Issue 20

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 20

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23, 2022

amherststudent.com

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

College Admits 7 Percent of Applicants for Class of 2026 Tana Delalio ’24 Managing News Editor

Photo courtesy of Eric Ingram ’23

The full Choral Society performed at a concert during the fall semester. Due to dwindling numbers, Glee Club has since merged with Chorus to form a new, more inclusive, Glee Club.

Glee Club Ends 150+ Year Tradition, Expands Range Sofia Tennent ’25 Staff Writer The Amherst College Glee Club, which has been open only to tenor and bass vocal parts since its founding in 1865, expanded to all voice parts this semester in an effort to revitalize the singing group after a dramatic drop in membership.

Glee Club has been united with Chorus — previously a separate soprano and alto ensemble created when the college became coed in the 1970s — into a single Glee Club which began group rehearsals the first week of this semester.

Despite an long and illustrious history as the fourth oldest college glee club in the country

OPINION

— including numerous world tours and a performance at the White House in 1920 — Glee Club has been struggling to attract members in recent years, its numbers lowering significantly after a year of online programming during the pandemic. The merging with Chorus, which saw a resurgence in membership last semester, was conceptualized as a way to save the historic Glee Club and ensure that its tradition would carry forward, said Glee Club’s newly-elected co-president Ryan Kyle ’23.

With the support of the former presidents of the Glee Club, Chorus, and Concert Choir — all of which fall under the umbrella of the Music Department’s Choral Society — Director of the

9

Nuclear Power Really Is the Future: Diego Rao '23 responds to last issue's "Seeing Double" column, arguing in favor of nuclear energy.

Choral Music Program Dr. Arianne Abela made the decision to restructure the Choral Society this semester. In addition to the former Chorus and Glee Club now practicing and performing as one Glee Club, all members of the Concert Choir (a more selective soprano, alto, tenor, bass [SATB] group) are now required to also participate in Glee Club.

Weekly practice times have been reduced for Glee Club as well, in an effort to increase membership in the group. The Madrigal Singers, the only other ensemble within Choral Society, will continue to function independently of the Concert Choir and the new Glee Club.

The response from members of the original Glee Club and

ARTS & LIVING

Chorus to the new change has been generally positive, with Haoran Tong ’23, the current president of Concert Choir and a member of Glee Club, reporting that “there was overwhelming support of this decision.”

Tong spoke about the challenges that decreasing interest from tenor and bass singers had created: “Male singers are pretty rare on campus, and we were basically scrambling finding resources among the acapella groups.”

Patrick Spoor ’23, president of Glee Club before its merger with Chorus, has seen the club shrink over the years from the healthy size it was in 2018, their first year

Continued on page 4

14

A Covid Reflection: Tiia McKinney '25 looks back on two years of life in a pandemic, from The Bahamas to New Jersey to Amherst.

SPORTS

On Friday, March 18, the college released its regular admissions decisions for the Class of 2026. According to Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Matthew McGann, this year’s record-breaking tally of 14,800 applicants represents a 5.7 percent increase compared to last year’s applicant pool of 14,000 people, and resulted in an acceptance rate of 7 percent — 1 percentage point lower than last year’s 8 percent. Following tradition, the decisions were released at 18:21, or 6:21 p.m. EDT, in recognition of the college’s founding in 1821.

The admitted students this year are even more diverse than those admitted in the Class of 2025, with the percentage identifying as domestic students of color rising from 60 to 62 percent. Matching last year’s admission cycle, 22 percent of the admitted students identify as first-generation college students. Nine percent are international students, down 1 percent from last year.

The college plans to enroll 473 students in the Class of 2026. Admitted students are invited to attend one of two “Be A Mammoth” programs, held on Sunday, April 10, and Monday, April 18. Students have until Monday, May 2, to accept or decline their offer of admission. As with the Classes of 2024 and 2025, the admissions deposit has been waived for all students.

18

A Look Back on WBB's Stellar Season: Liza Katz '24 and Carter Hollingsworth '25 reflect on the obstacles and miracles in Women's basketball's wonder season.

News POLICE LOG

Fresh Faculty Lara Halaoui

March 8, 2022 – March 21, 2022

>>March 8, 2022 2:23 p.m., Service Building An employee accidentally dialed 911. Upon police arrival there was no issue. >>March 9, 2022 2:27 a.m., Ford Hall Loading Dock A motor vehicle on the tow list with numerous citations and prior immobilizations and boots was parked in violation of the Winter Parking Ban and was towed.

3:22 p.m., Valentine Dining Hall Amherst College Dispatch (AC Dispatch) reported a 911 hang up. AC Dispatch was able to contact the caller and verify it was accidental. >>March 12, 2022 7:56 p.m., Greenway C Residence Hall A student reported being threatened through social media to send money using an online “app.” A detective responded to investigate. >>March 15, 2022 11:34 a.m., Greenway Lawn A detective responded to a well-being check of an individual laying on the ground near Greenway dorms. After contact was made it was determined the student did not need further assistance. >>March 16, 2022 6:50 a.m., College Street A town resident complained about the grounds department using their equipment too early in the morning. Complaint was

relayed to a supervisor. >>March 20, 2022 4:43 a.m., Moore Dormitory/Barrett Hill Road A sergeant and detective responded to the area of Barrett Hill Road and Moore Dormitory after hearing what sounded like glass objects being smashed on the ground.

Amherst College Police Department (ACPD) searched the area with negative results.

11:33 a.m., College Street A student reported a male, possibly intoxicated, walking down College Street in an erratic manner and almost walking into traffic.

A sergeant responded to investigate. They located the male off campus and did not observe anything out of the ordinary.

8:13 p.m., Garman House A detective responded to a report of suspicious belongings that were found in storage. Items were found to be from a student that is no longer at Amherst. Items were taken and will be disposed of. >>March 21, 2022 4:40 p.m., Amherst College Police Department A call was made to the emergency line (x2111) and then disconnected. Caller was unable to be identified because the phone number was blocked.

9:57 p.m., East Drive A detective conducted a motor vehicle stop. Driver was given a verbal warning for traveling through a posted stop sign.

Department of Chemistry

Lara Halaoui is a visiting professor of chemistry at Amherst College and a professor of chemistry at the American University of Beirut. She received a bachelor’s degree from the American University of Beirut and later attended Duke University for her Ph.D.

Q: What problems does your research tackle?

A: My work focuses on finding renewable energy solutions. I’m interested in fundamental and practical properties of nanomaterials, [such as] nanostructures, photonic crystals, quantum dots, and catalytic nanoparticles that can be used in electrochemical and photoelectrochemical systems to convert light from the sun into electrical or chemical energy. I’m very interested in artificial photosynthesis.

One particular process that we are interested in, for example, is the splitting of water. That’s something that we have worked on for a while, particularly finding catalysts or electro-catalysts that can allow us to do the reactions involved in the splitting of water more efficiently and using Earth-abundant materials. Another process that I’m interested in is carbon dioxide reduction.

I think that this particular topic has great implications for the world because of the need for renewable energy solutions to limit the use of fossil fuels and their harm to the environment. So I’m interested in subjects that allow a deep understanding of the world and fundamental science but also have the potential of making an impact on humanity, on Earth, and on our environment.

Q: What were your motivations for coming to Amherst?

A: For one, this college has an excellent reputation everywhere for excellence in teaching, academic rigor for the talented students, and also for the diverse students that

you have here. But one part that also interested me is the [college’s] efforts in inclusion in the sciences and increasing diversity. This is something that is very important to me; I’ve worked a lot to mentor underrepresented groups, particularly women, in science. I liked this opportunity to engage with the diverse students here and add a new voice to this work here at Amherst College to increase diversity and inclusion in the scientific fields. I also felt that this location is nice because it also allows opportunities to engage with different faculty members in the Five Colleges.

I want to also say that I’ve known [Amherst] from the beginning because there are old historical connections between Amherst College and the American University of Beirut. The founding father of the American University of Beirut, Daniel Bliss, was actually a graduate of this college. Isn’t that fun?

Q: When you’re not doing research or teaching, how do you like to spend your free time?

A: I like hiking and being outdoors in nature and light. So, I love going on long walks, whether [it’s] cold or hot. I am an avid literature and poetry reader. I also write a little bit, but nothing significant! And I like to paint a little bit. It’s a good way of expressing one’s creativity and of yourself, but in a bit of a different way than doing scientific work.

When I was very young, I wanted to be a fashion designer. And then I wanted to be an astronaut.

So you can see that I’ve always liked part of the arts and parts of

the deep sciences. This is another attractive thing for me about coming to a liberal arts college. In fact, I find it very refreshing that some of the students that we’re teaching [in chemistry] are majoring in, you know, English or philosophy. It gives us a nice, broad view of the world.

Q: Looking back, what is something that you wish you knew as a student that you know now?

A: I used to be very upset if I didn’t get an A or ace an exam. I wanted things to be perfect in terms of how I did in my schoolwork. It was very important to me. And sometimes I didn’t take as much time to rest or to do other things.

Also, looking back, it’s not even just about the grades; it’s about how we push ourselves to always be perfect. And in fact, now, I think that one of the important things that happened to me is to realize that things do not have to always be perfect. I know we hear this all the time, but a bit of a setback sometimes can steer you in a direction that is a good and important direction. And when you’re talking, [for example], about research, sometimes you think, “Oh, well, this is not working the way I want it.” But you end up discovering something else. Especially when you want to do something creative, it’s important to create this balance that allows space for — now I’m becoming a bit philosophical — these imperfect things, or one’s creativity, to also flourish.

—Jerry Zhang '25

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

News

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Zero-waste Laundry Detergent Sheets Now Available to Students Sofia Hincapie-Rodrigo ’24 Staff Writer Students can now swap their Tide pods for free sustainable detergent sheets.

On Feb. 28, the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) approved AAS Senator Sirus Wheaton’s ’23 proposal to provide zero-waste laundry detergent sheets for all Amherst students.

The initiative aims to reduce Amherst’s carbon footprint, while also easing the financial burden of buying hygiene products for students from marginalized, low-income, and first-generation communities. Although Wheaton originally sought to partner with the administration to fund the initiative, he reported that repeated delays in the process led

him to request the funding from the AAS instead.

Wheaton’s plan consists of installing seven zero-waste laundry detergent sheet dispenser refill stations on campus — one in each first-year laundry room (with James and Stearns Halls sharing one) and one in the Class & Access Resource Center (CARC) on the second floor of Keefe Campus Center. The stations are to be supplied by Generation Conscious, a company founded by Greg Genco ’11 that produces eco-friendly detergent sheets and refill stations. All students will be provided an initial batch of laundry sheets in a reusable aluminum container that can be used for additional refills.

The station in Keefe was installed on March 1; the timeline for the

other stations is uncertain, but Wheaton hopes they will be installed by the end of the semester.

Wheaton explained that he chose the first-year dorms to facilitate a lasting culture of practicing zero-waste habits at the start of students’ careers at Amherst, and chose Keefe in an effort to make the refill stations accessible to the entire Amherst community. Moving forward, Wheaton’s goal is for a gradual installation of refill stations in every dorm on campus.

Wheaton said that, beyond instilling better environmental practices, his initiative also provides significant assistance to students from marginalize communities trying to navigate

Continued on page 5

Photo courtesy of Sirus Wheaton '23

The first detergent sheet dispenser has been installed in Keefe Campus Center, where students can go to pick up free laundry sheets.

Food Justice Alliance Puts Extra Val Food to Use Sonia Chajet Wides ’25 and Ethan Foster ’25 Assistant News Editor and Staff Writer On various nights throughout the week, groups of students can now be found in Valentine Dining Hall’s basement in full kitchen gear, transferring leftover food from metal hotel pans to disposable aluminum containers.

The students are part of the Food Justice Alliance’s (FJA) new pilot program to reduce food waste and give back to the community by donating extra food from Val to Craig’s Doors, a local homeless shelter in the town of Amherst.

Though Dining Services has previously made meal donations during interterms and summers, the FJA is looking to systematize the process and make the donations a regular occurrence.

The new initiative, formulated by the FJA with input from Executive Chef Jamil Asad, relies on student volunteers to repackage leftovers, which staff from Craig’s Doors will pick up each Wednesday and Friday. The system is modeled on UMass’s food recovery program, which also donates

to Craig’s Doors. However, unlike at UMass, according to Andrea Muñoz-Ledo ’22, a member of the FJA, Amherst’s process depends more heavily on volunteers “because Val is so short-staffed.”

Prepared food that was not brought to the service area during the meal period is eligible to be donated, said Muñoz-Ledo. According to Director of Dining Services Joe Flueckiger, any food that reaches the service area is automatically composted to ensure food safety.

Dining Services has previously implemented systems for leftover donations. Since the start of the pandemic, Val has sent 75 meals twice a week during interterms and summer sessions to the Amherst Survival Center, a local outreach organization which offers community meals and other related services, said Flueckiger.

He added that the large quantity of leftovers from events like Fall Festival and WinterFest has regularly been sent to local community-based organizations.

However, none of these efforts have taken place on a day-to-day

Continued on page 6

Photo courtesy of Andrea Muñoz-Ledo '22

Students from the Food Justice Alliance repackage food in the basement of Val on Monday night, March 21.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

News

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Glee and Chorus Merger To Help Recruitment, Retention Continued from page 1 in the club. They noted that they had transitioned from singing bass to singing tenor and bass parts, “not because my voice got any higher, but because we needed them.”

Spoor added that becoming coed is not out of the ordinary for historically all-male college singing groups like Glee Club.

