Natalie Millis



= Division III =

This article is part of a Climax Div III Issue. By Josh Schneider, Arts &amp; Entertainment Editor.

“Pretentious, right?” Asks Millis of her Div III title, The Doctor’s Long Shadow: Medicine, Manifest Destiny, and Women’s Bodies on the Reservation. To the contrary, Millis, an EMt from Lo Mejor, CO brings a focus to the oppressive qualities of the federally instituted Native American health care plan. In her own words, “It’s about the Indian Health Service, a federal system of clinics that give free health care to all enrolled Native American tribal members throughout the US. My project examines the colonial roots of this organization and how they have informed the modern Federal doctor-Indian patient relationship. Use of Foucault’s articulations of the physical manifestations of power was more or less obligatory, unfortunately… hence the title…”

Recalling her earliest memories of Hampshire life, Millis relates stories of community and flavor. “Bumming a cigarette from Thanasi on the first day of orientation after realizing that I’d need to carry a variety of hot sauces in my bag to every meal in SAgA.” Millis looks back on her first year fondly, explaining, “There were a lot of good times in general.” As for advice to Hampshire students, Millis again urges community participation. “Drop your assumptions,” says Millis. “Reach out to your neighbors.”

Community and peer cooperation fascinate Millis. When asked what the promising pre-med student will miss most, she responded, “I always enjoyed the sociological lessons and political parables inherent in a 10-person mod whose common areas have deteriorated past the point of livability because all other modmates appear to have been raised by nannies or indulgent mothers who did all the cooking and cleaning for them, and are thus devoid of any inclination to do these things themselves. The constant possibility of conversation and/or adventure at any time of day or night. The particular camaraderie of misery that develops during the epic hard times.”

After school, Millis has big plans to hike the Appalachian Trail from Virginia to Georgia. She then plans to take up residence with her sister, find work as an EMt, and raise money for med-school applications and MCAt prep classes. On a closing note, Millis offered her views on Hampshire. “If this place is going to go anywhere, students need to step up to challenge themselves, their peers, and the administration EVERY DAY. To lose the bullshit and work towards making this place an effective platform for useful knowledge, discourse, and social change in all of its manifestations…But bad jokes like that aside, I sincerely think the school should be moved somewhere that doesn’t have so many unfortunate characteristics, such as horrific weather approx. 80% of the time, proximity to Amherst College, and regional cuisine that appears to be completely devoid of flavor.”