Issue 22

THE AMHERST

THE INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER OF AMHERST COLLEGE SINCE 1868

STUDENT VOLUME CXLIV, ISSUE 22 l WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

Jeffs Come In Second At Only Home Meet See Sports, Page 9 AMHERSTSTUDENT.AMHERST.EDU

T-Pain and The Chainsmokers for Spring Concert Sophie Chung ’17 Managing News Editor

Photo courtesy of Matthew Chow ‘18

The Office of Admission chose 1,176 students from among 8,566 applicants this year, breaking the college’s alltime record for number of applicants.

Admissions Accepts 13.7 Percent of Applicants Ryan Cenek ’18

Assistant News Editor Amherst College has accepted 13.7 percent of applicants to the class of 2019, according to the Office of Admission. The college received a record 8,566 total applications this year, accepting 1,006 applicants via regular decision and 170 via early decision.

Applications to Amherst rose by 1 percent from the previous year, making the class of 2019 Amherst’s largest applicant pool ever, albeit narrowly. The previous record was from 2012, when the Office of Admission received 8,565 applicants for the class of 2016.

Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid Katie Fretwell emphasized the Admission Office’s commitment to diversity.

“The Admission and Financial Aid staffs have worked carefully to promote Amherst’s

belief that the best and brightest candidates can be found in every quarter, from every background, from all kinds of schools and families,” Fretwell said. “Our recruitment efforts and financial aid policies support our ambition to enroll the most talented candidates regardless of their financial background, to make Amherst affordable through a generous and need-based financial aid program.”

This year, Amherst 55 percent of accepted applicants identified as American students of color, the highest proportion in the college’s history. Additionally, 53 percent of admittees identified as women. The college accepted students from 49 states (excluding North Dakota) and 46 foreign countries, as well as one stateless applicant. One hundred and three admitted students are non-U.S. citizens, and 98 are dual citizens of the U.S. and another

country.

“We experienced significant growth in the number of non-U.S. candidates seeking admission this year. Interest from international students grew by more than 9 percent, reflecting Amherst’s expanding reputation and our truly rare position as one of the nation’s six institutions of higher education that is need-blind in its consideration of nonU.S. citizens,” Fretwell reported.

The admitted students come from a wide range of backgrounds. 17 percent were firstgeneration college students, while 7 percent were children of Amherst alumni. 66 percent attended public high schools, 30 percent attended private schools, three percent attended parochial schools, and four admitted students were homeschooled.

Continued on Page 3

The Chainsmokers and T-Pain will headline this year’s Spring Concert, the Spring Concert committee confirmed this week. The concert will be held in LeFrak Gymnasium on Saturday, April 25, and KYLE will be the opening act.

The Chainsmokers are a New York-based DJ, producer and songwriter duo, comprised of members Andrew Taggart and Alex Pall.

They are most well known for their 2014 hit, “#Selfie”, and their follow up hit single, “Kanye,” featuring sirenXX. The Chainsmokers started off as an electronic dance music DJ duo in 2012 and most recently, released, “Let You Go,” featuring Great Good Fine Ok. T-Pain is an American singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. After his debut in 2005, his second studio album, “Epiphany” reached number one on the Billboard 200.

Since then, he was featured on more than 50 singles that topped charts, including the hit single Flo Rida’s “Low.” In March, T-Pain released his most recent mixtape titled “The Iron Way.” KYLE is also an American rapper. He is known for his single “Hey Now,” with Martin Solveig and the Cataracts.

The selection process for the spring concert artists was headed by Campus Activities Board. The group also enlisted help from the event coordinator for student life, Paul Gallegos. A student survey was distributed at the beginning of the academic year to gauge music preferences and improvements that could be made from last year’s spring concert.

“We got feedback from what people thought about last spring concert, complaints and what did they like,” said Spring Concert committee chair Alexandra James ‘16. “Then, after that, it was also questions about what kind of genres and specifically, if there were any artists they would want to see. And what hit me a lot was that the three top genres were electronic dance music, hip-hop and rap and

Continued on Page 3

Computer Science Club Kicks Off Weekly CodeJam Initiative Jake Pagano ’18 Staff Writer The Amherst College Computer Science Club held its first weekly CodeJam event on Monday, April 5 in Seeley Mudd. The purpose of CodeJam is to provide an opportunity on campus for computer science students to improve their applied computer skills through hands-on work, such as building websites and mobile apps.

CodeJam was organized by the Computer Science Club’s executive board members and CodeJam subcommittee organizers Evelyn Ting ’17, Chloe Revery ’16 and Thomas Lam ’18.

Megan Lyster, the director of innovation programs at the Center for Community Engagement, collaborated with the club to help organize the event and generate

ideas for potential projects for students to develop at the event. Assistant Professor of Computer Science Crystal Valentine also worked with the club and helped establish the connection between the club and the Center for Community Engagement.

Although the college offers a computer science major, there are currently few opportunities on campus for developing practical computer science skills.

“Amherst’s computer science is a theorybased program. Amherst will not teach a computer language that is in vogue at the moment; rather, they want to equip you with theoretical foundations,” Computer Science Club board member and computer science major Revery said.

“This is a great opportunity for students not only to hone their technical skills, but also to gain experience designing and developing

a product that will be used by someone else,” Lyster said.

Event organizer Evelyn Ting ’17 said she hoped to help create a community of collaboration. “It’s really exciting to do something together that we are so passionate about,” Ting said. “In this type of setting, students will be able to turn to each other for help when questions or issues arise,” she said.

Lyster also said she sees benefits to such collaboration.

“I see CodeJams as a potential incubator for creative ideas and collaborative problem solving, and I’m excited to see what gets generated. I’m happy to speak with students who come up with an idea and would like to talk about how they might move that idea forward,” she said.

In addition to creating a space for students to pursue independent projects, the CodeJam

organizers also intend to work with the Center for Community Engagement to code websites and to help student groups on campus that need to build websites or apps.

With the start of the weekly event, students will be able to take ideas and work on them throughout the week. “We are hoping that students work on their projects during the week, and then bring questions and ideas to the weekly sessions,” Revery said.

The club hopes for CodeJam to expand to a biweekly event.

“I think there’s so much for students to gain from this initiative-experience working on real-world, real-time challenges and projects, peer-to-peer learning and support, cultivating a social space in which to practice technical skills and offering a valuable and in-demand service to the community,” Lyster said.

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News March 30, 2015 - April 5, 2015

>>March 30, 2015 1:11 p.m., O’Connell Lot Damage was found on the side of a college-owned vehicle. A report was filed. >>March 31, 2015 8:04 a.m., Valentine Dining Hall An employee reported graffiti written in a basement restroom.

3:07 p.m., Social Quad A group of students playing beer pong outside of Pond were advised to stop their activity. >>April 1, 2015 3:32 p.m., Frost Library Officers investigated a fire alarm and found it was caused by construction work.

3:30 p.m., Cohan Dormitory A student reported receiving a scam call from an individual who claimed to be from the IRS. The student disconnected the call. >>April 2, 2015 3:09 p.m., Pond Dormitory An officer responded to a report of a group of students outside the building with alcohol and a beer pong table set up. They were advised such activity was prohibited and the activity was stopped.

5:41 p.m., Social Quad An officer encountered a group of students outside of Crossett with alcohol and a beer pong table set up. They were advised that such activity was prohibited and the activity was stopped.

9:29 p.m., Marsh House An officer investigated a basement smoke detector sounding and found it was caused by cooking in the kitchen.

10:40 p.m., Stone Dormitory Officers responded to a complaint of loud music and people screaming in a third floor suite. Upon approaching the building, an officer observed a can of beer thrown from a third-floor suite where the noise was. After speaking with a resident, the disturbance was quelled.

dispersed.

9:56 p.m., Marsh House A town resident complained about loud music from Marsh.

Officers responded and spoke to the party sponsors. The volume of music was lowered.

10:12 p.m., Tyler House While in the building, an officer observed two bottles of hard alcohol available at a registered party. The alcohol was confiscated as it is disallowed. >>April 4, 2015 1:44 a.m., O’Connell Lot An officer on patrol found a car running. The owner was contacted and he shut the car off.

10:42 a.m., Valentine Dining Hall Amherst Police reported having an Abuse Prevention Order to be served to an employee.

5:51 p.m., Hitchcock House An officer investigated a smoke detector sounding in a second floor room and discovered that it activated when a hair straightener was used.

10:25 p.m., Seelye House While in the building, an officer discovered two unattended bottles of hard alcohol in the common room and disposed them.

11:36 p.m., Webster Circle An officer observed an unattended bottle of hard alcohol by a parked car. It was disposed of. >>April 5, 2015 12:45 a.m., Social Quad An officer on patrol observed a male urinating outside of Pond. He was identified and will be fined $100 for the offensive behavior.

1:02 a.m., Keefe Campus Center A caller reported a female vomiting into a trash can on the first floor. The woman could not be located.

11:33 p.m., Amherst Police Department A female officer assisted the town police with the arrest of a female.

1:30 a.m., Powerhouse An officer responded to a report from Student Security that an intoxicated student was causing a disturbance and refused to leave the building.

He was escorted out.

>>April 3, 2015 9:41 p.m., King Dormitory An officer encountered a small group of students in the fourth-floor common room with alcohol and a beer pong table. The gathering was

2:12 a.m., Gym Loop Road While passing a parked cruiser, a student spit right next to it.

He was identified and admitted it was his intent to be disrespectful. The matter was referred to Student Affairs.

Sarah Vickery Thoughts on Theses Department of Physics

Sarah Vickery is a senior majoring in physics. Her thesis focuses on topological defects in the pseudo-spinner BoseEinstein condensate. Her thesis adviser is Professor of Physics David S. Hall.

Q: What is your thesis about?

A: My thesis is about topological defects in the pseudo-spinner Bose-Einstein condensate.

Specifically, I am looking for Meron, which is a vortex, anti-vortex pair. So there is vortex in each of the two spin-states and because of the dynamics of the system the access from the vortex in one spin-state fills the vortex in the other spin-state, known as a coreless vortex.

Q: Which area of physics is your research related to?

A: It is atomic, molecular and optical physics, or MO physics.

Q: Could you tell me more about molecular and optical physics?

A: The first Bose-Einstein condensate research was made in the 90s, and essentially it is a state of matter that because of boson’s properties, all the particles can be in the ground state, which allow us to do experiments. My thesis is based on the idea that Merons are related to Gaugetheory and quantum-hall effect and certain properties of the quantum-hall effect.

Q: How did you become interested in your topic?

A: I worked in Professor Hall’s lab the summer after my freshman year as part of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute fellowship, which is now called SURF, and I worked in his lab last year for class credit. I really enjoyed the experience, so I wanted Professor Hall to be my thesis adviser and continue working in his lab. I also took a intermediate lab course with him and I really liked doing lab work so that confirmed that I wanted to write a thesis. This topic was one of the projects he was interested in and I was also interested in writing about it.

Q: How did you ask Professor Hall to be your adviser?

A: The physics department has a very specific process of assigning thesis advisers. There is a meeting in spring during your junior year, in which the department gives you guidelines for comps and what you have to do to be a thesis writer. In that meeting all the professors give synopsis of what their research is about and what prospective projects that you might work on for a thesis. After that meeting you write a letter to the department listing three faculty members that you want to work with and why you want to work with them. Then, the faculty members discuss how to assign thesis students.

Q: So far, what has your thesis research consisted of?

A: It is very near the end since the deadline is in two weeks. So far I have almost found a Meron, but not quite yet. So we are investigating what exactly is about our system that has limited us from seeing the full effect of Meron and now I am looking at the background theory and comparing what the theoretical framework for finding Merons are and how they differ from what we have.

Q: Can you explain what Merons are?

