Baseball Records Third Straight Sweep of Ephs See Sports, Page 9
5)& */%&1&/%&/5 /&841"1&3 0' ".)&345 $0--&(& 4*/$&
70-6.& $9-** *446& r 8&%/&4%": "13*-
Students Search for Clarity in Party Registration Policy Ethan Corey Managing News Editor This is the first of a two-part series on the College’s alcohol policy. The second part will be in next week’s issue. According to the Dean of Student Activities’s web-page, all parties must be registered with the College if any of the following conditions apply: College funds are used, common or public space is used, the party is being advertised, when alcohol is being served in a common or public space. In order to register a party, students must complete a party notification form including the date, time, location and expected attendance of the event and turn in the form to the Dean of Student Activities at least five business days in advance of the event — two weeks in advance if expected attendance is 75 or more or if alcohol will be served. Additionally, the sponsor of the party must meet with the Dean of Student Activities in order to review College policy and the details of the party notification form and fill out a common area reservation form in order to guarantee the space at which the party will take place. Once this has been done, the sponsor of the party must distribute the completed party notification forms to the Campus Police Department and in some cases to the Lead Party Monitor as well, as determined by the Dean of Student Activities. Moreover, in order to be eligible to be registered as a party, the event must take place in one of the College’s “designated campuswide party venues:� Crossett and Stone basements, Seelye and Hitchcock first floors, Lipton first floor and basement,
Keefe Campus Center, O’Connor Commons, Alumni and Lefrak gymnasiums and several outdoor locations. According to Hannah Fatemi, Dean of Student Activities, party registration is important for ensuring student safety and compliance with College policies. “The college’s party policy has been approved by the College to facilitate the planning of safe and successful parties and events, to assist in the adherence to college policies and procedures, to comply with Town of Amherst and Massachusetts laws and regulations and to ensure sufficient time for the coordination of facilities, support services and security,� Dean Fatemi said. However, the difficult and confusing nature of this process has meant that the vast majority of parties at the College — only about 40 parties are officially registered with the school each year, even though campus police records shutting down upwards of 140 parties each year for noise complaints and other violations. Additionally, the limited number of spaces listed as “designated party spaces� has meant that students wishing to hold parties in other venues have been unable to have their events registered. For example, Monica Cesinger ’15, president of Marsh Arts House, recalls struggling to have Marsh Mardi Gras, an annual event that has had no problems in past years, registered as a party with the College. “I went in to try to register Marsh Mardi Gras as a party, because it’s something that has happened in Marsh for years, and it’s kind of a tradition. Nothing seems to have been wrong with it in previous years, but when I went to register it as an event, Dean
Photo Courtesy of Chief John Carter
Only about 40 parties are officially registered with the school each year, even though campus police records shutting down upwards of 140 parties each year. Fatemi said that no parties would ever be allowed to be registered in Marsh,� Cesinger said. “I thought that was kind of strange because I’ve been to parties in Marsh, and they’re just a completely different social experience than parties in the Socials. I asked her why Marsh was allowed to have registered events like Coffee Haus but not parties, and she said that it was because it was an event, not a party. I asked her what the difference was between an event and a party and she said that a party has a DJ and people dancing, while Coffee Haus does not.� Dean Fatemi confirmed this distinction between events and parties and said that the distinction resulted from the Massachusetts crowd management law passed in 2011, which requires that there be a designated crowd manager whenever there is a gathering with am-
plified music and dancing in a room with a capacity of 99 or more. “Students can have campus-wide gatherings, but it has to be in a venue that is designated to accommodate a dance party. The goal is always to try to give students options to help them create the program and experience that they want. If students want to have a dance party, there are all of the other spaces that we have designated to have those events. If students are flexible enough to envision their program in the way that the College has defined for use of the spaces that we have that’s where they can take their idea and make it happen,� Dean Fatemi said. Yet, this explanation did not satisfy Cesinger, who said that she was frustrated that her attempts to accommodate the College in planning the event failed and called the College’s party
policy “Footloose-like� in its ban on dancing, after the 1984 film of the same name about a town that banned dancing. “It’s really absurd that when a group of students tries to make any kind of event or party on campus into a safe space where student security is present so that students can feel safer, they actually can’t. I’m not allowed to bring student security in for events in Marsh that involve dancing and music,� Cesinger said. “I find that really absurd because I was trying to accommodate Amherst administration, and we were really willing to cooperate. The Amherst administration is preventing students from creating safe party spaces through the party registration atmosphere and the party registration process.� Moreover, the crowd manager requirement for registered parties means that registering parties with the College can be prohibitively expensive unless students also have College funding for the event, according to Lindon Chen ’15, who has organized several registered parties and concerts with the College. “You have to pay for a crowd manager. The crowd manager costs $34 an hour. It seems like this would be impossible for a regular party; you don’t want to hire a police officer to be there for three hours for just a casual gathering,� Chen said. Additionally, the restriction of registered parties to spaces officially designated as party venues by the College has struck some students as arbitrary, capricious and counterproductive. For instance, although the Marsh ballroom Continued on Page 2
Faculty Vote Down Joining edX Pilot Program Alissa Rothman ’15 Assistant Editor-in-Chief On April 16, the faculty met to discuss the motion to join the edX and begin creating MOOCs through their company. The faculty voted against joining edX, instead approving a motion to have the College pursue its own initiatives to move more class material and classes online and to create ways to incorporate technology in the classroom. The faculty meeting opened up with remarks from President Carolyn “Biddy� Martin on the death of Five-College Fellow Merle Ivone Barriga Ramirez, who worked in the Department of Theater and Dance. After her remarks the faculty observed a moment of silence. Dean of the Faculty Gregory Call then made a few remarks, stating that edX had recently proposed another option to the faculty regarding its programming, offering a self-supported model, otherwise known as the edX “beta� MOOC model, as an alternative to their “supported� MOOC model. This model would allow the College to decide whether or not to offer a certificate the first time each course was offered and would not have to pay edX for the initial beta courses. However, if a course was offered more than once, certificates would be required and the College would still have to cre-
ate the courses themselves and would get minimal assistance from edX when creating the courses, which would incur infrastructure and staffing costs to the College. This resulted in three options, the edX “supported� MOOC model, the edX “beta� MOOC model and the option of the College working to create more open source options itself, all of which would have comparable costs. The faculty opened up the discussion of MOOCs with the “Sarat� Motion, put forth by LJST and Political Science Professor Austin Sarat, which stated “that the Faculty endorse Amherst College’s participation in the AmherstX pilot project and within five years vote on whether Amherst College should continue to offer online courses.� However, another motion was put forth by Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Stephen George as an alternative motion, which stated “The Faculty ask that the College invest in making it possible for Amherst courses and course materials to be available online, to the extent desired by those teaching the courses. The online courses would be free of charge and without credit or other certification. Amherst’s stated mission is to offer ‘learning through close colloquy’ that takes place ‘in a purposefully small residential community.’ That mission is best served by having the College itself, rather than an outside organization that offers so-
called massive open online courses, develop and offer these online courses and course materials.� Professor George presented this motion as a way to reject joining MOOC organizations such as edX while moving forward with online courses and course materials to try to continue to improve classes. He stated that there were other options for obtaining technology similar to those offered by edX, and that joining MOOC programs weren’t necessary to gain access to those technologies. Furthermore, he stated that there were better ways to assess student learning than simply giving out a grade, such as giving comments that help students grow, and that edX as it currently stands is not capable of providing this through their technology. Furthermore, he said there were other ways to increase the visibility of the College, such as putting more materials online directly, and that pursuing online education on their own would allow professors more freedom to teach their way. Other professors agreed, adding that they were underwhelmed by the tools edX currently offered, that edX seemed too new and unreliable a program, that there were better things to spend money on and that the requirement to offer certificates, either immediately or after the first time the course is offered, was against the College’s interests. However, other faculty members were for join-
ing edX, and were particularly drawn to the new “beta� model due the optional nature of offering certificates for the original courses. The proponents of edX insisted that it would not be easy for the College to set up technology that edX provides, that edX evolving was a good sign because they were becoming more flexible to the College’s demands and cheaper, that with the “George� motion faculty members would be unable to experiment with MOOCs, that if the College did not join edX now it was unlikely that the College would make the effort to create the technology offered by edX and that online education and MOOCs are not going away, and it would be beneficial for faculty to have the experience of creating MOOCs so that they can help make better MOOC programs. The faculty then voted to adopt the “George� motion over the “Sarat� motion, and ended up approving the “George� motion by paper ballot, with 70 yeses, 36 noes and five abstentions. Following the vote, President Martin stated that the College would not sit by and do nothing when it comes to online education and improving technology in the classroom, stating that they can not sit on the laurels of being Amherst forever, and that many faculty members want to do more and should be able to do more when it comes to experimenting with online learning and technology.
$0//&$5 50 64 ".)&345456%&/5 ".)&345 &%6 r !".)&345456%&/5 r -*,& THE AMHERST STUDENT 0/ '"$&#00,
News Entries from April 8 to April 15, 2013 >>April 8, 2013 1:46 p.m., Humphries House An officer on patrol discovered three students on the roof. They were fined $100 each. 6:14 p.m., Wieland Dormitory An officer responded to a complaint of loud music and spoke with a group of approximately 25 people who were having an outdoor gathering. The volume of music was lowered. >>April 9, 2013 1:34 p.m., Plaza Officers investigated a fire alarm and found it was accidentally set off by a worker. The system was reset.
5:42 p.m., Social Quad A caller complained about loud music. The responding officer located a group of students in the social dorm quad. The volume of music was lowered. 7:13 p.m., Crossett Dormitory An officer encountered an underage student with two 30 packs of beer. It was confiscated. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office. 11:09 p.m., Alumni Lot An employee reported that someone placed a decal on her car while it was parked in the Alumni Lot. Case open.
1:52 p.m., Marsh House Officers responded to a report of people on the roof. No one was found when an officer checked.
>>April 14, 2013 12:11 a.m., Seelye House A student reported her keys were stolen from her coat pocket while at Seelye. A locksmith was called to change her room lock.
4:40 p.m., Morrow Dormitory An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding and found it was caused by steam from water a resident was heating. The system was reset.
12:27 a.m., Merrill House Apartments A caller reported people in a SUV parked near his apartment were being loud. The vehicle was gone when an officer checked.
>>April 10, 2013 12:00 a.m., King Dormitory An officer responded to a complaint of a loud group of students in the basement. They were issued a warning.
1:49 a.m., Crossett An officer met with a student who had been involved in a physical altercation with another while attending a party in the basement. No further assistance was necessary.
>>April 12, 2013 12:13 a.m., Coolidge Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint of loud music and issued a warning at a first-floor suite. Music was turned off.
1:54 a.m., Crossett A caller reported there was a women in a thirdfloor suite who refused to leave. Upon the officer’s arrival, the woman was identified as the sister of a student. Her brother was contacted, and she left with him.
3:54 p.m., Mead Loading Dock A caller reported a person was seen leaving two barrels of trash near the Mead Art loading dock. Based upon a video, an officer was able to identify the vehicle involved. The owner of the vehicle, who is a student, was contacted and he returned and picked up the barrels. >>April 13, 2013 12:07 a.m., Garman House An officer encountered an unauthorized gathering with alcohol on the first floor. The event was shut down and the alcohol was confiscated. 12:43 a.m., Frost Library Officers responded to a report of a group of people entering the library while it is closed. Officers located 13 people inside the building and they were identified as students. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office. 1:27 a.m., Hitchcock House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a second-floor room and found it activated when marijuana was smoked in the room and candles were used. The resident was fined $100 for a smoking violation and $100 for creating an endangering condition by using candles. 1:40 a.m., Hitchcock While investigating a smoke detector sounding, an officer discovered the cause to be marijuana smoke. A small amount of marijuana was confiscated. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office. 10:58 a.m., Pontypool An officer investigated an intrusion alarm and found it was accidentally set off by an employee. 4:20 p.m., South Dormitory An officer located a student at the request of a concerned caller who had not heard from him for three days. There was no problem.
2:11 a.m., Merrill House Apartments A caller reported a group of people being loud and at least one was intoxicated outside the apartment. Upon the officer’s arrival, three non-residents were located. They had become separated from their ride, which eventually showed up. 2:15 a.m., Crossett While in the social dorm quad, an officer observed a student open an exterior door forcefully causing damage. He was identified and will be responsible for repairs. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office. 3:07 a.m., Pond Dormitory An officer responded to a complaint of loud music at a first-floor suite. Four non-residents were found in the suite and identified. The music was shut off and the people were directed to leave the suite. The officer locked the door. 3:31 a.m., Merrill House Apartments A juvenile was arrested by Campus Police and charged with disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. 3:33 a.m., Campus Grounds Five people were issued written no-trespass orders by Campus Police. 4:37 a.m., Wieland An officer responded to a complaint of loud people in the second-floor common room and issued a warning to a group of students playing cards. Case closed. >>April 15, 2013 3:30 a.m., Hitchcock A resident reported seeing a man in the firstfloor common room that she did not recognize. The man could not be found when officers investigated.
