Like the majority of Amherst's 1,600 students, I attended Tuesday's all-campus gathering with a heavy heart. However, when I left more than one hour later, the day's events were compounded by an overwhelming sense of frustration and angry disappointment.
Let me be direct: I was amazed that in this moment of national tragedy, several selected professors could do no more than stand before the school and lecture us on the rhetoric of political science and theory. We heard terms and phrases such as: "the postmodern military condition," and "the character of neo-liberalism." A few professors went so far as to discuss warfare tactics. It felt like class as I looked out on a sea of students who beckoned for something more than this-something more than these dissertations on Clausewitz or "political systems."
These lectures-and I will refer to them as lectures-were alienating and amazingly impersonal. They made me question the accessibility of academia and academics. They made me wonder if and when such pedagogical exercises will ever end. I will say, however, to her credit that the words of Professor Hunt were appropriate, real and emotional.
In this gathering, on such a horrific occasion, a group of Amherst professors let down the student body. In fact, by the time these lectures had ended and student discussion began, nearly half of the audience had left.
I've greatly enjoyed Amherst's academics, make no mistake about it, but, on that day of such immense anguish, I wished that these few Amherst professors could have spoken to us frankly and on what, apparently, is a lower level: that of emotions.
Jesse Freedman '03
Joint statement calls for 'unity'
We, members of Noor, Amherst College Hillel, Amherst Christian Fellowship, the Newman Club, and supporting students, faculty and staff of the Amherst community, are deeply saddened by the horrific events of Sept. 11, 2001. We wish to remind everyone that religious organizations like those to which many of us belong are here on the Amherst campus and aim to offer their support and resources to community members of any faith or background. At a time when lines are being drawn, we come together as Amherst students and as an American community in expressing our condolences for the victims, their families, and their friends. This is a moment for prayer and unity, and we encourage an atmosphere of understanding and support. We hope that our responses to the events of Sept. 11 will be mature and thoughtful.
Tom Fritzsche '03
Tom Gerety
Jennifer Kaufman '03E
Ari Reichstein '03
Sabrina Saleem '03
Sahar Siddiqui '02
63 others signed this statement
Amherst should find new mascot
An Amherst Student sports editor recently made the case to find a new mascot for sports teams at the College, which, since 1821, has been saddled with the name of Amherst. It's time to give Lord Jeff the boot, argued Ryan Yeung ("Time to eject Lord Jeff", Aug. 31), because Jeffrey Amherst represents a "treacherous, outmoded tradition."
General Amherst, highly lauded for the capture of Canada, had a "dark side" that could support genocidal warfare to eradicate children, women, old people and warriors in the Native American tribes allied with the French, as well as other Indians haplessly in the way of advancing frontiers in the English colonies along the Atlantic coast. Thus, "Lord Jeff" does not seem a cheerful mascot for sports teams, and in fact his name suggests killing fields rather than playing fields.
It can be hard to alter the legacy of history. General Amherst happily helped conclude the fighting between the Engish and French imperialists that had continued, through a series of wars, for more than a century. A year after Amherst captured the Louisburg fortress in 1758, a sleazy colonial governor in Boston was able to strike out "Norwottuck" for the name of the new town that had been East Hadley, and ink in "Amherst" instead.
This name could have been changed between 1775-81, but people then were consumed with the task of casting off the oppressive English yoke and did not concern themselves with the name-saddle of one town. And so Amherst, Mass., U.S.A. stayed Amherst. And later, a college in the town became Amherst College and the university there was called UMass. The names of these things cannot be changed easily.
Yeung makes a practical suggestion: to leave the three names as are, but to change the name of the Amherst College mascot because "Lord Jeff" connotes an abomination more than it does a "menacing athletic opponent." It is possible that there will be a Jim Thorpe who might not want to enter Amherst College, or once enrolled, might learn the history and become disillusioned and not even try out for the Lord Jeff teams.
"Lord Jeff" as a name and as an identity certainly does leave something to be desired. His 18th century clothing with the ruffled shirts and powdered wigs seems more the dress for a team of transvestites than for teams of macho college men. Lord Jeff may have been a big hero in 1759, but, by today's tastes, the cheerleading embodiment of Lord seems more like a Lady.
I concur with Yeung that Amherst students should take charge of their own destiny on this matter. Forget what your mealy-mouthed administrators say on their website about the patina of history and what can and cannot be done. Stop saying "Go, Jeffs" and start saying "Begone, Lord Jeff." A renamed mascot would go a long way to signify that Amherst is "not the bastion of WASP-dom it is sometimes thought to be." Welcome, everybody, to Amherst College. There is room here for anybody, everybody, of whatever origin or background, who can get accepted, who can make the teams. No one has to feel alienated by any part of this College which has been saddled with the name of Amherst since 1821.
John Furbish