Feb. 14, 2019, Vol. 88, Issue 2

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Thursday, February 14, 2019

Black History Month

Events Emphasize Community

BY NATHAN BIRON STAFF WRITER

The Multicultural Education Resource Center (MERC) is planning on bringing some new events to celebrate Black History Month on campus.

This year, the mission is to educate students on the importance of community and togetherness among each other.

Michael Obasohan, assistant director of diversity programs and multicultural education center, explained just how much attention and effort it takes to make these events possible.

“I just hope that this will bring the MCLA campus community and the North Adams community together,” Obasohan said.

These events focus on inspiring students to see the progress of the movement, but also bringing the faculty and students closer through conversations on these topics.

“If the institution’s mission is to promote and honor and bring awareness to diversity and inclusion then I think that is a campus-wide responsibility and it should not just come from specific offices but from all across the board,” Obasohan said.

A big part of Obasohan’s message for these events was being able to create a community where everyone feels welcome. These events will create open dialogues

HISTORY, Page 4

Volume 88 • Issue 2

Barn Babies Captures Hearts of Students

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Student Activities Council hosted their annual event Barn Babies this past Saturday. The event is traditionally one of SAC’s most popular, with lines that wrap around the first floor of Venable Hall. Students were granted 15 minutes to take photos with the animals, cuddle, hold, and feed them. This year the traveling petting zoo brought puppies, kittens, bunnies, a pig and a goat. See story, page 6.

Trés Niños: Nacho Typical Downtown Mexican Restaurant

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Trés Niños is officially open in downtown North Adams, located at 20 Marshall St. The taqueria, which serves breakfast and lunch versions of burritos and tacos in addition to salads, rice bowls and iced coffee, sits on Marshall St. adjacent to Mass MoCA. It is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Breakfast items are not available after 10:30 a.m.

The taqueria is owned and operated

by Matt Tatro, a native of North Adams, and the chef and restaurateur behind Grazie, which sits just two doors down from his latest creation.

Tatro lived in Boston for eight years after college and was surrounded by taquerias, which allowed him to observe the style.

“Once you know how to cook, you pick things up really quickly, and I certainly picked up on the fresh quality of the ingredients,” Tatro explained.

Upon moving back to North Adams, Tatro recognized the lack of both a taqueria and an Italian restaurant.

“I started with the Italian restaurant in hopes that nobody would scoop this concept up before I started it, knowing that I wanted to start one,” Tatro said.

After Brewhaha moved to the city’s west end, Tatro had an opportunity to pick up the space. However, he decid-

PHOTO BY RON LEJA

Trés Niños opened this past Tuesday on Marshall St. in downtown North Adams. The restaurant is the latest creation of Matt Tatro, the chef behind Grazie, located just two doors down. ed to start the venture as a food truck this past June.

“I wanted to have the concept but I didn’t want to have the overhead and liability of running a full storefront,” Tatro explained.

The food truck proved to be a success, and Tatro was able to get a second chance at the space after Bowlin’ on the River owner David York liquidated his assets in North Adams.

The taqueria is designed with fast service in mind and an emphasis on family. Pictures of Tatro’s three sons (niños) can be seen throughout the

restaurant, and they are also incorporated into the company logo.

“I designed it as a taqueria based around my kids,” Tatro said. “It’s a vibrant atmosphere, the goal is to walk out happier than when you walked in.”

Upon entering the restaurant, patrons choose between burritos, tacos, rice bowls, salad or nachos. They then proceed through the line choosing from rice and beans, different proteins, and an assortment of add-ons.

Chips with salsa or guacamole are also available.

For Tatro, opening this restaurant

was not possible without his prior experience opening Grazie.

“The experience that I’ve had opening Grazie and running Grazie successfully is invaluable, I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing another place on my own if I didn’t have the prior knowledge of Grazie,” Tatro said.

Tatro considers opening Trés Niños easier and attributes it to lower rent, a more simplistic content and lack of liquor licenses involved. The most challenging part for him was choosing the right staff.

“We’ve got a solid team that really gels and we’ve been very fortunate,” Tatro said.

One key difference with Tatro’s new restaurant is the price point. The priciest menu item is a rice bowl at $9.

“My pricing is honest pricing. The ingredient cost, it’s rice and beans, the most expensive stuff is the protein and the avocado,” Tatro said. “I honestly priced this for my customers.”

As Tatro focuses his energy on making Trés Niños a success, he has entrusted Matt Stimpson to handle daily operations at Grazie. Stimpson has worked his way up and has been with Grazie since its inception.

Between the two restaurants, Tatro now has roughly 40 employees, something he takes immense pride in.

“There’s a lot of value I hold in creating jobs in my city,” Tatro said.

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Green Living Seminar

Start with Cows; the Soil will Thank You

BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

Freelance journalist and author Judith Schwartz was the most recent guest at MCLA’s Green Living Seminar, speaking about the importance of animals and their role in revitalizing struggling landscapes.

“Just about every single environmental challenge we have can be addressed through turning our attention to the soil,” Schwartz said.

Schwartz, from southern Vermont, began her environmental work in 2010 after hearing a puzzling fact while at a conference.

“That over time more CO2 has gone into the atmosphere from the soil from agricultural practices such as tilling, fallowing, poor grazing and chemical use [than from fossil fuels],” Schwartz said.

Her talk Thursday was centered on promoting “Holistic Management,” a practice that Schwartz attributed to Allan Savory.

“I had the chance to spend eight days with him in Zimbabwe and that was absolutely incredible,” Schwartz said. “His level of observation of the landscape is just unbelievable.”

Savory is a native of Zimbabwe, having served as a soldier in their civil war. His agricultural plan is bent around the introduction of cattle into crop fields to reinvigorate the land and combat desertification.

