Issue 8

THE AMHERST

THE STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLVIII, ISSUE 8 l WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

Men’s XC Claims Second NESCAC Crown See Sports, Page 9 AMHERSTSTUDENT.COM

CISE Provides Academic and Social Space for International Students Paulina Cardenas ’22 Staff Writer

Photo courtesy of Matai Curzon ’22

Students study and socialize in the Center for International Student Engagement, which was created last fall as a resource on campus to serve the needs of international students during their time at Amherst.

HHS Memo Poses Threat to Transgender Students Ryan Yu ’22 Staff Writer

A leaked memo from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which proposes legally defining gender as sex assigned at birth, has the potential to significantly affect the college and its student body. If integrated into official policy, this move would eliminate federal recognition for 1.4 million transgender Americans, most notably in civil rights protections under Title IX, leaving them vulnerable to discrimination without recourse at the federal level.

The memo was first published by The New York Times on Oct. 21.

Various groups at Amherst, including the Queer Resource Center (QRC) and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), offered their solidarity and support for people affected by the proposal.

In an email to the college community, President Biddy Martin condemned the HHS memo while reaffirming the college’s dedication to serving and defending transgender community members. She also noted that scientific evidence disputes the memo’s claim that sex and gender identity are fixed at birth.

“To all the students, staff and faculty who would be directly affected by this rollback, I want to offer unequivocal assurance that Amherst is committed to your rights, your dignity and your wellbeing on this campus and that will not change,” she wrote. “There is more that needs to be done to ensure your sense of well-being and belonging and we will continue that work.”

Martin also stressed the importance of peer support, dialogue and respect during this time.

“I ask that everyone in the community, regardless of your perspectives on sex and gender, think of ways to show your support of students, staff and faculty in our trans, non-binary and larger LGBTQ communities,” she said. “Remember that you do not have to share other people’s perspectives in order to afford them the dignity and protection we all deserve.”

The QRC and ODI held discussions and gatherings for those in need of support on Oct. 24.

Although it was scheduled before the release of the memo, the QRC is also preparing to launch its “Trans Empowerment Series,” which will focus on support for education on issues of gender identity more broadly.

Professor of History Jen Manion, whose research focuses on LGBTQ histories, echoed much of Martin’s message, emphasizing the danger of the policy, even without official adoption.

“It’s the most recent of numerous attacks on the community,” Manion said in an email interview. “It’s the boldest and the one with the potential to be the most destructive because it’s aspiring to remove transgender people from existence.

And while no piece of legislation can actually achieve that, the mean-spiritedness and the inhumanity of it is absolutely devastating.”

“The basis of the memo is factually inaccurate according to science. The intent of the memo is to bully, harass and demean transgender people,” Manion added. “The transgender movement has made significant gains in the past 20 years.

As we’ve seen with so many social movements

throughout history, it’s a backlash against those gains.”

One trans student, who asked to remain anonymous, said that they felt “extremely tired” and “disappointed” by the “terrible level of transphobia and hatred” in society.

“It’s just so draining to be constantly reminded that people hate me for who I am,” they said.

Jxhn Martin, director of the QRC, argued that the policy is fundamentally disrespectful and has no logical basis save for a political one.

“What makes them feel like they have the power to deny the way they name their own experience?” they said in an email interview. “It’s absolutely exhausting to constantly feel that your humanity is diminished, minimized, and ignored.

They’re not seeing them as human, because they don’t empathize. These folks know that lives are being politicized for cheap political gains.”

Both Manion and Jxhn Martin were unsure of whether the memo will be formally adopted as policy, but neither disregarded the possibility.

Still, both acknowledged that damage was already done with the mere consideration of such an idea.

The two also praised the explicit support of the college and said that President Martin’s message helped alleviate the resulting tension on campus.

“We have to make sure that people are committed to educating themselves about the actualities and experiences of trans students, and taking further steps to ensure that trans students, like every other student at Amherst College, has the resources and support they need to thrive on campus,” said Manion.

Students Association (KSA) to hold meetings.

The location in Wieland was previously used as an apartment for a professional staff member.

Leaders of the Asian affinity groups recently furnished the room with two red couches, a large gray table that seats eight people, four futons and a couple other tables. A bathroom is also located in the space.

Prior to repurposing the space, Asian student groups often competed with other organizations on campus to squeeze into multipurpose areas like the Chapin lounge for

meetings.

“A lot of weeks we did not have meetings because we couldn’t reserve the space. I think this space really minimizes [the chance of] that,” said Swati Narayan ’20, president of SASA. Though Asian and Asian-American students had advocated for the creation of a space for years, an April 2018 editorial published in The Amherst Student and written by representatives of ASA, KSA and SASA kickstarted the development process.

In the article, the Asian student groups

The Center for International Student Engagement (CISE) celebrated its first anniversary this fall. Established in Fall 2017 as a resource for international students on campus, the CISE has facilitated a number of initiatives in an attempt to serve international students within the Amherst community.

Hanna Bliss, director of international student engagement, explained that the CISE emphasizes community building and advocacy.

During the center’s first year, Bliss and the CISE team worked to publicize the center while increasing the support and resources available to international students.

“When the CISE first opened its doors last September, our main goals for the first year were to make sure that the campus community knew about the new space,” Bliss said. “[We wanted] to center community while interweaving a globally-oriented, justice-based framework into everything that we do.”

Bliss’ emphasis on community has impacted the way that some international students acclimate to college life.

Nadija Tokovic ’22, an international student from Serbia, interacted with the CISE during her international student orientation in August and said that she thinks the CISE is an effective academic and social support resource. “[The CISE’s] support during the international student orientation was especially valuable and made me feel comfortable on campus almost immediately upon arrival,” Tokovic said.

“The CISE resource center is a great place to both study and socialize.”

Like Tokovic, Melody Dodoo ’21, the CISE outreach coordinator, first connected with the CISE during her international student orientation. As outreach coordinator, Dodoo manages the CISE’s social media, newsletter and public relations. She echoed Bliss’ goals of inclusion for the CISE, adding that she hopes to target a large audience as outreach coordinator this year.

“The way I see it, an international student is not necessarily a student from another coun-

Continued on Page 3

New Space in Wieland Hall Created for Asian Students

Ronin Rodkey ’22 Staff Writer After months of student planning and activism, a new dedicated space for Asian students will launch this semester. The space, located in Wieland Hall, will have its grand opening later in November.

The new site is intended to increase Asian students’ visibility on campus and provide a physical gathering location for the Asian Students Association (ASA), the South Asian Students association (SASA) and the Korean

argued that though Asian students were the largest minority group on campus, the college provided very few resources for their on-campus experience.

Olivia Zheng ’20, now senior chair of ASA, explained the groups’ reason for writing the article. In a 2017 meeting with President Biddy Martin, Zheng said, Martin had expressed enthusiasm for creating such a space.

“And then a year passed and there still wasn’t a room,” Zheng said, “so the reason we

Continued on Page 3

News

Debbie Wen Oct. 23, 2018 - Oct. 28, 2018

An officer located broken picture frames that initially contained copies of historical photos. Some of the photos were also missing from the room.

>>Oct. 23, 2018 2:22 p.m., New Science Center An individual accidentally called 911.

5:31 p.m., Charles Drew House Officers responded to an alarm sounding on the first floor that was accidentally set off by cooking smoke.

3:29 p.m., Fayerweather Lot Road An individual was parked in a manner that blocked a driveway.

6:50 p.m., Garman House Officers responded to an alarm sounding on the third floor accidentally set off by cooking smoke.

3:43 p.m., Hitchcock Parking Lot An officer stopped an individual traveling the wrong way down a one-way street.

6:59 p.m., Garman House An officer confiscated an item not permitted in the residence halls.

4:11 p.m., The Cage Officers responded to an alarm set off accidentally by a team.

9:50 p.m., East Drive An officer spoke with the operator of a vehicle that failed to stop at a stop sign.

8:31 p.m., Charles Pratt Dormitory Officers responded to an alarm on the second floor accidentally set off by steam.

11:47 p.m., Converse Lot An officer spoke with an individual traveling the wrong way down a one-way street.

11:59 p.m., Jenkins Dormitory An officer responded to an alarm sounding on the third floor and found no cause for it.

>>Oct. 28, 2018 1:12 a.m., Hitchcock Hall Officers observed a number of party policy violations including hard alcohol.

>>Oct. 24, 2018 7:28 a.m., Plimpton House An officer provided assistance with a lift traveling across a main road.

6:17 p.m., King Dormitory Amherst Fire Department and officers responded to an elevator with mechanical issues. >>Oct. 25, 2018 11:27 a.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory An officer responded to a report of someone accidentally dialing the emergency line.

11:38 p.m., Garman House Officers responded to an alarm sounding on the third floor and found it was caused by marijuana smoke. >>Oct. 26, 2018 12:07 a.m., Moore Dormitory Officers responded to a report of loud music. >>Oct. 27, 2018 1:30 a.m., Hitchcock Hall

1:18 a.m., Plimpton Parking Lot An officer responded to a report of individuals arguing and sent them on their way.

1:38 a.m., Hitchcock Hall College furniture was damaged and a room was left a mess at the end of a party by individuals that did not register the party.

7:49 a.m., Garman House An officer retrieved an item abandoned outside of a residence hall.

11:48 a.m., Hitchcock Hall A student’s coat was stolen from a registered party.

11:05 p.m., Hitchcock Hall Officers ended an unauthorized party and found party policy violations including alcohol.

Got a tip?

Email eswislow20@amherst.edu, schen20@amherst.edu or nderosa21@amherst.edu

to pitch story ideas or submit a tip.

Thoughts on Theses Department of English

Debbie Wen ’19 is an English and classics double major.

Her thesis examines domestic ideology and the role of women in Charles Dickens’ novels. Her thesis advisor is Assistant Professor of English Alicia Mireles Christoff.

Q: What motivated you to major in English?

A: I’ve always loved reading, ever since I was a kid. I was born in China, but then my family moved to Singapore when I was really young. We lived there for about four years and then we moved back to China. But [Singapore] was where I learned English, and where I first became acquainted with reading. There was an author, Enid Blyton, and if you’re British, or lived in an ex-British colony then you’ve most likely read her. She was one of the first authors that I read in English.

Then, when I came to college, I knew that I was going to major in the humanities, so I thought I might as well major in English. I still really enjoy reading and writing.

Q: What motivated you to do a thesis?

A: I started thinking about doing a thesis in my junior year, and I spent last semester studying abroad at Oxford [University]. I am an English and classics major, and I took all English and classics classes there. While I was there, I took a class on Charles Dickens.

