THE AMHERST
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868
STUDENT VOLUME CXLVII, ISSUE 14 l WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2017
Women’s Basketball Tops Undefeated Bowdoin See Sports, Page 11 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU
Dining Services Looks to Expand Options Emma Swislow ’20 Managing News Editor
Photo courtesy of Sarah Wishloff ’19
Grab-N-Go employee Pete Charron came up with the idea to make food containers compostable, one of the many additions to various aspects of Dining Services.
Party Policy Undergoes Major Changes Shawna Chen ’20 Managing News Editor The college released changes to the Party Policy, a set of rules governing expectations of parties on campus, on Friday, Jan. 26. These include determining occupancy by venue, expecting party sponsors to manage attendance with staff assistance and requiring party sponsors to clean up the registered party space within one hour of the approved end time. The new party policy, announced in an email to students from Senior Associate Dean of Students Dean J. Gendron, takes effect for parties registered for and after Thursday, Feb. 1. Much of the language in the policy has changed to emphasize the needs of the college. For example, the old policy stated that the registration process aimed “to reflect the wishes of those residents within the building while cooperatively respecting everyone’s living space.” Now, the updated section states that the process will also reflect “the college’s ability to effectively support logistics and safety.” In his initial email to students, Gendron did not specify which aspects of the policy had changed but wrote that “[n]ew adjustments increase transparency and reduce pressures on party sponsors and residents of hosting halls.” Policy Changes Occupancy of “basic parties,” previously limited to 99 guests, will now be determined by venue size, and no more than one party per reservable
room will be approved on the same date. Exceeding occupancy may result in party termination. According to the party registration website, maximum occupancy ranges from 65 to 165 in the residence halls on the Triangle. The updates also place more responsibility on party sponsors. While the old policy required one party sponsor per 50 expected guests, now one party sponsor is required per 20 expected guests. The new policy writes that party sponsors are expected to “[m]anage safe attendance levels with assistance from staff ” and clean up the registered party space “adequately immediately after the approved end time of the event.” The previous policy made no mention of staff assistance and required party sponsors to clean up the registered party space by noon the following day for residential halls or by “the end of the night” for other public spaces. Language was also changed to require party sponsors’ cooperation with both “professional staff ” and the Amherst College Police Department instead of just ACPD. Formerly, for party sponsors who failed to meet expectations, the policy stated that the first incident would result in a warning and a meeting with a Community Standards or Residential Life staff member, the second “may result in probation and/or an educational sanction” and the third “may result in escalated sanctions, housing relocation or removal from housing.” Now, the first tier of measures will be utilized when the “failed expectation is very minor,” while
“typically failing to meet the expectations outlined … will result in a probationary status and/or an educational sanction” as a second-tier punishment. There was no specific definition of what constitutes a minor or major failed expectation. The same warning and meeting appeared under Tier One in the old policy, but the college has specified in the new policy that the meeting will involve developing a plan to “avoid future problems.” Tier Two has additional repercussions, including possible restrictions on future registration or sponsorship. In addition to the previous policy’s possible charges of “damages and fines” to the party sponsors when people responsible for damages cannot be identified, party sponsors now “may be charged for all damages and cleaning charges.” Party sponsors can also now file Community Standards reports on the college website to report “extenuating circumstances.” When the updates were released on Jan. 26, a policy change required party sponsors to meet with Student Affairs prior to party authorization to discuss guidelines and undergo training. Between 9 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29 and 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 30, the language on the webpage changed without notice, now only stating that “[s]tudents are encouraged to meet with a professional.” The Student also could not locate a copy of the old party policy online; it was sent by Director of
Continued on Page 3
