In its perpetual 1-2 shuffle, U.S. News and World Report ranks Amherst as the top liberal arts school in the country, moving Swarthmore College to the second spot.
<b>September</b><br>The College's information technology department announces that VAX will be eliminated the following fall. The VAX will be replaced by an NT-based email system.
Naturally On The Edge (NOTE) vows to keep plans alive after VAX is disabled, citing a "thriving plan culture" as the reason for the project.
A shortage of student workers causes Valentine Dining Hall to increase wages and serve meals on styrofoam plates. Director of Dining Services Charlie Thompson says that when he arrived at Amherst in 1991, Valentine employed 250 students. Now, only 20 are employed.
<b>October</b><br>The College holds its first online student government elections, replacing traditional voting that took place in the Valentine atrium.
Two Amherst students filed an incident report with Town Police after a dispute arose between them and the staff at the Paradise of India restaurant located in Amherst center. "The manager verbally insulted [them] with demeaning remarks and racial slurs," states the police report. "As they were leaving the individual [the waiter] began swearing at them calling them 'you motherfuckers,' 'you sons of bitches,' and 'you black bitches."
Custodians voice concern that caps on salaries have left them without pay raises for the past few years. The current pay scale shows that six of the 35 custodians-all of whom have been working at Amherst for 16 to 23 years-have not had a raise in five years. Because of increases in cost of living, these employees' real wages have decreased in recent years.
The Trustees discuss a long-range, comprehensive plan for housing renovation which could result in major changes to the freshman quad costing up to $50 million. While nothing is finalized, the most likely solution to the current freshman housing crunch is to tear down Williston Hall and build in its place a new freshman dormitory.
Students who identify themselves as feeling marginalized on campus eat dinner in the annex of Valentine Dining Commons, an area commonly used by athletes, in an effort to bring their presence into people's consciousness.
<b>November</b><br>A group of students file discrimination complaints with the Dean of Students Office alleging that Computer Dating TAP discriminated against gay, lesbian and bisexual students. The students allege that the Social Council (SoCo), which plans TAP, has for two years been told that its Computer Dating TAP form was discriminatory but has failed to change it.
Treasurer Sharon Siegel announces that she will be leaving at the end of this academic year. This year, the College's endowment jumped from $634 million to $912 million.
An article in the Oct. 26 issue of The Indicator jeopardizes the future of the English 6: "Reading, Writing, and Teaching" program at Holyoke High School. The controversy began when teachers at Holyoke obtained a copy of The Indicator, a College journal of social and political thought, during Parents' Weekend. The Indicator article depicts a conversation between several students, a teacher and the article's author, Jordan Lang '03, who was helping to teach the class at the time. The article portrays the teacher somewhat unflatteringly, in addition to reporting students' statements without changing their names. Because of the reaction to the article, Professor of English Barry O'Connell, who founded the program, writes a statement of apology to Holyoke High in which he states that he recognizes The Indicator essay "puts our whole program at risk."
After a 14-year drought, the Lord Jeffs defeats the Williams College Ephs in a 20-12 homecoming weekend football game. This gives the Jeffs their first outright Little III title since 1986. The team finishes with a 7-1 record, tied for first place in the NESCAC with Middlebury and Colby Colleges.
Assistant Dean of Students Samuel Haynes finds SoCo guilty of discrimination after five students write letters to the administration about their belief that Computer Dating Tap had violated the rights of lesbian, bisexual, gay and transsexual students.
Residents of Stone Dormitory accumulate $4,022.54 in dorm damage over the course of the fall semester. Between Sept. 3 and Oct. 23, the Amherst Fire Department responded to six false alarms at Stone, at a combined cost of $600. Repeated possessions of illegal kegs and incidents of tampering with smoke detectors led to fines totaling $1600. Five broken windows cost residents an additional $903.54.
<b>December</b>
The faculty votes 66-24 to revise the Latin honors system. The faculty specifically vote against a motion made by the Committee of Educational Policy to support the current system with only slight modifications.
The College signs a contract to significantly increase its Internet bandwidth by sometime in January or February from three to six megabits per second.
Swarthmore College's Board of Managers votes 15-8 to eliminate three varsity athletic programs, including football. The decision sends shockwaves through other small colleges, but President Tom Gerety reassures the College community that no such measure would take place at Amherst. "I think we'd rather see reform than this kind of revolution," says Gerety.
<b>January</b>
After the College signs a contract to increase the speed of its Internet connection, the company, Vitts Networks, announces it is going out of business, leaving the College unable to implement its plan for increasing bandwidth.
Student Government Organization (SGO) Treasurer and Student Finance Committee (SFC) Chair Ben Armour '01 announces that the spring budget for SoCo would reflect a 25 percent cut, bringing their SFC funding down to $7,500. The changes are made, according to Armour, because "we basically felt that we weren't able to manage [SoCo's] spending the way we wanted to."
<b>February</b>
Fifteen faculty members write a letter to Gerety asking that sheepskin no longer be used as the material for diplomas. Professor of Philosophy Alexander George, one of the signers, says, "My primary motivation is to behave respectfully toward animals, and of course to avoid the possibility of transmitting BSE, or 'mad-cow disease,' to some over-excited student who takes to licking or possibly eating his or her diploma."
In his new book, "Plague Time: How Stealth Infections Cause Cancers, Heart Disease, and Other Deadly Ailments," Professor of Biology Paul Ewald proposes that germs, not genetics or lifestyle choices, are primarily responsible for a variety of diseases, "particularly chronic diseases for which medical experts do not yet agree on the causal mechanisms."
