October 8, 2020 Vol. 91 Issue 4

TheOnlineBeacon.com

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Volume 91 • Issue 4

Students Express Concerns Policy Changes Still to About Turning Point USA SSI Survey Results

Come from SSI Results

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI MANAGING EDITOR

PHOTO BY BRAD HORRIGAN

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk (left) standing with Candace Owens (center) and Dave Rubin (right) at an event for Turning Point USA at the University of Connecticut in April 2019.

BY BRIAN RHODES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Several students across campus have expressed concern regarding the group Turning Point USA making an appearance on and around campus.

Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs, said that she, along with Heather Quire, dean of students and Christopher MacDonald-Dennis, chief diversity officer, have received several questions and complaints from students about the organization. She mentioned instances of student

complaints about being recorded by a Turning Point USA representative, and students being told to sign things under false pretenses.

“I had never even heard of them before [student complaints],” Holbrook said.

“I would not have guessed that a group with their missions would target a small college in western mass as being fruitful.”

Turning Point USA is a nonprofit political organization founded by Charlie Kirk. The group’s mission, according to the their website, “is to identify, educate, train, and organize students

to promote freedom.”

Holbrook noted that the college did not invite Turning Point USA and that they were not allowed to be on campus because of COVID-19 restrictions.

“These weren’t college people, we’re not letting anybody on campus that isn’t part of our mission,” she said. “For example, we do allow prospective students on campus because that’s part of our recruiting mission. But we’re not bringing outside speakers or groups or renting out our facilities.”

TPUSA, Page 10

COVID-19

College to Test Students who Go Home for Holiday Weekend

BY BRIAN RHODES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MCLA is asking students going home for this long weekend to fill out a form telling the college where they are going.

Vice President of Student Affairs Catherine Holbrook informed students of the weekend travel form in a late-night email on Tuesday, Oct. 6. She also said students going home will receive another COVID-19 Test between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. or 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

“COVID-19 cases are on the rise in many parts of

our state and across the country,” said Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs said in the email. “If resident students leave campus for the long weekend and travel to areas that are not defined as low risk for COVID-19, or don’t continue to practice all the expected precautions, there is the potential risk that our community will see the introduction of COVID-19 which could jeopardize the balance of the semester.”

Included in Holbrook’s email were several suggestions for students intending to go home for the long weekend. These suggestions

have information regarding high COVID-19 risk areas, including Boston, Springfield and Worcester; what situations would require students should self-quarantine upon return and specifics for testing on Oct. 13.

“For any student who is expected to quarantine, we will arrange quarantine meals (based on when you tell us you are returning) and include you on the quarantine list to CSSE,” Holbrook said. “I recommend you contact your faculty about this possibility before you leave campus this week.”

COVID, Page 10

Vice President of Student Affairs Catherine Holbrook discussed what MCLA has put forward based on the results of last spring’s Students Satisfaction Inventory (SSI) survey in a Microsoft Teams interview on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

“The [SSI] tells you what matters to students and student satisfaction drives engagement, learning and retention. The more [MCLA] is able to meet your expectations in areas that are important to you, the more likely you are to be retained and to graduate,” Holbrook said in an explanation of the purpose of the SSI. Holbrook said she and the administration spent the summer of 2019 working out which areas of MCLA needed the most improvement based on the results.

The areas were categorized as either “an easy fix” or “long term”.

Holbrook mentioned the dining hall as an example of a quick change that the college was able to make based on the survey results.

“Students were not happy with dining services on a lot of levels and they gave some good comments to help us understand what they didn’t like. At the same time, we were already in the process of doing a renovation of the facility, and the data from SSI helped us to work with Aramark and say ‘a ha!’, you need to have more vegan food, you need to have more fresh vegetables, and everything else students said,” Holbrook noted.

Though stating that “all bets are off” due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Holbrook said that last year’s students gave a warm welcome to the refurbished dining hall.

“Students raved about the redesigned facility. It was more inviting and the customer satisfaction on [Aramark’s] surveys went up five percent,” she said.

Residential living was also a subject Holbrook said MCLA sought to rectify.

“The winter of 2018-2019 was a very snowy and icy winter, and the college didn’t do so good of a job as it should have in remov-

ing the ice, and the students were really unhappy with the walkways. Students also complained about the excess heat or lack of heat in their residence areas. That data actually allows us to provide that information to the state agency [MSCBA] that owns these residence halls and to say, ‘look this is something that needs to get fixed’,” Holbrook said.

She pointed to the elevators on campus as a long term improvement. “The elevators were down a lot in 2018-2019. And people complained about the elevators a lot. That actually is leading to the fact that MSCBA, Massachusetts State College Building Authority, is going to replace the elevators next summer,” she said.

Holbrook also noted students voiced concern and confusion over student conduct policies outlined in the MCLA handbook. The MCLA handbook is located under the Student Life tab on the MCLA portal page.

Holbrook asked Heather Quire, Dean of Students, to lead the review of the student conduct system. “[Quire] brought a team together of nine people that included students and student affairs folks and people outside student affairs, and they studied [our] standards against our system and said what was our best practice, what wasn’t, what had to be improved,” she said.

Holbrook noted Quire and her team finished their review report in January.

“It had a whole series of recommendations to change the conduct system so that students clearly understood what their rights and responsibilities were, [such as] what would happen if an RA wrote you up,” Holbrook said.

One of the conduct policies retooled was how students can file a maintenance request. Instead of inquiring a maintenance request through their residential advisor (RA), students can complete one on SchoolDude, the software that sends maintenance requests to Facilities Management. The link to SchoolDude is located under the Student Life tab on

SSI, Page 10

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SGA

SGA Discusses Voting and Committee Reports

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI MANAGING EDITOR Monday, Oct. 5 was the last student government association (SGA) meeting for President Dean Little ’21, who chose not to seek re-election in the fall election. SGA met through a Microsoft Teams live question & answer session after a five minute delay.

“It’s bittersweet, being able to step back and take that time to focus on my classes after four years, but also being able to help out still with a couple committees,” Little said.

Little emphasized voting to those attending the meeting. Voting in the fall election was open from Tues.

Oct. 6th to Wed. Oct. 7th.

“Make sure you guys go out and vote in the election, it’s super important.

You will be electing the new student government will be taking on the issues for the year, included but limited to new groups being potentially added to campus as well as making sure the college continues to adapt its Covid-19 policies around

students first,” Little said.

He also said the new student government will need to look at “recommendations from any reports over the summer,” a nod to President James Birge announcing via email last week to the MCLA community that his appointed campus policing committee recommended that SGA holds a referendum of the student body on whether or not campus police officers should carry firearms.

Coordinating Vice President Shannon Prouty ‘21 announced that all clubs have been meeting smoothly under the guidelines in place by the school due to the covid-19 pandemic.

“I have been getting several room requests and meeting updates from clubs. I wanted to let everyone know that club activity is good as of right now,” she said.

Little added that if clubs begin to stray away from the guidelines, SGA will freeze their budgets.

Prouty also noted that MCLA’s all colleges committee assigned the academic policies committee to

amend the processes behind core classes.

“They also assigned business administration major changes to the curriculum committee,” she said.

Treasurer Kelli Garrant ’21 said the curriculum committee received an inquiry from the mathematics department.

“It was about combining the middle school and high school education concentrations in the math department and also about one or two new courses, so that got looked at and approved in our last meeting,” Garrant said.

Little said the elections committee will convene on the morning of Thurs. Oct 8th rather than Wed. Oct 7th due to an undisclosed member’s prior commitment.

