TheOnlineBeacon.com
Thursday, February 13, 2020
Parlor Gets Beer and Wine License
Volume 90 • Issue 2
Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center
Marketplace To Host Valentine’s Day Event BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS
Emily Smith (left) and Ryan Mix (right) pouring drinks at the Parlor Cafe last Friday, Feb. 7. (See story on Page 4 for more details)
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center is hosting a tabling in the Campus Center marketplace called “Sexy and Safe Valentines.” According to Amanda Beckwith, coordinator of the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center and the Center for Service and Citizenship, attendees will participate in the traditional aspects of Valentine’s Day and learn about the importance of safe sex practices. “’Sexy and Safe Valentines is an opportunity for us to let students not only make valentines for people but also be educated about HIV, STDs, PREP and give out condoms,” Beckwith said. Beckwith noted that previous years were hugely successful at achieving the table’s mission of reaching
out to students about safe sex habits. “We have had a couple of hundred people come to the table before,” she said. “We keep track of how many people come and some people come back [to the table]. It is one of our bigger events.” Beckwith recognized that the table’s relevance is even more important this semester, in the wake of last fall’s sexual violence cases. “I understand that the students are concerned [about sexual violence] and I think that this is just one more way that we can address the topic,” Beckwith said. Isaiah Moore ‘22 believes that the table will be especially beneficial to college students, as it is a demographic that he sees as especially vulnerable to sexual health issues. “I think it is a good idea,”
Valentine’s, Page 3
Conflict Prevention and Resolution Lecture
John Stanmeyer, Photos Bring People Together BY NICOLE LEMIRE STAFF WRITER Award-winning photographer and Emmy nominated filmmaker John Stanmeyer visited MCLA on Monday, Feb. 10 to give a lecture on Conflict Prevention and Resolution. Stanmeyer spoke on resolving various conflicts across the world and how society can work to make a difference. He emphasized the importance not creating a divide between humans, but rather putting differences aside to tackle problems together. “Do you think you can change the world?” Stanmeyer asked the crowd. “You can’t, and I mean that in a positive way. You can’t do it individually. You can’t do it alone, but we can do it together.” Stanmeyer has worked for National Geographic and Time Magazine, with his work taking him to nearly 100 countries to cover conflict, social change and environmental issues. “How do we have conflict resolution? How do we bring peace in this incredibly unbalanced world that we’re in?” Stanmeyer asked.
A recurring point throughout his lecture were the struggles faced by those in poverty stricken countries. During this, Stanmeyer displayed photographs that he took of starving children, refugee camps, and war zones. “Of the 7.5 billion of us, 2 billion of us on our planet live on two dollars or less a day,” he said. Stanmeyer urged the audience to show compassion and caring and to work with others to resolve issues. He showcased many examples of people who he felt embodied these qualities, such as a woman who had not eaten for days but still offered him tea and a biscuit when he entered her home. “We’re all just people, and we forget that as humans. It’s one of the weakest things that we have as our species,” he said. He also introduced his project of “Bridging Stories,” which allows people to tell stories of hope through their photography. The concept behind the project was to bridge peace between Armenia and Turkey through young photographers. Stanmeyer was inspired to begin the project after
PHOTOS TAKEN FROM JOHN STANMEYER’S WEBSITE
Time magazine covers that used photos taken by John Stanmeyer. looking at a bridge that once connected them and seeing how the people were connected to one another. “In the exhibition, we didn’t put where the pho-
tographs were taken [geographically]. We wanted you to feel the realities of our commonalities,” Stanmeyer said. When asked how college
students can make a difference, Stanmeyer said that he encourages them to tell their stories, whether it be
Stanmeyer, Page 3
News
TheOnlineBeacon.com
2
SGA
Official Meeting Not Held Due to Low Attendance BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR SGA did not have enough members present to hold an official meeting on Monday, Feb. 10. Several SGA senators were unable to attend Monday’s meeting citing sickness and inclement weather, according to SGA President Dean Little ‘21. For the meeting to be valid, there needs to be a quorum consisting of at least two-thirds of the body’s senators in attendance. “Right now we have eight senators, so we need six of them here at any time in order for us to have a proper quorum,” Little said. “This has happened before, but not this year. It did happen last year once or twice.” Little noted that current senator vacancies make the possibility of not having the minimum number of senator attendees, a quorum, more likely as 13 of the 21 senator positions are currently vacant. “If you have 21 [senators], and you have three people that have excusable reasons
[for not attending], then your quorum is still fine. You’re gonna be okay, your fraction is still really high,” he said. “When three out of eight people can’t make it to a meeting due to weather, or any other reason, you can no longer have that quorum. So really, it is coming from not enough people are on student government.” In place of an official meeting, the present SGA senators held an ‘informational meeting’ where they instead had brief discussions, but are unable to hold any votes. The body continued last week’s discussion of the sexual violence prevention day being held on April 9. Little mentioned that he has spoken to several department chairs including math, biology and physics departments regarding the day and its significance to students. “They are all basically on board with it, as far as, they will tell their faculty members what the day is, that it is happening and how important it is to students,” he said. “But that doesn’t mean
PHOTO BY BRIAN RHODES Fabby Bogardus-Street ‘20 (left), Dean Little ‘21 (center) and Samantha Schwantner ‘20 (right) were able to discuss issues but were unable to vote on anything due to SGA not having quorum for their meeting on Monday. faculty are going to cancel their classes. At this point, the schedules have been drafted. Not every class will get canceled.” Little explained that an email about the event, awaiting approval by Adrienne Wooters, vice president of Academic Affairs, is planned to be sent out to all faculty members during the week. SGA Treasurer Nicholas Strezynski ‘20 noted that,
because the sexual violence prevention day was not announced in time for official class cancellation, professors could encounter issues if enough students decided not to go to their classes that day. “It’s definitely somewhat of a tough spot to put some professors in,” Strezynski said. “They’re gonna be worried about pushback if they don’t agree to it and I
don’t know if that’s fair.” During the meeting, SGA Senate Chair Fabby Bogardus-Street ‘20 posed potential ideas for their coming Winter Week which is tentatively planned for the first week of March. Because of President’s Day, SGA will not meet on Monday, Feb. 17. The body will next meet on Monday, Feb. 24 at its regularly scheduled time and place.
