Issue 16

Sports

Making a Splash

Solid team effort earns women’s swim team second place finish at NESCACs Page 13

We dne sday, Fe bruary   ,    

Volume CXLI No. 

Amherst, Massachusetts

Restorations Started on Johnson Chapel Joy Huang ’15 Contributing Writer On Feb. 13, the midnight atmosphere of anxiety and fear to disbelief and joy as emer-

overhauling: Aquadro & Cerutti as the general

Photo by Sam Tang ’15

all of Amherst College. Today, it serves as a

Johnson Chapel is currently undergoing restorations after a burst pipe caused severe flooding in the building. the most moisture. Areas that are too saturated

While the solemn portraits of the former College presidents had not been damaged,

Sunday, but rather as a result of the Chapel’s

response.

side of the building, did ravage heavily the See Crews, page 3

Faculty Debate Creation of Provost Position Elaine Teng ’12 Senior Editor

Senior Wins Dalai Lama Fellowship

previously served.

Siyu Shen ’15 A&L Section Editor more of a leadership role nationally tin’s vision, the added senior adminAmherst to be more itself and that re-

existing administrators and spearhead There are opportunities for Amherst to

is that it is not designed in the traditionAmherst administration is smaller than that of many peer institutions and needs

of long-term planning, but reminded

the President and the deans, but rather as an additional person on the same George Gathigi.

See Possible, page 4

Page 6

Academy Award Predictions Gates ’12 predicts Oscar wins

A&L

Opinion

Right to Choose

Budinger ’15 and Mares ’14 defend the prochoice position

Page 10

The independent newspaper of Amherst College since .

See Ndung’u, page 3

Page 

The Amherst Student, February , 

Fresh Faculty of the Week English Professor Christo-

What classes are you teaching this semester?

What brought you to Amherst?

plays that seem to be mainly about the ideas that are in the

How did you choose English? for the tradition.

You studied at Yale?

What do you do in your spare time?

poetry readings to reality television, and everything in

How do you go from such a large place as Yale to such a small place as Amherst?

by bumping into people and meeting friends of friends, and

Do you have a favorite cocktail?

Do you have a favorite play? ended up applying to a lot of jobs in English, it’s mostly Whit Froehlich ’14

THE CAMPUS CRIME LOG Entries from Feb. 13 to Feb. 20, 2012 Feb. 13, 2012 10:01 p.m., Appleton Hall about the odor of marijuana on the Feb. 18, 2012 12:00 a.m., Marsh House

4:08 p.m., LeFrak

Feb. 14, 2012 5:37 a.m., Frost Library

12:43 a.m., The Quadrangle .

10:43 p.m., Wieland Dormitory 11:29 a.m., Charles Pratt Dormitory A resident reported harassment by an-

Feb. 15, 2012 10:05 a.m., Fayerweather Hall 1:03 a.m., Hitchcock

the issues and referred the matter to the

1:18 a.m., South Dormitory 11:13 p.m., Social Quad

12:30 p.m., Stone A student reported the theft of an iPhone 1:43 a.m., Pond Dormitory

Feb. 16, 2012 11:49 p.m., Merrill Lot

basement. Case open.

11:21 p.m., Stone Dormitory

10:37 p.m., Coolidge station for no apparent reason. The

1:49 p.m., Hitchcock House

1:53 a.m., Pond Feb. 17, 2012 6:12 a.m., Keefe Health Center 3:18 p.m., Temporary Parking Lot

Feb. 20, 2012 1:12 a.m., Pond

Feb. 19, 2012 12:14 a.m., Davis Dormitory suite.

off by an employee.

3:16 a.m., Williston Hall

1:23 a.m., Hitchcock

2:55 p.m., Morrow Dormitory 3:49 p.m., LeFrak Gymnasium While responding to a disorderly per-

12:42 a.m., Hitchcock House rival.

The Amherst Student, February , 

Page 

Ndung’u Spreads Peace

Crews Restoring Chapel after Flooding Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1

Being from Kenya posed another problem, even though it ultimately helped and as a general feeling of “disorientation and dis-

have had he been a foreigner. the refugees.

from abroad at the beginning of last semester

them again.

“The foundation and the program, the

tle in. Going beyond just eating potatoes and said.

After being on the ground over the summer,

to go up. The same month, a group from the

him to express their interest in supporting his

Photo by Mark Idleman ’15

The new renovations provide the College with the opportunity to redecorate the interior, including new carpets for all the rooms, whether or not they were damaged by the flood.

not only his studies, but also his future plans,

Senior Wins Business Fellowship Evan Rosenstein ’12 Contributing Writer

help young entrepren eurs learn the ropes. Yang

ture possible out of paper.

Shrinath said.

“Everyone in the program performed on a

Photo courtesy of Agostine Ndung’u ’12

Agostine Ndug’u ’12 recently won a Dalai Lama Fellowship, which provides money to help build peace in ravaged areas.

See VFA, page 4

Page 

The Amherst Student, February , 

VFA Provides Many Opportunities

Thoughts on Theses

Continued from page 3 Dang Trinh ’12 Wherever he ends up, Shrinath is sure What is your thesis about? nath serves as a member of the Green Am-

Editor-in-Chief of The Student. Shrinath

Is this a crossover with the economics department?

How did you decide on this topic? formed at the highest level throughout his There is a lot more red tape, but traveling

to start this thesis.

What are time series, exactly?

series, population of a state over time, that’s a time series.

How are you using them in your project?

Photo courtesy of Venture for America

Nihal Shrinath ’12 recently won a Venture for America fellowship, which helps young entrepreneurs learn the ropes of the business world.

Possible Provost Position Considered at Recent Faculty Meeting Are you looking at a career in finance?

Continued from page 1 as possible.

feared that future presidents might not

Any advice for other students thinking about considering a thesis?

a national problem, the College needed Whit Froehlich ’14



The Amherst Student

Correction: In the Feb. 15 issue of The Student, the chart in the article entitled “Concert Creates Controversy” should have displayed the number of students voting in March as 800, not 900.

Pain in the AAS

Editorial

Alex Stein ’13

Managing Stress and Mental Well-being

Senators from the Association of Amherst Students are writing a weekly column to keep the student body informed about the goingson in the Senate.

Mental Health, Campus Bonding, Diversity Issues and Free Food In the latest of a series of Town Hall discussions held at our Monday night meetings, the AAS opened its doors this week to three members of the Mental Health Task Force — Denise McGoldrick, Director of Health Education at the College, Kate Turetsky ’12 and Gavin Front ’12. The Task Force has been charged with exploring and providing recommendations regarding existing mental health resources and determining

“Though in recent weeks, the AAS has taken its fair share of attacks (some deserved), the Senate has been and continues to be strongly committed to creating a stronger sense of “Amherst” community on campus. what additional resources should be developed to ensure the best possible mental health for all students at the College.

Over the course of their presentation, the three task force representatives described how they met with a wide cross–section of students and rapidly discovered that most students shared common concerns.

Many of them neither knew that Amherst has a free counseling center for students, nor, if they did know about the center, know how to go about using it.

McGoldrick, Turetsky and Front also explained that many students share mistaken beliefs about mental health on campus. For example, many students mistakenly believed that if a student goes to the Dean of Students office to discuss difficulties they have been having then the Dean will ask them to leave campus until they are feeling better, when in reality this rarely happens.

Furthermore, they spoke at length about the need to battle misconceptions about mental health. Citing parental and peer pressures, the task force found that many students are hesitant to make use of the College’s mental health resources.

Many senators spoke up to voice their belief that there needs to be a greater

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Brianda Reyes Managing News Alissa Rothman Managing Opinion Erik Christianson, Meghna Sridhar Managing Arts and Living Nicole Chi, Clara Yoon Managing Sports Emmett Knowlton, Karl Greenblatt

Opinion

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

collective knowledge about mental health issues so that students can better help their friends deal with difficulties. The task force agreed and noted that they were already in the process of developing some comprehensive recommendations including offering inter-term courses about mental health, integrating mental health issues into freshman orientation and developing a loose team of peer counselors that can provide assistance to their friends, dorm mates and teammates.

After that discussion, the Senate took up its weekly business. First up were a series of Committee and Officer Reports. One report of particular interest came from Matt Echelman ’14. Though not a senator, Echelman was appointed

by President Romen Borsellino to fill the role of Campus Community Coordinator for the AAS. Confirmed by the Senate just three weeks ago, Matt has wasted no time in setting in motion three projects aimed at uniting an increasingly fragmented student body (see: the debate over Spring Concert, the “Think!” pamphlet, et al.).

