Issue 12

THE AMHERST

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLV, ISSUE 12 l WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015

DASAC Show Meets Hype with Powerhouse Performance See A&L, Page 6 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

national champions

See Sports, Page 12 Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

The 2015 Amherst men’s soccer team won its first ever national championship last weekend in a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over Loras College.

Compiling an 18-1-2 overall record this season, the team rebounded following a tough loss in the NESCAC quarterfinals to win the national title.

Asian Students Association Sees Membership Surge Jingwen Zhang ’18 Managing News Editor A newly reestablished group, the Asian Students Association, has seen a surge in membership in the weeks following November’s Frost sit-in. This fall a group of students has revitalized the organization, which they say aims to foster solidarity among Asian students of different national backgrounds.

A similar group had existed at the college until 2012, when it was disbanded due to a decline in interest. In the spring of 2014, Rachel Nghe ’16, now the organization’s president, and several other students consulted with Mariana Cruz, the director of the Multicultural Resource Center at the time, about restarting an organization for all Asian students.

“On the Amherst College campus, I want ASA to be a voice for students that people will actually listen to,” Nghe said.

Weekly in-depth planning began in 2015 as the group prepared to revive the organization. They registered the Asian Students Association with the Association of Amherst Students and first became active at the beginning of this semester. Since the organization

was reintroduced to campus, American studies professor Franklin Odo has become its faculty adviser.

Student leaders said that although the group went through a long planning process, it did not have a concrete structure until after the Amherst Uprising movement and Frost sit-in.

“Amherst Uprising was a moment of realization for a lot of Asian people,” said Jenna Peng ’18, the association’s project manager for political engagement. She cited conversations focused on race and the involvement of Asian students in the movement as the reason behind the increase in membership. “It really brought a lot of people into realizing their Asian identity for the first time. And because of that, there was this enormous sense of community that came out of it.”

According to Peng, the association had a small turnout at the beginning of the semester. “We had a meeting the Saturday of Uprising, and so many new faces turned up,” Peng said. “The community has definitely grown.”

Nghe said the association has distinct goals from those of other Asian-affiliated groups, such as the Korean Students Asso-

ciation, Chinese Student Association and the International Students Association. According to Nghe, the Asian Students Association focuses more on the identity and portrayal of Asians and Asian-Americans politically, on campus and in the world.

“At the beginning, we wanted to shy away from being cultural and advertise ASA as being purely political,” Nghe said. “Now, after the whole Amherst Uprising, it kind of shifted, because now, all of the other groups are involved in ASA, in one way or another …

But, at the same time, we also want to maintain that we’re political. We’re talking about the Asian experience.”

Members of the association are also trying to form a social foundation through community building and political engagement. Nghe described community building as encouraging underclassmen and other students to start thinking and articulating their thoughts about Asian identity, and political engagement as ensuring that Asian students are heard by the administration and other cultural affinity groups.

Students involved in the Asian Students Association have begun laying out plans for

future projects. They intend to partner with an Asian student group at Mount Holyoke College, as well as others in the Five College consortium, to recreate a Five College panAsian organization, which existed years ago but fell apart as Asian student organizations slowly dissolved.

They also want to bring more Asian and Pacific American courses and more AsianAmerican faculty members, especially in the humanities, to Amherst College.

“Currently, we only have one full time faculty member and one visiting faculty member on a two year appointment teaching Asian American content — and this is a huge subject, including people of East Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Pacific Islander heritage,” Kiko Aebi ’16, one of the students working on this project, said. “Right now I am working with a group of students to put pressure on the administration to fill this gap in our curriculum and also to hire more faculty of specifically Asian American heritage.”

Peng said that many Asian-American students come from STEM-focused back-

Continued on Page 3

News

Pooja Rangan Fresh Faculty

Nov. 30, 2015 - Dec 6, 2015

>>Nov. 30, 2015 8:59 p.m., North College Dormitory A resident reported the theft of $50 cash from her wallet. >>Dec. 1, 2015 1:55 p.m., Amherst College Police While inventorying a found wallet, an officer discovered the owner of the wallet had a driver’s license belonging to another person. It was confiscated and a report was submitted to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

8:21 p.m., South Pleasant St An officer assisted the town police with an altercation between two people on South Pleasant Street. >>Dec. 2, 2015 10:34 a.m., Tennis Barn/ Caddy Shack First responders were dispatched to a report of a leaking propane tank. Remedial action was taken. >>Dec. 3, 2015 3:38 p.m., South Pleasant St. A student reported an unusual encounter with a man while walking back from the center of town. A report was taken and the local police were notified. >>Dec. 4, 2015 12:54 a.m., Morrow Dormitory While investigating a complaint about the odor of marijuana, an officer spoke to a first floor resident and confiscated a bong used for smoking. The matter was referred to Student Affairs.

11:34 a.m., Woodside Day Care Center Amherst College Police Department received a court-issued restraining order forbidding an individual from being at a certain campus location.

3:37 p.m., Williston Hall An officer responded to a complaint about the odor of marijuana on the first floor, but the origin could not be found.

10:48 p.m., Keefe Campus Center An officer responded to a report of four people entering the building with alcohol.

They could not be located. >>Dec. 5, 2015 12:03 a.m., Hitchcock House An officer responded to a complaint of loud music and people yelling in the first-floor common room. The officer had the volume of music lowered, where a registered party was taking place.

12:04 a.m., Porter House

An officer responded to a complaint of someone smoking in the first-floor common room. Upon arrival, there was a slight odor of marijuana. The officer spoke to several students, but no other evidence of smoking was found.

1:02 a.m., Porter House An officer responded to a complaint of loud music and issued a warning to a group of students in the first-floor common room.

1:03 a.m., Seelye Parking Lot An officer discovered a vehicle wrapped in plastic wrap.

The owner was notified.

1:42 a.m., Campus Grounds A student reported a group of women draped toilet paper over a sculpture near Fayerweather Hall.

11:23 p.m., Crossett Dormitory An officer discovered an unauthorized party in the basement. It was shut down.

11:56 p.m., Newport House An officer discovered an unauthorized party in the basement with alcohol. It was shut down and the alcohol was disposed of. >>Dec. 6, 2015 1:21 a.m., Amherst Police Department A female officer assisted the town police with the arrest of a woman.

10:23 a.m., Hitchcock Dormitory An officer passing though Hitchcock noticed a large hole in the wall on the first floor.

A shattered glass beer bottle was inside the wall.

3:29 p.m., Mayo Smith House A caller reported being unable to contact a student and requested a well-being check.

Assistance was provided.

9:58 p.m., Tuttle Farm An officer on patrol found several men, who have no association with the college, in a parked vehicle. They were directed to leave the area.

10:25 p.m., Crossett Dormitory Officers and the Fire Department responded to a fire alarm and found that a first-floor detector activated the alarm as a result of beer coming in contact with it. The room group was fined $200.

2:54 a.m., Stearns Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint of a group of people being loud in the fourth-floor common room and issued a warning.

Department of Film and Media Studies

Assistant Professor of English in Film and Media Studies Pooja Rangan earned her bachelor’s degree at Oberlin College and her master’s and doctorate degrees at Brown University. Her specialties include documentaries and critical theory.

Q: What did you do before coming to Amherst?

A: I came to Amherst after living in New York for four years — from 2011 to 2015, I was an assistant professor in the culture and media department at the New School’s Eugene Lang College.

Before that I went to graduate school to study media and cultural theory at Brown University.

My first stop in the U.S. after I left India — I grew up in Mumbai — was Ohio. I went to Oberlin College. So I’ve always lived in the snow.

Q: What is your primary academic interest?

A: My primary interest, documentary, is really a way for me to think about broader social issues that have to do with our relationship to media and the ways in which we represent each other.

Documentary defines itself as a genre that is fundamentally altruistic — a good documentary, it is felt, does not call attention to itself but to the social issues it represents. I start by paying attention to documentary itself and by taking its form very seriously. I think if we read this form as a symptom we can learn a lot more about the social condition from which it emerges. So in most of my classes, documentary is the vehicle, but the topic is reality and the fictions we tell ourselves to maintain it. I think we can learn something about the world if we shift our attention from one to the other.

Q: How did you decide to start pursuing this interest?

A: I went to graduate school in a department that was very invested in Marxist, psychoanalytic and poststructuralist theory. One of the things that these three approaches teach you is to be suspicious of forms that claim to represent the world transparently. So it makes sense that I came to be interested in documentary, which always asserts that it is speaking the truth, and that we should believe what it is saying.

Q: What kind of research are you currently working on?

A: Another reason I came to Amherst is that I was trained in a research environment, and I like that Amherst is a school that supports faculty research to the same degree as a research university.

At the moment I am finishing a book called “Immediations.” The book is about the ways in which documentary imagines itself as a humanitarian genre that gives a voice to the voiceless. Documentary likes to think that it is working on behalf of society’s others. I ask a perverse question: What if it is society’s others who give documentary its reason for being? What if disenfranchised subjects, like children, refugees, animals and the disabled, inspire its language of urgency and immediacy? I’m interested in finding out how we can discover a new and more progressive language for documentary if we don’t look for the humanity of these subjects, but instead pay attention to the ways in which they are critiquing our ideas about humanity.

Q: What classes are you teaching this semester and next semester?

A: Right now I am teaching two classes: The Documentary Impulse and The Confession. The Documentary Impulse asks how the desire to represent “reality” has inspired radically diverse ways of speaking to, telling stories about and relating to the other. We just watched two recent films that aim to jerk us out of everything we expect about documentary (e.g. interviews, voiceover, talking heads). In one film, “Manakamana,”

the camera remains in the same position for nearly two hours inside a cable-car in Nepal, and the other, “Leviathan,” was shot on a commercial fishing vessel using dozens of Go Pro cameras that roll around the deck and in the water. Both are gripping, even though they could not be more different. In The Confession, which is my senior seminar, we have been analyzing the connection between the religious practice of confession and contemporary media practices from autobiography to pornography, trial films, melodrama and reality TV. My students are working on incredible research projects. To give you a taste, the topics include sexting and pleasure, torture in video games and confessing one’s privilege in activist contexts. I am on leave in the spring, but when I return in fall 2016, I’ll be adapting The Confession as a first-year eminar. My other class will be called Having a Voice and will focus on theories of voice and documentary.

Q: What do you hope to contribute to Amherst during your time here?

A: I find it auspicious that I arrived at Amherst in the same semester as Amherst Uprising. I see my arrival here as part of a changing tide that wants to reinvent Amherst in the image of its complex student body. This is a task that requires complexity in the ways in which we see and analyze the world. When my partner, Professor Josh Guilford, who is a visiting assistant professor in film and media studies and English, and I interviewed for our jobs here, we recognized that the film and media studies major was designed by Professor Amelie Hastie and others with this richness and complexity in mind. The major is not just about film, but about how we understand the world and relate to each other through mediation, through representations, and through images and voices.

It merges theory and practice, principles and action. To me, this is the place to intervene and contribute to a changing campus, by raising consciousness from the curriculum outward.

Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of academics?

A: Unsurprisingly, I love to watch movies. The line for me between academics and hobbies is not a clear one, and I don’t try to police it. The film and media studies and English faculty often go to movies together and talk about them afterward over a drink. Having said that, there are things I do to decompress. I do a lot of yoga. I’m a good cook and enjoy cooking elaborate meals. I also love to garden — my house and office are filled with plants.

Q: Do you have any advice for students interested in studying in your field?

