April 25, 2019 Vol.88 Issue 11

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Thursday, April 25, 2019

Volume 88 • Issue 11

Whet Towel Beats Sharp Competition

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

discussed the state of the building.

“We’ve got a building with no walls, no seats, no inside, needs a new roof,” Wilkinson said, adding that restoring the marquee could cost $100,000. “I was talking to the building department and they said the marquee is not in the best condition to begin with.”

However, Lamb suggested that the amendment would be beneficial to potential buyers.

“It’s the last remaining marquee of this city, period,” Lamb said.

“For us to not put language in there would be irresponsible. Because I think that someone would walk in, and they might make an RFP, and they have these grand plans, and

Nicholas Strezynski ’20 and Owen Fitzgerald ’20 marked this year’s winners for MCLA’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge with their project, “Whet Towels.”

The Whet Towels project is designed to help extend the duration of disposable razors by putting denim strips on hand towels. The idea is to run the razor the opposite way of the shave, across the strip to realign and clean the blades.

“It’s an amazing opportunity; we didn’t know what was going to happen, of course,” Strezynski said. “We were watching; we thought it was a coin flip. It’s an intensive program but we feel like it really paid off.”

As the winners of the challenge, they will receive $10,000 toward their project to help jump-start the business and enter the regional market.

“We’d definitely be interested in going into the [Campus Center] Marketplace and, like we said [in their presentation], to other college campuses too,” Fitzgerald said.

This year’s judges for the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge included Ben Svenson, a real-estate developer from Boston; Celia Clancy, retail business leader and consultant; and Richard Alcombright, former mayor of North Adams.

Each entry was facilitated with the help of Amy Shapiro, business assistance director for the Franklin County Community Development Corp. The other projects included “Naked at your Door” by Gabrielle Kernozek and “BUtiful” by Scotia Bent.

Kernozek’s idea was a monthly gift box sent through the mail that would include all natural and eco-friendly products like toothbrushes and travel kits.

MOHAWK, Page 4

TOWEL, Page 4

PHOTO BY RON LEJA

The marquee of the Mohawk Theatre has been a longtime staple of downtown North Adams; any buyer will need to protect its history.

Mohawk on the Market

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The North Adams City Council voted unanimously Tuesday, April 22, to allow Mayor Thomas Bernard to execute a purchase and sale agreement of the Mohawk Theatre with the stipulation that any buyer maintains the historic integrity of the theater’s marquee.

Councilor Benjamin Lamb made the amendment, which read, “The buyer shall maintain the historic integrity of the marquee in perpetuity.”

Lamb shared that the committee did not explore how restrictive they would make the rules, pointing to other cities that mandate paint type, light bulb colors and even brand choices.

Councilor Joshua Moran argued that the amendment was going to inhibit some potential buyers.

“I don’t want to limit potential buyers from submitting RFPs for this, and I understand the intent and I get the historic value of it and the nostalgic value of it to city residents,” Moran said. “But I look at something that we’ve put 2.6 million dollars in the past 20 years and it’s still sitting there and we have a public safety building that we will have to repair or build a new one.”

“I guess the more restrictions we put on the selling of the theater, the less chances we have of someone coming in with an open mind,” Moran continued.

Moran’s sentiment was shared by Councilor Wayne Wilkinson who

URC Reaches Record Number of Presenters

BY MAYA MCFADDEN STAFF WRITER MCLA’s 17th annual Undergraduate Research Conference saw 238 student presenters challenge their academic abilities.

This year’s event included 163 presentations compared to the 149 student-presentations in April 2018.

MCLA alumna Alexandra Nichipor ’12 was invited to the College to present the keynote address during the URC luncheon.

While attending MCLA, Nichipor majored in sociology and philosophy with a minor in women’s studies. She then received her master’s degree from Harvard University.

Nichipor is currently a research assistant in the Psychosocial Oncology Department at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

“It was an incredible experience and honor to be brought back to the place where things all started,” Nichipor said.

A faculty advisory board was established during the organization process for the URC and the members offered recommendations of accomplished MCLA graduates who would benefit the campus community as a keynote speaker for the event, according to Justin Golub, associate professor of biology and chair of the URC. “We seek former students that are doing interesting things that we really think would help inspire our students as to what they might be able to achieve going on from here into their careers,” said Golub.

Day classes for April 18 were suspended to encourage students to attend presentations and support their student-peers.

The day of events included three sessions of paper presentations, four special sessions, two performances, a poster session, a keynote address and luncheon, a creative writing session,

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PHOTO BY KENNY OLCHOWSKI

Professor Justin Golub, who chaired the Undergraduate Research Conference planning committee, looks at Jarret Gonzalvez’s poster in Venable Gym.

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SGA Meeting Concludes Budget Cuts and End-of-Year Agendas

BY NATHAN BIRON STAFF WRITER

The Budget Finance Committee approved its proposed 2019-2020 budget recommendations, including why certain clubs received less funding than in the past and how these clubs will be provided for in the future. This motion was approved by SGA members during the meeting.

SGA Coordinating Vice President Dean Little ’21 received backlash from some clubs about them not receiving their requested budget amounts.

“We are all, including the SGA, going to be hurt by these changes of the budget,” Little said. “This was not to single any one club out from the rest.”

Little went on to mention that the BFC is trying to do its best to give each club what they had asked for.

With the Debate Club taking most of the impact of this change, its vice president, Alec MacLean was very keen on letting SGA members know this cut will affect them in a big way.

“This cut is going to affect this club significantly

PHOTO BY NATHAN BIRON

SGA met Monday and approved the BFC’s recommended budget for fiscal year 2020 without any amendments now and in the future,” said MacLean. “We would only need $500 more to continue to do what we need to bring students to these non-profit events.”

The Debate Club also appealed the BFC’s decision to cut its budget, but the appeal was rejected. The club was asking for an additional $1,000 for expenses.

The Debate Club was given

its allotted money with the exception of travel expenses.

The club requested to receive about $2,400, but was only given $1,500. This cut the expected travel budget by $447, which means fewer students will be able to go on Debate Club trips.

Joseph Bellas, president of the Political Science Club, had also attended the SGA meeting to express his con-

cerns on this issue. ”I haven’t seen the debate club do much outside work to raise more funding for themselves,” Bellas said.

“Whereas our club has been very outspoken on the fact that we need more money and I think the effort of each individual club should be considered when making these budget decisions.”

Class Senate Represen-

tative Samantha Schwantner ’20 ensured that these choices were made with careful consideration.

“We are not trying to spend all of this money we have right now,” Schwantner said. “We are trying to help get ready for something that may happen five or 10 years down line.”

SGA Senate Chair Fabby Bogardus-Street ’20 told the clubs different strategies on how to receive more money moving forward.

“The best way to get involved with the budget decisions is to get involved more with SGA,” Bogardus-Street said. “Only three people had voted on this budget decision, and if more clubs are concerned about their money, then they should do something about it.” #MCLAGIVES is a new online fundraising program that could give clubs the additional funding that they need.

Elections for SGA occurred over the last two days, Tuesday, April 23, and Wednesday, April 24. At press time, The Beacon had not received the results of the election.

When the results become available, they will be available on our website.

Fall Foliage Parade New Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference This June To Have ‘Wizard of Oz’ Theme

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE SNIOR NEWS EDITOR

Days after the spring semester ends, the College is planning to host its inaugural Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Conference.

An ambitious project launched by MCLA Vice President Emily Williams, the idea was to bring large-scale professional events to campus in the hopes of furthering the College’s reputation.

“I think so many people are talking about DEI,” Williams said. “I really wanted us ‘to take the lead’, if you will, in continuing to talk about this all the time; and not only talk but see ways that we can make a difference in terms of people understanding each other and being able to talk.”

The conference itself is presently scheduled to last from June 11-14, with world-renowned activist and poet Nikki Giovanni as keynote speaker.

