March 21, 2013 - Issue 7

Student Newspaper of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

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

North Adams, Mass.

Volume 77 ◆ Issue 7

Th u r s d ay, M a r c h 2 1 , 2 0 1 3

Prof. Moresi remembered

By Nick Arena

Managing Editor

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff

Mid-March blizzard arrives as blanket of snow with spring right around the corner, as seen on Ashland Street and the Flagg Townhouse parking lot.

As students and faculty reflect back on their memories of Biology professor and dentist John Moresi the one word is on the tip of everyone’s tongue is devotion.

Moresi was not just devoted to teaching, he was devoted to every student that he worked with during his tenure at MCLA, making sure that everyone got the most they could out of his classes, lectures, and athletic training.

“He was all about helping out the athletes here and the students here and that’s what the students that I’ve talked to have really appreciated,” Peter Hoyt, director of the Athletics Department, said.

“He’d always go that extra little bit, just for the student.”

While Moresi taught at the College, there was a great deal of in-service work he did outside

Photo Courtesy of Flynn & Dagnoli Funeral Home

of the classroom for the of the classroom, Hoyt said.

“He would come in once or twice a year and do a special lecture on dental injuries, or facial injuries, and head injuries, things like that.”

MORESI, continued on page 3

Students conclude Junior becomes president of Hoosic River research Lambda Iota Tau Society

By Ryan Flynn

Senior News Editor Higher temperatures in the Hoosac River could be causing ecological issues, according to seniors Brian Ellithorpe and Ericka Oleson, after recently concluding a five-month independent research project with the Water Shed Association.

They found that the concrete flood chutes in the river are the cause.

“If it gets too warm it causes aquatic life stress and causes failure to reproduce and feed,” she said.

Cindy Delpapa, project advisor and stream ecologist for the Division of Ecological Restoration, has been presenting the students powerpoints and findings on the matter to companies such as Trout Unlimited. She shared that she will be presenting their findings at Drury High School.

Delpapa also said while the increases students found might not be alarming, it’s apparent the chutes are having a negative impact.

“It is significant,” she said.

“It’s just an increase by .33 or .34 degrees can seem like nothing.”

Ellithorpe and Oleson set up data loggers, which record

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the water temperature. They recorded the temperature of each spot once a month. A spot near the Natural Bridge area had the most normal temperature of all the recordings.

Delpapa noted the project was part of a bigger effort to expose the dangers of keeping the flood chutes.

“This is part of a bigger effort to re-imagine how the flood chutes will affect North Adams,” she said.

The study proved to be timely, as the town will hold a meeting in June to discuss the chutes’ impact.

Ellithorpe said he learned quite a bit from this opportunity.

“It was an educational experience on how water temperature can affect a river’s ecology,” he said.

Oleson noted that for her, it was important to get real-world experience with something involving her major.

Delpapa said that she was very happy to see her students get out of the classroom.

“I think it’s wonderful that students can get hands-on experience,” she said.

Ellithorpe added that he could see himself working in environmental research after graduation.

Jesse McMillan plans to establish LIT Society scholarship Taking time out of his busy schedule, junior Jesse McMillan lounges in an armchair in the Campus Center Marketplace to discuss his recent appointment to the presidential seat of Lambda Iota Tau (LIT), the English Literature Honors Society, and all the plans that he has for the organization.

According to McMillan, LIT has been relatively unknown to students until this point, which is one of the first things he is looking to change.

“People know about the Business Honors Society, people know about NRHH, Alpha Chi, Alpha Lambda Delta, but when you said LIT nobody knew what that was,” he said. “My mission by the time I graduate next spring is to have LIT be more of a well-known organization on campus and when English majors receive this formal invitation they know what it is and they look forward to it.”

He also aims to make the organization more beneficial to its members and English/Communications students.

“We plan to do trips to authors’

homes such as Emily Dickenson or Robert Frost,” he said. “We did an Emily Dickenson trip sponsored through the English department last semester to her house in Amherst, Massachusetts.”

Despite the workload that comes with organizing an honors society, McMillan hopes to have most of these initiatives effective by the fall semester.

“I also plan to establish an LIT scholarship which could be given to any English and Communications major,” he said.

He added that while much of what he is working on will mainly effect LIT members and English majors, he is working to include the entire campus in LIT’s activities.

“We’re going to be posting via First Class or around campus with flyers the different events that LIT is planning, that’s how the campus can get directly involved with it even if they’re not members,” he said.

McMillan looks forward to accomplishing all of this while balancing his double major in English and middle school education, with a concentration in literature.

He also works as a Resident Advisor in Berkshire Towers, and

SAC announces spring concert headliner

Men’s Baseball visits Sunshine State

Author and reformist explains her personal faith-based journey

We The Kings kicks off Spring Fling Week on April 15

Team comes back to MCLA from Florida for spring training

News, page 3

Arts & Entertainment, page 6

Sports, page 9

Ishrad Manji shares her story

By Nick Arena

Managing Editor

Photo by Kayla Degnan/Beacon Staff

LIT Society President Jesse McMillan is finishing up his studies to become an English teacher. is an active member in multiple honors organizations such as the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH).

McMillan also has a student teaching position where he teaches sixth and seventh grade English.

While many would shudder at such a workload, he takes great pride in everything he does.

MCMILLAN, continued on page 5 News 2-5 Arts & Entertainment 6-7 Sports 8-9 Campus Comment 10 Fun & Games 11 Photo Essay 12

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News

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

Public Safety SGA increases reserve budget Logs Meeting also to be held to discuss a proposed Amnesty/Good Monday, March 4 Samaritan Policy regarding drugs and alcohol related offenses

3:39 p.m.- Public Safety responded to a suspicious activity call in the Flagg Townhouses. Issue was unfounded.

6:14p.m. - Public Safety investigated an assault incident in the Amsler Campus Center.

Tuesday , March 5 1:30 p.m.- Public Safety investigated vandalism incident in Bowman Hall.

10:02 p.m.-Public Safety warned and advised unwanted guest(s) in the Freel Library.

Wednesday , March 6 9:07 p.m.- Public Safety responded to a medical call in Venable Hall. A report was filed.

By Chris Goodell Staff Writer

The Student Government Association (SGA) voted Monday night to increase the minimum required amount in its reserve budget from $50,000 to $100,000.

According to SGA President Jason Brown, this reserve account provides a backup of money for unforeseen emergencies to supplement costs when revenues do not meet the needs of the SGA’s total budget.

“It functions as a safety net for student government,” Brown said.

The $50,000 minimum amount was established 15 years ago.

Brown believes it is the right time to increase this amount since the SGA’s budget has increased during that time and there is a healthy amount currently available in the reserves.

The reserve account started the year at $212,000 and is projected to end the year at around $240,000, Brown said.

This amount fluctuates depending on cash donations and the unspent

monies left over in club budgets from the previous year.

He hopes the $140,000 difference between the available reserve funds and the newlyapproved minimum balance will be used to better the SGA and the student body. One possible suggestion Brown mentioned was the purchasing of a shuttle van specifically for club use.

Brown believes increasing the minimum reserve amount will help ensure long term security for the SGA. “The action taken reflects well upon the long term commitment of the SGA to the students of MCLA,” Brown said.

Meanwhile, the amount available for allocation will be less than last year because of decreased enrollment at the College.

“Enrollment isn’t as high as it has been in the past,” Brown said.

“We will be allotting less money than we have in the past because enrollment has decreased.”

The Budget and Finance

Thursday , March 7 3:09 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a motor vehicle accident near the Church Street Center.

6:00 a.m.- Public Safety encountered a weather related incident. 8 a.m. classes cancelled due to snow.

Friday , March 8

According to Student Trustee Dan Peluso, the Board of Trustees will discuss a proposed Amnesty/ Good Samaritan Policy regarding drug and alcohol related offenses.

The new policy reads in part, “No formal discipline actions or sanctions will be assigned to the reporting student(s) for alcohol and/or drug possession violations related to the incident.”

Under the current policy, students who seek medical attention related to drugs and alcohol are subject to the full range of conduct sanctions stated in the College’s Student Handbook.

“We’re seeking to make it so that folks don’t have a permanent

Because of weather conditions Tuesday night, the lecture “Body as Evidence: Raced and Erased Subjects in Digital Media” featuring speaker professor Janell Hobson of SUNY Albany is rescheduled for Tuesday, March 26.

