Fall 2012

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         No,
Luke,^I am your father.”
Are men more likely than women to accurately recall movie lines? As part of a psychology professor’s research into this question, Angelina Gomez ’14 scrutinized 635 quotes that Amherst students think they know by heart.
By Angelina Gomez ’14

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The Code of Converse
The college entered the age of computing with a bit of a lurch, and it began with a ragtag group of self-taught programmers who hung out in the basement of Converse Hall.
By John B. Bennison ’74

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The Mentor Project
A photographer asked seven alumni—including Teller ’69, Dan Duquette ’80 and Sung-Joo Kim ’81—to describe the mentors who shaped their careers.
Photographs by Tsar Fedorsky ’82

department

Letters

College Row
Shining a spotlight on sexual assault—Ken Howard ’66 is a visiting lecturer—Replacing a gas-guzzler with an electric car—A new Emily Dickinson portrait?—Remembering David Foster Wallace ’85—And more  

Sports
Why Jack Arena ’83 won’t put his hockey trophies on display

Insights
Professor Allen Guttmann interviews for his job.

Amherst Creates
Film: Freak Dance, written and directed by Matt Besser ’89—The economy: The Price of Inequality, by Joseph E. Stiglitz ’64—Politics: Joshua M. Glasser ’10 on George McGovern’s 18-day running mate, Tom Eagleton ’50—What Wendy Woodson is reading—Short Takes

Visit
Picturing Tokyo

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New England Fall Festival Meets Halloween

Close to a thousand students stopped by Valentine Quad on a Sunday afternoon in late October for a fall-themed celebration hosted by President Biddy Martin. The event featured such classics as horse-drawn carriage rides, caramel apples, sack races and pumpkin carving. Many students arrived in costume. Martin wore a feathered mask.

Photo by Rob Mattson