Issue 4

THE AMHERST

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLVIII, ISSUE 4 l WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018

Volleyball Maintains Perfect Record with 3-0 Week See Sports, Page 10 AMHERSTSTUDENT.COM

College Sees Increase in New Faculty of Color Shawna Chen ’20 and Khalid Mohamed ’22 Managing News Editor and Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Maria Stenzel

Award-winning author Min Jin Lee, who spoke at LitFest and held a master class with students in March 2018, will begin her three-year appointment as writer-in-residence in the 2019-2020 academic year.

Writer Min Jin Lee to Teach at College Shawna Chen ’20 Managing News Editor

Renowned author and National Book Award finalist Min Jin Lee will join the college as a writerin-residence starting in the 2019-2020 academic year. Her three-year appointment to the English department comes after her appearance at the college’s LitFest in March 2018.

Lee has published a variety of short stories, novels and non-fiction and has received numerous accolades for her writing, including the New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship for Fiction, the Peden Prize from The Missouri Review for Best Story and The Narrative Prize for New and Emerging Writer. Her most recent novel, “Pachinko,” which chronicles the migration of a Korean family across generations, was a finalist for the 2017 National Book Award for fiction and a runner-up in the 2018 Dayton Literary Peace Prize in Fiction.

Lee immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea when she was seven years old. As an undergraduate, she studied history at Yale and later pursued a law degree at Georgetown University Law Center.

She worked as a lawyer before becoming a writer and has lectured at a range of academic institutions around the world.

English Professor Anton Bosman, the current

chair of the department, said the department is thrilled “to welcome a writer of her stature, in particular an Asian-American writer of global heritage and experience.”

“Both our faculty and our students have much to learn from her, and we feel honored to host her residency,” he added in an email interview.

As writer-in-residence, Lee will teach two courses per year and advise up to two thesis students each year. She intends to teach fiction and creative non-fiction with a “focus on self-awareness.”

“I was a history major when I was an undergraduate, and I had no intention of becoming a novelist; however, I loved the few writing classes I took for fun, and I think feeling uninhibited yet becoming more skilled as a young writer was significant to my personal maturation, not just as a professional writer, but even when I practiced law and for all of my personal correspondence,” she said in an email interview. “Being a strong writer has always been very important to me, and I hope to share this value … Above all, I would like to create a welcoming space for non-writers and advanced writers to take greater risks in their written expression.”

She hopes to help students “fall in love with the generative process,” she said. “Each draft teaches

us more about what we want to say, and I would be happy if my students learned to see that in their work — that with their efforts, they are approaching who they are, what they want to say, and what they care about.”

Lee said she was struck by the college’s “vibrant literary community” when she visited for LitFest.

According to President Biddy Martin, Lee expressed interest in returning to Amherst after the event, which eventually developed into conversations about a longer-term appointment. Students who spent time with Lee also voiced that she would make a great teacher, Martin said.

“She’s a fabulous writer, her workshop was so great, her presentation was so funny and smart and alive,” said English Professor Karen Sanchez-Eppler, who was the previous department chair and helped secure Lee’s appointment. The administration also hoped her presence would strengthen the Asian-American literary curriculum at the college, Sanchez-Eppler added.

“It was her excitement about being here and the administration’s recognition of it as an opportunity,” Sanchez-Eppler said. “Their sort of creativeness and interest in both energizing the humanities [and] building a stronger Asian-American curric-

Continued on Page 3

63 percent of new professors hired by the college in 2018 are people of color — 10 out of the total 16, Dean of Faculty Catherine Epstein reported, with two additional professors identifying as international. Last year, six of the 13 new professors hired for the tenure track were people of color — a comparatively lower proportion at 46 percent.

In 2005, only 15 percent of the faculty at Amherst were faculty of color. This year that number has jumped to 24 percent. Self-identifying students of color, in contrast, make up 45 percent of the student body.

While the percentage of faculty of color itself is not highly significant, Epstein said, it is a mark of success in a gradual and long-term process.

Nationwide, professors of color make up a small proportion of college faculty. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 76 percent of full-time faculty — which includes professors, associate professors, assistant professors, lecturers and instructors — in degreegranting postsecondary institutions were white in the fall of 2016. The same study showed that 82 percent of full-time professors were white. Previous NCES reports also show that higher percentages of faculty of color report intentions to leave institutions of higher education than their white counterparts do.

Currently, there is a cap of 188 faculty members as dictated by the Board of Trustees. New faculty positions open up through the departure of current faculty members or the creation of new positions. The college provides new faculty with resources such as access to mentoring, professional development opportunities and competitive salaries and compensation. “We make special efforts with faculty of color to connect them to other faculty at the college or in the Five Colleges with similar identities, backgrounds and/or disciplinary interests,” Epstein said.

The change in the makeup of the faculty was sparked by two lines of progression, Epstein said.

First, it followed more general hiring patterns of fellow institutions of higher learning, and second,

Continued on Page 3

Zumbyes Accepts First Female Member in 68-Year History Lauren Pelosi ’22 Staff Writer After 68 years as an all-male a capella group, the Zumbyes admitted its first female member, Emma Ratshin ’21, during the fall audition round that took place between Sept. 9 and Sept. 14. Ratshin was one of two women who auditioned for the Zumbyes this fall.

The group began in 1950 when eight first years with an interest in jazz formed the Zumbyes, a student organization that would operate independently from the music department. Almost 70 years later, the Zumbyes is one of the college’s longest-lasting institutions and is known for its extensive and tight-knit alumni network. The group uses a TTBB sound, meaning that there are two tenor and two bass parts. This sound requires singers to hit notes below many women’s vocal ranges. Ratshin, however, sings a Tenor 1 part, putting her in the range of

the highest tone the group uses.

Ratshin said she had wanted to audition for the Zumbyes since last fall. “A lot of the other [a cappella] groups have a sound that doesn’t work with my voice very well, because they like a more dark, round sound, and I have a really bright voice,” she said. “[The Zumbyes] also has a fun performative energy, which is something I liked immediately.”

“I just signed up for an audition, and nobody really questioned me,” she said.

During an audition, the group is looking for more than musical ability, Zumbyes’ music director John Ballard ’20 explained. “We consider not just your musicality and your ability to sing, but your personality and how you fit socially within the group,” he said. “And she was hilarious.”

While Ratshin fit their criteria of talent and character, the Zumbyes were hesitant to transform the group’s all-male identity. “I got a callback after hours of discussion,” Ratshin said. “I think they had

an existential crisis.”

“We didn’t want to take the decision lightly, because we knew it would alter the fundamental structure of the group,” Ballard said. “So we sat in the room for about five hours to hash it out. It had been something we had talked about in the past years, but no one had ever auditioned who was female, so it never had been a real discussion.”

The Zumbyes initially turned Ratshin down.

The following day, however, Ballard called Ratshin to tell her that the group had talked it over again, and that they had changed their mind.

Ultimately, Ballard said, the decision stemmed from Ratshin’s undeniable talent. “She was amazing.

So we called her back, she was amazing again, and then after callbacks we had to make the decision of what we wanted the future of the group to look like.”

One of the group’s concerns was the response from alumni who favored the all-male tradition. “[The Zumbyes] holds a special place in a lot of

the alumni’s hearts, especially those who were in the group,” Ballard said. “While a lot of things have changed [at Amherst] in the last [68] years, the Zumbyes has remained relatively the same.”

“The way we looked at it, this was a decision for the current iteration of the group to make about our current group,” Ballard explained. “And the future generations can make whatever decisions they want to make.”

The group’s leadership does not anticipate the need for many social or musical changes. “I think we now classify ourselves as a gender-neutral TTBB group, but we’re going to maintain that low sound,” said Ballard. “Her voice will help a lot of our upper parts sound more full and bright. When guys sing up there, they have to sing in falsetto; they sing it really light and floaty. But she can sing it more fully.”

The Zumbyes notified alumni of the group’s

Continued on Page 3

News

The Amherst Student • September 26, 2018

Sept. 17, 2018 - Sept. 23, 2018

1:27 p.m., Cohan Dormitory An officer responded to confiscate an item located by a custodian. >>Sept. 18, 2018 12:32 a.m., Tyler Parking Lot A vehicle was parked on the grass and was ticketed.

3

Zumbyes’ First Female Member Received With Enthusiasm Continued from Page 1

David Green >>Sept. 17, 2018 11:22 a.m., Merrill Science Building The detective investigated a larceny.

News

noise complaint after the party host did not answer their phone when called. >>Sept. 22, 2018 12:04 a.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory Officers responded to a report of noise and found a number of people leaving the area.

1:14 a.m., Moore Dormitory An officer confiscated items not permitted in the residence halls that were found in a student’s room.

1:47 a.m., Frost Library A community service officer found part of a smoking de- 1:33 a.m., The Evergreens vice left behind in the library. An officer responded to a request for assistance from 6:43 a.m., Valentine Loading Amherst College students for a non-student.

Dock An officer responded to a 2:12 a.m., Hills Lot minor motor vehicle acciOfficers assisted an indident. vidual with reuniting with a friend because they were 11:47 a.m., Valentine Loadlost. ing Dock An officer responded to a 2:56 p.m., Hitchcock Field minor motor vehicle acciOfficers addressed an indident. vidual urinating outside.

11:37 p.m., Moore Dormi5:25 p.m., Greenway Buildtory Officers confiscated candles ing C An officer responded to a from a student’s room. report of annoying behavior. >>Sept. 19, 2018 5:57 p.m., Off Campus Loca10:11 a.m., Converse Hall tions An officer responded to a Students called to report a maintenance issue with an possible fight off campus. alarm.

The Amherst Police Department was notified.

11:03 p.m., Charles Pratt Dormitory 6:17 p.m., Greenway BuildOfficers assisted a parent in making contact with their ing C An officer responded to a child. report of damage to an exit sign.

11:44 pm., Seeley Mudd Building 7:31 p.m., Morris Pratt DorOfficers responded to a mitory report of a group of people An individual accidentally being loud. No issues were activated the emergency found. button in the elevator. There were no issues. >>Sept. 20, 2018 6 p.m., Campus Grounds >>Sept. 23, 2018 Environmental Health and Safety and ACPD officers as- 3:18 a.m., Seelye Hall Officers observed hard sisted with fire drills. alcohol in the room at the 6:39 p.m., Campus Grounds completion of a registered party.

Officers responded to a report of an animal complaint 3:35 a.m., Tuttle Hill and found none in the area Officers spoke with an alum at that time. visiting friends. >>Sept. 21, 2018 9:41 a.m., Cohan Dormitory 12:40 p.m., Spring Street Amherst Police Department A student reported the theft of a poster. and ACPD officers responded to a report of a minor 12:28 p.m., Frost Library motor vehicle accident.

An officer responded to a report of an animal complaint.