A: Watch movies. Write about them. Make movies. You will understand one better by doing the other — this is the thinking behind the major.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give when it comes both to reading and watching is this: suspend your judgment and give in to what the essay, book or film is asking you to do. It may teach you to think and feel in new ways. The film and media studies faculty are constantly bringing unusual films and speakers to campus. This year, Professor Hastie is running a series called “Localities,” featuring films and scholarship that deal with place. And Professor Guilford has initiated a film series called “X: Unknown Quantity,” which features experimental approaches to film. Go to as many of these screenings as you can.

— Jeff Szulc ’19

The Amherst Student • December 9, 2015

News

3

Asian Students Association Discusses Identity Continued from Page 1

grounds, and that having Asian-American faculty in the humanities was important as well to give students “role models in nonSTEM fields.”

In planning to recreate an Asian student group on campus, Nghe drew inspiration from documents and plans from Amherst’s old Asian Students Association. She also drew ideas from similar organizations at other schools, including Cornell, which Cruz had recommended as a model for creating such a group. But Nghe said she was not able to rely too much on other schools as a source of inspiration, because Amherst was unlike most schools she had looked at in terms of its size and student body.

In the future, Nghe hopes that other students will sustain the Asian Students Association and keep it running.

“Because there isn’t going to be another Amherst Uprising to bring students together,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Kyra Gardner ’18

Students gathered for the last meeting of the semester of the Asian Students Association on Tuesday, Dec. 8 in the Multicultural Resource Center. The group was revived to provide a space for discussions about Asian identity.

Margo Jefferson Speaks on Race and Childhood Zoe Wong ’18 Staff Writer Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and critic Margo Jefferson spoke about the experience of growing up and becoming aware of race in the Center for Humanistic Inquiry on Monday, Dec. 7. The event was focused on Jefferson’s recently published memoir, “Negroland.” Jefferson is a professor of writing at Columbia University and has worked as a theater critic for the New York Times. In 1995, she won a Pulitzer Prize for a work of criticism published in the New York Times.

Jefferson discussed growing up as part of an upper-class African-American family in Chicago during the 1950s and ’60s. She said the way she understood herself and her place

in the world while growing up was dominated by the three aspects of her identity that became the subjects of “Negroland.”

“It has a lot to do with the social and cultural inhibitions that I grew up with in terms of what [my sister and I] were allowed to say and reveal, and those, of course, have to do with race, gender and class,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson said she used the title of her memoir to consider the separate ideas of “Negro” and “land.” She discussed the history of debates about African-American identity, and talked about how during her childhood, “Negro” had been an established and accepted label. On the other hand, she said that “land” has multiple connotations — in the case of a homeland, “land” can represent something prized and cherished. She said that a land is

also a geographically defined area with boundaries that are policed but permeable. Jefferson said these descriptions apply to the urban neighborhoods where African-Americans are concentrated and where she locates her childhood experiences.

At the event, Jefferson read two passages from her memoir. The first passage described the rules of behavior that she was given as a child. She was told to excel and represent African-Americans well, but to avoid standing out too much and offending whites. In the second passage, she told a story of discrimination that her family faced while on vacation in Atlantic City. After receiving poor service from their hotel’s white staff, her parents cut their vacation short and drove home, regretting the vacation.

Jefferson said she intended her memoir to be an examination of commonly held ideas about culture.

“It was very important to me — without addressing them directly — to take big tropes like self-hatred, or trying to be white, and pick them apart to show more subtlety and more variety.”

Jefferson’s memoir focuses on her childhood experiences and concludes before the beginning of her career as a writer. Jefferson said she made this decision so that she could fully focus her commentary on the subjects of race, gender and class, and their impact on her experience of growing up.

“I didn’t want an arc of triumph,” she said.

“What I wanted was to really document how all of these forces construct the self.”

Work Group Collects Social Club Suggestions Dan Ahn ’17 Managing News Editor The Social Project Work Group is preparing a plan to introduce social clubs for a trial period next semester, following an information session at the Powerhouse on Thursday, Nov. 19 in which the group solicited possible themes for social clubs from students. The work group plans to release a poll to the student body this week to determine which clubs will make the final cut for the trial period.

The work group also sent an open Google Doc to the student body where students could submit their ideas for social clubs on Nov. 21. Information required for submission included a club name, representative colors and mascot, the names of

at least five members, three ideas for intra-club activities and two ideas for “feasible school-wide events.” The deadline for submissions was Dec. 4.

According to Tom Sommers ’16, a member of the work group, the final roster of social clubs will be determined by the end of the semester and will likely include five or fewer social clubs. After the deadline for online submissions, the work group narrowed down the list to nine ideas, and will continue working on the list through the final weeks of the semester.

“We plan to meet with at least one representative of each submission individually this week in order to clarify their ideas and make sure that they are feasible,” work group member Meghan McDonough ’16 said.

It is still not clear how social clubs will be

funded. “We are still in the process of obtaining absolute numbers on funding,” Virginia Hassell ’16, a member of the group, said. “We have a meeting with the administration this week to nail these details down. It’s likely that our budget will not be as robust as we hoped, but we have the utmost confidence that clubs will be able to work with the available budget to make successful and creative events.”

Members of the work group said that events relating to the Frost sit-in required them to put work on the proposal on hold. Administrators in the Office of Student Affairs had been unavailable to meet with them since the Oct. 23 discussion after the student vote. The work group will meet with Dean of Students Alex Vasquez and Chief Student Affairs Officer Suzanne Coffey on

Wednesday, Dec. 9, primarily to discuss funding.

The work group continues to discuss whether the newly created groups should be called “social clubs.” Sommers said that the clubs may violate the board of trustees’ decision in 1984 that banned “rushing, pledging, initiating or otherwise admitting to or maintaining membership by any student of the college in any fraternity, sorority or other social club, society or organization (however denominated).”

According to Sommers, the work group will keep the name “social clubs” for now, because it is familiar to the student body, but reconsider it before next semester.

Hassell said the work group intends to complete the plan for implementing the trial period during interterm.

Global Health Event Series Focuses on Campus Ryan Cenek ’18 Assistant News Editor

This year’s 10 Days of Global Health, an annual series of events focusing on public health issues around the world, is adding elements that deal with campus issues in the wake of the Amherst Uprising movement. The events run from Tuesday, Dec. 1 through Friday, Dec. 11.

The series is primarily led by GlobeMed and also run by Amnesty International, Humans of Amherst, the Pride Alliance, the Student Health Educators and the Public Health Collaborative.

The purpose of 10 Days of Global Health is to engage and educate the campus on issues of global health through a variety of events, according to Emily Fitts ’16, one of the event organizers in GlobeMed.

The first event was a dinner for World Aids Day, held primarily by the Queer Resource Center, Pride Alliance and the Sexual Health Educators. Event organizers tabled in Keefe Campus Center with information about AIDS. “From being at the table for two hours on the two days, I really thought it was a good effort because there were many things that people did not know,” Victoria Zhang ’18, a representative of the SHEs at the dinner, said. “Through this effort, we reached two hundred people.”

An event called “This I Believe,” primarily hosted by GlobeMed, will be held on Wednesday, Dec. 9. Participants can make crafts about statements of their personal beliefs. The event will be co-hosted by Humans of Amherst, a Facebook photography page that posts interviews and photos of Amherst College community members.

“This event was originally inspired by and modeled after the NPR series that recruited people to read belief statements they had written about an issue they felt strongly about,” Fitts said. She said the organizers hope to integrate this year’s events into the discussions kicked off by the student sit-in on Nov. 12.

On Thursday, Dec. 10, Amnesty International will host a letter-writing event at 8 p.m. in the ballroom of Morris Pratt dormitory. This event, called “Write for Rights,” is part of an annual Amnesty International campaign to draw attention to human rights abuses.

“Amnesty typically chooses 12 cases of human rights abuses that are especially relevant and time-sensitive,” said Flavia Martinez ’18, co-leader of the group. “At the event, people get together to write letters on behalf of these twelve

people to foreign officials in their respective countries.”

The final event will be a dinner in the Friedmann Room on Friday, Dec. 11, in honor of Human Rights Day. Amherst professors will give talks on health and human rights, and the organizers plan to hold discussions about human rights in a campus and global context.

“Within our club meetings, we have attempted to tackle these issues from a global health perspective, discussing what it means to be a part of such a diverse world and campus community as students invested in global health worldwide,” Fitts said. “While last year, this event was focused mainly on people’s beliefs surrounding global health, we want to encourage people to expand their belief statements to virtually any issue that they feel passionately about.”

Opinion

THE AMHERST

Board of Trustees: Condemn the Lord Jeff

STUDENT

Editorial After years of debate, the issue of Amherst’s unofficial mascot, the Lord Jeff, has finally come before the board of trustees. At its meeting this January, the board of trustees will finally discuss the question of whether Lord Jeffery Amherst should represent this college as our mascot. The Amherst Student urges the board of trustees to publicly condemn the Lord Jeff as an outdated symbol of colonial imperialism and violence that in no way represents our college or our values as a community.

Lord Jeffery Amherst is infamous for his letters advocating the genocide of Native Americans through the distribution of blankets infected with smallpox. In these letters, he proposed to Colonel Henry Bouquet, “You will Do well to try to Inoculate the Indians by means of Blankets, as well as to try Every other method that can serve to Extirpate this Execrable Race.” It is unacceptable that a man with this legacy of racial hatred and planned genocide should represent our community. Further, the irony of the recent administrative push for more Native

American students at a school whose symbol sought the death of all native people is almost comical.

In the past few weeks it has become clear that the Amherst community no longer wants to be represented by the Lord Jeff any longer.

Eighty-seven percent of the current Amherst student body voted down the Lord Jeff. The faculty unanimously rejected the Jeff in a straw poll.

It is time to stop listening to the vocal minority of alumni who believe that upholding an outdated tradition is more important than rejecting this symbol of hatred and intolerance. And let’s be clear: They are a minority. According to the most recent alumni survey, only one-third of alumni oppose changing the mascot. (Another one-third oppose it, with the other third not taking a side.)

We urge the board of trustees to consider the overwhelming opinion of the majority of the Amherst community. We need a mascot that all of the diverse members of this community can rally around — not one that bitterly divides us.

Unpacking Kwanzaa: A Critical Reflection on a Cultural Holiday Matt Randolph ’16 BSU Columnist The Amherst College Black Student Union held its annual Kwanzaa celebration last Friday night. The other members of the BSU executive board and I hosted an empowering night of community reflection and togetherness in the Octagon.

We began by acknowledging the transformative work of members of our community through an award ceremony followed by a catered dinner.

Last week’s Kwanzaa celebration on campus should not be conflated or confused with the actual holiday celebration that occurs from Dec. 26th through Jan. 1st. Dr. Maulana Karenga (born Ronald Everett), an African-American professor of Africana Studies, developed the holiday in 1966. Each award of the BSU Kwanzaa event, given to a student or other Amherst community member, reflects a different principle of the seven-day-long Kwanzaa celebration.

Each day represents a different principle, so seven awards are handed out in total. After the BSU leadership gave out the seven awards, all students at the event were invited to stand up and acknowledge individuals in their lives or in the community who have also upheld the principles of Kwanzaa. The seven principles, or Nguzo Saba, are a set of ideals developed by Dr. Karenga: Day 1: Umoja (unity); Day 2: Kujichagulia (self-determination) Day 3: Ujima (collective work and responsibility) Day 4: Ujamaa (cooperative economics) Day 5: Nia (purpose) Day 6: Kuumba (creativity) Day 7: Imani (faith) As an African-American of slave descent, I can personally iden-

tify with Kwanzaa as a cultural holiday, but this is not necessarily true for many other Afro-descendant people in the United States whose families do not personally identify with this country’s legacy of African slavery. Instead, they hold specific cultural identities from other nations of the African Diaspora beyond the U.S. border.