Giovanni has received seven NAACP Image Awards,

been presented with 28 keys to cities, published multiple New York Times Best Sellers, and has even been nominated for a Grammy.

Her lecture will take place Wednesday, June 12, at 6 p.m. with a book signing and reception to follow.

“I have had contact with her [Nikki] for a lot of years and I said, ‘You know we’d love to have you,’” Williams said. “I know she’s also teaching. She’s a professor at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.”

Williams worked with Giovanni’s agent to bring her to the College. Although abstracts and proposals for speakers and participants closed Monday, April 22, Giovanni’s attendance for the DEI conference was announced in late January.

Giovanni’s most recent speaking engagement in the Berkshires was in July 2013 when she participated in the “Lift Ev’ry Voice Festival.”

“I have been doing these kinds of conferences for a lot of years,” Williams said.

“So when I came to MCLA in July, almost a year now, I was talking with President Birge, ‘You know, we really need to have a big conference where we start to bring people in.’”

Williams hopes the conference will help MCLA garner attention from a wider audience by bringing in speakers from all across the U.S. and the world at large.

She hopes that the conference will become one of the College’s annual events.

Flyers are set around campus to advertise the opportunity for students to work as staff members during the conference. While working they will be provided with free on-campus housing and earn a paid salary.

“Basically what my goal is here [is] to engage students with an understanding of civic learning and engagement,” Williams said.

Students looking to assist during the conference should contact the academic affairs office for more information.

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR IN CHIEF 1Berkshire has realized “There’s No Place Like Home” as they plan for North Adams’ 64th Fall Foliage Parade set to occur October 6.

The theme is inspired by the 1939 film, “The Wizard of Oz,” which won six Oscars and is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

The film tells the story of Dorothy and her dog Toto’s journey through the land of Oz, dodging the Wicked Witch of the West, and attempting to find the wizard. Along the way, they befriend a cowardly lion, tinman and scarecrow who are also searching for the wizard. ”We hope to capture the Berkshires’ attention with this fun and creative theme to present the best parade todate,” Member Services Coordinator Stephanie Bosley stated in a press release.

Bosley also mentioned that

the community can get involved with the parade’s planning. ”The parade committee invites the entire Berkshire community to dust off their ruby red slippers and start brainstorming about ways to participate in this year’s parade,” Bosley continued. “There are a variety of ways to get involved including, but not limited to, signing up to have a float, entering a band/music unit, marching unit, veterans unit, or public safety unit or volunteering on the parade committee.”

This upcoming parade will mark the 64th anniversary of the Fall Foliage Parade. The parade begins at the Ocean State Job Lot on Curran Memorial Highway and ends at the Ashland Park High Rise on Ashland Street.

For people interested in participating in the parade’s planning, more information can be found on the 1Berkshire website.

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Homeschooling, the Safer Social Bet Stop and Shop Returns to Work

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Last Monday guest lecturer Dr. Kate Averett, assistant professor of Sociology at SUNY Albany, came to share her dissertation work on homeschooled children with nonbinary gender and sexual identities.

Averett’s research went into examining different parents’ reactions and thoughts about general schooling and asked why they decided to take their children out of the system. In her talk, Averett stated that about 2 million children homeschooled in the U.S. “Homeschooling regulation looks really different in different states and Texas is one of the least regulated,” Averett said in her talk. “It’s pretty easy to start homeschooling [in Texas], you don’t need to register as a homeschooler, you don’t need to test your children, there’s very little oversight.”

In the past, teaching children from home came with certain cultural connotations.

These often being fundamentalist Christians who wanted to teach their children in a controlled environment.

“The stereotype of the religious fundamentalist family was actually grounded somewhat in the reality that for a long time the majority of the people who homeschooled in the U.S. were religious and did so for religious reasons,” Averett said in her talk.

A large group of homeschoolers Averett studied were taken out of general schooling for poor sexual and gender education, child safety, and peer influence in larger social groups.

For some parents, the general schooling environment was seen as harsh and not gender experimentation friendly.

Children are treated as their biological genders and expected to perform the attached stereotypical roles.

“I used to nanny full-time before I went to grad school and I would hear stories about the kids I would take care of, and they were only 3 or 4 years old who were treated poorly at day care for playing with

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR IN CHIEF

PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE

Professor Travis Beaver, left, and Dr. Kate Averett, right, after her talk.` the wrong gender toys,” Averett said.

Nonbinary gender acceptance is one of several political reasons parents had for homeschooling their children, but Averett claims that is not the only side of it.

“Homeschooling for me was interesting because I did see it as this thing that was attracting people from really extreme opposite political positions,” Averett said. “This is one of these cases where people from the left and right are doing this really similar thing, coming to homeschooling as a solution to very dif-

ferent critiques of the same institution.”

Although the social and educational control homeschooling offers is something Averett acknowledges and respects, Averett said, as a professor, she does believe more in general public schooling.

“I wouldn’t say to a parent not to do something they think they should do for their kid,” Averett said. “I do, on an individual level, I would say that I think it’s more important as a society to invest more in public education that expect parents to do that work themselves.”

Striking Stop and Shop employees are back at work after reaching a tentative contract agreement Sunday, April 21, with the New England based grocery chain.

A news release from company management said employees will receive “increased pay for all associates; continued excellent health coverage for eligible associates; and ongoing defined benefit pension benefits for all eligible associates.”

Despite reaching an agreement, the employees, represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers union, have not yet voted on the new contract.

According to Bloomberg, the two sides have been negotiating since the current contract expired in February; however, a strike began after the company attempted to create a two-tier system which saw newer employees being paid less and receiving fewer benefits than current ones.

Parent company Ahold Delhaize reportedly wanted to cut costs to compete with nonunion stores. However, employees pointed out the company’s nearly $2 billion in profits last year.

According to the Boston Globe, store visits went down 75% during the strike.

“Community Dialogue Workshop” Course Scheduled for Fall 2019

BY MAYA MCFADDEN STAFF WRITER Three MCLA students have worked to establish their independent study dialogue workshop into a fall 2019 English course in an effort to build local connections and raise awareness of the importance of healthy dialogue around race and racism.

The new English course, titled “Community Dialogue Workshop,” satisfies the English/Communication major’s diverse voices requirement. Callie Higgins ’19, Erika Lucia ‘19 and Don’Jea Smith ‘20 have spent this academic year working with Jenna Scuito, assistant professor of English/Communications, on the independent study.

Sciuto will be the instructor of the new course.

“This course will provide students with a chance to interact with and give back to the local community,” Sciuto said. “I hope to give students

“This course will provide students with a chance to interact with and give back to the local community.”

— Jenna Sciuto Assistant Professor of English/ Communications an opportunity to lead and develop their own dialogue workshops in a way that is meaningful for them.”

The student-organizers have since hosted three workshop sessions at Drury High School and Wahconah Regional High School. They said that they also intend to visit Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter School (BART) before the end of this spring semester.

During the presentations, the organizers analyzed with the students a short clip from an episode of the Netflix series, “Dear White People.”

Key terms like systemic rac-

ism, white racial frame and white fragility accompanied with definitions, were included in a handout during the workshop.

“We are in the process of expanding our connections to Pittsfield and Hoosac, who are also interested in working with us,” Sciuto said.

Sciuto said that students in the new course will be introduced to theories of identity, power and society through discussions both on readings and films. Later in the semester, students will form groups, develop workshops

WORKSHOP, Page 4

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNA SCIUTO.

Pictured above from left to right: Erika Lucia ‘19, Professor Jenna Sciuto and Callie Higgins ‘19 while visiting Drury High School for their “Open Up: Community Dialogue Workshop” independent study presented to sophomores at the high school Friday, April 5.

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TOWEL

From Page 1 “I was going to do it [the challenge] freshman year but the partner I was going to do it with decided not to do it,” Kernozek said.

Her boxes also would have included informational pamphlets and educational guides on staying more eco-friendly in the modern world.

