Issue 9

THE AMHERST

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLVII, ISSUE 9 l WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Football Hands Trinity Its First Loss See Sports, Page 12 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

‘Being Human in STEM’ Expands Focus Kathleen Maeder ’20 Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Alura Chung-Mehdi ’18

National Humanities Medal recipient Kwame Anthony Appiah gave a lecture on Thursday, Nov. 2, about frameworks for conceptualizing race, culture and class.

Philosophy Professor Examines Identity in Talk Natalie De Rosa ’21 Staff Writer Award-winning professor and author Kwame Anthony Appiah gave a talk titled “How to Not Think About Race, Culture and Class” on Thursday, Nov. 2, in Stirn Auditorium, during which he discussed the origins of perceptions of race, culture and class and offered an alternative lens.

Appiah is a professor of law and philosophy at New York University and has previously taught at institutions such as Cornell, Harvard, Yale and Princeton. He has pub-

lished several books, including “In My Father’s House: Africa in the Philosophy of Culture,” “Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers” and “The Ethics of Identity.”

In 2012, President Barack Obama awarded Appiah the National Humanities Medal for “seeking eternal truths in the contemporary world,” according to the official citation for the award.

Appiah began his talk by examining the racial constructs of the mid-19th century when the debate on slavery intensified.

He presented an initial perspective on race: “That all of us carry within us something that

belongs to the race to which we belong.”

According to Appiah, this ideology became the moral justification for slavery.

Appiah defined this interpretation of race as racial fixation and compared it to the typological assumption that “everyone was a representative of a racial type.”

However, he notes that biological similarities do not fixate things like taste in music or poetry. Building on this premise, Appiah transitioned into discussing the concept of culture, which he said is comprised of ideas that

Continued on Page 3

The student-led “Being Human in STEM” (HSTEM) program, which was developed to promote discussion and research on inclusiveness as well as the role of personal identities and diversity within the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields, will offer a course for students in Spring 2018.

The program’s pilot course, held in the spring of 2016, was designed as a special topics course with its roots in the Amherst Uprising movement of November 2015, according to Megan Lyster, the current assistant director of the innovation and experiential learning program in the Center for Community Engagement and a co-facilitator of the course.

Amherst Uprising was a student-led sit-in that aimed to raise awareness of and seek action against white supremacy at Amherst and other institutions across the U.S. Iterations of the course have been offered as a Special Topics every semester since spring of 2016. The Spring 2018 course will be the first time it is offered to the larger student body.

Lyster said the class began with Sheila Jaswal, the other co-instructor for the course and an associate professor in the chemistry department and the biophysics and biochemistry program. Jaswal had reached out to Amherst Uprising organizers to discuss how staff and faculty members in the STEM departments could better support students, according to Lyster, which led to the first version of “Being Human in STEM.” The original course was relatively small with only nine enrolled students, though it was well-received by those involved, Lyster said.

“To this day, I feel like ‘Being Human in STEM’ has been one of the most fulfilling classes I have taken at Amherst,” said Ruth Manzanares ’18, who enrolled in the first itera-

Continued on Page 3

‘Talk Back’ Series Explores Gender-Related Topics Eddie Rego ’19 Staff Writer The Women’s and Gender Center (WGC) has just implemented its “Talk Back” program after a pilot last year.

The program is an informal and student-run series of dialogues focusing on contemporary topics in pop culture and current events that are related to gender. WGC staff host one Talk Back each semester and can co-lead the program with another WGC staffer or with someone from another resource center.

The most recent talk, titled “Trans Identity and Recent Events,” was held last Thursday Nov. 2 in the WGC in Keefe Campus Center.

The WGC is a resource center under the auspices of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion that creates a space for learning about and exploring gender personally and through community, according to its website.

The Talk Back series aims to address prevalent topics pertaining to the needs of the WGC community, again according to the WGC website.

The focus of each talk varies — from President Donald Trump’s recent ban of transgender people from the military to the “#MeToo” social media campaign.

Director of the WGC Jesse Beal said the Talk Backs serve “to provide a space for students to engage with what is happening in the world.”

The WGC, Beal added, hopes to create an open place in which students can “process their own thoughts or feelings with other students.”

During Talk Back events, facilitators ask questions and foster dialogue among students.

The structure of the Talk Back changes depending on which staff member is facilitating, according to WGC Program Coordinator SabriAnan Micha ’19.

Last week’s dialogue was led by Micha and Theo Peierls ’20E, another program coordinator. Micha and Peierls chose to structure the conversation by handing out two articles that speak about transgender issues and then asking questions based on the articles.

Students discussed Trump’s military ban on transgender soldiers serving in the armed forces as well as revisions to Title VII, a federal

law that prohibits employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin and religion, and job discrimination against trans and non-binary people in the workplace.

The first article handed out was “Trans Liberation, Not U.S. Militarism: Selective Outrage Over Trans Military Ban Obscures Larger Failures to Support Trans Communities,” which was published on Medium. Regarding this article, students discussed the job discrimination revision and its effects on trans and non-binary people.

The second article, titled “In Shift, Justice Dept. Says Law Doesn’t Bar Transgender Discrimination” and published in The New York Times, sparked conversation on the transgender military ban, the “common sense” or logic which facilitates these policies, trans health care and access to healthcare and the value of trans bodies in the eyes of the state.

One particular focus of the discussion concerned comments by U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who said Title VII protects against sexual discrimination in the workplace but does

not include discrimination based on gender identity or expression.

Conversations also centered around topics such as laws targeting transgender individuals and the unique experiences and issues pertaining to the treatment and worth of transgender lives in the current society.

Through the series, Micha added, the WGC hopes to foster “critical conversations about gender and intersectionality.” The WGC website described the talks as “dialogue-based programs that support critical community conversations.”

More broadly, the talks serve to help analyze, in a group setting, the broader forces which work to constrain lives based on gender or gender identity, Beal said.

The title of the series also serves as a play on words: in the talks, the students and facilitators often “talk back” — at once telling their truth while simultaneously “talking back to” or critiquing systems of oppression, said Beal.

Another goal, Beal added, is to provide “an opportunity for student leaders to develop their facilitation skills by leading dialogue-based programs.”

News

Jun Hee Cho Fresh Faculty

October 30, 2017- November 5, 2017

>>Oct. 30, 2017 4:07 p.m., Converse Hall An administrative office reported possible identity fraud involving an application for a loan. It was determined that the matter will be managed by the family involved.

5:11 p.m., Stearns Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint of someone banging on a basement door and covering the door viewer so people inside could not see out. It was discovered that the involved people knew each other and were playing around.

5:17 p.m., Pratt Field An officer responded to an animal complaint. Assistance was provided.

10:30 p.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory Officers and the Fire Department responded to an alarm and found it was activated by a detector in the first floor common room for an unidentified reason. >>Oct. 31, 2017 7:34 a.m., The Quadrangle An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident.

11:26 a.m., Converse Hall An officer investigated an intrusion alarm but no cause could be identified.

12:32 p.m., Lipton House A student reported the theft of a bag and sweatshirt from the basement. The items are valued at $90.00.

3:05 p.m., Plimpton House The Student Affairs Office reported receiving information regarding vandalism to furniture in a common room.

3:18 p.m., Plimpton House The Student Affairs Office reported receiving information regarding vandalism to furniture in a common room.

5:09 p.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory ACPD received a report that brownies with marijuana had been available at a party at Morris Pratt. The Student Affairs Office was notified. >>Nov. 1, 2017 10:56 p.m., Beneski Earth Science and Natural History Museum Officers investigated an intrusion alarm, but no cause could be identified. >>Nov. 2, 2017 11:42 p.m., Jenkins Dormitory A caller reported a suspicious person near Jenkins. The investigating officer determined the man was making a delivery. >>Nov. 3, 2017

8:28 a.m., Golf Course An officer on patrol located a vehicle the town police were searching for. The town police were notified.

Department of History

Jun Hee Cho is an assistant professor of history. He completed his undergraduate study in Western history and Asian history at Seoul National University in South Korea, and he holds a Master of Philosophy and a Ph.D. from Columbia University.

9:44 a.m., Seligman Parking Lot An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident.

4:40 p.m., Railroad Right of Way An officer found a person on the railroad tracks near Facilities. They were directed off the tracks.

9:36 p.m., Wieland Dormitory An officer investigated a complaint about the odor of marijuana. An odor was found on the first floor but the responsible person could not be identified. >>Nov. 4, 2017 2:06 a.m., Rental Housing Units Officers investigated apparent illegal entry into a vacant collegeowned apartment on Lincoln Avenue.

8:59 a.m., Johnson Chapel Hill Road An officer investigated a motor vehicle collision involving three vehicles.

10:40 a.m., Greenway Building B An officer investigated a report that an emergency exit sign was found damaged in Building B. 5:28 p.m., Greenway Building B An officer investigated a report that a second emergency exit sign was found damaged in Building B. 11:11 p.m., Cohan Dormitory Officers responded to a report of several loud gatherings in the building. The volume of music at a registered party was lowered and another gathering was quieted. >>Nov. 5, 2017 12:58 a.m., Hitchcock House An officer discovered an unauthorized party with over 100 people. The gathering was shut down.

1:00 a.m., Stearns Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint about the odor of burning marijuana on the third floor.

After speaking with a resident, a pipe used for smoking marijuana and a grinder used to grind marijuana were confiscated. The matter was referred to the Student Affairs office.

4:12 p.m., The Evergreens Officers investigated an intrusion alarm and found it was accidentally set off by a worker.

6:54 p.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory An officer investigated a call initiated from the elevator emergency phone. No problem was found.

