power of social capital in building wealth. I appreciate the friendships I rekindled in a way I didn’t expect prior to my return in January.





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TITLE BY XYZ

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BY STELLA HO

Images: Jennifer Images:Long '25

was walking back to the French House with my friend Gaya last week when a sentence slipped out of my mouth: “Look, we’re almost home.” I paused for a second. Before that moment, in my last month of classes, in my senior year at Wellesley, I had never called a dorm here “home” before. And yet here I am, sitting in the dining room surrounded by friends (and a cat), realizing that these people and the memories we’ve made in this building are a large part of why I call my upcoming graduation bittersweet. For knowledge gained and valuable memories made, there is also the loss of this cozy, malfunctioning, precious house whose contours I’ve memorized over the past year and a half. Here’s my house tour of la Maison française at 33 Dover Rd, Wellesley, MA 02482. Key elements: private residence, donated to Wellesley College and converted into a dorm for 16 students. Walking time to Bates is about six minutes. Square footage: unknown but a good size for its residents. She’s a bit of a mess, but we love her.

Dude Bro ’00 (bro@wellesley.edu) XYZ

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The Exterior Two buildings, both painted cream and with dark brown roof detailing, with a wooden gate and courtyard connecting them in between. On the left is Main House, three stories and towering over the surrounding trees. On the right is Carriage House, two stories, cozy and compact. The backs of both buildings face Nehoiden Golf Course. I think there’s a hole located pretty close to the house. Hence, tranquil wine nights in the courtyard with friends in Term 4 being punctuated every twenty minutes or so by a thwack! and then a yell of, “FOUR!” The Foyer The day I moved in: at the start of Term 3, February 2021, I knocked on the door apprehensively and Jane opened it for me. I wrestled my suitcase filled with jumbo-size hand sanitizer, wet wipes that include bleach, and gloves into the foyer. Jane left promptly, probably to join the RA and her best friend, Anne, somewhere else in the house. I was scared of both Jane and Anne at the time. Now, I can’t imagine the house without the dynamic duo. The Living Room Cozy and wood paneled, with a plush blue couch that hasn’t been washed in who knows how long, a rug that I almost slip on at least once a month, a projector that only works half the time, a fireplace with some German words carved above it (make it make sense), and a window seat that provides a perfect view of the parking lot outside. Location of cuddle puddles on said blue couch and many of my movie firsts, often with Anne: The Farewell (2019) which I cried to, Crazy Rich Asians (2018) which I laughed my ass off to, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) which I watched Anne cry to.

The Library A too-heavy wooden slide door opens onto a room lined partially with bookshelves. There’s a French version of Fifty Shades of Grey somewhere in the stacks. During Term 3 finals period, Kazu, Udita, Maya B., and I had the unfortunate pleasure of seeing a man pee into a bush on the golf course through the butterflypatterned stained glass windows of this room. During Term 4, Kazu, Kristi, and I had many, many group screaming sessions here. Keep in mind, the room is soundproof from the living room but very much not so from the dorm rooms that are directly above. The Dining Room A glass table cover spontaneously exploded here on March 12, 2022, at about 8 pm. Anne, Gaya, Célia (one of the French TAs), and I were stunned into silence for several seconds. Then, we remembered Anne’s cat, Poppy, was sitting in a paper bag on top of the panel that had exploded. The bag was promptly removed, Célia continued sitting in silence with her mouth stuck in an o for a couple more minutes, then a migration was made to the library. (Thankfully, no one was physically hurt.) I refused to enter the room again until April 23, when I decided to face my fears. Anne, Gaya, Célia, Poppy, and I meet here every night again. Last semester, Kazu and Jane—now both studying abroad in France—added even more laughter. And, the room’s windows provide a great view of the golf course! The Piano Room Accessible from the library and the dining room, with a recently tuned piano. Gaya and I escape here when we need complete silence for our homework time.

