Issue 4

Men’s Soccer Continues Winning Ways See Sports, Page 9 5)& */%&1&/%&/5 /&841"1&3 0' ".)&345 $0--&(& 4*/$&

70-6.& $9-** *446& r 8&%/&4%": 4&15&.#&3

Basler Resigns After Admitting to Plagiarism Brianda Reyes ’14 Editor-in-Chief Last Monday, Sept. 17, former professor Carleen Basler resigned from the College after admitting that her written work contained unattributed verbatim quotations and improper references of other scholars’ work. “My reason for resigning is simple. In certain sections of my scholarly work, I unintentionally failed to cite and improperly cited previously published materials. In the realm of academic scholarship, such mistakes are very serious in nature,� Basler said in a statement given to The Student.

Discovery and Acknowledgment The plagiarism in Basler’s work was discovered when she was being reviewed for tenure in the Anthropology and Sociology and the American Studies departments. As is common with any tenure review, the senior members of the departments were reviewing all of her written work, closely reading it themselves, as well as sending it to outside scholars for review. “In the course of that reading, those faculty began to have some questions and then they started to look and to find things,� Dean of the Faculty Gregory Call said.

After finding some irregularities, the senior members then approached Dean Call and showed him and the rest of his office what they found. “Over the course of a couple of days, they transmitted material that they had found with the references to the unquoted work,� Dean Call said.

After gathering those materials, the Dean of the Faculty’s office analyzed it separately and verified that the senior members’ allegations were true. During this verification process, Dean Call informed Basler about the proceedings and presented her with side-by-side evidence. “She readily acknowledged that there were unattributed quotations in her work,� Dean Call said. “She indicated her deep regret and then we worked through how we would handle the process.�

There is a set of procedures in place in the

faculty handbook for these situations. They followed those procedures, which included meetings between Basler and Dean Call. Basler then decided to resign voluntarily. “Resigning from my position at Amherst College was a very difficult decision but one that I believe is in the best interest of my family, my students and the greater Amherst College community,� she wrote in her statement. “I could have gone through the College’s adjudication process, but as the mistakes are mine, I believe resignation was the most honorable and ethical course of action.�

The Nature of the Plagiarism The plagiarism was found in material dating back to her dissertation. In an email to the faculty, Dean Call wrote that Basler admitted that her work contained “unattributed verbatim quotations and/or other unattributed or improperly referenced work of other scholars.�

Although the plagiarism existed in much of her work, Chair of American Studies Karen SĂĄnchez-Eppler explained that the unattributed quotes were only found in certain parts. “Fairly frequently in her written work, which is work that is characterized by original research and whose central core arguments are as far as we can see original and her own, she relied on pretty large sections of prose from other scholars to provide the context, to provide the literature review or the historical background,â€? Professor Karen SĂĄnchez-Eppler said. “The big findings were hers and were in her own words, but a lot of the background materials she used [were] other scholars’ work.â€?

Professor Karen SĂĄnchez-Eppler also mentioned the way in which today’s technology makes finding plagiarism easier, while also making committing plagiarism more “tempting.â€? “I think that we probably, as an institution, need to spend more time not in a punitive way, but in a really thoughtful way, thinking, what do we mean by intellectual honesty, how do you write in a world where the screen that you’re writing on and the screen that you’re reading on is the same screen?â€?

Struggles with Writing

Photo Courtesy of www.amherst.edu

Former professor Carleen Basler speaking at the 2008 Senior Assembly.

Although Basler does not write in her statement to The Student why she committed plagiarism, some of the faculty believes that it was caused by her struggles and insecurities with writing. “When we talked about it after it was discovered, she was pretty forthright with me about the things that were difficult for her in writing,â€? Professor Karen SĂĄnchez-Eppler said. “I care immensely about her, and I think she had really slowly over the course of her education and her career trapped herself.â€?

Christian Aviles ’14E, a student and previous advisee of Basler’s, who was present at a meeting the departments held last Friday, Sept. 21 for any students that had questions about the situation, explained that some of the professors expressed that Basler had always been insecure about her writing. According to the professors, he said, she refused help that

they offered her when she was writing any work for publication or submitting it for her tenure review. “Obviously there has to be some personal accountability... But, at the same time, it can be hard to ask for help in academic settings,� said Abigail Bereola ’15, an advisee of Basler’s, who was also at the meeting on Friday. “If you’re not asking for help on a lower level — high school, college — or you’re not able to get help on a lower level, at a certain point, you’re probably going to stop asking.�

Creating a More Helpful Academic Environments Since some believe that Basler did not ask for help because she didn’t feel that Amherst was a safe and understanding place, both Continued on Page 3

Teach for America Becomes a Popular Option College Contributes Second-Highest Number of Graduating Seniors to TFA

Ethan Corey ’15 News Section Editor In a statement released by non-profit teaching corps Teach for America (TFA), Amherst College contributed the secondhighest number of graduating seniors last year to the corps out of all small colleges and universities. The College, which tied with DePauw University, saw 19 members of the Class of 2012 join the corps and rose up from 15th place in 2008 to fourth place last year before reaching second place this year.

Fifty thousand students nationwide, including 13 percent of the Class of 2012, applied for only 5,000 positions. Overall, 118 Amherst alumni have taught as corps members throughout TFA’s 22-year history.

The increase in graduates working for TFA over the past five years has paralleled the College’s increasing role in the field of education. For several years, education has been the

number one profession chosen by Amherst graduates, topping medicine, finance, consulting and law. Associate Dean Ursula Olender, director of the Career Center, said that the list demonstrates the student body’s commitment to social justice and positive change in the field of education. “Our students tend to feel that altruism is an important factor in their lives, and education is a great way to give back.

Most students got here with the help of great teachers who changed their lives. Many students want a chance to do the same for the next generation and see TFA as a welcome opportunity to learn about themselves and make a difference,� said Olender. “TFA is known entity with a recognizable brand where they can do good while taking time to think about their direction in life.�

Both Olender and Christina Croak ’13, this year’s Campus Campaign Coordinator for TFA, see the corps as a potentially useful experience for students who want time to think about

their future while gaining perspective on society, emphasizing TFA’s two-year commitment period, established brand and the opportunities it offers graduates to work with underprivileged youth. “TFA’s goal is to fuel a generation of leaders to address the achievement gap from a multidimensional perspective by providing a formative experience for people of any profession to see first-hand the students who face the most disadvantages in this country and understand the structural injustices while leading a movement of change,� Croak said.

Some members of the College community, however, feel that TFA is not the right way for graduates to effectively reform the educational system. Olender expressed some reservations about the program, citing critics who argue that TFA fails to adequately prepare its teachers to succeed in some of the most challenging classrooms in the country. Olender praised TFA Continued on Page 2

$0//&$5 50 64 ".)&345456%&/5 ".)&345 &%6 r !".)&345456%&/5 r -*,& THE AMHERST STUDENT 0/ '"$&#00,

News Entries from Sept. 17 to Sept. 24, 2012 >>Sept. 17, 2012 2:41 p.m., Plaza An officer investigated unauthorized entry into a room that occurred approximately one week ago. The resident reported an unknown male entered her unlocked room at 3:45 a.m. and then left without incident.

10:47 p.m., O’Connell Lot An officer observed three people on the railroad tracks near the O’Connell parking lot.

They were identified and sent on their way. >>Sept. 18, 2012 7:22 p.m., Converse Hall An officer investigated an intrusion alarm at a first floor office and found it was accidentally set off by an employee. >>Sept. 19, 2012 6:10 p.m., Stone Dormitory Officers and the Fire Department responded to a fire alarm and found it was activated when candles were lit in first-floor suite. Two residents were fined $100 each for creating an endangering condition. The alarm system was reset.

6:41 p.m., Alumni Gym An officer investigated a panic alarm from a locker room and found it was accidental.

8:18 p.m., Hitchcock House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding on the third floor and found it activated when a hair straightener was used too close to it. The system was reset. >>Sept. 20, 2012 3:04 p.m., The Evergreens An officer investigated an intrusion alarm and found it was accidentally set off by an employee. The system was reset.

5:27 p.m., Waldorf-Astoria An officer on patrol discovered the lock on an exterior door was blocked with a piece of cardboard. The residents were fined $100 for tampering with a safety device.

8:15 p.m., Marsh House A town resident complained about loud music. An officer responded and spoke to several residents requesting that they close their windows. >>Sep 21, 2012 12:38 a.m., Stone Dormitory An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a third-floor room for no reason.

The problem was corrected.

12:40 a.m., Social Quad An officer encountered an underage student with alcohol. It was confiscated, and the matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

12:40 a.m., Stone An officer encountered an underage student with alcohol. It was confiscated, and the matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

12:40 a.m., Stone A party was shut down in a first-floor suite because officers found minors with alcohol and people obstructing the stairway.

12:40 a.m., Stone While in Stone, an officer confiscated alcohol from a first-floor suite.

11:02 p.m., King Dormitory Officers responded to a noise complaint and found an unauthorized party in the common room. It was shut down.

11:10 p.m., King While shutting an unauthorized party, 90 cans of beer were confiscated.

11:29 p.m., King A caller reported the sound of glass breaking in the common room. An officer discovered that a bulb was broken in a light fixture when someone bumped into it. >>Sept. 22, 2012 12:57 a.m., Plaza While at Plaza, an officer detected the odor of marijuana and spoke to two students. They admitted to smoking and were fined $100 each.

A pipe used for smoking and a device used to grind marijuana were confiscated. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

9:44 a.m., Stone Officers responded to a complaint of loud music coming from a third-floor suite. No music was found upon arrival.

2:59 p.m., Off Campus Locations Amherst Police requested assistance in looking for an elderly lady who wandered from a Snell Street address. She was later located in Hadley. >>Sept. 23, 2012 12:03 a.m., Social Quad An officer encountered a group of people in the basement with alcohol. It was disposed of.

12:16 a.m., King An officer encountered a student relocating two bicycles from the bicycle rack because he believed them to be abandoned. He was identified, and the bicycles were taken to storage.

12:33 a.m., Crossett Dormitory An officer encountered an underage visitor with alcohol. It was disposed of.

2:08 a.m., Pond Dormitory Officers responded to a report of a fight out side the building. The altercation was broken up. Two men from area colleges were issued written no-trespass orders for their involvement in the altercation.

2:40 a.m., Pond A caller reported two unknown males banging on an exterior door in an attempt to gain entry. They were gone when officers arrived.

4:56 a.m., Lipton House An officer located a group of students in the basement with a beer pong table set up. The table was dismantled, and the students left the room.

10:49 a.m., Mayo-Smith House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a first floor room and found it activated when a hair dryer was used too close to it. The system was reset. >>Sept. 24, 2012 12:19 a.m., Pond An officer responded to a complaint of loud music coming from the basement. A group of students having a birthday party was located and the volume of music was lowered.

Due to space restrictions we will not be able to print the statements of candidates running for AAS Senate this week. These statements can be found on our website: amherststudent.amherst.edu

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

College Graduates More Interested in Educational Fields Continued from Page 1

for its noble goals, but worried that there were “valid concerns” in the educational community about TFA’s role in educational reform.

James E. Ostendarp Professor of English Barry O’Connell, who is currently writing a book on educational reform, has harshly criticized TFA, calling it “one of the biggest scams in the history of educational reform” and denouncing it for “indoctrinating its teachers with the idea that the veteran teachers they will meet will be mediocre at best.”

O’Connell argued that the relatively short two-year commitment of the program contributed to high rates of teacher turnover and instability in schools that need teachers who are willing to make a long-term investment in their students’ future. He also criticized the corps for focusing on “classroom management” techniques that he claims encourage teachers to alienate and manipulate their students, creating a negative culture that sets students up for disillusionment. O’Connell emphasized the need to better prepare aspiring teachers to deal with the challenges of teaching in underprivileged classrooms and the importance of humility and empathy in the classroom, citing the Mississippi Teachers’ Corps and the New York City Teaching Fellows as alternatives to TFA that “provide a strong model of teacher preparation and retention.”

“It is ludicrous to think that you can give a recent college graduate five weeks of training and then expect him or her to teach effectively in chaotic and unstable school environments.

No one can know before they get there whether they have the stamina and patience it takes to be a good teacher. Aspiring teachers should build their confidence in less demanding situations before they attempt to succeed in the most challenging classrooms imaginable,” O’Connell said.

No longitudinal studies exist to adequately assess the impact of TFA on disadvantaged students, but evidence gathered by the Great Lakes Center in 2008 suggested that while novice corps members may struggle dur-

ing their first years teaching, TFA has had some success attracting talented individuals to the teaching profession who may not have otherwise ever become teachers. Sixtythree percent of TFA corps members remain in education after the end of their two-year commitment, with half of those staying in the classroom as teachers.

Michaela Duggan ’11, who teaches for the corps, found her TFA experience to be valuable for the perspective it gave her on challenges facing the educational system.

“I can’t think of a more worthwhile way to spend my time than working to improve myself and the educational opportunities available to my students. I don’t think that TFA teachers’ time is worthwhile because they come in and ‘save the day.’ Not at all. For me, the time has been worthwhile because I have learned more about this country, the education system, and myself in one year of teaching than I did in studying education for four years in college. TFA is worthwhile because it is teaching, and teaching is going to work every day with the goal of developing students’ minds and characters into the future leaders of the country,” Duggan said.

Dan Alter ’13 , co-president of EDU, evaluated TFA’s importance to the College’s mission of preparing students to lead ‘lives of consequence’ and its role in the broader struggle to reform education.

“I think that, for all its faults — and I’ve seen outstanding TFA corps members, middling ones and total failures — TFA has done a tremendous thing over the past 20 (or so) years by changing the conversation about education. They’ve done what I’m sure once seemed impossible — getting America’s best and brightest to come into some of our most challenging classrooms to do an often unglamorous job, and they’ve done it in large numbers on a wide scale. Now the next step is to do what seems impossible today — ensuring that these smart and passionate young teachers are expertly prepared and also committed to working in classrooms for more than just two short years,” Alter said.

Want to send your parents the latest in Amherst news?

