Issue 22

THE AMHERST

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLVII, ISSUE 22 l WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 2018

Men’s Tennis Posts Two Wins on Weekend, Moves to 5-1 See Sports, Page 11 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

College Admits “Most Diverse Pool” Ever to Class of 2022 Emma Swislow ’20 Managing News Editor

Photo courtesy of Natalie De Rosa ’21

Students traveled to Washington D.C. with the Amherst College Democrats to participate in the national March For Our Lives on March 24. The march supported the creation of stronger gun control legislation.

Students March for Gun Control in Washington D.C. Natalie De Rosa ’20 Staff Writer Forty Amherst students travelled to Washington D.C. to participate in the national March For Our Lives on March 24. The trip, which was sponsored by the Amherst College Democrats, called on policymakers to enact stronger gun control legislation.

The Washington D.C. march was organized by victims of the Feb. 14 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The massacre, one of the deadliest school shootings in the nation’s history, killed 17 people and injured 14 others.

The Amherst College Democrats had initially planned to attend the March for Science on April 14 to advocate for the use of science-based evidence in federal policymaking. In the wake of the Parkland massacre, however, the organization decided that the gun control debate held greater urgency.

“The gun violence epidemic in this country got a lot of national attention and focus on it, and [the march] was something we were all very excited about participating in,” said Alexander Deatrick ’20, president of the Amherst College Democrats.

The importance of the gun control debate in recent weeks was evident at the march, which gathered over 800,000 people, with hundreds of thousands of others participating in 800 other sister marches throughout the world.

March for Our Lives also gained celebrity attention, with musicians like Lin-Manuel Miranda, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande performing at the event.

Students from Parkland, along with others impacted by gun violence, gave speeches advocating for stronger gun control laws following these performances.

The event’s first speaker was Cameron Kasky, a junior at Stoneman Douglas. Kasky, known for challenging Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s accep-

tance of donations from the National Rifle Association (NRA), questioned the intent of Washington’s legislators.

“The corrupt are manipulating the facts, but we know the truth,” Kasky said.

Sarah Chadwick, also a junior at Stoneman Douglas, echoed Kasky’s sentiments in her speech, asking, “Is that how much we’re worth to these politicians? One dollar and five cents?” That figure is the amount of money Rubio accepted from the NRA, divided by the total number of students in Florida.

Last month, Chadwick vocalized her disapproval of Rubio’s ties to the NRA, tweeting, “We should change the names of AR-15s to ‘Marco Rubio’ because they are so easy to buy.”

There were also calls for the Trump administration as a whole to take action.

“We cannot keep America great if we cannot keep America safe,” said Jaclyn Corin, a junior at

Continued on Page 3

After poring over a record-breaking 9,722 applications, the Office of Admissions admitted 1,244 applicants, bringing the acceptance rate down to 12.8 percent, according to the Office of Admissions. Around 37 percent of the total number of accepted students were admitted through early decision.

Dean of Admissions Katie Fretwell expects a yield rate of 37 to 39 percent, which would make a class of 460 to 485 students. Admissions hopes to admit additional students off of the waitlist in late April and May in order to meet this target class size.

This year’s accepted students are “the most diverse pool geographically, socioeconomically and racially” that the college has ever had, according to Fretwell in an email interview. She attributes this diversity to a variety of outreach efforts Amherst has put in place over the past year.

“In addition to a number of targeted recruitment efforts to diverse populations, we have made a number of modifications to the application process including reduced standardized testing requirements, expansion of application fee qualifiers and waiver of the additional fee for submission of supplemental arts materials,” Fretwell said.

The school flew out prospective students in the fall for Diversity Open Houses (DIVOH), and accepted 101 of the students who participated in that program. Fretwell expects to fly in about 200 more students for the April Open House.

The college accepted a record number of African-American and Latino students this year, and 56 percent of the admits are domestic students of color. The admit pool is also geographically diverse, with admitted students from 58 foreign countries, 49 states, Washington D.C., Guam and

Continued on Page 3

Scholar Helen Zia Speaks on Activism, Identity and Hope Sehee Park ’20 Staff Writer Helen Zia, an award-winning activist, journalist and scholar, gave a talk about activism in the Asian-American community and the importance of “breaking the binary” in Stirn Auditorium on March 21. The event was sponsored by the Office of Student Activities, the Center for Diversity and Student Leadership, the American Studies Department and the Asian Students Association.

Zia, author of “Asian American Dreams: The Emergence of an American People,” is known for her activism in and scholarship on Asian-American communities. She was featured in the Academy Award-nominated film “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” for her activism in the 1980s civil rights campaign against anti-Asian-American violence.

Professor Franklin Odo from the American Studies department introduced Zia, saying that “her work has been extremely important to all of us — I think in the best sense — [in showing] that Asian American studies can help illuminate the rest of American society and American history.”

Zia started her talk by saying that she reminds herself that “this is really not a time for people like me … as an Asian American and the daughter of

immigrants and a queer person of color, or really any of us … to run and hide.”

“It is more important than ever to stand tall, and link arms, and to raise our voices and especially point to the needs of our marginalized communities: of color, of women, queer communities, immigrants, of Muslims,” she said.

Zia then contextualized contemporary politics, explaining that most students today grew up in a “post-9/11 cloud of xenophobic and Islamophobic paranoia that has enveloped this country and most of the world.”

“It is a time of fear and hatred of anything that seems foreign,” she continued, citing countries such as France, Italy, the Philippines and the United States as examples.

Although most students have grown up in and only know the post-9/11 era, Zia said that “it hasn’t always been that way.” For her, 9/11 was the tipping point, the start of the “global shift toward fundamentalism.” When most people think about fundamentalism, it is in the religious context, but Zia stressed the fundamentalism that began in Washington D.C., from the White House and Congress.

This form of fundamentalism views the world as a binary, as just “A or B, you’re either my friend or my enemy.” But, “it’s not this or that,” Zia argued.

“There is a whole spectrum in between, and a lot of nuances and complexities.”

Zia then went on to say that it is important to see the historical context and the long view. “It is important to remember that fighting for social justice is not a sprint,” she said. “It’s not just something you do in college for four years, and then you burn yourself out, and you move on. It’s a marathon, it’s something that you can spend your whole life doing.”

“This is only a point in time in a continuum,” she said. “But what really matters is the long arc of history, and what direction it’s going in.”

Zia said that the pendulum has swung back and forth multiple times in her life, “from darkness into light,” from the FBI crackdown during the Hoover administration in the name of national security to the civil rights movement, and in more recent times, from the post-9/11 anti-immigrant hysteria to the election of Barack Obama to the election of Donald Trump — the “whitelash.”

Zia encouraged students not to be discouraged by the current political moment, and to take the long view of history. “History and movements do not move in straight lines at all. They swing, they go forward and backward and in zigzags,” she said.

“The thing about this time is: it’s your time. And

there will be some time in the future … when others will say, what were you doing in 2018 to make a difference of where we are today?”

Zia then talked about identity politics and her early years as an activist in Boston, where she was part of both an Asian-American collective and an African-American collective, but also the women’s movement. She recounted what she called her “lesbian trial,” in which she had to denounce the women’s movement and deny being a lesbian in front of both collectives.

This experience was part of the reason Zia left Boston and moved to Detroit. She got a job in a Chrysler auto plant, just in time to see the collapse of the automobile industry. Millions of people lost their jobs, “race came into play,” and the finger was pointed at Japan. Shortly after, a young ChineseAmerican named Vincent Chin was killed at his bachelor party because his attackers thought he looked Japanese. His killers, who had pled no contest, were released on probation with a $3,000 fine.

At a community meeting, people discussed what they could do in response to this ruling. All of the experts said that nothing could be done, and Zia said she “could feel the energy going out of the

Continued on Page 3

News March 21, 2018 - April 1, 2018

>>March 21, 2018 7:00 p.m., Service Building Lots An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident.

1:46 a.m., Lipton House Officers responded to a noise complaint and found a group of students leaving the building.

>>March 22, 2018 4:06 a.m., Moore Dormitory A vehicle on the tow list was towed.

>>March 27, 2018 1:04 p.m., Alumni House A caller reported unusual sounds, similar to gunshots, in the area of the Alumni House. The area was checked, but nothing unusual was found.

12:05 p.m., Greenway Building C An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in Building C and found it was activated by cooking smoke. >>March 23, 2018 3:06 a.m., Webster Circle A vehicle on the tow list was towed.

6:32 a.m., Greenway Building D Officers and the Fire Department responded to an alarm. The person responsible for activating the alarm was identified and the matter was referred to Student Affairs.

11:25 p.m., East Drive An officer encountered a student in the process of stealing a stop sign. The matter was referred to Student Affairs. >>March 24, 2018 12:36 a.m., Greenway Building A A caller complained about loud music from the Greenway event space. The Event Coordinator was notified.

1:51 a.m., Hitchcock Hall An officer discovered an unauthorized party with alcohol in the first-floor common room. The alcohol was disposed of.

6:11 p.m., Mayo-Smith House An officer encountered approximately 45 people outside the building with drinking games being played.

The activity was ended.

6:55 p.m., Alumni Lot An officer discovered a door open on a vehicle. The owner was notified.

>>March 28, 2018 8:06 a.m., Greenway Building C An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in Building C. No cause for the alarm could be found. >>March 30, 2018 8:50 p.m., Hitchcock Hall An officer encountered a group of students playing beer pong in the first-floor common room. The activity was stopped.

11:42 p.m., Lipton House Officer responded to a noise complaint and shut down an unauthorized party.

1:16 a.m., Moore Dormitory While responding to a medical call, an officer discovered evidence that a large party had taken place and there was evidence that hard alcohol had been available. The Student Affairs office was notified. >>March 31, 2018 9:41 p.m., Moore Dormitory While assisting at a medical call, an officer discovered that a small fire occurred when a pizza box came in contact with a candle. Candles are prohibited in residence halls. The Student Affairs was notified.

9:48 p.m., Lipton House An officer investigated a report of vandalism. A hole was found in a basement wall.

11:55 p.m., Seelye House Officers responded to a noise complaint and found a small group of students in the first-floor common room. They left the area.

>>April 1, 2018 12:34 a.m., Hills Lot While checking the Hills parking lot, an officer discovered a man placing flyers on cars. The man, who is not associated with the college, was informed that he needed prior authorization, and he left the area.

>>March 25, 2018 12:21 a.m., King Dormitory While checking the building, an officer discovered that hard alcohol had been available at a registered party. Student Affairs was notified.

1:53 a.m., Seelye House While checking the building, an officer discovered that hard alcohol had been available at a registered party and drinking games had been played. Student Affairs office was notified.

2018-19 AAS E-Board Candidate Statements The Association of Amherst Students will have elections on April 6 for next year’s Executive Board. Amherst students will receive an email on April 6 with the link to cast votes. The following candidates will be on the ballot for the positions of president, vice president, treasurer, secretary and judiciary council chair, as will other candidates who did not submit statements but attended Speech Night on April 2.

President Silvia Sotolongo ’19: Hi! I’m Silvia Sotolongo, Class of 2019, and I’m running for AAS President! Though the role for president is broad, I have some concrete ideas for how to better represent the student body.

My platform has five main points.

1. Attend faculty meetings and transmit information from faculty to students 2. Create traditions committee 3. E-board resource center office hours 4. Increase Wellness/Health Equity and Accessibility 5. Edit the JC Stand-by list in the AAS Constitution Please check out my Facebook page or email me at ssotolongo19@amherst.edu to find out more about my platform.

