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The student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901

The Wellesley News

The student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901

The Wellesley News

The student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901

The Wellesley News

All content by Micol J. Zhai
Photo courtesy of Joel Haskell on wellesley.edu.

Wellesley Humanities faculty receive $1.5 million Mellon Foundation grant

Micol J. Zhai | February 7, 2024

Wellesley Humanities faculty recently received one of the biggest grants in the College’s history from the Mellon Foundation, the largest funder of arts and humanities in the United States. The Mellon...

A Review of Chris Abani’s “Song for Night”

A Review of Chris Abani’s “Song for Night”

Micol J. Zhai | October 25, 2023

Chris Abani’s novella “Song for Night” is a harrowingly beautiful recount of war from a decidedly unlucky child soldier named My Luck. As a member of a platoon of children trained to defuse mines,...

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Professor Spotlight: Dr. Faisal Ahmed

Micol J. Zhai | September 20, 2023

Wellesley College’s Department of political science has hired a new Associate Professor, Faisal Ahmed. This semester, Professor Ahmed will be teaching two classes in the department: International Political...

Photo Courtesy of Olivia Hewang

Halal Dining Moved to Tower Court for 2023-24

Micol J. Zhai | September 20, 2023

At Wellesley College, certain dietary restrictions are accommodated for at certain dining halls. For this academic year, halal dining has been moved to Tower Court after having been at Bae Pao Lu Chow...

Haruki Murakami and Director of the Newhouse Center, Eve Zimmerman.


Photo Courtesy of Lauren Cote

Haruki Murakami spends a semester at Wellesley College

Micol J. Zhai | April 27, 2023

On Sept. 9, 2022, President Paula Johnson welcomed the College community back for another school year via email. Amongst many other announcements, it was also announced that the Mary L. Cornille Distinguished...

Photo courtesy of Bianca Lee.

ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit

Micol J. Zhai | March 22, 2023

On March 8, ES 300: Environmental Decision-making  students and volunteers donned white hazmat suits and gloves to sort through a week’s worth of the College’s trash. This included everything...

Photo courtesy of Jivonsha Ffrench

WiCkeD Hosts Annual “Expo” Culture Show

Micol J. Zhai | March 8, 2023

On Feb. 18, Wellesley for Caribbean Development (WiCkeD) hosted its annual cultural exposition. The event was a vibrant occasion featuring dances, music performances, fashion shows and a talk given by...

Senate Report – 2/13/23

Micol J. Zhai | February 22, 2023

Dean’s Corner   During the Dean’s Corner, Dean of Students Sheila Shaw Horton brought to students’ attention that cases of norovirus have been reported around the world. Norovirus is a highly...

Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification

Why Art Basel is partially responsible for Miami’s gentrification

Micol J. Zhai | December 7, 2022

Every December, I ironically look forward to seeing what vulgar exhibitionism will be done at Art Basel Miami Beach, one of the most well known international art fairs. Three years ago in 2019, it was...

A group of college aged women at a party holding red solo cups

A guide to MIT frats from a retired frequenter

Micol J. Zhai | October 19, 2022

If there’s anything I could have wished for when I was an underclassman looking to have some coed fun, it would have been a guide on navigating the MIT “frat scene.” As a historically women’s college...

"Wall Street greenwashing the economy is a dangerous distraction in the fight against climate change." Image courtesy of Unsplash

Greenwashing economic systems will not save our planet

Micol J. Zhai | October 19, 2022

When I chose to major in environmental studies, I also chose to one day have a career that would serve the environment. I like to believe this is the case for most students who choose to pursue their passion...

Twitter authenticates NFT profile pictures with special framing, now making the hexagon a tech-bro’s most coveted status symbol. Photo courtesy of Twitter

NFTs: technocratic bull or the future?

Micol J. Zhai | March 16, 2022

Perhaps I should start with the million-dollar question (or should I say the million-crypto question): what are NFTs?  After going on countless dates with MIT boys who don’t seem to know how to...

Volunteers deliver boxes of signed petitions in favor of decriminalizing drugs. Photo courtesy of Associated Press

Oregon decriminalized drugs — and so should we

Micol J. Zhai | February 9, 2022

A little over a year ago, Oregon became the first state to decriminalize personal-use drug possession. Measure 110 makes the possession of small amounts of hard drugs punishable by a civil citation rather...

Rittenhouse acquittal: clemency for white vigilantes

Micol J. Zhai | December 8, 2021

Kyle Rittenhouse is unfortunately a name we’ve seen plenty of in our newsfeeds these past weeks. Last year, Rittenhouse, who was 17 at the time, fatally shot two men and injured another at a racial justice...

Shakespeare plays like Hamlet are revered as "great literature" at the expense of the visibility of other writers, particularly those belonging to marginalized groups. Photo courtesy of Unsplash

Wellesley, ditch the Bard: drop the Shakespeare requirement for English majors

Micol J. Zhai | October 13, 2021

Shakespeare has long been considered a major part of the canon of Western literature. Between his well-preserved plays and sonnets about love, grief, cuckoldry, murder and human nature, he has been established...

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