Matt proposed hosting a full school dodgeball tournament in March that should appeal to many different groups of students. He also floated the idea of the AAS collaborating with Marsh to bolster its Coffee House programming by sponsoring an actual coffee shop staffed by students in the Marsh common room on weekends. Finally, Matt announced that he would begin holding a series of open Campus Community conversations on Monday nights before Senate meetings to discuss community building at Amherst.

Matt’s efforts are the latest in a concerted push by the AAS to unite the student body. Though in recent weeks, the AAS has taken its fair share of attacks (some deserved), the Senate has been and continues to be strongly committed to creating a stronger sense of “Amherst” community on campus. In addition to appointing Matt as CCC, Romen recently appointed Rohan Mazumdar ’12 to spearhead a taskforce on diversity issues on campus. Rohan’s mandate is not only

See Community, page 7

S TA F F

Publishers Mary Byrne, Chris Friend, Nazir Khan, David Walchak News Section Editor Whit Froehlich, Ethan Corey Opinion Section Editors Diana Babineau, John Osborn, Judy Yoo Arts & Living Section Editor Daniel Diner, Siyu Shen Sports Section Editors Karan Bains, Varun Iyengar

At Monday’s AAS Senate meeting, the mental health task force attended to discuss the state of Amherst students’ mental health and well-being. Remarkably, no one was surprised to hear that much of the student body had significant stress-related issues. The students attending the meeting were our peers, so they understand the stress students face on campus.

Most of us, as high achieving students, don’t bat an eyelid as we continue to add more and more to the ever-growing to-do lists we accumulate through classes, sports and other activities. Surely, no one doubts that all could contribute to a harried, preoccupied and unhappy student body.

But students shouldn’t accept stress as an inevitable by-product of studying at a top college. Many factors of such stress stem specifically from features of Amherst College life. Feelings of social isolation come from a social environment limited in scope, limited by cliquish segregation. Students also frequently connect back to good friends they left back home, usually states or worlds away. And the world students come to between breaks may feel limited to a quad,

and a dining hall and the distant horizon of College street.

Students also face constant academic and social comparison with their peers. These factors, in addition to the internalized expectations students face from parents, manifest themselves as stress, affecting different people differently. Stressed students — unaware that others are stressed around them — will reinforce the isolation they already feel.

Students need to look for the many ways in which they can reduce the stress in their life, a large part of which just comes from discovering that they are not alone.

We need to look around and realize we’re all going through the same troubles and insecurities and help each other through these issues. Much stress arises from our perception of work as a challenge instead of as an activity — while students can always squeeze a drop of enjoyment from any activity they attempt, students should choose activities that they naturally find enjoyable. Working toward a more perfect resume never made anyone jump out of bed in the morning or afternoon ... whenever we get out of bed. The less-

ened perfectionism, title-seeking and competitiveness that comes with it may bring about more cooperation, creativity and quality of student life and learning.

Students can also ask the College to decrease student stress levels in the limited ways that they can. Some suggestions include the restructuring of the calendar for more breaks spaced through the semester, and increased engagement with students about mental health issues and counseling access in a way similar to the way they approach sexual health. Professors can also contribute by distributing work evenly through the semester, keeping breaks homework free and expressing sensitivity to students during stressful academic periods or personal trials.

It is important for us and the administration to create a healthy student body that is productive and satisfied. It is also important as it factors significantly into the College’s rankings and reputation as a friendly, supportive environment that fosters growth and learning, as opposed to toxic competition, stress and pressure that ever so often plagues other top schools.

The Ark Ophelia Hu ’12 Ophelia is an Environmental Studies major who writes a bi-weekly column sharing a Christian perspective on social, environmental and political issues.

Amherst Does Not Play Well With Others

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did anyone else smell the vitriol on campus this week? Among newspaper readership, it was most evident in Dan Diner’s article on secularization and Andrew Kaake’s column on abort¬¬ion. Their recent newspaper submissions have prompted an outpouring of student responses. Infuconcerns, sometimes boldly proclaiming their identity, but more often remaining under the cloak of anonymity. It bled into our sentiments about AAS and the spring concert, and also resulted in the distribution of hurtful pamphlets that attempted to divide the campus into partygoers and non-partygoers. These incidents It is so much easier to bare our souls, however ugly, in a virtual sphere where we can take refuge behind a screen, instead of talking face to face or in a public forum. Where are the commentators and angry online forum participants at the school’s open discussions

Associate Editors Brenton Arnaboldi, Carlyn Robertson, Jake Walters Senior Editors Nihal Shrinath, Elaine Teng Layout Editor Brendan Hsu Photographers Risalat Khan, Zachary Sudler Copy Editors Tim Butterfield, Stewart Longsworth

and speaker events regarding these very topics? In this regard, I cannot count myself among the innocent.

Kaake’s article drew much more negative outcry than Diner’s did. Students were very quick to make massive leaps in logic to make assumptions about Kaake’s identity, such as privilege, personal history and socioeconomic class. While Andrew and I do not always see eye to eye, I have great respect for him, and as a friend who knows his story, I can say that many of the assumptions made about him were grossly ignorant and hateful. Students took comments to another low by urging fellow readers to “stick it to Andrew Kaake.”

— these are immature personal attacks, and they reveal a shameful trend on our campus to poke our heads out of the sand only when it is convenient.

See Campus, page 5

Letters Policy

The opinion pages of The Amherst Student are intended as an open forum for the Amherst community.

The Student will print letters under 450 words in length if they are submitted to The Student offices in the Campus Center or to the paper’s e-mail account (astudent@amherst.edu) by 12 p.m. on Sunday, after which they will not be accepted.

The editors reserve the right to edit any letters exceeding the 450-word limit or to withhold any letter because of considerations of space or content.

Letters must bear the names of all contributors and a phone number where the author or authors may be reached. Letters and columns may be edited for clarity and Student style.

The Student will not print personal or group defamation.

Publication Standards

The Amherst Student is published weekly except during College vacations. The subscription rate is $75 per year or $40 per semester. Subscription requests and address changes should be sent to: Subscriptions, The Amherst Student; Box 1912, Amherst College: Amherst, MA 01002-5000. The offices of The Student are located on the second floor of the Keefe Campus Center, Amherst College. Phone: (413) 542-2304. All contents copyright © 2011 by The Amherst Student, Inc. All rights reserved. The Amherst Student logo is a trademark of The Amherst Student, Inc. Additionally, The Amherst Student does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age.

Page 

The Amherst Student, February , 

The Fundamental Right to Choice

Maia Mares ’14 and Salena Budinger ’15 are contributing writers.

Before we get started, here’s a heads up: we will be using gender neutral pronouns in this article to allow for the inclusion of individuals who do not identify as women but whose anatomy includes a uterus and who are thus capable of being pregnant. These genderneutral pronouns are ze, which corresponds to he/she, and hir, which corresponds to her/his.

As feminists, as women, as WAGS majors and as Amherst College students, we obviously have something to say in response to the recent anti-choice article published in The Student. We were proud to hear of the immediate reaction against the article on campus. That said, we’re just going to jump right into what we found most horrifying about the article and the subsequent discussion in comments on The Student’s website.

First and foremost, the argument that fetuses are dependent beings is not ridiculous or devoid of logic. In fact, it’s an obvious conclusion. A fetus is undeniably dependent on the person carrying it. While infants and college students may still be reliant on others for basic on others. The difference is simple and yet frighteningly overlooked: college students and infants are not living within another person’s body and therefore have bodily autonomy and independence — fetuses do not. This fact is unassailable, even if one brings in arguments about where life or humanity begin. While the fetus resides in the womb, it is dependent on that person’s body. This is why abortion can-

not be reduced to murder; doing so ignores the existence of a completely autonomous human being whose life cannot be contested. This is not about one autonomous human being killing another autonomous human being. This is about a human being deciding whether or not ze wants to carry another life form within hir body.

Second, we refuse to apologize for our conviction that the rights of an undeniably

“The difference is simple yet frighteningly overlooked: college students and infants are not living within another person’s body and therefore have bodily autonomy and independence — fetuses do not.” conscious, living, sentient person are more important than the rights of a life form that cannot live independently. A fetus does not have a fully formed interior or exterior life and depends entirely on the body of the aforementioned sentient person. It is not insane, immoral or illogical to value fully formed, independent and sentient life over a cluster of human cells that are currently none of those things, despite the fact that they have the potential to be.

See Respecting, page 7

On Campus Debates Continued from page 4

In addition to the religiously-charged newspaper submissions, the pamphlets encouraged an even greater rift between student populations than what already existed, and the lack of discussion between AAS and students resulted in both bitterness and misunderstanding.

