Feb. 21, 2018 - Vol. 88 Issue 3

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Thursday, February 21 , 2019

Leaky Roof Disrupts Library’s Quiet Floor

Volume 88 • Issue 3

Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Students Express Concern for Future of Minor

Professor Ingrid Castro loses course release as program director

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

PHOTO BY NATHAN BIRON

Tarps connect to hoses which connect to buckets on the third floor of the Freel Library to manage the leaking roof.

BY NATHAN BIRON STAFF WRITER Students looking to study distraction-free in the library’s quiet floor have lately found themselves contending with the sound of leaking water from the roof drains into buckets of opaque black water.

“Every time I try to go and study, there is a constant dripping sound of water going into the buckets,” freshman Jake Ferrara said.

“It’s very distracting.”

Robert Fortini, maintenance working foreman, said the roof has been a longtime headache for maintenance and repairs. “For some reason, the library roof has created more problems than most,” Fortini said.

The difficulties of fixing the library roof are exacerbated by a combination of the unstable weather during the winter months and availability of funding. Nevertheless, library staff members have said they felt the planned repairs have taken too long, which they said has hurt staff morale.

The library filed a grievance April 3, 2018, in order to get the roof repaired “in a timely manner,” said Lawrence Behan, vice president of administration and finances, when reading from the grievance. Behan and Fortini said they plan to set up a meeting with the library staff and Emily Alling, associate dean for library services.

“I think that the leaks kind of signify some kind of disconnect and how the rest of the school views the library,” said Alishia Alther, acquisitions and technical services assistant.

“They don’t take priority in fixing the repairs and it feels like they don’t care.”

“We are trying to complete this issue within a timely manner, but again, I just don’t think there is an understanding that you need good weather to effectively get a solid repair,” Behan said.

Although there have been ongoing problems with the library roof, the latest leaks did not show up until this past January. The problem is, with nine drains on the roof, each drain will cost approximately $3,800 to fix.

Fortini said that the roof is covered under a 30-year warranty, which is still in effect. In an emergency situation, where the roof needs to be fixed immediately, the College has an

MCLA’s spring semester brings a whole host of changes and upsets, with the most recent brought to the Beacon’s attention being the cancellation of course reductions, also known as APRs. “Alternative Professional Responsibility, aka course release, aka course reduction,” MCLA Faculty Association President Graziana Ramsden said in an email interview.

“Per contract, full-time State University faculty teach 12 credits per semester. When one of us have an APR, we do administrative work instead of teaching a course with no fluctuation in our salary.”

Several faculty members had APR cancellations throughout the English, business and sociology departments. Those affected include, director of women, gender and sexuality studies (WGSS) minor, director of the writing studio, and coordinator of college writing.

Professor Ingrid Castro, director of WGSS, is one such faculty member who has been denied her course reduction.

“I get one-course reduction per year for directing a minor,” Castro said. “And I was under the assumption, heard back from the dean, that my APR had gone through.”

Castro was reportedly contacted by Vice President Emily Williams, saying that she would be reviewing APRs over again.

STUDIES, Page 4

North Adams City Council

PHOTO BY NATHAN BIRON

Trash and recycling buckets are scattered throughout the third floor collecting water with signs adorned informing students not to use them for waste.

emergency fund that would be able to cover the costs. Contractors have already been onsite twice since January.

“The good thing is, the contractors who originally installed the roof are upholding the warranty,” Behan said.

The previous total roof-rebuild was done

by R&H Roofing Company out of Easthampton, Massachusetts. Local contracting company, Wooliver Roofing has kept up with the repairs in their place. Fortini went on to mention that Wooliver does a wonderful job keeping them up to date on issues that need more attention and doing great work for the school.

One reason the roof has been an ongoing problem, Fortini said, is because of cost-cutting decisions made years ago. “The original install, probably due to budget cuts even back in the ’70s, they put in choice No. 2 when they should have done choice No. 1,” Fortini said.

LIBRARY, Page 4

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Tuesday night, North Adams City Council deliberated Mayor Tom Bernard’s request to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Mohawk Theater on Main Street, which ceased daily operation in 1991 and has only opened once, in 2012. Other topics included minimum wage increases for municipal employees, and inmeeting rules changes. See story, page 3.

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Ball Pit Vandalized After Short Time

BY TESSA SESTITO STAFF WRITER

What started off as a way to socially connect students is now on hiatus due to repeated student offenses of vandalism.

The Truth or Dare Ball Pit, which resided in the Amsler Campus Center Marketplace for only a short time, was an initiative created by counseling services with the help of student development, to help change the decline of authentic, in-person connections among students.

Director of counseling services Heidi Riello said that loneliness has been a prevalent problem on college campuses.

“This is a targeted intervention to try and get people to connect with each other,” Riello said. “I think that’s an important thing to talk about and be aware of.”

Unfortunately, vandalism ensued shortly after the ball pit was placed in the Marketplace.

“The first weekend the ball pit was up, I was informed on Saturday morning that the ball pit had been pulled out and balls were everywhere,” Riello stated in an email. “Natty put it back together this time.”

Natty Burfield, assistant director of student activities and programming, helped Riello put the Truth or Dare Ball Pit in the Marketplace in order to spur social connections between students.

“Heidi wanted to do something in there, so we made it happen,” Burfield said. “It moved a little beyond just me helping her book the space; I

actually helped her put the event on because it’s about student learning, and that’s what we’re here for and student development as well.”

The ball pit idea originally was introduced to Riello at a conference last year by the director of Keene State College’s Counseling Center.

“I attended a conference last year where Keene State presented this initiative that they did. They had identified social disconnectedness and student loneliness as emotional health issues that were occurring on campus,” Riello said.

“In response to that, they came up with this Truth or Dare Ball Pit idea and the director of their counseling center was talking about how well it had gone over on their campus and how successful it had been,” Riello continued.

A report conducted by the National College Health Assessment surveyed college students’ mental health and found that, within the last 12 months, 62.8 percent of all students questioned reported experiencing feeling very lonely, while only 19.7 percent reported never feeling lonely.

“Certainly, social disconnectedness and student loneliness is something we see here on campus and we talk with students frequently about,” Riello said. “I decided maybe there was a way to implement it here at MCLA too.”

“The Landscape of Loneliness,” an article that is part of Hopelab’s Destroying the Myth initiative and referenced

by Riello, acknowledges that loneliness is a prominent and

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PHOTO BY KENNY OLCHOWSKI

The Truth or Dare Ball Pit being removed from the Campus Center after repeated acts of vandalism. expansive issue on college campuses. Hopelab is a social innovation lab concentrated on creating science-based technologies to improve the health and well-being of young adults. The article argues, “Lonely young people report greater anxiety, higher depressive symptoms, and poorer sleep quality than their less lonely peers.”

“When you’re not feeling connected to other people, to your campus, you’re going to feel isolated,” Riello said.

“You might be at an increased risk for anxiety or feeling depressed or other emotional health issues, so trying to get at that connection is important. People want to feel connected to each other and have

relationships with each other.”

The Truth or Dare Ball Pit was part of a larger initiative created by counseling services. In addition to the ball pit, counseling services has created a group led by counselor Roxanne Morton-Fili.

The group meets Thursdays during common hour and offers students a way to develop skills that help enhance their social relationships.

