Notes on the Calendar and Policies 2006-2007

Registration
Upperclass students will register in the lobby of Converse on Friday, September 1, from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and in Converse 209 on Monday, September 4, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. New students will meet with faculty on Monday, August 28 at 1:30 under the Tent in Valentine Quad to get an overview of the registration process, and will complete the registration process that afternoon. First-Year students who have not yet returned their First Year Seminar selections and/or Academic Portfolios should do so as soon as possible. All students are reminded that course changes and Five College course enrollment will not be permitted without the signatures of their advisors.

Arrival
Housing will be available Thursday, August 31, for sophomore, junior, and senior students. Because of the limited time available for maintenance between the end of summer programs and the beginning of the semester, students cannot move into their rooms before that date. Housing for first-year and other new students will be available at 9:00 a.m. Sunday, August 27. The first meal for all upperclass students will be breakfast on August 31. Orientation workers who are authorized to return early will receive specific information regarding housing from the Dean of New Students.

Keys
New students may collect their keys at the Converse Hall lobby Sunday, August 27 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Other students (and new students who arrive late), will find their keys at the Campus Police/Communications Department in the Service Building.

Students Living Off Campus
Students living off campus should send their off-campus addresses and telephone numbers to the Dean of Students' Office as soon as possible. Although it is necessary to have this information on record, you may choose to have it unlisted.

Furnishings
Students are responsible for the contents of their rooms until their departure at the end of the semester. Charges will have to be made for loss or damage and for extraordinary cleaning or repair. Unless it is possible to bill an individual for a particular item, College policy provides for costs to be divided among members of the appropriate living unit (room, suite, floor, dormitory, etc.). Those responsible for breakage are asked, therefore, to report it to the Service Desk of the Physical Plant Department (542-2254) as promptly as possible. By not reporting the individuals responsible for acts of damage or vandalism, the residents of the living unit accept the financial burden of replacing lost or damaged property.

Telephones
Cellular Telephones A majority of Amherst students use cellular telephones, and it is presumed that most of these phones are brought to campus from home. If you do not presently own a cell phone, you may order cellular service from any company that has coverage in the Amherst, Massachusetts area. There are a few things that cellular-only students should know. Cellular service may be purchased from a variety of companies located around the country, some of which may have spotty coverage in the Amherst, Massachusetts area. Some locations within campus buildings may have a weak signal or no cellular service at all, regardless of the cellular company a student has chosen. Emergency calls from cell phones require an adequate signal, a working battery, and knowing where your phone is located.

Wired Residential Phone Service So few students lease wired telephone service for their dormitory room that Verizon has stopped offering its once popular Centrex service, with dedicated customer service representatives, discount rates, and dial tone activated before you arrive. To order residential phone service for your dormitory room, call Verizon at (800) 870-9999 or visit their website at www.verizon.com, no sooner than two weeks before service is needed. Verizon will ask you to provide the dormitory name and room number where you will be residing. Please be advised that installation and repair delays are possible. The College will facilitate Verizon's access to campus telephone wiring after a student has ordered residential phone service. You must supply your own analog telephone.

Cordless Telephones If you subscribe to residential phone service from Verizon and choose a cordless phone, you may use 900MHz and 5.8GHz models; 2.4GHz phones are prohibited because of their potential to disrupt communications between wireless laptops and the College's data network.

Cable Television
Cable television is provided in all dormitory rooms. Two systems are in use: one on the main campus, and another in the 10 remote dormitories, which are defined as Chapman, Leland, Humphries, Marsh, Tyler, Plimpton, Mayo-Smith, Seelye, Hitchcock and Seligman.

On the Main Campus Video programming on cable channels 7 through 13, 23, and 24 is primarily satellite-based, acquired with satellite dishes that are owned and operated by the College. Video programming on cable channels 25 through 54 is provided under contract by Comcast. The complete channel line-up can be found at http://www.amherst.edu/it/cabletv/. Comcast is responsible for delivering quality cable television signals on all channels, 7 through 54, to the cable television jack located in each dormitory room. Call Comcast at (888) 633-4276 for all service related issues.

In the Remote Dorms Cable television in the remote dorms is provided under contract by Comcast. Unlike the main campus, remote dorms are part of Comcast's Amherst and Pelham residential cable system. Remote dorms, therefore, cannot receive College channels 7 through 13, 23, and 24. The complete Standard Cable lineup for Amherst, Massachusetts, can be found by probing "What's in my Area?" on Comcast's website at www.comcast.com. Comcast is responsible for delivering quality cable television signals on all channels to the cable television jack located in each dormitory room. Call Comcast at (888) 633-4276 for all service related issues.

