VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 27
WEDNESDAY, May 11, 2022
amherststudent.com
THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868
Sexual Violence at Amherst: A History and Legacy Sofia Rodrigo ’24 Staff Writer Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and suicide.
Photo courtesy of Corri Hickson '25
The Reproductive Justice Alliance organized a protest against the leaked Supreme Court opinion which would overturn the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade. Students expressed shock, anger and sadness at the protest, as well as hope and solidarity given how many similar protests occurred across the nation.
Students Rally To Defend Roe v. Wade Leo Kamin ’25, Olivia Lynch ’25, Sofia Rodrigo ’24, and Sylvie Wolff ’25 Managing Sports Editor and Staff Writers At 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, approximately 400 Amherst College students walked out of classes, made their way to the Amherst Town Common, and staged a protest in response to the recently-leaked draft Supreme Court opinion which indicated that the court was ready to overturn its 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. The draft was leaked to the public less than 72 hours before, late in the night of Monday, May 2. Assuming it does not change before being released sometime this
OPINION
summer, the opinion would be one of the court’s most consequential rulings in recent history, ending constitutional protection of abortion rights and allowing states and potentially the federal government to ban abortion. Across Amherst College, and across the nation, a normal Monday evening quickly turned into a night many will not soon forget. Social media feeds, a few minutes prior flush with the latest looks from the Met Gala, were soon filled with messages decrying the decision. As the news sank in, members of the Reproductive Justice Alliance (RJA) and organizers from the broader college community sprang into action. By 11:30 p.m., just three
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Who Won? In their last Seeing Double column, Cole Graber-Mitchell ’22 and Thomas Brodey ’22 debate who is the better fledgling columnist.
hours after the opinion was leaked, the planning for a “mass mobilization,” as Lisa Zheutlin ’22, president of RJA, described it, had begun. At a rapid-response meeting of the RJA on Tuesday, about 80 students crammed into couches, stood against walls, and sat criss-cross on the ground, packing the McCaffrey Room in Keefe Campus Center. The core team of organizers — which included Zheutlin, Hibiscus Zhang ’25, Olive Amdur ’23, Victoria Thomas ’25, Sonia Chajet Wides ’25 (managing news editor), Sikkiim Hamilton ’23, and EJ Collins ’23 — presided over the meeting. The discussion began with students sharing their feelings. Shock, anger, and sadness were mixed with a sense of hope at the large turnout
ARTS & LIVING
and at knowing that similar meetings were taking place at other colleges, and in other towns and cities across the country. A walkout was planned for two days later, in conjunction with walkouts at more than 20 other colleges and universities — collectively called the Reproductive Freedom Protest. “We chose 2 p.m. to draw the most attention and disruption,” Zheutlin said. “We decided that more people would attend if it was in the middle of the day.” When 2 p.m. rolled around on Thursday, students streamed out of classes toward the Valentine Quad, where they gathered before walking to the Amherst Town Com-
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Schrodinger’s Matt: When a food delivery to Matt Vitelli’s 24 quarantine room mysteriously disappears, he and two friends set out to solve the mystery.
SPORTS
In a post on Feb. 4, the Instagram account @ amherstshareyourstory addressed their frustrations with the lack of change concerning the culture of sexual misconduct at the college. Responding explicitly to an email from the President’s Office, the post reads, “If significant change has been made since the 2012 investigation, why are the same conversations around sexual misconduct still happening?” What conversations were taking place in 2012 regarding sexual misconduct? How has the campus culture concerning sexual misconduct evolved since then? In this article, The Student explores the history of sexual misconduct at Amherst College, beginning in the 1970s when the college went co-ed, and following the progression of events to the present day. Through newspaper findings, archival data, and personal alumni narratives, this article hopes to expand upon some important questions. How has the attitude regarding sexual respect on campus changed over the past nearly 50 years? What events are responsible for these
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Softball Wins First-ever NESCAC Championship: Liza Katz '24 recaps the softball team's dominant run in the NESCAC tournament this past weekend.