Tuesday the campus was hit by a consistent snowstorm that lasted through the school-day.

The lecture will still be held in Murdock room 218, and is

5:23 p.m.- Public Safety responded to an alarm in the Flagg Townhouses, suspended.

Sunday , March 10

3:10 p.m.- Public Safety rendered services to a motor vehicle accident in the Mark Hopkins Lot.

Amnesty Policy

Press Release

Saturday , March 9

Friday , March 15

Committee will present its budget recommendation for clubs at the March 25 meeting and the senate will vote on the proposed budget on April 1.

judicial record for getting help in drug or alcohol related situations,” Theresa O’Bryant, Associate Dean of Students said.

The new policy will require students involved in these situations to complete education and/or health interventions as a condition of deferring disciplinary sanctions.

The policy was drafted in part by the Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). Junior Mike Vogt, president of SSDP said the policy will extend to both those in need of medical attention and those who call for help.

“This policy will grant amnesty for both the victim and the caller in these situations,” Vogt said.

The SGA unanimously passed a resolution urging the Board of Trustees to adopt this new policy.

O’Bryant and Brown both noted that the policy in no way exempts students participating in illegal activities from being subject to criminal penalties.

Hobson lecture rescheduled

3:37 p.m.- Public Safety investigate accident motor vehicle near Church Street Center lot.

7:52 a.m.- Public Safety investigated a brakeing and entering in the Center for Science and Innovation.

Photos by Kayla Degnan/Beacon Staff

President Jason Brown, left, and Vice President Kate Moore, right, voice matters throughout the meeting on Monday.

both free and open to the local community.

The event is sponsored by both the Office of Academic Affairs and the Women’s Studies Program.

Hobson is the assistant professor of Women’s Studies at the University at Albany, and has taught at the university since 2002. Hobson is the author of several articles and writes a blog for Ms. Magazine; including a recent review of the film Django Unchained.

Weekend Weather 3/21 - 3/24 Thursday, March 21

Friday, March 22

Saturday, March 23

Sunday, March 24

Mostly Cloudy High: 34° Low: 13° Precip. Chance: 0%

Snow Showers High: 35° Low: 18° Precip. Chance: 20%

Partly Cloudy High: 39° Low: 20° Precip. Chance: 0%

Partly Cloudy High: 41° Low: 25° Precip. Chance: 0%

local.msn.com/weather

News

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

3

Manji gives insight on tradition and faith

By Jack Guerino Staff Writter

Irshad Manji, author of “The Trouble with Islam Today,” and “Allah, Liberty, and Love,” explained her own personal journey in discovering her faith.

She also discussed her life as an Islam reformist, as well as the current practice of the religion and what can be done to positively change it at the Spring Public Policy Lecture on March 7.

Manji was born in the Uganda; however, at the age of four she moved to Canada as a result of Idi Amin’s expulsion of Asians, which forced Indian and Pakistani minority groups out of the country. She attended public school in Canada, as well as the Islamic religious school on weekends, she said.

“That’s where I began asking seemingly simple, but apparently inconvenient questions,” Manji said. “I asked sincere questions like why can’t Muslims take Jews and Christians as friends, and at the age of 14, after asking one too many of those kinds of questions, I was expelled from religious school.”

Manji explained how she then spent much of her time studying in the public library where she discovered more about her faith.

“It was during this time of self-study that I discovered

something that would change my world and blow my mind for the good,” she said. “I discovered that Islam has its own tradition of independent thinking, creative reasoning, debate, descent, and even reinterpretation, and that tradition is known is Ijtihad.”

Manji explained Ijtihad as, “struggling with the mind in order to comprehend our multilayered and deliciously complex world.”

“For me discovering this tradition of Ijtihad meant that I could have my questions and have my faith at the same time,” Manji said. “In other words, faith and freedom really can go hand in hand.”

Manji explained what Ijtihad meant to the reform of the current state of Islam.

“We Muslims are supposed to worship one God, not God selfappointed ambassadors, which means that nobody, including myself, can legitimately walk around and behave as if he or she is God and has a monopoly on knowledge,” she said. “So here is the beautiful paradox, belief in one God obliges believers to defend human liberty.”

Manji explained how many Muslims have the need to question and reform Islam, but are afraid to speak up. Many Muslims do not agree with the strict rules against interfaith relationships.

Photo By Jack Guerino/Beacon Staff

History professor Petra Hejnova, left, asks Irshad Manji student-generated questions.

Manji told the audience how she presented Quran verses to an Islamic worship leader and asked him to reinterpret them for a modern age using Ijtihad.

He found a blessing of interfaith marriage from a Quranic perspective, according to Manji.

“I posted the blessing in

Students and faculty reflect on biology professor and dentist MORESI, continued from page 1 Hoyt added that Moresi was the dentist for the department and that he was always willing to bring students into his dental office so they could get firsthand experience in dental work. He also provided free dental work or help with payment plans to students who needed it.

“A lot of times with athletic training we need health professionals outside of the institution for our students to go and observe with or work with, and with some of them you have to call them and talk them into it; he was the opposite,” Hoyt said.

Moresi taught a variety of courses ranging from “Italian Language” to a “Case Study Approach to Science,” and even worked on Italian travel courses.

“I remember him e-mailing me that he was in Italy, and you could tell by the e-mail his absolute love of Italy,” Sociology Professor Diane Balduzy said.

Balduzy did not know him outside of the two professors being faculty colleagues, but she said that he always treated her as if she was a personal friend.

“There wasn’t a time that I ever saw him that he didn’t have a big smile and a big hug with a ‘Hi how are you’,” she said. “He was a joy to be around.”

According to his son, John Moresi Jr., Moresi enjoyed acting as an adviser, caring for each of his

students and colleagues. He said that a good deal of the community came to pay respects, many of which were students.

“A lot of them didn’t really know my father on a personal level,” Moresi Jr. said. “They said he wasn’t just our dentist or our professor, he was our friend.”

One exception is Associate Dean Paul LeSage, who grew up in the Berkshire area with Moresi.

“I’ve known John since high school back in the 60s,” LeSage said. “We’ve been faculty colleagues for many years.”

LeSage said he was very proud when he saw Moresi go acheive a successful career in medicine.

He added that his father had his dentistry practice since the late 1970s, and that he also taught at both Drury High School and Charles H. McCann Technical School.

Much of what Moresi loved stemmed from his Italian heritage, his son said.

“One of my father’s favorite things was his Italian heritage,” he said. “He always tried to instill some kind of family community, he always tried to instill the old ways of the Italian family.”

When Moresi was offered the part-time position at MCLA he saw another opportunity to give back, according to Moresi Jr. “I think he started at MCLA because he had the opportunity; teaching Italian cooking and an Italian language class, then it became biology,” he said. “He was

very excited to do it.”

His students were more than aware of his devotion to them and their education.

“I had him for case-study approach and he was amazing, he was one of those teachers that had a bond with each and every individual student,” senior Angela Saltamartini said.

LeSage recently spoke with a former student of Moresi about how much they had benefitted from an Italian class they had taken years ago.

Students and faculty agree that Moresi’s positive attitude and hard work will be missed.

“That’s what I’ll miss most about him, is having somebody involved that was very enthusiastic about working with the students,” Hoyt said. “He was a great guy.”

Moresi left a mark with everyone he met at the College.

“I’d see him every Monday and Wednesday,” Balduzy said. “We’d always meet at the elevator and have a hello and a hug; it was an upper, no complaining and carrying on like let’s dwell on life’s unfairness. I will definitely miss John.”

One thing is for certain; the campus will not soon forget their colleague, professor, and friend, John Moresi.

“John was a good friend and a congenial member of the campus community,” LeSage said. “He certainly will be missed.”

English on my website, and in six months’ time it became such a popular download that I had to get it translated into 21 more languages,” Manji said. “That in and of itself tells you what kind of thirst there is among the new generation, not just for reinterpretation, not for reform,

but for love, and the freedom to express it.”

Manji then explained the dangers of not being able to discuss problems about society and religion, even in secularist countries which do not allow MANJI, continued on page 5

BBC journalist and treeenthusiast visits MCLA

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff

By Aya Lanzoni

Editor-in-Chief An environmental reporter for BBC News led a discussion yesterday morning on a journalists’ major issue: finding stories.

Mark Kinver is the College’s Hardman Journalist-in-residence, funded by the Hardman family.

