Issue 23

Sports

Men’s Tennis Remains Undefeated

Jeffs top Tufts and No. 22 Skidmore Page 9

We dne sday, A pri l  ,    

Volume CXLI No. 

Amherst, Massachusetts

Judiciary Council Makes Ruling Brianda Reyes ’14 and Siyu Shen ’15 Editor-in-Chief and A&L Section Editor Last Saturday, the Judiciary Council of the Association of Amherst Students released their decision on the election complaint concerning the elections held on April 5. The JC decided to nullify the results of the presidential and treasurer elections, while not punishing any of the elections’ candidates, and to run a new election for those two races. The JC also decided to release the results of the vice president, secretary and judiciary council chair positions.

The JC began its process Sunday, April 8 when it met to decide whether the complaint was valid or not. At that three-hour meeting, they decided that the complaint was valid. According to JC member Allan Landman ’14, it was “very easy” to decide that it was valid based on this evidence. During that meeting, they also deliberated on constitutionally-mandated.

That public hearing was held on Thursday, April 12. Every candidate that had run for an executive board position was invited to attend to provide their testimony, as were Ian Hatch ’14 and Alex Hurst ’12. However, they were not required to attend since there is nothing in the Constitution that would force them to attend the meeting. Everyone except Alex Stein ’13, Diwa Cody ’14, Josh Mayer ’13, and Alex Southmayd ’15 showed up at the hearing, although Mayer and Southmayd both submitted statements in their place.

During the meeting, Alex Hurst ’12,

College Increases Tuition for 201213 by Four Percent Ethan Corey ’15 News Section Editor

email to students and other members of the College community announcing the Comprehensive Fee for the 2012-2013 academic year. The fee, which covers tuition, room and board, will be increased to $55,510. This represents a four percent increase over the 2011-2012 fee, making it approximately of time. The Comprehensive Fee is determined each year by the Board of Trustees based on the recommendations of the Administration, after consultation with the Committee on Priorities and Resources, which represents student and faculty opinions to the Administration regarding the College’s budget priorities.

College Treasurer Peter Shea said the sharp Photo by Brianda Reyes ’14

Morgan Cole ’13, Allen Landman ’14, Christina Won ’15 and Andrew Herrara ’14, left to right, sat on the Judiciary Council for the election dispute hearing.

George Tepe ’14 and Tania Dias ’13 each made statements. Hatch gave his testimony as Elections Committee Chair and as the repeated in his statement that the numbers Josh Mayer ’14 was reported to have received from Diwa Cody ’14 matched those he had seen while monitoring election re-

that they had not received any information regarding the ballot numbers during the elections.

Following the public hearing the Judiciary Council, which included acting chair Cole Morgan ’13, Landman, Andrew Herrera ’14 and Christina Won ’15, met to discuss their decision. The JC went to IT for live

education in the United States.

“Colleges like Amherst are very labor intensive. Close to 60 percent of the operating budget College. In order to give meaningful raises to the tirement, health insurance, etc.), the College needs addition, as a residential College, the other large expenses in the budget are directly tied to the buildings … A major expense is housing and providing food to students. These expenses also go

Every e-board candidate not part of the See Final, page 2

See Salaries, page 2

Juniors Hanish and Shoieb Win Truman Scholarships On March 30, two Amherst students, Bess Hanish ’13 and Khan Shoieb ’13, received the Truman Scholarship, a prestigious award givniors with exceptional leadership potential who are committed to careers

Opinion

cacy sectors, education or elsewhere in the public service.” The Truman Scholarship was created in 1975 as a living memorial to the eponymous president and is administered by the

Stein ’13Weighs in on Election He cites “common distrust as the real scandal.”

Page 4

Truman Foundation, an indepedent federal executive branch agency led by former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright. Truman Schol-

in public service, communication skills and academic talent that would assure acceptance to a top-tier graduate school. Potential applicants must

support for graduate study, as well as leadership training and networking opportunities with other Truman Scholars and alumni.

Applicants must undergo a rigorous and thorough application process, meticulously mapping out their goals for the next 15 years of their life. Candidates are judged on the basis of four criteria: service on campus and in the community, commitment to a career

institution before competing against hundreds of other applicants from around the country. From these, the Foundation chooses approximately by panels of judges in their home regions. In the end, only 50-75 applicants receive the scholarship. Notable past recipients include Amherst alum and U.S. Senator Chris Coons ’85.

Hanish hopes to use the award to

attend Yale Law School and would one day like to work as legal counsel for the United Nations. Hanish applied for the scholarship after meeting current Truman Scholars and Finalists through the TRIALS program, a summer study program for students from underrepresented backgrounds schools. “I met these people, two Scholars and one Finalist, and they told me that it was a great program for people interested in going into law and public service, and I thought that sounded like something I was into.

When I found out how competitive

RomCom Review Wang ’14 reviews “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

A&L

Ethan Corey ’15 News Section Editor

Page 6

The independent newspaper of Amherst College since .

this program was, I was a bit discouraged, but, as you can see, I persisted and here I am,” said Hanish.

Shoieb applied for the award because he saw it as a way for him to help change domestic policy in the United States. Shoieb’s views the Scholarship as an important step on the road to one day leading the Domestic Policy Council in the White House. “The Truman was always a long shot, but I applied for it because I thought it would bring me one step closer to placing myself in a posiSee Two, page 3

Page 

The Amherst Student, April , 

Final Decision Made Salaries, Inflation Contribute Concerning Election Complaint to Increased Tuition Continued from page 1

looking at college costs do not understand how

Continued from page 1

“Institutions like Amherst provide the nec-

results to see the behavior of the poll numbers

ford the sticker price. For those students and families Amherst is addressing the cost issue in a meaningful way,” Shea said.

This rate of tuition increases is comparable to increases at Amherst’s peer institutions, Williams, for example, saw a 4.1 percent increase from $54,545 to $56,770, while Wesleyan saw a 3.9 percent increase from $56,036 to $58,232.

Other institutions, such as Middlebury, have policies in place to ensure that tuition increases do not deviate too far from the previous year’s

Another major expense, library materials, also

secondary education has increased enormously for middle-class families. Many experts,

cial aid has always been a priority for Amherst in terms of budgeting and fundraising, the College has set aside ample resources for the

fused to release the results and records because they felt it violated the students’ privacy. The JC’s decision rested on whether or not anyone had illicit information that could have had an effect on the outcome of the election. They decided that it was likely that the treasurer election and presidential election would have been affected by this access, but the JC chose not to sanction anyone from the elections, due to a lack of concrete electronic evidence.

“But we heard no evidence or testimony that that information had affected the other races. So we let those races stand and called for re-elections for the presidential and treasurer elections,” Morgan said.

However, Landman disagreed with the rest of the JC’s decision to pass a neutral, rather than punitive, decision. In regards to the public trial, he felt that the fact that a substantial number of candidates did not show undermined the formal procedures and control of the Judiciary Council, and they should have been ordered to show up. Landman also disagreed with the administration’s decision to deny the JC results of who had accessed the website, stating that he did not believe it was an issue of privacy.

Regarding the elections, Landman said, “I

say that such high increases are unsustainable and serve to increase economic inequality in the United States.

Shea acknowledged the complexity of the issue concerning the high stated fees in higher education and felt that one of the problems is that the general public and many families

need on the part of students. Keep in mind, too, that the majority of students do not even pay full price: During this academic year, for example, 55 percent of students are receiving scholarship and grant aid from Amherst and the average college aid package is $39,541,” Hanna said.

barring these people from these next elections.

They’re not running again, but that’s not the point. I believe that they shouldn’t run again [ever], seeing that they broke the entire system.”

He added that the ruling essentially disposed of the JC branch, setting a precedent in

facts make it very hard to keep increases in the out reducing the level of service, instructional or living, to the students,” Shea said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics indices for food and energy show that these costs have increased by 3.3 and 4.6 percent respectively over the past 12 months, and accounting for the majority of the Fee increase appears to expenses for College employees. This year’s Fee increase is relatively low compared to the years, and the 4.6 percent average annual increase over the past ten years.

According to the College Board, average tuition at American colleges and universities has increased by over 130 percent since 1992.

In addition, the Comprehensive Fee at the College has risen by $18,600, or 50.4 percent since 2003. For comparison, median income in the United States has barely kept up with

posed budget and tuition increases about a month before Board of Trustees votes to allow for input from the community before the Board College Director of Media Relations Caroline Hanna said that the College was prepared that will come as a result of the Fee increase. that Amherst meets the full demonstrated need of every student, and that has not changed with

which it has no power.

“This was a slap on the wrist [for those involved with the complaint] ... What stops them from doing it again?” Landman said.

In an effort to prevent something like this past election from happening again, Noah Gordon ’14 introduced an amendment that was discussed during Monday’s Senate meeting. Under the new constitutional amendment, members of the election committee planning to run for an e-board position must resign from the committee. This amendment was unanimously passed by the Senate. As all members of the election committee are running for re-election, all of them have resigned in this period. “[I wrote this amendment] because no one else was doing it, and I thought it needed to be done,” Gordon said. “When things aren’t going to make them better.” wide on Saturday, April 15. The email included a link to the election results from the vice president, secretary and JC chair elections. Gordon was the only one to secure his position as secretary. Jasjaap Sidhu ’14 and George Tepe ’14 will face in a run-off for the vice presidency, while Meghna Sridhar ’14 and Alex Southmayd

run in the run-off, despite qualifying for it.

Update on “Further Allegations Made Concerning Executive Board:” Josh Mayer ’13 did not bring up his allegations concerning George Tepe ’14 and Romen Borsellino ’12 to the Judiciary Council

THE CAMPUS CRIME LOG Entries from April 9 to April 16, 2012 Apr. 9, 2012 11:17 a.m., Wieland Dormitory Apr. 12, 2012 12:40 a.m., North Dormitory

10:32 p.m., Hitchcock A resident reported the theft of $140

was involved in a domestic issue. No further assistance was needed. The

plaint and found that some people were playing a video game loudly in a

11:13 p.m., Hitchcock

12:02 p.m., Seligman House

1:49 a.m., Davis Dormitory

and found it was accidentally tripped by maintenance work. The system was reset.

loud music and issued a warning at a

6:34 p.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory

8:44 p.m., Valentine Dormitory A student reported the theft of a bicycle from the bike rack near Valentine.

Case open.

loud music and found a group of stu-

vending machine. Case open.

Apr. 11, 2012 1:03 a.m., Pond Dormitory sponded to an alarm and found it activated when someone pulled an alarm station for no apparent reason. They system was reset. Subsequent inves-

non-residents were asked to leave.

Apr 14, 2012 12:41 a.m., Mayo Smith House

Apr. 15, 2012 12:32 a.m., Marsh House

amount of vomit in a bathroom sink and a smashed exit sign. Facilities

found none.

determined it was someone autho-

2:05 a.m., Pond

1:38 a.m., Davis Dormitory Apr. 13, 2012 1:27 a.m., Hitchcock House loud music and issued a warning to approximately 10 students found in the common room.

responsible for sounding the alarm.

2:36 a.m., Pond

matter was referred to the Dean’s Of-

of loud music and issued a warning at

11:36 p.m., Jenkins Dormitory

3:44 a.m., Alumni House

about the odor of marijuana in the building and traced it to a second-

intoxicated man outside the building.

had a gathering of friends and the person who smoked was no longer there.

A can used to smoke the marijuana

with very loud music. It was turned off.

neighboring college and was transported to his residence.

discovered an unlicensed keg. It was $100.