Q: How did you begin studying your subject? also … offer [a class] called “A Price for EveryA: I was always interested in history and as thing: The Making of Market Society,” where I a double major I was teach ways to think drawn to the “great about economies divergence debate,” and economic relawhich attempts to an- When I visited Amherst, I tions before modern swer when the West economics existed as began to surge ahead was struck by how close a language and disciof the rest of the world pline.

— the debate hinges the faculty were with around the late mediQ: Are you cureval to early modern each other. I was also rently doing any retime period. Looking search, and if so can back on it now, I feel drawn to how many pos- you tell me about it? like I have always been A: Yes, I am currentdrawn to “lesser” coun- sibilities are available for ly working on finishtries overshadowed by ing my manuscript. larger ones, and I feel faculty and students to My research looks like part of this comes at the intersection of from the fact that I am continue to converse and court and commerce Korean and not Japain northwestern Eunese or Chinese. continue their learning rope during the late medieval to early Q: What were you do- outside the classroom. modern period. I ating before you started tempt to look at the at Amherst? cultural aspirations A: I was completing my dissertation at Colum- from this time period and how they contribbia University. I also taught for a year at City ute to the intersection of court and commerce.

University in New York where I taught classes I also look at economic relationships and how on medieval civilizations. those exist within the framework of court and commerce.

Q: What made you decide to come to Amherst?

Q: How does Amherst as a community comA: When I visited Amherst, I was struck by pare to other places at which you’ve previhow close the faculty were with each other. I ously worked? was also drawn to how many possibilities are A: The students here have a commitment not available for faculty and students to continue only to their studies, but to pushing themselves to converse and conto grow outside the tinue their learning outclassroom through side the classroom. This In my classes, I try and their various sports brought me back to my and extracurricular undergraduate experi- offer a window into me- activities. ence, because although Seoul National Univer- dieval culture, and I hope Q: How do you sity is huge, my departhope to contribment was very small this offers insight for stu- ute to the Amherst and we were a tight-knit community? community. I missed dents going through their A: I hope to expose this sense of community my students to a vawhile I was at Colum- own lives and gives them riety of experiences bia, and I found it again and perspectives. In at Amherst. the chance to reimagine my classes I try to bring together mulQ: Can you tell me how they think about tiple perspectives so about the classes you that I can show stuteach at Amherst? themselves. dents there are many A: This semester I am ways to understand teaching one class called something.

Europe in the Middle Ages and another called the Age of Chivalry. In my classes, I try and of- Q: What do you like to do in your spare time? fer a window into medieval culture, and I hope A: I am a casual biker, and I like to take in the this offers insight for students going through townscape while I’m riding my bike. their own lives and gives them the chance to — Emily Young ’20 reimagine how they think about themselves. I

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The Amherst Student • November 8, 2017

News

3

Professor Speaks on Concepts of Race, Culture and Class Continued from Page 1

bring groups together.

“Nowadays, when people speak about culture, it’s usually Tyler’s or Arnold’s,” said Appiah, referring to two popular anthropologists’ theories. Arnold van Gennep believed that primitive culture does not exist, while Edward Burnett Tyler argued that it is impossible for one to lack culture.

Despite these contradictory philosophies, Appiah said that the two create Western culture. At the brink of the Cold War, Appiah said that Western culture was founded on ideas like “democracy, the Magna Carta [and] Plato.”

Appiah, however, questioned whether Western nations actually upheld these principles. Western culture, he said, is built on ideas that aren’t accessible to most people, but it exists because people place repeated emphasis on this culture.

“If Western culture were real, we probably wouldn’t spend so much time talking about it,” he said. “The traditions of the West … are only ours because we care about them.”

Appiah then introduced the concept of meritocracy, or a belief that the economy should reward merit. He challenged meritocracy with a caveat. “Access to that top fifth is increasingly the result of being born into it,” Appiah said. Often times, merit is measured by how much one can contribute to the economy, Appiah said.

However, he acknowledged that the challenges for each individual to obtain that merit are unique. As a result, he said, “There is no

Photo courtesy of Alura Chung-Mehdi ’18

New York University Professor of Philosophy Kwame Anthony Appiah focused on rethinking American ideas of race, culture and class in his talk at the college on Nov. 2 in Stirn Auditorium. comparative measure … no single scale of human worth.”

“Money and status are social rewards that incentivize people to doing the things they are doing,” Appiah added. “It will be a matter of luck whether you inherit the capacity whose development will be rewarded by the society

to which you were born.”

In the Q&A session following his talk, Appiah answered questions on topics ranging from reparations to white supremacy.

Nishant Carr ’21, who attended the event, found Appiah’s analysis on claiming identity, especially in relation to white supremacy,

most interesting.

“It makes sense when he said that [he] will call someone a Nazi because they do assume that identity, or I will call someone a literary critic or a scholar because they put in the work for it,” he said. “I like what he said about people assuming identities of their culture.”

‘Being Human in STEM’ Adds Initiatives and Outreach

Photo courtesy of Being Human in STEM website

In May 2016, “Being Human in STEM” students, including Ruth Manzanares ’18 (pictured), participated in a workshop discussion about the program with Yale undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs and professors.

Continued from Page 1 tion of the course.

“I reached out to many STEM departments from other liberal arts colleges and read up on their practices,” said Manzanares. “This was all done in the hopes of having a better understanding of what institutions similar to Amherst College were doing and what worked, but also what needed work on.”

The original pilot course also featured an interview project, where members of the course held one-on-one interviews with 40 students, faculty and alumni involved in the college’s STEM fields. According to the “Being Human in STEM” website, these conversations “focused on a few overarching questions intended to generate discussion of individual and shared experiences of STEM at Amherst.” Brief quotes from these interviews are displayed anonymously on the website.

“Female [computer science] majors have

really bad impostor syndrome … I think part of that has to do with having this preconceived notion of who a good coder is,” one of the quotes read.

“My observation is that many times, students who have difficulty … it’s very rarely aptitude … It’s mostly self-confidence,” read another.

The “Being Human in STEM” program has been offered every semester since its nine-student pilot course was first launched, and along the way, its goals and direction have shifted and expanded, according to Lyster. During the 2016-2017 academic year, the course stayed small-scale, mostly consisting of students from the original course who opted to continue researching topics explored in the original class.

“This semester, we really made a push to open it up to more students,” Lyster said of the Fall 2017 version of the course.

“Enough time had elapsed since Amherst Uprising and that first course that we wanted

to make sure that new voices and new students were getting involved and felt like they had a place,” Lyster added.

In the Fall 2017 course, 17 students were enrolled, including both STEM and nonSTEM majors and students from a range of class years.

The initiative, Lyster added, has grown to include two new “branches” stemming from the special topics course.

The first is increased cooperation with faculty members in STEM fields. Several professors have developed a handbook on inclusive practices that was shared with other faculty members at the Dean’s Retreat, an annual event focused on pedagogy and attended by faculty and instructional staff, earlier this year. These faculty members have also worked to design strategies intended to measure the success of these practices.

“It’s been a really incredible thing to see, you know, the faculty come together and orga-

nize that piece of it,” said Lyster.

Now that Amherst Uprising is “becoming more a part of Amherst’s past,” Pedagogy Fellow Minjee Kim ’17 said in an online interview, students are considering what the future of the course will look like. Many of the practices that were developed in the program have been incorporated into chemistry, biology and physics classes according to Kim. “We’re making a lot of curricular incorporation changes with pedagogical practices that past HSTEM special topics course students have suggested,” Kim said, adding that faculty and staff have compiled these practices into a curricular incorporation booklet.

The program has also focused on developing outreach programs to include other institutions and inform them of the research, resources and practices being developed by the Amherst “Being Human in STEM” initiative.

“Yale actually did their own ‘Being Human in STEM’ course, which was modeled on the first semester course that Dr. J [Jaswal] did with the nine students,” said Lyster. “But what’s been interesting to see is … Yale’s a large research university, so they really took the model, stayed true to the core values of it, but made it into their own thing.”

Rather than conduct individual interviews, Lyster said, they sent out a survey. “I think, they got hundreds of responses to the survey,” she said. “But as a large research institution, that’s what made sense to them.”

Ultimately, Lyster stands by the significance of the “Being Human in STEM” initiative, saying it has opened a vital conversation on whether it is appropriate to bring elements of one’s identity into discussions of STEM. “I think what’s been well-documented about STEM, and not just STEM … is that there’s a feeling of the need to be very objective, and that it’s not personal; it’s scientific,” said Lyster. “One of the things that we’ve heard over and over again as this class has progressed is that people are really grateful to have the opportunity to talk about their experiences …

What the course does, what the initiative does, is it opens the door to ask questions, to share stories, to acknowledge the range of experiences that people have … in bringing their whole selves to any context.”

Opinion

THE AMHERST

STUDENT

A Shortage of Professors

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

With the release of the Curriculum Committee’s Draft Report last Wednesday, it’s time we reflect more deeply on how the curriculum affects the nature of our college experience. Although not directly related to the curriculum, the college should seriously consider hiring more professors. While Amherst does have an adequately-sized faculty for the number of students, the increasing pressures involved with being a professor means that the same number of professors that worked in the past may be too few now.

Hiring more professors would make office hours more accessible, increase the number of electiwve courses to choose from and allow for greater faculty diversity.

Right now, the demands on our professors are increasingly overbearing, including responding to hundreds of emails, attending committee meetings and writing recommendation letters on top of their main roles as teachers and researchers.

With an increase in faculty members, each professor will have to spend less time on administrative duties.

Each professor will also have fewer advisees and be able to devote closer attention to each student in addition to the Draft Report’s proposal to balance the number of advisees each professor has. While increasing the length and number of advising meetings would be ideal, the hours required of professors currently with more than 20 advisees makes this somewhat unfeasible.