“I’ve had a lot of people come to me and praise me for wanting to do it,” Kernozek said. “I know people who were pitching ideas up to me.

There’s really no loss; I mean whatever happens happens, and it’s the experience, and it actually just makes it seem like a real possibility.”

Bent’s idea, “BUtiful,” was focused around making hair products, lotions and head wraps for African-Americans to feel more comfortable with their selves. This is reflected in her project’s title, “B[e]U[you]tiful.”

“My professor, professor Wayland, he actually came into our class and brought Amy in to convince us to do the program, but I had actually emailed her the night before,” Bent said. “So I actually was interested in [the challenge] on my own.”

“I’m grateful for this opportunity,” Bent continued. “It’s really cool and I’m grateful for whoever came up with this and brought it to this school.

I’m so happy that I got the opportunity to do this.”

MOHAWK From Page 1

they might make those plans and as soon as people see that marquee disappear, they have become the enemy of the state in this community because of the damage that they’re doing downtown.”

Council President Keith Bona suggested that the theater would not necessarily generate tax revenue if sold.

“We don’t know 100% who’s going to be buying this and what we’d be doing with it,” Bona said. “If it were Mass MoCA or MCLA, there could very likely be a nonprofit.”

Bona also added that the marquee has changed colors throughout his lifetime and while he would like to

WORKSHOP

From Page 3

and partner with local high schools.

During their Drury visit Friday, April 5, Higgins and Lucia held an hour and a half long workshop with approximately 50 high school sophomores in the Stephen J. Drotter Memorial Library.

“We were really surprised that they were open enough to disagree with their peers,” Higgins said.

Higgins and Lucia hosted two sessions with juniors and seniors that were approximately 50 minutes each. According to Higgins, the junior class was made up of approximately 15 students and the senior class was approximately 25 students.

“They were being loud and rambunctious, but it was all excitement about the discussion,” Higgins said.

Both Lucia and Higgins attended local high schools in the Berkshires.

As a graduate of Wahconah, Higgins took on the role of reaching out to the school’s assistant principal, Stephen Messina.

“We’ve really been working hard on making those solid connections with the high

schools,” Higgins said.

Before heading out into the community, the organizers held two mock sessions with both of Sciuto’s African American Literature classes.

“We want to develop a space for students to feel comfortable voicing their opinions on difficult topics like racism, microaggressions, and identity and also to listen to and learn from each other,” Sciuto said.

Currently, the organizers take the course for one credit.

The English 441 course will be offered for three credits. No prerequisites are required for the course.

“It’s hard to just keep an independent study going, so I think making it a class will make it more accessible to everyone,” Higgins said.

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PHOTO BY ALLISON THIENEL

President James Birge poses with Nicholas Strezynski and Owen Fitzgerald, who created a razor sharpening towel.

see it kept, he did not feel keeping it was a necessity.

“I believe that if the marquee was removed and a developer put millions of dollars into the building making it something amazing, with or without the marquee, I believe that people would be OK with that,” Bona said. “They might not be initially happy, but we’ve got to remember that there was a marquee above the Hub restaurant. Everyone today will say, ‘Well geez, I wish the Capitol restaurant was back,’ — not the marquee, they talk about the diner.”

Lamb argued that the marquee was still worth protecting and should be treated as an anchor of the downtown area.

“The aesthetic component of the

Higgins and Lucia held an hour and a half long workshop with approximately 50 high school sophomores in the Stephen J. Drotter Memorial Library.

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marquee is, I think, the key there,” Lamb said. “Whether someone is just walking into the city for the first time and is taking an Instagram photo and tagging it online, because I can’t tell you how many Instagram photos I see of the Mohawk marquee with hashtag North Adams on it. It is something that people look at and pay attention to when they come here.”

The amendment was passed 6-3, with Bona, Moran and Wilkinson voting “no.” Lamb, Jason LaForest, Marie Harpin, Eric Buddington, Paul Hopkins and Rebecca Cohen voted “yes.”

Lamb’s amendment came from the Community Development Committee where the subject had been sent two times previously, the first at the

CONFERENCE From Page 1

an art exhibit, and two mini-conferences.

Many of the student poster presentations were final projects for academic courses such as the Model United Nations course taught by David Cupery, assistant professor of political science and public policy.

After the Model U.N. class’s preparation and February participation in the North American Model United Nations in Toronto, Canada, students were assigned a country to represent.

“My goal was to get out of my comfort zone, work on my public speaking skills, and work on my language that I use when public speaking,” Bianca Lascase ’21 said.

For some students, this was their first time presenting at the URC or even their first-ever presentation.

Declan Nolan ’19 said that last year he presented in a group for their civil rights bus trip travel course; this year Nolan worked alone. “[I] learned how to talk to friends and random people,” Nolan said.

Many students stated they were able to gain more experience in drafting, researching and learning new editing techniques from faculty advisers.

Rosedolphe Ambroise ’20 described her experience at the URC poster session as a “grown-up science fair.”

All of the College’s academic departments were represented through presentations and helped students share the re-

urging of State Representative and former North Adams Mayor John Barrett III. During the meeting, Lamb also shared that the mayor would open all RFPs on the same day and that the documents could be made available for a public meeting. However, the mayor will have the authority to accept a bid that meets the property’s assessed value of $446,400. Any bid below the assessed value will come to the council.

Bernard first sought the council’s permission to receive RFPs for the theater during his state of the city address January 31.

Since 1991, the Mohawk Theatre has only opened to the public one time, for a Johnny Cash tribute show in 2012.

sults of their research.

“I learned that if I can teach someone else something, I learned more out of it,” Ambroise said.

Sara Dunham ’20, who gave a presentation on how gender affects a student’s motivation in sports, said that the URC “helped me develop a more professional self.”

Jenna Sciuto, associate professor of English/communications was announced as next year’s chair of the URC. Some student said that their project topics were inspired by their hope to help their peers. Emily Lopez ’21 did a poster presentation for her leadership practicum course informing students of campus resources like the blue light system, Therapist Assisted Online (TAO), and the Rave Guardian App. Lopez also said that her research and on-campus work lead her to the idea of possibly offering support groups on campus through counseling service.

“It [URC] helped me to confidently speak out about my passions,” Lopez said.

According to the written statement by James Birge, MCLA president, provided in the URC program, “Today’s URC highlights the sharing and learning across disciplines which is a core of MCLA’s liberal arts education.”

In her closing remarks, Nichipor encouraged current MCLA students to engage with their interest and to participate in events like the URC to develop their passions into careers.

“Don’t limit yourself to something that doesn’t feel right,” Nichipor said.

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MASSPIRG Campaigning for 100% Renewable Energy

BY SYMANTHA KEHR SPECIAL TO THE BEACON The Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group is campaigning to make MCLA and 13 other Massachusetts campuses use 100% renewable energy by the year 2050.

MASSPIRG would like to reach out to more than just colleges to make this change.

“Our campaign is really focused on getting campuses and also our cities and our state to commit to 100% renewable energy,” said Hannah Picknell, MASSPIRG students’ regional organizer.

“MCLA hasn’t made that commitment yet,” Picknell continued. “So this semester we’re really focused on a couple of different tactics to build support on campus. We have a petition that we’re asking any students or staff or faculty to sign onto saying that on the college level and state level we need to transition to 100% renewable energy, and we need our decision makers to prioritize that issue.”

MASSPIRG is also working on forming a coalition with student groups to help push for this commitment.

Legislation filed in Massachusetts would convert the state to 100% renewable energy by 2045. Thus far, 113 legislators have expressed support for the bill.

MCLA Energy Manager

Joe Santucci said the College has a co-generation steam turbine generator that allows the power plant to create both electricity and heat for the campus.

“We are not running [cogeneration] now because we are waiting to get some improvements made on the electrical system that are required by the electric company,” Santucci said.