“Our bylaws do state that we have 24 hours to post the results of the election, as long as the counting is done. We do expect to be counting ballots because the elections are this Tuesday and Wednesday,” he said.

Coordinator of civic engagements in student affairs Christ Hantman told SGA and the rest of the MCLA community to keep an eye

out for write-in campaigns up until Oct. 7.

Before the meeting’s conclusion, Little said the constitutional committee has shared “all appropriate information” with conservative organization Turning Point USA for the group to consider attending campus.

“There is no action from student government. They do not have our recognition

at this point in time. They do not have any paperwork submitted to us for them to even be considered. They have all appropriate information, the ball is in their court for how to move forward from here,” Little said.

SGA will not meet on Monday, Oct. 12 due to Columbus Day weekend. The next meeting will be on Monday, Oct. 19.

Flu Clinics Hosted by Health Services Underway

BY MARIAMA NDIAYE STAFF WRITER Health Services’ flu shot clinic hosted its first session on Tuesday, Sept. 22 and is running sessions until Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker made the flu shot mandatory for all college students in the state by the end of the year. According to mass.gov, “students will be expected to have received a flu vaccine by Dec. 31, 2020, for the 20202021 influenza season.”

Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs laid out a time table for the flu shot clinics to the Beacon.

“We have flu clinics set every week, for 7-8 weeks, for students, faculty, and staff,” said Holbrook.

Holbrook noted that the school offering to give flu shot clinics was conivient for students so it was one less errand to run off campus during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Every pharmacy in the area gives flu shots for people, but we figured it would be easier to do on campus. If you get a vaccine now, you will pretty much be protected for the entire flu season.”

Holbrook and faculty are trying to promote flu shots

PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS Health Services’ flu shot clinic hosted its first session on Tuesday, Sept. 22 and is running sessions until Wednesday, Oct. 21. to students more than adults since the majority have only been faculty and adults taking the shot so far.

Jacqueline Krzanik, director of health services, stated that she did not have an exact number of students who have already taken advantage of the clinic.

That stastic was not given at time of print.

However, Krzanik said that health services is keeping the flu shot clinics structured in order to not create long lines.

“We have planned all flu clinics so that CDC recommended guidelines of social

distancing and limited gathering size can be followed.

And of course, face masks to be worn,” said Krzanik.

Holbrook said that health services already tracks vaccine information from students to determine the quanities and variety of vaccines that should be made vaccine on campus.

“Health Services collects vaccine information annually from all new incoming students before they enroll in September. The bulk of this is done over the summer and then in much smaller numbers between semesters for students who start

in January,” said Holbrook.

She elaborated that the flu shot mandate differs from a regular flu shot appointment.

“The difference with the flu vaccine mandate is that this will be an annual requirement for all students, not just new ones,” Holbrook said.

Holbrook added that students who have gotten their flu shot or are figuring out when to get the flu shot should consider their medical status beyond the end of year deadline.

“Currently, the deadline for taking the vaccine is December 31, so while

some students are very smartly getting their vaccine early so its full effect can protect them now and submitting their proof of immunization throughout the semester, there will be a need to communicate with and get proof of flu vaccination during the intercession before students return in January,” Holbrook said.

The flu shot clinics are not meant to deter students from getting the flu shot off campus, however. Students who get the flu shot off campus do need to report that to the college.

“Most vaccine records are sent from a student’s health care provider in one document to health services, but with the flu vaccine, a student can get it at any pharmacy or clinic and they will need to retain that proof and submit it to Health Service,” Holbrook said.

As far as the spring semester and the rest of 2021 goes, Holbrook expressed caution when it came to uncertainy about the run of flu shot clinics for the next academic year.

“We don’t know what deadline changes will take effect next year, so it is also possible that the process will change again next year,” she said.

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Flake Discusses Partisanship In Dukakis Public Policy Lecture

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI MANAGING EDITOR Former Arizona Republican senator Jeff Flake spoke via Zoom at MCLA’s annual Michael S. and Kitty Dukakis Public Policy Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 1.

Flake discussed developments and trends inside and outside of Congress.

“Not as much dissent is tolerated if you will, particularly in the Republican party,” Flake said, noting that MCLA students are working in a time different than when he entered government.”

“What has changed is partisanship and lack of civility,” he said, relaying a story in which on the Senate floor, a Democratic colleague defended Flake from Republican-led accusations against his call to end a travel ban to Cuba in 2015. “[He said] ‘I was just defending your honor.’ It was in Congress much more civil than it is today. We’ve seen other examples of great civility in Washington, but we’ve also seen ugly events as well,” Flake said.

He elaborated a need for voters and politicians in different parties to come together peacefully.

“We have to be far more tolerant, we have to allow dissent. A lot of people will ask ‘How has the Congress come to be this way? Why is it so partisan?’ One reason is that it used when members of Congress were elected, they moved their families to Washington.

Republicans and Democrats used to live in the same neighborhoods, their kids went to school together. During the 1990s, when Republicans took over [Congress], Newt Gingrich was speaker [of the house] and he told every freshman to stay in their district and commute to Washington, so that accelerated a

PHOTO BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI

Flake discussed developments and trends inside and outside of Congress via Zoom at MCLA’s annual Michael S. and Kitty Dukakis Public Policy Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 1. trend. By the time I got to Congress, it was very much and still is commuter Congress,” Flake said.

Referencing the first presidential debate on Sept. 29, Flake told the MCLA community that the problems facing the United States cannot be solved by one political party.

“We’ve got to do better as a country, as we saw in the debate,” he said.

Flake believes the lowest point of his entire political career, when Republican representative Steve Scalise was shot during a practice for a congressional baseball game in 2017, also reflects a lack of bipartisanship.

“I just remember trying to get to the dugout watching bullets hit the gravel. I remember thinking at that time, ‘Why us? How could anyone see a bunch of middle-age men playing baseball and see the enemy?’

The next eight to ten minutes were a blur. Finally somebody yelled, ‘Shooter down’ and I ran to Steve

Scalise and used my batting glove to plug a bullet hole in his left hip,” he said.

“It speaks again for a period that we need to get beyond where people need to be more tolerant of each other,” he followed up with.

Flake spoke for twenty-five minutes, then spent the remainder of the hour answering previously submitted questions from MCLA students, faculty and alumni which were read by President James Birge.

Afterward, Flake thanked everyone who tuned into the lecture and concluded by urging the audience to follow public service.

“Many of you I’m sure are preparing for public service. It is a noble profession and we need people to be involved, whether it is elected office or being appointed or implementing policy. We need to see good people involved and it’s tough to see right now with all the vitriol, but there is a place for you. I hope you will consider it,” he said.

Check out your local college radio station, broadcasting from 10 a.m. to midnight every day

During the student moderated discussion prior to the lecture, Flake expressed skepticism in appointing a new Supreme Court Justice less than a month before the presidential election.

“I’m on the record saying that I wish the President and the Senate will wait.

[Amy Coney] Barret is a good jurist, but I think Republicans ought to wait,” he said.

Following that, Flake stated he believes it was a mistake not to confirm Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016 because “Garland is a centrist and an excellent jurist.”

Flake also told students the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett onto the Supreme Court has potential ramifications for the filibuster, a practice by which senators can stall the passage of legislation.

“I fear escalation. If the Democrats get the Senate, they could remove the filibuster. I fear escalation more than anything. The

Senate is just like a house, needs [a foundation] and I’m in favor of keeping the filibuster,” he said.

At the start of the Dukakis Public Policy Lecture, Flake explained his family upbringing in Snowflake, Arizona drew him into public service.

