November 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

T hu r s day , N ov e mb e r 30, 2017

Volume 85

Issue 10

ANNUAL TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY

North Adams gets lit

Photo by Emily Gabert

Alcombright hosts his last tree-lighting ceremony

BY ERICKA DELISLE SPECIAL TO THE BEACON Families gathered at the top of Main Street, bundled in their winter clothes, to help ring in the holiday season at North Adams’ Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony on November 22, 2017.

The ceremony kicked off

with Suzy Helme, the city event coordinator, thanking the sponsors of the event, Berkshire Bank, Greylock Federal Credit Union, MountainOne Bank, Cascade Art Supplies and the City of North Adams. First Baptist Church, MASS MoCA, and the Drury High School Band were also thanked.

City

workers and volunteers were also thanked for all their hard work leading up to the event.

Mayor Richard Alcombright then stepped up to the mic, taking a moment to thank the community for the privilege of hosting the tree lighting. He wished the crowd a happy holiday sea-

The Yellow Bowl Project

Immigration matters

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE STAFF WRITER A fragile ceramic tea bowl is the last thing you’d expect to find sitting in the middle of the desert, but that’s exactly what Setsuko Winchester, founder of “Freedom From Fear / The Yellow Bowl Project,” wants you to think.

“Perhaps by exposing these places of ‘fear’ we can finally exorcise the shame and guilt, and move forward rather than blame the victim or shame the oppressors,” she says on her website.

For the past few months MCLA’s had the privilege to work with her

in a project involving Gallery 51, later inviting her to speak in a talk on Nov. 14 called “Immigration Matters.” There she spoke about immigration rights within the US, its recent controversies and how they relate to actions our country has taken in the past.

“I’ve had the opportunity to engage deeply with this project for the past several months, especially living with the work on the walls at Gallery 51,” said Michelle Daly at the talk.

Daly is the Director of the MCLA Berkshire Cultural Recourse Center and attended the talk as its moderator. The center is a

Immigration page 3

son, before asking the crowd to countdown from five with him, and shout “Santa,” in order to light the tree. After a few practice runs, the final countdown occurred and the tree was lit up in colored lights, with a shining star on top. The Drury High School Band then started playing classic Christ-

mas songs such as “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas,” “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” and “O Tannenbaum.”

The event did not come without nostalgia, since this was the last tree lighting ceremony that would be hosted

by Mayor Alcombright, as Mayor-Elect Tom Bernard

Tree page 2

Public Policy Lecture

Toobin talks Court

BY HANNAH SNELL STAFF WRITER

Jeffrey Toobin, chief legal analyst for CNN and staff writer for The New Yorker, traced the roots of the Supreme Court and how it became as polarized as it is today in his lecture, “Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court.”

Toobin spoke at Church Street Center on Nov. 16 as the speaker for the 7th Annual Michael S. and Kitty Dukakis Public Policy Lecture.

“It is often hoped, it is sometimes even believed that the Supreme Court represents a

Toobin page 3

Photo from WikimediaCommons

CAMPUSNEWS

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Nov. 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

SGA coverage

Changes first part of Constitution approved

BY HANNAH SNELL STAFF WRITER The Student Government Association (SGA) approved several changes to the current by-laws of Sections A-F of Article I: The Student Senate of the Constitution during their meeting on Nov. 27.

These changes will not be in effect until the Senate has approved all changes to the bylaws.

During the meeting, President Samantha Giffen also announced that there will be a task force surrounding the current smoking policy and the smoke-free campus ini-

tiative. The task force is open to all students who wish to give their input on the new policy.

Dale Osef, career development specialist at the Center for Student Success and Engagement (CSSE), was originally scheduled to speak at the meeting and answer questions. However, he was unable to attend the meeting.

Instead, Osef will be joining the Senate at the next meeting on Monday, Dec. 4.

Several by-law changes were made to the SGA Constitution in Article I: The Student Senate, sections A through F, including the re-

quirements to serve as a Senator and the powers of the Senate Chairperson.

One amendment that was debated on was the power that the Senate Chairperson could have, in regards to the ability to relinquish the power of the gavel.

The by-law now states that the Senate Chairperson has the power to: “Be a non-voting member unless the Chair relinquishes the power of the gavel. To relinquish the gavel, the Senate Chairperson may turn over the conducting of the meeting to a member of the Executive Cabinet (preferably to the Parliamentar-

ian) and join the general Senate, thus adding a vote in the issues at hand.”

In addition, one change that was approved was the requirement that students who serve on the Senate must be full time matriculated undergraduate students who pay their student activities fee.

In addition, Sen. Andrew Baillargeon, student representative of the Curriculum Committee, briefly summarized some of the revisions that the committee has made, along with a handout stating the revisions that were voted on. These changes

were announced at the previous SGA meeting on Nov. 20.

At the Curriculum Committee meeting on Nov. 8, it was voted on unanimously (9-0) to approve a new

SGA page 4

Tree from page 1 will be taking over the event next November.

“This is the sort of stuff that as mayor, it makes you feel really good, to see your community enjoying something so much. I say that there are things that I’ll miss, and there are things that I’ll never miss, like people calling about potholes, but these are the types of things that I’ll miss,” Alcombright said.

Some attendees may find it strange that the event takes place before Thanksgiving, but city input was the reason the event moved from the week after Thanksgiving to the day before. This change happened about six years ago.

“I did get some phone calls from some people saying ‘geez, why don’t you do it before Thanksgiving, because our families are home’…it’s really grown because of moving the event. A lot of families come home,

photo courtesy of Emily Gabert

The Mohawk Theater sign advertising the tree lighting ceremony. or people come home to visit their families, I’ve seen so many people who have come far and wide to be here,” Alcombright said.

Not everyone in the crowd came from far and wide though, as many North Adams natives showed up, bringing their kids along as well. Liz

Urban, Tim Mangun, and their son, Henry Urban-Mangun, have lived in North Adams their entire lives.

They started coming to the ceremony about three years ago, when their son was a baby, and Mangun even played in the Drury Band when he was in high school.

The family also noted that they stopped at Persnickety Toys on the way to the ceremony, in order to place some items on their shopping lists, as well as to support local businesses. When asked why they liked the event, and why they continued to come back year after year, Mangun gave a few keys reasons as to why.

“Well, the allure of Santa, and [Henry] likes to see the tree. It’s the kick off to the holiday season.”

As best said in popular Christmas song “Silver Bells,” “It’s Christmas time in the city.”

MCLA Campus Safety Police Log 11/16/17-11/23/17

BY ERICKA DELISLE SPECIAL TO THE BEACON Thursday, November 16th, 2017 • 12:29 a.m.-Campus Safety responded to a phone call about suspicious activity. The call was informational only and no action was required.

• 8:12 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to a medical call. The individual was transported to the hospital. Refer to Incident: 17-433-OF. • 9:03 p.m. and 11:09 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to two separate requests for an individual to be escorted. Both individuals were escorted, and the requests were completed.

Friday, November 17th, 2017 • 1:38 a.m.-Campus Safety responded to a report of suspicious activity. The suspicious activity was investigated, and no formal report was filed.

• 11:23 a.m.-Campus Safety responded a phone call requesting a well-being check. A report was filed on the incident. Refer to Incident: 17-434-OF. • 11:42 a.m.-Campus Safety responded to a radio request for an escort. The individual was escorted and the call was completed.

• 11:17 p.m.-Campus Safety received a complaint over the phone. The complaint was unfounded, and did not re-

quire any necessary action.

Saturday, November 18th, 2017 • 12:25 a.m.-Campus Safety received a phone call about a disturbance. The disturbance was gone upon arrival, and no report was filed.

