November 7, 2019 Vol. 90 Issue 8

TheOnlineBeacon.com

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Volume 90 • Issue 8

Mayor Bernard Administration Says Is Re-elected

SGA

Students Are Safe

PHOTO BY NATHAN BIRON

RPS Director Dianne Manning, left, and Public Safety Chief Daniel Colonno, right, addressed student concerns over safety at SGA’s meeting Monday night.

BY NATHAN BIRON SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Public Safety Chief Daniel Colonno addressed student concerns about safety and security on campus in light of the recent alleged sexual assault and burglary at Monday night’s SGA meeting.

Colonno said he could not provide more information because it is an ongoing investigation, but stated that the suspect is not a member of the campus community.

SGA Senator At-Large Antoinette Webster ’22 questioned Colonno on an earlier email he sent that gave a description of the suspect, explaining that the information given was “not accurate” and “not helpful at all.”

“I think that what you said had no significance to help identify who the individual was,” Webster said.

“The description that was sent out to students in the

“Giving just a basis off of skin color and head shape really doesn’t tell us much and could also describe some of the people on campus who aren’t the suspects.”

The alleged suspect is described as an African American male, thin build, round head, and wearing a white long sleeve shirt.

SGA Coordinating Vice President Samantha Schwantner ‘20 pointed to the timing of each email about the incident was sent to students, and why there hasn’t been more updates from Public Safety. A campus alert was issued at 6 a.m., with follow up emails at 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

The incident was reprted to have occured at about 3 a.m.

“This is the first email that I have received on campus about a sexual assault in the four years that I have been here,” Schwantner said.

“It is very sad that we have to be having this con-

“Safety has to begin with everyone.”

- Chief Daniel Colonno email was the description given to us by the victim,” Colonno said. “We try to be as accurate as possible when it comes to our descriptions.”

SGA President Dean Little ’21 added that there should have been more in the description than what was given.

“I would have liked to seen more in the description about their clothing, or even their hairstyle,” Little said.

versation tonight,” Schwantner added. “The question of how are we safer now? Are we safe in general? There was just no urgency on getting the information out in a timely manner.”

Schwantner also expressed concern over Residential Programs & Services (RPS) not saying anything to people living in the townhouses.

“I just want everyone to

know that SGA stands with the students here on campus and we will continue to advocate and stand up for our student body to make sure we are safe and have your voice heard,” Schwantner said.

Colonno said that moving forward safety needs to come from everyone, including the students.

“Making sure you lock your door when you leave your townhouse is very important,” Colonno said. “Safety has to begin with everyone.”

The initial email stated that the suspect had entered an unlocked townhouse.

RPS Director Dianne Manning, who was present at the meeting, addressed student concerns about their doors not working and perceptions of work orders not being handled in a timely manner by facilities.

“If you have been in contact with multiple people and things are still not getting fixed, you [students] need to keep on people and bug them to get it done,” Manning said. “Students not getting their work orders done in a proper time could be an issue with communications between facilities and the students or from department to department.”

Schwantner countered that the prioritization of getting doors fixed is a must.

“Students shouldn’t have to worry about these kinds of problems on campus,” Schwantner said. “I need to feel safe on campus, which is also a place that I pay to go to.”

SGA Treasurer Nicholas

SGA, Page 8

BY BRIAN RHODES STAFF WRITER Thomas Bernard has won a second term as Mayor of North Adams with 1,738 votes, compared to opponent Rachel Branch’s 387 votes.

Following the vote count, Bernard held a party at HiLo in downtown North Adams.

Dozens of Bernard’s supporters were present for the celebration.

“He’s smart, he’s a go-getter, he’s involved in everything,” said North Adams resident MaryBeth Kennedy.

“He’s really just a nice guy.”

Bernard acknowledged that the continued support of the citizens of North Adams is what has made his re-election and successes as mayor possible.

“None of us, no matter who we are or what we do, gets anywhere alone,” Bernard said. “At some point, we all get helped along the way, and I know that has

been the case for me and my work, my leadership, and my professional development.”

Bernard thanked Rachel Branch for running against him, saying that he supports both her ideas and giving citizens a choice with the voting process.

“In a system where someone has to put themselves forward, the voters deserve a choice,” Bernard said. “Without opposition, you cannot have a process that has integrity. It’s not healthy for the community or democracy to not give people a choice.”

Bernard also applauded those that voted against him for using their right to vote.

“I thank them, first and foremost, for showing up and being involved,” Bernard said. “If people see [Rachel Branch] as a voice for them to hold the city accountable, to raise their issues, to be their

Bernard, Page 8

Campus Illnesses Caused By Colds

Officials still suggest flu shots

BY TESSA SESTITO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Despite the sickness that has been sweeping through the campus for the past few weeks, Health Services Nurse Practitioner Aimee Bullett-Smith and Director of Health Services Jacqueline Krzanik assure that it is not the flu but a cold virus.

“It’s not tested, so it’s just like a cold virus [that’s been going around campus],” Bullett-Smith said. “People have different symptoms and things like that, so it’s not anything out of the ordinary. It’s just like an upper respiratory infection which is a cold.”

According to Aimee, this virus is affecting people on campus as well as the surrounding community.

This information comes from the emergency room, according to Krzanik.

“We’ve spoken with ER doctors and ER nurses as recently as last week asking if they’ve been seeing any flu cases and they said, ‘No, there’s been no positive flu A or B as of yet,’” Krzanik said. “Even though there are some individuals that

are presenting with flu-like symptoms, it’s not the flu.”

The number of people coming in for the virus that’s been staying on campus is the same as last fall, according to Bullett-Smith and Krzanik.

“For visits, there isn’t any increase from last year,” Bullett-Smith said. “It’s always clustered around the same time every year.”

However, Health Services did see an increase in allergy-like symptoms earlier this semester.

“We did have more people complain this year of allergy symptoms, which can mimic cold symptoms, in the beginning – September, early October,” Bullett-Smith said.

“Environmental allergies,” Krzanik added.

“Because it was warmer longer, I do think I saw more people with allergic symptoms,” Bullett-Smith said. “A lot of people think they’re sick with a cold, but it’s just allergies.”

Whatever is potentially sweeping through campus during the academic year, Krzanik and Bullett-Smith

Illnesses, Page 8

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Branch Felt ‘Grateful’ For Her Mayoral Election Opportunity

BY NATHAN BIRON SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Mayoral elections come to a close with Rachel Branch having received 387 votes to Thomas Bernard’s 1,738. Despite the loss, Branch feels blessed for the opportunity to get her message to the community.

“I am very grateful for this opportunity and I have no regrets from any decision I have made,” Branch said. “This was about campaign finance reform, and low income citizens.”

Branch said she respected Bernard for his work in the election.

“Tom and his wife thanked me for not trying to run a sly campaign against them,” Branch said.

“I would not ‘Go after Tom’ in this campaign, it’s not who I am.”

“Everything that I did was intentional and I have no regrets from this election process,” she said. “I am not sad for me for not winning, but I’m sad for the times we are in and our children’s future.”

Branch also would like to let the public know that the voter turnout was a wonderful thing to see.

“I loved everyone who had come up to me to shake my hand and so many had told me what a wonderful job I had done and also how much people cared about what I was trying to accomplish,” she said.

Branch wanted to emphasize the importance of her campaign in her messages to the community. She wants more people to speak out and also wanted to show that anyone and everyone can run for this position.

She would also like to see more

women run for office not just locally, but nationally.

“I’m distressed that in North Adams, and state, and nationally, there is still a problem with equal rights and equal representation of women in the offices,” Branch said.

“One of my main points throughout my campaign was about ‘seeing’ what was going on and having 20/20 vision,” Branch added.

Branch has no intention of re-running for mayor anytime soon. She mentioned that everything she has been on throughout the town, she is ready to step down and focus on her volunteer work as a musician for the Veteran’s Association.

“This election was more focused on respect than anything,” said Branch. “I asked all the candidates to please be curious and respectful for

this campaign and to also say this is the reason why I didn’t debate.”

