Issue 16

Women’s Basketball Team Dominates Middlebury 79-41 See Sports, Page 9

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

VOLUME CXLIII, ISSUE 16 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2014

Ask Big Questions Comes to Amherst

Athletes Launch Provost Uvin Starts Campus-Wide Discussion Initiative “We Are NESCAC” Campaign Andy Knox ’16 Managing Sports Editor

Managing News Editor Sophie Murguia ’17

A poster in front of Frost Library advertised the new Ask Big Questions program. The theme for the first series of Ask Big Questions discussions is “When do we conform?”

Sitina Xu ’16 News Section Editor Ask Big Questions, a new campus-wide initiative started by Provost Peter Uvin, began last Tuesday. This is the newest of Provost Uvin’s projects to foster as stronger sense of community and promote dialogue, exchange and reflection.

“The aim of Ask Big Question is to bring out campus together in a meaningful way,” said Tania Dias, strategic planning assistant to the provost. “By listening and sharing our stories, we form new friendships, we understand each other better and we grow into a stronger, tighter community.”

The idea for Ask Big Questions originally came out of the Teagle Workshop, a discussion

facilitated by Religious Life on questions of faith and education. Ask Big Questions is part of a nationwide initiative by Hillel, the largest college student Jewish organization in the world, and is active in more than 20 campuses across North America. At Amherst, however, the initiative is not tied to any particular religious association or student group.

“Rabbi Bruce [Bromberg Seltzer] came to me with this idea,” Provost Uvin said. “But from the very beginning I wanted to position it as not just a Hillel or student thing, but an all-inclusive college thing.”

To date, there have been 10 Ask Big Questions sessions with more than 130 people participating.

“The feedback has been great,” Dias said.

“There has been a very good, interesting mix of

people in these sessions — a lot of students, a lot of staff and some faculty.”

The current Ask Big Questions theme is framed around the question “When do we conform?” Two trained facilitators guide each session through a structured set of activities and dialogues ranging from viewing photos regarding conformity, discussing George Orwell’s 1936 essay “Shooting an Elephant” on conforming to expectations, and reflecting on the impact of conformity at Amherst.

Facilitators include a diverse mix of populations: students of different cultural, geographical, and college-affiliations; staff and administrators from student centers and faculty.

Sessions are available by online sign-up and are

nificantly further along than nearly a year and a half ago when Angie Epifano’s piece first came to print, particularly regarding the national investigation and Title IX compliant. While she stressed the fact that these issues were certainly not solved, Martin praised former Athletic Director and now Chief Student Affairs Officer Suzanne Coffey for her job regarding both the Title IX complaint and the more recent Office of Civil Rights complaint.

Regarding the newly created Chief of Student Affairs Officer position, Martin stated that the urgency of the situation led to her decision to include neither student nor faculty input. In particular, Martin expressed her belief that another short-term, interim position and simultaneous long-term search committee would not best serve the College and its “urgent” situation regarding student life.

Martin’s remarks on Coffey’s appointment and the problems facing student life led to questions from several faculty members. Some faculty members asked if there would eventually be a Dean of Students, and Professor Thomas Dumm asked what would come of the position

after Coffey’s two-year stint. Martin said she was unsure, but said she could foresee a time in which the Dean of Students served beneath Coffey and outside of administrative duties. After two more questions from Dumm regarding the relationship between the Athletic Department and the College administration, Martin assured both Dumm and the rest of the faculty that her primary concern since arriving at Amherst has always been the well-being of the students, and Coffey’s appointment was made with this as the principle concern.

Next, there was some concern from the library regarding the Humanities Center, particularly the disappearance of faculty carrels and one fifth of Frost Library’s stacks and the fact that this center was not properly discussed among the entire faculty.

Dean Call shared the theme for next year’s Copeland Colloquium: Global Technology. The initiative will include six town hall-styled meetings, each focusing on a particular technology, and also a film series and a published book.

Shortly afterward, both the Physics and Mathematics departments shared news regarding their

Continued on Page 3

By now many Amherst students have seen the pictures all over social media of Amherst athletes with milk mustaches on their faces. Inspired by the popular “Got Milk?” advertisements, the social media campaign has brought attention to a previously little-known group on campus called the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

“SAAC provides a voice for student-athletes within the Amherst College Community, represents the interests of student athletes to the administration, undertakes projects that benefit all members of the surrounding community and fosters a positive student-athlete image,” said the group’s president, Chris Tamasi ’15.

In its inaugural year, the organization has been working hard to create a presence on campus.

“We have an improved website and new social media presence,” said SAAC NESCAC representative Katherine Britt ’15. “Community engagement is stronger than ever, with more teams actively working on community projects.”

SAAC’s current campaign is a NESCAC-wide initiative proposed and led by Amherst. After receiving a grant from the NCAA, NESCAC schools presented the ideas on the initiative to other schools.

“During a meeting earlier this year, SAAC members came to the conclusion that a campaign would be stronger if it was conference-wide instead of just multiple school-specific projects,” Britt said.

After Katie Paolano ’16 created a T-shirt design, each school agreed to produce the shirts in their respective schools’ colors.

“The ‘We Are NESCAC’ campaign is designed to raise awareness that, although we all want to beat our NESCAC opponents, we still should take Continued on Page 3

Campus Culture Spotlighted in Faculty Meeting Emmett Knowlton ’15 Editor-in-Chief The tweed blazers and snow boots were out in full force at last night’s faculty meeting, the first of the spring semester and the first since the sudden departure of former Dean of Students Jim Larimore.

President Biddy Martin began her remarks to the faculty with an update on the forthcoming Humanities Center, to be constructed in Frost Library, and noted that she announced to the Board of Trustees that the College will support its construction.

Martin then moved into the subject of student life and culture on campus. She stated that the College must not allow students to feel as though they’ve entered a campus culture that is absolutely unchangeable; rather students should believe they can make changes. To do this, Martin repeatedly stressed the importance of a “revamped social life.”

Continuing her discussion of campus culture, Martin said that she believed the College to be sig-

respective departments. The Committee of Educational Policy (CEP) approved the hiring of an on-campus astronomer with the hopes that the Physics department will join with the Astronomy department, currently comprised of only one professor.

The Department of Mathematics revealed the changing of its name to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, effective as of Wednesday afternoon. The change in name will reflect the department’s newly created Statistics major that will vary slightly from the Math major, particularly in Comps. and capstone courses. The department does not anticipate an eventual split between Mathematics and Statistics, as had occurred with Mathematics and Computer Science.

The meeting ended with discussion of the function of faculty meetings and whether they should be called more or less frequently. There was also discussion about the Committee of Six and the publicity of its minutes. The largest laugh of the night came when Professor Rosbottom compared the Committee of Six’s minutes to “the secret code of Hammurabi.”

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News

“Ask Big Questions has influenced the way I ask questions and how I listen to responses.”

Ask Big Questions Page 3

Feb. 10, 2014 to Feb. 16, 2014

>>Feb. 10, 2014 1:39 p.m., Marsh House An employee reported finding a envelope containing marijuana in a hallway. An officer took possession of it. >>Feb. 11, 2014 12:34 p.m., Wilder Observatory An officer investigated an intrusion alarm and found it was accidentally set off by an employee.

1:23 p.m., College Hall An officer investigated a fire alarm and found it was accidentally set off by construction work.

11:36 p.m., Fayerweather Lot Rd. An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident. >>Feb. 12, 2014 11:35 a.m., The Evergreens An officer investigated an intrusion alarm and found it was accidentally set off by an employee.

12:30 p.m., The Quadrangle An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident. >>Feb. 13, 2014 12:00 a.m., Stone Dormitory An officer encountered three students in the basement with hard alcohol. It was confiscated, and the matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

1:35 a.m., Frost Library An officer checked on a man who failed to leave the building after closing. He was identified as a local resident and left the building as directed. >>Feb. 15, 2014 12:21 a.m., Crossett Dormitory A caller reported illegal entry into a suite and the theft of a laptop and prescription glasses.

The matter is under investigation.

12:25 a.m., Hitchcock House While checking Hitchcock House, an officer found the remains of a large unauthorized party. Chocolate sauce was found spread over the floor and tables, and there were many empty beer cans, as well as a melting ice sculpture. Several full 30-packs of beer were also found and confiscated. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

1:16 a.m., Stone A caller reported the odor of marijuana on the second floor.

Due to the call volume, an officer was not immediately available to respond. When the area was checked, the origin could not be located.

1:47 a.m., Pond Dormitory A resident reported the theft of

a Play Station 4 from his room.

It was subsequently located in another suite.

1:49 a.m., Alumni Parking Lot A caller reported hearing someone yelling for help in the area of the Alumni Parking Lot. The area was checked but no one was found.

1:52 a.m., Pond A caller reported an unknown male walked into his room unannounced and uninvited. After an investigation, the man was arrested and charged with breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, larceny and trespassing.

2:14 a.m., Garman House An officer responded to a complaint about a loud party in the first floor common room and located a small group of students. They were cleared from the area.

2:18 a.m., South Pleasant St. Amherst Police advised they received a report of an intoxicated male near the town common.

Due to the high call volume an AC officer was unable to respond to assist.

2:54 a.m., Garman An officer responded to a complaint of loud music and yelling and issued a warning to a second-floor resident. >>Feb. 16, 2014 12:56 a.m., James Dormitory While at a medical call, an officer discovered hard alcohol in a second-floor room. It was confiscated, and the matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

12:57 a.m., James While in a second-floor room assisting at a medical call, an officer discovered a spring-assisted knife, which is prohibited. It was confiscated.

3:28 a.m., Garman An officer responded to a noise complaint and found a loud TV in a second-floor room. The residents were advised to lower the volume.

11:22 a.m., Cohan Dormitory An officer investigated a fire alarm and found it was caused by cooking in the kitchen. The system was reset.

6:58 p.m., Alumni House An officer responded to a report of a disturbance between two people who were attending an event. No intervention was necessary.

7:16 p.m., Charles Drew House Officers investigated a smoke detector sounding and found it occurred when food was burned in the kitchen. Four students were fined $25 each.

Vanessa Walker

Fresh Faculty Department of History Assistant Professor of History Vanessa Walker received her B.A. from Whitman College. She got her M.A. and Ph.D. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has published work on 1970s human rights movements and is currently working on a book about human rights policies in the 1970s.

Q: How did you begin studying your subject?

A: I went to a small liberal arts school like Amherst as an undergraduate — I went to Whitman College in Washington State. I was actually a biology major, and I had to take classes in various areas for requirements, so I took a history of Vietnam course for a distribution requirement. I fell in love with it! I was completely enthralled. I thought I was not interested in anything political and only took it because I needed to get so many distribution requirements. I found myself intrigued then in political history and in American political history in particular. So I took another course, then another course, then came a minor, a major and an honors thesis. Now, here I am having pursued that rather than marine biology — my parents are still wondering what happened!

Q: What is your primary research area and what made you become interested in it?

A: My research is primarily on human rights and foreign policy in the 1970s, particularly between the United States and Latin America, but also on human rights more broadly. I became interested in it, again, thinking about my undergraduate years as a student in the ’90s when the United States was trying to come up with new paradigms for its international power. At the end of the Cold War, before the 9/11 era, the United States was grappling with wars, ethnic conflicts — Serbia, Kosovo, Rwanda — and it seemed to me that everyone was sort of dismissive about human rights at that time. They were saying, “We tried that before and it was so misguided,” and I thought that this was very interesting and wondered why. So a lot of this was grappling with contemporary issues as an undergraduate, thinking about the world I was moving into, and trying to understand why it is that everyone is so dismissive about Carter’s human rights-foreign policy. They were saying, “Oh Carter, so nice but totally naïve and ineffective.” As I started studying this as a student of history, I didn’t find his human rights policies so misguided or naïve; I found it misunderstood. The historical records of that period were just starting to be opened at this time, so nobody had begun historical work on Carter and the human rights moments in the 1970s. In the past 10 years, there has been an explosion of scholarship about human rights in many historical perspectives which is really exciting. So my own interest came from the contemporary world and thinking about what an effective human rights policy would look like. It is much more complicated historically and now than what I anticipated. Studying the past helps me have greater sympathy, if not optimism, about human rights policies today.

Q: What do think about American foreign policy today and what President Obama is doing?

A: It’s a very diverse foreign policy. I think Obama in some ways is in a 1990s-type moment that I was talking about where we’re trying to understand what the United States’ role should be. The United States is an undeniable force in the international system, but it also feels like it doesn’t have as much control as what you might think such a force should have. Trying to find that balance between the very real national interests that the country has and the ideological interests — meeting both without undermining the other — I don’t think is inherently contradictory, but certainly a juggling act.