Vote Silvia Sotolongo for AAS President!

Jenine Shepard ’20: If elected, I’d love to focus on improving the way the administration handles mental health issues, improving accessibility, improving social life on campus through the implementation of traditions as well as review how lab courses are treated at Amherst College (whether they should be optional or the weighting of them changed). I believe that more discourse is needed amongst professors regarding the mental health issues students face. I look forward to working with students and student groups on campus regarding how

they think I should go about improving accessibility. I hope I get the opportunity to serve you all.

Jake May ’19: Hello. My name is Jake May, and I am writing on behalf of my good friend, Nate Light. When I signed on to the Light campaign, I was quite excited. Nate is the smartest, brightest and most intelligent person I have ever met.

However, once I agreed to work with Nate, it became clear that we were not on the same page. I’d ask him: “Nate, what is your platform?” And he’d say: “Remember the Three C’s, Jake!” But he refuses to tell me what those Three C’s are. He insists that everyone should know them.

Anyway vote Nate Light.

Vice President Louis Briones ’19: Hello! My vision for the AAS as its Vice President is to better advocate for YOU, the students, and address YOUR needs. I have come to know the ins-and-outs of the AAS as a Senator and understand how it can improve student and campus life. For example, on the Val Dining Committee we have increased Grab-N-Go options. On the Orientation Committee, I worked for Orientation Leaders to get the pay they rightfully deserved. I will bring this experience to the AAS VP role and ensure that all student voices are equally represented. Please vote Louis Briones for AAS VP!

Interested in having your voice heard on this campus?

e h t Join ! n o i t c e s news If you want to write for us, email schen20@amherst.edu or eswislow20@amherst.edu.

The Amherst Student • April 4, 2018

News

3

Amherst Sends 40 Students to March For Our Lives Continued from Page 1 Marjory Stoneman Douglas. The comment is a spin on President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign slogan.

Following the speeches, demonstrators chanted “Vote them out,” calling for the election of pro-gun control legislators in the upcoming 2018 midterms.

Protesters rallied behind these calls, raising signs with phrases like “Thoughts and prayers to NRA-backed politicians on Nov. 6” and “GOP, thought you were pro-life.”

Along with calls for legislative action, speakers used their time to share their experiences with gun violence.

The Stoneman Douglas activists were joined by students who have been impacted by gun violence, either in or outside of school settings.

Matthew Soto, who was a sophomore at Newtown High School in Connecticut at the time of the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, opened up on the death of his sister.

“At the age of 15, I sat in my high school Spanish class while my sister, Victoria Soto, was being slaughtered in her classroom in Newtown, Connecticut,” Soto said.

Other students shared their experiences with gun violence outside of school. Edna Chavez, a 17-year-old from Los Angeles, recounted the murder of her brother.

“I have lived in south Los Angeles my entire life and have lost many loved ones to gun violence. This is normal. It’s normal to the point that I

learned to duck from bullets before I learned how to read,” Chavez recalled. “Ricardo was his name, can y’all say it with me?”

The march ended with a speech from Emma Gonzalez, one of the lead organizers of the march.

In her speech, she listed the names of all of those killed in the Parkland shooting, then stood silent.

After a four and a half minutes of silence, Gonzalez revealed that she had been on stage for a total of six minutes and 20 seconds, the amount of time it took for gunman Nikolas Cruz to murder 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas.

Gonzalez later tweeted about her silence, writing, “The fact that people think the silence was six minutes ... imagine how long it would have felt if it actually was 6 minutes, or how it would feel if you had to hide during that silence.”

Rose Mroczka ’21, who attended the march, said she valued the message the event’s speakers presented. “Being able to hear such a diverse and thoughtful group of young leaders speak was eye opening,” she said. “Hopefully after the march, Americans will see that action needs to be taken to prevent gun violence.”

Anna Kanengiser ’21 also found the march impactful, hoping that it would lead to further legislative action.

“The mass numbers of people who were mobilized to call for gun control was inspiring and I think a clear call on legislators to act,” she said.

Travelling back to Amherst from Washington, Deatrick emphasized the importance this national issue has on the college community.

“The important thing to recognize is that the

Photo courtesy of Amherst College Democrats

Forty Amherst students participated in the national March For Our Lives in Washington D.C. on March 24 with various signs and banners. gun violence epidemic is something that seems to strike at random places at random times,” he said.

“In that sense this march and this movement are tied to Amherst in that it really is a national movement that impacts everyone.”

He also mentioned ways in which Amherst students could continue to involve themselves in activism, even if they did not attend the march.

“I think the best way to get involved is to find a group – I have a bias for the AC Dems,” Deat-

rick noted. He also referred to the Direct Action Coordinating Committee (DACC) and the Roosevelt Institute as on-campus organizations that students could involve themselves with.

“Always just think about, whether it’s on campus or through the local Five College community or in the country, what is it that you want to change and how do you think you can put together a coalition that could change that,” Deatrick said.

College Holds Memorial For Christopher Collins ’20 Emma Swislow ’20 Managing News Editor Christopher Collins ’20, a math major from Wakefield, Rhode Island, died on Thursday, March 29. The news was announced that day through emails sent to the college community by President Biddy Martin. His death, and the death of fellow student Andrew Dorogi ’18 two weeks before, have shaken the campus community.

A memorial was held for Collins on Friday, March 30 in Johnson Chapel. Students, faculty, staff and Collins’ family and friends came together to remember his life and impact on the Amherst community.

The chapel was filled to capacity, with many audience members sitting in the aisles and standing just outside the door, as well as in an overflow room in Stirn Auditorium. Martin began the memorial by extending her sympathies to his family and reading a passage from Marilynne Robinson’s novel “Gilead.” She continued by speaking about the impact Collins had on others in his life.

“Many of you have had the opportunity to see the incandescence in Chris,” Martin said. “You loved him for his kindness, his love of learning, his deep open love of his family. Many of you have

already paid tribute to Chris in private settings, and you’ve paid tribute to the light he saw in other people, how kind he was to others, how inquisitive and curious he was about others.”

Both Martin and Brian Hamm, the head coach of the baseball team, of which Collins was a member, praised his honesty about his experience with mental illness.

“Chris was open about his struggles,” Martin said. “He was open about the depression and anxiety he experienced. Chris’ family is generous and courageous enough to be open about it as well, in knowing that, in the end, it took him from us.”

Hamm spoke about the conversation he had with Collins when he decided to take a break from baseball to focus on his health and academics.

“Chris felt that he was letting the team down and his family by not following through with baseball,” Hamm said. “He knew that he was loved and supported so much, so that he was ashamed to be in need of more help from his teammates than he was able to reciprocate … I came to realize that his friendship, his music, his brilliant mind, his ideas, his big smile and his many other attributes brought joy to others even during his most troubled times.”

Gregory Call, a professor of mathematics and

Collins’ advisor, spoke next.

“There’s no doubt that Chris was special,” Call said. “I’ve had the privilege of standing at this podium many times, and each time, no matter the occasion, I’ve always looked to my heart to know what to say. And today, as I stand here, I think about Chris, I think about Andrew [Dorogi], and my heart breaks.”

Call emphasized Collins’ kindness towards everyone that he met.

“We’ll take the time to reach to those that sit beside us and those who could be, should be and would be our friends, to support each other in Chris’s memory, just as with the kindness that he showed all of us, that we treat each other with that kindness and make each other and our community stronger for it,” Call said. “It’s part of what I think of when I think of Chris and it’s what I hope we will remember.”

Friend and teammate Chase Henley ’19, who was roommates with Collins during Fall 2016, told the audience about Collins’ love of music and the performances he held for floormates and friends in common rooms.

“On campus, you could always find Chris in his free time in the common room, or in the room that we shared together with his guitar in his lap,

playing music for all to hear,” Henley said. “He had a knack for attracting people through his music, and I remember that there was always an audience in the common room, waiting for him when he said he was going to play.”

Henley also expressed his hope that others would take after Collins in their own lives.

“I just want to really emphasize that we should celebrate Chris and his life and be thankful that we got to know him and learn from him,” he said.

“I think we could all be better off by being more like Chris.”

Director of the Counseling Center Jacqueline Alvarez urged members of the community to turn to each other and the resources available on campus while they mourn Collins.

“I encourage you, in your vulnerability and your loss, to hold each other close,” she said.

“We are an ‘us,’ we are this place of Amherst …

There are so many people who will hold you. Your friends will hold you, your family will hold you, your faculty will hold you, your classmates will hold you, the counseling center will hold you, ResLife and OSA, President Martin and so many here will hold you. You are not alone. And to Chris’ family, the Collins’, you are not alone, we will hold you.”

College Receives Record Number Activist Helen Zia Gives Talk of Applications for Class of 2022 on Asian-American Experience Continued from Page 1 Puerto Rico. Forty-seven percent of the accepted students are men and 53 percent are women.

According to Fretwell, 72 percent of admitted students said that they intended to apply for financial aid. Fourteen percent of the accepted students are first-generation.

The college matched with 19 students in December through the QuestBridge National College Match Program, which is a record high for Amherst. In addition, 174 students who participated in QuestBridge programming were also offered admission.

This year’s admitted students had an average ACT composite score of 33 and an average SAT score of 1,492, which is an increase by 20 points from last year after the SAT was redesigned, ac-

cording to Fretwell. “The academic quality of both the pool and the admit group, by any traditional academic measure, are both unprecedented and reflect our ambition to build an academically powerful class,” she added.

The higher numbers of applicants is a trend across other colleges, too, said Fretwell. “Most of our peer institutions also reported increases in their first-year applicant pools with some seeing the greatest increases coming among international students,” Fretwell said. “While we did see growth among non-U.S. applicants, we saw greater growth in our applicant pool among domestic students.”

Admitted students will arrive on campus soon to attend open houses. A one-day program will be held on Monday, April 9, and a longer program will run from Saturday, April 14 until Monday, April 16.

Continued from Page 1 room.”

Zia raised her hand and said, “We might not be able to change the judge’s mind, we might not be able to do anything about the sentence, but we really have to let people know that this is not okay for the Asian-American community, that you can just have people killed in this climate of hate.” This revitalized the room, leading to constructive dialogue.

“I’m telling you this story because my being there could have been any one of you,” said Zia. “We all have that time where we could say something, speak up.”

The talk was followed by a Q&A session that covered topics such as the fetishization of Asian women, how to balance activism with schoolwork

and personal life, affirmative action and Zia’s future work.

In response to Zia’s talk, Olivia Zheng ’20 said, “I think hearing about her experiences in organizing then was really inspiring, especially considering that there is a lot of student organizing that goes on on Amherst’s campus as well that I feel like should get more visibility.”

Sho Young Shin ’19 commented, “A lot of people are inspired by her, especially as we continue to build our foundations as the Asian Students Association on campus. And so to have her is really meaningful but also a statement to the administration that the students are interested and are very much a part of Asian-American activism and are seeking courses in Asian-American studies, and that we have a place in this campus. We’re not just there, we’re very much a voice on this campus.”

Opinion

THE AMHERST

A Time For Community

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

Last week brought tragic news to our community.

With emotions running high, questions left unanswered and the process of mourning ongoing, it is important that we take time to be kind and thoughtful and forge community.

