We often use this phrase: shadow Amherst. It typically refers to students who are rarely seen, or don’t provide the smiling, socializing ideal we imagine each other to be. But I think the Amherst shadow is much more encompassing than we might like to admit. Indeed, during our four years here, all of us spend time in the Amherst shadow. Sometimes, the stress of class can overwhelm us. Other times, we cannot even manage a smile in Val, or even want to go to Val at all.
Just to introduce myself: I’m a Class of 2015 Senator, and one of my jobs within the AAS is being the AAS Representative to the Program Board. I barely remember being elected to be the representative to the Program Board. To be honest I knew next to nothing about what the Program Board did. I didn’t know anyone on there or what Spring Concert was like.
Romen Borsellino ’12
Major: Interdisciplinary (Political Psychology)
Advisor: Andrew Poe
What is your thesis about?
My thesis is essentially a look at the role of charisma in the elections process. Something that really fascinates me is American politics, especially the elections side, so one thing that I want to study is when people go to the polls, are they looking at the candidate with the best policy decisions, or the person who can just make the best case in general, based on some sort of charisma or personal appeal.
Monday’s meeting opened with a special guest: Green Dean Jessica Mestre ’10 as a representative of our very own administration. As the Student Life Program Coordinator, she came to discuss two different propositions in which the administration was looking to coordinate with the student body via the Senate.
The first proposal was about a campus-wide “Community Hour.” The impetus behind this idea was that the campus rarely has events where faculty and students across class and dorm can get together.
The room was quiet as the College’s fourth and final 9/11 memorial event opened, last night in the Cole Assembly Room in Converse Hall. The panel was entitled “9/11: How we are different 10 years later.” With Dean of Faculty Gregory Call moderating, Professors Frank Couvares, Lawrence Douglas and Patricia O’Hara took turns speaking.