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t"QSJM
Confusion Concerning Theme Housing Party Policies Continued from Page 1 is significantly larger than many designated party spaces, including Hitchcock first floor, Seelye first floor and Lipton first floor and basement, it does not have sufficient capacity to host a registered party, according to Torin Moore, Dean of Residential Life. “Theme houses, by nature of their genesis and mission (to provide alternative residential programming from the ‘norm party’) have been placed in locations where occupancy rates were not high enough to count as ‘party’ spaces, but allowed for some leeway for good programming to occur,” Dean Moore said. This explanation did not satisfy Cesinger, who
questioned how Dean Moore could know more about the mission of theme houses than the residents of the houses themselves and worried that the College was marginalizing members of theme houses who wished to have parties. “Is it assumed by the administration that the arts community here is so small and marginalized that all-campus involvement in the arts via the arts house is impossible? It seems that to discourage the whole of the student body from getting involved in the arts by placing the arts house in a place that cannot provide this amount of engagement, the College has actively taken a step against the very constitution/mission of the Marsh house. This is, to say the least, upsetting and appalling,” Cesinger said.
Association of Amherst Students Candidate Statements Class of 2014 Kasope Alesh I am an History & Environmental Studies major from Nigeria and a candidate for re-election for Senate for the Class of 2014. As senator, I have worked to create more programming with the Career Center for study-abroad returnees and brought back Frank’s Red Hot chicken sandwich back on the Val menu. Next year, I will continue to push for the creation of a coherent, well-defined policy on alcohol, help make the Music Center and other classrooms more accessible and revive forgotten Amherst traditions. Vote Kash! for Senate. Christian Aviles I want to be the very best, like no senator ever was. To represent Amherst is my test, to fight for you is my cause. I’ll travel across Val, searching far and wide, for each student’s needs that I’ll hopefully understand. Amherst, it’s you and me. I know being a senator is my destiny. Let’s fight for Amherst. Our courage will pull us through. Vote for me and I’ll fight for you. It’ll be a challenge. It’s never easy when there’s so much on the line. But you and I can make a difference. One day at a time. Erik Christianson One thing that I’ve learned serving as AAS senator on various committees is the degree to which one voice changes the debate, and thus radically shapes our experience at Amherst. On issues ranging from preserving on-campus storage to the types of commencement speakers we want, I’m proud to have strongly advocated for students as your AAS senator to our deans, faculty and trustees. I sincerely hope to be able to continue doing so next year as your representative.
ministrators should allow me to connect with both the administration and the student body to make for a better Amherst. Ian Hatch I have three main priorities for next year. Firstly, I hope to improve Amherst’s social life. Aggressive alcohol enforcement patterns coupled with a lack of social spaces on campus have made our parties only less safe and less enjoyable. Secondly, I wish to continue outreach efforts to build representative classes of senators. Only when the senate looks more like the community it serves will it become a trustworthy pillar of student life. Lastly, I hope to assist the MRC in funding and articulating programming that broadly engages the student body. I would be honored to serve you again next year. JJ Hoffstein “It’s not what you quote, it’s whom you quote.” --JJ Hoffstein Joseph Kim Friends, I ask for your support in my campaign for re-election to the AAS. In my time in Senate, I have always strived to accurately represent our class’s opinions. Since being elected, I have engaged in projects to better enrich the student experience. For example, I distributed 5,000 boxes to the students for packing at the end of the year, I worked with the library and IT to have laptop chargers available at Frost and the Computer Center to check out, and I was part of the committee that made free shuttles available during breaks. Thank you for your consideration.
Matt Debutts Hi all, my name is Matt DeButts and I am running for Senator for the Class of 2014. I’ve served on Senate for three years now, and in these three years, I’ve hosted two Election Night Watch Parties (2010 and 2012), planned the Schwemm’s Pub Nights and presented in front of the faculty to advocate for a raise in course enrollment limits. I believe that AAS senators should stand up for student interests whenever possible. I have done that for three years now, and I hope you will elect me to do so once again.
Liya Rechtman Hey, my name is Liya Rechtman and I would be honored to serve as your senator! This year, I helped write the policy recommendations on the Sexual Misconduct Oversight committee and gained insight into some of the biggest challenges facing Amherst today. In the coming year, I would like to focus on strengthening the voice and efficacy of the AAS on issues including the freshman experience, alcohol policy and supporting student organizations. I believe that if senate can represent the diverse needs of the students in these areas, we can create a more respectful (and enjoyable) Amherst. Vote for me!
Chris Friend If elected to represent the class of 2014, I will work with the rest of the senate and the e-board to try and implement a number of ideas I wanted to implement as a presidential candidate. I hope to improve res life, alcohol policy and how the AAS engages with issues of sexual respect. I am a twoyear senator and the longest serving current member of the Budgetary Committee. My leadership in clubs and service on faculty committees with ad-
Nica Siegel Hello, my name is Nica Siegel, and I’d be honored to represent the Class of 2014 in the AAS! I’m an LJST major, a first-year RC, Associate Editor of The Indicator and a dancer and choreographer for Amherst Dance. I’m also a passionate advocate for sexual respect, diversity, meaningful dialogue, and the creation of spaces that foster it. As your senator, I will embrace this sometimes destabilizing Continued on Page 3
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
News
AAS Senate Candidate Statements
Continued from Page 2
but necessary period of transition as a welcome opportunity to discuss Amherst’s immediate future, and what we hope our legacy will be. Also, Frost Café needs more electrical outlets. Yilin Andre Wang As your Senator for the past year, I coorganized the Rally to End the Culture of Silence, served on the planning committee for the Day of Dialogue and the MRC Special Committee and worked to re-envision the Campus Center. I am currently co-drafting a more reasonable policy for funding club t-shirts, creating an online calendar for booking event spaces, among other initiatives. Yet my favorite part of the job has been bridging mutual understanding between students and the AAS, which is still far from ideal. The work is not done, and I will continue to deliver.
Class of 2015
Amani Ahmed Hi class of 2015! Once again, I’m running for AAS Senate — hoping to be elected a senator representing the class of 2015. I’ve served on Senate for the past two years and hope to continue representing you. Vote Amani Ahmed! Eleanor Andersen I want to run for AAS senate because I believe that I can bring a fresh point of view to the senate discussions and because I genuinely want to help the Amherst community. As a member of the varsity field hockey team, I think that I could be a good representative of athletes. Furthermore, having heard about my mother and brothers’ previous experiences at Amherst, I have seen how much our social life has changed, and I want to help rebuild the student community and create more social outlets in which the student body may become more integrated. Peter Crane Hi there everybody! As some of you know, I have been involved in campus issues since freshmen year. I have spearheaded AAS activities ranging from a class Secret Santa to leading the free shuttle vans. I am also the Spring Concert Chair and help run Program Board events like Great Gatsby night. I have big plans to improve AAS initiatives, like starting vacation shuttle service to New York and promoting class spirit. More broadly, I wish to promote a culture of constructive attitude to the AAS, which will help politics from getting unnecessarily ridiculous. I’d appreciate your vote to continue this mission! Enkhnasaan Enkhbold Fellow Amherst students, it is my hope to serve you as a Senator of the Class of 2015. Like all of you, I love Amherst College for both what it is and what it could be. As an active and involved member of the community, I have had many ideas about how to improve campus and make it something that we can all be proud of. These ideas, however, prioritize the College’s needs at this present moment. As it would be my most important role, I promise to address whatever issues arise by always representing your concerns and ideas. KC Fussell I wish to be a candidate for Senate this year largely due to what I and others have observed as a lack of communication between the athletics and the AAS. I believe I can successfully bridge this
gap and represent others due to the experiences I’ve gained from involvement in the CCE’s athletics branch (ATEL) and from the athletic department’s advisory committee (SAAC). The experiences that I’ve taken away from my involvement in these two groups as well as my desire to improve Amherst I believe could be used to great effect in the AAS.
Rama Hagos Hello, my name is Rama Hagos and I am running for re-election to the AAS. I thank those who supported me last year and hope to gain your support again. To those who don’t know me yet, I would also like to gain your support. On Senate, I have been a member of the Transportation Committee, working to bring shuttles for holiday breaks. I have also been involved in the Elections Committee where we have worked to make Senate elections more accessible. If re-elected, I will work to improve campus life through programming that will actively engage the campus. Claire Jia Hey everyone, I’m Claire. After two years at Amherst, I’ve seen what makes our school amazing and what we need to improve on. I’d like to make the AAS a safer place for women to speak out. I’d like to change the way that social events are organized, so we can avoid those awkward four-person TAPs. Most importantly, I’d like to listen to you. As a captain of the AC Mock Trial team, I’ve learned how to work with many different types of people. I’ll fight to make your voice heard. It’s a new year: let’s elect a new girl. Bryson Kacha: Hi! My name’s are Bryson Kacha and I was a senator for the class of 2015 last year. I served on the Judiciary Council, I served on SCEF and I would like to continue serving you in the coming year. Some of the issues I intend to work on are, among others, introduce a bylaw clarifying the eligibility of seniors with an “E” (e.g. 2015E) to vote and stand for office, and work with squads and RCs to increase awareness in firstyear elections because these elections is key to greater inclusion in the senate. Vote Bryson Kacha! CM Randall I can help people. Helping is my constant preoccupation. I’m fair and impartial, just like our penal system — or at least how our penal system is supposed to be. I’m temperate, I’m observant and I listen before I talk. I can bring a unique perspective to our Student Senate. Consider me a Robin Hood figure, I fight for the weak. I give them something to believe in. Vote CM. Adaugo Ugocha My time at Amherst has taught me that many here on campus don’t feel represented or that their voices are heard on campus, which leads to less-than-stellar student experiences on campus. Thus, I want to be able to be in the position to not only connect and listen to students who want their concerns and perspectives to be heard, but also to put them in the forefront of the student government’s agenda and make it known to the administration what the various facets going on within our student body are. Blaine Werner My name is Blaine Werner, and I would like to run for the class of 2015 Senate.
As a Senator, I intend to work towards creating new campus-wide events that bring together the campus. Events like Community Hour and groups like Gad’s House of Improv consistently bring the Amherst community together for fun and growth. There are numerous possibilities for new traditions, with various groups and clubs, for our school. I also intend to be an open ear for the student body and an active voice within the Senate.
Doyle Judge My name is Doyle Judge and I am a freshman here at Amherst College. I am running to represent the class of 2016 in the Amherst Student Senate. I believe my experience with student government in high school, as well as my involvement with Amherst Athletics and the Amherst Leads program makes me a qualified candidate for the position. I am looking forward to the opportunity of running. Thank you.
Class of 2016
Robert Kermes Many Senators think that only showing up to vote at AAS meetings is enough. But it is only through broad support from the student population, not just Senate votes, that we can demand transparency from the administration on the enforcement of the alcohol policy and clarify the pathway to recognition for club sports. As Senator, I would accomplish these goals by fostering an activist culture on campus, because the best way to get results is to build strong support for a cause, not just to vote in favor of it. I would appreciate your vote in Thursday’s election.
Adorian Atkins Hi, my name is Adorian Atkins (rising sophomore), and I would like to run for a Senate position. Although I have not had experience with AAS, I was in student government all 4 years in high school. I am also a varsity soccer player, and think I could add diversity to AAS. I will further discuss my goals as an AAS Senator on speech night. Shruthi Badri Hi. I’m Shruthi! As a senator this past year I’ve fought hard to ensure the voices of first-years are heard and considered regarding issues of sexual respect and alcohol use, multiculturalism, international student experience, student storage, IT policy and website use, dining services, facilities, club funding, residential life and other general aspects of student life. I believe I’ve largely been approachable and short of taking the weather gods to task, managed to get most student concerns I’ve heard taken into account. I hope to be given the opportunity keep representing you and everything you care about. Servet Bayimli “I’m Servet and I’m here to serve you.” I did my best to keep that promise as a first-year senator, and I hope to continue doing so. As a member of the judiciary, transportation, IT and first-year orientation committees, I brought forth hard work and good ideas. I helped advocate for a variety of student issues, earning club soccer funding and school-sanctioned Pub Nights. I also helped other senators and students with the Day of Dialogue, the Fall RakeOff and the reinstatement of the AAS Teaching Award. Thanks, and as always, please approach me with any ideas! Jane Berrill Hi! I’m Jane Berrill. I would love to have the chance to represent you in Senate. I believe that since I am a new candidate I would bring innovative ideas and a new perspective to Senate. My main goals are to make the campus run more efficiently and help build a stronger community for everyone. I think that the most important job a senator has is to represent the class; therefore, although I have many ideas to improve the school I am more interested in hearing from you about your ideas, concerns and comments. Juan Gabriel Delgado Montes Eight months! We’ve finally had time to meet each other. I’ve enjoyed getting to know many of you, but above all I’m excited to meet the rest! I’d love to continue representing you in the AAS, to continue fighting for the causes closest to us. As your senator this year, I have garnered valuable experience and am capable of transforming ideas into action. I will work hard, and I will be held accountable. With AAS funding close to $1 million, there is much potential for what we can accomplish, but also much at stake.