I had never studied him academically. I had just read him in my free time, so that was really interesting because I had never seen his work in an academic light before. So now I’m doing my thesis on domestic ideology in his novels. It’s a very interesting topic that is bigger than just one essay, and I think it could sustain my interest for a project as big as a thesis. I wouldn’t have done a thesis if I hadn’t picked a topic beforehand.

Q: What is your thesis about?

A: So far, my topic is that Charles Dickens’ novels — like all Victorian novels — have an educational purpose, but his is specifically creating domestic ideology in the middle class environment. All of his heroines are from the middle class, and he very rarely ventured into the upper classes, so his novels create an identity for the middle class, which was historically at that point not as fully formed. I am interested in how he creates this domestic ideology and I’m looking at specifically female characters. I’m also interested in how his novels simultaneously create this ideology, but at the same time they expose cracks in this same ideology or how it’s not possible for everyone. There are a lot of women in his novels that don’t conform to this ideology, so I’m interested in why this is so and the educational purpose.

Q: What does a thesis entail?

A: I think it depends. There are two types of English theses — one is analytical, which is what I’m doing, and the other is creative writing. I think even within the analytical thesis you can do different things. Some people might incorporate digital stuff, but there’s a lot of reading of scholars involved.

I’ve read two wonderful books on how race and colonialism shaped domestic ideology within Europe as whole. This research isn’t as straightforward as if you were doing a history thesis, but it’s mainly about reading outside scholarship whenever necessary.

Q: What has been the most challenging?

A: There was a lot of reading, but I read all of

Dickens’ novels over the summer. That was a bit challenging, but because it was during the summer, it wasn’t as big of a deal. I think so far it has been clarifying my argument, because the answer that I just gave on what my thesis was about I would not have given you that answer in September. I’m sure if you asked me this question in April, I will have a different answer then.

Q: What has been most rewarding?

A: Working towards the goal of answering my overall question. This was originally, “Why do these Dickens women not fit within the domestic ideology?” I think the satisfaction comes in figuring out “why.” Also, I think that finding out that I am capable of doing this is really rewarding.

Q: Who is your thesis advisor, and what is it like being mentored through this process?

A: My thesis advisor is Professor Alicia Christoff in the English department. Her specialty is Victorian literature, so that’s why she was assigned to me. It has been really great having her as a mentor because this is my first time working with such a big project, and she can give me a lot of guidance on how to think about my argument and also how to construct the structure if the actual paper. This knowledge comes from her writing her dissertation and books. It is very much a give-and-take process, so I always enjoy talking with her. She offers great constructive criticism. Without a mentor, I would be very lost.

Q: What advice do you have for future thesis writers, or people who are considering?

A: I’m not sure if I know enough to offer great advice, but I’ll try! I would say to not do a thesis unless you have a burning question, which you are sure you’ll be interested in enough to work on it for the whole school year. If you find out that you’re not as interested as you once were, you’ll kind of burn out and it becomes a case of “why does this matter?” My belief that my thesis material does matter is what propels me. As for a more practical piece of advice, I would say to get as much reading done over the summer as possible. I’m only taking three classes, but I still don’t have as much free time as I’d thought.

Q: How will you take this experience and apply it to the future?

A: If I were going into academia, this would be a very straightforward answer. I’m not thinking about graduate school, at least not immediately. At the end of April, the sense of achievement and knowing I can complete this type of project will be very gratifying.

This process is helping me become more self-disciplined. One other thing is that, on an intellectual level, I was able to read a lot more theory and further refine my own thinking.

—Sasha Williams ’22

The Amherst Student • October 31, 2018

News

3

Accessibility Expert Speaks on Inclusivity in Technology Shawna Chen ’20 and Natalie De Rosa ’21 Managing News Editors Kyle Shachmut, a manager of digital accessibility at Harvard, spoke at the college about making digital content accessible to students with disabilities on Oct. 30. The event was co-organized by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Information Technology, Communications, Accessibility Services and the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Director of Academic Technology Services Jaya Kannan introduced the event by describing the current state of the college’s accessibility services. While the 2010 census showed that 11 percent of college-aged people disclosed that they had a disability, about 25 percent of Amherst students are registered with the Office of Accessibility Services.

“One way to explain that is the conversation about inclusivity and diversity proceeds,” Kannan said. “A student [can come in] and say they need these kinds of services. I think there’s a kind of trusting environment that’s allowing students to ask for these services and ask for it openly.”

In developing new accessibility initiatives, Kannan listed four principles that the college considers: clear intent, diversity, a knowledge base and community engagement. Despite these goals, Kannan pointed to the barriers that technology poses in making them attainable.

“With the advent of technology it has been great for connectivity … but at the same time it’s also a monster that has created too many barriers. So when we are talking about equity and inclusivity, [technology] is actually rampant with inequity,” she said.

Web pages, for example, have been noncompliant with federal standards, prompting the college to remodel its websites and ultimately decrease the number of non-compliances by 93 percent. Increasing accessibility in Moodle and creating more accessible educational material have also been priorities within the past year.

“There’s a lot more work to do moving forward,” Kannan acknowledged. She then welcomed Shachmut to the stage to discuss what accessible technology looks like across higher education institutions and offer possible solutions

that Amherst could adopt.

Shachmut started by defining accessibility. According to him, accessibility encompasses “making sure that everybody has access to digital content at the same time.” To achieve this definition, he added that colleges should ensure that technology is perceivable to users, operable, understandable and robust. He also emphasized the need for all of these components rather than a select few.

“We can’t say, ‘Well, don’t worry about being operable,’ to someone with a disability, to tell them that they can receive content but not interact with it,” Shachmut said.

To show the importance of these features, Shachmut ran a simulation of how a disabled person experiences accessibility features like screen readers, which provide an audio component to a website’s text. He also demonstrated how screen readers can describe a website’s images for those who are visually impaired.

“Things that are important to know about alternative text are that we’re trying to describe the importance of what’s happening in the image,” Shachmut said. “If something is a link — if you had the Amherst logo at the top of the website — you’re not going to be describing the logo but you’re gonna say, ‘This is a homelink [and] tell me where it’s going.’”

Context also matters, Shachmut said. An image should be described differently depending on its use. Rather than describing the “intricate details” of what an image looks like, content creators should write alternative text that speaks more about its function, Shachmut said.

Shachmut then asked the audience to participate in an activity in which one partner creates and communicates alternative text descriptions to a partner whose eyes are closed.

“I want us to think about how we can use those technologies to make our communities more inclusive and welcoming,” he said after the activity ended.

He described a number of examples of everyday actions that individuals can take to increase accessibility. Professors and students who use learning management systems such as Moodle can add alternative text on the platform. In Microsoft Office documents, users can

Photo courtesy of Emma Swislow ’20

Kyle Shachmut, a manager of digital accessibility at Harvard, gave a keynote talk on Oct. 30 about integrating accessibility into technological services. add alternative text by right-clicking an image and formatting the picture. Twitter allows image descriptions, but Facebook does not. Shachmut said he makes sure to include short descriptions of any photos he uploads to social networks that do not have dedicated space for alternative text.

Users can also add image descriptions when sending images or graphics over email. One time, Shachmut received an attachment of an event flyer with no text other than the words “Can’t wait to see you there!”

“I was like, ‘Can’t wait to see you where, can’t wait to see you when?’” Shachmut said.

“If we’re producing content for a broad, diverse community, we want to think about the message we portray through the medium for communicating that,” he added.

Those involved in teaching and learning can incorporate accessibility by providing transcripts for videos and scripts of speaking events.

“If I’ve thought about what I’m going to say and deliver it in that way … I can be more precise in language,” he said. “Instead of saying, ‘The graph went from here to there,’ I can say, ‘The graph went from 20 to 30.’”

Annotation tools and document headings are additional ways to increase accessibility. “If we create heading structure and alternative text, then the next time we reuse it, it’ll be that much better,” he said. “There are many ways we can integrate little tidbits of accessibility into our day to day.”

He asked the audience to think about ways they can enhance accessibility in their personal lives and ended the talk by emphasizing the importance of “the critical lens we get to bring to the technology that we use or whatever medium we might engage in.”

“We can really think about how we are taking the medium and using it to make the world a better place, whether it’s people having greater access to something in the sense of the whole world being able to use something, or something like inclusivity for students and people in the world with disabilities,” he said. “I encourage you — as we all are authors of content, whether it be the home webpage for our university or the email to the office — to ask yourself: how can we enhance the inclusivity of the messages we are sending with technology?”

to the larger campus community, including domestic students,” Choi said. “We constantly have to think about how to make domestic students welcome at our events. We want all students to feel at home at the CISE.” The CISE has also curated a series of programs that includes activities such as an International Women’s Day celebration, discussions regarding global news and events and an international cooking night.

Bliss and Choi also plan to invite a variety of speakers to campus.

“We are looking to build out our program offerings more intentionally with an eye to our shared values and vision,” Bliss said. “We plan to engage the broader campus community by focusing on collaborative efforts that generate powerful programs, all while focusing on communication, advocacy and resource-generating efforts.”

CISE Expands Offerings in its Second Year Continued from Page 1 try,” Dodoo said.

“An international student can also be a student who wants to learn more about international relations, become more involved in international affairs and hear more about international experiences,” Dodoo added. “That’s who we’re trying to bring in to the CISE.” The CISE has an extensive roster of events

planned for the school year.

Ho Yeon Choi ’19, one of five program coordinators, organizes events hosted by the CISE including weekly themed movie nights.

Choi said that she hopes the CISE will act as a resource not only for international students, but for domestic students as well.

“It is definitely important to have a space for international students, but at the same time, I think it would be great if we could reach out

Space Dedicated to Asian Students Opens after Years of Advocacy Continued from Page 1

Photo courtesy of Olivia Zheng ’20

Asian students now have access to a space of their own in Wieland Hall. The space is a result of student activism and discussion with administrators.

wanted to write a letter was to be able to be more public about it and therefore keep the administration more accountable.”

The presidents of the Asian student groups agreed that the administration was very accomodating in response to the demands outlined in the editorial.

Zheng praised Angie Tissi, associate dean in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, saying that she “was really great about working with students and advocating for them, as opposed to some higher-up administrators who might not feel as connected to individual students.”

Tissi said that the article “turned into an immediate invitation to meet with students. Once that happened, I reached out directly to students within those organizations … and I talked with them about what they needed and what they were looking for.”

She added that “the space was really driven on student activism and the need to create spaces that allowed for visibility — allowed for ac-

cess, allowed for community to come together and also … have a sense of shared responsibility.”