The Kitchen A granite island sits in the center, with a fridge drawer for each resident. For some reason, last year my drawer frequently froze the salads that I put inside. Surprise treats sometimes appear in the communal fridge, left by kind residents to be shared. Ants and/or flies have overrun the nearby sink more than once. I learned about the magic of Lysol while doing kitchen duty once a week last semester—it cuts through any and all oil that accumulates on the various countertops. Also, the scent is fabulous. I want rooms to smell like citrus Lysol all the time. The Dorms Every student living here has a single, except for one double which is essentially half of the entire third floor of the main house (I’ve heard it’s huge). The heat doesn’t always work in the rooms, but that’s why the living room couch exists. Want to visit the French House? Go past the College Club, cross Washington St, take a left, then a right at Dover Rd (I suggest using the side of the street with a sidewalk.) Keep going straight until you see the cream walls and brown roof on your right, and remember to look both ways before you dash across the road. Until May 27, I’ll make this journey every day, grateful each time I see that color scheme for the love I’ve found within these walls. Stella Ho ‘22 (sho2) dedicates this article to Annie Wannie, Gaya Waya, Célia Wélia, Tiffany Wiffany, Kazu Wazu, Janie Wanie, (It’s) Britney (Bitch) (honorary FH resident), Poppy Woppy aka la Kitty française, and, of course, the cookie wookies that Jane baked that are the reason we speak like five-yearolds sometimes.

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An Article About Palestine Was Here

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BY XYZ

Dude BroB’00 XYZI Y (bro@wellesley.edu) E.G., AN

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KA LANGBERG, & SARAH PARDO

Images: Image: Jennifer Long '25

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The Harm of Silencing the Crime of Apartheid Y

ou may have seen the yellow and black Amnesty International Crime of Apartheid Report Infographics put up around campus that describe the treatment of Palestinians in their homeland. These infographics and a link to the full report can be found at the end of this article. The Babson-OlinWellesley Students for Justice in Palestine (BOW SJP) put these posters up around campus in an effort to make visible the difficult reality Palestinians face in the West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem, and within Israel proper. We chose this specific report because it is significant for a global humanitarian organization like Amnesty International to validate what Palestinians have been saying for decades: Israel is an apartheid regime. We chose the medium of printed posters to publicize the issue to students and other community members who have avoided taking a stance on the occupation or even learning about it. According to a survey of 250 Wellesley college students, when asked the question, “Which of the following issues, if any, would you say are difficult to have an open and honest conversation about on your campus?” 49% of students answered “The Israeli/Palestinian conflict”, a higher percentage than any other issue listed. Discomfort around even discussing the occupation of Palestine is an issue we must address on our campus. Unfortunately, the content of these posters is considered offensive to some community members, as evidenced by the many Amnesty posters that have been torn down across campus—including twice from a student’s dorm room door.

Even the word Palestine has caused backlash, as evidenced by the posters which read “A POSTER ABOUT PALESTINE WAS HERE” being ripped in half, torn, and thrown in the trash. These actions prevent us from challenging the dominant Zionist narrative in the U.S. and speaking out against human rights abuses by the Israeli government. We, the authors of this article, recognize that as non-Palestinian allies we are writing from a place of much lower risk than our Palestinian sibs. We want to use our platform as members of BOW SJP to discuss what we have seen in response to our raising awareness about the apartheid in occupied Palestine, and to continue our educational campaign. One of the most common ways criticism of Israel is silenced is by labeling any such criticism as antisemitic. While we do not negate that antisemitism at Wellesley does exist, is completely unacceptable, and absolutely needs to be addressed, Anti-Zionism and antisemitism are not one and the same. According to the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism, Antisemitism means “discrimination, prejudice, hostility or violence against Jews as Jews or Jewish institutions as Jewish.” Anti-Zionism refers to opposition to Zionism: the political movement that espouses support for a Jewish nation in the land of Israel. To equate the two presumes that all Jewish students are Zionist or that Israeli nationalism represents the views of all Jews, which is in and of itself an antisemitic generalization. These posters do not target Jewish Israelis for being Jewish. They state statistics about the rights and resources afforded to Jewish Israelis and denied to

Palestinians across the entire country and how these rights and resources are restricted to varying degrees depending on where Palestinians live (the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and Israel proper). According to Jewish Voice for Peace, even as there are several Palestinians in the Israeli Parliament, Adalah has documented over 50 laws that privilege Jewish citizens over Palestinians, even those Palestinians who hold Israeli citizenship. Even repealing such laws will not change that the founding of Israel was inherently unethical—its origins and ongoing settler colonial project are rooted in the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of the indigenous people of Palestine. What are the statistics on these posters? 95% of the 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza, who have been closed off by a military blockade for 14 years, do not have steady access to safe water, compared to 1% of Israelis. The infant mortality rate in Gaza is 22 per 1,000 births as opposed to 2.4 per 1000 in Israel, and 56% of people in Gaza live in poverty as opposed to 23% in Israel. Palestinians in the West Bank have lost access to 60% of the territory since 1967. Almost 15,000 Palestinians have been forcibly transferred out of East Jerusalem following revocation of their residency status between 1967 and 2019. Palestinian communities are kept fragmented from each other and segregated from Israeli communities. In aggregate, the policies creating these gross disparities fall under the Apartheid Convention definition of apartheid: systematic oppression and domination of a racial group by a state government committing

