Baseball Ending Shortened Season on High Note with Power Surge

In what quickly became a truncated season due to the college’s closure as a result of fears over COVID-19 and the suspension of spring sports, the base- ball team opened its season with a resounding 14-7 victory over conference opponent Bowdoin last Monday, March 9. Andrew Nagel ’21 received the opening day start for the Mammoths and hit trouble early in the first inning, when the Polar Bears were able to string to- gether two hits to push one run across. The Mammoths would re- spond quickly i

In Wake of COVID-19, Chinese International Students Carry Heavy Burdens

Last month, when Crystal Zhou’s ’21 friend began making plans to head to New York City, she told him to wear a face mask, given the number of confirmed coronavirus (also known as COVID-19) cases in the city. Her friend, who is Chinese, responded, “Well, I don’t want to be shoved off into the subway.” Eddie Shen ’20 had similar conversations before traveling to New York City last week. Several of his friends visited large metropolitan areas like New York City and Boston — both of which have rep

Men’s Lacrosse Members Involved in Racist Incident

Three people — all members of men’s lacrosse — chanted the n-word outside of a Black lacrosse player’s suite on March 7. Provoked, the Black lacrosse player punched one of the teammates chanting the n-word. The Black lacrosse player and the person he was with were the only two Black people in the suite at the time, The Student confirmed with five people with knowledge of the situation. This is the second publicly-addressed hate incident [https://admin.amherststudent.com/2019/03/27/members-of-me

Legacy Admissions Scrutinized in Wake of Varsity Blues

In 2004, around 45 students and parents visited Amherst for what was deemed an “admissions workshop” tailored specifically for alumni and their children. Then-Dean of Admission and Financial Aid Katie Fretwell ’81 answered questions from the group, explaining the application process and the college’s expectations for yield rates. At one point, a visitor raised his hand. “I feel a little bad asking about it, but is there an advantage to a family relationship?” he asked Fretwell. “The director

College Admissions Scandal Provokes Questions About Athletics

In light of Operation Varsity Blues and its fallout — actress Felicity Huffman and 15 others who were implicated in the charges of bribing and/or fraud agreed to plead guilty on Monday, April 8 — The Student examines the implications of the scandal for Amherst College and its admissions practices. This week, we take a look at athletics. The FBI investigation, which was disclosed to the public on March 12, revealed that wealthy, upper-class parents paid anywhere from $500,000 to $6.5 million to

Admissions Scandal Highlights Wealth Disparities at Amherst

Colleges and universities across the country were embroiled in scandal on March 12 when federal prosecutors disclosed charges against more than 50 people involved in a conspiracy to bribe college officials and inflate students’ test scores. Wealthy, upper-class parents were revealed to have paid anywhere from $500,000 to $6.5 million to William “Rick” Singer, who operated two firms involved in the scheme, to guarantee their children’s admissions into top schools including USC, Stanford, Yale, Ha