Maya Foster: Improving Institutions Through Care and Connection

Serving as the student representative to many of the college’s DEI efforts, Maya Foster’s personal “brightness” has perhaps improved as many lives as her work to institute protections against identity-based harm.

Staff Spotlight: Michael Riley

Mike Riley is a custodian at the college who most often works in the Science Center. In this interview, Riley shared stories from his life before Amherst and reflected on how he has learned and used the kindness that so many know him for.

Staff Spotlight: Jason Williams

Jason Williams is the Director of Chemical and Laboratory Safety. He spoke about his work with chemicals from “cradle to grave” and his journey to this “niche” field of science.

Digging Into The Process of Snow Removal on Campus

Behind the flurry of every snowstorm is a complex process of snow removal. The Student spoke with custodial and grounds employees to learn about the labor, pay, and local knowledge that make this effort possible.

Campus Corners: Amherst Queer History Timeline

A timeline hanging in the QRC documents figures, groups, and pivotal moments in the history of queer people at Amherst. QRC staff reflected on their experience researching and designing the timeline, and their belief in its value.

Fresh Faculty: Jungeun Kim

Jungeun Kim is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Theater and Dance. Speaking with Managing Features Editor Caelen McQuilkin ’24E, Kim discussed the roots of her passion for dance, its educational potential, and the different meanings it has taken throughout her life.

Quick Questions: How Much Does Dorm Damage Cost?

Last December, The Student reported on the impact of repeated instances of dorm damage on custodial staff and the facilities department. In this edition of Quick Questions, we totaled the monetary cost of those damages.

What Happens After Dorm Damage?

On the other side of every weekend, there’s someone cleaning up the mess —and the damage — left behind by parties. The Student spoke to custodial staff, supervisors, and directors to understand how repeated dorm damage has impacted them.

Geologists Build Community, Empowerment in GUAC

Geologists Underrepresented at Amherst College, or GUAC, is a student group founded in 2016 to address systemic issues in geology at and beyond the college. Amherst geologists value the group for its empowering sense of community.

College Librarians Rethink and Reframe Research

Over the past decade, the research and instruction department has evolved from simply helping with assignments to thinking more broadly about the meaning and practice of research at the college. The Student spoke with six librarians to learn more about this shift and how they approach their work.

Students Offer Advice to President Elliott

As President Michael Elliott begins his first semester at the college, The Student surveyed students to gather their advice for the new president. Responses ranged from demands for greater transparency to suggestions regarding specific campus issues.

Taking a Closer Look: Introducing the New Features Section

A note from your new managing Features editors.

Fresh Faculty: Victor Wei Ke Yang

Victor Yang is a visiting assistant professor of English who has worked as a writer, educator, and organizer. Yang received a B.A. from Harvard College in 2012, a M.A. in 2013, a Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in 2016, and a M.F.A. from Boston University in 2021.

Arzoo Rajpar: Crafting Art, Empowerment, and Agency

Arzoo Rajpar has created intersections between her passion for design and her interest in creating community-based solutions, uplifting herself and those around her.

Accessing Amherst: Stories of Current Admissions Pathways

In the second installment of this series, The Student explores how diversity initiatives have constructed today’s student body. Several student stories shine light on the way that students and their experiences with the college process relate to the institution’s changes in access over time.

Accessing Amherst: Tracing Historical Admissions Changes

In the first of a two-part series exploring Amherst’s initiatives to reach students and communities with less historic access to higher education, The Student examines the historic buildup of Amherst’s efforts to diversify, particularly in the late 1960s.

College Raises Wages, Employees Reflect

On April 1, a compensation increase took effect for all college employees making under $85,000 a year. The Student calculated current costs of living and spoke with dining hall employees to better understand the impacts of the raise.

Student Letter Calls for Transparency in Hiring Practices

On April 22, students delivered a letter to the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion calling for transparency in the college’s faculty hiring process. The letter, which describes current hiring practices as “performative,” garnered 117 signatures from students and alumni.

Safety Committee Members Reflect on Report’s Impact

Last week, President Biddy Martin announced the Board of Trustees’ decision to keep ACPD armed after consulting a report from the Campus Safety Advisory Committee (CSAC). The Student spoke with CSAC members to better understand the report’s creation and its relation to the trustees’ decision.