When he was 16 years old, Kinver started his career at BBC Radio, but he did not have the qualifications for promotion, and went to Falmouth College of Arts in England to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Broadcasting Studies.

“I take a story and put it through a series of filters: is it relevant? Is it new and relevant to your audience?” he said.

According to Kinver, the best way of getting sources is through word of mouth.

Another way of getting sources is through social media, in which he admitted his love for Twitter.

He said that using social media can make a journalist engage in more international stories.

One story he covered was the Japanese disaster back in March 2011. He explained his story developed from a tweet he read on his Twitter page.

“If you use [social media] correctly, it’s fantastic. Twitter and social media can be a gold mine,” he said.

Kinver also suggested to use RSS feeds and to “diary” events, having a list of prospective stories for the future. He called this “forward planning.” One last way to find stories for news is to use personal interests.

“I love trees. It builds knowledge for me,” he said. “Don’t be afraid to use your own interests to find stories.”

Being aware of people’s reactions to news is a focus he also suggested.

“You can’t control how people react, but you can’t over-edit,” he said. “As long as you attribute and contextualize, you’re okay. I’m not a master on anything I write, I just take a journalistic stance.

Not everybody’s going to like what you write.”

He then gave advice to the room full of aspiring journalists.

“Be true to yourself. You have your own voice. Don’t try to be something that you’re not and do what you think is right,” he said. “Learn from your professors. There’s nothing complicated about journalism. It’s just hard work.”

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News

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

Students scramble to make college work MCT Campus

In its idealized conception, college is an ivory tower where students through quiet contemplation or raucous selfdiscovery ready themselves for “the real world.”

But as college student Korchi Yang can attest, and as 2 million college applicants awaiting their financial aid packages may soon discover, being a hardworking student these days means precisely that.

Work.

Not just the on-campus workstudy variety. This is real-world work: 20 or 30 hours a week or more.

One out of every five college students works full time, 35plus hours a week, all year long, according to the most recently released census figures. With college bills at record highs, students say it’s not a choice. It’s a must.

Average student debt now sits at $26,600. The cost to attend a public four-year college, with room and board, on average: $17,860 per year. Private: $40,000.

After subtracting grants and scholarships, tuition paid by students at public universities jumped 8.3 percent last year, the biggest increase on record, according to a report released last week by the State Higher Education Executive Officers association.

College bills have become so

Photo by Jill Toyoshiba/MCT Campus

University of Kansas senior Colleen Monaghan tends bar at The Wheel near campus in Lawrence, Kansas, as a way to help pay her college expenses. She says working nights sometimes leaves her with only four hours sleep. onerous for some, in fact, that last month The Chronicle of Higher Education reported on a brisk market for students selling parts of their physical selves: plasma, sperm, eggs, their bodies for medical clinical studies.

“It’s fast, easy money,” said Nikki Hill, a 25-year-old, fulltime online student at Missouri Southern State University who previously attended the University

of Kansas.

While at KU, Hill said, she sold plasma twice a week while also working at a coffee shop to pay her bills.

“College is expensive. I was making $60 a week donating my plasma,” said Hill, who said she earned thousands of dollars over three years this way. “All my friends were doing it, too. I used to round everyone up and drive

Photo by Rich Sugg/MCT Campus

Quentin Savwoir is a full-time student at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Missouri, and also works full time while maintaining a 4.0.

Savwoir, 26, of Kansas City works full time and attends school full time too, while also co-launching a business, Nuts and Bolts, featuring environmentally friendly

custom underwear for men.

“It’s a real struggle, I feel like I have a purpose in life, and to achieve that I have to be educated. In order to be educated, I have to work. It’s not ideal, but I have to work,” Savwoir said. “I don’t have a social life. It’s all about work and school.”

them all with me to the plasma center.”

For the majority of students who don’t go to such lengths, however, the daily working world has become the prime option.

For years, studies have found that holding a job for 10 to 15 hours a week during college can actually help students perform better in the classroom. But students today are going far beyond that limit, experts say.

Too many hours has a price all its own.

“The toll it takes on students is pretty significant,” said Josh Gunn, president-elect of the American College Counseling Association and director of counseling and psychological services at Kennesaw State University.

“Students are depleted, exhausted, and something has to suffer.”

At Kennesaw, Gunn said, “it has been quite evident that more students than ever are carrying a full load of classes and a full-time job at the same time.”

When students become too run-down to make it through even one more day of double duty, he said, they usually will choose to go to work over class to pay the

bills.

Consider Yang, 23, who scrambles each week to keep her life in balance.

She attends Kansas City (Kan.) Community College, but next year she will pay much of her own way through Pittsburg State University — about $12,500 a year if she lives on campus.

Born the eighth of 10 children to immigrant Hmong parents, she is the first in her family to attend college.

Her father died, disabled, in 2010 after a stroke. Her mother, who doesn’t speak English, moved to California to farm after her husband died. Yang lives with a brother in their father’s home.

While taking 12 credit hours at college, she works four nights, 28 hours a week, at a Wal-Mart store from 3 to 10 p.m.

When she’s done at the store on Friday nights and also Saturdays, she changes out of her blue WalMart shirt and into an entirely different outfit. She puts on heels and a T-shirt or a form-fitting dress to work crowds as a model and hostess in Westport or the Power & Light District until about 2 a.m., recruiting pretty and personable young women for CQC Promotions.

The Olathe, Kan., home-based company provides models and party hostesses to companies.

Yang, who is studying fashion merchandizing and wants to be a model and designer, is featured in an ad for a coming California car show.

For her, the job offers modeling credit and fun along with the $20 to $25 an hour she makes to help save for college. She uses her WalMart money to pay for her car, phone, food, gas and utilities.

“When I first started going to college, it was really hard for me,” Yang said of working full time and studying. “I never got any sleep at all. I had to work almost as much as I went to school just to pay for school.”

It was so exhausting, she said, that she urged her two younger sisters, Pachia and Seenhiam, to do everything they could in high school to get great grades and scholarships.

SCRAMBLE, cont’d on page 5

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News

Thursday, March 21, 2013

McMillan strives for academic success MCMILLAN, continued from page 3 “I think that my favorite thing to do on campus is just being involved with the organizations I am in, and I have the philosophy to put as much as I can into it,” he said. “If I’m a member of something I’m going to put 100 percent in, if I can of course, and I’m not going to take on more responsibilities if I can’t put 100 percent into that organization.”

Eng lish/C ommunic at ions professor Rosanne Denhard recently became the adviser to LIT Society and has worked extensively with McMillan throughout his time at the College.

“Jesse takes his future career as an educator very seriously, and one of the things that makes him a such a strong student is that he is constantly considering how to apply his content learning to his future career,” Denhard said.

McMillan’s hard work in classes such as Denhard’s earned him a Teaching Assistant position for one of her classes next spring.

“I’ve worked closely with Jesse McMillan since the fall of his sophomore year in four upperlevel literature courses in the English and Communications major, and I know that I will be seeing him in the classroom again next year, too, both as my student in the Fall and as the Spring 2014 Teaching Assistant for my 300-level Arts of Medieval & Renaissance Britain travel course,” Denhard said.

McMillan’s fellow resident advisor and close friend Brycen Waters, senior, remarked that his dedication to every aspect of his

college career is exemplary.

“Jesse is one of the most dedicated people I have ever had the pleasure of working with,” Waters said. “Whatever the task, he puts in 150 percent of his effort into it and he never disappoints.”

Waters added that while some people work hard to earn a title, McMillan works to help those around him.

“Jesse genuinely cares about MCLA and giving back to this community,” he said. “He doesn’t do as much as he does because of the simple fact that they are good resume builders, he does it because he cares about MCLA and the students that go here.”

McMillan acknowledged all of the extensive help he has received with LIT Society from Denhard and Jennifer Dermady, office manager of the English Department.

McMillan looks forward to earning his Masters of Arts in English for Teachers, and jumping straight into a doctoral program in the future.

“I just want to keep going through with everything as quick as I can. Get all of those loans paid off,” he chuckled.

As for the near future, he strives to bring LIT up to a higher standard for honors societies on campus.

“I’m really looking forward to making this something that students can relate to,” he said.

“When they get inducted into an honors society, I think that is something that should be carried throughout their academic career.

I’m looking forward to having that and hopefully passing that onto someone after I graduate.”