One of the main factors that contributes to the excellence of the Amherst student is a close connection with professors. Yet, professors are pushed to a limit where they are forced to overwork or neglect other responsibilities.

With the other demands professors have, office hours become harder to access. In the External Advisory Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Excellence (EACDIE) June 2016 letter to the Committee of Six,

“many students, especially first generation college students, simply do not know what office hours are about or how to take advantage of them.” Reducing access to professors may disproportionately affect those already disadvantaged.

If the time and attention of faculty are strained, each department must focus on finding enough professors to teach core courses for the major instead of electives that non-majors may take or first-year seminars. According to the report, 21 percent of all humanities majors who graduated the past 10 years never took a course in science or math; this percentage is even higher for women. Some students feel deterred from certain majors simply because there are not enough professors within the major.

In addition, hiring more professors would allow for the college to diversify the faculty to match more closely the diversity of the student body. The current low diversity in faculty and staff means fewer diverse members for sponsors of sports teams, faculty support in student activities and committees and resources for students to reach out to for help in various ways. The feeling of belonging that the school works hard to achieve among students does not extend to simply having students of many different backgrounds. This goal should be reflected in our professors as well.

A “learning goal” proposed in the draft report is to “broaden intellectual and creative horizons.” Professors can be resources for students to become more aware of the educational opportunities at Amherst and how to expand on them outside of the classroom. However, a greater number of professors would facilitate making this goal a reality.

Hiring more professors would take a large amount of resources and initiatives, but it may be an essential step to maintain the academic quality as well as the interpersonal relationships that makes Amherst so special.

If I May: Amherst’s Architectural Missteps Jake May ’19 Columnist Right here, in the very first sentence of this article, I will admit that it is probably too early for me to have an opinion on the new science center.

It is not supposed to be done until next fall, and perhaps once it is completed (and all the heavy machinery and piles of dirt are gone), my opinion will be different.

However, the new building is starting to take shape, so I’m prepared to go on record and say that I am thoroughly nervous about how it’s going to fit in to our campus.

This past weekend, while my parents were visiting, I expressed to my mother some of my worries about our new building. I told her that I thought that the relative size of the building does not fit the established aesthetic of the buildings at our college.

I told her about how recently, I was driving from King Dormitory to Marsh House, and I realized for the first time how massive this building is going to be. It seems like it’s almost two or three buildings fused together. While it is perhaps no taller than some of the other buildings on our campus, to me it still feels like something out of an industrial compound and not really a colle-

giate science center.

No building on our campus even approaches the colossal appearance of the new science center.

This is not to say we don’t have larger buildings: obviously, Merrill Science Center is a massive space as well as a much-maligned building.

Now, like many others, I think Merrill is ugly, but there is an aspect to it that I’ve grown to appreciate. Due to how it is built into the topography of our campus, Merrill does not look large at all, nor does it seem to take up a huge amount of space. The new science center, on the other hand, looks like an alien starship that landed where the socials used to be.

Of course, the building’s unusual size does not necessarily mean that it is going to be a bad building. While I’ve heard some rumors from students about potentially decreased lab space, I, of course, cannot judge how nice or effective the buildings utilities and functionality will be. However, I just think that the decision to make it so conspicuously large is just another example of the college administration (or whoever exactly is responsible) failing to understand the existing aesthetic and feel of our campus.

The new Greenway dorms are the epitome of this issue. I wrote extensively about this in a column last fall, but in short, I find that the Green-

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ways were designed in a way that overly relied on eye-catching, pseudo-stylish gimmicks like large board games, bright colors and patterned wall-paper. This is in stark contrast to most of the other living spaces at the college, which largely value a far classier, traditional style.

After about five minutes of my rant, my mother stopped me and said something along the lines of, “Jake, the building isn’t even done yet. Why don’t you wait until it’s finished, then you can get angry about it?”

I know that she’s right. I mentioned it at the top of this article. It is probably way too soon for me to have such a negative opinion of this building.

However, I am increasingly worried about how the college is handing its renovations and additions to our campus. Like many students, I gave the Greenways the benefit of the doubt during their first year, but come room draw last spring, almost no upperclassmen wanted to live in our brand-new dorms.

I hope that the new science center is a great addition to our campus. But if it is not, I hope that the next time the administration plans on making a huge change to our campus, they think about how that choice is going to fit and perhaps involve students in a more significant way.

Write for the sports section!

Editors-in-Chief Nate Quigley Jingwen Zhang Managing News Shawna Chen Assistant News Editor Emma Swislow Managing Opinion Kelly Chian, Daniel Delgado Managing Arts and Living Paola Garcia-Prieto, Olivia Gieger Managing Sports Connor Haugh, Kasia Krosniak, Henry Newton Managing Design Justin Barry Design Editors Katie Boback, Zehra Madhavan Head Publishers Emily Ratte Mark Nathin

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The Amherst Student • November 8, 2017

Opinion

5

It Should Be So Simple: Guns in America Galen Muskat ’18E Contributing Writer If you, as several members of the U.S. Congress and countless others across the country expressed, feel “surprised,” “shocked” or a similar reaction to the shooting on Sunday in Sutherland Springs, Texas, I have two words for you: WAKE UP. I’m a history major, but one need not be trained in statistics or probability to grasp the likelihood of a mass shooting in the U.S. in 2017. With 300 million guns circulating around the country — pistols, machine guns, shotguns, when they all kill, what difference does it make? — can anyone really express surprise that a person can kill 26 in a matter of minutes? According to the FBI, 73 percent of all homicides in the country last year involved guns.

I’ve never owned a gun, nor do I plan to acquire one. The lack of action by Congress — not to mention that gun sales increase after every mass shooting — makes it clear that this column, a sit-in on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives or Amherst’s divestment of all funds related to gun manufacturers will not change anyone’s minds.

It is clear that owning a gun “for self-defense,” as many claim, will not actually make you safer.

Think about it, I implore you: 300 mil-

lion guns, and you own one, or maybe even 10. Now, picture yourself on a battlefield: 300 million people (with guns, minus the several dozen you may have stockpiled) and it seems fair to assume you are going to die.

I do not intend to be fatalistic when say that I have now accepted, in the wake of one mass shooting after another and one death-by-gun in the U.S. every fifteen minutes, that I may well die tomorrow when I walk to the CVS in town to buy a pack of bubble gum. Rather, I aim to be realistic.

I decided to go home over Fall Break and spend 48 hours with my family because of the shooting in Las Vegas. On the one hand, I knew staying on campus would mean accomplishing more work on my thesis and several papers due the following week. But when I took measure of the situation — more than 50 killed from a distance of more than four football fields — I realized that I could walk out of the library to learn I would never see one (or all) of my family members again.

For two weeks, I walked by the same piece of litter on the bike trail before finally mustering the courage to pick it up and carry it to the nearest trash receptacle. I would have done so sooner, but just going near it scared me: a red piece of cardboard labelled, “Pistol Holster: Fits M&P S&P…” Admittedly, I remain ignorant of the form and function of an “M&P S&P,” but its capacity for killing was not hard to understand. Would I discard the trash of an

accouterment later used as evidence in solving a gun death? I did not want any part of it.

I do not mean to overlook the obvious tragedy of the 26 people killed in Sutherland. But again, if you are somehow surprised, get real.

If, as many politicians and millions of Americans urge time and again after such carnage, you “pray” for the victims and their families, I am surprised. I do not belittle religion, nor the value of spirituality.

As I read in a book earlier this fall — admittedly, in an attempt to understand why people might belong to a religious group — many go to a church, synagogue, mosque or any other edifice of worship out of a desire for “community.”

But to the governor of Texas, the president of this country and others who express “prayers” or constantly fall back on religion to reconcile these repeated mass shootings to which we are rapidly becoming desensitized, I am tempted to pose this challenge: If you so value the “community” your religion ostensibly brings you, SAVE IT. It could not be simpler, it seems: take away the guns. Your church stays safe, your co-worshippers safer.

One particular death this past Sunday in Sutherland Springs stinks of the most painful irony: that of a pregnant woman. Texas not only has the second-most guns of any state, but some of the most restrictive abortion laws as well. Just last week, when the Supreme Court

ruled that an undocumented immigrant had the right to — and ultimately did — receive an abortion, Texas’ attorney general lamented the “taking of an innocent life.”

If the Attorney General and his millions of pro-gun allies who are likely also “pro-lifers” really care about the loss of such “innocent lives,” the shooting in Sutherland — not to mention a pregnant woman among the casualties — offers a pretty clear example of how to save not just one but 26 “innocent lives.”

Remove the guns.

Tears, prayers, condolences, tweets, memorials — when will we learn? Why do we make something so simple so hard? Are you really “surprised” or just numb?

The one point on which I am now begrudgingly forced to agree with the current U.S. President is his pre-election claim that “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose any voters.” It is sad, certainly, but if Sutherland Springs is any indication, then the president’s statement holds truth. Articles of a “troubled life” of the gunman followed the shooting almost immediately, experts pondered possibilities of “mental illness” and memorials and tributes poured out.

If I could tell myself that this is just a bad dream, I would. But this is real.

My only ounce of hope derives from a solution that still seems real as well: Get rid of the guns.

How To Respond to “Beloved” Sexual Predators Nisan Sele ’21 Contributing Writer The latest addition to the list of sexual predators in Hollywood whose victims are coming forward is Kevin Spacey.

Sexual harassment lawsuits against Bill O’Reilly surfaced this spring and Fox News dropped his show after years of ignoring the millions of dollars he spent to silence his victims. Then, last month, “The New York Times” reported that Harvey Weinstein, a well-known film producer, was facing allegations of sexual misconduct.