10:04 p.m., Hitchcock Hall An officer observed a candle in a room that was left burn- 12:29 p.m., James Dormitory ing and unattended by the An officer responded to a resident. report of soap dispensers 11:28 p.m., Mayo-Smith Hall ripped off of the wall in the bathrooms.

Officers responded to a

Thoughts on Theses Department of Theater and Dance

David Green ’19E is a theater and dance major. His performance thesis examines biblical narratives. His thesis advisor is Associate Professor of Theater and Dance Ron Bashford.

Q: What is your thesis about?

A: My thesis is a theater and dance thesis about the relationship between God and humankind, specifically her relationship with her first children, Adam and Eve and also the serpent and how this extends to humanity. In a story of redemption that addresses a serious matter while incorporating aspects of my comedic writing style, this play looks at biblical narratives and reimagines them to be more inclusive in a way that deviates from the pervasive white, male narrative we see in today’s society.

Q: Where did you get the idea for your thesis?

A: Two springs ago, I did a directing studio, in which you direct a few different projects. One of the pieces was four actors and we created an original Adam and Eve story and incorporated Lillith, an unconventional biblical character.

This piece laid the framework for my first nine scenes of my thesis, and I’ve expanded it to include an even deeper biblical reference.

Q: Where are you in the process of your thesis?

A: We held auditions the first day of classes, and we have been rehearsing ever since. There are a bunch of people involved. I have a costume, lighting and sound designer, a music director, so a lot of the process is rehearsal. Another big aspect is meeting with everyone to ensure we’re following the same streamline vision so we can present a coherent, impactful piece.

ways, I had the option of doing a story on myself or of doing a story on someone else. I decided not to do a story on myself because I didn’t think it would be particularly useful in our society’s discourse. However, doing a story on someone else requires a lot of attention to detail, because I need to accurately portray their story to address the issues and problems they are facing.

Simultaneously, I am incorporating religion in a way that is effective and meaningful, so there is nuance in how to approach this subject.

Q: What has been the most rewarding part?

A: I’ve been writing this thesis for a year and a half, so it’s been really close to my chest. I was nervous on how people would receive this piece because it involves identity politics and important issues, so I’ve been collaborating with people who comes from diverse backgrounds to ensure the accurate portrayal of different stories.

Now, seeing everything start to come together on stage is surreal.

Q: Do you have any advice for students who are thinking of writing a theater and dance thesis or even just a thesis in general?

A: In a broad sense, your thesis swallows up your life. Make sure you’re really happy and interested in what you’re writing your thesis on because while it is an extremely rewarding experience, there is little time to focus on much else. It is a lot of time, heart and energy, but it is exciting to work on something that is all-encompassing!

Q: What has been the most challenging part?

A: As a person who is not marginalized in many

—Sarah Melanson ’20

Interested in having your voice heard on campus?

e h t n Joi ! n o i t c e s s new If you want to write for us, email eswislow20@amherst.edu, Schen20@amherst.edU or nderosa21@amherst.edu

2018-2019 roster via Facebook. Jake Samuels ’15, a Zumbye alumnus, said in an email interview that alumni received the group’s announcement of the new class with an “outpouring of support.”

“When I was in the group, its diversity, as juxtaposed to its apparent homogeneity when it was founded, was a point of pride,” Samuels said. “Be it race, geography, sexual orientation, etc., it was nice to see that a group so steeped in tradition and so embraced by the college was accessible to people like me who were minorities on campus. That being said, diversity was never an explicit goal; the Zumbyes who ended up in the group were just those singers and personalities who happened to best fit what the group wanted. In that way, Emma is no different than the rest of her cohort.”

“I’m always proud to be a Zumbye,” he added, “but seeing Zumbyes past and present embrace

Emma like that was a particularly warm moment for me.”

Jon Willson ’86, another Zumbye alumnus, sees Ratshin’s addition to the group as a plus. “The musical opportunities are greater,” he said, “and the cultural shift — if there is one — can only be positive.”

However, the Zumbyes’ business manager, Tommy Mobley ’20, pointed out that the platform through which the group made the announcement might have skewed the initial alumni response.

“Most of the alums that are on social media with us … are fairly young,” he said. “I think that some of the older alums that stereotypically would be opposed to breaking traditions like this may not have heard about it yet.”

Current Zumbyes have met with Ratshin multiple times to reiterate their unconditional support, Ratshin said. “I really like the people in the group,” she added. “I’m so excited to do this thing with them.”

Photo courtesy of Audrey Cheng ’20

The Zumbyes, one of Amherst’s traditionally all-male a cappella groups, admitted its first female member after auditions in early September.

College to Welcome Min Jin Lee as Writer-in-Residence Continued from Page 1 ulum at the college — all those things sort of just came together and it worked.”

Samantha Schriger ’20 attended Lee’s LitFest master class, “Interviewing for Fiction Writing,” and found her to be “so likable and effortlessly cool.”

Lee spent the hour interviewing students through casual conversation and demonstrating

how she might build a character out of their answers. “After interviewing everyone, she would say, ‘I really liked the raspy quality of your voice, and I liked the way you were playing with your hair,’ and then she would create a character that had those traits,” Schriger said. “That’s her way of making characters come alive.”

Alumnus Spencer Quong ’18 also attended Lee’s master class and said her teaching “helped me shift

the way I thought about fiction.”

“Even though you know fiction is built through research and hard work, there’s still the stereotype that it comes through some sort of creative, nebulous place, but ... she was all about making it grounded in detail and things that you observe from life or ask people about their lives,” he said.

This year, Lee received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Radcliffe Insti-

tute of Advanced Studies at Harvard. She is currently working on her third novel, “American Hagwon,” which she said “explores the value of education for Koreans around the world.”

“I’m looking forward to sharing my love for and commitment to creative expression and learning more about my new community,” Lee added. “It wouldn’t hurt to have dumplings at Lili’s Restaurant regularly.”

ResLife Undergoes Structural Changes after Staff Turnover Emma Swislow ’20 Managing News Editor After four of the five assistant directors of residential life (ADs) left the college over a two-month period this summer, the Office of Residential Life has undergone an organizational restructuring that will create at least six new positions.

In past years, departmental duties were divided between a director of residential life, an assistant director of operations, an administrative assistant and five ADs, each overseeing a segment of campus in addition to other duties. Now, the office plans to have a director, two assistant directors, an administrative assistant, four newly hired community development coordinators (CDCs), an operations assistant and one to two part-time programming assistants. This will increase the office’s number of employees from eight to 11 people, a much needed change according to Senior Associate Dean of Students Dean Gendron.

“We just didn’t have the number of human beings that we needed,” Gendron said. “Everyone had to be a generalist and everyone had to know everybody else’s job. In this model, in addition to having

more human beings, we’re able to attract people who have specialties and deeper interests in certain areas. We’re not interested in just maintaining orderly calendar events.”

The office is still in the hiring process for the operations and programming assistants, but they have hired four CDCs. The division of the campus into four geographic “portfolios” will be the same as it was before, but only one person will supervise the first-year quad, rather than two.

The operations assistant will focus on logistical and administrative work like answering students’ questions and managing housing assignments.

The programming assistant, a part-time position, will help support the CDCs and resident counselors (RCs) with planning programming for their residence halls. Director of Residential Life Andrea Cadyma also hopes that they’ll be able to build up the office’s social media presence as another way to connect with students more directly.

Although the titles are different, there is some overlap in responsibilities between the AD and CDC positions. The CDCs will each still oversee a variety of residence halls and RCs, but will have different work schedules than ADs.

“We’re time-shifting the CDCs work hours to start in the afternoon and go into the evening hours,” Gendron said. “The purpose of this is to give CDCs the flexibility and sustainable work calendar to be in community with RCs and in community with residents in common spaces for the purpose of planning and implementing programming. That was not true of the ADs.” The schedule is still up in the air, according to Director of Residential Life Andrea Cadyma, but the hope is that CDCs will work from the afternoon into the evening two to three days a week.

Gendron sees this change in work hours and the addition of an operations assistant as a chance for ResLife to collect more consistent feedback from students and close the communication gaps that have been present in past years.

“The former role of the AD was stretched very thinly because it required that they help us to a significant degree in planning the operational calendar of events that ResLife needs to execute,” Gendron said. “What we’re doing by creating this new layer is allowing the CDCs to refocus on their own communities.”

Cadyma sees the more direct line of communi-

cations between students, student staff, and ResLife as a chance to improve other aspects of the office’s responsibilities. “That opportunity will give us in real time, a better sense of what students want and need,” Cadyma said. “Seeing growth and improvement in that process means that hopefully we’ll be able to see that in the other processes we have in our office.”

Mackenzie Stein ’19, who has been an RC for the past three years, sees the addition of the CDC positions as a change that will allow ResLife staff to build better relationships with students.

“CDCs are able to spend more time and energy working directly with their RC staff and the residents,” Stein said. “This allows [both RCs and ResLife staff] to focus more on student issues that arise in dorms and all over campus, and also gives students more access to the staff as a whole.”

According to Gendron, the office had already been considering implementing this new structure, but the departure of four ADs spurred the change.

Gendron said that all of the ADs who left moved into roles of greater responsibility at other institutions and in some cases were also able to move closer to family.

pened, and became part of the committee pushing for more faculty of color.

“Even though I knew it was so important at the time to have student voices heard, now as a senior getting ready to graduate, I realize that I wouldn’t have been able to get to this point where I’m getting ready to graduate without the faculty of color who were there for me, who listened to me, who advocated for me in times of uncertainty ... and in the moments when it felt like the administration didn’t really understand me or really care about me and my voice,” Ock said. “So the fact that there is this push and this acknowledgment that faculty of color here at Amherst are valuable is so important to me, and I know that this is not the end — that there needs to be more done to not only bring in faculty of color but also accommodate them and make sure that retention is a key point in conversations moving forward.”

Rachel Kang ’21, a member of the Asian Students Association and diversity intern in the Office of Admissions, agreed that increasing retention rates should be a priority.

“We have to think about … how many faculty of color are being replaced by faculty of color and who’s being hired in which departments,” Kang said.

“I do think there are some departments that have more than others, and the identity of the faculty is a key factor for me when I’m choosing my classes, although it’s a heavy burden to put on the professors.”

Sade Green ’20, a senator in the Association of Amherst Students, said it is “beyond amazing” that the college has increased its hires of faculty of color.

“Diversity and inclusion work is not a one-time thing,” she added.

“Amherst College needs to actively cultivate an environment that is consistently equitable and just,” she said in an email interview. “In other words, the college needs to treat faculty of color with the same amount of respect that they treat white tenured faculty with. The college needs to ensure that faculty of color aren’t doing all of the emotional labor when engaging in dialogue regarding race. The college needs to deem faculty of color’s concerns legitimate and take active steps to rectify unjust situations.”

The goal is not “an even representation along racial lines,” Kang said. Rather, the focus should be on what a diverse and inclusive faculty line means for students’ experiences at the college. “What does it mean when a student of color works under a white professor on a thesis? Does that make them uncomfortable, does that make them not want to write a

thesis, does it make them want to spend more time with them and go to office hours and feel comfortable asking uncomfortable questions?” Kang said.