According to Santucci, returning to co-generation would mean replacing the transformer and switchgear.

The repair is costly but would be covered by the state. The steam generator would only be in use from October to April. Santucci noted that in fiscal 2018, MCLA used 57,300 MMBtu of natural gas, which cost $655,294.

Solar panels that were installed on the Venable roof in 2005, according to Santucci, are not in use due to the array not producing a sufficient amount of voltage. To make this repair would cost the school about $20,000.

There is also a small 9.5-kilowatt solar array on the science center building and a wind turbine on its roof which also generates electricity, but it isn’t much.

“It doesn’t really have an effect on our real energy usage,” Santucci said.

According to Santucci, in fiscal 2018 MCLA used 5,517,036 Kilowatt hours of electricity,

PHOTO BY SYMANTHA KEHR

Solar panels on the roof of the Venable Hall serve as an example of how the MCLA campus is trying to go green. which cost $891,184.

According to Kebra Ward, assistant professor of physics at MCLA, while making a commitment to use 100% renewable energy, the College could buy energy from sources that produce renewable energy only and not have to produce its own renewable energy.

However, producing our own energy could save money in the long run.

“If they’re actually going to install stuff on campus it’s go-

ing to be a big upfront cost,” Ward said. “But then you realize once those things are installed you no longer have to pay for that.”

Picknell says renewable energy is becoming cheaper.

“For renewable energy in general, the technology keeps getting better and better,” Picknell said. “We are seeing advancements in how renewable energy can be used and how effective it is, and the cost keeps going down.”

A lot of space would be required for MCLA to produce its own energy.

“We don’t have room on campus for enough solar,” Santucci said. “We [would] need a lot of acreage considering the amount of energy we use here. We are not a good wind or solar candidate, so we might have to look at a biofuel or something like that on campus.”

The school could buy into power plants that claim to produce 100% renewable energy, but that can’t be guaranteed.

“There are always options out there to buy into other solar farms and other places where you can buy green power, but it’s all going into the same grid,” Santucci explained. “The power produced by renewables goes into the same grid as the power from the gas-fired plants, the hydro plants, the nuclear plants. Once it gets on the grid it’s a blend, it’s not pure anymore.”

Each school makes its own plan for going 100% renewable depending on what works for that school.

“Some colleges are mak-

ing the commitment by using more solar or investing in wind and other types of renewable energy like that,” Picknell stated. “It really just depends on what’s best for the college.”

This project has become MASSPIRG’s big campaign with the changing climate.

“Recent reports from the U.N. and the U.S. say that we essentially have 10 years to take serious action to avoid the worst effects of global warming and climate change,” Picknell continued. “We also have a national team that’s working on college campuses where we don’t have chapters. We have PIRG chapters in states across the country as well that are working on this.”

Some colleges have already made changes on their campus to go green.

“In California, they already got the entire UC system to commit to 100% renewable electricity and are now pushing for the whole renewable energy package,” Picknell said. “Boston University already made that commitment and was one of the first campuses to do so.”

MCLA has done some things to make itself greener.

“The College has started to adopt some green practices,” said Griffin Labbance, adviser of MCLA’s Green Team. “Aramark has adopted composting and food waste reduction.”

The Green Team is also making an effort to educate people on how to recycle properly and showing students how to save by reusing, according to Labbance.

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MCLA’s ‘Senior Thesis Art Show’ Opening Tonight at Gallery 51

BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR MCLA’s “Senior Thesis Art Show” will have its opening reception tonight, Thursday, April 25, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Gallery 51. The exhibition serves as the annual end-of-semester event that gives graduating art students a chance to display their work for the College, family, friends and peers, as well as the community.

Four seniors — Amanda Romanelli, Bailey Brissett, Cheyenne VanBramer and Louis Torres-Sanchez — will each be a part of the show. These students are enrolled in Senior Art Project, the capstone course for art majors. Some art minor students can take the class as well if they complete both the Advanced Art Lab and Intermediate Art Lab courses while also getting instructor permission. ”Students put together the show over the course of the semester,” stated Melanie Mowinski, MCLA associate professor in visual art, in an email. “They prepare their work, supporting materials like bios, artist statements, longer essays about the work, and promotional material for the show.” ”The week before the show opens they learn how to install artwork and install their work at MCLA’s Gallery 51,” Mowinski continued.

A wide range of artwork will be showcased in the exhibit, including paintings, drawings, comics, sculpture, stories and even pieces about bananas. ”I look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of these young artists,” Mowinski said. “I also look forward to hearing how the work impacts those who come to see the show.”

Each artist in the show will have at least 10 pieces on display that are unique to them and show their take on the art world. ”[This year] there are four very different artists’ work represented [in the show],” Mowinski said. “In some years with the SAP there are a couple of people’s work that has [had] some similarities, but not in this show.” ”Seeing the culmination of hard work, dedication, inquiry, and discovery all in one place [is my favorite part about the show],” Mowinski continued.

When asked why someone should come see the show, Mowinski said, “To see what MCLA up-and-coming art grads are doing! But also to laugh, be challenged to think about complex ideas, confront your relationship with life and death, and to support young artists.”

Be sure to catch the opening of MCLA’s “Senior Thesis Art Show” happening tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. at Gallery 51.

PHOTO BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER

MCLA’s “Senior Thesis Art Show” will run from April 25 to May 19 at Gallery 51 in downtown North Adams.

Spring Dance Fes val Coming to Campus this Weekend

BY SALI BAH A&E WRITER As the semester is coming to an end, the Fine Performing Arts Department will be joined by Dance Company to celebrate the first annual Spring Dance Festival which will be held April 25 through 28 in Venable Theatre. ”Some of the dances are athletic, [and] some lyrical, while others are based in street dance,” the concert’s director Tom Truss said.

“Here is a chance to read a bunch of bodies moving through space trying to convey a message.”

The concert will be showcasing about eight contemporary dance styles that explore a wide range of themes, including love, death, loss, joy and more.

“I think the most interest-

ing part of the show is how student-driven it is,” said Andrea Williams, assistant professor and costume designer. “The concert is predominantly designed and performed by students.”

About 50-60 students and faculty have come together from different departments within the theater to make the show happen. Students have been preparing for the show all year.

“In addition to the choreographers and dancers, there are teams of designers and craftspersons working on many aspects,” Principal Lighting Designer Jeremy Winchester explained.

“Lighting and costumes generally require the most work in dance, and that is true for us in this festival.”

Since this is the Fine Performing Arts Department’s final show of the semester,

PHOTO FROM MCLA THEATRE FACEBOOK

The Spring Dance Festival will run from Thursday, April 25, until Sunday, April 28. it is important that students come out and support their hardworking peers.

“I think this is a chance for students and faculty to engage with some of life’s re-

ally big questions explored in dance form,” Winchester said. “Not all of it feels ‘deep’ or ‘heavy.’ Much of it is quite joyful in fact, but it is all big in theme.”

The show is free for MCLA students and general admission is $15. You can reserve your tickets at mcla.ticketleap.com/ spring-dance-festival/.

Apr. 25, 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Music Department’s Spring Concert Series

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E WRITER MCLA’s music department will be having its annual Spring Concert Series featuring the Wind Ensemble Concert Monday, April 29, at 7 p.m. and the Jazz Band Concert Monday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in Church Street Center.

Both wind ensemble and jazz band are classes students are able to take at MCLA. These programs and events are overseen by MCLA music professors Michael Dilthey and Christine Condaris, who both oversee the concert choir.

Originally, these two concerts were performed at the same time during one long event but have been recently split due to their different genres and for time management reasons.

MCLA’s Wind Ensemble Concert will be directed by Patrick O’Connell, an adjunct instructor of music at MCLA. He hopes to show the audience the flexibility the wind ensemble has when it comes to style while also staying true to the composer’s intentions.