12:38 a.m., Marsh While questioning a man about the possession of alcohol, the man presented a false driver’s license. The

11:23 p.m., North

Motor Vehicles.

for a noise complaint but found nothing.

12:42 a.m., Marsh

11:32 p.m., Coolidge Hall

alcohol in the common room. It was

loud music and issued a warning at

12:49 a.m., Marsh

Apr. 16, 2012 5:37 a.m., Churchill House

1:50 a.m., Davis men hiding something in the bushes

served the men enter Davis and went to speak with them. While at their

4:16 a.m., South Dormitory behavior. vestigated an alarm and found the

6:19 p.m., Pratt Field Campus Police extinguished a grill

ing another student onto the overhang at a building entrance. The activity was stopped.

1:08 a.m., Marsh hall. The system was reset.

vandalism and found a window smashed out. A can of soup was found inside the building and apparently was used to break the window.

Case open.

The Amherst Student, April , 

Page 

Students Say Aloha to Hawaiian Luau Dinner Whit Froehlich ’14 News Section Editor This past Thursday marked the most recent installment of what has become a long-standing Amherst College tradition, the Hawaiian Luau in Valentine Dining Hall. While on the schedule this event might have looked much like another event in Val’s World Cuisine series, the posters that were put up warning students that Val would close at 1:30 p.m. after lunch Thursday afternoon to prepare for dinner set this one apart.

On the morning of the day itself, students were greeted by a wooden bridge as they had their cards scanned, an inkling of the more impressive decorations that would be put up throughout the afternoon. Walking through Valentine a few hours later, one witnessed the ongoing construction of a large volcano in the entrance way. By dinner, this was joined by a pool in service as a fountain, calling up notions of a warmer clime.

Inside, Val had undergone a complete makeover, with the tables at the entrance to the service area replaced by a massive display of tropical fruit arranged around an ice sculpture. The food inside the service area had a decidedly Hawai-

and sweet potatoes. In the area in which cereal is usually served trays and trays held an impressive amount of sushi, in three different varieties.

In the dessert area, there was Hawaii 5-0 cake, as Lord Jeff Grog and root beer especially for the occasion. At the far end of the dining hall, a stage had been installed, and when rush hour came, there was live entertainment in the form of Over the past few decades, Hawaiian Luau has become a Valentine tradition, held every four years to ensure that no Amherst student graduates without having had the chance to at least once partake in what is much more a feast than a mere meal. And many students take advantage of the opportunity. Executive Chef Jeremy Roush explained that while during a typical dinner at Valentine they would serve 1,500 meals, he expected that Luau would attract 2,200 diners, an increase of nearly half again and more than the number of students at Amherst. That difference, he said, came from the fact that any faculty members and members of the community who might consider eating at Val would come for

Luau. In addition, students from other colleges noticed the announcements around campus.

Sean, a Hampshire student, said that he eats at Val two days a week at lunch, because he has a class at Amherst. He came to Luau because he was on campus for an event and saw the signs advertising it.

“I really enjoyed the food, especially the kumquats,” he concluded.

Roush also described some of the preparation for the event, noting that it is specially accounted for in Valentine’s budget, allowing the extra cost of the fruit and sushi to be spread over the four years between each time it is held. This tive Chef in September 2010. He added the sushi and the outdoor smoker for the pork, which began its work at 8 a.m. Thursday morning. The sushi was a response to many student requests for sushi, something usually only found in town or at UMass, and he hired the smoker in an effort to provide students with a more authentic experience of Hawaiian food. For the most part, though, Luau was a scripted event, because of the number of times it has been held.

“Many of the staff have been here a long

time, so it went like clockwork,” he explained, identifying in particular Chef Howard “Howie” the Hawaii 5-0 cake, and Charlie Thompson, the director of Dining Services.

One staff member, John, counted his tenure by the fact that he has been at Val for three Luaus, adding that the staff had been expanded since everyone was on duty, and they even closed Schwemm’s to bring in more workers.

“The staff really get into the spirit of the event. It’s like decorating for Christmas,” he said.

Students agreed that the decorations made this a special dinner at Val. Several Zu residents who otherwise are not to be found in the dining hall found their way to Luau. Ioanida Costache ’12 was impressed with the food. this at a restaurant would cost at least $20,” she said.

Though the ice cream and cake lasted another day or so, the sushi and many of the fruits disappeared rapidly during last Thursday’s dinner as students sampled the many delicacies assembled. They’ll be back in four years.

Photo courtesy of Emma Hickman ’15

Polynesian Dancers do traditional dances for the Valentine Dining Hall.

Photo by Crysta Song ’14

Hawaiian Luau has become a Valentine tradition, held once every four years.

Two Amherst Students Named Truman Scholars Continued from page 1

tion to affect the kind of change I want to see in our do-

helping me to select recommenders, edit my application, and prepare me for the interview.”

Both Hanish and Shoieb encouraged other students interested in law and public policy to apply for the scholarship. “People shouldn’t exclude themselves because they don’t think they have a chance of winning. I think you have to try and let other decide if you’re the right

the process and, most importantly, to be passionate about your issues — they can tell if you’re just saying something without really meaning it.”

Shoieb found the application process to be a rewarding experience by itself. “I found the most rewarding aspect of the process to be the application’s insistence on having you focus your goals and concisely articulate your Photos courtesy of Bess Hanish ’13 and Khan Shoieb ’13 unique contribution to public service. It would have been Bess Hanish ’13, left, and Khan Shoieb ’13 recently received the Truman Scholarship which is given to students who demon- a valuable experience to have undergone, with or without the scholarship.” strate leadership potential and are committed to careers in public service.



Opinion

The Amherst Student Correction: In last week’s issue, the article “Further Allegations Made Concerning Executive Board” incorrectly listed the voting numbers for the creation of a special committee in Senate as “ 17 no, 6 yes and 5 abstentions.” The numbers should be 16 no, 7 yes and 5 abstentions.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Editorial

Alex Stein ’13 is a contributing writer.

Late Nights at Val: A Worthwhile Endeavour In this week’s Editorial, The Student say a few words in appreciation of the time and effort that the AAS put into organizing multiple late night dining options, either in Keefe or Val. We thank you for your dedication to the student body, and we feel that it would be most meaningful to our staff if we could extend our gratitude.

Second, The Student feels that Late Night Val is an impressive project for our student government to invest themselves in: they’ve stood as a shining example of the fruits of a collective student government effort, and they’ve all been hailed as great successes — students speak highly of them, they complement the increasingly nocturnal student lifestyle (and resulting late-night tummy rumbling). In short, they do a lot for our student community.

The buzz at Tuesday’s night

Late Night Val was almost heart-warming — students came together from all corners of campus to enjoy time together on a busy school night.

Events on campus, like speakers or movie screenings, rarely bring together such a large group of students as we saw on Tuesday — carefree, relaxed, catching up with friends and enjoying each others’ company in a communal hall.

We believe that events like these open themselves as great community investments for our AAS dollars. Late Night Val serves students well and packs a large bang per buck.

We at The Student believe that the AAS should continue to work with Val and invest to expand late night dining on a regular, perhaps weekly, basis.

We would look forward to ways in which the AAS can sustain student-life traditions like this, much like the Col-

The Real Scandal I

First-Year Barbeque.

It’s when looking at the AAS’s possibilities for good, and examples of the many iconic AAS projects, that we feel students have much to be thankful for in our student government. Especially in the shadow of the AAS election scandal, the collective gaze rests far too heavily on the blemishes of the AAS, while glancing past events like Late Night Val. Few students recognize, let alone appreciate, the involvement of the AAS in certain activities. Even fewer students care, let alone know, the actual senators or community leaders who organize such events.

We feel that it is a shame when the good of our institutions and peers goes unnoticed, only to serve as collateral damage in a public relations scandal of the less good.

Read “Pain in the AAS: Constitutional Amendments, Elections, Practice Rooms, Picnic Tables and Hammocks” online at The Student’s website. URL: http://tinyurl.com/6pzybl8

Hurst’s House

withdrew from the AAS Presidential Race after receiving information which I did not solicit and which I did not attempt to use.

If I were a good politician, I would tell you that I resigned so that I could cooperate fully with the Judiciary Council investigation — but I am not a particularly good politician. I resigned from the race because I am frustrated with the tone of our discourse and disappointed in the character of our governance.

Outside of Amherst, where real political battles are waged, we have grown accustomed to hearing personal attacks both real and manufactured. We are not surprised by the bitter rancor of political dialogue. But Amherst is not real life. Students live here, not issues or platforms. We hold ourselves to a higher standard in almost everything that we do and, as a close-knit community, we should be capable of civil conversations on issues that invite multiple perspectives. Yet, we have failed as shamefully as the worst talk-radio politics.

Last week’s scandal rocked the student body, but even when framed in its most sinister terms, it is still hardly the stuff of which political novels are made. Of course, the issue itself has been lost in the rhetoric of scandal.

Conversations online attacked Romen Borsellino and others before the dust had even settled, forgetting their role in uncovering the Students who may never have knowingly interacted with an Amherst fraternity member in their life, let alone attended an AAS meeting, have come away from this incident convinced that frats are conspiring to take over the AAS — and from there, we can only expect, the school.

Identity politics have infected even apolitical issues. We lament the evils of fraternities as if their members shared a misogynistic hive mind. We debate the merits of people who drink and people who stage battles with Nerf Guns as if these two groups were mutually exclusive. We argue with fervor over the allocation of Spring Concert funds as if the AAS had auctioned off Frost in exchange for a private Ludacris concert.

This is the sort of ridiculous rhetoric we collectively mock when it comes from Tea Party zealots. But when we hear it in Keefe, we shrug and accept it as fact. Are we really as fragmented a community as our conversation suggests? Do we, in fact, dislike and distrust each other this much?

I hope not. I believe that this common distrust is the real scandal, and I believe it to be an exaggerated one. I have been privileged to know students from every corner of campus — from feminist frat bros to die-hard football fans in Marsh, and I can promise you this: not one is your enemy. Our only enemy is uninformed and unfair discourse. We do not confront that enemy by making anonymous insinuations on comment threads.

Instead, we confront it by doing what every candidate asked us to do: we get involved. We participate in conversations with our friends and with our senators about what a better Amherst would look like. We go to AAS Town Halls and maybe even Senate meetings.

We do this because we have to hope, with desperate urgency, that when we openly communicate with one another, we can do more than bicker and gossip — we can achieve our common goal: a better Amherst.

— Dylan Herts ’13 contributed to the writing of this article.

The Ark

Alex Hurst ’12 Alex Hurst ’12 is a Political Science major who writes a bi-weekly column on the subjects of domestic politics and world events.

Ophelia Hu ’12 Ophelia is an Environmental Studies major who writes a biweekly column sharing a Christian perspective on social, environmental and political issues.

Hopeful Even at a Time Parting Thoughts, of Guns and Drugs Thoughts on Parting L ast Thursday evening, the former mayor of Ciudad Juarez talked to a group of Amherst stu-

that have terrorized northern Mexico and claimed 50,000 lives. Rival drug gangs shot at each other with guns so powerful that a single bullet could punch through an armored Suburban, and then exit cleanly through the other side. The U.S. government refused to weapons to the Mexican army; the drug gangs, on the other hand, drove across the border and purchased them from U.S. gun stores, as they have since the assault weapons ban lapsed in 2004 — coincidentally the same time that the violence in Mexico began to escalate.

