Issue 13

THE AMHERST

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLV, ISSUE 13 l WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2016

Men’s Swimming Sweeps Against Springfield See Sports, Page 10 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

College Plans to Revitalize Teaching with Mellon Grant Jingwen Zhang ’18 Managing News Editor

Kyra Gardner ’18 Photography Editor

Following the board of trustees’ decision to reject the Lord Jeff, President Biddy Martin and chairman of the board Cullen Murphy fielded questions from the campus community during an hour-long live stream on Jan. 28.

Board of Trustees Rejects Lord Jeff Kiana Herold ’17 Managing News Editor The board of trustees announced the removal of Lord Jeffery Amherst as Amherst College’s unofficial mascot on Tuesday, Jan. 26.

The announcement followed the board’s annual meeting on Jan. 21 and 22. The board’s decision stated that the college will no longer use the Lord Jeff in official communications, messaging or symbolism. This includes changing the name of the Lord Jeffery Inn, which the college owns, and phasing out athletic gear displaying the Lord Jeff.

A committee composed of students and alumni will be formed to consider whether Amherst should officially adopt a mascot, and if so, what that mascot may be.

“An official mascot, if there’s to be one, is obviously not something that should be handed down

by decree,” chairman of the board Cullen Murphy wrote. “Students and alumni deserve to be on the front lines here.”

The board’s decision follows a semester of debates over the mascot and widespread student activism. In October, the Association of Amherst Students published a letter calling for the removal of the mascot. The mascot was one of the issues confronted by Amherst Uprising, a student-run protest against racial discrimination on campus in November. In an ad-hoc faculty meeting held in response to the protests on Nov. 16, the faculty unanimously voted to condemn the Lord Jeff in an unofficial vote. In an AAS poll of students conducted in December, 83 percent of participants voted to remove the mascot.

President Martin and Murphy spoke about the decision in a one-hour live stream to the campus community on Jan. 28. Members of the Amherst

community were invited to email in questions before and during the live stream. The conversation covered topics such as the history of Lord Jeffery Amherst, the student activism of last semester and hopes for increased communication between students and alumni.

According to Murphy, the board’s conversation about the mascot lasted four hours. “[The board] looked at the Lord Jeff issue from every conceivable angle,” Murphy wrote. “I doubt that there was any serious argument or point of view that was not brought up and discussed — often more than once.”

There is no specific time frame for creating the joint committee of students and alumni to discuss the future of the mascot question, according to the board’s statement.

“We should take our time into thinking about a mascot,” Director of Athletics Don Faulstick said.

“This could be a really good opportunity to really build community over something.”

The college received a $1.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation this past December to make teaching more inclusive and effective for students starting in the fall of 2016.

The mission of the Mellon Foundation is to promote the humanities, arts and social sciences through supporting institutions of higher education.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation invited Amherst College to submit a grant proposal last May after President Biddy Martin met with Earl Lewis, the foundation’s president.

“Administrators who touched various parts of the academic program and student life” drafted the proposal, according to Lisa Stoffer, the director of the college’s grants office.

The proposal was first submitted in July and revised several times before being accepted in December.

“It has become, over the last 20 years, rarer and rarer for major U.S. foundations to fund small, independent liberal arts colleges,” Stoffer said.

Initiatives funded by this grant will span the next four years, providing faculty with resources to adapt their teaching methods to better serve students of diverse backgrounds and various levels of pre-college preparation.

“What the grant will help us do is train faculty to teach to a range of students,” Dean of the Faculty Catherine Epstein said, citing growing differences between current and past students, such as increased reliance on technology and diminished attention spans.

“For faculty who’ve been here for a long time, there’s a sense of …‘Oh, the students aren’t responding the same way they used to.’”

Funding will be used to provide seminars and workshops on new teaching methods, such as adapting to tech-savvy students, to interested faculty. It will also provide financial incentives for faculty to spend part of their summer developing new ways to teach, according to Epstein. The college currently has one instructional designer, Hari Stephen

Continued on Page 3

College Creates Five New Openings for Faculty Hire Dan Ahn ’17 Managing News Editor President Biddy Martin announced at the Dec. 15 faculty meeting that the college will create the equivalent of five new tenure-track faculty positions.

Martin said the board of trustees decided to raise the college’s cap on full-time equivalents, also known as FTEs, by five. An FTE is a unit that essentially represents one open position for which the college can hire a faculty member. One FTE corresponds to teaching four classes a year. Alternatively, half an FTE can be allocated to a faculty member to teach two courses a year. FTEs can also be portioned out for other paid work, including research.

The current official cap is 183 FTEs. At the meeting, Martin said that she had suggested the raise in number to the board of trustees last Oc-

tober.

According to physics professor David Hall, who chairs the faculty Committee on Educational Policy, raising the FTE cap by five is a significant change. A single FTE demands a large sum of money, since it requires the college to pay a career’s worth of wages, so a relatively large amount of money of the college’s budget must be reserved to accommodate raising the cap.

FTEs are generally added to the pool at an incremental rate to accommodate the college’s growing enrollment of students. The college’s current policy on increasing the FTE cap is guided by recommendations laid out in a 2006 report published by the faculty’s committee on academic priorities. In the report, the committee recommended increasing the cap by 18 over time, with the explicit goal of bolstering diversity and interdisciplinary research among the faculty.

The Committee on Educational Policy plays

a key role in distributing available FTEs among academic departments. Every time a department seeks to hire a new faculty member, it must submit a request for FTEs to the committee. The committee is charged with assessing practical needs, such as vacancies in important academic specialties and the need to accommodate increased enrollment in specific majors, as well as faculty diversity.

“An expansion would allow us to hire more faculty of color because it’s just hiring more faculty, and departments could — although I don’t know whether this is the strategy that they are going to pursue — look into new fields that are populated by people of color, such as postcolonial studies,” said Sam Keaser ’17E, a member of the committee. “That could potentially help even out the numbers without resorting to a policy like affirmative action.”

After reviewing the requests of each depart-

ment, the committee makes recommendations to the president and the dean of the faculty on which departments should receive the available FTEs. The issue of faculty diversity drew campuswide attention last semester during and after the events of Amherst Uprising. The goal of accounting for diversity in the hiring process is laid out in the Committee on Academic Policy’s 2006 report, as well as the college’s strategic plan that was published last year.

“If you have the diversity of the faculty in mind, I think that growing the faculty is a much faster way to achieve that goal than to wait for retirements, for people to resign or for people not to get tenure,” Hall said. “I just think that if you want to change something faster, you’ve got to make space for it.”

The lengthy hiring process itself can present

Continued on Page 3

News

Yanzhen Lu Dec. 14, 2015 - Feb. 3, 2016

>>Dec. 15, 2015 12:25 a.m., Chapman House Officers and the Fire Department responded to an alarm and determined it was caused by burnt popcorn.

7:49 p.m., Campus Grounds An officer responded to a report of four people smoking marijuana near Seeley Mudd and had a conversation with them. No marijuana use was found. >>Dec. 18, 2015 11:25 a.m., Alumni Gym A student reported the theft of a pair of pants, which contained a set of keys, from the men’s locker room.

9:15 p.m., Williston Hall Officers investigated a smoke detector sounding in a second-floor room and discovered a hair dryer was used too close to it. >>Dec. 20, 2015 2:25 a.m., Amherst College Police While inventorying a found wallet, an officer discovered two fraudulent driver’s licenses. A report was filed with the Registry of Motor Vehicles. >>Dec. 21, 2015 12:31 a.m., The Quadrangle An officer noted suspicious activity around a vehicle parked on the main quad. After investigation, a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia was confiscated from the vehicle. The owner of the vehicle is not associated with the college. >>Dec. 23, 2015 8:23 p.m., Hitchcock Parking Lot An officer responded to a report of a live rabbit found inside a duffel bag in a dumpster. A home was found for the rabbit. >>Dec. 25, 2015 3:46 p.m., Appleton Dormitory Officer checked on a male found sleeping in the common room.

He was identified as the father of a student. >>Jan. 3, 2016 4:51 a.m., Beneski Earth Science & Natural History Museum Officers investigated an intrusion alarm, but no cause could be identified. >>Jan. 9, 2016 10:01 p.m., Social Quad Officers responded to a report of two naked males running around the social dorm quad. They were gone when officers arrived. >>Jan. 10, 2016 12:49 a.m., King Dormitory While checking the building, an officer discovered unattended alcohol in the basement common room. It was confiscated. >>Jan. 11, 2016 9:14 p.m., Lipton House An officer investigated a smoke

detector sounding on the first floor and discovered that smoke from the fireplace activated it. >>Jan. 14, 2016 7:57 p.m., Lipton House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding on the first floor and discovered it was activated by smoke from the fireplace. >>Jan. 19, 2016 1:09 a.m., Webster Circle An officer discovered 16 cans of beer in the roadway. The beer was disposed of. >>Jan. 21, 2016 11:15 p.m., Hitchcock House An officer observed a male, naked from the waist down, run around the building. Upon checking the building, the officer discovered that an unauthorized party, with alcohol, had taken place in the first-floor common room. The matter was referred to Student Affairs. >>Jan. 23, 2016 1:25 p.m., Campus Grounds An officer responded to a report of a dog near Valentine Hall. The owner was located and reunited with the dog. >>Jan. 24, 2016 12:15 a.m., Stone Dormitory Officers and the Fire Department responded to an alarm and discovered someone pulled an alarm station for no apparent reason.

1:59 p.m., Social Quad Officers responded to a report of students drinking outside of Coolidge and found a beer pong table set up. The students were of legal age but they were informed that the beer pong game was not allowed. The table was taken down. >>Jan. 26, 2016 8:46 p.m., Campus Grounds Officers investigated a third-party report of a women being chased by three males in the area of Spring Street. The area was checked and nothing unusual was found. >>Jan. 31, 2016 12:00 a.m., Lipton House Officers responded to a complaint of people being loud and breaking glass bottles outside the building. Two women were identified as being involved and will be fined $100 each for creating an endangering condition. An option one party was taking place in the building at the time.

4:12 a.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory Officers responded to a report from a resident that a nude male entered her room and urinated after being confronted. Officers located the man and he was identified as a student who lives in the building. The matter was referred to Student Affairs.

Thoughts on Theses Biochemistry and Biophysics

Yanzhen Lu is a biochemistry and biophysics major on the biochemistry track. Her thesis focuses on the activity of different forms of the protein HePTP. Her adviser is Professor of Chemistry Anthony Bishop.

Q: What is your thesis about?

A: The essence of my thesis is that I’m doing a detailed case study for a protein, HePTP, and two of its mutants. In humans, it has been implicated in diseases, such as lymphoma and other diseases that have to do with the thymus, which is where this protein is found. I’ll be comparing their characteristics, such as their activity and their response to inhibition by a small molecule called FlAsH, in detail.

Q: What was your procedure for doing this?

A: To do this, I first had to grow bacteria to express the protein, [and then] I purified it. [Protein expression is] growing bacteria that will express the protein. It grows overnight, but I have to do different things. I have to grow a liquid culture, and then I dilute it back into the main culture.

The cells have to grow until they reach critical density, and then I stop the growth because that’s when it’s the best time to measure. I’m trying to isolate the protein that I want so I can study it.

To figure out the concentration of the protein, I did Bradford assays, activity assays, and inhibition assays, so a bunch of assays. The final goal is to send the proteins off to be DNA sequenced so that we can confirm that the proteins are what we expect. We’re hoping that the mutants have similar activity to the wild type, but unlike the wild type, they’ll hopefully be sensitive to inhibition. We want to know if that can be achieved by modifying the DNA sequence of the protein.

Q: Why did you choose this experiment—what was the background on it?

A: Professor Bishop assigned me a project that he thought would be interesting for me to do and I agreed. A previous student was working with this protein and she found this site [on the protein] that was susceptible to mutagenesis.

Q: Have you seen any results? What are possible applications of these results?

A: I’ve [seen] a few preliminary results. I’d only actually done tests for ... the wild type, and it seems to have good agreement with what’s been reported in the literature in terms of its activity level. It has some implications for ... changing the DNA sequence because the wild type form of this protein is found in humans and it’s been implicated in some diseases. If we can successfully mutate a protein so that it has some of the same characteristics as the wild-type ... we can change how that protein affects the human body.

Q: What were some of the difficulties you encountered?

A: One of the difficulties was [that] one certain mutant wasn’t expresasing properly. I’ve been struggling with determining the concentrations of one of my protein mutants. I ran a bunch of gels and the results were inconsistent, so I’ve been talking to my adviser. I’m still in the lab phase.

I guess the hardest part of the lab phase is that sometimes experiments don’t give you the results you expect, so having to think about what might be behind that is a challenge. I think the hardest part of the entire thesis experience will be the writing portion.

Q: So far, what parts of writing your thesis have been easy or enjoyable?

A: I definitely like going to lab and when I do get results, it’s very satisfying when something works right. It’s also a lot of fun doing background reading. I try to be in the lab every day because it’s

good to get in the routine of going every day.

