April 11, 2013 - Issue 10

Student Newspaper of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

For more content, visit online at: beacon.mcla.edu

North Adams, Mass.

Volume 77 ◆ Issue 10

Th u r s d ay, A p r i l 1 1 , 2 0 1 3

Congressman Neal visits Science Center

By Andrew Hodgson Staff Writer

Principal Group looks at Hoosic River Green Living Seminar looks at revitalizing the waterway News, page 3

FPA student looks at acting career Joshua Lapierre shares his plethora of talents in the arts Arts & Entertainment, page 6

On Monday, Congressman Richard E. Neal met with a political science class, toured the under-construction science center, and spoke with a group of students and faculty along with president Mary Grant about their experiences abroad this past year.

The last leg of the congressman’s tour of the College, before speaking at in Williamstown, began with discussion about the recent trip to Haiti led by professor Melanie Mowinski, her third trip to the impoverished island-nation. The congressman arrived 20 minutes after he was scheduled to, and with calculated charm, made it seem like the only right time to arrive.

“The idea is to bring students to places where they normally wouldn’t get to go,” Mowinkski explained to Neal. The trip to Haiti was designed to immerse students in the art culture of the island, according to Mowinski.

Ever the political operator, Neal took an opening to praise the U.S. diplomatic core, calling them as

By Jack Guerino Staff Writer

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff

Neal is congressman of the 1st district of Massachusetts. “really second to none.”

Trying to loosen up the room, Neal pointed out that one of the eight students was a constituent of his from Dudley, Mass. “I am?

Okay,” she stammered. The socially nimble Neal saved her, “You’re

supposed to say what a great job I’m doing,” he joked.

Being true to his Irish-American heritage with a strong sense CONGRESSMAN, continued on page 3

Bowman to be renovated in fall

Men’s Tennis falls short to Green Mountain Last Thursday’s final score was 6-3 against Eagles Sports, page 9

News 2-5 Arts & Entertainment 6-7 Sports 8-9 Opinion 10 Fun & Games 11 Photo Essay 12

twitter.com/ BeaconMCLA_EIC facebook.com/ MCLABeacon

Professor uses online game to teach philosophy

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff

The interior of the new Science and Innovation Center as of April 8.

By Ryan Flynn

Senior News Editor With the new Science Center ready to run in September, Bowman will be shut down and under-going renovations after its opening.

“Once the Science Center is done, we’re going to renovate Bowman,” said Vice President of Administration and Finance James Stakenas.

Stakenas noted that the new Science Center will include new office desks, furniture, flume hoods, safety stations, dishwashers, and a phone system.

With $30 million in construction and a total cost of $40 million, Stakenas noted that new facilities for the sciences were absolutely necessary.

“Murdock is a nice classroom building and we’d

[like] all our facilities to look just as nice as Murdock” The electrical work, plumbing, flooring for the hallways, and insulation for the building have all been completed, but obviously there is still work to be done. He did note that there is some equipment they felt wasn’t necessary to update, such as microscopes. Stakenas said they’re making sure science professors and students are getting everything they need.

“We’re going to make sure that the building is fully equipped,” he said.

Biology, physics, chemistry and even psychology SCIENCE, continued on page 5

Philosophy Professor Gerol Petruzella recently presented his game-driven introductory philosophy course, “Dungeons and Discourse,” at the South by Southwest trade show in Austin, Tx. The show encompassed technology, media, and education. Petruzella sat on a panel discussing combining gaming and education where he explained his game driven curriculum.

Petruzella said the panel received a very positive response.

“We had limited time to present so we told the audience to hold their questions until the end,” Petruzella said. “They didn’t, they jumped in, so it was neat and exciting to see the positive reaction.”

Petruzella offers a philosophy course that is based on a role playing game with a Dungeons and Dragons template. Petruzella utilizes Canvas to connect students to the online environment called “Sophos.” Students employ a large map split up into regions representing major sections in philosophy.

Petruzella has provided the mythology and backstory for the narrative the students or “travelers” participate in.

“The land has been taken over by the Dread Aesiphron,” Petruzella said. “Our job is to go through the regions, complete the quests, help people along the way, collect objects, and untimely dispose of the Dread Aesiphron.

He explained students do not need to buy textbooks for the class, but instead find scrolls throughout the game with philosophical material in the context of the challenges.

“I put a great deal of effort into developing the back story in the game world which was fun, that’s the point of engagement,” Petruzella said.

Petruzella added that the idea of applying gaming to education has been around for a while, but implementation of the game is most important.

“Most of the time, classes have a game they play once in a while,” Petruzella said. “This is not very effective, but if the course itself is the game rather than having the game sitting inside the course it’s more authentic.”

Students play the game on their own time at their own pace.

When the class meets twice a week Petruzella takes on the role of a merchant in the “market place of ideas.”

“We don’t talk about what hapGAME, continued on page 4

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News

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Public Safety Logs Monday, April 1 10:51 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a drug offense in the Flagg Townhouses, report was filed.

11:06 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a forgery attempt in the Campus Center, fraud was further investigated.

Tuesday, April 2 11:38 a.m. – Public Safety responded to unwanted guest in the Campus Center, subjects were warned.

Wednesday, April 3 10:49 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a fire alarm in the Flagg Townhouses, alarm was false.

7:28 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a drug offense in the Hoosac Hall, report was completed.

Thursday, April 4 6:10 p.m. – Public Safety responded to an assault call in Hoosac Hall, subject was warned.

Friday, April 5 2:03 a.m. – Public Safety responded to suspicious activity on Blackinton Street, warning was issued.

12:05 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a forgery attempt at 375 Church Street, fraud was further investigated.

1:03 p.m. – Public Safety responded to suspicious activity in Berkshire Towers, report was filed.

Saturday, April 6 8:56 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a fire Alarm in Berkshire Towers, alarm was accidental.

Beacon.mcla.edu

College looks to replace FirstClass

p.m. in Sullivan Lounge to answer any questions about the process or the draft of the report.

By Chris Goodell Staff Writer

Chief Information Officer Curt King addressed the Student Government Association (SGA) Monday night concerning discussions to implement a new email system at the College.

According to King, the College is looking for a system with features such as a more modern interface, more storage space, and the ability to connect to social networks. The current FirstClass system is becoming outdated, King said.

“It’s not really keeping up with where we are and where we want to go at the College,” King said.

The College is currently compiling a list of the necessary requirement for the new system as well as looking for student input and representation on an advisory committee. Once the choices for a new system are narrowed down, the College will hold demonstrations and testing periods for the campus community to provide input on the final decision.

Senator Stephan Rochefort noted that while FirstClass currently has a number of those necessary requirements, they are not always easily accessible. King agreed.

“There’s no doubt that FirstClass has the proper pieces,” King said. “[But] it’s a little clunky; the interface is a little old.”

“We’re moving in the direction of more Cloud-based services,”

The FirstClass e-mail client is trying to be replaced in favor of a more modern program with better privacy features.

King added. This will address what King called one of the most important factors in the decisionmaking process: available storage space.

King said that Google’s Gmail service is being considered for its storage space capabilities and other important functions.

Senator Catt Chaput brought up the privacy concerns with Gmail, noting that Google requires some personal information in setting up an account.

King said that privacy and security concerns were another major factor in choosing a new email service.

“As soon as you outsource your eail system you’re dependent on someone else,” King said.

NEASC update Cynthia Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs, and Celia Norcross, director of Student Development, presented

an update on the self-study process, a comprehensive review completed every 10 years as part of the reaccreditation process by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

The self-study process, which began in February 2012, examines 11 standards at the College. Each standard was divided into a team, with approximately 100 College community members, including faculty, staff, administration, and students, comprising these standard teams.

“We’re a small place, but we do a lot,” Brown said. “There is a lot that goes on, so how do we keep that going?”

A working draft of the report is available at mcla.edu/neasc2013.

Brown and Norcross encourage anyone with input on the report to email their thoughts to NEASC2013@mcla.edu.

A town hall-style meeting will be held on Friday, April 19 at 3

SGA constitution Parliamentarian Brycen Waters presented further revisions to the SGA constitution, including the removal of a clause to allow the Student Trustee to also be elected to a position on the senate or the SGA Executive Board. Waters said on behalf of the Executive Board that they believed holding both positions could create a conflict of interest.

Several senators, however, believed that a student should be allowed to be both the Student Trustee and hold a position on the senate or Executive Board.

Chaput said that if the student body chooses to elect someone to both positions, they should be allowed to hold both. Rochefort agreed, saying that since both positions are elected by the students to serve the students, there would not be a conflict.

The senate passed a motion 5-4 in favor of adding the clause to allow a student to hold both positions. Senators Rochefort and Alyson Stoltz abstained since both are running for the Student Trustee position in the upcoming elections on April 17 and 18.

However, SGA President Jason Brown vetoed this decision. A final vote on whether to overturn the veto and to accept the overall revisions to the constitution was postponed until the April 22 SGA meeting.