She suggested including students on search committees for new faculty and incorporating their opinions into criteria for candidates.

“One more thing would just be examining what kinds of backgrounds these professors are from — people of color is a very umbrella term,” Kang added. “So, who are these people? As an international student, there is always a desire for a professor with global perspective, someone who has lived or studied abroad, with a global approach to material.

There are more ways to approach diversity than selfidentification with are you white or no.”

Ultimately, the drive to create a “diverse intellectual community” at Amherst is rooted in the community as a whole — from administration and faculty, to students and staff, said Martin. “A significant number of retirements over the past several years have allowed us to attract talented faculty from a wide range of backgrounds, bringing us closer to the goal of creating a diverse intellectual community in which all three terms in that phrase have as much meaning as the middle one has always had,” she said in an email interview.

10 of 16 New College Faculty Identify as People of Color Continued from Page 1 the process was accelerated by the demands of the student body during Amherst Uprising.

Amherst Uprising was a student-led movement in November 2015 that protested the treatment of marginalized communities on campus and the lack of structural support for students of color. One of the main issues raised was the lack of faculty diversity, a perceived poor retention rate for faculty of color and the extra burden on faculty of color to provide emotional support to students of color.

In a statement responding to the list of demands presented by the movement representatives, President Biddy Martin outlined goals to “build a more diverse staff and faculty, with more aggressive recruitment and effective hiring and retention strategies,” and “acknowledge and support the work done by those staff and faculty who are primary sources of support for low-income students and students of color.”

Looking back on the movement, Epstein said that “it was an enormous gift from the student body — a wake-up call to us, the administration.”

Ludia Ock ’19 was a first year in her first semester at the college when Amherst Uprising hap-

Opinion

The Amherst Student • September 26, 2018

THE AMHERST

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

call-out culture is often temporary and immediate; we love to tell our peers off in Val or Frost, but how many times do we follow up and try to discuss the conflict?

Another difficulty with call-out culture is that it creates false and limiting binaries. The calledout student is condemned as sexist, for example, while the one who calls out is positioned as morally superior, the expert on forms of oppression and free from any criticism themselves. It’s enticing; calling someone else out simultaneously draws the critical focus to someone else and makes you the “woke” one. You are the hero of the story, able to call out other people’s missteps, while never turning that critical gaze back on yourself. But the truth is, we all hold multiple identities, and with them, multiple privileges and points of oppression. We have all, at some point, said something insensitive and ignorant.

We have all been ill-informed. We have all hurt and offended people. We have all even harbored hurtful and offensive ideas about others. And to be a vigilante caller-outer without acknowledging that is just as problematic as what you’re calling out.

It is difficult to facilitate discourse around identity, especially with people we care about like friends, family, professors and college staff. The solution is not to stop calling out offensive things that are said. But we should stop placing ourselves in a morally superior position. We are not better people because, after several years of Amherst education, we are more well-versed in the social and political language to describe and discuss identities than a first year. We must be mindful about the identities that we ourselves hold, and the positions of power (or lack thereof) that come from who we are. It is in this mindfulness that we will find the precision, sensitivity and care for others that are necessary to hold meaningful and productive conversations with our peers on campus.

Editors-in-Chief Nate Quigley Isabel Tessier Managing News Shawna Chen Emma Swislow Assistant News Natalie De Rosa Managing Opinion Kelly Chian Diane Lee Managing Arts and Living Olivia Gieger Seoyeon Kim Managing Sports Connor Haugh Henry Newton S TA F F Head Publishers Joseph Centeno, Emmy Sohn, Mark Nathin Design Editors Katie Boback, Zehra Madhavan, Maria Mejia, Julia Shea Digital Director Dylan Momplaisir

Letters Policy 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 email account (astudent@amherst.edu) by noon 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 or email address where the author or authors may be reached. Letters and columns may be edited for clarity and Student style.

Publication Standards

Your “Moral Tourism” Volunteering Essay Shouldn’t Have Gotten You Into College Maeve Brammer ’22 Contributing Writer As I complete my first month as an Amherst College first year, I’ve noticed that the topic of the college application process still hasn’t quite left my mind. Whether through the tours of high school students or Voices of the Class show from Orientation weekend, I’ve had frequent reminders of the Common Application essay that I worried over for three months.

According to the Common Application website, the most commonly used prompt is the fifth: “Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth...” During the college application process, I read several essays responding to prompt five, and soon realized that this prompt lends itself well to a very specific type of essay: the Volunteering Abroad Essay.

It’s easy to imagine the narrative these essays follow: a student with a passion for helping others discovered more about that generous, worldly part of themselves when they travelled to a developing nation and formed connections with the people that lived there.

The essay’s form is ideal for students who hope

to present themselves as so-called “global citizens.” These short-term international volunteering opportunities, however, shouldn’t be fodder for application essays. They are similar to the programs I encountered while trying to plan the gap year I took between high school and Amherst.

As we look at the “savior complex” these sorts of essays invoke, we must begin to question the purpose of these trips as means of self-presentation. The concept of walking into foreign countries and “raising” locals out of their poverty is a fundamentally flawed one, and two-week excursions with lofty goals do little to influence the greater world, though they are often presented otherwise. In fact, even with the best of intentions, trips and programs that promote international voluntourism can harm communities and prohibit actual progress, especially if volunteers are ill-prepared. This is not to discount the emotional connection that can come from international volunteering opportunities. Students who travel abroad for short periods of time will no doubt meet people unlike those who live in their hometown. But how can we continue to validate these trips if they mostly benefit the

5

Considering Tradition on a Changing Campus

Calling In Call-Out Culture

As we all know, Amherst is one of the most diverse college campuses in the nation in terms of race, class and geographic makeup. With these demographic changes have come cultural changes as well — an understanding that identity profoundly shapes the way we navigate our lives, at Amherst and beyond, and the acknowledgment that we need to be sensitive when discussing these identities.

This culture shift has accompanied by various movements, ranging from campus-based ones like Amherst Uprising, to national like Black Lives Matter and #MeToo. In thinking critically about this discourse, we want to consider the benefits and downfalls of call-out culture. Calling out is the practice of publicly condemning an individual for saying something racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, classist, etc. At a historicallywhite, historically-male institution like Amherst, calling out these sentiments can be an empowering process for students of marginalized identities — a clear signal to peers that yes, I belong here as much as you do, and I have the right to be treated with respect. This type of vigilance can be a crucial coping-mechanism for students who continue to feel uncomfortable at Amherst. But when does call-out culture cease to be productive and turn toxic instead?

All too often, we enjoy the act of calling each other out — seeing that our peers are wrong and that we are right. Perhaps this attitude is a continuation of the competitive interactions that we participate in in the classroom and at sports games. Unfortunately, the habit of calling out often only inflames situations and creates divisions, rather than provoking critical and thorough discussion. Issues of identity are highly personal for people, contingent on the ways in which they have been socialized from a young age. Call-out culture often triggers a feeling of being attacked based on these backgrounds, rather than creating productive conversations. Furthermore,

Opinion

white tourist?

Not only is the practice of international voluntourism harmful, but the way that it is presented in the “international experience” essay also ranges from slightly uncomfortable to dangerous. The problem is that the typical “global citizen” essay doesn’t tackle the complicated ethics surrounding short-term-volunteering, or discuss the potential colonizing or mono-cultural impacts of sending hordes of well-intentioned but ill-prepared young people abroad. The presentation of people in developing nations as poor and needy dehumanizes them – the antithesis of that connection which these trips are designed to enforce. Why should an ideal college student feel an obligation to “help out” and “do their part” abroad, and how is that related to their sense of privilege?

It’s time to stop writing one-dimensional essays about international volunteering and change the narrative around service trips. Being interested in working abroad is not an inherently bad quality, but it’s not a simple one either. Taking advantage of opportunities to travel and work in other countries should not be a decision you make lightly. Let’s stop presenting it as one.

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Grayson Mugford ’22 Contributing Writer On the last day of Orientation, I found myself attending Amherst’s opening convocation. Led by President Biddy Martin, assembly began with the ceremonial entrance of the faculty dressed in a colorful array of felted robes and hoods. The presentation of honorary degrees was then followed by a speech from President Martin. The convocation finally concluded with a unified singing of our school song, “Amherst Hymn.”

As a first year, I was beholden to this display from my uncomfortable perch in a Johnson Chapel pew. Throughout the course of Convocation, I found myself experiencing an unexpectedly visceral reaction to each stage of the event. Coming from an elite New England boarding school, the Loomis Chaffee School, I have become accustomed to academic displays of self-aggrandizement. I have heard far too many speeches extolling the unique vir-

tues of an institution. I have sung a contrived school song retrofitted to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy.” However, I found myself especially taken aback by the unchecked pretentiousness that seemed to govern the opening convocation at Amherst. The combination of medieval fashion, excessive self-congratulation and even the title “Amherst Hymn,” presented to me an image of institutional pride and tradition pushed to the point of hypocrisy.

Both nationally and globally, the past few decades have seen a shift away from the archaic traditions that formerly defined higher education. Fewer and fewer graduations require student to wear the conventional cap and gown. Many secondary schools have eschewed labels such as valedictorian, and some have even fully eliminated the concept of class rank. These efforts have been undertaken to promote academic cooperation and eliminate the perception of elite education as exclusionary and inaccessible. This movement has coincided with a simultaneous effort among

colleges and secondary schools to promote diversity. Having recently gone through the college application process, I can attest that one of the first statistics displayed on any college’s (Amherst included) brochure or admissions page is the diversity of its student body in terms of race, national origin and income.

The movement away from educational status symbols and towards diversity has worked in tandem to create an educational system with abundant opportunity and access for far more people than ever before. And Amherst is at the front of this effort.

It is for those reasons that I found Amherst’s opening convocation so antithetical to its proclaimed mission. The faculty’s robes, hoods and caps harken back to a period in history where education was a status symbol — a distinction between the rich and poor, majority and minority. Additionally, the title and content of the “Amherst Hymn” work to portray this college almost as a holy bastion of learning. The song swings jarringly between

sacred allusions (“In the temple of these hills, beauty has her alter”) and claims of a superior education (“true learning shall not wither”). These words work in tandem to promote a misplaced reverence towards the erudite, which reinforces the perception of education as incomprensible and important yet only accessible to a few. This rang hypocritical, as Amherst constantly praises its diversity and accessibility, yet steadfastly hangs on to vestiges of the exclusionary history of education.

I believe that the only way for Amherst College to truly fulfill its oft-stated promise of inclusionary education is to eliminate these archaic traditions. Such practices do nothing but artificially reaffirm the college’s own self-proclaimed superiority. Amherst’s prestige shouldn’t be ostentatiously displayed through song and dress, but rather should be proven through the promise of a top-notch education presented with modesty and accessibility to match its proclaimed mission of diversity and inclusion.