The hope would be that the cattle deposit fertilizer into the crop-growing earth. The animals’ hooves would then churn the dirt and stomp out unnecessary grasses and weeds.

“Having the animal impact meant that water infiltrated,” Schwartz said. “They [farmers in Zimbabwe] could hold water on the

PHOTO FROM JUDITHDSHWARTZ.COM

Judith Schwartz, journalist and author of “Cows Save the Planet” and “Water in Plain Sight.”

land. They could grow food for seven months of the year instead of two months.”

Savory shared his ideas in a TED talk in February 2013, and it is his work that Schwartz uses as a basis in her book, “Cows Save the Planet.”

The Green Living Seminar takes place Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation Room 121.

Beyond the Beacon

Baffin Island Glacier Melt Unmasks Land Covered for 40,000 Years

BY THERESA BRAINE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

It has been nearly 120,000 years since Earth was this warm, and 40,000 years since some ice-swathed Arctic lands have seen the sun.

This is one conclusion of a study published Friday in the journal Nature Communications, in which researchers carbon-dated plants collected at the edges of 30 ice caps on Baffin Island, in the Canadian Inuit territory of Nunavut.

“The Arctic is currently warming two to three times faster than the rest of the globe, so naturally, glaciers and ice caps are going to react faster,” said Simon Pendleton, lead author and a doctoral researcher at the Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research (INSTAAR), in a statement.

The study was conducted at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where INSTAAR is located, and in conjunction with the University of California at Irvine, as well as Purdue University.

Baffin is the world’s fifth-largest island, lying west of Greenland, which has also been shown to be melting precipitously. The population is predominantly Inuit.

“We travel to the retreating ice margins, sample newly exposed plants preserved on these ancient landscapes and carbon date the plants to get a sense of when the ice last advanced over that location,” Pendleton said in the state-

ment. “Because dead plants are efficiently removed from the landscape, the radiocarbon age of rooted plants define the last time summers were as warm, on average, as those of the past century.”

Under this logic, researchers at CU Boulder and partners analyzed 48 plant samples from numerous elevations and exposures and found that they had most likely been continuously covered by ice for 40 millennia.

Glaciers are a direct indicator of temperature, pointed out study senior author Gifford Miller, a geological sciences professor at CU Boulder. Purdue University’s Nathaniel Lifton also contributed to the research, which was funded by the National Science Foundation.

“If summers warm, they immediately recede; if summers cool, they advance,” Miller noted in the statement. “This makes them one of the most reliable proxies for changes in summer temperature.”

Canada hosts about 30 percent of the glaciers in the world, according to Arctic Today, a news service. After Antarctica and Greenland, that country’s glaciers are the biggest contributor to sea rise.

A recent survey of 1,773 glaciers across northern Ellesmere Island, also in Nunavut, found that upward of three quarters of them had lost area from 1999 to 2015, with an overall 6 percent loss of total ice coverage, Arctic Today reported in July 2018.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge

Challenge Undergoes Changes, Welcomes New Entrepreneur-in-Residence for Mentorship

BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge is currently accepting business proposals for the pitch competition, which will be held April 17.

Winners of the challenge will receive access to $10,000 to help get their business off the ground in addition to a paid summer internship at Lever Inc., a center for entrepreneurship and social innovation.

“You get the entire summer paid to think about your idea, develop it, and start a new business,” professor of Business Administration Tara Barboza said. “It’s like getting paid to start your own business.”

Interested students should contact Barboza or Amy Shap-

iro, entrepreneur-in-residence.

The position of Entrepreneur-in-Residence was created to help mentor students throughout the process, coordinate the program and find funding avenues.

“Amy has access to all kinds of lenders and grant programs out there to find you funds,” Barboza said.

Shapiro mentored students throughout the first two challenges and is facilitating this year’s program alongside Barboza.

Shapiro, a North Adams native, enters this year’s challenge with a background in owning her own business and now offers advice to businesses throughout western Massachusetts.

“I was co-owner of a manufacturing business that sold products around the country as well as had our own retail

outlet. Currently, and for the last 18 years, I am the Business Development Director at the Franklin County Community Development Corporation,” Shapiro explained in an email.

“I assist businesses in western MA start, stabilize and grow, connect to resources and participate in community economic development projects.”

As part of her role as Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Shapiro will be connecting students with individual mentors and community members to help strengthen their business ideas. Previously, mentoring was provided through group sessions.

This year meetings will be held in Murdock Hall room 320 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

“The previous two years helped us see that we needed to encourage students in all departments to participate,

PHOTO FROM AMY SHAPIRO

Amy Shapiro, Entrepreneur-inResidence, takes over as coordinator of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge from Zachary Feury, who left MCLA in December.

clarifying program expectations, and consider offering fall workshops that help students create and explore ideas

so that they are ready to begin in January,” Shapiro said.

Another significant change this year is the opportunity for students who are interested in pursuing their business idea to continue doing so after the competition.

“This Challenge was made possible by a kind donation by a private donor who believes strongly in helping students understand innovation and entrepreneurship to explore an idea that could create jobs and an exciting opportunity,” Shapiro said.

Last year’s winner was Shannon Cahill who created Greylock Sound, a company which specializes in booking and promoting concerts in western Massachusetts. Cahill is expected to help mentor this year’s students and also helped to develop branding for this year’s challenge.

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Student Leadership Conference, ‘Leaders of the Roundtable’

BY JOHN MORRISSEY STAFF WRITER

Saturday marked MCLA’s 24th Annual Student Leadership Conference, “Leaders of the Roundtable,” headlined by keynote speaker Jamie Piperato’s message of loving leadership.

Piperato, a social justice advocate and higher education consultant who founded JPHigherEd, has knowledgeable experience in areas of multicultural education, LGBTQ services, Title IX education, leadership, career development and university housing. Piperato spoke to the crowd in attendance at the Campus Center Gym about leading others with love as the focal point.