Sam Keaser Over the past year I have had the privilege to serve and represent the class of 2016. Campaigning in the last election, I promised to work with students, the administration, and my fellow Senators to improve the quality of life on campus and to foster a sense of inclusivity. In representing student voice on issues from student storage to alcohol policy, and volunteering as a group leader during the Day of Dialogue, I believe I have shown a commitment to these ideals. I look forward to continuing my work, and hope that I can count on your votes this Thursday. Kamaria Laing Hi everyone! I’m Kamaria Laing, and I’m excited to be running for 2013-2014 Senator for our class. I’m extremely passionate about hearing the opinions of our class and putting them into action. I plan to support more student say in what affects all of us like Val. I’m committed to leading in the most efficient, friendly way possible and lead in organizations on campus like the AWN. I plan on supporting more funding and staffing for our MRC and Women’s Centers and more effective ways implementing what we want. I’m looking forward to running and hearing your thoughts! Judd Liebman My platform is simple: your ideas are my ideas. I, like other candidates, am approachable and will listen to your proposals. The main difference between me and the other candidates is how we plan on getting your ideas. The main policy change I hope to implement is an AAS table in the Valentine Atrium during Friday’s meal hours. This gives students an easy way to make suggestions without having to go out of their way. Senators would then be required to follow up via email. Elect me, and we’ll get things done together. Andrew Lindsay EIGHT MONTHS!!? Yes, it has been that long. We’ve all settled in (for the most part) and made friends (hopefully) but one thing remains certain; as a community we still have issues we need to address. As a senator, among other things, I would encourage a more relaxed party policy and campus enthusiasm about senate affairs (through ideas like renewing the “Pain in the AAS”
column). To get this done I will rely on the skills I have gained and the people I’ve met. I’m organized, efficient and dedicated. VOTE ANDREW LINDSAY FOR SENATE!!! Hao Liu Hello! After serving on the senate for one year, I’m seeking re-election and will be honored to be your Senator. I serve on the Budgetary Committee, promoting funding for student activities. I support student activism, representing Pride Alliance and TWLOHA for funding. I humbly serve on the IT Committee and contributed to making Amherst mobile webpage more userfriendly. My goal — make the Senate more accessbile for everyone. I’m currently working on a social-enterprise, The Green Garage Co., which provides students lower prices for electronic appliances. Stay tuned! Vote for experience, vote for reliability. How to vote, vote for Hao! Mercedes MacAlpine My name’s Mercedes MacAlpine, and I’m running for student senate. With my first year of college almost behind me, I feel like I’m beginning to understand how things work around here and I’d like to do what I can to make a difference. If elected, I would like to use the opportunity to bridge gaps within the community and increase school spirit (ahem, hand-sewn cheerleader outfit, anyone?). College is a completely different ball game, but I’ve got experience working on leadership teams from a two-year program in high school, as well as having been school president my senior year. Manuel Morales When voting for your 2016 class senators, pick the new, refreshing, vibrant, Manuel Morales. As a former student body president, I know what it takes to not only lead, but also to listen. Whatever the task at hand was, I always sought student feedback to help better the student body. Having been an AAS BC member, I have gotten experience into the funding policies. Also a member of the Ultimate Frisbee team, I will represent and fight for club sports. Also, beginning to work with the CCE, I want to better connect our College community with the towns around us. Richard Park Hey guys! My name is Richard Park, and I would be honored to be your senator again. The most valuable thing I learned from the AAS this year was the student body’s powerful input. I had the honor of working with students who approached me about school issues they genuinely cared about. I want to continue making headway with the current projects that were in my initial platform, but most importantly, to channel such passion next year and try my best to see that all the ideas you care about are addressed. Ali Rohde Elect me, Ali Rohde, as Senator for the class of 2016! I have loved my time here at Amherst, so I want to represent the school in any way I can. As Senator, I would work to ensure that we use the momentum of this past year to continue to make improvements to Amherst. One idea that I would implement if elected would be to create a virtual lost and found, a website where all students can visit if they lose or find a possession. This is just one of my many ideas for improving Amherst. Vote Ali!
Opinion
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
Letter to the Editor Editorial Mascot Question Demands a Positive Proposal for Respect and Hope of Resolution Jason Victor Serinus ’67, founder of New Haven Gay Liberation Front, writes to respond to “Debunking Professor Arkes’s Radical Anti-Gay Argument,” which appeared in last week’s issue of The Student.
It’s already been heard that the debate surrounding Lord Jeff has injured many on campus — a phenomenon not unsurprising given the harshness of the rhetoric and the complete disregard for logical argument. The debate is leading students to accuse each other of ignorance and arrogance, hate and immaturity. We can not expect civility when strength of argument is replaced by its loudness. We can only expect pain when we seek to stir hatred rather than compassion. We can only expect vulgarity when students expect to win over others by employing an arsenal of derogatory and personally offensive comments. In addition, students accusing their classmates of racial prejudice, hate-mongering or anything else does more harm that merely personal harm; it produces a disregard for legitimate arguments and concerns, while chilling constructive debate by creating an atmosphere of fear. If painful space-allocation debate involving the MRC and Women’s Center still lingers in all our collective memory the last thing we ought to know to do to ourselves is to again extrapolate something on campus into a great culture war — a war in which there stands only good and evil, and in which all students are innocently implicated as
its soldiers. Even if debate were to remain cordial, without a positive proposal for a new mascot and a clear institutional direction for the debate, any kind of debate will only continue to ripple and reverberate amongst the student body. This is why this Editorial is a call to the administration to start thinking about churning the gears of debate toward the constructive selection of a new mascot. Getting students excited about something new will not only dampen the air of negativity, but it will eliminate an anxiety associated with much resistance to dumping the Jeff. Forming a committee to explore new mascot ideas will allow the campus to outline clear goals in a new mascot pick, which in and of itself is a more constructive and useful debate to have. Even if some acknowledge merits to preserving the Jeff, thinking about what else in addition could represent Amherst in the future will at least broaden the debate with options and outlets that it desperately needs. Students have borne a great emotional toll in the past year. If all start thinking about the next logical step, parties with a voice in the debate will better be able to respect each other and the cam-
An Open Letter to Amherst College 5BOJB %JBT AAS President Dear Amherst community, Over this past year, Amherst has gone through trying times. Angie’s story shook us to our core, as we were exposed to our own imperfections — as people and as a school. Although it is saddening that such a heartbreaking story was needed to wake us up, I feel there has been a profound shift in our attitude and perception. The question of “community” has gone from an elusive thought, to the guiding principle of our actions. Though we have a long road ahead — from ending sexual assault on our campus, to changing our mascot, giving a sizeable endowment to the Multicultural Resource Center and rethinking the role of fraternities — I think our reactions this year, are and will fundamentally define what Amherst is to be in years to come. As I end my presidency, I have learned that our community is more than an abstract, all-encompassing entity. We are the sum of interactions be-
E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Brianda Reyes Assistant Editor-in-Chief Alissa Rothman Managing News Ethan Corey Managing Opinion Erik Christianson, James Liu Managing Arts and Living Jeffrey Feldman, Annalise Nurme
tween all those who study, work and live here. And so, on behalf of the entire student body, I would like to thank all the incredible people that work tirelessly towards making our student experience so special. From Val and Schwemms’ staff, to faculty, Dean of Student and President Offices, custodians, facility workers, academic departments, the police department, librarians, post office workers and all other offices, Amherst College would not run if it weren’t for your dedication, time and energy. Not only do you help make Amherst what it is, but your kindness, patience and wisdom shape us as young adults. Our memories and experiences would not be the same without you. Over this year, it has been inspiring to see students, faculty, staff and alumni selflessly ensuring that, as a community, we do not become complacent or settle for less than our best aspirations. It has been a wonderful honor to get to know so many of you, and I wish you all the best of luck in continuing to make and remake Amherst into the community we ultimately want it to be.
As an alum who, in 1971, returned to campus to give the college’s first talk on gay liberation, then wrote a very strong and angry article to The Amherst Student, I welcome and applaud this opinion piece. I do, however, wish to raise seval points. First, Idalia Friedson seems to go along with Arkes’ statement, “as long as there are human beings there will be men and women. That is the meaning of sex. And one doesn’t have to read the Bible to come up with that one.” “Yes, this is the meaning of sex,” she says in response. It is not. It’s the belief of some people who accept the human written and oft-mistranslated Christian Bible as the inviolate word of God. Sex means many things to many people. Anyone other than a televangelist or member of a ruling religious hierarchy who has an absolute phone line to the ultimate truth of God and the universe, and can thus speak with certainty as to the meaning of sex, please speak up now. Secondly, she states that Arkes’ opinions are “radical.” Radical, as I understand it, means to get to the root of things. If we want to get to the root of things, we will acknowledge that Arkes’ ideas are not
Amherst: The Harsh Truth
$POOPS #FBVMJFV Contributing Writer
[Trigger warning: Suicide] Dear Amherst students, Imagine it’s late at night on a Saturday. You and your friends have been out drinking and partying since 8 p.m., and it has been a great night. You all say good night. You’re heading back to your room when you get the text. I need you. “Now?” You think. “It’s past midnight and all I want to do is sleep. What could possibly be so important?” Please. Come. I need you. You go to your friend’s room. He or she is sitting there, sobbing. He or she tells you they have been battling depression. He or she tells you they have considered self-harm and/or suicide. He or she says they have not told anyone. He or she tells you that if you had not come that night, they may not have made it until the morning. “How can this be,” you think to yourself. “I just saw this person half an hour ago and they were the life of the party.” What do you do? The harsh truth is that people rarely reach out like this. Often times, no one ever knows until it is too late. Moreover, if they do reach out, people are lost as to how to respond. Here are some other harsh truths. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people ages 15-24 and the second leading cause of death in college students ages 20-24. Over two-thirds of young people do not talk about or seek help for mental health problems. Forty-four percent of American college students reported feeling symptoms of depression. Stereotypes are one of the largest barriers preventing young people from seeking the help they need. Fourteen to 24 percent of youth and young adults have self-injured at least once.
This is real. This is now. We must fight for change. I work for To Write Love On Her Arms: Amherst Chapter as well as an intern with the TWLOHA head office. My fellow chapter leaders and I have begun to spread a message of hope and love to Amherst. We have started a journey to educate, inspire and encourage. We want to give students at Amherst a foundation to hope for a brighter future in which they can write their own story. We do not pretend to fix anyone’s problems; instead, we seek to act as a waiting room — a group committed to encouraging people to find real help. We live in a difficult world, a broken world. We believe everyone can relate to pain, all of us live with questions and all of us get stuck in moments. You need to know you’re not alone in the places you feel stuck. On a more personal level, one I hope others can appreciate, I suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. I have been the person reaching out for help and the one reached to. Through my own journey I have learned two things. One, is that community, hope and help can replace secrets and silence. Second, that my best days are ahead because I believe in my story. Neither of these would have happened if I had not begun talking with people. The cool thing is that everyone faces their own struggles — that we can all connect over our experiences and our futures. We truly are not alone; we just have to shake off the fear that we are. We are here. We are here for you. Please, join us. Write your own story, create your own journey and live your own life. In the next few months our chapter is preparing to do some extraordinary things — such as starting an assembly program in local high schools to inform students on these facts. Please, join us as we work to create a bridge between the community and resources dedicated to helping people. To find our work and citations, check out the links on the online article in The Student website. Finally, you can contact us at: twloha.amherst@ gmail.com
Letters Policy
S TA F F Managing Sports Emmett Knowlton, Karl Greenblatt Design Editor Brendan Hsu Opinion Section Editors David Chang, Julia Milmed Sports Section Editors Varun Iyengar Publishers Mary Byrne, Chris Friend, Nazir Khan, Mike Osorio, David Walchak
radical in the least. They are, however, most certainly “illogical...extreme and archaic,” all words Idalia uses above. Let’s call a spade a spade. Arkes’ so-called intellectual arguments are in fact prejudice and fear dressed up as arguments in an attempt to give them intellectual and moral compass. It’s always dangerous to label someone as crazy, especially when they can dispense hatred with such powerfully worded vitriolic force and so-called moral authority that they can actually win people over to their side, but it is fair to say that Arkes’ arguments are not rooted in logic. People who are willing to own their own demons, and their own dark sides, do not need to subjugate and oppress the “other.” Instead, they have the courage to acknowledge that what they fear and do not like about the other is in fact a part of them. If people would only take responsibility for their actions and fears, we would no longer have a world in which people are oppressed according to race, class, sex, sexuality, color of skin, religious and spiritual beliefs, etc. etc. amen. But until that time, it is essential for people to speak out, and speak strongly, against hate-mongers disguising themselves as intellectual scholars. For which I applaud Idalia, and every other person, on-campus or off, who calls for censure of Arkes and his continued use of his tenured professorship at Amherst as a platform for spewing hatred.
Copy Editors Marisa Dolmatch Photographers Janita Chalam, Jennifer Lee, Olivia Tarantino Senior Editor Amro El-Adle
The opinion pages of The Amherst Student are intended as an open forum for the Amherst community. The Student will print letters under 450 words in length if they are submitted to The Student offices in the Campus Center or to the paper’s e-mail account (astudent@amherst.edu) by 12 p.m. on Sunday, after which they will not be accepted. The editors reserve the right to edit any letters exceeding the 450-word limit or to withhold any letter because of considerations of space or content. Letters must bear the names of all contributors and a phone number where the author or authors may be reached. Letters and columns may be edited for clarity and Student style. The Student will not print personal or group defamation.
Publication Standards
The Amherst Student is published weekly except during College vacations. The subscription rate is $75 per year or $40 per semester. Subscription requests and address changes should be sent to: Subscriptions, The Amherst Student; Box 1912, Amherst College: Amherst, MA 01002-5000. The offices of The Student are located on the second floor of the Keefe Campus Center, Amherst College. Phone: (413) 542-2304. All contents copyright © 2011 by The Amherst Student, Inc. All rights reserved. The Amherst Student logo is a trademark of The Amherst Student, Inc. Additionally, The Amherst Student does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age. The views expressed in this publication do not reflect the views of The Amherst Student.
