Strong eyebrows signify a strong face and are indicative of someone who subverts typical Western beauty standards and knows how to carry themselves. To put it simply, having well-defined eyebrows shows that someone is a good leader. His eyebrows were the first sign to me that Peter Crane should be my choice for AAS president. But there’s more to him besides his good looks, he’s a hard-working, absolutely-devoted, and reliable person, and he is the best person to guide the student body in the upcoming year.
I was added to the Facebook group for class of 2016 quite late into the summer. I finally came into my first non-official contact with the Amherst; I cared about-the people I’d spend the next four years with. It was Peter Crane who added me. He was literally the first Amherst face I encountered and a person who genuinely wanted the student community to be as inclusive as possible. He’s the one who started class Facebook pages.
During the past two years, Peter has become a good friend, someone I earnestly respect and admire.
How many times have we been deterred from going to an event, joining an e-board or club because we’re already too busy? Many times, but not for the tireless Peter Crane. Instead, he has devoted a colossal amount of his time and has shown his total commitment to improving student life on campus. I don’t know his secret. Does he not sleep? Is he a vampire? Are those eyebrows perpetually pulling his eyelids up so it is physically impossible for him to sleep? But he accomplishes what he sets out to do.
Being an AAS Senator is often synonymous with being just an inert body with a good title. It takes hard work to be proactive enough to engage with student needs and actually carry out projects. Due to his time on the Senate’s Transportation Council, Peter is one of the reasons we now have free shuttles to airports in Hartford, Boston, and New York for breaks. Amherst’s need-blind financial aid admission policy means we have a diverse socioeconomic student body and many students who might not be able to afford to go home during breaks because of transportation costs. Who really wants to pay too much for a six-plus hour bus ride? Now, for the most part, we don’t have to. It’s easy take the free shuttles for granted, as a right, but let’s remember the person who helped implement them.
Additionally, Peter has committed to improving two things that I deeply care about: sexual respect and orientation. As the founder and member of the First-Year Life and Orientation Committee, Peter has been instrumental in organizing the orientation schedule. Orientation is one of the best times to be on campus and can influence a first-year’s outlook on the rest of their year. This is why we need diverse programming. Peter wants to make sure affinity and activist groups have their time with incoming students. As the historian of La Causa, I appreciate his concern and awareness of how necessary and valuable our first meetings are.
Peter Crane also helped organize the rally to end the culture of silence last fall and facilitated the Day of Dialogue. Amherst still has a long way to go in making our campus as safe and understanding as possible, regarding sexual assault. Peter is making this one of his top priorities and making sure student input is taken into account.
Yes, this is an impressive list of the things that Peter has already done, but, knowing him, he certainly won’t be coasting by his senior year.
We’re lucky this year to have a number of extremely qualified candidates to choose from for AAS President. Peter is the one who stands out for me and I hope you’ll agree with me on election day.
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