Get a subscription delivered to their home for $40 a semester or $75 for the entire year. Email astudent@amherst.edu for more details.

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

News 3

Professor Resigns after College Discovers Plagiarism Continued from Page 1 faculty and students brought to the forefront the issue of creating a better environment in which people feel more comfortable coming forward with their academic problems.

“I think the important part of it, I guess, is that I feel that there’s a lot that we can learn about how to support vulnerabilities and deficits,” Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler said.

“How do we as an institution make it a place where when people feel that they’re getting stuck — and I think that this is true for our students as well as our faculty — that when they’re feeling stuck, they can say ‘I’m stuck, help me,’ and not try to cover it up? That’s the kind of soul-searching that we as an institution need to do.”

Alexa Hettwer ’13 was in the MRC Steering Committee as well as the Mental Health Task Force with Basler. Although Hettwer never took a class with Basler, she still interacted with her outside the classroom and grew to admire her. Hettwer too thinks that this situation should make the institution rethink the ways it does certain things.

“I don’t think the public focus should at all be on judging her personal life. I personally do not see intent to deceive, (and am not looking for evidence of personality flaws,) but do see a lot of opportunities for reevaluation of Amherst’s support for its diversity of professors and our understanding of Intellectual Property Rights, which have a very, let’s say, convoluted history,” Hettwer said.

Leaving a Mark in the Classroom Despite the problems that Basler faced as a writer and a scholar, she was well-respected and well-liked by most of her students. Both Aviles and Bereola said in their interviews that a professor at the meeting on Friday mentioned that in their time reviewing professors for tenure, they had never seen more positive student letters for any other professor.

Aviles took White Identity with Basler his first year at Amherst before knowing what he wanted to major in, and it was that class with her that convinced him to declare Sociology as his major.

“As a professor, I thought she was amazing,” Aviles said. “She was there to learn from us as much as we would learn from her; that’s what she told us. I thought her methods of teaching were really effective.”

Faculty such as Professor Karen SánchezEppler also recognized her abilities in the classroom.

“She’s an extremely warm and engaging person both as a scholar — interviewing people — and I think as a leader of classroom discussions,” Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler said. “[She’s] remarkably good at getting people to delve deeply into complicated situations and to talk about touchy subjects candidly and probingly and respectfully.”

Despite plagiarizing in her own work, Basler still pushed her students to avoid the trap that, according to Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler, she had fallen into.

“I think that a lot of what was so powerful in her teaching was a real commitment not to let other students she was working with get trapped in the same ways, to really make sure that she was helping students to develop the skills that they needed to do the best work that they had and they could,” Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler said.

“I’ve come to see her own internal wrestles as part of the fire in her commitment to trying to figure out how you get institutions to serve all of its students well, despite the diversity of preparation with which they come here,” she added.

Impacting Student Life Basler was not only interested in students’ academics, but she was also very invested in student life. Coming from a Mexican-American background, she was particularly interest-

ed in the diversity of the student body.

“Like you, we know Professor Basler as a superb teacher and mentor, committed fully to the students she taught and advised, and devoted to making Amherst the diverse, inclusive, and intellectually challenging place it aspires to be,” Ron Lembo, Chair of the Anthropology and Sociology department, wrote in a letter to majors of the department.

In addition to discussing student life and diversity of the student body in her classes, she also joined faculty committees which dealt specifically with those issues.

“She was an extraordinarily committed member of the College in terms of being willing to be on every Orientation panel, every discussion group, [she was] a very public actor really invested in student life and student wellbeing,” Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler said.

“I think a lot of the really good work that she did on all of those things are legacies that she leaves to us and are real accomplishments.

I would sincerely, sincerely hope that nobody sees this as lessening that or undermining that in any way,” she added.

Hettwer attests to this commitment to student life, as she described Basler as the “the main faculty voice on both of those committees [MRC Steering Committee and Mental Health Task Force].”

As an advisor, Basler also played a role in her students’ lives. Bereola was Basler’s advisee her first-year, and she recalled that many other first-years she knew only had advisors “by name” and interacted with them only through email. Bereola, on the other hand, met with Basler often, going to her for both academic and personal help.

“Honestly, if she hadn’t been my advisor — if I hadn’t felt the connection that I had with her — I possibly could be in the process of transferring or would have already transferred,” Bereola said.

Student Reactions Since finding out about the situation, students have reacted in a variety of ways. Bereola, for example, described the past week as an “emotional rollercoaster.” She also emphasized the need to realize that Basler, although an esteemed professor, was human.

“People are human and they make mistakes,” she said. “Obviously those mistakes are going to have consequences, but I think that there should be room to make mistakes and to ask for help if you need it.”

Bereola acknowledged that Basler’s plagiarism was “in the academic setting, possibly the worst thing you can do.” However, she believes that the impact that Basler made on her life through her advising and mentoring is more important that what she did as a scholar and writer.

“I know that even though I didn’t personally take a class with her, she taught me a lot just by being here and by allowing me to be in her life and learn from her,” Bereola said. “I’ll always really appreciate that and she’ll always be a major part of my Amherst experience regardless of what happens after this.”

Although Bereola responded well to the discovery of Basler’s plagiarism, Aviles did not. The weeks before Basler’s resignation, Aviles had been in meetings with some members of the administration, including President Carolyn Martin and Dean Call, advocating for her tenure, as he believed her to be the perfect candidate. When he was informed of the plagiarism, he could not believe it.

Refusing to believe that Basler could have committed plagiarism, Aviles decided to do some research himself. He looked up an article written by Basler and put different sentences into Google. In the first 20 pages, he said, he found about 13 sentences which were plagiarized.

“At that point, I just stopped. I just started crying. I was really frustrated, I was really sad.

I was angry. I had all these different emotions.

I couldn’t believe it,” he said.

Understanding that many other students’ reactions align more with Bereola’s, Aviles explained that he knew that his view was “unpopular,” but that he could not understand how others could easily overlook the plagiarism.

“I guess they’re really clinging on to the goodness and positive aspects that she brought into the campus, but for me, because I held her on such a high pedestal, now … I can’t look at her the same way anymore,” he said.

Creating Doubt in Her Students In regards to Basler’s students, Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler expressed concerns that students that looked up to her would start questioning their own abilities. She explained that Basler would not want the students to start doubting themselves and resorting to plagiarism to succeed.

“My concern with students who so admire her and who she’s been such a wonderful mentor is that I don’t want this in any way to disillusion them,” she said. “For the students who really have learned so much from her and with her, the best thing that they can do is to go on with their own highest ambitions and strongest integrity, and that’s what she would want for them.”

She also brought up this concern at the meeting on Friday. Aviles explained that for him, that did not make him feel better; instead it made him start doubting himself since he had not seen the situation from that angle before.

“It just gets you thinking, if someone who was your role model and your mentor, if someone who you really look up to was capable of doing that, where does that leave the rest of us?”

Finding New Professors The administration, in addition to communicating with students to make sure they’re handling the situation well (President Martin reached out to Aviles to schedule an appointment to make sure he was coping), also had to find new professors for the two classes that Basler was teaching during this semester. She was teaching a first-year seminar, Race and Racialization in the United States, and an upper-level seminar, Race and Politics in the United States.

Dean Call was able to find professors to teach the classes at the time at which they were originally scheduled. For the first-year seminar, Dean Call spoke to Visiting Lecturer Benigno Sánchez-Eppler. Professor Benigno Sánchez-Eppler, whose official work when he’s not teaching for the College is translating, saw an “opportunity to make a contribution.”

Professor Benigno Sánchez-Eppler explained that the faculty understood that his area of study was not sociology; it was instead literary and cultural studies. Although he will be using some of texts that Basler had assigned for the course, which he described as very “good and up-to-date,” he will also be adding some literary texts so he can teach students through his own expertise.

“It’s still an introduction to intellectual life and how to express yourself intelligently in class and how to get the professor to work for you and how to write. So those things will get done,” he said.

A replacement for the upper-class seminar took more searching than did the first-year seminar, but Dean Robinson, Associate Professor of Political Science at UMass, was eventually found, and he accepted the role.

Her advisees, students in a Special Topics course with her, as well as the students that were working on a thesis with her, will be reassigned to other professors that most fit their area of study.

“In all of this, we ask for your patience,” Professor Lembo wrote in his letter. “We will work through this successfully.”

One of the top priorities for the administration is to begin a search to find another pro-

fessor in the U.S. Latino Studies area for the departments. The faculty hopes to have found a replacement for her by the beginning of the next fall semester.

“The College is committed to the areas Professor Basler was hired to teach, and we expect to authorize a search in U.S. Latino Studies this year,” Dean Call wrote in an email to the faculty.

Reflection on the College Despite the possibility that Basler’s resignation might create negative press for the College, President Martin does not believe that this will happen.

“It’ll be perceived that the tenure system and the peer review that is part of that tenure system worked and that the College has been open about the incident or incidents,” President Martin said. “I don’t think anyone will think any less of Amherst College as a result any more than they will think less well of the institution where she got her Ph.D. These things are rare, but they happen as things happen in all institutions that we wish didn’t but occasionally they do.”

Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler felt that although it is likely for this to be seen as negative thing by some and a positive thing by others, in the end, that is of little significance.

“I think it’s as likely to reflect badly on Amherst as it is to reflect well on Amherst. [But] I guess I don’t care about that,” she said. “The important thing is for us to be as forthright as we can be, while still trying to be respectful of Professor Basler and not parade her.”

Repercussions and the Future Although the plagiarism was found during the tenure review at the College, the administration still had a responsibility to inform other affected parties about it.

“We do have an obligation, according not only to our own ethical standards, but also according the policies that are described by the American Association of University Professors, to inform publishers and inform any other institutions,” President Martin said.

Dean Call reached out to colleagues at Yale University, where Basler received her Ph.D., to inform them of the plagiarism, which was also found in her dissertation. Julia Adams, Chair of the Department of Sociology at Yale University, said the university is conducting its own investigation on the plagiarism before making any decisions regarding her Ph.D. “My colleagues and I were shocked to learn that Carleen Basler had plagiarized part of her academic work while completing her doctoral studies in sociology at Yale University. Neither the Sociology department nor Yale University tolerates plagiarism, which is a fundamental breach of trust as well as an ethical violation,” Professor Adams wrote in a statement to The Student. “Besides being a breach of trust and an ethical violation, plagiarism also gives rise to a great deal of pain, suffering, and personal humiliation, and I am confident that Amherst’s academic leadership and college community are dealing with the fallout in the best and most humane way possible.”

Although Basler did not mention her plans for the future in her statement, Professor Karen Sánchez-Eppler expressed what she hopes for Basler’s future.

“My big hope for her is that she will be able to make a new professional life for herself that’s all about her strengths and all about the things that she does really, really well, and not as hobbled as her time here has been.”

To read Carleen Basler’s full statement to The Student, go to page 4.

For students that wish to write a letter to Basler, there will be a letter writing session sponsored by the MRC and the Dean of Students Office on Sept. 27, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Friedmann Room. Stationery and writing utensils will be provided.

Opinion

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

Editorial

Letters to the Editor

A Culture of Insecurity

Carleen Basler writes to all members of the College community.

T

he news of former professor Carleen Basler’s academic plagiarism came as a shock to the entire College community, with several students and faculty expressing intense dismay at the revelations about someone who is revered an idol, mentor and friend.

While we at The Student do not wish to opine on the particularities of Basler’s case, we do wish to use this incident to highlight an important problem that not only plagues members of the College’s own academic community, but also elite institutions across the map: the lack of adequate support networks for the high pressures of academia.

At the outset, The Student would like to firmly register its ardent opposition to plagiarism in all manners and forms. This editorial does not serve to excuse or defend Basler’s actions, but merely allow the incident, along with observations of academic stress and difficulties amongst students as well, to illuminate a disturbing phenomenon in the culture of the College that could prove detrimental to all members of the community in the long run. The speculation of the existence of this phenomenon comes not just from this one incident, but the fact that this incident may complement the personal experiences of many students as well.

Although Basler did not herself give a reason for her acts of plagiarism, several professors have pointed to the fact that she felt insecure about her writing and believed that she could not share these concerns openly, despite the existence of supportive colleagues and resources. Students, both past and current, have also complained about being in similar situations: many talk about feeling isolated in their insecurities, as though no other student faces the same issues. There are two things to take away from this: first, that we should try and understand why such a culture exists, and second, look for solutions for this problem.

While it is fair to say that Amherst would not be unique in fostering a culture of com-

petitiveness, high academic standards and academic insecurity, perhaps it is worth examining factors inherent in the College that could create such an environment. The small size and high prestige of the institution naturally lends itself to a sense of claustrophobia that accentuates the already existing pressures in the lives of those involved in academia. In addition, the lack of dialogue amongst students and faculty about insecurities further intensifies these feelings: “if no one else talks about it, no one else must be feeling it.” There exists no forum or platform through which insecurities faced by students can be shared and discussed. Many laud the “brilliance” and “startling achievements” of our student body, and while these achievements do need to be highlighted, the lack of balance further emphasizes to students who have insecurities that they are a small minority, when the reality is that a large majority of the student population have, at some point or the other, felt that they are not up to the caliber of the institution.

It will be difficult to seek solutions to a seemingly endemic problem to a top institution, but the Student believes that the first steps towards solving the issue are obvious: to create more dialogue amongst both faculty and students about these issues. Questions need to be raised as well: how effective is the Writing Center in addressing insecurities regarding writing, and is it used enough? If not, then how can the Writing Center or Q-Center be made more accessible and less stigmatized, if it is stigmatized at all? What other institutional (and non-institutional) support can be provided that makes student not feel like they are not alone, and that grades, papers or conversation skills in class do not reflect their worth, as either a student, scholar or person?

It is important not to write this incident off without analysis and use it to reflect on systemic issues to make Amherst a healthier and safer community for all.

