The Continental Magazine Winter 2019

THE

CONTINENTAL winter 2019

WHAT'S INSIDE

DON'T YOU WHICH OPUS FORGET ABOUT CHAIR LIST ARE YOU?

SEX POSITIVITY THE GIRLS GUIDE TO ON SETTING UP HER OWN CAMPUS DRUM KIT

THE CONTINENTAL @contmag Contmag@hamilton.edu The Continental issuu.com/hamiltoncontinental

ON THE HILL

FEATURES

TRAVEL

HAMILON IS HERE FOR THE KIDS | 8

GOING THE DISTANCE | 16

HAMILTON RESEARCH WORLDWIDE EDITION| 22

HIDDEN SPOTS ON CAMPUS | 10

SEX POSITIVITY ON CAMPUS| 19

EXPLORING THE NIGHT LIFE OF UTICA N.Y. |28

A NIGHT WELL SPENT|20 SERVICE WITH A SMILE| 12 DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT LIST| 13

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UH OH SPAGOO!| 30

LIFESTYLE

ENTERTAINMENT

OPINION

WHICH OPUS CHAIR ARE YOU?| 32

OFF-CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT: SARANAC BREWERY TOUR| 42

GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN |48

PRE-PROFESSIONAL PATHS AT HAMILTON |35

ALUMNI IN THE ARTS| 44

BECAUSE HAMILTON IS [INACCESSIBLE]|50

NOTES FROM A NOROVIRUS SURVIVOR |36

THE GIRLS GUIDE TO SETTING UP HER OWN DRUM KIT|46

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE THE CAREER CENTER |40

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from the editors

A

hhh, winter. If it’s your first winter at Hamilton, you may be in shock. Will it ever end? Will I ever see the grass again?

Why did I decide to come to a school with eternal winter? And if you’re seniors like us, winter is crammed with job applications, interviews, and writing theses, all while trying to balance enjoying every last moment with friends on the Hill. In our first years, we can’t wait until winter is over, yet as we get older we know that while spring can bring about warmer weather, it also means change is coming. Changes of all types--maybe you’re starting a summer internship in a new city, studying abroad in the Fall semester, or heading off to graduate school or your first job out of college. Regardless, while it’s easy to wish away the cold winter days, consider embracing them. This edition of the Continental speaks to embracing both the little things in our day to day experiences on campus as well as the exciting changes to come.

And the common thread that bonds these two experiences is the people, connections, and relationships behind them. We hope you can enjoy the present moment, sitting with a cup of coffee in Opus and reading about our many contributor’s experiences, and simultaneously find excitement for the changes to come this spring.

-Meredith and Maura

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EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Maura Colley ‘19 Meredith Labelle ‘19

CREATIVE DIRECTORS Anika Huq ‘19 Julia Gorlovetskaya ‘19

SECTION EDITORS Celia Reistrom ‘22 | On the Hill Erin Bryant ‘21 | Opinion Anne Homans ‘19 | Features Charlotte Zonis ‘19 | Travel Philip Marks ‘20 | Lifestyle Kaitlyn Thayer '19 | Entertainment

DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Alex Chalk ‘20

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER julia gorlovetskaya '19

LAYOUT DESIGNERS Anika Huq ‘19 (CD) Julia Gorlovetskaya ‘19 (CD) Claire Goldstein '22 Levana Lyu ‘21 Jacob Hane '22 Maura Colley ‘19 Meredith Labelle ‘19

WRITERS Austin Ford ‘19 Maggie Luddy ‘20 Trish Gagnon ‘19 Kathryn Peinkofer ‘22 Bianca Macdonald ‘21 Elise Wilson ‘22 Cassie Brown ‘19 Margaret Riordan ‘19 Samantha Fogel ‘19 Alex Medina ‘22 Liv Mills ‘20

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ON THE HILL

8 on the hill

Local Love:

Hamilton is here for the kids

By Celia Reistrom On any given day at Hamilton, amidst the sea of backpacks and brick buildings, you might notice an elementary school child walking alongside a college kid chatting about homework or the latest video game. If one of those days happens to be Halloween, you might hear screaming children and frantic footsteps as they scamper away from Major’s spooky haunted house. If it’s a Saturday, then a quick peek into the squash courts will allow you to witness a heated competition between our Hamilton students and local high school students.

Hamilton is, and always has been, here for our local kids. We open our campus to provide opportunities for children to gain enrichment in many areas. Hamilton students serve as mentors, friends and homework helpers.

Through a myriad of partnerships with our local community, students are welcomed to campus for a wide variety of activities all throughout the year.

One of these activities is coordinated through one of Hamilton’s student organizations, Hamilton Autism Advocates for Neurodiversity, better known as HAAND. The group collaborates with the Kelberman Center, a non-profit organization, to bring children and teenagers on the autism spectrum to the Hill. On certain Saturdays during the semester, Hamilton’s student volunteers spend one-on-one time with the children. The pair will spend the day engaging in different activities, ranging from sports to board games, with the goal of relating with each other. They also participate in conversation practices to further build a relationship and develop social skills.

Another mentoring program, called Sidekicks, differs in that Hamilton students partner with children from Clinton Elementary School. Students in first through fourth grade who want to participate are coupled with a Hamilton student. The pairs are created based upon an extensive application with information about hobbies and interests.

Each pair decides what they would like to do together in a particular week. They might bake and decorate cookies, attend sporting events, sit and talk while they eat in Commons, or go to an off-campus destination. It is also common for Hamilton students to attend their Sidekick’s events at the elementary school, like a game or other extracurriculars. The experience is rewarding for all.

We also offer the tutoring program, Study Buddies, which pairs middle and high school students from Utica with Hamilton students. The Utica students come on Saturdays and eat lunch with the Hamilton students in Commons before getting to work. Each student has a one-on-one session with a Hamilton student and can ask for help with homework or just receive general review in subjects like algebra, biology, or Spanish. After helping the students with their homework, the students participate in a group activity somewhere on campus, such as playing squash.

The way Hamilton shows its love for our local kids is endless. In some instances, Hamilton College is a safe haven for children to come to where they can relax and enjoy an activity. Local school district administrators and organizers of community programs also use our spaces to conduct workshops and sporting events. Local sports teams benefit from using Hamilton’s athletic facilities for their practices or games when their high schools’ outside facilities are buried under snow. Additionally, students from all over the area come to the Hill over the summer and participate in summer camps, with themes ranging from leadership, languages, and soccer camps.

A Hamilton education prides itself on civic engagement. Our need to serve our local community is strong, and, for our student body, helping our local kids is a small step toward a lifetime of service in the world. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and with Hamilton College’s generosity and love, children will thrive.

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HIDDEN SPOTS SPOTS

ON HIDDEN ON CAMPUS CAMPUS Elise Wilson

1. The Reading Room at Root Hall Did you know that Root Hall has a fourth floor? If you can bring yourself to make the trek, you will discover a beautiful reading room. Complete with comfortable couches and shelves of books, this room has everything you need for a quick nap or study sesh. And, it is unlikely that you will ever be disturbed here. Just be sure to not dress too heavily because it gets very warm.

2. Non-creepy list Maybe you’ve heard stories about the unfinished and terrifying cement dungeon that is List. However, this building also has a finished section that is not quite as frightening. Venture into this quiet darkside version of a library complete with plants and a lounge area. The big open windows make you feel like you are in KJ without all the noise.

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3. The Purple light at the science center Oh great purple light, why do you glow? What is your story? If you’ve ever walked past the Science Center at night, you may have noticed a bright purple glow from one of the upper floors. What’s happening up there? A science rave?

This purple light is truly a mystery, and perhaps the best-kept secret on campus.

4. The Door Between KJ and mcewen Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could move from McEwen to your study area on the second floor of KJ without ever stepping outside? Well, you can (sort of)! This door is almost always locked, but on the rare occasion that it isn’t, you can dare to take this path located below the large McEwen mural.

5. The Basement of KJ Ever taken a class in KJ 005? Behind the Red Pit, you can find a door marked 005. It will lead you down a stairway into a corridor with long lime green pipes, and finally to a small auditorium. It is is probably the most dark-side classroom on campus.

