tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post6512253759521889520..comments2023-10-17T22:56:42.784-04:00Comments on Only in The Republic of Amherst: A Sad RewindLarry Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-70460132872799911112012-12-07T09:56:50.151-05:002012-12-07T09:56:50.151-05:00" A large population of the UMASS student bod..." A large population of the UMASS student body have issues because this is a school kids turn to when they simply aren't good enough for schools that have a better program (aka they can't get into). Who are we kidding, outside of a few pockets of greatness, UMASS is a 4 year public school for kids who would never have gone to college if their parents didn't push them. It's not the best and brightest."<br /><br />According to US News and World Report's University rankings:<br /><br />#20 for Computer Science, tied with Brown, Purdue, Rice, UNC Chapel Hill, USC, and Yale<br /><br />#8 for Artificial Intellegence<br /><br />Computer Engineering is #26 nationally<br /><br />Philosophy is #23 nationally and #33 worldwide.<br />That's just a sample, look at the rest of the numbers.<br /><br />And also, just because some people come from families that cannot afford tens of thousands of dollars to go to a private university somehow means that they are less intelligent than those private school kids? <br /><br />It would appear that you believe that not wanting to start your career with upwards of $50,000 in debt is a sign of stupidity...<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-79839856107536246892012-12-05T22:51:13.208-05:002012-12-05T22:51:13.208-05:00But what does the university get for services? Am...But what does the university get for services? Ambulance service which is supposed to break even from billing -- and with all the students on campus on the UM health plan, the AFD will get paid -- and a fire truck for the occasional fire.<br /><br />And water & sewer where it pays a higher per-gallon fee than everyone else.<br /><br />That's it -- and I have long said that UM should be its own town.Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-68463216613519760152012-12-05T12:39:26.568-05:002012-12-05T12:39:26.568-05:00Dr. Ed, You are absolutely correct. I know about ...Dr. Ed, You are absolutely correct. I know about both the amount of town property owned by tax exempt orgs. and about the PILOT Umass pays. According to Larry Kelley, an accountant and member of the Amherst Redevelopment Authority (ARA), "around half of the property in Amherst is owned by tax exempt organizations, with the three largest tax exempt entities being Amherst College, UMass and the town itself." However, as to the Payments In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT), which UMass gives to the town of Amherst, the ARA has said that the amount is "very small compared to that of other schools."<br /><br />My comment was a response to the following post by an anonymous reader: "I hope you realize how much of your income is dependent on tax dollars from the University." Clearly, this person doesn't understand how the town collects revenue. Or how taxes, in general work. And, regardless of any PILOT UMass pays, it is FAR less than the tax rate of $19.74 that most property owners pay.amw1066https://www.blogger.com/profile/11000469139185152660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-36300515377591553562012-12-04T23:07:31.088-05:002012-12-04T23:07:31.088-05:00First, UMass is not tax exempt -- it makes a PILOT...First, UMass is not tax exempt -- it makes a PILOT payment. And do not forget that half the property in Amherst is also tax exempt.<br /><br />But imagine no UMass. Think Wichendon.<br />The slumlords won't have students to rent to, so they abandon the properties and no more taxes on that land. The high priced houses plummet to the $50K range when there are no jobs, etc.<br /><br />Think of what happens when a military base closes. Why do you think the communities so want to keep the bases open -- and that's even more true in a college town where the salaries are paid to locals.<br /><br />Higher ed is going to collapse. Happy days....Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-14649466059287006662012-12-04T17:17:14.418-05:002012-12-04T17:17:14.418-05:00This is in response to the poster 'Anonymous&#...This is in response to the poster 'Anonymous' who, today @ 12:28am, made the following, exceptionally uninformed comment: "To all you residents of Amherst (presumably) ... I hope you realize how much of your income is dependent on tax dollars from the University." On the off chance that you will check back in to follow this story, I feel you should get your facts straight. And, because you are so completely and utterly ignorant about how adult life works, I am going to 'yell it'. THE UNIVERSITY IS TAX EXEMPT. THAT MEANS THE TOWN OF AMHERST AND ITS CITIZENS GET **NO** TAX DOLLARS FROM THE UNIVERSITY. NOT A ONE. NOTHING. ZERO. ZIP. NADA. SO, TO SUM UP,*****NONE***** OF MY INCOME IS DEPENDENT ON UMASS TAX DOLLARS B/S THERE ARE NO UMASS TAX DOLLARS, YOU MORON! Learn the facts before opening your cake hole.amw1066https://www.blogger.com/profile/11000469139185152660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-42946679640808801352012-12-04T13:35:26.143-05:002012-12-04T13:35:26.143-05:00So does the same go for the Daily Collegian? They...So does the same go for the Daily Collegian? They published her name in a banner front page headline story yesterday.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-17002259213752052602012-12-04T13:23:26.902-05:002012-12-04T13:23:26.902-05:00You clearly have no respect for her family and the...You clearly have no respect for her family and the pain they are going through. It doesn't matter what her name is there is no need to post it. You are so obsessed with UMass and the party scene that you are willing to disrespect a deceased 19 year old girl and her suffering family. Disgusting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-43903011980918461432012-12-04T11:43:17.542-05:002012-12-04T11:43:17.542-05:00I actually can honestly say I never went to a UMAS...I actually can honestly say I never went to a UMASS party "in my day" so don't go assuming. You say "in my day" like you think everyone who has a problem with some of the behavior out of UMASS is middle aged or older. For your info, I'm in my twenties and a fairly recent grad and am appalled by how some of your classmates act.It's not just the older generation who is sick of the BS. I went to school out of state and when I had to move back here I chose to act like an adult instead of continuing to hang out with drunk college students and wreak havoc. I never judged all the students as a whole. You were the one that lumped yourself in with the bad apples not me. Having done it myself, I respect those students working their way through school and actually trying to get an education. However, when you spout off about how Amherst is ruining your life as a college student you sound just as obnoxious and ignorant as the lazy drunks you don't want to be lumped in with. It only takes the bad reputation of a few to ruin it for the whole.