Even if I’m not doing benchwork, I can still read and write. It’s been really cool to work with a faculty member, one-on-one. What’s also kind of fun and encouraging is, if you’re not the only thesis student in your lab, we keep each other motivated.

Q: How has this research impacted your academic and research goals?

A: It’s reaffirmed for me that yes, this is what I want to do, so I’m pretty happy. It is pretty interesting to go into lab and work with this protein and also to read on what others have written about it. I asked myself if this was something I could see myself doing after five, ten, twenty years, and the answer is yes. I eventually plan to go to graduate school, so doing a thesis will be a huge stepping stone to that, but I don’t think I’ll be sticking with the same topic. I do hope to get it published in a journal. My adviser did tell me something along the lines of, it would be difficult to argue your way into grad school without having done a thesis or some kind of significant research experience.

Q: What are your general research interests, and how does your thesis research play into that?

A: For me, genetics has always been really interesting, and although I might not spend the rest of my life studying this particular protein, it’s definitely paved the way for research in similar fields.

Q: If you could talk to yourself before you began your thesis, what would you say?

A: I think I would’ve questioned myself a lot more, like why I wanted to do a thesis. I’m happy I’m doing one. I think I would’ve told myself to be more mentally prepared. Definitely don’t underestimate how much work a thesis is.

Q: Why are you a biochemistry and biophysics major?

A: I pretty much wanted to be a scientist since I was little. My adviser is Professor Anthony Bishop. I think I wanted to work in his lab because I saw potential there for editing a protein sequence, which ties into genome editing, and I thought it was really interesting.

Q: What would you tell future BCBP majors interested in writing a thesis?

A: Just be sure you can really dedicate yourself to it. You have to really enjoy what you’re doing and be passionate and motivated. I wish I had gotten a head start on writing and planning the thesis last semester, because I’m realizing now that I only have a few months before it’s due. I started in the summer and I found that really helpful, just to have extra time to work on my thesis, because without courses and extracurriculars, it was really helpful just to be able to focus on that every day. The process of writing a thesis is really great in that you get to work really closely with a faculty member and build a relationship with them. I’ll definitely keep in touch after I graduate, and I think the connections I make at Amherst will serve me well after graduation. Know that things aren’t going to go the way you want, and definitely allow for some flexibility in the way you do things.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

— Zoe Wong ’18

The Amherst Student • February 3, 2016

News

3

Amherst Student and Recent Alumni Admitted to Inaugural Class of Schwarzman Scholars Ryan Cenek ’18 Assistant News Editor Three Amherst College students and graduates have been accepted to the the inaugural class of the Schwarzman Scholars program at China’s Tsinghua University. Servet Bayimli ’16, Richard Altieri ’15 and Carlos Adolfo Gonzalez Sierra ’14 were informed of their acceptance in January and will be among the first members of this program.

The program awards scholarships to applicants interested in pursuing a master’s degree in public policy, economics and business or international studies from Tsinghua, a prestigious university whose alumni include Chinese President Xi Jinping and former president Hu Jintao.

The selection process is highly selective, with 3,000 applicants from around the world vying for 111 positions for an acceptance rate of 3.7 percent. According to a Jan. 11 press release by the Schwarzman program, Schwarzman Scholars will live and study at the newlybuilt Schwarzman College on campus.

Bayimli, who is studying law, jurisprudence and social thought, applied for the scholarship partially because of its connection to his work on child welfare.

“I realized I had no experience in China, but I had done some work with China in that I

do a lot of work with child welfare and juvenile justice and children in foster care,” Bayimli said in an interview. “Since China finalizes [more] adoptions with the United States than any other country, it seemed like a cool opportunity.”

Last year, Bayimli addressed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in Leiden, the Netherlands. He was invited to speak along with an attorney he worked with at the Children’s Law Center in New York.

“We particularly talked about the multidisciplinary nature of child advocacy,” he said.

“When you’re an attorney for a child, you also have to be that child’s psychologist, you have to be their doctor, you have to assess different kinds of abuse.”

After the Schwarzman program, Bayimli plans to stop attending school and begin working.

“I would like to work with something involving juvenile justice and child welfare at the international level, either at the UN or at an international organization that does that kind of human rights work,” Bayimli said.

For Altieri, a philosophy major, academics at Amherst laid the groundwork for future study in China.

“I’ve had an interest in China and crosscultural exchange since high school, and that interest grew at Amherst,” Altieri said in an email. “I studied Chinese at Amherst with Shen

Tong, who is an extraordinary professor. His classes sharpened my interest in Chinese history, literature and politics.”

While attending Amherst, Altieri went abroad to teach English in China. Upon graduating in 2015, he began studying humor around the world as a recipient of the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. The grant is awarded to recent college graduates, who are nominated by one of 40 prestigious colleges, and encourages students to engage in a year-long independent study outside the U.S. “In seven months, I’ve performed comedy in seven countries,” Altieri said. “I’ve done sets in English and Mandarin — and will soon do some in Spanish — and even managed to tell some jokes using Romanian, Taiwanese Hokkien and Afrikaans.”

Altieri intends to pursue either the international studies or public policy degrees. He is interested in working in an area related to his cross-cultural studies after the Schwarzman program.

“How can we improve the way American students learn about China, and how can we improve the way Chinese students study the United States?” Altieri said. “These questions will take on greater importance as China plays an increasingly important role in global affairs.”

Gonzalez Sierra majored in political science and interdisciplinary Latino studies while at

College Receives $1.5M Mellon Grant Continued from Page 1

Kumar, who evaluates current methods of teaching and helps faculty experiment with different ways. Epstein said plans are under way to hire an additional person for this role

by July 1.

“We’re hoping to get roughly a quarter of the faculty, ultimately, to participate in these kinds of workshops and come up with new strategies in their classes,” Epstein said. She also expressed hopes for more than a quarter of academic departments becoming engaged in these projects. Currently, 35 faculty members across 19 departments have worked with Kumar, often in one-on-one sessions on overall course design or specific assignments.

In contrast to previous efforts to develop course design, these new initiatives will focus on lower-level courses, especially those required to complete majors.

“Pedagogical innovation has been about

upper-level courses, [and] it’s been about very small classes,” Epstein said. “We’re interested in scaling that up, particularly in introductory courses that are required.”

According to Stoffer, the fund will enable the college to invite outside instructional experts to come and discuss topics, such as learning styles and implicit bias, with the faculty members. “[There are] ways to design the whole course so that that’s less of an issue,” Stoffer said. “So rather than say to the individual student, ‘You have to get some services and some additional help,’ it’s just designing the course so that everyone has more access to what they’re learning.”

Additionally, programs targeting skills development for students, such as public speaking, debating and design thinking, are slated for January 2017.

“I think there is interest among students around design thinking and active problem-

solving … and problem-solving in ways that will be more applicable to future careers,” Epstein said.

According to Epstein, the college hopes to hire an expert to evaluate the effectiveness of these plans once they are implemented.

The proposals in the grant were based on the goals of the college’s strategic plan, published in July 2015.

“It took the goals of the strategic plan as the starting point, and figured out things that [the] Mellon [Foundation] would typically be interested in, and how they matched up,” Stoffer said, emphasizing that while the strategic plan was not built for a grant, but “these are things that interest foundations.”

In the past, Amherst has received funding from the Mellon Foundation for the Mead Art Museum, postdoctoral fellowships and Mellon Tutorials, which let students to work closely with faculty in social science and humanities research.

Amherst, and went on to earn a master’s degree in Latin American studies from the University of Cambridge. He hopes to study business and economics at Tsinghua.

“Economic and diplomatic ties between China and Latin American nations will only get stronger in the foreseeable future,” Gonzalez Sierra wrote in an email interview. “China’s growing presence in the region presents both unprecedented opportunities and challenges.

Following the program, I plan to work for an organization dedicated to promoting Sino-Latin American economic relations and cultural exchange.”

Gonzalez Sierra has followed his passion for public service while at Amherst and after graduation. For example, resources at the Center for Community Engagement allowed him to pursue impactful service internships, including working in Brighton Park, a racially segregated community in Chicago afflicted by gang violence. He credits his time at Amherst for helping lay the groundwork for his involvement in the Schwarzman Scholars program.

“The courses I took and extracurricular activities I participated in as a student at Amherst expanded my intellectual and personal boundaries,” Gonzalez Sierra said. “It is difficult to say where fate would had led me, but most likely I would not be going to China as a Schwarzman scholar had Amherst closed its doors to me.”

College Raises Cap on FTEs Continued from Page 1 an obstacle to diversifying the faculty. From the FTE request to the date of hire, the process takes about a year and a half. FTE requests are evaluated through December into early spring. Once an FTE is received by the department, the department advertises open positions during the summer. Applicants are evaluated throughout the fall semester and chosen at the end of the semester or shortly after winter break. Those chosen candidates then begin officially working for the college in early July. “[Raising the cap by] five in this context does seem surprising,” Hall said. “But we have to remember that the college is in a time in which many types of transitions have been going on, and I think one of the reasons that these five appear now is because there’s a genuine desire to diversify the faculty.”

Hitchcock Fellowship

The Department of Physical Education and Athletics invites applications for the Hitchcock Fellowship for the 2016-­‐2017 academic year. The Hitchcock Fellowship is awarded to a graduating senior who wishes to pursue a career in the field of athletics, primarily teaching and coaching. The Hitchcock Fellow will teach in the elective Physical Education program and be an Assistant Coach in at least two intercollegiate programs. The Hitchcock Fellow may be assigned and elect additional assignments in other areas of inquiry.

Individuals interested in the position should send a letter of application and current resume no later than February 12, 2016.

Jen Hughes

Assistant Athletic Director

Department of Physical Education and Athletics Amherst College

Amherst, MA 01002

jhughes@amherst.edu

Interested in getting the scoop on the latest developments on campus?

e h t n Joi s w e n ! ff a t s If you want to write for us, email dahn17@amherst.edu

Opinion

THE AMHERST

STUDENT

Talking Politics

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

Editorial Here’s something hard to argue with: political discussions are a net good. Through debates, people voice their opinions against dissenters, gain new perspectives and even strengthen and clarify their own positions. Especially on a liberal arts college campus like Amherst, where we are taught to challenge our personal convictions and conceptions of the world, debating the most pressing issues of fiscal and social politics is key.

In the wake of the upcoming presidential elections, students must come together in the classroom, dormitories and the dining hall to engage in these multifaceted conversations. We all need to feel comfortable voicing our opinions and uncomfortable listening to ideas that challenge us as part of our education. Simply put, nothing should be instantly pushed off the table without a reasoned, satisfactory argument. Yet, at Amherst, as well as at many college campuses, we are missing out on these debates.

Anecdotally, our campus has seen a shift towards immediately ignoring or shouting at those who say something offensive or just plain wrong, rather than examining that statement and then logically challenging their views.

Students are ostracizing others socially for their political views. Spreading through a kind of politically charged gossiping, these students’ opinions may become misrepresented unfairly through convoluted digressions

and their social standing ruined in this small school environment. This creation of political social pariahs is particularly dangerous as it pushes members of our community to make their comments anonymously, in comment sections or on posters. Every student, including those with radical and possibly oppressive, colonial or racially charged positions, deserves to voice their opinion and debate it. We do not need to accept all ideas, but we should come out of the other side having learned something.

We need to provide spaces in which discourse on this presidential campaign and the candidates stances’ on race, gender, LGBT rights and other political issues can be discussed academically and socially.

Further, all students, especially students with privilege, must familiarize themselves with the feeling of discomfort that comes from participating in these discussions. We are close to creating an environment in which members of this community no longer feel like they can talk to their friends about their political standing, even on smaller notes. There are rifts, for example, cropping up between Bernie and Hillary supporters. To create an environment where we can make students uncomfortable intellectually, politically, and emotionally, we must, if somewhat ironically, make them feel comfortable expressing their views socially.

Dropping the Ball: Sports (Mis)information Kevin Graber Amherst College Sports Information Director, 2000-2006 Make no mistake — there is a sports information crisis brewing at Amherst College. The numbers tell you as much.

Since 2006, Amherst has employed no fewer than six different sports information directors, commonly known as SIDs. One after the next has left after a year or two for a similar position elsewhere; this includes Amherst’s most recent SID, Mike O’Brien, who departed Amherst for the same position at a peer school, Wesleyan University.

Compare this with the tenures of SIDs at every other institution in the NESCAC and it’s apparent that there seems to be a problem. Williams College’s sports information director has held that position for 27 years (and counting). Wesleyan’s long-time SID retired in December after 31 years.

Tufts’ SID is in his 23rd year. Middlebury’s is in his 22nd, Trinity’s is in his 20th, Hamilton’s is in his 12th year, Bates’ is in his 10th, Bowdoin’s is in his 16th. The SID at Connecticut College is in his 14th year. Colby’s is in his 14th year as well. Meanwhile, Amherst has had six different sports information directors come and go over the course of the last decade.

Now compare Amherst’s SID tenures with those of coaches and athletics administrators at the college. Director of Athletics Don Faulstick has thrived at Amherst for two decades. Women’s lacrosse coach Christine Paradis is in her 21st year.

