Issue 14

THE AMHERST

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLVI, ISSUE 14 l WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25, 2017

Women’s Basketball Holds 18 Game Win Streak See Sports, Page 9 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

Chapin Chapel Consecrated by Religious Life Sophie Murguia ’17 Executive Adviser

Photo courtesy of Women’s and Gender Center

On Jan. 21, 20 Amherst students traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Women’s March on Washington. The trip was organized by the Reproductive Justice Alliance and received funding from the college.

Group Organizes Trip to Women’s March Isabel Tessier ’19 Managing News Editor A group of students traveled from Amherst to Washington D.C. on Saturday, Jan. 21 in a trip organized by student activist group Reproductive Justice Alliance to participate in the Women’s March on Washington, a demonstration against President Donald Trump’s political agenda.

Students marched carrying posters with slogans such as “My Body My Choice,” “Nasty Women Fight Back” and “Build Bridges Not Walls.” Twenty students attended the event, along with Director of the Multicultural Resource Center Bulaong Ramiz and Director of the Women’s and Gender Center Jesse Beal.

According to the event’s website, the Women’s March on Washington was organized in response to “the rhetoric of the past election cycle [that] has insulted, demonized

and threatened many of us.” Designed to take place on President Trump’s first day in office, the event’s mission was to “send a bold message to our new government … that women’s rights are human rights. We stand together, recognizing that defending the most marginalized among us is defending all of us.”

Amherst students joined the protest with over half a million other demonstrators, making it one of the biggest marches in the capital’s history, as well as the largest U.S. inaugural protest, according to the Associated Press. Additionally, over half a million more protestors participated in sister marches across the country in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Boston and Los Angeles.

“It was great to be surrounded by so many people who share my sentiments about the election,” Rachel Cohen ’19 said in an online interview. “The energy really made me ready to roll my sleeves up and get to work.”

“Seeing the thousands of people in D.C. turn out to support women was inspiring

and motivating,” Kyra Raines ’20 said in an online interview. She noted that some of the march protesters “definitely represented white feminist ideas,” but that the event speakers and organizers emphasized more intersectional issues. “Overall, it was meaningful to see so many people there and so many amazing women in one place.”

The Reproductive Justice Alliance, led

by Samantha O’Brien ’18 and Kamini Ramlakhan ’17, coordinated with Beal in order to secure funding for the trip, provide vans for transportation and communicate with a D.C. Unitarian church which offered to house the students overnight for free.

O’Brien and Ramlakhan worked to make the trip free and accessible for students and gathered a diverse group to attend the march.

“Our end of it was a lot of connecting with students [and having] representation from different affinity groups on campus in order to really broaden the idea of what a women’s

Continued on Page 3

The college’s religious and spiritual life staff consecrated Chapin Chapel in a short multi-faith ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 19.

Director of Religious & Spiritual Life Paul Sorrentino said religious staff held the event after realizing that though Chapin hosted its first religious service in 1958, college archives did not have any record of a service of consecration for the chapel.

The event received attention from The Boston Globe and other local media outlets after Sorrentino described the chapel as offering a “sanctuary” for undocumented students. But Sorrentino said in an email to The Student that there had been some “confusion of language” regarding the consecration.

“I think there was an assumption that we were declaring the chapel to be a part of the larger sanctuary movement, and we were not doing that,” Sorrentino said. “So we changed some of the language to be more clear.”

In an earlier email to The Student, Sorrentino had connected the event to the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump, who has said he will deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

“It is our hope that this ceremony will help to establish the chapel as a sacred space and a true sanctuary,” Sorrentino wrote in the Jan. 13 email. “There is a great deal of uncertainty going forward after Jan. 20, and we want to assure that the chapel is a safe sanctuary space, should there be a need for it for DACA students and employees and others who might feel threatened.” DACA is an acronym for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a policy enacted by the Obama administration that temporarily provides a work permit and protection to undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children.

Religious life staff later backed away from language that described the chapel as a “sanctuary.”

Before the consecration, the Office of Communications issued a statement saying that the event was not sponsored by the college.

Continued on Page 3

Mascot Committee Narrows List of Submissions to 30 Audrey Cheng ’20 Staff Writer The Mascot Committee published a list of 30 mascot semifinalists, including ideas such as hamsters, moose, fighting poets and aces, on the college’s website this past December.

The Mascot Committee, comprised of members from the Alumni Executive Committee, Association of Amherst Students and staff representatives, underwent three rounds of discussion to narrow down the 2,045 suggestions submitted by the Amherst community.

The initial round consisted of preliminarily voting “yes” or “no” on the submissions, and in the next two rounds, members rated contenders on a scale of one to five based on how well they fit the criteria outlined for

the mascot. In between rounds, members participated in conference calls to decide on cutoffs for the next round.

Paul Gramieri ’17, an AAS senator who will help narrow the list further in February, recognized the difficulty in this complicated process and applauded the committee for its work so far.

“The mascot selection process is inherently difficult, since there are so many constituents who each have different opinions,” he said. “So, given the circumstances, I think that the mascot committee has done a good job of making sure that everyone’s voices are heard.”

Looking through the list, he noted that it has “a lot of options for people with varying opinions.”

Among members of the student body,

there is a variety of strong opinions.

“I like the aces,” said DJ Williams ’20. “It has so many positive connotations. An ace is someone who is quick-witted, and Amherst students are known to be on top of their game. Also, we could do so many cool puns on shirts, like ‘We got an ace up our sleeve.’”

She expressed disinterest toward large animal candidates. “I saw a dinosaur and mammoth one and I was like, what? What does that have to do with anything?”

David Green ’18, however, dislikes the idea of aces. “I am against mascot ideas that are completely intangible, such as aces, or those that are simply colors,” he said in an online interview.

“We should avoid names that are already popularly used by other institutions or major league sports teams,” Green added. Instead,

he favors the mammoth. “It has all the advantages of dinosaurs and mastodons, which have inherent grandeur, but also contains nearly all the letters in ‘Amherst,’ and ‘Amherst Mammoths’ contains a delightful assonance,” he wrote.

“Some of the mascot choices seem too ethereal, in that they come off more as an idea rather than a concrete entity that the Amherst student body can be represented under,” Andrew Kim ’18 said in an online interview. He supported the suggestion of the hamster because of its simplicity, allowing “students to dress creatively during homecoming games and other Amherst-related festivities.”

He added that his opinion was also swayed by the fact that “hamsters are pretty darn cute.”

News

Amanda Tobin Dec. 5, 2016 - Jan. 22, 2017

>>Dec. 5, 2016 12:24 p.m., Jenkins Dormitory A student reported the theft of a coat, which contained a room key, during a party.

>>Dec. 11, 2016 12:22 a.m., Hitchcock House An officer responded to a student’s complaint that a person checking ID’s at the door during a party was >>Dec. 6, 2016 rude to her. The student could not 1:03 a.m., Mayo Smith Lot be located.

Officers responded to a complaint of people yelling outside the build12:37 a.m., Jenkins Dormitory ing and spoke to a group of stuOfficers responded to a call for asdents who were returning from sistance from residents due to their town. They left the area. suites being overcrowded by some unfamiliar people. Approximately 11:25 a.m., Amherst College Police 150 people were cleared from the A student filed a report regarding building. a phone call she received from an unknown person that made her feel 12:46 a.m., Jenkins Dormitory uncomfortable.

A visitor reported the theft of a coat valued at $700 from a suite in Jen>>Dec. 8, 2016 kins while attending a party.

1:37 a.m., Off Campus Locations An intoxicated student was placed 7:48 a.m., Seelye House in protective custody by the town An officer investigated vandalism police after being involved in an to a restroom stall door, which had incident at an establishment in the been torn off. center of town. >>Dec. 14, 2016 1:47 a.m., Newport House 4:29 p.m., First-Year Quad While investigating a noise comA caller reported hearing a woman plaint, an officer discovered that a scream near North dormitory. An resident smoked marijuana in their officer investigated but no one was room. The resident was fined $100 found. for the smoking violation. >>Dec. 16, 2016 2:26 p.m., Webster Building 4:16 p.m., South Pleasant Street An employee reported the theft of A caller reported that someone in a cell phone left in a restroom. An a truck displaying a confederate officer was able to determine who flag was yelling at a pedestrian on had the phone as the person was South Pleasant St. No one was waiting for the owner to call. found in the area. A check of surveillance cameras shows a con4:42 p.m., Converse Lot federate and U.S. flag displayed on An officer received a complaint the truck. The vehicle did not enter about a vehicle being operated in campus. an erratic manner near Converse Hall. The car was gone from the >>Dec. 18, 2016 area when the incident was inves12:53 a.m., Memorial Hill tigated.

A group of people sledding on Memorial Hill was advised that the >>Dec. 9, 2016 activity was prohibited.

12:08 a.m., Hitchcock House Officers responded to a complaint >>Jan. 4, 2017 of an unauthorized party and found 3:34 p.m., Off Campus Locations approximately 100 people gathered. A caller from off campus reported The event was ended. that someone with an Amherst email account attempted to gain ac2:36 a.m., Mayo Smith House cess to his PayPal account. It was A resident reported that an undetermined that the email address known intoxicated male walked was false and did not originate from into his room and would not leave. campus.

Upon the officer’s arrival, the male was gone from the room. Officers >>Jan. 13, 2017 determined that the male was a 3:53 p.m., Greenway Building C resident of the building.

A student reported becoming involved in an IRS phone scam which >>Dec. 10, 2016 resulted in the theft of funds.

2:47 a.m., Charles Drew House An officer investigated a smoke >>Jan. 19, 2017 detector sounding in a third-floor 3:26 p.m., Campus Grounds room and found it was activated An officer investigated an emwhen a hair dryer was used too ployee’s report of harassment by close to it. another employee. The Human Resource Office is also involved.

9:05 p.m., Jenkins Dormitory An officer encountered several >>Jan. 22, 2017 students with two unlicensed kegs 1:15 a.m., Hitchcock House outside of the building. The kegs Officers discovered a large unauwere confiscated and one student thorized party with approximately was fined $200.

300 people, including alcohol and evidence that drinking games had 9:09 p.m., Lipton House taken place. The gathering was shut An officer responded to a complaint down and people were dispersed. of loud music and issued a warning An intoxicated student was taken to a third-floor resident. by ambulance.

Thoughts on Theses Department of Art and the History of Art

Amanda Tobin ’17 is an Art major. Her thesis examines her life story and faith through a variety of artistic mediums. Her advisors are Dave Gloman and Doug Culhane from the art department and Daniel Hall from the English department.

Q: What is your thesis about?

A: I’m a Studio Art major, and basically I call it a visual memoir. I’m making art, and telling what a life story is — specifically, my life story. I’m going from my childhood, my first, earliest memories, up until stuff that happened a month ago, and last summer. And I’m a Christian ... my faith is actually a huge part of it too, so it’s kind of exploring this interweaving of experiences that we have as human beings, and things with my parents and friends and foster family, and basically how that all interconnects to my faith over the past three years, which is when I truly became a Christian.

Q: How did you come up with this topic for your thesis?

A: Long story! So I actually used to be an Architecture major, and then I double majored.

But ever since I was little, I wanted to do art, and I’ve just been making it forever. [For] the architecture degree, I finished all the courses and the credits that I needed, but in order to completely finish the major I needed to do a thesis for it. I really wanted to do an art thesis, and there was no way I could do two theses ... I had just taken a memoir writing class, and I was so intrigued by the idea of personal story. We had written a bunch of memoiristic pieces, and also read actual writers’ published memoirs, and I found it so interesting how even though everyone has their own experiences, we’re all different people, we all have our own books, if you will, with different things written on the pages. There is so much you can glean from other people’s stories, that either can connect across cultures or across ideas or religions, or, I don’t know, just being a human ... I just love connections between human beings, because I find life so fascinating, how our lives are all intertwined together. So I was thinking, what if I just put them together?