Nominations in, election to be held

By Nick Arena

Managing Editor The nomination papers are in and the Student Government Association (SGA) is looking to the campus community for support in the upcoming election.

According to Public Relations Chairperson Jake Powers, there will be no primary held and elections will take place April 17 and 18.

“There is not going to be a primary, so that means there’s no more than two people running for one position,” SGA President Jason Brown said.

Brown added that all SGA positions are available to vote upon, but in order for SGA to function it will require voting on the presidential position, the executive

vice president (EVP), the coordinating vice president (CVP), and any senators – class, specialty, or at large.

“In order to have an SGA we need to have a president, an EVP and CVP, and the rest of the cabinet will be appointed,” he said.

“Technically trustee doesn’t need to be voted on to have an SGA, because it’s a part of SGA as it acts as a liaison, but it’s only welcome if the president wants them to be there.”

Each position holds certain responsibilities among the SGA cabinet, according to Brown.

“SGA president is the chief spokesperson for the organization and sets the agenda for the meetings and each of the cabinet positions have a list of designated

tasks,” he said. “The coordinating vice president’s primary responsibilities are to oversee clubs and organizations, and the executive vice president’s are to oversee SGA and all of the executive related matters, they would also fulfill the duties of the president in his or her absence.”

He continued, saying senators oversee the student activity fee’s allocation, while also working on behalf of their constituents in the student body.

The type of senator changes what portion of the student body they support. For example, senators-at-large focus on the whole campus community, whereas class senators focus on their specific class, and specialty senators, like commuter senators, would

focus on members of their specific group.

“I was very excited to see the number of nomination papers that were taken out, unfortunately not all of the nomination papers were returned,” Brown said.

The primary reason students did not return their nominations papers was due to conflicts they may have in the upcoming semester with classes and other clubs.

According to Brown, not all positions will be voted on this semester, and any empty senate seats will be voted on in the first few weeks of the fall semester.

“If the constitution and by-laws are amended for SGA there may also be a resident-student seat available in the fall semester as well,” he added.

Weekend Weather 4/11 - 4/14 Thursday, April 11

Friday, April 12

Saturday, April 13

Sunday, April 14

Showers High: 48° Low: 36° Precip. Chance: 60%

Rain High: 48° Low: 34° Precip. Chance: 60%

Showers High: 49° Low: 30° Precip. Chance: 20%

Partly Cloudy High: 51° Low: 32° Precip. Chance: 0%

local.msn.com/weather

News

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

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Placed-based prosperity lecture addresses HRR

Photos by Kacie Clark/Beacon Staff

Left: Russell Preston, design director at Principle Group, presented a lecture on revitalizing downtown.

Right: Cindy Delpapa, of the non-profit group Hoosic River Revival, lectures on possible design options for the flood chutes in North Adams.

By Andrew Hodgson Staff Writer

Thursday’s Green Living Seminar led off with a presentation by Russell Preston, design director for Principal Group, a company which specializes in urban revitalization.

Most of Preston’s wisdom involved anecdotal examples from his eight years on a project to revitalize Providence, RI’s downtown.

When they began, “The river was paved over; it was a dump,” admitted Preston.

Preston began by asking this question: what makes an authentic place?

The answer, according to Preston, can be boiled down to people and spaces. The people begin with a passionate art scene and what Preston terms “makers.” This

stage of revitalization seems to capture the current state of North Adams today. These makers help to develop what Preston calls place-making, or the uncovering of a local community’s assets.

Then these creative, focused people come together and use tactical urbanism to express community values. In Providence, Preston told of an artist who held an unsanctioned event to set bonfires on the Providence river.

The event, now known as WaterFire, became a community staple, and helped bring the river into the neighborhood’s identity again.

“Now they set up plazas and festivals every week or so over the summer,” he said, and it all began with one small group setting fires in a river.

Preston added that something

Congressman speaks of experiences abroad CONGRESSMAN, continued from page 1 of his roots in Ireland, Neal lit up as students described their experiences on their trip to Ireland with professor Anthony Daly. He emphasized the need for further integration in Ireland and took the opportunity to emphasize the need for public education in a nation torn in half for almost a century. He urged students to think of Irish history as “a model of reconciliation”.

“We’ve decommissioned the weaponry now we have to decommission their hearts,” Neal said of the current state of British-Irish relations. Neal spoke from the perspective of someone very close to Irish and Irish-American politics. He made reference to his use

of “the North of Ireland” instead of the pro-British “Northern Ireland”. While Neal held court a few aides paced the perimeter of the room, eyes glued to handheld devices of all sizes and makes.

After a girl described the black taxi tours in Ireland, “There was a time when taxis wouldn’t take you to nationalist areas,” Neal pointed out, “symbols run deep.” He warned students to appreciate the struggles of history that afforded them the ability to even cross into the North of Ireland at all.

At the urging of one aide Neal made a graceful exit, and headed on to the Williamstown League of Voters, never losing that signature warm smile.

as simple as a public bocce ball court was powerful leverage in Providence to get the community involved and make the neighborhood seem more cohesive.

“The mall is over, the more authentic beer garden is in,” Preston declared with conviction. “Give people unique opportunities to be involved in the community.”

Preston described how revitalization concepts have changed.

“Your classic economic development is elephant hunting—going out and getting a large corporation,” he said. The climate now is more grassroots. “People are calling it “gardening”; going out and cultivating all the unique creative companies that are there already,” Preston said.

Preston’s final point was that any revitalization movement needs passionate people who care about the community.

“Don’t look to government to fix all this,” he warned.

The second portion of the presentation was given by two representatives of the Hoosic River Revival (HRR), a local group focused on redesigning the current Hoosic river as it passes through North Adams in flood chutes, which some consider to be unappealing.

“It looks more like a drainage ditch [than a river],” Cindy Delpapa, HRR member, said of the chutes.

The HRR thinks that North Adams is similar to Providence in that, “The river [in this case the Hoosic] is the compelling reason to re-develop downtown providence,” as Preston described it.

The group hopes to take a similar approach to what Principal Group did for the Providence River to revitalize North Adams and the river itself.

“We’re trying to create a river that is organic, that is host to liv-

ing creatures,” Stevens described the HRR’s goal to the crowd.

“The Hoosic is one of the only cold water fisheries in Massachusetts because of the naturally cold temperature,” Stevens mentioned.

This unique characteristic might be used as both a reason to revitalize the river and a tool to attract people to it.

The third speaker of the evening was Cindy Delpapa.

The crowd craned curious necks at the several maps at the front of the room, showing the 60-year-old concrete flood chutes.

“These two-and-a-half miles of concrete are a biological desert,” Delpapa pointed out that only the most basic algae can live in the chutes.

The changes, proposed by an all-volunteer group led by Judy Burnell, allow for the current chutes to be used for flood control, but also re-route the river in several areas that would allow for community interaction with the river and flood control.

The proposed changes will be discussed in a public meeting

held by the HRR in June.

“They are not in any imminent danger of collapse,” Delpapa said.

She added that it is better to plan rather than react in crisis.

The current design was implemented in the 1950’s, when the US Army Corps of Engineers built the flood chutes to prevent floods.

Delpapa argues that the mindset has changed.

“Now we can work with nature; we can have both flood protection and a river,” she said.

The modified street design integrates community, while enhancing pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

A student-designed strategy for revitalizing Eagle Street is being unveiled at “Eagle Street Rising” on Saturday, April 27 from 12-4 p.m. on Eagle Street in North Adams.

Tonight’s seminar in Murdock 218 at 5:30 is Mobility’s Contribution to Sustainability.

Photo by Kacie Clark/Beacon Staff

Lauren Stevens, of the non-profit group Hoosic River Revival, discusses plans for the Hoosic River.

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News

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

Using games to teach philosophy GAMES, continued from page 1

-pened when the students played the game, we are still in the game in class,” Petruzella said. “We are in the ‘market place of ideas’ and their jobs are to sell good questions to me in order to maintain their gold.”

Petruzella sees obvious benefits to implementing gaming in education because of its ability to motivate and engage students.

“Think about the millions of cumulative hours that gamers put into building something to no measureable benefit to themselves,” Petruzella said.

“Wouldn’t it be amazing if schools were to do the same thing and engage students to that same to degree?”

Petruzella explained benefits of gaming that can crossover into education.

Photo courtesy of Petruzella’s Twitter

Professor Petruzella sees educational benefits in gaming.

“Gaming gives people a clear environment in which to work, it gives them clear goals to work towards. It gives them clear mechanisms to work toward those goals. It doesn’t penalize players for failing the first time

around. It allows players to continue until they achieve, and these achievements aren’t just isolated goals, the goals work toward a higher goal,” Petruzella said. “So you abstract things like this out of the world

of gaming, and you realize these are the same sort of things we want to achieve in education.”

This semester is Petruzella’s second time teaching the course. He added that he was inspired to develop the course by his interest in the new Canvas software on campus and a web comic strip by Aaron Diaz that portrayed philosophical contention through a “Dungeons and Dragons” theme.