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
0QJOJPO 5
The State of Housing Career Columns: Finding Summer Housing (SFH 5VSJTTJOJ Contributing Writer
5BNBSB +PTFQI &JSFOF 8BOH A Peer Career Advisors We at the Career Center work our hardest to help you find jobs, internships, programs and fellowships. Unfortunately, the stress doesn’t end with a job offer; finding summer housing may cause just as much of a headache as getting that internship. Don’t fret, though; we’re here to teach you a few tips to make your search just a bit easier. The Career Center has just updated our housing database online with information about university-based housing and housing databases in major cities such as New York, Washington, D.C. and Boston. Many of these links have been vetted and the list continues to grow on a daily basis, so be sure to check back frequently. We have also set up some Facebook groups so that you can connect with other Amherst students who may be interning and looking for housing in the same city. Information on these groups can be found on the housing page. You can reach the housing page by the following link: amherst.edu/campuslife/ careers/students/jobs/internships/findaninternship/inthousing. One of the most important aspects about the housing search is to be conscientious and rigorous in learning as much about your new potential residence as possible. Since you may conduct much of your search while you are still on campus, speaking to someone who has actually lived in the place you are considering can provide you crucial information about cost,
convenience and safety. You don’t want to put down a deposit only to realize that the train to the office is not the most reliable, or that you will be experiencing leakages during every single summer storm. If possible, you should reach out to previous years’ interns and your future boss to find out where to live and not to live. You will likely be choosing between schoolbased housing and independently found sublets, each of which has its pros and cons. School based housing is usually more expensive and may require full payment before you can move in. While the application process also ends earlier, typically around late April, school based housing is more reliable and tends to come with added amenities such as parking and gym access. Another perk is the accessibility of social groups, as most, if not all, of the other residents will be college age summer interns. Room and apartment sublets can be found at a significantly lower price, with payment scheduled on a monthly/rent basis, in addition to a deposit. Keep in mind, though, that this may require more work on your part to check out individual homes and make sure housing contracts and fair. You should never give money to someone you have never met on a house you have never seen. This may require you to get creative — think Skype video house tours or asking a friend in the area to check things out — but a careful process can save you money and protect you from scams. Hopefully this article has given you a few things to consider that will ease your summer housing search. We wish you the best of luck!
SUMMER INTENSIVES IN NEW YORK May 28–June 20, 2013 Four-week Courses and Workshops in Dance, Environmental Studies, Film Production, and Writing – Earn four college credits* – Study at The New School—a legendary urban university in Greenwich Village – Network with top professionals – Collaborate with peers
www.newschool.edu/langsummer
*Check with your college to see if credits are transferable. An affirmative action/equal opportunity institution. Photo: Matthew Sussman.
The time is 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday April 10, and I am writing from the comfort of my grey futon in Mayo-Smith: a one-room double of 220 square feet that overlooks College Hall across the buzzing Route 9. I have exactly 10 hours until I’m due in the Friedman Room for my second-ever room draw. My room group this year is eight rising juniors — four girls, four boys — all hoping to choose suite-style living for next year. However, there is a problem. Less than an hour ago, we were all grouped around a circular table in the back room of Valentine, arduously scribbling down the number of suites remaining in relation to our position on the ordered list. Of the groups numbering four or more (groups of eight were included as two groups) yet to pick, we were 47th. There were only 36 available suites remaining in Cohan, MayoSmith, Stone, Pond, Coolidge, Crossett, Taplin and Jenkins. We frantically attempted to account for any possible reasons why those 46 groups ahead of us would not pick a suite. Perhaps they don’t want beer stains on their floor? Maybe the construction would deter groups from choosing a social? King and Wieland have rooms, I’m sure groups will funnel there! What about the annexes? — all the perks of social-dorm living without actually living socially! Plus, we reassured ourselves, as a split-gender room group — and with a little rearranging — we will be able to bypass the gender quota! We were told not to worry. That’s what they told us last year. Davis is gone. Suite-style living as a sophomore? It’s not a right, it’s a privilege. Suitestyle living as a junior? It’s not a right, it’s a privilege. Seligman is undergoing renovations. Pond will be untenable. Untenable: not fit to be occupied, as an apartment, house, etc. The state of housing at Amherst College is poor. For an elite liberal arts college that strives to excel in all aspects, poor is unacceptable. The first and foremost problem is the construction of the new science building. The construction raises the obvious questions: Why is Residential Life (Res Life) letting us live this close to an extremely active construction zone? Why hasn’t Res Life done a better job of informing the student body of these extreme living conditions? Also, construction is not the only issue. With Davis gone, the housing on campus is tight. As I learned first-hand last year, sophomores bear the brunt of this shortage, often living in oneroom doubles smaller than those on the first-year quad. This year, though, I was hopeful with Res Life expanding the housing options. The renovation and re-opening of Seligman, in addition to the 15 four-person units in Alpine Commons, alleviate the stress of the on-campus housing scramble. With these two changes enacted, an additional 104 spots open up in singles and suite-style living (For perspective, Davis held approximately 50 people). Likewise, the renovations of both Waldorf and Plaza raise the capacity of both buildings by one person for every three. Despite these attempts, problems remain. Although expanding Plaza and Waldorf increases the capacity of the buildings, the result is a less-desirable living space. The only draw to the trailers in the first place was the fact that they contained large single rooms. When I inquired to a SHAC member as to why Res Life decided to renovate the trailers, the response I received was that students expressed interest in more suite-style living. Logically, however, it is inferred from this request that single rooms should not be sacrificed in the process. As a result, single-room housing on the immediate campus has diminished considerably, by 100 single rooms in the past two years. Only 24 students will be able to live in Seligman via the room draw process, as “a portion of Seligman will be dedicated to a newly formed Chinese & Japanese language house.” Lastly, we arrive at the problem of Alpine Commons. Only eight seniors signed up to live in Alpine Commons. Why was this? First, Res Life only hosted one open house. Would you opt to live in housing that you had never seen? Second, the application process was convoluted and over-thetop, requiring signatures from professors. Lastly, the Alpine Commons option was never presented to rising juniors or sophomores. Without Alpine
Commons, an open Seligman and the single-room trailers, housing is tighter than ever. Res Life’s decision not to open Leland house this year certainly offers no help. Although the renovations and housing arrangements for the 2013-14 academic year are final, solutions to alleviate the housing crunch for next year should be explored. The following solutions are mine alone and do not mean to alienate any individual or group on campus. You may agree with one, many or none of the following suggestions. To begin, suites should not be reserved for the opt-out/ medical housing, as they were in both Cohan and Taplin. As an eligible student, I decided to forgo the medical opt-out and enter room draw — because I was under the impression that opting-out of room draw meant that I would be living on my own. Next, the amount and process of culture/themed housing on campus needs to undergo a re-evaluation. I admit that I am ignorant of the popularity of themed/ culture/language houses. However, to an outsider, they seem rather excessive. Approximately 180 student rooms are available in theme/culture/language housing in Moore, Porter, Newport, Charles Drew, Humphries, Seligman and Marsh. Are these houses functioning at full occupancy? If not, should entire floors and entire buildings be reserved, or should consolidation occur? Why should some student groups receive housing arrangements? A Jewishheritage themed house was rejected by Dean Moore this year, contrary to popular student support. Likewise, are themed houses truly encouraging the student integration that Amherst College endorses? Or are they encouraging students, particularly native speakers and international students, to regress into a more “comfortable” environment, thus furthering a much-debated divide among Amherst’s ethnicities and nationalities? Lastly, an assessment of the gender quota must occur. The quota intends to provide a balanced environment of both men and women. Consequently, it prevents athletic teams (of either sex) and fraternities from dominating one particular dorm. In my opinion, although I do not see the immediate harm in this convergence, balance should and must be upheld by the college as it sees fit. Gender in itself is a social construct, upheld only by an increasingly archaic legal structure. Gender quotas are inherently discriminatory, as room groups with higher LUVs that are in violation to the gender quota are disadvantaged in relation to lower groups that do not violate the quota. This is unfair to upperclassmen that have rightfully earned their spot in room draw — by virtue of time spent at Amherst. The quota also appears to function under the sole discretion of Dean Moore, as certain social dorms were closed to men before the gender quota was reached. Additionally, the quota was lowered from 60-40 in 2012-13 to 55-45 in 2013-14. The student body was not consulted, nor informed of this change. Aside from the gender quota alone, there are interrelated issues to consider: do social dorms really need two Resident Counselors per dorm? Why are the RCs and their suitemates not counted towards the gender quota? Although the all-female floors in Morrow and Seligman do not contribute to the gender quotas of those dorms, I propose that an all-male floor should be looked into. The fact that an all-male does not exist goes against Amherst College’s mission of gender balance, and therefore negates the rationale for a gender quota in the first place. In the end, decisions made by Res Life without sufficient student input have contributed to the unacceptable state of housing at Amherst College. A week has passed now since I made the decision at 12:30 a.m. on Thursday morning to live in a tworoom double. A week has passed, and the rising senior reading this article coolly sips his or her coffee on a Wednesday morning in Val, forgetful of the horrors of room draw. A week has passed, and a select few rising juniors remain content; a minute flutter of happiness passes over them as they waltz past next year’s residence on a Friday or Saturday night. However, over half of the student body remains the most optimistic of all: Next year! Yes, next year. A year older, a year wiser. And just like that, all animosity towards the room draw process and Amherst College’s abysmal Residential Life fades into the summer sun.
Arts&Living
"QSJM t 5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU
Captivatingly Queer: Alison Bechdel
+PFZ .FTTJOHFS Contributing Writer When I say “queer graphic novels,� what comes to mind? My guess would be not much; it’s not a combination of words that generally appears together. Alison Bechdel, however, has managed to make a fine career out of this combination. Her most famous work, Fun Home, was named the Best Book of the Year in 2006 by Time magazine and her career has spanned 25 years with no sign of stopping soon. So, why should you care about her work? Maybe you think that all comics are like Superman, or you just aren’t interested in queer stories. But I’d argue that her works are much more than just graphic novels about queer characters. If they were, they’d have remained popular only in that niche; her books wouldn’t be taught in college classes across the nation (including here at Amherst) and she wouldn’t have been one of the headliners at Smith College’s recent celebration of its archives, an honor also accorded to Gloria Steinem. Instead, her work challenges us as readers, both intellectually and by providing a glimpse into a world that’s difficult to imagine. Her first comic, “Dykes to Watch Out For� (DTWOF), has the unusual distinction of being both her longest and her least-known work. Launched in 1987, this strip ran in gay and lesbian newspapers throughout the country until 2008, when she put it on hold to work on second graphic novel, “Are You My Mother?� (Don’t hold out hope that she’ll pick it back up; at her talk at Smith, Bechdel said it was unlikely.) The entire series has been published in a number of strip collections and in 2008, “The Essential Dykes to Watch Out For� was released, containing the most important plot lines of the comic’s 21-year run. It’s a comprehensive tome, and I recommend it to any unfamiliar readers who want to take a look at Bechdel’s primary work. Originally a series of one-off com-
Image courtesy of www.comicsgrid.com
"MJTPO #FDIEFM UIF OBNFTBLF PG UIF #FDIEFM 5FTU GPS mMNT DPOUJOVFT UP IPOF IFS WPJDF BOE TUZMF FWFO ZFBST BGUFS IFS mSTU QVCMJTIFE DPNJD i%ZLFT UP 8BUDI 0VU 'PS w ics, a recurring cast appeared early in the series’ run and quickly became its cornerstone. The early comics can be rough: her art seems messy and frazzled, and she clearly hasn’t quite gotten the characters nailed down yet. While at times it feels repetitive, the characters become grounded and quite likable. Furthermore, it’s also a fascinating read from a historical perspective, as Bechdel was heavily influenced by then-current events, whether it was the historic marches on Washington in the early 90s, or liberal angst about George W. Bush. Many of the backgrounds throughout the comic are based on real things Bechdel saw during this time period, which adds to this historical atmosphere. It’s a look into a world that’s hard for us to imagine today — sure, you can read about these events, but how often are you able to actually get a sense of what it was like to be there? It allows us to connect to this history in a way that neither stories nor pictures alone could really do. The strip is a fascinating perspective on the sights, sounds and emotions of queer life in the United States that is hard to find elsewhere. In 2006, almost 20 years after she began her career, Bechdel burst into the mainstream with her most
famous work, “Fun Home.� In a drastic step away from the newspaper comic strips of DWTOF, Bechdel tells the story of her father, a tyrannical, deeply closeted individual who, Bechdel believes, killed himself when she was 19. She manages to avoid the melodrama that the subject matter might command, thanks to her analytic writing and honesty that makes it much more about discussing her relationship with her father than dwelling on him. The book itself is very intelligently written; it’s told out of order, with some events discussed multiple times from different perspectives, but it always manages to feel fresh and natural. She masterfully uses literary and mythological references, at one point comparing her father to Icarus and then later to Marcel Proust. It allows us to view her subjects from another angle, and it works. Her art style compliments this story; each frame was carefully researched and planned by Bechdel, using old family photos to get each room precisely right and photographing herself in the character’s poses to get the right perspective. The panels are all shades of a dull green wash, which adds to the atmosphere Bechdel evokes in the book. Despite the elaborate story and the intricate
panels, it all comes together spectacularly. Like DWTOF, “Fun Home� also gives us a glimpse into recent history. She shows us everything from what it was like to be coming out in the 80s, to a child’s perspective on Watergate, and the success of the story is due to how immersed we get in her world. After “Fun Home� analyzed her relationship with her father, her next (and most recent) book, “Are You My Mother?�, delves into her even more complicated relationship with her mother. Her mother was easily one of the more complex characters in “Fun Home,� so seeing this relationship expanded upon here is a natural follow up. While it may sound like this is just a retread of her mostknown work, “Are You My Mother?�, if anything, pushes Bechdel’s writing beyond what it was in “Fun Home.� While her relationship with her father had a clear story to it, her relationship with her mother is much less clear-cut, and as she points out, still ongoing. Released six years after “Fun Home,� Bechdel’s writing has clearly advanced since then. She still uses the anachronistic framing and the literary allusions, but at a deeper level than before. Much of her analysis of her relationship with her mother is interwoven with the
work of 20th century psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, as well as Virginia Woolf ’s “To The Lighthouse.� While delving deeper into these comparisons, she gives the book an interesting framework, though it can be hard to follow without a background in the works she’s discussing. It can also be harder to relate to this than “Fun Home,� particularly for our generation, as the story is more focused on an older Bechdel. Despite this and its looser focus, it comes together nicely in the end. At this point, Bechdel has published hundreds of comic strips and two full-length books. While these books, her current focus, take an enormous amount of time and effort (seven years for “Fun Home� and a similar amount for “Are You My Mother?�), her results are thoroughly fascinating and above all, unique in both the worlds of queer fiction and graphic novels. We get an immersive look into the recent past, one that might be hard for us to imagine otherwise. Both her writing and her art add layers to the stories she tells, but it never manages to feel overly complex. For anyone looking for an intricately written work that steers clear of the genre conventions, I highly recommend Bechdel’s work.
