2015 Video and Audio of Reunion Events

A Conversation with President Biddy Martin

Saturday, May 30, 2015

The president’s remarks will be preceded by the annual meeting of the Society of the Alumni, presided over by the chair of the Executive Committee, Kerry P. Brennan ’77.

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A Conversation with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Friday, May 29, 2015

Cullen Murphy '74, chair of the Amherst College Board of Trustees, offers thoughts on the College and takes questions along with John Williams '75, life trustee. Moderated by Bob McCartney '75. Presented by the Class of 1975.

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Amherst Campus Update

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Jim Brassord, chief of campus operations, discussed ongoing and upcoming campus building projects, including new dormitories, the Science Center and the exciting Greenway project.

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Living in the Milky Way

Friday, May 29, 2015

Learn about the supermassive black hole and extrasolar planets in our galactic neighborhood with Nicolas Cowan and Daryl Haggard, assistant professors of astronomy.

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Lord Jeff: Proud Mascot or Embarrassing Relic? (Part I)

Friday, May 29, 2015

Whether to retain Lord Jeff as the College mascot has been hotly debated recently in the Amherst community. Those who wish to replace him emphasize that Gen. Amherst advocated and authorized genocidal actions against the Native Americans of his time. They perceive celebration of him as offensive to current Native American students, other minorities and potential applicants. They are confident that the Amherst community will be able to devise a new emblem and nickname. (“Moose,” anyone?). Others, however, argue for tradition, and argue that Lord Jeff did only what others have done throughout history in wartime. The panelists are Frank G. Couvares, the E. Dwight Salmon Professor of History and American Studies; Catherine Epstein, dean of the faculty and professor of history; Robert T. Hayashi, associate professor of American studies; E.J. Mills, head football coach; Siraj Sindhu ’17; and John D. Herzog ’52, professor emeritus of education at Northeastern University.

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Lord Jeff: Proud Mascot or Embarrassing Relic? (Part II)

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Whether to retain Lord Jeff as the mascot is hotly debated today within the Amherst community. Those who wish to keep Lord Jeff cite tradition and the unifying influence of the image and the song; the consistency among the names of the mascot, the College, the town and the Inn; and the difficulty of choosing a suitable replacement. They regard Amherst as an able general and administrator, who played a pivotal role in driving the French from North America. Those who wish to replace him argue that Lord Jeffery Amherst advocated and authorized genocidal actions against Native Americans, and that celebrating his name is offensive to many. Panelists are James Fernandez ’52, professor emeritus of anthropology, University of Chicago; Katherine Fretwell ’81, dean of admission and financial aid; Alex Vasquez, dean of students; Olivia Pinney ’17; and David Temin ’10.

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Kenneth Lonergan’s Margaret and the Victorians

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Alicia Christoff, assistant professor of English, specializes in Victorian literature and in literary and critical theory, particularly psychoanalysis. Her current book project, Novel Feelings, focuses on the fiction of George Eliot and Thomas Hardy. Her presentation will discuss Kenneth Lonergan’s 2011 film Margaret and its connections to Victorian literature and representational practices.

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"Hands Up, Don't Shoot": A Discussion on Race and Policing in America

Saturday, May 30, 2015

What role, if any, does race play in the recent spate of shootings of citizens of color by white police officers across the country? Do citizens of color have any responsibility for keeping themselves safe when interacting with the police? Are white police officers mentally and emotionally equipped to patrol minority neighborhoods? Is the policing model in minority communities broken? The panelists: Paul Smyth ’90, a judge on the Massachusetts District Court who previously served as a local and federal prosecutor in Mass. for 17 years; Jack Pannell ’80, an educator and founder of the Baltimore Collegiate School for Boys, a college preparatory public charter school in Baltimore City, Md.; and Arthur Ago ’90, a public defender in Washington, DC for 17 years and currently the trial chief at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. Presented by the Classes of 1980 and 1990

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New Solutions for Climate Change

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Later this year, diplomats will meet in Paris to hammer out a new international agreement on climate change. Addressing climate change requires business and government to adapt to a lower-carbon economy. How will we scale solar and wind power and make electric vehicles mainstream? What policy frameworks make the most economic sense—a carbon tax, cap-and-trade or some other mechanism? What role can universities play? What should we do as individuals? Brian Dumaine ’75, editor of Fortune, leads a panel of experts that includes Gilbert Metcalf ’75, professor of economics at Tufts University and former U.S. Treasury official focusing on climate issues; James Manwell ’70, director of the Wind Energy Center at the University of Massachusetts; Tom Reicher ’70, senior counsel of Cooley LLP; and Christopher Lehane ’90, NextGen Climate Action’s senior political strategist and Amherst College trustee. Presented by the Classes of 1970, 1975 and 1990.