“Nuestras Voces” Event Uplifts Bilingual Voices

On Wednesday, April 13, 16 students presented poetry, videos, and art for the inaugural “Nuestras Voces” (“Our Voices”) event. In both English and Spanish, students spoke about topics including connection to home, the value of names, and gentrification of neighborhoods.

ACPD Responds About Vehicle Unmarking, Community Reacts

In an April 1 email, Chief of Police John Carter responded to criticism over the decision to unmark all ACPD vehicles, expressing regret and requesting input. Students expressed frustration with his response, linking it to the broader trend of the department’s response to calls for change.

ACPD Unmarks Vehicles, Prompting Student Concern

The Amherst College Police Department (ACPD) recently made its fleet of five vehicles entirely unmarked. While the department states that this choice was an attempt to reduce police presence on campus, students report feeling increased fear and uncertainty from the change.

Roxane Gay Brings Wisdom and Humor to Amherst

Author and cultural critic Roxane Gay brought reactions ranging from roars of laughter to somber and thoughtful snaps of agreement this past Friday, March 25, when the Women’s and Gender Center (WGC) hosted her for a keynote conversation in Johnson Chapel.

‘Time Stopped’: Amherst Reflects on Two Years of Covid

On this day, March 9, two years ago, the college announced it would switch to remote learning due to Covid-19. The Student asked members of the college community to reflect on what they’ve learned through the pandemic, what has changed in their lives, and how they see the world differently now.

Employees Reflect on New Benefited Positions

Twenty-three Dining Services employees have had their positions converted from casual to benefited following the college’s Nov. 17 policy announcement. The Student sat down with seven staff members to hear their thoughts on this change.

College Loosens Initial Spring Covid Protocols

The college has loosened some of its initial Covid restrictions following the success of its protocols for move-in and the first week of classes. Students and professors expressed understanding for the initially stricter protocols, while yearning for a return to near-normalcy.

Students Frustrated By Communication Regarding J-Term Housing And Arrival

A Nov. 22 email announcing January Term housing eligibility and arrival date blindsided many students, who had already made different travel and housing plans. Students’ frustration grew with the lack of response from the administration to questions about their individual situations.

Returning Home: Shaping Education in the Navajo Nation — Alumni Profile, Shayla Yellowhair ’07

In her connection to home and her dedication to community, Shayla Yellowhair '07 is changing the lives of future generations by rethinking education on the Navajo Nation, recentering it around traditional Diné culture

College Ends Legacy Admissions, Expands Financial Aid; Community Reacts

In an email sent to the college community on Oct. 20, President Biddy Martin announced that the college will end its legacy admission preference starting in the 2022-2023 academic year. The college will also implement an expanded and simplified financial aid program.

Indigenous Students Reflect on Community, Identity and Need for Change

The Student interviewed members of the Native and Indigenous Students Association (NISA) on their experience at the college in light of Indigenous People’s Day on Oct. 11. Interviewees discussed community, identity and the changes they hope to see in the college going forward.

As College Announces Anti-Racism Plan Updates, Some Students Lament Slowed Progress

President Martin sent out an email update on the college’s anti-racism work, initially launched by the Anti-Racism Action Plan of August 2020. Students have felt that, though the college has made some tangible changes, the updates seem to rely on unsubstantial committee work and shallow promises.

Employees Speak Up on College's Casual Employment System

This week, the Student looks into the system of “casual employment” at Amherst College using interviews with nine anonymous facilities staff members and publicly available information. Employee testimony reveals class struggle that underlies the college employment system.

Overworked and Underpaid: College Employees Report Mistreatment

The college is struggling to fill crucial positions in a number of departments amid a nationwide hiring slump. Staff members report worsening workplace conditions, calling for large-scale changes in the college's treatment of its employees.