“It’s a group she’s [Roxanne] offering as an opportunity to maybe develop some skills that might be helpful in terms of enhancing some of those social relationships,” Riello said. “Basically, [it is an opportunity] if you’re somebody who feels like they’re struggling with connecting to oth-

ers, with making friends, with keeping friends, whatever it might be.”

This initiative, according to Burfield, began experiencing student interaction early on, even before the ball pit was officially open.

“There was one day where we [Riello and Burfield] blew it up, we put the 2,000 balls in, and we realized it wasn’t anywhere near enough balls, so we put an ‘under construction sign,’” Burfield said. “We got 1,000 more balls and ordered 2,000 more balls, so added about 3,000 more balls to the ball pit.”

“Minutes within me coming back upstairs on the second floor and looking down, there

BALL PIT, Page 4

Green Living: Realizing the New England Food Vision

BY JOHN MORRISSEY STAFF WRITER

MCLA’s Green Living Seminar Series continued this week with its third of 11 scheduled presentations. Speaker Julia Freedgood, assistant vice president of programs at American Farmland Trust, focused her seminar around “Realizing the New England Food Vision.”

Freedgood’s message Thursday was directed at New England’s farm industry and its current economic state in relation to the rest of the nation’s farms.

American Farmland Trust is a national organization focused on tackling the biggest threats facing the nation’s farmlands and family farmers.

“Currently New England farmers earn roughly one-quarter of the national [income] average for farmers,”

Freegood said. “If we really want to grow agriculture and grow food that we grow in the region people have to be able to earn a living. Sixty-five percent of New England’s farms lose money annually.”

Freedgood outlined the steps she envisions communities taking to increase the region’s farm footprint and food production, while also moving the farming industry away from bigger farms and bringing back the smaller, family farm.

“Food has the power to transform economies and drive positive change,” Freedgood said. “The strategy is to build local government support to advance food systems [in the region].”

Elena Traister, professor and chairperson of environmental studies, organized the series based on input from last year’s environmental stud-

ies students, who chose the theme.

“Once the students decided on the theme, my job was to find individuals in the region who could offer presentations,” Traister said. “My students have dedicated themselves to service-learning projects within local region farms and these events allow locals [and students] to attend, which is great.”

“Farming in the City” will be the fourth iteration of the 11-part series and will be presented by Lydia Sisson, co-founder of Mill City Grows, Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation Room 121.

MCLA’s Green Living Seminar Series is free and open to the public.

Podcasts of each seminar in the series are posted online and are available at www.mcla.edu/greenliving.

Check out this week’s Beacon Web News on YouTube or MCLA-TV on Philo!

PHOTO FROM AMERICAN FARMLAND TRUST WEBSITE

Julia Freedgood, AFT’s assistant vp of programs.

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North Adams City Council Votes to Postpone Mohawk Theater Request

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF North Adams City Council met Tuesday night to deliberate Mayor Tom Bernard’s request to proceed with issuing a request for proposals for the Mohawk Theater.

During his State of the City address Jan. 31, Bernard first announced his intent to request that the city council declare the theater no longer needed for municipal purposes and grant him permission to seek proposals to redevelop the space.

The topic drew bold opinions from residents before it appeared on the agenda.

“There’s a moment that we’re in right now where we’re really seeing interest in development in North Adams,” Bernard said.

“When you take that and compare it to 20 years of really interesting plans and studies and discussions about what the Mohawk could be, we harnessed the potential of that space to the energy that we’re seeing around us right now.”

Bernard pointed to plans throughout the past 20 years that would see anywhere from $1 million to $30 million to renovate the space.

“It gives us the opportunity to see what ideas are out there,” Bernard said. “If we issue an RFP we don’t have to accept any offer that comes forward.”

Councilor Benjamin Lamb expressed concerns over previous

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Resident Robert Cardimino offered his opinion using signs, circumventing the new two-minute public comment rule.

RFPs that have been issued and felt that the city council had not been given enough information, pointing to the Salt Mill.

“Historically, this council has not been given latitude to review the actual proposals themselves, we’ve just been given the top one from the administration, if there’s a top one, to vote yes or no on,” Lamb said.

Councilor Jason Laforest shared similar concerns and proposed putting money in escrow so that the city could reclaim the space should the recipient of the RFP bail out.

“I don’t want this building to become the next St. Francis Church where it falls into disrepair in either party’s hands and then we’re left with a pile

of bricks that people are clamoring to take home and put on their bookshelf,” LaForest said.

Other councilors, including Joshua Moran and Rebecca Cohen, supported moving forward with the RFP approach citing the prolonged absence of a tenant and the continuing talk over the theater’s fate.

“I would think that there’s been ideas to redo the Mohawk for years and years, and if there’s anything major at this point, I would think that it’s been shaken out,” said Moran, who went onto say, “I think that’s the Mohawk Theater in a nutshell, everyone wants to move forward on it but we just don’t take the first step,” Moran said.

After reaching a consensus

Dr. Kimberly Juanita Brown to Give Inaugural Honors Lecture

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF On Feb. 28 the Honors Program will host Dr. Kimberly Juanita Brown as the inaugural speaker for their new annual lecture series in Murdock Hall room 218 at 4:30 p.m.

“We wanted someone who’s going to highlight the kind of interdisciplinary and intersectional scholarship that the honors program celebrates,” said Zachary Finch, professor of English/communications and director of the honors program.

The program solicited names from the honors advisory board faculty members, across different disciplines. Brown has served as a mentor to a couple of faculty in the English/communications department.

“Her work, which is both feminist and emerges from an Africana studies perspective, also aligns nicely with our investment in equity

and inclusion,” said Finch.

“This is the inaugural lecture in the honors program series where every spring semester we’ll have a lecture like this come to campus,” said Finch, who hopes to rotate the speaker through the different fields that the program encompasses.

Finch believes that having a lecture series will bring more visibility to the honors program, strengthen the identity of what being an honors student means, and find examples of scholars who are doing work that might interest students in the program.

As part of her visit to campus, Brown will lead a group of students through Mass MoCA where she will help students interpret different exhibits as they tour the museum.

“Because Dr. Brown works in the field of visual culture, it just struck us as a natural fit. That it’d be a cool idea for her to visit the museum with a small group of students and have a chance

to process what students were observing in the museum over coffee,” said Finch.

Brown is an associate professor of English and Africana studies in addition to serving as the chairperson of gender studies at Mount Holyoke College. Her 2015 book, “The Repeating Body: Slavery’s Visual Resonance in the Contemporary,” examines literary and visual representations of black women’s’ bodies.

Her lecture, “Of Thee I Sing: Black Performances of a Possible Freedom,” will examine the complex relationship between African Americans, the American flag, and the national anthem, as well as the circuits of national identity located there.

Brown will use visuals as well as musical renditions of the “Star Spangled Banner” with versions performed by Whitney Houston and Marvin Gaye, and a question and answer session will follow her lecture.

that more information was needed, including how historic tax credits would be affected, potential language to be included for a purchase and sale agreement, and information contained in prior reports and studies, Councilor Cohen agreed to postpone the vote until next week.

Following the Mohawk Theater discussion, the city council voted to allow all municipal employees the ability to earn minimum wage. Some occupations have been exempt from earning the current Massachusetts minimum wage of $12 per hour.

Also a topic at Tuesday’s meeting were new meeting rules, which see public comment limited to portions be-

fore and after the meeting with only two minutes allowed for comment.

