The Spectator - Opinion archive

Opinion

Utica Observer-Dispatch taints Hamilton’s reputation

September 4, 2014

Last week’s Utica Observer-Dispatch was an utterly shocking display of journalistic incompetence. On Aug. 29, Alissa Scott wrote a front-page article originally titled, “Hamilton College Ranks High on Sex Offenses.” The headline changed when it was posted on the Internet. The article attempts to use empirical facts in order to portray Hamilton as being worse than other peer institutions at handling sexual abuse violations. What it actually does is distort data in order to lay an alarmist claim that Hamilton is an outlier in sexual assault among small New York colleges. More ...

Advising changes improve academic structure, encourage balanced curriculum

May 9, 2014

The advising experience for the Class of 2018 will be vastly different from that of prior classes. With early registration and summer advising, the first-years will get a head start on college life. As part of the first-year experience, advising is getting an overhaul starting with the summer advising tour. Due to the several advising issues following since the school’s switch to an open curriculum, the new advising system is tailored to encourage first-years to take classes from four different subjects and to start planning for college before they even arrive. More ...

Will Greek life bans reduce sexual assault?

May 9, 2014

On May 6, the Amherst College Board of Trustees announced that it would institute a policy preventing students from joining both fraternities and sororities on and off campus, beginning this July. This ban came into existence due to the high number of sexual assault and rape cases being reported on campus. More ...

Hammywood: Cinema & Media Studies concentration increases student opportunities

May 9, 2014

As an article in this issue of The Spectator has already addressed, next year Hamiltonians will be able to concentrate in Cinema & Media Studies, thanks to a unanimous vote by members of the faculty. In case you didn’t read the other article, here’s the nutshell: it will be an interdisciplinary major that will take advantage of the new Kennedy Arts Center and reflects a strong interest in film and cinema already present on campus. However, what does this reflect about Hamilton’s academic culture, specifically in the context of the liberal arts? More ...

Housing lottery creates unnecessary drama

May 1, 2014

Tucked between students’ return back to campus and the upcoming final exams and papers, the housing lottery serves as a prime example of Hamilton’s over-bureaucratic nonsense adding unnecessary stress to students’ already hectic lives. Res Life has created a system in which students must plan for any and all possible scenarios while constantly being left in the dark about exactly what is going on. On Sunday, that system came crumbling down and left me and others like me confused, angry and placed in an unjust situation. More ...

Is Hamilton wasting its money on banners?

May 1, 2014

Anyone who uses Martin’s Way to get across campus has probably noticed the recent addition of banners attached to the lampposts. They alternate between buff and blue and feature the College’s motto, “Know Thyself”, and phrases from its constitution such as “Cultural Diversity” and “Creativity.” More ...

Communication and consent are key in hookup culture

May 1, 2014

As part of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Andrew Austin ’14 and Hannah Tessler ’14 gave a very poignant presentation on consent at Hamilton. Their goal was to “establish the importance of clear consent and clarification in a hookup situation in order to prevent sexual assault.” More ...

Community should focus on stopping vandalism

April 24, 2014

On April 23, students received yet another all campus email reporting incidents of vandalism. In the last semester, Campus Safety reported damage to Sadove, residence halls, the library and academic buildings. This damage has now extended to include Professor “Doc” Woods’ car. While destroying academic buildings is a problem, the fact that this issue has reached faculty property is even more unacceptable. The Student Assembly campaign that will be rolled out soon may be too little, too late. More ...

Administration should address coaching diversity

April 24, 2014

It has now been half a century since the passage of the Civil Rights Act. Americans should use this important milestone as an opportunity not only to look back on how far we have come, but also to consider how far we still have to go. More ...

Students must learn to listen to each other

April 24, 2014

Hamilton College bills itself as a place where students learn to “find their voices.” We certainly do our share of talking. Students coming into Hamilton learn to express thoughts from the vantage point of their “perspective,” a loosely-defined term that seems to incorporate the speaker’s race, class, sexuality, religion or anything else that might constitute the speaker’s “intersectional identity.” More ...