Storage and Parcel Post
Resident Counselors will be issued the keys to storage areas and will be available to open them once students return to campus. Please consult the schedule posted by the resident counselor in your dormitory for the hours he or she will be available. Area coordinators can be contacted to open storage areas when resident counselors are not available. Please keep in mind that the College does not guarantee the availability of space to store large furniture, nor does it assume responsibility for any stored items. In addition, because of limits on availability of storage space, all students who intend to ship any of their belongings should arrange for these shipments to be delivered after they have arrived on campus to receive them. All shipments, including those sent via UPS, should be addressed as follows: your name, AC #, Keefe Campus Center, Amherst College, Amherst, MA 01002-5000. Do not use "P.O." with your box number -- some delivery people might interpret "P.O." to mean the town of Amherst post office -- and do not address any shipment to Physical Plant.

Motor Vehicles
Parking permits are available for $60 per year to upperclass students who wish to park in designated student lots. Because of space limits, first-year students will not be issued a college parking permit. No students may park on the upper campus, unless issued a Handicapped Placard from the state issuing the vehicle registration. Amherst College has no space to accommodate Five College Student parking.

All students must register their vehicles with the Campus Police within 48 hours of arrival in Amherst, whether or not they own the vehicle and whether or not it will be parked on College property. (Massachusetts law requires that vehicles with out-of-state license plates have a non-resident sticker, issued by our Campus Police.) For non-resident registration and detailed information about Motor Vehicle regulations and campus parking policies, please contact the Campus Police (413) 542-2291.

Health Services
Outpatient services will be available at the Keefe Health Center, 95 College Street (413) 542-2266. Coverage will be by a physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays any outpatient or short-stay urgent care services will be provided by the University (of Massachusetts) Health Center. Medical transportation assistance will be provided by the Campus Police (emergency number (413) 542-2111) or arranged by them via the Amherst Fire Department ambulance crew.

All students must be enrolled in the College-sponsored health insurance program or some equivalent coverage; further information on health insurance has been sent from the Comptroller's Office.

Students expecting to participate in fall intercollegiate sports are reminded that they must be "cleared" by the Health Center before obtaining equipment and reporting for practice.

By August 21, the Health Center must have received completed medical forms for all new students, or the students must bring the forms with them. The forms are needed to complete registration. By Massachusetts law, any new student who has not received the required immunizations within 10 days of the beginning of the term will not be allowed to remain at Amherst for the semester. Questions about immunization should be addressed to the Health Center.

Textbooks
The Jeffery Amherst College Bookstore, 26 South Prospect Street, diagonally across the Common from the College and behind the Jeffery Amherst Bookshop, sells textbooks for most College courses. The book orders are placed by faculty members, and the Bookstore stocks these texts by course number. Both the College Bookstore and the Bookshop will accept all major credit cards and checks, provided appropriate identification is presented. Because of unforeseen difficulties that may arise, you should arrange to purchase your textbooks as early as possible and alert your instructor to any problems obtaining books. Unused texts free of damage and marking and accompanied by sales slips can be returned within three weeks of the start of classes.

The Jeffery Amherst Bookshop grants a 10 percent discount to all Amherst College students on all other books (non-course) and school supplies. To obtain this discount simply show your Amherst College ID at the register at the time of your purchase.

The Option, a student-run bookstore in the basement of Garman House, sells and buys used course books at the beginning and end of each semester. (See http://halogen.note.amherst.edu/~option/about.html.)

Graduate and Professional School Tests
Registration deadlines for the fall test dates are as follows:

Applications may be obtained from the Career Center or from:

Law School Admission Council: http://www.lsac.org
MCAT Program Office: http://www.aamc.org
Graduate Record Examination Program: http://www.gre.org
Graduate Management Admission Council: http://www.mba.com/mba/takethegmat

Fellowship and Scholarship Deadlines
Preliminary application deadlines for national fellowships and scholarships that require endorsement through the Office of Fellowships, located in 213 Converse Hall:

Student Employment
Student employment at Amherst College is open to all students, without regard to whether they are eligible to receive financial aid. During the first two weeks of the fall semester, however, priority is given to employment of students who receive need-based financial aid, such as Federal Work-Study.