MCLA Ranked High in Gender Parity in Leadership BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI STAFF WRITER A 2019 Eos Foundation study has ranked MCLA as the top public college for women in leadership roles for a second consecutive year, as well as being ranked 18th out of 87 Massachusetts institutions in gender parity in leadership positions. The study was followed by a US News and World report ranking MCLA 45th nationally among public and private colleges on the social mobility scale. Gina Puc, dean of enrollment management and community relations, noted how the social mobility scale used by US News and World is a measurement of how students’ lives are financially changed. “It [the social mobility scale] shows if going to college is helping to lift their families into a better socioeconomic status or out of poverty,” she said. The US News and World report places MCLA tied at 45th alongside Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and Williams Baptist University in Walnut Ridge, Arizona. Puc believes MCLA was
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GINA PUC Gina Puc, dean of enrollment management and community relations, is one of many women at MCLA who takes on a major leadership role. ranked in 45th because of the number of graduates who were awarded Pell grants. “These are students who are receiving the maximum federal level of financial aid, and that’s based on a family’s estimated contribution,” she said. “It’s a reflection of MCLA’s longstanding commitment to equity - which doesn’t stop at equity for those who identify as women. One only needs to look around this campus to see this commitment,” said
MCLA President James Birge in an email statement to The Beacon. In the statement, Birge referred to examples of the college’s approach to gender equity, including the women, gender, and sexuality minor, the Identity and Gender Equality Resource Center (IGE), the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center, the Multicultural Education Resource Center, Lavender Receptions for LGBTQIA+ students and safe zone trainings.
Puc said that the hiring of MCLA’s first chief diversity officer, Christopher MacDonald-Dennis, was another step in providing support and inclusion for students. Puc said that only forty percent of the schools surveyed reached gender equity. “For us, this cements our commitment to gender parity and gender equity, but also is part of our larger mission to be a more inclusive, diverse and equitable institution,” she said. To increase the rate of
Check out your local college radio station, broadcasting from 10 a.m. to midnight every day
female enrollment, Puc believes it is important for prospective female students to see current female students with similar interests and extracurricular activities. “Women are outpacing men in going on to higher education, so what we see on campus is sort of replicated nationwide. I think a lot of it is there are personal touches in recruiting,” she said. Puc noted that 62% of current undergraduates at MCLA identify as women and two of the past presidents were women. “50% of our highest salaried employees are female. 50% of our board of trustees are women, including our board chair who is a proud MCLA alumna,” Puc said. “I am an MCLA alum and worked as a student tour guide in the admissions office. Once I started working here as an admissions counselor, I had a long line of really empowered female bosses that led the enrollment division and one of them became a close mentor. She was the former executive vice president,” Puc said.
News
Feb. 13, 2020
VALENTINE’S From Page 1
“I think it is a good idea,” Moore said. “College students tend to be sexually active, so it is a good idea to share information that would be beneficial to their health.” Emily Field ‘23, who works with the Susan B. AnthonyWoman’s Center, is looking forward to helping with the event, saying that it spreads awareness about being safe. “This will be my first year tabling [the event],” Field said. “I’m very excited.” The table for the “Sexy and Safe Valentines” event
opened on Wednesday, Feb. 12 and will continue to run until Friday, Feb. 14. The table will be open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. According to Beckwith, the Susan B. Anthony Woman’s Center will also be involved in the planned sexual violence prevention events on April 9, although specific plans are not finalized. “We’re looking for speakers, and interactive workshops on a variety of related topics, not just all about one thing, to give students an option throughout the day when being able to attend events,” Beckwith said.
TheOnlineBeacon.com
3
PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS The Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center has hosted “Sexy and Safe Valentines” for several years and it has become one of their most popular events every year.
Sanders Wins NH Primary, Narrowly Beating Buttigieg BY MARK Z. BARABAK LOS ANGELES TIMES Bernie Sanders eked out a narrow victory Tuesday in the New Hampshire primary, besting a pair of more moderate Midwestern rivals who together outpolled the champion of progressive Democrats on his New England home turf. Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., finished just a few thousand votes shy of the senator from neighboring Vermont and ahead of Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whose strong showing was the biggest surprise of the night. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Vice President Joe Biden were in single digits in fourth and fifth place, respectively, a weak showing that imperiled both their campaigns. Each vowed to fight on. Well before the votes were counted, businessman Andrew Yang and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announced they were dropping out. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick was expected to follow suit Wednesday. All three had negligible support. New Hampshire has a history of political volatility, with voters tending to decide late, and the results Tuesday held true to form, with nearly half those casting ballots saying they made up their minds in just the last few days. Klobuchar, an afterthought for much of the contest despite a number of well-received debate performances _ including one Friday night _ appeared to be the biggest beneficiary. Sanders, who won an overwhelming victory here four years ago, was the favorite to prevail. But he did not run away with the contest, leading Buttiegieg by less than 2 percentage points with 94% of the vote counted. “This victory here is the
beginning of the end for Donald Trump,” Sanders said as supporters at the University of New Hampshire Field House in Durham broke into chants of “Bernie Beats Trump!” Despite the exuberance, however, it was the second contest in a row - after last week’s Iowa caucuses - in which Sanders failed to meet the high expectations generated by big crowds and his enormous nationwide fundraising success. Still, unless one candidate consolidates the centrist vote it will be difficult for them to pull ahead _ and former New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg could further fracture the moderate wing as the contest moves into states where he is spending heavily after skipping the first several contests. Buttigieg, who had appeared to plateau just a few weeks ago, benefited in New Hampshire from a burst of momentum after finishing in a virtual tie with Sanders in Iowa. He spent much of the last week attacking Sanders, a democratic socialist who speaks in bold strokes of leading a political revolution, as too dogmatic and divisive to lead Democrats into the fall campaign. “You asserted that famous independent streak and thanks to you a campaign that some said shouldn’t be here at all has shown that we are here to stay,” Buttigieg told a New Hampshire rally at Nashua Community College. The biggest surprise, however, was the performance of Klobuchar, who used Friday night’s debate to assail Buttigieg as too green to be president and Sanders too far left. She repeatedly touted her victories in Minnesota, saying she could lure back voters in the industrial Midwest who abandoned Democrats to vote for Trump in 2016. Nearly a third of voters said the debate was an important factor in their deci-
PHOTO BY DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES/TNS Bernie Sanders speaking to his supporters after narrowly beating Pete Buttigieg in the New Hampshire Primary sion, and nearly 20% called it the most important factor, according to exit polling. Moreover, fully two-thirds of her supporters said they had made up their minds in just the last few days. “My heart is full tonight,” Klobuchar told exuberant supporters in Concord. “While there are still ballots to count, we have beaten the odds every step of the way.” Waving American flags and hoisting “Amy for America” signs, the crowd of several hundred punctuated Klobuchar’s speech with chants of “Vote Amy, beat Trump” and “Amy, Amy, Amy.” One of Tuesday’s many late-deciding voters was Marilyn Swick, 72, who did not make up her mind until the moment she walked into her polling place in a bustling community center in the Boston suburb of Hudson. “It was between Amy and Pete,” said the retiree, a political independent. “She was a woman. I just decided that out of the two, she might be better nationwide.” After Iowa’s caucus meltdown, New Hampshire’s vote was elevated in import as the presidential race now hurtles into Nevada and South Carolina, followed by a blitz of coast-to-coast balloting on March 3 _ Super
Tuesday _ which includes California. Victory, or least a strong showing, promised to yield a further spurt of momentum and, more concretely, an infusion of cash and a first or second look from the many voters just starting to pay close attention to the race. The candidates with arguably the most at stake Tuesday were Warren and Biden, who finished a disappointing third and fourth, respectively, in Iowa. The former vice president has largely rested his campaign on the notion he is the candidate best able to beat President Donald Trump in November, based on his experience and relative centrism, but the argument was undercut by his weak Iowa showing. Anticipating a similar setback in New Hampshire, he preemptively declared himself out of the running _ “I’m probably going to take a hit here,” he said at Friday’s
debate _ and didn’t bother waiting for results. He flew to South Carolina, a state with a large black population that Biden hopes will resuscitate his campaign with its primary on Feb. 29. “It ain’t over, man,” he told supporters in Columbia, the state capital. “We’re just getting started.” Warren, who had hoped to elbow past Sanders in Iowa and establish herself as the candidate of the party’s progressive wing, instead scrambled to avoid an embarrassing setback in her political backyard. She told supporters Tuesday night in Manchester she had no plans to exit the race, saying she expected the fight for the nomination to be a prolonged one. “The question for us, Democrats, is whether it will be a long, bitter rehash of the same old divides in our party, or whether we can find another way,” Warren said, pitching herself as a unity candidate.
