Emei, an alt-pop artist from LA, returned to Boston in March on her “RABBITHOLE” tour. A Chinese-American musician with a growing following, Emei is no stranger to Wellesley College — she performed at the Chinese Student Association’s Culture Show in Spring 2023. However, as my friends asked “What is Emei?” to my plans to see her show, she seems to be still under the radar to many, despite her past string of viral singles.

When she was just 15, she competed on “Chinese Idol,” a Chinese reality/singing competition show, later releasing her first songs in 2021. These songs went viral on TikTok, launching her music career. Since then, she has released three EPs, her latest being “Rabbithole.” Her songs range from electropop earworms to pop-rock headbangers to acoustic ballads. Emei’s music covers a wide range of topics beyond the typical romance-related pop anthems, speaking to friends, family and her personal growth and struggles with anxiety, stress and ADHD. 

For her VIP experience, Emei performed a short acoustic set featuring two of my favorite songs, one of them being her song “Dear Emily.” During her following Q&A and fan meet-up, I noticed that many attendees were decked out in white, black and red –– the main color themes for Emei’s tour. After the VIP experience, the crowd grew exponentially for her sold-out show. 

After watching openers Ashley Mehta and Haiden Henderson, the stage went dark as red lights slowly flashed and illuminated the stage. Emei was here. She opened the show with her viral hit, “Love Me Not,” a catchy pop-rock hit about overthinking. She followed with non-stop jumping songs like “Cynical,” “Irresponsible,” “Crazy Stupid Love,” and “That Girl.” 

During a set filled with fan surprises (such as launching merch into the crowd) Emei performed a host of newly-released songs including “Rabbithole” and “9 Lives” –– two tracks which are on opposite ends of the energy spectrum, but encompass the range of sounds she brings to her discography. 

Emei’s set concluded with her anxious, fun and vibey hit “Scatterbrain,” the title track from her previous album which characterizes her personal experience living with ADHD. However, having had access to the VIP setlist before the show, I knew the show wasn’t over without an encore. Returning to perform “711” –– a favorite of mine which questions Emei’s anxieties and emotions, Emei brought the show to a compelling end. 

After bearing witness to Emei’s energy and song lyrics live, it became clear how she utilizes music to tackle others’ perceptions of her. She unabashedly makes fun of what others may think; and as a Chinese American woman, she brings visibility to living with ADHD in a fun and digestible manner. Commonly seen as a “white boy disorder” and misunderstood in Chinese American women, ADHD can be a contentious topic –– especially when brought to the spheres of arts and music. However, Emei turns her internal monologue into fun and catchy music which can help listeners understand their own inner selves. A bold, colorful and stylish artist, Emei is a stand-out, and certainly one to watch out for.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Ivy Buck, Nita Kelly

Lyla Ma ’28 is a student from Shanghai, China. Ma had never experienced a democratic election in her home country, so she assumed she could watch the election in a passive manner. She realized quickly it was much more than that to her. 

“The result was heartbreaking to me; not only does it greatly affect my immigration prospect, which is gloomy at this point, but it also shows that a large part of the world is growing more conservative. I am indeed unsure and scared of what is to come, but I find comfort knowing that I have siblings here with me,” Ma said.

While most international students are only citizens of their home country, some Wellesley international students are dual US citizens. Meera Baswan ’27 is a dual Canada-US citizen, and this was her first time voting in US elections. As she reflected on the election results, she was constantly struck by the implications of a Trump presidency for Canada-US relations and the difference between the direction American and Canadian political systems are heading in. 

“Given Trump’s infamous protectionist policies, I’m concerned about how his presidency will affect trade relations between Canada and the US, especially with his plan to impose 10% tariffs on all imported goods,” Baswan explained. “The policy … would both increase the prices of goods here in the US and negatively hit the Canadian economy, which relies on the US as its biggest trade partner.” 

She’s also worried about the social impacts of an increasing ideological shift to the right in America, with more radical right-wing rhetoric from Republicans and even a shift to the center from the Democrats this election season. Baswan compared this to Canada’s political system which also has a right-wing party (Conservatives) and left-wing party (Liberals), but the Conservative party in Canada is arguably closer in social issues to the Democrats than the Republicans. The Conservatives, while fiscally conservative, overall have a generally liberal stance on abortion rights, immigration and diversity. In contrast, the Republican party in America has espoused extreme rhetoric on restricting abortion access and attacking immigrant groups in the United States, often using inflammatory language along the way. 

