Financial independence, or being categorized as an “Unaccompanied Homeless Youth” as defined by the Office of the US Department of Education, includes youth who are “(1) unaccompanied and homeless or (2) unaccompanied, self-supporting, and at risk of being homeless. On Wellesley’s campus, 18 students are considered financially independent, according to an anonymous administrative source. 

Destiny Eversole ’27 aged out of foster care. Wanda ’25* was disowned. Piper Lloyd ’25, a trans student, no longer has a home in Oklahoma, his state of origin. Rory Lawless ’25 is considered independent due to issues at home. These students received the status of financial independence early in their time at Wellesley. 

“Generally, financially independent students either come from a foster care situation, they don’t have parents, they were disowned and/or they come from abusive situations. And that’s where I was coming from. So I was really grateful not to have to go home,” said Wanda.

In response to the announcement, Lloyd, Wanda, Eversole and Lawless, along with other FI (financially independent) community members, immediately emailed back expressing their confusion, fear and disbelief. 

“They’re removing the criteria of financial independence as being a reason for needing summer housing completely,” said Wanda ’25. “They sent that email to us a couple days ago — no warning. In fact, a few weeks before they sent that email, some of [the FI] community emailed confirming that they had summer housing based on their status, and they were told yes.”

“I assumed it was a mistake that we have been left off the list,” said Lloyd. 

Lloyd shared that after he emailed back, he received an automated response and was never contacted by a real person. Eversole sent a similar response, asking if leaving FI students off the list was a mistake and sharing that their financial aid officer confirmed they would be eligible for housing earlier in the year. She got the same automatic response. When Lawless sent an email, they were told to find alternate housing, despite the exorbitant short-term apartment prices in Wellesley and the great Boston area. 

“This was never announced to the student body, to admin or to faculty, we only found out when we tried to apply as we have been able to for the past multiple years,” said Eversole. Eversole explained that the FI population never got an explanation as to why the decision was made in the first place and that the new criteria for summer housing has numerous flaws. 

According to Eversole, the criteria that allow for summer housing has limited spots and is not accessible. The two 7-week in-person classes that Wellesley listed as an alternative reason to stay on campus are an upper-level biology class capped at 12 students and an upper-level chemistry class capped at 14 students. Both classes require prerequisite courses, are not open or accessible to first-year students and are not limited to financially independent students. For Eversole, as a QuestBridge match on full financial aid, the minimum that she predicts one class would cost is $500. Beyond that Wanda, Eversole and Lloyd expressed that as financially independent students, they support themselves by definition, meaning that most have to work to survive. That tends to mean that they have to get a job off-campus due to the limits that Wellesley places on how many hours are workable and the fact that they only pay minimum wage. Additionally, summer internships last a maximum of 12 weeks and do not allow off-campus work concurrently. 

“A lot of us are off campus and we cannot afford to rework around that schedule, which is also the problem with having an on-campus internship and an on-campus job. Because, for one, the deadlines for applications for almost all of those positions were over by the time we found out that we no longer qualified because they never announced that change,” said Eversole.

“A lot of us have jobs off campus that pay a lot better than doing on-campus work or we have internships that will help us in our future careers that require us not to have any other commitments like our REUs, research experience for undergrads, which are nationally funded and well known — they make you sign a contract that you will not take any classes, hold any other jobs, or do any other research. Those require that complete dedication. It’s a full immersion experience,” said Wanda.

Like Eversole, Wanda’s financial aid officer initially told them that as long as they were considered financially independent, they would qualify for housing across all breaks. Later in their time at Wellesley, Wanda received a call from SFS telling them that their counselor didn’t know what she was doing. 

“I know I personally had a confirmation from my financial aid advisor last semester (during the fall of 2023) that I qualified for housing. There have been reports from students online that up until two weeks before the deadline, they had confirmation. The biggest issue is the lack of communication and the lack of justification for this and the fact that admin is just not listening to students whatsoever,” said Eversole.

Those involved in the repercussions of the decision and lack of communication immediately rallied together, spreading their message online and across campus. 

“I sent out a mass email to a lot of the faculty, a lot of admin, the Board of Trustees, put together some of the people who have been working on the petition, our spam has been going up, [we made a] linktree and the email templates, things like that,” said Eversole. The linktree contains surveys, action items, documentation, administrative responses and testimonials of FI students. 

“A lot of admin, faculty, professors and staff have been incredibly supportive. They have been spreading the news. It’s been incredible,” shared Eversole, “Last time when we counted the signatures were at 1500, so ¼ of the entire student body has signed it.” Since the interview, the number of signatures has risen to over 2000. 

Their effort received enough student, alumni, faculty and partial administrative support that the Office of Residential Life and Student Housing allowed a one-time exception for the upcoming summer and issued an apology for the delayed announcement.  

“After we were able to raise awareness, that’s when they sent us a private email saying, ‘You misunderstood us,’ and, ‘You misread our email,’” said Wanda.

“It wasn’t an apology for the policy or that people were like, ‘Oh, I’m going to be homeless in a month and a half,’” said Lloyd, “It was like, ‘Sorry we told you too late that you were going to be homeless.’ It wasn’t an actual apology.”

“They’re just completely ignoring the fact that we’re not just trying to get summer housing for this upcoming summer. Every email that we have sent recently has just had an automated response, saying, ‘You have housing for [this] summer.’ We made it very clear that we’re no longer trying to get that, we’re trying to insulate it as a permanent change, or I guess, permanent reversal of the new policy,” said Eversole. 

“I was very thankful that people were so quick to hop on this and rally for this … but I feel like I’m a little worried because I feel like the heat is dying down a little, since people are like, ‘Oh, it’s fine. There’s an exemption.’ Next year, there won’t be an exemption,” said Lawless. 

According to all four interviewees, being financially independent at Wellesley has always been forcibly secretive, has always been a battle and has always been defeating. Wanda expressed that at one point they even thought they were the only FI student at the College.

“There’s nothing on the financial aid website that talks about this. Whenever I would go to financial aid or try to get a meeting, they would quickly whisk me back so nobody could overhear anything. I genuinely thought I was the only one,” said Wanda.

