On Tuesday, Jessica Valenti, the author of three books concerning women, sexuality and the double standards in today’s society, as well as an editor at feministing.com, an online feminist blog, presented a lecture entitled “Hooking Up: The Slut vs. The Prude.”
Valenti opened her lecture by asking the audience, “What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘feminist’?”
“Bitch,” came a call from the audience. “Feminazi,” came another. “Hairy.” “Bra-burning lesbians.”
What makes a president? As President Tony Marx’s tenure at the College draws to a close, a reflection on his eight years here begs an answer to this question. One might discuss his work improving campus diversity, reaching out to international students and across socioeconomic divides. Or one might knock off a few thousand words on his dedication to increasing student financial aid.
“We were migrating from Planworld to Facebook when I was in school, and that was basically my experience with tech at Amherst.”
In response to an open letter from Khan Shoieb ’11, in which Shoieb called for college presidents to reclaim their roles as “public intellectuals” and in which he invited President Tony Marx to use the Amherst Political Union (APU) as a forum to address the members of the Amherst community on a topic of his own choosing, Marx spoke at Reflections from a Lame Duck: A Conversation with Tony Marx on Education Reform on Wednesday in the Cole Assembly Room of Converse Hall.
By the time Val’s Iron Chef competition rolls around for the fifth time next year, a new team of cooks will be crowned champions. Obvious as that may seem, it has been anything but a guarantee for the competition’s first four years — the same team, albeit with some slightly different members, has won each year it’s been held.
This is the twenty-second column I’ve written for this newspaper, and the last. Over the past 19 months and 21 columns, I’ve tried to treat my section of the opinion page appropriately. Campus columnist is not a lofty position, so I’ve kept my tone more or less light. But at the same time, not everyone is given ink to spill, so I’ve made efforts at being meaningful.
There is no equity without solidarity, no justice without a social movement. Globalize the notion of basic human dignity. These were the charges Dr. Joia Mukherjee, Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School’s division of Global Health Equity at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, bestowed upon the 250-plus students at GlobeMed’s Global Health Summit in her keynote address. Students from 32 universities across the country converged at Northwestern Univ. for a weekend filled with engaging discussions, interactive panels and inspirational speakers.