I also really wanted to talk about my faith, too, because it means so much to me, especially because my family isn’t really Christian, and it’s been really hard for me to talk to them about what it is to follow my faith when they are kind of mad about it … Art is a way for me to express the importance of my faith to me, but also it’s an act of worship to me, too.

As I’m making art and thinking about my life, I’m also just dwelling on how awesome God is to me, which is really cool.

Q: So what has the thesis process been like?

When did you start it, and where are you now in that process?

A: I actually was here this summer — I got funding to start it a bit earlier than other people … I started off with more of a researchbased project, and I studied two different artists, Frida Kahlo and this guy named Samuel Palmer. And it was interesting, because Palmer was this Englishman from the 1800s, and Kahlo was a German Mexican woman from the 1900s. They were very different politically, culturally, and racially … I studied their life stories and art seperately, and then made connections ... I just thought that was really cool, and thought that was what I wanted to do too, evaluate my life and make art about it.

I have three advisors, and I meet with at least one of them every week, and basi-

cally I just make art ... I start out with ideas, and I just make a series of works, and then I talk about them with my professor. We go through critiques, like any normal art class would, and talk about the ideas I’m having — what’s working, what’s not working, how can I push it ... all these different things. Basically, I just make a bunch of stuff, and kind of open up different doors, walk through those doors, make more stuff and open up new doors, and I’m just exploring this giant mind castle, which is cool.

Q: Has anything surprised you, either about the process or about yourself that you’ve discovered through your thesis?

A: It’s funny, I was just talking to my professor two days ago. The art that I’m making now — if I were to walk into my thesis studio, as it is right now, a year ago, I would have been like, what is this crap? My idea of ... art itself has changed so much … I used to be very focused on, I guess what people would call realistic art … I started out with self-portraits and “normal” things that everyone would think about when they think about traditional art.

But then I started using different colors — I have a painting of me, with yellow and blue.

It was actually the first series I did, and it was on different emotions — that one was joy, and then there was one on depression, and it was just these different colors I associated with different feelings and conditions. Then I was like, whoa, I don’t have to be super realistic ... I’ve actually started incorporating different mediums together. I’ve done … a painting, that’s also a sculpture, that’s also an installation, and lot’s of different types of things that I never would have expected to be doing ever before. And it’s been really cool to just see how my idea of what art is has developed … what is it to me, why am I making something and not making other things, why do I decide to use this medium or this type of lens to look at this part of my life as opposed to something else. It’s gotten a lot more deep and philosophical and metaphoric than I had expected it to be, which has been an amazing way for me to grow as a student, but also as an artist and a human being. I’m tackling these really big ideas that I never thought I would, but I’m thankful to Amherst for being so accommodating.

Q: Finally, what advice would you give to a junior considering writing a thesis?

A: So many things come to mind. I would say, definitely go after something you’re really passionate about … it’s not all fun and games, but it’s come to be something that means a lot to me, and not even just for myself. I’ve been sharing my work with my friends, and having conversations with people. It’s been a really beautiful way to share my life story and who I am as a person … The passion behind my thesis is something that I think every student should have behind their thesis. Find something that you really, really love, and something that on the days where you just want to go to bed, or don’t want to work on your thesis, or you’re mad, or you don’t like what your professor said about it … you’re not going to throw it out the window, and say, okay, I don’t care, never mind.

— Kathleen Maeder ’20

The Amherst Student • January 25, 2017

News

3

Valentine Dining Hall Goes Trayless to Mixed Opinions Sylvia Frank ’20 Staff Writer Valentine Dining Hall discarded the usage of trays for the first time during the second week of interterm after over 650 students signed a petition organized by the Green Amherst Project (GAP) asking the dining hall to conserve water by going trayless.

GAP, a student-run organization, worked with the Office of Sustainability and Dining Services to assess student input and “determine the feasibility” of transitioning to a trayless dining hall, according to a statement on the college’s website. They provided opportunities for students to provide feedback in person and through a written suggestion box.

“It will seriously increase Val’s financial flexibility, because of the water we’ll save and decreased food waste,” said Annabelle Gary ’20, a member of GAP. “We’ll have more money to spend on higher quality foods, [such as] fresh fruit or locally sourced meat. It’s also very good for the environment.”

Using feedback from more than 600 students, Valentine Dining Hall pledged to implement changes to “facilitate trayless dining,” said the college in its statement. Silverware dispensers have been added to the front, back and upstairs dining rooms. Medium-sized bowls now supplement existing dishware, and larger, stackable cups were added to the smoothie station. A solid shelf was also built under the used silverware chutes.

Dining Services has further pledged to add a drink station with soda, Powerade, water, milk, coffee and tea to the upstairs dining room, along with another station where diners can dispose of their trash and compost.

“I love the new platform where you drop your silverware because you can set down your stuff and I’m not as likely to drop it,” Katie Siegel ’20 said.

“I also appreciate the larger smoothie cups because instead of using multiple cups I only use one, which is much more convenient.”

Trays are still available upon request for those

Photo courtesy of Sarah Wishloff ‘19

Dining Services worked with the Office of Sustainability and Green Amherst Project to review student feedback on discontinuing the use of trays. Changes were implemented during the second week of interterm. who need them, such as parents with small children, those with accessibility needs, and the elderly.

Student reactions to the trayless dining experience varied.

Jeff Lancaster ’18 said that he has no issues with the trayless change itself but finds the negative stigma surrounding the use of trays “irritating.”

“People who use trays use them because they need them, not because they want to waste water or are lazy,” Lancaster said. “Trays cater to the needs of larger people and people who exercise regularly and shouldn’t be stigmatized either way.”

Some students have noted that tables have become more dirty, as students now spill food from their plates onto the tables instead of onto trays and

often do not feel inclined to pick up after themselves.

“I think the concept of going trayless is a great idea, but I don’t think Valentine is designed to make it a reasonable expectation because everything is too far away from the central location,” said Jone Slocolbe, a cashier at the dining hall. “I’m all for green initiatives, but I think it’s going to result in a lot of dishes left behind for the people at Valentine to clean up.”

On the other hand, a number of students also believe that drawbacks created by going trayless are minimal considering the environment benefits.

“I think Val is doing a really good job to try to minimize those inconveniences,” Gary said. “If

people feel seriously inconvienenced by going trayless they should remember the benefits, and in the long run, having to leave your table once or twice during a meal to get more food is not the end of the world.”

On the trayless initiative, the college wrote in its statement that “moving to a trayless Valentine honors our commitment to environmental and fiscal sustainability, and that once fully executed will support an improved dining experience.” The statement did, however, recognize the change as an “adjustment from [the] status quo.”

“We cannot predict all of the potential positive or negative impacts that may affect diners and dining service staff,” it said.

Chapin Chapel Consecrated in Multi- 20 Students Faith Ceremony for First Time in History Attend WomContinued from Page 1 “This event was privately organized by multi-faith religious advisers who use our campus chapel,” the statement said. “They are not acting on behalf of the college. As we previously emphasized, we indeed care deeply about the concerns of students who may be worried about immigration issues, and that is why we are providing a wide range of resources to assist those individuals. At the same time, we have upheld the law and always will.”

In an email, President Biddy Martin said the college decided to issue a statement after an article in the Daily Hampshire Gazette “incorrectly described the designation of Chapin Chapel as an official College-designated sanctuary.”

On Nov. 20, after students held protests advocating to make Amherst a “sanctuary campus” for undocumented students, Martin issued a statement pledging her support to undocumented and DACA students and describing resources available for these students.

“We have long had policies and practices for that purpose, even as we respect existing legal restrictions on what we can do,” she said in the statement. “As is true of other institutions of higher learning, we do not share student records and other materials with immigration agencies. Nor does the college police department inquire about or record an individual’s immigration status, or participate with other law-enforcement agencies in any policing actions related to immigration.”

However, Martin did not declare Amherst a “sanctuary campus,” the term that some oth-

er college presidents have chosen to describe their schools. The terms “sanctuary campus” and “sanctuary city” have no legal definition, but they generally describe measures taken to protect undocumented residents. In an email to The Student on Jan. 24, Martin elaborated on the decision.

“Like many colleges and universities, we chose to take every measure that ‘sanctuary cities or campuses’ can lawfully and honestly take, but not to characterize the college as a sanctuary,” she said. “We made that choice because it can be misleading to suggest that the college could guarantee protection regardless of law or circumstance and also because we do not want to expose our students to greater risk with such a naming.”

Martin said that “virtually any effort to protect our undocumented students and students with DACA status would be consonant with our commitment,” but that religious life staff did not have the authority to officially name the chapel a sanctuary.

The ceremony of consecration lasted less than an hour on Thursday morning. It began with members of the Amherst College Gospel Choir singing “We Shall Overcome,” followed by an introduction from Sorrentino, who is the college’s Protestant adviser. The college’s Muslim, Catholic, Buddhist, Jewish and Hindu advisers each offered a prayer. The Gospel Choir members concluded by singing the hymn “Lord, Prepare Me to Be a Sanctuary.”

The ceremony made oblique references to the Trump presidency, but did not explicitly discuss undocumented students or Trump’s policies.

A consecration litany was distributed on

paper at the event and spoken aloud by religious staff and members of the audience.

“In accordance with the values and beliefs of our various traditions, which have in common a commitment to welcome strangers and protect the vulnerable, we consecrate this chapel,” the litany began. It also made reference to “those who fear violence may be perpetuated against them” and “those facing overwhelming anxiety in these uncertain times.”

Few students attended the event, which was held during interterm. “It was very meaningful that advisers from each faith had the chance to introduce and conclude the ceremony,” Isa Goldberg ’17 said.

On the morning of Jan. 24, in response to further inquiries from The Student about the event, Sorrentino asked a reporter not to print a story about the consecration. Chief Student Affairs Officer Suzanne Coffey also asked The Student not to print the article until she had a chance to address potential “inaccuracies.” In a later email, Coffey said her initial email had been “hurried.”

“I now withdraw my concern,” Coffey wrote, saying she had spoken with colleagues.

At press time, Coffey had not responded to further requests for clarification. Sorrentino also did not respond to repeated requests for clarification about his concerns.

Director of Media Communications Caroline Hanna said on the phone that it was not college policy to interfere with student media coverage.

The Student is an independent newspaper, and coverage is not under the jurisdiction of school officials.

en’s March Continued from Page 1

march should look like,” O’Brien said. “So, not limited to white women, and not limited to cisgender, straight women or high-income women … Historically, women’s marches have had that kind of association.”

O’Brien said that she and other WGC student staff members started thinking about creating the Reproductive Justice Alliance after Trump’s election victory last November.

“We wanted to be able to do things … not as paid employees of the college, so we could do more activist things and not be working within the constraints of the administration,” O’Brien said.

Although the club is not yet an official registered student organization, the organizers hope to use the trip to the Women’s March as a launching point. In the future, the club plans to hold reproductive rights awareness events and partner with local abortion clinics and Planned Parenthood.

The trip to the Women’s March was one of several student-organized events in response to Trump’s election, including a student walk-out on Nov. 16. The walk-out, which received outside media attention, urged the college to declare itself a “sanctuary campus” for students who are undocumented or part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA, a federal policy created in 2012, calls for deferred legal action for some undocumented people who came to the U.S. as young children.

Opinion How We Changed & How We Didn’t Editorial A little over a year ago, Mark Vanhoenacker ’96 gave a reading at Amherst Books from “Skyfaring: A Journey with a Pilot.” At the event, someone remarked on the ways in which Vanhoenacker’s writing reawakens his readers to the wonder of flight. He allows us to reoccupy the space of a child who boards a plane for the first time and watches, wide-eyed, as the landscape drifts away below. In our “grown-up” world, flight has become overly normalized (for a privileged segment of the population). It is easy to forget to look out the window and remark on just how small buildings look. It is difficult to remember or internalize just how quickly we are able to move from point A to point B. Upon pointed reflection, it can become disorienting to realize how far one has traveled in a day. That disorientation begs investigation.