Dear students, staff, and faculty, Resigning from my position at Amherst College was a very difficult decision but one that I believe is in the best interest of my family, my students, and the greater Amherst College community. My reason for resigning is simple. In certain sections of my scholarly work, I unintentionally failed to cite and improperly cited previously published materials. In the realm of academic scholarship, such mistakes are very serious in nature. I could have gone

Ramblings on Rankings

James Liu ’16 Opinion Section Editor Two weeks ago, U.S. News & World Report released its 2013 edition of America’s Best Colleges. For the second year in a row, Harvard and Princeton Universities tied to top the list of national universities, as Yale remained entrenched at third. In contrast, there was significant movement lower on the list, as the five-way tie for the fifth spot from last year’s ranking dissolved.

The University of Chicago moved up to join Columbia University at fourth, inching ahead of Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which tied at sixth. The California Institute of Technology, which in the 2000 edition managed to usurp the number one spot, dropped to 10th this year. As for the nation’s best liberal arts colleges, it was business as usual with Williams, Amherst and Swarthmore Colleges dominating the category. Amherst was ranked at second, while Williams skulked its way to the top slot.

A cursory perusal of the rankings reveals some obvious deficiencies (the most egregious being the inflated position of Williams College). Nonetheless, U.S. News remains the most widely read and respected college ranking in publication, and it is therefore worth discussing how seriously it should — and should not — be taken.

U.S. News bases its ranking methodology on a variety of quantitative and subjective criteria. First, it categorizes institutions based on the type of higher education they offer. For example, liberal arts colleges, such as Amherst, which are devoted exclusively to undergraduate education, are listed in a separate ranking

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Brianda Reyes Managing News Alissa Rothman Managing Opinion Erik Christianson, Meghna Sridhar Managing Arts and Living Nicole Chi, Clara Yoon Managing Sports Emmett Knowlton, Karl Greenblatt

people will throw statistics, philosophies, “white guilt” and the kitchen sink at anyone who opposes its policies.

I really appreciated Katrin’s article on the subject two weeks ago for two reasons. First, she was able to argue an aspect of the case against affirmative action that I would be completely unable to argue myself. Second, she eschewed the factual-battering-ram approach, instead using personal experience to show how affirmative action breaks down in application. There are limitations to that approach, yes,

but she recognized that and utilized her approach in a manner that was extremely effective.

In fairness, the articles published last week in response to hers largely declined the use of facts as well. The one using the fewest blatant factual appeals was by far the most cogent, while the one appealing to Supreme Court decisions and the text of the College’s amicus brief was a non-sequitur wonderland which led the reader from an “argument” for affirmative action to an attack on finance capital and the market in general. In keeping with this

Continued on Page 5

Andrew Kaake ‘14 Andrew is a Political Science and Music double major who writes a bi-weekly column on conservatism, politics and campus life. trend, I’m going to go a little lighter on numbers than I often do in my articles. When it comes to moral considerations, it’s best to leave the numbers out sometimes.

The main problem with affirmative action is that it discriminates, whether on the basis of race, gender, hometown, parents’ educational status or athletic ability. The quota system has been effectively outlawed, but colleges are allowed to take various factors, such as those listed above, into consideration “at the margins.” It doesn’t matter, though, where colleges use race

S TA F F Design Editor Brendan Hsu News Section Editor Ethan Corey, Siyu Shen Opinion Section Editors Diana Babineau, James Liu, Julia Milmed Arts & Living Section Editor Annalise Nurme Sports Section Editors Varun Iyengar

than national universities, which also offer master’s and Ph.D. programs. (A report published by Forbes in 2010, which ranked both liberal arts colleges and national universities but with a different methodology, placed Amherst at third, ahead of both Harvard and Yale.) Next, U.S. News collects, weighs and compiles 16 indicators of academics excellence. Some of the indicators, such as standardized test scores, are objective, whereas others, such as a peer assessment score, are subjective. Most data is self-reported by colleges, and while the publication strives to ensure accuracy, institutions — even elite ones such as Claremont McKenna College and Emory University — have in the past reported false data. Finally, U.S. News develops a ranking based on each institution’s composite weighted score.

Although the complexity of the U.S. News methodology lends it a veneer of objectivity, the report is far from scientific. A substantial percentage of the composite score is derived from subjective factors; academic reputation amounts to over 20 percent of the score. Furthermore, U.S. News assigns a weight to each indicator “that reflects [its] judgment about how much a measure matters,” which is but a tactful way to say: arbitrarily. For example, faculty resources are weighed as 20 percent of the total score and financial resources as 10 percent. Exactly why faculty resources are more important, moreover precisely twice as important, as financial resources is never explicated. Furthermore, U.S. News has readjusted its formula in the past in order to produce more savory results. The success and

A Piece of Kaake

Affirmative Action is Institutionalized Discrimination I’ve always been a fan of using facts in opinion articles. When I was an editor for The Student freshman year, I noticed that, many times, people wouldn’t cite anything to support their argument. Sometimes it may have been because the facts would have repudiated their article, but, most of the time, the inclusion of supporting facts would have greatly strengthened what they were trying to say.

There are some areas, however, where the inclusion of facts actually obscures the issues at play. Affirmative action is one of these areas, in which

through the College’s adjudication process, but as the mistakes are mine, I believe resignation was the most honorable and ethical course of action. I sincerely regret these mistakes and apologize unreservedly to my colleagues and students for the distress this situation has caused.

I hope the College community will remember me for more than these mistakes, and will recall the passionate commitment I made to Amherst College in my teaching, mentoring, and developing a more diverse and inclusive learning community.

For my family’s sake I would be grateful if the community would grant us privacy.

Publishers Mary Byrne, Chris Friend, Nazir Khan, David Walchak Copy Editor Marisa Dolmatch, Rebecca Boorstein, June Pan Photographers Peter Mack, Olivia Tarantino Senior Editor Amro El-Adle

as a determining factor in admissions: any use of it constitutes discrimination on the basis of race. The same is true for any of the aforementioned factors.

Discrimination does not need to have a negative effect to be considered discrimination. If I were discriminated against by Williams, if they decided that they didn’t really want a white guy, or a Christian, or an Iowan, but I was accepted to Harvard because they wanted another Republican, discrimination benefits me. Even if it Continued on Page 5

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 e-mail account (astudent@amherst.edu) by 12 p.m. on Sunday, after which they will not be accepted.

The editors reserve the right to edit any letters exceeding the 450-word limit or to withhold any letter because of considerations of space or content.

Letters must bear the names of all contributors and a phone number where the author or authors may be reached. Letters and columns may be edited for clarity and Student style.

The Student will not print personal or group defamation.

Publication Standards

The Amherst Student is published weekly except during College vacations. The subscription rate is $75 per year or $40 per semester. Subscription requests and address changes should be sent to: Subscriptions, The Amherst Student; Box 1912, Amherst College: Amherst, MA 01002-5000. The offices of The Student are located on the second floor of the Keefe Campus Center, Amherst College. Phone: (413) 542-2304. All contents copyright © 2011 by The Amherst Student, Inc. All rights reserved. The Amherst Student logo is a trademark of The Amherst Student, Inc. Additionally, The Amherst Student does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation or age.

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

0QJOJPO 5

Affirming Affirmative Action Racism, Determinism and Discrimination

Julia Milmed ’15 Opinion Section Editor

I was dismayed by the mischaracterization of affirmative action portrayed in “Affirmative Action Detrimental to All,” an article published in The Student on Wednesday, Sept. 12. This article completely misunderstands the purpose of affirmative action. While I believe that racial diversity does in fact contribute constructively to any educational institution, benefit to the college community is not at all the function of affirmative action — rather, the goal of this program is to help bridge the achievement gap and ultimately to end the cycle of institutional racism that plagues our nation.

Affirmative action attempts to right a historical wrong: the history of racism in our country has created an undeniable disadvantage for minorities, through inherited socioeconomic disadvantage and lack of available opportunity for progress. In the article, the author states that, “prior to coming [to Amherst], [she] wasn’t labeled as a minority.”

However, it is an inescapable fact that race affects the experiences of any individual. The unfortunate reality is that black and Hispanic Americans (as well as other minority Americans) have lower median family incomes, lower high school and college graduation rates and higher unemployment rates than their white counterparts. The only realistic solution to this problem of inequity is to provide minorities with opportunities previously unavailable to them, especially educational opportunities that will ultimately lead to socioeconomic progress.

This means that, while race should not define any individual, it is absolutely necessary that colleges look at race as a factor in their admissions decisions.

I would like to address the misconception represented in the article that the acceptance of underqualified minority students to educational institutions is a negative aspect of affirmative action. First, it is important to note that at our college we are fortunate to have a large enough pool of exceptional applicants that minority students accepted through affirmative action tend to be no less qualified or prepared for the College’s academic environment.

But it is true that in many instances, affirmative action does grant under-qualified students admission to colleges for which they might not be prepared.

To think that this is an argument against affirmative action is, again, to misunderstand the purpose of affirmative action.

While “justifying prejudices against minority students,” as the article suggests affirmative action

does, is certainly not the intent, the success of affirmative action does not rely on minority students “proving themselves” as the most accomplished students. As long as a minority student accepted through affirmative action graduates from college and thus has access to more opportunities, affirmative action has succeeded.

Minority students who are unprepared for a rigorous college environment are, of course, no less intelligent or capable than students not accepted through affirmative action — they simply have not been given equal educational opportunities. This is the exact cycle that affirmative action hopes to break. How can we expect the pool of qualified minority college applicants to expand without creating a generation of college-educated minority parents, who will have access to higher-paying jobs and who will have the opportunity to place a higher importance on education for their children? Katrin’s article last states that affirmative action “creates a system in which some applicants’ shortcomings are excused without proof of extenuating circumstances.” The regrettable truth is that being a minority in America is an extenuating circumstance.

The article validly claims that many students admitted to colleges through affirmative action drop out due to academic and social difficulties. Rather than being an argument against affirmative action, this statistic should be used as grounds to fortify affirmative action and to develop it into a program that can provide academic and personal resources to its minority students who might be struggling.

Affirmative action is not an immediate, shortterm solution to the problem of inequity. It does not address the issue of self-segregation on college campuses — an important issue raised in Katrin’s article. While I disagree with her view that it is a “false assumption that diversity of race creates diversity of thought,” affirmative action also does not seek to address the issue of diversity of intellectual perspectives on college campuses.

Affirmative action is not about benefitting college campuses, socially or academically — its most important objective is to open up a world of possibilities to minority groups who previously have lacked opportunity solely because of race. While matters of social and intellectual diversity on college campuses should not be ignored, we should not condemn affirmative action for failing to address these issues; rather, let us praise affirmative action for what it does accomplish, and let us hope to see positive change in the opportunities available to minorities in our country.

Dismissing the Hype Continued from “Ramblings”

legitimacy of the U.S. News methodology does not — as commonly believed — proceed from producing controversial or sensationalist results, but rather from being congruent with pre-existing conceptions. To contrast, the Forbes ranking of America’s Top Colleges, which places the University of Notre Dame twenty-two places ahead of Dartmouth College, hardly seems credible. Therefore, after Caltech anomalously rose to the number one spot in the 2000 edition, displacing Harvard, Yale and Princeton Universities, U.S. News applied a “logarithmic adjuster” that disproportionately affected categories in which Caltech held a substantial advantage over Harvard, Yale and Princeton; consequently, in the 2001 edition, the three aforementioned institutions returned to their perennial positions at the top three.

If the U.S. News rankings are so flawed, what, then, should determine what constitutes the best college? The classic answer, as every high school counselor will advise, is: it depends. Each individual is unique; every college offers a distinct academic and social environment; thus, the optimal college experience depends on finding the best fit. To make an all-encompassing statement that a single college is the best for every individual, as U.S. News implicitly does, is fallacious. Nonetheless, the U.S. News methodology continues to represent a false degree of precision. While ranking Northwestern University above Northeastern University is probably a good call, to say decisively that Columbia University is better than Stanford University because its

composite score is greater by exactly one point (on a 100-point scale) is spurious. Ultimately, the measured differences in the top universities and colleges are so marginal that a decision must come down to personal preference and fit.

Despite its shortcomings, the U.S. News & World Report College Rankings remain lucrative and influential. In 2007, three days after releasing the college ranking, the U.S. News Web site had received 10 million page views compared to an average 500,000 views in a normal month. In addition, the printed college-ranking issue generally sells 50 percent more than a routine issue. Although the U.S. News rankings can be useful resources when searching for colleges — as they provide a comprehensive compilation of relevant data — they tend to be misused and abused by both students and colleges. Anecdotes of students of committing to a certain institution simply because of a higher rank do little to recommend the rankings. Responding to the sway of college rankings over public perceptions, some colleges have been inclined to adopt some objectionable practices, such as intensively drawing upon Early Decision (which adversely affects low-income applicants) and allegedly rejecting overqualified applicants to boost yield rates. Taken with a grain of salt, however, the U.S. News College Rankings can be innocuous and amusing. After all, it is always nice to see Amherst on the front page.

While Amherst ought to congratulate itself for being recognized yet again as one of the best liberal arts colleges in the nation, let’s not give U.S. News too much credit for stating the obvious.

Continued from “Affirmative” benefits a person, discrimination is still wrong.

Furthermore, even if you are discriminating in favor of someone — if you were accepting him over someone else with the same qualifications because he was of a minority race, for example — you are still discriminating against them. Implicit in such discrimination is the idea that the minority student needs a leg-up on the competition in order to combat the disadvantages of being a part of his or her race or class.

Discrimination is wrong because it subscribes to a notion of racial (or socio-economic, or religious, or locational) determinism. The use of discrimination implies that you can draw legitimate inferences about a person on the basis of his race, class or birthplace. Deterministic models are clearly wrong, because you can’t assume that a person is lazy, rich or a Democrat because of his or her race. One of my best friends on campus is a black Republican; few of my white friends come from “privileged” families; the only stereotype that holds true in my friend group is that one of my Asian friends has a 4.0 GPA, and that’s not a result of her race but her work ethic.

Discrimination and determinism are wrong, but the government has held that it is permissible to do things that are wrong if it is for a justifiable reason. What is the reason used by colleges to justify their discriminatory practices? Currently, the byword is “diversity.” What the diversity justification essentially boils down to is the idea that, by accepting students from many countries, races and socio-economic backgrounds, a college can force students to interact with people of varied viewpoints and past experiences, which will benefit their education by requiring them to learn from others, abandon stereotypes and become more cosmopolitan.