“People worked together, they had to. That’s the kind of politics I was raised in. I am a Conservative at heart,” he said, adding that two uncles used to work in the Arizona state Senate.

He said the completion of several Mormon missions in South Africa and Zimbabwe during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union in the 1980s inspired him to run for office. Flake was elected to the House of Representatives in 2000 and stayed until 2013, where he won a seat in the US Senate and served there until retiring in 2019.

The student moderated discussion took place at 3:15 p.m.

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Supreme Court goes to work in the midst of COVID-19 Chaos

BY TODD RUGER ROLL CALL Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. started the Supreme Court’s new term Monday with a brief tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose death last month thrust the court into Washington’s central political drama less than a month before the presidential election.

Ahead of two hours of oral argument, held remotely by telephone because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Roberts went through Ginsburg’s career in law that culminated with 27 years on the high court. He said her “contributions as advocate, jurist and citizen are immeasurable.”

The Supreme Court is, at the moment, down to eight justices and not conducting business in person. But the justices moved right into oral arguments after that _ making it the only branch of government that was not grappling with how to do its work because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Senate postponed hearings and looked to stay away from the Capitol this week because three Republican members are in isolation with the virus and others are quarantining due to exposure. Their absence prompted questions about whether Senate Republicans can move forward with plans to swiftly confirm Trump’s

nominee to fill Ginsburg’s seat, Amy Coney Barrett, a federal appeals court judge.

President Donald Trump is in the hospital with coronavirus, under treatment with a combination of medications, and spent the morning tweeting out in allcaps a string of reasons why he thinks voters should reelect him. Some related to the Supreme Court and a case the justices will hear next month on the 2010 health care law.

“PROTECT PREEXISTING CONDITIONS. VOTE!” Trump tweeted, although his administration and Republican-led states will urge the Supreme Court on Nov. 10 to wipe out the law, and along with it, requirements that health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing conditions.

Trump also tweeted, “SAVE OUR SECOND AMENDMENT. VOTE!” and “PRO LIFE! VOTE!” in nods to the way he said his Supreme Court nominees would rule on abortion and gun control cases. And he picked up on another theme in some cases at the court, “RELIGIOUS LIBERTY. VOTE!” The justices _ who some expect to look for ways to avoid partisan controversy this term to stay out of the political spotlight as much as possible focused Monday on arguments on two minor cases about the partisan

PHOTO BY JOSE LUIS

A makeshift memorial for the late Justice Rath Bader Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court on Sept. 19, 2020. The Supreme Court began its newest term on Monday, Oct. 5. makeup of Delaware’s courts and a dispute between Texas and New Mexico about the Pecos River.

But in separate action, two conservative justices underscored how much the ideological direction of the Supreme Court will be at the center of the confirmation fight set to start in one week at the Senate Judiciary Committee _ and echoed the religious liberty concerns from Trump’s tweet.

The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would not consider an appeal from Kim Davis, a former county clerk in Kentucky who defied court orders to issue marriage li-

censes to same-sex couples after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriages in the 2015 decision in Obergefell v. Hodges.

Although Justice Clarence Thomas agreed with the decision not to hear Davis’ case because it does not cleanly present legal issues, he wrote to call for the court to revisit that Obergefell decision because it will “continue to have ‘ruinous consequences for religious liberty.’” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. joined Thomas’ concurrence.

“By choosing to privilege a novel constitutional right over the religious liberty interests explicitly protected in the First Amendment, and

by doing so undemocratically, the Court has created a problem that only it can fix,” Thomas wrote.

Thomas called Davis “one of the first victims” of the Obergefell decision because she had no statutory protection of her religious beliefs and was sued for violating the constitutional rights of same-sex couples “when she chose to follow her faith.”

“Due to Obergefell, those with sincerely held religious beliefs concerning marriage will find it increasingly difficult to participate in society without running afoul of Obergefell and its effect on constitutional law,” Thomas wrote.

Pompeo Angers Vatican With Calls To Condemn China Over Human Rights Abuses

BY TRACY WILKINSON LOS ANGELES TIMES U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo came to Rome on Wednesday and waded into a dispute with the Vatican over China and diplomacy.

Pompeo used a speech at a religious freedom seminar sponsored by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See to attack Beijing as an egregious abuser of human rights. He called on the Vatican to join the Trump administration in making a similar condemnation.

“Nowhere is religious freedom under assault more than it is inside of China today,” Pompeo said on the third day of a fiveday trip that includes stops in Greece and Croatia.

“That’s because, as with all Communist regimes, the Chinese Communist Party deems itself the ultimate moral authority.”

Though his speech mostly quoted the late Pope John Paul II, a hero to conservative Catholics and other Christians, Pompeo used a phrase commonly uttered by

PHOTO BY MICKEY MOUSE

Pompeo used a speech at a religious freedom seminar sponsored by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See to attack Beijing as an egregious abuser of human rights.

Pope Francis that a church must be “permanently in a state of mission.”

“Surely one of them is to be a church permanently in defense of basic human rights,” Pompeo said.

The comments came after Pompeo earlier this month criticized the Vatican for renewing an agreement with China over how the Roman Catholic Church can operate there. He suggested that the agreement betrayed underground Chinese Catholics in favor of those who the government tolerates.

Vatican officials were

irked at Pompeo’s remarks, which they said should have been handled through diplomatic channels. Instead, Pompeo wrote his comments in a conservative U.S. publication that has been consistently critical of Pope Francis, a Latin American often seen as more progressive than his recent predecessors.

“The Vatican endangers its moral authority, should it renew the deal,” Pompeo said in a series of tweets after his article appeared in the First Things journal.

Repetition of the phrase “moral authority” here and

now struck Vatican officials as deliberate.

Pompeo’s counterpart at the Vatican, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, spoke at the same conference Wednesday.

To reporters later, Parolin said the Holy See was “surprised” by Pompeo’s article.

Another senior Vatican official who also spoke at the conference, Archbishop Paul Gallagher of England, told reporters of the Holy See’s irritation at the Pompeo article.

Gallagher also said the proximity of Pompeo’s Rome visit to the U.S. election in just over a month was “one of the reasons why the Holy Father is not receiving the secretary of state.”

It had been a matter of some speculation whether Pompeo was being snubbed by the pope, whose empathy for the poor and refugees has led to public clashes with President Donald Trump.

Francis received Pompeo last year when he spoke at a similar symposium in Rome.

Pompeo has made religious freedom the central human right that he believes nations should stand up for. And bash-

ing China has also become one of the key themes of Trump’s reelection campaign as he, Pompeo and others seek to focus blame for the deathly toll of the coronavirus pandemic on Beijing rather than their own handling of the crisis.

Pompeo on Thursday will meet with Gallagher and Parolin at the Vatican.

The ability of the Catholic Church to function in China has long been a delicate diplomatic and religious issue.

The Chinese government sought to control the church there and name its leaders.

The agreement that the Vatican has now with China _ which is about to expire and is being renewed _ allows the pope to name bishops in China. But many believe that concession was made at the expense of Chinese Catholics who have long worshipped in the shadows.

Asked later Wednesday if he was “picking a fight” with the Vatican and whether that could hurt Trump’s political fortunes with U.S. Christian voters, Pompeo said the idea was “just crazy.”

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MCLA-IAH Launching Empowered Voices Collective

BY ISABEL COSTA STAFF WRITER For centuries, art and words have been a tool to create change and diversity all over the world.

