Kim Phuc Phan Thi, the subject of the famous “napalm girl” photograph from the Vietnam War, spoke to students, staff, faculty and members of the community in the Cole Assembly Room on April 28. The event, titled “Life Lessons,” was free and open to the public.
Phuc is known for being the subject of the iconic photograph taken as she was fleeing a napalm bomb during the Vietnam War. The photo, titled “The Terror of War,” was taken by Nick Ut and won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize for Photography. It remains one of the most iconic images of the war.
Faculty, staff and students met for a discussion and a question-and-answer session hosted by the Presidential Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion on April 29 in Converse Hall. The event was the first time the group had addressed students in an open forum since it was created earlier this semester in response to Amherst Uprising.
Senators for the classes of 2017, 2018 and 2019 as well as two judiciary council members were elected on April 26. The election was preceded by a night of speeches in Merrill 1 on April 21, where the candidates presented their platforms.
The classes of 2018 and 2017 only elected six representatives to the possible eight senate seats. To fill the vacant seats, the AAS will hold elections again in September.
A mascot committee comprised of students and alumni held its fourth meeting on April 29. The new committee is composed of students who were active in the mascot debate last fall and the members of the alumni executive committee’s mascot task force. Throughout the semester, the committee has discussed a potential timeline for democratically selecting a new mascot, as well as means of reaching out to alumni and students to inform them about the process and receive mascot suggestions.
A majority of the faculty voted to approve the Statement of Academic and Expressive Freedom during a faculty meeting on Tuesday, May 3. The statement, which lays out and clarifies the college’s position on freedom of speech and expression, was written by the Committee of Six.
For those of you who don’t know, Beyoncé, the 20-time Grammy award winning artist and cultural icon, dropped a visual album titled “Lemonade” on Saturday, April 23. For those of you who are aware of the album and haven’t watched it yet — perhaps because you think “Beyoncé is overrated” or you are under the assumption that the album revolves around rumors and infidelity — I urge you to reconsider your hesitation.
