Issue 19

THE AMHERST

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLVI, ISSUE 19 l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017

Women’s Hockey Advances to NESCAC Semifinals See Sports, Page 9 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

Advocates Speak on AfroColombian Rights Jacob Gendelman ’20 Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Faith Wen ’20

Advocates Marino Cordoba and Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli presented on Friday, Feb. 24 about the current state and history of Afro-Colombian persecution by the Colombian government.

Examining Economic Diversity at Amherst Shawna Chen ’20 Managing News Editor A New York Times report published on Jan. 18, which found that the median family income of an Amherst College student is $158,200, sparked conversation on campus about the place of socioeconomic diversity in the Amherst community and culture. The piece examined data from anonymous tax records and tuition records to compare economic diversity across national universities and colleges.

The report compared the financial background of students attending the college, their income mobility and their economic conditions later in life compared to students from the college’s peer institutions.

At Amherst, 60 percent of the student body come from families in the country’s top 20 per-

cent for income. 21 percent of the student body are from the top 1 percent — from families who made about $630,000 or more per year. The median individual income at age 34 for students at Amherst is $69,300, and 59 percent of the student body end up in the top 20 percent, which is among the highest of the NESCAC schools.

13 percent of students moved up two or more income quintiles, and of all students, 2 percent moved from the bottom to top income quintile.

Measures of access and economic status were based on students in the class of 2013 born in 1991, while measures of outcomes and mobility were based on students born between 1980 and 1982 who are now around age 35, according to the Times, when “relative income ranks stabilize.”

President Biddy Martin said in an email interview that the report was “a very interesting

and important story that shows how far we have to go to address the issue of economic inequality in this country and around the world.”

Higher education, she said, is key for social mobility. Though “we are proud to have made huge progress” in providing access and opportunity for students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, she said “we all have much more to do when it comes to providing access for middle class and working class families.”

Martin noted that of Amherst students in the lowest three income quintiles, two-thirds moved up two or more income quintiles as adults. “Among colleges and universities as a whole, that is a very strong record,” she said.

The report, she added, was based on historical data and “limited information that do not

Continued on Page 3

Marino Cordoba and Gimena Sánchez-Garzoli gave a presentation called “Peace and Human Rights for Afro-Colombian and Indigenous Peoples in Colombia” on Friday, Feb. 24 in Fayerweather Hall. Cordoba is an Afro-Colombian advocate for the Association for Internally Displaced Afro-Colombians (AFRODES), and Sánchez works for the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), which researches and advocates for human rights in the Americas. The Political Science department sponsored the lecture.

The lecture began with a short documentary called “The Silent Scream,” which showed the persecution of Afro-Colombians from 1996 to the present by the Colombian government. Attacks on Afro-Colombians began in 1996, three years after Law 70 was passed, which recognized Afro-Colombians’ right to occupy and own their “ancestral land” by rivers in the Pacific Basin.

Paramilitary and Colombian Army soldiers entered Cordoba’s town when people were sleeping and murdered those who had been involved in passing the law, according to the documentary.

They first attacked the town in 1996, and Cordoba has not been able to return home since, instead leading a speaking tour in the U.S. to draw public attention to the attacks.

Congressman Jim McGovern from Massachusetts’ second district, who had previously traveled to Colombia with Sánchez, introduced the two speakers. He condemned the United States’ past policies in Colombia and warned that the current Congress might cause more violence by refusing to support the peace accords between Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Colombian government that were signed last November. McGovern encouraged the audience to ask representatives to support the peace accords.

Cordoba then described his campaign to

Continued on Page 3

Dean of Students to Leave Position Vandalism Against Transgender Isabel Tessier ’19 Managing News Editor President Biddy Martin sent out a community-wide email on Monday, Feb. 27 announcing that Dean of Students Alex Vasquez will leave his position at the college after the spring semester.

Vasquez, who has been at the college since 2014, helped restructure the Offices of Student Affairs and Student Life, developed updated residential and community standards and participated in planning the Greenway dorms’ interior design, according to Martin’s email.

“His support of countless numbers of students and student organizations has made our community stronger,” Martin added.

The college has hired search firm Storbeck/ Pimentel & Associates to help with the search for a new dean of students. Chief Student Affairs Officer Suzanne Coffey will chair the search, along with Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Norm Jones.

In an email interview, Coffey said that she and Jones hope to bring search candidates to campus before final exams begin on May 8. Mar-

tin noted in her email that students and other community members will be “well represented” on the search committee and asked to provide input.

In an email interview, Vasquez said the moment he was proudest of the college community was at Amherst Uprising — “the students who shared and organized so thoughtfully and courageously [and] the staff and faculty who spent so many hours with them listening, learning, supporting, teaching and prioritizing our students.”

Vasquez also said that his most meaningful work at the college “has centered on building trusting relationships with students, finding ways to be on the same side of the table with them, listening to them and helping to ensure that we continue to be a community that puts students first.”

In his remaining time as the dean of students, Vasquez plans to “continue to be engaged in” conversations about the college’s changing social life, issues of sexual respect in residence halls and collaborating with community members “to support and engage our community in the face of a changing political climate.”

People Found in Frost Bathroom Shawna Chen ’20 Managing News Editor A student reported finding a hateful message against transgender people in Frost Library’s gender inclusive bathroom, said Chief of Amherst College Police John Carter and Chief Student Affairs Officer Suzanne Coffey in a communitywide email on Tuesday morning, Feb. 28.

The message, found on the previous night, was written in black marker on the mirror, said Carter and Coffey, and the police has initiated an incident report and investigation.

“Discrimination and bias on the basis of gender expression and identity will not be tolerated at Amherst College,” they wrote.

Carter and Coffey emphasized the necessity of community assistance and directed anyone with information to contact the Office of Student Affairs or the Amherst College Police Department. Information can be provided confidentially through the online Office of Student Affairs community standards portal.

“Vandalism is a crime and vandalism with a component of bias may be considered a ‘hate crime,’” which will be assessed by the police department and District Attorney’s Office once the party responsible is identified, Carter and Coffey said. The party responsible will also face review by the Office of Student Affairs under the college’s code of conduct.

“We condemn expressions of hate toward any members of our community,” they wrote. “Hate affects the entire community directly and indirectly and everyone has a role in combating it.”

This is not the first bias incident in the school year reported by the ACPD. A racist slur was found on the third floor of Greenway Building A in early February. Martin emailed the community in November about posters in McGuire Life Sciences Building that linked skulls of different sizes to differences in intelligence by race.

Resources for those affected will be available through the Queer Resource Center, Women’s & Gender Center, Counseling Center and Office of Student Affairs.

News

Sophie Chung Feb. 20, 2017 - Feb. 27, 2017

>>Feb. 20, 2017 4:27 p.m., Fayerweather Hall An officer investigated an intrusion alarm at the Eli Marsh Gallery and found a door ajar. >>Feb. 21, 2017 12:23 a.m., Hitchcock House A caller complained about loud music and people banging on doors on the first floor. No activity was found when an officer investigated.

11:38 a.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory Officers investigated a smoke detector sounding on the first floor and found it was activated by burned popcorn.

4:46 p.m., Powerhouse The Office of Student Affairs said that a third party reported a person was slapped during an event.

4:55 p.m., Powerhouse The Office of Student Affairs reported that a third party reported a person was slapped during an event.

referred to Student Affairs.

8:57 p.m., Appleton Dormitory While in the building, an officer discovered an underage resident with alcohol. It was disposed of and the matter was referred to Student Affairs.

9:17 p.m., Pratt Field House Officers and the Fire Department investigated an alarm and found it was activated by a maintenance issue. Facilities was notified.

10:34 p.m., Charles Pratt Dormitory A resident complained about loud music coming from an event in the O’Connor Commons. The DJ lowered the volume.

10:38 p.m., Mayo Smith House While in the building, an officer discovered loud noise coming from a second-floor room. The occupants were advised to quiet down.

>>Feb. 22, 2017 2:36 a.m., Hitchcock Parking Lot An officer found a woman looking through the contents of a dumpster. She was asked to leave.

>>Feb. 25, 2017 7:26 a.m., Off Campus Locations Amherst Police reported information about a youth missing from a local address. The youth was located by an officer on Mill Valley Road.

12:24 p.m., Boltwood Avenue A student reported being involved in a motor vehicle accident with a college-owned van while off campus.

4:30 p.m., Greenway Building C An officer investigated a fire alarm sounding on the second floor and found it was activated by cooking smoke.

3:20 p.m., Valentine Dining Hall A student reported the theft of a new pair of pants left in a bag in the coat room. They were purchased that day for $40. The investigating officer identified the person who took the pants.

8:52 p.m., Moore Dormitory An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a first-floor room and discovered it was activated by the use of an electronic cigarette.

>>Feb. 23, 2017 5:08 p.m., Keefe Campus Center A student reported the theft of a cell phone from the McCaffrey room. It was later found on the second floor of the building behind a game machine. >>Feb. 24, 2017 7:26 a.m., Amherst College Police A student was found in possession of two false driver’s licenses.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles and Student Affairs were notified.

10:25 a.m., College Hall An officer investigated a concerning message from someone off campus, received by an employee.

Assistance was provided.

12:40 p.m., Cohan Dormitory A caller complained about cigarette smoke on the third floor. The smell had dissipated and the origin could not be identified by the responding officer.

8:41 p.m., North College Dormitory While in the building, an officer detected the odor of burnt marijuana coming from a third-floor room.

After speaking with a resident, the officer confiscated a pipe used to smoke marijuana. The matter was

10:52 p.m., College Street An officer encountered an underage student with alcohol. The alcohol was disposed of and the matter was referred to Student Affairs.