Destiny Rivera 21’ is an English and Arts Management major and the creator of Empowered Voices Collective (EVC) here at MCLA. The Empowered Voices Collective is an online blog that will feature work, poetry, free writing and photography from students of color on campus.

“I have seen a disparity of students of color engaging with the MCLA campus, compared to how many white students have.

I wanted to create something that can amplify their voices so they don’t get lost in the sea of someone else. I wanted something for them that is created by them,” Riviera said.

MCLA IAH Institute for Arts and Humanities (MCLA-IAH) is a grant-funded initiative, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which works to strategically promote equity-centered change on campus.

MCLA-IAH’s program helped Riviera get her idea started and developed when she interned for them.

“I am a community engagement intern for MCLA-IAH and our mission statement is to increase diversity and equity an engagement across campus. I gave them this project and they gave me the freedom to expand with it. I also work with Drew Thomas 21’ who assists me with graphic design and I also have others

who work with me on social media. They have all really helped me to create this project,” Rivera said.

The EVC is an open submission-based application process. Riviera’s goal is to get as many submissions as she can throughout the MCLA campus.

“I want to get as many submissions as I can, even if it’s just 20, so that I can display all the different works I receive. They will all go up on MCLA’s Smart Commons Blog, which is MCLA’s blog for creative artwork. My hope is that other students will read it and it will increase engagement,” Riviera said.

Riviera hopes to see the EVC continuing past her time as a student at MCLA, allowing for more works and different kinds of submissions going forward.

“I want it to something that students past me, I want to be able to get these works published and work with someone at a printing press. I want everyone who has submitted pieces to get a physical copy they can hold and they can remember they have work published because of the EVC. It will also look good on their resume and something they can always see on their bookshelf,” Riviera said.

Aside from the community of friends and professors here at MCLA, Riviera says her fondest memories come from her creative writing class with Professor Finch who started Riviera’s new love for poetry.

“When I was younger, I did not like poetry as

much. I always thought it was something for older individuals, but once I started learning about it, I got more involved. I started to really enjoy it.

We started learning more

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about women poets, and I found we are getting better at speaking about poets of color and non-binary poets I started to really enjoy it.

This was the main reason I started to think about the

Empowered Voices Collective,” Riviera said.

Submissions are due for the Empowered Voices Collective on Nov. 8, 2020.

Submit all works to evoicescollective@gmail.com

Check out this semester’s most recent episode of Beacon Web News on YouTube or MCLA-TV on Philo!

Arts & Entertainment

Oct. 8, 2020

* THURSDAY, OCT. 8 -International Lesbian Day Identity & Gender Equality Resource Center Virtual - Trailblazing the Path Career Roundtable: Art Education 6-7 p.m.

Virtual

* FRIDAY, OCT. 9 - SAC General Meeting 3:15 p.m.

Zoom Meeting - Corn Maze at Hick’s Family Farm Hosted by City of North Adams 5 p.m.

- free Live Music Freight Yard Resturant & Pub 8 p.m.

* SATURDAY, OCT. 10 - Featured Artist Series: O.M. France Viana 12 p.m.

Virtual

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* WEDNESDAY, OCT. 14 - Women’s Center: Breast CanAwareness Virtual

cer

- BIPOC Healing Circle 1 p.m.

Microsoft Teams - Mic Drop: Amplifying Your Voice: Issues Related to Race, Civic Opportunity, and responsibiliy

4:30 p.m.

- Bible Study 8:30 p.m.

Virtual

* MONDAY, OCT. 12 - Cheer Squad Informational Meeting 6 p.m.

Virtual

* TUESDAY, OCT. 13 - National Coming Out Day Awareness

Virtual

North Adams Farmers Market 9 a.m.

North Adams Armory Parkin-

- CRAFTING CLUB GENERAL

glot

7 P.M.

MEETING B209

7

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At a time when COVID-19 is isolating, these young artists turn rhymes and verses into instruments of peace

BY DARCEL ROCKETT CHICAGO TRIBUNE At a time when COVID-19 is isolating, young artists of Emcee Skool are using their skills to bring communities together. Emcee Skool is a grassroots community organization created by hiphop artist Teh’Ray Hale (aka “Phenom”) in 2018 to train the next generation of artists to become community leaders and peace ambassadors.

On March 9, the eight 20-somethings that comprise the fourth group of school members (who call themselves Indig0) honored The Notorious B.I.G. on the anniversary of his death by performing at the Firehouse Community Art Center on the West Side. Attendees were treated to a free meal and a show of original rhymes and verses from the artists: “The Ambi/1/4 nce” (Robert Cummings, 24), “Toni Manifest” (Toni Murray, 20), “Successthelight” (Ronald Price III, 26), “Melanin 7” (Shaquille McDaniel, 25), “Jada” (Jada Lott, 21),

PHOTO BY ARMANDO L. SANCHEZ

Majestic Jordan, from left, Jada Lott, Robert Cummings and Michael Toykam, of the Emcee Skool cohort known as Indig0, perform March 9, 2020, at the the Firehouse Community Arts Center in Little Village in Chicago.

“Huey Shakur” (Michael Toykam, 21), “NDPNDNT” (Daniel Weisberg, 25) and “Emjaiye Royale” (Majestic Jordan, 24).

It was Indig0’s first show, and the artists riffed off one another and served as one another’s hype person. The environment was one of family; the scene was one of unity, entertainment and togetherness, pre-COVID-19.

At the end of the four-hour show, Hale, 43, founder

and CEO of Emcee Skool, offered motivational words and affirmations to attendees while they held hands in a circle. From students who are street performers, licensed barbers and doulas in training, Emcee Skool is producing change agents.

Per Hale, the Skool officially opened in 2018 to inspire, motivate, rejuvenate and guide “teaching artists” to become community organizers and use their art as an

instrument of peace. Hale leads six months of training that includes a curriculum on restorative justice and violence prevention strategies to help strengthen the artists’ purpose while they develop creatively.

The cohort meets for about four hours each week, and its members also have oneon-one sessions with Hale.

The goal for the 25 Emcee Skool alumni: to become a sustainable and impactful

asset to their community via the arts. Hale likens it to starting a small church and sending that group into the world to build other churches.

According to Toni Murray, the members of Indig0 consider themselves “gifted souls on a clear mission to challenge and shift reality, their mission clearly laid out to shake up the modern world and pave the way for future generations to create greater peace and harmony for all.”

That was before quarantine began, before so much of the world came together over George Floyd’s death and before the summer protests. Now, the four cohorts are working across the city doing peace circles, panels and open mic events. It’s about inclusivity, taking their art to the streets as a toolbox for self-empowerment, Hale said. (Just look, for instance, at the Juneteenth celebration.)

During the protests, Emcee Skool members were out cleaning up Black and brown neighborhoods.

Movie theaters ‘at a crisis point’ as Regal shutdown dampens recovery hopes

BY RYAN FAUGHNDER LOS ANGELES TIMES

As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on this past summer, theater companies scrambled to prepare for the chance to reopen.

They hammered out extensive cleaning protocols and hired back workers with hopes that movies would return to the big screen and that filmgoers would come back to see them.

They viewed promising box office results in other countries that have gotten a better handle on the virus _ China and South Korea _ as a sign that, if everything went according to plan, the industry would return triumphantly.

That clearly hasn’t happened.

In the latest sign of the movie industry’s poor condition amid a lack of new films, Regal Cinemas parent company Cineworld dropped a bombshell over the weekend that the British exhibitor would temporarily close operations at all 536 of Regal’s U.S. theaters on Thursday. The decision puts 40,000 U.S. employees out of work.