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Negotiating with Emotion

Saturday, May 30, 2015

We all negotiate in ways big and small — at work, in our communities, and even with family members. Some people relish negotiation, but for many others, the process stirs discomfort, doubt and anxiety. Such feelings are self-defeating. Michael Wheeler ’65, professor, Harvard Business School, will explain why negotiation is so emotionally fraught. He and colleague Kim Leary ’82 conducted in-depth interviews with veteran managers and lawyers. Notwithstanding their subjects’ impressive experience, most spoke of the risk of dealing with others who can’t be trusted, uncertainty about what might unfold and concern about their own competence. You’ll see dream-like collages that these subjects created to express their feelings; you'll also hear them explain their strange pictures in short audio clips. The program will end on a practical note, highlighting recent research showing how to manage and draw upon your emotions successfully, not just in negotiation but in your social lives more broadly. Presented by the Class of 1965.

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The Partisan Divide: Congress in Crisis

Friday, May 29, 2015

According to President Bill Clinton, "Martin Frost and Tom Davis are uniquely qualified to examine how constant conflict in Washington keeps too many good things from happening. The Partisan Divide: Congress in Crisis is a smart book that asks the right questions and offers some intriguing solutions." During their 40 years in Congress, Tom Davis ’71 and Martin Frost were the field generals for their respective parties, each serving two terms as chair of the Democratic and Republican House campaign committees. Now they have joined forces — along with columnist Richard Cohen — to write The Partisan Divide. They are joined by Pulitzer Prize finalist David Eisenhower ’70, who wrote the book’s preface that sets the stage for this powerful behind-the-scenes narrative.

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Healthcare in 2015: Issues We Face in Our Fifties

Sunday, May 30, 2015

Dr. Mark Alexander ’80, Dr. Karl Kieburtz ’80, Dr. David L. Schriger '80 and Dr. Jonathan March ’80, from different fields in health care, will discuss and debate issues we need to address in our mid-50s. Topics will include the role of the primary-care physician in health maintenance, heart disease and exercise, and the judicious use of expensive technology in health care. We hope that audience members will also contribute their own concerns and opinions.
Presented by the Class of 1980.

Attachment Size
COLE 05_Healthcare in 2015.mp3 82.61 MB

Cancer 360: Perspectives on Living With and Living Through the Cancer Journey

Friday, May 29, 2015

We have all been affected by the emperor of all maladies. Dr. Andrew Balder '75 (moderator), Robert Carver '75, Carol MacKinnon '75, Skip Broadhead '75, Thomas Thaler '75, Dr. Michael Soojian '75 and Dr. Peter Silberstein '75 come together to share their journeys with the illness that struck fear in our hearts as children. We will share lessons derived from being patients, family members and treating oncologists. The session will also examine "hope" as perceived by the patient and loved ones and augmented by advances in the understanding and treatment of cancer. Presented by the Class of 1975.

Attachment Size
MERR4 01_Cancer 360.mp3 61.86 MB

Remembrance of Things Past: Marcel Proust and the Night of September 22, 1961

Friday, May 29, 2015

The Class of 1965 gathered for our first intellectual experience on September 22, 1961. Professor George Kateb discussed the book assigned that summer, E.M. Forster’s A Passage to India. He urged us to think about how language captures experience; about character and our relation to others; about race, the Cold War, Western and non-Western worlds; and about what an Amherst education would, could and should do for us. He concluded with advice to “travel light” the next four years. If A Passage to India was an ideal choice for unbounded youth, Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past is an ideal guide for limited age. Using Proust’s masterpiece, Howard Bloch ’65, Sterling Professor of French, Yale, will reflect on the road traveled since our first time together, the goals of liberal arts education then and now, and what great works of literature might teach us about traveling light in years to come. Presented by the Class of 1965.

Attachment Size
MERR1 01_Remembrance of Things Past.mp3 53.25 MB