Issue 20

THE AMHERST

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLIV, ISSUE 20 l WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015

Softball Goes 8-4 at Spring Games in Florida See Sports, Page 9

AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

Budgetary Committee Dicusses Potential Future Improvements Elaine Jeon ’17 Managing News Editor

Photo courtesy of: Brian Beaty ‘17

During spring break, the Amherst College Outing Club traveled to Utah’s Zion National Park as part of planned series of trips called “Out of Amherst.” Twelve students were chosen to go on the trip.

Outing Club Organizes Zion Trip Jingwen Zhang ’18 Staff Writer The Amherst College Outing Club organized a trip to Utah’s Zion National Park over spring break, part of a planned series of trips called “Out of Amherst.” The trip’s goal was to bring together students from across campus in an environment similar to the First-Year Outdoor Orientation Trips.

This was the first time since 2005 that the club has organized a major spring break trip, and the first trip to include non-Outing Club members.

Twelve students went on the trip, which lasted from March 13 to March 22. Of the 12 attendees, four were Outing Club members and acted as trip leaders, while the remaining eight were selected from a pool of 50 student

applicants.

“To decide who would get to go on the trip, we tried to choose students from a variety of backgrounds; first-years and seniors, athletes and non-athletes, experienced hikers and novices, et cetera,” said Brian Beaty ’17, a trip leader. “It’s intended to be a way for students to step outside their comfort zones, meet new people and get to know these people on a level they normally wouldn’t back at Amherst — in other words, a FOOT trip open to all class years.”

The trip participants first flew from Boston to Las Vegas, and drove rental cars from Las Vegas to Zion National Park. Campers spent six days in Kolob Canyon, a section of Zion National Park, traveled to Wildcat Canyon and spent the final day at the main Zion Canyon.

“The trip leaders had really spent serious time preparing for the trip … they had a formidable understanding of the trails we’d be at,” said Jacob Pagano ’18, who went on the trip.

“The views in Zion are awe-inspiring. Every rock formation is unique, and at the top of each peak, my group would just stare into the distance, or try in vain to write about the formations or sketch them.”

Many campers said that one of the most beneficial aspects of the trip was the bonding and building of new friendships among the campers, most of whom did not know each other previously.

“There’s something really special about setting out into the wilderness with a small group of classmates, and I don’t think we could have

Continued on Page 3

Association of Amherst Students President Tomi Williams ’16 and the Budgetary Committee members held an open meeting on Tuesday, March 24 to discuss the current budgetary process and receive suggestions as well as feedback from the attendees. The meeting focused on how the AAS could more efficiently allocate budget to student organizations.

The open meeting began with the Budgetary Committee members and other attendees recognizing the positive aspects of the current budgetary process. Williams said that at a recent student government conference he attended, members of student governments at other institutions said that their administrations control much of the student governments’ budget and that it is much more difficult to acquire the proper funding.

“The AAS has more money at our disposable and our process is more independent of the administration, which gives us more flexibility, as well as accountability,” Williams said. “Other student governments at the conference were saying that they wish they had the similar level of freedom.”

After clarifying the successful components of the current process, Williams then asked the group for aspects of the budgetary process that must be addressed. AAS senator and Budgetary Committee member Fawzi Itani ’18 said that even though the budgetary guideline is available online, there is still much confusion over the guidelines.

“We should have the major points of the guideline communicated in a more effective way,” AAS senator and Budgetary Committee member Marie Lambert ’15 said. “I don’t think people know about the location of the guidelines due to how the website is laid out.”

However, she said that as of now, the AAS does not have authority over the design layout

Continued on Page 3

AAS Discusses Its Role in the Strategic Planning Process Ji Hong Park ’18

Staff Writer

The Association of Amherst Students held an open meeting on Wednesday, March 11, in order to clarify AAS’s role in the strategic planning process. AAS President Tomi Williams ‘16 directed the meeting, which was the first of a series of discussions that are planned to reflect upon the effectiveness of AAS’s initiatives on campus.

The strategic planning committee, headed

by Provost Peter Uvin, uploaded a draft of their strategic plan on the college’s website following the meeting on March 12. The committee is asking for feedback from members of the Amherst College community before the publication of final plan on April 6.

During the March 11 meeting, students expressed their concerns about how the general

student body perceives AAS on campus.

“I think as of now, AAS is often viewed as a budget allocation body,” Williams said. “To take on a larger role, we should take stance on issues in campus and also outside of campus that directly impact students who are on campus so that school administration and the board of trustees can look to us to understand student views.”

Senators also suggested that AAS is not diverse enough to accurately reflect the interests of the student body it represents or to generate rigorous debate on relevant issues.

“I think AAS lacks diversity in terms of demographic and diversification in terms of thought. Especially when the members of AAS start to get close, we reach an agreement too easily,” Williams said.

The senators also expressed difficulty in representing students’ opinions when they

conflict with the position of the college administration.

“The question is how do we make it so that our resolutions have force. How do we make sure that when we pass a resolution our suggestions can make an actual change,” said AAS Senator Sam Keaser ‘17E. Senators also suggested various ideas about how the AAS can accommodate a wider range of student opinions and increase its visibility.

Keaser suggested assigning AAS senators to residence halls and clubs and opening an AAS lunch table, where students could freely talk about the student government’s work.

Near the end of the meeting, attendees brainstormed ideas to strengthen AAS’s role in the strategic planning process.

“I think the big part of it is to get as many students involved as possible … and raise awareness on what AAS is doing ... the next

step is asking them how do you think we can do our job better,” Williams said.

The AAS is set to continue its efforts toward community building, in order to create a stronger sense of belonging within Amherst.

This is one of the seven priorities that the strategic planning committee agreed to adopt.

The first event to take place this semester is Amherst Spirit Scavenger Hunt, which encourages students to attend three events from each of several categories of events including club meetings, student performances and sports games, and post their photos on a Facebook page. All participants receive free college apparel and are entered into a raffle for an iPad mini.

AAS plans to host the second conversation on the budgetary process on Tuesday, March 24 at the college’s Queer Resource Center, which will be open to all students, faculty and staff.

3

News

Albert Joo

March 16, 2015 - March 23, 2015

>>March 16, 2015 2:30 p.m., Fayerweather Lot Rd. An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident involving a college-owned vehicle. >>March 17, 2015 12:42 p.m., Life Sciences Building An officer responded to a fire alarm and found it was accidental. Facilities was notified. >>March 18, 2015 11:03 p.m., Hitchcock House An officer responded to a complaint of loud music and issued a warning at a thirdfloor room. >>March 19, 2015 10:04 a.m., Moore Dormitory Officers responded to a fire alarm and found it was accidental.

1:49 p.m., The Cage Officers responded to a fire alarm and found it was accidental. >>March 20, 2015 10:12 p.m., Moore Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint of loud people in the fourth-floor common area.

They were advised of the

Thoughts on Theses

complaint and moved to another area. >>March 21, 2015 11:26 p.m., Tyler House An officer discovered a small unauthorized party with evidence that alcohol had been available. The event was ended. >>March 22, 2015 12:54 a.m., Charles Drew House Officers responded to a report of people screaming and being very loud. A warning was issued to a first floor resident.

12:45 p.m., Orr Lot A visitor reported his vehicle was broken into and a wallet was stolen. Access was gained by smashing a window. >>March 23, 2015 1:24 a.m., Tyler House While in the building, an officer detected the odor of marijuana and traced it to a thirdfloor room. Three students were identified in the room and a warm pipe with marijuana residue was confiscated.

The matter was referred to Student Affairs.

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Department of Music

Albert Joo '15 is a music and economics double major and is writing a music composition honors thesis. His thesis performance is on March 27 at 7 p.m. in Buckley Recital Hall.

Q: Tell me about your thesis.

Q: When did the thesis writing process start A: I’m doing a music composition thesis. for you?

The music department usually lets you have A: I’ve been taking composition classes free reign over what you compose. A lot of here since my freshman year, and I’ve also people take the approach where they’ll write composed outside of school. Officially for about a single subject; there is a theme that the thesis, I started writing one of the pieces ties everything together. For me, I decided to spring semester of my junior year in that Tin write about totally different things for each of Pan Alley class as my final project. I was happy my theses, but I decided to tie it together by with the outcome of that so I used that as one bringing together different musical genres that of my pieces. And the rest of the pieces I wrote I have been influenced by. So my first piece is a throughout this entire year. piano piece, classical piano, because that’s what I started [learning] music with. Then I move Q: What has been most difficult about the on to 1930s, 1920s tin pan alley music, which process? was the jazzy pop music that was popular at A: I feel like, on days when you’re not the time, and that was influenced by a class I necessarily inspired, you can still crank out a took here last semester called Songwriting in paragraph or two [of a traditional thesis.] But, Tin Pan Alley, with Professor Morris Mitchell, writing a music thesis, sometimes I’ll just sit who was visiting. It was just a very inspirational there and I just cannot think of what would class. And then the last three pieces use a lot go well with the next part, and sometimes of more modern, contemporary instruments: you just need to take a break and come back electric bass, drums, electronics, keyboard, but the next day. Sometimes inspiration strikes also some cello, violin, flute and more classical at the weirdest moments. If you look at my instruments. I try to fuse the two together phone, I have a bunch of voice memos of me to make this contemporary pop-alternative singing tunes or saying which notes to play on kind of thing. The aim here is [to combine] the piano. Inspiration strikes randomly, and the classical piano and sometimes it’s hard to that piece that’s a lot of manage that. deep, complex classical If you look at my phone, I have music that I’ve been a bunch of voice memos of me Q: What do you think brought up on with the singing tunes or saying which is the most valuable catchiness that you see notes to play on the piano. thing you will take in popular music. In Inspiration strikes randomly, and away from the thesis the 1930s, they were sometimes it’s hard to manage that. process? all about being catchy A: I think the whole and accessible, so to independence factor the audience, I kind of wanted to convey that. — working totally on your own, setting your I wanted to write music that had both depth own deadlines. Since it’s something that I and accessibility. used to do for fun, I never really would set hard deadlines. It’s hard to produce anything Q: What was the most unexpected thing substantial without disciplining yourself and about the process? making deadlines. This has given me the A: I’ve been writing music informally since I outlook that, even if by the deadline what was pretty young — I would say middle school. you’ve produced isn’t as good as you wanted But this was the first time I’ve really sat in it to be, it still teaches you a lot. I watched this front of music notation software and notated video by Ira Glass, a storyteller, and basically everything out. It’s still a learning process. I he says that there’s a gap when you’re doing think I’m still growing. I think I had this false creative work between what you can do and impression that because it was something I did what you want to accomplish. Let’s say I in my leisure time, doing it for my thesis would wanted to compose something that sounds be easy for me. I’ve actually found it to be like Bohemian Rhapsody, but I have nowhere harder, but in a good way. It’s something that near the skills to do that, I still have that taste I’m very passionate about and I need to get it of what’s good or not good. The first few tries right. But sometimes I get caught up on the or the first year or so you can’t reach that goal, little things, and it’s a little difficult to move on, you’re disappointed, and that’s where a lot of because I want something to sound a certain people end up quitting. But what Ira Glass way. It’s weird when you take something that said is, even if what you’re producing is not you’ve done in your leisure time for fun, as up to par, you have to keep churning it out, a way to relieve stress, and now it’s a source and you finally made it to your goal. I think of stress in a way because you want the final what this whole thesis process has taught me product to be so good. But I think there’s been is that sometimes you just have to do it, even a lot of growth through doing that. if inspiration isn’t striking, you’ve just got to produce something, and then you can edit it Q: Is there a research component to your later. thesis?