Though Tissi noted that she “might’ve been the person that helped execute it,” she acknowledged that “there were a lot of people at the table who helped figure out how to do this and make it a successful space and hopefully make it a space [Asian students] can work with.”

In a group interview, the presidents of the affinity groups said the space will make it easier to hold meetings, host events and foster collaborations between groups.

The student leaders also noted, however, that the administration still had more to do to accomodate Asian students and marginalized students at large. “[The administration] likes to tout diversity, but it doesn’t provide the resources and accessibility for diverse, low-income, first-generation, [people of color] groups to actually be able to navigate college,” said Kevin Zhangxu ’20, junior chair of ASA. “Especially as an elite liberal arts institution — I think this is one step.”

Opinion

THE AMHERST

STUDENT

Let’s Stay Angry

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D The past few weeks of the national new cycle have been overwhelming. Everytime we check our phones, there is a new alert detailing heart-wrenching and alarming developments in the country.

This week especially has been jarring: on Sunday, a gunman opened fire in a Pittsburgh synagogue after touting anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant hate speech online. On Monday, President Donald Trump tweeted about a caravan of Central American immigrants headed to the U.S., calling it an “invasion” and ordering an additional 5,200 armed troops to the southern border. On Tuesday, he announced plans to sign an executive order that would end birthright citizenship rights for children born in the U.S. to undocumented immigrants. Last week, pipe bombs were sent to over a dozen high-profile critics of Trump, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. These events have transpired just after the alarming revelation that the Department of Health and Human Services is seeking to establish the legal definition of gender as biological and determined at birth, a major threat to transgender rights.

In the background looms the continued shock that the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who has been accused of attempted rape, has released into the American public psyche.

Today, reading the news is no longer a neutral pastime.

It is confusing and emotionally taxing. It requires us to come to terms with information that cannot be come to terms with — information that is disturbing, hateful and surreal. Even worse, much of the hateful rhetoric and many of the changing policies and acts of violence impact people on this campus personally. For Amherst’s women, people of color, immigrant/undocumented students and queer students, the events in the news are not politics. They

are attacks on ourselves and our peers. There is a palpable sense of exhaustion on campus, stemming in part from the consistency and speed with which the news hits us.

We are constantly bombarded on social media with a flow of unfathomable events that occur outside of our small campus bubble. It is a hamster wheel that has not stopped since November 2016.

Journalist and Professor of Political Science and Russian Masha Gessen describes this particular phenomenon as “outrage fatigue.” In “Autocracy: Rules for Survival,” she writes, “the Trump presidency basically calls on a very large number of Americans to maintain a constant sense of outrage because Trump is maintaining a constant sense of outrage.” What is alarming, according to Gessen, is that the president persists until the American people are too exhausted from being angry.

The Editorial Board urges the Amherst community to be wary of outrage fatigue. It is important that we continue to not only read the news, but also care with the same intensity and determination for change that many of us felt in the wake of the 2016 election. We must articulate our concerns. We must continue to be upset and deeply disturbed that marginalized peoples are being attacked by the administration in our White House. Furthermore, we must act on these feelings by voting, protesting and continuing to pay attention to what happens to our country.

It is our duty to our country, our peers and ourselves.

Students also need to take care of each other right now. We recognize how detrimental recent events have been to the mental health of those we love. With fortitude must come kindness. Part of combating outrage fatigue is combating the apathy that can make the world a dangerous place. We urge you, in this difficult week, to continue caring about both the world around us and those on campus.

If I May: Six Bands to Explore Jake May ’19 Columnist A couple of weeks ago, I wrote briefly about what a joy it is to get into new music. So, for this week’s column, I decided to share some music that readers may be aware of.

heavily by avant garde jazz. I haven’t yet had the chance to explore Television’s whole catalogue, but its seminal debut album, “Marquee Moon,” is fantastic all the way through. The two-guitar sound is both intimate and epic, and front-man Tom Verlaine’s vocals are unmistakable. To me, this is good driving music, but it’ll work anytime.

guitar player. He is a master of the slide technique, particularly on songs such as “Just as Strange” and “Midnight in Harlem.” Like The Aquarium Rescue Unit, Tedeschi Trucks Band’s best work is captured on its live albums. Its most recent live release, “Live From The Fox Oakland,” is particularly potent. Give it a spin.

1. Khruangbin Khruangbin (I am also unsure how to pronounce this name) is a largely-instrumental trio hailing from Houston, Texas. The three-piece is made up of Laura Lee on the bass guitar, Donald Ray “DJ” Johnson Jr. on the drums and Mark Speer on the guitar. The band blends eclectic styles into grooving tracks, drawing on everything from American soul and funk to traditional Thai and Indian music. I discovered the band through its excellent National Public Radio Tiny Desk concert, in which it plays the infectious tracks “Maria Tambien” and “August 10.” Another superb cut is “Two Fish and an Elephant.” Lee’s bass work is incredibly groovy; she is able to play behind the beat in such a way that creates an infectious pocket, which is only enhanced by Johnson’s minimalist approach to drumming. They provide a fantastic backdrop for Speer to deliver moving guitar lines and chord progressions. Khruangbin’s music is great to listen to on a run, for studying or when you just want to relax.

3. Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit This is a suggestion for those who into slightly weirder music. Led by Bruce Hampton, who played an odd mini-guitar-like instrument, this band was essentially a fusion group, featuring bassist Oteil Burbridge, guitarist Jimmy Herring and drummer Jeff Sipe. The group was defined by its incredible musicianship and also its eclectic influences. Songs like “Yield Not to Temptation” showcase the band’s rock n’ roll chops, while “Time Is Free” relies on jazz-fusion influences.

However, both contain wacky lyrics written and sung by Hampton. Another great track is the classic electric-bluegrass cover of the blues traditional “Fixin’ to Die.” Each band member is an absolute virtuoso at their instrument, but Burbridge’s bass and Herring’s guitar are really the stars of the show. Both are able to mix technically impressive jazz chops with bluesy, emotional playing, resulting in fantastic improvised sections. My favorite album of the group’s is its eponymous live album.

5. INXS Pronounced “in excess,” this Australian rock band was founded by three brothers in 1977.

The group’s success would last from the late ’70s through the early ’90s, and its sound evolved through the years. Initially, INXS was known as a new wave pop band, but over time it shifted to a more funky focus. It is these later years that I am more keen on, specifically the tracks “Need You Tonight” from the 1987 album “Kick,” and “Suicide Blonde” from its 1990 album “X.” Both of these albums are worth a full listen, however.

The band’s lead singer for most of its existence, Michael Hutchence (not one of the brothers) has an infectious voice and presence on these tracks.

2. Television More people may be aware of this band than I realize; however, I only recently was turned on to them. Television is a rock band hailing from New York City, formed in 1973 when the punk and alternative music scene was growing in the area. Early on, the band frequented legendary rock club CBGB’s. While it was influential to the punk scene, the members are also known to be more technically proficient with their instruments than many of their peers, as they were influenced

4. Tedeschi Trucks Band This southern-blues-rock outfit is a larger band than any of the others, with its rotating lineup often featuring a full horn section, various back-up singers and even two drummers.

However, it is anchored by the brilliant vocals of Susan Tedeschi and the stellar guitar work of her husband Derek Trucks. Tedeschi’s voice must be heard to be believed; her vocals on songs such as “Bound for Glory” are incredibly moving. Additionally, Trucks is, to my ears, the greatest living

6. Phish You didn’t think you’d get through a band-related article without me mentioning Phish, did you? The Vermont four-piece improvisational rock outfit is my favorite band of all time. Defined by its eclectic sound and thrilling live shows (I see a pattern here), Phish has been an incredibly successful touring act in the United States since the mid-’90s. And yet, it still manages to fly under the radar. If you have never listened to the band before, I would honestly give it a chance. Before I started listening, I never thought that improvised music would connect with me in such a way. Perhaps the same will happen to you. A good entry point is the sprawling rendition of “Tweezer” performed on Feb. 28, 2003 (on Spotify). Listen particularly to the section beginning about 12 minutes in (yes, I know it’s a very long song).

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

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The Amherst Student • October 31, 2018

Opinion

5

Unsolicited Advice: Making the Most of Amherst This Fall Lisa Zheutlin ’21 Contributing Writer

room at the gym and pretend to know how to use the machines.

It’s the time on campus, a little over halfway through the fall semester, when the general vibe on campus is generally stressful and negative.

On the rainy days, it seems like we’re just waiting for winter to come so that we can really feel justified in our complaints. But, as I sit outside on a rare, sunny day, I want to non-facetiously spread some positive vibes and give advice about how to generally improve your (and hopefully, in the process, my own) outlook on Amherst at this point in the semester.

Go to a Mr. Gad’s Show Mr. Gad’s House of Improv is the best (and only) improv group on campus. This piece of advice is a bit of a shameless plug because I am in Gad’s. But, to be fair, before I even considered auditioning for the group, I went to every show. Gad’s shows are such a nice break (only one hour!) from the monotonous Monday workload. Who doesn’t love feeling second-hand discomfort while watching a group of college improvisors embarrass themselves on stage? But actually, you’ll probably laugh more during this hour than you would if you stayed in Frost working on that essay (hopefully).

Sit on the Adirondack chairs on the FirstYear Quad This one is pretty self-explanatory. Once those chairs are taken away for the winter, there is no more pretending that there might be hospitable weather outside. I’m pretty sure the acorns have stopped aggressively falling from the trees, plus the quad leaves have finally started turning autumnal colors! Bundle up and try to forget the impending winter for a little bit before the chairs are gone for what seems like the rest of the year.

Take Advantage of the Wellness & Fitness Classes These classes are super underrated, and they are free. Every day, Monday through Friday, there are at least two wellness/fitness classes offered around campus. I am a huge fan of the barre classes on Monday and Friday with Professor Ruxandra Paul, but there’s also yoga and Zumba depending on your mood. Equipment is provided, the classes are usually around an hour, and, as someone who does not identify as an athlete, it’s usually less intimidating to go to one of these than it is to go into the weight

Read the Amherst College Daily Mail This might be a little incriminating, but I read (skim) the Daily Mail every morning. It’s nice to stay up to date on what’s happening each day around campus, and for such a small school, it is continually surprising to see how many different speakers and events are open to the community. I remember going to so many speakers as a first year, and I think the Daily Mail is a helpful reminder that we should continue making an active effort to attend such events every so often — there is more to Amherst than just getting our work done. Plus, there’s usually free snacks (cheese plates!) at these events to supplement our Valentine Dining Hall intake.