A good friend of mine told me that, as someone of the Afro-Latino community, she did not know if she could identify with a cultural holiday of African-American origin like Kwanzaa. Indeed, the stories of immigration of many Afro-Latinos to the United States are quite different from the history of enslavement and segregation for many black Americans whose ancestors have been in the United States for several generations. Blackness has been constructed quite differently in Latin American cultures than in the United States. Furthermore, I’ve talked with international students from Africa and black Americans of more immediate African heritage who struggle to comprehend a holiday with a generalized interpretation of the African continent. Unlike many African-Americans celebrating Kwanzaa, they understand their African heritage according to specific ethnicities or nations rather than the entire continent.

In light of these differences, how can an African-American holiday made for Black America in 1966 be constructively re-examined and fashioned to what Black America looks like in 2015? Clearly, Kwanzaa can be both liberating and problematic as a holiday that was founded to connect Black America with its African roots. However, I firmly believe that there are ways that Kwanzaa can be reimagined for those beyond the traditional African-American community for which it was founded.

Of course, African-Americans do not need to apologize for Kwanzaa. We are the core of the holiday’s origin and purpose. Kwanzaa was founded for and by African-Americans but what I want to emphasize in this article is that everyone can engage with the celebration’s seven principles regardless of their identity. My hope is that the incredibly diverse Afro-descendent community at Amherst College and in the U.S. more generally will begin to see Kwanzaa as a holiday that can unify us and illuminate our connections rather than overemphasize our differences. I want the celebration to bring us together rather than cause us to drift apart. Considering the globalizing world we live in and the ethnic diversity of the black American community today, Kwanzaa can be made relevant to all members of the African Diaspora.

I gave the following speech (with a few grammatical and stylistic revisions) as the BSU Historian last Friday, Dec. 4th, during the Kwanzaa celebration in the Octagon. The speech summarizes how I believe this cultural holiday can be made accessible to those who might feel marginalized, alienated or confused.

The black community has evidently diversified in the past few decades significantly and Amherst College’s campus exemplifies this trend. The many ethnicities and cultural heritages represented by members of BSU, ACSU and La Causa show us the breadth of experiences of students with African ancestry. We are African-American, but we are also Haitian-American, Dominican-American, Puerto Rican, Brazilian-American, Jamaican-American, Nigerian-American, Ethiopian-American the list goes on and on. We are also international students from African countries and

other nations of the African Diaspora.

However, historically, Kwanzaa was developed at a time when many African-Americans could not easily trace back their lineage to a particular African or Caribbean culture.

In 1966, African-Americans like Dr. Maulana Karenga (formerly Ronald McKinley Everett) sought to unify African-Americans in light of an American government that didn’t live up to the vision sought by the Civil Rights Movement a couple years earlier. The Watts riots in Los Angeles confirmed that even with the political and legal gains of the 1960s, they were still second-class citizens.

Marginalized from the possibility of claiming a true American identity, African-Americans sought to make sense of their African heritage on American soil.

It is important to note that the majority of African-Americans are most likely descendants of slaves coming from Western Africa, rather than Swahili-speaking people. The use of Swahili names for many of Kwanzaa’s artifacts is not meant to overgeneralize African culture or ignore the linguistic and cultural diversity of the continent. Nonetheless, while we should be both conscious and critical of cultural inaccuracies in the creation of Kwanzaa as a community celebration in a constructive way, we should acknowledge the greater message and intentions for cultural unity that Dr. Karenga strived for.

Kwanzaa is empowering because of its capacity to connect black Americans to Africa as well as the larger African Diaspora in the Caribbean and Latin America. Let this be a moment when all people of African ancestry and their allies can come together to acknowledge the many intersections of experience, identity and culture that unify Afro-descendant people across the world.

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Sophie Murguia Assistant Editor-in-Chief Elaine Jeon Managing News Dan Ahn, Jingwen Zhang Managing Opinion Johnathan Appel, Sunna Juhn Managing Arts and Living Paola Garcia-Prieto, Alida Mitau, Julia Pretsfelder Managing Sports Lauren Tuiskula, Jason Darell, Drew Kiley Managing Design Gabby Bishop S TA F F

Publishers Emily Ratte, Tia Robinson Design Editors Katherine Chen, Megan Do, Adele Loomis, Zavi Sheldon, 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 • December 9, 2015

Letter from the Editor Sophie Murguia ’17 Editor-in-Chief When I first accepted this job, Amherst was reeling from a months-long election scandal and would soon erupt with controversy over a ban on fraternities. I was a soon-to-be sophomore with no idea what I was getting into.

All I knew was that this newspaper was basically consuming my entire life already, so I might as well make it official.

Thirty-nine issues, 18 months and three semesters later, I’m finishing up my last issue as editor-in-chief. It’s been an eventful couple of years at Amherst: In my time as editor-in-chief, we’ve reported on conversations about social life and Title IX policy, the ongoing mascot debate and the momentous events of last month’s sit-in.

It has also been a time of great change for The Student. We expanded our design staff from one lone layout person to a team of six design editors. Under the capable leadership of Brendan Hsu, Gabby Bishop and Andrew Kim, this team redesigned the newspaper’s entire print edition and masthead. Our managing arts and living editors revitalized the paper’s arts coverage, bringing a greater focus to student performance and visual art at Amherst. We also greatly expanded our news staff and created an entirely new training program for news writers. Next up, we’re hoping to increase our emphasis on in-depth and investigative reporting and to work on revamping our website. I’m excited to work with the new editors-in-chief on these and other projects next semester.

Over the past three semesters, I have been awed, humbled and profoundly grateful to work with such a dedicated group of editors, photographers, reporters, designers and publishers. Each week, more than 20 people put aside work and sleep to stay

in the office until 1 a.m. (if not later) in order to bring this paper to you by Wednesday morning. And that’s not even counting the many staff writers who juggle biweekly writing assignments with all their other commitments, or the team of four publishers who work tirelessly to make sure that The Amherst Student continues to thrive as one of the few financially independent college weeklies.

A lot of our friends wonder why we do this. After all, it’s easy to feel like the work of a small college newspaper doesn’t matter, especially in weeks when the most exciting news is that we got new furniture in Val. But over the past couple years I’ve had the privilege of editing pieces by student journalists that have started conversations on campus, held this institution accountable and sparked real change.

From Nora Gayer’s brave and insightful piece on having a chronic illness at Amherst to Madi Ruoff ’s funny and thoughtful op-ed on student workload, it’s abundantly clear that student journalism can make a difference.

At its best, a college newspaper should be an independent forum for student voices, for the free exchange of ideas and for informing the community (and the public) about an institution that sometimes keeps us in the dark.

The Amherst Student has come a long way in the past 147 years, and it still has a long way to go.

Luckily, I’m sure that my successors, Lauren Tuiskula and Elaine Jeon, will be more than up for the challenge.

Lauren is a junior English major who currently serves as one of the paper’s managing sports editors. Elaine, a junior econ major, was managing news editor for a year before becoming assistant editor-in-chief this past semester. I am beyond thrilled that they’ve decided to accept this job, and I know they’ll do great things with The Amherst Student.

Opinion

5

Divestment Should Remain a Top Priority Brian Zayatz ’18 Contributing Writer When it comes to fighting climate change, we often deny ourselves the ability to make the changes that are in our power to make. This week at COP21, the international conference on climate change being held in Paris, world leaders will undoubtedly produce a plan that is insufficient to prevent the catastrophic events that we know will result if we continue to burn fossil fuels at anything close to our current rate. After years of pressure from students, alumni and faculty, the Amherst College board of trustees maintains their stance that divesting from fossil fuels will not create a significant moral or economic impact on the industry, despite the precedent for using the endowment in this way during the movements to divest from South Africa and Sudan. And we, as students, will continue to waste mountains of food in Val (despite the best efforts of the Office of Sustainability), drive cars when we could utilize the PVTA or even just leave the lights on after leaving the bathroom (myself included — I’m no hero).

But the purpose of this piece is to say: Do better. And while this message applies to all of the groups mentioned in the first paragraph, I am directing it most prominently to the board of trustees.

Divest Amherst has been as busy as ever this semester. We received the endorsement of renowned journalist and climate change activist Naomi Klein upon her visit to campus. We gathered signatures, made a giant check and held a teach-in. We have joined the Multi-School Divest Fund, an escrow fund full of money that will only be donated to Amherst College once the school commits to divestment. We were building up to an escalation that would have occurred on Friday, Nov. 13, but decided against it in order to support the Amherst Uprising.

However, this does not mean that the struggles against climate change and racism are mutually exclusive. Flooding will inundate low-lying countries like Bangladesh

and island nations like the Maldives, and they lack the wealth to cope with such disasters. More frequent and more powerful hurricanes and typhoons threaten to make the Caribbean and other tropical islands uninhabitable. In America, Hurricane Katrina flooded the predominantly black sections of New Orleans and the federal government famously failed to offer anything close to an adequate response, all while the media provided racially charged coverage.

But rather than redefine our own commitments, wealthy Western nations, who are most responsible for our current climate crisis, try to shift the onus of averting disaster onto developing nations, claiming that their industrialization must be a green one. Indeed, inaction on climate change is one of the most insidious forms of racism: Both at home and abroad, we systematically disregard the people most affected along lines of color. Our failure to act seals the fate of the world’s most susceptible and least culpable who are invariably people of color.

“To change everything, we need everyone,” reads the popular climate activist slogan. That means politicians and civilians alike. But while we can’t count on our representatives in Paris to make the right choice, our college is in a unique position to make a public commitment to ousting the fossil fuel industry as the morally reprehensible investment that it is. Amherst College could join the ranks of other institutions collectively worth trillions that have removed their money from the fossil fuel industry and are showing that strong endowments not only can, but must divest.

Amherst’s continued support of this industry broadcasts that the college does not care about its own community members whose homes are threatened by a changing climate. The board of trustees has the power to make the commitment to reject the inherently racist pillars on which our addiction to fossil fuels stands. We at Divest Amherst and beyond have not forgotten that the board of trustees will be meeting in January, and we will be watching.

Then and Now: A Letter to Myself Athri Rangathan ’16 Contributing Writer This is inspired by those who care for others and themselves, those who organize and write.

Thank you.

Dear first-year me, I hope this letter finds you well. Is it strange to be getting a letter from yourself? Perhaps it is, but knowing me (and knowing you), perhaps it is not. In any case, I wanted to share some thoughts as we head into the end of this semester and the beginning of next. Here they are: I. You are not friendless. I am here for you. I swear I am. This year is tough. I don’t have a home, you don’t have a home, but damn if that’s not the way it’s always been. We have to find a home in each other, the people around us, the arms that hold us when we go in for a hug.

Going through the year will be a challenge.

You may struggle to connect with the people around you, to figure out what classes you want to take, to be the person that you want to be.

You may end up performing somebody else’s version of you. To be honest, you should have probably taken a gap year to mature and focus your interests. But you’re here and have to make the most if it. And you will. Trust your-

self.

Come sit with me; sit with yourself. Take a walk and breathe deeply. You didn’t give yourself enough quiet time your first 18 years, especially from your own thoughts. I’m trying to take a half hour of quiet time every day now, and it works miracles. My mental health is better; my brain’s a little clearer. Should have done it earlier. When I don’t take a half-hour, I try to listen to the farthest sound in the distance.