11:49 p.m., Lipton House While in Lipton, an officer discovered evidence that an excessive amount of alcohol, including hard alcohol, had been available at a registered party. >>Feb. 26, 2017 12:03 a.m., Jenkins Dormitory Officers and the Fire Department responded to an alarm after two pull stations were activated. No reason for the activations could be found.

12:11 a.m., Valentine Dining Hall An officer investigated a report that the east roll-up gate at the Dining Hall was open. An officer secured the gate, and after reviewing a video record, found that seven people had entered after opening the gate about an hour earlier. No one was found inside. >>Feb. 27, 2017 12:13 a.m., Noah Webster Circle A caller reported that several males had damaged a tree on Noah Webster Circle and kicked his car. The matter is under investigation.

Thoughts on Theses Department of English

Sophie Chung is an English major with a concentration in film theory. Her thesis examines Asian-American voices on YouTube and how they affect the Asian-American community at large. Her adviser is Mellon-Keiter Postdoctoral Fellow and Visiting Assistant Professor of English Yu-ting Huang.

Q: What is your thesis about?

A: My thesis is about the Asian-American voice and community that is out of written text. So I’ve studied a lot of ethnic minority literature … But in studying the written text and literature, a lot of the questions I was wrestling with was, “What happens to the Asian-American voice when you take it out of written text?” I was considering the way the digital humanities and digital itself as a space is becoming more incorporated [into] the English literature field. I thought it’d be interesting to look at YouTube videos, so my entire thesis is on Asian-American YouTube videos and what kind of silences [and] what kind of voices are heard ... What does the Asian-American voice purport to do in the digital space … especially framed against theories of post-colonialism and cyber-race and cyberspace democracy and things like that? They’re all very big words, but ultimately I’m looking at YouTube.

Q: What’s been the most interesting thing you’ve found?

A: Obviously, a thesis project is something that you devise because it’s something you’re interested in, something you have a personal claim to, or else I would not be spending so much time on it. So I guess what’s been interesting for me in my journey of researching and writing has been the way I see YouTube videos that I normally would watch just as entertainment ... [and] now having to look at them through an analytic lens, and oftentimes the analysis that comes out is not necessarily favorable. I’ve been realizing that there are many ways that Asian-American YouTube stars are not really helping the Asian-American community cause. The ways they present Asian Americans can be reductive.

Q: Can you give me an example?

A: [Ryan Higa] is one of the top subscribed YouTube channels and personalities — and not just out of Asian Americans, but all throughout YouTube. But he has an interesting video called “Are Asian Stereotypes True!?” and it’s supposed to be for comedic purposes. He lists all these … stereotypes that are prevalent in mainstream media. It’s interesting the way he takes that and says, “I personally don’t find these offensive and I think we should embrace them instead.” … I’m trying to look at [these stereotypes] through a more critical lens of how that’s essentializing the Asian-American community and statically reifying them as, “Yeah, Asian Americans are good at math — all of them” — which is not true. I’m an English major — I can say personally that I am not into math. … While a video may be wellintentioned, the result can actually be damaging or reductive in general.

Q: Has your process been looking at specific videos and then analyzing them?

A: The way I’ve split it up is that I have three different chapters and I split it up by genre. My first chapter is on the “real me,” or the confessional vlog [video blog], the diary vlog … what happens when a prominent Asian-American YouTube personality who purports to represent the Asian-American community confesses things and tries to reconstruct a self, an Asian-American self? … And second, I’m looking at comedy — so that’s where Wong Fu and Fung Brothers and different comedic YouTube videos will come out, analyzing that [and] problematizing those even further. My third chapter, which I’m still

working on, is the more explicit activist video of when Ferguson happened — a bunch of videos were released by Asian-American YouTube stars who sat around a table and discussed what it means for the Asian American and how we stand in solidarity with the other minorities — just like more explicitly tackling issues head on in videos in ways that speak to contemporary issues.

Q: Do you only look at Asian-American videos that relate to the Asian-American identity?

A: So what I’m nuancing a little bit more is: what happens then when an Asian-American face on YouTube does not release anything regarding Asian-American situations or our positions in society? Is there still an [implication that] because you’re an Asian American you stand as a representation of the Asian-American community? I hesitate to say “Asian-American community” because there [are] so many different groups within that big label. One of the things I’m arguing is that we need to look at the heterogeneity, the multiplicity that the labels Asian Americans encompass[es]. I guess one explicit example that I do write about is Anna Akana, who is a stand-up comedian on YouTube. She releases a lot of videos that actually don’t have to do with Asian-American issues. She talks about her sister’s suicide, her depression and other topics. I would say she has multiple facets to her persona that she identifies with in her videos and I want to argue that it gives her more ways to position herself [and] different opportunities for her to relate to people who are depressed or women — not necessarily having her Asian face be her one identity.

Q: What do you think has been the most difficult part of your thesis work?

A: Writing, essentially, is identity work, which is why it’s so hard to write. As an English major, I can attest to the many times in which I would write something and if it was not that great, it would feel like an attack on my identity … Taking on a big, long-term project such as a thesis … it’s always a constant wrestling of, “Is this really good? Or am I just writing for the sake of writing? Is what I’m trying to argue meaningful?”

And then it’s just constantly reflecting and looking at yourself and refocusing and recalibrating … “Why am I writing this?”

Q: What would your advice be for future thesis writers?

A: Don’t try to force it if it’s not there, and … don’t be afraid to have to drop a thesis, too. I think there’s a lot of shame or stigma in dropping a thesis because Amherst College students are very overachieving … There’s so much stigma and shame over dropping a thesis or realizing halfway through that this may not be what you want to do — [do] not be afraid of that. Sounds really cliché, but go where your heart prompts you. Oh, that sounds so cliché. Forgive me, English department!

Q: Who’s your favorite YouTuber?

A: I really like Anna Akana in the context of her life story and that she’s vulnerable and she explicitly works through her videos to add to the Asian-American narrative. I think what she’s doing is very admirable and I look up … to the vulnerability that she shows in her videos.

— Audrey Cheng ’20

The Amherst Student • March 1, 2017

News

3

MacArthur Fellow Gives Talk on African Diaspora Artists Emma Wilfert ’20 Staff Writer Amherst alumna and MacArthur Fellow Dr. Kellie Jones ’81 spoke about her career and upcoming book “South of Pico: African American Artists in Los Angeles in the 1960s and 1970s” in a talk titled “EyeMinded: Living and Writing Contemporary Art” on Thursday, Feb. 23. In her talk, Jones outlined her efforts to bring the work of black and other marginalized artists to the spotlight and reveal the “hidden history of black people everywhere.”

Professor of Art and History of Art Nicola Courtright introduced Jones, calling her “our current-day Vasari ... who created the canon of art history during the Renaissance.” Courtright pinpointed Jones’ unique perspective on the role of race in art as a major reason for inviting her back to Amherst.

“After Amherst Uprising, I talked to many students of color,” Courtright said. “I thought that she would be a very important voice for understanding and hope for students who were feeling very bummed out about what it was like to be black in our society and to be black at Amherst.” She added that she wanted Jones to speak not only to students of color, but to “any students” in order to foster a more inclusive community.

The daughter of two civil rights activists, Jones grew up in New York and went on to complete an interdisciplinary major at Amherst. She later received her Ph.D. in art history at Yale. Today, she is a professor at Columbia University. Jones has

also continued to work as a guest curator in cities such as São Paolo, Johannesburg, New York and Los Angeles.

In 2016, Jones received a MacArthur Fellowship grant for her curation of contemporary art of the African diaspora. The MacArthur Foundation recognized Jones for specifically seeking out artists from communities that descend from the historical movement of people from Africa, particularly to the Americas.

Jones spoke to the importance of cultural exchange and communication in the arts. She explained that in her own work, she makes a point of including artists of all races, even if that specific exhibit is about the African-American experience.

She pointed to her own experiences as a curator to show the far-reaching impact of “the dialogue that people have with black culture.”

“Even though people are telling you this is marginal,” she said, the huge reactions to her own exhibits and the success of the artists she has placed in the spotlight demonstrate an interest in the art of the African diaspora beyond the black community.

“I don’t think 40,000 people coming [to see it] means it’s marginal,” said Jones about the crowds one of her first exhibits drew. “I think it means people want to see this.”

Jones offered current Amherst students advice as they navigate this “place of possibility.”

“In being here and having the great opportunity to go to this school, studying and learning, you also have a responsibility to give something back, because it’s given something to you,” she reminded

Photo courtesy of Sarah Wishloff ’19

Amherst alumna Dr. Kellie Jones ’81 received the MacArthur Fellowship for seeking out and featuring artists from the African diaspora. students.

“I think a lot of us, especially those of us in the arts and arts scholarship, kind of wonder how a liberal arts education is going to pan out,” said Jamie Sandel ’17. “[Jones] kind of occupies this amazing space where she’s contributing academically ... but she’s also making a huge impact in the practical arts world. And also accomplishing a lot of things with an activist impact, all at once, which is very encouraging for a liberal arts student.”

At the end of her talk, Jones focused on visual art as a means of activism and spoke about how the present is “a moment of greater activism for artists in many ways.” She also suggested that margin-

alized artists are more free to express themselves than ever, as LGBT issues become more visible and people become more exposed to black art.

“There’s a much wider idea of what black can be, what black is,” she said.

Jones also praised the role of social media in promoting new artists’ work and encouraged artists to keep sharing. “The way artists think … is something the world needs, clearly,” she said.

Ultimately, Jones left students with a message of hope. “Activism in art looks different in different times,” she said. “But it’s there — it continues. It may take years … but guess what? It actually happens.”

Cordoba and Sánchez Discuss Afro-Colombian Movement Continued from Page 1 protect the Afro-Colombian community with a chapter in the recent peace accords. During the war, paramilitary groups used brutal methods to force Afro-Colombians out of the Pacific Basin.