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-1650416527951731392012-12-04T09:54:42.293-05:002012-12-04T09:54:42.293-05:00Anon 8:56 AM - Then quit bitching about the studen...Anon 8:56 AM - Then quit bitching about the students. There are various parts of town that students don't inhabit. Students don't rely on local businesses and would do just fine utilizing the corporate retailers that the Amherst/ Hadley area has to offer. You think I can't go get lunch at Chili's instead of Judie's? That I can't buy anything I would buy at a local shop in town at the nearest Target. You're wrong my friend... And it's funny because in the town meeting list of elected reps, I don't see many professors, faculty, or staff... The majority of the people who comment on this blog and vote to raise fines and make student's life a living hell and causing everything to be much worse in town. Students will lash out against the people who lecture them about what they can and cannot do. I'd love for you to honestly tell me that you never went to a UMass party in your day. My head is not in the protected little college world that you so stupidly lump us all together. Obviously, yes there are kids who are spoiled and can afford to not go to class, drink all day, and light couches on fire. Others, like myself, are financing their own education, graduating with two degrees, and are an asset to the community as a whole. It's very unfair for you to judge all 22000 undergraduates here against a few bad applesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-63371736819527695992012-12-04T08:56:40.170-05:002012-12-04T08:56:40.170-05:00I'm sorry Anon 12:28 all of us college grads w...I'm sorry Anon 12:28 all of us college grads will get up and leave now since that's what we're "supposed to do." Let's see how much you enjoy going to school here when there are no locals left to own the businesses or provide the services that you use on a daily basis. Not to mention the professors and other staff at the school that you are supposed to be getting an education from. I'm so sick of the whole Amherst wouldn't survive without UMASS claim. UMASS wouldn't make it either if Amherst turned into a ghost town. So, kindly get your head on straight and act like a respectable human being so that maybe you can start seeing the reality outside of your little protected college world.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-80206809026062653942012-12-04T07:22:58.178-05:002012-12-04T07:22:58.178-05:00And we'll be grateful when you leave.And we'll be grateful when you leave.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-18355974638862377132012-12-04T00:28:59.754-05:002012-12-04T00:28:59.754-05:00To all you residents of Amherst (presumably) ... I...To all you residents of Amherst (presumably) ... I hope you realize how much of your income is dependent on tax dollars from the University. You all need to quit whining and complaining about how the students are only partiers, when clearly UMass graduates have went on to do more with your sad lives. If you don't like living in a college town, leave. That's what you're supposed to do when you graduate college.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-4739746819433152182012-12-04T00:19:51.924-05:002012-12-04T00:19:51.924-05:00UMASS is facing a sever PR problem as of late. It&...UMASS is facing a sever PR problem as of late. It's been building every year to the point of what it is now, a serious campus wide problem. And some of these problems involve people they shouldn't connected to people that shouldn't and it becomes a bigger problem. The new word is to start focusing on things other than what is becoming a plague to the University and and that might just come from the top and as a result needs to be handled more carefully with the public. There is more than one would think to this story. I mentioned the other day that it involved alcohol but even on your blog that was considered a rash accusation. It was the truth, a girl is dead, and a bigger story and issue needs to be kept close at hand by this University. Billy Blanknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-85547537525911939242012-12-03T15:12:03.386-05:002012-12-03T15:12:03.386-05:00UMASS is spending money and time to try to change ...UMASS is spending money and time to try to change their image. They have a new PR staff that is headed by a former news guy so he knows all the PR tricks. But here is one reality that UMASS will learn the hard way, you can't put a fence up and think it stops people from seeing what is going on or that it stops what is going on. The school needs to start to forgo money from anyone that will pay and start getting tough. They forget that for every drunk, drug selling kid they toss, another will pay the fee too to replaced him/her. <br /><br />Sadly they are at the end of the problem, not the cause. These kids are brought up in a world of entitlement. They lack the kinds of morals and sense of responsibility and drive to succeed that our culture should be teaching them. That starts at home. We used to have latch key kids. Now we have latch free kids. <br /><br />Like cops who now have become social workers having to deal with stuff they shouldn't, UMASS is plagued by problems it shouldn't have to deal with but is condemned for trying to ignore or downplay. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-89732382255421584062012-12-03T14:28:45.746-05:002012-12-03T14:28:45.746-05:00I think the sensitive issue here is whether or not...I think the sensitive issue here is whether or not she had been drinking and if this drinking made her more likely to trip and fall. With all due respect to the young woman's family, it's a pretty embarrassing way to lose your daughter. I really do agree with Larry that this story was hush-hush because of the possibly-drunk element. This makes it more sensitive than suicide both for the family and for the university. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-57439033191958018882012-12-03T14:20:27.977-05:002012-12-03T14:20:27.977-05:00She tripped and fell.
