By: Elienishka Ramos Torres On Wednesday, July 15, 2020, “Re-imagining Public Safety,” a zoom meeting hosted
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The Challenges of Being Biracial: A Column
By Jordyn Kamara The most frequently asked question I get is, “so what are you?” But it’s much more than appearing half white, and half black. My identity traces back to where my family originates: Portugal, Germany, Ireland, Africa, and Trinidad. Navigating this world as a person of “mixed-race” is fascinating to say the least. However, understanding where I belong in this world, continues to be difficult. Identity crises are very common among people of mixed race. Throughout my life I felt as though I never fit in fully with my white friends or black friends.
Bias-Incidents are on the rise (again) at UMass, and students aren’t satisfied with the university’s response.
By Tristan Smith The shouts of derogatory names could be heard from the rooftops. Nazi Swastikas have been drawn on the whiteboards. Racist and homophobic slurs have been engraved onto the communal bathroom walls. Signs that proclaimed: “Black Lives Matter,” were stripped down and torn to pieces. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, many can attest that hate has been a trend on campus for years. According to the UMass Amherst bias-incident report page, there have been approximately 42 reported hate-incited incidents on campus over the past two years. Recently, two have occurred since the start of the new academic
A Job to Die For
By Nat Luftman, Alice Troop, and James Cordero Being a Residential Assistant (RA) or a Peer Mentor (PM) at UMass Amherst is a true honor. In our roles as the Residential Life staff who support students living on campus, we have built meaningful relationships with dozens of residents and have fostered various living-learning communities. Thanks to our status as unionized workers, we are able to collectively bargain for dignified working conditions and wages.