Staff Spotlight: Emily Jones

Photo courtesy of Maria Stenzel.Emily Jones is the director of health services. In that role, she helps operate the health center, among other tasks. Q: What did you do before you came to the college? A: I’m starting my fifth year here at Amherst. I’m actually an Amherst native, so I decided to come home. But prior to this, I had spent about seven years in New Hampshire. There I was doing primary care at Primary Care Sports Medicine, some student health with St. Paul School and consulting wit

An Examination of Non-Dairy Milks: Is Oat the GOAT?

At the end of 2018, a shortage of Oatly, the oat milk brand that sky-rocketed in popularity two years prior, caused an outcry in New York City. In 2019, I poured a hefty serving of oat milk into jasmine green tea at Valentine Dining Hall and found my next favorite latte add-in. But all new trends should be questioned. Oat milk is just the latest star in the non-dairy milk market. Food Navigator-USA, a leading online news source for the food industry, reported that plant-based milk sales in the U

Advocating for a Cleaner and Healthier World

Hawley Truax ’85 lives up to the multifaceted and truth-seeking attributes expected of an Amherst student. He is driven by a wide range of interests, from the arts to the environment, and a commitment to truly understanding the world around him. Amherst’s intellectual atmosphere, which Truax embraced, enabled him to engage with systems on local, regional and national levels later in his career. He has worked as an editor and a government planner, and has influenced environmental movements in No

Michael Winograd Plays Klezmer Music in Northampton

With purple lights running down the velvet curtains behind the band, Michael Winograd and The Honorable Mentshn, opened to an intimate crowd at The Parlor Room in Northampton last Wednesday. It took only seconds for the room to burst open with the lively rhythm and brassy trills of a genre based in tradition and innovation. Winograd, the renowned klezmer clarinetist and composer, was touring work from his latest album, “Kosher Style,” released this June. Joining him on stage were Daniel Blacks

In Defense of Printing Your Mediocre Smartphone Photos

In November 2017, The New Yorker published a piece on photographer Josephine Sittenfeld’s series “Reunion,” which recreates college-era images of her friends when they meet back up at a reunion. The images are unflashy and direct, calling forth a haunting nostalgia for their former selves. Around the same time that November, I started taking advantage of CVS photo discounts and printing images from my iPhone 6 into 4×6 glossy stacks. Detailed in each batch are the glowing faces of my friends, pe

Unconventional Christmas Movies to Watch This Holiday Season

It’s almost December, which means it’s officially the perfect time to stream holiday movies. While there are so many heartwarming, self-proclaimed holiday movies to return to on winter nights, the movies in which the holiday itself fades into the background are often the ones that most invigorate us with a warmth and nostalgia for the season. There’s no reason to stay boxed into the Hallmark genre when such great holiday moments can be found in Oscar-nominated dramas, cult classics and eccentri

“A Star is Born” Unexpectedly Overcomes Potential for Cliche

The decision to remake “A Star Is Born” was, frankly, questionable. Bradley Cooper’s directorial debut starring Lady Gaga and Cooper himself was a fourth take on the story after previous iterations in 1937, 1954 and 1976. The choice falls squarely in line with the recent Hollywood trend of cashing safe bets on nostalgic remakes. The film itself is an age-old story of show-biz, with some new tweaks: well-established country-rock musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) happens upon Ally (Lady Gaga

“Eighth Grade” Honestly Explores Modern Middle School Life

I had expected to cringe at the inevitable awkwardness I knew I’d find in the movie “Eighth Grade.” However, I was thoroughly surprised to find myself cringing in response to much deeper themes of anxiety and uncertainty, which are at the height of that period of braces, backpacks and awkward photos we all banish from memory. “Eighth Grade,” released this July, follows eighth-grader Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher) as she approaches her graduation from middle school. It’s an impressive debut for direc

A Look at Upcoming Fall Concerts in the Massachusetts Area

A veritable cornucopia of music is coming to the Massachusetts area this fall, with everyone from popstars to established rock artists to up-and-coming musicians on display. Learning to navigate the local music scene is not high on anyone’s orientation priority list, so we’ve decided to do the work for you. Here are some fall music events that are accessible from Amherst and should not be missed. Big Names in BostonThough Boston can sometimes feel far away from the Amherst bubble, it’s a very m

Dorm Room Decor that Will Brighten Gray Wintry Weather

The naïve December belief that we will never tire of the snow has disappeared while we forge ahead into the late stages of the Massachusetts winter. Despite our best efforts to stay inside, burrowing in with windows shut and the heat turned up as high as possible is only conducive to intense stuffiness and cabin fever. While a home that consists of one room will always have its limitations, it’s important that we find the spaces we live in to be habitable and comforting. Whether in the smell of

“Call Me By Your Name” Beautifully Depicts Budding Young Love

In the dreary wet days of January, perhaps the best antidote to the worry and disillusionment of this season lies in Luca Guadagnino’s newest film “Call Me by Your Name.” Beautiful scenes of Northern Italy — the cerulean blue of the Mediterranean and lush green groves that shimmer through the hazy summer heat like an impressionist painting — splash across the screen throughout the movie. It’s nearly impossible not to fall in love with the Italian coast, and this tantalizing vision of scenic blis