Last summer, I attended a weeklong course at the UMass Police Department on “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design,” often referred to by the acronym “CPTED,” a crime prevention theory that changes to the built environment can lead to a reduction in the fear of crime as well as an improvement in the quality of life. CPTED works by decreasing the ability to commit crime and increasing the chances that crime will be seen. CPTED goes beyond traditional security methods by naturally integrating security measures into the community to enhance quality of life, decrease fear of crime, and discourage crime.
This year, I’ve applied those CPTED lessons to number of projects in town. With the Amherst and UMass police departments, property managers and other partners, I have conducted CPTED reviews for local businesses, neighborhoods, and residential areas, with the goal of increasing safety for everyone. I also partnered with Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tim O’Brien to produce a video introducing CPTED concepts to area businesses.
Happy New Year from all of us in the UMass Amherst Office of External Relations!
It's a chilly start to the New Year, but things will soon warm up both in the office and outside. Temps this week are supposed to shoot up from their near zero degree temps to the 50s. In the office, we're using this time for catch-up and 2017 planning. While we're not an academic department, the rhythms of the school year are felt in the administrative departments, as well, and we're enjoying the quiet as we're able to do our 'busywork' before the semester gets underway.
The UMass Amherst Community Campaign (UMACC) launched on September 26 with a kick-off event and Charity Fair. Almost 200 people attended the event, which included live music, refreshments, representatives from over 30 local nonprofit organizations, and one cat.
As of November 1, we have raised $136,000 from 238 people, which is about 32% of our goal to raise $430,000 for nonprofit organizations this year.
We've been happy to see continued coverage fo the CCC Town Hall event from Tuesday, October 18. The most recent was an op-ed from the Daily Hampshire Gazette on Friday, October 28.
While we appreciate the continued attention, we do take exception to a quippy aside from the Editorial team: "First, they may want to keep the group’s name off promotional materials related to entertainment events they cook up. No offense to the coalition’s hard-working members, but we suspect students see something inherently disapproving in the group’s name." Really? Come on! This hurts our feelings!
Actually, we're not at all bothered. We had a nice complement of students who came to offer their ideas on what would make for a fun all-ages friendly nightlife in the Amherst area. And judging by our survey responses thus far, we know that we've hit a chord with a good group of folks who are most excited by increased off-campus student involvement in and near commercial areas.
Early voting comes to the UMass Amherst campus today, October 25. It is one of four early voting opportunities for students on campus in this 2016 election season. Complete information is in the News tab of the site.
Efforts to bring voting back to campus have intensified this year with some student groups lobbying the town for a new voting precinct. As recently as 2005, UMass Amherst had a sub-precinct funded by the Student Government Association. As the costs for that arrangement with the town were prohibitive, the SGA asked for its dissolution. Since then, students registered to vote in Amherst have had to venture off-campus to the ballot box.
This past Tuesday, October 18, the Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce High-Risk Drinking held a town hall style meeting at the new, nearly open, and fabulous AmherstWorks in downtown. The event, "Envisioning a Safe and Vibrant Nightlife Locally: It's Your Turn to Speak Up!" was funded by a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Adminstration or SAMHSA as part of their Communities Talk series on prevent underage drinking.
The event was divided into 3 components - a panel, breakout sessions, and an open discussion among the 40 or so in attendance. Moderated by former Amherst Select Board chair and past CCC member, Stephanie O'Keefe, the panel included Anthony Vitale, UMass Amherst Student Government Association president; Sarah la Cour, executive director of the Amherst Business Improvement District; George Myers, general manager of both the Amherst Cinema and The Quarters in Hadley; and Sally Linowski, Associate Dean of Off-Campus Student Life and Community Education.
The designation allows Amherst access to state resources, including statewide and national marketing opportunities, programs for developing cultural economic development strategies, and cultural facilities planning and construction.
