The students are getting involved at a time when there are no townwide contests.
AMHERST –University of Massachusetts students are hoping to change the dynamic of how the community sees and interacts with them – at least 14 are vying for Town Meeting seats in the annual town election April 9.
In the past, UMass students have run sporadically but this year more want to get involved. Akshay Kapoor, president of the UMass Student Government Association, and Renee Barouxis, an SGA outreach coordinator, have been working with students to run.
While Kapoor often works with town officials, he said, “A lot of our voices almost always go unheard.
“We could get involved and change the dynamic...change the dialogue,” he said.
And, he said, he wants to show the town that students are more than rowdy partygoers.
“We’re invested, we cherish this town.”
The issues with public drunkenness and noise involve just a small percentage of rowdy students. But that behavior has taxed the town police and fire departments and neighbors’ patience.
Amherst has a representational town meeting with 24 members elected from each of the town’s 10 precincts on a staggered basis.
The students are getting involved at a time when there are no townwide contests. Students seeking seats in Precinct 10 do face a challenge with 11 candidates seeking the eight available seats.
Kapoor, who is running in Precinct 4, has already established the Sober Shuttle that runs students from downtown back to campus to help address some of the problems.
But getting involved in government to help shape policy and law is another step. If involved in Town Meeting “we can address some of the issues.”
The town’s Safe and Healthy Neighborhood Work Group has presented a report to Town Manager John P. Musante to create a rental registration program to address housing-related issues. Town Meeting will be asked to adopt the bylaw.
“That’s one of the biggest things, it directly affects students,” Kapoor said.
Matthew Fortune, who grew up in Whatley, has been to Town Meeting in his town but this is his first foray into elected town politics.
“A lot of students in Amherst pay taxes and follow the bylaws,” he said. But “we’re not represented in the decision-making process.”
While he is concerned about student housing issues, he’s also passionate above environmental issues and hopes Town Meeting will become more involved in those issues as well.
Barouxis, who created a Facebook page called Elect Students to Amherst Town Meeting April 9, lists 14 students who took out papers in time to get on the ballot. She reminds students they can also write in their names on election day.
“I think it's fantastic,” said Select Board Chairwoman Stephanie J. O’Keeffe in an email. “Students make up a huge part of our population, and the laws we pass and issues we address at Town Meeting impact them, yet they have had very little voice there. There is so much to be gained from sharing different perspectives, and I think students and full-time residents will learn a lot from each other, for the benefit of our whole community.”
“I think it’s a wonderful desire of many students who want to be more involved,” said Musante, who is a UMass graduate. “It’s an example of UMass students at their best.”