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ized and silenced. For example, a bill that would punish companies in support of the Boycott-Divest-Sanction movement was almost passed in the senate and the left-wing political organization Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) recently dissolved their BDS and Palestine Solidarity working group. Understanding the unequal access to free speech in the US between pro-Palestinian and Zionist stances is important because it contextualizes the silencing of pro-Palestinian voices happening on our own campus. When people from an oppressed group attempt to make their voices heard, the people from the oppressor group will often see this as an existential threat and use the opportunity to pick apart the non-dominant perspective or shut it down completely. Those who feel threatened fail to realize that the status quo already upholds the oppressive/dominant narrative; a lack of dissent passively reinforces what we already hold to be true. What is true of this trend in general applies to Palestine in particular. The BOW SJP poster campaign is an educational opportunity for those who know little about the issue or who have not heard the proPalestinian perspective. We are attempting to initiate discussions about the human rights abuses a government has been perpetrating since its inception. Pro-Palestinian activism should be awarded the same freedom of speech protections that Zionist narratives are awarded all the time in the US. As Israel continues to ethnically cleanse Palestinians, systemically deny them housing permits, water, and resources, occupy increasing area of the West Bank, and bomb Gaza, we must not close our eyes and cov-

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er our ears. We cannot be bystanders to the crisis in Palestine nor allow Zionism to silence us on our campus. The crisis in Palestine is an abolitionist cause. Palestine is an indigenous rights cause. Allies workBY XYZ ing across social justice spaces must lift up Palestinian voices. Wellesley is a community of passionate activists and practiced organizers. We ask our community to extend the solidarity and aid to the Palestinian cause that we would any other humanitarian refugee crisis. We close this article with a call to action: Educate yourself about the occupation. Read and listen to Palestinian voices. Get involved in solidarity work on and off campus. Allyship cannot be performed solely in the classroom, on social media, or in the voting booth—it must be centered around tangible action and a commitment to engaging in issues that cause discomfort. Silence comes at the cost of human life. Sarah Pardo ’22 (she/hers) (spardo2) is a senior majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Studio Art. She is an abolitionist, anti-carceral feminist, climate change activist, and anti-Zionist atheist Jew. Anika Langberg ’22 (she/hers) (alangberg) is a senior majoring in Political Science and is an anarchist leftist, labor organizer, and prison abolitionist, as well as an antiZionist person of Jewish descent. E.G. ’22 is a graduating senior.

Dude Bro ’00 (bro@wellesley.edu) XYZ page 16 page 16

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inhumane acts. Tearing down the posters BOW SJP put up attacks Palestinian student safety in a way that reflects a national trend of silencingwarnings: Palestinian Content x; yactivism. Palestinian studentshisonis the Wellesley’s campus start of the articleconsiswow! tently have to grapple with their Palestinian identity being heavily politicized and regarded Palestinian stuThis is as thethreatening. start of a normal paragraph dents havecap) just as much of a right to feel (no drop safe expressing their beliefs, sharing their culture, and being proud of their identity as anyone else on campus. Reactions like throwing posters about Palestine in the trash compromises that right. An opponent might argue that these posters made Zionist students feel unsafe, but this claim perpetuates the false narrative that the occupation is a conflict between two equal sides. While Israel has access to vast financial resources to enhance its image, such as funding a $30 million campaign to spread Zionism, pro-Palestinian activism relies on grassroots organizations. It is often up to Palestinians, and allies if available, to fights myths disseminated by Zionist organizations. This power imbalance is especially clear in discussions of Palestinian Right to Return. Israel’s existence requires a dominance over colonized and displaced Palestinians to maintain a Jewish majority. This is enforced by inviting Jews (usually from the West) to come settle the land or visit on Birthright and refusing Palestinians access to travel to, much less live in, the place of their birth or their parents’ birth. The United States upholds this imbalance through continued silencing of Palestinian voices and by giving $3.3 billion in aid to Israel every year. When Palestinian activism becomes successful, it is often villain-