“Yale’s already made their Glee Club coed, for instance. And we talked about that, too … Maybe it’s our turn. It’s not really a fantastical idea.”

Part of the motivation to merge the Glee Club and Chorus was also to promote a more equitable distribution of alumni donations. Despite being one of the smallest groups, Glee Club receives more alumni donations than any of the other vocal ensembles within the Choral Society. This resulted in a “situation where the Glee Club, with the smallest number of members, received the most funding,” said Tong. By expanding Glee Club, alumni donations earmarked for

Glee Club can be spent on more members of the Choral Society.

Tong believes this change will extend “the influence of every cent of [alumni donations].”

Bridging the divides that had previously existed between ensembles was another goal of the clubs’ merger. Julissa Tello ’23, Glee Club’s other newly elected co-president, said that “making [Glee] more accessible for all genders and singing levels” has improved Choral Society from a “community standpoint,” which students said lacked a common culture before the restructuring.

With little interaction between Chorus and Glee Club before the merger, Spoor said that Chorus “felt like a separate entity.” While Chorus and Glee Club previously performed songs together, they did not spend significant time practicing together.

“One of [the problems] was that we don’t sing together. We think there was very little time allocated, before restructuring for the entire group, [for] the whole 80-ish of us to actually sing a song,” said Tong. Now,

Tong hopes that “as a community, we can sing together and bring our voices to the forefront.”

Tello noted that “Choral Society has always been a strong part of [Amherst’s] history and culture.” By combining Glee Club and Chorus, a more “inclusive” and “cohesive ensemble” has been created, she said.

The co-presidents of the new Glee Club, who for the first time in the club’s history are both women, also think that the larger club will in itself help with recruitment. When people enter a larger group, “it’s a bit less intimidating to join,” said Tello.

“There’s strength in numbers, essentially.”

Kyle hopes the larger group will help the choral experience feel less overwhelming for newer singers and help keep new members active. “Part of the problem with retention is [that with] the people who do end up not doing it, it is sometimes because they’re frustrated that they come in and … [they’re] thrust into learning all this music, and it can be kind of overwhelming. But if you’re

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

surrounded by other people who know what they’re doing, it’s a lot less overwhelming,” Kyle said.

Nevertheless, Kyle acknowledged that some members of the original Glee Club expressed sadness after the restructuring was announced. Some “will miss the experience of being in the tenor-bass group,” she said.

But as co-presidents of the Glee Club, she and Tello are working to build community within the large group. The presidents have created family groups within the club to help people find friends within the larger community, and optional practices will be held weekly for each vocal section.

Most hesitation about the restructuring has been expressed by members of Concert Choir who were not originally Glee Club members. All members of the Concert Choir are now required to be members of the Glee Club, with the intention to create more unity within the larger Choral Society. Brett Donshik ’25 said that those who were in Concert Choir “tend to have the

most issues with this [change] because a lot of us don’t really have the time for the second club choral group.”

Woohyun Kwen ’25, a member of Concert Choir, says that she thinks the incorporation of all voices into the Glee Club is “really, really great,” but that she has chosen to give up Concert Choir and sing only for the Glee Club. Singing only for the Concert Choir was no longer an option, and the time commitment is too much for her to participate in both.

Even with some mixed feelings over the change, after a year of Zoom programming, members are excited for a semester that won’t be restricted by stringent Covid protocols.

This spring, Choral Society will sing at Commencement and go on tour for the first time in four years. In May, when the Choral Society travels to perform at the New Orleans Music Festival, it will “probably be the first time we actually use the name Glee as a coed designator,” said Tong, “which is really exciting.”

Photo courtesy of Amherst College Glee Club

The group from 2009 rehearses a song together. Glee Club had main- Glee Club members from 2018 pose together before a concert. Some current members expressed sadness over the loss of a small group. tained a healthy membership for many years until recently.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

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Wheaton Reports ‘Pushback’ From Admin on Laundry Proposal

Photo courtesy of Class & Access Resource Center

As part of his Senate project last spring, Wheaton supplied students with 500 sample packages of sustainable hygiene products.

Continued from page 3 their way through a prestigious PWI (predominately white institution). “The college doesn’t do enough to support its firstgen, low-income students and one thing they could easily do is provide basic hygiene supplies,” he said.

The idea for the initiative came from Wheaton’s time working with #ReclaimAmherst in his freshman year, following up on the campaign’s demand that exclusionary expenses such as laundry detergent be funded for students. When Wheaton became an AAS senator as a sophomore, this idea took shape as his Senate project. As part of that project, in the Spring of 2021, he provided 500 sample packages of Generation Conscious’ products to the student body.

Based on the success of that program, Wheaton became interested in partnering with the

administration to ensure the longevity of the program. He began communicating with various areas of the administration to seek approval for funding, including the Office of Residential Life, the Office of Environmental Sustainability, and Student Activities, among others.

Wheaton reported getting a lot of “pushback” from the administration, however, when he sought their approval and funding. Over the course of several meetings throughout this past fall semester, “they told me to fix all of these things and then once I did, they found new things for me to fix,” he recalled. “It just felt like I was doing all of the work alone, even though it’s a good idea. They didn’t exactly say no to my proposal, they said, ‘Let’s look at it again next year.’ They just kept waiting me out.”

“There were times when it seemed like it was going to be approved,” Wheaton continued,

“but then at the beginning of this semester someone who wasn’t involved in all my conversations last semester emailed me saying it wasn’t approved.”

According to Dean of Students Liz Agosto, the administration’s concerns “were focused on the installation process and any potential disruption, and the long-term maintenance and sustainability of the proposed installation. Beyond the onetime costs associated with the purchase of the dispensers, questions remain about how the systems would be maintained (who would maintain and stock them) and the long-term budget implications.”

Wheaton’s written proposal for the program states that, at $4,000 apiece, the refill stations cost $28,000 in total, with the only ongoing cost coming from supplying the stations with detergent sheets. It also states that Generation Conscious will train

a few FLI students to help maintain the stations, paying them $20/hour to service the refill stations. “This group committed to maintaining these stations will become an RSO or designated student group so that the program may continue after I graduate,” the proposal explains.

Wheaton expressed that the lack of support the administration gave his proposal was confusing and frustrating. “I didn’t really get any explanation. I mean, I did, but I kind of wanted more because it was so surprising and upsetting. It seems like they don’t understand the immediacy or the necessity to fix hygiene insecurity.” Nonetheless, he expressed appreciation for the individuals in the administration who were supporting him throughout the process.

After reporting to the AAS in their Feb. 21 meeting that the college had elected not to fund his request for $28,000, Wheaton

sought funding for his proposal from the AAS on Feb. 28, with the motion being passed. Wheaton expressed gratitude for support he received from the AAS and the student body at large throughout the process: “The amount of support I had within AAS, or even just the people that would come up to me and say, ‘This is a really good idea’ or ‘This is a great product,’ was just super cool.”

Blair Chase ’24, who worked alongside Wheaton in the endeavor to secure funding from the administration, believes that Wheaton’s proposal is very important not only for the Amherst community, but also for the planet. “We are the next generation to inherit the world and it is crucial that a major institution with tons of resources like Amherst places its support in the companies and products that help secure a cleaner and safer future,” he said.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

News

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FJA Seeks Volunteers To Sustain Food Donation Initiative Continued from page 3 basis over the course of an entire year. This was the essential concern that drove the FJA to create the new program, which will make donations more frequent, said Muñoz-Ledo. “Amherst has never had a solid system of donating the waste, and there’s quite a bit of it,” she said.

Beyond donations, reducing food waste has been a consistent goal for Dining Services. According to Flueckiger, under Val’s existing system, data regarding quantities of leftovers is collected following each meal, and is then used to determine ordering for future meals. “We take into account events that are happening on campus and even try to account for weather, when possible,” he said.

However, “[i]t’s not an exact science. We have a lot of historical data to draw upon, but the pandemic, to-go containers and a new menu ha[ve], on occasion, made

some calculations not 100% perfect.” The FJA considers its role as taking initiative to redirect that inevitable waste.

For those interested in contributing to the effort, Muñoz-Ledo stated that the FJA will be putting links to an email list in the Daily Mammoth. For the rest of the semester, students will be able to sign up for an hour shift on Wednesday or Friday. “People don’t have to commit to do[ing] it weekly, just whenever they have an hour,” said Muñoz-Ledo.

In the words of Catherine Charnoky ’24, a volunteer for the initiative, the “FJA’s food repackaging initiative [is] a simple, easy, and effective way for Amherst students to reduce food waste, redistribute food, decrease hunger, and support the surrounding community.”

Moving forward, Muñoz-Ledo’s hope is that the system will be “consistent and long-lasting.” “We just need student engagement,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Amherst College Dining

Although Val collects data on leftovers in an effort to reduce excess, they still inevitably prepare too much at times, food that the FJA seeks to not let go to waste.

Student Group Collectivize Amherst Builds Mutual Aid Networks Ellis Phillips-Gallucci ’23 Staff Writer Since last fall, student-founded independent organization Collectivize Amherst has assisted Amherst students and community members enduring financial hardship through grassroots fundraising within the community, activism, and service projects.

Founded by the first-year students Phoebe Neilsen ’25, Nichole Fernandez ’25, and Hibiscus Zhang ’25, Collectivize Amherst is based on the philosophy of mutual aid.

In a statement to The Student, the organizers explained mutual aid as “a mode of moving through society where we recognize that everyone has unique sets of needs and skills/funds to provide. It rests heavily on the anarchist principle of ‘give what you can, take what you need.’”

“It’s ultimately all about forging a culture of community

care,” they added.

Collectivize Amherst utilizes its Instagram, @collectivizeamherst, to accept and share requests for aid from community members.

So far, the group has held several events and raised over $1,000 in emergency funds for those who’ve contacted them.

Funds have been raised for students’ medical bills, copayments, and technological needs, and have been used to help a displaced student seek asylum and fund living expenses. The group generally crowdfunds their projects through Venmo or other digital payment services.

The group also held a “Guerilla Flea Market” on the town common on Dec. 10, which engaged the broader Amherst community in a non-traditional marketplace where one could bring whatever goods they had to offer, and take whatever goods they needed.

Each student-founder coor-

“ [Mutual aid] rests heavily on the anarchist principle of 'give what you can, take what you need' ... It's ultimately all about forging a culture of community care.

— Phoebe Neilsen '25, Nichole Fernandez '25, and Hibiscus Zhang '25

”

dinated similar projects and organizations in high school and saw the need for such a group at Amherst. “We were frustrated by the lack of abolitionist groups and general activist culture on campus,” they explained. “Mutual aid allows us a way to address [the unequal power dynamics at Amherst] and counter the individualism that is fundamental to the structure of higher education.”

The use of Instagram also allows the group to connect and network with other social justice organizations in the Pioneer Valley.

“Our mutual aid work is going to be inclusive of everyone in the Pioneer Valley,” the group stated. Their plan going forward includes the “vision for Amherst College to become a collective space, integrated into the entire [surrounding] community.”

“We’ve been building connections with other organizations in the pioneer valley, such as

Touch The Sky and Demilitarize Western Mass,” said the founders. Furthermore, they have also been working to expand “mutual aid work to include more in-person events,” and move toward “building an arts campaign.”

The early successes of the group have not gone unnoticed.

“If someone wants to help and it’s not a burden, that’s awesome. I feel like there’s so many low-income kids here that can benefit from this, and very many wealthy kids that want to help as well — there’s such a spectrum, it’s the perfect place it seems,” said P.J. Smith ’24. “I can’t think of a way to criticize that.”

The founders have been motivated by their early successes, and look forward to the future.

“Many of the people we’ve collaborated with so far have expressed gratitude for the work we do. It’s moving given how recently we put this project together. We’re really excited to keep going,” they wrote.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

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Mammoth Moments in Miniature: March 9 to March 22 Housing Selection Process for the Fall 2022 Semester Announced On March 10, the Office of Student Affairs Operations Team announced Housing Selection Numbers for the Fall 2022 semester in an email sent to students.The email noted that the practice of “Time Groups,” which facilitated the creation of adjacent blocks of assignments for cohorts of students, has been discontinued to promote the equitable distribution of housing assignments. The Suite Selection application will be available on March 28 and due April 3, and General Selection will run from April 12 through April 14.

to set tuition for the 2022-2023 academic year at $80,250, a 4.5 percent increase from this year’s tuition. The fee encompasses tuition, on-campus housing, and board.

Martin said that the college considered “a number of factors” in making the decision — including the college’s revenue sources, the cost of providing a quality Amherst education, and the impact of an increase on students — and affirmed the college’s commitment to meeting student financial need. “If you are a student who qualifies for need-based financial aid, the College will cover the difference between the cost of attendance and your calculated family contribution,” she wrote.

Comprehensive Tuition Fee Raised to $80,250 for the 20222023 Year Per an email sent by President Biddy Martin on March 11, the Board of Trustees has voted

AmherstBussin Blows Up Over Mask Debate On Saturday, March 19, an unusually large number of students in the campus wide GroupMe AmherstBussin ex-

The Editorial Board

tensively debated whether or not the college should lift its mask mandate. The discourse generated heated and contentious arguments among students regarding community and responsibility.

Foon Sham’s “The Book of Hope” Community Art Project As part of the college’s new wellness initiative, it has commissioned a community-based sculpture by well-known artist and professor Foon Sham, which will be named “The Book of Hope.” The piece will be constructed with hundreds of wooden blocks, each of which will be inscribed with a message by students reflecting on the past two years. In an email sent on March 20, President Biddy Martin invited students to contribute to the project by inscribing a block, which are available in Valentine Dining Hall each day this week between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. until Friday.