Students are responsible for finding their own jobs. To do this, you should go to the department you are interested in and talk directly to the person in that department who is responsible for employment. The major student employers include Dining Services, Frost Library, and the Physical Plant. Other employers include Mead Art Museum, Post Office, Campus Police, Athletic Department, Dean of Students Office, Admission Office, Alumni Office, Language Laboratory, Music Library, Career Center, and many of the academic offices. Please note that Dining Services has a policy that any student who works in Valentine Dining Hall must live in College-provided housing.

Students who are eligible for the Federal Work-Study (FWS) Program may also be employed off campus by a governmental agency or a non-profit organization in nonsectarian and nonpolitical activities that are "in the public interest."

Every student employed by the College must complete an I-9 Form in accordance with federal requirements under the Federal Immigration Reform and Control Act. You must also provide appropriate forms of identification and documentation of your eligibility to be employed in the United States. The procedures mandated in the law apply to all student employees, regardless of their citizenship status. A student who completes an I-9 Form will be given an Employment Authorization Form (EAF) by the Office of Financial Aid. This form will certify your eligibility for employment to a potential employer on campus. I-9 Forms are available in the Office of Financial Aid.

All students who work on campus must also file a Federal W-4 (or W-4A) Form (Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate) and Massachusetts M-4 Form with the Office of Financial Aid, which can provide additional information about completing the forms.

Billing
Computerized statements of payments due are sent out regularly by the Comptroller, and recipients should give particular attention to amounts due and dates for payment. Questions about specific items generated by other offices should be discussed with the appropriate College office (Librarian, Director of Public Safety, Physical Plant, etc.). Billing questions should be directed to the Comptroller.

Fire and Safety
Students and their guests should immediately evacuate residence halls during a fire alarm. To ensure speedy, orderly, safe, and complete evacuation, fire drills will be held periodically during the year.

Inspections of rooms and public areas take place at several times during the year to ensure that all buildings comply with the most recent regulations and that potential fire, safety, and health hazards do not exist. Individual room inspections are usually announced and scheduled for the several College vacations. However, Physical Plant and Campus Police personnel may have to enter rooms at other times for safety, maintenance, and security reasons.

Seemingly minor violations can be critically dangerous, so please avoid blocking escape doors and stairways, using faulty wiring, cooking on hot plates, storing combustibles indoors, improperly ventilating electrical equipment, or leaving electrical appliances switched on and unattended for prolonged periods. These are all very dangerous violations of housing regulations (please see the Student Handbook). Halogen lamps and all cooking appliances are not allowed in dormitory rooms.

Pets
For health and sanitary reasons, dogs, cats, reptiles, birds and all other animals (except aquatic ones) are not permitted in College-owned or -rented student residences. Failure to comply with this policy carries the penalty of an automatic $100 fine for the first occurrence, an additional $100 fine for the second incident, and the student's ejection from College accommodations without reimbursement for the housing thus forfeited for any further violations.

Alcoholic Beverages
Please note that to purchase or sell any alcoholic beverage lawfully in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a person must be 21 years of age or older. Any purchase or arrangement with another to purchase an alcoholic beverage by an underage person is a crime punishable by a fine of $300. Any underage person who transports or carries on his person an alcoholic beverage commits a crime punishable by a fine of $50 and may be arrested without a warrant. All individuals and groups should realize that if law enforcement officials observe or receive reports of disturbances, illegal alcohol sales, or other criminal activities, they may come on campus and even into dormitories and houses.

Groups planning to serve alcoholic beverages should consult with the Dean's Office about the state law and ways of educating participants about the responsible use of such beverages. Groups or individuals who sponsor parties in College-owned public spaces where alcoholic beverages will be served must see Dean Haynes before the event to register the event.

It should also be noted that any attempt to procure or to assist someone else in procuring a driver's license, learner's permit, or liquor purchase I.D. card by impersonating another person is, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a felony and entails penalties specified in the Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 90, Section 24B. These are a fine of up to $500 and/or up to 2 1/2 years in the House of Correction or up to 5 years in a state prison.

Noise Complaints
All students should be aware that the Town of Amherst has an ordinance making it illegal "to create . . . excessive, unnecessary, or unusually loud noise" and mandating stiff fines or the possibility of arrest as penalties for violations of the ordinance. The town police have indicated that they will enforce this ordinance strictly, so all students who live in houses in or near town residential areas, or who travel to and from those areas, especially at night, will have to be particularly careful in order to avoid incurring serious penalties.