“I thought this was maybe a one-time deal, but I got a lot of positive feedback from students and colleagues,” Petruzella said.

Petruzella does not see game-driven curriculum as only specific to philosophy.

“If you’re teaching a course where it is important that students are engaged in the content, that’s a course where gaming can work,” Petruzella said. “Pretty much anyone

teaching a course in any discipline will say ‘yes I want my students engaged and involved in learning,’ and that is a course where gaming will work.”

Petruzella said although some students may prefer a more traditional academic setting, most students find gaming enjoyable.

“I think that the impulse to play is pretty universal, but at the same time I think that it’s rare to be able to make such a blanket statement,” Petruzella said. “I have found students that are more comfortable with the more traditional models of education and that’s ok, and as an instructor I need to respect that as well, but it does seem to work with a lot of students, and I think it is going to have a solid place in education.”

Jones-Sneed recalled an instance from her own past that illustrated this point. “In the 1970s, I was teaching at a community college. I didn’t even know I was making less. I found out that my male suitemate, who was less qualified than me, was making $5,000 more a year.

I was flabbergasted.”

and to work in less remunerative fields, such as nursing or teaching.”

This phenomenon is part of the problem, according to Seamans and Blake. Women are not encouraged to go into those fields.

“Women are pushed away from those fields, and into lower paying ones like teaching and nursing,” Seamans said.

Blake agreed. “There are jobs seen as ‘women’s jobs’, such as teaching in elementary schools, and ironically, while the wage gap is smaller in those fields, it’s still there.”

Seamans added, “In fields where women are most often pushed into, the men are also pushed. In elementary schools, men are pushed into administration jobs, while women aren’t, and similarly, male nurses are often pushed into being doctors, because nursing is considered a ‘women’s field’.”

Physics Professor Adrienne Wootters recalled being one of two female students in her doctoral program at the University of Massachusetts in the 1970s. She doesn’t believe she was treated any differently, but she did remember being viewed as ‘a curiosity’.

Though she does not recall being specifically discriminated against in any way because of her gender, she was initially paid less than her colleagues.

“I didn’t negotiate here for my salary. I was the lowest paid here for the first few years. That was my fault. I should have known,” Wootters said. “Now it’s taken care of by the union; it does the work for me here at a state college. I wouldn’t be comfortable negotiating.”

Pay equity stirs up conversations

By Kacie Clark Beacon Staff

While the 77 cents- on-thedollar statistic regarding pay for women versus men may not be wholly representational of the intricacies of the pay gap, it’s clear the issue is complicated and ongoing.

The statistic, released by the American Association of University Women (AAUW), states that women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn.

This number, while technically accurate, is often taken out of context and used as a standalone statistic to illustrate a complex issue.

According to Francis JonesSneed, chair of the Women’s Studies program, the study, which was compiled from the results of the 2011 U.S. Census, is not completely representative of the realities of the pay gap.

“It doesn’t look at specific jobs,” Jones-Sneed said, “and it

doesn’t take in human factors, such as whether the women are considered the primary breadwinners in a household, or whether they are considered a second income.”

The figure, which was calculated from looking at 2010 tax returns, simply shows the amount of money made, and does not have figures for specific jobs when the two employees being compared have equal levels of qualification.

While this specific statistic is often referenced without context, the actual relevant statistics are not significantly different; there is still a gap, regardless of the way it’s presented.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that in 2010, female lawyers earned 77.1 percent of what their male counterparts earned. Female physicians and surgeons earned 71 percent of what their equally qualified male coworkers earned.

According to the same report, the overall gap has decreased since 1979, with an upward trend tightening the gap to approximately 83 cents on the dollar as of 2011.

The wage gap increases with higher levels of education, according to Deborah Thompson Eisenberg, a law professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, who is quoted in a recent Boston Globe article on pay equity.

According to the December 2012 article,

“Women with more education who land in professional jobs — like doctoring, lawyering or business — encounter wages subject to the choices of managers and thus, potentially, unconscious bias and other factors.”

This is in contrast to the more standardized wages of lowerpaying workers, who are in positions where salaries cannot be subjectively changed by a superior, according to the same article.

Related to this phenomenon, according to senior Skyla Seamans, office manager of the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center, is the way men and women are taught about negotiating salaries. The problem, Seamans said, is that men are taught to be more aggressive and are more likely to negotiate for a higher salary.

“Men are taught to be more assertive,” Seamans said, “while women are more likely to take what’s offered; they don’t push it.”

Corinne Blake, president of Students Taking Action for Gender Equality (STAGE), and employee of the Women’s Center, agreed.

“Women are socialized to be more passive,” she said.

The problem is so prevalent, according to Blake, that the center recently held a workshop on how to negotiate salaries.

Another issue, according to Jones-Sneed, is that many women don’t know negotiating is an option.

“Women aren’t taught finances, period,” Jones-Sneed said. “They don’t know they can negotiate. They don’t know how. They’re just pleased to get a job.”

“Women aren’t taught finances, period. They don’t know they can negotiate. They don’t know how. They’re just pleased to get a job.” ~ Francis Jones-Sneed Another related aspect is simply one of numbers. There are fewer women than men in fields that are traditionally higher paying, according to the Census Bureau report, such as medicine, the sciences, and technology.

This is due to a combination of factors, and according to the Boston Globe article, the occurrence is often cited in critiques of the wage gap, with some critics arguing that “[the gap] owes largely to women’s choices — to become mothers

News

Thursday, April 11, 2013

URC to showcase presentations Thursday

By Nicholas Arena

Managing Editor In exactly one week, students will prepare to present research projects they have worked on at the 11th annual Undergraduate Research Conference (URC).

The presentations will range from posters, to PowerPoints, artist talks, and E-Portfolio presentations.

Each will range in length from 15 minutes to a number of hours.

Seniors and sociology majors Teresa Palano and Katie Russell began working on their presentation at the start of the semester when they found they had a mutual interest.

“We got together in the beginning of the semester because we were both taking the death and dying class, and we found that we kind of have similar views on how society views death and things like that,” Palano said.

The title of their presentation is “American Society’s Avoidance of Death: Past, Present, and Personal.” According to Russell and Palano, the presentation was not done out of a requirement, but strictly out of interest.

“I’ve always been really interested in death culture in general, and I thought this would be a good stepping stone to get a little more research under my belt,” Russell said.

The presentation looks at the evolution of American society’s views on dying.

“I don’t know the last time you went to a wedding, but it used to be when they said their vows you always heard ’til death do us part’, that’s not what they say anymore, it’s ‘as long as you both shall live’, or

something like that,” Palano remarked on the avoidance of acknowledging death.

The project has been an interesting experience for both students, especially in the sense that their research has been subject to a great deal of misunderstanding.

“I’m a Residence Advisor (RA) and I was talking to my fellow RAs about my presentation and how I’m really excited about it, and they asked if they needed to contact a supervisor and if I was suicidal,” Russell said.

“I got questioned about my mental state because I wanted to talk about something important.”

This is part of the research process learning experience: dealing with complications along the way.

Some students will present on topics influenced by the Japan travel course.

Two of the presenters are Sara Bouchard, junior and biology major concentrating in medical technology, and Duncan Baxter, junior and pre-professional biology major.

“We’re doing PowerPoint presentations, so that’s the afternoon session. And in the morning, for my capstone, I’m doing a poster presentation,” Bouchard said.

Bouchard’s presentation looks at Japanese architecture.

“We’re doing Japanese architecture, so we’ll be looking at older buildings, newer buildings, the architecture choices, and how they stick one right next to the other; you can be walking down the street and see an old traditional shrine or temple and right next to it will be a high rise hotel,” Bouchard said.

This is Bouchard’s sec-

ond time presenting for the URC and her advice for new presenters is to relax and keep ahead of the game.

“I would say don’t let the official [nature] of it deter you. Yeah, you’ve got to dress in black and white, but it’s slightly more casual than you would think,” she said. “If you stay on top of your work and you like the topic you’re presenting on, it will go a lot faster and you really won’t stress.”

Though this is their first time presenting, both Palano and Russell believe being devoted to the subject is the key to good research.

“To me, I think that it’s better when you’re really interested in the subject and you think it’s important for other people to know and understand [it],” Palano said.

“I would definitely think that it’s something to get involved with,” Russell said.

“It’s a good life experience in general, doing research about something you care about. Even if it is for a class you can turn it into something interesting and make it personal to you.”

While Baxter has never presented, he is inspired by the turnout he witnessed at last year’s presentations.

“We went to the presentations done by [students in] the Japan travel course last year, and I was personally amazed by how many people went to watch the presentations, because it was standing room only by the time we got there,” he said.

All four presenters recommend students get involved with the URC, even if it is just listening in on this year’s presentations.

For the full URC schedule, visit MCLA.edu/urc.