Wanda disclosed that in the summer of 2022, they had another issue receiving housing, sharing that their living arrangements at Wellesley have always been trauma-inducing. At the time, they were doing research and working on campus but were going abroad in the fall and needed bridge housing. Their request for housing between the end of their research and their travels was denied. They received curt, short responses from Student Housing and were told by the Dean’s Advisory Committee to find transitional housing at a homeless shelter — Dean Black sent them a list of homeless shelters, including the YWCA. Only after Wanda reached out to alumni and the student worker union did the college decide to let them in the College Club stay during the two weeks they needed housing. Wanda has also experienced this discriminatory treatment across other departments on campus, including the Title IX department, and they feel like their financial independence makes them seem like a lesser person to many faculty and administrators.

Lloyd had similar dismissive experiences.

“I think it’s one of those things where it’s like they don’t want you to talk about your tuition the same way employers don’t want you to talk about your salary,” said Piper Lloyd ’25. 

Lloyd revealed that, without housing in Massachusetts, he won’t receive hormone replacement therapy, as his state has not yet legalized it, and that if he is forced to couch-surf back home, he would be forcibly detransitioned for the summer. He is thankful that he received top surgery last summer, rather than this year when his housing in Massachusetts is being compromised by the college. He mentioned the possibility of the termination of his gender-affirming healthcare in his initial response to the first announcement and received no acknowledgment. 

Beyond that, Lloyd feels like the College does not want them here and worries that the additional stress will cause his academics to suffer. Eversole expressed that they feel patronized and dismissed. Wanda feels like there is no compassion for their situation, they are being treated inhumanely, and they are exhausted from having to constantly fight discrimination. 

“We want apologies because it’s exhausting every semester to deal with this. It’s traumatic to feel secure in your bed one day and then the next day have it be taken away. And then, oh, you have a pset due that day too. It’s very stressful,” said Wanda.

“I think it is an absolute atrocity that my new permanent address is kicking me out of my permanent address. I don’t understand really, I guess that’s the crux of my frustration. I already had to deal with being homeless once. Why are you making me do this again?” said Lawless.

Since her interview, Eversole has shared that the creation of an organization dedicated to financially independent students has been underway. The organization was approved by CORA on April 10 and awaits administrative approval. Organization members have met with Dean Horton, dean of students, Piper Ortan, vp of finance, and Brittany McDaniel, associate dean of residential life to discuss plans for the future and are building a foundation to obtain housing through both summer and winter breaks regardless of academic involvement. 

Wellesley Media Relations refers students to Dean Horton’s letter to the community and shared the answers to the following questions: 

Is Wellesley planning to reinstate financial independence as a sole qualification for housing during the summer 2025 session and beyond? 

“There are many reasons that students are defined as financially independent. We will continue to work with financially independent students, as we always have, to ensure that they have a housing plan for the summer.”

What justification does Wellesley have for removing financial independence as a sole qualifier for summer housing? 

“Financial independence was not meant to be a sole qualifier for summer housing. During Covid-19 we included this as a drop-down option on the student housing portal to make it easier because we understood that the pandemic conditions limited options for many students. But prior to that, we always worked with students individually for their summer or winter housing. Our peer institutions also work in the same way, supporting individual students but not listing this as a single qualification.”

What “alternative housing assistance” does Wellesley plan to offer to financially independent students who are unable to secure an on-campus job, internship, or class in the future if financial independence is not reinstated as a sole qualification?

“All students should be planning for their summer and winter breaks, and independent students should begin this process early to ensure that they have time to explore options and opportunities. The class deans and Career Education advisors work with students to think through options that make sense academically, and the residential life team is available to talk with students as well. Students may want to explore on-campus options, such as research, internships and employment, or may want to pursue opportunities in the area or elsewhere. Whether choosing to stay in the Boston area or going elsewhere, there are summer sublets available and many students take advantage of these. We are aware that there are costs involved, and although financial aid is not available for summer housing or meals, students are encouraged to meet with their SFS advisor as they plan ahead. When students are dealing with significant financial challenges, the WSAS is also an option to support students.”

A student reports that when asking for assistance finding summer housing, they were directed to homeless shelters in the area. Why was this a solution presented to a student, particularly considering that many Financially Independent Wellesley students aren’t eligible to stay at homeless shelters?

“We cannot comment on a specific student situation; however, we encourage any student who has a unique situation to speak with their class dean for support, or to reach out to the Associate Dean in the Office of Residential Life or Student Financial Services so we can talk through their options and provide appropriate support one-on-one.  What is most important is planning early for times outside of the academic year.”

*Names with asterisks* are pseudonyms representing anonymous sources. They were granted anonymity due to fear for their personal safety.

“We won’t take all the credit. It’s actually been in the running within the SHEs for about three years now,” said Plasencia. 

According to Plasencia, conversations about the vending machine started with their former president, Asia Korkmaz, SHEs president for 2021-2022 school year. She facilitated conversations with Health Services and the SHEs Advisor, Allison Weinberg, director of Student Wellness. The project was taken on by SJ Stevens and Olivia Rivera, SHEs co-presidents for the 2022-2023 school year. They helped navigate discussions with health services and administration. Plasencia, Hernández Santillán and Guntrip are working on acquiring funding and collaborating with other organizations.

“Essentially, we’ve had the groundwork laid out and we’ve been working on logistics this year, going through senate, and going through all of the proceedings to actually put it in place,” said Hernández Santillán, “We’re hoping that this semester, it’s a done deal.”

Project collaborators include Wellesley for Reproductive Justice (WRJ) and Wellesley Community Care, both of which assisted with sourcing the emergency contraception through Advocates for Youth, a nonprofit organization and advocacy group dedicated to sexual education, HIV prevention, sexually transmitted diseases/infections prevention, teenage pregnancy prevention, access to contraception, equality for LGBTQ+ youth and youth participation,” according to their website. According to Plasencia, the SHEs also have connections to other organizations that can provide emergency contraception for free to keep the machine self-sustaining. 

“We have established this throughout our e-board, which consists of mostly younger students. Since [the co-presidents] are graduating, we’ve established this is something that’s going to be a constant collaboration between orgs, between the Office of Student Wellness, and it’s something that will hopefully keep sustaining itself for future years to come,” said Plasencia. Plasencia hopes that, in the future, other organizations such as PERIOD will be involved and notes that, once the machine is established, a larger committee will be formed. 

Together, members of the committee will help to ensure that the machine stays stocked with Plan B One-Step, an emergency contraception that does not require a prescription. Plan B One-Step (levonorgestrel 1.5 mg) both prevents the release of the egg and attachment of the egg to the uterine wall and prevents/delays ovulation. It should be noted that Plan B One-Step, (and other levonorgestrel varieties) are not the same as mifepristone, the medication used in medical abortions. They function differently in that mifepristone induces hormonal changes that cause the uterine lining to shed after a fertilized egg has already attached to the uterine wall and begun to develop.