Men’s basketball coach David Hixon graduated from Amherst in 1975 and never left. My great friend Jackie Bagwell took over as women’s tennis coach in 1991. On and on it goes. By the numbers, it’s clear: this is a problem not specific to athletics at Amherst, but specific to sports information at Amherst.

I was hired as Amherst’s first full-time sports information director in 2000 after two years in a similar capacity at the University of West Alabama. I was young and rising in the profession, nominated to serve on the board of directors for the College Sports Information Directors of America and appointed as co-chair of organization’s national technology committee.

It was relatively big news; Amherst was, after all, the last college in the NESCAC, and one of the last in the NCAA, to hire a full-time, professional sports information director. Prior to my arrival, the position was filled each year with a one-year Ives Washburn Fellow who had graduated from the college the previous spring. Washburn Fellows were thrown into the mix to learn the responsibilities of the position on the fly. By the time they

gained proficiency, it was time for the next fellow to take over, and the cycle refreshed back to square one.

When I arrived at Amherst, the collective response in the NESCAC SID community was, “Oh, thank goodness.” SIDs rely on each other for so much, and at the time, you just didn’t know what you’d get when your teams traveled to Amherst.

Done well, the job requires experience, expertise, an ironclad work ethic, people skills and skin as thick as a Goodyear tire. It’s a seven-days-a-week, 14-hours-a-day sprint-marathon combo that combines public relations, internal relations, media relations, feature writing, event management, statistics, web maintenance, graphic design, social media, film editing, photography, award nominations, conference and NCAA reporting, archivist duties, tournament hosting, endless amounts of correspondence, bus rides, technological proficiency, professional development and so much more. Nearly every evening requires multiple event coverage. When games, matches and meets finish, you find yourself in your office, writing a game summary to fire off to media outlets and your opponents’ SIDs and to post on your own athletics website, all while updating and uploading game and season statistics for internal, external and opponent reporting and making sure all social media profiles are on point. And keep in mind, there are 27 intercollegiate sports at Amherst.

Saturdays offer an especially long grind. When teams are on the road, you travel with them and work remotely, or you sit and wait for results to roll in so you can tend to postgame responsibilities. Sundays are spent again in the office catching up, often piecing together a full-fledged football game-day magazine that absolutely has to be written, designed, proofread and sent to the printer by 9 a.m. Monday morning so that it can be printed and in your hands later that week for the following weekend’s home game.

The consolation is, it’s sports and sports are fun. I remember the triple Jared Banner ’07 nailed against Trinity to win the 2005 NESCAC Baseball Championship, and the school-record 17:11.93 Carter Hamill ’05 ran as a first-year to win the 5k at the 2002 NCAA Indoor Track Championships.

SIDs enter the profession for precisely this reason — they love sports and value athletics and athletes.

Hopefully, you grow to love the college as well.

That was certainly the case for me. But herein lies part of the problem: the college doesn’t always love you back. Amherst’s SID is quarantined in an office in downtown Amherst, a full Uber ride away from the athletic department. In the office until midnight for the 15th day in a row? No one knows it, and therefore no one appreciates it. As the SID

you are truly out of sight and out of mind. You are the closest thing to a full-on, real life, Dickensian-Bob Cratchit manifestation that the college has to offer.

The job can be excruciatingly and needlessly thankless. You spend your every waking hour serving others only to sift through an endless array of complaints from coaches, student-athletes, parents, alumni and random people about everything you can imagine. A coach’s spouse once said to me during a department social function, “Everyone knows the sports information director doesn’t do anything.” I wasn’t particularly offended, but it was revealing.

I lasted five years in the job until I could no longer physically, emotionally or mentally handle the grind, but I loved the college so much that I stayed for another year as the director of alumni and parent programs, and for two more after that as an assistant baseball coach under the legendary Bill Thurston. I still love the college, which is why I write this letter. Knowing it as I do, I know that everything at the college is up for critical discussion, and that nothing at Amherst is silent (except for the “h”). It’s my greatest hope that Amherst is glad someone cares enough to shed light on this conversation and that the college might value the notion of holding onto its next SID for more than a year or two. Here’s my advice, for what it’s worth.

1. Find office space for the SID near other members of the athletics department and have the position report to the athletic director rather than to the director of communications. No one gets into sports information because they want to work in communications. They enter the profession because they love sports and want to work in athletics.

2. Give the SID a seat at the table. Involve him or her in meetings and decisions. Don’t make the SID chase you. Include him or her in conversations. Make the SID feel involved and valued, not looked beyond and taken for granted.

3. Do away with the title sports information director. It’s a relic. It no longer does justice to the responsibilities associated with the position.

There’s nothing worse than when someone calls you Sid as if it’s your first name. The SID, for all intents and purposes, is an assistant athletic director in charge of athletics communications. It should be recognized as such. This has become commonplace at other schools. Lend the position that dignity. Amherst at present has three assistant athletic directors. Make it a nice even number and bump it to four.

4. Gauge the pay scale for full-time sports information directors at Ivy League and comparable

Continued on Page 5

Editors-in-Chief Elaine Jeon, Lauren Tuiskula Executive Adviser Sophie Murguia Managing News Dan Ahn, Kiana Herold, Jingwen Zhang Managing Opinion Johnathan Appel, Sunna Juhn, Diane Lee, Julia Pretsfelder Managing Arts and Living Gabby Edzie, Paola Garcia-Prieto, Alida Mitau Managing Sports Jason Darell, Drew Kiley, Julia Turner Managing Design Gabby Bishop S TA F F Head Publisher Emily Ratte Design Editors Megan Do, Adele Loomis, Zavi Sheldon, Chloe Tausk, Yrenly Yuan Assistant News Editors Ryan Cenek, Carlos Rivero Assistant Sports Editors Jeremy Kesselhaut, Jason Stein Photography Editor Kyra Gardner

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The Amherst Student • February 3, 2016

Opinion

5

Embracing Diversity: Space for Students of Color Sharline Dominguez ’16E This report was commissioned in spring 2014 by Mariana Cruz, former director of the Multicultural Resource Center.

Why does the integration of academic and social identities in college matter?

Advising a student of color at a selective, predominantly white college or university is complex and challenging. When administrators are not able to help students of color who feel disconnected from the college community, these students often drop out, take time off or do not return. This does not happen over a matter of days; feelings of isolation build up over months. Early detection and consistent advising of a student struggling both academically and socially is crucial. Since students of color often enter institutions of higher learning with set cultural values and strong ties to their home communities, college administrators must help these students become fully integrated into the academic and social fabric of their respective campuses. Beyond the academic advising required of them, such as approving course schedules and recommending classes, college administrators should serve as moral support for these students if and when their academics suffer. If they are not able to provide moral support immediately or over a longer period of time, faculty should know how to direct students to other resources on campus (e.g. the dean of students, other academic advisers, heads of academic departments, other faculty members, first-generation student life fellows, the counseling center, etc.).

Cultural Competency Cultural competency, or the awareness of one’s own identity and of cultural differences, is a skill that every educator in the United States should have and learn to practice. As American classrooms are becoming increasingly diverse, educators must change their pedagogical practices to integrate students from many different ethnic backgrounds.

For example, according to a report in Pact’s Point of View, a newsletter for adoptive families of children of color, over the last 10 years there has been a sharp increase in the number of students of color enrolling in private schools.There has been an increase in the number of middle class families of color coupled with the perception that attendance at a private high school assures easier access to private colleges. Research suggests that students of color are more likely to integrate their ethnic and academic identities than white students are because they are often underrepresented on college campuses. The intersectionality of academic and ethnic identities for students of color fosters feelings of belonging in academic and social settings. Affinity groups, such as black and Latin@ student unions, as well as international student associations and LGBTQ groups also provide these students with social support that may be more difficult to find in other campus organizations.

Cultural Identity and Academic Interests Furthermore, academic and ethnic identities

converge in the selection of a particular major as students of color become more aware of their ethnic backgrounds in collegiate settings. For example, during the first semester of my sophomore year at Amherst, I wanted to become an English major because of my love for reading and writing.

However, while taking two English classes, one of which was centered on the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau and several other writers from the Transcendentalist period in the United States, I was bothered by the lack of representation of people of color in these texts. I was not learning about my people in this course or in my other English course, Reading the Novel, making it less likely for me to relate to the texts we studied in these classes. Ultimately, I switched from the English department to the American Studies department, where I had the option of having an ethnic studies/ race concentration. As numerous qualitative studies have suggested, experiences like mine are common as there has been an increasing number of Latin@ groups who immigrate to the United States and enroll at both two- and four-year institutions.

Institutional Culture Yet, little attention has been given to understanding the ways in which institutional culture influences the experiences and outcomes of racial and ethnic minority college students.

Students of color often form their own spaces where they can meet with students from similar cultural backgrounds, advocate for their cultural communities and feel that their cultures are validated. For example, according to a study in which researchers assessed the extent to which university comfort, social support and self-beliefs were interrelated and predictive of academic non-persistence decisions for 99 Latino/a undergraduates, many Latin@ students associate feeling “at home” in the campus community with maintaining interactions and contacts both outside (connections to family) and within (connections to peers) the context of the campus. The size of a campus community and where the college is located also play a role in how students do or do not feel accepted. A sense of community at Amherst College, for example, looks very different from that of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. According to a study in which the institutional climate for talented Latin@ students was examined, 68 percent of the Latin@ students in this study felt that students at their institution knew very little about Hispanic culture. This is a factor that is significantly associated with Latin@ student perceptions of ethnic tension and reports of discrimination on campus. Therefore, student participation in campus affinity groups is a medium through which students of color can collectively promote their own racial understanding.

While some may perceive participation in ethnic student organizations as a contributing factor to separatism on campus, there are others who believe such organizations contribute culturally to a college campus and are a form of social support that allows students of color to feel integrated in campus social life.

Sports (Mis)information Continued from Page 4

institutions, and make sure Amherst’s SID is compensated at the top of the scale.

5. If coaches are afforded on-campus housing benefits, the SID should be as well. No one, I mean no one, spends more time in the office and on campus than the sports information director, and there isn’t a close second. I hope this fact is revelatory to anyone who reads this letter.

6. Stave off SID burnout by rethinking staffing to the point where the position is no longer a seven-day, 100-hours-per-week, grind-you-up endeavor. No one’s family life is worth sacrificing for the greater glory of publicizing Amherst athletics.

No SID will ever reflect back on life at Amherst and say, “Man, I wish I spent less time with my children.”

Having lasted five-plus years in the position, I remain not only the first, but also by far the longest tenured full-time professional sports information director in Amherst College’s long and

storied history. This should not be the case. Recently, I telephoned Dick Quinn, who’s held down the sports information director position at Williams for nearly three decades.

I asked Dick, “Why have you stayed so long?

Did you ever consider leaving?”

“Why would I ever leave the best job in the country?” he answered.

The sports information director provides perhaps the highest-profile lens through which prospective students, parents, alumni, donors, the media, peer schools and current students and faculty view the college. The expertise with which the SID plies his or her craft impacts everything from athletics recruiting to the health of the endowment, because nearly everything the SID produces is immediately out there for public consumption.

Is this is important? I think so. I think it matters. There’s no good reason why Williams and every other NESCAC school should be better at this than Amherst.

Promoting Racial Understanding This particular study also outlined that Chican@ and white students who increased their interest in helping to promote racial understanding while they were in college reported a variety of other behaviors, such as taking an ethnic studies class, participating in campus protests, discussing racial/ ethnic issues and socializing with students of other ethnic group. While all of this is a step towards the positive direction, faculty involvement in the lives of students of color is also crucial to their academic success. According to a regression of dependent measures on student and institutional characteristics within the study of 859 sophomore and juniors attending 224 colleges (the sample included 386 Chican@s, 198 Puerto Ricans and 275 other Latin@s [students who categorized themselves as Cuban, Latin or Central American or other Hispanic]), 17.9 percent of the students heard faculty make inappropriate remarks regarding minorities at the college. Fewer experiences of discrimination are undeniably associated with campuses where Latin@s perceive campus administrators to be open and responsive to student concerns. Tokenism, another phenomenon that contributes to misunderstandings between groups of people with different backgrounds, is detrimental to the forming of campus culture. According to an article titled, “Enhancing Campus Climates for Racial/Ethnic Diversity: Educational Policy and Practice,” it was said that “in environments that lack diverse populations, underrepresented groups are viewed as tokens, where tokenism contributes to the heightened visibility of the underrepresented group, exaggeration of group differences and the distortion of images to fit existing stereotypes.” College administrators must work to make sure that an institution is both recruiting young students of color and paying close attention to how those students go about successfully navigating spaces from which they have been historically excluded.

Strategic Planning Meetings/Conclusion For example, at Amherst, college administrators have been holding strategic planning meetings about how the college can more efficiently address issues of diversity and community. These meetings have been about how to better embrace diversity at Amherst and were held with different student groups on campus, from the Women’s and Gender Center and the Multicultural Resource Center to student athletes and residential counselors on campus.