“I was not trying to go against Bernard, I was running for the office,” she said.

“The most important thing during a camping is for the voters to understand where you are coming from and what your vision is and what you hope to do,” Branch added.

Branch was also glad that some of the things Bernard discussed last night at HiLo, was in acknowledgment of some of the things she was pushing for in her campaign message.

“I just hope that in the end, some of the things that I highlighted my talks about will maybe have some initiative started in his mind to help get some of these things moving along,” she said.

Pang! Performance Goes Out with a Bang

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI STAFF WRITER In collaboration with the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC) and MCLA, Dan Froot & Company presented “Pang!” an audio drama production of Dan Froot’s podcast that explores food insecurity in the United States.

“Pang!” was performed at the Church Street Auditorium last Friday, Nov. 1, with about 10 MCLA students in attendance and just under 30 North Adams community members.

Dan Froot wants to bring “Pang!” to college campuses to break the stigma of food insecurity among young people. “[MCLA] has a food closet, but if you’re feeling stigmatized for feeling food insecure, you might want a food closet where you don’t have to go anywhere to get the key or you don’t have to see anyone else in the food closet,” Froot explained.

According to a 2018 CNBC article, 36% of college students are food insecure. CNBC referred to a survey conducted by Temple University in Pennsylvania, which sampled about 40,000 college students.

As an example of de-stigmatizing food insecurity, Froot suggested leaving the MCLA food closet unlocked 24/7.

“I will bet that people will respect it and not take all the food out,” Froot added. “If you appeal to people’s best selves, then people will rise to the occasion.”

Froot, along with actors Natalie Camunas, Lorinda Hawkins Smith, and Christopher Rivas, are hopeful that college students can raise awareness about food insecurity and poverty.

PHOTO BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI

From left: Lorinda Hawkins Smith, Christopher Rivas, Natalie Camunas , and Dan Froot perform Pang! at the Church Street Auditorium “I think [students] have to speak up and have the courage to ask bigger questions,” Rivas said. “If you’re an individual who needs help, then we need more spaces that can offer help.”

Hawkins Smith added that it is important for students to initiate conversations about food insecurity and poverty.

“If you don’t have anything to [add], then maybe that can be discussed as well,” Hawkins Smith said.

Camunas believes individuals should notice their own eating habits and what foods are readily available to them.

“That’s such a privilege to think about every meal you eat, that someone is going without one,” Camunas said.

“Imagine if you didn’t have a meal right now, how would you go to your two jobs or your class?”

Described as “live podcast theater” on the performance’s

program, “Pang!” is made up of three short plays depicting how three different families in Los Angeles, Cedar Rapids, and Miami struggle to budget for their next meal.

Froot currently serves as the chairperson of UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance and has always been interested in overlapping food and theater.

“They both take disparate ingredients, you put them together in some chemical process, and they come out as a something you can offer up to people to be consumed,” Froot said.

He believes performing “Pang!” as a play in both live theater and as a podcast forms a connection between audiences and the families discussed in “Pang!”

“The idea of performing in both mediums is to allow the audience to do the work of visualizing the scene that they

are hearing because I think that is an emphatic act,” Froot said.

Erica Barreto, coordinator of MCLA’s Institute for the Arts and Humanities (IAH), and her interns Don’Jea Smith ‘20 and Isamaya Hagstrom ‘20 helped promote “Pang!” by sponsoring a poetry and soup making session that took place in the Campus Center Marketplace Tuesday, Oct. 29, and the red string exhibit in Bowman Hall. The red strings were meant to represent those on campus who have known poverty and food insecurity.

In collaboration with attendees of the Berkshire Food Pantry, art students of Melanie Mowinski, associate professor of visual arts, made artwork in response to “Pang!.”

Photo by Natalia Giacomozzi.

According to Barreto, IAH also worked with the Volunteer Center to host a campus-wide food drive.

“Now we’re [continuing to work] with them [the Vol-

unteer Center] to consolidate informational resources related to food (in)security and to make this resource guide more accessible to the community,” Barreto stated in an email.

Smith noted that installing the exhibit in Bowman made her feel grounded.

“There’s a beauty to this process in the aesthetics of the exhibit… [we were able to use] scotch tape and red string to make something big and impactful,” Smith stated in an email.

According to Hagstrom, the red string exhibit, which expands from the second floor to the first floor of Bowman Hall, achieved the goal of bringing together the MCLA community.

“When you walk up and down the exhibit, you notice that on the top floor you can’t tell what’s happening below; as you walk down, you become more immersed,” Hagstrom stated in an email.

PHOTO BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI

In collaboration with attendees of the Berkshire Food Pantry, art students of Melanie Mowinski, associate professor of visual arts, made artwork in response to “Pang!”

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Nov. 7, 2019

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Remembering Our Former WJJW Engineer Paul Willey

BY CHERYLANN SKROCKI SPECIAL TO THE BEACON Paul Willey, WJJW’s engineer for 42 years who helped guide the MCLA radio station through decades of broadcasting, passed away on Monday, Oct. 28, at the age of 89.

Willey began serving as WJJW’s engineer in 1971, two years before the station received its FCC license to broadcast. He retired in 2013, capping a 60-year career in broadcasting.

He also served as the engineer for the Williams College station (WCFM), and was chief engineer for Berkshire Broadcasting Inc. in North Adams for 45 years.

Willey was incredibly helpful with NASC/MCLA students, and always took the time to work with them, according to Jim Niedbalski, WJJW adviser and an English & Communications professor.

“Paul was very patient with us all,” said Niedbalski, who began advising the station in 2010. “I knew next to nothing about the engineering side of radio and Paul helped me to

PHOTO FROM BEACON ARCHIVES

Paul Willey was WJJW’s engineer for 42 years, from 1971 until his retirement in 2013. understand those principles, with a bright smile all along the way.”

Willey told The Beacon in 2013, upon his retirement,

CORRECTION Aidan Rawson’s statement was incorrectly reported in last week’s article in The Beacon entitled “Students Grill Officials On Transparency, Language.” When he spoke at the SGA meeting, he was not referring to the doors not locking or closing properly, but rather the need for more investigations if there are break-ins. The Beacon apologizes for the error.

MUSIC + THEATER

LIBERIAN GIRL IN BROOKLYN “Soulful and melody-driven... A wordsmith telling her own story” — The Theater Times

Saturday, November 19, 8pm

TICKETS: massmoca.org or 413.MoCA.111 | North Adams, Mass.

about his love for his career, stating, “I have a craft that I could work forever, giving me the opportunity to work as long as I have.”

Willey brought to WJJW a comprehensive knowledge of radio, not only technical but also of FCC regulations, stated English Communications Professor Emeritus Harris Elder in the 2013 article, who served as WJJW adviser for almost 30 years, until 2007.

“He kept the sometimes aging equipment operating, and selected and installed new equipment,” Elder said. “He was very reliable, making his services on-call as well as routine. WJJW could not have functioned without him.”

Willey passed away at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. He is survived by his wife Mary (Fierro) Willey, his three children, Dr. Cynthia Willey, Paul A. Willey, and Lisa J. Fine; and three grandchildren, Rachel Moreschi, Jackson T. Fine, and Emery S. Fine. ccording to his obituary, a celebration of life was held at the First Baptist Church in North Adams on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Burial will be at a later date. Calling hours took place on Monday, Nov. 4 at the Flynn and Dagnoli

“I have a craft that I could work forever, giving me the opportunity to work as long as I have.”

- Paul Willey West Chapels in North Adams. The family requested that instead of flowers, donations be made to the Eleanor Sonsini Animal Center through the funeral home.

Willey was born in Burlington, Vermont, and worked at several radio stations in New England before landing at WMNB in North Adams in the 1960s, to serve as chief engineer under station owner Donald Thurston, who served as a trustee at MCLA in the 1990s. Willey retired from WMNB in 2005,

Willey, Page 8

Trump Administration Begins Formal U.S. Withdrawal From Paris Climate Agreement

BY ANNA M. PHILLIPS STAFF WRITER THE LOS ANGELES TIMES WASHINGTON — The Trump administration gave official notice Monday that it will pull the United States out of the Paris climate accord, a long anticipated move and a significant step in America’s retreat as an environmental leader.