STANMEYER From Page 1
their stories, whether it be through college newspapers or social media. “Be an oracle on your own self-publishing platform, work social media,” Stanmeyer said. “It’s what you make of it, but you’ve got to be relentless. Find an issue that expands you past what we call ‘College’.”
Features
TheOnlineBeacon.com
4
Jerry Smosky Marks His 50th Year at MCLA
Biology professor gets students to think, not just memorize BY ISABEL COSTA FEATURE WRITER Over the past 50 years, Jerry Smosky, professor of biology, has taken on many roles such as a teacher, mentor and friend. First starting teaching at MCLA in 1969, Smosky enjoys enlightening students’ minds. “I want to teach them to think, rather than memorize,” he said. In 1969, MCLA was named North Adams State College and was in the beginning of a boom of enrollement for all Massachusetts State Colleges. Smosky’s wants his students to get a real sense of what the world is outside of
college but still enjoying the process of learning and questioning. “I want students to graduate having been exposed to a diversity of views, such that they might experience in the real world. It is essential that we do not coddle students,” Smosky said. He was initially drawn to MCLA for its location in New England and its small intimate style. “I wanted to go to New England, in a sense I feel like I grew up here, I would come up from New York to visit my grandparents, I like the weather and the seasons they asked if I wanted to teach and I said, okay sure,” Smosky said. Smosky expressed the
“The students have become more comfortable with treating faculty as people,” Smosky said.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JERRY SMOSKY
Biology Professor Jerry Smosky in his early days at North Adams State College. largest change he’d seen within the campus community in the last 50 years is the relationships between the students and faculty. “The students have become more comfortable with treating faculty as people. When I first came there were the faculty and then there were the students,” Smosky said. “We have a lot of people
who are committed to teaching. The classes are small. They are not big so you can get a lot of individual attention [and] there are numerous options [for students to get experience] whether it’s being involved in The Beacon or in the theater. We are small enough that you get to really know people.” Smosky said. The most important thing
Smosky has learned is allowing students to graduate with as broad of an education as possible stating, “people are going to go out into the world and I want them to have as broad and thorough experience as possible.” Smosky wants his students to “think” rather than memorize in a different way. Smosky was born in Glen Clove, New York and always knew he wanted to make a future as a college professor. “I wanted to come to New England, and a small college and emphases teaching. I figured I knew what I wanted to do and I have evolved over time and I have loved it more overtime,” Smosky said. Smosky got his PhD from the University of South Carolina in Biology. He always aspired for a future in teaching it in a collegiate setting. “I knew that it would never be fully understood, I always thought there were numerous things we didn’t know, there are debates and theories around it. I love the give and take of different ideas,” Smosky said.
The Parlor Cafe
Parlor Cafe Adds Beer and Wine to Menu
PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS
The Parlor Cafe employees, Nick, Julia, and Benny, preparing for an open mic event. BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES EDITOR The Parlor Cafe has been working towards several changes since they reopened on Oct. 22 last semester. One of their biggest, their newly approved liquor license. The Parlor Cafe currently only serves wines and beer, with plans to expand on their selection. They are mainly supplied by the Berkshire Brewing Company and, according to the owner Julia Daly, would like to continue to work locally. Daly remembers how the space used to be a hangout
hotspot back when she was a student at MCLA. “When I was in college, this space was really cool,” Daly said. “This was a place where students, professors and townspeople all kind of hung out.” She’s hoping to bring back that same kind of environment with her changes to the Parlor Cafe. “The idea behind it was that there was sort of something there for everybody,” Daly said. “If you just want to hang out and do some homework and have a latte you can, but if you are having a lunch meeting and want to have
a beer, you can also have a beer,” Daly said. She also shared how serving of alcoholic beverages also caters to the performers who come to their shows and open mics. “Also, just for shows, for music, open mics, and stuff like that, a lot of the time people are looking for [drinks]. It’s just another thing that people want that we can now offer,” Daly said. She applied for the Parlor Cafe’s liquor license about a year ago, get it approved in during late December. Shortly after, they started to sell alcoholic beverages.
“For our distribution we wanted to work on a pretty small scale. We are working mostly with Berkshire Brewing Company which is great,” Daly said. “We are also getting ‘Ginger Libation’ through them which is something that you can’t really get many places.” She emphasized the importance of obtaining a good wine selection for their customers, of which the parlor currently carries three. “There’s more of a wine market here than people realize, but it’s just not really being tapped into,” Daly said. Daly also wants to expand the menu and introduce a weekend brunch. “We’re planning on doing like a weekend brunch sort of thing where we will prob-
ably have some wine based cocktails and stuff like that. It will be a fun creative way to bring in some new people,” Daly said. According to Daly, weekend brunch is planned to start sometime around spring. As a result of this, The Parlor has also changed their hours, staying open a little later on weekends, extending hours to 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on the weekends. “I want people to realize this is a place where you can come to hang out,” Daly said. “Hopefully these changes work well for people. So far it seems to.” The Parlor Cafe will be ho ting an event on Friday, Feb. 21. Align, a folk fusion duo will be preforming live music at 7 p.m.
PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS
Stephen Timothy preforms a song for the Parlor Cafe’s open mic event.