According to One-Step’s package, the pill can be taken by mouth for up to five days after unprotected penetrative sex, but it’s most effective within three days. More information about the product will be posted behind the machine when it arrives at its location. This sheet will have information on how to safely take the medication, risk factors and information about how to access appropriate on and off campus resources, including Health Services, the Office of Student Wellness, Planned Parenthood and more. 

The machine will be placed outside of the Office of Student Wellness, located in Billings, which is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. There are no cameras in the building and the building is only swipe-access available. The supply of emergency contraception will also be kept in the Office of Student Wellness, in order to prevent the responsibility from being on a member of the SHEs.

“We’ve chosen the location very strategically,” said Plasencia. “We tried to make it as private as possible.” 

Hernández Santillán agreed, noting that the project participants have been in touch with other institutions that have installed emergency contraception vending machines. 

“There have been instances at other schools that we’ve interacted with in terms of gathering resources, other schools that have emergency contraception vending machines, and they have experienced some pushback. That’s why we are trying to make attempts to have this near the Office of Student Wellness where someone can keep an eye on it at all times,” said Hernández Santillán.

Allison Weinberg alongside Nancy Baden, outreach nurse educator, will oversee the stock of contraception available in the machine. Additionally, they’re going to replenish the quarters and nickels next to the machine used to pay for the five-cent contraception packages. Because of the supply of change, emergency contraception will be completely free to students. 

 According to Plasencia, previous methods of obtaining contraception via Health Services or CVS Pharmacy posed barriers to students concerned about the $50 cost of the drug, the record of obtaining contraception on insurance statements, and those unable to find an appointment within the efficacy window. “We haven’t found another option for something that’s so low cost without going through health services,” said Plasencia, “We’re happy to be able to provide this resource for students for free.”

Hernández Santillán explained that the machine is important because the demand for emergency contraception on Wellesley’s campus has been high. 

“[The demand for emergency contraception] is pretty big to the point where the Office of Student Wellness has approached us. There have definitely been hoops to jump through, but it’s a huge need on campus. We didn’t even feel the need to make a petition or anything like that, just because of what’s been spoken about in conversation and what’s been told to us as the SHEs,” said Hernández Santillán. “There’s been logistical hoops. And just making sure that if we’re putting this resource on campus, people can access it safely with all of the information that they need to know about the product.”

An obstacle that Hernández Santillán, Plasencia and Guntrip have faced is the fact that the Plan B One-Step pill may not be effective for those who weigh more than 165 pounds. The alternative is a prescription drug named ella (ulipristal acetate).   

“Unfortunately, that’s prescription based and we have not yet figured out a way to put that in the machine without having a doctor’s note. Sometimes people ask us if they can take two Plan Bs instead of one ella and that’s not the case,” said Hernández Santillán. 

Plasencia hopes to add ella to the vending machine’s stock in the future. “We want it to be accessible to everyone. We know that Plan B One-Step is not accessible to everybody. That would be a long-term goal,” she added. Health Services can assist in getting prescriptions for ella and help navigate delivery to campus from Andrew’s Pharmacy. 

Hernández Santillán shared that the SHEs are planning on having a proper unveiling and opening of the vending machine with the Office of Student Wellness and other organizations. 

“It’s been a long time coming. Coco and Sofía especially have done so much work with talking to different people and corresponding with other schools, so it wasn’t something that just spontaneously happened. I’m very proud of them and everything they’ve done to help the student body,” said Guntrip. 

Wellesley Drag, an ensemble of queer and trans students on Wellesley Campus, opens the doors of Shafer basement to the community once a month for a themed show with dancing, music, art fairs and photography. It was first brought to life in March of 2022 by Ayelet Cartolina Kaminer ’25, a Wellesley sib with experience in go-go dancing, nightlife and performance arts. 

“I came into the drag scene at Wellesley from the ground of performing in nightlife in New York, and now that’s what I am doing in Berlin,” said Kaminer, who is now studying abroad in Germany for the spring of their junior year. “I started it because I came to Wellesley from a background of when I was in high school, in a pretty similar collective of young, queer people who wanted to make some sort of weird art but didn’t have any institution or support or money,” said Kaminer.

Kaminer notes that a key tenet of the collective is that the group identifies as a non-institutional space. It is not constituted as a campus organization and does not receive funding.

“I really struggled my freshman year … everything was through the college when I wanted something that was independent,” said Kaminer, “There’s a lot of institutional opposition and Wellesley creates opposition [against] doing things without the sort of gold-star stamp of the college or [going] through SBOG.”

For Kaminer, the element that makes Wellesley Drag so important is that it furthers the school’s connection to the native and hedonistic elements of the queer community. 

“Often [there are] these stories of queer peoples’ lives of [queer bodies] being m*rdered and t*rtured, and horrible things happening. I like having a connection to queerness that’s rooted in joy and I think, especially at a historically women’s college, it’s really easy to take at face value that everyone’s gender expression is what it looks like,” said Kaminer.

For Kaminer, Wellesley Drag is a place to express yourself, perform the art of gender expression, and have fun. 

“What I think is most important is finding a consistent space for trans students to call home. I also think it’s important to have fun on a regular basis. I don’t think that it’s healthy to be so cerebral all the time,” said Kaminer, professing that they too are guilty of focusing on their studies too much at times. 

Wellesley Drag acts not only as a space for trans and queer students to be visible through performance, but also offers a creative sphere to visual and material art craft fairs, photographers and DJs. The compensation from tips from a single show usually varies from $11-20 per performer, DJ and photographer. In total, on average, Kaminer tips out 12 individuals for the work they put into the event. All tip transactions occur through the Wellesley Drag Venmo account, rather than personal Venmos or cash, then are divided equally. Kaminer explains the first Wellesley Drag show had only seven attendees, so each performer could have their own Venmo posted, but because Wellesley Drag has grown to a much larger event, they thought it was fair that everyone get paid the same amount. Kaminer decided to opt against cash tips because, with their experience in go-go dancing, they found that some audience members feel entitled to touch performers’ bodies, tease with money, or be generally rude, although they hope this behavior wouldn’t occur on Wellesley’s campus. 