• 5:19 p.m.-Campus Safety received a radio report of a safety hazard. The report was informational only, and the safety hazard was not investigated.

• 7:43 p.m.-Campus Safety received a phone call requesting a well-being check. The individual was referred to an outside campus organization.

• 11:55 p.m.-Campus Safety received a phone call about a disturbance. There was no action required for the disturbance.

Sunday, November 19th, 2017 • 1:19 a.m. and 2:17 a.m.-Campus Safety responded to two different calls about disturbances. The first disturbance was discovered to be unfounded. The second disturbance was issued a verbal warning. Refer to Incidents: 17-435-OF and 17-436-OF. • 11:48 a.m.-Campus Safety responded to a supervisory alarm. A report was filed on the alarm. Refer to Incident: 17-437-OF • 11:51 a.m.-Campus Safety responded to a medical call. A report was filed,

and it was not specified if the individual was transported to the hospital.

Refer to Incident: 17-438-OF. Monday, November 20th, 2017 • 12:18 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to a medical call. The individual was transported to the hospital. Refer to Incident: 17-439-OF. • 1:55 p.m.-2:40 p.m.-Campus Safety initiated three separate motor vehicle stops. The first and third stops were issued citation warnings. The second stop was issued a verbal warning.

• 5:55 p.m.-6:33 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to five different emergency calls made from the Emergency Callboxes. It was not specified if these calls required any actions, nor which boxes were used to make the calls.

• 10:38 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to a medical call. The individual was transported to the hospital. Refer to Incident: 17-440-OF. Tuesday, November 21st, 2017 • 12:34 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to a phone call requesting general transport. The individual was transported via cruiser, and the call was completed.

• 1:46 a.m.-Campus Safety responded to a parking issue. The individual received a citation.

•

image from pixabay

5:42 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to a parking issue. The individual received a verbal warning.

Thursday, November 23rd, 2017 • 5:05 p.m.-6:38 p.m.-Campus Safety completed four emergency phone tests in preparation for the electrical shut down the following day. All the tests were completed and successful.

• 5:22 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to a report of suspicious activity. The call was completed, and no formal report was filed.

• 9:36 p.m.-Campus Safety responded to a report of suspicious activity. The suspicious activity was investigated, and no formal report was filed.

Nov. 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

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Spending deadline leads to tax consideration crunch

BY NIELS LESNIEWSKI CQ - ROLL CALL WASHINGTON _ If the tax reconciliation bill somehow doesn’t make it to the Senate floor this week, it may have to wait until much closer to Christmas.

Pushing the measure back just a week would not seem to be an option because of December’s other deadline crush: the expiration of the current continuing resolution funding the government through Dec. 8.

That is part of the reason why Republican leaders are so eager to hold a budget reconciliation vote-a-rama and advance the tax plan this week, even as some members question the iteration advanced by the Senate Finance Committee.

The Senate Budget Committee is scheduled to meet Tuesday to package the reconciliation legislation for the floor, a usually perfunctory step.

Wisconsin GOP Sen. Ron Johnson said Monday he was currently planning to vote “no” on the reconciliation bill at the Budget panel, according to an Associated

Press reporter based in Madison, Wisconsin.

“If we develop a fix prior to committee, I’ll probably support it, but if we don’t, I’ll vote against it,” Johnson said, according to the AP. Budget Chairman Michael B. Enzi said Monday there were no plans to postpone or cancel Tuesday’s reconciliation markup.

The Wyoming Republican also said the tax bill would not be changed during the markup.

“It won’t be changed in committee. It can’t be changed in committee. Precedent shows the only time there is any change is if the reconciliation has two competing committees with overlapping jurisdictions.

There is no overlapping jurisdiction,” he said.

When asked if he was concerned that Johnson may vote against the legislation, Enzi said, “That’s always a possibility.”

Ohio GOP Sen. Rob Portman, a Finance Committee member and longtime advocate of overhauling the tax code, sought to address Johnson’s concerns that smaller companies were dis-

advantaged by the Senate tax plan compared to big corporations.

“We were very careful in designing this ... to ensure that the smaller companies, which are pass-throughs which pay (taxes) at the individual rate, are also given a substantial tax break to be able to hire more people and invest more in their company,” Portman told the Fox News Channel.

Another Budget Committee Republican, Bob Corker of Tennessee, said it was “very possible” he could vote against the tax plan at the committee level, noting that his concerns about the fiscal effect of the tax proposal have long been public.

Corker told reporters he has been working with White House officials and GOP tax writers to craft a revenue “trigger” that would kick in if the tax plan does not bring in the desired revenue.

“You’ve got to have a trigger that, first of all, it’s got to be at a point in time that allows you to recoup what hasn’t been met up until that day,” he said. “So the order of magnitude really depends upon what shortfall might

photo from MCT Campus

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, arrives to preside over a hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2017 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Ron Sachs/CNP/Zuma Press/TNS) exist.”

Corker said he didn’t want to get into further de-

tails “because it just messes erything up,” but he’s been

Taxes page 4

Immigration from page 1 college, Mass MoCA, and the city of North Adams.

Subjects of the talk leaned towards American treatment of diversity and immigrants in the past.

They specifically looked into the Japanese-American incarcerations during World War II and the effect it had on later discussions.

Winchester’s project has a lot not only to do with bringing forth awareness of the tragedy that took place within our own country, but also to the horrible way developed

countries can legitimize these acts.

“I just decided to do something that was out of the norm because I realized that the normal venues were not working. The JapaneseAmerican story, they discovered I think in 1978, they found the smoking gun that basically said that there was no evidence to the espionage or treason said by the government,” said Winchester at the talk.

Joining her as a speaker for the talk was Charles Park, an Associate

Professor of English from Berkshire Community College.

“It helps us look at all of this again and restart conversations that should always be happening. Some of you who might not of known about these concentration camps, we called them ‘internment camps,’ are now thinking about it and understanding that this actually happened in the U.S.,” said Park at the talk.

Park is the Director of the Berkshire Immigrant Stories Project with is part of a larger project focusing

on U.S. immigration after 1965 in an archive called “Your Story, Our Story,” centered around New York City’s Tenement Museum.

“The purpose of the Berkshire Immigrant Stories Project is to gather stories connected to objects or images that’s emblematic of people’s stories. One of the things we we try to do is to remind everyone that we are a nation of immigrants,” said Park at the talk.

Toobin from page 1 refuge from the partisan differences, the polarization,” said Toobin.

“I’m here to tell you that for better or worse, that’s not the case.”

Toobin noted that part of the division in the Supreme Court is due to the fact that there are five Republicans and four Democrats currently serving.

“You now know most of what you need to about the Supreme Court,” he said.

However, Toobin noted that the Supreme Court hasn’t always been as divided as it is today. In fact, in the mid to late-‘60s, there was a substantial ideological majority, according to Toobin.

In 1964, the Supreme Court changed libel law and created important new protections and corrections. In 1965, Griswold v. Connecticut established the right to contraceptives. In 1966, Miranda v. Arizona revolutionized criminal procedures. And, in 1967, Loving v.

Photo by Emily Gabert Virginia made it so that states could Jeffrey Toobin dis- cussing the Supreme Court no longer ban interracial marriage. and the changes undergone by the Republican party.

According to Toobin, one of the most important political developments of the time is the “evolution” of the Republican party.

“The Republican party under Richard Nixon in the 1970s is basically unrecognizable of the Republican party of today,” Toobin said.

Toobin, in an interview with the MCLA College Roundtable, touched upon the polarizing interpretations of the United States Constitution and its continuing role in politics and democracy.

