Blogs are supposed to be updated. Frequently. If you're keeping score at home, we've been a bit behind. We're going to catch up. Promise.
We're nearly mid-semester here on campus and it's been a busy stretch here the Office of External Relations. Here are some updates:
UMACC kicked off in September with its second annual Charity Fair on September 26. That was also the official launch date of the campaign, and as of this writing, UMACC Manager Jennifer Page reports we're already up to 13% of our $430,000 goal. Jennifer has been busy over the past few weeks presenting to our campus units, often accompanied by our friend, Jim Ayres, executive director of the United Way of Hampshire County. Last year, 60% of our campaign funds supported non-profits here in Western Massachusetts. UMACC and UMass Amherst makes a difference in our communities!
Our Neighborhood Liaison, Eric Beal, is busy with a number of initiatives that will have a real community benefit. Using Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design principles, Eric, along with Bill Laramee, Amherst Police Community Liaison Officer, have organized CPTED exercises in North Amherst. They brought together a number of key partners including landlords, representatives from the Dean of Students Office, and Amherst and UMass Amherst Police to come up with ideas on how to mitigate the impact of large scale gatherings in apartment complexes. We'll keep you updated on our efforts.
UTAC committees are back in full swing starting this month, reconvening after a summer hiatus. We were still busy as 10 different working groups took on various topics including population studies, housing impact analysis, and creating research connections between our ag program and Amherst's Cherry Hill Golf course. We're very excited about the possibilities for UTAC this year and we'll keep folks updated on the UTAC website.
As well, our office has been very involved with the Town of Amherst and our institutional partners on emergency drought planning efforts. While the town's mandatory drought measures are still in place, conservation efforts on the campuses and in the community have worked to relieve pressure on the system. Our collaborative work shows why a strong town-gown relationship is vital to the success of our communities.
And, of course, we have a CCC Town Hall event on Tuesday (more in our News items).
Blogposts are meant to be short and snappy. We'll stop here, though there's plenty more to report. We'll be back regularly on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.