Many film stars came forward with their stories, tracing a long history of sexual harassment. Now, Kevin Spacey has joined the list of sexual predators, with several victims coming forward to talk about their experiences.

So, why is this happening now, and why does it appear to be everywhere? Several years ago, similar allegations regarding many well-known YouTubers surfaced in the same manner.

The outpouring resulted from victims seeing other victims coming forward with their stories and finding the power to do so as well.

This is the same trend: even if their predator is a different actor or person in the entertain-

ment industry, victims who see other victims talk about their experiences feel more comfortable and able to do the same.

It is easy to forget the power and influence these people hold. These predators are beloved, watched by hundreds of thousands of people, followed on Twitter by millions, quoted on a daily basis and have fan fiction written about them and fan accounts dedicated to following their daily lives. The sense of adoration people have about Hollywood personalities—about celebrities in general— give them protection they sometimes exploit.

One of the hardest parts of the allegations against YouTubers was watching fans excuse and forgive the behavior of longtime sexual predators.

Although some of the YouTubers admitted to committing crimes on camera, people would post on Twitter supporting the culprit — and, in some cases, attacking the victim.

Their sympathy was with the YouTuber, not the victim.

It is easy to think one has a connection with someone they watch every week or even every day. It allows for a one-sided connection which might convince them to think they know this person, that they care about them like they care about a friend of even a family member. The inclination to excuse

this behavior stems from this “connection.”

However, it is also the general behavior of society to excuse sexual predators. Blaming the victim, not believing people when they come forward and allowing sexual predators to continue having such influence and power is not a new trend. But it is a trend that needs to be stopped.

This has started happening. Netflix has broken the mold of networks ignoring allegations by cutting ties with Kevin Spacey, halting production on the sixth and final season of “House of Cards,” one of their biggest shows. They will not be making money for the sake of other people’s safety and comfort.

Audiences’ responses should mimic Netflix’s. Instead of getting lost in the stories and entertainment that sexual predators represent, we should be able to say, “Stop.” People who hurt others should not be allowed to continue as if nothing happened. They should lose the trust of viewers and suffer through the consequences of their actions.

I imagine there will be people out there who will be mad that their favorite show got canceled, that they will not be able to see Frank Underwood being brilliantly evil anymore.

While that might be upsetting, what is more upsetting is that some people may be

inclined to think that is more important than Kevin Spacey’s harmful actions.

I like “House of Cards” and I think it is one of the best political dramas written in years. However, I will not be watching it from now on. I will also be not watching or supporting Kevin Spacey in any way.

My gaze, as an audience member, is powerful.

If we continue watching and supporting Kevin Spacey and sexual predators like him, that will say to the entertainment industry that we don’t care about anything but getting a new episode. That will make Hollywood and everywhere less safe simply for the sake of us, the audience, having a good time.

Excusing this behavior will allow others to think they are also invincible as long as they are able to please their audience, and they will continue to behave as if their actions won’t ever catch up to them.

It doesn’t matter if I like Kevin Spacey’s impressions on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.” It doesn’t matter if I like “House of Cards.” It doesn’t matter if I think Kevin Spacey is funny or talented.

He is a sexual predator and he doesn’t deserve the power he has because he will only exploit it further. That should be the only response that any sexual predator ever receives.

Join the Opinion Staff!

Do you have opinions about issues on campus?

If you want to write for us, email kchian20@amherst.edu

Arts&Living

Family Weekend A Capella Performance Showcases Student Talent

Photos courtesy of Olivia Luntz ’21

The show was bittersweet for senior a capella members, but for others it was the first time their families had seen them perform on family weekend.

Olivia Luntz ’21 Staff Writer A hush falls across Johnson Chapel just before Route 9’s, one of the college’s all male a capella groups, Nico Langlois ’21 belts out the final high note of “For the Longest Time.” The packed chapel then bursts into a deafening roar of applause, hollers and whistles — noise coming from every row of seats.

With six a cappella groups performing at the family weekend showcase, the consensus of those present was that this year’s event was one of the best showcases yet.

“I thought the show went really well this year,” remarked Jacob Colman, a senior on Zumbyes, another all-male a capella group. “It was well-attended by both students and family members, and the audience was receptive and energetic. It felt like the groups and the audience were all having a ton of fun.”

Audience member Eunice Daudu ’21 said that she enjoyed the Zumbyes’ “fancy footwork” — especially during their performance of “Footloose,” when the singers danced their way into the audience.

Whitney Bruno ’21 added that she enjoyed

how each of the groups had their “own individual, enjoyable style that made them stand apart from each other.” Members of the a cappella groups themselves also enjoyed the unique opportunity to hear the other groups perform.

Sebastian Son ’21 from DQ, one of the coed groups, stated that his favorite part of the showcase was hearing the music of the five other groups. “I hadn’t realized how much talent we have at the school, and it really blew my mind to connect some of the faces I see to the voices I heard,” Son said.

Brigham Snow ’18, Route 9’s director, noted that “All six groups showed what makes them unique, and everything from the choreography to the solos was fantastic.”

Terras Irradient, the religious co-ed group, performed, “Shackles (Praise You)” a highlight of the showcase. Although the group only had nine members, they were able to fill the chapel just as well as the groups who had double the number of singers. The group gave a great performance with coordinated choreography. Further, Sabrinas’ member Krista Goebel ’18 added that the “blend [of their voices] was absolutely beautiful and they sang with so much emotion!

The song keeps getting stuck in my head.”

The Sabrinas, one of the all-female groups, performed of the “Work Song” which was not as happy and upbeat as most of the other songs in the showcase, but soloist Evan Paul ’18 gave an amazingly powerful and emotional performance that left me in awe.

The Zumbyes’ entrance to the stage was also a memorable part of the show, with the members (one in a banana costume) running down the aisles of the Chapel screaming before jumping onto the stage. The Zumbyes performance of “All Night Long” was also one of the performance’s hits, with great dancing and an amazing solo by Wes Combs ’21.

Route 9’s energetic performance of Shawn Mendes’ “Nothing’s Holding Me Back” was another stunning performance, especially the dynamic that Langlois and Shaw had with one another while singing the duet.

A Bluestockings, another all female group, performer, Kaitlyn Tsuyuki ’18 had a solo in “I Know I’m Not the Only One,” which brought forth an amazing reaction from the audience.

Tsuyuki remarked that this performance was special for her as it was her “last Family Weekend show, and not only was my mom in the audience, but it was also her birthday.” Before

Tsuyuki started her solo, she shouted “Happy birthday, Mom!” and reflected that she “couldn’t imagine a more special way for things to have gone.”

However, along with being special, the concert was also bittersweet for the senior singers.

Tsuyuki notes that the concert “really brought home the feeling that it’s the beginning of the end of my time at Amherst.” Fellow senior Goebel added that she’s going to miss singing and the community the a cappella groups create next year.

“While everyone can tell how much fun the actual show is, what the audience doesn’t know is that behind the scenes is also a blast,” Goebel said. “After a group performs, they get so many high fives as they navigate down the narrow, winding stairway of Johnston Chapel. I’m going to miss this!”

Krista’s dad, Ed Goebel, added that this showcase was the “most enjoyable experience so far over four years coming to the a cappella performances.” Overall, the family weekend a cappella showcase was an amazing demonstration of the talent, creativity and spirit at the college, leaving parents laughing at and singing their favorite songs all the way home.

email pgarciaprieto18@amherst.edu or ogieger21@amherst.edu if interested

The Amherst Student • November 8, 2017

Arts & Living 7

Orchestra’s John Williams Concert Evokes Levity and Emotion

Photo courtesy of Amherst College

The orchestra performed a range of John Williams’ work Friday, from well-known classics to more obscure pieces.

Youngkwang Shin ’19 Staff Writer On Nov. 3, the Amherst Symphony Orchestra staged its performance of acclaimed composer John Williams’ life’s work for a packed Buckley Recital Hall. The tribute came during Family Weekend, and to the delight of students and visiting families alike, the Amherst Symphony Orchestra showcased excellent interpretations of some of Williams’ greatest hits.

Beginning with the timeless string sweeps of “Jurassic Park,” continuing onto the magical jingles of “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” and ending rather appropriately with the credits theme from the original “Star Wars,” the show had no shortage of recognizable and familiar tunes. In the middle, however, the orchestra slipped in a few of John Williams’ lesser known pieces. The more somber notes of Cinque’s theme

from “Amistad” and the “Hymn to the Fallen” from “Saving Private Ryan” did much to reveal the more obscure shadows of the Hollywood giant’s oeuvre, and their inclusion in the performance tempered its predictable emotional highs.

Throughout the ebb and flow of the concert, the orchestra collaborated expertly in unison.

Their best moments came when most wanted and expected — Luke gazing at the twin suns setting in the horizon, the paradisiacal breadth of Jurassic Park revealing itself for the first time to the public, staring at the otherworldly quirks of Hogwarts through the eyes of a first-year — the emotional climaxes of these songs all recalled such iconic moments.

Conductor Mark Lane Swanson did much to sell their significance with his majestic flailing and occasional hopping. Furthermore, for all their prim and proper attire, the members of the orchestra injected a good dosage of pop energy to

their arrangements.

That is not to say the performers shirked their classical backgrounds. Though some of the songs began slightly rocky, the strings and winds reliably came into their own further into the songs.

This teamwork’s standout moment came during the performance of Cinque’s theme. The rest of the orchestra went silent to shine the spotlight on the flute, the piano and the cello, and the performance slid into a subdued intermission. The sudden transition from fictional dinosaurs to the dark side of American history was initially jarring, but the quality of the music was more than enough to resolve that tonal dissonance.