Settling into that sound helps me settle into myself. And then I join the crowd, rush back in and give energy! Giving energy, boy, oh boy, oscillating between being at peace with yourself and giving energy to others — it’s difficult.

But give energy when you’re not sure what to do — the answer might come to you.

II. Nobody seems to really know you. You wonder if anybody would miss you if you left. Let me tell you: People would miss you. Really.

More importantly, I would miss you, especially three years down the line. You matter because you are. Do not fear that nobody knows who you are. I know you; you know yourself.

Do not wallow in your struggle. Reach out to friends. Go to the counseling center. I still cringe at emotional vulnerability. I actually hate having to tell people my shit. But if you want to come to terms with what’s in your

mind, if you want people to trust you, if you want to trust people, you have to share yourself and your stories. Strength is a trope that will break you.

You feel more lonely than not. Are you not getting the Appleton vibe? Are you wondering, “Am I weird? What’s wrong?!” Fresho, you are weird and there are many things wrong. But it is not your fault. Say it to yourself: “It is not my fault.” There are other weirdos around. You can and will find them! Give yourself time. But don’t live for tomorrow; do today. Stretch and dance it out.

You are not alone. The spirits of those who have gone before you are always with you. Your heritage holds you when you cannot hold yourself. It’s so strong that even when you don’t believe past spirits are a thing, they work for you.

There are many people paddling besides you, always. I am in the same boat as you.

III. Yo, first-year me: Be friendly with your peers and classmates! Spend more time with them. Do not think yourself superior. Joke and be lighthearted, but take a stance when you must. Learn when you should go with the flow, and when you need not. Standing against the current is difficult, but you have the strength to do so. Do so.

First-year me, this is YOUR YEAR. Nah,

don’t tell me “My confidence is low.” Hold your head high. Don’t tell me “I don’t know how to navigate this place; it’s unchartered territory.”

You never used a map before. Why are you looking for one now? You are the captain of your soul. You are the leader you’ve been waiting for. You are the person I want to be. BE. Have you ever wondered why your mouth often burns? It is because you spit such hot fire. The flow is enlivening. Do not cringe from your own power. Embrace it. Be about it. Allow it to let you see the light in others so that your days are never filled with darkness, so that even when the sun goes down, the sky is bright with fading colors and there seems no end to the glorious horizon of today.

Do you see how the moon shines in the sky, fertilized by the deep, rich soil of the dark?

How the stars twinkle around it, offering their own shimmer? How the sky curves inward, an undulating sea of endless waves? This world is full and rich, and you have the eyes with which to see it.

IV. Dear first-year me: I’m sorry if my fists were closed when you reached out to me. Palms are still tight, fingers are still curved, but my hand is opening up. I can grasp things a little better now.

I’m here now. I’m here, for you.

Arts&Living

Photo courtesy of Nathanael Lane ’18 ’18 Photos courtesy of Kat Hague

The fall 2015 DASAC show incorporated impressive dances choreographed and performed by various group members, including both new and returning dancers.

1-800-HOTLINEDASAC Meets the Hype with Powerhouse Performance DivineAsia Miller ’19 Staff Writer Upon entering the Powerhouse last Wednesday, you could immediately feel the excitement permeating the room where the fall 2015 Dance and Step at Amherst College performance was held.

DASAC’s only showcase this semester, aptly named “HOTLlNE DASAC,” was a huge, highly anticipated event, especially considering that it had been postponed for two weeks due to the Amherst Uprising protests and Thanksgiving break. Many students arrived early to get good seats and the eager crowd soon spilled out of the limited seating and up the stairs into the balcony, straining to take in the night’s performances.

The night was extremely successful and well worth the hype, but was not without flaws that slightly marred the experience.

The show was littered with short, awkward pauses, moments during which nothing was happening onstage and the audience’s attention drifted either to their phones or peripheral conversations. This was only reasonable: The dancers performing one piece overlapped with the dancers performing the next piece and perhaps the piece after, and time was needed for costume changes and breathcatching.

Still, the pauses dampened the experience. The most noticeable pause was at the beginning, when the lights went off and colored spotlights were thrown onto the ground and into the audience, whose members immediately quieted in intense expectation for the show to start. But there were at least another five minutes before the dancers actually emerged, causing the heightened excitement to significantly descend.

Between pieces, there were often long gaps where music was playing and the colored lights once again traced the walls and floors of the Powerhouse, but nothing was happening. One could visibly observe the number

of lit cellphone screens increase by the second during these gaps, and the captivation that the impressive performances induced in the audience members began to diminish. I only realized halfway through intermission that it was actually intermission, rather than just another pause. I felt myself getting restless, checking the time, scrolling through my newsfeed and wondering if perhaps this time could have been better spent.

Another aspect of the show that was disappointing was the formation and attention of the dancers. The experience of the show is undeniably much weaker from the side (which is where I sat) — even from a front row side seat, where I was close enough to reach out and touch some of the dancers.

Dancers rarely faced the side, and even when they did, it was rare for a dancer to look into the audience or make eye contact with someone.

The formations on stage are also much less captivating from the side. One such formation was a line made by the dancers that was parallel to the line formed by the audience sitting directly in front of the stage. This formation obscures all of the dancers, besides the dancer on the end, from the members of the audience on the side. A similar problem occurs by a line of dancers perpendicular to

the line created by the audience. The effect of this formation is completely lost to members of the audience on the side. Many aspects of the choreography, like sidesteps, gyrations of the hips and facial expressions conveying mood, were lost to me because the dance was oriented for the front of the stage.

One piece stood out to me as a radical exception to this rule: Steppin’ Back to Back, by Shanera Brodie ’16 and Lorraine Thomas ’16.

This was the major step piece of the show, and the dancers did a great job of using diagonal and square formations to engage the side audience.

Despite shortcomings, the show was still as phenomenal as everyone expected. The set was obviously thought out carefully, and, despite the fact that each “piece” was comprised of several smaller segments, all of the segments were chosen intentionally and belonged under the same theme.

Several pieces stood out as truly striking. Thomas’ Rude Gyal Army had an amazing amount of variability within it while still sticking to its theme. The last segment of the piece was contagiously energetic and powerful, but the segment just before was calmer and slower while still maintaining its general Carribean vibe.

Kali Robinson ’17’s solo stage was a

breathtaking show of control and passion.

The expression on Robinson’s face, coupled with the subtle power and strength contained by his mechanical and precise movements, was unforgettable, and I couldn’t pull my eyes away from him. Most performances were accompanied by loud screams and jocularity, but Robinson’s performance pulled the audience into a more emotional, intense and focused place.

There was a strange and unplanned mishap on stage during which Robinson was unable to continue dancing, but he was so professional about it that most audience members seemed not to notice what was going on. He continued dancing after the mishap, and his performance was, without a doubt, a huge success.

Another crowd pleaser was David Huante ’16’s Crushin, which elicited quite a few screams from the crowd with its sensual dance moves. The dancers in this piece did a great job, both with facial expression and with intensity of motion, and they effectively conveyed the performance’s sensuality to the audience (who ate it right up).

All in all, 1800-HOTLINEDASAC was not without its shortcomings, but still one of the best, most well-attended and lively campuswide events of the semester.

Photos courtesy of Kat Hague ’18

Arts & Living 7

The Amherst Student • December 9, 2015

Justin Bieber’s New Album “Purpose” Shows Maturation in Music Style Sophia Salazar ’18 Staff Writer Disclaimer: I was never a Belieber. True, I reluctantly attended two Justin Bieber concerts in seventh grade, back when Bieber was on the brink of superstardom. These are the concessions you make when your childhood best friend is high with “Bieber fever” and drags you to his free live shows in Los Angeles. Within the walls of the iconic Hollywood Palladium, sanitized to accommodate throngs of pre-pubescent girls and their unwilling parents (and best friends), I witnessed Justin Bieber’s cherubic face and vanilla choreography.

His autotuned voice cast a spell over his young fans, forcing them to crash over each other just to touch the stage. Needless to say, I was immune to the Usher-produced, bubblegum-pop monstrosity that was Justin Bieber. His past albums have sparked absolutely none of my interest. His widely publicized wild-child antics in recent years have caused me to roll my eyes in disgust at his spoiled, entitled persona.

So I may have held a little bit of a grudge against the Biebs. However, I have put the past to rest in order to assess Bieber’s highly anticipated and now highly successful album, “Purpose (Deluxe).”

The 19-track deluxe album was released on Nov. 13, almost a year after his last digitally released compilation album, “Journals.”

Unlike “Journals,” which had heavy hip-hop and R&B influences, “Purpose” graduates into EDM-inspired beats produced by the likes of Skrillex and Diplo. Bieber’s soft voice blends with the electronic influences that characterize the album. Bieber’s pre-released singles, “Where Are Ü Now,” “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean?” have fit perfectly among current pop hits on the airwaves by artists like Drake and The Weeknd. With guest features from emerging artists like Halsey and Travi$ Scott, as well as hip-hop legend Nas, the rest of “Purpose” has definitely propelled Bieber from teen pop idol to potential music festival headliner. Unfortunately, not all of the songs on “Purpose” were created equal. Among the album’s hits that are set to ignite Bieber fever 2.0 on the dance floor, there are other winners and losers. For further analysis, here is a track-by-track breakdown of the lengthy studio album.

1. “Mark My Words” This soft album opener is short and sweet, filled with melodramatic lyrics that foreshadow the album’s many sappy songs (many of which appear to be inspired by the notorious on-again/off-again romance of Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez).

2. “I’ll Show You” Here, Bieber tries to convince the world that being a pop star is hard when your life is viewed under a microscope. Although the lyrics are not relatable to most, the mellow vibes on this track are worth a listen.

3. “What Do You Mean?”

The infamous “What Do You Mean?” is all about trying to read mixed signals — most of us have been there. This song is also pop radio magic, and it provides the perfect segue into the album’s second-best track.

4. “Sorry” Yes, “Sorry” is the album’s second-best track. This is the best lover’s apology song since Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” 5. “Love Yourself” This song stands out from the rest of the tracks so far in the album because it sounds more like Ed Sheeran and lacks the usual EDM. In the lyrics, Bieber complains about an ex-lover’s self confidence, saying she’s too full of herself. Contrary to what the title may imply, this song is not a confidence-booster, but instead, a tale of a man who can’t handle a confident lover. Hmm. 6. “Company” This track starts a short succession of R&B-influenced songs on the tracks on the album. “Company” is tolerable, but doesn’t stand up to “No Pressure” and “No Sense.”

7. “No Pressure” (ft. Big Sean) Bieber’s R&B vibes on this track blend well with Big Sean’s verses.

This song isn’t exactly R&B gold, but Big Sean makes it worth a listen.

8. “No Sense” (ft. Travi$ Scott) Bieber gives definite Justin Timberlake vibes on this track, and it is arguably the best R&B-inspired track on this album. The song also features up-and-coming rapper Travi$ Scott, who emulates Kanye on his verse.

9. “The Feeling” (ft. Halsey) This song is one of the best on the album, and it is 100 percent because of Halsey. I rate it as the album’s third-best track, because the electronic mix of Halsey and Bieber’s voices is almost magic.

10. “Life is Worth Living” This stripped-down track is one of the few that actually highlights Bieber’s voice, reminding listeners that he is, in fact, talented.

Photo courtesy of www. lasvegasnvblog.com.

Bieber features up-and-coming artists in his album.

15. “Get Used to It” This track transitions back into the album’s mainly electronic sound and would be fun to dance to in your room when no one its watching.

16. “We Are” (ft. Nas) With possibly the most surprising guest features of the entire album, hip-hop legend Nas, “We Are” actually works. It’s a solid listen and is about as great as you would expect any rap song with Justin Bieber to be.