Beacon.mcla.edu

5

Manji gives insight on faith during lecture MANJI, continued from page 3 “Unless you have the freedom to ask questions, you calcify and become static; questions are the soul’s way of saying I am ready to grow.”

History professor Petra Hejnova relayed student -generated questions. She asked what she thought of women’s roles in Islamic countries.

“The issue here is not the way Islam treats women, the issue here is the way most Muslims continue to confuse culture with religion,” Manji said. “They treat women under that umbrella.”

Hejnova added if Manji worried that her critiques Islam’s current practice hurt others’ opinions of her faith.

“Sometimes I worry, but more often than not I carry on knowing the work I am doing comes from a place of love for Allah and for the dignity of humanity,” Manji said. “When you’re working for change within your community it is because you have more faith in your community than the defenders of the status quo who give your community so little credit.”

Manji was asked if opinions guided by experience are less

Photo By Jack Guerino/Beacon Stff

Manji discusses the current interpretation of Islam and its problems at a public policy lecture in the Church Street Center. important than those derived from a more scholarly approach.

“Good people have given over the power of credibility, authenticity, and legitimacy to those who have a certain kind of schooling,” Manji said. “Real people are living real lives and having real experiences in how

their religion is lived, but they are told those experiences aren’t worthy because they aren’t scholars.

The lecture was part of a series of Public Policy lectures made possible through the Ruth Proud Charitable Trust and was held in Church Street Center.

Student Leadership Conference Update It’s time to register/re-register for MCLA’s Student Leadership Conference! *Due to the date switch, you must re-register to attend the conference! *

“There’s No Place Like Leadership” Sunday, March 24 9 a.m. - 4 p.m., Campus Center Gym

Students work hard to make it through school

SCRAMBLE, continued from page 4

“I didn’t want it to be as hard for them,” Yang said.

She said Pachia, 22, is now in her third year at St. Catherine University in Minnesota.

Seenhiam, 20, is at the University of Central Arkansas. Both, she said, have scholarships that have saved them from her work schedule.

Working has costs in terms of time, psychology, social life and, for many, grades.

Studies have long shown that working a few hours during college improves academic performance, said Laura Perna, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania and editor in 2010 of “Understanding the Working College Student.”

Those studies, however, focus on “traditional students,” she said.

They include students who are ages 18 to 24, who work 10 to 15 hours a week and who are enrolled full time while their parents foot most of their bills, she said.

Among those students, limited work outside school helps develop skills such as time management, focus and responsibility.

Photo by David Eulitt/MCT Campus

William Jewell College freshman Dayanne Reyes is to have $80,000 in loan debt: “I battled with it a lot.

The way I see it, there is no better investment than your education. Education will follow you no matter where you go.”

In other words, students who are good workers outside college also tend to work well inside college. But there’s also a problem: “The problem is that most kids don’t fit that profile any longer,” Perna said.

They’re working much, much more.

The work breakdown, according to the National Center for Education Statistics: 40 percent of full-time college students hold regular jobs. Among them, three out of five work at least 20 hours per week. Seven percent of fulltime students work full time.

Among part-time students, 73 percent hold jobs. Of those, four out of five punch in more than 20 hours per week. Fully a third of part-time students work full time.

This is hardly to say that working during college is new.

National statistics indicate that the peak employment year for college students ages 16 to 24 was 2000, the year before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Percentages have gradually been ticking down ever since.

While 40 percent of full-time students now work regular jobs, 52 percent did so in 2000.

But interpreting the numbers is thorny, said Michelle Asha Cooper, president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy in Washington.

With tuition costs and student loans mounting, the notion that fewer rather than more students would be working seems paradoxical.

“It depends on how you cut the numbers,” Cooper said.

“Nationally, we do have a trend of students working more hours.”

For some students, finding a job may be harder now than it would have been in the past. After five years of recession, students aren’t just competing with each other for work. Some are going up against their parents.

“When the economy tanks and there are no jobs, it can be hard for students to get jobs, too,” said Sandy Bauer, an education policy consultant and senior fellow at the George Washington University Graduate School of Education.

Even students with full scholarships feel the need to work to round out their college experience.

Bailey Reimer, 21, a senior at KU with a 3.99 GPA — “I got an A-minus in my first class, first semester, freshman year,” she said — receives paid tuition through full scholarship.

“But as far as my living expenses, I pay those myself,” she said, “for rent, and for groceries and for textbooks and stuff like that.”

An American studies and linguistics major, she holds two

jobs with variable hours, putting in about 16 hours a week.

For one, she works out of her dorm room, going over resumes to recruit high-achieving students around the country to accept paid fellowships at Education Pioneers.

The organization, similar to Teach for America, looks to recruit talented students into leadership positions in education. Reimer held an internship with the group last summer in Boston.

Her other job is helping students at Shawnee Mission Northwest High School produce their yearbook.

“Both of these jobs are things I care about,” said Reimer, who originally did both for no pay before being hired. “But I need the money, too.”

Her family, she said, is not wealthy. She is the sole child raised by a single mom. Her dad died when she was 4.

Although her jobs are not for survival, she said, they enhance her overall college experience, like a semester abroad she spent in Spain and paid for herself.

“My semester abroad wasn’t terribly expensive, but I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” she said.

6

Thursday, March 21, 2012

Arts & Entertainment

Beacon.mcla.edu

‘Bitches’ takes the STAGE STAGE members break female stereotypes with edgy and informative show

By Shannen Adamites A&E Editor

The Last Bison: rustic & folky charm in debut album What do you get when you combine Mumford and Sons, Fleet Foxes, and The Decemberists?

The answer is The Last Bison.This indie-folk group from Chesapeake, VA. started off in 2010 and released their first fulllength album, “Inheritance,” earlier this month. The band, according to their website, describes themselves as ‘mountain-top chamber’ music, which could not be any more fitting.

The Last Bison combines the talents of its seven members, all of whom are either related or close friends.

With poetic lyrics, lively vocal, complex melodies, and rustic instrumentation, the band has received a great deal of critical acclaim despite being new to the scene.

According to Noise Trade, a free music sharing site many bands use to promote new material, “Bison has already crafted a sound that is threaded with their own singular strands of creativity. [Their songs] all unfurl in textured, poetic waves that are based far more in inspiration than imitation.”

Ben Hardesty, founder of The Last Bison, is also possibly the manliest man in the world.

He’s burly and bearded, with soulful and gritty voice capable of reaching a pleasant falsetto and a mighty belt.

According to their website, he also brews his own mead. Talk about old-school.

“Inheritance” is definitely an album worth consideration.

Tracks such as “Switzerland,” “Distance,” and “Quill” are full of dynamic, old-style charm that are sure to get you dancing, or perhaps running at full speed in an open field in search of adventure.

There are plenty of quieter tunes, too. “River Rhine” features an ethereal background chorus, and “Sandstone” exudes a dramatic melancholy as it alternates from a whispering lullaby to a grand, emotional crescendo.

Along with an absolutely wonderful debut album, the music video for “Switzerland” is just as appealing.

Folk fans, I encourage you to take a listen to this band. Their sound is accessible enough to those who aren’t as familiar with the genre, but at the same time, is unique enough for someone who’s looking for something that goes beyond the Mumford hit on Top 40 Radio stations.

Photo by Shauna Dacus/Beacon Staff

The cast of ‘Bitches, Bimbos, and Ballbreakers’ take a group shot before rehearsing for their debut coming up in two weeks.

“Bitches, Bimbos, and BallbreakFive years ago it was adapted “We wanted to do something

By Haley Costen ers” is a look at different female into a play by former students that’s female centered, but also alA&E Writer stereotypes performed in a satiri- R.J. Doughty, Holly Huffstutter, lows men to be in the cast,” Vear cal manner.

Nicole Pevere, and English Pro- said. No men auditioned, but the The student-written and di“It will offend you,” she joked, fessor Kelli Newby, but it has not cast is no less excited. rected play “Bitches, Bimbos, and “but in a way that is fun and in- been performed again until this “I hope [the audience] can Ballbreakers” will be performed formative!” year. laugh a lot,” cast member Raat the College for the first time in According to STAGE TreasurBlake explained that it is chel Silvano said. “It really pokes five years. er, sophomore Carrisa Sacherski, one of the few shows that match at some of the stiff stereotypes, The play, which is sponsored some stereotypes included are STAGE’s message, adding, “I while still making them learn

by Students Taking Action for female athletes, blondes, and les- hope people enjoy it and walk about these stereotypes.”