This isn’t only a Mexican problem. The vicious circle of guns, gangs and drugs infects the United States as well. The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that cartels have a presence in 252 American

place over the last year just highlight the fact that gun violence in the US far outstrips any other developed nation. Recently President Obama claimed that legalization of drugs was not going to be the answer — but why shouldn’t it be, when current policy has so abjectly failed?

The ‘War on Drugs’ costs tens of billions of dollars a year and has resulted in a nation with one of the highest incarceration rates in the world — over two million Americans are behind bars. And to what

point with low level dealers and offenders, who are replaced even more quickly than they are caught. The incarcerated come out of jail more hardened, gang afgainfully employed.

See Policy, page 5

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

S TA F F

Publishers Mary Byrne, Chris Friend, Nazir Khan, David Walchak News Section Editor Whit Froehlich, Ethan Corey Opinion Section Editors Diana Babineau, John Osborn, Judy Yoo Arts & Living Section Editor Siyu Shen Sports Section Editors Karan Bains, Varun Iyengar

A

few days ago, I had the honor of joining President Biddy Martin and 17 fellow students for dinner. We discussed, among other things, what we liked and disliked about Amherst College. Some students expressed dissatisfaction with the advising process, saying that they almost never met with their advisors. Some students said they were unhappy about the athlete/non-athlete

new friends after First-Year Orientation ended. Within this mixed group representing all four classes, there were bound to be some for whom Amherst felt like home and for whom Amherst was anathema.

It was a nostalgic evening for me.

I remembered my freshman year. I had

Associate Editors Carlyn Robertson, Jake Walters Senior Editors Nihal Shrinath, Elaine Teng Design Editor Brendan Hsu Photographers Joyzel Acevedo, Peter Mack, Crysta Song Copy Editors Tim Butterfield, Stewart Longsworth

wanted to transfer. To go home. To get back to the few loved ones I cherished there and to pursue an academic track that I didn’t think Amherst could fully satisfy. I had halfheartedly immersed myself in some campus life here and there, but I had mostly reserved my affections for home — an honorable title I didn’t think Amherst could ever earn. Thus, I refused to let it try and woo me.

But things would turn out for the best, which I didn’t understand at the time. Amherst school to which I wanted to transfer could not compare.

See Fond, page 5

Letters Policy

The opinion pages of The Amherst Student are intended as an open forum for the Amherst community.

The Student will print letters under 450 words in length if they are submitted to The Student offices in the Campus Center or to the paper’s e-mail account (astudent@amherst.edu) by 12 p.m. on Sunday, after which they will not be accepted.

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

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

The Student will not print personal or group defamation.

Publication Standards

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

The Amherst Student, April , 

Page 

A Policy Gone Wrong Continued from page 4 Meanwhile the streets of America are riddled with bullets and bodies. School shootings, neighborhood watch shootings, and even the shooting of a member of Congress — all via legally purchased weapons — fail to engender any kind of rational response. Constitution worshipping literalists and those hung up on original intent defend to the death the right to bear the kinds of arms the Framers could not have even imagined.

None of this has to be the case — just look at some other examples. After liberalizing its drug laws, Portugal saw drug use decline among teenof certain drugs. Instead of becoming a nation of stoners, only 10 percent of Portuguese smoke marijuana, far less than the 42 percent of Americans who have done so. In the Netherlands, greater focus on treatment than enforcement has led to a 30 percent reduction in heroin addicts, who have all but disappeared from Dutch streets according to a 2010 report. And every other OECD nation — all of whom have far stricter gun laws — has a lower rate of gun violence.

But like so many other things in American politics, it is impossible to have a real conversation about our failed gun laws and failed drug policy. To even suggest looking outward at the experiments undertaken in other nations and to honestly discuss and consider their observed outcomes would be for many, political suicide.

It’s that way about nearly everything.

Taxes? Must never be raised. Ever. Only cut — as long as the cuts occur at the uppermost rates. Forget about trying to balance the necesand our responsibility to work for justice and protect the most vulnerable. Healthcare? Our system is the best because the market is always perfect, and there is absolutely no need to look elsewhere at successful implementations around the world and try and pick and choose the best facets of each. Climate change? Addressing it means wrecking our economy — end of story.

I have strong ideological convictions, and

rical bi-partisan or post-partisan era. I certainly hold no great love for the ‘centrists’ of American politics, who, regardless of the starting positions of the two poles, believe that the correct policy is whatever is in between them — we have seen the consequences of such belief when it confronts the reality that one (already centrist) party is willing to compromise and the other (extremist)

and I have changed my views when presented with compelling and irrefutable arguments.

Policy isn’t always everything. Sometimes it is important — no, imperative — to be willing about details and forget to even have the most basic conversation about our core values and a real vision for what our country, our generation’s country, is going to look like. It’s at this point that I’m forced to admit that I am a secret optimist. Because no matter how often American politics is infuriating, I have a hunch that a conversation among my generation over that vision for America would not be.

The media portrays us as pampered children, both irritated at our ever-present hover mothers yet unwilling to grow up. Maybe there’s some truth in that, but it isn’t the whole picture. I’m also not going to go overboard with some proclamation about how I have seen how wonderful the youth of America are and how we have the courage and integrity to deftly tackle our gravest challenges with ease. But I can’t help but be

to recognize our interconnected destiny.

I’m hopeful because I think that overall, we share a vision of a more just America with respect for human dignity at its core, we are willpeers and we have the foresight to realize that Let’s hang on to our twinges of youthful optimism and drag this nation back to a conversation about that vision and the values that will guide us along the way. And the policy will follow.

A Fond Farewell

Continued from page 4

day, the then–director of my a capella choir, Terras Irradient, insisted that I come to practice. I was in no mood to see anyone, let alone sing, but our annual boot camp was in session and I dragged my boots to a steaming, stale practice room in Arms.

There, the smiling faces of my friends — people who had watched me become a person of faith, consoled me through my homesickness, loved me when I was most unlovable and challenged me to grow — greeted me. My heart swelled, and I resolved to make peace with Amherst. There had to be a reason for my returning.

I only recently discovered the extent to which people were desperate to leave campus. I thought I had the worst cabin fever of all. I was surprised to hear from a friend of mine who’d taken time off and returned that she was normally surrounded by students who left campus for someplace new almost every weekend.

Why did so many students seem unhappy here, at the “top liberal arts college in America?” Both of my former roommates transferred to other schools; I can’t help but note the irony that I’ve stayed. I often wonder if they could have been happy here. with an insatiable desire to leave campus. To leave the country, really. I had since started to carve out spaces at Amherst — not very deep, but comfortable enough — that were home-like: a few chords strummed from inside Chapin Chapel, the sound of the stairs sighing in Arms and footsteps as they sic library door closing, the rustling of branches over the bike path…

Still, I was restless. Thus, when I left for Ethiopected to be enamored again, swept up once more by my desire to leave. Instead, I was surprised to There was nothing wrong with Ethiopia. I simply missed Amherst while I was gone. Here, we start but also end email wars. We instigate AAS drama and we exonerate. We name-call on The Student website, but we also reconcile and listen.

We complain about the athlete/non-athlete divide, but we also celebrate the athletes’ great accomplishments. We suffer awful snowstorms, but we also help to clean the campus early in the morning with hundreds of our schoolmates. We endure the monthly haunting of Philly cheese-steaks, but we do it together.

For these and countless other reasons, I’ve grown to love Amherst.

When I came back from Ethiopia, I was offered a job in town for the upcoming year with a but I’m still excited. Without a doubt, I believe that God works things out for the best. I could not have conceived of staying here four years ago, but now I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. At the time, I couldn’t think of any reasons for returning, but now the reasons are countless: to make and cherish best friends, to hear great concerts, to love my family from a distance, to celebrate the 2008 Presidential Election on the freshman quad, to pick up that girl’s dinner tray when she spilled it, to talk with a friend when she needed it, to complete that thesis and prove to myself God’s abundant sustenance ... the list continues. Each of these is a good enough reason.

My own story is no foolproof blueprint for a panacea to the discontent you may feel about Amherst. But I tell it to say that Amherst has something for you, not because it’s a perfect institution, but simply because you are here and because you are crafted with resilience, beauty and the desire for that each of us is here by God’s grace for a reason — maybe many reasons.

I thought for a long time about what I would mind. Still, it seems appropriate now, in these unfurling spring days when seniors crack open those blessed black binders and underclassmen dance in a desperate grab for housing.

I’ll be around next year, and for those of you who will be here too, hit me up. The discussion won’t end here. Meanwhile, I sign off now to enjoy my last undergraduate spring. Have you noticed the lilacs blooming on the path to Valentine?

Planet Earth on Life Support – Rio as ER? Ji An (Julian) Wang ’13, Yunpeng Du ’14 and Xiangyu Zhao ’14E are contributing writers.

We humankind live on a beautiful globe, yet we have repeatedly abused our relationship with nature and failed to appreciate the bountiful planet that has been ever so patient and generous in nurturing us, a strong yet fragile species.

The world is facing a mounting crisis. Under a combination of a global prices, accelerating ecosystem degradation and an increasing number of climate-induced extreme weather events, compassion has risen and groups of to a better world. Behind these tragedies and efforts at redemption looms a theme of immeasurable importance: we must control and harness the forces which we have ourselves created. Every nation has its own right to reap appropriate but if these forces for the exploitation of the environment are allowed to suckle at Mother Nature’s breasts without restraint, Man’s insatiable desire will exhaust the Earth’s bounty and bring ruin upon itself. Burning issues such as the sustainable enrichment of humanities and ultimate concern for nature are now embodied by and etched into a proper noun whose prominence will rise in the coming weeks during RIO+20.

The story of Rio goes back to 1992. The U.N. Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) realized that the ultimate goal of sustainable development could never be fully achieved by governments alone.

Individuals from all walks of life — business sectors and industries, colleges and universities, labs and construction sites, as well as governments and non-governmental organizations — all need to play their parts in laying out and maintaining a sustainable path of development and enrichment for us and our offspring. The U.N. is again mustering major groups “to agree on a range of smart measures that can reduce poverty while promoting decent jobs, clean energy and a more sustainable and fair use of resources.” Society needs to advance, but with only with great wisdom, understanding and most important of all, vision. Anxious as we are to eliminate poverty, hunger, diseases, racial discriminations and glaring economic inequalities between classes, the crux of the problem is that we need a new, different approach towards ‘development.’ The environmental crises that have transpired represent the vengeance of nature upon greedy, unbridled plundering of the environment; how we

this biosphere. On the 13th of June this

year, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) will commence preparatory meetings and dialogue on sustainable develop-

“Only through combining forces in tackling the same dire environmental issues, forging ahead in the same direction and pooling our creativity and resources in resolving the same crises can we recover the stunningly beautiful image of Earth. mit on the 20th to 22nd of June 2012, celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment that took place in 1992 in Rio de Janeiro. These constructive sessions will take place at the Rio Centro Convention Centre with numerous side events occurring on the grounds

of the Exhibition Centre. In addition, valuable opportunities for stakeholders to organize UNCSD-related activities will be available outside the Rio Centro Convention Center (so called off-site events) at various venues in the City of Rio de Janeiro. Nicknamed the Rio+20, or the Earth Summit 2012, due to the initial conference having been held in Rio in 1992, the primary objectives of the Earth Summit will be: securing extended political commitment to sustainable development, assessing progress towards internationally agreed goals on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging challenges. Two expounded at the conference: building a green economy in conjunction with poverty eradication and developing an institutional framework for sustainable development.