6. Bundy Cafe Everyone’s talking about it, so it must really exist. No longer a space for all campus parties, you can, instead, grab a yogurt parfait or oatmeal bar at this meal-plan-included cafeteria. The ski-lodge feel of Bundy Cafe also makes for a great study space with its many seating options.

7. The Observatory Hidden at the far end of campus, well past Griffin Road, lies the quaint Peters Observatory. It is well worth the journey for an eclipse (or partial eclipse viewing). Roommate troubles? You can always camp out under the stars!

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Service with a smile Hamiltonians spending spring break healping others

by bianca macdonald

Every March, four to five groups of about a dozen students load up jitneys with sleeping bags, duffel bags, and good tunes for a fourteen hour drive down to the south. No, they’re not headed to the coast for a week of partying and sunbathing; they’re participating in Hamilton’s Alternative Spring Break program, or ASB for short. ASB is a week-long volunteering trip organized by student leaders with the help of the COOP, and is a great way to get off campus and make a difference for part of Spring Break.

Stephanie Wu (‘21) was a participant in last year’s Habitat trip to North Carolina, and is a returning leader to this year’s program. Bunking in a church with her two leaders and seven fellow participants, Stephanie spent her days traveling to the building site where she painted, sided, and insulated the home, along with numerous other jobs. “It was awesome to have the opportunity to meet the families whose lives we impacted, and to see how grateful they were for the work that we were doing,” she reminisced.

According to Stephanie, the trip brought a lot of different personalities together, fostering lasting friendships between people who otherwise might not have gravitated towards each other. “All of us choosing to be there was completely voluntary, so despite our different backgrounds, we were able to bond together over the common goal of service.”

Juliana DeSimone (‘21), also returning as a leader this year, spent her Spring Break on an Outreach trip to Maryland. Throughout their week in Baltimore, her group served food at a local food pantry, helped to gut a house to transition it into sustainable housing, and worked on landscaping and gardening within the community. One of Juliana’s favorite stops along the way was the Boys and Girls Club, where Hamilton students spent time playing board games, helping kids with homework, and, in Juliana’s case, “giving about a thousand piggy back rides around the playground.” They went a few times throughout the week, and were able to develop relationships with the kids and come home with great memories. Similar to Stephanie’s experience, Juliana’s group was composed of students from all different class years, hometowns, and interests, which led her to find a new community on campus to be a part of.

This year Hamilton is again sending out trips to Maryland and North Carolina, along with two additional Habitat trips to South Carolina and Virginia.

12 on the hill

DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT LIST

Kathryn peinkofer

on the hill 13

“the first thing that catches the eye is the beautiful artwork on the walls”

Hamilton College’s campus is a beautiful one, full of old, stone buildings, and huge windows that reveal ceilings that look like they were created inside a waffle iron. Despite all of these breathtaking features on our campus, there is one building that takes the cake. No, it’s not the Chapel, the Taylor Science Center, or even the Diner. The most amazing building at Hamilton College is fondly known as abandoned List. Before they built the monstrosity that is KTSA, there was List in all its glory. Now, List remains abandoned and alone, shrinking in the shadows of KTSA’s spotlight. I mean, who in their right mind would choose to look at a gross little pond from an overly shiny building instead of exploring the intriguing and mysterious halls of List?

14 on the hill

Upon visiting this magnificent edifice, the first thing that catches the eye is the beautiful artwork on the walls. In other buildings at Hamilton, we enjoy the large format posters printed at the library, when we should be marvelling at the brightly colored colorful language painted directly on the walls of List! In addition to the beautifully decorated walls, abandoned List is almost always quiet, making it the perfect study space, if you don’t mind the occasional ghostly whoosh of air behind you. There are also several unoccupied classrooms which can provide a perfect alternative for the always-taken KJ study rooms.

“Wondrous Haunted House” Keep in mind, the grandeur of entering List can be fairly intimidating. As pictured, the entrance to this establishment is decorated in a stunningly harsh style, with sepia stains on the floor and a few interestingly placed chemical showers. Many people are far too overwhelmed with the beauty of the entrance to even notice the rest of the building, however it has many hidden gems all throughout. One such spectacle is a a staircase that leads to a little room with grimy windows on three sides and a beautiful view of the roof of the building. There is even a door that leads to the roof, because everyone needs access to the roof of an abandoned building, just in case the Observatory doesn’t quite do it for you.

You might ask: Why is List still vacant if it is such a wonderful building? Why doesn’t the school fill it with our most important and useful department, like the Literature department for example? I’m not sure if anyone can truly answer this question, except to say that it would probably take years to bring it down to the standard of all the other buildings on campus. We could never have classes in a building with such beautiful stains on the floor and graffiti decorating all the walls. Eventually, it will be filled, if only to provide a safe haven while Root Hall is being renovated, however, in the meantime, let us take this time to appreciate the wondrous haunted house located right here on our campus.

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f e at u r e s

Going the Distance

By Anne Homans

16 features

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ong-distance relationships, despite their countless challenges, represent a sizeable chunk of the existing relationships at Hamilton. As students on a small, isolated campus, many of us find ourselves separated from those we love by distances that span hundreds of miles – or in some cases, entire oceans. I spoke with a good friend of mine, Jake Engelman, and his long-distance girlfriend of two and a half years, Arianne Shamask, who’s a student at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Huddled with the happy couple in Jake’s Babbitt single during one of her rare visits, I asked their insights on what makes a long-distance relationship work, when it’s time to call it quits, and how they’ve managed to navigate the treacherous waters of jealousy, insecurity, and misunderstanding that inevitably arise when going the distance.

Interviewer: Because you live in different countries, navigating the time difference is obviously a factor. Out of everything, is that one of the harder things to deal with?

Arianne: It’s really not as difficult as we anticipated it to be. We’ve established a habit of

ending each conversation with, “When are you free tomorrow, or later today?” I don’t think we have a specific schedule; it’s more that if I’m free I’ll give him a call, and if he’s busy, I’ll understand.

Is it important to know each other’s schedules?

Arianne: Yeah, definitely. We’ve gotten roasted for this in the past, but we have a shared google calendar that has both of our classes in it.

Jake: For example, I know that both of us are free at 10 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If one of us can’t talk then, it’s because we have work to do. I’ll just say, “I can’t talk tomorrow at 10 a.m. because I have work to do,” and that’s well understood. I think making the schedule makes breaking that schedule a bit easier.

When you call, do you prefer to facetime or just audio call?

A: Facetime, always. It’s important to see the other person.

J: We make a point to facetime at least once a day, every day. I’ll wake up, shower, then call her while I’m walking across campus to my 9 a.m. class.

A: I think a certain amount of flexibility is necessary; I mean, we understand that it’s not feasible to be on the phone for two hours straight. But we make it a point to see each other and talk to each other for at least two minutes every day.

J: Stepping away for two minutes, even if it’s just two minutes, means something.

Have you guys ever fought over facetime?

A & J: Oh, yeah.

J: The biggest fight we’ve had over facetime was at the beginning of last year, when I had bitten off way more than I could chew in terms of responsibilities on campus. I had absolutely no free time. I couldn’t be a source of support for Arianne at the time, which wasn’t good, obviously.

A: It’s a balance; knowing that you have your own life here and that I would never want to limit that, but at the same time, knowing that our relationship should be a priority for both of us.

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How is that different from real-life fighting?

A: Personally, it’s the power of knowing that I can hang up and knowing that I shouldn’t.

So, shutting off communication is a no-go?

A: Definitely.

J: When we’re apart, things build up. There are cues we pick up on when we’re together, but it’s much harder to do the same when you’re communicating over facetime; a lot of things go unsaid for much longer. Although, I feel like we’re so forward with each other now that things don’t build up as much.

What do you mean by forward?

A: Like, if I’m upset, that I say something, and vice versa. Saying something instead of waiting for the other person to get the sense that you’re upset. If Jake’s pissed off, he’ll just come to me and say, “I’m pissed off because of X, Y, and Z.”

What do you think are the necessary ingredients for a happy, healthy long-distance relationship?