“I hope our performance will show the audience the stylistic versatility of the wind ensemble and that we will faithfully execute the composer’s intentions on each piece,” O’Connell said.

The wind ensemble will be performing a very diverse set, including “Valdres” by Johannes Hanssen, which is

PHOTO BY CRYSTA CHEVRIE

Members of MCLA’s Jazz Band rehearsing for their upcoming spring concert happening later this semester. characterized as a march, and “Redemption” by Rossano Galante, which is characterized as a romantic and lyrical piece.

The jazz concert will be directed by Jeffery Link, an adjunct instructor of music at both MCLA and Berkshire Community College (BCC). The jazz concert will also feature a diverse program of music, including

John Coltrane’s “Impressions” and Bill Whitler’s “Ain’t No Sunshine.”

Link is confident that the jazz band is prepared for their concert and are adept to any problem that may arise, including a performer’s sickness. There is a backup for every song, so the show will go on even if one of the performers is indisposed and

unable to perform.

It’s clear that Link has great confidence in his students, especially because the jazz concert will not be the band’s first time performing for the public. The band, which consists of 14 musicians, also opened for Link’s band at a benefit in Pittsfield.

“This is a very eclectic program with a lot of stu-

dent talent,” Link said when describing his performers and teaching method. “I don’t teach it as a class; I teach it as a band because I am a performer. A real deal.

I have played with a lot of people. Now it is easier to pay it forward.”

The wind ensemble was instituted over 20 years ago but was then shut down.

Dilthey and Condaris rebuilt the wind ensemble for both the College and the community and it has been going strong since 2009.

“A college ensemble working with community members has a great impact as the students enjoy local musicians and the town is connected to the College,” Dilthey said. “Students see an opportunity to enjoy performing on their instruments in their future, and the performances are rich with both experience of the community members and the energy from the students.”

O’Connell has enjoyed his time working with his students and the community.

“It has been an incredible opportunity,” O’Connell said. “It is encouraging to meet students and community members each semester who value music and carve out a portion of their week to study music.”

Be sure to catch the Wind Ensemble Spring Concert Monday, April 29, at 7 p.m. and the Jazz Band Spring Concert Monday, May 6, at 7 p.m. in Church Street Center.

Review

DC’s Latest is Shaza-Mazing for All Audiences

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI SPECIAL TO THE BEACON “Just Say the Word,” the tagline for DC’s “Shazam!,” reads as if DC and Warner Brothers just want you to make your own opinion about it. If so, then that marketing was successful, because the film makes you forget the gloominess of “Justice League” (2017) and the flashiness of “Aquaman” (2018).

By choosing to immerse the hero, the villain and the supporting characters in daily life, director David F. Sandberg combines childlike wonder and adult responsibilities to present a refreshing take on the story of good versus evil.

In a hero’s journey-type ordeal, foster kid Billy Batson (Asher Angel) is given the ability to turn into Shazam (Zachary Levi), a lightning-zapping and high-flying figure who wears red spandex and a lightning

PHOTO FROM IMDB.COM

“Shazam!,” directed by David F. Sandberg, is in theaters now. bolt on his chest. Shazam am with ease and charisma and Billy learn the ropes of while having fun embodying being a superhero through the mindset of a 14-year-old, Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer), and he meets his match in Billy’s new foster brother Dr. Thaddeus Sivanna (Mark who believes he can put his Strong), commander of the knowledge of superheroes seven deadly sins which he to the test. unleashes into the world.

Zachary Levi plays ShazThe script, written by

Henry Gayden, draws in a contemporary fascination of superheroes, telling audiences that age does not matter when it comes to the allure of superheroes.

Freddy’s idealism and Billy’s hesitance clash as they try to work together, but their differences make up most of the movie’s comedy, including a montage set to Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now.” The gravity of the story relies mainly on the dynamic between Shazam and Sivanna, as the origins of both Billy and Sivanna serve as a juxtaposition of each other.

Freddy, Billy and Sivanna are all motivated by different experiences, but their common ground is that they are willing to fight back.

By choosing to adapt “Shazam!” onto the big screen, DC is taking a stand for representing foster care in cinema. It is difficult to ignore the emotions evoked when the movie shows

Freddy being targeted by bullies at school and Billy’s desperation to find his birth mother, a more sincere approach to humanizing characters than the anti-climactic brawl in “Batman vs.

Superman: Dawn of Justice” (2016). Exposing Billy’s vulnerabilities is not an act of weakness, but rather a tool in helping him overcome the obstacles ahead.

In an April 5 interview with The Washington Post, Zachary Levi said “Shazam!” is carrying the DC mantle for now and he is honored to do so.

The movie has made more than $250 million worldwide, already sparking rumors of a sequel. With news of recasting “Suicide Squad 2” and leaving the fate of Superman in limbo, “Shazam!” proves that DC can deliver beyond expectations, wanting us to embrace our imagination and inner child. All we have to do is say the word.

Sports

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Mixed Tennis Takes Down SUNYDelhi 5-4, Secures Second Seed in NAC Tournament

BY BRADY GEROW SPORTS CO-EDITOR Bennington, VT - The MCLA mixed tennis team defeated SUNY-Delhi 5-4 after a hard-fought match Thursday, April 18, in the Trailblazers’ season finale. The Blazers were able to rally back for the 5-4 win after going down 2-1 early in the match, clinching the second seed in the NAC (North Atlantic Conference) tournament.

The doubles portion opened up play for the teams, and after three close matches, Delhi found themselves up 2-1 over the Blazers.

Starting the day off were MCLA’s team of sophomore Charles Najimy and senior Matt Bluteau who took on senior Marcos Andrino and freshman Christopher Balogh from Delhi.

Delhi opened the day strong as Andrino and Balogh were able to handle Najimy and Bluteau for an 8-5 set win and an early 1-0 lead over MCLA. Delhi would not hold its advantage for long, as MCLA’s duo of seniors Nick Castle and Samantha Gawron took care of business defeating Delhi’s sophomores Michael Zerniak and Brody Rettle 8-6, tying things up at 1-1.

This set win put Gawron and Castle at 6-3 overall as a duo, and 3-1 in NAC play over the season. The duo has also won their last four matches in a row to cap off the regular season.

Gawron alone has also won her last five singles matches putting her at nine wins straight to end the season. To cap her streak off she beat Delhi’s Bailey Lane in the singles portion of the match by scores of 6-2 and 6-0.

Closing out the doubles matches were Delhi’s team of freshman Bailey Lane and sophomore Jake Robinson defeating MCLA’s duo of junior Briana Higgins and sophomore Mackenna Jordan by a score of 8-6, putting Delhi up 2-1 after the duos section.

In the opening singles match, Najimy rallied to win in three sets over Delhi’s

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS

MCLA senior Samantha Gawron returning a ball in a match last season. Gawron has been one of the most consistent players for the MCLA mixed tennis team this year. Gawron is 7-2 this season in singles match-ups, and 6-3 in doubles with her partner, fellow senior, Nick Castle. Gawron has won her last five singles matches in a row, while her and Castle have won four straight doubles matches, leading the way for MCLA on their current four-game win streak.

Andrino by scores of 1-6, 6-3 and 6-4 to tie things back up at 2-2 overall.

Delhi would end up taking the next two matches to go up 4-2 as Balogh took down Bluteau with scores of 6-2 and 6-0, while Zerniak took down Castle in a close match with scores of 7-6 and 7-5.

With the match on the line, MCLA’s remaining singles players fought to win the last three singles matches of the day to secure the 5-4 match win.

Gawron got her ninth win in a row as she took down Delhi’s Lane by scores of 6-2 and 6-0. Higgins followed Gawron for MCLA and was able to defeat Delhi’s freshman Bababukunmi Babalola in straight sets by scores of 6-2 and 6-0.

The final match of the day saw junior Mohamed Mahrous come up big for the Blazers, defeating Delhi’s Robinson by scores of 3-6, 6-3 and 6-2 to cap off the set and match comeback, securing

Sharon ripped a double to right field to score Gouveia from first. Heller would then record a double of her own to left field that drove in Sharon for a quick 3-0 lead.

