Colleges

Paul Alpers at Smith College in 2008.

GAZETTE FILE PHOTO

Paul Alpers, husband of Smith College President Carol T. Christ, dies of cancer

Monday, May 20, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — Paul J. Alpers, the husband of Smith College President Carol T. Christ and an unofficial ambassador for the school, died Sunday night after a battle with cancer. Alpers, 80, died the same day that the college he loved held its 135th graduation ceremony and just a few weeks before Christ is to retire after 11 years as Smith’s 10th president. In her remarks to the college community during Ivy Day Convocation on Saturday, Christ fondly remembered arriving at the Northampton campus with her husband after a cross-country journey from the University of California Berkeley. “For me, these past 11 years have been a … 0

UMass officials speed up discipline process in dealing with student off-campus infractions

Monday, May 20, 2013

AMHERST — Many University of Massachusetts students who ran afoul of the law this spring should have their student-code-of-conduct violations resolved before summer begins. Sally Linowski, assistant dean of students, said her office is using Skype technology to conduct hearings involving students who have already left town. There are 80 open cases, according to UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski. Though the bulk of them … 0

This drawing shows Smith College's plan for use of the site of the former Green Street Cafe in Northampton. It will be mainly green space.

Smith College moves ahead with plans to raze old Green Street Cafe building

Monday, May 20, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — Smith College will raze the former Green Street Cafe building next to Ford Hall next week and convert the site to green space as part of a long-term expansion plan. The demolition comes some 18 months after the popular cafe closed its doors, bringing an end to a long-standing tenancy dispute … 0

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Local Photography »

Doug Laroche of Hampshire Regional, right, gets tagged out at first by Matt Serra of Monson on a pick from the pitcher Tuesday at Hampshire.
JERREY ROBERTS

Tuesday’s high schools: Hampshire baseball qualifies for postseason

The Laprade's game is kept in a box covered with pictures of their family that ran in the local papers.

Custom trivia game reveals generations of Laprade family lore

Left, Dawud Lubieddin's things are laid out where a bench used to be on Main Street Northampton. Lubieddin talks with Abd Lomax of Northampton.

Fewer Northampton benches in effort to curb loitering

Other Local News

UMass graduates 5,500 ‘bright, bold’ students

Friday, May 10, 2013

AMHERST — Weaving its way amid flower, food and T-shirt hawkers, a crowd the equivalent of a small city nearly filled UMass’ 20,000-capacity McGuirk Stadium Friday evening to cheer on graduating family members and friends in the university’s … 0

Amherst ready for UMass commencement crowds

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

AMHERST — Traffic will be heavy in parts of Amherst when the University of Massachusetts stages its commencement Friday, but town and UMass officials are doing their best to keep tie-ups to a minimum. “There are going to be bottlenecks and traffic issues, and people traveling locally have … 0

Washington looks for ways to ease student-loan debt

Thursday, May 16, 2013

WASHINGTON — The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday suggested possible ways to make private student loans more affordable and easier to refinance. The bureau’s report was based on 28,000 comments from members of the public about private student loans. The contributors described their own difficulties and … 0

Campuses confront benefits, drawbacks of Twitter use in classrooms

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

PHILADELPHIA — Jordan Shapiro’s class this semester delved into a weighty discussion of Plato’s allegory of the cave and shifting perceptions of reality. Front and center on the classroom wall behind him flashed a constantly shifting series of posts on Twitter, all under the class hashtag of “Mosaic1.” … 0

Amherst College in search of new site for science center

Friday, May 3, 2013

AMHERST — Rising costs and an unacceptable disruption of campus life have sent Amherst College officials back to the drawing board in search for a better site for a long-planned new science center. In announcing the decision to the campus community in a Thursday email, President Biddy Martin … 0

Deb Shaver, right, who is the dean of admission at Smith College, accepts boxes containing more than 4000 signatures in protest from members of Smith Q&A members Sarah Fraas, from left, Emily Coffin, Elli Palmer, Ricia Elwell-Socci and Ollie Schwartz Thursday outside the admissions office after the college refused to consider an application from Calliope Wong, a transgender high school senior from Connecticut. Smith Q&A is an on-campus group that focuses on raising awareness about transgender issues at the college.
JERREY ROBERTS

Petition supports Smith College transgender applicant

Thursday, May 2, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — A group of Smith College students urged the women’s college Thursday to consider for admission all applicants who identify as female, whether they are legally labeled male or female. They presented Dean of Admissions Debra Shaver … 0

UMass conference to feature Pulitzer Prize winner Hedrick Smith

Thursday, May 2, 2013

AMHERST — Pulitzer Prize winner Hedrick Smith will give a free talk at the University of Massachusetts Amherst tonight, kicking off a three-day conference on corporate “rules change.” Smith is the author of the best-selling book “Who Stole the American Dream,” which traces the decline of America’s middle … 0

COURTESY OF SMITH COLLEGE

Smith College seniors Catherine Betances, Monique Gagne and Rajiha Medhi, from left, helped the Northampton Department of Public Works plan for better management of stormwater run-off.

Smith engineering students help solve run-off problem

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

When Smith College senior Monique Gagne can find the time to think past graduation, one image that comes to mind is a garden. Not the vegetable kind. As an engineer, she and a team this year sprouted plans … 1

University of Massachusetts advocate for rape victims wins national award

Thursday, May 16, 2013

AMHERST — Working to end sexual violence and support survivors, including those in marginalized communities, and building partnerships with local law enforcement officials, have earned the associate director of the Center for Women and Community national recognition. Becky Lockwood, associate director of counseling and rape crisis services at … 0

University of Massachusetts Amherst chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, right, chats with UMass band director Timothy Anderson during the Founders Day celebration on Goodell Lawn Monday.
KEVIN GUTTING

UMass Founders Day has cake, social-media campaign

Monday, April 29, 2013

AMHERST — A 150-pound birthday cake in the shape of the Old Chapel was among the highlights of the Founders Day celebration at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Monday. Gov. John Andrews signed the charter creating the … 0

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Colleges

Paul Alpers, husband of Smith College President Carol T. Christ, dies of cancer

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Custom trivia game reveals generations of Laprade family lore

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