From Other Sources: News for and About Amherst: This Week, Local News Roundup and The Free Speech Crisis on Campus

Here are links to some local stories from the last week.  Also, below are some links to good reads on the free speech crisis on American College Campuses.

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LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP
Narcan Distribution Growing at UMass as Campus Embraces Harm Reduction Strategy by Grace Fiori (5/17/24).  At the University of Massachusetts, a passionate team is expanding campus access to Narcan and fentanyl testing strips, and their efforts are being welcomed by students, staff and faculty. At a recent outreach event — one of many initiatives held on campus in recent months — students picked up more than 100 free kits stocked with two doses of Narcan and a rescue breathing mask. The Narcan kits are distributed by the UMass Public Health Promotion Center, which has distributed 2,684 kits since launching the initiative in March 2023. That’s 5,368 doses of naloxone, a drug capable of reversing opioid overdoses. The kits are stocked at the University Health Services pharmacy and a free vending machine in the Campus Center basement. They are also available for pickup at the UMass Recovery space in Worcester Dining Commons.An average of six kits have been taken daily since the program began a year ago. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Chancellor Javier Reyes Addresses Encampment Arrests at Special Faculty Senate Meeting by Abby Joyce and Mahidhar Sai Lakkavaram (5/16/24). On May 12, the Faculty Senate at the University of Massachusetts held a special meeting in Mahar auditorium to discuss “campus protests and administrative and policing responses” that occurred during an encampment in solidarity with Gaza on May 7.  As a result of the encampment, over 130 undergraduates, graduates, faculty and community members were arrested by Massachusetts State Police and the University of Massachusetts Police for being in violation of the Land Use Policy and trespassing. Arrested students alleged brutal force by officers and University departments, students organizations and local groups have condemned the large police presence.  The meeting began with an explanation of the meeting guidelines and a request from the announcers to halt all applause, cheers or “other emotional outbursts.” “I would like to acknowledge that these past few weeks have been deeply challenging for all of us,” Reyes opened.  Commenting that the videos circulating of students and police interaction are “distressing,” he said, “I am deeply committed to [the] defense of free speech and assembly.” He added that the events of May 7 and 8 were “not about free speech,” but “about ensuring the safety of the entire campus,” which was met with laughter from the audience. (Massachusetts Daily Collegian)

Proposal Would Add Office/Apartment Building to Pomeroy Center by Scott Merzbach (5/17/24). A new three-story building that will add nine apartments and two office spaces is being proposed as part of the Amherst Office Park in the Pomeroy village center. The Zoning Board of Appeals is set to hold a hearing on May 23 at 6 p.m. on the application for a 5,712-square-foot mixed-use project at 395 West St. from developer Ronald LaVerdiere. The new building, which would rise next to the existing seven-building Amherst Office Park, would be built on the site of a 1950s-era ranch-style home that would be demolished. The site already has four other mixed-use buildings. A special permit for the development is needed so that a mixed-use building can be constructed in the residential village center zone, as well as for constructing a raised walkway, in place of a driveway, as part of the flood prone conservancy zoning bylaw. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Shaping Amherst Responders’ Role, CRESS Chief Emphasizes Community by Scott Merzbach (5/16/24). One-on-one attention for a resident with hoarding issues was recently offered by members of the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service department to illustrate the focus they can bring for someone experiencing a crisis. “We can sit down and be with individuals for a period of time,” says Camille Theriaque, the director of the CRESS Department. Speaking at a recent Cuppa Joe event, where Town Manager Paul Bockelman and another municipal leader from the community chat weekly with the public in an informal setting, Theriaque said that traditional public safety officials have an objective to get in and out of situations, addressing problems quickly, but often can’t give comprehensive attention to people who might need it. “The difference is CRESS has more time to deal with a person and can be more proactive,” Theriaque said. “This is much more person-centric and meeting people where they are.” (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