However we traveled to return to Amherst, we all covered immense distance to arrive. “Distance” is not determined in miles, but in the mental space and dissonance between an old home and a new one. In our rush (or reluctance) to return to this place, it can be easy to forget about the scale of this mental distance that we travel every year. We sit in cars or on planes and think about what comes ahead in the semester, or ruminate on the people we left behind. Like on an airplane, we are stuck at the departure gate or the destination, often forgetting to look at what lies outside the window, in the space in between. Looking ahead or behind holds value, but the Editorial Board believes it is also important to reflect and live within the stretched feeling of leaving one place and entering another.

Once we arrive here, it sometimes feel easier just to live in our Amherst world. It is often hard to know when and how to introduce stories from our “outside” life, at least beyond the surface details. Only with our close friends might we delve into more detailed versions of our stories. However, even in more intimate exchanges, we are still

living and telling the story in an Amherst space, and quite possibly speaking as a person/persona distinct from the person/persona that might have experienced the story in the first place. All this is to say that we present ourselves in different ways across different spaces.

We tell stories about ourselves in different ways, depending on the person across from us. There is not anything particularly negative or positive about this claim, but it is important to acknowledge the fact of it in acknowledging our mix of personalities, we might see ourselves better. Especially in moments when telling old stories in new locations, we can and should observe ourselves — in doing so, we might see what changes and what stays the same. The content of a story will stay the same (there is no room for “alternative facts” in our personal lives), but perhaps the tenor of our voices will change. In identifying such small, but critical changes, we occupy this “stretchedness” of our being.

After a bit of healthy, self-conscious reflection, it is actually quite reassuring to see how much we change across spaces. It expands the potential of presentation. We can bring our bodies to each conversation slightly differently — it makes sense that we adjust ourselves to others.

It shows a willingness to participate in a conversation that is at least two-sided. In being different for different people, acknowledging their difference, we accept that their difference might actually change us in some way. And yet there is some sort of consistency to the fact that we change and perform across spaces. However different we might feel at Amherst, or in any other place, with any other people, there’s a conservation of personhood deep below. Taking the time to consider the newness of ourselves, and the newness of this semester, we can find comfort in the fact that we are building upon a pre-existing foundation of our deep souls.

Your Invitation to the Radical Left Siraj Ahmed Sindhu ’17 & Brian Z. Zayatz ’18 Contributing Writers Liberalism died in 2016, in his fourth century.

He was ill for quite some time, and after a series of tumultuous brushes with death over the last hundred years, he passed not quietly but spectacularly by climbing a tree and sawing off the very branch he was sitting on. Many have refused to accept his death, and his body is currently propped up on bumper stickers and mainstream news networks with sunglasses in some weird Weekend-At-Bernie’s-esque charade, preventing his proper entombment. He will be remembered for the way in which his valorization of moral neutrality made it seem like everything was fine. He will also be remembered for skillfully obscuring the fact that he relentlessly normalized labor exploitation, rationalized casual racism and apartheid and waged perpetual colonial war. He is survived by his son, white nationalism, who is poised to take up his father’s responsibilities as World Superpower and promises to make his late father’s principles even more explicit.

By liberalism, we mean the idea that progress is inevitably ever on the horizon, that society is collectively marching, through value-neutral parliamentary procedure, towards a more inclusive era — that our journey will be a tottering series of compromises and baby steps, requiring us to be patient while our trusty politicians work things out for us. It is an ideology built on capitalism, racism and cisheterosexism. It has, for many years, served the purpose of mediating the contradictions of our racist and class-divided Western society, which outwardly preaches equality and multiculturalism while simultaneously building its palaces on the backs of the exploited and oppressed workers the world over. By declaring it dead, we mean that the events of the past year have demonstrated that liberalism has finished serving this mediating purpose.

In the post-Reagan years of neoliberal capitalism and globalization, the left drowsed at the wheel, allowing the arena of mainstream political discourse to be shaped ever more by the right. In

that time, and especially in recent years, two of the founding pillars of liberalism — whiteness and capitalism — have erupted into crisis. The refugee crisis, several proxy wars for control of markets in Europe and Asia, and the American backlash over immigration have shown the fatal cracks in these pillars. In America, the Democratic Party, hardly aware of the crisis it faced, let us down over the last eight years, and specifically in 2016, with finality and spectacle.

Under Obama, a candidate who inspired hope like no other, the economy improved but inequality increased, police violence spiked, millions were deported and drones dropped bombs indiscriminately in the Middle East. When indigenous water protectors must face brutality and harsh plains winters in order not to have their source of water poisoned, we must face the fact that shouting from the center that “We see you, over there on the margins, and we’re getting to you eventually!” should never have been acceptable. As James Baldwin said, “You always told me [progress] takes time. It’s taken my father’s time, my mother’s time, my uncle’s time, my brothers’ and my sisters’ time ... How much time do you want for your ‘progress’?”

In 2016, the American Democratic Party again failed to live up to its own standards of progress. The party’s failure to represent the needs of working-class people of all races subverted its ability to maintain order, one of liberalism’s highest virtues. Ironically enough, this failure was a product of the party’s prior privileging of order over justice, non-violent protest over physical resistance and the capitalist status quo over anti-capitalist revolution. The 2016 election brought simmering white nationalism, which has long constituted the implicit order of the US, to a disorderly boil. It was the Democratic Party’s election to lose, and despite not actually losing it, they still lost it. The party’s chorus of “vote or things will get even worse,” recycled from the last few elections, proved uninspiring when it mattered most.

Banking on the unwavering support of everyone with a drop of non-white blood in their body, the Democrats stopped trying to offer anything substantive to black Americans and Latinx folks years

ago. White folks turned out for Trump in numbers that surprised even this white guy, a vote that essentially said, from socioeconomic castes high and low, “I’ll take some more of that white privilege, please.”

Racial capitalism has served those on top of society well, but the harm and oppression it heaps on the rest have never been clearer. For many in the mythical “white working class,” the racial capitalism peddled explicitly by the Republican Party has long been objectionable. The Democratic Party, increasingly dragged to the right by the Republican Party run amok, is similarly losing its credibility among Americans of conscience. We now know that a platform of gradual liberal progress cannot mobilize many progressive whites and large blocs of people of color. We also know that many white voters, faced with a choice between the liberal status quo and the affirmation that they are not and never will be racially inferior, will vote for the latter.

As long as we perpetuate the myth of the white working class as one with distinct interests from the working class of color (who are, for some reason, never discussed), the white supremacists will continue to win. The Democratic Party has not been brave enough either to address the Republicans’ Southern Strategy (of pandering to racists to distract from class issues), nor to provide a platform that unites the poor across race, gender, sexuality, ability and immigration status.

The bourgeoisie of America have bet large sums of their bountiful resources that white supremacy will keep us so divided that we will never get around to uniting against them.

Many liberals who believe in equality, multiculturalism, justice and order should feel disenchanted by the failures of liberalism to resolve the contradictions of the present political situation. It is increasingly inescapable that the fault lies not with the failure of the two major parties to apply liberal principles, but in those liberal principles themselves. Rethinking the principles of one’s political position is no small task, but if any set of circumstances calls for such a radical rethinking,

Continued on next page

THE AMHERST

STUDENT E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Jingwen Zhang Executive Advisor Lauren Tuiskula Sophie Murguia Managing News Shawna Chen, Isabel Tessier Managing Opinion Diane Lee, Spencer Quong Managing Arts and Living Julia Pretsfelder, Paola Garcia-Prieto Managing Sports Drew Kiley, Nathaniel Quigley, Julia Turner Managing Design Justin Barry S TA F F Head Publisher Tia Robinson Head Marketer Sophie Currin Design Editors Zavi Sheldon, Chloe Tausk, Yrenly Yuan

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The Amherst Student • January 25, 2016 Continued from previous page it is the one in which we find ourselves now. This is no time for unthinkingly recycling old slogans and tired mantras. It is no time for the knee-jerk disapproval of violent insurrection. Nothing is sacred. Now is the time for thinking without banisters.

In the circumstances of the present, we suggest that disenchanted, disillusioned and otherwise questioning liberals consider more radical politics that explicitly oppose capitalism, state coercion and racism. Such a politics interprets our society as inherently contradictory, built on the bourgeois patriarchy’s racially motivated exploitation of domestic and international laborers for their own benefit. This politics takes seriously the fact that the dominant ideologies of our time — such as cisheterosexism, racism and capitalism — are disseminated by those who wield political and

Opinion

financial power. This politics takes seriously the fact that these ideologies and those who spread them must be resisted accordingly, and not on the terms that they themselves set.

If we are to resist the regime of intensified white nationalism, we must resist on our terms.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once wrote, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” The point is not to demand freedom; it is to seize freedom through power. If we are to struggle against white nationalism, we can only do so by setting the terms and defining the aims of our struggle.

It is for this reason that we find it imperative to build a broad and non-sectarian coalition on the left. Political liberalism’s tenet of gradual progress emanating outward from a white male center of concern to the precarious lives at the margins is no longer tenable.

It is past time to denounce and oppose capi-

talist banks and corporations, to demilitarize and diminish the police apparatus, to establish that the purpose of the military is not to keep us safe but to protect corporate and government interests at the cost of the destruction of human life and to resist misogyny and transphobia, by education wherever possible and by force where needed. Our oppressors have gained power through law and the elective process, certainly, but law and elections can only be given legitimacy and authority when backed by threat of violent force. The oppressors, then, rule with shrouded force; we must be willing to respond in kind. Punching Nazis, as they say, is always okay. We must stand firmly and strategically against racism, sexism, imperialism, and state violence.

But what do we stand for? We must proactively ask ourselves what kind of society we wish to form. This calls for serious consideration of a politics left of liberalism. We stand in favor of

5

wealth redistribution, dissolving the institution of the police, communal ownership of the means of production, ecologically sustainable production and consumption and the rights of communities to self-determination. It is no accident that the liberal state has caused oppression and exploitation; these are results of its fundamental structure. As our bourgeois oppressors grow increasingly bold in their use of naked force, we must either recognize that the present moment calls for a broad coalition on the left inspired by anarchist and socialist principles or find ourselves under the thumb of a dystopian regime.

Liberalism is dead. In its wake, we have an opportunity to struggle for equality and power. It is imperative that we seize this opportunity. If we don’t start optimistically organizing on the egalitarian principles of anarchism and communism, then the authoritarianism sweeping the Western world will gladly take liberalism’s place.

Saturday Night Live: Keep Katie Rich Jake May ’18 Executive Staff Writer On Monday, The New York Times and others reported that Katie Rich, a staff writer at Saturday Night Live, had been suspended indefinitely by N.B.C. for sending out a tweet mocking President Donald Trump’s youngest son, Barron. The tweet read: “Barron will be this country’s first homeschooled shooter.” Rich has since deleted it. She also tweeted out an apology, which said: “I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet. I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I’m so sorry.”

The reactions to Rich’s tweet and her subsequent suspension have been wide-ranging. Many have decried the tweet, claiming that children are off-limits no matter how much the parents are disliked. Perhaps most notably, Chelsea Clinton posted on both Facebook and Twitter urging people to leave Barron out of any insults. “Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does – to

be a kid,” she wrote. Many have called for Rich to be permanently dismissed from the S.N.L. staff.

On the other hand, many comedians on Twitter have sided with Rich, leading to the hashtag “#keepkatierich.” While many of these supporters do not condone the tweet, they did not believe that Rich should be dismissed, and some believed that she shouldn’t even have been suspended.

Some believe that the punishment by N.B.C. was too severe; because the tweet was just meant to be a joke and because Rich sincerely apologized, she should not even have been suspended. Many pointed out the irony that Rich’s tweet was an insult of President Trump’s son, and she has been suspended, while Trump has himself has consistently insulted people publicly, and his ascension to the presidency was obviously not hindered by it. For example, actor and comedian Jonathan DeBona tweeted: “Katie Rich made an insensitive joke & apologized… suspended from SNL. Trump suggested shooting Hillary… is now POTUS #keepkatierich.”

