Issue 23

All-New WAMH Concert Series Rocks Campus See A&L, Page 6

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

VOLUME CXLIII, ISSUE 20 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014

Students and Staff Host Forum for Women of Color Sitina Xu ’16 News Section Editor

The Student Health Educators and Peer Advocates of Sexual Respect hosted Consent Fest on April 2 to promote consent and open communication in all aspects of relationships. The festival on the Valentine Quad featured educational stations where students could earn prizes and collect relevant resources.

Photography Editor Olivia Tarantino ’15

AAS Election Complaint Dismissed Sophie Murguia ’17 Managing News Editor Six days after a complaint about campaign expenditures forced the Association of Amherst Students to delay the release of executive board election results, the Judiciary Council has voted to dismiss the complaint and uphold the results of last Tuesday’s runoff election.

Amani Ahmed ’15 has been elected president, and Juan Gabriel Delgado Montes ’16 has been elected vice president for the 2014-15 academic year.

Students voted to elect a president and vice

president on Tuesday, April 8 in a runoff between the top two candidates for each office.

The AAS Elections Committee had originally planned to announce the results at midnight on Thursday, but a complaint filed at 11:50 p.m. on Wednesday forced the committee to postpone the announcement until after the Judiciary Council could determine the complaint’s validity.

The complaint affected presidential candidates Ahmed and Peter Crane ’15 as well as vice presidential candidates Delgado Montes and Ellie Andersen ’15.

The complainants, Pierre Joseph ’15 and

Joshua Ferrer ’17, asked the Judiciary Council to determine whether any of the candidates in the runoff had exceeded the spending limits for their campaigns.

“According to the constitution, for executive board elections each candidate is allowed 30 dollars for the initial round of voting, and for the runoff they’re granted another 15,” said Joseph Kim ’14, the acting Judiciary Council chair.

Kim was selected to lead the Judiciary Council after Judiciary Council Tomi Williams Continued on Page 3

Women of color from the Amherst College community gathered April 13 in the Lord Jeffery Inn to share, reflect and consider questions of success, career and work-life balance. Sunday’s event was the College’s second annual dialogue centered around women of color in the workplace.

Rachael Abernethy ’16 worked with staff members Christina Ramos of the Career Center, Mariana Cruz of the Multicultural Resource Center, Danielle Hussey of the Women’s and Gender Center and Class of 2015 Dean Charri Boykin-East to plan the event.

The purpose of the event was to facilitate a dialogue for empowerment and critical reflection between alumni, staff and students centered on the theme of defining success in one’s career, family life and personal life grounded in the context of being a woman of color.

“Defining success, in particular, is important to me because a lot of times we don’t talk about success in the way we were able to talk about it today,” Abernethy said. “We say success, and we assume everyone knows what that means and what that looks like, but in reality, there are a lot of different definitions of success.”

This event also aimed to foster dialogue around the experience of race and gender across generations of Amherst women. Keynote speaker Maria-Judith Rodriguez, Director of Human Resources at Amherst College, brought her perspective as a Puerto Rican woman and leader in her field to speak to the particular challenges and identity of being labeled a “woman of color.”

Rohini Harvey ’98, a physician at Baystate Health, said that Rodriguez’s speech led her to recall some of the challenges that she had expeContinued on Page 3

Faculty Discuss Internationalization at Amherst Emmett Knowlton ’15 Editor-in-Chief

The faculty braved the elements last night to convene in the Red Room for their monthly faculty meeting, which included — among many other things — discussions of the position of the Provost, a presentation from Professor Amrita Basu regarding the Strategic Planning Committee for the Internationalization of Liberal Arts Education and an update on the process of book removal in order to accommodate the construction of the Humanities Center in Frost.

Dean of the Faculty Gregory Call began the meeting by quickly summarizing the Committee of Six’s minutes from their meeting the previous day. Most notably, the committee voted to add the Provost as a non-voting member of both the Committee of Priorities and Resources and the Committee of Six. A proposal to make Environmental Studies into an official department passed 4-0 with two members abstaining, while the motion to move the proposal to the faculty was passed 6-0.

Martin began her lengthy remarks to the fac-

ulty by announcing the 2014 Honorary Degree recipients. Along with David Brooks, the announcements of Olympic swimmer Cullen Jones and statistician Nate Silver received noticeably audible faculty approval.

Next, Martin provided an update on the College’s Title IX efforts. She noted that the faculty will be required to take a training course as mandatory reporters of sexual assault next semester, a choice she described as “useful and necessary to benefit everyone.” There were concerns that this training regiment would be similar to an online course taken two years ago; Martin assured the faculty that while the online course focused with sexual harassment, this new course would focus specifically with the duties of mandatory reports.

Martin then moved to the podium to speak on the role of the Provost — a topic that sparked significant dialogue. The two most central elements of Provost Uvin’s job thus far have been strategic planning and diversity, Martin explained, and she hoped that this would help clarify his recent appointment to certain committees.

Several faculty members, including the evervocal Professor Ronald Rosbottom, expressed confusion regarding the original creation of the position of Provost, which he thought was to relieve the Dean of Faculty of certain duties.

To this, Martin responded that the position of Provost was created for multiple reasons, easing the Dean of Faculty one of many. She also noted that certain facets of the Dean of Faculty’s office have indeed moved, including re-accreditation and affiliated institutions, including the Folger Library in Washington, D.C. Next, Professor Amrita Basu presented her strategic planning committee’s work regarding internationalization and how it relates to Amherst. In order to thrive post-college, students must become “globally fluent;” this importance, according to Basu, is the crux of her committee’s mission.

Basu separated her presentation into three distinct sections: curriculum, study abroad and international students. Regarding curriculum, many faculty expressed a desire to integrate an international component to specific courses, including independent interterm travel (and fund-

ing) before a spring semester class.

Another area of significant faculty discussion was the possibility of students studying abroad during their sophomore year. While certain faculty members argued it would allow for more junior year research and pre-thesis options, others expressed concerns that studying abroad during sophomore year could potentially leave a student wanting to change their major late in the junior year. In all, the faculty agreed that Basu’s committee continue to discuss this thoroughly, and to make sure that there is more cohesion between the College and students abroad, that going abroad is not simply “going away.”

Lastly, the process of clearing books in Frost left many faculty jaws ajar when they learned that a 1,760-page list containing between 45,000 and 50,000 volumes would need to be manually combed through by the faculty before the semester in order to assure certain volumes wouldn’t be vacated for the Humanities Center. Professor Sinos, who presented the information to the faculty, was met with a great collective chuckle when she said that this is “a more laborious process than it may sound like.”

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News

“‘We thought they were a really good match for the school. We haven’t had female performers in a long time.’”

Icona Pop to Headline Spring Concert Page 3

April 7, 2014 - April 14, 2014

>>April 7, 2014 11:57 p.m., Wieland Dormitory An officer responded to a report of someone yelling and throwing things around a third-floor room. It was discovered that a resident was venting frustration over a project he was working on. >>April 8, 2014 9:52 a.m., Keefe Campus Center An officer investigated graffiti written on basement walls in two locations. >>April 9, 2014 7:19 p.m., Cohan Dormitory An officer responded to a complaint about someone smoking on the second floor. A faint odor was detected but the origin could not be found. >>April 10, 2014 1:11 p.m., Valentine Dining Hall Officer responded to a complaint about a man outside the building asking students unusual questions and making some feel uncomfortable. The man was located and identified. He was issued a written no trespass order as he and no legitimate reason to be on campus.

10:12 p.m., King Dormitory An officer responded to a complaint about the odor of marijuana. No odor of marijuana was found, but an officer met a resident who stated she just smoked a cigarette outside. >>April 11, 2014 11:19 p.m., Mayo Smith House An officer discovered an unauthorized party with alcohol. It was shut down.

11:25 p.m., Pond Dormitory An officer discovered unattended alcohol in the basement. It was confiscated. >>April 12, 2014 1:11 a.m., Valentine Quad An officer observed a male urinating near an event tent. He was fined $100 for the offensive behavior.

10:24 p.m., Marsh House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding on the first floor and found that a water-based smoke machine was in use for an event. The machine was shut down. >>Apr. 13, 2014 12:02 a.m., Pond Dormitory When in the social dorm quad, an officer observed a scuffle between two men. One man then punched the other in the face. The men were separated and identified as students.

Neither wanted to pursue a complaint against the other.

12:15 a.m., Social Quad A sum of cash was found in the social dorm quad. It was placed in Lost and Found.

12:39 a.m., Moore Dormitory An officer responded to a noise complaint and found an unauthorized gathering with alcohol on the third floor. The people were asked to leave the area and the alcohol was confiscated.

12:48 a.m., Moore While in Moore, an officer discovered unattended alcohol in the third floor common room. It was confiscated.

1:38 a.m., Converse Lot An officer issued written no trespassing notices to two men found involved in suspicious activity.

1:42 a.m., Converse Lot An officer encountered three men in a car and discovered the driver was in possession of marijuana. The marijuana and a device used to grind marijuana were confiscated.

1:43 a.m., Converse Lot An officer encountered three men in a car and discovered that an underage passenger was in possession of alcohol. It was confiscated.

3:09 a.m., Morris Pratt Dormitory Upon checking the building, an officer found evidence that a large amount of alcohol, including hard alcohol, was present at a registered event. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

1:44 a.m., Converse Lot An officer encountered three men in a parked car and discovered the driver was in possession of a driver’s license that belonged to another person. The Registry of Motor Vehicles was notified.

2:33 p.m., Waldorf-Astoria Dormitory An officer on bike patrol encountered a group of students outside the building with alcohol. Three were identified as underage. The matter was referred to the Dean’s Office.

1:44 a.m., Converse Lot An officer encountered three men in a parked car and discovered a passenger was in possession of two false licenses. The Registry of Motor Vehicles was notified.

6:26 p.m., Valentine Dining Hall Officers responded to a report of an altercation between students in the annex and found that dining hall staff had resolved the matter.

2:07 a.m., Mayo Smith Dormitory A caller reported a fight at a house across the road from Mayo Smith.

The Amherst Police were notified and AC officers responded to assist.

6:58 p.m., Charles Drew House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding on the first floor and found was activated by cooking smoke from the kitchen.

2:18 p.m., Crossett Dormitory A student reported the theft of an unlocked bicycle which he left near Crossett. It is valued at $200.

9:53 p.m., Seelye House While at Seelye House, an officer observed that hard alcohol was present at a registered event. A party sponsor was notified and it was removed. The violation was referred to the Dean’s Office.

>>Apr. 14, 2014 2:59 a.m., The Quadrangle An officer responded to a complaint of people singing and being loud in front for the building. A group of students was located and advised about the complaint. They left the area.

Yasmina Martin

Thoughts on Theses Department of Black Studies

Yasmina Martin is a senior majoring in Black Studies. Her thesis focuses on representations of white masculinity in South African literature. Her thesis advisor is Professor of Black Studies and English Rhonda Cobham-Sander.

Q: What is your thesis about?

A: It is about the constructions of white masculinity as represented in South African literature. I am particularly interested in how certain rituals promoted at the family level (hunting, for example) reflect those performed on a national level (militarism and warfare). In my thesis, I concentrate mainly on male protagonists of chosen novels and their roles in supporting or subverting Afrikaner nationalism. I study how authors use literary techniques to reveal protagonists’ complex relationships to apartheid rule. I focused on five novels: “The Smell of Apples” by Mark Behr, “Boyhood”

by J.M. Coetzee, “Moffie” by Andre Carl van de Merwe, “The House Gun” by Nadine Gordimer and “Triomf ” by Marlene van Niekerk.

I began my thesis with historical background, starting with how Afrikaner nationalism was based on developing the Afrikaans language and forging a stronger sense of Christianity in the Cape colony. From that, I started to explore how sexuality and violence are represented in South African novels.

Q: What was your pre-writing process like? Was it more focused on historical research or literature analysis?

A: Historical research took place first. During the process, I looked at the development of Cape colony starting in the mid-17th century, the influence and development of religion, apartheid, and Afrikaner nationalism, to name a few topics.