Neither the FARC nor the Colombian government allowed Afro-Colombians to join the peace accord negotiations, Cordoba said. Cordoba toured the United States to speak about attacks on Afro-Colombians. He wrote a letter to President Obama, and was invited to a hearing with the president and Congress.

After working with both the Democratic and Republican parties, Cordoba said, he was invited to Havana, where the negotiations were taking place, to present documents that would protect Afro-Colombians. As a result, the text of the final accords included a chapter which recognized the persecution of the Afro-Colombians “as a product of colonialism, slavery, marginalization

and dispossession from their land, territory and resources,” confirmed that they still had titles to their land and gave “full access to their human and collective rights.”

Sánchez then explained the recent improvement in U.S.-Colombia relations. She described her early years working to advocate for displaced persons. Her own family, she said, had been displaced during Argentina’s civil war, and fled to Europe, and then the United States. Congress had in previous years allowed bombing of various villages in Colombia, she said. According to Sánchez, Afro-Colombians lived in areas with valuable natural resources such as oil, and the government and paramilitary forces both wanted this land.

In order to stand up to the Colombian government, Afro-Colombian groups formed the Afro-Colombian Peace Council (CONPA) and later joined with indigenous advocates to form the Organization of Indigenous Persons (ONIC).

“This peace agreement, if you’re looking at it from the U.S. point of view, isn’t just something that’s good to do for Colombia,” Sánchez said.

The U.S. has already invested so much in Colombia, she said, and supporting the peace agreement would demonstrate that Democrats and Republicans could work together.

Colombia, Sánchez said, is more secure than ever, but it still needs to bring the National Liberation Army (ELN) insurgent armed group on board with the peace agreement. Other armed groups must also be disarmed, she added.

“Colombia’s not just Pablo Escobar and Netflix,” she said. “Colombia’s not just Sofia Vergara or Shakira. Colombia is a complex country that has some really wonderful amazing people, like Marino [Cordoba], I think more of those amazing people than any country I’ve worked on, that are giving their all to make the country a better place and to make it a peaceful society.”

The two then answered questions, speaking

on the dangers of paramilitaries paid by Colombian elites and voter turnout for the referendum on the peace accords.

David Lander ’17, who attended the talk, said that he appreciated a multifaceted perspective on the peace agreement. “When people think of the Colombian peace accords right now with FARC, you only think of the two actors — of FARC and Colombia — and maybe the third actor of the U.S., but you don’t think about the smaller sections within the peace accord that are going to be able to help different communities within Colombia,” he said.

“It’s not just about FARC, not just about the upper echelons of the government,” he added.

“You also are going to need [a] medium to incorporate the communities that have been most brutally affected by the war for 50 years. So it’s really helpful to have a talk about this and actually be able to learn about more than just the basics of the conflict.”

Progress and Hurdles: A Look at Amherst’s Economic Diversity Continued from Page 1

convey a full picture of Amherst’s efforts or its progress in furthering social mobility.”

According to Martin, the college has recently put in place more initiatives to increase its socioeconomic diversity, including reaching out to working-class and low-income students and families, providing resources to help students “close any gaps that need to be closed by virtue of the high schools they attended” and improving counseling and networking services focused on post-graduation career and educational opportunities.

An obstacle to economic diversity, Martin said, is the fact that many “high-ability, lowincome students” do not consider selective liberal arts colleges like Amherst, believing that the college is an unaffordable option.

This past year, the college joined 52 of the nation’s elite colleges and universities in the new American Talent Initiative, which is “dedicated to increasing dramatically the number of lowincome students enrolled at leading schools.

One priority of ATI is to recruit excellent students from community colleges,” said Martin.

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer Norm Jones and Dean of Admissions Katie Fretwell ’81 were contacted for the story, and both contributed to Martin’s email response.

The college’s current outreach to low-income

students includes yearly trips by admissions staff to school districts with low-income and minority students, participation in QuestBridge which helps connect low-income students with selective colleges, funding that has increased the number of attendees at Diversity Open Houses (DIVOH) and initiatives to recruit Native American students.

Fretwell added that the Office of Admissions collaborates with Five College admissions officers every year to host a three-day program for guidance counselors and community-based leaders to learn about Amherst.

The college hosts two Diversity Open Houses every fall for high school seniors of color.

Students apply for the open house, travel to the college free of transportation cost and receive “intimate contact with current students” once on campus, said Diversity Intern Elaine Vilorio ’17. Diversity interns, who organize the Open Houses, remain in contact with DIVOH students after the weekend to answer any further questions.

The Office of Admissions also works with community-based organizations year-round, setting up tours for these students and providing special info sessions where students can talk to diversity interns about college. Communitybased organizations, which are nonprofit groups and often after-school programs that work to

improve the life of their residents, will reach out to the office, and “we take it from there,” said Vilorio.

Vilorio, a low-income, first-generation Dominican-American student, said that attending DIVOH helped her learn more about the college admissions process. Her parents, while supportive, had limited knowledge about the U.S. college admissions process. Amherst didn’t visit her high school college tour, but she found out about DIVOH online. Her experience inspired her to become a diversity intern herself.

“Not having low-income students on campus is a disservice to a diversity of opinions and experiences and ... to having equal access despite your income bracket,” she said. “You lose out by not learning about how poverty affects lives.”

Vilorio struggled in her first year, she said.

The transition from her public high school in New Jersey to an elite college was a challenge.

“There’s this idea that you had to prove yourself in school — that if I didn’t get it on my own, it was a poor reflection of myself,” she said.

She encourages low-income students to connect with alumni through the Pathways mentoring program, which can “show you different career paths and how to built your own network.”

“Don’t feel like you’re indebted to this place,” she said. “You deserve to be here. Being on fi-

nancial aid doesn’t mean you’re any less intellectual.”

The student-run First Generation Association offers first-generation first-year students the opportunity to have an upper-class peer mentor. The college is also currently holding a search to fill the position of an associate director of student life working specifically with firstgeneration and low-income students.

“Also, we instituted an OSA [Office of Student Affairs] case-management system aimed at students who will benefit from one-on-one support from the college staff,” Martin said. “And for later this year, we anticipate launching a new Financial Aid Peer Mentor Program.” The Career Center offers help with business attire, job interviews and conferences, according to Vilorio, and eligible seniors can apply for a $400 grant to travel and apply for grad school.

“Our experience at Amherst shows that … the success of [low-income] students with a rigorous curriculum and in life beyond graduation is consistent with the achievements of those from higher-income backgrounds,” Martin said.

“At the same time, on our own and in common cause with colleges and universities throughout the nation, we must work even harder than we have to achieve the level of educational equity and socioeconomic mobility essential to the long-term health of our society.”

Opinion

THE AMHERST

STUDENT

Relational Drive

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

Editorial

Before we imagined what community looked like, we simply wanted it. Students and the institution both often rely too heavily on aesthetics. We try to create a community that looks and behaves a certain way, but we don’t always listen to the underlying emotional drive for social connection. Relational drive becomes sidelined for the sake of the relational product, and we lose sight of why we were trying to connect with others in the first place.

Of course, we should be imagining our future and brainstorming ways in which we can make our community stronger and more inclusive. However, it becomes a problem when we, or the institution, set out a vision that is so superficial that it fails to respond to what is happening in the present moment. In other words, if we found our imagination of the future exclusively on the basis of an aesthetic framework, we will forever be correcting our present to align with the “look.” We will not be listening to the reorienting process that the present demands.

To observe this phenomenon in our own institution, we can consider the college’s hardline stance on fraternities.

Greek life, on a national scale, is certainly surrounded by a problematic and oppressive culture — it reinforces hierarchies far beyond the college campuses where it originates. It should be a subject of concern and national discussion, but not because it looks bad for institutions.

It should be concerning because of the genuine crisis it reflects about the structures of our social lives in America. We should be more concerned about how it enforces hyper-masculinity instead of worrying how to remove Greek letters from the public eye. We should be concerned about the incidents of sexual assault and how our campuses endorse and even award perpetrators.

If Amherst took the root of fraternity culture seriously, the administration would be less obsessive about reporting every single time the term “frat” is uttered.

Instead, we would be having a larger conversation about many other all-male institutions and teams that enforce hyper-masculinity on campus — teams that are sanctioned by the institution itself. We might be having more transgressive conversations about how to actually shake an institution to its core and make it look at itself.

We should actually investigate why sexist and racist email-chains exist, dig into masculine culture at Amherst and upend it — not encourage students to simply drag old secret files into their trash folder for the sake of our reputation. Too often, conversations stop short and only touch upon how to behave and how to present oneself — how to hide, essentially. And even if no one was told to delete their old emails and screenshots of GroupMe explicitly, we did so implicitly by failing to force men on this campus to truly look at themselves and the culture in which they are implicated.

Such half-hearted conversation does a disservice to all involved. It upholds a structure of education that instructs a certain way of thinking about things, rather than thinking for itself. Being told how to behave in strict terms doesn’t encourage self-reflection — it only makes them believe that asking such narrow, appearance-based questions is the best way to survive. On a practical level, this attitude proves unsustainable.

Rather than addressing underlying issues, relational products only scratch at the surface. And after a while, when this surface cracks, the problems still linger under the façade and fester. In the case of tearing down the social dorms, for example, the policy diminished teams’ abilities to throw parties together, but did it really create a more inclusive social scene at Amherst? It seems like there was little concern for how students connect or should connect in the first place. By only looking at the surface, the college fails to address the complexities of problems on this campus, and this failure is something students have to live with from generation to generation.

