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Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are suddenly everywhere. Why we're invested – and is that OK? Even Wellesley College psychology professor and department chair Tracy Gleason (who isn't a Swiftie but does have a doctorate in child psychology with a minor in interpersonal relationships) calls Swift "nothing short of a phenomenon."

Reflecting on recently retired Trinidadian politican, Ashton Ford, Africana studies professor Selwyn Cudojoe writes, "I am always elated with seemingly little, obscure people—that is, people who are not in the spotlight—when they are recognised for the contributions they make to the civic, social and political development of our society. I felt that way when Ashton Ford was honoured with Hummingbird Silver last Sunday. He thoroughly deserved it."

An American who settled in Vienna, Nancy Van de Vate '52 had a prolific career in contemporary classical music and broke gender barriers in her field.

"Carlos Alberto Vega’s mirror art draws in the viewer for a closer examination as they hold glimpses of their own reflection amidst the vibrant and colorful symbols and icons imprinted on vintage, mixed-media mirrors," writes Marjorie Agosin, professor in the humanities and Spanish. 

Wellesley, along with a number of colleges and universities across the country, is participating in a civic preparedness initiative to promote free speech and civil discourse. 

After the tragic massacre in the Heights of Guanaop in Trinidad and Tobago, the UNC has acknowledge the event as "a systematic breakdown of all institutions". In his article, Africana studies professor Selwyn Cudjoe asks, "what does the UNC offer in terms of solving the problem?"

Wellesley too, is reminding students and community members alike of the practical value its liberal arts degrees confer. “We’re an important economic engine for this state,” President Paula Johnson said — both as a job creator for thousands of faculty and staff, and in terms of the 70% of graduates who choose to live and work in Massachusetts after they leave Wellesley.

The recent Supreme Court decision that effectively banned the consideration of race in college admissions is top of mind for highly selective colleges, including Wellesley. President Paula Johnson said that she is concerned the decision will discourage minority and low-income students from applying to competitive schools. She said she wants to make “a very clear statement that places like ours are places where students of all underrepresented backgrounds are welcome.”

A world where artifacts have been sequestered into single-culture museums struck Erich Hatala Matthes, a philosophy professor at Wellesley College who has written extensively about cultural heritage, as impoverished. For one, cultures aren’t easily sliced up into discrete, bounded wholes, he said. They’re connected, and museums are well positioned to demonstrate those connections.