A: This is going to sound super cliché, but it really is just honesty, trust, forwardness, openness, and communication. Because if you don’t have all of these, every time the other person is out with someone, you’re thinking, “what the fuck are they doing?” If you don’t trust that other person, you’re going to make yourself miserable.

J: There definitely has to be some degree of blind trust. There are going to be situations where your only source of information is the other person; you have to be able to accept that. And that’s not something that we’ve always had.

A: Yeah, that’s something you build. It’s something that came with time, and with conflict.

What do you think, then, are the right circumstances for attempting a long-distance relationship?

A: I don’t think you can ever know. I think you just have to do it, trial by fire. You have to go into it and accept that you’re going to be willing to let it go if it doesn’t work.

Do you think people should enter long-distance if they don’t see each other together in the long term?

J: If you don’t think the relationship has the potential to last forever, then don’t do it. You shouldn’t be in a relationship just because you’re in a relationship. If you don’t see yourself spending the rest of your life with somebody, why throw away your college years?

A: But it’s also important to know that the second this turns toxic or makes us unhappy, we shouldn’t pursue this as a means to an end.

J: Absolutely.

A: The summer before I left for Edinburgh, Jake told me that this was something he wanted. I asked him how long he saw us lasting, and he said, “I’m happy to book my tickets to see you next year, and the year after that.” I think the most important thing is going into it with that attitude: that, no matter what, I want to be with you after all of this is over.

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Sex Positivity on Campus

By Lucy Munves When I was asked to take over the “Sex and the Campus” column for The Spectator last Fall, I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Why not, I thought to myself. Naturally, my parents blanched at the idea, but the idea of writing a sex column seemed interesting and fun, so I ultimately agreed to the challenge.

What I realized in writing “Sex and the Campus” was the student body’s wide range of prior sex education and sexual experience. While many students come to college with a well-rounded biological understanding of sex, their social understanding tends to be much less holistic. One major thing that tends to be absent from student conversations is sex positivity, so I began to make the effort to incorporate sex-positive discussion into the column. This became more challenging than I thought, as the dialogue about sex on this campus is largely heteronormative and centers around trivial details, such as how many people an individual has had sex with.

I went to an all-girls school, one that never initiated any kind of conversation about sex positivity, for thirteen years. My first exposure to dialogues about the social and emotional implications of having sex occured at Hamilton. Organizations like SAVES and Yes Means Yes showed me how important these conversations could be, especially in rounding out one’s sexual education. I also learned to question the existing practices and beliefs that surround sex:

why do we continue to participate in hookup culture if we find it unsatisfying?

Why do we care about who texts first, and when?

One of the most important things that I’ve learned from writing this column is how vital it is to create a dialogue with both your partner and your friends about sex. Creating space for these conversations is the best way to establish a healthy sexual relationship for both yourself and your partner… and maintaining them is just as important! Checking in with all parties involved is critical to sustaining personal happiness in a healthy relationship. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters most: supporting a healthy and positive relationship with yourself and your body. Because no matter who you date, hook up with, or have sex with, the constant and key figure throughout is you.

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A night Well trying our luck

at Turning stone Resort and Casino

By Austin Ford

Last August my roommate returned home late one night with a wild glimmer in his eye and a story to tell.

He’d lost a lot of money at the Turning Stone casino but, interestingly enough, seemed absolutely thrilled about it. As he regaled the quad with tales of wild blackjack hands, lucky wins, and (his personal obsession) the electronic roulette wheel, I knew I had to go. A few weeks later, in celebration of my twenty-first birthday, the four of us piled into a car and set off on the road. As we neared our destination, the twenty-story Turning Stone Tower glimmered against the empty horizon, its glowing letters beckoning us to its doors.

The Turning Stone Resort and Casino is a 26-year-old business owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation. It was the only land-based casino in New York for nearly a decade of its existence, and (like most casinos) has met significant and constant legal resistance. Turning Stone’s website boasts “world-class amenities”, including “four hotels, two luxurious spas, five golf courses, more than 20 dining options, a 125,000 square foot Las Vegas-style gaming floor, a cabaret style Showroom, a 5,000seat arena, and several nightlife venues.” The resort is a sprawling complex, with labyrinthine hallways and paths that snake between dazzling machines and crowded tables.

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Spent We began our night at the only place with a buy-in below twenty dollars: the ten-dollar blackjack game. I sat down, hit once, and lost my ten. The dealer quickly swiped my chips as I quietly stepped away from the table. We spent the rest of the night at the electronic roulette table, the only game within our budget with a minimum wager of a dollar. We sat at that table for hours, joking with each other and taking in the sights and sounds of the beautiful casino that surrounded us.

Behind the carefully-crafted spectacle of this glimmering palace, however, lurks a sinister force that’s far too easy to overlook. I met this force by accident, when I took a wrong turn into a poorly-labeled side room. As the door closed behind me, a darkness swallowed the bright colors of the game floor and foregrounded the room’s only source of light; hundreds upon hundreds of glowing slot machines.

Feeling oddly like an animal of prey, I stepped carefully through the aisles and watched the people at the machines. Nonsensical shapes cascaded across twenty-year-old screens, looking like arcane runes and enrapturing the dead-eyed visitors who robotically pressed machine buttons. It felt like the casino itself had swallowed these people, tucking them away in dark, secluded corners where it could drain their pockets and devour their minds. Later in the night, one of my friends tried the slots for fun. He pressed the button a few times, confused, and lost five dollars.

Turning Stone is a wonderful place for a fun night out, but this experience showed me that it also holds the power to ruin lives. Of course, I’m not suggesting that everyone should avoid the casino entirely, but I think it’s worth positing that addictive personalities and peer pressure can make college students vulnerable to the evils of gambling, just like anyone else. Limit your visits, come with a trustworthy group, and bring only what you’re fine with losing – if you break even, you’ve had a lucky night. And if fate draws you to the side rooms of the casino, don’t touch the slot machines. Don’t even look at them. They’re evil.

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22 travel

Hamilton research worldwide edition Kaitlyn Thayer

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t’s common knowledge that Hamilton professors are exploring a variety of research topics on campus. However, professors are taking their independent work overseas more than ever before. I had the chance to sit down with three science professors to learn more about their work abroad and about the opportunities they are offering for students interested in both research and travel.

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who: prof. Cat Beck what: geoscience where: turkana basin, Kenya

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rofessor Cat Beck is digging deep in order to learn about our ancient family tree. Every summer Professor Beck travels to the Turkana Basin in northern Kenya to work on a variety of projects that allow her to reconstruct the area’s environment and climate from the last 4 million (or even 17 million) years to the present day.

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hy is Kenya the best place to conduct this research? Because it’s where our early primate ancestors originated. Professor Beck explained how the Turkana Basin is a structurally a rift basin, which means that it is an area where the continent is actually pulling apart. Due to this separation, a basin is created and sediments can be deposited. Anyone who has lived in this basin becomes a part of the sediment and could become a fossil! As a result, there is a fantastic record of hominid evolution in the Turkana Basin (aka your great-great-great-great… grandmother). Professor Beck’s work collecting sediment has allowed her to identify the fossils of primates and the evolutionary steps that created Homo sapiens.

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rofessor Beck’s research does require students to have a strong background in the geosciences as the geological data collected can be difficult to interpret, but she is looking to bring more students to Kenya. “It’s a great way to do experiential, hands on, interdisciplinary work,” she emphasized.

Plus, researchers enjoy the luxuries of running water, good food, and incredible views of the moon rising over the basin at the Turkana Basin Institute.

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who: prof. chang what: biophysics/bioengineering where: hsinchu city, taiwan the other day i was dreaming, if i got the nobel prize, what do I say?

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rofessor Wei-Jen Chang was joking when he told me this, but the work he is involved with in Taiwan could have a huge impact.

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n addition to the biology courses Professor Chang teaches at Hamilton, he has been leading an exciting research opportunity at the National Tsing Hua University located outside of Taipei, Taiwan.

In the lab, Professor Chang and his colleague (and old college zoology lab partner) explore the possibilities of magnets in cells.