The Beat Goes on. Iron Horse Comes Back to Life by Steve Pfarrer (5/16/24). It’s finally happening. Nearly seven months after ownership officially changed hands, and following extensive renovations, the Iron Horse Music Hall, shuttered since late March 2020, threw open its doors this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a sold-out concert. Now the Horse, first opened in February 1979 as a modest coffeehouse that also featured some music, seems poised, under the management of The Parlor Room Collective, to try and reclaim the position it once held as Northampton’s premiere music venue. The fun starts this weekend, with the return of some old friends who have close ties to the club. Tonight’s show (Friday, May 17), with multi-style guitarist, singer and songwriter Erin McKeown and rockers Spouse has unfortunately just sold out. But on May 18, singer-songwriter and /folk rocker Stephen Kellogg, who worked at the club years ago before making his name as a performer, will return to play at 7 p.m. The revamped Horse will keep the focus primarily on regional artists in these initial weeks. On May 24 at 7:30, the Northampton Arts Council presents the third annual Bow Bow Bash, a benefit show for a high school music scholarship program named after the late Northampton musician J. Scott Brandon. A number of bands and ensembles from Northampton High School, including the Jazz Ensemble, take the stage.And on May 25 starting at 7 p.m., you can catch the jazz, funk, and soul sounds of saxophonist and composer Mtali Banda, an Amherst native, and the work of another Valley favorite, pop-jazz singer and songwriter Kimaya Diggs. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

UMass Chancellor Defends Protest Crackdowns, Arrests by Scott Merzbach (5/15/24). University of Massachusetts Chancellor Javier Reyes defended the arrests of 134 people at a campus pro-Palestinian encampment last week, telling a special session of the Faculty Senate on Tuesday afternoon that the decision to break up the gathering was about keeping the campus safe and doing what is best for UMass, even as many of those present in a packed Mahar Auditorium appeared to dismiss his justifications for the response. “It was about ensuring the safety and well-being of all the campus,” Reyes said, with some laughter and snickers coming from the audience inside the nearly 500-seat room, one of the largest meeting spaces on campus and where almost all seats were taken and many people stood against the walls. Without apologizing or responding to questions about whether he would resign, Reyes explained that what happened beginning on May 7 at 6 p.m. was necessary. The arrests began following a 90-minute meeting with Students for Justice in Palestine leaders in which he pledged that trustees would examine divesting from some companies involved in the Israel-Gaza war, but that he had no unilateral authority to meet other demands that might infringe on faculty and student rights.  (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Large Loud Parties in Amherst Lead to Arrests in Last Weekend Before UMass Graduation by Scott Merzbach (5/15/24). Eight college-age people are facing criminal charges for violating the town’s noise bylaw after police responded to two large and loud parties over the weekend, the last before University of Massachusetts commencement on May 18. At a Pelham Road home, police were initially called to respond at 11:39 p.m. Friday with concerns that people were getting into and out of vehicles parked along the street, and crossing the road in an unsafe manner. At 12:11 a.m. Saturday, police returned to the location for an altercation in which a man was punched in the face several times, but declined medical attention. At least 500 guests were observed inside the garage, on the roof of home, on the deck and in both the front yard and back yard, with loud music playing and people consuming alcohol.  That response led to a 21-year-old Shirley man being arrested on charges of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest, according to emergency dispatch logs provided by the department, and a 21-year-old Hudson man being arrested on a charge of violating the town’s open container bylaw. In addition, three 21-year-old individuals who live at the home are being summoned to court for violating the town’s noise bylaw, which also carries with it a $300 penalty. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Extreme Weather Forces Valley Farmers to Adapt by Tanisha Bhat (5/11/24). Ben Clark, the owner of Clarkdale Fruit Farms in Deerfield, received $120,000 from the $20 million Natural Disaster Recovery Program created last year after he lost the entirety of his peach crop and 70% of his apples and pears due to sudden cold temperatures. “Every year is challenging, but the last few in particular have been pretty difficult. Last year just with the wetness in general, but on top of that we’ve had those freeze and frost events,” Clark said. Rather than just using the grant to recoup his losses, Clark invested in his farm by purchasing a fan that prevents frost forming on the plants by mixing warmer air from above with the colder air at ground level and blowing it across the crops. “The grant was meant just to help out our operation but we’re expecting more extreme events and we know that we’ll need to do more. I just felt it was a wise decision,” he said. More and more farmers in recent years have been installing machinery and finding ways to protect their crops from worsening and fluctuating weather conditions like increased moisture levels, sudden temperature drops and milder winters. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