A: Not directly. But I have done a lot of research Q: Do you have any advice for students because I’m the type of composer that listens writing a music thesis? to something and gets inspired — any time A: This is probably cliche, but work on it day by that I’m listening to something, whether it be day. Don’t try to put it off until the last minute, the most dissonant classical music or a Top 40 especially if it’s important to you. I think if I pop song. I think I’ve drawn inspiration from had procrastinated and was just writing stuff both ends of the spectrum. So I guess that that I didn’t feel was good during the last two would kind of be research. weeks before my deadline, I don’t think I’d be happy with it.

“

”

— Ryan Cenek ’18

The Amherst Student • March 25, 2015

News

3

Photo courtesy of: Brian Beaty ‘17

The trip was intended to bring together students who may not have known each other before in order to cultivate new relationships.

Amherst Outing Club Travels to Zion National Park Continued from Page 1

had the same experiences in any other setting,” Pagano said. “Out in the woods, there are none of the divides that exist on Amherst’s campus … [our bonds] grew out of sharing a really intense experience of trekking through the wilderness.”

According to Lola Fadulu ’17, the campers also engaged in impromptu discussions with each other about issues relevant to the Amherst community.

“Eventually we started talking about our relationships to other people at Amherst. We even talked specifically about social life at Amherst and race issues,” Fadulu said, likening the discussion to the Day of Dialogue held earlier this semester. “I was shocked at how genuinely these topics came up. It was obvious that there was a higher level of comfort talking about these topics out in the wilderness than there is talking about them at Amherst. I believe this is mostly because there lacked the

sometimes oppressive and judgmental atmosphere that is rampant here at Amherst.”

One of the trip organizers, John He ’16 said that fostering this sense of community in the wilderness was one of the excursion’s goals.

“There’s always a lot of talk of building community on campus … but from my experience as a FOOT captain and being outdoors in general, there’s something special about being away from campus, in a space — the outdoors — that belongs to all of us but is at the same time foreign and unfamiliar,” He said.

“Out in the wild, there’s not much to do, apart from getting to know the few people you are hiking with. Because everyone in the group is outside their comfort zone, they also become more comfortable with each other.”

In addition to forging friendships, campers also said that relaxation was a major benefit of the trip.

“During this trip, I felt as if time had paused and that I was put momentarily into an empty vacuum,” Fadulu said. “There were many moments of silence during our day hikes, while we rested on tops of mountains, as we were waiting for that night’s dinner water to boil [and] before falling asleep to simply think and be present.”

“There’s no distraction, and you forget about the busy life that we all have at Amherst for a brief while,” He added.“You also naturally begin to have those conversations that you never have the time for, because there’s always something else to do on campus.”

As a principal organizer of “Out of Amherst,” He said early planning was integral to the trip’s success. Last spring, the Outing Club tried to travel to Utah, but could not due to late planning. This year, planning began in the fall, and the club met with members of the administration such as President Biddy Martin,

Chief Student Affairs Officer Suzanne Coffey and Dean of Students Alex Vasquez to receive administrative funding and support for travel costs before publicizing the trip.

“Organizing the trip was a huge logistical challenge, especially considering that we had never done something like this before,” He said. “This semester was just a pilot trip, and we’re hoping that it’ll lead to something that eventually becomes a tradition for Amherst.”

He cited transportation as particularly difficult to plan, because connecting flights and shuttles had to be lined up to provide smooth and efficient travel, and campsite reservations, restrictions and permits also had to be negotiated for the trip’s success.

Previous Outing Club trips also took students to the western region of the U.S. The group organized a rock climbing trip to Red Rock Canyon, Nevada in 2005 and a trip to Joshua Tree National Park, California in 2002.

AAS Budgetary Committee Discusses Improvements Continued from Page 1 of the college’s website.

A student in attendance also said that in the past, there have been simple requests by student organizations, such as money for food for a collaborative event between a club and the Mead Art Museum,that were denied by the Budgetary Committee.

AAS senator and Budgetary Committee member Sam Keaser ’17E said while the committee strictly follows the guideline, which is readily available on the college’s website, the committee does run out of money at a certain point.

“We are generally less willing to give money to those groups that we think have another source of money besides the AAS,” Lambert added. “However, we want to prevent groups from not getting the money they need … we should be more active in helping student organizations find financial sponsorship.”

Keaser suggested that the AAS establish a closer coordination with other budgetary sources and student programming on campus.

“We should have a closer contact with other possible sources so that we can collaborate on how to manage our budget, while still being able to help everyone,” he said.

Williams also asked the group how the Budgetary Committee can speed up the process so that the funding procedure does not take up nearly as much time as it does now.

“It’s not so worrisome to me that [the funding process] takes up a lot of time,” Itani said. “Rather, it’s that people are coming in to request money and end up not using all the money they previously requested.”

The current budgetary guideline states the idea of “credit rating,” in which groups “that have significant balances of allocated but unused money at the end of a semester will receive warnings and potential future funding suspensions or penalties.”

Lambert said that this has been very problematic because when groups request money and donot spend all of it, they continuously ask for more money and the committee has to allot more money than needed, which is an inefficient allocation of a limited budget. “We don’t have a strict system that penalizes people, and that’s not necessarily something that we want to do, but it’s something that we want to keep in mind who is more reliable,” Lambert said.

As another way of figuring out a more efficient budget allocation method, the Budgetary Committee members have previously discussed a card-swipe system, in which attendees will swipe in at the entrance of AAS funded events.

“We have talked about a card-swipe system to keep track of how well-attended certain events ... and see [what event] will be more beneficial to the student body and ask, is it fair to keep funding not well-attended events?” Itani said.

In order to increase awareness about the current budgetary procedure, Williams brought up the idea of instating a credit system like the one practiced at Hamilton College, in which leaders of student organizations can attend trainings about policies and receive extra funding for their groups. The Budgetary Committee members said that instead, they have discussed the possibility of penalizing student groups by not allocating a club budget if club leaders do not attend a mandatory informational meeting.

“There is a meeting at the beginning of the year for all of the club leaders, which is generally well-attended, but unfortunately, not everyone attends,” Lambert said. “It is a lot of information at once, happens at the beginning of the year and there are leadership changes within student groups, so it is hard to find the perfect way to enforce this meeting” “We are trying to figure out how to incentivize people for better attendance,” she added.

Opinion Resource Centers Deserve More Resources Editorial

Current students might know Tony Marx for recently appearing on Humans of New York to advocate for the modern relevance of the public library. But the former Amherst president should be noted for his agenda that has changed the campus makeup and culture. Pushing for a level of diversity unheard of by our peer institutions, he created some of the generous financial aid packages that allow the Admissions Office to operate need-blind. There should be no doubt that the Admissions’ Office commitment to creating a diverse student body has done wonders for this college. While the administration’s full commitment to creating a diverse student body is clear, the same cannot be said for its maintenance of the resources devoted to a truly diverse community.

The Multicultural Resource Center, Queer Resource Center and Women’s and Gender Center are crucial to this campus.

Their weekly coffee hours, “queer talks” programs and café con leche events go a long way to creating a better, more cohesive and more understanding community. Their heads and student staff are unparalleled in their devotion to each student. Further, the events they put on and speakers they bring in are varied, touching on a multitude of issues students want and need to hear about.

Yet, despite their spectacular track record, each center

constantly has to find new funding for their events. It’s all too frequent that students representing centers come to the Association of Amherst Students, Campus Activities Board and the President’s Office among others seeking extra funding for events that deserve to be put on. Each year, the Queer Resource Center puts on their allies week and give out the “I Support Love” T-shirts that have become a mainstay of your gym visit. Despite the fact that this project is one that captures and fundamentally defines the conversation on campus, these shirts are not provided for in the Queer Resource Center budget but are, instead, funded through a myriad of different co-sponsorships. Yes, it makes sense that the centers can’t fully fund every single expensive speaker they want to bring it. What doesn’t make sense is that their budgets don’t include enough money for tried and true events that are crucial on this campus.

Perhaps it is asking too much for the college budget to support every event each center puts on fully, but the administration should certainly be funding these crucial events. These centers are a lifeline to many students. That’s for good reason.

The Multicultural Resource Center, Queer Resource Center and Women’s and Gender Center do amazing work. Their staff should have the financial freedom to focus more on planning informative and fun events rather than securing funding.

On (In)Accessibility At Amherst Nora Gayer ’16 Contributing Writer Amherst makes a promise to its students: that it is small enough to treat us as humans rather than statistics or human capital. Like many students, my time at Amherst has been colored in shades of pain. In my most vulnerable moments, the school did not provide adequate support. Today, I conceive of Amherst quite differently from how I did as a starry-eyed firstyear. With that said, I still love Amherst to its core. I have to believe that Amherst can live up to its narrative about itself. I am writing today because I haven’t given up on this school — I want it to come into its own.

In June of 2013, my body became an uncanny place.

Seemingly overnight, I went from a mentally and physically vigorous 21-year-old to a fragile, exhausted and confused doppelganger slouching about in the skin of my former self.

I spent that summer trying to convince my primary care physician that I was suffering from a physical ailment. When my blood work came back normal, she concluded that I was “just depressed.” Like many medical practitioners, she has a catastrophic misunderstanding of depression, as evidenced by her ability to use the word “just” in the same sentence as “depressed.” Further, replace “depressed” with “hysterical”

and congratulations — you’ve just regressed two centuries in Western medicine! Bring on the resting cure, the wandering womb and paroxysms!

In August, I briefly considered taking time away from Amherst, but I couldn’t imagine any good coming from my staying home to be gas-lighted by my doctor. At any rate, I was feeling a bit better in late August. So I did what I’d always done when things got hard: I dug in my heels, I pulled myself up by my bootstraps (how does one pull oneself up by one’s own bootstraps?), I kept my nose to the grindstone. If my body was exhausted or my mind was dull, then I’d work harder. And for the first time in my life, I invested effort in my health. I didn’t just work hard; I slept hard, insisting on eight hours per night. I started physical therapy for the pesky joint pain I thought was independent of my illness. And I scheduled fruitless visits with doctors every single week.

Despite my intense “auto-bootstrapping,” I struggled to understand the material presented in my classes. Toward the end of October, my condition — in particular my cognitive faculties — took a marked turn for the worst. I reached a point where I could no longer finish reading a paragraph before losing the opening sentence’s content. Daily activities caused immense struggle, but

still I tried to act like a typical senior. I applied for a fellowship to teach abroad. I worked on my thesis in geology, a Sisyphean task (yes, pun intended), as my reading comprehension was near non-existent. I attended office hours. I continued with some extracurricular pursuits, despite my embarrassment and frustration at having lost my fortitude in a very short period of time. Although I told myself that this was all in the pursuit of happiness, mostly I just couldn’t see any option for slowing down.

Descending further into illness, I found that when spoken to, I could understand individual words, but my mind could never assemble the gestalt.