If I May: Transphobia at Amherst College Jake May ’19 Columnist This is not the column I had planned on writing this week. I had a couple hundred words written about awards shows and their place in American culture, inspired by the wacky Oscars broadcast this past Sunday. Then, early yesterday morning, we all received an email alerting us to the fact that transphobic vandalism had been written on the mirror of a gender-inclusive bathroom in Frost Library. Receiving this email dismayed and horrified me, as I’m sure it did for many fellow students. So, when I sat down to finish my silly awards show article, I realized that I could not. I could only think about how angry I am about this vandalism. I am privileged enough to have an outlet to discuss my feelings and opinions every week, so I thought it silly to not address this terrible incident. This may not be my most cohesive article, and it won’t be arguing a single point. These are just my thoughts and concerns on the subject.

Hopefully, it will be as meaningful for some to read as it was for me to write.

I’d like to say that I was shocked when I received the news of the vandalism, but at this point, I am no longer surprised to hear about hateful actions such as these, even on our mostly liberal campus. As the election and support for Donald Trump and his cohorts has shown, a litany of phobias and “-isms” are alive and well in the United States, whether these feelings target people of color, women or members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Of course, these feelings were undoubtedly present prior to this year’s election, but as hateful people have risen to power, hateful messages have also risen to the forefront of American culture. Even at Amherst College, a progressive institution where a majority of the students’ political leanings are somewhere left of center, it is clear now that these awful beliefs not only exist, but the holders of these views also feel comfortable enough believing them that they’ll scrawl

“Even at Amherst College, a progressive institution where a majority of the students’ political leanings are somewhere left of center, it is clear now that these awful beliefs not only exist, but the holders of these views also feel comfortable enough believing them that they’ll scrawl them on a widely-used bathroom mirror.” them on a widely-used bathroom mirror. This is what worries me most about Trump’s election — with it has come the normalization of these wretched, hateful views. For example, Milo Yiannopoulos, known for his intense transphobia, was tapped to be keynote speaker of CPAC

this year. His invitation was only rescinded because a video surfaced of Yiannopoulos condoning pedophilia, even though prior to that, he has been on record multiple times making claims like “Made-up genders don’t make you special, they make you a retard.” Yiannopoulos was undoubtedly a hateful and beyond problematic person before these statements on pedophilia had come to light — yet CPAC booked him anyway.

Unfortunately, in light of this vandalism incident, it seems that this normalization is beginning to creep into our college even more than previously. But of course, this incident is an extreme manifestation of the problematic views that exist on this campus. More often, these views manifest in microaggressions, or misguided housing policies, or a lack of support from faculty and staff. I never thought that Amherst was a place free of prejudice and hate.

But events in the past few months — Trump’s election, the recent ill-conceived housing policy and now this hateful incident — have made me realize that Amherst has to do even more work to eradicate these mindsets than I thought was necessary. I know I should’ve known this already, but alas, the white, male and cisgender privilege to be blind to these issues strikes again. And perhaps this is just more privileged talk, but I believe that Amherst will continue to improve. While our institution certainly possesses problematic beliefs, we also possess passionate, driven, brilliant and wonderful students and faculty who are committed to making positive change, both at Amherst and beyond.

Editors-in-Chief Drew Kiley Jingwen Zhang Executive Advisers 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 Nathaniel Quigley, Julia Turner Managing Design Justin Barry S TA F F Head Publisher Tia Robinson, Emily Ratte Head Marketer Sophie Currin Design Editors Zehra Madhavan, Isabel Park, Chloe Tausk, Sivian Yu

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The Amherst Student • March 1, 2017

Opinion

5

Dear Alumni, Whom I Love Jenna Peng ’18 Contributing Writer Dear Alumni, Whom I Love: ‘Thank you so much for your support’ — which has, today, granted me a polite one or overstepping two cider donuts. These donuts are essential. When I bite into one and get lost in its somehow both fluffy and dense center, I forget for an instant that I am placing myself as indebted to you in order to obtain a plain gray tank top.

‘You have helped make my Amherst education possible,’ as I am reminded by Donor Relations every semester. It is good to check my luck every once in a while and it is right to repay generous donors, like yourself, who have invested in financially-dependent students, like myself. It is my hope that these letters alleviate your concerns of proper investment by sharing with you, in intimate detail, the life to which you have given light.

I think it was one of my professors who told me that things are more meaningful when they are not coerced. This is to say, I hope Donor Relations’ thinly-veiled, emailed threat that “if we do not hear from students, we will reach out to their academic advisor and/or coaches to glean additional information” does not weigh too heavy on your mind.

Like they said, this condition is simply “to

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ensure that [donor relations] has the correct contact information.” I also hope you do not take much insult at full-paying students who must be incentivized with purple cups and plastic straws to write these letters. Unlike students on financial aid who write to you out

whether students on financial aid are here at Amherst to teach those whose parents are paying full tuition. Every time someone proclaims the “I guess I’m privileged” revelation, I realize how my existence has assisted someone in recognizing their positionality. During

“Here, I recognize how an ideology of indebtedness pervades the question — why are you here? Students who welcome us see our value after we are consumed like readings on a syllabus.

Students who look the other way see us for how much we cost.” of gracious obligation, full-paying students should be reimbursed for such undue thankfulness.

‘Without your contributions, I would not be able to’ gauge my worth to my fellow classmates. I am glad that the controversy surrounding my presence at this school prompts a rigorous theoretical exercise concerning

these moments when it becomes clear I am not simply a student who wants to learn but a resource for learning, I feel imbued with such a sense of instrumental importance. Thanks to my outside-of-the-classroom conversations, I have learned how to both recite my narrative in a predictable and patient manner and how to demonstrate to others the value

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of diversity.

‘I am grateful for your support because’ here I have found administrators, who — in response to the proclamations of violently insecure boys — put me on a pedestal. It is nice to have people who believe so single-mindedly in my ability to persevere that they shift the burden of success onto me and render institutional intervention irrelevant.

Here, I recognize that feelings of non-belonging on this campus do not begin and end with the individuals who voice hateful opinions. I recognize how students are martyred, how their circumstances are marginalized and how administrative duties are minimized.

Here, I recognize how an ideology of indebtedness pervades the question — why are you here? Students who welcome us see our value after we are consumed like readings on a syllabus. Students who look the other way see us for how much we cost.

Here, I am told to not apologize for my presence. I am told not to be sorry. I am also told to be grateful.

Signed, Jenna Peng ’18 Single quotations indicate sections drawn directly from postcard writing instructions provided at I Love My Alumni Week tabling.

If you want to write for us, email squong18@ amherst.edu

Arts&Living

Oscar Night’s Twist Ending Overshadows Award’s Record Diversity

Photo courtesy of bestmovie.ie

Photo courtesy of wired.it

For the first time in Oscar’s history, the wrong picture was announced as the winner due to a card mixup. PricewaterhouseCoopers has taken full responsibility.

Paola Garcia-Prieto ’18 Managing Arts & Living The 89th Academy Awards will go down in history for one very obvious reason, the massive blunder that was the final and most important award announcement of the night. For those that live under a rock, here’s a quick recap: While announcing the “Best Picture” winner, Warren Beatty took a pause when reading the card. However, his hesitance seemed like a cheesy effort to build suspense, causing his “Bonnie and Clyde” co-star, Faye Dunaway, to take the card and name “La La Land” as the winner. What the card actually read was “Best Actress: Emma Stone” for her role in “La La Land,” which was the category announced right before. The entire cast and crew of “La La Land” was already on the stage and beginning to give their acceptance speeches when an Oscars producer ran on stage to tell them that they were in fact not the winners, and that “Moonlight” had won best picture. It was a jaw-dropping moment too chaotic to have been planned out (in my opinion), and in its aftermath the Internet blew up with memes blaming Steve Harvey for the mix-up (in reference to the time he accidentally crowned the wrong Miss Universe winner) and celebrating the “Moonlight” win.

This sudden upset contradicted the recurring trend we’ve seen since Nov. 8 of last year, where the expected winner is beat at the last minute by the whiter lead. Think about it, everyone was sure Hillary would win (yes she’s white but she did not run on a campaign of white supremacy), and then Trump wins the Electoral College leaving the majority of Americans shell-shocked. Then, in this year’s Super Bowl, the Atlanta Falcons were winning only to be overcome at the last minute by the New England Patriots (historically the NFL’s whitest team). This even happened at the Grammy’s, everyone was sure Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” would take best album. Adele’s win took even her by surprise and she used her moment to emphasize how Beyoncé should have won because of the impact her album had on the black community. The Oscars proved an interesting twist on this trend in which the “white” movie, “La La Land,” a movie about jazz with no black people in it, was expect-

ed to win over the “black” movie (“Moonlight,” a young man’s experience growing up black, gay and poor in Miami) and ended up losing in a surprising turn of events. A Buzzfeed article described the night well: “[these instances] all felt like nationally broadcast instances of whiteness reasserting its grip on a country that has been fighting its way, ever so slowly, toward a future in which whiteness does not mean a guaranteed win.” To “Moonlight,” a black LGBT film, winning is meaningful to a country currently struggling with the sudden reversal of the slow progression fought for during the last 50 years.

Watching the producer of “La La Land” respectfully hand over the Oscar to the “Moonlight” crew was momentous, no matter which movie you were rooting for. Although the mix-up robbed the “Moonlight” producers from giving their full speeches and having their proper moment of victory, it produced a moment people will be talking about for a very long time.

The evening still contained other memorable moments. Jimmy Kimmel, host of a late night talk show on ABC, hosted the Oscars for the first time.

He played it relatively safe compared to last year’s host, Chris Rock, but a few of his jokes were racially insensitive, which shifted focus from the fact that this year’s nominees were the most diverse group in The Academy’s history. For the first time there was a person of color in every single acting category. In his opening monologue Kimmel commented on the divided state of the nation and said, “Maybe this is not a popular thing to say, but I want to say thank you to President Trump. I mean, remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist? That’s gone, thanks to him.” Although The Academy has improved in their diversity (it may have been the first time that none of the black actors were nominated for having played a slave), to claim that this institution is no longer racist is calling it much too soon. Hollywood is not exempt from the troubling current state of race relations in this country. Kimmel’s joke was especially inappropriate given how he made fun of multiple people of color’s names, especially Mahershala Ali, the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar for his role in “Moonlight.” While Kimmel mostly strayed away from making race-related jokes, jokes about people

of color’s names undermine the more socially conscious jokes he made at President Trump’s expense.