I’ve been thinking about this situation a great deal since the story broke. I’m not surprised that there is a wide range of reactions, because I can relate to all of them. On the one hand, I certainly think that Rich’s tweet was in bad taste. There is no reason insult Barron Trump; he has really done nothing wrong. Frankly, I feel bad for him, considering he has an egotistical, sociopathic megalomaniac for a father. Furthermore, if a comedian is looking to make a joke, President Trump himself provides plenty of material. And I do agree with Chelsea Clinton and others when they assert that children really should be off limits.

On the other hand, I am not sure I agree with N.B.C.’s decision to suspend Rich, and I certainly would never support them firing her. Sure, the joke was insensitive, but as has been pointed out, she apologized and regretted sending the tweet.

Also, it was just a tweet. It did not actually hurt anyone. Katie Rich is a comedian, and just like many other comedians before her, she made a joke that some people thought was in bad taste.

This does not mean that she is a hateful or bad person. She simply made a mistake.

These next four years are going to be very tough. Many of us, myself included, are deeply troubled and scared about what a Trump presidency means for this country. One of the things that can help alleviate some of these feelings is comedy. Seeing S.N.L. lampoon Trump each week is comforting; logging on to Twitter or Facebook and seeing jokes and witty criticisms of the president is uplifting; watching Seth Meyers dismantle Trump’s policy decisions is therapeutic. Katie Rich made a mistake, but she made a mistake while trying to bring a little more comedy into the world than there was before. While this does not and should not excuse her of the criticism she received, to lose her job over a botched tweet, especially in this socio-political climate, seems like an unfair overreaction. I hope that N.B.C. does not succumb to the pressure from Rich’s detractors, and they instead choose to keep Katie Rich.

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Arts&Living

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The cast of “Sweeney Todd” began rehearsal during interterm. The show stars Ramona Celis ‘19 and Alina Burke ‘17 as Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett respectively.

Amherst Musical Presenting “Sweeney Todd” in the Powerhouse Paola Garcia-Prieto ’18 Managing Arts&Living Editor Days away from opening night, I sat down with the directors, the producer and the stage manager of this year’s Amherst Musical, Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” This musical thriller will be performed this weekend in the Powerhouse.

Producer Frank Tavares ’18, director A. Scott Parry, musical director Mark Swanson and stage manager Sophina Flores ’20 discussed the meaning of “Sweeney Todd” and the impact the revival of Amherst musicals has had on student life.

Q: This is the second musical produced since the tradition of the Amherst musical was revived. What effect have these musicals had on campus?

Tavares: Musicals are really unique projects in that they require so many different kinds of talents to come together to create a production.

And it’s also something that’s very accessible to anybody in the student body. Everyone can go out and enjoy a musical, even if they don’t understand the technicalities of the music or production. So not only do we have a lot of students involved on the production side and others on the performance and music sides, but we also have a lot of student engagement from those who come see the show.

Swanson: Attendance by a student at a masterpiece like Sweeney Todd in this educational setting can be akin to reading a great book, but your best friends are writing the book.

Your friends are performing it. Which is why I’m particularly glad we’re doing a piece like Sweeney Todd because it’s indisputably a great piece. Also, the students have once again been treated to a professional experience by working with a professional opera director and someone who’s so keenly committed to an experience that’s done in a professional matter but is particularly geared to educating the performers. I think the students have learned a lot from him in a fun way. Also I think the benefit of doing the musical over interterm is that the students have more time to dedicate to this show in a dedicated space like the Powerhouse, which is more conducive to a theatrical experience than our makeshift stage in the rink that we had last year. We got an upgrade, thanks to the support

of Paul Gallegos and the office of student affairs and getting funding from the president’s office as well as funding from the student government. So the community is supporting this, and hopefully we can return the favor to the community by giving them a work of art performed by students who are really stepping up and growing through this experience. Even from a place as dark as Sweeney Todd, you can learn valuable life lessons.

Q: How has the experience been different between “Into the Woods” and “Sweeney Todd”?

Parry: Well, I think the important thing for me is the sameness of it, the sameness of any event that engages people on an intellectual and emotional level, which is what the process of creating a musical theatre piece is, especially one of quality. This is arguably the greatest piece of lyric theatre in the canon. To have that available not only for the cast to sink their teeth into but to find active participation with each other in the process of creation and development is a quintessential experience of growth. I’ve mentioned the idea of circular rings of a tree going outward with “Into the Woods,” but it’s the idea that then expands to the audience who comes to experience the show with us. We share a combined moment together that bonds us as a group of people who often times are so disparate in our approaches. We can all grow together in that experience of this live event, which more and more in our technological environment this becomes ever more distant.

S: I think also in these divisive times, it’s nice to have a sort of benign coming together. It provides a common topic of discussion over the dinner table, discussing a work of art. Theatre is supposed to be cathartic, it’s supposed to reach you in a tender and vulnerable place. You’re supposed to come away moved. So while there may be a way to relate Sweeney Todd to current politics, it can bring a conversation separate from all that. We really need this right now, whenever there are times of difficulty people resort to the arts as a way of learning about their situation and coming to terms with it. There’s a social utility to theater. It’s not just entertainment.

Q: What will be students’ main take aways from Sweeney Todd?

P: The banner line, or moral of the story is, “to

seek revenge may lead to hell.” So the question is, how does one confront injustice? There’s a fine line between vengeance versus justice. And I think that’s what this production puts forward.

In a way, we are happy that Sweeney gets the revenge he does; there’s an emotional release because of that. However, is it correct that he takes the law into his own hands and kills people?

No. There’s a human instinct to want what we know we shouldn’t. This point is especially portrayed with the anachronistic setting where we have the Victorian times with their rigid class structure and its industrial machinery. As Sweeney mentions there are those who are up here and those who are down there. There’s a sense of that class struggle that was very overt during that time. By setting the ensemble as audience directed, speaking to you in modern clothing, we bring in the context of this modern experience as well. Is this same class structure still existing today? So the way this production was conceived what I’m trying to do is bring that element of the Victorian period into the modern context and find that current resonance that we might have. There are obvious applications in today’s social and political environment. Together we are experiencing someone else going through that process of division, it helps bind us together through that experience of having unity. So even by the sheer fact of attending this performance that’s showing at its core this divisiveness, we are creating togetherness.

S: I also think that the differences in social classes is a matter of emphasis in this show. You have to bring them out for people to really pay attention to them. Most people just think of this as a horror show, with a crazy guy killing people. Really, the justice system fails Sweeney in the worst possible way. I would also say that originally setting it in the Victorian era was a removing device. In the sense that you’re seeing issues from a distance, and that means it doesn’t apply to us. So you can learn the lessons without being personally indicted, which is why I really like this intermediate step with the modern ensemble acting as a sort of bridge that says, “These issues still apply today. Don’t feel so secure.” I think seeing this show as just blood and gore misses the main point, which is that this should be a direct challenge to you. It’s raising the issue that part of you is an animal, part of you is going to respond on these animalistic instincts.

P: Which is why I have you go into the audience and ask, “Isn’t that sweeney there beside you?”

We are asking the audience, look at the person next to you, and even yourself. Would you behave like Sweeney did? And that’s the horror of the story. The true horror is not the knife in someone’s throat. It’s “would I be capable of the same thing?”

T: And the Powerhouse itself also really helps with that because it’s a small and enclosed space where the audience is very much in the same space as the players. And of course the industrial vibe of the location works with the Victorian England setting. But I think the intimate locale where the audience is so close to the action that’s happening really helps bridge that connection as well.

Q: As a first-year, how has your experience been coming into this growing musical sphere?

Flores: It’s been really great to be here and see the people who have so much invested in the show and so much passion, because coming from high school everyone is like, “We’re doing a show, whatever,” but here’s there’s definitely the drive and everyone very much wants this to happen and people are willing to fight for the show and that’s really the best part about it, that people really care and say, “We’re going to make this happen, no matter what.”

T: I think it’s also interesting thinking about the difference in our choice of shows between this year and last year. I think “Into the Woods” was the perfect show for bringing back the musical because it’s a coming-of-age story that centers on community. You can think of Sweeney Todd as the maturation of our musical project at Amherst. It’s oddly fitting for this time, where we’re dealing with power being wielded unjustly.

That’s becoming a very real reality in our dayto-day lives. So how do we take these communities that we’ve forged and use them appropriately to combat the injustices that we find in the world? So in a way, these very different shows connect.

S: There’s a large aspect of Sweeney Todd where we don’t know what the real facts are all the time. When Mrs. Lovett sings “poor thing,” do we know if that’s what really happened? So it’s also in this “alternative facts” world.

For tickets, email amherstmusicaltix@gmail.com

Arts & Living 7

The Amherst Student • January 25, 2017

Foxygen’s Fourth Album “Hang” Promises Potential but Falls Short

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In Foxygen’s fourth album “Hang,” the band continues to expand the definition of the rock genre by combining a classic indie sound with orchestral music.

Hugh Ford ’20 Contributing Writer Last week, indie-rock band Foxygen released their fourth official album, “Hang.” The album follows their popular 2013 album, “We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic,” and their less well-received 2014 album, “…And Star Power.” “Hang” is the title of the last track on their previous album. However, the relationship between the previous album and the most recent release does not seem so literal, in terms of content.

The Foxygen duo, comprised of Californians Sam France and Jonathan Rado, is known for pushing the boundaries of rock while still managing to imitate the styles of older rock bands such as The Rolling Stones. “Hang” certainly lives up to this reputation. Many of the sounds in the new album are distinctive and unconventional.

Throughout the album, Foxygen brings in orches-

tral parts, leaving it up to debate as to whether it is a traditional “rock” album.

Regardless of the album’s genre, “Hang” is a strong showing for Foxygen, who seem to have taken a mellower approach on “Hang” than on their previous two projects. The sounds on “Hang” are enveloping rather than piercing. The cover art hints at this new mood — it is a blend of dark blues, greens and reds, rather than a distinct image. Similarly, the tracks in the album have no clear focus or idea, and each one is vastly different from the others. This doesn’t necessarily detract from the songs. The album itself only has 8 tracks, for a 33-minute runtime. This short tracklist leaves the listener wanting and expecting more from the record.

Nevertheless, the compositions themselves are, for the most part, beautiful. “Hang” opens with the compelling single “Follow the Leader,” which immediately shows off the orchestral component of the album. The song fuses Foxygen’s

Rolling Stones style with brass and strings sections. The lyrics do get a little repetitive, but the song is still enjoyable. The next song, “Avalon,” catches the listener off guard with quirky old Hollywood-musical sound. “Mrs. Adams” is a very fun and uplifting song, and quite possibly the best track on the album. The instrumental sections are incredible, and they perfectly blend orchestra with electric guitar. The fourth song, “America,” which was the first single from the album, is also quite an experimental trip.

The lyrics make very little sense and the tempo of the song varies quite frequently. However, the repeated use of the orchestra in the piece is fascinating. “On Lankershim” takes a step back from the experimental. Nevertheless, the song, which sounds very Californian, is definitely another standout on “Hang.”

“Upon a Hill” is a little bit of oddball on the album. It is extremely short and sounds like an unfinished piece of a song instead of a complete

track. The album returns to form on “Trauma,” an extremely dramatic ballad. It has a majestic sound to it, and perhaps it should have been the closing track. The actual final track, “Rise Up,” is a nice, melancholy song, but it doesn’t have a weight of finality to it.

Overall, Foxygen has produced another solid album, continuing to experiment with rock and pushing the borders of the genre. However, there are still issues with the album. There is little semblance of a coherent idea linking any of these songs. Perhaps that is because there is almost no lyricism. With most Foxygen songs, one doesn’t expect brilliant storytelling, but on “Hang” there is almost none at all. If someone asked me to describe the idea behind any of these songs, I would certainly struggle. Finally, the album feels way too short, and Foxygen could have comfortably added one or two more songs. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed listening to “Hang” and am excited to see what direction Foxygen takes in the future.