“This is not a decision we made lightly, and we did everything in our power to support a safe and sustainable reopening in the U.S.,” said Cineworld CEO Mooky Greidinger in a Sunday statement. “We are especially grateful for and proud of the hard work our employees put in to adapt our theatres to the new protocols and cannot underscore enough how difficult this decision was.”

The move sent a jolt through the

exhibition community, prompting a Monday self-off of theater stocks on Wall Street. AMC fell 10%, or 46 cents, to $4.19 in midday trading. Marcus Corp. shares declined 8%, or 64 cents, to $7.42, while Cinemark’s stock dropped 16%, or $1.65, to $8.44.

Leawood, Kan.-based AMC, the world’s largest theater circuit, has not said whether it also had plans to close again, after trying to get back in business since March. Plano, Texas-based Cinemark said it had no plans to shut down its circuit but would begin reducing hours and operating days at its theaters until there are more new movies to show.

The decision for Regal, the nation and world’s second-largest chain, is just the latest sign of how dire the situation is for multiplexes in the U.S. The National Association of Theatre Owners last week sent a letter to congressional leaders calling for federal financial relief.

Nearly 70% of small and midsized theater companies would have to declare bankruptcy or shutter for good without government support, the group said in the letter, signed by the Motion Picture Association, the Directors Guild of America and dozens of prominent filmmakers.

“Movie theaters are at a crisis point,” the association’s president, John Fithian, said in a statement. “They have acted responsibly by closing down even before ordered to by states, and reopening with industry-wide safety protocols in place. Now they need the last few major markets _ like

New York _ to open. They need major movies; and they need the Federal government to live up to its responsibilities and provide aid to theaters and similar industries that cannot fully operate during a pandemic.”

Cineworld’s decision came after Hollywood studios continued to delay their big films, which theaters need to survive. MGM, Eon Productions and Universal Pictures last week said they would push back the James Bond movie “No Time to Die” to April, abandoning the 007 film’s Nov. 20 post. Disney previously postponed its Marvel movie “Black Widow” to next year.

The sliding schedule leaves Pixar’s “Soul” and DreamWorks’ “The Croods: A New Age” as the next big films on the calendar, but their late-November spots could also be precarious.

Theaters have pleaded with studios to stick to their planned release dates anyway to little avail. Releasing a $200-million movie with major markets closed and a public nervous about going to theaters is too risky for most.

It’s easy to see why studios are skittish.

With New York closed and Greater Los Angeles only partly reopened (Orange County now allows theaters to operate), cinemas remain shuttered in areas representing about 30% of annual box office sales.

Across the country, just 56% of theaters are actually open, according to data firm Comscore.

According to September research

by NRG, about half of moviegoers

aren’t ready to return, and about a third of the audience wants to wait until a coronavirus vaccine is available.

Nonetheless, Eric Wold, an analyst at B. Riley FBR who follows the exhibitors, said in a research note that studios should consider the long-term consequences of letting theaters flounder without new product.

“The studios have much firmer ground to stand on than the exhibitors and it is up to the studios to not completely abandon a major distribution window,” Wold wrote. “While we can understand the studios’ desire to hold releases until the release environment is perfect, we also believe studios must be willing to take a hit to feed the industry and keep the exhibitor group from completely falling apart.”

Probably easier said than done.

Theater owners, meanwhile, are trying to turn up the pressure on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to speed the reopening process, given the state’s relative success in mitigating the spread of the virus.

Greidinger put it bluntly: “Despite our work, positive feedback from our customers and the fact that there has been no evidence to date linking any COVID cases with cinemas, we have not been given a route to reopen in New York, although other indoor activities _ like indoor dining, bowling and casinos were already allowed.”

Cuomo senior advisor Richard Azzopardi pushed back on the notion that New York was to

blame for the theater industry’s struggles.

“We’re moving heaven and earth trying to stop a second wave and people need to acknowledge that we’re still in a pandemic and start to act like it,” Azzopardi said in a statement. “?We understand some people are unhappy but you know what? Better unhappy than sick or worse.”

With studios holding back their movies amid the uncertainty, theaters will continue to look for ways to preserve cash, analysts said. Credit ratings agency S&P Global last week lowered its debt rating on AMC to CCC- from CCC, indicating that the heavily leveraged company would continue to struggle with attendance levels depressed.

AMC’s liquidity will continue to deteriorate over the next six months if attendance does not dramatically improve, the agency said.

Wold, in his note, expressed concern that continued film delays could do permanent damage to the theater industry. Studios have long relied on big bursts of revenue from premiering films in as many theaters as possible.

During the pandemic, however, some have tampered with the theatrical “window” by experimenting with premium digital releases.

For most movies, though, studios are simply waiting until the business environment is safe, and that’s the obstacle theaters face.

Sports Brian Kelly pledges Notre Dame football ‘will be even more vigilant’ after a COVID-19 outbreak involving 39 players Oct. 8, 2020

TheOnlineBeacon.com

BY TEDDY GREENSTEIN CHICAGO TRIBUNE In normal times, coaches warn players about excessive celebrations to avoid a 15-yard penalty.

Now? The penalty could be more serious _ getting sick, missing games and imperiling teammates.

That was the reality check Monday provided by coach Brian Kelly, who is grateful Notre Dame will return to the field Saturday night against Florida State. A COVID-19 outbreak involving 39 players (25 testing positive and 14 quarantined due to contact tracing) prompted the Irish to suspend all team activities from Sept. 22-29 and postpone the game at Wake Forest.

“Nothing has been normal the last couple of weeks,” Kelly said.

Asked what he has learned from the experience, Kelly replied that a “celebration” during or after the 52-0 shredding of South Florida “probably cost us 4-5 guys ... guys are excited, guys want to celebrate. When guys want to sing the fight song, it’s hard to keep their mask up.

“There are little things you don’t think about when you’re writing up protocols.

It’s so hard to win that when you do, the first thing out of my mouth (has to be): Hey, stop celebrating, put your mask on.”

Kelly would not reveal exactly how many players would miss the Florida State game, saying the team’s latest COVID-19 results would be made public later Mon-

PHOTO BY KEVIN C. COX

Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly looks on during warmups prior to playing the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on Sept. 21, 2019. day afternoon. But he’s not concerned.

“We’ll continue to test during the week. The roster is a fluid situation. But we’re in a very good place relative to our two-deep.”

Notre Dame (2-0) is ranked fifth, and if 1-2 Florida State leads the nation in anything, it’s underachievement. The Seminoles are three-touchdown underdogs after losing to Georgia Tech 16-13, getting stomped by Miami 52-10 and struggling Saturday to beat Jacksonville State.

The Seminoles trailed in the third quarter before backup quarterback Jordan Travis connected on 12 of 17 throws and rushed for 48 yards in the 41-24 victory.

Travis, who will start Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium, was the third-string quarter-

back entering the Miami game.

“We have a lot of respect for the talent we will see,” said Kelly, predicting Florida State will have a half-dozen prominent draft picks.

Notre Dame has won 20 straight home games, second only to Clemson (24).

A host of previously injured or COVID-19-sidelined players are expected to return for the Irish: receivers Kevin Austin, Lawrence Keys and Ben Skowronek (the graduate transfer from Northwestern); linebackers Shayne Simon and Marist Liufau, backup quarterback Brendon Clark, defensive lineman Ovie Oghoufo, running back Jahmir Smith, cornerback TaRiq Bracy and safety Kyle Hamilton.