If I May: Reflecting on Tiger Woods Jake May ’19 Columnist On Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018, Tiger Woods won his first golf tournament since 2013.

Later that evening, I cried real tears. Because of a Sunday commitment, I was not able to watch the end of the tournament live. In fact, I didn’t even know he had actually won until I got a text from my dad, the man who introduced me to golf and Woods, which simply read “Tiger!” Upon completing my commitment, I went back to my dorm room and searched for the highlights. I clicked the link, skipped to the very end and paused the video to survey the scene.

In his traditional Sunday red shirt, Woods stood on the 18th green, his ball inches from the hole. Thousands of fans were crowded around the putting surface on all sides, as they had been allowed to march up the 18th fairway along with him. I pressed play.

Woods put his putter down and tapped the ball in the hole. It was over. He had won. At that moment, I paused the video again, feeling my eyes welling up. I took a deep breath and pressed play. After holing the short putt, Woods tapped his putter against the grass before picking the ball out of the hole, taking

an extra second to savor this moment with himself. He then picked the ball up and raised both hands, biting his lip as he fought tears.

At this point, I was fully crying. I urge you, even if you’re not a fan of golf, to seek out this video.

Woods has now won 80 golf tournaments.

From the year 1997 through 2009, Woods absolutely dominated golf. Winning was the norm for him. He was perhaps the most famous athlete on the planet during that time, and, coincidentally, my favorite athlete. He seemed poised to overtake Jack Nicklaus’ record of 18 major championships, winning his 14th at the 2008 US Open.

Then, over Thanksgiving of 2009, it all fell apart. Reports of his serial infidelity coupled with crippling back injuries drove him away from golf. From 2010 to 2015, he attempted numerous comebacks to varying degrees of success, and after each failed comeback, he would insist that once he was healthy he would return to form. This was consistent with the aura that Tiger had established during his dominance — he was a winning machine, barely a human being. He was polite, but brief with fans and media. His emotions (other than the too-frequent curse word) were largely in check on the course.

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Even during the infidelity scandal, Woods’ statements were calculated and somewhat cold. Through serious injury, Woods continued to insist that he would soon be back on tour. At that point, it seemed the machine was simply broken, and once it was fixed, it would return to doing what it was supposed to do.

However, in late 2015, Woods’ language changed. He began to express uncertainty, explaining that he didn’t have a timetable for a return. In 2016, for the first time in his career, he missed all four major championships. In 2017, Woods said in a press conference that he didn’t know what his future held, implying that he might never play professional golf again. Through it all, he was working tirelessly to rebuild his relationship with his children and his ex-wife, Elin. By all accounts, he is a committed father (he mentioned at the PGA Championship in August how much it meant to him that his kids could see him play well again), and he and Elin get along well. Obviously, the public does not know the entire story. One thing, however, is clear: during these years, Woods turned from machine to man.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Woods returned to golf. He underwent a successful back fusion surgery and decided he was healthy enough to play again. But we had

e h t Join taff! s n o i Opin

heard this story before. We wouldn’t fall for it this time. Except Woods began to play well, and he was swinging in a way that looked sustainable. At the Open Championship in July, he finished in sixth place, at one point holding the lead in the final round. A month later, at the PGA Championship, he finished in second place, capping off the tournament with a final round score of 64, six-under par.

Then, this past weekend, Woods finally won again. Only this time, the win felt different.

This was not Tiger Woods, The Winning Machine. This was Tiger Woods, The Man. As I watched him tap in the final putt, I felt differently than I had watching Woods win in the past. It used to be a feeling of awe — at times, his dominance was intimidating.

This time, though, I didn’t feel awe. Instead, I felt a great sense of pride, as if I were watching a family member triumph. I struggle to find the words to end this article; there doesn’t seem to be one sentiment that sums this all up. I suppose that is fitting — Woods is a complicated man whose life and journey is unlike most in the world. For a few years, it seemed that this journey had, at least publicly, come to an end. But, as Woods showed us this past weekend, perhaps the journey is just beginning.

If you want to write for us, email dhlee19@amherst.edu or kchian20@amherst.edu

Arts&Living

“APES**T” Demands Recognition of Black Artists in High Art

Photo courtesy of hit-channel.com

The Carters, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, pose in various locations around the Louvre Museum in the music video for their end-of-summer hit, “APES**T.” Sophia Heisman-Gibbons ’21 Contributing Writer Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Jay-Z are the musical power couple of our generation. Both artists have defined their respective genres of music, turned heads with outlandish performances and continued to make waves, album after album. The pair is also known for being politically outspoken, a trend continued in their recent music video for the song “APES**T.” The striking video was shot at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France and draws attention to the exclusion of black artists in highbrow culture. The Carters are a great example of a new wave of activism paving the way for recognition of black artists and black modes of art in traditionally white spaces.

The high-budget video for “APES**T” dropped on June 16, 2018 and is filled with striking imagery, beginning with a shot of Beyoncé and Jay-Z leaning on the banister in front of the Mona Lisa. Throughout the rest of the video, the couple can be seen dancing around the empty museum with an all-black dance troupe, highlighting powerful images of contemporary political injustice, such as young black men with their hands up and men kneeling in tribute to

Colin Kaepernick.

Additionally, many shots zoom in on the few black faces which are present in the Louvre’s art. The juxtaposition of the black dancers and predominantly white art exemplifies the way in which black artists have been excluded from “high society” institutions like the Louvre throughout history. Featuring hip hop specifically in a traditionally white setting further underscores that same message. Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s decision to take over the Louvre for the video both shows the immense power the couple boasts as entertainers and simultaneously highlights how difficult it is for black artists to make a space for themselves in high-society — the Carters needed to literally force their way in.

This video aligns with a long-overdue movement to recognize “forgotten” black artists.

For years, world-renowned museums like the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Louvre and the Rijksmuseum have generally overlooked art by African Americans and black Africans. Artistic recognition has been almost exclusively limited to white men for centuries, but recently, more women and minorities have been acknowledged in the public eye.

A new wave of activism has also emerged

in the past decade to recognize black artists’ work. In one move towards progress, this summer the MoMA reserved its entire sixth floor for the biggest exhibition by a current artist in the museum’s history. The artist who earned the honor was Adrian Piper, an African-American woman, whose work focuses on modern racism, misogyny and xenophobia, as well as other forms of oppression. Her exhibit is representative of the museum’s new mission to include art by people of color. In addition, the MoMa will feature an exhibit this fall by Bodys Isek Kingelez — the first black African to have a solo exhibition in the museum’s history.

In a more direct manner, the Carters have also attempted to create a space for black artists.

For example, in a recent cover interview with Vogue magazine, Beyoncé discussed the importance of giving young black artists a chance to succeed in the music industry. She backed this talk up in the very same interview, by having her Vogue cover-shoot photographed by Tyler Mitchell, the first black man to ever shoot a cover for the magazine.

This is not the only time Beyoncé has helped a black artist rise to fame. Her pregnancy photographs were taken by Awol Erizku, an Ethiopian artist, who uses black power and under-

ground rap imagery in his works. Since these pregnancy photos broke the internet, Erizku has photographed several other famous black figures, such as Viola Davis and Donald Glover, for The New Yorker. Jay-Z has also contributed to this cause, adding works by many black artists to his personal art collection, including pieces by David Hammons and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Through their efforts, the Carters have shown their ability to leave a real impact on the art world.

For centuries, an overwhelmingly-white high society has either claimed black art as its own or pushed it out of the public eye. Now, it is time for black artists to gain recognition and fame for the work they have been creating for years. The Kingelez exhibit and Tyler Mitchell’s photographs should not be ignored; there are many black artists ready to make waves, and Beyoncé and Jay-Z are here to help guide them toward success.

There are local ways to join the movement to expand awareness of black artists. This semester, the Smith College Museum of Art is featuring the work of African American artist Alma Thomas in an exhibit called “Alma Thomas: The Light of the Whole Universe.” The exhibit will be open from July 27, 2018 to Dec. 31, 2019.

New Science Center Cafe Boasts a Few Hits, But Mostly the Same Martin Glusker ’21 Contributing Writer It’s safe to say that the Amherst culinary experience is lacking something. Valentine Dining Hall excels at providing dishes that either boast a uniform rubbery texture a la lighter side chicken or an equally unappetizing, mushy fluff epitomized by the overcooked udon noodles of the Noodle Bar. The fruit is seldom ripe, the guacamole comes straight from the bag and the sheet cakes all taste suspiciously similar. I may be a bit harsh on Amherst dining, but it is safe to say that any Val meal and the term “flavorful” do not land next to each very often.

So, when I heard that the Science Center would include an addition to campus dining, I was hoping it would be a new and improved iteration option for meals. In some ways, the Science Center Cafe is a new (and better!) facet of food on campus, but in others, it dwells in the same old mediocrity. The final verdict remains up in the air, but for now, let me take you through the items I tasted to give you a sense of how the food options on campus have been expanded by this new addition.

Smoothies: The two varieties I sampled were profoundly vegetal (and not in a complimentary way). I sampled the Greenway and the Mammoth, and both were, in the very true words of a fellow student, “actively neutral.” The Greenway, which is composed of baby kale, cucumber, celery

and pineapple, smells delicious and has a refreshingly smooth texture, but its redeeming qualities end there. The flavor falls short, as it tastes like someone desperately wanted it to check off the boxes of being healthy. The Mammoth, made up of beets, carrots, apple, ginger, celery, lemon juice and agave, is even less impressive than the Greenway. It may be called “The Mammoth”, but it should really be called “The Beet,” because it tastes like beet, smells like beet and, somehow, has texture of what I know deep down is liquified beet (very granular, for those who are curious). Beets are not something I generally want to be the predominant item in my beverages, but if that’s your cup of tea (or glass of smoothie), this drink is for you. One particularly articulate comment about the smoothies I heard was, “I would drink these to feel healthy, nothing else.” While I agree, even this faint praise verges on generous. At $5.95 a smoothie, they are not worth the money, the calories or even the time.

The Frittata: A shining star in a sea of mediocrity, the frittata is a dish I would actually pay real money for. My expectations were low, and this, light, fluffy, blissful frittata absolutely surpassed them. The sausage had flavor, the egg was well-cooked and the frittata was actually hot! The side salad with tahini dressing was fine, albeit with a tad too much carrot, but it did not detract from the main event. To top off the whole dish, the plating was surprisingly well put-together, and to my delight, it fully lacked the industrial,

Photo courtesy of Matai Curzon ‘22

The Science Center Cafe opened Sept. 17, bringing little variety to Amherst dining. compostable plastic grab-n-go aesthetic. For $5.95, this is something I will order again and want to eat.