A number of auxiliary workshops are also to be delivered; meetings and events revolving around the summit will occur throughout Rio. Many of the formal events can only be attended by ‘Major Groups’ accredited and registered through the U.N.’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and armed there will be extensive media coverage and numerous related events to keep the whole world informed. The future of Planet Earth will not be kept behind the walls of the convention halls; the sever-

ity of environmental degradation and any imminent or inevitable implications shall be fully discussed, freshly packaged and broadcasted around the globe.

Indeed, with myriad global environmental issues staring us in the face, we cannot afford to wait for the complete alignment of opinions and interand political sectors. Here, time is our enemy. Only through combining forces in tackling the same dire environmental issues, forging ahead in the same direction and pooling our creativity and resources in resolving the same crises can we recover the stunningly beautiful image of Earth in memories from halcyon days. The powerful image of Earth shot by astronauts in Apollo 11 presents an energetic, solitary, fragile sphere rising above the horizon of the moon, providing a home and sustaining the livelihood of all human beings. From this holistic literally) perspective, it is impossible to discern the boundaries of nations and mankind. Our common dependence on the health of our Earth and our common interest in ensuring its responsible and sustainable stewardship transcend gulfs in nationality, race or religion. We must unshackle ourselves from our divisions, greed and fears to strive toward a common goal of resuscitating an already extenuated and overexploited Earth.

The Amherst Student

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Arts&Living

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

A Tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein

Clara Yoon ’15 Managing A&L Editor

There was also no room on the stage for his wonderful theatrics, forcing you to stand to see

Rodgers and Hammerstein? It can’t have been a coincidence. A casual and fun performance the same weekend that admitted students came streaming in? Well played, Amherst Symphony Orchestra, well played.

Just as well played was the actual music, which lived up to Amherst’s usual standards of excellence in “The Sound of Their Music: A Tribute to Rodgers & Hammerstein.” It was a performance that combined the vocal prowess of seven students with an excellent accompaniment provided by the Amherst orchestra.

The night opened with “It’s a Grand Night for Singing,” a song from the musical play “State Fair,” to which all of the seven singers contributed. It was also a piece in which two problems that would plague the rest of the perthe unfortunate fact that we could not, in fact, hear all of the singers. The second was the lack of a separate stage or area for the singers to interact within, making the transitions awkward.

I can’t blame the singers for either of these handicaps, but as a member of the audience, it was at times very distracting and seemed to be an inconvenience.

Next was a medley of songs from “Oklahoma!,” which was a purely orchestral piece and then “Kansas City” from the same play, sung

by Conrad Karsten ’14. This was a cute performance because of Karsten’s costume (he wore a hat and brown vest), but like all the singers to

— I have to wonder why this particular song was in the program. Massachusetts is clearly better than Missouri, just saying.

Next to be featured was the more famous “The King & I,” with Aleksei Nazarov from the Univ. of Massachusetts and Alexandra Burkot ’15 singing “I Have Dreamed.” It’s not one of the more memorable pieces from the play, but it effectively highlighted both of the singers’ great ranges and classical training. Hilary Bunwey ’13 followed up with “Love Look Away” cantly sweeter voice than you would normally expect to hear for this song, but it carried with it a surprising amount of power.

I’m tempted to say that the next song, “Soliloquy” from “Carousel,” was the most techniI’m going to say that it was the best piece of the entire performance. David Ressler ’13 has an excellent ability to project his voice, making it ence. In addition to that, he gave us a convincing performance, complete with intense gaze and emotionally infused singing that this song required. Its improvisational feel required him not only to sing but also to act, both of which he did with aplomb. But let’s not give his actual voice less than what it deserves — general consensus is that his singing is amazing.

All of this means that you have to give Jackie Cosse ’14 props for being able to follow

from “Flower Drum Song” was just as loud and incredibly spunky. In terms of engaging the audience, Cosse probably wins the round – her personality shone through each sassy hand gesture. In terms of singing, however, it’s Julia Moorman ’11 who takes the prize, with a range so amazing that even those who know nothing about music were impressed. She’s an incredibly talented and well-trained classical singer, and it showed.

Following a light-hearted medley of “South Cosse and Karsten, an absolutely adorable piece that featured a terrible but humorous attempt by Karsten to cross-dress. Just like the previous song by Cosse, “Honey Bun” was light-hearted fun and entertainment – not too serious, but a welcome break from the other pieces. In fact, while the songs featured in the set list themselves aren’t all great, you have to admire the way that singers were assigned to songs – the classical singers got longer, poignant pieces that would show off their training, while the less-trained, but more theatrical, got the peppy ones.

Rounding off the performance was another medley, this time of the infamous “The Sound of Music.” It featured two short solos from instrumentalists Daniel Ang ’15 on the cello and Benjamin Cohen ’11 on the violin, which made the more richer. But just like the rest of the performance, the strength of this piece was in its fast-paced, catchier songs. I even saw one student bob up and down to “Lonely Goatherd,”

Photo by Elson Browne-Low ’15

Sweet and fun, the orchestra’s Rodgers and Hammerstein tribute was a hit, especially with its incorporation of musical performances. making me wonder why the last song to be feaBut then I realize just how inspirational this song is, just as we face the last stretch of esmountain, fellow students, every mountain of homework and exams, and soon we’ll be on the other side.

In Tepid Waters, the One that Lost its Way Andre Wang ’14 Staff Writer

humankind against nature and social media. This appetite for overachievement bears so much weight on the nifty original that it crashes, leaving the audience as disoriented as the farmed -

You might not be familiar with the name Lasse Hallström, but if you were once a softie like me who used to fall for eye-candy cinematography, a twist of love and life philosophy and breezy plots, you might have dwelled happily bert Grape” (1993), “The Cider House Rules” (1999), “Casanova” (2005) or “Dear John” (2010), all crowd-pleasers

The main problem of “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” is that it tries too hard to be deeper than what it actually is. It could have taken more advantage of the clean, fast-moving dialogues and light atmosphere, or leaned toward a more sophisticated exploration of facts and faith or even blasted

Film Review

Images courtesy of more.com

“Salmon Fishing in the

Among an unrealistic romance, the writer Simon Beaufoy utilizes too many gimmicks to try to win viewers — a strategy that sets itself up for failure.

Yemen” Directed by Lasse Hallström Written by Simon Beaufoy and Paul Torday Starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas

perger’s syndrome as portrayed in the of seriousness not unlike the adoring naivety that he exuded in “I Love You ies expert for the British government, Fred scoffs at the proposal to intro-

directed by him. And just like ABBA, the Swedish pop group with whom he ström knows a thing or two around the big shots as well: his signature work “Chocolat” (2000) made quite some noise at the Academy Awards, including a second Best Picture nomination cranked by the Harvey Weinstein strategy machine. With “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” Hallström returns with yet another confection, but this time its sugarcoat melts too readily for me to stars as Dr. Alfred Jones, whose As-

wealthy sheikh, represented by Harriet from Prime Minister’s press secretary Patricia (Kristin Scott Thomas), who scrambles to concoct a feel-good story to distract the public from the toxic reality in Afghanistan, Fred changes his attitude when his seemingly farinto an exciting opportunity that could reshape his career and his love life. Alive with tender cuteness and whip-cream smarts, Blunt’s character is pleasant but about as memorable as the million other female leads in romantic comedies that Reese With-

erspoons and Jennifer Anistons have embodied in the past decade. The dynamics between Harriet and the a “white-collar woman” archetype similar to the one in Blunt’s breakout, “The Devil Wears Prada.” Thomas is no Meryl Streep, but the sparks in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” would

deep and carefully avoid any potential insult. In contrast with other comedies currently in theater, it does not drive you nuts like the emblematic slapstick “The Three Stooges” or gross you out like “American Reunion.” It is sweet.

Just sweet.

Yet with every sugar rush comes a crash afterwards. Unfortunately for “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” that moment arrives way too soon. More when it attempts to become “serious”

with Harriet’s three-week boyfriend (the miraculous prince-charming who tionship in three weeks), missing in action in Afghanistan. In part, Simon Beaufoy’s adapted screenplay from Paul Torday’s eponymous novel is to blame: the mind behind “Slumdog Millionaire” and “127 Hours” has a penchant for the grandiose. In those temporary society and identities have fruitful attempts. Yet Beaufoy’s ambition to magnify and address absolutely everything agrees with Torday’s dainty, lightweight sarcasm, bombarding the audience in what soon becomes a parade of gimmicks, as if Beaufoy was hastily going over a Hollywood to-do list: terrorism, politics and diplomacy, publicity stunt, action thriller, romance, love triangle, marriage, middle-age crisis, science and faith,

complete with marvelous scenery and ethereal music score. Yet in an overly appropriate attempt to please, it instead indulges in a perfunctory tour of clichés that practically look for trouble.

Check. Stiff monologues or emotional outbursts without context? Check.

Random insertion of “live footage”?

Check. Addressing these clichés with from a tasteless stream of events, but at least we would not have to put all our hopes into the climax: will the salmon Harriet get together? The very blandness of these questions might indime, Thomas’ character delivered the one-liner that inadvertently serves as prised to learn that UK boasts of two “So there are two million of them waving their rods around?” Similar to the

virtue is lost: patience. Perhaps that is why this time around, no bait can save the day.

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The Mars Volta Gives Us True Progress Jake Walters ’14 Associate Editor On March 26, The Mars Volta niquet.” For any who aren’t familiar, the album title should provide a clear indicator that their music isn’t exactly

them esoteric would be charitable.

But they’re also one of the most accomplished rock acts of the past 10 years, and they’re almost single-handedly keeping progressive rock alive for whoever wants to listen. And when I say progressive, I do mean progressive.

Some of their longer songs change time signatures multiple times before they end (and long can mean almost 15 minutes, although they keep things mostly short on this album), and their music frequently sounds more like a series of jam sessions than songs, often incorporating Latin, jazz, metal and punk own. While this often gets the better of them, their strengths are numerous and nonetheless immediately apparent, even if it takes time to truly appreciate their albums. First and foremost is their stellar musicianship, something hard to songwriting ungraspable. And while they are really about an overall sound than individual songs, doing so distracts from the fact that they can write compelling hooks when they want to.

But when their sound is as evocative, powerful and downright mysterious as it can frequently be, it’s hard to care when individual songs don’t necessarily stand out on their albums as much as for other artists. Their music is ambitious and often frustrating, but endearingly weird and generally rewarding for those who take the time to unravel it, something which has always been true of them and certainly hasn’t changed on “Noctourniquet.”

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initiated. Formed around the talents of lead singer Cedric Bixler-Zavala and guitar virtuoso Omar Rodriguez-Lopéz of the gone-too-soon hardcore punk band At the Drive In, The Mars Volta saw the duo going off in an entirely different but equally compelling direction. At the Drive-In remains one of the best bands working at the turn of the century, and their stellar 2000 album “Relationship of Command” should be heard by anyone who doesn’t mind their music getting a little furious and angry — not the least because they announced a reformation last year to hopefully continue where they abruptly left off. That being said, along with a rotating cast of other musicians, the band became instant critical darlings with the release of their 2003 album “De-Loused in the Comatorium,” should-be-classic that ranks about as highly as any rock album of the past decade. Trading the short, sweet bursts of intensity championed by “At the Drive-In” for an equally intense but far more expansive sound, Bixler-Zavala and Rodriguez-Lopéz proved they weren’t willing to merely repeat their previous success and that they hadn’t lost anything in the transition.