“When we lead with love, we create communities centered in love,” Piperato said. “Think of a person you love, think of their characteristics and how that relationship is centered around love and use that to create communities which people feel affirmed in.”

Vice President of Student Affairs Catherine Holbrook addressed the audience prior to the start of the event and relayed the importance of the conference and its role in developing young leaders.

“For 24 years this event has helped inspire students to become the leaders they are meant to be,” Holbrook said. “You are all here ready to hear words of wisdom from staff and students who want to share their thoughts about leadership.”

The conference was broken into

PHOTO BY JAKE VITALI

Jamie Piperato, higher education consultant and speaker, shared her experience and message of leadership with MCLA students Saturday. four one-hour blocks, giving over 20 speakers the opportunity to relay their message on leadership.

Jaret Gonzalez, a senior in MCLA’s environmental science program said, “This summer I will be working with New York City youth where we will teach leadership and anything I can learn is always a help.”

Attendees were offered the opportunity to choose which lectures they wanted to attend within the individual blocks, enabling them the ability to craft their own experience

of the conference.

“I liked that the LGBTQ community was included into the established community [during the conference] rather than just a stand-alone thing,” MCLA sophomore Nakeishy Fontan said.

The discourse on leadership included improv exercises, public speaking, diversity and advice from MCLA alumni on what they wished they knew while they were students.

Audrey Ames, Southern Vermont College’s Coordinator of Student En-

gagement, said when reflecting on the event, “I really appreciated the emphasis on building the community around yourself and how this helps cultivate your best self.”

The event was sponsored by the conference committee and MCLA, and was assisted by Aramark staff, athletics department, conference presenters, facilities department, mailroom/copy center, media services, residential programs and services, student affairs division office and student development office.

SGA

Course Releases, ‘Fund our Future’ Campaign, and ‘Winter Week’

BY MAYA MCFADDEN STAFF WRITER The decision to invite Emily Allen Williams, vice president of academic affairs, President James Birge and Deborah Foss, dean of academic operations, was made at the Student Government Association’s (SGA) meeting Monday night in hopes to further discuss MCLA’s institutional changes, specifically the issues revolving around course releases for faculty members.

Victoria Muñoz ‘19 expressed her concern for the issue of the College not offering faculty course reductions for additional work, specifically naming Ingrid Castro, sociology professor and director of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS).

Muñoz said Castro could potentially step down from her position if no change is made.

The effects of institutional changes — like the radio practicum and the faculty course release contracts — were mentioned at the meeting as important issues not brought up to students as they occurred.

“I think that this is our education and our institution, and I think sometimes administration forgets that essentially they work for us, there would be no MCLA without students,” said Muñoz.

To show support for addressing the issue Muñoz discussed, SGA made the decision to invite Williams, Birge and Foss to the next meeting in hopes of learning the reasoning for the change.

Muñoz said that in her discussions with faculty members affected — like Castro and Kerri Nicoll, assistant sociology and anthropology professor — the College has not provided conclusive reasoning for the issue at hand.

The national decline in enrollment for institutions was mentioned by Muñoz while discussing how the College uses its funds.

“We have more administration now than there has ever been, so there is money there clearly, and I would just like to see it being spent for the good of students,” Muñoz said.

Many members and students present agreed with Muñoz’s additional point that the College is unique because of its offerings of opportunities like varying independent study’s, courses-by-arrangement, and internships.

SGA intends on reaching out to the alumni board for help and support to bring awareness to addressing the impacts of these changes on both students and faculty.

“I think that if we get them [alumni board] onboard with some of the things happening, they would be just as outraged as we are,” Muñoz said.

Guest speaker Graziana Ramsden, MCLA’s faculty association president and professor of modern languages, also attended the meeting to discuss the “Fund Our Future” campaign.

Ramsden explained that the legislative initiative

works to bring awareness to state underfunding for public colleges and universities and its effect on the rise in student debt rates.

“Where there is money there is also less student debt,” said Ramsden.

Dean Little ’21 stated that during the alumni board meeting Saturday, Feb. 9, Birge allegedly said that after looking into the situation surrounding radio practicum, he found that the practicum was canceled due to the College’s effort to reduce the number of courses taught by adjunct faculty; these classes cost the College approximately $5,200.

“It’s decisions as minor as this that are creating giant waves for students,” Little said.

Eleven SGA representatives were present with adviser Christopher Hantman, including Public Relations Chairperson Elizabeth King ‘20, who President Declan Nolan ‘19 swore in on Monday to hold the PR chair position.

SGA discussed the future campus center renovations to happen this summer. Nolan said that during a recent meeting with Catharine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs, she allegedly said the College is currently looking for contractors for the job.

Following this discussion, Celine Manigbas ‘19 discussed the organization’s upcoming “Winter Week” during the week of Feb. 25 to encourage students to learn more about SGA and what it does on campus.

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Beyond the Beacon

Before Bezos Fight, National Enquirer Publisher AMI Faced Steep Losses

BY SHAHIEN NASIRIPOUR BLOOMBERG NEWS With assistance from Gerry Smith and Neil Weinberg

NEW YORK _ The publisher of the National Enquirer, currently under attack by Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos, has been facing steep financial losses that have left the once-loyal keeper of Donald Trump’s secrets with more than $1 billion in debt and a negative net worth.

The closely held American Media Inc. _ led by the president’s longtime friend, David Pecker _ recorded a $31.5 million loss in the six months that ended Sept. 30, according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg. That marked an improvement over the previous year, but nonetheless brought the company’s total losses over the last 5 { fiscal years to $256 million. AMI owed about $203 million more than its assets were worth.