After completing the research, I used the newly acquired knowledge on the historical background as a framework for looking at different works of literature.

The first novel I read for my thesis was “The Smell of Apples” by Mark Behr. The novel is set in Cape Town, South Africa, in the early seventies. The author portrays South Africa’s apartheid through the eyes of a young boy, who is a son of an army general, and describes how much the apartheid and his father’s white supremacy views influence the 11-year-old child’s perspective. He essentially repeats everything his father says and believes in about supporting apartheid. However, when the boy becomes older, he fights as a soldier in the army and realizes how his father’s conviction was flawed. It was interesting to analyze how the protagonist transitions from initially accepting the ideas of nationalism to learning how everything he and his father believed in was false.

I paid a lot of attention to symbolism that was presented throughout the novels that I read. For example, in “The Smell of Apples,” the protagonist puts on a uniform as a boy. The boy adopts the image of the soldier and takes on the burden of supporting the apartheid government, even though he does not understand the repercussions of doing so.

Q: Did you have any knowledge about your topic before choosing it?

A: I had taken Professor Sitze’s class about apartheid, so I knew about the legal histories involving this part of the South African history. I also had some secondhand knowledge since my mom wrote her dissertation on South Africa. She used one of the novels I read in her dissertation. Other than that, I didn’t have much background knowledge before starting my research.

Q: What was the general timeline of your thesis writing process?

A: I read the first novel in June before my senior year. I began to develop topic ideas starting then and read more selections from post-colonialism South African literature in order to refine my top-

ic. I did not finalize my idea until August, which is when I submitted my proposal, and by mid-February of this year, I finished my first draft. Also, I originally planned to analyze three works, but by the end, I ended up reading and writing about five novels. I turned in the final draft on Tuesday [April 8].

Q: What was your favorite part about writing a senior thesis?

A: I think the best part was getting to learn about the novels I chose in depth and really understand the plots and characters. I haven’t really taken English classes at Amherst, so I was very new to this process of carrying out an in-depth analysis of works of literature. Learning to analyze literature effectively, while using historical evidence, was a cool experience.

Q: What was the most difficult part?

A: The hardest part for me was starting from a lot of ideas to synthesizing and communicating them in a way it makes sense to the readers. A lot of the time, I was so into writing that it was very difficult for me to tell whether my words made sense or not. It is incredibly easy to get wrapped up in what you are writing and remembering to distance yourself from what you have written in order to look at the product with a different perspective.

Q: Who or what have been the most helpful resources along the way?

A: My advisor was very helpful and provided me constructive feedback. Also, when I had a broader topic of Afrikaner nationalism, she helped me narrow it down and advised me on which texts to read. Another useful resource was the Writing Center, which I visited about three times after having completed several drafts. It was nice to have someone, other than my advisor and me, read my work. The staff at the center pointed out to me places that did not make sense, to which I would later revisit and add more detailed explanations. The Writing Center is especially useful for helping the writer polish up the work with smoother transitions and sentence structure.

Q: Did you experience any unexpected things during the thesis process?

A: The only thing I was surprised by was how I had planned on using the novels in a different way or thought about the amount of focus on each novel, but there were changes along the way. I dealt with different themes in each chapter of the thesis, and a chapter was about anywhere from three to five novels. It was hard to balance how much I would dedicate to each novel.

Q: Do you have any advice for future thesis writers?

A: I would tell them to start early. Also, if they are writing a thesis that deals with both history and literature, I would advise the writers to thoroughly consider how the history fits into literature and focus on the details in the works. I think that writing early is important, too. It is very helpful to have your ideas on the page even if you don’t believe they are your strongest arguments.

Q: What is the most valuable lesson you have learned from writing a thesis?

A: One lesson is that it is possible to draw out a well-developed product out of a broad, general idea. It was very exciting to see how little increments of work every day added up to be my senior thesis by the end.

— Elaine Jeon ’17

The Amherst Student • April 16, 2014

News 3

Judiciary Council Upholds Icona Pop Announced as Results of Runoff Election Spring Concert Headliner Continued from Page 1

’16 recuse himself from the committee because he had been a candidate for AAS president in the first round of elections. Three other Judiciary Council members recused themselves from the committee because they had publicly endorsed candidates involved in the complaint.

On Friday, April 11, Kim and the other five acting members of the Judiciary Council decided to delay the results until the candidates involved could display proof of their campaign expenditures.

“Due to the size and amount of posters displayed during the campaign leading up to the runoff election, the JC unanimously deemed the complaint to be valid,” Kim said in an email to the student body.

Two days later, the four candidates presented evidence of their campaign expenses at an open hearing in Morris Pratt Ballroom. All four candidates said that they had not exceeded the allotted spending limit.

Lindon Chen ’15, Ahmed’s campaign manager, explained during the hearing that some students had speculated that Ahmed had exceeded the limit because one of the posters used to advertise her campaign was particularly large. However, Ahmed reported that she spent a total $39.40 on her campaign, more than 5 dollars under the limit.

Ahmed later told the Judiciary Council that although she had originally spent more than $45 printing posters for her campaign, she reported only $39.40 because she never used some of the posters she printed.

At the hearing, Crane reported $17.30 in total expenditures, Andersen reported $7.80 and

Delgado Montes reported $24.83.

After briefly questioning the candidates, the Judiciary Council adjourned the hearing with a promise to deliberate on the complaint

by Monday night. Although the hearing was held on Sunday, the committee did not make a decision until Monday, because candidates had been given until Monday at noon to submit the final report of their expenditures.

Ultimately, the committee decided that the results of the runoff were valid and could be released.

“We voted three in favor, one opposed and one abstaining to dismiss the complaint,” Kim said in an interview on Tuesday afternoon.

“That means that all four candidates were in compliance with the constitution as we interpreted it.”

The Elections Committee announced the results in an email to the student body on Tuesday night.

The Elections Committee has also announced that AAS Senate and Judiciary Council elections will be pushed back until Tuesday, April 22. Although the elections were originally scheduled for this Thursday, the Judiciary Council and Elections Committee decided to postpone the elections in light of the complaint.

“If a candidate loses the runoff and decides to run for Senate, or if they haven’t had proper time to publicize and gauge student interest, then they would have the time to adequately prepare,” Kim said of the decision to push back the next round of elections.

Speech Night for the Senate and Judiciary Council elections will be held at 6:30 p.m. this Sunday, April 20.

Alumni Share Experiences at Women of Color Forum Continued from Page 1 rienced in being labeled a woman of color.

“Maria-Judith Rodriguez talked about how on moving to the United States, she was suddenly put in a group and even asked how she felt about things ‘as a black woman,’” Harvey said. “It reminded me of all the times people — patients, acquaintances, strangers — ask me where I am from. I always answer, ‘Buffalo, NY’ because that is, in fact, where I am from, but I know that is not what they are getting at.”

Additionally, the event featured facilitated dialogue and activities designed to encourage participants to take risks in a supportive environment and open themselves to vulnerability.

“The first part was about encouraging all of us to set an intention for the program by intention I mean a goal — and then to push ourselves a little further and think about positive risktaking in empowering ways,” Cruz said. “As a woman of color, I sometimes feel vulnerable in the face of risk-taking, but I also know that I have to take risks in order to be truly innovative in the workplace.”

Cruz also led the group in creating a collective definition of success for women in the workplace. Alumni shared their experience of trying to assert themselves in their respective fields while students added to those ideas with questions and beliefs of their own.

The final activity asked participants to represent their group definition of success through the images, words and ideas used in women’s magazines.

“Magazines are artifacts that reproduce the dominant discourses that circulate in popular culture, and my intention was to have a conversation about what these dominant discourses are and reflect on ways in which the experiences and perspectives of women of color chal-

lenge or offer a counter-discourse,” Cruz said.

This dialogue led to an exchange of ideas relating to what it means to maintain and promote one’s culture and heritage in the workplace. Maryam Khan ’10, originally from Pakistan and now working in finance in New York City, spoke on how maintaining a sense of one’s culture is not simply asserting oneself at every turn, but learning to work within the rules of one’s industry to make the most effective change.

Khan said that she realized that as a junior level associate, wearing a nose-ring to client meetings simply would not help her or the company, so she took it off even though it had been a part of her identity for years. Now, Khan says, she could flaunt for heritage and “wear a gypsy skirt to work” if she wanted to because she has proven herself in the company and gained some leverage to push back against the rules a little.

Furthermore, Harvey shared her path to her dream job one she decided upon from a young age but one she couldn’t achieve before first taking time off to learn about herself and what she wanted and needed out of life.

“As the child of immigrant parents I was encouraged to map out my future while I was very young, well before I entered college,” Harvey said. “To my parents it didn’t matter what path I chose, as long as I had a path. My journey ended up being more of a zig-zag than a straight line.”

Several presenters spoke about how success is often unpredictable, and definitions of success can vary based on personal choices.

“I think knowing that there are many different definitions of success and I don’t have to conform to one allows me to breathe and take my time as a sophomore and be like, everything is going to be OK, and I’m going to figure it out,” Abernethy said.

Sophie Murguia ’17 Managing News Editor Icona Pop will headline this year’s Spring Concert, the Spring Concert committee announced Friday night. The Swedish DJ duo will play at LeFrak Gymnasium on April 26 with British DJ Star Slinger as their opening act.

Icona Pop is an electro-pop group made up of Stockholm natives Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo. The group formed in 2009 and rose to prominence after the release of their single “Manners.” They are most famous for their 2012 hit “I Love It,” which reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.

Star Slinger, whose real name is Darren Williams, hails from Manchester, UK. His work is influenced by dance, hip-hop and electronic music, and his most popular albums and EPs include “Ladies in the Back” and “Volume 1.”

The process of selecting a spring concert artist started at the beginning of the academic year, when the Spring Concert committee asked students for input.

“We released a survey in the fall, and a lot of people said they didn’t want rap again,” said Peter Crane ’15, the Association of Amherst Students senator who chairs the Spring Concert committee.

Hip-hop artists Macklemore & Ryan Lewis headlined last year, and in 2012 the rapper Ludacris performed.

“We thought they were a really good match for the school,” Crane said of Icona Pop. “We haven’t had female performers in a long time.”

Originally, Icona Pop did not fall within the College’s price range of $45,000. However, the Campus Activities Board eventually found $5,000 more in its budget so that the College

could offer a more competitive bid. Additionally, the Spring Concert committee was able to save money because Icona Pop had already planned to be in the New England area, so they will driving to Amherst rather than flying.

Once Icona Pop accepted the bid, contract negotiations began. The Spring Concert announcement came especially late this year because these negotiations took longer than expected.

“They confirmed the bid in December during finals week, but the contract wasn’t signed until two weeks after spring break,” Crane said.

Despite the late announcement, students began speculating that Icona Pop would be the Spring Concert artist in the days following spring break.

Because the announcement was originally planned for the week after spring break, the Spring Concert committee decided to send out a mailing that week advertising the concert.

The mailing consisted of a postcard with the date “4.26.14” printed in a pixelated font. Crane said that some people noticed that this font was the same one that Icona Pop uses on its website.

Now that the artist has been officially announced, the Spring Concert committee has begun to sell tickets.

Tickets are free for Amherst College students with an Amherst ID, $10 for Five College students with ID and $25 for general admission.

Tickets will be available in Keefe Campus Center today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and in Valentine Dining Hall from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. During other daytime hours, students can pick up tickets in Keefe 019.

Ticket sales will open up to the general public tomorrow.

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Opinion

“... the best ideas come at the end of perseverance.”

Editorial

Ahmed, Crane et. al v. AAS JC On April 2, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a 5-4 ruling on McCutcheon et al. v. Federal Election Commission, striking down the Federal Election Campaign Act’s aggregate limits on the total amount a donor may contribute to all candidates and committees.

Perhaps in protest to the Supreme Court’s controversial ruling — or perhaps not — the AAS Judiciary Council seems to be cracking down on campaign finance. Last week, the JC emailed students informing them a complaint expressing concern about excessive campaign expenditures during the run-off AAS Executive Election was filed. As a result, all the candidates who participated in the run-off election are under investigation, and the results of the E-board elections have yet to be released.