A: Vortex is essentially a hole. If you think of condensate as a ball, a vortex is just a line that goes through. If you were to look it from above, it is just like an empty circle. What my

thesis works on is multi-component boseeinstein condensate. There are two spin-states mixed into this general ball and you can separate them by applying a technique. When you separate them they look like two balls, so one spins up and one spins down. If you look at them separately, you would see a hole and over-density in both of them. As you put one on top of the other the over-density would be the spot of the hole of one, and vice-versa.

Q: What were the difficulties you encountered while writing your thesis?

A: The challenges of writing an experimental thesis are unexpected things that happen in the lab. For example, the laser in our lab broke, so we could not progress in our experiment for three weeks. I think if you do science thesis, you should stay calm and wait when the situation doesn’t allow you to continue your experiment and not get too stressed out about things. And another thing that is hard is to continue getting motivated, because it is really easy to get excited about the lab work but not very excited about writing.

Q: When were you most excited during your research?

A: When I first saw signs of good results. My thesis involves bringing together a lot of parts of techniques in one experiment. It involves complicated procedures such as getting an image of two spin-states at the same time, put a vortex in to begin with and then employing a technique to make the Meron. When I combined the various physics techniques and the experiment worked, I was very excited.

Q: What advice do you have for students interested in writing a thesis?

A: Definitely make sure that you want to write a thesis, because it is a really big undertaking.

And a lot of the work is self-motivated, which is very hard since a lot of work has to be done during the most depressing parts of the winter and if you are not at all interested in the thesis topic it can be really hard to push yourself to concentrate on your work.

Q: Do you have a specific advice for students interested in writing a thesis on physics?

A: Yes. Make sure you talk to your adviser often, especially when you are confused. Often times the answer is really simple but you weren’t able to come up with a solution, or it is actually a more complicated issue that requires you to seek advice from your advisor.

Q: When you finish thesis, how do you share your results?

A: I will have to give a 20-minute presentation that is open to the entire student body.

We already had a short presentation last December, so this presentation will be the final presentation. I will also have to defend my thesis in front of the professors in the physics department.

Q: What are your future plans?

A: I am still deciding on what I am going to do right after graduation, but hopefully I will go on to graduate school in physics. Next year I will be either in a graduate school or working in a lab.

— Ji Hong Park ’17

The Amherst Student • April 8, 2015

News

3

Spring Concert: T-Pain and The Chainsmokers Continued from Page 1 pop music.”

James said that in addition to focusing on student preferences from the survey results, she also tracked the popular trends in the music industry, as well as rising artists.

Last year, female DJ duo Icona Pop headlined the Spring Concert.

James said that the main complaint from the survey about last year’s concert was that many students were not satisfied with the acquired artists considering the $50,000 budget the college allotted for the concert.

“So, we were thankfully able to get our budget upped to $87,000.

And people really did prefer having more of a budget if we were able to secure larger named artists,” James said. “It really was by sheer luck that both Chainsmokers and T-Pain, combined, was around that amount.”

To secure an artist for the Spring Concert, the college has to first negotiate artist fees with the artist and the artist’s agency. Because of the larger budget, the college was able to offer bids for more wellknown artists this year. After fee negotiations, the next step is to finalize the contracts. James said that much of the negotiating happened in conference calls with the artists’ agents, going over the contracts line by line. Negotiations went on for some time as different artist choices

were considered by James and the CAB Spring Concert committee before The Chainsmokers, T-Pain and KYLE were finally secured.

“I hope that because it’s two different genres [rap and electronic house music] in the same night, students do find at least one artist to really appreciate and hopefully, stay for the next one,” James said.

“I think part of my decision picking these artists was because there are two separate genres and again, in the survey, a lot of the student input was that they felt excluded because of the genre.”

With finalized negotiations and artist lineups, the Spring Concert committee was ready to officially announce the concert artists to the campus and start selling tickets.

Concert doors will open at LeFrak Gymnasium at 5p.m. on April 25. KYLE will open up with his act at 6 p.m. and T-Pain will take the stage at 7 p.m. before The Chainsmokers play.

There are 2,200 tickets in total that are available for sale. From April 15 to 19, tickets will be available free of charge exclusively for Amherst College students with an Amherst College ID in Valentine Dining Hall and Keefe Campus Center. From April 20 to April 24, tickets will then be made available to Five College students for $15 and the general public for $25 in Keefe Campus Center.

Creative Commons Image Courtesy of: Eva Rinaldi on Flickr

T-Pain and the Chainsmokers will headline this year’s Spring Concert, which will be held in LeFrak Gymnasium on Saturday, April 25.

AAS Executive Board Election Class of 2019 Candidate Statements 2015 Continued from Page 1

President

Oluwatomi Williams ’16 It has been both an honor and a privilege representing the Amherst student body as AAS President these past five months. I am proud of all we have accomplished and the progress the AAS has made in the face of considerable controversy. But there is more to be done. We cannot be satisfied until we, together, have initiated lasting change that will improve our community for all of its members — past, present, and future. It will not be easy, and we will need a leader with experience and an unyielding willingness to collaborate and listen. Please consider voting for me tomorrow.

Taylor Wilson ’16 The job of AAS president consists of connecting with the student body and addressing the underlying problems it faces.

There’s a strong sense of frustration among Amherst’s student body — I want to alleviate it through a decentralized approach to student life, focusing especially on the connection between social life and mental health. I believe studentdriven social groups can provide crucial emotional support in these circumstances, and I intend to promote their development.

Please contact me if you have any questions, and vote Taylor Wilson!

Vice President William Jackson ’18 The vice president has the unique role of determining how senate meetings are conducted. Thus, the VP is responsible for helping a

group of talented and passionate (yet often divided) individuals work together as an effective whole.

Having served on senate for a year now, I’ve come to appreciate how each individual senator improves Amherst in his or her own way. Yet, I believe there is much more we can do as an organization to improve the connection between the student body and the administration. I will work extensively both inside and outside of senate to better facilitate this relationship.

Peter Woolverton ’17 After two years at Amherst College, I am excited about taking part in the election process and helping my community in a direct manner as vice president. Over the last year, I have enjoyed serving as your Campus Community Coordinator.

Given my experience, I am uniquely equipped to contribute to new ideas and programs for campus life. Furthermore, I am excited to support the voices of our campus community. I hope that, through our enthusiasm, I can help build a more effective Amherst senate that will channel the amazing ideas and energy of our community into positive change at Amherst.

Treasurer Paul Gramieri ’17 Having worked as a budgetary clerk for the past two years, I’ve been able to meet with students to explain the funding process, make purchases, and understand concerns regarding securing funding. I am running to be your next AAS treasurer so that we can work together to streamline the funding process

from start to finish, by simplifying the Budgetary website, ensuring that students are more familiar with funding guidelines, and increasing communication with clubs and Student Activities, all in efforts to ensure that we can continue bringing great speakers to Amherst and having great events on campus.

Thank you!

Secretary David Dickinson ‘16 I have served as a senator for the class of 2016 over the last year and have gotten to know the AAS as an institution. I am running for secretary because I enjoy connecting my work in the senate with the concerns of the student body, and now I want to apply my organizational abilities and work ethic to making the student body and all its representatives interact smoothly with each other.

Judiciary Council Hao Liu ’16 Having been a senator for two years and your AAS treasurer for the past year, I had the pleasure and honor of helping students secure funding for their activities and events. As your treasurer, I managed to overturn a budget deficit, persuaded the Athletics Department to take on the insurance of club coaches, and re-introduced WSJ subscriptions, in addition to my daily duties. I seek your support as I run for the JC chair position. If elected, I will work with Dean Brill and the next treasurer to streamline the club budget recognition process. Thank you!

Fretwell also noted the exceptional academic achievements of the admitted class. Of those whose class rank was calculated, 91 percent were in the top decile of their graduating high school class; 156 were valedictorians and 217 were National Merit Semi-Finalists.

The average SAT composite score for accepted students was 2,210, up 15 points from last year, while the average ACT composite score of 33 was a one-point increase from last year.

The composition of the new group of students coming to Amherst next year is far from complete. Students admitted by regular decision have until May 1 to decide whether to enroll at Amherst. At that point, the Office of Admission will admit approximately 20 of those applicants

who have been placed on the waitlist and expressed continued interest in applying. According to Fretwell, around 500 applicants are expected to accept their spot on the waitlist.

“We will give special attention to active wait list candidates who might support our efforts to balance the class composition,” she said.

“Our hope is to conclude any wait list activity by July 1.”

The application process for this year was essentially the same as the previous year, when, for the first time, the process was entirely paperless and students could submit a graded paper for the Common Application supplement.

The Office of Admission more generally looks for students who “make the most of their opportunities, both in their formal learning environments and in their communities,” Fretwell said.

Join the news staff!

Email us at djeon17@amherst. edu to get started!

Opinion Room Draw Sucks and There’s Nothing You Can Do About It Editorial

THE AMHERST

STUDENT

E X E C U T I V E B OA R D Editor-in-Chief Sophie Murguia Executive Adviser Brendan Hsu Managing News Dan Ahn, Sophie Chung, Elaine Jeon Managing Opinion Johnathan Appel, Marie Lambert Managing Arts and Living Marquez Cummings, Gabby Edzie, Evan Paul Managing Sports Kiana Herold, Lauren Tuiskula S TA F F

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: You and your four friends are trying to get a suite in Taplin, but it only has four rooms. Perhaps your group will have to draw straws. Maybe you’ll all just decide whom to kick out based on messiness, sleep schedules or high volume of sex. The room draw process is stressful, messy and ruinous to friendships. It’s rumored that room draw keeps the Counseling Center in business. In short, it is a commonly held belief that room draw destroys friendships and should be avoided at all costs for the sake of your mental and physical well-being.

Students on this campus hate room draw. If you are not miraculously in the minority of students who are Resident Counselors, theme house residents or outgoing seniors, you will have to suffer through. Sooner or later next week (hopefully sooner), you’ll run to the Friedmann Room at your designated time, wait, nervously eat candy, wait, maybe cry a little bit, pick a room you’re generally unhappy with and call it a night. But, even after going through this horrendous experience and complaining about all that’s wrong with it, it’s surprisingly difficult to pinpoint how Residential Life could improve the process.

Despite our grumblings, room draw is actually a fair process. Student groups are ranked first by seniority using LUV (Living Unit Values), then randomly among groups with the same LUVs. Frustratingly, there are some rising sophomore groups

that bring in juniors going abroad in the fall to raise this score.

Yet, by making sure students who declare intent to study abroad in fall can’t participate, we could easily eliminate this problem.

The underlying structure works similarly to every other comparable college; room draw everywhere, to put it bluntly, just sucks.

But room draw is inherently necessary. We need a place to sleep in between classes, constant activities and Val sits. Within that truth, however, is exactly why the annual process is so painful. We invest time, effort and ourselves into the ratty posters, bed sheets and stuffed animals that make up “homes.” That’s why students agonize over where they live and who they live with: It’s supposed to be perfect.

Yet, the group-based procedure forces us to choose friends and have friends choose us. Definitively picking a room based on both our own and other peoples’ preferences forces us to compromise on something we see as defining our identity for the next year. Unless you’re at the top of the senior list alone, you’ll never get exactly what you want. So how can we change room draw? Yes, it’s flawed and inefficient, but the core process of choosing a room is inherently fair and hard to change. Instead, the answer lies in a cultural shift. It’s time to let go of all the preconceived notions we have about housing and what has to be perfect for the next year. We should realize it’s only one year.

