Free Republic

Universities and colleges have responded to the pandemic with widely differing approaches from mandated vaccines to bimonthly testing. Amherst College however, stands out in its prohibition of off-campus travel without the express approval of the school. The rule has triggered a backlash by students.Under the college’s August 25 guidelines (active through September 13), “Students may visit the town of Amherst, masked when indoors, in order to conduct business (opening bank accounts, picking up prescriptions, etc.) during regular business hours, but may not go to restaurants or bars.” However, other “off-campus travel,” with the exception of travel to other nearby universities...

More than 400 Amherst College students have signed a letter objecting to COVID-19 protocols that require masks outdoors and prohibit them from going to off-campus restaurants and bars. Indoor dining at the school is also banned. The college had already mandated that all students, faculty and staff be vaccinated. The letter to college president Carolyn “Biddy” Martin says “the guidelines are not based on any given data, have been developed without student input, are significantly stricter than our peer institutions, and are in conflict with (U.S. Centers for Disease Control) guidelines.” Martin wrote on the college’s website Aug. 27 that...

The Obama administration’s disdain for the rule of law continues to reverberate. One way is its Title IX madness, which has caught numerous colleges and universities in its web. Among them is Amherst College, which now faces a lawsuit brought by a student who makes a compelling case that he was wrongfully expelled. The facts revolve around a drunken hookup between two students and the woman’s subsequent efforts at covering up her more than willing participation by blaming the male student and accusing him of assault. Amherst’s administration was equally complicit, however, pronouncing the man guilty on flimsy and incomplete...

Lord Jeffery Amherst, the colonial military commander who gave this town its name, will no longer represent the prestigious liberal arts college here. The board of trustees at Amherst College announced on Tuesday that it had decided “not to employ this reference in its official communications, its messaging and its symbolism (including in the name of the Inn, the only place on the campus where the Lord Jeffery name officially appears).”

The New York Times accidentally admitted that affirmative action hurts black college students This recent New York Times article talks about a black student at Amherst College whom the New York Times claims is “unprepared academically” for the particular college that she is attending.So I’m trying to think of all the reasons why someone who is “unprepared academically” for this particular college would get admitted to this particular college. Here are the reasons that I can think of:1) Their parents made a big donation to the college.2) They were admitted for their athletic ability.3) They were admitted as a result of...

A whimsical student address, forgetting the national anthem – then remembering it after the commencement began -- and a stellar list of honorary degrees recipients were part of Amherst College’s 191st graduation ceremony Sunday. San Francisco native Elias R. Johansson-Miller, summa com laude with a bachelor of arts double major in English, and Theater and Dance was selected by his peers to speak for the senior class. His thesis is “Creating and Believing in Going Public.” Though he had some serious things to say at the tail end of his speech, Johansson-Miller spent most of it making jokes, talking about...

Previously aired debate on C-Span 2 NOW.