Though we will never stop mourning the victims of Tuesday's tragedy, the nation's leaders have announced our intention to continue with business as usual this week. The College must take their cue accordingly.
With that in mind, the question of social events should be examined. Is it right to put on TAP while some students may still be grieving for lost family members or friends? Would it be heartless to attend a lecture while New York is still smoking and the Pentagon a federal disaster area?
Whether or not one attends social events is, and always has been, a question of personal preference. However, the option for those wishing to get back into regular college life must exist. In order for it not to impinge on others, we believe, for this first weekend at least, TAP should be held in a non-residential location such as the Campus Center.
This is also a perfect chance for Social Council (SoCo) to demonstrate its ability to find alternative social outlets and offer them to the college community; events similar to the Marsh coffee house or an open mike night would provide more relaxed TAP alternatives.
What, then, the week after that? The uncertainty of our nation's future-more terrorism, military attacks, war-makes it nearly impossibly to say either way. As far as TAP is concerned, perhaps it could be restricted to houses whose resident unanimously favor hosting it, allowing grieving residents a measure of peace.
Naturally, the college can do little about private parties held in dorm rooms. However, at a time like this is it especially important to exercise discretion, to check with the rest of the house or dorm before throwing a large party with lots of noise.
The community at Amherst has only grown stronger in the face of this tragedy, let's not let the feeling fade as our memories of this event invariably will. To try to live our normal college life again is not a betrayal, or disrespect for the victims-it is only what we must do, to continue life as much as we can and to mourn in our separate ways.