Despite the president’s repeated claims to have already left the agreement, the U.S. is still very much a part of it. Under the terms of the accord, the formal withdrawal process will take another year to complete, such that the earliest the administration can officially exit the agreement is Nov. 4, 2020 — the day after the next presidential election.

The decision to abandon the agreement makes good on a campaign promise and is in keeping with the president’s belief that climate change is a hoax.

It has been widely expected since June 1, 2017, when Trump announced his intention to withdraw, criticizing

the accord as “simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries.”

In a statement released Monday, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo said the president decided to withdraw from the agreement because of the “unfair economic burden” it imposed, but that the U.S. would continue to work with other countries to reduce emissions and “enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change.”

“The U.S. approach incorporates the reality of the global energy mix and uses all energy sources and technologies cleanly and efficiently, including fossils [sic] fuels, nuclear energy, and renewable energy,” Pompeo said.

Democrats in Congress panned the move. New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement calling it “one of the worst examples of President Trump’s willful abdication

of U.S. leadership.”

“By charging forth with this withdrawal, the Trump administration has once again thumbed its nose at our allies, turned a blind eye to the facts, and further politicized the world’s greatest environmental challenge,” he said.

The year-long legal process required to leave the agreement means that whether the U.S. ultimately abandons its commitment depends on the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

All of the Democratic presidential candidates have promised to rejoin the Paris agreement and some, including many of the leading candidates, have called for the U.S. to set more ambitious emissions reduction goals.

Samantha Gross, an energy and climate expert at the Brookings Institution, said that rejoining the agreement would be far simpler than leaving it because there is no waiting period.

“The accord is really designed to bring people in and keep them,” Gross said.

“They need very little notice at all to let us back in.”

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Berkshire Cultural Resource Center

New Director Erica Wall, Takes On MCLA’s Public Art Projects

BY MAYA MCFADDEN FEATURES EDITOR Erica Wall, the newly appointed director of the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC), will return full circle back to North Adams to oversee MCLA’s public art spaces and programs.

As BCRC Director, Wall will oversee Gallery 51, the performing arts program MCLA Presents!, and the four-month long summer arts festival DownStreet Art. “I really look forward to partnering with what the Berkshires has the offer,” Wall said. “All of the resources are here we just have to put the pieces together.”

Wall’s passion for art has led her to venture across the country. Wall not only has family from Massachusetts, but has also spent some time at University of Massachusetts Amherst where she first became familiar with North Adams.

Wall is the founder of the Erica Broussard Gallery in Santa Ana, California, has worked as director of school and community programs at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and spent time as director of education at The Crocker Museum in Sacramento, California.

A huge part of Wall’s journey within the arts was her opening of 36 Chase,

an Artist & Art Historian Residency in North Adams about two years ago.

The Erica Broussard Website states that the program, “is ideal for artists who are recent MFA, graduate students. Art historians and writers who are conducting research and criticism specifically addressing the many overlooked contributions of female artists, artists of color, and artists from the LGBTQ communities are strongly encouraged to apply.”

The residency program provides an opportunity for visual artists, writers, and art historians to further develop their craft.

“Sometimes having to sustain life can take you away from your practice,” Wall said.

Wall intends to continue her work of providing underrepresented and new artists with opportunity, support, and exposure while at BCRC. The role of BCRC Director is perfect for Wall, combining her interests in work around art and education.

Wall is looking forward to becoming familiar with the College’s campus to better expand the potential of the BCRC. “It’s obvious that the College is invested in connecting their students with our community which is not

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ERICA WALL

Erica Wall; “This work excites and teaches me something new everyday because really ‘making it’ looks different to every artist. and that continues to motivate my work.” always the case for institutions,” Wall said.

Wall is also a prominent advocate of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in art spaces. Her work today continues to address the accessibility of art to

marginalized groups.

“If you want an audience that is diverse you have to reflect that diversity,” Wall said.

While she was exposed to the arts by her mother in her youth, she was pushed to pursue a more traditional career as a lawyer rather than the path of a “starving artist.”

Wall’s interest in arts education and museum studies started after taking studio art class during the summer.

This path sparked her passion for supporting

emerging artists. According to Wall, it’s an uphill battle for new and upcoming artist exposure of their work.

Though Wall has only held her new position for a week, she enjoys the College’s emphasis on not only a liberal arts campus but also a liberal arts community.

Wall intends to speak to the interest of the community by forming regional partnerships to create a thriving community.

“It’s definitely a passion for me, not a job,” Wall said.

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

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Contact Editor-in-Chief Tessa Sestito at ts5422@mcla.edu for rates and inquiries

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Nov. 7, 2019

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DEI Student Advisory Board Created to Seek Student Input

BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES WRITER

Chief Diversity Officer Christopher MacDonald-Dennis created the Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Student Advisory Board to connect, represent, and empower students to produce a positive and enduring environment for the MCLA campus climate by working side by side with administrators.

The board will build coalitions between students, advocate on behalf of students at an institutional level and provide models of practice that enable the most effective diversity work possible.

“As administrators, we want to continuously be receptive to student voices,” MacDonald-Dennis said.

The DEI advisory board will give students the opportunity to commit to becoming a united team of change agents for the campus community.

There are currently four members on the advisory board and more students are still being accepted.

According to a school wide email sent

by Macdonald-Dennis, the goal for the board is to have at least ten members.

“I am looking for all students who are interested in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion,” MacDonald-Dennis said.

Students from all different types of backgrounds are encouraged to join.

“I am looking for a diverse group of students from various groups including students of color, students who identify as LGBTQIA+, students with disabilities, first-generation college students, as well as members from dominant groups,” MacDonald-Dennis said. “DEI includes us all and is not just about ‘those people’ but everyone.”

Students will actively develop a plan for the kinds of projects they will work on as the advisory board grows.

“This is a board that will create its mission as we go,” MacDonald-Dennis said. “I have ideas about running things by this group but I want to hear what students want to do. This group

DEI includes us all and is not just about ‘those people’ but everyone.

may want to serve as ambassadors for DEI, find out what other students are thinking, find out what works and what doesn’t.”

Regular committee will be held at least biweekly, meetings with President James Birge will be held semesterly, and there will be monthly full team meetings with MacDonald-Dennis.

MacDonald-Dennis created the DEI Student Advisory Board because he saw a lack of student interaction and accessibility.

“Last year, I realized that I did not

5

have the same type of interactions with students as I was used to,” MacDonald-Dennis said. “I did not have regular access to students to find out what they were thinking about the state of diversity on campus.”

“To me, I could not be effective if I did not directly hear from students and listen directly to them about what they needed,” MacDonald-Dennis added. “I did some investigation and discovered that many schools had student advisory boards to inform DEI efforts.”

Making a comfortable and inclusive environment for students is a main goal for MacDonald-Dennis. “[I want to] make sure that students are the center of any work we do around diversity, equity, and inclusion because you all are the reason we are here,” MacDonald-Dennis said.“I also want to be transparent with students about what I am doing to advance equity and inclusion so that you all know as well as getting students more involved in this work.”

Student Entrepreneur Series

Jeriyah Morris ‘22 Pursues His Musical Calling

BY MAYA MCFADDEN FEATURES EDITOR

Jeriyah Morris ’22 first started taking his passion for music serious about four years ago as a sophomore in high school.

He now majors in business administration with a concentration in management and a minor in music.

Morris uses music as a creative outlet to express himself.

“I feel like in my music I say a lot more than I can in a normal conversation with anybody,” Morris said.

Morris found his passion during high school when he worked with a music teacher, who was once a prominent music producer, to start up a studio class. Morris and the teacher were able to attain funding and equipment for the studio to help students like himself have access to a music space.

Since high school, Morris said he has taught himself more about sound quality and writing his own music.

