February 19, 2020 Vol. 90 Issue 3

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Thursday, February 6, 2020

Volume 90 • Issue 1

North Adams Winterfest

25th Annual Student Leadership Conference

Conference to Empower Student Leadership Skills

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E EDITOR

PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE

Locals roasted smores at the intersection of Holden and Main St. last Saturday (see page 12 for more pictures).

Gallery 51 Plans Museum Tour

BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR MCLA’s Gallery 51 is planning to pilot a free shuttle bus tour on Feb. 27, allowing all students to visit several art institutions in both North Adams and Williamstown.

The tour, which is planned to take place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., will take students from Hoosac Hall to The Clark Art Institute, The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA), MASS MoCA, Gallery 51 and back.

Erica Wall, director of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC), believes the tour will give students a more convenient way to visit art institutions throughout the Berkshires.

“I think it comes from an effort on the part of different art institutions, the Clark, WCMA, MASSMoCA,” Wall said. “We’re really committed to making sure that the students are able to take advantage of the different institutions.”

She hopes that transporting students to and from the various art institutions has been a significant obstacle, one that the shuttle bus tour can help alleviate.

“In the short time that I’ve been here, I’ve really been trying to canvas that feedback from students when

MCLA will host its 25th Annual Leadership Conference on Saturday, Feb. 22 giving students the chance to strengthen their leadership skills without spending money or leaving campus.

“Designated MCLA Student Leadership Conference is for all students to get leadership experience much like they would at any conference that they would attend off-campus,” said director of student activities Jenn Labbance.

The overall conference focuses on leadership, with individual workshops teaching students specific skills that can be utilized in any field.

“You get to choose a workshop that will benefit you. You get to choose the different leadership areas that your interested in so you can apply it to whatever you are doing in your life,” Labbance said.

“We want to give a conference experience to all students. We know that sometimes that can come with a financial responsibility so if we host one here on campus we can make sure all students have this opportunity. Not everybody has the financial ability to go to a conference,” she said.

While Labbance prefers that students register on the conference’s website page at www. mcla.edu/

Conference, Page 3

Student Athlete Advisory Committee

Olympian Samantha Livingstone Talks On Athlete Mental Health

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ERICA WALL

Erica Wall, director of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center they come to [Gallery 51], and the number one challenge is the transportation,” she said.

Wall mentioned that if the pilot tour is successful it could be held regularly, with tentative plans for it to occur on the fourth Thursday of every month. She also said that if there is enough interest, shuttles could bring students to art institutions such as the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield.

“We just want to see if this something that students will take advantage of,” she said.

“It seems like a shared chal-

lenge for the institutions to get students to their spaces.”

Student driver Timothy Fontaine ’20 noted that while shuttles have brought students to Gallery 51, MASSMoCA and other art institutions before, it has never been done as a coordinated event.

“It’s never been a scheduled thing,” Fontaine said.

“As events come up, they would look for drivers.”

Fontaine believes that the tour is something that could be beneficial for students,

Shuttle, Page 3

PHOTO BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE

Megan Richardson ‘20 (left) who helped bring Samantha Livingstone (right) as part of her work last semester as co-predident of SAAC.

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Student Athlete Advisory Committee hosted Olympian Samantha Livingstone last Tuesday, Feb.18 in a talk directed towards student athletes about the importance of mental health.

At the talk, Livingstone

shared her story about competing up to Olympic levels and the climb’s intense pressure on her mental health.

“There was this scale that [my high school coach] would put out on the deck, and he would post the [athletes’] weights and talk

Olympian, Page 3

News

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Global Film Series

Series to Start With “Last Black Man in San Francisco”

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI STAFF WRITER MCLA’s Global Film Series is back, kicking off with the 2019 drama “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” on Monday, February 24th.

The movie will be playing in Sullivan Lounge at 6 p.m. and followed by a brief faculty-led discussion. The event is free and open to all students.

Jenna Sciuto, associate professor of global anglophone literature and director of the Global Film Series, hopes her intention of a discussion does not make students turn away from seeing the movie. She would like attendees to reflect on the movie’s themes such as identity, belonging, masculinity, and friendship.

“I will be facilitating, and if other faculty or staff are there they can help as well.

I think we will have some interesting things to talk about, but don’t let it deter you,” Sciuto said.

Attendance to Global Film Series events has ranged be-

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JENNA SCIUTO Jenna Sciuto, associate professor and director of the Global Film Series, standing with graduates Callie Higgins ‘19 and Erika Lucia ‘19. tween two and 100 people.

Sciuto noted it was difficult to assume the number of attendees for “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”, but has confidence that there will be a bigger turnout.

“I would say for this one perhaps a bit more than usual because the organizers of the Black History Month event [calendar] decided to include it on the flyer very

generously so it may attract a broader audience beyond the English department,” Sciuto said.

She said “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” is important to watch because the movie’s focus on race. The movie follows main character Jimmie’s personal experience with gentrification in his home city of San Francisco.

“Gentrification refers to

the process of changing the character of a neighbor due to an influx of more affluent residents and businesses that usually results in the displacement of previous residents,” Sciuto said.

Sciuto also noted that the cinematography of the film balances out the seriousness of the plot.

“In a lighter way, the film stylistically is very whim-

sical, so it is an interesting combination of different tones which I think works really well to be impactful,” she said.

The Global Film Series began in the spring of 2015.

Since then, Sciuto said that typically between two and four films are shown throughout each year’s spring semester.

“The second film is still undecided, which is rare.

Usually at this point in the semester I have them set, but I’m still doing some research and I want to hear back from more students and fellow faculty members,” Sciuto said.

To variate from previous Global Film Series lineups, Sciuto is looking to showcase a combination of American films and international films.

“With global film you would think mostly international films, but ‘The Last Black Man in San Francisco’ is so impactful that I wanted to include it in the series,” she said.

Kai Davis to Speak About Issues of Intersectionality

BY NICOLE LEMIRE STAFF WRITER As part of the celebration for Black History Month, motivational speaker and black, queer writer Kai Davis will be giving a lecture at MCLA on Tuesday, February 25 at 8 p.m. in Sullivan Lounge.

The lecture was planned and will be hosted by the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center in collaboration with the Multicultural Educational Resource Center and Christopher MacDonald-Dennis chief diversity officer.

According to her website, Davis’ work surrounds issues of intersectionality like “blackness, queerness, and womanhood.” Another key aspect of Davis’ work is her poetry and the importance of self expression. Much of her work is designed to inspire and educate others using creative methods.

“The lecture will be about Kai Davis’s emotional and empowering poetry and how she uses her art to help educate others,” said Macayla Flannigan ‘23, who works

for the Women’s Center and helped with the advertising of the event.

