Issue 9

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“Social Cup� Initiative Encourages New Friendships in the Dining Hall

Feedback Changes Extended Orientation Elaine Vilorio ’17 Managing News Editor

Olivia Tarantino ’15 Photography Editor

Betsy Black ‘16 and Sarah Foster ‘16 participate in the new “social cup� program, a Student Health Educator initiative designed to encourage students to sit with strangers or casual acquaintances in the dining hall.

Sophie Murguia ’17 Managing News Editor Starting this week, Valentine Dining Hall is offering a new option for students interested in expanding their social circle. On Tuesday, the Student Health Educators launched the Valentine “social cup� initiative, which encourages students to use blue cups during meals to signal that they are open to sitting with people they don’t know.

For the beginning phase of the program, Dining Services is putting out 36 blue glasses and 20 blue mugs at each meal. When stu-

dents approach the beverage racks, they will have a choice between regular cups and blue social cups. If students select a social cup, their choice indicates that they would be happy to have the company of a stranger, casual acquaintance or even a friend with whom they haven’t spoken recently.

The social cups are the brainchild of Student Health Educator Caroline Broder ’15, who was inspired by an initiative launched at Dartmouth last spring. “I was at Dartmouth this summer for a program,� Broder said. “They had a similar idea, where they had red water cups out. It

was also called the social cups there.�

However, Broder noted that Dartmouth’s program did not seem to be well publicized and that few students were using the cups.

She hoped that with some modifications, she could make a similar program a success at Amherst.

Like Dartmouth’s program, Amherst’s initiative hopes to ease students’ fears about eating alone. Another Student Health Educator, Sarah Martell ’15 recalled hearing about a survey in which Amherst first-years had Continued on Page 3

On Sept. 20, first-years were expected to attend the first of a series of events known as “Extended Orientation.� But, out of the 466 members of the Class of 2017, only a few dozen attended, according to a mass e-mail sent out

by Dean of New Students Patricia O’Hara.

The e-mail, sent out on Sept. 23, announced the suspension of “Extended Orientation� and her disapproval at the lack of attendance: “When you think about the hours and hours of planning and preparation that went into [the] program — the physical set-up, the audio, the food and the programming — you will I am sure agree that we just cannot just go ahead as though we had ‘a bad day.’ I need to find a better way to provide a venue for the programmers — students, professors, deans and health professionals — who are working on our future extended orientation events. You need to tell me how.�

O’Hara asked students to provide feedback by commenting on the Amherst site, e-mailing her or speaking with her in person. About 100 first-years responded. Recurring comments included smaller group discussions, residence hall-based events, student speakers and flexible scheduling. These were considered and implemented into the newly-named “First-Year Programming.� The heads of these events (O’Hara, Area Coordinator for the First-Year Experience Dominick Usher and the First-Year Resident Counselors) agreed that the name “Extended Orientation� sounded too demanding. “I think the terminology ‘extended orientation’ was wrong and mislabeled the events. It’s no longer Orientation because we are already oriented,� said Paul Gramieri ’17. “I’m glad that was changed.�

Gramieri especially lauded the change in scheduled times. “I wasn’t able to attend that first ‘Extended Orientation’ event because it coincided with a class. I even had a test on that particular day.

A lot of students had that problem, actually,�

Continued on Page 3

Faculty Meeting Focuses on the Colleges Finances Alissa Rothman ’15 Editor-in-Chief The second faculty meeting of the school year took place Tuesday, Nov. 5 in the red room. The meeting focused on updating the faculty concerning developing debates occurring on campus and featured a presentation by Chief Financial Officer Kevin Weinman on the College’s current financial situation.

The meeting opened with approval of the minutes of the last faculty meeting as well as an update concerning current Committee of Six discussion. The topics the Committee of Six is currently looking into range from discussions into the appropriateness of the current school mascot to the upcoming search for a new Dean of the Faculty to the possibility and feasibility of starting a mountain day tradition at the College (possibly starting as early as this spring).

These updates were quickly followed by a short interjection by Prof. Ronald Rosbottom, who thanked Gregory Call for his outstanding service as Dean of the Faculty over the last decade, which was followed by a standing ovation from the faculty and administra-

tion alike.

Once the applause had died down, President Biddy Martin offered her own thanks to Dean Call for his service before beginning her remarks. President Martin updated the faculty on the humanities center, stating that it is still under consideration by the administration and that she will be meeting with faculty in her home soon for further discussion concerning the center. President Martin also announced that the College has recently hired a new Title IX coordinator and asked faculty to thank Suzanne Coffey for her service as coordinator if they see her around campus.

Following these announcements the faculty had a memorial minute for Professor of Fine Arts, Emeritus Carl N. “Dick� Schmalz Jr., which included a tribute to him written by his colleagues as well as a tribute to his work and a moment of silence for his passing.

The faculty then approved new members for the College Council, approving Professor Maria Heim to Chair the Council, Professor Andrew Poe, who will begin work on the council immediately, and Professor Cathy Ciepiela, who will begin in spring 2014.

Following the vote, Chief Financial Officer Kevin Weinman

made a presentation to the faculty concerning Amherst’s finances as the stand today, which took up the bulk of the meeting.

Weinman explained that the College is a high tuition, high financial aid institution, with a heavy reliance on the endowment to act as a subsidy for operations. Currently, the endowment covers 50 percent of the operating budget, with tuition covering another third.

Weinman explained that there are great strength to this system for the College’s budget, stressing that the College currently maintains one of the strongest endowments in higher education while maintaining a comprehensive fee that is two to three thousand dollars lower than the price leaders and is lower than many of the College’s peer institutions. Weinman also stated that the College currently offers some of the most generous financial aid packages of any school, has an active and generous donor base, currently holds AAA and AA+ credit ratings and is fairly conservative in its operation budgets.

However, Weinman also discussed some of the risks and limitations to the College’s current financial approach, highlighting the reContinued on Page 2

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News

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t /PWFNCFS

Oct. 30 to Nov. 4, 2013

>>Oct. 30, 2013 9:36 p.m., LeFrak Gym An officer responded to a roof alarm detector and discovered a man on the roof, who has no association with the college. He said he was there to meditate. After being identified, he was directed off campus.

used too close to it. The system was reset.

>>Oct. 31, 2013 4:36 p.m., Converse Hall An officer responded to a report of the faint odor of smoke in the Red Room. After investigation, no problem was found.

11:59 p.m., Stone Officers and the Fire Department responded to a fire alarm and found it activated when someone pulled a basement alarm station for no apparent reason. The system was reset. The residents were fined $100 for the malicious alarm.

7:08 p.m., Charles Drew House An officer investigated a first-floor smoke detector sounding and found it activated when a hair iron was used too close to it. The system was reset.

10:02 p.m., College Hall A contractor reported the theft of a DeWalt band saw from a construction site. >>Nov. 1, 2013 12:16 a.m., Coolidge Dormitory Officers discovered a large unauthorized party overflowing into the stairway from a second-floor room.

The party was shut down.

12:16 a.m., Stone Dormitory A man was arrested after an incident at Stone and charged with malicious destruction of property.

2:35 a.m., Amherst College Police A no-trespass order was issued to a man involved in an incident at Stone after his arrest.

5:35 a.m., Garman House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a second-floor room. No cause could be found. The system was reset.

10:55 a.m., College St. An officer assisted the town police at the scene of a motor vehicle accident which resulted in damage to college property.

11:50 a.m., The Evergreens An officer investigated an intrusion alarm and found it was accidentally set off by an employee.

3:08 p.m., Gym Loop Road An officer investigated a motor vehicle accident.

11:54 p.m., Campus Grounds A resident of Merrill apartments reported a group of people arguing outside of Wieland. The responding officer found members of the Debate Team sitting at a table. They were advised to the complaint. >>Nov. 2, 2013 2:03 a.m., Charles Pratt Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint about a group of men being loud.

They were located and identified as non-residents. They left the building.

5:48 p.m., Moore Dormitory Officers investigated a smoke detector sounding in a third-floor room and found a hair straightener was

9:39 p.m., Moore A caller from Morrow complained about loud music believed to be coming from Moore. Nothing was found when an officer investigated.

>>Nov. 3, 2013 12:04 a.m., Crossett Dormitory An officer observed several people dancing on a windowsill in a second-floor suite where a party was in progress. The activity was stopped.

12:15 a.m., Coolidge While in the area of the Social Dorms, an officer observed a man walking with a beer tap. When the man saw the officer he dropped the tap and fled.

12:33 a.m., Crossett Officers encountered a large unauthorized party with people blocking the stairway, people dancing on a windowsill and alcohol present in a crowded first-floor suite. The event was shut down.

1:02 a.m., East Dr Officers responded to a report of a group of males near the Facilities building who are yelling and about to fight. Officers located an Amherst student and three students from a neighboring college engaged in an argument. They were separated and identified. The three nonAmherst students were directed off campus.

1:29 a.m., Crossett Officers, ACEMS and an ambulance were dispatched to the north stairway at Crossett where a visitor reported being pushed down the stairs by an unknown male. Officers searched for the assailant but he was not located.

2:07 a.m., Garman An officer responded to a complaint of loud music and issued a warning to a second-floor resident.

3:58 p.m., Hitchock House A caller reported seeing a man remove parts from a couple of bicycles and run from the area. Officers searched the area but the man was not located.

9:44 p.m., Wieland Dormitory An officer responded to a complaint about loud people in the third-floor common room. They were advised about the complaint. >>Nov. 4, 2013 5:01 a.m., Morrow Dormitory An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a first-floor room.

No cause could be found. The system was reset.

Thoughts on Theses: David Ressler Major: Music Advisor: Jenny Kallick Q: What is your thesis about?

A: My thesis is a vocal recital that explores an emotional journey about love through music inspired by William Shakespeare, including operatic arias from operas based on Shakespeare’s plays, musical theater songs from arias based on Shakespeare’s plays and art songs featuring Shakespeare’s words set to music. It is fairly different from your standard recital in that I am introducing theatrical elements, such as lighting and staging, to elevate the drama and add to the story. The recital will also feature Professor Larry Schipull from Mount Holyoke on piano.

Q: Why did you choose this topic?

A: I have been performing from a very young age, so my love of music really stems from the dramatic and performance aspects of singing.

To me, Shakespeare is the king of drama: his words are amazingly powerful and his stories are absolutely timeless. I knew I wanted a recital that explored various genres of dramatized music (opera, musical theater, etc.) and thought that this would be best explored through a common theme of Shakespeare.

The beauty of making love the central focus is that we all experience love in so many different ways, such as romantic love, unconditional love, maternal/paternal love, brotherly love or even self love.

Q: When did you begin to work on your thesis?

A: I started picking and learning different songs over a year ago, but the bulk of my work started this semester when I returned to school. You could, however, argue that I have been “working on my thesis” for almost a decade, since I have been performing since middle school, and that this recital is really a culmination of my performance experience and vocal training at this point in my life.

Q: What have you done to prepare your thesis?

A: I have had weekly voice lessons with my

voice teacher at UMass, weekly coaching sessions with my pianist at Mount Holyoke, weekly sessions with my adviser to analyze my repertoire and performance and many, many, many rehearsals with my director to stage and play with the songs in the recital. I’ve been keeping a production journal to track the progress of my ideas as they have evolved into the dramatic concept for the performance. I’ve also been trying to get a lot of sleep and stay healthy — your body is your instrument when you’re a singer!

Q: When will your thesis be completed and/ or presented?

A: My thesis is going to be performed this Friday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. in the Buckley Recital Hall (Arms Music Center).

Q: Who is your thesis adviser? How has your relationship with him/her been?

A: My adviser is Professor Jenny Kallick. I have grown extremely close with Prof. Kallick as a result of this project (for example, we text). Prof. Kallick has taken such good care of me and has been integral in helping the project take shape. She has been nothing but supportive and open to my ideas, even the terrible ones that have since been cut! She has a great deal of experience in the opera and performing world, so I am extremely lucky to have her as my adviser.

Q: What advice do you have for students interested in writing a thesis, particularly one pertaining to music?

