Affinity Networks Schedule 2024

Make registration your first stop when you arrive to campus. Collect your participant packet including name tag, program information and a special gift. Registration is open Friday, April 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If arriving to campus at other times, please check in with a member of our event staff.

Alumni House, 75 Churchill Street

Immerse yourself in the academic side of Amherst by attending Open Classes. From Arabic to Algebra, Econ to English, Geology to Game Theory, and so many more, we invite you to choose your favorite subjects and learn alongside current students. A complete list of available classes is available online and hard copies will be available at registration.

Note: We kindly request that you refrain from the use of portable electronic devices, including mobile phones, while attending open classes.

Various Locations

Join students, staff and alumni for a reception at the Queer Resource Center (QRC). The QRC furthers conversations around gender and sexuality across campus by providing opportunities for leadership development, intentional programming, and space for community building that centers the support and empowerment of Amherst’s LGBTQ+ community. 

Learn more about the QRC

Queer Resource Center, Keefe Campus Center

Alumni and guests are invited to gather for a casual buffet dinner.

Alumni House, 75 Churchill Street

Please find a breakfast ticket in the back of your nametag that can be redeemed at Valentine Dining Hall.

Valentine Dining Hall

Make registration your first stop when you arrive to campus. Collect your participant packet including name tag, program information and a special gift. Registration is open Friday, April 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, April 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. If arriving to campus at other times, please check in with a member of our event staff.

Alumni House, 75 Churchill Street

Hear from a selection of Amherst's LGBTQ+ faculty in STEM as they discuss their current projects and experiences at the College. Panelists include Jagu Jagannathan, the Bruce B. Benson '43 and Lucy Wilson Benson Professor of Physics; Nick Holschuh, Assistant Professor of Geology; and moderator Sheila Jaswal, Professor in the Chemistry Department and Program in Biophysics and Biochemistry and Director of the “Being Human in STEM” (HSTEM) Initiative. 

The Aliki Perroti & Seth Frank Lyceum, 197 South Pleasant Street

Enjoy lunch with alumni and students over a panel discussion about careers and LGBTQ+ identity. Alumni at different moments of their lives and careers will offer brief remarks about navigating careers and sustaining identity in various environments, after which the program opens up for larger discussion. Panelists include Jack Aaronson ’97, CEO and Founder of the Aaronson Group; Christian Larsen ’00, Windgate Research Curator at Museum of Arts and Design; Jean-Robert Andre ’07, Director of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at Grace Church School; Vivid Young ’19, Humanities Teacher and Literacy Instructor at Libertas Academy Charter School; and moderator Anuja A. Ankola-Rochetti ’09, Director of Global Client Group at American Express. 

12 p.m. Buffet Lunch
12:45 p.m. Speaking Program and Q&A

Lewis-Sebring Commons, Valentine Dining Hall

Panelists will share stories, perspectives and experiences across the generations, followed by small group discussions. Speakers include John Reilly ’75, Mara Levi ’99, Meghan McDonough ’16 and Sam Young ’23, with moderation by Alex Speir ’11. 

The Aliki Perroti & Seth Frank Lyceum, 197 South Pleasant Street

Continue the conversation by viewing the short documentary Old Lesbians, directed by Meghan McDonough ’16. For the last quarter century, Houston native Arden Eversmeyer journeyed across the country to record hundreds of oral "herstories" with a mostly invisible population that is rapidly disappearing. Old Lesbians honors Arden's legacy by animating the resilient, joyful voices she preserved in the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project, from first crush to first love, from the closet to coming out, and finally from loss to connection.

The Aliki Perroti & Seth Frank Lyceum, 197 South Pleasant Street

Students, alumni, faculty and staff are invited to connect and celebrate LGBTQ+ identity. Enjoy a delicious buffet dinner and hear from Keynote Speaker Alaina Daniels ’09, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Trans formative Schools.

6 p.m. Cocktail Reception
7 p.m. Dinner
7:45 p.m. Speaking Program and Keynote Address

Ford Hall Event Space

Please join alumni and students for a casual Sunday brunch, hosted by Angie Tissi-Gassoway, Chief Student Affairs Officer and Dean of Students. Make sure you get contact information and coffee before the weekend wraps up!

Alumni House, 75 Churchill Street

Beneski Museum of Natural History

The Beneski Museum of Natural History houses outstanding collections and exhibits that include vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, minerals, and other geologic specimens. Our specimens have been collected since 1825 from local areas and around the world. Some displays illustrate the evolution and ecology of major groups of animals, and others describe the geological processes that have formed the earth and local structures. Particularly noteworthy is the world-famous dinosaur track collection from the sedimentary rocks of the Connecticut River Valley. This collection continues to be one of the largest and most studied fossil track collections in the world.

Hours:
Friday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Mead Art Museum

The Mead Art Museum holds the art collection of Amherst College—more than 20,000 objects spanning 5,000 years of global culture, which are used for teaching and research across academic disciplines and available for the pleasure and understanding of a diverse public. Admission is always free. The spring exhibitions on view are Like a Slow Walk with Trees: Alicia Grullón; Trópico es Político: Caribbean Art in the Visitor Economy Regime; Boundless pt. 2; and the seventh annual Black Art Matters student visual arts showcase.

Hours:
Friday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Emily Dickinson Museum (280 Main Street)

The newly restored Homestead was the birthplace and home of poet Emily Dickinson. The museum comprises two historic houses. The Homestead was the birthplace and home of the poet Emily Dickinson. The Evergreens, next door, was home to her brother Austin, his wife Susan, and their three children. Visitors are strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance online. Adult admission ranges from $13 to $16. There is no charge for current students, faculty, or staff of Amherst College or youth 17 and under. For more information, call the museum at (413) 542–8161 or visit emilydickinsonmuseum.org.

Hours:
Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Mammoth Market

Mammoth Market at Schwemm’s Cafe is located in Keefe Campus Center and offers an array of items, including t-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, scarves, mugs and other products.

Hours:
Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Closed Saturday & Sunday

Wildlife Sanctuary

The Amherst College Wildlife Sanctuary includes approximately 500 acres in a diverse collection of open fields (both actively maintained and unmanaged), wetlands, floodplain woods, river, upland woods, plantation pines, and ponds—and is an important place for both recreation and research.

Self-Guided Tours

You can access our interactive campus map, follow our online virtual tour, or pick up our self-guided tour booklet and print campus map, available in the visitor information box outside the front door of the Admissions Office. Attending with a prospective student and interested in a guided tour? Learn about tour options available from our Admissions team (advance registration is required).

Various Locations