New students moved into their residence halls on the Quad on August 27.

In Appleton Hall, Helen Feibes ’23, (in black ) from Kentucky and Sophie Caldwell ’23, (in orange) from Texas unpacked with the help of their parents.

Down the hall, Umar Ali ’23 (center) and his parents from Queens, N.Y., paused for a family portrait. 

James Minor ’23 (center) and his family hail from Nashville, Tenn.

 

After moving in, new students met in assigned squads. Their squadmates will be their classmates in their First Year Seminar course.

Squad members played word games as an icebreaker as they got to know each other.

New students pose for the time-honored class photo.

Incoming students met with faculty advisors on Aug. 28 to discuss class schedules and register for their first semester. Assistant Professor Sony Coranez Bolton (right) from the Department of Spanish Latinx and Latin American Studies met with Maira Owais ’23.

Professor Adam Sitze from the Department of Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought (LJST) met with Julian Erickson-Watson, a transfer student.

President Biddy Martin welcomed new students and discussed the value of a liberal arts education.

A word cloud graphic generated during President Martin’s welcome address.

Representatives from Amherst’s Resource Centers — Queer Resource Center, Center for International Engagement, Multicultural Resource Center, Women’s and Gender Center, and Center for Diversity and Student Leadership — introduced themselves to the new students.

Our transfer students attended colleges located across the country. Four are veterans of the U.S. armed services and seven attended community college prior to enrolling. One is an exchange student from Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan.

 

All incoming new students participate in a two and a half day immersive experience that affords the opportunity to create connections in small group settings with other new students. LEAPs, which stands for Learn, Explore, Activate, and Participate, happen both on and off campus and focus on various topics of interest.

Hannah Colaizzo ’23 rappels into a cave during a LEAP program.

During an Improv LEAP program, other students learned how to “Train Your Head to Think on Its Feet.”

Students meditated during a yoga and mindfulness LEAP program.

On Sept. 1, Min Jin Lee, who is beginning a three year teaching fellowship as writer-in-residence, delivered the annual DeMott lecture. 

The class of 2023 react with laughter and applause during the DeMott lecture when Min Jin Lee surprised the audience by saying: “I’d like to tell you about my love life.” 

In preparation for the DeMott lecture, over the summer first year students read Min Jin Lee’s novel “Pachinko.”

As part of Amherst’s Convocation tradition, President Martin bestowed honorary master’s degrees on faculty members who have recently reached the rank of full professor at the College. This custom derives, in part, from a desire to pay tribute to faculty professors’ distinction as teachers and scholars. Receiving degrees this year were Professors Adam Sitze. Amanda Folsom, Pawan Dhingra and Solsiree del Moral.

Professor Sonya Clark, a distinguished graduate of the College’s class of 1989 who joined the faculty last year, was also acknowledged by her peers.

Convocation is the closing event of Orientation week. When students become seniors they celebrate Senior Assembly, during which, in a reversal of roles, the faculty honor graduating students.