A: Make sure you do a thesis on something you are passionate about. I know basically every student considering a thesis has heard this at some point or another, but it really makes a difference. A thesis is a lot of work, and there will be some nights where you want to just give up. If it’s something you’re passionate about, you’ll be able to overcome those obstacles and stick with the project. I’m lucky in that the Music Department is very open to ideas for theses. I knew I wanted to do a vocal performance thesis, but I also knew that I did not want to stick within the conventions of a typical lieder recital where one just stands in front of a piano and sings. The department embraced my idea with open arms, and I think, and hope, the performance will be something memorable!

— Elaine Vilorio ’17

Faculty Hold Second Faculty Meeting of the Semester liance by the College on its endowment. Because of this, and the College’s relative lack of diversification when it comes obtaining funds for it’s operating budget, the College may be susceptible to a hit if another economic downturn occurs. Furthermore, there is a large reliance on the continued philanthropy from a generous donor base, which could also take a hit in poor economic times. Weinman highlighted that some of these areas may have to be addressed as the College looks towards the future, especially in light of the strategic planning initiative the College is currently undertaking.

Weinman also pointed out trends that the college has undergone financially over the last 25 years, noting the while distribution of expenses hasn’t changed significantly, the College has experienced a growing reliance on the endowment for income over other sources like tuition. Weinman noted that though the endowment was had a 6.1x growth factor from 1990 to 2011 (faster than any of its peer institutions), in the future the College must look for ways to manage the colleges needs concerning the endowment while maintaining long term growth, as well as the need to continue building contingency plans in case future bad financial

years lie in front of the College and the need to continue to get donors invest in the College and in the endowment. However, Weinman ensured the faculty that the College continues to make less risky investments than it’s peers when it comes to their endowment, which he explained is key due to the College’s reliance on the endowment as the main source for it’s funding.

When a question was raised concerning the possibility of decreasing tuition in the future at the College, Weinman stated that he predicts tuition increases above the inflation rate, such as the current four to five percent tuition hikes the College has undergone for the past several years, are not likely to continue indefinitely. However, he warned that, were the College to try and match its tuition increases to inflation rates, he foresees negative consequences. However, he said he understands the sentiment and agrees that some change will need to come in the future to decrease tuition hikes. Whether the changes will come voluntarily or through pressures by peer institution competition, Weinman said only time will tell.

The meeting concluded with an approval of the new courses for the upcoming spring semester.

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Student Health Educators Introduce “Social Cups” Continued from Page 1 reported skipping meals due to their anxiety about eating alone.

“We thought that this would be a really good way to help people who don’t have someone to sit with and also to change the environment in Val to an environment where either it’s not weird to sit alone or it’s not weird to sit with people you don’t know,” Martell said.

Broder first brought up the concept of the social cups in a Student Health Educator meeting, where the idea received enthusiastic support.

“Then I came to the staff in Dining Services, Charlie [Thompson] and Debbie [OmastaMokrzecki], and they were super supportive from the beginning,” Brody said.

“I told Caroline I thought it was a great program,” said Charlie Thompson, Director of Dining Services. Thompson promised Broder that Dining Services would do what it could to support the social cups initiative.

Thompson ordered a limited number of blue cups and mugs for the program’s beginning phase, and he said that he will add more if more are needed.

Thompson also worked with Broder to make sure that the blue social cups were similar in size and shape to the other cups at Valentine, in order to fix a problem that Broder had observed at Dartmouth.

“One of the logistical things I noticed is that the cups they had there were bigger,” said Broder, speaking about Dartmouth’s red social cups. “A lot of people would take them because they could fit more liquid, so people weren’t using them for the right purpose.”

Even if the cups are correctly sized, Broder predicted that there will inevitably be people who use the social cups the wrong way. Broder and Martell also worry that people will take the cups back to their dorms and not return them — a chronic problem at Valentine.

Still, the Student Health Educators hope to minimize misuse of the social cups by enlisting the support of leaders on campus. Dean of Students Jim Larimore is one enthusiastic proponent of the initiative.

“I think the Social Cups idea is brilliant — simple, easy to do, visible and fun,” Larimore said. On Sunday, he sent an e-mail to the entire College community introducing the program and lauding the efforts of the Student Health Educators to build a more inclusive and welcoming student body.

The Student Health Educators have also received support from student organizations such as the Resident Counselors and the Random Acts of Kindness Club.

“I think if we have enough leaders on campus who are using [the cups] and excited about meeting new people then it can become a cool thing to do in Val,” Martell said.

Despite the challenges inherent in persuading Amherst students to change their habits, Broder and Martell both report positive experiences sitting with strangers in the dining hall, and they hope that others will be encouraged to do the same.

“I like to, in the mornings especially, sit with different people,” Broder said. “And people have come over [to sit next] to me before, and I think that’s cool. Even if I’m doing work alone, just to sit with someone is nice sometimes.”

/FXT

“First-Year Programming” Starts After Makeover Continued from Page 1 Gramieri said. “I’m glad that the new events will mostly be scheduled at more convenient times.”

In an e-mail sent out on Oct. 11, O’Hara announced that “after reading through your responses and meeting with many of you individually over the last few weeks, I am happy to report that extended orientation has been completely redesigned. The content we hoped to deliver will now be presented in a model ... with small groups and at varied times to fit your schedules. The facilitators of these meetings will be your own [Residential Councilors (RCs)] and other student leaders who will have had some training in the particular topics. If we can provide on-line tools for content, we will.”

“First-Year Programming” will consist of three major events instead of the originally intended four. The intended four comprised workshops on identity, intellectual responsibility, mental health and on-campus social culture.

The first new program was going to be an RC-led discussion on mental health. However, the Counseling Center’s “First-Year Transitions” series replaced that. According to O’Hara, the cancellation of that first event made sense; the Counseling Center had already planned “First-Year Transitions” in advance and both programs were essentially made with the same goal in mind.

The second event of “First-Year Programming” consists of bystander training, in which Peer Advocates of Sexual Respect speak with first-years during their respective dorm’s tea time. The programming was largely organized

by Sexual Respect Educator Amanda C. Vann.

“I found the bystander training very helpful. I liked the fact it happened within our dorm. I also liked the fact it happened in an intimate setting where I could speak with my peers,” Victor Ortiz ’17 said.

In coordination with Interim Assistant Dean of Student Conduct Susie Mitton Shannon, the third of the newly-created first-year events hones in on plagiarism. Students will be expected to take an online quiz about the rules of plagiarism. The results will be discussed between students and their RCs. “First-Year Programming” differs greatly from similar programming in previous years.

The gist of an extended Orientation was implemented two years ago. Unlike this year’s events, these were mandatory. They were conducted in Johnson Chapel and featured professors, coaches and story-tellers. They didn’t feature the voices of fellow students.

“This year’s First-Year RCs, many of whom participated in past orientation events, voiced the need for student voices. We found that with this year’s first-years as well,” O’Hara said.

The events are “incentivized.” If 90% of a first-year dorm show up to each scheduled programming (attendance is taken by the RCs), it will be awarded with varying prizes (including a pizza party and Sugar Jones cookies). The events will potentially extend into the spring, incorporating more involvement with student groups such as To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA).

“We’ve learned that the key players are RCs and on-campus student leaders. I look forward to implementing more effective programming,” O’Hara said.

Opinion

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t /PWFNCFS

Writing From the Left

Editorial

Half Empty or Half Full?

8IBU %PFT JU 5BLF UP &OHBHF

.FHIOB 4SJEIBS On Sunday, we all received an email from Dean Larimore announcing the “Social Cup” initiative — yesterday, Val rolled out a set of fresh blue cups that indicate to fellow students that the user is open to sitting with people he or she does not know. The purpose of the initiative is to promote social mingling in Val and to help those who would like to meet new people express that desire in a clear yet fairly unobtrusive way. This initiative is creative and has the potential to dramatically improve our community at Amherst.

However, the initiative will only be successful if students adopt the right attitude. The effectiveness of the social cups is literally a selffulfilling prophecy. If students believe that the cups are successful at attracting and helping build new friendships, they will sincerely use them. On the other hand, if students dismiss them as a pointless gimmick, that is exactly what they will become. We’ve been given a cup, and whether we choose to see it as half-empty or half-full makes all the difference. While Amherst students are too often inclined to be overly cynical, in this case, despite a few concerns and limitations, there is good reason to remain optimistic.

The biggest foreseeable hindrance to the effectiveness of the initiative is that students might be uncomfortable actually using the social cups, not because they are embarrassed that they wish to socialize with new people, but because other students might mock the initiative. No one will use the social cups if there is some stigma attached to them or the implication that the user “has no friends” or is in some

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Alissa Rothman Managing News Elaine Vilorio, Sophie Murguia Managing Opinion James Liu, Julia Milmed Managing Arts and Living Meghan McCullough, Annalise Nurme Managing Sports Nicole Yang, Karl Greenblatt, Andrew Knox

way incapable of being social without this aide.

A persistent and vexing problem at the College is the tendency of students to self-segregate into, often monolithic, groups — squandering the opportunity to enjoy the potential educational benefits that flow from having a diverse campus community. The social cup program at Dartmouth (which uses red cups) was originally intended to help students avoid having to eat alone. It is in these situations that the Amherst social cups will most likely excel.

However, as to whether the humble blue cup will affect broader social dynamics on campus, the answer is unclear. Even with blue cups, the prospect of sitting down at a long table monopolized by an already tight-knit athletic team or extracurricular group becomes no less intimidating.

Clearly, there is a strong desire among students for a more socially fluid campus. This initiative is, after all, brought to us by the Student Health Educators, who represent the needs of the student body. Who among us would not enjoy the refreshing company of someone not in our usual circle? This initiative has to potential to stir up our social scene and integrate our student body — but only if we let it.

It is worth taking a moment to remind ourselves what a unique opportunity we have at Amherst. Never again will we be surrounded by such a diverse and accomplished group of young people, and the fact that few students make a conscious effort to build expansive friendships and networks in the College is really a pity. So let’s all get behind the social cups initiative and actually use them.

Meghna Sridhar ’14 is a Law, Jurisprudence and Social Thought major with a penchant for coherent incoherency. She writes from a leftist perspective on global and local politics and political theory.

As you can probably tell from my articles, I believe in a pretty radical, leftist politics — not just on a theoretical level, but on the level of actual, practical activism and engagement. That is to say, I believe that studying and agreeing with leftist theory — whether it’s critical race theory, feminist theory, Marxism, etc., etc. — is hypocritical and incomplete without trying to synchronize what you study with how you live. Theory and praxis, academia and activism, must go hand in hand — and each must engage and feed the other, with theory constantly being refined and redefined with situations encountered in the world and practice being constantly critiqued by a sustained theoretical engagement of what you do and what its implications are.

Practice/Activism can work on multiple levels: right from education and debate to organized rallies to radical and disruptive protest. All of these forms are, to an extent, helpful and necessary, and each effective in their own ways — though some, perhaps, more than others. The radical, disruptive and somewhat angry anarchist in me is always tempted to forget this, because I believe the best protests are those which make a point and make it loudly. “Education”, “debate” and “dialogue” too easily slide into liberal handwringing for me, where everyone ends up saying a lot and yet overhauling nothing, where debate stays stuck in suffocating binaries instead of critiquing underlying structures of power, where politeness and formality overshadow meaningful change. I always feel a compulsion to provoke people into reaction instead of gently trying to persuade them into it, to draw attention to issues with the hue and cry they deserve. I know I don’t always do this myself: I fail to live up to my own high standards for subversion, rebellion and activism. I feel I am always too easily co-opted by the system or by the fear of going against the status quo. The drive in me always says: work harder! Do more!

But lately, I’ve been critiquing that voice in my head. Because while I will never let go of the importance and crucial necessity of disruptive, radical, activist politics, a question that one of my close fellow activists on campus keeps asking rings in my head: who is your activism for? This question has been making me pause more and more: how much is my activism driven by my guilt, by my frustration at the futility of my situation and inability to make changes as revolutionary as I hope to make and by a sort of self-flagellation at my position in society, my social class, my role in the world as a privileged and oblivious liberal arts student? How much does this politics of guilt distract me from the change that I actually want to and can affect? How much does it drive me to ignore or dismiss talking and engaging with people who could perhaps be convinced of my politics if I took more time to explain it to them?

At the same time, there’s a danger in activism that is too diluted becoming completely unradical, working within the status quo it tries to rally against, reinforcing the same structures or merely masking their terribleness by trying to have mass appeal.

