Sophomore class president Jun Matsui '03 organized the meeting, intending to explore how the sophomores' lives have changed since arriving at Amherst. Matsui opened the discussion by stating that she hoped "that our perspectives had changed a lot since arriving here in a high school mentality." She said that she wished to explore how, as college students, their experiences had met and clashed-to "see what we have in common" and ask "how has Amherst changed us?"
Will Johnson '03 responded by noting that Amherst has been "mostly about growth." However, he added that for his first year here, "Amherst forced me to put myself in one box or another."
Brian Hart '03 questioned the value of picking friends based on issues of identity. "I didn't pick many friends because I decided that I needed one more Puerto Rican friend or one more Jewish friend. That's not meaningful," he said. "We shouldn't be as much concerned with bringing groups together as bringing individuals together."
Associate Dean of Students Onawumi Jean Moss stressed the importance of identity politics in shaping Amherst. "Thank God for identity politics. If not for identity politics, I would not be here."
Travis J. Bristol '03 gave an example of being classified as the "other" at Amherst. "In Alumni Lot, a girl told me that the parking lot was 'only for Amherst students'... I felt I could only attach to blacks. I felt there was something wrong with me ... With my blackness." He described a "strong urge to turn to those like you."
Moss told Bristol that, "You are not the other. The people are unable to accept that they are here with the other ... No matter how prepared you are to step into the mix and become involved, someone wants to confront why you are there, to make you the other ... It's frustrating. It creates unrest in the constellation of community."
On the topic of forming a community among students at Amherst, Ben Baum '03 called the Amherst-Williams football game a "bizarre, bizarre thing ... Fighting a common rival is not the best way to foster community, but it works." He noted that, "It's sad that the game was the only time it happened."
Area Coordinator Joel Estrada '00 said that the Amherst-Williams game was not a bonding experience because of the common rival but because it was fun. Amherst fans got excited when they saw their classmates waving the Amherst banner, according to Estrada. "The sense came not from the game but from us being in an arena together. The fun comes from us," he said
As an Amherst alumnus, along with his role as Area Coordinator, Estrada said that students often ask him for advice on how to do well at Amherst. He said that his response is most often, "You're here. You will do well. The best thing you can do is to smile. We all ignore each other as we walk through campus. [Smiling] would build community."
He continued, "You ask yourself, 'Why did I not notice this?' and, 'What does this say about me or about the College?'"
Like Estrada, Andrew Sutton '03 noted that he was frustrated by what he called the invisible clock. "During orientation," he explained, "we would walk around, and everybody would introduce himself. This openness, though, vanishes rapidly. There's no reason for this. We're still the same people. Why, since there are only 1600 of us, are we a stranger to everyone?"