According to one non-tenure track (NTT) professor, the decision to end the strike was made that morning at around 8 a.m. because of a “credible threat to the entire Wellesley community including the students.” 

However, the College administration asserted that the college has “not threatened union members.” Yet, with there still not being a written explanation from the WOAW-UAW on why they ended the strike so abruptly, there is no way to dispel the misinformation that has been circulating with the varied versions given by different NTT faculty. 

With the uncertainty between what each side chose to speak on and not speak on, one thing remains loud and  clear: students have been caught in the middle. 

The abrupt end to the strike without a clear explanation left many students feeling anxious and confused about what the end of the year would look like. With just one week of classes remaining, the unprecedented decision by the Administration to alter the academic credit that students signed up for at the beginning of the semester appears even more unclear. 

When the new credit plan was first announced, it left many students in distress as dropping below full-time status would impact graduating, financial aid, and visa status for international students. At the time, the College did not even provide clear guidelines for the deans and professors who had to be immediately answerable to the student body.

Now that the strike has ended, the college sent a simplified “decision tree” to students which states that, if these students had to re-enroll and the new classes do not conflict with their classes taught by NTT, then they are supposed to remain in these new courses as well as attend their previous ones. Many students complained about this email with its minimal explanation which in turn seemingly minimized student feelings regarding the credit changes. 

The math is still not fair. Despite attending one more week of an NTT class previously accredited as 0.5 credit, the college has said that those specific classes will still be 0.5 credit. With the calculations Anika Sridhar (Opinions Staff Writer) demonstrated in a previous article, students should have earned 0.73 credit for the classroom time they spent with NTT faculty over 9.5 weeks, not accounting for the extra hours they had with professors during advising and office hours. The Registrar has previously awarded 0.8 credit for semester courses to transfer and study abroad students, so it is entirely possible to award alternate amounts of credit for the NTT classes, especially in extenuating circumstances. From my point of view, the 0.5 credits do not fully reflect the amount of time and effort that students have already put into their previously enrolled classes. For some students who have to attend both their re-enrolled and WOAW-taught classes, they involuntarily signed up for twice the amount of work, with extra assignments and stress. 

At the mercy of their professors, and with a lack of finals guidelines, affected graduating seniors in their final semester are having to take extra final exams. As a graduating senior myself, the Class of 2025 entered freshman year during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I believe our final weeks of college should be the happiest time of year with no extra difficulties. Yet, many of us are leaving Wellesley having been caught in the crossfire of the bargaining, confused about this credit decision and without the bare minimum of transparency of why the strike ended in this manner. I support all of my faculty and I support the members of Administration who have tried to have our best interests at heart. As a soon-to-be alumni, I care about the wellbeing of Wellesley College including its reputation and students of the present and future. However, the decision for NTT Faculty to go on strike for various reasons, to abruptly end the strike with no explanation, and the Administrative decision to alter course credit as a bargaining tactic, feels inconsiderate to the students who care about and uphold this academic institution.

It is no secret that this is a dark time politically for many people in our country. The lives of marginalized communities are increasingly at risk, with fundamental rights constantly being threatened. In just the first few weeks of the Trump administration, executive orders have been put forth aimed at trans erasure, anti-DEI policies, immigration restrictions, an NIH funding freeze, and revoking environmental regulations among many other barbaric and hate-filled policies.

Our democracy is at stake and, from the consensus of my peers, it has been easy to lose sight of hope. Even so, I remain optimistic because things often get worse before they get better. Just like the namesake of our country, we need to be people united. This is why Lamar’s halftime show could not have come at a better time with its powerful symbolic commentary.

As an homage to the Black community, Lamar’s performance featured Black dancers dressed in our nation’s colors of red, white and blue to demonstrate the essential contributions of Black Americans to the formation of our country. Politically-charged declarations such as dancers forming the American flag and Samuel L. Jackson portraying a disruptive Uncle Sam, a popular symbol of American nationalist ideals, added a satirical element about the true values of patriotism.

In a mockery of white supremacy, “Uncle Sam” could be heard yelling at Kendrick’s performance, “Too loud, too reckless, too ghetto.” These descriptions have often been used by racist commentators to marginalize the Black community and to “put them in their place” implying a level of inferiority in the social order. The choice of Jackson to play this character was purposefully ironic as Jackson himself has been an outspoken political activist for the Black community. 

In an attempt to demonstrate the metaphorical nature of a video game, each of the performance stages was shaped like a different button of a PlayStation controller. While this had thematic elements alluding to Kendrick’s own life, it also served as a personification of the “American Dream” where people’s lives have been, in actuality, controlled by the rich and powerful. Lamar, Art Director Shelley Rodgers, Creative Director Mike Carson, Director Dave Free, and the rest of the production team used creative storytelling to evoke emotions of critique and resilience. The Black Buick Grand National Experimental (GNX), a dream car for Lamar, signifies his journey from Compton. 