Students were formally invited to and encouraged to attend these meetings. I was one of the participants on the night that a meeting was held with the Multicultural Resource Center, and a commonality that I heard throughout student suggestions was the need for faculty and administrators of the college to change how students are socialized and educated. Whether it is through residential life, the curriculums of certain departments or how certain student groups organize events on campus, frank communication and transparency remains an issue. In order to effectively bridge the divide between students of color and administrators, considerable attention must be paid to what kinds of extracurricular commitments students are making and their relationship to academic studies.

Both white and non-white administrators must be trained to be culturally competent so that they can foster more honest relationships with their students. This is not to say that Amherst is a place where students of color feel that their professors are always inaccessible out of class hours. I argue exactly the opposite. However, I have heard too many accounts from students of color who have experienced micro-aggressions — indirectly racist, sexist, classist and homophobic comments made by their professors both in and out of class. Bridging misunderstandings between these two groups is ultimately a collaborative effort that requires time and patience.

A Letter from the AAS Aditi Krishnamurthy ’18 AAS Senator In the coming years, the Amherst College board of trustees will be voting on a number of issues at the heart of student life. While the board strives to incorporate the views of the student body into their decisions, this is not always possible when the most recent alumni trustee graduated 20 years ago, in 1996. Even with coordination with the administration and the occasional student meeting, the board of trustees’ understanding of Amherst is not reflective of the full reality of our ever-changing institution. It is consequently not well enough equipped to build a comprehensive perspective of what would best serve the college’s past, present and future community members.

To this end, the Association of Amherst Students proposes that the board instate two seats for recent graduate alumni trustees. These trustees would be graduates of the college who have earned their degree within a maximum of five years from the time of their election.

We believe that the perspectives of these recent graduates would benefit the board’s understanding of the needs, concerns and interests of the current generation of Amherst students.

Amherst College has had a dynamic climate over the past few decades. The student body here today is incredibly diverse, in every sense of the word. The board of trustees does not reflect this diversity. That the body that votes on every aspect of the functioning of the college, from curricular decisions to capital investment and infrastructure decisions, does not have a first-hand understanding of the needs of the current members of the campus community is troublesome. One only has to look to the strategic plan’s former proposal to implement “neighborhood”-style living to see how far removed the board was from the needs of today’s students. The board’s passing of our

proposal to include seats for recent graduates would demonstrate its commitment to adapting to an ever-changing student body and alumni population.

We believe this change in the board’s composition needs to be implemented as soon as possible. We aim to have the board vote on our proposal by their commencement meeting this year. In pursuit of this, a group of AAS senators, working with AAS President Tomi Williams ’16, has been compiling research for the past year about similar policies at peer institutions. They have found that having recent alumni representation on trustee boards is not uncommon, with Princeton University, Wellesley College, Duke University and George Washington University each having some form of what the AAS is proposing. This group of students has further met with Chairman Cullen Murphy ’74 and Andrew Nussbaum ’85, the chairman of the committee of student life, to discuss and fine-tune a proposal that was then presented to President Biddy Martin and the Committee on Trusteeship.

In the months leading up to the board’s Commencement meeting, the AAS is excited to reach out to students, alumni and individual board members to communicate just how positive a potential this proposal carries. For the college to make beneficial long-term decisions in the approaching period of curricular, financial and cultural change, there needs to be greater communication with and representation for the students who live and learn at Amherst today. This is no longer a men’s college, nor is it the Amherst of fraternities and or that of loans for low-income students. Our current trustees remember, and so sometimes make decisions for, an Amherst that no longer exists. We simply aim to change this.

Arts&Living

Photos courtesy of Kat Hague ’18

Stuart Mckenzie attracted a large crowd to Buckley Recital Hall for the debut of his original music composition thesis which followed his journey as a musician.

Thesis Spotlight: Stuart McKenzie Composes “The Making of a Hat” Paola Garcia-Prieto ’18 Managing Arts & Living Editor Stuart McKenzie ’16 presented his music composition thesis, “The Making of a Hat,” last Saturday night in Buckley Recital Hall.

The recital consisted of five different pieces, performed by singers and a string quartet.

Watching McKenzie’s hard work come to life was a true joy, and it reminded me of the wideranging talents present on this campus. The arts and living team interviewed McKenzie to learn more about his experience of executing a music composition thesis.

Q: What was your inspiration behind “The Making of a Hat?” A: When I first conceived my thesis, I wanted to show how far I’ve come in the years that I’ve been studying music. I started studying music theory when I took AP music theory as junior in high school with my future jazz band instructor. Music theory is kind of like looking at the building blocks of music. It showed me that while there is a creative side to music, there is also a bit of a science behind it.

In music, theory comes after practice. People made things that sounded good and went back and studied why it sounded good. And it was amazing to me; it changed the way I looked at music. I was then able to predict the way something would sound and notice what parts of music evoked different emotions in me, which is what I explore in my thesis. After listening to a bunch of different music, I tried to compose pieces that sound more like what I’m hearing in my head. I spent a lot of time messing around at the keyboard until I got the right sound. When I composed stuff previously, I had a more set system and with my thesis I was freer, which was refreshing. I wasn’t being graded on how well I used this chord procession or applied a certain theory.

It didn’t have to sound classical; this was really what I wanted it to be.

The show order itself is pseudo-chronological in that the first piece is evocative of the renaissance music that I first started listening to when I started singing, which was my first year at boarding school as a sophomore. And then the piece that comes after is a choral piece.

When I first started working with Eric Whita-

cre, a very popular American composer who writes beautiful music with a lot of chord clusters, I knew I wanted to someday write a piece that reminded me of his style. Then I have a jazz quintet, which is based on a song I came across in my jazz voices class last semester. This piece is my take on big band, swing jazz, as if played by a string quartet. I took a special topics course last semester on jazz composition because my friend said it was one of the best classes he’d ever taken, and it really opened his ear to new ways of composing and listening to things. However, the same professor wasn’t teaching the class anymore so I approached him and asked if he’d be willing to teach the same material in a special topics course. So it was me and one other person, Steve, who’s also writing a composition thesis, and it was great.

He got me to listen to things I wouldn’t have listened to otherwise and it really opened my ear. It made me want to write something that sounds like big band music, which came out around the 1930s and its really great stuff to listen to. And then the last piece is a duet that Seanna McCall ’17 and I sang with the string quartet in the background, and that probably is the most personal piece. All the text in the piece is pseudo-autobiographical, and I didn’t say explicitly what because I want people to make their own connections to the music. Of the pieces, the last one is the one that means the most to me. And that one’s also touched by jazz, but I think throughout my pieces I’ve quoted various composers and other pieces that I’ve listened to so people who are familiar with the pieces might notice a measure here or there that sounds very familiar to them.

That’s my way of tipping my hat to the people who have made it possible for me to write my music.

The reason my performance is called “The Making of a Hat” comes from Steven Sondheim. When I first started writing lyrics my adviser suggested I check out Sondheim’s book, “Look I Made a Hat.” He wrote two books about his journey making music, and the first book is called “Finishing the Hat.” And for me, since I am nowhere near Sondheim’s level, I am still in the making. I am still exploring and feeling out what it means to be a composer, but I’m getting there. I also have a very noticeable hat that I have a strong connection to in regard

to my personal development. I wear it during every Zumbyes show that’s on campus. Being in the Zumbyes has been a very transformative musical experience, and the people that I’ve met and the things that I’ve learned with them have made me the person I am today. That is why the hat is in the poster because the group is very much intertwined with my musical development and compositional voice nowadays.

Q: When did you start playing music?

A: I started playing piano when I was 13 years old. First I took lessons alongside my brother and then I continued throughout boarding school and my first semester at Amherst. After that I got too busy to continue with it. I haven’t had as much practice as I would like, so I’m not as comfortable on the piano as I used to be. But I still did most of my compositions on the keyboard because that is my primary instrument.

When I got to boarding school I joined choir, which was a springboard for the other musical groups I joined. I auditioned for the Madrigals, a different type of choir with more difficult music, which helped me improve as a singer. After that, I joined jazz band my senior year as drummer and pianist. I also joined the guitar ensemble as their drummer. I did a couple of musical theater things as well. When I got to Amherst, I joined concert choir and I stayed with them for two years. Nowadays, I’m singing or arranging music with the Zumbyes.

It’s going to be weird once I graduate not having an outlet for singing or music in that sense. Even this semester when I haven’t had any courses requiring me to compose has felt strange; everything I do musically now is on my own accord. It’s nice to have that freedom, but it’s also strange to think that I won’t be turning in music assignments to a professor anymore. Once the concert is over, I still think there’s room to add things and improve things.

I may look back at these pieces in five years and want to expand them. Also, I may want to get my masters in composition in the future.

I’m still making the hat; I’m nowhere near done here. The hope is that music will never leave my life.

Q: So you’re a music and chemistry major — why this combination?

A: After my experiences in boarding school, I knew I wanted to study music no matter what.

Chemistry, of the three main sciences, was always the one that sat best with me. Biology was too much writing and memorization and physics was too much math. Chemistry was a nice feel and something about it has always intrigued me. I’m hoping to apply to pharmacy programs after working for a year or two after graduation and then go into research.

Q: What was your experience when casting musicians for the piece?

A: My singers are all in a cappella groups, except one who was in concert choir before he graduated last year. When I first started thinking about writing and talking to former music majors who have written music theses, one of the main pieces of advice I got was to know your singers’ voices and compose based off that. It’s hard to write when you don’t know someone’s capabilities. This was one of the difficulties I ran into when writing for the string quartet. Since I don’t play a string instrument, it was interesting for me to figure out what was awkward for them to play or what just couldn’t be done. With singers I have a better idea of range and what it’s like to sing.

Q: Finally, what’s the story behind the hat?

A: I don’t know where my mom got it, but my school colors back in Jamaica were red and white. And for one school spirit day she got me the hat. I wore it that day and didn’t really think of it again until sophomore year at Amherst. The Zumbyes wear crazy ties and socks, and when I went home that year I saw the hat and thought it would go perfectly. From that point onwards I started wearing the hat at almost every single major Zumbyes show since I found it. The hat symbolizes my experience and growth with the Zumbyes during my time at Amherst and it will always mean something to me. It’s my music hat. I don’t know what’s going to happen to the hat itself, but while its journey might be coming to a close my own musical journey is far from over. Even if I never wear it again, I’ll always remember what it signified in terms of my musical transition.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Arts & Living 7

The Amherst Student • February 3, 2016

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” Recaptures the Magic of George Lucas Mark Simonitis ’19 Staff Writer “Star Wars” has returned. After years of waiting, one of the most highly awaited movies of all time has finally arrived and successfully manages to recapture the magic of George Lucas’ original trilogy. Under the direction of J.J. Abrams, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” beckons the world to return to a galaxy far, far, away….

Set thirty years after the original trilogy, “The Force Awakens” (TFA) wastes no time in rushing us into the movie’s central conflict between the First Order, the Empire resurgent and the Resistance, the Rebellion reborn. In the grand “Star Wars” tradition, our heroes are swept up by this galactic conflict and propelled to greater destinies. That’s all I’m going to say about the plot of the movie because it is best experienced with as little information as possible.

The success of this movie hinges on managing to not just recreate what makes “Star Wars” special, but to do so for a new generation. Perhaps more than any other aspect of “Star Wars,” it is the characters that make these movies work.

No matter how epic the proceedings get, TFA wisely stays rooted in likeable and relatable characters. Rey seems to be this trilogy’s protagonist, and newcomer Daisy Ridley makes an amazing debut. Rey acts as the surrogate for new fans, experiencing many of the wonders of the “Star Wars” universe for the first time and hinting at greater things to come. While I found her character to be a bit stale at times, the events of the film promise a direction for her character that I’m excited to see unfold.

John Boyega’s Finn and Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron round out the heroic trio and act as established players in the war between the First Order and the Resistance, bringing back the banter and comedic relief that were present in the original trilogy. Boyega easily crosses over between comedy and some pretty heavy material while remaining a joy to watch the entire time. Isaac gets the least focus of the heroes, but he more than makes up for it in his bombastic performance. Isaac is having the time of his life in the movie and that exuberance transfers over into Poe, who possesses a kind of joyous energy that you can’t help but be swept up in.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention BB-8, the adorable astromech droid that has been so prominent in the movie’s marketing. I’m happy to report that, like R2-D2 before

him, he not only plays a key role in the story, but is also a physical prop and possesses the amazing ability to effectively emote to the audience.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Abrams and his team wisely refrain from shoving this easily marketable character into every scene of the movie, saving him for when he has a part to play.

Naturally, these heroes require villains to oppose them, namely Gwendoline Christine’s Captain Phasma, Domnhall Gleeson’s General Hux, Andy Serkis’s Supreme Leader Snoke and Adam Driver’s Kylo Ren, who takes most of the spotlight as his comrades are relegated to the background, likely being saved for Episodes VIII and IX. That being said, Kylo Ren is a spectacular new villain and his upcoming character arc is going to be the topic of much speculation for the next two years. Adam Driver takes what could have been a very one-dimensional character and adds a surprising layer of depth. Kylo Ren manages to be a more interesting villain at the end of TFA than Darth Vader was at the end of the very first “Star Wars” movie, and I do not say that lightly.