“The public should be heard before any vote is taken,” said Robert Smith, who expressed concerns that the new rules limited democracy and shared his discontent with the idea to move council meetings to earlier in the evening.

Robert Cardimino used his time to address his concerns over the lack of sand available to residents and addressed concerns of nepotism.

“Alexander Bona is a dispatcher for the city police, nepotism at its greatest. Where are the other jobs for city residents?” Cardimino asked.

“This city [has] more nepotism than marrying your cousin and you know what that produces.”

Cardimino was outspoken about the rule changes and throughout the meeting offered his comments in the form of signs he held up for councilors and the mayor to see.

Earlier in the meeting, Cardimino was unable to hear the meeting through his headphones that he requires for hearing. The meeting was halted while the issue was sorted out and before he could follow through on his promise of filing an Americans with Disabilities Act complaint.

North Adams City Council meets the second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall at 10 Main St.

Creative Writing Reading Series Returns

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF On Tuesday, the Creative Writing Reading Series will return at 7 p.m. at Gallery 51 on Main Street and will feature readings from Anna Maria Hong and Julianna Spallholz.

“One of the things we want to do in the Creative Writing Reading Series, in general, is give students a taste of what literary community feels like,” said Zachary Finch, professor of English/Communications.

Finch has observed that often times writers are lonely, and he believes in the power of coming together through literature.

“We wanted to give students a sense that writing isn’t something that just exists on a page, it’s written by people who live in particular places,” said Finch.

Anna Maria Hong is a professor at nearby Bennington College in Vermont, a position she started in July

2018. Hong’s first book of poetry, “Age of Glass,” won two awards, including the Cleveland State University First Book Poetry Competition in 2018 and the A Room of Her Own Foundation’s Clarissa Dalloway Prize.

Hong’s second poetry collection, “Fablesque,” won Tupelo Press’s Berkshire Prize and is set to debut in early 2020.

Spallholz is a professor of English at Berkshire Community College and is a former editor at Tarpaulin Sky Press. She is the author of the book, “The State of Kansas,” which consists of short fiction and very short fiction.

The fact that Hong and Spallholz are both local is something that Finch is excited for.

“We wanted to sketch out the map of who are the writers here? Put them in conversation with each other, juxtapose their work, have a night that creates a little energy and excitement,” said Finch.

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STUDIES From Page 1

“I was notified by her [Williams] that she does not categorize the WGSS director position as APR bearing work and that anyone serving in the director’s position, that would now be considered regular work for the College,” Castro said.

The Beacon requested to speak with Williams to provide further insight on the matter but was redirected. Instead, director of marketing and communications Bernadette Alden suggested that any student with concerns should speak to department chairs.

“When I was Chair of Undergraduate Research three years ago, I taught three 4-credit courses and I had one 3-credit APR to organize the Undergraduate Research Conference and do administrative work related to Undergraduate Research,” Ramsden said through email. “My salary stayed the same.”

Ramsden is the main union representative for faculty to contact when facing difficulties when dealing with the administration.

“I believe that APRs are important because they offer faculty the opportunity to support and strengthen high-impact practices for students, lead academic programs and special initiatives, and work on univer-

sity-wide proposals and strategies — in a word “make a difference” for the students and for the institution,” Ramsden said through email.

Members of the faculty have to work within strict lines. Grievance files can be submitted to the union; but as far as Ramsden is aware, faculty cannot take any contractual action to alleviate the situation.

“WGSS classes give something a little bit extra to the students,” Castro said.

“Part of my job as the director is to make sure we have enough WGSS courses across the curriculum. Every semester I approve new courses, all the time.”

With the APR removed from her director’s position, Castro would be expected to provide the same degree of work and effort into the job as before; however, she won’t be receiving contractual credit for it and would have to teach a whole additional course.

“I personally wouldn’t have declared the minor had it not been for Dr. Castro,” Lily Ulfelder ’20 said.

“She reached out directly to me and had done the extra work to look through my courses and see that I had taken enough to declare that minor.”

“It does make you wonder, if the VP understands, physically and emotionally, socially, the amount of work that really goes into directing the minor,” Ulfelder said.

Ulfelder is one of many students who,

LIBRARY From Page 1

Behan and Fortini made it clear that when the roof is fully replaced in the future, it will be with the best available materials.

Even so, currently inside the library are water dividers that have been put in place in order to keep the leaking water away from the bookshelves and computers. These dividers help

Last week Common Folk was described as a non-profit.

Common Folk is sponsored by Fractured Atlas which is a national organization that makes it so people can contribute tax-dedcutible donations. We regret the error.

David Grohl’s favorite guitatist WORK-IN-PROGRESS: LIVE MUSIC

KAKI KING: DATA NOT FOUND

Saturday, February 23, 8pm CLUB B10 | $15 STUDENTS | $17 ADVANCE $26 DAY OF | $40 PREFERRED

MUSEUM HOURS: 11am–5pm, closed Tuesdays | North Adams, Mass. | massmoca.org

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PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE

Professor Ingrid Castro with students Natalie Hughes and Lily Ulfelder who are passionate about the minor and credit Castro with helping them discover the program. Without her course release, Castro would still be expected to serve as program director. directly attributed through Castro’s work as the director, decided to take the WGSS minor, one of the biggest on campus.

Among them is Natalie Hughes ’19.

“Dr. Castro had emailed me while I was studying abroad, and did all of it for me and pushed me towards it,” Hughes said.

“I had sent her a long, extensive

with the leaks, but some bookcases needed to be moved.

All books and computers within the library are fully-insured and would be replaced if damaged, Behan said. “We do the best we can with the budgets we have here for maintenance,” he said. He added that having a flat roof in the Berkshires is not the ideal choice for a building.

Although the drain repair is covered by the contractor warranty, any larger repairs or roof

CORRECTION

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email about what goes into directing the minor and what it means to me and the other students and she had invited me to a meeting,” Hughesontinued. “I couldn’t attend, because I had class, but allegedly nothing was really declared or explained at this meeting.”

replacement would have to come from either emergency funds or other sources, Behan said.

“For any major capital improvement, an engineering study must accompany any request to the state before they will consider funding for the project,” wrote Behan in an email. “That is the expense we don’t have the surplus in the budget to fund at this time. We focus our limited faculties [facilities] budget on life/safety items and emergencies.”

BALL PIT From Page 2

were people already in it,” Burfield continued. “I would say probably every time I’m on the second floor, like walking up to my office, I see someone in it as long as it’s not super early in the morning.”

Unfortunately, the defacement by students continued as the weeks passed.

“This past weekend, I was informed the clear tape covering an opening keeping the balls from all falling out had been ripped off,” Riello stated in an email. “When I checked yesterday, I noticed our big sign saying ‘Have a Seat, Make a Friend’ was also ripped down.”

Conversely, Celine Manigbas ’19 was one of many students to try the ball pit who was able to walk away from the experience with a better connection with her friend.

“I think the ball pit is a super cool fixture to see in campus! It instantly sparked my interest,” Manigbas said. “I went in the ball pit with my friend Natasha. I feel like we bonded and laughed a ton. I learned things about her that I didn’t know.”

“I think it does promote social connection because it can be a fun ice breaker or just a fun time with friends,” Manigbas continued. “I see a lot of people in it when I’m in the Campus Center.”