I would highlight similar vitriolic attacks on Diner, but I found none. The disagreements were civil, and they were very few in number.

Perhaps Diner’s article struck a nerve with students who do have religious convictions (myself included) because it pitted one belief system against another. Diner’s belief system is unnamed, but he seems to have unwavering faith in Science-with-a-capital-S (although he makes no efforts to clarify whose science it is, which funds, grants and corporations support it, what agenda it has and whom it is serving).

Such faith is quite similar to the devotion expressed by the religious. But science is merely a tool, not an entity worthy of our love or devotion, and it is a tool that can be used to unforeseeable, sometimes horribly destructive ends. preventing cancer, we also have greater exposure to carcinogens than we have ever had and perhaps higher cancer rates, partly because of the great 20th-century lie, “Better living through chemistry.” While we claim to have a greater understanding of what causes asthma, we now also have many more causes of asthma. Our discoveries and inventions create new problems as we use them to solve others. We know so much about sociological theory and community building exercises, but we still deal with poverty and social ills the way we always have: with fear, impatience and apathy.

I understand the arguments made by Diner

because I once believed them myself, as a former atheist. I was certain that one could disrespect a person’s belief system while still respecting that my own belief system: atheism and the scientifically-uninformed view that “science” as understood by a constrained, self-important, Western construction is the end-all-be-all deity. I immediately saw any attack on my beliefs as a strike against my personal well-being. I do believe that there is one truth. I do not espouse the self-defeating view that “all beliefs are equally valid,” as though refusing to wrestle with their complications makes the problems disappear. However, I do believe that civil, informed discussion is the only productive way to uncover the truth and to build an effective community on this campus.

In a class last semester, I had the opportunity to discuss a column I had written that was met with respectful disagreement from a classmate. It was not easy to discuss with my class the myriad of reasons why they disagreed with me. However, it was a much more civil and productive conversation than it would have been if it had been like the discussions online about Kaake and Diner’s pieces, the snickering from both sides about the anonymous pamphlets or the anger directed at the AAS. I invite those who disagree with my views to please talk with me. Email me. Let’s get a meal together at Val. Invite me to a casual discussion or forum with you and others interested in talking. Let’s stop this immature slew of personal attacks and unproductive anger. I realize that the internet and the campus’ print media are curtains behind which people can feel safe speaking, but this presumed safety is often translated into hateful speech bordering on bullying and verbal abuse. The campus is already divided enough; there is no need to create new schisms or further cleave those that already exist.

The Misconceptions Surrounding Religion Stewart Longsworth ’15 is a copy editor.

Religion is not ignorance. It is not ridiculous superstition. It is not de-

is merely faith in something greater, in something beyond us that we cannot explain or control.

These are facts, not assertions, about religion. Unfortunately, these facts sometimes go unnoticed by Amherst students who see religion as a fantastic dupe propagated by wicked liars who wanted to trick you out of your money. In last week’s op-ed “Gradual, Passive Secularization is Too Slow,” Daniel Diner ‘14 fell into the same fallacies about religion that I have been surprised and alarmed to hear several of my fellow students express. Their words hurt me. They make here because I am a Christian. These words make me angry because they’re just plain wrong. In refuting them, I hope I can make Amherst students understand that religion is not evil, but rather legitimate, even good, and that the spirituality of others deserves our utmost respect, even when we disagree with their beliefs.

Religion isn’t superstition, and its tenets aren’t “dangerous unfounded beliefs.” In fact, theism is a serious and legitimate philosophical position, even in the present day. Christian apologists make a priori arguments for the existence of God and use reasoning to interpret the Bible, creating a rational

and credible basis for faith that Diner completely ignores.

Similarly, religious tenets are not insane and dangerous, despite the best efforts of the Westboro Baptist Church and Rick Santorum to make you believe so. Christianity, at least, preaches grace, compassion and moral behavior, not violence and hatred. The ravings of comedian George Carlin against religion distort the tenets of Christianity so badly, it’s almost as if he’s trying to make a joke or something. Quoting Carlin proves nothing if not that atheists can be as militant and intolerant as religious extremists. Theism deserves as much respect as secular atheism. tion only stupid and ignorant people can believe in. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Bacon, Descartes, Newton, Kant, Darwin, Einstein — all of these great Western thinkers believed in God, and their ideas are still pervasive in higher education today. In claiming that there is a “nearly perfect” inverse relationship between religiosity and intelligence, Diner not only commits the fallacy of correlation without causation, he also falsely calls every religious person sulting. But what do I know? I’m just a Christian who lucked into getting into Amherst. It’s a miracle!

Diner falsely assumes that “tenets of theism contradict tenets of science.” I understand why Diner might think this; all we hear in the media are ridiculous debates about creation versus evolution. However, religion

and science aren’t mutually exclusive America, as people on either extreme of the argument like to think. In fact, religion is perfectly compatible with science. I believe Darwin’s theory of evolution and see the Genesis creation story as not literally true, but as a sacred story that enlightens our understanding of who we are as humans and our relationship to God. And heck, even Darwin himself was Christian.

Albert Einstein was a devout Jew. And Francis Bacon, the founder of modern empiricism himself, considered science to be the “most faithful attendant” of religion. clude the existence of divine truth, of revelation or even the possibility of miracles because science is inductive and empirical, dealing only with the physical universe and the laws of nature. Nor can scientists ever devise an experiment testing whether God exists or not, because God is immaterial; only a priori arguments can even begin to claim to establish whether God exists or not. Using science to judge religious truth is like trying to sciena greater artist than Michaelangelo–it just doesn’t apply. In addition, just like ence rests on several fundamental, a priori assumptions: cause and effect or the uniformity of the laws of nature, for example. With such assumptions, science could not be reasonably made the test of every other human pursuit, including religion.

religion is actually a force for good in the world, not evil. I’m not referring to the extremism of Al Qaeda or other groups who appropriate religion to justify their hateful political and social agendas. These groups, along with all other hateful groups with them, completely misinterpret the religious teachings of their faith. The purpose

“... Scientific theories never preclude the existence of divine truth, of revelation or even the possibility of miracles because science is inductive and empirical, dealing only with the physical universe ...” of religion is not to deceive or destroy, but rather to map the path humans must follow to live according to divine will don’t know about other religions, but a fundamental part of being Christian is trying to make the world a better place. William Wilberforce spearheaded the abolition movement because he believed slavery was against the will of God, and Martin Luther King Jr. preached civil rights from the pulpit.

Christians volunteer at homeless shelters, run programs for drug and alcohol addicts and travel across the world to participate in disaster relief.

Like any other topic — global warming, underage drinking or the merits of dining at Val — religious beliefs can be discussed, questioned and even debated in a respectful manner, but no one should dismiss someone’s beliefs before even considering them. Doing so is degrading, hateful, arrogant and rude, even if one doesn’t intend to come off as such. Unfortunately, this is what Diner does in his article; he freely admits that he does not produce a single rational argument for why theism should be discarded, lacies far too obviously evident.” He doesn’t even pause to think of a warrant for his assault on religion. Think of the Golden Rule: do you want your ideas baselessly demeaned before you can even explain why you think them?

Diner’s mistakes are understandable. At Amherst, religion is not only unpopular but also a somewhat taboo topic, and so, instead of discussing the diversity of faith we have on this campus, we tend to keep our thoughts about religion to ourselves. Sometimes, this means we nurture false, harmful beliefs about the beliefs of others, leading to an intolerance that undermines our Amherst values. Until non-religious students discuss their faith with a religious peer without malice or antagonism, they may never realize just how reasonable and just how worthy of recognition religion truly is.

The Amherst Student, February , 

Page 

Thou Shalt Hate the Poor

Apparently there is a new commandment that has been revealed unto the Republican Party. One that Jesus errantly left out of his parables and teachings and that Joseph Smith must have failed to read before he lost his special glasses or perhaps just forgot to pull out of his magic hat. It is “Thou shall hate the poor.” This new commandment dominates today’s conservative politics and discourse, reveals the turmoil at the heart of America’s public morality and shows the clear ideological choice before us.

As Herman Cain reminded us not too long ago, “if you don’t have a job and you’re not rich, it’s your fault.”

Mitt Romney declared that he “doesn’t care about the very poor,” because there is a safety net for them and like the very rich, they are O.K. And who could forget screams of approval from a Republican debate audience at Ron Paul’s proposition that a sick but uninsured man be left to die.

