Professor Goldsby Gives Lecture on Relationship Between Race and Biology

In an event in Lipton Lecture Hall on Feb. 18, Thomas B. Walton Jr. Memorial Professor Emeritus of Biology Dick Goldsby gave a lecture titled “The Nature and Biology of Race” in which he discussed the the nature, origin and social ramifications of race. He argued that race is largely socially constructed but includes more of a genetic component than many believe. The talk was sponsored by Being Human in STEM, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Center for Humanistic Inquiry and the depart

David Gamson Gives Talk Concerning History of U.S. Education System

David Gamson, associate professor of education at Pennsylvania State University, gave a talk titled “The Importance of Being Urban” in Paino Lecture Hall on Feb. 18, in which he discussed the historic development of and issues with the American education system, a topic he explores in his book by the same title. The event was sponsored by the American studies and history departments and the education studies initiative, as well as lecture funds provided by the college. Gamson began the talk by

Imam Kazerooni Discusses Human Rights, Islamic Law, Soleimani

Content warning: The following article contains explicit remarks regarding sexual assault that may be sensitive for some readers. Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni gave a talk titled “Islamic Law and Human Rights” on Feb. 4. The talk, which was held in Pruyne Lecture Hall, was a part of the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life’s Interfaith Harmony Week. Kazerooni is currently an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy and is the imam of the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn, Michigan,

College Implements Standardized Course Evaluations

The college implemented a new standardized course evaluation system for the past fall semester. The evaluation system, which was approved in a faculty-wide vote last May, aims to more fairly assess tenure-track faculty members and to receive teaching assessments from students without implicit biases. The initiative comes in part through recommendations based off data collection from the Center for Teaching and Learning’s (CTL) over the last few semesters. Though course evaluation systems existe

Study Abroad Programs Impeded by Protests

Protests led by college students, among others, in Chile and Ecuador have reached the lives of Amherst students studying abroad in South America. The protests, some of which have turned violent, are posing barriers to transportation and class schedules, and have forced institutions to impose an early curfew for students until the end of the semester. There are currently two Amherst students in Chile and one in Ecuador. All have chosen to remain in the countries to complete their study abroad t

Campus Buildings Face Accessibility Concerns

The college is set to make new changes geared toward increased accessibility on campus, including: the creation of an online form for reporting barriers preventing accessibility, the addition of a staff member to the Office of Accessibility Services, increased signage across campus and updates to the online campus map, according to a draft of President Biddy Martin’s email announcement obtained by The Student. Martin also highlighted the repavement of walkways and streets near during the summer

Rabbi Paves the Way as Leader and Intellectual

Among his peers, Jonathan “John” Blake ’95 is known as a rabbi who loves the spotlight. Not only have his analytical contributions to CNN, GQ magazine and various other publications led him to be a thought leader in his field, but his love for music lets him take the stage, albeit on a smaller scale, during his services. Growing up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Blake was part of a “typical Jewish-American home,” as he describes it. Now, as a senior rabbi of the Westchester Reform Temple in Westc

Professor Lyle McGeoch Remembered by Community

Lyle McGeoch, Brian E. Boyle ’69 professor of mathematics and computer science, passed away on Oct. 5 from a heart attack. He was 60 years old. McGeoch was a professor at the college for over 30 years. During his time at Amherst, he chaired the computer science department and served as a class dean. In an email to the college community, President Biddy Martin and Provost and Dean of Faculty Catherine Epstein praised McGeoch for his warmth and empathetic mind. “Lyle was an extraordinary schola

Amherst Alum Wins MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship

The MacArthur Foundation awarded the MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship to Andrea Dutton ’95, a geochemist and paleoclimatologist studying past sea level rises to predict its future conditions, on Sept. 25. The grant is a no-strings-attached sum of $625,000, installed in quarterly payments over a five-year period. Dutton is the seventh Amherst alum to win the prestigious award. She plans to use the grant to further her research, aid women in science and spend more time with her family. Dutton

Amherst College Republicans Appeals Sanctions From Judiciary Council

The executive board (E-board) of the Amherst College Republicans (ACR) has asked the Judiciary Council (JC) to appeal its decision last spring to sanction ACR after the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) was made aware of ACR GroupMe screenshots containing derogatory language toward LGBTQ students and staff. The request, however, has brought attention to the lack of a formalized process in the AAS constitution for directly appealing a JC decision. Last spring, after The Student published sc

Team Player Leads With Drive to Succeed

“Nate? After I joined club soccer, Nate became something of an older brother to me,” said Phil Corbo ’22, one of his teammates. “I couldn’t imagine a better role model for our class,” said another, Luis de Pablo ’22. Nate Quigley ’19 is a double math and history major known on campus as a convivial student who spends his time writing papers, playing soccer and being with his friends, and for serving as the editor-in-chief of The Amherst Student. As the captain of the club soccer team, Amherst F