Although Riello and Burfield were encouraging students to participate in this initiative, they also wanted to urge students to use it for its intended purpose.

“Get in it [the ball pit] and ask a stranger,” Burfield said. “If you jump in it with your friend just for a Snapchat video, it’s not meeting the point. It’s still fun, it’s still exciting, but you’re not making that true human connection.”

However, the misuse of the ball pit and subsequent damage to it has forced Burfield and Riello to make a decision.

“Given this, Natty and I made the unfortu-

PHOTO FROM HEIDI RIELLO

Sophomore Alex Rivera, left, and Junior David Flight, right, participating in the Truth or Dare Ball Pit prior to its removal this week.

nate decision to remove the ball pit,” Riello stated in an email.

Before the decision was made to remove the ball pit from the Campus Center, Heidi previously expressed her hope for including it in this semester’s Wellness Fair occurring in March.

Now, Heidi says, “I can’t comment on its future at this time.”

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Career Program Launches Early

BY MAYA MCFADDEN STAFF WRITER

MCLA’s “Career Kick Start” program was introduced nearly two weeks early because of the whopping 30 employers that registered to participate with Career Development.

Instead of being introduced Monday, Feb. 25, the program began Thursday, Feb. 7. The first employers were Match Education from Jamaica Plain, Mass., with two representatives that tabled in the Amsler Campus Center.

This program is meant to complement the Fall Career Fair that was hosted last semester where students were able to meet and engage with 36 different employers.

In an email sent to faculty and staff from Dale Osef, Career Development specialist and co-organizer, he said, “Upon post-event assessment, we were excited to learn that 92% of employers who attended the career fair indicated a desire to return to MCLA for further recruitment of our students.”

Anthony Napolitano, Internship/Employer Relations Coordinator, and Osef began planning for the program in November.

The program schedule begins and ends with what the organizers named “flex” weeks, which include employers of a variety of professional fields.

Additionally to these two flex weeks, the program will consist of eight themed weeks that highlight professional fields such as STEM, business/finance, criminal justice/

military and others.

The Pittsfield Police Department also tabled for the program’s first week Friday, Feb. 8 and had a total of 12 students express interest in the professional field.

Napolitano started planning the program by first reaching out to the 36 employers who participated in the fall Career Fair and indicated a desire to return for further recruitment of MCLA students.

“Instead, the goal is to complement the career fair, by bringing those who attended and others to campus for further engagement,” Osef said.

“These employers have opportunities and are interested in meeting MCLA students in a casual format to talk about those opportunities.”

Career Kick Start is meant to provide employers and students with a more casual setting in a less competitive environment than the career fair has previously offered.

With the academic calendar in mind, Napolitano said that these themed weeks allow for ease of organizing and planning for students because they can now mark down what weeks employers that are of interest to them will be on campus, and when to stop by.

Napolitano also encourages students to visit the Campus Center table for week themes and employers beyond their anticipated professional field.

“Some of these employers have peripheral opportunities,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano explained that many of the employers have varying departments within their business that students

could receive more information about during the employer’s visit to the campus.

Unlike the Career Fair, this program is prioritized for MCLA students to seek out career opportunities.

“We want to give them [MCLA students] the opportunity to have those constructive one-on-one conversations with employers,” Napolitano said.

A total of 39 dates were open for employers to fill for the program’s nine-week period.

Businesses were initially required to register by Jan. 18,, but the date was extended to Friday, Feb. 15.

The Career Development office is planning to follow up the Kick Start program with another career fair Oct. 18, 2019, and make these two annual events; the Career Fair occurring in the fall semester and the Kick Start occurring in the spring semester.

The organizers paid close attention to the post-event assessment done for the Career Fair, using information supplied from the students and employers; for example, the request to invite Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, which will visit Wednesday, March 6.

The employers are voluntary participants of the program and were limited to three representatives for the tabling. A semester-long parking space has also been reserved for the program.

“It doesn’t cost us anything, doesn’t cost the employer anything, and it benefits our students so why not do it,” Napolitano said.

The program tabling will offer students the opportunity to have a relaxed, in-

PHOTO FROM MCLA WEBSITE

Dale Osef worked to bring 36 employers that participated in Career Development’s inaugural Career and Internships Fair last semester. formational exchange with employers. Napolitano also intends to be present at the tabling, with representatives to work alongside them in offering the services of the career development office.

“This is a great opportunity for students to ask what it is employers looking for and if they want something like a resume and the student doesn’t have that then I can step in and let students know to stop by Career Development,” Napolitano said.

“Some MCLA professors also provided the organizers with suggestions for employers to

contact based off of student’s interest or past work with business,” Napolitano said.

The Career Kick Start program is meant to offer MCLA students with the chance to network with employers and think about planning for internships, graduate school, and/or post-graduation careers.

“I know MCLA’s students are exceptionally prepared for the world of work,” Osef said. “Partnering them with employers who recognize their strengths and are ready to hire seemed like a natural next step.”

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North Adams Brings Winterfest to Town

BY SALI BAH A&E WRITER North Adams’ 22nd annual Winterfest was back in town this past weekend. Downtown Main Street was filled with loads of fun and family-friendly activities such as a chowder cook-off, farmers and artisans market, sledding and much more.

About six ice sculptors worked up and down Main Street while spectators watched in amazement.

Artist Robert Markey explained the inspiration behind his creation. He described a homeless little girl he met on a trip to Cambodia and how she touched his heart forever.

At The Green on 85 Main St., hungry mouths waited in line to try mouth-watering chowder from the chowder cookoff. Girl Scouts tabled nearby, tempting people to buy a box of cookies.

There were nine competitors, including Ramunto’s Brick Oven Pizza, Freight Yard Pub and Restaurant, Berkshire Palate and 180 Polish Roadside Grill. All

participants brought unique flavors and choices, but only one could win “Only in North Adams” Award and it went to the corn chowder from Ramunto’s Brick Oven Pizza for the second year in a row.

Other outside activities, such as the community campfire with marshmallow roasting, was a favorite with the kids. The horse-drawn wagon ride was another popular activity for children, who

were dragging their parents to go see the spectacle.

The farmers and artisans market was filled with vendors from all over — offering different produce and products ranging from meats and cheeses, raw honey, crafts, jewelry, skin care products and beer.

Be sure to catch Winterfest again next year when the festival returns to North Adams!

PHOTO BY SALI BAH

A crowd gathers at the Winterfest farmers and artisans market in downtown North Adams.

PHOTO BY SALI BAH

Artist Robert Markey working on his ice sculpture at Winterfest in North Adams.

‘10x10 Fes val’ Livens Up Downtown Pi sfield

BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR Pittsfield’s “10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival” kicked off on Valentine’s Day with an opening reception of the “Ten Spot Photography Show” at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. Barrington Stage Company also launched their “10x10 New Play Festival” later that same evening.

“The best thing about the [10x10] festival is the collaboration and community of people [it has brought to Pittsfield],” said Jennifer Glockner, Pittsfield Cultural Development Office director, who puts together the festival every year alongside multiple other local organizations.

Over the course of the festival, 62 events are hosted at 14 different venues across Pittsfield. From art shows to dance performances to play productions, the 10x10 Festival offers something to do for all.

“Several entities have come together to put on this 10-day event,” Glockner said. “It’s an amazing thing, in my opinion.”