Often the notion of building, fostering or developing community feels lofty — almost daunting. Where does one start? Our community is small compared to other campuses, but it it still fairly large for any one person to be capable of fostering “community.” Acts that foster a sense of community, though, are often small and personal. These acts, or rather the sentiment behind these acts, then snowball as others begin to treat those around them with similar sentiments.

One step towards achieving this is to remain informed about what is happening around campus and to be open to hearing people’s thoughts and feelings. Perhaps sitting and having lunch or dinner with someone you would normally say “hi” to but are not totally familiar with is a good way to start. This way you can have a conversation with someone in a more impromptu fashion and get a more genuine sense of who they are, what they are interested in and how they experience the Amherst community. This may be a challenging task, but it is worth the couple minutes of initial awkwardness to actually have a conversation that fosters more genuine closeness among Amherst students, faculty and staff.

Another simple act that can help foster community is to be courteous to Amherst workers. This may simply be thanking them for cleaning our bathrooms, serving

and preparing our food, working to keep lawns, bushes and trees in good shape, keeping technology services running, or anything else that they are responsible for that keeps Amherst running the way it does. Often this work is underappreciated or taken for granted and it would be a huge step towards our goal of developing community if we were to acknowledge the hard, skilled and essential work that goes into keeping this college smoothly.

Often times the way we think about fostering community is through external acts towards others but it can also be helpful to be mindful of how we feel as individuals. Fostering community might also mean taking care of ourselves and making sure we are feeling well, safe and healthy. Understanding one’s emotions better, how to manage and navigate them, and how to keep a healthy balance between work, school and family and friends, can make us more efficient and doing better onto others.

In short, the following weeks will be tumultuous and difficult, not only because of the usual arrival of finals, but also because of the recent deaths that have shocked and saddened our campus. With that being said, it is within our reach to stand in community with each other. We have a responsibility at this time to care for ourselves, to care for our friends, to check up, check in, and try to be emotionally available for those in greater need. Sometimes this is as easy as introducing yourself to the person you get stuck with in an elevator ride. Sometimes it is harder, and we must be there for that too.

The American Dream — How Much Does It Cost?

John Kim ’20 Columnist Hip hop tycoon Jay-Z said it best in his single release, “The Story of OJ”: “Financial freedom my only hope / F*** living rich and dying broke.” Cogently embodying the capitalist mantra of success, these lines conjure an image of power, freedom and legacy all converging towards one thing: wealth. JayZ’s song encapsulates a mutual understanding among Americans that the dollar sign is more symbolic of the American Dream than Lady Liberty herself.

Americans also recognize that simply having money doesn’t equate to freedom.

As a market society, the United States demands every one of its citizens pay for their necessities. By setting the federal minimum wage at $7.25 per hour, policy makers in Congress have decided that food, shelter, water and basic health care can all be covered with an annual income of $15,080.

Those that live in the 22 states that only require this federal minimum from employers barely surpass the Department of Health and Human Service federal poverty line for one person households at $12,141. In other

words, many people who work 40-hours a week with minimum pay survive on fumes and are not far from living in destitution.

“Dying broke” is a reasonable fear to hold in the United States — most Americans aren’t expected to thrive in the first place.

Access to decent housing, transportation, groceries, health care, education, clothing and some retirement savings comprise the common notion of what the American Dream is. According to a study conducted in 2014 by USA Today, living out this American Dream for a household of four would cost roughly around $130,000 per year. This annual sum is nearly two and a half times larger than the median household income, which is estimated to be $59,039.

The message is clear: living out the American Dream is pie in the sky. Pundits and self-aggrandizing economic theorists like to advance the theory that everyone can be rich and successful in our capitalist economy, but the numbers tell a different story.

Let’s play the numbers game for a second.

According to the Washington Post, the richest one percent own, 40 percent of all the nation’s wealth, which means 99 percent of the country only owns 60 percent of what’s

left of the pie. The more money one person owns, the less another person gets to have.

The notion that owning more doesn’t hinder anyone else’s socioeconomic climb is as illusory as the Dream itself. Even if I get richer, others can too, right? Wrong. Quite the reverse: the whole point of the Dream is that you get to live above and beyond the meager lifestyle of subsistence. The Dream is not meant to be lived out by everyone in America.

The true cost of the American Dream is not the $130,000 price tag, but a hierarchical culture that sensationalizes and valorizes living beyond basic needs. The cost of the American Dream is that everything can be bought, and with a market society that brings the “finer” things in life only to the few, most of us are left wondering who Lady Liberty is holding the torch for.

If financial freedom is our only hope, then what we need isn’t more money to ascend to the heavenly gates of the Dream.

What we need is a Dream that doesn’t rest on flimsy pyramids of dollar bills. What we need is an American Dream that separates opulence from freedom, that unites hope with equality.

Editors-in-Chief Nate Quigley Isabel Tessier Executive Adviser Jingwen Zhang Managing News Shawna Chen Emma Swislow Managing Opinion Kelly Chian Daniel Delgado Managing Arts and Living Olivia Gieger Seoyeon Kim Managing Sports Connor Haugh Henry Newton Julia Turner Managing Design Justin Barry S TA F F Head Publishers Nico Langlois, Mark Nathin Design Editors Katie Boback, Zehra Madhavan, Julia Shea

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

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The Amherst Student • April 4, 2018

Opinion

5

If I May: On Sports Fandom Jake May ’19 Columnist Being a die-hard sports fan has brought me a great deal of stress, heartbreak and disappointment. Earlier this year, Kristaps Porzingis, the best player on the New York Knicks — my favorite team — tore his ACL. He’ll be sidelined for another eight months, and even when he returns, he may never be the same player. As a lifelong New York Jets fan, I endure season after season of embarrassment and failure. And in 2016, I watched as my favorite athlete, golfer Jordan Spieth, lost The Masters in spectacular fashion — perhaps the most epic collapse in golf history.

On the one hand, it’s just sports. In theory, they do not really mean anything. In fact, for the participants, it is literally just their job.

Watching sports is like going to a law firm and watching a lawyer do paperwork, but also being incredibly invested in whether or not the paperwork is done well. Rooting for teams is arbitrary; many root based on their hometown, but many I know became fans of teams

at a young age because of the team’s colors.

For individual sports, it’s completely arbitrary.

Why should I root for Jordan Spieth more than I should root for Phil Mickelson? For exactly no reason at all, I simply chose to be a Spieth fanatic after he contended for the 2014 Masters and lost.

Furthermore, the outcomes of sporting events have little to no tangible impact on my life. In fact, this year’s March Madness showed me what life could be like if I didn’t have such strong rooting interests. The team I tend to root for (but am not particularly attached to) in men’s college basketball (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) lost fairly early.

I watched some of the Final Four and enjoyed Loyola-Chicago’s underdog story. I didn’t even watch the national championship, instead performing in an improv show. On the women’s side (which was a much more captivating tournament, by the way), I loved seeing the clutch performances by Arike Ogunbowale in both the Final Four and the National Championship. But in both cases, I had no real interest, and the tournaments sort of just happened.

Frankly, this indifference was a relief. Because on the other hand, (yes, remember earlier when I said “on the one hand?”Here’s the payoff) for me, it is rarely “just sports.” Last year, when UNC was in the championship game (and won), even though I am not that big a fan of the team, I became incredibly obsessed over the outcome. I’m not sure what is it about me, but when I get interested in something, I get obsessed with it. So obsessed, in fact, that my mental health can often be affected by what happens to my favorite teams. This past fall, when the Yankees (my favorite baseball team) were contending in the playoffs, I was a wreck. Every game resulted in profound anxiety. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend two home games, and both were unbelievably stressful experience, even though they ended in wins for the Yankees. When the Yanks finally lost in game seven of the ALCS (meaning had they won, they would’ve been in the World Series), I cried. But I also turned to my girlfriend and said, “Honestly, this is a huge relief. I don’t know if I could have handled the World Series.”

Since then, I have been doing a lot of re-

flecting on my relationship with sports (which resulted in this column). After reading the paragraph above, it may seem like an easy answer: I should probably just chill out a bit regarding sports. But unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Because just as sports provides some of my greatest stresses, it also leads to some of my most joyful moments — and I’m not only talking about watching my favorite teams win.

These joys are things like being in the stands with thousands of other fans who care just as much as I do, phone calls with my dad discussing what the Jets need to do to improve during the offseason (which is impossible, as they will suck forever) or even observing from a distance incredible sports theater like Ogunbowale’s clutch performance. The love of sports is sewn directly into the fabric of my life (sorry for that very over-the-top metaphor), and to tear those threads out would likely hurt even more than keeping them in (and also sorry to continue to use said metaphor even after I already apologized for it. Yup, that’s how I’m going to end this more serious piece, with a dumb joke).

Why I March, and Why You Should Too Hayley Fleming ’21 Contributing Writer “Do you really think that you’re going to make a difference? If 800,000 people show up to a march, does it matter that you were there?”

I get asked these questions every time I go out of my way to protest and let my voice be heard, and the March For Our Lives on March 24 was no exception. The Amherst College Democrats put countless hours into planning the trip, but we still received the inevitable questions. And every time, I gave the same answer: “yes.” Yes, of course it matters! Of course I’m making a difference! But in reality, the explanation for my answer is not as simple and not as obvious.

The most obvious explanation is that if everyone thought their voice didn’t matter, no one would show up to protest, and no change would ever occur. Not everyone thinks like this and

assumes their voice doesn’t matter thankfully, but it is important to consider nonetheless.

Each person must make a choice to let their voice be heard, and each individual’s decision is vital to the success of the group as a whole.

No one person can decide to protest on behalf of 800,000 people; the decision lies in the hands of each individual person. If we think that there should be people protesting an issue, it is up to us to go protest. We cannot assume that others will feel as strongly about the issue as we do, and we must not rely on the voices of our peers to represent our own voices indirectly. There is strength in numbers, and we should be part of those numbers.

Another reason to become one of 800,000 is that there are few experiences as inspiring and motivational as a march. At the March for Our Lives, I had the opportunity to listen to dozens of speakers, all of whom were young. The large majority of the speakers were actually young-

er than me, which sets an important example and lesson: you are never too young to form opinions and become politically active, and you should always take advantage of free speech and use your voice, even if you think you’re too young to be taken seriously. The speakers we heard that day brought many members of the crowd to tears. I was personally moved to tears

by Emma Gonzalez, who spoke briefly and then stood silently on stage until six minutes and 20 seconds had passed in total, the same amount of time that the shooter spent firing shots in her high school. I was frightened by how short the six minutes felt; so much can change in such a short period of time. Experiences like this have encouraged me to fight harder for what I believe in and have inspired me to become more politically active.

Many people have told me that their main hesitation is that they don’t believe that marching is the best way to create change. Maybe it’s

not, but by attending a march, you have the opportunity to network with people who support the same causes as you. At every major protest I have attended, there have been countless organizations present to learn about or sign up for, and these people that I met and networked with are the people who make real and sometimes significant changes through legislation and policy. For example, at the March for Our Lives, I saw people helping others register to vote.

Opportunities like this are a reason to attend a march.

By attending a march, you can become inspired and motivated and turn this into action by networking with people who you can work with in the future. Marches are not just about the protest — they are about the movements behind the protests. So yes, you do make a difference by attending a march. But marches also give you the opportunity continue to make a difference in the weeks, months and years to come.