17. “Trust” This R&B track is optimistic about love and has beats that are extremely catchy — Drake would be proud.

11. “Where Are Ü Now” The most electronic-influenced song on the album is its best track.

This awesome dance hit is credited to the collaboration between Bieber and Jack Ü (also known as Skrillex and Diplo).

18. “All In It” “All In It” is a soft track that has a lot of lyrical meaning. However, it is also extremely forgettable and poorly placed near the end of an unbelievably long deluxe album. Like “Purpose,” it also features a strange monologue at the end.

12. “Children” Sadly, the best song on the album is followed by the worst. The song’s lyrics and melody remind me of a bizarre electronic remix of Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World.”

19. “What Do You Mean?” (Acoustic Version) The album finishes with a nice treat: a soft, acoustic version of one of the album’s best songs. This would be a great track to listen to when you’re feeling Bieber’s album minus the overproduction.

13. “Purpose” This title track is a sweet ode of gratitude, paired with a somber piano melody. Unfortunately, a strange audio clip of Bieber talking at the end brings down the song.

Ultimately, Bieber’s “Purpose” has been effective in transforming his image into an artist who can hold the attention of adult audiences. Despite its few duds, this fourth studio release is a solid EDM/pop album. It has succeeded in producing songs that you can tolerate hearing hourly on pop radio stations, the Powerhouse or the socials.

Overall, kudos to the album’s producers, most notably Diplo, Benny Blanco and Skrillex, for helping Bieber produce music that can catch up to his grown-up fan base.

14. “Been You” As one of the most traditional pop songs on the album, “Been You” is easily forgettable.

Amazon’s “Man in the High Castle” Proves Insightful and Politically Relevant Darya Bor ’18 Staff Writer Amazon Studio’s TV series, “The Man in the High Castle,” opens with quintessential images of American symbols of pride: the beautiful skyline of New York City, the Golden Gate Bridge and a statue of an eagle, poised to fly. You can almost hear such symbols saying “God Bless Our Homeland,” yet these images quickly become warped. Over the New York skyline quivers the projection of a swastika. A radiant red sun with rays spreading down, overtakes the Golden Gate Bridge to evoke Japanese imperial imposition in America. Even the eagle, ruffled to show its bald head, fades in comparison to the imposed Nazi eagle. The nation’s prideful symbols become covered with shame. The soft, mournful tune of “Edelweiss” plays as the images change. “Bless my homeland forever,” we hear, only to see the national blessings linked with these images betrayed.

“The Man in the High Castle” transports 21st-century viewers to a dystopian alternate universe in 1962, in which the Axis Powers won World War II and took over the United States, with the Nazi Reich overpowering the East Coast, Imperial Japan grasping the West Coast and the Rocky Mountains serving as a pseudo-lawless Neutral Zone. The story follows a wide variety of characters involved with a resistance group that is trying to smuggle films called “The Grasshopper Lies Heavy” across the two empires to a mysterious man only known as the “Man in the High Castle.”

The story begins with Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos), a young woman living in San Francisco, who is given the film by her deceased, Resistance-affiliated sister with instructions to get it to the “Man in the High Castle.” Meanwhile, Joe Blake (Luke Kleintank), a young upstart in New York City, drives an array of packages to the Neutral Zone for the Resistance. Juli-

ana chooses to watch the film before embarking on this journey and watches an alternate history: a series of images of the U.S. and Soviet Union taking over the ruins of Berlin and ending the war. The series follows these two, as well as a huge cast of supporting characters such as Frank Fink (Rupert Evans), Juliana’s boyfriend of Jewish ancestry who is simply trying to remain alive and the Obergruppenführer John Smith (Rufus Sewell), a loving family man and ruthless officer who is hellbent on finding these films. The sections involving the old and powerful characters associated with the imperial regimes are filled with attention-grabbing nuances, and they may deserve even more screen time than the sections involved with the Resistance.

With such controversial material, a lot could go wrong. And some things do go wrong: One of the show’s marketing campaigns included the flag of the Greater Nazi Reich, on which a swastika was placed in the corner. These flags were plastered on the seats of New York City subway system — a region with a large Jewish community. Not a good move.

With that in mind, I was prepared to despise the series for dealing with such material insensitively. I was expecting a certain, typical American jingoistic story that would bolster a sense of nationalism and exceptionalism. What I found was something so much more complex, interesting and mind-blowing that I wound up binging through the series during Thanksgiving break. The series deals with the plights of the oppressed characters and their vigilance against the oppressors, while also focusing on the other side of the story and how powerful characters deal with the troubles of working within a fascist state. In one scene, Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith sits at the breakfast table with his family. The only thing out of place in this image is the red swastika arm band he is wearing.

The series constantly juxtaposes commonplace, happy

American scenes of laughing children, smiling wives and proud young soldiers with harmful images like the swastika arm-band to show how the joyful lives of some characters are intertwined with something so averse to our modern sensibility.

This creates an incredibly tense experience throughout the 10-episode first season. The series never stops jarring the viewer, moving at a steady slow burn, the action is a sure juggernaut of tense emotion, frustration and shock. It is not an easy viewing; I found myself screaming at the screen on more than one occasion, tearing up at others and having to pause the action in order to fully comprehend some of the events.

Some scenes forced me to think deeply about what it’s like to watch this TV series from my modern point of view and to wonder why this series was made now, in 2015. Perhaps it’s in light of many people’s fear that America is currently losing its identity, xenophobia, trust in the government or the nation’s controversial path to success. Or perhaps it’s about how easy it is to justify horrible, inhumane actions with supposedly just causes, or how easy it would be to accept this world as decent and continue to impose its rules and terrors.

At one point, Joe Blake’s truck pops a tire on the road to the Neutral Zone. A cheery fat police officer, chuckling and joking — a classic image of American traditionalism — rolls over to help him out. A small storm of ash starts falling from the sky like clumps of snow. Upon seeing Blake’s confused expression, the officer says, “Oh, it’s the hospital. It’s Wednesday, they’re burning the cripples.” And he goes back to fixing the tire.

The 10 episodes of the first season of “The Man in the High Castle” can now be streamed on Amazon Prime, and I highly recommend it as an analysis of both the past and present state of the questionable social and political systems, particularly in America.

Arts & Living 8

The Amherst Student • December 9, 2015

“Welcome to Night Vale” Fails to Translate from Podcast to Novel William Harvey ’18 Contributing Writer

Many strange beings lurk in the fictional town of Night Vale: hooded figures who maintain a forbidden dog park, helicopters painted with birds of prey that steal children and an omniscient glowing cloud that serves as president of school council. Yet the most confusing and paradoxical product of the biweekly podcast “Welcome to Night Vale” may be Night Vale writers Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor’s new novel of the same title.

The “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast offers listeners a 30-minute weekly briefing on the latest news from Night Vale, a sandy suburban community overrun by the occult, Eldritch horrors and a web of lies that even 90s conspiracy theorists couldn’t untangle.

Guided by radio host Cecil Palmer, listeners are given a hearty dose of both absurd humor and cosmic existentialism. The show has made a strong name for itself since its launch in 2012, hitting the top of iTunes audio podcast lists and expanding to traveling live shows.

Fink and Cranor’s novel takes a more traditional approach to the town through the use of third-person narration that reads almost the same as the podcast. This choice is the most unsettling aspect of the adaptation, which not only begs to be listened to in audio book form, but also completely rewritten as a script for the show.

Perhaps recognizing that a Cecil-centered novel would only further the longing for a recorded performance, Fink and Cranor center their plot on two new Night Vale citizens whose quests for truth become intertwined. Jackie Fierro, a pawn shop owner who has been stuck as a 19-year-old for longer than she can remember, has her never-changing daily routine disrupted when series regular Man-in-the-Tan-Jacket hands her a note with the words “King City.” Diane Crayton is a single mother who simply hopes to rekindle the failing relationship with her rebellious teenage son who can shapeshift.

Diane and Jackie are enjoyable characters and the leisurely pace of the novel allows Fink and Cranor to explore them in a much more nuanced manner than in their podcast. Whereas most Night Vale characters are boiled down to single traits to assist joke delivery, the two women and their relationships with the town are given an excellent amount of time to develop. It’s a refreshing change of pace to see Night Vale characters with agency, although they could still use a little more depth.

Readers hoping to hear more from smooth-talking Cecil will find the offerings few and far between here. A transcript of his show

makes brief appearances between the alternating Jackie and Diane chapters, detailing a parallel plot thread that plays a minor role in the greater story. These two- to four-page interludes are the highlight of the novel and will leave most readers longing for more.

While both leads have run-ins with fan-favorite characters, they feel routine and formulaic. In many cases, they do little to assist the plot progression or even basic character development.

In fact, the character of Night Vale as a whole seems to suffer from the lengthy 400 pages of exposition. The rambling narration works well for describing the unseen city in the podcast but is ineffective in the novel. Thanks to the babbling description in writing, the mood is less like seeing slight glints of light in the darkness and more like turning on floodlights in a haunted house. Only when Jackie and Diane venture to another town does the old horror flavor return due to the fresher nature of the new locale.

“Night Vale” has traditionally struggled with proper conflict and resolution, which shows even more noticeably in book form.

In the podcast, the plot typically climaxes and Cecil announces the weather segment — a short independent band song, during which Night Vale’s heebie jeebies resolve themselves. It’s an ingenious solution for hiding the show’s flaws, but the novel cannot rely on the same crutch. Unfortunately, the conflict ends unsatisfactorily and feels rushed, which will leave some fans wishing an indie band would just perform a mediocre cover to fix everything instead.

Likewise, the traditional Night Vale humor suffers from being stretched so thin. There are some great laughs hidden in Night Vale’s shadowy alleys, but it often feels like Fink and Cranor have forgotten that absurdity and oddity lose their effect in abundance. The long-winded descriptions of Night Vale’s not-so-morbid curiosities often have no payoff. It’s painful to admit, but sometimes the novel is simply unfunny.

Contributing to that effect is an overreliance on self-referential humor and call-backs to specific episodes. Most of these references have no punch line and are the equivalent of an inside joke; they’re only funny if you’ve tuned in for more than 70 episodes. Newcomers to “Night Vale” are better off listening to the podcast because so many jokes, regardless of quality, are reliant on series-wide knowledge.

Particularly disappointing is how Fink and Cranor handle the romance between Cecil and out-of-town scientist Carlos. While their relationship had been an excellent example of the normality of gay relationships, it now overpowers both Cecil’s broadcast sections and Night Vale’s foggy mood. Their flirtation is portrayed in a way

Photo courtesy of www.blogspot.com

The eerie vibe of Night Vale isn’t apparent in writing. that not only distracts from the plot and stereotypes gay men, but also ruins Carlos position as Night Vale’s only comedic straight man in a town full of over-the-top characters.

To be fair, these problems are not exclusive to the book. They are symptomatic of the series’ greater flaws, both novel and podcast.

“Night Vale” feels lost. Its core values have always been a chill on the spine and with a ghastly touch of progressive values. Recently, it has started catering directly to its online social media demographic, which prefers quirk over deadpan humor and social progressivism for progressivism’s sake. It’s understandable that Fink and Cranor would try to appease the fans who help keep Night Vale’s lights on (or rather, off). However, the donations shouldn’t come at the expense of the show’s quality.

Like the town it describes, the “Welcome to Night Vale” novel is an enigma. It doesn’t give any particularly terrific laughs or convey the spookiness of Night Vale’s atmosphere. Nor does it help newcomers find a foothold in the long-running series. Caught in between a podcast and a novel, it struggles to make an identity for itself. It’s an enjoyable companion piece but nothing more.