Newt Gingrich, though he has had inordinate trouble with the adultery commandment, has done his best to hate the poor in a particularly racetinged fashion. In between calling for the negation of child labor laws, so that poor children could make money and learn the value of hard work, he has said that if invited, he would go to the NAACP conference and talk about “why the African-American community should demand paychecks and not In the publicly projected modern conservative Weltanschauung, all that is needed to become fabulously wealthy is to work hard. Wealth alone

is evidence of the deservingness of those who possess it. They should be idolized and defended against the class warriors who seek to impose the trav-

Hurst’s House Alex Hurst ’12 Alex Hurst ’12 is a Political Science major who writes a bi-weekly column on the subjects of domestic politics and world events.

against the moocher class of welfare queens, single moms and the lazy unemployed who would suck the government teats until the beast was dry.

crisis has pushed many more into its arms. And the taxpayer largesse the Republicans speak of is the $4.22 a day per person that is the maximum amount of cash assistance a family of four can (temporarily) receive. point them at one sixth of our entire population that relies on a federal antipoverty program, and the 21 percent of all children living below the poverty line. Yet for some, to be unemployed or poor is not to be at the behest of global economic forces, it is a personal sin of monumental proportions.

What the candidates completely leave out of the picture is the plight of

Cartoon by Mizuho Ota ’13

Hurst ’12 asserts that the Republican Party have an agenda that is unhelpful and at times antagonistic to the working class and the poor. esty that tens of millions of dollars a year in investment income should be taxed at a higher rate than Mitt Romney’s infamous 13.9 percent. They are a Praetorian Guard standing alone

Except that it’s a false narrative that hides behind many inaccuracies.

The safety net hasn’t permanently expanded beyond effective temporary stimulus spending, and an economic

of workers earn wages inadequate to keep a family of four out of poverty.

The National Low Income Housing Coalition calculates that nowhere in the U.S. can a family obtain housing at a reasonable 30 percent of income with wage earners working middle wage jobs–in the cheapest state, South Dakota, that would require 1.6 jobs.

Here in Massachusetts, it’s 2.9.

The grand irony in the midst of this is how self sanctimoniously “Christian” each of the Republican candidates claims to be. This article is not about proselytizing, but as a Christian who feels shamed and disgusted by the religious right, I feel a need to point out that there is no way this bellowing pack of hypocrites could have read the book they are so eager to shove in everyone else’s face. Because Jesus back at them and said J’accuse, just like he did to their Roman-era coun-

terparts. The itinerant wanderer who owned little, lived with and associated with the destitute, the outcast, the prostitutes and the otherwise unclean, while condemning wealth and exalting the poor would have had a harsh message for Mitt Romney and his ilk, who have done just the opposite.

But instead politicians like Rick Santorum are content to condemn Obama for a faith based on a “phony theology” while continuing to spread their own ideology of hate, division, gross inequality and militarism–an ideology that in the long run will only make our nation weaker. For all the controversy surrounding him, the political science giant Sam Huntington wrote that the decline of a civilization happens when “the social groups controlling the surplus have a vested interest in using it for nonproductive but ego-satisfying purposes,” and not reinvestment in society, in people and in greater production.

We haven’t just forgotten how to dream; we have forgotten that we are even supposed to. We have forgotten the purpose of a society, the purpose of an economy and the purpose of our political process and in our lapse have allowed their usurpation. For once, this goes beyond the conservative–liberal divide. Though I may disagree with and respect diverging views on how to solve our myriad of problems — as long as the vision is still one of progress, uplift and compassion. But from those who deny such a vision entirely, all Americans, regardless of their policy preferences, should demand better.

Respecting Bodily Autonomy Community Continued from page 6

pregnancy is as easy as checking yes or no on a contract. The anti-choice movement seems to be

This is one reason why the comparison to the Holocaust is so offensive — the argument that a morula, blastula, zygote or fetus is exactly the same as a fully-formed, undeniably conscious and self-aware human being reduces the value of that fully-formed life. The people that died in the Holocaust knew exactly what was happening to them. They did not possibly know.

They did not maybe feel the pain, if they were at that stage of development yet. They knew exactly what was happening to them. They could undeniably feel everything. The victims of the Holocaust felt the physical pain of abuse, starvation, disease, torture, rape and death. They felt the psychological pain of knowing that everyone around them considered them so worthless as to be killed for sport. They felt the dehumanization, the fear, the terror and the grief of being separated from their loved ones or of watching them die. They felt it all — it is undeniable. Fetuses cannot feel these things, if they feel at all. Comparing these two vastly different situations delegitimizes the struggles of those who lived through and died in the Holocaust.

Overall, the argument presented in last week’s article lacks maturity and understanding of the complexity of abortion. Arguments that make the issue black and white imply that those who have abortions are cruel, heartless humans who have abortions willy-nilly because they don’t want to bear a baby. Abortions are not easy or convenient, either physically, emo-

problems, of the psychological trauma of carry-

response or an easy way out. Suggesting alternate paths make it seem like going through

costs that come along with a pregnancy and the child that comes afterwards. When one ignores these circumstances, one robs the child bearer of hir humanity. The health concerns that come from someone being physically unable to care for hirself, let alone hir child, can have negative effects on both the parent and the baby, even when the baby is planned for. If one looks at statistics of hospitalizations from botched abortions before and after Roe v. Wade, one can see that the number of women dying on a hospital table drops when abortion is legal. The choice is not between having abortions and not having abortions; the choice is whether or not the government is going to protect the health and save the lives of the humans having them.

Furthermore, we would lastly like to address the debate about this article on The Student website. As mentioned above, we were proud to see so many students speaking out against this anti-choice article. The fact that they were often anonymous does not render their opinions any less valid; not everyone has the privilege of feeling safe enough to speak out.

However, one thing about the discussion was disturbing to us. Intermittently, posts appeared asking others to respect the opinion expressed in the article for the sake of a civil debate. In this case, we think this is too much to ask. While personal attacks on the author do not further the dialogue in a constructive way, feelings of anger in response to the opinion expressed are valid and should not be repressed or

ignored. You don’t need to be polite in the face of an argument for your rights to be taken away.

You don’t need to respect an opinion if it continues the systemic oppression of every person capable of being pregnant. If people try to tell us that their opinion, driven by personal beliefs that we do not share, should dictate what we do with our bodies, we do not need to respect that argument. We do not have to respect an argument that tells us that other people are more than we are. There is absolutely no way we can respect the continuation of an oppression that views people who can be pregnant as incapable of making their own decisions regarding their own bodies. No one, absolutely no one, should be forced to do anything with their body that they have not willingly volunteered to do. To be polite in the face of arguments to the contrary is not necessary.

This is not, by any means, an exhaustive list of what can possibly be said on the matter by any means, but simply the issues that seemed most relevant at this time. Given that we are each privileged along several axes of our respective social identities, we are sure our concerns differ from others’, but we have tried to be inclusive of as many different perspectives as possible in this short space.

To conclude, there is one reason that we are glad the article in question was published: it has brought an important feminist issue to the foreground of discussion on campus and has triggered an outpouring of pro-choice sentiment.

On a campus where feminist and gender issues are often sidelined or ignored, it is good to see attention they deserve.

and the AAS Continued from page 5 to explore the resources available to different groups of students, but to study how the College’s student body interacts with one another and to ensure that students experience the rich mix of cultural, religious, ethnic and economic backgrounds of which we are each a part. All of this brings us to a final issue: late night food.

What does late night food have to do with uniting the student body, you ask? Last Thursday, the AAS worked with Dining Services to host a late night snack event at Keefe Campus Center. Senator John Yarchoan ’13, who was on the scene click-counter in hand, told the Senate that over 500 students — roughly 1/3 of the Amherst student body present on campus — showed up to share in the free food. Indeed, despite our varied interests and backgrounds, there is one thing that all Amherst students can agree on: free food is awesome. So, when it came time during Monday’s meeting to elect a senator to fill a vacancy on the Dining Services committee, late night food was a hot-topic of discussion. Alex Southmayd ’15, who was elected to serve, promised to push dining services toward providing a more regular late night food option that will bring students together to eat and socialize more frequently and at the same time, save me a lot of money on calzones. I believe that is a cause we can all get behind.

The Amherst Student

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Arts&Living

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Amherst Bytes: Let’s Get Specific with Simpler Web Browsing Dylan Herts ’13 Staff Writer The invention of tabbed browsing easier. With screen real estate being a limited resource on our portable machines (and often even on larger ones), managing multiple web pages using tabs provides a convenient solution.

After all, browsing is often synonymous with multitasking: we keep our mailbox open while reading an article or keep Pandora on in the background Tabbed browsing can, howev-

ons devoted to helping users navigate through their dozens of tabs, herding them into groups or color-coding them for sorting. While helpful, these addons do little to assist with sites that we often keep open in the background.