(Most read in Sports) Winners and losers from the Chi-

cago Bears’ Week 4 loss: The Bear Raid siren, Rich Gannon’s unfortunate ‘contagious disease’ mention and Mitch Trubisky » Hamilton (ankle) was held out of Notre Dame’s intrasquad scrimmage Sunday, but Kelly said that was just precautionary so “Irish Nation ... can settle down.”

Austin is a game-breaking receiver who will be returning from foot surgery and figures to see the field for 15-20 plays.

“He can go the distance and win one-on-one matchups, a nice guy to get on the field for us,” Kelly said with a smile during Monday’s videoconference.

Kelly has never coached a team that played two games and then had two weeks off: “I think we can play well,

8

but it will require an attention to detail they maybe have never had before.”

That includes following the team’s COVID-19 protocols.

Kelly doesn’t know exactly how so many of his players caught the virus. He told ESPN last week he was pointing to two events on the day of the South Florida game _ a pregame meal (“we had somebody who was asymptomatic, and it spread like wildfire throughout our meeting area”) and a vomiting episode on the sidelines (The medical staff thought the player was simply dehydrated).

“We’re not scientists and it’s almost impossible for us to directly link it,” he said.

“We are trying to figure out some safeguards to improve our own procedures.

“We have young men that are active on campus, not just sitting in their dorms.

They’re on different committees that interact on campus. Or 2-3 guys were playing video games together and didn’t have their masks up. Or guys were in a car together and didn’t have their masks on and someone was asymptomatic.

“It becomes maddening to try to track every little movement, but we know this: If you don’t have a mask on, you can’t be in our building or on the sideline or in the locker room. The virus will be the virus; it is not going away. If we are going to continue to play in this environment, then we have to be even more vigilant than we were in the past.”

Lakers Ready to Switch Gears if Heat’s Bam Adebayo Can Play

BY BRODERICK TURNER LOS ANGELES TIMES From the Los Angeles Lakers’ perspective, they have a more effective and traditional defensive unit when Miami Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo plays in the NBA Finals.

Adebayo hasn’t played in the last two games and called himself “day to day” because of a neck injury, leaving him uncertain for Game 4 on Tuesday night against the Lakers at AdventHealth Arena.

His teammate, guard Goran Dragic, said Monday he was unsure when he would be able to play again after missing Games 2 and 3 with a torn plantar fascia in his left foot.

At 6 feet 9, Adebayo plays closer to the basket than his backups, and that allows the Lakers to play to their defensive strengths with the physical 6-10 Dwight Howard and the long-armed 6-10 Anthony Davis at center.

Adebayo has the ability to initiate Miami’s offense, but he doesn’t venture outside very much to score, which allows the Lakers to protect the basket better.

“If Bam comes back _ obviously he’s been hurt _ but that allows us to play a more traditional style,” Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma said on a videoconference Sunday night. “It allows us to really key in on what we do best defensively.

So, we’ll have to wait and see what happens with that.”

When Adebayo sat out the last two games, the Heat started Meyers Leonard at center and brought in reserve Kelly Olynyk in the best-of-seven series the Lakers lead 2-1.

Because those two were able to knock down three-pointers, the Lakers had to extend their defense. Olynyk scored 17 points in Game 3, shooting three for five from three-point range. Leonard made his only three-point try in Miami’s 115-104 victory in Game 3.

PHOTO BY KEVIN C. COX

The Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James (23) defends Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat during Game 2 of the NBA Finals.

“There’s things that Meyers and Kelly do that Bam doesn’t do, but we also understand that there’s things Bam does that not too many guys in this league can do,” Lakers forward LeBron James said Monday. “They create different challenges depending on who’s out on the floor.”

Adebayo said his injury is “more of like soreness.”

“Tomorrow, I could play,”

Adebayo said Monday. “Tomorrow, they might tell me no. I don’t know yet. I’m just trying to do everything I can necessary to just be prepared for when I do get to play.”

Dragic said he doesn’t have a “timetable yet” on when he might be able to return, but he put his chances of playing in Game 4 as “probably low.”

Lakers guard Danny Green said his hip injury hasn’t

stopped him from playing and it won’t stop him from doing so in Game 4.

“I’m playing, man, so I’m good,” Green said Monday.

“I’m feeling fine.”

Green has struggled with his shot in the series, shooting 21.7% from the field overall and 20% (four for 20) from three-point range.they keep it loose. “He’s able to go,” said Frank Vogel.

Sports

TheOnlineBeacon.com

SCOREBOARD

Cross Country Looks to Stay Strong Amid COVID-19 and Coach Vacancy

NFL: Week 4

BY KYLE MILLIGAN SPORTS EDITOR

Broncos (37), Jets (28)

Men’s and Women’s Cross Country seasons were suspended due to COVID-19 like all other Fall 2020 MASCAC sports.

Although all players had to deal with the same news about their season becoming officially suspended on July 16, the Trailblazers Cross Country teams are dealing with it without a coach.

Abigail Geurds was the coach of the Cross Country team for the last two years.

She had stepped down for personal reasons last year.

The athletics department didn’t reach out to any of the team members on the possibility of a new hire until recently this fall.

Geurds left between November and December of the Fall 2019 season. MCLA athletics has not posted a job position yet. Recently the athletic department reached out to players on the team to communicate to them that the reason they haven’t posted a job yet is because they are unable to due to COVID-19.

On top of a suspended season, these teams seem more frustrated at the fact they don’t have a leader to help guide them through this strange semester. Jenna Berg ‘22 has competed on the Women’s Cross Country team since 2018, she expressed her feelings about the situation.

“I might be speaking for myself here, but I don’t think that we expected to have a season, even without the suspension due to COVID-19,” Berg expressed her worries over the team’s current low

Sunday

A. Morten Andersen B. Gary Anderson C. Jason Hanson D. Adam Vinatieri

Thursday M. Gordon (DEN) III 23 CAR, 107 YDS,2 TD

Bengals (33), Jaguars (25) J. Mixon (CIN) 25 CAR, 151 YDS, 2 TD

Saints (35), Lions (29)

D. Brees (NO) 19/25, 246 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT

Seahawks (31), Dolphins (23) R. Wilson (SEA) 24/34, 360, 2 TD, 1 INT

PHOTO TAKEN BY MCLA ATHELTICS

Jenna Berg’ 22 and Hannah Poplawski ‘23 at a race from last year. Men’s and Women’s Cross Country seasons were suspended due to COVID-19 like all other Fall 2020 MASCAC sports. numbers and coach vacancy.

“We lost our coach at the end of last year’s season. In the spring, before we left campus, we were told that we didn’t have a coach or enough numbers to be able to compete. We are certainly frustrated, but really trying our hardest to work with what we have.”

Last year, the Cross Country teams often had to ask athletes on other teams to help them out at their competitions in order to qualify.

Although Cross Country has many unanswered questions, they are determined to stay focused and prepared for what is yet to come. Not having to use the gym or athletic complex works to their advantage because availability is more flexible.

“It is up to us to stay focused and to work hard.

Unlike a few other sports, we don’t have a mandated practice and many of our schedules have been hard

to align. But it benefits us to be able to run on our own for whatever times work for us,” Berg said.

Berg was asked about the possibility of the season being shifted to the spring semester. “I’m not sure what the possibility is for us to have a season in the spring. Currently, we have four athletes on the women’s team, which is not enough to compete.

And after this fall semester we will be losing a runner as she is graduating. It is also unknown whether we will have a coach.”

With it being the beginning of October, it is not ideal to have a coach vacancy this far along in the Fall semester, when a usual cross country season would take place. The team has no practices or captains currently.

