March 4, 2020 Vol 90 Issue 5

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Thursday, March 5, 2020

Volume 90 • Issue 5

Super Tuesday

Joe Biden Surges to Win Nine States

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Additional Reporting by Jake Vitali Joe Biden rose as the Democratic winner of Super Tuesday, massively overtaking the polls and winning in nine states. CNN reported Biden winning Alabama, Arkansas, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.

“I expected Biden to do well in a lot of the southern states given his performance in South Carolina’s Primary,”

said Joe Bellas ‘20 in an email. “But the places he kind of surprised me was in places like Texas, Massachusetts, and Minnesota. Texas was a close race to follow up until they finally called it for Biden at 2 AM this morning, and being it was the state with the second most delegates up for grabs, this was a huge win for Biden.”

Sanders reportedly won in four states, California, Colorado, Utah and Vermont and Michael Bloomberg only winning in the polls for American Samoa.

As of morning Wednesday, March 4., Maine was the night’s only tie with

Sexual Violence Prevention

Sexual Violence Symposium Set for April 9

BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Plans for the Movement to End Sexual Violence a day dedicated to sexual violence lectures and workshops, are being finalized as April 9 approaches.

Speakers currently confirmed for the day include Amanda Beckwith, coordinator of the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center, Andrea Harrington, district attorney of Berkshire County, Nicole Comstock, director of equal opportunity and Title IX and more.

Times for the day’s events have yet to be determined.

The Sexual Violence Prevention (SVP) Committee, consisting of faculty, administrators, SGA members, student volunteers, volunteers from the Elizabeth Freeman Center (EFC)

and more, is responsible for planning the day.

According to SGA president Dean Little ‘20, the idea for the day came from a conversation between him, Samantha Schwantner ‘20, coordinating vice president of SGA and college administrators. This conversation was shortly after the two sexual assaults that occurred on campus last semester.

“This came from us sitting down with president [James] Birge and Cathy Holbrook and saying ‘we want this event’ and them completely understanding and saying, ‘you know what, it’s going to happen’,” Little said.

Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs and co-chair of the SVP Committee, recognized that sexual violence has been an

Prevention, Page 3

both Biden and Sanders managing 8 delegates at around 30% each. Warren took the remaining 2 delegates with 16% of the votes.

According to npr.org, Biden won 33.7% of the votes in Mass. He was followed by Sanders at 26.6% and Elizabeth Warren with 21.2%.

“Massachusetts was surprising,” Bellas said. “Because by and far, Bernie Sanders was the favored candidate to win, with Elizabeth Warren vying for a second place finish, yet in the suburbs around Boston, he drew Warrens base of college educated White Americans to pull off a lofty win.”

“It was the same with Minnesota, where there was a notable lack of people of color voting, which Biden has often touted as his base, showing just how much the last minute endorsements of Mayor Pete and Amy Klobuchar really affected his campaign,” he said.

As of Wednesday morning, with 88% of precincts reporting, Berkshire county saw Biden win with a total of 38.8% of the votes, Sanders with 28.0% and Warren getting 19.6% of the people’s votes.

President Donald Trump won the Republican vote for every state.

Barn Babies Take Over Church St.

PHOTO BY LISE MANSARAY

Cute and fluffy animals filled Church Street Center’s Social Hall last Saturday, Feb. 29 for SAC’s annual Barn Babies Event. Students like Haley Morgan ‘22 (above) got the chance to cuddle and play with small kittens, rabbits and goats.

VP of Administration & Finance to Depart Lawrence Behan to leave in early April, taking a position closer to family

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF President James Birge released an email last Monday, March 2 announcing that Larry Behan, vice president of administration and finance, would be leaving MCLA for a position in Concord, Mass.

Behan’s last day at the college will be April 3, with Birge himself declar-

ing that he will take over his position in the interim as the college starts its search for a replacement.

“Throughout the course of his time here he brought an extreme amount of professionalism to his position,” said Student Trustee Jake Vitali ’20. “He’s very detail oriented and he brought a lot of work to the college that a lot of students feel on a daily basis but do not necessarily know that he was a part of.”

Behan has worked with a number of projects in his five-year span at MCLA with Birge’s email highlighting his overseeing for the Centennial room and new fitness center renovations, improvements to the Zavatarro Athletic Complex and the installation of a 550kw generator in case of outages.

“The evidence of Larry’s work will remain at MCLA for many years and I am grateful to have had the opportuni-

ty to work with Larry during our time together,” Birge said in his email.

The job that he will be receiving in Concord was not communicated in Birge’s email on Monday, but Behan has a history of working in finance. Before coming to MCLA, Behan operated as vice president of administration and finance and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for Walden Behavioral Care, Inc., in Waltham, Mass.

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Advancement to Host ‘No-Stress Japan Travel Course Networking Night’ on March 11 Cancelled Amid

BY NICOLE LEMIRE STAFF WRITER The advancment office will host “No-Stress Networking” in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation Atrium from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m on Wednesday, March 11.

The event is being presented by the Alumni Association and is co-sponsored by the Marketing and Communications Department and Career Development.

“This event is an opportunity for students to practice networking in a friendly environment,” said Kate Gigliotti, director of alumni engagement and donor relations via email. “Studies show that between 60-90% of job seekers are hired because of personal contacts.

So it’s important that students learn how to broaden their connections through networking.”

“No-Stress Networking” is free and open to all students who are interested in improving their professional skills in a stress-free environment. Attendees are encouraged to dress business casual and should register to attend the event on the Alumni website by March 6.

“I hope that the program will make students feel more comfortable with the practice of going out and putting their best foot forward when networking,” Gigliotti said.

Students will practice working the room with volunteer alumni and faculty to improve their networking skills and to build confidence in professional work environments.

The event will be led by alum Emily Dessingue ‘14, a workforce development specialist with the social enterprise and training center.

Dessingue helped to plan the event alongside Sarah Murphy ‘15, Creative Brand and Strategy Manager Francesca Olsen, and Internship Coordinator Anthony Napolitano.

“We’ll also be offering 1:1 coaching slots for resume or LinkedIn profile review. Additionally, students can have a free professional headshot taken. Signup for those three activities will be available to students at check-in,” Gigliotti said.

“Networking, getting a free professional head shot, and free resume reviews go really well together, and I think it’ll be an awesome night focusing on ca-

reer prep and resources for MCLA students,” Olsen said. “I hope lots of students come and take advantage of this event--getting a professional head shot can be costly, networking can be anxiety-inducing, and resume writing is always stressful.”

Brooke Cowlin ‘23 and Hailey Perkins ‘23 are two students who are interested in attending “No-Stress Networking”, and both feel that attending this event would be beneficial to all students looking to improve upon their professional networking skills.

“I think that this event is a really great opportunity for students who were never taught how to do things like making a resume or networking with employers,” Cowlin said. “I think it will help a lot of people.”