Diversity breaks down as a cohesive justification for discriminatory practices rather quickly.

First, it returns us to the realm of determinism; to assume that someone will have a different background or viewpoint on the basis of his or her race or socio-economic class is a deterministic idea. Thus, discriminatory determinism is used as a justification for affirmative action.

Next, it assumes that confronting students with diversity on campus will force them to interact with and benefit from it. I won’t say any more on that subject, but I will refer the reader back to Katrin’s article. Additionally, while affirmative action holds positive goals in increasing the overall college completion rate among minorities to mirror that of other groups and in combating racism and stereotypes by bringing people face-to-face with those they may have been prejudiced against, it uses discrimination as a means to that end. That’s right: the idea of affirmative action is to use discrimination to combat discrimination. I have a final bone to pick with affirmative action: I thought it was supposed to provide a diversity of viewpoints, and yet this campus is overwhelmingly liberal. If we’re going to let any minority group in, perhaps it should be Republicans?

In all seriousness, diversity is not a legitimate enough end to justify the use of discrimination, even if it were to achieve favorable objectives.

Affirmative action is unjustifiable, and so, therefore, is the filing of an amicus brief by the College to support institutionalized discrimination and racial determinism.

It’s nice to have a discussion about this now, but our thoughts likely won’t matter in a few months, when the Supreme Court renders a decision in Fisher v. University of Texas. Hopefully, that decision will finally label affirmative action for what it is: illegal discrimination. When it finally comes down to a matter of discrimination, I think Chief Justice Roberts says it best: “The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”

#WAASUP

AAS Senate weekly updates, in 140 characters or fewer

t

Full house at First–Year Elections — 22 first years running! #enthusiastic16s

t

Information session with Bain Capital causes Senate meeting to start late due to the lack of quorum #BainintheAAS #youbetrayedus

t

Senate debates merits of Amherst offering online courses #terrasirradient

t

Space Allocation Committee created to discuss relocation of the #MRC

The AAS Treasurer’s Report "CJHBJM 9V A AAS Treasurer If you were in Frost A-Level this Wednesday evening, you probably noticed a conglomeration of students huddled around the stairs. No, they were not there because they could not find another place to study, but because it was the first Budgetary Committee meeting of the year.

60,497.35 dollars were allocated at the first BC meeting. That’s a hefty sum for the first week of

school, but the money is being put to good use.

Several club sports have the funds now to help them dominate and make us Jeffs proud! Many other clubs also received funding. Due to a lack of space, only the ones who received the most funds are shown in the graph.

Starting this week and for the rest of the year, the BC will hear funding requests at the same place but at a different time: 9 p.m. It was a great start to the year — keep those funding requests coming!

Recent Discretionary Funding

Arts&Living

4FQUFNCFS t 5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU

A Champion of Keeping It Real: Junot Diaz Luiz Feliz ’13 Contributing Writer Few contemporary writers have been anointed with as much praise as Junot Díaz. Since 1996, when he first burst onto the literary scene and was immediately exalted as a promising upstart with a distinctive voice, Mr. Díaz has been the darling of the literary mainstream, a recognition that has earned him induction into the pages of The New Yorker and into the Pulitzer Prize board from which he received his very own trophy in 2008.

Over the last few weeks, book reviewers — from Leah Hager Cohen at the New York Times Book Review to Hector Tobar at The Los Angeles Times to Laura Bennett at The New Republic — have carried on the trend; upon the release of Mr. Díaz’s new short story collection, “This Is How You Lose Her,” his third book after publishing “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” (2007) and “Drown” (1996), they have showered on him yet again a goodly amount of laurels. But neither the plaudits nor the legitimacy critical reception confers on a writer adequately account for why legions of loyal readers pore over Mr. Díaz’s books.

Mr. Díaz’s popularity alone would seldom rouse more than a few eyelash quivers of attention if it were not for how adept he is at melding seemingly cacophonous idioms and themes — the argot of academia with the streetwise vernacular of hiphop, the banter of Spanglish shot through with rotten Dominican slang, the erudition of nerd-speak with the restrained effusions of a bona fide playa; love with an imperious masculinity forged in colonialism and dictatorship — into resonantly calibrated beats. In a recent interview in Boston Review titled “The Search for Decolonial Love,” Mr. Díaz explains his writing process as not “faithful representations” that “run the risk of being mere titillation or sensationalism” and instead “show how…oppressive paradigms work together with the social reality of the characters to undermine the very dreams the characters have for themselves.” “Now if the redounding is too blunt and obvious, then what you get is a moralistic parable

and not literature. But, if it’s done well, then you indignant moralism, he opts for a playful, ciceroget both the ugliness that comes out of showing nian rhetorical shtick: “If this was another kind of story, I’d tell you how people really are around issues like race and about the sea. What it looks like after it’s been gender.”

Deployed by Yunior, Mr. Díaz’s ballsy alter- forced into the sky through a blowhole. How when ego, this apt character detail, by way of name-drop, I’m driving in from the airport and see it like this, describes a scene in the new collection’s open- like shredded silver, I know I’m back for real.” He ing story, “The Sun, the Moon, the Stars.” Yunior further defines Santo Domingo as populated by cheats on his girlfriend Magdalena. After she “albinos” and “tígueres;” the traffic as a “cosmoldiscovers his infidelity, he resolves to repair their ogy of battered cars” with an “equal number of rerelationship, at first through half-assessed over- pair shops, run by any fool with a wrench;” and the street he grew up on as “how it hasn’t decided yet tures, then through travel. i f it wants to be a slum or not and how it’s While at first she is loath to Image courtesy of been in this state of indecision accept, he eventuvoxxi.com for years.” Then he unally convinces dercuts the authorher, and the ity of the reportcouple takes age: “But that a trip would make d o w n it another kind to the Doof story, and I’m minican Rehaving enough public. What trouble with this a slight price one as it is. You’ll to pay for his have to take my word womanizing! But, for it. Santo Domingo is alas, things don’t go Santo Domingo. Let’s pretend we as planned on their “Allall know what goes on there.”

Quisqueya Redemption In addition to the complexiTour.” And they end up in Casa ties of Yunior’s idiom and the de Campo, “The Resort That Shame worldview it discloses in highly comForgot.” As a rebuffed Yunior observes the scene around him, he finds a “Eurofuck beached pressed and tantalizing prose, Mr. Díaz also treats out on a towel” “in the company of a dark-assed political themes. As the book’s title suggests, all Dominican girl” in one of the most lavish resorts the stories in This Is How You Lose Her center on in the DR, where the island’s elite “relax after a relationships, on the scarred bodies and souls of long month of oppressing the masses.” Despite the men and women seeking in one another the balm Afro-Dominican girl’s presence, who is probably a of intimacy. These scars are both material and sex worker — “these two didn’t meet back in their psychic. In “Nilda,” Yunior describes his brother’s Left Bank days” — “there’s a massive melanin defi- ex-girlfriend as having “big stupid lips and a sad cit in evidence.” In his wisecracking polyglot voice, moonface and the driest skin. Always rubbing Yunior limns his racial and class-consciousness, lotion on it and cursing the Moreno father who’d his political disposition and postcolonial sensibil- given it to her.” The Nilda Yunior remembers from ity. However, Yunior understands on what shaky when they were younger “let her hair wall away grounds his opposition to a finely implied neoco- her face” and dealt with her alienation and selflonialism rests. Instead of the native informant’s loathing by reading “The New Mutants.” But as

soon as Nilda begins dating older guys including Rafa, her “slash of black hair had gone from something to pull on the bus to something to stroke in the dark.” Thus Nilda’s validation can only be possible through the fraught intimacy of sex. The psychic scars of such objectification contrasts with the “scars snaking up” the “arms” of four hobos at the mini mall where Yunior sees Nilda for the last time. Throughout the stories, scars and the body have a prominent place ranging from “I see a spiderweb of scars across her stomach” to “bitten-up hands” to “stenosis.”

In “Otravida, Otravez,” Yasmin says about a married man with whom she is having an affair: “I lift his meaty hand. It is heavy and has flour under each nail. Sometimes at night I kiss his knuckles, crinkled as prunes.” In an especially poignant scene, at the hospital laundry room where Yasmin works, the women “whisper” about the 80s AIDS epidemic, suspecting that “given the blood we see, that there’s a great war going on out in the world.”

To which a new worker replies, “Just the one inside of the bodies.” Relegated to the laundry room of the hospital, Yasmin, and her co-workers, never encounter the sick; “they visit me through the stains and marks they leave on the sheets, the alphabet of the sick and dying,” she says.

The bravura of these imaginative exertions by turns tender and blunt explain the source of Mr. Díaz’s popularity, not only with an exclusive coterie of critical luminaries but also with a widespread audience that cuts across various reading communities. But how? Living, imagining and creating in a country, like the United States, where the reading public, in contrast to that in Latin America, Asia and Europe, could hardly care less about writers — not even to want to kill them (Salman Rushdie) or pillory their careers as national schadenfreude (Martin Amis), Mr. Díaz has done what few literary authors have; he has maintained a popular following and done so, strangely enough, by steeping his fictions in politics. Or perhaps, in less rarefied terms, homeboy has kept it real.

Junot Díaz will be reading from his new collection at Mount Holyoke College on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.

Amherst Symphony: History’s Four Best Fifths Steven Ryu ’16 Contributing Writer

This weekend, the Amherst Symphony Orchestra embarks on a seemingly herculean task, a series of 5th symphonies including those of Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler and Shostakovich. These are some of the most well known, loved and studied pieces for any orchestra to tackle, making for an exciting and substantial season. With so much attention given to these works, it is a brave undertaking.

While it may seem to be a curious incidence that the number 5 constitutes so many well known, substantial and profound examples of symphonic literature in classical music, it is really no surprise at all. In fact, the reason can be reduced to four onomatopoeic words: Bam bam bam buuuuuuum.

These four notes constitute possibly the most well known tune in all of music, that of Beethoven’s 5th symphony.

Its heavy and imposing opening four notes have echoed throughout culture for centuries, causing irrevocable change in all music to come. Beethoven expressed himself as a revolutionary with this work, morphing the nature of the symphony and presenting a new form of music: deeply individual and resonant with the psyche. The 5th

presents a profound narrative, one that connected with audiences and ignited their emotions with raw power and intimacy. In the symphony, an individual is immediately set upon by crisis: the famous theme is known as “fate knocking at the door.” This narrative of struggling with fate concerns the deepest of human inquiry and would be an inescapable influence for future generations of composers.

However, the next work is the polar opposite of Beethoven’s 5th in every way possible. If the 1st movement of Beethoven’s 5th presents no mercy and ends in resound defeat, Schubert’s 5th presents a moment of no worries or tragedy, a celebration of the enjoyment of life. It is a light and sunny work, dubbed the most “Mozartean” of Schubert’s symphonies. It gambols and skips, and its songlike nature is indicative of Schubert’s prolific skill with melodies. He had so many he wouldn’t know what to do with them.

They seemed to ooze out of his being.

Who wouldn’t write such a carefree and singing lyrical piece of music?

In contrast, Mahler put special gravitas into his 5th, as he had been living through a period of great change at the time of its composition. Mahler had achieved mainstream success; he had his dream job as a conductor of

the Vienna Philharmonic and dream home in a grand villa. He was only missing the love of a woman, and that came to be resolved by the Adagietto, the 4th movement of his symphony.

It is a work that is ethereal, heavenly in its floating lines and warm doting melodies. It was written as a love song to Alma Schindler, a woman whom Mahler had fallen for deeply. She only had to listen to it once to understand without any words, and accept. The 5th presents Mahler at the height of his being, at the precipices of both happiness and despair; the Adagietto in particular reflects his envelopment in the blissful, calm rapture of his adoration.

It is a blessed respite amidst the chaos and power of the rest of the symphony, reflected in the fact that the Adagietto was accepted by audiences as a separate work much earlier than the rest of symphony, which people felt was too vast to be widely understood. Mahler himself lamented and expressed the wish to conduct it 50 years after his death. This disconnect between the composer and the audience could be a lethal situation, one most painful to the artist and not unique to Mahler.

As a popular composer under the communist rule of Joseph Stalin, Shostakovich faced much graver consequences than the ignorance of his

audience if his works were not understood. In the Soviet Union, composers were not celebrated as artists, but public servants tasked with inspiring the people and uplifting their spirits.

Deviance from this task would result in far worse than a couple of negative reviews from snooty critics. Shostakovich, as an innovator of dissonance and composer of eccentric complexity, was especially pressured in this age of repression and purges. His patron was shot and executed, and friends and relatives similarly were met with the firing squad or simply disappeared.

Shostakovich had recently disappointed Soviet officials with his most recent work, and was met with threats that his style was beyond understanding with its quirks; what they wanted instead was simplicity. Yet for Shostakovich to compromise his freedom of expression in his music would mean his death as an artist. He would have to write to fool the authorities while reaching his audiences with his true intentions; what resulted in terrific, artful irony was his 5th symphony. Its finale is particularly ambiguous with its robust proud marches, melancholic and despairing asides and ringing, booming finish. Does the work end in joyous, loud victory, or is it a mere hollow and mocking reflection of one?

Image courtesy of Steven Ryu ’16 There is a point where we must draw the line between artist and art, but it is my belief that in music the two are most strongly bonded. These stories aren’t told as colorful back stories meant to entertain, but they are meant as a context to understand. Classical music can be frightening and mysterious in its abstract nature, its lack of concrete subject or action. But by learning about the lives, intentions and context of composers who wrote these works we can understand their vision.

And for a period of time we can feel the alignment of the past and present, completely united with the players, the audience and with those long dead and gone but immortalized in their creations. It is a curious but profound synthesis of the visceral and intellectual.