Following student feedback and trends in historical data, Dining Services has made several changes to its offerings this semester, including adding a daily lunch-time burger bar, serving hot food on Wednesdays at Grab-N-Go and extending weekend hours. Burger Bar serves both a meat and veggie patty Monday through Friday, with the type changing each day. Traditional beef burgers are served on Tuesdays and Fridays, turkey burgers are served on Mondays and Thursday and chicken quinoa burgers are served on Wednesdays. Burger Bar is located in the station that typically serves pasta at dinner and before this semester, usually sat empty throughout lunch. In addition to using space that was previously empty, one of the other main aims of Burger Bar is to better handle the crowds that flock to Val for lunch. “We want to try and utilize that space so we can move the crowd so that it’s not as intense for everybody,” Director of Dining Services Joseph Flueckiger said. “If we can disperse that crowd a little bit and make it easier for people to get what they want, get back to their table, enjoy some time with their friends and still have time to get back to class, that’s what we’re after.” While Flueckiger has heard mostly positive feedback from students, he acknowledges that there are still areas for improvement. “I’ve heard a lot of feedback about Burger Bar,” Flueckiger said. “People like it, but they’re starting to ask for new toppings, not just the onions, peppers and mushrooms, which we’ll definitely start doing some research on and figure out what toppings would work best.” Henry Walker ’20 believes that there’s a need for variety in Burger Bar in order to make it a viable daily option. “Burgers are something that are very easy to get sick of and if those are a daily alternative, people are going to get tired of them really quickly,” Walker said. Another concern that some have is the environmental impact that serving beef twice more each week may have. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, raising beef requires significantly more land and water. Additionally,
Continued on Page 3
The Mead Receives $3 Million to Support Directorial Position Natalie De Rosa ’21 Staff Writer The Mead Art Museum announced on Jan. 11 that it received a gift of $3 million. The donation by John Wieland ’58 and his wife Sue seeks to support the position of director and chief curator and help build the museum’s contemporary art collection. “We are deeply grateful to John and Sue Wieland for this generous gift to Amherst and for their commitment to ensuring that the Mead’s exhibitions, educational programming and collection-building continue to serve and delight everyone in our community and beyond,” President Biddy Martin said in a press release. David Little, Mead director and chief curator, remarked that the endowment for the director position greatly benefits the museum. “When that hap-
pens, it means that there’s more money freed up for other positions and activities,” he said. “It provides budget release for the college.” Little also highlighted the donation’s contribution to the museum’s contemporary art acquisitions. Over the past year, the museum has focused on increasing its contemporary art collection, acquiring more than 120 works made within the last 10 years. “We’re trying to show art from [students’] generation so that they’re able to get what artists are doing and its relationship to history,” said Little. “Art and time march on, so it’s really exciting to be able to have funds to support acquisitions of contemporary art.” The museum is also working to diversify the selection of artists displayed by highlighting nonAmerican artists, according to Little. Within the past year, works originating from Germany, Russia
and Africa have been on exhibit. The Wielands will also present an exhibition titled “HOUSE: Selections from the Collection of John and Sue Wieland,” featuring works from the Wieland’s collection, and contribute to the museum’s increasing variety of artworks, says Little. “[HOUSE] includes artists from places like China, Latin America and South Africa,” Little said. The artwork will focus on how the house can contribute to a person’s life both positively and negatively, as well as the complex associations some have with the home. The Wielands’ collection includes contemporary artists such as Vito Acconci, Doug Aitkin, John Baldessari, Jennifer Bartlett and Robert Bechtle, according to the college’s press release. Little hopes the exhibition will attract students who normally would not visit the museum. “What
I love about the theme of the house is the accessibility of the concept,” he said. “I hope [students] will discover all of the different ways you can enjoy and think about this art.” The exhibition’s theme will also connect the museum with the college community, he added. “It shows the community, how we at the Mead are connecting with the students and connecting with the curriculum,” he said. Events currently hosted by the Mead include gallery talks with curators, artist presentations and performances. “HOUSE: Selections from the Collection of John and Sue Wieland” will open on Feb. 8 and remain on display until July 1. To commemorate the exhibition’s opening, John Wieland and Little will host a public talk at 5 p.m. in Stirn Auditorium.