To do either, however, would be unwise. To eliminate the three-week period under the premise that it is a waste of time is misleading. Many students find the time off useful to earn money for the coming semester and to secure jobs and internships for the summer. Yet, for the College to exert control over students' activities during Interterm would also be unacceptable. Students often need some time away from Amherst; it's not, after all, the most exciting place to spend long periods of time.
It is not wrong to have a month-long vacation from school. But if the school is looking to improve the quality of this break, they can opt to shorten Interterm by a week and add a week to either spring or summer break. This would bring Amherst closer to the average college schedule, whose spring semester starts mid-January.
Another option would be to reinstate student or faculty-led Interterm classes, which were eliminated two years ago due to lack of interest. The College needs to recreate interest in such classes in order to draw students back to campus during Interterm. To achieve this, the classes should be fun, but useful. They can be a divergence from more traditional disciplines taught during the regular semester, allowing students to have fun while learning a practical trade or delving into a focused topic. For instance, students might be interested in lessons in bartending, knitting or auto repair.
Most students do not waste the six weeks afforded to them during Interterm. But if the College is concerned about the inevitable month-long couch potatoes, then these options would provide a compromise that even the laziest could accept. It is contrary to the liberal principles of Amherst to control student's time during their winter vacations.