They are training protozoan cells, some of which are parasites, to eat magnetic nanoparticles. Once the cells have ingested the charged nanoparticles, scientists can use magnets to pull them in various directions. One of the goals of Professor Chang’s research is to

eventually apply this technique to cancerous cells! This could be where the Nobel Prize comes in‌

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ands-on experience in biophysics and bioengineering isn’t all students can gain from this opportunity. Professor Chang emphasizes that the 9-week research program also gives students a chance to explore and learn more about Taiwan and Asia. There is no language requirement for the program, but Professor Chang stresses that students need to be ready for a vastly different cultural experience. The food, the level of urbanization, the language barrier, and the distance from home are all things students should consider because fully committing to the program.

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who: prof. kristen burson what: physics where: berlin, germany

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hen I asked Professor Burson why she was continually brought back to Germany to do overseas research she responded quickly. “Why do I keep going back? The short answer is that they have really fancy microscopes.” A relatable sentiment for any scientist.

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rofessor Burson uses these microscopes to study the atomic structure of glass at the Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society in Berlin, Germany. But why is this interesting? Professor Burson explains that a lot of materials are crystalline with periodic atomic structures; if you know where one atom is, you can guess the location of another. Glass is different. It is an amorphous material, which means that it does not have an orderly atomic structure, making it unique and challenging to understand. Professor Burson and her colleagues in Berlin take pictures of the atoms in glass models with the “fancy microscopes” to determine the structural components of glass. Right now, they are examining the atomic transition processes of crystal to glass when heat is applied. No one has looked at these processes before which is what makes this research so exciting.

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or Professor Burson, working in a collaborative setting with experienced scientists from all over the world is what truly makes this a one of a kind research environment. Professor Burson emphasized that these characteristics are what make it such a rich environment for students to learn in, which is why she’s particularly excited to bring more students to Germany. She’s only taken two students in the past, but it was a productive summer that led to two published papers!

why do i keep going back? the short answer is that they have really fancy microscopes.

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exploring the nightlife of utica, ny Margaret Riordan

8pm in utica S

etting out on a bar crawl in Utica, my friends and I started at Nail Creek Pub and Brewery not only for the incredible selection of local craft beer, but also for their deliciously CNY dinner menu. Now, getting a table at The Nail certainly isn’t easy on a Friday night. The Varick Street gastro pub doesn’t take reservations, but they do accommodate large groups who are willing to squeeze. Sipping Utica Clubs, which, believe it or not, comes as a side, we enjoyed the poutine for the table, Banh Mi sandwiches, burgers (fried egg optional), short rib tacos and the night’s special, a fried clam roll. The kitchen closed (9PM), and as the bar filled up more friends joined. We enjoyed the laid-back ambience of early 90s classic rock mixed with a touch of grunge rock that offered a great backdrop for fruitful conversation.

The Nail is also great on weekdays offering trivia and live music every Wednesday, Happy Hour Monday through Friday 5 -7 (dollar off draft beers) and a beer club!

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10pm T

he Celtic Harp, just across the street, stood in stark comparison to our relaxed vibes from the Nail. The lights are low, the music is loud and yes, there most certainly is some sort of multi-colored light action going on. It’s a throwback theme for the evening’s iteration of Single Bingo and everyone is on the dance floor. The Harp offers an equally extensive list of craft and classic beers with exceptional service from the bartenders, especially for such a crowded spot. Our entire group lost track of time at the Harp and before we knew it we were three hours into dancing and mixed drinks.

It was time to go.

Other offerings: Trivia Tuesday: Teams compete for four rounds with a chance to win a FREE domestic pitcher each round, overall winner will walk a way with a $50 dollar gift certificate and 2nd place a $25 dollar certificate Wing Wednesday: $5 wing orders and karaoke at 9:30 Tuesday Night Flip: every drink comes with a flip of a coin, which could mean a free drink if you guess correctly. Live music 9:30 to 1:30

1am B

opping across the street, a small group of stragglers have settled into Lukin’s Brick Oven Pizza.

The pizza joint, which serves food all night, offers live music Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and the acoustic performer of the evening helped us wind down the night. The bar has high tables to enjoy late night pizza while decompressing the night’s happenings, and an ample dance floor, but most of the crowd is at the expansive L shaped bar stocked with beer, wine and cocktails. It seems by 1AM the Varick scene has peaked and the relatively older crowd at Lukin’s is starting to finish their martinis and head out. It’s time to call it a night, but there is Diner B in our future.

Other offerings: Happy Hour: Monday to Friday 4 – 7 PM, $2 mixers (well only), $1 off drafts, and $1 off all bottles of beer Comedy and trivia every Wednesday at 7 PM Thursday live music Friday live music (acoustic and then full band) Saturday live music

travel 29

Uh OH!

SPAGoo!

Cassie Brown

!

H

ere on the hill it is easy to return to the same consistent restaurants we have gotten to know and love. However, the options for Italian food are extremely limited. Of course there is Alteri’s, but it often feels as though it is the only Italian restaurant for miles and do Spaghetti Kettle, Giovanni’s, and Tony’s really cut it as Italian restaurants despite also having a spot in our hearts? But there may

30 travel

be more out there than you think. If you are willing to travel a little further than the Clinton/New Hartford perimeter you will find some phenomenal Italian restaurants that could even rival your favorites back home. There is Teddy’s with its top rated chicken riggies, Aqua Vino with its inviting atmosphere, and Mangia Macrina’s Wood Fired Pizza with its artisan flatbreads for starters.

teddy's

L

ocated in Rome, New York, Teddy’s is home to the winner of the Utica Riggie Fest for three years in a row and the dish is absolutely divine, as expected. However, if you are not a huge fane of the Upstate New York specialty, Teddy’s has many other delicious options and I highly recommend trying their broccoli, garlic, and red pepper pasta. Also, do not forget to try their onion rings, which are legitimately the size of donuts, if not bigger. The onion rings are not alone in their huge portioning, and you will most likely find yourself taking half of your meal home to-go. The restaurant also boasts a full bar and where you should order one of their specialty cocktails, all of which are delicious. However, proceed at your own risk as they are stronger than they taste. If the drive was a trek for you, I would also recommend checking out the Rome Capitol Theatre which offers a small selection of independent Movies.

aqua vino

mangia macrina's wood fired pizza

T

wenty-one minutes away is this rare waterfront restaurant. Aqua Vino is situated looking over the Mowhawk River and features a quaint atmosphere. They offer a diverse array of Italian dishes. I would highly recommend any of their seafood pastas and for an appetizer, make sure to try their shrimp and crab bisque that comes with a crab cake. They also feature a full bar and a large wine menu and will fill your wine glass to the brim.

Although a little pricy, you will be served amazing Italian cuisine and it is a great atmosphere for a date night.

I

f you are in the mood for pizza, something a little easier on your wallet, or something closer to the hill, I highly recommend Mangia Macrina’s Wood Fired Pizza. You may have actually had their pizza if you made it to the Feb Fest food trucks or the Clinton Farmer’s Market in the fall, but maybe you did not realize they actually have a restaurant as well as their fantastic food truck. Located only twelve minutes away, Mangia Macrina’s offers a different vibe than the nume ous pizza places surrounding us in Clinton with their artisan thin-crusted pizzas and limited wine and beer options. They have the classics such as margarita but they also have a large variety of specialty pizzas and a create-your-own option. Also, do not worry if you are gluten-free or vegan because they can serve any pizza with gluten-free crust or vegan options!

T

hese are only a few of the many delicious options in this area. There are also Café CaNole, Babe’s Macaroni Grill & Bar, Bella Cucina and probably other undiscovered gems.

Hopefully next time you are craving delicious Italian cuisine you will venture outside your comfort zone and realize there are more Italian restaurants than you previously thought.

travel 31

which opus chair are you?