Gender Equality (STAGE), will bians, along with cultural stereo- away learning about stereotypes, “The audience should expect be held in Church Street Center types concerning race. and the stereotypes we put on to be shocked, but it will make at 7 p.m. on March 28 and 29.

STAGE President and senior people.” them think,” Sacherski said.

Tickets are $2, and all proceeds Corrine Blake explained that the The play was also chosen as will go to the Elizabeth Freeman play is based on a book written STAGE’s annual production beFollow us on Twitter!

Center, a women’s shelter in Pitts- by the Guerilla Girls, “a group of cause unlike “The Vagina Monofield. anonymous feminists with a Web logues,” which was performed in @BeaconMCLA_AE According to senior Brianna site and a taste for taking on gen- previous years, “Bitches, Bimbos, Vear, who co-founded STAGE der discrimination,” according to and Ballbreakers” had more spots with senior Skyla Seamans, Publisher’s Weekly. for male roles.

We The Kings to perform in April

Student Activities Council announced the Spring Fling Week concert headliner

By Shannen Adamites A&E Editor

Photo from thesoundalarm.com

We the Kings vocalist/guitarist, Travis Clark, performing at Warped Tour in summer 2012. SAC ‘s Spring Fling week kicks off with We The Kings on April 15.

The Student Activities Council (SAC) announced on Monday that We The Kings will headline the annual Spring Fling Week concert on April 15.

We the Kings are a pop-punk group from Bradenton, Florida.

They are best known for their 2007 self-titled debut album, which featured the chart-topping single, “Check Yes Juliet.”

According to Billboard, the single went platinum.

According to IMDB.com, the band won the category for “Most Innovative Music Video” for their single “Say You Like Me,” off their most recent album, ‘Sunshine State of Mind” at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, An article on Allmusic.com said the band has toured with notable groups such as The Academy Is..., Hey Monday, and All Time Low, as well as playing on the Vans Warped Tour in 2010 and 2012.

Two Albany-based bands, Stellar Young and Heart Foundation, will open for We The Kings as well.

Concerts chair, Daniel O’Connell came across Stellar Young through their agent, Serina Stimpson, a senior at the College. He also knows one of the members of Heart Foundation personally, and feels that both the bands would fit well with We the Kings’s sound.

“Heart Foundation and Stellar Young are really unique and fun pop-punk bands,” he said. “They have a similar sound to We the Kings, but are very distictive from one another.”

The opening bands can be found and listened to on Bandcamp, a website independent and unsigned musicians use to distrubute and stream their material.

“This is going to be a great show,” he said. “SAC is very pleased to have this group on campus.”

SAC will table ticket sales in the Marketplace starting April 1.

Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for faculty.

Follow SAC on Twitter! @SACMCLA

Arts & Entertainment

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

Aimee Hudon: a spirited scientist and performer

By Kaylie Warner A&E Writer

Aimee Hudon sat with her legs crossed, swinging her light blue sneakers covered in green paint to the music playing in the campus center.

Her grey eyes lit up as she discussed her love for science and art. She said that even though it’s hard to explain, it makes all the sense in the world to her.

Hudon is biology major with a concentration in bio-technology.

She is also pursuing minors in both chemistry and art. She finds a lot of co-relations between the two fields that mean a great deal to her.

“There are anatomical skills you need to know in art and it helps to have a background in science,” she said.

Her passions for art and science are time consuming and require a lot of involvement, but she never feels overloaded with work.

“I am not just doing labs, or just performing,” she said. “I have a balance, and this allows the other side of my brain to relax.”

Hudon is an active member of Dance Company, Harlequin, and is also the treasurer for Yorick.

Yorick President Mary Marcil said she is lucky to know Hudon and have her as a friend.

“She has been on the Yorick Eboard for two years and she always helps keep things going with great ideas,” Marcil said. “She even got us to have veggie pizza at the club meetings because of her persistence.”

Last spring, Hudon played the fool in Marcil’s production of “King Lear.”

“I have had fun in all of the productions I have been in, but playing The Fool in “King Lear” last spring was really fun for me,” she said.

Hudon is performing in this week’s Harlequin production of “Into the Woods.” She is also cast as one of three Ariel’s in Yorick’s “The Tempest” performances beginning in April.

Hudon noted that dance has been a significant part of her life since she was young.

“I have been dancing since I was

two,” she said, smiling. “Dance has always been one of my passions, and I have a strong love for it. However, I feel most comfortable in my acting ability.”

Hudon also has an internship where she takes care of the animals, such as geckos and crayfish, in the zoology department, which she enjoys.

With her many passions, her possibilities are endless. She has yet to determine what she will do after college, but in the meantime, she keeps busy with her internship, classes, art, and performances.

“I eventually want to go to graduate school but do not have the time right now to apply. I want to be doing something that involves science but keeps theatre and dance in my life,” she said.

Recently, Hudon has been thinking about pursuing a career in conservation biology, which would allow her to travel, an experience she loves.

Hudon loves tea, chocolate, fruit, and cats, which all add to her eclectic life.

7

Photo by Kayla Degnan/Beacon Staff

Aimee Hudon is extremely involved with her major and minor, as well as the performance clubs on campus.

Students to curate art exhibit in April Arts management students plan an exhibit of original poetry, art, and performance.

Students at the College are planning an exhibit of work this April in the Becket Arts Center in Becket, MA. The exhibit will focus on the theme, “A Sense of Place”, and will feature student, staff, and faculty artwork, poetry and performances. The show will run from April 27 to May 15, Saturdays and Sundays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

A reception celebrating the opening of the show will take place on Sunday April 28 at 2 p.m.

The exhibition will be curated by a team of students, including Alex Butfilowski, Shannon Fox, Ben Mancino, Rebecca McBrien, and Siearra Papuga.

The idea for the exhibition came about when two students in different classes developed a class assignment around the idea of creating opportunities for students to display their art.

“Rebecca McBrien in the Introduction to Arts Management course and Ben Mancino in the Grants and Fundraising course put together compelling programs designed to provide opportunities for emerging artists to have their work exhibited,” notes Lisa Donovan, who oversees the Arts Management program and is a recent addition to the Fine and Performing Arts department. “Their work was strong enough that when I

met Paul Campbell, Executive Director of the Becket Arts Center, to talk about potential collaborations, the ideas were already developed and ready to enact.”

McBrien and Mancino are interested in connecting artists with the external community and gaining experience in their field. “We defined a need, came up with a plan and the next thing we knew, we received an offer from the Becket Arts Center to exhibit student artwork and we took up on the offer,” Mancino explained.

“The idea for ‘Sense of Place’ developed from a classroom assignment, and has grown, with the aid of faculty support, into a reality,” said McBrien. “The show will showcase MCLA’s arts community which explores the connection to place in all its meanings: spaces that resonate and inspire, geography that sparks connection, a felt sense of location, memories of home, and interactions with particular environments.”

The Becket Arts Center is located at 7 Brooker Hill Road off Route 8 in Becket.

Submissions for visual, performing, or poetic works will be accepted until April 1. For more information or to submit work, contact our curatorial team at bacexhition@gmail.com.

Harlequin’s 11th production

‘Into the Woods’ directed by Jonathan Kinney

continues tonight and Friday at 8 p.m. in the Venable Theatre Tickets are free for students $1 for faculty $2 for the general public

Reserve tickets at harlequinwoodsreserve@gmail.com

8

Sports

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

Softball finishes Florida Gene Cusic Classic 2-8

By Nicholas Swanson Sports Writer

By Ariana Tourangeau Sports Editor

THE MADNESS IS HERE! It’s that time of year again for all you basketball fans; so grab your beer, friends, and brackets, because March Madness is taking over for the next two weeks.

In my opinion, Men’s Basketball is much more exciting than Women’s. Don’t get me wrong, I cheered for a state champion Women’s Basketball team all throughout high school, but there is something about Men’s sports that is more intriguing. The games are more physical and more competitive, making for a more exciting game.

This year will be my first year filling out a bracket for the NCAA tournaments. I definitely don’t think I have a shot at actually winning, but I love watching sports and guessing whom I think will win. Being new to this, I did some research on who to pick and how to pick, so here are some tips.

The Louisville Cardinals were rated as the no.1 overall seed for the tournament and the no.1 seed for the Midwest. Gonzaga, Kansas, and Indiana were also no.1 seeds for the tournament.

