Episode 687 - Ida Kao

"There are ways to downsize a college, but with Hampshire it felt more like a hollowing-out." Our latest installment of The Hampshire Tapes features a conversation with Ida Kao (F18) about having a ringside seat for Hampshire College's decline. We talk about how how she's trying to preserve the school's spirit by co-curating the Post-Hampshire project, what it was like trying to pursue an education in the face of Hampshire's financial crisis and COVID, the ups and downs of editing The Omen during those times, her exploration of The Omen's archives how it led to a nostalgia for the Hampshire before her time, and how she recognized pretty early on that some of Hampshire's troubles weren't fixable (at least not by sit-ins). We also get into Hampshire's stabs at student government (see her Div III), the institutions that came and went before her arrival (more Div III)and what that said about ahistoricism on campus, whether she felt short-changed by her time there, and more. Follow Ida on Bluesky and learn more about the Post-Hampshire project • More info at our site • Support The Virtual Memories Show via Stripe, Patreon, or Paypal, and subscribe to our e-newsletter