Features
Feb. 13, 2020
TheOnlineBeacon.com
A-OK Barbecue, Bringing Hospitality Back BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES EDITOR TEDx North Adams made their third visit to North Adams on Feb. 8, at 12 p.m. at MASS MoCA with this year’s event having featured nine different speakers, including Aaron Oster, co-founder of A-OK Barbecue. His talk, “Changing Hospitality Dynamics: Creating space for Compassion in the
Service Industry,” highlighted his belief around how meals made with love bring people together. “I realized that a lot of the experiences of preparing food in a professional setting weren’t full of great bonding memories such as the one between me, my grandmother, or my mother or father,” Oster said in his talk. “[The food business] was full of anger, fear and a gas-
PHOTO PROVIDED BY AARON OSTER
A selction of some popular picks from A-Ok Barbecue’s menu.
tronomical caste system that separated people based on their job title,” he continued. “We want people to have that connection where they feel connected to us. We don’t want it to be disingenuous like we mean it,” Oster said. “Hospitality is sort of like a lost art, you know? Smiling at people, looking them in the eye, listening, I think that never going away.” Oster finds it important to eliminate roles of hierarchy that are commonly found within the restaurant business, and instead work on being a team. “Instead of creating a separation between the front of house and the back of house, a separation that creates a lot of animosity in the food business, we decided that everyone was going to get paid more or less the same amount,” Oster said. “Also, all of the effort was going to be split between everybody because we didn’t hire positions we hired people.” Oster found communication to be essential to operating a healthy business not only between staff members, but also between staff and customers. Oster and his wife officially opened A-OK Barbecue on Sep. 1, 2018. Based off of their personal experiences with food, Oster and his wife made it their goal to ensure hospitality and empathy as foundations of their restaurant. “Once we had that mission clear to put that food on the table with as much love and care we started to take apart
5
PHOTO PROVIDED BY AARON OSTER
A-Ok Barbecue resturant is located on the MASS MoCA Campus. the pieces,” he said. They developed plans that covered the accessibility, culture and a new philosophy on staff for the restaurant. They also prepared how to deal with specific successes and failures. Oster really emphasized the importance of the kind of people he hired to work with the company. “It was important that we found people who had the things we couldn’t train. You
can’t teach empathy. You can’t teach character and integrity,” Oster said. He admitted to purposely searching for staff members who didn’t have any experience in the food business. “You just have to look us in the eye and we have to simply like you. We figured if we pull enough people together who liked one another, then it’s our responsibility to teach them how to cook,” Oster said.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TheOnlineBeacon.com
6
Connect and Share; Win a Prize Library looking for students’ favorite YouTube Videos for contest screening BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E EDITOR MCLA’s Freel Library is having an open call for students favorite YouTube video submissions untill Feb. 21 for a screening that will take place Friday, March 6. In order to be considered for entry the videos must be four minutes or less, can be any genre but must be PG-13 or below, some language is allowed but it can not be too extensive. Students can send their video by following the link on the MCLA Freel Library’s homepage. “It [The video screening] is purely based on people submitting things. It’s very much like us to the students. So you have a direct relation to how the event will go by the amount [and type] of submissions,” said Library Commons Supervisor Danielle Christensen. The library will be basing the awards and prizes based on the type of videos they receive. The event is the first of its kind as it is emergent between the library and the students. They come together to make the event as successful as possible. The submissions used will be determined by a committee made up of library staff and potentially other people from outside the library. “We need people to submit their favorite videos. Then we will have a panel of judges that is going to select the best ones,” said Research and Instruction Librarian Kate Flower.
During the event students will gather together to watch the videos on the library’s brand new 75 inch television. “During the screening event we will show the films with popcorn, snacks, and stuff,” Flower said. “Then we will have prizes for the judges’ favorite, the audience’s favorite and then maybe a few other categories if we notice a certain theme.” The open call for YouTube videos gives students a chance to share something that is important to them or that they otherwise would have no opportunity to show people. “We think it will be a fun event. Everyone I know has a favorite YouTube video but you don’t always have the outlet to share those videos,” Flower said. “Videos kinda have this magical way of telling a story and I think it’s easier for people to visually connect on those levels. Especially with a funny video [or if] It’s fun visually or it’s interesting visually,” Christensen said. People have been using videos to share their interests and bond with others for many years. When Danielle Christensen went to MCLA back in 2011 she use to send videos to her friends. She believed that they were a great way for her to connect with others and she hopes that this event does the same. “It’s always nice to go to events where people have the same interests and I always hope that people make connections with other folks that go to those events,” Christensen said.
PHOTO COURTESY OF MCLA FREEL LIBRARY
Submissions to the contest will be shown at a screening on Friday, March 6.
HiLo to Host Local Comedy Booked Open Mic BY AIDAN RAWSON A&E WRITER HiLo North Adams will host a free Comedy Booked Open Mic event on Wednesday, Feb. 19 beginning at 8 p.m. The show is pre-booked, and requires performers to sign up beforehand. The show is set to feature local and regional comedians. HiLo North Adams is located on 55 Union Street. In addition to the show, HiLo will also be selling food and beverages. “We are hosting the event and using our space to do so but we also have Thomas Atilla Lewis, who is the MC and also a local comedian who has been booking the comedians and working as the event promoter and he does a fantastic job,” said Brian Miksic, co-owner of HiLo North Adams. “This is what we consider a ‘curated open-mic’ so you can’t just walk through the door and get on stage. You have to sign up with Thomas Atilla Lewis before the event and this will ensure that we have a good mix of comedians on stage.” Miksic also mentioned that expectations for the show should be open-minded. “Expect anything from local comedians who are just starting out and trying to find their voice, as well as local and
Lady Moon and The Eclipse who performed at HiLo last semester. regional comedians who have been on a stage a few times and are trying to work on their material,” Miksic said. HiLo has been hosting these open-mic comedy events as a natural extension of their professional comedy nights. “We recently hosted ‘Comedy Night with Chloe Hilliard’ who has appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Last Comic Standing, and ‘The Nightly Show’ on Comedy Central,” Miksic said. “But we do these local and region-
PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI
al curated shows to get people to think about comedy more than once a month, and beyond professional comedy. We really have tried to establish our venue as one of not just primarily music, but one that also features comedy, drag shows … anything that allows us to utilize our stage as much as humanly and fiscally possible in order to provide diverse entertainment to the community.” HiLo North Adams also shared a few pointers for new comics via the