For newbies, it seems as though the best idea would be to put these four teams as the final four, but as any fan knows, anything can happen in a tournament no matter how the season went or what stats show. USA today also said that it is not the best idea to pick too many high seeds for your final four, because if you add up seed ranks of your final four you don’t want to be above 14.

One tip from USA Today was to pick teams by colors, but at your own risk. It may seem a bit silly, but since Syracuse won the title in 2003 there hasn’t been a team without blue in their colors to win a championship.

Only four times out of the 34 games played has the champion team begun with a vowel.

The article had other tips, since 1991 the winning Coach’s first name has had either three or four letters, as well as a last name containing the letter “I.” I never thought any of these details were important, but for those die-hard fans this could be the superstition they’re relying on.

I wish you all luck with your brackets and hope these tips gave you a little insight on some picking strategies. I also hope that March Madness doesn’t take over your lives for the next few weeks because I am already regretting this, but in the best way possible.

During spring break the Softball team played ten games at the Gene Cusic Classic in Fort Myers, Florida. They finished with a record of 2-8 and now have an overall record of 4-8 for the pre-season.

The team gained their second win the final day in Florida which was against Albright College from Pennsylvania.

They scored six runs in the first inning and every player had a chance at bat. In the sixth inning, Kendra Hobbs hit her second homerun of the trip to end the game 9-1.

The second game of the day was played against the same

team, but the game was not as one-sided as the first. The two teams were tied 1-1 for seven innings and when this happens an international tiebreaker rule comes into play.

This meant each team got to place a player on second base while at bat. Albright ended up overcoming in the ninth inning the Trailblazers winning 5-4.

“When we were not doing good in the beginning of the trip it gave us that much more determination and momentum to try harder and play better during our last day in Florida,” senior Captain Ainsley MacDonald said.

The Trailblazers started off the first day of the classic with a loss against Worcester

Polytechnic Institute (WPI) 9-0 and a win against Newbury College 14-4. On Saturday the team faced Kenyon College, but lost 8-2 and lost to Wittenberg 9-2 later that day.

“Kenyon was very smart during their game play, they threw us off by constantly changing their pitchers and fieldsmen, but the different type of styles will only improve and prepare us for when we face other teams,” senior captain Kendra Hobbs said.

The Trailblazer’s losing streak continued when they lost against St. Joseph’s College 7-1 and worsened in the next game.

The mercy rule was announced by the umpire when the score dropped to 11-0 in the fifth

inning against Wooster, led by pitcher Gina Pirolozzi.

The Trailblazers had one day of rest from the multiple doubleheaders before they faced Olivet College and fell 3-0. On that same day, they could not prevail against Pittsburgh at Bradford University and lost 7-4.

“We might not have done great, but being able to play outside on a regular size field definitely helped each position like fielding and outfielders who were able to spread out more and get a better feeling for the game,” MacDonald said.

The Softball team will be competing in a doubleheader at Sage College on March 27 starting at 3 p.m.

Schedule Baseball

Softball

3/24 SUNYIT vs. MCLA @ New Paltz, NY 12:00 p.m.

3/27 MCLA vs. Sage @ Sage 3:00 p.m.

Men’s Tennis 3/21 @ Rhode Island College 3:30 p.m.

3/24 @ Thomas College 12:00 p.m.

Photo courtesy of NRHH

Sign ups are in the marketplace till friday or email Lindsay L. Green via First Class.

Men’s Tennis prepares for matches in new conference

By Justine Cozza

Sports Writer March brings the beginning of the Men’s Tennis team’s season. The men play their first of ten matches today at Rhode Island College at 3:30 p.m.

“With the team only being two years old I was excited to help rebuild the team,” sophomore Taylor Krowitz said. “We’re in a new conference this year [North Atlantic Conference (NAC)] so it will be exciting to play against teams at our skill level.”

Beginning in the 2010 season, the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) partnered with the North Atlantic Conference in baseball,

women’s lacrosse, and men’s and women’s tennis, according the NAC athletic webpage.

The NEAC will compete as associate members of the NAC in women’s lacrosse and men’s tennis.

Members from each conference will be divided into an East and West Division for each sport, with each division holding a championship and the two divisional champions then facing off to determine the conference champion. The conference winner for each sport will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.

“We are very fortunate to have the men’s tennis team in the North Atlantic Conference

this year, they will have the opportunity to compete in the NAC conference championship if they finish in the top four of the conference,” Assistant Athletic Director Dorothy Houston explained. “We have a solid team of athletes who have been working well with one another over a short period of time; the season should be exciting to follow.”

“We definitely have it in us to have a winning season,” junior Mitchell Mabardy said.

“Even though our team is new, if we keep working hard making it into the tournament is possible.”

According to the MCLA athletics page, Coach Andres Lima, who was unavailable

for comment, is currently a member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

He was previously a tennis professional in Ecuador and has provided professional training while ranking as high as number 39 in the country during his tenure in the early 2000s.

The men’s first home game is against Green Mountain College, April 4 at 3:30 p.m. at the Zavattaro Athletics complex.

For more information, or to follow the team during their upcoming season go to the MCLA athletics page at http:// athletics.mcla.edu/sports/ mten/index.

Sports

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

9

Trailblazers hope NCAA tournament is to come back after more wide open than ever spring break losses MCT Campus

By Chris Oxholm Staff Writer

The Men’s Baseball Team spent last week in Florida for spring training to prepare for the season.

The weather was nice and sunny, but unfortunately the Trailblazers didn’t perform as they hoped. Out of the eight games they played they were only able to crank out one victory.

“Losing seven games wasn’t fun at all,” infielder Derek Lescarbeau said. “It was also too bad that we didn’t play SUNYIT, but we have a double header against them on Sunday.”

Their games against SUNYIT in Florida were cancelled due to rain. The Trailblazers did win one game against Curry, ending at 5-4.

They controlled the beginning of the game holding down their five runs before Curry could get any in.

Curry scored all four of their runs in the fifth inning. After the fifth, MCLA was able to hold down the field and protect home plate to come out on top. This game still didn’t fill the void of the hard losses they took.

“Florida spring training is the first time of the year we get to play outside,” Lescarbeau said. “You

can’t judge the team just after this first week.”

Now the team is focused on their regular season, especially their MASCAC games. According to the players, MASCAC is a very competitive conference.

“There’s no one team we want to beat,” Lescarbeau said. “We just want a winning record in the conference. Bridgewater is the best team so it would be nice to beat them. As a team we are all on the same skill level so we work well together.”

Jeff Puleri has been the head coach for Men’s Baseball for 11 years and has been with the team for longer. He won MASCAC Coach of the year in 2006 and 2009 winning 20 games in ‘09.

Now Puleri has to get his team on the right track for the 2013 season.

The first game of the season is at home against Norwich University. The game is a double header and Norwich has a similar spring training record of 1-5.

The Trailblazers hope to send Norwich home at 1-7.

The double header begins at 12 p.m. and the second game starts at 2 p.m.

Session III crowns champions

Photo Courtesy of Drew Webster

Erin Ferris, Lindsay Borbolla, Shawn Willis, James Brown, Ben Souza, Drew Webster and Jake McCall (not shown) of Electric Company.

By Drew Webster

Special to the Beacon Electric Company and The Stuffers have each been crowned champions for their respected sports, marking the end of intramurals session III The Stuffers overcame the undefeated Cat Ladies in volleyball, defeating them two games to one. Led by captain Celia Norcross, The Stuffers earned themselves the sought out intramurals jersey.

For indoor soccer, the Electric Company capped off their perfect season with a win against the CashOutKings in the championship game. Despite a last minute push, Electric Company

was able to hold off runner-up CashOutKings and come out with a 9-7 victory.

Intramurals are now preparing for Session IV, offering dodgeball, co-ed basketball, and for the first time ever, the “Tailgate Extravaganza”, which consists of three traditional lawn sports: kan jam, cornhole and ladder ball. There will also be a 3 vs. 3 basketball tournament all day on Saturday, March 30.

To sign up for any of these sports, paper rosters will be available in the Marketplace.

Return these to the Intramural Office in the Campus Center room 315, or sign up at www. imleagues.com.

LOS ANGELES — It takes only one word to describe the extra touch of lunacy in this year’s March Madness.

That word is: Gonzaga.