Val Sit Speaking of our beloved dining hall, it’s important to take time to Val sit, also known as sitting in Val (shocker!) for an extended amount of time, with your friends. I frequently find myself just treating a meal in Val as

Red Sox: Enjoy the Victory, But Leave New York Out of It Camilo Toruno ’21 Contributing Writer

Yes, the Red Sox won the World Series.

Good for them, they had an incredible year.

The team’s off-season and mid-season acquisitions, namely J.D. Martinez and Steve Pearce, paid off. Their farm system has worked wonders developing an incredible array of young talent; Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and Rafael Devers to name just a few. The future is bright. There are so many positive things to cheer for in New England sports.

So why are there viral videos of Red Sox fans chanting “Yankees suck!” at the pinnacle of their team’s success? It just doesn’t make sense to me, as a New Yorker. Cheer your team on, celebrate David Price’s gem that sealed the World Series victory or applaud Steve Pearce’s epic postseason performance that will go down in history. Why is your attention on the New York Yankees?

I get it, the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry is epic, but there seems to be another explanation for this: Boston’s intense inferiority complex when it comes to New York. David Waldstein identifies this in his article for The New York Times, “Red Sox Fans, With a Title to Cheer, Choose the Yankees to Jeer,” when he writes, “the overall inferiority complex Bostonians feel in regard to New York is centuries old.” The little-sibling mentality Boston has when it comes to its big brother to the south cannot be ignored. Is Boston such a little, insecure city that fans can’t celebrate their teams’ many successes without comparing them to New York? Does thinking about New York City make victory sweeter? If it does, that’s pitiful. Boston fans should enjoy their team’s accomplishments for the genuine pride and joy of winning, not because of a toxic rivalry.

“Start spreadin’ the news/ I’m leavin’ today/ I want to be a part of it/ New York, New

York…”

Boston, I know you want to be a part of it, New York! Too bad you can’t. The viral video of Red Sox players singing Frank Sinatra’s iconic song, “New York, New York,” in their clubhouse after winning the World Series is shocking to me. Sure, interpret this as a silly troll of Aaron Judge playing the song after a Game Two win in the American League Division Series (ALDS). That’s fine, I guess. But when we connect this to the “Yankees suck!” chant, it seems like both fans and players are reinforcing this inferiority complex that discourages Bostonians from celebrating pure, unfettered victory.

This mentality trickles all the way down to advertising. A Dunkin’ Donuts ad in Boston reads: “Boston Runs on Dunkin’, Hard Work, The Sweat From 37 Championships #titletown!

And The Tears of New Yorkers.” Come on! The fact that these big corporations know how to exploit Boston’s inferiority complex is pitiful.

New Yorkers will never — maybe in a million years — cry about a Boston sports victory.

We just don’t care. Bostonians, enough. But Dunkin Donuts knows that this commercial will boost your fragile egos. Maybe you’ll buy a doughnut as you commute from your distant suburb on the itty bitty metro system you adorably call “The T” contemplating on how the “Yankees Suck.”

Now, there is no way I can completely escape what might seem like my bitterness or resentment at the Red Sox winning the World Series. Obviously, I’m not thrilled! But at the very core of my sports enthusiasm, I value exciting and impressive feats of athleticism and the Red Sox did just that in 2018. New England, this is simply a reminder that there is no need to include New York in your celebrations.

We get it, we’re pretty great, but sports bring us enough joy as is without feeding off of a petty inferiority complex.

just another part of my overly-scheduled day, leaving after I finish my meal. But Val sits, especially in the front room, are genuinely my favorite time to catch up with friends and, of course, people-watch. The comfortable chairs in the front room are a great place to see people as they swipe through while also looking outside to Val Quad in the most non-stalkerish way possible.

Go to the Counseling Center If you haven’t been to the Counseling Center yet this semester, try to make an appointment. I am such a firm believer that everyone would benefit from talking to someone about their mental health, even if you don’t have a diagnosed mental illness. It is actually so cool that we can get free counseling sessions while at Amherst. There are obviously valid complaints surrounding the Counseling Center, and by promoting my overwhelmingly positive experience with it, I am in no way trying to undermine those who have had negative experiences. But, especially at this point in the semester when times are stressful, use this resource if you haven’t already.

Take Your Professor or Staff Out (TYPO/ TYSO) Since we’ve passed the halfway point in all of our classes, it’s time to try to form those relationships with professors that might not have been made yet. When visiting Amherst, tour guides always promote the fact that Amherst will literally pay you to go out in town and eat a meal with your professor. Plus, you can bring up to six other people in your class to join in the meal with you. If you haven’t already done this for one of your classes, organize it! Another underrated program is TYSO, which means you can take any staff member at Amherst out

to dinner, as well. I did a TYPO both semesters last year, and I definitely want to take advantage of TYSO to foster relationships with staff who aren’t my professors and might not be as regularly appreciated.

Use the Bike Share Program The Office of Environmental Sustainability has a bike share program that allows you to “rent” a bike for free for 24 hours. Like the beloved quad chairs, this program disappears during the winter, so it’s time to take advantage of it before we collectively freeze. Also, the Norwottuck Rail Trail (the bike trail behind the tennis courts), is super beautiful right now, so take a break while there are still leaves on the trees and bike around for a bit. Last year, I also biked to Flayvors at Cook Farm, which is a manageable ride off the bike trail.

Try out a new study space If you’re tired of always working in the same spot in Frost Library, try out some less popular study spaces on campus. Beneski Earth Sciences and the Mead Art Museum are really nice places to go and do work while also feeling “cultured.”

The religious studies department lounge in Chapin and the library in the Amherst Center for Russian Culture (in Webster) are also underrated spots.

Overall, I just think it’s important to remain positive about our time here at Amherst because it really is so limited. My first year at Amherst went by so quickly, and it might sound crazy, but I’m already thinking about how I will feel as a senior when there is so little time left. So, in the most non-cliche way possible, try to take advantage of the different opportunities and programming that Amherst provides and to enjoy nature before tundra season arrives.

Arts&Living

Artist Megan Smith Leads “Queering Reproductive Justice” Event

Photo courtesy of amherst.edu Photo courtesy of amherst.edu

On Oct. 26, Megan Smith, the artist and activist behind Repeal Hyde Art Project, came to Amherst to take part in the event “Queering Reproductive Justice.”

Isabella Weiner ’20 Contributing Writer On Friday, Oct. 26, the Women’s and Gender Center (WGC), in collaboration with the Mead Art Museum, hosted a day of art and activism with Megan Smith.

Smith created the now-iconic bird image in 2011 for the 40th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment, a relatively unknown piece of legislation that blocks people from using federal funding, including Medicaid, to pay for abortions.

Smith, who has the image tattooed on their arm, explained that they’ve always loved both the idea of flying because of its inherent “effortlessness and weightlessness” as well as the sense of community that birds represent. Smith explained how “migrating birds are individual, but they move as a collective. They’re moving in the same direction.”

Danielle Amodeo, the public programs and marketing coordinator for the Mead and the event’s organizer, echoed the idea that Smith’s

image fosters a sense of community. She noted that the accessibility of the image is essential to community-building; anyone can visit Smith’s website (Repeal Hyde Art Project) and print out copies of the bird template or create their own.

Additionally, Amodeo said that whenever you see this bird image — whether on someone’s door or in their office, for instance — “you know that they support reproductive justice.”

The themes of collective movement and community-building anchored the event’s “Art and Activism Workshop,” which took place in the WGC from 1-3 p.m. During the workshop, Smith encouraged event-goers to create what they imagined to be a “liberatory future,” using magazine clippings, beads, straws, pastel crayons and green sheets of paper.

With these materials, participants created 3D community gardens, centers for learning and spaces for healthy communication. Once the works were completed, they were lined up next to one another and connected.

This kind of art ensured that the topics of

self-care and healing — the goals of this workshop — remained central. Smith, who also works as a therapist, noted that the workshop provided a space for participants to take a break from the turbulent political times and to engage in creative expression, even for those who are less artistically inclined.

The event was part of the WGC’s third annual Reproductive Justice Week. Nayah Mullings, the director of the WGC, explained that the goal of this week was to focus on “queering” the reproductive justice movement and shifting the mainstream mindset about what reproductive justice means.

Mullings encouraged people to think not just about broadening the definition of reproductive justice, but also about who belongs in the movement. Intersectionality is central to the reproductive justice movement — the movement is not just for cis-women, but for individuals of any gender identity and expression, according to Mullings.

“Reproductive justice is not just about access to abortion,” she said. “It is also [about]

the right to clean water, to living in a safe environment. Immigration justice is reproductive justice.”

Amodeo similarly discussed the importance of intersectionality in the reproductive justice movement and argued that the partnership between the Mead and the WGC is essential for helping all members of the Amherst community, especially its most marginalized individuals.

“When one member of the community is hurting,” she stated, “we are all affected.” She highlighted the Mead as a resource for individuals in the Amherst community and urged staff, faculty and students to visit or call the museum and to let them know what they want to see in the Mead.

Responding to the “liberatory future” that Smith encouraged event-goers to envision, Mullings discussed her hope for reproductive rights for transgender and queer individuals “who do not identify as women, but who are pregnant and absolutely want to have the baby.”

Art, Smith, Amodeo and Mullings argue, allows us to envision this as a real possibility.

The Amherst Student • October 31, 2018

Arts & Living 7

Quavo’s First Solo Album “Quavo Huncho” Signals Future Success Jack Klein ’20 Staff Writer On the first verse of his first solo album, “Quavo Huncho,” Quavo raps, “write my name ’cross the hall of fame banner.” Although this project had been eagerly awaited by many of Quavo’s fans for some time, such an opening statement was quite bold for someone who had risen to fame due to the success of his music group Migos. As Migos’ popularity and success grew, all three members, starting with Quavo, began accepting feature roles on other musicians’ songs — although Takeoff failed to achieve the individual stardoms attained by Quavo and Offset.

Quavo’s choice of a Salvador Dalí-esque album cover is fitting, as the sound and beats of “Quavo Huncho” are kaleidoscopic and ever-changing. In “Huncho Dreams,” an immersive xylophone and chime beat sets the stage for Quavo to rap, companionless, about his relationship with Nicki Minaj. The sound of “Bubble Gum” is reminiscent of many of the songs on “Huncho Jack, Jack Huncho,” a previous album by Quavo and Travis Scott. Quavo uses autotune and synth liberally to assemble an upbeat experience.

Although the main attraction on the album is Quavo’s solo stylings, the features on “Quavo Huncho” also live up to expectations. On “Flip The Switch,” Drake doesn’t hold back, rapping “I just let the money energize me / You was in your 20s in the 90s.” Quavo’s cadence is classic Migos on the chorus, with his quick stop-andgo rapping.