“We don’t have captains; Hannah and I are the people to look to as we have seniority and have been on the team the longest. We only recently have tried to

get everyone, including the men’s team, together because it has been a struggle to find an available time for everyone,” Berg said.

Berg talked about the lack of guidance they have received from the athletic department regarding practicing protocols and COVID-19 guidelines for their team practices.

“We were also not given ‘guidance’ from the athletics department until a few weeks ago, it was only then that we were given an okay to practice together and learned of freshmen that wanted to run. For a while, there wasn’t communication amongst the team because we are in such an awkward situation. A lot is very much up to the individual here,” Berg said.

“We were told that we really can’t be subjected to any of the new policies or guidelines as we aren’t having a mandated practice and aren’t under the supervision of a coach,” Berg explained.

Beacon Sports Trivia: NFL Edition Who is the NFL’s alltime leader in field goals made?

9

What year was the first Super Bowl played in?

What team won the first Super Bowl?

A.1965 B. 1956 C. 1967 D. 1968

A. Green Bay Packers B. Dallas Cowboys C. New York Jets D. Buffalo Bills

Buccaneers (38), Chargers (31) T. Brady (TB) 30/40, 369 YDS, 5 TD, 1 INT

Ravens (31), Washington (17)

L. Jackson (BAL) 14/21, 293 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT, 7 CAR, 53 YDS, 1 TD

Panthers (31), Cardinals (21)

T. Bridgewater (CAR) 26/37, 276 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT

Vikings (31), Texans (23) D. Cook (MIN) 27 CAR, 130 YDS, 2 TD

Browns (49), Cowboys (38) B. Mayfield (CLE) 19/30, 165 YDS, 2 TD

Rams (17), Giants (9) J. Goff (LA) 25/32, 200 YDS, 1 TD

Colts (19), Bears (11)

P. Rivers (IND) 16/29, 190 YDS, 1 TD

Bills (30), Raiders (23)

J. Allen (BUF) 24/34, 288 YDS, 2 TD

Eagles (25), 49ers (20)

C. Wentz (PHI) 18/28, 193 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT Monday

Chiefs (26), Patriots (10) P. Mahomes (KC) 19/29, 236 YDS, 2 TD

Packers (30), Falcons (16) A. Rodgers (GB) 27/33, 327 YDS, 4 TD

MLB: Division Series Braves (9), Marlins (5) T. d’Arnaud (ATL) 3-3, 2 BB, 4 RBI

Astros (5), Athletics (2) G. Springer (HOU) 2-4, 3 RBI, 2HR

Rays (7), Yankees (5)

T. Glasnow (TB) 5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 10 K, 2 HR, W

Dodgers (5), Padres (1)

D. May (LAD) 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3K, W

NBA Finals

Last Week’s MLB Trivia Answers

Game 4 Lakers (102), Heat (96)

Who led the MLB in home runs in the 2010’s??

Who is the youngest player to hit 50 home runs ina single season?

How many career grand slams did Derek Jeter hit?

B. Nelson Cruz

B. Prince Fielder

B. 1

L. James (LAL) 42 MIN, 28 PTS, 8-16 FG, 12 REB, 8 AST, 10-12 FT, 6 TO Game 5 - Friday, 9:00 p.m., LAL leads series 3-1 Game 6 (If necessary) - Sunday, 7:30 p.m.

Game 7 (If necessary)- Tuesday, 9:00 p.m.

News

Oct. 10, 2020

TPUSA

From Page 1 John Anderson ‘23, a political science major, mentioned that he heard Turning Point USA was near campus and interacted with them.

He said the Turning Point USA representative began recording him shortly after he started talking to them.

“I saw her recording me as soon as I walked up and said my first couple lines,” he said.

Anderson said that he does not support Turning Point USA or their practices as an organization. He thinks that the organization’s political and social viewpoints do not align with what they claim.

“I personally think that they’re super disingenuous in almost every aspect of the way that they’re run,” Anderson said. “They’re pundits are basically alt-right in their policy. What’s dangerous though is that they present themselves as like a moderate platform, like a MASSPirg type of thing.”

Another student, who requested that they remain anonymous, said that they did not know what Turning Point USA was before interacting with them on campus.

They said that they gave the organizer their name, and signed up for an informational zoom meeting that was supposed to happen later that day.

“She did get my name and she said that she would put me down on her email for a zoom call later that day, it never happened. I don’t know what she did with my email, I don’t know if it went to something else,” the student said.

“Later, after my interaction with her, I just did my own research [on the group].”

The student said that, in their research on the group, they found that it did not align with what the organizer told them. “[the Turning Point USA organizer] claimed the organization to be a non-partisan political group that was focused on trying to get people to vote and educate themselves non-partisanly,” the student said. “When I looked on the website, it did not say that. It was very conservative-leaning, lots of radical-right viewing on certain issues like Black Lives Matter and government.”

The student also expressed concern with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and his views.

“I found a lot of radical-right viewing [from Kirk] that sounded very oppressive to certain minority groups such as transgender students,” the student said.

Student Government Association (SGA) has discusses Turning Point USA at two of their meetings this semester. SGA President Dean Little ‘21 said that the organization has been given all

the necessary information to attempt to be ratified as an official SGA group, but has not responded.

“There is no action from student government. They do not have our recognition at this point in time,” Little said. “They do not have any paperwork submitted to us for them to even be considered. They have all appropriate information, the ball is in their court for how to move forward from here.”

Holbrook said that, since receiving the initial complaints, she has not seen the organization on campus in the last several days.

“I have not seen them walking around, they may well have moved to another institution,” she said. “Or they may have realized that they’re not going to be able necessarily be on campus in the way they originally wanted to be.”

Isaiah Moore ‘20 said that, while he has not interacted with the group on campus, he is aware of them and does not believe they represent a moderate viewpoint.

“It isn’t that I’m against political discourse, I am all for that, but what they do is not political discourse,” he said in a statement to The Beacon. “They like to find people that are not experts in fields or prepared to speak on issues, and then will ask them loaded questions.”

Quire said that she has heard about Turning Point USA in the past and recognizes that the group’s views do not align with the views of many students on campus.

“I do know what they have historically stood for and what their presence does on a college campus,” she said.

Holbrook said that the college’s name might be a potential reason Turning Point USA decided to come to campus.

“I’m not sure that the fact that we have the word ‘liberal’ in our title wasn’t one of the reasons they came here,” she said. “Because people don’t understand what the liberal arts are, and it could very well be that they assume that we were a liberal institution.”

Holbrook noted that, while the college was not anticipating Turning Point USA specifically, they have been keeping in mind, with the election and the current social and political climate of the United States, that there will be strong opposing political opinions on campus.

“We know what happened in 2016,” she said. “How it came about the way that it came about, there was an element of surprise there.

So hey, you learn from the past. We know that this is a controversial election, and we know that there’s people with strong opinions on both sides.”

Christopher MacDonald Dennis was not available to be interviewed for this story.

TheOnlineBeacon.com

COVID

From Page 1 The college is also asking students who come into contact with COVID-19 over the long weekend to not return to campus on Monday and inform Health Services on Tuesday, according to Holbrook.

Holbrook said that these measures are precautionary that should help protect the MCLA community from getting infected.

“We want to be able to plan ahead and work with you to coordinate testing when you return if warranted, facilitate communication with faculty and arranging quarantine meals if needed, and plan for your smooth return to campus and continued safety for the remainder of the semester,” she said.