“We invited Kai to campus because her Spoken Word Poetry speaks to both communities [LGBTQ+ and students of color],” said Arlene Theordore, Associate Director of Diversity Programs and the Multicultural Education Resource Center.

“We are confident that she will speak to our campus in a way that really resonates with our students.”

Davis has used her platform to spread awareness of these issues all over the country by giving readings, keynote speeches and hosting facilitated workshops at various venues, including over 50 colleges. According to her website, some of the companies that she has performed for include TEDx Philly, CNN, BET, PBS and NPR. “February is Black History Month and a lot of her poetry aims to educate and make people aware of modern racism and to encourage people of color to be proud of their culture,” Flannigan said. “I also think she was chosen

PHOTO TAKEN FROM KAIDAVISPOETRY.COM Kai Davis has won numerous awards as a poet, incliding the 2016 Union Poetry Slam Invitational and the 2017 Leeway Transformation Award. because she can connect to so many people in so many different ways.”

Davis has received numerous awards for her work. According to her website, she is a two time international grand slam champion, winning Brave New Voices in 2011, the Union Poetry Slam Invitational in 2016 and the Lee-

way Transformation Award in 2017 for her years of art for social change work in Philadelphia.

“I encourage people to go to the event as poetry is a very powerful art form,” said Maddison Lamonda ‘21, who helped the Women’s Center with the planning and organization of the lecture.

“In our political climate today, it is very important to find unique and creative ways to deliver more sensitive topics and this will be a great way to do just that,” Theodore said.

Amanda Beckwith, coordinator of the Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center, did not respond to an email request for comment.

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Feb. 20, 2020

Green Living Seminars

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Vicky Kelly Discusses Pollution from Road Salt

BY BRIAN RHODES SENIOR NEWS EDITOR Vicky Kelly, environmental monitoring program manager at The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies (CIES) spoke about the polluting effects of road salt at MCLA’s Green Living Seminar last Thursday, Feb. 13.

The Green Living Seminars are held on Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. in CSI room 121.

The next lecture will be hosted by Matt Reardon, environmental analyst at MassDEP Division of Watershed Management, to discuss water quality in the Hoosic River watershed.

At her talk, Kelly discussed what she believes is a worrying trend of overuse of road salt in the United States during the winter.

“By 1975, [road salt use] was up to around 10 million metric tons,” Kelly said. “And now, in the twenty-teens, we’ve doubled that.”

Kelly explained road salt makes its way into rivers and streams, which can lead

CONFERENCE From Page 1

leadershipconference, students can attend without it.

The conference will take place all day and attendees will be provided program booklets, name tags and food throughout the day.

The event will have a keynote speaker, 20 workshops broken up into four sessions and a capstone speaker.

The Keynote speaker will be Jessica Sweeney, North Adams city councilor and previous board member of the Teen Root Center.

“It [the conference] is what you make it. You get to choose your own adventure. We hope the keynote speaker will resonate with any student and spark some sort of leadership insight in them,” Labbance said.

The programs are made up of students, faculty and

Shuttle

From Page 1 and provides an excuse to explore places off-campus.

“There aren’t a lot of ways for students to get off of campus, I think this is a good opportunity to do that,” he said. “I know a lot of people haven’t even been to MASSMoCA and that’s just downtown.”

According to Wall, Gallery 51 will soon be included in The Clark’s “Clark Trailblazer” program which, along with free admission, provides MCLA students

PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS

Vicky Kelly, environmental monitoring program manafer at The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, discussed how the overuse of road salt is causing significant environmental problems. to ecosystem damage and contamination of drinking water. Heavy metals such as lead can be leached from pipes and soil if the chlorine content is too high.

She used the lead pollution of drinking water in Flint, Michigan as an example of how highly-chlorinated water can pose a notable health risk.

staff with a mix of professional workshops lasting just over an hour and shorter ones lasting only a half an hour.

“I think any student or any member of the MCLA community or other college will find something for them,” Labbance said. “They’ll find something that they can learn and that they can implement. So, they are going to impact someone else’s life by the things they are getting out of the conference.”

At the end of the conference, capstone speaker Sarah Murphey will be giving a presentation on networking. “[For each section] You get to choose a workshop that will benefit you. You get to choose the different leadership areas that you’re interested in so you can apply it to whatever you are doing in your life,” Labbance said. with bonuses for visiting partnered museums multiple times.

Bonuses for visiting up to 12 times include complimentary gifts and a free year of Clark Sustainer membership, which provides discounts for event tickets and the museum store, as well as free entry into over 1000 partnered museums across the country.

“It’s just an opportunity to get beyond the boundaries of the campus and really start to experience the art that’s here because there is so much of it,” she said.

“In that event, the lead that ended up in people’s drinking water was, in part, leached out of existing pipes because the chloride concentration changed, it increased,” she said. “They had been taking water from Lake Huron, and they switched to taking water from the Flint River, and they didn’t add an anti-corrosive agent, and

OLYMPIAN From Page 1

about our body weight,” Livingstone said in her talk.

“But what I now know is that these experiences planted the seeds for what would then grow into, later grow into, an eating disorder.”

Megan Richardson ’20 was one of the students responsible for bringing Livingstone to campus, an event that saw athletes of nearly every team on campus in attendance.

“While being the previous Co-President of SAAC last semester, my E-Board brought up the idea of looking for ways to educate our student-athletes on more than just the sport,” Richardson said in an email. “I told the E-Board her story of being an Olympian and how it relates to mental health. From there our advisor reached out to Samantha and was able to bring her to campus to share her story.”

“Her overarching mes-

the chloride concentration from the Flint River was much higher.”

Kelly mentioned that, once a river is heavily contaminated with road salt, it takes decades for natural processes to restore it to normal, even if road salting stopped entirely.

“There is a legacy effect of using the salt,” she said.

“When you put it down today, it might not move out through the [eco]system for 20 to 30 years.”

Kelly said that road salt can also cause significant damage to plant-life that grows near the roads.

“There’s a lot of studies that have been done, especially early on in the 1970s and ‘80s, about the effect of salt on roadside plants,” she said. “It’s devastating, it kills them.”

According to Kelly, there are several ways in which salt use can be reduced. One such way is to improve salt storage facilities by making them leakproof.

“Clearly we need to cov-

er our salt piles and we need to cover them well,” she said. “The salt needs to be completely under those roofs and the roofs need to be made out of something that doesn’t leak. That is a no brainer.”

Other improvements that could reduce salt use are computerized plows with better salt dropping control, treating roads with brine and advanced weather systems that can help determine if a road needs to be treated with salt.

“These are all systems that can be put in place that allow for a reduction in the salt that’s used while the roads are still maintained in a safe manner,” she said.

