This week Provost Peter Uvin invited students, faculty and staff to participate in a series of conversation called Amherst Reflects, part of a follow-up and response to the Day of Dialogue held earlier this semester.
Men
The Amherst College men’s track team traveled to Springfield last Saturday to compete at the 2015 Div. III New England Championships. The Jeffs earned 40 points to finish tied for seventh overall with Bowdoin in the 26-team field.
The highlight of the day for the team was the distance medley relay, in which four Amherst runners continued their strong performances this season. The team of Jesse Fajnzylber ’17, Nathan Showalter ’17, Chris Butko ’18 and Greg Turissini ’15 claimed first place with a time of 10:19.21.
In 2004, I witnessed Hurricane Ivan, one of the most destructive tropical cyclones in recorded history. I was only a little kid when it hit. For almost two days the scene was apocalyptic: The sky was painted black while the winds screamed; houses were rocked to their very foundations because of unrelenting rain; the hurricane laid a myriad of seemingly immovable objects in the middle of the street; telephone poles, roofs, mango trees and stop signs were a few such objects whisked away like paper in a light breeze.
On Tuesday, Feb. 24 in an open letter to the Amherst College community, the board of trustees voted to “not endorse divestment of the endowment from fossil fuels,” but stated their intentions to “incorporate environmental considerations into their investment decisions,” with investment managers who “thoughtfully and consistently incorporate environmental considerations into the investment process.” The board has not provided a timeline for its proposed goals.
We do not know the total number of people killed by law enforcement each year, much less the racial demographics of those victims. But we do know two things: Too many people are killed by law enforcement in the United States, and there is a widespread perception that communities of color are suffering disproportionately.
It’s fair to generalize and say that many members of the faculty, administration and student body were disappointed by the cancellation of the winter carnival. Although we all laughed at the Muck-Rake article “Winter Carnival Postponed Due to Winter,” the response mainly masked our frustration. In the current Amherst social scene, the carnivals set up by Biddy and the administration are the closest things we have to campus-wide traditions. Yet, not only can these events be undependable despite fairly predictable weather conditions, the carnivals do little to actually unite our campus.
Ah, high school: a hotbed of friend drama, teen angst, and a realm often haphazardly portrayed in Hollywood. “The DUFF,” directed by Ari Sandel, tries to be an original contribution to the teen comedy genre, but is ultimately unable to reinvent overused tropes, no matter how many hashtags it employs.