The JC’s efforts are certainly well-intentioned. Campaign expenditure limits are absolutely necessary, lest elections degenerate into a cookie-distributing popularity contest. As many problems as the AAS may have, we can be grateful that at least its elections are not as dysfunctional as federal ones. Since a complaint was filed, the JC must perform its due diligence and investigate. Nonetheless, its approach to the problem has been questionable.

The first issue that comes to mind is the wording of the email from the JC sent last Friday. The

emails states, “these candidates are required to prove compliance with all campaign rules directly stated in the Constitution or risk disqualification…[and] are required to attend [a hearing] and to bring supporting evidence of their compliance.” This all seems to imply that the burden of proof rests not in the JC, but rather the candidates, i.e., the candidates are guilty until proven innocent.

How exactly will the JC verify that the expenditure limit has been violated, or how does a candidate prove that they are in compliance with the limit? If any candidates did violate the spending limit, the JC cannot realistically count how many fliers were actually printed nor can it prevent any candidate from destroying or failing to disclose receipts in excess of the the $15 limit. On the other hand, candidates are in compliance with the limit, how do they prove that they have not withheld any receipts?

This is not the first time that problems with campaign expenditures have arisen in AAS elections.

By addressing this issue only after a run-off election has been completed and after a complaint has been filed, the JC’s timing could not be worse, and it reveals that the AAS has not earnestly attempted to formulate any long-term solution and is instead content to haphazardly deal with the issue when a com-

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editors-in-Chief Brendan Hsu, Emmett Knowlton Executive Advisor Brianda Reyes Managing News Sophie Murguia Managing Opinion James Liu, David Chang Managing Arts and Living Meghan McCullough, Elizabeth Paul Managing Sports Andrew Knox, Nicole Yang

plaint happens to arise.

There are various ways of resolving the issue of campaign expenditures. For example, the AAS could increase the limit to a more a realistic number and focus instead on restricting the ways in which candidates may spend their funds.

If candidates want to print $50 worth of fliers, there is little reason to believe they would have an unfair advantage in the election. After a certain quantity, fliers elicit far more irritation than interest. But, if a candidate used funds to host a party or pass out free candy, then the JC may express concern and potentially intervene.

If the JC is, however, is distressed about excessive and gratuitous printing of campaign fliers, then candidates could send templates of their fliers to the JC and request a certain quantity be printed. Only fliers and posters that have been approved and marked by the JC would be allowed to be distributed around campus, and in this way, the JC could keep track of exactly how many fliers have been produced by each candidate, instead of attempting to count them ex post facto.

Hopefully, the AAS takes this opportunity to not just respond to this year’s election complaint, but to anticipate future problems that may arise and pursue long-term solutions.

S TA F F Design Editor Brian Beaty News Section Editors Andrew Kim, Judd Liebman Opinion Section Editors Darya Barshak, Ashley Montgomery Sports Section Editors Dori Atkins, Jason Stein, Jeremy Kesselhaut Publishers Nazir Khan, Diana Lopez, Syeda Malliha, Tia Robinson, Valerie Salcido Photography Editor Olivia Tarantino

Design Thinking... Page 5

The Problem of Pretending Judd Liebman ’16 News Section Editor The sexual violence that occurs on this campus is not incongruent to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, sexual abuse and rape are universal problems. Last year’s dialogue and the continuation of the discussion surrounding sexual violence have increased resources on campus. The recognition that we must end victim-shaming to create a safer environment for any man or woman who has been attacked is paramount. Progress certainly has been made in this regard. There is, however, another facet that must be explored: pretending one’s own inability to rape.

Classifying oneself as someone who could never commit such a terrible crime is an attempt to create two classes of citizens: those who could and those who could not rape another. When someone does violate another, they are certainly reclassified as criminals and are therefore separated from the rest of society. However, their actions, not their inner-being, separate them from society.

Nothing makes a rapist a rapist other than his or her specific actions. The identification of a “rapist” does not exist prior to specific actions — each perpetrator is unique and has no distinct quality that diagnosis him/her as a rapist.

The only thing that deems a human an attacker is his or her actions.

Feigned self-superiority is a community problem because it comes from an attempt to detach oneself from potential perpetrators.

Those who could commit sexual violence are thus separated from the rest of society when, in reality, all humans are capable of violence. All men and women can rape another.

This sad truth is unsettling. As a man, for me to say “I could never rape anyone” is not only untrue but also unproductive.

The Christian doctrine presented in John to love thy neighbor applies here. While one might commit violence against another human (man or woman), his mistake does not deny him the community of love.

Despite his crime, he is still human and still equal to other humans. Excluding this man from the community of love creates the view of differing capabilities. Those who occupy the community of love believe they cannot commit violence because they reside in a different space than the criminals who have.

This separation is extremely dangerous because it creates a kind of complacency.

The statement “I could never rape another” relaxes us. This statement takes the individual out of the equation, and he or she no longer resides in a community with rapists and can ignore them. If they do not occupy our world, they do not deserve any attention. We overlook our own capabilities, which allows for the obvious next step: ignoring rape as a communal problem.

The logic is as follows: “I am not (and could never be) the problem, so why should I care?” To create a safer community of informed bystanders, we have to understand our own capabilities. Because we are all capable, there must be something that deters some of us from harming another.

Each student should attempt to identify the inhibition within him/ herself. If each individual deterrent is not identified, then the possibility to assault another may become a reality.

The White Ribbon Campaign asks each student to do just this.

The White Ribbon Pledge, readapted to fit Amherst, is as follows: “I pledge to not commit, condone or stand silent about sexual violence and misconduct.” This pledge asks each of us to understand that we can all violate another. Once we comprehend our abilities, we can then begin to stop them.

You might be thinking that this column condones rape. You might think that I am claiming that sexual violence is a natural human tendency and is therefore okay. Nowhere in this article do I further that claim.

Sexual assault is the most terrible and inhumane crime that one can commit. That every human has the ability to commit this act does not make it acceptable.

We must, however, understand that everyone can commit violence.

If we do not understand this simple truth, then the problem of assault resides only in the community of survivors and rapists. Everyone else is believed to “never be able to assault another” and does not need to work to solve the problem. The White Ribbon pledge helps solve this potential problem.

By honestly analyzing your own capabilities, you can begin to identify your internal regulation system.

If all humans take this task seriously, we could get one step closer to ending rape and sexual assault.

Again, the pledge is “I pledge to not commit, condone or stand silent about sexual violence and misconduct.” The Sexual Respect Task Force will be inviting students to take this pledge the first week of May. I have taken the pledge. Will you?

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The Amherst Student • April 16, 2014

Opinion 5

SILT: Design Thinking and Problem Solving

Kristine Choi ’16 Contributiting Writer Inspired by a design-thinking workshop held at the Ashoka U Exchange*, SILT decided to host a similar workshop series here on our campus. The initial motivation was to create a space where students would be challenged to come up with creative solutions to a wide range of problems, ranging from “how might we get students excited about recycling on campus?” to “how might we empower women in Nigeria?” However, we realized that merely posing problems and asking students to debate would not be enough — there had to be a more methodological, efficient way of approaching the problem. This is where the design-thinking process came in.

The concept of design thinking may sound vaguely familiar. By definition, design thinking is a collaborative, human-centered approach to solving complex problems by going through specific stages: understanding human needs (empathize), framing the problem (define), generating ideas (ideate), building models (prototype) and getting feedback to refine models (testing)**.

While this process seems relatively easy to follow, you may be surprised to find that when we look back on our own experiences, we rarely succeed in moving beyond the first two stages.

As students, we engage in passionate debates in the classroom and talk about the kinds of changes we want to see in the world, yet when it comes down to practical, applicable solutions, we are at a loss. This could be because often we aren’t confident enough, or because we don’t take the time to tap into our creative reserves and structure our brainstorming process in a systematic way to generate deliverable ideas, a process which takes place during the third “ideate” stage.

In many ways, this “ideate” stage is the crux of the design-thinking process. How can we push ourselves to generate creative ideas, instead of being daunted by the vast canvas that suddenly opens up before us when we start

brainstorming? Often times, we feel too much pressure to be innovative and we don’t give ourselves enough time to explore our creativity. It turns out that the best ideas come at the end of perseverance. Dev Patnaik, founder and CEO of Jump Associates, speaks from his own experience from facilitating brainstorm sessions: “Out of a hundred ideas, the first sixty ideas produced five that were actually new or different, the next twenty produced nothing but laughter and ideas eighty to a hundred produced another ten that were amazing. Thankfully, we didn’t give up when the well ran dry around idea number sixty.”

The two design-thinking workshops that SILT hosted this semester were structured around engaging our creativity and learning how to productively and comfortably engage within that space. The first workshop was hosted in a relatively relaxed atmosphere where students could engage in a series of mini-exercises, including 100-lines, the silent game and the marshmallow challenge. The 100-lines game was a series of short brainstorming sessions in which students were challenged to give 100 lines each a different name within three minutes. The purpose was to get an idea of how our thought process flowed and to identify which areas we would become fixated on or branch out from.

During the silent game, three people teamed up to engage in a hands-on Lego activity to learn about how each person came with different perspectives and would develop varied interpretations after observing the same Lego structure.

Lastly, the marshmallow challenge provided students with tape, 15 spaghetti sticks and a single marshmallow to see which team could build the tallest structure that would support the marshmallow. Although these tasks might have initially seemed silly, participating students felt challenged to perform well on each of these tasks and were able to gain insight on how we could more actively engage in creative thought processes.

Image courtesy of Dev Patnaik The second workshop was more experiential, based on a role-play activity designed by the D-lab at MIT called Wheelchairs for the World.

Each student took on the role of a different stakeholder involved in the distribution of a grant given by a large funding foundation for disability assistance in Central America. The purpose of the activity was for students to gain insight into the different factors influencing funding decisions and to experience the tensions that come into play when multiple stakeholders with varying objectives are working together to determine the outcome of a project. The activity reminded us of how easy it is to forget the very people we are solving the problem for, when we get caught up in the logistics and clash of interests that take place in the real world. This was especially an important reminder of the human-centered approach that the design-thinking process emphasizes.

Design thinking presents us with a method to systematically approach problems, taking our inspiration one step further to develop creative, productive solutions. We need to learn not to just rely on intuition and emotions, but to recognize patterns and construct ideas that are meaningful as well as functional. As inventor Thomas Edison once said, “genius is one percent

inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” We can all be easily inspired and passionate, but translating that inspiration and passion into creative, actionable ideas is an entirely different story.

The Idea Lab that SILT will host on April 20th takes the design thinking workshop series to the next level, by challenging students to incorporate elements of design thinking and systematically tackle four issues affecting the Amherst Community: How might we address racism in Amherst public schools? How might we address homelessness in the Pioneer Valley? How might we engage Amherst students in green initiatives? How might we create a platform to increase transparency between college students and administration? Students will engage in lightning brainstorm rounds to generate ideas, get feedback and develop a two-minute pitch about their solutions. Once again, we all have our individual inspirations and passions, maybe even the beginning spark of what could be a great idea — but it shouldn’t just end there.

As Amherst students, we should learn to not just talk about problems, but also be able to creatively answer to those problems. *An annual global conference for incorporating social innovation in higher education **Taken from the D.School at Stanford University

Democrats: Gulity of Discrimination by Their Own Logic Robert Lucido ’15 Contributiting Writer Approaching the mid-term elections, Democrats have returned to the issue of gender discrimination in the workplace. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) blasted Republicans saying, “If Senate Republicans are ideologically opposed to ensuring equal pay for equal work, they are free to vote against passage of the Paycheck Fairness Act.” President Obama himself has been traveling the country touting “equal pay for equal work” and citing from the Bureau of Labor Relations’ (BLR) annual report that a woman “still makes 77 cents for each dollar a man earns.” But contrary to what the President wants us to believe, that is very different from saying “women earn 77 cents on the dollar for doing the same work as men.” In fact, very little — if any — evidence exists that discrimination is the cause of the wage disparity between full-time men and women employees.