Ice sculptures were put on display at three different locations throughout downtown, including in front of Palace Park, the Berkshire Museum and Ho-

PHOTO BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER

10x10 heart ice sculpture, carved by artist Peter Vacchina, located in front of the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield. tel on North. The ice sculptures were crafted by artists Peter Vacchina and Robert Markey, who individually carved a heart and a dancer, respectively, and together carved the 10x10 logo. In the future, there are hopes the festival will include 10 ice sculptures created by more local artists.

A smaller crowd of people from the community attended the opening of the “Ten Spot Photography Show,” but more came in through the doors as the night went on.

Pittsfield High School (PHS) art teacher Colleen Quinn was one of the 10 photographers whose work was on display.

Printed in black and white on

large pieces of paper, her photographs of different animals — including sheep, cattle and a donkey — capture memories from her recent trip to Ireland.

“I went to Ireland this past summer and every second was a photo opportunity,” Quinn said. “I actually couldn’t decide what to show because I travel almost

everywhere with a camera in my hand.”

Quinn has been involved with the 10x10 Festival ever since its inception eight years ago. Her favorite part about the festival is the 10x10 RAP auction that is put on every year at the Berkshire Museum.

“Originally, Pittsfield use to do a ‘12x12 Storefront Artist Project’ and on the 12th of December we would get all of these different artists together to make art and raffle off their pieces,” Quinn said.

“That’s how the 10x10 almost started, but it’s now a festival of many, many things — it has gotten huge and there are so many different aspects to it that I love.”

Don’t miss out on the 10x10 Festival’s 10 minutes of fireworks at Pittsfield’s First Street Common Saturday at 6 p.m.

The “Ten Spot Photography Show” will continue to be on display at the Lichtenstein until Friday, March 1.

Barrington Stage’s “10x10 New Play Festival” will be running their 10 play performances until Sunday, March 24, and tickets are selling out fast so be sure to visit, www.barringtonstageco. org/10x10-new-play-festival-2019/ to purchase them while you still can.

Feb. 21, 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TheOnlineBeacon.com

7

Forks of Buffalo and Mountain Carol at the Parlor Café Feb. 27

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E WRITER Where history connects and mixes with the present, The Parlor Café has evolved and grown through its new owners, MCLA alums Nick Tardive and Julia Daly. They will be hosting a night of music at the Café Wednesday, Feb. 27, at 7 p.m., including performances by The Mountain Carol and Forks of Buffalo.

“Forks of Buffalo is a local band that plays a lot of experimental music with drums, drone tones and a slow rhythmic base,” Tardive said. “Music is a really great way to get people to discover this place.”

The Mountain Carol was recommended to the Parlor by the band “Adrian Aardvark,” who played at the first event of the Parlor’s reopening last year. The Mountain Carol and Forks of Buffalo are scheduled to perform for about 30 minutes each, with the event lasting one hour to 90 minutes.

“The first event here [at the Parlor] was great!” MCLA junior Isamaya Hagstrom said.

Since reopening last year, Tardive and Daly have been planning different events to host at The Parlor including open mics and even a comedy night in the near future.

“We are trying to establish

PHOTO BY SABRINA DAMMS

which previous owner Jason Morin did well.

“There is a lot of miscommunication between the college students and community residents and no one is really going to budge. College students don’t like to go anywhere. Having a place that is off-campus but still close for the students bridges this gap,” Tardive said. “If we can get people off campus and in touch with the community, we can get them to see that North Adams has things to do and opportunities. This is one of the reasons why Julia and I stayed.”

Be sure to check out performances from The Mountain Carol and Forks of Buffalo at The Parlor Café Wednesday at 7 p.m. You can follow The Parlor Café and its events on Facebook and Instagram @TheParlorCafe.

The Parlor Café will be hosting “The Mountain Carol” and “Forks of Buffalo” Wednesday at 7 p.m. a homey, modern, friendly people talk and get to know and hipster vibe, a vibe that each other without judging.”

Tardive and Daly have will make people want to stay for hours on end with their been busy rebuilding and friends,” Tardive said. “A redecorating — incorporatmood where everyone who ing artwork by local artists walks through the door is in- into their design. They have also received a lot of help stantly comfortable.”

When they were students from others in renovating the at MCLA, Tardive and Daly place and have even created would go to The Parlor Café a new menu — two pages frequently; since graduating compared to the seven-toin 2017, they have started eight-page menu The Parlor making their own mark on once offered.

As new owners, Tardive the Café.

“What made it [The Par- and Daly both believe in conlor Café] special is this place tinuing to build upon the rehad other people besides stu- lationship between commuPHOTO BY SABRINA DAMMS dents,” Daly said. “It makes nity residents and students, Since re-opening last year, MCLA alums, Nick Tardive (left) and Julia Daly (right), have been busy renovating The Parlor Café.

Review

Learning to Love Rom-Coms and Yourself in ‘Isn’t It Roman c’

BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR The anticipated Valentine’s Day movie, “Isn’t It Romantic,” hit theaters this past weekend, taking a look back on decades of romantic-comedy films, from the classic 1990 “Pretty Woman” to the more recent 2018 “Crazy Rich Asians.”

Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson, “Isn’t It Romantic” introduces Natalie (Rebel Wilson) as a young child who has a deep interest and love for watching classic rom-coms. Her mother (Jennifer Saunders) tells her that Hollywood fantasies are never given real-life happy endings and talentedly-gorgeous actresses — like Julia Roberts — are “not girls like them.”

Twenty-five years later, Natalie is a New York architect who has worked so hard to get noticed at her job but

is always running for coffee rather than designing the city’s next skyscraper hotel.

She has grown up hating romance, becomes blind to love and is extra invisible to men, including her company’s new “CW hot” client, Blake (Liam Hemsworth), who rudely barks orders at her thinking she is his assistant. As Natalie struggles to deal with her own insecurities and managing her career, she is unaware of the fact that her co-worker/best friend Josh (Adam Devine) is secretly crushing on her.

Everything changes when Natalie gets knocked unconscious after being mugged in the subway station and she magically wakes up to find herself in an alternate universe. Manhattan now smells like lavender, the streets are decorated in flowers and wedding shops, her apartment is super luxurious, everyone is overly nice, and the handsome billionaire, Blake,

wants to date her. Natalie discovers her worst nightmare has come true as she is living a real-life romantic-comedy — filtered to be PG-13 of course.

With spontaneous dance numbers, a catchy rendition of “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and a star-studded cast, “Isn’t It Romantic” goes along on a wildly fun journey with Natalie as she learns she must love herself for who she is first before loving someone else. Learning to be less insecure and more open with yourself, as well as with others, is the film’s most empowering message for every audience.

Don’t miss out on your chance to see “Isn’t It Romantic” in a theater near you!

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

“Isn’t It Romantic?” hit theaters across the nation on February 13.

Sports

TheOnlineBeacon.com

8

Framingham State Defeats Trailblazers in Basketball Season Finale

BY JABARI SHAKIR SPORTS CO-EDITOR The Trailblazers finished their season finale in a loss against the Rams with a final score of 80-52, failing to make the playoffs for the second year in back-to-back seasons.

The Blazers will graduate five of their current seniors in May 2019. They are No. 32 guard Courtney Pingelski, No. 11 Mckenzie Robinson, No. 15 Karina Mattera, No. 10 Samantha Gawron and No. 14 forward L’rae Brundige.