“I’m excited to get to talk with alumni and get their perspective on what it’s really like to try to find jobs and navigate professional environments after college,” Perkins said. “It’s something that I’ve worried about before and I think that this will help me to feel more comfortable with putting myself out there and communicating with employers.”

Coronavirus Concerns

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR IN CHIEF

MCLA announced the cancellation of its Japan Travel course last Thursday in an email from Catherine Holbrook.

The cancellation was a result of concerns surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19).

“MCLA is continuing to track health, safety MCLA is continuing to track health, safety and travel alerts, and to date, no member of the MCLA community has been affected,” the email said.

The message went on to cite that the decision was based on information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as alerts from the World Health Organization (WHO).

In the email, Holbrook mentioned that the travel courses to Peru, Germany and Haiti are scheduled to continue as normal but advises monitoring of daily alerts on the COVID-19 situation.

As of Wednesday, March 3., the CDC has Japan at “Alert Level 2”, meaning

that they advise “Enhanced Precautions” in travelers.

They recommend regular hand washing, using hand sanitizer with 60%-95% alcohol and postposing travel for older adults and people with chronic medical conditions.

“Illness from this virus has ranged from mild to severe. Signs and symptoms of infection include fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. This new coronavirus has caused severe disease and death in patients who developed pneumonia. Risk factors for severe illness are not yet clear, although older adults and those with chronic medical conditions may be at higher risk for severe illness,” said the CDC website on Japan’s COVID-19 outbreak.

MCLA’s Japan travel course was originally planned for March 12 through 23, and was to be facilitated by professor Kailai Huang in the history department.

The trip was supposed to take students through several significant Japanese cities including Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima.

SGA

$6,000 Given to “Movement to End Sexual Violence”

BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR SGA unanimously approved $6000 worth of reserve funding to go towards Apr. 9’s “Movement to End Sexual Violence” at its March 2 meeting.

According to SGA President Dean Little ‘20, this funding is meant to match the amount being provided by the college for the day.

“That is how important it is to us,” he said.

According to Samantha Schwantner ‘20, coordinating vice president, there was discussion at the most recent Sexual Violence Prevention (SVP) Committee, the body organizing the event, about if SGA needed to contribute any funding.

Little argued that it is necessary for SGA to contribute because sexual violence prevention is one of SGA’s primary initiatives.

“Basically [the college] is set up to pay for everything and don’t really need us to sponsor it. However, I still

think we should put more money into it and get more out of it,” Little said.

Schwantner noted that regardless of where the money is coming from, it can be used to benefit students at the event.

“The reason we’re doing this is because we want our students to be safe and feel supported and heal,” She said. “We want to make this school a better place.”

According to Scwantner, if the money does not end up being used for the event it could go towards creating and sponsoring a club on

campus that focuses on sexual violence awareness and prevention.

“If we choose to give this amount of money to the [SVP Committee] and they do not use it or do not accept it, Nick [Strezynski] and I have talked about prefunding some sort of sexual violence prevention or awareness club for the student body,” she said.

Schwantner specified that this sexual violence prevention club would function as any other club on campus does, with the same organization and requirements.

“If we do give it to the club, that club would have a faculty advisor of some sort, just like any other club would,” She said. “But all of the initiatives by that club would be up to them, without the input of the administration.”

According to Little, SGA’s Budget Finance Committee came up with the $6,000 figure and recommended that it be approved.

In other agenda items, SGA voted to use $1,830 of the supplemental budget approved last semester to co-sponsor a trip for the Accounting Club.

“The reason we’re doing this is because we want our students to be safe and feel supported and heal.”

— Samantha Schwantner ‘20

According to SGA Treasurer Nicholas Strezyniski ‘20, 22 students will be going on this trip to an accounting convention in the Boston area.

“It’s gonna be a great opportunity for those with an accounting concentration,” he said.

Strezynski noted that MCLA’s business department has sponsored the trip in the past, but cannot fully do so this time due to increased student attendance.

“This year, the students of the Accounting Club have more than doubled the size of this trip and interest in the club and trip have greatly increased,” he said.

Strezynski said that after the approval of this co-sponsorship the supplemental budget will have $6,900 remaining, but he does not expect all of that to be used this semester.

“There’s going to be funds left over at the end of the year, we have still nine or ten clubs who have spent less than $20,” he said.

March 5, 2019

Students Speak at Norman Rockwell Museum March 1

BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Five MCLA students presented about identity and Americanness in art at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Sunday, March 1.

The presentations were facilitated by Hannah Noel, a professor of English/communications, as part of her work for the MCLA Institute for the Arts and Humanities (MCLA-IAH). This included the presentations as well as taking students to the museum last semester.

“I’m a faculty fellow at [MCLA-IAH], and so part of my grant proposal was to work with the Norman Rockwell Museum,” she said.

According to Noel, the student presenters have been working on their presentations for the past year.

She noted that the Norman Rockwell Museum plans on doing more work with colleges in the future.

“This is the first time Norman Rockwell [Museum] ever did this,” she said.

Prevention From Page 1

issue on college campuses for decades and that it is crucial for students, faculty and administrators to understand sexual violence and how to deal with it.

“It’s something that, to me, is vitally important because I am aware of the effects that sexual violence has on individuals,” Holbrook said. “It makes it difficult to be successful as a student, makes it difficult to be a confident individual and to be well, whether you’re a student or not a student.”

Comstock will be speaking on the day about Title IX, as well as MCLA’s policies and procedures. She noted one area of confusion for students leading up to the day has been with Title IX as well as MCLA’s “Equal Opportunity, Diversity and Affirmative Action Plan”, which she hopes to fix with her talk and future student education.

“We want to make sure that we have more initiatives where we are pro-

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Undergraduate Research Conference

“Call for Papers” Deadline March 13

“They’re interested in a sustained connection [with local colleges].”

Tarah Valin ‘22, who created a poem that fused influences from Norman Rockwell and Pablo Neruda, said the chance to present was a great opportunity to share her work with others.

“I think that the trip was a really good experience because we got to look at Norman Rockwell below the surface level,” she said. “We also got to look at the racial impacts of his work and how they impact today.”

Joannda Loftus ‘23, who created and presented a children’s book inspired by the work of Norman Rockwell, mentioned that the project allowed her to express herself creativily. She said that Noel helped her throughout the process, giving advice and suggestions to improve her work.

“It was a really fun experience,” Loftus said. “I really like being creative, and if I can get extra credit for it, that’s awesome.”

The “Call for Papers” deadline for MCLA’s 18th annual Undergraduate Research Conference (URC), to be hosted on April 23, is scheduled for March 13.

Jenna Sciuto, professor of English & Communications, believes that abstracts for this year will surpass last year. She said 10 abstracts have currently been submitted, with more expected in the days to come.

