Issue 3

THE AMHERST THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT

CROSSWORD page 10

VOLUME CLI, ISSUE 3 l WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

AMHERSTSTUDENT.COM

College Loosens Some Covid-19 Protocols but Urges Vigilance Sophie Wolmer ’23 and Yee-Lynn Lee ’23 Managing News Editors

Photo courtesy of Maria Stenzel

After 11 years as president of Amherst College, Biddy Martin has announced that she will step down at the end of the year, although she plans to come back to teach as a professor of German and Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies.

Biddy Martin to Step Down as President Ryan Yu ’22 Editor-in-Chief President Biddy Martin announced that she will be stepping down as president of the college at the end of the 2021-2022 academic year, in an email sent to the Amherst community on Sept. 13.

The first woman to serve as Amherst’s president, Martin joined the college in June 2011, and will close out her 11th year in the position before ending her tenure. She will leave office as the longest-serving president in 50 years.

During her tenure, Martin presided over a number of transfor-

mations at the college, including an overhaul of sexual misconduct policies, the replacement of Lord Jeffery with the Mammoth as an official mascot, racial justice reforms prompted by Amherst Uprising and other student-led movements and the college’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Martin also oversaw the adoption of the Climate Action Plan, the construction of the Science Center and an increasingly diverse student and faculty body.

“I love this place, its mission, its beauty, and the people who make it so extraordinary. I love the work. And I feel at home here,” she

wrote in her Monday announcement. “Amherst students bring me tremendous joy, whether I am interacting with them at a festival, guest-teaching in a class, listening to groups or individuals in office hours, attending student concerts, poster sessions, public speaking contests, athletic events or just chatting with them at the top of Memorial Hill.”

“The end of this academic year will be the right time for me to begin my next chapter,” she added. “I look forward to writing and also to playing more, contributing to the causes that matter to me, and to a lasting relationship with many of

you.”

Before Martin came to Amherst, she was Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin—Madison for three years, and prior to that, she was Provost of Cornell University for eight years.

Martin will remain a tenured professor at Amherst in the departments of German and Sexuality, Women’s, and Gender Studies, a position she was appointed to upon her arrival to the college — although she has not yet taught a class. In her email, she noted that she “look[s] forward to returning

Continued on page 5

In an email sent on Sept. 11, Dean of Students Liz Agosto relayed to students the updated Covid protocols promised in the Aug. 24 announcement. Effective Sept. 13, students experienced three noteworthy changes: in-person dining resumed at a 30 percent capacity, permitted bounds of travel expanded to all of Hampshire County and social events are now allowed to be organized and officially registered with the Office of Student Activities.

Citing outbreaks at other colleges and universities — such as UMass Amherst and Connecticut College — the administration has decided to maintain biweekly testing and indoor mask requirements. Non-Amherst community members are not still permitted in campus buildings and there is a continued 50 percent capacity limit for all “non-class” activities.

“We are currently tracking developments at several colleges and universities, including UMass, which reported over 130 positive student cases, mostly among students who live off-campus. Many have found, through contact tracing, that their positive cases came largely from students at indoor parties and events at local bars and restaurants or on campus where attendees did not wear masks,” Agosto said.

In the message, Agosto stated

Continued on page 5

News Fresh Faculty

Sept. 6, 2021 – Sept. 12, 2021

>>September 6, 2021 6:15 p.m. Railroad Tracks A group was seen walking on the railroad tracks and they were directed off of the tracks. >> September 7, 2021 2:43 p.m. Greenway An ACPD officer took a report of a bicycle left unlocked and stolen.

11:03 p.m. Hitchcock House Officers responded to an alarm and found it was set off by a burning candle. >> September 8, 2021 11:41 a.m. Wilson Admissions Center An officer responded to an alarm and found no one in the area. >> September 9, 2021 11:43 a.m Wilson Admissions An officer responded to an alarm and found no one in the area.

>>September 11, 2021 12:16 a.m. Barrett Hall A CSO responded to a report of someone trying to access a building after hours.

There were no issues found in the area.

4:05 p.m. Charles Drew House Officers responded to an alarm and found it was set off accidentally by burnt food.

5:24 p.m. Mayo Smith A CSO responded to a report of a group gathered with loud music.

The group was advised of the complaint and reminded to adhere to Covid guidelines.

9:48 p.m. Nicholls Biondi Residential Life staff and a CSO responded to a report of a group outside playing loud music. The group was dispersed.

10:11 p.m. Morris Pratt A Community Safety Officer (CSO) responded to a call on the emergency line. There were no issues found in the area.

>> September 12, 2021 1:03 a.m. Webster Circle Residential Life staff and an officer addressed an individual not affiliated with the college and under the age of 21 in possession of alcohol.

10:40 p.m. Hitchcock House Residential Life staff requested a CSO respond to a noise complaint of a loud group.

An unauthorized party was dispersed.

9:48 p.m. Nicholls Biondi Residential Life staff and a CSO responded to a report of a group outside playing loud music. The group was dispersed.

Christine Peralta

Department of History and Sexuality, Women and Gender Studies

Christine Peralta is an assistant professor of history and sexuality, women and gender studies. She received a bachelor’s degree from St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, a master’s degree from the University of British Columbia and a doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Q: How did you become interested in history?

A: It’s kind of funny. A lot of people who talk about history say they hated their history classes, but I was a total nerd when it came to my history classes. I would like to read the textbook and go eat pho by myself while reading the textbook. I knew that the stories didn’t really reflect anything about me, but I liked the creative imagination that has to go in creating stories about people in the past. I think that’s when I first got excited about history, [realizing] its possibilities of being a storyteller, [while] being grounded in evidence that you can find out in the real world.

Q: Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say the stories did not reflect anything about you?

A: The stories were about, you know, Andrew Jackson and giving rights to people without property ownership, so it just didn’t seem very relevant to my own family’s history. What I liked about that was I kind of played informal historian for my own family, because my mom would talk a lot about my family’s migration story, and I used the principles that I was learning in those classes to ask deeper questions that I didn’t understand, and that my mom didn’t understand herself. I think that’s why I started being interested in history, is [because] the method can be empowering, regardless of if [the texts are] kind of limited or focusing on stories of dominant U.S. culture.

You can still look at that method and apply it to other stories.

Q: And is that something you seek to do in your own work?

A: Yeah, so for instance, my family has a complicated migration story.

My mom, I remember, was telling me that her great-grandfather migrated to the U.S. in the 1920s, and she didn’t understand why he didn’t bring his family with him. I was just like, well, probably because he couldn’t afford to, and [because] those passages usually were for single bachelor Filipino men. I like the way that you can take history to answer questions about things that people don’t like to talk about, or things that are old scars or wounds that families hold for a long time. I try to do that within my own work, and particularly, I think that’s why I’m interested in Asian American history. I don’t directly write about my family, but I look at ways that we can complicate how we see Asian Americans — in particular, stories that we tell.

Q: What are your current research interests?

A: Currently, I’m writing a book called “Insurgent Care.” It looks at Filipino women and the different ways that they have advocated for better community health resources. It starts in 1870 with a group of women who were critical of the Spanish Empire, of the limited resources in terms of health. And then it ends in the 1940s, post-World War II, with Filipino nurses who were also trying to establish more resources for health. The central shift of my research is, instead of thinking about how Filipinos have come to particular places like the U.S. or the U.K. and have then become nurses exported for care, I’m really looking at, what is

the history of women actually advocating to care for other Filipinos?

Q: How did you end up at Amherst?

A: I ended up at Amherst in a really interesting way, because I interviewed during the pandemic. It was really funny coming here [because] it was a very virtual space. I was offered two other jobs, and I [chose] to come here. I mostly [chose] to come here, because when I talked to the students, they just seemed really amazing and they seemed very bright. Even though I wasn’t meeting them faceto-face, certain questions that they were asking were just really smart and very perceptive. I think that was one of the major reasons why I came here.

I also did my undergraduate training at a liberal arts college, and I would definitely say that I wouldn’t have had the opportunities to learn the type of skills that made [me] successful in history training without having those opportunities to think really closely about research with your professor on a smaller scale. Also, having conversations more readily that are interdisciplinary really folded into the research that I do, which isn’t just history-oriented, but influenced by women and gender studies and ethnic studies.

Q: What is something you’re looking forward to this year?

A: I think I’m looking forward to just getting to know more of my students and my colleagues. Also, I’m looking forward to the summer, just so I can relax and maybe we won’t be in the pandemic and I can actually travel and go do research.

— Yee-Lynn Lee ’23

News 3

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

CSA Role Revision Leaves Students Confused, Concerned Ella Steciuk ’23 Staff Writer

Starting this semester, the college has established the position of Community Safety Assistants (CSA) to take the place of last year’s Community Safety Ambassadors (also, CSA) in response to student feedback of feeling overly surveilled by the Amherst College Police Department (ACPD).

The administration has not officially announced what role the new position will play in the campus experience, leaving the student body with confusion and remaining concerns.

The new position is part of the college’s attempt at acting on their promise to “adopt a new approach to public safety,” as President Biddy Martin announced in an email on May 10. While the original CSA role existed as a one-year position designed to assist with “interventions around mask-wearing and other Covid protocols,” the new Community Safety Assistants “will take on the role ACPD has done historically,” said Dean of Students Liz Agosto, in an effort to “reduce the presence of ACPD.” Community Advisors (CA) were informed of the new role in one of their pre-semester training sessions, during which they were told that CSAs would be patrolling residence halls from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day. Alarmed by this level of surveillance, CAs were concerned that the new CSAs would make students more uncomfortable and be detrimental to the overall residential experience. As information of the new role spread, students in the informal, college-wide GroupMe even expressed that the addition of the role would turn the campus into a “police state.”