That being said, times have been tough for The Mars Volta, as they (unsurprisingly) never really hit it big with the mainstream crowd, and unlike group has never really rallied around them and provided the same level of support. Adding to this, their music, by most accounts, has only gotten more expansive and more proggy, and not in a good way. 2006’s “Amputechture” saw reduced critical acclaim, and each successive album met with slightly better reviews, but some began to accuse them of embracing the dark, self-indulgent side of prog music.

That is until “Noctourniquet”, which is their most-praised piece of work since 2005’s “Frances the Mute.” And,

although it doesn’t scale the dizzying heights of “De-Loused in the Comatorium”, nor is at as consistent, it’s still a strong album in its own right. As per usual, it’s a bit too long, but it’s consistently intriguing and often exciting, most notably so on album opener “The ently proggy nature while reigning it in a bit, this is a refreshingly direct and intense song, one which still isn’t afraid to throw dozens of random sounds out all over the place. It probably shouldn’t work, something that could be said of the band’s career as a whole, but it does, and it’s one of the best songs on the album.

As I mentioned previously, the album is more about an overall sound than individual songs, but there are highlights. Most notably so are the walker,” two hard-hitting numbers that lay down the riffs with aplomb. More reminiscent of At the Drive-In, these two numbers reign in the progressive tendencies and make a compelling case for progressive bands that know how to opt for a more direct approach. Other highlights includes the single “Malkin Jewel,” which sees the band getting dark and dreary on a track that sounds like an amped up take on Tom Waits, “Lapochka,” a creepy, more electronic number that overcomes its repetitive groove, “Vedamalady,” the emotional high of the album on which RodriguezLopéz is surprisingly restrained and Bixler-Zavala shines brightest and “Trinkets Pale of Moon” which is the band at their most mysterious and arguably has the best melody on the album.

However, elsewhere the band trips on its own ambitions, mostly on quieter numbers that take the band away from

rather uninterestingly, “Imago” leaves little impression, “In Absentia” never quite takes off like you’d expect it to and “Noctourniquet” is most notable

Image courtesy of soundcolorvibration.com

While not for everyone, the progressive band The Mars Volta’s new album “Noctourniquet” features a tightened effort and a direct intensity. only for the fact that Bixler-Zavala sounds shockingly like Geddy Lee of Rush. These songs show that, while the band can tune down the amps for greatof their overall intensity, arguably the greatest aspect to their sound. In these songs, the band too often sounds like they are holding back when they would the heaviness if not the length. Album closer “Zed and Two Naughts” is hitand-miss as well, but earlier track “Aegis” more effectively matches loud and soft sections and is another highlight.

So does “Noctourniquet” see the band refreshed and ready to take on the world? Well, yes and no. They’ve tightened up their sound which is generally welcome, but this is also a decidedly light effort, something which

doesn’t always work to the band’s they’re loud, explosive and dynamic, and when they try to go for a quieter approach their tentative grasp of melobeing said, the album works more often than not, and about 2/3 of the results see the band’s hard work paying off in spades. The other third is boring fat that should have been trimmed and a shame, but, all things considered, this is a good album. It’s unique and frequently exhilarating, two things that are hard to come by these days, and all interesting album over a competent but stale one, something The Mars Volta will probably never be content at producing. In that respect at least, they’re true progressive rockers to the core.

Small Developers and their Big Bundles Mike Buckler ’13 Contributing Writer While television and movies have struggled to migrate to the internet and take advantage of the boundless possibilities it offers, video games, as a relatively young medium, have been fortunate enough to evolve hand-in-hand with internet and online communities. More so than traditional media, the video game industry has embraced the internet as a rich digital distribution system, allowing developers and publishers to get their games out to a large audience. Digital distribution doesn’t only apply to PCs, mind you. Despite the fact that consoles are largely designed for playing physical media, services such as Xbox Live and Playstation Network offer titles that are only available for download. The great boon of digital downloads, however, is not only that one can conveniently download big name titles while saving a

mere cents. All in all, it was a clever experiment that relied on good will from both customer and developer and proved be a success, interest in the games themselves. It also started an overnight revolution in how independent games are sold.

Image courtesy of deardiary.com

The “Humble Indie Bundle” and released in May 2010, consisted of six independent games with several bonuses. Customers were allowed to set the price as low as they wanted. low prices for a limited amount of time with directly paying developers.

PC and consoles.

Like most independent artists, indie game developers often work in small teams with relatively limited resources. As such, they often offer smaller, less expansive titles compared to large game studios. On the other hand, such games tend to be cheaper and more experimental, toying with innovative game concepts and charming or surreal art styles. More importantly, the most successful experiment of indie game developers has been how they take advantage of digital distribution to sell the games.

In addition to content delivery services such as Steam or Xbox Live Arcade, indie games have started to be sold in packages called “bundles,” collections of several indie games together at

the standard, was the “Humble Indie Bundle,” which was released in May 2010 and consisted of six independent games from six developers, along with several bonuses such as soundtracks and concept art. Three things set this concept apart from other ways of selling indie games.

First, all payments went solely to the developers and charity. Second, the games were free of DRM (Digital Rights Management software), meaning they could be freely shared with friends, as well as being unhindered by the often customer unfriendly DRM models that accompany most games. Finally, and most importantly, they allowed the customer to set the price to as low as one cent. Of course,

many people abused the system and purchased games for pennies on the dollar. The low price, coupled with the lack of DRM, meant that the games wound up on torrent sites in minutes.

One would think that the experiment was a failure.

The Humble Indie Bundle raised $1,270,000 over the course of just one week.

Over the course of that week, news spread of the bundle via word of mouth and social news sites such as Reddit and Twitter. Towards the end of the week, some people were paying tens, hundreds, even thousands of dollars for the bundle of games to show support for the endeavor, including other successful indie game developers. In a clever move, customers were offered extra games if they paid more than the average amount (only around $5 for six games), which further discouraged people from paying

bundles from Humble Bundle Inc., the most recent being the Humble Bundle for Android 2, a collection of indie games for mobile phones.

Likewise, there have been countless groups of independent developers following the Humble Bundle mantra. Websites such as Indie Gala, Indie Royale and Groupees, to name a few, have adopted this model, offering several quality, quirky games at low prices. There are variations on the model, including a base price of $5 rather than setting your own price or offering bonus games based on how many sales the developers make overall to encourage telling your friends. In either case, they all follow the same ideal of DRM-free quality games delivered in a convenient package, the payment for which goes directly to the people actually making the games rather than advertisers or publishers.

As a college student with limited funds and a passion for games, it also helps that the games are easy to share with friends to expose them to new ideas — and maybe make a fan out of them, too.

If you’re interested in seeing what bundles of games are out there, check out humblebundle.com or indiegala.com or just do a search packages of games out there, some more obscure than others and some featuring games checking out.

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Cardigans: Fashionable, Yet Underworn Cardigans are awesome. I have yet to meet a girl who disagrees with this statement. I’m not talking about your grandfather’s cardigan, with the huge sleeves and elbow patches. I mean ones that are modern, slim and sleek. Sweaters are cool, sure.

It’s hard to go wrong with a sweater as an outer layer; as long as you get the right size they’re slimming and classy. But cardigans take sweaters to the next level.

First and foremost, they have buttons.

Obvious, I know. Buttons might be slightly inconvenient, sure. I own a pair of jeans with

having a red or blue shouldn’t be too risky either. A note on patterns: if your cardigan is patterned, make sure your inner layer is either a solid compliment or at least has a matching pattern. Getting a striped outer ing out what to pair it with. everything. Cardigans need to abide by these rules, but with the right one you can afford to cheat a little with your inner layer. The cardigan should hug you a bit, and there should be little to no sagging on the arms. The buttons I raved about earlier help slim up your midsection, and any size that isn’t correct will be readily apparent when the buttons sag or strain to contain your body. When you anything will. Dress shirt has you looking a little puffy? Not with your perfect cardigan, it doesn’t. That’s not to say a small guy can start wearing larges. Still, not only do cardi-

after

Photos by Brendan Hsu ’15

But as troublesome as buttons are, on cardigans they make up for lack of ease with aesthetics. Look at those cheeky circles: they provide texture even on solid colors, and are sharper-looking than a zipper, to boot. On a warmer day, a cardigan can be worn open to give a more casual look. Remember to leave the last button undone if you choose to wear them up, otherwise the cardigan will make your frame boxy and will ride up when you move your waist.

It’s springtime, the perfect season for a thinner cardigan. Good for those breezy afternoons and evenings, they can be worn straight on top of whatever you had on earlier. Plain tee, maybe with a v-neck? Throw a cardigan on top to make yourself as suave and smooth as Clooney in a butter factory.

Thin collared shirt? With a cardigan, someone just became the best-dressed guy in the room. Cardigans also compliment bowties and skinny-ties very well if you want to turn it up another notch. I can hardly think of anything short of a suit that a cardigan

couldn’t improve as an outer-layer, and even then…

Solid colors are probably the safest bet.

before

Brendan Hsu ’15 Staff Writer

For something so widely acknowledged as good looking, cardigans are criminally under-worn, which puts anyone bold enough to wear them in a good position. Do it right and you’ll look better than ever. H&M and

If you’re reading this article, you probably have the compliments to my favorite article of clothing in your closet (if not, get some!), so next time you see one at a reasonable price, do yourself and the rest of your wardrobe a favor and pick it up.

Five College Events April 20 River Projects, Hampshire, 2:00 p.m. 5:00 p.m.

This symposium features a session of project presentations by members of the Hampshire College and UMass faculty, as well as fellows and visiting scholars presenting papers. Thom Long and Anna Schrade will present “Memorial to Slavery in France,” and Frank Sleegers and Martin Kohler, “Remediated Places in the Ruhr Zone, Germany.” Andrea Mubi Brighenti & Cristina Mattiucci will present “Visualizing the Riverbank,” of the Adige River, Trento, Italy and Caryn Brause and Sigrid Miller Polin will present “Scale Jumping,” of Connecticut. Lastly, Jeffrey Knopff will present “The Cuyhoga.”

April 20 The Power of the Period, Mount Holyoke, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

What exactly is a “period” and what’s it mean to you? As part of Danuta Janiszewski’s in*Touch Sexual Health Educator Spring Project, Danuta is hosting and exhibiting a gallery inspired by and in honor/hatred of “the period.” Intertwining community art with entertaining facts and educational pieces, the gallery is a creative and safe space where learning and creativity can cooperate in helping to better understand “The Power of the Period.” Most of all, the gallery aims to present how the greater Mount Holyoke and Five College Community view and experience such a phenomenon! Join Danuta on April in Blanchard 108 or the gallery opening.

Light refreshments will be served.

April 20 Take Back the Night, Smith College, 7:30 p.m.

Take Back the Night is a vigil, march and speakout that brings survivors, supporters and the community together to shatter the silence around sexual and interpersonal violence.The event is intended to be a supportive, empowering and non-judgmental

space for all survivors and survivor allies. They besault, relationship violence and abuse. Please feel free to bring personal stories or poetry about sexual or relationship violence to share at the speakout, which will be open mic style. The purpose of the speakout is to empower survivors by giving a space to share stories and break the silence. The speakout will be followed an after-event in the Resource Center for Gender and Sexuality with snacks and hot drinks, where students can discuss, process and get support in a safe environment.

April 20-23 Local Focus, Global Reach, UMass, 8:00 a.m – 6:00 p.m.