Kelly recognized that, while road salt can cause significant environmental dilemmas, other ice melting solutions, like sand or calcium chloride, are also known to cause issues.

“There are some alternatives, but no silver bullets,” she said. “The alternatives all have their problems.”

sage of the talk,” she said.

“Was that everyone struggles during their life and just because someone looks like they have it all together or can present themselves well on the outside, does not mean that they do not have their own internal struggles.”

Livingstone spoke out against high profile coaching that push for fat shaming, doping and the overall athletic culture of putting body over mind.

“I never talked about it [my issues]. I think the one thing that, when we [athletes] say we can do hard things, what I want you to think about, is turning toward what these [her mental health] messages are. Because I didn’t say anything to anybody. I just shoved it down deeper and I went to work checking off boxes,” Livingstone said in her talk.

“By the time I made my team, my Olympic team at 18 years old, inside [my head] there was this inner critic that was so loud,” Liv-

ingstone said.

She spoke about how the teachings of her coaches developed into a mental state focused too much around winning and the sport.

Presently, Livingstone works as an entrepreneur, offering coaching services based in her website www. samanthalivingstone.com as well an “emotional bootcamp”, workshops and keynote speeches.

“As a group, student athletes and athletes in general,” Livingstone said in her talk. “We are the least likely to reach out and get help when it comes to mental health issues. When it comes to self-reported struggle, we’re not honest and I’m generalizing but it’s juts not talked about enough.”

“Samantha’s talk helped me solidify my why,” Richardson said in an email. “For why I selected this career path and the messages I took away from this keynote will stay with me as I begin to coach and counsel athletes.

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Asian American Union

AAU Strives for Inclusion and Fun

BY ISABEL COSTA FEATURE WRITER A club of fun, important conversation, and inclusion is a club we would all like to partake in. The Asian American Union [AAU] on campus does just that, reactivated in 2018 by Abigail Dumo 20’ and her friend Thalia Torres ‘19.

Dumo, president of the AAU, stated that she really strives to create a place where students of American Asian culture feel celebrated and represented, their meetings are held at 5 p.m. every Wednesday in the Empowerment Lounge “There aren’t a lot of students who identify as Asian American on campus , so I wanted to spread knowledge and awareness of the culture,” she said.

According to Dumo, wasdrawn to MCLA because of the small class sizes and the number of clubs she could get involved in.

Dumo describes the AAU’s meetings as centered around being part of their small community of people who share the same culture and experiences.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ABIGAIL DUMO

AAU members make a trip to UAlbany after being invited by Asian American Alliance for their event, Asian Occassion.

“We hang out and talk about issues around Asian culture going on around campus,” she said. “We also get together to talk about upcoming events and ways to budget.”

This semester, Dumo said the club is working on funding for events.

In the past, they have given out bubble tea in the campus

center and a trip to UAlbany to meet with their Asian student organization.

“We were invited to UALBANY to Asian Occasion to watch other students perform,” Dumo said. “It was a cool experience to connect with other clubs and schools.”

Dumo said they also help out Asian exchange students with their transitions into

MCLA. “I wanted to make them feel more welcome, so I encourage them to come to meetings and events with our club,” she said.

“I am hoping after I graduate the eboard members will take over and continue the work tht we’ve been doing.

Houa Xing, who is a junior year transfer student, has big

visions for AAU and I can see she is just as passionate as I am about this club,” Dumo said.

Dumo hopes that students will take time to learn about Asian American culture.

“I hope that more people learn about our club and that it gets bigger so that more of our campus can see the beauty in our culture,” Dumo said.

New Changes Come to Freel Library

PHOTO BY KYLAN MARTUS

Student librarian, Destiny Rivera’ 21, works at the main desk in the library. She is responsisible for tasks such as helping other students find and check out books.

BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES EDITOR Freel Library has remained a reliable and trusted resource for MCLA students to utilize. Recently, the library staff has worked to even further improve students’ experience through some of their new changes.

These include new databases, resources and, according to Digital Services Librarian Pamela Contakos, access to more news outlets.

“We do get the New York Times already from some of our databases but it’s not the same experience as reading it from the New York Times website,” Contakos said. “We fig-

ured since it’s such a commonly used resource we thought that would be a nice thing to offer to the campus.”

This would work as a free subscription to the New York Times.

“We also added a database called ‘Newspapersource+’ which has thousands of newspapers from around the country in it,” Contakos said.

The library was also seeking to add databases that could widen their resources.

“There is something we added that is called ‘Heinonline’ which is a database about history and law,” Contakos said. “We get a number of databases through the state of Mas-

sachusetts, which they share with all the libraries in the state and they added a couple of new ones this semester. That includes one called Science Database which is a very broad science based database.”

Contakos shared how the library staff decides on what new resources and databases should be added.

“We go by curriculum mostly and faculty requests. We also look at our statistics on what kind of databases are being used, and which have less use but a lot of it mostly curriculum and faculty driven,” Contakos said.

“We try to be helpful in a variety of ways,” Contakos said. “This year we did the space out here to make

it more welcoming for students, giving them more space out in the main area and creating those study rooms for group studying.”

The library’s website has also undergone changes and, according to Contakos, should provide better accessibility for students.

“This year we redesigned the website to put the most commonly used resources front and center, making it easier to navigate,’’ Contakos said. “We made it easier for students to ask us questions online.”

Students are able to seek help within the library as well through Janet Lexow, Reference Librarian.

Features

Feb. 20, 2020

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Students Shoot Their Shot on Valentine’s Day Gallery 51 Hosts a Night Full of Music, Art and Food Downtown

BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES EDITOR The Shoot Your Shot event was a celebration that brought students together in a night full Valentine’s Day themed festivities which featured music, art, food and an open mic. Students were also encouraged to dress up and pose for pictures, as a photographer was provided to capture memories of the night.

The event was held on Friday, Feb. 14, and was coordinated by Margareth Antonio ‘20, president of African Student Association. She worked with her club, as well as her internship with the Multicultural Education Resource Center to help develop this idea.

“It was sort of a two birds with one stone type of sit-

uation because I was able to do the event just for my club to give it prevalence on campus for the semester, but also as a part of my internship hours,” Antonio said.

She wanted to provide a different kind of event that students on campus had never had before.

“This semester I wanted to give us more events so I was looking on Pintrest and thinking ‘You know, what would be really nice?’” Antonio said. “I wanted a Valentine’s day party where everyone could be included, single people, those who are in a relationship, and even those who hate Valentine’s day.”

Attendees were each given a wristband that represented their current relationship status: a green wristband for single, yellow for “compli-

PHOTO BY QURAY CLARKE

Students socializing during the Shoot Your Shot Event in Gallery 51.

cated”, and red for “taken”.