Even the most complex tab managers relegate consistent pages such as your being just another tab among 10, even if it’s now bright red for better tracking.

You could go on just reserving a them in the leftmost slots for easy access. Most of these sites, however, share the common trait of being web applications. Gmail, Pandora and the like aren’t just dead assortments of text and images but rather interactive programs accessed over the web. In the new world of cloud computing and increased internet capabilities, web applications appear the new norm.

So if your tabs are all cluttered up with web apps, the logical next step seems to be taking the “web” out and running them as standard applications.

Twitter and a few other companies even provide a desktop client of their web app, knowing that not everyone companies, however, either restrict their web app (Pandora) or don’t offer one at all (Gmail).

web application’s site and devote a dedicated browser to it, running it as a standard program. Instead of opening Chrome and pointing it to www.gmail. com, you can instead click your new Gmail app and it will open straight to

the site. Users can get rid of those persistent tabs that never seem to disappear and give them their own space to run as distinct applications. a minute, seem almost too simple. If tabbed browsing was an overload, spreading everything out into different windows seems a strange solution. than a costume change, and there are advantages to being a full-blooded application.

Image courtesy of www.suberapps.com

from the multitasking tools provided for standard programs in the operating system. Instead of clicking back and forth between a dozen color-coded tabs, users can now avail themselves of features like Apple’s Mission Conmands. Apple and Microsoft spend a lot of time developing multitasking tools, so it would be a waste not to use them where we need them most.

A second advantage is alerts. We don’t need to stare at our inbox for hours on end; we just want to know when we have a new message. In pops up as a miniscule note in the tab

Using the free app called Fluid to create SSBs for your favorite sites will alleviate the confusion caused by cluttered tabs. pears as a clear, red badge on the dock

gram and [optional] feed it an image for the new program. On Windows, I

like Growl.

There are, of course, limitations.

as simple (but I’m sure there’s one out there).

you can make. After a certain point, even with the better multitasking tools of the operating system, you’re back at the same problem of managing all those windows. On Macintosh, creat-

at least have a sweet spot. The odds are good that you listen to Pandora or use

the URL, the name for your new pro-

for free and give it a shot. You’ll save yourself the tab headache, improve email access and alerts and snag a free Pandora program for your computer.

An Unexpected Comeback from Van Halen Jake Walters ’14 Associate Editor I was pessimistic about “A Different Kind of singer David Lee Roth in 28 years. If asked to deous, but certainly not excited. As much as I love listening to the band’s older work, 28 years is a long time. Add to that the band’s mostly mediocre work with post-Roth singer Sammy Hagar and a 14-year gap without a full new album at all, and it was hard for me to see where Van Halen would November album also continually suffered from a lack of newly-released information throughout the latter half of 2011: not exactly a positive sign. One could say it was the band building anticipation, but my guess would have been concerns about some of the songs. Things weren’t looking good, the release of the sort-of-catchy-in-a-hate-yourself kind of way but undeniably lame and un-Van Hadownright stupid lyrics and relatively sedate music made it seem like the death note for my increasingly dwindling hope.

Consider my pessimism unwarranted. “A Different Kind of Truth” sees Van Halen in mostly

top-form, delivering the kind of no-frills hard rock album mostly gone from today’s popular music scene. Contrary to what the record company would want us to think, judged by the too-modern and, dare I say it, almost too teeny-bopper “Tattoo,” this album is old-school, hard-hitting Van Halen through and through. In fact, if Roth could still hit the high notes, I’d have trouble discerning nitely not 1984 though, as there aren’t any dated 80s keyboards in the mix)! I suppose this means their strategy of taking old, unreleased demos and dressing them up to pass for proper songs paid off.

These guys, despite maybe needing to nap a little longer afterwards, still know how to party and they still know how to get serious when need be.

And, above all, they still know how to rock.

Again, lead-off track “Tattoo” is kind of catchy. I hate myself for saying it, but listening to it is not a complete waste of time, and, again, at least it doesn’t have any dated 80s keyboards (something the band pulled off with Roth on 1984, but with Hagar, it seemed like that came up dry more often than not). That being said, it’s fairly unrepresentative of the rest of the album, which is a good thing. The album begins with “She’s the Woman,” which is marred by a too-repetitive chorus but features guitar-heroics galore and presents the band in tight form. Likewise, “You and Your way through with a short-but-stellar Eddie solo and sounds much more akin to their older work than the similarly mid-paced “Tattoo.”

However, it’s with “China Town” that the rocker, this song sounds instantly at home with

seems like Eddie is trying to one-up himself at this point in terms of soloing, and, as far as I’m

strongly before settling down into a decent but not

contrarily, brings the pain throughout the whole song, only suffering a bit from a slightly silly

this song isn’t exactly an album highlight, it’s a solid ending to a solid album.

The best compliment I can give “A Different Kind of Truth” is that it doesn’t feel like a Van Halen album released in 2012. If I didn’t know better, I could easily see this being released by a bunch of twenty-something’s in the early 80s just hitting their stride. Essentially, the album works, and the musicians behind it don’t ever feel like they’re trying something they don’t feel comfortable with.

rocker vibe, when the chorus comes, it ends soon afterwards, succumbing to the sheer force of the music surrounding it. “As Is,” for my money the best song on the album, sees the band in full-on tear-down-the-roof mode, riding a dynamite riff and a dark, deliciously nasty energy throughout,

of the should’ve-been-an-instrumental “Honeybabysweetiedoll.” The music on this unfortunately-named song is stellar as usual, particularly the typically strong riff, but unlike “As Is,” this song’s lyrics never seem to match with its music. Again though, the band rescues a seemingly throw-away song by dropping the lyrics entirely mid-way through and instead simply having fun with a fast-paced groove that really shows Eddie on the top of his game.

“The Trouble with Never,” from its pretentious lyrics to its slightly generic opening riff to the uneasy transition from verse to chorus, seems forced, especially when Roth takes control with one of his gravelly, spoken-word asides. The band repeats this on many songs throughout the album, and although it seems unnecessary, it usually works better than it does here, where Roth’s attempt to seem cool comes off as silly. Thankfully, the ship is righted on “Outta Space,” another no-frills rocker that seems like it could have eascourse, it wouldn’t be a Van Halen album without

through with another much longer, dynamite solo.

What’s more, they don’t let up through the rest of the song, which proves that they still know how to get down and dirty outside of a solo when need

Image courtesy of consequenceofsound.net

Van Halen’s first album in 28 years, “A Different Kind of Truth,” recreates the type of oldschool sound that loyal fans will appreciate.

give their fans their money’s worth on those solos, though. Perhaps feeling like they’re making up for lost time, they throw one into just about every song, and they make sure to leave little doubt that Eddie Van Halen could still school anyone half his age on guitar if he wanted to. easily before recouping on a strong chorus and, of

pretty good. With particularly strong, playful lyrics guiding it, this song, despite its acoustic beinstrumentation and sees the band in full-on “fun” mode.

The album then winds down with the more Trouble with Never” but is much better thanks to a more organic overall vibe, a better structure with less forced transitions and more powerful music,

going in was whether the passage of time would make an attempt to recreate a decidedly oldschool sound seem stilted and unnatural, it’s pretty other work. There are only a couple of truly great songs here (my vote goes to “As Is” and “Chinatown” as the album highlights), but just about every song is good. It’s 2012, and Van Halen has proven that sometimes an old dog doesn’t need to learn new tricks. That’s exciting to someone who loves old-school music but typically cringes when their prime (Speaking of which, there’s supposed this year, but it seems like lead signer Steven Tyler is too busy with his precious American Idol judge spot, so I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see (what a shame). Regardless of what other musicians are wasting their time on, though, it seems like David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen, behind the mic, guitar, drums and bass, respectively, will be here to stay. Speaking of which, as for any potential accusations of 20-year-old Wolfgang, Eddie’s son, holding his spot out of nepotism rather than skill, age and relative lack of experience. I guess when you have two of the greatest musicians of the last 50 years in your family, there’s plenty of opportunity to learn. And, despite the increasingly familycentric nature of the band, it’s not like they’re the Osmonds, and I for one couldn’t be happier that they’re (hopefully) not going away. Here’s hoping Alex and Eddie have an 80-year-old aunt who can play tambourine for the band, too. Just please don’t ask her to play keyboards.

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Waiting for Fall 2012: New York Fashion Hairy Hats

Tweed Meets Fishnet

Contemporary Labeling

Image courtesy of vogue.com

lip Lim and the J. Crew. Rag

berg’s black and white dress had hands creepily interlinked over the model’s chest. Jeremy Scott’s collection had everything from rainbow unicorns to emoticons to keyboard patterns – and even a Clara Yoon ’15 A&L Managing Editor

knits.