The UMass AIAS is excited to be hosting this Springs Quad Conference, which will showcase local solutions to sustainability issues. Over 60 architecture students will be visiting from schools in the Northeast. Join them for exciting activities and lectures on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22.They will also be joining in on some Earth Day Festivals on Monday, April 23. Look forward to a Permaculture munity to learn about sustainable eco-villages and don’t forget The Beaux Arts Ball! Tickets are $30 for Five College Students.

April 21 Spring Concert and Black Light After Party, Mount Holyoke, 9:15 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Jay Perry opens at 9:15 p.m. for the up and comblack light after-party with tunes being spun by DJ Willy Joy, DJ Blanche Deverauxx, and DJ Lali. Doors in the door to get a special giveaway! There will be glowsticks, facepainting, and so much more! Pre-sale tickets are $3, and $5 at the door for Five College students.

— Clara Yoon ’15

The Amherst Student, April , 

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Baseball Sweeps Bates, Stays Undefeated in NESCAC ers dueled early, but the Jeffs struck

hit four batters in the game). Mike Ci-

Quinn Saunders-Kolberg ’14 brought home Bob Cook ’13 with an RBI single through the right side. In the third, Shepard walked the leadoff man, Ryan Curit, but promptly picked him off

was deep enough for the runner at third, Steve Burke, to tag and try to score. In a close play at the plate, Burke appeared to beat senior Mike Samela’s on-target throw with a nifty slide, but catcher Thomas Wheeler ’12 blocked the plate and tagged Burke out once he slid past home. Taking advantage of Bates’ failure to score, the Jeffs responded with three runs in their half of the seventh, an inning that included doubles by Taiki Kasuga ’14 and Nolan Stewart ’13.

tie the game as Mekae Hyde roped a two-out double and later scored on a single by Griff Tewksbury. In the bottom of the inning, senior Kevin Heller set the table with a single and a stolen base; he advanced to third on a groundout, but the inning appeared to be over when, with two outs, Cook bounced a seemingly routine chopper to the right side. Here, however, the Jeffs caught a break, as the ball took a freakish hop Photo courtesy of Niahlah Hope ’15

First-year pitcher John Cook is 4-0 with a 1.58 ERA. Karl Greenblatt ’15 Managing Sports Editor With a sweep of Bates over the weekend, the Jeffs kept on rolling, improving to 16-5 and remaining a perfect 6-0 in NESCAC play.

After an easy victory in a nonleague tune-up against Castleton State (April 12), the Amherst squad on rested

Friday and Saturday as they prepared to host the Bobcats. While Bates had not fared well in recent league play, they had just posted two resounding victories over Becker College and were looking to ride their momentum into the weekend doubleheader.

In Game 1 on Sunday (April 15), Fred Shepard ’14 got the nod against Bates’ Tom Baroni. The two start-

was low and eluded Kevin McGregor.

Heller scored on the error, and the Jeffs took the lead.

Bates threatened in the fourth, but Shepard induced a groundout with two outs and runners on second and third.

In the sixth, Shepard hit two batters, but, again, no damage was done. In the seventh, Adam Medoff ’13 relieved Shepard, and Bates threatened again.

The Bobcats had one out and runners on second and third courtesy of a walk, another hit batsman and a wild pitch (Jeffs’ pitching allowed six walks and

Successful Weekend Leaves Men’s Tennis Unbeaten Karl Greenblatt ‘15 Managing Sports Editor Men The men’s team extended its winning streak to Tufts and the second against No. 22 Skidmore.

The top-ranked Jeffs began the day on Sunday (April 15) by squaring off against the Jumbos for their

Photo courtesy of Niahlah Hope ’15

Caroline Richman ’13 delivered a win in singles action, but the Jeffs fell to Emory in a close match.

6-2, 6-1; the Jeffs came out on top, 7-2.

In the afternoon, Amherst faced a tougher test in the form of Skidmore, a top-25 ranked team who stood at 7-4. Again, however, the Jeffs wasted no time in jumping out ahead, with Luis Rattenhuber ’13 and Austin Chafetz ’12 headlining doubles action by taking their set, 8-5. Sorrel and Waterman played solidly again, this time triumphing by an 8-3 margin.

Rattenhuber also recorded a singles victory (6-3, 4-6, 10-5) over Oliver Loutsenko, while Andrew Jung ’12 turned in the performance of the day with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep against Luke Granger. In all, the Jeffs had a relatively easy time dispatching the Thoroughbreds by the same 7-2 score.

On Saturday, the Jeffs will face another ranked opponent, No. 24 Trinity, who has won its last two conference games. The following day, they will travel to Williamstown for a face-off with the archrival Ephs before concluding the regular season on April 28-29 against Middlebury and Wesleyan.

Women The No. 3 Lady Jeffs split two weekend games, shutting out Colby before dropping a close decision to No. 2 Emory.

The Amherst squad improved to 8-3 on Saturday morning (April 14) with a resounding victory over the Mules. The Lady Jeffs lost only six games in doubles play; Caroline Richman ’13 and Safaa Aly ’15 headlined the action with an 8-1 win at the number two spot in the lineup. Then, the Jeffs swept their singles matches without dropping a game, with Jennifer Newman ’14 leading the way at the top slot.

Unfortunately, the Lady Jeffs could not carry their momentum from the 9-0 win into the second match of the day. Emory had lost to Middlebury the previous day (April 13), but they managed to edge out the Jeffs largely on the strength of their doubles play. The duo of

third NESCAC match of the season. Though the Tufts squad was only 5-6 on the year, it had scored two recent shutouts in conference play against Conn. College made sure the Jeffs would not let their guard down, starting strong with an 8-5 win in doubles play. Also posting victories in doubles were Robby Sorrel ’12 and Wes Waterman ’12 as well as the tandem of Andrew Scheiner ’15 and Jon Cypers ’15.

In singles action, it was Joey Fritz ’14 who shined, beating Tufts’ Ben Barad by a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.

Scheiner also closed out the match with a victory, 1-6,

with two scoreless innings of relief, and the Jeffs took an eventful Game 1 by a 5-1 margin. Shepard improved to 5-0 on the season, while his batterymate Wheeler and Alex Hero ’14 each collected two hits.

3, as was co-captain Heller, and Nolan Stewart added a home run into the mix. pitching performance from John Cook innings and improved to 4-0.

On Tuesday, April 17, the Jeffs hit

13-6, with the help of a late rally. Trailing by three entering the sixth, the Jeffs

with a home run, tying the career program record, while Kasuga was 4-for-6.

As the NESCAC season enters its

heading into Game 2 as Amherst John Wagner ’12 led off the game with a double, Kasuga followed with a walk, and Heller immediately delivered an RBI single. Starter Michael Spinosa retired the next two hitters, but Saunders-Kolberg came up with an

each singled, knocking Spinosa out of the game. The Jeffs kept up the barrage all game long, eventually compil-

their most critical stretch of baseball left to play. Over the weekend, they will play three games at Middlebury, who has struggled badly as of late but is still a threat to upset the Jeffs if they let their guard down. The following weekend (April 27-28), Amherst will square off against Wesleyan, who stands at 1312 overall. These games will determine the Jeffs’ seed in the NESCAC tournament and set the tone for what they hope to be a fruitful postseason.

In Da Club Recaps and Results for the Club Sports Teams

This Saturday, the men’s and women’s crew teams hosted Middlebury and Bowdoin in the Big Three Regatta, the team’s toughest regular-season race.

The Jeffs were most successful in the men’s novice races. Johannes Ferstad ’15, Mike Flaster ’14, Connor Sholtis ’15 and Will Kamin ’15 rowed the men’s novice 1 boat

with coxswain Lindon Chen ’15.

They bested the top novice boats from Bowdoin and Middlebury to 2 boat of Gabe Gonzalez ’15, James Yaro ’14, JaVon Collins ’15, Greg Knowlton ’15 and coxswain Nazir Khan ’14 was also victorious.

The top two men’s varsity boats both placed second, as did the top two women’s novice boats.

— Carlyn Robertson ’14

Photo courtesy of Cindy Li ’12

Johannes Ferstad ’15, Mike Flaster ’14, Connor Sholtis ’15, Will Kamin ’15 and cox Lindon Chen ’15 were the fastest novice boat.

The men’s ultimate frisbee team went undefeated this week-

Conference Champions for the second time in as many years.

The team entered the tournaschool in the country and aimed to defend the title that they won last

score. Newman and Caroline Richman ’13 posted strong wins in singles play, but their efforts were not enough as Emory took the match, 5-4.

The Lady Jeffs will continue NESCAC play today as they head to Trinity before traveling further north to Bowdoin on Saturday, April 21. From there, they will host three more critical conference matches against Tufts, Wesleyan and Middlebury during the week of April 23.

ing a staggering 20 runs on 19 hits off seven different Bobcats pitchers. The offensive highlights included a 3-for4 performance from Brendan Hardin ’15, who upped his season average to an impressive .413, and three more hits

two points for the win.

Saturday afternoon the team easily dispatched Clark with a score of 13-5, winning a bye into the day morning.

After beating Bryant 13-10, Amherst played against Worcesthe Championship game. Another

game of the tournament on Saturday morning against Holy Cross.

Holy Cross played a very tight roster with a few talented players and took a late lead to bring the game to 12-10. Amherst responded, scoring quickly to bring the game to

before Amherst pushed back to win 13-11.

The Jeffs will play at the New England Regionals Championship in two weeks.

— Joe Bobman ’12

SPORTSBOARD

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Schedule

Players of the Week

WEDNESDAY: Women’s Tennis @ Trinity, 4 p.m.

Softball @ Mass. Coll. of Liberal Arts, 4:30 p.m.

FRIDAY: Baseball @ Middlebury, 4 p.m.

Softball vs. Wesleyan, 5 p.m.

SATURDAY: Women’s Tennis @ Bowdoin, 11 a.m.

Men’s Tennis @ Trinity, 11 a.m.

Men’s and Women’s Track Little III Championships (@ Wesleyan), 12 p.m.

Baseball @ Middlebury (DH), 12 p.m.

Softball @ Wesleyan (DH), 12 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse @ Williams, 12 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Williams, 1 p.m.

Women’s Golf Jack Leaman Championship (Day 1 of 2), All Day Men’s Golf @ Williams (Day 1 of 2), All Day SUNDAY: Men’s Tennis @ Williams, 2 p.m.

The Amherst Student, April , 

GAME OF THE WEEK Men’s Tennis vs. Williams

IN DEPTH Time: Sunday, April 22 2:00 p.m.

Site: Williams Key Players: Amherst

Joey Fritz ’14 Luis Rattenhuber ’13

Williams

Will Petrie ’12 Bryan Chow ’13

The Jeffs are riding a seven-game winning streak, most recently besting Tufts and No. 22 Skidmore. Against the Jumbos, Joey Fritz ’14 led the Jeffs in singles play, beating his opponent 6-2, 4-6, 6-3; Andrew Scheiner ’15 and Jon Cypers ’15 also recorded a key 8-4 doubles victory. After the 7-2 win, Amherst took down Skidmore by the same margin with the help of strong doubles play from Luis Rattenhuber ’13 and Austin Chafetz ’12. Andrew Jung ’12 also swept his counterpart, helping to push the Jeffs to an impressive 19-2 on the spring.

The host Ephs, however, stand at a perfect 12-0 and will pose a formidable challenge to the Jeffs. On April 7, Williams topped Skidmore by the same tally as the Jeffs did (7-2); more recently, they have breezed past Trinity and Middlebury and shut out Conn.