We Can End the Banandonment: Why Reducing Food Waste Matters Alena Marovitz ’17 Contributing Writer In Valentine, I often see plates piled full of lasagna, General Tso’s chicken, macaroni and cheese or salad cycle through the dishwashing conveyor belt. Throughout campus, sandwiches perch helplessly on top of traffic posts. Defeated black bananas litter the snow, abandoned by students as if they are a joke. If these attempts are part of a joke, I hope those students understand that worldwide, according to a working paper for the World Resources Institute and United Nations Environment Programme, around 25 percent of food calories produced for human consumption are wasted annually. In the United States, according to food scientist Dana Gunders, that percentage is higher, as it jumps to 42 percent calories squandered. Sure, those numbers have little meaning to us as college students, as we can fill our trays with endless servings of sirloin tips and Egg McCharlies without experiencing direct repercussions. But our decisions can cost us, both environmental-

ly and economically. At Amherst, we pride ourselves on our leadership. What is preventing us from being a leader among colleges in minimizing the amount of food we throw away? In order to decrease our environmental footprint and plan financially for the future, we need to reduce our food waste immediately.

By choosing to discard unwanted food, we play a major role in determining worldwide greenhouse gas levels. According to a paper published by the United Nations, global food waste accounts for 3.3 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually. Relatively speaking, that amount would correspond to about one half of the United States’ total annual emissions. The scary part is that consumer decisions incorporate all factors of production required for food to arrive to the plate. When I choose to leave my bowl of oatmeal untouched, I am responsible for the nitrogen fertilizer, the fuel used to harvest the oats, mill them, package them, ship them to Amherst and the energy used to heat them for my breakfast. In addition, when I carelessly dispose

of it in the garbage, the oatmeal is trucked (using diesel fuel) to a landfill where it will release methane into the environment. Though some may not worry about the environmental impacts, we will all suffer serious consequences in the future if we do not cut back our waste.

Unfortunately, “free” food buffets like Valentine are not available after college. Thus, wasting food will eat away at our paychecks.

According to a report by the Natural Resource Defense Council, Americans disposed of $165 billion worth of food in 2012. Per person, that equates to a little over $500. Of course, we all hope to be financially secure immediately after graduation. However, as much as we convince ourselves that our Amherst diploma will be our golden ticket, many of us will start at the bottom of the food chain before working our way to the top.

As a result, losing $500 annually can impact our welfare. I mean, do you really want to forgo a night on the town with your buddies because you threw away too many chicken breasts? Like it or not, we soon will be in charge of our per-

sonal finances, and it is time to institute smarter eating habits today.

Decreasing our food waste is not a controversial topic, as there is no logical reason to throw away perfectly edible food. We can all take simple steps to reduce our food waste. Ask the waiter at Judie’s to package up your remaining popover and hamburger, and then actually eat your leftovers at home instead of ordering a Bruno’s calzone. Yes, the popover still tastes as delicious in your dorm room as it does in the restaurant.

Or use smaller plates at Val so you will not be tempted to create a mountain of sweet potato fries. As long as you do not arrive right before closing time, you can always wriggle out of your booth to grab seconds. Maybe take the leap and go tray-less. Grand Valley State University eliminated trays and collected 28,000 fewer pounds of food scraps than the previous year, which corresponded to 56 fewer pounds per student. Other colleges have taken steps to reduce their impact, so what is stopping us? We have the power to reduce our planet’s food waste, even if it is one banana at a time.

Design Editors Gabby Bishop, Megan Do, William Harvey, Sunna Juhn, Chloe Tausk Assistant News Editor Ryan Cenek Assistant Sports Editors Jeremy Kesselhaut, Jason Darell, Jason Stein Publishers Emily Ratte, Tia Robinson Photography Editor Olivia Tarantino

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

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

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The Amherst Student • April 8, 2015

Opinion

5

On Suffering Silently Shruthi Badri ’16 Contributing Writer Inspired by Nora Gayer’s excellent piece.

We are all daily liars. Well, most of us are anyway, and some rather worse than others. It’s not quite our fault. At some point, we agreed (in that pesky social contract no one really remembers signing) that pain is personal. It’s unbecoming to admit your own pain and it’s rude to ask about another’s. This is rather inconvenient given life’s propensity to be quite painful a lot of the time. We are left in the dodgy business of the halftruth; in our daily conversations we amplify the unremarkable and omit the unfortunate. We suffer silently.

My own daily deception has been the same for the last year and a half.

Over this time, I’ve carefully perfected the technique of withholding no information per se while still not at all making myself vulnerable. I’m quite forthright about the fact that I’m suffering from a neuromuscular condition. I openly share that I’ve canceled my summer internship to go seek full-time treatment and have had to drop majors, classes and ex-

tra-curriculars in the process. I’m honest about my symptoms (limbs sometime become immobile, severe migraines and back pain), the ways these progress (sudden flare-ups that last for a couple of days) and the success of the treatments I’m using (effective in easing, not preventing).

On the face of it, I am being totally open, but that is the treachery of the deception. Sharing everything while revealing nothing. Facts carefully sanitized of any sign of pain before being handed over.

It took me a while to fully realize I was doing it, and by then I couldn’t stop. I grew accustomed to the security of my half-truths and couldn’t be vulnerable even with those closest to me. The naked truth was too ugly, too obtrusive, too difficult to share.

But sharing was hard only at the moment of. Not sharing was another beast altogether — seductive and comfortable but poisonous, eating away at my insides and severing my connection to the world. And so, I’m releasing my truth unfiltered, and with it, hopefully the beast.

I call it a “neuromuscular condition” because this is easier to say than “it feels like my body is betraying me.” I’d worked relentlessly toward

anything I thought would help me pursue my dream of building a kind, thoughtful business, finding the perfect internship and looking for people and opportunities that could help me along my way. I now find myself having to cancel the internship, and I am much too tired to engage with the incredible people and opportunities I found.

I have absolute faith in the doctors I will see full time in the summer, but this makes my pain in the meanwhile seem even more senseless.

I used to be a triple major, had planned my thesis since I was a first year and would beg to be allowed to take six and a half classes. I may have to leave with a single major, sans thesis and these days, I fill out permission forms to be allowed to take three classes. I used to look for the most challenging classes I could find, but have been reduced to finding the ones that will be doable when I’m beholden to my flare-ups. I attended a program abroad that should have been a dream, but I was in no condition to take the challenging courses it was famous for.

I’m at expert at disembodying myself, speaking of my body dispas-

Understand the Past, Empower the Future Ashley McCall ’12 Alumna Ashley McCall ’12 teaches third grade at LEARN South Chicago.

This past February, my scholars joined their peers across the country to celebrate Black History Month.

Some content was new, some was review, but all of it was acknowledged as a representation of American history as whole. Black history is, of course, a crucial part of American history and should be appreciated as such in our daily living, teaching and learning with our scholars. As my students expand their knowledge about the struggles of the past, they make connections to the injustices they see in their own present: gun violence in the neighborhood; homeless men and women whose humanity is ignored; families ripped apart by court systems. These “lessons” are anything but history.

I have the privilege of teaching some pretty awesome third graders.

As bright and inquisitive as they are, they are too young to fully comprehend the complexities and depth of the systemic racism and oppression that pervade our country. Yet they are quite attuned to that something-justisn’t-right feeling that started to make many of us itch at their age. When we discussed the story of Ruby Bridges and the concept of separate but equal I was intrigued as I watched them grapple and work to make sense of what it meant. Not just the definition but the reality of such a statute. We considered what separate but equal meant on paper in contrast to its true implications and then compared it to the Chicago public school system. We compared it to their neighborhoods.

These kids might not yet be able to

craft a dissertation but they see and feel the inconsistencies and inequities in their daily lives. These history lessons inform them of a past that continues to impact their present.

As these young people grow up, our task is as urgent as ever. This school year marked the first in which the majority of public school students are minorities. Our generation has a responsibility to work to ensure that each scholar has the opportunity to develop within a system that affirms their identities, recognizes their value, applauds their ingenuity and grants them access to the opportunities they have been denied for far too long.

While the “whites only” signs of the 60s have come down, the reality of separate and unequal endures.

Alongside glaring gaps in educational, employment and economic opportunity, people of color in this nation face a variety of subtler, yet no less damaging assumptions and microaggressions. Enthusiasm and zealousness are perceived as aggression; artistic and individual expressions are perceived as statements on behalf of the entire race; promotions and professional recognition are undermined by whispers of affirmative action; children playing games and hanging out are threats and disturbances to the peace.

I used to say that I would never become a teacher. Between the bureaucracies, challenges of partnering with families, ever-changing measures of aptitude, the balancing act of what should be done with what must be done, and heaven forbid self-care, there are plenty of reasons not to. But when I was offered the opportunity I said yes. I said yes to Teach For America because I’ve been trying to make sense of buzz words like “diversity”, “equity”, and “justice” my entire life

and education is a platform on which all of them meet. I had the privilege to attend and graduate from a strong high school in the northern suburbs of Cincinnati. It is in the top 5 percent of high schools in the state and yet peers that looked like me still managed to get stuck in unfortunate social and academic situations because of a lack of resources and support. If black and brown students could be failed by a protected, well-resourced suburban school, I could only imagine what the experience was like for my peers in less fortunate situations. I don’t ever want that to happen to my students — I hold them to incredibly high expectations because I want them to be prepared for a world that is not set up for them to succeed.

As a country, we have many long strides to take before we truly achieve justice for all and it starts with truth.

To fix the systemic oppression that has created the gross inequality of the present we must first acknowledge its many faces. It will take the hard, dedicated and honest work of countless leaders and change-makers — some who have experienced these inequities first-hand, others who bear witness from further away. We must work toward long-term, structural changes as well as the immediate, urgent opportunities to change the way our students view themselves and their futures.

As teachers, we play a central role in this. Every day, we can remind children that their thoughts, ideas, identities, questions and opinions are worthwhile. We can share our own stories so that when our students look to the front of the room, they see a little bit of themselves reflected back.

We can and we must remind them that they matter; that they always have and always will.

sionately, almost in the third person because it is how I cope. My mother had to remind me to cry so my doctors would realize how much pain I really was in. I say that my limbs are immobilized but leave out the dismay of having to stop typing midsentence because my hands can no longer comfortably move, the horror of walking home in the snow and realizing I have to drag my feet against their will. I say severe migraines, instead of how terrifying it is to not be able to think clearly, especially as someone who defines myself by my thoughts.

I say I have periodic flare-ups, but not how each time is like the first time and brings me to tears of frustration and pain. I don’t talk about how they keep me up at night, and how I mindlessly binge watch shows on my computer to numb any feeling and thought whatsoever.

I don’t talk about these things because they are hard. It took quite a while after realizing the toxicity of holding things in to even consider sharing them. Brené Brown’s famous work on how vulnerability is hard for the person doing the sharing is part of this, but there is also the fact that sharing your pain with someone

places a burden on them. It is difficult to help someone else carry their pain, especially when you have no help carrying yours. Vulnerability is hard on everybody involved, and you can’t simply decide you are going to start being vulnerable when you are in a community that doesn’t support this.

It needn’t be this way. We shouldn’t have to be polite about our suffering and hold in our monsters.

We should be able to have a community where we can really enquire about and express concern for one another, untainted by an apology about “not wanting to pry.” We can only get there by being honest when people ask us how we’re doing, and also making them feel like they too can be honest, and will be heard and supported. The imperative to constantly be upbeat is exhausting, and one of the kindest things you can do is to no longer require it of yourself or others. It’s only when we can honestly share our suffering that we can honestly share our joy, because the two are irrevocably intertwined. And it is only when we allow ourselves to lay it all out — joy, sorrow and everything in between — that we have any hope of forging human connections.