“[Opting for Venmo] makes Drag a little less transactional and a little bit more like crowdfunding,” said Kaminer, “The whole production of Drag gets no funding from the College, so all the speakers and tables and random [things] are bought either by performers or by me … it’s really a labor of love. Drag as an artform is very much community rooted. There’s an element of mutual aid that goes into it.”

The costs that go into the production of Wellesley Drag that go beyond paying the performers and staff include the various decorations and the sound system. Wellesley Drag had previously been hosted in Claflin Hall, but when Clapp Library renovations began, Claflin basement transitioned to a study space, dislocating Drag. According to Kaminer, their sound system went missing as well.

“[There have been] so many obstacles,” reflected Kaminer. For Kaminer, the obstacles and the attendance at each event make the need for tipping even more urgent. Kaminer noted that they never expected the collective to become so popular. 

“Wellesley Drag has gotten so much bigger than I could have imagined. I think it has expanded beyond the stupid thing I do with my friends over the weekend. Now people come from other colleges and people that don’t go to Wellesley bring their cis/het boyfriends. I think that’s all amazing and so, so unimaginable, but at the same time I don’t want the relationship between audience and performer to be a one-sided one.”

Although tips are sometimes low, Kaminer relayed that Drag has never had an occurrence similar to the weekend of Saturday Feb. 17. Wellesley Drag hosted a Valentine’s Day themed show that evening, which had the routine busy turnout and multiple acts. The morning after the show, when Kaminer checked the Wellesley Drag Venmo account, they saw that the group had only received a single donation of $10. Kaminer called Venmo thinking there might have been an error. Then, Kaminer, alongside other members of the collective and the Wellesley Drag Instagram itself, took to social media to rally up tips and encourage attendees to contribute.  

Fellow student and Instagram follower, Wendy ’25, upon seeing the Instagram post, thought the message was too strong.

“After the first drag [show] of the year, there was a post on Instagram from the Wellesley Drag Instagram account that said something along the lines of, ‘We only got $10 in tips last night, open your wallets or drag won’t be happening anymore,’ or, ‘it won’t happen,’” recounted Wendy.

Wendy screenshotted the post and uploaded it to Sidechat, an anonymous social media, with the caption, “With all due respect, tips are not obligatory. Maybe without the sass, I’d be interested in tipping but, try not to demand it.”

Wendy immediately received backlash to their comment. 

“[I] got responses like, ‘they work so hard on this, the least you could do is tip them, don’t be so selfish they need this space, this is a fun place to be queer on campus,’” said Wendy, “The responses kind of came a little harshly … the energy was pretty harsh coming from people … it got personal at some points.”

Wendy relayed that she understands the amount of time and energy put into a production like Drag, but thinks that rather than requesting tips, a better solution would be to have a cover fee. 

“If [Wellesley Drag] is expecting money for people to watch [their] performances, then [they] should just charge people to enter. That’s what plays do and that’s why I mentioned [in my argument on Sidechat that] Broadway shows and small theaters all take months to plan as you said Drag does, but they charge a fee for you to enter. And they don’t expect tips,” said Wendy.

Although Wellesley Drag is not necessarily against the idea of cover fee or tickets in the future, especially if tipping continues to be low, Kaminer explained that it did not seem feasible in the past.

“Nobody, in this economy, [wants to buy] tickets to go to Shafer basement,” said Kaminer, while laughing, “Drag is rooted in the artform of gender expression, it’s different than going to the opera or to a punk concert … I have had a lot of conversations with performers where they have suggested having a cover fee of some sort, and I don’t think that is necessarily out-of-the-question, but part of the culture at Wellesley is when you go to an [event] and someone has their Venmo up, you Venmo them.”

As a waitress back home, Wendy explains that tipping is a different concept to her. She makes $10 below the minimum wage of her state because her boss knows that tips typically make up the difference. In her line of work, Wendy acknowledges that her customers tip her out of generosity, not obligation, and that the Instagram story posted by Wellesley Drag seemed to put pressure on their audience. 

“When you go to a restaurant, you should tip in America because that is how this country works, but you don’t have to. And it’s not expected, it’s kind of needed, but it’s not expected. That is my livelihood, that’s not just me doing a performance on campus for fun, that was me working to support my family,” said Wendy, “I am not going to compare different careers, but it’s a hard job, and I don’t know the details behind preparing a drag performance.”

  Wendy admittedly noted that she has never been to a drag show off of campus, and has only been to Wellesley Drag a handful of times, given that she is not interested in the type of performance that Wellesley Drag offers. 

“I am not particularly interested in the kind of performance that I think Drag wants to promote. Throughout various discussions I’ve seen on Sidechat and with people on campus, people have described Wellesley Drag as a burlesque show, and based on a Google search on what burlesque means, it sounds pretty accurate, and that’s just not something I’m interested in,” said Wendy. “I’m not interested in watching people in a sexual context … especially when I don’t know them. Drag just isn’t my thing.”

For Wendy, going to Drag is more for social reasons than for the show itself. She explained that her friends frequently attend the performance. Oftentimes for Wendy and her friends, she feels as if there is nothing else to do on campus. 

“I think that Drag being the primary space that people are calling the cool place to be gay or the fun place to be gay [is] not ideal. It is somewhat sexual in nature. And I’m going to say somewhat, but a number of the dances are more overtly sexual than others,” said Wendy.

Kaminer admits that the show might not be for everyone, and encourage people who don’t enjoy the performance to find an artistic or social outlet somewhere else on campus. Kaminer explained that they hope that none of the audience members feel coerced to come to the event.

Wendy disclosed that she did not know that tipping is the norm in drag culture.

“I just didn’t have that sort of context [about tipping] and I don’t know how many Wellesley College students have had that context at a drag experience. You can’t expect everyone to know everything about this,” said Wendy, “If there’s something that’s really important to you or an expectation, I feel like you should explain it.”

Typically, at a Wellesley Drag show, the host gives a spiel on tipping, encouraging the audience to tip their performers and explaining why. Wendy, who has gone to five shows, shared how Wellesley Drag normally approaches the subject beforehand, from their perspective.

“At Wellesley Drag, it’s kind of been like, ‘Hey, make sure to tip your performances. We’ve worked so hard, guys. Admin doesn’t support us. We’re doing this on our own. Support us. Give us tips,’” said Wendy. Wendy then went on to explain that for her, having a more personal approach to tipping would put her in a better position to give tips. 