Q: Do you think the United States will remain the sole superpower in the 21st century?

A: I think that term is going to have less importance in the 21st century. Since the end of the Cold War, there has been an increasing multi-polarity

in the international system. Even though you may have countries that have overwhelming military and economic force doesn’t mean that they have overwhelming determination over what the international scene will be like. There are more voices that can be heard, more polarities of power in the modern age, and I don’t think we’ll have any one power be able to dominate the international system even though certain countries have heightened presence. You can’t pretend that the powers aren’t there but their abilities to control and shape outcomes in the ways that they would like are increasingly waning.

Q: What classes are you teaching?

A: This year I’ve done a full introduction into the history of United States foreign relations. Last semester I did the pre-20th century portion, and this semester I am doing the 20th century part.

We look at United States foreign relations not just in terms of traditional foreign policy, but also in regards to cultural interactions and grassroots actors. This is why I call it U.S. in the World because I don’t want to be parochial and think we should look at how other countries act on the United States in shaping those foreign relations. I also did a class on the history of politics and human rights this past fall which was a lot of fun. We started historically but ended by talking about contemporary problems like the military base at Guantanamo, questions about humanitarian intervention in Syria and global capitalism and economic equality.

Next year, I am going to teach U.S. in the World again, and I’ll also be doing a class with Professor Moss on the 1970s, looking at it from local and global perspectives. For example, how we look at feminism, the environmental movement, changes in the global banking systems, gay rights movements in local and global contexts. In the spring, I’m going to do a research seminar, but I don’t know on what yet — probably on the 1960s or the Cold War. And finally, I’m also doing a course on Vietnam which is what launched me on this path in the first place.

Q: What do you hope to contribute to Amherst?

A: I would like to constantly pose questions that are historically rooted and challenge students to re-think their assumptions about the world today.

I want to challenge them to think more critically about their relationships with one another and the world more largely. I also want to contribute to a generation of students who leave here, go out and prove to the world why a liberal arts education is so valuable. Sometimes people think of it as an indulgent approach to education as higher education is becoming more technically focused and pre-professional, and I think that that does a real disservice not only to liberal arts institutions, but also to students like yourselves. The jobs people anticipated training for 15 years ago are not the jobs that you guys want to go into today. So I think that when we champion this liberal arts model of critical thinking, broad problem-solving skills and communication, you guys are going to be ready for whatever that comes next.

Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?

A: I like to sleep! No, I’m kidding. I love to cook.

I love Wisconsin sports, and actually President Martin was at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the Chancellor when I was a student there.

So I share her love of Badger athletics, particularly football and basketball. I used to run and do marathons, and I would like to take that up again. I also like to read, not history, but fiction.

— Terry Lee ’17

The Amherst Student • February 19, 2014

News 3

“Ask Big Questions” Aims to Spark Campus Dialogue Continued from Page 1

Photo Courtesy of Niahlah Hope

Student athletes pose with milk mustaches to advertise the StudentAthlete Advisory Committee’s “We Are NESCAC” campaign.

Student Athletes Support Amherst Survival Center

Continued from Page 1 pride in the fact that we belong in one of the most competitive academic and athletic conferences in the country,” said SAAC Secretary Thomas Gilligan ’16.

Even though the main thrust of the campaign is to promote sportsmanship for athletes and students, there is also a community service aspect to the campaign that varies at every school.

“With the campaign, SAAC is both showing our respect for the integrity of athletic competition and supporting the Amherst Survival Center’s Milk Fund,” Britt said. “We want this project to be inclusive of not only varsity and club athletes, but also of the entire college community.”

The Amherst Survival Center’s Milk Fund provides fresh milk to the broader Amherst community. The Survival Center receives many food donations; however, they do not get one of the most frequently requested items, fresh milk.

“As athletes we know how important fresh milk is to the growing process, and we realized that we could have a special impact on families by launching this campaign in concurrence with our T-shirt project,” Tamasi said.

When brainstorming how to market the campaign, the group immediately focused on the catchy “Got Milk?” television commercials.

SAAC will be giving out “We are NESCAC” Tshirts in Keefe Campus Center on Friday, Feb. 21 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. during the men’s and women’s basketball NESCAC quarterfinal matchups.

The T-shirts will be free, but the SAAC encourages a donation of at least $10 to benefit the Amherst Survival Center’s Milk Fund.

“Hopefully this campaign will reaffirm the importance of sportsmanship in not only athletes, but also in our supporters as well,” Britt said.

Amherst Senior Awarded Churchill Scholarship Sophie Murguia ’17 Managing News Editor Senior Christopher Finch has been named one of 14 American students to receive the Churchill Scholarship, which will allow him to spend next year pursuing research at the University of Cambridge. The bioengineering and biophysics major plans to work at the lab of Cambridge Professor Alison Smith, where he hopes to learn more about the ways in which plants can be used as a source of bioenergy.

Finch found out that he had been selected as a finalist over Interterm, when he received an email inviting him to participate in an interview for the scholarship program.

“Realizing that this was a possibility got me super excited,” Finch said. “They actually ended up offering me the scholarship right during the interview.”

In Smith’s lab, Finch will be focusing on how algae can be used for energy purposes. Finch said he is also particularly interested in how plants can be used to feed the growing world population, especially as starvation continues to be a serious global problem. He explained that bioengineering of plants can be a valuable tool for expanding the food supply — for example, by engineering seeds that are better suited to adapt to tough climates.

When he graduates, Finch will leave behind a legacy distinguished by several awards in biology and chemistry, as well as a career playing for the men’s ice hockey team. Finch was able to combine these two interests in 2012, when he led a series of concussion workshops for coaches in the Amherst area.

His interest in the science of concussions stemmed from a summer he spent working with Dr. James Hudziak at the Univ. of Vermont.

“As part of that research, I ended up spending a ton of time going over the literature and understanding the current scientific basis for

what’s going on in a concussion,” he said. “After that experience, coming back to Amherst, I was really interested in continuing to do something with concussions.”

Finch met with groups of coaches who work with young athletes in the Amherst area. He said that many of these coaches had already had concussion-related training, but he hoped to talk to them in a way that incorporated the perspective of both an athlete and a scientist. In his workshops, Finch emphasized caution when dealing with potential head injuries.

“Take the kid out, even if there’s uncertainty about it,” Finch said, explaining what he told the coaches. “If you’re a 12 or 13-year-old playing your sport, it’s not the end of the world to miss a game to make sure everything’s all right.

Especially because second hits can be really devastating, in terms of worse concussions or even death.”

The Winston Churchill Foundation of the United States awards the Churchill Scholarship to exceptional American students interested in pursuing science and technology fields. The scholarship allows students to spend up to a year studying at the University of Cambridge and to receive up to $63,000 in funding, depending on the exchange rate.

For Finch, the scholarship is an opportunity to begin a career that will allow him to pursue his interests in both bioengineering and business.

“I’m really interested in where science and business intersect, particularly the idea of entrepreneurship in science,” Finch said. “I definitely like the basic research, but I also want to take that research from the laboratory and put it in a form that can impact people’s lives in the marketplace.”

He hopes to gain more business experience and the future and has plans to earn a Ph.D., but said that he will continue to reevaluate his future plans as he discovers new interests and opportunities.

available daily with varied time slots in order to accommodate varied schedules.

Members of the community who have participated in Ask Big Question sessions have many different reasons for going.

“I was motivated to participate in Ask Big Questions because I’m interested in connecting with members of the Amherst community I don’t already know,” said Andy Tew, an Ask Big Questions facilitator and Residential Life Area Coordinator.

Virginia Hassell ’16, another facilitator, agreed.

“At Amherst, it is easy to settle within our immediate communities, whether that be a team or club that guarantees a certain level of safety and comfort,” Hassell said. “While I cannot deny falling into this pattern, I recognize it, and I believe that ABQ is a chance for us all to better understand ourselves, our best friend, and those unfamiliar to us on campus.”

One goal of Ask Big Questions is to promote a genuine sense of community, and it hopes to achieve that goal by using dialogue instead of debate.

“People at Amherst love to argue,” said facilitator Cristian Navarro ’16. “Interactions usually turn into complicated debates or long discussions. I’m not saying this is bad — we need to challenge our knowledge and capabilities. But I believe we need more conversations, instead of argument battles.”

Some facilitators, such as Nicole Umina ’15, say that Ask Big Questions is already beginning to change their behavior.

“Ask Big Questions has influenced the way

I ask questions and how I listen to responses,” Umina said. “I now seek to ask the ‘right’ questions instead of mundane ones people hear all the time. It always makes me laugh to when people ask, ‘How are you?’ while swiftly walking past you with no intention of stopping to hear how you’re actually doing. I’m guilty of it too!”

Another of the program’s goals is to provide “the right environment to support the life of meaningful interpersonal connection” Tew said. “The hidden stories, private reflections and unanswered questions that we usually hold to ourselves are just waiting to come out if they are given the right conditions.”

Umina said Ask Big Questions is especially appropriate for Amherst College because it allows the diversity of perspectives to be voiced in a nonacademic context.

“I find that, at Amherst especially, people tend to have so much to offer and so many stories to share,” Umina said. “They often disguise their many experiences and talents as they go about their routines. I think ABQ is a great way for helping us to feel comfortable considering each other’s perspectives and challenging what we often take for granted.”

Ask Big Questions hopes to continue fostering dialogue, conversation and exchange beyond its sessions and to ultimately transform campus culture so that it is more open, accepting and sharing.

“The long-term vision is to literally engage the whole campus in thinking about the Big Question — formally in ABQ and informally over Val, at pick-up basketball games, walking to class,” Dias said.

“All it takes is a little bit of effort,” Hassell added.

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Opinion Editorial

“Hipster racism, ironic ‘racism’ or as I like to call it, plain old racism... ” Fashionable Bigotry... Page 5

Elitism, Academia and Journalism Writing from the Left

Snow Day or No Snow Day? There is always something a little magical about snow days.

They are a serendipitous holiday — a fortuitous chance to enjoy the idyllic side of the winter season before the snow turns to grimy slush and ice — and for those of us who grew up in the northeast, evoke a certain nostalgia for grade school. Nonetheless, while many of us rejoiced at having our classes cancelled last week because of the snow, it is important to remember that not everyone got off so easy.

For the rest us, the inclement weather made an unwelcome trek to class even more miserable. By the evening before, the weather forecasts were already predicting heavy snowfall with one hundred percent certainty. Trying to predict the administrative response to the weather, however, was still a risky gamble. It seems to be the College’s policy to wait until the absolute last minute to notify students and employees of its official response to heavy snowfall. While this may deter students from taking advantage of a day off when the College does choose to close down, the uncertainty it creates is unnecessary, inconvenient and

frustrating.

There is nothing worse than going to bed expecting a snow day, only to wake up in the morning to receive an email half an hour before a scheduled class informing you that the professor will not be canceling it, or perhaps if you went to bed feeling pessimistic and expecting the campus to remain open, and showed up to a morning shift at a campus job, only to realize that the campus had been closed. If the administration would be so kind as to publicize the verdict the night before, then the collective well-being of the Amherst community would be much improved.

While those of us who had to show up to class found it a pain to trudge through the snow, things could have been much worse if not for the unwavering work of the College’s ground crew. Amherst has received incessant snowfall for the past month, and the students owe a great deal of gratitude to the ground crew for their diligence and their invaluable contribution to the day-to-day functions of the college year-round — and especially this winter season.

“Remember, not everyone gets a snow day.”

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editors-in-Chief Brendan Hsu, Emmett Knowlton Executive Advisor Brianda Reyes Managing News Sophie Murguia Managing Opinion James Liu, David Chang Managing Arts and Living Meghan McCullough, Elizabeth Paul Managing Sports Andrew Knox, Nicole Yang

Meghna Sridhar ’14 Meghna Sridhar ‘14 is a Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought major with a penchant for coherent incoherency. She writes from a leftist perspective on global and local politics and political theory.

When I read through my first draft of this article, incomplete, written over a month ago and forgotten in the crevices of one of my many draft article ideas folders, I nearly threw up my tea in my mouth. “On the dialectic of intellectual elitism and egalitarian accessibility” was my working title, and it just got worse from there on in. It was written in vague, hazy academese, with liberal arts college major words like “paradigmatic,” “praxis” and everyone’s favorite, “problematic”, cushioned in every single sentence. Worse still, it was an article that was supposed to be about journalism, academic elitism and accessibility.