The Trailblazers overall finished with 30 rebounds, eight assists, 10 steals and five blocks. Their record ended 5-19 and 1-11 in the conference. This season was their lowest winning season with only five wins total. They shot a total of 78.6 percent from the freethrow line, nine percent from three and 32.3 percent from the field.

Coach Loren Stock took some important aspects this season from her team and she will continue to use them to inspire and motivate them. “The team grew together. They understand the importance of leadership and that for us to have some success “we” need to have that,” she said. “Accountability is a trait we have talked about a lot the last two years as a team and have tried to continue to instill in our women’s program,” she said.

Mattera led the team with 16 points, six rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block. She shot 6-16 from the field, perfect from the free-throw line and 0-3 from the three-point arc. Her total percentages for this season are 73.9 percent from the free-throw line, 42.2 percent from the floor and 11.8 percent from three-point range. Overall she finished her career in the MASCAC 51st in rebounds, 23rd in blocks, 39th in points, 52nd in assists and steals.

The next senior, her teammate Brundige, scored 10 points, three rebounds, a steal, an assist and one block. She shot 5-11 from the court with a percentage of 45.5. Her total percentages for this season are 34.8 field goal percentage, 16.7 three-point percentage and 77.6 free throw percentage. Overall, she finished her career in the MASCAC at 41st in assists, 45th in steals, 19th in points, 27th in rebounds and 29th in blocks.

Additionally, Pingelski had five points, five rebounds, two steals, one block and one assist. She shot 2-8 from the field, 0-2 from the arc and 1-2 from the free-throw line. Her total percentages for this season are 36 percent from the court, 75 percent from three and 31 percent from the free-throw line. Overall, she finished her career in the MASCAC at 23rd in assists, 17th in steals, 10th in rebounds, 41st in blocks and 17th in points.

Also, Robinson’s total percentages for this season are 29.9 percent from the court, 31.7 percent from the three-point line and 40 percent from the free-throw line. Overall she finished her career in the MASCAC at ninth in assists, 32nd in steals, 42nd in rebounds, 51st in blocks and 41st in points.

Coach Stock will continue to work on rebuilding.”To continue to trust the process, it takes time and effort to build up a program.

There are a lot of little pieces that need to come together in order to have some success,” she said.

Finally, Gawron’s total percentages for this season are 31.9 percent from the court, 20 percent from the three-point line and 73 percent from the free-throw line. Overall she finished her career in the MASCAC, at 35th in assists, 24th in steals, 18th in rebounds, 16th in blocks and 26th in points.

Coach Stock will remember the great memories she had with the seniors and will support them after college in their next journies.

“I will enjoy looking back and seeing the transformation that each of them have made. Each of them have grown in some sort of way and to be able to experience that with that is part of the reason I am in this profession,” Stock said. “This class had a lot of personality that will be missed by the team and coaching staff,” she said.

The Framingham State Rams overall completed with a total of 46 rebounds, 20 assists, seven steals and three blocks. They shot 47.7 percent on the court, 35.7 percent from three, and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line. The Rams are currently the fourth seed in the MASCAC with a record of 7-5 and an overall record of 15-9.

Junior guard Emily Velozo scored with 31 points, seven rebounds, two steals and five assists. She shot perfect percent from the free-throw line, 25 percent from three and 56.5 percent from the field. Furthermore, she is currently placed overall in the MASCAC sixth in points, seventh in assists, 19th in steals, 20th in rebounds and 16th in blocks.

Her teammate, senior forward Tiphani Harris, followed up with 26 points, nine rebounds, one steal and two blocks. She shot perfect from the free throw line and 66.7 percent from the field. She is currently placed overall 13th in points scored, seventh in blocks, 47th in assists, fifth in rebounds and 14th in steals.

Coach Stock already has the game-plan set for next season through recruitment and having students to maintain grades. “The plan is to continue to recruit student – athletes and give them an opportunity to compete at the next level while getting and education,” Coach Stock said.

PHOTO BY MCLA ATHLETICS MCKENZIE ROBINSON INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES

PHOTO BY MCLA ATHLETICS COURTNEY PINGELSKI HEALTH SCIENCES/BUSINESS

Career Statistics Total Points: 479 Total Rebounds: 230 Total Assists: 262 Total Blocks: 4 Total Steals: 116 Total Minutes: 2540

Career Statistics Total Points: 824 Total Rebounds: 428 Total Assists: 113 Total Blocks: 12 Total Steals: 124 Total Minutes: 2333

PHOTO BY MCLA ATHLETICS L’RAE BRUNDIGE INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES/ BUSINESS/PSYCHOLOGY/ COACHING

PHOTO BY MCLA ATHLETICS KARINA MATTERA BROADCAST MEDIA

Career Statistics Total Points: 534 Total Rebounds: 152 Total Assists: 82 Total Blocks: 17 Total Steals: 63 Total Minutes: 1222

Career Statistics Total Points: 443 Total Rebounds: 219 Total Assists: 65 Total Blocks: 12 Total Steals: 28 Total Minutes: 1393

PHOTO BY MCLA ATHLETICS SAM GAWRON SOCIOLOGY/ CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Career Statistics Total Points: 538 Total Rebounds: 317 Total Assists: 92 Total Blocks: 20 Total Steals: 62 Total Minutes: 1876

PHOTO BY JABARI SHAKIR

The women’s basketball team stands in unity for the national anthem on Senior Day to support their teammates in their last game of their careers.

Feb. 21, 2019

Sports

TheOnlineBeacon.com

Davis Scores Season-High 25 Points, but Trailblazers Fall 82-74 in Season Finale

9

SCORE BOARD MCLA Mens Basketball MCLA (79), Salem State (87) Mike Demartinis (MCLA) 18 Pts, 2 Reb, 1 Ast

Temitope Bailey (Salem) 20 Pts, 11 Reb, 2 Ast, 2 Stl

MCLA Womens Basketball MCLA (48), Salem (59)

Erika Ryan (MCLA) 17 Pts, 5 Reb, 3 Ast, 3 Blk, 1 Stl

Kia Fernandes (Salem) 22 Pts, 17 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Blk

NBA All-Star Game

Team LEBRON (178), Team GIANNIS (164)

Kevin Durant (GSW) (Lebron) PHOTO BY JABARI SHAKIR

Sophomore guard Quran Davis currently averages seven points, three rebounds and one assist per game. He is shooting a field goal percentage of 35 percent, 68 percent from the free throw line and 34 percent from three-point arc.

BY BRADY GEROW SPORTS CO-EDITOR

Framingham, MA - The Trailblazers men’s basketball team fell 82-74 to the Framingham State Rams Saturday, Feb. 16, in a close season finale, coming down to the final few minutes of play.

Coming out of the second half tied at 39, both the Rams and the Blazers were looking to take control. MCLA sophomore Quran Davis exploded for 17 of his career-high 25 points in the second half of play.

Davis was outmatched by Rams senior guard Emmanuel Payton who put up a game-high 38 points, 22 of them scored in the second half.

Although Davis and the other Blazers starters outscored the Rams starting five 32-31 in the second half, the Rams bench came up big outscoring the Blazers bench 12-3 in the final frame.

The back-and-forth contest saw seven lead changes and ties and came down to a final run by the Blazers that fell short. Down six points with 56 seconds to play, Davis was able to sink two freethrows to cut the lead to four.