Meanwhile, “Rerun” features Travis Scott, another artist who frequently collaborates with Quavo. The duo’s chemistry, as has been the case in past projects, holds the song together as the two often alternate lines, with Scott rapping “She like it, I’m swiping / I had to come

right back and rerun.”

Quavo wisely stays in his comfort zone throughout the album; there are almost no surprises and he sounds mostly the same as he has in past projects. The pace of “Workin Me” is reminiscent of “Big on Big” from “Culture.”

His lyrics don’t deviate from the norm either.

For example, on “Pass Out,” he raps “Pull up, park and do damage / Trap house to a mansion.” Quavo might not have the range to artistically or lyrically branch out from his normal music, which isn’t necessarily a bad trait. He knows his strengths and sticks to them, a safe and prudent approach for a debut album. He gives his listeners exactly what they’re paying for.

What does Quavo’s album mean for the rest of the music industry? Not much, as it turns out. Migos is a unique group that works well with others and all its members know that if they fully break up, there is no assurance of individual success.

As such, Migos seems like the rare group that will explore solo projects while managing to remain together. In an interview with AP News, Quavo admitted that although Takeoff and Offset plan to release solo albums in 2019, the group will nevertheless put out the groupalbum, “Culture III.” When asked whether he thinks the members of the group would be as successful individually as they are collectively, he responded in the negative, saying, “Nah, I never really did see myself as a stand-alone. We never really saw ourselves having solo careers. We came in as a group. We were trying new ways and new sounds. It’s all about growth. When we were coming [together] as a group, we weren’t thinking about kids, marriage or like real stuff.

Seeing Offset have his wife [Cardi B] and kids, it makes you want to grow up. We all can’t stay in the same house no more.”

Photo courtesy of judiciaryreport.com

Quavo, a member of hip-hop group Migos, released a solo album on Oct. 12.

Migos’ members’ motivations behind their solo ventures genuinely seem like the pursuit of creative art, rather than the money-grabs that many other solo projects often are. The fact that the trio continues to explore these

avenues while maintaining the integrity of the group speaks to their maturity and brotherhood. Although their solo projects might not top their group efforts, “Quavo Huncho” proves that they are worth a listen.

Harlem Renaissance Celebrates Black Culture in Hollywood DeLyna Hadgu ’21 Contributing Writer This past Saturday, Oct. 27, the Black Student Union (BSU) held its annual Harlem Renaissance in Alumni Gym. The semiformal event, which occurs every Family Weekend, is a place for black students and their families to come together and celebrate black culture and excellence through food and performances from Amherst students. This year’s theme, “Black Hollywood,” recalled the success of black people in the entertainment industry. In the spirit of the theme, all guests entered the event on a red carpet, on which they were met with flashing lights. Images of various black actors and actresses — both past and present — adorned the top of each table.

The evening’s performances began with a striking trio of poems from Kalidas Shanti ’22, followed by a rendition of Stevie Wonder’s “Isn’t She Lovely” by Abigail Mesfin ’20. Stanley Jackson ’22 and Mal (Amal Buford ’19) each performed raps that differed in sound, but both had the audience mem-

bers nodding their heads to the beat.

The closing performance came from Alistair Edwards ’22, who began with an anecdote about his experience street performing over the summer. He proceeded to play a mesmerizing rendition of Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You” on his electric violin, after which the audience demanded an immediate encore. Edwards acquiesced, creating a beat on the spot and playing Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” which smoothly transitioned to Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal.” During the performance, several people began to approach the stage and leave money at his feet, as a reference to his street performing past.

The evening was a success for both students, whether performing or observing, and parents in attendance.

For Mesfin, showcasing her talents in this space was especially rewarding. “I had a great time performing, and I really appreciate the support I received,” she said. “It’s always nice celebrating the artistic talents of black students on campus and coming together as a community to do so.”

Photo courtesy of Latrell Broughton ‘20

Above: Emcees Jordan Andrews ‘21 and Claire Hawthorne ‘21 called performers Amal Buford ‘19, Kalidas Shanti ‘22, Stanley Jackson ‘22, Alistair Edwards ‘22 and Abigail Mesfin ‘20 (from left to right), back on stage for a final applause.

Far Left: Alistair Edwards ‘22 performed “If I Ain’t Got You” on his electric violin, a rendition that prompted calls for an encore from the audience, a request that Edwards graciously obliged.

Left: Amal Buford ‘19, one of two rapper of the night, performed under his stage name “Mal.“ Photo courtesy of Latrell Broughton ‘20

Photo courtesy of Latrell Broughton ‘20

The Amherst Student • October 31, 2018

Arts & Living 8

Amherst College Choral Society Thrills at Family Weekend Concert

Photo courtesy of amherst.edu

On Sunday, Oct. 27, the groups comprising of Amherst College Choral Society performed at the annual Family Weekend Concert.

Kalidas Shanti ’22 Staff Writer At the pre-show reception for the Amherst College Choral Society’s Family Weekend Concert, you could already get a feel for the event and hear students warming up backstage. After some brief socialization, families and other audience quickly funneled into the recital hall, fill-

ing most of the seats.

The choir opened the concert with “Gaudeamus Igitur,” which the program noted is possibly “the most well-known student song in the world.” There was no need for introduction, as the audience was rapt from the very start of the piece.

The choice of “Gaudeamus Igitur” for the first song was clever. Its brevity was a good way

to capture the audience’s attention, getting them to anticipate the rest of the program. It was rather humorous to have the choir sing about celebrating youth to an audience of parents.

After grounding the audience with a classic, the singers kept the concert fresh with a quick transition to the second song, “O Quam Gloriosum,” a peaceful song sang by the Concert Choir.

The transitions between pieces were fluid throughout the afternoon, as every song, no matter its contrast with the previous song, was transitioned into in a way that never felt disconnected or rushed. For the songs that weren’t well-suited for direct musical transitions, the various groups introduced the selections in confident and interesting ways.

As an example, for the sixth song of the program, “Chicken in a Raft,” the Glee Club came rushing down from the seats and leapt onstage.

Everyone was immediately pulled in, and they succeeded in setting the stage for the actual performance.

The group did a wonderful job of creating the perfect atmosphere for the song both through the members’ body language as well as their vocals. Another song that stood out for its ability to move the crowd was “Still I Rise,” which was sung by the Women’s Chorus, and spoke to the power and perseverance of women.

The Choral Society as a whole was able to link diverse songs together throughout the concert; it made many of the songs stand out and memorable after the concert was over. Of these songs, “Little Innocent Lamb” was particularly engaging. It was a song of pure reverence to

God. And even if you were not religious, you could still admire the joyful devotion and loyalty of the lyrics.

After the “Little Innocent Lamb” ended, there was a short intermission, during which it was evident how much the students of the choir cared about their performance. Some of the students were still looking over the music, while others were relaxing together in the back in order to avoid getting out of sync with the event.

But the biggest indication of the group’s dedication was when Choral Society Director Arianne Abela said to a student, “stop confessing your sins to me!” while encouraging the group of how well they were doing.

As the concert went on, none of the songs disappointed, with the last few performances particularly notable. The song “If I Say That You’re My Sister,” which songwriter Shara Nova premiered at the concert, started off the second half. Nova’s piece tackled the understanding of sisterhood in an informal and personal way, allowing for the audience to really connect to the music.

The last song “Bridge over Troubled Water” did a good job deepening the connection between the audience and the choir society. It made the audience feel like an irreplaceable friend that would be remembered even after they separated.

Overall, the entire concert was engaging and left the crowd wanting it to never end. It seemed the members of the Choral Society were satisfied as well. After the concert, Patrick Rauschelbach ’19 remarked that “the last three songs were better than [the choir] ever performed them.”

Amherst Cinema Screens Works of French Filmmaker Agnes Varda Youngkwang Shin ’19 Staff Writer For the past two months, Amherst Cinema has been holding screenings of the works of Agnes Varda, a French filmmaker whose movies were released in the mid-20th century. Varda made inimitable contributions to the amorphous category of films we nowadays label “arthouse cinema,” and with the final screening of “Beaches of Agnes” on Oct. 30, it may be useful to track Varda’s life and works to answer how and why she more than merits her place in our local theater.

Varda did not begin her artistic life as a filmmaker, but rather as a photographer. One could claim that her arrival onto the cinematic scene paralleled the process by which photos become film: after years of taking countless pictures for a living, it was a matter of time before she imagined them in fluid, vigorous connection.

No other film in her catalogue best confronts this transition than “Cleo From 5 to 7,” the first screening at Amherst Cinema and the film that declared Varda an essential auteur of the emerging medium. “Cleo” follows Cleo (Corinne Marchand), a young singer who is awaiting the results of a cancer test, in real time.

The two hours during which she is waiting, from 5 to 7 p.m., derail her normal daily routine; it is a confrontation with mortality. The film’s escalation around 6 o’clock intimates in a louder and louder voice that the young woman’s future is unsteady.

The concept of real time is a warring synthesis of Varda’s twin arts: photography’s desperation to hold onto a moment out of time and cinema’s unshakeable premise that time and image must flow — minutes into hours, 24 frames per second. In its darkest moments, “Cleo” is a work that despairs over its cinematic qualities and yearns to return to the state of photography. Faced with cancer, Cleo attempts to seize and freeze each moment of her shortened life, but her hours pass without mercy.

Yet, for all this seeming nihilism, “Cleo” ends with a moving deliverance of sorts. This article will not delve into spoilers, but then again it does not need to — the emotions are located less in the story than Varda’s telling of it. By the end, Cleo learns to let go of her photographic desires and accept the flow of cinema. The flipside of the cinematic premise that time will not stop for anything is that it will not stop even for death: life extends beyond 5 o’clock and 6 o’clock and 7 o’clock.

It’s an appropriately existential coda for a French film released in the 1960s that cleverly embodied philosophy in art and established

Varda as a formidable voice in the medium.

Simply put, she had stuff to say, and the pictures to say them with.

Of course, as accomplished a thinker as she is, Varda is not simply a cold formalist. One of the most prominent woman filmmakers to arise during the era, Varda — out of both interest and inevitability — entered the feminist conversation in the visual arts. Some films like “Le Bonheur,” the story of a fake ally, who through surprisingly funny and miserable ends masks his infidelity as enlightened sexuality, veer close to modern currents of campus discussion.

Other films like “Vagabond,” however, put forth a more idiosyncratic, demanding vision of solidarity. The eponymous vagabond names herself rather quickly, but the revelation is not a triumph of self-identification in a cruel world; in the film, the latter consistently overpowers the former. The movie begins with the vagabond Mona dead in a cold ditch, and rest of the film, following her throughout the city, ensues under the shadow of this fatalism.