Accessibility and intellectualism are hotly contested terms amongst the political left, and I often find myself torn between two very valid arguments regarding them. The ivory tower of leftist academia is well known and rigorously criticized: what does it mean to have a political philosophy that is all about “empowering the masses” (a very condescending term in and of itself) that is written in language that is ostensibly inaccessible to the people it is writing in support of? What does it mean to write in a language, in obtuse terms and in lofty, complex syntax, about theories meant to be emancipate precisely the people who will never have access to them? Further, writing in academic terminology is often — there is no other word for it — masturbatory. Academic writing often seems to serve no purpose but to be a self-congratulatory, selfcontained discourse where academics talk with themselves and nobody else, and celebrate their own complex ideas without looking outside their bubble.

What is the use of academic leftism that has the same intellectual rigour, but also same intellectual inaccessibility, as graduate level mathematics? Youngist.org recently had a good article that explained it in much clearer terms that I could. Entitled “The Revolution will not be cited,” the article claimed that, “[the goals of leftist activism] were met in conflict with a desire in academia to concentrate knowledge among groups of specialized elites, instead of a focus on popularizing this knowledge for the greater good. Try reading any academic text from your local women’s studies, ethnic studies, post-colonial studies or anthropology department. The texts are almost always written so that only academics can understand.”

Further, even if such writing is appropriate for the world of academia, what if it spills into journalism, the world of supposed increased accessibil-

S TA F F Design Editor Brian Beaty, Andrew Kim Opinion Section Editors Darya Barshak, Ashley Montgomery Sports Section Editors Dori Atkins, Jason Stein, Jeremy Kesselhaut Publishers Nazir Khan, David Ashworth, Maddie Blake, Josh Thornton, Monica Rosario Photography Editor Olivia Tarantino

ity? Now, before you can say pot, kettle, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that my own history of articles has been accused of the very elitism I am currently explaining the problems of, so whatever I say next comes with a healthy dose of self-criticism and wariness of my own potential hypocrisy. But part of this article was motivated by an article I recently saw on ACVoice, entitled “On Desire and the Good Life,” by Alice Wang. Now, the article itself was something I completely agreed with, and I found it informative and interesting. It was on the theme of seeing ourselves as human capital under the capitalist regime, desiring things that were taught to us by the system rather than finding the space to follow our own desire and not subjecting ourselves to the dictates of neoliberalism. However, the article was extremely difficult for me to get through, despite the fact that I consider myself an adept reader. Despite delightful phrases such as “vanilla aphorisms that even the contrarians among us can only concede as unequivocally stupid moves,” I was slightly turned off by the article’s employment of “Lacan’s reading of Antigone,” and that it was tagged, “Antigone, Ethical Desire, Foucault, Lacan and Secularization.” (Let’s not even talk about how the concept of secularization and neoliberalism, which I am familiar with, are not even mentioned in the article: the tag is pretty tangential to the central affair.)

Look, don’t get me wrong. I get what the article is trying to say. And, having taken the classes that have undoubtedly inspired the author’s reading of neoliberalism, subjectivity and capitalism, I understand how Lacan’s reading of Antigone, and Foucault and self-subjectification as human capital/ entrepreneurs of the self under the regime of neoliberalism are all relevant to her case. But would I have if I had not taken said classes? Would I have if I had not read Foucault, Lacan and Hayek?

And that prompts me to ask: what are the ethics of writing a piece for public consumption that necessitates the working knowledge of these concepts?

What’s the point of talking in terms of split subjectivity to someone with a non psychoanalysis background? And what are more responsible ways of communicating the same ideas — that are undoubtedly products of careful study of the theorists cited here and inseparable from one’s reading of them — without imposing it on a reader in obtuse and unfamiliar ways? Are we assuming everyone has read them, are we assuming everyone is going to un-

derstand without having read them or are we only writing for a select group of people who have read these authors (and probably thus agree with this article anyway)?

But at the same time, as I get myself fired up with these criticisms — not just with the ACVoice article I have cited, with my own writing, or with academia in general, two thoughts stop me. The first one is when I say lofty academic concepts, or academic theory in general, is inaccessible or too abstract for “the masses” (again, absolutely condescending terminology), what am I saying about the working class, the oppressed, the proletariat, etc? Am I saying thought and theory are inherently only accessible to an intellectual elite? Am I assuming people outside the ivory tower of academia cannot think, cannot theorize, cannot engage in intellectual abstraction or philosophical debates? Am I assuming intelligence, debate, philosophy, theory, are inherently bourgeoisie? Am I assuming that those outside the ivory tower are engaged only in the base satisfactions and banal pleasures of every day, “non intellectual” activities? Not only would I be horrifically mistaken to assume such a thing, but that would be one of the most arrogant things that I could be doing, far more arrogant and hubristic than using the word “hubristic” in an article. To assume that intellectualism is inherently bourgeoisie is more elitist than anything else, surely. To assume theory is a pastime of the elite rather than a form of resistance against oppression, is not only to devalue theory and thought itself, but also discredit the organic political thought produced through the works and action of activists, often working class activists, working on the field, and writing, thinking and theorizing at the same time.

Further, it’s important to remember that the “elite” language often employed by leftist critics, academics and journalists, while often excessive and masturbatory, is sometimes very necessary. When one is writing against the oppressiveness of “common sense” or against the status quo, one has to introduce ideas that are unthought of by the dominant discourse. That’s the whole point of resistant writing, that’s the whole reason they’re written in the first place. In order to do that, one uses words like “hegemony” or “orientalism” — as examples — simply because they are concepts that summarize in one word a whole work that explores a Continued on Page 5

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The Amherst Student • February 19, 2014

Opinion 5

Fashionable Bigotry 101: A Crash Course on Hipster Racism

Disclaimer: This article was previously published by the ACVoice on 1/21/14.

Andrew L. Lindsay ’16 Contributing Writer “Wong Brothers Laundry Service — Two Wongs Can Make It White” and “Wok-N-Bowl — Let the Good Times Roll — Chinese Food & Bowling” were a couple of T-shirts that were released and dramatically recalled by Abercrombie & Fitch a decade ago. Years later, Urban Outfitters had a similar scandal when they carried an “ironic” form of monopoly called Ghettopoly, “which rewards players for building crack houses and pimpin’ hoes” on the premise that because of the numerous ethnic groups depicted in the game, it isn’t racist. “Ironically” mispronouncing l’s as r’s to your Asian friends or introducing your black friends as “your black friends” for jokes, as Lindy West notes, to show everybody how totally not preoccupied you are with your “colored” friend’s “coloredness” is becoming part and parcel of the lifestyle of the young, privileged and progressive. Hipster racism, ironic “racism” or as I like to call it, plain old racism, is quickly emerging as the newest manifestation of palatable racism among educated elites in the U.S. As an Afro-Jamaican male, the first thing that my parents warned me of before coming to Amherst College wasn’t illegal drugs, the rigorous academic environment or even the often immobilizing winters that plague the NorthEast, but the perils of simply being a black man in the United States.

Although both of my parents currently live in Jamaica, their colorful experiences in the U.S. with overt racism rightfully scared them. My mother recounts the story of me as toddler somehow getting lost in a South Florida grocery store and her subsequently overhearing the store employee who ultimately found me, describe me as a “little monkey.” Or my father, who like myself was also fortunate enough to study in the United States, but at Yale, was subject to frequent disrespect by students and professors alike despite the progressive reputation of the school in the 1970s. My eldest sister (Class of ’92) paints a similar portrait during her time at Amherst College during the late ’80s and early ’90s as a woman of color. However, despite their caution-

ary tales about this country and its people, in my nearly two years here, I have not experienced an instance of overt racism. On the other hand, my experience with racism at Amherst is masked by “irony”, “sarcasm” and “comedy.”

When I think back on the times I’ve been most offended on this campus I reflect on the saddening frequency of off-color jokes that have come my way.

From fried chicken to watermelon, I’ve gotten them all — of course, only in the context of “irony.” My national identity is also subject to similar fashionable bigotry. Dance and track stereotypes, and the movie “Cool Runnings” generally comprise the subject matter for these non-jokes.

In my opinion, racism at Amherst College manifests itself in two main ways: institutionalized racism and ironic racism. Institutionalized racism is the process of purposeful or in many cases, inadvertent discrimination against certain minority groups through biased attitudes, rules or practices. In my experience this type of discrimination is so subtle that both its existence and impact often go unnoticed. A prominent example of this at Amherst is the student body and administrative ambivalence that left the Multicultural Resource Center in the basement for years. Ironic racism on the other hand is manifested in more overt ways, in many cases so overtly that its effects are hidden in plain sight.

Ironic racism at Amherst is frequently displayed by making a joke using a racist archetype that is supposed to be witty and modern, but actually supports racism by dehumanizing a particular race for a laugh.

Remember the “satirical” Autoclave Poster sponsored by the Biology department until academic year of 2012-2013. The poster, entitled “A gift from Lord Jeffrey Amherst,” depicts Lord Jeffery offering a pile of blankets to an American Indian man donned in leather and fringe, with feathers attached to a headpiece. An American Indian woman and child are in the background and a baby is strapped to a cradleboard. The caption reads, “Thank you. Have these been autoclaved?”

Jeffery Amherst is known by numerous historical accounts as a pioneer in biological warfare. He is accredited with requesting that smallpox-infected blankets be sent to the American Indians, starting the epidemic among

them. Apparently the Biology department was unaware of how insulting their lighthearted reference to genocide was until Danielle Trevino ’14, Choctaw, sent a biting letter to the Biology department, calling the poster “truly hurtful and alienating.”

In March that year, The Indicator published another such “satirical” cartoon depicting the campus housing shortage. The cartoon showed three tipis in a clearing, along with the caption, “Housing Crisis Solution: Lord Jeff Approved.” This is an excerpt from a letter written by two students at the University of Massachusetts expressing outrage at the image.

“Recently, your school news journal, The Indicator (Volume XXXIII, Issue 2, page 19), ran a cartoon depicting the ‘Lord Jeff approved’ housing solution in the form of tipis. We find this incredibly insensitive, and ultimately, racist. Let us be clear, the person who drew the cartoon (Tricia Lipton ’12), the editors who approved it (Nadirah Porter-Kasbati ’13 and Laurence Pevsner ’14), and the student body, faculty and staff of Amherst College who subsequently read it and perhaps even laughed are not necessarily racists.

They have, however, participated in racist behavior, unintentionally or not.”

The letter went on to state that the image was racist because it promotes stereotypes by inaccurately depicting American Indian housing as substandard to European housing; appropriates a cultural object of many Native American tribes and makes it the butt of a joke, referencing Lord Jeffery’s smallpox genocide.

This type of “comedy” is becoming increasingly socially acceptable because of the prominence of the “hipster” culture. Rachel Fudge suggests that “hipster misidentified irony” is the cause, where many liberals have a “nothing should be taken seriously” attitude while demanding protection from condemnation because “they’re being, you know, ironic;” the same justification that allows a joke comparing defecation to “taking Obama to the White House.” OMG you get it right?

It’s “funny” because the president has brown skin, and brown is the color of poop. Yay. The Amherst College hipster attempts to mediate a lack of meaningful individuality by continuously searching for the anti-mainstream.

Whether it be appropriating Aztec and Native American patterns and clothing

or posting the newest “racist” memes on Reddit or 4chan ironically on Facebook, the Amherst College hipster is a “walking citation” that uses irony as the main way to cope with daily life. Wampole notes that almost every manifestation of contemporary existence (advertising, politics, fashion, television, social media) reveals this “will to irony.”

These individuals are self-professed post-racial, with supposedly enough education to simply be above racism.

They are so post-racial in fact, that they have complete license to say extraordinarily offensive things in a normalized way. Commenting on the fact that Hispanic heritage month starts on Sept.

15, a sombrero clad Stephen Colbert “joked” that “Yes, even their heritage month jumps a border.” There was no controversy over that statement because he was making fun of the “real” racists at FOX News. But whether the racist or the “racist” is using them, these “jokes” only become funny because of the normalization of racial stereotypes. Joking about racism in this way does nothing to improve the condition of the marginalized subject of the joke. Often, it further alienates and dehumanizes.

Ironic living is seemingly unassailable. It makes fun of itself, recognizing its inability to produce anything useful, while enticing others to laugh at it.

No attack can be successfully launched against it because surmounts itself. It allows the perpetrator to avoid personal responsibility while hiding in public. “I have plenty of black friends who are cool with me saying the NWord — so when I use the N-Word to say a joke, you know I don’t mean it in a bad way” or as HBO’s Girls writer Lesley Arfin unapologetically puts it, “‘Nigger’ is a great word. It just packs so much punch. The two g’s next to each other are like literal two G’s, broin’ out, tough as nails, them against the world.” Through fear and pre-emptive shame, ironic bigotry reflects a culture of ambivalence and submission that often surrounds the overt bigotry on our campus (see the racial and homophobic epithets of this academic year).