With the pressure on, the Rams stepped up, getting an offensive board on a missed free-throw and only giving the Blazers a pair of free-throws. The one successful free-throw by sophomore Antho-

ny Perez was the last shot made for the Blazers in the game.

The Blazers had two more chances to keep it close, but after sophomore Mike Demartinis’s missed lay-up and junior Antoine Montgomery’s missed three, the game was over.

Payton paced the Rams with a game-high 38 points, adding eight rebounds, four assists, and a pair of blocks and steals to round out his final regular season. Payton was joined by sophomore Cameren McCloud-Thomas who put up 12 points and eight rebounds himself.

The Blazers were paced by Davis’s 25 points. Davis also added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Davis was followed by Demartinis, who added 14 points and three rebounds. Montgomery added 11 points in the loss as well.

Despite the loss, Davis’s career-high in points for the Blazers was a good sign. Davis’s production has increased in the final month of the season. He averaged 16 points per game (ppg) in four games the team played this month, compared to his season average of 7.2 ppg.

With Davis’s trend and fellow sophomore Demartinis continuing to trend upward, the team can return with all but one player next season and should look to capitalize on the team’s growth.

With the win, the Rams finished

the season at 7-17 and 3-9 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) and secured the fifth seed in the MASCAC Tournament.

The Blazers finished the season at 6-18 overall and 2-10 in the conference. The Blazers have finished up its third season under head coach Derek Shell, as preparation for next season begins.

31 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 1 STL, 2 BLK

Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) (GIANNIS) 38 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST, 1 STL

NBA

Team WORLD (144), Team USA (161)

Ben Simmons (PHI) (WORLD) 28 PTS, 5 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL

Kyle Kuzma (LA) (USA) 35 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK

NHL

New Jersey Devils (3), Boston Bruins (4)

Bryan Rust (Bos) 1 Goal, 1 SOG

Marcus Johansson 1 Goal, 1 AST, 2 Points

NHL #2 Quran Davis guard 2019 season current statisitics Points: 158 Rebounds: 68 Assists: 32 Steals: 30 Blocks: 4 Minutes: 469 Philosphy Major

Carolina Hurricanes (1), New York Rangers (2)

Connor Brickley (NY) 1 Goal, 1 Point

Jordan Martinook (NY) 1 Goal, 1 Point

Opinion

TheOnlineBeacon.com

10

Letters to the Editor

Responses to Slip Slidin’ Away Editorial Understaffed and Overworked

To the Editor: I am writing this response in response to the Editorial, “Maintenance: Slip Slidin’ Away.” I am an MCLA senior hoping to graduate in May. One of the few memorable experiences I had while on campus was working with the maintenance crew during the last two summers.

Every member of the MCLA facilities crew is welcoming and willing to drop everything to help anyone on campus. The grounds crew are probably the hardest working people on campus. I have seen them scramble to try and cope with all the leaks in the buildings around campus during hard rains in the summer. They are constantly out in the early morning hours during the winter battling freezing temperatures, trying to get the campus ready for the faculty and staff.

The question the unsigned opinion of “The Beacon” should be asking is what is keeping the maintenance staff from keeping the snow and ice cleared off campus instead of saying we are tired

of writing the same editorial every year. Some questions I can think of off the top of my head are: Is there enough personnel to keep the ice clear? Is the ground crew getting the resources and support they need from the administrators?

Are they getting the overtime needed to get the campus clear in the morning? Why is the campus not getting delays in opening to make sure the campus is safe?

Furthermore, the opinion piece goes on to mention that there are procedures in place for clearing the parking lots.

The facilities department is not in charge of making those decisions in order to get students to move their cars. Besides the parking lot procedures, Residential Programs and Services has other rules in place that can hamper the grounds crew ability to do their job around campus, especially in the Town Houses.

One such rule is not using motorized equipment in the townhouses till 10 a.m.

In closing, “The Beacon” should be thanking the hardworking facilities crew trying to keep the campus clean,

working, and safe throughout the year with less and less money each year. You can always stop when you see them and say hello and thank them for everything they do for campus from weeding the plant beds, setting up every event on campus, and making sure the entire campus is ready for graduation.

You can always say hello to Kup, who is probably solely responsible making sure everything is set up on campus from a speech in Murdock all the way up to the setup for graduation; Tyler, who is trying to get the fields clear for the team sports; Jeff, who can pilot a tractor and snow blower like no one else; John Brown, making his famous “hot mix” to melt all the snow; Kurt, driving around on the gator exposed to the elements trying to lay down enough salt; or Opie, keeping everything working.

From a student who is grateful to all the work done by facilities, Matt Fiedler “Hopefully Class of 2019”

Icy Conditions on Campus Unacceptable and Unsafe To The Editor: I recently was on MCLA campus, and it came to my attention that the amount of ice on the sidewalks around the campus is unacceptable and unsafe. I had an extremely difficult time walking from one building to another, slipping many times due to the amount of ice on the walkways. These weather conditions are usually predicted well in advance so that the adequate precautions and preparations can be taken.

The conditions on campus are a Public Safety Hazard!

The lack of planning and taking appropriate measures is placing fellow students, staff and the general public on campus at serious risk for injury or worse.

The immediate use of additional salt/sand is imperative to address the current problem. Having Campus Security do foot patrols throughout the campus to identify these areas would be very beneficial for an immediate solution. A longer-term solution

would be the stationing of barrels with salt/sand mixture near the walkways and sidewalks throughout the campus for students to access. This would enable each student, staff member and general public to address the worst areas as needed and avoid slipping.

Every year there are thousands of serious injuries caused by the inappropriate precautions taken during inclement weather. These inappropriate precautions open the school up for lawsuits, plus possible decrease in enrollment, due to unsafe conditions on campus. I feel the expense to place barrels with salt/sand mixture throughout the campus definitely outweighs the potential injury to students, staff, and the general public, or legal issues.

Thank you for your time and attention.

Sincerely, Eddie Allison Class of 2021

The Concept of Tanking in Professional Sports “Tanking” is a colloquial term used within the context of professional sports which, in essence, means that a team is intentionally sucking. This can take many forms: losing as many games as possible, trading away any talent on their team that’s not going to be good for the long haul, a general exodus of any attempts to field a competitive product in the immediate moments and the general acceptance that you are trying to lose as many games as possible. This is usually done in an effort to improve your team’s draft stock so the young talent coming in via the draft is as good as possible, and you have as much control over what you do with said draft stock as possible.

If you are a fan of a team, do you want them to tank?

Pretty much, definitely not; who actually likes losing? You probably understand why they’re doing it, but frankly, it is still upsetting. It makes it hard to invest yourself in your team’s games. When you aren’t watching (and you’re likely not alone), viewership goes down, and the team and league’s revenue will decline as well.

Over the course of the NBA’s All-Star Break, Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the

ANDREW BAILLARGEON THE CALL subject of tanking. Currently, there are four teams in the NBA who are on pace to win less than 20 games. If this comes to fruition, it would tie the 2008, 2011 and 2013 seasons for the most number of teams in the league with such a dubious distinction.

Silver said he thought “being bad just to be bad” was “corrosive” to a given organization. Silver also briefly touched base on measures the NBA is in the works of implementing to deter tanking in the form of retooling the current draft system. However, no date or timeline was given on when the specific details of such plans will be given out.