Conversations felt a bit like a lagging video call: By the time I ascertained the meaning of one phrase, my partner had moved onto something else. All of this was horrifying to me.

I was devastated, as perhaps you can imagine. Talking was wrought with anxiety; I constantly dreaded the moment that someone might call me out on my inability to understand the only language I speak fluently. I felt like a fraud, posing in ostensibly deep interactions with my peers but never actually being a part of them. I became very good at signaling that I was listening without actually having to perform. Anyone who knew me well before I became ill knows that I can talk

up a head of steam, so I lost a crucial part of myself in those months.

Disturbed by the progression of my illness, I contacted my class dean in mid-November to set up a conversation.

My mother offered to drive up to Amherst, and after much argument over my being an adult and such, I agreed to her being in the room when I met with my class dean. At the meeting, we agreed that for the time being I would take extensions in my Amherst classes; depending on any medical developments in the following weeks, I would either finish classes late or withdraw from them. I would finish my UMass class without extensions. And perhaps, with any luck, I would be able to graduate after the following semester.

I went home for Thanksgiving planning to visit with a couple of doctors, get a diagnosis, get treated, and be back on my feet before interterm. Surely, I thought, a brand new doctor, one billing hundreds of dollars an hour, could locate the point where my body had gone awry.

Unfortunately, I was wrong.

After Thanksgiving, through a Herculean effort I did manage to finish my class at UMass. I still remember feeling like my brain’s temperature was approaching absolute zero and my neurons were screeching to

Continued on next page

THE AMHERST

STUDENT

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Sophie Murguia Executive Adviser Brendan Hsu Managing News Dan Ahn, Sophie Chung, Elaine Jeon Managing Opinion Johnathan Appel, Marie Lambert Managing Arts and Living Marquez Cummings, Gabby Edzie, Evan Paul Managing Sports Kiana Herold, Lauren Tuiskula S TA F F Design Editors Gabby Bishop, Megan Do, William Harvey, Sunna Juhn, Chloe Tausk Assistant News Editor Ryan Cenek Assistant Sports Editors Jeremy Kesselhaut, Jason Darell, Jason Stein Publishers Emily Ratte, Tia Robinson Photography Editor Olivia Tarantino

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The Amherst Student • March 25, 2015

Opinion

On Disability and the Amherst College Administration Continued from previous page

a halt. In that state, my mind was simply not functioning well enough for me to write essays or even read for my Amherst classes.

I left Amherst mid-December, praying that my mind and body would shift in some way, but weeks passed and my condition remained stagnant. Continued attempts to read and write precluded rest, so in mid-January I emailed my class dean stating that I needed to withdraw from my remaining courses. To my chagrin, I received this email from her: “I am sorry to hear you are not much better. I already have you on the list for time away. If you are asking about medically withdrawing retroactively for fall semester, that is not possible. We can talk more about deeper extensions.” A strongly worded and heavily embarrassing email sent by my mother — replete with references to my “fabulous” accomplishments — convinced the dean to bring up my case with her supervisor, the former dean of students. I trust it is not lost on the readers of this article that having a parent fight your battles for you is double-plus-unfun. Further, aside from shameless bragging about her “super-talented” daughter, my mother’s email contained nothing that I hadn’t already conveyed to

my dean; the biggest difference was that my mother’s email signature has the letters “J.D.” in it.

More importantly, not every student has been blessed with a delightfully overbearing Jewish mother. Nor do all Amherst parents have the financial security to take off time from work to speak with their child’s dean in person.

Even if unintentional, it thus seems that both classism and infantilization* are built into Amherst’s administrative habit of listening to parents and not to students.

On January 23, 2014, I met with my class dean again, and she explained that the administration was “making an exception for me” by allowing me to “retroactively” withdraw — even though we had agreed in a prior meeting that I would withdraw if I could not finish my coursework. I found this to be somewhat unsettling, but what followed was far more worrisome.

The dean said that I ought not talk to my peers about my exceptional accommodations, explaining that three other students had wanted to “retroactively withdraw” that semester but had not been permitted to do so. I suspect that she would never say the following outright, but what I heard, loud and clear, was, “You owe us because we have made an exception for you, so keep your mouth shut.” Amherst’s policy is apparently

to unilaterally deny students’ requests to withdraw late in the semester. It is unclear to me just why the school’s policymakers think students would want to withdraw late in the semester if they didn’t have a compelling reason to do so — what do we have to gain through withdrawal (aside from W’s on our transcripts)? I have spent a fair amount of time around Amherst students, and most of them, like myself, love their schoolwork. Though this is not the norm, I have friends who have consistently taken five classes per semester because they love classes. A close friend audited classes like it was going out of style. If an Amherst student is asking to drop a course, it is because they need to drop a course. None of us is trying to pull a fast one on anybody; the trickster student withdrawal is but a myth.

For the full article, please visit The Student’s website. *I hope that upperclassmen have not forgotten that Angie Epifano was initially prohibited from returning to Amherst, since she had no parents to supervise her. To all underclassmen, I encourage you to visit The Student’s website and search “An Account of Sexual Assault at Amherst College,” since it was published prior to your arrival on campus.

5

Vemödalen: The Fear That Everything Has Already Been Done Mohamed Ramy ’18 Staff Writer It is often apparent to me that most people fear having nothing new to add to the world, of leaving an ordinary footprint. During my spring break, I stayed in the New York Loft Hostel in Brooklyn for about a week. Undeniably, New York City is a booming, living organism, and one grows sonder there, I believe, appreciating that everyone else has a story. Indeed, in an attempt to be unique, people spread out, trying to capture something personal — something that would distinguish them.

Riding the subway every day, I met many different people, yet some characteristics kept showing up — similar stories narrated. It should be a comfort to know that we are not so different, but is it really? I have always thought that every individual is distinct and that we all get to contribute to the world we inherited. Still, I worry, “Am I doing enough? Is it all worth it? Am I special?”

During my stay in the hostel, I roomed with a New Zealander, an Argentinian and an Englishman. It was quite remarkable to see how we all reasoned differently and how we all perceived America differently. Nevertheless, it prompted me to think: Do all New Zealanders think the same way? If not, is his perspective still unique? Is my opinion common in Egypt? These questions occupied my thoughts for days. As I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art with my Argentinian roommate, I grew gloomy, surrounded by many old and memorable sculptures. “Will I be able to make a difference?” I asked myself.

I reminisced about the Egyptian revolution of January 2011, thinking, “Will there ever be justice and social equality? When will the reign of dictators end?”

At night, I visited a friend who invited me to a poetry slam. Poets spoke of writers, revolutionaries, painters, scientists and prodigies. Then I thought, “What is there left to do?” If I were to do something, it would likely be a repetition of an activity someone else had already done. I felt overwhelmed by the questions doubting my successes and pinning me to an ordinary life, but then a thought alleviated my concerns.

Interestingly, I realized that we worry because we are aware of our freedom.

Our ability to choose, to mold our future and to affect others’ lives, inculcates in us a sense of responsibility to act. No one can deny that who we are is the result of our choices. Although we may lead similar lives, it is the sequence of actions throughout one’s life that make it unique — even though there are seven billion other lives. In a way, we are all vulnerable to these moments of despair, moments in which life seems banal and unremarkable, especially after getting back to a rigorous college schedule after a week’s rest. Nevertheless, we must have the will to strive and not forget that, even though we may keep repeating the same jokes or take the same photos, our choices determine opportunities yet to be treasured. Every day affects the verse we are to contribute. And remember: Nothing is set in stone, not even who we are.

The Importance of Being Exceptional Queeriosity Evelyn Touchette ’18 Contributing Writer Queeriosity is a biweekly column dedicated to discussing LGBTQ student life at Amherst College. If you are interested in contributing to the Queeriosity column, contact the Amherst College Queer Resource Center at qrc@amherst.edu.

This is my first contribution to The Amherst Student and to Queeriosity, so I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to introduce myself to the whole campus. I’m Evelyn Touchette, a first-year student from Arizona. I work as an office assistant at the Queer Resource Center, and I have something to admit to you all.

Now, since I work at the Queer Resource Center, and since this is a Queeriosity article I’m writing, chances are you’ve got a guess as to what it is. Big surprise, right? The thing is, if you guessed that I’m queer, you’re wrong. I am straight, which in LGBTQ-speak, makes me an ally.

Don’t worry: I’m not going to get on a soapbox. I’m not here to prove I’m a better ally than you. There will be no pop quiz on the meaning of the letters in LGBTQIAP (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer/Questioning Intersex Asexual Pansexual). In fact, I’m feeling

quite a lot of pressure to not say anything at all, because just saying “I’m an ally” puts me on the defensive. I feel like I have to explain to people that I’m still “normal” — not because I want it to be clear that I’m straight, but so that others won’t associate me with queer people. And that, folks, is an insult to the very community I want to support.

The truth is I am not normal, and I have never wanted to be normal. In every aspect of my life, I want to be exceptional: in my academics, in my personal style, in my witty conversation, in my goals for the future. I’ll even say that I am exceptional in many of these areas, not normal. Normal didn’t get me into Amherst, and I’m pretty sure none of you got into Amherst by being normal, either. The truth is, I have never met anyone in my life who wanted to be just like everyone else — except when it comes to identity.

Identity, whether it’s sexual, economic, racial, or any number of other ways we’ve invented as a society to categorize each other, is something we all struggle with. Having an “exceptional” identity — one that differs from the norm — can be hard to live with and hard to talk about, and for good reason. Despite that, we are doing it here. The Day of Dialogue and Amherst Reflects are two examples of Amherst students daring to challenge normative expectations about race and identity — daring to be exceptional.

With this in mind, I challenge you to continue being exceptional. I challenge you to be an exceptional ally. If you already identify as an ally, if you have an ally button or an “I Support Love” T-shirt, that is great. Do a little more. Come to the Queer Resource Center; we’re in the basement of Morrow Dormitory.

Learn about what all those letters mean. Attend a Pride meeting. We will welcome you.

I know it’s hard. You’re busy. You have midterms. Maybe you attend other clubs and identity groups. Maybe you’re practically surviving on coffee and all-nighters — I know I am. Well, the Queer Resource Center is great place to do homework, and we have lots of coffee.

That’s not really why it’s hard, though. It’s hard because you’re stepping into an unfamiliar space, a space where you might not know what you’re doing. As an Amherst student,

that’s scary. It’s hard because you’re taking a stand, just by walking in the door. What if people assume you’re queer? What if people start to think you’re not normal?

Remember, you’re exceptional, not normal.

Yes, some people will assume that you’re queer if you visit the Queer Resource Center or attend a Pride meeting on campus. Some of them might even make judgments about you for it. The thing is, the people who make those kinds of assumptions are the same people who assume that just because you’re an athlete you must be dumb, or that just because you look Asian you must speak fluent Chinese — and since when have those people ever been worth trying to please?

Being an ally is hard, but then again, being exceptional usually is. You don’t have to carry a rainbow flag everywhere you go to be an ally any more than you have to burn bras to be a feminist. You don’t even have to do what I currently do and introduce yourself with your preferred pronouns. (Although you might be asked to do so inside the Queer Resource Center, you don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable. That’s why we call it a safe space.) Support everyone’s right to feel safe and accepted in their sexuality or asexuality, gender conformity or nonconformity, by learning about identities other than your own. That’s what it takes to be exceptional.