Photo courtesy of Alex Brandfonbrener '23

Artist and professor Foon Sham has been greeting students who come to contribute to the art installation.

From the Red Room: March 21 AAS Meeting Updates Liam Archacki ’24 Managing Editor On Monday, March 21, the Association of Amherst Students (AAS) held their sixth meeting of the spring semester. The meeting was held in the Red Room, with a handful of senators joining over Zoom.

The meeting’s agenda included funding requests, a committee election, officer reports, and committee and Senate project updates.

After attendance was taken and the previous meeting’s minutes were approved, the Senate reviewed the Budgetary Committee’s (BC) discretionary funding recommendations and a Senate project funding request. Treasurer Jae Yun Ham ’22 presented the BC’s recommendations, with the most sizable requests coming from Humphries House, The Amherst Student, and Intersections

Dance Company. Before a vote to approve the expenditures was introduced, Hannah Kim ’25 requested $3,231.40 from the Senate Fund for her Senate project, which aims to establish a fair for academic majors. Both the BC recommendations — which totaled $30,398.86 — and Kim’s Senate Fund request were unanimously approved by the Senate.

Next, Vice-President Basma Azzamok ’22 opened the floor to nominations for an unfilled position on the BC. As the lone nominee, Min Ji Kim ’24 won the position without need for a Senate vote.

Officers then provided their weekly reports. Azzamok announced a March 25 social gathering for student government members from each of the Five Colleges. Open to approximately 10 members from each college, the event will be hosted by UMass’s Student Government Association. Azzamok also re-

layed that, due to scheduling conflicts, the officers were unable to meet with Dean of Students Liz Agosto before Spring Break, but will meet with her on Thursday this week, and biweekly moving forward.

The meeting shifted afterward to committee updates. On behalf of the Ad Hoc Committee to Evaluate the January Term, Jeffrey Ma ’24 announced the creation of a survey to assess student experiences during J-term, and also asked for Senate input on the topic. Some senators expressed appreciation for the existing full-credit J-term classes, while others advocated for less involved programming or reducing the duration of J-term and adding more in-semester breaks.

When Azzamok solicited on-campus check-ins from senators, Gent Malushaga ’25 mentioned seeing a poster in Valentine Dining Hall that said, “All

ACPD [Amherst College Police Department] Cars Are Now Unmarked. Do You Feel Safe Yet?” He asked whether anyone knew if the claim was true. While senators were not able to definitively confirm the claim, several expressed concern, and Azzamok agreed to discuss it with Agosto during the officers’ biweekly meeting.

Several senators offered updates on their Senate projects.

Jackson Lee ’24 — who, along with Taha Zafar Ahmad ’24, Cal Gelernt ’24, and Ma, is working to host a blood drive — told the Senate that the drive may take place on or off campus, and they may incentivize students to attend by offering food, which would require Senate funding.

Gillian Quinto ’23 and Chloe Metz ’23 announced that they have been working with the Loeb Center to think about how it could better serve student needs. Their ideas include

introducing career path-specific cohorts, working with the Orientation and First-Year Life Committee to add more career-planning resources to firstyear orientation, and creating a database of information on student internship experiences.

Lastly, Isaiah Doble ’25 — in tandem with Hannah Kim and Min Ji Kim — asked for permission to use the AAS email to publicize their major fair project, and whether they could get Senate approval to send the email outside of the Red Room.

Senate officers agreed that it would likely be possible to approve the email over GroupMe. The senators working on the project also encouraged other senators to tell their friends about the major fair to promote student involvement and representation of niche majors.

The next AAS meeting will take place on Monday, March 29.

Op pinion

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AmherstMaskin’

THE AMHERST

STUDENT E X E C U T I V E B OA R D

It is a little strange to imagine what Amherst would look like without masks — walking through campus buildings and seeing people’s entire faces, stepping into classes to see our professors’ chins, entering Val to see everyone spooning food onto plates bare-faced. And this probably won’t change for a while, whether the college’s mask mandate gets lifted or not. If or when masks are no longer required, there will be many who choose to keep wearing them. It’s possible that the college will follow our peer institutions’ current mandate-lifting trend, but it’s also possible that, instead of following updated CDC guidelines to a tee, the administration will choose to preserve the mask mandate based upon our specific campus culture.

We on the Editorial Board are therefore not arguing for a continuation or removal of the mask mandate. Those decisions are complex and based not only on CDC guidance and peer trends, but also on the observations and values of our own administration. Yet, with the end of mask mandates becoming more tangible now than at any point in the pandemic so far, it’s clear that those KN95s that are presently so ubiquitous may, at some point, no longer be quite so easily found. We aren’t sure, however, that the campus is ready for such a change.

Campus discourse on mask mandates has been widespread and only increasing in intensity, demonstrated by the vitriolic back-and-forth between students in the campus-wide GroupMe this past Saturday, March 19. But while the topic of mask mandates is deeply divisive across the student body, one thing the Editorial Board unanimously agrees on is our community’s need to show basic respect for every one of our members, whether online or in-person, masked or unmasked. The type of derision toward others displayed in the GroupMe cannot be a pattern and cannot define our approach to campus culture if the mask mandate disappears.

The mask debate is characterized most of all by breadth: The number of differing opinions on mask regulations might as well equal the number

of people discussing it. As a result, reaching perfect accord among community members and groups is impossible, and no policy can represent how everyone feels. With that in mind, a no-mandate policy and the freedom to choose whether or not to wear masks would quickly reveal in our spaces that diversity of opinions.

We must consider how we would navigate such a change.

When we ask ourselves what kind of culture we want to see on campus, we invariably settle on one that is — first and foremost — safe. But to get there, it must be one that allows people to feel comfortable asking for their needs and trusting that those needs will be respected. Many people, whether for personal or medical reasons, may need to stay in a masked environment. While living on campus completely without a mask may seem like a dream come true, the needs of community members must be prioritized over everything else. Creating such a campus should therefore be the primary goal of the Amherst body, no matter the status of the mask mandate.

The only difference that the loss of a mandate makes, then, is that it puts the safety of our community into our own hands. Rather than relying on administrative rules and regulations to tell us what respect looks like, we will have to pay close attention to our peers and listen to each of their needs.

We believe that this should be a moment to internalize the choice masks present to us. Even now, we often find ourselves in shared spaces with others — some wearing masks, others maskless. Regardless of whether the mandate is lifted, the need to respect the people around us remains the same: make your decision to mask or unmask based on the considerations of the people around you. This is vital to not only a healthy and safe campus, but a community that values all of its members.

Unsigned editorials represent the views of the majority of the Editorial Board — (assenting: 16; dissenting: 1; abstaining: 1).

Editors-in-Chief Yee-Lynn Lee Ethan Samuels Managing Editors Theo Hamilton Liam Archacki Editors-at-Large Scott Brasesco Sophie Wolmer Managing News Caelen McQuilkin Tana DeLalio Assistant News Eleanor Walsh Sonia Chajet Wides Managing Opinion Kei Lim Dustin Copeland Assistant Opinion Tapti Sen

Managing Arts & Living Brooke Hoffman Alexander Brandfonbrener Aniah Washington Assistant Arts & Living Yasmin Hamilton Brianne LaBare Madeline Lawson Managing Sports Liza Katz Alex Noga Leo Kamin Nick Edwards-Levin Managing Podcast Sam Spratford Maggie McNamara Managing Photo Emma Spencer Managing Design Brianne LaBare

S TA F F Publisher Robert Bischof Digital Director Sawyer Pollard Social Media Manager Emi Eliason

Letters Policy

The opinion pages of The Amherst Student are intended as an open forum for the Amherst community.

The Student will print letters if they are submitted to The Student offices in the Campus Center or to the paper’s email account (astudent@amherst.edu) by noon on Sunday, after which they will not be accepted.

The editors reserve the right to edit any letters or to withhold any letter because of considerations of space or content.

Letters must bear the names of all contributors and a phone number or email address where the author or authors may be reached. Letters and columns may be edited for clarity and Student style.

Publication Standards

The Amherst Student is published weekly except during college vacations. The offices of The Amherst Student are located in the basement of Morrow Dormitory, Amherst College. All contents copyright © 2022 by The Amherst Student, Inc. All rights reserved. The Amherst Student logo is a trademark of The Amherst Student, Inc. Additionally, The Amherst Student does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age. The views expressed in this publication do not reflect the views of The Amherst Student.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Opinion

9

Nuclear Power Really Is the Future

Photo courtesy of Pixabay

Diego Rao ’23, in response to last issue's “Seeing Double,” makes the case for the proliferation of nuclear power. He argues that new types of safer reactors are absolutely necessary in the face of the looming climate crisis.

Diego Rao ’23 Contributing Writer In its previous issue, The Student published an article titled “Nuclear Power Isn’t the Future.” The piece’s author, Cole Graber-Mitchell ’22, voiced fears about poisoned air and water, dirty bombs, and persistent environmental racism, arguing that these risks outweigh the benefits of nuclear power in pursuit of a sustainable future.

Yet nuclear power in fact offers greater relief from these threats than any alternative available.

The climate crisis is forcing a global reckoning with how we source the energy that drives our lives and economies. Fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas must be phased out as quickly as possible if we are to avert disasters worse than those that have already struck.

Renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power are zero-emission, but they

meet only a small fraction of our energy needs; collectively, these sources provided just 7 percent of total U.S. energy consumed in 2020. Nuclear power, despite being vastly more burdened by regulation and stigma, already tops that figure at 9 percent. Simply building more solar plants and wind farms won’t cut it, in part because these energy harvesting methods are so land-intensive that they have harmful environmental impacts of their own. In addition, solar power, even with government subsidies, is still more expensive per unit of energy than nuclear power.

Graber-Mitchell suggests that we close the gap between our energy demands and renewables’ capacity by reducing how much energy we use, but cutting our consumption by any significant measure is not a realistic option. Indeed, some of the crises sparked by climate change will require still more energy

to address. Droughts resulting from disturbed weather patterns will need to be answered with desalination, an energy-intensive process that turns salty seawater into fresh water that people can farm with, clean with, or simply drink. Direct carbon capture can neutralize some of the greenhouse gasses that drive the process of global warming, but this technology, too, requires vast amounts of electricity. Nuclear power offers abundant, cheap, and clean energy to meet these demands.

One of the most appealing aspects of fossil fuel-based energy is the capacity to scale production up or down depending on demand, which varies constantly according to shifting circumstances. More lightbulbs are on at night than in daytime, for example, and it takes more energy to heat a building in the middle of winter than in more temperate months. This capa-

bility, known as load following, is simply impossible for solar and wind power generation; no amount of engineering will ever allow us to control whether the sun is shining or the wind is blowing. Energy storage systems can buffer some of this gap, but most storage technology uses lithium-ion batteries, which require minerals whose extraction is so brutal on the laborers and environments involved that these substances have been compared to blood diamonds. Nuclear power plants built according to modern designs, on the other hand, have load-following capabilities that are competitive with the dirty generation systems that dominate the market today.

The safety of nuclear power plants is validly one of Graber-Mitchell’s core concerns.

But modern designs disprove his claim that “it is pure hubris to think that technology can save

us from the danger posed by nuclear fission.” Older reactors relied on human and mechanical responses to operating conditions — both potential points of failure. Newer configurations, however, like the class of power plants known as pebble-bed reactors, leverage fundamental principles of physics to guarantee their safety. The laws of nature make it literally impossible for these sorts of plants to melt down; nothing — not human error, not natural disasters, not terrorists or foreign militaries — can turn a plant like this into Chernobyl or Fukushima.

Nuclear power is based on the fissile decay of radioactive isotopes like uranium; the core, or nucleus, of an atom splits apart, releasing energy (in the form of heat, which gets converted into electricity) and free neutrons, many of which strike

Continued on page 10

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Opinion

10

Pebble-bed Reactors Offer Sustainable Alternative Continued from page 9 other nuclei, splitting them apart and propagating a chain reaction. Keep this reaction under control, and you have a stable nuclear power source; allow the chain reaction to grow exponentially, however, and you end up with a meltdown.

The reactors of previous generations depend on complex water-based cooling elements to keep this chain reaction in check; if the cooling system fails, heat and pressure build up until a dangerous explosion occurs.

In pebble-bed designs, however, increased temperature actually slows the rate of fissile reactions. Rather than exponential growth, fission in pebble-bed reactors creates a self-regulating negative feedback loop, with the result that the reactor defaults to a safe, stable equilibrium. It does not depend on humans, machines, legal regulations, luck, or any other outside intervention; it is as fundamental, as inescapable, and as reliable as gravity.

The water cooling system of old reactor designs, which Graber-Mitchell cites as a security vulnerability, is entirely absent from pebble-bed reactors, which are cooled by nonreactive gasses like helium; unlike water, these inert coolants do not absorb contaminants that would be harmful if leaked into groundwater or the atmosphere.

You could fill a birthday balloon with the helium used in a pebble-bed reactor.

Many of the fears surrounding nuclear power stem from the field’s lexicon of scary-sounding terms like “beta rays” and ignorance of what they really mean. Each of us absorbs small amounts of radiation — beta rays, gamma rays, up and down the Greek alphabet — every single day living on this planet. Radioactive minerals are just rocks; they’re in the ground all around us, so ambient radiation is simply a fact of life. Concern over exposure to radiation as a result of either accidents or intention-

al misuse of reactor products is unfounded when considered in this context, because we have the biological capacity to absorb such small doses of radiation with complete safety.