First, the metric ignores part-timers workers, among whom women make 3 percent more than men. Secondly, “full-time” status is achieved by working a minimum of 35 hours a week, but it does not differentiate beyond that mark. As Hanna Rosin, a writer for the liberal online publication Slate, wrote, “We could be comparing men working 40 hours to women working 35.” The same report the President so frequently cites also states that men were almost twice as likely to work more than 40 hours a week while women were almost twice as likely to work only 35 to 39. The fact is that not all full-time employees are the same and when accounting for their hourly differences, the wage gap closes from 23 percent (77¢) to 13 percent (87¢).

But, this is still not an accurate measure of men and women doing equal work. Men and women gravitate to different industries as a result of their own free choices. Women, especial-

ly mothers, tend to seek jobs that offer greater flexibility in work hours and commuting; they are thus more likely to hold clerical jobs or to work in the service industry. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to perform manual labor such as construction and mining. These blue-collar industries tend to be higher paying, for reasons other than quality of work. First, 34 percent of labor within blue-collar industries is unionized and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, unionized wages are on average $4.12 per hour higher than those of their nonunionized counterpart. Secondly, blue-collar work (such as iron working or logging) often presents a considerable risk factor and as a result average pay is higher to compensate for that risk. Given that 92 percent of work-related deaths in 2012 were men, it appears that men are either significantly more careless or far more likely to work in a dangerous industry. The latter would appear the more probable option especially if you have ever seen an episode of History Channel’s Ice Road Truckers. Over seven seasons, only two of its 24 drivers have been women — one of which left after just one season. Similar trends are seen in industries in which compensation is risky (such as finance or law). Furthermore, these factors account for at least four percent of the remaining wage disparity, narrowing the gap to nine percent (91¢).

Education is perhaps the most significant influence on one’s career choices and therefore the wage he or she collects. Fortunately, level of education no longer contributes to the gender income gap. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, women were the recipients of almost 60 percent of both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in 2012. However, field of study is equally important, and according to the U.S Department of Education, men earn more degrees in fields with the highest earning potential. In 2010, men received over 83 percent of engineering degrees — a field that the Bureau of

Labor Statistics predicts to grow 11 percent and yield an average salary of $132,000 by 2018 — yet, it did not even rank amongst women’s top ten majors. Similar trends were seen amongst computer science majors — a field projected to grow by 24 percent in the same time frame.

Women, on the other hand, obtain 85 percent of Education degrees, 77 percent of Psychology degrees and 68 percent of English degrees, which, President Obama politely told students at the University of Michigan last week, feed into professions that “are passions, but not going to be an investment banker salary situations.”

Next, we adjust for work experience, in which women have also made significant strides. Beginning in the 1980s, the women labor force participation rate dramatically increased. This increase improved women work experience and eliminated roughly 35 percent of the preexisting gender gap by 1994. Thus, in a study that tracked MBA graduates from the University of Chicago from 1990 to 2006, economists Francine Blau and Lawrence Kahn found almost no differential in either work experience or salary between men and women right out of school. But, a decade later, the gap widened by 40 percent and “almost all of that huge difference can be fully explained by the greater number of career interruptions and lower weekly hours experienced by the women.”

Another study entitled, The Gender Pay Gap, calculated those reduced hours and more common interruptions amount to on average “a 3.5 year difference in full-time experience between men and women.” Furthermore, after taking all of these factors into account, economists June and Dave O’Neill concluded that, “labor market discrimination is unlikely to account for more than five percent, but may not be present at all.”

Of course, there are times when gender discrimination is responsible for disparities in compensation, and they should be addressed

accordingly. After all, gender based discrimination has been illegal since President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963. So, if the President is sincere in his efforts to address this issue, I suggest he start with his own administration. Neither the men nor the women in the White House are unionized, yet a recent study showed that female White House staffers make on average 88¢ for every dollar a male staffer earns. When Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary, was asked about this he said, “well that’s better than others are doing,” as if to say “well we discriminate in moderation.” Then, he ought to address the pay gaps that, according to the Secretary of the Senate reports, exist in over two-thirds of Senate Democrats’ offices.

Senator Mark Warner (D., Va.) pays his female staffers $20,861 (28 percent) below the average male salary while Alaska’s Senator Mark Begich (D.) pays his female staffers on average $23,504 (29 percent) less. In fact, the last time Senate Democrats pushed the Paycheck Fairness Act in 2013, three of its five main sponsors would have been found guilty of discrimination by their own bill. Senator Patty Murray (D., Wash.) paid her female staffers about $21,000 (34 percent) less per year than her male staffers. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s (D., Calif.) female staffers were paid $21,000 (41 percent) less while Senator Barbara Boxer’s (D., Calif.) female staffers made about $5,000 (7 percent) less.

So, I suppose Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) did not realize she was talking about her own colleagues when she said, “It is outrageous that in 2014 some in Congress apparently still think that women don’t deserve to earn the same amount as a man for doing the same job.”

Once the Democrats concede their faulty logic and ameliorate any gender discrimination practices in their own workplaces, we could finally have an honest and fact-based discussion on how real discrimination can be avoided and the gender pay gap can be closed further.

Arts&Living

“A large part of my growth was learning not to let others define how I felt about myself.”

Re-Imagining Manhood: Page 7

Wrap Up: WAMH Spring Concert Series

WAHM’s four-part concert series included performances from Ryan Hemsworth (third from left) and Kelela (far right). According to concert organizers, one of the benefits of the series was that it helped bring together students from different social circles.

Elizabeth Paul ’16 Managing Arts & Living Editor This past Saturday marked the close of a successful semester for Amherst’s WAMH Concert Series. WAMH, Amherst College’s radio and media station, has been funding concerts that feature a broad range of artists for a few years. Lindon Chen ’15, Tony Russo ’15 and Kat Dominguez ’16 spearheaded the organization process this year. The Student talked with them to hear their insights on the experience this past spring and their hopes for the next installment of the Concert Series, coming in the fall of 2014.

Lindon Chen ’15, one of WAMH’s primary planners, looked back on the experience as a rewarding way to follow his passions and to expose Amherst students to new artists that many hadn’t heard of.

Chen said, “I want to do this for a career. Music is my passion, so doing these concerts and getting funding from the school has been awesome.

My mom is a professional violinist, so I did a lot of music as a kid. I don’t want to follow her exact path but I have always known that I wanted to be involved in music, so this is has been a great opportunity for me to do things my own way,” Chen said.

When choosing potential artists for performances on campus, Chen stated that they try to find a variety of styles, often focusing on music with electronic influences.

“What I look for in potential artists are things that we like and that we think would be accessible to the school. We have focused a lot on electronic music because it is great for a party-inducing environment.”

WAMH strives to find music that reconciles

the rift between artists that are reputable in the music community and artists the general public might know or like.

March 8th: The Underachievers and Octo Octa The first concert of the 2014 series took place in O’Connor Commons and featured two artists: The Underachievers and Octo Octa. This was the only WAMH concert of the semester held at this venue. Unfortunately, this concert also received a smaller audience than it hoped for.

“That was probably our least successful turnout of the concerts this semester … O’Connor Commons is kind of a dead space and a lot of people just didn’t go,” recalled Chen.

The night was not a complete let down, however. Chen and some friends ended up bringing Octo Octa back to Marsh House later in the night, where he played a spontaneous DJ set that ended the night on a positive and unexpected note.

March 29th: Wave Racer and Trippy Turtle The second concert of the series faced a few complications of its own, but in general was a success. WAMH partnered with Marsh for this concert, and the new venue proved to be much more conducive to attracting a crowd. Due to weather complications, Trippy Turtle arrived at Amherst later than expected.

“He didn’t get to play his full set, but I think people still really enjoyed it. I think that Trippy Turtle really helped put WAMH on the map in terms of these concerts. The concert was a loud, crazy party atmosphere.”

April 4th: Ryan Hemsworth and Spazzkid The April 4th show took place in Seeley, and was probably the biggest event of the semester.

“That show was really successful, we went over capacity for that,” said Chen. “He ended up playing a two hour set rather than the one hour set that was in his contract just because he had a really good time.”

April 12th: Kelela and Lakutis The final installment of the 2014 WAMH Concert Series took place this past Saturday in Marsh. Rapper Lakutis opened the show and brought energized the crowd. The headliner for the final show was female artist Kalela, who is known for her incredible voice and her edgy hip-hop-meets-electronic vibe. Before the event, Chen predicted a strong turnout in terms of the Five College community, because Kelela is very popular at both Smith and Hampshire.

“Kelela is more of a cutting-edge artist, so I feel like she might be a lot less successful in terms of the Amherst College music taste.”

After the event, Chen remarked that it was a very successful show.

“In terms of artfulness, this show was probably the best and most sophisticated of the semester. Her live vocals were breathtaking … she was so seriously professional and dedicated to perform the best she could.”

In addition to bringing some great new artists to Amherst, the WAMH Concert Series had a larger effect on the campus as a whole.

“One interesting thing that has resulted from the WAMH concerts is that during our concert weekends, Dean Mitton-Shannon, the Dean of Student Conduct, reported that attendance at the socials has been at a record low. We didn’t realize the school-wide impact that these concerts would have, but the faculty has been really encouraging of them.”

Looking ahead to next year, WAMH has big plans for the Fall 2014 concert series, aiming to execute five concerts in the upcoming Fall semester.

“The good thing about next semester is that the Powerhouse is opening. It was a power plant that is going to be converted into a performance space. The capacity there will be around 450, so we can hold bigger concerts.”

Some potential acts for the fall of 2014 may include MK, Chrome Sparks, LIZ, Saint Pepsi and Jacques Greene. One of WAMH’s main challenges is toeing the line between affordable yet recognizable artists. We’re hoping that this successful string of events will convince the campus that WAMH can tap into a talent base that might still be largely unknown — because we don’t have [a huge budget], the artists we bring are up-andcoming,” said Russo.

Russo also added that WAMH hopes to expand the concerts towards covering more types of talent, such as comedian and student performers.

“Additionally, over the next year we hope to get more students engaged in bringing all sorts of talent to campus, streamlining the process and opening up to more voices. And, a new set of DJ equipment in the WAMH studio is allowing students themselves to become the talent and to DJ for parties.”

The WAMH Concerts have proven to be a great way to bring people from different social circles together under one common interest.

Chen concluded, “I’ve seen more and more people at the concerts from all different social crowds, which has been really exciting. I’m hoping these concerts will bring people together with one unifying objective, which is music.”

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The Amherst Student • April 16, 2014

Re-Imagining Manhood

Queeriosity Matt Randolph ’16 Queeriosity is a bi-weekly column dedicated to discussing LGBTQ student life at Amherst College. If you are interested in contributing to the Queeriosity column, contact the Amherst College Pride Alliance at pridealliance@amherst.edu.

What does it mean to be a man?

It’s one of those questions that has comparable philosophical depth to questions about the meaning of life or true happiness. I have always found it unsettling when someone is told to “be a man” or to “man up.” The presumption is that manhood is an impermanent state, one that denied or undermined at any time. I believe the status of being a man is one of gender identity, a social construct, how one perceives themselves. One can be born male, but society makes judgments about how much of a man one truly is. Others — specifically other men — can play a grand role in the validation of a man’s masculinity. The societal expectation to “be a man” persists as a recurring psychological pressure for all men. However, for many gay and bisexual men in particular, the internal struggle with masculinity is often more pronounced and unique.

As proud as many LGBTQIA people are to be themselves, overcoming social pressure to conform to the norm is an ongoing battle. For many years, I struggled to reconcile my desire to be open about my sexuality with social expectations to “be a man.” The reality was that my own experience as a man diverged from the gender role I

was expected to perform: I was a guy who liked other guys, and the culture of my all-boys school gave me the impression that being gay undermined my claims to masculinity.

