“Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Leaves Unforgettable Impact

In the opening scene of “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” we see the titular portrait — a distanced, nighttime image of a woman who is staring at us while her dress begins to catch flames. The image lasts only for a moment, however, and we are immediately sent on a flashback, helplessly dependent on a retelling of the past. And yet, this helplessness moves us to reach for connection and provokes us to feel. Brief, precious glimpses of a look here and a touch there pull us in while maintaining the sp

Life(-giving) Sentences: Movement Through Intimacy

As part of the Visiting Writers Series at UMass Amherst, poet and writer Ocean Vuong came to the university’s Fine Arts Center on Thursday night to read from his debut novel “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” As the audience streamed into the massive hall, the air fluttered with excitement. But as Vuong came to the podium and prepared to speak, his small frame jutting out against the expansive stage, everything grew still. His voice was smooth as stone — its sound touched me before his words did

Transforming the World Through Empathy

The first thing Sarah Wagner ’80 told me after we started our Skype call was that she was honored, but didn’t know why I had chosen to write about her. “I mean … I haven’t written a novel or anything like that!” she said, laughing. But after hearing her unravel stories of her lifelong philanthropy and dedication to others, as well as speaking with family and friends who raved about her kindness and intelligence, it became clear that Wagner simply was, as I had suspected, incredibly humble. A d

Harvard Ruling Affirmed by College

Last week, the college welcomed the district court’s ruling in a highly-anticipated case, which decided that Harvard does not discriminate against Asian-American applicants in its admissions process and that race-conscious admissions is constitutional. The decision, announced on Oct. 1, comes nearly five years after the group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a complaint against Harvard in 2014. SFFA alleged that Harvard violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 on four counts:

Mead Receives Anonymous Donation of Over 170 Works

This fall, the Mead Art Museum will celebrate a recent donation of over 170 works of contemporary art in the exhibition “Starting Something New: Recent Contemporary Art Acquisitions and Gifts.” Approximately 50 of the gifted artworks, all from an anonymous donor, will be on display. “It’s a really significant gift for us,” the Mead’s Director and Chief Curator David E. Little said in a phone interview. “I would say, without a doubt, that this is one of the largest donations that we’ve received

Empathetic Care from a Versatile Mind

Sarah Wishloff ’19 has many talents — almost too many to keep track of. Her older brother, Thomas Wishloff, said that “growing up with Sarah [was] incredibly rewarding as [I was] very much aware of just how talented she is at multiple things, [whether] it [be] swimming, violin, schoolwork, social activism or something I never noticed and she was secretly the best in the world at it.” From her constant involvement in various research projects to her leadership in advocating for mental health aw

The BTS Effect: Why We All Should Be Part of the ARMY

The first time I really started to pay attention to the K-pop boy band BTS was when they performed “DNA” at the 2017 American Music Awards (AMAs). I’d always had a cynical view of K-pop: picture-perfect idols, usually teenagers, who’d spent their entire lives ruthlessly preparing for a debut, singing catchy but ultimately empty tunes about love. Without actually listening to any of their music, I assumed BTS would have similar songs and messages to most K-pop and didn’t understand why the grou

The Fallacy of Meritocracy

“I do want the experience of like, gamedays, partying … I don’t really care about school, as you guys all know” says Olivia Giannulli, YouTube star known as Olivia Jade and daughter of actress Lori Loughlin, in one of her videos. When news first broke of the recent college admissions scandal, I was unsurprised by the information that the college admissions process is rigged for the rich. The question I kept returning to, however, was why? The children involved in the investigation (known interna

Ariana Grande is Unapologetic in New Album “thank u, next”

While accepting her award for Billboard Woman of the Year on Dec. 6, 2018, Ariana Grande remarked that “[she] find[s] it interesting that this has been one of the best years of [her] career and the worst of [her] life.” Undoubtedly, she has dealt with an insurmountable amount of pain — suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after the bombing at her Manchester concert in May 2017 killed 22 people, ending her relationship with rapper Mac Miller after his continued struggle with substance abuse

Journalist Brings Humor to Politics and Finance

Bess Levin ’06 always knew she wanted to write. She had a natural ability for noticing often-overlooked characteristics, and incorporating them into her stories in a unique way. After graduation, she began writing about Wall Street for the online publication Dealbreaker, becoming editor-in-chief after just two years. Now, Levin writes for Vanity Fair, covering politics and finance. As an expert journalist on the craziness of the Donald Trump presidency and Wall Street, she brings humor to the s

Harvard Lawsuit Raises Potential Threat to Affirmative Action

A lawsuit alleging that Harvard’s admissions process discriminates against Asian-American applicants began its trial on Oct. 15 in the federal district court of Massachusetts in Boston. The case, which became national news after the group Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) filed a complaint against Harvard in 2014, has the potential to change how colleges and universities use affirmative action practices in their admissions process. In its lawsuit, SFFA argues that Harvard illegally engages in

Confluences Creates a Space for Celebration of Multilingualism

Confluences: Lost & Found in Translation, founded in April 2018 by Hapshiba Kwon ’20, Aqiil Gopee ’20 and Emily Merriman, a Writing Center associate and advisor, is a new magazine that celebrates multilingualism. Featuring articles and translations by students, staff and faculty who have multilingual experiences, the magazine aims to recognize that the Amherst campus is a space where a multitude of languages converge to create experiences, subjectivities and worldviews. Speaking to this, one o

Familiar Story, Unfamiliar Faces: “Crazy Rich Asians” Triumphs

Based on Kevin Kwan’s 2013 bestseller of the same name, “Crazy Rich Asians” tells the story of Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an economics professor at New York University who was born and raised in Queens, and her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding). When Nick asks Rachel to accompany him to Nick’s best friend’s wedding in his home country of Singapore, she accepts, excited to visit Asia for the first time and meet Nick’s family — not knowing what’s in store for her. Once they arrive, Rachel soo

Arts @ Amherst Generates Student Interest in Campus Creativity

Arts @ Amherst Advocates is a student group that gathers student artists together to network and collaborate, while also spreading awareness about arts events happening on our campus. The club meets Wednesdays at 8 p.m. in Webster 2. Arts Coordinator for the Arts at Amherst Initiative Lauren Horn ’17 is the head of the club. When we met, she had just come from settling two guest artists in at Marsh House. The arts have always been a part of Horn’s life “in some way or another,” whether it be d