As soon as the sequel trilogy was announced, there was one main question on everyone’s mind: Will the original cast return? Luckily, several of the original stars put in appearances throughout the film. Harrison Ford returns as Han Solo and plays the largest role of any previous cast member, giving us a picture of what everyone’s favorite scoundrel is like thirty years after “Return of the Jedi.” Carrie Fisher is back as General Leia, whose interactions with Han manage to be sad, touching and beautiful all at once.

Finally, the less said about the return of Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker the better. All I have to say is that whenever anyone from the original saga came on screen, there were resounding cheers on opening night. However, when Luke Skywalker was revealed, the audience sat in reverent silence.

One of the more heavily publicized aspects of this movie’s production was its return to practical effects. In an age of CGI cartoons masquerading as live action movies, it is refreshing to see props, sets and characters that are actually real blending in perfectly with background computer effects. In doing so, they avoid the mistake of the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, which heavily relied on now painfully out of date CGI. From an acting perspective, Abrams is able to get ex-

Photos courtesy of alias.net

J.J. Abrams’ rendition of the Star Wars trilogy satisfies long-time star wars fans and recruits a new following. cellent performances out of his actors when they are on location in the desert with explosions going off all around them and when their blasters are actually gas powered air rifles to simulate recoil. However, in the midst of all these practical effects and creatures, two motion captured characters stick out like sore thumbs: Supreme Leader Snoke and Lupita Nyong’o’s Maz Kanata. Whenever either character showed up on screen, the CGI couldn’t be more obvious. In a way, the film’s dedication to practical effects becomes its worst enemy as it makes this CGI so blatantly obvious.

As much as every fan boy around the world wishes otherwise, this movie isn’t perfect. First things first: this movie is fast. TFA runs the risk of leaving the audience wondering what the heck just happened. While the speed is exhilarating, it often muddies character motivations and plot points. Ironically, I was left wanting to know more details about the political relationships between the Resistance, the First Order and the New Republic even though boring politics played a major role in bogging down the prequel movies. For this reason, I am willing to forgive the movie for erring on the side of caution, focusing on the action rather than background events.

Whenever a new entry in a classic franchise makes a debut, there’s always a temptation to pay tribute to the movies that came before it.

In some cases, this can escalate to the point of basically copying previous movies. So, is TFA too much like the first “Star Wars?” Yes and no.

The main difference between these movies is the

most important part: the characters. Rey, Finn and Poe are only slightly reminiscent of Han, Leia and Luke. For example, while Poe and Han may both be hotshot pilots, their personalities and motivations couldn’t be more different.

Kylo Ren is far more than just a knock off Darth Vader. Still, the structural and visual similarities to the original movie are striking. The two movies share very similar tropes and themes, but these aspects are nigh universal when it comes to fiction, present in countless of other stories.

The one exception to this is a minor spoiler so skip to the end of this paragraph if you want to go into the movie completely blind. Starkiller Base is unabashedly another Death Star. Honestly, it feels like it was shoehorned into the plot so that the X-Wings would have something to blow up. That being said, if my worst criticism of this movie is that it is too much like the original “Star Wars,” that should tell you how good TFA is.

Max Von Sydow’s Lor San Tekka speaks the first line of dialogue in “The Force Awakens,” looking almost directly into the camera and reassuring it that “this will begin to make things right.” In a way, J.J. Abrams, Lucas film and Disney are speaking to the entire world in that moment. This is only the beginning of a “Star Wars” resurgence for a new generation. It would all be for naught if Disney didn’t understand what made it special. Lucky for us, they do. Finally, you can walk out of a “Star Wars” movie and think “wow, I can’t wait to see the next one” rather than “maybe they’ll fix it next time.” What a time to be a “Star Wars” fan.

Cage the Elephant’s “Tell Me I’m Pretty” Introduces a New, Tranquil Sound Evan Paul ’18 Staff Writer About three songs into Cage the Elephant’s newest release “Tell Me I’m Pretty,” I had to double check that I was playing the album on Spotify and not the artist’s radio station. That’s how closely lead singer Matthew Shultz’s drawl resembles Alex Turner’s (the lead singer of Arctic Monkeys) signature voice. I don’t like to call copycat (which has already been done by fans of The Black Keys), but the comparison between Shultz and Turner is uncanny.

Even so, “Tell Me I’m Pretty” is a solid fourth album from the band. It is relatively short, coming in at about 38 minutes, but the songs are strong throughout. Just two years before this new release, Cage the Elephant released a very different album called “Melophobia” that, while critically acclaimed, did not chart well compared to their earlier efforts. While “Melophobia” was described as a “‘mish-mash’ of sounds” (Alternative Press), “Tell Me I’m Pretty” is laid-back, almost lazy in comparison. Perhaps this contrast explains my initial disbelief that “Tell Me I’m Pretty” was produced by Cage the Elephant. But this new sound works well for the band. Because of its relaxed feel, the album is much more accessible to listeners both old and new. There is a song for everyone on the album, which couldn’t necessarily be said of “Melophobia.”

“Tell Me I’m Pretty” is the first Cage the Elephant album that I listened to all the way through, and I think it’s perfect for beginners.

The band sounds vulnerable on this album,

which creates a sort of bond between the listener and the songs. The lyrics are true to life, and each song is better than the last as the album progresses. In what may have been in homage to this newfound vulnerability, the album cover is perhaps the most subdued of Cage the Elephant’s four releases. Gone are the abstract paintings and images and instead we see a girl coming out of the water. While her eyes are other-worldly blue, it’s still a change that could hint at a new direction for the band, and I’m all for it.

Best Tracks: “Too Late to Say Goodbye”: This was the third single the band put out, and it was their last chance to advertise their album before its release. I’m almost sure this track did just that.

“Too Late to Say Goodbye” is perhaps the best track on the whole album. It has the muffled vocals and heavy guitar riffs that Cage the Elephant is known for, and it’s down-right singable. Even if you don’t know the lyrics, you’ll definitely be humming along to this track once you hear the melody.

“How Are You True”: “Heyyyyyy, how are you true?” Matthew Shultz practically whispers on this slow track. This track is beautiful, both lyrically and sonically. It has just enough percussion in the background to compliment the soft-delivery of half of the lyrics. It is also introspective, proclaiming that “you need love” to go on in life.

With his vocal prowess in this song, any listener is sure to believe almost anything Shultz says.

“Sweetie Little Jean”: This is the song that made me think I was listening to the Arctic Monkeys.

Even so, I still love it. It’s the sad story of a missing girl, but the sadness is hidden by the song’s funky backing-track and high falsetto chorus.

It’s one of those “Pumped Up Kicks”-esque songs that tricks its listener into thinking things are actually much happier than they are. Because of its awesome sound, “Sweetie Little Jean” practically begs to be listened to over and over again which is the only way you’ll really figure out the lyrics and the story they reveal.

“Punchin’ Bag”: I always enjoy a dance track,

and while this isn’t necessarily the next club hit, “Punchin’ Bag” is the type of tune you turn on when you’re supposed to be cleaning your room but you end up dancing around instead.

The song has plenty of lyrics in its story-like setup that make it perfect for acting out with a friend while you dance together. Not to devalue the song or the band, but it’s a perfect girls’ night song.

Ultimately, you should give this album a listen. Although if you know you don’t like Arctic Monkeys or cringe at the thought of an even grittier Kings of Leon, then don’t waste your time.

Photo courtesy of cagetheelephant.com

“Tell Me I’m Pretty” is a major departure from Cage the Elephant’s 2013 album “Melophobia,” resembling Arctic Monkey’s sound.

Arts & Living 8

The Amherst Student • February 3, 2016

Leonardo DiCaprio Depicts Tremendous Suffering in “The Revenant” Youngkwang Shin ’19 Staff Writer To find an Iñárritu film during the cinematic famine that comes around every January is to find an oasis in an oft-traversed desert. The Mexican director has efficiently carved a hobbit hole in the mainstream moviegoer’s consciousness, and “The Revenant” is an unabashedly loud stroke of the chisel that reminds everyone that he is here to stay.

The story very loosely follows the real-life account of fur trader Hugh Glass who, against all historical odds, finds love in a Native American tribe. He bears a child, but soon the guns and germs and steel claim the lives of the tribe. He and his son survive but in order to eke out a living, the two join a trapping expedition that meets an explosively violent end. During the escape, Glass is mauled by a bear, and his fellow survivors find him at the brink of death. The leader of the expedition, unwilling to let yet another man perish under his command, offers to pay people to stay behind with Glass and his son. One of those volunteers, named Fitzgerald, judges that Glass is a hopeless clause and attempts to smother him after the rest of the expedition leaves. Glass’s son tries to stop him, but Fitzgerald overpowers the boy and murders him. Fitzgerald proceeds to trick his fellow volunteer into believing the Native Americans are coming for revenge and leaves Glass to die. By some cruel miracle, Glass survives and props his mangled body up for a long, bitter trek across the frozen heart of America in search of justice.

With “The Revenant,” Iñárritu’s trademark visual style makes a resplendent return to the screen. At almost every opportunity, the director inserts long, stirring shots of the landscape whose snowy curves, peaks and valleys continually dwarf the cast. These shots are perhaps too long; near the end, when the disparate threads of the plot begin to converge, the shots only serve to

disrupt the act’s pacing. These long shots are accompanied by equally long silences, occasionally interrupted by the winter winds and DiCaprio’s grunts. The frequent use of silence directs the viewer’s attention to the action, which in turn provides the bulk of the film’s intrigue. The camera lingers just a bit too long for the audience’s comfort at the explosions, taking care to closely document the fleshy debris. The much-touted “bear sequence” is not even the most brutal scene in the movie. Above all else, the movie’s momentum never fizzles out; the snow just gets redder and redder.

Thankfully, the subtext of the film explains these stylistic decisions at every turn of the plot.

“The Revenant” is an extended visual metaphor for the violent and extractive relationship between Native America and the colonists. DiCaprio serves as the latter’s maimed conscience and hope for reconciliation. This rather unsubtle thematic spine is what allows this film to transcend beyond torture porn, marketing notwithstanding. At no point in the story does the movie forget this, and it relishes every bout of violence inflicted on poor Leo, whose sole source of motivation throughout the infamously grueling filming process probably was the prospect of receiving an Oscar and possibly strangling Iñárritu at the ceremony.

Unfortunately, if Leo was in it for the golden statuette, he probably should have declined this role. His role is physically demanding to be sure, but not one that requires any significant interpretation on the part of the actor. Grunting and mumbling comprise the bulk of DiCaprio’s lines, and in the rare occasions in which Hugh Glass has to emote, DiCaprio comes off as lost at best and insincere at worst. More importantly, Hugh Glass, along with the rest of the entire cast, is not very interesting. Perhaps it was Iñárritu’s iron will to prioritize the main message above all other elements in the production (excluding the gorgeous visuals), but the characterization is uniformly

The eerie vibe of Night Vale isn’t apparent in writing.

Photo courtesy of swiftfilm.com

Iñárritu pairs beautiful landscapes and striking cinematography with the brutality of the plot line. weak in this movie. The characters are little more than symbols coated with coarse flesh and filled with copious amounts of blood, and while the suffering they undergo is visually horrifying, it alone is not sufficient to have the audience care for them as characters. The only symbol that approaches any semblance of complex humanity is Fitzgerald, and the movie is quick to reduce him into a fleeing villain for our wheezing and heaving protagonist.

Overall, “The Revenant” is a film whose flaws

and appeal are perfectly summarized by the director’s name. It is the predictable, natural and overall satisfying next step of Iñárritu’s evolution as a filmmaker. Its shoddy characterization and occasionally overindulgent scene-chewing limits it to being a missing link for his magnum opus.

However, the film’s deficiencies do not detract from the fact that it is a sumptuously directed and royally financed work with an important message whose price of admission is worth paying for the sake of the spectacle alone.

Russell’s “Joy” Falls Short of Meaningful Feminist Commentary

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org

Jennifer Lawrence stars as Joy who is based on the female pioneering inventor of the “Miracle Mop.” Samantha O’Brien ’18 Staff Writer Far before I settled on coming to Amherst, I have been a loyal aficionado of David O. Russell

films. Certainly his early niche works are worth watching, but I, like most of the mainstream world, am partial to his more recent Academyrecognized films. “The Fighter” left me feeling raw, and I stayed up all night with the image of an underweight, crack cocaine-addicted Chris-

tian Bale emblazoned in my mind. “Silver Linings Playbook” nailed the concept of endearing family dysfunction. Also, I think what he does with mental illness is brilliant. “American Hustle” plays on the slimy and extravagant feel of the Nixon era perfectly. I love Russell’s raw, seemingly unedited human dialogue just as much as I love watching Robert De Niro, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence being tossed around in his offbeat, darkly comic plot lines.

Which is why I am thoroughly disappointed with his most recent work — disappointed to the point of writing this 800-word rant.