College. Against the Camels, Will Petrie and Bryan Chow were each dominant in singles play, while Petrie and Kevin Shallcross played in equally shut-down fashion as a doubles tandem.

With only three games remaining in NESCAC play, the Jeffs have a chance to secure the conference title with a win — or relinquish it with a loss. If the Jeffs are on their game, expect them to move one step closer to bringing home another crown.

— Karl Greenblatt ’15

Lamia Harik ’12 — Women’s Lacrosse

Mike Samela ’12 — Baseball

As the Jeffs righted the ship with consecutive wins against Conn. College and Tufts, Harik took home NESCAC Player of the Week honors, defending the net to the tune of 18 total saves.

Samela was named NESCAC Player of the Week after helping the Jeffs rattle off three more victories, including two against conference foe Bates. During that stretch, he went 6-for-10, boosting his average to .375, while scoring seven runs and slugging .800.

After a 3-for-3 day in last Thursday’s (April 13) blowout of Castleton State, Samela collected another hit

stops in Amherst’s 12-5 victory over the Camels, four of which came in the second half.

That Saturday (April 15),

she brought her best game to Senior Day; her 13-save performance against the Jumbos was her best in nearly two years. The Jeffs took that game, too, by a 12-4 score, and they now stand at 8-3.

Harik will look to continue her outstanding play as Amherst takes on Williams (0-7 in conference action) this weekend.

— Karl Greenblatt ’15

Women’s Soccer Hosts Talent Show in Val Reilly Horan ’13 Staff Writer & C.C.E Liasion On the evening of April 5, the women’s soccer team produced a variety show in Valentine Dining Hall to fundraise for Relay for Life, a 24-hour walk/run headlined by the American Cancer Society that raises money and awareness for cancer research, celebrates survivors, and remembers those who have lost their lives.

The team then participated in the event on Friday, April 13 on the Amherst College track. The team re-imagined traditional fundraising methods for the race by brainstorming a creative way to raise money without simply soliciting donations.

Chloe McKenzie ’14 pitched the idea of a variety show to her team, something she had done in high school, and the team loved it. She worked with teammates to organize the acts, secure the venue, and get the student body behind their efforts.

Each player on the team was charged with the responsibility of sponsoring an ganizing some talented peers or starring in an act themselves. On the night of the of the main dining space in Val to watch the acts, which ranged from violin and piano solos to a beatbox routine and from several dance pieces to a music number performed by Nicki Minaj and Drake impersonators.

“The best part of the show for me was how a lot of the people performing would take a moment to dedicate their performance to someone in their life who is or was affected by the disease,” McKenzie to get across: while the acts ranged from really impressive numbers to people just making fools of themselves, we knew we were coming together for something bigger than just ourselves.”

On the whole, the event raised over $400 for the team’s total fundraising goal of $1,000. With the addition of post-show donations and some fundraising through their Relay for Life webpage, the team surpassed their $1,000 goal before they relayed this Friday.

Teammate Kate Sisk ’14 co-hosted the show alongside fellow Gad’s member Logan Buckner ’14. “This event was as much about raising money as it was about bringing people together,” Sisk commented.

“What made this special was that it was a community building event: the dining service was such a generous host, we had student-athletes and non-athletes performing and sharing their personal stories, the crowd was so supportive of everyone that performed, and even people who weren’t able to come donated to the cause.”

As McKenzie and other team members pointed out, cancer research has become a staple in the team’s community engagement efforts. “The American Cancer Society is a team cause, in a lot of different see us doing something like this again.”

The women’s soccer team is one of many Amherst athletic teams who do a formidable job forming sustainable relationships with community organizations and causes. Many of the underclassmen on the team worked to mobilize this particular effort, showing that the team’s leadership has done a commendable job encouraging team community engagement and showing that the onus is not just on coaches or captains to seek out engagement opportunities, but on all team members.

If you and your team are interested in a fundraising event for a community partnership or a cause that resonates with your team, contact Reilly Horan at rhoran13@amherst.edu, Roshard Bryant ’13 at rbryant13@amherst.edu or Irene Hickey ’13 at ihickey13@amherst.edu

Bobcats (April 15). In Game 2 that same afternoon, the captain and reigning NESCAC Player of the Year was 2-for-3 in an effort that saw the Jeffs explode for 20 runs.

This weekend, Samela will lead the Jeffs into a critical three-game series at Middlebury.

— Karl Greenblatt ’15

Men’s Lax Drops Third Straight Brenton Arnaboldi ’14 Staff Writer Mired in a nightmarish slump, the men’s lacrosse team suffered a brutal setback against Tufts last weekend, losing 15-5 to the No. 5 Jumbos at later, the Jeffs then endured a gut-wrenching 5-4 defeat against Conn. College on Tuesday. The losses dropped Amherst’s record to 8-5 (4-4 NESCAC), marking another disappointment in an underachieving season.

Starting this year’s campaign with lofty expectations, the Jeffs surged to a 7-0 record in early March while climbing to No. 3 in the national rankings.

Since a 13-8 win over Nazareth on March 24, howand have been outscored 58-36 in that span. Following the debacle at Tufts, Amherst dropped out of the Tufts (10-2, 6-1 NESCAC), a perennial national

Photo courtesy of Mark Idleman ’15

Aaron Mathias ’14 has 20 goals this season. powerhouse, built a 12-2 lead through three quarters on Saturday, overwhelming Amherst in every facet of the game. The Jumbos held substantial advantages in shots (54-39), face-offs (16-7), and ground balls (40-28), while dominating possession for long stretches.

The Jeffs kept the score close throughout the in the second quarter, however, netting four goals in a 3:27 span before Cole Cherney ’12 got the Jeffs on the scoreboard with his 26th goal with 4:12 remaining in the half. gled to keep up with the Jumbos’ explosive, fastpaced attack, as the Jeffs surrendered six goals in nine minutes to fall behind 11-1. Tufts utterly dominated the third quarter, outshooting Amherst 17-4 in the period.

Alex Fox ’12 scored with 2:23 left in the third quarter to snap Tufts’ six-goal string, but the Jumbos netted a short-handed goal a minute later to give the hosts a 12-2 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Distraught after Saturday’s disappointing result, Amherst looked to rebound against Conn. College (7-5, 4-4 NESCAC) on Tuesday night.

But the Jeffs’ offense struggled to convert on scoring chances, mustering just four goals in a 5-4 loss to the Camels. Amherst carried the play against Conn College — building a 43-26 shots advantage — but the Jeffs lacked precision on attack.

In what emerged as a defensive battle, Conn.

College grabbed an early 2-0 lead before Fox scored 2-1. With both teams struggling to establish rhythm on offense, the Camels scored the only goal of the second quarter to take a 3-1 lead by halftime.

Amherst never held the lead (and never tied the score) against Conn. College; whenever the Jeffs scored to pull within one, the Camels netted the next goal to restore a two-point margin.

Fox tallied his second of the game with 29 seconds left in the third quarter, but the Jeffs could not capitalize on the momentum. Conn. College scored the decisive goal with 6:39 left in the match; Mathias found the net with 3:53 remaining, but Amherst’s comeback effort fell short.

After scoring 13 goals per game during their 7-0 run in March, the Jeffs have averaged just 6 goals in the current 1-5 slump.

Despite the recent struggles, the Jeffs have essentially secured a berth in the upcoming NESCAC tournament, with two regular-season games remain-

road. The Jeffs will look to break out of the doldrums in a rivalry match against last-place Williams (3-8, 1-7 NESCAC) on Saturday.

The Amherst Student, April , 

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Track Teams Compete in UMass Spring Meet counterparts in both the long jump and the 200-meter dash. Her 5.65 meter mark in the long jump jumpers. In fact, her jump landed a mere 0.01 meters her only three centimeters short of the Amherst program record. She enjoyed more success when she

Just like her long jump, Bates’ 200 mark left her second in Amherst history. In addition, she tied for Lambert also competed well against the fast

time of 4:34.48. This performance lagged behind a two seconds. She also ran the 800 in 2:17.80, good for 13th place.

The men’s squad also stepped up with a good showing when the competition became tougher. The team tallied 55 total points, a solid mark but far below the 125 points compiled by the host Minutemen.

The team actually won three events. Dillon Buckley

Jaskaran’s judgement Karan Bains ’14 Karan looks back on some of the most memorable plotlines from this year’s NBA season, even though it never happened to begin with. As the end of the Karan believes the intrigue and entertainment will only get more and more exciting.

Where Amazing Happens What seemed impossible a mere few months ago is now days away from fruition: an NBA regular season, albeit a condensed version, is nearing completion as the month of April winds down.

Despite suffering through a lockout that nearly wiped away the NBA for a year, fans have been treated to perhaps one of the most enthralling regular seasons in recent history. A plethora of subplots have emerged and faded over the course of the past few months, and this trend shows no sign of abating as the grind of the season comes to a close in anticipation of the playoffs.

respectively, in the steeplechase. Turissini set a proPhoto courtesy of Steve Dao

Despite racing against stiff Div. I competition, the men’s track team finished fourth overall.

Karan Bains ’14 Sports Section Editor

continued to build up towards their upcoming championship meets last weekend, traveling across town to participate in the Univ. of Mass Spring Meet.

The competition featured several Division I teams, including the host UMass contingent. Despite the stiff Division I competition coupled with a bevy of other strong squads, the Jeffs held their own. with 21 points, it was a solid effort highlighted by the outstanding performances of Naomi Bates ’14 and Keri Lambert ’13.

Bates stayed with and even bested her Division I

portion of the event with a time of 9:29.63 seconds.

In addition, Matt Melton ’13 and Andrew Erskine ’13 also won their respective events. Melton’s 800 time of 1:53.06 proved too much for his comonly about a 10th of a second behind him. Lastly, Percie Gijima ’14 set a personal record in the 200meter dash, improving on his old mark by over half a second to reach 22.81 seconds, the fastest 200 time the Amherst team has had this season.

With the news of the upcoming Pratt Field renoa late season surge and go into their championship These important meets begin next Saturday with the Little Three Championships at Wesleyan, then continue to the next weekend when the NESCAC Championships take place at Bates. After these meets, the DIII New England Championships, among other competitions, await the Jeffs before the end of the school year.

Women’s Golf Wins Vassar Invitational Karan Bains ’14 Sports Section Editor After a successful fall campaign, the women’s golf team began their spring season with an impressive win at the 8th Annual Vassar Invitational this past weekend. The two-day tournament, held at the Dutchess Golf and Country Club in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., featured 11 teams, including NESCAC rivals Williams and Middlebury.

18 holes with a collective score of 337 on the par-70 course. Senior captain Laura Monty led while her younger sister Liz ’13 and Elaine Lin Irene Hickey ’13 shot an opening round score of 90, and teammate Sooji Choi ’14 posted a 91.

The following day the Jeffs dropped dlebury with the tournament team low of 663.

Middlebury shot a total of 667, while Williams Liz Monty shaved seven strokes off her opening round, shooting a 76 that found her tied for the individual lead with a total score of 159. Although she would fall in the two-round playoff to Middlebury’s Flora Weeks, Monty still managed to par 17 holes, tally the secondmost birdies of the tournament (4) and lead all

golfers on par 4 holes (+9). ish tied for fourth with a score of 164, while Lin’s second-round 82 put her even with her teammate, also at 165.

for 19th, while Hickey rounded out the Jeffs competitors, shooting a 92 that leftg her tied for 29th with a weekend score of 182. ishes in each of their four tournaments, but last the year.