Facebook Event page, asking them to stay for the entirety of the show and to show respect to the other comics. The event’s Facebook posting states that food and beverages should be bought from HiLo and suggests that patrons tip generously to support operational costs. “These curated open-mics are really fun to do, and so far, have gone extremely well.” Miksic said. “The crowd loves them; the comedians are able to garner feedback from the crowd…It’s a tough thing to do to get up there and test out your material so I admire those who do it.” Performer check-in begins at 7:30 p.m. and the order of performers will be posted at 7:50 p.m. The show will end by 9:45 p.m. at the latest. Comics should prepare for a seven-minute set, but also be ready to cut material as the set order and length will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Performers must sign in at 7:30 p.m., as they will not be allowed to perform if they do not communicate with the host that they are there. There will also be a Local Comedy Booked Open-Mic on Wednesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. Those interested in performing should contact Thomas Attila Lewis via Facebook or Instagram (@djtomdog) or email via tomdog@gmail.com.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Feb. 13, 2020
TheOnlineBeacon.com
7
Artist Impact Coalition to Host Artist Meet-up BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E EDITOR The North Adams Artist Impact Coalition will be having their quarterly North Berkshire Artist Meet-up on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. bringing artists together to build connections, identify issues that artist may experience, and discuss ways opportunities or resolutions available. This free meet-up will take place on the second floor of the Freight Yard Restaurant & Pub, located Western Gateway Heritage State Park. Food and drinks will be available for purchase on the first floor. For those who need it, the second floor of the Freight Yard Restaurant & Pub is accessible by elevator. “Our North Berkshire Artist Meetup happens once a quarter, so once about every three month. They typically occur in different communities around Northern Berkshires but typically between North Adams and Williamstown. That is where a large portion of our artists come from,” said Molly Rideout, who works for Mass MoCA’s Assets for Artists department in Fundraising and Marketing. “Anyone that self-identifies as an artist of any discipline is welcome to come. It’s just a casual gathering, typically at a restaurant or bar situation” Rideout said. “Where you get the opportunity to meet new people and start up conversations with other artists in the area that you haven’t met yet,” Rideout said. Presenting at the meet-up will be Ben Lamb and Jess Sweeney to discuss an Ashland Street project that they have been working on. Attendees can also expect a presentation from the North Adams Artist Impact Coalition who will be launching a census that will be going on for the next six weeks. This census will gather demographics on artists in the area, how their art is practiced, and what they need in their artistic endeavors. “The Impact Coalition is still very much in their early phase and so it is trying to keep the momen-
PHOTO COURTESY OF ASSETS FOR ARTISTS
Attendees at the previous North Berkshire Artist Meet-up August, 2019 before the artist mingle. tum going in terms of, not just these meet-ups, but also identifying other opportunities, as they come up, that we might be able to take advantage of to strengthen the communities of artists out there,” Rideout said. Artists are encouraged to bring contact, business cards, or other ephemera as they will also have the opportunity to mingle and build lasting connections with one another. The Meet-up’s Facebook page says that, “The purpose is to hold space for artists, writers, musicians, and creative people of all disciplines from the Northern Berkshire region to expand their conversations and continue to build connections” The North Adams Artist Impact Coalition is made up of different organizations, galleries, initiatives who are dedicated to strengthening the artistic community by identifying the common
THURSDAY, FEB. 13
- NORTH ADAM’S WINTERFEST 9 A.M. - 4 P.M.
TORTELLINI DAY
-VALENTINE’S ICE CREAM SOCIAL MURDOCK 218 7 P.M. - 8 P.M. FRIDAY, FEB. 14 VALENTINES DAY
issues that are coming up when talking to the artists discuss during the meet-ups. According to the Explore North Adams website, “Organizations, galleries, initiatives and individuals who are involved include: MASS MoCA’s Assets for Artists, MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center; the City of North Adams, Common Folk, Installation Space, Walkaway House, and several independent practicing area artists.” These organizations band together using their different skills to figuring out how to solve the issues these artists discussed and supply the needs that these artists have. “We have our focus which, for us, is the business and financial side of educating artists on how to be a small business as an independent freelance artist. Different, other organizations have other focuses,” Rideout said.
- SHOOT YOUR SHOT SPOKEN WORD POETRY, LIVE DJ, BLACK LOVE AND ART GALLERY 51 7 P.M.
- THE RESTLESS AGE HILO 8 P.M. SUNDAY, FEB. 16 ALMOND DAY
- WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT VENABLE BLACK BOX 7 P.M.
SATURDAY, FEB. 15
-ALLEGRETTO’S KUPID KARAOKE 7 P.M. - 9 P.M. MURDOCK 218
- WHITE RABBIT RED RABBIT VENABLE BLACK BOX 7 P.M
-SECOND FRIDAY OPEN MIC THE PARLOR CAFE 6:30 P.M. - 9:30 P.M.
- SAC GAME NIGHT 8 P.M - 10P.M BOWMAN HALL
GUM DROP DAY
- MUSIC TRIVIA NIGHT HILO 7 P.M KEEP A LOOK OUT FOR - TUESDAY FEB. 18 OLYMPIAN SAMANTHA LIVINGSTON CAMPUS CENTER GYM 7 P.M.
Sports
TheOnlineBeacon.com
8
Dodgers Complete Betts, Price Trade BY JORGE CASTILLO LOS ANGELES TIMES LOS ANGELES - Nearly a week after agreeing to a seismic trade that would've sent superstar Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers before the Boston Red Sox got cold feet at the finish line, angering people at all levels of the baseball industry, the two sides finally agreed to a slightly different deal Sunday, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. The Red Sox, a deep-pocketed franchise seeking to dip under the collective balance threshold, will ship Betts and starter David Price with money to cover half of the $96 million remaining on Price's contract to the Dodgers. The Red Sox will receive outfielder Alex Verdugo with two prospects who were not part of the original deal: shortstop Jeter Downs and catcher Connor Wong. The original agreement would have triggered another trade between the Dodgers and Los Angeles Angels in which the Dodgers would have sent outfielder Joc Pederson and right-handed pitcher Ross Stripling to the Angels for
infielder Luis Rengifo. Prospects would've also exchanged hands. But the deal reportedly isn't happening, giving the fiasco another odd twist. The first variation of the three-way agreement involving the Dodgers and Red Sox, which was reported Tuesday, had the Minnesota Twins sending pitching prospect Brusdar Graterol to Boston and receiving Kenta Maeda from the Dodgers. But Boston backed out of the agreement after reviewing Graterol's medical records and sought more compensation. The three clubs worked on an adjusted deal over the next several days but could not come to a three-way agreement. As a result, the Dodgers and Twins agreed on a separate deal not involving the Red Sox on Sunday. In it, Maeda will still go to Minnesota along with $10 million and a prospect, but Graderol would be sent to Los Angeles, not Boston, along with the No. 67 pick in June's draft and outfield prospect Luke Raley, whom the Dodgers drafted in 2016 and traded to the Twins in 2018. Both transactions are pending medical reviews.