“I would say the majority of students submit on the deadline or just before,” Sciuto said. “We’re doing well, I think we’re set to have more student submissions this year than past years as a result in part of URC being incorporated into more classes.”

According to Sciuto, the process of submitting abstracts has changed to encourage more faculty support and involvement.

“We have a new form that students will submit their

Jenna Sciuto, professor of English & Communications is chair of the URC.

viding this information to students in a way they are actually getting,” she said.

“I think if we can get students to actually be the ones organizing events and to actually tell us ‘this is how we prefer to receive information’ or ‘these are the things we’re actually gonna pay attention to’, that’s really helpful for me.”

Comstock also mentioned privacy and questions from students about what information the college can and cannot tell students.

“Students felt like they were entitled to know more, so trying to kind of flush that out and find the balance of what we can share versus what information we’re not allowed to share,” she said.

“It’s challenging, but it’s also important for everyone to understand that just because you might not know about something doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.”

Due to how late into the school year the day was initially proposed, classes will still be in session on April 9.

Schwantner acknowledged the importance of classes but hopes that faculty will

be understanding of how important the day is to the campus community.

“No one day of classes can ever equate to the value of learning about sexual violence prevention,” she said.

“If I miss one class because I’m learning about sexual violence prevention, I will have considered that the best reason to miss class.”

Bridget Broyles ‘20, a sexual violence prevention intern and a student presenter on the day, believes that faculty can also benefit and should consider going to the events.

“I can guarantee that every single professor on this campus has dealt with a student in the last year that has been sexually assaulted, I have no doubt in my mind,” she said. “It’s a prevalent issue and it’s important for professors to support their students in learning about these issues too.”

Broyles, a survivor of sexual violence, said she has been working to help deal with sexual violence for as long as she has been a student at MCLA. “A lot of students have felt like not enough has been

done, so it’s really exciting to be able to have this opportunity to intern under Celia [Norcross] and Nicole [Comstock],” she said. “On top of that, I’m getting this opportunity to make something happen that’s a joint effort between students, administration, faculty and staff and the community as a whole.”

Holbrook believes that the Movement to End Sexual Violence can be a catalyst for improved education of sexual violence on campus in the future.

“We want to institutionalize education [on sexual violence] in a wide range of forums and a wide range of numerous opportunities,” Holbrook said.

“It’s not a deliver one thing and its over, we need a lot, we need a lot of communication, a lot of effort.”

Little and Shwantner agreed with this sentiment and believe that along with future iterations of the Movement to End Sexual Violence education on sexual violence can become a constant throughout the academic year.

“We want to get these ideas, these programs, these workshops engrained into the com-

BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

abstracts and from there it will go directly to faculty sponsors, who will have to sign off on and perhaps suggest changes to the students before it officially gets submitted,” she said.

Along with the March 13 deadline, faculty sponsors have until March 23 at 5 p.m. to submit approved abstracts.

Sciuto believes that the URC is important because it provides insight into the

various disciplines and departments on campus.

“It really highlights the diversity of student interest across campus,” she said.

“As somebody situated within the humanities, it’s always really interesting for me to learn about what’s happening in, for instance, the sciences or the visual arts, and I think in that sense it’s really valuable to shed a light on all that’s happening across campus.”

PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE

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mon curriculum,” Schwantner said. “In the long term, we want this to be part of your FYE courses, we want this to be part of your first day’s experiences, your welcome week, your orientation.”

“It’s not a standalone,” Little said. “There are so many things that we want and I think will happen throughout the rest of the year.”

Schwantner believes that the next step after educating about sexual violence is improving the policies to work better for victims.

“That would be the endall-be-all goal, to have a better policy,” she said.

Little hopes that the Movement to End Sexual Violence can spread to other college campuses. Little plans to propose the idea of the day to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education’s Student Advisory Council, which consists of student government presidents and trustees from state colleges.

“We’re going to try to get this implemented, not just as an MCLA thing, we’re trying to get across the state,” he said. “That’s what we are really working for.”

News Lavender Fund Raises Over $6,000 for LGBTQIA+

March 5, 2020

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI STAFF WRITER In an effort to help LGBTQIA+ students, the crowdfunded Lavender Fund raised $6,055, exceeding its goal of $5,000 by Feb. 28.

The Lavender Fund’s initial fundraising mark was $2,500. Kate Gigliotti, director of alumni engagement and donor relations, said that the project raised $2,500 within nine hours of launching the campaign.

“It’s very powerful to see this type of response,” Gigliotti said in an email. “I think it shows that there is an appetite for this type of digital philanthropy and a strong desire from the MCLA community to support current students.”

The Lavender Fund was created by a group of alumni in collaboration with Chief Diversity Officer Christopher MacDonald-Dennis and the Office of Institutional Advancement.

“Many alumni feel that this initiative is a way to help improve the LGBTQIA+ community beyond what they experienced during their time on campus,” Gigliotti said.

Alumnus Todd Foy Jr. ’12

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noted that when he came out as gay during his first year as an undergraduate, his friends and professors helped him learn to be self-confident.

“However, I think myself and other alumni always felt that the college could’ve done more to support the LGBTQIA+ community.

Marketing materials, admissions events, and most on-campus programming never really had a specific focus on supporting our community,” Foy Jr. said in an email.

Foy Jr. said that the creation of IGE and the hiring of Christopher MacDonald-Dennis, led him and other alumni to approach the Office of Institutional Advancement about launching the Lavender Fund. “[We] felt the time was therefore right to begin a push to highlight, empower, and enrich the experiences of LGBTQIA+ students on campus. I think the Lavender Fund has proven there’s more work to be done,” Foy Jr. said.

According to Gigliotti, MCLA has never held a fundraising campaign to support LGBTQIA+ campus programming prior to the Lavender Fund.

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PHOTO BY CARLY SAMACH/BEACON ARCHIVES

Todd Foy Jr. ‘12, pictured here in 2012, was one of several alumni who approached the Office of Institutional Advancement about the creation of the Lavender Fund. “[This] is why we refer to this initiative as ‘first-of-itskind.’ We were able to lay out some ‘best practices’ in this crowdfunding campaign which we will now apply to future campus fundraising initiatives,” Gigliotti noted.

Ian Crombie ’22, a member of Queer Student Union

CORRECTIONS In the February 27, 2020 edition of The Beacon Joseph Bellas was incorrectly identified as a member of the class of 2023, Bellas is a member of the class of 2020.

In the story “Harrison and McCarthy to Pre-Trial” the locations for the alleged incidents were misidentified. The incident involving McCarthy was on-campus, and the incident involving Harrison was off-campus.

The Beacon sincerely apologizes for and regrets these errors.

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(QSU), said the Lavender Fund indicates the need to further educate the entire school community about LGBTQIA+ issues.

“It’s funny because I have not heard anything about someone being bullied for being gay and being trans here. But if we don’t keep up support for LGBTQIA+ students, then the discrimination starts,” he said.