The film “Joy” is loosely based on the true story of Joy Manango, the inventor of the “Miracle Mop” and the president of Ingenious Designs. Russell’s portrayal of her life takes on the quintessential success story route. As the tale begins, Joy has bottomed out. She is divorced and a mother of two.

She works an unprofitable and unfulfilling job and shares a home with her divorced parents, her antagonistic sister, her ever-present grandmother and her ex-husband, who resides in the basement, and spends his days honing his “singing” abilities.

In some of the opening sequences, it becomes clear that Joy is but a certain engineering genius, but these aspirations died with her parents divorce.

Until, of course, the passion is reignited.

The premise itself is pretty neutral. Had it been well written, it could have been great. But for once, Russell’s writing was off — slightly contrived, even.

And his attempts at hyper-dramatization were unsuccessful. A particularly horrific example that sticks out: Russell feels the need to incorporate several nightmare sequences in which Joy attends the “funeral” of her dream to become a patented inventor. RIP to all of her hopes and aspirations.

I had the odd and slightly uncomfortable sense that Russell was trying to make a “feminist” film — whatever that even means. That being said, I am not about to level some “feminist critique” of his work; I simply do not think the film was particularly good, so naturally, the feminist themes em-

bedded within it came across as fairly contrived.

The film is narrated by Joy’s grandmother. I am not sure exactly why Russell chose this tactic, because the grandmother does not offer much insight beyond stating what should already be self-evident.

Plus, I don’t see the grandmother being a consistent, crucial force in Joy’s life as she’s expected to be. She’s kind of a random choice, to be honest.

Through her narration, Joy’s grandmother makes a point of reiterating again and again that Joy is a strong and independent woman who doesn’t “need a man” (except for one scene in which the same grandma tells her that she would find a great man someday, which totally contradicts everything she had been saying previously and quite honestly I am still confused about what the point of this was). Nonetheless, I am a huge proponent of film and television as a medium of empowerment.

Putting women and/or people of color and/or other marginalized groups in creative and central roles is crucial to realizing the necessary changes in human potentiality. That being said, the key is that these roles actually be creative, natural and ultimately well executed. Russell was seemingly determined to convince us that Joy was this powerful woman, it just was not working. I nearly gagged when, in a flashback scene, young Joy is playing “princesses” with her best friend and claims to possess this “special power” that makes it so that she doesn’t “need a prince.” This was ostensibly the first moment where we are supposed to see the makings of a strong-willed, independent businesswoman. But to me, the idea of “not needing a man” as a hallmark of powerful women seems to be a bit overdone and rather insipid at this point.

I love when Amherst alums go on to make intelligent and beautiful art. It makes me disproportionately proud, as if these were my own flesh and blood. I almost feel the offbeat Amherst-y sense of humor reverberating across the ages. At the same time, I feel especially inclined to poke fun at — and even formulate an exhaustive criticism towards — my quasi-classmates when need be. I still love you, David. I expect better from you next time.

The Amherst Student • February 3, 2016

Sports 9

Women’s Basketball Extends Men’s Hockey Looks to Finish Strong Winning Streak to 20 Games against Conference Opponents Kelly Karczewski ’18 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s basketball team has continued its win streak through interterm and the start of second semester, tackling some tough non-conference teams as well as six NESCAC opponents. Now with a 20-0 overall record, the women hope to maintain the streak for the duration of the regular season and into an inevitable postseason run.

The purple and white have had little to no trouble putting away games this season. In the last few weeks they have handily beaten teams by 30 and 40 points, demonstrating strength on both the defensive and offensive ends of the court.

Amherst’s closest encounter came from Connecticut College, who matched up against the purple and white in a battle at the Camels’ home court on Saturday, Jan. 16. Amherst was able to obtain a steady and early lead, and by halftime the Jeffs were boasting a 44-26 lead. The third quarter was more tumultuous, as Conn. College outscored Amherst 19-12.

Sophomore Hannah Hackley was crucial in solidifying the win, however, netting a careerhigh 27 points. Marley Giddins ’16 also put up an impressive 20 points and junior Meredith Doswell dominated the boards, pulling nine rebounds into the hands of the purple and white.

A notably impressive win came in the form of a 30-point domination against NESCAC rival Bowdoin. Ali Doswell ’17 led all players with 19 points and the team as a whole demonstrated a phenomenal shooting day, shooting 51 percent from the field. Combined contributions from a wide range of Amherst stars extended the scoring gap to 78-48 by the time the final whistle rang.

In their most recent matchup against Trinity, the girls cinched their 120th straight win in LeFrak gymnasium. Hackley again led Amherst’s stats with 14 points and 10 rebounds in the win; collectively Amherst was firing from all cylinders. The purple and white forced 19 Trinity turnovers and exhibited a strong third quarter to put the Bantams to rest.

Amherst’s next competition will take place this Friday at home in LeFrak gymnasium against Bates. With only four games left in the regular season, Amherst hopes to keep up their momentum heading into the NESCAC tournament and keep their undefeated record intact.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Marley Giddins ‘16 is averaging 11.8 points per game through 18 games.

Sarah Wagner ’19 Staff Writer The men’s ice hockey team finished interterm with a 2-4-1 record for the month-long break. Highlights include an overtime win against NESCAC rival Connecticut College, which was clinched by a Thomas Lindstrom ’18 goal, assisted by fellow sophomores Patrick Mooney and David White.

Hosting Assumption College on Tuesday, Jan. 26, Amherst rode strong performances from their defensemen to a 4-2 win over the Greyhounds. It was a back-and-forth game through the first two periods, although the visitors held the 2-1 advantage entering the final twenty minutes.

During the third period, however, firstyear Phil Johansson single-handedly gained the lead with an unassisted wrist-shot goal and a goal from the point that was aided by passes from junior Topher Flanagan and Lindstrom. With less than four minutes to play, Austin Ho ’17 sealed the deal with Amherst’s final goal of the night. During a physical third period, three Amherst players went to the penalty box during the final minutes of the game, but it was too late for Assumption to mount a comeback.

Saturday’s battle with Wesleyan was a close game but did not end in Amherst’s favor (3-2 loss). The Cardinals struck first with a power-play goal six minutes into the game but Amherst first-year Jack Fitzgerald answered with a nice shot only a minute later. However, the period ended 1-2 due to a late Wesleyan goal when Cardinal forward Terence Durkin deflected a point shot behind Amherst goaltender Dave Cunningham ’16 to take the lead.

Fitzgerald was the only player to put a tally

on the board during the second period; his power-play goal was assisted by sophomore Will Vosejpka and junior Chris Roll. The game stayed tied 2-2 until Wesleyan managed the go-ahead goal with less than two minutes until the final buzzer.

Sunday afternoon’s contest began well for Amherst with a Vosejpka goal just 34 seconds into the game, assisted by senior Theo Hannah. However, this is where their luck stopped — opponent Trinity evened the score while playing a man down during an Amherst power-play a few minutes later. Trinity continued their momentum through the second period, scoring three times in seven minutes.

After this deluge, however, the purple and white were able to pick up their game, shutting Trinity out for the rest of the contest.

Unfortunately, they were unable to break the Trinity defense and suffered a 4-1 to the NESCAC leaders.

“Tonight we played well enough to win for 55 minutes, but that’s not enough against a team like Trinity,” senior forward Patrick Arena said. “To be successful in the NESCAC you have to consistently play for 60 minutes, and thus far we haven’t been able to do that.

When we do we will be tough to beat, but until we figure out a way to play a whole game, we will have more weekends like this.

Amherst’s record now stands at 6-8-4 overall (4-5-3 NESCAC). The purple and white have six games remaining on the schedule, all in conference play. They start a pair of crucial games this weekend with a 7 p.m. showdown against Bowdoin on Friday, Feb. 5.

The Polar Bears sit just one place below Amherst in the standings with the same conference record. The purple and white then face Colby at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Men’s Track Claims Second at Women’s Swim and Dive Gains Little Three Championships Momentum with Three Big Wins Hayes Honea ’19 Staff Writer After Saturday’s win over MIT (198-117) and Sunday’s defeat of Springfield College (202-95), the women’s swimming and diving team boasts a record of 7-1. They fell short against Williams with a score of 114-180 on Jan. 9, but after a 10-day training trip to Puerto Rico, the women bounced back with a 152.5-131.5 victory against Connecticut College.

The MIT meet was uniquely split into two sessions: the first began at 11 a.m. and the second commenced at 5 p.m. Leading the women’s team in both sessions, sophomore Geralyn Lam garnered wins in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:06.84, the 100-yard butterfly in 57.66 and the 200-yard IM, finishing in 2:08.72. “MIT is a very good team and we knew we had a chance to win the meet if we collectively stepped up, so I just did my best to contribute to the overall score of the meet,” Lam said.

Also very successful were first-year Livia Domenig and senior Emily Hyde. Domenig earned two wins, dominating the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:55.16 and the 500yard freestyle in 5:07.07. Likewise, Hyde swept the breaststroke competition with wins in both the 100-yard race in 1:04.88 and the 200yard race in 2:18.79. First-years Zoe Pappas and Bridgette Kwong were also able to claim wins in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.85 and the 200-yard backstroke in 2:04.38, respectively.

The women’s relay teams also dominated in the pool. In the first session, sophomore Stephanie Moriarty, senior Sarah Conklin, Domenig and Hyde took the 400-yard medley relay title with a mark of 3:53.43. Later, during

the second session, Pappas joined Moriarty, Conklin and Hyde to win the 200-yard medley relay in 1:47.47. “We lost to MIT last year, so it was really cool to beat them,” Moriarty said.

On the diving side, first-years Jackie Palermo and Jasmine Horan valiantly challenged their competition. In the 1-meter event, Palermo took first with a score of 241.86 and Horan earned fifth place with 167.70 points.

In the 3-meter competition, Palermo garnered 229.27 points for a third-place finish, while Horan racked up 165.98 points for sixth.

The next day, against Springfield, the women were equally as successful. Seniors Charlotte Chudy, Conklin and Hyde enjoyed several first-place finishes. Chudy won the lengthy 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 18:03.48 and Hyde dominated the 200-yard breaststroke with a mark of 2:19.82. Conklin won two races with winning times of 2:08.69 in the 200-yard butterfly and 57.75 in the 100yard butterfly. Palermo and Horan again held their own on the diving board. Palermo took first place in the 1-meter event with a score of 256.05 and second in the 3-meter event, finishing with 222.10, while Horan earned fifth in the 1-meter with a score of 162.30 and fourth in the 3-meter event with 184.05 as her final score.

Lam shined once again, scoring two second-place finishes in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard backstroke with times of 1:01.00 and 2:11.57, respectively.

In recognition of her excellent performance against MIT and Springfield, Lam was named the NESCAC performer of the week for the first time in her collegiate career.

The women are on an upward swing coming off of three consecutive victories and they look forward to using this momentum as they prepare for NESCAC events.

Caleb Winfrey ’19 Staff Writer It has been a busy month for the Amherst men’s indoor track & field team. On Jan. 16, the team notched four event victories en route to scoring 128 points, winning four individual events and claiming second place overall at the 2015-16 Little Three Indoor Championships at Wesleyan University.

David Ingraham ’18 claimed first place in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.46.

The purple and white saw the most success in the middle distance events, in which they claimed four overall victories. Kristian Sogaard ’19 earned first in the 800 meter (1:58.41) and Kevin Connors ’17 claimed first in the mile (4:19.47). In the final event of the day, the squad of Brent Harrison ’16, Jesse Fajnzylber ’17, Steven Lucey ’17 and Ermias Kebede ’19 claimed first place in the 4x800 meter with a time of 8:16.52.

On Jan. 23, the team competed to a secondplace finish at the Smith College Invitational, which included two individual victories. Cosmo Brossy ’19 and Justin Barry ’18 finished back-toback in the 5,000-meter run, finishing first and second with times of 15:25.87 and 15:34.25, respectively. Connors also claimed a victory in the 3,000-meter with a time of 8:37.37.

On Jan. 30, the team was split. Some members of the squad competed at the Springfield College Invitational and finished second overall, while the rest of the team ventured into Boston to compete at the Terrier Classic hosted by Boston University.

Lucey claimed first in the 1,000-meter run with a time of 2:32.67, while Vernon Espinoza ’19, Jack Malague ’19 and Kevin Dooley ’19 finished third, fourth and fifth with times of 2:39.85, 2:40.68 and 2:42.41, respectively.

Amherst continued to impress in the 3,000-meter run, with the purple and white

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Amherst looks to carry their indoor success into the spring season. claiming four of the top five spots in the race. Peter Horton ’18 led the way with a first-place finish (8:52.90), while the third through fifth places were awarded to Jack Wesley ’18 (8:53.91), Barry (8:55.29) and Aaron Zambrano ’18 (9:15.88).

Amherst also took the top spot in the 4x800 meter relay, with the quartet of Harrison, Espinoza, Silverman and Fajnzylber finishing in 8:11.35.