Nevertheless, Kimmel’s performance was not hated overall. He followed up his simple, but funny opening monologue with a series of bits that went on throughout the night. My particular favorite was his grudge against Matt Damon. The two have had an ongoing feud since the start of Kimmel’s late night show, where every night he ends the show by apologizing to Damon for running out of time and not being able to interview him. This bit has continued for years and the two playfully trash talk each other in interviews constantly, so of course this quarrel would make an appearance during Kimmel’s first appearance at the Oscars.

He began the banter by offering to make amends with Damon, only to eventually tease him for giving up an Oscar-worthy role in “Manchester by the Sea,” the movie he produced, to star in “The Great Wall,” which was a total flop. In response, Damon tripped Kimmel while he was walking by his aisle.

Kimmel got revenge when Damon appeared on stage to present an award with Ben Affleck. The announcer simply called him a “guest” and, while Damon spoke, the music swelled up to the point where no one could hear what he was saying. A cut to the orchestra pit showed Kimmel conducting and yelling, “Hurry up already, we want to go home!” There was one final joke planned against Damon for the very end of the show that had to be scrapped due to the “La La Land” and “Moonlight” fiasco.

Another bit that was entertaining but off-putting was Kimmel’s prank on some unsuspecting Hollywood tourists. He arranged for one of the “celebrity sight-seeing” bus tours to stop at the Dolby Theatre and the tourists were told they were going to an Oscar red-carpet history exhibition only to walk in on the actual Oscar’s themselves. The tourists contrasted sharply in their regular clothes and selfie-sticks with the celebrities in ball gowns and tuxes. But the celebrities warmly welcomed them, shaking hands, hugging and taking pictures with the lucky few. Denzel Washington unofficially married a black couple from Chicago and the tourists were invited to touch Mahershala Ali’s “fresh” Oscar. While it was a deviation from the norm, the short-lasting bit felt like a parade of the poor

regular people for Hollywood’s most glamorous.

Nevertheless, those people got their money’s worth in terms of celebrity sightings.

The night was filled with show-stopping music performances. Justin Timberlake kicked off the night with his performance of the “Trolls” movie song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” which was nominated for best original song. Lin-Manuel Miranda rapped an original intro to his “Moana” song “How Far I’ll Go” performed by the beautiful Auli’i Cravalho. I encourage you all to watch a recording of this performance because her voice and the special effects on stage are too gorgeous to describe. And, while you’re on Youtube, watch John Legend perform both nominated songs from “La La Land,” featuring dancers among the stars. Best original song ended up going to “City of Stars” from “La La Land,” robbing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s chance at achieving EGOT status (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner). I’m not too worried though; he’ll be back there soon enough.

As anticipated, a lot of the winner’s acceptance speeches were political, specifically denouncing Donald Trump’s racism and xenophobia. The most impactful statement, however, was given by the foreign movie winner, Asghar Farhadi. The Iranian director of “The Salesman” made a powerful statement by not attending the Oscars. Instead he had Iranian astronaut Anousheh Ansari accept the award and recite a statement from Fahardi stating that he did not travel from Iran in solidarity with those disrespected by Trump’s travel ban.

There were too many memorable moments to fully cover all of them: candy fell from the ceiling, Viola Davis made everyone cry, Seth Rogen and Michael J. Fox sang a song from “Hamilton” and a living person’s picture was displayed during the “in memoriam” sequence. All were inevitably outshined by the huge mistake that occurred in the final five minutes of the show, the only time the Oscars have made such a mistake in its 89-year history, yet it was still an overall enjoyable show.

“La La Land,” which was nominated for a record 14 awards, went home with five, including best director and best actress, while “Moonlight,” which was nominated for eight awards, ended the night with three, most importantly best film and best supporting actor.

Photo courtesy of cinephilesdaily.blogspot.com

The Amherst Student • March 1, 2017

Arts & Living 7

Time and Space: Concert Featuring Milo Brings Rap to Marsh

Photos courtesy of Ann Guo ’20

The warm blue glow in Marsh Ballroom made the small crowd feel to the performers, which included Milo, ELUCID, Mal the Oddity, and Isaiah Lewis.

Julia Pretsfelder ’18 Managing Arts & Living Editor On Tuesday, February 21st, WAMH and the Hip Hop Club co-hosted a concert in the Marsh Arts House featuring sophomore Isaiah Lewis, Mal the Oddity (Amal Buford ’19), ELUCID and Milo. The low turnout for a Tuesday night concert offered an initially awkward yet surprisingly effective cozy vibe for what has been vaguely characterized as experimental rap. It feels weird to attempt to categorize the performer’s ranging styles. Outside of the Amherst bubble, Milwaukee native Milo (Rory Ferreira) is making waves with what Rolling Stone writer Christina Lee calls “the slippery, wordy, motormouth flow.”

Brooklyn-based ELUCID weaves messages of black liberation, a punky grit and futurist inspiration together to form a distinctively intense, god-like sound. Isaiah Lewis has the nuanced ability to make even his most vulnerable lyrics sharp and sophisticated yet somehow catchy in the best possible way. Mal the Oddity carries himself with a winning confidence that engages the audience to actively participate in witnessing his clear dedication and musical

intuition. Aside from this successful combination of artists, the concert continued my existential crisis about how we encounter the arts as a campus community. How can we provide alternative student spaces at Amherst without bodies to fill them? How do we make the time to step out of ourselves or into something that we enjoy? How can spheres like Marsh function to serve and include the wider community?

Isaiah Lewis ’19 and Amal Buford ’19 (Mal the Oddity) exemplify how to take a step back from the academic and extra-curricular grind to pursue their individual creative projects- a rare undertaking at Amherst. Warren Thimothe ’18, who collaborated with both of the performers indivudally at the concert and communally in a hip hop collective called NoCoast, praises their commitment to craft.

Thimothe remarks, “Isaiah hit me up a while back asking me to play piano on a stripped down performance of his recently dropped song ‘Post Up,’” he said. “It was an unconventional idea, but it was clear he had put thought into it…the acoustic vibe enabled him to focus on his delivery and really give an incredible, emotional performance. He was really the one giving that idea all the direction, unafraid to

ask for exactly what he wanted, which just further demonstrated how clear his artistic vision is.” Thimothe’s punchy but polished sampling complements Lewis’s raw storytelling and the reflective ripple effect that occurs across the space of a single song.

Part of what brings more wonder to these shows is the comfort to experiment in a space that feels like and literally is a home. Milo fan and Marsh House resident Rojas Oliva ’19 observed, “Milo’s music is meant for being alone.”

In concert, the performers brought that mood.

Ferreira mentioned that he was going to try out a beat they made while setting up before the show. My favorite Mal the Oddity song was one Buford was trying out live for the first time.

“They do not care about us!” he shouted with the audience. His genuine energy and critical voice, underscored by Thimothe’s smooth yet textured beats, shone through on this track in particular.

After the first two acts, Elucid managed to make rapping from a laptop look impressive. He squatted and bounced behind a table, topknot ponytail hybrid bouncing above the fluorescent glow of the Apple on his computer.

The gesture was only amplified by his walking

through the crowd with his eyes closed, completely absorbed in his verses. He enthralled and parted the audience with his deep voice, rickety instrumentals and extended interludes in a commanding performance.

Overall, concert-goers described the show as, first and foremost, “intimate.” It’s a trend I’ve seen with many Marsh shows, but given Milo’s popularity in the underground rap scene and the publicity of this show in particular, the low numbers were pretty surprising. The concert had to be postponed to a Tuesday night because of the snow day, which was a definite factor in the turnout. Even so, I’ve found it hard to encounter a Marsh concert that has a high attendance of Amherst College students relative to the WMUA UMass kids, Valley style downto-earth hipsters and Hampshire students.

There was some beauty in the smallness.

Milo’s dry yet introspective and sensitive charm shone through in a room of less than twenty people. He couldn’t help acknowledging how few people showed and joked about how no one liked him and how so many house members didn’t show up to the concert right there.

Continued on Page 8

Salem Tattoo Artist Kelly Doty Experiments with Pop Surrealism

Photo courtesy of Kelly Doty Facebook

Doty specializes in gothic images such as these glass-eyed dolls.

Lorelei Dietz ’20 Staff Writer Sometimes a bad tattoo is harder to forget than a beautiful tattoo is to remember. Tattoos are risky, not necessarily because of the intense physical pain they can produce, but because of their permanence. We are constantly bombarded with examples of horrendously butchered tattoos, both in person and online. Since neither our minds nor the internet will allow us to forget the mistakes that have been left on people’s skin, we often forget that a tattooist is a genuine artist. When we think about art, we think about the intentionality with which it was produced and the unadulterated will an artist has to make the piece. The pieces that artists put out are, in our minds, simply not mistakes (although

the creative process is replete with happy accidents of which the viewers are not necessarily aware). Artists of different mediums can withhold or alter any piece they think is subpar, whereas the tattoo artist’s work is limitedly alterable and on display any time someone’s skin is.

Coupled with the constant exposure of their mistakes, tattooists almost always work on commission. They are seldom ever given the freedom to flesh out (all puns intended) their own ideas fully on the client’s skin. Only when an artist has distinguished themselves and amassed a following can they begin to tattoo more freely. The client provides the content or ideas that are to be rendered, and the tattoo artist modifies these ideas in order to form an aesthetically pleasing tattoo. Since tattoos are commissioned art, many people falsely think of the artists as human copy machines, skillful hands directed by an empty mind filled with the requests of others.