“There is an understanding that the Constitution which the Supreme Court is charged with enforcing is something that should be somehow apart from politics. It should be a timeless in its application and I think people understand at some point that the justice are trying to do that,” Toobin said.

Among topics brought-up in a

Question and Answer session after the lecture, were Gerrymandering, gun rights and control and the present and future of President Trump’s first term.

Toobin was introduced by political science student and senior Kaitlin Wright who cited first becoming interested in Toobin’s work when she was assigned his book, “The Oath: The Obama White House and the Supreme Court” for a class, his sequel to “The Nine.”

Toobin has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1993 and the senior legal analyst for CNN since 2002, according to his profile on The New Yorker website. Toobin also won an Emmy Award for his coverage of the Elian Gonzalez case.

In addition, he has been recognized for his coverage of the O.J. Simpson trial, Martha Stewart’s investigation for insider trading, as well as multiple profiles on Supreme Court Justices, such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer.

NATIONALNEWS

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Nov. 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

A week in history: scenes from the past November 30th 1835- Samuel Langhorne

Clemens is born. An important name to Mark because of the subtle Twain of it.

1900- Oscar Wilde, the Irish playwright and poet, dies at the age of 46 1966- Barbados becomes independent from the United Kingdom.

at Brest-Litovsk, and peace talks leading to the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk begin.These talks will eventually result in Russia’s withdrawl from the conflict.

Berkeley, following their takeover and sit-in at the administration building in protest of the UC Regents’ decision to forbid protests on UC property.

December 4th

AD 34– Persius, a Roman poet, is born.

1679– Thomas Hobbes, a noted English philosopher and theorist, dies.

December 1st 1791– The first edition of The Ob1913- Ford Motor Company introserver, the world’s first Sunday newsduces first moving assembly line. paper, is published.

1941- Emperor Hirohito of Ja1881– The first edition of the Los pan gives final approval to wage war Angeles Times is published. against the United States.

Photos from WikimediaCommons 1918– U.S. President Woodrow Wil1949- Columbian drug lord and nar- A scene of no man’s land during the First son sails for the World War I peace World War. coterrorist, Pablo Escobar is born. talks in Versailles. This marks the first time a US president travels to Europe December 3rd December 2nd 1912– Bulgaria, Greece, Montene- while in office.

1805–At the Battle of Auster- gro, and Serbia (the Balkan League) litz, French troops under Napoleon sign an armistice with the Ottoman December 5th Bonaparte decisively defeat a joint Empire, temporarily halting the First 63 BC– Cicero gives the fourth and Russo-Austrian force.

Balkan War. (The armistice will expire final of the Catiline Orations.

1823– In a State of the Union mes- on February 3, 1913, and hostilities 1757– During the Seven Years’ War, sage, U.S. President James Monroe will resume.) and at the Battle of Leuthen, Frederick proclaims American neutrality in fu1960– The musical Camelot debuts II of Prussia leads Prussian forces to a ture European conflicts, and warns at the Majestic Theatre on Broadway. decisive victory over Austrian forces European powers not to interfere in It will become associated with the under Prince Charles Alexander of the Americas. This becomes known as Kennedy administration and the early Lorraine. the Monroe Doctrine.

1960s.

1955– E. D. Nixon and Rosa Parks 1917– During World War I Russia 1964– Police arrest over 800 stu- lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott. and the Central Powers sign an armi- dents at the University of California, 1901– Walt Disney is born. stice

Taxes from page 3 talking to other Senate Republicans who share his concerns.

As for his vote on the Budget panel, the Tennessee senator said, “I’m not threatening anything. I’m just saying that it’s very important for me to know that we’ve got this resolved.”

Republicans have a 12-11 edge on the committee, meaning if Johnson or Corker votes against the plan, the panel would not vote to approve it.

Even if the Budget Committee voted against send the reconciliation package to the floor, the endeavor would not necessarily be doomed.

Before the Senate adjourned Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took procedural steps to avoid potential Democratic objections and get the House-passed reconciliation vehicle directly onto the calendar.

2013– Nelson Mandela, South African lawyer and politician, 1st President of South Africa, and Nobel Prize laureate dies.

December 6th

1865– In the United States, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution is ratified, banning slavery.

1877– The Washington Post publishes its first edition.

1933– U.S. federal judge John M. Woolsey rules that James Joyce’s novel Ulysses is not, in fact, obscene.

1975– Fleeing from the police, a Provisional IRA unit takes a British couple hostage in their flat on Balcombe Street, London, beginning a six-day siege.This event marks another violent scene during the Time of Troubles.

SGA from page 2 It appears the Senate could theoretically vote to proceed to the Housepassed bill, with Republicans laying down a substitute amendment that meets the reconciliation instructions based on the marks from Finance and Energy and Natural Resources, without being formally combined by the Budget panel.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn said earlier Monday that the plan was to get to the motion to proceed to the tax package Wednesday, setting up Thursday night for the long sequence of amendment votes known as the vote-a-rama.

While there would be time for the whole exercise to extend through the weekend, there’s not much time beyond that.

concentration in Pre-Athletic Training. This was submitted by the biology department and would be a concentration within the Health Sciences major.

“This concentration would give students the preparation they need to enter a master’s program elsewhere,” the meeting report states.

A unanimous, 9-0 vote was also cast to approve a new, 100-level course, “Clinical Observation.”

Adviser Jenn Craig, in her adviser report, announced a call for papers due Dec. 11 for an upcoming leadership conference. This would entail a synopsis on one’s purposed topic.

In the gallery during open forum, Samantha Gibb, organiz-

ing director of the MCLA chapter of MASSPIRG, gave updates on what MCLA and other colleges in the Commonwealth are currently working on.

The MCLA MASSPIRG chapter is currently working on a Save the Bees campaign, as well as a 100 percent renewable energy campaign. Currently, they are working on an Act transitioning Massachusetts to 100 percent renewable energy.

Additional announcements that were made at the end of the meeting included the the final Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) task force meeting will be held tomorrow, Dec. 1 at 3:00 p.m. in Murdock 218.

Weekend Weather Thursday, November 30

Friday, Decmeber 1

Saturday, December 2

Sunday, December 3

Sunshine; some clouds High: 43° Low: 38° Precip. Chance: 30%

Mostly cloudy; some rain High: 44° Low: 24° Precip. Chance: 50%

Mostly cloudy High: 43° Low: 26° Precip. Chance: 18%

Clouds, Clouds, Clouds High: 41° Low: 29° Precip. Chance: 25% Images from WikimediaCommons

FEATURES

5

STUDENT ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Karina Mattera: Finding her niche

BY MEGHAN COOK FEATURES WRITER

The MCLA women’s basketball season is officially underway, which means practices, games, long bus rides, classes, homework, and any chance for a social life is all being balanced by junior Karina Mattera.

Mattera came to MCLA in the fall of 2015 and found her niche among the other athletes on the basketball team as guard.

“It’s a lot different being on the team together this year than freshman year,” said junior and teammate L’Rae Brundige.

“Now we all understand and are used to the way each other plays, we have that bond and team chemistry that helps us enjoy playing together.”

Brundige and Mattera began their MCLA basketball careers at the same time and have been with each other ever since on and off the court.

Mattera has been playing basketball for 16 years both at MCLA and in her hometown of Johnston, Rhode Island.

Mattera has always been a force on the court, while attending Johnston Senior High School she achieved scoring her 1,000 point in her high school career when she was only a junior.

“That’s probably my favorite [basketball] memory,” Mattera said.

Mattera is an English/Communications major with a concentration in Broadcast Media and minor in Sociology. While she has her love for basketball, she has also found a place to excel in joining the Beacon Web News.