Returning to action on Apr. 21-22, the Jeffs will host the Jack Leaman Championship where they look to build off their impressive team victory.

Men The men’s golf team opened its spring season at the Hampton Inn Invitational, placing eigth out of 18 teams.

Senior captain Nate Belkin led the Jeffs with a combined score of 163, while Ben Johnston ’13 rallied from an opening round 90 to shoot a team low 77. Alex Butensky ’13 shot an 86 on both days, and Nick Koh ’14 posted an 89 on day one and an 88 on day two.

Amherst returns to action on April 18 for the Little III Championship at Wesleyan.

left for most teams, the playoff picture remains unclear. While this late season race for playoff berths and seeding ocand the presence of dangerous teams at the bottom of the playoff picture make of the season. In fact, only eight of the 16 eventual playoff squads had clinched a berth at press time. While this alone may not mean much, a closer look at the ing situation.

In the Eastern Conference, the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat have established themselves as the teams to beat, rising to the top of the standings and looking down on the shifting seeding puzzle of the teams below them. However, Miami’s recent string of losses has cast them in a vulnerable light despite their incredibly talented duo of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James. After last season’s debacle in the NBA Finals, the spotlight and pressure lies squarely on Miami’s shoulders, especially the broad ones of James. If the Heat doesn’t win a championship this season, the experiment of assembling a superstar trio with spare parts around them may require some tinkering from Heat president Pat Riley.

The recent loss to a Bulls team which played with a recovering Derrick Rose certainly did not ease the tense atmosphere surrounding this squad. This insecurity has prompted some sportswriters, such as Grantland founder Bill Simmons, to proclaim a fervent hope round playoff matchup. While Miami is undoubtedly the better team, their problems with pressure situations could manifest themselves against the talented Knicks if Carmelo Anthony and company can play as a cohesive unit. Conversely, Chicago rides into the playoffs ingly ready to reverse last year’s result and knock off Miami if the two teams meet again.

Confusing the matchups in the East may be due to Miami’s instability and the races for the last playoff spot between Philadelphia, New York and Milwaukee, howver the West proves even more unpredictable. After Oklahoma City and San Antonio, who have played themselves into large leads for the top two seeds in the conference, the race remains wide open for teams to move up in the seeding or sneak into one of the last playoff spots. For example, the traditionally dominant Los Angeles team, the Lakers, only hold a small lead in

playoff seeding over their intercity rival, the Clippers. At times this season, the Lakers squad has resembled anything but a championship contender, but by working themselves into the three seed and depending on their big men in Kobe Bryant’s absence, they have morphed into a formidable playoff foe despite the coaching ineptitude of Mike Brown.

The Clippers, on the other hand, have struggled of late, reminding many pundits why an early proclamation declaring them instant championship contenders was premature. Nevertheless, the ‘Lob City’ squad still entertains on a nightly basis and has brought legitimacy back to the Clipper franchise. The close proximity of these teams in geography and in the standings has brought back an aura of competitive basketball to Hollywood, which is always a positive for the league.

One cannot mention Hollywood and the NBA in the same sentence this year without thinking of the disastrous shotgun marriage of Lamar Odom and the Dallas Mavericks. However, even after losing their primary defensive stopper in Tyson Chandler and other key players like J.J. Barea, the Mavericks are still hanging around for the playoffs.

The relatively low-seeding position of the defending NBA champions proves indicative of the regular season parity in the NBA. Although Dallas is only three games ahead of the Houston Rockets for peat last year’s magic. This disregard for the seeding structure proves apparent in other places on the schedule, as well; for example, Memphis, Dallas, Denver and Houston could all switch spots in the seeding order before the next few days come up. In particular, Memphis has already shown the ability to test the strongest squads to the breaking point, making for an interesting potential early round battle.

On the very opposite side of the winning spectrum, tanking games for better draft picks has also taken hold in the past few weeks, inducing bottom-feeding teams like the Charlotte Bobcats to try for better lottery odds. While such behavior is disdained in most NBA circles, the comedy of watching teams extend the ‘injuries’ of their starters and trot out D-League signees proves intriguing but sad to watch. However, this is the only mode of hope that fans of bad teams can use to look to the future, so for the non-playoff contenders, the race for last keeps fans somewhat engaged in the team’s endeavors.

Ultimately, however, the true intrigue lies in the playoff implications of a short fortnight, TNT will begin to run its “40 days in 40 nights” campaign to market the playoff matchups, and the playoffs themselves will be underway. round? Will Chicago sustain its domination when playoff time arrives?

Will the Mavericks be able to recapture last year’s playoff touch?

All of these questions and more will should hearten NBA fans and raise anticipation for the wild postseason that should ensue soon.

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Sports

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Inside

The Amherst Student Baseball Continues NESCAC Domination After sweeping Bates, Jeffs 6-0 in West, 8-0 in NESCAC PAGE 9

Softball Still Undefeated in NESCAC Play Maggie Law ’14 Staff Writer After a doubleheader victory over local rival Western New England Univ. last Wednesday, the women’s softball team completed a weekend sweep of Hamilton to remain undefeated in NESCAC West (6-0). The Jeffs are now 27-1 with just two weeks left in regular season play.

Last Wednesday, Amherst came from behind in the second game of the doubleheader for a decisive 15-4 victory after Donna Leet led the team with a record-breaking performance, surpassing the program’s single-season RBI record set in 1998. bringing her season total to 34.

WNE jumped out to an early lead with a two-out homerun Kelsey Ayers ’15 gave the Jeffs a 3-1 advantage at the end of

second, bringing home the runner on third to stretch WNE’s lead to three. A walk and a single would be enough for the Golden Bear’s fourth run, as Kelley came in for relief to halt the offensive burst.

Saturday’s doubleheader victory against Hamilton kept the Jeffs undefeated in NESCAC West play as they earned their 27th win of the season. Amherst opened the afternoon with a 5-2 victory before defeating the Continentals 8-2 in the second game.

Amherst kicked off scoring in the third inning, bringing home two runs on three hits. Ayers jumpstarted the effort with a twoout single before stealing second. A single and a stolen base from Silkowitz then put runners on second and third, and a double from Leet brought both players home for the 2-0 lead.

Doering kept the Continentals at bay for the next two innings as Amherst tacked on three runs, but Hamilton rebounded in the bottom of the seventh with

captain Carly Dudzik ’12 belted a homer to left The Jeffs added two more runs in the bottom of the second before Leet notched her 32nd RBI of the season, breaking the program’s singleseason RBI record and bringing home Ayers to put Amherst ahead, 5-4.

Amherst displayed its offensive prowess over the next two frames, driving home three runs in the third and seven in innings. Ayers and Dudzik shined in the second game, combining for 10 RBIs.

year Caroline Sealander moved in for relief, striking out her

The Golden Bears looked threatening in the top of the second with two runners on base, but Theresa Kelley ’13 struck out the

5-2 victory.

Surrendering just one earned run in six-and-a-third innings, Doering notched her seventh victory of the season.

went 3-for-4 with a single, double and triple. Kelley added six strikeouts to her total and improved to 14-0 on the season.

the next few innings, surrendering just one hit and striking out three batters over the next three innings. Amherst added a fourth run in the bottom Ayers shined in the sixth inning, dou-

opened up a three-game weekend at Hamilton with a 6-3 vic-

Sherwill around home plate to give the Jeffs a decisive 5-1 victory.

Kelley struck out 11 players without giving up a single walk to earn her 13th win of the season.

Striking out 67 batters in her last nine performances, she currently leads the conference in strikeouts.

WNE looked threatening in the beginning of the second game, loading the bases with just one out

tory in a tight back-andforth match-up.

The game was quiet until the -

game in the second inning after two stolen bases from Dudzik, and an RBI single from Karina Kossler ’15 brought the captain around home plate.

Amherst kept quiet until the top of the seventh, when runs on seven hits. Dudzik started the rally with a lead-off triple from Ayers sent both players home, giving the Jeffs a 3-0 lead.

Ayers and Leet each tallied a run in the offensive burst, while

advantage of an Amherst error for a pair of runs, stretching the lead to three.

drive to third brought home on an Amherst error to make it 2-0.

A wild pitch from sophomore Arielle Doering sent Eckert to

RBI single quickly put the Jeffs back in the game with a 3-3 tie. Runs from Kelley, Ayers and Horan in the top of the seventh would secure the 6-3 victory. enth inning comeback, marking her third straight multi-hit effort.

Dudzik went 1-for-4 on the day with one run after batting .600 over her previous eight games.

the seventh with two runs, but it wouldn’t be enough for the win as the Jeffs walked away with the 8-2 victory. ing an Amherst offense that recorded 13 hits in the game. Kelley shutout innings for her 16th victory of the season.

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Saturday for a doubleheader against the Cardinals.

Women’s Lacrosse Dominates Tufts, Skidmore Carlyn Robertson ’14 Associate Editor

1-for-6 on free-position attempts. Tufts held a 22-16 edge over Amherst in shot attempts, but Harik’s performance kept the offensive onslaught at bay.

On Tuesday, the Jeffs played a non-conference match at Skidmore and bested the Thoroughbreds 20-5. Randall scored a game-high six goals while Horwitz, Zsitvay and Philie each tallied a hat trick. Davis, Ludlow, Tyler and Sarah Spector ’15 each added a goal.

Horwitz and Ludlow set the pace with

The 11th-ranked women’s lacrosse team dominated Tufts on last Saturday’s Senior Day, besting the Jumbos 12-4. holding a 5-0 lead at the break. Krista Zsitvay ’14 started things off with a free-position goal at the 28:14 mark. er free-position conversion just over a minute later. Zsitvay scored again at the 17:06 off an assist from junior Hillary Densen.

Down 3-0, the Jumbos called a timeout, but were unable to halt the Jeffs’ momentum, as Randall and Alex Philie ’14 both scored on free-position attempts before time ran out in the half.

Less than a minute into the second frame, Philie kept things going with an assist to Wyatt Davis ’13. Zsitvay scored an unassisted goal to of the game at the 25:30 mark with an unassisted goal from the right side.

Randall put away another free-position attempt at the 18:44 mark, and sophomore Annelies O’Dea scored off of a Philie assist. Tufts scored a free-position shot, but Davis added

responded with two goals of its own to tie the score.

The Jeff attack picked up speed with a goal run. The Thoroughbreds managed to get a third

from Randall.

Randall opened the second half with an

Photos courtesy of Megan Robertson ’15

The Jeffs improved to 9-3 (5-3 NESCAC) with decisive 12-4 and 20-5 victories.

a pass from Elizabeth Ludlow ’14.

seven caused turnovers. Randall and Zsitvay game-winner with 22 seconds to play.

four goals of the game, with three goals scored in the last minute. Priscilla Tyler ’15 picked

nett ’12 were strong on the defensive end of

Goaltender Lamia Harik ’12 shined, making 13 saves and holding the Jumbos at

second frame. Skidmore responded to set the score at 11-4, but would not score again until the 4:28 mark. The Jeffs went on an eight-goal run starting at the 24:04 mark. Spector scored The Jeffs were clearly dominant on offense, holding a 38-6 shot advantage and a 16-9 edge in ground balls. Both Horwitz and Randall passed the 100-point mark as the Jeffs improved to 9-3 (5-3 NESCAC).

The Jeffs head to Williamstown on Saturday to face the Ephs.