“Throughout the next four years, we will see how Trump’s presidency will affect Canada-US relations for the better or worse, and the growing split between the Canadian political system and the US political system,” Baswan concluded. 

For Sanika Merchant ’25, who has grown up in India as a US citizen, this election season was particularly significant. It was her first time being physically present in the US during election season, and it helped her realize the level of responsibility and influence she has as a voter.

“In addition, I made great efforts to properly familiarize myself with the different candidates’ policies and be as involved in election-related events as possible,” Merchant pointed out.

For Merchant, election night was “emotional” and “overwhelming” following her expectation that it would be a close race. When the results were announced, it compelled her to think about the socio-political implications for both herself as well as close friends and family both in the United States and abroad. Expanding on these sentiments, Merchant described being “cognizant of potential policy changes in this term that could impact her family’s ability to come to the US from India in the long-term.” 

As an Economics major, Merchant also pointed out potential economic implications of the new US presidency. “Policy changes, such as immigration and international tariffs, could pose serious implications for inflation in the US. Given our recovery from sky-high inflation during the pandemic, I think this is an important matter to consider.” 

For many Wellesley students, the recent Presidential election brought with it a myriad of emotions and prompted a rethinking of the social, political and economic impact that policies in the upcoming term would bring about. As Wellesley moves on post-election, it remains to be seen what the implications of a Trump presidency will have on policy and rhetoric that affects them, and how they might make their voices heard — both on campus and as students in the changing US political landscape.

Image credit: AP Photo, Jeffrey Phelps

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Diya Khanna

For one political science course, POL1 210: Campaigns and Elections, taught by Professor Maneesh Arora, the 2024 election was a direct part of the course curriculum.

The course description for POL1 210 notes that the course addresses issues relating to the election and its long campaign cycle including  “the impact of voter apathy, civic education, and the interplay of national and local politics on the health of American democracy.”

 Students in the class had assignments related to the 2024 election.

“We’ve been looking at voter behavior and how it’s influenced by personal factors like personal identities and political factors like socioeconomic/political conditions,” said Eliza Karim ’27, a student enrolled in the course.

Semester readings have included academic studies alongside articles that delve into various factors of the 2024 election and each major candidate’s campaign tactics. Students in POL1 210 also participated in a nationwide competition called Election Madness in which players compete to accurately predict the winners of the 23 closest local elections and the 2024 presidential race. Students were assigned one of those local races to research in-depth and present to the class, and all researched the presidential race. Classmates’ findings were used to submit picks for the winners on the website. Finally, students submitted two research papers by election day — one for each race they looked at.

On Thursday, Nov. 7, the course met for the first time since the election was called. 

“The class was pretty obviously dejected post-election.” said Karim. “We just discussed how we felt about everything for about the first half of class. The conversation was pretty casual and it was just good to get some of those thoughts off our chests.” 

Other political science professors also prepared to cover the 2024 election. Professor Jennifer Chudy is teaching both POL1 337: Seminar: Race and American Politics and POL1 200: American Politics this semester.

“I had a lot of election readings early in the semester, so that by the time the election came around, students would have some political science tools to be able to understand the results,” said Chudy.

Professor Christopher Candland teaches POL 123: Logic and Rhetoric for Political Analysis and POL2 204: Political Economy of Development and Underdevelopment.

“I asked that we think about ways to help protect one another from harm,” Candland said in an email statement to the News.

In the English department, Professor Kelly Rich started ENG 334: Law in Literature on Wednesday, Nov. 7 with an activity where words were written on the board to represent peoples’ feelings about the election. Students were released for 20 minutes to write a journal entry about their feelings about the election. 

Professor Rich tied conversation about When the Emperor was Divine, a book about Asian American internment during WWII, back to the election and how everyday actions can be seen as a form of resistance. Professor Rich ended class by sharing the internet browser extension called “Make America Kittens Again,” which replaces Trump’s face with a picture of a kitten for all news sources and online websites. 

On Friday, Professor Smitha Radhakrishan asked her SOC 108: Thinking Global: An Introduction to Sociology class the question, “What is the world that we want to build?”