Kang’s “The Vegetarian” Offers a Cerebral Take On Autonomy

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Yeong-hye’s mental health bothers everyone in her immediate family except her.

Evan Paul ’18 Managing Arts and Living Editor Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault and mental illness. This book re-

view is also NOT spoiler free.

The only word that immediately comes to mind when I think about describing “The Vegetarian” is strange. At a mere 192 pages, it is not long, nor is it particularly difficult to read. Han

Kang’s cerebral work is nowhere near as difficult to read as the coursework in upper-level philosophy courses might be. Yet, at the same time, I wouldn’t describe “The Vegetarian” as a light read, either.

Han Kang’s novel is about a woman named Yeong-hye who decides to become a vegetarian after a series of horrible, graphic and disturbing dreams. Her family is utterly against this decision, and they do everything in their power to make her eat meat again. However, the story goes much deeper than that. The novel is truly about how Yeong-hye’s family believes they have control over her and how she proves them completely wrong, effectively taking her life into her own hands for the first time in her life.

Despite the outlandish things that Yeonghye does, especially towards the end of the novel, I found myself ultimately rooting for her as hard as I could. I wanted Yeong-hye to achieve her ultimate goal, which was — spoiler alert — becoming a tree. While everyone else in the novel believed Yeong-hye was crazy, I found the people so ardently trying to change her to be the crazy ones. In fact, I had no problems with Yeong-hye. Yes, she had obviously become unhinged, but when the reader looks more closely at the evidence, they can easily see why she changed so much.

I found the supporting characters to be this evidence. Yeong-hye’s husband, in so many words, states to the reader that his wife is the plainest, most boring woman he has ever met. I largely got the impression that he loved Yeonghye’s pliability and how he could do anything he wanted to her. How deplorable can you get?

On the opposite end of the spectrum rests Yeong-hye’s brother-in-law. He is completely in love with Yeong-hye, despite the fact that he is married to her sister. He is an artist by trade, so to express his love and get some work done, he concocts a plan to make an installation that involves painting Yeong-hye and another artist with flowers and having the two have sex. The plan does not fully work, or perhaps it does. In the end, Yeong-hye has sex with her brotherin-law, but before he can reach climax, she tells

him to stop. It seemed to me that Yeong-hye wanted the interaction at the beginning, but by the end, I was sure she did not want it. Yeonghye’s brother-in-law did everything in his power to convince her to have sex with him — it was his plan all along, which makes him just as vile as Yeong-hye’s husband.

Landing directly in the middle is Yeonghye’s sister, In-hye. In-hye deeply cares for her sister and always wants what she thinks is best for her. But just like the other characters, she does not consider what Yeong-hye wants for herself. While the other characters are clearly the bad guys in the novel, In-hye’s position is far more complicated. Even though In-hye’s wishes go directly against her sister’s, readers get a sense that they come from a place of concern and love, not from a power-seeking or lustful place, as the other characters’ desires do. It is certainly heart-wrenching to read about In-hye’s struggling to come to terms with her sister’s desire to become a tree. In-hye does not understand why Yeong-hye spends most of her time in a handstand, or why she eventually refuses to eat anything at all, vegetable or meat.

Even though the aforementioned characters are, for the most part, deplorable, I found myself wishing that they would get through to Yeong-hye and stop her from slowly but surely killing herself. Yeong-hye’s desire to become a tree is ridiculous. No amount of handstands or starving herself can change the fact that she is a human, not a tree. And yet, I think the reader’s disbelief at her ability is exactly the problem. No one has ever allowed Yeong-hye to be the primary operator of her life. She has never been allowed the agency she deserves. The entire point of the novel then must be to show what happens when someone is never allowed to rule their own life: eventually, they will find a way to do so, even if that means dying.

Overall, Han Kang’s “The Vegetarian” is a cerebral novel that makes its readers think far more than one would expect in less than 200 pages. By the end of the novel, the reader may not be sure whose side they’re on, but they will be sure of Yeong-hye’s determination to live her best life, even if that life is foreign to them.

Arts & Living 8

The Amherst Student • January 25, 2017

‘Fences’: The Proper Way to Adapt a Pulitzer Prize Winning Play

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Photo courtesy of post-gazette.com

Washington’s film maintained many of the oringal settings in Wilson’s play.

Brandon Medina ’19 Staff Writer Until now, the works of legendary playwright August Wilson have not been adapted to film, which is quite surprising given their enormous popularity. “Fences,” Wilson’s most commercially successful play, finally came to the big screen this winter. After starring alongside Viola Davis in a 2010 Broadway revival of the play, which had originally been produced in 1983, Denzel Washington directed and starred in the 2016 film adaptation while Davis also reprised her lead role.

It chronicles the lives of a working-class garbageman, Troy Maxson (Washington), and members of his family in 1950s Pittsburgh. Troy is a former Negro League baseball player who now lives a menial, though respectable, life. He provides for his family, including his wife Rose (Davis), his warveteran brother Gabriel (Mykelti Williamson), and his son and aspiring football player Cory (Jovan Adepo).

Like the stage play on which it is based, most of the film takes place in the backyard of the Maxson household. Play-to-film adaptations often receive criticism for feeling too constrained to one or two

locations, but the small setting does this film a service. August Wilson’s script, which goes from naturalistic to extremely passionate, is so strong that the actors have the best material they could possibly work with to fill up the small space with powerful performances. Indeed, most of the film relies on simply pointing the camera at the actors and letting them act, which does not offer much in the way of cinematic excitement but successfully shows this ensemble’s talent.

Troy Maxson is a classic role for Denzel Washington in the sense that the character is commanding, forthright, and charismatic, but he is also more complex than Washington’s typical roles. Underneath the easy wit and commanding presence, Washington has to portray a bitterness and vulnerability built up over years of dwelling on broken dreams. Washington commands the screen during his nostalgic monologues and sells Troy’s bitterness through his many glaring looks. It is a performance anyone familiar with Washington has come to expect from him, but it suffers from feeling overly studied. With a few exceptions towards the end of the film, Troy does not seem so much like a natural and free-flowing performance, since Denzel Washington perfectly times each emotional beat so that you can practically see the skeleton of each of his moves before they happen.

Davis’ role as Rose is the film’s standout performance. Although her character alternates between being objectified and victimized by the script, Davis brings Rose a three-dimensionality that Washington only occasionally accomplishes with Troy.

She has a deadpan quality to her performance while maintaining genuine chemistry with Washington. She also shows a tenderness toward Cory, clearly indicating that what Troy lacks in affection

for his children, Rose makes up. Moreover, her anger seems more natural and organic, grounding the film in its universal themes of struggle and heartbreak.

Denzel Washington’s direction mainly adheres to intense close-ups, a constantly small mise-enscene and periodic time lapses. Someone unfamiliar to the stage play would still easily be able to tell its original medium. The film even inserts blackouts to signify particularly large time gaps, as would happen on stage. This is not necessarily to the film’s detriment, as the passion in the film’s script and subject matter are enough to captivate the audience. Once the family begins to experience tidal waves of tragedy, the passion in the performances fills the screen to a claustrophobic capacity.

Through this story, the audience gets a glimpse into lives that they might not ordinarily humanize: those of working-class black people. The film presents this family as one that is subject to the same trials and tribulations that ordinary families face, but accentuated by white society’s structures of oppression. For black audiences, this film serves as a way to raise social consciousness and reconcile the experiences of the past to those of the present.

Reviewing this film feels almost identical to reviewing the play, as Washington changes very little about the material’s presentation. Only a handful of scenes away from the Maxson household remind the audience that they are watching a major motion picture. The result does not make for a very cinematic presentation, but it does make for a passionate and sharply written piece of art. The best thing about this film is that it exposes August Wilson to a broader audience, brought justice by a talented ensemble given ample room to act their hearts out.

“Sherlock” Season 4: The Detective Who Barely Does Any Detecting

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Unfortunately, Season 4 of “Sherlock” fails to recreate the same charm it began with in its first season, leaving fans fearful for the show’s future.

Mark Simonitis ’19 Staff Writer When it comes to adaptations, staying true to the source material is very difficult.

Fortunately, “Sherlock” has always been good at navigating that particular problem, successfully translating Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories and characters in a modern way while adding its own particular twists.

However, with Season 4, “Sherlock” seems to have fallen into the problem of spending so much time expanding the show that it leaves behind what made it so entertaining in the first place. Throughout the entirety of the fourth season, Sherlock Holmes never tackles a true mystery and the show is weaker for it. While Season 4 isn’t bad in itself, it’s certainly the show’s poorest season so far.

Season 4 opens with “The Six Thatchers,” taking place right where Season 3 and the Christmas Special ended, with Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) murdering Charles Magnussen in cold blood and being sent on a suicide mission overseas, only to be recalled back to England upon the appearance of the supposedly resurrected Moriarty (Andrew Scott). Right off the bat, the show gives one of the most frustrating moments

of the season as it completely overrides the excellent finale in Season 3 and decides that Sherlock should face no consequences for his actions. Instead, Sherlock and Watson (Martin Freeman) are free to jump right back into the detective business. However, Sherlock solves the case of the week in about five minutes, and the show decides to focus on a plot revolving around Mary Watson’s (Amanda Abbington) past as a secret agent. Instead of feeling like a detective show, “Sherlock” begins to feel like a bad spy show as Sherlock spends his time listening to stories rather than investigating leads or making deductions. The one positive aspect of the episode is that it signals a return to focusing on the relationship between Watson and Sherlock, something that had been lacking for the past few episodes.

While certainly a step up from the previous episode, “The Lying Detective” still fails to meet up to “Sherlock”’s standards. The plot is definitely the weakest link here as it has Sherlock’s perception and thoughts being brought into question, and the audience’s by extension, which does not make sense considering the characters and the story.

Additionally, the audience can only tolerate? So much of the crazy and surreal cam-

era work that the show is so fond of using during Sherlock’s drug trips, which takes up way more time than it deserves. Still, there are some positives here. The high point of this episode, and one of the high points of the season, is Toby Jones’ delightfully sinister portrayal of Culverton Smith, a philanthropic entrepreneur that Sherlock suspects is a serial killer. He seems almost shark-like throughout, particularly when he innocently asks Sherlock how to find a serial killer while they are sitting in a room full of children.

Additionally, the ending of the episode involves a reveal that clarifies a few inconsistencies from “The Six Thatchers” and brings forth an intriguing new antagonist for Sherlock to face off against in the next episode.

That antagonist certainly does not disappoint in the season finale, “The Final Chapter,” which is definitely the season’s best episode. In fact, I’d say that the antagonist is a little too competent, with the ability to reprogram people into obedient servants just by talking to them. Eventually, the antagonist manages to trap Sherlock, Watson and Mycroft Holmes (Mark Gatiss) and forces them to complete various intellectual, emotional and moral trials in order to save a little girl trapped on a crashing airplane. While the

episode is certainly entertaining, it makes little sense and often finds itself bogged down in melodrama, something Sherlock himself would probably balk at. Still, the episode contains perhaps the finest moment of the season when it decides to highlight just how important the friendship between Sherlock and Watson is. Their relationship practically defines the show, and “The Final Problem” resolves themes and arcs that the show has been setting up since the very first episode. It’s incredibly fitting, considering that the interplay between Cumberbatch and Freeman continues to be the show’s greatest strength To put it mildly, no one knows what is going to happen with “Sherlock.” As Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman continue their ever growing Hollywood careers, there seem to be less and less opportunities for the two of them to meet up with the “Sherlock” crew to actually make another season of this.

By the end of Season 4, it becomes clear that the showrunners are perfectly aware of this, finishing on a scene celebrating the eternal adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. If this is truly Cumberbatch and Freeman’s final outing, it’s a shame it couldn’t have been a better one.