Image courtesy of vogue.com

ative and experimental, some prints were particularly notable. Rodarte’s prints had handprints scattered around the dress, as if somebody had groped the woman minutes

Image courtesy of vogue.com

Image courtesy of stufflypeoplelike.com

more wearable. Although Alexander Wang is known for his sportswear, his new direction turned heads and was arguably one of the most important shows of the week.

Print Me Creepy

ion Week were the labels categorized as “advanced contemporary” — affordable labels that cost much less than high-end designers. Some of the most notable collections were those of Rag &

knit sweaters, wrap skirts and even herringbone platform riding boots that have critics drooling, while J. Crew’s prints surprised viewers with its sophisticated tailoring and edgy fabric use.

Image courtesy of multiplefashiondisorder.com

ted polo necks that extended up to the models’ noses. The boots, which were slick, taiImage courtesy of vogue.com

to the all-American baseball cap. Interestingly enough, what was most surprising was not the crazy designs but the fact that these hats are the new trend of 2012.

In one of the most stunning and touted shows, Alexander Wang shined and styled tweed into dominating raincoats. Underneath were leather jackets and trousers, which, while eye-catching, were noth-

Image courtesy of vogue.com

Image courtesy of stylebistro.com

Kudos to the designer’s models who were able to walk with what could generously be described as a furry catastrophe. It wasn’t just Marc Jacobs, however; hats have popped up all over the runway, from Russian-inspired trooper

This Week in Amherst History: Feb. 20, 1991 Five College Events Feb. 24 Principles of Regenerative Design, Mount Holyoke, 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

How is regenerative design different from sustainable design? What does true sustainability entail?

How can the built environment engage in healthy, reciprocating relationships with nature? What can you do? Come join the Mount Holyoke Art & Art event is open and free to all and offers free pizza and drinks.

Feb. 24 Midnight Cry, Smith College, 7:30 p.m.

– 2:30 a.m.

Midnight Cry is an annual event put on the by the Smith Christian Fellowship. It is a night of worship, fellowship, communing together and being

Photo courtesy of Amherst College Archives & Special Collections

The Amherst Student published an article detailing the death by self-immolation of Gregory D. Levey, an Amherst resident. The act was committed on the Town Common and was believed to be in protest of American intervention in the Persian Gulf. Thirty-year-old Levey had been standing on the common and holding a sign, reading “PEACE,” immediately before the suicide, and a second fire nearby, originally thought to be Levey’s jacket, was speculated to have been a U.S. flag. Nearby witnesses attempted to reduce the flames but were unable to get close enough until the police arrived with fire extinguishers. A candlelight vigil was held for Levey on the Town Common afterward, attended by students and town residents.

Jake Walters ’14

back. When he drops by his Ma’s house no one can

and frighteningly funny; it’s clear-eyed and compas-

Deirdre Kinahan, was a major hit in London last year.

Feb. 25 Five College Choral Festival, Smith College, 7:30 p.m. around this year on Feb. 25 in John M. Greene Hall at Smith College at 7:30 p.m. One of the most popular events on the winter roster, the festival showcases performances by the choirs and choruses of Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith Colwith the massed choirs singing a new work by Smith composer Gregory Brown.

(Mercyhouse and Amherst Koinonia Church) joining to lead the music for the night and a phenomenal

Feb. 26

will have a time within the evening for prayer, a station to discuss hard questions and a station to share

College Band Directors Eastern Division Conference Preview, UMass, 4:00 p.m.

one, no experience required.

ducted by James Patrick Miller will be performing with Lynn Klock (saxophone), Laura Klock (horn)

Feb. 24-26

will be playing pieces from Stravinsky, Copland, Husa,

“Moment” by Deirdre Kinahan, Smith College, 8:00 p.m.

Directed by Ellen W. Kaplan. Smith College presents a workshop production of Deirdre Kinahan’s

for Music majors/minors, $3 for UMass students, $5 for other students, seniors & children and $10 for the general public.

went to prison, went through rehab and now he’s

— Clara Yoon ’15

The Amherst Student, February , 

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Breaking It Down: Predicting the Oscars

Best Actor

Ethan Gates ’12 Staff Writer

Will Win: Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”

Should’ve Been Nominated: Michael Shannon, “Take Shelter”

Could Win: George Clooney, “The Descendants” -

Image courtesy of silvagarza.com

Image courtesy of dailyactor.com

Image courtesy of directoryvideo.com

Best Actress Will Win: Viola Davis, “The Help”

Should’ve Been Nominated: Kirsten Dunst, “Melancholia”

Could Win: Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”

Let’s see: crucial performance -

surely lead to a teary, emoBest Actress to an African-

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Image courtesy of collider.com

Image courtesy of aceshowbiz.com

Image courtesy of hitfix.com

Best Supporting Actor Will Win: Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”

Could Win: Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” -

Should’ve Been Nominated: Brad Pitt, “The Tree of Life”

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Image courtesy of amazonaws.com

Image courtesy of amazonaws.com

Image courtesy of hitfix.com

Best Supporting Actress Will Win: Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

Should’ve Been Nominated: Elle Fanning, “Super 8”

Could Win: Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist” -

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Image courtesy of movit.com

Image courtesy of ontheredcarpet.com

Image courtesy of aceshowbiz.com

Best Director Will Win: Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”

Should’ve Been Nominated: Nicolas Winding Refn, “Drive”

Could Win: Martin Scorsese, “Hugo” -

Image courtesy of static.nme.com

emy to ignore truly original

Image courtesy of brothersof.com

Image courtesy of filmofilia.com

Best Picture Will Win: “The Artist”

Should’ve Been Nominated: “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy”

Could Win: “Hugo”

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Image courtesy of filmophilia.com

Image courtesy of upcoming.com

Image courtesy of joetalksmovie.com

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The End of The Housewives’ Dramatic Era Karen Rind-Siegel Contributing Writer

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Image courtesy of www.fanpop.com

Absurd yet addicting, the drama of “Desperate Housewives” will come to an end in this last season of the show.

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Julia & Julia: Two Foodies With A Mission Julia Edholm ’15 and Julia Pearson ’15 Contributing Writers

Homemade Peppermint Bark Recipe Ingredients:

Directions:

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Tired of Val? With Edholm and Pearson’s recipes, make delicious treats such as homemade peppermint bark (shown above) in the comfort of your dorm.

Layer three types of chocolate on aluminum foil.

A double boiler is required for making this recipe.

Photos courtesy of Julia Edholm ’15 and Julia Pearson ’15

Equipment

The Process

For more recipes by Edholm and Pearson, check out their blog, aptly titled “Dorm Room Delights,” at

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The Amherst Student, February , 

Men’s Basketball Routs Hamilton; Rolls in NESCAC Semifinals

Karan Bains ’14 Sports Section Editor

contest was intriguing and even enthralling at

After earning two of the most thrilling victories in the program’s recent history to close out the regular season last week, the men’s basketball team seemed primed to play their best basketball to open the postseason.

While last year’s team posted an outstanding 25–4 record, they fell twice to both Middlebury and Williams; these conference losses left the Jeffs ready for vengeance this year.

The recent last-second triumphs over these very same archrivals, then, were exactly the

excitement with a pair of highlight-reel worthy dunks, and a second half alley-oop from point son brought the crowd to its feet.

points in the second half, Amherst still had to work hard and make Hamilton earn every point to avoid a comeback.

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strong play if the team wants to win the pro-

chances for the home team, extending the lead to 20 with under seven minutes to play.

This scoring outburst energized the Amherst fans, who began to urge the Hamilton contingent to “Warm the buses!”

The crowd witnessed an Amherst victopoints and seven assists from Toomey. The sophomore star also went six-for-six from the foul line, setting the Amherst record for

reverse their postseason woes of last season.

Still feeling the momentum from the Williams and Middlebury wins, the Jeffs took the court in LeFrak Gymnasium against Hamilton College for the opening game in the NESCAC

makes.

Williamson added a dozen points on six of eight shooting, including his two momentum swinging dunks that ignited the LeFrak crowd.

The top-seeded Jeffs will take on Bates

Unfortunately for the Continentals, Amherst

While the Jeffs continued to attack the Continental defense, Hamilton fought hard to stay in the game and remained within eight points at halftime.

attempting to extend their winning streak to

were no match for Amherst in terms of both Photo courtesy of Chloe McKenzie ’14 conference tournament experience.