Graterol, 21, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015 and missed two months last season with a shoulder impingement. The Red Sox had planned to use him as a starter, but concluded he was better suited as a reliever after reviewing his records. The Dodgers apparently thought differently of Graterol's health record, or are at least fine with his 101-mph fastball coming out of their bullpen. The original three-team swap sent shockwaves from coast to coast, exciting people in Los Angeles while peeving Boston's rabid fan base weeks after manager Alex Cora was forced to step down as part of the fallout from the Houston Astros' sign-stealing scandal. The situation took a strange turn Wednesday when word surfaced that the Red Sox were backing out of the original transaction. By Friday, the delay had peeved Scott Boras, Graterol's agent, and MLBPA executive director Tony Clark enough that they publicly denounced the situation. Boras defended his client's health. Clark lambasted the process in a statement. "The proposed trades be-
NHL
Flyers Lose 5-3 to Islanders BY EJ SMITH PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER NEW YORK - The Flyers had a point in their grip for roughly 50 seconds. In the final minute of regulation, the Flyers surrendered the game-winning goal to New York Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock in a 5-3 loss Tuesday at the Barclays Center. Pulock's goal came less than a minute after Sean Couturier tied things up at 3 after the puck deflected off the boards directly toward his stick with 1:32 left in the third period. New York's fifth goal came on an empty-netter from Islanders winger Leo Komarov. The Flyers (31-19-7) entered the night just one point behind the Isles in the crowded Metropolitan Division standings, but they lost the chance to gain ground in the playoff race partly thanks to a lackadaisical start to the second game of a back-to-back for the Flyers. The Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period. After getting blitzed early, the Flyers responded with two goals in less than three minutes during the second period. Flyers winger Travis Konecny got them on the board with a wrist shot set up by winger James van Riemsdyk, and Robert Hagg beat Isles goaltender Semyon Varlamov 2 minutes, 20 seconds later to get back within one goal. "(Van Riemsdyk) made an unbelievable pass across there and I just tried to find a soft area," Konecny said. "I was kind of taking my options as I was walking in but there was really nothing else other than to just throw the puck on net." Hagg continued his strong response to being a healthy scratch Thursday against the New Jersey Devils by scoring his second goal of the season. The Islanders tested Flyers goalie Brian Elliott
early and often, getting several quality looks on net in the first period. They cashed in for a 3-0 lead heading into the first intermission. The first score came on Isles forward Josh Bailey's one-timer set up by center Mathew Barzal. The second came after Flyers defenseman Philippe Myers got caught out of position, leading to a two-on-one transition score by Isles fourth-line winger Matt Martin. Jordan Eberle gave New York a three-goal advantage, scoring on a rebound late in the first period. The Flyers answered with two good looks on goal, but Varlamov stopped both. Konecny's missed opportunity came just past the 10-minute mark of the third period when Brock Nelson earned a two-minute penalty for holding Sean Couturier. The Flyers haven't managed to beat the Islanders this season, going 0-2-1 in the season series with one game left to play on March 24 at the Wells Fargo Center. Each of the three games has come with the Flyers on the second of backto-back games. The two teams hadn't played since Nov. 16, though. "They were a much better team defensively and they were able to generate some quality chances," Flyers coach Alain Vigneault said of the earlier meetings. Elliott got his 25th start of the season one night after second-year goalie Carter Hart held the Florida Panthers to one goal after missing nine games with a lower abdomen strain. Hart had 30 saves in his first game since Jan. 13. The Flyers remained one point behind the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Metropolitan Division. The Blue Jackets were off, but return to action Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres. The Flyers will play Columbus twice next week, with the first meeting coming Tuesday at home.
PHOTO BY LUIS SINCO/LOS ANGELES TIMES
The Red Sox recieved Dodgers outfielder Alex Verdugo for Betts and Price. tween the Dodgers, Red Sox, Twins and Angels need to be resolved without further delay," Clark said. "The events of this last week have unfairly put several players' lives in a state of limbo. The unethical leaking of medical information as well as the perversion of the salary arbitration pro-
cess serve as continued reminders that too often players are treated as commodities by those running the game." The episode's delayed completion registers as a loud, if strange, finale to the offseason for the Dodgers after they whiffed in previous attempts to land an elite player.
Rondo Delivers Best Game of Season Against Phoenix BY TANIA GANGULI LOS ANGELES TIMES
LOS ANGELES - If the Phoenix Suns had any notion that the 15-point deficit they faced against the Los Angeles Lakers heading into the fourth quarter was manageable, one man proved them wrong. Naturally, it was Rajon Rondo. Rondo delivered a season-high 23 points in a 125-100 win over the Suns on Monday night at Staples Center. He made nine of 12 shots and four of five three-pointers. All of his points came after the first quarter. It was a sloppy night for the Lakers, who committed 16 turnovers, eight of them charged to LeBron James, who finished with 17 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Coach Frank Vogel, who said there were no major injury issues heading into this game, played a nine-man rotation most of the night. Neither Alex Caruso, Quinn Cook, Troy
Daniels nor Jared Dudley played until 4:48 remained in the game and the Lakers had a 23-point lead. They struggled to stop the Suns in the first quarter, the Suns taking advantage of their open looks to shoot 58.8% and five of nine on threes. The Lakers, meanwhile, made only three of 10 threes and led by just one. During the second quarter the Lakers were able to put some distance between themselves and Phoenix. That's when Rondo began his scoring spree. He scored 15 points during that period, making all six shots he took, including three three-pointers. The Suns shot just 36.8% in the third quarter and made only two of eight threes as the Lakers broke it open. With 10:55 left in the game, the Suns' Kelly Oubre Jr. swiped at Kyle Kuzma, causing the ball to jump out of Kuzma's hands. But then it tumbled into the basket somehow, leading Rondo, who had passed Kuzma the ball, to chuckle at their good fortune.
Feb. 13, 2020
Men’s Basketball
Sports
TheOnlineBeacon.com
Men Tied For First In MASCAC BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The men’s team lost against Salem State last Saturday, Feb. 8 in an 88-67 game, pulling them back into a tied position for first place in MASCAC play. Before Wednesday’s game against Framingham State, the MCLA men’s team was neck-in-neck with Westfield State with both teams 7-2 in conference play. The last time the men’s team had a comparable score to this semester’s, according to the MCLA athletics website, was back in 2012-2013 season. In the game against Salem, Noah Yearsley ‘21 scored the most points at 15 with nine rebounds. Close behind was by KiShawn Monroe ‘20 at 11 points. The men’s team played against Fitchburg State last Wednesday, Feb. 5, winning in a close 83-80 game. Mike DeMartinis ‘21 scored 27 points during the game, followed by Monroe who scored 12 points and made eight rebounds.
SCORE BOARD Men’s Basketball MCLA (83), Fitchburg State (80) Feb. 5 Mike DeMartinis - 27 Points Ki-Shawn Monroe - 8 Rebounds; 7 Assists Quentin Gittens - 3 Assists
MCLA (67), Salem State (88) Feb. 8 Noah Yearsley - 15 Points; 9 Rebounds Ki-Shawn Monroe - 11 Points Quentin Gittens - 4 Assists
vs. Framingham State
Feb. 12, 7:30 p.m.
vs. Worcester State Feb. 15, 1:00 p.m.
PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS
Antoine Montgomery ‘20 taking a shot in the game against Bridgewater State on Saturday Feb. 1.