Crombie also believes MCLA is doing a good job at providing support for the LGBTQIA+ students on campus.

“However, there is always work needed to educate people,” he said. “I do not know how, but it is important to educate everyone

about LGBTQIA+.”

Foy Jr. said that he and fellow alumni are hopeful that the public response to the Lavender Fund will persuade MCLA to create a scholarship dedicated to assisting LGBTQIA+ students.

He hopes this potential scholarship could come as soon as 2021. “[MCLA] indicated that they will and we’re looking forward to working with them more. Change is a gradual process, but we must commit ourselves to it and take the necessary steps, however minimal we feel they might be in the moment, to make sure the bigger goal is ultimately met,” he said.

“Razor-sharp timing…and deadpan delivery that would impress Lucille Ball.” — Bomb Magazine

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BECCA BLACKWELL SCHMERMIE’S CHOICE Saturday, March 7, 8pm

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

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Obasohan Promotes a Safe Space for MCLA Students

BY ISABEL COSTA FEATURES WRITER Michael Obasohan ‘11 returned back to MCLA this semester as the new associate director for readiness and success after leaving for Berkshire Community College (BCC) last April to be an academic counselor in their Trio Program.

“I was an academic councilor in the Trio Program.

Trio is a student support service, serving low-income first-generation students with disabilities,” he said.

“I wanted to get more into the advising academic level and I wanted to gain experience at a community college and that idea of supporting students in that gap before attending a four-year institution,” he said.

Obasohan claims that when he was a student at MCLA, he was apart of a program like just that and really that he benefited from it.

“I went through it and really saw the success for it. I wanted to get back and be an added resource for students like that,” Obasohan said.

PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS

Obasohan returns to MCLA and takes on a new positon as the associate director for readiness and success.

Obasohan enjoyed his work at BCC which in turn helped him to prepare to come back to MCLA “The [BCC] students, although they were different from MCLA students, had shared similarities [and] there were students who were traditional, but there was a large aspect of nontraditional students. It was

working with students from a large range with a range of different experiences,” Obasohan said.

Obasohan emphasized that students were his favorite part of MCLA. “That’s really what drew me back, really the resiliency and persistence of the MCLA students, and also the community to work

across different departments to better support the students. Really giving students a holistic college experience,” he said.

Obasohan was very excited to see the position for associate director for readiness and success at MCLA open up. When the talk of this new position came to him, Obasohan applied.

“Looking at the job description, I really saw that I really wanted to focus my career on this trajectory,” Obasohan said.

He also said student success is the focus of his work.

“I am all about student success. And what comes with student success, is that student success looks different for each student. And how they obtain that, is different paths for each one of them,” Obasohan said.

His current position has a mixture of work in student affairs and academics, with a hope to bridge the gap between them and work with faculty. Obasohan spoke on how he loves working with staff to help them understand the “holistic student.”

“You need both the social lives of the student and the skills they learn in the classroom, so they can have a holistic view of college,” Obasohan said.

Obasohan praised his MCLA education for giving him the experience and skills to work in student development and actively involving him on campus.

Freel Library Participates in the 13th Annual Boston Bruins PJ Drive To Help Support Local Communities

BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES EDITOR MCLA Freel Library has paired with the Boston Bruins to host the 13th Annual Boston Bruins PJ Drive. The purpose of this charity is to provide brand new pajamas to thousands of children, teenagers, and babies. Donations will be accepted up until Mar. 15.

Danielle Christensen, Library Commons Supervisor, shared the importance of the charity.

PHOTO BY LISE MANSARAY

The signed hockey puck by Boston Briuns captain, Zdeno Chara, that donors can potentially win.

“PJ’s is something people don’t necessarily think about. You think about regular outerwear, socks and gloves, but pajamas are also important, especially when you are baby, child or teen,” Christensen said.

Freel Library is one of the many libraries across the state that participates in the Boston Bruins PJ Drive. The library has been a part of this charity for at least two or three years, according to Christensen.

“It’s hard to imagine that so many kids and teens don’t know the comforting feeling of putting on PJs before settling down to sleep. We’re happy to be part of an effort to change that,” she said.

Christensen shares what types of donations the library is looking for.

“It has to be brand new PJs for kids, babies, and teens. I can’t stress this enough, it has to be new. If it doesn’t have a tag on it then it will not be accepted for donations,” she said.

Donations can be accepted through the Freel Library in the drop-off bin, located at the entrance of the library.

They can also be donated at other participating libraries as mentioned on their website, Libraries.state.ma.us/ pj-drive.

PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS

Danielle Christensen, Library Commons Supervisor, shows a few donations the library has received.

Donations benefit local charities and foundations such as the Department of Children and Families, Wonderfund and Cradles to Crayons. Donors also get the chance to enter a raffle to potentially win a signed hockey puck by the Boston Bruins captain, Zdeno Chára.

Boston Bruins PJ Drive first started in 2007 by P.J. Axelsson and his wife, Siw, during their 2007-2008 season. They created the drive with a purpose to give back to their community.

Since it first started, the charity has grown tremendously. Last year they collected 13,022 new pairs of pajamas, a new record for the drive.

This year, the goal is to collect 13,000 pairs of pajamas in total from the participating libraries. However, Christensen shares how the donations received at the library this year has been significantly lower than in previous years.

“Right now we have only received five donations so we

are definitely in need. Last year we did about sixty donations and we are nowhere near to where we were last year,” Christensen said.

She hopes more students will be encouraged to support the PJ Drive. “[I encourage students to] help the cause and to donate. If you can’t, you should share our post on social media to get the word out there and hopefully someone who can provide clothes for these kids, will. That would be great,” Chistensen said.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Student Activities Council

Annual SAC Talent Show Set for Saturday

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E EDITOR The Student Activities Council (SAC) is hosting its second annual Talent Show on Saturday, March 7 at 8 p.m. in the Church Street Center Social Hall.

The event will give students a chance to demonstrate their talents to the MCLA community.

Students will be able to perform their talents in front of the MCLA community and a set of judges made up of faculty and staff for a chance to win prizes. First place prize will be a $300 gift card to a place of their choosing. The remaining prizes and their amounts are yet to be determined.

There will also be a "Peoples Choice award" where the audience will select a performance of their choice. The audience will take an online poll while the judges are casting their votes for their choice of best performance.

The event was started by former SAC president, Jordan DeGaetano '20, in an effort to bring people together to demonstrate their talents and is continued by their current president Crystal Wojcik '21. “[DeGaetano's] goal was to bring the campus together for an event that would showcase how awesome our students are as well as unifying the campus in one large event that multiple clubs collaborated together to put on," Wojcik said.

Performances from faculty and other community members may also be seen.

“We allow community members to come.

Spencer Moser's [director of MCLA’s volunteer

center] daughter and her friend performed last year. So, it is not only MCLA students that are coming and performing. We also have faculty and staff coming and performing and judging as well,” said SAC entertainment chair Paula Kingsbury-Evans '22.