The Amherst Student • January 25, 2017

Sports 9

Men’s Squash Stands at 4-5 Nate Quigley ’19 Managing Sports Editor After playing only once in December, the Amherst men’s squash team’s schedule ramped up over interterm, with the purple and white taking on eight opponents in a span of less than two weeks. Having experienced both the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, Amherst now owns a disappointing record of 4-5 overall after going only 3-5 over their busy holiday period.

In the team’s first match since its 9-0 rout of Brandeis in the first week of December, the purple and white fell victim to a 9-0 sweep by NESCAC rival Middlebury on Jan. 11.

With seven of nine matches lasting just three sets, only senior captains Michael Groot and Darian Ehsani managed to push their Panther opponents further than the minimum three sets. Groot ended up losing in four sets, while Ehsani lost in a five-set heartbreaker.

However, the next two matches saw Amherst return to their dominating ways, posting wins of 9-0 and 8-1 over Northeastern and Stanford respectively.

Against Northeastern, not a single member of the purple and white lost a set, with only two Huskies even managing to attain four points in any set.

Last Friday’s opening match of the Pioneer Valley Invitational against Stanford proved a stiffer test for Amherst, with three matches requiring a fourth set. Yet, the only purple and white competitor to fall victim to the Cardinal was Chris Zimmerman ’20, who put up an admirable effort in a 5-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9 defeat.

Amherst failed to carry the momentum from the Stanford win over into afternoon action, though, losing 7-2 to New England rival Brown. Again, the action on the courts was far closer than the overall score would

suggest, with at least six of the nine matches coming down to a few points here and there.

However, the Bears managed to find a way to pull out wins on every court except for the third and fourth courts, where David Merkel ’19 and Cameron Bahadori ’18 managed to notch wins.

The closest the purple and white came to stealing another match was on court two where sophomore Harith Khawaja lost in a tightly contested five-set affair by a margin of 11-7, 7-11, 11-4, 10-12, 11-5.

The purple and white bounced back from the tight loss and achieved their last victory of the break early last Saturday morning, trouncing Hamilton 8-1 and picking up their first conference win of the season in the process.

Although Hamilton did put up a fight across the board, the purple and white’s resilience prevailed and only Groot, playing on the first court, tallied a loss.

Amherst’s exhilaration from the win would prove short-lived, though, as the team was completely outclassed on Saturday afternoon against 13th ranked Franklin and Marshall, losing by a score of 9-0 and managing to not take even a single set. The purple and white’s woes continued into Sunday, as the team lost to a pair of NESCAC challengers, Bates and Colby, by scores of 8-1 and 5-4 respectively.

Against Bates, Ehsani continued his strong play this season, notching the lone Amherst victory on court five. The Colby match, the purple and white’s closest of the year so far, came down to the wire, with the Bobcats’ Will McBrian managing to eke out a five set victory on court one over Groot to clinch the upset win.

Amherst looks to end this recent threegame skid and return to winning ways when the team hosts this year’s edition of the Little Three Championships on Saturday, Jan. 28, taking on Wesleyan at 10 a.m. and then Williams at 4 p.m.

No. 8 Women’s Swim and Dive Finishes Break With 2-1 Record

Women’s Track & Field Secures Second Place at Benyon Invite Julia Turner ’19 Managing Sports Editor The Amherst women’s track and field team enjoyed a successful interterm, kicking off their season with two major meets.

Although the team finished third in the Little Three Championship meet behind NESCAC rivals Williams and Wesleyan, the purple and white saw numerous promising individual performances. Wesleyan hosted the meet on Jan. 14, where Amherst tallied 72 points to Wesleyan’s 94 and Williams’ 169.

Junior Leonie Rauls and senior Kiana Herold each took top spots in individual events, with Rauls winning the 1000-meter run in 3:08.17 and Herold securing a victory in the high jump event with a 1.69-meter performance. Christina Scartelli ’19 finished behind Rauls in the 1000-meter race and first-year Kaitlyn Siegel ’20 placed fifth in the high jump with a 1.57-meter jump.

The purple and white took fourth and fifth place in the 60-meter dash, with Isabel Park ’20 and Emily Flaherty ’19 crossing the finish line back-to-back in 8.80 and 8.85 seconds, respectively. Competing in the 200-meter dash for the first time for Amherst, soccer standout and track newcomer Rubii Tamen ’19 sprinted to a fifth place finish in 27.58 while teammate Anna Buford ’20 finished sixth in 29.14.

The purple and white impressed in the middistance contests, with Savanna Gornisiewicz ’17 capturing a second place spot in the 3000-meter run with a mark of 10:27.89, and third and fifth place finishes in the one-mile run as Kristin Ratliff ’20 and Lela Walter ’19 recorded times of 5:31.75 and 5:36.10 respectively.

Competing in the 400-meter dash — twice around the indoor track — Julia Asin ’19 finished fourth with a mark of 1:02.03, while also having a hand in the team’s third place finish in the 4x400meter relay with Tamen, Katherine Hom ’19 and Danielle Griffin ’18.

Men’s Basketball Struggles on the Road with 4-3 Interterm Mark

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

The Amherst women sandwiched a trip to Puerto Rico with two wins.

Katie Bergamesca ’18 Staff Writer Over the past month, the Amherst women’s swim and dive team competed in three meets.

The eighth ranked women won two of the three meets, beating both Union and Connecticut College, falling only to archrival Williams.

Amherst opened interterm competition with a dual home meet against Union. In the 162-72 victory, first-year Natalie Rumpelt and sophomore Jackie Palermo led the team with two individual victories. Rumpelt swam to first place finishes in the 50-yard freestyle (24.52) and the 100-yard freestyle (52.99). Palermo helped secure Amherst’s win with first-place performances in the one-meter and three-meter diving events.

Rumpelt, along with Katie Smith ’19, Destin Groff ’17 and Zoe Pappas ’19, also broke an 11-year old Pratt Pool record in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

The purple and white then traveled to Williamstown, Massachusetts to take on perennial swimming powerhouse Williams. Despite the 208.5-89.5 loss, the Amherst women did notch one victory in the 400-yard freestyle medley.

Dorit Song ’19, Ingrid Shu ’20, Geralyn Lam ’18 and Rumpelt placed first with a time of 3:32.49.

Individually, Rumpelt and Lam both put forth impressive efforts in the loss. Lam placed third in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly with re-

spective times of 57.77 and 2:08.71. Rumpelt also earned points with two second place finishes in the 100-yard freestyle (53.47) and 200-yard freestyle (1:53.74).

Lastly, this past weekend, the Amherst women hosted NESCAC rival Conn. College. The purple and white defeated the 14th-ranked Camels 163125. Rumpelt continued to perform impressively, collecting two individual victories in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle with times of 52.51 and 1:53.17 respectively. Rumpelt was also part of the record-breaking team 200-yard freestyle relay team along with Stephanie Moriarty ’18, Pappas and Shu. The relay team broke the Pratt Pool record by more than two seconds, with a time of 1:36.62. Once again, Palermo earned first place finishes in the one-meter and three-meter diving events. Sophomore Bridgitte Kwong also claimed two individual victories in the 200-yard backstroke (2:05.36) and the 200-yard IM (2:09.75).

In addition to her record-breaking performance on the 200-yard freestyle relay, Shu tacked on first-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle (24.15) and second-place finish in 200-yard breaststroke (2:23.62).

The purple and white return to action and look to continue their momentum on Saturday, Jan. 28 when they will take on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

In both the 600-meter run and the 800-meter events, the purple and white claimed fourth and fifth place finishes as Molly Carleton ’19 and Jenny Mazzella ’20 competed in the 600-meter run with times of 1:47.15 and 1:48.18, and first-years Sylvia Frank and Annie Pascucci competed in the 800-meter run.

After a sub-par team performance at the Little Three meet, the women impressed the next weekend, Jan. 21, by taking second place overall at the 11-team Benyon Invitational. The purple and white’s five individual wins helped earn them 127 points to finish just behind Assumption College and beat out the Cardinals of Wesleyan by just 3.5 points.

The 4x200 relay team of Herold, Hom, Asin and Tamen set the tone for the purple and white, securing a second place finish in the race with a time of 1:51.02. Amherst continued to impress in the mid-distance events: Gornisiewicz finished first in the one-mile run with a mark of 5:12.63, while Kristin Ratliff ’20 placed fifth with a time of 5:24.28, and Tess Frenzel ’17 legged out a fourth place finish in the 3000-meter race with a mark of 10:43.05. Rauls and Walter earned third and fourth in the 1,000 meter race with times of 3:08.44 and 3:10.06, respectively.

Danielle Griffin ’18 sprinted to another individual victory for Amherst in the 500-meter run with a time of 1:23.75. In the 4x400-meter relay race, Griffin, Mazzella, Scartelli and Frank finished third with a time of 4:24.60. Rounding out the relays for the purple and white, Walter, Gornisiewicz, Ratliff and Cat Lowdon ’17 secured a first-place finish in the 4x800-meter race.

In the field events, junior Abbey Asare-Bediako secured first in the triple jump with a winning jump of 11.03 meters, and Herold dominated the high jump once again with a leap of 1.67 meters, earning her first-place.

The women will compete again this Saturday, Jan. 28 against NESCAC competition at the Tufts Invitational tournament.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Jayde Dawson ’18 is leading Amherst with 18 points per game this season.

Delancey King ’18 Staff Writer It has been a trying month for the Amherst men’s basketball team. Heading into interterm as the number one team in the nation, the purple and white fell to No. 16 after multiple unexpected losses. The slump began with a crushing 71-70 loss to Springfield College, only a week after Amherst’s huge double overtime win against Babson College.

After a commanding 119-69 win over Keystone College, the loss to Springfield seemed like a one-off performance. However, the purple and white proved unable to create any sort of momentum, and they suffered yet another defeat the following week at the hands of Eastern Connecticut State University.

Consecutive losses to NESCAC rivals Wes-

leyan and Connecticut College sunk Amherst’s overall record to 10-4-0, with the undeniably disappointing run marring the team’s early success. Yet, the purple and white were determined to work through the rut in which they found themselves.

“Obviously, going 0-2 on a weekend is not what we want, but the losses forced us to address issues that needed to be fixed on both sides of the ball,” Michael Riopel ’18 said.

“We’re feeling more confident.”

Amherst finally found redemption this past weekend, coming away with two huge conference wins against Bowdoin and Colby.

Friday’s game was a testament to the purple and white’s resiliency, as the Polar Bears held onto their lead until the final seconds of the game. However, a buzzer-beating three from Johnny McCarthy ’18 propelled Amherst to a 66-64 victory and ended the team’s recent slump.

Senior captain David George recorded two blocked shots in Friday’s winning effort and, with the pair, became the program’s all-time blocked shots leader. With a remarkable tally of 234 over his collegiate career, George dethroned Pat Fitzsimons ’03.

The purple and white looked confident throughout Saturday’s matchup against the Mules, as four different starters put up double figures to establish a comfortable lead. McCarthy led the way with 19 points, while a strong performance by Jacob Nabatoff ’17 at the free-throw line allowed him to contribute 14 points to the cause.

Amherst returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 25 when the team will take on Little Three rival Williams at 7 p.m. in LeFrak Gymnasium.

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • January 25, 2017

Men’s Cross Country Program on Probation Through 2018 Season Julia Turner ’19 Managing Sports Editor Following the investigation of the Amherst men’s cross country team that began in early Dec. 2016, the team has been placed on “athletics probation” for four semesters, until the fall of 2018.

On Dec. 11, the student-run commentary publication, The Indicator, reported on emails that were exchanged between members of the Amherst men’s cross country team containing material that was derogatory to people of color, women, and many other groups.

The email chain was maintained as an “introduction to the team” for new members and incoming students. The Indicator highlighted a specific email, sent by a team member in June 2015, depicting the “Friends of Amherst (XC),” a series of eight women whose supposed sexual histories and preferences were described.