For every protest against hipster bigotry comes a defensive yet beleaguered response of, “It’s just a joke, stop being so sensitive.” These comments come from white and minority bigots alike. Another generic response is, “Why do they take everything so

seriously?” A thin line separates comedy and tragedy in these contexts.

“Ironic” bigots need to ask themselves the following questions moving forward. What exactly is being laughed at through these jokes? Why are they being said in the first place? Is it an attempt to claim a contemporary political discourse? If that’s the case, then why has it emerged in this form? In the context of race, just because overt racism has decreased in comparison to our parents’ generation doesn’t mean that racism has ended. It survives in more benign forms, like ironic racism and institutional racism. Whether or not the hipster racist wholeheartedly believes in his comedy is beside the point. What makes the hipster “racist” a racist is the awareness that they know better but choose not to care.

Undoubtedly satire pre-Generation Y often provided meaningful political outlets for unsaid societal tensions. But what makes fashionable bigotry different is the fact that the “satire” of our generation has left the political domain and spread into life itself. For most of us who indulge in that mode of existence, life has become “an endless series of sarcastic jokes and pop references, a competition to see who can care the least (or, at minimum, a performance of such a competition)” (Wampole, 2012). Millennial satirical racism and bigotry often dehumanizes its subjects just as much as the commentary from the intentional racist or bigot.

Another question that should be raised as we appraise ourselves for such unintentional bigotry is “What’s the aim?” How much usefulness is derived from unintentional racism and bigotry? In my opinion that’s the factor that separates “Chappelle Show” and “The Boondocks” from the racist jokes about people of color that pervades our campus and larger society. For the unintentional racist, what does pointing out a racist trope accomplish? Pointing out stereotypes like black men committing crime, Asians getting good grades or Jewish people being stingy provides no other commentary besides “LOOK HERE, RACISM” and does nothing for the racial group besides further propagating misinformation. To the ironic racist, I leave a quote from blogger Lindy West, “You cannot unlock some secret double-not-racist achievement just by being a regular racist. Otherwise Bill O’Reilly would be president of the NAACP.”

Questioning our Language and Intentions Continued from “Elitism” problem with the system that we don’t ordinarily see. Gramsci took hundreds of pages exposing to us what exactly “hegemony” means. When I use that word, I don’t use it to sound smart; I use it because it’s the only word that can express a specific idea that, if you don’t already know, it’ll take me a book to explain, which will derail me from the argument I’m trying to make. Language expands to imbue in itself hitherto unthought of ideas. To employ academese sometimes, is thus not an act of self-congratulation or intellectual masturbation, but simply an act of jumping off and working in collaboration with decades of other ideas and intense thought that have informed not just whole bodies of theory but also political practice.

Further, an n+1 article, entitled “Revolt of the Elites,” points us to the truth

about language: it is inherently more democratic than any other institution, including institutions that are not usually considered elite like corporations, movie making franchises, the music industry and so on. Our particular strain of elitism doesn’t demonize these institutions the way we do the employment of academic language, which is funny considering that, “Language, once you grant universal literacy and mediatized standardization, is among the hardest resources to monopolize, especially now that the internet has rendered the costs of publication negligible. No one can read a lot without learning how to write, or pay close attention to articulate speech without becoming more silver-tongued himself. Language is that rare thing to be able to consume which is also to be able to produce it.”

So where does this leave us? Clearly, ivory tower radicalism, and the closed off walls of elite academia, are — dun,

dun, dun — “problematic.” Or, to be more explicit, are undemocratic, masturbatory, hierarchical and reinforcing the very divisions that they claim to be fighting against. Even the n+1 article agrees, claiming that their passionate defense of language does not mean “that the garrulous universities, with their seminars, lectures, presses and journals, and the logorrheic publishing world — in the widest sense of books and blogs and journals and newspapers — are today vehicles of a truly democratic culture. Access to them is too undemocratic for that.” When we write in lofty terms, complex language and cite theorists that we know a majority of our peers might not have access to, we must question our own language and intentions.

Still, we must know what the problem is, and who our true enemies are.

Our real problem is not theory, complex language or abstract philosophies

and ideas itself, for these are often radical and have historically and currently ignited mass political action, fostered radical change and created extraodinary change. Not to mention, the very act of engaging in theory and intellectual work is often considered dangerous and subversive enough to the governments that several famous intellectuals have been banned, deported or arrested simply for their writing.

Theories, ideas and words have power.

And this space of radical thought, intellectualism and theorization is something that every human has the capacity to engage in. To say that such an act means nothing to the working class is to deign them as something other than thinking, intelligent human beings.

Our real problem instead is the barriers that make access to ideas and theory easier for some and harder for others. Our real problem is that academic ideas are confined to journals

that one needs to be a member of an elite institution or needs to pay for in order to read. Our real problem is that the capitalist work economy makes it possible only for certain people to have the time to read and engage and argue, while deeming others as only fit for hard and continuous physical labour.

Our real problem is the network of politics and hierarchy that makes academic work more a game of connections and networking rather than earnest intellectual work and discovery and collaboration. Our real problem is college bureaucrats, MOOCs, politicians who hike up the price of education and make universal education impossible, lobby groups and people who profit off the education industry. Our real enemy is not theory or complex words, or abstractions.

Our real enemy is not ideas. Our real enemy is inaccessibility and capitalism.

Arts&Living

“With asexuality, it’s incredibly easy to doubt yourself. ” The ‘A’ Stands for Asexual: Page 7

Death of 1930s Child Star Leaves a Void

Image via classicfilmguru.wordpress.com

The famed and former child star passed away this Monday, February 10th.

Liz Mardeusz ’16 Staff Writer Famed former child star Shirley Temple Black died on Monday, February 10. She was 85. She began her film career in 1932 at only three years old, starring in small, low budget features and cereal advertisements and found international fame in 1934 after signing a contract with 20th Century Fox and starring in “Bright Eyes.” “Bright Eyes” was created especially for Temple to showcase her singing and dancing talents — at only six years old, she was not only a performer for a major film studio, but a headliner! She was probably the youngest actress to have her name headlining a film. Temple went on to star in a great many comedic dramas with songs and dances created specifically for her. Even if you’ve never seen “Curly Top,” you’d surely recognize the signature song, “Animal

Crackers in My Soup,” from the 1935 film that showcased Temple’s talents.

Shirley Temple’s singularity is what makes her death feel like such a loss.

I would guess that very few people younger than our grandparents’ or parents’ ages were exposed to Temple’s films, but most can identify her as the prolific, curly-haired singer-tap dancer-actress that she was. Temple was the original child star; she was so successful because she was spirited and upbeat even during a time period when the United States was not. She allowed filmgoers to escape the troubles of the Depression-plagued 1930’s for a few hours. Would she have reached the same level of fame and recognition if she had been born in a different decade, or did Temple strike gold because of her birth year? Is there a place for a Shirley Temple-esque child actor in 2014?

I’m not sure that there is. The

exaggerated cuteness and optimism of Temple’s movies have been out of style in more recent decades. Nowadays, Hollywood heavyweights instead bring violent action films or painfully realistic, cerebral features to theaters.

Cinemagoers are still paying for a form of escapism, but what they’re escaping to is a world full of someone else’s problems. No longer are we familiar with the realm of optimism, clear-cut “good guys” and “bad guys” and happy endings so integral to Shirley Temple films. Regardless of the tastes of Hollywood studios and the movie-going public, I’m not sure if a legacy like Temple’s could be imitated anyway.

After gracefully retiring from show business in 1950 (at the ripe, old age of 22!) Temple transitioned to life as a wife, mother, and politician. She married WWII Navy officer Charles Alden Black in 1950 and had three children.

She made occasional television appearances and then pursued a career in government. In 1969, Temple was appointed by President Nixon to the United States General Assembly and later on served as the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and then Czechoslovakia.

She later held the honor of being the first female Chief of Protocol under Jimmy Carter.

Temple never made headlines for entering rehab, getting arrested or publishing an offensive tweet (of course, that technology didn’t exist in her day, but you get the picture). The child and teen actors of our generation just can’t seem to make the switch from starring in Disney Channel’s tame and highlyedited offerings to conducting themselves as professional adults, whether they choose to continue working in the entertainment industry or not. Remember when Lindsay Lohan was a super-cute and charming child actress?

“The Parent Trap” and “Freaky Friday” were both great remakes! Lohan clearly had a lot of talent, but drug addiction and perhaps a poor work ethic have left her with a troubled reputation. I’m not even entirely sure what Lohan is up to these days besides taking up space in L.A. nightclubs or making an occa-

sional B-list movie.

Nor has Miley Cyrus had the smoothest transition from childhood stardom to adult success. We’re all aware of Cyrus’s attempts throughout the years to project an image a grit-

“

The nature of our time suggests that a pre-teen as singularly famous as Shirley Temple would have a difficult time finding success in unrelated ways as an adult.

”

tier and more mature icon than that of her “Hannah Montana” period. She started off by taking risqué (at least for a 15-year-old) photos for Vanity Fair and pole dancing on an ice cream truck while performing at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards. Since then, Cyrus has been singing, tweeting and Instagraming her way to notoriety (including risqué photos for any age), and while she’s definitely put out some interesting music this past year, Miley Cyrus is no class act à la Shirley Temple. Can you imagine Cyrus taking up a job in

the White House? She’d wear a giant teddy bear backpack to press conferences. And I’m not quite sure how well bleached eyebrows or twerking would go over with President Obama.

Countless other ex-child stars have had their share of issues — Britney Spears, Michael Jackson and Macaulay Culkin come to mind. Dakota Fanning, who acted in countless films as a pre-teen, and Neil Patrick Harris, played Dougie Houser as a child, stand out as examples of child performers who grew up without causing scandals or finding themselves in jail.

However, neither female has experienced the fame or cultural significance that Shirley Temple did as a child star.

This makes Temple pretty unique. The amount she accomplished — and the variety of it — is truly remarkable.

The nature of our time suggests that a pre-teen as singularly famous as Shirley Temple would have a difficult time finding success in unrelated ways as an adult. But who says that Lindsay Lohan and Miley Cyrus have to become the norm? With any luck, someone will come along to bring us joy onscreen but contribute in other, unrelated ways when she outgrows Hollywood. Until then, Temple will be sorely missed.

Image via post-gazette.com

Temple won the Screen Actors Guild Awards 42nd Annual lifetime achievement award in 2006.

Thinking about writing about campus living?

A&L Wants You If you are interested in writing for A&L, email the editors at mmccullogh15@ amherst.edu or epaul16@amherst.edu.

The Amherst Student • February 19, 2014

The ‘A’ Stands for Asexual

Queeriosity Tess Banta ’16 A bi-weekly column dedicated to discussing LGBTQ student life at Amherst College. If you are interested in contributing to the Queeriosity column, contact the Amherst College Pride Alliance at pridealliance@amherst.edu!

Asexuality is invisible. It isn’t discussed; it’s not on TV, teenagers can’t learn about it in health class. The people who have heard of it usually doubt that it’s even real. I haven’t come out to many people at home. I’ll hint at it, dip my toes into the water — as a senior in high school I told my best friends.

I mentioned it to my mother. None of them really believed me. Surrounded by people who had come out to their families, it was strange to realize that I couldn’t just tell people the truth and have them accept it at face value, the way my friends could. I would look into the mirror and think, “what am I supposed to ‘come out’ about, anyway?

What I’m not doing?”

I identify as asexual. This means that I feel little to no sexual attraction to anyone, regardless of gender. This is the most straightforward definition of asexuality, but not all asexual people (or ‘aces’) are the same. Some aces are gray-sexual (or gray-A), meaning that they fall somewhere on a spectrum between asexual and sexual. Some are aromantic in addition to asexual, meaning they don’t feel romantic attraction either. Some aces are sex-repulsed, and will rarely or never choose to have sex, while others are fine with it and will agree to sex with significant

others for a variety of reasons. If they haven’t explained their asexuality to you, it’s completely inappropriate to assume that an ace is uninterested in dating, marriage, hookups or even sex.

While I’m more open about my sexuality at Amherst than I am anywhere else, every now and then I wonder if that was a mistake. When I tell people, I’m usually greeted with doubt, confusion and (eventually) intrusive questions. There’s something about outing yourself as asexual that awakens a sudden and extreme disrespect in others for your privacy — this doesn’t go away after you first come out, either.

