Fallout From Affordable Housing Dispute Leads President Martin, AAS to Weigh in

Fallout from the affordable housing controversy continued through Thanksgiving break, with President Biddy Martin sending an email on the low-income housing project at the center of the debate to a group of students who identify as first-generation and low-income (FLI). Backlash on campus began after The Student published an article on Nov. 13 that revealed details of a joint letter signed by 56 neighborhood residents — including numerous professors — opposing the development of a single-room o

Ending an Era

A typical Sunday night for many college students looks like a grind. A lot of us can be found in cafes, furiously typing out essays, working through a problem set or furrowing our eyebrows at a confusing reading. But for me, Sunday nights look a little different. On Sunday nights, I’m checking in with section editors about the status of articles for each section, corresponding with our digital director on the latest updates to the website and communicating with my co-editor-in-chief about prior

Possible Racist Incident in Cohan Under Investigation

The college is investigating a report of a group of individuals who used racist language while tearing down posters that highlighted people of color. The incident, which reportedly took place on the second floor of Cohan Residence Hall on Sunday, Nov. 17, was disclosed to students in an email from Dean of Students Liz Agosto on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Upon receiving the report, the college launched an investigation according to Agosto. The Amherst College Police Department (ACPD) spoke to the report

Protesters Pressure Cargill CEO and College Trustee to Extend Rainforest Protections

Dozens of students, led by the Food Justice Alliance (FJA), gathered in front of the Mead Art Museum on the evening of Oct. 18 to protest trustee and Cargill CEO David MacLennan ’81 for his company’s record of impact on the environment. Demonstrators stood outside of the museum while the board met inside from 6:15 to 7:30 p.m. Cargill is a company that acts as an intermediary between farmers and food-based companies, trading grain and other agricultural commodities. In 2006, after it was revea

College to Construct New Student Center

A new student center will be built on the current location of Merrill Science Center and McGuire Life Sciences Building. Long suspected since Merrill and McGuire ceased operations at the end of the spring 2018 semester, the new student center will expand the limited on-campus space devoted to students and bring will together various student activities in a centralized location. The college aims to complete a conceptual design by May 2020. The idea of building a new student center has been in t

Soaring the Skies on the Quest for Justice

Abigail Golden-Vazquez ’90 is more used to being in the air than on the ground. By her estimate, she has traveled to at least 23 countries outside of the U.S. In her childhood years alone, she moved six times — all before her 10th birthday. During and after her time at Amherst, she traveled constantly and planted roots in various clusters around the world. For some, the idea of bouncing around is daunting and discomforting. Touching down in places you’ve never been, adjusting to cultures and d

Unearthing the Archives: An Exploration of Student Engagement Over the Years

Earlier this semester, college rankings for 2020 came out in a number of publications, most publicly in the U.S. News & World Report and The Wall Street Journal. Unsurprisingly, Amherst College secured top spots on both lists: #2 on the former’s rankings of liberal arts colleges and #20 for the latter’s list, which includes universities. On outcomes, the college ranks particularly well, with an average salary of $60,333 10 years after enrolling, according to the Journal. U.S. News & World Report

The Beating Heart Behind All the Newsprint

“I’m a little nervous,” Isabel Tessier ’19 says as she sits down across from me. “I’m not used to being interviewed; I’m usually the one on the other side of the table.” Tessier is five foot eight inches tall. But when she stands with her left leg crossed over her right, slouching down into her stance, she is more like five foot five inches tall. If she’s deep in thought about something serious or distressing, you’ll look at her and only see her large, uncertain puppy eyes. She wears mom jeans

College Community Protests, Organizes Against Jeff Sessions

The Amherst community demonstrated against former attorney general Jeff Sessions in a variety of ways on Wednesday, April 24, as his scheduled talk at 8 p.m. in Johnson Chapel loomed over campus. [https://amherststudent.com/article/jeff-sessions-speaks-on-free-speech-addresses-mueller-report] A former Alabama senator, Sessions was appointed attorney general by President Donald Trump and overturned a number of Obama-era policies during his time in the position. Sessions resigned last November am

President Martin’s Email Addresses Recent College Controversies

A ruling by the Judiciary Council (JC) that sanctioned the Amherst College Republicans (ACR) for transphobic comments in their GroupMe incited public concern from members of the administration last week. President Biddy Martin addressed the GroupMe incident as well as AAS and JC’s actions in a community-wide email on Wednesday, April 10 titled “Conflicts on Campus.” After a complaint was filed to the Association of Amherst Students (AAS), the JC, a body within the AAS, announced in an email to

Association of Amherst Students, Judiciary Council Reprimand AC Republicans

The Amherst College Republicans (ACR) will face penalties after a formal complaint was filed to the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) regarding transphobic language used in the ACR GroupMe in response to the release of the Common Language Document (CLD). The Judiciary Council (JC), a body of authority under the AAS, held a private hearing on April 4 and announced its decision to the student body in an email on April 8. The hearing came after The Student published screenshots of the ACR’s Gro