Arts&Living

Image courtesy of Lucas Lebovitz ’15

Lucas Lebovitz ’15, along with the Amherst College Jazz Ensemble, will perform original compositions inspired by the jazz music of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Thesis Spotlight: Lebovitz Resurrects the Energy of Big Band Jazz Daniella Colombo ’17

Staff Writer

This Friday at 7 p.m, Lucas Lebovitz ’15 will take the stage of Buckley Recital Hall to present a showcase of contemporary classical and jazz music as part of the senior thesis presentation, “The Jukebox.”

Lebovitz invites the audience on a journey through sounds of the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. The concert will spotlight the original compositions of Lebovitz, which he will perform alongside the Amherst College Jazz Ensemble, in an effort to journey back to the golden age of big band jazz. The performance seeks to pay tribute to notable icons of one of the most widespread forms of popular music in history. Following the act will be a performance by Albert Joo ‘15 that explores the combination between traditional acoustic sounds and the popular electronic sounds of today by utilizing the elements of music that create depth and complexity.

I had the chance to sit down with Lebovitz to learn more about his senior thesis project.

The Los Angeles native is a double major in music and neuroscience. He said his desire to go to medical school was his motivation for majoring in neuroscience, while his decision to major in music stemmed from a desire to continually enjoy himself amidst the notable neuroscience workload.

As a prospective music major, Lebovitz began with the introductory courses that

focus on music literacy. These courses were followed by classes geared toward history, culture, theory and analysis. The courses aim to impart the ability of writing and thinking critically about music while encouraging the appreciation of the cultural and historical trajectory of tonal music.

Lebovitz arrived at Amherst an experienced player of classical piano and bassoon, but he said he has since been able to enjoy pursuing a newfound passion for jazz.

Lebovitz said his interest in jazz was stoked

by Amherst faculty members such as conductor Bruce Diehl. He knew early on that he wanted to do a senior music thesis, and went into junior year knowing he wanted to do something involving the art of composition and jazz. Ultimately, he came to hone in on big band, a percussion, bass, and woodwind jazz music collaboration originated in the U.S in the 1920s. Lebovitz had some prior formal instruction from a half-credit course he took that focused on writing and arranging music for the ensemble.

“I started casually listening to things I hadn’t been listening to that seriously, and started developing an understand of how it worked,” Lebovitz said. “I came to love how diverse of things you can write for that many instruments and the diversity of sounds that can come about, but more so how deep the cultural influence is and how entrenched the history is behind it. I started listening to important bands from different times, and I could pick from those to get a cool style.”

The goal of the project is to write original music to authentically replicate and honor specific bands and times of the big band genre. Lebovitz said he aims to cover the bases of big band composition between 1930 and 1960 by analyzing the music of specific musicians who made huge influences throughout the era and applying it to the composition of his own original songs.

“My fascination with it is that it is so easy to be passionate about researching things I can write authentically for,” he said.

Lebovitz said the writing process began over the summer and concluded about three weeks ago. The band will be performing about half an hour’s worth of music, cut down from the original 40 written by Lebovitz.

“It took much longer to decide how to write than to actually write,” Lebovitz said.

“Because they’re such big scores, it can take up to a month to just get through one song by one band and really understand how each was doing what it was doing. The styles are also so different, so it takes me a while to get used to each one.”

Lebovitz talks about a newfound passion for analyzing music, contrary to the belief popularly held amongst musicians that taking apart a piece of art and breaking it up into its constituents strips it of its beauty “Overanalyzing anything can be somewhat rote, but that tends to happen when people aren’t looking for something specific,” Leibovitz said. “To take something I

love and break it down, and I understand it better having broken it down, it always makes me appreciate it more.”

The biggest challenge Lebovitz said he faced along the process has been teaching the band the original music. He described the inherent bridge between how a composer imagines his written music to sound and how it actually sounds listening to someone else play their music.

“There are tons of times, especially this early, that the band will play the music and I hear it and say ‘that’s not what I’m hearing in my head,’ but there are times when the band will pick it up and play it 10 times better than I would have ever expected,” he said.

“When I give it to somebody and they interpret it in a way I never imagined, everything comes to life.”

After graduation, Lebovitz will be taking a year to volunteer in a hospital, during which he will have some time to practice his playing.

“There will always be people to play with, especially in medical school where there is a big cross-over [with medical students and musicians], but fortunately I play the piano — an instrument I can play by myself happily,” Leibovitz said.

“I won’t really be able to have the opportunity to pursue music in the depth that I would like for a long time. So having an amazing recording and music experience of one huge project will be something I can carry with me for a long time.”

“The Dynamic Spirit of Russian Modernism” Debuts in Webster Hall Elias Baez ’15 Contributing Writer The Russian avant-garde emerged as the revolution dissolved the nation-state and made chaos an everyday reality. The past burned as the present moment magnified to harbor the uncertain future. In the project of drawing the future from the present, these artists unilaterally rejected received forms: they considered their culture’s bourgeois past to be tainted by toxic ideology. The avant-garde chose to service the revolution by creating new forms to sculpt utopian subjectivity — to shape the minds of citizens into the image of their dream. One aspect of this was to aestheticize public space with architectural forms derived from and reflective of their utopian ideals. They had to define space itself in new ways to enact their mission. At the edge of the present moment, chaos became freedom, total

potentiality.

The gallery on the second floor of Webster Hall is a powerful display of these artists’ unfettered idealism. Curated

by Bettina Jungen from the Thomas P. Whitney ’37 collection at the Mead, this gallery presents a range of original work by such artists as Aleksander Rodchenko, Iakov Chernikhov, Liubov Popova, Wassily Kandinsky and Olga Rozanova.

With the knowledge that this aesthetic became a form of propaganda under Stalinism, it’s almost eerie to encounter their original work at such length, to see the depth of their belief in this project.

The jolt, verve and joy of progress — the excitement of the future at hand — is preserved here, though the works have a melancholic air as well, due to the century of violence rooted in this moment.

It’s chastening to see these ideas reflected so purely. It’s worth the effort it takes to reconcile.

It is immediately clear that these artists thematize space to reflect their relationship to past and future at once. Upon entering the gallery, the radical architectural design of Iakov Chernikhov stands out in a display case to the left. In one undated piece only named “5,” he imagines a city composed of sheer, curved bodies. While the severe, blocky stilts of “Le Corbusier” elevate his metropolis above the ground, Chernikhov instead imagines lush red chevrons composed into transparent pyramids to serve the same idealistic function. The flat page is given depth through the curve of the city outward, allowing his fantastic city to approach reality. Each cylindrical building is windowed over its entire service, reflecting the transparency the avantgarde felt vital to Soviet objects.

Beside this work is a piece entitled “Gorod” [City] by Nataliya Goncharova, from 1920. Her lithographs are less meant

to imagine new architectural forms — the buildings seen are extremely simple — but more to locate the human within a Futurist cityscape. Space collapses into a series of vectors on one page, breaking the slopes of roofs into diagonal lines that meet at the origin point for wailing animalistic forms above. Opposite is a print where turbines, buildings, wheels and shadows overlay and intersect with one another. Her works aren’t about utopia, but energy and constant imbalance, the engine of revolutionary development.

Most emblematic of how well this collection reflects its historical moment is the corner of the gallery, where an abstract composition from 1916 by Wassily Kandinsky hangs adjacent to a compass composition from 1915 by Aleksander Rodchenko. The Kandinsky piece is an “organic” abstraction, replete with knuck-

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Avant-Garde Russian Art Depicts Important Moment in History Continued from previous page

Photo courtesy of amherst.edu

Aleksandra Ekster’s stage design for Shakespeare’s “Merchant of Venice”

les, fingers, hair, liver spots, and other animalistic elements. Altogether, it forms a whole similar in shape to an anatomical heart. Beside it, Rodchenko’s piece is alike in shape but, in true Rodchenko fashion, entirely geometricized. It could not be further from “organic” as the compass forms clear arcs filled in with shadow. There is no human hand visible in its creation. The depth is uncertain, and the piece rejects meaning beyond the form itself.

The energetic discovery of form and development of the avant-garde’s aesthetic is fascinating to witness on these walls.

History is tangible here; it’s buzzing from every surface as one engages with these artists at their furthest remove from the burden of representation. Turning to leave, however, one is struck by a monu-

mental work of Socialist Realism — the Stalinist genre that demands adherence to party strictures — on a high surface that cannot be seen on first entering the room. It depicts Stalin in a neoclassical hall shaking hands with heads of state beneath a bust of Lenin. Everyone is the same height, and Stalin appears adequately glorified. After experiencing the avant-garde in its development, with its joyful lights from reality and its exploration of the unknown, this painting reflects the harsh reality that followed all of this.

All of this creative energy was flattened and put to use under Stalin. It’s harsh to see, but moving. Only somewhat separate from that massive work, the dream of the avant-garde along the gallery walls is preserved in context. It’s a difficult history to grapple with.

Amherst Books Hosts Renowned Best-Selling Author David Vann Sophie Currin ’17 Staff Writer A few days before spring break began, I found myself taking some time out of the busy week to hike through the light rain to Amherst Books for the evening. Even though I took the short route through the parking lot across from Val, I was still a minute late, walking into the back room of the store at 8:01. Sheltered from the cold, almost slushy drops of water, I instantly relaxed once I entered the room: Filled with Amherst English professors and their students, and some others, the warm atmosphere was characterized by light conversation and the crumble and crunch of cookies. There weren’t enough chairs for everyone, and there was barely enough space, but I found a comfortable spot on the floor in the back next to the children’s books.

A few moments later, the guest of honor, author David Vann, was introduced, and brought to the podium. The funny kind of awkward (he laughed at himself as he acknowledged how each of his works end in death), yet charming and honest, Vann graciously read aloud a portion of his new novel, “Aquarium,” answered many questions and simply shared a little bit of his life with us.

Born in 1966 on Adak Island, Alaska, David Vann grew up in a family unusually ridden with suicide-committers, one of whom was his father. He found refuge in a childhood obsession with fish, which he admitted was slightly unhealthy for his social life growing up. Though his novels are fiction, his writing usually reflects these two real elements of his life: Essentially, he found that writing fiction was the most effective way to work through and

come to terms with his father’s sudden, intentional death, and that these comfortable underwater descriptions could ease him into it.

Going into college, he knew he wanted to be a writer, as he had been a great storyteller — or “liar,” as he put it, a quality the Vanns shared — growing up. Vann told us he actually began his college education at Williams, but captured the Amherstbased crowd’s attention after comically describing the details of why he quickly transferred to Stanford after just his first year. After spending many unsuccessful years as a writer, he unsurprisingly took a hiatus to work on a boat. His career gained momentum, and he published the novels “Legend of a Suicide” and “Caribou Island.” He now teaches creative writing at the University of Warwick in England, in addition to writing every day. Vann’s novels have received several awards, been picked for both the Times and the New Yorker book clubs, and are very popular in Europe.

Amherst was the second stop for his “Aquarium” tour, the first being the Harvard Book Store in Boston. Vann interrupted himself often, adding stories here and there, and often confessed to his own self-consciousness and the weirdness of reading something of his own aloud to a large group. He seemed to read the section of the novel without too much emotion, or even enthusiasm, stopping at one point to describe how he miserably failed at attempting a Scottish accent for a line last time (accidentally making it Australian), and would not do it again as to not offend anyone in the audience.