“The main thing that we can do to encourage tipping is to create a culture around it,” said Kaminer. For Kaminer, tipping is a normal part of drag culture and they have attempted to communicate this through the shows.

“I think [not having the context of tipping norms] was kind of the crux of why things went so poorly. Just a lack of context throughout,” said Wendy. For Wendy, the biggest hardship throughout the weekend of Feb. 17 was her frustration with the communication. 

“As the communication on Sidechat became more toxic than what I saw the original Instagram post to be, my opinions about the performance and maybe the organizers was kind of affirmed – that they’re rude people who are not open to discussion,” said Wendy.

Although it wasn’t made explicit on the original Instagram post, Kaminer added that Wellesley Drag appreciates the support, but does not expect it. Kaminer acknowledges that money can be tight in college and understands why tipping might be difficult. 

“[An argument for not tipping would be] if someone in the audience feels entitled to the artistry of queer people or lacks an understanding about the work that goes into it. But also, I have been broke at a drag show and didn’t tip … part of being a grown-up is knowing your limitations,” said Kaminer, “Drag is really something that is sustained by love of the community and the space, and I think that everyone brings what they can to it. Tipping can not be further from the only way you can contribute to Drag, if there are people who read this article who are like, ‘damn, I do not have the funds,’ there are so many ways to volunteer and be a part of it. It’s amazing that there is so much community support.”

Wellesley, MA, has a relatively low crime rate compared to surrounding areas. The Federal Bureau of Statistics reports that, as of 2019, there had been seven violent crimes, zero murders or manslaughters, zero sexual assaults or robberies, seven aggravated assaults, 120 instances of property crime, and 15 burglaries reported out of a population size of 29,651. Compared to Boston, MA, with a reported population size of 698,941 in 2019, and 4,244 violent crimes, 42 murders or manslaughters, 231 rapes, 1,039 robberies, 2,932 aggravated assaults, an unknown number of property crimes, and 1,703 burglaries, Wellesley is statistically much more secure. 

Despite the relatively low crime rate in Wellesley, there have been incidents on Wellesley College’s campus of note. From the incident of a man shouting at a student and knocking the phone out of their hand (Sept. 20, 2021) to the theft of catalytic converters from cars (Feb. 2022), unwelcome visitors can be spotted from time to time around campus. The latest published public safety incident involving students occurred during the fall semester of 2023. 

“Sometime during the fall semester, I was notified that a small group of middle-school-aged boys had entered Severance Hall via the Tower Dining Hall and were walking around in the residential corridor,” said Anna Ehrlich, Community Director of Claflin, Severance Hall and Cedar Lodge.

The middle-schoolers were reported to have entered students’ dorms, invading private spaces with both their presence and their cameras. Residential Life student leaders were immediately notified by residents of Severance Hall, and the student leaders were able to locate the intruders, according to Ehrlich. 

“All RAs, HPs and CDs have training around unauthorized guests in residence halls. Depending on the situation, student leaders could choose to approach the unauthorized guest directly, or call their building CD or the CD on call for support if they didn’t feel comfortable approaching the guest at that moment,” said Ehrlich, “If the situation was unsafe, the student leaders would likely call Public Safety directly who would dispatch an officer and the CD on call to respond.”

Ehrlich notes that her idea of community safety means that all individuals on this campus look out for each other, an idea reflective of Wellesley’s crime prevention strategy. According to the Wellesley College 2023 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, “The College’s crime prevention strategy rests on a multi‐layered foundation of proactive area patrol of the campus, crime prevention education and training, building and area security surveys, and property registration. This approach relies on minimizing criminal opportunities whenever possible, and encouraging community members to take responsibility for their own and other’s safety.”

“When something feels off or out of place, it’s okay to ask for help because it keeps our community safe,” said Ehrlich. 

*Student interviews were not included to maintain privacy for victims of the break-in.

“Freon is used as refrigerant … ” said Chakraborty, “At Wellesley College, R-22 Freon is still being used in a few buildings such as College Club and Weaver House. The central utility plant delivers chilled water for cooling in most buildings. There are a few stand-alone cooling units, serving areas such as common spaces in Residential Halls. All of these units were installed within the last 13 years, and do not use ozone-depleting R-22 Freon.”

Freon, an aerosol propellant, popular in the 1960s, is an organic solvent consisting of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, which are nontoxic, nonflammable chemicals containing carbon, chlorine and fluorine. Historically, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, CFCs have been used as coolants in refrigeration and air conditioning, bug sprays, paints, hair conditioners and other health care products. CFCs, like Freon, are inert in the lower atmosphere, but when they diffuse to the upper atmosphere, they are highly reactive and release chlorine, destroying ozone and contributing to the degradation of the ozone layer, the protective blanket on our planet that reflects harmful ultraviolet radiation. Nicholas Doe, senior instructor in the chemistry department, explained further. 

“It was hugely popular in the 60s for all sorts of things, until they found out that CFCs are bad for our ozone layer,” said Doe. He emphasizes that although Freon is harmful to the ozone layer, it worked very well for its intended purpose. 

“It’s very rare that things that are so popular and so helpful to our life are banned due to environmental consequences,” said Doe. “What’s fascinating about it is the fact that it has been banned, so no new actual appliances can use this refrigerant. Anything that [the college] buys new, they have to make sure that it doesn’t have it. [The industry] in the United States and 197 other countries won’t even sell refrigerators that have Freon anymore.”

Chakraborty acknowledged this, and explained that Wellesley is following the phase-out initiative that the government enacted. 

“R-22 or HCFC-22 Freon is an ozone-depleting substance. In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched a 10-year plan to phase out ozone-depleting substances, including R-22 Freon. Freon is no longer produced or imported, but the use of existing Freon-containing equipment is still allowed. Any newer equipment will have a different type of refrigerant. The most common alternative to R-22 is R-410A, which is a non-ozone depleting hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerant blend,” said Chakraborty. 

Doe stated that Freon was used in the past because it was cheap, plentiful and worked well. The switch to HFCs, according to Doe, makes the replacement chemical seem better for the environment, although he questioned if the alternative will have unforeseen consequences. 

“[The chemical coolant industry] is trying to make it sound less toxic,” said Doe, “If [Freon] is just a chlorofluorocarbon, there really is just a molecule of chloride and fluoride on it. As soon as you replace a chloride with hydrogen, maybe it makes it a little less toxic … I know there is a greener alternative, but refrigerants in general are not meant for our environment, so if it doesn’t kill the ozone layer, does it contaminate the soil? Does it do other nasty things?”