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Links cited in the article: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/college.pulse/viz/2021CollegeFreeSpeechRankingsData/2021CollegeFreeSpeechRankingsData https://jerusalemdeclaration.org/ https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/israeli-palestinian-conflict-101/ https://www.adalah.org/en/law/index https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.10_International%20Convention%20on%20the%20Suppression% https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.MAGAZINE-this-anti-bds-initiative-failed-so-israel-throws-another-100-million-nis-at-it-1.10 https://sgp.fas.org/crs/mideast/RL33222.pdf https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/1/9/18172826/bds-law-israel-boycott-states-explained https://bdsmovement.net/what-is-bds https://www.socialistalternative.org/2022/03/20/dsa-leadership-dissolves-bds-working-group/ Dude Bro ’00 (bro@wellesley.edu) XYZ http://passia.org/media/filer_public/8e/d0/8ed022da-b440-4b2d-920d-cd5e4d3a780c/palestinian_authors_and_their_novels_and_memoirs.pd page 18 page 18

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Images: Amnesty International

%20and%20Punishment%20of%20the%20Crime%20of%20Apartheid.pdf 0565661

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POLL 0-10

SENIOR SURVEY

31-40

11-20

21-30

How many of the "50 Things to Do Before You Graduate" have you done? Which was your favorite?

running across sev green naked • traying sev green • walking

dipping in Lake Waban • join an organization • take a day off and be a tourist in Boston • random parties inviting everyone you know • eating nachos at the hoop • voluntarily attending a lecture • tunneling • seeing campus from the top of Galen Stone Tower :) voluntarily attending a lecture • send an e-mail to someone who is sitting in the same room • "Skinny-dip in Lake Waban" or the CVS • declare your own personal Lake Day! • skating on Paramecium Pond! • pull a non-academic all-nighter

Image: wallpaperaccess.com

around Lake Waban (rip) • already forgot them • get 12 hours of sleep in one night • marmon • primal scream • probably skinny

Did you study abroad? Yes No

If yes, where did you study abroad? Iceland • Switzerland • Aix-en-Provence, France • Morocco • Berlin • Cordoba, Spain • Athens, Greece • COVID Hotel • Copenhagen, Denmark • Jordan • Japan • I was supposed to go to Buenos Aires but COVID said no! • Rome, Italy

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counterpoint / may 2022


East Side Beast Side! West Side Best Side!

East Side or West Side? What's your favorite ice cream flavor?

raspberry sorbet • coffee • brown butter bourbon, which they haven't had since preCOVID • black raspberry • chocolate chip • salted caramel oreo • chocolate • mint oreo • mint chocolate chip • graham central station • dark chocolate raspberry • blackberry • oat milk cookies and cream • playdoh • better brownie batter • salted banana caramel • vanilla • salted caramel truffle • magical unicorn • peach mango sorbet • strawberry • double chocolate •

One thing you wish you'd done or hadn't done at Wellesley?

made more friends of different class years • join a co-op • applied to more funded programs abroad • audition for dead serious • streaking on Sev Green • thrown a party in my room • I wish I would have gone and done things instead of telling myself I always had next year -- we never know if we will have it again we can't predict the future so do things now • spent more time with my friends • truffle! • taken a class at another college • take a class in the WGST department! • embrace my chaotic side earlier shows • I’m so glad I never went to a frat party • I wish I had seen Wellesley from the Galen Stone Tower • give a Ruhlman or a Tanner • I wish I had not been a poli sci major • actually become close with one of my professors • I wish I went to a frat party (even though I know i would hate it) • gone on the lake • spent more time on campus • try weed • tunnelling I guess? • I wish I got a little sibling • I wish I had the time to attend more of the student events and hosted lectures! • I wish I had taken it less seriously and also more seriously • wish I had stayed over the summer to do research • I wish I had taken more classes in the theater department • I wish I had been able to go abroad, COVID made that impossible • wish i had gone to office hours more often, wish I smoked more at steps, wish I ever went to the Greenhouse, wish I had explored more of the Science Center, wish i couldve enjoyed all the food options without my eating disorder, wish I had thrown more parties, list goes on counterpoint / may 2022

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What should be on the 50 Things List that isn't?