Property Insurance Coverage
As you think of packing for your trip to the College, you should consult with your family’s insurance agent about the possibility of their current or a modified policy covering your bicycles, cameras, computers, jewelry, and other valuable personal property. Even though you may have some coverage under your current policy, you may want broader coverage available with a product called "CSI Student Personal Property Protector Plus" www.CollegeStudentInsurance.com. This policy can provide targeted coverage for items such as laptops or computers. To assist you in managing the risk of loss of personal property, this is one possible avenue for your consideration. A sufficient amount of theft and vandalism takes place in the Amherst area to warrant thoughtful consideration of what items to pack, how you will secure your belongings, and the adequacy of insurance coverage for any losses that might occur.

Guns and Fireworks
It is a criminal and College offense for a student to keep a dangerous weapon in any College building. Under the state's strict gun control law, those caught with unlicensed guns face a mandatory one-year minimum sentence upon conviction. The College prohibits students from bringing any firearm or fireworks onto the campus. Violations of the state and College policies on guns and other dangerous weapons are considered extremely serious and may lead to the imposition of a range of sanctions, including jail and dismissal from the College. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts also prohibits the possession and discharging of any type of fireworks.

Commencement
Commencement is scheduled for Sunday, May 27, 2007. To prepare rooms for parents and families attending the festivities, all non-graduating students must vacate their rooms by 5:00 p.m. Saturday, May 20. Students working for the College during Commencement and Reunion Weeks will be relocated. Some seniors will be asked to consolidate to open up suites for families and relatives. Seniors will have to vacate their rooms by 5:00 p.m. Sunday, May 28, so that preparations for Reunion Week can begin.

Because local lodging fills quickly, the College provides a limited number of dormitory rooms to families of graduating seniors for a modest fee. Rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis. The College does their best to meet all requests, but housing is limited and lodging cannot be guaranteed. The Office of Public Affairs will mail preliminary information to the graduating seniors and to the parents of graduating seniors in February. If you have questions, please call the Office of Public Affairs at (413) 542-2322.

Additional Information
Before classes begin, new students will hear from Dean Charri Boykin-East, Dean Susan Snively, our Writing Counselor, and Jennifer Innes, Director of the Moss Quantitative Center, about the College's writing program, our quantitative skills program, and other academic supports.

Copies of the College Catalog and the Student Handbook will be available upon your arrival. When you receive them, please read them carefully for more information about policies, options and resources. The weekly Calendar & News provides a variety of valuable information about the calendar and other important College announcements.

If you have a special situation or would like to speak with someone about your options, questions, concerns, or suggestions, please write or call one of the following:

• Dean of Students - Ben Lieber (senior class dean), blieber@amherst.edu
• Dean of New Students - Paul V. Rockwell, Professor of French, pvrockwell@amherst.edu
• Senior Associate Dean - Charri Boykin-East (sophomore class dean, Services for Academic Support, disabled students), cjboykineast@amherst.edu
• Associate Dean - Frances Tuleja (junior class dean, Code of Conduct, international student advisor, Twelve-College Exchange, readmission), fetuleja@amherst.edu
• Assistant Dean - Torin Moore (housing, resident counselors, minority student programs, married and single-parent students), tmoore@amherst.edu
• Associate Dean - Susan Snively (Director of the Writing Center), srsnively@amherst.edu
• Associate Dean - Rosalind Hoffa (Director, Career Center), rahoffa@amherst.edu
• Assistant Dean - Carolyn Bassett (Assistant Director of the Career Center and health professions advisor), csbassett@amherst.edu
• Assistant Dean - Jennifer Innes (Director, Moss Quantitative Center), jbinnes@amherst.edu
• William Hoffa (Study Abroad Advisor), wwhoffa@amherst.edu
• Assistant Dean - Rebecca Lee (Assistant Director of the Career Center and pre-law advisor), rlee@amherst.edu
• Assistant Dean - Samuel Haynes (Campus Center, Student Activities, Interterm), schaynes@amherst.edu

Financial Aid Office:

• Dean/Director of Financial Aid - Joe Paul Case (scholarships, loans, student employment, fellowships), jpcase@amherst.edu
• Senior Associate Dean - Kathleen A. Gentile (scholarships, loans, student employment), kagentile@amherst.edu
• Associate Dean - Michael P. Ellison (scholarships, loans, student employment), mpellison@amherst.edu
• Student Employment Coordinator - Nancy A. Robinson (student employment), narobinson@amherst.edu

updated July 2005