ACPD Should Disarm Its Officers Rafael Gonzalez ’21 Contributing Writer The Amherst College Police Department’s (ACPD) mission statement says that it “will strive to gain the trust of the community.” This is a noble goal. Currently, one way ACPD officers demonstrate this is by doing walkthroughs of student dormitories and engaging in casual conversation with students. While this might be partially effective, there is one thing that ACPD could do that would make it a lot more effective: laying down their firearms when they’re doing walkthroughs of student dormitories. The ACPD should not carry firearms when conducting the parts of their job that involve interacting with students.

Personally, I have never lived in a house that contained firearms, and I never intend to. I am opposed to guns and don’t see the need to own one. It’s therefore unsettling to me to see a gun in my dormitory. The presence of guns in my dormitory, even if only occasional, makes it harder for me to think of it as home and to feel at ease there — especially when the guns appear unannounced. Although I am less affronted by it, I also feel a little uneasy when I see police officers armed when they eat at Val. Guns stand out on a policeman’s belt. They are symbols of violence, brutality and death. As a child, I was scared of police officers or security guards that carried them in their holster. If we conceive of the role of campus police as one of community-building rather than strict law enforcement, then there is no reason why they need to carry symbols of death that inevitably make some students, including myself, uncom-

fortable.

Perhaps more to the point, carrying guns doesn’t make sense if the objective of the ACPD really is to develop a sense of community by integrating officers into student spaces. It can be hard to remember that someone who shows up in my dorm unannounced is actually here as part of a community-building mission, and that they’re here because they want to get to know students.

I’ve had brief conversations with ACPD officers and they’ve always been friendly, but in spite of this, I have never been able to distract myself from the gun that they carry on their belts. If the ACPD were to disarm themselves during walkthroughs of my dorm, I would view that as a significant gesture. It would tell me that they view their role as keeping me safe and not strictly policing me. It would prove to me that they have no intention of being part of the broken relationship many communities have with the police. It would also allow students who in the past have been given reasons to distrust police to regain some of that trust.

I can imagine many community situations in which it is necessary for police officers to be armed, and I don’t believe that the ACPD are in that situation. In America, it’s the standard for all police officers to be armed and to carry guns when on active duty, but it doesn’t have to be this way. In the United Kingdom, police officers don’t even carry guns. This works fine.

The UK isn’t some crime-ridden island where people are afraid to go outside.

Now there are big differences between the UK and the US. For one, in America there is a mentality that we need and have a right to

own guns. However, other countries, such as the UK, show that this just isn’t true. We don’t need guns in the hands of civilians, and in some cases, we don’t even need them in the hands of police. I know that this is wildly optimistic, but I believe that in an ideal society, the police would have enough control over the general order that they wouldn’t need guns. In many parts of America this is so far away from the reality that I think the police absolutely need guns, but at Amherst I’m not so sure.

I reached out to the ACPD and learned that no ACPD officer has discharged a firearm while on duty in at least the past 20 years. While writing this article, I have tried to imagine a situation in which an ACPD police officer would need a weapon on his or her walk-through of a student dormitory or in their duties around campus. If you flip to the second page of this issue, you’ll see the crime log. The crime log is so mundane that it’s comical in many instances.

If you look through it, I think you’ll agree that in none of those incidents did the ACPD need to be armed, nor can I imagine a way in a which a firearm would be of even the slightest use.

I’ve talked to friends I have currently studying in Canada and the UK, and they were shocked to hear that armed police officers walking through my dorm was a normal occurrence. More surprisingly, I received similar shock from friends at American universities.

This is not something that happens everywhere.

Armed walkthroughs of student dormitories and the very presence of guns on campus are not universal college experiences.

The reason that Amherst is different from these schools that my friends attend is that

the ACPD is not campus security. It is a police department in the same way the Amherst town police are. They don’t have as large a jurisdiction and don’t encounter as much crime, but they are a police department all the same.

This distinction is the reason that my experience with police and guns at college has been so different from that of my friends; it is also the reason that the ACPD putting their guns down would be so meaningful.

The ACPD don’t use the guns they currently carry, and they also aren’t perpetrators of police brutality. For these reasons, disarming themselves during their interactions with college students wouldn’t have a profound impact on their work on-campus, but it would represent an important symbolic shift. Though not a problem at Amherst, improper police use of guns is a serious problem, as shown by far too many police shootings.

Far down the line, it would be nice to have a society where the police don’t need to carry guns. When the role of police is to respond to immediate violent threats, as it is in many parts of this country, then being armed is necessary.

But when the role of police is more nuanced and rooted in crime prevention and community work, firearms are unnecessary. The ACPD should not carry weapons when interacting with students as a gesture that someday other police departments may follow and also as a way of showing off. The ACPD can put their guns away for everyday activities, and in doing so, they’re showing that they have kept and can continue keep the Amherst community safe without violence — something all police departments strive.

Arts&Living

The Pros and Cons of the Open Curriculum at Amherst College Annika Lunstad ’21 Staff Writer Amherst College is known for its open curriculum, which allows students a large amount of freedom in which classes they choose to take.

However, particularly around advising time, the open curriculum can be stressful.

It forces us to begin to choose not only our courses for next semester, but also the specific academic paths which will prepare us for our futures.

Although Amherst is famous for its humanities programs, often being called the “writing school” — and for good reason given its alumni — Amherst is also experiencing a dramatic increase in enrollment in math and natural sciences classes, according to Amherst’s 2018 report to the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.

This trend is present at schools all over the world, not just Amherst, perhaps due to the perception that STEM degrees are safer

bet given the ever-changing workforce. Such a perception has increased pressure among students to choose STEM majors — another added pressure facing students as they begin to choose our courses for next semester.

The open curriculum does allow for great exploration, but simultaneously does not let students hide their insecurity or uncertainty about the future behind core requirements or other set classes.

Although the open curriculum is the reason many students choose Amherst, this does not change the fact that, at some point, everyone needs to choose a major. The selection of our courses is a process of educational discovery and even self-discovery, as it can expose assumptions about both ourselves and the broader world.

Personally, I expect to double major in physics and mathematics. I do love my majors. However, I battle with whether I genuinely enjoy what I do or if I am pursuing these majors because I feel like I have something to prove.

In secondary school, my favorite quote from a physics classmate was, “I wonder why there are more girls at this help session. Your kind must just need more help.” It was perhaps a joke, but nevertheless his statement was indicative of often implicit attitudes in physics, at least in my experience of the subject. While I am ridiculously privileged in more ways than I am aware, I took these sentiments as a challenge that I could either accept and overcome or turn down and admit defeat. Rising to a challenge can be a valuable skill, but I realized that choosing a major based on someone’s assumption about you can be just as detrimental. That said, I do enjoy physics itself, for the program here as well as the specific problems.

Sabrina Lin ’21 explained how choosing a track directed at achieving some sort of later career goal can add stability to the course selection process. Lin is on the pre-med track and appreciates some of the structure the track provides when facing a daunting, though exciting, list of classes. A self-de-

scribed indecisive individual, she said that the open curriculum can almost become crippling in its large allotment of freedom, and the pre-med track can somewhat ameliorate the pressure of these overwhelming choices.

However, she acknowledges that having a career goal or “track” as a guide does not completely protect a student from uncertainty about classes, majors or career paths.

This pressure is partially the result of such open curriculum. Many students end up double majoring, but this could stem from insecurity about committing to just one major, particularly with the stigma against humanities majors in general culture. The freedom of the curriculum allows for the possibility of a double major, a comforting option when dealing with fears over committing to a particular major.

Ultimately, the freedom offered by our open curriculum should be embraced, but it is important to also recognize that this sort of freedom can expose fears many of us share about the future.

Q&A: Artist Radcliffe Bailey on Process, Creation and Acceptance things like that, and the work that’s actually here [in the Mead] is done two or three years after that with the same thoughts, somewhere in between painting and sculpture.

Q: Speaking of the multi-media aspect of your work, did you start out just doing one discipline or were you always working with multiple forms of media?

A: I got a lot of people inside of me, and each one of them I allow to speak in different ways. I don’t really try to make [one more present] one way, or one [prevail] the other way. I just allow them to be, and I have the freedom to go back in time and forward in time. So that’s me.

Photo courtesy of Olivia Gieger ‘21

In “Seven Steps East,”now at the Mead, Radcliffe Bailey draws inspiration from his family and heritage, as well as Miles Davis’ song, “Seven Steps.“ Olivia Luntz ’21 Staff Writer Radcliffe Bailey is an American artist based in Atlanta, who is especially known for his mixed-media, painting and sculpture work that centers around African-American history. One of his pieces, “Seven Steps East,” is currently on display at the Mead Museum as a part of the “HOUSE” exhibition. Bailey visited campus recently, and The Student had a chance to interview him.

Q: When did you first realize you wanted to become an artist? What was the first piece that you created that made you realize you were meant to be an artist?

A: Well, I was guided by my mother to go to art school. My first passion was to play baseball; I wanted to play baseball and all of my attention was guided toward baseball.

But my mother created a school outside of school for me when I was in school — she

used to take me to museums.

So, when it came to going to college, I wasn’t going to walk on and play baseball, so I went back to my mother, and we went to visit some art schools, and I decided to go to the Atlanta College of Art, which was close to mom at the time too. And it was a museum school; it was connected to the High Museum of Art, which I had spent a lot of time in as a kid, so it felt comfortable.

That’s when I decided to go to art school.

But I wasn’t thinking about being an artist.

I didn’t know what that really looked like.

So, when I realized, “Okay I’m making art right now,” was probably my junior year of college. Everyone went away for the spring break, and I locked myself in the studio.

The studio didn’t have any windows and I realized I was working for over 24 hours, but I started to hit a note, and I started to feel good about the stuff I was making. That work itself pushed me in a certain direction.

I started using objects from my family and

Q: Could you speak about the piece we currently have display in the Mead, “Seven Steps East?”

A: I was collecting objects and fences and things from houses — houses that were abandoned or being torn down. I’d go to empty lots and collect wood, and there was something about rebuilding a house.

I took the title from the fact that I was listening to Miles Davis, this piece called “Seven Steps,” so “Seven Steps East.” I started playing with numbers seven, three and four, dealing with numerology in a strange way.

The objects in the piece are also based around my interest in African art. At the time, I started looking at a lot of stuff from the Congo and African-American practices in the South, such as bottle trees. You’ll see an anvil, dealing with blacksmiths but also dealing with certain deities from Nigeria. So, it was really like a mixture of all of these different things that I think about, that I’m interested in, and I’m trying to draw a connection to my own personal DNA. In certain areas, you’ll see almost like a brand, and that brand was taken from a store that was in my neighborhood, and I was representing the blacksmiths that came from the Carolinas and New Orleans, by using that brand.

The photographs in the piece are images of twins that were in a family album that my grandma gave me. A lot of times you get these old photographs, and I wanted to give them life rather than them being in a book in a corner. So, they have life now. I also painted with wax and tar and wallpaper, using all kinds of materials from house building.

Q: What is your process in creating a piece

of art? Do you always look for something to center your pieces around or do you usually have the idea first and then look for a specific object?

