Introducing the Returning Student’s Society

During Admitted Students Week, I had an absolutely amazing experience. But, before that …

If I am being honest, my time at Amherst College has been the loneliest period of my entire life. I am 43 years old, which makes me the oldest student on campus to my knowledge. Most days, I sit by myself for meals, I don’t engage with many  students: I have spent my years at Amherst, keeping to myself and rarely leaving my room outside of class. As a non-traditional student, I want more traditionally-aged students to experience college for everything that it should be. College is meant to be a place where you can learn to be a leader, in environments that are safer to learn in. Having run for elected office and written economic development plans myself prior to coming to Amherst College, I would never run for a student government position, for one simple reason: I would be depriving another student, who may not have the benefit of the leadership skills that I have developed, access to those same tools. The returns generated for me would be significantly less than the returns for a more traditional Amherst College student. I have met other non-traditional students who, on the whole, seem to take a similar position.

As a result of how debilitating the loneliness has been during my time here, I started a Registered Student Organization (RSO) for non-traditional students, which we call the Returning Students Society. This is a place for older students to socialize and discuss issues that are more relevant to ourselves. Here is an example: Were you aware that if you are a student covered under the Amherst College Insurance Policy your level of coverage drops substantially once you turn 26? You lose all dental coverage and almost all vision coverage. So, the students who are more likely to have health concerns have a lower level of coverage. These are the sorts of things that the Returning Students Society works on.

This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet with two newly admitted non-traditional students. They both voiced the exact same concerns to me. One student pointed out that literally every other elite college that she had been accepted to had programs for non-traditional students, with the exception of Amherst. She was exceptionally concerned about coming to a school where older students are in the extreme minority, where it didn’t seem like Amherst had any resources dedicated to making sure that older students were able to find success at our school. In this situation, I had to agree with her. That is the entire reason why I felt the need to start this group — so that other students wouldn’t have to experience the things that I have. The other student voiced very similar concerns. Being able to engage with these students in a one-on-one setting was not only positive for them, but also for our group, which works to let these students know that they are not alone, and that they do have a home on our campus.

These meetings have made one thing exceptionally clear for me: We still have a long way to go on our campus. Not all voices are being heard, and for students applying to our school, many feel that they will not have a home at Amherst due to their age. We must continue to work towards building a more inclusive and more successful campus here at Amherst. As non-traditional students, we are veterans, we are parents, we are wives and husbands. Building and supporting is what we do. We love Amherst College, and we only want to work to build a more inclusive and supportive campus, faculty, and student body. Being able to engage with these newly admitted students was truly an amazing experience, one that will hopefully help Amherst continue to work towards a campus for everyone.

Feel free to stop by any of our meetings to have a chat, or to engage with us in any way that you are comfortable with. While our RSO is specifically for older individuals, we invite everyone to join us and to work together.