Opinion THE AMHERST STUDENT

Executive Board

accountable, causing it to function more as a club than a representative body. At the same time, the lack of clear and consistent communication between the AAS and students leaves it ambiguous what students should be expecting from the body.

To their credit, the AAS has already begun making necessary changes that will change this relationship for the better, such as its newest Committee on Public Relations, which aims to increase engagement with the student body and give more publicity to senate projects. This committee would do well to enact several studentfacing policies all at once, such as a question box where students can submit comments and concerns, as well as polls to gauge what on-campus issues students are most concerned about. Now, it’s time for us students to do our parts and actually be involved in the democratic process. We need to remember that AAS Senators don’t just represent us, but are also students, just like us: the same people we go to class with, eat at Val with, and see around campus.

Undeniably, there are many more complexities in the relationship between the Senate and the student body. The intensification of budget constraints, the administration’s poor communication with the AAS, the increasing discontent with the AAS’s constitution (time for a constitutional convention, maybe?): All of these factors have added their own challenges to the situation.

Though we can’t understand the specific challenges that the AAS faces, The Student, perhaps more than any other organization on campus, understands firsthand the challenge of representing the student body, and the potential pitfalls of being a separate organization, isolated from the rest of campus. Our critique of the sensationalization of the trial is particularly ironic, considering how our coverage of the event contributed to it — our article about the impeachment trial was among our most-clicked articles last semester.

Despite the drama of the night, the impeachment trial had an unexpected positive outcome: It showed the capacity of the AAS to be organized and carry out proceedings, of senators to be passionate about their love for Amherst and the AAS, and for students to be engaged. It is this passion and engagement from non-AAS students, AAS representatives, and other community members that will make Amherst a better place for all of us.

Unsigned editorials represent the views of the majority of the Editorial Board — (assenting: 12; dissenting: 0; abstaining: 1).

Editors-in-Chief

Liam Archacki

Sam Spratford

Senior Managing

Dustin Copeland

Kei Lim

Managing News

Ethan Foster

Leo Kamin

Michael Mason

Managing Features

Sonia Chajet Wides

Caelen McQuilkin

Eleanor Walsh

Managing Opinion

Tara Alahakoon

Yasmin Hamilton

Tapti Sen

Assistant Opinion

Stacey Zhang

Managing Arts & Living

Alexander Brandfonbrener

Cassidy Duncan

Brianne LaBare

Madeline Lawson

Noor Rahman

Managing Sports

Hedi Skali

Slate Taylor

Managing Puzzles

John Joire

Managing Podcast

Andrew Rosin

Assistant Podcast

Karina Maciel

Managing Design

Andrew Kim

Brianne LaBare

Managing Photo

Claire Beougher

Slate Taylor

Managing Graphics

Nina Aagaard

Shani Getz

DEI Editor

Erin Williams

STAFF

Publisher

Robert Bischof

Digital Director

Sawyer Pollard

Social Media Manager

Emi Eliason

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