During my first year at Amherst, as a new member of Pride Alliance, the College’s LGBTQIA student organization, I sometimes hesitated to table for the group in the campus center, fearing the judgments of fellow students, especially other men, who would pass by the table. Back then, having never been involved in a LGBTQIA group before college, I felt very uncomfortable tabling in Keefe with a giant rainbow flag in front of me while the whole student body passed by. For so long, I also had trouble asking guys if they were interested in me, not only out of a fear of rejection, but also out of a fear of how I would be perceived and judged. I wanted to become proud of who I was and become a leader in the queer community. At the time though, I just didn’t want to be judged based on the stereotypes often associated with gay men. I definitely didn’t want to feel like being gay meant that I was some how less of a man.

Fortunately, as I’ve grown older, I believe I have become increasingly more confident in defining masculin-

ity on my own terms. I’d like to think I’ve made a great deal of individual progress in the past couple years: I’ve gone from being completely closeted and conforming at an all-boys private school to being openly gay at Amherst College where I don’t think twice about publishing a personal article like this about sexuality and gender.

I’m glad I mustered enough courage to join Pride Alliance as an anxious first-year student. Now, as a co-chair of Pride Alliance this semester, I have found the confidence to appreciate how masculinity and queerness can co-exist and thrive within one person.

I no longer trick myself into thinking that these identities have to be seen as mutually exclusive. Through my leadership of the student organization, I’ve been able to surround myself with a supportive, inclusive community that has reinforced my self-confidence in who I am.

A large part of my growth was learning not to let others define how I felt about myself. The other part was letting go of all of the false expectations I had placed upon myself about what being a man meant. Today, I definitely still have room to grow: a gay man’s quest for self-appreciation in a rigid heteronormative society is likely a life-long journey.

My own ideal of twenty-first century manhood prioritizes personal values and character rather than sexuality. I have so much respect for other gay men who have also fought against expectations to conform and have managed to develop their own sense

of masculinity. I look up to the gay male faculty and staff members whose values, self-confidence, and altruism make them an inspiration to LGBTQ students and the Amherst community more generally. However, I also have much patience and understanding for those gay and bisexual men on campus who still have barriers to coming out in the Amherst community. If I can do anything, I hope that my writing can serve as a resource for all men who struggle with expectations for masculinity and manhood within our campus community and beyond.

This week, Pride and Allies Week, I encourage all students in our community to think critically about what it means to be a man. On Thursday at 6:00 p.m. in the McCaffrey Room in Keefe Campus Center, Pride Alliance

Arts & Living 7

will be hosting a “Queer Masculinity Panel” featuring Amherst College’s own Professor Polk and two other amazing visiting writers. The panelists will present their contributions from the anthology “Why are Faggots So Afraid of Faggots: Flaming Challenges to Masculinity, Objectification, and the Desire to Conform,” edited by Mattilda Bernstein. The panel serves as an incredible opportunity to engage in a dialogue about the intersection of masculinity and queer identity, and to learn how queer men still grapple with the same societal expectations that straight men do. I hope such conversations continue beyond Pride and Allies Week, and that men at Amherst can work collaboratively and constructively to imagine a more inclusive ideal of manhood.

Amherst’s Pride Alliance will be hosting a “Queer Masculinity Panel” this Thursday at 6 p.m. in Keefe.

“Mad Men” Gets a Season 7 Makeover

Image courtesy of moviepilot.com

The Season 7 premiere of “Mad Men” marks the beginning of a new fashion era as characters transition into the groovy 70s.

Liz Mardeusz ‘16 Staff Writer Where did “Mad Men” go? Ten months have passed since the airing of a new episode of the AMC drama, conceived and produced

by NESCAC alum Matthew Weiner (Wesleyan ’87). With this past Sunday’s premiere of the seventh and final season, the actors, writers and production team behind one of cable’s most critically-acclaimed shows bring us back into the world of ad-man Don Draper (Jon Hamm) and his smoking, boozing, lying associates at Sterling Cooper & Partners. At the start of Season 7, much of “Mad Men”’s action has transitioned from New York City and the advertising firms of

Madison Avenue to the West Coast. Sterling Cooper has opened an outpost in California and Megan (Jessica Paré) — Don’s wife du jour — has moved out to Hollywood in order to pursue her acting career. Times are changing in “Mad Men,” too, not just locales.

The Season 6 finale marked late November of 1968. This season’s premiere brings us to 1969 and the end of the go-go era. Because the close of this decade was such a time of transition for culture and fashion, we can expect a few aesthetic changes in the show as Season 7 progresses.

Mad Men is, at its core, a show about appearance and identity. Don Draper’s performance of identity fraud during the Korean War and his subsequent struggles to recre-

ate himself are an obvious example of this theme, but Mad Men in its entirety is a study in branding and identity formation. Many of the central characters on the show work for an advertising agency; their lives’ work is based upon taking a product and turning it into a marketable concept. Sterling Cooper & Partners are not trying to sell the goods themselves, they’re trying to sell images — the fabricated, glamorous, even sexy images that represent these goods. Just as they dream up identities for the products they peddle, they concoct identities for themselves while fervently avoiding the reality bubbling beneath.

Clothing and physical appearance are a large factor in this notion of self-branding, and a television series as aesthetically pleasing as “Mad Men” hasn’t disappointed in providing viewers with fashion eye candy.

Costume designer Janie Bryant has clothed the men and women of “Mad Men” since its premiere in 2007 and has been Primetime Emmy-nominated for her work on the show three times. Bryant is sure to impress as Season 7 progresses; the clothing worn by the characters in Sunday’s episode “Time Zones” has already begun to envelop us in a new era of style. The costumes and sets that give the characters of “Mad Men” their signature “looks” will only get better as the weeks progress.

It’s 1969 in the world of “Mad Men.” That means the bombshell, Marilyn Monroeinspired look embodied by Joan Holloway (Christina Hendricks) in the early 60s is out, and the stick-thin look of Twiggy is in. Pete Campbell’s (Vincent Kartheiser) new Californian real estate agent Bonnie Whiteside (Jessy Schram) flounces onscreen in a widelegged, colorful printed pantsuit very indicative of the trends to come in the impending decade. Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) of the conservative and dowdy-skirted suits and

plain sweater sets is now sporting shorter hemlines and more sophisticated dresses, perhaps indicative of her increasing responsibility at the ad agency. However, even though times are changing — and fast — on “Mad Men,” don’t expect Peggy to show up to work in pants anytime soon; this was extremely uncommon in the late 60s and early 70s. She did wear a mustard-colored outfit to the office in Sunday’s episode, however — an ugly color, yes, but very 70s.

Sally (Kiernan Shipka), the rebellious daughter of Don and Betty (January Jones), may emerge the true style star of Season 7.

She’s coming of age in an exciting time for fashion and culture, and costume designer Janie Bryant is sure to represent clothing choices popular with teenagers of the late 60s and early 70s in her costume choices for the trendy Sally. Promotional images for the series show the character sporting mini dresses in bold prints. “Mini” seems to be the name of the game in early 70s style on “Mad Men,” as Bryant commented in an interview with InStyle magazine that “we are revealing the time period of the ultimate, ultimate mini skirt — as short as short can be.” Joan, Sally, Megan and Peggy will all wear more updated hemlines. In fact, the inarguable style star of Sunday’s episode was probably the sky blue mini dress Megan wore when she picked up Don from the airport. Costume designer Bryant noted that she received the dress from the show’s set designer and that it was a vintage garment actually from 1969. The bell sleeves of the dress also hint at the style aesthetic to come in the impending decade. It’s also very glamorous; it suits Megan’s intent to look like the movie star she intends to make herself into.

Tune in to AMC on Sundays at 10 for new episodes of “Mad Men” and to watch the 60s and its trends go out with a bang.

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HATE

"No study has shown you can be homosexual by nature. That's why I have agreed to sign the bill."

“What sort of people are they? I never knew what they were doing. I’ve just been told recently and what they do is terrible. Disgusting.”

Yoweri Museveni

President, Uganda Signing legislation that allows those convicted of homosexuality to be imprisoned for life

SPEECH

“We will fight these vermin called homosexuals or gays the same way we are fighting malaria-­‐causing mosquitoes, if not more aggressively. As far as I am concerned, LGBT can only stand for Leprosy, Gonorrhea, Bacteria and Tuberculosis; all of which are detrimental to human existence.”

Yahya Jammeh

President, Gambia

HURTS!

“The key abstraction, setting off ripples of self-­‐deception, is that term ‘sexual orientation.’ The term is broad enough to encompass sex with animals, pedophilia, even necrophilia . . . The notion of ‘sexual orientation’ is quite unstable: Many people shift back and forth across a spectrum that may now include bisexual, fetishistic, transvestic, zoophiliac (sex with animals) . . . “

Hadley Arkes

Ney Professor of Jurisprudence at Amherst College Writing for www.thecatholicthing.org/columns/2013/the-­‐supreme-­‐court-­‐hears-­‐the-­‐cases-­‐on-­‐marriage.html

WE REJECT IT!

“Respect for the rights, dignity and integrity of others is essential for the well-­‐being of a community. Actions by any person which do not reflect such respect for others are damaging to each member of the community and hence damaging to Amherst College.”

Amherst College Faculty Handbook Join alumni who support Amherst College’s values. Petition the Board of Trustees to make a public statement that Professor Hadley Arkes’s opinions do not represent Amherst College. Learn more: www.terrasirradient.org

The Amherst Student • April 16, 2014

Softball Loses Williams Series

Virginia Hassell ’16 Staff Writer The Amherst softball team beat MCLA twice and Williams once en route to a 3-2 record over the past week.

Cruising to a two-game sweep over nonconference opponent, MCLA, the Jeffs defeated the Trailblazers 11-3 (six innings) and 12-0 (five innings). In the first game of the double-header, the Jeffs secured an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and never looked back, later extending the lead to 6-0.

Senior captain Kaitlin Silkowitz and junior Kelsey Ayers led the team with three hits each, going 3-for-5 with two RBI. The Amherst offense combined for a total of 16 hits and 10 RBI. Captain Arielle Doering ’14 captured the win on the mound, improving to 5-1 on the season, allowing only three runs on five hits and striking out six.

In game two, Amherst continued in the same decisive fashion. After two innings, Amherst jumped out to an early 6-0 lead. Posting runs in all five innings, the Jeffs pulled away to secure a 12-0 victory, outhitting the Trailblazers, 15-2.

Donna Leet ’15 and Ayers again posted impressive batting statistics. Going 3-for-4, Ayers had one RBI and scored four runs. Leet posted a double and a triple to go 3-for-4 at the plate, knocking in three RBI with three runs. Silkowitz recorded a perfect 2-for-2 showing at the plate with two runs scored. First-year pitcher Lauren Tuiskula tossed a complete game allowing only two hits and striking out nine.

Against archrival Williams, the Jeffs did not fare as well, finishing the three-game series 1-2.

Williams posted two runs after the opening frame of Friday’s game, but Amherst refused defeat. In the top of the third, the Jeffs scored three runs.

Adding to the margin, Amherst plated five more in the top of the fourth before inclement weather halted the game. Returning to action on Saturday morning, Amherst logged five more runs in the

tops of the sixth en route to a 13-2 win. Brianna Cook ’16 led the Amherst offense with a threerun home run, and Leet had a two-run homer as well. Jackie Buechler ’17 hurled a complete game, giving up only two runs on five hits.

“In all three of those wins, our energy level as a team was unprecedented. We started off and stayed fired up, using each other’s at bats and defensive plays to fuel our energy. Even after tough innings, we stayed focused and aggressive both mentally and physically to pull through it,” said Miranda of the three consecutive victories.

However, Amherst lost both games of the doubleheader the following day. In game one, the Ephs jumped to an early 2-0 lead and added two more in the second. In the bottom of the third, the Jeffs found their way on the scoreboard, as Silkowitz made her way to first on an Ephs error. Ayers drove her to the plate on a single to left field, and she and Leet recorded the only hits in the game for the Jeffs.

The Jeffs suffered a tough 2-3 loss in game two. Williams scored first in the top of the third inning, but Amherst responded in the bottom of the third on an Ayers infield single. Ayers reached second on a wild pitch, and Leet drove her home on a shot to center field. She too would eventually score on Cook’s two-out single.