Amherst College’s Culture of Busyness Brian Z. Zayatz ’18 Contributing Writer The recently published draft of the college’s strategic plan addresses, among many other issues, the culture of busyness and high achievement that leaves students, staff and faculty short of the time and energy necessary to build the strong community Amherst could and should foster. Yet despite taking perfect aim at this problem, the plan’s strategy for dealing with it leaves a lot to be desired, as it focuses on improving existing resources rather than locating the source of the problem.

I recently received in my campus mailbox an invitation to a workshop called “Thriving Under Stress.” I found this invitation representative of Amherst’s strategy of dealing with overworked students: While thriving under stress is indeed an important skill, why should we as Amherst students be required to use it all the time? I would contend that most of us already do a damn good job of thriving under stress as is. The strategic plan suggests “creating teams of first-year students through which they will learn of campus services.” Any focus on better developing campus resources or better informing students about their existence misses the mark.

The Counseling Center is a valuable resource that I have utilized, and, as the recent theater and dance thesis “Destiny” pointed out, it could be better staffed, have better hours and be less stigmatized. But why wouldn’t we want to target the problem of busyness at its source? Perhaps even start with a soft request for professors to lighten their curricula. This already proves a necessity when faced with snow days, or even just the realization that their demands on students are unrealistic for the limited amount of time we have together. Instead of straining existing resources with students overworked to the point of emotional

breakdown, a lighter workload could open up the Counseling Center and other campus resources to problems without such a simple fix, like low-income students and students of color feeling unwelcome in a culture dominated by white affluence.

The idea of a weekly hour for “community gatherings,” as the plan also suggests, has merit, yet I fear that it would not be enough. If I have an essay due, or a 200page reading that I haven’t done yet, what would stop me from blowing off this hour to focus on work instead? The draft itself recognizes the “motivation for excellence” common among Amherst students as if it’s a problem. It is not our motivation that is the problem; it is the unrealistic expectations that we feel bound to meet. The Day of Dialogue was a success in that it put the needs of the community over its daily obligations. Provost Uvin’s follow-up, however, did not offer this, and as a result I, and many of my peers, simply felt too busy to attend.

Unlike the fall semester, with its long weekends and other opportunities for time off, the spring semester is one long stretch interrupted briefly and singularly by spring break, by which time many students (myself included) feel like zombies going through the motions of an education, synthesizing little. I believe that the college community would greatly benefit from more unstructured time: One suggestion that comes to mind, the return of Mountain Day, was raised recently by The Amherst Student editorial board. The Valley is a beautiful place to go to college, and Amherst could encourage its appreciation through a day devoted to its exploration, with transportation resources provided and recommendations for hiking, bird-watching and other outdoor activities. The culture of busyness should not be treated with metaphorical Band-Aids, but with a real hard look at its root causes and many manifestations.

Arts&Living

Image courtesy of amherst.edu

The Arts at Amherst Spring Festival, starting this Friday at Arms Music Center, will feature showcases by Amherst students and outside speakers and performers.

Friday, April 10 Kicks Off the Arts at Amherst Annual Spring Festival Darya Bor ’18 Staff Writer The Arts at Amherst Annual Spring Festival kicks off this Friday, April 10 with an opening reception at Arms Music Center, and continues for another nine days of artsrelated events, concluding Sunday, April 19.

The events range from student-led performances featuring the talents of Amherst College students to musical productions led by outside ensembles and a variety of film screenings.

The idea for an arts festival stemmed from a collaboration among the major four arts departments and institutions on campus in a voluntary steering committee, featuring the Mead Art Museum, the theater and dance department, the art and art history department and the music department. This is the second year this committee has coordinated this large of a festival, and they hope that this year’s Arts at Amherst Festival will be even more successful than the previous year’s Fringe Festival.

The purpose of the festival is to connect the disparate arts communities on campus, and ultimately to celebrate them, Ian Stahl

’14, coordinator of arts communications, said. A variety of speakers and performers have been invited to campus to showcase their work, including Ghanaian-American filmmaker Akosua Adoma Owusu, longexposure photographer Jonathan Keats ’94 and New York City-based jazz scene band Circle Wide. Part of the large-scale connection occurs through the student group, the Arts Advocates, who come from various disciplines to create events for the festival.

“It’s not often that something happens every day consecutively for 10 days,” Stahl said. “Also, it’s the attitude towards the arts that makes this festival special. There’s more of an emphasis on being involved in them and celebrating them.”

This year’s festival is noteworthy for its inclusivity — last year’s Fringe Festival had no student events.

“This position [as coordinator of arts communications] allows me to give input on the festival as an Amherst alum. I really pushed to include the students in the art festival that was, in its inception, meant for the students,” Stahl said. “While Amherst does have a variety of student art scenes, even students in those separate scenes do

not know of each other because of the way the campus is set up, with theater and dance in one place and music in another. They’re all tossed to the wind, without a chance to meet each other and collaborate with their differing media.”

One of the highlights of the Arts at Amherst Festival for student artists will be the “Arts Party” at the Powerhouse on Thursday, April 16. Student groups from all disciplines will congregate in one building and have a chance to showcase their talents.

The acts in place range from a capella groups and performance art pieces to local live bands and improv groups to a splatterpaint section and gallery of student art. Three Amherst film classes will be showcasing their original work, and David Gloman, the senior resident artist of the Department of Art and the History of Art, will be leading a workshop on using songs and music as inspiration for paintings. Stahl said the event will include a large number of student artists.

“I have accepted nearly every act that applied for exhibition, and those that I didn’t take would have torn the Powerhouse down.

There are so many people involved; it’s exciting and terrifying!” Stahl said.

Stahl said that an administrative steering committee, which is comprised of faculty from the four featured art departments, has been working on the festival for many months. The steering committee is responsible for the organizational components of the event.

“The steering committee are the real movers and shakers. People don’t realize how much time it takes to put on such big things, and it doesn’t happen unless there is someone sweating over it for six months,” Stahl said. The institutional support and the Steering Committee brought the event off the ground.

“And that’s one of the great things about Amherst ,” he added. “There are so few students, and the support network is awesome.

People at the top of their game are willing to help you get where they are now.”

And on the probability of a third arts festival, he said, “We are all for more student involvement in this huge event, so the bigger it is, the better chance that these festivals will continue!”

More information about the Arts at Amherst Festival and its many events can be found at Amherst.edu/arts.

12 Reasons Why You Should Drop Everything and Watch “Empire” Paola Garcia-Prieto ’17 Staff Writer There’s little chance you haven’t heard of Fox’s new hit show, “Empire.” With an average of 380,000 social media mentions per episode and a collection of Buzzfeed articles dedicated to it, “Empire” is undoubtedly the most discussed new show of 2015. The show is about the fictional Lyon family, who own a music production and entertainment company called “Empire.” The heir, Lucious Lyon, played by Terrance Howard, is in the process of deciding which one of his sons will succeed him in leading the empire. Things get heated as Lucious’s ex-wife, Cookie Lyon, played by Taraji P. Henson, is released from prison after 17 years, eager to claim her part of the company. The show is not only incredibly entertaining, but also a revolutionary force in the TV world. Here are just some of the reasons why you should drop everything, sign up for Hulu Plus and watch all 14 episodes of “Empire” season one:

1. It’s the first ever hip-hop soap opera. When I first heard that I didn’t (much like you probably don’t) understand, but trust me, it works.

It’s not like a “Days of Our Lives” or “The Young and the Restless” type of daytime soap opera; it’s a dramatic prime time TV worthy soap opera that happens to feature hip hop.

2. The hip-hop music is bomb. Thanks to renowned music producer Timbaland the show’s tunes are catchy and perfect for a party.

My friends and I play “Drip-Drop” and “You’re So Beautiful” at every turn up. Many times when we do a friend will ask, “Oh my God, who is this?” And just like that, another Empire fan is born.

3. The cast, besides being incredibly talented and drop-dead gorgeous, are all black. Not only it is great to have more people of color represented in prime-time television, but “Empire” also presents a different type of blackness than other shows. These characters are not limited by black stereotypes; the show’s actors portray

a variety of different complex, well-developed characters within the black community.

4. The Lyon family gives hope that the American dream still exists. Lucious and Cookie came from the streets of Philadelphia and now sit at the top of Manhattan. Sure, it took a bit of drug money to get the business up and going but the couple’s drive is what got them their empire.

5. The writing is fantastic, but the actors’ freedom to improvise makes the show absolutely hilarious. The show is already famous for its many witty one-liners. “Shut up, Dora” is my favorite.

6. The fact that Lee Daniels created a TV show is notable enough. The Oscar-nominated director is best known for his films “Precious” and “The Butler.” If anyone knows how to create a meaningful show revolving around black people, it’s Lee Daniels.

7. If Lee Daniels doesn’t mean anything to you, then Terrence Howard, might ring a bell. The Oscar-nominated actor (known for “Hustle & Flow,” as well as “Iron Man 2”) plays Lucious Lyon, the show’s central character as well as its antagonist. You’ll love the way you hate Luscious, as his deep murderous voice and charming smile make him the perfect villain.

8. But we can’t forget the queen of the show, Cookie Lyon, played by Taraji P. Henson.

Nominated for an Oscar for her role in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” Henson is a highlight of the show. Cookie Lyon walks out of prison and into Empire’s corporate building with her head held high demanding what is hers. Her confidence, attitude, fashion taste and countless hilarious one-liners make her the most universally loved character on the show.

9. Not surprisingly, this attractive and talented

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Arts & Living 7

The Amherst Student • April 8, 2015

“Empire” Captivates Viewers With Shocking First Season Continued from previous page couple has three equally attractive sons. Hakeem, the youngest of the three and an upand-coming rapper, is played by Byshere Gray.

Jamal, the soulful singer with a voice that will melt your heart is played by Jussie Smollett .The oldest, Andre, the head of the business side of the company, is played by Trai Byers.

The three characters are so different from one another that it’s hard to predict who will be deemed worthy enough to become heir of Empire.

10. The show speaks out against homophobia in the black community. Jussie Smollett, who is gay himself, plays a gay character who is not accepted by his father. Lee Daniels, who is gay as well, talked about modeling Jamal’s story after his own, including a horrible scene in which the young Jamal’s father throws him into a trashcan as punishment for trying on a pair of heels. Although the show has received some critique due to Lucious’s outdated attitudes, my guess is that Lee Daniels purposefully made Lucious’s homophobia seem outdated in order

to open up a dialogue about homophobia within the community.

11. In addition to opening up a dialogue about homosexuality, “Empire” also opens up a dialogue about mental illness. The oldest son, Andre, has bipolar disorder. While his family is supportive, they initially react defensively to their son’s mental illness. They say things like, “My son’s not crazy” and “That’s white people s---.” One of the show’s strengths is the way it candidly discusses the stigma against homophobia and mental illness in some black families. The writers of this show recognized that this topic is not talked about enough in mainstream television, and did something about it.

12. In the first season alone there are a plethora of famous guest stars. All your favorites, from Raven Symone to Gladys Knight to Snoop Dog, appear as memorable and compelling characters.

Don’t sleep on Fox’s new hit show, “Empire,” which airs Wednesday nights.

Photo courtesy of ew.com

Empire is expected to return in early 2016, with Oprah and Eminem suspected as guest stars.