Making compromises, making “actionable claims,” being “practical” — these are usually buzzwords that mean “stop trying to shake up the system,

Letters Policy

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you’re scaring us!” They’re ways to halt progress, to control dissidents trying to point out criminally oppressive facets of the existing order, ways to silence a majority of the people who’s demands can never be “practical” within the system we live in because the system is always already so screwed up. There’s also something to the fact that the activist shouldn’t always have to be the educator: why is the onus on us to be the ones telling you what’s wrong, when everything around us is clearly disrupted, disturbed and destroyed by capitalism, patriarchy, heteronormativity, racism and so on? Why is the thrust on the oppressed to articulate their oppression on the terms of the oppressor? Why are — people generally, but for our immediate concerns, students at this college — so unwilling to engage or understand why some of us are so disillusioned with the system or critical of it? And what will it take to engage them without compromising the radicality of one’s own politics?

Something that makes this question of engaging people who come from a very different political place from you even harder is the liberal environment we’re in that separates action and belief so cleanly, that dilutes the stakes of one’s political beliefs to being nothing more than just cloaks to put on or discard inside and outside the classroom or common room debates, to give us no incentive to be political conscious beings at all. One of the most disheartening examples of this is the swarms of people I know who take classes with some pretty leftist professors at this campus and leave the classroom thinking they agree with them without ever realizing how critical and radical these professors are! Professors who are explicit in their political views are either treated as rarities and oddities (“professor Machala is a REAL LIFE MARXIST,” as someone commented on my last article, as though he was some rare being that needed to be regarded with curiosity and suspicion) or teach classes that are largely self-selecting. Professors who articulate their radical views on a more philosophical or obscure level escape this treatment, but only because there’s a way in which students feel they can co-opt their teaching in much less radical ways. In such an environment, is it ever at all possible to make someone engage with you who isn’t already interested — both intellectually and viscerally, willing to accompany you in both theory and practice? If a guilt and rage driven disruptive politics is ineffective because people won’t listen, how much is a politics of engagement and meeting people halfway ineffective for much the same reasons?

I can’t conclude this article with any more than an open question: at fellow students, fellow activists, fellow people. What does it take to engage people?

What does it take to initiate meaningful change in a hostile environment where people are unwilling to listen? Where’s the line between getting in people’s faces and shouting, and politely talking to someone who’ll nod but not take in a word you say? How do you get people to take your anxieties seriously, and to understand what’s at stake in their political existence on a level both inside and outside the classroom, and inside and outside Amherst?

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Government Re-Start: Un- The International Perspective 7JFXJOH 5IF 3FDFOU 1PMJUJDBM $MJNBUF JO derstanding the Aftermath $IJOB UISPVHI 8FJCP 5IF $IJOFTF 5XJUUFS

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"TIMFZ . .POUHPNFSZ Opinion Section Editor Do you remember the increasing and paralyzing fear two weeks ago when we thought the government would remain shut down and we would run out of money? Well, the crisis has been averted, for now.

To recap, many strange things had occurred in Washington that eventually led to the House of Representatives’ missing the fiscal budget deadline (Oct. 1) and resulted in a shutdown of the government. What were these “strange things�? President Barack Obama wanted to start a healthcare reform, the Affordable Care Act, but the House Republicans did not want this, and the Democrats refused to negotiate, hence the $24 billion lost due to workers being furloughed. “The Colbert Report� also sums up the shutdown nicely with an analogy to a children’s game.

All that is old news, though, because the shutdown is over. Workers are starting to go back to work, children can visit zoos, veterans can go to memorials and tourists can finally see the Statue of Liberty. This is a good thing, right?

There’s no simple answer to that. The House was able to resolve its differences just hours before we reached our absolute money limit — the debt ceiling. If an agreement still had not been reached by Oct. 17, all of the money borrowed by the U.S. government, which comes from citizens’ retirement funds, bonds, etc., would not have been paid back to these loaners, and we would have been completely out of money. The agreement the House used is called a Continuing Resolution (CR), which, funny enough, could have been used shortly before the fiscal budget deadline in order to stop the shutdown from happening. A CR basically buys the government more time in the event that they cannot reach an agreement before the budget is due. It allows them to come up with a short-term agreement to appropriate funds to keep the government running while they continue negotiations in order to reach a finalized appropriations bill.

The emphasis here is on “short-term,� meaning that all of our problems have not been solved, just that Congress is “agreeing to disagree� until the new deadline for the appropriations bill comes up. When is that time? This particular CR has appropriated funds for the government until Jan. 15, meaning that a new budget must be finalized before then or else another shutdown will occur. In the event that a shutdown does occur again, the new debt ceiling will be raised through Feb. 7.

What will the government do? Don’t worry about Congress — they have plenty to do. Seeing as the shutdown is not a minor blemish but a zit on the economic and political history of America, Congress — both Republicans and Democrats — is already hard at work to ensure that the new appropriations bill is ready before Jan. 15.

In regards to the money lost from the shutdown, economists are very concerned. Accord-

ing to Annie Lowrey and Nelson D. Schwartz of The New York Times, “Microeconomic Advisers estimated the impact of about 0.7 percentage points of [Gross Domestic Product] G.D.P. a year, equivalent to over $300 billion in lost output over the last three years.� The United States’ economy, after the recession, was already in disarray, but the shutdown added even more damage to years of “severe budgetary conflict.�

To summarize, we have a temporary fix to a long-term problem, the economy is slowly trying to build up steam but keeps getting derailed and the dissatisfaction of voters is in full swing as election season approaches. Was the healthcare reform really worth the fight for all of this strife?

Many analysts say that it is too soon to tell.

Amherst alum of ’79, Ekekiel “Zeke� Emanuel, M.D, Ph.D, is one of the planners behind the Affordable Care Act and believes that the subsidies are fantastic “for an individual making between $15,000 and $20,000.� While he adds that it’s basically like getting health insurance for “eighty percent off �, one has to ask, “What about the people who are making just below $15,000 a year or above $20,000 a year?�

With the exception of those without healthcare insurance, most American citizens are covered through employers or through their own means. According to a New York Times correspondent Reed Abelson, President Obama assures us that people who purchase their own healthcare shouldn’t expect many changes in their policies and that the Affordable Care Act will actually provide a choice for them, if they qualify for “federal subsidies or Medicaid.� However, millions of people who already have insurance have been finding changes in their policies, such as increasing premiums, old plans being discontinued, etc. While the new law is much more generous than many other previous plans in that it takes people with pre-existing conditions into account instead of denying them coverage, it is raising the price of healthcare for many of those who were able to afford it before the reform. Who is the reform supposed to be helping?

The idea behind the Affordable Care Act is that enough healthy people will sign up for the program. By healthy, they mean “young� people like college students or recent graduates who have no insurance and are too old to be covered by their parents’. Having healthy people under the act means that the insurance has to pay smaller fees while still gaining money to afford the sicker and older participants’ conditions.

The problem behind this is that analysts aren’t sure how long it will take for healthy people to sign up. They aren’t sure if the reform will actually work since the fee for not having health insurance is low during the first year of the act, and the people who tend have illnesses are the ones most likely to have signed up for insurance immediately. Only time will tell.

While the government seems a bit bleak right now, we should remember that it is supposed to get better, eventually.

The International Perspective is a biweekly column that provides a platform for students to share their opinions about our larger world. This includes international outlooks on domestic issues as well as opinions on problems occurring around the globe.

Providing a political panorama of a society always comes with the risk of missing important details and therefore misinterpreting the general picture. However, if a certain viewpoint is established first, the essential issues may be easier to detect.

This can be an appropriate method regarding the Chinese political climate. Starting from the beginning of the past summer a new political season, at least within the social media, has begun. Two interwoven elements emerged, the rule of law and the state’s efforts to “correct� public opinions. Both a series of lawsuits against high officials and civil cases, in which the government arrested prominent bloggers in the name of purging online rumors, aroused a passion for simplifying the actions of the Chinese government into a blatant attack on the civil society or an intrusion into the public sphere.

However, we should not blindly indulge in this cathartic protest against the totalitarian regime. An analysis of the causal relationships between recent political campaigns and the nature of the Chinese public sphere, in this case Weibo, is necessary for a sobering understanding of the reality. I will not reiterate each event in detail because The New York Times has already done a much better job. What I am attempting to achieve here is a narrative that rationalizes the state’s beastly actions and the public’s seemingly receptive, or at least passive, reactions.

Why does the government take action in such a manner? Why does the public respond in such a way? I hope to answer these two questions. The answer lies in the two major concerns of the present government, which have also been the two main issues of the past three or four months.

The rule of law here, in Chinese society, is a potentially misleading concept. In recent cases in China, such as the trial of Bo Xilai — a prominent former Chinese politician as well as a red princeling (i.e., the son of an influential communist leader) — and the following suits against high officials, the rule of law does constrain the behavior of government officials, but its power is borrowed from the state, rather than inherent in itself. In other words, the increasing impact of the rule of law, on the surface, is another round of intensive state actions. However, the party is not simply cleaning up the “bad members� and therefore establishing the right party principles; it is also trying to appeal to the public. However, this attempt may not necessarily be successful in the social media.

If you take a random walk on the beach of comments, for example, with respect to the Bo Xilai case, you can see various points of view competing with each other. Most importantly, one of the two dominant perspectives within social media is quite cynical, usually expressing indifference to the political struggle with the appearance of the triumph of justice. The other one is sincere satisfaction with the state’s determination. Here I am not regarding the extreme leftists as a considerable power in this context. The second one is the state’s desired result, but the first one annoys the party. Apparently, a simple explanation for the first perspective is the specific components of the population who are actively involved in this discussion through social media. Generally speaking, urban people are the main users. Simultaneously, they are also exposed to running rumors and scandals. The conspiracy theory is spreading like a virus. However, this cynicism does not directly interfere with the party’s business. Instead, it helps with cultivating a society filled with the pursuit of satisfying immediate needs and emotions, namely entertainment and consumption. This is not bad for economic growth. However, the party does not like this result either. Implicit obedience through indifference is not satisfactory because it also indicates disillusion with the regime. The party needs “positive energy� flowing around in the society. However, right now, the influential bloggers with their somewhat overly-critical attitude and outright disapproval of the

state become hindrances.

Naturally, at least in the Chinese state’s mindset, the horse of public opinion needs a new bridle, albeit a possibly suffocating one. Who are the instigators of the rumors that are harmful to the state’s legitimacy in social media? The Big Vs — verified accounts in Weibo. These Chinese online celebrities can attract as many as nearly 30 million followers. They accumulate their popularity mainly through the cunning use of their voice. Most of the time, either a former prominent status beyond the internet world or the production of provocative messages on a daily basis helps them establish their gradually surging reputation. Does the public view them completely positively, as the speakers of the people’s will? Not really. The people’s will is already a morbid clichĂŠ, thanks to the efforts of the traditional Communist ideology. Moreover, a person consciously evaluating the big Vs’ arguments could always find some hastily constructed inferences or “frivolouslyâ€? reposted information. The big Vs know how to deploy their power of voice for their personal interests, such as advertising for a brand or their own products. They are not public intellectuals purely concerned with the public interest. By the way, the Chinese word for public intellectuals, “Gongzhi,â€? is nearly a curse-word in the Chinese social media. The usual expression is “the smelly public intellectual.â€? Frequently the big Vs are called that because, on the one hand, they often express their discontent, but inconsistently, with numerous flaws in their arguments; on the other hand, not many people find pleasure in reading tweets of cathartic verbal abuses or messages containing either implicit or explicit commercial advertisements. As a result, when the state attacks on the grounds that the big Vs are disseminating rumors or they committed other crimes, the public is in fact somewhat satisfied with this action. Moreover, the moral tone surrounding this drama has put the big Vs at a great disadvantage. Charles Xue, a famous Big V and a 60-year-old American citizen, was found soliciting prostitutes in August and was thus arrested.

Despite the state’s obvious attempt at manipulating the public opinion against him, many citizens find this news morally disgusting, and this distrust regarding one big V successfully spreads to the whole group. In this regard, the state succeeds at mobilizing the public opinion to suppress the big Vs. On Sept. 9th, the Supreme People’s Court of PRC published its explanation on the definition of libel on internet: the condition of five hundred reposts of a certain piece of defaming information allows the court to prosecute the person posting the original message. Although it sounds depressing, since it limits the freedom of speech in China, it also has some positive consequences. The state now plays the game, following the rules. You may easily sense that this is only following formality because the rules are still mostly single-handedly set by the state, but the formality is important. Even the pretense of following the law may open the possibilities of further improvement of individual rights through law. I know this sanguine expectation may appear quite naïve and that the present circumstances in China are not promising at all.