“The event was pretty social and I thought the open mic was cool. It was better than I expected since there isn’t a lot of fun events on campus,” Junior H. Florent ‘22 said.

Koree Woodley-Adjei ‘20 agreed with Florent.

“I enjoyed the poetry session because a lot of people decided to share and it was nice to see other poets on campus,” Woodley-Adjei said.

In total, about 40 students attended the event which matched the predictions of what Antonio expected.

“I was actually really happy with the turnout of the event. We were happy we were able to provide a ride for people to get there,” Antonio said.

The event was held at Gallery 51 and an MCLA shuttle bus was provided for students transportation.

Antonio hopes more students will utilize Gallery 51 for future events.

“I want to just really encourage people to use that space and get in touch with Erica Wall who is the director Gallery 51. It’s important that we really utilize that space because it is a space that’s there for students,” she said.

Antonio hopes the success of the event will get more students involved in future events.

“I hope the success of this event will encourage stu-

PHOTO BY QURAY CLARKE

Aliesha Thomas 20’ and Joshua Borders got dressed up for the Valentine’s Day themed event. dents to come out to more ASA and more Multicultural Education Resource Center events because they really are for everybody,” Antonio said. “It’s fun for us to be able to share our experiences.”

“In terms of ASA, we will be having our annual African Night on April 18. ASA will also be doing a collaborative performance with NEXXUS for their show on April 4,” she said.

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

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V-Day Gala

BT, QSU to Roar It Back to the 20’s Annual gala to feature Roaring ‘20s theme, food, live DJ

BY AIDAN RAWSON A&E WRITER MCLA’s Queer Student Union and the Berkshire Towers Advisory Board are teaming up to host the Annual VDay Gala on Friday, Feb. 21 in the Church Street Center Social Hall.

The free event will take place from 8 to 10 p.m. and is being coordinated by QSU President, Lilly Broman, and Samantha Johnson, the president of the BT Advisory Board along with the Townhouse Advisory Board.

In a statement to the Beacon, Broman explained why QSU decided to take part in the event: “I knew about the event and thought that it would be cool for QSU to be a part of it because we wanted to run a dance this year anyway,” Broman said. “Because of this, I reached out

to BT’s Advisory Board to begin discussing how we would go about running the event together.”

Johnson also told the Beacon that the BT Advisory Board was looking to cohost this event before QSU stepped in.

“This year we wanted to do something a little different and co-plan with someone outside of the Residence halls. So, when QSU reached out we were really excited and jumped at the opportunity to co-plan with them,” Johnson said. She went on to explain how the Townhouse Advisory Board is also helping out with the event.

“After that, I reached out the both of the other Advisory Boards to see if they wanted to also help, and the Townhouses’ said yes.”

After brainstorming ideas for a theme and location, the two student leaders, along

with their corresponding organizations voted for a 1920’s themed event.

“The event is [1920’s] themed,” Broman said.

“Anyone who comes can expect some great decorations, good music, and good food.”

For QSU, this is one of the first major events that they are coordinating this semester.

“As president of QSU it really means a lot. We are so excited to be able to put on a big event like this and get our name out there,” Broman said. “It has been a great experience working with everyone to put on an event like this on campus.”

Both organizations anticipate anywhere between 50 to 75 people to attend the Gala, and are looking forward to students enjoying the night. The goal of the event, as Johnson explained, is for students to enjoy themselves and spend

PHOTO BY SALI BAH

This year’s V-Day Gala will be held in the Church Street Center Social Hall. time with their friends.

“I think this event gives people a chance to dress up for a night and have some fun,” Johnson said. “I cannot wait to see all of the happy and cheerful faces of everyone who walks into the dance.”

Food will be provided by ARAMARK Catering Services, as selected by QSU. Music will be curated by the student organizations using Spotify, and students attending the event will be able to request music throughout the evening.

Common Folk Hosts Open Mic Poetry Night

BY JACOB MACK A&E WRITER The Common Folk “Pop Up Shop” on Main Street in North Adams hosted an open mic poetry night on Wednesday, Feb. 12th, granting a small group of local poets a chance to share their work and meet fellow writers.

The event was run by the Common Folk Artist Collective, a group of artists from all around the northeast, and was organized by longtime member, Travis Costello.

“Poetry is one of my favorite forms of art, and I think it’s one of the least appreciated,” said Costello. “I really needed an outlet for my poetry sessions and Common Folk was one.”

According to Costello, the event is one of the first open mics to have sprung up in North Adams in recent years.

“There wasn’t really a poetry session in town when we started meeting, so it’s nice seeing that people are interested in something like this and hearing about more open mic events around town,” he said.

Although the event was advertised as a “Poetry open mic”, Costello said that performers of all types are welcome.

“We’d love to see some more stuff that’s really accessible to the mainstream, like

free-styling or slam poetry to bring some people in,” he said.

“We have new faces and new readers pretty much every single time we meet,” he said.

There were about 25 people at the event, in a space Costello defined as “cozy but expanding.” The stage consisted of a large recliner and artsy decor, resembling a talk show set.

“I really liked how they transformed a part of their store into a space where people would feel relaxed and excited to hear poetry from local writers,” said Xaida Brazeau ’22, who attended the event.

“For a small event, there was lots of variety in the work,” Brazeau said.

Writers took their turns reading everything from romantic poems about imagined alien landscapes to freestyle raps about winter depression.

“I love the idea that anyone can get up to the mic and share what they’ve been working on for feedback or support,” Brazeau said. “I hope to get some of my work into common folk too, but you can’t really show off a crochet blanket at an open mic.”

The event closed with a room full of artists conversing about the community surrounding art in the Berkshires and upcoming events to showcase the artistry abound in the county.

THURSDAY, FEB. 20 LOVE YOUR PET DAY - BIOLOGY SEMINAR SERIES: WENDY GUERRA CSI ROOM 208 12 P.M. - WATER QUALITY IN THE HOOSIC RIVER WATERSHED CSI ROOM 121 5:30 P.M. TO 7 P.M. - ART THERAPY CAREERS BOWMAN HALL ROOM 203 6 P.M. TO 7 P.M.

FRIDAY, FEB. 21 STICKY BUN DAY

SATURDAY, FEB. 22 MARGARITA DAY

- 25TH ANNUAL STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 8:45 A.M. TO 3 P.M.

SUNDAY, FEB. 23 TOAST DAY - SUNDAY SERVICE SULLIVAN LOUNGE 1 P.M. TO 2 P.M.

TUESDAY, FEB. 25

CLAM CHOWDER DAY - KAI DAVIS SULLIVAN LOUNGE 8 P.M. TO 9:30 P.M.

