The men’s soccer team had the kind of weekend they hope will define their season. The Lord Jeffs opened NESCAC play with a perfect 2-0 record, with wins over rivals Bates, 3-2 and Middlebury 3-0. Amherst was able to turn a fast start into a win in both games, but the way they did so could not have been more different.
Fueled by a stingy defense and the sudden emergence of sophomore striker Sarah Duffy, the women’s soccer team roared into the new season with three shutout victories this past week. The Jeffs routed Mount Holyoke 7-0 last Wednesday, then took out NESCAC foes Bates and Middlebury — both matches ended in a 2-0 result — at Hitchcock Field over the weekend.
This past spring, the College hired 28 new faculty members, a third of whom are on the track to tenure. This number may seem high, and indeed it is. Due to the arrival of phased retirement for numerous beloved professors, the constantly-shifting needs and interests of every Amherst department, and the growing number of students, the College is currently in a hiring boom — a trend that, according to Dean Call, will not be ending any time soon.
Over the summer, Frost Library underwent some renovations, as part of a project that took more than one year to plan and another summer to complete. While most of the library functions remain unchanged, there have been significant upgrades to the interior layout and decorations — expanded study spaces, increased display spaces, new furniture and a café that will open later this semester.
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.
Dean of Students Allen Hart has approached the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) to propose that the effort to address campus social life issues be a collaborative venture between students and the administration. His proposal came after the recent setbacks on social life frontiers: basements in Crossett, Davis and Stone were rendered unusable for The Amherst Parties (TAP’s) due to fire regulations and the cancellation of funding for Senior Bar Night.
The College is gearing for some high-tech innovations, as professors across departments are beginning to experiment with including technology in the classroom to enhance students’ learning experiences. Professor Javier Corrales from the Political Science department recently surprised his class, Cuba: The Politics of Extremism, by introducing the use of Twitter during classroom discussions.