As noted on MCLA’s COVID-19 information page, there have been 426 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last seven days as of Sept. 30, with zero instances of a positive result. The college’s positive test percentage is 0.13% with 2,224 tests

SSI

From Page 1 the MCLA portal page.

“Last year in I think December, we put a system online in that if you’re sitting in your room and all of a sudden your faucet breaks, you can go right into the computer 24 hours a day, put the work order indirectly, and then they [maintenance] say, ‘We got it, someone is going to come see you, it’s been fixed.’

That’s one of the technology things we implemented as a result of the survey,” Holbrook said.

MCLA’s parking permit application process also

conducted in total.

Williams College in Williamstown has conducted 17,215 tests since Aug. 17, with a positive test percentage of 0.03%. UMass Amherst has a positive test percentage of 0.18% after 70,168 tests conducted. Bridgewater State has conducted 4823 with a positive test percent-

10

age of 0.14%.

“Thank you for your cooperation with these expectations – we are at the halfway point of the semester and want to do all we can to ensure that we are able to continue with on campus learning and living until Thanksgiving,” Holbrook said.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY SYMANTHA KEHR

There have been 426 COVID-19 tests conducted at MCLA in the last seven days as of Sept. 30, with zero instances of a positive result.

become automated as a response to the SSI. “COVID pushed a lot of this. When it came to the summer, [the administration] said, ‘We can’t have people running back and forth for parking permits.’ So we put the parking application online. And people were able to submit their application, they didn’t have to wait in line for anything, it wasn’t a lottery where you waited and waited until you got here. This was done in August, so students knew before they came to campus that they had a parking permit or not. So that simplified a process people felt frustrating,” Holbrook said.

The new conduct sys-

tem also includes minimum fines for students.

“We moved away from a lot of fines. For me, that is an equity issue. If you have money, you can say “If I do this and I get caught, then I can afford to pay the fine.’

Somebody else doesn’t get to say that,” Holbrook said.

Fines for messing with fire safety equipment are still in place. “That’s because [fire safety equipment] is life safety. When someone tampers with a fire alarm and then a fire breaks out and the alarm doesn’t go off, they endanger everyone else in the residence area. That one actually got ramped up a little bit,” Holbrook said.

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT OCTOBER 1ST IS HERE!! – IT’S TIME TO REAPPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID FOR 2021-2022!

ANY QUESTION, EMAIL US AT FINAID@MCLA.EDU OR CALL US AT 413662-5219 FREE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES: ************************************** FASTWEB.COM SCHOLARSHIPS.COM NOW IS THE TIME TO START SEARCING AND APPLYING FOR NEXT YEAR’S SCHOLARSHIPS!!

Opinion

Oct. 8, 2020

TheOnlineBeacon.com

11

Editorial

The President’s Positive Test Does Not Change Anything

As of Wednesday, 210,000+ Americans have lost their lives to the coronavirus, according to Johns Hopkins University’s Covid-19 database. Yet the President, having tested positive himself on last Friday, announced on Tuesday, Oct. 6th that his administration would cease negotiations with Congress until after Election Day to create a new stimulus package able to aid the countless families and businesses struggling to pay the bills amid 2020’s turmoil.

Donald Trump spent nearly 72 hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, but somehow reasoned to take his mask off upon re-entering the White House on Oct. 5th. NPR reported on Oct. 5th that he declined to take a test before standing on the debate stage with Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Sept. 29th due to a late arrival, and PBS reported on the same day as NPR that the Washington DC Department of Health is having difficulty pursing contact tracing within the White House because of “a lack of communication”.

No one wishes poor health on a president and First Lady. But who or what is looking out for the secret service and the White House staff who are committed to the dayto-day obligations to an administration? At least two secret service members were in the motorcade Trump decided to take out for a spin Sunday afternoon to wave at support-

ers outside of Walter Reed. Any precautions those secret service members have taken to keep themselves and their families healthy mean nothing now, especially to a president who admitted on tape to journalist Bob Woodward that he always wanted to downplayed the pandemic.

During the first presidential debate, Democratic hopeful Joe Biden looked into the camera and asked the audience to consider what it means to have an empty chair or open coat hangar left behind by a loved one. A showcase of humanity towards those infected or killed by Covid-19 would be a wise starting point in resetting the race for a vaccine, in turn resetting the race to reconfigure what life resembled before the pandemic. The president said on Twitter to not let coronavirus “dominate your life”- scientifically speaking, everyone, including Trump, has a better chance of getting to live their lives if they wear a mask, social distance, and constantly wash their hands.

With less than a month to go before Election Day, the little transparency about the president’s diagnosis reflects the effort the Trump administration has taken to admit and correct its role in slowing the spread of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. And with coronavirus cases still clocking past 7.5 million across the country, the effort is too ignorant to ignore.

No More Presidential Debates is Not Good for U.S. Democracy As we learned last Friday, Oct. 2, President Donald Trump has tested positive for COVID-19.

After spending several days at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Trump is back in The White House, and claims to be doing well. There is, however, one crucial thing that is certainly not doing well because of Trump’s infection, the United States’ Democracy.

As Trump has to remain quarantined for several more days with COVID-19, and potentially longer depending on his condition, it is possible that there will not be any more Presidential Debates for the upcoming election. Former Vice President and Democratic candidate Joe Biden suggested, as reported in an article by the Los Angeles Times, that instead of holding the debates virtually they should not happen at all because of Trump’s infection.

“I think if he still has COVID, we shouldn’t have a debate,” Biden said.

The same Los Angeles Times article reports what many have already considered, given Trump’s current condition.

“Based on limited and at times misleading medical information released by the White House, they said, it’s possible the Republican president might still be contagious next week. There’s also a chance Trump could take a turn for the worse and wind up back in the hospital,” the Times’ article said.

While it is entirely reasonable and understandable why Joe Biden and medical experts think that the remaining debates, following the first one on Thurs-

BRIAN RHODES DEACON BLUES day, Sept. 29, it is certainly a significant blow to our country’s democratic processes. The presidential debate has been a consistent cornerstone of American democracy since the debates between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960. Only having one debate this year limits the public exposure of the political process and prevents voters from learning and understanding each candidate.

Biden is not the only person to suggest canceling the remaining debates; others were beginning to suggest canceling the remaining debates even before the public learned of Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis. Washington Post columnist Donna F. Edwards argued that the remaining debates should be canceled on Sept. 30.

“The presidential debates are intended to be a public service, but Tuesday night was no service to anyone. Ten minutes in and we knew that we were in for total chaos for the next 80 minutes,” Edwards said.

Edwards argued that Trump will continue to circumvent the

rules of the debate no matter what is done.

“The Commission on Presidential Debates’ plan to add ‘structure’ to the debate rules to encourage ‘more orderly discussion’ is not enough. Trump has already broken the rules. Sadly, and predictably, he will break them again,” she said.

While all of the things Edwards is arguing are true, it is for these exact reasons why the debates should continue, even if it means having to go virtual because of Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis. The public deserves to see Trump’s unprofessionalism and the danger he poses to democracy. Edwards herself even admits that the first debate made clear Trump’s strategy.

“Meanwhile, let’s remain clear about what happened Tuesday night. The president of the United States laid bare his election strategy: undermine the democratic elections process, frighten voters at or from the polls and encourage chaos after Election Day,” she said.

The public deserves more presidential debates for this election. In a time of significant social and political strife, our political process must remain open and democratic and the presidential debates are a huge part of that, even if they are painful to watch.

Ultimately, the American people have no excuse not to vote in these elections. This year’s presidential election may be one of the most pivotal events in the history of the United States; as many people as possible must have their voices heard.

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