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

"SUT -JWJOH 7

Have No Doubts: League of Masters Scores Big

Image courtesy of joaquinpheonix.com

" XFMDPNF GPMMPX VQ UP i5IFSF 8JMM #F #MPPE w 1BVM 5IPNBT "OEFSTPO T i5IF .BTUFSw DPNCJOFT FYDFMMFOU DJOFNBUPHSBQIZ BOE BDUJOH JO B DMBTTJD JO JUT PXO SJHIU "OESF 8BOH Staff Writer Fireworks never flash across the screen, but “The Master� celebrates the genius of acting, screen-writing, set design, directing and almost everything else about cinema with no less fuel and splendor. It is your typical Oscar suspect: an art-house independent film with more than a streak of ambition, an idolized director notable for his uncompromising style, a fierce cast, an intriguing story and as always, something contentious that nests at the tongue of the critics and the public alike. And yes, it is irresistible to an upper-middle class college town. In fact, last Friday night saw a packed main theater at the Amherst Cinema — an unusual spectacle.

Though early chatters surround-

ing a Hollywood project generally do not accurately predict the merit of its final quality, the situation changes when they focus on the director. For five-time Academy nominee Paul Thomas Anderson, the touted wunderkind who churned out contemporary classics such as “Boogie Nights� and “Magnolia� and returning with his first feature film since “There Will Be Blood� in 2007, “The Master� puts anticipation out of the question.

In contrast, whether he would bring back his calm grittiness and idiosyncracies concerned Hollywood more.

Fear not, Anderson fans, for “The Master� faithfully follows his legacy, even if it leaves out the darkness and ruthlessness that defined the haunting presence of his last critics’ darling.

As with “There Will Be Blood,�

“The Master� projects both spreads of social landscape and anatomies of individuality without hesitation. Here, post-WWII America struggles with its inheritance of angst and pride, and ideological fervors begin to bubble angrily. Such is the environment that envelops retired navy and eccentric alcoholic Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), a soul tugged by sexual frustration, pompous contempt and outbursts of violence. After a slew of volatile episodes, he stumbles onto a ship and unknowingly enters the world of Lancaster Dodd (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), head of a new religious movement named The Cause.

Despite the diplomatic dodges of the production team, there is no getting around that The Cause resembles the Church of Scientology in more ways than one. Physical resemblance of the two spiritual leaders, connection with the navy, timeline overlay and identical names aside, the atmosphere of rejoice, rage and devoutness that clouds sound reasoning incubates division and controversy like no other. At the center of the division and controversy stands Freddie, whose inability to assimilate and embody The Cause despite Dodd’s personal mentorship divides the movement. Conflicts heat up as the movement sways halfway to endorse a new methodology that suggests imagination’s substitute for memory and past life’s trauma, the equally dubious former doctrines concocted by Dodd.

Concoctions come in more than one glass in “The Master,� and if the literal presentation of the word is any

indication, the mixology of Dodd and Freddie’s dispositions is straight up and dry, without garnish or fancy, and altogether defies delicacy. A luridly fascinating wrangle, their relationship at once excites and provokes with force, just like the rush to Dodd’s head when he gulps down Freddie’s potion of paint thinners, hard liquor and darkroom liquids. Therefore, Mihai Malaimare Jr.’s exquisite cinematography wisely loosens its deliberate grip in scenes where Hoffman’s and Phoenix’s characters confront each other.

The camera generously rests and focuses on the two actors, whose monstrous command of their roles moves mountains with a twitch of the eye or a tightening of the lips. The qualities of their energy could not have stood in direr contrast: Hoffman’s juicy execution of a man whose visions and temporal polarity vie for superiority is an elegant study of insidious instincts,

“Well, let me tell you something: perfection is overrated.

� while Phoenix’s explosive animalism and gawky embodiment of an unbridled but damaged creature is reminiscent of some of the best Method performances in Marlon Brando’s era.

The to-and-fro of close-ups during the scene of Freddie’s first “processing� session reminds one of “Frost/ Nixon� on steroids. It is orgasmic.

Beneath the wonder of acting (which also includes the delicate

though overshadowed performance

by Amy Adams as Dodd’s latest wife and backbone of the movement) runs a rhythmic development of narrative, weaving in elements of the contemporary psyche and the movement’s catapult into simultaneous institutionalization and spiritual abandon. Interludes of Freddie’s nautical voyages when he departs the navy and arrives at The Cause parallel those of the chapters in Anderson’s script. In the last interlude, Freddie runs away from the headquarters of The Cause to revisit his young lover, to whom he promised to return after discharge. Yet from that moment on, the film dampens its savage power and transforms into a collage of mere decisions and images. This turn casts confusion over Anderson’s intentions: is he trying to give us an open ending? Has his offence of charm and erratic spurs collapsed to a poetic shamble, or do they inject mystery for the incidents that stand superbly alone but lack a final verdict? In the end, Anderson’s eloquence and rawness leave little to doubt, but it is his conviction of perfection that is called into inquiry.

Well, let me tell you something: perfection is overrated. In this case, the glitch might be another magnet of the film that draws in acclaim and fandom. Like a well-placed scar on the face of a war hero, it might even act as a testimony of the brashness, bravery and bravado that “The Master� harnesses. Is there a more tantalizing way to live out the danger and seduction of the dominance of the mind? I doubt it.

“Doctor Who:� The Greatest Show In The Galaxy "MFYBOESB #VSLPU Contributing Writer

People who know me well will immediately know what I’m talking about. People who know me sort of well will also probably know what I’m talking about. And people who don’t know me at all still have the chance to catch the reference in the title of this article. I’m talking about Doctor Who, the iconic British science fiction television show that has thrilled, entertained and terrified three generations of fans worldwide for almost 50 years. It has an extended universe to rival that of Star Wars, an extremely dedicated and occasionally vitriolic fanbase and “Doctor Who� news and spoilers (accurate or not) routinely make headline news in UK tabloids and papers. The premise is simple: it follows the misadventures of an alien called “the Doctor� (not “Dr. Who,� as fans will be quick to point out) and his companions as they travel through time and space in the Doctor’s bigger-on-the-inside time machine.

Airing in 1963, the day after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, “Doctor Who� originally began as an educational show for children; two of the Doctor’s first three companions were a biology teacher and a history teacher, both from 1960s London. However, much of the continuing success of “Doctor Who� is owed to the more science fiction-y aspects: the aliens, the outer space romps and the occasional epic battles between the forces of good and evil, for example. A significant part is also owed to the strength of its main character, the Doctor.

Who is the Doctor? He’s an alien, from a far advanced race called the Time Lords. He’s over a thousand years old and has traveled all over the universe, from a planet made of diamonds thousands of years into the future, to historic Earth events like the launching of the Apollo 11 rocket, or the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in ancient Rome.

Of course, he hasn’t been played by the same actor for the past 50 years. There’s a trick in his alien biology that allows him to cheat death at the end of his life – instead of dying, every single cell replaces itself in an instant in a process called regeneration.

It’s the same man, but with a body and a new personality. It’s a handy way to swap out actors and keep the show going for as long as it has been. Officially, there have been 11 Doctors, the current one played by Matt Smith since 2010. His interpretation of the Doctor is a mad, old professor in a young man’s body, hiding an intensely dark and self-loathing personality under layers of goofiness and silly clothing. “Doctor Who� is generally split into two time periods: “Classic Who� and “New Who.� Classic Who refers to the period between its premiere in 1963 to its cancellation in 1989 and first failed revival attempt in 1996. The classic era of the show is remembered fondly as a ubiquitous childhood favorite in Britain, with the Fourth Doctor, played

by Tom Baker from 1974 to 1981, as the central recognizable figure of “Doctor Who� overseas and in other media. In 2005, BBC producer, and fan since childhood, Russell T. Davies revived the show as a direct successor to the original series, but with radically upgraded production values and a slightly different episode format. Currently the show is a little less than halfway into its seventh season of the rebooted series, with Steven Moffat (perhaps better known for his work on the BBC’s Sherlock, the modern adaptation of the Conan Doyle stories) as the current producer and head writer.

Season seven happened to coincide with the 50th anniversary of “Doctor Who,� and Moffat is sparing no expense. Of the four episodes premiered so far, each one has been a self-contained, high energy, fast-paced story shot with a glorious cinematic quality. This season, the Doctor has outwitted his longtime alien enemies, the Daleks,

Image courtesy of cache.gawkerassets.com

#PUI B UFBDIJOH EFWJDF BOE B WFIJDMF UP FYBNJOF IVNBOJUZ UIF %PDUPS GSPN i%PDUPS 8IPw JT BO BMJFO XIPTF MPWF GPS PVS TQFDJFT JT POF PG UIF GFX UIJOHT UIBU IBWF SFNBJOFE DPOTUBOU UISPVHI UIF TIPX T IJTUPSZ ridden a Triceratops on a spaceship with Queen Nefertiti and John Riddell, grappled with a cyborg gunslinger in the Wild West and fought off an invasion of small, deadly black boxes. Next week on Doctor Who marks a huge event in the season– the tragic departure of Amy and Rory, this Doctor’s best friends, at the hands of some of Moffat’s most terrifying creations, the Weeping Angels.

If it all sounds a bit silly, good. “Doctor Who� is, in fact, quite silly. It is, first and foremost, a children’s show. There are silly looking aliens and contrived coincidences and the occasional spots of bad writing. (And if you think the aliens in 2012 look silly, you should see the alien props built in the ’70s — sometimes laughably terrible.) But that is honestly part of its charm. As a show, “Doctor Who� is a unique blend of action and adventure and cheesy camp, mixed in with humorous, heartwarming and heart-wrenching moments, and with just enough instances of bone-chilling

horror to keep fans on their toes. Its open-ended premise gives it enough room to have any genre of story — adventure, romance, political thriller, psychological horror, morality tale – by any type of author. Because its central character is very deliberately non-human, “Doctor Who� provides another specific way of examining humanity, through the eyes of a man who’s seen it all and is still able to feel boundless awe for every new thing he comes across. In all of his many travels, of all the things he’s seen and the creature’s he’s met, he’s never found a race quite as magnificent as humanity. And he’s never met a person who wasn’t important. “Doctor Who’s� final episode for this year until the Christmas special, “The Angels Take Manhattan,� premieres this Saturday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. on BBC America. Grab your sonic screwdrivers, hold onto your bow ties and don’t blink — it’s going to be one epic ride.

8 "SUT -JWJOH

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

It’s All About the Clash

Fashion trends are everchanging; they can be hard to stay on top of, and even harder to understand how they started in the first place. A fashion “trend� is a particular look or article of clothing that gains popularity within a large group for a specific amount of time. The roots of a trend can be hard to pinpoint. However, many can be traced back to celebrities and other figures in the public eye.

When an admired star (let’s say Princess Kate) is photographed sporting a new look, the item flies off of shelves within days. Celebrities are idolized, and anything they wear automatically looks fabulous.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could all look like the stunning faces that plaster our televisions, billboards and bus stops? If we mimic their style, maybe we’ll look as amazing as they do. And thus a trend is born.

For the upcoming season, some exciting trends are hitting the runways and sidewalks with a force to be reckoned with. The first of these is the leather skirt. Faux or real, leather is a fabulous way to toughen up a staple. The material is edgy and cool, and in the form of a skirt maintains a very elegant look.

They are a great transition piece, moving seamlessly from fall to winter or day to night. Sure, leather can be intense, but juxtaposed with girly pieces it can create a mixture of masculinity and femininity that

is a trend all on its own.

Women’s fashion has recently taken a masculine turn‌for the better. Androgynous style involves mixing feminine and masculine pieces and silhouettes. Gender ambiguity has always been a concept of interest, and this appeal is in full force when materialized in apparel.

Wearing androgynous pieces like tailored suits, ties of every style (thank you, Kardashians) and hats, is marvelously rebellious. It takes confidence to dress like the opposite gender, and that confidence oozes out of the wearer.

Plaid is a great print for androgynous pieces worn as the leaves change color, and it stands on its own as a fall trend. Plaid isn’t just for schoolgirl uniforms anymore, but has morphed into a sophisticated design with a surprisingly versatile application. Depending on the material, colors and pattern of lines, plaid can be worn casually or formally. For a laid-back look, try skinny jeans in a plaid print, a simple t-shirt and rugged boots for a cool rocker guise. Other great vessels for plaid are tailored dresses, jackets and even rompers.

Another way to wow your beholder is by pulling off the “clash�, a mixture of patterns and prints.

When done correctly, it creates a big bang that people can’t look away from‌in a good way! The look is risky but when pulled off it’s unbeatable. Sure, people who don’t appreciate your effort will think that you got dressed in the

This Week in Amherst History: Sept. 24, 1981

dark, but sometimes that’s a risk you have to take. Mixing prints involves wearing a patterned top and contrasting patterned bottom.

A good rule of thumb is to try not to mix different styles of the same print. For example, if you’re wearing stripes on top, try to stay away from stripes on the bottom. Another thing to avoid is going too bright on both ends. A bright color with a crazy print is awesome, but if you’re going to wear a print on your other piece, try to keep the colors more understated.

Need help staying on top of incoming trends? A great way to survey the scene is by stopping by online fashion blogs. Some tend to be written by bored teenagers who take picture of themselves , but others are written by talented people who know what they’re talking about. They guide you to what’s currently hip, and expose you to a bevy of different looks.

This can help you tailor what’s already in your closet to what has appealed to you on the sites. Some good ones to check out are Sea of Shoes, Cupcakes and Cashmere, The Man Repeller, The Sartorialist and Refinery 29.

Fashion trends are outliers turned mainstream. When the fad hits the masses, it’s still new and exciting. However, after too many people wear that new item, its allure fades, and the next trend pops up. We’re forced to push those once-chic items to the back of our closets and start up the long road of trending once again.

Five College Events Thursday, September 27

“Speaker: Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse,� UMass, 4:00 p.m.

On Jan. 3, 2012, at age 22, Alex Morse was sworn in as the youngest mayor in Holyoke’s history. During his visit to UMass, Morse will talk about his historic election and how he is working to revitalize his hometown both economically and socially. This event offers a rare opportunity for students to talk directly and informally with a young, successful leader for social change. The event is sponsored by the Center for Public Policy and Administration and will be held at the Cape Cod lounge.