Although hearing an author read his own work is often moving, for a crowd sprinkled with aspiring novelists, the real

Image courtesy of independent.co.uk

“Aquarium,” David Vann’s latest novel, takes on the perspective of an adolescent girl as she navigates her complicated family life. value of the event was getting the chance to ask Vann about his work, and receiving honest responses.

On how to prepare oneself, educationwise, to be a good writer, Vann’s advice was to take creative writing classes, but more than that, to study Latin intensively.

He described a 14-hour-a-day summer Latin program that he claimed improved his fluidity and the structure of his writing more than anything else.

Vann also referred to the power of writing through the unconscious to create something great, even shocking for the reader to experience. He also said that as an author he used writing therapeutically to discover something he needed most — in this case, opening the door to truly examining and understanding his father’s

death, which he said he did through the writing process of “Legend of a Suicide.”

In describing his writing process, Vann emphasized his way of focusing on continually illustrating the scenery and developing characters to drive the plot forward, rather than focusing on action or ideas.

“I sometimes think that an idea is the worst thing that can happen to a writer,” Vann said in an interview with the New York Times in 2011, and he repeated this to the Amherst Books audience two weeks ago.

Like his novels themselves, David Vann presented himself as blunt, which the attendees of the reading seemed to enjoy and appreciate. The only disappointment of the night: I forgot to bring my copy of “Legend of a Suicide” for Vann to sign.

2015’s “Cinderella” Provides Fresh Take On Classic Fairy Tale Alexandra James ’16 Staff Writer Pumpkins, lizards, mice, and a tattered dress are the main ingredients to a magical night with a prince — with the help of a fairy godmother, that is. The classic European folktale “Cinderella” has been told, written, and filmed for ages. Perhaps the most iconic adaptation of them all is the 1950 Disney animated film “Cinderella.”

Since the release of the Disney classic, the company has spent the past 65 years adapting 11 other folktales to create a Disney Princess franchise.

Maybe Disney ran out of princesses or wishes to revive the millennial generation’s

adoration for the Disney princesses, but the company is now unveiling a series of live action Disney princess films. The first in the series is “Cinderella,” starring Lily James in the titular role. The director, Kenneth Branagh, had a difficult task with this new iteration of the classic tale: simultaneously create his own take on “Cinderella” while keeping in line with the Disney franchise.

Of course, for a director who has been nominated for five Academy Awards and constantly adapts Shakespeare’s plays to the big screen, adaptation has become a specialty of Branagh’s work, making him the best equipped for the momentous task.

At first, the concept of remaking “Cinderella” into a live-action film seemed

to be an attempt to squeeze out just a bit more profit from the Disney princess franchise. Yet, Branagh develops and creates a fresh world from the original story; he accepts that most of the public already has some sense of the story behind “Cinderella” and uses this knowledge to his advantage.

Branagh allows the plot to take the sidelines as he emphasizes the human element of the tale, one that was missing in the animated feature. The narrator (Helena Bonham Carter) gently walks us through the story elements when needed, but leaves the characters to develop their own personalities. Ella (Lily James) is kind and selfless, willing to do anything to please her stepmother (Cate Blanchett) and step sisters

(Holliday Grainger and Sophie McShera).

On the other hand, her stepmother grows to be cruel once she realizes that Ella is far better in every manner than her daughters.

Even the romantic connection between Prince “Kit” Charming (Richard Madden) and Ella is something that extends beyond the scope of the magnificent ball. These characters truly draw the audience in, most remarkably through Blanchett’s performance, which manages to transform a onedimensional character into one with some background beyond her overarching cruelty. Through this performance, Blanchett manages to portray a certain logic and rea-

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Branagh’s Cinderella Entertains and Revives Love for a Disney Classic Continued from previous page soning behind the evil stepmother.

Of course, Branagh does not fail to provide the stereotypical Disney magic that audiences have come to expect. The special effects of the film radiate through Ella’s mice friends and the breathtaking views of the castle and its gardens. The ball itself has an extravagance that can rival the likes of Versailles at its peak. The special effects and costumes create a world that is both magical and pastoral; Ella’s ball gown in particular sparkles an almost luminescent blue as she walks up the steps to the castle and the Prince’s royal clothing seems to match and complement the dress. I would not be surprised if this film ends up with a nomination for best costumes at the Academy Awards.

However, “Cinderella” is by no means a perfect film. Branagh tends to rely too much on special effects as a crutch for camerawork. The exterior shots are breathtaking, but there seems to be one too many aerial shots of the castle. Yet, sometimes a true directorial moment will shine through the sheen of computer graphics. Ella and

the prince’s first meeting displays alternating spinning close ups of the two characters as they blush at each other. Sadly, moments such as these tend to be quickly followed by a scene flaunting special effects, slightly taking away from Branagh’s style. Of course, the scenes in which these two elements work together stand head and shoulders above the rest of the film. If only “Cinderella” were filled with more of those scenes.

“Cinderella” is not a film that will change the world, but it is one that will entertain and reinvigorate the universal appreciation for the fairy tale. Branagh chooses to make “Cinderella” neither about the injustices of servitude nor about feminine power, in contrast to the most recent Disney princess film “Frozen.” Instead, this film brings a human element to the animated classic.

Ella transforms from a lucky girl who has a fairy godmother into a young woman who has spent years of her life in abuse and still manages to see the silver lining. By the end, Ella makes the viewer believe that simple optimism can exist in the harsh reality that we live in.

Image courtesy of imdb.com

Lily James (pictured above) and her supporting cast give life to director Kenneth Branagh’s humanized take on the fairy tale classic.

Mumford & Sons Return With First Track of Third Studio Album Hanna Krueger ’17 Contributing Writer In a 2013 Rolling Stone interview, keyboardist Ben Lovett announced, “There won’t be any Mumford & Sons activities for the foreseeable future,” signaling the end of the band’s four year monopoly on the folk rock industry.

After skating into the national music scene in 2009 with the acclaimed, kickdrum album Sigh No More, the band ended 2013 in a frenzy of boisterous banjo tunes, choirboy acoustic melodies, Grammy wins and unfortunate health scares as bassist Ted Dwane underwent emergency brain surgery. Almost over night, the band became an international sensation — trading in their gigs at modest London bars for headliner spots at music festivals across the globe. After the

release of Babel, Mumford & Sons became the first band since The Beatles to simultaneously land six songs on Billboard Hot 100. The band’s stardom seemed on track to follow in the glitterati footsteps of the 1960s four-member band out of England. Yet, the final notes played on the Babel tour were the last for a while as the quartet sought repose from the glaring spotlights of music festivals and awards shows.

Even in hiatus, Mumford & Sons could not escape their celebrity status.

Reporters scrutinized every comment made by individual band members in an attempt to reveal the truth behind the band’s disintegration and the timing of their hopeful return. Some were certain that the hiatus signaled the death knell to the four-member collaboration. Yet, signs of the band’s reemergence surfaced

Image courtesy of fanart.tv

After a brief hiatus, Mumford & Sons look to reclaim their position at the forefront of the music industry with a brand new sound.

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in late 2014. Marcus Mumford’s visceral, yet raspy voice filled the sound waves once again on a studio collective featuring discarded Dylan lyrics titled “The New Basement Tapes.” Eventually, sources disclosed that Mumford, Marshall, Dwane and Lovett were back in the studio together. All the while, media outlets continued to peddle mixed reports about Mumford & Sons, treating the band’s hiatus like a celebrity romance with trashy magazines inconsistently promising that the multiplatinum band was getting back together while also contending that the group was breaking up for good.

The conflicting rumors ended with the March 9 release of “Believe,” the first salvo from Mumford & Sons’ third album, “Wilder Mind.” However, the excitement galvanized by their return was met with both uncertainty and disdain for the band’s new sound, which bids adieu to the banjo and welcomes the synthesizer. In the past, critics complained that the quartet lacked musical range, knocking the group for clinging helplessly to the same banjobumping, acoustic-driven sound in each of their albums. “Believe” is an attempt to quell such criticism as it descends into the world of synthesizers, Coldplay-esque lyrics, and U2-esque guitar solos. It reveals a quieter, simpler and more polished side to the band. Gone is the tension of plucked banjo strings, the quivering strum of the cello, the stomp of zealous drum-symbol percussion, the Bible, Shakespeare and Steinbeck-infused lyrics, and the imperfect, yet compelling, rasp and twang of Mumford’s voice. Marcus Mumford, the band’s lead singer and songwriter, takes a back seat in the lyrics that accompany the synthesized melody, allowing bandmates Dwane and Marshall to unleash their heartbreak on the track. As a result, the biblical and literary allusions trademark

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to Mumford’s style disappears and are replaced by simple, yet somewhat vague, repetitive stanzas.

The band’s electronic homecoming tune lends itself best to a stadium setting, alongside a lineup of alternative rock luminaries such as Coldplay, Oasis and U2. Given the band’s original affinity towards intimate venues and the endearingly imperfect tunes of folk bands like Edward Sharpe and the Old Crow Medicine Show, this transition seems alarmingly out of character. After all, an aversion to the spotlight and the platinum lifestyle influenced the band’s decision to take a break in the first place.

If “Believe” is any indication of the sound lurking within Wilder Mind, then Mumford & Sons is seeking to deviate from the themes of their rookie and sophomore albums. However, some prehiatus trademarks still remain. The band intends to continue their “Gentlemen of the Road Stopover” shows, in which the band stages a two-day festival in random small towns along their festival-filled summer tour. Band members still rock the haphazardly sophisticated pea coat and suit vest combo. Above all, Mumford & Sons’ synthesized transition appears as more of an attempt to challenge and explore their musical range rather than an appeasement to the blubbering masses.

Despite the mixed reviews surrounding the band’s new sound, people are still willing to buy stock in the Londonbased quartet. “Believe” finds itself in familiar Mumford territory as No. 31 on Billboard Top 100, making it safe to say that Mumford & Sons continues to hold its illustrious place in the international music scene. Whether or not they will build upon past success lands in the fate of the band’s third, banjo-less soundtrack to debut on May 4.

The Amherst Student • March 25, 2015

Sports 9

Men’s Tennis Travels to California Women’s Tennis Opens Up Season With Spring Games in California Jeremy Kesselhaut ’16 Assistant Sports Editor

The defending national champion and No. 1 regionally and nationally ranked Amherst men’s tennis team returned to action over spring break, building on the successes of the fall season. As they have done for the last seven years now, the Jeffs traveled west to California for a demanding week that featured 10 matches in just six days. The tremendous depth and size of the team allowed them to play an incredible number of matches while still competing at a very high level. The team stayed in Ontario, California for the entire trip, but traveled within a two-hour radius of the hotel for matches.

The Jeffs, who went 36-3 in route to the national championship a year ago, started the spring season with a 7-3 start. This comes after a successful 2-0 fall season that included impressive victories over Johns Hopkins and Carnegie Mellon.

On March 16, half of the Jeffs competed against Westmont College in Santa Barbara, while the other half traveled to San Diego to take on Point Loma.