“None of US Deserved This. “Community Members Arrested at Gaza Protest Critical of Crackdown by Scott Merzbach (5/10/24).  An Amherst resident with two children in the public schools, Jill Brevik made her way to the University of Massachusetts campus Tuesday evening to offer protection to students at a pro-Palestinian encampment, by bearing witness and supporting their cause. Understanding that law enforcement had moved in on similar sites on other campuses across the country, and not wanting to see that situation unfold in her community, Brevik said she allowed herself to be arrested as students and faculty members began being taken into custody for taking what she calls a brave stand against genocide in Gaza and the extensive devastation being caused with the complicity of U.S. government and defense contractors. “I did so without resisting, and yet I was physically injured by a police officer while walking to the transport bus,” says Brevik, a cofounder of Valley Families for Palestine and member of Amherst4Ceasefire. “I was also injured in custody by zip ties that were too tight and were not loosened until after my hand went completely numb.” (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

University of Massachusetts Amherst Under Investigation for Anti-Palestinian Hostile Environment by Danya Zituni (4/24/24) On April 16th, 2024, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it has opened a formal investigation into Palestine Legal’s complaint against the University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst alleging a hostile anti-Palestinian environment in violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  OCR will examine whether UMass stood by while a hostile environment for Palestinian and Arab students rapidly swelled on campus and whether the university’s actions reinforced this hostile climate in violation of Title VI.  While OCR looks into all complaints it receives, it only opens a formal investigation when it determines the facts warrant a deeper look.  The complaint was filed on behalf of a group of UMass students, several of whom have been the target of extreme anti-Palestinian and anti-Arab harassment by fellow UMass students on campus and online using UMass Amherst-related social media handles, including receiving racial slurs, death threats, and in one instance, actually being assaulted.  Despite repeat notice and formal complaints to over a dozen administrators, UMass has failed to act on these reports – instead, UMass has taken actions to reinforce this hostile climate in violation of Title VI.  (Palestine Legal)

Free Speech on Campus
UCLA’s Unholy Alliance by Robin D.G. Kelley (5/18/24). In December the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on anti-Semitism on college campuses that forced University of Pennsylvania president Liz McGill and Harvard University president Claudine Gay to resign in its wake. In April the committee held another hearing, reducing Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, keen to avoid the fate of her counterparts, to a groveling mess. On May 23 it will hold yet another, under the title “Calling for Accountability: Stopping Antisemitic College Chaos.” This time the committee has summoned Michael Schill, president of Northwestern University; Jonathan Holloway, president of Rutgers University; and Gene Block, Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles. We expect another show trial, where committee chair Virginia Foxx (Republican of North Carolina), Elise Stefanik (Republican of New York), and their friends pressure “liberal” university leaders into confessing that anti-Semitism has run amok on college campuses, that Jewish students are the real victims of a Hamas-backed genocide being plotted in Gaza solidarity encampments and the classrooms of tenured radicals, and that the source of Jew hatred is critical race theory. The committee has promised that it will not sit idly by. In a press release, Foxx warned “mealy-mouthed, spineless college leaders” that “College is not a park for playacting juveniles or a battleground for radical activists. Everyone affiliated with these universities will receive a healthy dose of reality: actions have consequences.” (Boston Review)

What Student Journalists at Columbia Really Learned By ANNA OAKES, INDY SCHOLTENS, EMILY BYRSKI, ANGELICA ANG, CLAIRE ELANA DAVENPORT, And FAHIMA DEGIA (5/17/24).  Over the past few weeks, student reporters at the Columbia Daily Spectator, WKCR, and elsewhere have been the main source of reliable information on Columbia University’s campus. On April 17, the university became the center of international attention after pro-Palestine students established a Gaza Solidarity Encampment on the East Butler lawn. As the protests grew, much of the press was turned away. Mainstream reporting by nonstudents often focused on the protesters outside the campus gates and misrepresented students’ demands. Still able to access their campus, student journalists continued to cover the protests, writing dispatches for local and national outlets along with their regular coursework. But during a militarized police raid on a student-occupied building on April 30, they were pushed off school grounds or into Pulitzer Hall—where one of the most prestigious awards in journalism is housed—and threatened with arrest if they left. We spoke to six student journalists at Columbia to find out what they’ve learned this semester and how their coverage will change as they head into the summer. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity. (The Nation)