-Dropped the nickname the first day of college -Signed up for HOC but doesn’t go to meetings -Loves to be the big spoon

-Doesn’t dance at parties -Gives a fire neck massage -Has a sibling on campus

-Doesn’t skip leg day -Gets along with the dads at barbeques -Really likes group projects

-Good kisser -Unplugged and won’t stop talking about it -Core member of the streaking team

Kaitlyn Thayer

32 lifestyle

TAG YOURSELF

-Owns a record player -Doesn’t text back -Always goes to power yoga

-Known for pulling all nighters -Currently experimenting with eyeliner -Has been knitting the same scarf for three years

-Never got the hang of asthetic discernment -Doesn’t pay more than $15 for a haircut -Has a doppelganger on campus

-Makes a writing center appointment for every paper -Great snacks in their room -Folds their toilet paper

-Uses VSCO over instagram -Still asking who your trip leader was -Buys euphoria twice a week

-On the 14 swipe meal plan -Asks pointed questions -Color coordinated closet

lifestyle 33

-Large and in charge -Is really proud of their resume -Jogs further than the G-road stop sign

-Still has every bracelet from camp -Finds time to read for fun -The only one of your floor with a vacuum

If you’re not any of these you’re probably the big couch

34 lifestyle

-Gets opus brunch every Sunday -Has never missed a due date -Potty mouth

BY ALEX MEDINA

PRE-PROFESSIONAL H PATHS AT HAMILTON

amilton’s open curriculum allows students to explore and discover what academic field they feel most at home in. However, sometimes the breadth of the liberal arts education that we receive can feel a touch removed from the jobs we hope to get after we graduate. Since college is supposed to prepare you for your future, I spoke to a few students about their professional plans and asked them if there was a specific class at Hamilton that set them on that path.

ANGÉLICA RAMOS ‘20 Social Justice Education Major (Interdisciplinary) I took the class “Issues in Education” during my first semester of college and I instantly fell in love. I thought I was interested in being a Public Policy major, but this education course made me rethink my entire K-12 experience. After that, I took two more education classes and became sure of my passion. When I found out Hamilton doesn’t offer an education major, I decided to design it myself. I plan to join a teaching or college counseling program after Hamilton and eventually go to graduate school to pursue a PhD in education. I don’t know where life will take me after that, but I know I’ll end up where I’m meant to be. Hamilton has helped me by giving me the option to design my own major. This school also has summer research grants that have financially supported me in conducting research on the education system in my community.

NORA TORRES ‘20 Women’s and Gender Studies Major Psychology & Math Double Minor I plan on becoming a part of the education system and a course that made me realize what I wanted to focus on was my course on class. My dream job is to be a principal at a public school or the head of an education program that supports kids from my community that are often times low-income and marginalized.

Hamilton has definitely made me aware of how the education system works and the different ways you can make it work for you. The classes and people I’ve surrounded myself with made me realize that I want people like me to come into these privileged spaces and restructure systems that oppress us. People from my kind of background need different kinds of support because we are marginalized, and I want to provide that support and highlight the need for it.

SHELBY AMOUR CASTILLO ‘19 Psychology Major Creative Writing Minor My main goal is to be a therapist and a researcher. The first class that I took that made me want to pursue that path was Psychology 101. That class helped me determine my major and showed me what I might want to do with my life. Back then, being a therapist was more of a dream that I had and I wasn’t too sure if I wanted that to be my future, but I knew that I wanted to highlight important social issues and help groups of people that have been historically marginalized. This year, after starting my research on Puerto Rico and colonial mentality for my senior thesis, I realized that I love doing independent research and learning new things about my culture. I know that my major in psychology will definitely give me the opportunity to do that.

Notes

FROM A NOROVIRUS SURVIVOR

By LIV MILLS 36 lifestyle

4/25/18 10:12 AM. feeling fine but my days are numbered. its only a mat- 11:49 pm. still fine. this is wack. ter of time. abby is ILL. carson, who knows. but i was in her room 11:54 pm. cj is spooky but noro virus is spookier. at least the last night. natalie, could be dead. also in her room last night. MY DAYS ARE NUMBERED. it is a dog eat dog world out hear. and we are strong, but noro virus is stronger. BUT ME. LIVIMILLZPRODUCTIONS IS STRONGEST.

ghosties dont have germs!!

10:15 am. out here** delirium is setting in. im forming gram-

1800 kids, lets call it đ&#x;…ąď¸?amilton đ&#x;…ąď¸?ollege and 66 kids get infected with a highly contagious virus but they dont cancel school. but rather just close different locations at inconvenient times of the

matically incorrect sentences. I MUST REMEMBER THE OXFORD COMMA.

11:03 am. still feeling fine. abby has left my vicinity. its is only a

12:33 am. fun black mirror episode. u have a college of about

day.

matter of time. Id like to take this time to say that I love my mom and char zonis has the list of my funeral wishes in case i perish in the great noro virus epidemic of 2018. id like to add that the person who drives the green fiat is not invited to my funeral. and my last wish is that that fiat gets catapulted off campus.

12:35 am. saw rasenb, good day!

12:37 am. if time is money then i am running out of funds. i am

11:12 am. ive decided that i am not afraid to use violent force

12:40 am. is jeffrey landry a snake? i just dont think he has my

for those who come within a arms length of me. if it comes to physical force, I am not afraid to use a sword against ANYONE (except heidi and marge). the more sword u have, the more valid u are and that is FACT. I should email the dictionary and tell them to add that clause. I will do that right now.

11:23 am. still yak free since ‘93. but my days? numbered.

1:51 pm. no symptoms yet but my tummy is making super

spooky noises. ate nuts. this sometimes happens when i eat nuts. but i am worried. mason might have fallen ill. she is one of our strongest so this does not fair well for the swan flight. not a good look for me. my professor let us out early cause our class looked ill. we were talking about viral videos which is relevant because noro virus has also gone #viral. its only a matter of time at this point but nevertheless, she persisted.

3:39 pm. still no symptoms. i might be immune?? questions to ask god for sure.

4:16 pm. still no symptoms.

4:30 pm. no symptoms. kind of feeling left out :/.

5:14 pm. feeling hot. but im also mad sunburnt so like which is it?? on another note, i remembered that meek mill was released from prison yesterday, and that made me feel better.

7:32 pm. still no symptoms. kinda hungry tho.

7:46 pm. commons is a deadzone. it is weirdly sterile and there

is nasty food (dry chicken). and i dont want to eat it. but alas. big dogs gotta eat.

9:12 pm. dis b annoying like still no symptoms.

this kind of feels like when ur friends all make plans without u and then talk about it and say “u shouldve come!� and ur like “...u didnt invite me. “ and this journal is like when i text the gc “wanna eat?� and someone responds to something else. devastating for sure.

also literally running out of funds. im waiting for anarchy to strike when i will steal from the rich. best interest in mind. #dumphim

12:59 am. im not being productive but i am wired. what should i do to further my quest to tear down a) noro virus and b) the patriarchy?

1:33 am. leaving cj still feeling fine. kind of hungry tho. might

have to eat my arm if it comes to that. probably should be a lot more upset with that prospect than i am. the new harsh realities of this world are skewing my judgement for sure. but as previously stated: big. dogs. gotta. eat.

1:35 am. u know why im scared of the dark? cause it b dark.

1:40 am. đ&#x;…ąď¸?ack in đ&#x;…ąď¸?undy. rly have to pee but dont want to waste my last healthy minutes on frivolous things.

1:42 am. LIVE FROM THE BATHROOM: rly had to pee #treatyoself

1:49 am. heard someone yaking. uh oh spagoo!

2:02 am. recent google searches:

0. how to beat noro virus in both hand to hand and sword combat

0. purell safe to drink?

0. how to tell the person yaking their brains out down the hall to be a bit quieter without sounding like a bitch

0. how to sanitize my soul if i have sinned

0.

how to spell purell

2:11 am. ya i have noro. no overwhelmingly real job opportunities

2:17 am. still no symptoms but i am v v tired and am formally

lifestyle 37

saying goodnight. will keep updated on my journey.

4/26/18 10:42 am. still no symptoms but i slept like shyt. starting

to think this is a set up by the russian government but c’est la vie.

12:57 pm. jeffrey landry. his clothes? wack. his jewelry?

wack. his food? wack. the way he doesnt even like to smile? wack.