Moreover, the prospect of constitutionalism in China is explicitly denied by the speaker of the party. However, the recognition of the power of law by the state is also an implicit admittance of law’s own importance and legitimacy. At least the current Supreme People’s Court’s president has studied and practiced law, while the previous one had no experience. No matter how vicious or benevolent the intention of the state behind the curtain is, the rule of law conflated with the public’s power in the social media may create a new feature of the Chinese public sphere. After all, the state’s ambushes in the social media demonstrate that the power of public opinion is considerable, even in the eyes of the ubiquitous state.

Arts&Living

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“12 Years a Slave�: Eye-Opening Must-See

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"DUPS $IJXFUFM &KJPGPS T QFSGPSNBODF JT NFTNFSJ[JOH BOE TP BVUIFOUJD UIBU JU JT EJGm DVMU UP XBUDI IF IBT TFU UIF CBS IJHI GPS UIF 0TDBST +BLF 8BMUFST Staff Writer As a history major at Amherst, I’ve taken numerous classes specializing in slavery in the US. I thought I could understand something of the history, the pain, the suffering, the anguish. I thought, to whatever extent it was possible for a white kid in the early 21st century to know, I knew. I was wrong. Sitting in the theater watching “12 Years a Slave,� I felt the inescapable grasp of history around my neck

Film Review i :FBST B 4MBWFw Directed by Alfonso Cuaron Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch

and I couldn’t do anything about it. Never before have I felt so clearly and achingly the tragedies upon which America is built. I felt helpless, my face contorting in anguish. My reaction was visceral; I gritted my teeth, I began to shake uncontrollably. “12 Years a Slave� is the best film of the year, and the best “Oscar� film I’ve seen in longer than I can remember.

But “12 Years a Slave� isn’t just a great film. It’s an important one.

Adapted from Solomon Northrup’s autobiographical tale of his kidnapping into slavery and the dozen years of hell spent before

he eventually secured his freedom, “12 Years a Slave� is telling not simply because it explores slavery, but because of how it explores it. As Northrup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is kidnapped, sold to a nominally “benevolent� master and eventually a more openly cruel, abusive master and tries to secure his freedom, the film reveals itself as one of the first major filmic attempts to explore slavery not as a political institution (see “Lincoln�) or as an individualist fantasy-land in which any slave could take on an army of whites if they “wanted� to ( “Django Unchained�) but as it was actually experienced to those who endured it. Films about slavery are almost always about fighting or overcoming it, but in doing so they fail to truly understand the mental and emotional anguish of slavery and the real lived experience of it.

Many ask why so few slaves openly rebelled against their masters, which paints slaves as docile and content with slavery. But “12 Years a Slave� shows the mental and emotional torture of slavery and the constant state of doom that gripped plantation life that only manifested most openly in violence. We see people being whipped at times, but even in scenes where no one is physically hurt, the noise of the overseers whip is a constant reminder of what could be coming next. The sense of dread experienced in the theater in part captures this sense of constant anxiety experience by Northrup. As we hear the cries of a slave continue over a slave master trying to prove his benevolence through reciting scripture, the two noises fighting and tensing and reflecting the constant contradictions and power battles of slave life, we become well aware that many

slaves did rebel in subtle ways but that open rebellion would have meant death.

The nuances and complications run deep, particularly with regard to the depictions of the slave masters. When Northrup has to be sold to save him from a vengeful overseer, his master tries to protect him with a gun. On the surface, he represents the typical historical depiction of a “benevolent� slave master who looks out for his slaves. But when Northrup asks why he can’t go free, the master responds “I can’t hear this,. Despite trying to help Northrup as he sees it, his view is still constrained by the social circumstances of slavery. He can’t even imagine a black man as a free person. We see the complications in how slaves presented themselves around each other and around their masters, the complicated and confused notions of ownership masters felt toward slaves, inclusion and exclusion within slave communities, the mutual dependence of slaves and masters on each other and above all the dehumanization of life for slaves. One of the film’s most difficult-to-watch scenes involves Northrup hanging from a noose, balancing himself on his toes. The camera lingers on and on as slaves around him continue about their day life, children playing in the background. Life for them includes images such as this, and in order to survive they have to block it out. This exploration of slave life is a punch to the gut; it’s not manipulative melodrama, nor is it exploitative. Every scene in the film serves a purpose, and the impact of scene after scene is beyond devastating: it’s numbing. “12 Years a Slave� is rightfully getting attention for its acting, which is simply astounding. The film’s anchor is Chiwetel Ejiofor in the performance of a lifetime. It’s difficult to watch some of the things Solomon Northrup must endure throughout the film, but Ejiofor makes it even more difficult to turn away, something made all the more telling by the complexity of the character’s arc from confident and comfortable as a freeman, to confused and passionate upon being captured, to stolid and determined yet hollow later in his enslavement.

For the 2014 Oscar race, his is the performance to beat. Of course, the burden is lifted from his shoulders by a superlative supporting cast, including Michael Fassbinder, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Paul Dano and Alfre Woodward. Relative unknowns Lupita Nyong’o and Adepero Oduye provide stellar work as slaves suffering alongside Northrup, with Nyong’o in particular bringing fire and nuance to a supremely difficult role as the “favorite� slave of her abusive master. Of them all though, Fassbinder leaves the strongest impression beside Ejiofor, creating the slave master Epps as a truly unhinged and terrifying figure whose oppressive demeanor is exacerbated not only by the social system of slavery but by alcohol and religion.

The film, despite all the horrors that occur within, is simply gorgeous and remarkably well-constructed visually. Shots sway in and out of machinery and fields, breathing life to the smallest portions of slave life. Shots of the sky and Spanish-moss covered trees capture the mystery of a land both completely foreign and all too familiar. Director Steve McQueen, coming off his devastating exploration of sexaddiction, “Shame,� brings life to the film not only through painstaking period detail but a mastery of the subjective camera. A shot late in the film where Northrup breaks the fourth wall, looking directly at the camera at the audience, conveys discomfort, confusion, help-

Shots sway in and out of ma“chinery and fields, breathing life to the smallest portions of slave life.

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lessnes and numerous other emotions. Light and dark, perhaps fittingly due to the subject matter, play in throughout. The film’s most striking image involves a letter being burned in the dark, the embers dying away slowly and taking Northrup’s hope with them. Never before have I seen a film that made darkness feel simultaneously so completely empty and whole, engulfing the world around it into nothingness. The admittedly mesmerizing “Gravity� and its visual aplomb will likely win more awards for cinematography, but the more grounded approach here is even more affecting. Plus “12 Years a Slave� more effectively marries its narrative to its look, whereas “Gravity� sometimes felt like a battle between the two.

And through all this, I couldn’t help but think, why has it taken until 2013 for this film to come out? The informal censorship of slavery through film history extends far beyond the visual medium; we as a country have done little to truly understand and reflect on our history and the real human impact of slavery. We read about the numbers and the lack of rights and the work, all horrors to be sure, but the real day-to-day dehumanization and anguish of slavery on the ground remains elusive. Even when films address slavery, it’s often from the view of a white protagonist, in which the most important human toll becomes not what happens to the slaves themselves but to the whites who have to cope with the internal anguish of watching slavery and having to learn to stand up against it. It’s unimaginable to most to address slavery as it really existed and even more-so from the viewpoint of an African-American victim of it. We’re afraid of it. “12 Years a Slave� puts us in the trenches of slavery and into the minds of those who lived, and died, through it. This is exactly for this reason that “12 Years a Slave� has the impact it does and why everyone needs to see it.

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Trading Cards Go Digital: DotP 2014

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%PU1 T iTFBMFEw NPEF BMMPXT UIF QMBZFS UP CVJME B EFDL PVU PG B SBOEPN BTTPSUNFOU PG DBSET /PBI (PSEPO Staff Writer When I was younger, for about two months every year my parents sent me away to rural New Hampshire to attend sleep-away camp. This was probably a good thing for me. Being away from television and video games for a while balanced me out, and although I wasn’t a social butterfly, camp provided me with enough experience to survive the social battlefield of post-pubescent life. Though much of our time was taken up by activities, we cherished the few hours of freedom we had to ourselves. On rainy days or whenever else these moments arose, we whittled the time away playing games with little rectangular pieces of hard paper called Magic cards.

Magic: The Gathering is a trading card game that’s been around since the early 1990’s. If you’re familiar with PokĂŠmon or Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, you can think of MTG as something similar. If you’re not, I can try to explain: there are thousands of Magic cards out there, each one with different artwork and abilities printed on it. Each player collects cards by buying and trading. From the cards in a given collection, one can assemble a deck and play a game with it against another player. Adhering to a certain set of rules (called the game’s “formatâ€?), the two players battle it out. Afterwards they can trade cards with one

another to improve their respective decks.

Cards cost money, and a vast market for Magic cards has emerged out of the competitive nature of the game — the best cards are expensive, some going for hundreds of dollars online.

Competitive decks are often worth $200 to $300. For a player who wants to win, MTG can become a significant time and money sink. So you can imagine my trepidation upon returning to the game after a long hiatus. I’m playing big boy Magic now, and being inexperienced results not only in embarrassment but in a loss of time and cash.

To reorient myself a bit, I used one installment in a series of computer games called Duels of the Planeswalkers, which is published by MTG parent company Wizards of the Coast. In the game you take the role of one of the title planeswalkers, a magic-user capable of traveling between dimensions and casting spells. Every battle in MTG is imagined as a duel between two or more of these so-called planeswalkers. Each card represents a spell being cast. DotP takes this basic format, dramatizes it and simplifies it to create a simple primer for newbies and a fun way to get back into the game for returning players.

Selling for ten dollars on the Steam marketplace, each installment of DotP is well worth the price. The 2014 edition which I played for this review comes packed with a tutorial, a short campaign (roughly three hours for me), several creative

challenges and a “sealed� mode that allows the user some liberties in constructing a deck. This doesn’t seem like much, but for only ten dollars I found it to be well worth the price.

DotP’s gameplay is straightforward. You choose from one of several pre-made decks, each with its own themes and synergies. Through playing you unlock additional decks and additional cards for the decks you already have. The game itself consists of nothing more than a series of games of Magic, facilitated by a smooth and stable virtual interface. For MTG pros, games move somewhat slowly, requiring a few-seconds pause at each phase. But the pauses are not unbearable, and there is much here for even a seasoned veteran to enjoy.

For example, the game’s challenges are, well, challenging.

Although I breezed through the first five, the “advanced� challenges gave me pause; I’m still stuck on the last one. Another aspect which may be popular among more experienced types is the sealed deck mode, which presents you with six 15-card booster packs and asks you to build your own deck to be tested against various AI opponents.

Of course, we’re still talking about a ten dollar product, and there are several limitations. The sealed deck mode only has two slots for decks, and any additional slots must be purchased. The content of the game is also quite limited, and you’d be hard-pressed to squeeze more than about ten hours of unique play out of it. After defeating each opponent and challenge, there’s technical replay value in collecting each of the game’s unlockable cards and customizing the decks you’ve unlocked; but such a mechanism feels more like a grind than an extension of the game. At that point, you’re better off waiting for the sequel.

All in all, I enjoyed Duels of the Planeswalkers 2014. But, in my opinion, Wizards of the Coast is sitting on a gold mine.

DotP is as safe a game as can be; if Wizards is willing to get a little bit adventurous, there is enormous potential in a more involved MTG video game. Back in 1997 they released a roleplaying game called Shandalar, in which the player started with a basic deck and was rewarded additional cards through encounters in a digitally-rendered world. There was a storyline and much more plot progression. The basic formula from DotP was there all the way back in the late-’90s, with added nuance and presentation. In the realm of video games, Wizards has only reverted since then.

I hope that Wizards will consider a return to the spirit of 1997 and aim for publishing a more advanced MTG video game in the future. I would buy it in a heartbeat. But, then again, I would probably also buy a new Duels of the Planeswalkers as a pale substitute. Wizards knows me, and it knows its market, so it seems unlikely anything with substantially more depth will be released any time soon.