Upon further research, Doe found that HFCs will be banned in 2025, and new appliances made after that year will no longer contain that refrigerant.

“The replacement for CFCs and HFCs is “air”, “CO2” (aka-dry ice), hydrocarbons (aka-propane) and ammonia.  These are less toxic, but not as cheap and efficient as CFCs and HFCs,” said Doe.

Chakraborty noted that, over the last 13 years, the College has been diligent in replacing almost all of the R-22 Freon units and explains that the few units that remain will be replaced when those buildings are renovated. He clarified that the renovation of the Keohane Sports Center had created the conditions for the leak and that normally all units are checked for leakages by facility members per a preventative maintenance schedule. 

“The [AC] units in KSC were abandoned 20+ years ago and were not being used, or checked. When the KSC units were abandoned, the units were not de-commissioned properly, and Freon was left in the units. Facilities personnel were not aware that these units still contained Freon. As part of the pool renovation project, the old units were being demolished. During demolition, the Freon in these units was released,” said Chakraborty. 

According to the initial alert email, the staff from Suffolk Construction, the contractors for the renovation of the Keohane Sports Center, pulled the fire alarm and called 911. The reason for this procedure is explained by Chakraborty.

“Overexposure to Freon may cause dizziness and loss of concentration. Vapors displace air and can cause asphyxiation in confined spaces. Freon, however, is a non-flammable material. Since the leak could have potentially caused imminent danger to the workers, the public safety authorities were immediately notified to assess the hazards from the release. The Fire Department ordered evacuation of the building until they could assess the risks posed by the release,” said Chakraborty, “The protocol for handling chemical spills depends on the nature of the chemical and the hazard potential. Typically, the Fire Department is notified if there is a potential of imminent danger from releases of materials that are flammable or may affect respiration, or if a person has been injured.”

Doe explained that this phenomenon relates closely to the idea of carbon monoxide poisoning.

“As an aerosol, when you breathe it in, it is taking the place of the oxygen you’re breathing in, so if you breathe in nothing but Freon, you aren’t getting any air,” said Doe. 

The Wellesley Fire and Police Department arrived at the scene and stated that no injuries were reported.

Doe hypothesized that, to clean up the leak, officials and facility staff wiped up what had spilled and opened all the doors to ventilate the area, releasing the Freon to the air to prevent the chemical from poisoning any people in the vicinity. 

He explained the hardships in manufacturing and using coolants such as Freon: “This is the end game anyway for everything we do environmentally, is that there is a payoff. It’s really hard to find environmentally-friendly things that do the same things as all the nasty ones,” said Doe. 

“I feel like some people don’t know this [space] is communal,” said Nic Wong ’24. Wong explains that they recently moved from Cazenove Hall to Beebe Hall and are disgusted by the change in conditions of the communal bathing spaces. 

“I lived in the branch in Caz when there [were about] 10 of us. We had napkins that we put out, I had a bunch of pads that I didn’t use anymore so I put them on the shelf like, ‘Communal!’ I would clean up after myself. That place was nice, we took care of that bathroom. There were flowers by the window. Oh my god, I want to move back,” said Nic. 

In their short time in Beebe, Nic reports that they have seen a number of hazardous practices.

“There was a biohazard left on the seat for days. And I didn’t want to clean that up because it’s a biohazard. It’s the custodian’s job, but you don’t have to make the custodian’s job that hard either,” said Nic while noting that custodians are part of the community affected by poor hygiene practices. “I feel really bad for the custodians … The custodian had to put up signs telling people to flush.”

“If Wellesley actually cares about communal living and fostering community, we still have to treat our facilities with care. It’s very basic,” said Wong, “Leave the facilities in a way that you would come back to and use again.”

Miliana Alaniz, ’27 describes similar experiences to Wong. 

“Hair in the drains is a huge [problem]. I usually shower in the tub, and the water will go up to my ankles. I have to use my shoe to move the hair from the drain. It’s disgusting,” said Alaniz. 

She notes that poor conditions in bathrooms lead to an altered sense of personal hygiene. 

“It makes someone not feel like the place they are in is clean or cared for. I think, if you’re going to shower somewhere, it has to be a space where you feel clean. Especially in bathroom spaces, you really need to care about [it] because there are other people there that want to feel clean,” said Alaniz, “It kind of takes a toll on someone’s perspective on their own physical wellbeing. Yeah, I might be clean, but sometimes I don’t feel clean when I am going to bed.”

Like Wong and Alaniz, Riley Theophile, ’25 has witnessed unusual hygiene behaviors in shared spaces around campus, both in and out of residential halls. 

“I have noticed that people here, not just this year but over my three years here, have been avoiding washing their hands, which is concerning, seeing that I feel like we all learned how to do that when we were 3 years old,” said Theophile, “One, it’s gross, and two, it’s disrespectful in a way, especially since we all are trying to move past COVID, we’re trying to not have another outbreak here, and people are still immunocompromised. Something so simple that takes 20 seconds of your time, why are you avoiding it?”

Despite not having encountered bodily fluids or excessive hair left in restrooms like Nic and Alaniz, Theophile cannot comprehend why people avoid hand washing regularly.

 “[Some people] do this thing where they put soap on their hands but rinse it off immediately. That’s gross. You are kind of defeating the purpose of washing your hands. You’re supposed to stop the spread of germs especially right now. Especially in the fall. Especially coming off of the height of COVID,” said Theophile, “We are all living in a large communal space so not everything is going to be clean, but we should all be trying our best to avoid spreading germs. The fall season, everyone is getting sick. Colds, flus, things like that, but washing your hands is such a simple task that avoids the spread of sicknesses. It should be second nature at this point.”

Poor hygiene practices affect not only Wellesley’s students and custodial staff but also members of Residential Life. Olivia Hamparsoomian, community director of Beebe and Cazenove Halls, emphasized the importance of even small-scale, individual actions in making a clean living environment. 

“Seemingly ‘small’ individual actions can make a large impact when everyone living in a community participates. For example, if I commit to cleaning my hair out of a drain every time I shower, and so does everyone else on my floor, it creates a better environment for everyone. Additionally, these ‘small’ compounding efforts from everyone helps our custodians in their workload and spread their efforts evenly across all building facilities evenly,” said Hamparsoomian, “I believe that the best mindset when living in a community is to leave no trace.”