Amherst won both matches decisively, beating Westmont 6-3 and Point Loma 7-2. Against Westmont, Anton Zykov ’17 and Russell Einbinder ’16 combined to win 8-4, while senior co-captain Sean Rodriguez and Jon Cypers ’15 out of Chappaqua, New York also won by the same score in doubles.

In the singles competition, Zykov, Rodriguez, Myles Tang ’17 and Carlos de Bracamonte ’16 won in straight sets. While this match was going on, the Jeffs swept Point Loma in singles 6-0 .

The following day, Amherst played its most anticipated match of the trip against No. 9-ranked Pomona-Pitzer. In doubles competition, Michael Solimano and Aaron Revzin outlasted Pomona-Pitzer’s No. 1, team winning 9-7. This back and forth match ended with a game winning shot by Revzin in which he made a full extension, diving volley. Trailing 2-1 headed into singles, the Jeffs were unable to mount a comeback, losing by a score of 6-3 with straight set victories coming from Yaraghi and Solimano. The

next day the Jeffs dropped another match to NIAA powerhouse Vanguard, 8-1.

“These were definitely tough defeats for us; we go into each and every match with confidence and an expectation to win,” Revzin said. “However, at this point it’s not about winning and losing; it’s about putting in hard work every day and about thriving on a challenge. We’ll learn and grow from these losses.”

Amherst got back on track with a 9-0 sweep of Chapman. Both the pairs of Solimano and Revzin and Zykov and Arnaboldi won 8-0 at the first and third double spots, respectively.

Rodriguez and Einbinder muscled out an 8-5 victory in the second spot. The dominance continued in singles with Zykov, Solimano, Revzin, Arnaboldi, Einbinder and Rodriguez all winning in straight sets. The Jeffs continued the momentum beating Skidmore College 7-2 behind another doubles sweep. The string of decisive victories was interrupted by a tough 5-4 defeat at the hands of a very strong Azusa Pacific team, who are ranked second in Division II. Solimano and Revzin picked up another victory in the No. 1 doubles position, while each winning their singles matches. Rodriguez made a great comeback to beat Tomas Aranguiz in three sets at the sixth singles slot displaying great fortitude.

While only Division III matches count towards Amherst’s ranking, these matches are valuable opportunities for first year head coach Todd Doebler to challenge his squad.

To close out the trip, the Jeffs rattled off three straight victories, beating Cerritos 6-3, Glendale Community College 9-0 and San Diego Mesa 7-2.

The Jeffs looks to build on their three-match win streak and the positive strides they made in California this weekend. They will continue their tough out of conference schedule with a trip to Harvard on Saturday, March 28 with the opening serve coming at 5 p.m. On Sunday, Amherst will travel to Colby in Maine for its first NESCAC match of the season.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Junior Sue Ghosh played out of the second singles spot over break.

Ashlyn Heller ’17 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s tennis team has come out blazing this season with four consecutive wins during their spring break trip to Southern California. The Jeffs overcame Pomona-Pitzer on the first match of their trip, followed by a tightly contested win over UConn the next day. Coming back after a day off from competition, the women dominated their two most recent matches against Chapman University and Vassar College on the final days of their California tour, crushing each team 8-1.

The Jeffs easily handled their first match this spring season against eighth-ranked Pomona-Pitzer, winning 6-3. Amherst swept all three doubles matches. Amherst’s leading first-year Vickie Ip and teammate Sue Ghosh ’16 took the first and second courts respectively, both in two sets. Sarah Monteagudo ’16 notched another win for the Jeffs on the fifth court.

The following day the Jeffs bested UConn 4-3. Though falling in close doubles competition, the Jeffs made up for it with stellar singles

play. Ghosh, Monteagudo, Megan Adamo ’17 and Claire Carpenter ’17 all added wins.

During competition against the Panthers of Chapman last Thursday featured impressive singles action as Ip defeated Sophia Duong 6-3, 6-0. Amherst’s Simone Aisiks ’17 on the No. 2 court, Monteagudo on No. 3 and Megan Adamo ’17 on No. 4, all had similarly dominant wins. Court two featured more of a battle as Sue Gosh ’16 of Amherst bested Chapman’s Rachel Fox in a three set match (4-6, 6-3, 106). The ladies in purple went 2-1 in doubles action.

The following day, the team traveled to Irvine, California to face the Brewers of Vassar College on the final day of their West Coast tour. Again, the Jeffs swept the board in singles action. In doubles, it was court No. 2 and No. 3 that picked up for Amherst with identical 8-2 wins from the dynamic duos of Maddy Sung ’16 and Jacqueline Calla ’17 on court No. 2 and Rebecca L. Pol ’16 and Sarah Monteagudo ’16 on court No. 3.

Amherst is now 4-1 overall and ranked fourth in the nation. The team faces its first NESCAC competition this coming Sunday against Colby in Waterville, Maine.

Women’s Lax Goes 2-1 Over Spring 23rd-Ranked Baseball Posts 6-6 Break, Boasts 5-2 Record This Season Record Throughout Spring Break Lauren Tuiskula ’17 Managing Sports Editor The seventh-ranked women’s lacrosse team spent its spring break traveling to New Jersey and Pennsylvania for match-ups against Montclair St. and Haverford. The team fared well on the road, picking up two convincing wins, holding their opponents to a combined six goals.

The first win came on Monday, March 16 over Montclair State as the Jeffs were lifted by seven second half goals en route to the 10-3 victory.

The game was highlighted by a trio of goals from senior captain Meghan Mills. She also led the team with six ground balls.

Amherst remained selfless throughout the game as six Jeffs provided helpers on the day.

Christy Forrest ’16 earned her fourth win of the year in net, making three saves.

In other non-conference action, Amherst squared off with Haverford College the following Wednesday, March 18. The win was again secured by a second half explosion, this time good for nine goals.

Mills turned in another standout performance this time highlighted by four goals.

Other highlights include two firsts for a pair of first-years. Julia Crerend ’18 had her first collegiate goal as she found the back of the cage with just four seconds remaining in the game.

Mary Grace Cronin ’18 notched her first collegiate assist on the play.

In addition to her four goals, Mills collected a pair of groundballs. Katie Paolano ’16 and firstyear Rwoena Schenck also added two groundballs each.

Forrest and Kyra Gardner ’18 split time in goal while picking up the team’s fifth win of the season.

After two non-conference routs, Amherst returned to NESCAC play against No. 15 ranked Hamilton.

Rachel Passarelli ’16 led the team with four goals. She also sparked a late comback by Amherst, scoring two back to back goals to even the match at 6. However, it was not enough to down the Continentals as Hamilton netted the game winner with 2:31 to play.

After the tough loss, Amherst will enjoy a week off from play before traveling to take on ninth-ranked NESCAC opponent Middlebury on Saturday, March 28. The game will begin at 2:30 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Mia Haughton ’16 has six goals so far this season as well as five assists.

Drew Kiley ’18 Staff Writer The Amherst College men’s baseball team kicked off their season with their annual spring break trip to Florida. In 12 games against some of the top Division III teams in the country, the Jeffs recorded a .500 record at 6-6.

Playing their first games outdoors, the team struggled to preserve early leads at the start of the trip, losing a close game against Ripon on Saturday, March 14, and dropping both games of a particularly tight doubleheader against Rutgers-Camden on Sunday, March 15. Against Ripon, right-hander Jackson Volle ’17 turned in a quality start and left with the Jeffs ahead 7-4 after six innings, while Keenan Szulik ’16 pitched a great game against Rutgers-Camden going seven strong innings.

Amherst’s first win of the year came on Monday, March 16, when the Jeffs cruised to a 20-5 win over Western New England, a game in which six different Jeff hitters recorded multi-hit games and the Jeffs pounded out 21 total hits. Outfielder Mike Odenwaelder ’16 and first-year shortstop Harry Roberson each had four hits. Sophomore outfielder Yanni Thanopoulos had a whopping seven RBIs and three hits, one of which was his first collegiate home run, and also swiped two bags. On the hill, junior Riley Streit pitched well in seven innings to earn the victory for the Jeffs.

The game sparked a five-game winning streak in which Amherst swept Framingham State in a doubleheader, defeated St. Norbert 20-7 on Thursday, March 19, and beat Endicott 13-5 in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday, March 20.

In the opener against Framingham State, George Long ’17 was key, tossing five effective innings in relief, allowing only one run on three hits, to earn the victory for the Jeffs.

In the second game of the doubleheader against Framingham, senior southpaw John Cook pitched

a complete game and struck out 10 Framingham State batters en route to the victory.

For the second time in four games, the Amherst offense exploded for 20 runs in the team’s matchup against St. Norbert. The Jeffs got 19 hits, including three hits from Vandini, two hits and five RBIs from Thanopoulos, and a pair of hits from infielder/outfielder Tyler Jacobs ’15 and firstyear third baseman Sam Ellinwood.

The Amherst bats remained hot in the Jeffs’ first game against Endicott, as Gunn had four hits, and Thanopoulos had three. Volle tossed seven innings to earn the win.

Amherst’s winning streak ended when they dropped their second game against Endicott and fell to William Paterson the following day.

Following Amherst’s two-game skid after five straight victories, Amherst ended the trip by splitting a doubleheader against St. Thomas, the second-ranked team in the country. The Jeffs claimed the first game 3-1 on the back of a brilliant performance from Cook, who tossed 7.2 innings as the starting pitcher. He allowed one run on four hits, striking out seven. However, Amherst could not carry this momentum over to the second game, as they dropped the second half of the twinbill, 8-1.

“We put ourselves into a hole by starting 0-3, but the team responded well to rattle off five straight wins,” said first-year pitcher J.R. Anderson, who has made three appearances thus far in 2015. “Expectations are high for this season. We have the talent to beat anyone, and I think splitting a doubleheader against the second-ranked team in the country (St. Thomas) showed that.”

The Jeffs take a week off from games as they wait for the winter in New England to subside.

They return to action next Wednesday, April 1, with a game at Springfield, a non-league opponent. Amherst then kicks off NESCAC play with a three-game series against Middlebury on Friday and Saturday, April 3-4.

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • March 25, 2015

Men’s Lacrosse Stays Undefeated, Moves to 7-0 Over Spring Break Devin O’Connor ’16 Staff Writer The sixth-ranked men’s lacrosse team continued its undefeated streak over spring break, advancing to 7-0 this season. The Jeffs beat non-conference opponent Endicott at home Friday, March 13 before traveling to Owen Mills, Maryland to defeat Washington College on March 17. The purple and white closed the week with a decisive 13-7 victory over NESCAC opponent Hamilton on Saturday, March 21 in sunny Florida.

“They were very big tests for us and we had multiple people step up into different roles,” said Quinn Moroney ’16, the Jeffs’ offensive leader. “Our team is really starting to hit its stride as we enter the middle part of our schedule,” he said.

The Jeffs handed Endicott its first loss of the season, with a 16-10 win at Pratt Field.

Sophomore Chris Albanese put away the first goal of the game off of a pass from junior Kane Haffey. Pat Routh ’15 gave Amherst a 2-0 lead with a goal at the 9:14 mark, but the Gulls answered back with a goal of their own less than a minute later. Haffey extended the lead off of a feed from senior Kevin Curry, allowing the Jeffs a two-goal advantage at the close of the first frame.