In a statement to The Student, Agosto said there are a lot of “misconceptions” about the role of the new CSAs. She stated that, contrary to popular belief, CSAs will not be conducting rounds in dorms; that responsibility will be left primarily to CAs and also to Community Development Coor-

Photo courtesy of Matai Curzon ‘22

The new CSA position was established in response to concerns over ACPD presence in residence halls. dinators (CDC), who supervise CAs and other community programs. However, CSAs may go into common rooms or “respond to noise complaints.”

There will be five CSAs on campus “24 hours a day to respond” if a student “calls dispatch and needs assistance,” a responsibility that was fulfilled by armed ACPD officers before Covid.

According to CA Matthew Chun ’24, CAs were informed on Aug. 24 that “CSAs and CSOs [Community Safety Officers, who handle some patrolling affairs of the college] would be taking over much of the role of ACPD and would also be in charge of monitoring students for problematic behaviors.” The stated role of CSOs caused particular concern to CAs as “CSOs report to ACPD directly.”

Chun stated that he feels “extremely uncomfortable if grown adults I do not know enter my or

my residents’ space” and due to his past experiences with ACPD, he does “not wish anyone who reports to ACPD [to come] near [his] building whatsoever.”

Chun also said that most CAs share his concern about “the creation of a ‘police state’ on campus,” worried it will cause “discomfort, disproportionate displacement of communities of color and poor and disparate enforcement.” He also believes the presence of CSAs and CSOs in dorms would not increase safety “because unsafe actions and events will instead be moved off campus or in unenforceable locations, threatening the safety of our communities more.”

CAs were also told this dorm surveillance is “an attempt at a permanent change.” While Chun suspects the administration has other motives for these changes (i.e. shutting down parties), he states these suspicions are irrelevant: “Their motives and in-

tentions aren’t what matters, it’s their actions and policies that should be criticized.”

Agosto responded to suspicions that CSAs were installed to shut down parties, saying that “The goal has never been to shut down parties,” and they are relying on student partnership to ensure students are engaging in “safe behaviors.”

However, Agosto did say that “Safety teams’’ have “dispersed parties” that weren’t “appropriately-sized” and have ensured that students are complying with mask-wearing protocols. Agosto stated they are focusing on community safety rather than discipline in enforcing these measures, and no one, including the CSAs, is trying to get students in trouble, saying “that’s not real.”

Many members of The Union of Student Workers at Amherst College (USWAC) have expressed similar concerns. All USWAC leaders either declined

requests for comment or did not respond to requests for comment.

Last year, CDCs were responsible for responding to many student calls. However, with all students back on campus, ResLife needs to have CDCs focused on working with CAs and communities and thus don’t have as much time to be on-call, so the CSA’s will now be fulfilling that responsibility. However, Agosto stated there are times where ACPD will still respond for things related to “criminal activity or life safety”.

Agosto believes this change is an important one, saying “There is a broader conversation about the right structure for campus safety and intervention. In the meantime, there is a need for active professional response to students in need. We hear concern about armed officers and want students to feel like they can call and get good, safe responses.”

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

News 4

Changed Dining Hall Options Bring Challenges

Sophie Wolmer ’23 Managing News Editor In an effort to deter Covid at the start of Spring 2020, Valentine Dining Hall (Val) transitioned from self-serve, buffet style to to-go meals, which has presented immense challenges for students with dietary restrictions and student athletes.

Despite Val staff’s best intentions, a decreased selection, unreliable menus and protein rationing have made food an unnecessary stressor for students.

Throughout the pandemic, Dining Services has made a concerted effort to make the student dining experience as positive as possible. Director of Dining Services Joe Flueckiger said, “Over the past 18 months we have adapted to a series of changing priorities based on the safety of our community. These changes have been difficult for all of us. The adaptations, additional labor needed, increased packaging and reduction of menu items are challenges we are doing our best to manage.” Flueckiger noted that he thought that the campus dining experience during the Spring 2021 semester was a favorable one for most students on campus.

Flueckiger is regularly in contact with dining directors from Williams, Connecticut College, RISD, Wellesley, Tufts, Harvard, Middlebury, Smith, Mount Holyoke and Bowdoin to discuss present challenges and methods of improvement.

One reigning difference between Amherst and the aforementioned institutions is the cost of the college’s meal plan. For the Fall 2021 semester, the only meal plan offered is $3,700. In the past, this bought students 26 meals per week: daily breakfast, lunch and dinner and late-night dining five days per week. Due to staffing difficulties and supply chain disruptions, traditional late-night options are no longer offered. The college has begun offering a late night food truck and pizza option on Thursdays as a temporary substitution to late-night dining.

When breaks are not taken into account, students pay an average of $33 dollars per day for on-campus dining.

The hefty cost of dining at Amherst is nearly double that of the national average for undergraduates. According to the Department of Education, four-year private institutions charge about $2,800 on average — approximately $25 per day. The average daily cost when public institutions are taken into consideration,

Photo courtesy of Ryan Yu ‘22

Despite dining staff’s best efforts, the reduced options at Val have had negative consequences for many students — especially athletes with high caloric needs and those with dietary restrictions. is $18.75 day for a three-meal-a-day contract.

At Williams, students have the opportunity to choose the meal plan that best fits their needs. They can choose to designate anywhere from $902 to $3687 per semester on on-campus dining. Tufts students can select meal plans that cost anywhere from $640 to $3689 per semester.

At Val, students are offered a standardized rotating menu of two hot entrees and sides, as well as salad and snacks. The “Allergen Friendly” side and “Traditional” menu are listed before meals on the dining hall website.

The comparably hefty price tag has not been the only cost of eating at Val during the pandemic semesters several students report. At the beginning of Covid, the food selection offered by Val significantly decreased. Notably, staples such as gluten free pasta, plant-based milks, gluten-free breads and snacks, oatmeal and dairy-free cheese disappeared altogether. These foods have recently made a reappearance in the dining hall. Additionally, stations like stir fry, pasta, panini presses, waffle makers and the soft serve ice cream station were also taken away when the pandemic began.

Only the panini press has been brought back in the Fall 2021 semester.

Protein was also rationed briefly during the fall 2020 and spring 2020 semester — students were only allowed

one chicken breast or piece of fish per meal. The policy has been repealed this semester.

The changes introduced at Covid’s start were disappointing for many students who had enjoyed Val in its original form. William Snead ’23, a member of the cross country team said, “My freshman year [Fall 2019] I was pleasantly surprised by Val. I know it receives some slander, but overall I thought it generally covered all the options and tried to offer a couple of choices at every meal.”

Those with dietary restrictions were also pleasantly surprised by the numerous options offered at pre-Covid Val. Grace Geeganage ’23, who has a gluten and dairy allergy, stated, “I was very impressed with the variety of foods offered at Val when I first visited campus, particularly the ‘Allergy Haven’ section and the Lighter Side options.” Geeganage expressed that she had no troubles finding food for every meal her first year.

In spite of the dining staff’s best intentions, and concerted efforts to bring back the selection it once had, Val’s transformation has negatively impacted the student dining experience. For many athletes — who have sizable caloric needs — and those with dietary restrictions, the decrease in food supply had detrimental effects. Snead said, “Last fall, I experienced extreme weight loss and complications related to [food rationing and decreased options at Val]. I was un-

able to continue training for my sport due to Val’s rationing of food and the tiny window of time it was open, especially at the beginning of the year.”

He continued, “My experience in Fall 2020 was positively awful in regards to Val. Starting out by having limits on the amount of food you were allowed to have when it was literally the only option for us under the incredibly harsh Covid restrictions was brutal. In addition to just being a logistical nightmare, I think the take-out only operation Val [was previously running on] can be unnecessarily taxing on our psyche.”

“Eating out of a little green box that you have to carry outside with a million salt, hot sauce [and] mustard packets can kind of weigh on you when you do that for every meal,” Snead admitted.

Geeganage ultimately decided not to return to campus in Fall 2020 because the dining hall was unable to support her needs. “As soon as we found out we were being sent home, Val started limiting the variety of foods served, which also limited my ability to find things to eat. In Fall 2020, I decided not to come to campus because Val was not going to have what I needed and I wouldn’t have been able to leave campus to go to Target or get takeout instead.”

In the spring, Geeganage was on campus — getting adequate nutrition was still an undue burden. “Food was a constant stressor because there were

days when I couldn’t eat the meals served. I ended up making my own food a few times a week because the Val meals didn’t fit my dietary restrictions,” she said.

Students and athletes who have nutritional concerns are encouraged to contact Student Accessibility Services to determine appropriate accommodations. Those who do reach out used to be directed to the school’s nutritionist. The school’s nutritionist left the college in the summer, and the position is presently unfilled. For the time being, students are directed to the ACNutrition online software.

Though Dining Services is doing its best to “satisfy and delight students with healthy, amazing food prepared with care,” in the words of Flueckiger, students note that there is still room for improvement.

“I think offering more options than just traditional or allergen friendly (such as a pasta or pizza bar) would be great,” Snead said.

Geeganage also noted that the biggest alteration she would like to see is that the posted menu matches what is actually in Val. Geeganage expressed that she “would appreciate more desserts that are free from the top eight allergens” and “would like to have the Lighter Side chicken available for both lunch and dinner” because that is her source of protein for most meals.