- CSSE PRESENTS: A TIME FOR TIME MANAGEMENT CSI ROOM 128 WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26 2 P.M. TO 2:50 P.M. TELL A FAIRY TALE DAY - MCLA SPIRIT FRIDAY - FORESTS AND CARBON WEAR COLLEGE COLORS IN A LARGER FRAME MURDOCK ROOM 218 7 P.M. TO 9 P.M.

Feb. 20, 2020

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Barn Babies to Return to Bring Cheer SAC’s annual tradition to be held Saturday, Feb. 29

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E EDITOR Student Activities Council will be hosting its annual Barn Babies event Saturday, Feb. 29 in the Social Hall as part of their weekly Saturday Night Spotlight [S&S] event.

Students can get a chance to interact with a bunch of barn babies including, chicks, pigs and baby goats in an attempt to relax during the midterm season.

“We have it really close to when midterms are in the second semester. Basically, it is supposed to be a stress less fest where people around the campus if they are stressed out with school, studying they can come and see these animals and they can be enlightened by their animalness” Jaela Horton, S&S Chair for SAC, said in an interview.

Animals have a way of making people relax and are able to improve a person’s mood through the interactions people have with them. Horton recollects on her experience with her cat and how much joy animals bring her and other people especially if it is an animal they have never interacted with before.

“Being around an animal itself brings you some kind of happiness that other things just aren’t able too. So, imagine seeing things you have never seen before like a baby goat, I have never seen a baby goat, but bringing it on campus just to admire,” Horton said.

The name of the Barn Babies is dedicated to the company that is bringing the animals. Barn Babies: Traveling Petting Zoo has been in business for twenty-five years. They are a year-round company that travels to family events and establishments giving people the chance to interact with animals. “[They are the] #1 traveling petting zoo serving Massachusetts and Rhode Island since 1994” according to Barn Babies website.

Linda Kauranen, the founder of the company grew up attending Rehoboth Fair. During these visits, she always left disappointed because she was unable to hold the animals. As an adult, she was able to work to make her childhood wish a reality for others.

“This business is our true passion and every day we become more and more excited to be able to share our animals with you.” Kauranen wrote on her website.

Unless students grew up in an area where there were barn animals they may not have had the opportunity to see them. Barn Babies gives students this chance and takes it a step further by giving them a chance to interact with them more closely.

“You can hold them. You can cuddle them. It’s a feeling I don’t think you can get anywhere else.” Horton said, “A good take away from this is that it’s just now, it’s just the present, your struggles will not last forever and if you need to relax just remember about the good things there are in life. About the animals, about the baby goats in diapers, stuff like that.”

Spending time with these animals gives students the chance to forget about their everyday stresses for a small amount of time and live in the moment.

Spending time with these animals and destressing

allows the students to recharge so that when it is time to get back to work, they can do so more effectively.

“The main priority of this idea is to make sure the campus knows that they are safe and have the opportunity to relax and it is driving that relaxation near midterms that idea where people shouldn’t stress out so much. They will hardly get things done” Horton said “Instead they can come, get their ticket in line and understand at a certain time you get to be with these cute baby animals. You get to relax, forget about school, forget about homework, forget about tests. Be in the present moment and have fun.”

PHOTOS BY SALI BAH

(Left) Carol Fagan ‘21 at Barn Babies 2019, holds a baby pig that was available to event attendees.

Brianna McNamara ‘21 and Symantha Kehr ‘21 playing with two puppies during the 2019 Barn Babies event.

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Chicago-Born NBA Players From Rose to Davis Get Nostalgic About Their Basketball ‘Mecca’

BY PHIL THOMPSON CHICAGO TRIBUNE CHICAGO - For several homegrown NBA and WNBA stars, Chicago boils down to two things: food and basketball.

Naperville Central alumna Candace Parker, a judge in last weekend's NBA All-Star Slam Dunk contest, put it best: "It's kind of like if you're Cubs or White Sox. You're either Lou Malnati's or Giordano's, and I'm Giordano's. There are certain things that Chicagoans understand: how important it is to solidify what your stance on food is as well as teams."

For the record, Parker added that she's a Cubs fan.

Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas, who was in town for Chicago's third turn as All-Star host and first since 1988, said he acts as a food guide whenever NBA peers visit the city.

"I give them three things: Go get an Italian beef, you've got to get a Vienna hot dog and you've got to try the pizza," said Thomas, a St. Joseph graduate and 12-time All-Star with the Pistons. "You're going to get deep dish or you get Home Run Inn pizza. Finally, you've got to top it off with Garrett Popcorn."

Lakers All-Star center Anthony Davis had Portillo's, and the Perspectives Charter alumnus added, "Giordano's is my go-to."

If nothing else was evident about All-Star Weekend, it's that Chicago prides itself on its basketball as much as its food.

"Chicago's the Mecca," Davis said.

Parker added: "Every level is respected and celebrated, from high school to college to the pros. I grew up with the expectation that you were supposed to win championships, like that's how it's supposed to be."

Chicago-area players indulged in some nostalgia over the weekend while talking about what made the city an ideal host for the AllStar Game. ___

Derrick Rose

It's fitting Derrick Rose was born in 1988, the last time Chicago hosted the NBA All-Star Game. The Simeon product and former No. 1 draft pick by the Bulls wasn't elected to the 2020 All-Star team, and he dropped out of the Skills Challenge because of injuries.

But All-Star Weekend still served as a coronation for his return, including chants of "M-V-P" at a book signing for the NBA's 2011 most valuable player.

"It's surreal man, it's surreal," said Rose, who now plays for the Pistons. "Knowing that I'm

PHOTO BY BRIAN CASSELLA/CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Chicago native and Detroit Pistons point guard Derrick Rose works with students at a shoe design workshop. from here but I never thought that I would be the example or a role model to so many people.

Especially with the career that I've had, the ups and downs.

"Having the All-Star Game back here in my 12th year, coming back and putting everything else in my past behind me and keeping it behind me and being mindful of where I'm at in the present, I'm feeling great. The city feels like my energy. The energy has been great here."

Rose echoed others who grew up playing in Chicago in anointing his hometown as the center of the basketball universe.

"It's the culture; we've got basketball culture here," Rose said. "Eyes are on you when you're young. Like, people had their eyes on me, had expectations on me, ever since I was in sixth grade. So from sixth grade all the way until now, everybody's been watching every part of my life as far as the basketball aspects of things.

"You don't want to have a bad night. The Chi, guys are known for performing in the lights. You put a lot of pressure on yourself along with the people in the city." ___

Candace Parker

Candace Parker remembers going to see a Bulls game at the United Center with her family when she was 9.

"We were in back and the Bulls players were coming out and it was Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Luc Longley, you know, those guys, and Ron Harper," she said. "And I went to Ron Harper instead of all of those players."

