The Amherst Student’s editors, writers and staff have long prided ourselves on the independent nature of our student-run newspaper — since 1868, in fact. By “independent,” we mean that The Student was not funded by the school and that our all-volunteer team has worked hard to cover our own costs of printing, shipping to subscribers and distribution. While many other schools’ newspapers either started as school-funded projects or shifted to this model, The Student had managed to maintain its independence.
The most infuriating thing about Donald Trump is that he is a bigoted, racist, sexist husk of a man who has more business being behind bars than being behind the Resolute Desk. The second most infuriating thing to me is Trump and his constituents’ constant hypocrisy.
At Amherst — where exceptional students are met with exceptionally high expectations — the work we do is often endless and the pressures we face can become overwhelming. Stress becomes a neutral state of being as sleep slips away at the hands of problem sets, papers and club meetings. The times when we can be alone and free of preoccupation, when we can be still, become a rarity. Moments of introspection and reflection can be few and far between.
To the Amherst Community:
I am writing in response to flyers recently posted on campus and student concern expressed in a recent issue of The Student asserting that the Office of Financial Aid (OFA) has inequitably served low-income students. For both current and future Amherst students, these actions, which included disrespectful comments about the OFA staff, have created the very real possibility of actually limiting important access to financial resources. I believe that that outcome is not what anyone connected to Amherst desires.
Correction: The original version of this article contained several inaccuracies. Amherst is not directly invested in private prisons, though it does invest in companies with holdings in private prisons. Additionally, the original article stated that 14% of the College's endowment is invested in fossil fuels. This was based on a misreading of the 2016 Sustainability Report. Amherst invests about 7% of its endowment in natural resources, which includes significant investments besides nonrenewable energy. Both these mistakes have been corrected. The author regrets these inaccuracies.
Just last month, an adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Dark Tower” came into theatres to no one’s acclaim and Idris Elba’s immediate regret. In true Stephen King fashion, the story follows a middle-class, white, American boy’s journey into the netherworld and adulthood, climaxing in a fantastical battle with Matthew McConaughey where childlike wonder and innocence triumphs adult cynicism. What disappointed was not the destination but the halting, screeching stops and turns it made along the way.
Matt Spicer’s film “Ingrid Goes West” opens with emojis and hashtags flashing across the screen, all of the ingredients for a perfect Instagram post. But when a “#perfect” wedding ends with the bride getting pepper-sprayed in the eyes, it becomes clear that this film mocks social media culture and the insincerity it creates.