The absolute standout performance came later, however, when cellist Joshua Ferrer ’18E took center stage to perform his solo rendition of the theme from “Schindler’s List.” Tonally, the piece represented the utter gutter of the night and technically, the performance peaked. From beginning

to end, Ferrer dominated the stage with charisma and confidence, striking his strings with the pathos that gracefully recalled the most resonant moments of what is perhaps Steven Spielberg’s most somber film. All the while, Ferrer’s solo skillfully sidestepped excess darkness, and the lighthearted energy from the previous pieces found welcome momentum amidst the dirge, providing a surprising and much-needed emotional through-line that threaded the entire night into the tightest fabric.

Throughout the show, the music raised the question of evaluating the pathos of John Williams’ work. Shreeansh Agrawal ’20E found himself asking questions of the emotion in Williams’ work. “I am not sure I have the ear for the technical side of things,” Agrawal said regarding Ferrer’s performance. “But I could definitely understand the emotional side of it all. The performance threw me back into the movie, and recalled that melancholic tenderness of the film. All the while, I think the performer contributed his own emotional pound of flesh into the song.”

When it comes to John Williams, one cannot usefully separate the music from the image. Even in his more obscure outings such as “Amistad,” we cannot discuss the music without inevitably tying the piece to the film.

After the “Star Wars” credits had rolled, the last bows had been made and the crowd began shuffling out of the Arms Center, a few members from the orchestra played the cantina song from “Star Wars.” Everyone laughed, because they recognized both the song and what it meant: levity, fun and nostalgia.

The realization that one’s art could be so intensely and immediately associated with these most human feelings was the quiet second climax of the whole night. And to realize that our very own student orchestra, some of whom I recognized, talked to and laughed with had an equally important role in establishing that association — well, that was enough for me to gleefully barrel home and into my bed, falling asleep to these tunes from our collective childhood.

‘Without Warning’ Proves a Testament to the Value of Collaboration

Photo courtesy of fashionably-early.com

The dark, eerie sounds of “Without Warning“ exhbited a mood fitting for its Halloween release still allowing the artists to maintain their styles.

Jack Klein ’20 Staff Writer Collaboration between hip-hop artists has often led to the creation of unique and original albums. Working with another artist, regardless of their style, can elevate both parties’ performances. Artists who have similar styles can feed off of one another to create a

cohesive work, while artists with contrasting styles either stick to their own approach or conform to their collaborator’s style.

In theory, stars should be able to combine their respective abilities and fame and work well together. In practice, however, these artists face difficulties in composing and creating a collaborative album; they must learn to work in a new environment and accommodate oth-

ers’ egos, creative processes and ideas regarding the music. If both parties put their egos aside, however, they will bring out the best in each other and fashion a work that features both their individual and collective talents.

This held true for 21 Savage, Offset and Metro Boomin as they contributed to the recent trend of collaborative albums with the surprise Halloween release of “Without Warning.” The 10-track album is the paradigm of a cohesive collaboration and a testament to Metro Boomin’s abilities as a producer.

The three architects of “Without Warning” are far from obscure. 21 Savage has already released hits such as “Bank Account,” “No Heart” and “X.” Metro Boomin is arguably the hottest producer in rap. He has produced both albums and singles for superstars like Drake, Future and Kanye, as well as released collaborative albums with up-and-coming rappers such as Nav (“Perfect Timing,” 2017). Offset has spent the last year stepping out of Quavo and Migos’ long shadows through a series of features on songs like Juicy J’s “Flood Watch” and Future and Young Thug’s “Patek Water.”

On their own, the three are formidable, but on “Without Warning” they complement each other well, allowing each artist the opportunity to be himself.

On the album’s opening track, “Ghostface Killers,” Offset comes out firing with rapid-fire flow. After an unrelenting chorus (“Ghostface killers, Wu-Tang, 21 news gang / Drug dealers in the Mulsanne, at the top of the food chain”), 21 Savage enters with slow, snarling verse.

The album’s second song, “Rap Saved Me,” begins with 21 Savage threatening his rivals (“And I’m dangerous / Smith & Wesson, and it’s stainless”), before Offset relentlessly flaunts his wealth over a string sample (“Alist status / His and her Pateks.”) The aforementioned songs include features from Travis

Scott and Quavo, but their verses are almost afterthoughts, a rarity for rappers of their caliber and a testament to 21 and Offset’s newfound gravity.

Next comes “Ric Flair Drip”, an ostentatious display of wealth by Offset, and the hazy “My Choppa Hate N*****,” which reaffirms 21’s affinity for his firearms. Although each of these two songs feature only one of Offset and 21 Savage, they belong in the album because of the thematic homogeneity of Metro Boomin’s beats and production. The beats vary in tempo and sound from song to song but they’re all dark and eerie. Offset contributes to the Halloween theme of the album via the chorus of “Nightmare,” which, along with “Still Serving”, contains ominous xylophone and chime samples to complete the eerie effect.

Metro Boomin’s signature style holds “Without Warning” together conceptually.

Regardless of the pace of the lyrics, the album maintains its nefarious, gloating energy.

His bass-heavy, sinister beats permeate every song on the album and provide continuity. Many reviews have described his beats as reminiscent of a “haunted house,” lending the album a spooky ambience. With the beats as a constant, Offset and 21 Savage have the freedom to maintain their artistic selves; 21 keeps his slow, almost sarcastic drawl, while Offset displays a quick, stop-and-start flow. 21 Savage plays the role of the mobster peering down at his challengers from his throne while Offset jumps on and off of the beat, employing his signature alliteration that hearkens to his work with Migos.

Lyrically, “Without Warning” might not ascend to the level of other collaborative albums, such as Kanye West and Jay-Z’s “Watch the Throne.” However, it certainly proves that all three artists can sustain their respective

The Amherst Student • November 8, 2017

Arts & Living 8

“Thor: Ragnarok” Excels in Breaking Traditional Marvel Mold

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

While entertaining to watch, the “Thor: Ragnarok“ film is riddled with humor, making it seem more like “Asgardians of the Galaxy” than previous Thor movies.

Mark Simonitis ’20 Staff Writer Ever since the first “Thor” film debuted six years ago, the franchise has always been the black sheep of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

“Thor” faltered in trying to combine Earthbased antics with the epic, Shakespearian-style storytelling of the Thor comics of the ’80s. The sequel, “Thor: The Dark World,” tried to add sci-fi elements to this mixture but in doing so lost the heart and humor that made the first movie somewhat enjoyable. “Thor: Ragnarok” is the first Thor movie to have a clear idea of what it wants to be, a rollicking science fiction adventure-comedy that plays up the absurdity inherent in a world of space-Vikings. Taking clear influences from “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Ragnarok” constantly fires off jokes and action sequences, barely slowing down until the credits roll. Thankfully, unlike “Guardians of the Galaxy 2,” the jokes here are actually funny. However, while “Ragnarok” is certainly a step up from the previous “Thor” movies, some viewers might take issue with this new direction.

The movie begins by following up on the ending of “The Dark World,” with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) refusing the throne of Asgard, leaving his presumed dead brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) to rule, disguised as their missing father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Meanwhile,

Hela (Cate Blanchett), the Goddess of Death, marshals her troops and attacks Asgard, leaving Thor stranded on the planet of Sakaar, ruled by the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum). Thor is faced with the question of how to return home and save his people, in which tasks he is aided by the exiled Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), the gladiator Korg (director Taika Waititi) and the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), who had been MIA since 2015’s “Age of Ultron”.

From the moment Thor crash lands on Sakaar, it is clear that this is where the movie’s real heart is. The bizarre and alien landscape gives Waititi the perfect environment to pull out all the stops when it comes to humor and visuals. Overseen by Jeff Goldblum in his most “Jeff Goldblum” performance ever, the planet’s fixation on spectacle and gladiatorial fights makes for a welcome new environment for Thor and his allies to mess around in. Of course, it should go without saying that the initial meeting and bout between Thor and Hulk is both hilarious and the crowning action sequence of the film.

However, this focus on Sakaar leads to Asgard feeling like something of a subplot. It takes every bit of villainy Cate Blanchett can muster to keep the Asgard scenes somewhat entertaining, but even then you find yourself wishing that the movie could just hurry on back to Sakaar.

Whenever the movie’s flaws start to show, the cast is always ready to draw your interest right

back in. Chris Hemsworth has always been one of the many bright points in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and “Ragnarok” gives him plenty of opportunities to crank up the buoyant charm and silliness that seem to come to him so easily. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is as snarky as ever, but this time he has to bear the added twist of maintaining composure while being put through a quite frankly ridiculous conga line of abuse. Hulk’s visual effects have progressed enough that Mark Ruffalo’s talent is able to shine through, even when he’s the Jolly Green Giant for most of the movie. Waititi inserts some New Zealander sense of humor through his voicing of Korg, providing “Ragnarok” with some of its best laughs. On my first viewing, I thought Tessa Thompson was a little bland as Valkyrie, but upon further reflection, I’ve come to appreciate her more subdued performance in the middle of this outlandish movie.

Paradoxically, the tone of “Ragnarok” is both its best quality and a troubling sign for the future. From a completely objective standpoint, it’s a hilarious movie with a ton of jokes that does not try to take itself seriously. In fact, the only thing it takes seriously is how unserious the whole business is. The problem comes in when what should be dramatic moments are immediately undercut by jokes that just feel wrong, or out of place. One scene in particular towards the movie’s end has incredible dramatic poten-

tial, but “Ragnarok” glosses over this in favor of setting up another joke for Korg. Really, this reflects the entire new direction of the “Thor” franchise. This was a series with some serious potential for epic cosmic adventures — Norse mythology brought to life. Instead, it’s Asgardians of the Galaxy. While I understand that the original “Thor” bungled this direction, I can’t help but feel like it was never given a real chance.