What do teams get in the end by tanking? There is no better place to look than today’s Philadelphia 76ers, a team which set multiple records for futility while they

tanked for several years, recording high-draft-pick upon high-draft-pick trying to build a competitive roster. They are currently a virtual lock to make the playoffs, but they look as though they will likely come up short in challenging the Toronto Raptors, Milwaukee Bucks and possibly the Boston Celtics to see who comes out of the East to lose to the Golden State Warriors in the Finals.

The 76ers have been abysmally bad for practically the entirety of this decade, really only performing decently these past two years. There is little to suggest this will dramatically change; Philadelphia is not a particularly enticing destination for free agents, and because the team will make the playoffs, they will not get a lottery pick and have a better-than-even chance to draft a rookie who won’t make a significant impact for the team right away.

The Boston Celtics did largely the same thing for a significantly less amount of time in the post-Big Three era. They have enticing, sustainable young talent across the board and will likely remain decent barring a huge free agent signing, in addition to being able to retain Kyrie Irving.

Is that really worth disconnecting with your fanbase and costing yourself and the league lots of revenue in the process? Debatably, it would seem it is not, but there are no checks or balances to this ability for teams to just strip their

What do teams get in the end by tanking? roster down. Commissioner Silver’s proposed retooling to the draft system would likely not be enough. It’s time for the NBA to step in. If the NBA can tell the Pelicans that they can’t bench Anthony Davis when he is healthy, then the NBA can tell a team that they can’t deliberately just suck on purpose; albeit in a less formal, direct way.

There are accessible ways for the league to do this, too. One good way would be to prevent teams from trading draft picks outside of the picks due to be used that season. This would lower the availability of draft capital and make it harder for contending teams

to trade for talented players on other teams, namely ones who would otherwise be inclined to make the trade for the sake of tanking.

Another way to do that would be to impose a tax on teams who trade players that have incurred a certain amount of minutes on the court for that team. The amount the team pays grows with the increase in minutes the player has played (under a threshold the league would establish).

Alternatively, the NBA could simply be a lot more conservative in what trades they uphold and which ones they veto; trades, where there is an excess amount of talent leaving a team, could be vetoed unless the incoming talent was a reasonable haul.

At least exploring a way to actually deter tanking allows the NBA to set a precedent that they want the entirety of their league to try and actually be competitive.

This, in turn, would incite some degree of fan interest in teams that would otherwise be tanking.

Again, if the NBA can tell owners how to handle the players with revenue in mind, they can tell them how to handle their rosters under the same conditions.

Opinion

Feb. 21, 2019

TheOnlineBeacon.com

11

Editorial

Why We Can’t Have Nice Things The Social Connection Initiative started by counseling services and student development in the form of the Truth or Dare Ball Pit was created to help students having a difficult time fitting in and finding their place on campus.

With the increased dependency on technology, events and activities on campus that strive to increase social connection must battle with the screen in front of our faces.

The Student Activities Council (SAC), according to Natty Burfield, have had to find more creative ways of reaching students and getting them away from their screens. She noticed this when SAC put on a movie event that featured a movie that was already on Netflix.

Counseling service’s efforts to stop the cycle perpetuating student loneliness was unfortunately not received well by the masses, resulting in multiple accounts of vandalism and subsequent misuse of the ball pit.

This makes it especially disheartening because the defacement has led to the decision that the installation needed to be taken down.

Vandalism is not something new to the MCLA campus; last year there was a problem in the Freel Library with someone drawing swastikas in the desks.

These incidents beg the larger question: why do we often complain about administration not doing things and then when they do some parties then destroy it? How is this benefiting anyone?

Especially regarding an event or installation like the ball pit, something meant to help students who feel vulnerable and make the campus feel more welcoming, it is unfathomable how people would get joy destroying the work of others.

Such misuse of the ball pit may hinder any return of it to the Marketplace or even the possibility that was thrown around of it being part of the Wellness Fair occurring in March.

Vandalism such as this gives administration ammunition to reject requests when students ask for new programs and events.

It’s a sign of immaturity and reflects badly on the entire student body.

Everyone on this campus is here to learn to better themselves and those around them, and there is no benefit to dismantling another person’s work.

If the Truth or Dare Ball Pit amounted to such success at Keene State College, than how could it have received an underwhelming response from MCLA students.

This decision to remove the ball pit was not made after the first, or even second, offense. The constant reoccurence of vandalism unfortunately did not give much hope for future incidents if the ball pit area was repaired again.

Hopefully, the offenders will realize their wrong-doings. No one deserves to have their hard work and dreams torn down repeatedly.

And hopefully, this does not prevent any future outreaches to be hindered.

The Pitcher’s Mound

BY NORA HONES COLUMNIST Out of the dives that occupy North Adams, the Pitcher’s Mound (more commonly referred to as “the Mound”) is one of the essential dives that make North Adams what it is. The Mound occupies space in the hearts of both townies and students as one of their favorite places to frequent.

The Pitcher’s Mound is located less than a half-mile from MCLA’s campus, at 218 Ashland St. It is as well-known as any of the buildings on campus.

With its Bud Light-themed “welcome back students” signs at the beginning of September to its DJ nights throughout the year, it is well-known among students and alumni, having been established in 1988.

Not all about the Mound shines under the best of light, as students joke about getting stabbed there — yes, it has been known to happen. Many students will, however,

Diners, Drive-thrus D and

an “Adios Motherf**ker” in the Mound’s signature neon blue, served in a plastic cup. On any other day, the Pitcher’s Mound is a more mellow, townie scene.

As dive bars go, the Mound is actually one of the nicer, cheaper and more relaxed bars in town. With its $5 Bud Light pitchers, its $2 or $3 vodka cran’s — depending on the day — to its bartender and its odd array of menu choices, it has a little something anyone can enjoy at a price as affordable as MCLA tuition.

From its pool table to its jukebox, to its live music or DJ nights, to its dartboard with its missing darts, to its occupants, the Mound is a unique and enjoyable bar, especially within walking distance from campus. If you are of legal drinking age and looking for a fun night out, head on over to the Pitcher’s Mound.

Dives

look back with nostalgia at their friends messaging: “Heading to the Mound,” “Mound Bound,” or “Mound Pounding.” It is a staple of the MCLA college experience.

It is a students’ bar throughand-through; and yet, somehow, is also a well-visited townie dive to stop in and have a drink, or 10, particularly on weekdays.

If you stroll into the Pitcher’s Mound on a Friday or Saturday night, it is a booming student hangout with people drinking straight out of pitchers at tables, listening to Bon Jovi, sucking spilled drinks off the table with a straw and getting their $2 “Mound” version of a Long Island iced tea — called

Want to write a guest column?

If interested, contact Jake Vitali at jv1339@mcla. edu or Nicholas Bassett at nb3227@mcla.edu

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Feb. 21, 2019

IN OTHER BEACON NEWS

12

First Accepted Student Day Photos by Jake Vitali

MCLA welcomed prospective families this past Saturday. The day saw parents attend pannel discussions, students attend mock classes, student clubs and organizations tabled, and families took campus tours with student Admissions Ambassadors.

Morrison Robblee ‘19, admissions ambassador welcomes prospective families to campus at Saturday’s Accepted Student Day. Robblee is a double major in history and education.