While initially reluctant to share, her students shared about the grief they were feeling, particularly in regards to how the election would influence their home states. 

As professors across Wellesley create spaces for students to process the reasons for the election results, Chudy offers some advice as a political scientist.

“There’s so many efforts to try to understand what happened and pointing to all these different factors with the candidates in the campaigns, but … you know, don’t miss the forest for the trees. Kind of keep your eye on these macro conditions,” Chudy said. “And that seemed to be salient to many students as they tried to reason through the results.”

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Sazma Sarwar, Galeta Sandercock, and Ruby Barenberg

On Oct. 19, fall foliage illuminated the stage where Dunbar and opener Christian Inman performed for Wellesley’s student body. Even though I was unfamiliar with his music, by the end of the afternoon, Isaac Dunbar had become my new favorite artist. Many of his songs resonated with Wellesley students, especially tracks which dealt with themes of queer joy and illusory love like “makeup drawer,” and “Fool’s Paradise.”

Throughout the night, Dunbar repeatedly asked Wellesley students to “shake ass” before performing upbeat disco pop songs. His strong stage presence and confidence created an energetic crowd –– it’s clear that he was born to be a performer. 

Although most of his songs were upbeat dance songs like “I Love To Dance,” his set list also featured more intimate, acoustic-driven songs like “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” and an 80s inspired Queen-esque ballad “American High.” Dunbar’s songs embody the strong sense of self every queer person should aspire to have, and they capture the relatable and playful wittiness of our generation. 

Dunbar already has four albums to his name at just 21 years old. His music has been described as a blend of alternative, indie and dance-pop, with a strong disco influence. Dunbar’s songs have infectious hooks, melodies and production –– with a beautiful, smooth voice to match. 

Dunbar’s rise to indie-prominence has been spectacular to watch, and I can’t wait to see where his music career goes next. Thanks to Dunbar, Wellesley got a much needed reprieve from midterm anxieties.

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Norah Catlin, Anabelle Meyers

On Sept. 25, dedicated “Coneheads” (fans of Gray) were packed like sardines into the pit of Boston’s MGM Music Hall awaiting the start of his show, decked out in starry black and yellow outfits –– a nod to Gray’s latest 80s pop inspired album “Found Heaven.” Following an opening act from British pop star Maisie Peters –– a close friend of Gray’s who is currently on tour promoting her own album, “The Good Witch”–– a curtain dropped from above the stage, dressed with the iconic star symbol of the “Found Heaven” album. Conan Gray had arrived. 

As the opening lyrics of “Found Heaven”’s first song filled the music hall and played amongst flickering lights, the drums stopped for dramatic pauses in between each initial line: 

“No God above us … Can we repent this sin? … No soul is innocent … Everyone wants to love.”

Gray opened with his 80s-inspired banger “Fainted Love” and the crowd roared. He shined in silver leather pants and a vest with dark curls that perfected his iconic 80s popstar look. The crowd was illuminated by color-changing lights, screaming every lyric at the top of their lungs. After performing his more upbeat hits from “Found Heaven,” Gray took a moment to speak to the crowd.

 “Last time I came to Boston I asked if anyone went to Harvard and not one hand went up, it was crickets and I was like damn what does that say about me? So who here goes to Harvard? What about Boston University? Berklee School of Music?” Hundreds of hands went up in response to his funny remarks as we jumped for joy. 

Eventually, Gray turned the lights low for an acoustic song, titled “The Story,” and gave a heartfelt speech about the song:

“I wrote this song as a reminder to those who think you know how the future’s gonna go, I promise you you don’t,” he said.

Gray finished the concert on a strong note with “Bourgeoisieses” and “Alley Rose.” Every night for “Bourgeoisieses,” a satirical song about the rich, Gray wears a different tank tee with a silly phrase ranging from “boy who sneezes” to “the one song I can’t spell” –– a move similar to that of Olivia Rodrigo, pop star and long time friend of Conan Gray, who wears a different tank top during each “Get Him Back” performance. 

Gray’s performance of “Alley Rose” was an incredible and euphoric way to finish off the memorable night, with confetti falling from the sky when he hit a high note towards the end of the song. Gray’s discography is a smooth mixture of heartfelt trauma-healing songs and synth pop bangers that make you want to dance. The night went from pop perfection (“Wish You Were Sober”), to a tone of hopeless, heartbreaking romanticism (“People Watching” and “Heather”).