11:27 am. just lied to my super sweet RA about having the 1:06 pm. annas mom called the school. she is the equivavirus on sunday/monday. im already becoming a monster. my quaker values have failed me in this time of disarray. i am but one small girl but i have big dreams of being a knight. i cannot fall ill. REMEMBER THE ALAMO.

11:40 am. on a more serious note. why the fuck wont they cancel school. this is absolutely absurd.

11:49 am. recent google search: how to cyberbully jeffrey landry into canceling school

11:54 am. everyone is reporting. the case number is at 90

while more people are still coming forward. i swur ta gawd if they do not cancel school at case number 100, jeffrey is gonna catch this fade.

12:27 am. TAG YOURSELF—ILLNESSES PLAGUING

HAMILTON COLLEGE EDITION: noro virus: -messy -always misses class -lives for the memes -wants to be friends with everyone common cold: -always tired -super emo -shy but loyal to those they care about -always says yes when someone asks for almost any medication mono: -goes out A LOT -popular -is sexually active but v low key about it -sleeps thru alarms e. coli: -loves romaine lettuce -v underrated humor -selective about their friends -may be into butt stuff?? strep: -quiet friend -always drinking tea -complains a lot -lives for their aesthetic

38 lifestyle

lent to my mom

1:21 pm: char zo here just wanted to say liv is my idol that is all. she ate a cookie it said gluten free but theres no way thats true so we’ll see when anarchy strikes the tummy!

1:22 pm. will keep updated on zo’s tum tum.

1:55 pm. anarchy strikes!! sara is missing class.

3:46 pm. walked in on someone pooping as they let out a deep sigh. its been a tough day for sure.

3:57 pm. saw griffin but didnt say hi. still good day!!!

4:34 pm. a hug? in this economy?

5:35 pm. how to last minute change my 10 page research

paper topic to an auto biography on the ways noro virus has impacted me. thesis: i have less trust in institutions and hand sanitizer

6:08 pm. recent google searches: how to capitalize on noro virus.

6:26 pm. catharine and I decide that we will travel the us

and she will take pictures and I will write commentary. call it a novel.

7:18 pm. at acapella concert. this is the worst plot line ive

ever seen. no dialogue just singing! les miserable!!! also still not sick. im stronger than most.

7:23 pm. i dont know who this group is but seems a lot like a gang to me.

7:26 pm. just learned that this is tumbling after.

7:29 pm. the year is 2019. noro virus has weakened all the men while women have continued to gain strength. the patriarchy?? SMASHED. tonight we manspread on public transport!

7:35 pm. where is julia? all of her sing song buds are here.

8:03 pm. boy gang singing. ive been mistaken. there is dialogue. catching a west side story vibe.

8:37 pm. still no symptoms but abby has been in my

vicinity. she says shes better but her purple gloves suggest

otherwise. what does this mean for me God? am i really the strongest seed or is this just a mean joke? are you there God? its me liv. it b liv!

9:05 pm. tummy grumbled. what if i were to snort emergenc

10:17 pm. char cannot poop. ANARCHY. 10:19 pm. TRAGEDY STRIKES. tonys is closed.

10:39 pm. have flex by the party boyz stuck in my head. L fore sure. but the L is for lit.

11:01 pm. they changed a good song. all are angry. but few are protesting. odd. anarchy has bested them

11:05 pm. we must save jarrod

4/27/18 2:32 pm. fuck.

3:14 pm. i had woken 2:32 pm. charlotte has fallen. AN-

ARCHY. ii miss catharine weppler. :/. worried shes gonna freak out when she sees a) my room. b) my snacks. I was a menace in walmart last night. I spent 80 buckarooos. but they were well spent. pissed i accidently

3:16 pm. recent google searches: how to spell accidently.

3:17 pm. to return to my previous thought, pissed i

7:43 pm. i thought i wasnt gonna make it on the bus. i didnt. but here we are today at breakaway. knight is good.

8:29 pm. luke warshaw has my knight costume but idc cause i smashed the patriarchy.

8:37 pm. need my jacket 8:45 pm. need to dance eith D 9:01. BREAKAWAY BAR IS ANARCHY. EVERY MAN FOR HERSELF

4/29/18 12:47 pm. BETRAYAL. 1:13 pm. down with the patriarchy!!

6:10 pm. tragedy strikes. i just threw up. i am no longer the strongest seed. the patriarchy has won.

6:23 pm. threw up again 6:43 pm. threw up again.

6:51 pm. feeling defeated.

8:23 pm. abby and anna are here. they brought gifts. abby and anna’s cornucopia.

accidentally bought vegan corn dogs. laura seemed mildly

8:27 pm. they are cleaning my

excited tho.

room. thats what sisterhood is about.

3:19 pm. who gave peter the right to own an entire cornu-

8:30 pm. my days are numbered.

copia. seems like capitalism to me. the whole building reeks of corporate greed!! also why cant it be megans cornucopia? we tear down the patriarchy!!!

4:09 pm. apparently the virus gets weaker as it passes thru

people. but this is false because all this means is that i have gotten stronger because i am the top seed. LIVIMILLZPRODUCTIONS shall conquer.

4:20 pm. lol blaze it 4:21 pm. just looked at the results from my buddy quiz and found out that laura is a FAKE. snakes in the grass keep it short.

7:17 sword sheath.

must. master. the. recorder.

HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE THE CAREER CENTER

BY PHILIP MARKS

40 lifestyle

H

amilton’s Maurice Horowitch Career Center is perhaps the most advertised tool the college offers to its students. Among other things, the Career Center runs frequent workshops on career advice and networking, employs many peer advisors, and connects students to their own professional career advisor. It was this last opportunity that I was interested in exploring, as at some point during my Hamilton career I had engaged with both of the other main functions of the Center. To briefly touch on those experiences: I completed the Explore workshops to gain access to the Alumni Directory (which I suggest everyone do), and I had a peer mentor help me improve my resume.

While those experiences were useful, I wondered if the Career Center had more to offer. By the time I requested my first meeting with my professional advisor, Janine Oliver, I was midway through my internship search for this summer. I had sent in some applications, but I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. In hindsight, this is probably the best mentality with which you can go into the Career Center.

Frankly, if you expect the Career Center to find you a job then you will be disappointed. However, if you accept that that onus is on you, then the Career Center can be a great tool. In our thirty-minute meeting, Ms. Oliver and I recrafted my process for finding a job. She reminded me that often times connections can get you further than merit, and that I should be looking for organizations that interest me instead of specific jobs. She recommended idealist.org to me as a place where I could go to explore different organizations. She helped me think about what drives me, rather than where I would like to go.

Unfortunately, I am still unemployed. However, after our meeting, my search has broadened and I have a better understanding of what I would like to do, and how to get there. Of course, I would not recommend every Career Center tool or event. The other day I chose to take a nap over going to one of those “How I Got My Internship” panels I had planned on attending. Something to consider, however, is that your professional advisor is someone whose job it is to care about your future. Realistically, the only other people on the planet who operate in that capacity are your parents. So, why would you not meet with them?

On a broader spectrum, your advisor is just one of the many avenues through which you can explore the Career Center. Up until this meeting, I had never even been to their physical location (3rd floor Bristol—a very aesthetically pleasing place, I must say). Even their website, Handshake, is loaded with useful information. So, my best advice is to dabble—click on any interesting email titles, attend a random workshop on LinkedIn, or set up a meeting with your advisor.

You will come out with something useful.

lifestyle 41

OFF-CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT:

entertainment

saranac brewery tour

42 entertainment

A

s second-semester seniors, my friends and I have been trying to cross off items on our Hamilton bucket lists before we graduate. Touring the Saranac Brewery in Utica was high on the list, and it did not disappoint. For just five dollars—exactly the price of a Saranac Legacy IPA at the Little Pub—you can tour the entire facility and score a free drink (or two or three) at the end. In other words, this is a great way to spend five dollars.