She is a field reporter, going out on campus every week to report on events, editing her pieces and makes the news package for them every week.

“In the control room I do things on the day of the production like control the camera shots and when to switch cam-

Provided photo

English/Communications major Karina Mattera balances her role on the basketball team and Beacon Web News. Mattera is a guard on the basketball team and is a field reporter for BWN. eras, add lower third titles, and play the roll in packages,” explained Mattera.

Having the opportunity to be so involved in the Beacon Web News allows Mattera to have a hands on approach for her

Broadcast Media concentration and experience for her future career.

“I’m not sure exactly what career [that will be] but something in the film field would be ideal,” Mattera said.

On the court, she is known for being scrappy and quick on defense, and on offense is one of the leading scorers for the team.

With a college career high of 25 points in one game, she is only 5 points shy of all time high of 30

points which she scored in high school.

“Karina brings a lot to the team,” said Brundige. “She brings her A-game and she loves finding the open player and getting those assists. She opens up plays for us and improvises when plays break down.”

This year, the women’s team is relatively young with only one senior this year, having lost five seniors after last season.

“We’re adjusting playing together still since this is our first year all being out on the court in games together, but I’m pretty confident we can match up well against anyone,” Mattera said.

During her freshman and sophomore year Matter found a mentor in Courtney McLaughlin, a senior last season. “[McLaughlin] helped me improve my game in ways that only needed a little fix, whether it was setting a proper screen or making my offensive game a bit smoother,” Mattera said.

“Off the court as well, she’d always be the person I’d go to talk about a situation I was having about basketball or life in general.”

McLaughlin returns this year as an assistant coach to the women’s basketball team, extending her reach from teammate to an experienced asset for both Mattera and the whole team.

According to Mattera, her favorite MCLA memory is playing games she and her team played down in Florida during last year’s winter break.

Looking to the next few games she is excited and feels prepared to face anyone.

“I’m most looking forward to playing Framingham State in MASCAC games this year. We lost to them in the semi-finals in playoffs last year,” Mattera said.

MCLA women’s basketball team plays their next game against Southern Vermont College at 5 p.m. Friday.

Political Science Club: Seeking consistency, moving forward

BY MITCHELL CHAPMAN FEATURES EDITOR No matter the club, consistent members is a constant challenge for SGA-affiliated clubs. Thankfully, Political Science Club has found something of that, as it looks forward to electing a new E-Board.

“We have about 10 students who show up regularly to our meetings, sometimes more,” said Club President Kaitlin Wright, who will be graduating at the end of this semester. “It really depends on what we are talking about at our club meeting that day.”

Unlike the College Republicans, which Wright is also the chair of and who the club consistently collaborates with, Political Science Club is often seen as being more neutral with its political affiliation. As such, it often does not receive the amount of backlash as its collaborator. This was the case when the Political Science Club co-hosted Larry

Pratt from the Gun Owners of America.

“Political Science Club was largely ignored in regards to commotion surrounding the Gun Owners of America event,” Wright said. “I know there was an email sent out by the Students for a Democratic Society to various clubs asking to partake in a protest of the event, but the email only mentioned College Republicans and not Political Science Club. I think many people just associated the event with the College Republicans because the Second Amendment tends to be a more conservative topic, but we had decided to co-host the event with them in the hopes to bring more speakers on campus that would talk about policies that concern all Americans.”

According to Wright, a typical Political Science Club meeting is very discussion-based, drawing from current events.

“At our general meetings, we normally discuss some sort of political issue,” she said. “A fair

Political Science Club at the Ice Cream Social.

The club is about to elect a new E-Board.

Provided photo

amount of the policies and issues that we discuss are American issues, but we also spend time talking about issues around the world. Some of the topics we discussed this year were minimum wage policies, the politics of Thanksgiving, the Northwest Passage, the parliament elections happening across Europe, the push for modernization in Saudi Arabia, as well as the history of Columbus Day.” And while the club has no more events slated on their docket for this semester, they have had a packed fall. In addition to co-

hosting Pratt, they’ve hosted New England Newspapers, Inc. President Frederic Rutberg, who talked about politics and the media, as well as Rep. John Barrett and former state rep. candidate Christine Canning, who visited campus while they were campaigning for the seat vacated by Gailanne Carriddi, who died in June.

Despite this, and having a solid membership base, the club will continue to work on its numbers.

“I think a lot of clubs probably struggle with this,” she said.

“You have your first meeting and

a ton of people show up and it stays that way for your first couple meetings, but as the semester starts winding down and the homework keeps piling up, less and less students show up. It’s certainly understandable, we are all students first.”

Political Science Club meets Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. at Bowman 217, but that is subject to change with the election of the new E-Board, of whom Wright offered some parting words of advice to.

“Be open-minded,” she said.

“Don’t let this position of power get to your head. Sure, you may love this club, but remember, you are only one person and you can only do so much. Make sure you are making academics a priority and that all of your E-Board is contributing their portion of the work. To tie it into politics, be a check and balance on one another.”

6

Arts & Entertainment

“Tartuffe” to focus on current political climate

BY NORA HONES A&E WRITER MCLA’s FPA is putting on its next show, “Tartuffe,” with its own spin off of the original, focusing on our current political climate.

When asked what the show was about, Joslyn Eaddy, the public relations head for the show, said in an email, “When the kind, yet dim, Orgon invites the religious zealot known as Tartuffe into his home, he has no idea that he has accepted a snake into his den. While Tartuffe acts like a kind minister, he is — in fact — a con man plotting to rob Orgon of everything he holds dear. While Orgon becomes hopelessly entranced by Tartuffe, his family rallies to expose Tartuffe for the scoundrel he is.”

Director Laura Standley was stunned by the outcome of the election, and when asked by her students what they should do, she simply told them to make

art, which is what inspired her with the idea for doing “Tartuffe” by Molière.

“Tartuffe” was chosen

by Standley because it’s a funny satire that is very timely to our current political situation. There are so many things within the play that mirror our current political situation and reality, which just made it a more perfect match for FPA’s next show to Standley.

“Tartuffe” was originally performed in 1664, and is one of the most famous theatrical comedies by Molière.

The play was written in both contemporary French and English, which both use the word “tartuffe,” meaning a hypocrite who purportedly and exaggeratedly feigns virtue, especially religious virtue. The title of the play was inspired by the fact that Molière’s first play was censored by King Louis XIV, because of pressure from the archbishop of Paris, Paul Philippe Hardouin de

photo from Harlequin’s Facebook

From left, Morrison Robblee and Braxton Vittori star in “Tartuffe” on Dec. 1, 2, 8, 9 and 10.

Beaumont de Péréfixe.

The show has a lot of elements to it that make it a really funny show to watch, from the rhyming dialogue to the crazy characters.

This rhyming dialogue mentioned comes mostly from the fact the play was written entirely in 1,962 twelve-syllable lines of rhyming couplets.

The cast is: Braxton Vittori as Orgon, Alex Sasso as Elmire, Morrison Robblee as Tartuffe, Elijah Keane as Damis, Lydia Jung as Mariane, Joe Pazzanese

as Valere, Tim Downs as Cleante, Joe Sabin as Madame Pernelle, Meri Mauro as Dorine, Declan McDermott as Laurent/ Monsieur Loyal, Mitchell McCauley as Laurent/ Officer, Amanda Gilmore as Flipote, Charlotte Donnelly as Servant, and Robin Williams as Servant.

The crew is: Professor Laura Standley as director, Danielle DeLamater as assistant director, Mitchell McCauley as assistant director, Kevin McGrath as stage manager, Professor

Jeremy Winchester as set/ lighting designer, and Professor Andrea Williams as costume designer.