As a side note, anyone who’s a fan of the larger myth arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe should take special care to see this movie.

It changes the larger status quo of the universe more than any film since “Winter Soldier,” and I would even call it required viewing for the upcoming “Avengers: Infinity War.” Additionally, it answers several burning questions that fans have had over the past several years. Don’t forget to stay in the theater for both end credits scenes.

“Thor: Ragnarok” is the best “Thor” film yet, a perfect antidote for anyone tired of grim, dark superhero portrayals. It’s fun, wacky and funny throughout, with excellent performances and a solid joke/laugh ratio that keep you from paying to close attention to some of the film’s more glaring problems. However, while throwing off the franchise’s epic and mythological trappings may make “Ragnarok” a better movie, I don’t know if it will make for a better overall future for the God of Thunder.

Unique Courses to Look Out for This Spring Registration Season Paola Garcia-Prieto ’18 & Olivia Gieger ’21 Managing Arts & Living Editors With registration fast approaching, the Amherst course catalog can be daunting, with many fascinating options in each department.

In this sea of possibilities, it’s easy to miss some of the remarkable classes this upcoming semester has to offer. In order to hopefully alleviate some of the stress of searching, we’ve put together a collection of what we find to be some of the spring semester’s most noteworthy courses.

POSC-120: Media and the 2016 Campaign Take a class with Masha Gessen, staff writer for “The New Yorker” and contributing writer for “The New York Times,” as she explores the question of what went wrong in the 2016 election through her spring 2018 course “Media and the 2016 Campaign.” Gessen is a visiting professor, and she brings her wide ranging interests, which include everything from criticism of Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump to LGBTQ rights and science journalism to the Amherst College Political Science Department.

ARHA-473: Books that Bind A cross-disciplinary collaboration between the French and art history departments, “Books that Bind” looks at books as vehicles that prompt “complex exchanges and

relations.” Professors Yael R. Rice and Raphael Sigal co-teach the seminar, which culminates with an exhibition to be presented in Frost.

ENGL-321: Tones in Black and White Join Visiting Professor Peter Kimani as he seeks to answer the questions of “What does re-storying entail?” — a term Chinua Achebe coined to describe the way Black authors use to reclaim identity through writing — and “How do African writers imagine ‘whiteness’?” Guided by these overarching questions, the course explores a range of multimedia works.

ANTH-238/SWAGS-238: Culture, Race, and Reproductive Health Explore the complexities of sexuality, birth and motherhood and their relationships with race alongside Professor Haile Cole in the Anthropology/Sociology course “Culture, Race and Reproductive Health.” Throughout the semester, students will question why reproductive justice is elusive in United States politics and popular culture and seek ways to change that.

AMST-300: The End of Authority, Politics in Post-Truth America Who better to explore the way new technologies have opened new channels that complicate how we collect information and determine the truth than experienced broadcast journalist and John J. McCoy Visiting Professor Ray

Suarez? His course “The End of Authority, Politics in Post-Truth America” seeks to investigate the change of information flow in 21st century America and how such a change affects our lives and politics.

CLAS-126/THDA-126: Sport and Spectacle in Ancient Greece and Rome Ever wonder about the origins of theater and sports? The theater and dance department and the classics department are offering a class called “Sport and Spectacle in Ancient Greece and Rome” with Professor Sarah E. Olsen. The course will examine how Greek performance and athletics are reflected in contemporary culture as well as the general perception of theater and sports in modern society.

ANTH/SOC-248: Islamophobia If you want to sink your teeth into social issues, consider taking “Islamophobia” with Professor Christopher T. Dole. This anthropology and sociology class will explore how antiMuslim discrimination fits in with larger social inequality issues in both the United States and the world. As the course description says, “By the end of the course, students will have considered how anti-Muslim discrimination relates to histories of white supremacy, racial exclusion, nationalism, settler colonialism and the security logics of US foreign policy and war.”

ANTH-353/SWAG-353: Transgender Ethnographies If you have taken a 200-level class in the Department of Sexuality, Women’s and Gender Studies, you are eligible to take this brand new course with Professor Sahar Sadjadi on “Transgender Ethnographies.” The class will analyze gendered roles and explore ethnographic studies of gender non-conforming people around the world, focusing on “the role of the body in the production of sex and gender” through academic theory.

BLST-209/HIST-209/MATH-205: ≠ (Inequality) This triple-cross-listed course will be cotaught by professors Michael C. Ching and Hilary J. Moss. The class will center around issues in K-12 math education in the U.S. and whether or not math is an innate “talent” only certain kids are born with. It will also cover general issues of discrimination in STEM fields and how these issues could be solved.

ENGL-277/FAMS-333: Videogames and the Boundaries of Narrative This epic English and film course is probably your only chance to apply academic jargon to video games. Professor Marisa Parham, a digital humanities and virtual realities expert, will be teaching this discussion-based course on how “video gaming helps us to conceptualize the boundaries between our experiences of the world and our representations thereof.”

The Amherst Student • November 8, 2017

Winter Sports Previews

Men’s Swim and Dive Enter Headfirst into Season

Women’s Track and Field Sprints into Winter Season with High Hopes Matthew Sparrow ’21 Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Amherst men’s swim and dive placed 20th out of 52 teams at last season’s NCAA Divsion III championship meet that took place in Texas.

Jordan Rhodeman ’21 Staff Writer Nov. 1 officially marked the beginning of the Amherst men’s swimming and diving team’s 2017-2018 season.

This will be Head Coach Nick Nichol’s 21st year of coaching at Amherst, and he will be joined by assistant coaches Kai Robinson and Cody Cupit. Together, the trio has been confidently preparing the team for an exciting season.

The team enters the pool this season with six wins in dual meet action last season, three Little Three Championships to their name and 11 top-ten team finishes at the NCAA Division III Championship meet in program history.

Under the leadership of senior captains Elijah Spiro and Nathan Ives, the Mammoths’ success is only expected to continue.

Having finished second at the NESCAC Championships last year, Amherst enters this season hungry to snag the first-place title after Williams won the crown for the 15th consecutive season this past March.

Sophomore Sean Mebust remains a force to be reckoned with, having finished his first

collegiate season with the NESCAC title in the 200-yard breaststroke and a NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 2:00.36. Moreover, senior Sam Spurrell captured a fifth-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly with a NCAA ‘B’ cut mark of 1:51.42.

Spiro seized the NESCAC title in the 100-yard breaststroke and with a NCAA ‘B’ cut time of 55.23 and the NESCAC title in the 50-yard breaststroke, setting the pool record with an impressive time of 24.95.

Despite the loss of last year’s seven seniors, the team only expressed excitement regarding the first-years and looks forward to the new dynamics, energy and speed to come Despite successful individual performances, the team’s ability to function as one unit is what will bring the Mammoths the muchsought after post season success. Having recorded a 20th place finish at the 52-team 2017 NCAA Division III Swimming and Diving Championships in Texas, Amherst’s abilities and potential are undeniable.

During their preseason, the Mammoths remained focused and goal-oriented. Hopefully, this focus will pay off when Amherst first enters the pool on Saturday, Nov. 18, in a dualmeet match against Colby.

Sports 9

The Amherst women’s indoor track and field team will look to build on the momentum of the fall cross-country season, which concluded with a fifth-place finish at the NESCAC championships and an individual championship from Nicky Roberts ’18. While the Mammoths will miss the presence of since graduated Kiana Herold, who finished ninth in the high jump at the Division III Indoor Championships, the team will return several standouts, including Abbey Asare-Bediako ’18 in the triple jump.

The Mammoths competed well last winter, notching a second-place finish at the Benyon invitational, an 11th place finish at the NCAA Division III New England championship meet and a 16th place finish at the New England Inter-Collegiate Amateur Athletics Association Championship.

Seniors Helen Clapp (distance), Becki Golia (jumps), Danielle Griffin (hurdles and sprints), Adele Loomis (mid-distance), Kaeli Mathias (mid-distance), Leonie Rauls (mid-distance) and Asare-Bediako (jumps and sprints) will lead the Mammoths this season. Amherst also boasts 13 juniors and sophomores, a number that will surely give the team a shot of experience With new head coach Steve Rubin at the helm, Amherst will shift from a distance-based team under previous coach Cassie Funke-Harris to a more speed-oriented squad in the sprints.

Funke-Harris will remain on the team as an assistant coach, but Rubin brings years of experience to the group, having been the head coach at both Washington University in St. Louis and Florida International University before taking a job as assistant coach at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, his most recent coaching position.

Under Rubin’s tutelage, the Tar Heels pro-

duced numerous All-ACC and All-American runners throughout his five years in Chapel Hill.

“I think that Coach Rubin has added a sense of intensity and purpose to our team that fosters community and unity,” Ella Rossa ’21 said. “I’m excited to see where this season takes us.”

In addition to the team’s wealth of experience, the Mammoths boast a class of 16 firstyears, each eager to make an impact in their first season of collegiate racing.

“I’m really excited for the upcoming season,” Dana Frishman ’21 said. “Coach Rubin and the rest of the coaching staff have a strong game plan for the team and while practices have only just started, it’s clear that everyone is ready to make the investment and work hard.”

With loads of confidence and talent, the Mammoths will look to improve upon last year’s place in the NESCAC championship.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Senior Leonie Rauls ran the 800-meter run with a personal best of 2:17.04 last season.