The Israel Affiliated Organization Leading the Backlash Against Student Protests  by James Bamford (5/16/24). It was time to fight back on America’s college campuses. And the little known Israeli-American Council (IAC), an organization with close ties to Israeli intelligence, and made up mostly of Israeli expats, decided that it would lead the nationwide charge. On Sunday, April 28, as members of the group arrived on UCLA’s grass-covered Dickson Plaza, the IAC’s CEO, Elan Carr, took the stage. A Republican politician, former member of the National Council of AIPAC, and special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism in the Trump administration, he had little regard for anyone who disparaged Israel. In the past, he had compared the call for an economic boycott of Israel to actions by the Nazis. And he has said that the group Jewish Voice for Peace, whose members were taking part in the protest, “openly traffics in anti-Semitism.” Among those addressing a crowd of Israeli-flag-waving counterprotesters, with the encampment holding the pro-Palestinian demonstrators directly behind them, was Israel’s Consul General to the Pacific Southwest, Israel Bachar. Also speaking was Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. Then came Carr, who announced that the fight had begun. “We will take back our streets. We will take back our campuses from Columbia University to UCLA and everywhere in between,” he said. The question is, given IAC’s long history of close links to Israeli intelligence organizations, for whom are they taking the campuses back? (The Nation)

Universities Are Palaces for the People. Their Leaders Should Remember That by Neil A. Lewis Jr. (5/14/24). The 2023-2024 academic year has been a whirlwind for U.S. colleges and universities. It has been a year in which politicians have swooped in and replaced university leaders with their political allies. It has been a year in which some of those same political leaders have tried to ban some academic disciplines because they do not like the lessons those disciplines teach. It has been a year in which programs devoted to making higher education more diverse, equitable, and inclusive have been legally barred from operating. And, of course, it has been a year in which presidents of some of the most renowned academic institutions have had to resign due to political (and donor) pressures. To say that this year has been difficult would be an understatement. For university leaders in particular, this has been a year that has tried [wo]men’s souls. To stem the tide of attacks on higher education, some university leaders have tried bargaining with their attackers. In Texas, for example, after noticing that “the legislative climate toward higher education has been moving,” UT Austin’s president ordered a massive layoff of employees who worked on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. He did this because Texas lawmakers have made a hobby out of cracking down on DEI initiatives, and therefore, he hopes playing their game may keep UT out of their crosshairs in the future: “We have to make choices to worry about the long-run future of the university,” he said about his decision. (Brookings)

University Leaders Are in the Wrong. Students and Faculty Won’t Back Down by Maureen E. Ruprecht Fadem (5/11./24). The student encampment movement is expanding as faculty find new ways to intensify participation and solidarity. Teachers across the country are providing an example of how the wider community concerned about ending the assault on Gaza can do more than stand on the sidelines of today’s solidarity movement. On May 8, faculty at The New School in New York City initiated the first faculty encampment. That action was taken as a rejoinder to the authoritarian overreach and sheer violence that has been unleashed on student protesters — at The New School, Columbia, City University of New York (CUNY), University of Texas Austin, New York University and numerous other campuses. Participants in this first faculty encampment, and professors nationwide, are facing arrest along with their students, as they protest shoulder to shoulder with them and as they surround students, forming faculty shields, to protect them from police brutality. (Truthout)

Why I Am Not Calling the Police on My Students’ Encampment by Michael S. Roth (5/7/24). The president of Wesleyan University explains why he’s allowing pro-Palestinian protesters to pitch tents on campus. (The New Republic)

Why USC Cancelled its Pro-Palestinian Valeductorian by Fabiola Cineas (4/14/24). Campus tensions over Israel’s war on Gaza have flared up again, this time at the University of Southern California, which this week barred its valedictorian from speaking at next month’s commencement ceremony. The school cited potential campus safety risks if Asna Tabassum delivered a speech.Provost Andrew T. Guzman said in an email to students and staff on Monday that public discussion had “taken on an alarming tenor” after the school announced its choice for valedictorian. “The intensity of feelings, fueled by both social media and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, has grown to include many voices outside of USC and has escalated to the point of creating substantial risks relating to security and disruption at commencement,” he wrote.Tabassum, a South Asian American biomedical engineering major who is Muslim and wears a hijab, says that she, along with other critics of the decision, believes the school canceled her speech because of her public support for the human rights of Palestinians. (Vox)