This semester, I mentioned to a few people that I’d been seeing someone over the break and that I’d had a really great time. I’d forgotten that I’d already told them I was ace. Almost immediately, someone asked me, in front of people that I hadn’t come out to, “aren’t you asexual?” Then they asked about my sex life. This isn’t that unusual; virtual strangers ask me about my sex life more often than you’d think. People ask me to explain exactly what asexuality is, and they demand an explanation if I say that I hooked up with someone.

They want to know why I say I’m asexual if I’m okay with having sex, they want to know why I’m lying to people

I date. Here’s how it is: if I’m not dating you, it isn’t your business. I have no obligation to educate you by sharing anecdotes about my sexual history. These questions don’t embarrass or upset me, but that is only because I happen to be an unusually open and unabashed person. But when you question me, as a person, you do more harm than you might think. Responding to a friend coming out to you with something as seemingly innocuous as “really?” still causes harm.

With asexuality, it’s incredibly easy to doubt yourself. Through its silence on the subject, the entire world, including Amherst College, implicitly tells you that asexuality isn’t a valid form of sexuality. More directly, people will tell you that they’re sure you’ll change your mind. That you’ll feel differently after you meet the right person. I don’t desire sex, and yet I think about sex all the time. I feel as though I need explanations and sexual experiences in order to justify myself. I feel as though if I ever change my mind and choose a new label, everyone I ever told who doubted me will feel vindicated. Sometimes I’ll use vague language to describe myself. My coming outs are muddled and unobtrusive.

As loud as I might normally be, I feel quiet and small when it comes to this.

I’m not proud of my identity, because I don’t feel like I have one.

In many ways, aces are isolated from the general queer community unless space is made for them; I’ve faced ribbing from my queer friends (and acquaintances) just as often as

I have from my straight ones. “You wouldn’t get it,” a queer friend once said when I asked what he was laughing about. “It’s a sex thing.” And while I fight for LGBTQIA rights, I don’t feel as though a shirt that says “I support love” supports me. Asexual students face different problems than people who are fighting for their right to love someone. There are huge gaps in our experiences that might be unbridgeable, and that’s fine, so long as those gaps are at least acknowledged. I can’t

Arts & Living 7

live on an island forever.

So this is my statement for a community in which asexuality isn’t taught, isn’t discussed and isn’t truly accepted.

A community where the email inviting students to write this column asked for “LGBTQ students and allies,” and I had to assume that this included me as well. A community where allies claim the A at the end of the acronym. I’ll keep smiling, and correcting people who really do mean well: “actually, the A stands for asexual.”

Image courtesy of pokerstockphotos.com

Asexual people can be casually referred to as ‘aces,’ as in the ace of hearts.

Living the Sweet Life: Baking at Amherst Abigail Rose ’16 Contributing Writer The trunk of your car. Do you even know what’s in it? Maybe some random clothes that you’ve been too lazy to move for months, or a shovel for the endless mountains of snow in the tennis courts parking lot. I’m guessing that for most of us, stuff of little to no importance that just sits there. Well, I have a confession: The trunk of my car is pretty much full and I know exactly what’s in it.

And it’s kind of weird: flour, sugar, cookie sheets, measuring cups, pretty much an entire assortment of baking items to make up the most basic (portable) kitchen. Despite the love for academia and sports that brought me to this institution in the first place, really one of my greatest passions in life is baking — sweets, treats, desserts, you name it.

Some of you may know this already. At various times last semester, lucky late-night Frost dwellers received special deliveries of hot muffins, cupcakes, blondies and cookies. The act of baking fulfills me and gives me a feeling of purpose.

At the same time, nothing brings me more satisfaction than sharing my baked goods with others. Because honestly that’s what it’s about: finding that thing, your thing that drives you and sharing it.

When I arrived on campus with a car at school for my sophomore year, I knew that I had to use this new vehicle of mobility to find a way

to bake. And that’s when the trunk of my car became a small, portable kitchen. Every so often on one of those days, those need a pick-me-up days, I head to Stop and Shop, grab what I need and head to Newport.

Newport Dormitory is off of Route 9 and has a tiny kitchen that I take over. I awkwardly do NOT live in Newport. Regardless, I lug in multiple armloads of bowls and pans and butter while kids walk through the basement just trying to do their laundry in peace. To the Residents of Newport: I’m sorry that my taste in music is questionable and is not in Spanish or French but I blare it anyways. The sink is always full of dishes; there are crumbs on most surfaces, poor lighting and a number of other first world problems that might discourage the faint of heart. But by the time I have music going, the oven preheating (aside: I may possibly be getting slowing poisoned from the carbon monoxide…), and begin breaking down the new recipe I am trying, it’s all worth it. Despite the inconvenience and extensive process that is required to make a batch of Nutella Stuffed Pumpkin Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins, they are as good as the ridiculously long title implies. On a day when everything just seems off or overwhelming, this is my fix.

And since my baked goods don’t usually last very long, I take pictures of them too. Do you have an Instagram? Follow me at @gailsbaked-

Image courtesy of Abigail Rose ‘16

Gingerbread cupcakes with cream cheese frosting made an appearance on Abigail’s Instagram account over the holidays. goods. #shamelessselfpromotion. I take pictures of the new foods I bake and post them, most often with captions that are so corny I think they’re funny and my friends get to roll their eyes. Even though I give most of my sweets away, I don’t actually do it for anyone else. Eventually I may start a bakery, blog or cookbook, but for now, I’m just doing what I love. For now, I am spending my beer money on chocolate chips and brown sugar and filling up the memory space on my phone with different shots of cookies because it makes me happy.

What are you doing that you love, that calms you, or makes you

feel whole? It doesn’t matter if seems weird or lame. Hey, I’m not judging you, and chances are that nobody else is. Everyone has something, or at least I hope you do, and if not yet, you will. Pursuing our passions and interests is what going to Amherst is all about. I hope everyone takes advantage of what we have going on here. It’s so easy to complain about it. Don’t we all remember the far too active Facebook nonsense, Amherst Rants or Complaints or whatever.

Sometimes you have to reach out and do it for yourself. I know having cocoa powder and a spatula in my car is kind of unconventional

but I like what I’ve got going. I like my routine. So go and follow your passion and if you like baked goods: take your phone out of your pocket and go follow me on Instagram! Do what you need to be a happier and more fulfilled person because it’s infectious. We are a campus of super interesting people, let’s lean into what we like despite the fact that it may not always be cool (says who) or easy (worth it anyways). And if you feel like a freak, remember that there’s a girl listening to Broadway tunes in Newport basement who practically has a bakery set up in her car.

8 Arts & Living

The Amherst Student • February 19, 2014

Interior Design Sweeps the Campus Brittanie Lewis ’15 Staff Writer An especially creative portion of the first-year class has been recently consumed by a passionate interest in interior design. An unprecedented artistic development on the first-year quad, the foray into new and experimental methods of the art of turning spaces into practical, aestheticallypleasing quarters is just now being recognized as a tangible venture. David Lander ’17 is largely credited within those circles most obsessed with the craft as spearheading the projects, most of which have been executed in North Dormitory. Jackson Lehnhart ’17 is credited as Lander’s primary design consultant.

I was lucky enough to get an opportunity to interview Lander about his art. When asked about his new interest, Lander had quite a bit to say. His passion for interior design was apparent in every answer.

Q: So, why interior design?

L: “There is something so innately boring and canonical about college dorms. [Lenhart and I] were tired of

ments. Such competition leaves behind the comfort of rooms altogether, like in moving all interior furniture to the cold outdoors without even considering of proper set-up of the original room. This is a perversion of a crafted art.”

talking into friends’ rooms and seeing the same thing day after day. So we decided to start experimenting on how we could help. We started with the flooring, where we tried Dixie cups filled with water, but weren’t quite satisfied with aesthetic. And that’s when we realized we had to think outside the box. Why should students be confined to sleeping only in their rooms?”

Sarah Frohman ’17 and Ashlyn Heller ’17 consider themselves burgeoning students of interior design, motivated entirely by competition with Lander and a desire to take their design a step further than his at every chance they see. Luckily, they were both available for an interview about the most intimate aspects of their brand. They were initially hesitant to reveal their prized design secrets, but eventually shared with me what makes their approach to interior design truly theirs.

Q: What do you want observers to take away from your unique room designs?

L: “ … We are most concerned about students feeling trapped in their small dorm rooms. We think students should … [feel] free to enjoy their bed in the common room, the study nooks, a friend’s room or even the bathroom.”

Q: Which components of your brand of interior design make it uniquely yours?

L: “We market our dorm room makeovers by our commitment to maintaining comfort and a commitment to the original design of our clients’ beds. In recent days, we have had some competitors try to enter the market who have deviated from such commit-

Q: What originally inspired you?

F: “Well [Lander] initially redesigned our rooms, by putting [Heller’s] whole bed in the fourth-floor common room and my mattress in our common room, so we wanted to redesign his room in return.”

A: “But one-up him in the process, of

Image courtesy of Brittanie Lewis ’17

Sarah Frohman ’17 and Ashlyn Heller ’17 move the contents of David Lander ’17’s room onto North’s lawn. course.”

Q: You have such a unique taste in interior design; what motivates your art?

F: “We like nature.”

H: “It was important to replicate the organization of his room in a natural setting. And we know that he loves to ski, so we figured that with the snow he’d be right at home but still feel the protection of being at Amherst.”

S: “And we designed the space to be inbetween snow banks, so it was natural and homey.”

Q: What message are you trying to send your audience?

F: “Anything can be art.”

H: “Even revenge.”

Image courtesy of Brittanie Lewis ’17

The Freshman Quad has seen some new furnishing despite the recent storms.

All of the designers seem to be taking a reductionist approach, rendering the actual space in which the furniture and other elements of the room are arranged essentially irrelevant. Bedrooms no longer serve the purpose of a

home for a bed, desk and dresser. And why should they, when the common room, or even the front lawn of North, can represent perfectly appropriate spaces in which to work interior design magic? With these interior designers, convention is thrown out the door and caution to the wind, as they strive to create exceptional trademarks.

As an active observer, it is truly refreshing to see the first-year community engaged cooperatively in pursuing artistic ventures that have not been given much attention on the Amherst campus in the past. Their fresh, inspired perspectives on interior design and their unique conceptualizations of the integrity of living spaces could be well-received and even respected beyond the scope of the College. The recent interest in interior design really speaks to the creative potential of Amherst students, especially when engaged in healthy competition with one another. I can’t wait to see what wonderful spaces these students design next.

Five College Events Thursday, February 20

“Why Shall I Stop Eating Pork?: Eating Together in Difference with Dr. Rahel R. Wasserfall” 5 p.m., Smith College Anthropologist Dr. Rahel R. Wasserfall, a Resident Scholar at the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center, will speak about her current book project, “Eating Together in Difference: Stories of Food, Living Together and Religion.” This book explores issues of conviviality, toleration and religion in public life and is based on her 10 years of experience as Director of Evaluation and Training for CEDAR — Communities Engaging Difference and Religion — a religiously diverse and international group.

“Muslims Countering Extremism in the Post 9/11 Era,” 7:00 p.m.— 8:30 p.m., Mount Holyoke College Renowned academic Jennifer Bryson served in the US Department of Defense from 2001-2007, where she was an interrogator at Guantanamo Bay from 20042006. She currently serves as Director of the Islam and Civil Society Project and the Peace Catalyst International. Join her in discussing the rise and persistence of anti-Muslim sentiment globally. Discover how Muslims are countering anti-Muslim prejudice through creative media, including film, music, poetry and literature. Understand how you can become part of efforts to shed religion-based stereotypes in favor of organic interactions across faiths, ethnicities and races. Entry is free for all.

Friday, February 21

“Korean Night 2014” 6 p.m.–9 p.m., Mount Holyoke College The Korean American Sisters Association (KASA) of Mount Holyoke College invites you to Korean Night 2014. Come and join us to eat wonderful food, enjoy excellent performances, and learn about Korean culture!

Dinner will be served at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 pm. Admission: Dinner & Show $9; Show $5. Open to all Five-College Students.

“Music In Deerfield: A Far Cry,” 8 p.m. – 10:30 p.m., Smith College A Far Cry, the Boston-based wide-ranging ensemble, performs music by Ives, Gerschwin, Ljova, Kip Jones and Dvorak. Smith College Music Department and Music in Deerfield present acclaimed artists and ensembles in Sweeney Concert Hall, featuring pre-concert talks, free to ticket-holders, in Earle Recital Hall.

For program details, concert times and to order tickets, call MID box office at 413-774-4200 or visit www.musicindeerfield.org.