Parker, who grew up in Na-

perville and earned WNBA Finals MVP honors during the Los Angeles Sparks' 2016 championship run, appreciated how doggedly Harper defended Jordan when Harper was a member of the Cavaliers.

She kept a poster of him on her wall, which he later signed.

Parker rattled off several basketball memories tied to Chicago. _ Seeing her brother Anthony play at the United Center for the first time as a rookie with the 76ers. _ Winning at Marshall with Naperville Central, which, in her mind, meant she had arrived as a basketball player.

"You're taking a suburban kid down to the city of Chicago, going through metal detectors, playing the game at 3:30 because they played all their games before 4 o'clock, before it got dark. I'll never forget." _ Meeting Cappie Pondexter when Pondexter was a senior at Marshall and Parker was in eighth or ninth grade.

"Cappie was like the beall, end-all during that time.

She was women's basketball," Parker said. "In the game I check in and tried to introduce myself and she's like, 'I know who you are.' And that was the moment where I was like, 'Oh, OK.' Like, one of the greatest players knew my name."

Parker has been on the other side of Chicago basketball's "rite of passage," watching a 12-year-old Derrick Rose play for her uncle's AAU team, Ferrari.

"The stuff that he was doing the first three or four years in the league, he was doing that in sixth grade," she said. "Just taking off and just deciding

what you're going to do in the air. His ability to change speeds and cross over without stopping, it was just uncanny.

I've never seen anything like it.

"He got to the league and everybody was surprised. I was like, 'Well, Chicago knows because we've seen it for years.' " ___

Anthony Davis

Now living in Los Angeles, Anthony Davis misses a number of things about Chicago, including one most might not expect.

"The snow," he said. "I don't get to see the snow as much now. Me and my cousin would go outside and have snowball fights almost every day after school, and I kind of miss that."

Davis expressed appreciation for the ability to share an "amazing" All-Star experience with friends and relatives.

"My family don't get to chance to see me play a lot," he said. "I'm all the way on the West Coast now, and I only come here once a year (to play the Bulls)." ___

Isiah Thomas

Isiah Thomas' favorite playground was Gladys Playlot at the corner of Spaulding and Gladys avenues, practically around the corner from his home at Jackson Boulevard and Homan Avenue, which carries the honorary street name "Mary Thomas Way" in tribute to his mother.

As a young basketball player, Thomas had certain experiences that weren't necessarily open to other kids who grew up on the West Side.

"We always were welcome to play in each others' neighborhoods," Thomas said. "Our

coaches or friends would take us to travel to different places."

The Pistons legend is among a fabled lineage of Chicago point guards.

"The gentleman we always looked up to was (former NBA and DuSable guard) Kevin Porter," Thomas said. "When you talk about contemporaries I grew up with, my high school class, there was Mark Aguirre, Eddie Johnson, Craig Hodges, Rod Higgins, Darrell Walker (and) Doc Rivers, and we all went on to win NBA championships.

"And then there were some others who didn't win NBA championships but were just as good, when you talk about Terry Cummings and Teddy Grubbs."

The All-Star Game's return to Chicago for the first time in 32 years was particularly nostalgic for Thomas and Aguirre. Both were selected to play in the 1988 game at Chicago Stadium, and Aguirre and Angela Bowman got married that weekend.

"That was a really special moment," Thomas said, "because of all of us who were from Chicago who were friends with him growing up not only got to celebrate his All-Star moment but also got to be in the wedding that was planned around All-Star Weekend.

"We were all hoping we would make it (on the All-Star team), and lo and behold, we all made it and were able to be at his wedding." ___

Patrick Beverley

Clippers guard and Chicago native Patrick Beverley was asked for his take on the unraveling Bulls, and he quickly replied, "I don't watch the Bulls play."

That, ladies and gentlemen, is peak Beverley.

Ask any NBA player he has guarded, and they can attest the former Marshall star doesn't hold back. Several Chicago-born players laughed recalling times Beverley has trash-talked them or played his brand of physical defense.

"You know me, I represent Chicago, the grit of Chicago," he said. "My Chicago grit goes everywhere I go. It's something embodied in me. It's something I try to represent every time I get on the court."

Beverley was excited to be home as a participant in the All-Star Skills Challenge and to see old friends.

"Really excited to smell the Chicago air," he said. "It's like an emotion I really can't explain. It's still surreal to me.

I find myself trying to pinch myself sometimes. The last AllStar Game (in Chicago) was 32 years ago, so I wasn't even born yet."

Sports

Feb. 20, 2020

Men’s Basketball

Men Drop To Third In MASCAC

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF After losses against Worcester and Framingham State last week, the men’s team dropped to third in MASCAC play.

Westfield and Worcester are tied for first in the conference. Both teams have two games left in the season, and MCLA has one, so the standings could change, but MCLA is guaranteed to host a first round game of the MASCAC tournament.

MCLA is currently 7-4 in conference play and 14-9 overall this season.

The men’s team lost to Worcester in a close 9689 game Saturday.

The team broke just above even at the conclusion of the first half with a score of 40-39 but lost their momentum five minutes into the second half of the game.

Quentin Gittens ‘23 scored the most points for MCLA at 22, followed close behind by Noah Yearsley ‘21, who finished with 21 points and 7 rebounds.

Ki-Shawn Monroe ‘20 got 18 points, 7 rebounds and managed 6 assists.

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SCOREBOARD Men’s Basketball MCLA (64), Framingham (67) Feb. 12 Noah Yearsley - 14 Points Quentin Gittens - 7 Rebounds Ki-Shawn Monroe - 4 Assists

MCLA (89), Worcester (96) Feb. 15 Quentin Gittens - 22 Points Noah Yearsley - 21 Points; 7 Rebounds Ki-Shawn Monroe - 18 Points; 7 Rebounds; 6 Assists

@ Westfield State Feb. 22, 2:00 p.m.

Women’s Basketball PHOTO TAKEN FROM MCLA ATHELICS WEBSITE

Quentin Gittens ‘23 taking a shot in the game against Worcester State on Feb. 15.

The team lost against Framingham State last Wednesday in another close game, 67-64.

The men’s team scored

just under Framingham in the first half at 32-29, and both teams scored an even 35-35 in the second.

Yearsley scored the most

Women’s Basketball

points for MCLA at 14.

Gittens got the most rebounds at 7 and KiShawn Monroe made 4 assists.

Men’s Lacrosse

Women Narrowly Lose to Inaugural Season Worcester on Senior Day To Begin

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-AT-LARGE After jumping out to an early lead, the women’s basketball team lost to the Worcester State Lancers 64-68 in the final home game of the season on Saturday, Feb. 15.

Guided by Erika Ryan’s 11 points and 6 rebounds, the Trailblazers led 35-29 heading into halftime.