Serena Williams, one of the greatest tennis players of all time, was highlighted on stage doing a “Crip walk” which she has been criticized for doing as a celebratory dance after tennis matches by referees. While the dance was certainly an illustration of how Black expression has been previously shut down in mainstream media, her presence, as a previous romantic interest of Drake, was one allusion  to Lamar’s famous “beef” with the rapper, along with his chart-topping diss track “Not Like Us.” Lamar’s halftime show masterfully wove a bold critique of Drake, as Lamar used his Pulitzer-Prize-winning lyrical prowess to produce bold sociopolitical commentary.

Some have even argued that Lamar’s performance was directly aimed at current US President Donald Trump. Kendrick’s opening line proclaims, “The revolution is about to be televised; You picked the right time but the wrong guy.” This remark seemingly alludes to the 2024 election year having been the right time for social change and progress but that Americans chose to elect the wrong candidate for the job. 

Perhaps one of my favorite moments of the performance was when singer-songwriter SZA joined Lamar onstage to perform their hit collaborations “All the Stars” and “Luther.” The song “All the Stars” is nostalgic for me as it came out when I was a high school student obsessed with Marvel movies like the one it was released for, “Black Panther.” Yet, SZA’s appearance goes deeper as an expression of a successful Black artist within feminist spaces. Her inclusion on the stage stands as a testament to the progress that can be made when gender equality and empowerment are prioritized in the entertainment industry. 

As an impactful conclusion to the halftime show, Kendrick Lamar repeated a call to action to viewers saying “Turn this TV off.” I viewed this as him telling the audience not to give up after losing hope, but to stay motivated and take action. In a final closing, the words “Game Over” illuminated the New Orleans Stadium as the crowd erupted into cheers. There have been many interpretations of these final words. Some believe these words mean that Kendrick is pointing out that he has ended the beef with Drake, while others believe that, like the Super Bowl being a football game, Lamar was just ending his show as a game being over.

With all of his metaphorical genius, I believe that Lamar was using the words “Game Over” as a powerful conclusion to tell his audience that if they are not motivated, and the rich and powerful will continue to maintain control of the narrative, then it will be game over for all of us. And while I am certainly optimistic about the future of our great nation, I have to agree with Lamar’s nuanced sentiments.

Each event includes a themed meal; the latest one was an afternoon tea. Originally a British tradition, afternoon tea is now a beloved practice by many students. The Amis team created a beautiful set up with tiers of brownies, strawberry shortcakes, croissants and scones courtesy of a famous Wellesley celebrity: the Pom Baker. They also hand-made snacks such as assorted finger sandwiches, freshly cut fruit, caprese bites, mocktails, and of course, four different teas. To foster a welcoming environment, the team also set the table and added a bouquet of flowers. 

Hannah Chiou ’25, one of the original founders of Amis, finds it of the utmost importance to create this welcoming environment for all sibs. 

“I always look forward to meeting new people as we all can connect over a shared love of food,” Chiou said.

Chiou, along with co-founders Liora Jones ’25 and Victoria Park ’24, and facilitator Avery Woods Weber ’26, work hard to create these three-course meals in order to encourage community engagement and create lifelong bonds. 

In a movement to promote inclusivity, the club works to accommodate dietary needs and restrictions so that all attendees can fully immerse themselves into and enjoy the meal. They send out a Google form about two weeks prior to the event in order to curate a more personalized experience. Due to being entirely student-run, the club has a policy in the form of a donation ($15 for the afternoon tea) in order to officially RSVP. Students who are interested in cooking and baking are also encouraged to join. 

Many of the attendees chose to dress up for the event, as one typically does for a traditional afternoon tea. Some attendees wore spring dresses, including florals. One attendee even dressed in an elegant coquette-style dress complete with a matching bow headpiece. Dressing with the theme is another way that Amis hopes to encourage individual and creative expression, if sibs feel comfortable to do so. 

After the tea, many students came away elated with newfound friendships and connections. Attendee Elise Wilson ‘26 remarked, “Everyone was so nice and welcoming, and we gelled together so quickly that it felt like we were already long-time friends!” Amis hopes to ensure future events and looks forward to making this a collaborative space for everyone. Wilson continued, “Even though Wellesley is a small school, there are so many people that I haven’t met yet, and it’s easy to stick to your regular friend groups because you see them so often. Amis was a great opportunity to branch out from people I already knew, and get to know others on campus in a casual and very cute setting.” Questions and suggestions, as well as updates for future events, can be directed to the Amis Instagram: @wellesleyamis.

