Articles

In this article I take us back to 4 o’clock on Tuesday, September 5th, when the Days-Massolo Center opened its doors to Hamilton’s Community for the first time this fall semester of 2023. 

This month’s “Meet the Team” highlight is centered on Nickie Conlogue, who acts as the DMC Generalist. Nickie has been with the DMC since her Freshman fall semester as part of the programming team, and now she works almost entirely behind the scenes to make sure that the DMC runs smoothly.

Our team of DMC Student Ambassadors has a lot of different moving parts, and one of those parts is the Archive Team. Composed of Luna Zou ‘24 and Jason Casado ‘24, the Archive Team works behind the scenes to make sure the history of the DMC is not lost or forgotten.

Have you ever looked at the mantel in the DMC living room? There, underneath the television, is a glass jar filled with rocks. But not just any old rocks. These rocks have written on them the names and class years of several Hamilton college alumni who were, and still are, part of the DMC’s integral community.

When I walked inside the DMC on September 15th, 2023, a huge, red backdrop at the entrance to the DMC library caught my eye. “LHM”, to signify Latinx Heritage Month, hung at the top in shiny, gold balloon letters and on the opposite wall there were several trays of empanadas. Soon the DMC was full with students unraveling their countries’ flags, waiting for their turn at the brightly colored photo-booth.

The DMC’s programming team, Taliyah James and Emily Boviero, organize a monthly event called Cafecito. Cafecito, although Hispanic in name, has been an avenue to bring people from all different marginalized communities together to spark intellectual conversations about intersectional identity, privilege, ability and success. 

The DMC has a new Director! Dr. Koboul E. Mansour has come to us after completing her doctorate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Before beginning studies at Amherst 5 years ago, she spent her childhood, undergraduate, and working life in Egypt. Here is a quick Q & A where Koboul tells us about her favorite foods, reflects on her thoughts about Hamilton, and gives us some sound college advice!

As the 2022-2023 school year comes to a close, the Days-Massolo Center will be saying goodbye to four of its senior members and one of its most valued directors. Throughout my first year at the DMC, every single one of these people have left a mark on me that will certainly last for my next three years at Hamilton. Carlo Benavides, Fiona Murphy, Mil Fienco and Salwa Sidahmed have been so kind to share with me some of their favorite moments at the DMC and the helpful skills they learned along the way. Furthermore, I want to thank our director Paola for all the incredible work she has done at the DMC throughout the past three years including Cafecito Fridays, the DMC’s 10 year anniversary campaign, as well as shifting the center from student affairs to a part of the DEI Division.

As I approached Babbitt Pavilion on Saturday, April 22, I watched the students running, laughing, and shouting with joy and excitement. Colorful powder caught the wind and flew through the air, and when I got closer, I could see that the people under and around the pavilion were covered from head to toe in colors like red, orange, yellow, and pink! Suddenly, a burst of color splashed me and welcomed me into the fun. I smiled; the joy and excitement of the students around me was contagious.

You may not be familiar with the Days-Massolo Center, but here at the DMC we are making waves! The DMC, the cultural education center on campus, has had such an incredible impact on campus during this school year from 2022-2023, and here’s the proof. I am so excited to share how our mission values have been implemented, how the DMC has grown as a space for students over the course of this year, and some outlooks for a future at the  DMC.