Accidental radiation leakage from fuel sources, whether at the plant itself or in transport, storage, or disposal, is a trivial concern. Pebble-bed reactors consume fuel pellets roughly the size of tennis balls (the “pebbles” in question). Because each pellet contains such a small amount of uranium — in contrast with the large fuel rods of old designs, which are so radioactive that they need to be individually encased in concrete and lead — the danger is literally compartmentalized into miniscule quantities; even if a proportionally large number of pellets were damaged in, say, a shipping accident, the total amount of radiation released would pale in comparison to the natural level of ambient radiation.

So-called “dirty bombs,” to which Graber-Mitchell alludes, are another paper tiger. The concern is that by combining conventional explosives like dynamite with radioactive material like spent reactor fuel, a malicious actor could disperse radiation over a wide area, subjecting a large population to health risks. But the comparatively small amount of fuel such an actor could realistically get their hands on and the relatively low radioactivity of spent fuel means that this type of weapon is self-defeating. If it disperses radioactive material over a very large area, the radiation in any one place is low enough to fade into the background; if it keeps the material more concentrated, fewer people are exposed and the affected area is much more easily decontaminated. In fact, the radiation is most harmful when still fully concentrated before detonation, meaning the people most at risk are actually the attackers assembling and transporting the bomb.

Graber-Mitchell also raises

Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Nuclear Investment Co

The only currently operational pebble-bed reactor is installed in the Shidao Bay Nuclear Power Plant in Shandong province, China. issues of environmental justice.

For instance, he points out that power plants of any variety are likely to be in or near city centers, placing low-income individuals and people of color at disproportionate risk for potential health complications caused by this proximity. To be sure, energy policy and practice are plagued by the same intractable racial and class biases that permeate the rest of American society, with the result that fossil fuels’ harmful effects impose the greatest burdens on those among us already suffering the most. This must change.

But the sprawling real estate requirements of solar and wind energy make them impossible to utilize at the necessary scales in urban environments.

The remaining options, then, are two: either we maintain the status quo wherein fossil fuel plants continue to spew poison into the air around our most vulnerable communities; or we can adopt zero-emission, reliably safe nuclear power that will meet these communities’ energy needs without exposing them to carcinogens and other toxins.

Rather than perpetuating environmental racism, a widespread

transition to nuclear power would be a huge leap forward in pursuit of the fundamental human right of clean air for all.

China brought the first advanced pebble-bed reactor online late last year, and some 20 others like it are in development around the world, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. But the US is lagging, in large part because existing regulations are still tailored to old, water-cooled reactors, creating unnecessary legal obstacles that deter investment and stifle innovation in pebble-bed reactors and other advanced nuclear systems.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it’s currently on track to establish a modern, “technology-inclusive regulatory framework” only by the end of 2027, far too late to enable us to meet the Paris Climate Agreement’s goal of a 50 percent emission reduction by 2030. The federal government must accelerate this regulatory overhaul to facilitate private investment, and can make its own proactive contribution by passing the Build Back Better bill, which contains hundreds of millions of dollars for advanced fuel production

and assistance for communities transitioning away from fossil fuel energy; it’s no coincidence that the main obstruction to this bill’s passage is Senator Joe Manchin, who is neck-deep in fossil fuel money.

Finding solutions to the climate crisis will require vigorous debate grounded in both meticulous scientific research and a commitment to social justice. Graber-Mitchell’s piece is a valuable contribution to this discussion, and I submit the ideas above as a response to his arguments, not as a dismissal of them. Rather than fearmongering and hyperbole, we need a commitment from activists, energy companies, and politicians to bring clean nuclear power to the forefront of our energy strategy. We need to update regulations to address the new elements of safe reactor designs, accelerate development with both private and public investment, and clear the stigma and fear away from one of our greatest assets in the fight against climate change. Nuclear power can and should become the cornerstone for a revolutionary leap forward in our efforts for a sustainable, equitable future.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Opinion

11

Seeing Double: For More Than Zero Gazebos

Photo courtesy of American Landscape Structures

Cole Graber-Mitchell ’22 advocates for the strategic placement of a few really big gazebos across campus to replace the currently ubiquitous tents.

Cole Graber-Mitchell ’22 Columnist Amherst College should build a gazebo. Maybe even two or three. If you have a busy day, feel free to stop reading now.

But if you do have a few minutes, let me convince you why. A gazebo, for those unfamiliar, is a permanent structure consisting of only a roof and a floor. They’re common in parks and gardens because they’re nice spots to enjoy the outdoors without exposure to the sun or rain. Some are small, and some are big. Basically, gazebos are permanent versions of the tents dotted around campus.

Like the tents, gazebos would provide space to host meetings, classes, and extracurriculars outside in any suitably warm weather. But unlike the tents, gazebos would integrate well with the surrounding campus and could better meet the needs of our

community.

I’ll admit, I was a little skeptical of the tents when they first went up. After imagining my poor North Carolinian co-columnist shivering in the New England chill while trying to learn about just war theory, I wrote them off as unrealistic. But over the past two years, I’ve come to love the ugly little things. Though they make it look like we’re constantly hosting a traveling carnival, the tents are wonderfully versatile and expand the space available on campus without a huge investment. Plus, there’s nothing quite as pleasant as going to office hours outdoors on a beautiful fall afternoon, something that was never possible before we had covered outdoor chairs and tables.

Not to mention that spending time outdoors is connected with better mental well-being. Even just looking at trees improves our mood and cognitive functioning.

The more we can do outside, the better for us. Thankfully, there is a lot of diverse green space around campus. You can work at the Book and Plow Farm, hike through the college trail network, lounge around in an Adirondack chair, or throw a frisbee on the quad. But until we had the tents, there was no good place to do our homework or take classes outside.

However, while the tents have been great, they aren’t the best solution. For starters, they are unsightly. And while poor aesthetics never strikes me as a particularly good argument, it’s the only argument that I have ever heard against keeping the tents.

We could defuse that complaint with a better option: gazebos.

Gazebos could beautifully integrate with the rest of campus to the point where they don’t seem out of place. Maybe the college could get Herzog and de Meuron or some other high-falutin archi-

tectural firm to design them.

Secondly, we have too many tents right now. They’re too hard to differentiate from one another, they’re almost never at capacity, and they take up space that could be better used. Carefully planning out three gazebos — one on the first-year quad, one on Val quad, and one on the KingWieland quad — would give us permanent capacity that we could augment with tents when needed. And since the gazebos would be permanent, the college could name them after the donors who promise to build them, replacing the horribly confusing numbers that currently refer to the tents.

Finally, permanent gazebos could be better tailored to our community’s needs than the tents. Instead of bolting rickety whiteboards to the ground where they get in the way even when not used, whiteboards could pull down from the ceiling. And the structures could be connected to

electricity, eliminating the need for the extension cords currently running all around campus.

Perhaps the gazebos could even have small lockboxes for portable projectors, allowing professors to host slide-based lectures outdoors. The possibilities are endless.

At this moment in history, we have to reevaluate our relationship with nature. We can continue to view nature one-dimensionally as a source of raw materials or, marginally better, as something only to conserve and enjoy recreationally. Or we can begin to actually live more outdoors, integrating our own lives with the cycles of the natural world. Gazebos, as simple as they may seem, are an investment in this new type of living.

The pandemic has given us an opportunity to experiment with our assumptions, and it turns out that not all learning has to be indoors. Let’s build some gazebos.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Opinion

12

The Key to a Constructive Contra Scott Brasesco ’22 Editor-at-Large The Amherst Contra appeared, without much warning, alongside The Amherst Student in bins at the entrance of Valentine Dining Hall about a month ago. Printed on a single sheet, the new publication explained its goals and introduced its editor on one side, and shared an article calling for a technocratic abandonment of democracy on the other. Since its arrival, the Contra has provided the Amherst community with three more pieces; the first argued that Palestinians should give up on Palestine, the second made the not-so-new argument that Amherst should end athletic recruitment, and the third lambasted the idea of the college itself.

At its core, the Contra aims to “start interesting discussions” by publishing things the editor doesn’t believe most students would agree with. While this isn’t a poor goal in and of itself, execution is essential in making the publication meet its targets — and right now, it is failing.

All of its articles have been anonymous and, due to the publication’s limited size, response has been limited to brief letters to the editor rather than fully fledged rebuttals.

The best response to any of the articles thus far was an article Tylar Matsuo ’24 published in response to the Contra’s first article on democracy. Matsuo deftly responded to each argument within the article, case by case, point by point, and made a compelling case against the technocratic vision the author had laid out. Matsuo’s response, while average in length for an opinion article, was over four times the maximum length the Contra allows responses to be.

Again, due in part to its format, the Contra’s articles have often been short on evidence or seemed ignorant of possible rebuttals, reading more like armchair treatises than op-eds. The single sheet provides no way for authors to cite sources, so readers are left to take them at their word — something that seems especially unlikely for readers of a publication that aims at disrupting

mainstream ideas. And things that should be important for consideration of the serious topics they discuss — like the well-documented poor treatment of Palestinians in neighboring Arab countries and Arab immigrants more generally in the U.S. or NESCAC rules on athletes’ academic performance — have gone unaddressed. Without more earnestly engaging with counterpoints and counterevidence to their claims, these articles stand little chance of making the groundbreaking impact they seek to make on mainstream opinion.

These flaws do not mean the Contra is doomed to fail, but they do point to serious needs for a revision of the Contra’s execution.

One major change would simply be bringing on more editors. One student alone cannot correct all or even the majority of the flaws in another’s writing or argument. Even professional academics go through several stages of editorial and peer review before publishing research that they have often spent years working on. It takes a concerted

group effort to produce and polish content that, when published, will capture the public imagination in the way the Contra hopes to.

But to make the Contra viable long-term, it needs to enable a greater system of accountability for the articles that are written — even if that falls short of requiring authors to publicly back their own work.

Authors should cite each and every source they use in crafting their articles, giving readers the ability to check how accurately they’re representing source material and whether their evidence is credible at all. The current word limit on responses is also far too short to provide cogent rebuttals to the articles that the Contra publishes, and authors seem to know this, hand-waving and downplaying some issues in their arguments in order to focus on areas they have a stronger foundation on. Finally, the Contra’s single-page format creates a tacit limit on the number of responses an article can receive. If the goal is to inspire new conversations, it's highly likely that there are more than two or three

Satire: The Bowdoin Orient Staff Bathroom

250-word alternative ideas that are worth considering and sharing with readers.

Some of the Contra’s flaws can be solved by changes in pre-publication planning — more editors or sterner edits would go a long way to improving the quality of argument that the Contra provides — but most require a real change in its form. A single-page publication is simply not a viable form for the type of discussions and topics that the Contra aims to address. Extending the Contra by several pages, to allow for a multitude of long-form responses and perhaps the inclusion of endnotes containing source materials used in the arguments, would improve the publication immeasurably. In the end, however, it may prove that the Contra simply needs a web presence in order to deliver on its goals.

I believe that the Contra can become a valuable part of the intellectual discussions and debates we have here at the college, but until it makes the changes I’ve laid out above, those conversations will never have a chance to begin.

by the Opinion Editors

Amusements

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The Amherst Student Crossword | March 23, 2022 ACROSS 1 Scammer's targets 5 First name in whodunits 11 See 50-Down 14 Rickman who portrays the Half-Blood Prince 15 Fearfully anticipates 16 Actress Seydoux 17 Like Grab-n-Go 18 Baby mammoths?

20 Be of one mind 22 Against 23 FedEx rival 25 Percentage of Dec. 10 and March 18 letters beginning, "Congratulations!"

28 ___ many words 29 Home of many Goyas 31 2007 Best Director Oscar sharer 34 Pepsi rival 35 Sleeve fillers 36 Amherst package deliverer, for short 40 Ticket out of MATH-111, maybe 44 LJST major's exam?

46 Where to find a hero 48 Got out of hand 53 Summoned via loudspeaker 54 Undesirable roommate?

55 Pseudonym 57 Just fine 58 "Hakuna matata" advocate 61 Some pandemic-era courses, briefly 63 Amherst gatekeeper, or a hint to this crossword's theme 66 Fixes a squeak 69 Amnesty Int'l, e.g.

70 Dean of 63-Across and 36-Across 71 Big name in little blocks 72 Author Rand 73 Clears of suds 74 Pronto

DOWN 1 Test that some Amherst applicants can't stand?

2 ___-mo replay 3 Japanese port city 4 Make out, in Manchester 5 Commercial cost 6 Lament 7 ___ Lingus 8 Classroom helpers 9 LG product 10 "___ sow..."

11 "Tragically, I decline" 12 Read carefully 13 Relay, as information 19 Guitarist Clapton 21 Amherst club: Abbr.

23 Merchandise ID 24 Stavans or Gewertz, for short 26 Airport abbr.

27 Drag racing org.

30 TV room 32 Band booster 33 Presidential advisory grp.

37 The works 38 "This ___ test" 39 Facts and figures 41 Nabokov novel 42 Nth-gen mammoths 43 Nile queen, for short 45 ___ Aviv 47 Texting shrug 48 Spain, in Spain 49 Swamp-like 50 With 11-Across, a typical college-application form?

51 Jacobson of "Broad City" 52 Senator Feinstein 53 "Gangnam Style" rapper 56 Orgs.

59 YouTube category that might give you tingles 60 Spore-bearing cells 62 The Big Easy 64 Popular video-game review and walkthrougt website 65 NATO cousin 67 JFK alternative 68 Soak (up)

Liam Archacki ’24 Managing Editor

Solutions: March 9

g Arts&Living

A Covid Reflection: Mourning and Community Tiia McKinney ’25 Contributing Writer

Tall cruise ships in the blue harbor grew smaller through my car window. Pedestrians passed by my car, walking on the unmarked gravel sidewalks. Hours before, the tourists in their hats and beach attire had just stepped onto a new land from their floating rooms. At this point, nobody paired their outfits with ostentatious blue masks. This was before campuses closed down. Before I was forced inside of my home during quarantine. At this point, there was no Covid to fear, and I remember suggesting to my mom that soon these same harbors would be closed and vacant.