In the process, the audience is made aware that the problems of this society cannot be overcome solely through good intentions in isolation. So many of the film’s non-vagabonds suffer from problems — poverty, misogyny, neglect — yet they are united in their derision of the protagonist, who out of hurt or habit never relents in presenting herself in the coarsest and most obnoxious way possible.

Few films clarify the sheer labor of empathy like “Vagabond,” and this is an accomplishment that contextualizes the deceptive simplicity of works like “Le Bonheur,” in which a disarmingly earnest husband does all in his power to ease the audience’s empathy towards him.

As a double feature, the two films attack the audience with an uncomfortable situation in which empathy for the cheating husband is easier than for the starving girl. As such, the pair reminds us of the hard, collaborative work necessary to pick the gendered locks of the conscience.

Yet even here, Varda is biographical. As much as she emerged in cinema as a photographer, she emerged as a woman among men, and the work of empathy she demands of the audience corresponds to the incredible hard work she endured to make these films in the first place.

What is so refreshing in her capacities as both a formalist and a feminist is the same self-referential egoism that allows her work to subtly arc back to her own life and personality. Around Varda’s time, much hullabaloo was made over the figure of the auteur, an overriding singular individual that obviously announced the accomplishment behind their

work.

Her films fit and expand this mold. “Vagabond,” as a film about a neglected woman that emphasizes the audience’s difficulty in empathy, quietly refers to Varda’s own rarefied position in cinema and the difficulty for female artists to hold onto the public’s attention. It is a work that fulfills the standards of an accomplished artist, but also announces not only the presence of the auteur but also the systematic difficulty of that presence.

In so doing, Varda simultaneously critiques her colleagues and celebrates her hard-won place in the medium. What’s more, as is evident in “Cleo,” she makes it clear that her engagement in the timely does not detract from her timelessness.

The photographer became a filmmaker, and if “Cleo” is right in depicting that film can overcome our photographic urges to trap time and shatter the temporal restrictions of existence, Varda has essentially made a film arguing for her newfound immortality.

This is the egoism that defines Varda. In the end, her films about other people speak of

how she is the one who needs the rare empathy from her audience — she deserves to last. And in turn, these biographical elements loop back into the fiction: she is Mona the vagabond, she is Cleo the patient.

In so doing, all her feature-length films can be said to contain three cuts: the character to Varda, Varda to the character and finally the character to the audience. For all her cleverness, the crux of her filmmaking is simple and invigorating.

Hers is a filmography that on the surface directs itself toward the auteurs and the sophisticated cinephiles of the world, yet ultimately turns its attention to the patients and the vagabonds, those who need this unshakeable sense of the self in uncertain times.

If you count yourself among this group of people or if you are simply in need for a good time at the movies, the screenings of Varda’s works at Amherst Cinema are wonderful opportunities to catch the master on the big screen. Hooray for Mona, from city to ditch.

Hooray for Cleo, 5 to 7. Hooray for Agnes, now to forever.

Photos courtesy of Olivia Gieger ‘21

French film director Agnes Varda is known for the films “Cleo from 5 to 7” and “Le Bonheur” and her experimental style which focuses on realism.

Sports 9

The Amherst Student • October 31, 2018

Men’s Cross Country Claims Second Straight NESCAC Championship Veronica Rocco ’19 Staff Writer After winning their first ever NESCAC title in 2017, the Mammoths defended their conference crown on Saturday to win the championship meet once again. Amherst scored 60 points to Williams’ 86 and Middlebury’s 88, erasing any doubts over the Mammoths’ quality.

Prior to the race, Amherst biggest title challengers were expected to be the Ephs and Panthers, both of which had bested the Mammoths earlier in the season.

The race was originally scheduled to begin at 1 p.m, but with heavy rains and strong winds in the forecast for Saturday, the race was moved to 11 a.m. to avoid the worst of the nor’easter sweeping through the area. The inclement weather, however, still proved a major challenge for runners throughout the race.

Tufts hosted the race, which was run at Franklin Park in Boston, a famous cross-country course that hosts major races such as the World Cross Country Championships and the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC) Championships. The course usually produces fast times, but with the extreme weather conditions on Saturday, that was not the case for the NESCAC Cross Country Championships.

There was a large pack in the early stages of the men’s race, but by the one-mile mark, the Mammoths held key positions at the front of the race, showing early signs of a successful title defense.

At the three-mile mark, captains Cosmo Brossy ’19 and Tucker Meijer ’19 were at the front of the race, as the leading pack had dwindled to a handful of runners. Clark Ricciardelli ’20E was in striking distance and continued to pass runners as the race progressed. With 400 meters to go, Brossy had worked his way into a pack of four runners, all of whom were fighting for the individual title. Although Brossy ended up in third,

his effort spurred the Mammoths on to victory.

As a first year at the meet in 2015, Brossy finished 54th as Amherst’s eighth runner, and went on to run as the fifth runner on the championship winning team last year. Since his first year, he has earned All-NESCAC honors every year in cross country season and improved upon his finish every year, helping the Mammoths earn two NESCAC championships along the way.

Ricciardelli maneuvered his way through the tough conditions to finish in sixth, and Meijer placed 10th, improving upon his 14th place finish at the meet last year. The trio all earned AllNESCAC honors by virtue of placing in the top 14 runners. Both Ricciardelli and Meijer earned All-NESCAC honors for the second time in their careers, after placing fourth and 14, respectively, in 2017.

Coming off a great race at the Connecticut College Invitational two weeks ago, Ajay Sarathy ’21 had an even better showing at Franklin Park, placing 16th as the team’s important fourth runner and just missing out on All-NESCAC honors by two spots. Nonetheless, Sarathy’s finish was critical to Amherst to defend its title, as the transfer student finished as the highest-scoring fourth runner of any team by five points.

The best performance of the day came from Billy Massey ’21, who placed 25th as the team’s fifth runner to seal the title for the Mammoths.

The sophomore held off four Williams runners at the finish line, demonstrating the speed that carried him to a seventh-place finish in the 1,500-meter race at the NESCAC Track and Field Championships in the spring. Last year, the sophomore placed 122nd at the championship meet, a remarkable improvement in just one year.

Spencer Ferguson-Dryden ’20 also had his best race of the season, placing 33rd as the team’s sixth runner. Just behind him was Kristian Sogaard ’19 in 36th as the team’s seventh runner.

Sogaard is the two-time NESCAC 800-meter

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Cosmo Brossy ’19, Amherst’s top finisher, claimed third place in the race. champion, and the range of distances he excels at has proved critical for the Mammoths.

Both Sogaard and Ferguson-Dryden helped the team win the NESCAC title last year as well.

Beyond the scoring top seven, Jamie Mazzola ’21 had a great race to place 54th as the team’s eighth runner. Not far behind him was Estevan Velez ’20, who claimed 63rd. The junior has been in the Mammoths’ top-seven twice this season.

Mid-distance aces Ralph Skinner ’20 and Jack Malague ’19 placed 86th and 99th, respectively, while Braxton Schuldt ’21 finished just behind Malague in 101st place.

The trio of Chris Stone ’20, Will Merhige ’22 and Matthew Bradley ’22 rounded out the Amherst harriers, and this bright performance from the Amherst underclassmen bodes well for the

Mammoths’ future.

“We knew it was going to be a really tough battle because of the great competition, but it’s a good confidence boost to get the win,” said Meijer. “We’re now just really looking forward to regionals and nationals and to really excel in the postseason.”

Next, the Mammoths will travel north to Bowdoin to compete at the New England Regional Championships on Saturday, Nov. 10, seeking to book their fifth consecutive trip to nationals.

Last year, the Mammoths placed second at regionals to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, automatically qualifying for the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships, and Amherst seeks to repeat that automatic qualification in Maine.

Field Hockey Loses to Second Seed Tufts Women’s Soccer Triumphs Over Hamilton in NESCAC Quarterfinal in NESCAC Tournament Quarterfinals Nat De Jonge ’21 Staff Writer Coinciding with the end of the month of October is the onset of the women’s soccer postseason, specifcally the NESCAC tournament. For Amherst, which posted a dominant regular season record of 7-2-1 in conference play, the arrival of playoffs meant a home quarterfinal matchup against sixth-ranked Hamilton.

Though Saturday’s nor’easter caused the match to be pushed back to Sunday, Amherst emerged from the contest with a hardfought 1-0 win over the Continentals. From the opening whistle, it was apparent that the Hamilton game plan centered on a high-press.

For much of the first half, the Continentals’ constant harassment of Amherst players stunted the normally high-flying Amherst attack. The Mammoths had difficulty moving the ball from the defensive half of the field to the attacking half, so it was mostly Amherst’s center backs, wide players and defensive midfielders who spent time on the ball.

When they could break the press and attack through the middle, however, the Mammoths looked dangerous. Late in the first half, after a nice bit of Amherst interplay, Rubii Tamen ’19 found the ball at her feet on the touchline.

GAME SCHE DULE

Tamen made a quick turn upfield, beat her defender, sent the next one to the floor and rocketed a shot off of the left pipe and into the back of the net. Thanks to a stout defensive effort and an in-form goalkeeper, the Mammoths managed to keep the visitors off the score sheet. Midway through the second half, a Hamilton striker sent a powerful shot towards goal that seemed destined to slot into the net just under the crossbar.

Amherst keeper Antonia Tammaro ’21, however, dove and got her fingertips on the ball, deflecting the shot just enough to send it off the crossbar and back into play. This was the last major chance Hamilton had on target, as the Mammoths proceeded to lock down the defensive end of the field, emerging with the 1-0 victory.

At the end of the 90 minutes, the Mammoth’s had outshot the Continentals 19 to 11.

Thanks to a season-high six saves by Tammaro, the Mammoths advanced to the NESCAC tournament semifinals. On Saturday, Nov. 3 Amherst will face off against Middlebury, which dealt Amherst one of its two losses on the season, in Williamstown, as Williams in the top-seeded team. If Amherst overcomes the Panthers, a matchup against a Little Three rival lies in store for the team in the finals on Sunday, as Wesleyan takes on top-seeded Williams in the other semifinal.

Sarah Melanson ’20 Staff Writer This past week, the Mammoths fell to both Trinity and Tufts by matching score lines of 2-0 to effectively end the team’s season.

The loss to the Bantams sealed Amherst’s fate as the seventh seed in the NESCAC tournament, which led to defeat by a dominant Jumbos squad in the conference tournament quarterfinals on Saturday.