Our guide Erica was witty and patient with our endless questions and banter. She first took us through some of the historic rooms of the brewery, which were very fancy. The wallpaper was $100 a square, and there was a $2 million grandfather clock bolted to the floor. We got the rundown of the FX Matt dynasty. Francis Xavier Matt immigrated from Germany to Utica in 1880 and started working for the Charles Bierbauer Brewery. He eventually purchased the Brewery and renamed it to The West End Brewing Company in 1888. His grandson FX II eventually took over the brewery, renaming it to the FX Matt Brewery and beginning the Saranac line. The current owners, Nick Matt and Fred Matt, have modernized the brewery and established greener initiatives like recycling used grain as cattle feed.

One of my favorite parts of the tour was learning about the history of Prohibition in Utica. Saranac stayed afloat during Prohibition by selling soft drinks and non-alcoholic beer (complete with instructions on how to make it alcoholic). We learned about the speakeasy at the brewery, where the password to get in was original “Joe sent me” but then evolved to “Shoelace sent me”. An employee of the brewery who had connections in DC got the inside scoop that prohibition was ending, and so the brewery was able to sell the first beer, a Utica Club, within an hour of the repeal of the 21st amendment.

It was fascinating to see the operations side of things as well.

When sipping a beer, you don’t always think about the facilities and labor behind it, but brewing is quite an extensive process.

Between aging, carbonating, storage, and adding hops, it takes about 3-4 months to make a batch of beer. With massive copper storage tanks, pipes and hoses running everywhere, automated bottling machines, and smells of fermentation, seeing the factory was truly a Willy Wonka experience. My biggest takeaway from the tour was that Saranac is a company that genuinely cares about the quality of the product and the community it sells to. When a fire broke out in the bottling room in 2008, the company suffered $10 million in damages (including the destruction of the famous Saranac trolley). The firefighters who worked that day putting out the fire now get free Saranac beer for life, which is pretty awesome.

The tour ended in the tasting room. Everyone begins the tour with one drink token, but you can earn tokens throughout the tour by answering trivia questions. As a group, we ended up with a lot of these magic tokens and got to try just about every beer on tap! It was a great end to the tour, and I am still shocked that the whole experience was just $5. So head over to Saranac Brewery, bring your friends, and prepare to have a really fun couple of hours!

entertainment 43

ALUMNI IN THE ARTS

By Charlotte Zonis

Hamilton College prides itself on offering a diverse liberal arts education, sending its alumni into the real world with a passion for creativity and intellectual thought. That’s why Hamilton is able to boast a rich alumni network and the variety of industries within its reach. Hamilton alumni have an especially wide success in the Arts, working in the film industry, as producers and actors, the fashion industry, in editorials, as graphic designers and much more. The Continental reached out to some recent alumni working in the Arts and asked how their experience at Hamilton fueled their desire to work in a creative field post-graduation. Here are responses from Anne Ashley ‘81, a graphic designer and illustrator working at Pixelmap Creations, and Ali Gay ‘17, who works as an E-Commerce Copywriter, Ready to Wear at Barneys (and is also a past editor-in-chief at The Continental!).

Ali Gay

E-Commerce Copywriter, Ready to Wear at Barneys

I’ve always been creative-minded. Given the choice between completing a math problem and writing a short story, I’d select the latter every time. My creative nature and a deep need for showcasing my authentic self to the world have manifested throughout my life in two forms – one, through a love of the written word; and two, through an eclectic, fun, and fabulous wardrobe. Words and clothes have been my two favorite things since I first got a handle on the English alphabet – and once I was allowed to shop for myself after several years of my mother dressing my twin sister and me in coordinating outfits…Cute? Sure. Fabulous? Not so much.

One of the primary reasons for my enrollment at Hamilton was the institution’s concentration on elegant and effective writing. I ultimately became a Creative Writing major. While I read classics and learned and analyzed the methods of the Greats in my literature classes, I spent my time in my creative writing workshops crafting witty, playful, and dramatic short stories and poems in the genres that had always appealed to me as a reader – coming of age stories, romance, suspense, and mystery.

That’s half of the story, though. I had plenty of reading and writing assignments to keep me busy on the Hill, but my education in the ins-and-outs of the fashion industry came through another part of my Hamilton experience – my decision to spend the spring semester of my junior year in the Big Apple as part of Hamilton’s New York City Program. I had the fortune of securing my first fashion internship at Tory Burch the previous summer thanks to the Hamilton network (Tory Burch’s nephew is none other than Thomas Isen ’15), and thus I was able to continue my time with the company when I returned to New York in the spring, as the internship experience is the primary focus of the New York City program. My time at Tory Burch and my following internship with Surface Magazine (also made possible by Hamilton’s rich alumni network) focused on the intersection of writing and aesthetics in the realm of copywriting and editorial work.

Today, I have the pleasure of merging my love for the written word and eye for style as an e-commerce ready-to-wear copywriter in Barneys New York’s web studio. To put it simply, I spend my days surrounded by, and writing about, the world’s most beautiful pieces of clothing, crafting product descriptions about each blouse, dress, or necktie that touch on the craftsmanship of the garment, but also how each piece represents the artistic approach of the designer who created them. I’m very confident that I would not be where I am today had it not been for my time at Hamilton. This special school enabled me to hone my expository skills, connect with bright, impactful individuals who helped to get me “in the room where it happens”, and moreover evolve into a woman with the skills, confidence, and ambition to go and get what she wants.

44 entertainment

Anne Ashley Principal Creative at Pixelmap Creations

A few of the works that were in my senior show demonstrate skill and mastery in delivering a concise experience. The Silk Dragon still life had an unusual depth for the shallow depth depicted.

Spring Reflection was about that moment when the ice has melted and things are just waking up, distant brambles faded and ravaged by winter. Thicket was an imagined space, dappled light penetrating into an environment that is reassuring and a bit threatening at the same time. If you could see them in person, you would notice the different techniques employed in creating them. I made an etching related to Thicket, and the etching was more effective at conveying the mood I was after. In art and science, failure walks beside you.

Creating things for other people, to their aesthetic and to solve their problem, continues to stretch my creative muscles. I bring a full quiver of options, skills, and a flexible creative approach to business solutions. When I have to give something a push in another direction, I can provide stakeholders a context to understand my suggestion. A well-rounded education develops the learning mindset and critical thinking to establish yourself wherever you may be drawn next.

At Hamilton, I had a chance to shine in a comfortably competitive environment. I found that if you have an interest in something, the pursuit of that interest is supported, whatever your major. I graduated with Departmental Honors in art, and I was always gently pushed to stretch my thinking and skills. Professor William Salzillo asked me to apply for a summer fellowship in my Junior year. I submitted my application, was selected, and it was a fantastic opportunity to work with an outstanding peer group from art schools across the country. Some of my favorite Hamilton classes: Lithography, Life Drawing, Painting, The Idea of the Family through History, Art History, Physics for Poets, and the Fundamentals of Music.

In my career, I have worked in architecture, engineering, biotechnology, technology, publishing, and high tech. Being able to build connections across diverse problem sets and come up with ideas that clients love is directly related to my education at Hamilton. I cannot remember taking a single course that did not pull in subject matter from other disciplines. Like social media and networking nodes, the world becomes a place of directions and relationships with bridges to change.

My primary function at Pixelmap Creations is to generate the visual content needed by sales and marketing to reach their respective customers. Clients have come to me with just their words: chosen business name, description of their product or service. Branding is both a process and a result. Establishing the personality of the business is important. I ask probing questions about how they work, who their customers are, what challenges they’ve experienced and how they are different from their competitors.

My education and experience are fundamental to moving the work from napkin sketch to fully fleshed out business entity.

There are millions of design options and configurations to explore. The color palette, fonts, languages, a range of collateral needs, photography, illustration, print, digital goals. My expertise is to use instinct and logical critical connections to discover a few choices that resonate with the client.

entertainment 45

The girls guide to Setting Up Her Own Drum Kit

By Sam Fogel

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A new generation of Hamilton College students brings with them an influx of student bands on campus. While these bands breathe life and color back into weekends on the hill, they also bring something more complicated: gender dynamics. Sadye Bobbette ’21 and Julia Opatrny ’20 both play in Hamilton’s only all-women band, Yonic Youth. Opatrny also plays drums for another campus band, Jwuice. Bobbette plays keys for yet another, Otis Shanty. However, as the only women in both these bands, Opatrny and Bobbette explain why these rehearsals feel a little different from rehearsals for Yonic Youth.