Heading into the top of the seventh with a tied ballgame, the Ephs drove home a run with a sacrifice fly. Down by one in the seventh, the Jeffs looked to bring in the winning run. Silkowitz singled with one out, but the Jeffs failed to capitalize and fell short of topping the Ephs.

“Getting the top of the lineup on bases is crucial for our team, which is good because once we have those runners on, we tend to build off of it.

It can also be a disadvantage if we don’t get those runners on. I think that’s part of what happened in those two Williams games,” Leet commented.

Amherst looks ahead to a week of non-conference play as they take on Wellesley, Smith and Keene State.

Fourth-Ranked Women’s Tennis Picks Up Pair Of NESCAC Wins Chris Rigas ’16 Staff Writer The fourth-ranked Amherst women’s tennis team went 2-1 on its road trip to Maine with wins over seventh-ranked Bowdoin and Bates but a loss to second-ranked Emory. The Jeffs now sport a 10-3 dual match record on the year.

In Amherst’s NESCAC oponer against Bowdoin, the Jeffs fell behind 1-2 after doubles despite an 8-3 victory in the top doubles court by seniors Jordan Brewer and Gabby Devlin. Polar Bear team of Kate Winningham and Samantha Stalder bested Amherst seniors Jen Newman and Zoe Pangalos 8-3 in the No. 2 court, and Pilar Giffenig and Tiffany Cheng topped Safi Aly ’15 and Sarah Monteagudo ’16 in the No. 3 court.

The Jeffs righted the ship in singles, winning five of the six matches. Brewer won 6-3, 6-4, and Devlin battled Winningham in a three-set match, eventually prevailing 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Newman fell 7-5, 6-1 in what would be the Polar Bears’ only singles triumph. Sue Ghosh ’16, Pangalos and Monteagudo all won comfortably to round out singles and give Amherst the 6-3 win.

Photo courtesy of Niahlah Hope ’15

Jordan Brewer ’14 earned NESCAC Player of the Week Honors this week.

Saturday morning, Amherst lost 8-1 to Emory, the team that had eliminated them in the NCAA tournament last spring. The Jeffs were swept in doubles matches, starting with an unusual 8-2 defeat for Devlin and Brewer in the top spot. Amherst’s No. 2 and 3 doubles teams managed to keep it closer, but Newman and Pangalos eventually fell 8-6, as did Aly and Monteagudo.

The singles courts were not much better for the Jeffs. Ghosh recorded the only win for the Jeffs in the fourth court, cruising past first-year Melissa Goodman 6-1, 6-1.

“I was able to stay really, really focused and pumped throughout the whole match. I knew that was key for me in order to come out with a win.

I just trusted my game and let everything else fall into place,” Ghosh remarked on the victory.

The Jeffs traveled to Bates Saturday afternoon for their final match of the weekend, and they put together a comfortable 9-0 sweep of their hosts.

Brewer and Devlin shut out Bates’ top doubles pair 8-0. Newman and Pangalos did the same to their opponents, while Aly and Monteagudo dropped just one game on the No. 3 court. In singles, the Jeffs who didn’t lose a set all afternoon. Brewer got the afternoon off from singles, so Devlin was at the top of the order, winning 6-1, 6-1. Newman, Ghosh and Monteagudo had similar success in the two through four spots, respectively. At the bottom of the ladder, first-years Megan Adamo and Claire Carpenter made their collegiate singles debuts, and both won in straight sets.

On Tuesday, the Jeffs swept Tufts 9-0 for their seventh sweep of the season. Amherst will host five NESCAC opponents this weekend, as Conn. College visits on Friday, followed by Wesleyan, Hamilton and top-ranked Williams on Saturday.

“Williams is definitely going to be one of the biggest matches of the season for us, as always. I’m sure it’s going to be an extremely exciting environment filled with really competitive tennis. Even though it’s Tom Jones, I think everyone should come support us,” Ghosh remarked.

Sports 9

Tanking in the NBA: Worth it?

Questions? Patrick Can Field Them

Patrick Canfield ’16 As the NBA playoffs begin, a number of teams are home watching the action from their couches. But, how many of these teams were put into a position where they could succeed in the first place? Has the basketball landscape shifted so much in favor of big market teams that smaller teams have to try to lose games in order to attain a high draft pick? Patrick examines the phenomenon of “tanking” and how that has affected the quality of the game.

One of the most controversial talking points of the NBA over the past season has been the matter of tanking. Adam Silver, the NBA’s new commissioner, has declared that tanking does not exist: teams are simply looking to rebuild. On the other hand, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban, has claimed that tanking is absolutely an ongoing issue. So what gives?

Success in the NBA is reliant on star power.

More so than any other major sport, individual basketball players significantly impact the game. In 2006, the Miami Heat won a championship behind the play of Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Together, these two stars averaged 47 points and 15 rebounds per game.

Just two years later, Shaq and D-Wade combined to play in just 84 games as the Heat finished with the worst record in basketball.

When a team loses or gains a star player, you can expect their position in the standings to fluctuate dramatically. The Boston Celtics have experienced both the positive and negative effects of this phenomenon. Following a disastrous 2006-07 season, the Celtics acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to pair with Paul Pierce and promptly won a championship. This current season marked the disintegration of the Big Three and the C’s will finish at least 30 games below .500. The importance of stars in the NBA cannot be denied. So how does a team go about acquiring one?

There are essentially three paths that teams can follow in order to become a contender.

Teams can opt for a proven star in the NBA — either through free agency or trade — or they can draft and mold a promising college player.

The first option, signing a star in free agency, is primarily reserved for big market teams such as the Heat, the Lakers and the New York teams.

Players generally favor these teams due to national exposure, endorsement deals, a winning tradition. And money.

These teams almost always approach their business with a ‘Win Now’ mentality (a willingness to far exceed the NBA’s salary cap) and rate tangible production today over potential value tomorrow. The Heat brought LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Wade — three stars in their primes — together in hopes of a championship, and they’ve won two so far. Recently, the Lakers have been riddled with injuries, but last season ideally would have fielded a star-studded lineup featuring Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash.

Other franchises may place a premium on draft picks, but these do not. Prior to the season, the Brooklyn Nets signed two of the aforementioned Big Three (the Heat got Ray Allen) and traded for Joe Johnson’s bloated contract. This experiment netted Brooklyn the fifth seed in a weak Eastern Conference. In return, the Nets are an astonishing $45 million over the salary cap and have no draft picks until 2019. They haven’t had one since 2010. The Knicks also went all out this season but missed the playoffs due to my Atlanta Hawks (and their poor play).

In a loaded draft, the Knicks have all of no draft picks and are already looking forward to free agency after next season, when several large contracts will come off the books. Combined, these five teams are $128 million above the cap.

It is impossible (and unintelligent) to attempt to outspend these teams. Franchises looking for a proven star are thus forced to trade. The main goal of teams following this path is to accumulate assets, which can then be traded for a star. Assets in the NBA generally come in the form of contracts, young players and draft picks. Acquiring contracts, either expiring or undervalued, can be, well, valuable.

Teams value expiring contracts — meaning players whose contracts terminate at the end

of the season — because they (in time) afford teams with additional cap space, which is space between the team’s payroll and the salary cap.

Players — including young players whose salaries are predetermined — who are paid below what the open free agency market would otherwise dictate provide teams with additional value.

Draft picks provide access to the third contention path. The Houston Rockets are the trade option’s City Upon a Hill. Faced with losing a star player for nothing in free agency, the Oklahoma City Thunder — a small market team — were forced to trade James Harden in order to recoup some value. In return for their burgeoning superstar, the Thunder received a promising guard, Jeremy Lamb, an expiring contract/stopgap in Kevin Martin and three draft picks. The Rockets, after failing to land Dwight Howard in a trade, landed the elusive star player Harden. The next year, they were able to lure Dwight to Houston and will make a push for the Finals in this year’s playoffs.

Success like the Rockets’ is exceedingly rare. Teams who have proven stars are naturally reticent to let them go. Although the major market teams have more power in free agency, they are not restricted from operating via trade.

Indeed, their relatively undervalued draft picks and willingness to exceed the salary cap only provide advantages. As such, these teams seem to dominate trades for star players. When Dwight made it clear he would leave Orlando, the Magic traded him to the Lakers. While it hurts for teams like the Magic to move on and essentially start over in the quest for a star, there is an established path for them to follow.

This path is commonly referred to as tanking. These teams generally have little NBA talent and ‘tank’ to the bottom of the standings in the hopes of receiving a high pick in the draft — a risky strategy. A lot has to go right in order for a franchise to be successful.

Teams have actually quite frequently been successful to varying degrees. The Thunder drafted Kevin Durant and then stayed bad long enough to draft Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden. After losing Chris Paul, the Pelicans turned around and drafted Anthony Davis who already looks like a once-in-a-generation talent. The Bulls took Derrick Rose, the Wizards got John Wall, the Clippers received Blake Griffin and Cleveland chose Kyrie Irving.

Of the last five drafts, it’s safe to say that the number one pick in all of them has been a star.

Teams following this path have generally either lost a star or given up on mediocrity (being decent without being in contention also means less valuable draft picks). In other words, these teams have entered rebuilding mode. When teams tank, their most important assets, their own draft picks, become that much more valuable. It’s important to note that tanking teams are not intentionally trying to lose. The coaches and players undoubtedly do their best to win on any given night. The results come down to the front office putting out a lesser product.

Players don’t try to lose — their teams simply don’t have enough talent to beat the majority of teams on any given night.

Tanking receives more than its fair share of harsh criticisms. As it stands, tanking is the mechanism for franchises outside of major markets to transform themselves into contenders. Mark Cuban and Adam Silver are both correct. Tanking is certainly happening, but only because it is the most viable manner in which to rebuild. In order for the smaller franchises to stay competitive with the big teams, they ought to avoid a stagnant period of mediocrity.

Disadvantaged against wealthier franchises in the free agency and trade markets, they must choose the draft.

10 Sports

Schedule WEDNESDAY Softball @ Smith, 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY Baseball vs. Castleton State, 4 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse vs. Springfield, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY Softball vs. Keene State (DH), 3 p.m.

Men’s Tennis vs. Conn. College, 3 p.m. @ Trinity, 3 p.m.

Women’s Tennis vs. Conn. College, 3 p.m.

Baseball @ Middlebury, 4 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Williams, 6 p.m.

SATURDAY Men’s Golf @ NESCAC Spring Opener, 11 a.m.

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

The Amherst Student • April 16, 2014 Men’s Tennis vs. Hamilton, 10 a.m. vs. Wesleyan, 2 p.m.

Women’s Tennis vs. Wesleyan, 10 a.m. vs. Hamilton, 2 p.m. vs. Williams, 2 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse @ Williams, 1 p.m.

Women’s Outdoor @ Little III Championships, All Day Women’s Golf vs. Jack Leaman Invitational, TBD SUNDAY Men’s Golf @ NESCAC Spring Opener, 11 a.m.

Men’s Tennis @ Williams, 1 p.m.

Women’s Golf vs. Jack Leaman Invitational, TBD TUESDAY Softball @ Wesleyan, 5 p.m.

Turissini, Bates Lead Track Teams at UMass Invite Dori Atkins ’16 Sports Section Editor The Amherst track & field teams were the only Div. III teams competing at the UMass Invitational this past Saturday, where the women placed eighth out of 11 teams and the men took seventh.

The women were led by senior, NESCAC Performer of the Week, Naomi Bates, who finished first in the 200m dash and third in the 100m. Bates was joined in the 100m by teammate Karen Blake ’17 who finished fourth.

“It was great to take advantage of the beautiful weather and run personal records,” Bates said. “We definitely held our own as the only Div. III school, and a lot of people had great individual performances.”

In the 5000m, sophomore Betsy Black led the way with a time of 18:42.51 for fifth place, and Jessie Kaliski ’15 and Lisa Walker ’15 finished sixth and ninth, respectively. In the field events, first-year Kiana Herold finished fourth overall in the high jump, leaping 1.61 meters, to set a school record. Taylor Summers ’16 finished ninth in the long jump with a distance of 5.12 meters.