Science Center updates SCIENCE, continued from page 1

class will be taught in the center. According to Stakenas, the building will be primarily for lab-use. Junior and Biology Major Andrea Binder said he wants to see the science department grow.

“I hope we can enhance the science education here,” he said.

“The building is primarily labs,” he said.

“There’s a 72 seat auditorium and 1 general classroom,” he said.

Junior and Biology major Andrea Binder noted that the new building is a display of the growth of the science department.

“Being a liberal arts school, this will impact the science aspect of our education in a good way,” he said.

With science labs moving out of other buildings, Stakenas noted that the labs in other buildings, such as the Biology labs in Venable Hall, will now be used as classrooms.

Stakenas also stated that both the Science Department facilities and Bowman Hall is in need of updates.

“Walk into Bowman Hall, go into the Chemistry classrooms and it just looks outdated,” he said.

Stakenas also noted with the Science Center building project just months away from being concluded, Bowman is the next step. He noted that it will be a complete renovation including exit-doors, entries, and the floors. With the science classes moving to the new building more classrooms will be available to accommodate for the absence of Bowman during the 2013-2014 Academic Year.

Binder noted that in general, renovations and improvements in the facilities are a positive thing.

“I think if we want to put more focus on expanding, then having new renovations and equipment will make things easier,” he said.

Beacon.mcla.edu

5

Some mourn Margaret Thatcher’s death, others celebrate MCT Campus

LONDON - They weren’t even born when she left office, but they still felt compelled Tuesday to lay a bouquet in remembrance of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

“She was very inspirational. She did a lot of good for this country, and she was the first woman prime minister,” said Stephanie Teed, 21, a university student from the town of Maidenhead, west of London.

“I know she had a lot of criticism, but I think she left a great legacy and did a lot of good for Britain,” added her friend Matthew Chapman, 17.

The pair left a bunch of roses outside Thatcher’s home in central London along with a note saying that “you put the ‘great’ into ‘Great Britain’ “ and pledging to “remember you as the greatest leader this country has ever had,” even though neither was alive during Thatcher’s reign as prime minister from 1979 to 1990. Britain’s first and so far only female premier died Monday at the age of 87.

But not all those who gathered around Britain to mark her passing did so with sadness or in peace.

Critics of Thatcher blame her free-market revolution for tearing Britain’s social fabric and favoring the haves over the have-nots.

The Avon and Somerset Constabulary in western

Photo by MCT Campus

England said Tuesday that some officers were injured when about 200 people who had gathered in a neighborhood of Bristol to celebrate Thatcher’s death refused to break up their street party Monday night.

“Bottles and cans were thrown at officers, six of whom suffered injuries.

One remains in hospital,” said Chief Inspector Mark Jackson.

Some trash cans were set ablaze and a police car was damaged, Jackson said. Officers arrested one person.

In the south London neighborhood of Brixton, the scene of rage-filled race riots in 1981, police were called in Monday night to maintain order among the dozens of people rejoicing in Thatcher’s death. Some had climbed up the facade of a movie theater and re-

arranged the letters on the marquee to read “Margaret Thatchers (sic) dead LOL.” Nothing untoward was reported around Thatcher’s home in Belgravia, one of London’s most expensive districts, where supporters stopped by at various points to lay flowers. One card praised Thatcher as “a leader of tremendous competence, conviction and courage.”

Ann Edwards, who worked in the House of Commons during Thatcher’s tenure as prime minister, called her “a superb woman.”

“We could do with more people like her now. She was very brave,” said Edwards, recalling the Irish Republican Army’s declared goal to assassinate her. “She never wavered.”

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT 3-14 FINANCIAL AID AWARDS FOR RETURNING STUDENTS WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER FALL REGISTRATION CLOSES YOUR FINANCIAL AID APPLICATION MUST BE COMPLETE AND YOU MUST REGISTER FOR YOUR FALL CLASSES BEFORE YOUR AWARD WILL BE CALCULATED!! ************************** SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: TruFit Good Citizenship Scholarship Deadline April 19th Apply at: www.citizensbank.com/scholarship

6

Arts & Entertainment

Thursday, April 11, 2012

Beacon.mcla.edu

Spoken word honors Sundiata poetry. He was an admired professor at Eugene Lang College in A & E Writer New York City, and was also an The community celebrated the African American activist. One of memory of activist Sekou Sun- his albums, “The Blue Oneness of diata with poetry from voices of Dreams,” was Grammy-nominatthe Berkshires. Students from the ed. Sundiata passed away in 2007.

According to Burton, SunCollege, Williams College, and diata’s art and ideas have recently a local teen writing workshop started being used in Jamaica to called UNITY, were selected to help shape a better economy. share their writing at the MCLA “Sekou was shaped by his enPresents! event. vironment.

He was a person that This year was the fourth annual loved life, and he ate it hungrily,” Sekou Sundiata Evening of SpoBurton said.

“Think about the ken Word and Poetry. choices you make, and dare to be The first to speak at the event different. ” was Sandra Burton, the Lit Chair After Burton spoke, a short film at Williams College. She was a showing one of Sundiata’s legenddear friend of Sundiata for many ary performances was played. years, and the founding member Then the stage was handed over of his first band in 1973. to voices of the Berkshires, inSundiata is internationally cluding seven students from the known for his performance and College.

The people chosen were from all grade levels.

Aurora Cooper also presented, a 2012 graduate.

C o o p e r graduated with degrees in both English and secondary education with a concentration in literature.

She currently Photo by Jess Gamari/Beacon Staff teaches 8th Alumnae Aurora Cooper returns to the campus grade at Hercommunity to recite her original poetry.

By Jennifer Nault

Blood, sweat, and tech week: overcoming tension

By Shannen Adamites A&E Editor I’ve been acting since I was 12. In middle school and high school, I gave up my spring break for four eight-hour days, sometimes more, depending on how many things decided to malfunction, or if the cast was completely slacking.

It became even more difficult when I decided to continue acting in college. Tech weeks are especially grueling when you’re trying to balance academics, a social life, and creative endeavors. Tensions run high, people are stressed, and the only thing that matters is the show.

People who aren’t as familiar with the process of putting on a production often take it for granted. The amount of time and effort that goes into the general rehearsal process on top of the immense amount of stress during tech week itself is unreal.

In these situations, patience is the key. Lights need to be focused, sound needs to be adjusted, and costume malfunctions are bound to happen. It’s all a part of the process.

I’ve served on both sides of the stage, so I know how things work together, or sometimes fail.

I remember in high school, if a technical mistake was made during tech week, an actor’s first instinct was to heavily sigh and roll their eyes, assuming that all of this should have been taken care of a long time ago.

With that reaction, a production team member would retaliate and call them out for being a diva or something worse.

This sort of animosity still exists. I haven’t come across it in a while, thankfully, but it’s still unfortunate to see productions struggle to find a balance between the vision and what can actually be obtained.

Without tech, there wouldn’t be a show. It would be random people pacing around a space, saying lines. There wouldn’t be a setting, and their characters would be incomplete without a wardrobe change. Their faces would be drowned out under the lights, that is, if the lights were even hung in the first place In theatre, everything ties together. No one is more significant than another.

This whole rant sounds like a no-brainer to a seasoned and practical performer/producer, but a friendly reminder never hurt anyone, right?

Photo by Jess Gamari/Beacon Staff

Junior Kim Marotte, who has been writing since high school, performs. berg Middle School and is also Candice Crow, E.S. McCormick, the current musical director at Kimberly Marlotte, Adam Tobin, Pittsfield High School. She shared and Christopher Tate. a poem about life as a teacher. ”This was a beautiful tribute Junior Christopher Hantman to such an amazing man,” senior was one of the students from the Erin Kelley said. “I am really glad College who shared work at the so many people came out tonight event. to all share the love of poetry and “I’ve been writing since I was performance.”

12,” Hantman, said. “I love sharSundiata’s band toured intering my work with anyone who is nationally and he is also holds willing to listen, and listening to the award for the Lambent Feleveryone else’s talent as well. This lowship in the Arts. His memory was a great event.” is celebrated worldwide, as it was Other students invited to share at Gallery 51, with the help of the their work from the College were community.

Theatre student recieves professional acting opportunity

By Kaylie Warner

A & E Writer Joshua Lapierre, a junior fine and performing arts major with a concentration in theater, has been acting since he can remember. One of his first moments on the stage was playing a piece of seaweed in his town’s community theater production of “The Little Mermaid.”

“The director thought I had a spark, and I was so enthralled with the production, that I was made director’s assistant at four years old,” he said.

Musical theater holds a special place in Lapierre’s heart, and since his freshman year he has been in about 10 productions.

He has been an active member in Harlequin for three years. From playing a drunken southern priest to an angry rock star in Agamemnon, Lapierre has a wide range of skills on the stage.

“Versatility is so important, and you have to be able to stretch yourself from A – Z,” he said.

Lapierre never turns down a challenge on the stage. He takes what he is given and rocks it out, effortlessly.