BSU’s Harlem Renaissance is a Hit

#SJUUBOJF -FXJT Staff Writer

The biting cold was no match for the warmth emanating from the Alumni Gym on Saturday evening as the Black Student Union’s annual Harlem Renaissance kicked off around 7:30 p.m. This year’s theme was “Night at the Apollo.� Students of all classes dressed in their best formal wear and lined up, tickets in hand, eagerly waiting to be allowed into the well-decorated space as jazz quartet melodies drifted from the main floor into the hallways. No longer was the Alumni Gym a cold and uninviting practice space for athletics. On that night, it was transformed into a fully realized and innovative tribute to the Apollo Theater. The atmosphere was a much-welcomed escape from the chill lurking outside the gymnasium doors.

My friends and I arrived around 7:15 p.m., and after a brief wait we were allowed onto the main floor in order to seat ourselves. Well-dressed tables dotted what would have been a practice basketball court, at which were seated even more attractive patrons of the evening’s affairs. A soft, red glow permeated the dimly-lit space. Paired with the warm, yellow accent lighting and the bright mar-

Image courtesy of stillisstillmoving.com

"MVNOJ (ZN XBT USBOTGPSNFE JOUP B GVMMZ SFBMJ[FE BOE JOOPWBUJWF USJCVUF UP UIF "QPMMP 5IFBUFS quee spelling out “APOLLO� positioned above the stage, the ambiance of the event had been produced with an impressive amount of consideration to detail. A space for having photos taken was set up in the back of the room, where guests yet again patiently waited in line for the chance to tangibly capture the memories of The Harlem Renaissance 2013 with their friends. The buffet tables from which dinner would be served soon after the initiation of the night’s program sat adjacent.

We decided on a table in the middle. Although we faced away from the stage, we took full advantage of the

opportunity to admire the scene from all angles. Everyone seemed excited to be there — perhaps it was the excuse to get ready for a genuinely formal event, if nothing else — and the energy amongst the students contributed to the warmth that everyone, no doubt, felt in abundance.

Many students were with family members, thanks to the overlap with Parents Weekend, including Shyloe Jones ’14. She brought her mother along, and both looked ravishing in their eveningwear. Jones, too, noticed the care with which the gymnasium had been transformed. “I think they did a great job with

the overall decor. The gym looked completely different. It’s a cool event for family weekend,� Jones said.

Judging by the amount of mothers, fathers and other relatives that I spotted, it seems as though it was a popular event choice indeed.

Around 7:30 p.m., the official welcome and introduction was given by the MC’s for the night, Lorraine Thomas ’15 and Jensen Bouzi ’14. The two had great chemistry and masterfully engaged the crowd every time they stepped behind the microphones.

Andrew Lindsay ’16 spoke to the unprecedented late start to the evening, as the program was scheduled to officially begin around 7. “The biggest scare of the night... was the fact that the lights didn’t shut off around 7:00 p.m. so we couldn’t start the event on time. We ended up starting a few minutes late,� Lindsay said.

Despite this, however, the show got on without anymore technical malfunctions and turned out to be a wonderful success, perhaps even unmatched in the event’s history. “From what I’ve heard from seniors,� Lindsay commented, “It was the best Harlem Ren. yet.�

The performances of the event are undoubtedly what made The Harlem

Renaissance memorable. After a beautiful rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing� by The Amherst College Gospel Choir, the sincere blessing of the food

by Adrianna Turner ’14 and the serving of dinner, the schedule of performances began. The lineup included spoken word pieces, songs and poems. Lindsay, who read poetry for the crowd, said that “The performances were absolutely amazing. I was really moved by Alex Teyie’s poem.� Alex Teyie ’16 wrote and performed a spoken word piece and was second in the lineup. A wonderful cross-section of the talent here at Amherst was well represented at Night at the Apollo and did not disappoint. Members of the audience were more than ready to express their enthusiasm for each and every performance, whether they were somber or more light-hearted.

The general consensus seems to be that the BSU really outdid itself this year. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I am looking forward to attending future events. I am excited that I’ve only just arrived at Amherst. The freshman class has three more years to enjoy the incredible creativity and hard work that the BSU will, undoubtedly, continue to embody in the years to come.

Thank you for a memorable evening, Amherst College BSU!

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That Secretly Awesome Hole-in-the-Wall &MMJF "OEFSTFO Staff Writer

My parents visited Amherst this past weekend, but my ma didn’t even know that it was parents’ weekend until she noticed the multitude of cars parked haphazardly along the freshman quad drive. Although she certainly confirmed that I am the youngest of four in a busy and distracted family, she also pointed out an aspect of parents’ weekend that can make life difficult when trying to eat out: Amherst gets packed.

Thankfully, I guessed correctly that late on a Sunday morning, I could find my favorite corner bakery ready for business and blissfully peaceful, even when more lively than usual.

Now, I realize the implications of rejoicing in the relaxing atmosphere of Wheatberry amidst prime brunch time during Amherst’s family weekend. As every brunch place bustled and achieved full capacity, Wheatberry maintained a steady but meandering flow of customers that managed to fill the cafÊ but begged the question of whether Wheatberry is good or simply the best kept secret in town. I will opt for the second choice as I attest to the quality of Wheatberry’s food in flavor and ingredients used.

Furthermore, Wheatberry is a little secret that I don’t have to share with Amherst; this petite cafÊ and bakery sits one block from Amherst, near Bruno’s and the Emily Dickinson Museum, but I rarely see an Amherst student there on my occasional visits.

As I ponder Wheatberry’s less than hectic atmosphere, I can recognize certain contributing factors that may make this special bakery less popular among college students, or more so, depending upon the audience. I must start with the warning that Wheatberry is not cheap.

It cannot be visited often if I am to stay afloat, so Wheatberry is for special occasions. Secondly, the cafĂŠ demands this premium because of the quality of their ingredients; Wheatberry uses grains from a grain cooperative in the Pioneer Valley, milk from Mapleline Farm in Hadley and eggs from Granby. All products involve locally sourced, fair trade and organic ingredients, forcing Wheatberry to charge more as they pay extra for environmentally-friendly foods that support local businesses. Finally, I find no problem with the portion sizes because I do not eat as much as a starving college boy, but I do know that some students might find the ratio of food to dollars less than satisfactory simply because they pre-

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*G ZPV SF MPPLJOH GPS B DPOWFOJFOU IPNFNBEF TVQFSJPS RVBMJUZ GBSN GSFTI NFBM 8IFBUCFSSZ JT UIF TQPU fer greater quantity than quality. However, this food is all homemade, including the bread and pastries.

So, I understand why Wheatberry is not that favorite spot everyone wants to visit everyday but fears will be too busy; the cafĂŠ appeals to a certain type who may want to spend a bit extra for a special meal. This decision hints that the diner enjoys high-quality food at the expense of experiencing that surprisingly satisfying sensation of being incapable of movement after bolting down a massive plate of cheap food. This diner may also have a few extra minutes in his day and wants to treat his or herself to that leisurely meal. Or maybe he or she simply wants to veer from the popular track and find that awesome, unknown, hole-in-the-wall spot that tastes great and supports higher aims than simply serving as many people as possible.

That last comment probably sounds snooty.

However, from a small, organic farmer’s perspective, I love the thought of supporting local business that, in turn, helps other organic farms and sustainable operations in the area. And so, I visit Wheatberry when I can and appreciate this opportunity to see one aspect of the organic farming community situated in the Pioneer Valley.

And so, late Sunday morning, I stepped into Wheatberry anticipating a wonderful meal that could also result in having to eat on campus for a good while after. Since my first visit, I think I have only ever ordered one dish, the Locavore ($8.95) on a homemade everything bagel. I love this breakfast sandwich because everything about it is homemade and fresh. The bagels are baked at Wheatberry, and the soft eggs are freshly scrambled. The cheese sags and overflows the edges of the bagel as the fresh butter drips down the sides. I have to sit and eye my food longingly as I wait for it to cool down enough for me to rush that first bite and breathe deeply as I try to ventilate my steaming mouth.

I should maybe try some other options, like the Herbivore ($8.10) — a bagel with beets, carrots, pickled celeriac, pickled onions and thyme; the Rooster ($12.05) — toast with pork sausage and scrambled eggs; or the Happy Hen ($12.75) — eggs with vegetarian sausage and toast; but I adore the Locavore and never regret my decision.

My second favorite aspect of Wheatberry has to be their drinks. I am a beverage lady; I adore trying all those interesting concoctions.

When I step into Wheatberry, I may plan to only have coffee with my meal, but I know that I will

end up with a second drink. On Sunday, I enjoyed their honey steamer — steamed milk with local, and wonderfully flavorful, honey. My usual variation is a maple steamer — steamed milk with real maple syrup. And if asked about their chai tea, I would say that Wheatberry has one of the best iced chai teas I have ever had.

By this time, you may have guessed that I love Wheatberry. You are correct, but I must add some caveats to this recommendation. First, I have already mentioned that it does not fit well into a college student’s tight budget. Second, although the food is nutritious, local and can cater to vegetarians and vegans, I must warn you that Wheatberry only uses full-fat ingredients. You cannot order that Starbucks-esque skinny chai latte because Wheatberry only has whole milk, and your toast will be slathered in butter. Thus, I understand why Wheatberry does not draw the largest of crowds, but I like to think that those who do visit understand the significance of their supporting local business and that they appreciate the quality and indulgence of their food. At the end of the day, I hope that you try something out of the norm and see what Wheatberry is all about because I love their food and I feel good about eating it too, particularly while I am using their compostable plates and silverware.

Five College Events Thursday, November 6

“At the Threshold of Forgiveness: Law and Narrative in the Talmud,� 5 p.m., UMass Moshe Halbertal is the Gruss Professor at NYU Law School & Professor of Jewish Thought and Philosophy at the Hebrew University. A member of Israel’s National Academy for Sciences and the Humanities, he is the author of many books, including “Idolatry� (co-authored with Avishai Margalit) and “People of the Book: Canon, Meaning and Authority,� both published by Harvard University Press, and “Concealment and Revelation: Esotericism in Jewish Thought and Its Philosophical Implications� published by Princeton University Press. His latest book “On Sacrifice� was also published by Princeton in 2012. At NYU he serves as co-director of the Tikvah Program in Law and Jewish Civilization. This event is also sponsored by College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies. “Debate on Divestment: Is Divestment from Fossil Fuels the best tactic for students to combat Climate Injustice?� 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Mount Holyoke College An event coordinated between MHC Debate Society and MHC Climate Justice Coalition where students will be debating on whether Divestment from Fossil Fuels is the best tactic for MHC students to combat Climate Injustice. This event is part of MHC Divestment campaign’s week of action. It is a great opportunity to learn more about the arguments for and against Divestment, an issue that is energizing campuses, municipalities and faith-based groups across the nation.

Please attend to learn more about this important issue and how it is a tactic for justice in a struggle against the fossil fuel industry! Open to all 5-college students.

“Sweet Honey In The Rock‌A Tribute,â€? 7:30 p.m., UMass Experience the soulful harmonies and intricate rhythms of one of the most celebrated a cappella ensembles. Sweet Honey In The Rock possesses a stunning vocal prowess rooted in African American traditions. Accompanied by a seasoned jazz trio, they’ll honor the legacies of distinct and out-spoken musical icons Odetta, Miriam Makeba and Abbey Lincoln. Pre-Concert Fireside Chat: Ticket holders are invited to a pre-performance talk by NEPR Jazz Safari Host Kari Njiiri at 6:30 p.m. at the University Club.

Saturday, November 8

Friday, November 7

“Doing It Live! November Show,� 7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m., Mount Holyoke College Come to our biggest event of the semester! We are so excited to be putting on a show in Chapin Auditorium and want you all to come! It will be a really great show!