According to Morris, all of the songs he writes are based on his personal experience.

Morris described his musical style as an alternative hip-hop because of its infusion of R&B, Caribbean beats, and hip-hop.

“I don’t limit myself to any specific styles,” Morris said.

Along with a limitless style, Morris has a large list of current music artists that have

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JERIYAH MORRIS

When Jeriyah Morris expressed his interest in seriously devloping a music career his family urged him to consider learning business managment. influenced his music-making and interest in the music industry. A few artists he has been inspired by are Kanye West, Beyonce, Jay Z, Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, Travis Scott, and Childish Gambino.

His reasons for each inspiration vary between their drive, versatility, social impact, energy, and passion.

“I usually gravitate towards artists with unorthodox thinking habits,” Morris said.

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With a major in business, Morris hopes to learn the business side of things in the music industry to better learn how to market and manage his work.

“I can do music at any time but getting the most out of it, marketing-wise, is what matters most to me,” Morris said.

Morris has released 10 songs on music streaming platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, Apple

Music, and Soundcloud.

Despite releasing only 10 songs so far, Morris said he has written and made about a thousand unreleased songs and beats.

Only four years ago, Morris was teaching himself how to make beats by watching Youtube tutorials. He started off by using already made beats from popular songs and mixing up their melodies. The first beat Morris ever remixed was “G.O.M.D” by J. Cole.

Nearly all of Morris’ released songs are about his internal struggles and experiences with maturity and love he said.

“There’s nothing else I can picture myself doing to be genuinely happy, ” Morris said.

This semester Morris performed his music for the second time ever at an open mic event. Though slightly nervous, Morris said he wants to get better at enhancing his stage presence.

Some of Morris’ projects take months to create whereas others take much less. For Morris, the beat is crafted most of the time before the lyrics are written.

Morris works on his music in the form of writing, beat making, and promoting at least once a day every day.

Morris’ most recent release “Now You Know” was in July and included his first ever featuring artist.

Morris is currently working on four collaborative projects to officially jumpstart his music career. The main project of the collaboration will be called “Beautiful Nightmares.” Part of the collaboration will be a mixtape called “Pre-Game Before the Party” which will be made up of seven songs, an Ep titled “Sweet Dreams,” and “Heart Break Hotel” a 12-14 song playlist. The four-part collaboration will give insight into Morris’ life experiences leading up to his first debut.

“I am working to have one of the biggest impacts on music,” Morris said. “I want to be considered a legend.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JERIYAH MORRIS

This year Jeriyah Morris is working to improve his piano skills.

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Northern Berkshire Artists To Come Together At HiLo Nov. 12

BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR Local organization Assets for Artists (A4A) along with MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC) and Common Folk are hosting a Northern Berkshire Artists Meetup Tuesday, Nov. 12, from 7 to 9 p.m. at HiLo North Adams.

This free event’s purpose is to gather, build connections, and expand conversations between artists, writers, musicians, and creative people of all disciplines from communities across the Northern Berkshire region. “[The Northern Berkshire Artists Meetup] came as a result of an event held in August 2018 – the Artist Town Hall, which had a similar goal,” A4A Event Organizer Ashley Strazzinski said in an email. “Our intention of organizing the meet up is to get creative people from all over Berkshire County into the same room to catch up with old friends, meet someone new, and to learn about things that are happening in our community.”

These meetups happen quarterly throughout the year as part of an informal series of casual gatherings between artists. A person who attends can expect to meet and interact with people they may know as well as those they may not know. The only structured aspect of the event is a 20-minute “toast.”

During this toast, a few people, which have been selected by the organizing committee in advance, will say a few words about something they are working on or share an

PHOTO BY SABRINA DAMMS

Newly opened entertainment venue, HiLo, will hold the fourth Northern Berkshire Artists Meetup on Nov. 12.

opportunity that might be of interest to the larger group.

“In the past we’ve had independent artists talk about specific projects or exhibitions they are involved with,” Strazzinski said.

“We’ve [also] had people from art institutions and funding organizations talk about their resources and how they can serve the creative community.”

This type of event draws in an average of 40 to 60 people, according to Strazzinski.

“We think it will continue to grow as people get to know the event as something that is low-stress and an easy commitment in that it is a relatively short, come-and-go

kind of event that happens every three months,” Strazzinski added.

Those wishing to attend the meetup can begin their night first at 6 p.m. with Common Folk’s Tuesday Tunes, located at Bright Ideas, before heading over to HiLo. During the actual meetup portion of the event, artist Laura Christensen and Great Sky Media owner Joe Aidonidis will be speaking.

Christensen, who paints on vintage photographs, currently has artwork on display in the exhibition “5 Women Artists You Should Know” at MCLA’s Gallery 51. Her book, “Then Again: Vintage Photography Reimagined by

One Artist and Thirty-One Writers” is expected to be published in June 2020.

Apart from owning the North Adams based production company Great Sky Media, Aidonidis is a documentary filmmaker, musician, and video production consultant. His work as a documentary filmmaker focuses on the extraordinary challenges of ordinary people, in which he hopes to bring awareness to worthy and intriguing pockets of life. As a musician, he performs in the band House Sparrow.

Every meetup is hosted at a different location throughout the Berkshires. This year, the first event was held at the

Airport Rooms, the second at Bright Ideas, the third at Williams Inn, and now the fourth at HiLo. “[It was] in part to keep things fresh and new, but also to get people moving throughout the community, get [them] circulating [and] into places and spaces they may not go to regularly, or possibly [that] they do go to regularly, but [here] it’s a different social context,” Strazzinski said. “[With HiLo] having just opened in September, we thought it would be a good reason to draw people out to experience the space if they haven’t already!”

There are many ways in which someone can get involved in being a part of the Northern Berkshire Artists Meetup including coming to the event with a friend, being a “toaster,” and letting A4A know what you’re working on to be able to share it with the community.

“I think MCLA students should get involved because this is a great opportunity to meet new people, to engage with their community, to become known to a larger community off campus, and to make connections with people working as independent artists and within the creative industries of Berkshire County,” Strazzinski said. “You never know who you’ll meet that could potentially offer up a nice conversation, inspiration, or a connection that you’ve been looking for.”

For more information about joining or learning more about the Northern Berkshire Artists Meetup and its initiative, contact north.berkshire. artists@gmail.com.

* SATURDAY, NOV. 9 - COP ON TOP WALMART SUPERCENTER, NORTH ADAMS 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M. - YORICK’S A NIGHT OF SCENES CHURCH STREET CENTER, SOCIAL HALL 2 P.M. AND 7 P.M.

* THURSDAY NOV. 7 - DAY OF DIALOGUE MCLA CAMPUS 8:30 A.M. TO 5:15 P.M. - BOOK CLUB IN THE WAKE: ON BLACKNESS & BEING MASS MOCA 5 TO 6 P.M. - ARC IRIS CONCERT HILO NORTH ADAMS 8 P.M.

* TUESDAY, NOV. 12 * FRIDAY, NOV. 8 - SHOPPING WITH SAC CROSSGATES MALL 4:30 TO 10:30 P.M. - YORICK’S A NIGHT OF SCENES

CHURCH STREET CENTER, SOCIAL HALL 7 P.M.

- TUESDAY TUNES COMMON FOLK, NORTH ADAMS 6 P.M. NORTHERN BERKSHIRE ARTISTS MEETUP HILO, NORTH ADAMS 7 TO 9 P.M.

* WEDNESDAY, NOV. 13

- GLOBAL FILM SERIES: SHOPLIFTERS MURDOCK HALL, ROOM 218 6 P.M.

Nov. 7, 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TheOnlineBeacon.com

7

Club Feature

MCLA’s Art For All Club Becomes All-Inclusive

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E WRITER

MCLA’s art club, Art For All, has opened itself up to all students with even the slightest interest in any form or medium of art. The club offers students a place to gather, create and listen to music to destress from the woes of college life while being inspired by others who share a common love for art.

