On Thursday, the 20th, the Women’s Group held a Val-Sit and discussion in the back room of Val. We put up pieces of paper and markers on several of the tables. Questions were written on the paper like, “How do the social spaces on campus make you feel?” “What spaces belong to women on campus”…Continue Reading Taking Up Space at Amherst
Month: October 2016
Top 8 Val Tips For Freshmen
We here at The Indicator like to make sure that all members of our community, especially those of us who are new here, are taking full advantage of what our great dining hall has to offer. There are a lot of tips and tricks that can take you from Traditional-Line-Every-Day shmoe to Valentine Dining Hall…Continue Reading Top 8 Val Tips For Freshmen
Look
Look where I am, Ma A sunset soul wandering Transplanted, like a heart This isn’t anything like home, Ma…Continue Reading Look
Time’s Fool
‘You shut your fucking mouth Travers,’ he says, but not angrily or loudly, he says it firmly and resolutely and self-assuredly, even repeating, in a low, nodding murmur to himself, ‘you shut your fucking mouth.’ No one over the age of twenty-two has made eye contact in what seems like years….Continue Reading Time’s Fool
Cougar Blues
“I’m a Bond girl!” The gangly freshman boy, clad only in a women’s lacy slip dress and voluptuous blonde wig, twirled around, gesturing at the homemade “007 girl” sign affixed to his rear. “See?” he yelped triumphantly, then scurried away….Continue Reading Cougar Blues
Greenway: Not the Only Way
Clearly, there has been a lot of careful thought put into the ongoing changes to our campus. As Biddy Martin writes on the Amherst website, “The Greenway recognizes the importance of the Amherst landscape and builds upon our tradition of rigorous academics balanced by quality of place.” This statement demonstrates an understanding of the importance…Continue Reading Greenway: Not the Only Way
Droughts: the Elephant in the Room
About twelve miles from the Amherst campus lies the Quabbin reservoir, where outdoor enthusiasts go fishing, canoeing and hiking. However, this merry recreation cloaks the reservoir’s checkered history. Quabbin was dug in 1938 as a water supply to meet the rising demands of Boston. Its construction submerged the four towns of Dana, Enfield, Greenwich, and Prescott….Continue Reading Droughts: the Elephant in the Room
Shades of Yellow
Nobody wants to talk about Asians. As neither the majority nor the true minority, we lie somewhere in limbo, as model minorities—a minority viewed as more successful than average in society. Statistically, we thrive economically in comparison to other racial groups and are overrepresented in professional-managerial work in the United States. As a result, our struggles…Continue Reading Shades of Yellow
Pills and Patches and Rings! Oh My!
In a typical day, the brainspace of Amherst stu- dents is taken up by many things: stress about the upcoming Econ Midterm or Anthro paper, curiosity about the next time Val will have Egg McCharlies, excitement about this weekend’s mixer, and countless other thoughts, ranging from mundane to profound. But there’s one subject taking up a…Continue Reading Pills and Patches and Rings! Oh My!
Interviews with Turkish Classmates
Idil Özdemir, Class of 2019 On the government’s use of religion during the coup: “When the coup happened, I was actually far away from Istanbul and Ankara, where you could feel the jets and the bombing. But what I learned that was particularly dystopic about the whole night of the coup was the nonstop prayers…Continue Reading Interviews with Turkish Classmates
A View From the Turkish Coup
For most people, both within Turkey and outside, the military coup attempt on the night of July 15th was the last thing anybody expected….Continue Reading A View From the Turkish Coup
Facebook Activism: Beyond the Like
During the summer, a recent Amherst graduate shared an article on Facebook about the black rights movement. As usual, I read the accompanying quote, skimmed the article, and tossed the post a like….Continue Reading Facebook Activism: Beyond the Like
Clash of the Coasts
In the weeks leading up to my move from California to Massachusetts, my parents continuously asked if I was at all nervous. And every time I simply thought, why would I be? I’m just going to school on another coast with students from all over the place? I thought I wouldn’t be in for any…Continue Reading Clash of the Coasts
Crohn-sitioning
The transition to college, a rite of passage for many, represents the final shedding of the vestiges of childhood. Teary parents deposit their progeny in an alien environment teeming with ice cream socials and deluges of information sessions. These teenagers, equipped with their smartphones and freshly minted student IDs, must navigate a novel social atmosphere…Continue Reading Crohn-sitioning
Letters from Tyler
Dearest Companion, I have received your most recent correspon- dence and I regret to inform you that I am unable to attend your formal gathering— which you have so delicately titled “Getting Hammered”—at your domicile, located so conveniently within the veritable confines of Amherst College campus. I’m afraid, dear friend, I am somewhere far far…Continue Reading Letters from Tyler