“Tatuffe” will be performed on Dec. 1, 2, 8 and 9 at 8 p.m. and on Dec. 2 and 10 at 2 p.m. in Venable Theater. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for faculty/staff, and $15 for general admission. In addition, tickets can be bought ahead of time at mcla.ticketleap.com.

Campus center takeover brings students together Fashion Club, NeXXus and Political Science Club are among some of the many other clubs that tabled for the Takeover.

Around 30 clubs were involved in this year’s event.

The smell of coffee filled the air and the space was packed with a noisy crowd, but the general consensus among participants was that it was in the best way possible.

Senior Adam Sams, who tabled for Environuts, said that this event seemed to be the best at bringing the campus community together.

Sams stated that the Campus Center Takeover gets even more people involved than the Ice Cream Social, due to the

tables’ close proximity inside the building, as well as the fun and noisy atmosphere and activities welcoming anyone to join in the fun.

“Clubs were joining together and participating at each other’s tables, students were visiting tables that had people who they never interacted with before, and we even had some faculty stop by,” Jackson said.

While some came to the campus center exclusively for the event, others seemed to be just passing through. Even these students, however, stopped at a table or two, enjoying the event.

“NRHH is very proud of the event we put on, and can’t wait to do it again next year,” Jackson said.

photo by Alyssa Call

RPS Director Dianne Manning and Junior Letisha Ferabolli take a photo together.

BY BRIANNA LAMB A&E WRITER The Campus Center Marketplace transformed late in the evening of Nov. 15 for the Campus Center Takeover, an annual event where MCLA clubs table in the Marketplace to create a fun-filled night for the campus community.

Put on by the National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), the takeover included about 30 clubs and organizations, each offering something different for those who participated and wandered by.

Each year a different theme

is chosen and 2017’s was “coffee shop,” with coffee and hot chocolate being offered by the NRHH. Clubs also kept true to the theme by creating coffee shop inspired snacks, activities, and more.

Others chose to keep their activities oriented to their own group’s focus, still offering entertainment for anyone stopping by.

Senior and Vice President of the NRHH Taylar Jackson was pleased with this year’s turnout.

“The best part of the event was seeing how much fun everyone had, and everyone coming together as one collective unit,” she said.

The Recycling Committee offered an artistic way to reuse coffee filters. Anime Club handed out small glasses of coffee jello and Thai tea. The Chemistry Club made pretzels and explained the components that went into making them. At Book Club’s table, people had the opportunity to craft their own book.

Allegrettos performed some songs a capella, which acted as the music for a game of musical chairs which gathered a good crowd.

Environuts, Psychology Club, Queer Student Union, Yorick,

photo by Brianna Lamb

Students and clubs gathered in the Campus Center Marketplace for some coffee shop fun.

Arts & Entertainment SAC Comedy Stop fills This Is: the house, laughs for all Sylvan Esso

BY EMMA MONAHAN A&E EDITOR

Sullivan Lounge had no empty seats during Comedy Stop, where SAC brought a comedian to perform in front of the student body. Although the events in the past have never seemed to gain much attention, around 30 people attended the event on Nov. 14.

Jessi Campbell, who has been featured on “Last Comic Standing,” was the featured comedian of the night. Joking about her marriage and baby, the North Adams area, and her childhood in Arizona, Campbell easily made the students laugh with her honest remarks and snarky attitude.

“I like simple things,”

photo by Alyssa Call

Jessi Campbell has been seen on “Last Comic Standing.”

she joked when saying she didn’t know how to pronounce Worcester while driving across the state to the College from Boston.

Although she picked on some students, which seems to be a common tactic among comedians, it was never in a way where it was mean. Everyone was willing to laugh at themselves.

“You like black licorice?!” she exclaimed to one student. “Well, what’s your second favorite candy? Please don’t say candy corn.”

Campbell was one of those comedians who, although she would go from one topic to another and then back to the original, made it funny in a way that college students could relate to.

“I went to college for a year,” she said in the beginning of her skit, “until we both agreed that I had to leave.”

Before the event began, SAC President Shannon Esposito commented on the recent budget increase that the club received from SGA on Nov. 13.

“The request wasn’t for

us, it was for the students,” she explained. “We put on these events for the students, not for us. We’re happy to have the extra money.

We’ve already started booking things and events, like Barn Babies.”

Esposito also gave comment to how, in a way, SAC requested $30,000 that could’ve gone to other clubs.

“We didn’t take all of the supplemental budget,” she said. “We understand that we took money away from other clubs, but that money will help us cosponsor with those clubs that also need money.

We’re looking at it like a wish list.”

Since the last time the Beacon caught up with the student activities council, SAC still has a growing increase in numbers and is creating a brand new take on the spring concert.

SAC’s next event will be Holiday Bingo on Dec. 2 in Venable Gym at 8 p.m. Massages in Sullivan Lounge on Dec. 8, time to be determined. Lastly, on Dec. 9, there will be a gingerbread competition in Sullivan Lounge at 8 p.m.

Upcoming Events: Nov. 30: Annual 99 Cent Affordable Art Show Gallery 51 5 p.m.

Dec. 2:

SAC Destinations: Yankee Candle Sign ups Campus Center 312 beforehand 1 p.m.

BY NORA HONES A&E WRITER

Sylvan Esso, a electronic duo from Durham, North Carolina, will be performing at MASS MoCA on March 31.

The band consists of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn, both doing the instrumentals. Together, they form an entrancing sound not quite like anything else out there.

In 2014, they released their first studio album, which hit No. 39 on the Billboard 200 chart and No. 7 on the Independent Albums chart. Their singles “Hey Mami” and “Coffee” off the album both made big splashes with “Hey Mami” being named Paste Magazine’s No. 1 song of 2014 and “Coffee” making their network television debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in July 2014.

They went on their Sylvan Esso Spring 2015 US Tour in December 2014, which ended in April of 2015. The tour started in Phillip Island, Australia and ended in Vancouver, Canada, but stopped in Europe hitting Lille, Munich and even Amsterdam.

They also hit the United States

photo from Facebook

The duo will perform at MASS MoCA in March. playing both weekends of Coachella, The Firefly Music Festival and even Lollapalooza over the summer.

In April 2017, the band released their second studio album, “What Now,” which received mostly positive reviews from critics. They started their What Now US 2017 Tour on May 13, 2017. The tour was originally set to end in November 2017, but luckily for us, they are throwing in a show at MASS MoCA in March.

Currently, MASS MoCA’s website states that tickets are no longer available, but you can contact the box office to be wait listed for the event.

Countdown to Finals 13 Days!

Happy Studying!

photo from Pixabay

Lonnie Holley: A Voice from Another Time MASS MoCA 8 p.m.

SAC Holiday Bingo Venable Gym 8 p.m.

Dec. 6: Makerspace Bowman 201 6:30 p.m.

Dec. 7: Faculty/Staff Cookoff Campus Center Marketplace 4:30 p.m.

LIVE MUSIC

photo from Pixabay

LONNIE HOLLEY

Saturday, December 2, 8pm CLUB B10 $10 STUDENTS | $12 ADVANCE $18 DAY OF | $24 PREFERRED

Dec. 8: Cookie Decorating Campus Center Marketplace 11 a.m.

7

TICKETS: massmoca.org or 413.662.2111 | North Adams, Mass.

SPORTS

8

Nov. 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

Mens Basketball scores season high 88 points; falls to Sage College

BY BRADY GEROW SPORTS EDITOR The Sage College Gators defeated the MCLA Trailblazers men’s basketball team 98-88 on Tuesday, Nov. 28 in the Amsler Campus Center Gym. While doing so, they placed five players in double digits for points.

