Let Them Give Light to the World

Do you remember how the campus felt during the first few weeks of last year? In the aftermath of the trustees’ decision on fraternities, the contentious presidential elections and in the midst of all that tension with Amherst’s administrators? It made me think senior year was going to be an absolute crawl, through two semesters of perpetual angst with a collapse — no, an escape — at graduation. I was wrong. I was wrong not because of some sudden turnaround of the decision on fraternities, a some

Taking Control of the Amherst Narrative

I think everyone in the Amherst community would agree that what is worse than having a little-known name is having a bad name. Now, explaining why Amherst is so great is hard, and in the highly competitive college admissions race it seems what we’ve been pitching is “things won’t get worse,” rather than “things are better than ever.” Amherst College is one of the best educational institutions in the world, but who would believe us now? This year we have a chance to act, to take control of this n

Our Obligation to Amherst

Let me put this question to you, Amherst: did you come to the College to buy an education or to collectively build one? I believe that this captures much of what is wrong at Amherst, of the disease that is driving the tension between the administration, Board of Trustees and students. This disease, this misunderstanding of what it is that we are fundamentally doing at the college, is pulling us further down year by year. Add to this the perception (and often reality) that student opinion counts

The Need For a Boy Scout

The Arizona Republican debate a few weeks ago illustrated some interesting things. Certainly much of the usual sparring ensued, but there was something Rick Santorum said which could potentially have a massive impact on the GOP and presidential race. Though he may not realize this, he finally got the Conservative message right. Santorum had made some controversial statements on contraception in the preceding weeks and was asked to clarify his position by the moderator. Birth control, of course,

The Final Challenge

Leaders face numerous challenges. One challenge that seems to escape the glamour of recognition, however, is the challenge of giving up one’s own leadership. This is one of the toughest challenges any leader can face, and it is the final struggle. After he has battled all the external forces that prevent him from achieving his goal, this leader realizes that he himself is an obstacle to progress. But why does mastering oneself, when one has presumably already mastered one’s environment, prove

Two Paths Forward

Progress in the United States (or more specifically, progress in Congress) seems nearly impossible when we look at the deadlock that has plagued Obama’s presidency. The underlying fear is that President Obama, if re-elected, will be unable to unite the country and get anything done. The time for unity in this saga, however, is long gone. America is at crossroads, and the outcome of this election will be crucial. The first choice we have features the President being re-elected with a Democrat