Adding to the troubles for Pecker and his New York-based publishing company is the wrath of Bezos. The billionaire wrote in a blog post last week that he was blackmailed by the tabloid, which allegedly threatened to publish sexually suggestive photos from an extramarital affair. The exchange followed a 12-page spread in the Enquirer last month full of racy text messages that he reportedly sent to his paramour.

Bezos, the world’s richest person, has the resources to fight. On Monday alone, his wealth increased by a bigger dollar figure than all of AMI’s revenue for the first half of this fiscal year.

AMI’s loss through September in-

cludes $70 million of noncash charges, which shows the business was profitable on an operating basis, Chief Financial Officer Chris Polimeni said in an emailed statement. In its most recent financial guidance, published in September, the company said it expected revenue and earnings to grow following a series of acquisitions.

The National Enquirer’s battle with Bezos is just the latest saga in a turbulent few years for AMI, which has been on a borrowing binge that swelled its debt load to more than $1.3 billion.

Much of that is owed by its parent company, Worldwide Media Services Group Inc., Polimeni said in a statement.

Pecker struck an immunity deal with federal prosecutors as part of an investigation into Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen. The company entered into a related Sept. 20 nonprosecution agreement covering crimes including perjury and obstruction of justice, a deal that officials are currently reviewing for potential violations.

The deals stemmed from the company’s efforts to aid Trump by purchasing the rights to potentially damaging stories and declining to publish them, a practice known as “catch and kill.”

Pecker and Trump have known each other for years. In 2013, Trump wrote on Twitter that Pecker would be a “brilliant choice” as the next chief executive officer of Time magazine. A few years later, during the 2016 presidential campaign, Pecker’s National Enquirer suppressed stories by women alleging affairs with the married Trump.

New Jersey-based Chatham Asset Management, a $4 billion investment

CORRECTION

Last week's TEDx North Adams article should have stated that farmer Craig Floyd, manager of Coogan Farm in Mystic, Connecticut, grows and farms all of the food donated to the local community.

Indie genius LIVE MUSIC

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Friday, February 15, 8pm HUNTER CENTER | $25 ADVANCE $35 DAY OF | $50 PREFERRED

TICKETS: massmoca.org or 413.622.2111 | North Adams, Mass.

PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Jeff Bezos, American entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Amazon.com, Inc ., at Amazon Spheres Grand Opening in Seattle.

firm, is the main money behind AMI. The firm threw a financial lifeline to Pecker’s company in 2014 and ended up with about an 80 percent stake.

Chatham also is one of the company’s major creditors.

In recent years, AMI has courted Saudi Arabia to help buttress its finances.

It also published a nearly 100-page, ad-free glossy magazine heralding the U.S. visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The move prompted the company to ask the Justice Department whether it needed to register as a foreign agent, The Wall Street Journal reported.

“There are several new investors that came into the fold,” Polimeni said,

“and there is no direct investment in the company’s debt or equity by the Saudis.”

The media company’s losses in recent years helped fuel its growing pile of debt. So did more than $181 million spent on acquiring publications, such as Us Weekly. But while losses have narrowed _ the company reported a $45.1 million deficit in last year’s first half _ the improvement is attributable to a one-time $19 million gain from the sale of a magazine in 2015 that the company recorded in the quarter ended Sept. 30.

At the end of last year, the company’s parent, Worldwide Media Services, issued an additional $300.6 million in zero-yielding debt, which results when debtors promise to repay their creditors substantially more than they borrowed, bringing the total to $869 million.

AMI borrowed an additional $460 million from lenders and bondholders through the start of January, about half of which is costing the company 10.5 percent in interest.

There have been improvements.

During the first half of its current fiscal year, its operating income, which excludes items such as its borrowing costs, jumped from last year’s $5,000 loss to a $611,000 gain.

AMI’s buying spree also established it as the nation’s leading purveyor of celebrity magazines. Its journalism has drawn White House praise as well: Trump said last month that the National Enquirer produced “far more accurate” news stories than the Bezosowned Washington Post.

HISTORY From Page 1

between students to spark new ideas and feelings on current issues.

“I would like to have the community come out and share in these events amongst each other and also for the students to one, educate themselves to make them feel inspired by where we come from,” Obasohan said.

MERC’s focus is to illustrate the history behind Black History Month and shed light on the positives that have come about from these times in history; in short, this year’s theme is “Honoring the Past and Inspiring the Future.”

Obasohan has also joined Chief Diversity Officer Christopher MacDonald-Dennis and Jenna Sciuto, associate chair of undergraduate research, to bring the Global Film Series new screenings and speakers to educate students on different topics and periods of U.S. history.

Getting every department on board and increasing interactive participation for these events was also on the agenda.

“I think these interdepartmental speakers and co-sponsored events are really important to developing the strong sense of community on campus,” Sciuto said.

Obasohan was impressed by the way his early inter-dialogue sessions between faculty and students went. Seeing the increase in comfort level between both sides while discussing tough topics was a sign of improvement for Obasohan.

The first film on the list for the Global Film Series, “Born This Way,” will be Monday, Feb. 25, in the Sullivan Lounge. “Born This Way” is a documentary film about Cameroon’s underground gay and lesbian community. After the screening, MacDonald-Dennis will lead a discussion.

“I’m an alumni [sic] of the institution and seeing a lot of things and how they’ve pro-

PHOTO BY NATHAN BIRON

Michael Obasohan, coordinator of the Multicultural Educational Resource Center.

gressed over the years in the positive direction have been great,” Obasohan said.

Some later planned events will be held April 2, at 6:30 p.m. in Murdock Hall 218.

This screening will look at award-winning archival researcher Rich Remsberg on his knowledge of documentary films. The film will focus on the entire collection of his work and analysis on older and newer films, including “Bobby Kennedy for President” and “The Bandit.”