Photo courtesy of Alec Jacobson ’12

The Bobcats, however, should be a tougher Sophomore point guard David Kalema conAaron Toomey ’14 leads the top-ranked Jeffs matchup, and Amherst will need to continue its verts a driving layup against Middlebury. into the NESCAC Semifinals.

Women’s Hockey Locks Up No. 2 Seed

Women close out regular season with win and tie at Bowdoin

Reilly Horan ’13 Staff Writer This week, the Jeffs ended their regular season by winning once and tying once in a two game set at Bowdoin.

Going into postseason play, Amherst stands in second place pionship.

Amherst got to work last Friday with a 5-2 win in Brunswick, Maine. Senior Josie Fisher led the charge with two goals on the day.

“We played two hard fought games this past weekend against Bowdoin, one of the top teams in our league,” Fisher said. “They

able to come from behind to win and tie. The weekend gave us an idea of the tough games we are going to be playing for the rest of the postseason. test when Kim Tess-Wanat notched a goal during a two-on-one offensive advantage. a shot off less than three minutes later and tacked on Amherst’s

again when Fisher pushed Amherst’s lead to three before the close of the period.

The score remained the same through the second, but

“There was a large incentive to keep scoring, since we’ve recently been having a little trouble capitalizing on our chances. It was comforting to see the scoreboard with 5 goals for our side.”

The Polar Bear’s Shelagh Merrill registered a goal late in

to force a draw. ded their lead minutes later, making the score 2-0.

Amherst broke into the second period, determined to come doin goalie Kayla Lessard.

Amherst applied pressure in the third period, but couldn’t put the puck in the net. After a scoreless overtime period, the game ended in a 2-2 tie. saves on the day.

The Jeffs now look ahead to some exciting post-season play, kicking things off this Saturday by hosting Conn. College in the “We’re incredibly excited for the playoffs because every game is essentially a one game season,” senior tri-captain Clegg The Lady Jeffs head to the NESCAC Quarterfinals on Satur- said. “There are no second chances, so we’re ready to gain moday, Feb. 25, against Conn. College. mentum and battle to the top.”

Photos courtesy of Chloe McKenzie ’14

Senior Stephanie Clegg hopes to end her Amherst career with a NESCAC Championship.

SPORTSBOARD

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GAME OF THE WEEK

Schedule FRIDAY: Men’s and Women’s Track Open New England Championships (@ Boston Univ., Day 1 of 2), TBD Men’s Swimming NESCAC Championship (@ Williams, Day 1 of 3), All Day Women’s Squash CSA Championships (@ Harvard, Day 1 of 3), TBD

Men’s Basketball NESCAC Semifinals (vs. Bates), 5:30 p.m.

Men’s Hockey NESCAC Quarterfinals (vs. Hamilton), 7 p.m.

SATURDAY: Women’s Basketball NESCAC Semifinals (vs. Colby), 1 p.m.

Women’s Hockey NESCAC Quarterfinals (vs. Conn.

Coll.), 1:30 p.m.

Players of the Week

The Amherst Student, February , 

SUNDAY: Women’s Basketball NESCAC Finals (vs. TBD), 12 p.m.

Men’s Basketball NESCAC Finals (vs. TBD), 2:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball vs. Colby

IN DEPTH Time: Saturday, Feb. 25

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Site: LeFrak Gymnasium Key Players: Amherst

(#33) Shannon Finucane ’12 (#9) Megan Robertson ’15

Colby

(#0) Rachael Mack ’12 (#31) Jayde Bennett ’13

— Karl Greenblatt ’15

Jordan Roehl ’12 — Women’s Indoor Track

Jonathan La Rose ’12 — Men’s Hockey

Jordan Roehl ’12, a weight throw specialist, broke the school record — her own — in the event this weekend at the Div. III New England Championships.

Her mark of 15.01 me-

22) while also competing in the shot put event.

The Lady Jeffs will head to the Open New England Championships next weekend (Feb. 24-25) at Boston Univ.

out of 30 and third among the NESCAC athletes in the tive led her team to a solid

— Karl Greenblatt’15

Jonathan La Rose ’12, who has been rock solid in net all season, earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors as he recorded a pair of victories against key NESCAC foes.

In a decisive road win against Williams on Friday (Feb. 18), LaRose held the Ephs to a single tally while racking up 42 saves. The next day, he led the Jeffs to a 2-1

defeat of Middlebury, recording another 30 saves in the process.

As a result of LaRose’s stellar play, the third-ranked Jeffs will take on Hamilton in Saturday’s NESCAC Quarous meeting with the Continentals, LaRose notched one season.

— Karl Greenblatt ‘15

Amherst Athletics Celebrates Five-Year Relationship with Friends of Jaclyn Foundation Reilly Horan ’13 Staff Writer & C.C.E. Liaison

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Members of the women’s lacrosse team participated in the Walk/Run.

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Photos courtesy of Julie Keresztes ’12

Men’s soccer coach Justin Serpone speaks at last year’s Walk/ Run event.

See Friends of Jaclyn, Page 15

The Amherst Student, February , 

Page 

Varun’s Viewpoint

Amherst Athletics, Friends of Jaclyn Celebrate Five-Year Anniversary

Varun Iyengar ’14

Continued from page 14 -

Buckner, CP3 and Mundane Miracles in Sports -

Photo courtesy of Public Affairs Office

Participants celebrate after finishing the event.

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Reilly Horan ’13 is one of three Athletics Liaisons for the Center for Community Engagement. Athletics Liaisons connect athletes and coaches to the resources of the Center for Community Engagement and work to create a sustainable culture of service within the Athletics Department. If your team is looking for community engagement projects, contact Roshard Bryant ’13 at rbryant13@amherst.edu or Irene Hickey ’13 at ihickey13@amherst. ter for Community Engagement (in Keefe Campus Center) every Friday from 10 a.m.

-12 p.m.

If your team just completed a community engagement event, contact Reilly Horan ’13 at rhoran13@amherst.edu so that the campus becomes more aware of what your team is doing to get involved. https://www.amherst.edu/academiclife/ cce/lead/cel/liaisons

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The Spurs nine-game winning streak

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Jeffs Squashed by Colby

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Men’s Squash Takes Fifth in C Division Karl Greenblatt ’15 Managing Sports Editor

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Photo courtesy of Megan Robertson ’15

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Co-captain Todd Lavine ’12 finished his career on a high note with a win against Conn.

College. The Jeffs’ ended the season 13-8.

The Amherst Student, February , 

Page 

Men’s Indoor Track Places Sixth at New England Champs Senior Ben Scheetz leads Jeffs with two firstplace finishes, Matt Melton ’14 wins 600m

Women’s Indoor Track Breaks Two School Records Carlyn Robertson ’14 Associate Editor The women’s indoor track land Div. III Championships, hosted by Smith. The Jeffs broke two school records and posted numerous personalbest times.

The Jeffs’ had a strong day of relays. The sprinters impressed in the 4x200.

Carlyn Robertson ’14 Associate Editor The men’s indoor track team won three New England Div. III Championships. Twen-

ishing with the best time in the 400-meter dash

race, as the runner-up from Bowdoin crossed

school record in the event,

runners bested the previous facility record of The distance medley reshaved a second off of his qualifying time, but Junior Pat Grimes placed third in the 800, -

First-year Greg Turissini also tallied points for the Jeffs, placing seventh in the 5,000.

The 4x800-meter relay team of Charlie

Photo courtesy of Steve Dao

Ben Scheetz ’12 (left) and Matt Melton ’14 raced for the fifth-place 4x800 relay team.

the 4x800.

Sophomore sprinter Naomi Bates continued her successful season with a personal

Photo courtesy of Steve Dao

Junior Lauren Almeida placed eighth in the 1,000-meter run and ran for the fourth-place 4x800 relay.

sonal best in the 5,000.

Melton and Durkee put together strong middle legs, and Scheetz anchored with a remarkable

The Jeffs will compete at Boston Univ. next weekend at the Open New England Championships.

Lambert

and

Lizzy

Jordan Roehl broke her own school record in the weight throw. The Jeffs hit the track again next weekend at the Open New England Championships.

Women’s Swim Team Places Second in NESCAC Championship

Jeffs pull ahead of Tufts after trailing for two days; diver Lizzy Linsmayer ’14 breaks record Carlyn Robertson ’14 Associate Editor

Ingerson and Pietrantonio placed fourth, eighth

The women’s swimming and diving team placed second in the NESCAC Championship for

pull the Jeffs into second after just one event.

Amherst also had a strong showing in the 200 -

dominant throughout the meet and claimed the top

The Jeffs ended day one of the NESCAC meet in third place, trailing Williams and Tufts. Diver placed eighth. Diver Linsmayer placed second on the three-meter board.