Heller would eventually score as well on a wild pitch to make it a 4-0 Bears advantage after three innings have passed.

The Bears would pick back up in the fifth inning. With junior Shannon Grindle on third and Navarro on second, senior Tabitha Domeij sliced a double to left field that scored both girls and furthering their lead to 6-0.

The Blazers found a small groove against Sorrenti in the sixth inning.

With freshman Cassandra Crosier on second base and junior Kara Adams on first, senior Kaitlyn Berghela reached first on a fielders choice that resulted in an error that allowed Crosier to score for MCLA to make it 6-1.

The Bears would close it out in the sixth after the Blazers lone score.

With runners on the corners, Grindle

recorded the fourth double of the day for the Bears to score both runners and widen the lead to 8-1.

Junior Samantha Mulcahy would close out the inning for the Bears, recording a single through the right side that would allow Grindle to come around for the score and put the final score of 9-1 on the board.

The Bears were led by Sorrenti, 7-6 on the mound with the win, who gave up just one unearned run on two hits with no walks and three strikeouts in the win.

For MCLA, Adams suffered the loss in the circle. Adams, now 2-10, allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 16 hits over 5 2/3 innings with three walks and a strikeout.

Bridgewater, now 18-15 overall and 10-2 in the MASCAC, will travel to UMass Dartmouth today for a nonconference twin bill match-up.

MCLA falls to 10-20 overall and 5-7 in conference play. MCLA’s final games are Saturday, April 27, as they face off

the 5-4 win for MCLA, and most importantly, the second seed in the NAC tournament.

MCLA will face off against Delhi once again Saturday, April 27, in the semifinals of the NAC tournament in hopes to continue their winning season.

MCLA finished the year at 6-4 overall and 3-1 in the NAC. Dehli is now 4-7 overall and sits at 2-2 in the conference at the end of the season.

MCLA Softball Routed by Bridgewater State 9-1

BY BRADY GEROW SPORTS CO-EDITOR

Bridgewater, MA - The MCLA Trailblazer softball team fell to the Bridgewater Bears 9-1 in the second game of their doubleheader after Bears junior Natalie Sorrenti tossed a complete six-inning game allowing only one run on two hits.

Scoring for both teams wouldn’t open up until the bottom of the second inning with junior Meghan Navarro at the plate for the Bears and senior Jenny Heller in scoring position at third.

Navarro took her advantage and sent a ball up the left side of the infield for a single to make it 1-0 Bears.

With things still close going into the third inning, the Bears got in a groove to widen the gap even further. After Sorrenti pitched a 1-2-3 inning, the Bears proceeded to score three runs to make it a 4-0 game for the Bears.

After senior Courtney Gouveia made it to first on an error, freshman Megan

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS

MCLA senior Kaitlyn Berghela hitting a pitch in the 9-1 loss to Bridgewater State. Despite going 0-3 in the loss, Berghela leads the team in: runs scored, hits, doubles and triples.

with MASCAC opponent Salem State in a doubleheader.

Apr. 25, 2019

Sports

Baseball Falls 10-1 to Anna Maria

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9

SCORE BOARD MCLA Lacrosse MCLA (1), Mass. Maritime (17) Kim Granito (MCLA) 3 shots, 1 SOG

Alyssa Blumenthal (Maritime) 5 Goals, 6 SOG, 4 Assists

MCLA Baseball

MCLA (4), Worcester (5) Game Two

Christian Seariac (MCLA) 2-3, 1 RBI’s, 1 Run

Andrew Miller (Worcester) 2-4, 2 Runs, 3 RBIs

MCLA Softball

MCLA (1), Bridgewater State (9) Game Two

PHOTOS BY MCLA ATHLETICS

The Men’s baseball team are currently on a four game losing streak. They are 2-11 for home games and 2-4 for away games. They have scored a total of 113 runs this season (above).

Kara Adams (MCLA) 1 strikeout, 3 BB, 8 ER, 5.2 innings pitched

Natalie Sorrenti (Bridgewater) 3 strikeouts, 6 innings pitched

Sophomore third baseman Jake Ferrara currently averages nine runs, 24 hits, 13 RBIs and one stolen base.

He has a total of 80 at-bats. He also averages a slugging percentage of .313, batting average of .300 and an on-base percentage of .396 (left).

MLB

Detriot Tigers (4), Boston Red Sox (2)

Andrew Benintendi (BOS)

BY JABARI SHAKIR SPORTS CO-EDITOR The MCLA men's baseball team fell to Anna Maria with the final score being 10-1, dropping the Trailblazers overall record to 9-22.

The game was played at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Massachusetts.

The Trailblazers' record drops 3-12 in the MASCAC. The Cats improved to 15-22 overall and 5-9 in the Great Northeastern Athletic Conference.

On the mound pitching, MCLA had the following: freshman Micheal Urbanski, freshman Max Grabielly, junior Kevin Speach, freshman Tyler Wade, junior Jimmy Miller, sophomore Edwin Veras, sophomore Andrew Lavelle and junior Dillion Maxon.

Wade finished the game with no strikeouts and one walk.

He allowed four hits, three runs and three errors on one inning played. Wade faced a total of nine batters.

Urbanski had one strikeout and no walks.

He allowed three hits on two innings played.

Urbanski faced a total of eight batters.

Veras had no strikeouts and three walks.

He allowed three hits, errors

and runs. He faced three batters.

Lavelle allowed one hit, two runs and two errors in one inning played.

He faced a total of five batters.

Maxon finished with one strikeout and one walk.

He allowed two errors, two runs and two hits.

He faced eight batters in one inning played.

In all, the pitchers concluded with six strikeouts, five walks, ten errors and ten hits.

Anna Maria's senior pitcher Colin Pipkin played an amazing game throwing in nine innings with eight strikeouts, two walks, one error, allowing six hits and one run.

He faced 34 batters in total.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Anna Maria's freshman first baseman Jarrod Marifote scored the first runs of the game with a two-RBI single to bring home freshman second baseman Jackson Dobek and sophomore third baseman Jake Crevier.

Additionally, junior left field outfielder Adam Twitchell hit an RBI single to bring home sophomore centerfielder Jason Shell.

In the top of the sixth inning, MCLA scored their first and only run by freshman right field outfielder Austin Rachiele on a single by sophomore third baseman Jake Ferrara.In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Cats took on a five-run

lead.Junior right field outfielder Fili Veras scored on a hit by pinch and bases loaded runners advance.

Crevier hit a three-RBI double bringing home freshman shortstop Kosta Drosidis, sophomore catcher Noah Holland, and Twitchell.

Then Dobek hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Crevier and close out the inning.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Drosidis singled to right field to bring home Veras (Cats).

Next, Crevier grounded out to second base bringing home junior left field outfielder Joseph Cabrera.

Overall, the Trailblazers had 32 total at-bats, six hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.

Ferrara finished with three atbats, with one hit, an RBI, a walk and a strikeout.

Rachiele had three at-bats, with one run, one hit, a walk and a strikeout.Overall, the Cats had 31 at-bats, ten hits, ten RBIs, five walks and six strikeouts.

Crevier finished with three hits, two runs, four RBIs and struck out with a total of five at-bats.

Drosidis completed with one run, three hits, and two RBIs with a total of four at-bats.

Check out the Trailblazers' next conference home game Friday, April 26, against the Salem State Vikings at 3:30 p.m .