Saturday, February 22

“Bideew Bou Bes and Friends.,” 3 p.m., Smith College A spectacular blend between African and American Hip-Hop traditions, Bideew Bou Bess from Senegal has to be seen and heard before you can fully grasp their effortless, innovative fusion of traditions and languages. Comprised of three brothers — Moctar, Baidy, and Ibrahima Sall — they blend sweet vocals with savvy poetic commentary and strong traditional melodies. This

concert also features Abiodun Oyewole, Tantra Zawadi, Tony Vacca and Gokh-bi System.

“Drag Night” 10 p.m.–2 a.m, Mount Holyoke College A party by True Colors at Chapin Auditorium. MHC students presale: $5, non-MHC students presale: $7. Drag Ball is an annual celebration of queer identity as we invite all to come dressed to impress for a night of drag perrformances, music and dancing.

“LoveFest,” 7:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m., Mount Holyoke College A night of worship, praise, choreography, spoken word and the Word as we remind ourselves of the Love of Jesus and create an atmosphere for a response to His love.

— by Elizabeth Paul ‘16

The Amherst Student • February 19, 2014

Sports 9

Women’s Swimming Surges Back at NESCACs

Team Places Second; Hyde Wins Three Events, Sets Two Pool Records Patrick Yang ’16 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s swimming and diving team traveled to Williams this weekend in hopes of defending their NESCAC title.

“We were really excited going into NESCACs this year,” said captain Allison Merz ’14. “Championship season is when the hard work we put in from September through January pays off, so it’s always exciting. We worked really hard this year, and we’re definitely fired up heading into the weekend.”

In the first event of the meet, the women’s 200yard freestyle relay team started off the competi-

tion strong with a first place finish in the preliminaries. However, Amherst finished in fifth place in the finals, which was not the result they had anticipated.

Things did not get much better for the Jeffs, as none of Amherst’s swimmers even reached the ‘A’ final in the 50-yard breaststroke.

Sophomore Sarah Conklin’s effort in the 50yard butterfly jolted the Jeffs out of their slow start by breaking the pool record en route to winning the event with a time of 25.11.

The Jeffs struggles continued, however, in many events where they expected to place higher. In the 500-yard-freestyle, favorites Charlotte Chudy ’16 and captain Audrey Ingerson ’14 fin-

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Emily Hyde ’16 hopes to continue her stellar sophomore season at NCAAs next month where she earned three All-American performances last year.

ished sixth and seventh, respectively. Junior Sabrina Lee also entered the 50-yard backstroke as a favorite but finished in fourth place despite coming just 0.88 seconds shy of the first-place finisher.

In the 50-free, junior Ashleigh Stoddart’s time of 24.54 was only good enough for seventh place.

With a number of their teammates underperforming, the Jeffs turned to another one of their superstars, Emily Hyde ’16, who has consistently outperformed her competitors throughout the season. The sophomore proved why she is so highly rated by defending her 200-yard IM title and earning an NCAA ‘B’ cut with her time of 2:03.73.

Hyde led Amherst to another victory in the 400-yard medley relay, where she and three teammates, Lee, Conklin and Lulu Belak ’14, beat the Williams squad by 0.8 seconds. Their time of 3:47.99 was good enough for an NCAA ‘B’ cut as well.

Through day one, the Jeffs were in third place with 451 points, behind Middlebury (472.5) and Williams (663). The next day, Amherst was hungry to redeem themselves and surpass their NESCAC foes.

In the 200-yard medley relay, the star-studded team from the 400-yard medley relay, with Stoddart racing instead of Belak, scored another first place finish for the Jeffs, breaking the meet record and earning an NCAA ‘B’ cut in the process.

The 1000-yard freestyle continued Amherst’s upward trajectory. Chudy and Ingerson again finished right behind each other, going third and fourth respectively. These performances garnered a combined 53 points for the Jeffs.

In the 100-yard breaststroke, all eyes were on Hyde and Middlebury’s Jamie Hillas, who finished within 0.04 seconds of each other in prelims. The finals race was hotly contested as the two were

neck-and-neck, but it was Hyde who grinded out a victory by 0.01 seconds to set another pool record and earn another NCAA ‘B’ cut.

The 800-yard freestyle relay was another good chance to close the gap, and the Jeffs did just that, as Hyde, Belak, Stoddart and Merz finished third with an NCAA ‘B’ cut.

Hyde came through again for her team in the 200-yard breaststroke, where she broke another pool record. She completely dominated the opposition, finishing 1.45 seconds ahead of her nearest challenger to tap in at 2:18.11 for another NCAA ‘B’ cut.

In the diving competition, Lizzy Linsmayer ’14 edged McKenzie Murdoch of Williams by 0.65 points to take first in the one-meter dive, and she finished third in the three-meter dive.

At the end of the weekend, Amherst topped Middlebury by only 9.5 points to take second place with 1216.5 total points behind Williams who racked up 2007 points to earn the NESCAC title.

“We had a really strong last session. It’s hard to stay focused and motivated on Sunday night after three days of racing, but we did a fantastic job of getting up and swimming fast despite being pretty exhausted,” said senior captain Anna Pietrantonio.

While NESCACs marked the end of the 20132014 season for many of the Jeffs, the season is not quite over for some members of the team, as Hyde and others have qualified for NCAA Championships.

“We’re looking ahead to the Div. III NCAA Championships in Indianapolis, March 19-22,” Ingerson said. “For now, we’re focusing on getting the team ready to compete at that level. We have a strong NCAA squad this year, so we’re really excited to get back to work for the next month or so and then see what we can do in Indianapolis.”

Men’s Squash Places Sixth Men’s Hockey Settles For in Division C at Nationals Two 1-1 Ties in OT Lauren Tuiskula ’17 & Devin O’Connor ’16 Staff Writers Men The 22nd-ranked Amherst men’s squash traveled to Harvard this past weekend to compete in the 2014 College Squash Association Team Championships.

Amherst competed in the Summers Cup, the Division C bracket, where they were seeded fifth out of eight teams. In the first round of play, the Jeffs fell to 19th-ranked Brown University, 7-2.

Noah Browne ’16 picked up one of the team’s two victories of the day, winning 3-2 by a score of 2-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10 in the top slot.

Amherst’s only other victory came from firstyear Darian Ehsani, who defeated his opponent in three games on the No. 7 court.

The loss to Brown sent Amherst to the consolation bracket, pitting them against Colby for the second round of play. The Jeffs defeated the Mules for the third time this season, earning wins in four of the top five slots and also a win out of the No. 8 position.

Browne continued to dominate for Amherst, shutting out opponent CJ Smith in three games.

Scott DeSantis ’15 continued his hot streak by defeating his opponent, 3-1. Fellow juniors Alex Southmayd and Max Kardon maintained their consistency this season by notching two more victories. Rounding out the wins for Amherst was first-year Jeremy Van, playing No. 8.

After defeating Colby, Amherst moved on to face 21st-ranked Bowdoin in the consolation bracket championship, a rematch from the NESCAC tournament the weekend before where the Jeffs lost 5-4. Amherst would encounter the same result this past weekend, losing again 5-4.

DeSantis earned an impressive victory in the No. 2 spot, winning his match in five highy contest games by a score of 11-8, 6-11, 8-11, 11-4, 1210. Captain David Kerr ’14 was victorious in the

No. 3 spot, 3-1, and Kardon swept his opponent in the No. 5 spot. Van closed out the weekend with a 3-1 win in the No. 8 spot to end his rookie season on a high note.

“If football is a game of inches, squash is a game of centimeters”, Southmayd said. “This weekend was bittersweet for the men’s team, squeaking by Colby 5-4 only to lose 4-5 to Bowdoin the very next day.”

After this weekend of play, the Jeffs finished their season 7-12. The 2013-2014 campaign will come to a close when selected players compete at the CSA Individual Championships, held at Penn, starting Friday, Feb. 28.

Women The Lady Jeffs defeated local rival Mount Holyoke last Wednesday afternoon, 7-2.

Ericka Robertson ’16 battled the Lyon’s Randima Ranaweera in the top spot, falling 1-3. After losing the first set 3-11, the sophomore bounced back by winning the second game, 11-9; however, she couldn’t clinch the next two competitive games, losing them 9-11 and 7-11. In the No. 2 spot, junior Arielle Lehman also lost her match, falling to Sherouk Khefagy in three games.

Courts three through seven, however, resulted in victories for the Jeffs. In the No. 3 spot, Meyha Sud ’16 swept her opponent 3-0, while first-year Tianna Palmer-Poroner won her match in the fourth spot 3-1. Evelyn Kramer ’14, Khushy Aggarwal ’16, Taryn Clary ’16, Corri Johnson ’16 and Lena Rice ’14 all swept their opponents 3-0.

Notably, Clary extended her win streak to seven matches and now has a team-high 12 wins on the season. Captain Rice also continued her impression senior season in the No. 9 spot, as she crushed Anna Hartman, 11-0, 11-3, and 11-3, to capture her 10th win on the season in her final home match.

Amherst will travel to Princeton this weekend, Feb. 21-23, to compete in the CSA Women’s Team National Championships.

Greg Williams ’16 Staff Writer The Amherst men’s ice hockey team had two tough conference games this weekend against Conn. College and Tufts at home in Orr Rink.

Though the Jeffs finished the weekend with two 1-1 ties, the team extended their unbeaten streak to 11 straight games, continuing their strong play during the month of February.

Both games were marked by strong defensive play on both sides. On Saturday, the Camels were on the ropes early when Topher Flanagan ’16 scored 11 minutes into the first period off a shot from just above the goal line. Mike Petchonka ’14 and Elliot Bostrom ’14 were credited with the assists on the play.

In the second period, the defensive struggle continued, as only eight shots hit the net for both teams combined with just two for Amherst. The Jeffs killed three penalties and retained their one goal lead over the opposition.

The third period was equally close, but it was the Camels who were able to get one by Dave Cunningham ’16 with 12:48 remaining in regulation.

The score ended 40 straight minutes of scoreless action. The overtime period did not provide any spectacular chances for either side, and the game finished in a draw.

Sunday afternoon, the Jeffs hosted the Tufts Jumbos in their final home game of the regular season. Amherst seniors were honored for the all their contributions made to the program, as they played their last regular season home game as Jeffs.

Tufts, with a 1-14-1 record in league play, still played Amherst tough, but the Jeffs dominated much of the game nevertheless. The defensive theme of the weekend continued with a scoreless opening period and just six shots for Tufts while Amherst had five.

It was early in the second period when the Jumbos managed to break the tie when they

notched a shorthanded goal just over a minute into the second period. Amherst evened the score soon when Dan Merenich ’15 sent a tape-to-tape pass to Jake Turrin ’15, who used his wheels to outskate the Jumbo defenseman and picked a corner for the score.

There were several power play opportunities for both sides, but neither team was able to capitalize as the game headed into overtime. It was the second time in as many days for the Jeffs that the score was tied after regulation. Amherst dominated for the second half of the game, but despite outshooting Tufts 37-16, the contest ended in a 1-1 tie.

“We’ve put ourselves in a great position in the NESCAC standings but we’ll have to continue to rely on the work ethic we established in the fall and build on our recent successes. It’s a great feeling to be in a position that you control your own destiny,” said senior captain Andrew Kurlandski.

The Jeffs will travel to Middlebury and Williams this upcoming weekend and look to close out their season strongly against two of the more competitive NESCAC opponents.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Dave Cunningham ’16 had 19 saves on Saturday against Conn. College.

10 Sports

Schedule

FRIDAY Women’s Hockey @ Bowdoin, 7 p.m.

Men’s Swimming @ NESCAC Championships (@ Bowdoin), All Day Women’s Squash @ CSA Team Championships (@ Princeton), All Day

SPRING PREVIEW

SATURDAY Women’s Basketball vs. Hamilton (NESCAC Quarterfinals), 2 p.m.

Men’s Basketball vs. Colby (NESCAC Quarterfinals), 4 p.m.

Men’s Swimming @ NESCAC Championships (@ Bowdoin), All Day

The Amherst Student • February 19, 2014 Women’s Hockey @ Bowdoin, 3 p.m.

Men’s Hockey @ Middlebury, 7 p.m.

Women’s Squash @ CSA Team Championships (@ Princeton), All Day Men’s & Women’s Indoor Track & Field @ NE DIII Championships (@ Boston University), TBD SUNDAY Men’s Hockey @ Williams, 3 p.m.

Men’s Swimming @ NESCAC Championships, All Day Women’s Squash @ CSA Team Championships (@ Princeton), All Day

MEN’S TENNIS

Nicole Yang ’16 Managing Sports Editor Coming off a solid 2013 season that ended with a loss in the NCAA semifinals against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, the Amherst men’s tennis team hopes to make another title run this year.