With the NCAA men’s basketball tournament set to begin this week, the small Jesuit university is the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, ahead of traditional powerhouses Duke, Indiana and Kansas. The Bulldogs’ lofty status epitomizes a season that has produced no clear-cut favorites.

A dozen or more teams have a solid chance to win the championship. Lesser names such as St. Louis and Virginia Commonwealth rank as legitimate dark horses.

That could mean plenty of upsets and buzzer-beaters over the next three weeks, which is great for fans, but not everyone is thrilled.

People in and around college basketball fear the game is deteriorating. They see a decline in scoring and too many star players turning professional after one season in school. The talent becomes diluted, dragging top programs down to the level of lesser rivals.

“Is it mediocrity or is it parity?” asked Seth Greenberg, a former coach who guided teams from Long Beach State and Virginia Tech to the tournament. “I don’t know.”

College coaches grumble that their sport is sinking under the weight of the “one-and-done” phenomenon.

In 2006, the NBA set a minimum age for its draft, declaring that players must be at least 19 and one year removed from high school. Young athletes can no longer attempt to follow Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and others who jumped directly from the preps to the pros.

That leaves only a few choices.

Teenage stars can venture far from home to play professionally in Europe, or spend a season in the hinterland of the NBA Development League.

Most choose to use the NCAA as a brief stopover. College programs get them for one year, then must restock the following season, a revolving-door process that does not lend itself to building stable rosters.

At UCLA, the Bruins won this season’s Pac-12 Conference regular-season title with a core of freshmen but will probably lose their best player, freshman Shabazz Muhammad, to the NBA draft in June. Classmate Kyle Anderson might leave too.

“It benefits the NBA, not us,” coach Ben Howland said. “Let’s support the college game by saying you have to stay for two or

Photo courtesy of MCT Campus

Tennesee puts up a shot over Saint Mary’s during the NCAA tournament. three years.” have been around and they have Sometimes one-and-done can depth,” Howland said. “That work for a major program. Last makes a big difference.” season, Kentucky recruited the There might be another reason right mix of freshmen, stayed for increasing parity in college healthy and rolled to a national basketball: The players change championship. teams with unusual frequency.

But coach John Calipari, who More than 10 percent of has no qualms about signing one- Division I players transfer each and-done players, understands year, according to NCAA statistics. the fragility of this strategy. That’s double the rate for football This season, his new group and triple the rate for baseball. of youngsters struggled with Often, freshmen at powerhouse injuries, lost three of its last four schools grow disenchanted with games, and was left out of the a lack of playing time and leave NCAA tournament. for smaller programs where they “I’ve talked enough about how can start as soon as they become I can’t stand this one-and-done eligible. stuff,” Calipari said in the fall.

Nevada-Las Vegas has a record “But it is what it is.” of 25-9 with the help of three If anything, the dynamic prominent transfers, including has benefited so-called “mid- Mike Moser from UCLA and majors,” smaller schools with Bryce Dejean-Jones from USC. solid programs. Unable to attract The mid-majors “have taken a top recruits, they sign lesser but lot of guys who did not want to still talented prospects who stick wait,” said Tim Floyd, the former together for three or four years.

USC coach now at Texas-El Paso.

In 2011, a Cinderella team from “That has evened the playing Butler reached the championship field.” game, and last season, two 15thFloyd blames the one-and-done seeded teams upset second- mentality, saying that players who seeded opponents in the first don’t excel as freshmen or position round. That had occurred only themselves to leave school early four times since the NCAA feel like failures. Others believe tournament expanded to 64 that kids become accustomed to teams in 1985. switching from one club team to Now, Gonzaga enters as a another in youth basketball. favorite, a big change from years Not that everyone bemoans the spent as a dark horse, scoring the resulting wide-open field. March occasional upset and sneaking Madness has brought a different into a 1999 regional final. vibe to betting in Las Vegas, The Bulldogs are led by center where wagers have poured in on Kelly Olynyk, who prolonged his the likes of Miami and St. Louis. college career by redshirting as “You could argue that 20 a junior, spending that time to teams could win this thing,” said hone his skills. Similarly, No. 16 Ed Salmons, oddsmaker for the St. Louis and No. 23 Creighton SuperBook at the Las Vegas Hotel will enter the tournament with a & Casino. “People have been core of upperclassmen. betting everybody … all kinds of “They’ve got older guys who teams.”

10

Opinion

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Beacon.mcla.edu

Do you think gay marriage should be legalized on a federal level?

“I think it should. There’s no reason they don’t deserve the same rights, including adoption rights and taxes.”

“I think it should be legalized.

We’re a progressive society, we’ve got to go with the change, and more people are open to it.”

-Rachel Barth, 2016

-Alex Mukendi, 2013

“Absolutely. I think it’s absurd that it’s 2013 and it’s still an issue.

In 10 or 20 years we’ll look back at it the same way we look at segregation now.”

“Yes, because it’s not fair because straight people can get married.

Gay couples can love just as much as straight couples.”

-Mimi Henault, 2014

-Sam Boyle, 2016

“Yeah, because it’s a human right for everyone.”

“Absolutely. People shouldn’t have the right to choose who [other] people can marry; it’s a human right.”

-Tanelle Ciempa, 2016

-Brian Comeau, 2013

New pope’s views may highlight lack of progression in Catholic Church The certainly historical resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has caused a splurge of conversation cirRyan Flynn cling the CathoSenior News lic Church. As Editor of last week, 76-year-old Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergorglio, the first South American and first to choose the name Francis, was chosen as the new pope.

While a South American pope certainly marks progression to some degree, his views mark one thing not changing when it comes to the Catholic Church: their stance on gay rights. Francis I has several homophobic views and opinions. He has been quoted saying several things about same sex marriage, even calling it “An attack on God’s plan,” (Huffingtonpost.com). He is also strongly against gay couples adopting and has been reported to have strongly opposed a same-sex marriage bill in 2010.

Gay rights advocates, particularly those invested in the Catholic religion, have been up in arms, claiming Francis I to be backwards and poor choice for pope, but he isn’t specifically the issue here. The real problems are caused by views deeply rooted in the religion itself.

Obviously the Catholic religion in general fosters the belief that homosexuality is a sin. This certainly

is not a view all Catholics hold and while these opinions are certainly offensive; many major leaders in the Catholic world are not going to change their beliefs on the matter any time soon.

Oddly enough, Francis’s home country of Argentina was the first Latin American country to legalize same sex marriage in 2010. The church may not be progressing as some would like, but the world certainly is, even if it’s not happening as quickly as many would like. It’s been reported that Francis fought the Argentinian government on the issue, showing that religion is by no means the end of the world for gay rights advocates.

In addition to this, Benedict XVI was no more supportive of gay rights than Francis I. Pope Benedict XVI openly and regularly made it clear that he was strongly against homosexuality.

It’s important with matters such as this to remember that this isn’t necessarily a change: The words just have a different face.

While many condemn Pope Francis I for his controversial views, several people loyally defend him as a pope. He has been known for defending the poor with passion and has been known to touch upon things such as “poor people who are persecuted for demanding work, and rich people who are applauded for fleeing from justice,” (Huffingtonpost.com).

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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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Editorial Board

Compiled by Kacie Clark/Beacon staff

Commentary

The Beacon

Commentary

Supreme Court should declare gay marriage legal MCT Campus When the U.S. Supreme Court agreed last year to take up Proposition 8, its ruling on California’s gay marriage ban was expected to be a turning point in the struggle for equal marriage rights.

But now that the time is near, a different truth is emerging: It almost doesn’t matter.

Like a Berlin Wall that once seemed impenetrable but ended up crumbling in a day, the conviction that marriage rights should be available only to straight couples is disintegrating before our eyes.

When a U.S. president flips 180 degrees, as Barack Obama has done, and when conservative icons from Clint Eastwood to former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman stand with him and with gay rights activists, you know it’s game over.

If the Supreme Court finds that the Constitutional guarantee of equal rights does not apply to marriage, public opinion will do the job. Polls show that California voters would handily support gay marriage today _ young people tend to wonder what all the fuss is about _ and nine other states already have legalized it.

The speed of this shift has been stunning. More than 130 moderate and conservative Republicans, including Eastwood, have signed a brief to the Supreme Court opposing Proposition 8.

Meg Whitman, who supported Proposition 8 when she ran for

governor in 2010, now opposes it.