Bobbette and Opatrny draw comparisons in their experiences playing for both Yonic Youth and their other bands. While affectionately referring to their male bandmates as “their brothers,” they both agree on the initial integration into predominantly male bands had its challenges. Both joining after the bands had already formed and established, Opatrny and Bobbette say the first few practices were tough to not feel like they were an afterthought. Opatrny is quick to note that Juice made her feel far more welcome even in the first few weeks than her last experience as the only female drummer in the Hamilton College jazz band, a toxic environment in which Opatrny was often “shown how it’s done,” and received little support or encouragement. Being the only woman, coupled with constant comparison and criticism led to a sense of alienation.

“I got in the mindset that I wasn’t good enough. I never felt like I belonged there,” Opatrny explains. While they also both joined Yonic after its inception, the vibe felt different, the inclusivity of an all-women band immediately easing any feelings of not belonging.

Bobbette and Opatrny notice other differences in the behaviors of Yonic Youth and their other bands. With its political statement, Yonic Youth has something to prove. Rehearsals are structured and organized with a clear goal at the outset.

Rehearsals for Juice and Otis Shanty are often looser, with jam sessions for one song sometimes going for 20 minutes at a time. Opatrny and Bobbette explain that rehearsals for Yonic Youth are stricter because there’s a pressure as the only all-women band to prove that they’re just as talented. “It’s not a bad thing to have confidence when you’re going up on stage,” Bobbette explains, “We just don’t think [the all-male bands] ever felt the same pressure to prove themselves.”

Opatrny and Bobbette are careful to emphasize the kindness and awareness their bandmates hold. This, however, sometimes turns into a hyper-awareness. Opatrny and Bobbette both laugh about times they’ve been physically barred from setting up or carrying their instruments because of men wanting to do it for them. “I know they’re just trying to be nice, but there’s a fine line between chivalry and mansplaining,” Bobbette laughingly explains. “I can carry it,” she says with a slightly more serious face.

Empowerment feels different for these women playing in both bands. In Yonic Youth, the empowerment feels like a social achievement. They both explain that an all women band is something that should be happening, and they’re happy to be a part of the movement. However, Opatrny says being the only woman in Juice feels like a personal achievement.

Especially after her experience in jazz band, Opatrny feels as though playing in Juice is proof of what women musicians can do. “Go me!” she says with a smile. Pioneering the way, Opatrny and Bobbette bravely represent the feminine future for bands on Hamilton’s campus.

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GOVERNMENT

BY MAGGIE LUDDY

T

SHUTDOWn

his past August I accepted my dream internship in the Public Integrity Section of the Department of Justice. I’ve known I wanted to work in the Department of Justice since I was 8 years old, and the opportunity to study in Washington, D.C. and work alongside federal prosecutors in the criminal division was wildly exciting. In the weeks leading up to my intake day, I received a call from my supervisor in which he informed me that the department was not sure if the partial government shutdown would affect my internship. On the day I moved into my apartment, I got an email from my supervisor breaking the news that I would be unable to start my internship. I was crushed.

While my classmates went off to their exciting internships, I sat out the first week, patiently awaiting the reopening of the government. By the end of the first week, I had to find something to do in order to get credit for the program. I contacted George Baker ‘74, and he graciously offered me an interim position at Williams and Jensen, a lobbying firm. Once I began working in The District, I got a reality check, realizing that although the shutdown’s effect on my dream internship was sad, my loss was minuscule when compared to the hundreds of thousands of workers and families who were hurt by the 35-day long shutdown.

The 16 of us in the program discussed extensively the implications of the shutdown. It is one thing to be able to read The Washington Post and theorizes about the shutdown in a government class at Hamilton. It is another to feel the effects of an entire city shut down.

During our first discussion-based class, we contemplated the consequences of our Constitution on our democratic system. While Trump buckling under public pressure proved the power of the House, the increasing tendency of our leaders to use shutdowns to get their way rather than negotiating across the aisle calls into question our ability to be an effective liberal democracy. News of 800,000 people out of work, a federal employee having to ration insulin, and thousands of people — federal employees unable to pay rent and those living in government-subsidized housing — faced with eviction notices, presumably should not be happening in a liberal democracy. The checks and balances written into the Constitution produced great democratic institutions, in theory.

Checks and balances have long been celebrated as a foundational aspect of the success of “the American Experiment”, but the Trump Presidency may prove the theory shared by many scholars of comparative politics: systems like ours, where power is separated between executive and legislative entities, are more likely to collapse into dictatorship.

Nancy Pelosi “won” this round, but at what cost? There were no winners in this shutdown. Rather, the detrimental impact in the domestic and international arenas alike emphasize a central issue of American governance: chaos ensues in a system operating under a Constitution that was written for an entirely different time.

The shutdown ended on January 29th and I finally got to start my internship two days later. Being able to report to this awesome internship every day, finally being able to experience museums on the weekends, and seeing the revival of the city has made this program everything I hoped it would be. While the shutdown had detrimental ramifications, the experience of being in D.C. during such a historic period is unparalleled.

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Photo taken by literature/disabilities professor Clare Mullaney.

The girl in the photo is Trish Gagnon ‘19, a student here at Hamilton who made a protest last semester (Fall 2018) about Hamilton being inaccessible to students with disabilities by laying down on the stairs of several buildings on campus for many hours during the day.

BECAUSE HAMILTON IS

[INACCESSIBLE]

BY TRISH GAGNON

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I

find that I get a little philosophical when I’m laying on stairs in front of buildings, bundled against the cold.

Mostly, I wonder about the nature of protests, and whether I am the right person to be advocating for people with a physical disability. After all, I’m relatively able-bodied. The last thing I would want is to override the voices of disabled people on campus. And yet, these conversations still need to be had, and if it takes my ability to spark them, so be it. At this point, I’ve laid on stairs in front of or inside about a half dozen buildings around Hamilton’s campus, including in front of Buttrick Hall, home to the President’s Offices.

This project was sparked by my Literature Professors from last semester. Professor Sundar assigned what she called the “Hamilton Project,” where we had to analyze one structure that somehow dictated otherness on campus. I was simultaneously taking Professor Mullaney’s course on disability and figured that combining the two made perfect sense. Taking inspiration from the Capitol Crawl, I decided to lay on steps in order to force bystanders to confront their able-bodiedness. In order to make it clear what I was doing, I also held signs with a variety of slogans. My personal favorite is still “Because Hamilton is Inaccessible.”

The campus is not only inaccessible - it is inaccessible primarily to students. While class buildings are starting to gradually get upgraded, dorms are often left out of the conversation when it comes to accessibility. Skenandoa is the only building on campus with an elevator and large enough doors with accessible bathrooms to enable somebody with a wheelchair or any chronic illness that impacts balance to live comfortably. Yet, Sken is notorious for being halfway down the hill. Its location renders these benefits useless to somebody with a mobility impairment.

This is not to say that it is impossible for people with disabilities to live on campus. Many students who have chronic illnesses such as chronic fatigue are here. While doing this project, I heard about a student who used a wheelchair - only one, and it was some time ago. Numerous other students exist on the spectrum of disability, even in the case of a temporary disability such as injuries. Having more buildings with elevators and easier access would not be the end-all-be-all solution for every disability, but it would be a start for making campus easier to navigate for students who want to be here.

Mental disability in the form of mental illness has been discussed a lot more in the past few years on this campus. Physical disability is equally important and should be getting similar amounts of attention. Especially considering a third of the people on this campus play sports, and injuries can make living here near impossible. Even people who don’t participate in sports (such as myself) could be injured or require surgery. It is so taboo to think of oneself as potentially disabled that the conversation gets avoided. We cannot avoid that conversation any longer - we have to confront the ways our campus is inaccessible, and make it a priority to increase the availability of accessibility for students.

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THE CONTINENTAL @contmag Contmag@hamilton.edu The Continental issuu.com/hamiltoncontinental

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