Tackling challenges of first-year residential life

The area coordinators (ACs) who are in charge of first-year buildings are faced with the greatest challenge of all. They are required to handle every issue that the RCs cannot handle alone. In this respect, ACs Kristie Miller and Shelly Perdomo might qualify as first-year housing goddesses. This second feature about Amherst’s ACs focuses on these two diligent and dedicated women. Miller is in charge of the freshman dorms (excluding North and South Colleges), and Perdomo is in charge of North an

Behind the scenes of Amherst housing

The four ACs, Todd Anckaitas, Kristie Miller, Vanessa Olivier ’01 and Shelley Perdomo spend endless hours communicating with their staves of RCs and the various administrative offices on the campus. They are the essential links that get information to and from the RCs who are in direct contact with the students. In addition to dealing with residential and disciplinary problems, each has additional responsibilities at the College. Essentially, the ACs ensure that the residential life of all stude

Club Focus: Taekwondo Club

“Forms, self-defense, Olympic-style sparring and board-breaking are all practiced throughout the course of a semester,” said club president Richard Lee ’04 “Each meeting is different. We warm up and stretch and then we go through different drills for kicking and sparring,” explained Adam David ’06, a member of the club. “Drills might range from strength drills to sparring matches.” No experience is necessary to be a part of the Taekwondo Club. Though some members have had prior exposure to Tae

Amherst's biggest, best mistake

Foundations Foundations The program, introduced in the fall of 2000 was at first available only to freshmen, the class of 2004. TYPO began when Associate Dean of the Faculty Bob Hilborn asked the former Dean of New Students Frank Couvares to explore “ways we could increase informal interaction between faculty and students,” Couvares said. “We talked about having dinners in dorms or in Lewis-Sebring. Then I think I suggested that we do it in local restaurants, the logic being that ‘eating out’

While you were sleeping

You make it into the nearest seat just as the professor walks into the room. As you wait for class to start, you look around the room and you realize how clean it is. The blackboards are fully erased and washed. Solely by running your eyes around the room, you can tell that there are no papers lying around, and that the room is just not dirty. Right, you remember, it’s Monday. The room hasn’t been used since Friday. However, you suddenly recall that the classrooms and lecture halls at Amherst a

All Stars in Action: David Korngold '06

“Being the junior counselor makes you sort of the fun person,” Korngold said. “You get to run around and be fun and sort of do whatever you can to encourage the kids and get them going. I’m not a disciplinarian, but more the one who suggests we go push someone in the pool.” The camp was founded with the intent to allow young cancer patients to participate in normal camp activities. “Many have lost their hair, are in wheelchairs, have ports embedded in their bodies. Some of the kids get chemo at