The talent show gives students a chance to connect with the people around them and have a good time.

“It brings everyone together and students are able to see their professors outside of their classroom. Which can make them seem more like a person rather than just like a professor. It’s fun and a low key event,” Kingsbury-Evans said.

“It gives the students something to look forward to. Something that they can count on happening and sometimes a sense of stability is really important in college. Which I know for myself, I need stability,” Kinsbury-Evans said.

Last year's talent show received raving reviews from the community, according to Kinsbury-Evans.

“We are continuing the talent show because it was well attended last year. It won event of the year at the Leadership awards,” Kingsbury-Evans said.

SAC held sign ups from Feb. 25 until March 3 where they accepted a variety of performances Last year there were performances in comedy, singing and dancing among others. Dominique Stevenson-Pope ‘20 did a comedy set that won her second place and Chris Gamble ‘20 had an audience interactive physics demonstration.

PHOTO BY KENNY OLCHOWSKI

Professors Paul LeSage and Tom Whalen performed at last year’s talent show and were a smash success with students.

Under 27 Writer Program Seeks to Inspire Students

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E EDITOR The English & Communications department will be accepting student applications through March 15 for a chance to select the new writer resident, for MCLA’s Under 27 Writer’s Residency program.

This gives students the opportunity to work with a professional creative writer and gain hands-on experiences in arts management and professional writing.

This is MCLA’s first-ever residency program and will be in partnership with MASSMoCA thanks to funding from the Hardman Foundation.

“The world does not really want people to make art. We don’t really have a lot of support for artists. It’s not necessarily the ideal in our society. It’s really a special thing when all of a sudden it becomes this invited space. That is some of the magic of what a residency can do for artists. It’s a major affirmation and also gives them time and space to work,” said Caren Beilin, assistant professor of creative writing.

The students involved will help with the selection process and hosting the young writer for the two weeks they are here. The students will also have mentorship opportunities through MASSMoCA and will be able to build a connection with their team building their professional network.

“The students who want to actively get involved have some really wonderful benefits. They will kind of practice running the residency program so students who really want to get involved with arts management

“The world does not really want people to make art.

We don’t really have a lot of support for artists. It’s not necessarily the ideal in our society. It’s really a special thing when all of a sudden it becomes this invited space. That is some of the magic of what a residency can do for artists. It’s a major affirmation and also gives them time and space to work,” — Caren Beilin, assistant professor of creative writing and also work in tandem with MASSMoCA and meet some of the people at MASSMoCA and network with them it will be a great opportunity for them to do so,” Beilin said.

“And also, the residency programmers over at MASSMoCA will provide mentorship to any student who is involved. So, we will have some mentorship meetings, a lunch, things like this with MASSMoCA people,” she said.

Once the resident has been selected by the students they will visit the campus for two weeks in the fall to demonstrate what they are working on to the community.

“The writer and residence is coming here funded through MCLA and this writer and residence, unlike any other residents who are at MASSMoCA,” Beilin said. “Through this residency period, this residence will do things that are really keyed into our community. Like having a reading at our Gallery space for our students and providing this, kind of like, Masterclass in creative writing.”

Students will be working for about 15 hours across two semesters but will learn a lot and will become aware of the options available to them after graduation.

“So, we want to become a residency program here at MCLA and specifically inviting artists and creative writers under the age of 27.

My thought about that is that our students who are studying creative writing are really curious about what their life might look like outside of college. What is going to happen, what kinds of things can they do, what kinds of paths can they take,” Beilin said.

Participating in running the residency is an opportunity that students will not get anywhere else on campus. While there are other live speakers who come to campus this writer will be closer in age and more relatable, according to Beilin.

“While we have visiting writers who come who are very successful they are professors somewhere or known artist or, you know, kind of very established

people in their own ways,” Beilin said.

“Inviting somebody who us under 27 is really inviting somebody into our space into our community who can really give students who are like 21 a view of like ‘here is what it might look like to be 25’. So just wanting to give exposure to our students of what those first years might look like,” she said.

MCLA will be inviting a new resident to campus every Fall and will reside in MASSMoCA’s residence housing and have a studio at the museum.

MASSMoCA will also be advertising the residency alongside their more established residency programs.

“It will be advertised through MASSMoCA, who already has a very established residency program for artists and writers so our residency will be sort of advertised alongside with their residencies or with their residencies. So, we expect to get national applicants.”

MCLA establishing their first-ever residency program gives a young writer the chance to visit the North Adams and MCLA community to create their work in a supported environment.

“Some of the traditional things about a writing residency is that it is really a space of kind of radical hosting. It is a time to give somebody who wants to make something all of the love in the world,” Beilin said.

“To give them housing, food, shelter and to say to them ‘I think you should do this and here is the time and space to do it and I will support you and hold that space open for you.’ So it is a very special thing to be invited as an artist into a residency program,” she said.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

March 5, 2020

TheOnlineBeacon.com

Yorick to Host Games and Theatrics for Students This Friday

BY JACOB MACK A&E WRITER Yorick, MCLA’s Shakespeare club, is hosting a game night on Friday, March 6 preceding Accepted Students weekend, starting at 6 p.m. with activities inspired by their upcoming showing of Romeo and Juliet on April 17, 18 and 19.

Their game night, meant for both current and prospective students, has all their activities inspired by Shakespearean ideas.

“It includes a Romeo and Juliet themed tug-of-war game, some theatre games, as well as a personal favorite of mine: Bards Dispense Profanity and potentially Pool Noodle Jousting,” Cox said.

Specifically the tug-of-war represents the feud between the Montague and Capulet families and “Bards Disperse Profanity” is a special take on the game Cards Against Humanity.

“It coincides with an Accepted Students weekend and Yorick typically entertains some of those prospective students when they stay overnight, this time we wanted to make that more known beyond active members and po-

tentially get some new ones,” Cox said.

“We’re also putting on Romeo and Juliet in April and game night is a good way of spreading that around beyond your typical ad campaign,” Cox said.

Founded in 2004, the club has devoted themselves to delivering Shakespearean theatrics with modernized versions of the plays.

“This particular show is an LGBTQ+ retelling of the classic tragedy as imagined by Iris McPherson, the director,” said Yorick’s vice president Arthur Cox ’21.

“Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy– not just because two kids fall in love and people die,” McPherson said. “[In our telling] two young [queer] people fall in love and the violent bigotry of the world they live in leads their story to a tragic place. This is about the world making something sweet and human into a bloodbath. It’s about Queer love, Queer loss, and Queer pain.”

The club has seen success with previous events like its “Night of scenes” back in Nov. 2019, and its showing of “The Tempest” in April 2019.

THURSDAY, MARCH 5 CHEESE DOODLE DAY

- DECORATE 125 CUPCAKES CAMPUS CENTER MARKETPLACE 10:30 A.M.