Comic by Eirene Wang ’13
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
"SUT -JWJOH 7
The Clean Talent of The Dirty Projectors $MBSB :PPO A Associate A&L Editor I’ll admit when I first listened to “Swing Lo Magellan� that I was disappointed. While I could hear the effort that Dave Longstreth, the frontman and main vocalist, and the others had put into the album, I just didn’t find it enjoyable. The melodies didn’t seem coherent enough: maybe it was that I had become too used to the commercially-produced, predictable tunes of today, but the album simply didn’t feel accessible. But let me clarify: “Swing Lo Magellen� is the newest album from the extremely indie band, The Dirty Projectors. If you’ve heard of them at all, you’ve heard their song “The Stillness is the Move,� from their album “Bitte Orca,� which highlighted the vocals of the female members, Amber Coffman, Haley Dekle, and Angel Deradoorian. And if you’ve heard of them, it’s because you have hipster tendencies (it’s better for you if you admit that now). But I don’t want to dismiss the Dirty Projectors as just “indie,� which carries negative connotations now, even though their music is hard to categorize within any other genre. Their lyrics have gotten a lot more understandable and relatable and they do perform, to some extent, like a typical band: guitar, drums, vocals, no ukelele. And, they don’t depend on computer arrangements.
All the music I heard during their show this past Monday at the Pearl Street Ballroom in Northhampton was performed right then and there. Of course, this immediately and totally converted any misgivings I’d had about the band into awe. Interestingly enough, however, I feel like a capella fans would enjoy the Dirty Projectors, and possibly appreciate their music more than I. Longstreth, who focuses a lot of his musical energy on the possibilities offered by harmonization, often creates these intricate harmonies that sound standard on my computer but were beautiful live. Despite the noise from the crowd and drums, all of the vocalists were perfectly in tune. Their range and Longstreth’s power were particularly commendable — one assumes now, in the age of Autotune, that those difficult melodies and runs were simply edited to sound perfect. Not so: perhaps because of the intensive harmonies, but everyone really could perform exactly the vocal and instrumental moves one finds on the album. And boy, weird can be off-putting when it sits in your iTunes library, but when it’s performed five feet in front of your face, you appreciate that talent. At one point, Coffman, Dekle and Bell wail quickly and successively (I think that’s the way to describe it) and everybody in the audience was envious of the vocal precision it required. Gimmicky-sounding tricks, like the clapping in “Just From
SILT Fellowship: Artistic Entrepreneurs "MFYJT 5FZJF Contributing Writer On the 27th of March this year, (Afrik’Art), a gallery that a pair of friends and I founded nearly two years ago in Johannesburg while attending the African Leadership Academy (ALA), officially opened its new space. This was the hardwon result of messy beginnings, incessant disputes and the teethclenching grit involved in trying to deliver passably professional results on a shoestring budget (while completing both A-level and Entrepreneurial Leadership and African Studies curricula). Many success stories barely mention the tedious trials involved, and if they do, these are largely romanticized as well as overshadowed by the ringing “I MADE IT!� I will be forthright in admitting that my experiences with what I now classify as entrepreneurship have all been packed with trials. “Social entrepreneurship,� my particular flavor, is currently all the rage, and everyone seems to have a definition wittier, quirkier, and more quotable than the former. So far, the one evident truth is less in the droll turns of phrase and more in the fact that there exist so many of these definitions. Social entrepreneurship is a wonderfully adaptable way of life, and at the risk of being reductionist, community (however broadly you define it) lies at the very heart of any definition. Attending the ALA means two things: 1. You can spell “entrepreneur� without spellcheck. 2. You are more confused than average about the “true� meaning of entrepreneurship and leadership, but you are also much more comfortable with the uncertainty. All I had to offer at 15 years old — and for a negotiable price — were my customized (read: handmade) jewelry and art/calligraphy services for envelopes. (Quite a few boarding schools in Kenya still post letters.) One discovers quickly, however, that what you have to offer is hardly in question as long as you are sufficiently convincing, as well as
quick to grab a good deal when one presents itself. In addition, one finds that the seemingly trivial things, such as acquiring perfectly sized calligraphy pens and achieving the perfect location for one’s art, make an inordinate difference. Thus, my own working definition of social entrepreneurship: “the way of little things.� Inasmuch as most social entrepreneurs have lofty missions, I have often learned that movements and organizations are in fact large maps made up of small villages and tiny swamps and lots and lots of discrete individuals. When pitching Afrik’Art Gallery, our hope was to create a space where guests could simply have coffee and put up some cool stuff from different cultures on the African continent. But after pacifying an artist who wanted certain photographs framed this way, or a designer who wanted the cultural exchange to be broader, etc., Afrik’Art soon grew into much more than just symbolic trinkets with a holistic embrace of cultural and artistic diversity displayed behind a glass case. Similarly, my current project, Project 55stories, grew out of archiving stories from my mentees with an Ernst & Young program in South Africa, attempting to remap an entire continent—all 55 countries (depending on whether you count Mali and other potential secessionists)! These archival videos (55s of Fame) have given me stories I had rarely heard, as well as revealed a passion I had not even realized was blooming. Again, I am awed by the potency of mapping out my small passions. The emergent theme is restoration of dignity, whether it is in enabling young women in boarding school to obtain basic necessities while maintaining their pride, or legitimizing untold or unheard stories via Project 55stories. In this way, I can hardly be worried about what I will do next or what “job� (we need a lovelier word for this) I will have. Loose as it may be, I have been reflexively cultivating this passion, and it has become a way of life that I now choose deliberately every morning, like a signature scent. My hope is that I shall wear it well.
Image courtesy of cheeseontoast.co.nz
4FFO UIJSE GSPN UIF MFGU -POHTUSFUI T FFSJF BOE MZSJDBMMZ DPNQMFY NVTJD JT CFUUFS FYQFSJFODFE MJWF UIBO CPVOE CZ EJHJUBM SFDPSEJOH Chevron� are good ways in a live show to participate with the band, especially when their songs are so hard to sing along to. My favorite, however, was Mike Johnson, the drummer, whose enthusiasm won me over almost immediately. It didn’t hurt that Nat Baldwin, the bassist, was obviously making sure to carefully synchronize his music with Johnson. The energy of the band and the crowd drew on each other like symbiotic organisms, which explains why Longstretch doesn’t have much of a stage persona. He doesn’t need one. The crowd wasn’t too big and had obvi-
ously done their research — everybody knew the songs and there was something intimate about being in a group of strangers who could all enjoy the same unorthodox music. We all sang along to the last song, “Impregnable Question,� which I think could actually be a nice introduction to the band to those who haven’t heard of the Dirty Projectors before. It’s a soft, sweet love song with a simple message: “you’re my love, and I want you in my life.� Putting all of Longstreth’s experimentation aside, at the heart of his music is something everybody can relate to.
8 "SUT -JWJOH
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
Guess Who’s Going to Dinner $ISJTUJBO "WJMFT Contributing Writer Over the past several weeks, the President’s Office and the Office for Conferences and Special Events have organized a series of dinners intended to encourage students to engage outside their comfort zones and standard social groups. Conceived by a member of the Class of 2013, these gatherings are a unique opportunity to attend a small, elegant dinner dressed in your finest clothes. The evening consists of fancy meals (you know they are fancy when you can’t pronounce the name) and professionally selected wines. The other students at your table are a mix of many academic disciplines, which certainly makes for interesting conversations. Normally, I would scoff at the thought of these dinners, for several reasons: the ridiculously small amount of food served on a giant plate; the pretentiousness of people who talk about high-class culture; the fear that I’ll spill something on someone’s $5,000 shoes; the fact that I still don’t know which fork is the salad fork. The night started out like any other night at Amherst: having awkward small talk with people when all you could think about is, “Do these people even go here?� We had about 30 minutes to walk about the room and mingle with other students but naturally, we all stood in a giant circle as if we were about to play a game with a gi-
ant beach ball. I believe the organizers of this event must have anticipated the presence of “The Amherst Awkward,� because servers started to hand us glasses of champagne. I’m pretty sure it was bottomless champagne, because everyone in my small group had about six glasses (we would have kept going, but it was time to take our seats at as-
finally had the courage to introduce himself. That’s always the easy part, isn’t? Major. Class Year. Hometown. It’s like we’re trained to say that the first moment we meet someone at Amherst. After these introductions the only thought in my head was, “Oh dear God, there are three forks, three spoons and three knives. Come on, Christian, just
ner was a learning experience. It’s better to have asked your friend about the fork thing now than when you are at a dinner with the CEO of Bain Capital. I should mention that every course of the meal was paired with a fantastic wine. The young asparagus and wild arugula (aru-what?!) came with a Castello Banfi pinot grigio, San Angelo
Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office
4UVEFOUT FOKPZ mOF GPPE BOE XJOF BT JOWJUFFT UP 4FMFDU %JOOFST PSHBOJ[FE BU UIF TVHHFTUJPO PG B DVSSFOU TFOJPS signed tables). “Oh no!� I thought, “I’m being separated from my friends and now I won’t have anyone to talk to at my table.� I think the point was to separate me from my friends. I only recognized one other person at the table, and that’s only because he sits across from me in my English class. We sat in silence for about three minutes and someone
pick one and start eating the salad that is in front of you!� I looked around my table and noticed that no one else had the slightest idea of which fork to use. I was starting to think that everyone at the table probably had the same reservations about coming to this dinner. I actually had to ask one of my friends (who was a server) which fork I should use. I was starting to see that this din-
2011. My table poked fun at the fact that people are extremely picky about wine. We were saying things like, “Oh, this wine really has a sour hop that is reminiscent of [insert fancy wine here].� The next course, fava beans and potato dumplings, was paired with a Sonoma Coast chardonnay (2010). This wine was also really good, and we actually had the chef come and de-
scribe some of the wines to us. The last course, a delicious chocolate shortcake, was paired with Vietti’s Moscato d’Asti (2011). What is it with these names that I can’t pronounce? Nevertheless, this wine was my favorite and everyone at the dinner seemed to agree. It had a really sweet taste (look at me, I’m already becoming a wine critic!). This was a fantastic experience, and I got to know a lot of students to whom I wouldn’t normally talk (mission accomplished). Chris Friend ’14, the student introducing the dinner and the faculty, said that this dinner was also a way for students to safely drink in a more sophisticated manner. To that I say, “Why the endless bottles of champagne and wine?� In all seriousness, this dinner was a great cultural experience. Not only did I make new friends, but I also changed my previously held assumptions about these types of dinners. I learned proper table etiquette and that bottomless champagne isn’t a license to get wasted. Growing up means being able to go to a social event and sip — not chug — on classy wines. And I know a lot of people might criticize this event as a form of “Amherst elitism,� but it’s actually a great experience. Even if you will never go to another elegant, sophisticated, high-class dinner, it’s always interesting to hear other people’s stories: what makes them sad, what makes them happy and what they are passionate about. And hey, now I know the salad fork is the smallest one on the end.