Student Body Votes Against Unity Ticket in Referendum

On Monday, April 22 the student body voted in a referendum to decide whether the Unity Ticket would be given a chance to run for the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) executive board (E-board) positions. The students who comprised the Unity Ticket included: Gabriel Echarte ’22 running for president, Isiaha Price ’21 for vice-president, Dorjohn Boakye ’21 for Judiciary Council (JC) chair and Angelina Han ’22 for secretary. The results were announced on Tuesday, April 23, with 71 percent of st

The Center for Diversity and Student Leadership Celebrates its Transition to Resource Center

The Center for Diversity and Student Leadership (CDSL) hosted an event on Thursday, April 11 to celebrate the relaunch of its space from an office to a center. The CDSL provides support for first-generation, low-income, transfer, veteran and undocumented students, while aiming to educate all students on issues of social justice. At the launch party, President Biddy Martin praised the success of Tenzin Kunor, the director of diversity and student leadership. “This set of communities of students

AAS Voids Election, Disqualifies Ticket

On April 9, the Judiciary Council (JC) issued a decision on a complaint regarding the recent Association of Amherst Students (AAS) executive board (E-board) elections, deciding that certain candidates had spent money above the allotted expenditure cap. The ruling disqualified four candidates and led the AAS to hold E-board elections again this week. On Thursday, April 4, students selected their preferred AAS candidates through an online poll. Once voting ended, a student submitted a complaint t

More Than Half of AAS Discretionary Budget Unused

The Association of Amherst Students (AAS) managed $114,434 in discretionary spending for the 2018 fall semester, according to the AAS budgetary report. Yet from this amount, AAS allocated only $60,447 — $35,119 of which was actually spent — leaving $79,315 unused. The AAS operating budget contained a total of $631,800 for the Fall 2018 semester. About 18 percent went to the discretionary fund, which provides money for student-led activities. This money is separate from club budgets and the mas

Funds From Mental Health Walk Left Unused

The Walk for Mental Health that took place last year on May 2 raised $25,000, intended for allocation to events promoting mental wellbeing. Almost a year after the event, the money has still not been used. The Walk for Mental Health was created by the student group Active Minds, students from the Presidential Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion and the Association of Amherst Students. Sarah Wishloff ’19, chair of Active Minds last year, said that the idea for the walk originated in an email

Community Reflects on Network Outage

After a week of network outages beginning on Monday, Feb. 11, the Information Technology (IT) department restored the network to its normal functions. Yet, the week-long outage posed significant challenges for students completing coursework, faculty conducting classes and staff performing other administrative tasks. The outage impacted everyone on campus. The amherst.edu website was down, card readers prevented students from doing laundry and services like email and Moodle were inaccessible. A

Amherst Faculty Condemns Hampshire Administration in Open Letter

A group of concerned Amherst faculty members published an open letter in The Chronicle of Higher Education [https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/letters/open-letter-from-amherst-faculty-to-hampshire-president/] on Feb. 4 addressed to President Miriam Nelson of Hampshire College concerning the lack of transparency around the college’s potential merger. The letter was signed by 137 Amherst professors and laid out complaints against Nelson’s handling of Hampshire’s financial situation. Hampshire anno

Office of Student Affairs to Reevaluate Party Policy

The Office of Student Affairs detailed proposed adjustments to the current party policy in an email to students on Dec. 2. The proposals come nearly a year after the administration’s controversial changes to the party policy, which entailed stricter regulations and placed greater responsibility on party hosts. According to Chief Student Affairs Officer Hikaru Kozuma, Student Affairs “envisions the possibility of changing the cleanup deadline and changing the ratio of hosts to guests more immed

Sylvia Rivera Floor Aims to Foster Community in First Year

The Sylvia Rivera community hosted its floor launch party on Nov. 27 to celebrate its first year as a themed floor. The community, which is located on the fourth floor of Moore Hall and named after gay rights activist and queer icon Sylvia Rivera, houses LGBTQ students and allies seeking to build relationships in a space that is affirming of their identity. Just under 30 students live on the floor. According to the floor launch party event page, the floor is “to [the college’s] knowledge, the

Fresh Faculty: Jake Blackwood

Jake Blackwood is an assistant professor of economics. He received his B.S. in economics and international affairs from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Maryland. Q: What do you most enjoy about teaching at Amherst so far?A: I think that there is, at least in my previous experience… a sense of which, there are personal interactions that you get with the students. There is an expectation that the professors are slightly more availabl

Panel, Tour and Reception Mark Science Center Opening

A celebration of the opening of the new Science Center brought together guests and alumni to experience the most recent addition to the campus on Saturday, Oct. 20. The event included a panel of alumni working in science who spoke about the role of science in a liberal arts education at Amherst, guided tours of the building and departments and a reception which featured a performance by the college’s choral society. The event began with remarks by Andrew Nussbaum ’85, chair of the board of trus

Science Center Cafe Delivers on Sustainability

The new Science Center cafe celebrated its opening on Monday, Sept. 17 at 8 a.m. The cafe, which was designed with community-building in mind, will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. The menu at the new cafe features sandwiches, salads, coffee drinks and items not found in other locations on campus, such as parfaits, sushi and customizable smoothies. The menu will evolve to include daily and seasonal specials, according t