The Gators only trailed two times in the entire game, both early in the first half of play. The ‘Blazers never led by more than two points out of the two times they led in the game.

The first half of play was flooded with fouls, as the half finished with a total of 26 fouls called over the 20 minutes of play.

Although the ‘Blazers barely held the lead at all in the first half, they were not far off come halftime. The Blazers ended the first half down seven points with a score of 47-40 going into the locker room.

The ‘Blazers began a run at the lead at the start of the second half, but the ‘Blazers still trailed by 12 points at the halfway point of the second half of play. The ‘Blazers

photo by MCLA Athletics

MCLA freshman Mike Demartinis taking a shot in the teams 98-88 loss to Sage College.

Demartinis recorded a game high 24 points, going 6-15 from the floor and 11-12 from the freethrow line. then started their final push.

The ‘Blazers outscored the Gators 17-6 over the next four minutes to pull within

one at 75-74 after freshman Quran Davis drilled a three pointer. MCLA got within four at 81-77 with three

minutes left to play, but the Gators answered the call with a 7-2 run of their own to seal the game.

Chris Kidd led Sage with 20 points on 10-18 shooting and added 5 boards and 3 steals in the win. Wayne Weir was just 3-8 from the field, but went 12-14 from the free throw line for the Gators, he also grabbed 8 rebounds and 5 steals. Anthony Mitchell added 5 points, but had a game best 8 assists and 8 rebounds in the win.

MCLA was paced by the freshman duo of Mike Demartinis and Noah Yearsley. Demartinis had a game high 24 point night that included a 6-15 night shooting, as well as 11-12 from the charity stripe.

Yearsley scored 19 points on 6-12 shooting and was a perfect 6-6 from the line. Sophomore Ki-Shawn Monroe added 11 points and 6 assists for MCLA. The ‘Blazers were outrebounded 51-28 in the contest, and were hindered by 20 turnovers.

The ‘Blazers will be back in action on Saturday as they take on Elms College at home in search of their second win of the year.

Trailblazers defeated 97-71 Trailblazers fall to

by NYU, struggles continue local rival Williams

BY JEFFREY MAYOTTE SPORTS WRITER Visiting New York University defeated the MCLA Trailblazers 97-71 Saturday afternoon in non-conference action. The Blazers added a second straight loss and are now 1-3 overall, while NYU moves up to 2-1 overall this season.

In the opening half, NYU was moving fast and shooting well. They started by scoring the game’s first six points and MCLA freshman Noah Yearsley had two failed attempts at the 3-point line.

MCLA’s communication looked like it was off when a time out was called at 19:00.

The organization seemed to have worked for MCLA and they would move back into the game and eventually tie it on two occasions thanks to the help of Tyler Lord and Tyler McKay. NYU regained the lead at 2117. At 9:33 left before halftime, NYU rocketed themselves up to a lead at 32-19 with 7:39 left until halftime. NYU still led by thirteen at 41-28, but it didn’t stop the Trailblazers from giving a burst of energy and come back. MCLA’s Mike Demartinis and Noah Yearsley each scored five points before the end of the first half within

in home opener

photo by MCLA Athletics

MCLA freshman Noah Yearsley preparing to take a free-throw in the 97-71 loss to NYU. Yearsley finished with a team best 24 points on 6-14 shooting. He was a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line.

43-38.

The second half would prove the final twist of the knife as NYU outscored the Blazers 54-33 to finish the game 9771. The Violets scored the first five points of the second half.

MCLA never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way as NYU finished strong.

MCLA was led by Yearsley who poured in a team best 24 points on 6-14 shooting.

Meanwhile, Ethan Feldman of the Violets scored 25 points.

Hayden Bird had the most rebounds for the Trailblazers with 7 on a 29 rebound

chance. Antoine Montgomery scored 10 points in the second half and was the only other Blazer in double figures.

The Violets outrebounded MCLA 49-29 and ended the game shooting a sizzling 56 percent while MCLA shot just 32 percent from the floor. The Violets also took the win on assists on MCLA 26-12. MCLA had an average amount of turnovers compared to NYU 13-16.

MCLA Men’s Basketball will be back this Saturday, Dec. 2 at 1 p.m. to face off against Elms College.

BY BRADY GEROW SPORTS EDITOR Behind a few second half runs, the Williams College Ephs men’s basketball team was able to rally back and defeat the MCLA Trailblazers 97-72 in the ‘Blazers home opener for the 2017-2018 season.

The second half opened on a good note for the Blazers’ as junior Tyler McKay opened it with a three for the ‘Blazers.

McKay’s bucket pulled the ‘Blazers within one point of the Ephs at 44-43.

The Eph’s then used a dominant 17-4 run to pull away from the ‘Blazers once and for all. For the rest of the contest the Ephs led by at least ten points, and coasted to their eventual 97-72 victory.

The ‘Blazers started the game solidly against the nationally ranked Ephs. Trailing 11-6 early, McKay brought the ‘Blazers back and put them in the lead after knocking down back-to-back threes to make the game 12-11 in favor of the ‘Blazers.

The Blazers then went on a 8-0 run behind a hot streak of shooting to put the score at 3123 later in the first half of play.

The Ephs would eventually claw their way back, trading

basket after basket with the ‘Blazers, and got the score to a manageable deficit of six points at 38-32 with 4:27 left in the first half.

The Ephs then finished the half on a 12-2 run giving us the 44-40 score going into the half, that the Ephs then built on for the rest of the game.

MCLA was paced by freshman Noah Yearsley’s team-high 16 point night on 6-13 shooting while shooting 4-8 from beyond the arc.

McKay added 14 points for the ‘Blazers knocking down three threes of his own in the contest.

Kyle Scadlock led Williams ending with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists, while James Heskett also netted 20 points on 4-9 shooting from beyond the arc. Bobby Casey came off the bench to add 14 points, while Cole Teal and Matthew Karpowicz ended with 12 and 10 respectively for the Ephs.

The ‘Blazers are now 1-4 on the year after dropping two straight games since playing the Ephs. The Blazers will look to bounce back into the win column as they face off against Elms College on Saturday, Dec. 2 in a home game in the Amsler Campus Center Gym at 1 pm.

SPORTS Womens Basketball loses third straight Nov. 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

BY JEFFREY MAYOTTE SPORTS WRITER The Curry College Colonels women’s basketball team defeated the Trailblazers 5950 Saturday evening in non conference action at Katz Gymnasium. The Colonels improve to 3-2 while MCLA drops their third straight contest to 1-3.

MCLA had a grasp on the lead during the early part of the first quarter 9-4.

Curry picked up speed to outscore the Trailblazers 17-2 for the remainder of the period. Colonel Molly Plunkett drilled a pair of three pointers which gave Curry College a strong lead.

The score for the first quarter was 21-11.

MCLA managed to take back the points they lost thanks to a three point shot from Mckenzie Robinson and Karina Mattera. This

helped the Trailblazers attach to the lead 27-23.

However, Curry entered halftime with a 30-23 lead.

The Trailblazers bounced around within six to ten points during the third quarter. L’Rae Brundige scored a three-point shot to help the Blazers, but the Colonels Plunkett and Rice both scored and Curry tightened their defense to keep the Blazers from surpassing them on the scoreboard and the center to end the third quarter 45-36.

For the rest of the game, Curry kept a strong lead over MCLA. Despite a strong performance from Karina Mattera during the last seven minutes, Curry held a double digit lead for much of the fourth quarter and concluded the night.