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How to Make the Perfect Cup of Hot Chocolate

BY RICK NELSON STAR TRIBUNE (MINNEAPOLIS)

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Eight years ago, we approached coffee-obsessed Andrew Kopplin to walk us through the creation of a superior cup of hot chocolate. The recent polar vortex convinced us that it was time to revisit this important topic.

At his eponymous St. Paul coffee bar, the mornings are all about meticulously brewed lattes, macchiatos and cappuccinos. But as the day progresses, the clientele at Kopplin’s Coffee tends to focus on the shop’s meticulously prepared hot chocolate.

“In the afternoons, it’s just about all we sell,” Kopplin said. “That, and chai.”

Unlike the shop’s coffee beverages, which require the kinds of intricate equipment that few consumers keep in their kitchens, the hot chocolates on the Kopplin’s menu _ a semisweet version and a dark, bittersweet variation _ are easily replicated at home. His affinity for hot chocolate began in 2006, as he was getting ready to open his coffeehouse.

“I’d been reading a lot about mochas,” said Kopplin. “They were originally made with darker chocolate. I like dark chocolate, and mocha is how I got into coffee. It’s my gateway drug. As I got into finer coffees, I got away from mochas, and realized that the reason why is because most mochas are so sweet. I mean, Hershey’s syrup is the norm. So I wanted to make a mocha that a coffee lover would love. And of course, once you do that, you really have a great hot chocolate, once you take out the espresso.”

Here’s his quick course on the art and science of perfect hot chocolate.

Buy the best. Kopplin relies upon a 54 percent Callebaut

Hot chocolate is the perfect drink to warm you up on a cold February day. semisweet chocolate, and an organic, 70 percent Valrhona dark chocolate. Both have an intense, rich flavor. “They’re premium products without being ridiculously expensive,” he said. “Nothing at Kopplin’s is cheap, but in the end, you get what you pay for.”

Break it up. At the shop, Kopplin pulses the chocolate in a food processor, “until it’s basically a powder,” he said.

“But small pieces, or chips, will work just fine. The reason we chop it small is because we have to make the drink in less than a minute.”

Don’t forget this key ingredient. “The reason we add cocoa powder, and why we don’t just chop up chocolate and put it in milk, is because cocoa powder helps the milk and the chocolate adhere to one another,” he said. “You don’t need cocoa powder if you heat up the milk and the chocolate super-slow, because then you can get the

chocolate to incorporate. But it really doesn’t want to attach to the milk molecules the way cocoa powder does. Chocolate has a richer taste, with unique, deep tones and complex flavor profiles, but cocoa powder makes hot chocolate feel thick, it has the mouthfeel.” Kopplin invests in Valrhona cocoa powder. “I don’t know enough about chocolate to say why it’s better,” he said. “It just tastes really good. It’s not overly astringent, and it doesn’t have any weird, funky flavors.”

Do the math. Kopplin’s general rule is three parts chocolate to one part cocoa powder.

But he also suggests taste-testing. “It’s not like 4-to-1 will be horrible,” he said. “My rule of thumb is that you should use as little cocoa powder as you can get away with and still achieve the texture that you like.”

Choose your milk wisely. For maximum hot chocolate lusciousness, Kopplin relies upon

PHOTO BY WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

organic, nonhomogenized, grass-fed, cream-top milk. He prefers the Kalona SuperNatural brand. “It’s a collection of Mennonite and Amish dairy farmers in Kalona, Iowa, and I really like what they do,” he said. “It’s super-delicious, a really consistent product.”

Keep it whole. “That’s my No. 1 recommendation, whole milk,” he said. “Let’s face it: Hot chocolate is not a health beverage. I also think that whole milk is a lot healthier than skim, but that’s a whole other topic; we won’t go there. But whole is a lot more delicious. Instead of ordering a 16-ounce low-cal skim-and-Splenda version of hot chocolate that you’re not really enjoying, get an eightounce, made with great ingredients, that’s totally enjoyable.”

Watch the temperature. “At home, I put the milk on the stove on medium-low heat,” he said. “The lower, the better, and the slower you can heat it

up, the better.” The ideal temperature: 145 to 150 degrees, tops. “You never want to boil milk,” he said. “As milk heats, the lactose breaks down into simple sugars, but after 165 degrees you start to caramelize them. The milk loses its creaminess, and you end up with burned flavors.” No instant-read thermometer? No problem. There’s a less scientific way to monitor the milk’s heat. “Don’t wait for a bubble, because by then it’s too late,” he said. “Look for steam. You’ll see steam at around 140 or 145 degrees.”

Enlist the slow cooker. “If I’m going to get really fancy at home, I’ll make my hot chocolate in the Crock-Pot,” he said.

“It’s perfect for hot chocolate, because it heats so slowly.

Besides, hot chocolate is one of those beverages that was really designed to be made at home, by Mom, in a big pot, ladled out.”

Top it off. “I think marshmallows and whipped cream are both fantastic on hot chocolate,” he said. “It’s like everything else: If you’re going to put it in, make it good.” Right now, the garnish of choice at Kopplin’s is a hefty crown of whipped cream, using that premium product from Iowa. No marshmallows. “We currently can’t find any that we like,” he said. “The ones that we do like, they’re stupidly expensive.

We’re not just going to go and get a bag of Jet-Puffed, not that they’re not delicious.”

Serve it right. Does the shape of the cup make a difference?

“Yes and no,” he said. “Technically, does a mug versus a bowl make it taste any different? Not at all. But I fully believe that you taste with your mind. I say, pick your favorite cup and fill it up, because you’re not only creating a drink, you’re creating an experience.”

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Barn Babies

Crazy for Cuteness and Cuddling

BY SALI BAH A&E WRITER On Saturday, Feb. 9, the highly anticipated, traveling Barn Babies made a pit stop at MCLA’s Venable Gym. Hosted by the Student Activities Council (SAC), the event ran from 6 to 8 p.m.