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

News 5

Amherst College Begins Searching for Next President Continued from page 1 after a sabbatical year so [she can teach].”

Reactions Around Amherst While many students are sad to see Martin leave, a large number of them felt like the decision was inevitable. “It feels like it was a long time coming, especially considering how they said she was one of the longest-serving presidents here,” said Angel Musyimi ’23.

“She’s definitely going to leave behind a legacy.”

Several students also expressed ambivalence about the state in which Martin is leaving the college. “She probably has a lot of different interests to manage, and I’m sure she did the best that she could,” said Josue Sanchez Hernandez ’22. “But sometimes I wish she would’ve been more forceful, progressive or open about her own opinions. There’s always been a lack of transparency.”

Musyimi pointed to anti-racism and climate action as two areas where she wished Martin had done more, “She was a nice person, but

she executed a lot of policies poorly,” Musyimi noted. “She wasn’t the most action-driven president. She took a lot of symbolic actions rather than concrete actions.”

Faculty and staff members largely expressed appreciation for Martin’s time at Amherst and her leadership style. At a pair of farewell town halls on Monday evening and Tuesday morning, dozens of community members — mostly faculty and staff — logged onto Zoom to express thanks and to give well-wishes to Martin in her next steps.

“Such bittersweet news. Biddy is one of the great college presidents and it has been an honor to work with her,” tweeted Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Matt McGann. “She deserves an awesome retirement.”

The Search for a New President Shortly after she made her announcement, Chair of the Board of Trustees Andrew Nussbaum ’85 lauded Martin for her work as president, and announced that the board will soon begin its search for the next president.

Photo courtesy of University of Wisconsin - Madison

In addition to her role as president of the college, Biddy Martin has also established a strong on-campus reputation as a baller.

“We approach this search from a position of wonderful strengths.

The committee to be established by the board will include trustees and members of the faculty, staff and student body, each selected by their peers. As in the past, all members of the community will have an opportunity for input,” Nussbaum wrote. “If we end up even close to

the success of that Feb. 2011 visit with Biddy Martin, Amherst will be fortunate, indeed, in the years to come.”

The previous presidential search committee that hired Martin consisted of 16 members, including at least five members of the Board of Trustees, three faculty members, two staff members,

two alumni and two students. The faculty, staff, alumni and student representatives were all elected by their respective constituency groups.

In her Monday town hall, Martin said that she expects the composition of the search committee to be similar to what it was during her hiring.

Excitement Across Campus for Updated Covid Restrictions Continued from page 1 that the college is not restricting travel over fall break, but strongly encourages students to remain on campus. Students who choose to travel will be subject to a “re-entry testing” procedure and therefore must schedule their Covid test in advance of their first class.

Acknowledging the current reality of the college — that it received three positive student cases from Sept. 10 to Sept. 12 but reports no massive outbreaks — Agosto wrote, “We now have positive cases. Based on what we see virtually everywhere, we anticipate more during the semester.

The trajectory of the rest of the semester depends on having all of us make choices that reduce risk and allow us to continue to show up and support in-person education and residential experiences.”

In her closing remarks, Agosto implored students to “keep our community as safe as possible” so that the college can “continue to offer … in person classroom and community experiences.”

Students reported that the update did not make any significant changes to the Covid restrictions, but was largely along the lines of what they expected. Many expressed being the most pleased by Val reopening, even at limited capacity. “I’m glad Val is reopening,” said Caden Stockwell ’25. “Right now the weather is very nice, which is good, but all the wasps and bugs make it a lot harder to eat, [so] I’m glad there’s going to be some level of ability to eat inside.”

Several students noted that the expansion of the travel boundary to Hampshire County did not have much of an effect in practice, as

the college had never been able to enforce that restriction anyway. “I already know people who are going further than Hampshire County, so I really don’t think that, on the student population as a whole, [easing travel restrictions] has had that much effect,” said a student who requested to remain anonymous, who will be referred to as Student A. “People are still traveling if they want to travel, but doing it in pretty safe ways.”

Matthew McShane ’22 found it frustrating that the email was not transparent about how the Covid situation on campus corresponds with the level of restrictions that are implemented. “It’s still pretty unclear what the path forward looks like, like in a way it seems a little arbitrary,” he said. “I don’t really know where they came up with ideas of, you know, the case numbers mean that here’s what

we’re going to do — it’s not entirely clear where the rationale comes from.”

McShane added that it would help if the administration communicated the conditions under which students could expect restrictions to loosen up moving forward. “If there’s some sort of idea of a roadmap forward — like, what does Covid have to look like for Val to be open at 75 percent capacity or something like that — I think that’s going to incentivize people to take the rules as seriously as possible.”

Student A felt that the continuing strictness of the restrictions are not in line with less Covid-safe events that the college has allowed.

“In one moment, everyone has to double-mask when inside or wear KN95’s, but then in other times, the administration is hosting huge events on Val quad, where no one’s

masked,” they said. “I’m happy that [these events] are happening — I just wish the administration was on the whole more consistent with the message that they’re sending to the student population, because what they’re lax and what they’re strict about sometimes feels contradictory and confusing.”

Overall, though, students were glad that the college is taking precautions to safeguard the possibility of having an in-person semester. “My main concern is that I just really want Covid cases to stay at a low level so that we can continue being on campus and having classes in person,” said Stockwell. “So I’m actually pretty happy with the protocols they’ve put in place.”

“I think almost everyone wants to be back at the college,” added McShane. “With the current restrictions, I think it’s perfectly safe to be on campus.”

News 6

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

AAS Candidate Statements For the 2021 - 2022 Elections The Association of Amherst Students (AAS) will hold elections for AAS Senators in each grade and transfer students from Thursday, Sept. 19, 12:00 a.m. ET to 11:59 p.m. ET. The students below have announced their candidacies for these elections. Students who are interested in hearing from these candidates or are interested in running but were unable to submit a candidate statement, should attend Speech Night on Wednesday, Sept. 15, at 7:30 p.m. ET.

All candidates are listed by position, then alphabetically by last name. If the statements end abruptly, it is because they have been cut off to fit the 100-word limit.

Class of 2024 Taha Ahmad We need to reallocate some funding towards the various student clubs and affinity groups that are so integral to the Amherst experience and community. These are the supportive safe spaces where we make friends and have fun. I will make sure to increase the funding of our clubs. Also, for those of us who were previously on campus, I am sure that we all miss the “Late Night” dining options. I vow to fight for the return of Late Night dining, and for it to be every night of the week.

And most importantly, you are all aware that the college will start having CSA’s patrol our halls soon.

I feel that this is a gross and unnecessary encroachment upon our personal living spaces. I will fight to reverse this decision. These are a small sample of my ideas. As a representative, my positions depend upon your input. Make your voices heard. Vote Taha Ahmad, a member of the class of 2024, for Senate.

Class of 2025 Michael Bai Hey everyone! I’m Michael, a freshman from Sydney, Australia. As an international student, I’ve faced many unique challenges in my transition to Amherst. From having to sleep on the floor the first night I was here (true story!), to fatigue and jet lag from a 20-hour flight, I’ve recognised the importance of mental health in a new country.

Having loved my experience as a

prefect during high school, I believe I have a unique voice for international students and would love to make a positive impact on campus through initiatives like introducing International and Asian Student Support Groups in the Counseling Center.

Hannah Dimas I cannot wait to work for you, and promote your ideas to improve our lives on the Quad. I want to lead our class to a successful and fun first year. I hope to work with our class Senators to hold a Class of 2025 Forum so we can share our ideas and begin making suggested improvements. I would also like to allocate some of our student activities funds to bring coffee and treats from two local businesses: STARBUCKS and DUNKIN. Vote Hannah Dimas: the right choice for a voice!

Isaiah Doble Hello everyone! My name is Isaiah (you might also know me from my excessive Chloe Ting workout stories on Instagram). My reason for running for Amherst Senate relates to my own background. Growing up LGBTQ+ in a heteronormative community, I understand what it’s like to feel deprived of representation and voice. As a senator, my goal is to ensure that no student here experiences that. My primary goal is not to pursue my own agenda, but rather be an accessible vehicle to the change that every one of you wants to see - I’m already ecstatic about the ideas that you’ve provided me on my petition! Thank you, and I hope I will have the privilege of representing you.

Hannah Kim As Senator, I want to enrich the student community by encouraging each of us to take action and lead with the same heart that drove us to become the strong individuals we are today. I ask to hold hands and lead this grade together. We can support ourselves and each other with a bond that I am positive will strengthen us all. The distance between us is a story, but so is our proximity. I invite you to exchange stories with one another, and I hope by the end, we’ll each be one step

closer to one other. Thank you.

Josh Kim Hi! My name is Josh Kim, and I am running to be a senator for the 2025 class. The past year, instead of lockers and hallways, we were confined to the chairs of homes and workplaces. The experiences of COVID isolation have shown us how urgently we need to rebuild the campus communities we came to expect from Amherst - our collective collegiate experience depends on it. We must reinforce a student body and administration that ensures that people from all backgrounds can come together and form organic spaces that allow us to experience the best four years of our lives.

Min Ji Kim I’m not promising perfection, nor expecting it. All I know is that from the moment I accepted my spot at Amherst, to now, 3 weeks into my first year, I have fallen in love with the people and the campus. As a senator, I will strive to become a person that will hear all the voices and critiques of our class. As a low income student as well, I want to be able to create a system in which FG/LI kids can have direct access and communication with the financial aid office.