Competing against largely Division I competition in the Terrier Classic at Boston University, Connor finished 43rd overall (4:14.18) and Sogaard placed 69th (4:20.04) in the mile run. In the 3,000-meter, Dan Crowley ’16 placed 38th with a time of 8:22.89, while sophomore Mohamed Hussein placed 48th (8:27.19). Jeff Seelaus ’16 finished 64th overall (8:30.66).

“The men’s team is finally getting into the main part of the season, and a lot of people have been setting personal records so far,” Sogaard said. “We have had a lot of people qualify for New England’s and ECAC’s so far, and we are getting more qualifiers every meet.”

The team hopes to continue their success and further improve at the Tufts Invitational this Saturday Feb. 6, beginning at 10 a.m.

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • February 3, 2016

Women’s Hockey Wins ‘Pink in the Rink’ Game Against Williams Devin O’Connor ’16 Staff Writer The women’s ice hockey team had an impressive run in January, advancing their record to 13-1-3 over the month. The purple and white kicked off the new year with a 4-1 win at home over Southern Maine before hosting NESCAC rival Middlebury.

Amherst played the Panthers to two even games. On Jan. 8, the teams played to a 2-2 overtime tie, with Amherst players Katelyn Pantera ’19 and Sara Culhane ’17 contributing a goal each to keep the purple and white in play. On Jan. 9, the matchup against Middlebury again went into overtime. Sabrina Dobbins ’17 stopped 28 shots by the Panthers, while Jocelyn Hunyadi ’19, Erin Martin ’16 and Emma Griese ’18 each notched a goal in the 3-3 tie.

The purple and white then traveled to Elmira, where they played to another overtime tie before heading up to Brunswick, Maine to face Bowdoin.

Despite a strong effort by the visitors, Amherst suffered its first setback of the season in a 2-3 loss to the Polar Bears. The team didn’t let the loss get them down, however, and Amherst came back the next day to defeat Bowdoin 3-1.

Following the split at Bowdoin, the purple and white have since added five wins to its season. Amherst returned to Orr Rink on Jan. 22 and 23 to meet Colby. Amherst swept the Mules that weekend, winning their games 4-1 and 3-1, respectively.

In an all around team effort, seven different players from the home team notched the seven goals over the course of the weekend.

Last weekend, Amherst hosted Little Three rival Williams for its annual “Pink in the Rink” event, a game they host each year to raise money for the fight against breast cancer.

“Friday’s game was a huge success both on and off the ice,” senior captain Eileen Harris said. “We’ve

been preparing for that event for a few months and it showed in the prizes that were donated and the number of people that attended.”

Not only was the event itself successful, but Amherst easily defeated Williams 5-0 behind a strong first period.

Alex Toupal ’18 notched the first goal within a minute of play, intercepting a pass in front of the opponent’s net. Soon after, Martin made good on a loose puck, knocking in a rebound to give Amherst the 2-0 lead. First-year Jamie McNamara added the third goal for Amherst with under 10 minutes left in the first stanza, while Kristen Molina ’18 gave Amherst a four-goal lead on a beautiful top shelf shot near the end of the period.

The second period was back and forth, and despite tough pressure by the Amherst offense, the score remained 4-0. In a great finale to the “Pink in the Rink” event, Laura Schmidlein ’19 added the final goal of the game with 4:32 left in regulation.

Amherst traveled to Williamstown last Saturday to take on the Ephs once again, and came out on top for the second night in a row with a 4-1 victory. The start was slow, as neither team found the net in the first period, but Pantera got things going for Amherst in the second period, ripping a shot between the legs of the Ephs’ goalie five minutes into action.

Williams evened the score before the period ended, but the purple and white came out hard to start the third. Toupal found the back of the net on a pass from Martin just 1:38 into the third period. The game remained close until the visitors doubled their lead through Toupal once again to secure the win.

“Williams is always a tough game and they were right behind us in the rankings,” Harris said. “Although the score didn’t entirely reflect the pace of the game, it was a total team win.”

Next up, Amherst faces Saint Anselm at Orr Rink on Wednesday, Feb. 3.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

John Janezich ’18 Favorite Team memory: Playing cards in Puerto Rico Favorite Pro Athlete: Dirk Nowitzki Dream Job: Music producer Pet Peeve: People stepping on the back of my shoe Favorite Vacation Spot: National parks Something on Your Bucket List: Skydiving Guilty Pleasure: Watching Chopped or Food Network in general Favorite Food: Chinese take-out Favorite thing about Amherst: Living on fourth-floor Mo Pratt How He Earned It: Janezich helped propel men’s swimming to a dominating 223-57 victory over Springfield this weekend with his first-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle, as well as the 500-yard free with times of 1:46.42 and 4:47.80, respectively. In addition to his individual victory, Janezich anchored the 200-yard freestyle, which also featured Sebastian Cruz ’16, John Brody ’17 and Reed Patterson ’17, that took second with a time of 1:30.14.

Rebecca Golia ’18 Favorite Team memory: Dance-off during team game of capture the flag Favorite Pro Athlete: Dick Fosbury Dream Job: Any job where I get to travel the world Pet Peeve: When people read over my shoulder Favorite Vacation Spot: Great Gott Island, Maine Something on Your Bucket List: Seeing the Aurora Borealis Guilty Pleasure: Netflix Favorite Food: Ice cream Favorite thing about Amherst: There’s always something happening How She Earned It: Golia placed second in the high jump with an impressive jump of 1.57 meters to help the women’s track and field team claim a third-place finish at the Springfield Invitational this past weekend. She was also one of two Amherst athletes to win an event at the Smith Invitational on Jan. 23, leading the purple and white to a fourth-place finish when she won the event with her 1.62-meter jump.

Men’s Swim Splits Weekend Action, Lichtig Women’s Squash Wins Two in NESCAC Action, Falls to Archrival Williams Named NESCAC Performer of the Week Hayes Honea ’19 Staff Writer The men’s swimming and diving team is now 6-2 following Saturday’s loss to MIT (72.5240.5) and Sunday’s win against Springfield College (223-57). Over interterm, the team enjoyed a thrilling victory of 124-113 over Williams and subsequently traveled to sunny Puerto Rico for a 10-day training trip. Upon their return, the team suffered tough losses to Connecticut College (99-181) and MIT, but were able to bounce back with a decisive victory over Springfield.

Against MIT, the relay squad of Alex Dreisbach ’17, Vic Sun ’16, Sebastian Cruz ’16 and Jeff Anderson ’16 earned third place in the 200yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:27.50. The 200-yard medley relay team of Matt Heise ’16, Elijah Spiro ’18, Sam Spurrell ’18 and Anderson also placed third with a mark of 1:35.47.

Regardless of the tough competition, the men were able to earn some solid finishes. Anderson took first place in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 1:52.74 and snatched second in the 200-yard IM with 1:56.24. Connor Haley ’17, Dreisbach and Spiro earned third in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:50.31, 50yard freestyle in 21.59 and 100-yard breaststroke in 58.45, respectively.

Spurrell also earned a second-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly with a season-best time of 51.31. “It’s important to swim against people that challenge us, because it pushes us to go faster,” Spurrell said.

On the diving side, Asher Lichtig ’16 had a very successful weekend. Against MIT, he placed first in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events with scores of 318.83 and 289.80. After taking on Springfield at his final home competition, Lichtig broke two pool records. He earned high scores of 485.77 and 525.82 in the 1-meter and 3-meter diving events, respectively.

“It was a very nice way to end my four years,” Lichtig said. “Everyone was having great swims and I was just happy the coach let me do 11 dives so I could go for it. Nice to know I’ll leave something behind.”

Another pool record was broken on Sunday by Spiro. He earned an impressive time of 57.46 in the 100-yard breaststroke. In addition to Spiro, several other men’s team members gained first-place finishes against Springfield.

Haley won the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 16:49.73, Spurrell took first in the 100-yard butterfly by finishing in 51.77, Jon Janezich ’18 snatched both the 200-yard freestyle in 1:46.42 and the 500-yard freestyle in 4:47.80, Greg Han ’17 took the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:11.98 and Charlie Seltzer ’19 won the 400yard IM in 4:23.40.

The real spotlight of the day, however, was on the seniors. In their last Pratt Pool competition, Anderson and Heiss each dominated in several events. Anderson took first in the 200yard butterfly by finishing in 1:51.67 and the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 47.67, while Heise won the 50-yard freestyle in 22.36 and 200-yard backstroke with a time of 1:54.57.

Anderson and Heise also contributed to a firstplace finish in the 200-yard medley relay alongside teammates Spurrell and Spiro in 1:34.44 and Sun closed out the 200-yard free relay for yet another Amherst victory.

Sweeping the diving board events against both MIT and Sprinfield, Lichtig was named NESCAC performer of the week. Lichtig is the second Amherst swimmer to win the accolade this season, joining Han. Coming off of this solid win against Springfield, the men are feeling confident as they begin their NESCAC preparation.

Amherst returns to the pool for NESCAC Championships at Williams College from Friday, Feb. 19 to Sunday, Feb. 20. The meet’s three days of action are each set to start at 10 a.m.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Ranked No. 16, women’s squash continues to impress with 7-3 record.

Mary Grace Cronin ’18 Staff Writer With some of the region’s toughest competitors congregating in the Pioneer Valley over interterm, Amherst women’s squash team had their work cut out for them in a grueling weekend of racquets, returns and re-drops. Heading into the competition, Amherst debuted a 1-1 record against Smith and Middlebury. They would leave the invitational boasting an overall record of 6-2, with their only loss of the event coming at the hands of the sixth-ranked Yale Bulldogs.

After a tough match, the team bounced back to decisively win the next five games over several other NESCAC and out-of-conference rivals, including a strong Bates team.

On the final day, the purple and white bested the 18th-ranked Bobcats, 7-2. The gritty play of the Amherst women lifted them to victory against a team that has proved to be a formidable opponent in the past. Throughout the tournament, senior captains Taryn Clary and Khushy Aggarwal played extremely well, posting important wins against their last five opponents.

The Amherst women continued their season

on Sunday as they searched for The little three title in hostile territory. The action in Williamstown tested the women and reared mixed results. They fought hard to defeat the Cardinals 8-1, while the 11th-ranked Ephs capitalized on their home advantage to beat Amherst 8-1. In the Amherst lineup, five players battled it out to four sets against the overpowering Ephs, but could not clinch the win.

Despite this hiccup, the women’s squash team is poised for success as they prepare to host Mount Holyoke on Wednesday, Feb. 3. The 16th-ranked purple and white enter their next contest with a 7-3 record, and are looking to use this next match to catch fire as they head into the NESCAC championship being hosted by top-ranked Trinity.

“Going into NESCACs we definitely have the right mentality to dig deep, and with the depth on the team we can close it out,” sophomore standout Kim Krayacich said.

On Wednesday, the team hosts Mount Holyoke at 6 p.m. before traveling to Trinity for NESCAC Championships this weekend.

Seeded fourth, Amherst will face fifth-seeded Bowdoin in their quarterfinal matchup on Saturday, Feb. 6 at noon.

The Amherst Student • February 3, 2016

Sports

Women’s Track Wins Four Events, Places Third at Springfield Invite Nathaniel Tyrell ’19 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s indoor track team enjoyed a successful interterm season and started the second semester strong with a thirdplace finish at the Springfield Invitational this past weekend.

Sprinters Julia Asin ’19 and Victoria Hensley ’16 finished back-to-back in a fast 200-meter heat, finishing third and fourth with times of 27.25 and 27.34, respectively.

The senior, first-year duo continued to shine in the 400-meter race later that day. Again, the two finished back-to-back but this time claiming higher spots on the podium. Hensley finished first with a time of 1:00.36 and Asin claimed second with a time of 1:00.64. Firstyear Katherine Hom finished fifth in the same race at 1:03.16.

In the 500-meter dash, Kaeli Mathias ’18 claimed a team-high fifth place, coming in at 2:30.10.

The 1,000-meter run belonged to Amherst, with the team sweeping the top-four places in the event. The young, talented group of Olivia Moehl ’19, Leonie Rauls ’18, Lela Walter ’19 and Lizzie Lacy ’19 finished with times of 3:04.86, 3:06.88, 3:11.71 and 3:12.83, respectively.

Lacy also ran well in the one-mile race finishing second overall with a time of 5:23.30.

Betsy Black ’16 finished soon after with a time of 5:26.01. First-year Debbie Newmark placed sixth in the event with a time of 5:43.30.

First-year Veronica Rocco was the only Amherst runner in the 3,000-meter run and shined, taking first place with a time of 10:44.00.

The 4x400-meter relay team finished second with Danielle Griffin ’18, Adele Loomis ’18, Rauls and Moehl posting a time of 4:14.65.

The purple and white also excelled in the field events this past weekend at Springfield.

High jumper Becki Golia ’18 finished second with a 1.57-meter jump, while senior Louise Atadja finished fourth overall in the long jump with a distance of 4.58 meters.

Amherst also swept the triple jump, in which Abbey Asare-Bediako ’18 and firstyears Yrenly Yuan and Emily Flaherty recorded jumps of 10.45 meters, 10.27 meters and 10.16 meters, respectively.