Upon arriving, students were handed a sticker with their designated time to see and meet with the baby animals. A long line of students formed outside the gym and many were excited about the event.

“I have a group of friends that I’m here with,” MCLA freshman Makayla Wagner said. “They told me to come on down and we’ve been waiting here for about an hour.”

Flyers and notes were left all over campus, resulting in a big turnout.

“I found out about this event through the little flyers in the cafeteria that we’ve seen and I also went last year — it was really awesome,” MCLA senior Sam Hinds said. “I’m most excited to see the tiny kitties, ‘cause I got to hold a tiny kitty last year and that was really great.”

There were a variety of animals, including bunnies, puppies, kittens and pigs.

The room was full of laughs, smiles and wide eyes toward the baby animals.

As the doors opened, students happily ran toward the

PHOTO BY SALI BAH

MCLA students playing with two puppies at SAC’s annual Barn Babies event.

PHOTO BY SALI BAH

MCLA sophomore Carol Fagan holding a small pig at the Barn Babies event. barn babies with collective “awes,” “oh my gods,” and “look at this little one!”

After 15 minutes, the workers informed students that their sessions had ended, and some of them did not want to let go of the cuddly creatures.

Barn Babies staff member

Shayla Santos said, “We’ve been coming here for three years, and my favorite part is to see all the people happy.

The animals get to socialize so by the time they get homes they’re going to be used to people.”

Despite not being direct-

A small goat at SAC’s Barn Babies event. ly involved with planning the event, SAC members served as hosts for the night.

“It’s all planned by our Saturday night spotlight chair Joe Bellos,” SAC member Annemarie Boyle said.

“He does a really good job

PHOTO BY SALI BAH

every year to call the Barn Babies company, making sure everything runs smoothly and that the volunteers are where they are supposed to be.”

Make sure to check out Barn Babies when they visit MCLA next time!

Pittsfield Celebrates 8th Annual ‘10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival’

BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR Pittsfield’s eighth annual “10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival” kicks off tonight starting at 5 p.m. and will run through Sunday, Feb. 24, with several different events including art shows, dance, music, theater performances, fitness activities, a display of ice sculptures all around downtown, and a night of spectacular fireworks.

“The great thing about the [10x10] festival is each year it gets bigger,” said Shiobbean Lemme, Pittsfield Cultural Development Office administrative assistant, who helps organize the festival each year.

“It seems to bring such an influx of people to downtown to celebrate the arts.”

In a span of 10 days, the 10x10 Festival features over 60 events across 14 different locations. With a variety of venues

PHOTO BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER

One of 10 “10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival” billboards on display throughout the Berkshires. and participants — including low and several more — the Barrington Stage Company, festival highlights the works the Beacon Cinema, Berkshire of many different artists, acAthenaeum, Berkshire Art tors, musicians, dancers, playAssociation, Berkshire Muse- wrights and performers. um, Berkshire Theatre Group, “I think [this festival] is a Colonial Theatre, Jacob’s Pil- great way to see what down-

town Pittsfield offers,” Lemme said. “There is something every day that is offered for free; it’s great to see that new things are happening.”

Tonight the festival begins with an opening reception of the “Ten Spot Photography Show” held at the Lichtenstein Center from 5 to 7 p.m. This show features a diverse group of 10 photographers whose works revolve around different styles of photography and art.

Starting at 7:30 p.m., Barrington Stage Company (BSC) will be launching their “10x10 New Play Festival,” which will run through March 10 and feature 10 different 10-minute plays from 10 playwrights directed by Julianna Boyd and Matthew Penn.

The 10 plays include the following titles: “Double Entrendre,” “Twas the Day After Xmas,” “172 Push-Ups,” “Kid Stuff,” “Charlottesville,” “The Chapel Play,” “Organic Seed,”

“Eddie and Edna,” “Pipeline” and “Cold Feet.” All performances will take place at BSC’s St. Germain Stage, located at the Sydelle and Lee Blatt Performing Arts Center in downtown Pittsfield.

Now in its eighth year, the 10x10 Festival continues to grow, expand and bring new ideas and events to the community.

“We take a look at things that happen around different areas,” Lemme said. “Our night of fireworks was actually inspired by a poster we saw in Hudson, New York, that showed winter fireworks — so we said, ‘let’s do it!’”

Be sure to visit downtown Pittsfield and check out the “10x10 Upstreet Winter Arts Festival” that starts tonight and runs through Sunday, Feb. 24.

For more information or to see a brochure of all the festival’s events, visit www.discoverpittsfield.com/10x10/.

Feb. 14, 2019

Arts & Entertainment

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7

Inspiring and Making a Difference with Common Folk

BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E WRITER

What started as a group of artists attending an open mic night soon developed into an organization whose goal is to inspire, create and contribute to its local community.

Common Folk, which has recently moved to a new space at 73 Main Street in downtown North Adams, is a nonprofit community organization built upon making art accessible and inclusive. It promotes talent in all artistic genres, hosts a variety of live performances and events, and raises money for organizations.

“All artists have their own message,” Common Folk Director Jessica Sweeney said.

Common Folk’s goal is to create a full spectrum of artists and have a community with diverse values. To accomplish this, many members of Common Folk have volunteered or worked for nonprofit organizations that help in community efforts to ensure North Adams is thriving.

Back in September, Common Folk held the “Carpe Diem: Commemorating Life through Music and Art” event. All of the proceeds benefited Arts in Recovery for Youth (AIRY), an arts and skills-based peer support program for youth ages 13 and up who struggle with suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

A majority of artists involved with Common Folk

PHOTO BY SABRINA DAMMS

Common Folk, now located at 73 Main Street, is open Friday through Sunday every week from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. feel they are making an impact in their own communities.