The Story Behind Women of Amherst "CJHBJM #MJTT Contributing Writer This past weekend, the Women of Amherst performed “On Stage(s),� a show comprising mostly anonymous submissions written by female members of the community about their experiences at Amherst College. After the public and painful confrontation with sexual violence that Amherst experienced this past fall, the Women expected an onslaught of accounts of assault. Instead, along with the more weighty material, people sent in stories of virginity, letters of apology and appreciation to their bodies and explorations of sexual orientation. A script emerged from these submissions and a couple writing exercises from the fall semester that both celebrated and mocked these shared experiences: awkward middle school dances, first kisses that tasted like ketchup and insecurity, among many others. Thanks to a patient cast and an audience that wasn’t afraid to laugh or cry or let their jaws drop, On Stage(s) successfully shared the story of where we, the Women of Amherst, have been, are now and will go in the future. As seen in past years, what’s wonderful about the Women of Amherst’s cast is its diversity — of origins, interests, class years, sexual orientations, reasons for being in the show, and level of involvement. Even when dressed in the uniform performance colors of black and red, personalities poked through in the forms of silky red ties, short, skin-tight dresses and baggy black pants. Varied accents and a range of static speeches to roaming rants made each piece both personal for the performer and powerful for the public. What’s generally unexpected about the show is the variety of pieces performed. On Stage(s), like its predecessors, is not a litany of complaints about gender inequality and/or a
Stella Honey Yoon ’14 Public Affairs Office
1FSGPSNFST "EBVHP 6HPDIB .PSHBO #SPXO ,ZSB &MMJT .PPSF BOE -PSSBJOF &WP DPOKVSF B XJEF SBOHF PG FNPUJPOT XJUI UIFJS QFSGPSNBODFT JO UIF 8PNFO PG "NIFSTU QSPEVDUJPO i0O 4UBHF T w series of dramatic retellings of first periods, but ranges from discussions of what makes family to dreams of sticking googly eyes on a hypothetical penis, to pleas to distinguish between sex and rape. “Yes,� a poem performed towards the end of the show celebrates the joys of sex while recognizing that “no� means “no.� “Pregnant� is a group piece acknowledging and mocking the daily prompters of pregnancy scares: a hard uterus, having to pee and the baby aisle at CVS. “Family� speaks in appreciation for a certain strong mother and of love, which is a stronger binding force than either biology or marriage. Contrary to what seems to be a popular misconception, just because the show is written and performed by the Women of Amherst does not mean it is intended to be heard solely by the women of Amherst. What’s most important about the annual production is that it raises money through a raffle for the New England Learning Center for Women in Transition (NELCWIT), a local organization that provides support for survivors of domestic abuse and preventa-
tive education for Franklin Country and the North Quabbin region. Since 1976, NELCWIT has served over 14,000 members of the community. Last year, the Women of Amherst’s donation was the third largest donation that NELCWIT received. This year, we raised over $700 more dollars for a total of $2,320.13, making us extremely proud and NELCWIT very grateful. What made this year exceptional, in addition to the record breaking amount raised for NELCWIT, is that the show was entirely written, edited, directed, organized and performed by students. Cast members volunteered to make the programs and posters, the directors managed finances even without a department account number to use for funding, and each person approached multiple businesses and professors to ask for donations for the raffle. The cast was upset to say goodbye to Gretchen Krull, who has served as an advisor and mentor to the cast in the years past. After reaching out to a couple of staff members who understandably could not undertake the added responsibility of the
show, the Women of Amherst abandoned the idea of finding a new advisor. The ensuing level of support from the administration left a lot to be desired. In a time when the message of what it is like to be woman on this campus seemed more important than ever, many people were less than happy to accommodate or advise. Yet, the show went on, and so On Stage(s) became a product of hard work and independence. It was heartening to have the words I wrote spoken by a friend on stage, to have raised a considerable amount of money for a deserving organization, and to have looked out into attentive, encouraging faces and know that my voice was being heard. Thank you to those who came to the show, bought raffle tickets, and refused to allow women’s issues to exist only in an ephemeral phase of fervor on this campus. Even when voices die down and the speed at which articles are written slows and committees stop meeting, the story is not over. To learn more about NELCWIT or to donate, please visit: http://www.nelcwit.org/
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
Sports 9
Baseball Sweeps Ephs, Rides Streak to Eight Jeffs a Perfect 8-0 in Conference Play
Megan Robertson ’15 Public Affairs Office With solid pitching, tight defense and a balanced offensive attack, the Jeffs recorded a sweep against Williams for the third consecutive year. Karl Greenblatt ’15 Managing Sports Editor For the second straight weekend, the Jeffs came up big, recording a sweep against a conference rival. This time, it was the Ephs who fell victim to the Jeffs’ all-around solid play, dropping three straight to help the Jeffs bump their winning streak to eight. Coming into the weekend, the Ephs had been scuffling mightily, having dropped five straight contests. The Jeffs, meanwhile, were fresh off a sweep of Middlebury that saw them post two double-digit run performances. On paper, the series looked to be a lopsided one. Even as strong favorites, however, the Jeffs looked to this weekend — as is usually the case with Amherst-Williams
matchups — as a potential defining moment in their season. In Game 1 in Williamstown, the struggling Ephs showed that they would not go away easily. A Friday rainout meant that senior ace Bob Cook, who had nearly thrown a no-hitter his last time out, got the start in the first game of Saturday’s (April 13) doubleheader. This time around, Cook’s outing started much less auspiciously. The Ephs’ Matt Kastner led off with a single to left; he would advance to second on a sacrifice bunt, take third on a groundout and, with two outs, score on a wild pitch. After their two hits in the first inning, however, the Ephs would collect only four hits the rest of the game. Cook, not his usual, dominant self, struggled with his control at times, hitting three
Eph batters and walking another. Even with the wildness and without recording a single strikeout, however, Cook managed to hold Williams to just the one run over five innings. Cook’s brother, John Cook ’15, came on in relief and shut the door over the next two frames. Despite managing to keep the Ephs off the board for most of the contest, however, the Jeffs found offense of their own hard to come by. In fact, in a game that was scheduled to be seven innings, the Jeffs, though they had their share of chances, could not push a run across through the first six. In danger of a 1-0 loss that would be a devastating blow to start the series, the Jeffs finally responded in the top of the seventh. On this day, the hero was first-year Mike Odenwaelder, who, with one out, deposited a pitch from Thomas Murphy over the left-field fence. With the momentum squarely in their favor — but by no means out of the woods yet — the Jeffs extended the game into extra innings. After both teams failed to score in the eighth (though the Ephs threatened), the Jeffs would get the last laugh in their half of the ninth. Again, Odenwaelder took center stage with a one-out single and then a steal of second. Ultimately, though, it was fellow first-year Andrew Vandini who delivered the game-winning blow, driving in Odenwaelder with an RBI single. Andrew Kotin ’14, who had gotten out of a precarious jam in the bottom of the eighth, pitched an uneventful ninth to record the win. Despite perhaps being outplayed for most of the game, the Jeffs had eked out a 2-1 victory. That victory, difficult though it was, seemed to take the pressure off the Jeffs for the nightcap. In Game 2, the Jeffs silenced any concerns about their offensive abilities, responding with a five-run top of the first inning. Aided by two Williams errors, the Jeffs received RBI hits in the inning from Taiki Kasuga ’14 and Eric West ’15 as well as another blow from Odenwaelder, who laced a run-scoring triple to right-center. From there, the Jeffs never looked back. Despite giving up 11 hits, starter Fred Shepard ’14 kept the Ephs off the board until the
fifth inning, by which time the Jeffs already held an 8-0 lead. Both Kasuga and Nolan Stewart ’13 were 2-for-4 in the nightcap, with each adding a pair of RBI’s. The following day, the Jeffs went for the sweep as the series shifted to Amherst for a make-up of Friday’s rainout. Once again, the squad received a strong pitching effort from Dylan Driscoll ’14, who surrendered just two runs over four innings to go along with six strikeouts. Kotin and Adam Medoff ’13 also did a stellar job out of the bullpen, throwing two scoreless innings apiece. Meanwhile, the Jeff bats once again sprang to life, scoring at least one run in each of the first five innings. Vandini continued his hot hitting with a 3-for-3 performance, while Alex Hero ’14 went 3-4; both also homered in the contest. The 7-2 score after five held up for the rest of the game, and the Jeffs earned the sweep. Amherst’s success against Williams is hardly a recent phenomenon: the Jeffs have now swept the Ephs in three consecutive years and won 10 of their last 11 against the purple and gold. Still, a drubbing of their archrivals is rarely anything less than satisfying for an Amherst team. Coach Brian Hamm agreed, “Williams is a much stronger team than their record indicates, so sweeping the series was a good accomplishment. We found different ways to score runs this weekend, at times with small ball, and at times with home runs and extra base hits. Our defense is coming together, and that’s being led by our pitching: our entire staff is doing a great job for us.” This week, the Jeffs will prepare for another NESCAC road test as they face Hamilton for a four-game set on April 20-21. The Continentals are below .500 so far, but, over the weekend, they played a very competitive series with Middlebury in which all three contests were decided by one run. Ultimately, Hamilton lost two of three to drop to 9-15, but they proved that they won’t be fazed by matchups against better teams. Even so, the Jeffs, who have been playing well in all facets of the game, have every reason to like their chances for a third straight sweep.
Men’s Lacrosse Drops Two More Heartbreakers; Jeffs Now 4-8, 2-6 in NESCAC with Two to Play Brenton Arnaboldi ’14 Staff Writer Floundering in the midst of a rebuilding season, the men’s lacrosse team saw its NESCAC playoff hopes take a devastating hit this past week. The Jeffs dropped consecutive home games to Tufts and Conn. College, losing 12-8 on Saturday and 8-7 on Tuesday. The Jeffs (4-8, 2-6 NESCAC) now find themselves near the cellar of the NESCAC standings, sitting in the 9th place out of 11 teams. The top eight teams qualify for the NESCAC tournament. Amherst has two road games left on the schedule to salvage its dwindling playoff hopes: at Williams (3-5, 8th place) on Saturday and Trinity (2-6, T-9th place) next Wednesday. If the Jeffs lose at Williams this weekend, they will be mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. While Saturday’s 12-8 loss to national powerhouse Tufts — winners of the past three NESCAC titles — was largely expected, the Jeffs suffered an agonizing 8-7 loss to Conn. College (9-3, 6-2 NESCAC) last night at Gooding Field. Despite the discrepancy in re-
cords, Conn. College and Amherst entered the game with relatively similar goal differentials (+6 for Conn., -1 for Amherst), implying that the Jeffs had a strong chance of pulling off the upset on home turf. Down 3-1 at halftime, the Jeffs fell behind 7-3 in the third quarter before netting four unanswered goals, erasing the deficit with a spirited comeback. Once again, however, the Jeffs’ offense stagnated in the final minutes, allowing Conn. College to escape with the win. The Jeffs are now 0-4 in NESCAC one-goal games this season, struggling to pull out tight contests. The Jeffs stumbled to a slow start against Conn. College. The Camels dominated proceedings in the first quarter, going ahead 2-0 while building a 14-5 shots advantage. Devin Acton ’14 got Amherst on the scoreboard with a goal 3:16 into the second quarter, but the Camels responded 7:40 later to take a 3-1 lead into halftime. At the start of the second half, the Camels raced out of the gates, surging ahead 6-2 just six minutes into the period. Undaunted by the four-goal deficit, the Jeffs staged an epic rally, scoring five goals in an 8:19 span to knot the score at 7-7. Dylan Park ’16
struck first with 4:42 left in the third quarter, receiving a nice feed in the slot from Quinn Moroney ’16. After the Camels quickly responded to go up 7-3, Ramsey Bates ’13 and Acton scored with 2:47 and 0:54 left in the third quarter to pull the Jeffs to 7-5. Carrying the momentum into the final quarter, Amherst notched two quick goals to complete a stunning comeback. Park closed the deficit to 7-6 with a dazzling spin-o-rama goal 2:42 into the period before Jeff Izzo ’13 knotted the score 55 seconds later. But the Camels regained the lead with 7:11 left in regulation, capitalizing on a man-advantage opportunity. Amherst dominated possession the rest of the period — benefitting from three Conn College penalties in the final five minutes — but the Jeffs struggled to create prime scoring chances. Amherst outshot Conn. College 12-3 in the final period, but only four of those shots were on net. Four days earlier, the Jeffs scrambled to keep pace with powerful Tufts (10-3, 6-2 NESCAC), falling 12-8 in an action-packed contest. Bolstered by a high-octane attack, Tufts leads the NESCAC with 13.1 goals per game; to put in perspective, the NESCAC’s second highest-scor-
Megan Robertson ’15 Public Affairs Office The Jeffs, who have struggled in close games this season, will look to keep their playoff hopes alive this weekend. ing team (Middlebury) averages 9.63 goals per game. The Jeffs started the game brightly, going ahead 2-0 by the midway point of the first quarter. Amherst’s grip on the match deteriorated rapidly, however, as Tufts erupted for seven consecutive goals en route to a 7-3 halftime lead. The Jumbos netted two more early in the third quarter to extend
the lead to 9-3. Refusing to capitulate, the Jeffs staged a three-goal rally to close the period at 9-6. Tufts regained control in the fourth quarter, however, going ahead 12-6 before Acton notched two consolation goals in the dying minutes to make the score a respectable 12-8. In an impressive individual performance, Acton racked up four goals to lead the Amherst offense.
10 Sports
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
Club Spotlight: Looking Back on Wrestling’s Winter "OESFX ,OPY Contributing Writer The stage was set. Guy Mastis ’09 was set to wrestle for a national championship in Amherst’s first season as a club-wrestling program in the 20082009 season. His opponent didn’t even know where Amherst is, nor did most of the field at the National Collegiate Wrestling Association National Championship Tournament (NCWA). That all changed after Mastis won a national championship and earned all-American honors in the 235-pound weight class. Fast-forward to 2012, and success has become the norm for the relatively new club-wrestling program. The varsity program was dropped following the 1989-1990 season, but there was vast support for a wrestling program from Amherst wrestling alumni who took the skills and work ethic they learned from wrestling into their daily lives. They realized the impact that wrestling had on their lives and wanted current Amherst students to have the same experience.