With the increasing normalization and popularity of tattoos, giving artists the clientele necessary to experiment, develop and diversify in new styles of tattooing, more people are beginning to recognize the legitimacy of the tattoo artist as an actual artist. From the basis of traditional tattooing, a plethora of new styles have evolved: the cartoonish new school, neo-traditional, watercolor, geometric, trash polka, hyperrealism, biomechanical and dozens of other categories, sub-categories and cross-sections. This diversification, which displays the tattooists’ creative, flexible and technical prowess, confirms their identities as artists. The specificity of style is what allows these artists to make a name for themselves. Tattoo artist Kelly Doty has done this

exceptionally well.

Kelly Doty’s tattoo style is a specific niche in the new school of tattooing. New-school tattoos developed because of advancement in tattooing equipment. In traditional tattooing (old-school), artists limited the color palette and shaded only two-dimensionally meaning they lacked soft, rounded shadows.

With these new developments, however, any color imaginable can now be laid into the skin and images can be made to look like stickers slapped onto the skin with the use of threedimensional shading. Therefore, new school artists make use of vibrant and often unnatural colors, thick lines and developed shading. Although style and subject matter varies greatly in new school, quite often it centers on imaginative figures with big eyes and other cartoony, graphic or graffiti-esque elements.

New-school tattoos have the propensity to become loud, bizarre and grotesque. Yet Kelly Doty’s tattoos retain the core aspects of new school and develop the quirky, colorful and strange qualities that develop as a result of the style into some beautifully intricate and elegant tattoos. She combines new school with the art movement of pop surrealism, a movement that originated from the West Coast with artists like Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Mariko Mori, Robert Williams and others.

Pop surrealism also features a wide gradient of styles and subject matter but maintains a few consistencies. In pop surrealism (or low brow) artwork, the dreamy, subconscious and decontextualized nature of surrealism is combined with the shallow symbols, motifs and characters associated with modern pop culture. It’s a juxtaposition that creates great unrest, with the subconscious flow of surre-

alism battering against the very conscious, controlled and groomed nature of consumerist and popular culture. The pop culture elements seem to bring an ingenuine, contrived and corrupted element to that which we hold sacred to ourselves — the subconscious and the dreams that actually show our true selves.

This art movement, coupled with this specific genre of tattooing, has allowed Doty to craft unique tattoos and pieces of art. With the juxtaposition pop surrealism supplies, Doty’s tattoos become eerie and uncomfortable but aesthetically pleasing. The bold colors and impishly cartoony characters of new-school complement the pop culture component of pop surrealism, augmenting the disparity between the manufactured image and the uncontrived dreams that it contains. The results include a glass-eyed doll, a Wednesday Addams lookalike and a poorly treated stuffed animal­­­­­ ­— essentially anything dark and gothic.

Kelly Doty’s work is so specific and technical that her validity as an artist cannot be denied. She proves that skin is just another medium on which artists may choose to work on. Doty herself switches between skin and paper for mediums. She and two other artists, Britt Whitman and Jess Brown, currently run a tattoo parlor in Salem, Massachusetts called “Helheim Gallery,” which functions simultaneously as an art gallery simultaneously displaying their work and guest artists’ works.

From Helheim, one can either get a gorgeous, custom tattoo or a beautiful piece of original artwork. The duality of this parlor helps validate tattooing as an art form by placing it alongside more traditional mediums and conceptions of art.

Arts & Living 8

The Amherst Student • March 1, 2017

The Art in Living: Navigating the Mind’s Paths of Expression

Photos courtesy of Andrew Orozco ’17

In this creative reflective piece, Andrew Orozco ’17 envisions a landscape to think about understanding your own mind and communicating with others.

Andrew Orozco ’17 Contributing Writer I’m not usually one to voice controversial ideas. I find that when I suggest things that force people to consider their own fundamental beliefs and perhaps, even for a moment, call them into question, guilt creeps like fear into distant territories of my mind. I sometimes feel like I am responsible for maintaining the happiness of others and, because of that, pacify others and modify the outward manifestations of my internal notions. However, after operating in this way for some time now, I have begun to feel trapped. Only now do I realize that my inability to be authentic around others has triggered a homeostatic inauthenticity within myself — offering a compelling diagnosis for the profound volatility I experience across a typical day.

The disconnect between my thoughts and my actions has now widened from a simple divot into somewhat of a valley, and I am forced to descend into this valley each time I shift between versions of myself. However,

with each journey, a deeper path forms underneath my footsteps, making this crossing darker and more treacherous as time wears on. Sometimes I descend and just barely make it up the other wall, but upon my arrival, forget about my precariousness and bask in the sunlight. On other days I begin this descent but become apprehensive and decide it’d be better to turn back and remain safely on one side of the valley. I thus cement in my mind the fatal assumption that safety and comfort are preferable and foreshadow an adulthood I wish were not so imminent.

Recently, I descended in spite of my apprehension, but became disoriented and was forced to spend time wandering about in this strange valley. Although it was my doing, I quickly realized I knew not one square nanometer of this place outside of the path upon which I routinely trudged. Wondering, I wandered and, amidst the dark shadows, ascended the branches of a large tree for vantage. Only when I summited the final limb and cautiously poked my head out above the canopy did I recognize the true seismic extent of my impact

upon this land. Out in front of me stretched a vast sea of rainforest, with two sheer cliffs rising like gods on either side. Picture the canyon in which Scar tricked Simba into waiting just moments before those creepy hyenas stirred the wildebeests into a frantic stampede. Only in this version, mist and fog twisted like macramé and lingered low amongst the trees like the apples picked first in the fall.

In this moment, I realized there would be no clear path back to the safety and comfort of my previous life. In order to one day return to the path that would lead me up the peaks, I would have to mingle with and tame this wild valley. But what if I didn’t want to find the path again? Looking back now, why had I wished to cross from one side of the valley to the other only to predictably tire of the latter and return to the first? What if I’m not meant to reside on the safety and comfort of the peaks? What if, rather than mingle and tame this wild valley, I wish, no, yearn, to waltz and writhe with the wildness? What if I am meant to remain here, to learn the language of the world and befriend its humble residents not

as a fractured being but truly as myself? As these questions and many more flitted behind my eyes, the daunting forest that creaked out before me began to look rather serene and inviting; that mist beckoning to me like the horizon inertia commands our helpless sun each evening. Gazing into this strange place, I felt stripped of the nearly imperceptible layers to which I had grown so begrudgingly accustomed. I was no longer constrained by an abrasive and dismissive society. I was no longer homogenized by the cruel combination of time and diversion, and I was no longer subject to the systematic definitional indoctrination of what it means to be ‘successful’ or to ‘live a good life.’ I yearned to question the very nature of my perceived precocity like wildfire yearns for the land of the meek, and I reveled vehemently in the penetrating weight of my own existence. I had once again, or possibly for the very first time, stumbled upon my own free will.

Conceived through perception, warranted by distraction, I began a lonely journey seeking truth in utter abstraction.

Time and Space: Performers Offer Students New Perspectives Continued from Page 7 Ferreira knew how to flirt with the crowd. He joked about our matching overalls and offered me a marker for a useless pocket. Ferreira hugged members of the audience and asked how they were doing, like a teacher would to a sleepy student.

Brian Zayatz ’18, an organizer of the concert, noted, “One thing that struck me was how casual an environment Milo made it. People kept forgetting to clap because he made it feel like we were all just hanging out with him.”

Zayatz, a former Marsh House member, has made a concerted effort to make Marsh a more inclusive environment.

This concert could be an important shift for Marsh as a white indie community that needs a reckoning. As ex-Marsh leadership and a redundant figure at usual Marsh events like Coffee Haus because I look exactly like every quirky white girl with a guitar, I’ve been largely complicit and silent in these issues. I think part of the insidious white supremacy in environments like this stems from complacency, ignorance, indifference and a fear of doing or saying the wrong thing or taking up too much space.

Buford described his discomfort and feeling of vulnerability in front of Marsh’s usual crowd.

“I did Coffee Haus a few times my freshman year but haven’t really gone back mostly be-

year, Marsh did not have many people of color living there, so it was hard to perform music

“In some lyrics, I try to deal specifically with the role that whiteness and white power play in my life, and honestly, it can feel awkward to perform in a room of mostly white people, even if they might be ‘woke’ or willing to understand what I’m saying.” cause a lot of times my music is different in content and sound from what is usually performed there,” he said. “It’s not a secret that last

about issues that people of color might face when I wasn’t always sure that that was what the audience was looking for…In some lyrics, I

try to deal specifically with the role that whiteness and white power play in my life, and, honestly, it can feel awkward to perform in a room of mostly white people, even if they might be ‘woke’ or willing to understand what I’m saying.”

We must take a look at ourselves and our spaces and how we traditionally define our spaces. Marsh Ballroom was a great space for a rap show. The closeness allowed you to properly hear the lyrics as opposed to moshing to pop punk, while the booming synths’ tremble made Marsh’s walls seem fragile.

Ultimately, the concert set many great examples for music at Amherst — an intersection between music interest groups, more representation of rap and student performers on campus in a space traditionally limited to the folksy enclave, the potential for student collaboration musically and more interactions with Five College folks.

Buford characterized this environment aptly: “I was pleasantly surprised at the energy I felt from people that were there. Even though the turnout wasn’t huge, I felt a connection with the people that showed up —they seemed invested in me, so I became invested in them.” Next time, it would be even better if more people showed up.

The Amherst Student • March 1, 2017

Sports 9

Men’s Track and Field Finishes 27th at NEICAAA Championships

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Sophomore Vernon Espinoza ran to a fifth-place finish in his 800-meter heat.

Veronica Rocco ’19 Staff Writer The Amherst men’s track and field team returned to Boston last weekend, Feb. 24 to Feb. 26, with a small mid-distance and distance contingent to compete at the Open New England Championship.