A study by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education finds that Amherst is one of only five American universities or colleges to have at least a 90 percent black student graduation rate. Amherst ties with Princeton University for third in The Journal's survey, with 91 percent of the school's black students graduating within six years of enrollment.
After the initial contract with Vitts Networks falls through, the College signs a new contract with Verizon to more than triple its Internet bandwidth.
Citing a "commitment to maintaining Amherst as one of the best colleges in the country," Gerety announces that the comprehensive fee for the 2001-2002 academic year will increase by 4.5 percent, bringing the fee to $33,860. This marks the 26th straight year that the College has increased its comprehensive fee.
In response to petitions by students and faculty members, Gerety decides to keep sheepskin as the default material for Amherst diplomas, but graduation forms will now explicitly give seniors the option of selecting paper diplomas.
After closing for renovations in the fall of 1999, the Mead Art Museum gets set to reopen with a gala reception. The renovations, which cost approximately $4 million, include installation of new security, climate control and fire suppression systems and additions that will make the museum handicapped accessible. New gallery space will allow more pieces to hang, and the renovated interior will bring the museum up to national professional standards in the galleries, storage and art preparation areas.
<b>March</b>
The annual disciplinary report, compiled by Dean of Students Ben Lieber, shows an increase in the number of incidents of plagiarism and cheating. The report indicates that there were 19 infractions over the 2000 calendar year, up from 16 in 1999. "It's raising some concern because it has been a fairly steady increase over the past three years," says Lieber.
Director of Information Technology Phil Fitz announces that all alumni will receive forwarding email addresses but will lose access to their Amherst email accounts following commencement. "Email forwarding is what a lot of schools are doing now," says Margaret Stancer, director of desktop computing services for the College. "As more and more people did email after they left school, it became more difficult to maintain [the system]."
The "biggest storm of the last 50 years," as it was being billed by meteorologists across the country, drops 12 to 15 inches of snow on parts of the Amherst area but, by many people's accounts, fails to live up to expectations. Early Monday, College administrators make the decision to close all offices at the College at noon and all day Tuesday but let classes continue as scheduled.
Only 59 seniors select paper diplomas, although only 83 people return graduation forms. This means that 360 students will receive sheepskin diplomas, many by default. "I am very surprised," says Gerety. "I really thought there would be more of a shift."
The SGO elections draw little competition with only one candidate for the offices of president, treasurer and recording secretary and no candidates for the office of corresponding secretary. Michelle Oliveros-Larsen '02 wins her uncontested race for the position of SGO president, while Amy Summerville '02 is elected to serve as vice president.
<b>April</b>
After a year-long struggle with prostate cancer, Moore Professor of Latin Peter Marshall dies at Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton. "Peter Marshall was an extraordinary scholar with a better command of Latin than most ancient Romans had," says Professor of Classics Rebecca Sinos. "He was also an extraordinary teacher, who communicated beautifully with a great range of students, from those who sought his expertise as a thesis advisor, to the fraternity members whose lobster feasts, some years ago, he attended and enjoyed as much as anyone did."
Following this year's debate over the use of sheepskin in Amherst diplomas, the Class of 2002 will be required to choose either paper or sheepskin, eliminating the option of a default material. Effective next year, seniors will be required to fill out a short form when preregistering for spring semester courses, indicating their preference for either paper or sheepskin diplomas.
The Mead Art Museum, which recently reopened in January after a two-year renovation period, has had "something like a 35 percent turnover in the past two weeks," according to museum Director Jill Meredith. Some student employees who quit receive a letter from Meredith that was also sent to the dean of students, dean of faculty, chief of Campus Police and head of the physical plant.
Professor of Political Science Thomas Dumm receives a coveted Guggenheim fellowship, allowing him to pursue research into the history and phenomenology of "loneliness and experience" during a sabbatical in the coming academic year.
After teaching at the College for three years, Assistant Professor of American Studies and Anthropology/ Sociology Karin Weyland is not rehired for next year. "I think the decision was unfair," Weyland said. "I was subject to discrimination because the American Studies department is not open to representing other voices, such as those of Latinos."
A College student steals a Town ambulance from outside LeFrak Gymnasium during the "Night Release" party. The vehicle is stolen when the two on-duty paramedics went in to check on the event but left the keys in the ignition. "It was just kind of an impulsive thing," said the person who drove the ambulance, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Two arrests made in Longmeadow, Mass., on April 11 may help Campus Police in their investigation of a string of 13 vehicle break-ins on campus between March 25 and April 1. John J. Calver, Jr., 26, and his brother, David Calver, 23, are caught breaking into vehicles in the parking lot of Longmeadow High School, according to Longmeadow Police Sergeant Robert Danio. "I know they're directly tied in with South Hadley, West Springfield and Amherst College," says Danio.
The April edition of The Amherst Spectator, entitled "The Passion, Death and Resurrection of … The Amherst Spectator," breaks the news to the College community that the Spectator is under new leadership and a new mission. The changed focus of The Spectator catches the attention of the campus community and the Student Finance Committee (SFC). The SFC decides that the new direction of the magazine does not fall under the original mission of the magazine as a political publication with a conservative focus.
<b>May</b>
A glitch in the computer program that tabulates results in the spring Student Government Organization (SGO) elections results in a formal complaint by Theodore Hertzberg '04 contesting the validity of the results. Three positions are announced with incorrect vote totals that changed the election result, including a position sought by Hertzberg.
Next year, Lanfranco Marcelletti, the director of the Amherst College Orchestra, will move to the University of Massachusetts to take over their orchestra. "He is a wonderful colleague," says Mallorie Chernin, the director of choral music. "Personally it makes me sad, but as a friend, I think it is a good career choice for him."
-Ryan Roman