Saturday, September 29

0O 4BUVSEBZ B DPOUJOHFOU PG TUVEFOUT GSPN "NIFSTU BOE 6.BTT QBSUJDJ QBUFE JO UIF 4PMJEBSJUZ %BZ 3BMMZ GPS iKPCT BOE KVTUJDFw JO 8BTIJOHUPO % $ 5IF DSPXE BU UIF SBMMZ XBT PGmDJBMMZ FTUJNBUFE BU QFPQMF BOE SFQSFTFOUFE B XJEF SBOHF PG EFNPHSBQIJDT ‰ NFO BOE XPNFO QFPQMF PG EJGGFSFOU FUIOJD CBDLHSPVOET BOE PME BOE ZPVOH QFPQMF BMM HBUIFSFE UP QSPUFTU UIF GFEFSBM HPWFSONFOU T DIBOHJOH FDPOPNJD QPMJDJFT 0OF "NIFSTU TUVEFOU #BSCBSB 8JOUFS A DPNNFOUFE i5IF DSPXE XBT OPU KVTU MFGUPWFST GSPN UIF TJYUJFT PS ZPVUIT XFBSJOH CMVF KFBOT CVU B SFBM DSPTT TFDUJPO PG /PSUI "NFSJDBOT w "OPUIFS "NIFSTU TUVEFOU EFGFOEFE UIF NBSDI DPNNFOUJOH UIBU JU iXBTO U BOUJ "NFSJDBOw CFDBVTF QFPQMF iQSPUFTUFE XJUI "NFSJDBO nBHT JO UIFJS IBUT BOE JO UIFJS IBOET w -BOF ,JSLMBOE UIF QSFTJEFOU PG UIF "NFSJDBO 'FEFSBUJPO PG -BCPS BOE $PO HSFTT PG *OEVTUSJBM 0SHBOJ[BUJPOT "'- $*0 DPPSEJOBUFE UIF NBSDI 0UI FS MBCPS BOE DJWJM SJHIUT MFBEFST UIBU XFSF QSFTFOU BOE TQPLF CFGPSF UIF BTTFNCMFE DSPXE JODMVEFE &MFBOPS 4NFBM QSFTJEFOU PG UIF /BUJPOBM 0S HBOJ[BUJPO GPS 8PNFO /08 #FOKBNJO )PPLT FYFDVUJWF EJSFDUPS PG UIF /""$1 BOE %PVHMBT 'SBTFS UIF QSFTJEFOU PG UIF 1SPGFTTJPOBM "JS 5SBGmD $POUSPMMFST 0SHBOJ[BUJPO 1"5$0

Nicole Chi ’15 Managing A&L Editor

Image courtesy of static.becomegorgeous.com

Image courtesy of style.com

*TBCFM $BNBDIP Contributing Writer

“Music in Deerfield Concert Series: Richard Goode, Piano,� Smith College, 8:00 p.m.

Smith College Music Department and Music in Deerfield (MID) present acclaimed artists and ensembles with pre-concert talks at 7:30 p.m. in Earle Recital Hall. For program details, visit www.musicindeerfield.org. “Goode has so thoroughly entered into the spirit of the compositions he performs that you’d swear the composer himself was at the keyboard.� The eminent pianist will perform a program of late works by Beethoven.

Saturday, September 29

“Chinese Cultural Association Moon Festival,� Mount Holyoke, 8:00 p.m. — 9:30 p.m.

People from both the Five-Colleges and general public are welcome to join and celebrate the traditional Chinese Moon Festival. There will be wonderful performances and interesting interac-

tive games with the audience. Winners will get awards. Moon cakes will be served. There is no attendance fee.

Monday, October 1

“Race and the University,� Smith College, 4:30 p.m.

Smith College will host a public lecture by Professor Nancy Abelmann, who is one of the most respected scholars in the field of Korean Studies in the United States. She is an anthropologist specializing on the Koreas and Asian America, interested particularly in class, mobility, education, family, migration, mental health and gender. The lecture will address issues around race and class in U.S. academic institutions and how the landscape of 21st century academic institutions are changing as a result of various internationalization processes (including the increasing number of international students especially from Asia, the growth of diasporic communities and efforts to internationalize the curriculum).

Tuesday, October 2

“Discussion on Nuclear Power and Political Activism,� UMass, 4:00 p.m.

- 7:00 a.m.

The UMass Amherst Libraries will host a discussion on nuclear power and political activism by Lionel Delevingne and Anna Gyorgy. The event marks the eighth annual colloquium on social change and is also a closing reception for a related exhibit by photojournalist Delevingne, “To the Village Square: an Experiment in American Democracy.�

Refreshments will be served.

by Clara Yoon ’15

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

4QPSUT 9

Men’s Soccer Continues NESCAC Dominance

Jae Heo’s Big Weekend Leads the Third-Ranked Jeffs Past Hamilton, Middlebury ,FWJO )PPHTUSBUFO Staff Writer Propelled by lethal set pieces, superior skill and tenacious defensive pressure, the undefeated men’s soccer team steam-rolled past league rivals Hamilton and Middlebury last weekend. The Jeffs (5-0, 3-0 NESCAC, ranked No. 3 in the nation) trounced Hamilton 5-1 on Saturday before scraping out a 2-0 victory at Middlebury on Sunday.

In the home opener against Hamilton, the Jeffs overwhelmed the Continentals from the opening whistle, dominating possession in the offensive half for long stretches. The Jeffs scored the opening goal in the 15th minute. After midfielder Jae Heo ’14 served a free kick from the left edge of the box, Spencer Noon ’13 leapt above his defender and struck a thunderous header past the Hamilton goalkeeper.

Amherst continued to batter the Hamilton defense with waves of pressure, extending the lead to 2-0 in the 21st minute. In the midst of a scramble inside Hamilton’s box, James Mooney ’13E buried the loose ball for his first goal of the season. The Jeffs led 2-0 at halftime and held a 13-2 edge in shots after 45 minutes.

Hamilton would not go quietly, however, stunning the Jeffs with a goal against the run of play in the 48th minute. The Continentals’ tally was the first goal conceded by the Jeffs this year, breaking a scoreless run of 3:17:19 to start the season.

Not jolted by the surprising setback, the Jeffs roared back by netting three goals in an 11-minute span, continuing to punish Hamilton on set pieces. Amherst restored its two-goal cushion in the 59th minute; having received a free kick near the right edge of the box, Chris Lerner ’13 curled a cross into the middle, allowing Heo to loft a header above the Hamilton goalkeeper, who had ventured far from his line.

Just five minutes later, Federico Sucre ’13

pushed the lead to 4-1, heading home a free kick from Heo. Sucre added a second goal in the 70th minute, with Mike Hoeksema ’15 providing the assist. “We put in a good all-around team performance against Hamilton. Every guy that went into the game was able to step up and get the job done for us,� Mooney said. “Giving up a goal was unfortunate, but I felt that we regrouped and responded well by scoring three more goals.�

Four of Amherst’s five goals resulted from free kick opportunities. The Jeffs boast a dazzling array of aerial attacking weapons — including the 6’5� Sucre twins and Noon, the program’s all-time

Mark Idleman ’15 Public Affairs Office

)FP IBT TDPSFE JO FBDI PG UIF +FGGT mSTU TJY HBNFT

leading scorer — while skilled players such as Heo, Lerner and Julien Aoyama ’14 are masterful at swerving crosses into the box. This deadly combination of height and finesse tormented Hamilton’s beleaguered defense on Saturday. “Our team has the mentality that we will dominate on set pieces,� Mooney said. “We have great height and the ability to get good service in the box, so every set piece we get is a good chance to score.�

The Jeffs faced a stiffer test at Middlebury, a traditional NESCAC powerhouse, the next day.

Unfazed by the hostile atmosphere, Amherst created a fantastic scoring opportunity in the 10th minute when Max Fikke ’14 went in alone on a breakaway, but his shooting attempt went wide of the net.

With scoring chances few and far between in the first half — Amherst and Middlebury combined for just three total shots in the opening 45 minutes — the Jeffs capitalized on their only other first-half opportunity in the 38th minute, grabbing a 1-0 lead just before the break. Aoyama, a wing defender, raced down the right flank before sending a cross to Heo, who headed the ball into the back of the net.

Continuing to push forward in the second half, the Jeffs nearly extended their lead to 2-0 in the 59th minute, but sophomore Milton Rico’s shot clanged off the crossbar. Increasingly desperate for an equalizer, the Panthers finally generated some pressure midway through the second half, earning two corner-kick opportunities in the 63rd and 68th minutes. The Jeffs’ stingy defense was up to the task, however, stifling Middlebury’s offense for the entire 90 minutes.

The Jeffs put the game away with an insurance goal in the 82nd minute. Noon delivered a nice ball to Mooney, who took a nifty first touch in the box before rifling a shot toward net. The shot caromed off a Middlebury defender, leaving little chance for the Panthers’ goalkeeper to stop the at-

tempt.

Irritated after conceding a goal to Hamilton the previous day, the Amherst backline delivered a gritty performance at Middlebury, limiting the Panthers to just two total shots. First-year goalkeeper Thomas Bull was not forced to make any saves en route to his fourth shutout in five games. “Middlebury is a great program, and to win on their home field is a tough proposition. I was proud of how we battled and showed resolve after making a long trip the night before,â€? head coach Justin Serpone said. “Any NESCAC win is a good win‌on the road at Middlebury is a great win.â€?

Middlebury had never lost back-to-back home games in its history, but last weekend’s defeats to Bowdoin and Amherst broke that remarkable streak. “The odds were stacked against us, but we were able to exert our will on the game,� Mooney said. “It was not our best performance and we have a lot to improve upon, but it was important that we were able to push through the game and get the win even though we weren’t at our very best,� Mooney said.

In a non-league test against Curry Coll. on Tuesday, Sept. 25, the Jeffs rebounded from a scoreless first half to tally five late goals and ultimately cruise, 5-0. Five different players joined in the scoring effort, including Noon and Hoeksema.

The Jeffs will return to action this Saturday, hitting the road to battle against Tufts. The resurgent Jumbos (2-0-2 NESCAC) have raced out to a fantastic start this season, surging into third place in the NESCAC standings. Amherst (3-0-0) and Williams (4-0-1 NESCAC) round out the top three teams in the conference table. “Tufts might be the best team in the New England this year,� Serpone said. “They have one of the best players in the league [striker Gus Santos] and it’s a road game for us. If we’re going to be able to stay in the game, it’s going to be because every single guy on the roster brings their best effort.�

Women’s Soccer Tops Liz Monty Takes Gold Hamilton, Ties Midd At Holyoke Invitational "OESFX ,VS[XFJM Staff Writer In what could prove to be one of their toughest weekends of the season, the women’s soccer team emerged undefeated from a pair of hard-fought NESCAC bouts. The Jeffs beat Hamilton 2-0 at home on Saturday and drew 0-0 at Middlebury the following day.

Against Hamilton, the Lady Jeffs started slowly and were held scoreless for the first 76 minutes. While the possession and the chances went both ways, Hamilton seemed to generate the better of both, including a shot that hit the post late in the second half. Unfazed by the pressure, the Jeffs took the lead when Amanda Brisco ’14 put the home side on top with an unassisted goal in the 76th minute.

Despite her impressive individual efforts earlier, Brisco seemed unsatisfied with the onegoal lead. Less than a minute after her goal, Brisco’s cross found the head of Maggie Belnap ’15 to give their Jeffs the second goal — a spectacular diving header into the top corner — and send them on their way to victory.

Ever the perfectionist, Coach Jen Hughes thought the Jeffs could improve upon their offensive play. “We played tight against Hamilton,� she said. “The first goal allowed us to relax and start playing our game. And that led to a quick second goal. Going forward, we have to figure out a way to be intense and relaxed so we can play to our standard right from the start.�

The team left for Middlebury shortly after the game and slept in a hotel near the Panthers’ home in Vermont. The game was a clash between two perennial NESCAC contenders, and the Jeffs were prepared for a battle.

Unfortunately for the visitors, though, it would be another slow start. In just the 10th minute, Middlebury’s Scarlett Kirk hit the crossbar — her first of three efforts that hit the woodwork in the game.

Though challenged defensively, the Jeffs managed to find chances of their own.

First-year Jessy Hale ’16 nearly netted a free kick, Chloe McKenzie ’14 had her shot cleared off the line, and Belnap almost scored off a rebound, but after a full 90 minutes neither side could find the back of the net.

Two 15-minute overtime periods later, the Jeffs and Panthers ended deadlocked at 0-0.

Coach Hughes described the game as “pretty even� and thought the draw was reflective of the game played. “Middlebury had the better of the first half, but the momentum shifted, particularly late in the game. It could have gone either way.�

The story of the weekend was the same as it has been all season: defense. The Lord Jeffs have yet to allow a goal on the season, a streak that now spans five games.

Entering the season, the biggest question mark appeared to be the defense; instead, the back-line is keeping their team in games and ensuring the Jeffs pick up points regardless of whether or not they score. “Our backs really shut their forwards down,� said captain Kate Sisk ’14. Hughes agreed, calling the defense “lights out.�

If the defense continues their stellar play and the offense regains its scoring touch from last year, the Jeffs will continue to be the team to beat in their conference.

Amherst continues NESCAC play Thursday, hosting Trinity before traveling to Tufts for an important away test on Saturday.

$PVSUFTZ PG Public Affairs Office

.POUZ TIPU B GPMMPXFE CZ B 4VOEBZ UP HJWF IFS UIF HPME &NNFUU ,OPXMUPO Managing Sports Editor Women The women’s golf team made the short trip to Mount Holyoke on Saturday to play in the two-day Mount Holyoke Invitational.

Hoping to build on last weekend’s successful NYU Invitational (third of 16), the Lady Jeffs took sixth place overall behind senior Liz Monty’s impressive individual efforts.

On Friday, Monty shot a tournament-low one over par 73 on the 5,445-yard course. The following day, Monty carded a 75 to give her a two-day score of 148, enough to edge out Merrimack College’s Jessica Ngui’s (75-75)

and take home the individual title. Monty’s 148 is also her lowest two-day score of her fall season, four shots better than her 152 last weekend at NYU. Williams took home the team title, placing three golfers in the top-15 to give them a team score of 647 (315-332). Wagner College and Merrimack (Div. II and I, respectively) tied for second with a two-day score of 651, while Middlebury’s 654 was enough to beat out Ithaca College for fourth place. Amherst’s two-day total of 672 gave them sixth place.