The “Welcome to Night Vale” novel exists for a very dedicated but small portion of the fans who consume any and all things related to the cursed town. If Night Vale continues to focus on this crowd, it may just leave its larger audience in the dark — and not in a good way.

"Health Care: The Crossroads of Science, Disease Treatment and Public Policy Initiatives"

Seventh Annual Gerald R. Fink ’62 Symposium at Amherst College Thursday, January 21, 2016

3 – 9:30 p.m. includes dinner Guest Speakers Harold Varmus ’61, Nobel Prize-winning Scientist Barbara McNeil Founding Head and Chair of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School Cuthbert O. Simkins ’69 Physician, Naval Officer, Inventor, and Activist in Healthcare Provision to Minorities Pamela Flood ’85 Professor of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center Minjee Kim ’17 Former intern at The Whitehead Institute Open to all Amherst College students, register at: https://www.amherst.edu/mm/491427 For more information, contact Patricia Allen at pmallen@amherst.edu

The Amherst Student • December 9, 2015

Sports 9

Men’s Basketball Picks Up Two Key Non-Conference Victories The men continued to impress when they traveled to Emerson College on Saturday to take on the 3-4 Lions.

The purple and white had five players scoring in double digits in their dominating 99-74 win. Green and George led a balanced offensive attack with 16 points apiece, followed by Racy — who, along with Green, was a perfect 4-4 from the outside — and sophomore Jayde Dawson with 14 points each. Rounding out the group, McCarthy contributed a solid 13 points to the offensive effort in addition to his two assists.

Emerson led for the first six minutes of play, until Green scored to give Amherst their first lead of the game, catalyzing a 10-0 run from the purple and white. They scored 22 of

the next 24 points and never gave up momentum from there, leading 43-33 going into the locker-room at halftime.

The second half was all Amherst, as Green and Racy hit four consecutive 3-pointers within two minutes of action to spur 14-0 run. Emerson attempted to regain momentum as they cut their defecit to 12 but a decisive dunk from George put an end to their rally, as Amherst finished out the game outscoring their opponents 56-41 during the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Coming up next, as Amherst men’s basketball stays on the road, they take on a 6-1 Babson on Thursday, Dec. 10, and 4-3 Lasell on Saturday, Dec. 12. The Babson matchup will be crucial as Amherst suffered one of their few losses last season to the Beavers.

Photo courtesy of Peter Connolly ’18

Connor Green ’16 posted a double-double in Amherst’s victory over Westfield State, posting 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Julia Turner ’18 Staff Writer The Amherst men’s basketball team extended its win streak to five with victories over Westfield State and Emerson College this week.

These two wins help set the tone for the team’s next three games, all on the road, before the holiday break.

The purple and white impressed with 16 three-pointers on Tuesday against Westfield State. Senior captain Connor Green led the offensive attack, recording a double-double with a game high 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Johnny McCarthy ’18, Michael Riopel ’18, Jeff Racy ’17 and David George ’17 all joined Green in double digits. George and Riopel contributed 10 each, with Racy, shooting 6-11 from 3-point range, adding 20, and McCarthy

adding 12 along with his career-high seven assists.

Westfield kept the game close the whole first half, cutting Amherst’s lead to only five nearing the end of the first half, before a pair of Racy free throws and Connor Green’s layup at the buzzer, put them up 43-32 going into halftime. The purple and white took the momentum and ran with it coming into the second half, going on a 24-8 run in the first eight minutes.

The Amherst bench impressed once again, contributing 23 of the overall points scored.

Their sizeable lead in the final minutes of the game prompted Coach Hixon to sub in the rest of his bench and once again first-year Joe Schneider made a strong showing, contributing two points, a rebound and a block in his four minutes.

Photo courtesy of Nihlah Hope ’16E

Jeff Racy ’17 went a perfect 4-4 from beyond the three-point line, adding 16 points to the Amherst offensive attack.

Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving Hosts Middlebury

Men’s Track Opens Season with Success at Smith Invitational

Drew Kiley ’18 Managing Sports Editor

Caleb Winfrey ’19 Staff Writer

Men The Amherst men’s swimming & diving team won its matchup against NESCAC rival Middlebury by a score of 173.5-111.5 last Saturday.

Hosting their first meet of the year, Amherst won 12 total events en route to their third straight win of the season.

The hosts started brightly in their first event, the 200-yard medley, where the foursome of Matt Heise ’16, Elijah Spiro ’18, Kaison Ifill ’19 and Alex Dreisbach ’17 won the event in a time of 1:34.83.

The purple and white swept the podium in the 100-yard backstroke, 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard butterfly and 100-yard butterfly, which Heise, Spiro, Jeff Anderson ’16 and Ifill won with times of 52.51, 58.57, 1:53.10 and 51.48, respectively.

Ifill and Dreisbach then finished first and second in the 50-yard freestyle. Ifill won with a time of 21.12 while Dreisbach followed closely behind at 21.82.

Connor Haley ’17 tied for first in the 1,000yard freestyle with a time of 9:54.51, while Dreisbach collected his second individual victory in the 100-yard freestyle, touching the wall in 48.40.

Heise blew out the field in the 200-yard backstroke, finishing eight seconds ahead of the second place swimmer with a time of 1:54.76.

Chris Quinones ’19 won the 200-yard freestyle (1:47.62). Greg Han ’17 finished first in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:08.52.

In the diving events, Asher Lichtig ’16 earned nine points in both the 1-meter and 3-meter events with scores of 253.88 and 246.23.

Amherst returns to action in the new year when they travel to Union College for a meet on Saturday, Jan. 2.

Women The Amherst College women’s swimming & diving team defeated NESCAC rival Middlebury 177.5-111.5 in its home opener on Saturday. With the win, Amherst improves to 3-0 on the season.

In the 200-yard medley relay, the Amherst team of Stephanie Moriarty ’18, Emily Hyde ’16, Sarah Conklin ’16 and Zoe Pappas ’19 claimed first with a time of 1:47.24.

In the individual events, the purple and white swept in two events. Hyde won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.67, while Hannah Hummel ’16 and Victoria Chao ’18 claimed second and third place, respectively. Katie Smith ’19 claimed the 50-yard freestyle with a mark of 24.87, followed by Pappas and Destin Groff ’17.

Charlotte Chudy ’16 finished first in the 1,000yard freestyle with a time of 10:50.89, while Marie Maxwell ’18 followed in second with a mark of 10:59.04.

Amherst also claimed the top two spots in the 100-yard backstroke. Moriarty won with a time of 1:00.03, and Bridgitte Kwong ’19 finished in 1:00.68 to claim second.

Conklin claimed first place in the 100-yard and 200-yard with marks of 57.27 and 2:10.28, while Geralyn Lam ’18 finished second in both events with times of 59.75 and 2:12.21. Dorit Song ’19 and Pappas also finished one-two in the 100yard freestyle with marks of 53.90 and 53.95.

Jackie Palermo ’19 recorded a score of 209.55 in 1-meter diving to earn nine points. Kwong won the 200-yard backstroke in a time of 2:06.93, and Moriarty finished second (2:08.01).

Livia Domenig ’19 claimed the 500-yard freestyle (5:14.43), while Chudy placed second with a mark of 5:17.35. Hyde won the 200-yard breaststroke, touching the wall in 2:24.68.

Amherst returns to the pool on Saturday, Jan. 2, when they travel to Union College for their first meet of the new year.

The Amherst men’s indoor track and field team opened the 2015-2016 season at the Smith Invitational, hosted by Smith College.

The team’s competitors in the field events displayed outstanding potential for the remainder of the season. In the high jump, Jay Drain ’18 recorded a 13th-place finish (1.63 meters), Nathan Showalter ’17 finished 16th overall (1.63 meters) and Harrison Haigood ’18 placed 18th (1.58 meters).

Khalil Flemming ’16 started the season strong with two top-15 performances: 15th in the long jump with a mark of 5.90 meters and eighth in the triple jump with a mark of 12.26 meters.

Even with fewer runners than usual, with many of the distance runners not competing in the meet, the team’s track competitors still proved succesful.

In the 800-meter run, Jesse Fajnzylber ’17 and Ermias Kebede ’19 rounded off the top five overall with times of 2:02.15 and 2:04.07, respectively.

Moreover, Chris Butko ’18 won the event with an incredible time of 1:56.98, a mark that bodes well for the remainder of the indoor season.

Jeff Ewing ’18 finished the 600-meter run with a time of 1:30.92 to place 10th overall.

Amherst had solid performances in the 200-meter dash with Mohamed Ramy ’18 (25.10) and Josh Young ’17 (23.95) placing second in their respective section races. Haigood transferred his success from the jumping pit to the track by winning his section of the 200-meter dash (23.50) and finishing eighth in the 400-meter dash with a time of 54.16.

“We have one under our belt, and we know

where to go from here,” Ramy said. “The team is more motivated and cohesive this year, so we expect great results.”

The purple and white are now off for winter break and will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 16 when they compete in the Little Three championships.

Last year, Amherst placed second at the Little Three championship meet, finishing 40 points behind Williams. The team looks to improve upon their strong performance at last year’s meet in which they claimed first in six events.

This year’s meet will be hosted by Wesleyan.

Photo courtesy of Mark Box, Clarus Studios

Chris Butko ’18 took first place in the 800-meter run this weekend.

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • December 9, 2015

Women’s Hockey Remains Undefeated, Women’s Track Posts Strong Finishes Sweeps Weekend Play Against Trinity At Smith College Invitational Meet Devin O’Connor ’16 Staff Writer

Lauren Tuiskula ’17 Managing Sports Editor

The Amherst College women’s hockey team extended its record to 4-0 last weekend after a double header win over the reigning NESCAC champions, Trinity.

Sophomore Alex Toupal was named NESCAC player of the week after helping Amherst advance 2-0 on Friday, Dec. 4, and 6-3 on Saturday, Dec. 5.

Toupal tallied five of Amherst’s total eight goals last weekend, scoring both goals in the 2-0 win and adding a hat trick in Saturday’s game. She took 12 shots in Friday’s contest and another 10 on Saturday.

The first matchup was a scoreless game for 40 minutes before Toupal netted her first goal.

The first two periods were back and forth between the purple and white and the Bantams.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the third period that the silence was broken. Toupal added the first goal of the game just 21 seconds into the third period. First-years Jamie McNamara and Miriam Eickoff assisted the player of the week.

At the end of the game, Trinity pulled the goalie in an attempt to even the score, but Amherst managed to find the back of the net again. With two seconds to play in regulation, Toupal netted a second goal to seal the win for the purple and white.

The Amherst defense and goalie Sabrina Dobbins ’18 were able to hold off the Bantams for the rest of the game.

Dobbins added her second shutout of the season following last week’s NESCAC player of the week accolades. Offensively, the purple and white held the advantage in shots, 36-29, and face-offs, 30-26.

Amherst carried its momentum from the Friday night win into the Saturday game. Junior Lynndy Smith scored the first goal of the game less than five minutes into play. The purple and white held off the Bantams for the rest of the period and entered the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.

The visitors wasted no time in the second stanza. Toupal found the back of the net just 28 seconds after the break. Amherst extended the lead, 2-0.

The Bantams didn’t waste much time either. Trinity added a goal of its own, its first of the series, a few minutes later to cut the deficit by one.

It seemed as though the game would be tight heading into the third period. Just 22 seconds before the break, however, Erin Martin ’16 put another Amherst goal on the board.

At the close of the second period, Amherst led 3-1.