 Research and policy work are two important pillars that Bridging the Gap works to provide students opportunities in. Their goal is to encourage students to get experience within “public debate and decision making on global challenges and US foreign policy.” Bridging the Gap includes other initiatives that may interest students in the future, such as workshops for Ph.D. students in the New Era Foreign Policy Conference, a International Policy Summer Institute for professional development as professors and post-docs, and connection-building for professional workshops.

We conferred with Allison Liu ’26, an International Relations–Political Science major, about her experience with the workshop. She first heard about the event when the Political Science department sent out a mass email inviting their majors and minors to attend, encouraging “all undergraduate students with an interest in learning more about international relations to apply,” and filled out the form because it seemed “relevant to [her] major [and] future career interest.” Liu says that while the event appeared helpful, she didn’t have strong expectations for it. She even jokes that it didn’t seem like the best way to spend a Saturday morning; 8 a.m. start time in the Science Center didn’t particularly appeal to her. She said that she had “no idea if this was going to end up being a useful workshop,” and wondered if it was really going to enrich her learning experience in any particular way. 

However, Liu quickly developed a much more positive and engaged attitude toward the event. She was surprised at how much she enjoyed it, and she especially praised the way in which meaningful connections were facilitated by the organization. 

“I enjoyed the event, from the activities we did and the topics covered to the people I was able to interact with, not just the facilitators and panelists, but the other students there,” she said.

  There were also students from other schools in the area attending the workshop, which allowed Wellesley students to interact with new peers that shared similar interests. 

The workshop also provided a career panel, during which experienced leaders and Wellesley alums in international relations spoke with students and answered their questions about entering the field. Liu notes that they were able to talk about the best methods for getting a job in government, the strength of the alum network, and what the most important aspects of their time at Wellesley were. 

Liu said one of the most impactful aspects of the workshop were the real-world international relations simulations that Bridging the Gap specializes in, helping students get experience with real-world values while exploring the ever-evolving geopolitical environment. She describes it as an exercise that “really emphasized that scenario thinking is not predicting the future, but rather to imagine different possibilities or scenarios for the future and identify [their] indicators.” She says she wishes she had even more time to work through it, and that it made up a significant part of the event. That, along with the panelists and professor facilitators the students heard from, really made the experience worthwhile. She says that it was “one of [her] best ‘on a whim’ decisions [she’s] ever made,” and she really encourages future Wellesley students to take advantage of the program if it returns. 

Overall, Liu said that “FIRST” really helped her see a career in international relations as a possibility post-Wellesley, and learn about the wide range of opportunities related to her major. She also saw a new side to her classmates, and said the activities during the workshop gave her new insight into everyone’s unique interests. Liu gives the experience a positive review: “I had a great time, and the best part was meeting and connecting with other students that were there.”

The therapy dogs are from Certified Therapy Dog Inc., a non-profit organization that helps furry friends gain valuable training and volunteer experience. Rachel Robbins, “a certified professional dog trainer (CPDT-KA) and behavior consultant,” organizes opportunities for handlers to visit various locations like Wellesley College. She founded her own training company, Every Great Dog, based in Needham, Massachusetts and trains the therapy dogs through the Certified Therapy Dog Inc. program which is recommended by the American Kennel Club.  

“We have a nice, close-knit community where the people get to know each other and the dogs get experience working around each other. We get to just spread love, warmth and joy!”  Robbins had been a trainer for about 12 years when she met a therapy dog trainer. 

“I never met an organization that does the therapy dog training along with allowing people to have access to visits and so I knew I needed to offer this to my network and my clients in my community.” She added in regards to one of the dogs, “Leo was one of our first ones that graduated from the program. See how they just love!” Leo, Ginger, Rue and Rupert were four of the therapy dogs bringing joy to students and helping with de-stressing. 

When asked what her favorite part of the WellNESSt festival was, student Karen Xiao ’26 explained, “Probably the therapy dogs. You don’t really get the chance to pet dogs very much on campus and it is just so nice to be around very well-trained, cute, sweet dogs.” 

Another student, Chae Won Yun ’26 agrees that being around therapy dogs has helped calm her down and helped with stress. “I feel very relaxed when I pet the dog. The dogs are very sweet and they are doing such a great job with the training. A lot of the dogs that I’ve met here are fairly young and you wouldn’t know it because they act very mature.” 

Other activities included a questionnaire so students could learn about what well-NESSt habits they have and could incorporate into their daily lives such as aiming to eat different colored foods within a balanced diet and getting a full night of sleep. The Balance Health Educators, “a student organization promoting health and wellness,” were also there to answer questions and facilitate conversation with the student attendees. Tickets were provided once certain activities were completed at the various tables, and these tickets could be redeemed for massages or petting the therapy dogs. Tickets could also be used for various raffles that included an assortment of prizes. One opportunity to earn tickets was to answer questions about student life and play a game, run by Tara Hollis, director of Orientation and Transition Programs. The questions she asked also included important reminders like when the deadline to drop a course or change the grading basis is. 