Men’s Track and Field Optimistic About Coming Winter Season Veronica Rocco ’19 Staff Writer The 2017-2018 season looks to be promising for the Amherst men’s track and field team, which includes a solid core of returners and several first-years looking to make an impact for the Mammoths. The team adds three first-years in Andrew Swenson, Kyland Smith and Ryan Prenosil, in addition to Bill Massey, Jamie Mazzola and Braxton Schuldt who competed for the Mammoths in cross country this fall.

This will be the first season since 2012 where the men’s and women’s teams will be combined, so there will be a group of six coaches leading the Mammoths.

In the offseason, Stephen Rubin was hired as the head coach of the men’s cross country and track and field teams. Rubin comes to Amherst from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, where he led several Tar Heels to All-American honors during his five years as an assistant coach UNC. The team will have to hit the ground running as the season begins, as the first meet for the Mammoths will be the Little Three Championships, the annual tri-meet between Amherst, Williams and Wesleyan. With this first competition not coming until the interterm period, Amherst has a long preseason to prepare for the demanding indoor and outdoor track and field seasons that last until May. The end of the season will see the team focus on the NESCAC Championships in April, a true test of the team’s depth in the competitive conference. In 2017, the Mammoths placed seventh with 32 points at the championship meet.

David Ingraham ’18 and Harrison Hai-

good ’18 are the captains of the speed-power squad, and will be in charge of an underclassmen-heavy group.

“The first week of official practices went well,” Ingraham said. “Coach Rubin has really transformed the track program, and overall the team seems much more focused and energetic than in recent years. This is the largest and most talented group of guys I’ve trained with since I started track in my freshman year, and I’m very excited to see how we’ll compete later this winter.”

Elijah Ngbokoli ’20 returns with the team’s fastest times in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes during the indoor season, with times of 7.17 and 22.64 seconds, respectively. Aziz Khan ’18 ran the team’s fastest times in the 100 and 200 meters outdoors, with times of 11.39 and 22.51 seconds, respectively. Amherst will rely heavily on these two runners to register important points during the year’s meets and serve as examples for the numerous newcomers to the squad.

The hurdles duo of Maxim Doiron ’19 and Yonas Shiferaw ’20 also return after strong seasons in both indoor and outdoor competition in the 60-meter and 110-meter hurdles.

Leading the jumpers will be Jordan Edwards ’20, who was the team’s best long and triple jumper last season. Edwards will look to build on his success in his sophomore campaign.

Kristian Sogaard ’19 had a breakout track season last spring, running Amherst’s best times in the 400 and 800 meters with times of 49.00 seconds and 1:50.30, respectively. The junior finished his season with an All-American sixth place finish at the DIII National Championships.

Vernon Espinoza ’19 ran the team’s second

fastest time in the 800-meter run with a time of 1:52. Not far behind him was Ralph Skinner ’20, who ran 1:54 and claimed the Mammoths’ second-fastest time in the 400 meters with a time of 50.17 seconds.

A strong middle- and long-distance core returns for the Mammoths, as the men’s cross country team has been dominant this fall, easily winning the NESCAC Cross Country Championships, the program’s first ever victory. The track and field team will rely heavily on these harriers to form the foundation for any success during the upcoming season.

Spencer Ferguson-Dryden ’20 has played a critical role in the Mammoths success this cross country season and returns as the team’s fastest 1500-meter runner with a time of 3:57.

The Mammoths also return strength in the longer distances the 3,000, 5,000 and 10,000-meters. Clark Ricciardelli ’20E returns with the team’s fastest time in the 10000 meters with a time of 31:02, and Cosmo Brossy ’19 ended his season with a time of 14:41 in the 5,000-meter run. Tucker Meijer ’19 looks to improve on his 5,000 meter best of 15:09, and Justin Barry ’18 looks to have a stellar senior track season after struggling through injuries as a junior.

Mo Hussein ’18, NESCAC Outstanding Performer of the year in cross country, returns to the track after injuries kept him out of track in 2017, and the four-time All-American and two-time NESCAC cross country champion looks to earn more All-American honors to close his time at Amherst.

Given these numerous returners and the strength of the long-distance corps, the Amherst men’s track and field team looks to follow the success of its distance runners and put together an impressive campaign.

Photo Photo courtesy courtesy of of Clarus Clarus Studios

Aziz Khan ’18 has run the 100-meter dash in a time of 11.37 seconds.

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • November 8, 2017

Men’s Soccer Recieves At-Large Bid for NCAA Tournament Connor Haugh ’21 Managing Sports Editor On Monday Nov. 6, around 2:30 p.m., the Amherst men’s soccer team received the wonderful news that they received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. Shouts of excitement erupted from the film room in the athletic center, where the Mammoths were watching the NCAA Division III Tournament selection show.

Since Amherst had not won the NESCAC tournament, the team’s post-season hopes rested on a potential at-large bid. With this ticket to the Big Dance secured, the Mammoths will face the Salem State University Vikings in the first round of NCAA action. Salem State, winners of the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament, will travel to Amherst to face the Mammoths, who are set to host the first two rounds of the tournament.

The Vikings qualified for the tournament after defeating Westfield State University in penalty kicks in the MASCAC championship game.

The Mammoths received their at-large bid thanks to several wins against quality opposition, including Bowdoin, Rutgers UniversityNewark, Conn. College and NESCAC champion Tufts, all four of which are in the tournament field.

These wins against ranked opponents moved Amherst to a United Soccer Coaches national ranking of 13 at the end of October. Despite these impressive wins and a second-place seeding in the NESCAC tournament after the regular season, the Mammoths fell to Hamilton in the first round of the NESCAC play-offs. Amherst had tied the seventh-seeded Continentals earlier in the season, but a dramatic six-goal second half ended with Hamilton victorious by

a 4-3 margin.

Although the Mammoths would have preferred to secure the automatic qualifying slot reserved for conference champions, the team is full of confidence after winning the NCAA DIII national championship in 2015 after entering as an at-large bid.

The Mammoths will begin their quest for a second national crown in three years this Saturday, Nov. 11 in a noon home game on Hitchcock Field.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Weller Hlinomaz ’18 has scored four goals this season.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

James O’Regan ’20

Charlotte Duran ’20

Favorite Team Memory: Beating Trinity this past weekend Favorite Pro Athlete: Julio Jones and Jenna Finkelstein ’20 Dream Job: Sports agent Pet Peeve: When people leave their stuff in my room Favorite Vacation Spot: Mustique Something on Your Bucket List: Flying a plane Guilty Pleasure: Dove Secret women’s deodorant Favorite Food: Buffalo wings Favorite Thing About Amherst: The campus and my friends How He Earned It: O’Regan’s gravitydefying snags this weekend awed the family weekend crowd. O’Regan connected with the quaterback tag team of Ollie Eberth ’20 and Reece Foy ’18 for 95 receiving yards in the Mammoths 28-10 win over the Trinity Bantams. O’Regan had several acrobatic catches on the sidlines, including a 55-yard bomb from Foy with less than a minute left in the first half, which led to an Amherst touchdown.

Favorite Team Memory: Beating Hamilton 3-1 during NESCACS after we lost to them earlier in the season Favorite Pro Athlete: Shaquille O’Neal Dream Job: Fortune cookie writer Pet Peeve: Dogs in clothes and mouth breathers Favorite Vacation Spot: Mexico Something on your bucket list: Go to all seven continents Guilty Pleasure: Dark chocolate peanut butter cups Favorite Food: Steak Favorite Thing About Amherst: The close sense of community.

How She Earned It: Duran has run the Firedogs’ offense this year, recording 814 assists, good for third in the NESCAC on 70 percent of Amherst’s scoring plays this year. In NESCAC tournament play, Duran recorded a team-high 76 assists, with 56 coming in the quarterfinal game against Hamilton. This was Duran’s secondhighest total of the season, with her highest total also coming against Hamilton on Oct. 13, when she recorded 62 assists.

Winter Sports Previews Cont.

Women’s Hockey Hopes to Build on Last Year’s Success Mary Grace Cronin ’18 Staff Writer

After finishing 14-8-5 and advancing to the NESCAC championship game, the Amherst women’s ice hockey team is poised to rise to the top of the conference yet again.

After falling for the second consecutive year in the NESCAC final to Middlebury, this year the Mammoths will seek to reclaim the coveted title.

The Mammoths return plenty of strong veterans, including last year’s leading scorer Alex Toupal ’18, who garnered several honors last year for her outstanding play, including First Team All-NESCAC, NEHWA All-Star and CCM Second-Team All-American.

Toupal posted 19 goals and 11 assists on the season for a total of 30 points and proved to be an nightmare for opposing defenses last season. Coming into her final year at Amherst, Toupal will surely continue her dominance.

Junior Katie Savage should also be a dangerous offensive threat, having totaled 20 points on eight goals and 12 assists to claim the second most in points on the team.

“We really want it this year, and I think we have the talent and the drive to back that up this season,” Savage said. “Despite graduating six seniors last spring, we have a strong group of returners this year. I’m looking forward to our first game against Conn. [College], and I know everyone on the team is super excited because we think this will be a special year.”

Assistant Coach Madeline Tank will join the coaching staff as a former four-year standout on the Mammoths, having graduated in 2015. As a former two-sport athlete, she also coached field hockey this fall with Head

Coach Carol Knerr and hopes to add a bevy of knowledge and charisma to the Mammoth bench.

“Our new assistant [coach] Madeline Tank will add so much to the team, and I know I’ll have a lot to learn from her,” Savage said.

In addition to the potent Amherst offense, the team boasts several defensive stalwarts as well. With strong senior goaltenders Sabrina Dobbins and Bailey Plaman competing for the starting spot, the Mammoths will be in good hands.

