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Opinion

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Butterflies and Orientation Trips

September 15, 2016

I fell asleep on the way back from my orientation trip. As the van made its way home passing through the corn fields on both sides of the road, I relived the many incredible moments with my newly acquainted friends in dreams. All the events manifested in the form of a slideshow as I experienced torrents of emotion all over again. It was only when the trip was near its end that I realized how much I wished it could last and how it triggered an epiphany unexpectedly. More ...

Diversity Requirement needs to be given a chance to prove itself before we condemn it

September 8, 2016

In the Sept. 1 issue, The Spectator published an article by Charles D. Dunst ’18 titled “Diversity Requirement is antithetical to Hamilton’s promise,” in which he forcefully stated his opposition to Hamilton’s new diversity requirement—that students must take one diversity course in their chosen concentration during their college career. More ...

Wippman: the students' president

September 1, 2016

This week, our editor-in-chief interviewed David Wippman, the new President of Hamilton College. The interview reflected not only the general direction President Wippman hopes to take during his tenure but also his character. It is perhaps timely to scrutinize his comments, so that we may ponder and suggest solutions in regards to the various challenges facing the Hamilton community. More ...

The Soapbox: Media representation at the Rio Olympics

September 1, 2016

It should not come as a shock to anyone that the 2016 Rio Olympics were a mess. This year, I was too busy to watch the games as fanatically as I had in the past, so I just watched the post-midnight pro- gramming with Ryan Seacrest, instead. His program covered such titillating demonstrations of athleticism as table tennis and women’s archery. My brother kept me updated on all the big events like Simone Biles’ gymnastic perfection and Michael Phelps’ countless Gold medals. However, the unavoidable news cov- erage of the Olympics did not have anything to do with the events. Instead, it focused on how shock- ingly unprepared Rio was to host the games. Such stories were being published way before the games had even begun with the all-too-real fear of Zika and the State proclaiming a “state of public calamity” that might cause the city to collapse in funds and public security. More ...

Diversity Requirement is antithetical to Hamilton's promise

September 1, 2016

Beginning with the incoming Class of 2020, every matriculating Hamilton student will be required to take one diversity course within their chosen concentration. The announcement, made last spring, has been generally celebrated by the college community and by media sources, such as NPR, although its has been widely derided outside of progressive circles. In an attempt satisfy progressive students and teachers, Hamilton has essentially created safe spaces for these same progressives, limiting free speech and open discourse in the process. Furthermore, by failing to effectively define “diversity,” Hamilton has gifted its professors the right to radically experiment in a way which will affect the entire student body. More ...

A response to transphobia in the Enquiry

April 28, 2016

To the writer of the April 25 Enquiry article entitled “North Carolina Law Protects Women:" More ...

The gross irony of Harriet Tubman’s place on the twenty dollar bill

April 28, 2016

On Wed. April 20, Secretary Jacob J. Lew of the United States Treasury announced that Harriet Tubman, an ex-slave who returned to the South and guided over 100 other slaves to freedom, will be joining former president Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Many were pleased by the news, seeing Tubman’s inclusion as a welcome step toward fair and equal representation for women and black historical figures. Noble though the motivations behind it may have been, the decision to place Tubman on our currency demonstrates profound ignorance of the racial oppression upon which American prosperity is dependent. More ...

A call to digitize housing lottery

April 28, 2016

Everyone on campus knows that the housing lottery is horrendous. It’s a stressful time of year that causes a lot of campus contention and drama. How can we change this process? More ...

Anxiety on the Hill

April 28, 2016

When I was younger, everyone told me “College is the greatest time of your life!” I had this picture in my mind that it was all fun—a time of no rules or responsibilities. But, as I got closer to my “amazing college years,” I came upon my own realization: college can be both the greatest and most difficult time of your life. When I received my acceptance letter from Hamilton, it all became real to me and I recognized both my excitement and dread. Fear arose within me because I knew that I would experience all the typical struggles of a college student, but also the added problem of the unwanted companion I’ve had to deal with most of my life: my mental illness More ...

Absence lets the mind wander

April 21, 2016

How does student activism impact a campus? Does activism lead to change and growth? Or is this activism viewed with a level of disdain from those who feel naught but apathy? More ...