Napster to Tidal: Riding the Wave of Music Streaming Services Hanna Krueger ’17 Staff Writer In June 1999, Sean Parker and childhood friend Shawn Fanning revealed a homebrewed business that challenged the way in which music reached music listeners worldwide. Shortly after Napster’s launch, music labels and artists alike assailed the file sharing service with numerous lawsuits concerning the pirating and leaking of songs prior to their commercial releases. Napster eventually succumbed to corporate rebuke and closed its doors in 2001. However, during its fleeting yet wildly successful run, Napster revolutionized the music industry and signaled the death knell to the album era. It gave rise to a whole new wave of music streaming services that learned from Napster’s rookie mistakes and took control of music distribution. Originally, iTunes spearheaded the revolution, but several other services lurked on the horizon. Today, many music enthusiasts have tossed aside CDs and records, finding musical refuge in the comprehensive libraries of one of the many musicstreaming services on the market. Sean Parker rebounded from Napster’s decline, since finding his way onto the board of Spotify, a dominant service originally from Sweden. Most recently, Jay-Z joined forces with a slew of other charttopping musicians to launch a music streaming service aimed at retaining the value of music and empowering the musician. a

Since Napster’s demise, the corporate concept of streaming music has only gained traction in mainstream culture. CD sales have plummeted and iTunes-style downloads are in steady decline. For better or worse, music streaming services dictate the way the public experience music. Below is a breakdown of the top streaming services available that illuminates the positives and negatives of these increasingly powerful platforms: Spotify Spotify is the music streaming service mogul. With services in 58 countries, investors from dominant corporations like Goldman Sachs and a user base of over 50 million, the brainchild of Daniel Ek has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the last few years. Due to Spotify’s popularity, the service is interconnected with social media, linking Facebook friends via shared playlists and popular songs in the user’s network. A feed lines the right side of the right side of the interface, broadcasting the tune currently trickling from each friend’s device. This way a user can see if their friends are belting out Les Miserables melodies or fist pumping to the latest Avicii single. Users can also send songs to each other via an integrated mailbox. The interface can be cumbersome, but is constantly receiving updates.

Spotify’s shortcoming is its notoriety in the music industry. Most recently, Taylor Swift

pulled her songs from the service, claiming that it failed to give artists their due share. Whether this criticism applies solely to Spotify or all music-streaming services is a larger discussion.

While Spotify touts the release of exclusive songs, its music library lacks the depth of some of its competitors. The service’s radio option, which finds songs similar to the selected song, flounders in comparison to many contenders.

Cost Spotify comes free with advertisements. The premium service costs $10 per month for each individual, with a 50 percent discount for students. The company has continually ignored pleas for a family subscription option.

Rdio Rdio is an online music service created by Skype founders Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. The service has become one of Spotify’s predominant rivals in terms of dynamism and value. Rdio caters to the true listener with a goal of enjoying oldies and discovering nascent melodies. Music enthusiasts worldwide (the service streams in over 60 countries) champion the service’s intricate new releases section that contains specified categories such as “This Week,” “Last Week” and “Two Weeks Ago.” This ensures that users stay on top of their musical game by refreshing charts based on their weekly popularity.

Rdio’s social networking capabilities falter slightly in comparison to its Swedish competitor due to its smaller user base. Unlike Spotify, Rdio is web-based and therefore requires users to open a browser rather than a specified software.

While this allows access from multiple computers, it also meshes the internet experience with the service. Many complain that the Rdio tab or window can get lost in a busy browser. It is not a deal breaker by any means, but certainly an adjustment for those switching over from iTunes or Spotify.

Cost Rdio is free on the web. The premium service costs $10 per month for an individual and $18 per month for a family subscription.

Image courtesy of tidal.com

Recently acquired by Jay-Z, Tidal is the latest to enter the league of music streaming services.

Beats Music Beats Music attracts the same casual listeners as Pandora, a streaming service that creates playlists based on a listener’s preferences. But the advantage of Beats is that it has the same level of control offered by Spotify and Rdio. Unlike Pandora, Beats relies on humans to curate each playlist rather than robots, claiming that the human ear can pick up on subtleties that often go overlooked by computerized algorithms. When it comes to playlist curation, a category in which

mega services such as Spotify falter, Beats delivers and then some. The service is also compatible with a large variety of devices and offers an offline mode.

Recently, Apple acquired ownership of Beats and intends to revamp the service by bundling it directly into iOS and employing iTunes’ titanic user database to attract subscribers. The collaboration, if done right, could revitalize Apple’s place in the music streaming industry and challenge Spotify and Rdio’s supremacy.

Cost Currently, Beats offers no free service after the 14-day free trial. AT&T users are eligible for three months of free service. The premium option is $10 per month.

Tidal Tidal emerged on the music scene in 2009, but only came to the public’s attention when Jay Z bought the company for $56 million last month. Under the new ownership of Grammy clad musicians such as Beyoncé, Coldplay, Kanye West and Madonna, Tidal champions itself on restoring the value of music. How do they plan on doing this? Make listeners pay for high quality, fairly licensed music and pay artists more. Tidal will inevitably face the same problem as the streaming companies it criticizes: services do not pay musicians directly; they pay record labels who in turn control how much gets passed on to the musician. The star-studded collaboration hopes to elucidate the transactions between services, labels and musician through Tidal, thus empowering and rewarding the actual music makers. The service flaunts the release of exclusive content, most recently demonstrated by Beyoncé’s Tidal-only release of new single, “Die With You.” Tidal is addressing an issue that has threatened the integrity of the music industry ever since the launch of Napster. And yet it is unclear how successful the venture will be. Aside from its emboldening credo and a few exclusive-content opportunities, Tidal does not offer much more than its competitors, who already boast a database of millions of devoted listeners. Critics also question the service’s ability to connect with independent artists that jam far outside the glitterati circles of the likes of Jay Z and Kanye West.

Time will only tell if Jay Z and friends succeed in achieving their music distribution utopia.

Cost Given that the service is grounded in the monetary value of music, Tidal offers no free service. However, users can test out the platform on a 30-day free trial, before committing to the $20 per month premium subscription.

Arts & Living 8

The Amherst Student • April 8, 2015

Amherst Cinema Features Mitchell’s Innovative Horror “It Follows”

Image courtesy of NPR

The subdued acting of lead Maika Monroe (above) only contributed to the sense of dread established in David Robert Mitchell’s sophomore psychological horror.

Gabby Edzie ’17 Managing Arts & Living Editor There is perhaps nothing more frightening than the boundless nature of the unknown. This is the very mentality director David Robert Mitchell has latched onto with his newly released horror film, “It Follows” — one of Amherst Cinema’s newest features. The film unnerves, as once the notion of the unknown has been rooted, there’s no knowing where it’ll creep. “It Follows” premiered in Cannes last May and was released in theaters March 27.

The film hones in on tropes grounded in the uncertainty of adolescence. It’s not the first time Mitchell has played with the notions of first love and fragile friendships — his debut 2011 coming-of-age drama, “The Myth Of The American Sleepover,” follows four teenagers on their last night of summer. “It Follows” is very cleverly a magnification of adolescent sexual uncertainty, and a terrifying one at that.

An opening scene introduces the tactics Mitchell maintains throughout — it starts with a slow pan that originates with an ordinary shot of an ordinary neighborhood. The shot leads us to a door from which a young girl emerges.

It continues as the girl, clad in heels and clearly disturbed, runs around in a circle and then back to her door. The single shot then waits for her to re-emerge from her house only to speed away in a car. She drives away — not toward the quintessential parent-free, teenage angst-reliever of an adventure, but toward her death.

The scene ends with a shot of her body, contorted into a disturbingly artful shape.

And thus the fear of the unknown is established — where Mitchell will lead us next is far from an explanation. The sprinting girl of the unsettling opener is completely abandoned, and we’re introduced to the film’s protagonist, Jay, played

by Maika Monroe, as she ends a date in car-sex scene. Much like the scanty attire of the first girl, the car scene is a clever manipulation of coming-of-age and horror film tropes, rather than a reliance on them. Following the car scene, Jay’s date, Hugh, played by Jake Weary, reveals the motivation behind his pursuit of Jay. Hugh confesses that their sexual encounter has transferred some source of fear, or “It” to Jay. Plagued by presumably the same fear and confusion as Jay, we are unable to make meaningful sense of Hugh’s explanation, and are therefore left drowning in the unknown.

Here the film takes a turn toward psychological horror, as Jay begins to feel “It” lurking about her life. Is she crazed by the traumatic sexual experience or is

there really something to be feared? Hugh warned Jay that the “It” would follow her, physically manifesting itself in a variety of ways, until she is able to pass it on to another. Even then, she is never really free. If one person breaks the chain of transferring, a ripple effect begins, killing all who came before. Mitchell has essentially touched on every aspect of that which is terrifying — “It” is unexpected, “It” is unknown and “It” is unyielding.

Even as “It” takes on physical manifestations, the fear of the unknown remains.

Usually when the unknown takes on a physical manifestation, our fear is slightly quelled — Hollywood makeup and special effects often fail to compare to the personalized monsters we quell up in our individual minds. The Australian psychological horror, “The Babadook,” perhaps the scariest movie of 2014, only offered relief when it revealed its physical monster. The first half of Nicolas Winding Refn’s film was horrifying because the “Babadook” creature was merely the unseen, yet personified grief of the film’s protagonist. As soon as the creature took on a physical shape before the mother and son, the unknown was shattered, and fear was scaled back — it was a reminder that we were just in movie-land.

Something about the physical forms of “It” only make the unexplainable force spookier. First of all, the force is always changing. The collection of figures alters so that every viewer is sure to have a runin with their own personal fears. Secondly, each form is some sort of an alteration of an ordinary human being — there’s something undeniably off-putting about the distortion of the familiar. Finally, “It” is slow. There are a few jump-scares packed into the film, but Mitchell primarily uses this slow-creeping movement for the source of fear, a technique that leaves the viewer feeling utterly queasy.

The mystery of “It” is paired with a soundtrack that is possibly the best feature of the film. Yes, every good horror movie has a good soundtrack, but Rich Vreeland’s score gets under your skin.

It’s as if Freddy Krueger remixed the soundtrack of Nicolas Winding’s “Drive.”

The acting of the teenage leads isn’t anything particularly noteworthy, but that allows for the stimulating cinematography to take forefront. Mitchell manipulated pan shot after pan shot, and it never failed to drive home the horror. The slow 360 pans leave a pit in your stomach, as they begin on nothing, and ended on ... nothing. The manipulation of colors is an artful visual trigger — Mitchell repeats a bright red against white, or a cool blue (most notably with Jay’s red nails against a patch of white flowers). The stimulating color contrasts seem to occur right before

we are reintroduced to the “It,” creating a really interesting tension between that which is beautiful, and that which is the source of our fear.

Of course, the use of adolescent sexual practices as the source of “It” draws an obvious parallel to sexually transmitted diseases. But, this was far from a trite distraction. The sexual encounters as the source of terror were actually a relief from the typical role of sex in horror movies — a departure from the overused plotline in which the attractive characters die first right after a steamy hook up.

The dread of “It Follows” is so effective because it is continually nourished by the characters’ adolescence — they are unsure of themselves and simultaneously unsure of the “It.” Furthermore, the film is completely void of any impactful adults. There are no mommy and daddy to run home to. Not to mention that you can count the instances of comic relief on one hand.

“It Follows” is a must-see if you’re looking to lose a few nights of sleep.

Amherst Cinema will be screening it for a limited time, along with a notable selection of other new indie releases.

The Amherst Student • April 8, 2015

Sports 9

Women’s Lax Little Three Champs Sarah Zuckerman ’17 Staff Writer After a week of rest, Amherst women’s lacrosse came up short on Saturday against No. 4 Middlebury on March 28. The loss moves Amherst to 1-3 in the conference. The Panthers took the lead early, putting Amherst down 3-0 at 13:44. A probing attack paid off at 12:19 when Rachel Pasaraelli ’16 put one away, cutting the deficit to 3-1, where it would remain until halftime.

Amherst opened the second half strong, with senior captain Meghan Mills assisting Julia Crerend ’18 in the 20th minute. Within a minute Middlebury put two away to bring their lead back to three. Amherst answered immediately, with Crerend putting two in the back of the net with a goal from Clair Cagnassola ’17 between them. Hanna Kruger ’17 dominated the center-circle, with six draw controls while Christy Forrest ’16 made four saves and Crerend finished with three goals.

