News

NESCAC News

By Emily Eisler ’17

Tags news

Amherst begins search for new mascot 

Amherst College has begun taking submissions from students, alumni and faculty for ideas for a new mascot. They will reveal the winning choice to replace their current symbol, Lord Jeff, at the College’s homecoming in 2017. The ‘Find the Mascot’ campaign will take ideas until Nov. 30, with 400 already submitted and thousands expected in total. The final decision will be made by a committee of both students and faculty. Amherst students held protests against Lord Jeff as their mascot after it came to light that the namesake was involved in mass killings of Native Americans in the 18th century. The school responded by removing the mascot and will begin to consider choices at the start of 2017. 

Connecticut College student claims to have been victim of abuse by local police

The morning of Oct. 16 at 1:30 A.M., police received a call from a Connecticut College student who was concerned after hearing a woman screaming and a man yelling in a dorm. When police arrived, the couple involved in the incident were hostile to police. At the same time, according to police, junior Lee Messier began to interfere with police proceedings despite repeated warnings by the police. Messier was arrested on the grounds of interfering with police. Messier himself believes he was a victim of police brutality, posting on Facebook after the incident. Messier’s narrative has him and a friend hearing the same screams police were called about before going to help the woman in question. He claims the officers acted combatively towards himself and the victim and that while he tried to explain the situation to the officers, they repeatedly yelled at him. An officer threatened him with arrest, Messier asked on what grounds and was allegedly cuffed and pushed to the ground and beaten, according to his post. New London police are investigating the incident. 

All News