Writers' note: This FAQ was written by a group of students in favor of the MRC relocation and knowledgeable about the planned move.These students include Larissa Davis '13, Alexa Hetwerr '13, Roshard Bryant '13, Shayona Cato '13, Adrianna Turner '14, Josh Greer '14 and Kamaria Laing '16, among numerous others.
Dear President Martin, Dean Boykin-East, Dean Fatemi, and AAS President Tania Dias,
I hope this letter reaches you well. Briana Hanny and I are writing on behalf of a number of students on campus who met after the Tuesday (11/27) meeting to discussed the proposed moves for the Women’s Center and Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) in Keefe Campus Center. This letter, however, is specifically in regards to the referendum issued by the Amherst Association of Students to the general student body on Wednesday (11/28).
Dear Students,
I am writing to you as President of the Student Body. I hope this message finds you well.
Last Wednesday (11/28) the AAS sent out a non-binding poll soliciting student opinion on the Keefe Campus Center proposal. The poll asked if students were in favor of the proposed plan, and whether students supported the re-location of the game room (to the second floor) to make space for the MRC on the 1st floor.
On Sunday, Dec. 2, 2012 at approximately 3 p.m., the Amherst College police were notified that the word “nigger” had been written in the snow on the roof of a car parked by the Lord Jeffrey Inn. The car was parked on Spring Street on the north side of the street and was therefore not on college property. Because the incident occurred outside the jurisdiction of the campus police department, it has been referred to the town of Amherst police who are currently conducting an investigation into the incident.
On Dec. 4, the faculty met and discussed two major points: an addition to the pass/fail policy and an Open Access Resolution.
Before discussing those two items, President Carolyn Martin announced that the Committee of Six decided to go with the online program, edX. The committee is expecting to have their first course as early as the fall of 2013. The committee’s announcement is not a final decision since the committee decided to have the faculty vote on it during a special meeting to be held on Dec. 28.
Besides coverage in national publications like The New York Times, Bloomberg and Inside Higher Ed, Angie Epifano’s Oct. 17th op-ed in The Student describing her experiences as a survivor of sexual assault at the College has also generated significant discussion at other colleges and universities around the country, inspiring some survivors to come forward with their own stories and opening up a broader dialogue about sexual assault on campuses nationwide.
Amherst College’s new Take Your Staff Out (TYSO) program was initiated last week. Similar to the Take Your Professor Out (TYPO) program, TYSO will allow students to go out to a meal with any member of Amherst’s faculty, from coaches to administrators to custodians.
The idea for TYSO came out of the day of dialogue the College recently held, according to Interim Dean of Students and Coordinator of Academic Support Charri Boykin-East.