trying to remember which of your friends have dated/hooked up with/broken up with each other • lay outside on a lawn during the first warm days in the spring • smoke/chill at tower steps; come out; skip class; go to class unprepared • stay up talking in a dorm kitchen • going abroad • two-hour dinners in treehouse • something related to the geese? • eat outside of your block

eye contact with a sib as they move your laundry • adding your hookups to your gcal • go to House Council! • have a fancy picnic on Green Beach! • roll a hoop • something about dyke drama (running into an ex somewhere, having 2 ex's start dating, etc), • leave wellesley with a new set of pronouns, giving a ruhlman/ tanner • end up in an awkward situation in the dining hall involving past lovers • stay in an empty academic building after hours • go to a pub night way too many things (rip) • get Joe's fried rice at Lulu brunch • wine and work night with friends • dress up and see Rocky Horror! • skip class to lie in the sun in Tower Courtyard • also, inviting your friends to social events via GCal • go to an LDOC concert or cool concert in Boston with a Wellesley friend • spend an entire day in your pajamas • get high once and never do it again • get chased/hissed at by geese, get hit in the head by an acorn or fruit falling from one of the many trees, beg to get on the Loco without a token • getting drunk on LDOC • attend a Wushu or Aiko show • kidnap a goose • howling at the full moon by Lake Waban • skip all ur classes for a day • stage a fun prank page 22

counterpoint / may 2022

Image: wallpaperaccess.com

bubble • get a drink at the pub when you turn 21! (alc or non alc) • writing something on the wall of Sev's Dungeon of Fun! • walk out onto the lake when it freezes • stop in the local bathroom on the third floor of Founders • learn all the words of "To Alma Mater" • make a strong friendship with a professor • make direct


Any advice for the Class of 2026?

it's the people here are what make it special so don't take your grades or orgs too seriously • don't join a million orgs, this isn't high school • sometimes enjoying campus, friends, and orgs is more important than doing your work for class • hi new purple class, u got this and ily • live a little. It’s ok to let go of your inner Wendy • put people first <3 • go for so so many lake walks! They do help, I promise :) • take advantage of shadow grading :) • the fog is coming • being the best student you can be means creating healthy academic boundaries and habits • the people are the best part of Wellesley, spend as much time with them as you can <3 • be spontaneous! Skip class to hang out with friends! Go to Boston on a whim! Swim in the lake at night, throw a rager on steps, fall in love and get your heart broken! • be bold but stop being so annoying about it • allow the space to mold you in the ways you want. • only take classes that excite you! • don't skip sleep! • when you're struggling email everyone because they only want you to help you succeed, and don't take yourself so seriously, because those people are the worst don't stress about grades, there are more important and meaningful things to think about!! • become friends with your professors and take a class in the education department! take a break! prioritize friendships over classes! • skip class more! • take more classes credit non/incomplete! • get a hammock and hammock by the lake as much as you can!!! • always be down to try anything and everything at least once • take risks to have fun more often, that's what you'll remember most • make time for your friends, because many of your most precious memories will be with them • do not let admin phase the co ops out by pretending we never existed • don't pretend to be cool, people can tell, you'll only start making real friends when you act like yourself, unapologetically • literally no thoughts in my head • take classes outside your major for fun :) • talk to your dean as soon as you start struggling! Also don't finish your PE requirement as a senior • You can write a paper again but never go to that party again!!!!!! • always keep things in perspective. Things that seem big aren't always as big as you think. • prioritize empathy and compassion for other human beings. Don't let our society's effed up values isolate you from your/other people's humanity • you make the most of your own experience, don’t expect everyone’s to be the same hug your friends - often! • think critically about this school and your positionality in it • make study groups early in each class! counterpoint / may 2022 page 23


CROSSWORD SECTION TITLE

Content warnings: x; y his is the start of the article wow!

T

Purple TITLE Class

BY XYZ

Image:Images: Stella Ho ’22

This is the start of a normal paragraph (no drop cap)

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ACROSS 6. Purple flower or a lover of the Greek god Apollo. 7. Evil Luigi 8. NBA team whose official colors are yellow and purple 9. “I love you, you love me” 11. The Lavender Care Bear 13. Season 7 winner of Rupaul’s Drag Race 14. Crying while chopping 15. Long purple emoji 16. “______ shows quite as well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen.” – Charles Dickens 18. Singer of “Morado” off of the album Colores (2020) 19. February Birthstone 20. Singer of “Purple Rain”

counterpoint / september 2018

DOWN 1. Character from a 60s HannaBarbera cartoon who wears a purple dress 2. ___________ and the Purple crayon 3. Author of The Color Purple (& former Wellesley Prof) 4. Pink and purple striped animal from Alice in Wonderland 5. DC comics character who wears a purple cloak 10. This Disney character with a purple vest found a genie in a lamp. 12. Here, purple dye was worth more than gold. Dude Bro ’00 (bro@wellesley.edu) XYZ 13. Pantone’s Color of the Year 2022 17. “I’m sorry, little one”


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