“This was a tough loss but Midd is an exceptional team and we played well for the most of the game,” Mills said. “This week is huge for us with an opportunity to win the little three in sight.”

Tied at 5-5, two Panther’s players scored 4 total to bring the game to its final score of 9-5.

The Jeffs kept their goal of winning the little three alive with a 14-8 away win over Wesleyan.

Crerend had another three-goal game and helped her team improve to 2-3 in conference play.

The first goal came from Passarelli at 26.32 off a free-position shot. The Cardinals responded with a goal two seconds later to tie the game. The Jeffs were responsible for six of the next eight goals, with Mills notching the first, followed by two from Crerend, two from Cagnassola and another from Passarelli. At halftime Amherst lead 7-3.

To start the second half, Priscilla Tyler ’15 and Crerand scored back-to-back goals to bring the score to 9-3. The Cardinals responded with a goal, but Devin O’Connor ’16 and Coco Kusiak ’17 each put one between the posts in retaliation.

Mills, Tyler and Mary Grace Cronin ’18 respond-

ed with three for the Jeffs.

In the final chapter of the little three face-off Amherst faced Williams on Friday, March 3 at home. The Jeffs ultimately took home the little three crown with a 17-11 win over the Ephs. The win moves Amherst to 3-3 in conference play and dropped the Ephs to 2-4.

“Williams is always a huge game so it was awesome to play them under the lights with such a huge fan base,” Mills said.

Amherst took the lead early on. Crerend and Passerelli each scored, however the lead was short-lived when the Ephs took control with a five-goal streak to make the score 5-2. With just under 15 left in the first half, Cagnassola scored and shifted the momentum of the game. Mills, Passerelli and Sarah Spector ’15 each put one away before Cagnassola closed out Amherst’s scoring for the half with another of her own. Williams responded with two more goals and the teams entered halftime tied 7-7.

“It was a fast-paced game with lots of momentum shifts, and to our credit we took charge on the draw and in the attacking end in the second half,” coach Christine Paradis said.

Early in the second half, Williams put one past Forrest just 29 seconds into play. Mills quickly stifled that momentum, scoring off a free-position shot. The Amherst goal was quickly backed up

by Passerelli’s third goal of the game to bring the score to 9-8 in favor of the Jeffs. The next three goals, including another from Passerelli brought the score to 10-10.

With just under 19 minutes left to play, the Jeffs pulled away, scoring seven straight. Williams could not respond to the spurt of energy and put one away with under four remaining, bringing the game to its final score of 17-11. Looking forward, Passerelli, who was named NESCAC lacrosse player of the week, said, “if we continue to play the we’ve been playing these past few games, I have no doubt we’re going to have a successful postseason.”

The Jeffs return to the field on Saturday, April 11 to face Colby on Pratt Field.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Coco Kusiak ’17 has nine goals and three assists this season.

Theo Agbi Takes Third at National Club Wrestling Association Nationals Lauren Tuiskula ’17 Managing Sports Editor On the weekend of March 12, Theo Agbi ’15 competed at the National Club Wrestling Association Nationals held in Dallas, Texas. Agbi turned in a stellar performance, earning third place overall in the 285-weight class.

Leading up to his third-place finish, Agbi started off weekend strong, winning his first two matches, the initial coming over Jason Trautmen from Wayne State and the second over Dylan Smith of South Puget Sound Community College. Agbi then moved on to the quarterfinals and suffered his one setback of the weekend.

The senior then went on a tear, winning four consecutive matches, including victories over wrestlers from Liberty and Rochester.

These four matches of course included a win in the consolation finals to earn the third place victory. The win was especially impressive as it came over Ian Jones of the Apprentice School, the same opponent who handed him his sole loss of the tournament.

Agbi finished with a 6-1 record over the course of three days, competing against top

wrestlers from across the country and across all three divisions. His 6-1 record in the tournament contributed to his season record of 263, a win total that gives him the most wins in a season since Amherst’s wrestling program was rejuvenated.

“The difference between Theo and previous All-American honorees was the fact that he was not a varsity athlete,” said head wrestling coach Eddy Augustin. “The previous All-Americans were successful football players for the Amherst Football Program and could draw on their varsity experiences from training and competition during the most challenging moments, especially at the national tournament. This ‘mental toughness’ is key to have success in any sport, but even more evident in the one on one competitive sport of wrestling. So for Theo, it was more of a work in progress, learning through every match and ultimately, it was the hardest lesson that helped him overcome the biggest challenge to earning All-American honors.

For Augustin, the honor could not have come for a better person. “I’m most proud that Theo earned everything he accomplished this season and in his life,” he said.

Photo courtesy of Eddy Augustin

Agbi poses with head men’s wrestling coach, Eddy Augustin.

Softball Drops NESCAC Doubleheader to Hamilton, Responds with a 3-2 Walk-Off Win Over Non-Conference Foe Brandeis Raymond Meijer ’17 Staff Writer The lengthy winter has thrown off the Amherst softball team’s schedule since returning from spring break. Despite the canceled games, the Jeffs still got in three games over the last two weeks, playing a doubleheader against Hamilton on March 27 and a game against Brandeis on April 3. They now sport a record of 9-6 on the season.

The team started off their NESCAC campaign with two games against Hamilton in Auburn, Massachusetts. With the Jeffs finding themselves in early holes to the Continentals in both games, they came away with two losses on the day. However, there were still glimpses of solid efforts from players to buoy the team.

In the first game, Hamilton bolted to a 6-0 lead after two and a half innings. But the Jeffs answered in the bottom of the third to cut the

deficit to 6-2. Jackie Carr ’18, who played a leading role in both segments of the doubleheader, hit a triple to drive in Kelsey Ayers ’15 and later scored on an infield single by Donna Leet ’15.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Hamilton went up 4-0 after the first. But the Jeffs stormed back in the bottom of the second to take the lead. They were lead by Brianna Cook ’15, one of the co-captains alongside Ayers and Leet, who started off the inning with a single. Alyssa Sherwill ’15 singled to center to drive in two runs and cut the deficit in half, and on the next at-bat Caroline Sealander ’15 contributed an RBI double to close within one run. Ayers hit a sacrifice fly to continue her 2 for 3 effort, Carr smacked an RBI triple as she went 3 for 4 for the game and Cook finished the onslaught with a two-run RBI triple. However, the runs would dry up after this inning and Hamilton would come back in the fourth

and fifth innings with five runs to take the game from the Jeffs and win 9-7.

Not dwelling on their losses against Hamilton, the team won an incredibly hard-fought battle against Brandeis last Friday to regain momentum. Ayers, who would be the lategame hero in this game, said, “The win was a great turning point for us. We had struggled the weekend before against Hamilton and we needed this win for our morale.”

It was Amherst this time that would jump to the lead in the bottom of the fourth behind an RBI double from Nicolette Miranda ’16 and an RBI triple from Sherwill. A pitching gem from Jackie Buehler ’17 supported the Jeffs throughout the game as she threw six scoreless innings with five strikeouts and allowed only five hits.

Gina Pagan ’18 would follow Buechler’s lead, picking up the win after not allowing an earned run to go along with collecting 3 strikeouts.

The game seemed to take a turn for the

worse when Brandeis tied the game 2-2 in the top of the seventh off two unearned runs. However, the Jeffs wouldn’t be fazed. First-year Ally Kido singled to right to start off the seventh, advancing on the next at-bat thanks to a single from Lauren Tuiskula ’17. When Tuiskula and Kido stole second and third, the team seemed primed to pull out the win. Ayers would step up to close out the game, hitting a single to left that drove in Kido to seal the victory. In giving a replay of the final inning, Ayers said, “It was great to see the three girls before me come off the bench to pinch hit and string together two singles and a steal to get into scoring position.

Everyone worked together to put us in the optimal position to score and all I had to do was hit it past the infield. The energy was great in that last half inning, and it was so fun to see everyone’s excitement when we got the walk-off.”

The Jeffs will play Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Wednesday, April 8 at home.

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Sports

The Amherst Student • April 8, 2015

Men’s Tennis Remains Undefeated in NESCAC Play Jeremy Kesselhaut ’16 Assistant Sports Editor The No. 5-ranked Amherst men’s tennis team returned to action this weekend with impressive matching 7-2 victories over No. 23 Tufts on Saturday and No. 3 Washington University in St. Louis on Sunday. These dominant performances followed a 7-2 victory over Colby on Sunday, March 29 after a tough loss to Division I Harvard on Saturday, March 28. Both matches this weekend were scheduled to take place on campus, but were moved to alternate sites due to rain. Despite the location, the Jeffs still took care of business, improving to 12-4 (2-0 in the NESCAC) at about the midpoint of the regular season.

Amherst came into this weekend with high aspirations, taking on a pair of equally hungry top 25 opponents. Tufts came into this weekend sporting a 3-2 record which included a close 5-4 loss to Pomona-Pitzer on their spring break trip to California. Amherst’s loss to the same opponent 6-3, which indicates that the Jumbos are talented. Nonetheless, the Jeffs squashed the Jumbos behind very solid singles play. Amherst took two out of three doubles matches, with No. 13-ranked juniors Aaron Revzin and Michael Solimano winning easily 8-3 at No. 1 doubles.

On the No. 2 court Andrew Yaraghi ’16 and Anton Zykov ’17 pulled out a close one, winning 9-7. Senior Jon Cypers and senior co-captain Andrew Scheiner lost a hard-fought match at the No. 3 spot, which put the Jeffs up 2-1 heading into singles.

Amherst used their momentum from doubles to overpower the Jumbos in singles. The Jeffs took five out of six in singles, with four of the winning matches for the Jeffs ending in straight sets. Yaraghi locked down the No. 1 spot, winning 6-2, 6-2, while Zykov won by the identical score at No. 3 singles. No. 40 ranked Aaron Revzin won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4, while senior co-captain Sean Rodriguez won 6-4, 6-2 at No. 6. Solimano used his lethal one-handed background to secure a come-from-behind 5-7, 6-1, 10-3 victory. Zain Ali got the sole singles

point for the Jumbos against sophomore Andrew Arnaboldi at No. 5 singles.

The real test of talent came on Sunday as No. 3 Washington University in St. Louis came to town for a matchup of two of the perennial powerhouses in Division III tennis. The Jeffs answered the call, handily defeating Washington University by a 7-2 margin at Hampshire College on Sunday. Solimano and Revzin (8-6), and Yaraghi and Zykov (8-5) won again, while Cypers and Scheiner dropped a nail-biting 9-8 (7-3) defeat. On courts one through five with Yaraghi, Solimano, Zykov, Revzin and Arnaboldi winning in straight sets. Arnaboldi was handed a tough 6-3, 2-6, 3-10 loss, although the match was already decided at that point. T he Jeffs’ dominance shows the potential of this well-rounded squad. Washington University has been very competitive in recent years and is expected to be a top competitor for the championship.

This undoubtedly helped to boost Amherst’s confidence as they head into this weekends’ important and challenging matches.

“This weekend was a big step for us as a team. Everyone competed at a very high level, and we’ll need to keep working hard to be able to do so for the remainder of the season,” Solimano said. “Washington University is a very strong team from top to bottom so we feel great that we competed with them so well at all positions.”

The Jeffs’ home stand will be interrupted by a trip back to Boston in which Amherst will take on MIT on Thursday, April 9 at 4 p.m. They will be back home on Saturday and Sunday with NESCAC matches against No. 8 Bowdoin at 1 p.m. and No. 22 Trinity (Conn.) at 11 a.m.

Hopefully, the Jeffs will be able to play on their home courts this time. Nonetheless, no matter the courts or the circumstances, the Jeffs look to build on their success this weekend.

