Four Things I Like and/or Don’t Like

Jake May ’19 -

Last year, editors decreed that I was writing “too many listicles” and that The Amherst Student is a “serious newspaper.” So, this year I am trying to space out my listicles so that it will not be obvious that I am writing too many. After a few weeks of slaving over “real articles,” I feel I’ve built up enough clout to drop one of my beloved “Things I Like and/or Don’t Like” columns. Because as we all know, it is much easier to write a little about a lot of things than a lot about one thing. So, without further ado:

  1. The Lack of the Southern Slam For grilled cheese day at Valentine Dining Hall, the Southern Slam (a “grilled cheese” sandwich with mac n’ cheese and pulled pork) has been replaced with a regular grilled cheese. This makes me very sad. It’s not only that I loved the Southern Slam (which I did, a lot), but that the move to replace that sandwich out of the three just makes no sense. In my experience, it was always the Southern Slam that would run out before the other two options, Green Monster and Vermont Cheddar and Tomato. Why replace the most popular choice?

Furthermore, the Southern Slam was replaced with a plain grilled cheese. Now, I understand that some among us were eager to have a plain grilled cheese option on grilled cheese day. I suppose I can get behind that; however, it still makes no sense that we would have a plain grilled cheese as well as a grilled cheese and tomato. The only difference in these two sandwiches is a couple slices of tomato. Just take them off, or, if the tomato option were the one that were replaced, add some tomato from the sandwich bar. You may be thinking that I care a little too much about this ultimately unremarkable sandwich. Your thinking would be correct.

  1. The New Science Center Last year, I wrote that I was worried about the new Science Center. I thought it was far too large, and would not fit in with the aesthetic of the College. I am writing now to retract this. So far, I have only experienced the New Science Center — the NSC, if you will — in a positive way. In fact, I have even begun to think that it works aesthetically; when criticizing its look last year, I didn’t take into account how close it is to King and Wieland, and to an extent the Greenways. This creates a sort of modern “wing” to campus, into which the NSC fits perfectly.

  2. Discovering New Music Prior to this year, I suppose I hadn’t been actively searching for new music. Many of the bands I already enjoy have massive catalogues (often of taped live concerts), so I rarely have to actually find something new. This year, I decided to actively search for new music, which has been such a joy. It is always thrilling in a way to discover something you really enjoy that you had never encountered previously. A great way to achieve this is to listen to WAMH (89.3 FM). I suggest this not just because I have WAMH shows (I won’t even tell you the times to prove this is not a plug for me), but because no matter what show is on WAMH, it is always interesting to hear what type of music your fellow students are choosing to broadcast.

  3. The Powerhouse It is a real shame that we don’t take advantage of the Powerhouse. It is a great space that should be used for weekend events, whether that takes the form of live music or a DJ’d party. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a cycle in place the last few years wherein a party would be planned, no one would go, and because no one would go people would hear that it was not fun, so no one would go the next time either. Ultimately, this seems to have led to few parties being planned there. Hopefully, the next time a party is planned, students will make the most of it. If lots of people go and the space gets packed, it could be very fun.