A: My process is very loose; it’s very free. I collect things, and I read a lot. I have to be around objects for a while. I almost have to put a certain patina on it so it can have a life, a new life, because I’m using objects that have a past. I still pinch myself and say, “Woah, am I doing this?” or “This is what I do … Oh man, how lucky am I?” It’s also stressful because I’ve got to get myself in the headspace all the time. I try to go to a place where it’s soulful, it kind of has a lot of pleasures and pains all mixed up together. It’s like the blues, there’s a screaming, and there’s a kicking, and there’s a certain kind of emotion that I deal with to make work, so it’s hard.

Q: Do you have a piece of work that’s your favorite or you think is most important?

A: They’re all kind of important, in a way, but I like to compare it to pages in a book; I like the most recent thing I’ve written.

When I think about that piece that’s here [at the Mead], it’s real important because it was the first show I had in a gallery that I got a major review for. John [Wieland, the owner of the pieces on display in the “HOUSE” exhibition] was the first major collector to purchase one of my works, so for me that was a major moment in my life because I had to learn to let go of my work in a certain way, even though it was so personal to me. I had to let me go and have its own life. And I’m able to see it today, which is kind of eerie and strange.

Q: Any advice for someone who wants to become an artist?

A: A friend of mine who was a curator told me, “Always consider yourself to be an emerging artist, always emerging — never ever date yourself.”

So I try do this; sometimes I get a little nervous when I go, and I see older works of mine, ’cause I see it and I’m like “I want it do this to it, I want to change it, and I can’t do that.”

I was always insecure about what I was saying. I was insecure about every mark. I was unsure — I just put it out there. My first belief is that I never make a mistake when it comes to making marks, so I’ve learned to live with that.

The Amherst Student • April 4, 2018

Arts & Living 7

Student Groups Shed Light on Activism and Ways to Get Involved

Photo courtesy of Lisa Zheutlin ‘21

Photo courtesy of Lisa Zheutlin ‘21

While activism, such as participating in March For Our Lives (pictured above), has profound impacts, there are also other avenues for student involvement.

Hildi Gabel ’21 Staff Writer Over the weekend of March 24, the Amherst College Democrats arranged for students to attend the March For Our Lives in Washington D.C., joining middle school, high school and college students from around the country in demonstrations calling for gun reform. In what feels like an explosion of student-driven activism, it is worthwhile to turn inwards and reflect on the daily activism that exists alongside these national protests, which occur both in our neighborhoods and on our campus. The Amherst College Democrats and the Native and Indigenous Citizens Association (NICA) are two groups that give light to the way activism functions at Amherst College, even when it’s not in the headlines.

In the past year, Amherst College Democrats has focused on climate change, gun control, police violence and local politics as the main points of interest of the past year, according to Communications Director Kristin Henry ’20.

In regard to its work on campus, Henry said that the group “really focus[es] on the policy side, but part of the policy side is getting people active.” Thus, organizing forums for students to learn and hear from new and prominent voices has been a priority. The Amherst College Democrats coordinated the campus-wide talk with activist Shaun King, a powerful voice in the Black Lives Matter movement, and presented a screening of “13th,” Ava DuVernay’s documentary on the mass incarceration of African Americans.

The group also brought Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern, the town of Amherst’s representative, to campus, connecting

students to locally-elected officials. Periodic events which allow students to call their Congress representatives have students gathering to communicate their support for certain issues; most recently, the group held an event where students called their representatives to protect Dreamers and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

The planning for the trip to the March For Our Lives had been a long-term project for the group, and its organization extended far beyond the weekend. The group was planning to get involved with a protest in 2018 after the success it had bringing students to D.C. for the March for Science in spring of 2017. This February, the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School brought the issue of gun control to the forefront of national discussion, and the first meeting for the Amherst College Democrats following the tragedy included a discussion on and debate over gun reform, in which members talked through the complexities of gun control policy. Not wanting to let the discussion and momentum peter out, the group put its efforts towards organizing the opportunity for students to travel to the March for Our Lives.

However, the group stresses that there are always other ways to get involved around gun control advocacy outside of such national marches. Major protests attract mass attention because their intent is to gain visibility, but mass protest it is just one important form of activism that works in tandem with other forms to create change.

For instance, those who are not attending a protest can support others who are attending by making signs and coordinating the logistics of the event itself. While some may be unable to make the time commitment

to travel to major demonstrations, there are often local protests that are more accessible — on the same day as the D.C. march, high school students from all over the Pioneer Valley organized a sister march in Northampton.

Additionally, events that have students calling their Congressional representatives provide an avenue for direct appeals to legislators. Advocacy that raises awareness about issues and events is always essential for encouraging others to get involved.

NICA is a smaller Amherst group making large strides in their fight for Indigenous rights. The group recently organized a vigil to honor Indigenous women who have been murdered and reported missing, an egregiously overlooked epidemic occurring in contemporary America. In efforts to combat this issue, NICA also collected nearly 50 letters to send to Congress, advocating for accountability and changes in laws that would protect Indigenous women on reservations.

Raising awareness in the greater Amherst community has been one of NICA’s foremost causes; Sarah Montoya ’21, who is a member of the Diné ” — a group of native people also known as the Navajo ” — and co-president of NICA, cited a general ignorance around the reality of Indigenous issues: “A lot of people think Native issues begin and end with Standing Rock … and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” Pushing for understanding and basic awareness is the first step in enacting change, as the public cannot mobilize around an issue without first understanding it.

The Amherst College Democrats and NICA have both used social media as an integral tool for alerting the community to issues and upcoming events. Despite the criticism social media has recieved for creating echo-

chambers of ideas, activists rely on this independent use of technology to spread ideas and information that cannot be transmitted over conventional forums among like-minded individuals. Amherst College Democrats has recently increased its Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook activity in efforts to attract members and keep non-members aware of lower-commitment ways to get involved.

Social media is particularly important for smaller groups, which need to broadcast information widely about events.

Montoya reminded people to “never underestimate the power of Snapchat” as a tool to draw numbers. There are also many alumni and local Democrats following the Amherst College Democrats’ social media pages, demonstrating the potential to connect to individuals outside the immediate campus community.

A large number of groups at Amherst College are establishing connections between prominent activists and students, between students and the U.S. government and among students themselves. On a college campus, it is fitting that ongoing advocacy, appeals for legislative change and access to demonstrations are some of the prevailing forms of activism. Sharing knowledge while also becoming active is, in fact, change in itself.

In upcoming months, the Amherst College Democrats will invite Democratic candidates for governor of Massachusetts to Amherst, as well as send several of its own members to run for board elections at the College Democrats of Massachusetts convention. NICA will continue advocating for awareness around Indigenous issues and is working on a possible powwow and fundraising projects for the upcoming year.

Left: Signs from the March For Our Lives in Washington D.C. on March 24 featured creative sayings, such as “Better our futures, not end them“ and the gun reform movement’s new hashtag slogan “Never Again.“ Making artistic signs to send with marchers is one of the many ways students can become politically involved and active.

Photo courtesy of Ben Gilsdorf ‘21

The Amherst Student • April 4, 2018

Arts & Living 8

‘Mixtape Logic’ Puts Out Diverse Tracks on “Bobby Tarantino II” Jack Klein ’20 Staff Writer On the introductory track of Logic’s “Bobby Tarantino II,” Rick, from the popular animated television show “Rick and Morty,” poses a question in response to his grandson Morty’s request to listen to Logic on their spaceship ride: “What Logic are we talking about here? Are we talking mixtape Logic or album Logic?”

As Rick later explains in the skit, differences in artistic style separate and define the Maryland MC’s two personas. Album Logic, the artist who made “Under Pressure,” “The Incredible True Story” and “Everybody,” crafts ambitious and meticulously planned albums and is defined by his conceptual daring and storytelling chops.

Conversely, mixtape Logic, a reference to the persona that Logic assumed on his surprise 2016 mixtape “Bobby Tarantino” and now on “Bobby Tarantino II,” pumps out bass-heavy trap music designed for clubs and parties.

Logic’s announcement of “Bobby Tarantino II” assuaged fans’ fears about his creative career path.

His last full-length project, “Everybody,” elicited mixed reactions from critics and casual fans alike. Some loved the creativity and boldness behind the work — a concept album that preached equality and inclusivity, while attempting to appeal to listeners of every background.

In contrast, the original “Bobby Tarantino” was a critically-acclaimed tour de force, filled with everything from hard-hitting trap bangers (“Flexicution”) to ridiculously creative beats (“Super Mario World”). Its sequel is a worthy successor to the original, and features artists such as 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa and Big Sean increase its commercial viability.

However, the mixtape’s greatest strength, the range of beats on it that allows Logic to experiment with different styles, also contributes to its most glaring weakness: its lack of cohesion.

There are several songs on the mixtape that adhere to the conventions of trap music — featuring hi-hats, layered synths and heavy kick drums that combine to create a uniquely dark and menacing ambience.

The first trap song on the album is “Contra,” in which he calls out the bandwagon fans who began to like him when he broke into the mainstream. He spends a significant portion of “Yuck” burying Joyner Lucas, with whom he had previously had beef: “But you jealous, you look at my life and you feel envy / Constantly comparing yourself to me and feel empty.”

On the trap tracks featuring other artists, Logic proves that he can hang with the mainstays of contemporary trap. “State of Emergency” features Logic (“You can’t put me in a box, my talent put me in the mansion / Rap without Logic’s like the game with no expansion”) and 2 Chainz (“Watch in 1080p, cost

80 apiece / I need 80G, verses ADD”) trading lyrical blows.

He also outshines Big Sean on “Wassup,” sounding more comfortable than the latter on the speedy track.

Despite the trap-heavy nature of the album, Logic does include some calmer songs, which are just as enjoyable. “Indica Badu,” in which Logic and Wiz Khalifa play off each other well over a smooth string bass beat, is a tribute to Wiz’s drug of choice. “BoomTrap Protocol” slows the pace of the album down with a relaxing rhythm. “Midnight,” a twopart song, employs unique instrumentals — a mournful synth in the first half and an eerie piano in the second.

“Everyday,” a collaboration with the DJ Marshmello, is an EDM ode to hard work and gears itself towards Logic’s peripheral fanbase, as well as EDM fans. “44 More” is a worthy sequel to “44 Bars” from “Bobby Tarantino” featuring Logic flaunting his trademark mixtape bravado.

The two most interesting songs, “Warm it Up” and “44 More,” are performed in classic Logic style, with precise and clever lyricism.

With the help of longtime Logic collaborator and producer, 6ix, “Warm It Up” takes fans back to Logic’s “Young Sinatra” mixtape days.

He slows down a bit while still maintaining the tempo of the song, and his lyrics are clear and concise.

“Bobby Tarantino II” lacks cohesion, but maybe that’s intentional.

Because his albums are intended to be

so poignant, both lyrically and thematically, Logic may feel the need to forge a different creative path for his mixtapes. Convention does not dictate that mixtapes released by established artists are supposed to send a message or be perfect.

The fact that critics have disparaged this latest one is a testament to the standard that Logic has set for himself. Without a defined theme, he frees himself to explore different genres while providing a trap experience for those fans who want party music.

Photo courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org

Logic’s latest release resembles a mixtape more than a cohesive album.

What Are Bitcoins, and How do They Really Work on the Internet?

Will Friedrichs ’20 Contributing Writer Over the past year, words like “Bitcoin” and “cryptocurrency” have gone from being obscure tech jargon to finding their way into the vernacular. You probably know that Bitcoin is an online form of money, but what actually is it, and how does it work?

Bitcoin is the most well-known of many forms of online money, called “cryptocurrencies.”