Gent Malushaga Hello, my name is Gent Malushaga, I’m a first-year from Larchmont, New York, and I’m running for Student Senate because I’m a versatile member of the student body who will be able to effectively represent the wants and needs of my classmates. I served on my high school’s student government for four years. My senior year, as student body president, I worked closely with my school’s administration, organizing unique, pandemic-friendly events and initiatives to foster a positive social culture during a year characterized by isolation. I look forward to bringing that same passion for bettering the lives of my peers to Amherst. Thanks.

Shreya Susan Mathew Adjusting to college during these

Photo courtesy of Matai Curzon ‘22v

The Association of Amherst Students is holding online elections for AAS Senators on Thursday, Sept. 19. unprecedented times may be difficult, but how can we, how can I, as a freshman Senator enhance our daily Amherst experience? 1.

Book Share System - a formal platform where upperclassmen and other students can exchange textbooks. 2. Coffee Machines in every dorm - no more unnecessary walking to Val for your morning espresso shot 3. Bike-sharing - reevaluate the system and improve inclusivity by incorporating women’s bikes too. This is just the beginning. I want to know about the problems and challenges you face, your opinions and suggestions so that we can build a more inclusive and collaborative community. #heretohear

2025. I am running on a number of policies: the first is food: the college should be doing all it can to ensure students are eating well and regularly. I am for longer breakfast hours on the weekends and free meals that are available at all hours. I also believe that all students — and at the least students with greater financial need — should have Amazon prime covered by the college, especially due to precautions related to COVID-19. Lastly, for community enrichment, I believe the college should sponsor an annual speaker series and mid-year orientation to strengthen the community.

Graham Quigley Hello, my name is Graham Quigley and I am running to be one of the Amherst Class of 2025 Students Senators. If given the chance to serve the class of 2025, I would work tirelessly to promote greater equity and transparency amongst student organizations and increase accountability for the administration. Specifically, I will fight to extend late night accessibility to Frost and dining, push for free access to women’s hygiene products in all bathrooms, and demand that official club sport practices and games are allowed to proceed.

Phil Slaughter I am Phil Slaughter from Charlotte, North Carolina. I was interested in running for student senate in order to be an advocate for events that promote social well being, and community mental health in the wake of many of the restrictions we face on campus. I would love to work with other members in order to provide students with fun events and opportunities to bond with other members of the community while keeping the herd safe. I hope that these events could help at times when students can feel isolated and alone, as well they could be used to help everyone feel closer to one another.

Jaden Richards My name is Jaden Richards and I am a member of the class of

There are no candidates filed for the Transfer Students and Judiciary Council positions.

Op pinion

w

Size Matters “Over enrollment appears to be a pressing problem: a lot of hassled students have reported being unable to get into classes required for their major; many professors and departments seem to be stretching themselves beyond their capacity to accommodate the overwhelming demand from the student body.” While this seems like it could have been said yesterday by anybody witnessing the chaos on campus, it is actually an opening line from The Student’s editorial on Feb. 7, 2012. The clear parallels between student concerns now and then speak to the college’s lack of foresight in generating yet another over-enrollment fiasco.

Unfortunately, the enrollment chaos to which President Biddy Martin arrived in the 2011-2012 academic year will remain after she is gone. But a single person, or even a single administration, is not wholly to blame for the mess we find ourselves in. Instead, Amherst as an institution is responsible for routinely neglecting to invest in this college’s infrastructure — whether that be housing, dining or faculty and staff — while repeatedly expanding the student body in ways it can’t accommodate.

Year after year, we see statistics pointing to the largest class in our college’s history — until the next year, of course — with no adequate increase in the support of housing for students or new staff and faculty hires. Classes are overenrolled, staff are overworked and many a student can tell you about the dreadful experience that they or a friend had living in a forced triple for a year. This year, we can add many more students to that sorry list.

Not only is the situation deeply frustrating, but it simply doesn’t make sense that we’ve managed to uphold this unhappy tradition when clear solutions are available. Why didn’t the college, like our dear rival Williams, opt to admit fewer students in order to address the high number of pandemic-gap year students coming back to campus this semester? Or, if that option was not on the table, why didn’t they prepare the college for its higher number of students before we got here? Setting up more dining locations, hiring more faculty and lecturers and expanding the administrative offices would each go a little way to addressing the many issues of over-enrollment — all could have been accomplished before students even set foot on campus. They just require a little bit of spending, certainly nothing the college can’t afford.

Instead, students have reported trouble getting into the classes they want, even including some introductory courses mandatory for their majors.

Professors have complained that their courses are overenrolled and overcrowded — not traits anyone would like for their first in-person courses of the

pandemic. The college has inadvertently sacrificed its prized low average class size on the altar of its evenmore-prized endowment.

One might suggest that professors could teach more courses with fewer students in each course, but that seems unfair to an already overworked faculty — especially when much of the faculty is already on sabbatical. The much clearer and more ethical solution is to just hire more faculty. Academia is a notoriously competitive field and we have no doubt that there are multitudes of qualified scholars who would graciously accept work at the college. An expanding student body should be met with an expanded faculty.

One of the most unique things about Amherst College is its open curriculum. Students are able to choose all of their own courses without any general requirements, meaning they can experiment with things they’ve never tried before — some have even triple majored. For many of us, the flexibility afforded by the open curriculum is what first drew us to the college, and may be responsible for our being here now. Unfortunately, this semester, students — many of whom have never had an in-person college course ­— have been unable to take advantage of that flexibility as professors (understandably) give preference to majors over those who want to try new things.

In fact, taking advantage of many of the college’s unique offerings — the Counseling Center, the Loeb Center or even just faculty office hours — has become more difficult and more constrained, robbing the many students who have never experienced a pandemic-free semester at the college of yet another normal semester. At this point, it’s likely too late to give that semester back, but we can certainly start planning for the future.

The college should invest in more on-campus resources, more faculty, more staff, and yes, more housing. Though it could be argued (and certainly has been) that these measures are unnecessary because over-enrollment is a short-term problem, our history tells a different story. It shows a college that has consistently pursued expansion — small enough to work, but too large to work well. We should acknowledge the problems this has caused and, more importantly, their frequency, and invest the resources necessary to solve them.

It’s time to build a bigger Amherst, we already have the student body to fill it.

Unsigned editorials represent the views of the majority of the Editorial Board — (assenting: 10; dissenting: 0; abstaining: 5).

THE AMHERST

STUDENT E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editors-in-Chief Ryan Yu Rebecca Picciotto Managing News Sophie Wolmer Yee-Lynn Lee Managing Opinion Scott Brasesco Skye Wu Managing Arts and Living Theodore Hamilton Brooke Hoffman Alex Brandfonbrener Managing Sports Ethan Samuels Liza Katz Liam Archacki Managing Design Anna Smith S TA F F Publishers Emmy Sohn Digital Director Sawyer Pollard Social Media Manager Emi Eliason

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The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

Opinion 8

Seeing Double: Seizing the Silver Lining Thomas Brodey ’22 Columnist The global effort to stop climate change is not going well. Despite numerous international agreements, CO2 emissions continue to rise.

Already, wildfires ravage our forests and hurricanes pummel the coastline. Scientists predict disappearing ice caps, rising sea levels and temperature increases of three to five degrees Fahrenheit within the next few decades.

Given all the dire news, preventative measures like reducing carbon emissions are no longer sufficient.

Many governments have begun the task of adapting to the inevitable effects of climate change. We will need seawalls, disaster relief and other measures if we are to deal with the changing world in which we already live.

With all this talk about mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, commentators and leaders tend to miss one point: not all of the effects of climate change will be bad. Any event as universal and significant as climate change will inevitably bring positive effects, even if the net outcome is overwhelmingly negative. If we are to cope with the challenges brought on by climate change, we must anticipate the positive changes as well as the negative.

Take the state of Massachusetts. Over the last sixty years, millions of Americans have moved to the warm climate of the sun belt, largely at the expense of cold regions like Massachusetts. As temperatures rise and the sun belt scorches, Massachusetts will become a far more appealing location, and will attract businesses and people. If we anticipate these new arrivals by building new houses, easing relocation rules and improving our in-

frastructure, Massachusetts can smooth the transition of relocation, and even benefit from the influx of arrivals.

Similarly, we should start expanding agriculture in the northern United States. Climatologists predict that climate change will benefit agriculture in colder regions by expanding the range of certain crops, and lengthening the growing season. Higher CO2 levels are also having a positive effect on plant growth. Climate change as a whole will likely be bad for global agriculture, but that makes it all the more important that we tap into the new opportunities it offers.

Preparing for the positive byproducts of climate change even involves adjusting medical priorities. In the U.S., about 10 percent more people die each day in the winter compared with the summer, largely because conditions like influenza and heart disease kill far more people in the cold months than in the warm. With global warming, it is likely that we will see fewer cases. Doctors should start shifting training and equipment to deal with more summer-related afflictions like malaria.

Other potential benefits include the opening of sea routes through the arctic and a reduction in overall energy use, since home heating uses four times as much energy as air conditioning. All of these changes have the potential to dramatically improve the way we live our lives, but only if we adequately prepare ourselves to utilize them.

All of this is not to say that preventative measures aren’t also important — they are vital. But if past experience is anything to judge by, we will have to wait decades before even the most ambitious preventative efforts can curb climate change itself.

Climate change activists

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Longer growing seasons for certain crops in colder areas are one of the potential byproducts of climate change that we can take advantage of. have understandably downplayed the positive effects of climate change. Why focus on small positives when the negatives are so much greater? When the BBC listed several positive effects of climate change on its website this July, it faced a firestorm of criticism. Yet it is entirely possible to argue that climate change is an enormous danger while also acknowledging its potential positives. In fact, the severity of climate change makes tapping into its positives all the more important: we need all the advantages we can get.