Behind Monty, the Lady Jeff ’s best performer was senior Irene Hickey. Shooting an 85 on Saturday, followed by an 87 on Sunday, the co-captain tied for 30th in an overall field of 87. Other notable Amherst scores include junior Sooji Choi’s back-to-back 87s and first-year Devyn Gardner’s Sunday 86 — a six-shot improvement from her Saturday round.

The Jeffs travel to the Middlebury this weekend to tee off in the Middlebury Invitational on Sept. 29-30.

Men The men’s golf team made a longer journey than their female counterparts, traveling to Williams to play in the Williams Invitational.

Led by junior Nicholas Koh’s two-day 159 (86-73), the Jeffs took eighth overall in a field of 18 teams. Williams’ ‘A’ team dominated the tournament, bringing home both the individual honor and team title, where they topped Middlebury by 15 strokes.

The men return to action at home this weekend, playing in a NESCAC qualifier at Hickory Ridge.

4QPSUT

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

Schedule

1MBZFST PG UIF 8FFL

WEDNESDAY Women’s Soccer vs. Trinity, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY Men’s Cross Country Paul Short Run (@ Lehigh, PA), 12 p.m.

Men’s Tennis ITA Regional Championships (@ Williams), Day 1 of 3 Women’s Tennis ITA Regional Championships (@MIT), Day 1 of 3 SATURDAY Field Hockey @ Tufts, 12 p.m.

Women’s Soccer @ Tufts, 12 p.m.

Volleyball @ Hamilton, 12 p.m. vs. New Paltz (@ Ham.), 2 p.m.

Football @ Bowdoin, 1 p.m.

Men’s Soccer @ Tufts, 2:30 p.m.

Men’s Golf NESCAC Qualifier (Home), Day 1 of 2 Women’s Golf @ Middlebury Invitational, Day 1 of 2

Game of the Week WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. TRINITY When and Where: Wednesday, Sept. 26 Hitchcock Field Key Players: Trinity Abbey Lake Lily Peterson Amherst Kathryn Nathan ’13 Amanda Brisco ’14

Jae Heo ’14 has been exceptional thus far for the Jeffs; this past week, his stellar performance earned him a selection as the NESCAC Men’s Soccer Player of the Week. The Korean native has scored in every Jeff game this year, and, most recently, he was the driving force in two key wins over Hamilton and Middlebury. Against the Continentals, he assisted two goals and scored one of his own before tallying another against the Panthers.

Before that, Heo also headed in the decisive point in Amherst’s win over Bates. His team looks to stay hot as it takes on Tufts this weekend. —Karl Greenblatt ’15

Field Hockey Falls to Middlebury, 3-1 ,FWJO )PPHTUSBUFO Staff Writer Field hockey cruised to victories over Springfield and Hamilton to remain undefeated last week before falling to Middlebury on Saturday in a rematch of last year’s NCAA quarterfinals. The 10th-ranked Lord Jeffs used a balanced attack to beat Springfield 7-0 and allowed only three shots in a 5-0 victory over Hamilton before falling to the undefeated, third-ranked Panthers.

The Lord Jeffs left no doubt about which field hockey team rules the Pioneer Valley at Springfield, where the team caught fire early and capitalized on their chances to put the game away. Alex Phillie ’14 opened the team’s account after six minutes with an unassisted goal, and Madeline Tank ’15 doubled the lead four minutes later by putting away a rebound past the diving Springfield goalie.

Amherst showed no sign of letting up, and Ellie Andersen ’15 scored her third goal of the season before the 15:00 mark. Krista Zsitvay ’14 got in on the action to make it 4-0, and Tank put an exclamation point on the first half by diving to score her own rebound.

With over 50 minutes left to play after Tank’s goal, the game was already effectively over, as the Lord Jeffs’ suffocating defense ensured that Springfield rarely threatened Rachel Tannenbaum ’15 in net. Tannenbaum finished with four saves and recorded her first clean sheet of the season. Phillie and Katie McMahon ’13 added goals in the second half to push the final score to 7-0.

Hamilton was one of just three teams to beat the Lord Jeffs last year, but they returned only two starters from that squad and came into Saturday’s matchup 0-4, having allowed the most goals per game in the NESCAC. The Lord Jeffs, meanwhile, entered the game leading the conference in goals scored per game.

Amazingly enough, Hamilton kept the Lord Jeffs off the score sheet for the first 19 minutes.

Hamilton’s Victoria Trentini showed why she leads the NESCAC in saves per game by stopping the first 14 shots sent her way, as the Lord Jeffs kept applying constant offensive pressure and allowed just one shot over that span.

Something had to give, and, fittingly enough, the breakthroughs came thanks to Zsitvay and McMahon, who finished the weekend tied for second in goals in the NESCAC.

Zsitvay turned and fired home to give Amherst the lead before assisting the team’s second goal two minutes later, taking the ball to the end line and setting up McMahon for a one-time shot.

Katie Paolano ’16 recorded her first career point in the buildup to the third goal, sliding the ball to Tank for her first career assist and Tank’s 10th career goal. The Lord Jeffs added two more goals deep into the second half when McMahon and Zsitvay scored in the 64th and 65th minute.

The Lord Jeffs’ domination shone through most clearly on the stat sheet, as the team held an incredible 49-3 advantage in shots, with only Trentini’s heroics in goal preventing a bigger blowout. “I was proud of our team for finishing on three goals in the first half and dominating play in the second half,” coach Carol Knerr said.

“To generate 49 shots shows tremendous effort from our team to possess the ball and sustain attack. The Hamilton goalie played a fantastic game.”

Amherst was all too familiar with Middlebury last year, as the Panthers ended their NESCAC and NCAA tournament runs. Middlebury struck first this time around when Lauren Greer, last year’s NESCAC player of the year, crossed to Anna Kenyon, who scored 1:52 into the game.

Amherst pulled even seven minutes later, when a strong stretch of pressure culminated in McMahon scoring after a Zsitvay shot rebounded out in front.

The game looked to be headed into halftime all square when the Panthers won a penalty corner with 10 seconds left. Greer showed why she led the nation in scoring last year by converting from a small angle and giving Middlebury the lead.

Greer finished her scoring seven minutes into the second half, giving Middlebury a twogoal lead that would last the rest of the contest.

The Lord Jeffs fought hard but couldn’t get another goal, finishing with 13 shots to the Panthers’ 17.

“The Middlebury game was a competitive game and a fairly even game in terms of shots and attack generated by each team,” Knerr said.

“We hope to see them again later in the season.

It was a great test and a game that we will learn a lot from.”

The Lord Jeffs return to action this Saturday when they travel to Medford to take on Tufts at 12 p.m.

The 4-0-1 Lady Jeffs have yet to relinquish a goal on the season, and they will look to pitch another shutout against the visiting Bantams.

In their last game, the Jeffs fought Middlebury to a scoreless tie, managing a mere nine shots on goal but holding the Panthers to just seven. When they have scored, their offense has been well-balanced, with eight different players having registered goals thus far.

Despite being 3-3 overall and 2-4 in NESCAC play, the Bantams have been in every game they have played. Most recently, they beat Tufts 2-0; prior to that, their three losses, two of which required double-overtime, each came by a 2-1 score. If the Jeffs are on their game, however, they should be able to keep the Bantam attack in check.

—Karl Greenblatt ’15

In what has been something of a youth movement for the Lady Jeff volleyball squad, no player has been a bigger contributor than Lizzie Ahern ’16. For her play against Johnson & Wales, Trinity and Skidmore, Ahern took home NESCAC Player of the Week honors. In those three matches, Ahern totaled 45 kills and 18 digs to go along with a .340 attack rate. The Jeffs’ win over the Bantams was their first in NESCAC play, and the squad finished the weekend at 5-3 overall. With Hamilton next on the schedule, the Lady Jeffs look to put together their first significant winning streak.

—Karl Greenblatt ’15

Jog For Jill Coming to Raise Cancer Awareness 3FJMMZ )PSBO CCE Liaison Hillary Densen ’13 is standing up to lung cancer, and she is doing her part to encourage other student-athletes at Amherst to do the same.

Densen is partnering with several of her lacrosse teammates and Jill’s Legacy, a lung cancer awareness organization, to produce a 5K race to raise funds and awareness about a severely underfunded, misrepresented and stigmatized disease.

On Sunday, October 21, Jill’s Legacy will host the inaugural Jog for Jill Amherst 5K Walk/Run at Amherst College. Proceeds from registration fees and donations will go directly to lung cancer awareness and research. Densen is organizing the event with the help of some of her lacrosse teammates. They have set a fundraising goal of $15,000 for the race.

“The Jogs for Jill that happen on many college campuses are to honor a 22-year-old college student-athlete named Jillian Costello, who was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer during her time at UC Berkeley and died a year later,” Densen explained. “Jill’s Legacy is an all-volunteer advisory board to the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (BJALCF) that was created to mobilize young people, erase the stigma of lung cancer and raise money for research.”

While Densen is inspired and motivated by Jill’s story and the mission of Jill’s Legacy, her connection to the cause runs deeper still: her aunt was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in March 2010, despite being a healthy, non-smoking woman all her life.

“Research for this disease is so underfunded because there’s a stigma that all people who get lung cancer are smokers who put themselves at risk. It’s just not the case, and it’s not just my aunt,” Densen explained. “There is a huge population of non-smokers who are getting diagnosed with lung cancer. It has a lower survival rate than most cancers — 15.5 percent — and has stayed that way for the past forty years due to lack of funding and awareness.”

When Densen first learned about Jill’s Legacy, she knew she had to bring a Jog for Jill event to Amherst. She teamed up with Darby Anderson, who’s a board member for Jill’s Legacy and was Jill Costello’s roommate in college, to organize the event.

“I worked with Hillary to come up with an action plan for organizing a Jog for Jill on her campus,” Anderson said. “Hillary is a part of a larger

movement. We’ve grown tremendously in the past year: in 2011, we had two Jogs for Jill on college campuses. In 2012, we are planning 12 more.”

Priscilla Tyler ’15 and Lizzie Paul ’16 are two of Densen’s teammates who comprise a five-person team to help her organize the event. In helping to produce this event, the two are also working to establish a culture of community engagement on their own team and in the athletic department as a whole.

“Community engagement allows people to be a part of something much bigger than what they experience in their little bubble,” Tyler said.

“Working within your community promotes selfgrowth and is a way to do something unselfish to benefit other people; altruism — committing to taking care of the interests of another — is very important to me and my team.”

“Working together for a worthy cause off the field is a really good, healthy thing for your team, too,” Paul adds.

Anderson believes in the power of young people, especially student-athletes, to make a difference in their communities: “Athletes are leaders on their campuses: if a student-athlete stands up about lung cancer and says, ‘This could be me.

This could be a teammate. This could be a friend.

We need to do something about this,’ people will listen.”

To get involved with the Jog for Jill on Amherst’s campus, visit jogforjillamherst.com to register or donate. You can also contact Hillary Densen (hdensen13@amherst.edu) if you have any questions. To learn more about Jill’s Legacy, visit www. jillslegacy.org.

The 2012 edition of Jog for Jill Amherst 5K Walk/Run will take place on Sunday, October 21.

Registration outside of Orr Rink will begin at 11:00 a.m. with a 12:00 p.m. shotgun start for the race.

Reilly Horan ’13 is one of three Athletics Liaisons for the Center for Community Engagement. Athletics Liaisons connect athletes and coaches to the resources of the Center for Community Engagement and work to create a sustainable culture of service within the Athletics Department. If your team is looking for community engagement projects, contact Roshard Bryant ’13 (rbryant13@amherst.edu) or Irene Hickey ’13 (ihickey13@amherst.edu)for advice and resources. If your team just completed a community engagement event, contact Reilly Horan ’13 (rhoran13@ amherst.edu) so that the campus becomes more aware of what your team is doing to get involved. For more info, visit the Athletics Liaisons’ webpage: https://www.amherst. edu/academiclife/cce/lead/athletes/Athletics_Liaisons

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

4QPSUT

Wild Goose Chase 5IF (SFFO .POTUFS ,BSM (SFFOCMBUU With the Major League Baseball playoffs coming up, Karl discusses the effects of the league’s move to a 10-team playoff format. He admits that the new system has its share of problems, but he ultimately believes that it’s good for the game — and the fans.

Olivia Tarrantino ’15 Staff Photographer

4FOJPS DP DBQUBJO ,FSJ -BNCFSU MFE UIF +FGGT UP B TJYUI QMBDF mOJTI -BNCFSU mOJTIFE TFDPOE PWFSBMM DSPTTJOH UIF mOJTI MJOF mWF TFDPOET BGUFS "EEJF 5PVTMFZ PG .JEEMFCVSZ

Cross Country Teams Race to Successful NESCAC Results ,BSBO #BJOT Sports Section Editor Women The cross country teams wearing the purple and white faced their first NESCAC competition last weekend, with the women traveling to Williams for the Purple Valley Invitational, while the men making the trek to the Wesleyan Invitational.

Once again, Keri Lambert ’13 led the women’s team to a solid finish in the 6K event, as Amherst came in sixth place in a 15 team field.

This team effort was even more impressive considering the lack of experience the Jeffs had in the race; many runners taking part had never run a 6K competition before. In any case, Lambert, Lauren Almeida ’13, and Lizzy Briskin ’13 all finished in the top 30 to propel the Jeffs past seventh place NYU by four points. Lambert, last year’s individual champion at the Purple Valley Invitational, lost the top honor by only five seconds this year, as Addie Tousley ’13 from Middlebury had a stronger kick over the last 200 meters to run past the Amherst co-captain.

After Lambert’s second place finish in 21:55, Almeida and Briskin clocked in at 23:23 and 23:24, good for 27th and 30th places, respectively.