The Jeffs closed the meet with a second-place

the previous mark at last year’s NESCAC cham-

Linsmayer placed second in the event.

Photo courtesy of Kate Berry ’12

First-year Courtney Flynn swam for the third-place 400 medley relay team. She finished second in the 200 breaststroke and fourth in the 100 breaststroke. fourth and eighth in the 50 freestyle, and Aline

of Tufts to earn second place. Ternullo led the Jeffs

behind the Williams team.

Twelve Jeffs were named to the All-NESCAC events. Ternullo led the Jeffs with three individual and two relay honors.

The men’s NESCAC championship takes place at Williams this weekend.

stroke. Lee and Merz placed eighth in the 200 IM Day two found the Jeffs holding third place,

relay. Ternullo was the runner-up in the 200 free, and seventh, respectively.

The Jeffs also had a strong showing in the tonio and Audrey Ingerson placing second and -

and Merz were seventh and eighth, respectively, in Photo courtesy of Alec Jacobson ’12

Lizzy Linsmayer ’14 broke the school record on the one-meter board.

breaststroke. Lee, Stoddart, Belak and Ternullo freestyle relay.

Photo courtesy of Kate Berry ’12

Senior co-captain Becca Thompson swam strong in her events, placing sixth in the 500 free, fourth in the 1,650 free and eighth in 200 back.

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Sports

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Inside

The Amherst Student Men’s Basketball Dunks Hamilton No. 2 Jeffs cruise into NESCAC semis.

PAGE 12

Women’s Hoops Runs LeStreak to 61 Games; Top-Ranked Jeffs Cruise into NESCAC Semis

Maggie Law ’14 Contributing Writer An explosive second half helped the top-ranked Amherst women’s basketball team down eighth-seeded Trinity College, 94-59, on Saturday in the NESCAC came just the 13th player in Amherst history to join the 1,000-point club with seven points in the playoff victory.

Amherst (25-0) jumped out to an early six-point lead with the help of senior guard Caroline Stedman, who buried a jumper to put the Lord Jeffs up 8-2 just

pull within six points.

Marcia Voigt ’13 added back-to-back baskets to put Amherst up 23-13 with 10:15 left in the half, but two layups from Moriah Sweeney kept Trinity withclosest the Bantums would get to stealing the half.

It was a back and forth game for the remaining nine minutes, with both teams putting pressure on the offensive

once again put her in the Amherst record books. The senior guard buried both free throws, bringing her career total to 1,001 and giving the Lord Jeffs their biggest advantage of the half at 32-21.

point run from the Bantums, but the visitors responded with a layup to pull within seven before halftime. Amherst entered the break ahead, 34-27.

Trinity opened play in the second half with a layup from Taylor Murtaugh as the two teams traded baskets for the year Megan Robertson ignited a 12-3 run for the Lord Jeffs, which Stedman of the game to help Amherst pull ahead by 16. The senior captain added eight consecutive points to put the home team up 58-40 with just under 12 minutes remaining.

Back-to-back jumpers from Bridget Crowley ’13 and Livia Rizzo ’13 kept Amherst ahead by 22 at the 10-minute mark, but the Bantums battled back with a 6-3 run to pull within 19 points.

The top-seeded Jeffs showed off their dominant offense for the rest of the game, leading by 39 at one point on throws from Sarah Ciarleglio sparked a minutes, but Amherst came out on top at the buzzer with the 94-59 victory. in the second half, the Lord Jeffs shot an impressive 22-for-32 on a 58-28 run over the remaining 19 minutes of play.

Stedman’s 16-point performance in the second half put her on top for the day -

the one-minute mark countered a four-

points, while Voigt added 11 points and who already leads the program in career steals (280) and ranks second in assists (399), tallied seven points for Amherst to cross the 1,000-point threshold. with a 61.8 shooting percentage, 15 turnovers and a 36-30 advantage in rebounds, while Trinity managed to shoot extended the Jeffs’ overall win streak to 44 and its home unbeaten streak to 61.

As the highest remaining seed in the tournament, Amherst will host the NESCAC Championships this weekend, facing off against Colby in Saturday’s semibetween these two teams ended in a close 51-50 victory for the Jeffs, who will be looking for their fourth conference title Robertson was named NESCAC Player of the Week on Monday for her remarkable performance over the weekend.

She averaged 18.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and four blocks in only 21 minutes per game off the bench. The rookie currently leads the conference in offensive rebounds per game, and she ranks second Amherst will host eighth-seeded Trinity College next Saturday as the top seed in the NESCAC Championship. The last meeting between these two teams ended in a 66-44 win for the Gymnasium.

Photo courtesy of Chloe McKenzie ’14

Kim Fiorentino ’12 and the undefeated Jeffs face Colby this weekend. Last time the teams met, Amherst won 51-50.

Men’s Puck Gains Momentum Before NESCACs While the Jeffs picked up two wins over tough opponents this weekend, head coach Jack Arena said he was unhappy with the team’s effort on the ice.

period, scoring two goals to scrape out a 2-1 comeback victory.

scoreboard. The Panthers tilted the ice in the second period — colsuccess this year has come when we’ve played an intense, competitive, focused, team game,” he said. “We need to work to be good and whenever we begin to forget that our game suffers.”

While the regular skaters struggled, La Rose dazzled between the pipes this weekend, stopping 41 of 42 shots against Williams on Saturday before delivering a 29-save performance against Middlebury. The Jeffs’ netminder has gone 7-0-0 in his past seven starts, stopping 198 of 203 shots (.975 save percentage) and posting a 0.71 GAA (goals against average) in that stretch.

“Jonathan La Rose is one of the top goalies in the country and he has been instrumental in every game he’s played,” Arena said earlier this season. “A good goalie can mask a lot of mistakes.”

The Jeffs began the weekend with a 3-1 victory over Williams loss. Amherst surged out to a quick start, as reigning NESCAC Player of the Week Mike Moher ’13 scored just 28 seconds after the opening faceoff. Moher, the team’s leading scorer with 24 side of the net after receiving a nifty pass from co-captain Eddie strom ’14 netted an unassisted goal with 1:26 remaining before intermission. The Jeffs held a 17-10 advantage in shots through 20 minutes of play.

After a scoreless second period, Williams ramped up the offenPhoto courtesy of Chloe McKenzie ’14

The Jeffs picked up two away wins this weekend, upending Williams and Middlebury to finish 20-3-1.

Brenton Arnaboldi ’14 Associate Editor Bolstered by the stellar play of senior goaltender Jonathan La Rose, the men’s hockey team closed out the regular season with road victories over Williams (3-1) and Middlebury (2-1) last weekend. The Jeffs (20-3-1, 17-1-0 NESCAC), ranked No. 3 in the national polls, are riding an eight-game winning streak into their

the period, but the Jeffs’ penalty-killing unit stymied Williams by consistently clearing loose rebounds out of the zone.

The Jeffs iced the result with senior Mark Colp’s power-play

3:05 into the frame. lifted their intensity level in the third period, skating more aggressively on the forecheck and pinning the Panthers in their own zone. period, the Jeffs scored on their tenth shot when Mike Rowbotham ’15 evaded a defender behind the net before banking a shot off the Panthers’ goaltender from behind the goal line.

Middlebury attempted to restore its lead with a power-play opportunity with 7:16 remaining, but the Jeffs stunned the Panthers of the ice, then cut towards the net before snapping a shot into the upper left corner. onds, but La Rose covered the loose puck to preserve the victory.

“I didn’t say anything in particular before the third period at Middlebury, but I think the team realized that the effort and energy they’d put forth to that point wasn’t good enough to win,” Arena said. “They were able to raise their level in the third, but that’s a dangerous way to play.” weekend on Saturday night. The Jeffs defeated the Continentals 2-0 by a 6-1 score on Jan. 20.

Nevertheless, Arena said that his team could not afford to overlook the Continentals, who actually skated to the top of the

nearly earned his fourth shutout in six games, but fell just short

of the best forwards in NESCAC and a goalie who can win a game by himself,” he said.

Since winning the NESCAC Championship in 2009, the Jeffs

buzzer.

Against Middlebury (11-6-1 NESCAC) the next day, the Jeffs

balanced scoring offense and a tenacious work ethic, the Jeffs are hoping for a better outcome in 2012.

Amherst by a 28-8 margin through 40 minutes. La Rose bailed the skaters out, however, making a series of great saves to limit the def-

in the tournament,” Arena said. “Teams play with desperation in the playoffs. They don’t want their seasons to end and we need to embrace that heightened intensity.”