Amherst College is one of the many institutions to lack a realistic approach to climate change. While our Climate Action Plan includes the commendable goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2030, it does not provide any guidance for how to cope with the inevitable effects of climate change as they arrive.

The fact that not all dorms

have air conditioning is one obvious problem, as is the fact that climate change will reshape the Book and Plow Farm. Amherst can also anticipate the bright side of climate change, by preparing for more applicants and adjusting its farming practices to take advantage of the longer growing season.

Acknowledging the positive effects of climate change will have other advantages.

Right now, many Americans are unwilling to take action on climate change because they see action as wasteful and destructive. In one speech, former President Donald Trump described the Paris Accord as a “self-inflicted major economic wound.”

So long as activists advocate for purely preventative action, their proposals seem unappealing. After all, in the best-case scenario, most preventative measures only maintain the status quo.

If activists also acknowl-

edge the ways particular areas and groups might benefit from climate change, self-interest might motivate people to take more active measures as they anticipate climate change. Positive messages are far more inspirational than negative ones.

The pandemic has taught the world that sometimes, it’s not just enough to prevent disaster — you also have to make the most of it when it occurs. No one would have ever chosen to take classes remotely because of a global pandemic, but many students have done their best to capitalize on it by helping their local communities, traveling or starting new hobbies.

We all try to make the best of imperfect circumstances. Amid all the doom and gloom about climate change, it’s important to remember that no change is entirely bad and disregarding the silver lining just makes the whole world darker.

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

Opinion 9

Rewriting the Legality of Outer Space Tylar Matsuo ’24 Contributing Writer Tonight, sometime after 8 p.m., the SpaceX Inspiration4 will become the first all-civilian mission to orbit the Earth. Orbiting for three days at a maximum altitude of 360 miles, the four-member crew will far outperform the brief voyages achieved

by Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin earlier this year. Amid this, however, the mission will doubtlessly raise further questions about the future of spaceflight and the legal nature of space expedition itself.

Outer space remains subject to relative anarchy. The primary existent treaty governing space flight, the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, is so outdated that it essentially makes contemporary space a blank slate onto which existent societal norms and regulations may be copied, rewritten or discarded entirely. Demonstrating the stark discrepancy between terrestrial and extraterrestrial legal frameworks, the International Space Station represents a cooperative,

borderless effort between often rivaling powers, hosting scientists and civilians from a plethora of countries.

Additionally, NASA satellites broadcast data for free use by interested parties around the world. The rise of commercial space flight, however, has advanced already existent challenges to this framework of sparse government.

Paris Marx recently argued in Jacobin that the visions of Bezos and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk are exploitative and dystopian. Marx highlights the anti-union, privileged positions held by the two centibillionaires and accuses them of seeking “the present as it exists today, projected, one hundred years from now,” cementing exploitative capitalistic structures into the future of extraterrestrial law.

Marx accuses Musk in particular of pursuing a system of indentured servitude, in which Martian colonists toil under high levels of debt from the cost of a rocket ticket. This vision is made particularly alarming by the open, unlitigated nature of outer space — a giant lump of clay for billionaires to mold.

Love at First Bite

Billionaires must not be permitted to reshape the entire future of our species. Although Inspiration4 might have a charitable aim, it serves as a stark reminder that we are almost out of time to decide on a future for the cosmos before those with the most financial power do it in our place. Unfortunately, this will prove a complicated process; if we intend to advance space as a borderless forum for everyone, then the citizens of smaller countries (including those without access to space programs) must be at the table.

We also cannot simply copy and paste existent legal structures onto the extraterrestrial environment.

To do so would ignore the very real differences between Earth and outer space. On Earth, we do not need to establish a right to 1G of gravitational force, nor the right to a sufficient protection from cosmic radiation, nor do we need to create and regulate expensive infrastructure to provide these things. And we seldom need to worry about entire cities (space stations) getting up and moving to a new location, either. Space is hostile

and fluid and will require an entirely new set of legal doctrines to regulate.

Even maritime law, often presented as an appropriate framework for extraterrestrial legal systems, would require a considerable amount of adaptation to apply to space.

The project of crafting a just, equitable outer space will fall on our generation, and it is a task that we must not leave to billionaires alone.

One of the first and perhaps easiest steps we can take towards this is simply not handing multi-billion dollar bailouts to massive space corporations like Blue Origin. Subsequently, it will be our national imperative to determine how our time and resources should be spent instead. Financing cosmopolitan missions like the aforementioned NASA satellite data sharing programs would be a good start, but we must also make real, meaningful commitments to an accountable extraterrestrial legal system. That can not be done by any one group alone.

To be truly equitable, the laws governing outer space must be the product of cross-border involve-

ment, with participation from the citizens of all nations. This will require national and international conversations, and eventually the passage of new, enforceable treaties.

Reaching this objective will be a difficult process, but one that is necessary to the future of humanity in outer space.

As college students, the governance of outer space hardly feels like something we can influence. There is some truth to that: this issue is larger than any of us, our college, or even our countries. Nonetheless, by placing electoral pressure on our national politicians, we can shift budgetary allocations and promote internationalist policies. Perhaps even more importantly, through the simple act of talking about outer space, and, crucially, claiming its legal future as ours to shape, we deny the likes of Bezos, Branson and Musk the ability to buy out the international dialogue to their own ends. Only through a complacent populace can billionaires aristocratize outer space; whether or not they succeed in obtaining that complacence is up to us.

by Isaac Streiff ’24

Opinion 10

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

Welcome to Amherst! | Crossword ACROSS

1 Master of Secrets and Lies 6 89.3FM 10 Do a snow job?

14 A Molière play, also known as “the School of Lies” 15 Annual Amherst almanac 16 Island state, without repeated vowels 17 Bending, to Bohr 19 Club fees 20 Residents of Tenochtitlan 21 New Zealand parrot 23 “Thanks, but I’m good” 24 Actor, in short 27 Our illustrious president 29 3, 4 or 5 strokes, often 32 ’26; Pioneered blood banking 35 Touch, Shuffle and Nano, e.g.

37 Close links 38 Noodles in Nagano 39 “Heart and Soul” 80s pop group 40 “Amazing Grace,” e.g.

41 Members of ACEMS 42 Relinquish control over 43 City in “La Peste” 44 “Because I could not stop for ____” 45 ’94; Chief Justice 48 Woody or Buzz Lightyear, say 49 A statue of him stands where two roads diverge 50 Accurate former law?

52 Night-flier 53 Slippery one with a steely middle?

56 Rummy cocktail 60 Depend on lyre being moved?

62 Massacred when the Fire Nation attacked 65 “Angelus Novus” artist, Paul ____ 66 Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 opus, “The ____” 67 “SNL” and “Single Parents” alum Killam 68 Some Nikons, for short 69 Westeros Northerner Jon ____ 70 Feature of an op-ed

DOWN

1 Lee, the Queen of Desserts 2 Have, in Le Havre 3 Crude watercraft

Ryan Yu ’22 Editor-in-Chief 4 Stop, to Stéphane 5 What Profs. Kaplan, Rager and Spector do 6 What, in northern England 7 Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee 8 Ferret’s furry relative 9 ’98; President of Moderna 10 What most professors have, probably 11 Coin-op business

12 Some students’ relationship to Sallie Mae 13 Insipid, vapid 18 Hungarian Olympic swimmer László 22 They may be ripped with effort 25 Fabled strays in the woods 26 Ape an archbishop?

28 “I never thought ____ the day!”

29 Farmer’s tridents 30 Seem like a spring?

31 Tarmac flattener 33 “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” singer 34 Double curve 36 Affairs of honor 40 Alternative to “Sugar” 44 Pours off, as pinot noir 46 What Seven did to Nine 47 “Call Me By Your ____”

51 Spotify alternative, with Lemonade 54 Good listeners?

55 Four-legged “king” 57 Mega-mega, as seen before bytes 58 67 Across, if you drop the T 59 “____ it romantic?”

61 Is the Pope Catholic?

63 Little friend of Winnie the Pooh

Arts & Living 11

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

“Staged”: A Zoom Show Defies Performance Convention

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Photo courtesy of Cakemania.it

“Staged” follows the production of a Zoom play and is itself recorded on Zoom, embracing a meta-framework at the height of the pandemic.

Kaelyn Milby ’22 Staff Writer When Covid sent the world into lockdown, many television shows and movies halted their filming schedules to comply with government restrictions and stop the spread of the virus on sets.

But two actors, David Tennant and Michael Sheen, with the help of director Simon Evans, found a way around all that: they filmed a show over Zoom.

“Staged” follows Tennant and Sheen both playing themselves, or rather versions of themselves.

Sheen plays himself as a slightly grumpy actor who is indignant at the thought of ever being the second choice for a role. Tennant plays a sometimes useless and restless father of five who cannot cook, alongside his wife, Georgia Tennant (played by herself). Simon Evans plays a scared, spineless director in an uncertain living situation, desperate to make the play work despite constant bickering between his two lead.

The first season of “Staged” is as entertaining as a show filmed over Zoom could be. The absurdity of making an entire show over Zoom lends itself to comedy very well and makes the show even

more relatable during the pandemic.

Because the show is filmed almost entirely over Zoom, there is little opportunity for physical humor. As a result, the show is almost entirely reliant upon the comedic dynamic of its two leads.