Almost halfway into the third period, the purple and white tallied a fourth goal. Toupal

The Amherst women’s indoor track team kicked off its regular season competition this past weekend, traveling to Northampton for the Smith College Invitational Meet.

Sophomore Becki Golia highlighted the day for Amherst, earning the team’s only firstplace finish of the meet. She took first in the high jump posting a 1.62-meter jump.

The purple and white competitors performed well in field events. Louise Atadja ’16 took 16th overall, jumping 4.65 meters.

Two first-years carried Amherst in the triple jump. Emily Flaherty ’19 and Yrenly Yuan ’19 recorded seventh and ninth place finishes respectively with Flaherty jumping 9.92 meters and Yuan jumping 9.57 meters.

In the track events, both the sprinters and distance runners found success.

Kaeli Mathias ’18 raced to a 12th-place

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Sabrina Dobbins ’18 limited Trinity’s scoring with her play in net. added her second of the game with 13 minutes of regulation. Trinity answered quickly, however, and added a second goal of their own to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Trinity, desperate for goals, pulled their goalie with about eight minutes to play. Amherst took advantage of the open net opportunity, as Toupal added her third and final goal of the game. The sophomore’s hat trick brought the score to 5-2 in favor of the purple and white.

Again, Trinity was quick to respond. The Bantams put the puck past Dobbins just 18 seconds after Toupal’s, bringing the game within two goals once more.

In another attempt to tighten the game, the Bantams pulled the goalie to gain an attacker.

Again, the purple and white capitalized on the empty net.

Brenna Sullivan ’18 shot from center ice and notched the final goal of the game, securing the Amherst win.

“Getting another chance at Trinity so early in the season was a great way for us to make up for last year,” Caroline Bomstein ’16 said.

“We showed incredible resilience, especially coming into Saturday after such a close game Friday.”

Amherst returns to play Wednesday, Dec. 9 for its home opener. The purple and white will face Norwich University at Orr Rink. The seniors hope to beat the Cadets, as they have not yet done so during their careers at Amherst thus far.

They will travel to Boston on Friday, Dec. 11 to play UMass-Boston, and will return home the next day to host Salve Regina on Saturday, Dec. 12.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Alex Toupal ’18 earned NESCAC player of the week honors as she helped lift Amherst to two wins this weekend.

finish in the mile with a time of 5:59.67.

Amherst placed two runners in the top-15 finishers in the 600-meter run. Leonie Rauls ’18 crossed the line in fourth place, finishing in 1:43.20. Danielle Griffin ’18 finished in 11th place with a time of 1:48.37.

Amherst’s 4 x 400-meter relay team posted a speedy time of 4:07.75 to take second place in the event and also qualify for the ECAC championship meet later in the season. The team consisted of Victoria Hensley ’16, Rauls, Griffin and first-year Julia Asin.

“It’s exciting that we qualified this early in the season,” Hensley said. “With so many more chances to practice and compete together, I can’t wait to see how much we can improve our time by then.”

The team will now be off for winter break before returning to action at the Little Three championships on Saturday, Jan. 16. They will look to improve upon a third-place finish at last year’s meet.

Men’s Hockey Ties Wesleyan, Defeats Defending National Champion Trinity

Photo courtesy of Eric Miller

Patrick Mooney ’18 netted his first goal of the season in Amherst’s weekend win over Wesleyan.

Sarah Wagner ’19 Staff Writer The men’s hockey team’s Saturday night contest against Wesleyan, which finished tied at 2-2, began as a battle. The teams played through the first period and most of the second before Amherst’s Kevin Ryder scored on a shot from the point, aided by the net-front screening efforts of his teammates.

The home team’s lead was widened to 2-0 halfway through the third period, when sophomore Patrick Mooney beat a Wesleyan defender with a toe-drag, fighting to make it to the slot, where he released a shot that beat goaltender Dawson Sprigings. This man-advantage goal was assisted

by Thomas Lindstrom ’18 and David White ’18.

Wesleyan, down by two points with only 10 minutes remaining in the game, increased the pressure on senior goaltender Dave Cunningham and the rest of the Amherst team.

The Cardinals finished the game with 28 shots on net, almost half of which occurred during the third period. With this much momentum, they were bound to break through eventually. They did, at 13:09 in the third, when Chad Malinowski took a low percentage shot from the outside of the circle, beating Cunningham close to the ice.

With only a one-goal differential and nearing the end of the game, Wesleyan pulled Sprigings, giving themselves a six v. five man-advantage.

The risk paid off when Jay Matthews put the puck in the net only 15 seconds before the final buzzer.

In the five-minute overtime period, Wesleyan continued to attack in the Amherst zone, tallying four shots on goal to the home team’s two, but

were ultimately unable to attain the golden goal.

Only a minute into Sunday’s game against defending national champion Trinity, Amherst found themselves down by one, thanks to a wraparound goal by Trinity’s Sean Orlando. The purple and white were able to fight back during a power play soon after, when first-year Stanley Brenner received a pass from classmate Max Roche and sent a slapshot to the back of the net.

Amherst had two close chances in the second period, but neither team was able to break the tie.

Seven minutes into the third, Topher Flanagan ’16 streaked down the left side of the ice and sent the puck to White for a quick one-timer that beat Trinity goaltender Nathaniel Heilbron just above his pad.

The next shift, however, the rebound from a shot from the corner caught Cunningham out of position and Trinity scored to tie the game for a second time.

After back-and-forth play for the next six minutes, the Amherst power-play unit broke through when Conor Brown ’16 collected the rebound from senior Theo Hannah’s shot and sent it dribbling over the goal line. The last few minutes of the game were played mostly below the net in the Amherst defensive zone, especially once Trinity pulled Heilbron, but Flanagan, with 30 seconds left, sent the puck out of the zone and all the way into the Trinity goal to seal the game at 4-2, lifting Amherst above the defending national champion Bantams.

Amherst has two NESCAC games slated for this weekend. They’ll host Williams on Friday, Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. before again playing host to Middlebury the next day, starting at 3 p.m.

The Amherst Student • December 9, 2015

Women’s Basketball Rolls In Out of Conference Play, Remains Undefeated

Sports

11

Chris’ Corner Chris Rigas ’16 Columnist The Golden State Warriors are undefeated through their first 23 games. Chris Rigas explains how anyone can dethrone the defending champions.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Marley Giddins ’16 was the high scorer in the purple and white’s victory over Emmanuel, contributing 12 points.

Kelly Karczewki ’18 Staff Writer The fourth-ranked Amherst College women’s basketball team is now 6-0 following three victories this week. The purple and white first took on Emmanuel College Tuesday night for a 59-48 win, then traveled to Willimantic, Connecticut on Thursday, where they got a narrow win over Eastern Connecticut State, and finally played a blowout victory over Bridgewater State on Saturday.

At LeFrak Gymnasium on Tuesday night, Emmanuel gave the purple and white the best battle they had had so far this season, even taking a 6-0 lead at the beginning of the game.

Sophomore Jackie Nagle had the first points for the purple and white at the 3:30 mark, putting the rest of the team into action and jumpstarting a 12-2 run in the remainder of the quarter.

“We were a little slow to get going but we are persistent and trust each other,” Nagle said. “We know our roles and work well together we just had to execute and that’s how we handled the adversity and kept our composure.”

Amherst easily controlled the second quarter, and at the end of the first half the score had extended to a 32-21 score in favor of the purple and white.

The second half featured stand out play from Marley Giddins ’16 and juniors Ali and Meredith Doswell, who were able to keep the lead significant enough to leave behind Emmanuel.

Giddings and Meredith Doswell were the high scorers of the game, both contributing 12 points,

while A. Doswell had 9. M. Doswell also recorded a game-high 12 rebounds.

Amherst traveled from LeFrak to Willimantic, Connecticut on Thursday to take on ECSU, who were able to keep up with the fast-paced Amherst offense until the start of the third quarter, ending the first half down by only four points.

Amherst picked up the pace in the second half, not allowing ECSU to score into double digits in either the third or the fourth quarter. Ali Doswell led the scoring in the second half with 12 points, finishing the match with a game-high 22 points.

The 63-46 win marked Amherst head coach G.P. Gromacki’s 400th career victory in his 16th year of coaching.

For the third and final game of the week, Amherst hosted Bridgewater State in a big victory, claiming 115 consecutive home wins. Giddins led the point-scoring with 15, while Hannah Hackley ’18 also added 13.

Amherst also dominated the boards: Meredith Doswell led with eight rebounds, Nagle had seven and senior Cheyenne Pritchard pulled in six.

Amherst returns to the court Wednesday, Dec. 9 for an away, non-conference matchup against Rhode Island College. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

The matchup against the Rams will be Amherst’s last game before taking a break for the holidays. On Monday, Dec. 28, they’ll travel to Daytona, Florida for two days of competition against non-conference opponents.

Men’s Squash Defeats 27th-Ranked MIT to Push Season Record to 2-0 Cole Steiger ’19 Staff Writer On Saturday, Dec. 5, men’s squash traveled east to face 27th-ranked MIT. With an impressive 6-3 victory over Western Ontario two weeks in the rear view, the purple and white made their trip along the Masspike with their eyes on a 2-0 start to a promising young season.

Now ranked 22nd nationally, Amherst put their depth on display in downing the Engineers 7-2, with wins from the 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9 positions.

Senior captain Noah Browne got the festivities started on the first court with a 3-0 victory, triumphing convincingly in each set: 11-6, 11-6 and 11-5. David Merkel ’19, playing from the No. 2 position in just his second collegiate match, fell to a cagey opponent in MIT’s Tyler Finkelstein, but not without battling back from a 2-0 deficit after two games to force a fifth (11-9, 11-6, 8-11, 8-11, 11-4).

The young guns continued to fire for Amherst on the third and fourth courts. Cameron Bahadori ‘18 and Harith Khawaja ‘19 both earned Ws, and both brought their individual records to 2-0 for the 2015-2016 campaign. Kha-

waja’s opponent, Dominic Hansford, entered the match having prevailed in six of his last seven fixtures.

Harith was unfazed by this recent run of good form though, and just as Bahadori had done one match before him he didn’t drop a single game en route to his victory.

When it was time for the final four matches, everything was coming up purple and white. Lucas Sheiner ’19 began Amherst’s sweep of courts 6 through 9 in a competitive 11-7, 12-10, 11-8 win.

It was then senior captain Thornton Ellis who supplied the dagger for Amherst on court No. 7, outlasting his opponent in a marathon first game and winning the day to the tune of 17-15, 7-11, 11-7, and 11-3.

Darian Ehsani ’17 and Ian Petty ’19 followed with wins of their own at the eighth and ninth positions, respectively: 11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 11-3 and 8-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-4. Rob Schwartz ’19 added a hard-fought 3-2 victory on court 10 to close a successful day for the purple and white.

Still undefeated, the men’s squash team enters a 38-day hiatus before returning to action on Friday, Jan. 15 with a match at home against league foes Hamilton at 3 p.m.

Since last June, when Steph Curry and the Warriors proved once and for all that small-ball could win an NBA championship, there has been a lot of speculation about how the rest of the league would respond, and Golden State’s historic start this year has only added fuel to the fire. Golden State has perfected small-ball by surrounding the historically great shooting of duo Curry and Klay Thompson with unselfish, athletic players like Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes and Andre Iguodala. When the Warriors play all five of those guys together, they’ve outscored opponents by a shocking 90 points over 64 minutes, even though Green, at 6’7”, is far shorter than the average NBA center. To put that in perspective, if that lineup played a 48-minute game together, as well as they usually play, they would win by 66. Offensively, all five players can shoot, drive and pass, which makes them impossible to cover. Defensively, you might expect them to struggle due to their lack of height, but Green and Barnes have proved especially tenacious when guarding bigger players. Interim coach Luke Walton has saved this killer lineup for the last few minutes of close games, and it has been instrumental in keeping the Warriors undefeated streak alive.