Overall, the WellNESSt Festival provided students with the opportunity to take a break from classes and to celebrate self-love and self-care. This was a chance for students to de-stress and celebrate themselves, especially on-theme for the day after Valentine’s Day.

“One of my initial impressions, which I picked up during my interview and has been true during my first few days here, is that the residential experience means so much to people here,” McDaniel said.

When explaining what this position means to her, Brittany expressed that “part of the reason why I do this work is because it is really important to create an environment where when you come to college, you are able to find a home away from home, or maybe this is your first home,” she said. “We really want to think about how we can create an environment where everyone feels safe and finds connections. There’s the ability to learn so much from different folks within an environment when someone feels safe and included.” 

McDaniel has a specific appreciation for liberal arts schools’ this was an influential factor in her decision to be a part of the Wellesley community. 

“I grew in my appreciation for liberal arts about 10 years ago. I worked in another institution that was similarly sized, and I was able to see … that there’s just so much opportunity to think about how are we creating spaces within residence for faculty to come in, for students to just continue conversations they start in the classroom and in other campus spaces,” she said. “There’s so much more to learn about life and how can we work together to foster that environment within residences? The other piece about Wellesley is being able to work with very equity minded and intelligent individuals.” 

In regards to the student body itself, McDaniel elaborated, “I find a lot of meaning and joy working with high-achieving students because there is additional investment that you have within your experience, and so I want to be a partner and I want my team to be a partner in working with students to figure out how we can make this vision a reality.” 

McDaniel discussed some goals she hopes to achieve through this position, stating, “what I want to do is really be able to work with my team where if you [a student] is really feeling at that wit’s end, you are able to go to your CD but also know where our central officers are here [in Billings] so that you can connect with someone on my team or myself and to know that we really are here to support you on your journey.” 

When asked about students who are non-traditional, such as transfer students or Davis Scholars, McDaniel explained that she hopes to work with them specifically in the future and have conversations about how she can enhance their unique transition to Wellesley. 

“I want to acknowledge that for any student who is transferring, that’s a culture shock. It is also happening during such a developmental point in your life. What I am open to doing is finding time because I want to listen.”

McDaniel also shared a few fun facts about herself so that the student community can get to know her better. 

“I have been trying to learn guitar so we will see what happens with that! I also do enjoy being outside unless there are a lot of bugs and then I don’t do so well. You will find me often in the gym so if folks see me in the gym they should say hi!”

Overall, her goals include being present and seen by the student community. 

“I would love to come to student-run programs, and would love to be invited as well. Students are a critical part of the conversation.”

The organization of the event was a testament to Blackout, including an efficient RSVP check-in process and an eco-friendly QR code program. The setup allowed audience members to have varying levels of interaction with the performers. The online program was decorated with  beautifully done, Halloween themed, artwork. 

There were many wonderful acts throughout the night, and the four emcees were extremely engaging. One standout entertainer was E. Jack, who performed “Mrs. Right” by Mindless Behavior and Diggy Simmons. Many audience members cheered them on and some could be overheard calling E. Jack “the pride of Queer POC.” The well-known song and catchy choreography was a big hit with the audience, who were [describe what they were doing (yelling, cheering, jumping)]and the audience clearly had so much fun. 

Another honorable mention is Zana-Whoria, who performed “Vroom Vroom” by Charli XCX. They performed in costume as the Wellesley Local Motion Bus, and their confidence was a palpable element of their performance. “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction was also performed by Singular Path which included cohesive, fun choreography. All of the acts were electrifying performances and the energy of the audience was buzzing as members clapped and danced along with the performers and emcees. 

Luca ’25, one of the audience members at the drag show and queer celebration, was enthusiastic about the show, noting that “it was the highlight of my Halloweekend!” This was a view shared by many others in attendance, as evidenced by the audience’s enthusiastic response . 

In addition to magnifying performances, Blackout was extremely creative with audience participation. They hosted a Just Dance competition, with four audience members perfecting the choreo to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” — largely regarded as a Halloween classic. They also put together a Queer Kahoot with teams made up of audience members. This proved shockingly difficult for some, as a couple of audience members misidentified Azealia Banks as Lupita Nyong’o. Another innovative element was a fashion show, where audience members dressed in fantastic costumes were brought onstage to dance with the emcees. 

Overall, Blackout’s POC Drag Show and Queer Celebration was highly entertaining and a great way to unwind and enjoy a performance away from the stress of academic rigor from midterm season, as well as celebrate the Queer community at Wellesley and beyond.