“This weekend is going to be another tough test. MIT, Trinity and Bowdoin are all very strong this year so we’ll need to keep competing well as a team to put ourselves in good positions during those matches,” Solimano said.

Photos courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Above: Michael Solimano ’16 continues to impress in doubles play.

Below: Jon Cypers ’15 competed out of the No. 3 spot this past weekend.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Mike Odenwaelder ’16 Favorite Team Memory: Winning the NESCAC championship at Wesleyan freshman year Favorite Pro Athlete: Charles Barkley Dream Job: Fortune cookie writer Pet Peeve: Movies with loud music and quiet dialogue Favorite Vacation Spot: Lake Shasta, California Something on Your Bucket List: Meet someone through a message in a bottle Guilty Pleasure: “Desperate Housewives” Favorite Food: Yogurt Chicken Favorite Thing About Amherst: Val How He Earned It: Odenwaelder was integral to his team’s sweep of Hamilton this past weekend. Amherst’s offense was outstanding, scoring 60 runs over the course of three games. In that span, Odenwaelder was just a homer shy of the cycle in game one. During Saturday’s doubleheader the junior outfielder had two home runs, two doubles and also added four RBIs. He boasts a team leading .484 batting average this season.

Rachel Passarelli ’16 Favorite Team Memory: Going to the Final Four last year Favorite Pro Athlete: Emy Kelty Dream Job: Anything with hugging children Pet Peeve: Hugging Favorite Vacation Spot: Men’s lax suite in Stone Something on Your Bucket List: Win a national championship Guilty Pleasure: Purifying proteins Favorite Food: Asian cuisine at Val Favorite Thing About Amherst: Winter parking ban How She Earned It: In addition to her Amhest Student athlete of the week nomination, Passarelli was also named a NESCAC player of the week for her efforts in women’s lacrosse’s two NESCAC wins this week. She started off strong against Wesleyan, scoring two goals and adding two assists. She then exploded for five goals in the Jeffs’ victory over Williams. Additionally, Passarelli added three groundballs throughout the two games.

Women’s Track Hosts Spring Fling Meet, Earns Second Place Finish Raymond Meijer ’18 Staff Writer With winds reaching 25 mph and gusts even stronger than that, the Amherst women’s track team competed on Saturday in conditions far from ideal, yet still managed to set some personal bests. The excitement of racing at home, often only a once-per-season event at most for the team, carried them to some very promising results in their outdoor season opener.

The Amherst Spring Fling meet started out with the 5K, with Lexi Sinclair ’16, Lizzy Briskin ’15, and Savanna Gornisiewicz ’17 running to the front from the beginning and putting down an honest pace despite the conditions. These three, who all qualified as individuals for the indoor track national championships just three weeks ago, led Amherst to a sweep in the event with Sinclair taking the win in 17:49.14 (good for 13th-fastest Division III time in the country), Briskin second in 17:52.06 (15th in the country), and Gornisiewicz third in 17:57.27 (22nd in the country).

With their performances, the three qualified for all championship meets, excluding the national championships, for the remainder of the season.

“It was a nice, low-stress way to start off the season. I haven’t raced outdoor in three years, so it was nice just to see what it feels like again,” said Sinclair, who was selected on Monday as the NESCAC women’s track performer of the week. “The 5K went well — we approached it as more of a workout for the first two miles and then finished hard, which was a nice change from the high-pressure meets at the end of the indoor season.”

In the sprinting events, individual indoor national qualifier Karen Blake ’17 led the team with winning performances in the 200 and 400. Her 25.51 200-meter time places her 16th in the country and qualifies her as well for all championship events throughout the season.

She also led an Amherst sweep in the 400-meter, clocking a 61.45, with Victoria Hensley ’16 and Sarah Whelan ’17 running 62.92 and 64.52 for second and third, respectively.

The Jeffs were also buoyed by solid performances in the middle distance events. In the 1,500 meters, Sarah Foster ’17E, led the team running a 5:01.73 to grab 2 points with her fifth-place finish. The strong core of the sophomore class followed Foster, with Cat Lowdon, Cara Lembo and Tess Frenzel running 5:05.28, 5:06.00, and 5:07.38, respectively, to place in the top 10 in the event.

The 800 meters proved to be another successful event, with the Jeffs getting points from Hannah Herrera ‘17 (with a 2:22.73 performance), Kelli Ellingson ’15 (2:24.19), Keelin Moehl ’16 (2:24.80) and Olivia Tarantino ’15 (2:26.42). The race came through the first 350 meters in a tight pack before the race strung out, with Herrera matching the leaders’ pace through 600 meters and then hanging on to finish a solid third.

The strong performances didn’t just end on the track, however, with the field events more than pulling their weight to contribute to the Jeffs’ second place team finish. Kiana Herold ’17, who later in the day would win the 400-meter hurdles in 70 seconds flat, jumped 1.61 meters (5 feet, 3.25 inches) to grab first in the high jump, with teammate Becki Golia missing the five-foot barrier by just half an inch to get second. The Jeffs garnered many points in the long jump as well, with Taylor Summers ’16, Danielle Griffin ’18 and Herold placing second through fourth to add to the team total.

“Overall the meet was great. It was awesome to start the season off with a home meet,” Lembo said.

“The wind was very rough but we have plenty of time for improvement over the next few weekends.”

The team continues their season this Saturday, April 11 at the nearby UMass Invitational.

The Amherst Student • April 8, 2015

Sports

Men’s Lax Improves to 10-1 on Season, Earns Little Three Crown

Women’s Tennis Remains Rank as No. 4 in the Nation, Moves to 7-1

Devin O’Connor ’16 Staff Writer

Ashlyn Heller ’17 Staff Writer

The men’s lacrosse team advanced its record to 10-1, starting with a win over Springfield College on March 24. Though their winning streak ended with a loss to Middlebury on March 28, the Jeffs didn’t lose stride, following that game with big wins over Wesleyan and Williams to be crowned the Little Three champs.

Kane Haffey ’16 notched 9 points in the decisive 14-8 win against Springfield, leading the Jeffs with eight goals and an assist. He got things started five minutes into the first quarter, scoring off of a pass from senior captain Kevin Curry. Quinn Moroney ’16 offered up five assists in the matchup, while in the net Cody Tranbarger ’17 made 16 saves. The purple and white defensive unit held Springfield off in the extra-man opportunities, giving up only one goal on 10 man-down instances.

The Jeffs then suffered the first setback of the season in a 17-11 loss to Middlebury. The game was a battle from the start, as Moroney put the first point on the board just 25 seconds into play. The Panthers didn’t hesitate, finding the back of the net a minute later. The quarter closed at a tie score of 4-4, but the Jeffs couldn’t hold on much longer. The Panthers came out firing in the second quarter. They put three unanswered goals in the cage before Amherst could regain some ground. Chris Albanese ’17 managed to bring the game within two goals, but Middlebury scored again before the half ended with an 8-5 lead for the Panthers. Despite four different Amherst players scoring at least two goals each throughout the game, the Jeffs couldn’t recover from the deficit in the second half.

On Wednesday, April 1, Wesleyan traveled to Amherst for a tight game. The Cardinals took the lead in the first, putting one past Tranbarger after 8:32. Matt Killian ’17 retaliated on a pass from Sam Lawlor ’16 within a minute, before the Cardinals put three more in the net. Moroney dished the ball to Albanese to cut the deficit to 4-2 before the end of the quarter. Moroney and Albanese tacked on four more assists and three more goals, respectively, over the course of the game to contribute to the Jeffs win. Quincy McDougal ’15, Mike Litner ’16 and Curry each tallied a goal for the Jeffs in the second quarter, but Wesleyan matched with three goals of its own, making the score 7-5 at the end of the half.

The purple and white turned it up in the third quarter. Wesleyan scored the first goal of the half, bringing their lead to 8-5. Then Charlie Gill ’16 assisted Ian Kadish ’18 to start

the Jeffs’ roll. Albanese added a point before Dylan Park ’16 tied the game at 8-8, and Albanese gave the Jeffs the lead on a man-up opportunity with 3:41 left in the third. The Cardinals answered with two quick goals before Gill dished one to Killian to tie things up at 10 at the close of the third. Moroney found both Albanese and Haffey at the beginning of the fourth to give the Jeffs the two-goal lead, but Wesleyan replied with two more to again tie the score. Haffey scored on a pass from Moroney, giving Amherst the lead. This was followed by a goal from Park on an assist from Gill, his fourth of the game. Wesleyan put a final goal on the board, but could not manage another, and the game finished in a thrilling 14-13 win for the Jeffs. Tranbarger notched 13 saves, while Curry controlled the ground ball scene. Ryan Cassidy ’16 led the Jeffs with three caused turnovers. This win brought Amherst one step closer to earning the title of Little Three champions.

On Saturday, April 4, Amherst traveled to face rival Williams in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where the team beat the Ephs 12-8.

The Jeffs took the lead early, as Connor Crump ’16 netted a goal just after a minute into the first quarter. Gill found Albanese at the 10:19 mark, which was followed closely by a Williams’ goal. However, Moroney put two goals on the board to give the Jeffs a 4-1 lead at the end of the first. Rob Butko ’16 passed one to Moroney for the fifth goal of the match early in the second quarter, followed by a goal by the Ephs, but Butko responded with a goal of his own. Moroney added two more to the Jeffs’ tally before Williams found the back of the net near the end of the half, closing the first 30 minutes at 8-3.

Williams and Amherst each added a goal in the third, as Gill kept the Amherst lead at five with the ninth score of the game. Albanese assisted Park to add two for the Jeffs early in the fourth, but the Ephs added two of their own to make the score 11-6. Haffey notched the final goal for the Jeffs, bringing them to 12, before Williams put another two goals on the board.

The Ephs couldn’t get any closer, however, and the purple and white were crowned Little Three champions.

Moroney recorded 6 points during the game. At 228 points, he is now the Amherst program’s all-time point leader. Moroney and Butko each picked up six groundballs, while Kadish scooped up five, and Tranbarger saved 13 shots between the pipes. The Jeffs improved to 5-1 in the NESCAC with the win.

Amherst will face Connecticut College at home Tuesday, April 7 before heading up to Colby on Saturday, April 11.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Senior Kevin Curry has provided six goals and four assists this year.

Winning both matches on the road this weekend, the Amherst women’s tennis team has started off April with a bang. This past Friday, the team swept No. 21-ranked Babson 9-0 marking their first sweep of the season.

The following day, the Jeffs dominated No. 28 Brandeis 7-2, moving to 7-1 overall on the season and maintaining their No. 4 national ranking.

In doubles action against Babson, both court one featuring freshman Vickie Ip and junior Sue Gosh and court two featuring sophomore Jacqueline Calla and junior Maddy Sung defeated their opponents 8-1. Safi Aly ’15 and Sarah Monteagudo ’16 on court 3 faced a little more trouble against the Beavers’ Claire Foster and Dina Welck, but ultimately came out on top 8-4. Amherst also swept on the singles courts with sophomore Megan Adamo and junior Claire Carpenter picking up major wins on courts five and six respectively.

Building off the explosive win on Friday, the Jeffs went in to their Saturday match against Brandeis confident and inspired. Again, Amherst swept on all three doubles courts starring the same dynamic duos that swept doubles action on Friday. In singles, however, Brandeis was victorious on courts one and three as Carly

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Cooke and Simone Vandroff came up victorious. However, Amherst was carried by wins from Gosh ’16 on court two and Monteagudo, Adamo, and Carpenter on courts four through six.

With the win, Amherst sets No. 28 Brandeis to 4-8 on the season and surges forward to a seven-straight win streak. The Jeffs look to continue this streak this week against Trinity on Tuesday in the team’s home opener and eighthranked Bowdoin on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of Amherst Athletics

Women’s tennis continues to play as the No.4-ranked team nationally.