On Wednesday evening, the Mammoths took on Trinity in their last regular season contest. After 14 minutes of play, the Bantams struck first off a goal from Nicole Quinlan. Amherst goaltender Katie Savage ’19 stopped both the initial shot and the first rebound but was powerless to keep out the second rebound, which Quinlan buried in the back of the net.

The Bantams wasted no time, extending the lead to two less than a minute later when Chandler Solimine took advantage of a fast break, poking the ball past a defender and beating Savage with intricate stick work. Entering the second half down by two, it was not until there were just over five minutes left in the game that the Mammoths managed to put together a great scoring chance.

Shannon Tierney ’19 fired the ball into the arc, and Natalie Hobbs ’22 beautifully tipped the ball on net, but the Trinity goaltender was up to the task and made a quick last minute save to deny Amherst

FRI

SAT

Volleyball vs. Williams, 8 p.m.

Men’s Soccer vs. Colby, NESCAC Semifinals 11 a.m.

Football v.s. Trinity, 1 p.m.

a goal.

With the clock winding down and Amherst pushing forward for a goal, Laura Schwartzman ’20 fired a pass to Franny Daniels ’21 who had lost her defender. Daniels fired a shot towards the goal but it rang off the pipe, and with the miss the Mammoths’ hopes of winning the game disappeared.

In the first round of the NESCAC tournament, Amherst had to travel to Medford, Massachusetts to take on the second-seeded Jumbos. Although the game was pushed back to Sunday because of inclement weather, the Jumbos were not thrown off by the change whatsoever and opened the scoring just 11:45 into the game, when Hanaa Malik fired a shot past Savage on a corner play. In the second half, both teams wrestled to gain control of the momentum. The Mammoths came daringly close to knotting the scoreline several times. In particular, Amherst gained three consecutive corner chances midway through the second half, but the Jumbos netminder denied their efforts.

It was a well-fought game from both sides for the remainder of regulation, but Tufts that took advantage with just 5:40 left to secure their victory at 2-0, ending the Mammoths season.

Although the Amherst season hasn’t officially ended yet, the Mammoths have a miniscule chance to win an at-large bid for the NCAA tournament.

Assuming there is no miracle, Amherst will finish its season with a record of 10-6 overall and a conference mark of 5-5.

Women’s Soccer vs. Middlebury, NESCAC Semifinals 1:30 p.m.

10

Sports

The Amherst Student • October 31, 2018

Men’s Soccer Powers Past Bowdoin in NESCAC Quarterfinal Win

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Jack O’Brien ’21 has been a consistent presence on Amherst’s left flank all season and had his work cut out for him in the Mammoths’ win this weekJordan Rhodeman ’21 Staff Writer This past week was likely the best seven-day stretch of the Amherst season, as the Mammoths closed the regular season with a 3-1 win over Trinity before edging past Bowdoin, 1-0, in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament.

On Wednesday, Oct. 24, Amherst entered the match against the Bantams with the knowledge that a win would secure hosting rights for the first round of the conference tournament. The first half was scoreless, with both teams flying into tackles but neither able to put together any substantial offensive pressure.

However, after a team talk and tactical adjustments from head coach Justin Serpone, the Mammoths flew out of the gates to open the second half.

Within the first 11 minutes of the period, both Fiyako Ajayi ’19 and German Giammattei ’22 scored to give Amherst a comfortable 2-0 win. Giammattei’s tally served as his team-leading sixth goal of the season, while Ajayi continued his recent hot streak offensively with his third goal in five games after failing to score at all earlier in the season. Sean Fitzgerald ’19 secured the win for the Mammoths with a goal at the 67:00 mark, when he fired home the rebound off a hard shot from Andrew Barkidjija ’22.

Although the Bantams were able to pull a goal back with just seconds remaining in the game, the result was never in doubt after the offensive outburst early in the second half. With the win, Amherst secured home-field advantage as the fourthseed in the NESCAC tournament against No. 5 Bowdoin.

With the quarterfinal match delayed a day be-

cause of inclement weather, the Mammoths ended up facing off against the Polar Bears on Sunday, Oct. 28. Andres Pascual-Leone ’19 scored the first and only game of the game in the 21st minute.

Following a bevy of chances for the Mammoths, including a point-blank opportunity squandered

by Dane Lind ’19, sophomore Bryce Johnson’s flip throw-in provided Pascual-Leone with the opportunity to put Amherst ahead.

The second half maintained the high level of intensity of the first half, as both teams desperately scrapped for the all-important second goal, with the Mammoths attempting to put the game out of reach and Bowdoin trying to grab a lifeline.

First-year keeper Bernie White came up strong in the effort, tallying five saves. Although both Lind and Fitzgerald each had opportunities to put the final nail in the visitors’ coffin, triumphant saves by the Polar Bear keeper kept the score at 1-0 and the nervous energy high.

Ultimately though, the Mammoths managed to completely shut down the Bowdoin attack for the final minutes of the game, hardly letting the ball leave the Polar Bears defensive end and rendering the final score 1-0. With the win, Amherst advanced to the tournament’s semifinals to face Colby at 11 a.m.

Amherst’s ability to host both the semifinals and finals was due to a shocking trio of upsets that saw the conferences top three seeds — Tufts, Conn.

College and Middlebury — lose their quarterfinal matches, leaving Amherst the highest remaining seed in the tournament. Thanks to those results, Amherst is now a clear tournament favorite, as the three other semifinalists — Williams, Hamilton and Colby — all finished five or more points behind the Mammoths in the conference standings.

Women’s Cross Country Finishes Eighth at NESCAC Championships Jamie Mazzola ’21 Staff Writer Competing at the historic Franklin Park cross country course, the Amherst women’s cross country team placed eighth at the annual NESCAC Cross Country Championships this past Saturday, with a team score of 213 points. At 47 points, Middlebury dominated the team race, ending Williams’ three-year win streak. The Ephs (73 points) edged rival Wesleyan (84 points) for third place.

“It was a windy, muddy and wet day out there, but I’m proud of our team for showing grit and competitiveness,” said senior captain Lela Walter.

“We were well-prepared, and the women brought lots of positive energy despite less than ideal conditions,” added head coach Cassie Funke-Harris.

A season-high 11 Mammoths completed the 6k race out of a total field of 140 harriers. For the third time this season, sophomore Olivia Polischeck paced the Mammoths, notching a time of 23:28 to place 26th overall. Walter (23:48) was next in 32nd place, followed closely by junior Kristin Ratliff, who clocked a time of 23:59 to place 42nd.

Rounding out the scoring Mammoths, firstyear Eline Laurent (24:17) and sophomore Sarah Gayer (24:38) placed 56th and 71st, respectively.

In her second race of the season, sophomore Haley Green registered a time of 25:02 to place 90th. Next across the line was first-year Julia Doubson, who placed 100th with a time of 25:17.

Junior Jenny Mazzella (25:28) and sophomore Paige Reddington (25:35) followed in 103rd and 106th place, respectively.

Sophomore Katie Crum (25:51, 112th) and junior Olivia Moehl (26:58, 131st) rounded out the competing Mammoths.

“I have no doubt that each of our women gave it everything she had, but today wasn’t our best day overall,” said Funke-Harris. “I’m confident that we will have a better showing at regionals in two weeks, and that is exciting to look forward to.”

On Nov. 10, seven Mammoths will travel to Bowdoin to compete in the New England Division III Championships. The New England regional meet serves as a qualifier for the NCAA Division III National Championships, with two teams earning automatic-qualifying bids and an additional 16 teams across all regions earning atlarge bids.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Rubii Tamen ’19

John Callahan ’19

Team: Women’s soccer Favorite Team Memory: Winning the NESCAC on Williams’ field in 2016.

Favorite Pro Athlete: Serena Williams and Caleigh Plaut ’19 Dream Job: Pediatrician Pet Peeve: Loud chewing Favorite Vacation Spot: Visiting family in Jamaica Something on Your Bucket List: Crosscountry road trip Guilty Pleasure: Twitter Favorite Food: Pesto pasta Favorite Thing About Amherst: Amherst women’s soccer How She Earned It: Tamen has been the focal point of Amherst women’s soccer’s offense that drove the team into the NESCAC semifinals. Against Hamilton in the quarterfinal matchup, Tamen scored the one and only goal of the game. Tamen has scored the last seven goals for the Mammoths and, before the game against Hamilton, had registered three consecutive contests with two goals.

Tamen leads the team in goals and points, with 13 and 26 respectively.

Team: Football Favorite Team Memory: Winning the NESCAC championship in 2015 Favorite Pro Athlete: Derek Jeter Dream Job: General manager of an NFL team Pet Peeve: When someone opens the door and then doesn’t close it on the way out Favorite Vacation Spot: Hilton Head, South Carolina Something on Your Bucket List: Skydiving Guilty Pleasure: Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream Favorite Food: Steak, mashed potatos and corn Favorite Thing About Amherst: The people How He Earned It: Callahan had a standout performance on Senior Day, with his performance garnering him NESCAC defensive player of the week honors. During the 19-13 win over Tufts, Callahan impacted the game in both halves, registering a first-half interception that led to an Amherst field goal. In the second half, the linebacker forced a fumble and returned the ball 65 yards to the Tufts 2-yard line, which was followed soon thereafter by a rushing touchdown to increase Amherst’s lead. The senior also registered five tackles to add to his team-leading 44 on the year.

Volleyball Notches Two StraightSet Wins Over Bowdoin and Colby

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Claire Dennis ’20 and Charlotte Duran ’20 combined for 10 kills and 15 digs in their two games on their road trip to Maine this weekend.

Dan Papa ’20 Staff Writer In its final weekend of regular season play, the Amherst volleyball team traveled to Maine for matches against NESCAC opponents Bates and Colby. Both matches were straight-set victories for the Mammoths, and the team moved to 20-4 on the year overall and 8-2 in conference play. Thanks to its first 20-win season since 2015, Amherst will be the third seed in the upcoming NESCAC tournament.

On Friday, Oct. 26, Amherst took on the Bates Bobcats, which entered the match with a four-game winning streak. In the first set, both teams battled for control of the lead, but the Firedogs used a 7-2 run in the middle of the set to grab the lead and held on for the 25-18 victory.

In the second set, Bates bounced back from an early deficit to tie the score at 20-20. However, Amherst scored five of the next six points to win 25-21 and fended off another furious comeback by the Bobcats in the third set, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.

The duo of Emily Kolsky ’20, who finished with 18 kills and 17 digs, and Jamie Dailey ’21, who contributed 14 kills, led Amherst offen-

sively. Meanwhile, Charlotte Duran ’20 dished out 41 assists, as Skyleur Savage ’22 and Daria Kim-Percy ’21 contributed 12 digs each.

