Hello I listened to a recent UMass Zoominar in its entirety and I am angry that the university caved into pressure from the Amherst community to not allow students on campus.

The transmission rate in Massachusetts as a whole and Amherst in particular did not warrant this decision. I would like to point out that living in a college town means that as a community, you are accepting both the positives and the negatives of having many students living in your area.

It seems that the residents of Amherst are happy to benefit from the students enrolled in the university when it suits their needs, but are quick to abandon them in tougher times. As far as the concerns of the faculty and staff that you mentioned, many, many other colleges, some in areas of much higher transmission rates, are going back to campus.

It seems like the faculty and staff are benefiting from “working from home” with no down side for them and no incentive to return to campus. This has particularly affected incoming freshmen who will not be able to meet their peers and make the social connections that college is all about. They cannot rent apartments to be with their friends while taking their classes online because they haven’t made any friends yet.

They were eager to come and willing to abide by all of the strict protocols, but they were not even given the chance. You have left them in a terrible position. Their mental, emotional and educational well-being should have been prioritized over the fears and backlash of a community which has happily benefited from the student population in rosier times.

I certainly hope that the university is doing everything it can now to ensure that you allow all of the freshmen on campus in the spring. If this means planning on starting the semester later, going through with no breaks, planning on using more of your outdoor space, whatever it is. I also hope that the residents of Amherst will embrace all aspects of living in a college town and welcome the students back.

Be creative, think outside of the box , but most importantly, stand up for your students. You failed them this fall semester, don’t make the same mistake in the spring.

Merri Hertz-Delgado

Westport, Connecticut