If you have walked passed the main level of Bowman Hall on Tuesday nights around 6 p.m., you’ve probably noticed the club’s iconic rainbow chameleon projected on the whiteboard in Room 208. A chameleon is able to express itself through its colors, and this chameleon, named Arty, represents the creative energy that Art For All wishes to present through its bright rainbow colors.

Co-Presidents Tessa Langsdal ‘21 and Krystal Bailey ‘21 founded Art For All after realizing there was not an art space on campus for students

PHOTO BY SABRINA DAMMS

MCLA’s newest all-inclusive art club, Art For All, brings a large group of students together every Tuesday night in Bowman Hall. who did not major in art but were still interested in art.

“Personally, I saw there wasn’t a club that was dedicated to different types y of clubs,”

PHOTO BY SABRINA DAMMS

Art For All gives MCLA students the opportunity to explore all forms of art.

Bailey said. “I’ve loved doing art ever since I was little. I get inspired by doing art with other people and meet other people who feel the same.”

“When I spoke to Tessa about it, she agreed, and we both decided that we’re going to do this,” Bailey added.

“I hope what people take out of this club is that they use this experience to express themselves and that they are still able to do it when they leave,” Langsdal said.

What makes Art For All different from other art clubs on campus is that it is open to a wide range of art forms rather than focusing on a specific category of art. Students are allowed to bring their own materials to work on or use the materials provided which gives students the freedom to explore the areas of art that they wish to work on.

“Art For All offers you unique experiences that you can’t get anywhere else,” Langsdal said. “We constantly give people a space where students can do what they want.”

For many students, Art For All is a great opportunity for them to destress, unwind, and spend time with friends. “[It] gives me time to destress,” club member Hellen Hogge ‘23 said. “I can hang out and be. It’s therapeutic to be able to make art on your own.”

“It’s not like classes where it is structured,” Hogge added.

“It’s relaxing, you can do what you want; you just are.”

Art For All’s structure gives students the opportunity to explore their interests further without being confined to one specific area in the field. This fluid structure is a common attraction to the clubs participants.

“I think the structure, lack of

structure, is effective,” club member Kimberly Almedi ‘23 said.

This flexible structure gives students the opportunity to make the club their own and take what they want from it.

Some may come in with pieces that they were working on the week before, while others will start new projects every week.

Some students use their time at Art For All to complete projects that they otherwise would not complete.

“I love making art but I never have time,” club participant Jamie Vachula ‘22 said.

“When I am able to come to Art For All it forces me to do art that I otherwise would not do at home.”

Art For All meets every Tuesday in Bowman Room 208 at 6 p.m. More information on the club and what it offers can be found on its Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

Review

‘American Son’ Brings Broadway to the Movie Screen

BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR Released on Nov. 1, the drama-filled, emotional Netflix film, “American Son,” takes a deep look into hard subject matters such as racism, interracial relationships, and gun violence while also telling a gripping tale about who we are as a nation.

Directed by Tony Award winner, Kenny Leon, this 90-minute movie follows an estranged couple who reunite in a Miami, Fla., police station in search of help to find their missing teenage son.

Starring actors Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan, and Eugene Lee,

“American Son” originally debuted as a Broadway show from playwright Christopher Demos-Brown.

Before the film starts, viewers are presented with a quote from American author Ta-Nehisi Coates which reads, “Race is the child of racism, not the father.” Fading into the opening scene, we see Kendra Ellis-Connor (Washington) sitting by herself in the police station making several phone calls to her son, Jamal, who has gone missing and won’t return her voicemail messages. As the rain continues to pour outside, she becomes frustrated that she cannot get ahold of Jamal. She becomes further

enraged when Officer Larkin (Jordan) comes to speak with her about the situation and claims that “this is what teenage boys do.”

Asking question after question about Jamal, Kendra lashes out on Officer Larkin for making assumptions about her African American son, who he knows nothing about. She makes it known that her son “walks like a jock but he can recite almost any Emily Dickinson poem and he still gets a tear in his eye when he hears Puff The Magic Dragon.” The less help Officer Larkin is to Kendra, the angrier she gets as she exclaims phrases such as “Do you have a black son?”,

“Where is my son?”, and “His name is Jamal!”

Shutting the argument down, Officer Larkin tells Kendra he will do what he can to help find her son, offering “to pull a few strings” to get things moving quicker. Soon after, Kendra’s husband and Jamal’s father Scott Connor (Pasquale) shows up and Officer Larkin mistakes him for being a Lieutenant.

All throughout a majority of the film, Kendra and Scott are seen arguing back and forth about their very different and separate worlds. In the heat of their fight, Scott lets out significant details about Jamal’s case that Officer Larkin had told him and

Kendra had not been made aware of. It isn’t until the end of the film when they lean on each for support after receiving the news they never expected to hear.

Best known for her lead role as Olivia Pope in the television series, “Scandal,” that wrapped up in 2018, Washington is one powerful and strong actress who outshines in “American Son.” Pasquale is most well-known for his role as New York City firefighter and fire responder, Sean Garrity, in the comedy-drama series, “Rescue Me.” Streaming on Netflix now, “American Son” earned a 50% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 14 reviews.

News

Nov. 7, 2019

BERNARD From Page 1

champion, then absolutely it’s great they came out and used that opportunity to vote for Rachel and her issues. She has a record of achievement and accomplishment.”

Voter turnout, Bernard said, is something that he acknowledges. Only 2,142 North Adams residents voted for mayor this election, compared to 3,427 in 2017.

“The hope is that the people who are here, and the people who turned up at the polls, are the people who are not just eligible to vote but are engaged and are taking the time to inform themselves about the candidates,” Bernard said. “There’s always room to improve in that area, and we see this locally, in state races, and nationally.”

Bernard noted the differences in mindset between this campaign’s, where he ran as the incumbent mayor, compared to his previous campaign in 2017.

“The last time, it was my first foray into electoral politics as a candidate. I had no basis for comparison for what I was doing,” Bernard said. “This time, I had the experience of having run two years ago, so I had a frame of reference that was available to me.”

Along with his experiences from his previous campaign, Bernard said that his time working at other North Adams institu-

ILLNESSES From Page 1

believe anyone can be more susceptible if they don’t promote behaviors to keep your immune system healthy.

“You have to think of your immune system, so if your behaviors are not promoting a healthy immune system, then you’re going to be more susceptible to touching the doorknob, touching your face, and then potentially getting sick,” Krzanik said.

So if you maintain a lifestyle that promotes a healthy immune system and you wash your hands, then you’ll have a better chance of fighting off whatever the virus is.”

“And getting enough sleep,” Bullett-Smith added.

Krzanik pointed to the fact that for many students, this is the first time they’re away from home and without parents by their side, so they’re not necessarily sure how to take care of themselves.

“They come in after three days of being sick and we ask if they’ve taken anything and they say they haven’t taken anything because they didn’t know what to take,” Krzanik said.

According to Krzanik and Bullett-Smith, Health Services sees a lot of students who take

tions, including MCLA and MASS MoCA, has and continues to help him in his duties as mayor.

“I worked with leaders who were innovators and visionaries; when you work with people like that, it starts to influence your world view,” Bernard said. “I think about the lessons that I learned. When you think about MCLA, it is, functionally, very similar to the city.”

Despite his victory, Bernard does not wish to celebrate long and wants to go back to serving the city of North Adams immediately.

“What’s next is I get back to work,” Bernard said. “I’ll be back at my desk tomorrow morning, working for the residence of North Adams.”

Kennedy, who brought a sign to the event to show her support for Bernard, praised Bernard’s continuation of the work done

by North Adams’ previous mayor, Richard J. Alcombright. Alcombright, who served four terms as North Adams Mayor, stepped down in 2018. “[Bernard] picked up right where the other guy left off, and he’s just run with the ball,” Kennedy said. “He works well with all of the city councilors to make sure that we really get things done and do a good job for all the citizens who live here.”