It is the financial support from alumni, as well as support from Athletic Director Suzanne Coffey and the rest of the athletic department, that has made this success possible. Boasting a national champion and five All-Americans (top-eight finish), the wrestling team continues to have success on the national stage without the notoriety that they deserve both nationally and here at Amherst. It is important to Coach Eddy Augustin that “these guys get acknowledged for their hard work and success at the National level.� This season was a banner year for the Amherst club wrestling team. The team boasted four National Qualifiers for the NCWA National Championship Tournament in Allen, Texas: Theo Agbi ’15, Kody Weaver ’14, Stefan Breitling ’13 and Travis Dickenson ’13. Competing in 36 man brackets against wrestlers across all collegiate divisions, as well as “transition schools� that are attempting to move into NCAA Division I or II, Amherst has had incredible success. The talent level in the NCWA has steadily improved year after year, making Amherst’s continued ascendency
even more remarkable. Amherst has sent nine different wrestlers to the national tournament and has compiled an impressive 42-26 record in the National Tournament since 2009, firmly establishing Amherst as a wrestling power. Led by seniors Dickenson and Breitling, the program continued its march towards the top of the club wrestling ranks. Breitling is the program’s all-time wins leader and a three time National Qualifier. Dickenson racked up All-American honors for the third time in his Amherst career, as well as the program’s first Most Outstanding Wrestler Award at the Northeast Regional Qualifier, but he wasn’t even sure he would continue his wrestling career at Amherst. Dickenson said, “I did not plan on wrestling in college, but once I got on campus and learned that Coach Augustin was trying to bring back the program I couldn’t help but get back on the mats.� It is Coach Augustin’s passion and knowledge of wrestling that has continued the growth of the Amherst program. Agbi also has high praise for Coach Augustin: “I have had many
coaches, but none of them is like Coach Augustin. He will push you through the ringer and make you work like you never thought you could, but at the same time he is very compassionate.â€? The enthusiasm Coach Augustin has for wrestling has translated into encouraging wrestlers of all ability levels to join the team. In fact, some of Coach Augustin’s proudest moments are watching his new wrestlers use their training and technique in matches for the first time. His program is â€œâ€Śgeared to instruct, then to train our guys physically and mentally at every level, from competing for national championships to just learning the sport.â€? For Dickenson, this environment was central to his experience as an Amherst wrestler. He said, “The team camaraderie has always been amazing and has provided us older more experienced guys with plenty of opportunities to help the younger guys.â€? It is this kind of leadership that has allowed younger, more inexperienced wrestlers to grow and compete at a high level. Moving forward without seniors who were at the heart of the program
may be a deathblow at other programs, but not at Amherst. Coach Augustin as well as Dickenson believe that wrestlers like Agbi and Weaver will continue to be important contributors that will step into leadership positions next year. It is the attitude that Agbi takes onto the mat that will continue to push the Amherst wrestling program to new heights. After defeating a University of Texas at Austin wrestler, he said, “I had no idea that University of Texas Wrestling was such a big thing; to me they were just one more team I had to beat. I don’t care who you are or how good you are because at the end of the day you are standing between me and being the best.� It is the desire to be the best, whether they are beginning wrestlers or accomplished wrestlers, that pushes the Amherst wrestling team. They won’t settle until they are not only the best in New England, but in the nation. Dickenson said it best about the Amherst wrestling program, “I will miss wrestling greatly, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way, having been able to walk off the mat for the last time with Coach Augustin in my corner.�
Softball Rights Ship after Losing Four Straight ,FWJO )PPHTUSBUFO Staff Writer After losing three games to archrival Williams over the weekend, women’s softball rebounded to post a 6-4 win over Wellesley on Monday. The team fought hard against the Ephs (10-15, 4-2 NESCAC), only to end up losing three close games by a total of four runs. Williams’ series sweep leaves the Lord Jeffs (19-9, 3-6 NESCAC) in serious danger of missing postseason play. The Lord Jeffs opened the weekend by sending out ace Theresa Kelley ’13, and things started promisingly as the team put two on the board in the top of the first thanks to a Donna Leet ’15 two-run homer. Williams answered back, however, with two infield hits and a ground-rule double instantly tying things up. After another single put runners on first and second with nobody out, Kelley buckled down and the team recorded three crucial outs. Amherst retook the lead in the third when Kelsey Ayers ’15 scored from second on a Leet single. The team had a golden opportunity to add to the lead in the fourth, but Carolyn Miller ’14 was thrown out at home in a wild play after a Williams fielding error. The Ephs got to Kelley again in the fourth, chasing her from the game after a two-run single. Arielle Doering ’14 came on in relief and induced a groundout to end the inning, but the 4-3 lead would prove to be enough for Williams’ Emma Harrington ’15, who allowed just two hits after the third inning. Brianna Cook ’16 gave the Jeffs hope by
doubling to lead off the second, but Harrington stranded her at second with three straight outs. The second game was a wide-open affair, as the Jeffs stormed back from a 6-3 deficit with a four-run fifth inning before the Ephs tied the game in the bottom half of the frame and ultimately won it with an unearned seventh-inning run. Amherst jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to three Williams errors, setting the tone for a sloppily-fielded game. The Jeffs were fortunate to only be tied after the Ephs scored two but left the bases loaded in the second, and Williams took a 5-2 lead in the third, in part thanks to a two-error play that scored a run and put runners on second and third with nobody out. The teams traded runs in the fourth inning, with Caroline Sealander ’15 coming in to relieve Doering. Cook scored for Amherst after leading off the inning with a double and stealing third, while Williams’ Erica Lee walked before stealing second and advancing to third on a throwing error. Down 6-3, Amherst took advantage of a hit batsman and two hitters reaching on errors as Miller, Cook, Idalia Friedson ’15 and Sarah McKay ’16 all netted RBIs. Williams kept the game tied in the bottom half, and the score remained 7-7 heading into the seventh. The Jeffs had a runner on second with nobody out but failed to punch her in, leaving the door open for Williams. The Ephs took advantage, as a fielding error in the outfield allowed the leadoff runner to make it to third, and she was batted in two hitters later to end the game.
Megan Robertson ’15 Public Affairs Office 4PQIPNPSF %POOB -FFU IBT QSPWFE IFS SPPLJF TFBTPO TVDDFTT XBT OP nVLF BT TIF JT DVSSFOUMZ CBUUJOH BOE MFBET IFS UFBN XJUI 3#*T
In the series finale, Harrington once again stymied the Amherst bats, allowing nine hits but only two runs. Both teams stranded plenty of runners, and the Ephs left the bases loaded in consecutive innings. Williams scored their runs in three consecutive innings, starting in the third with a one-run single. The Ephs manufactured a run after the leadoff batter was hit by a pitch, and after a single loaded the bases Kelley came on to keep the Jeffs in the game with a strikeout and groundout. Kelley ran into trouble in the fifth but again induced a bases-loaded out, this time after three Ephs had crossed the plate. Amherst got one run back in the fourth with two doubles, but lost the chance to do more damage after having two runners on with one out. Cook laced a double and was driven in in the sixth, making the final score 4-2.
The Jeffs broke their losing streak against a talented Wellesley team, mostly thanks to a huge six-hit, four-run first inning that saw the team record six singles. Kelley returned to her dominant form, going six innings and allowing three runs, two of them earned. The Blue (19-9) chipped away at the lead with three one-run innings, pulling within one after a two-out throwing error to first extended the fourth inning and allowed a runner to score. The Jeffs found their insurance runs in the next frame, when Miller drove in two with a two-out single. Wellesley added one run in the seventh to make the final score 6-4. At 3-6 in conference play, Amherst currently sits fourth in the NESCAC West, with only the top two teams making the tournament. The Jeffs wrap up conference play this weekend against Wesleyan, who sit tied atop the West with a 5-1 record.
Bates Breaks Long Jump Record; Leads Jeffs at Minutemen Invit. /JDPMF :BOH Sports Section Editor On Saturday, April 13, the Amherst outdoor track & field team competed in its only “home� meet of the season at the UMass Minutemen Invitational. Contending with Division I, II and III teams, the men racked up 54 team points, placing seventh out of 14 overall and third amongst DIII programs. Northeastern University won the meet with a total of 110.50 points. Dillon Buckley ’13 won the steeplechase for the Jeffs with a time of 9:35.50. Teammate Greg Turissini ’15 was next to finish, coming in second with a time of 9:42.41, and Charlie Reighard ’14 came in fourth with a time of 10:04.94. In the 800 meters, Pat Grimes ’13 and Matt Melton ’14 earned Amherst some points, finishing second and fourth, respectively, with times of 1:53.77 and 1:54.75. Grimes nearly took first place as he was only 0.44 seconds behind the first place runner. In the field events, the Jeffs continued to succeed as Josiah Terrell-Perica ’15 placed fourth in the discus with a throw of 41.94 meters. Terrell-Perica had another strong showing
in the hammer throw, finishing seventh with a distance of 45.76 meters. The women also had multiple outstanding performances on the day as the team placed eighth out of 19 overall and second amongst DIII programs. Connecticut won the team title for the women. Notably, Naomi Bates ’14 broke the school record in long jump that had been set by Nicole Campbell ’00 in 1999. Bates posted a mark of 5.84 meters, which won her the event and the third longest DIII jump thus far in the season. Keri Lambert ’13 had great performance in her first steeplechase of the spring. Finishing second overall with time of 10:42.64, Lambert currently has the second fastest national time on the year and is looking to defend her national title in the event. In the 5K, Amherst women had two strong showings from Sarah Daly ’13 and Lizzy Briskin ’15, who finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Daly now has the 10th fastest DIII time this season (17:26.89). The Jeffs travel to Princeton next Friday for the Larry Ellis Invitational before returning to Massachusetts for the Little III Championships on Saturday, April 20 at Williams.
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
Sports 11
Women’s Lacrosse Stuns A Fan[atic]’s Opinion 'PVM 5SPVCMF Tufts in Finals Seconds
.BHHJF -BX Staff Writer
Senior captain Marta Randall scored with 13 seconds left in regulation to give the Amherst women’s lacrosse team a thrilling 6-5 victory over No. 17 Tufts on Saturday afternoon. The game ended a two-game losing streak for the Jeffs, who fell to Connecticut College, 10-8, last Wednesday evening. No. 10 Amherst is now 7-4 overall and 4-4 in NESCAC play. Krista Zsitvay ’14 opened scoring on Saturday with a free position shot just over two minutes into the first half, and classmate Alex Philie padded the lead with an unassisted score four minutes later. Gabby Horner ’14 responded with two consecutive goals for Tufts to tie the game with 21:07 left on the clock. With even play resulting in no goals for the next 12 minutes, Philie broke the drought with her second tally of the game at the nine-minute mark. first-year Caroline Ross evened the score for Tufts with two minutes left in the half, and the teams headed into the locker room tied, 3-3. Mia Haughton ’16 broke the tie just over a minute into the second half, taking advantage of a free position shot for her sixth goal of the season. Ross struck again, however, tying the game for the third time with 25 minutes remaining in the half. Amherst finally pulled ahead on a freeposition goal from Elizabeth Ludlow, but Tufts fired back 23 seconds later to make it 5-5 with just over seven minutes left in regulation. The Jumbos held possession of the ball as the clock wound down at the one-minute mark, but an offensive charge caused a turnover and gave the Jeffs their final chance of the game. Senior Captain Hilary Densen found Randall on the clear with a long pass into the Tufts defensive zone, and Randall quickly dodging her defender and buried the shot behind the Tufts goalkeeper for a dramatic finish. Amherst walked away with the victory, 6-5. Philie led the way for Amherst with two goals, two draw controls, two groundballs and one caused turnover, while Haughton followed close
behind with a goal and one assist. Christy Forrest made 14 saves in net to anchor the defense, as Tufts held a 27-13 shot advantage over the Jeffs. The exciting victory broke a two-game losing streak for Amherst, who suffered a tough two-goal loss to Conn. College last Wednesday. Densen and Houghton carried Amherst with a combined three goals, but it would not be enough against the Camels, who picked up their first NESCAC win. The teams shared possession for the first ten minutes of the game, but Randall broke the scoreless tie at 18:20 with an unassisted goal. Heidi Halsted ’15 responded two minutes later on a free position shot, sparking a four-goal run for the Camels. Down by three with under two minutes left in the half, Caroline Holliday ’14 stepped up and buried a free position shot to bring the Jeffs within two heading into the break. Conn kept up the pressure in the second half, however, as Taylor Thomas ’15 added her second of the game in the first three minutes to make it 5-2. Haughton answered three minutes later to cut the deficit to two, but the Camels scored five of the next seven goals for a 10-5 lead with 13 minutes remaining. First-year Elizabeth Paul tallied her first collegiate goal in the flurry, but play was delayed with 16:10 left due to inclement weather. The Camels picked up right where they left off when play resumed, notching two free position goals from Thomas and senior Bri Miller. Sarah Spector ’15 added her own free position score in between to buffer Conn’s offensive surge. Densen then set off a three-goal run for Amherst with an unassisted goal at the twelve-minute mark, but it would not be enough for the Jeffs. Meghan Mills ’15 scored the second goal of the run with under a minute left, and Densen finished off scoring on a free position shot with just three seconds left in the game. Amherst was two goals short at the buzzer, however, and the Camels walked off with the 10-8 victory. Amherst will look to start a new win streak on Saturday with a victory against NESCAC rival Williams. The conference showdown is set for noon on Gooding Field.
