Unintended Consequences?

Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life Enku Gelaye

As we head into the fair weather weekend, in anticipation of rowdy behavior, UMass disciplinarian Enku Galaye sent out a friendly email reminder to students to be on their, um, best behavior.

After all, off campus students are ambassadors for our flagship of higher education in the state.

Can't hurt for sure.  But there are always those who are not overly receptive ...

 Other informational emails

Ban The Blarney

 

McMurphy's downtown Amherst 3/10/12 10:45 AM

UPDATE (Sunday afternoon):   

Looks like the "Half Way to Blarney Blowout" promotion disappeared from the McMurphy's Facebook page over the past 24 hours. What's up with that? Something I said, hopefully.

Original Post:

"You're name is mud" may still be a familiar expression as the negativity is obvious -- even if you don't know the sad story of Dr. Mudd and his cold hearted patient, John Wilkes Booth. 

The term "Blarney Blowout," unlike the innocent doctor just doing his job,  has also earned a mud like moniker.  A well deserved one.

This promotion encourages exuberant college aged youth to consume copious amounts of alcohol starting very early in the day, all in the name of profit.  What could go wrong?

In July an Amherst man was acquitted of rape using the "morning-after-regret" defense.  Of course the morning after was a follow up to a day of partying during the "Blarney Blowout" 2011 edition.

And we already know the pernicious public safety impact of the 2013 event, when thousands of youth packed the quad area of Townhouse Apartments requiring a bevy of police (town, state and UMass) dressed in riot gear to bring under control. 

UMass/Amherst recently became serious about the dangers of out-of-control partying.  Cancelling Fantazia at the Mullins Center due to concerns over the drug "Molly" certainly demonstrate that. 

The 5-member Amherst Select Board are also the town's "Liquor Commissioners" (and ironically enough, "Sewer Commissioners".)

If Umass can impose its will on the privately operated Mullins Center to cancel a potentially dangerous production, the Select Board should follow suit and come down on McMurphy's Uptown Tavern like a ton of kegs.

And that's no blarney.

Giving responsible drinkers a bad name

Party House Of The Weekend

Yeah, I'm running late as we're almost into another warm, sunny weekend ... where anything can happen in a college town.

Grantwood Drive is a cozy development of about three dozen single family homes  all built just over 40 years ago.  The vast majority are "owner occupied" and you never see them listed in my Party House of the Weekend series.  A few are not owner occupied.  Take #115 for instance.

115 Grantwood Drive, Amherst.  Owned by Onasta Properties aka Pipeline Properties

Amherst Police were called around 1:10 AM early Saturday morning and arrested Chris D Lewis, age 19, Luke Richardson, age 19 and Albert M Carter, age 20 for noise.
 

Meanwhile only a couple hundred yards away at about the same time (1:24 AM) Police were called to 985 E. Pleasant Street by a homeowner complaining about college aged youth urinating in her yard.

Police arrested Timothy M Vanlew, age 20, Stephen F Gardner, age 21, and Ryan J. Donnelly age 21 all three residents of 985 E. Pleasant Street, a single family home with not enough bathrooms apparently.

Since Cherewatti only paid $160,000 for the house that was valued at $255,000 in FY2012, maybe he can afford to add a bathroom.

 

985 E. Pleasant Street  Owned by Eagle Crest Mgt aka Jamie Cherewatti

(small) Fire South Amherst High School

 AFD on scene South Amherst High School

Amherst Fire Department responded to a "small fire in the office" at the alternative South Amherst High School late this morning.  The fire was both small and contained, although the school was evacuated for about an hour.

 A busload of students arrived shortly after the fire and were relocated to the park area 

Two officers were seen placing a young man in a cruiser and heading back to APD headquarters.  A detective and AFD's arson investigator were also called to the scene.  The investigation is being handled in house by APD and AFD, and the State Fire Marshal has not been called in.

 APD and AFD leaving the scene

Staff and students return to the building (no damage from fire)

W/ APD, the entire ARHS community - adults and students, alike - practiced lock down and shelter in place. Students  performed very well.
— Mark Jackson (@ARHSPrincipal) September 16, 2013

Schools are getting serious about these kinds of things

Devil In The Details

 Current tree with mirror (rt) is unstable.  New one will be near telephone pole

Flying the commemorative flags every 9/11 was not the only acrimonious issue on the Amherst Select Board's plate Monday night, as immediately before that embarrassing item they discussed the ongoing bitter battle over relocating a driveway at 666 South East Street, a public safety issue strongly endorsed by Assistant Fire Chief Don McKay.

After too long a discussion the Select Board, keepers of the public way, voted to allow Christopher Benfey and Mickey Rathbun to put up a mirror on the opposite side of their dangerous driveway to facilitate clear views of oncoming traffic up and over the hill.   But only after  "consultation" with the DPW.

Tech savvy member Aaron Hayden stated they should "be able to see all the way down to the South Amherst common" if the mirror is positioned correctly.

 Mickey Rathbun, Chris Benfey in the hot seat

The owners of 666 South East Street have decided not to move the driveway 60 feet to the north for economic reasons:   Tree Warden Alan Snow has not budged on the "replacement cost" for taking down seven trees, what amounts to a $6,000 fine.

This on top of an estimated $25,000 cost for a complicated driveway construction project.

At the Monday night SB meeting the DPW was disparaged as being "scornful" by Mr. Benfey and Mr. Snow was characterised as engaging in "unbelievable behavior."

Meanwhile yesterday the DPW removed a large old bush at the entryway to their driveway to "improve sight lines" for incoming traffic from busy Rt. 116. 

Tuesday: Bye bye big bush

Today

Select Board Rejects 9/11 Flag Question

 My view from the hot seat.  John Musante, Stephanie just-say-no O'Keeffe

UPDATE:  Tuesday 5:00 PM:

AP picks up the 9/11 flag flap story.  Again.

#####

The Amherst Select Board voted unanimously (5-0) tonight to reject a citizen voter petition reqesting they allow local voters to settle once and for all the nagging annual question of whether the commemorative American flags should fly in the downtown every 9/11 vs once every five years.

Yes, I said UNANIMOUSLY REJECTED.  Only in Amherst.

MassLive reports (as always, comments are the best)

9/11/14?

Amherst Town Center 9/11/11.  Commemorative flags will not fly again until 2016, unless

So I'm trying to anticipate the excuse the Amherst Select Board will conjure up this evening during the 7:15 PM flag discussion to reject placing on the local 3/25/14 election ballot the never ending question of flying the commemorative flags every 9/11, thus allowing the voters decide this issue once and for all.

Sure they will mention the shameful 2007 Amherst Town Meeting vote by a whopping 96-41 not to fly the flags annually.  And that advisory resolution had requested they fly at half staff, which completely negates the argument that the commemorative flags are  "too festive."

Kind of hard for the average person to misread the intentions of twenty nine 3' by 5' American flags at half staff.

And I'm sure one of them will argue that governance by referendum can be a dangerous thing.  Would slavery had ended 150 years ago if it were put up to a popular vote at the time?  Or would women have been given the right to vote in 1920 if it had been decided at the ballot box?

Of course the counter to that is we are Amherst, the only town (according to Tracy Kidder) with a "foreign policy." So sure, historically speaking the townspeople would have done the right thing.

As they will do on March 25 if the Select Board has the courage to allow this festering issue to come to a vote.

After all, they seem to love the tagline:  "Amherst, where only the h is silent."  Then why not let the people speak?