Other solid performances included Sarah Daly ’13, who was not far behind Briskin with a time of 23:52, and firstyear Lexi Sinclair ’16, who finished the course in 24:03. A pair of other first-years, Caroline Rose ’16 and Betsy Black ’16, also ran well.

Rose finished in 24:09 while Black came in with a time of 24:18. As a team, the Jeffs barely scratched by NYU to earn sixth place with 156 total team points, but they were well behind the top three of Williams, MIT and Middlebury, all of whom had scores below 90.

Men The men’s squad faced an interesting dilemma in their 8k race at Wesleyan. Since eight runners are scheduled to travel to the Paul Short Run in Lehigh, Penn. on Friday, they did not take part in the Wesleyan race. Instead, those eight simply ran a workout on the course before supporting their teammates. With the combination of some top runners sitting out and a few injuries, only nine Jeffs actually participated in the race. Nevertheless, the team performed well, with Dan Crowley ’16, Jeff Seelaus ’16 and Pat Grimes ’13 all breaking into the top 20 with times of 27:16, 27:19 and 27:33, respectively. Teammate Alvaro Morales ’14 lauded the trio after the race, saying that they “ran a gutsy race by going out with the lead pack, and they all showed great progress.� Morales also lauded the effort of Brent Harrison ’16, who finished in 28:33, by calling the first-year’s 8K debut “awesome,� while simultaneously spreading the praise around for all the first-years and saying “it will be exciting to see if a freshman can make an impact later on in the season.�

Aside from the runners already mentioned, Eli Howe ’13, Scott Gemmell-Davis ’15 and Alex Durkee ’15 rounded out the Jeffs’ top seven, which came in fourth place with 97 points. Amherst was within striking distance of second and third places, as both the Coast Guard and host Wesleyan finished with over 80 points, but Bowdoin ran away with the team title by taking the top four spots en route to a dominating 18-point performance.

As mentioned, the eight Jeffs who sat out the Wesleyan race will travel to the Paul Short Run this Friday, while the women’s squad will not be back in action until Oct. 6 at the James Earley Invitational at Westfield State.

As more Amherst runners get healthy and round themselves into prime shape, these meets should continue to build on the momentum already established thus far in the season.

Firedogs Fall to Skidmore After Beating Trinity

,BSM (SFFOCMBUU Managing Sports Editor If ever there were a time when a 1-1 weekend could come as a blessing for the Firedogs, that time is now. Although Coach Sue Everden’s squad dropped a disappointing home contest to Skidmore, they salvaged the weekend by winning their first NESCAC game against Trinity.

The Amherst team played host to the Bantams on Friday, Sept. 21, entering the matchup at 0-2 in league play.

Meanwhile, Trinity had already beaten Tufts, who themselves had already topped the Jeffs by a 3-1 score. Undaunted, however, the Lady Jeffs jumped out to an early lead, taking the first set, 25-21.

When the Bantams dominated the second set, hitting at a .345 clip, the hometown team didn’t panic; instead, the Jeffs eked out the third set, 25-22, and proceeded to clinch the match by a convincing margin (25-18) in the final frame. As has been the case since the year began, the Firedogs’ first-years carried the team.

It was the familiar combination of Lizzie Ahern ’16 and her classmate Nicole Carter doing most of the damage: Ahern hit .441 and registered 18 kills, the most of any player on either side, while Carter also posted a match-high 35 assists. With the win, the ’Dogs avoided what would have been their first ever 0-3 start in conference action.

The Jeffs seemed poised to continue their winning ways the next day against the visiting Thoroughbreds, but it was not to be. Once again, Carter and Ahern did their part — Carter again led all scorers with 30 assists — as did Abigail Hunter ’13 and Lauren Antion ’15, who combined for 17 kills. From a team standpoint, however, the Skidmore offense, led by Aria Goodman’s impressive .600 mark, proved to be too powerful for the Jeffs.

In the sweep, the second set proved to be the dagger: the Thoroughbreds won 25-16, holding the Jeffs to a paltry .129 attack rate. The other two sets were closer, but Skidmore won each by the same score of 25-23. The setback, the Lady Jeffs’ first non-conference loss of the season, dropped the squad to 5-3 overall.

With their first NESCAC win out of the way but still looking to put together their first winning streak, the Jeffs will take on Hamilton on Saturday, Sept. 29. So far, the Continentals are a below-.500 team, but they did register a win against conference rival Bates earlier in the fall. The matchup with Hamilton is a virtual must-win if the Jeffs’ playoff aspirations are to remain alive.

Later that same day, the Jeffs will take on New Paltz (New Paltz, N.Y.), who are 11-3 on the season (they have played one NESCAC game against Hamilton, whom they swept). After that, the Jeffs will prepare to host a pair of NESCAC teams, Wesleyan and Conn. College.

When I first heard, sometime last November, that Major League Baseball would be going to a 10team playoff format for the 2012 season, I wasn’t happy. There they go, I thought, making a mockery of the only game with any remaining semblance of tradition. I guess that’s how the hardcore purists must have felt back in the late 60s when — gasp — baseball began holding the League Championship Series instead of going straight to the World Series. Still, my inner cynic went wild at this patently scandalous move by the league office, and I swore I was finally done with baseball for good.

Yeah, right. Trying to keep me away from baseball is almost as impossible as actually trying to eat a full piece of Val’s Jamaican Jerk chicken.

Not only did I faithfully continue to follow baseball, even as my favorite team was having its worst season since its city had a mayor who could actually speak English, but, as I write this, I have fully warmed up to the impending reality of the 10-team playoff.

Why? Because, in its first year of existence, the new format has already given deserving teams a chance that otherwise wouldn’t have had one.

The key word here is “deserving.�

We’re not talking about teams that will be squeaking into the playoffs with a record just over .500.

OK, maybe we are: the Cardinals (82-71) currently hold the NL’s second Wild Card spot by four games, and, given their recent history, they’ll probably find some improbable way to reach and win the World Series.

But I was referring more to the three-way race among the Yankees, Orioles and Athletics, which is one of the most exciting and refreshing in years.

Barring a near-impossibility, there will be playoff baseball in Baltimore for the first time since 1997 (back when Fenway Park was just another place my parents wanted to drag me).

Once the big-market home of a perennial contender, the city has descended into baseball obscurity over the past decade, but, with the help of Dan Duquette ’80, the Birds (87-65) are back in October. And let’s not forget about the A’s (86-66), who, after the glory of the “Moneyball� years faded, have not made the playoffs in five seasons.

Under the old system, one of these two very good teams would probably be going home in about a week.

Which brings me to my next point: might one of them basically be going home anyway?

The catch-22 of the new format is that the two Wild Card teams in each league will face off in a onegame playoff, an absurdly small sample size compared to the length of baseball’s regular season. This is the part that drove me crazy at first; I conjured up some nightmare scenario in which my beloved Red Sox,

having just won 98 games, would be tragically knocked out of the playoffs by the likes of the 84-win Minnesota Twins.

Fortunately, at least for 2012, my premonition was inaccurate in more ways than one. A one-game playoff between two very good teams, such as the A’s and Orioles, actually has the potential to be more exciting than ludicrous; even in the National League, the win disparity between (presumably) the Braves and Cardinals won’t be so egregious as to make the game unwatchable.

There’s another bonus here, too: the one-game playoff format selects for the team with the best ace. Most real (cough!) baseball fans would agree that watching a great pitcher go to work in a big game is‌well, it just doesn’t get any better. And, of course, if that team wins the onegame playoff, chances are that ace will get to pitch again under the bright lights of October, which has further potential to increase interest in (and, ultimately, revenue generated from) the playoffs.

Much as I’m loath to compare baseball to other sports, I think it’s also worth a look at the playoff formats of the NFL, NBA and NHL. The NBA and the NHL both employ extremely liberal systems, with 16 teams out of a total of 30 — over half — making the postseason. Meanwhile, the NFL playoffs, whose format I have always regarded as fair, effective and fun, consist of 12 teams out of a field of 32. Even with the new format, Major League Baseball is still the outlier, so it would be tough to argue that adding two extra teams was a step in the wrong direction. If it were somehow an error, I would still argue that, when you get right down to it, more playoffs are better.

The aforementioned NBA playoffs, for example, even though the question of who gets in is basically a coin flip, are by far the most interesting part of the basketball season. In fact, the playoff games are usually the only ones I remember after the season’s over. Yes, the outcome now has a greater chance of being skewed. Big deal. I think I can handle it.

Additionally, for the first time, baseball now has something remotely akin to football’s “Wild Card Weekend� on which division winners receive a bye while the lower seeds play each other. And, hey, who doesn’t love Wild Card Weekend, even if, in baseball’s case, it will be more like “Wild Card Night?�

There’s always room for me to change my tune again; it really all depends on what happens this year and in the years to come.

But, for now, a beautiful thing has happened: for once in my life, I’ve gone from cynic to optimist rather than vice-versa [thunderous applause]. I am happy knowing that, on, I will get to watch two really big games. Aces on the mound. Winner moves on. Loser goes home. Isn’t that what this wonderful waste of time called sports is all about?

Sports

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t 4FQUFNCFS

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office

Jeffs Offense Explodes to 38-14 Win over Hamilton Ryan Silva’s 140 Yards Paces Jeffs in Home Opener 7BSVO *ZFOHBS Sports Section Editor Looking to get their 2012 season off to a solid start, the Amherst football squad played host to the Hamilton Continentals on Saturday afternoon.

Returning to Pratt Field as the defending NESCAC champions, the Lord Jeffs were not fazed in the slightest by any added pressure they might have felt, running away with the 38-14 victory.

The Jeffs extended their overall winning streak to nine games, a stretch that spans to the beginning of last year when Amherst began their undefeated season. Given that recent success, the Jeffs carry a target on their backs, as every opponent will be gunning to pull off a big upset.

Their impressive opening effort, however, is a good sign that this team is, once again, capable of a title run.

Last season, the Jeffs’ running game was the foundation for their success. Clearly, that has not changed. Both literally and figuratively, Amherst ran all over Hamilton to the tune of 376 yards on the ground, while holding the Continentals to a mere 60 yards. For the Jeffs, that yardage marked the highest single-game total since 2004, which also came, coincidentally enough, against Hamilton in a 44-7 victory.

To start off the contest, the Jeffs began right where they left off last season. Their first drive resulted in a score, as sophomore quarterback Max Lippe, making his collegiate debut, found Tom Holahan ’13 for a five-yard touchdown pass.

The score marked the first career points for both players and for kicker Jake Schmidt ’14, who came on for the extra point.

The Jeffs, however, would give back their early lead on the ensuing play. Amherst’s kick-

off was returned 94 yards for a touchdown, as Hamilton’s James Stanell ran down the right sideline for a score that swung the momentum back to the visitors early in the first quarter of play.

Not panicking in the slightest, the team merely went back to business. The Jeffs proceeded to chew up the Hamilton defense with a methodical eight-play, 74-yard drive that was capped by a 35-yard touchdown run from Ryan Silva ’14.

It was Silva’s first career collegiate touchdown, and, with 7:25 remaining in the open-

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office

.BY -JQQF UISFX GPS ZBSET JO IJT DPMMFHJBUF EFCVU

ing frame, it gave the Jeffs a lead that they would not relinquish.

In the second quarter, Silva, once again, came up big for the Jeffs. Pinned on their own one-yard line after an outstanding Hamilton punt, Amherst looked to be in a precarious situation. Again unfazed, the Jeffs were guided by an exceptional 49-yard run from the junior running back that put Amherst in great field position.

The home side continued working down the field and capped the drive with a 32-yard end-zone strike from Lippe to Wade McNamara ’14.

The touchdown pushed the score to 21-7 and appeared to give the Jeffs a little breathing room. The Continentals, though, did not go away easily. They were able to respond quickly, putting together an eight-play, 62-yard scoring drive of their own. A 36-yard touchdown pass trimmed the deficit to one touchdown headed into halftime.

Unfortunately for Hamilton, that was all they would get for the rest of the afternoon.

The Jeffs found a new gear in the second half and pulled away with ease. The scoring barrage began with a 29-yard touchdown run from Steven Jellison ’14 and was followed by a 36-yard field goal from Schmidt.

Tyler Jacobs ’15 got in on the action as well, scoring on a 56-yard run with 4:25 remaining in the fourth quarter that just about wrapped up the contest.

For both Jellison and Tyler, the touchdowns were the first of their respective collegiate careers.

Overall, the victory was an impressive group effort for the Jeffs. The youth and inexperience of this team was certainly the biggest question mark coming into this contest, but those concerns appear to have been addressed, at least until next weekend.

Lippe was outstanding in his first start at

quarterback, completing 12 of 16 passes for 116 yards. More impressive was the manner in which he kept the team focused and calm during a tight opening half. Amherst’s running backs also showed that they can carry the offensive load when necessary. Silva’s 170 yards (8.5 yards/carry) led the offense, but Jellison and Tyler also shared a significant portion of the work, running for 59 and 97 yards, respectively.

None of that success, though, would have been possible without an exceptional effort from Amherst’s offensive line. The Jeffs have allowed the fewest sacks in the NESCAC each of the past four years, and this game was no different. Amherst did not concede one sack on the afternoon and seemed to outwork their counterparts, making life easy for Lippe and the rest of the offense.

Defensively, the Jeffs tightened things up tat halftime and ultimately did not allow a second-half point. Led by senior linebacker Sam Clark’s nine and a half tackles, the Jeffs’ defense managed to hold the Continentals to a measly four of 15 on third-down opportunities.

The Jeffs return to the field Saturday (Sep. 29) at Bowdoin and will certainly be looking for another solid team effort. Amherst defeated the Polar Bears last year, 20-3, but this will be a much tougher contest on the road.

Currently, NESCAC teams appear to fall into two tiers, as Amherst, Williams, Middlebury and Trinity all earned dominant victories this past weekend, scoring at least 37 points and allowing 18 or fewer in their dominant wins over the remainder of the NESCAC teams. That said, the Jeffs will only look as far as Bowdoin, who currently sits at 0-1 after a loss to Middlebury.

With the momentum from this opening victory, the Jeffs will have every opportunity to build on their success.