News Classes of 2022 and 2020 To Celebrate Commencement on Campus Commencement will be held for the Class of 2022 on Sunday, May 29, following two years of drastically altered celebrations due to Covid. Members of the Class of 2020, originally only able to attend a virtual graduation ceremony, will also have an on-campus Commencement on Saturday, June 11.
News College Provides Updates on Anti-racism Action Plan In an email sent on April 26, President Biddy Martin provided an update on the college’s 2020 Anti-Racism Plan. The email detailed initiatives in a multitude of areas, including research on Amherst’s racial history, admissions, and faculty and staff diversity and development.
News Town Hall Covers Updates to Climate Action Plan On March 21, the college held a virtual town hall to discuss its most recent updates to the Climate Action Plan. The meeting covered the college’s commitment to pursuing climate action by overhauling its entire campus energy system to move to a low-carbon and eventually carbon-neutral system.
News College Admits 7 Percent of Applicants for the Class of 2026 The college released its regular admissions decisions for the Class of 2026 on March 18, leading to a total 7 percent acceptance rate of a record-breaking 14,800 applicants.
News Surge in Covid Cases Prompts Protocol Changes The college had 153 active Covid-19 cases at the beginning of the day on March 1. In response to the large increase in cases, the college has announced changes to its Covid safety protocols multiple times over the past week.
News Covid Policies Spur Uncertainty for Winter Athletes Student athletes have experienced heightened uncertainty throughout the winter athletic season due to a host of Covid safety policies, which bar them from competition after they, or enough of their teammates, test positive.
News Administration Releases Plan To Support Student Well-being Following a semester that saw surging demand for mental health support, the administration provided an update on Feb. 8 regarding the college’s efforts to better support student well-being, including bolstering the Counseling Center, new college-wide activities, and loosening of Covid restrictions.
News Spring Event Policy Updated, Adds Restrictions to Dorm Use A Feb. 14 email communicated stricter rules for event registration in the Spring 2022 semester. Students expressed confusion and frustration about party policies that they believe disproportionately affect certain student organizations and do not lead to safer practices.
News 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.
News Students Blindsided by Plethora of Housing Difficulties Students encountered a host of difficulties while trying to secure housing for J-term and the spring semester. Many expressed frustration at Housing Operations’ lack of communication.
News CSA Behavior at DASAC Formal Leaves Students Uncomfortable and Upset On the night of Dec. 7, two CSAs showed up unannounced twice to DASAC’s end-of-semester formal in Lipton Basement. One CSA’s aggressive mannerisms and actions left attendees in extreme discomfort and distress, with the group eventually calling ACPD and reporting the CSA for identity-based harm.
News 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.
News Staff Spotlight: Carl Charrette Carl Charrette is the first cook-baker at Valentine Dining Hall. He has used his tremendous creativity and lifelong baking skills to create a new line of vegan desserts and help Val transition to making desserts from scratch, much to students’ enjoyment.
News The Deadly Stretch: Students and Faculty Report Intense Burnout As the college community counts down the days until November break begins, students and faculty report feeling notably overstressed and tired. Some attribute these increased feelings of burnout to the adjustment back to in-person learning.
Homecoming A Life-Long Devotion to Chronicling the Truth — Alumni Profile, David Friend ’77E As editor of creative development for Vanity Fair, David Friend ’77 uses eloquent writing and striking photography to inform his readers about the most news-worthy topics of our time.
News As Val Fully Reopens, Staffing Shortages Limit Options Valentine Dining Hall returned to full capacity on Oct. 20. While students are ecstatic about the return of lively Val, staffing shortages have resulted in a dearth of food options for students with dietary restrictions.
News As Infections Remain Low, College Repeals Covid Restrictions On Oct. 19, the college announced its return to Level 1: Baseline Covid-19 Operations. Generally students anticipate enjoying newly permitted activities, but some still wish for a more complete return to normalcy.
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 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 Unprecedented Enrollment Leads to a Difficult Add-Drop Period For many students, this semester’s registration process was chaotic and complicated. Due to severe over-enrollment and reduced course offerings, students struggled to register in their desired courses.
News After Case on Child Slavery, Scrutiny Returns to Cargill CEO David MacLennan ’81 In June, the Supreme Court ruled that claims about Cargill’s alleged aiding and abetting of child slavery abroad could not be processed in the U.S. This is not the first time Cargill, whose CEO is Amherst trustee David MacLennan ’81, P’14, has faced criticism for its ethical practices.
News Staff Spotlight: Laura Fredette and Brittney Clapp Laura Fredette is a staff member at the Covid-19 Testing Center. A travel nurse, she started working at Amherst in August of 2020, and has enjoyed telling jokes to students as they get tested, as well as admiring the beauty of the college. In her free time, she loves spending
News Students Reflect on Covid Protocols: Balancing Safety and Enjoyment As the college approaches the halfway point of the spring semester, students on campus now have over five weeks of experience with the college’s Covid-19 safety regulations, leaving many to reflect on the restrictions so far. In particular, students have expressed ongoing displeasure with the administration’s lack of
News Off-Campus Students Living in Amherst Note More Freedom But Higher Risk of Contracting Covid-19 Many first-years and sophomores who lived on campus in the fall 2020 semester left the college bubble unimpressed. Instead of returning to campus in the spring, about 70 students opted to live in Amherst, but this time off-campus. Those off-campus students report feeling freer outside of the
News College Approved to Administer Covid-19 Vaccines The college received approval to become a vaccination center by the government of Massachusetts, the college announced in early February. As the nationwide vaccine rollout continues, and people struggle to obtain appointments, the college’s status as a vaccine distributor could play a pivotal role in helping the local community