On the men’s side, Khalil Flemming ’16 posted a pair of top-five finishes to lead the Jeffs, as the sophomore placed first in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump. Junior Greg Turissini clocked in with a time of 9:34.12 to pace first in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Dan Crowley ’16 followed with a time of 9:47.62, placing fourth.

In the 1500m, Romney Sklar ’15 led Amherst with a time of 4:00.28 for fourth place.

Brent Harrison ’16 and Kevin Connors ’17 placed eighth and 15th in the 800-meter, respectively.

“I was very pleased with the teams efforts,

and they really took advantage of a great day for competing,” said head coach Eric Nedeau.

“Khalil Flemming had a great day in the jumps with a win in the triple and a PR on the long.

The 800 was a great event for us with several outstanding marks; Greg Turissini grabbing a win in the steeple and the 4x100 relay looked super.”

This weekend, Amherst will host its first home track meet in nine years for the Little Three Championships.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Josh Moser ’15

Sue Ghosh ’16

Favorite Team Memory: Van rides with Coach Mills Favorite Pro Athlete: Jason Dufner Dream Job: Erik Hansen’s assistant Pet Peeve: Talking too much Favorite Vacation Spot: Pond Beach Something on Your Bucket List: Pizza review with El Pres Guilty Pleasure: Singing “Kusma Fried” Favorite Food: Smoked salmon Favorite Thing About Amherst: Party scene

Favorite Team Memory: We were stuck in an airport for eight hours last year Favorite Pro Athlete: Roger Federer Dream Job: Doctor in a developing country Pet Peeve: Winking Favorite Vacation Spot: Grand Canyon Something on Your Bucket List: Bungee jumping off the Bloukrans Bridge in South Africa Guilty Pleasure: Nickelback songs ... Sorry not sorry Favorite Food: Mango cake ... and mango and cake separately Favorite Thing About Amherst: Windowsills at the Socials

Third-Ranked Women’s Lax Stays Undefeated

Holly Burwick ’16 Staff Writer

The Amherst women’s lacrosse team improved to 12-0 overall and 8-0 in the NESCAC with three victories over Conn. College, 17th-ranked Tufts and Skidmore, respectively. With these wins, the team’s unbeaten record now is the longest unbeaten streak in team history.

On Saturday, April 12, the Jeffs took on the Jumbos for their Senior Day matchup.

“Our seniors are leading the way on all fronts, and I am just trying to stay out of the way and guide this determined and talented team in the right direction each game,” head coach Chris Paradis said.

Amherst got on the board early thanks to a goal off of the opening draw from Krista Zsitvay ’14. Rachel Passarelli ’16 quickly extended the lead, burying her 22nd tally, a team-high, off of a Mia Haughton ’16 pass. The Jumbos were quick to retaliate, however, keeping the game close for the majority of the first half. Both sides traded goals to reach 5-5, featuring another goal from Zsitvay when she took advantage of a man-up situation.

The deadlock did not last long, as the Jeffs

pulled ahead for good in the closing minutes of the second half. Amherst dominated draw control wins 18-8, and Zsitvay helped the team capitalize offensively as she recorded five goals on the day. To close out the first half, Kerry Fusco ’15 extended the lead after making a long run up the right side line to put on past the Jumbos’ goalie.

Amherst opened the floodgates with the scoring in the second half. Additional tallies included a fifth Zsitvay goal, three goals from Alex Philie ’14, two goals from Meghan Mills ’15 and one goal from Sarah Spector ’15. Christy Forrest ’16 helped the Jeffs to victory with seven saves on the day.

On Tuesday, the Jeffs defeated Skidmore 124, where juniors Priscilla Tyler and Meghan Mills both scored three goals. The Jeffs will return to action this Thursday, taking on Springfield in a matchup postponed from earlier in the season. On Saturday, Amherst will face rival Williams on the Ephs’ turf at 1 p.m.

Regardless of the high stakes of these upcoming games — Amherst could potentially clinch home field advantage for the NESCAC tourney — Passarelli noted that the team “treats each game as the most important game of our season.”

Men’s Golf Wins Westport Hampton Inn Invite Katie Paolano ’16 and Lauren Tuiskula ’17 Staff Writers

Photo courtesy of Olivia Tarantino’15

Naomi Bates earned NESCAC Performer of the Week Honors this week.

Parents Don’t leave your kids out of the commencement issue of The Student! Email us at astudent@ amherst.edu for information.

Men The Amherst men’s golf team placed first out of 17 teams this weekend to open the spring season at the two-day Westport Hampton Inn Invitational.

After scoring 320 on day one, the Jeffs trailed Endicott and Salem St. by just three strokes.

“We felt confident going into the final round and knew that we had a good chance of winning the tournament,” Liam Fine ’17 said.

Josh Moser ’15 led the team on day two with a score of 73 on the 72-par course, earning the individual title out of 84 competitors and lifting Amherst to a first place finish overall. James Line ’16 tied for seventh on the weekend, posting a two-day total of 159 (80-79), following Moser’s 152 (79-73).

Fine came in 10th with a score of 160, followed by Brandon Brown ’15 at 18th with a score of 163 and Nicholas Koh ’14 at 38th with 169. The team also made history, finishing with the inivitational’s best two-day score ever — 634.

This upcoming Saturday marks the beginning of NESCAC play for the Jeffs, as they take on rival

Williams at the NESCAC Spring Opener.

“It’s exciting to win the tournament and it gives us a great start to the spring season,” Line said.

Women Amherst women’s golf opened up spring play this weekend at the Vassar Invitational, placing sixth overall among a field of twelve teams. The Jeffs had a team-total of 338 on day one and 331 on day two for a weekend total score of 669.

The team was without top scorer Kristin Lee ’14, but Sooji Choi ’14 and first-year Jamie Gracie helped fill the void, as Choi tied for 11th overall, shooting an 83 on day one and an 80 on day two.

Gracie matched Choi’s 80 on day two giving her an overall score of 166 for 15th place. Sophomores Devyn Gardner and Jenny Xu tied for twentyfourth overall, both with a total score of 170.

Rounding out the top scorers for Amherst was Patricia Huang ’17 who tied for 35th overall.

“The general scores of the field were higher than normal, but that is the effect of spring golf in New England.” Coach Michelle Morgan said.

The Jeffs return to action this weekend as they host the Jack Leaman Invitational.

The Amherst Student • April 16, 2014

Vandini, Gunn Stay Hot at the Plate

Devin O’Connor ’16 and Karl Greenblatt ’15 Staff Writers The Amherst baseball team went 3-1 on the week with a 6-5 win over MIT on Wednesday, April 9, two wins over Endicott on Saturday and a loss to Eastern Connecticut State on Monday, April 14. In their week off from NESCAC play, the Jeffs improved to 17-5 on the season.

Against the Engineers on April 9, the Jeffs struck first in the bottom of the second, as Eric West ’15, Anthony Spina ’17 and Tyler Jacobs ’15 each singled to load the bases for Andrew Vandini ’16. Vandini singled for the fourth straight hit of the inning, bringing in West to put the first run on the board. Later in the frame, Yanni Thanopolous ’17 added another hit that brought home Jacobs for a 2-0 lead.

However, MIT responded with a thirdinning offensive attack to the tune of four runs.

They tallied another in the fifth, increasing their lead to 5-2. In the bottom of the fifth though, the Jeffs were able to close the deficit as senior Alex Hero delivered a huge two-run homer to close the deficit and make the score 5-4.

Amherst tied it up in the bottom of the eighth when Spina scored from second on a single by Jacobs. After a scoreless ninth, the contest went to extra innings. Mike Odenwaelder ’16 entered in relief and held the Engineers scoreless — and hitless — in the final four innings while notching three strikeouts. His performance kept the Jeffs in a position to win, and, in the bottom of the 13th with a runner on third, Nic Meyer ’16 stepped to the plate. The sophomore surprised the defense by bunting, bringing in the game-winning run and capping a dramatic victory for the Jeffs.

Amherst followed this performance by sweeping Endicott in a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon. The Gulls scored first in the bottom of the fourth with a home run, and their starting pitcher JJ Branch appeared to be in command over the first five innings.

The Jeffs retaliated in the top of the sixth.

Conner Gunn ’16 led off with a walk, advanced to second after a sacrifice bunt from Hero and scored on a double by Odenwaelder, who continued his all-around clutch play on the week.

Jacobs was able to bring in Odenwaelder with a hit to left field. Amherst extended their lead to 3-1 in the top of the seventh on a sacrifice fly by Taiki Kasuga ’14. Senior Dylan Driscoll pitched

the full seven innings and limited the damage to Holmgren’s rome run, surrendering only six hits to go along with six strikeouts.

In game two, the Jeffs handled Endicott easily in a 12-0 victory, led by junior John Cook’s seven shutout innings and 11 strikeouts. Amherst put the game away early with seven runs in the first and two more in the fourth on a home run from Kasuga. Vandini spearheaded the offense, going 5-for-5 on the day, including an RBI and three runs. Gunn and Hero each went 3-for-5, and five other Jeffs chipped in for a team total of 19 hits.

On Monday, ECSU proved to be too much for the Jeffs, as they lost 18-5 victory to the regional powerhouse. After the Warriors scored a run in the top of the first, they put together an offensive onslaught, plating six runs in the second inning and nine in the top of the third.

Although the Warriors pulled ahead 16-0 after the first three innings, Amherst pitching limited the Warriors to two runs over the final six frames, and the Jeffs posted five runs in that span.

Senior pitcher Robert Cahill stepped up nicely for Amherst in relief, as he went four strong innings, striking out five batters, walking none and surrendering just two runs .

On offense for Amherst, Vandini continued his hot hitting by going 2-for-4 with 4 RBIs, Odenwaelder hit a solo homer to center field and also added a second hit, and Dave Cunningham ’16 put together a strong offensive showing with two hits and two runs scored.

The Jeffs square off against Castleton State on Thursday, and they return to NESCAC play this weekend with a three-game series at Middlebury.

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Dave Cunningham ’16 is batting .412 this season and has 4 RBI.

Men’s Lax No Match for Tufts Greg Williams ’16 Staff Writer The 18th-ranked men’s lacrosse team traveled into Medford, Mass. this past Saturday for a game at eighth-ranked Tufts, one of the strongest NESCAC teams in the conference. Both teams were 9-2 on the season going into the game. Behind a strong offensive outing, including two sevenpoint performers, the Jumbos snapped the Jeffs’ three-game win streak.

Tufts came out hot and dominated the first period of play, scoring six straight goals to open the game. Seniors Aaron Mathias and Devin Acton were able to get on the board for the Jeffs to end the drought, and Tufts rallied for two more scores before the first period ended.

Down 8-2, the Jeffs held their own for the second quarter. Brothers Patrick ’14 and Quinn Moroney ’16 were responsible for the three Amherst goals of the period, including a Moroney-Moroney goal that made their parents quite proud. Tufts matched Amherst with three goals on the period and racked up six penalties in the second alone.

The third period was equally tight, but the Jumbos again edged Amherst on the scoreboard.

Mathias added two more goals, and first-year Matt Killian scored two of his own. However, the Jumbos extended their lead to 17-9 with six more goals going into the final period.

Using home field to their advantage, Tufts put on another overpowering showing to closeout

the game. Dylan Park ’16, Blake Moore ’17 and Mathias added to the Jeff scoring, but Tufts, aided by a number of Jeff penalties, put in eight more goals in the period to conclude their scoring for the match. Tufts’ 25 goals were the highest they’ve recorded in a conference game and the third highest total in program history.

The Jumbos were firing on all cylinders and racked up 67 shots compared to the Jeffs’ 41 for the game. Tufts took advantage of their man-up moments, going 6-11 on the day, and also won 75% of face-offs. Amherst’s feistiness did show, as they grabbed five more groundballs than the Jumbos and forced seven more turnovers. Four Jeff goalies saw time between the pipes.

“We had a bad day against Tufts. Give them credit — they play at a relentless pace — which we now realize we must play at to truly be recognized as ‘elite’. It will be a great learning experience moving forward for us if we allow that message to seep into our core,” head coach Jon Thompson said.