Along with acting, dance is a passion of Lapierre’s. He

choreographed “Into The Woods” and was also cochoreographer for “Little Shop of Horrors.”

“I try to make it its own style of dance, for example, “Into the Woods” is a strong play on its own, so I had to think of floor patterns and organize it well,” he said.

While he thrives in musical theatre, Lapierre also performed in Yorick’s “Taming of the Shrew.”

“Shakespeare is different because you have to understand others, yourself, and make sure the audience understands what is going on,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it is difficult, just different.”

Recently, Lapierre received a paid acting job in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at the Prescot Park Arts festival. The festival holds events, bands, guest artists, and a family musical production. This summer’s production is “Annie.”

“I just went up there performed a piece of music, dance, read lines, and two days later got a call back,” he said.

Lapierre’s plan is to wait tables by day and perform by night.

“I guess I will be a quintessential working actor,” he laughed.

The production runs from June to August, and as soon as he is done with his finals, Lapierre will be heading straight to practices.

Looking back, Lapierre feels supported by faculty members.

Event custodians who work in Church St. Center have also been extremely helpful with productions.

“I am very lucky to know such amazing people striving for the same goal as me,” he began.

“What’s so great Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff about the FPA Junior Joshua Lapierre strives to excell as a major is that we FPA major, acting every chance he gets. all have the same classes and same pulled toward NYU. He believes rehearsals, so we have a tight that everything happens for bond. You can hear us from a a reason. He will see where it mile away.” goes. What excites him is that he Lapierre is looking forward to does not know what’s next. the future and is more excited “In my life, everything begins than nervous. He hopes to go and ends with theater,” he said, to graduate school, possibly in with an energetic smile.

New York City where he feels

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Arts & Entertainment

Yorick to perform “The Tempest”

By Haley Costen A & E Writer

A tale of magic and power will be performed at Church Street Center with Yorick’s production of “The Tempest,” directed by senior Tyler Prendergast on April 11 and 12 at 8 p.m., and April 13 at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The Shakespeare classic begins with a shipwreck brought on by a tempest that forces Alonso, the king of Naples, and his entourage onto an island where a magician named Prospero lives with his daughter and spirits. Prospero, formerly the duke of Milan, conjured the storm to take back his title in a complicated power struggle.

In Yorick’s production of the play, Prospero is a woman played by senior Mary Marcil.

“I play a character with an immense amount of power, which is exciting and a very new role for me to play, and I do relate to it a great deal,” Marcil said in an email interview. “But it has also been a challenge to play a character like this because there is so much depth.”

“I have loved working with this entire cast and I will always remember this,” she added.

Prendergast described his experience with the production as fantastic, adding that he feels lucky to be working with everyone involved.

“In many ways this project is the culmination of my four years here at MCLA, being a double major in English Literature and FPA Theater,” Prendergast said in an email interview. “Shakespeare has always been the bridge between those two majors for me, and I cannot imagine a better way to finish my time here at the College!”

Sophomore Lance Ruggiero plays Gonzalo, the councilor to Alonso and a good friend of Prospero, and is also the lighting designer of the production.

“For me, this role is very different from what I normally play. I usually play younger characters, but Gonzalo is an old noble, Neapolitan character,” he said, adding that Prendergast helped him learn to speak slower, enunciate, and project his lines.

“This will take place in Church Street Center, so the lighting is limited, but we have surprises in store. We worked well with a unique space and I think the audience will enjoy it,” Ruggiero said.

“There are lovers, clowns, royals, magic spirits, monsters, dances, murder plots, curses, revenge, compassion and forgiveness all wrapped up in what is Shakespeare's final play and his farewell to theater,” Marcil said.

Tickets to the show are free and can be reserved at yorickreservations@gmail.com

Beacon.mcla.edu

7

Symphonic Metal rocks the ‘90s overseas

By Kaylie Warner A & E Writer

Photo Courtesy of Tyler Prendergast

SAC kicks off ‘90s themed Spring Fling Week Monday 4/15

Tuesday 4/16

Thursday 4/18

Saturday 4/20

WE THE KINGS W/ STELLAR YOUNG Venable Gym Doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30 p.m.

WOODEN DESIGNS Marketplace 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

MOVIE ON THE QUAD Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 8 p.m.

Rain location: Venable Gym

SPRING FEST Quad 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.

TICKETS ON SALE NOW IN THE MARKETPLACE! $5 students $7 guest/faculty

Wednesday 4/17

Friday 4/19

BIG PRIZE BINGO Venable Gym 8 p.m.

Sunday 4/21

Comedy Stop: MC MR. NAPKINS Sullivan Lounge 9 p.m.

BLOOD DRIVE Venable Gym 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.

DESTINATIONS: BLUE MAN GROUP

SAC Meeting 3:15 CC 324A

Tickets on sale in Jenn Craig’s office today

$10!

While the ‘90s were all about The Goo-Goo Dolls, Matchbox Twenty, and boy bands such as Hanson, overseas the ‘90s was a time of metal exploration. The ‘90s were an influential moment for women in heavy metal, although we did not get the pleasure of it until the early 2000s. I don’t know about you, but I would have loved to have had a Dutch Symphonic heavy metal album next to my Nsync album while growing up.

Let’s take a trip to The Netherlands where Dutch Symphonic metal band Within Temptation was created. In 1996 Sharon Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt founded this new musical genre that is now more popular. Adel and Westerholt are not just the founders of the band but also lifelong partners with children. They started in the Dutch underground scene but in the early 2000s took off with their album “Mother Earth”.

What makes Within Temptation so fascinating is that they were one of the first bands to introduce this new symphonic metal sound to the world. Symphonic metal borrowes and mixes styles of music are with a modernized heavy metal sound. When the two blend together it’s magic. Adel’s voice is sweet, yet haunting, and I cannot help but get goosebumps when I listen to them.

Songs to download: “Stand my Ground,” “Solemn Hour,” and “The Howling” Also founded in 1996 is Nightwish, another fantastic symphonic metal band hailing from Kitee, Finland. Tarja Turunen was the band’s first lead singer from 1996-2005. Turunen’s voice shook the metal world. She is a lyric soprano with a three-octave range which blended perfectly with the symphonic metal sound. With Turunen, the band did a metal cover of “The Phantom of The Opera” and every time I hear it, I still get chills. Turunen’s voice is simply not of this world. She made Nightwish the success they are today.

However, the band began to have issues in 2005 but quickly recovered with a new bassist and singer, Anette Olzon. While she has a fantastic voice, her range is different from Turunen’s, as she is a Mezzo-Soprano and lacks some of the operatic training that Turunen had. This caused the band to change their direction, if only slightly. Anette has fantastic stage presence and a devilish smile that can win over any diehard Nightwish fan.

Songs to download: “Nemo,” “Amaranth,” and “I wish I Had an Angel.”

8

Sports

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Rutgers Basketball Coach is fired

By Ariana Tourangeau

Sports Editor This past weekend was the first time I read up on the news of Rutgers University Men’s Basketball Coach, Mike Rice, being fired for abusing the players.

According to Foxnews.com he was suspended for three games back in December and fined $50,000 because of the video, but this was before the video went public. So why did it take so long for him to be fired?

Rice was fired on Wednesday and the video was aired on ESPN the day before. The video showed the coach shoving players, hurling basketballs at them, and using profane language and gay slurs.

The athletic department announced Rice’s termination in a twitter post that said, “Based upon recently revealed information and a review of previously discovered issues, Rutgers has terminated the contract of Mike Rice.”

When Rice was suspended back in December it was an attempt of rehabilitation. More like a subtle warning of $50,000 that if he didn’t stop abusing players he’d be out of there, but it wasn’t until the video surfaced that Rutgers athletic director, Tim Pernetti, realized he should have fired him in December.

According to a statement said to foxnew.com by Pernetti, “Dismissal and corrective action were debated in December and I thought it was in the best interest of everyone to rehabilitate, but I was wrong. Moving forward, I will work to regain the trust of the Rutgers community.”

Yes, I think he should have fired Rice right in December to avoid it from happening again, but who can blame Pernetti for trying to give Rice a second chance.

The fact that the video could surface and Rutgers reputation could be at jeopardy probably didn’t cross his mind.

If someone has a chance to blow up a person’s spot in the media or invade their privacy and they have legitimate evidence, they will most likely do it.

Coach rice told an ABC New York affiliate, “As I stated three months ago, after I watched the video, how deeply regrettable those actions ... I also stated I was going to try to work on changing, and I think I've accomplished a lot of that.”

In my opinion, despite his confession, it was too risky to the Rutgers community to keep someone of this sort on staff.

Lesson learned for Tim Pernetti to think about all the consequences when punishing someone and lesson to Coach Rice to not abuse his players or he will be jobless and frowned upon.

Beacon.mcla.edu

Quackenbush chosen as MASCAC pitcher of the week

By Nick Swanson

Sports Writer On Saturday Softball battled in a conference play doubleheader against the Worcester State Lancers. They won the first game with a shutout but then were defeated in the second. The trailblazers now have a conference play record of 2-2 and an overall of 8-12.