3-4, 1 Run

Brandon Dixon (DET) 3-4, 3 RBIs

NBA

Portland Trailblazers (118), Oklahoma City Thunder (115)

Damian Lillard (Trailblazers) 50 PTS, 7 REB, 6 AST

Russell Westbrook (Thunder) 29 PTS, 11 REB, 14 AST

NHL

Boston Bruins (5), Toronto Maple Leafs (1)

Sean Kuraly (BOS) 1 Goal, 1 AST, 2 PTS,

Tyler Ennis (TOR) 1 AST, 1 PT

Opinion

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PlayStation 5: 8K Functionality Unlikely

BY RON LEJA EDITOR-AT-LARGE The technology used to create videogames has advanced so quickly in recent years that it’s hard to wrap one’s head around just how far the medium has come.

It feels like only yesterday some of us were settled on our living room floors leading an 8-bit plumber through a 2D world, jumping on crude collections of pixels sort of resembling turtles and angry mushrooms. Thirty-six years later and we’ve made quite the leap — from 8-bit to 8K. …Well, not quite.

Despite what you may have recently read about the previously unannounced PlayStation 5 being capable of “8K graphics,” the likelihood of Sony bringing native 8K resolutions to the home-console market — as early as next year nonetheless — seems pretty far-fetched.

Why? Well, the cost of 8K-capable technology, for one.

As it stands, NVIDIA’s “GeForce RTX 2080 Ti” is currently the most powerful graphics card on the market. With 11 gigabytes of GDDR6 memory, 18.2 billion transistors and photorealistic ray tracing technology, the RTX 2080 Ti is currently

the holy grail of graphics cards, capable of 4K resolutions and refresh rates of 60+ frames per second. It also has a retail price of $1,199, more than double the cost of current-gen consoles.

If that fact alone isn’t enough to spark a healthy dose of skepticism, we also need to keep in mind that 4K gaming is still a very new, fairly exclusive experience. Currently, the Xbox One X is the only home console capable of producing native 4K graphics, and in order to enjoy them one also needs to purchase a 4K capable television.

4K televisions were initially unveiled in 2012. Seven years later, and 4K displays are just now becoming the standard for premium home theater systems, with many sporting price points below $1,000. We’re also just starting to see other video-related services the likes of YouTube and Netflix implement 4K streaming capabilities, leading many to consider them a worthwhile investment.

While 8K television displays are currently available for purchase as well, they are still far

too expensive for the average consumer. The cheapest 8K display that I could find at the time of this writing fell just below $7,000.

Sony has worked their magic in the past, but it seems doubtful they’d be able to release their upcoming system with a price point affordable to the majority of consumers at this point in time — that is, if they were to offer an actual 8K experience.

It’s very possible that Sony may implement upscaling technology similar to what they used in their PlayStation 4 Pro system, along with a similar marketing strategy. While the system was sold as a “4k capable console,” it actually utilized a rendering system referred to as “checkerboard” to upscale a 1080p display to something similar to 4K. To put it bluntly, the technology as it stands is just too cost prohibitive, both for Sony and certainly for the majority of consumers. While true 8K gaming is certainly in a not-too-distant future, it seems likely that the PlayStation 5 won’t be the system to streamline the experience.

Notre Dame can be Rebuilt, but its Unique Sound may be Gone Forever

BY MICHAEL SCOTT CUTHBERT LOS ANGELES TIMES Like so many people on Monday, I tuned in to the news of the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. As others watched flames consume a place of devotion, a symbol of resistance through revolution or an architectural marvel, as a medieval music historian, I mourned for the unrecorded sounds that will now never be heard again.

For more than 100 years beginning in the late 12th century, some of the greatest advances in European music were entwined with the phases of construction of the cathedral. The first known pieces for three and four independent voices with rhythmic indications — the direct predecessors of all commonly sung Christian hymns and holiday carols, to say nothing of popular music today — were said to have been composed, as a 13th century author writes, for the use in “the great church of the Blessed Virgin in Paris.”

Two composers whose names survive, Master Leonin and Perotin the Great, rewrote the entire year’s liturgy to take advantage of Notre Dame’s resonant possibilities. Perotin in particular seems to have been a composer for the ages. Around the year 1198, he stretched short segments of chant into monumental works of freely floating voices above a sustained bass that, in a description by Umberto Eco, “filled the naves … and did not cease for the whole time that it took a speaker to repeat 12 ‘Ave Maria’s in a slow and cadenced voice.”

We would not know of Leonin and Perotin at all were it not for a single essay written by an unnamed source nearly a century later. Musicologists today call the writer Anonymous IV. He or she seems to have been a stranger to Paris and thus noticed details of the city’s soundscape and musi-

cal history that were too commonplace for natives to register. Anonymous IV described how the Parisians wrote down rhythm, the squabbles among clergy and what people were singing in Notre Dame. Yet the one aspect of medieval music that the writer did not capture, for there was no way to, was what music historians want most to know: What did the music actually sound like?

Anonymous IV would have needed not just the vocabulary of modern acousticians but the technologies to measure the resonances of the space in which it was performed. Maybe then we would be able to reconstruct how changes in its architecture over the nearly 200 years it took to build Notre Dame changed the sound.

We still lack the technologies to re-create the sound of historic spaces that have been transformed, or destroyed. But recent advances in recording, signal processing and artificial intelligence are bringing us closer.

The stakes for rediscovering past sounds are great. What sounds consonant or harmonious to us today was shaped by the works of these composers 800 years ago — and those pieces of music were informed by the acoustics of the space for which they were written. A space that is now lost, and whose story may be irretrievable.

Regarded alongside the ruined stained glass, the charred artworks or even the memory of countless masses, the loss of Notre Dame Cathedral as a historic musical space may seem insignificant. But the art was once photographed and might be reconstructed at least in part; the stories of baptisms and requiems might survive through retellings. But Notre Dame’s sound — a vital part of the history of music, thought to be hidden but perhaps someday to be rediscovered — may just have slipped beyond our grasp, to be lost forever.

10

Why ‘Unwritten Rules of Baseball’ are Stupid In a recent game between the Kansas City Royals and Chicago White Sox, benches were cleared after Royals starter Brad Keller intentionally hit Tim Anderson of the White Sox with a pitch.

This was Anderson’s first at-bat since having hit a home run off Keller, where Anderson’s bat flipped before taking a somewhat slow jog around the bases.

Anderson had to be escorted and calmed down by Royals catcher Martin Maldonaldo.

Anderson allegedly used a “racially charged slur” against Maldonaldo, catching the attention of the umpiring crew, Keller and the Royals bench.

The bench cleared as Anderson was speaking to Maldonaldo, followed by the White Sox bench.

Ultimately, after the benches cleared and managers Ned Yost and Rick Renteria went at each other (Renteria had to be restrained by umpire Joe West of all people), Renteria and Anderson were ejected and Keller would end up being suspended for five games (amounting to one start), while Renteria and Anderson were each given a game’s suspension.

Although Anderson’s language and Renteria’s hyper-aggression cannot be condoned, this all stemmed from Keller intentionally plunking Anderson after he homered off him and did a little bat flip?

Remember that the average pitcher in today’s league is hurling anywhere from 90 mph to even triple digits on their fastest pitches. That turns the baseball itself into a deadly weapon, which certainly can (and has) incurred serious injuries when it hits players, intentionally or not.

Of course, some pitchers over the course of history have enjoyed leveraging this fact in order to enforce baseball’s “unwritten rules”: don’t you dare bat flip, jog slowly around the bases, eye down your homer, or even look at him the wrong way.

Don’t say anything as you cross the bases. In fact, doing more than high-fiving a

ANDREW BAILLARGEON THE CALL teammate makes you liable to getting hit by something, potentially high and fast, your next time up.

But if you’re a pitcher, getting emotional over a huge strikeout, pumping your fist in the air, hugging your catcher … these are fine! And if they weren’t, it’d totally warrant having a potentially triple digit ball thrown, potentially at your head, where it could potentially even kill you, right?

Do you see “unwritten rules” in football or basketball?

Of course not. Those sports have treaded into what we call the “modern era” of sporting where nobody really cares about petty semantics like this. Ironically, the tried and true concept of using your on-the-field play to deter or outright negate showboating is the most sensical, least barbaric and most importantly, least reckless and stupid way to counteract someone else making fun of you.