Aditionally, members of the team encouraged incoming first-years to engage in similarly offensive behavior. Throughout the several years that the emails were exchanged, there were few objections from team members, and any disagreement was “handled” internally.

Shortly after The Indicator released its statement, President Biddy Martin sent an email to the Amherst community condemning the actions of the men’s cross country team, telling students, staff, faculty and parents that the college was taking the necessary steps to investigate the incident and discipline accordingly.

Nearly a month later, the college released a statement that details the extent of the rami-

fications, “taking into account the differences in the nature and extent of involvement by various team members.” Don Faulstick, director of athletics, worked with both the Amherst administration and external investigators to define consequences that “uphold the College’s values and standards of conduct.”

Beyond the suspension of the cross-country team, every individual involved is required to undergo what Faulstick calls an “educational process” before returning to the team.

Individuals that investigators determined were more deeply involved in the incident received suspension from competition for a specified period of time. The suspensions range from several competitions to the duration of the athletes’ time at Amherst. Because nearly every cross-country athlete participates in the indoor track and field winter season, Faulstick and Amherst leadership also indicated that a baseline punishment of suspension through the end of January for cross-country athletes running track was appropriate.

The only exceptions to these disciplinary measures are athletes who entered the crosscountry program in Fall 2016 or Spring 2017.

These first-year athletes, although still unable to participate in cross-country at Amherst until Fall 2019, have been allowed to participate in indoor competition and have been a huge asset to the men’s indoor track and field program so far this season.

The first of the suspended men’s cross country runners are slated to return to indoor track and field competition this weekend, where they will compete alongside team members at the Springfield College meet on Saturday Jan. 28.

Women’s Basketball Continues to Roll, Stays Undefeated with 18-Game Streak Talia Land ’20 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s basketball team had a perfect six-week stretch over interterm. The team showed off their dominating offense, beating all of their opponents by at least 15 points, and bringing the team’s record to an impressive 17-0.

The women played their last official game of the first semester on Dec. 13, capping off the first half of the season with a strong win against Bridgewater State. Ali Doswell ’17 led the team with a game-high of 16 points. It was a great overall team effort, with 30 of the team’s points coming from bench players. The final score was 71-45.

The team took a short break for finals and then continued game play in California on Dec. 28. Chapman University was the first team to host the purple and white on their cross-country trip. Emma McCarthy ’19 netted a career high 19 points in the non-league game, helping Amherst score 58 points in the paint to Chapman’s 16. The purple and white went on to win that game by a score of 79-62. While in California the team also played SUNY Oneonta, scoring 39 points off of turnovers and coasting to a 97-31 win.

Back in Amherst, the team played their first league game against rival Williams on Jan. 6. With four starters scoring in double digits, the team easily took care of the Ephs, claiming a 76-44 win. The purple and white went on to play Albright College at home later that week, Jan. 9. With the help of a 12 point effort from Madeline Eck ’20 and 39 points off the bench, Amherst clinched another win, improving their record to 12-0.

Amherst’s closest game of the ten-game stretch came at the hands of Farmingdale State on Jan. 10. The team’s shots weren’t falling, tallying an uncharacteristic 19 of 65 total field

goals. The purple and white took advantage of this opportunity to show off their dominant defense, holding their opponents to eight points in the first half and going on to win 49-33.

Amherst faced league opponents Wesleyan and Connecticut College at home on Jan. 13 and 14, respectively. Both games looked easy for the purple and white, who posted a 71-33 win over Wesleyan and a 69-35 win over Conn.

College.

This past weekend the team traveled to Maine to face Bowdoin and Colby. At Bowdoin on Friday, Jan. 20, Amherst shot a solid 49.1% from the floor, and came away with a 66-45 win. At Colby, first-year Madeline Eck scored a team high 13 points and the purple and took the matchup easily, 69-43.

The team is currently ranked second in the country and looking to finish out their regular season on a high note. The women will take the court again on 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 25 on the road at NESCAC rival Williams.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Ali Doswell ’17 leads Amherst in points per game, averaging 14.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

John Festa ’19 Favorite Team memory: Getting to skate with Vincent Lecavelier Favorite Pro Athlete: Terry O’Reilly Dream Job: Professional hockey player Pet Peeve: Volkswagon beetles Favorite Vacation Spot: Waterbury, CT Something on Your Bucket List: Learning how to putt Guilty Pleasure: Trace Adkins songs Favorite Food: A fresh, delicious, meaty, turkey-filled cold cut combo Favorite thing about Amherst: My dream has always been to play college hockey. I’m extremely proud to be able to say that I accomplished that goal while getting to play with a great group of guys.

How He Earned It: Festa has played an integral role in the purple and white’s recent dominance, tallying his first three goals of the year in Amherst’s 10-1 dismantling of Assumption. The goals marked Festa’s first collegiate hat trick.

Additionally, the tallies helped to bring Festa’s plus-minus on the season to a plus-seven, placing him among the team leaders in the category.

Kiana Herold ’17 Favorite Team memory: After a super hot meet at Wesleyan, almost everyone had finished their events and high jump was left. The whole team sat by the high jump watching and cheering me on to a PR, and I felt like the team carried me there.

Favorite Pro Athlete: Alison Felix Dream Job: Travel writer or goat yoga instructor Pet Peeve: When people throw recyclables in the trash Favorite Vacation Spot: Austria Something on Your Bucket List: Hike the John Muir Trail Guilty Pleasure: Drinking excessive amounts of tea Favorite Food: Sushi Favorite thing about Amherst: The cage How She Earned It: Herold has posted victories in the women’s high jump in both the Little III Championships and the Pioneer Invitational. Herold’s 1.69 meter jump not only outdid the entire women’s field, but would have been good enough for second place at the men’s Little III Championships as well.

Men’s Swimming and Diving Downs Union and Conn. College, Falls to Rival Williams Jenny Mazzella ’18 Staff Writer While the rest of campus was on break, the Amherst men’s swimming and diving team was busy training and competing. Over interterm, the team competed in three meets and traveled to Puerto Rico for a week-long training trip.

Amherst’s fourth dual meet of the 20162017 season took place on Dec. 31, against Union College. Amherst defeated Union, 15783, continuing the team’s undefeated start to the season. The team was propelled to victory by claiming nine first place finishes and the top-three finishes in three events.

In the 200-yard medley relay, the team of Craig Smith ’20, Jack Koravos ’20, Josh Chen ’19 and Alex Dreisbach ’17 took first with a time of 1:36.03. Eric Wong ’20 won the 1000yard freestyle in 9:51.26, while classmate Brandon Wang took the 500-yard freestyle in 4:58.61.

John Brody ’17 finished first in the 200yard freestyle with a mark of 1:46.72, Sean Mebust ’20 won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.88 and Sam Spurrell ’18 took the 200-yard butterfly in 1:56.83.

In the 50-yard freestyle, Dreisbach took first (21.60), closely followed by Noah Aube ’20 (22.48) and Smith (22.63), who placed second and third in the event.

In the 200-yard backstroke, Smith finished first with a mark of 1:55.7, while teammate Charlie Seltzer ’19 was second in 1:59.75 and Jack Fergus ’20 was third in 2:01.65. To finish off the meet, Koravos, Wong, Chen and Dreisbach placed first in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:26.53, narrowly missing the Pratt Pool record of 1:26.06.

On Jan. 7, Amherst traveled to Williamstown to face off against Williams. Unfortunately, Amherst suffered its first loss of the season, with the Ephs winning the dual

meet, 139-102. While the team did not win, Amherst put forth a strong effort, with many individuals contributing strong performances across the board. Koravos won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 21.28, closely trailed

by Dreisbach (21.38).

Wong took first place in the 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 4:43.02. He also tallied a strong second place finish in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:43.57. In one-meter diving, newcomer Bobby Shogren ’19 won with a final score of 246.68. The team’s final victory of the meet came from the team of Koravos, Wong, Dreisbach and Seltzer, who won the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:07.48.

After this meet, the team voyaged to Puerto Rico for a week of training. The purple and white returned to competition on Jan. 21, facing off against Connecticut College and pulling out a 165-123 win.

The quartet of Smith, Koravos, Dreisbach and Elijah Spiro ’18 got Amherst off to a strong start by winning the 200-yard medley relay in a Pratt Pool record time of 1:33.08.

Koravos also won the 50-yard freestyle in 21.10 and the 100-yard butterfly in 50.67 while Smith took first in both the 100-yard backstroke (52.10) and the 200-yard backstroke (1:54.13).

Wong claimed first place honors in the 200-yard and the 500-yard freestyle with times of 52.10 and 4:39.41. Chen won the 100yard breaststroke in 57.59, and Mebust won the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:07.10.

Amherst also swept both diving events.

In the one-meter diving, Shogren won with a score of 180.90 while Jake Meyer ’18 placed second, scoring 174.15. In three-meter diving, Meyer’s score of 178.20 was enough for first place, while Shogren took second with a final score of 161.77.

Up next, Amherst will travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts on Saturday, Jan. 28, to take on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The Amherst Student • January 25, 2017

Sports

11

Men’s Ice Hockey Posts Impressive Men’s Track and Field Finishes Second at Seven-Game Win Streak Over Break Both Little III and Pioneer Invitationals Mary Grace Cronin ’18 Staff Writer This January, the Amherst men’s ice hockey team caught fire, posting seven impressive wins over both conference and non-conference rivals. Following a rare stretch of losses to NESCAC opponents before the break, the purple and white went on a revenge tour that saw 33 goals for and just 10 goals against.

The team ushered in the new year by defeating New England College 3-1 on Jan. 2 after junior Thomas Lindstrom posted a pair of goals.

That Friday, Jan. 6, the purple and white bombarded Bowdoin’s goaltender and tallied seven goals from six different shooters in a comefrom-behind 7-3 victory.

Amherst continued their NESCAC play the next day with a close game against Colby College. David White ’18 opened up scoring for Amherst in the first period, while Patrick Daly ’20 and Will Vosejpka ’18 put the game away in the third period of play for a 3-2 win.

With a week off to rest and recuperate, the purple and white were prepared to dominate Tufts, besting the Jumbos 4-1. Chris Roll ’17 claimed the first lead of the game on a power play, before White widened the lead in the second from a Daley assist. In spite of a third period goal from the Jumbos, late goals from Vosejpka and an unassisted effort from firstyear Joey Lupo sealed another Amherst victory.

In another back-to-back weekend, Amherst posted an identical win against Connecticut College, 4-1. This time, first-year Greg Krisberg added his name to the list of scorers that once again included Lindstrom, White and Vosejpka.

Most recently, the Amherst purple and white’s winning streak was tested against Hamilton on Friday, Jan. 20. In a defensive battle, Amherst edged the Continentals 2-1 in a thrilling overtime triumph. Hamilton netted the first

and only goal of the first period as the clock was winding down, but Amherst would respond after the break from a tipped shot by first-year P.J. Conlon. After a scoreless final period, both teams fought hard in the additional time, but it was Lindstrom who finally secured the win for Amherst off a pass from Daly with only minutes remaining.

Buzzing from this excitement, Amherst’s most recent success came in a near flawless performance against Assumption College. A pair of goals from Roll and one from sophomore Jack Fitzgerald set the tone in the first period, while a pair from White and John Festa ’19 put Amherst up 5-1 heading into the locker room for the third. Festa would complete his hat trick in the final period, while Daly, Lupo, and Stanley Brenner ’19 would widen the gap even further in favor of the purple and white.

Amherst take the ice again to face Wesleyan College this Friday, Jan. 27, following a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals in December.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Forward Jack Fitzgerald ‘19 has two goals and three assists on the year.