In addition, nine city councilors were elected including Benjamin Lamb, Marie Harpin, Keith Bona, Paul Hopkins, Jason LaForest, Lisa Blackmer, Wayne Wilkinson, Robert Moulton Jr., and Jessica Sweeney.

DayQuil or NyQuil as a catchall for any symptoms they’re experiencing, which can be unnecessarily excessive.

Bullett-Smith advised that if a student does take medication already and then becomes sick, they should check to see if the two can be taken together. She said an easy way to check is through different apps that can verify whether current medications taken can or cannot be taken with over-the-counter medicine for illnesses.

Krzanik and Bullett-Smith both agreed that one way to continue promoting a healthy immune system is by going to a flu clinic and getting a flu shot.

“The flu is going to wipe somebody out seven to 14 days potentially and when you’re a college student, you can’t afford to miss those classes,” Bullett-Smith said.

“The benefit [of the flu clinic] would be to stay healthy.”

“Last year, they were stating that people who got the flu shot had a less duration if they did contract the flu so there were some people still getting it even if they got the flu shot, but they weren’t as sick as long as the people who didn’t get the flu shot,” Bullett-Smith added. “Plus, there are complications like pneumonia, and ultimately death.”

Krzanik said that although students come in miserable, complaining about a cold, they could have it a lot worse if they had the flu.

“I think what individuals need to think about is that many times they come in here and feel terrible because they feel so sick, but you only have a cold. Imagine if you really did have the flu,” Krzanik said. “I think it’s hard because many of the individuals have never had the flu, so they don’t know how bad they could feel.”

“We try to stress it as much as possible, just get your flu shot,” Krzanik added. “It’s a good practice to get in even when you’re older.”

Bullett-Smith went on to debunk a common misconception people have about getting a flu shot.

“You cannot get the flu from the flu shot,” Bullett-Smith said. “It is a dead virus.”

According to Bullett-Smith, there are no downsides to getting a flu shot unless you have an allergy to the vaccine.

“I think at this stage in the game if people have gotten vaccines, they would know if they had sensitivities to the flu vaccine, but there are those cases that people do have an allergic reaction to anything,” Bullett-Smith said.

Want to advertise here?

Contact Editor-in-Chief Tessa Sestito at ts5422@mcla.edu for rates and inquiries

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WILLEY

From Page 3 but continued engineering services for WJJW and WCFM until 2013. He was inducted into the Radio Guide Magazine’s Hall of Achievement in 2009.

At NASC/MCLA, Willey moved the station equipment three times – from the former

SGA

From Page 1 Strezynski ‘20 asked about the budget for repairs and quotes to fix the Townhouses.

“Since you guys [public safety] are getting a $200,000 grant for your department, could this money be used for better surveillance on campus, especially around the townhouses and parking lots?” Strezynski asked.

Strezynski suggested possibly adding cameras to the stairwells of the Townhouses to see people walking in and out.

Colonno agreed getting

8

Taconic Hall to the Campus Center, then to Murdock Hall, and back to the Campus Center, where it currently resides.

“To me he is an icon in radio. He represents both the past and present of what radio is,” Niedbalski said.

“Paul has been with WJJW every step of the way, and we will miss him,” Niedbalski added. “WJJW wouldn’t be what it is today without Paul.” more surveillance around the Townhouses was a good idea, but he added that cameras in the stairwells could pose other potential issues.

“The problem would be not just the money aspect, but if we put cameras near or in the townhouse area we need to make sure we are not invading students’ privacy,” Colonno said.

“The best options would be to get the quality camera like the one outside of the CSI building,” Colonno said.

“These cameras have a much better quality and access than the cheap ones which can’t see faces well or read license plate numbers.”

Supreme Court Leans Toward Expanding Clean Water Act

BY DAVID G. SAVAGE STAFF WRITER LOS ANGELES TIMES WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices, both conservative and liberal, appeared skeptical Wednesday of a Trump administration argument that the federal Clean Water Act should not apply to sewage plant wastewater that flows into the ground and eventually seeps into federally protected waters, such as rivers or oceans.

The case from Hawaii has emerged as a major test of the scope of the federal anti-pollution law, even as the Environmental Protection Agency under President Trump cuts back on enforcement. If justices side with environmentalists, their ruling could extend federal regulation to water treatment plants across the country.

The law makes it illegal to discharge pollutants from “any point source” that flows into protected waters, but a lawyer for the Justice Department and the County of Maui in Hawaii argued the law does not cover pollution that flows from a treatment plant through the ground and into the ocean.

The case arose when environmentalists sued a sewage plant in Maui, alleging it was discharging more than 3 million gallons of treated wastewater into the ground each day, and that some of it was flowing underground from there into the Pacific Ocean.

They won before a federal judge and the 9th Circuit Court

of Appeals in San Francisco, which held that the pollution was subject to federal control because it was the “functional equivalent of a discharge into the navigable water.”

Deputy Solicitor General Malcolm Stewart said the EPA disagreed with that view.

“Groundwater will break the causal chain,” he said.

“Any groundwater?” asked a skeptical Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Justices Elena Kagan and Stephen G. Breyer said that if that view were adopted, it would allow polluters to run pipes that stop 25 feet short of a river or bay. It would give “an absolute road map” for how to break the law while spewing pollution, Breyer said.

But the justices also struggled over how to prevent the stricter permitting rules required under the Clean Water Act from applying to ordinary home owners with a leaky septic tank.

The Supreme Court had agreed earlier this year to hear the appeal from the County of Maui, which had the backing of the Assn. of California Water Agencies. Their lawyers called the 9th Circuit’s ruling a “radical expansion” of federal authority.

The EPA had supported the suit brought by environmentalists when it was in the lower courts. But the Trump administration switched sides and urged the court to rule for the county.

The Clean Water Act calls for preventing discharge of pollutants into the “navigable waters of the United States.”

Sports

TheOnlineBeacon.com

Women’s Volleyball

Trailblazers Advance To MASCAC’s Semi-Finals

BY JOHN MORRISEY SPORTS WRITER

The MCLA women’s volleyball team defeated Worcester State University Lancers Tuesday, Nov. 5, 3-1 in the quarterfinal round of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletics Conference (MASCAC) tournament at the Amsler Campus Center Gym in a closely matched game.

The Trailblazers lost the opening set 25-22 and followed with three straight set wins 27-25, 25-19, and 25-21 in their victory over the visiting Lancers.

With the victory, MCLA now readies themselves for their upcoming match against Westfield State University Thursday, Nov. 7, in the MASCAC semifinal round.

Worcester State held the lead in each of the sets but was unable to withstand late rallies by the Trailblazers led once again by the strong play of Kelly Moczulski ’23 throughout the match.

Moczulski’s popularity, inspired by

her ninth straight week as the MASCAC Rookie of the Week, led to a new chant within the crowd each time she held serve, “Booooooom.”

Moczulski, finishing the match with 16 kills and three assists, was not the only player to shine that night. Madison Jayne ’21 had a career high of 15 kills and eight digs of her own and Captain Tessa Sestito ’20 contributed with 44 assists and 23 digs.

Reagan Scattergood ’22 made back-to-back blocks late in the third set to swing momentum back to MCLA and finished the night with five total blocks.

In addition to the players on the court, MCLA’s Coach Amanda Beckwith made two critical timeout calls during play, once in the first set and then again in the fourth which changed momentum and ultimately helped guide the Trailblazers to victory.

In the first set the Trailblazers started off slowly and fell behind early before Beckwith called timeout and

gave the players a chance to regroup, which they did and even though they lost the initial set, the change in play was readily apparent.

In the closing set with the Trailblazers down 0-5, Beckwith once again called timeout and like before, the break was just what they needed as they rallied back to win the set 25-21.

“I just told the girls to reset, reset themselves, and it worked,” Beckwith said.

According to an email sent out by April Wright on behalf of Athletics Director Laura Mooney, there will be a fan bus available for anyone looking to attend Thursday night’s match.

“You can sign up for the FAN BUS by emailing the athletic office at dawn.lesure@mcla.edu,” Wright stated in the email. “The bus will leave from the fire lane across from the townhouses at 5:30pm.”