Cryptocurrencies are virtual, meaning that transactions and trading take place online. They use what’s called decentralized control; there is no central mechanism deciding when to produce more money. There are no third parties, like banks, to hold your funds on your behalf — the user always controls his or her own money directly.

Without those sorts of institutions, which are vital to more traditional currencies, what keeps track of transactions that have taken place online? A massive digital collection of accounts and transactions called the blockchain fulfills this role and more. Think of the blockchain as a super-logbook, one that holds every user bal-

ance and transaction that has ever taken place.

But since Bitcoin is decentralized, no one person or group holds the blockchain: every Bitcoin user connected to the network has a copy, and in order for any balances to change or transactions to be made, every copy of this blockchain must be updated accordingly.

We’ll talk about Bitcoin from now on but the same principles apply to over a thousand other cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum and Litecoin.

Every user has a digital “wallet.” A Bitcoin wallet doesn’t actually hold pieces of “Bitcoin” — Bitcoins aren’t real. Instead, a Bitcoin wallet holds code about every transaction a user has made from the first time any Bitcoin was deposited into the account (the same info visible to everyone via the blockchain), and more importantly, code holding private information that allows only the owner of the account to initiate transfers of Bitcoin to other accounts.

Before any amount is transferred from one wallet to another, the request must be “validated” to make sure everyone’s copy of the blockchain confirms that the sender has enough to send the requested amount to the recipient.

Once the transaction is given the “OK” by

enough members within the Bitcoin network, the transaction is ready to be made — it is included as part of a “block” and made ready to be connected to the blockchain. (The blockchain is literally a digital chain of blocks, with each block holding new transactions between users, hence the name).

Here’s where the term “Bitcoin mining” comes in to play. The only way Bitcoins are created is by special users who use the computing power of their own devices to add new blocks — full of transactions ready to be added to the blockchain — to the rest of the Bitcoin transactions in the currency’s history. Adding a new block to the network earns a Bitcoin miner a reward of 12.5 Bitcoins as of March 2018, worth more than $100,000.

However, adding a new block is an intensive process that many miners around the world compete to accomplish. Only one new block can be completed at a time, so once it has been added, miners must move on and attempt to be the first to add the subsequent block.

Adding a new block requires the completion of a special puzzle. Miners basically play a guessing game, in which their high powered computers generate guesses of a “target number.” That

number is determined by information in the new block users are creating, as well as information in the most recently added block (i.e. the block users want to connect the new block to).

If a miner is the first one to arrive at a value close enough to the number created by the blockchain blocks, their balance increases by 12.5 Bitcoins.

This process eliminates the need for any company, government or other authority to control the process of making new Bitcoins — the creation of a Bitcoin sets in motion the creation of the next automatically.

The value of a full Bitcoin started rising rapidly in value in mid-2017, peaking above $17,000 per Bitcoin before tumbling to below $7,000. Currently its value stands at about $7,400. While more and more cryptocurrency transactions have been taking place over time, many people simply hold these currencies to sell them later at higher prices.

The future of cryptocurrency is still in debate — some see it as the future of currency, while others see a new fad that might make a handful of lucky techies a few bucks. Regardless of people’s sentiment on the new technology, it’s here now, and it’s making an impact.

The Amherst Student • April 4, 2018

Sports

9

Softball Splits Doubleheader Women’s Tennis Cruises to With WPI, Sweeps Wesleyan Easy 7-2 Victory over Skidmore Michael Stone ’21 Staff Writer Amherst softball kicked off last week’s action with a Wednesday double-header at Worcester Polytech Institute (WPI).

In the first game, WPI got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. WPI continued to swing the bat well, extending its lead to 7-0 in the fourth.

Amherst showed some resiliency late in the game, tacking on a run in the fifth and two more in the seventh to cut the deficit to four runs. However, it was not enough to top WPI’s early lead, and the Engineers left the diamond with a 7-3 win.

Andrea Sanders ’20, Julia Turner ’19 and Kate Kopatic ’20 all had good days at the plate.

Turner and Sanders both had multi-hit performances, and Kopatic hit her second home run of the year.

The second game had a much different feel to it, as Amherst jumped out to a big lead early on.

The Mammoths scored three runs in the first and seven runs in the second to build up an early 10-0 lead. Amherst never relinquished this lead, needing only five innings to top WPI 11-3.

Ronnie Falasco ’21 had a pair of two-RBI doubles, part of a huge five-RBI day for her. Audrey Hansen ’21 also added one RBI and scored three runs in the rout. Lorena Ukanwa ’19 pitched well, improving her record to 7-0 on the year.

The Mammoths used their momentum from Wednesday’s win to claim a sweep of Saturday’s double-header against Wesleyan. In contrast to the games against WPI that saw both teams notch dominant offensive outpourings, the first game of the double-header against the Cardinals was a pitchers’ duel.

Wesleyan jumped out to an early lead, scoring two runs in the fourth. Down 2-0, Amherst kept battling and eventually broke through in the sixth.

Audrey Hansen ’21 hit an RBI double to left center, before reaching home herself on an RBIsingle from Alyson Plaman ’21, who scored the winning run later that inning on a wild pitch.

Ukanwa was brilliant on the mound once again, throwing seven innings, striking out nine batters and only allowing two runs, neither of

which was earned, on six hits.

The win improved her record to 8-0 on the year. The afternoon game was much closer than the final score line suggested; Amherst topped Wesleyan by a score of 10-3 in six innings, but seven of the Mammoths’ runs came in the last frame.

Amherst relied both on its offense and dominant pitching to lead the way.

The Mammoths racked up 13 hits in 31 at bats, completely locked in at the plate. Annie McCluskey ’20 went 3-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while Falasco, Plaman and Sammy Salustri ’19 all logged multi-hit performances in the big Amherst win.

Gina Pagan ’18 was dominant on the mound, throwing six innings and allowing just one earned run on seven hits.

The Mammoths also played particularly well defensively, posting an error-free game. Amherst will look to build upon its recent success, as the Mammoths will play their home opening series against Middlebury this weekend.

The first game against the Panthers will take place on Friday, April 6 at 5 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Gina Pagan ’18 has started the season with a 2.73 ERA in 10 starts for the Mammoths.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Camille Smukler ’20 dominated on the singles court, winning her first two games, 6-4, 6-1. Smukler has only dropped five sets on the year.

Arnav Parikh ’21 Staff Writer Carrying over momentum from a successful California tour during spring break, the Amherst’s women tennis team breezed past No. 17 Skidmore College to pick up a comfortable 7-2 victory in Wilton, New York.

On Saturday afternoon the No. 8 Mammoths took to the courts against a confident Skidmore side that entered the match with an impressive 9-2 record.

On the first doubles court, the tandem of Avery Wagman ’18 and Anya Ivenitsky ’20 battled hard but eventually lost to Skidmore’s Michelle Fuca and Risa Fukushige, who emerged with the 9-7 victory.

However, Vickie Ip ’18 and Jane Fraley ’19 powered past the duo of Ada Wiggins and Renee Karchere-Sun, 8-2, on the second doubles court. On the third doubles court, the sophomore pairing of Camille Smukler and Maddie Dewire clinched an 8-6 victory against Alexa Goldberg and Jessica Ampel.

Notching two victories on the doubles courts, the Amherst women went into singles play with a 2-1 advantage.

On court one, Smukler made light work

of her opponent to win the match 6-4, 6-1.

Meanwhile on court two, Ip fended off Ada Wiggins, posting a hard fought win in three sets.

Ip won the first set, 6-3, but fell short in the second, losing 2-6 to force a decisive third set. However, Wiggins faltered in the final set, and Ip cruised to victory, not allowing Wiggins to win a single game.

The final score line read 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 in favor of Ip. Clinical performances on courts four, five and six helped the Amherst women secure the victory. On the fifth and sixth courts, Wagman and Camilla Trapness ’19 exposed the lack of depth in Skidmore’s roster, as both players picked up identical 6-2, 6-0 victories.

On court four, Iventisky comfortably triumphed over Fuca, 6-3, 6-3.

Skidmore’s only victory on the singles courts came on court three, where KarchereSun defeated Maddie Dewire 6-4, 6-3.

Overall, the Amherst women convincingly beat Skidmore, 7-2, and with the win, the Mammoths improved to 4-3 on the season.

Amherst returns to action on Wednesday, April 4, when it will host Conn. College at 4 p.m.

Men’s Track Impresses in First Outdoor Meet at Tufts Veronica Rocco ’19 Staff Writer The Mammoths kicked off the outdoor track and field season at the Tufts Snowflake Classic, in preparation for the NESCAC Championships to be held during the last weekend of April. Several members of the 4x400 and distance medley relays that qualified for indoor nationals did not compete, choosing to prepare for a long outdoor season.

The day started with the 10,000 meters, a 25-lap race in which Tucker Meijer ’19 and Jamie Mazzola ’21 worked together for the first four miles at a more relaxed pace, before separating over the final two miles. Meijer had a stellar day, clicking off consistent splits over the last two miles to catch several runners and place fifth in a new personal best time of 32:17, qualifying him for both the DIII New England and Open New England meets.

Behind him, Mazzola finished 10th in a time of 33:09, qualifying him for the DIII New England meet. Clark Ricciardelli ’20E ran the first four miles of the race at 5:00 mile pace before dropping out, as the cross country AllAmerican has not raced since the Little III Championship meet. However, Ricciardelli will race at the Sam Howell Invitational on Friday at Princeton.

In the 110-meter hurdles, Maxim Doiron ’19 just missed the finals, placing ninth in a time of 16.68 seconds. Teammate Yonas Shiferaw ’20 placed 17th in a time of 17.79 seconds.

Next on the track for the Mammoths was the 1,500-meter run, a distance 109 meters

short of a full mile.

In his first race since the DIII Indoor National Championships, Cosmo Brossy ’19 placed second in a time of 4:02, a time not indicative of the junior’s fitness, as the race went out at a pedestrian 70 seconds.

Behind him, the Mammoths had a stellar day, as Estevan Velez ’20 passed several runners in the last 200 meters of the race to finish sixth in a time of 4:07. Shortly after him, the trio of Jack Malague ’19, Jacob Silverman ’19 and Spencer Ferguson-Dryden ’20 placed eighth, ninth and 10th, respectively. All three used stellar last laps to pass several runners.

In the 400-meter dash, sophomore Stanley Dunwell had an excellent race, placing fourth to set a new personal best in a time of 50.54 seconds. Captain Harrison Haigood ’18 placed 12th with a time of 51.21 seconds.

In a display of Amherst’s 400-meter depth, Kyland Smith ’21 covered the one-lap race in a time of 52.54 seconds and Brad Besson ’20 ran a time of 53.98 seconds.

In his first ever 400-meter hurdles race, Jay Drain ’18 ran a time of 59.74 seconds, and Andrew Swenson ’21 wasn’t far behind, finishing 1:00.85. Jack Dufton ’20 added to the Mammoths’ success in the event, running a time of 1:01.93.

In the 200-meter dash, Dunwell continued his stellar day, placing 12th in a time of 22.85 seconds. Haigood and Besson returned to the track and ran the event in 23.18 seconds and 24.15 seconds, respectively.

“I still feel like I have room to get better which is a really good feeling to have,” Dunwell said. “The team has an amazing spirit dur-

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Cosmo Brossy ’19, coming off an impressive performance at DIII National Indoor Championships, finished second in the 1,500-meter race. ing the meet that makes it so fun to be around.