The early lead would not last long as the Lancers outscored the Trailblazers 26-13 in the third quarter. The women struggled to defend Mya Mosley who contributed 15 points to the Lancers’ surge. They entered the fourth quarter ahead 55-48.

Despite losing the lead, the Trailblazers brought the game down to the final seconds. With 5 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Trailblazers played aggressive defense and held the Lancers to 0 points for 4 of those minutes. They went 10-1 with the Lancers until the final 7 seconds.

The Trailblazers had brought the game to 66-64. With no timeouts, the Trailblazers were forced to foul sending Mosley

to the free throw line. She made both shots, putting the game out of reach, and securing the victory for the Lancers.

Despite the loss, it was an impressive showing from seniors Kylah Langston and Erika Ryan, who were honored before the game along with Molleigh Sanes.

Kylah Langston finished the game as the Trailblazers leading scorer with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Erika Ryan finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks.

Mosley led the Lancers in scoring, finishing with 28 points, 4 assists, and 2 rebounds. The Lancers also saw a big contribution off the bench from Gigi LeMay who ended the afternoon with 10 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 assists.

With Saturday’s loss, the women’s basketball team now sits at 2-20 overall and 0-11 in the MASCAC conference.

The Trailblazers will play their final game of the season on the road against the Westfield State University Owls on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at The Woodward Center. The game can be streamed online at athletics.mcla.edu

on Saturday

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Beginning its inaugural season at MCLA, the men’s lacrosse team’s first two games are happening up at the Zavataro Athletic Complex.

The team will play against the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 2 p.m. The following week facing Mitchell College at 2 p.m. as well.

The team will be led by head coach Kevin Pezanowski and assistant coach Jeffery Woodside. Pezanowski has over 27 years of coaching experience in both the high school and collegate levels.

He agreed to take on leadership of MCLA’s lacrosse team in the fall semester of 2018 and had planned to start recruiting for the team in the following spring semester.

Woodside, according to the MCLA athletics page, was named the team’s assistant coach in October of last semester. He’s been coaching lacrosse for 4 seasons and was previously head coach at Saint Louis University.

The team’s online roster lists 25 players including Cody Faulkner ‘20, Brady Larkin ‘23 and Gavin Butler ‘23.

MCLA (54), Framingham (79) Feb. 12 Hannah Mazzeo - 14 Points; 10 Rebounds Brooke DiGennaro - 13 Points Erika Ryan - 5 Points

MCLA (64), Salem State (68) Feb. 15 Kylah Langston - 18 Points Erika Ryan - 13 points; 10 Rebounds Shannon Carney - 13 points Hannah Mazzeo - 4 Assists; 7 Rebounds

@ Westfield State Feb. 22, 12:00 p.m.

Men’s Lacrosse vs. Mt. St. Vincent Feb. 22, 2:00 p.m.

vs. Mitchell College Feb. 29, 2:00 p.m.

Baseball @ Baseball Haven SUNY Cobleskill

Feb. 29, 1:00 p.m. & 3:30 p.m.

@ Baseball Haven SUNY Cobleskill

Mar. 1, 12:00 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.

Opinion

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10

Data Tracking In Social Media: Don’t Use it Everyone is scared of big data.

The idea that massive corporations can exploit the small text of terms and conditions pages all over the internet to buy and sell your data to advertisers. For many, it seems like an unstoppable, unavoidable trap but there is a solution, unplug from your phone.

Go outside, leave your phone in your car and social media?

Don’t use it.

People can get so tied up with the idea that Siri, Alexa or Google are listening into your conversations in order to strategically place advertisements for Bed, Bath and Beyond between your aunt’s Facebook post about her new cat that threw up.

Subliminal messaging, marketed hypnosis a new value meal at a fast food chain, all of it can be avoided by deciding to turn off your phone or taking an oh so dreaded Facebook hiatus.

The system of big data only works, when you let it work. If

COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE I’M NO EXPERT you don’t give them data points to use, i.e. don’t spend all your time surfing the internet, their formulas can’t interact with you. If you leave your phone at home or in your car, they can’t identifiably listen to your conversations.

There are so many people today fighting against user surveillance

and data collecting, so many people afraid about what others might find out about you online, that we’ve almost forgotten the easiest way to break the system.

Don’t use it.

It’s a terrifying thought for people whose lives spiral around using technology and this extents past Millennials and Gen Z. Plenty of Pinterest and Facebook is filled with Baby Boomers posting dad jokes, inspirational quotes and cat pictures, but there are alternatives to social media entertainment.

Reading books, playing videogames, going out to museums or events are all activities that can avoid the watchful gaze of the data collectors if you decide not to excessively post about them.

The more you surf the internet, the more cookies and traceable data you generate. Company algorithms can detect which pages you visit, which topics or products you’d be inclined to buy, and can tailor your

advertisement stream to reflect that.

Going further than ads, it can be scary to think that the medium of the internet makes it much easier for people to stalk each other online. They can find out who your family is, your friends, where you live and work all through what you’ve posted on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media sites. So much information is available online that in the midst of it people forget the easiest way to break the system.

Don’t use it.

If you’re uncomfortable with people finding out where you live, don’t post your address. If you don’t want people to know where you work, don’t post about your new job.

If you’re really paranoid about big data and people finding details about your personal life, don’t have a social media account at all.

Just don’t use it.

Rateliff Channels Pain Into Art On Latest Album The ability to channel life’s hardest moments into something beautiful, that can be appreciated by everybody, is the sign of a true artist.

Following the passing of close friend and trusted record producer Richard Swift, as well as an end to his tumultuous 11-year marriage, Nathaniel Rateliff accomplishes just that on his new album “And It’s Still Alright” which was released on Friday, Feb. 14.

“They say you learn a lot out there/How to scorch and burn/ Gonna have to bury your friends/ And then you’ll find it gets worse/ Standing out on the ledge/With no way to get down/Start praying for wings to grow/Oh, baby, just let go,” he sings on the title track’s third verse.

Rateliff’s is at his best when he gets down-to-earth and vulnerable with his listeners.

Even as the front-man for the Americana/soul revivalist group the Night Sweats, Rateliff has been wow-ing audiences with his ability to get personal in his music. The band’s most popular single “S.O.B.” is a very catchy, high energy number about his own desperation to get sober.

While his work with the Night Sweats is often known for its horn driven harmonies, his solo work has showcased a much more quiet

and intimate side.

Vulnerability also comes through again on the album’s six minute closing track “Rush On” which was written for Swift.

On the track, Rateliff’s voice strains as he sings with an open wound to an instrumental that never truly builds. There’s a real dissonance in the electric guitar that carries the song’s vocal-less final two minutes. It creates a chilling effect and reminds the listener that the world goes on, regardless of us as an individual - that we must make the most of our time on earth.