After a mediocre fall season in 2012, with tough losses against Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon, the Jeffs turned it around for the spring, where they had a 14-match win streak that featured close victories over NESCAC foes, Williams, Bowdoin and Bates.

The streak was snapped, however, in the NESCAC Finals against archrival Williams, as the Jeffs lost 5-4 in dramatic fashion.

Despite finishing as runner-ups in the NESCAC tourney and not achieving their ultimate goal of wining the national championship, the Jeffs still have a lot to be proud of from 2013.

Notably, Mark Kahan ’13 closed his stellar collegiate career with a runner-up finish in the NCAA Div. III Individual Championship for men’s singles. In the final, Kahan fell to Adam Putterman of Washington Univ. in St. Louis, 3-6, 1-6, but he had some outstanding wins along the way, including an upset over the top seed of the tournament, Nicholas Ballou of Cal Lutheran. At the end of the season, Kahan earned first team All-NESCAC honors for singles players as well as second team All-NESCAC in doubles.

“Everyone still yells Mark’s name at practice, so I guess in a way he is still with us,” said Coach Garner regarding how the team will fill the void of the former captain.

Even though they will be without Kahan, the Jeffs still have a number of talented players returning to the court this season, including senior co-captain Joey Fritz, who also earned first team All-NESCAC honors last year as well as Academic All-District honors. Fritz will likely be playing in the team’s top singles spot again in the spring, as the senior posted 3-0 record this past fall.

The likely No. 2 singles player will be sophomore Andrew Yaraghi, who was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year last year in addition to earning second team All-NESCAC honors in both singles

Photo courtesy of Niahlah Hope ’15

Joey Fritz ’14 and the Jeffs posted a 30-7 record last spring.

and doubles.

Notably, Yaraghi made his collegiate debut by winning ITA Regionals in the fall of 2012, defeating his teammate, Ben Fife ’16, in the finals, 6-2, 6-2. Yaraghi’s success continued throughout the season, as he played primarily in the No. 3 singles spot. A versatile player, the sophomore also shined in doubles last spring, where he started his college career by winning 14 out of his first 15, which included a 13-match win streak.

Michael Solimano ’16 and Chris Dale ’14 were also critical factors to the Jeffs’ doubles success, both of them having earned second team All-NESCAC hours in doubles last year.

Despite losing his main doubles partner, Kahan, to graduation, Solimano still has found success with his new partner who also happens to be his roommate, Aaron Revzin ’16, in the No. 2 doubles spot. The duo went undefeated this past fall, going 3-0, with an 8-6 victory over Carnegie Mellon.

When asked to comment on how it feels to play with his roommate, Revzin said. “We do everything together, for better and for worse. I’m a huge proponent of team bonding. Any time spent off the court helps our chemistry on court.”

Solimano also played in the No. 4 singles spot in the fall, winning both of his matches against Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon.

A number of first-years bring some new talent into the mix. Anton Zykov ’17 stepped up to the plate in the fall, going undefeated in the No. 3 doubles spot with Yaraghi. Zykov also had success in the No. 3 singles spot, where he went 2-1.

Amherst’s depth will definitely play to the team’s strength, as a number of their players are capable of playing at an elite collegiate level.

“If the sun is out, I hope all of them can shine,” Garner said when asked if he expected any particular players to stand out.

The team’s first contest of the 2014 season is scheduled for March 17 when the Jeffs will be in California for their annual spring break trip. The team will split squads for the majority of the week to play a series of 18 matches, including a rematch against CMS. From now until then, Garner and the Jeffs look to establish a consistently successful line-up that will bring in the necessary wins to give themselves another shot at the national championship, which is everyone’s goal.

“We are really excited for the season. We have a lot of talent, just like last year, in addition to a bunch of great freshmen. Hopefully if we put the work in, we’ll be able to put ourselves in a position to do well,” Fritz said.

Amherst is currently ranked third in the nation for Div. III tennis, just behind Williams and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, respectively.

In the past five seasons, Amherst has won two NESCAC titles (2011, 2012) and competed in three NCAA finals (2009, 2010, 2011) but has only brought home one national championship (2011).

This year, the team looks to reclaim the No. 1 ranking, the NESCAC Championship and the NCAA Div. III title.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Scott DeSantis ’15 Favorite Team Memory: Country Club mixer freshman year Favorite Pro Athlete: Barry Sanders Dream Job: Graduation speaker Pet Peeve: Pronouncing the “H” in Amherst Favorite Vacation Spot: Rhode Island Something on Your Bucket List: Dunk a basketball Guilty Pleasure: Playing Super Smash Bros. (N64) alone in my room Favorite Food: Crab rangoon Favorite Thing About Amherst: Its colors: purple and white

Emily Hyde ’16 Favorite Team Memory: Dancing with the AWST at NESCACs before the last night of finals Favorite Pro Athlete: Michael Phelps Dream Job: Surgeon Pet Peeve: Running out of AC dollars when I need to do laundry Favorite Vacation Spot: Truro Something on Your Bucket List: To climb all 46 high peaks in the Adirondacks Guilty Pleasure: Nutella Favorite Food: Burrito bowls Favorite Thing About Amherst: The amazing classes and opportunities

Ninth-Ranked Women’s Basketball Crushes Midd.

Dori Atkins ’16 Sports Section Editor The Amherst women’s basketball team cruised past NESCAC rival Middlebury with an easy 79-41 win over the weekend.

The victory extended their win streak over the Panthers to 11, dating back to the 200203 season. Ending the regular season 9-1 in the NESCAC, the Jeffs secured the No. 2 seed heading into this weekend’s NESCAC Quarterfinals.

Amherst came out strong from the tip-off, building a 20-7 run over the first 10 minutes of the half. With a few three-pointers from firstyears, Jaimie Renner and Ali Doswell, the Jeffs held the Panthers without a field goal for a stretch of 8:27 until Middlebury ended its dryspell just before the end of the half.

Up 28 points at the half, Amherst did not slow down its domination. The Jeffs continued on a 17-7 run over a six-minute period, comfortably establishing a 41-point cushion.

Ali Doswell led all scorers with 20 points, just two points shy of tying her career high.

The first-year also had seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomores Haley Zwecker and Marley Giddins each had 11 points and com-

bined for 10 rebounds.

The Jeffs shot a strong 51.7 percent from the floor, while Middlebury only posted a 29.2 mark on field goals. Amherst also held a 4131 rebounding edge and finished with an 18-2 margin in points off turnovers. The visitor’s bench did not even compete with the home team’s reserves, losing a 43-1 scoring edge in that category.

Heading into the postseason, the Jeffs are still missing junior co-captain Megan Robertson, who is out with a knee injury. Although she cannot contribute on the court, Robertson remains an important leader for the young team.

“It was awesome to have such a decisive victory to end the regular season,” Robertson said. “I think that we have made a lot of improvements throughout the season, and they can be seen by the way that everyone played.

In the postseason, we have to focus one game at a time, because you have to win each game to advance. The playoffs are a different atmosphere, and I am excited to see how we perform.”

As the No. 2 seed, Amherst will host the No. 7 seed, Hamilton, in the NESCAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m.

Photo courtesy of The Office of Public Affairs

Ali Doswell ’17 continued her stellar rookie season with a game-high 20 points against Middlebury.

The Amherst Student • February 19, 2014

Men’s Hoops Defeats Midd. The Lakers’ Hope Dear Gomes in Regular Season Finale

Jason Stein ’16 Sports Section Editor On senior day at Lefrak Gymnasium this past Sunday, Amherst men’s basketball earned a commanding 84-67 victory over the Middlebury Panthers to close out the regular season. With the win, the Jeffs locked up the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament and closed out the regular season with a 21-2 record, posting a 10-0 home record and 9-1 NESCAC record.

While the two teams exchanged points in the early going, the Jeffs pulled ahead from the Panthers on a 15-1 run to make the score 23-11 with 10 minutes remaining in the half. The run was topped off by six straight points from senior guard David Kalema, including an electrifying dunk that ignited the crowd and made the score 19-10.

The Panthers would then claw their way back into the game and close the gap. A three-pointer from Joey Kizel erased the deficit and gave the Panthers a 29-28 lead with four minutes left in the first half. Middlebury would then finish the half on top and head to the locker room with a 34-30 edge.

The first half between Amherst and Middlebury proved to be a defensive battle. The Jeffs had seven steals in the first half of action, while the Panthers held a 26-19 edge in the rebounding department. The Jeffs were without the size and strength of sophomore forward Ben Pollack, who will be sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, making it more difficult to guard against the size of the Panthers. Moreover, guard Aaron Toomey ’14 and senior guard/forward Tom Killian sat out most of the first half after picking up two early fouls.

“I was actually quite delighted that we went into the half just down four. When you are missing [Toomey] and [Killian], in particular, it is going to set you back a little bit scoring-wise, but we played pretty well the rest of the game,” Coach Hixon said.

At the start of the second half, the Jeffs stormed back with a 5-0 run to take a 35-34 lead. After a Middlebury score, Amherst would reclaim the advantage and go on a 7-0 run to take a 42-36 lead, which they would not relinquish.

Amherst’s increased level of play, especially on offense, was noticeable in the second half. Coach Hixon pointed out that his squad scored as many

points in the first 10 minutes of the second half (30) as they did for the entire duration of the first half.

Indeed, the Jeffs held a 61-47 lead midway through the second half. Moreover, the Jeffs shot at a 66.7 percent clip from field-goal range and 50.0 percent from three-point territory, after shooting 35.5 percent and 11.1 percent in those two categories, respectively, in the first half.

With just over one minute remaining and the victory essentially assured, Coach Hixon removed his four seniors from the game to the tune of a standing ovation from the crowd on senior day.

Although Toomey was rather quiet in the first half due to foul trouble, he caught fire from the field and from three-point range in the second half.

Toomey finished with 20 points, 17 of which came in the second half, and hit four three-pointers.

Killian put forth 18 points on 8-12 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds. The Jeffs had three other players reach double-digit points. Sophomore Connor Green scored 15, Kalema poured in 13 points and David George ’17 added 10.

“I thought David George had a great game to help make up for Pollack’s absence,” said Coach Hixon, specifically highlighting, “the shots that he blocked and the shots that he changed.”

While Middlebury continued to put up a fight in the second half, they could not match the offensive prowess of the Jeffs in the 84-67 loss. While both Amherst and Williams finished with identical 9-1 NESCAC records, the Jeffs hold the tiebreaker advantage over the archival Ephs, resulting in Amherst earning the right to host the entire NESCAC Tournament as the top overall seed.

In the first round of action, the Jeffs will face the Colby Mules (14-10), who enter the tournament as the No. 8 seed, on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. in Lefrak. Last year, the Jeffs defeated Colby 83-52 in the NESCAC Quarterfinals at home, before ultimately winning the NESCAC Championship following victories against Tufts in the semifinals and Williams in the finals.

A few weeks back on Jan. 31, the Jeffs fell to Colby 80-75 on the road, which proved to be their lone NESCAC loss of the season.

“Colby is the only NESCAC team we have lost to in three years,” Coach Hixon said. “Our guys are certainly not going into the game thinking that it will be an easy one.”

Melton, Briskin Lead Track Teams at Tufts Invite Chris Rigas ’16 Staff Writer Men Amherst men’s track turned in a solid allaround performance this Saturday at the Tufts Invitational, led by several impressive middle and long distance times.

The Jeffs took three of the top six spots in the 5000-meters, with KC Fussell ’15 coming in second at 15:08.78, and fifth and sixth place finishers Ben Fiedler ’17 (15:24.00) and Raymond Meijer ’17 (15:25.72) breaking the line within seconds of each other.

“We try to vary things from week to week in an effort to stay fresh but also work on speed or strength depending on the distance we will race,” head coach Eric Nedeau said.

Greg Turissini ’15 was Amherst’s only top-10 runner in the 1000-meters, as his time of 2:33.47 put him in fourth. Juniors Romey Sklar and Nick Codola paced the Jeffs in the 800-meters, with Sklar coming in fifth at 1:57.82 and Codola seventh at 1:59.08, respectively. Two Jeffs were in the top-10 in the 600-meters, as Matt Melton ’14 (1:22.74) was only slower than Coast Guard’s Jordan Lee. Alex Durkee ’15 finished ninth in 1:24.66. Finally, Brent Harrison ’16 managed an eighth-place finish in the 400-meter dash, finishing in 51.68.