Visit our facebook page www.facebook.com/doingitlive11 to learn more about the show and our organization. Open to all 5-College students and the general public. Five college students: $2; All others: $3

“Community Class: ‘Perspectives on Language and Theater’ with Marie Roche,� 1 p.m. – 3 p.m., UMass This class investigates the stage as a place of linguistic and philosophical questioning; contemporary philosophical debates. Explore the dramatizations on stage of the profound early modern preoccupation on the nature of language. First meeting will be on the play “The Taming of the Shrew.� No specific background is required. Free. Call to register by Oct. 3. Contact: Vince 413-577-3600 or renaissance@english.umass.edu “VariAsians Dinner and Show,� 6 p.m. – 12 a.m., Mount Holyoke College MHC Asian Students Association hosts VariAsians 2013. Come just us for dinner and performances from all over Asia. After the show, dance the night away at our after party. Tickets sell fast, don’t miss out! Prices: Dinner, show and after party: $10, Dinner and show: $8, After party: $3 before 11 p.m.; $5 from 11 p.m. onward. Open to all 5-college students.

“Dumpling Making Workshop,� 4 p.m. – 7 p.m., Mount Holyoke College Love dumplings? Join Love Across the Coast (LAC) on Nov. 9 (Saturday), learn to make your own dumplings and enjoy them! Tickets: $5 (pre-sale), $7 (at door). All proceeds go to support the LAC’s annual summer camp in rural China. We promote education equality in China for teenagers in underprivileged areas. Your support is highly appreciated. Open to all 5-College students.

“Project: Theatre Presents 24- Hour Play Festival,� 8 p.m. – 9 p.m., Mount Holyoke College Writers gather the night before the festival to write their plays before the six hour time limit runs out. The next morning cold reads of the plays will begin and then cast. After a day of rewrites and rehearsals, the plays will go up that night. The whole process occurs in a 24-Hour period! Suggested Donation $3 - $5. Open to all 5-College students and the general public.

by Meghan McCullough 15

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4QPSUT 9

Top Ranked Men’s Soccer Advances to NESCAC Semis Hopes to Three Peat NESCAC Title This Weekend +BTPO 4UFJO Sports Section Editor The offense of the No. 1-ranked Amherst Men’s Soccer team was firing on all cylinders in two victories over the past week, as the Jeffs scored a total of eight goals and pushed their unbeaten streak to 35 games.

On Wednesday, Oct. 30, the Jeffs finished the regular season in style with a 4-0 victory over Trinity, followed by a strong second half performance against Hamilton that carried Amherst to a 4-1 victory in the NESCAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 2.

Facing the Trinity Bantams on the road, Amherst was led on offense by junior Bubba Van Wie, who got the Jeffs on the scoreboard with a goal in the 23rd minute of action that found the left side of the net.

Following Van Wie’s score, neither the Jeffs nor the Bantams would put forth another goal in the remainder of the first half, as Amherst entered halftime with a 1-0 edge.

Van Wie’s day was not nearly complete, however, as he scored two goals in short order midway through the second half. In the 68th minute, Van Wie poured in his second goal of the contest, before earning a hat-trick with his third goal of the match just two minutes later.

With that phenomenal scoring performance, Van Wie is now tied for Amherst’s regular season lead in goals scored (five) with forwards Chris Martin ’17 and Greg Singer ’16.

In addition to Van Wie’s five goals, he also has accumulated three assists over the course of the regular season, giving him a total of 13 points, which is second on the squad in the regular season, only behind Martin (14 points).

The Jeffs did not stop after three goals. In the 80th minute of play, midfielder Mikey Hoeksema ’15 set up first-year forward Elliot Cassutt for a goal, as Cassutt picked up his third goal of the season to push the lead to 4-0 in the process.

The Bantams posted five shots during the game, but were denied the opportunity to score as a result of the Amherst defense’s strong play. The 4-0 victory for the Jeffs against Trinity gave Amherst its eighth shutout in 14 regular season games and allowed the Jeffs to complete the regular

season with a 12-0-2 overall record (8-0-2 in the NESCAC), matching the regular season record of Amherst’s 2012 team that advanced to the Elite 8.

Over the course of the 2013 regular season, the Jeffs outscored their opponents 32-6 and held a whopping 288-105 shot advantage over the opposition.

With the victory against Trinity, head coach Justin Serpone earned his 100th career victory at the helm for Amherst.

Coach Serpone humbly attributed his coaching success to a collective effort. “Getting to 100 wins has very little to do with me and everything to do with all of the hard work of dozens and dozens of coaches, players, parents and athletic department staff over the past six and a half years,� Serpone said. “The strength in Amherst Soccer is in how many people have a hand in all of our success.�

A few days after the Trinity win, the Jeffs looked to put their regular season 1-1 draw against the Hamilton Continentals behind them in the NESCAC Quarterfinals held at home.

Early in the contest, Martin narrowly missed putting the Jeffs ahead on a shot, sent in to the box

by Van Wie, which sailed just over the net.

In the 20th minute, Hamilton’s Bayard Geeslin struck a grounded shot towards the goal, but Amherst goalkeeper Thomas Bull ’16 dove to his right to make the save and preserve a scoreless tie for the Jeffs.

While that was Hamilton’s only scoring attempt of the first half, Amherst put nine shots on goal in the first half, but came up empty in their efforts to score.

The second half, however, followed a different story line. It did not take the Jeffs long to push ahead after the halftime intermission.

Off a pass from forward Nico Pascual-Leone ’16 less three minutes into the second half, Singer angled a diving header to the left corner of the net to give Amherst a 1-0 lead.

In the 52nd minute, the Jeffs picked up their second goal of the half on a Martin score that came off a beautiful lead pass executed by senior midfielder Brendan Caslin.

Martin added another goal midway via an assist from Julien Aoyama ’14 to push Amherst’s lead to 3-0 over the Continentals. Martin’s two-

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office $ISJT .BSUJO BOE (SFH 4JOHFS DFMFCSBUF POF PG .BSUJO T UXP TDPSFT BHBJOTU )BNJMUPO goal performance in the NESCAC Quarterfinals marked the third multi-goal game of his young career.

With less than 15 minutes remaining, the Jeffs would add one more insurance goal. After picking up a goal earlier in the week against Trinity, Cassutt would earn an assist on the final Amherst goal of the day.

After receiving the ball off Hoeksema’s corner kick, Cassutt made a smart pass intended for firstyear Andrew Orozco, who then finished off the set piece with a header to give the Jeffs a 4-0 lead.

Hamilton would put one into the net on a penalty kick by Ben Yudysky ’14 in the 85th minute, but that would be all that the Jeffs’ stifling defense would allow, as Amherst went on to a 4-1 victory over the Continentals.

After a win in the NESCAC Quarterfinals, the top-seeded Jeffs advance to face No. 5-seeded Bowdoin in the NESCAC Semifinals this Saturday

at 1:30 p.m. on Hitchcock Field.

Bowdoin enters the match following a thrilling victory in penalty kicks over No. 4-seeded Tufts in the NESCAC Quarterfinals.

Amherst beat Bowdoin 3-0 at home behind a balanced scoring attack in mid-September, but the team understands that they will be facing a different and more experienced Bowdoin squad this time around in the NESCAC Semifinals. “We are playing a very good team in Bowdoin in the semifinals and that’s our only focus right now,� Serpone said. “It seems like forever ago that we played them in the regular season and they are much improved. It’s going to take a full team effort for us advance to the final on Sunday.�

The winner of Saturday’s NESCAC Semifinal between Amherst and Bowdoin will face the winner of No. 2-seeded Wesleyan vs. No. 3-seeded Williams in the NESCAC Finals at noon on Sunday at Hitchcock Field.

Sixth-Ranked Field Hockey Shuts Out Wesleyan, 1-0

Team Looks to Extend 13-Game Win Streak in NESCAC Semis

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office &MMJF "OEFSTFO LFFQT UIF CBMM BXBZ GSPN B 8FTMFZBO EFGFOEFS -BVSFO 5VJTLVMB Staff Writer Field hockey had an impressive week, closing out their regular season winning streak at

twelve games and defeating Wesleyan in the NESCAC Quarterfinals.

The team travelled to Trinity to close out regular season play. The series has always been close knit when the Jeffs take on the Bantams.

The 3-2 decision of this game marked the ninth consecutive time the two have been separated by a single goal.

Amherst scored first as Annika Nygren ’16 sent the ball down the left wing where Krista Zsitvay ’14 received the pass. Zsitvay was able to slot a backhanded shot past the Trinity keeper to open up the scoring in the 28th minute.

Amherst held their 1-0 advantage into the intermission. Trinity, however, came out of the break strong.

Four minutes into second half action, the Bantams capitalized on one of their five penalty corners as Sarah Duncan inserted to Julia Rivera. Rivera then set up Sophie Doering who netted the equalizer.

Trinity took the lead just under two minutes later after earning a penalty stroke. First year Samantha Sandler converted the try to give the Bantams their first lead of the day.

The home team maintained this lead for the majority of the second half.

Finally with seven minutes remaining in play, the Jeffs were able to re-tie the score. After a scrum in front of the net, Amherst earned a penalty stroke of their own. Senior captain Zsitvay converted the try to knot things at two, pro-

viding for an exciting few final minutes.

Amherst took the lead with under four minutes remaining in regulation. Nygren made a strong move to beat the Trinity keeper and tucked the ball into the far left corner.

Trinity did mount a comeback attempt, firing three shots on net in the final minute of play, but the Amherst defense was able to turn away the offensive drive and secure the victory.

Amherst goalkeeper Rachel Tannenbaum ’15 finished with seven saves on the day.

The win improved the team to a 12-2 record on the season and a 9-1 standing in NESCAC play. This secured the No. 1 seed in NESCAC playoffs for the Jeffs and also home field advantage throughout the NESCACs. They playoffs began on Saturday, Nov. 2 with a rematch of the Homecoming game against Wesleyan. Amherst had defeated the Cardinals 4-3 in the regular season and would again win by a one-goal margin.

The Cardinals came into the match with a 5-9 regular season record and as the No. 8 seed in NESCAC playoffs.

Both teams mounted impressive scoring chances early.

The first opportunity came for Wesleyan about fifteen minutes into play. Mackey Hemphill ripped a shot on goal that dinged off the post. Tannenbaum was able to turn away the junior’s second shot and end the offensive effort.

Amherst responded to this effort in the

twenty forth minute. Ellie Andersen ’15 inserted a corner pass to Zsitvay who finished the play, earning her twelfth goal of the season and the lead for Amherst.

Both sides did mount offensive opportunities for the remainder of play, but stingy defense and impressive goaltending kept both sides off the board.

Defender Annie Turnbull ’16 stepped up and was impressive in key moments for the Jeffs, making numerous defensive stops. At the start of the second half she was able to make a goal line stop to keep Wesleyan off the board.

Zsitvay’s goal proved to be the game winner as the Jeffs defeated the Cardinals for the second time on the season and improved to 3-0 all time in post-season play against their Little Three rival. It also earned the senior NESCAC Player of the Week honors.

The advantage fell Amherst’s way in shots and corners, 13-7 and 13-3 respectively.

Tannenbaum had her third shutout of the season and made five saves on the day.

The NESCAC Semifinals will take place on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Gooding Field. The Jeffs will take on No. 4 seed, Middlebury, at 11:30. The Jeffs fell to Midd, 4-3, in overtime of their season opener.

No. 2 Tufts will face No. 3 Bowdoin following the first contest. Winners of both matches will go head to head in the NESCAC Finals on Sunday, Nov. 10 at noon on Gooding Field.

10 Sports

Schedule

FRIDAY Volleyball vs. Middlebury (NESCAC Quarterfinals @ Williams), 8 p.m.

SATURDAY Women’s Cross Country @ ECAC Championships, TBD Men’s Cross Country @ ECAC Championships, 12 p.m.

Volleyball vs. TBD (NESCAC Semifinals), TBD Field Hockey vs. Middlebury (NESCAC Semifinals), 11 a.m.

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Men’s Soccer vs. Bowdoin, (NESCAC Semifinals), 1:30 p.m.

Football @ Williams, 12 p.m.

SUNDAY Volleyball vs. TBD (NESCAC Championship), TBD Field Hockey vs. TBD (NESCAC Championship), TBD Men’s Soccer vs. TBD, (NESCAC Championship), TBD

Women’s Soccer Out of Contention for NESCAC Title

Reid McWilliams ’16 Public Affairs Office 5IF FGGPSUT PG .BZB +BDLTPO (JCTPO ’14 and the rest of the Jeffs were not enough to remain in championship contention.

