Since Amherst began, the College has developed two traditions — distinct from each other but both integral to the school’s character. One is a tradition of social reform, the other a tradition of cultural exclusion. The first embodies the sort of progressive ideals we try to instill in modern Americans, the other a retrograde carelessness about the sensitivities of people who fall outside narrow, old-school categories.
Authors: Barry O’Connell, James E. Ostendarp Professor of English; Karen Sanchez-Eppler, Professor of American Studies and English and Faculty Advisor to the Center for Community Engagement, and Chair of American Studies; Lisa T. Brooks, Associate Professor of English and American Studies; Kiara M. Vigil, Assistant Professor of American Studies.
On Dec. 6, 2012, scholars, students and tribal community members from across the country gathered in Cole Assembly Room for a day-long symposium to honor William Apess, a 19th-century Pequot preacher, activist and intellectual. Despite the silent, heavy presence of Jeffrey Amherst’s legacy, Native individuals and their non-Native colleagues and allies joined together to lighten that burden and celebrate Apess’s courage and eloquence in the face of adversity.
“The addition of the Dean of Student’s ability to establish standards in furtherance of principles embodied by the Honor Code and/or to comply with legal requirements and to modify the Student Conduct Process as appropriate to comply with applicable legal requirements and best practices.”
Sound familiar? Probably not, but it should.