I spent a year at home, white screen after white screen, attending classes that made my head hurt day after day. I spent the whole time in my room feeling like my walls were closing in on me. Back then, two years ago, I imagined that by my first semester in college, the virus would be somewhat of a memory. Yet here I am, still dealing with a virus that continues to take from me and my community.

During the first few months of Covid, I often sat on my couch watching news announcements.

The Bahamian prime minister stood next to the minister of health on Facebook Live, urging citizens to stay indoors. Even though I had a beach directly in front of my house, after 5 p.m., I could not leave my yard. My sister and I sat on the wall bordering my house, our legs dangling off into the grass while we stared at the sunset. Police officers drove by with Covid ambassador symbols on their doors. Sometimes, my sister and I walked down the hill through the brush. We dodged police cars, jogging nervously down the discreet path to the water. Whenever we returned in the evening, the radio would be playing throughout the house

Photo courtesy of Tiia McKinney '25

Tiia McKinney ‘25 shares a story of mourning and grief, chronicling two years of Covid for her community in The Bahamas, punctuated by the deaths of loved ones. with Covid announcements. I half-listened to the prime minister as he announced that all stores except for gas stations and food stores would be shut down. Then, I heard that families could only shop once a week, in alphabetical order. I felt like an over-supervised preschool student. Then came the Covid death counts. The death numbers went from two to the tens to the hundreds. Still, the virus felt far away from me. I had become desensitized to the growing digits, clinging on to the comfort that the virus had not fully taken over my island yet. It soon came too close to deny, however.

I heard about cases and deaths in settlements 30 minutes away

from my own, then 10 minutes away. Then I began hearing about deaths in my own settlement.

Time lost meaning, and the days slowly faded into one another. But I remember the spring that marked a year since I had been sent home. Finally came my plane ride back to campus, a whole year after the start of the pandemic, but still Covid was not over. When I left The Bahamas for school, I preoccupied myself with aspects of student life like mask-wearing and seeing my friends after being away for so long. But life still continued on at home. People at home delivered news to me over social media or on WhatsApp. I was worrying about so many peo-

ple in so many places: in New Jersey, at my school, and how things were like back at home.

In casual WhatsApp calls, I heard familiar names of people who passed away. Then, I heard that my neighbor had passed.

Then came both my aunt and my uncle, all within the span of a month. These calls were longer, often more drawn out. In between questions about school, we exchanged condolences. Then, another family friend passed. I was still away at school, now hitting midterms. It was almost two years after the start of Covid when I heard this news. The last time I saw her, she delivered food to my door with a smile during Christ-

mas. Then came a rush of memories of long gone family members who I hadn’t seen in years, before hearing that they passed. I lay in bed after talking to my mom on a phone call. I didn’t have the words to tell her that everything would be okay, so instead she tried to comfort me in my silence. My head sank into my pillow while I stared at my ceiling. I recalled everyone who, just like her, I didn’t have the chance to say goodbye to.

I tried to carry on as if everything was back to normal, but nothing was the same. I don’t know how to return to a normal world. I don’t even know what a normal world would look like when I lose family members every day.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Arts & Living

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The Mesmerizing Murals of Santurce, San Juan Cassidy Duncan ’25 Contributing Writer If you walk through the streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico, you’ll likely find yourself drawn into beautiful, expressive murals that adorn the building walls. Robust and vibrant during the day, these murals also color the shadows of night with their deep, rich values — their tenacious effort to capture the attention of passerby during all hours creates a permanence that allows the works to be constantly seen, and their messages loudly heard.

As a first-time visitor to San Juan over spring break, I was thrilled to be in a place that was new to me. My days were filled with delicious food, kind people, and beautiful beaches, but what colored my experiences most brightly were the consistently impressive murals found at every corner I explored. At first glance, the works appear to have firmly grounded roots in historical or current events. My unfamiliarity with Puerto Rican street art implored me to learn about its truths.

While Puerto Rico is home to world-renowned museums and galleries, its artistic depth extends far beyond these traditional settings; to see its art, all one needs to do is step outside. Throughout the streets of San Juan, artists have used unconventional mediums, such as buildings, to create expressive works that explore important topics and convey the voice of the community.

In the neighborhood of Santurce, for example, the walls of formerly run-down buildings are adorned with beautiful murals that not only breathe new life into the neighborhood but also address important socioeconomic issues, such as job loss created by natural disasters and the coronavirus pandemic. The beauty and significance of such works has established Santurce as the primary art district of San Juan.

Strengthening its draw as an artistic hub, Santurce also hosts the Santurce Es Ley festival. Founded in 2010, this is an annual festival celebrating music, food, and art. During the festival, Santurce welcomes 20 international artists to create murals throughout the community,

while attracting over 15,000 people who come to see the art. The festival continues to paint beauty into the streets of San Juan each year and enhance its rich artistic atmosphere..

My experience in Santurce happened by chance, when I unwittingly stumbled into the arts district one night. I was blown away by how the art commanded my attention, drawing me in even in the low light of night. With each mural I saw, my fascination with the city’s art grew and so too did my deep appreciation for those who created it.

Having explored the arts district unknowingly, I was unexpectedly captivated by the murals I saw, which left a deep imprint on my memory. That is the beauty of street art. It can surprise and engulf onlookers into an authentic, natural experience. Its raw existence within the everyday world breaks down the usual separation between art and the people who are meant to see it. In this context, where art comes to the viewer, instead of the viewer seeking it out, the experience of art is bold and accessible; the pieces will be seen by whoever happens to walk past them.

In addition to its artistic value, the importance of street art as a tool for social progress cannot be understated. Puerto Rican street artists have an inspiring ability to engage with political and socioeconomic issues through their work and effectively inspire change when political action fails to do so. The murals of San Juan are a powerful testament to art’s impact in this regard.

Even though it exists outside of a formal museum setting, street art should be no less appreciated than traditional works of art. If anything, it should be appreciated even more for the unique immersive experience it creates. While street art may engage with issues specific to its community, its qualities of immersion, inclusion, and boldness can be universally applied. Although I only saw a fraction of the copious amounts of street art San Juan offers, it was enough to leave a lasting impression and urge me to stay curious about the art around me and what it says about the world it lives in.

Photo courtesy of Cassidy Duncan '25

The neighborhood of Santurce in San Juan is known for its delicious food, kind people, beautiful beaches, and critically, its vibrant street art.

Photo courtesy of Cassidy Duncan '25

Cassidy Duncan ‘25 discusses the rich history and culture of Puerto Rican murals, which she was prompted to investigate during a spring break trip.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Arts & Living

WAMH X THE STUDENT

Brought to you by the WAMH blog, where it can also be found, and The Student's Arts & Living Section. Written by WAMH Events Coordinator Nii-Ayi Aryeetey ’23.

Last September, when pop star Charli XCX released “Good Ones,” the lead single from her new album “CRASH,” I was perplexed by her decision to write and release a relatively basic pop song. Since the mid-2010s, Charli XCX has been known for her abrasive and unique take on pop music, characterized by complex, hyperpop-influenced production techniques. I was excited to hear more of this signature style on a new album. However, upon repeated listens, I began to appreciate the decisions behind “Good Ones,” and I was less concerned that “CRASH” would be a step backwards for Charli. None of Charli’s songwriting expertise has been lost in the song; she is simply experimenting by moving away from her sugary, noisy pop sound and instead putting on a new ’80s and ’90s influenced dance-pop sheen.

The twelve tracks of “CRASH” prove that Charli XCX is a dominant force in the alternative pop scene, showcasing her ability to write magnetic, catchy songs, while channeling numerous sonic influences. The album is heavily influenced by the trends of the past 40 years of pop music,

but manages to avoid sounding like a cheap pastiche of any of these eras.

“CRASH's” title track is a high-energy introduction to the album that sets the tone by evoking the ’90s era of New Jack Swing. Charli XCX almost sounds like a poppier, more modern Janet Jackson. The song clearly establishes the “throwback” sound of the album, along with the album’s lyrical theme of self-sabotage in relationships. The chorus, “I’m about to crash into the water, gonna take you with me, I’m high voltage, self-destructive, end it all so legendary,” is a perfect representation of what is in store for the listener as they progress through the album.

The second track, a collaboration with Caroline Polachek and Christine and the Queens called “New Shapes,” introduces the ’80s elements of “CRASH.” The song demonstrates how Charli XCX and her producers write songs that both evoke ’80s and ’90s nostalgia and still sound original. The track also showcases the masterful and uncharacteristically sparse use of artist features on this album.

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Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Charli XCX’s newest album “CRASH” is an evolution of the pop star. Nii-Ayi Aryeetey ‘23 explains that she updates her signature pop style with layered references to musical movements from past decades.

The only other featured artist on the album is Rina Sawayama in the fifth track “Beg for You,” another highlight of the album.

“Beg for You” takes advantage of UK garage and Drum and Bass revival movements pioneered by artists like PinkPantheress, featuring a skittering drum beat that wouldn’t sound out of place at a ’90s London rave.

On the sixth track of the album, “Move Me,” Charli XCX successfully experiments with R&B. Featuring a beat that would be expected from a Normani or Chloe x Halle song, the song is bass-heavy, underscoring Charli XCX’s lamentations about her “habit for destruction.” The track is effective despite being relatively far from her sugary pop comfort zone. On “Every Rule,” the ninth track of the album, Charli XCX doubles down on her foray into R&B, creating a modern-sounding ballad that impressed me with its catchy melodies and smooth production.

The seventh and eighth tracks, “Baby” and “Lightning,” respectively, are the most powerful punches of the album. “Baby”

is a catchy synth-filled funk that excited me when it was released as a single and remains one of my favorites. The track is fun, fast-paced, and danceable: essentially a perfectly crafted pop song. “Lightning” is another exciting track which builds up slowly, until it explodes into an ’80s freestyle-influenced chorus, in which Charli XCX sings about her heart being “struck down like lightning” in the breakneck spirit of the freestyle genre.

The 10th track, “Yuck,” is yet another highlight. Its disco-influenced sound wouldn’t be out of place in Calvin Harris’ “Funk Wav Bounces” series. The song sports a playful, catchy chorus that immediately magnetized me upon my first listen. It holds the energy of the album and whets the appetite of the listener for the last few songs.

While I found this album to be very compelling overall, there were some elements that I thought could have been executed better. Some of the songs on the album have repetitive, single-line choruses that left me wanting more substantial song-

writing. For example, the chorus of “New Shapes” consists only of the line “what you want, I ain’t got it,” repeated again and again.

While this song was still one of my favorites on the album, I thought that it could have benefited from a more developed chorus. Additionally, I found the last two tracks on the album to be unremarkable, albeit certainly not bad songs. However, because the album’s runtime is only 33 minutes, I do wish these last two songs packed a stronger punch.

“CRASH” is a cohesive representation of Charlie XCX’s new identity and style, strengthened by thoughtful production. But the album still features Charli XCX’s usual earworm melodies, many of which were stuck in my head even after just a single listen. “CRASH” is a successful experiment for Charli XCX in many regards: as a longtime fan of Charli XCX, I was happy that her versatility carried over into this new sound. I am excited to see how she develops her sound after this album, and what new tricks she will pick up along the way.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Arts & Living

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“Survivor” Season 42: Episodes 1 & 2, Reviewed Vaughn Armour ’25 Contributing Writer

“Survivor” is back and still going strong on season 42. Fans tuned in enthusiastically to the season premiere on March 9, which sees a new batch of 16 castaways enter a game of social manipulation and physical exhaustion. Each player joins one of three tribes: Ika (Drea, Rocksroy, Romeo, Swathi, Zach, and Tori), Taku (Marya, Maryanne, Jonathan, Omar, Lindsay, and Jackson), and Vati (Chanelle, Daniel, Hai, Mike, Lydia, and Jenny). Coming off the heels of a diversity initiative led by “David vs Goliath” star Davie Rickenbacker, this cast is “Survivor’s” most diverse ever. Additionally, the cast is entirely made up of fans of the show: a huge breath of fresh air.

To begin the premiere, host Jeff Probst said that many of the “twists” — unexpected changes to the rules or additions to the game — from the previous season would remain, leaving many fans worried that contrived surprises would once again replace gameplay and social manipulation.

In the first reward challenge, Drea, Hai, and Lindsay all ran the same leg on different tribes.

Upon arriving at their destination, they were presented with the opportunity to each earn an advantage by working together.

They made that easy decision, but later learned that all choices in “Survivor” have consequences — it turns out that the advantage becomes more powerful the fewer of them are in the game, and becomes an immunity idol (a game piece that saves a contestant from elimination if presented at tribal council) if only one of them remains.

At Ika beach, the lines were drawn based on age, as the three older castaways (Drea, Romeo, Rocksroy) and three younger castaways (Zach, Tori, Swathi) grouped together initially. It isn’t uncommon for people to cling to those who remind them of themselves initially. As seen

later, these types of bonds don’t always last in the show.

Rocksroy fell into the age-old trap of being overly bossy while building the shelter. Throughout “Survivor” history, this has been the easiest way to get booted early, and as a fan of the show, Rocksroy should have known better. Even so, he struggled with the generational divide as one of the season’s older contestants Unlike Rockroy, Romeo overcame the divide and built a self-proclaimed “skinny guy alliance” with the younger Zach. At the same time, Tori was caught looking for an idol, which painted a target on her back.