Same Old, Same Old: The rest of the things I tried: the sushi, the hummus and the chai iced tea were the same as elsewhere on campus. The sushi remains, “not bad, but how do they call it sushi without raw fish?” The hummus box pays homage to grab-n-go, with the same packaging and texture, but the veggies in the hummus box did

diverge from the norm, as the bell peppers were fresh and had a nice crunch to them. The iced chai was what we know and love, with enough sugar in it to get you through that problem set, while remaining refreshing, drinkable and delicious.

All in all, the Science Center Cafe has hits and (mostly) misses, but at least it provides us with a new place to get food from in the midst of our busy schedules.

The Amherst Student • September 26, 2018

Arts & Living 7

New Mead Exhibit Asks “If Timing Is Everything, What is Time?”

Photo courtesy of Jiayi Liu

Photo courtesy of Jiayi Liu

The Mead’s feature exhibit, “Timing is Everything,” includes both works that address time on a surface level and pieces that aim to somehow capture the abstract.

Olivia Luntz ’21 Staff Writer When walking into the the Mead Art Museum, one will inevitably pass by Stearns Steeple, which has stood on the same ground since 1873, even as the landscape of the rest of the college has evolved around it. A closer inspection of the Steeple reveals that many of the stones that make up its base are engraved with different years: 1927, 1869, 1921, 1898. These markers remind me of the persistence and influence of the past in our present — which also happens to be what the staff at the Mead intends to explore through the museum’s newest exhibition: “Timing Is Everything.”

“Timing Is Everything” was the result of many conversations that the staff at the Mead had about science in preparation for the Mead’s Spring 2019 exhibition “Dimensionism: Modern Art in the Age of Einstein.” Attempting to describe the specific motivations, Jocelyn Edens, assistant museum educator, said that, “Because we actually don’t have an answer to the question: ‘What is time?’ … this is an interesting case where a museum is trying to pursue a question to which there is not a scientific answer, but instead [there are] many cultural answers.”

The Mead’s interpretations of time vary from the straightforward — ornate clocks, pocket watches and engravings, silkscreens and paintings that depict different seasons and times of day — to the subtler — intricate still lifes that capture a moment in time and

more abstract pieces that play with the relationship between space and time.

Miloslava Hruba, one of the curators for the exhibit, noted that grappling with the theme of time was a unique challenge for the Mead, especially in comparison to working on last semester’s exhibition.

“The previous exhibition ‘HOUSE’ was easy to grasp, and it seems that time is easy to grasp too,” Hruba said, “we’re thinking about time all of the time … there’s both time that concerns us as individuals, time that concerns our environment and there’s natural time …

This is where the topic that we thought was comprehensible started to really open and become layered.”

Another challenge the Mead faced in curating this exhibit was cultural differences in understanding and interpreting time. Hruba notes that the European view of time is that existence continues, but in Japanese culture, time is momentary and temporal.

Hruba noted that these differences are on display in two pieces that he featured in the exhibition: “Indication - Shibuya Center Town” by Japanese artist Motoda Hisaharu and a pair of paintings by American artist Thomas Cole titled “The Past” and “The Present.” Cole’s works depict the transformation of a stately castle falling into ruin and being overtaken by nature. With his two paintings, Cole is able to demonstrate the movement of time and the continued existence of the environment. Hisaharu’s print also depicts a landscape that has fallen into ruin — specifi-

cally the Shibuya Center in Tokyo ravaged by some unspecified disaster — but because it is a standalone work, we see time as just a single moment, as the print provides no information on what happened in the past to cause such a disaster nor what may happen in the future.

Returning to Amherst itself, and Stearns Steeple specifically, Edens explained that the structure now represents the passage of time in two ways: it is both a historical landmark and a monument to the future. Since 2015, the steeple has held a pinhole camera designed by artist Jonathon Keats called the “millennium camera,” which will capture images of the Holyoke Mountain Range over a 1,000-year exposure. In Edens’ mind, this is “an incredibly optimistic view of the future. To some extent it’s invested in the human, but it’s also invested in a scale that’s way beyond the human scale.”

Edens also sees this piece as representing an interplay between art and science that the exhibition at large intends to convey. Edens points out that art and science became separate disciplines only relatively recently, and that thinking representationally can be a useful strategy for working out science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) problems.

Hruba added that she sees the collection of pocet watches on display as representing the way science and art can benefit each other.

Alone, timekeeping devices are scientific instruments, but the beautiful and intricate designs on the watches make them art as well.

Along with curating the exhibition, the

Photo courtesy of The Mead Museum

Mead’s staff has also dedicated thought to developing programs for students that relate to the theme of time. Danielle Amodeo, public programs coordinator at the Mead, said that one goal she had for programming this semester was to ensure some level of usefulness for students, a goal that led her to create a series of time management programs hosted by the Mead.

In these, program leaders use pieces of art in the exhibition to highlight lessons on managing stress and time. Amodeo specifically referenced the series of silkscreens in the exhibition “The Four Seasons” by Jennifer Losch Bartlett. In the pieces, which were inspired by chaos theory, Bartlett layers unrelated objects onto an ambiguous background, simultaneously creating a feeling of order and disorder. For the lesson related to these pieces, Amodeo said she hopes to highlight that, “No matter how you plan, you don’t plan for things that are unexpected … so how do you plan for the unexpected and work that into your timeline as a student?”

The second part of this time management series will take place Wednesday, Sept. 26 from 6:30-8 p.m. and aims to help students create a system of planning and goal-setting that works for them. Amodeo added that she hopes the program will empower students and remind them that the Mead is a space where they can relax, take a break and feel at home.

“Timing Is Everything” is on view through Feb. 17, 2019 at the Mead Art Museum.

Photo courtesy of The Mead Museum

While “.30 Bullet Piercing an Apple” (1964) by Harold Edgerton (left) depicts time abstractly, “Lantern Type Clock” (19th Century, Meiji Era) is more literal.

The Amherst Student • September 26, 2018

Arts & Living 8

Poetry Festival Celebrates the Artistic Legacy of Emily Dickinson

Photo courtesy of Emily Dickinson Museum

Photos courtesy of The Emily Dickinson Museum

This past week, Ocean Vuong (left) and Shayla Lawson (bottom right) gave voice to their written words as part of the sixth annual Amherst Poetry Festival.

Olivia Gieger ’21 Managing Arts and Living Editor Typically quiet and deserted, the yard of Emily Dickinson’s house surged to life on Saturday night, as students, professors and townspeople alike flocked to the historic site for an evening of poetry and music.

The Saturday evening event was part of the sixth annual Amherst Poetry Festival, which ran from Thursday, Sept. 20 through Sunday, Sept.

23. The event was the product of a collaboration between the Emily Dickinson Museum, Mass Poetry (a state-wide group that aims to make poetry more accessible), the Jones Library, Hope & Feathers (a local framing store and art gallery), UMass Amherst, Amherst College and poets from all across the country.

The weekend’s various programs catered to the diverse crowd of participants in the event.

Poet Adam Grabowski hosted a workshop exclusively for students of Amherst Regional High School, while Mount Holyoke professor Chris Benfey hosted a discussion about Dickinson’s

bird poems for the more academically inclined.

The museum itself hosted a movie screening of the film “Wild Nights with Emily” on Thursday night, as well as the festival’s central event: a one-day poetry marathon reading of all 1,789 of Dickinson’s poems on Saturday. The nature of the weekend-long festival, replete with a plethora of stand-alone events, allowed college students with packed schedules to still participate in the event.

“Our goal is simply to bring people together over poetry past and present,” Brooke Steinhauser, the program director at the Emily Dickinson Museum, said. “To do this we aim to make sure there is something for everyone in our festival, whether that’s a film screening, a writing master class, a story walk for kiddos, etc.”

Running throughout the weekend was the theme of carrying on the legacy of past poets, especially Dickinson. Steinhauser sought to underscore this goal with the selection of the various presenters.

“I hope visitors can see how Dickinson’s creative legacy — the legacy of a woman living out-

side societal expectations — continues to inspire artists and writers of different backgrounds,” Steinhauser said. “I hope our programming can continue to surprise people and build connections between an extraordinary life lived so long ago and contemporary meaning.”

The festival drew several local poets, including Eliza Gouverneur, Mark Hart and Jennifer Wallace, as well as internet-famous poets like Dorothea Lasky and Alex Dimitrov, who have gained public recognition through their joint Twitter account, @PoetAstrologers, that posts poetic horoscopes. Shayla Lawson, the writerin-residence at Amherst College, and Ocean Vuong, an assistant professor in the UMass MFA Program for Poets and Writers, were also able to presented and lead workshops over the weekend.

For Jeremy Thomas ’21, Vuong profoundly carried on Dickinson’s legacy of giving voice to experiences of living outside societal expectations. “He does this marvelous job of completely translating the plain of how exclusionary being othered can feel, but because his poetry is so intensely, indesputably beautiful, he also cap-

tures why it’s wonderful as well,” Thomas said.

“He holds both, the pain and the beauty, at the same time, and it’s remarkable. It motivates me to make my own work such that it doesn’t neglect the entirety of the experience of living as a black, gay man.”

In addition to the countless poets and creators of literary art, the festival embraced visual and musical artists, fully illustrating the diverse nature of Dickinson’s legacy. On Saturday evening, Lawson and Vuong’s reading concluded with music from Kimaya Diggs, a musician whose work centers around her Joni Mitchellesque voice. Readings at the Herter Gallery on the UMass campus paired pieces of visual art with poems, focusing on questions of how visual art and poetry can work together to help better understand the world around us.

While some displays asked similar questions that aimed to reach deeper realizations, most of the festival’s events had far simpler intentions: to bring together a community of many ages, backgrounds and occupations around a shared love for the art of poetry.

The Amherst Student • September 26, 2018

Sports

9

Men’s XC Places Fourth Overall Women’s Cross Country Takes at Williams’ Purple Valley Classic Eighth at Purple Valley Classic Veronica Rocco ’19 Staff Writer On Saturday, the Mammoths placed fourth at the Purple Valley Classic hosted by rival Williams.

At the season-opening Little Three Championships, the Mammoths narrowly defeated the Ephs 27-32, but this weekend, the Ephs utilized depth to place second at their home meet. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the meet’s winner, arrived at the course ranked sixth in the country and finshed with 41 points, placing its five scoring runners in the top 16.

The course at Mt. Greylock Regional High School was new, due to construction at the high school, but still featured the same famous hills and trails. It was the Mammoths’ first race at the usual 8k distance, as the Little Three Championships had been contested over a 6k course. This Saturday’s competitive field boasted seven nationally ranked teams, setting up No. 3 Amherst for a competitive race.

Clark Ricciardelli ’20E and Cosmo Brossy ’19, who worked together in the race to place seventh and eighth in the 208-person field, led the Mammoths throughout the meet. The duo ran a wellexecuted race, passing several runners in the latter half of the race.

Behind them, Tucker Meijer ’19 also ran a good race, placing 23rd in the field. The senior captain

ran a smart first half, recognizing that the fast pace set early on would not be sustainable. Like Brossy and Ricciardelli, he also passed runners in the second half of the race for a solid finish.

