A perceived uptick of Campus Safety Services (CSS) interference in residential halls in recent weeks has left many students frustrated and concerned, according to several students who spoke to the Record. Students reported instances of CSS breaking up on-campus parties without adequate explanation, and stressed the negative impacts on mental health and well-being caused by the increased presence of CSS officers.
Student opinion on the College’s COVID-19 policies is divided, a Record survey found, with a slim majority of students in support of the College’s overall approach and a plurality disapproving of aspects of the masking and visitor policies.
The College has adopted a land acknowledgment recognizing that it stands on the ancestral territory of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans. The acknowledgment was written and adopted in collaboration with the Stockbridge-Munsee Historic Preservation Office and comes amid ongoing institutional conversations surrounding the College’s history.
Student card access to all residential buildings was restored on Oct. 8. The College had originally revoked universal card access in the wake of students concerns about drink tampering, but administrators found that the access restrictions had not made a significant difference in party activity.
The College’s tax returns for the fiscal year ending in June 2020, after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, show a decrease in charitable giving to organizations in Berkshire County and a lower net return on the endowment than the College’s goal for investment returns.
As the College navigates a local and national labor shortage, some members of the Dining Services staff say they are overburdened, lack confidence in the quality of their work, and are experiencing low morale. Of the eight dining hall workers who responded to an anonymous survey by the Record, seven expressed dissatisfaction with their experiences working in Dining Services this year.
This fall’s return to pre-pandemic routines and an in-person teaching requirement has brought greater concerns of COVID risks for faculty, even with a campus-wide mask and vaccine mandate in place. Those with young children not yet eligible for vaccination or who live with others who are at risk of severe illness are carrying an especially heavy burden.
The Junior Advisors (JAs) to the Class of 2025 will now receive compensation in exchange for working with administrators to improve the residential life system. Each JA will receive a $1,600 stipend from the College: $600 for the fall semester and $1,000 for the spring semester.
The Muslim Students Union (MSU) organized a town hall on Saturday, bringing students, alums, and staff members together to discuss how the College community benefits from having a Muslim chaplain.
Students will not have card access to dorms other than their own for at least the next two weeks, the College announced on Friday, citing to the Record concerns among students about drink tampering at parties.
Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom announced on Sept. 22 that students who travel overnight outside of Berkshire County must follow new COVID-19 protocols when they return.
Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom and Provost Dukes Love will step down from their roles in administration and rejoin the faculty in June 2022, President Maud S. Mandel announced in an all-campus email on Sept. 22.