After all, if the Patriots are up 35-7 on the Jets, nobody’s really going to be doing a lot of showboating if Sam Darnold throws a nice looking TD pass to make it 35-14, right?

To be quite frank, bat flipping, eying down your homer, or taking a slow jog around the bases isn’t even a slight directly aimed at the pitcher. Is it not OK to be proud or happy with some sort of achievement?

Whatever the case may be, inciting actual violence against somebody because they did a little bit of showboating is stupid. The MLB, in that respect, needs to get with the program.

Want to write a guest column?

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

Opinion

Apr. 25, 2019

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11

Editorial

New Fees are Unacceptable When you think of MCLA, chances are you think of affordability, accessibility and opportunity.

These are the things the College prides itself on and rightfully so. However, a recent decision by the board of trustees to implement a new $200 per credit fee for credits above 18 starting in 2023 stands in direct opposition to those pillars.

In the meeting to approve the new fee, President James Birge suggested that students were not focused enough and that students were taking on too many fields of study. However, the last two letters in MCLA stand for liberal arts — a philosophy built on understanding different subject areas and their relationship to one another.

By enacting a new fee such as this, an unfair burden is being placed on students who want to achieve more or are not feeling challenged enough.

The students who are not prepared to graduate at the end of four years are also not likely to do so because of the extra burden. Instead of taking extra coursework to finish within the four-year window, there is less incentive to do that work ahead of time.

As a liberal arts college, MCLA should be encouraging students to be as well rounded as possible across multiple disciplines to remain true to the mission of liberal arts. Taking classes outside your field of study allows you to make important connections and helps students see the world through a broader lens upon graduation.

However, not all students are taking extra credits because of additional programs. This fee will negatively affect students who may have struggled in the past and lost out on credits, took insufficient

credits as they adjusted to the pressures of college, or who were forced to take time off from school for unforeseen circumstances.

At a time when a college education is increasingly difficult for students to attain and more financial burden is being placed on them, increased fees only further complicate the struggle. Public education at its core should be less expensive, not more. Trying to nickel and dime students, many of whom do not have the financial wherewithal, is simply out of character and unacceptable for this institution.

While the College has stated that special circumstances will be taken into account, this fee was passed without any clarity as to what circumstances would be acceptable and who would be responsible for such determination.

There is also not enough evidence to suggest that this fee is indeed in place at peer institutions or other schools within the state university system. It appears that during the meeting where the fee was approved, Dean of Enrollment Management Gina Puc emphasized how commonplace a fee such as this is among our peer institutions. However, The Beacon conducted research for an article in a previous issue and found some, not all, state institutions have similar policies. MCLA has also cited no evidence for how this supposed fee aimed at behavior modification has actually worked at other institutions.

Through working with SimpsonScarborough on rebranding the College, MCLA has refocused on characterizing the school as creative, progressive, and diverse; excluding the trademark characteristic of afforability.

Give Teachers More Money. The Raises Will Pay for Themselves

BY DICK STARTZ LOS ANGELES TIMES Democratic presidential contender Sen. Kamala Harris of California wants to increase teachers’ pay nationwide to the level enjoyed by other college-educated workers — and her proposal would give a typical educator a $13,500 raise. She suggests covering the $30-billion-ayear price tag by increasing the estate tax and closing some loopholes benefiting the top 1% of taxpayers.

She may need that tax plan for political reasons. But in fact, a teacher pay raise will pay for itself. No — actually, raising teacher pay will likely make money for the government.

It’s not just striking and protesting teachers who insist that they are underpaid. Across the political spectrum, researchers agree that teachers earn lower salaries than workers with similar educational backgrounds. The Economic Policy Institute calls the discrepancy a “teacher pay penalty,” and pegs it at over 18%, noting that even with more generous public employee benefits, the total compensation gap is still 11% — a record high.

Eric Hanushek, of the Hoover Institution, and two colleagues estimate the teacher salary gap to be 22%.

Not coincidentally, the United States is no longer attracting a critical mass of teachers from among the top tier of college graduates.

Researchers report that just 23% of American teachers graduated in the top third of their college class.

In Singapore, Finland and Korea

— which have the world’s leading schools — essentially all teachers are drawn from the top third of graduates. Looking across the world, we also see that students perform better when they have smarter teachers and in countries where their teachers are well paid compared with other college graduates.

Better teachers impart more knowledge. Students who learn more earn more. People who earn more pay more taxes — and in this case, more than enough to cover higher teacher salaries.

It’s well established that an extra year of student learning raises lifetime earnings by about 10%.

We can also work out roughly how much more students would learn from better paid teachers. A Columbia University study looking across states finds that a raise of the size Harris proposes would have a measurable impact: On average, graduating students would have gained the equivalent of an extra 30% of a school year. International comparisons of teacher salaries and student performance suggest an effect three times that size.

Even if we take the lower figure, that would create a 3% increase in overall earnings. Labor income in the United States is about $13.3 trillion, so 3% of that is $400 billion dollars a year.

Americans pay an average federal income tax of 14% (leaving out sales and other taxes), so these increased wages would produce $56 billion in annual tax revenue — almost twice the cost of Harris’ program. That

not only pays for the teacher raises, it leaves plenty of spare change.

Of course, this is subject to argument. There are three reasons my suggested return-on-investment might be too high. The first: even if we raised teacher salaries tomorrow, it will be several years before enough top-tier graduates are persuaded to get jobs as teachers. So the educational improvements will happen only gradually. The second delay factor is that it takes time for the now better-educated students to reach the labor force. Finally, the spending starts now and the returns come down the line, so one needs to account for the time value of money.

All three of these factors lower the rate of return, but they don’t alter the conclusion that, in a business-decision sense, higher teacher salaries pay for themselves.

On the other hand, my projected returns could be too low. There are scientific estimates that better education greatly increases longrun economic growth. Total tax receipts in the United States are 27% of our gross domestic product, not just the 14% taken in income tax. By that measure, the return on higher teacher salaries might be twice as big, or over $100 billion a year.

Most policy discussions center on whether the benefit to society is worth the cost in taxes, as well as who benefits and who pays. But sometimes a government investment has such a high return that it pays for itself. Raising salaries for teacher is one such proposal.

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Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Jake Vitali

Managing Editor Nicholas Bassett

A & E Editor Jennifer VanBramer

Senior News Editor

Co-Sports Editors

Corey Mitchell-Labrie

Brady Gerow Jabari Shakir

Editor-at-Large Ron Leja

Copy Chief

Website Editor

Elizabeth Haight

Andrew Clarke

BWN Executive Producer Karen Canela

Staff Staff Writers Maya McFadden Tessa Sestito Nathan Biron John Morrissey

A&E Writers Salimatu Bah Sabrina Damms

Copy Editor

Tessa Sestito

BWN Reporters Andrew Strout Ally Thienel Erika Lucia Julia Teixeira Shunquell Dennis

Columnist

Andrew Baillargeon Nora Hones

Photographer Kenny Olchowski

Adviser Shawn McIntosh

Apr. 25, 2019

IN OTHER BEACON NEWS

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April Showers Bring New Photography Students Each Spring, students in the Advanced Photography class, taught by Gillian Jones, explore different themes as they find their photography style and hone their craft.

Here are some of the photos created by students in class.

A macro photo or close-up of an eye, by Raphael Heinen, is for the assignment theme "Body Part."

A reflection in a mirror on the ground is for the assignment with the theme, "Reflection," by Leah Harper.

A splash frozen by the camera with a flash shutter speed,

by Zachary Benjamin, is for the theme, "Water."

Applications for the Beacon are open!

They can be picked up and returned to Mark Hopkins 111 by April 25th. Contact Prof. Shawn McIntosh, Jake Vitali, or Nicholas Bassett with any questions.