Sheen and Tennant are brilliant together. The two have such obvious chemistry that it would come as no shock if they were best friends in real life.

Watching other actors’ incessant arguing may prove tiresome but Sheen and Tennant’s clever back and forth remains hilarious and believable. Sheen tends to play the overzealous, quickto-anger, uncooperative but still very charming counterpart to Tennant’s equally charming, often clueless character. Their director, Evans, who Sheen correctly describes as “weaselly,” tries ineffectively to mediate between the two as tensions mount. The trio’s chemistry is endearing.

Despite the obvious limitations of having little more than a computer screen for a set, there is plenty of opportunity for situational comedy. One of the best moments in the season is when Tennant, who thinks he is alone on a call with Samuel Jackson

(who was originally supposed to have Sheen’s role in the play), bashes Sheen who, as it happens, is also on the call. Tennant then calls Sheen to apologize and rants about how Jackson is unimaginative and disconnected from

reality. Jackson is, of course, still on Zoom with Sheen and hears everything. “I should have seen that coming shouldn’t I?” Tennant asks when he realizes his mistake.

“Yes, motherfucker, you should have!” Jackson yells. Meanwhile, Sheen reveals that he was caught offloading the wine bottles from his excessive drinking into his octogenarian neighbor’s recycling bins and is now being blackmailed by said neighbor into doing her grocery shopping. And in a later episode, Evans brings in none other than Judi Dench to curse at Sheen and Tennant to get them backon track during another of their distracted squabbles.

And while the star power of its guest actors and the chemistry of the two leads may carry much of the show, it should be noted that the writing is also fantastic. The dialogue is funny in every episode and there are several running jokes that are effortlessly continued throughout the show. Some of the best jokes are in the credits: after one episode in which Sheen and Tennant get into a heated argument, the credits list the actors as “Miche-

al Sheen” and “That F#!king Liar David Tennant”.

But there are still moments of gravitas like when Sheen’s girlfriend Anna Lundberg (played by herself), Tennant and his wife Georgia all gather over Zoom to comfort Sheen as he makes a worried phone call to the hospital to inquire about his blackmailing neighbor who has been taken out on a stretcher. And there are other heartwarming moments between Evans and his sister (who takes him in while she is going through a break-up) and Tennant and Georgia (most touchingly when he says a simple but resonant ‘thank you’ to her after a long day).

Every actor in the show manages to showcase their talents despite the lack of a traditional set or even a camera. It’s an interesting experiment that produced wonderful results. After the past 18 months, it’s good to find even the smallest silver linings. And “Staged” is definitely a silver lining. “Staged” is currently available on Hulu or Kanopy, which students can access through their Amherst accounts.

Photo courtesy of Cakemania.it

A charismatic duo, Tennant and Sheen captivate audiences, playing themsleves and starring alongside their real-life significant others.

Arts & Living 12

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

“Annette”: A Rock Opera That Suspends Disbelief

Photo courtesy of Blogspot.com

“Annette” embraces the ambiguous theatricality of the stage, while boasting stunning visual that could only be on film.

Miles Garcia ’25 Contributing Writer In any piece of theater, there exists an implied suspension of disbelief. No matter how detailed the sets are or how well the costumes are designed, theatre requires a certain degree of buy-in from the audience. For instance, the audience imagines that a mechanical lion costume is a real lion, despite being able to see it for what it really is: an act.

But film is a different medium altogether. When you watch a movie, your brain often doesn’t need to fill in the gaps. What you see is what you get. If something doesn’t look like a living, breathing lion, it isn’t a lion, at least according to today’s standards. On stage, a person might be able to produce some specific hand gestures and body language that gives you an idea of their objective, character and environment. That same luxury is not supplied in cinema — movie watchers expect the film to convince them of its reality.

Director Leos Carax’s new musical movie “Annette” — his first feature film since “Holy Motors” in 2012 — toes the line between the-

atre and cinema, making its reality sometimes difficult to discern.

The plot follows stand-up comedian Henry McHenry (Adam Driver) as he falls in love and has a child with an opera singer, Ann Desfranoux (Marion Cotillard).

The premise is simple, but the film’s presentation as a theatrical rock opera opens up many more thematic possibilities than meets the eye. The elaborate set design and visual effects portray a world that may not be as real as cinema always seems to us. This isn’t your average musical movie. When audience members attending Henry’s comedy show shout scripted lines back at him while he tells his jokes, you realize that everyone in the world of “Annette” is a performer in one way or another.

At times, the film feels like it would be better suited for the stage than the screen. That’s not a criticism; in fact, Carax himself seems acutely aware of this. His directing style adds a heightened sense of fantasy to the story. For example, Henry and Ann’s child Annette is inexplicably shown as a wooden doll, and every environment on screen appears so cleanly staged that I couldn’t picture any real peo-

ple living there.

Yet every aspect of the film’s design is fully realized, with a tactile feel. The contrast between this film’s tangible textures and its fantastical elements lends an uncanny atmosphere to the whole affair. It’s as if we’ve stepped directly into the material universe of musical theatre.

While the abstract nature of “Annette” may get tedious for some viewers, the film impresses on all fronts, giving everyone something to love. The music, lyrics and script were all created by brothers Ron Mael and Russell Mael, better known as the musical duo Sparks. If you’ve listened to any of their other music, you know that it’s not just Leos Carax doing the heavy lifting in terms of theatricality. Every song is fierce, eccentric and grandiose. The lyrics tell the story in a simplistic way, with expository verses and repetitive choruses. This approach can make the 140-minute run time of “Annette” drag that much more as characters repeat information we already know or indicate a predictable turn of the story to come.

However, the awe-inspiring visuals and flamboyant instrumenta-

tion coalesce to produce a uniquely melodramatic flair. During many of the extended musical passages, the camera will glide across the sets in magnificent, satisfying long takes that capture emotions in full force. The opening number has some of the highest, most cathartic energy you’ll see in a film this year. It follows the main actors, director, screenwriters and a children’s chorus on a triumphant walk through the city as they sing towards the audience, breaking the fourth wall and getting us involved in the action right away.

But the strong emotions of the film wouldn’t be as impactful without its performers. Marion Cotillard is timid yet explosive when she needs to be. She’s the kind of actress who can simply sit still and breathe to make a scene intensify.

Adam Driver’s depraved stand-up comic couples the fury of Kylo Ren in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” with the existential edge of a Bo Burnham special. By the film’s end, the strong forces of his acting deteriorate, until he’s portraying a man who’s truly broken. Simon Helberg, best known as Howard Wolowitz in “The Big Bang Theory,” also makes an appearance as

Ann’s conductor. He embodies the role well enough to make you forget about quirky Howard.

For all of its high effort and talent, I can’t help but wonder what exactly I should take away from the film, what it’s really about.

Should we take its theatrics at face value as we would a piece performed on stage? Or does the contrast between textured reality and blatant fantasy point to something deeper?

After the initial reaction to the film’s idiosyncratic decor, “Annette’s” laborious and pretentious wanderings felt tiresome. Whether they’re meant to be pretentious or they’re simply another display of the distortions of fiction, I couldn’t say for sure. If the film is a critique, what is it critiquing? Fame? Celebrity? Greed? Ambition? It’s difficult to find a reason floating in the madness of “Annette.”

Though the film wades in familiar territory of surrealism (“Birdman,” anyone?), I can’t call it unoriginal. The experience alone is something to behold. Regardless of whether you enjoy the film by the end, I think you’d be hard pressed to say there’s anything like it.

Arts & Living 13

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

McDonald’s and Manga and Movies and Music... Oh My!

The summer of 2021 was a weird one. With widespread reopenings, Amherst students enjoyed more freedom to return to the activities and hobbies they love. But with the arrival of Covid’s Delta variant, many chose to continue to take pandemic precautions, opting to stay at home and enjoy arts and entertainment from their couches. We’ve asked our writers and editors to share what pieces of media they were obsessed with this summer: films, TV shows, albums and whatever else they were drawn to.

This summer I had a blast exploring the music of Bruce Springsteen and the Talking Heads. I think “Born to Run” and “Stop Making Sense” will go down as two of my all-time favorite albums. I had them on repeat all summer. I was also blown away by “The Wire,” one of the most powerful shows I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch.

—Robert Bischof ’25 As an avid fan of anime, this summer I was glad for some time to read manga, the blackand-white comics which are the source materials for many popular anime programs. I found a new favorite: Gege Akutami’s “Jujutsu Kaisen,” which embraces a rough but fluid and tactile art style. I also read some classics that I had overlooked in the past, like “Berserk” by Kentaro Muira, who passed away in May, and some of my old favorites, like “Mob Psycho 100” by ONE. I highly recommend all of three of these, even to those who are unfamiliar with the medium and genre.

—Alex Brandfonbrener ’23 The Green Knight” is one of the most interesting films I watched over the last summer.

Loosely based off of the 14th century Arthurian legend “Gawain and the Green Knight,” the film transforms Sir Gawain — that story’s image of the valiant perfect knight — into a rash and brave, but not particularly

Photo courtesy of Wired

Brianne LaBare ‘25 praises the fourth season of acclaimed series “The Handmaid’s Tale” as a highlight of her summer. She applauds a particularly powerful moment, where Elisabeth Moss’s June takes revenge on a past manipulator. wise or virtuous youth. Gawain is played brilliantly by Dev Patel, and the film’s emotional core comes from the constant push and pull between his desire for greatness and his fear of the consequences of the adventure he has committed himself to. While Gawain is well-acted and does an effective job of calling traditional hero narratives into question, his many flaws can make him an infuriating protagonist to watch.