SUNDAY, MARCH 8 PROOFREADING DAY

- MCLA THEATRE PRESENTS: TOP DOG/UNDER DOG VENABLE THEATRE 10:30 A.M.

- MERCURY IN THE ENVIRONMENT: ECOLOGICAL AND HUMAN IMPACTS CSI 121 5:30 P.M.

- YOUTUBE FILM FESTIVAL VIEWING MCLA LIBRARY LEARNING COMMONS 8 P.M.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

CEREAL DAY

FROZEN FOOD DAY

- MCLA SPIRIT FRIDAY WEAR COLLEGE COLORS - HOT COCOA ICE CREAM BAR CAMPUS CENTER MARKETPLACE 10:30 A.M. - DOCUMENTARY: WE EXIST BEYOND THE BINARY HOSTED BY IGE MURDOCK 218 3 P.M.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7 - SKATE WITH SGA VIETNAM VETERANS SKATING RINK SHUTTLE FROM TOWNHOUSE FIRE LANE 1:30 P.M., EVENT AT 2 P.M. - SAC TALENT SHOW CHURCH STREET CENTER SOCIAL HALL 8 P.M. - MCLA THEATRE PRESENTS: TOP DOG/UNDER DOG VENABLE THEATRE 2 P.M. ඾ 8 P.M.

- SPIRES SPRING JOURNAL SUBMISSIONS DUE EMAIL SPIRES@MCLA.EDU - SUNDAY SERVICE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP 1 P.M.

MONDAY, MARCH 9

NATIONAL NAPPING DAY

- PRIDE FLAG SALE CAMPUS CENTER MARKETPLACE 11 A.M. - INTL. WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION CAMPUS CENTER MARKETPLACE 11 A.M.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10 PACK YOUR LUNCH DAY

- 2020 CLASS COUNCIL EVENT: NARCAN TRAINING SULLIVAN LOUNGE 7 P.M.

7

Sports

TheOnlineBeacon.com

8

Men’s Basketball

Stellar Season Ends in Semi-Finals Loss

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-AT-LARGE The men’s basketball team lost 96-72 in the semifinal round of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament to the Worcester State University Lancers on Thursday night at Worcester.

“We ran into a buzz-saw right out of the gate. Worcester scored on its first four possessions and we came up empty. We were forced to play catch up the rest of the night and they never really let up,” said MCLA Head Coach Derek Shell.

The game opened with a pair of 3-pointers from Corey Oliver ‘22 and another from Sam Dion ‘23 to take a 9-0 lead. A turnover from Ki-Shawn Monroe ‘20 enabled Erik Bjorn ‘21 to make a layup, pushing the lead to 11 points two minutes into the game.

A few seconds later the Trailblazers were able to get onto the board with a Noah Yearsley ‘21 layup a few seconds later but the Lancers answered on the following possession after Yearsley fouled Bjorn.

Bjorn hit both free throws.

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Marius Turner ‘21 had 7 points and 2 rebounds coming off the bench Thursday.

The Trailblazers struggled to keep up through much of the first half, with 5:02 left to play the Lancers took a 24 point lead to go up 51-27. They would go on a 10-2 run after that but the Lancers still possessed a commanding 53-37 to finish the half.

MCLA started the second half with a burst of energy with Monroe hitting a 3-pointer on their first possession.

Antoine Montgomery ‘20 followed it up with another 3-pointer two possessions later after grabbing an offensive rebound, cutting the lead to 12 points.

From there, Worcester began to pull

away with the game. Trading scores on both sides, the Trailblazers were never able to cut the lead to single digits.

With 2:55 left to play, the Lancers took a 25 point lead on a pair of free throws from Chris Cardoso ‘21 effectively sealing their victory.

The win allowed the Lancers to advance to the championship round of the tournament where they lost to the Westfield State University Owls 81-77 on Saturday night.

The Trailblazers were led in scoring by guard Quitten Gittens ‘23 who came off the bench with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 assists. In total, points from bench players accounted for half of the team’s overall points.

Montgomery contributed 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal. Monroe and Yearsley also scored double-digit points with 11 and 10 respectively.

36 of the Lancers points would come from inside the paint compared to the Trailblazers 28. They were also better on fast breaks where they outscored MCLA 21-11.

With the loss, the Trailblazers finished their season at 15-11 overall. While Thursday’s game didn’t provide the result that the team wanted, the coach was optimistic about the team’s outlook.

“It was certainly a disappointing end to a season that featured some standout performances and exciting finishes. While we didn’t reach our ultimate goal, we do feel the program took some significant strides in the right direction that we hope to build on going forward,” Shell said.

As the Trailblazers now set their sights towards next season, they will need to replace five graduating seniors. The team will be without guards Ki-Shawn Monroe, Antoine Montgomery, Damon Daniel, forward Victor Stewart, and center Hans Resignac.

For the coach, those seniors brought three distinct characteristics to the team.

“Experience, leadership and toughness,” Shell said.

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Noah Yearsley ‘21 guards Sam Dion ‘23 who led Worcester State in scoring on Thursday night.

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Mike DeMartinis ‘21 and Antoine Montgomery ‘20 combined for 17 points.

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Ki-Shawn Monroe ‘20 guards Tyler Dion ‘20 during the first half of Thursday night’s contest.

Sports

March 5, 2020

Men’s Lacrosse

Lacrosse Team Loses Two Games

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Despite the men’s lacrosse team losses in their games against Mitchell College (18-6) last Saturday and against Albertus Magnus College (22-8) last Tuesday, the players show an intrepid hope for their first season.

One such players is Cody Falkner ’20, a midfielder on the team. He marks this as his first season ever playing the sport and has been working closely with his teammates and coaches to learn the basics of the game.

“I think all coaches have different aspects to what they excel and I think these coaches have definitely done their best taking their time with me and developing my skills,” Falkner said.

“I think the coaches are pretty great,” he said. “It’s

TheOnlineBeacon.com

SCOREBOARD Men’s Basketball MCLA (72), Westfield St. (96) Feb. 27 Quentin Gittens - 17 Points Ki-Shawn Monroe - 11 Points; 7 Rebounds Damon Daniel - 10 Points

Men’s Lacrosse PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE

Thomas Irwin ‘20 defending against Mitchell College last Saturday. definitely a good learning experience for me because I’d never played before.

They’ve taken the time to work with me and train me to where I’ve gotten to today to become a better lacrosse player.”

Falkner has found his teammates very support-

ive of his position on the team, despite being a rookie to the game.

“My teammates are pretty cool,” Falkner said. “I’m glad that they’re kind of on board with me not really knowing how to play but they’re teaching me as

PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE

Cody Falkner ‘20 chasing down the ball from Mitchell College last Saturday.

the season’s going on. I think they’re just a dedicated as getting better at the sport, and the game, as I am.”