When asked about next weeks’ competition, Asin was optimistic, saying that she is “really just trying to qualify for the ECAC’s in the 400 and improve times in other events.”

Next up, the purple and white will compete next in the Tufts Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 10 a.m.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

First-year Debbie Newmark placed sixth in the 1-mile run (5:43.30).

No. 22 Men’s Squash Hosts Pioneer Valley Invitational, Seeded Eighth for NESCACs Cole Steiger ’19 Staff Writer The Amherst men’s squash team had a busy interterm schedule, first playing two league matches and then hosting the Pioneer Valley Invitational.

After early-season victories over MIT and Western Ontario, Amherst entered a Jan. 12 fixture at Middlebury sporting a 2-0 record and a No. 22 national ranking. A 6-1, 18th ranked Middlebury team got the best of the purple and white, as Amherst senior captain Noah Browne earned the team’s lone victory in the No. 1 position, despite dropping his first game of the season (9-11, 12-10, 12-10, 11-7). Middlebury swept the remaining courts, winning 8-1.

Just three days later, Amherst faced off against another NESCAC rival, welcoming No. 28 Hamilton to the Davenport courts. The team bounced back well from the disappointing result in Vermont, and got convincing wins from the top to the bottom of the line-up en route to a 7-2 triumph. Browne continued his dominant play on court No. 1 (11-2, 11-4, 11-7) and first-year David Merkel won 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 at the No. 3 position as Amherst and Hamilton traded victories on the top four courts. The purple and white then began to pull away as Darian Ehsani ’17 fought back after a second-game loss to win 11-7, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7 on court five. Michael Groot ’17, Lucas Sheiner ’19 and Jeremy Van ’17 swept their opponents on the sixth, seventh and eighth courts, respectively, with Sheiner’s win clinching the match for Amherst.

Over the next two days, the team saw four opponents when the purple and white hosted the Pioneer Valley Invitational. Amherst had a tough task ahead of them this past Saturday, as they went on to play No. 14 Navy and No. 20 Colby on the tournament’s first day.

Browne continued his brilliant season and

extended his record to 6-0 in securing the purple and white’s single win (12-10, 11-9, 11-9) against a tough Navy line-up. After the 8-1 loss, Amherst fared much better in their match with Colby. In what was undoubtedly the team’s tightest match of the season, just two of nine individual matches finished in three games, with four needing a full five games to be decided. Unfortunately, Amherst ended the matchup on the losing end. Again Browne collected a 3-0 victory at the top of the lineup (11-6, 12-10, 11-5), and Ehsani and Van both outlasted their opponents and came out on top of 3-2 matches to give Amherst their second and third victories. It was not enough though, as Colby saw the match finish 6-3 overall in the favor of the Mules.

Sunday was kinder to the purple and white when Amherst cruised to an 8-1 win over No. 25 Dickinson. On the first court, Browne’s win set the tone for a dominating Amherst victory.

Next up was a difficult matchup with 17th ranked Bates, who handed Amherst an 8-1 loss in their final action of the tournament. This time it was Groot who put Amherst on the board at the sixth position (11-3, 11-4, 11-0).

On Sunday, Jan. 31, the purple and white then faced two conference opponents at Williams.

First, the squad faced Wesleyan. Browne and Cameron Bahadori ’18 claimed five-set victories in the No. 1 and 2 spots, but Wesleyan victories in third, fourth and fifth positions paced the Cardinals to a narrow 5-4 victory over Amherst.

The purple and white then lost in a tough match against Williams. Browne claimed a threeset victory in the first slot, but Williams swept the remaining positions to win 8-1.

Next up for the squad is the three-day NESCAC Championships from Friday, Feb. 5 to Sunday, Feb. 7. Seeded eighth in the tournament, Amherst will face ninth-seeded Tufts in the first round on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

11

Forest’s Fast Take Forest Sisk ’17 Columnist In the wake of the Los Angeles Rams’ recent move to the West Coast, Forest Sisk gives his perspective on the NFL’s stadium construction policies while St. Louis’ residents continue to pay for a now-vacant stadium.

If you have watched any sort of popular entertainment, you have seen a villain. Whether it be in the form of an overbearing nurse in a psychiatric ward or a masked, deep-voiced employer of the “dark side,” villains have made their way into the forefront of most stories. Just like in “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Star Wars,” a villain emerges: this time in the NFL. St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke leads a brigade of 32 NFL owners as a sort of Sith Lord.

Although he does not roam around hooded and ominous, Kroenke lets out his inner dark side through different outlets. Owners do well by compensating their players with hefty contracts, but they fall short in their support of the local communities around the stadiums. A Washington D.C.-based conservative non-profit group, the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, launched a full-scale financial analysis of sports stadiums in the U.S. The findings were alarming: The numbers show that taxpayers spent $7 billion on stadiums over the last two decades, while the NFL generated over $10 billion in revenue in last season alone.

A couple of areas in particular have suffered from the outrageous tax demands placed on cities by stadium projects. In the TPA’s report, they provided a team-by-team breakdown of the costs: $600 million by the Indianapolis Colts, $444 million by the Dallas Cowboys and $424 million by the Cincinnati Bengals. Although big wigs and economic aficionados will argue that these lump sums, when spread among the citizens of big cities, are not as steep as they seem, there are tangible repercussions of these numbers. In Cincinnati, for instance, the city had to sell a public hospital to a private entity in order to chip away at city debt and remain afloat.

After seeing these numbers, one finds oneself asking, “How is this allowed to happen?” A professor at Villanova University, Rick Eckstein, who co-authored a book on stadium financing, has shed some light on how these agreed-upon terms end up hurting taxpayer’s wallets. He notes that while the costs seem to be rounded out and tightly buttoned, there are “subtle costs that fall to taxpayers, like property and sales tax exemptions, the loss of stadium-related revenue to teams and other forms of indirect support.”

The combination of these mysterious costs of the stadium plans and the sheer magnitude of the league’s value is what ends up handing local citizens their unfathomably large bill.

While 29 of the 31 active NFL stadiums used public funds to aid their construction and maintenance, there is one in particular that has been especially egregious in this respect. The Edward Jones Dome, former home of the now Los Angeles Rams, was completed 20 years ago

last fall. The cost of the stadium’s construction came out to $280 million. Typically, most owners pay for a healthy portion of the construction. Stan Kroenke, however, arranged the deal so that all $280 million could be funded by the residents of the city of St. Louis, St. Louis County and the state of Missouri. These people are still paying for this debt today.

The Rams’ recent move from the Edward Jones Dome to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has brought a lot of attention to the ethics of Kroenke’s methods. After his father-in-law passed away, Stan and his wife, Ann Walton, inherited a large stake in Walmart. According to Forbes’ report in the fall of 2015, Kroenke and his wife are valued at $7.7 billion. Surely St. Louis residents question why Kroenke opted to have the public sphere entirely fund the stadium when, for him, $280 million is the equivalent of a pricey parking ticket. Let’s just say that Stan Kroenke and Bernie Sanders most likely do not hang out in their spare time (although I have heard they both enjoy fresh-water fishing).

The salt was rubbed in St. Louis taxpayers’ wounds when the NFL owners voted in favor of moving the Rams back to Los Angeles in early January. Commissioner and known owner-puppet, Roger Goodell, claimed, “It’s more than just a stadium,” in his media address after the vote.

Goodell is right — it is more than just a stadium.

It is the “City of Champions Stadium.” The boldly named stadium is set to be completed by the start of the 2019 season. While the Rams will be playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until then, the new stadium is planned to take Inglewood, California by storm.

Local fashion store owner, Bass Lo, was excited to hear that the league vote had passed.

He stated, “Inglewood is dead. There’s nothing going on. We are struggling every day. Today I only made ten dollars.” He ended by declaring, “Inglewood needs this.” Writer Erin Aubry Kaplan was less sold on the idea: “We’ve had sport venues before and franchises here,” Kaplan said.

“It did not automatically translate into a better Inglewood.” The Lakers played in The Forum Stadium for 32 very successful years. However, Kaplan mentioned that “the money did not trickle down” the way many people like Lo think it will.

Kaplan, given her exposure to the area’s past failures, could be closer to the truth. Given her sentiments and Kroenke’s pattern of stinginess, Inglewood’s celebrations might be slightly premature. Only time and lots of fiscal litigation will tell the future of Inglewood’s residents.

Just remember, when you are having a bad day and it feels like “the man” is keeping you down, there are countless St. Louis residents paying for an empty stadium.

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Missouri citizens continue to pay for the Edward Jones Dome, home of the former St. Louis Rams, even though the team has moved to Los Angeles.

Sports

Photo courtesy of Mark Box

Forward David George ’17 lines up to take a key free-throw during Amherst’s tight win against non-conference opponent Eastern Connecticut State.

Men’s Basketball Continues Strong Season with Crucial Conference Wins Julia Turner ’19 Managing Sports Editor The Amherst men’s basketball team finished up interterm with an impressive 16-3 record (5-1 NESCAC) and ranked 14th in the country. The talented team is currently averaging 83 points per game shooting 46.1 percent from field goal range and 37.1 percent from beyond the arc.

After coming back with a win against Eastern Connecticut State 68-65, Amherst played their first conference game against Little Three rival Williams. Handling the Ephs easily with a homecourt advantage, Amherst, led by Jeff Racy ’17 and Connor Green ’16, took the game 78-66. Each contributed 16 points with impressive individual performances from beyond the arc, Racy shooting 4-6 and Green 3-9.

With one conference win under their belt, the purple and white took on Wesleyan in a defensive battle, holding the Cardinals to just 40 points.

Racy again led Amherst in points with a strong three for four effort from three point range and 12

points. Defense was the real key to this game however, with the Amherst defense holding Wesleyan to a meager 20.8 shooting percentage and allowing zero three point shots throughout the game.

In the final matchup of a four-game home win-streak, Amherst faced a strong Connecticut College team, narrowly escaping with an 88-86 victory. Sophomore Jayde Dawson led both teams in scoring with a collegiate career-high 26 points, while Green added 7 rebounds and the team as a unit shot 51.7 percent from the field. The purple and white took advantage of a double-bonus situation late in the game, Dawson putting Amherst ahead with two made free throws with eleven seconds left.

Hitting the road again, Amherst suffered only their second loss of the season at the hands of Wesleyan in a tough 71-44 matchup. Luckily, this game against Wesleyan was non-conference, as the purple and white were held to just 20.6 percent shooting from the field and 16.2 percent from behind the arc, a difficult night for a generally strong offensive team.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

WED FRI GAME SCHE DULE

Women’s Squash vs. Mount Holyoke, 6 p.m.

Men’s Squash vs. Tufts, 4:30 p.m.

Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Bowdoin, 7 p.m.

Women’s Ice Hockey Men’s Basketball vs. Saint Anselm, 7 p.m. @ Bates, 7 p.m.

Women’s Basketball vs. Bates, 7 p.m.

The purple and white rebounded with a strong win against Bowdoin 92-78. After being outscored 47-36 in the first half, Green’s 27 points helped to lift Amherst over the Polar Bears in the second half. Amherst bounced back after their performance against Wesleyan, again showing off their range with a 51.9 shooting percentage from the field and an impressive 42.9 percentage from three-point range.

On the road at Colby, Amherst suffered their first conference loss, shooting only 33.3 percent from the field. A strong overall performance from Green, who led the team with 13 points and 9 rebounds, was unfortunately not enough to sntach the win.

Jumping right back into conference action, Amherst beat Williams easily on the road this time, coming out strong in the first half, outscoring the Ephs 41-26. Dawson led the team in points once again with 17 in the 71-50 victory.

The purple and white closed out their fivegame road trip with a win over Trinity, 89-82, on Saturday. Sophomore Johnny McCarthy led the

team with 23 points while George added eight rebounds in the dominant effort. Amherst held a solid lead throughout a physical game, shooting 50.9 percent from the field to Trinity’s 38.8 percent.

“We’ve finally found our groove offensively and have started to work as a five-player unit collectively on defense,” senior captain Ben Pollack said. “That showed versus Trinity, who we beat to claim the number one spot in the [NESCAC] for the time being.”

At home on Tuesday, Feb. 2, Amherst returned to LeFrak for a non-conference matchup against Rhode Island College. The purple and white clamped down on defense and erupted on offense.

After scoring 35 points in the first half, Amherst dropped a whopping 53 in the second, all while holding Rhode Island College to just 27.8 percent shooting. After all was said and done, the purple and white came away with an emphatic 88-51 victory.

Next up, the purple and white are on the road again for an in-conference matchup against Bates.

Photo courtesy of Mark Box

Photo courtesy of Mark Box

SAT Women’s Track & Field @ Tufts Invitational, 10 a.m.

TUE Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Colby, 3 p.m.

Men’s Basketball @ Tufts, 2 p.m.

Men’s Track & Field @ Tufts Invitational, 10 Women’s Ice Hockey a.m. @ Manhattanville, 4 p.m.

Women’s Squash vs. Bowdoin, noon

Women’s Basketball vs. Tufts, 3 p.m.

Women’s Ice Hockey vs. Salem St., 7 p.m.