Still, the whole film makes up for any character issues with its visuals, which combine beautiful backdrops with striking CGI to pull viewers in.

—Theo Hamilton ’23 After wrapping up a busy spring semester, this summer proved the perfect time to catch up on new comedy releases and stand-up specials that popped up during the pandemic. From the abundance of specials decorating my recommended page on Netflix to old SNL clips of Colin Jost and Michael Che on YouTube, the internet has no shortage of comedic content to enjoy, most of which I happily did.

—Brooke Hoffman ’23E

I spent a lot of time this summer watching movies for my research on Latin American Cinema, so it’s only fitting that I share some of the spoils with our readers! Among the best movies I watched and rewatched are Alfonso Cuarón’s “Y tu mamá también” and Ciro Guerra’s “Abrazo de la serpiente” or “Embrace of the Serpent.” I also bingewatched “American Horror Story: 1984” with friends, which I highly suggest doing. Finally, I also really loved obsessively listening to WILLOW and Japanese Breakfast’s new albums, “lately I feel EVERYTHING” and “Jubilee.”

—Yasmin Hamilton ’24 After watching the three previous seasons of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” I hoped that the fourth season would reconcile June (Elisabeth Moss) and her revenge. While there is no tearing down of the patriarchy as I had hoped, bitter-sweet happiness does emerge when June and the other victims of Gilead descend on Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes). There’s something about Moss’ dark smile and the flailing

limbs of her confidants as he gets his comeuppance that I found eerily satisfying. While I watched them from the edge of my seat, I found myself quietly whispering, “Praise be.”

—Brianne LaBare ’25 Over the summer, I took an interest in Boards of Canada,”a Scottish ambient EDM group from the 90s and 00s that makes heavy use of sampling and breakbeats. They have a very eerie vibe that fits well with a lot of the abnormally dark, smokey and rainy weather that I had experiencedback home.

—Milo Leahy-Miller ’24 The McDonald’s BTS meal — a partnership between McDonalds and the popular Korean boy band — became a world-wide craze this summer. The meal consisted of McNuggets, french fries, a soft drink and two special sauces: Sweet Chili and Cajun. While I thought the taste was not exactly “dynamite”, the novelty of owning BTS-branded paper bags and cups made the ten-minute wait worthwhile —Honon Lee ’25

It isn’t anything new, but this summer I became obsessed with the band Car Seat Headrest. I frequently find myself addicted to new bands and albums as I discover them, but this band hit me in a way that I hadn’t felt before. The vulnerable lyrics, catchy hooks and inventive song structures made this lo-fi pop indie rock band my go-to all summer long.

—Michael Mason ’25 Over the summer, I decided to rewatch all my favorite Studio Ghibli movies and all the ones I never had before. While rewatching my childhood favorites such as “Howl’s Moving Castle” and “Spirited Away,” I found a newfound appreciation for Hayao Miyazaki’s method of making films appealing to children and adults alike. Miyazaki creates a world that appreciates the little things of life — going on a picnic with your family, drinking a warm cup of tea, and basking in a field of flowers — but also manages to create an overarching narrative and deconstruction of humanity as a whole.

—Tapti Sen ’25

Sp ports

Field Hockey Off to Perfect 3-0 Start in First Week Ethan Samuels ’23 Managing Sports Editor

The Amherst field hockey team opened up the season with two drastically different types of victories — a dominant 8-0 landslide against Mount Holyoke and a thrilling 2-1 conference win at Bowdoin.

On Sept. 9, the Mammoths took the field against Mount Holyoke for the first time in almost two years. To everyone watching, however, the team looked to be in mid-season form. “From the stands, it was apparent that the team was very well-prepared. We could hear them communicating throughout the entire game and supporting one another continuously on and off the field,” said Cayla Weiss ’23, who cheered on her classmates from the bleachers.

Amherst had complete control of the game from the opening whistle to the match’s end, scoring two goals in each quarter.

The scoring opened in the sixth minute of action, when a perfectly placed pass from Natalie Hobbs ’23E found Abbey Kays ’25, who beat her defender and netted the first goal of her collegiate career.

As underscored by the opening goal, the Mammoths are extremely excited by how well the firstyears mesh with the older players.

“There’s a real special chemistry here,” said midfielder Julianne Ross ’23, “The cohesion between the first years who got here just a few weeks ago and super-seniors who deferred to play their last season really shined through.”

Of the team’s eight goals, four were scored via first-year-senior connection. In the 38th minute,

Kate Smith ’25 tallied the assist on a Caroline Donahue ’22E goal, while Sam Maynard ’25 recorded fourth-quarter assists to Beth Williamson ’23E and Courtney Lowe ’22E. The Mammoth defense was stellar, holding the Lyons to six shots — only three of which were on goal — compared to Amherst’s 30 (21 on goal).

That strong defense stayed with the squad as they headed to Bowdoin on Saturday, Sept. 11 to kick off NESCAC competition.

Amherst got on the board even earlier than they did in the Mount Holyoke rout, as Muffie Mazambani ’24 passed a penalty corner to Williamson, who found the back of the net at the 2:25 minute mark.

The Polar Bears responded near the end of the first quarter,

capitalizing on a fast break and evening the match at 1-1. Starting goalie Kaitlin Broda ’23 recorded two second-quarter saves, keeping the score tied headed into halftime.

Despite being the anchor of the defense, Williamson continued to lead the Mammoths offensively.

In the third quarter, Mazambani once again found Williamson on a penalty corner, who buried what would be the game-winning goal inside the left post.

Broda notched three more saves in the third quarter and the Mammoth defense kept the Polar Bears from firing off a shot in the final quarter, bringing Amherst’s overall record to 2-0.

“Saturday’s victory showed just how much of a force we are in the conference, proving our potential as a NESCAC competitor,” Ross

told The Student.

Defender Bob Cooper ’23 echoed similar excitement about the team’s future. “This is starting to feel like our season. As Coach Elle [Brine] asked, ‘Why not us?’”

Cooper said.

The Mammoths followed up the NESCAC victory with a 7-0 shut-out against Keene State College on Sept. 14. Once again, the Amherst defense was superb, allowing Keene State to shoot only four shots throughout the match.

Maynard and Mazambani led the way with two goals a piece, and Donahue, Kat Mason ’25 and Kate Smith ’25 added the remaining goals.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, the Mammoths will travel to Upstate New York as they look to claim another road victory against NESCAC foe Hamilton College.

Photo courtesy of Cayla Weiss ’23

Beth Williamson ’23E, anchor of the Mammoths’ defense, watches as the offense maintains control during an 8-0 rout against Mount Holyoke.

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

Sports 15

Volleyball Goes Undefeated Through First Three Games Alex Noga ’23 Staff Writer

The women’s volleyball team started their season strong this past week, notching three wins in their first three games.

The Firedogs opened their season with a 3-0 sweep against Smith College on Sept. 9, winning each set comfortably by scores of 25-16, 25-18 and 25-9.

They surpassed the Pioneers in every major statistical category, holding an advantage in kills by a margin of 38-22, assists by 29-17 and digs by 53-42. Leading the way for the Firedogs was Jamie Dailey

’22, who finished first among both teams in kills with 13 and digs with 14. Carly Cooper ’24 led the game in assists with 15, while Caroline Tilton ’23 registered a game-high five blocks. Tilton was behind only Sophie Launsbach ’22 in attack percentage, who logged nine kills and 9.5 points on a game-best .500 attack percentage.

The team picked up right where they left off over the weekend in the first game of a doubleheader at Western New England University against the Golden Bears. They swept the match in three straight sets, winning 25-18, 25-14 and 2514. Tilton led the team in kills and

blocks, recording 12 and four respectively, and Skyleur Savage ’22 led the game in digs with 22. Cooper once again sat atop the box score in assists, this time registering 16 while adding a team-high three service aces.

The Firedogs’ second game of that Saturday against Emerson College was far more suspenseful.

Both teams traded wins throughout the match, and the Firedogs prevailed in five sets, winning 3-2 by scores of 25-22, 17-25, 25-22, 23-25 and 16-14 in a thrilling finale.

“We had to fight for every single point,” Jacqueline Kortekaas

’23 said, “but at the end of the day it was our energy that led us to win against Emerson.”

Dailey led the way with a teamhigh 21 kills and 23 points, while Launsbach followed closely behind with 19 kills and 21 points.

For the third straight match, Cooper led the team in assists, this time registering 31. Kortekaas added 22 assists, good for second on the team, and Savage recorded a team-high 22 digs.

Launsbach, one of the squad’s four seniors on the leadership team, was especially proud of the team’s camaraderie in the win. “Our team’s chemistry really

shined through. We are so excited about how well we are playing early in the season and want to continue to improve as the season goes forward,” she said.

Tilton agreed, saying, “I’m super proud of how we played. Our game against Emerson was a long three-hour match, but we pushed through and came out with the win. It was a great start to the season, and I can’t wait for our upcoming games this weekend.”

The Firedogs hope to continue their unbeaten start next Friday, Sept. 17 at 8:00 p.m. in their home opener and first game in NESCAC play against Bates College.

Men’s Soccer Falls to Bowdoin 1-0 in NESCAC Debut Cedric Skerlecz ’24 Staff Writer On Sept. 11, the men’s soccer team lost to Bowdoin in their opening match of NESCAC league play. Though the Mammoths rank second in the Division III, and well ahead of Bowdoin, the loss prompts a reassessment of their game plan for what could still be a strong season.

