Schwemm’s Coffee House, Amherst’s late-night dining venue, will be undergoing a revision of its menu, including the addition of beer and wine for 21+ students, and a major renovation into a pub-style space, with completion expected by the Fall 2018 semester.
According to Joseph Flueckiger, director of dining services, the idea was first suggested during a conversation about the new Science Center café, which will be located in the new Science Center, also expected to open in Fall 2018.
The Center for Humanistic Inquiry (CHI) hosted a screening of a short film about the daily life of scientists working in the Antarctic filmed by the college’s photographer, Maria Stenzel on April 18. Violinist Michi Wiancko, who composed an original film score to accompany the film performed it live at the screening.
In addition to her work for the college, Stenzel is a freelance multimedia journalist and has worked for National Geographic for 20 years.
Amherst, along with Bowdoin, Hampshire, Smith and Williams, has formed the New England College Renewable Partnership, a collaborative contract to purchase solar electricity from a solar farm in Farmington, Maine. Starting in 2019, Amherst will annually receive 10,000 Megawatt hours (MWh) from the farm, enough to power around half of its total electricity use and all of its purchased energy.
During the 2017-2018 academic year, the Counseling Center has seen a steady increase in the number of students utilizing its services — the center reports having seen 34 percent of the student body so far, and anticipates this figure to rise to about 36 percent by the end of the semester.
Over the past four years, the number of students who have used the counseling center doubled, increasing from 15 percent in the 2012-2013 academic year, according to Director of the Counseling Center Jackie Alvarez.
Mona Oraby is a visiting professor of law, jurisprudence and social thought. She received her doctorate in political science from Northwestern University.
Q: How would you describe your area of research?
A: I would describe it by saying that I work broadly on comparative law and religion, law and society. I also work on colonial and postcolonial legal regimes. One example of that is how modern states regulate social difference broadly. I happen to be most interested, in this stage of my research, on the regulation of religious difference.
I agree wholeheartedly with Joy Huang ’15’s op-ed response to the recent demand by Asian student organizations for a designated space on campus, in which she stated that demographics deserve spaces not because others have them but because they are members of the Amherst College community. While she brings attention to the potential backlash such argumentation may elicit from other affinity groups, I am more concerned about the internal issues of Asian student organizations that might have led to this misstep.
Journalism plays a crucial role in society, a fact we are constantly reminded of these days, as the nation’s political climate is shaped by allegations of President Trump’s extramarital affairs, the latest revelation of the James Comey saga and the upcoming summit between the U.S. and North Korea. Often, however, the importance of journalism, especially student journalism, is contested, fraught and dismissed. Despite this, student journalism is important in establishing community, providing an honest voice and holding powerful institutions and people accountable.