A Conan Gray concert is the perfect amount of healing and joy that a Wellesley student might need. My friends even joked that Conan Gray would be an icon at Wellesley, and yes –– I have to agree. 

Contact the editors responsible for this article: Anabelle Meyers, Ivy Buck

Volić’s research mathematical methods for evaluating the effectiveness of different mechanisms of democracy bring a much-needed quantitative perspective for understanding the rise of nationalism. He is also the director of the Institute for Mathematics and Democracy, and teaches Mathematics and Politics (MATH/PEAC 123). 

On a personal level, “A lot of what I do in this space of math and democracy is informed by my experience of an immigrant from Bosnia who came to the U.S. because of the war that broke out there in the early 1990s.” 

Volić attributes electoral mechanisms for this, because these systems, from the constitution down to how local elections are carried out, support ethno-religious entities and encourage voters to choose their representatives according to these divisive identifications, not according to what is best for them.

He listed mechanisms of democracy such as the way we vote, apportion legislative seats, as processes that influence certain outcomes, including nationalism and related ideologies. It can elevate fringe candidates with the support of a minority of the voters. 

“What we see in the U.S. (and Western Europe) is nationalism as democratic pluralism taken to its extreme, leading to intolerance and exclusionary politics. Our democratic systems have become instruments for this nationalism.” 

Some examples include how plurality voting encourages polarization, decreases participation by third parties and minority candidates, and supports negative rhetoric and campaigning. Primaries are decided by a handful of voters who often represent the base of an extremist candidate. Single-winner districts have through plurality voting and gerrymandering become for the most part uncompetitive and all that is required to get reelected is to appeal to the base.

According to Volić, there are mathematical ways to show that certain electoral methods are better than others in the sense that they increase representation and elevate more centrist candidates – ranked choice voting, multi-member districts, and open primaries among them. This community conversation series was a direct way his researched solutions can be applied to tackling real world problems like nationalism. 

“We need better electoral engineering, namely a better design of mechanisms of democracy that would produce outcomes that are favorable to more people.”

Image credit: wellesley.edu

Contact the editor responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn

The mid-autumn festival, or Moon Festival, is an important harvest holiday across Asia, particularly in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. It’s traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th month of the Lunar calendar, when a full moon is seen, this year falling on Sept. 17. 

The Mid-Autumn Festival is not just about food and fun — it’s about remembering family, unity and tradition. Each year, the Chinese Students Association (CSA) hosts a celebration in Tishman for all students to celebrate the holiday. For CSA, the event is crucial for fostering cultural pride and community spirit among Chinese students, helping them feel connected to their traditions even while studying abroad or far from home. It also allows them to share their culture with non-Chinese peers, promoting cultural exchange and understanding.

CSA started planning for the celebration two months ago before school started. The celebration featured delicious catered Chinese food, mooncakes, mahjong, calligraphy, clay mooncake making and fan painting. The event is a Wellesley favorite, as the long line circling the Lulu staircase.  Rihanna Perry ’28, described a “lovely atmosphere” where she could sit with her friends and have conversations with them. 

While CSA’s event wasn’t on the official day celebrated on the Lunar Calendar, the Wellesley East Asian Language and Cultural (EALC) corridor had a small moon festival celebration on the official day in the Freeman TV room. This one was more intimate, with around 20 people packed into the tiny TV room, mostly for students taking a class with the EALC department and living on the language corridors. Across East Asia, the Moon Festival is celebrated differently in the Chinese, Korean and Japanese cultures. Language assistants took turns introducing their traditions, followed by a tasting of mooncakes from each East Asian country.  Afterwards, students played a Kahoot quiz game to better solidify their understanding of diversity and commonalities. 

Seeing Asians at Wellesley joyfully be able to celebrate their cultural holidays and share with Wellesley students outside their cultural community is one of the most valuable experiences one can have at Wellesley. Even in the midst of the “Wellesley grind,” students can still take time to celebrate with friends and family and be grounded in the joy a holiday can bring, whether from your own culture or in learning about another. 

Contact the editor(s) responsible for this story: Diya Khanna and Phoebe Rebhorn