Representatives from all three tribes (Drea, Maryanne, and Jenny) were taken to the same summit as in season 41 and presented with the same choice: the prisoner’s dilemma. Each could either protect or risk their vote at the next Tribal Council, where players are voted off the show. If they all protected their vote, nothing would change.

If they all risked their vote, all their votes would be lost. Anything in between and the players who chose to take a risk would be rewarded. Drea and Maryanne risked their votes and received advantages in the form of extra votes, while Jenny protected her vote and consequently did not receive an advantage.

Following this, Probst visited Taku beach, and his appearance at the contestants’ camps is never a good sign. Jackson was removed from the game for medical purposes, as he didn’t disclose the fact that he was on lithium until the day before they left. He had started while taking care of his sick mother and had hoped to quit his addiction by the time he left, but wasn’t able to. Lithium can cause a reaction when not eating, drinking, and being constantly stressed, so his usage of it became dangerous when mixed with the inherent conditions of the game. It’s sad whenever a player has to leave for reasons outside of the game, and hopefully he gets a chance

Photo courtesy of besttvshow.mirahaze.org

“Survivor” is back for Season 42, and Vaughn Armour ‘25 summarizes the action of the first two episodes. to play again. But for season 42, 15 players remained.

Ika lost a close immunity challenge, forcing them to attend Tribal Council. The targets to vote off were quickly narrowed to Zach and Tori. The younger alliance had collapsed, and they had no intention of continuing to fight together. Despite Romeo’s pleas, Zach was voted out.

This ended the premiere with 14 players remaining.

This first episode had the same pratfalls as much of season 41. There were so many twists that they could not all be mentioned in this article, somewhat overshadowing the strategy of the game. That wasn’t the case in episode 2.

At Vati, Mike found an advantage. It was a three-way immunity idol, the same as in season 41. He needed to say a phrase at an immunity challenge to activate it, with members of the other tribes needing to say theirs as well. He decided to share this information with both Jenny and Daniel as a way of building those relationships.

Unfortunately for him, Daniel was much closer to Chanelle than he was to Mike. He told

Chanelle and began scheming with her about how to remove the threat. Daniel told Mike that it’d be safer not to activate the idol for now, but if it came to voting Mike out to get that idol out of the game, Daniel seemed willing to do it.

At Taku beach, the tribe began to tire of Maryanne’s constantly hyper energy. In a game as exhausting as “Survivor,” this type of trait can become frustrating for other contestants.

At the same time, Jonathan and Omar further developed their friendship, with Lindsey already aligned with Jonathan. In a five-person tribe, three is a majority, so Maryanne and Marya found themselves on the outs.

At Ika, Drea pitched flipping on her alliance to Tori and Swathi in favor of an all-girls alliance. However, Swathi considered the idea of getting Drea out instead with Tori. Just the day after being on the wrong side of the numbers, the two remaining young Ika women had a path forward.

In a funny moment at the immunity challenge, Maryanne revealed that she had a crush on Zach, and was disappointed

that he was voted out. Her tribe subsequently lost the challenge.

Taku decided between sending Maryanne to meet up with Zach in Ponderosa (where eliminated players are sent) and voting out Marya, who hadn’t really meshed with the group from the start. They opted for Marya, meaning Maryanne would have to wait at least a couple days to meet Zach. The episode ended with 13 players remaining.

Following the premiere, episode 2 was a much needed breath of fresh air. It showed that tigers (and producers) can in fact change their stripes. With an endearing and remarkably diverse cast of “Survivor” fans, it only made sense to focus on relationships and strategy instead of twists. One could easily confuse this start with that of “Survivor: China,” “David vs Goliath,” “Millennials vs Gen X,” or other fantastic seasons with all first-time players.

The game has evolved in both positive and negative ways since Richard Hatch won the show's first ever season in Borneo, all the way back in 1999.

But it’s safe to say that we’re in for a fun ride.

Sp ports

A Look Back on Women’s Basketball’s Wonder Season Despite their Final Four loss to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the Mammoths made the most of their first season back from the Covid hiatus and have much to look forward to in the next few years after their miraculous NCAA tournament run.

Liza Katz ’24 and Carter Hollingsworth '25 Managing Sports Editor and Staff Writer The two of us were sitting in the airport on spring break when the final buzzer sounded. After four months spent watching Amherst women’s basketball, both in person and online, the ending felt extremely bittersweet. For a team that came into the season ranked No. 16 in the country, with more questions than answers, the outcome was pretty good to say the least. But knowing this group of players, this team, they weren’t satisfied with that result.

While they had a miraculous run to the Final Four, it was the Final Four.

Their goal was a National Championship.

Coming into the season, the Mammoths didn’t really know what they had. Their last season in 201920 was cut short after the team had made the Sweet 16. And only five players from this season’s team were a part of that squad — the five seniors, Jade DuVal ’22, Lauren Pelosi ’22, Courtney Resch ’22, Dani Valdez ’22, and Gabby Zaffiro ’22.

The rest of the team is made up of underclassmen, three sophomores and four first-years, completely new to college basketball. This disparity was compounded by the fact that the team had no returning juniors: every first-year from the 2019-20 group left after that season ended.

Maybe this young team was exactly what the Mammoths needed, though, and it sure seemed to work in their favor. First-year AnLing Vera ’25 won a NESCAC Player of the Week award after recording the first triple-double in team history against Bates, and she notched multiple games of 25-plus points this season, as did Reeya Patel ’24.

Not to be outdone by the underclassmen, the seniors recorded stel-

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

The women's basketball team huddles before their Final Four game against University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. lar performances as well. Individual highlights included DuVal tying the Amherst rebounding record with 21 against Emmanuel College, Pelosi’s career-high 17-point performance in their contest with Colby, including going 75 percent from three, and Valdez’s own career-high 20 points against Wesleyan. For her play on the court, Valdez was named to the All-NESCAC first team by the conference’s coaches, the Region 1 first team by D3hoops.com, and an All-American by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association; Zaffiro was named to the Winter NESCAC All-Sportsmanship team.

Amherst started the season hot, with eight consecutive wins earning them a No. 3 national ranking. But their first setback came when the rapid spread of the Omicron variant led to the cancellation of their West Coast trip — four of their first 12 games.

To make things worse, just a few

games later, the team’s win streak was snapped by Bates, who they had beaten only a few weeks prior. The Mammoths quickly bounced back, however, with an 11-point fourth quarter comeback win against thenNo. 9 Tufts, and the title chase was back on course. But this huge win was followed by another tough loss, this time to Hamilton.

They would not lose again in the regular season, entering the NESCAC tournament with a ten-game win streak and a top-three seed.

This run included a 49-42 win over Trinity on Senior Day that DuVal called a confidence-building win, and which should have allowed the Mammoths to control their conference fate.

The Mammoths would’ve had a chance to win the conference regular season title against Connecticut College, but, characteristically for the season, another hurdle was placed on the road to Pittsburgh.

The NESCAC title-clinching game was canceled because the Camels had too many positive cases on their team. This meant that both the Bantams and the Jumbos, whom Amherst had beaten in the regular season, were seeded above them in the NESCAC tournament.

While the Mammoths rolled to the NESCAC final, the match against No. 5 seed Bates found them at a 20-point deficit with 10 minutes to go. Although they ultimately fell short, the never-say-die mentality that got them within five points before the buzzer sounded served them well going into the NCAA Tournament.

Valdez cited this game as the one that fueled their tournament run. “We were down in the fourth quarter and by the end we outscored Bates 22-11, which was really impressive and showed how well we can play when we dig deep and play Amherst basketball. Since that

game, I feel like a switch flipped and the team became hungrier to win each game we were faced with to get to Pittsburgh.”

Kori Barach ’25 echoed her captain’s sentiments. “We used [the loss] as motivation to play more together as a team. Just because we lost NESCACs, our season wasn’t over. We knew we had more to prove, and we wanted to show that [heading into NCAAs].”

The Mammoths were fortunate enough to host the first four rounds of the tournament, playing at home until they left for the Final Four, which proved to be a big advantage.

Their four strong wins against excellent teams were fueled by a desire to win and an impressive showing from Amherst fans. As fans attending these games and student-athletes ourselves, we can say without a doubt these were four of the

Continued on page 19

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Sports

19

Future Seasons Look Bright for Women’s Basketball

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Dani Valdez '22 attempts a layup in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Continued from page 18 loudest and most well-attended games we’ve ever been to on campus.

That atmosphere certainly helped power the Mammoths to a Final Four berth.

After a relatively uneventful first round game against the SUNY Polytechnic Institute, the Mammoths took the court against No. 20 St. John Fisher College. And it was here that the crowd made its first play as

the Mammoths’ sixth man.

Tommy Whitley ’24, a de facto leader of the student section at the game, said, “As a student section we did our best to support [the team] by bringing energy every game and emphasizing the home court advantage that they earned during the regular season. We tried to make LeFrak [Gymnasium] as loud and pro-Mammoth as possible and let the team take care of the rest as they had done all season.”

That advantage proved crucial, as the Cardinals went 11-23 from the free throw line in a game ultimately decided by eight points. Those misses, said Valdez, Patel, and Vera, can be attributed to us, the fans, and the sheer amount of noise we created.

Next up for the Mammoths was a familiar foe — the No. 11 Jumbos, this time with an Elite Eight berth on the line. In their closest contest yet, the Mammoths prevailed again, sending the Jumbos back to Med-

ford for the last time this season.

Amherst then faced Trinity University in the Elite Eight, with their goal of reaching the Final Four hanging in the balance, and Maggie Shipley, one of the Mammoths’ 2019-20 first-years, returning to LeFrak for the first time wearing a Trinity jersey. After coming out of the gate slow and losing by three at halftime, the Mammoths weren’t deterred. Valdez said, “We didn’t feel like we were losing at halftime.

Even [head coach] G.P. [Gromacki] was calm when he walked into the locker room. We all knew that we were going to win that game.” After that point, the Mammoths recorded a 28-point quarter with two separate 11-0 runs. Resch moved to second in school history in blocks, recording three in the game. And Zaffiro, Resch, and Vera hit three 3-pointers each on the way to a season-defining win. Resch dribbled out the clock, the crowd counted down, the horn sounded. We all stormed the court.

It was finally time to book those plane tickets.

The loss to Whitewater in Pittsburgh was a dogfight. A back and forth affair with 10 lead changes, 13 tied scores, and no team leading by more than five the entire game.

Everyone on the court hitting big shots. It was unreal. Ultimately, the game did end their season. But the experience is what the team will re-

member the most. “I think this year, we were special in the way that we were able to come together and really support and love each other from the beginning of the season,” Resch said.

“This group is probably the one that I felt has been the closest in my time here … It’s something that I’m really proud to have been a part of.”

But the point of this article is twofold. Yes, we want to give these 12 amazing players all the respect and hype they deserve. But it is also a thank you. Thank you Amherst College women’s basketball for all the memories. Watching and writing about this team was a joy. Seeing you bounce back after tough losses and celebrating with you when you won was an amazing experience. We cannot wait to see what you have in store, and we’re so glad we’ll be around for the next three years to watch. We will, of course, miss the seniors who displayed incredible leadership and poise throughout the season, both on and off the court. Their ability to finish the season as they did, at the Final Four with an inexperienced team, takes a special type of leadership, and they rose to the occasion.

These five have truly built this program, and deserve the highest praise.

We have no doubt that next season, with a team of young guns looking to recreate this team’s magic, the self-proclaimed “future” is looking bright for ACWB.

Indoor Track and Field Athletes Compete Well at Nationals Leo Kamin ’25 Managing Sports Editor Nine Mammoths made the trip to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships during the first weekend of spring break, on March 11 and 12. The nationals squad included four first-years: Casie Eifrig ’25 as a member of the 4x400 relay team, New England Champion Eliza Cardwell ’25 in the 60m hurdles, Julia Zacher ’25 in the high jump, and Sidnie Kulik ’25 in the 3,000m.

Anna Madden ’22, Juanita Jaramillo ’ 22, and Katie Lingen ’22 joined Eifrig in the 4x4. Sophia

Wolmer ’23 qualified in the 5,000 meters, her second qualification but first time competing at nationals, after the 2020 championships were canceled due to Covid.

Heptathlete Troy Colleran ’22 qualified for nationals during the regular season, but an injury forced him to withdraw. The next-best score in the nation thus moved into the top 20 nationals qualifying spots, and, perhaps as some minor cosmic justice for Colleran’s brutal misfortune, the 21st best score in the nation just happened to belong to fellow Mammoth Jack Trent ’23. He traveled to North Carolina to round out the squad.

Trent put up an admiral performance in place of his teammate. A last-minute qualifier, he nonetheless ended the weekend in 12th place. In the 60m hurdles, Cardwell missed out on a trip to the finals by the finest of margins. Finishing in ninth place — four milliseconds behind her closest competitor — she landed just outside the top eight qualifiers who advanced to the finals. She nevertheless finished in the top half of the field and ended her rookie season as the New England Champion.

The 4x400 team narrowly missed out on a finals berth as well; across the nearly four-min-

ute race, they finished just a second outside the qualifying spots. They hit the track less than an hour after Wolmer, who came in 19th in the 5,000.

Zacher and Kulik’s events fell on the final day, as Trent finished out the heptathlon. Zacher tied for 13th in the high-jump, clearing 1.61 meters. Kulik got under the 10-minute mark in the 3,000, finishing in 12th place with a 9:58.10.