“I think the most helpful players to me right now would be Tom [Irwin] and Dan [Cook], Falkner said. “Just because those are the two people I feel like I could go to them quickly, and ask a quick question, and then get going with practice and they usually help me with that.”

Falkner said that he was first approached to join the team when the team’s Head Coach Kevin Pezanowski approached him last spring. Once he’d received some gear from him, Falkner started practicing over the summer and into the fall.

“Overall, as long as I’m having fun I think that’s the biggest outcome for me,” Falkner said.

MCLA (6), Mitchell College (18) Feb. 29 Lucas Colavecchio - 2 Goals Thomas Irwin - 2 Goals Johnny Herbert - 7 Turnovers Gavin Butler - 14 Saves

MCLA (8), Albertus Magnus (22) March 3 Johnny Herbert - 5 Goals Matthew Wallace - 4 Turnovers Brady Larkin - 24 Saves

vs. Becker

March 10, 4:00 p.m.

Baseball MCLA (7), SUNY Cobleskill (9) Feb. 29 Christian Womble - 2 RBI Logan Rumbolt - 2 Runs

Cheer Team to Attend First Competition

BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES EDITOR This year, the MCLA Cheerleading team qualified for it’s first competition ever. The team looks forward towards this milestone, according to Erika Burgess ‘20, president of the cheerleading team.

The team will be competing in the New England Cheerleading Association competition among several other teams on March 28 in Rhode Island. This competition has been hosted for over 30 years, according to cheerneca.com.

The MCLA Cheerleaders will be competing in the Intermediate All-Girl Division, according to Burgess. They will be competing for the winning title and a trophy,

9

according to Burgess.

“We’re really excited about it. I think we’re a little nervous because I know a lot of the girls on the team have never done cheerleading before so this will be their first ever competition,” Burgess said. “I think overall though, we are really excited about it and are trying to be hopeful towards winning.”

In order to qualify for competition, teams must submit a registration form and be approved by the New England Cheerleading Association. They also must follow specific rules that have to do with components such as stunting.

“They are more like technical rules. For example, in college level you can have two flyers in the air but you wouldn’t be able to stack like

a third. Something like that would get you disqualified,” Burgess said.

She first joined the team when she was a freshman and was drawn towards it because of her love for the sport.

“I did cheer in high school and I just wanted to keep doing that because I have a passion for the sport,” Burgess said.

Since joining, she’s noticed major changes within the team and the way it’s coached.

“The team is way different from when I first joined. When I first joined we really didn’t have a coach, but then we got one who was more of an all star coach,” Burgess said.

The team is now coached by Jasmine Gan-

carz, whom Burgess credits for their success.

“Since we’ve had her, it’s been way better. The practices run better and that’s why we are even able to get to competition now, because of her. Getting Jasmine as our coach has really made a big difference,” she said.

Burgess also acknowledged the growth within the team.

“I think we have better commitment now then we had before,” she said.

The team is currently preparing for competition and have practice twice a week for two hours. “[I hope] that we continue to compete and attend more than one competition. I also hope that we gain more consistent members,” she said.

MCLA (0), SUNY Cobleskill (11) Feb. 29 MCLA (13), SUNY Cobleskill (6) March 1 Christian Seriac - 4 RBI Austin Rachiele - 4 Runs

MCLA (9), SUNY Cobleskill (10) March 1 Christian Womble - 2 RBI Ben Durland - 2RBI; 2 Runs

@ Mt. St. Vincent

March 8, 11:00 a.m. & 2:00 p.m.

Men’s Tennis @ Bennington Tennis Center Northern Vermont-Johnson Mar. 8, 10:00 a.m.

Opinion

TheOnlineBeacon.com

10

Sleep Well: Don’t Neglect A Proper Bedtime Amid the turmoil of school, endless essays, presentations, projects and a million other strings tugging at your attention it’s extremely vital that everyone finds time to sleep.

College students are frequently the subjects for studies on not getting enough sleep, be it from overwhelming workloads from classes or by the pressure of social groups.

More than ever it’s important that we learn to set proper bedtimes for ourselves.

In a newsletter published by Medical News Today, and self reportedly “Medically Reviewed” in late March, 2019, sleep deprivation can lead to an absolute laundry list of symptoms. These can range from minor irritants and increased appetites to heart disease, paranoia and severe concentration and communication impairment.

All-nighters are considered very common within academia and are usually associated to full nights of reading and essay writing.

24-48 hours without sleep classically result in fatigue, drops in cognitive performance and periods of micros-

leep. These are involuntary, brief moments of complete unconsciousness which last several seconds.

I believe it’s safe to say that anyone reading this article right now knows exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to the occasional sleepless night and the difficulties of trudging through the day afterward. It’s a difficult and overall unpleasant experience but is often seen as a necessary one in order for certain projects and tasks to complete.

A normal bedtime definitely takes the edge off for this, helping to establish regular sleep patterns to keep you well rested. There are few things that feel as good to me as waking up at 10 in the morning on a weekend just because I can, and getting out of bed on my own clock instead of rushing for a class.

That feeling alone, with a collective understanding of what sleepless nights feel like the next day, should be enough to encourage us to try as hard as we can on getting a full night’s sleep but that’s not always the case.

COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE I’M NO EXPERT Occasionally an extraneous circumstance comes along, sometimes it’s just due to watching one too many episodes of your favorite show or else too much time hanging out with friends, but along comes the sleepless nights and far too often.

The longest recorded instance of someone going without sleep was Randy Gardner in 1963, who stayed awake for 11 days straight.

“I mean, it was crazy, where you

couldn’t remember things, it was almost like an early Alzheimer’s thing brought on by lack of sleep,” said Gardner in a 2017 interview with NPR. Sleep helps the body cognitively process the happenings of the day, is linked to promoting your immune system and can help fight against depression, according to another article from Medical News Today.

It’s recommended that people within a typical college age group get at least seven hours of sleep a night.

The best thing that we can do for ourselves is set a proper bedtime.

Regular and reliable intervals in which our bodies and minds are allowed to shut down for a time can work wonders for us.

Is there an 8 a.m. that you have to go to? Then plan to wake up at 7 a.m. and give yourself time to slowly wake up. Establish a time for yourself to be in bed, without looking at your phone or watching an excessive amount of TV. Midnight can be a good starting point for those who stay up late for stuff like school work.

Guest Column

Sustainability Committee’s Projects Help Campus

BY JAHSHYAH LOVE The Sustainability Committee on campus has been working towards goals to make the campus more sustainable. I’ve been part of the committee since last semester and working alongside Environmental Studies Professor Elena Traister and the committee to improve the education and interest in sustainability through various media. I’ve noticed that there was a lack of education on sustainability on campus or people didn’t know what’s happening because finding the information on it was outdated or there was none at all. Most of the time you learn about things through word of mouth here at MCLA. If you don’t know the

right people or resources to go to, you can miss out on a lot. The best way to make changes is to get the word out.