Men’s Track Fares Well at Spring Fling Meet, Places Second Overall Kiana Herold ’17 Managing Sports Editor Amherst College hosted the only home meet of the year this past Saturday, endearingly and perhaps ironically dubbed the “Spring Fling” as the weather was anything but springy — rain drizzled down in the early morning, and the wind maintained a pervasive chill for the duration of the meet. This was only the second time a meet has been hosted on Pratt Field since the newly renovated track was finished.

Eager to prove themselves on their home turf, the purple and white did not disappoint, securing a second place scoring at the meet overall. The men’s team narrowly edged out Coast Guard (68) with a score of 72, coming in behind Tufts (176).

The Jeffs dominated in the middle distance, sweeping the first three places of the 800-meter race, with six Amherst runners in the top ten.

Kevin Connors ’17 took first with a time of 1:58.79 while Greg Turissini ’15 had the same time to the nearest hundredth of a second to place second.

“It was exciting to run in front of a home crowd,” Connors said. “The coaches worked hard all week to make this meet possible, and our team had some solid performances to make their efforts worthwhile.”

Closely following his teammates in the 800, Brent Harrison ’16 edged out a Connecticut College runner by mere 10ths of seconds to place third.

Romey Sklar ’15 rounded out the top five with a time of 2:00.89, while Steven Lucey ’17 and Lucas Lebovitz ’15 took eighth and ninth respectively.

Sklar, Turissini and Harrison made reappearances in the 1,500 meters to take third, fourth and seventh respectively. First-year standout Mohamed Hussein nabbed a ninth place finish to place four Jeffs in the top ten.

The longer distances were certainly not to be outdone by the performance of the middle distance runners, as Dan Crowley ’15 ran away with the win in the 5,000-meter race, finishing with a gap of more than 25 seconds in front of the rest of the field.

His teammate Jeff Seelaus ’16 took second, while first-year Justin Barry claimed fourth.

Ben Fiedler ’17 took sixth in the event placing four Jeffs in the top six.

The current Amherst Athlete of the Month, Mark Cort ’15 lived up to his title with a thirdplace finish in the long jump with a mark of 19’ 2.5” despite the windy conditions.

“The weather made things really difficult especially for the jumpers, but I am glad the entire team came out to compete,” Cort said.

“We all pushed ourselves hard and shook off some of the rust, so I am sure this weekend at UMass will be even better.”

Khalil Fleming placed fifth in the long jump with a mark of 18’ 5”, while teammates Elijah Langston ’18 (17’ 10.75”) and Stephen Hetterich ’15 (17’ 6.75”) claimed seventh and eighth. Fleming also took sixth in the triple jump with a mark of 37’ 6”.

In the 110-meter hurdles, Jamie Sandel ’17 took fourth followed by fellow sophomore Nathan Showalter in eighth.

The duo then took on the grueling 400-meter hurdles, in which Sandel, exhibiting remarkable consistency took fourth while Showalter came away with thirteenth.

In the shorter sprints, Nick Codola ’15 and David Ingraham ’18 took fourth and fifth in the 400 meters. Ingraham also took fifth in the 200 meters, while Josh Young ’17 placed tenth.

Young doubled up, placing fourth in the 100 meters as well, while teammate junior Dennis Kennelly took seventh place in the event.

Amherst’s 4x400 relay came in fourth, while the 4x800 relay snagged second place overall.

Despite the less than ideal weather, the meet concluded on a positive note, as the men’s and women’s team along with parents and fans celebrated in the Field House with a potluck.

“It was amazing to have my second home meet of my Amherst career,” Cort said. “It feels good to finish a jump and know your friends are there cheering you on.”

The Jeffs compete next weekend at the UMass Invitational, where they hope for warmer weather and continued stellar performances.

Sports

Photo courtesy of Rob Mattson

Junior catcher Conner Gunn has a .379 batting average and has also added 10 runs batted in through 16 games played.

Baseball Defeats Bates, Middlebury, Looks Towards Williams Game Friday Drew Kiley ’18 Staff Writer Returning from their trip to Florida with a .500 record, the Amherst College baseball team claimed a close victory over non-conference opponents Bates on Wednesday night before starting their league schedule with a comfortable three-game sweep of Middlebury on Friday and Saturday. With the wins, the Jeffs improve to 10-6 on the year (3-0 conference).

Andrew Vandini ’16 claimed NESCAC Player of the Week, leading the Jeffs to an offensive outburst that included two 20-plus run performances. For the week, he batted 10 for 16 (.625) with a .727 on-base percentage and 1.125 slugging percentage. He recorded 16 RBIs in only four games, including eight in one win over Middlebury.

After a week and a half off, the purple and white returned to action against Bates, outlasting them to record a 10-9 victory. Led by shortstop Harry Roberson ’18, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, three runs, and three stolen bases, Amherst recorded 12 hits on the night. Riley Streit ’16 earned the start for the Jeffs, recording five strikeouts and five runs (three earned) on seven hits through four innings. Keenan Szulik ’16 earned the win with a critical strikeout to end the eighth inning and Jackson Volle ’17 claimed the save with a hitless, scoreless ninth.

All nine players in the Bates lineup recorded a hit.

They were led by shortstop Brendan Fox, who went 2 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs. On the mound, Chris Ward started the game for the Bobcats, recording four strikeouts while allowing three earned runs on six hits.

Up 3-0 after three innings, Amherst surrendered the lead with a sloppy fourth inning defensively. After Bates had scored three runs on five hits, the Bobcats had a runner on second and third with two outs. A hit by pitch allowed Bates to load the bases and then an error

by Roberson allowed two more runs to score.

The Jeffs responded in the top of the sixth, scoring five runs in a two-out rally keyed by Roberson, Vandini, Mike Odenwaelder ’16, and Yanni Thanopoulos ’17.

Bates knotted the game up with two-run innings in the seventh and eighth on either side of a solo home run

by Odenwaelder in the bottom of the eighth. The Bobcats threatened to take the lead after a Fox single and an Amherst error left runners on second and third with two outs in the eighth, but Szulik struck out Bates batter Conor Reenstierna to end the inning.

In the top of the ninth, Jeff pinch hitter Anthony Spina ’17 reached base on an error by the Bobcats before stealing second. A two-out single by Vandini then allowed Spina to score and put the Jeffs in the lead. Volle then held Bates hitless in the bottom of the inning to claim the win. “[The Bates] game was ugly. We didn’t have things working at all, but our offense was able to give us a spark and get the bench guys excited, and from there we felt good,” senior captain Jack Falvey said. “Good teams need to find a way to win when they don’t have it going for them, so hopefully that’s a good sign moving forward.”

On Friday and Saturday, the Jeffs took on winless NESCAC rivals Middlebury in a three-game series played at Auburn High School in Auburn, Massachusetts due to poor field conditions. Amherst swept by the Panthers with an offensive explosion of 58 runs in three straight double-digit wins.

In Friday night’s win, Odenwaelder led the Jeffs with four RBIs and three runs in a 4 for 6 effort as Amherst cruised to a 22-2 win. Roberson and Vandini also contributed multi-hit games as the purple and white scored at least one run in every inning.

On the mound, John Cook ’15 started the game for the Jeffs, allowing two runs (both earned) on seven hits in five innings. J.R. Anderson ’18 then threw three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and Drew Fischer ’18 closed it out with a scoreless ninth.

THURS FRI GAME SCHE DULE

Men’s Tennis @ MIT, 5:30 p.m.

Men’s Golf @ Westport Hampton Inn Softball Spring Invitational, 1 p.m. vs. Williams, 5 p.m.

Baseball vs. Williams, 4 p.m.

For Middlebury, Raj Palekar went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run while Ryan Rizzo put in a 3 for 4 effort.

Starter Eric Truss endured a rough outing, surrendering 10 runs (seven earned) on eight hits in three innings.

In three innings, Amherst jumped out to a quick 10-0 lead. Middlebury threatened in the fourth inning, scoring two runs and loading the bases with two outs in the top of the fourth, but Panther hitter Brendan Donohue popped up to end the inning. The Jeffs then extended their lead with three runs in the bottom of the fourth and never looked back.

In the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday, Amherst swept by the Panthers with another dominant effort, winning 18-2. Conner Gunn ’16, Eric West ’15, and Sam Ellinwood ’18 were all perfect from the plate with 3 for 3, 2 for 2, and 2 for 2 efforts respectively. The Jeffs went 18-for-34 as a team with multi-hit games from seven players.

Jackson Volle ’17 started the game for Amherst and allowed only two runs (both earned) on six hits with three strikeouts in five innings to claim the win. Nic Meyer ’16 and Mike Castiglie ’17 then tossed scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively.

For Middlebury, Jason Lock and Andrew Corcoran recorded solid games offensively as each batted 2 for 4.

Cooper Byrne was credited with the loss as three different pitchers took the mound for the Panthers.

The purple and white surged to an early 12-0 lead with a five-run first inning and a seven-run second inning amongst contributions throughout the lineup.

Middlebury responded with one run in the top of the third before holding the Jeffs scoreless in the bottom of the inning, but Amherst held the Panthers scoreless the rest of the way and tacked on six more runs to finish the game.

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Amherst endured a closer contest, with six Jeff errors helping Middlebury record 10 runs. Despite the miscues, Amherst’s offensive, led by an explosive effort

SAT

Women’s Golf @ Vassar Invitational

Women’s Tennis vs. Bowdoin, 10 a.m.

from Vandini, scored 20 runs yet again en route to a 20-10 victory.

Vandini batted 3 for 4 for Amherst, recording eight RBIs along with two runs, while Tyler Jacobs ’15 went a perfect 2 for 2 from the plate with four RBIs and three runs. Szulik tossed 7.1 innings on the mound for the Jeffs, recording three earned runs and four strikeouts, while George Long ’17 allowed two runs on one hit with three strikeouts over the last 2.1 innings.

For Middlebury, leftfielder Alex Deutsch led the offensive outburst with a 3 for 4 effort, scoring three runs to go along with one RBI. Brendan Donohue, Ryan Rizzo and Johnny Read added two hits each in the loss. Robert Erickson took the loss, allowing eight runs (three earned) in four innings while five pitchers took the mound for the Panthers.

After a scoreless first inning, Amherst took the lead with a four-run bottom of the second. By the fifth inning, the Jeffs had stretched the lead to 10-2 with a run in the fourth and five in the fifth.

Middlebury took advantage of Amherst’s miscues in the sixth, scoring four runs thanks to three errors by the Jeffs.

After a home run from Vandini allowed Amherst to claim a 13-6 lead, the Panthers rallied in the eighth, scoring two runs before they left the bases loaded. The Jeffs then put the game away with seven runs in the bottom of the eighth.

“I think everyone wanted to come back from Florida with a better record than we did, but we played a ton of really, really good teams,” Falvey said. “Not only did that fuel us to string together some wins when we got back north, but it made us elevate our game to a high level at an early point in the season.”

The team returns to action with a tripleheader against archrivals Williams this weekend. The Jeffs are slated to play at Amherst at 4 p.m. on Friday before traveling to Williams for a doubleheader beginning on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Baseball @ Williams, 1 p.m., 3:30 p.m.

Men’s Golf @ Westport Hampton Inn Women’s Lacrosse Men’s Lacrosse @ Colby, 1 p.m.

Spring Invitational, 1 p.m. vs. Colby, 12 p.m.

Men’s & Women’s Track and Field @ UMass Invitational

Men’s Tennis Softball v.s Trinity, 1 p.m. @ Williams, 12 p.m., 2pm

SUN Women’s Golf @ Vassar Invitational