News Bye Bye Biddy: A Presidential Exit Interview As her last year at Amherst comes to a close, The Student sat down with President Biddy Martin to discuss her life of learning and the legacy of her tenure at the college.
News From Nose to NoReply: Tracking the Journey of a PCR Test The Student tracks the journey of an Amherst student’s Covid PCR test, from its collection at the Alumni House to its sequencing and result at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.
News College Announces Series of Retirements And Promotions The college has announced a number of retirements from and promotions to prominent positions at the college. Jim Brassord, Jackie Alvarez, and Interim CEIO Allen Hart are phasing out of their roles. Darien McFadden will replace Alvarez, and Angie Tissi-Gassoway has filled Hart’s position.
News Melissa Murray Discusses Racial and Reproductive Justice The college hosted the third event of its Fall 2021 Point/Counterpoint Series on Nov. 30, featuring Melissa Murray, a professor of law at New York University, in a conversation on reproductive justice and the racist origins of laws.
News Judiciary Hearing Addresses Constitutionality of Palestine-Aligning AAS Email The Judiciary Council held two separate hearings to address an anonymous complaint filed against the Amherst Association of Students Senate questioning the constitutionality of an email they sent last May.
News From the Red Room: Nov. 15 AAS Meeting Updates On Monday, Nov. 15, the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) held its eighth weekly meeting of the semester. Senators discussed policing at the college, presented Budgetary Committee (BC) requests, appointed committee members, and debated purchasing custom jackets for AAS members.
Homecoming Embracing Questions, Pursuing Truth — Alumni Profile, Elena Boley ’92 A medical officer in the Division of Urology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology at the FDA, Dr. Elena Boley ’92 has learned to embrace the grey.
News An Interview with Presidential Scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah The Student had the privilege of interviewing Presidential Scholar Kwame Anthony Appiah, a renowned philosopher and author, to discuss his background, career as a writer and thinker, and hopes for the future of philosophy.
News Resurgence of Party Culture Unleashes Rampant Vandalism With the return to a fully populated college campus, students, administrators and campus safety officers have observed a dramatic shift in weekend culture. The resurgence of parties has coincided with an increase in reports of vandalism and alcohol overdose calls.
News ACPD to Adopt Comfort Dog; Students Critique Motives ACPD will adopt a comfort dog before the beginning of the spring semester in an attempt to improve mental health and the department’s relationship with students. Though they appreciate the sentiment, students are wary that it does not actually respond to demands surrounding campus safety.
News AAS Responds to Racist Emails Sent to Black Student Groups at UMass On Oct. 11, the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) Senate issued a response to a series of hateful emails sent to Black student groups at UMass Amherst. The message criticized the college for its insufficient response to the incident.
News Outbreak of “Amherst Flu” Sweeps Across Campus A cold that students have termed the “Amherst flu” has spread across campus. Due to the many symptoms influenza shares with Covid-19, however, students have been wary to seek care from the Health Center out of fear of being quarantined.
News In Light of UMass Outbreak, Administration Implores Students to Adhere to Covid Protocols In the week of Sept. 8 to Sept. 14, UMass Amherst reported 371 positive Covid tests. The outbreak prompted Amherst College Chief of Police John Carter to send an email calling on the community to adhere to the college’s safety restrictions.
News College Loosens Some Covid-19 Protocols but Urges Vigilance On Sept. 11, the administration announced updated Covid protocols, including a limited return of indoor dining and an expansion of travel boundaries. While the changes were less far-reaching than some would have hoped, students generally found the update to be what they expected.
News Changes in Dining Hall Options Bring Challenges for Students In an effort to deter Covid-19 at the start of Spring 2020, Valentine Dining Hall (Val) transitioned from self-serve, buffet style to to-go meals, which has presented immense challenges for students with dietary restrictions and student athletes.
News IT Loses Six Members in Department Staffing Exodus The Information Technology (IT) Department has undergone a mass staffing exodus in the past year. Former Associate Chief Information Officer and Director of Support Services Luis Hernández Muñiz left the department in February, and was followed by five of his employees.
News New Covid Protocols: Necessary or Nonsense? Students React. The college announced on Aug. 24 that it had tightened its Covid rules until Sept. 13. The new restrictions prompted an open letter signed by over 400 students calling to relax the rules. In response, the college sent an email on Aug. 28 revising some protocols, though most remained in place.
News As Delta Variant Surges, College Tightens Covid Rules in Spite of Student Protests Amid concerns surrounding the Delta variant of Covid-19, the college announced on Tuesday that it has tightened its public health rules for the first two and a half weeks of the fall semester. The announcement has generated backlash among students who say the new rules are too restrictive.
commencement Braxton Schuldt: A Future Neurosurgeon with a Runner’s Heart Schuldt leaves behind a legacy in the lab and on the cross country and track programs. Photo courtesy of Braxton Schuldt ’21. Braxton Schuldt ’21 is the epitome of excellence and resilience. His intelligence, work ethic and drive to help others has molded him into an exceptional Amherst student-athlete. As
CDC College Divulges Summer and "Hopeful" Fall Covid-19 Restrictions Several Covid restrictions will continue over the summer, Dean of Students Liz Agosto told The Student. Notable restrictions include the continuation of a mask mandate while inside, a curfew and mandatory on-campus testing. Agosto relayed that fall guidelines will be officially determined closer to the start of the semester. The
Administration Racial Epithet Discovered in Valentine Hall On May 13, Dean of Students Liz Agosto sent an email announcing the discovery of the n-word scratched into a chalkboard in Valentine Hall. An individual found the racial epithet on the second floor near the balcony door and reported it to the Amherst College Police Department. The circumstances regarding
Administration College Announces Modifications to Fall Housing Due to Over-Enrollment On Thursday, May 6, the college updated students on housing plans for the fall semester. Because the administration anticipates an over-enrollment of 170 students this fall, it is planning to make significant modifications to housing stock. The increased enrollment is due to the return of students who elected to take
event Closing Out "Politics and Poetry" Series, Martin Baron Discusses Polarization and Truth in Journalism On Thursday, April 29, Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities and Latin American and Latino Culture Ilan Stavans discussed ideological polarization in the American media with journalist Martin Baron in the final event of the college’s virtual “Politics and Poetry” series. The series was made possible by the Seminars on Opposing
Vaccine College Begins to Administer Covid Vaccines Hantong Wu’23, receives his shot of the Covid-19 vaccine. Photos courtesy of Maria Stenzel © Amherst College On Wednesday, April 28, the college delivered the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine shot to 336 students and 42 staff and faculty members at no out-of-pocket cost in a pop-up clinic set up in
Vaccine Covid Vaccinations Mandated for Students Returning in Fall 2021 The college will require all students to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 before returning to campus for the Fall 2021 semester, the President’s Office announced on Friday, April 23. In the letter addressed to students, faculty and staff, President Biddy Martin relayed that more information will follow concerning how