Release of Common Language Document Leads to Community-Wide Fallout

The college was embroiled in controversy last week after the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) released the Common Language Document [https://howiecarrshow.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/03/Common-Language-Guide_March-2019-1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0Qb-hzsFX--cpBEx-59Ir59CU3mJWbhYfUPNE2OR40A7U5bsR9iBNJqFY] (CLD) in a community-wide email. Reactions to the document, which outlined and defined terms related to diversity and inclusion, were wide-ranging across the college. On Wednesday, March

Members of Men’s Lacrosse Posted Snapchat Photos of Unconscious Person with Swastika Drawn on Face

Update: Following The Student’s report, Amherst Hillel published an op-ed [https://amherststudent.com/article/hillel-responds-to-swastika-incident] on The Amherst Student website expressing frustration with the administration’s response. Chief Student Affairs Officer Karu Kozuma reached out to the Hillel E-board shortly after. A meeting between Hillel and administrators took place on Monday, April 8. Hillel E-board members described it as productive and revised their op-ed [https://amherststuden

A Flawed System: The Obstacles of Shared Governance

Over the last four weeks, The Student examined qualitative and quantitative differences in the experiences of faculty of color at Amherst College. Faculty members spoke about unrecognized burdens of service [https://amherststudent.com/article/a-flawed-system-the-burden-of-service-among-faculty-of-color] , racist encounters [https://amherststudent.com/article/a-flawed-system-navigating-racist-encounters-as-faculty-members-of-color-] and unclear expectations for the tenure process [https://amhers

A Flawed System: Professors of Color Face Hurdles in Obtaining Tenure

The process of obtaining tenure in academia is somewhat shrouded in secrecy. Though tenure does not grant a professor immunity from being fired, it does prevent a college from firing a professor without due reason. Tenure has been, and remains difficult, to attain. In 1997, the National Education Association reported that one in five pre-tenure professors was denied tenure in a typical year. The number of tenured and pre-tenure faculty on college campuses has also decreased from 45 percent in 19

Campus Undergoes Nearly Week-Long Server Outage Due to Network Disruptions

The campus experienced nearly a week of network outages beginning on Monday, Feb. 11, as the Information Technology (IT) department worked around the clock to test the campus-wide server and address varying disruptions that had caused outages since the beginning of the semester. IT is close to identifying and resolving the issues, said Chief Information Officer David Hamilton, and hopes to secure the network by the end of Friday, Feb. 15. The campus community was first made aware of server issu

A Flawed System: Navigating Racist Encounters

Last week, The Student embarked on the first of its four-part series [https://amherststudent.com/article/a-flawed-system-the-burden-of-service-among-faculty-of-color] examining the experiences of faculty of color at a predominantly white institution. Professors of color discussed extra burdens of service and emotional labor as work not acknowledged by the college, while internal reports showed that professors of color were denied tenure at significantly higher rates than white professors. In

A Flawed System: The Burden of Service Among Faculty of Color

Toward the earlier part of her career at Amherst, Professor of Black studies, Latinx and Latin American studies and English Rhonda Cobham-Sander typically wrote letters of recommendation for her students in the English department office. One day, as she typed, a white senior colleague came up behind her and peered at her screen. “Gosh, you’re always writing letters of recommendation!” he said, according to Cobham-Sander. “I don’t think I’ve been asked to write more than one this year, and you’

Student Stories Call For Climate Action

Nearly 200 people filtered in and out of Frost Library on Wednesday, Nov. 28 for “Student Voices from the Frontlines of Climate Change,” an event hosted by Students for Climate Action (SCA) and sponsored by the Association of Amherst Students (AAS). The event, which comprised of student speakers sharing how climate change has impacted their home communities, is part of a push for the Board of Trustees to pass the Climate Action Plan in January 2019. SCA began as a subcommittee of the Direct Act

College Conducts External Review of Accessibility

Two nationally-recognized experts arrived at the college this week to begin a series of assessments on accessibility services and support. The two consultants, Jeanne Kincaid and Bill Welsh, will look broadly at accessibility before another set of consultants arrive next week to examine accessibility of the physical campus. The assessments, announced by President Biddy Martin in a community-wide email on Nov. 15, come after the college adopted four accessibility principles this past year, which

Journalist Serves the World With His Words

After speaking with Scott Wilson ’88, I sat at my desk, staring at my laptop, at a complete loss for words — how was I going to capture the essence of this extraordinary journalist in 2,000 words? Wilson has been detained by members of the guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), covered bombings in Gaza, won awards for his coverage of President Barack Obama’s administration and led The Washington Post as national editor. He has received a list of awards too long to inclu

