THE AMHERST
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868
STUDENT VOLUME CXLVII, ISSUE 13 l WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2018
Women’s Hockey Wins Pink in the Rink See Sports, Page 9 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU
Amherst Joins Presidents’ Alliance to Support DACA Natalie De Rosa ’21 Staff Writer
Photo courtesy of Sarah Wishloff ’19
A study conducted by MassDOT found that stops at the college on the B43 bus route, which runs from Amherst to Northampton, could be cut to save money and time, according to PVTA Director of Operations and Planning Krystal Oldread.
B43 Bus Route Reviewed for Possible Changes Emma Swislow ’20 Managing News Editor In an effort to improve traffic flow along Route 9, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has begun a study to determine if changes to the B43 bus line, which a number of people in the Five-College community rely on for transportation, could potentially make travel easier and faster along Route 9. The B43 is run by the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA). Its route connects Amherst College, UMass, Hampshire Mall and Smith College. One of the changes MassDOT has proposed is having the bus run express from UMass to Northampton with no stops in Amherst. The bus stop at UMass is about 1.3 miles away from Converse Hall. In order to get to the express bus, students, faculty and staff would need to take either the R29, 31 or 38 from Amherst, according to Kevin Kennedy, communications director for the Five College Consortium. One benefit of the express bus, however, is that it would run more frequently, four times per hour rather than three. While running more buses per hour could benefit some students, the proposal of an ex-
press bus worries others. The B43 is the only bus that connects Amherst College to Hampshire Mall, where many students shop for groceries and other essentials. It’s also the only direct bus route between Amherst and Smith. These changes concern some students who rely on the bus to take classes or participate in clubs at other colleges in the area. Cristina Rey ’19E lives off-campus in Hadley and rides the B43 bus every day. Rey takes the bus from the intersection of Middle and Russell Streets in Hadley and typically gets off at the stop in front of Converse Hall or at Hampshire Mall. “I don’t have another way to get around,” Rey said. “I would use the bus if they changed it to an express route, unless they cut my stops. If they [cut my stops] I will have no way to get to class, to see my friends, to go to events, anything. I’ll literally be stuck in the middle of Hadley.” After a decrease in state funding last year, PVTA has a budget deficit of $1.4 million. In order to reduce this debt, PVTA is looking at ways to lower the costs of various routes. “While we are constantly tweaking our routes to maximize performance, a major driver on system-wide changes is funding,” PVTA Director of Operations and Planning Krystal Oldread said. “When funding levels decrease we unfortunately have to decrease service as
well, such as the case last summer.” Last summer PVTA announced the cuts of four bus lines in an effort to relieve some of its debt. A trolley route that ran in South Hadley and the M40 express route that ran from UMass to Northampton were both eliminated, as were two other routes in the Springfield area. The cuts were met with protests by a number of riders who depended on the various bus routes to get around the area, according to Greenfield Recorder. In July 2017, several bus routes were eliminated while service was reduced on others, according to an article from Mass Live. The B43 line is one of PVTA’s most expensive bus routes. In the 2016 fiscal year, it cost over $2.1 million to operate but only collected about $186,000 in fares, according to records available on the PVTA website. According to Kennedy, the Five Colleges compensate towns in the area for the cost of running the B43 bus line during the academic year and the 38 and 39 routes year-round. All three of these lines are considered “Five-College routes.” At the end of the fiscal year in 2017, the Five Colleges had paid $497,368, according to Kennedy. Since the budget deficit began this summer,
Continued on Page 3
President Biddy Martin announced the college’s membership to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration in an email to the college community on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Her email follows the Alliance’s Dreamer Fly-In, a conference in Washington, D.C. at which college and university presidents urged Congress to pass legislation protecting Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and are protected under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). According to the founding statement on its website, the Presidents’ Alliance aims to “[increase] public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact our students, campuses and communities” and “support policies that create a welcoming environment for immigrant, undocumented and international students on our campuses.” The Presidents’ Alliance formed after President Donald Trump’s decision to end the DACA program in September. The DACA program was started by an executive order passed by former President Barack Obama in 2012 to provide temporary legal status to those who immigrated to the U.S. as a minor. In addition to providing legal status, DACA allows Dreamers to obtain driver’s licenses, enroll in higher education and legally work within the U.S. President Trump said he delayed the program’s termination for six months so that Congress could develop a legislative solution. The issue is currently at the forefront of ongoing congressional negotiations. The Presidents’ Alliance’s Dreamer Fly-In intended “to call on Congress to pass a permanent legislative solution to protect young immigrants known as Dreamers,” according to a statement made by the organization. “I joined the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration at its inception in an effort to aid public understanding of the extraordinary impact immigration policies and practices have on our students, campuses and communities,” Martin wrote. Currently, 234 college and university presidents are members of the Alliance. President Martin was unable to attend the flyin herself, but sent letters on behalf of the college to Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Ed Markey and Representative Jim McGovern reaffirming
Continued on Page 3
New Registrar Ewa Nowicki Joins College Community Emily Young ’20 Staff Writer Ewa Nowicki assumed the role of the college’s new registrar on Jan. 8, according to an email announcement sent by Dean of the Faculty Catherine Epstein to the college community on Jan. 5. The search committee for the new registrar was impressed “with the skills and experience that Ewa will bring to her important role at the college, her dedication to the liberal arts mission and her commitment to the equity and inclusion of underrepresented communities in higher education,” Epstein
wrote. According to Epstein’s email, Nowicki holds a B.M. degree in voice performance from Boston Conservatory and an M.A. degree in Central and European Studies from Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. Nowicki has held registrarial positions at Stanford and and Hult International Business School. Prior to her new position at Amherst, Nowicki worked as the senior assistant registrar at Boston University. Nowicki wrote in an email interview that she decided to join the Amherst community because she saw the role as a “wonderful op-
portunity to contribute to an exceptional institution and community.” In a separate interview, Epstein said she is “confident that [Nowicki] has the technological and interpersonal skills to be an outstanding registrar.” Nowicki will help adopt new technologies that will aid the college in course registration, record keeping and advising, Epstein added. As registrar, Nowicki is responsible for many of the college’s academic operations, police enforcement and management of academic records. According to Nowicki, “a key part of my role is to ensure that the amazing staff within
my office have the tools and information that they need to continue to provide service to the community.” Nowicki said her life has been personally and professionally transformed by her experiences in higher education, which sparked her interest in pursuing a career in the field. She is passionate about issues of equity, diversity and inclusion and aims to help make higher education available to all populations. In her new position, she hopes to “partner with offices and individuals across campus on utilizing the current tools we have to provide better support and service to students, faculty and staff.”