On Tuesday, Amherst edged 13th-ranked Springfield 13-12. Park, P. Moroney, Mathias and Acton each scored two goals apiece, while Kane Haffey ’16 notched three to add to his season total of 28 goals, and Q. Moroney added six assists.

The Jeffs have a huge rivalry game this Friday at 6 p.m. against Williams College on the new Pratt Field.

“It should be an awesome venue with food trucks, live music, etc. etc. Going to be a great week here for the Jeffs,” Thompson remarked.

Sports 11

Coach’s Corner

Chris Paradis, Women’s Lacrosse Maggie Kiley ’16 The Student had the chance to catch up with Chris Paradis, the accomplished 1993 World Cup gold medalist at the helm of the women’s lacrosse team at Amherst College. With a breadth of experience as a collegiate and professional player, a master’s in education and a certification in yoga, Coach Paradis and her emphasis on both the technicalities and nuances of the game have proven invaluable to the success of the Amherst women’s lacrosse program.

Q: Tell us about your early life and athletic background. How did you get into lacrosse?

A: I was always fairly active, but when I was playing youth sports, we didn’t have structured travel teams, and I actually didn’t start playing lacrosse until the ninth grade. I primarily got into lacrosse because I played high school field hockey in the fall, and the two teams had a lot of overlap with coaches and teammates. I naturally got recruited to play both sports by my friends and, Pam Jez, who was a great mentor, coach, and friend in the absence of my mother who died of cancer when I was 10.

Q: When did lacrosse start to gain popularity?

A: It was just around when it was starting to take off in Massachusetts. I grew up in Framingham outside of Boston, and public school lacrosse was strong and gaining in popularity. At my high school, there were freshmen, JV, and varsity teams, so the competition was good. A lot of high school athletes from Massachusetts were getting recruited to Div. I programs. I was actually one of the first female athletes at William & Mary to receive an athletic scholarship. Playing at the Div. I level allowed me to get exposure and play on a professional level.

It was pretty exciting to be able to pursue my dream of playing U.S. lacrosse.

Q: What was your playing career like at William & Mary?

A: As I mentioned earlier, I played both field hockey and lacrosse at William & Mary. At the time I attended college, the out-of-season demands were not what they are now, so it was much more manageable to be a two sport Div. I athlete. Nonetheless, we had a very rigorous schedule and traveled all around the country. My junior year, we went to what was the first NCAA women’s lacrosse tournament for. The NCAA, which was originally a men’s collegiate athletic association, absorbed the AIAW, a separate organization that governed women’s collegiate athletics. It was pretty special that we were one of the first teams to participate in the tournament.

Q: After William & Mary, what ultimately made you decide to coach women’s lacrosse?

A: That’s a good question. I was actually a business major in college, and my dream was to go into sports marketing because it allowed me to pursue my interests in both athletics and business. I was on the interview track with some different firms but decided instead to go west to Colorado for the summer after college and be a bum for a few months to decide what I wanted to do with my life.

At the time, I was playing U.S. Lacrosse and didn’t have a job, so someone threw out the idea of coaching and teaching at a prep school in Connecticut.

I came back east to pursue my dream of making the World Cup team and simultaneously earn a little money. I played in the 1993 World Cup and earned a gold medal in Scotland for the U.S. During my playing days, I coached at prep schools for eight years and received my masters in education.

A job opened up at Yale, and I was hired as an assistant. I really enjoyed my experience at the college level, so I took the job as the head field hockey and lacrosse coach at Amherst, and this will be my 21st year here.

Q: What drew you to Amherst in particular?

A: I think Amherst is a place where our athletes are really smart. When you combine skills, leadership, talent and intelligence, you end up with players who have a unique ability to process information and play smart. That was especially true for the teams during era of winning the national championship, and I think it’s true right now with this group. Things are coming together in a special and exciting way.

Q: What do you consider the toughest aspect of

coaching?

A: Lately, the weather. Coaching a spring sport in New England is really like coaching a winter sport.

Additionally, recruiting has really taken over the college coaching world. We look at hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of kids in order to weed the recruiting pool down to our top players. It takes a lot of communication and constant attention through emails, phone calls, visits and, now, recruiting tournaments year round. The offseason is really spent doing a lot of recruiting and administrative tasks.

It is difficult because the actual time spent dedicated to your team and your coaching has dwindled down to such a small part of the administrative heavy job. And that takes its toll I think — trying to maintain a balance and teach your team what’s true to you and the values that you’re trying to instill. I really think I am teaching them so much more than the actual X’s and O’s and the skill of the sport.

A combination of things makes it a challenging profession, but, right now, I’m loving it. My team is fantastic, and I’m really enjoying their enthusiasm and energy and willingness to try new things. We’re meditating. We’re doing visualization sessions. They are really buying into the whole idea that they need to be relaxed while they are playing and find an optimal level of arousal for peak performance.

Q: Shifting the focus to this season, you’ve obviously experience a lot of success thus far. How do you think the season has gone? What are your expectations for the future?

A: This season has been a dream. It’s one that has had its ups and downs with regards to weather, but as far as the team itself, our leadership is fantastic.

The senior leaders have been phenomenal and that has trickled down to each class. Everybody has bought into the greater good and is putting the team first, which has really made this team click.

Everyday they go out ready to work hard and improve and make each other better. It’s great when you have a team with talent, skill, cohesiveness and an ability to be present. They really work hard to be in the moment and take each day and each game for what’s its worth. As long as we don’t get distracted by the rankings, we are on the right track to post-season opportunities.

Q: Do you have a favorite Amherst lacrosse memory?

A: A lot of them involve championships and that sort of stuff. As a whole, I love just watching the players progress through the program and leave here ready to face the challenges of the world. I’m in touch with a lot of alums. I go to weddings and hear about their families. That’s really rewarding for me. As far as specifics, the year we won the ECAC Championship was a great memory and, of course, the year we won the national championship was huge. In 2003, we had lost to Middlebury twice during the regular season, and we achieved a dream at the championship game that year by finally coming away with the win. When you win a national championship, it just validates all the hard work that you’ve put in.

Q: Do you have any post lacrosse plans?

A: I am very much into yoga and mindfulness. I’m a certified yoga instructor, and I just completed a meditation course. Ultimately, I’d love to have the influence and ability to work with more students at Amherst with regards to stress management, mindfulness and yoga. I hope to contribute positively to the wellness initiatives that are already happening on our campus. Wellness, yoga, and mindfulness have helped to ground me and I’m ready to share those passions and the knowledge that I’ve attained through my own body and my own experiences with others here at Amherst.

Sports

“Amherst put the game away early with seven runs in the first and two more in the fourth...”

Vandini, Gunn Stay Hot... Page 11

Photo courtesy of Niahlah Hope ’15

Co-captain Chris Dale ’14 has stepped up in singles this season, playing primarily in the No. 2 spot. The senior won his seventh straight match of the season on Sunday against Bowdoin.

Third-Ranked Men’s Tennis Tops Bates, Bowdoin Set to Face Fifth-Ranked Archrival Williams on Sunday

Nicole Yang ’16 Managing Sports Editor The now third-ranked Amherst men’s tennis team extended its win streak to 12 matches this past weekend with wins over Bates and 12th-ranked Bowdoin. With the two victories, the Jeffs improve to 24-2 on the season and remain unbeaten in the NESCAC. On Saturday, Amherst blanked previously 27th-ranked Bates on the Bobcats’ home courts. Senior co-captains Joey Fritz and Justin Reindel won their seventh straight match as a pair, defeating Timmy Berg and Pierre Planchein in the top doubles spot 8-5. Sophomores Andrew Yaraghi and Aaron Revzin won their doubles match in the No. 2 spot 8-3, while Michael Solimano ’16 and Chris Dale ’14 earned a victory by the same score in the third spot.

In the top singles spot, 14th-ranked nationally in singles Fritz lost the first set 7-5 to Berg before bouncing back to win the second set 6-2 and the third set tiebreaker 10-7.

“Joey as well as the rest of the senior players, who were finishing up their thesis work, had a very stressful and demanding week,” said head coach Chris Garner on their performances against Bates. “I overheard some of them talking about the pep talk they received from Professor Reyes about making sure they come to practice in order to have a physical activity outlet. Having the support of Professor Reyes really helped them on their thesis work as well as getting them to practice hard.”

Dale, who is ranked sixth in the Northeast among all Div. III singles players, also dropped his first set in the No. 2 singles spot 6-3, but the senior prevailed in a second set

7-6 and then went on to capture the third set tiebreaker 10-5.

“Chris just got a new pair of shoes for the weekend, but I think he wore a hole in them because he was running down so many great shots by his opponent,” Garner said regarding Dale’s win.

The bottom of the ladder all won their matches in straight sets, as Solimano (6-3, 6-4), Anton Zykov ’17 (7-5, 6-0), Yaraghi (61, 6-3) and Revzin (6-4, 6-3) defeated their Bobcat opponents. The 9-0 victory marked the teams 12th sweep of the year.

On Sunday, the Jeffs traveled to Brunswick to face off against NESCAC foe Bowdoin, where Amherst snapped the Polar Bears’ six-match winning streak with a 7-2 win. Amherst jumped out to another 3-0 lead after doubles, as Solimano and Revzin were victorious in the No. 2 spot 8-5, and Zykov and Yaraghi cruised to an 8-2 win in the third spot. In the No. 1 spot, Bowdoin’s Sam King and Kyle Wolstencroft challenged Fritz and Reindel, and the two teams battled to eight apiece in the pro-set. Fritz and Reindel then won the tiebreaker 7-3 to triumph with a 9-8 victory.

“Justin and I are really happy with how we’ve competed, but hopefully we’ll be able to keep it up as the matches get more important,” Fritz remarked on the pair’s success this spring. The seniors are ranked first in the Northeast among all Div. III doubles pairs.

Reindel had a challenging singles match in the No. 5 spot, where he was forced to go the distance in three sets against Wolstencroft. After losing the first set 6-1, the senior evened the score by winning the second set 7-5. However, the senior could not top his Polar Bear opponent, losing a hotly contest

third set 7-6.

In the sixth spot, Bowdoin picked its only other victory, as Revzin lost 6-4, 6-4. The top of the ladder, however, all were able to edge their Bowdoin opponents in a series of very competitive matches.

Fritz’s match in the top singles spot needed three sets to decide the winner. After losing the first set 6-7, the senior responded with by winning the following two sets 6-2, 6-4 to win the match.

“When I lose the first set, I’m usually pretty mad at myself, so I just try to make sure that the anger turns into energy and motivation rather than something negative,” Fritz said.

Zykov also had to bounce back after losing the first set, as he went on to win his match 1-6, 6-4, 6-4.

“Anton was having a great time during the match. He is a very calm person off the court but on it, he really comes out of his shell and enjoys himself,” Garner commented on the first-year’s win.

In the No. 2 spot, Solimano split the first two sets, 6-4, 5-7, before winning the third set tiebreaker 10-6 to notch the victory.

“It was a high quality match. I thought both players were playing well. It could have gone either way,” Garner said.

Yaraghi, the only Jeff to win his match in straight sets, rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 victory to cap off Amherst’s 24th win on the year Up next is a weekend full of NESCAC matches for the Jeffs, starting on Friday when the team will split squads to play Conn. College at home at 3 p.m. and now 27th-ranked Trinity in Hartford, Conn. at 3 p.m. as well.

On Saturday, the team will host both Hamilton and 29th-ranked Wesleyan at 10 a.m. and

2 p.m., respectively.

“We have a really exciting weekend of tennis ahead of us. We play five conference matches. As long as the guys stay on top of their studies this week, they should be ready to get on the courts for some physical activity and competition,” Garner said.

Sunday marks one of the biggest matches of the season for Amherst, as they square off against archrival fifth-ranked and reigning national champions Williams in Williamstown at 1 p.m.

“I’m excited, though I don’t know too much about the match-ups. Williams versus Amherst is always competitive, and nothing in the past matters. We just want to go out there and play our hardest,” Revzin commented on the match on Sunday.

Photo courtesy of Niahlah Hope ’15

Andrew Yaraghi ’16 went 4-0 this weekend in singles and doubles.