Accessibility Expert Speaks on Inclusivity in Technology

Kyle Shachmut, the manager of digital accessibility at Harvard, spoke at the college about making digital content accessible to students with disabilities on Oct. 30. The event was co-organized by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Information Technology, Communications, Accessibility Services and the Center for Teaching and Learning. Director of Academic Technology Services Jaya Kannan introduced the event by describing the current state of the college’s accessibility services. While the

Writer Min Jin Lee to Teach at College

Renowned author and National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee will join the college as a writer-in-residence starting in the 2019-2020 academic year. Her three-year appointment to the English department comes after her appearance at the college’s LitFest in March 2018. Lee has published a variety of short stories, novels and non-fiction and has received numerous accolades for her writing, including the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Fiction, the Peden Prize from The Missouri Rev

College Sees Increase in New Faculty of Color

63 percent of new professors hired by the college in 2018 are people of color — 10 out of the total 16, Dean of Faculty Catherine Epstein reported, with two additional professors identifying as international. Last year, six of the 13 new professors hired for the tenure track were people of color — a comparatively lower proportion at 46 percent. In 2005, only 15 percent of the faculty at Amherst were faculty of color. This year that number has jumped to 24 percent. Self-identifying students of c

Low Voter Turnout Spurs New Registration Initiatives

Editor’s Note: The Amherst Student is part of the newly formed task force on civic engagement and is involved in campus efforts to increase voting and voting registration. 9.5 percent of Amherst’s eligible student body voted in the 2014 midterm elections, according to a report by the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement (NSLVE). The 2014 voting rate for all academic institutions, in comparison, was around 19 percent. The study also showed that in the 2016 presidential election, 53

Students Voice Need for More Counseling Resources

Editor’s Note: This article is the second in a two-part series on the the Counseling Center’s challenges balancing student need and financial resources. Resources for any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal are listed at the end of this article. Last week, The Student reported on the search for a new counselor to supplement resources at the Counseling Center. This week, students speak on their experiences with the center and areas they see for improvement. Visiting the Cente

Counseling Center to Add Counselor After Increase in Student Demand

Editor’s Note: This article is the first in a two-part series on the the Counseling Center’s challenges balancing student need and financial resources. Resources for any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal are listed at the end of this article. The Counseling Center will hire a new counselor this fall amid increasing student need for counseling services. The college will prioritize counselors who are able to work with a “diverse student community with diverse student needs” a

ACEMS Data Challenges Reasons for New Party Policy

Data provided to The Student by a member of the Amherst College Emergency Medical Services (ACEMS) calls into question administrators’ assertion that the college needed to overhaul the Party Policy at the beginning of the semester due to a significant increase in risks to student wellbeing. Student Affairs released an updated version of the Party Policy on Jan. 26 to student backlash. Changes include requiring one party sponsor per 20 people as opposed to the previous 50 and expecting party spo

Administration Overhauls Party Policy to Student Frustrations

The college released changes to the Party Policy, a set of rules governing expectations of parties on campus, on Friday, Jan. 26. These include determining occupancy by venue, expecting party sponsors to manage attendance with staff assistance and requiring party sponsors to clean up the registered party space within one hour of the approved end time. The new party policy, announced in an email to students from Senior Associate Dean of Students Dean J. Gendron, takes effect for parties registere

Support Skills Training Offered in New Program

Peer Support Skills Training (PSST), a program formerly known as Student Support Network (SSN), was implemented in its new iteration this academic year. The program, created by Associate Director of Health Education/Mental Health Promotion Jessica Gifford, was offered in the fall 2017 term as an extracurricular course and an interterm course the week of Jan. 15. PSST is an interactive training that uses role-playing and hands-on practice to teach students skills such as empathy and active list

College Reaffirms Protections for DACA Students

President Biddy Martin sent a community-wide email on Sept. 5 condemning President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). In her email, she emphasized the college’s commitment to recruiting and protecting students with DACA status. DACA, an executive action signed into law under the Obama administration, provided temporary status to undocumented immigrants with a spotless criminal record who arrived in the United States before 15 years of age and were

Raises in Family Contributions Surprise Students

When Claire Cho ’20 received her financial aid package in early July, she was shocked — her expected family contribution had doubled “without any indication that it would,” she said. After conversing with friends and peers, she realized that a number of students’ expected family contributions had changed dramatically since their first year. “People who were really close with me, we were really unhappy with the way Financial Aid was handling it,” she said. “It didn’t seem like just one or t

A Writer and Softball Star Evolving at Amherst

Julia Turner ’19 first met Lauren Tuiskula when Turner visited Amherst on a softball recruitment trip as a high school sophomore. “I remember being intimidated by all of the players,” Turner said, “except Lauren.” Tuiskula put Turner at ease with a “full smile on her face.” “She kept asking me everything about myself,” said Turner, who also works with Tuiskula on The Amherst Student. “I remember her saying, ‘Oh my gosh, you like to read, you like to write, you play softball, we’re basically t