One season is over for Amherst track and field, but another one is about to begin. As the weather warms up, the team will venture out of the Cage and into the outdoor season, which begins on Sunday, April 3.

Photo courtesy of TrackYack

Jack Trent '23 attempts the long jump in the heptathlon.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Sports

20

Baseball Begins NESCAC Title Defense Over Spring Break Alex Noga ’23 Managing Sports Editor The Amherst baseball team traveled to Auberndale, Florida, over spring break to open their 2022 season, playing a total of six games over six days and returning home with a solid 4-2 record. The Mammoths look to defend their title as NESCAC champions this season, aiming to win their third championship in the last four seasons. They boast a roster that returns 12 total players, including the entire pitching staff, from last year’s successful campaign in the Covid-shortened season.

“We have high expectations this year,” said senior captain Sachin Nambiar ’22. “It was clear at the beginning of the spring that we had a ton of talent on this team, and our eyes are set on repeating as NESCAC champions.”

Led by reigning NESCAC Coach of the Year J.P. Pyne, the Mammoths also return stalwart second baseman Daniel Qin ’22 and flamethrower Nick Giattino ’24, each of whom was awarded their own respective hardware in the form of NESCAC Player of the Year and NESCAC Rookie of the Year honors at the conclusion of last season.

Though there is certainly experience on the roster, the majority of this year’s players have yet to play a full collegiate season. With nine first-years and a number of sophomores and juniors who were not on campus last spring, gaining experience in the early stages of the season will be vital.

“It’ll be interesting to see how we fare against the rest of the NESCAC with every other team getting back the majority of their rosters as we did,” said Nambiar. “We don’t have a lot of guys who have played a full 30-plus game season, so it’ll be important that our guys stay healthy down the road.” Signs are encouraging thus far, though, he said: “It’s very promising to see how well the team has meshed, and how great the guys who weren’t here last year have been.”

This team chemistry has been evident in the Mammoths’ ear-

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Jacob Ribitzki '24 throws a pitch and Amherst players get ready to respond to a swing during a game. ly season results. They picked up right where they left off from last year’s title run, needing only seven innings to comfortably defeat Anderson University 13-0 by the mercy run rule on March 13. Jacob Ribitzki ’24 got the start and picked up his first win of the season, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings and allowing just three hits while racking up nine strikeouts. The Mammoths tallied 15 total hits, and seven different Mammoths had at least one RBI. The bats went cold the following day, however, as the Mammoths managed only five hits in a 5-2 loss to Ripon College. Nambiar went 5.1 innings and was handed the loss, but he blanked the Redhawks through the first four innings of the contest before they managed to add two runs in the fifth inning and another in the sixth.

The Mammoths then battled familiar foe Bowdoin in a doubleheader the next day, splitting the two-game series. The offense exploded in the first of two seven-inning games, recording five first-inning runs on the way to a dominant 10-1 win. Game two began in a similar manner — the Mammoths jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, tallying two runs in the

third inning and another in the fourth. However, a disastrous fifth inning proved to be too much to overcome for the Mammoths. The Polar Bears scored nine runs on seven hits in their half of the fifth — over half of their 13 total hits for the entire game — to take a 9-3 lead into the sixth. The Mammoths added two runs of their own in the following inning, but the Polar Bears scored an insurance run in the seventh and blanked the Mammoths in the final frame for a final score of 10-5.

With a day of rest in between, the Mammoths then took on Franklin & Marshall College on March 17. For the first time all week, it was the opponents who got on the board first, with the Diplomats jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Mammoths clawed two runs back in the third inning, but the Diplomats struck again in the bottom half of the frame to make it a 4-2 lead after just three innings of play. The score remained until the Mammoths finally came through with four important runs to take a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning, before adding two insurance runs in the eighth. The Diplomats made it interesting, scoring a run in each of the final two innings and bring-

ing the tying run to the plate in the ninth, but Alan Dai ’24 shut the door to end the game at 8-6 and earn his first save of the season.

Tyson Luna ’25 picked up his first collegiate win, pitching 4.0 shutout innings after the Diplomats put four runs on the board in the first two frames.

The final game of the trip appeared to be the Mammoths’ toughest test so far, as they matched up against No. 9 Rowan University. Yet the Mammoths rose up to the challenge, once again getting on the board first, this time with three runs in the second inning, all of which came with two outs. A moonshot of a grand slam in the third inning by Christian Fagnant ’24 broke the game wide open, expanding the margin to 7-0, and the Mammoths added two more to their lead in the sixth inning off of a Jackson Reydel ’23 triple. Ribitzki made his second start of the trip and commanded the Profs all evening. He pitched a full eight innings, tallying one strikeout and allowing only five hits. Seventeen out of his 24 recorded outs came on fly balls to the outfield. The Profs managed to score a run in the eighth inning, but this was the only blemish on Ribitzki’s start, and the game end-

ed with a final score of 9-1. Ribitzki was awarded NESCAC Pitcher of the Week for his efforts in his two starts last week.

The Mammoths seem to have found their most effective lineup, as seven players started all six games: Jack Boyle ’25, Jack McDermott ’25, Ryan McIntyre ’25, Luke Padian ’24, Jack Dove ’23, Chris Murphy ’22, and Qin. Fagnant also started every game behind the plate except for the second game of the doubleheader against Bowdoin.

“It feels so great to finally be competing for Amherst for the first time,” said Fagnant. “All our guys have worked hard with whatever situation they were in over the past two years and it shows. If we keep working hard and show up every day ready to compete, this team has a chance to go really far.”

Fagnant’s hard work has already paid early dividends. After these first six games, he leads the Mammoths in batting average (.400), RBIs (9), and OPS (1.155).

Looking ahead, the Mammoths play their home opener against No. 11 Wheaton College on Friday, March 25, with the first pitch at 3:30 p.m. They will then travel to Waltham, Mass., to take on Brandeis University in a doubleheader on March 26.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Sports

21

Women’s Lacrosse, Ranked 21st, Wins 4 Over Break Nick Edwards-Levin ’25 Managing Sports Editor Women’s lacrosse went undefeated over spring break, winning all three of their games, two of which took place in Colorado. With a four-game winning streak, the team was ranked No. 21 nationally in the latest IL/IWLCA Division III Poll.

After splitting their first two matches of the season, including a disappointing conference loss to Hamilton, Amherst headed west to Colorado for a spring break training camp and two games.

Their first game, against Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was a decisive 12-8 victory. The game began with Amherst taking a quick 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Elizabeth Rose ’25 and Ashley Tucker ’22. But before the end of the quarter, Colorado cut the lead in half, and soon into the second quarter, they equalized. With six minutes until halftime, Lauren Friedman ’25 scored on a free position shot to spark an Amherst goal spree. With 2:20 until the break, Tucker scored her second of the game, and Rose scored her second just 31 seconds later.

With 0:35 remaining in the half, though, Colorado scored to make the score 5-3 at halftime.

The second half ’s scoring opened with a goal from Becky Kendall ’22, but Colorado followed soon after with two goals just 30 seconds apart, making the score 6-5 in the Mammoths’ favor.

The back-and-forth continued, with Sydney Larsen ’23 scoring an unassisted goal, Colorado answering just over a minute later, and Friedman responding again 1:30 later. Kendall scored the final goal of the period, making the score 9-6 going into the final quarter. Colorado scored first, just 1:18 into the period. The period remained scoreless for the next nine minutes, until Rose scored with 4:47 left in the game.

Eliza Marcus ’24 followed her, making the score 11-7. With 2:35 to play, Colorado scored their last goal of the game before Tucker

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

A group celebrates a goal against Springfield College. Amherst won the game with a thrilling comeback victory.

A last-minute goal forced overtime, allowing Amherst to take the win with a golden goal. scored the game’s final goal with just eight seconds remaining.

The Mammoths’ second game over spring break was a thriller. Amherst came out on top, winning 11-10 in overtime against McDaniel College in Colorado Springs. With 9:38 left in the first quarter, Amherst was down 4-1, but a free position goal from Friedman opened the floodgates. Another goal from Friedman and goals from Rose and Kendall made the score 5-4 in Amherst’s favor. Even after McDaniel equalized in the second period, Amherst continued their run, scoring three unanswered goals before halftime and one after, giving them a 9-5 lead with 25 minutes left in the game.

McDaniel was not deterred, though. With 1:26 left in the third period, McDaniel midfielder Emma Legacy started a spree of McDaniel’s own. In the fourth quarter, the Green Terror scored four goals, giving them a one-goal advantage with just 1:44 to play.

Heroically, with just 34 seconds left, Kendall scored her third goal of the game to force overtime.

After the first three minutes of the six-minute overtime period passed with opportunities few and far between, the Mammoths capitalized on their first chance of the extra period. After Colleen Mooney ’23 recorded a key ground ball and cleared Amherst’s defensive zone, a Mammoth timeout allowed for the offense to get set. Less than 20 seconds would pass before a McDaniel foul gave Friedman a free position shot. With 3:34 left in overtime, Friedman stepped up to the occasion, scoring the golden goal — her fourth of the game — and giving the Mammoths the win.

Amherst’s final game of the stretch was an 8-7 conference victory against Bates. A lowscoring and tightly contested affair, the Mammoths and Bobcats were neck-and-neck in just about every capacity — the two teams were separated 22-20 in shots, 7-8 in saves, 21-21 in turnovers, 12-13 in ground balls, and 9-9 in draw controls. Bates started the game with an early lead, opening the scoring just 26 seconds in.

Amherst equalized with a goal

from Campbell Moriarty ’24 after roughly six minutes, taking the lead just 16 seconds later with a goal from Larsen. The rest of the first period swung in Bates’ direction, though: over the last six minutes, Bates scored three goals to end the first quarter with a 4-2 lead. In the second quarter, Amherst bounced back with two goals — one from Fiona Jones ’23 and one from Friedman — to tie the game at 4-4. The rest of the second quarter — a full 11 minutes — remained scoreless.

The deadlock was broken four minutes into the third period when Bates regained the lead, but Friedman equalized for Amherst three minutes later.

Bates reclaimed the lead with 3:55 left in the third quarter, but five minutes into the final quarter, Amherst equalized yet again, this time with a goal from Moriarty.

With 8:19 left in the game, Bates took its final lead of the game. It was Kendall who equalized for Amherst with 5:11 remaining, and with 1:29 remaining, Moriarty scored her third of the game to give Amherst the lead —

and ultimately the win.

According to Friedman, the team leading-scorer, the team is looking forward to sharpening their game skills as the season progressess. "All of my teammates really bring the intensity in practice," Friedman said. "We're really beginning to gel and I’m grateful the team has welcomed us first-year players into the fold.

With more game experience we will be able to fine-tune our skills and continue to grow our confidence."

Even despite not having played for two years, Friedman thinks the season has gone well so far. " Thanks to the great coaching we’ve received and the leadership of the upperclassmen, we’ve been able to come out on top in some tight games," Friedman said. "This shows we can handle pressure even early in the season."

In their next game, the Mammoths will look to continue their winning streak and keep moving up in the rankings against Westfield State University at Pratt Field on Saturday, March 26, at noon.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Sports

22

Tennis Faces Challenging Spring Break Competition Leo Kamin ’25 Managing Sports Editor The Amherst men’s and women’s tennis teams might not have gotten a spring break, but they at least got a break from New England’s not-quite-spring weather: both teams made the trip out to California over the break for a slate of matches against some of the best teams in the country.

The women lost to all three teams they faced; the men started the week with a run of three wins, before losing two straight matchups. In both cases, the teams faced high-caliber, nationally ranked squads, providing some good early season experience before NESCAC play starts this weekend.

Women Both teams started the spring season at about the most visually stunning neutral site one can imagine — the courts at Pepperdine University, which sit on cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The change in climate alone created new challenges for the Mammoths. “The tennis in California is astoundingly different from east coast tennis,” said Deliala Friedman ’25. “The play is slower, and the battle is as much with the player as it is with the sun.”

The women — entering the season with a No. 9 national ranking — began their season with a thriller on March 14, losing 5-4 to No. 8 Sewanee: The University of the South. The Mammoths’ top two doubles teams fell in eight-game pro sets, but the freshman-senior pairing of Amy Cui ’25/Anya Ramras ’22 pulled out an 8-3 victory.

Amherst put up a good performance in the singles matches, highlighted by a 6-1, 6-3 victory by Jackie Bukzin ’22 in the number-one spot and a 6-1, 6-2 win for Friedman. Nevertheless, the Tigers won the necessary three out of six matches to take the overall competition 5-4, handing the Mammoths their first

loss of the season.

The Mammoths returned to action two days later, on the other side of Los Angeles County against No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer.

Things looked good through the doubles matches, with the pairings of Friedman/Julia Lendel ’24 and Cui/Ramras leading the Mammoths to an early 2-1 overall lead. The Mammoths stumbled as the matchup moved to singles, though. Bukzin pulled out another win in the one slot, winning a tiebreaker 10-8 after splitting the first two sets.

However, the Mammoths couldn’t keep up the performance across the rest of the singles ladder, with the two-through-six slots all falling and Ramras standing out as the sole player to take a set off her opponent.

The tough matchups kept coming. The Mammoths stayed on the campus of the Claremont Colleges the following day to face the No. 4 ClaremontMudd-Scripps Athenas. The Mammoths lost all three doubles matches and didn’t fare well in the singles, either. Bukzin and Friedman again proved to be the bright spots. Bukzin won in dominating fashion, losing just four games en route to a 6-3, 6-1 victory. Friedman won her first set, before dropping the second 6-1. She rallied, though, winning her second 10-8 tie breaker of the trip to win at the four spot. The Mammoths lost the match 7-2 overall.