This meet pitted New England athletes across all three NCAA divisions against each other. The championship was held at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, a banked track that often hosts collegiate and professional meets.

To compete at the meet, athletes must

either have met the challenging Open New England entry standards or have been in the top 32 athletes entered in the meet.

The latter often allows athletes to gain entry to the meet without meeting the entry standard, since many Division I teams had their conference championship on the same weekend as the Opens.

The two-day competition started for the purple and white with sophomore Vernon Espinoza competing in the 800 meters, where he placed fifth in his heat with a time of 1:56.35.

First-year Ralph Skinner competed in the 1,000 meters, running a time of 2:30.38 in the five-lap event.

Although he just missed qualifying for the final, which is earned by competitors who place in the top eight in the preliminary round, the first year has enjoyed a successful season and is one to watch as the purple and white seek to continue their mid-distance success in seasons to come.

The final event of the day for the purple and white was the 5,000-meter run, where Amherst runners had great success.

Leading the pack was Cosmo Brossy ’19, who placed sixth overall with a time of 15:01.51, a new personal best by one second.

Brossy also scored three points with his sixthplace finish.

The standout performance of the day came from Tucker Meijer ’19, who beat his previous 5K personal best by 16 seconds, an astounding improvement, to run a time of 15:09.72.

With his excellent run, the sophomore placed ninth and has set himself up for an exciting outdoor track season.

Justin Barry ’18 also competed in the 5K, finishing with a time of 15:54.49 in the 25-lap event.

On Saturday, Spencer Ferguson-Dryden ’20 competed in the mile, registering a time of 4:30.17.

Later in the day, mile veteran Kevin Connors ’17 and mid-distance standout Kristian Sogaard ’19 competed in the seeded section of the mile.

The senior placed seventh in the heat with a time of 4:18.10 to lead teammate Sogaard, who placed right behind him in eighth with a time of 4:22.82.

“It’s definitely a great jumping off point for the upcoming outdoor season, where we’ll be sure to see some more improvements from even more people,” Meijer said, reflecting on the meet. “As the season is wrapping up for most people, we’re all looking forward to the

outdoor season.”

Next weekend, the purple and white will travel to Tufts to compete at the Tufts Last Chance meet, where athletes will be seeking to qualify for the NCAA Division III Indoor Track and Field National Championships. To do so, athletes must achieve a time or mark that places them in the top 15 nationwide in their respective events.

Last year, Mohamed Hussein ’18 qualified and competed in the 5,000-meter race, earning All-American honors with his seventhplace finish.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Justin Barry ‘18 was part of a strong Amherst showing in the 5K run.

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Sports

The Amherst Student • March 1, 2017

Women’s Squash Goes 3-0 in Weekend Postseason Action, Claims Walker Cup Julia Turner ’19 Managing Sports Editor Amherst women’s squash picked up their seventh straight victory last Sunday en route to the program’s fourth Walker Cup title since 2009.

Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25 saw two blowout victories for the purple and white against St. Lawrence University and William Smith College.

Sunday’s match proved more difficult, however, with Amherst clawing their way back to a 5-4 win over No. 17 Franklin and Marshall in the deciding match of the tournament.

The weekend started favorably for the purple and white, as they matched up with No. 23 St. Lawrence.

The purple and white registered five sweeps from Haley McAtee ’18, Katy Sabina Correia ’20, Jenna Finkelstein ’20, Mae Cromwell ’20, and Jenni Brown ’20 on courts five through nine, respectively.

The Amherst squad continued to show off their surfeit of young talent as sophomore Rachael Ang and first-year Caroline Conway earned wins on courts two and four. St. Lawrence picked up their only two wins on courts one and three, as Kim Krayacich ’18 and Priya Sinha ’19 fell in five and four sets, respectively.

Continuing on to semifinal action the next day, the purple and white matched up against William Smith, who had disposed of Bowdoin the day before.

Amherst carried its momentum from the previous day, earning sweeps on six of the nine courts.

Ang and Sabina-Correia battled to 3-1 victories on courts two and six to push Amherst’s win total to 8.

The team suffered their only loss on the first court, where Krayacich forced her match to five sets, ultimately falling to William Smith’s Gabrielle Fraser.

With their sixth straight victory under their belt, the women walked into the championship match on Sunday morning with the momentum in their favor.

The purple and white were up against Franklin and Marshall, who had bested the team earlier this year at Amherst’s Davenport Squash Courts. Purple and white first-years Finkelstein and Brown provided sweeps on courts seven and nine, while classmate Sabina Correia edged her opponent in four sets.

McAtee and Cromwell added two thrilling five-set victories to complete their perfect records for the weekend and earn the 5-4 victory for the purple and white overall.

The win is the purple and white’s third Walker Cup in four years, after just narrowly being edged

by Bates in the finals last winter.

Although team play has concluded for the season, individual members of the purple and white will move on to CSA Individual Championships at Dartmouth College this Friday-Sunday March 3-5.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Tucker Meijer ’19 Favorite Team Memory: Hosting NESCACs for outdoor track last year was a ton of fun, and it was super cool to watch the whole team compete on our home track Favorite Pro Athlete: Steph Curry Dream Job: Screenwriter Pet Peeve: People talking during movies Favorite Vacation Spot: Long Island Something on Your Bucket List: Visit Scotland Guilty Pleasure: Watching “Dance Moms” Favorite Food: Any type of pasta Favorite Thing About Amherst: The incredible people I’ve met How He Earned It: Cross country standout Meijer ran the best 5,000 meters of his collegiate career on Friday, finishing the event in 15:09.72. His time was good enough for ninth overall out of the 29 participating runners, just over a second behind the point-scoring threshold of eighth place. Further, the mark Meijer posted was the third best among non-seniors and was an incredible 16-second improvement over his previous record.

Emma McCarthy ’19 Favorite Team Memory: Beating Tufts in the NESCAC Championship Favorite Pro Athlete: Tom Brady Dream Job: Neurosurgeon like Derek Shepherd Pet Peeve: Odd numbers Favorite Vacation Spot: My lake house Something on Your Bucket List: Sky diving Guilty Pleasure: Binge watching Netflix Favorite Food: Chocolate chip cookies Favorite Thing About Amherst: Our team How She Earned It: McCarthy shouldered the load for the purple and white in this weekend’s NESCAC tournament, leading all scorers with 18 points in the semifinal matchup with Colby and adding 10 more against Tufts in the championship. Nor was her contribution restricted to her prolific scoring abilities. She averaged six boards over the two matches in addition to tallying three blocks and four steals on the weekend. For her impressive showing, McCarthy garnered NESCAC player of the week honors.

Men’s Ice Hockey Falls in Conference Quarterfinals to Archrival Williams

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Mae Cromwell ‘18 went 3-0 in competition at this weekend’s Walker Cup.

Women’s Track and Field Impresses with 16th-Place Finish at NEICAAA Meet Nicole Frontero ’20 Staff Writer On Friday, Feb. 24 and Saturday, Feb. 25, the Amherst women’s track and field team competed at the NEICAAA Championship.

Held at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston, the event attracted over 34 teams. The purple and white placed 16th overall while the top three teams were Northeastern University (151 points), Rhode Island College (59 points) and Southern Connecticut State University (57 points).

First-year Katherine Treanor highlighted the purple and white’s weekend with her performance in the 5,000-meter race, running a 25-second personal record of 17:12:48 en route to a convincing win in the event. Competing against other runners spanning all NCAA divisions, she beat her closest competition in the 26-person field by 20 seconds.

With her performances in the 5,000, Treanor looks like she has a chance of competing at Division III Indoor National Championships.

The purple and white also earned 9th place in the distance medley relay. The team of Savannah Gornisiewicz ’17, Leonie Rauls ’18, Danielle Griffin ’18 and Lela Walter ’19 shaved 12 seconds off their previous time to run a 12:23:04.

In the field events, junior Abbey AsareBediako placed fourth in the triple jump with

a distance of 11.71 meters.

“Everyone was really happy with how their event went,” Treanor said. “The meet made us all super excited for the outdoor season.”

The purple and white look ahead not only to their outdoor season, but also to a few final meets in the indoor season. They are slated to compete next weekend at the Tufts Last Chance Invitational on March 3-4, where Amherst’s athletes will look to post qualifying times for NCAA Division III Nationals.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Danielle Griffin ‘18 led the distance medley relay to a ninth place finish.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Forward Jack Fitzgerald ‘19 has added seven points for Amherst this season.

Mary Grace Cronin ’18 Staff Writer In their 2017 NESCAC tournament appearance, the Amherst men’s ice hockey team was unable to recreate last year’s Cinderella run to the championship game. On Saturday, Feb. 25, the purple and white were bumped from the first round of the NESCAC tournament after a 2-1 loss to archrival Williams. Just a week ago, the purple and white survived a close 1-0 victory over the Ephs at Orr Rink, but luck would not be on their side in Williamstown.

Ranked as the fourth- and fifth-seeded teams in tournament play, this was aptly predicted to be a nail-biter from start to finish.

Neither team disappointed. Amherst owned a slight 28-23 advantage in shots, while a slew of close calls kept the game intriguing throughout.

To kick the action off, defender Tyler Granara ’18 scored on a power play 11:35 into the first period with only his second goal of the season on a feed from first-year Noah Gilreath and a secondary assist credited to David White ’18.

After Amherst worked the puck around the offensive zone with ease, Granara wound up and rifled a shot past the Williams goalie.

The Ephs managed to crawl their way back in the second period with a goal from standout forward Marcus Mollica.

Fifteen minutes later, a dribbling shot by Williams would send Amherst into the locker room trailing by one goal.

In spite of their continued hustle, a few late Amherst penalties in succession halted their momentum.