The winner will advance on to the MASCAC Championship game scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9.

Teams See Potential With New Members

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE MANAGING EDITOR

PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

Shannon Carney ‘22 is one of few returning players on a newly recruited roster.

SCORE BOARD

Women’s Cross Country MASCAC Championships - Nov. 2 Julie Gambill - 22:15 (23rd) Hannah Poplawski - 23:57 (49th) Domenica Gomez - 29:35 (72nd) Hunter Schrade - 44:34 (77th)

Next: @ Bowdoin - NCAA Regionals Nov. 16

Men’s Cross Country

MASCAC Championships - Nov. 2 Theodore Jones - 38:49 (88th) Isaac Sibley - 43:58 (91st)

Next: @ Bowdoin - NCAA Regionals Nov. 16

Men’s Soccer

MCLA (0), Framingham State (2) Nov. 2 Sam Edge - 10 Saves Colin Rousseau - 3 Shots on Goal Peter Sherman - 2 Shots on Goal

Mateo Wirzburger - 1 Shot on Goal

Women’s Soccer MCLA (0), Utica (5) Oct. 30

Men’s and Women’s Basketball

The MCLA basketball teams gear for this fall with their newest members hitting the court this weekend for this season’s opening games.

The women’s team will have their first game Saturday, Nov. 9, at Springfield College while the men’s team will have a two-day tournament at Northern Vermont University - Johnson against NVU-J Friday, Nov. 8, and against Northern Vermont University - Lyndon Saturday, Nov. 9.

Men’s Basketball Head Coach Derek Shell has been working with his team for weeks now training for their upcoming season.

“The goal for our team every year is to be better today than we were yesterday and ultimately be playing our best basketball in February,” Shell stated in an email.

This year’s team has brought on two new freshmen Chris Becker ‘23 and Quentin Gitten ‘23, and transfer students Damon Daniel ‘20, Nick Escabi ‘21, Bright Afful ‘21, Hans Resignac ‘20. Transfer Noah Yearsley ‘21, who played for MCLA during his freshman year, returns to the men’s team after having spent his sophomore year at Siena College.

“The guys are working hard and very much looking forward to when the games begin,” Shell said. “My expectation is that this year’s squad will be more talented, have more size and be a more cohesive unit; all of which should equate to more success.”

The women’s team has added five first-year athletes to their roster comprising more than half of the team: Brooke DiGennaro ‘23, Alyssa Porter ‘23, Jasmine Pszczola ‘23, Kelsie Rodford ‘23, and Maddie Teta ‘23.

The womens’ coaches did not respond to an email requesting comment.

9

Megan Richardson - 7 saves Claudia Bresett - 1 Shot on Goal Madeline Gibney - 1 Shot on Goal Cetera Moore - 1 Shot on Goal

MCLA (1), Framingham State (0) Nov. 2 Goal - 105:21 (2nd Overtime) - Cetera Moore Megan Richardson - 15 saves Alyssa Porter - 3 Shots on Goal Hannah Van de Water - 1 Shot on Goal Madeline Gibney - 2 Shots on Goal Cetera Moore - 2 Shots on Goal

Women’s Volleyball

PHOTO TAKEN FROM THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

Ki-Shawn Monroe ‘20 will be entering into his senior season on the men’s basketball team.

MCLA To Charge Fee For BasketBall Games to General Public

MCLA (0), Bridgewater State (3) Nov. 2 Laiken Cornwell-L’Hote; Ahna Schlaefer - 8 Kills Reagan Scattergood - 1 Block Natasha Stewart - 17 Digs Ahna Schlaefer - 3 Service Aces

MASCAC Quarter Finals MCLA (3), Worcester State (1) Nov. 5

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE MANAGING EDITOR

Kelly Moczulski - 16 Kills

This fall means more than a new season for the men’s and women’s basketball teams, as MCLA Athletics will begin charging non-MCLA audience members to come see their games.

“We will be charging admission at home basketball games moving forward and want folks to have a heads up,” Director of Athletics Laura Mooney stated in an email.

There will be opportunities to purchase a season pass at the door for $35, otherwise admission will cost $5 for a daily ticket. The daily ticket system works in case the teams have to play double header games, so that viewers don’t have to buy tickets for each game that day.

MCLA students, as well as faculty and staff members, will be able to get in for free by showing their school ID cards.

“This will help defray costs and is consistent with other State Universities and local high schools,” Mooney said.

Tessa Sestito - 23 Digs

Reagan Scattergood - 5 Blocks

Ahna Schlaefer; Kelly Moczulski - 3 Service Aces

Next: @ Westfield State - MASCAC Semi Finals Nov. 7, 7:00 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

Next: @ NVU-Johnson Nov. 8, 7:30 p.m.

vs. NVU-Lyndon @ NVU-Johnson Nov. 9, 1:00 p.m.

Women’s Basketball

Next: @ Springfield College Nov. 9, 5:00 p.m.

Opinion

TheOnlineBeacon.com

10

Not All College Students Choose To Be Unhealthy During their first year at college, students experience newfound freedom, including the ability to indulge in certain dietary habits. Students become accustomed to living off of snacks from the POD and only occasionally going into the cafeteria for an adequate meal. The freshmen who give in to the foods once banned by parents often find themselves keeping the tradition of the “freshman 15” alive.

The balance between healthy and unhealthy eating habits is dependent on the student for their remaining college years, with the occasional lecture from a parent, relative, friend, professor, etc.

While some students are able to make a conscious decision to opt for nutritionally inadequate food, many find themselves unable to afford anything else.

It’s no longer about who can afford college tuition, but who can afford to eat while they’re in college.

Over the past 40 years, the costs for public and private institutions have nearly tripled, while the medium income in the U.S. has remained relatively stagnant, according to Forbes.

As a result, more students are finding themselves having to take out loans to cover the costs of everything from tuition to books to food.

According to a nationwide study published in May by the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice (HCCCJ), nearly half of college students are going hungry.

The report survey approximately 167,000 students from 123 colleges.

Of them, 45% reported being food insecure (lacking consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life due to unavailable financial re-

sources) within the last month.

The reasons as to why people experience food insecurity while in college differ from person to person, from having to support family members to dealing with overwhelming student loans. However, the outcome is the same: they can’t afford to buy food. According to the study, students at two-year colleges are more likely to experience food insecurity than those at four-year universities, as well as non-white students, students who are also parents, and LGBTQIA+ students.

Another study, “Hunger on Campus: The Challenge of Food Insecurity for College Students,” also found that of nearly 3,800 students surveyed from 34 community colleges and four-year institutions in 12 states, roughly 48% of students faced food insecurity in the previous month, with 22% reporting “very low levels of food security that qualify them as hungry.”

This study concurred with the aforementioned report, noting a disproportion based on demographics.

More specifically, “Hunger on Campus” found that food insecurities were more common among community college (50% v. 47 four-year institutions) and first-generation students (56% v. 45% of other students).

Students who reported experiencing hunger instability said that the problems harmed their academic performance. The most common effects were missing class (53%), missing study sessions (54%), opting out of extracurricular activities (55%), and not buying textbooks (55%). A quarter reported dropping a class.

This epidemic has required attention from the government and institu-

TESSA SESTITO NOT FOR THE BETTER tions of higher education. Programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is an underutilized program amongst struggling college students. SNAP gives recipients an allotted amount of money to purchase groceries.

Currently, there are two million college students who qualify for the program, yet more than half of potentially eligible students are not receiving the benefits due in part to a lack of information about SNAP being dispersed on campuses.

However, SNAP can’t completely offset the cost of food for most people or help them cope with unexpected expenses.

Incidentally, the report “Hunger on Campus,” noted that the interventions in place for students, such as campus meal plans, Pell Grants, student loans, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), have not been completely effective in eliminating food insecurity.