My grandmother died from th...She tripped and fell.<br /><br />My grandmother died from the same thing.<br /><br />Larry, could you please look past your prejudice and admit the most basic fact that the sidewalks in the Lincoln/Fearing area are (a) poorly lit, (b) far from level, and (c) probably haven't had any work done on them since before the Volpe Administration.<br /><br />And as to why to not release the information -- parents can understand slipping on the ice or ETOH poisoning, but when a girl dies because she tripped & fell <b><i>on an unsafe sidewalk</i></b>, it don't look good...Dr. Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-21671363816317534562012-12-03T14:20:08.571-05:002012-12-03T14:20:08.571-05:00Actually they always send out notification, even ...Actually they always send out notification, even if it involves something ultra sensitive like suicide.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-33631426333890272132012-12-03T13:57:06.814-05:002012-12-03T13:57:06.814-05:00I don't get it. Just what is UMASS supposedly...I don't get it. Just what is UMASS supposedly covering up? That one of their students died of an accidental fall?<br /><br />Does UMASS send out a campus wide notification whenever any student dies, regardless of cause?<br /><br />A cover up seems to imply that an organization did something wrong. What did UMASS do wrong here? A student tripped, fell, hit her head and died. How did UMASS have anything to hide in this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-92108535497040617612012-12-03T13:02:18.102-05:002012-12-03T13:02:18.102-05:00Yeah, but they let UMass off the hook for the cov...Yeah, but they let UMass off the hook for the cover up.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-3568403214211233982012-12-03T12:46:09.301-05:002012-12-03T12:46:09.301-05:00The Collegian today has a front page story on the ...The Collegian today has a front page story on the accident with the student's name and picture.<br /><br />DaveMBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00779581893863396042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-69244455532505332522012-12-03T08:36:38.279-05:002012-12-03T08:36:38.279-05:00@Anonymous December 2, 2012 2:31 PM
So are you sa...@Anonymous December 2, 2012 2:31 PM<br /><br />So are you saying that newspapers should routinely avoid printing the name of accident victims or crime victims in order to spare pain for the family? Should the names of all the people killed on 9/11 be withheld? What about the latest fatal car accident? <br /><br />It is both legal and appropriate for the media to report the names or accident or crime victims.<br /><br />Certainly Miss Jacoby's family is experiencing pain and they may wish that the circumstances of her death not be released. However, when it comes to the right of a free press, it's not their decision.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-51916640529098357852012-12-03T08:11:07.978-05:002012-12-03T08:11:07.978-05:00Actually if you read the Gazette article it sounds...Actually if you read the Gazette article it sounds like UMass was the one who refused to provide the name out of "respect for the family."<br /><br />In other words the Gazette did not have the name ... until now.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-1593369978851969432012-12-03T07:56:23.659-05:002012-12-03T07:56:23.659-05:00Someone dying by accident is quite a bit different...Someone dying by accident is quite a bit different than someone who was arrested for a crime. Of course the person arrested cannot control whether their name appears in the paper. That's a no brainer and not at all germane to the discussion at hand.<br />And of course, a newspaper is free to print the names of anyone it wants to print, except of course rape victims. We are talking about a newspaper CHOOSING not to print someone's name out of respect for the family. My first post was all about pointing out that Larry does not know the meaing of the word respect. Of course he has the right to publish anyone's name he wants. The point I have been trying to make is that Larry has no idea what the word "Respect" means. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-38317473750656731822012-12-03T07:26:06.520-05:002012-12-03T07:26:06.520-05:00And nothing but the truth.And nothing but the truth.Larry Kelleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02614645831526190536noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5035949355013113578.post-15823256946162921712012-12-03T07:25:37.779-05:002012-12-03T07:25:37.779-05:00She leaves behind a mother, father, brother and 83...She leaves behind a mother, father, brother and 837 friends on Facebook. 500 mourners turned out for the funeral service. Her local newspaper described her as "an angel."<br />you looked at her face book page...man you got problemsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com