MCLA’s Mckenzie Robinson had a 15 point night for the Trailblazers.

9

SCORE BOARD MCLA Men’s Basketball MCLA (88), Sage College (98) Mike Demartinis (MCLA) 24 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Ast Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk

Chris Kidd (Sage)

20 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 3 Stl Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Blk photo by MCLA Athletics

MCLA junior Mckenzie Robinson driving to the basket in a game earlier this year. Robinson put up 15 points, four rebounds, and five assists in the team’s 59-50 loss.

Karina Mattera rocketed in the second half scoring 12 of her 15 points. Mattera would also sink 4 triples in the game.

L’Rae Brundige earned the start and responded with 10 points for MCLA. The Colonels stole the most rebounds with 41 while the Trailblazers fell

slightly behind with 37. The Colonels shot 37 percent and overcame 22 turnovers.

The Trailblazers had 26 turnovers and shot 33 percent from the field.

MCLA will be facing Southern Vermont College this Saturday at 5 p.m. at the Campus Center.

There’s no “I” in team - juxtaposing how teams around the NFL are built depth-wise

Late into the NFL season, we’re starting the majority of the Vikings’ nearly past the “is this team’s hot start games at quarterback, they’re still 8-2 going to last?” phase, in the sense and hold the second-best record in that teams who started hot the NFC. How is this? Simply have either been riding their put, the Vikings have the most starts, like the Philadelphia complete team in all of football.

Eagles or Minnesota They have amazing depth, an Vikings, or they’ve gone elite defense, the best offensive cold, in the case of teams line in football, they signed such as the Kansas City a sturdy and reliable backup Andrew running back over the off-season Chiefs and Houston Texans.

Baillargeon in Latavius Murray, who has The compelling question with these cases is why? done a great job filling in for The Call What has made these teams Dalvin Cook, and they have drop off so dramatically? a solid receiving core headed Typically, a player or handful of

by Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. players who have been instrumental to This is a team that can, and has had the team’s success get injured or stop to, handle a few injuries, even to key playing as well for some particular positions. reason. Look no further than the Juxtapose that with the Vikings’ Green Bay Packers and Houston division rival in the Green Bay Texans, whose seasons essentially Packers. This is a team that’s not built died after they lost their respective particularly well in terms of depth. starting quarterbacks to injury.

Off to a hot start to the season, the Ask any NFL fan who the most Packers are not even close to the important position on a football same team that started 4-1 after they team is. Most will tell you it’s the lost future Hall of Fame quarterback quarterback or the offensive linemen.

Aaron Rodgers to a broken collarbone These people aren’t exactly wrong, but injury. This is really the only injury what this notion implies, seemingly by Green Bay has had to deal with, other accident, is that if a team has settled than to their running backs Aaron themselves at those two positions, Jones and Ty Montgomery, this they’re all set. May as well book them season. And yet, with the uninspiring for a playoff appearance at the least, Brett Hundley at the helm, this right? team is completely different. Unlike The most well-built teams have Minnesota, who filled their gaps depth, and they’ll have talent at every with solid players, Brett Hundley is position. The Minnesota Vikings have a humongous drop-off from Aaron been ravaged by injuries. They began Rodgers, and it has shown; the team the season without their starting has won just one of the five games he quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has appeared in. (who was their starter in 2015 and Look around the rest of the NFL. pretty much definitely won’t start The New England Patriots are a team another game for them) and lost that is right in the thick of a Super their other starter Sam Bradford just Bowl contention every year, and two games into the season due to every year they have had countless an injury. They lost their superstar numbers of injuries to contend with. running back Dalvin Cook, and wide Then you look at the Dallas Cowboys, receiver superstar Stefon Diggs has a team that lost a small handful of been battling ailments of his own star players and has completely fallen this season. Even with third string apart. perennial journeyman Case Keenum For a particularly exposing case,

the Houston Texans lost superstar J.J. Watt for the season. Their defense is well built, as it was able to replace him and be acceptable. Then, they lost star quarterback Deshaun Watson and the team completely fell apart when they had to turn to Tom Savage. Their offense is not well built.

The point of this article is not to suggest that teams shouldn’t fall off at all with the loss of their best players.

Drop-off in production is, of course, inevitable. However, the loss of one or a small handful of a team’s players should not completely obliterate the team’s season the way it seems to have for Green Bay, Dallas, and Houston’s.

Depth is important, and this calls to point out that there truly is no I in team. If a team is built around one player, to the point of over-relying on them, it serves to figure that they will struggle if anything happens to that player. An Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers team is a total joke, whereas a Packers team with Aaron Rodgers is a Super Bowl contender.

That type of volatility does not bode well for a team’s long term prospects; what happens when Aaron Rodgers retires? Worse yet, what if, one day, Aaron Rodgers takes a hit that ends up tragically ending his career? The Packers would be forced into an immediate rebuild mode. This exact scenario essentially happened to the Minnesota Vikings with Teddy Bridgewater, and the team was able to easily recover.

Depth is the most important part of team building. It’s the type of foundation teams like the Patriots have founded their dynasty on. It’s the type of foundation the Minnesota Vikings could create one off of.

Andrew Baillargeon is the host of The Call, a weekly program broadcasted by WJJW. Tune in on Sundays from 7-10 PM. Listeners can also tune in via 91.1 WJJW or our website, http:// www.mcla.edu/Student_Life/studentmedia/ wjjw/.

MCLA Women’s Basketball MCLA (50), Curry College (59) Mckenzie Robinson (MCLA)

16 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl

15 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk

Molly Plunkett (Curry)

16 Pts, 6 Reb, 3 Ast3 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Blk

NFL

New England Patriots (35), Miami Dolphins(17)

Tom Brady (Pats) 18-28, 227 YDS, 4 TD 10-12. 100 yds, 0 TD

Jarvis Landry (Mia) 8 REC, 70 YDS

NFL

Pittsburgh Steelers (31), Green Bay Packers (28)

Antonio Brown (Pit) 10 REC, 169 YDS, 2 TDPtPts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl,

Brett Hundley (GB) 17-26, 245 YDS, 3 TD

NBA

Cleveland Cavaliers (108), Miami Heat (97)

Kevin Love (Cle) 38 PTS, 9 REB, 2 AST

Bam Adebayo (Mia) 19 PTS, 6 REB, 2 ASTts, 3 Reb, 2 Stl, 2 Blk

NBA Washington Wizards (92), Minnesota Timberwolves(89) Otto Porter Jr. (Wash) 22 PTS, 8 REBts, 8 Ast, 2 Stl

Karl-Anthony Towns (Min) 20 PTS, 17 REB, 1 STLPts, 22 Reb, 3 Ast

OPINION

10

Featured Photo

Nov. 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

Comics Section

Beacon Photo Editor Ron Leja snapped this macro shot of christmas lights strung throughout his family’s tree during the Thanksgiving break.

Are you a student with a passion for photography? If you would like to see your photo featured in a future issue of the Beacon, please email your submissions, along with a brief description, to our Photography Editor Ron Leja at rl2670@ mcla.edu

Greek Letters: What do they mean?

If you know me, chances your organization exempliare you might catch me in fies values of good communimy fraternity’s letters. But ty and brother or sisterhood, what do they mean?’ that is what our organization Like many organizations, and letters will inherently Greek organizations stand mean, regardless of the orfor a set of principles and ganization’s principles, and, values that determine ev- as such, in order for an orerything they do, on ganization’s principles every level of their to mean anything, they internal and extermust be upheld. nal governance. For Otherwise, it’s just many, their letters talk – hot air. Likeserve as a symbol for wise, if your organizathese set of values, tion largely performs Mitchell acts that create an unearned through the process of becoming a Chapman healthy community, new member of these Not on My such as lies, condescenorganizations. sion and disregard for Watch It is not easy to be the law, that is what Greek, for unlike a your letters will come club, membership into a to mean.