We’re becoming like a family and the team did really well, so other teams better watch out.”

In his first ever collegiate 5,000-meter race Billy Massey ’21 had a great race, steadily passing runners throughout the race to finish in a time of 15:35 and place seventh. Classmate Braxton Schuldt ’21 wasn’t far behind in a time of 15:46, just ahead of Justin Barry ’18 who ran a time of 15:48 for the 12.5-lap race.

“I went in there with very little goals or expectations,” Massey said. “Starting off towards the back, I just decided I would catch and pass at least one person every lap until I hit a pace

that felt solid.”

In the field, Jordan Edwards ’20 triplejumped a distance of 13.33 meters (43’ 9”) to place fourth, while Wisdom Yevudza ’19 threw 7.12 meters (23’ 4.5”) in the shot put.

This weekend, Brossy and Ricciardelli will travel to Princeton for the Sam Howell Invitational in search of a fast 5,000-meter race.

For the rest of the team, on Saturday, the Mammoths will host their only home meet, the Amherst Spring Fling at Pratt Field. Field events start at 10 a.m. with the men’s hammer throw, and track events begin at 11:30 a.m. with the men’s steeplechase.

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • April 4, 2018

Men’s Lacrosse Steamrolls Opposition Behind High-Powered Attacking Unit

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Junior attacker Evan Wolf has tallied 27 goals and 17 assists in nine games.

Kelly Karczewski ’18 Staff Writer Amherst continued to dominate the NESCAC conference these past two weeks, taking down Hamilton in a blowout 25-5 victory last weekend, then racing past the Panthers of Middlebury in a big win this past Saturday. The Mammoths are now 4-0 in league play, and 8-1 overall.

Last Saturday, the Hamilton Continentals stepped on Pratt Field expecting a standard NESCAC contest: a close, competitive matchup. Nothing could have been further from the outcome.

In a historic day for the Mammoths, Amherst set new program records in margin of victory (20) and single-game goals (25), demolishing the Continentals 25-5.

At halftime, Amherst had already notched a 12-4 lead thanks to markers from multiple Amherst players including Evan Wolf ’19, Jack Wolff ’19, Jack Norton ’19, Matt Solberg ’20, Logan Lair ’20 and senior Zach Schwartz.

The lead frustrated Hamilton coming into the second half; after a skirmish on the offensive end, the Continentals received an unnecessary roughness call, resulting in not only a tally for Amherst but a nail in the coffin for the

Hamilton morale.

Amherst prepared for Middlebury with a midweek game against Springfield College, which it won handily with a score of 21-11.

On the road in Middlebury, Vermont, the Mammoths entered the matchup like they were playing at home. Wolf continued his impressive season, leading the Amherst offense with 10 points against the Panthers, scoring five points and tallying five assists.

After an evenly matched first half, Amherst found its groove in the final 30, outscoring the home team 10-3 to take the 18-11 victory.

Chad Simons ’21 deflected 13 shots away from the net on defense to keep Middlebury off the scoreboard. Amherst’s ability to control the face-offs also gave the lead to the Mammoths, where sophomore Dylan Finazzo went 25-for31 from the center line.

After his blowout performance this past week, Wolf has been named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III Team of the Week, as announced Tuesday by the organization. He has currently tallied 44 points this season in just nine games.

Amherst returns to action on Wednesday, April 4 when it travels to take on Little III rival Wesleyan for a 6:30 p.m. matchup.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Camille Smukler ’20

Nick Nardone ’19

Favorite Team Memory: Spring break trip to California Favorite Pro Athlete: Rafael Nadal or Angelique Kerber Dream Job: Something involving foreign policy or diplomacy Pet Peeve: Slow walkers Favorite Vacation Spot: Maine or Switzerland Something on Your Bucket List: Travelling to an Asian country Guilty Pleasure: Trashy reality TV shows Favorite Food: Anything with chocolate Favorite Thing About Amherst: The people and the scenic views How She Earned It: Smukler has been a force for the Mammoths at the top of the women’s tennis ladder since her first days on campus. Against No. 17 Skidmore, Smukler continued her dominant form, winning her singles match in straight sets 6-4, 6-1. Smukler and her partner Maddie Dewire ’20 also won the third-position doubles match, 8-6. Smukler has only dropped five sets on the entire year while playing in the number one position.

Favorite Team Memory: Coming back from a 10 run deficit and winning on a walk off last year in Florida Favorite Pro Athlete: Mariano Rivera Dream Job: Not sure, but something that has me traveling a lot Pet Peeve: When people hit my helmet after scoring Favorite Vacation Spot: Italy Something on Your Bucket List: Safari in Africa Guilty Pleasure: Thin mint cookies Favorite Food: Chicken parm Favorite Thing About Amherst: How tightknit the community is.

How He Earned It: During the Mammoths’ most recent series against Hamilton, Nardone was an offensive force at the plate. In the first game, Nardone had two hits in three at bats, including one that saw him hit his first home run on the year in a 5-4 victory. Nardone followed that up the next day with a 2-2 performance that saw him rack up a team-high four RBI’s and launch his second home run of the season. After his impressive weekend, Nardone is now tied for the team lead in home runs.

Women’s Track and Field Finishes in 11th Place at Tufts Snowflake Classic

Women’s Lacrosse Suffers First Loss of Season to NESCAC Foe Middlebury Julia Turner ’19 Managing Sports Editor The No. 7 Amherst women’s lacrosse team faced its first loss of the season this Saturday against NESCAC rivals Middlebury, currently ranked second in the nation.

Despite sophomore goalie Talia Land’s impressive 19-save effort and five goals from firstyear Claire Dunbar, the Mammoths fell 11-9 at home on Pratt Field.

Amherst took the lead early when Dunbar scored her first two goals of the matchup, unassisted, within the first three minutes of play.

Middlebury countered with two goals of its own to knot the score at 2-2 before Dunbar found the nylon for the third time off of an assist from classmate Maia Noyes with 22:30 left in the first half.

Middlebury’s dominating offense, however, capitalized on an Amherst yellow card at the 16:33 mark to score their second unanswered goal and take their first lead of the contest.

First-year Hannah Gustafson returned the favor off an assist from classmate Isabelle Sennett, but the answering goal wasn’t enough, as the Panthers rounded out its first half scoring with three straight goals to notch the score at 7-4.

Giving the Mammoths one last push before the half, senior captain Julia Crerend netted her 26th goal of the season to put Amherst within two.

Both teams came out of the locker room aggressively after halftime, trading five goals within the first 10 minutes.

For the Mammoths, Dunbar and Katherine

Malone ’20 each found the back of the net.

With only 13 minutes left on the clock, the Panthers extended their lead to three goals, 11-8.

Sennett netted one final tally for Amherst, setting the final score at 11-9 as the Middlebury defense held off the Mammoths for the last 10 minutes.

On the defensive end, Sabrina Solow ’19 led Amherst in ground ball pickups and forced turnovers, with three apiece, and Hannah Fox ’20 won five draw contests in the midfield.

The Mammoths will return to action on Wednesday, April 4, when they host Little III rival Wesleyan at 6 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Kristin Ratliff ’20 finished 11th overall in the 1,500-meter race in 4:53.69.

Zoe Atoko ’21 Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Talia Land ’20 recorded 19 saves in the team’s loss against Middlebury.

This past Saturday, Amherst women’s track and field kicked off the outdoor season in Medford, Massachusetts at the Snowflake Classic, hosted by Tufts University.

The Mammoths battled on Tufts’ Clarence “Ding” Dussault Track to pick up an 11th-place finish in the 21-team meet, with impressive showings in the sprints and high jump.

The women’s 200-meter dash saw five Amherst harriers line up to race. First-year Sophia Friedman ’21 led the way for the Mammoths, finishing fourth in the 94-person race with a time of 26.63. A little over a second behind Friedman were Sarah Tam ’21 and Isabel Park ’20, logging times of 27.82 and 28.05 seconds to

finish 23rd and 26th overall, respectively.

Park also represented the Mammoths as the lone Amherst harrier in the 100-meter dash, notching a time of 13.77 seconds to finish 26th in this race as well.

In the 400-meter dash, Friedman once again led the Mammoths, notching another fourthplace finish in a 54-woman field with a time of 1:00.41. Julia Asin ’19 secured another high finish in the race, clocking in at 1:03.06 for 15th place overall.

The mid-distance races also produced quality marks for the Mammoths. In the 800 meters, Molly Carleton ’19 placed in the top 10, clocking a time of 2:25.10 to earn sixth place. Fellow Amherst runners Grace Haase ’21 and Jenny Mazzella ’20 posted similar marks of 2:32.22 and 2:33.10, respectively, to come in 26th and 28th overall.

Kristin Ratliff ’20 also stood out for Amherst, posting a 4:53.69 mark in the 1,500-meter run to clinch 11th overall in the 91-person race.

Another Mammoth with an impressive outdoor season opener was Olivia Polischeck ’21, who crossed the finish line in 38:52.20 to take fourth place in the 10,000-meter run.

Additionally, the Mammoths performed well in the field events. Katie Siegel ’20 placed second in the high jump after clearing 1.59 meters.

In the triple jump, Emily Flaherty ’19 and Yrenly Yuan ’19 finished back-to-back to earn ninth and 10th with marks of 10.02 and 9.84 meters, respectively. Caroline FergusonDryden ’20 clinched a 10th place mark in the shot put. Sitting at 18th place heading into the final throw, Ferguson-Dryden surpassed her first two attempts by three meters to post a 31.95 meter throw that clinched her top-10 finish.

Ultimately, the combined score across all events gave the Amherst team an 11th-place overall finish in the meet out of 21 teams. The Mammoths will be back in action next weekend on familiar ground, when they host the annual Amherst Spring Fling on Saturday, April 7.

The Amherst Student • April 4, 2018

Sports

Men’s Tennis Records Victories Against Two Ranked Opponents

11

The Hot Corner Jack Malague ’19 Columnist Jack Malague takes on Major League Baseball’s unwritten codes of conduct after an incident between the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles in the season’s first week.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Jesse Levitin ’19 won his singles match against Kenyon College in straight sets on the sixth court, sealing the victory for his team.

Matthew Sparrow ’21 Staff Writer After a week off following an impressive spring break trip, the men’s tennis team headed down to Swarthmore, Pennsylvania to face off against No. 20 Case Western Reserve University and No. 19 Kenyon College.

In what was a very successful weekend, the Mammoths took both matches in dominant fashion.

Amherst’s first matchup was Saturday against Case Western, a contest in which the Mammoths showed consistency from start to finish.

The new top doubles duo of Sean Wei ’21 and Jayson Fung ’20 got the job done, finishing off James Fojtasek and Anthony Kanam in a tightly contested match that ended 8-6.

However, the other two doubles matches didn’t go quite as well for Amherst. In the second doubles slot, Zach Bessette ’19 and Kevin Ma ’21 fell to Jonathan Powell and Neil Mabee, 5-8, while juniors Jon Heidenberg and Cameron Raglin were beaten by Matthew Chen and Sam Concannon, 4-8.

It was on the singles courts that the Mammoths turned the meet around. Wei got it going with an easy 6-1, 6-2 win over Fojtasek on court one, and Amherst never looked back.