Chris Rigas ’16 Staff Writer The Amherst women’s soccer season most likely came to an end this week, with two onegoal losses to Trinity.

The second loss bounced the Jeffs from the NESCAC tournament in the first round, which will more than likely leave them on the outside of the NCAA tournament field.

Amherst and Trinity each entered their final regular season contest with 18 points in conference play, which tied them for fourth place. The winner of Wednesday’s game would therefore host the first round of the eight-team NESCAC tournament.

The teams played a scoreless first half, although Trinity outshot the Jeffs 8-2, including an effort from Karyn Barrett that rattled the crossbar in the second minute.

The Bantams maintained the pressure early in the second half, and Elisa Dolan scored, with an assist from Barrett, in the 61st minute.

Amanda Brisco ’14 and Sarah Zuckerman ’17 led the Jeffs’ attempts to find an equalizer, but Trinity managed to hold on for the 1-0 win.

Trinity finished 7-3 in the NESCAC, good for fourth place, and Amherst finished in fifth at 5-2-3, meaning that the teams would meet in the first round of the conference tournament.

For Trinity, the win continued an impressive turnaround from 2012, where the Bantams finished 3-7 and failed to qualify for the

NESCAC tournament.

Saturday’s quarterfinal in Hartford was the first time the two teams had met in the NESCAC tournament.

The Jeffs were the better team in the early stages of the first half, and Sarah Duffy ’14 put them ahead when her shot in the 19th minute beat Trinity keeper Monica DiFiori and flew into the top left corner.

Trinity fought back quickly, however, and Julia Leahy found Barrett at point-blank range for the tying goal.

The Bantams continued their momentum at the start of the second half. In the 49th minute, Barrett assisted Abbey Lake for what would turn out to be the game-winning goal.

With the 2-1 victory, Trinity moved on to the semifinals. They will play Williams next Saturday in Middlebury for a spot in the NESCAC finals held on Sunday.

Amherst is left to hope that the NCAA selection committee will award them an at large bid to the tournament field. Although the format is not the same every year, the committee typically invites 64 teams, including about 43 bids to teams that have won their conferences, which leaves about 21 at large bids.

The Jeffs’ fifth place NESCAC finish and early exit from the conference would seem to make a bid a long shot, but their overall record of 9-3-3 remains impressive, as does their early season win over 14th ranked Middlebury.

The situation leaves Amherst seniors unsure of whether they have played their final games. “I just want to thank my teammates for teaching me love and never letting me battle through anything alone, soccer and nonsoccer related,� said senior Chloe McKenzie. “Four years on this team has not just made me a better soccer player. I was able to find the value in relationships with others, especially my teammates. Battling injuries over and over again, I haven’t had better teammates who have supported me through it all. I got to spend it with my best friends.�

Captain Kate Sisk ’14 added, “I’m so thankful to be a part of AWS. My four years of soccer here at Amherst have been so fun and special, and I’ll always appreciate the chance I’ve had to play the beautiful game with these beautiful people.�

The team will find out next Monday if they have received a bid, and if their season will continue.

When asked to reflect on the 2013 fall, Coach Jen Hughes remarked, “We had a great group this year, and despite some tough results, especially recently, I truly enjoyed the season. We worked hard, we improved, and we had fun ‌ which is exactly what we set out to do. The senior class is a wonderful class, and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to work with them and watch them grow over the last 4 years — individually and collectively. They will leave some big shoes to fill.â€?

players of the week

Chris Tamasi ’15

Sarah Duffy ‘14

Favorite Team Memory: Defeating Trinity

Favorite Team Memory: 2011 season: We went 20-1, beat Williams twice and were NESCAC champs!

If you didn’t play volleyball, which sport would you play?: Quidditch Pet Peeve: When people sit around a table and text other people instead of talking to each other.

Celebrity Crush: Kate Sisk Favorite Movie: “10 Things I Hate About You�

Favorite Book: The Giving Tree Favorite Food: Ice Cream Favorite Thing About Amherst: All the amazing friends I have!

If you didn’t play football, which sport would you play?: Ice Hockey Pet Peeve: Backseat drivers Celebrity Crush: Leonardo DiCaprio Favorite Movie: “Into the Wild�

Favorite Book: No Country for Old Men Favorite Food: BBQ Pulled Pork Favorite Thing About Amherst: The view from Memorial Hill

Volleyball Splits on Final Regular Season Weekend Andy Knox ’16 Managing Sports Editor Heading into the last weekend of regular season play, the Firedogs looked to end the season strong. After a resounding 3-1 victory at Wesleyan, Amherst stumbled to a 3-0 loss to Trinity. Even with the split, Amherst remained in third place in NESCAC heading into the allimportant NESCAC tournament this weekend.

Amherst jumped on host Wesleyan early by taking the first game 25-15 behind excellent defense that lead into efficient offense.

The Firedogs held the Cardinals to a .057 hitting percentage, while hitting .423 on the first game. After the opening game the Firedogs looked to continue their pace of play. “Our goal for the Wesleyan match was to stay consistently aggressive, and I think we achieved that,� first-year Nicole Gould said.

The Firedogs continued to push the pace and won the second game 25-19. Amherst has played excellent defense all season and faced one of the NESCACs top attackers in Wesleyan’s Kim Farris. Amherst refused to let her beat them and they held her to a .048 hitting percentage on the match. The Firedogs held Wesleyan to a .130 hitting percentage as a team and combined for eight blocks on the match.

After jumping out to the early two game to zero lead on the Cardinals, however, Wesleyan fought back and won the third game 25-20.

Amherst wouldn’t be denied the win after fighting so hard early and won the decisive fourth game handily 25-17.

The Firedogs were lead by Maggie Danner ’17 who led all attackers with 22 kills and Nicole Carter ’16 who was responsible for 50 assists.

After the big NESCAC win the night before, Amherst fell flat against Trinity. The Bantams took a page from the Firedogs’ playbook and used great defense along with efficient offense to win the match. The Firedogs were unable to get into a rhythm offensively and were held to a .116 hitting percentage for the match.

Trinity battled and won the first game 2522 before decisively winning the second game 25-13. Although Amherst was able to make the third game close, they ultimately couldn’t stop the Bantam’s momentum and lost 25-21.

Danner and Gould led Amherst with 10 and 11 kills respectively. Carter played another strong match posting a double double with 23 assists and 13 digs. Katie Warshaw ’16 contin-

ued to make her case as one of the NESCAC’s top defensive players by notching 34 digs.

With the loss, Amherst finished the regular season with a mark of 19-7 overall and 7-3 in NESCAC play. That mark was good enough for third place in regular season play and a match up with rival Middlebury this Friday. “We are all really excited and focused for NESCACs this weekend. In preparation, we’re working on both our strengths and weaknesses in practice,� Gould said.

Williams will host the NESCAC tournament since they won the regular season crown, but Amherst looks to have a great chance at the tournament crown.

Amherst split their matches against Middlebury this season, and lost in a tight match two weekends ago 3-2. However, the Firedogs have to be excited that they swept Middlebury earlier in the season on the road.

If the Firedogs win Friday night, they will face the winner of the Trinity-Bowdoin matchup. If that match goes as expected, Amherst will face a very dangerous Bowdoin team that swept the Firedogs in late September. This is a very different Amherst team, however, and isn’t intimidated by Bowdoin or any other NESCAC foe.

Rob Mattson Public Affairs Office Maggie Danner ’17 stuffs a Wesleyan kill attempt.

5IF "NIFSTU 4UVEFOU t /PWFNCFS

Sports 11

XC Teams Look to Rebound at Coach Spotlight ECACs After Slow Weekend

E.J. Mills

,BSM (SFFOCMBUU "OEZ ,OPY

Holly Burwick ’16 Staff Writer

pare to compete in the ECAC Championships at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Men This past Saturday the Amherst men’s cross country team competed in the NESCAC Championships at Harkness Memorial Park in Waterford, Conn. The Jeffs finished seventh overall at the event.

Williams placed three runners in the top ten and subsequently won the NESCAC title with 51 points. Middlebury took second with 62 points, followed by Tufts in third with 103 points. Trailing these top three teams were Bowdoin (114), Colby (117), Bates (148), Amherst (180), Conn. College (201), Hamilton (234), Wesleyan (258) and Trinity (353).

Paving the way for the Jeffs yet again this season was Dan Crowley ’16. Crowley took 24th overall with a time of 25:36. This season Crowley has been a huge contributor for the Jeffs, finishing as the top finisher in four out of the six events thus far.

KC Fussell ’15 was second on the squad with a 25:43 finishing time and was a second shy of his team-leading time at the championship last year.

Rounding out the top five were Charlie Reighard ’14, Alvaro Morales ’14 and Greg Turissini ’15 finishing in times of 25:56, 26:01, and 26:08 respectively. These times placed these runners in 39th, 41st and 45th.

Raymond Meijer ’17 and Steven Lucey ’17 were the first-year contributors in the race for the Jeffs with respective finishing times of 26:28 and 26:32.

“From a time perspective it went pretty well as most of the guys ran faster times than they have this season which is good. It was a fast course and ideal conditions and the first real opportunity to run quick times,” Coach Erik “Ned” Nedeau said.

The times certainly were quicker as the top individual finisher, Michael LeDuc of Conn.

College, completed the race in 24:35, 18 seconds faster than the previous course record.

Coach Nedeau added, “While we ran quickly, I don’t think we were as competitive in the race as we are capable of being … We have been training extremely well … not sure if we needed a little more rest to let the training fully sink in or if the guys got a little panicked when they saw the quick times for the opening mile and backed off … we lost contact with the groups of runners we should have been pushing with.”

The Jeffs plan to sort this out as they pre-

Women The Amherst women’s cross country team competed in the NESCAC Championship this past Saturday at Conn. College. The Jeffs placed eighth out of the eleven competing NESCAC teams.

Middlebury took home the title after placing its seven top runners in the top-12 of the entire field. Behind Middlebury’s 29 points, was Williams with 51 points and Tufts took third with 90 points. Following these top three teams were Bates (138), Hamilton (147), Colby (183), Conn. College (188), Amherst (192), Bowdoin (235), Wesleyan (289) and Trinity (333).

In the field of 126 runners, Williams’ Kaleigh Kenny ’14 set the pace as the top individual finisher with a course record time of 21:20.0. Both the men’s and women’s competitions this weekend set record breaking paces.

Lizzy Briskin ’15 and Catherine Lowdon ’17 led the Jeffs. Briskin finished just sixth tenths of a second before Lowdon (23:01.8) with a time of 23:01.2. Briskin took 40th overall and 36th in respect to team scoring. Last season Briskin placed 14th at this same meet with a time of 22:14.04.

When asked to comment on the day, Briskin said, “We were hoping for a better performance as a team, to help our national standings, but we are looking forward to Regionals in a couple of weeks to beat some of the teams that caught us this past week.”

Briskin and Lowdon have consistently been top finishers for the Jeffs with Lowdon finishing second for Amherst at the Little Three Championship that took place several weeks ago.

Betsy Black ’16 was the third finisher for the Jeffs. Her 23:04.6 finish marked improvement from last year’s event, which she finished in a time of 23:07.52.

Also factoring into the scoring for the Jeffs were Jessie Kaliski ’15 (23:14.4), Caroline Rose ’16 (23:18.4), Savanna Gornisiewicz ’17 (23:20.2) and Lisa Walker ’14 (23:32.5).

Gornisiewicz has also been a consistently strong finisher for the Jeffs, finishing first for the team at the Purple Valley Classic and UMass Invitational earlier on this season.

The Jeffs will continue their 2013 campaign this Saturday, Nov. 9 at the ECAC Championships.

Men’s Rugby Blasts Williams to End Season 6-0 Andy Knox ’16 Sports Section Editor

“There’s never a down day around here,” veteran football coach E.J. Mills said, showcasing the attitude that has made him and his teams so successful during his Amherst tenure. The man who orchestrated two undefeated seasons in three years discussed his road to the Pioneer Valley and some of his favorite coaching experiences.

Q: Tell us about your early life and athletic background.

A: I grew up in Rochester, N.Y. and went to an all boys Catholic high school that actually went co-ed while I was there.

High school is where I really got into the game of football, but also the pageantry. We had great football tradition, and the sport was very important to the school.

I was actually also a baseball player in high school and then continued to play baseball throughout my time at Dayton Univ.