Women’s Basketball
Women Lose Against Salem State BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Women’s Basketball team lost a narrow game Saturday against Salem State in a 59-55 game. The team was led by starters Kylah Langston ’20 and Hannah Mazzeo ’23 with both women scoring 18 points each. Last Wednesday against Fitchburg State the women’s team lost 56-41. Langston scored 13 points in Wednesday’s game, followed by Erica Ryan ’20 who got eight points and made six rebounds. The women’s team is 2-18 overall for the season, their only wins so far were against SUNY Cobleskill and Mount Holyoke back in November. This leaves the team in last for conference play with a record of 0-9. In order to tie with the school directly ahead of them in the standings, Fitchburg State, the team would have to win all three of its final games this season.
9
@ Westfield State Feb. 27, 2:00 p.m.
Women’s Basketball MCLA (41), Fitchburg State (56) Feb. 5 Kylah Langston - 13 Points; 3 Assists Erika Ryan - 8 Points; 6 Rebounds Olivia Pressley - 6 Rebounds Maddie Teta - 3 Assists
MCLA (55), Salem State (59) Feb. 8 Hannah Mazzeo - 18 Points; 20 Rebounds Kylah Langston - 18 Points Maddie Teta- 2 Assists
vs. Framingham State Feb. 12, 5:30 p.m.
vs. Worcester State Feb. 15, 3:00 p.m.
@ Westfield State PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS
Hannah Mazzeo ‘23 taking a shot in their game against Bridgewater State on Saturday, Feb. 1.
Feb. 27, 12:00 p.m.
Opinion
TheOnlineBeacon.com
10
Valentine’s Day, Lose The Hallmark Trim Valentines day is a holiday full of love, chocolate and as many bulbous red hearts as people can possibly cram in plus twenty. The amount of heart shaped merchandise and chocolate bon-bons sold around this time of year, speaks as a testament to the holiday’s true purpose, not one praising love but the almighty dollar. According to a poll conducted by the National Retail Federation (NRF), about 51% of the US population participated in Valentines day shopping in 2019, spending an average of just over $160 each. This most likely doesn’t reflect on the average college student’s spending, as the study attributes adults between 3544 spend the most, around $280 each. In total, the NRF estimated that about $20.7 billion was spent on Valentine’s Day gifts in 2019. It’s impossible to go into department or grocery stores any time after New Years and not get absolutely peppered by the sheer amount of red hearts and chocolates floating around. Almost as soon as the Christmas season is over, stores quickly shove Old Saint Nick back into the basement to rot for another 11 months and tear out the unnecessarily red… everything that they can sell under the banner of Valentine’s Day.
COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE I’M NO EXPERT Within this system lies a systemic issue that plagues western society, the needful connection between celebration and monetary value. Days like this that take up space in the calendar have grown into the moniker of “Hallmark Holidays”. The term is used to refer to any number of celebratory days whose sole purposes are driven by selling the most merchandise. Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Harry Potter Day, International Men’s Day, Boss’s Day, Best Friend Day and Christmas in July are all celebrated almost exclusively through the exchange of gift cards and useless
gifts. Many of these holidays have their original roots centered around true holidays or pagan rituals and have simply developed over time. Others are so recent, it’s a wonder they count as holidays at all, like Groundhog Day (no offence to the movie by the way). This scheme of connecting temporary decorations and charms, only to toss them in the garbage the day after, has seeped itself so far into our culture that it becomes a wonder how people manage to resist. Valentine’s Day, Easter and Halloween all build the majority of their fame and recognizability from their attribution to different toys or candies. In the western world, paper ghosts and plastic egg shells fit right in with broken nutcrackers and discarded chocolate heart boxes. They send messages to children of all ages and say that, “regardless of what your parents do or say is important about this holiday or the next. What you should really be focuses on is candy and lots of colorful gifts. The use of such gimmicks and small gifts is a good way of getting children involved early on to celebrating certain holidays. After
all, how many Christmas movies are out there specifically meant to train older kids that the holiday means more than getting presents under the tree? But the issue lies when the holiday doesn’t ever go further than the department store shelves, when all the substance of it revolves around what’re effectively meant to be “introductory gifts” to the holiday. The core concept of Valentine’s Day seems to be revolved around love and the expression of it by giving out a million chocolate bonbons and decking out everything in giant hearts. As a holiday totally encompassed around celebrating one another, there sure is a lot of time dedicated to celebrating the capitalist system. Valentine’s Day should be about spending time with the one you love, regardless of how many pink Starburst packs you buy or the “sweet” deal a restaurant is having this weekend. “Hallmark Holidays” deserve to die, discarded like so many candy wrappers after the first week of November. And for Valentine’s Day, it should be enough that two people can curl up together and watch a horribly written rom-com on Netflix.
‘Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid’ Cautions Jason Isbell “If your words add up to nothing then you’re making a choice, to sing a cover when we need a battle cry,” sings Jason Isbell on his latest release “Be Afraid” which debuted Monday morning. Isbell’s battle cry is to artists, urging them to use their platforms to inspire change. Failure to do so could lead to them being drowned out by conformists. It plays like a commentary on not just on the state of our current political climate but of the broader effects that the Trump presidency has had on our culture. From the nation’s capital to college campuses, the truth seems absent from so many conversations. Opposition is increasingly seen as a threat, and those that speak out are discredited and blackballed for being troublemakers. Like his music, Isbell’s politics are outside the mainstream of Nashville. A prolific songwriter in the Roots genre of Americana, Isbell has used his platform to speak out before. In 2017, Isbell wrote several songs
on “The Nashville Sound” as a response to the 2016 election. One particular song that was jarring for the often older, white, rural audience that listens to country music was “White Man’s World” in which Isbell discusses white privilege in a very direct way. Through the song Isbell questions his own life experiences and recognizes that some of the opportunities he’d been afforded in life wouldn’t have been possible for others. He is also married to Amanda Shires, a prominent feminist within country music, who is a member of the supergroup “The Highwomen” who received critical acclaim for their self-titled release in 2019. However, “Be Afraid” feels as if it is not only a continuation of Isbell’s desire to use his platform to offer his commentary on the political climate but of his desire to create music the type of music that he desires. Unconcerned with the amount of radio airplay, Isbell has always emphasized the quality of music, using his talent to tell complicated stories
JAKE VITALI A SLICE OF AMERICANA of loss, redemption, and love. His songs have always been rooted in the fundamental elements of southern rock and country music, with strong flavors of fiddle provided by Shires and an emphasis on drums and bass. Authenticity is a winning formula, earning him four Grammy Awards and elevating his status as
a favorite touring act. His fans are loyal and while most of us have never met the man personally, we feel we know his entire life story through his music. The authenticity is what draws people to him and as they learn his story arc, it really endears him to the listener. For many fans familiar with Isbell’s career, the sound is reminiscent of that found on the songs he wrote with the “Drive By Truckers” before embarking on his solo career. It has a very rugged, classic southern rock feel to it. Especially in the opening notes of the track, the bass and drums are prominently on display. As the chorus sets in, it shifts to a much more atmospheric feeling. “Be Afraid” is the lead single from Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s upcoming album titled “Reunions” which is scheduled for release on May 15. They will be touring in support of the record throughout the summer, including a stop at Boston Calling on May 22.