As the College transitioned into the 2021-2022 school year, some of the policies continued. A statement from President Johnson, released on Aug. 27, 2021, outlined health and safety precautions that amended the College’s previous guidelines about campus life during the pandemic.

Students were instructed to mask in common spaces and classrooms and restricted to in-state travel, and guests were still banned from entering campus buildings. The College returned to the semester system. Once all students were invited back to campus, the College moved quarantine locations from on campus in the Dower House to The Verve, a hotel in Natick. Testing was still twice a week at the Beebe testing site or the College Club, and positive cases were tracked on the Wellesley College COVID-19 dashboard. Other policies were lifted – transportation off-campus was permitted, grab-and-go options were replaced with open dining halls, and social distancing was not required in classrooms. During the spring of 2021, the college offered a COVID-19 vaccination clinic and mandated vaccinations. Guests were eventually allowed on campus and in buildings, registered given their vaccination status.

As the pandemic seemingly lessened in severity, the administration lessened guidelines for the 2022-2023 school year. Wellesley dropped several of its COVID-19 policies, according to an email sent on July 22, 2022. As part of this, faculty members could require masking at their discretion, and weekly testing was optional and only located at the College Club. In the email, the College also announced that hotel isolation would cease. Students who tested positive for COVID-19, regardless of whether they had a roommate, were required to quarantine in the residence halls. Continuing from the year prior, visitors were allowed inside most buildings, this time without registration.

This year, COVID-19 policies have become less restrictive, regardless of the spike in COVID-19 rates. According to the State of Massachusetts COVID dashboard, there has been a small increase of cases in fall of 2023 compared to the spring and summer. Sept. 18, 2023 had a reported seven-day-average of 492 cases of COVID-19, while June 12, 2023 only had a reported seven-day-average of 137 cases. 

When the COVID-19 announcement from Sheilah Shaw Horton, vice president and dean of students was released on Sept. 22, 2023, some students found themselves unhappy with the policy revisions. Iris Zhan ’27 noted that as soon as the email came out, they felt the need to share it with family members. 

“I forwarded it to my parents and they were so mad,” they said. “They were like, ‘What, they don’t know how many students have COVID-19?’”. 

Grace Sun, ’27 felt that the content of the email was misleading. 

“From this email, without knowing how the situation really is, I would assume that it’s not that bad or that there are just a couple cases. But it’s actually far more serious than that and I think it’s a problem that the administration is addressing [it] with this level of unseriousness,” said Sun, “I think this email [feels] like it hasn’t addressed the problem. It brushes off the issue.”

The email gave an update on the COVID-19 protocol. The College is no longer recording the COVID-19 cases on campus, but vaccination and masking is still highlighted as the main form of preventing the spread.  The newest COVID-19 booster is available at nearby pharmacies, and administration is working to bring a clinic to campus. Health Services offers testing to those that are symptomatic, but recommends purchasing rapid tests from pharmacies for self-testing. Health Services is no longer giving out rapid tests and no longer taking walk-ins. Health Services is available for those that test positive, but students should make an appointment by calling. Students who test positive should use their Ozzi containers to get meals to go. Asymptomatic students should mask and test on day six after exposure, but are allowed to go to class and participate in normal activities after five days of isolation. Hybrid classes are not offered for those who get COVID-19. If your roommate tests positive, both of you should wear masks and open a window. Roommates are not able to move to a different space.

For Zhan, these policy changes are not supportive enough for students on campus.

“When I got COVID-19 last week, I called the after-hours [hotline for health services], and they said because they were not open, that I had to get a test from CVS. I was fortunate enough that a friend of mine was able to get me two tests, and that’s how I knew, but I didn’t even realize that  even during their open hours they wouldn’t actually give you a test [if you’re asymptomatic], which is ridiculous. Also, [Health Services] didn’t seem to be prepared or caring about everyone that’s struggling with COVID-19,” said Zhan. 

Sun agrees, stating that she feels uncomfortable with the fact that masking is optional and testing is unavailable. 

“I went to Health Services last week because I was not feeling well to get tested because I wanted to protect other people from myself and they said, ‘You can’t get a test from us unless you are severely symptomatic.’ I think that’s just pretty unreasonable, especially because the way to stop COVID-19 from really spreading is to catch it before it starts transmitting to other people,” said Sun. 

The lack of guidelines poses difficulties for the roommates of infected students. “My roommates struggled for the many days that I was with COVID-19. [The College] doesn’t really care about what to do with the roommates. They’re like ‘Oh, mask up!’ [My roommates] had to sleep in the Bates TV room, and they also slept in the Clapp living room as well. They told me that they didn’t get much sleep, which really sucks,” said Zhan. 

For many, COVID-19 is not just a small cold or a temporary ailment, and Zhan worries about it.

“I am not immunocompromised but this is so much more urgent and worse for them, so why aren’t we caring as much as we did when we had other outbreaks?” questioned Zhan. 

Although Sun and Zhan are first-year students, they are aware of the previous COVID-19 policies and wish that the administration would reinstate some of them.

“If [Dower] truly is empty and not currently used, it would be great if we could put that into use again and quarantine people that have COVID-19. If we could have isolation, actual physical isolation, between students who have COVID-19 and those who don’t, even if it’s just for a couple days, I think that would improve the situation,” said Sun. 

“It’s kind of like a, ‘You’re on your own, kid,’ kind-of-thing, which is surprising and what you don’t expect at a liberal arts college. Maybe at bigger schools, they will hold your hand less and care less, but this is Wellesley – they are supposed to care,” said Zhan. 

According to Wellesley’s Office of Media Relations, the College “revised our COVID-19 policies in ways that will allow us to teach, learn, collaborate and build community more easily.”

“The College’s policies on testing and masking are consistent with state and federal guidance,” said the Office of Media Relations. “As of Monday, Sept. 25, free COVID-19 tests are available at covidtests.gov. Tests also may be purchased at local pharmacies and at the Bookstore in Lulu. The two best defenses against COVID-19 continue to be masking and vaccination. Members of the community are welcome to mask more often than required based on their individual health and family situations. The College also strongly encourages all community members to get the new COVID-19 booster, which provides a defense against new variants. It is available at pharmacies off-campus now, and we are working to bring a COVID-19 vaccination clinic to campus. Going forward, we will continue to align our health and safety policies with CDC guidelines.”

