Yee-Lynn Lee

The Amherst Political Union (APU) hosted a virtual conversation with 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang, moderated by APU co-presidents Witter Swanson ’21 and Rebecca Wistreich ’21, on Nov. 13. The livestream was attended by over 200 students, alumni and other members of the college community. Responding to questions posed by Swanson and Wistreich, as well as other students and audience members, Yang spoke about topics including his bid for presidency, policy views and goals moving forward.

Rebecca Stephens Falcasantos is an assistant professor of religion. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Creighton University, a master’s from the University of Notre Dame and a Ph.D. from Brown University.

While some students may not be enrolled at Amherst this semester, they’ve used their time to contribute to causes including pandemic relief and political organizing.

Ben Gilsdorf is a history major. He is writing his thesis on the history of voting rights in Hawaii. His thesis advisor is Professor of History and Environmental Studies Ted Melillo.

In an email to on-campus students on Sept. 11, Chief Student Affairs Officer Karu Kozuma announced that the college would launch a new partnership with Delivery Express, a local food delivery service akin to Uber Eats, DoorDash and other competitors. Apart from expanding dining options for students, the program has bolstered business for restaurants in town, many of which have experienced a loss in revenue as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

In a Zoom webinar with nearly 600 attendees on Sept. 10, James J. Grosfeld Professor of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought Lawrence Douglas addressed this question alongside attorney and CNN “Early Start” anchor Laura Jarrett ’07, who moderated the event. Douglas shared ideas from his new book, “Will He Go?: Trump and the Looming Election Meltdown in 2020.”