“Community Conversations,” a new University of Massachusetts initiative, provides a chance for Amherst community members to voice their thoughts and concerns to Tony Maroulis, UMass’ director of Community Relations.
Through these conversations, Maroulis aims to blur the line between UMass and the community and to continue this dialogue on an ongoing basis. According to a University press release, these sessions take place in various coffee shops in the Amherst area and are designed to be a comfortable setting for “questions, comments, complaints and conversation.”
The first of these conversations took place Oct. 27 at the Black Sheep Deli. Topics included community partnerships, various town projects and how the University and community relate.
The second meeting took place Monday at the Newman Center Cafe on campus and consisted of about five people along with Maroulis. Conversation focused on community transportation and its effects on the world as a whole.
Maroulis defined the sessions as one of “large thinking.” Attendees were given the chance to voice their thoughts and opinions about any topics they wished in an open, informal setting. The two sessions have lasted for about two hours each.
Larry Ely, one of the leaders of The Pioneer Valley Relocalization Project (PVRP), attended this week’s conversation with Maroulis.
The PVRP is about seven years old and Ely explained that its main goal is educating the public about climate change and peak fossil fuels.
Ely said that in order to create a positive change surrounding these issues, we must “live locally.”
This “relocalization” insists on the public living more modestly and consuming less. Ely explained that the group believes that there needs to be less transportation and proposed creating a system of smaller “mini” buses for off peak times.
He said he believes that having a small amount of people on a regular sized town bus is a waste of carbon dioxide and fuel.
PVRP is also a big proponent of continued carpooling whenever possible, with goals to create a “community carpooling database.”
“With conversation, there is always room for change,” Maroulis said. “It is inevitable.”
According to Maroulis, “Community Conversations” was created in order to give more people like Ely the opportunity to come forward and express what they think needs to be changed in the community.
“Some people don’t really know who to call when it comes to certain questions about the community and UMass,” Maroulis said. “They search online and some aren’t very sure whether to call or not. These conversations give those people another option.”
Maroulis continued, “The size of the University makes it very difficult for folks to figure out. If I’m not the right person, we can make the right person appear.”
The next Community Conversations will be held on Nov. 10 at 8 a.m. at Bruegger’s Bagels.
Sarah Crowley can be reached at [email protected].
Dick Stein • Nov 4, 2014 at 7:59 am
As a UMass “veteran” from the 1950 days and now a retired professor, I have enjoyed and tried to help its evolving from its “Mass Aggie” days to a thriving first-rate university. Living a few minutes walk from campus between it and Hobart Lane for about 60 years, I have not been greatly disturbed and often interested in student activities and have found most interactions to be pleasant. I was pleased to participate in these conversations and believe more of the positive aspects of interactions should be stressed and the “zoo mass image” has been the unfortunate result of the bad behavior of a few that has been much publicized as it generates public interest.