Ajay Sarathy ’21 stepped up in his second race as a Mammoth to place 38th overall as the team’s fourth runner. The Mammoths’ final scoring runner was Spencer Ferguson-Dryden ’20, who placed 47th. Just four seconds behind the junior were Kristian Sogaard ’19 and Matthew Bradley ’22, highlighting the team’s depth. The two crossed the line in 49th and 50th place, respectively.

Beyond the top seven, sophomores Braxton Schuldt and Jamie Mazzola placed 63rd and 91st, while Majd Rouhana ’22 had a solid race to finish 123rd, just ahead of Chris Stone ’20, who took 127th. Owen Daily ’22 made his Amherst debut and placed 167th in the strong field.

This weekend, the Mammoths travel to Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to compete at the Paul Short Run. The meet features competitors from all three NCAA divisions, and the Mammoths hope to compete in the Gold Race, the top section that mostly Division I schools, as they did last year.

The Gold Race only allows 10 runners to compete for each team, so the Amherst harriers who do not toe the line in the Gold Race will compete in the Open Race portion of the meet.

Amherst Tops Williams in the Mount Holyoke Invitational Joe Palmo ’21 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s golf team continued to dominate this weekend, winning the 17-team Mount Holyoke Invitational on Sunday at The Orchards Golf Club in Hadley, Massachusetts. This makes two consecutive victories to open the season for the Mammoths, who won the Ann S. Batchelder Invitational in convincing fashion the previous weekend.

The tournament was very competitive, and after Saturday’s opening round, the topfour teams were separated by just nine strokes.

Amherst sat in first after combining to shoot a 313 on Saturday, holding a mere three-stroke lead over rival Williams (316), which in turn was followed closely by both New York University (NYU) (317) and Middlebury (322).

The Mammoths’ Saturday lead was the result of strong rounds from up and down the lineup. Leading the way for the second straight week was Morgan Yurosek ’20, who shot a 76 in the opening round. Isabelle Ouyang ’21 sat one stroke behind with a 77, and Lily Worden ’21 shot a 79. This trio of scores were good enough for Yurosek, Ouyang and Worden to individaully place in the top-10 headed into Sunday. The three top Mammoths were followed closely by Emily Young ’20 and India Gaume ’22, who sat in 19th and 24th, respectively.

Amherst opened Sunday play clinging to a three-stroke lead, and after 18 holes of play, the margin remained the exact same, with the Mammoths outlasting the Ephs to win 619 strokes to 622. Williams stepped up its play on day two to shoot a 306, but Amherst stayed right in stride with its archrival and shot a matching 306 to maintain the lead.

The Williams charge was led by Cordelia Chan, who shot a tournament-low 67 on Sunday. Her efforts would be erased, however, by an impressively consistent Amherst team, with all five Mammoths golfers finishing in the top 25 of a tournament that saw 99 golfers tee off this weekend. Yurosek shot an evenpar 72 to finish second overall behind Chan, after finishing in first place last weekend.

Gaume showed maturity beyond her years, rallying to shoot a 75 on Sunday, while Worden showcased her steady play by shooting a 78 to finish tied for ninth overall with Gaume.

Ouyang and Young shot 85 and 81 respectively on Sunday to tied for 23rd place overall.

NYU held on to place third with a score of 628, while Wellesley College took fourth with a score of 639. Amherst also had the satisfaction of topping NESCAC opponents Middlebury (fifth), Hamilton (sixth), Bowdoin (14th) and Trinity (15th).

Amherst also received several great performances outside of its five scoring golfers.

Jessica Jeong ’20 shot an 81-76-157 and finished tied with Worden and Guame for ninth, while Katie Rosenberg ’19 shot an 82-80-162 to again tie with Amherst teammates — this time Ouyang and Young — in 23rd. Katie Mina Lee ’22 shot an 83-80-163 mark to claim 29th, while the senior duo of Kate Weiss and Maggie Schoeller finished in 30th and 49th, respectively.

Amherst will have to fend off the Ephs again this coming weekend, when the Mammoths travel west to participate in the Williams College Fall Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 29 and Sunday, Sept. 30.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Lily Worden ‘21 finished the tournament tied for ninth overall.

Jamie Mazzola ’21 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s cross country team traveled to Mount Greylock High School this past Saturday to compete at the Purple Valley Classic, hosted by rival Williams. With a score of 179 points, the women placed eighth in a 13team field. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (67 points) defeated Williams (81 points) and Tufts (114 points) to secure the team victory.

The Mammoths moved up in distance from the Little Three Championships’ four-kilometer course, racing over a challenging six-kilometer course. In addition, the eight Amherst harriers responded admirably to the challenge of navigating a 129 person field.

“I thought the women did a great job of finding one another and working together on the course,” coach Cassie Funke-Harris said.

“They could have easily become eight purple jerseys each running on her own, but there was a lot of cooperation and teamwork.”

Leading Amherst with a time of 23:15, junior Kristin Ratliff placed 10th in a loaded field featuring several nationally-ranked runners. Senior captain Lela Walter (23:27) and sophomore Olivia Polischeck (23:45) followed in 15th and

26th place, respectively.

Sophomore Sarah Gayer (24:48) was next across the line, placing 63rd. In her first-ever 6k, first year Julia Doubson ran the course in 25:26 to finish in 86th overall, rounding out the scoring Mammoths. Close behind, sophomore Paige Reddington (25:29) placed 91st.

In their season debuts, juniors Jenny Mazzella (25:59) and Olivia Moehl (26:31) finished in 109th and 115th, respectively.

After the race, Funke-Harris noted the importance of having a full squad to compete. “The biggest thing is that we need to get healthy and stay healthy,” she said. “We had a few injuries and illnesses hanging around this week, and we are hoping to be closer to full strength as the season goes on.”

“Overall, there were a lot of good performances at a really big meet against some strong teams,” Ratliff added. “Even though we had a small group, we went out there and had a good showing.”

Amherst will travel to Lehigh University this weekend to compete at the Paul Short Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 29. In this annual meet, the women will compete against teams from across all three NCAA divisions, thus providing an excellent test of the Mammoths’ depth and quality.

Field Hockey Records Victories Over Endicott, Williams and MIT

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Kendall Codey ‘19 scored two goals in Amherst’s dramatic win over Williams.

Rose Mroczka ’21 Staff Writer After a heart-breaking loss to Middlebury the previous Saturday, the field hockey team found a spark in non-conference play last Thursday night in a contest against the Endicott College Gulls.

Building off a strong last 20 minutes in the game against the Panthers, Amherst wasted no time in finding the back of the net. Natalie Hobbs ’22 robbed a Gulls defender of the ball, barreled towards the net, and fired a shot past the Endicott goaltender to give Amherst a 1-0 lead just 9:48 into the game.

Fewer than 10 minutes later, however, Endicott’s Cameron Molinare managed to tip a shot into the far-right corner following a penalty corner to knot the affair at one goal apiece.

With the first half winding down, Amherst’s Emery Sorvino ’19 seized an opportunity after an Endicott turnover to take the lead 2-1 going into halftime.

The second half was full of back-and-forth play, before Franny Daniels ’21 scored 18 minutes into the period, burying a rebound to increase the lead to 3-1. Amherst goaltender, Katie Savage ’19 recorded five saves for the Mammoths in the win.

Later in the week, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, the Mammoths turned their sights to Williams, which entered the match ranked 12th in the nation. Looking to move to 3-2 on the season, Amherst fell behind 24 minutes into the contest when Williams’ Meredith Wright capitalized on a penalty stroke. Increasing the lead just seven minutes later, Siobhan Morrissey took advantage of an Amherst defensive mistake and fired a shot past Savage, making the score 2-0.

With a minute remaining in the first half, Hobbs fed a beautiful pass to Daniels, who fired

it past the Williams goaltender, leaving Amherst with a manageable one-goal deficit heading into the locker-room.

Starting the second half with a vengeance, Cody rocketed a shot off a corner to tie the game at 2-2 with 23:22 remaining in regulation.

Leading by example, Kendall Codey ’19 then tallied her second goal of the game after receiving a beautiful pass from Shannon Tierney ’19 to give the Mammoths their first lead of the game with seven minutes left to play.

With the Ephs doing everything they could offensively, Williams’ Isabel Perry tied the game at 3-3 off a shot from a penalty corner with just under four minutes before the buzzer.

Spectators expected to see a sudden-death overtime, but Laura Schwartzman ’20 had other plans. Off a feed from Tierney with a minute-anda-half left to play, Schwartzman fired home the goahead goal to clinch the 4-3 win.

“Williams ended our season last year so we were excited to get a chance to play them again and I think that energy really came through on the field throughout the game,” Schwartzman said after the game. “It was an awesome team effort and we’re excited to get our first conference win for the season.”

Amherst then faced off against another tough competitor in the no. 19 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Mammoths did all of their damage in the first half, tallying three goals and peppering the MIT goalie with 11 shots over the period. In the second period, the Mammoths’ offensive pressure did not let up, but they were unable to add another goal. MIT scored two goals to put pressure on the Mammoths, but Amherst held on for the 3-2 victory.

Amherst will next face off in a home contest against no. 3 Tufts on Saturday, Sept. 29

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • September 26, 2018

Men’s Soccer Falls to Williams After Last-Minute PK Miss

Photo courtesy of Matai Curzon ’22

Fikayo Ajayi ’19 has anchored the Mammoths’ defense through his play in the midfield, having thus far started every game for Amherst.

Julia Turner ’19 Staff Writer A tough loss to Williams at home didn’t stop the Amherst men’s soccer team from coming back and winning its non-conference matchup against Gordon College in a rainy, mid-week matchup.

The one win, one loss week puts the Mammoths at 3-2 on the year overall, with a 1-2 NESCAC record.

After going down 2-0 early in the match against the Ephs, the Mammoths used a late goal by sophomore Sebastian Derby to attempt a rally, but Amherst’s 18 shot attempts in the second half weren’t enough to take the match against Little Three rival.

The first score of the matchup came unassisted from Gregory Andreou of Williams in the 57th minute.

Just minites later, Williams came back with another goal off of a long shot from Chris Fleischer to put the Ephs up 2-0 on the Mammoths.

Williams managed to hold their lead until the 85th minute, when Derby scored on a cross from Dane Lind ’20.

Using the momentum to Amherst’s advantage, senior Sean Fitzgerald tried to tie it up with a header that nearly found net, but was ultimately saved by the Ephs’ keeper.

Three minutes later, the Mammoths had another chance to tie the game when Williams conceded a penalty kick.

However, the Williams goal keeper got in front of the attempt, holding the Ephs one point lead despite the late drama.

Amherst keeper Michael Stone ’21 and Williams keeper Aaron Schein each finished with six saves on the day.

The rivalry matchup was physical, as always, with a total of 29 combined infractions from Amherst and Williams.