Andy Shennan, Provost and Lia Gelin Poorvu ’56 Dean of the College, announced in an email on September 14, 2023, that he will be stepping down after 25 years in the Dean’s Office and 20 years as the College’s provost and Chief Academic Officer. He will end his term on June 30, 2024. As Provost, Shennan worked collaboratively with 3 presidents, 9 academic deans and the members of the Wellesley College faculty and staff. Shennan will not be leaving Wellesley permanently, but will be taking a sabbatical, after which he will return to the History department as a professor.  Shennan and President Johnson are starting the internal search process to select a member of faculty to take his position of Provost, hoping to find a candidate by the end of January 2024. 

Lake Day Fall 2023

Lake Day was held on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023. As per tradition, students received an email from President Johnson at 7:30 am on Lake Day, excusing them from all classes for the day and encouraging them to rest and enjoy the nice weather. This year, students also received notes, slipped under their door by SBOG members, with a graphic of the SBOG frog at midnight, hinting that Lake Day was coming. SBOG hosted a Lake Day Carnival on Severance Green, featuring food, games and rides. The lake path was open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., giving students a chance to walk the full loop around Lake Waban. Finally, Health Services hosted a flu vaccine clinic at the Davis Plaza. 

Heat in the Halls 

As temperatures drop, Facilities has reported that the radiators will be turning back on. Residential Life and Student Housing has noted that we are currently in “shoulder season,” meaning that the fluctuation of temperature in the halls might cause uncomfortable room conditions for the time being and banging noises in the pipes. The noises and heat will stabilize once temperatures  remain below 60 degrees Fahrenheit consistently. The Office of Sustainability has visited the residence halls, delivering a “Radiator Guideline” sticker in hopes that students will put their radiators to use properly once the time comes. 

Walktober

Starting October 1, 2023, students at Wellesley began the annual Walktober challenge. Walktober, according to the Wellesley Recreation Newsletter released on Sept. 27, 2023, is a 42 day fitness program wherein students, faculty, and alumni are encouraged to get more exercise. The Walktober app, found on the app store and google store, features a step converter that converts various activities, like dancing, swimming and yoga to steps, which are used to create friendly competition between teams or individuals.

“Headphone Disco prep starts over the summer,” said Kaya Crosby ’24. As someone involved in campus life, she knows the ins and outs of running an event as popular as the Headphone Disco. 

“As DOOCA, I work closely with SBOG’s Parties Committee Chair (this year that is Krystyl Sengbe ’25!) to help plan out the event specifics. We have to reach out to vendors, contact departments on campus that we collaborate with to help the event run smoothly, and think through the logistics. We also work with SBOG’s Publicity Committee Chair (this year it is Em Kramer ’24) to come up with the theme idea and create our awesome spam,” said Crosby. 

This year, the spam featured the familiar face of a headphone-clad Barbie, a clever reference to the hit movie of the summer. Crosby expresses that her summer was not only Barbie-filled, but preparation-filled.

“As the first event to happen on campus, Headphone Disco is always a little surprising. The planning is all done over the summer, so it’s definitely a big moment for SBOG to all come together to pull this event off during the first week of classes. I was really impressed by how smoothly everything went, and every time I was concerned something would go wrong, there was always someone already fixing the problem by the time I had arrived. I was honestly surprised by the turnout! We had over 700 students, so over one-fourth of the student body, and the lines moved really quickly this year. We accommodate so many students, and I was really happy with the turnout. I love seeing the campus community get out and have fun!”

And fun it was. As usual, the Disco was filled to the brim with smiling faces. Crosby shares that this year, it was especially victorious.

“I think it was a huge success. SBOG got a lot of feedback from the student body after Headphone Disco last year, and we did our best to make changes based on that. I think that this year we were able to mitigate a lot of the issues with long wait times, and I am really proud that we were able to do that. I always appreciate feedback, though, so if you have any improvements that you would like to see in the future, please feel free to email me at dooca@wellesley.edu or fill out the anonymous feedback form in my email signature,” said Crosby.

On Aug. 29, 2023, the Office of Sustainability announced that their annual sustainability sale, popular among sibs on campus for purchase of refrigerators, lamps, mirrors, and other dorm essentials, would be canceled for fall 2023. In their announcement, they reported that the reason for this cancellation was, “unusually high contamination rates of donation items and other extenuating circumstances.” When students asked what the items were contaminated with, the Office of Sustainability responded with, “The bin was contaminated with a higher than normal number of materials that were not in the accepted donations list, including used toiletries and food, and due to the Office of Sustainability being unfilled, we did not have the capacity to sort through all the materials. There will be a higher focus on communication and outreach so this isn’t repeated next year.” The sustainability sale will return next year, but in the meantime, other resources for sustainable items include the Wellesley Free and For Sale Facebook page, other Facebook marketplace groups, and the Wellesley Students’ Aid resource racks and clothes closet. 

Convocation and Stepsinging 2023

Wellesley College started the academic year with its 149th Convocation on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The tradition included faculty, staff and students, with each class dressed in their class colors and seniors in their graduation robes. College President Paula Johnson, Provost and Dean of the College Andy Shennan, along with student speakers Ingrid Bell ’24, president of the College Government, and Dhanya Srikanth ’24, chief justice, gave speeches to the community. A recording of the celebration can be found on the Wellesley College website. Following Convocation, the Wellesley College Alumnae Association led Stepsinging, the annual tradition where students chant and sing traditional class cheers in a competition.

Heat Wave

Along with Convocation, students were welcomed to the school year with a blistering heat wave. Temperatures reached from the upper 80s to the high 90s. Rooms in residential halls were especially hot, given that most dorms only have one window. Students were encouraged by residential life and Sheilah Shaw Horton, vice president and dean of students, to take advantage of cooler spaces around campus, including hall lounges and the campus center and to drink plenty of fluids. Now that the weather is cooling down, students are no longer allowed to stay overnight in the campus center. 

Orientation and First-Year Move-In

The start of the 2023-24 orientation programs began with virtual orientation from July 24 to Aug. 25 and first-year move-in, beginning with international students and those in sports in late August and domestic student move-in on Wednesday, Aug. 30. During the next five days, first-year students were introduced to the campus with a number of events, including campus tours, campus resource fairs, faculty panels, academic fairs and fun events. First-year students were required to go to certain mandatory events, including an all hall gathering, a “Keeping-Wellesley-Safe” program, an violence prevention event, a stress management session, “Let Me Speak,” and substance use harm reduction training. Students also completed their course registration during orientation.