Hi everyone! In today’s blog, I’m going to talk about a few smaller aspects of Amherst that likely go unnoticed in big spiels but are reasons why I love the College. As always, please email me with any questions! I’d love to do a future blog answering random questions that people may have about Amherst that aren’t found anywhere online. For example, before coming to college I was worried about how I would be able to empty a trash can… would I have to take my trash to a dumpster outside? Please email me any questions at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu.
Relationships with Staff
The Amherst community extends beyond professors and students; it includes everyone who works on campus and helps day-to-day life run smoothly. I love getting to talk to the same workers at Val (the dining hall), in my dorm, and in the health center, for example, and feel like I’m supported by people who aren’t just other students at Amherst.
I can think of a few relationships in particular that have profoundly affected me. First, there is a woman named Renee at Val who encouraged me to continue running when I started about a year ago. With her support, I’ve now run two half marathons and am planning on running my first marathon next year. Another person I love seeing every day is Sandra, the woman who cleans a few floors in my dorm. Sandra is an incredible artist who makes cakes and jewelry, and she always asks about my crochet projects.
All this is to say, it is nice to have people who care about you at college who aren’t either friends or professors (where the power differential intimidates me even though the professors are nothing but nice). The people who work at Amherst make it feel like a home, and not just a school that I also live at.
The Animals
I had never seen a chipmunk until I came to Amherst – they don’t have them in the South! But here I get to see them every day, and they never fail to make me smile. Once on a walk with my friend on the bike trail, we saw a wild turkey, which was very exciting. We’ve also seen a fox and plenty of birds while on the trail. Last fall, Amherst had a skunk population show up because people were all eating outdoors, and the skunks tended to stay near the trashcans or in the bushes. I only ever saw them from afar, but it always made me laugh to see photos of the infamous skunks. And last but not least, there was briefly a moose on campus in March 2020, caught on tape by a police officer’s dashcam.
Libraries (Frost and Jones)
I grew up in a family that loves reading, and I feel most grounded in a library. Frost isn’t the prettiest library I’ve ever seen, but I’ve discovered that they will purchase any book you request (if it isn’t already in the Five College Consortium catalogue). When a highly anticipated book is released, instead of waiting for weeks to get the ebook from my local library, I can request that Frost buy it and hold a hardcover copy in my hands a week later. I’ve spoken to a librarian at Frost about this, and they apparently love when students make use of the library’s funding to get books to read, even if they aren’t strictly academic. I don’t need any more encouragement than that – I will definitely continue to take advantage of this resource.
I also want to touch on Jones Library in the town of Amherst. It is a small local library that is in walking distance of the College, and I got a library card there this past summer. All you need to get a library card is ID and a piece of postmarked mail to your Amherst address (just have a friend mail you a letter!). The people at the library are very nice, and I have both physically checked out books there, and used their ebook collection to read on my Kindle. They recently were permitted (by voters this election… local elections are important!!!) to start a massive renovation, and though I think I’ll be gone by the time it is completed, I’m very excited that they get to overhaul their building.
Thanks for reading! Please email with any questions that I can answer in a subsequent blog!