We here at the Indicator recognize that the rift between Amherst’s students and its administration is growing every single day. Given our reputation as the “Undisputed #1 Best Voice of Amherst College” (look it up), we, here at the Indicator understand that we have a responsibility to aid in the mending of this rift. That’s…Continue Reading Dean Dean Gendron’s Party Tips
Month: March 2018
Misty
For my dog, upon her seventh birthday She does not run as fast as she once did. Still, her legs swing like furry pendulums, Tiny chest seeming to graze the ground as She sprints after a wayward tennis ball. The sound of knocking at the door used to Make her leap down from…Continue Reading Misty
Violence and Control
In the wake of the terrible shooting that took place in Florida a few weeks ago, I’d like to talk briefly about the difference between violence and control—there is no difference. Violence is control. Control is violence. Guns are violence, just as are hateful words. Telling someone they’re not good enough is violence, as is…Continue Reading Violence and Control
Flightless Bird
It was about 6:15 a.m. on Wednesday, February 21st, and 61-year-old Don McCevoy was following the perimeter of the New Science Building. He walked with a slight limp, which he’s had for years, the result of some long-forgotten injury. Don wore old jeans and a bright blue windbreaker. He swept a cane from left to…Continue Reading Flightless Bird
#MeToo: What Now?
On January 20th, I took to the streets of New York City, protesting alongside 200,000 other feminists, demanding equality in the second annual Women’s March. With the recent onslaught of sexual assault accusations, beginning with Weinstein and permeating out of LA and into our daily lives, the March could not have come at a more…Continue Reading #MeToo: What Now?
A Letter to Power
To Power: I saw you in my memories the other day. They were of my father and the stories he told me as a child, oral histories and old tales shipped express from his life in Ghana. I remember the Ashanti queens, such strong and powerful leaders, and the warriors with bodies coated in gold. I…Continue Reading A Letter to Power
Power in My Mother’s Hands
“I’m shutting down the business.” A few weeks ago, I received the most crushing news. Recalling it still introduces a heaviness into my limbs, the weight of loss and defeat. My mother told me her news casually, casually enough that I cannot quite remember the details now–was it over text? Were we seated at the…Continue Reading Power in My Mother’s Hands
Accommodations and Accessibility
Content warning: institutional violence The following is a pastiche of content from The Amherst Student, exchanges over Facebook message, academic works, and thoughts. All quoted material appears in italics. This year, ResLife is trying out a program called Early Room Selection. The goal of the system is to create “an ethical and transparent process…Continue Reading Accommodations and Accessibility
Word-Pain Rising
I see the abyss before me, and it glows pixelated-white. I want to reach out, caress it… caress it like I might a cat—except this cat is deranged, with the cold eyes of an unrepentant killer. I anticipated an amicable response to my offering of friendship, and now I shudder beneath the weight of lightning-bolt pangs…Continue Reading Word-Pain Rising
Power Outage
Nearly 5 months after Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico, hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans – American citizens – remain without power. It is the biggest blackout in U.S. History and still some homes are not anticipated to regain power until May. Emergency efforts dealing with power devastation following the hurricane were…Continue Reading Power Outage