On Saturday, Oct. 27, the Firedogs arrived in Waterville, Maine to face Colby.

In the first set, Amherst struggled to gain any offensive momentum, trailing as late as 2016. However, the Firedogs refused to go down without a fight, finishing the set on a 9-2 run to win 25-22.

Amherst dominated the second set, cruising to a 25-15 victory, and it only took one more set to finish the match, with the Firedogs overpowering the Mules in the third. In the win, Dailey posted 10 kills and Kolsky added 11 digs. Duran notched 30 assists, while Savage ’22 contributed three service aces and eight digs. Additionally, Sophie Launsbach ’22 finished with eight kills.

On Friday, Nov. 2, third-seeded Amherst will open postseason play in a match against No. 6 archrival Williams in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC tournament.

Top-seeded Bowdoin will host the entire tournament, with semifinal action scheduled for Saturday and the final slated for Sunday, Nov. 4.

The Mammoths will arrive in Maine riding a eight-set win streak and boasting a record of 8-1 in their last nine games.

The Amherst Student • October 31, 2018

Sports

Football Continues Perfect Record By Weathering The Storm Against Tufts

11

The Hot Corner Jack Malague ’19 Columnist Jack explores the Boston Red Sox’ recent World Series win, and how players that many had discounted were instrumental in the team’s success.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

Linebacker Andrew Sommer ’19 recorded a sack for an eight-yard loss, his third of the season, and contributed to 11 tackles in Saturday’s game.

Matthew Sparrow ’21 Staff Writer It wasn’t fun and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but Amherst braved the cold and rainy conditions over Family Weekend to secure a 19-13 win over Tufts on Senior Day. Despite temperatures in the 30s and wind gusts of up to 20 miles per hour, the Mammoths’ defense stepped up when needed and the offense did just enough to escape with the win.

Tufts received the opening kickoff and made no progress, quickly going three-andout. Amherst took over at its own 40-yard line and the offense went to work, with quarterback Ollie Eberth ’20 and running back Jack Hickey ’19 systematically marching down the field until the Mammoths were faced with a fourth-and-5 at the Tufts six-yard line. Coach E.J. Mills sent out the kicking unit to seemingly attempt an easy field goal, but he had a trick up his sleeve. The ball was snapped directly to senior wide receiver Bo Berluti who powered right up the middle and into the end zone to put Amherst up 7-0.

The Mammoths’ defense neutralized the Tufts offense once again on the Jumbos’ second drive by forcing another three-and-out.

Amherst got the ball back and again marched into Tufts territory, eventually leading to another tough call: fourth-and-3 at the Tufts 35-yard line. Positioned just outside of senior kicker Andrew Ferrero’s field goal range, Mills opted to leave his offense on the field, but Eberth’s pass to Berluti fell incomplete and the Mammoths turned it over on downs.

The Tufts offense did manage to record its first first down of the game on the succeeding drive, but any momentum quickly dissipated when senior linebacker John Callahan intercepted quarterback Ryan McDonald to set up Amherst with good field position. Ferrero finally got to attempt a field goal and nailed a 39-yarder to put Amherst up 10-0 early in the second quarter.

After trading punts, Tufts at last put points on the board thanks to a long touchdown run

by McDonald, which closed the gap to 10-6 after a two-point conversion attempt failed.

With only four minutes remaining in the half, Amherst quickly moved down the field before having an almost identical decision to make as before: fourth-and-8 at the Tufts 33yard line. Eberth’s pass to Berluti fell incomplete once again and the Mammoths jogged to the locker room up 10-6 at the half.

The second half proved to be more of a defensive struggle as the teams punted back and forth several times before Callahan stepped up once again, forcing a fumble and returning the ball 65 yards all the way to the Tufts 2 yard line. One play later, Hickey burst into the end zone to extend the Amherst lead

to 16-6 after Ferrero missed the extra-point.

On their ensuing possession, the Mammoths added another field goal from Ferrero to increase their lead to 19-6.

Tufts wouldn’t go down without a fight, however, as the Jumbos drove 75 yards in 12 plays and cut the lead to 19-13 thanks to a two-yard rush by Dom Borelli with nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. After a few more punts, Tufts regained possession with three minutes remaining, needing to go 63 yards for the go-ahead score. After a solid defensive effort by the Mammoths, the Jumbos faced a fourth-and-17, and senior Zach Allen sealed the victory with an interception that allowed Amherst to to run out the clock on the 19-13 victory.

Hickey had a big day in his return to the lineup, carrying the ball 20 times for 89 yards and a touchdown. James O’Regan ’20 paced the Mammoths in both receptions and receiving yards, with seven and 80, respectively. On defense, Amherst forced three turnovers and sacked McDonald twice, following up last week’s domination of Wesleyan with another excellent effort.

The Mammoths will face Trinity in Hartford, Connecticut next Saturday at 1 p.m., knowing that a victory over the Bantams will clinch the 2018 NESCAC title.

Photo courtesy of Clarus Studios

James O’Regan ’20 made seven catches for 80 yards to lead the Mammoths in both categories.

Derek Jeter used to say the ghosts come out in October (or at least that line has been attributed to him). According to legend, Jeter said this to a light-hitting corner infielder named Aaron Boone in the late innings of Game Seven of the 2003 American League Championship Series (ALCS).

Not long after, then-Yankees manager Joe Torre put Boone in to pinch-run for Ruben Sierra. Torre was certainly hoping the game would be over before Boone’s spot came up in the lineup, and he was probably pessimistic when Boone stepped up to face Tim Wakefield, a knuckleballer who had stymied the Yankees for the entire series.

Without a doubt, Torre was just as surprised as the rest of America when Boone launched the first pitch he saw far into the left-field seats for a walk-off win that put the Yankees into the Fall Classic once again.

The “ghosts” line, which really was just some dugout chit-chat between a superstar shortstop and a trade-deadline acquisition who had been benched for the game, is often used as part of the “Field of Dreams­”-style narrative of the romance of baseball.

There is, of course, another way to look at it. “We have ghosts” is a melodramatic explanation for the unexplainable. Ghosts open doors that were locked and blow out candles when there wasn’t any wind. Ghosts explain things that simply make no sense. And in playoff baseball, most things make no sense.

This was true for most of the Boston Red Sox playoff run. That some kind of run would occur was fairly predictable, given that Boston had won an Major League Baseball-best 108 games during the regular season. But if you had asked a Red Sox fan what a successful World Series-winning run looked like a month ago, that fan would probably describe two dominant starts each series from Cy Young worthy ace Chris Sale, mammoth production from the top of the lineup and lights-out saves from closer Craig Kimbrel.

Sale would have to make up for the rest of the shaky rotation, including the playoffuntested and injury-plagued Nathan Eovaldi as well as the choke artist formerly known as David Price.

The top of the lineup would need to put up enough runs to offset the woeful production from the bottom half of the order, especially the much-maligned Jackie Bradley Jr., who could hardly hit his way out of a paper bag during the regular season. And of course, each game would end with the team’s nightmarish relief pitching core clawing tooth and nail to carry a lead into the safe hands of Kimbrel.

Such a narrative could not be further from what actually happened.

The Boston bullpen, which many thought would be the team’s undoing and most everyone thought would be its biggest weakness, was dominant. Nathan Eovaldi, whom the Red Sox settled for at the deadline because they had too little farm talent to trade for Zach Britton, allowed only three earned runs across 22 1/3 innings of work. On the other hand, Craig Kimbrel — supposedly the best closer in baseball — gave Boston fans cardiac arrhythmia throughout the playoffs.

The two biggest shockers, however, were the All-Star level performances of David Price and Jackie Bradley Jr. When Price signed his albatross contract with the Red Sox in December 2015, the common refrain was that he couldn’t pitch against the Yankees and he couldn’t pitch in the playoffs.

Usually, reputations of playoff failure don’t actually hold much weight when investigated more thoroughly In Price’s case,

however, his was hard to dispute. Heading into this year’s ALCS, Price boasted a career 5.54 ERA in the playoffs and regularly blew up, including a start in the divisional series against the Yankees that lasted only an inning and two-thirds, home runs from which have yet to land after entering orbit. He has feuded with the Boston media over this narrative and acted as if this were all some big fluke, but in his first ALCS start, he blew up yet again, allowing four earned runs in less than five innings.

In Game Five of the series, with the Sox leading 3-1, Price got the ball again due to a mysterious ailment affecting Sale, and all of Boston held its breath. Unexpectedly, Price was absolutely brilliant, throwing six shutout innings to all but clinch a World Series berth.

Though Sandy Koufax and Whitey Ford would never be content with a six-inning outing in the playoffs, Price did the best any starting pitcher in the modern game could expect to do. In Game Two of the World Series, he again excelled, only allowing two runs against a potent Los Angeles Dodgers lineup in the freezing cold environs of Fenway Park.

After this pair of sterling outings, Price stepped to the mound in Game Five with the chanceto close out the series and deliver Boston its fourth World Series title in 14 years.

The first batter he faced was David Freese, who on Price’s very first offering, cranked a solo home run.

For most Boston fans, it seemed that the clock had struck midnight and the carriage had turned back into a pumpkin. Groans of “here we go again” were heard from Portsmouth to Bangor to Plymouth.

Except, this time Price did not get in his own head. He did not walk the next two batters to set up a three-run blast. The Freese home run was the first and last run he allowed over the course of a seven-inning outing, perhaps the single best pitching performance in the entirety of the MLB postseason.

He went from bete noire to October hero.

And then there’s Jackie Bradley Jr, who hit .234 in the regular season, a number that was boosted considerably by a few brief hot streaks.

Of the four Dodgers starting pitchers who faced the Red Sox in the World Series, two had higher batting averages than Bradley’s regular season mark. JBJ — the affectionate moniker bestowed upon Bradley by Sox fans — might not have gotten at-bats on a little league team if his dad were the coach.

His mother would have dropped him from her fantasy team.

And yet, he turned in a nine-RBI performance against the Houston Astros, good enough to win ALCS MVP. As it turned out, Boston needed every bit of production it got from Bradley, Price and all the other unlikely October heroes. Mookie Betts, the presumptive American League MVP who led all of baseball with a .346 batting average, hit a measly .209 this October with only four RBIs. JD Martinez, the American League leader in home runs and second place finisher in both RBIs and batting average, hit a merely acceptable .278 in the ALCS and World Series.

Chris Sale pitched fewer than 16 innings across the ALDS, ALCS and World Series, due to a combination of injuries and general poor play.

I don’t know how any of this happened, but the Boston Red Sox are the 2018 World Series Champions. I’m starting to think October might actually be haunted.