News

New course proposal

The following new course proposal has been submitted to the Faculty Senate Office for review and approval and is listed here for faculty review and comment. Comments on any new course proposal should be submitted to Ernest May, secretary of the Faculty Senate, at senate@senate.umass.edu.

JUDAIC 318, “Family and Sexuality in Jewish History and Culture,” 4 credits; Instructor: Jay R. Berkovitz; An historical examination of role that family and sexuality played in Jewish society, from antiquity to the present.

Eccles talk canceled

A talk by Jacquelynne Eccles of the University of Michigan  scheduled for April 22 has been canceled.

Chancellor proposes joint hiring of consultant to advise on town-gown development issues

Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy has proposed to Amherst town officials that they jointly hire a consultant to assess key community development issues, including ways to strengthen boundary neighborhoods and bolster the local economy.
 
Subbaswamy proposes splitting the estimated $60,000 cost with the town, and said he would gladly speak at Amherst’s upcoming Town Meeting in support of the idea and to answer questions.
 
“UMass Amherst is an engaged and committed member of the Amherst community,” Subbaswamy said.

Castañeda is featured speaker at Faculty Women of Color in the Academy conference

Mari Castañeda, associate professor of Communication, was a featured speaker at the inaugural Faculty Women of Color in the Academy (FWCA) conference held April 3-5 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
 
She spoke on a panel that discussed "The Economics of Being a Faculty Woman of Color: Being Prepared and Planning Ahead."
 
Read more

Conference considers post-Chávez Venezuela

Leading scholars on Venezuela and Hugo Chávez will gather in the Campus Center on Friday, April 19, for a conference titled “Venezuela: Change or Continuity? The Legacy of Hugo Chávez and the Future of the Bolivarian Revolution.”
 
The conference will be held in the Marriott Center from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public, but advanced registration is recommended.
 
The recent death of Chávez has raised important and pressing questions: What might a post-Chávez Venezuela look like? Can there be a Chavismo without Chávez?

Byg, DEFA Foundation director speak at Chicago film series

Professor Barton Byg, founding director of the campus’s DEFA Film Library, and Ralf Schenk, director of the DEFA Foundation in Berlin, were featured “In Conversation” on March 7 at the Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership in Chicago.
 
The event, “Flashbacks: East German Films on Cold War Screens,” culminated a three-month series of DEFA film screeningshosted by Spertus, the Goethe Institute Chicago and the Gene Siskel Film Center.
 
After his visit to Chicago, Schenk visited UMass Amherst, where he presented a talk on “Spies and Secret Agents in East German Film” on March 12.

Yale scientist to lead Physics colloquium

David Demille of Yale University will speak on “Tabletop probes for TeV physics: searching for the electric dipole moment of the electron” at a Physics Department colloquium on Wednesday, April 10 at 4 p.m. in 124 Hasbrouck Laboratory.

More information

 

Campus and town officials, area landlords discuss spring weekend planning

Campus officials hosted a meeting of local landlords, town and campus representatives and public safety officials on April 4 to discuss strategies for handling busy spring weekend activities.
 
Ten local landlords were on hand to hear about plans for on-campus activities, new neighborhood initiatives aimed at limiting late-night disturbances in residential areas near the campus and general preparations to deal with off-campus parties in Amherst.

New course proposal

The following new course proposal has been submitted to the Faculty Senate Office for review and approval and is listed here for faculty review and comment. Comments on any new course proposal should be submitted to Ernest May, secretary of the Faculty Senate, at senate@senate.umass.edu.

HISTORY 250, “Introduction to South Asian History and Culture (HSG),” 4 credits; Instructor: Dr. Priyanka Srivastava; This course covers the history of South Asia. It traces politics, caste, religions and empires, from the earlier period to the emergence of modern India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Student discipline report details extensive sanctions, including suspensions

Campus officials released an updated report April 2 on student discipline for off-campus incidents, noting that more than eight out of 10 students in cases reviewed this academic year have been found responsible and sanctioned for a violation of the Code of Student Conduct.
 
Dean of Students Enku Gelaye said, “We are sanctioning misbehaving students consistently, including suspensions, and moving students more quickly to deferred suspensions, which means they are on notice that one more violation results in immediate departure from the university.

Pages