My projects so far included making various posters that are being hung around campus and digital ones that were posted on social media to inform people about the different ways to be more sustainable. They were just scratching the surface, sharing basic information and small goals people can achieve while living on campus. There’s definitely more information to be shared.

A new program that was introduced last semester was the collection stations for used batteries. It’s better to properly dispose of batter-

Want to write a guest column for The Beacon?

If you’re interested in writing a guest column, contact Corey Mitchell-Labrie at cm5449@mcla.edu

ies than throwing them away because the materials can be salvaged and recycled. We are trying to raise awareness about e-waste, and this is a good start for the campus. You can bring your used or dead batteries to the Information Center in the Campus Center, Berkshire Towers and Hoosac Hall RASM desk, the RPS office, and the library.

The committee is currently working on a pilot for composting food waste from the townhouses, getting vegetables and herbs in the Venable greenhouse, and much more. The committee is very open to all ideas.

It’s the best place to bring up concerns or ideas because most members know the ins and outs of the campus. The sustainability commit-

tee meets on the first Thursday of every month and is open to everyone. The next meeting is on March 5 at 12 p.m. in Bowman 217.

There’s a lot of work to be done, but there is progress being made.

How can you be more sustainable?

Get a reusable water bottle you can carry around. Bring reusable bags to the POD or bookstore, and a reusable cup to the Trailblazer Café.

Turn off lights when they aren’t in use and conserve water by turning it off while brushing your teeth or shorten shower times if possible.

These are small things you can do, but they do add up in the end. The best way to make this campus more sustainable is to spread the information to others and educate them.

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

Opinion

March 5, 2019

TheOnlineBeacon.com

11

Editorial

Don’t Underestimate Coronavirus

With the rise and recent updates on the coronavirus, it’s understandable that many people are concerned. New information comes out every day about the widespread impact of the disease, causing people to move more cautiously in their everyday life by taking the necessary precautions to prevent getting infected.

The disease has reached a global stage since it was first identified in China on Jan 7. Since then, the virus has infected more than 90,000 people, most of which are in China. 3,168 people have died from the virus globally, 9 of which are from the U.S. What makes this outbreak most scary is how close it is starting to hit home. Within our campus, we can see the effects of the coronavirus. This week, the travel course trip to Japan was cancelled as a result of the outbreak, according to a campus wide email from Jacqueline Krzanik, director of health services. Krzanik said that, while trips to Haiti, Germany and Peru have not been cancelled, there is a chance that could change if those regions become at risk for the virus.

The Coronavirus has also had a major social effect on the world with its influence on racism making the chinease a scapegoat for the spread of the illness. An example of this can be seen in an incident that happened in London on Monday, Feb. 24.

According to a BBC article a student from Singapore , Jonathan Mok, was verbally and physically assaulted by a group of men while walking down Oxford Street. The men reportedly said, “I don’t want your coronavirus in my country.”

The social and physical effect the coronavirus has had is clear and it is also important to note ways of keeping yourself safe from the illness.

Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs, also sent out an email on behalf of the Office of Student Health Services regarding the virus. In the email, she shared an additional source from the Berkshire Health Systems. This speaks volumes to how serious the virus is becoming.

No matter where in the world, people are being warned to remain cautious towards the virus with a huge emphasis on maintaining good hygiene as.

Health experts have specifically advised people to wash hands frequently, and not just use hand sanitizer.

Nahid Bhadelia, medical director of the special pathogen’s unit at Boston Medical Center, said that both hand sanitizer and soap can help, but soap is more effective at removing stubborn grime. she claims, however, none of this will be effective if they are not done properly.

“You can have all the hand sanitizer and soap you want, but unless you’re washing correctly or using it the right way, you may still have virus on your hands,” Bhadelia says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the best way to wash hands is to first run hands under water, and apply soap. When lathering, make sure to get the backs of your hands, between fingers and under nails. Scrub for at least 20 seconds and then rinse off soap with water.

The Coronavirus is here now and it is not something that should be taken lightly.

The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed to the MCLA community.

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Letter to the Editor

Contribution: The Beacon accepts stories, photos and opinion pieces. Submit to beacon@mcla.edu.

A Movement to End Sexual Violence

Advertising: The Beacon reserves the right to not publish any advertisement it deems libelous, false or in bad taste.

To the MCLA community: As students and survivors, we have fought for a very long time to have all of our voices heard and our efforts are finally beginning to pay off. On April 9, 2020, we will be holding our first “Sexual Violence Prevention Day: A Movement to End Sexual Violence.” With the help of the Student Government, this event is being planned by a coalition of students, faculty, staff, administration and community members. Given the campus climate and the discussions surrounding sexual violence that are becoming more and more frequent nationwide, it is important for us as students to organize and take this opportunity to empower one another.

This event will include a variety of workshops and presentations on several topics, all with the goal of educating the community and working toward comprehensive sexual violence prevention. It will provide students a chance to take part in what we hope will be an open, honest and ongoing dialogue surrounding these topics.

Presenters will include, students, faculty and staff, as well as representatives from outside organizations such as the Elizabeth Freeman Center. Topics such as recovery from sexual violence, substances and consent, Title IX and the criminal process, toxic masculinity and by-

stander intervention will be discussed, among others.

There will also be sessions geared specifically toward supporting marginalized people on campus. The event will take place all day and it will be concluded with a keynote speaker in the evening.

As previously noted, it is incredibly important for us as students to take advantage of this unique opportunity to make our mark on this campus and change the culture surrounding sexual violence. Our campus community needs to organize, and all of us must be prepared to do the work of creating a safe campus.

We are writing this letter to the editor to encourage our fellow students as well as faculty and staff to get involved in this important work. If you are interested in presenting or otherwise taking part in the planning of this event, please reach out to Bridget Broyles (bb8088@mcla.edu) or Aidan Rawson (ar0723@mcla. edu) by Friday, March 13. More information will be available in the weeks to come. We would like to thank the student advocates, faculty, staff and admin currently serving the Sexual Violence Prevention Committee, as well as The Beacon for publishing this letter and continually advocating for student voices.

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief

Corey Mitchell-LaBrie

Senior News Editor

A&E Editor

Brian Rhodes

Sabrina Damms

Features Editor Lise Mansaray

Editor-at-Large

Jake Vitali

BWN Executive Producer Symantha Kehr

Staff Staff Writers Natalia Giacomozzi Nicole Lemire

Sincerely, Bridget Broyles & Aidan Rawson

Copy Editor

Amanda Bortman

Features Writer

A&E Writers

Isabel Costa

Aidan Rawson Jacob Mack

BWN Reporters Mei Craig Giovani Jajoute Julia Teixeira

Robert Wehry Antoinette Webster Cara Fusco

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