Friedman credited her success in tiebreakers to the tight-knit nature of the team. She said that “the key in those high-pressure situations was my teammates cheering [me on] on the sidelines — it really created an environment of support and allowed me to focus without distraction.”

That spirit began to pay off. Despite a tough first three matches, the Mammoths closed the trip out on the upswing.

They faced No. 31 University of Redlands on March 18, and rolled through the doubles matches, winning at every position. They then took five out of six of the

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Damien Ruparel '22 hits a backhand shot. Ruparel won his singles matchup on March 18. singles matches, as Bukzin led the way with a breezy 6-0, 6-1 victory. Cui won her singles match in a third-set tiebreaker.

Though the Mammoths began their roadtrip with a trio of disappointing losses, they returned to Amherst with a first spring win in hand and a great deal of early-season experience against top competition. They will return to the court on Saturday, March 26, opening NESCAC play at home versus Connecticut College. Matches will start at 10 a.m.

Men The men, who entered the season unranked, got off to a more successful start in Malibu. They faced No. 18 Sewanee on March 15, their first match after nearly five months. The senior-freshman doubles pairings of Damien Ruparel ’22/Sujit Chepuri ’25 and Harris Foulkes ’22/Ed Opie ’25 gave the Mammoths a 2-1 lead through the doubles matches before the Mammoths took the singles in dominant fashion, winning at all six spots. Chepuri was the only player to lose a set to his opponent. He rallied back after a 3-6 loss in the first set to win a second-set tiebreaker before dominating a deciding 10-point

tiebreaker 10-1.

The Mammoths continued onwards, rolling through their second match on March 16 with a 9-0 victory over No. 32 Cal Lutheran University. Opie and Chepuri were the only players to drop sets in singles, but both were able to get the job done in their 10-point tiebreakers.

Yet another ranked win came the next day. Things started rocky in the doubles, with only Ruparel/ Chepuri winning their eight-game set, and doing so by a margin of 8-6 in a tiebreaker at that. But the Mammoths righted the ship in the singles matches. All but one Mammoth walked away with wins, and the Mammoths secured a 6-3 win to start the season with three straight victories.

On March 18, the Mammoths headed to the Claremont Colleges for the Stag-Hen invitational, joining a field with some of the top teams in the nation. They began the tournament against the No. 3 team in the nation, Washington University in St. Louis. Things looked dire from the outset, with the Mammoths dropping all three doubles matches. The margins were narrow, though, with the pairings of Foulkes/ Opie and Kobe Ellenbogen ’25/ Micah Elias ’24 both falling 8-7.

The Mammoths turned things around in the singles. They took three out of the six matches, with Ruparel, Foulkes, and Willie Turchetta ’22 notching wins. That was short of the five they needed, though. They were bounced from the winners’ bracket with a 6-3 overall loss.

They then moved into the consolation bracket, taking on No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus. The Mammoths again fell short, with just Ellenbogen/Elias winning their doubles sets. They split the singles spoils, with Ruparel, Foulkes, and Opie carrying their matchups, but still lost 5-4 overall. The final consolation match was played the following day, against No. 5 Emory. It proved the toughest of the bunch, with the Mammoths losing 8-1 to close out their roadtrip.

It certainly wasn’t the result the Mammoths wanted at the Stag-Hen Invitational, but they nevertheless headed back to the East Coast with a solid trio of ranked wins under their belts.

Like the women’s team, the men will return to the court on Saturday, March 26, beginning their NESCAC season at home versus Connecticut College.

Their matches will start after the women’s matches end at 2 p.m.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Sports

23

Bennett Goal Highlights Men’s Lacrosse Spring Break Mike Schretter ’23 and Liza Katz ’24 Staff Writer and Managing Sports Editor

The Amherst men’s lacrosse team has hit the ground running in 2022, beginning the season with a 3-1 record and lots to be excited about after a close bout with national-No. 3 Tufts, and wins this past weekend against both Bates and Gettysburg College at the Mustang Invitational.

The Mammoths’ matchup against Tufts on March 13 saw great offensive production from Brock Gonzalez ’23 and Tanyr Krummenacher ’23, who both had five goals each in Medford.

Early in the first quarter, Gonzalez and senior captain PJ Clementi ’22 scored less than a minute apart to give the Mammoths a 2-1 lead.

The Jumbos quickly responded to tie the game at 2-2 but Amherst took the lead again on Gonzalez’s second goal of the game. With Tufts leading 7-3 at halftime, the Mammoths cut to two before the Jumbos again prevented them from tying the game, extending the lead to four heading into the final quarter. Krummenacher led yet another rally, scoring three of his five goals in the first 10 minutes of the fourth quarter, and cutting the Jumbos’ lead to 15-14 with 6:10 to go in the game.

This time though, Tufts shut the door for good, preventing the comeback by scoring three goals

before the final horn to secure the win.

Despite the loss on Sunday, the Mammoths’ offensive success carried over into their first game in Maryland against the Bobcats. The game started with an incredible 14-yard behind-theback goal from Jake Bennett ’24 (which has gotten over 100,000 views on Instagram as of March 22). After skillfully beating his defender behind the cage, Clementi delivered a great pass to Bennett, who caught it about 20 yards from the goal, got a step on his defender moving to the right, and fired a laser behind his back into the top right corner.

People from all over the world, including lacrosse legend Paul Rabil, have commented on the video expressing their praise for the shot. His teammates were no different, heaping praise on Bennett’s goal. Jack Siegel ’22 said of the goal, “Sheeeesh!” while Clementi joked, “That goalie has a family!”

And that viral wonder goal was only the beginning: the Mammoths broke open a 6-5 deficit in the second quarter with a 12-0 run spanning halftime to take the lead for good. In their secondquarter 6-0 run, six different Mammoths netted, with goals from Krummenacher, Gonzalez, Ethan Opdahl ’23, Bayard DeMallie ’23, Clementi, and Carter Tate ’22. The third-quarter

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Captain PJ Clementi '22 looks ahead for a pass during a game. run started with a man-advantage goal from Alex Giacobbe ’25, and ended just over 11 minutes later when Dylan Hsu ’25 scored the Mammoths’ sixth goal of the quarter with just over three minutes to go. This run effectively ended the Bobcats’ chances at a win, and the Mammoths rolled to a 22-10 victory. With the win, the Mammoths moved to 2-1 on the season.

That momentum carried over to their last game against then-No. 11 Gettysburg. This back-andforth offensive game ended with

the Mammoths claiming a 18-14 victory over the Bullets. While the game started with Amherst down 2-0, they quickly tied the game at 3-3 with two goals from Gonzalez and one from Clementi. While Gettysburg scored again to take a 4-3 lead into the second quarter, it was here that the Mammoths pulled away, going on another 6-1 run to widen their lead to 115. Two goals from Clementi and DeMallie, and a goal each from Ben Bruno ’25, Krummenacher, Gonzalez, and Tate comprised the run, and set the halftime margin

at 12-8. The rest of the contest was much more back and forth, with Gettysburg getting within one goal with 9:54 left in the game. But in the end, Amherst’s offense proved to be too much for the Bullets, and three more Mammoth goals sealed the win.

The team is now 3-1 on the season and has moved up to No. 10 in USA Lax Magazine’s most recent rankings. The Mammoths will be returning to action on Wednesday, March 23, playing at Springfield College in a 7 p.m. tilt against the Pride.

Swimmers, Divers Compete, Break Record at NCAA Championships Alex Noga ’23 Managing Sports Editor Eleven members of the women’s swim and dive team, along with one member of the men’s swim team, traveled to the Indiana University Natatorium over spring break to compete in the 2022 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championship meet. The event took place over four days, beginning on March 16 and concluding on March 19. The women’s team finished 12th overall at the national championship, punctuated by 13 All-America

honors, including four first-team finishes.

The top eight competitors in each event are awarded first-team honors, and the next eight earn second-team distinctions.

Jessica Gordon ’23, who finished with four total All-America finishes, earned first-team honors in the 500yard freestyle with a time of 4:51.96, good for fourth in the nation. She also placed 11th overall in the 200yard freestyle, earning second-team honors. Gordon then joined forces with Jennifer Adams ’25, Lauren Eng ’24, and Megan Lee ’25 for the

800-yard freestyle relay, in which they placed seventh to pick up yet another first-team accolade. Marie Fagan ’22 took Lee’s spot in the 400yard freestyle relay, and the team placed 15th overall, receiving second-team honors.

This was just one of Fagan’s four second-team finishes, as she placed ninth in both the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard butterfly, and teamed up with Eng, Allison LaCroix ’25, and Cora Spelke ’25 to finish 12th in the 400-yard medley relay. Fagan’s time of 2:00.48 in the 200-yard butterfly is a new Amherst

school record.

Three other Mammoth swimmers also received second-team honors for their respective events.

LaCroix finished 13th in the 200yard breaststroke, Lee finished 13th in the 1650-yard freestyle, and Adams finished 16th in the 500-yard freestyle.

On the diving front, Hannah Karlin ’22 and Sydney Bluestein ’25 each earned first-team All-America honors in the one-meter diving competition. Karlin placed fourth with a score of 433.05, and Bluestein wasn’t far behind with her score of

418.60. Karlin also received a second-team accolade on the three-meter board, finishing 12th in the nation with a score of 431.20.

Scott Romeyn ’22, the lone Mammoth from the men’s team to compete at nationals, finished 17th in the men’s 100-yard freestyle with a time of 44.60.

These strong performances by the Mammoths cap off an outstanding overall season. While the team will lose stalwarts in Fagan and Karlin, the performances from underclassmen all season show that the future is bright.

The Amherst Student • March 23, 2022

Sports

24

Softball Starts Season Strong, Looks Toward NESCACs Liza Katz ’24 Managing Sports Editor The Amherst softball team took the field this past week as a full team for the first time since March 9, 2020. With a strong Covid-shortened 2021 season behind them, the team is looking to build on that success in the coming months of play, with that run hopefully culminating in a NESCAC Championship.

“This is our first full season in over two years, and I think we are all excited to experience that together and extremely determined to make our goal of winning the NESCAC Championship happen,” said Megan Taketa ’23. “I see this team only getting stronger and more competitive as the season progresses.”

With a lot of uncertainty surrounding the makeup of the team, as 75 percent of them haven’t yet played a full season of collegiate softball, the team is viewing this season as one to build on. Head coach Jessica Johnson, who is going into her eighth season at the helm, told the Amherst Sports Information department earlier this month,

“It’s a very unique year, and at the outset, we kind of just wrapped our heads around having to start over, like we were taking over a new program … we’re really excited to just see where [our] talent takes us.”

Senior catcher and team captain Virginia Ryan ’22 seemed to have a little more of an idea of what teams should expect when taking on the Mammoths this season, despite all of the time off since their last full season. “They’re going to see a very strong hitting team … and a lot of runs on the scoreboard. I think the NESCAC is known for hitting well in general, but our team is [also] known for baserunning, and so we can get people on base and continue to move them along.”

The season’s unusual circumstances come with their benefits and drawbacks. With so many new faces, the coaching staff has faced some difficulties picking their best possible lineups. This can be a positive, however, as Johnson pointed out. “It’s a challenge (to marry their best offensive and defensive lineups) because we’re pretty deep on both sides … [but] that flexibility has put us in better footing because

we can be so diverse with our lineups.”

These assessments from Johnson and Ryan don’t seem to be wrong at this early stage in the season, and the diversity of strengths in the team’s lineup has already paid dividends: in their first eight games, the Mammoths have combined a potent offense and a stifling defense en route to a 6-2 overall record, with five of those wins coming by multi-run margins. Defensively, the team was paced by their pitching — senior Talia Bloxham ’22 and first-year Dani Torres-Werra ’25 combined to go 6-1 with earned run averages of 4.39 and 1.52 and walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) of 1.48 and 0.87 respectively Offensively, the Mammoths put up big numbers as well. Eight players currently sit with batting averages above .300 and five have onbase plus slugging (OPS) statistics above 1.000. Middle infielder Randi Finklestein ’24 has continued her run of form in the batter’s box from the abbreviated 2021 season — after finishing her first season with an OPS of 1.252, she leads the team

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Talia Bloxham '22 pitches against Maryville (Tenn.). with an OPS of 1.656 through eight games. Ryan was dominant at the plate as well and has been another standout performer: she currently sits just below Finklestein in OPS at 1.626 and is first on the team in batting average with a — quite frankly ridiculous — .714 mark.

With their spring training trip

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

WOMEN'S TENNIS

March 26: vs. Westfield State, 12 p.m.

March 29: @ Keene State, 6 p.m.

March 26: vs. Conn. College, 10 a.m.

March 27: vs. Wesleyan, 10 a.m.

behind them, the team will look to continue their strong start this coming weekend in their 2022 home opener against nearby Worcester Polytechnic Institute.

The Mammoths will take the field against the Engineers on Saturday, March 26, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.

GAME SCHE DULE SOFTBALL

MEN'S LACROSSE

MEN'S TENNIS

March 23: @ Springfield, 7 p.m.

March 26: @ St. John Fisher, 12 p.m.

March 29: @ Western New England, 7 p.m.

March 26: vs. Conn. College, 2 p.m.

March 27: vs. Wesleyan, 2 p.m.

March 26: vs. WPI, 1 p.m.

BASEBALL March 25: vs. Wheaton (Mass.), 3:30 p.m.

March 26: @ Brandeis, 12 p.m.

March 29: vs. MIT, 4 p.m.