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
Opinion
Feb. 13, 2020
TheOnlineBeacon.com
11
Editorial
Smith College “Affinity Housing” Modern Term For “Segregation”
We’ve come a long way in overcoming racism through efforts like Campus Conversations on Race, Day of Dialogue talks and Real Talk Mondays with Arlene Theodore. Within these circles of discussions against racial differences it becomes clear to see how segregated housing on campus is a bad idea. Living spaces that are limited in exposure of racial groups generates lines of “us” vs. “them”, promoting ideas of racism. Smith College, a private women’s liberal arts college in Northampton, Massachusetts, recently launched a two-year pilot residential program this past semester called “Affinity Housing,” which was implemented in two of their buildings, Park Annex and Parsons Annex. The project, according to the college’s website, is meant to “cultivate and foster a sense of belonging for, respectively, students of color and Black students.” The decision has sparked a major controversy among minority groups due to the project’s inherent parallels to segregation. While the residential halls are not exclusively held for black students and students of color, as any student may technically live in the buildings, the social connotations around them being meant for students of color is a strong factor in keeping white students away. The administrative decision is backed by some black students and students of color on the Smith campus, following an incident with a black student. She was participating in one of the school’s summer programs and was hanging around in an empty lounge when someone saw and reported her for suspicious activity to campus police. According to an article posted by her on the ACLU Mass website, the student was left alone, “a few humiliating minutes later,” and began, “a call for Smith College to adopt new policies and training that address race and gender - including policies that improve how law enforcement officers navigate incidents like mine.”
It is perfectly reasonable that students of color just want a place on campus to feel safe. No-one wants to be questioned based on their race. But changing the residential halls to encourage segregating students is not the way to go. Social acceptance doesn’t come from keeping with what’s safe or comfortable, but from exposing oneself to what isn’t. We can’t learn what it means to accept each other if we don’t get the chance to live alongside each other, which we have to do in the real world. Ruby Bridges, one of the first black children to integrate into a white school, got the chance to speak at Smith College in early February, 2018 during the time that Smith’s concept for racial “Affinity Housing” was developing. Her speech centered on themes of abolishing racism and promoting acceptance. After her talk, according to an article from masslive. com, a student asked Bridges what she thought of “students of color forming their own social groups, exclusionary of white students.” Bridges is cited saying, “Hearing my message today, how do you think I might feel about that? It’s time that you find common ground. Try a little harder.” Segregated housing, or “Affinity Housing” should not be an accepted concept in higher education environments. To work against abolishing racism, it’s important for people to come together and live among each other to cut across racial lines. Public spaces in which different minority groups can meet, like possibly a Black Student Union lounge, would work much better as they provide similar spaces for other groups. Those students can feel comfortable gathering in a safe space within a predominantly white campus. It’s important to have that safe space for everyone, but housing is not the place to enforce it and especially administrative forces should not be their drivers.
The Impeachment Trial Is Over. So Is The Senate’s Excuse For Inaction On Guns THE INQUIRER EDITORIAL BOARD THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER Throughout the impeachment inquiry and trial of President Donald Trump, Republicans argued that the proceedings were interrupting legislative work. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, who represents a southwestern part of Pennsylvania, said in December that instead of holding impeachment hearings, Congress should work to lower prescription drug prices. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), admonished Democrats for wasting an “entire calendar year.” This argument was never strong. The impeachment process did not prevent the House and Senate from passing the United State-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal. When the issue is important to President Trump, Congress finds the capacity to walk and chew gum. Now that the impeachment trial is over, so is one of the last excuses for inaction _ even on those issues less dear to the president. Even in this highly polarized political moment, there are issues that both parties should be able to work on together. It might surprise some observers that one of those issues is gun control.
A year ago, the House passed two bills to broaden federal background check requirements to all private sellers and extend the period of time that a background check can take. In the six months between the passage of the bills and Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s announcement of the impeachment inquiry, neither bill got a single hearing or vote in the Senate. According to McConnell, the bills won’t get a vote in the Senate as long as Trump doesn’t indicate that he would sign them. Not all Republicans oppose the legislation, and Pennsylvanians can lead the way. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, from Bucks County, was among a few Republicans who voted for both House bills. Almost all other Republicans fell in line with the National Rifle Association’s position against any gun control measure. Senator Pat Toomey has advocated for a weaker background check bill for years _ a bipartisan effort he is ready to revisit and believes the White House could get behind. Still if the Manchin-Toomey bill it would be the most significant piece of gun control in decades. It is rare in the current political climate to find something a ma-
jority of Americans can agree on. Despite the conventional wisdom that gun control is a wedge issue, and despite the NRA’s best efforts to maintain that status, universal background checks are extremely popular. The vast majority of both parties support universal background checks _ 96% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans, according to a Washington PostABC News poll from September. A 2015 survey by the American Center for Progress found that even 72% of National Rifle Association members support background checks. Between their popularity and their demonstrated effectiveness, there is no excuse not to enact a universal background check bill. Even if the measure alone is not a panacea to stop the bleeding in cities like Philadelphia with high rates of gun violence, it will prevent some of the violence and lay the foundation for future efforts to ensure that people who intend to use a gun on themselves, or on a member of their community, cannot buy a gun. A gun control victory could also restore faith in Congress’ ability to do its job, instead of just coming up with excuses.
The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed to the MCLA community. The Beacon is a designated public forum and content is determined by student staff members. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English & Communications department and ad revenue. Single copies are free and additional copies can be purchased at 50 cents each. If you wish to purchase additional copies, please contact a staff member.
Contact News desk number: 413-662-5535 Business number: 413-662-5404 Email: beacon@mcla.edu Website: theonlinebeacon.com Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, Room 111
Policies Letters: The Beacon welcomes Letters to the Editor and columns on issues of interest to the campus. Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Strive for 500 words or less. Editorial: Unsigned editorials that appear in these pages reflect the views of The Beacon. Signed columns and commentary pieces reflect the views of their writers. Contribution: The Beacon accepts stories, photos and opinion pieces. Submit to beacon@mcla.edu. Advertising: The Beacon reserves the right to not publish any advertisement it deems libelous, false or in bad taste.
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
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
Photographer Kylan Martus
Advisers Shawn McIntosh Jim Niedbalski
Feb. 13, 2020
IN OTHER BEACON NEWS
12
Welcoming the Class of 2024!
PHOTOS BY JAKE VITALI
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Admission Dayne Wahl, Amanda Gilmore, Janeliah Vazquez, Brennan Eckman, and Antonio Burton Jr. welcomed students as they arrived for the first Accepted Student Day on Saturday, February 8.
Students took photos with the MCLA mascot Murdock, participated in mock classes, and had the opportunity to meet representives from student clubs and organizations.
Professor Thomas Whalen of Business Administration and Economics speaks with students during the Resource Fair.