Five minutes into the second quarter, Quinn Moroney ’16 got things rolling on a dish to Dylan Park ’16. Park’s goal was answered by a goal from Endicott, but the Jeffs turned it on and responded with five more of their own in the remainder of the half. Matt Killian ’17, Moroney, Mike Litner ’16, Haffey, and Albanase each tallied one goal a piece in the purple and white’s second quarter roll.

The Gulls came out firing in the third quarter. Endicott found the back of the net just 36 seconds into the second half, followed quickly by a goal from Amherst’s Albanese, but the Gulls put four more away to cut Amherst’s lead to 10-7. First-year Max Keeley and Moroney each added another point for the Jeffs before Endicott scored its eighth goal, but that was as close as the Gulls would get to cutting the deficit. Charlie Gill ’16 scored on an extra man opportunity with 1:19 left in the third, giving the Jeffs a 13-8 lead at the close of third frame. The purple and white pulled away with the lead in the fourth, as Haffey, Litner and Gill each added another goal to the Jeffs’ total, while the Gulls could only find the net twice more.

While Moroney led the offense with eight points (six assist, two goals), Cody Tranbarger saved 16 Endicott shots on the defensive end of the field. Conner Crump ’16, Rob Butko ’16 and Ryan Cassidy ’16 contributed to a strong defensive effort, winning a total of 20 ground balls.

Amherst then traveled to Maryland to

take on the Shoremen of Washington College, where once again Moroney was a force to be reckoned with. Moroney awarded the Jeffs two goals and contributed six assists in a hair-raising, come-from-behind victory.

The Shoremen took an early lead 21 seconds into the game when they found the back of the net. The Jeffs trailed by four 10 minutes into the quarter, but Gill fired one away to put the purple and white on the board. Litner and Haffey followed Gill’s lead and brought the deficit to 3-4 at the end of 15 minutes of play.

Washington College managed to score a fifth in the middle of the second quarter, but Routh again cut the Shoremen’s lead to one off of a pass from Moroney with 2:02 to play in the half. Tranbarger collected nine saves in the first 30 minutes, and the half closed with the Jeffs trailing by a goal.

After an early goal by Washington College, the Jeffs put four unanswered goals away to gain the lead at 7-6. Killian got the ball rolling with his first goal of the day at the 10:34 mark, followed by Albanese on a pass from Litner and Haffey on a helper by Moroney. Senior Kevin Curry caused a Shoremen mistake, and he fed one to Butko to bring the Jeffs’ lead to two.

Moroney found fire in the fourth, tallying his two goals and three more assists to Routh, Haffey and Gill. Washington College managed three goals of their own in the fourth, but the Jeffs finished with the 13-10 victory.

Cassidy caused three turnovers in the defensive end, while he, Moroney and Matt Virgilio ’15 collected four ground balls a piece in the win.

Amherst traveled to Florida to challenge NESCAC opponent Hamilton on Saturday, March 21. The Jeffs outscored the Continentals 7-2 in the second half, powering them to the 13-7 victory. The win keeps the Jeffs undefeated at the top of the NESCAC, along with rivals Williams and Tufts.

“I’d just emphasize that we’ve had a great start, but we have much more to accomplish,” goalie Cody Tranbarger said of the team’s success thus far. “The last time the men’s lacrosse team was 7-0, they lost seven straight. We’re going to keep our success in perspective and keep working toward our ultimate goals.”

While celebrating its successes, the team keeps focus heading down the road.

“Both the offense and defense are gaining chemistry and improving everyday. Our coaching staff continues to be one of the best in the country and does a great job of preparing us for each game,” Moroney said. “Hopefully we can use the momentum we gained over spring break to have a great second half of the season.”

The Jeffs face local opponent Springfield Tuesday, March 24, at Pratt Field and NESCAC rival Middlebury Saturday, March 28.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Senior Kevin Curry continues to contribute, with seven points this year.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Michael Rowbotham ’15 Favorite Team Memory: Frozen Four my freshman year, thankfully we’re about to relive and hopefully rewrite our experience there Favorite Pro Athlete: Mike McLaughlin and/or Eddie Effinger Dream Job: NHL general manager Pet Peeve: “I can’t even” Favorite Vacation Spot: Pond beach Something on Your Bucket List: Skydiving Guilty Pleasure: I watch a scary amount of NHL hockey Favorite Food: Sausage papperdelle at Johnny’s Tavern Favorite Thing About Amherst: Aside from the people, the restaurants around here are phenomenal How He Earned It: The senior cocaptain scored the game winning goal in overtime of the NCAA quarterfinals helping to send the Jeffs to the NCAA Division III Frozen Four. The forward has contributed five goals and nine assists this year. This accompanies an impressive 75 points over his career at Amherst.

Jackie “Chip” Carr ’18 Favorite Team Memory: Our trip to Florida this year Favorite Pro Athlete: Matt Kemp Dream Job: Mermaid Pet Peeve: When people chew with their mouths open Favorite Vacation Spot: Hawaii Something on Your Bucket List: Going shark cage diving Guilty Pleasure: “Pretty Little Liars” Favorite Food: Cheeseburgers Favorite Thing About Amherst: The people How She Earned It: Over the course of her first 12 games in an Amherst uniform, the first-year proved crucial to Amherst softball’s 8-4 record on their spring break trip. The outfielder went 15 for 30 at the dish, posting a .800 slugging percentage. Her 15 hits consisted of numerous extra base hits including two doubles, two triples and a home run. She also posted nine runs batted in, walked five times and stole three bases. She will continue to play a central role as the team heads into the regular season.

Track Athletes Named All-Americans at NCAA Division III Championships Drew Kiley ’18 Staff Writer Men Five members of the Amherst College men’s indoor track and field team competed at the 2015 NCAA Division III championships on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14, in WinstonSalem, North Carolina. Amherst claimed 32nd overall in the 66-team field.

In Friday’s action, Mohamed Hussein ’18, one of two Amherst athletes to qualify for an individual event on the national stage, ran the 5,000-meter run after qualifying at the NEICAAA championships. The first-year crossed the line in a time of 14:57.63 to claim 13th overall.

Amherst’s distance medley relay team of Romey Sklar ’15, David Ingraham ’18, Brent Harrison ’17 and Greg Turissini ’15 competed later on Friday. The quartet crossed the line third overall with a time of 9:59.56, claiming All-American status by finishing in the top eight. The squad had previously set the NCAA Division III record in the event with a time of 9:48.61 (adjusted to 9:56.62) at the NEICAAA championships.

Turissini then returned to the track on Saturday in order to compete in the 3,000-meter run.

The senior finished in a time of 8:29.02, claiming 11th overall.

“Entering the meet, the primary goal was to place in the top eight and secure an All-American finish,” Turissini said. “However, given our performance a few weeks ago at the NEICAAA championships at Boston University, we felt like we had what it took to win it all. We put ourselves out there, and even had the lead for a while, but ultimately fell short of winning the race. All in all, we are pleased with our third place finish.”

With the indoor season concluded, the Jeffs now begin preparations for the outdoor campaign.

Women Five athletes from the Amherst College women’s indoor track and field team competed at the 2015 NCAA Division III championships on Friday and Saturday, March 13-14, in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Jeffs claimed 29th place in the 67-team field, while sophomore Kiana Herold earned AllAmerican status in the high jump.

In the first day of action, Karen Blake ’17 competed in the 60-meter dash, finishing 12th overall with a time of 7.75 seconds. Savannah Gornisiewicz ’17 followed up with the 5,000-meter run later on Friday. A bizarre lap counting error by the meet officials meant that none of the athletes recorded official times. Gornisiewicz claimed 14th place after officials determined the runners’ placements based on their positions after 4,800 meters.

“It was a little silly for such a huge mistake to happen at a meet as important as nationals,” Gornisiewicz said after the race. “Luckily, my coach, Cassie, was aware that the officials were wrong from the beginning and kept me informed so my race wasn’t affected. However, seeing the girls who were affected was frustrating. I think making that sort of mistake was negligent on the officials’ part.”

On Saturday, Lexi Sinclair ’16 and Lizzy Briskin ’15 each competed in the 3,000 meters. Sinclair crossed the line in a time of 10:08.90 to claim 12th overall, and Briskin finished with a mark of 10:14.05 to claim 14th.

Herold, competing in the high jump, recorded a leap of 1.69 meters to place third in the event, garnering All-American status by finishing in the top eight.

“The competition at nationals was amazing.

It was definitely more stressful to compete with high-level Division III athletes than it is typically with Division I or II athletes,” Sinclair said. “My teammates performed really well, especially Kiana in the high jump, and it was really exciting to take part in the meet.”

With the indoor season concluded, the Jeffs now prepare for the 2015 outdoor campaign.

The Amherst Student • March 25, 2015

Sports

Swimming and Diving Sends Individuals to Championships Sarah Zuckerman ’17 Staff Writer After their fourth-place finish at the NESCAC championships, the Amherst women’s swim and dive team sent seven swimmers to compete in 14 events in Shenandoah, Texas for the NCAA Division III Championships.

Junior Emily Hyde led the team, qualifying for three individual races and three relays on her quest to defend her title in the 200 IM. In addition to the 200 individual medley, Hyde qualified for the 100- and 200-yard breaststroke for her other two individual races. By the end of the weekend, she had broken school records in both. Hyde would swim alongside teammates in the 200 and 400 medley relays and the 800 freestyle relay.

Day one included Hyde’s effort to win backto-back titles in the 200 IM. Entering the race as the No. 2 seed, Hyde touched the wall in 2:03.09 to claim third place. She followed that performance with a ninth-place swim alongside senior captains Ashleigh Stoddart and Sabrina Lee and junior Sarah Conklin in the 200 medley relay. In addition to breaking the previous school record, the team earned first place in the consolation final with a time of 1:43.36.

The first day of races also featured Stephanie Ternullo ’15, who competed in the 500 free in the first of her three races of the meet. Amherst finished the day in sixth place with 34 points, where it would remain for the rest of the weekend.

“It was awesome to see so many of us, both men and women, sneaking into the top 16 and getting a second swim at night,” Lee said.

Day two kicked off with the 200 free relay, which resulted in a 15th-place finish for Lee, Conklin, Ternullo and Stoddart. In the 100 fly, Conklin took second-place and set a new school record with a time of 54.66. In the 200 free, Stoddart and Ternullo swam in the consolation finals and took 11th and 12th, respectively. Stoddart touched the wall in 1:50.84, while Ternullo finished just behind her in 1:51.07. For the final event of the day, Stephanie Moriarty ’18 and Hyde joined Conklin and Stoddart to claim a fifth-place finish and set a new Amherst record in the 400 MR with a time of 3:46.37.

The women entered day three in sixth place with 94 points and finished the day in the same spot with 125. Hyde claimed Amherst’s second second-place finish of the weekend in her fourth race, touching the wall in 1:02.51 in the 100 breast. The 800 free relay team of Stoddart, Hyde, Marie Maxwell ’18 and Ternullo finished in 7:28.46, which was good enough to finish seventh. Day three also included Conklin’s performance in the 200 fly and Moriarty’s in the 100 back.

The final day of the championships saw Amherst finish in sixth with a total of 173 points.

They were the second-highest scoring NESCAC team, behind Williams, who finished in third with 434 points. Hyde finished third in her last individual race, touching the wall in 2:15.96 in the 200 breast. The 400 free relay team of Stoddart, Ternullo, Conklin and Hyde closed out the meet. The foursome took eighth place, finishing in 3:28.23.