As 2020 Election Comes to a Close, Amherst Community Processes Biden Victory, Looks to the Work Ahead

Supporters of the Biden-Harris ticket took to the streets of Northampton in celebration after the race was called for Biden by several major networks on Nov. 7. Photo courtesy of Olivia Gieger ’21.Just before noon on Saturday, Nov. 7, multiple accredited news stations reported that former Vice President Joe Biden had won the vote in Pennsylvania, clinching him enough electoral college seats to secure the presidency. If nothing else, Biden’s victory signified the conclusion of a prolonged and ten

Student Political Groups Race to Organize and Get Out the Vote With Election on the Horizon

This election marks the end of over a year’s worth of student activism and organizing for political causes, going back to fall 2019, when AC Dems led a trip to the New Hampshire Democratic Convention where primary candidates spoke. Photo Courtesy of Olivia Gieger ’21.As the 2020 presidential election draws to its close, student organizations have ramped up their efforts to shape the election’s outcome and the Amherst community’s response to it. Motivated by differing and overlapping feelings of

Black Visions Collective Activist Discusses the Need for Intersectional Environmental Justice in Campus Virtual Visit

Kyra Brown, an environmental justice activist and social media strategist at Black Visions Collective [https://www.blackvisionsmn.org/], gave a virtual talk on the Black Lives Matter movement, policing and environmental justice for the college community this past Thursday; the talk covered the inextricable links between racism and climate change while emphasizing the need to make the environmental movement accordingly intersectional. Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies Ashwin Ravikumar

Fresh Faculty: Elizabeth Kneeland ’10

Elizabeth Kneeland ’10 is new to the college this semester as an assistant professor of psychology. Photo Courtesy of Amherst College.Elizabeth Kneeland ’10 is an assistant professor of psychology. She received a bachelor’s degree in political science and psychology from Amherst College in 2010 and a doctorate in philosophy and clinical psychology from Yale University in 2018. After working at McClean Hospital in Boston, she began teaching at the college in July. Q: How did you become intereste

With Abundance of Cartons, Campus Questions ‘Is Boxed Water Really Better?’

To keep students hydrated and Covid-free in the fall semester, the college has turned to an out-of-the-box alternative: Boxed Water. The switch to packaged water was made concurrently with the college’s shift to a grab-and-go dining model last spring. However, the proliferation of Boxed Water has been met with mixed reactions from students and staff due to its taste and disposable nature. Boxed Water is produced by Boxed Water is Better LLC, a Michigan-based company founded in 2009, and was con

Thoughts on Theses: Eric Jung

Eric Jung is a biology major. His thesis investigates the migration and motility of the single-celled organism dictyostelium discoideum. His thesis advisor is Assistant Professor of Biology Marc Edwards. Q: What is your thesis about? A: We use this one little amoeba, which is a single-celled organism called ‘dictyostelium discoideum.’ We grow up a bunch of those, and we do genetic experiments on them. We come up with very large scale assays, so we’ll watch how fast they move across certain pla

Budgetary Committee Funding Shifts to Exclude Online and Remote Activities

As Covid has rocked every campus operation, from how students gather to how much tuition they pay, the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) has adjusted its funding and budgetary policy for the fall semester. Student activity fees have been reduced for students studying on campus and eliminated for those studying remotely. All the AAS funding — drawn only from its discretionary fund — will be used only for in-person activities that comply with the college’s health policy. According to members

Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz ’64 Addresses Failures in U.S. Economic Response to Coronavirus

Joseph Stiglitz ’64, a Nobel Prize-winning economist and Columbia Business School professor, joined trustee David Novak ’91 on April 28 in a virtual panel on the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, via a live-stream open to the college community [https://www.amherst.edu/news/covid-19/videos-covid-conversations-thinking-through-the-pandemic] . Stiglitz considered the economic consequences for the United States during the virus and his most pressing observations as an economist, including h

College PPE Donations Bolster Local Hospitals, Emergency Services

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to deplete hospitals and emergency services of the resources required  to treat patients of the virus, the college has begun donating masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to local essential services, such as the Baystate Medical Center, the Amherst Fire Department (AFD) and the Whately Fire Department (WFD). The campus’s transition to remote learning has left it almost completely deserted of students, leaving the college with a large

Uncertainty and Hope as Staff Adapt to Remote Working Conditions

A wide variety of changes to the duties of essential staff members have moved swiftly across campus in the wake of the college’s decision to move to a remote work model on March 15 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes to the jobs remaining on campus, which include departments like custodial work and information technology (IT) among others, have altered both the college’s operations and the way that staff members approach their jobs. With only a select few students remaining on campus