The Spectator - Opinion - Hamilton College

Kim’s talk guided students to compassion

February 4, 2016

On Tuesday, January 26, founder and publisher of the popular online feminist magazine Everyday Feminism Sandra Kim came to Hamilton to talk about how we, as students, can take an intersectional approach to ending sexual assault and domestic violence in our campus community. Given that one-in-four women and one-in-16 men will become victims of sexual assault at some point in their lives, it is important for us to have workshops like these. Sometimes, however, people are very reluctant to talk about sexual assault because of the sensitive nature of the topic. So the most pressing question is how can we create a community within this campus in which we can provide support for our fellow students who have been victims of sexual assault? If one of your friends told you that they were a victim of sexual assault, what would you say? It can be difficult to know how to react in such a situation, but Sandra Kim, who has extensive experience working with victims of sexual violence, stated that the most important thing to do is to listen. More ...

Shifting activism, shifty allies

February 4, 2016

James Baldwin once said, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” In this day and age, many individuals have dedicated their time and lives towards the deconstruction of the current power structures that are present within the world. All of this is done in the hopes of achieving equality for all people, all cultures and all identities. More ...

Debating Jitney downtown policies

February 4, 2016

Absurd rules will be dangerous by Emily Tubb ’19 Jitney rules old news by Gabe Rivas ’16 More ...

New security policies seem reasonable

January 28, 2016

Over winter break, Fran Manfredo, the director of campus safety, emailed students with some new security policies for the spring semester. Among these policies was a ban on hoverboards along with the installation of new security cameras in public areas across the Hamilton campus. More ...

Cass brings refreshing climate change view

January 28, 2016

“Using renewable water bottles and carpooling is not going to affect climate change...Investment in solar and wind energy is counterproductive to the global efforts to mitigate climate change.” These are not statements that are frequently heard on an elite liberal arts campus. They were, however, the exact types of statements that Oren Cass made in his presentation, “Play-Acting on Climate Change: The Futility and Farce of Global Negotiations,” on Monday, Jan. 27. The message did not sit particularly well with many of the students who had packed into the Red Pit to hear Cass speak. However, Cass’ perspective is important, and, quite frankly, refreshing on a campus where the talk on the issue of climate change is so narrowly focused and single-minded. More ...

Letter to the editor

January 28, 2016

To the Editors: In the 10 December issue of The Spectator, Lucas Phillips interviewed Joan Hinde Stewart on “controversies” that occurred during her presidency. He asks her several questions about the fate of what was once called the Alexander Hamilton Center for the Study of Western Civilization.... More ...

In defense of The Movement and its goals

December 10, 2015

“Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty, as well as by the abuses of power.” Thus wrote James Madison, chief advocate and principal author of the Bill of Rights in the sixty-third Federalist Paper. Two and a quarter centuries have passed, but Madison’s now-forgotten words still ring true. It is difficult not to draw parallels between my peers who rally around the right to be racist and those who opposed the abolition of the slave trade or the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as infringements upon free trade. Historically, progress has hinged on finding an ethical balance between the ideals of liberty and equity. How can a society or an institution ever become just without restricting unjust action? As Americans, it is our duty to exercise our liberties with consideration for the welfare of our fellow citizens, including those who are members of minority populations, and to see that others do the same. A responsible citizen must not only question whether they can say or do something, but whether or not they should. That line of inquiry must itself be informed by introspection on both individual and communal levels: introspection that is sorely lacking from the discourse surrounding The Movement’s list of demands. More ...

What counter-terrorism means to an American Muslim

December 10, 2015

While I was apprehensive for many months, the increasing tension surrounding Muslims in this country has made me decide it was time to share my personal account of dealing with the United States Customs and Border Patrol Office, while returning from Morocco this past May after a semester abroad. More ...

Climate change sets apart 2016 candidates

December 10, 2015

Climate change is an important issue that people need to take more seriously. Like the proponents of the tobacco industry in the late 20th century, who did not believe that smoking cigarettes causes cancer, some people do not believe in climate change. Republican Senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz claims that “climate change is not science—it’s religion.” More ...

Questioning The Movement’s myriad demands

December 3, 2015

It is always hard to come back after Thanksgiving Break with the anticipation of finals just around the corner. But the most difficult part of this year’s return was the bombardment of politicized conversation catalyzed by The Movement’s release of a thorough list of demands on Tuesday. The Movement, whose mission is to “ensure Equality, promote Agency, Serve and Protect all students, and foster Safe Spaces” has already become a large, albeit anonymous, presence on campus through its organization of a “Stand-In in Solidarity” and many posters and fliers around campus. More ...