Dobbins boasts an outstanding 0.941 save percentage, while Plaman was just below with a 0.940 save percentage. This security between the pipes will surely give Amherst room to open up its game offensively with the knowledge that the defense will hold down the fort.

Sophomore defender Anne Malloy will anchor the defense and provide some muchneeded toughness to a defense that is sure to be a key component of this year’s team. She will be joined by promising young defender Mia Delrosso ’21, who will look to start her first collegiate campaign on a positive note.

“We’ve been working especially hard all fall and we’re coming into the season with so much energy,” said Jamie McNamara ’20.

“Our first-years are really talented.

“We’ve put a lot of time into discussing what’s going to put us in the best position and it’s all about loving the process more than anything. If we maintain this focus and enthusiasm, we’re going to have a really successful season.”

The Mammoths will first take on the Conn. College Camels on Friday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in their season opener. Amherst will seek to avenge last year’s 1-0 loss and start this campaign off on the right foot.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Forward Katie Savage ’19 returns this season with 16 points. She will be looking to be a consistent scorer for the Mammoths this season.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Senior goalie Bailey Plaman had a 0.940 save percentage last sason and returns with Sabrina Dobbins ’18 as one of the team’s two strong goalkeepers.

The Amherst Student • November 8, 2017

Sports

11

Women’s Soccer Season Ends After Falling to Williams in NESCAC Semifinals Katie Bergamesca ’18 Staff Writer This past Saturday, Nov. 4, Williams quashed any hopes the Amherst women’s soccer team had of returning to the NESCAC championship game this year. After a big upset over the second-ranked Conn. College Camels in the tournament quarterfinals, the Mammoths were looking to beat the odds once again and top perennial powerhouse Williams in the semifinals. Despite a valiant effort from Amherst in the first 45 minutes of the game, an offensively dominant second half by the Ephs propelled the favorites to a comfortable 4-2 victory.

During the first half of the contest, the action was in the Mammoths’ favor, and Amherst was first to get on the board thanks to sophomore midfielder Sasha Savitsky’s individual effort. On a savvy defensive play, Savitsky intercepted a Williams’ pass. Maintaining possession of the ball, Savitsky skillfully navigated her way past two defenders before blasting the ball into the back corner of the net. The Mammoths’ go-ahead goal came with a little less than 10 minutes to go in the first half. Amherst managed to keep the lead for the remainder of the half, and Savitsky’s tally stood as the lone goal in the first 45 minutes of play.

Following the halftime break, the Ephs came out strong, scoring just 1:52 into the second half. Less than five minutes later, Williams found the nylon again to earn its first lead of the match.

Savitsky, stepping up for the Mammoths once more, notched her second goal of the game exactly three minutes later to knot the game once again. For the next quarter hour, the Ephs and Mammoths remained dead-

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Junior Rubii Tamen was the Mammoths’ second leading scorer this season, notching eight goals and four assists. locked in a 2-2 tie, with both sides probing for the game-winner. However, in the 70th minute of play, Kristina Alvarado found the back of the net for Williams and put the Ephs in front, this time for good. Just under 10 minutes later, Sydney Jones tacked on an insurance goal for the Williams, and the Mammoths were unable to make up the two-goal deficit before the fi-

Volleyball Suffers Three-Set Loss in NESCAC Semifinals

nal buzzer sounded. With the loss to Williams, Amherst’s run in the NESCAC tournament came to a heartbreaking end, and with it went any hopes of making the NCAA tournament.

Ultimately, the loss to the Ephs sealed the Mammoths’ post-season fate, as Amherst failed to make the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2010.

“It is obviously not the outcome we were hoping for, but I’m certainly proud of how relentlessly our team fought,” captain Delancey King ’18 said. “I’m very thankful for the four years I got to be a part of this program.”

With the loss Amherst closed its season with a record of 9-7-1 overall and 4-5-1 in the conference.

SEBASTIAN

JUNGER

Director of Documentaries Restrepo and Korengal Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

First-year outside-hitter Pearl Acord had four digs during semifinals of the NESCAC tournament against Tufts this weekend.

Henry Newton ’21 Managing Sports Editor

This past weekend, the Amherst volleyball team closed its season with a loss in the semifinals of the NESCAC tournament against top-seeded Tufts. Although, the Mammoths had put forward an inspired performance in their quarterfinal matchup against Hamilton the previous weekend, Amherst eventually fell to the Jumbos in three sets, erasing any hopes of making it to the NCAA tournament.

Amherst had many chances during the match, jumping out to early leads in both sets of the first two sets. However, the high-powered and consistent Jumbos’ offense proved too much for Amherst, and both sets ended with Amherst on the losing end.

The third set saw Tufts finally hit their groove, dominating the third set and ending any hopes of a comeback with a convincing 25-15 win.

The Jumbos would go on to lose the championship game to Wesleyan, but both teams received

bids to the NCAA tournament, with Wesleyan automatically qualifying and Tufts receiving an atlarge bid.

The team finished with an overall record of 1710, a fitting end to what was an undoubtedly upand-down season.

“This season was definitely a rollercoaster, but a great way to end my collegiate career,” co-captain Marialexa Natsis ’18 said. “I wouldn’t have wanted to spend my time doing anything else, but playing with and for my best friends and teammates.”

Reflecting on the season, and the next campaign, Hayes Honea ’19 noted, “While it’s always tough to end a season and say goodbye to seniors, it’s also exciting to to see the potential in the next season. The majority of our starters are returning, and we are fired up to get revenge on the teams we barely lost to this year.”

Amherst, despite its loss in the tournament, has much to look forward to in the coming years, as the Mammoths have a wealth of young talent ready to take the place of the departing seniors and will look to return to NCAA action next season.

TRIBE

Award-Winning Author of The Perfect Storm and War

ON HOMECOMING AND BELONGING

What can indigenous cultures teach us about PTSD? Who would you give your last scrap of food to?

What do human beings need to be content?

“Humans don’t mind hardship, in fact they thrive on it; what they mind is not feeling necessary. Modern society has perfected the art of making people not feel necessary.

It’s time for that to end.”

Tuesday, November 14, 8 p.m.

Johnson Chapel, Amherst College Made possible through the Johnson Lectureship Fund

Sports

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Senior quarterback Reece Foy led the Mammoths on a successful drive in the last minute of the first half, which ended with a 55-yard touchdown pass.

Football Topples Undefeated Trinity, Earns Spot Atop NESCAC Table

Talia Land ’20 Staff Writer

The host of students’ family and friends who were at Amherst for Family Weekend got to watch a huge win by the Amherst football team on Saturday.

The Mammoths picked up an important victory against the Trinity Bantams, who had entered the showdown undefeated.

With the win, Amherst improved to a 7-1 record, while Trinity fell to a matching 7-1, so the Mammoths are now tied for first place in the NESCAC with only one game left in the season.

Against the Bantams, Amherst jumped out to a quick lead, scoring on its first possession.

The offense showed patience and skill as it marched down the field in 11 plays highlighted by an 11-yard rush by Jack Hickey ’19 and an 18-yard connection to Bo Berluti ’19.

Quarterback Ollie Eberth ’20 sealed the

deal for the Mammoths, keeping the ball and rushing for the five-yard touchdown. After some confusion later in the first quarter, Trinity capitalized on a fresh set of downs, throwing the ball into the end zone for a sixyard touchdown to tie the game at seven with three minutes left in the quarter.

The second quarter was scoreless until an impressive 55-yard pass from Reece Foy ’18 hit sophomore James O’Regan in stride.

O‘Regan broke one tackle and glided into the end zone to make the score 14-7 in favor of the hosts with only 33 seconds left in the half, a lead the Mammoths would never relinquish.

Receiving the ball to start the second half, Amherst again marched down the field, scoring a touchdown on a 65-yard drive.

Hickey capped off the drive with a rushing touchdown, giving the Mammoths an imposing 21-7 lead.

For the rest of the quarter, the Mammoths

SAT GAME SCHE DULE

Men’s Cross Country DIII New England Regionals @ University of Southern Maine, 11:00 a.m.

Women’s Cross Country DIII New England Regionals @ University of Southern Maine, noon

played solid defense and made several great special teams’ plays, including a 16-yard punt return by Nate Tyrell ’19 to give Amherst excellent field position at the Trinity 18-yard line.

From there, Hickey recorded his second rushing touchdown of the day and ninth of the season to give the Mammoths a commanding 28-7 lead with 7:28 left in the contest.

Trinity attempted a comeback, scoring two touchdowns within the last four minutes of the game, but Amherst was able to do just enough to hold the Bantams off and emerged with a 28-20 win.

Linebacker Andrew Sommer ’19, who has had a stellar season for the Mammoths, notched six tackles and broke up one pass against Trinity.

“I think the big thing for us was playing together as a team. We haven’t played a complete game of football this entire year, and we

Football @ Williams, noon Men’s Soccer vs. Salem State, noon

were pretty confident this was going to be the week,” Sommer said. “We had a great week of practice leading up, and everyone was really cranked for the game. Yesterday was really exciting for us but we knew that we had it in us the whole year, [it] just took us a while to figure it out. When we play together at our best, we’re unstoppable.”

Next week the Mammoths will travel to Williamstown to play their arch rival Williams in the final game of the season.

If Amherst wins, the team will close the season guaranteed at least a shared conference title.

“Next week, obviously, it’s a big rivalry game,” Sommer said. “They’re going to be coming in firing, and these games always have a way of taking on a life of their own.

But for us, it’s all about taking it one play at time — six seconds at a time for 60 minutes.

If we do that and play as a team, the rest will take care of itself.”