“It is promising to know that although our team may not have had a great deal of depth this year, we still have a lot of very talented girls that keep us performing at one of the highest levels in the nation,” Lee said. “This meet was a great

way to end my swimming career and finish off the 2014-15 season.”

On the men’s side, nine swimmers went to Texas, where the Jeffs would claim the 13th spot amidst the 54 schools present. Day one saw only two points, which came in the form of a 16thplace finish in the 200 MR. Matt Heise ’16, Elijah Spiro ’18, Tyler Hampton ’15 and Connor Sholtis ’15 finished in 1:31.39, 0.5 seconds slower than their school record-breaking preliminary time.

Day one also saw Sholtis swim in the 50 free and Jeff Anderson ’16 race the 200 IM. The Jeffs jumped 15 spots on day two, from 28th to 13th, earning points five different events.

The day kicked off with the 200 free relay team of Hampton, Alex Dreisbach ’17, Matt Heise and Michael Rochford ’15, who finished 15th with a new school record and time of 1:23.09. Next, after missing points on the shorter medley, Anderson claimed 16th in the 400 IM with a time of 3:59.53.

“The season went very well, especially when it came time for championships — the whole team dropped time and performed better than expected,” Anderson said.

The highlight of the day for the Jeffs came during the 200 free, in which senior captain Sholtis broke the school record and claimed the crown, touching the wall in 1:37.37.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better end to a senior season,” Sholtis said. “As a team, we broke three of our five relay records. It’s nice when a whole season’s worth of work really pays off in the end. I’m so thankful and honored to have been a part of the team.”

The win carried the team into another of the aforementioned record-breaking swims in the form of the 400 MR. Sholtis anchored the 10thplace squad including Rochford, Spiro and Sam Spurrell ’18, and touched the wall in 3:17.75. In the final point-earning event of the day, Amherst’s lone diver Asher Litchig ’16 claimed 15th with a 407.80-point one-meter dive. Spurrell rounded out the day, competing in the 100 fly.

The Jeffs finished day three still in 13th with 70 points. The day started with the 200 fly, in which Anderson and Spurrell finished seventh and eighth respectively. Anderson came in at 1:46.52 with Spurrell following close behind in 1:51.46. The only other event to earn the men points was the 800 free relay team of Anderson, Dreisbach, Rochford and Sholtis, which earned 15th with a time of 6:45.38. Both Rochford and Heise competed in the 100 back while Spiro raced the 100 breast.

The final day saw the purple and white finish in 13th with 107 points. To start the day, Sholtis placed eighth in his last individual race, finishing the 100 free in 44.65. Right after, Rochford, who missed points in the 200 back the previous day, earned points with a 15th-place finish in the 200 back. Litchig had another point-earning performance, scoring 499.35 for seventh place in the three-meter dive. The 400 free relay team of Hampton, Dreisbach, Anderson and Sholtis closed the 2015 NCAA championships for Amherst and finished 11th with a time of 3:01.47, 0.8 seconds slower than their school record-breaking preliminary time.

“We’ll have the momentum from this championship season performance,” Anderson said when asked about next year. “Our incoming class looks promising. Their talent combined with the great work ethic we have from this season will hopefully help us fill the holes left by the graduating class.”

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Emily Hyde ’15 placed third in the final individual meet of her career.

11

Softball Goes 8-4 Over Spring Break at National Training Center Games Raymond Meijer ’17 Staff Writer Though they undoubtedly enjoyed the much warmer climate in Florida, it was hardly just a vacation week for the Amherst women’s softball team. With 12 games in only seven days, the Jeffs hit the ground at a sprint to start off their season. Thanks to strong contributions from multiple players, the team now sports an 8-4 record as they return back to the Northeast.

The Jeffs played six double-headers over the course of the week, with only a brief respite on Wednesday to catch their breath. The week provided an exciting change of venue for the team and an opportunity to showcase the work they had put in during the offseason.

came up with a few clutch hits and stayed solid on our defense in order to pull out the win.

The main thing we took away from it though is how special this team really is: We wanted to win and once we decided that, there was nothing that was going to stop us.”

The win over the Eagles started a six-game win streak for the Jeffs. On Monday, the Jeffs swept their second double-header with an 8-2 win against Plattsburgh State and an 8-3 victory over Framingham State. In the first game, Jackie Buechler ’17 built off her impressive first-year pitching campaign by allowing only one earned run on three hits to go along with seven strikeouts. The Jeffs again showed their hitting depth with six different Amherst players contributing a hit, led by Carr and Marovitz, who each went 2-for-3, and Leet, who had

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Donna Leet ’15 blasted three home runs over the spring break trip.

“Over the course of our spring break tournament, our team improved with each game,” said Alena Marovitz ’17. “After practicing indoors for most of preseason due to our lovely New England weather, we thrived in the Florida sun and came out ready to compete on the dirt and grass.”

In their season opener on Sunday, the team fell to the 12th-ranked St. Thomas team 189, but they showed signs of a hitting depth that helped them throughout the week and will remain key for the rest of the season. Brianna Cook ’16 went 3-for-3 with a triple and two singles, while co-captain Donna Leet ’15 finished 1-for-2 with four RBI. The Jeffs also received contributions from their first-years corps, with Jackie Carr, Bailey Plaman and Ally Kido contributing four RBI as a group.

But Amherst came storming back in the second leg of their double-header, setting the tone early in their matchup against the Benedictine Eagles by scoring five runs in the top of the second to take a 5-0 lead. Carr played a main role in the scoring burst and the game as a whole, driving in three runs with her second-inning triple as part of a 4-for-5, 4 RBI effort. The Eagles weren’t going down without a fight though, scoring three runs in the bottom of the third and four more in the fifth to go up 7-5. Amherst responded with their bats to add three more runs, but the Eagles tied the game 8-8 in the bottom of the 6th to force extra innings. After a tense seventh inning, Amherst closed out the game in convincing fashion with four runs in the top of the eighth to grab their first win of the season 12-9.

“The first win against Benedictine was huge for us. I think it really set the tone for the rest of the week,” Annie Apffel ’17, who had a double as part of a 2-for-5 outing said of the extra-innings win. “The game was really back and forth for the first six innings and then we

an exciting inside-the-park three-run homer in the top of the seventh.

In the second game of the double-header, the team was led by strong pitching efforts from Lauren Tuiskula ’17, who earned the win after allowing just three runs (one earned) and striking out three in five innings, and Nicolette Miranda ’17, who pitched two innings of shutout relief pitching to go with 3 hits and a scored run.

Amherst’s winning ways continued throughout the week. On Friday, the Jeffs defeated Macalester College 10-3 on the backs of consistent pitching and some power hitting.

Buechler picked up the win with a six-inning effort in which she allowed only three runs on four hits, while Gina Pagan ’18 showed the first-year class isn’t lacking in pitching prowess by adding an inning of relief without yielding a hit or run. Buechler and Pagan were supported by some big hits, as Leet added a third home run to her week with another three-run shot, and Cook hit a grand slam.

Though they would lose a pitching battle against MIT 1-0, with Buechler still throwing a complete game with 6 strikeouts and only one unearned run, the Jeffs return back to campus carrying a lot of momentum into a very promising season.

Reflecting back on the week and looking ahead to the coming games, Marovitz said, “I was proud that we all contributed in our own ways, whether it was laying down a sacrifice bunt, making the routine play in the field, or coming up with a clutch hit,” Marovitz said.

“We are looking forward to putting in the work over the next week so we can build off of our solid start.”

The team will look to continue their success as they open up their regular season this weekend, hosting a three game series against Hamilton.

Sports

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

The 2014-15 Amherst men’s hockey team now rides an eight-game winning streak, boasting a 22-4-2 record, good for a .821 winning percentage.

Men’s Hockey Thrills with 4-3 Overtime Victory Over Norwich in NCAA Quarterfinals, Advances to NCAA Div. III Frozen Four in Minneapolis Greg Williams ’16 Staff Writer The men’s ice hockey team continued its stellar season this past weekend with a victory over Norwich University that will send them to the Division III Frozen Four this weekend in Minneapolis. The Jeffs will play Wisconsin-Stevens Point for a sport in the national championships.

Trinity College and Adrian College will play on the other side of the bracket.

The Jeffs earned home ice with a bye into the first round. The puck dropped this past Saturday at 7 p.m. sharp. With the season on the line and both teams aiming to compete for a national championship, the teams left everything they had on the ice at the end of three periods.

During a physical game, Amherst racked up two penalties in the first with Norwich was sent

to the penalty box three times. After killing off a penalty 6:46 minutes in to play, Norwich found the back of the net after Williams Pelletier, one of the country’s assist leaders, dished a nice pass out front to Justin Charbonneau to beat senior goaltender Danny Vitale. The Jeffs responded quickly during a power play, as just two and a half minutes later David White ’18, Amherst’s leading scorer, scored his 19th of the season, with assists from Topher Flanagan ’16 and Mike Rowbotham ’15. Both teams were penalized at the end of the period, so the teams went into the intermission ready to come out four-on-four to start the second.

The ice tilted towards Amherst in the middle frame, as the Jeffs outshot their opponents 11-5 during this 20 minutes, after being outshot 13-7 in the first. Norwich again extended their lead about 12 minutes into the period, but once

again Amherst responded just minutes later. Senior Andrew Fenwick scored his ninth goal of the year off a beautiful pass by junior Patrick Arena. Amherst had a number of scoring opportunities, but the team was unable to squeak anything by Ty Reichenbach, who made some admittedly good saves.

The third period was a spectacle to behold.

With the game tied for the first 18 minutes, it looked bleak for the purple and white. Norwich was pouring it on, and ended up having 15 more shots in the period than Amherst, but it was Vitale with save after save who gave the Jeffs a shot. With less than two minutes to play, Norwich took the lead. With a score of 3-2, and 1:51 remaining, Amherst needed to dig deep if they wanted to continue their season, which was exactly what they did. With 13 seconds remaining, it was a cornerstone of the defense, not

normally known as a sniper, who sent the game into overtime. Senior Aaron Deutsche, recognized league-wide for his defensive play, found the back of the net from the high slot while the goalie was pulled. After working the offense, it was White to Fenwick to Deutsche, who fired away and tied up the game.

In overtime, it was Rowbotham who scored the game to send the Jeffs back to the Frozen Four with a chance to win a national title. Off an offensive zone faceoff, Rowbotham torched the opposing center and threw the puck out front, where it was misplayed by a Norwich defender and redirected into the net for the game-winning goal. Vitale made an incredible 38 saves and after overcoming three one-goal deficits, the Lord Jeffs showed that they have what it takes to compete for the title of the country’s best Division III ice hockey team.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

G A M E S C H E D U L E

FRI Softball vs. Hamilton, 5 p.m.

Men’s Hockey vs. Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 8:30 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

SAT Softball vs. Hamilton, 12 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Middlebury, 1 p.m.

Softball vs. Hamilton, 2 p.m.

SUN Women’s Lacrosse Men’s Tennis @ Middlebury, 2:30 p.m. @ Colby, TBA Men’s Tennis @ Harvard, 5 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ Colby, 10:00 a.m.