Ethan Hillis ’21 followed Wei with a tough 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 victory over Chen. Ma, Bessette and Fung continued the momentum with singles victories of their own.

Although Jesse Levitin ’19 couldn’t over-

come Powell in the sixth singles spot, it wouldn’t matter at that point, as Amherst had secured the 6-3 victory.

The Mammoths weren’t done yet as they still had to face Kenyon.

The Amherst doubles teams flipped the script in this matchup as the Mammoths swept all three matches.

Wei and Fung started it off with an 8-4 win over Weston Noall and Alex Reiger.

The pairing of Hillis and Bessette held on to complete an 8-6 victory over Austin Diehl and Jacob Zalenski on the second court, and last but not least, Ma and Raglin did their part as the third doubles pair, notching an 8-4 win over Michael Liu and Bryan Yoshino.

On the singles side, the Mammoths replicated their success from the prior day’s matchup, claiming five out of the six matches with all of the victories coming in straight sets.

Wei, Ma, Bessette, Fung and Levitin all took care of business, amd only Hillis fell in three sets to Austin Diehl, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6.

In the end, the Mammoths emerged with a convincing 8-1 victory to wrap up their Swarthmore sweep.

Amherst will travel to Maine next weekend to face off against two NESCAC foes, Bates and Bowdoin.

It won’t be a cakewalk against either team, especially Bowdoin, which is currently ranked No. 2 in the nation and won the DIII National Championship in 2016.

The first match of the weekend will be at Bates on Saturday, April 7 at 1 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Cameron Raglin ’19 earned a victory over Kenyon College alongside doubles partner Kevin Ma ’21, winning 8-4 on court three.

Major League Baseball’s season had been steeped in the southern culture of honor and under way for less than a week before two Latin-American players, who learned the game teams became mired in familiar debates about in leagues that boast nothing like the MLB’s the sport’s “unwritten rules.” tradition of quasi-chivalric codes. The meeting The Minnesota Twins carried a 7-0 lead of these groups, even with the good faith presinto the bottom of the ninth in their Sunday ent among most of today’s players, predictably matchup against the Baltimore Orioles. This causes moments of miscommunication. essentially meant that the game was over; The most commonly-contested unwritten Baseball Reference, an online trove of histori- rule is the prohibition on celebrating home cal baseball statistics, calculated the Twins’ runs. This aspect of the code considers “adwin probability to be 100 percent. It was only miring a home run” — standing at the plate to a matter of how the final three outs would be watch the ball clear the fence before beginning recorded. the trot around the bases — a severe affront. It With one out in the final frame, Orioles’ “shows the pitcher up,” humiliating him in front rookie catcher Chance Sisco, playing in his sec- of his teammates, the crowd and the television ond-ever major league game, came up batting audience. The punishment for this offense? A left-handed. He faced Jose Berrios, the Twins’ fastball to the ribs. And that’s if you’re lucky. starter who was still in the game having given There’s a certain lawlessness to this idea. up only one hit thus far — a double to Sisco. Must celebrating success really be met with a The Twins employed a defensive shift, moving response that, at least in theory, can end a catheir third-baseman over to the right side of reer? To those of us who were not raised in the the field and leaving his post unmanned. Sisco, culture of honor, the answer obviously is “no.” seeing the Twins’ defensive vulnerability, laid As legendary a figure as he was, Bob Gibson’s down a bunt and hustled it out for a single. This days are behind us. Yet the unwritten rules have was followed by a walk and a single, which in been given something of a short shrift, at least turn were followed by a popout, a strikeout and analytically. It is worth thinking about both the the end of the game. The Twins congratulated purposes they can or did serve and the reasons themselves on the field and then headed for the players believed them to be necessary. showers.

Home run admiration presents a fascinatHowever, Sisco’s ing case study. The bunt apparently left matchup between the Twins a little Must celebrating success pitcher and batter is miffed. Minnesota a unique one-on-one really be met with a second baseman standoff in a team response that, at least in sport. It has “three true Brian Dozier gave reporters a taste of his theory, can end a career? outcomes” — strikeopprobium, soundouts, walks and home To those of us who where runs. When a pitcher ing like a parent who had thought better walks a batter or gives not raised inthe culture of scolding someone up a home run, he of honor, the answer else’s misbehaving failed on his own. Noobviously is “no.” child. body can even begin “Obviously we’re to point to a failure on not a fan of it,” Dozithe part of his teamer said. “He’s a young mates. The pitcher kid. I could very easily have said something “didn’t give the defense a chance.” A batter who about it at second base, but they have tremen- stands at home plate after smashing a homerun dous veteran leadership over there. I’m sure highlights that fact, that the pitcher let his team they’ll address that. It’s all about learning. You down. He reminds the pitcher and everyone learn up here.” else that he can stand at the plate as long as he Left-fielder Eddie Rosario struck a similar wanted, and nobody can get him out. tone: “Nobody liked that. No, no, no. That’s not The defense has been taken out of the equaa good play.” Berrios cast Sisco’s small ball as an tion, and the pitcher must stand, humiliated, in offense against the sport itself. “I don’t care if the center of the infield until the next batter he’s bunting,” the pitcher said. “I just know it’s steps into the box. This is why celebrations by not good for baseball in that situation. That’s it.” closers, after sealing the team’s win, are more Just about every baseball fan with a twit- common and better received. The celebration ter account took to the cloud to defend the is less personal. It highlights a team’s win, not Orioles’ rookie. Sabermetrics’ founding father an individual’s failure. Accordingly, nobody Bill James tweeted “I think the Commissioner on the losing team will feel a need to heal his should suspend any veteran player or m’ger (sic) wounded honor. who makes comments suggesting that a young The bunting situation is a little more pracplayer is doing something improper when he is tically concerned. From what the Twins said, simply trying to win. That’s intolerable.” it seems to be much more in the spirit of “let’s The silly suggestion aside, James’ critique all go home” than any rules about honor. The embodies what has become a widespread frus- game was all but over. All Sisco’s bunt did was tration with what many scornfully call the “un- prolong the inevitable, keeping both teams in written rules” of baseball. Any time a player the ballpark and not at the airport. Further, it claims one of his opponents has violated an threatened to push Berrios over the pitch limit implicit rule of conduct, the accuser is sub- the Twins’ coaching staff probably had set for ject to public derision of the kind that James him. This would start the time-consuming prodished out via twitter. The unwritten rules have cess of bringing in some middle reliever who fallen far out of favor. Their defenders are cast would likely give up several hits before finding as stuffy, patriarchal fuddy-duddies, who prob- the team’s last couple outs. He might then be ably spend their weekends kicking kids off of sent down to the Twins’ AAA affiliate in extheir lawns and pontificating on the demise of change for a fresher arm. the fullback. “Let the players have fun” is the Unlike the home run bat flip, this was not traditional cry against these imagined old men. some complicated question of honor. It was a Such complaints are, for the most part, predictable difference in attitude, between a spot on. The debate over baseball’s codes of never-say-die rookie in his second MLB game conduct could well be the subject of an anthro- and a grizzled veteran, who is playing his third pology class. Major League Baseball’s player of 162 this year. One wanted a hit. The other pool consists mostly of American-born players wanted a shower.

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Sports

Photos courtesy of Clarus Studios

Ariel Kenney ’18 has been in fine form to start the season, leading the team offensively with a .400 average and two home runs in the first 13 games.

Baseball Posts Undefeated Week with Wins over Hamilton and Brandeis Katie Bergamesca ’18 Staff Writer The Amherst baseball team enjoyed several successful outings over the past week, going 3-0 against Brandeis University and Hamilton.

On Tuesday, Mar. 27, the Mammoths hosted the Brandeis Judges in a mid-week non-conference match-up.

Amherst dominated the visiting team, holding at least a three-run lead from the first inning onwards. In the 14-3 victory, the Mammoths totaled 16 hits including a homerun from senior leftfielder Ryan Hardin. Hardin had an overall stellar outing, going 2-2 with two runs scored and four RBIs. Fellow seniors Max Steinhorn and Ariel Kenney also had strong offensive performances; Steinhorn went 2-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored, while Kenney was 2-3 with two RBIs and one run scored. Starting pitcher Zach Horwitz

GAME SCHE DULE

’20 threw for the first three innings, recording three strikeouts and allowing two hits and one earned run. First-years Andrew Nagel and Ryan Sholtis pitched a total four scoreless innings in relief.

The Mammoths opened conference play last weekend in dramatic fashion, sweeping the visiting Hamilton Continentals in a two-game series on Saturday, Mar. 30. In the first game of the day, Amherst got out to an early lead and was up by four runs at the end of three innings.

Not ready to give in, the Continentals came out strong in the top of the sixth inning, hammering in four runs of their own to knot the game at four runs apiece.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the ninth, giving Amherst a chance to walk off, and Joe Palmo ’21 came up big for the Mammoths. At the plate with runners on first and third, the first-year was cool under pressure, driving the ball just out of reach of Hamilton’s

right fielder to send home the winning run, which was scored by Kai Terada-Herzer ’21.

Davis Brown ’19 pitched six and one-third innings in the tightly-contested game, striking out nine Continentals, allowing five hits and walking one batter.

Andrew Ferrero ’19 relieved Brown for the final two and two-thirds innings and managed to keep Hamilton at bay. Nick Nardone ’19 tallied his first homer of the season in the 5-4 victory.

After a brief break, the Mammoths and Continentals were back on the field for their second and final game of the day. The second contest was equally as exciting as the first. Nardone and Severino Simeone ’20 had a homerun apiece in the high-scoring matchup. In addition to their homeruns, Nardone and Simeone put forth solid offensive efforts overall; Nardone went 2-2 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Simeone went 2-4 with one run scored and two RBIs.

Steinhorn and Kenney also performed well at the plate, going 2-4 with two runs scored and 2-3 with three runs scored, respectively. Four different players stepped on the mound for the Mammoths, but Sholtis ultimately closed out the game for Amherst, pitching the final inning, in which he allowed one hit and no runs while tallying one strikeout.

Following their undefeated week, the Mammoths have improved to 9-5 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Amherst is back in action on Wednesday, April 4 to take on Mitchell College in a non-conference away game scheduled to start at 4 p.m. On Friday, April 6, the Mammoths will return to conference play when they travel to Williamstown to face NESCAC rival Williams beginning at 4 p.m. The following day the Mammoths will host the Ephs in a double header to close out the series. The first game will start at 1 p.m., with the second contest scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

SUN

WED

FRI

SAT

Baseball vs. Mitchell College, 4 p.m.

Men’s Track & Field Sam Howell Invitational @ Princeton University, 10 a.m.

Women’s Tennis @ Bates, 9 a.m.

Softball vs. Middlebury, noon

Women’s Lacrosse vs. Williams, 1 p.m

Men’s Tennis @ Bowdoin, 10 a.m.

Men’s Track & Field Amherst Spring Fling, 10 a.m.

Baseball vs. Williams, 1 p.m

Softball vs. Middlebury, 2 p.m.

Women’s Tennis @ Bowdoin, 10 a.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Williams, 1 p.m

Women’s Tennis v.s. Emory, 4 p.m.

Women’s Tennis vs. Conn . College, 4 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse vs. Wesleyan, 6 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Wesleyan, 6:30 p.m.

Baseball @ Williams, 4 p.m.

Softball vs. Middlebury, 4 p.m.

Women’s Track & Field Amherst Spring Fling, 10 a.m.