Golf Teams Begin Spring Seasons 7BSVO *ZFOHBS Staff Writer Men Travelling to UMass-Dartmouth, the men’s Golf team opened their spring season at the Hampton Inn Invitational this past weekend. After a respectable fall campaign that saw the squad finish fifth at the NESCAC Qualifier, the Jeffs were looking to get their spring off to a solid start. They faced a tall task, however, as they were without their top performer from the spring, Nicholas Koh ’14, who sat out this first event. In Koh’s absence, the Jeffs turned to their underclassmen to lead the way. Sophomores Jarvis Sill and Josh Moser both stepped up in a big way, finishing in the top-15 individuals to lead the Jeffs to a third-place showing. The top-three result marked Amherst’s best finish all year and bodes well for a successful spring. The Invitational was held at the Allendale Country Club’s par 72, 6,703-yard course. Originally scheduled as a two-day tournament, the opening round was cancelled after heavy rain left the course unplayable on Friday. With play beginning Saturday morning instead, the tournament was shortened to 18 holes, and the Jeffs took advantage. Sill put together his lowest round of the 20122013 season, shooting a 75 to finish in a six-way tie for fifth place, three strokes behind the leader. The result marked his first top-10 finish of the year, as he led all Amherst golfers on the afternoon. He barely edged out his teammate Moser, who made an impressive showing of his own with a 4-over par 76. Looking to build on this strong start to the season, the Jeffs will return to action at the Williams
Spring Opener this coming weekend. Women Led by Liz Monty ’13, the Women’s Golf Team opened their spring season with an impressive fourth-place finish at the Vassar Invitational last weekend. After notching four top-five finishes in the fall, Amherst evidently did not pick up any rust during their five-month layoff. Although the team finished behind NESCAC rivals Williams and Middlebury, it was a respectable start to the season and one that the team was certainly happy with. Monty, the Lady Jeffs’ top performer in the fall, picked up right where she left off in October, carding a two-day total of 157 to finish in a tie for third place individually. The senior played well in her opening round, shooting a 3-over par 75, but struggled on the back nine on Sunday en route to a final-round 82. First-year Devyn Gardner made a great showing as well, finishing nine strokes behind Monty to card Amherst’s second-lowest score of the tournament. After opening with a solid round of 79 on Saturday, the first-year had trouble keeping pace on Sunday (89), but still managed to finish tied for 14th place. With their impressive performance, Amherst began building towards the NCAA Championship at the end of the spring. The team has two more tournaments to prepare for the event, but certainly looked good in this opening test. The Lady Jeffs return to the course this weekend, hosting their only event of the season, the Jack Leaman Invitational at the Hickory Ridge Golf Club.
(BMFO .VTLBU
With baseball season just getting under way, Yankees faithful Galen assessed the Bombers and America’s pastime.
I have pet-peeves. I admit that most are a result of my cynicism, but I believe there are a few justifiable ones, too — beyond any disenchantment or negativity, that is. A girl asked me a couple days ago whether I was excited that baseball had begun. “Oh, definitely — I’ve been playing since I could walk and I love the game,” I said. She nodded, “Nice.” I expected — hoped for, even, despite my cynicism — a fantastic conversation to follow about the nuances of the game. Heck, maybe even a discussion about the politics of contracts in the MLB would ensue, or we’d even arrive at naming our professional baseball heroes. Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese were on the tip of my tongue. Then the clouds rolled in: “So who’s your team?” she asked. My team? My team? I wanted to ask her: who’s your team? Better yet: which do you own? Are you out there on the field with the players, fielding one ground ball after another or diving for line drives? Are you even close enough in the bleachers to have the audacity to say it’s your team? I refrained from asking these, afraid of revealing my distaste for ostensible baseball “fans” — those who jeer from behind the left field wall, or even pound the mats adjacent to the first base line. Instead, the most I could muster was, “Well, they’re not ‘my’ team, but I’ve always been a Yankees fan. My family’s roots are in New York, so I grew up loving them. What team do you like?” No offense to my peer, but her answer isn’t important. She framed a fact of greater significance. Nowadays, fans uphold the root word of their name: fanatic. Thinking one team is her own, the fan is obsessed without understanding the object of her infatuation — without being a true constituent. The fan jeers from beyond, a perspective so transparent a bit of lunacy almost necessarily emerges: the feeling of a connection with the team and players that really isn’t present. Then I found myself in a bind: I, too, despite hating her question, am a fan of the Yankees. I follow them from “beyond,” if you will, and have developed enough of a relative obsession to hope to read some account of their recent play or dealings when I open the Sports Section each morning. I griped for a week when I learned Curtis Granderson, their star outfielder, would be out until May with a broken arm; I called my Dad — from a pay phone in France, no less, having abandoned my seat at a café just to convey my disappointment — the moment the A-Rod’s connection surfaced with the anti-aging clinic in Miami; I tumbled into Spring depression when Teixiera, too, landed on the Disabled List with a hurt wrist. Now you know I’m a fan; you can call me a fanatic if you like (you’ll certainly be inclined, should you continue to read). On, then, as a fan, to the state of the current state of the Yankees. As my Dad said in a recent email: “They made their bed — they have to lie in it.” I mulled over his sentence for a good week, and I considered it alongside the many recent articles in The New York Times about the Yankees. How, I wondered, had they made their bed? Alex Rodriguez? Certainly one possibility — a hospital corner that can’t be untucked, even by the patient who kicks most. I was always told never to put all my eggs in one basket — I didn’t always listen, I learned that it was difficult to take even a a few eggs out and change a situation to which I had fully committed myself. By signing Rodriguez to a 10-year, multi-million dollar contract, the Yankees had to know they were restricting
themselves. And if they didn’t, they’re certainly feeling the consequences of the decision now: he’s not playing — though still making piles of money per year — and as a result Brian Cashman, the semi-disabled-himself General Manager, has had to scrounge up a rag-tag bunch of players to fill his spot (as well as those of the injured Teixiera and Granderson). Yet because he committed so much money to keeping Rodriguez when the contract extension was signed six years ago, the Yankees are finding themselves under tremendous financial burdens. That is, while they attempt to do fill gaps in the field, they can’t actually find any player who’s cheap enough while also as potentially promising as their injured stars. But they’re the Yankees, aren’t they? Well, sort of. The Yankees of old are the let’s-get-anyone-we-can-at-any-price team, but the new Yankees are working to lower their salary cap in order to make a little money — a complicated system of sub-luxury tax refunds I won’t delve into here. Though I own a Rodriguez jersey, I’m not willing to extend the problem too far beyond his contract. I won’t blame him, either, or his hip injuries, as ailments are a part of any sport. It’s for similar reasons that I’m leaving Granderson and Teixiera off the list of wrinkles in the bedsheets — injuries happen. Sure, you could blame any inconsistencies in Rodriguez’s play over the years, but they won a World Series in a large part because of him (add steroids to the equation wherever you want — I still maintain that it’s the player’s mind and skill that enables him to hit a baseball; any number of muscle-juices won’t make him any more likely to actually make contact). Yes, Derek Jeter is recovering from ankle surgery, but that doesn’t make the Yankees any worse (holistically — that is, beyond the sheer stats and wins). Blame the new players, if you want, or the old ones. Either way, they made the Major Leagues — they’re good enough to be there, at the very least. It comes down to the root of my Dad’s sage comment: how they went about it — the bed-making itself — not the sheets, blankets, pillows or mattress. Maybe, if I may be so bold, it’s the bed-makers. Any person who goes tumbling out of an airplane or belaying down buildings, like General Manager Brian Cashman, hopefully understands the risks that come with such activities. I’m not judging him for his decisions in his personal life: what you do on your own time is, well, all yours. I’ve done plenty of risky (rather, stupid) things in my life, and I do it with the hope that a big reward awaits. I can only believe that was a part of Cashman’s philosophy — a bit of the motivation for aspiring to find the thrill that comes from skydiving in that which might arise from paying more than 200 million for baseball’s biggest name. High-risk bonds, after all, are typically high yield. But what he’s missing is that this isn’t always the case; everything, even baseball, has exceptions. From a fan, then, to Bronx Bomber bedmakers: take pride in the beauty of baseball — that any prospect can rise to become a star. Don’t take from other teams as though they’re your farm league, but take from your own. Trust that money isn’t everything, even in modern baseball. Give the Ruth-like orphans of baseball, the wanderers of the minors, some chances to develop. Next time you have a Russell Martin or even a rowdy Nick Swisher, don’t lose him because of a prestigious Alex Rodriguez — make him into one. Ruffle up the sheets a little; let your patients move around a little in their bed; maybe even loosen it enough to allow some new possibilities to enter and acclimate.
Sports
5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t "QSJM
Megan Robertson ’15 Public Affairs Office
Men’s Tennis Stuns Fifth-Ranked Williams; Top-Ranked Lady Jeffs Continue to Roll Nicole Yang ’16 Sports Section Editor Men The now 17th-ranked Amherst tennis team had an excellent weekend of tennis, knocking off Conn. College, 20th-ranked and previously undefeated MIT and Hamilton. The weekend culminated on Sunday with a thrilling comeback win against fifth-ranked Williams. The Jeffs upset the Ephs in spectacular fashion, edging their archrivals, 5-4. Amherst fell short in all three doubles matches to start the day with a 3-0 deficit. In the No. 1 doubles match, Alexander Schidlovsky and Richard Meyer topped Mark Kahan ’13 and Michael Solimano ’16, 8-4. Ben Fife ’16 and Andrew Yaraghi ’16 gave Matt Micheli and Felix Sun an excellent fight in the No. 2 spot as Williams barely survived with a score of 9-8. Joey Fritz ’14 and Chris Dale ’14 battled Bryan Chow and Astrachan in the No. 3 spot where the Ephs won another tight match, 9-8. Heading into the singles matches 0-3, the resilient Jeffs did not lose hope and were confident that their singles lineup could still lead them to victory. Yaraghi had little trouble with Micheli in the No. 3 spot, defeating his opponent 6-2, 6-4. Justin Reindel ’14 experienced similar success in the No. 6 spot as he overpowered Howard Weiss 6-3, 6-3. Dale evened the score at 3-3, beat-
ing Chow in the No. 5 spot, 6-1, 7-6. Fritz also went to a second set tiebreak but was able to resist a strong effort by Meyer, finishing the first singles match with a score of 6-3, 7-6. Now with a 4-3 lead, the Jeffs looked to either Kahan or Fife for one more win to complete the upset. In the No. 2 spot, Kahan dropped the first set to Sun before regrouping to split sets (4-6, 6-4). Using both his own grit and the team’s momentum, Kahan came through in the clutch and won the decisive third set easily, 6-1. When asked to comment, Kahan remarked, “As I started getting back into the match, I realized that we had a good shot of winning this.” Even though Fife ended up losing his hard-fought match in the No. 4 spot, 4-6, 6-4, 4-6, Amherst had already earned the “W”, improving to 5-0 in the NESCAC. “Now we are in better position for the NESCAC tournament, and hopefully Nationals after that,” said Kahan. The Williams match was of huge significance for the Jeffs not only because of the instense rivalry but also because of the team’s efforts to improve its unexpectedly low national ranking. As Solimano puts it, “Now that we’ve beat a top-five team, it shows us that we’re in there.” The team looks to remain undefeated in the NESCAC and extend their eight dual-match winning streak this weekend against Trinity at home on Saturday, April 20 and against sixthranked Bowdoin at home on Sunday.
Women The top-ranked Amherst women’s tennis team remained undefeated in Division III and NESCAC play as they shut out two more of their opponents, 9-0. Against Conn. College on Thursday, the team did not drop a single set as both the singles and doubles cruised to victories. Notable on the day, first-year Sarah Monteagudo ’16 played No. 1 singles and won her match against Alexis Ditomassi, 6-4, 7-5. Monteagudo also played No.1 doubles with Isabel Camacho ’14, and they won their match against Jen Herbert and Brittney Cangemi, 8-3. In the No. 6 singles spot, Mary Soyster ’14 completely dominated her opponent, defeating Anneka Kalia, 6-1, 6-1. Soyster had paired up with first-year Rebecca Pol ’16 in the No. 2 doubles spot where they defeated Sara Krivoshik and Ditomassi, 8-3. Against 19th-ranked Tufts, the Lady Jeffs swept doubles and singles for their 10th consecutive dual-match win and fifth consecutive 9-0 shut out. Jordan Brewer ’14, who is the second-ranked DIII individual player in the Northeast, made quick work of her opponent Lindsay Katz in the No. 1 singles match, winning 6-1, 6-0. In doubles, Brewer and Gabby Devlin ’14, the top-ranked DIII doubles team in the Northeast, defeated Lauren Hollender and Shelci Bowman, 8-2, in the No. 1 doubles spot. The pair remains undefeated in DIII play this
season. In the No. 5 singles spot, Zoe Pangalos ’14 encountered some difficulties as she dropped the first set 4-6 to Hollender. Pangalos was able to tie it up by winning the second set 6-4 and then finished off her opponent in a competi-
tive tiebreak 10-8. Up next for the Lady Jeffs are 28thranked Bates at home on Wednesday and Wellesley at home on Sunday. Perhaps the biggest test for the team this season will come on Saturday, April 20 at third-ranked Williams.
Megan Robertson ’15 Public Affairs Office The women’s tennis team has won eight straight games and has not lost to a Div. III team this season.