No. 17 Women’s Squash Goes 4-5 Over Busy Interterm Against Local Rivals Nate Quigley ’19 Managing Sports Editor With a full slate of games scheduled for the interterm period, the two-week period in midJanuary seemed likely to define the mettle of this year’s edition of Amherst women’s squash. However, following a series of largely uncompetitive matches, in which the purple and white were both on the giving and receiving end of several blowouts, Amherst’s record stands at 5-5 with much still to be learned about the team.

The purple and white started interterm with a match on Jan. 9 against Yale in what was just Amherst’s second match of the season. After more than a month off from competition, the Bulldogs proved to be too much for the purple and white, dominating the match 9-0 and taking every set.

Amherst’s travails continued two days later when they fell 7-2 in their first conference affair of the season to Middlebury. Significantly closer than the loss against Yale, the purple and white nevertheless were unable to win the points they needed, as the Panther’s steeliness was on display with eight of the nine matches going to four or five sets, six of which went Middlebury’s way. The only Amherst wins came from the underclass tandem of Rachael Ang ’19 and Jenna Finkelstein ’20 on the second and seventh courts, respectively.

Amherst managed to rebound strong from the pair of defeats, though, with a comprehensive 9-0 rout of in-state rival Northeastern on Jan. 15.

Flipping the script of their rough loss to Yale less than a week earlier, the purple and white kept the Huskies from winning a single set.

Following the blowout, Amherst returned to the Davenport Courts to play host at the Pioneer Valley Invitational last weekend, where the team managed to post a 3-3 record. The purple and white lost the first match of the weekend, on Friday morning, to Brown by a 7-2 margin. Although

Finkelstein put up another strong showing win a win on court seven and Emma Crowe ’19 tallied her second win in two competitive matches, the rest of the Amherst squad was unable to match Brown’s level of play, with six of the seven Brown victories coming in just three sets.

Amherst bounced back from the loss with a pair of authoritative 9-0 wins over William Smith and Hamilton on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, respectively. Losing only four sets total over the two matches, the purple and white demonstrated the enormous potential of this year’s team. Additionally, Priya Sinha ’19, Haley McAtee ’18, Katy Sabina Correia ’20, Finkelstein and Jenni Brown ’20 all recorded a pair of three-set victories, showing both Amherst’s youth and depth.

The purple and white’s run ended, though, with a crushing 5-4 loss to Franklin and Marshall, a loss which the team then followed with a dud of a performance in an 8-1 loss to NESCAC rival Bates. Ultimately, Amherst’s defeat against Franklin and Marshall came down to the fact that each of the purple and white’s top four players lost in three sets, offsetting the team’s impressive performance on the lower courts. Meanwhile, Finkelstein was the one bright-spot on Sunday morning against Bates, notching a three-set 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 win on court number seven.

Amherst did manage to close out the tournament on a high note, however, defeating Colby 9-0 to bring the teams record to 5-5 on the season. With only Kimberly Krayacich ’18 needing a fourth set, the purple and white put on a clinic against their NESCAC rival, with Finkelstein winning her eighth consecutive match and bringing her impressive first-year record to 9-1.

Amherst will try to build off this momentum, when the team hosts the Little Three Championships this Saturday, Jan. 28. The purple and white face Wesleyan at 10 a.m., followed by a matchup against archrival Williams at 4 p.m.

Veronica Rocco ’19 Staff Writer The men’s track and field team enjoyed a successful interterm break, placing second at both the Little III Championship and the Pioneer Invitational Tournament.

The team opened the year at the Little III tournament, which was hosted by Wesleyan on Jan. 14. This is the third year that the meet has been held during the indoor track season, after being held during the outdoor track season prior to 2015.

Little III has a unique scoring system, as a team may only earn points for their first two finishers in each event.

The team placed second at Little III, outrun only by Williams, scoring 101 points to the 153 scored by the Ephs, the defending NESCAC team champions.

With only the first-year members of the cross country team allowed to compete for the track and field team following the concluded investigation of the cross country team’s emails, there were few athletes to run the distance events, which ranged from the 800-meter to 3,000-meter runs, along with the 4x800meter relay.

The purple and white showed off its strong recruiting class in the sprint events, with Elijah Ngbokoli ’20 and Biafra Okoronkwo ’20 placing second and fourth, respectively, in the 60-meter dash. The trend continued in the 200-meter race, where Amherst first-years Ngbokoli, Mayowa Tinubu and Okoronkwo placed second, fourth and fifth in the event, respectively.

In the 400-meter run, Yonas Shiferaw ’20 and Maxim Doiron ’19 placed second and third, earning valuable points for Amherst. In the 600-meter race, veterans David Ingraham ’18 and Jay Drain ’18 led Stanley Dunwell ’20 as the three placed third through fifth in the unique three-lap event that is only held indoors.

First-years competed in all of the distance events, and Jack Dufton ’20 and Alex Mangiafico ’20 placed fifth and seventh in the 800-meter run. In the 1,000-meter race, another event that is only run indoors, Estevan Velez ’20 placed third, coming back strong after a cross-country season where he was unable to compete due to injury. Only Spencer Ferguson-Dryden ’20 competed in the mile race, placing fifth in 4:26.

Doiron showed off his hurdling ability, winning the 60-meter hurdles in 9.01 seconds, leading teammates Shiferaw and Theo Bates ’20. The two first-years placed third and fourth in the only indoor hurdling event.

In the field events, Jordan Edwards ’20 won the triple jump with a jump of 13.44 meters and qualified for the New England DIII

Championships. In the long jump, Theo Bates ’20 placed fourth.

Edwards continued his early-season success in the high jump, leading the team once again by placing second in the high jump, jumping 1.83 meters.

Sophomores Sam Amaka ’19 and Wisdom Yevudza ’19 competed in both the shot put and weight throw, earning points for the team in the throwing events.

The 4x800-meter relay team placed fourth, and the 4x400-meter relay concluded the meet for the purple and white, placing second to Williams.

After another week of training, the purple and white returned to action and placed second to Division II Assumption College at the Pioneer Invitational hosted by Smith College on Saturday, Jan. 21.

The Amherst first-years continued their dominance in the sprint events at Smith, where Ngbokoli, Tinubu and Okoronkwo all qualified for the 60-meter dash final, placing third, fifth and sixth, respectively.

Dunwell earned his first collegiate win, placing first in the 200-meter dash with a time of 23.51 seconds. Not far behind him were teammates Ingraham and Bates, placing third and fourth.

The purple and white dominated the 500-meter race, as captain Ingraham, Drain and Dunwell took the top three finishes in the event. In the 800-meter event, Velez continued his strong indoor season to place second with a time of 2:00.32.

Ralph Skinner ’20 and Ferguson-Dryden placed first and second in the 1,000–meter event, qualifying both runners for the New England Division III Championships.

Doiron continued his hurdling success, winning the 60-meter hurdles for the second week in a row. Bates placed second to Doiron, and both qualified for the New England Division III Championships.

Edwards won the triple jump for the second week in a row and also led Amherst long jumpers by placing third. The purple and white continued to enjoy relay success, as the 4x200 meter relay placed second and both the 4x400 and 4x800 meter relays claimed first place.

“I’m really impressed with what the team was able to accomplish over the past three weeks,” team captain Ingraham said. “Despite being down in numbers, we’ve scored highly at our meets, and I’m excited to see us continue to improve as we head toward championship season.”

The men’s track and field team returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 28 as they travel to Springfield College to compete at the Massasoit Classic. This will be the first meet where some cross country team members will be able to don their Amherst jerseys once again.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Junior sprinter David Ingraham placed first in the 500-meter race at the Benyon Invitational this weekend with a mark of 1:08.09.

Sports

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Sophomore forward Katie Savage has played a key role for the purple and white’s recent success, tallying five goals and seven assist for 12 points.

Women’s Ice Hockey Win Streak Hits Five Before Falling to No. 4 Elmira Scout Boynton ’20 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s ice hockey team had a great start to the new year. The women played eight games over interterm, compiling a record of 6-1-1, winning the last five straight games.

On New Year’s Day, the purple and white pulled out a strong 8-0 victory in a game at the University of Southern Maine. Anne Malloy ’20 scored first for Amherst, recording her first collegiate goal. Further contributing to Amherst’s impressive margin was sophomore forward Alex Toupal ’19, completing a hat trick for her third, fourth and fifth goals of the season.

The following weekend, the purple and white traveled to Middlebury to face stiff NESCAC competition. On Friday, Jan. 6, Amherst fell 3-1 to the Panthers. Amherst’s Katie Savage ’19 scored first on a power play before Middlebury answered on their own power play. Amherst was unable to find the back of the net through the rest of the game, while the Panthers managed to

pull out the win with two goals in the third period. Saturday proved to be a defensive battle in which the teams ended in an overtime 1-1 draw.

Goalie Sabrina Dobbins ’18 recorded 32 saves between the posts for the purple and white, including 14 clutch stops in the third period and overtime. The purple and white’s lone goal was scored by Emma Griese ’18 on a power play.

The Amherst women faced off against Saint Anselm College on Jan. 11. After falling 1-0 in the first period, the purple and white demonstrated incredible resiliency, scoring three unanswered goals to secure a 3-1 win.

The following weekend saw Amherst return to conference play with a home series against Bowdoin. The purple and white managed to sweep the two-game series with wins of 4-2 and then 4-0 for the team’s first NESCAC wins since early December.

Continuing the theme of resiliency, Amherst found themselves down 1-0 and then 2-1 entering the third period in the first game, but came

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

GAME SCHE DULE

Men’s Basketball vs. Williams, 7 p.m.

Jan. 24, when they took on Elmira College at Orr Rink.

Although Amherst commanded the offensive play in all three periods of play, leading Elmira in shots 9-6, 14-8, and 9-6, they couldn’t manage to find the back of the net as Elmira held them scoreless. Elmira managed to net four goals over the course of the match against Plaman in goal, despite her 20 saves. Neither team capitalized on their power play opportunities, with Amherst going 0-4 and Elmira 0-5 with advantge.

The packed stands for the Tuesday night Elmira game at Orr Rink provided an electric energy for the women, and although they failed to pul out a win, they look forward to a competetive weekend of matchups.

Amherst stands at 9-5-2 on the season after their successful interterm campaign. The women hope to extend their winning streak on Friday, Jan. 27, when the purple and white will travel to archrival Williams before hosting the Ephs the next day, Jan. 28, at Orr Rink.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

WED FRI Women’s Basketball @ Williams, 7 p.m.

out firing in the third, scoring three unanswered goals in the last frame. In the second game, Toupal managed another hat trick and Bailey Plaman ’18 recorded a shutout in goal with 22 stops.

In their last interterm matchup, Amherst traveled to Colby to face the Mules. In a true team effort, Amherst came out on top last Friday with a 5-0 win. Impressively, five different Amherst skaters scored each of the team’s five goals.

Plaman made 21 saves to record another shutout in net. The following day, the purple and white again came out strong and dominated the Mules in a 5-1 blowout. Amherst secured the lead with a three goal second period, in which Toupal notched her second goal of the game and 13th of the season. In the third period, Amherst executed on a power play, and Sara Culhane ’17 scored the fifth and final goal with nine minutes left on the clock.

The purple and white faced their highestranked opponent so far this year on Tuesday,

Women’s Ice Hockey @ Williams, 7 p.m.

Men’s Ice Hockey vs. Wesleyan, 7 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

SAT Women’s Track & Field @ Tufts Invitational

Men’s Squash vs. Wesleyan, 10 a.m.

Men’s Basketball v. Trinity, 3 p.m.

Men’s Swimming & Women’s Diving Men’s Track & Field Basketball @ MIT @ Springfield College @ Trinity, 3 p.m.

Women’s SwimWomen’s Squash ming & Diving vs. Wesleyan, 10 a.m.

Men’s @ MIT Ice Hockey vs. Trinity, 3 p.m.

Women’s Squash vs. Williams, 4 p.m.

Men’s Squash vs. Williams, 4 p.m.

Women’s Ice Hockey vs. Williams, 7:30 p.m.