The two teams were even by nearly every measure in the first half, as the Mammoths finished

the opening 45 minutes with a narrow 5-4 advantage in shots.

Neither side, however, came close to scoring within the half.

Only late in the match did the Polar Bears manage to increase their offensive pressure. With 17 minutes left, a well-placed Bowdoin corner kick forced Amherst goalkeeper Bernie White ’22 to make a one-handed, full extension save on a header to the far post. The Polar Bears carried over this momentum and soon had yet another corner kick opportu-

nity.

With the second Bowdoin corner kick, the Mammoths were less fortunate. A cross to the far side of the Amherst penalty area provided Bowdoin forward Charlie Ward with a golden opportunity to head the ball into the back of the net — an opportunity he seized to put the Polar Bears ahead 1-0.

The Mammoths quickly regrouped and undertook a powerful late-game offensive push, led by chances from German Giammattei ’23 and Joe Ray-

mond ’24. Raymond, for one, struck the crossbar in his first attempt on goal, and gave the Mammoths a follow-up opportunity after threading his way behind the Bowdoin defense.

With just a minute and a half left, Raymond’s second shot was narrowly blocked by Bowdoin goalkeeper Michael Webber.

Saturday’s match marked Amherst’s first loss to Bowdoin in regular season play since 2008, but fans can expect many opportunities for the Mammoths to show their strength as

the season progresses. The outlook remains promising as the team seeks Division III National Championship redemption.

Head Coach Justin Serpone commented, “We don’t have much time to feel sorry for ourselves. We’re playing a good team on Wednesday night. No one feels bad for us. We need to regroup and get back to basics.”

The Mammoths will return to play this Wednesday, Sept. 15 when they face Manhattanville at 7:00 p.m. for a non-conference match.

Cross Country Teams Run Toe-to-Toe With Division I Liam Archaki ’24 Managing Sports Editor

On Saturday, Sept. 11, the men’s and women’s cross country teams made their 2021 debuts just down the road at the UMass Amherst Ken O’Brien Minuteman Invitational.

The meet consisted of six teams: University of Connecticut, Boston College, UMass Amherst, Sacred Heart University and Boston University (BU), with Amherst College competing as the only Division III program. Connecticut and Boston College only competed in the women’s event.

Nevertheless, both the men’s

and women’s teams raced stepin-step alongside their Division I competitors.

On the men’s side, a total of 57 athletes competed in a 6,200-meter contest, which is shorter than the team’s usual 8,000-meter races. As a team, Amherst finished third out of the four competitors, with an average time of 20:15. UMass took the top spot, with BU in second and Sacred Heart coming in last.

Individually, Mammoth runners ended up placing from top to bottom on the leaderboard.

Co-captain Billy Massey ’22 led the way, finishing in seventh place overall with a time of 19:46.5. He was followed by co-captain Owen

Daily ’23 in 18th, Oliver Spiva ’24 in 22nd and Nick Edwards-Levin ’25 in 23rd. Overall, 14 Mammoth runners competed in the event.

Keon Mazdisnian ’23, who finished 26th with a time of 20:34.3, praised his team’s success despite the difficult conditions of the race.

“Really good performance on a really challenging course. Billy [Massey] had a great race leading us throughout the day. It was also 6,200 [meters,] which is shorter than we are used to running, so it’s good tune up for the longer races this season” Placing 34th with a time of 21:16.9, Luke Munch ’25 conveyed the excitement of racing for the first

time on the collegiate level. “The atmosphere was electric. Lining up with the boys for the first time was a surreal experience. I couldn’t have imagined a better way to start the season,” he remarked.

The women’s team, led by strong performances from firstyears Sidnie Kulik ’25 and Julia Schor ’25, finished in fifth place out of the six teams in the 5,000-meter competition.

Out of 82 total competitors, three Mammoths finished in the top-half of the women’s scoresheet.

Kulik earned a 15th place finish with a time of 18:05.6, Schor placed in 29th after crossing the finish line in 18:37.0 and Mary Kate Mc-

Granahan ’23 followed seconds behind, finishining in 34th with a time of 18:48.7.

McGranahan emphasized the strength of the team’s performance.

“We held our own very well against strong Division I programs [...]

Julia [Schor] and Sidnie [Kulik] really showed up strong just like we thought they would. [It was a] great rust buster for everyone, and people are focused on [the Little III Invitational] next week. Overall, it was all smiles all around just to be out [running] again,” she said.

Both cross country teams will be back in action on Saturday, Sept.

18th at Williams for the Little III Invitational.

The Amherst Student • September 15, 2021

Sports 16

Ruby Hastie ’22 Leads Women’s Soccer to Dominant 3-0 Start Liam Archacki ’24 Managing Sports Editor Competing for the first time in nearly two years, the women’s soccer team began its 2021 season with dominant performances in its first three games. Over the course of the past week, the Mammoths won at Mount Holyoke, at Bowdoin and in their home opener versus Smith — all without relinquishing a single goal.

The team first took a short trip to South Hadley on Sept. 9 to play Mount Holyoke in what was Amherst’s first game since losing to Dickinson College in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Division III Tournament. The Mammoths came out blazing in their first half of the season, knocking in eight goals during the first half. The first goal scored by forward Alexa Juarez ’23E, came just 43 seconds into the match as a header off a corner kick from midfielder Sophia Fikke ’22. Team co-captain Natalie Landau ’22, defender and forward Patience Kum ’25 and forward Liza Katz ’24 (a managing sports editor of The Student) led the rest of the way offensively for the Mammoths, each contributing two scores en route to a 9-0 rout.

Kum, a first-year playing in

GAME SCHE DULE

her first collegiate-level game, conveyed the joy shared by the entire team upon being able to play competitively this year. “I’ve had fun and enjoyed playing with my teammates. I did not imagine my first year to be as great as it’s going right now. Getting playing time and scoring some goals has been the best experience. We have a hardworking and supportive team, and we’ve shown that,” she said.

On Sept. 11, the team headed up to Brunswick, Maine for its NESCAC opener against Bowdoin. The afternoon match was a more competitive affair than Amherst’s previous game, but an impressive individual performance by co-captain Ruby Hastie ’22, who recorded a hat trick, led the Mammoths to a 3-0 victory over the Polar Bears. The first of the three goals came off a 24th-minute assist from Katz, the second was assisted by Juarez in the 43rd minute and the final goal was a successful 53rd-minute penalty kick.

Defense also proved vital in securing a Mammoth victory versus Bowdoin. For most of the game, Amherst’s stalwart defensive presence entirely eliminated its opponent’s ability to attempt a shot on goal. There was one flurry of Polar Bear shots — four of Bowdoin’s

WED

five shots on goal came between the 11th and the 18th minutes.

Goalkeeper Mika Fisher ’24, however, was able to deftly save all five shots and secure a clean sheet for the Mammoths.

Despite the team’s impressive showing in the first three games, Fisher was certain to point out that the Mammoths’ work is just beginning. “We are still finding our rhythm but that being said, the outcomes we’ve had and the momentum we are taking into our next games make me so excited for the rest of the season. These first games are just stepping stones to our major goals, which are defending the NESCAC title and competing for the NCAA title,” she said.

The Mammoths played their first home game of the year on Sept. 12 in an afternoon matchup versus Smith. After 35 minutes of back-and-forth play, Hastie was able to get the Mammoths’ offense on track with a strong finish from the right side of the 18-yard box.

Kum latched onto this momentum by scoring a pair of goals in the 49th and 51st minutes. The first was a highlight-reel-worthy play in which Kum dribbled past six defenders before finishing in the top-left corner of the goal. The second was assisted by Katz and

FRI

Photo courtesy of Greg Chin

Alexa Juarez ’23E and Ruby Hastie ‘22 celebrate Hastie’s first goal in the team’s 3-0 victory against Bowdoin College.

Landau off a series of one-touch passes, demonstrating the strong team play of the Mammoths. At the end of the match, the scoreboard read 5-0 for Amherst — an impressive cap placed on a 17-0 week.

Hastie, who was awarded NESCAC Player of the Week for her four-goal performance over the weekend, shared insight into how the team’s hiatus has affected its perspective. “It feels amazing to be back on the field again after so long. The team has been able to harness this energy and excitement that’s been building up over the last year and a half and channel it into really pur-

poseful work towards our goals.

This weekend, we were able to come out strong and aggressive from the first minute of each game because we know that we can’t take anything for granted,” she said.

With team unity apparently intact despite the pandemic hiatus, Amherst’s impressive first week allowed it to leap from 10th to fourth in the United Soccer Coaches’ ranking of Division III teams. Women’s soccer will look to continue its dominance and further its championship aspirations in its NESCAC home opener against Hamilton College on Sept. 18.

SAT

SUN

Men’s Soccer @ Manhattanville, 7 p.m.

Volleyball vs.

Bates, 8 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs.

Hamilton, 12 p.m.

Women’s Soccer vs. Keene State, 2 p.m.

Field Hockey vs. Mount Holyoke @ UMASS, 7 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ MIT

Men’s Soccer vs. Hamilton, 2:30 p.m.

Field Hockey vs. Hamilton [UMass], 11 a.m.

Field Hockey @ Bowdoin, 2:30 p.m.

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country @ Williams 12:30 p.m.

Women’s Golf @ Middlebury

Volleyball @ Smith, 7 p.m.

Women’s Golf @ Middlebury Men’s Golf @ Williams Women’s Tennis @ MIT

Men’s Golf @ Wiliams Women’s Tennis @ MIT