In a desperate attempt, the purple and white pulled goalie Connor Girard ’18 with 32 seconds left on the clock, to no avail.

With the loss, Amherst ends the season 147-3 overall and 9-6-3 in conference play.

This year, Thomas Lindstrom ’18 and Patrick Daly ’20 led the team in points with 22 apiece, while the Amherst offense averaged 3.04 goals per game.

“It was a pleasure playing with a great group of seniors for three years [Austin Ho, Adam Ellison and Chris Roll],” White noted. “We learned a lot from them and are happy they lead us this season. [We’re] looking forward to next year with a strong group of returning players.”

Amherst will continue to practice this week as they await a potential at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.

The Amherst Student • March 1, 2017

Sports

11

Women’s Ice Hockey Defeats Trinity, Baseball Looks to Build Off Last Advances to NESCAC Semifinals Season’s NESCAC West Division Title Delancey King ’18 Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Junior standout Alex Toupal notched the only two goals of the game, pushing her NESCAC-leading tally to 19, five more than her closest rival.

Scout Boynton ’20 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s ice hockey team produced a big win on Saturday, Feb. 25, to advance to the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament.

The purple and white shut out Trinity 2-0 and improved their overall record to 13-7-5 on the year.

Junior goalie Sabrina Dobbins recorded her first NESCAC shutout, while classmate Alex Toupal had her fourth multi-goal game of the season.

Trinity’s first attempt to get on the scoreboard came four minutes in, when Kelcie Finn pounced on a loose net behind the Amherst net and put a wrap around shot on goal. However, Dobbins made the save.

Sarah Wagner ’19 and Sara Culhane ’17 combined for the first quality Amherst chance with 13 minutes left in the first period. Wagner’s shot on net was saved by Bantam goalie Sydney Belinskas.

Culhane then attempted to tap the rebound home, but Belinskas came up big with another stop.

The purple and white broke the deadlock

when, ten minutes into the second period, Toupal, the NESCAC’s leading scorer, picked off a pass on the purple and white’s side of the ice, skated into a one-on-one and fired a shot into the bottom corner of the goal, giving Amherst a 1-0 lead.

Shots went back and forth through the remainder of the second and majority of the third period, with neither team able to light the lamp.

After the Bantams pulled Belinskas in a last-ditch effort to stave off post-season elimination, Toupal notched an empty net goal with 39 seconds left in the game to secure the Amherst win.

Off an assist from sophomore Katie Savage, Toupal found the back of the net from just outside the blue line.

When the final buzzer sounded less than a minute later, the purple and white skated off the ice with a 2-0 victory.

Next Saturday, Mar. 4, at 4 p.m., Amherst will face off against Connecticut College in semifinal action at Middlebury.

If the purple and white prevail against the Camels, they will take on the winner of the other semifinal between Bowdoin and topseeded Middlebury at 2 p.m on Sunday, Mar. 1.

With their season opener a mere two weeks away, the Amherst baseball team is feeling confident in the depth and experience of this year’s squad.

Junior captain Harry Roberson said, “We’re very excited for this year. We’re more of a veteran team, which I think will be a strength of ours, but there’s also a good mix of younger guys who’ll get a chance to contribute. There’s been a good buzz through the first couple weeks.”

The purple and white hope to improve upon last year’s 24-13 record, as they intend to claim first place in the NESCAC West Division for the second year in a row.

Once again, Amherst looks to compete with Little Three rivals Williams and Wesleyan for the West division crown and the right to take part in the double-elimination NESCAC tournament. Last year, after tying with Wesleyan in the West, the purple and white moved on to the conference tournament, where they lost both games to Tufts and Trinity.

They are returning many key players, but perhaps most notable are Roberson, Jackson Volle ’17, and senior captain Yanni Thanopoulos. A Second Team All-NESCAC selection, Roberson commands the infield as one of the league’s most talented shortstops.

Volle garnered First Team honors after boasting a league-best 1.94 ERA last year, and Amherst will look to him once again to lead their pitching staff.

Thanopoulos, widely considered by his teammates to be one of the most naturally talented players on the roster, led the team in RBIs last year.

Perhaps Amherst’s biggest concern for the 2017 season is who will replace Conner Gunn ’16. The former captain was a big part of last season’s success, as he led the squad from his position as starting catcher.

The expectation was that Joe Feldman ’18 would take over the job this year, but a persisting hip injury has brought the junior’s collegiate career to an unfortunate end. With no other “true” catchers on the roster, the purple and white have had to convert Christian Pluchar ’18 and Sevy Tocci ’20. The two will have to step up if Amherst is to stay at the top of the conference.

Photo courtesy of Megan Robertson ‘15

Captain Harry Roberson ‘18 looks to provide an offensive spark for the Amherst offense after hitting .336 with 28 RBIs sophomore year.

First up for the purple and white is a spring break trip to Port Charlotte, Florida, where they will play eight preseason games in anticipation of their upcoming NESCAC tour.

Roberson has said that this year’s preseason schedule is “probably the toughest we’ve ever had, including opening up with the No. 2 ranked team in the country, so we’re looking forward to the challenge.”

Amherst will then open conference play with a pair of games against Bowdoin on Sunday, April 2. In all likelihood, the purple and white’s chances of making a deep postseason run will come down to their three-game series against the Cardinals. After traveling to Wesleyan and falling in the series 2-1, with two games needing extra innings, Amherst will get to take on the Cardinals twice at home this year in what figures to be a tight affair.

To open the season, however, the purple and white will face Keystone College, ranked second in the nation, on Sunday, March 12 in an effort to establish themselves as one of the top teams in the country.

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Sports

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

The senior class of sisters Meredith (left) and Ali (right) Doswell and Jaimie Renner (center) finished its NESCAC career with back-to-back tournament titles.

Women’s Basketball Claims Second Consecutive NESCAC Tournament Title Talia Land ’20 Staff Writer For the second straight season, the Amherst women’s basketball team won the NESCAC championship.

The purple and white hosted fifth-seeded Colby in Lefrak Gymnasium for the conference semifinals on Saturday. Colby’s only lead of the game came early on in the back and forth first five minutes of the game.

After the Mules pulled ahead 8-6, Amherst surged, scoring 11 unanswered points to finish the first quarter with a 17-8 lead.

Hannah Hackley ’18 and Emma McCarthy ’19 led the charge early. Each contributed six points in the opening 10 minutes.

Although Amherst struggled offensively in the second quarter, the purple and white kept up the stifling defensive pressure.

In the frame, McCarthy added three more points at the foul line, while Jackie Nagle ’18 and

Natalie Nardella ’20 had a bucket and a free throw each.

However, Colby only managed six points, making the halftime score 26-14 in favor of the hosts.

The purple and white then came alive in the third quarter, putting 19 points on the board, including two three-pointers from Ali Doswell ’17.

In the last quarter, long-range buckets from both Nardella and Maeve McNamara ’19 secured the Amherst win.

The final score was 53-33, and top-seeded Amherst advanced to the NESCAC tournament final for the ninth time in program history.

On Sunday at noon, the fight for the title against second-seeded Tufts commenced.

In the previous game, Tufts eked out a 49-44 win over third-seeded Bowdoin, earning a spot in the championship.

The last time these two teams met, Amherst gave Tufts their first and only loss of their season, beating them 36-35 in a tense game at Tufts on

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

GAME SCHE DULE

Feb. 4.

The first quarter was a defensive battle with Amherst slightly edging the Jumbos 7-6. McCarthy continued her stellar play on the weekend, scoring five of the purple and white’s seven points.

In the second quarter, however, Tufts took control, only allowing the home team to score three points while notching 10 of their own. Tufts’ Melissa Baptista netted two three-pointers to give the Jumbos a 16-10 lead going into halftime.

The momentum shifted again in the third, with Amherst going on a 9-0 run after Tufts notched the first two points of the frame, giving the hosts a 19-18 lead with six minutes left to play in the quarter.

After the Jumbos briefly retook the lead, Amherst closed the quarter with a very impressive 12-2 run and finished the stanza with a 31-22 lead.

McCarthy remained hot, notching five more points, while Ali Doswell added 11 points in the

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

FRI

Women’s Track & Field Tufts Last Chance @ Tufts, TBD Men’s Track & Field Tufts Last Chance @ Tufts, TBD

quarter.

In the last frame, Tufts, led by a trio of threes from Baptista, narrowed Amherst’s lead. The Jumbos pulled within four on two occasions, but the purple and white perservered.

Ali Doswell answered Baptista’s second three with a jumper to make it 40-34, and Jaimie Renner ’17 hit one free throw with 11 seconds on the clock to make it 41-34, sealing the victory for Amherst. Baptista hit her final trey as time expired, making the final score 41-37.

In addition to the purple and white’s remarkable achievement of a sixth NESCAC title in eight years, McCarthy was also rewarded for her dominant individual play, garnering NESCAC player of the week honors.

With the pair of impressive wins, Amherst concluded the non-NCAA portion of the season with an unblemished 27-0 mark.

The purple and white will begin its road to March Madness glory this Friday, Mar. 3, when the team takes on Regis (Mass.) at 7 p.m. in Le-

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

SAT Women’s Squash CSA Individual Championships @ Dartmouth, TBA Men’s Squash CSA Individual Championships @ Dartmouth TBA

Men’s Basketball NCAA Tournament @ Ramapo College vs. Keene State, 5:30 p.m.

Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament vs.

Regis, 7 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse @ Bowdoin, 12 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Bowdoin, 1 p.m.

Women’s Ice Hockey @ Conn. College @ Middlebury, 4 p.m.

Women’s Track & Field Tufts Last Chance @ Tufts, TBD Men’s Track & Field Tufts Last Chance @ Tufts, TBD

Women’s Squash CSA Individual Championships @ Dartmouth, TBA Men’s Squash CSA Individual Championships @ Dartmouth TBA