Greek fraternity or sorority At the end of the day, what (or a Greek society in gener- you do and not who you are al) is something that has to is what truly matters for a be earned and not given. It is Greek organization. No ora privilege, and not a right, ganization is invincible, no as you have to exemplify the matter how long their hisprinciples of the organiza- tory, their status of affiliation you are joining before tion, or the money backing you can wear their letters. them, and it is often those A Greek’s letters have the organizations that think that value they put into it, which they are that fade away the must be maintained even af- fastest. ter they are earned.

This is the twenty-first It’s a lot like swimming. If century, where hazing is not

tolerated and when the notion of what brotherhood and sisterhood are beginning to change.

My fraternity – Sigma Chi Beta – just admitted its first transgender brother, and what it means to be Greek nationwide has and still is being whittled down to the bare essentials of what has value through a Greek identity. The social/party aspect of Greek life is dwindling down, making way for routinely maintained academic and comradely environments that actively improve and bring out the best in its members and its surrounding community.

The Greek environment surrounding MCLA and the former North Adams State in the 1990s and early 2000s has left for good, and only its echoes remain, and even those echoes will soon depart, leaving forth what I hope to be a new era for Greeks moving forward, one very different than that of the past, but one that hopefully gives new meaning and respectability to what it means to be Greek.

Comics from MCT Campus

Nov. 30, 2017 Vol. 85 Issue 10

OPINION

11

Save the one-hit wonders As I’m writing this the lines of, “Show Dua week’s opinion, I’m sitting Lipa some love! Make a in the library with my name for her in friend, and she’s tellthe U.S.!” ing me about this new That got me song she found. I then thinking, there continue to tell her are so many about a song by singmore one-hit er Dua Lipa, “New wonders than Emma Rules,” and grab her there were back phone to show her. Monahan in the 80s. You She instantly likes Arts & Emma name an artist it, and, finally for to someone and me, we both give her they only know whole album a listen. one, maybe two, songs by A few weeks ago, when them.

I was browsing through It’s sad, really, because social media, I saw a post a lot of these artists have that said something along potential. Especially when

it comes to artists from other countries, we don’t hear from them once their songs break away from the airwaves. And when they try to come back with a new banger, it doesn’t live up to the first.

One-hit wonders are like a sad love story. You love them the first time, and listen to the song 24/7, and before you know it, it’s vanished. You can’t find the song everywhere, and you seem lost without it.

That may be a bit dramatic, but it’s accurate to

how I feel.

These wonders are so good though - they always seem to lift the mood, or make you feel something special, or understand what you’ve been feeling.

I mean, “Ice Ice Baby” is a pretty good jam, right?

Other one-hit wonders you may not know about?

Who doesn’t know songs like “Achy Break Heart” and “Funkytown.”

C’mon, guys.

As a follow-up to the article by Joseph Carew published on October 20, 2017: the MCLA faculty, full-time and adjunct, have been teaching, advising, working on departmental and collegewide committees without a contract for 141 days at the time of my writing this letter. The MCLA faculty belongs to the Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA), and, together with our colleagues from the eight sister State Universities (Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Mass Art, Mass Maritime, Salem, Westfield and Worcester) we demand a fair contract, bargained in good faith, for all faculty - especially

adjunct faculty.

The Board of Higher Education (BHE) has made the MSCA a poor financial offer, which includes salary increases that are significantly lower than the projected cost of living for the next three years. Adjunct faculty already earn much less than full-time faculty; the BHE offer sets them even further back financially.

Moreover the BHE proposes that college-wide enrollment and retention data, as well as the grades that we assign to students affect our faculty evaluation, thus promoting grade inflation and undermining students’ learning; in addition to that, the BHE is proposing that the reward for our outstanding performance as scholars and

teachers is either cut in half or eliminated completely. These proposals are untenable, and the faculty bargaining team is encountering many obstacles in negotiations.

At college events students may have observed fewer faculty attending where in the past there were many. Contrary to public opinion, we have not “checked out” of MCLA’s activities because of indolence or a temper tantrum. We are adopting a strategy called Work to Rule, which means we are adhering strictly to the letter of the (expired) Collective Bargaining Agreement in hopes for a timely settlement of a grossly overdue contract.

What can students do?

They can support their

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Letter to the Editor: Faculty Contract To the Editor:

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faculty members by initiating conversations about this. They can also call or visit me at 100 Porter St, or emailing me at gramsden@mcla.edu for updates and further information. They can also approach President Birge and Vice-President of Academic Affairs Cindy Brown with the request they contact the Board of Higher Education and the Board’s representatives to help the faculty settle the contract in a fair and timely manner.

The MCLA faculty deserve a fair contract now.

Graziana Ramsden, Professor, Modern Language President, MCLA Faculty Association.

Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111

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Formula 1 sees best season in years Nearly 7,000 miles 10 teams with two cars a from North Adams, the piece competed at 20 diffinal race of the Formula ferent tracks in 20 differ1 season came to an end ent countries around the in the United globe.

Drivers Arab Emirates. score points for With the final lap finishing within came the end to the top ten and a year of insanity there is a conand solid enterstructor chamtainment. I have pionship (won Joseph often written on through the toCarew this racing series tal points your because of its rel- WheelSpin pair of drivers evance in the auwin) and a driver tomotive world championship so I felt an update was (won by accruing the most necessary. No worries to points in the season). those unacquainted with This season saw much the series, I’ll provide a more competition belittle context. tween teams than in reThis racing series cent memory but still saw is the highest class of a champion crowned with single-seat auto racing races left on the calendar. sanctioned by the Fé- Mercedes-Benz captured dération Internationale its fourth consecutive de l’Automobile (FIA) constructor championand it just completed its ship in as many years and 71st season. This year, the team’s golden boy,

Lewis Hamilton, won his fourth world title.

But it isn’t as dreary as it seems. Though the driver who won this year has won three of the last four years and no constructor has come close to matching Mercedes in that same time, this season was different. Three teams captured at least three victories this season which hasn’t happened since the intense 2012 season. Sebastian Vettel (the Ferrari driver) was leading the championship well into the season and, if not for some key retirements, he very easily could have been the one celebrating this year.

In 2016, 2015, and 2014, from the first lap of the first race, it was never in doubt which constructor would win. 2017 had a much more intense feel as

Ferrari proved to be extremely close, if not equal to, the German dominator that is Mercedes-Benz.

That being said, there is much that needs to be improved with arguably the best racing series on the planet. For example, there happen to be more regulations in this sport than may be completely necessary. The change in power unit was allegedly supposed to make the series more economical and easier for new teams to afford, but that seems quite far from reality. As impressive as the technology is, it forces the smaller teams to spend obscene amounts of money they simply don’t have.

There has to be some type of balance.

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Join the Club!

MCLA’s Campus Center Take Over is one of the most well recieved events of the year. Nearly 30 clubs attended, engaging with the rest of the student body and giving them the opportunity to join them in their endeavors.

A portion of the clubs are featured below

Dance Company provided students the ingredients and direction to make a coffee sugar scrub.

Members of the MCLA Anime club handing out refreshments.

Students for a Sensible Drug Policy tabling with a spread of resources about different drugs as well as Holiday Cards for students to create.

Psychology club gave students the opportunity to participate in a Rorschach (ink blot) test along with other perception activities.

Joe Bellas of the Political Science Club giving and enthusiastic thumbs up.