The report found that students

with food insecurity had paying jobs (56%), enrolled in meal plans (43% at four-year institutions), received Pell Grants (52%), took out loans (37%), and used SNAP (25%). Thus, the report concluded that neither student efforts to earn money nor financial aid have been entirely successful in solving the food insecurity crisis.

Within recent years, colleges have started to open food pantries for their students, providing them meals that are either frozen or ready to consume at no cost.

Even with such assistance made available to students, there’s still the issue of the stigma surrounding such programs, which in turn prevents struggling students from learning more about programs and services available to them. As a result, resources go unused and awareness continues to decline.

Concrete steps toward ending food insecurity on college campuses will not occur without campuses and policymakers who are willing to pursue a wide range of creative ways to address the issue. Although some campuses now have food pantries in place for students, more can be done, such as establishing campus community gardens and food recovery programs.

More importantly, policymakers should take steps to improve students’ access to existing federal programs, including expanding the SNAP eligibility requirements for college students, simplifying the FAFSA process, and adding food security measurements to the annual National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (which examines the characteristics of students in postsecondary education with special focus on how they finance their education).

Editorial

Warren’s Health Care Plan Will Cost More Than She Says Elizabeth Warren claims she can pay for her 10-year, $52 trillion health care plan without increasing taxes on the middle class. But both she and her critics are approaching the question wrong. What really matters is the opportunity cost of policy choices, in terms of foregone goods and services — not whether the money can be raised to pay for a chosen policy.

Consider this point in the context of Warren’s plan, which includes a complex series of health care savings and higher taxes on the wealthy.

One way of financing the plan is to pay doctors in hospitals lower fees (part of “saving” $2.3 trillion).

There will then be fewer profitable hospitals, and fewer doctors working fewer hours, because some of them might retire earlier than they otherwise would. Fewer hospitals means they will likely increase their monopolistic tendencies, to the detriment of patients. A related plan

to pay hospitals less is supposed to save another $600 billion.

The practical impact of these changes will be to deprive health care consumers, including middle-class consumers, of goods and services. The larger point is that real cost of any economic arrangement is not its nominal sticker price, but rather the consequences of who ends up not getting what.

Another part of the plan is to pay lower prices — 70% lower — for branded prescription drugs. That is supposed to save about $1.7 trillion, but again focus on which opportunities are lost. Lower drug prices will mean fewer new drugs are developed.

There is good evidence that pharmaceuticals are among the most cost-effective ways of saving human lives, so the resulting higher mortality and illness might be especially severe.

Of course, many critics of the pharmaceutical industry downplay its role in the drug-discovery pro-

cess. Regardless of the merits of those arguments, they do not show that a 70% cut in prices will leave supplies, or research and development, unchanged.

Another unstated cost of the Warren plan concerns current health insurance customers: Many of them prefer their current private coverage to “Medicare for All.” Switching them into Medicare for All is an opportunity cost not covered by Warren’s $52 trillion estimate. Even if you believe that Medicare for All will be cheaper in monetary terms, tens of millions of Americans seem to prefer their current arrangements.

Warren also proposes higher taxes on corporations, capital gains, stock trades and the wealthy, as well as stronger tax enforcement — all of which is supposed to raise more than $10 trillion. Again, regardless of your position on those policies, they will diminish investment and (to some extent) consumption

among the wealthy. You might not worry much about the consumption of the wealthy. But the decline in investment will lead to lower wages, less job creation and fewer goods and services. These are all opportunity costs, for both the middle class and just about everyone else.

Supposedly $400 billion will be picked up from taxes on new immigrants, following the passage of a law legalizing millions now in the country illegally. I favor such legislation. Still, I don’t necessarily see this as a windfall. Yes, more immigrant labor will produce more goods and services. Tax revenue from this new productivity could be used in any number of ways, with universal health care coverage just one option of many.

You might think that universal health insurance coverage is clearly the highest priority, but is it?

The Los Angeles Times

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If you’re interested in writing a guest column, contact Tessa Sestito at ts5422@mcla.edu or Corey Mitchell-Labrie at cm5449@mcla.edu

Opinion

Nov. 7, 2019

TheOnlineBeacon.com

North Adams Politics Needs You Last night Tom Bernard was elected to a second term as Mayor of North Adams. In addition, nine city councilors were elected including Benjamin Lamb, Marie Harpin, Keith Bona, Paul Hopkins, Jason LaForest, Lisa Blackmer, Wayne Wilkinson, Robert Moulton Jr., and Jessica Sweeney.

With years of experience in various fields shared between them, fresh ideas, and a desire to be the public’s trustees, they look to be excellent representatives for a town experiencing a cultural renaissance.

However, for as many articles as there has been written about how North Adams is the place to be and how it is a blossoming artistic hub, there are issues plaguing us that cannot be ignored.

High crime rates, staffing shortages in public safety, food insecurity, the opioid epidemic, and gentrification are all issues on the tips of tongues of residents in this city.

At times, it also feels that there is a cultural divide in the city. A divide between the lifelong residents, the arts community, and college students. This divide was made increasingly more obvious with the language used by some candidates during the course of the election.

However, the challenges that we are trying to overcome are not exclusive to our city and no change will come with divisive rhetoric. Seeing our city become a place that is welcoming to everyone is going to take

JAKE VITALI A SLICE OF AMERICANA active listening and participation in some difficult conversations.

These conversations particularly need MCLA students who are not solely residents of MCLA, but also residents of North Adams. We not only have the right but obligation to participate in the inner-workings of this city and ensure that we make our voices heard.

Improvements that would increase the feeling of safety including lighting enhancements to the streets on the outskirts of campus and new and repainted crosswalks fall under the purview of North Adams city government.

The much-maligned overnight parking ban, public works (snow and ice removal), park maintenance, and support for public schools are too.

Questions like, “What will become of vacant properties like

the iconic Mohawk Theater?” and “How should North Adams spend its annual budget?” needs your input so that the city can prioritize the type of businesses and culture that you would like to live in. These conversations are ripe and will play a heavy role in how North Adams as a city is shaped in the coming years.

It has also been mentioned so many times, the brain pool that exists with MCLA and Williams College being located in the heart of North County.

The education that students are receiving in the classroom and through hands-on experiences like practica should not be overlooked.

MCLA students are equipped for serious conversations on public health, citywide budgets, and general public policy. Most upperclassmen students at this institution are experts in their field. Our age does not discount our experience.

Participation in public affairs can also help make North Adams feel welcoming to all of us who come here and gasp at the view from the infamous hairpin turn. It breaks down the barrier and puts faces and stories to an important demographic that keeps our city’s economy moving.

City Council meetings are free to attend, open to the public, and while commentary on agenda items is limited to just two minutes - even that could change with your input.

Letter to the Editor

Facilities Prioritizes Lock Repairs To the Editor: I noted in your article “Students Grill Officials On Transparency, Language” in the October 31, 2019 edition of The Beacon a quotation from a campus member that was somewhat misleading to the campus community. In the article the student said “…for people living in townhouses, there has been and still is an on-going problem with the doors not locking, or not closing properly…”.

I reviewed all maintenance work logs for the Townhouses going back to the beginning of this Fall Semester. To date [as of Oct. 31] there were 13 work orders submitted and completed related to doors or keys/ locks in the Townhouses. A handful were for lost or damaged keys. When keys are lost/damaged, the entire lock is replaced and new keys are issued only to

authorized occupants. The other reported repair requests were related to sticking doors, or handles and locks that needed adjustment. Each work order related to a door/lock issue is required to be completed within hours of notice to the Facilities Department.

We treat these with a high priority as a security and safety matter.

I encourage students to report any problems with doors or locks that are creating a security concern to their Residential Life Hall Director immediately, call the Facilities Department at x5099, or contact me directly for assistance. I’m happy to answer any questions regarding the MCLA Facilities Team. Thank you.

Lawrence Behan Vice President of Administration and Finance

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by November 22nd. Contact Prof. Shawn McIntosh, Prof. Jim Niedbalski, Tessa Sestito, or Corey Mitchell-Labrie with any questions.

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Nov. 7, 2019

In Other Beacon News

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