Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well! In this blog, I’m going to talk about some of the recent events and changes on campus. If you have any questions, please email me at sgoldsmith24@amherst.edu.
Mask Mandate
The biggest news at Amherst recently is that starting this coming Monday, April 4th, masks are optional in most places on campus. We still have to wear them in classrooms and labs, areas with lots of traffic (for example, library circulation desks, the dining hall lines, and the gym), and in healthcare facilities. But we do get to take them off when just sitting in the library or science center, when at social events in the Powerhouse or other event spaces, and when meeting professors for office hours. I think people on campus are generally looking forward to the relaxation of the rules, but are still willing to wear masks in case anyone in the vicinity would prefer that people are masked.
Art Installation by Foon Sham
Last week, artist Foon Sham was on campus to create an art installation called “The Book of Hope” with the help of all members of the Amherst community. The installation is constructed of hundreds of wooden blocks stacked in the shape of an open book. The wooden blocks are inscribed with messages that students wrote on the blocks to memorialize how we feel at this moment in time. The College wrote “It is up to you to decide whether your inscriptions memorialize the stress and the emotional challenges of the past two years or the sources of joy, hope, inspiration, and resilience that have helped you through these difficult times”. The Book of Hope is now displayed in the Frost Library. If you visit campus, be sure to see it!
Presidential Scholar Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
This week, Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein came to campus as a Presidential Scholar. The Presidential Scholar’s program was created as part of Amherst’s anti-racism action plan, and it invites scholars to speak as part of the President’s Colloquium on Race and Racism and meet with student groups throughout their time on campus. I think that the meeting-with-student-groups element of the program is especially important, because in addition to helping the scholar reach a wider audience, it allows the scholar to discuss their different identities to unique groups of people. For example, Dr. Prescod-Weinstein is Jewish, and she was invited to speak at Hillel’s Shabbat dinner this week. I enjoyed hearing from Dr. Prescod-Weinstein this week during her moderated discussion with a wonderful professor.