“Time Stands” is a moving song that poses questions, presumably questions he’s posing himself. It has an anthem-like delivery and with the repeated phrase “time stands in a duel and I stand for you” makes it one of the album’s most memorable songs.

And while the record benefits from it’s vulnerability, it experiences levity with Rateliff’s sarcasm and flippancy on other songs.

The album opens with the song “What A Drag” which features Rateliff crooning about a breakup.

Complete with the dressings of a love song with finger snapping and an uptempo - the song is not particularly happy. Instead, it plays as a man trying to bury the pain of accepting love’s finality.

JAKE VITALI A SLICE OF AMERICANA “After years of the same thing/ Well, I hope it’s the half that you want,” he sings, a cutting line about the half often lost in a divorce settlement.

“You Need Me” takes the playfulness up a notch with a relaxing melody and lyrics “Are you telling me now, in the middle of the s--t, “I need you”?/Or are you telling me now, in the middle of the shit, “F--k you”?” Rateliff asks, while infusing a few “doo doo doos” on the end of lines.

Many of these songs work because of their subdued nature. Even when Rateliff is being playful, he’s always telling a deeply intimate

story that needs to be told through a subdued singer-songwriter style.

These are not boisterous songs and they could be done the same way with a band the size of the Night Sweats.

While some have said that the album is a return to Rateliff’s roots, he has never stopped writing solo songs. Before his passing, Swift had urged Rateliff to “Keep pushing for those Harry Nilsson tunes, man.”

However, it is the first time that we’ve seen this style from Rateliff since his rise to fame as the Night Sweats energetic front-man.

Prior to the release of 2015’s “Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats” he released two solo albums “In Memory of Loss” and “Falling Faster Than You Can Run” which garnered little success. His debut album with the Night Sweats was a last ditch effort at a music career before giving up to do something else.

Rateliff is currently taking a break from the Night Sweats in favor of his solo career, putting any future projects with the band in question.

However, he hasn’t ruled out a return to the band.

He will be touring in support of the record beginning Saturday, Feb. 22 and will be making stops in New York, New York and Boston, Mass.

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. 20, 2019

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Hot Jobs Market Will Ease the Student Loan Crisis The evidence suggests that more young people are choosing to work instead of pursuing educations of questionable value.

BY CONOR SEN BLOOMBERG NEWS Student loan debt has more than doubled over the past decade and now exceeds $1.5 trillion. If there is one bit of good news, it’s that new data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York shows that student loan debt has just about stopped growing, likely in part to a tighter labor market. So as long as the labor market continues to stay strong, student loan debt shouldn’t be as much of a burden to the next generation of workers as it has to the last one.

The rise in student loan debt can be attributed to many factors, and not just the rising cost of higher education. Demographic forces played a role as the large millennial generation passed through its peak higher education years in the 2000’s and 2010’s. Another has been the impact of the Great Recession, both by cutting state funding for public universities, which led to higher tuition, and for pushing some young people from the labor market and into higher education as a way of making themselves more employable. Ernie Tedeschi, a researcher at Evercore ISI, has shown that a 0.5% decline in the prime-age labor force participation rate between 2010 and 2012 was due to an increase in school enrollment.

The impact may have

been even more dramatic for Americans in their prime higher education years. For people between the ages of 20 to 24, the labor force participation rate fell from 75.6% in December 2006 to 69.9% in August 2012. Only within the past couple of years has it begun to recover, but it’s still 2.7 percentage points below what it was in late 2006, and 5 percentage points lower than in 2000.

Getting back to 2000 levels would mean an additional one million young workers in the labor force relative to what we have now

in for-profit institutions, which are of dubious value for students. And even with falling population numbers the size of the labor force of people in that age group is unchanged, reflecting the increase in labor force participation rates.

What we may be seeing _ thanks to the strengthening labor market _ is a virtuous cycle for young people weighing the choice of seeking employment or enrolling in higher education. For people on the fence, the job market is strong enough that they’re

ing half of college graduates. There are a couple of ways to think about this. The first is that the labor market still needs to be stronger to allow that group of Americans to thrive. And another is that labor market dynamics have changed to the point where those without degrees can now earn wages on par with many college graduates, and that many people with degrees could earn the same wage they are now without having paid for their degree, perhaps with a little training from employers.

New research shows that there’s essentially no wage premium for the lower-earning half of college graduates. rather than in school paying tuition and taking out student loans.

At the same time that labor force participation rates for young people are picking up, higher education enrollment is falling, dropping to a 10-year low in 2019. Enrollment has fallen by 3% the past two years, or by 570,000 students. Some of that is due to a shrinking population of 20- to 24-year olds, with that part of the population declining by about 400,000 people in the same period.

What’s also encouraging is that the biggest enrollment declines occurred

increasingly choosing to work. This is showing up in higher labor force participation rates, lower education enrollment rates and a flattening out in the level of student loan debt owed. Down the road, these young people who chose to work will be in a better position to start families and buy homes, rather than saddled by student loan debt like we’ve seen over the past number of years.

This trend could have a long way to go. New research shows that there’s essentially no wage premium for the lower-earn-

The high level of existing student loan debt is in many respects a labor market policy failure over the last decade, and progressives and labor activists have a case in arguing that something should be done to lighten that load. But going forward, there’s reason to believe that growing numbers of Americans will be able to launch their careers without feeling like that debt is a necessity. Addressing student loan debt starts with full employment labor market policies, and it’s encouraging that policymakers are taking that more seriously.

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.

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Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief

Corey Mitchell-LaBrie

Senior News Editor Brian Rhodes

A & E Editor Sabrina Damms

Features Editor Lise Mansaray

BWN Executive Producer Symantha Kehr

Staff Staff Writers Natalia Giacomozzi Nicole Lemire

Features Writer

A&E Writers

Isabel Costa

Aiden Rawson Jacob Mack

BWN Reporters Mei Craig

Robert Wehry

Volunteer Staff Jake Vitali

Advisers Shawn McIntosh Jim Niedbalski

Feb. 21, 2019

23rd Annual North Adams Winterfest

Up And Down Main St. Locals Celebrated Winterfest Last Week By Carving Ice Sculptures And Competing In Their Chowder Cook-Off. Photos By Corey Mitchell-LaBrie Keith Bona (Left) Carves A Sleigh In Front Of His Store, The Berkshire Emporium

The Chowder Cook-Off At The Green Public Space Had Hungry Crowds Lined Out Of The Door.

Matt Tatro And His Grandmother Worked the Grazie Table (Below)

Gramercy Bistro Table (Above)

Mike St. Pierre (Right) Crafts His Ice Block Into A Firetruck

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