During the opening match the Trailblazers had a defensive edge over Worcester. In seven innings, freshman pitcher Rachel Quackenbush struck out 10 batters at the plate, gave up zero walks and, only let up two hits between the third and fourth innings.

“Rachel shows great determination on the mound, she

threw 10 strikeouts which, gave us an incredibly strong defense during the game that led us to the shutout win,” Coach Mike Ameen said.

Later that day in the second game, the Lancer’s dominated and contained a seven-run lead in the bottom of the second inning. Worcester went through their batting order when six batters singled and one was walked.

“The problem ultimately started when the Lancers had the bases loaded, the batters kept hitting and they tried their best but it got out of hand,” Ameen said.

The Trailblazers put their only two runs on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning. During the bottom of the

fourth, Quackenbush came out of the bullpen to replace Ainsley MacDonald on the mound.

The Lancers didn’t score a run again and the game ended 7-2 Lancers with the win.

This was Quackenbush’s first appearance with the Trailblazers. After the performance at Worcester she was chosen as MASCAC pitcher of the week.

Bridgewater’s Amber White was also given the award.

“I just started playing for the team so I was really nervous at first, but everyone is so accepting and supportive that everything is working very well,” Quackenbush said.

Quackenbush pitched 10 innings that day, allowed four hits and not a single walk.

“My motivation is in my head, I just go out there with knowledge of how to throw strikes, hope to get the batters out quickly and stay on the defense at all times,” Quackenbush said.

Ameen explained that, the team has confidence in Quackenbush from what she has shown and believes she will help them greatly in games to come.

He added that there are still 20 games left, the team is progressing and already better statistically than last year.

This week the Softball team has been able to practice on their home field for the first time this season. The next home game is scheduled to be on Sat. April 13 at 1:00 p.m.

March Madness comes to end Louisville wins third National Championship MCT Campus ATLANTA - It was all anyone could want from a championship game, and it came at time when the sport needed it. A season pockmarked by low scores and defensive excess saved the absolute best for last _ an NCAA final of great playing, great coaching and, wonder of wonders, great offense.

As if that weren't enough, it also produced a great champion.

The Louisville Cardinals took everything Michigan had to offer _ and the Wolverines, at least on offense, have a lot _ and hit back harder, winning 8276. Louisville entered this Big Dance as the team to beat, and they exited as the team couldn't be beaten.

"The toughest young men I've ever coached," Rick Pitino said afterward, and after seeing the Cardinals override 12-point leads in consecutive Final Four games and overcome the loss of third guard Kevin Ware to a broken leg, nobody rose to object.

Nobody else in the land could have beaten Michigan this starry night. Nobody else could have stayed close. The Wolverines made 52.1 percent of their shots, and in the world of contemporary college basketball that's shootout-the-lights stuff. Louisville saw its vaunted defense pierced from without and within, and still it won.

The first half was one of the wildest in the history of title games. The Wolverines played Louisville off its fleet feet, chasing the Cardinals out of their zone and then spreading the court so expertly that the nation's best defensive team couldn't stop anything _ not Spike Albrecht from behind the 3-point line or Spike Albrecht driving to the hoop, and about here you were saying: Spike Albrecht?

Yes, Spike Albrecht. His given name is Michael, and he's a freshman sub from Crown Point, Ind. He backs up Trey Burke, the national player of the year.

Before Monday night, Albrecht's collegiate zenith had been the seven points he scored in the South Regional final against Florida. He had six _ on two game-altering 3-pointers _ over the Syracuse zone in the first half of Saturday's semifinal, but that was nothing compared to this.

Spike Albrecht scored 17 points in 16 first-half minutes on the sport's biggest stage, and his driving basket 3:56 before the break put Michigan ahead 33-21. At that moment, Spike Albrecht had nearly outscored the NCAA's No. 1 overall seed by himself, and the newly minted Hall of Famer Pitino called a flummoxed timeout, surely to ask his Cardinals: "Really? We get Trey Burke out of the game and we're getting beat by Spike Albrecht?"

UConn beats Louisville women 93-60 MCT Campus NEW ORLEANS _ After all the years and countless milestones, it's hardly possible for UConn to bounce a pass anymore without making history.

Geno Auriemma, the master craftsman, and his series of master classes, have become to their sport what Howard Johnson was to ice cream.

Things just seemed vastly different in the world once they came along.

On Tuesday night, after being re-routed at times by injuries and, you know, Notre Dame, the Huskies arrived at the place they've come to know so well.

This eighth team brought to the national championship

by Auriemma did what the previous seven accomplished. It won.

Led by freshman Breanna Stewart, UConn's newest flavor sensation, who scored 23 points with nine rebounds, the Huskies drilled Louisville, 9360, to win their eighth national championship.

Stewart was named most outstanding player, just the third freshman and first in 25 years. The margin of victory was the largest in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.

"Leading up to the tournament it was a little bit of a struggle, despite our record," Auriemma said. "It was nothing that those on the outside could see, but it was an internal struggle to get connected and to be the kind of team I know we could be.

"But the last month has been everything and more than I could have hoped for."

UConn is 8-0 in national championship games and here is basically how this one went: With 13:51 to play in the first half, Bria Smith's free throw gave Louisville a 14-10 lead.

And then it was over.

Over the next 5:25 the Huskies, with classic, clinical precision, sped to their championship.

UConn went on a 19-0 run, starting with a Bria Hartley field goal with 12:54 remaining, and ending with a looping three by Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis with 8:48 to play.

It was UConn, 29-14.

And in the most literal sense, the torch was officially passed to Stewart and Mosqueda-Lewis, who for the next two seasons will try to help Auriemma reach John Wooden's total of 10 national championships.

Auriemma is tied with Tennessee's Pat Summitt for the most titles in Division I women's basketball history.

UConn (35-4) had five players in double-figures. MosquedaLewis, the All-American and UConn's greatest three-point shooter in history, added 18 points, including five threes. She had nine rebounds.

Kelly Faris, the fundamentally fabulous one, who transformed herself from a team player to a team leader, scored 16 points with four three-pointers. She had nine rebounds and six assists.

Sports

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Trailblazers lose games to Lancers

By Chris Oxholm Sports Writer

Baseball had a rough Saturday at Worcester State against the Lancers. They lost both games in the double-header, 6-1, then 4-0.

The Trailblazers also fell to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 17-3 on Tuesday.

These three games bring the Trailblazers over all record to 2-14, a weak position for midseason. Their conference record is 1-3 leaving them at the bottom of MASCAC. “The answer is simple,” Coach Jeff Pulleri said. “We need to play better, we’re just not scoring runs.”

The one run of the day at Worcester the Trailblazers were able to bring home was in the sixth inning of game one when Joe Duncan ran home off a hit from J.T. Ferraro.

Tyler Benoit pitched in game one for six innings with three strike-outs and five errors. Ross Miner pitched all of game two striking out two with only two errors.

At Rensselaer the Trailblazers scored one run in the second, fourth, and sixth inning, but the Engineers geared the game their way. In the fourth and fifth inning they scored six, then eight runs.

Cody Weaver, Joe Vaverka, Nate Alibozak, and Ryan Shook all pitched but none of them could seem to get into their groove.

Weaver being earned the only four strike-outs The team’s individual efforts will help the team improve, but not everything is earned during games. The Trailblazers slow start might have to do with their lack of

field time outside of their games.

“The weather hasn’t been good,” Pulleri said. “We can’t practice outside much and that makes it hard for the team to get into a rhythm.”

Pulleri has faith in his team and doesn’t see the rest of the season being so bumpy.

“We just take it one day at a time,” Pulleri said. “Just try to get better than yesterday, everyday.”

The Trailblazers finally get to play at home this weekend against Bridgewater State on Saturday in a double header.

Bridgewater is in MASCAC making it an extremely important game. The Bears currently hold second place in the conference, but oddly have the best overall record, 11-8-1.

Shortly after Saturday, the Trailblazers get to host another MASCAC double-header against the current number one team Salem State. Salem is at the top by a long shot.

Sitting 4-0 in the conference, the 1-3 Trailblazers are to battle it out on Monday at Shewcraft Field.

The games on Saturday and Monday, beginning at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.

ANNOUNCEMENT Special event for all Student Athletes and invited guests of faculty, staff and administration tonight @6p.m. in the Campus Center Gym

Men’s Tennis falls to Green Mountain

By Glen Lawson

Special to the Beacon The MCLA Rugby Club opened its spring season with a convincing 34-22 victory over Southern Vermont College in Bennington on Sunday.

The Rugby Club began the season with numerous questions. the loss of several starters from the fall, the addition of four new starters (Ben Alibozek, Jonathon Kolis, Justin Pelczynski from Adams and Walter Pecor from North Adams) and a new system of play introduced by Coach Glenn Lawson all combined to raise concerns about for the spring.

