Who Are “Climate Refugees”?

Contributing writers Tara Alahakoon ’25 and Mohamed Ramy ’18 discuss the importance of recognizing “climate refugees,” people who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to the increasingly negative effects of climate change.

Reflections on Accessibility to Healthcare in America

Who has access to good healthcare? Who finds it difficult to go to the emergency department? Why? Who has found the lack of representation in a hospital a deterrent to pursuing treatment? These questions puzzled me for so long. Only this summer, through the volunteer program Project Healthcare (PHC) at Bellevue Hospital, did I finally have the opportunity to observe the treatment of a diverse patient population in a major city. Let me begin this by saying that the previous year witnessed the d

An Absent Conversation: Trump and the Arab-Israeli Conflict

I woke up in a state of stunned horror the morning after Donald Trump became President-elect: The States elected a man who is accused of multiple accounts of sexual assault and is an inspiration for growing white nationalist movements. To take my mind off of things, I decided to pick up the Amherst Student to read the opinion section. As I turned the pages of the newspaper, I saw a “Birthright” ad, which is always extremely uncomfortable for me to see as an Arab, especially because it tries to m

A Compulsory Identity: What are Middle-Easterners?

“I didn’t choose Colgate University because it’s white-dominated,” I told a friend. I said this because I, an Egyptian, an Arab, a Middle-Easterner, would not have been comfortable in a space with lack of representation and an implied obligation to answer an endless stream of questions about my region. She laughed awkwardly, asked if I was afraid of white people and said that I look white. I was instantly confused and wondered why she said what she did. She knows where I’m from. Yes, I am white-

Sorrentino’s Latest Offers a Commentary on the Fickleness of Youth

Life can feel either short or infinite. In our twilight years, people often reflect on their early life as if it is in the distant past. However, “Youth,” written and directed by the talented director Paolo Sorrentino, reminds us that our youthful years unexpectedly manifest throughout our lifetime and to cherish every breathing moment — and that now is the time to be alive. Set in a luxurious resort in the Swiss Alps, “Youth” features two old best friends, Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine), a ret

Calling for Justice

After biology lab on Thursday, I walked into Frost not expecting much as the memory of Day of Dialogue was still fresh. Filled with people mostly dressed in black, Frost had been claimed as a political space: Amherst students had transformed the physical space of Frost into a home, a political arena and a model of a new Amherst, ushering in a new set of Amherst values and an unprecedented political awakening amongst many. When I asked people what they thought about the sit-in, some people respon

Relationships or Fifth Courses?

A great woman once told me, “Love is co-existence and not co-dependence.” I firmly believe that one of the fundamentals of any healthy relationship is allowing your partner to exist independently of the relationship; otherwise, it would never amount to love, but would rather be a battle for power. Fortunately, many Amherst students share my opinion. Nevertheless, I often hear my peers make the following statement: “Well, relationships are like fifth courses.” Whenever I hear this, I cringe: Why

A Hopeful Romantic

Ever since I was young, I was fascinated by the idea of true love. With my parents as the love model I would grow to most fervently admire, I was bound to have unreal expectations. They met at a young age, fell head over heels for one another and continue to be happily married. Without doubt, their passion always seemed to be capable of great action, and it was inconspicuous that they quarreled. Growing up listening to Arabic and English love songs being played frequently, on road trips and in t

Finding One's Voice

David Brooks recently wrote an article for the New York Times called “The Moral Bucket List.” In it, he describes coming across people who “see life as a moral drama and feel fulfilled only when they are enmeshed in a struggle on behalf of some ideal.” He concludes, “those are the people we want to be.” But how do we do this? As Amherst students, we are always trying to push the envelope of experience, but we often forget to make time to find our passions and our voice. With many possible extr

Onism Or the Awareness of How Little Of the World You'll Experience

s there a reason why we waste time? We are all familiar with the phrase “You should be doing something useful with your life!” While studying in Keefe Science Library, I often stop my work and watch an episode of “How I Met Your Mother” or just a few YouTube videos. Sure, I get my work done, but I do wander. As travelers in search of signification, we tend to some studies and readings as more momentous; indeed, anything now and then seems more interesting than that chapter of chemistry reading!

Finding Home An Ocean Away From Home

Amherst’s community has a certain uniqueness: Though diverse, it acts as a unit. I never thought that such a community could exist because I have seen that differences usually breed conflicts. I did not write this article to praise the Admissions Office on their selections, although they are indeed worthy of it. Instead, this article is about the loneliness experienced by some international students on this campus in spite of everything, and about the unbearable pain of internal conflicts — it i

Surprise: Val is Actually Good

“The food is edible.” “I just think it’s a step-up from my high school cafeteria, but it’s definitely a step-down from household food.” “It’s satisfactory.” These were the responses I received from students when asked what their views were of the food at Valentine Hall. They may seem reasonable to many, but not to me: I think the food is phenomenal! Now, before you laugh or disregard my hyperbole ­— as it is to some — let me discourse my reasons for this opinion: 1. Val tries: Truthfully, e