“I have watched it [Common Folk] grow,” said Kimberly Murphy, MCLA alumna from the class of 2018 who is now part of Common Folk’s retail committee. “It gave me something to do outside the university and it got me in contact with other artists.”

Murphy first learned about Common Folk through an open mic event she attended at The Parlor Café. During this time, Common Folk began holding more formal meetings and creating committees.

Common Folk gives artists many opportunities to inspire and further their craft and

passion. For example, Murphy has been able to curate art spaces.

“Common Folk accepts all forms of art including collage, paintings, zines, theater, music and writing,” said Alex Hicks, an MCLA alumnus from the class of 2016.

Hicks first learned about Common Folk when he performed with Sweeney at an open mic night.

“Sweeney and I performed together and there was a great community. Common Folk is what grew out of that,” Hicks said. “There is a little more to life than exams — find what moves you and peruse that.”

Nico Dery, Common Folk’s

business development adviser, is part of the leadership committee. She has 15 to 20 years’ previous experience in business and wishes to incorporate this experience in her work at Common Folk to help it grow.

“Common Folk has grown from a loose collective into a legal entity that can continue to grow and take it to the next level as an organization,” Dery said.

“This community had gotten me back into the studio and back into my craft,” Dery said.

“The energy of other artists is very inspiring.”

Melanie Glenn, a member of Common Folk’s leader-

ship and retail committees, first found out about the organization when they contacted her band, Upstate, to perform.

Glenn wants artists to know, “Never stop creating even when you don’t like what you are creating. Not everything is going to be the greatest thing you are going to create.”

Every Tuesday at 6 p.m., Common Folk holds its “Tuesday Tunes” at Bright Ideas Brewing. It also has a room series, “Shut the Folk Up,” that happens the first Friday of every month. If you attend that event, you must RSVP beforehand.

Common Folk also has a variety of pop-up shops open to the public every Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Its pop-up shops include selling merchandise that helps raise money for its collective. Some of the merchandise, including clothes and paintings, are made by the artists or come from donations.

Musicians who are interested in playing at Common Folk can contact booking at booking.commonfolk@gmail.com.

Common Folk currently has a waiting list for performers but this should not stop anyone from submitting; it wants to know about every artist out there.

To learn more about Common Folk feel free to check out its website at http://commonfolk.org.

Berkshire Art Association to Host ‘10x10 Real Art Party’

BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR The Berkshire Art Association (BAA) will be hosting their annual “10x10 Real Art Party” (10x10 RAP) at the Berkshire Museum in downtown Pittsfield Thursday, Feb. 21. The 10x10 RAP exhibit is a fundraiser featuring donated 10-inch-by-10-inch original works of art in any medium.

Back in December, a call for art was put out by BAA, in search of pieces representative of an artist’s individual style and work. An artist wishing to take part in the show registers online, and two weekends before the show their work can be dropped off at the Berkshire Museum to be hung a week before the party.

“All [10x10 events] are unique, fun and worth going to,” BAA President MaryBeth Eldridge said, who responded via email. “But the ‘Real Art Party’ allows you to take home a piece of real art.

PHOTO FROM BERKSHIRE ART ASSOCIATION WEBSITE

“Dream Village” by artist Debbie Detwiller Smith will be on display at the 10x10 RAP. That can’t help but brighten up your February!”

The “Real Art Party” is a combined fundraiser and auction that supports art students across Berkshire

County. Those who attend the event have the option to purchase a $25 ticket and enter their name into a drawing that guarantees them a piece of artwork created by

a regional artist. The earlier a ticket holder’s name gets called the better the chance they have at picking a work of art they want.

“Many of these artists are well-known and recognized far beyond the Berkshires,” Eldridge said.

Eldridge first got involved with BAA because she saw all of the good things they had done for the community. She was grateful for the support she received from BAA toward art field trips for her students when she was an art teacher at Taconic High School in Pittsfield. She served as secretary on BAA’s board of directors for several years and has been BAA’s president for just over a year now.

“The first hour is great for mingling, checking out the art, and making a wish list,” Eldridge said. “In the past, we’ve had ceramics, sculpture, woodworking, glass, assemblage, collage and paintings in all media.”

“ARTIX” will be sold at the Berkshire Museum’s front desk when the exhibit opens Sunday, Feb. 17, and up until the night of the party. In the past, BAA has received between 100 and 150 pieces of art and is expecting a similar number at this year’s show.

“I love the energy in the Crane Room [of the Berkshire Museum], the buzz of excitement, and the interactions between people,” Eldridge said.

Proceeds from 10x10 RAP will benefit Berkshire County, including BAA Fellowships for college art majors, art field trip awards for high school art classes, and free admission for art students to the Berkshire Museum.

Don’t miss your chance to check out BAA’s 10x10 RAP exhibit on view at the Berkshire Museum beginning Feb.17. The party will open its doors at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, and the “ARTIX” drawing will start at 7 p.m.

Free admission for all.

Sports

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8

Pingelski's Season-High Double-Double Breaks Ten-Game Losing Streak

BY JABARI SHAKIR SPORTS CO-EDITOR The five-foot-nine senior guard Courtney Pingelski scored her second season-high double-double to lead her team to defeat Fitchburg State 74-56.

The Trailblazers overall finished with 49 rebounds, 11 assists, seven steals and two blocks, improving their current record to 5-16 and 1-9 in the conference.

They shot 68 percent from the freethrow line, 38 percent from three and 39 percent from the field. In the first half, the score was 33-26 with the Blazers having a seven-point lead at halftime.

Pingelski led the team with 31 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. She shot 13-22 from the field, perfect from the free-throw line and 3-7 from the three-point arc. She is shooting a season total of 76.8 percent from the free-throw line, 37.4 percent from the floor and 31.3 percent from three-point range.