These fears quickly evaporated 6 minutes into the first half when outside center Kelly Lewis tiptoed down the left sidelines and into the end zone to given MCLA an early 5-0 lead. The conversion was wide.

The next 15 minutes was

9

By Justine Cozza Sports Writer

The Men’s Tennis team fell to the Green Mountian Eagles at home last Thursday. The Trailblazers are now 0-4 for season play, and 0-2 in North Atlantic Conference (NAC) play.

“For a tennis team, good chemistry is crucial— especially for doubles partners,” sophomore Taylor Krowitz said. “Playing doubles requires you to know how your partner plays, and the strategy they use, so without good chemistry, there is no way for a team to win a doubles match.”

According to the MCLA athletics page, junior Mitch Mabardy scored a pair of points, winning the 5th singles slot as well as the 3rd doubles slot. Taylor Krowitz earned the other point for MCLA in No. 2 singles.

“There are definitely positives, we learn more and more from every team we play against,” Mabardy said.

“Eliminating simple errors that give away points will help improve the team’s play as a whole.”

The men also traveled to play Western New England University Tuesday, April 2.

They were unable to bring in a win, losing the match 9-0.

The loss brought the men to a record of 0-5 overall, 0-2 in the conference. For Western New

Rugby Club opens with win a see-saw battle, both teams showing both good skills (and a little rust), with nothing to show except for furious action. At the 30 minute mark, Southern Vermont drove over for their first score, and with the conversion a 7-5 lead. The Eagles struck again to increase their lead to 12-5 only a few minutes later.

Rather than get discouraged this seemed to fire up the Ruggers. In the next 8 minutes, Ben Alibozek plowed through the middle to cut their lead to 12-10, and then Wing Walter Pecor fielded a SVC kick, racing down the right side line to give the Trailblazers a 15-12 lead at halftime.

The start of the second half saw both teams score early.

Justin Pelczynski ran one in for MCLA to up the lead to 20-12, but Southern Vermont scored moments late, to cut it back to 20-17.

Beacon.mcla.edu

Things were looking good when scrumhalf Tommy Chiang passed out to Walter Pecor who broke several tackles on his way in to the end zone for his second score of the day. With Pecor now kicking conversions, he increased the MCLA lead to 27-17 with only 8 minutes to play. However, a defensive lapse permitted the Eagles another quick score. MCLA 27 Southern Vermont 22 with 5 minutes to play.

At this point, “J.J.” Kolis, who had left the match because of an ankle injury, returned. The ruggers relentlessly slowly drove the ball down the field with Kolis breaking a tackle to race 30 yards into the end zone as time expired.

With a second Pecor conversion, the final score was MCLA 34 Southern Vermont College 22.

The Rugby Club travels to Burlington, VT to play Champlain College this Sunday.

Photo courtesy of athletics.mcla.edu

Junior Mitch Mabardy earned triumphs in the fifth singles slot as well as the third doubles slot.

England, with the win it brings improve our doubles play and the team to 5-7 overall, 2-2 in our consistency in singles. We the conference. have good practices but need The team’s second match, to translate it to the games.” scheduled for Sunday April The men’s next scheduled 7 against Becker College was home match Sunday, April 14 postponed due to bad weather. against Colby- Sawyer College The new match date has yet to at 1:00 p.m. be announced.

To get more information on “I think being loose the Men’s Tennis schedule or worked for the team, we were past games, go to confident and ready, and it h t t p : / / a t h l e t i c s . m c l a . e d u / showed in some of the guys’ sports/mten/2012-13/schedule games,” senior Daniel Nesti explained. “I think we need to

Scores, Schedules and Standings Scores Baseball

Schedules Softball

Baseball

Softball

4/6 Worcester St. 4/13 Bridgewater St. L, 1-6 W, 2-0 @ MCLA L, 0-4 L, 2-7 1:00p.m.

1:00p.m.

4/9 3:30p.m.

3:00p.m.

Rensselaer Springfield 4/15 Salem St. L, 3-17 L, 3-0 @ MCLA L, 7-0 1:00p.m.

1:00p.m.

3:30p.m.

3:00p.m.

Tennis

4/4 Green Mountain L, 6-3 3:30p.m.

5:30p.m.

4/9 Western New England L,9-0

Standings

Baseball: overall-2-14, conf. 1-3 Softball: overall-8-14, conf 2-2

4/17 @ Skidmore @ Amherst 4:00p.m.

Tennis

4/14 Colby-Sawyer @ MCLA 1:00p.m.

10

Opinon

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

How do you feel about the budget results for 2013/2014? The Beacon “They were good results. The numbers are the reflection of the hard work that great students put into their clubs. I am very happy with the changes.”

“Some students feel that they have worked harder than other clubs and that they deserve an improvement on the budget.”

-Lanette Simmons, ‘14

-Juwonni Cottle, ‘13

“It keeps decreasing every year. I feel like if there is money going to be spent on a science building that some of us are not going to use, the money should go towards student activities that involve the entire student body.”

“It was an increase for my club, so I am very happy for that. I know how SGA works and the amount of work dedicated to the budget process which is demonstrated in the budget for the upcoming year.”

-Osakpolo Igiede, ‘15

-Nino Sanchez, ‘14 “I feel like is unfair that some clubs like SAC get more money than the rest of the other clubs, when their activities are not reflected through amount the of money they received .”

“I think it is unfair for some clubs to have to settle with the same events every year because there is not an expansion in their budgets.”

-Kenya Joseph, ‘16

-Tiearra Henson, ‘15

Commentary

“Pot Cops” gets boycotted by community North Korea blows nukes Channel dove into a controversial issue at the forefront of both medical and political discourse in America: marijuana. And it has medical marijuana advocates up in arms.

First in February came a show glimpsing both sides of the heated war over marijuana raging in an area of northern California encompassing Humboldt counties, known as the “Emerald Triangle.” The area has a rich tradition of marijuana cultivation and “Weed Country” shows both the medicalcannabis farmer’s perspective as well as following law enforcement as they seek out and destroy marijuana cultivators, often mislabeled as being affiliates of Mexican cartels.

This week, with the first sixpart season of “Weed Country” having wrapped up, Discovery has another program ready to fill the demographic void left by the first show’s ending.

Enter “Pot Cops.” The show is far more one-sided, exclusively following law enforcement in the Emerald Triangle conducting marijuana investigations.

The only difference is a marked one. In “Weed Country” the police raids deal mostly with large commercial sized grows on state land, sometimes involving hundreds of plants. The first episode of “Pot Cops” on the other hand depicts state police following federal mandate that all marijuana is illegal.

Putting a controversial industry in legal limbo under the microscope was a notable risk on the part of Discovery Channel, and the channel’s insistence on continuing false stereotypes, Staff Writer

including that Mexican cartels send affiliates to California to grow marijuana in huge quantities.

According to Discovery Channel’s “Pot Cops” website: “In the vast forests of northern California, most would never imagine encountering gunfire, booby traps and cartel activity.

But here in Humboldt County, an area with some of the most conducive growing conditions in the United States, the countryside is overrun with armed Mexican drug cartels that are willing to use violence to protect their valuable marijuana crops.”

It sounds exciting, but Discovery Channel’s claim about the cartels comes after the director of the National Marijuana Initiative under the Office of National Drug Control Policy said there was scant evidence that the cartels exerted much control over marijuana growing in [California’s] national forests according SFGate.com.

It is the endorsement of misconceptions like this, even ignoring the current national drug czar, which caused medical marijuana advocates to immediately begin a boycott of Discovery Channel and “Pot Cops.”

The boycott is for all those who don’t think the arrest of people who may be following state law should be prime-time entertainment. This boycott, at the very least, makes people rethink our exploitative culture.

Since “COPS” first hit the airwaves in 1989 and brought viewers with law enforcement officers in crack cocaine ridden cities across the country, America has been fascinated by crime.

The “Law & Order” series, and new shows like “Boston’s Fin-

est,” “SouthLAnd,” and “DEA” show fictional and real-life cops on duty.

One claim made by boycotters, is that the camera crew affects change. According to High Times, any time a television crew embeds with drug agents, those agents are going to feel pressured to make a bust, so the people at the Discovery Channel are actually exacerbating the situation and creating busts where busts might not have happened.

It may be a stretch to say cops who were previously focusing on marijuana crimes are more prone to act with Discovery’s cameras at their backs, but the show isn’t completely onesided. It does show officers on raids waiting to ensure that the grower in question broke California’s Prop 215 before they cut down any plants.

I understand peoples’ reasons for boycotting the program and the channel, but let’s be reasonable. The show accurately reflects the current ambiguities in drug laws in America, and in doing so reflects a public struggle taking place, especially in the western United States.

Medical marijuana advocates, if anything, should want as many people to watch the show as possible, because it shows the inconsistencies in policy and the extreme expenses California is willing to expend to crack down on an industry that is legal within its borders.