In the field events, junior Mark Cort leaped 6.49 meters to place third in the long jump, while Kahlil Flemming ’16 (13.51m) and Steven Hetterich ’15 (13.10m) took fourth and sixth in the triple jump, respectively.

Women The Amherst women, who also competed at Tufts, collected a number of top-10 finishes in the longer events and added a pair of second places in the high jump and the 60-meter dash. Senior Naomi Bates was the runner-up in the 60-meters, sprinting to a time of 7.85 seconds, while Kiana Herold’s ’17 1.62 meter high jump was also good for second. Sophomore Taylor Summers managed to crack the top-10 in the high jump, as her 4.98 meter effort landed her in seventh.

Sarah Whelan ’17 finished the 400-meters in 1:04.06, which placed her 10th. Sophomores Keelin Moehl (1:41.31) and Victoria Hensley (1:42.17) took fifth and sixth in the 600-meters, while junior Olivia Tarantino was the only Jeff in the top-10 of the 800-meters. Her time of 2:24.46 put her in seventh.

Sophomore Sarah Foster and senior Amy Dao led the Jeffs in the 1000-meters and mile respectively. Foster’s time of 3:08.08 was good for fifth, while Dao captured fourth in the mile, clocking in at 5:09.83.

Amherst managed to take three top-10 places in the 3000-meters; Lizzy Briskin ’15, (10:22.82) Jessica Kaliski ’15 (10:44.73) and Cat Lowdon ’17 (11:00.84) placed second, sixth and 10th, respectively. In the 5000-meters, senior Lisa Walker claimed fifth with a time of 18:45.81, and sophomore Betsy Black was 10th at 19:14.23.

Both teams return to action this Saturday, at the New England Div. III Championships, hosted

by Springfield College.

Sports 11

Dillan Gomes ’16

DEAR GOMES: My beloved Lakers have had such a bad season! After making a late push in the playoffs last season, I had such high hopes for this year. When do you think Kobe is going to be back? What if he never recovers?! What’s going to happen to my Lakers? Will we ever win another championship?!

-— LAKER LOVER

DEAR LAKER LOVER: Sixteen NBA Championships. Four different NBA Most Valuable Player Honors. A celebrated owner in Jerry Buss. Hall of Famers in Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Gary Payton. Exceptional coaching staff previously led by Phil Jackson.

Throughout NBA history, the Los Angeles Lakers have been considered one of the most iconic sports franchises. Until this season, it seems the franchise has consistently made the right decisions at the right times.

However, there is great concern regarding the team’s direction with new owner, Jim Buss, who is under tremendous pressure to continue the memorable legacy of his recently deceased father Jerry Buss.

“He’s got to quit trying to prove a point to everybody that he can do it on his own, and get his ego out of it,” stated former Laker great Magic Johnson.

As time passes, the organization has seemingly lost its aura as one of the greatest franchises in sports. Los Angeles was once the ideal destination for players who wanted to compete for the NBA Championship and bring home a ring. Today, it appears that the Los Angeles Clippers have assumed the dominant role in L.A., after being dubbed the Lakers’ “little brother” for many years.

We have seen superstar players like Dwight Howard leave the Lakers for better opportunities. Lakers’ fans are not used to seeing players with talent like Howard abandon their team like that.

As each game goes by, the losses continue to pile up. Currently, at the All-Star break, the Lakers have a dismal 18-35 record. They just lost their seventh consecutive home game at Staples Center, a new franchise record.

One of the oldest teams in the NBA, the Lakers have suffered injuries to key players such as Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The team’s most recent game against the Cleveland Cavaliers best exemplified their ongoing struggle with injuries this year.

With only eight healthy players on the roster to start with, the team lost even more players during the game to injury; consequently, when their center Robert Sacre reached the foul limit, there was no one on the bench to substitute for him. Lucky for the Lakers, Sacre was permitted to stay on the court as the Lakers were given a technical foul, and the game went on.

Many fans are calling for the firing of Coach Mike D’Antoni, but to me that is an unfair decision. The Lakers performed very well last year when all their players were healthy and the team made a tremendous push to make the playoffs. D’Antoni must be given a fair chance to succeed, especially since last season was his first in L.A. The Lakers’ star, Kobe Bryant, who has been with the team since 1996, has been saddled with injuries all season; thus, Bryant has played in a total of only six games. Although he successfully recovered from his Achilles’ heel injury that he suffered last season, some critics believe that Bryant’s early return was too hasty and resulted in his knee injury this season.

A five-time NBA champion, league MVP and two-time Olympic gold medalist, All-Star Bryant can only watch as his team continues their tumultuous year. However, he has been adamant about playing out his final contract and retiring once it expires.

The Lakers were loyal to Bryant and gave him a lucrative $48.5 million two year extension, but the ultimate question is what the Lakers will do with these final two years to help cement Bryant’s legacy as one of the greatest

basketball players ever.

Will a string of devastating injuries define his fleeting moments in the NBA? Or will he be something more? Is there hope for another ring?

Undoubtedly, Bryant hopes to retire as a six-time NBA champion, tying basketball legend Michael Jordan. I believe that getting on Jordan’s level is ultimately what drives Kobe Bryant to battle back from his injuries.

Although he has always had a ferocious and determined relationship with basketball and his teammates, his intense attitude has created tensions with teammates, such as Shaquille O’Neal and Howard. However, in the end, no one can deny that Bryant has mastered the formula to bringing home NBA championships.

There is no doubt in my mind that Kobe Bryant will not only come back but also return in elite form. We can all envision his patented fade-away jump shot swishing through the net as the Staples center goes wild.

So what should the Lakers’ direction be as they move forward?

First off, the team must end their roller coaster relationship with Pau Gasol and trade him.

In 2011, Gasol was apart of a blockbuster trade for Chris Paul that was eventually vetoed by the league. The forward is in the final year of his contract, and it seems likely that he won’t be wearing purple and gold for the 2014-2015 season.

However, it is crucial that the Lakers don’t lose a great player for nothing in return. A trade would successfully get the Lakers below the luxury tax threshold, which would give the franchise the ability to acquire valuable assets for the future.

The 2014 free agent class includes iconic players, such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love, who all have the same goal: winning a championship. Moving Gasol to another team would provide the Lakers with both the flexibility and the spending money to acquire some talent during the off-season, though I am very skeptical about the Lakers’ ability to sign a star free agent in time. Their window for winning championships is closing with Bryant’s career nearing the end.

Jim Buss needs to bolster the front office by bringing in household names to attract notable free agents to the Lakers. I believe they must put personal issues aside and bring Phil Jackson back in some capacity in the front office.

They also must reach out to former great Laker players, such as Magic Johnson, to be consultants to the team.

The Gasol trade would essentially end the Lakers’ season and direct their attention to the NBA Draft and the rebuilding process.

This years draft class is one of the best in years, with potential superstars in Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid of Kansas and Jabari Parker of Duke.

The talent in this year’s draft is reminiscent of the 2003 NBA draft class when LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade were all welcomed to the league. There is a lot of potential, and the Lakers must retain a top pick in order to have a bright future for fans to look forward to.

The responsibility of putting Bryant in a position to succeed is a daunting task. As one of the most iconic athletes in the world, it is important he ends his career in typical Kobe Bryant fashion. On top of that, the team also has the responsibility to continue their legacy as one of the most celebrated and successful franchises in sports history. In order to reclaim their glory, changes must be made.

Sports

“With the win, the Jeffs locked up the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament...”

Men’s Hoops Defeats Midd. ... Page 11

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Sara Culhane ’17 (right) slides the puck past the Trinity goaltender to score the first goal of the game on Saturday just two minutes into the first period.

The first-year has seven goals on the season.

Women’s Hockey Goes Unbeaten Against Trinity Sixth-Ranked Jeffs Improve to 12-5-5

Holly Burwick ’16 Staff Writer

The Amherst women’s hockey team capped off its final home series of the regular season with a 3-1 win and a 2-2 tie against Trinity College. The weekend’s results improved the 10th-ranked Jeffs to an overall record of 12-5-5. They are now 8-2-4 in the NESCAC, which is good enough for second place behind Midd.

Valentine’s Day this year marked the team’s second annual “Pink in the Rink” event. The team sported pink on their jerseys to show their support for breast cancer awareness. Thanks to the hard work of the team, the coaching staff and parents, over $2,000 was raised through donations and fundraisers including a bake sale for breast cancer research. The proceeds will go to Cancer Connection, a save haven for cancer patients, their families and their caregivers located in Northampton.

The atmosphere at Orr Rink on Friday was also enhanced by the numerous professors who attended the game in honor of a faculty appreciation

night. Family, friends and faculty all contributed to a night that supported a great cause, and the fan base saw much success on the ice for the Jeffs.

Despite an quick goal by Trinity just 2:25 into the starting period, Yuna Evans ’17 made some key stops during the rest of the first period to keep the Jeffs only one score behind.

“We started a little slow on Friday, but quickly improved as the game went on. We picked up the intensity to bounce back from a 1-0 deficit,” said senior co-captain Courtney Baranek.

At the start of the second period, Tori Salmon ’15, buried the puck after a scramble in front of the net. A few minutes later, Baranek pounced on a Salmon rebound to lift the Jeffs to a 2-1 lead, and the Bantams were unable to recover.

After several close chances in the third period, Trinity looked to even the score by pulling their goaltender with 1:04 remaining with hopes that the extra player would facilitate some additional offense. Instead, Salmon capitalized on the open net for her second tally of the game. The game ended in a 3-1 victory thanks to Evans’s 31 saves between

Photo courtesy of Madeline Tank ’15

Juniors Madeline Tank (left) and Tori Salmon (right), in their “Pink in the Rink” game uniforms, have 65 and 18 points on the season, respectively.

the posts.

When the Jeffs and Bantams returned to the ice Saturday night for their second game of the home series, the Amherst seniors were commemorated as it was their last home game of the regular season. The senior class of Amherst women’s hockey includes five members, led by their co-captains, Baranek and Hayley Opperman. Thus far, forward Baranek has 15 career goals and 20 career assists, including four and eight on the season, respectively. As a defender, Opperman has been superb at turning defense into offense with 22 career assists and seven on the season.

Fellow seniors, Kerri Stuart, Avery Stone and Bear McBride, also have all made important contributions for the Jeffs during their four years here. In goal, Stuart has 90.2 save percentage on the season and has recorded 293 saves. Stone has helped anchor the strong defensive effort the team has established this season. On the offensive end, McBride has 11 career goals and 24 career assists. Thanks to the leadership, talent and experience of the senior class, the relatively young team has had an incredibly successful regular season that they hope will carry over into the postseason.

“The seniors have taught a team made up of eight freshmen and three sophomores how to play like veterans. Their confidence on the ice is contagious. Our team plays with poise, and we play with the attitude that we belong on the ice with every team in Div. III,” Erin Martin ’16 said. “The seniors have taught us humility in that we need to take every opponent as a threat and we need to play our best to win games no matter the opponent. Their presence on and off the ice has brought the team closer together and helped us build a successful season so far.”

After the senior class was recognized, the second game of the weekend commenced. The Jeffs were the team to quickly get on the board this time.

2:02 into the start of the first period, as Sara Culhane ’17 dove to put away a loose puck in front of

the Bantams’ net.

Trinity, however, was fast to retaliate. Minutes later the score was evened after another scramble in front found its way past Stuart. Shortly after, Trinity quickly took advantage of a power play opportunity. Following a Stuart save, a rebound broke through, and the Jeffs fell behind 2-1 just five minutes into the game.

Despite a 5-on-3 power play opportunity in the second period, the Jeffs were unable to find the back of the net, and Amherst continued to trail 2-1 at the start of the third period. When the Jeffs were granted another power play during the third frame, they did not let it go to waste and capitalized on the opportunity. Martin buried a rebound for which Salmon and McBride were accredited with the assist.

At the close of the third period, some clever stick work by Salmon amounted to a close chance for the Jeffs, but the Trinity netminder, Alexa Pujol, came up with several strong saves to preserve the tie. After making nine saves in overtime, Pujol concluded the game with 36 saves, while Stuart had 19 stops for the Jeffs. In spite of carrying the momentum at the end of game, Amherst could not pull out the win.

The Jeffs return to action this Friday, Feb. 21 in Maine for their final series of the regular season against Bowdoin.

“We can compete with any Div. III team in the country when our whole team gets going, so we are looking forward to the last couple games of the season and carrying over all the positives to playoffs,” Baraneck said.

“I think our special teams play will be a deciding factor in how well we do throughout the upcoming tournaments,” Martin added. “Our team’s success starts with our defense, so if we can perfect our defensive play and special teams I am confident our team can do something special this year [because] our seniors deserve nothing less than a championship.”