Amherst also only notched three corner kicks on the day, but utilized sophomore Bryce Johnson’s long throw-in skills at every opportunity to get the ball into the box.

The Mammoths returned to action on Tuesday, Sept. 25 in a similarly physical matchup in the rain on Gooding Field at home.

The team jumped on Gordon early, the first goal coming for the Mammoths in the 11th minute from junior Cutler Coleman.

Although the teams fired off equal shots in the first half at five apiece, Amherst came out strong again in the second half looking to build on its 1-0 lead.

The Mammoths shot 11 times in the second half, three of which were on target, and one finally found the net in the 73rd minute off the foot of junior Jimmy McMillian.

Amherst committed eight fouls over the course of the match.

Stone once again stood on his head, finishing the game with six total saves to keep the Mammoths out of trouble.

Now 3-2 on the season, the Mammoths return to action looking for a win against undefeated NESCAC rival Tufts University on Saturday Sept. 29 at 2:30 p.m.

The Mammoths play at Tufts on Saturday before returning home for a Sunday matchup against another NESCAC foe, Bates, at 2:30 p.m.

Men’s Tennis Sweeps Weekend With Two Important Wins Maeve Brammer ’22 Staff Writer This Saturday, the Amherst men’s tennis team traveled to Saratoga Springs, New York, for its first two matches of the season, playing both Skidmore College and Hobart College. The team, led by its five senior captains, emerged victorious with wins on 16 of the 18 possible courts, resulting in matching 8-1 score lines against both non-conference foes.

Amherst first faced off against Skidmore, with Harris Foulkes ’22 and Zach Bessette ’19 grinding out an 8-5 win against Skidmore’s Travis Leaf and JT Wynne on the No. 1 doubles court.

Kevin Ma ’21 and William Turchetta ’22 battled Jason Keye and Jack McClaren and emerged victorious with an 8-6 win on the third doubles court.

Amherst also impressed in singles action, overwhelming Skidmore with five straight-set wins. The lone three-set contest also went Amherst’s way, with sophomore phenom Sean Wei

besting Skidmore’s Noah Williamson, 6-4, 4-6, 6-0, to secure a Mammoth sweep on the singles courts.

Later that afternoon, the Mammoths took on Hobart College and got off to an excellent start after dominating doubles play. Bessette and Wei won 8-6 against Alan Dubrovsky and Walker Anderson on court one, Foulkes and Damien Ruparel ’22 defeated Thomas Shung and Jonathan Atwater 8-2 on the second court, while the senior duo of Jesse Levitin and Oliver Kendall finalized the sweep of the doubles courts, taking down Jack Ledford and Colin Molloy in a comefrom-behind 8-5 win.

In singles, after losing the first set, Levitin came back to defeat David Reinharz 1-6, 6-0, 10-3. Ma, Turchetta and Foulkes won in straight sets, while Hobart notched its sole win of the day on court six, where Ledford just edged out Kendall.

After an impressive first weekend, the Mammoths are set to travel to Middlebury to compete in the ITA New England Regional Championships this coming weekend, Sept. 28-30.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Kendall Codey ’19

Kevin Ma ’21

Sport: Field hockey Favorite Team Memory: Beating Tufts in overtime my sophomore year Favorite Pro Athlete: Eli Manning Dream Job: Dog walking Favorite Vacation Spot: Vermont Something on Your Bucket List: Scuba diving Guilty Pleasure: Reality TV Favorite Food : Chicken nuggets Favorite Thing About Amherst: The statistics department How She Earned It: In the Mammoths’ 4-3 overtime win this weekend over rival Williams, Codey scored two goals in the span of ten minutes to seal the win and the NESCAC player of the week. The senior defender has been a stalwart on the backline, starting every game thus far and scoring two goals in the team’s opening game against Mount Holyoke. The team’s record stands at 4-2, is currently ranked No. 16 in the nation and has notched consecutive wins over two nationally ranked squads in Williams and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sport: Men’s tennis Favorite Team Memory: Beating Wesleyan 5-4 last spring Favorite Pro Athlete: Barry Bonds Dream Job: Cosmonaut Favorite Vacation Spot: New Jersey Something on Your Bucket List: Make a big snowball Guilty Pleasure: Putting on my contact lenses Favorite Food: Milk Favorite Thing About Amherst:: Beef rendang from Val How He Earned It: The sophomore contributed in the Mammoths’ wins over Skidmore College and Hobart College, winning all of his matches over the weekend’s two contests. Ma was a key part of Amherst’s third doubles pair, alongside William Turchetta ’22, which bested both its Skidmore and Hobart foes. On the fourth singles court, Ma topped each of his opponents, taking down both in straight sets. Ma and the rest of the Amherst men’s tennis team will return to action on Sept. 28 for the New England Regional Championships, where he again hopes to impress in both doubles and singles play.

Volleyball Maintains Perfect Record with Three More Wins Dan Papa ’20 Staff Writer The volleyball team kept its winning streak alive this past weekend, breezing past Plymouth State College on Wednesday, defeating NESCAC opponent Trinity on Friday night and capping its weekend off with a sweep of UMass Boston.

Amherst’s hot start has resulted in an unblemished 9-0 record through three weekends of play, the team’s best start since 2007.

The Firedogs hosted the Plymouth State Panthers at home in its first weekday match of the season and dominated from the start.

Amherst jumped out to a quick 14-5 lead and never looked back, winning the opening set 25-11.

The Panthers looked to reclaim momentum in the second set, as they took an early 4-2 lead, but the Firedogs were not shaken and regained the advantage, closing out the set on an 8-1 run to win 25-18.

Amherst only needed one more set to finish the match, besting the Panthers 25-17 and clinching the three-set sweep.

Claire Dennis ’20 led the Firedogs with nine kills and four blocks, Skyleur Savage ’22 finished with 18 digs and Jaime Dailey ’21 contributed eight kills and 13 digs of her own.

Charlotte Duran ’20 led all players with 33 assists.

On Friday, Sept. 21, Amherst hosted the Trinity Bantams, who entered the contest with a record of 5-3.

However, Trinity was quick to respond and took the lead from Amherst late in the set before closing out the first set with a 25-19 win.

The second frame was just as competitive with both teams tied at 16 points apiece.

Amherst was able to spark a run, however, to close the set, winning 25-18.

The Firedogs maintained the momentum

as they powered through the third set, winning 25-13.

Amherst ended the match in the fourth set, fending off a furious Bantam comeback to win 25-17. Dailey led both squads with 16 kills, Duran had 32 assists and Savage tallied 21 digs.

Cam Hendricks ’20 and Sophie Launsbach ’22 each posted three blocks, while Emily Kolsky ’20 added eight kills and seven digs.

In its last match of the weekend, Amherst traveled to UMass Boston to take on the Beacons.

The contest was tight to start as both teams traded the lead early, before tying the first set at 12 points each.

Amherst was able to rattle off a 13-4 run to close the set, though, and won the opening frame 25-16.

Amherst looked strong in their second set, cruising to a 25-12 set victory, and sealed its ninth-straight win with a 25-18 third set victory.

The three-set sweep was Amherst’s second of the weekend and sixth of the season.

Kolsky and Dailey each had eight kills, Duran had 27 assists and Savage once again led Amherst with 11 digs.

Dennis contributed seven kills of her own, and co-captain Hayes Honea ’19 added three of Amherst’s six service aces.

Amherst looks to further extend its win streak against Conn. College on Friday night at 7 p.m. in LeFrak Gymnasium.

The team is currently off to its best start since 2007, when the Firedogs won their first eleven games of the season en route to a stellar 30-5 record.

That team would eventually lose in the NCAA quarterfinals.

In a highly-anticipated matchup, Amherst will also host reigning NESCAC champions Wesleyan on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 11 a.m. in what should be an excellent contest.

The Amherst Student • September 26, 2018

Sports

Women’s Soccer Steals Point From Top-Ranked Williams

11

The Hot Corner Jack Malague ’19 Columnist Jack Malague examines the controversies surrounding the National Football League’s recently-implemented rules governing player safety, anthem protesting, the definition of a “catch” and the protection of quarterbacks.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Sophomore midfielder Natalie Landau created several chances which came to naught in the Mammoths’ 0-0 tie against undefeated Williams.

Nat De Jonge ’21 Staff Writer On Saturday, the women’s soccer team took on arch-rival Williams in a match that doubled as Amherst’s annual #PlayWithPride game.

In support of LGBTQ+ rights on the Amherst campus and in the greater community, each Amherst player walked onto the pitch with a rainbow tie around one of her socks.

Entering the game, Williams was 5-0 this season and boasted a 27-1-1 record since the start of the 2017 season, in which the Ephs had won both the NESCAC championship and the national title.

Adding to the already-palpable drama of the game, Amherst’s 2017 campaign had ended after a loss to Williams in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament.

In addition to the excitement of any Amherst-Williams sports game, the Mammoths’ were fighting for redemption.

The match opened with two quick Amherst chances. In the fourth minute, Jordan Bailey ’22 sent a header just wide of the post off of a corner kick by Natalie Landau ’21.

Minutes later, Hayley Roy ’20 booted a shot towards goal that forced the Williams keeper into a tough save.

The rest of the first half, and indeed the entire game, saw both teams fail to convert several scoring chances, thanks to a combination of poor finishing, solid defensive positioning and excellent goaltending.

Embodying the defensive nature of the game, Ephs’ goalkeeper Olivia Barnhill fin-

ished the game with a stunning 11 saves.

When the 90th minute finally arrived, the Ephs and the Mammoths were deadlocked at 12 shots apiece and not a single goal.

As fatigue set in during the two overtime periods, the Amherst defense held strong and the offense continued assault, tallying six more shots.

Though none found the back of the net and the game finished in a tie, Amherst was still the first team in 15 games to take points from Williams, a streak that dated back to the middle of last season.

On Sunday, Amherst took on a less formidable foe in the New England College Pilgrims.

The weekend was a tale of two opposites.

In 120 minutes on Saturday, the Mammoths’ could not find a goal, but they managed to fire home eight goals in just 90 minutes on Sunday.

First year Alexa Juarez tallied a hat-trick in the first 49 minutes of the game, while each of Roy, Caleigh Plaut ’19, Claire Nam ’21 and Julia Ralph ’21 found the back of the net.

The eighth Amherst goal came courtesy of an own goal off the foot of a Pilgrim defender.

At the final whistle, the stat line leaned heavily in the Mammoths’ favor with 34 shots for the hosts to the Pilgrims two.

With the win and the draw, the Mammoths’ record now stands at 5-1-1, and Amherst’s next match is on Saturday, Sept. 29 against NESCAC rival Tufts at noon.

Men’s Golf Showcases Depth at Williams Fall Invitational Thomas Woodville ’21 Staff Writer This past weekend, the Amherst men’s golf team competed at the Williams Fall Invitational, which took place at the Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

The Mammoths ended up finishing in 13th place overall out of 20 teams.

The Mammoths’ rival and the invitational host, Williams, placed first overall with a score of 588.