And for those on the East Coast, especially Massachusetts, the newest medical marijuana state, it shows what can happen when a state’s marijuana policy is incoherent and fractured.

By Ryan By now, Flynn e v e r y o n e

Senior News with a computer has Editor

seen North Korea’s anti-American propaganda videos. In one, North Korea even shows a nuclear target zooming in on the White House. It’s a common American belief that these are simply angry, belligerent, and fleeting threats. If Kim Jong-un does in fact decide to engage in nuclear war with us, then it will not end well for North Korea. Though our economy is certainly struggling (for a powerhouse of a country anyways), the United States of America still remains the world’s number one military power.

On Tuesday, Jong-un announced that North Korea will be restarting a nuclear reactor. This is undoubtedly a scheme to elicit an immediate response from the U.S. Still, according to information from nytimes.com, “Right now, they’re testing the proposition that we’ll choose peace and quiet, and put it on our Mastercard,” said an American official.

North Korea’s provocative and impulsive wave of nuclear threats no doubt stems from the fact that the UN ordered economic sanctions against North Korea.

These sanctions were absolutely necessary and with good reason; North Korea had just conducted its third nuclear test in March, according to the same article on nytimes.com. Jong-un can’t be flaunting nuclear weapons like it’s no big deal.

It’s the United Nations’ job

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Letters should be kept to 500 words or less and are subject to editing for grammar and content. The Beacon will not publish anonymous or libelous letters.

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Compiled by Dennise Carranza/Beacon staff

seaBy Andrew This Hodgson son Discovery

The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed free to the College community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications department and from ad revenues.

to make world peace possible, so they knew something had to be done about North Korea. Yet, instead of intelligently taking this as a warning, North Korea blew a gasket and made threats against South Korea and the U.S. What’s interesting about this is the fact that right beforehand, Dennis Rodman had claimed Jongun wanted no conflict with the U.S., but that’s what happens when an ex-basketball star sees himself as a U.S. ambassador.

Still, while North Korea releases outrageous videos against us, never fear. Even their ally, China, has been reported to disagree with North Korea’s actions and have shown no initiative to support them in their nuclear pursuits. According to another senior American official in the nytimes. com article, the President of China is aggravated by Jong-un’s “belligerence”, and that he believes that North Korea’s action are threatening China’s own security .The fact that North Korea’s own close allies are not supporting them shows how wrong Kim Jong-un is.

China is smart enough to know that North Korea cannot match the U.S. military and our own allies. So keep calm, and have faith in our government and military, at least when it comes to this matter. North Korea has been known for these kinds of anti-American beliefs and with Jong-un, it’s now apparent that the apple has not fallen very far from the tree.

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Aya Lanzoni Business Manager Lauren Coffey*

Sports Editor Ariana Tourangeau

Web Editor Ken Rodriguez*

A&E Editor Shannen Adamites Copy Chief Marc Latour Photography Editor Dennise Carranza

Senior News Editor Ryan Flynn Managing Editor Nick Arena Design Editor Nalaja Caesar

Staff Staff Writers

Photographers

Chris Goodell Andrew Hodgson* Jack Guerino* Haley Costen* Kaylie Warner Chris Oxholm Justine Cozza Nick Swanson

Kayla Degnan Kacie Clark Jess Gamari* Jack Guerino Shauna Dacus

Copy Editors

Lauren Coffey* Takeya Lee Haley Costen*

Design Team

Jess Gamari* Ken Rodriguez* Jennifer Nault Videographers

Michael Dahlroth Adam Larson

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Advertising

Jenifer Augur Jim Niedbalski Gillian Jones

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*Holds more than one position

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Fun & Games

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Warm weather brings forth the end of hibernation

Beacon.mcla.edu

Weekly Horoscopes

11

Aries: March 21-April 19 You feel quite agreeable today -- so much so that you might just charm your way into a new romance or a new job! Your energy is a bit low-key, which is perfect for this mission.

Taurus: April 20-May 20 Profit is a driving force today -- and your energy is so good that you may end up ahead of the competition without even trying! Enjoy what you’ve got, and try to build on it to ensure it lasts.

Gemini: May 21-June 21 Understanding comes easily to you today -- though you may not be able to act on your new wisdom right away. That’s fine, as you should make sure that your plans are firm before proceeding.

Cancer: June 22-July22 Ego problems may flare up today between you and a friend or family member. Try not to take it all too seriously -- you’ve got to make sure that you’re both seeing the big picture instead of just feuding.

Comic by Jackie Coughlin

Leo: July 23-Aug. 22 You need help – but there’s no shame in that! Just make sure that you ask the right people, or that you are surrounded by teammates you know you can count on. Things are looking up!

Virgo: Aug. 23-Sept. 22 You need to dig a little more deeply into whatever is bugging you -- it may be almost anything. See if you can get yourself to leverage your great energy to make a new breakthrough!

Libra: Sept. 23-Oct. 22 You and your people mesh almost perfectly today -- so let go and have fun! You may acquire a few new companions along the way, so make sure you’re open to all those around you!

FOR RELEASE APRIL 22, 2013

Scorpio: Oct. 23-Nov. 21 Things start to get really crazy today -- so much so that you may have to intervene! Try not to make a big scene, but you should see if you can get your people to at least calm down and face the real issue.

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Switchblade 5 French revolutionary who was murdered in a tub 10 Hard to outwit 14 Trumpet muffler 15 Rolled out of bed 16 One-named Gaelic folk singer 17 Bear in two constellations 18 Pro cager 19 Folksy Joan 20 Behavior of a community 23 Martini liquor 24 AOL chat components 25 Turkish __: spas 28 24-hour auto race city 30 “Star Trek” catchphrase 33 Standing straight 34 Aim for pins 35 “How come?”

36 Storage items near outdoor faucets 40 Satisfied sigh 43 Sox player, e.g.

44 Preface, briefly 48 Military officer’s ride 51 Attempt to cool, as steaming hot soup 52 Prefix with foam 53 Maglie or Mineo 54 Unlock, poetically 55 Nurturing network of family and friends, and a hint to the starts of 20-, 30-, 36and 48-Across 60 Corncob pipe part 62 “The First Time __ Saw Your Face” 63 Speech problem 64 Stay fresh 65 Dig artifact 66 Send out, as rays 67 500-mile race, familiarly 68 Phones on stage, e.g.

69 Contradict DOWN 1 Bring across the border illegally

Sagittarius: Nov. 22-Dec. 21 Someone needs to see your lighter side -- so oblige them! You may not feel entirely up to clowning, but you can at least reassure them that you are feeling okay and want them in your life.

Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Your thoroughness guarantees that things go your way today -- so get busy and make sure that you’re combing over all the details!

Your great mental energy helps you catch them all.

Aquarius: Jan. 20-Feb. 18 You’re feeling somewhat strange today -- but that’s nothing new!

You just need to make sure that you’re focusing on the issues that really matter instead of trying to track down every stray detail.

Pisces: Feb. 19-March 20 Write out your feelings -- they are more important than you realize, and someone close is in need of some inspiration. That could mean that you’re finally ready for the next step in a relationship Horoscopes courtesy of Yahoo.com

4/22/13

By Drew Banneman

2 One in a rush 3 “Your money’s no good here!”

4 Calf meat, in Provence 5 Coated buttonlike candies 6 “Slicing Up Freshness” fastfood chain 7 Reddish horse 8 On the ocean 9 __ paper: school composition 10 Device for a Skype chat 11 Very agitated 12 Soap ingredient 13 ’60s-’80s Red Sox legend, familiarly 21 Ford named for a horse 22 Selectric maker 26 “Whadja say?”

27 Double agent 29 “Oh” de Cologne?

30 Drilling tool 31 Potter’s pitcher 32 Tavern brew 34 Lugosi who played Dracula 37 Cul-de-__ 38 Pharmaceutical giant Eli

Saturday’s Puzzle Solved

(c)2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc.

39 __-Globe: shakable collectible 40 Balaam’s mount 41 Lawyer: Abbr.

42 Country bumpkin 45 Double-cross 46 Lures by phishing, say 47 Afraid of running out, gas gaugewise

4/22/13

49 Drably unattractive 50 Ascot wearer 51 Fundamentals 53 Word after comic or landing 56 Cop’s suspect 57 Eggs __ easy 58 Move, in brokerese 59 Winter toy 60 Tackle a slope 61 Olympic diver’s perfection

12

Thursday, April11, 2013

Photo Essay

Beacon.mcla.edu

Buds, on a shrub near the MCLA community garden are ready to bloom.

Signs of Spring

Photos by Jack Guerino

Soft, fuzzy pods form on the trees outside of Eldridge Hall.

As the ice melts on Windsor Lake, a.k.a Fish Pond, the scenery is reflected in the still water.

A person walks on Main Street without a heavy winter coat on a recent warm day.

Water flows freely in the stream, near the entrance of Natural Bridge State Park.

A garlic sprout pushes through the soil in the garden of a local resident.