At that point in my life, my focus was on becoming a high school history teacher and coaching football and baseball.

Right after graduating I worked at Midlakes High School, where I taught social studies and coached there for two years.

I got my start in college coaching at SUNY Albany as a graduate assistant for basically no pay. It was a great opportunity for me because I was given a ton of responsibility my first year, and I also connected with Coach Siedlecki. I was the head JV coach my first year and then became the secondary coach my second year.

After that I moved on to Ramapo College where I became their defensive coordinator in 1992, but they dropped football after that year.

It was at that point that I came to Amherst and became the defensive coordinator for Coach Siedlecki. I held that position until he became the head coach at Yale Univ. in 1996.

I became the interim head coach in 1997 and went 7-1 before losing to Williams in the closing seconds. I’ve been here as the head coach ever since!

Q: What would you say drew you to Amherst?

A: To be honest, when I first came here I didn’t know all that much about Amherst. After Ramapo dropped their program I was looking for a job, and I loved coaching with Coach Siedlecki going back to my days at SUNY Albany.

I knew a little bit about the history of Amherst football and the Amherst-Williams rivalry, but I didn’t really know what to expect.

I was really floored by how beautiful the was, but I was really drawn to the kids and how serious they were about academics and football.

After going through the league the first year and getting a sense for NESCAC rivalries I was hooked. Especially after experiencing the emotion of the game against Williams that year even in a bad loss, I knew this was the place for me.

Q: What was it like once you finally broke through with a championship in 2009?

A: We had been very close a couple of times to going undefeated, but ’09 was a special group.

We had a bunch of amazing guys that worked their butts off. Every one of the games was ridiculously close, but we always found a way to win.

The Amherst Men’s Rugby team took the pitch against archrival Williams last Saturday, where they demolished the Ephs 34-3.

After jumping out to a quick 10-0 lead in the first half, the Jeffs exploded in the second half to Q: Can you compare the ’09 team to the undego on a 24-3 run. Junior Jordan Pinsky and Sam feated 2011 team?

Seham ’16 were responsible for Amherst’s tries in A: 2009 was a little different because it was such the first half. uncharted waters, and we had gone into WilWilliams tried to mount a second half come liamstown three previous times and screwed it back, but Ianni Drivas ’15 came up and made a big up. hit on the opening kickoff of the second half to stop In 2011, we absolutely dominated the whole any thought of a comeback. Captain Kevin Hull season and went up to Williams that year know’15, Julian Scott ’14, Micah Rotich ’14 and Cody ing we would crush them, and we did.

Pfun-Pulliam ’16 were responsible for Amherst’s Other than giving up that late touchdown tries in the second half. on the Hail Mary, which is probably the thing I Pinsky played an excellent game at scrum-half remember the most about the game, we played and scored a try in the first half. lights out. We played really well. Kevin Ferber Key to Amherst’s success was the ability to ’12 especially played really well. It was an excelmove the ball and constantly stay in William’s half. lent team overall.

Photo courtesy of Su Sailer The win capped off an undefeated fall season for the Jeffs and provides a lot of momentum head- $BQUBJO ,FWJO )VMM BOE UIF +FGGT Q: Any thoughts on this season? enjoyed an undefeated fall. ing into the spring season.

A: This is a great group to coach. They are a lot

of fun, but they are very hard workers and have gutted out a number of tough victories.

We lost a tough game to Wesleyan, and we have to give them a lot of credit. While we made mistakes, we have to give them credit for that.

This group has worked incredibly hard and has overcome a significant number of injuries and that was set up back, but a number of guys have stepped up.

Q: Thoughts about the upcoming game against Williams?

A: I’m just really excited for these guys. The seniors are playing their last game and we want to send them off right. We know Williams is a very good team. They lost in the last seconds to Trinity, almost beat Bates and had an opportunity to beat Wesleyan. They have lost some really close games and this is a very dangerous team that is capable on both sides of the ball. We need to play a very good game if we are going to beat them.

This is their last game on Weston Field, and we know that we are going to have our hands full.

We just need to have a good week of preparation.

Q: Can you point to the most rewarding or hardest thing about coaching?

A: I think the most rewarding thing about coaching is the relationships that you have with your players and coaches. The thing that you hope you are doing is teaching the guys a lot more than just the game of football. These are life lessons that I want them to take away.

One of the things that I preach is being consistent, which is saying that you are going to show up every day ready to go. I also preach that E=R, or effort equals results. Attitude is something that is very important to me because I believe that 10 percent of life is what happens to you and the other 90 percent is how you respond to what happens in life. Those are things that I constantly talk about and things that I lead by example.

The goals that I have for the guys in the program are to become the best person, student and athlete that they can be. I really want them to have a sense of work ethic and understand the important of a good work ethic as they move forward to become the best husband, father and whatever else they want to do. That’s where my personal satisfaction comes from. It is giving kids a little bit to think about as they enter the next phase of their lives in the workplace.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your family.

A: My wife Angela went to Amherst and was a Hitchcock Fellow in 1995 when we first met. She was coaching volleyball and basketball and we started dating in 1996. She became the interim head volleyball coach at Mount Holyoke and then at a prep school for a couple years before becoming the head coach at Trinity College and then Smith College before stopping two years ago. We have two boys, JB, 11, and Nate, 9. They go to Crocker Farms elementary and are in 6th and 4th grades respectively. They are sports fanatics and play football, basketball and baseball.

I get to coach them in the spring for baseball which I really enjoy. They are all incredibly supportive of me. This can be a very tough job and I know that I couldn’t’ do it without them.

Q: Finally, do you have any post-football plans?

A: I really believe that there is no better place than Amherst for me. To me, coaching is teaching and educating and Amherst gives me the best environment to do that. I really like to be hands on in the coaching world, but I also want to impact guys off the football field. I’m very happy here, and I want to keep doing what we are doing here for a very long time.

Sports

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Football Tops Trinity in Family Weekend Showdown With Win at Williams, Jeffs Could Share NESCAC Crown Varun Iyengar ’14 Senior Staff Writer In a game with significant NESCAC Championship implications, Amherst football edged the Trinity Bantams 17-16 on Saturday to move to 6-1 on the season.

Playing at home with a large Family Weekend crowd on hand, the Jeffs’ defense came through in the clutch, making several important stops in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

The winning effort was aided by a missed Trinity extra point in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter that would have tied the game.

For Trinity, the loss marked their second in a row after their streak of 15 consecutive victories came to an end last weekend at Middlebury.

With the loss, the Bantams have now mathematically fallen out of the race for the NESCAC title.

Before the conclusion of the Amherst game, Wesleyan hung on to beat Williams, 16-14, securing the Little III title (their first in 43 years) in the process. The Jeffs needed a victory in order to remain in contention for a share of the NESCAC title. The Bantams, meanwhile, hoped to set themselves up to control their own destiny in the final week of the season. Unfortunately for them, Amherst was just a bit better in the late moments.

That said, the Jeffs were a bit better in the early moments as well. Getting off to a quick start, Amherst’s defense set the tone with an interception on Trinity’s second possession. In a critical play, the Bantams lined up for a 42-yard field goal on fourth down but instead ran a fake.

It did not fool the Jeffs, however; Max Lehrman ’15 picked off first-year quarterback and holder Sunny Puzzo’s pass, returning the ball to the Bantams’ 45-yard line. “We always talk about doing your job, and Max did his job on that play,� coach E.J. Mills said. “He’s a defensive tackle who’s not normally in that mode, but he just sniffed it out. That was

a huge play in the game that gave us momentum and field position.�

Taking advantage of the outstanding field position, the Jeffs worked the ball inside the 30yard line before the Bantams’ defense stepped up.

Putting an end to Amherst’s drive, Trinity forced the Jeffs to settle for a field goal, a 44-yarder from senior Phillip Nwosu that split the uprights and gave the Jeffs a 3-0 lead.

Looking to pad that advantage, Amherst forced another turnover on the Bantams’ next possession. This time, it was Jimmy FairfieldSonn ’16 who stepped up, making a diving catch at the Amherst 37 to snag the Jeffs’ second interception of the game.

Hoping to capitalize on the Bantams’ mistake, the Jeffs’ quarterback tandem of Alex Berluti ’17 and Max Lippe ’15 put together an impressive drive. With his first pass, Berluti found senior wide receiver Wade McNamara for a 36yard reception that got the chains moving. Later in the drive, McNamara was the beneficiary of a Lippe pass as well, saving a third-and-eight situation with a 13-yard reception.

After picking up five yards along the ground, Lippe fired a 16-yard strike to wide receiver Jake O’Malley ’14 that got the Jeffs to the one-yard line. The junior quarterback kept it himself on the next play, running it into the end zone to give Amherst a 10-0 lead.

With their backs against the wall, however, the Bantams finally found their offensive rhythm. Buoyed by a 38-yard return of the Amherst kickoff, Trinity started with solid field position at the Amherst 49-yardline.

Looking to the air, the Bantams quickly moved downfield, marching inside the Amherst red zone within five plays. Unfortunately for them, they were unable to move any further, as Amherst’s defense came up with three big stops to force a field goal. The kick cut the deficit to 10-3, and that score would hold heading into halftime.

Returning from the intermission, both teams struggled to score. Turnover troubles plagued the offenses as each squad squandered great opportunities. Amherst botched a handoff on a read option at the Trinity ten, while the Bantams also lost a fumble inside Amherst territory.

With the sheer number of opportunities on both sides, it was inevitable that one offense would eventually break through. Unfortunately for the Jeffs, it was Trinity who regained its rhythm first.

Looking to the air, the Bantams came up with two big plays to spur their comeback. A 17-yard strike early in the drive got the Bantams into Amherst’s half of the field, and, one play later, Puzzo found wide receiver Chris Ragone for a 29-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at ten.

After the evaporation of the Jeffs’ lead, the pressure was now squarely on the hometown offense. Amherst responded with poise, as Lippe completed four consecutive passes to begin the drive, moving the chains and building confidence in the offense. That effort included a big connection with first-year Nick Kelly, who broke a tackle and gained 27 yards before being brought down in Trinity territory.

Building on that momentum, Lippe connected with O’Malley for 16 yards to get the Jeffs inside the Trinity red zone. One play later, a 17yard touchdown strike from Lippe to Gene Garay ’15 gave Amherst the lead once again, 17-10, with under seven minutes to play.

Trinity, though, did not go away. Their offense retook the field, making multiple big plays to strike back quickly and efficiently. Starting at their own 22-yardline, Trinity covered 78 yards in eight plays to cut the deficit to one point, 1716.

First-year Bantams’ kicker Ben Rosenblatt, however, gave the Jeffs a tremendous gift as he failed to convert the extra point attempt. With just under four minutes remaining in the game,

the kick sailed wide left and gave Amherst a huge opportunity to run out the clock and escape with the victory. “We always talk about the importance of special teams,� Mills said. “We preach giving great effort on extra points, and our guys were working hard off the edge to get pressure. I believe we affected that kick.�

To their credit, however, the Bantams still did not relent. The Jeffs needed to convert at least one first down to seal the victory, but the Trinity defense stepped up. Putting up a wall, the Bantams forced Amherst into a three-and-out to give their offense one last chance to score.

Fortunately for the Jeffs, their defense bailed them out once again. Needing to prevent the Bantams from reaching field goal range, Amherst did just that, making two tackles for a loss to put Trinity in a tough spot.

Facing fourth-and-12 inside their own territory, Trinity had one final opportunity to keep their hopes alive, but the Jeffs forced an errant pass to seal their victory. Taking over with under a minute to play, the Jeffs took a knee and put the finishing touches on a wild fourth quarter.

With the victory, Amherst head coach E.J. Mills earned his 100th career win. “That was such a hard-fought game,� Mills said. “They have such a good program, and I have so much respect for their staff and their team. In all phases, we did the little things that you have to do. I was really proud of the guys; they played really hard in all phases, and we were able to answer. When [Trinity] scored to tie it, we came right back down the field.�

While their fortune is not entirely in their hands, Amherst will try and do their part by finishing out the season with a victory next Saturday. The Jeffs will travel to Williamstown to take on their archrivals, looking to spoil the Ephs’ Homecoming and end the season on a high note.

With a win and a Wesleyan loss, the Jeffs would claim a share of the NESCAC Championship.