Husson University took the silver medal with a score of 605, followed by Trinity, which finished only two strokes behind.

Although it may not have been as strong a showing as the team had hoped, the Mammoths received strong performances from several of their young players.

For instance, first-year Erik Zetterstrom was able to take 37th overall, finishing 15-over-par and leading the Amherst team in scoring over the weekend. The Mam-

moths’ second-leading scorer was another first year, Brian Aslanian, who placed 62nd overall.

Nicholas Kumamoto ’20 and Jack Burlison ’19 both finished only one stroke behind Aslanian.

The Amherst duo shot matching 163s to tie for 65th overall.

After having been one of the Mammoths’ top-two finishers in each of the team’s tournaments thus far.

Junior Will Lonnquist faltered this weekend, tying for 76th overall as Amherst’s last scoring golfer.

Amherst will continue to their season and compete next weekend, Saturday, Sept.

29.

The Mammoths will compete at the NESCAC Qualifier Tournament, hoping to improve upon last week’s result and earn a place at the NESCAC Championship in the spring, which will take place at Lyman Orchards in Middlefield, Connecticut.

It is not an easy time to work for the National Football League (NFL).

That is not to say that the people toiling away in the offices on Park Avenue have done much to make life easier for themselves. But, they are faced with several tasks that can be characterized as either Herculean labors or Sisyphean misadventures, depending on your view of the matter. Though neither characterization is optimistic, the latter is still the most accurate. The NFL’s hierarchy, at present, is attempting to find a solution to an intractable anthem protest debate, make the sport at least marginally safer than reenacting the end of “Thelma and Louise” and solve the metaphysical question of “what is a catch?” Not surprisingly for anyone who’s been paying attention to the sport for the past decade, the league is not doing very well in any area.

The league’s approach to each problem is the age-old tactic of authority figures: write new rules. The NFL, however, has yet to discover that it is not very good at this. For the anthem issue, the league announced in May that all players on the field would be required to stand at attention when the national anthem was played: players who “felt uncomfortable” could remain in the locker room.

Leaving aside the fact that this completely missed the point of the protests, and indeed was patently un-American — I can think of a few contemporary and historical regimes that engaged in compulsory pledges, and the comparisons are not flattering — it also was completely ineffective. Instead of disciplining players directly, the league decided it would fine teams whose players knelt or sat during the anthem, thus letting the individual franchises sort out the coercion part on their own.

This satisfied almost nobody. The NFL Players Association (rightfully) went into a tizzy, several owners announced they would not discipline their players regardless of whatever fines the league levied and opponents of the protests, one in particular, complained that the rule was not strict enough. So, the NFL did what it should have done before it announced the rule in the first place: it went back to the drawing board — after first trying to claim that the rule would remain on the books with a promise of non-enforcement.

Enough has been said about the catch rule, and plenty more will be said in the future. The second issue, player safety, is now the headline source of anguish for the league, players and fans. Over the summer, the NFL changed its rules regarding, among other things, roughing the passer, unnecessary roughness and helmet-to-helmet contact. The most inflammatory of these, so far at least, has been the first. Before this season, roughing the passer primarily applied to a rushing defender who, after the quarterback released the ball, took more than one step and then “drove through” him.

This had a nice linguistic logic to it: a quarterback only became a “passer” once he had actually “passed.” Now, a quarterback need not pass the ball for roughing the passer to be called.

An onrushing defender who lands squarely on the quarterback, even during a sack, can be called for roughing the passer. This exact situation occurred in a Week 3 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins. Packers linebacker Clay Matthews broke through the offensive line and tackled Washington quarterback Alex Smith using what had always been considered textbook form. He drove his shoulder into Smith’s torso and took him straight to the ground. Matthews quickly rolled off Smith, and both players stood up, ready for the next

play. The referee crew, however, determined that Smith had been in a “defenseless posture” and that Matthews had landed on him with “all or most of his body weight,” qualifying the play for a penalty under the newly enforced provision in Rule 12, Section 2, Article 9(b).

There’s a nice easy logic to this, too. Since quarterbacks are defenseless most of the time and often smaller than the charging defensive linemen and defensive backs, it makes sense to put the burden on the rusher to avoid serious contact.

After the Matthews play generated fierce controversy, Ed Hochuli, a retired NFL official, tried to explain the rule to USA Today.

“There were actually many opportunities for Clay to roll to the side,” Hochuli said. “And he is an amazing athlete. These guys are all amazing athletes and the things they’re able to do, I may not be able to do, but that’s all he’s got to do — make that mental adjustment that as he approaches the quarterback.”

This made some sense for about 24 hours, until a third-down play between the Miami Dolphins and Oakland Raiders ended in disaster. Miami defensive lineman William Hayes sacked Oakland QB Derek Carr. He did it just as the NFL wanted him to: he wrapped up Carr in his arms, swung his own body off to the side, and brought Carr down about as gently as a 6’3”, 272 lb. behemoth feasibly can.

The problem? In the process, Hayes landed awkwardly and tore his ACL. His season is now over, and at the age of 33, a comeback is anything but assured.

I would soft-pedal the idea that the new sack rule is solely to blame for Hayes’s injury, though most commentators have not been nearly so cautious. There was a quick, widespread condemnation of the league across many platforms, with many people arguing the league cares only about star quarterbacks, viewing the faceless, lower-salaried defenders as expendable parts.

However, the truly absurd notion in all of this is the idea that the NFL can, with a haphazardly written rule, legislate danger out of the game. This is a sport where physically enormous, spectacularly athletic and quickthinking men crash into each other at high speed, for three hours each week, 16 to 20 weeks each year.

This sport will never be safe, as William Hayes can tell us. Yet the NFL must justify the existence of this sport in a ‘civilized’ world, and it cannot do so unless it tries its darndest to make the sport as safe as possible. So, the league does the thing it most loves to do: it writes rules.

Writing rules is all well and good, but the reality is that rules have a very indirect bearing on the operation of actual games. If that sounds odd, read the NBA rulebook and see how clearly the language lays out the distinction between what will and will not be called a foul, or, even better, what will and will not be called a travel.

Yet, a devoted basketball fan will have a good sense of both of these things, even without knowing the precise language of the rulebook. These are understandings that referees, players, coaches and fans feel out as the game evolves.

When the NFL writes new rules to govern central concepts of the game, it throws these understandings out the window and replaces them with text. Referees and replay officials turn into textualist judges, who have to parse out the vagaries of incredibly technical language, looking for a meaning that they can apply generally to conduct on the field. This is not sports, it’s law. And nobody wants to spend Sunday watching Court TV.

Sports

Photo courtesy of Mark Box Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Running back Jack Hickey ‘19 ran for 115 yards in the Mammoths’ dismantling of Hamilton on Saturday and now has 252 rushing yards through two games.

Mammoths Utilize Strength on Both Sides of the Ball To Demolish Continentals Matthew Sparrow ’21 Staff Writer After being held scoreless in the first half of its season opener against Bates, the Amherst football team didn’t waste any time putting points on the board in Saturday’s 37-14 victory over the Hamilton Continentals.

On the first drive of the game, Amherst converted all four of its third-down attempts, marching 79 yards into the end zone to put the Mammoths up 7-0 just six minutes into the game.

The opening drive featured a balanced offensive attack with nine rushing plays and five passing plays.

Quarterback Ollie Eberth ’20 displayed his dual-threat abilities, completing three passes for 22 yards and rushing for 40 yards on the ground, including the opening score on a 19yard rush.

The Continentals, on their first possession

of the game, managed to mirror Amherst’s opening drive success, putting together a 13play, 82-yard touchdown drive.

Quarterback Kenny Gray was methodical as he led Hamilton down the field, capping it off by scoring on the ground from a yard out to even the score at seven apiece.

Gray finished a perfect 6-for-6 on the possession, but the touchdown would be the only points the Continentals mustered for nearly three quarters.

While the next Amherst drive would stall after a few first downs, punter Henry Atkeson ’20 kept up his stellar start to the season by pinning the Continentals’ at their own 1-yardline on his first punt of the day.

After a three-and-out by the Continentals, the Mammoths took over with great field position on the Hamilton 37-yardline.

Just two plays later, Jack Hickey ’19 helped Amherst reclaim the lead as he took a hand-off 29 yards to the end zone.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

GAME SCHE DULE

The teams then proceeded to trade five punts in a field position battle before heading to the locker room with Amherst up 14-7.

Hamilton received the ball to start the second half, but the Amherst defense stepped up once again and forced another three-and-out.

The Mammoths took over at their own 37-yardline, and 10 plays later, Eberth fired a dart from 26 yards out to Bo Berluti ’19 to double the Amherst lead to 14 points, 21-7.

After yet another three-and-out for the Continentals, Amherst got the ball back with excellent starting field position at the Hamilton 49-yardline.

Two plays after Hickey busted out for a 30yard run, Eberth scampered into the end zone once more from five yards out to put the Mammoths up 27-7.

On the very next play from scrimmage, Andrew Sommer ’19 intercepted Gray and put Amherst in field goal position to extend its lead to 30-7 thanks to a field goal from Atkeson.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

FRI

SAT

Men’s Tennis ITA Regionals, @ Middlebury, TBA

Men’s Tennis ITA Regionals, @ Middlebury, TBA

Men’s Golf @ NESCAC Qualifier, 9 a.m.

Women’s Tennis ITA Regionals, @ Williams, TBA

Women’s Tennis ITA Regionals, @ Williams, TBA

Women’s Golf @ Williams Fall Invitational, 9 a.m.

Volleyball @ Conn. College, 7 p.m.

After a few more punts, running back Biafra Okoronkwo ’19 put the icing on the cake with a 25-yard touchdown run, the Mammoths’ fourth rushing score of the game.

While the Continentals managed one consolation score, Amherst ran out the clock and cruised to a comfortable 37-14 victory.

The offensive stars of the game were Eberth, who had three total touchdowns, and Hickey, who ran for 115 yards and a touchdown on just 18 carries.

On defense, defending NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year Andrew Yamin ’19 recorded his first sack of the season — one of three on the day for Amherst, with Joe Kelly ’21 and Jack Barrett ’19 notching the other two.

With the win, the Mammoths improved to 2-0 on the season and remained in a tie atop the NESCAC standings with Trinity, Tufts and Williams Up next, Amherst will travel to Brunswick, Maine on Saturday to face the 0-2 Bowdoin Polar Bears at 1 p.m.

Men’s Cross Country @ Paul Short Invitational, 9:30 a.m.

Women’s Cross Country @ Paul Short Invitational, 9:30 a.m.

Photo courtesy of Taylor Thomas ’22

Volleyball vs. Wesleyan, 11 a.m.

Football @ Bowdoin, 1 p.m.

Field Hockey @ Tufts, noon

Men’s Soccer @ Tufts, 2:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer @ Tufts, noon.

Volleyball vs. Endicott College, 3 p.m.