What can the rest of the league do in response to the small-ball revolution in Golden State? Teams can either match the Warriors’ shorter lineups with shorter lineups of their own, or they can refuse to give up on playing their traditional big men. The problem with the first strategy is that no one has a small-ball lineup as good as Golden State’s. The problem with the second is that traditional big men have almost no hope of keeping up with Barnes and Green.

The NBA in general is moving toward small-ball, mostly because teams are realizing that three is more than two, which means that it’s important to have two or three good 3-point shooters on the court as frequently as possible. Still, in terms of matching up with the Warriors, I think sticking with traditional big men is a better gamble, if only because the Warriors are so much better at small-ball than everyone else that it doesn’t make sense to challenge them on those terms.

Despite eventually losing in six games, both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cavaliers challenged the Warriors by going ahead 2-1. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those teams played big lineups, with two traditional big men. In the games that those teams won, the comparative advantage of height was very evident. The Cavaliers in particular got a lot of offensive rebounds and second chance points. The small successes of Cleveland and Memphis provide insight into how a team built around two tra-

ditional big men might have a chance against Golden State’s small-ball lineup of death.

In Memphis’ two victories, one of the most instrumental players was Tony Allen. Allen, a terrible offensive player, is also one of the best, most physical defenders in the league.

The Grizzlies were very effective during the stretches when he guarded Steph Curry. This reveals a couple things: first, as good as the rest of the Warriors are, Curry is their only transcendent player. If you can limit him, you have a real chance. Second, the way to limit Curry is to be physical with him; at 6’2” and about 180 pounds, Steph is less imposing than most other guards in the league.

If Allen and the Grizzlies provided the blueprint for defending Curry and the Warriors, LeBron and the Cavaliers stumbled into an offense that slowed down Golden State. Because of the injuries to Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, and the lack of skill on the rest of the team, the Cavs had little choice but to have LeBron shoot almost every possession. The typical Cleveland possession in the Finals was not exactly beautiful basketball: LeBron would dribble up the court, size up his defender as the shot clock wound down and shoot. Usually, this is the type of offense that coaches hate. However, it was surprisingly effective against the Warriors, for a few reasons. First of all, LeBron was the best player in the league playing at the height of his powers. But more importantly, Cleveland bigs Timofey Mozgov and Tristan Thompson crashed the glass, taking advantage of the smaller Warriors to grab a bunch of offensive rebounds. Finally, the slowdown, isolation strategy worked because it conceded very few turnovers, which the Warriors feast on.

One of the elements that drives the Warriors small-ball success is their fast break, which is devastating because it is impossible to guard Thompson and Curry as closely in the fastbreak as you would in the half court.

Golden State can score 10 points faster than probably any team in basketball history. Even when you are on offense, you should be worried about the Warriors scoring on you. Turnovers are always bad, but they’re much worse when you’re playing the Warriors. With LeBron barely passing the ball before he shot, the Cavs turned the ball over at a very low rate, which limited the Warriors’ fast break opportunities.

So there you have it. To beat the Warriors, play two traditional big men who are good offensive rebounders and mobile enough to keep up with Green and Barnes, find a physical defensive stopper to rough up Curry, and find a star who scores efficiently on isolations to avoid turnovers. Easier said than done.

Photo courtesy of Keith Allison

Last year’s MVP Steph Curry remains the face of the Golden State program.

Sports National Champions! Men’s Soccer Defeats Loras to Earn First Ever Title

Photo courtesy of David Peterlin

The men’s soccer senior class graduates having lost just three games in their four-year careers, posting a 67-3-13 record and four trips to the Sweet Sixteen.

Jason Stein ’16 Assistant Sports Editor For the first time in program history, men’s soccer won the Division III national championship, completing the impressive feat this past weekend with a pair of hard-fought victories against ranked opponents at the Swope Soccer Village in Kansas City, Missouri.

On Friday night in the Final Four, Amherst squared off against SUNY Oneonta, a talented team ranked eighth in the nation. Entering play in Kansas City with a 19-3-1 overall record, the Red Dragons had yet to allow a goal in its four previous NCAA Tournament games this year.

In the eighth minute of play, an Amherst defender was able to deflect a shot in the box from Dylan Williams.

Less than two minutes later, Amherst was making strides on offense after an effective counter-attack. Off this play, senior forward Nico Pascual-Leone, a recent NSCAA First Team AllNew England Region selection and a NSCAA AllAmerica second team honoree, fired a shot from a reasonable distance, but missed the opportunity to put Amherst ahead.

In the 25th minute, Andrew Orozco ’17 headed a ball to Greg Singer ’16, who then headed on net and almost put the purple and white ahead, but Red Dragons goalkeeper Vincent Pellegrino was able to make a great diving save to keep the game scoreless.

Amherst had a pair of corner kicks in the final minutes but could not capitalize on these opportunities, sending the game into overtime after a second half in which each team had attempted six shots.

On a SUNY Oneonta corner kick in the third minute of the first overtime, the Red Dragons were able to draw senior goalkeeper Thomas Bull away from goal, but the purple and white had two men on the back line to prevent SUNY Oneonta from scoring. On the play, defender Cameron Bean ’17 stepped up big to clear the ball out of trouble and keep the Red Dragons from scoring and winning the game.

The Red Dragons were threatening to score in the final minute of double overtime, but the Amherst defense stepped up strong and kept the game at 0-0. Thus, after 110 minutes in the Final Four, both teams were unable to score, sending the game into penalty kicks.

The purple and white got a huge momentum shift early on in penalty kicks, and Bull set the tone by punching away a shot that Williams had sought to roll in to the right-hand corner. PascualLeone then stepped up and buried a kick to give Amherst a 1-0 edge in penalties. While the second Red Dragons attempt had Bull guessing the wrong way, Hans Purtell put it wide of the post for SUNY Oneonta. Following the Red Dragons’ second consecutive failure to score, Bull stepped out of goal to take Amherst’s second penalty kick and was able to convert, giving the purple and white a significant cushion after two penalty kicks and putting immense pressure on the Red Dragons.

Singer matched SUNY Oneonta’s conversion on the third penalty kick, delivering a well-placed strike to the left. On the Red Dragons’ fifth kick, they were able to tie the penalty kick score at 3-3, but senior Milton Rico executed a very skillful shot to the top right corner to seal the match for Amherst.

With a 4-3 win in penalty kicks, Amherst would advanced to the National Championship the following evening. Throughout the game against the Red Dragons, Amherst’s defense stepped up repeatedly, resulting in another shutout for Bull.

Following Amherst’s victory on Friday night, Loras College, ranked 11th nationally and sporting an 18-4-1 record entering play, advanced to the finals after a late first-half strike gave the Duhawks a 1-0 victory over Calvin, the no. 1 team in the country. The Duhawks were no strangers to playing late into the season, as their trip to Kansas City marked the program’s third trip to the Final Four in four seasons.

Both Amherst and the Duhawks were riding momentum into the national championship game, but Loras was able to stop the purple and white’s momentum with an early strike. In the ninth minute, Alex Bradley sent a pass from near the left end line to Kevin Higgins, who then grounded the ball from the center of 18-yard box to Johnny Rummelhart, who was standing right in front of Bull and was able to redirect the ball past the keeper to take the 1-0 lead.

However, while the purple and white just missed a chance to equalize prior to the corner, they would do so moments later. Off the corner kick from the left side from first-year midfielder Luke Nguyen, Jackson Lehnhart ’17 was able to powerfully head the ball in to the left corner, while

running towards the near post and away from the goal, to put Amherst even with Loras.

Neither team put across another score in the first half, but it was not for a lack of trying, as both sides were explosive on offense, combining for 22 first-half shots. Amherst held a 13-9 edge in shots in the first period, with six shots on goal for purple and white and three for the Duhawks.

Off a thrown in from Lehnhart and a good set up from Singer, Ciambella lofted it over the keeper’s head to the far-right post on a clinical finish, putting the purple and white ahead 2-1 with 35 minutes remaining.

Following Ciambella’s strike, Loras was pressing for an equalizing goal, well aware that a national title was on the line. They even pulled their goalie past the half-line on several occasions in the final five minutes of the game, leaving nothing to chance. During the second half, the Duhawks managed to actually outshoot the purple and white, 13-6, but the Amherst defense remained airtight, and the purple and white denied a Loras comeback strike, as the purple and white proved to be the only squad that came away with a goal following the halftime break.

After the final whistle, Amherst had prevailed 2-1, and were crowned as 2015 Division III national champions, accomplishing the ultimate goal that every team in the nation strives for at the beginning of the season.

“Ever since we’ve gone through the recruiting process and gotten into the program, we’ve always talked about winning the national championship,” Bull said. “To finally break through and win the championship, this is the culmination of so much work and care from our coaches, alumni, our friends and family, and everyone else who has supported the program.”

Even with the championship trophy to show for in 2015, Justin Serpone will look back fondly on the entire process — not just the final outcome.

“There is a quote I read about how ‘some targets aren’t meant to be hit’ and I consider the national championship in it’s abstract to be one of those things,” Serpone said. “It’s not the ‘winning’ that’s the important part, but the striving to win … the journey to win. I care much less about holding a trophy than all of the hours of practice, team meals and team movies, and little moments I got to share with this team.”

Pascual-Leone hopes that this year’s team can help set the standard for future teams in the

program’s pipeline. “We had always talked about 2012, and before that it was 2008, as we often compare ourselves to other teams in Amherst soccer history,” Pascual-Leone said. “We got sick of hearing about 2012. That was the team that everyone looked up to within the Amherst soccer program before this season. The only reason that people will be taking about us now is because of our program history. Nothing could have happened without the class of 2012 and all of the classes who have come before and since.”

While the purple and white certainly had a magical journey within the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the list of accomplishments for the men’s soccer team in 2015 is particularly noteworthy.

Overall, the team finished with an 18-1-2 overall record (a 9-0-1 NESCAC record), the team outscored opponents 45-5, and had a 47-6 assist edge. In the NCAA Tournament alone, Amherst outscored teams, 7-1. In 2015, the purple and white had two individual hat tricks in the same season (one by junior forward Chris Martin in the season opener and one by Pascual-Leone against Bates). Amherst also had 16 shutouts, eight of which came in NESCAC play. In the process of all of these shutouts in 2015, Bull set the career Division III shutout record with 50 career shutouts, a testament both to his incredible skill as a goalkeeper and the impressive defense in front of him.

The lone blemish for the purple and white this season came in the NESCAC quarterfinals, as eighth-seeded Wesleyan upset the top-seeded Amherst, 1-0, in the NESCAC Tournament. Amherst’s loss in the NESCAC quarterfinals marks the second straight time that the no. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament has been knocked off by the no. 8 seed in the NESCAC quarterfinals, before going on to win the national championship.

The Class of 2016 leaves a lasting legacy, both for their significant on-field contributions and their tremendous leadership and postseason experience. They graduate with a 67-3-13 overall record (the winningest class in program history), two NESCAC championships, four trips to the NCAA Sweet 16, three trips to the NCAA Elite Eight, one trip to the Final Four and one Division III national championship.

As teams put their best foot forward against the defending national champions next season, Amherst will be well prepared for the challenge in 2016, as the program is returning a number of key contributors and a bevy of talent.