Just last week, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, a vocal opponent of gay marriage and adoptions, announced a change of heart: His son, a junior at Yale, had told his father he is gay.

The court also will hear arguments next week challenging the Defense of Marriage Act, signed by President Bill Clinton in 1996, which defines marriage as being between a man and a woman. Clinton now says he thinks DOMA is “incompatible with our Constitution” because it denies rights and benefits to gays and lesbians that are available to married couples.

Public opinion is unlikely to sway the Supreme Court, but Obama’s Justice Department has filed briefs against DOMA and Proposition 8. That’s unusual, and it’s hard to say how it will play. The justices have options that could maintain the legal status quo, make narrow changes or declare that limits on marriage rights are unconstitutional.

We supported gay marriage before DOMA and before Gavin Newsom shook up the status quo with his San Francisco weddings.

We see no downside; society gains from the stability of committed families. Generations from now, gay marriage will be as accepted as interracial marriage, which once was illegal in much of this country.

The justices can’t stop this evolution, but they could accelerate it. We hope that’s what they do.

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

Advisers

Advertising

Jenifer Augur Jim Niedbalski Gillian Jones

Megan Brady Tabitha Gerber Mike Secklecki

*Holds more than one position

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Fun & Games

Thursday, March 21, 2013

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT 2013-14 MCLA SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE!!

Apply on-line at www.mcla.edu/aid

MARCH 29TH DEADLINE!!

Other Scholarship Opportunity: Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Apply now through March 29th www.communityfoundation.org

Beacon.mcla.edu

Weekly Horoscopes

11

Aries: March 21-April 19 Your social energy is fun and flirty – and you may surprise someone who thought they had you pegged! Now is a great time to hang out with your crush or a new romantic partner.

Taurus: April 20-May 20 You find yourself slipping into some odd behavior today – but it’s not so bad that you have to keep restraints on. You’re just a little less cautious than usual, and it could lead somewhere fun!

Gemini: May 21-June 21 Your social energy is abuzz with all the new people coming into your life – even if many of them are online! You don’t really care, as long as you get to keep chattering and showing off.

Cancer: June 22-July22 Your to-do list seems to have doubled in length overnight – what can you do? Try to get some help from friends or family, or see if you can delegate anything to an intern (or teenager) in your life.

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 Everyone seems to be speaking at once today, so make sure that you are as clear as can be. If someone only gets to hear part of what you have to say, aren’t they likely to get the wrong idea?

17, 2013 FOR RELEASE MARCH 10,

Libra: Sept. 23-Oct. 22 Try to speak up today – you’ve got some deep issues that need resolution, and they aren’t going anywhere without some serious communication. It may be a family thing or it could be work-related, but it’s vital.

THE TV CROSSWORD

by Jacqueline E. Mathews

Scorpio: Oct. 23-Nov. 21 You see something that seems too good to be true – so do what you can to avoid buying it or taking the risk. It’s likely a scam or something with hidden costs, and you have to play it safe now.

Sagittarius: Nov. 22-Dec. 21 You may have a full schedule today – and if not, watch out for interruptions and sudden invitations! At least some of them are sure to be fun, but you may have to say no now and then.

Want to be apart of the Beacon Staff?

Come in and apply today!

To get an application, stop outside of the Beacon office in Mark Hopkins 111.

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ACROSS Sitcom for Shermanemcee Hemsley “Wheel of Fortune” __ “__ 54, Where Are You?” Sajak “__ the of Explorer” Marcia “Desperate Last letter in the Greek alphabet Housewives” Morning show for Matt Lauer Newhart or Barker Elated__ Yoko Unrefined minerals Decorated war hero and actor “Buffalo __, won’t you come out Murphy tonight...”

Before, to a poet “SayRock __ toCandy, the Dress” Big for one: abbr. __ person; apiece Correct a text Baseball greattoWillie __ Lend a hand “__ Shebreads Great”; Bette Midler Pocket movie Overhanging roof edges __ Patrick host Harris Late-night Actor and his brother Chad SportsRob building Dramaonseries in an acting Actor “The set A-Team” school Snakelike fish Skimpy skirt Pub order Puppeteer __ Lewis Prescribed amounts “How __ Your Late-night hostMother” Dawber “King __and Hill”Shriver Eric ofLew Monty Actor __ Python Monogram for President Truman Speck Actress Larterof “Numb3rs” Actor Ballard Solution to Last Week’s Puzzle

(c) 2013 Tribune Media Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

36 47 37 48 38 49 50 40 51 52 41 42 53 43 44 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 5 6 7 6 8 7 9 10 11 12 19 13 21 15 23 17 24 19 25 20 29 22 30 23 31 25 33 26 34 27 36 30 37 38 31 39 33 41 34 44 36 37 45 39 40 46

SmellGoodman’s __; suspectrole trickery John on “__ From Muskogee”; hit song “Roseanne” for Merle Haggard Popeye’s Olive “Ocean’sSophia __”; movie Actress __ for George Clooney or and Brad Pitt Wallach Marienthal Lt. __ Van beat: Buren;abbr.

“Law & Order” Mailman’s role for S.__”; Epatha “Garden movieMerkerson for Zach Pantyand hose material Braff Natalie Portman Ice cream parlor order OPQ followers Ending for Joseph or Max Letters on an old map DOWN “__ and Circumstance”; song DOWN at graduations played Think the world of Prank; caper Sitcom EdSilverheels O’Neill Role forfor Jay Historical Actor Sid periods Anti’s Mai taivote ingredient __ off; calmsJoe” down after being “__ to Billie angry Envy or sloth, e.g.

Madigan and Brenneman Passover dinner “The __”; film for Denis Leary “Leave It to __” Sitcom for Bledsoe “Murder onTempestt the __ Express” Coeur d’__, Idaho Bunks and berths “__ Gun”; TomBetty” Cruise movie Ortiz of “Ugly Leno or Thomas Goal; purpose Storm or Gordon Impoverished Wallthese and days; Easy: eventually abbr. __ Kennedy oroften Rogers Light wood used for rafts Actress Skye Champion auto racer Corncobs “__ People, Big World” Green citrus monogram Hemingway’s Comedian Berle, to friends Role on “Seinfeld” Hot tub Wily; crafty Guitarist Eddie Breakfast, lunchVan and__ dinner Actress Ryan of “The Beverly “Law & __” Hillbillies” Actress Patricia and family Rather, once of “60 Minutes” Skunk’s defense Ravi Shankar’s In a __; miffed instrument “__ and Sympathy”; Deborah “A __ Like Love”; movie for Kerr movie Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Cosmetics company Peet Yoko and others Paul’s cousin on “Mad About Actor Marienthal You” SchoolI __ in Tempe, for short “How Your Mother”

Applications due by April 1st.

Capricorn: Dec. 22-Jan. 19 Too much chatter is sure to keep anything useful from getting done today – so make sure you turn off your ringer when appropriate and find other ways to keep your mind focused.

Aquarius: Jan. 20-Feb. 18 You meet someone today who shares many of your interests – and possibly more! If you’re looking for love, this could be a good match, so ask all the right questions and remember to be yourself.

Pisces: Feb. 19-March 20 Things are moving a little too quickly for you right now, so make sure that you’re anchored and getting all the help you need. Things are sure to settle down in the very near future.

Horoscopes courtesy of Yahoo.com

12

Thursday, March 21, 2013

Photo Essay

Photo by Kayla Degnan

The sitting area in Time Square is left vacant on a cold rainy day in New York City. Bright city signs illuminate the area, despite the dark clouds.

Beacon.mcla.edu

Photo by Jess Gamari Malahide Castle, near Dublin, was built over 800 years ago and is said to be haunted by five ghosts.

! d l r o W e h t d n u o r A

Over spring break, Kayla Degnan participated in the National Collage Media Association in New York City, a student media conference.

Jess Gamari and 20 other MCLA students visited various parts of Ireland as part of the Ireland Travel Course with History Professor Anthony Daly.

Photo by Jess Gamari

Photo by Kayla Degnan

A grave site built in the sixth century lies near the entrance of The Glendalough Valley, a peaceful hiking area in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland.

Couples huddle under umbrellas to avoid the cold rain in New York City.

Photo by Jess Gamari

The Giant’s Causeway in Bushmills, Northern Ireland, is made of naturally formed hexagon basalt columns along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

Photo by Kayla Degnan

People grip umbrellas in New York City while rushing from place to place.