Overall this season, she leads her team with the most points, rebounds and steals.

Additionally, her teammate senior guard Kylah Langston also had a season-high 17 points, nine rebounds and two assists. She shot 38.5 percent from the court and 7-11 from the freethrow line. She is shooting a season total of 31.6 field goal percentage, 11.8 three-point percentage, and 56.2 free throw percentage. Langston is now placed overall in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) at 16th in assists, 28th in rebounds and 19th in steals.

Coach Loren Stock's motivation inspires her team to always give their all in everything they do in life and in sports.

"Just to be the best, the girls know that I want them to be the best person, player, team and best anything," Stock said.

"I hope that I instilled in them that you have to give your best no matter what that is on and off the floor because that matters and builds who you are."

The Fitchburg State Rams overall completed with 46 rebounds, 10 assists, four steals and two blocks. They shot 31.3 percent on the court, 26.9 percent from three, and 42.9 percent from the free-throw line. The Rams are now sixth place in the MASCAC with a record of 2-8 and an overall record of 9-12.

Rams junior guard Angelina Marazzi scored with 19 points, five rebounds, three steals and one assist. She shot 50 percent from the free-throw line, 37.5 percent from three and 36.8 percent from the field. Marazzi is now placed overall in the MASCAC first in points, fourth in assists, 12th in steals and 22nd in rebounds.

Her teammate, sophomore guard Payton Holmes, followed up with 10 points, one rebound and one assist. She shot 40 percent from the arc, perfect from the free-throw line and 42.9 percent from the field. Overall, Holmes is now placed 23rd in points scored, 23rd in blocks, 20th in assists and 51st in rebounds.

The Trailblazers will travel to Framingham State Saturday for their last game of the 2018-19 season. The game is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.

PHOTO BY JABARI SHAKIR

Senior guard Courtney Pingelski (LEFT) and junior forward Erika Ryan (RIGHT) hype each other up with their own creative team handshake.

PHOTO BY JABARI SHAKIR

Senior guard Courtney Pingelski averages this season 10.6 points, five rebounds, and one assist per game. She has played a total of 22 games this season and overall averages 28.3 minutes per game.

Feb. 14, 2019

Sports

TheOnlineBeacon.com

Men’s Basketball Falls 94-73 to Fitchburg After Slow Start

BY BRADY GEROW SPORTS CO - EDITOR Fitchburg, MA - The MCLA Trailblazers men's basketball team fell to the Fitchburg State Falcons 94-73 in an away game after being outscored 50-31 in a slow first half on offense.

The Falcons came out of the gate strong, opening the game on an 11-4 run behind junior Jordan Jones and senior Anselm Edegbe who scored eight of the first 11 points for the Falcons.

The Falcons led the entire game, only allowing the Blazers to get within four early in the first half.

Making a point to stay on the glass, the Falcons out-rebounded the Blazers 25-14 in the first half. Eight of those first-half rebounds were on the offensive end, helping lead to the Falcons' 32 second-chance points over the course of the game.

The rebounding advantage for the Falcons transferred to the offensive end.

The Falcons dominated the paint on offense, scoring 66 of their 94 points in the paint.

Dominance in the paint led to the Falcons shooting 55.1 percent from the floor compared to the Blazers' 35.5 percent.

The second half of play saw the Blazers make a push for the comeback. Despite the 19-point deficit, the Blazers wouldn't go away quietly. Sophomore Mike Demartinis scored 10 points in as many minutes in the second half.

Demartinis has had a great second year with the Blazers, nearly doubling his points-per-game total from eight points per game last season, to 13.6 points per game this season.

"I definitely think it's a collaborative effort ... all of my teammates do a great job giving me confidence," Demartinis said. "[T]he coaching staff has also shown great confidence in me, which has helped with both my offensive output and my overall season."

Demartinis isn't done at just a solo improvement, he is looking to make an impact on the program as a whole and change the narrative of MCLA men's basketball for the better.

"Big games really do not matter if you are not winning games," Demaritinis said. "Hopefully going forward we can find ways to win these big games as a team."

Although the Blazers have had anoth-

LOUISVILLE, Ky - Down 23 points with less than 10 minutes to play at No. 16 Louisville Tuesday night, No. 2 Duke unleashed a furious comeback to stun the Cardinals 71-69 in ACC basketball at the KFC Yum! Center.

Cam Reddish hit two free throws with 14.9 seconds left capping a game-ending 7-0 run for the Blue Devils (22-2, 10-1 ACC) to extend their winning streak to eight games.

SCORE BOARD MCLA Mens Basketball MCLA (73), Fitchburg State (94) Mike Demartinis (MCLA) 18 Pts, 2 Reb, Ast, Stl

Jordan Jones (Fitchburg) 11 Pts, 12 Reb, 2 Ast, Stl

MCLA Womens Basketball MCLA (53), Curry (55)

Courtney Pingelski (MCLA) 14 Pts, 13 Reb, Ast

Emily Irwin (Curry) 18 Pts, 14 Reb, 7 Ast, 9 Stl, Blk Ast, 2 Blk 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Stl

NBA PHOTO BY JABARI SHAKIR

MCLA sophomore Mike Demartinis preparing to take a jumpshot in a game earlier this year.

Demartinis scored a game high 18 points in the Trailblazers 94-73 loss to the Fitchburg State Falcons. This was Demartinis’s tenth time scoring 15 or more points in a game on the year.

Demartinis leads all scorers on the roster with 286 points on the season. er tough year, the determination from the players to turn it around is there.

With only one senior on the squad, Tyler McKay, the Blazers are prepped to build off what they already have and work toward consistent success.

The Blazers were led by Demartinis's game-high 18 points. He also added two rebounds, an assist and a steal in the effort. This was Demartinis's 10th game with 15 or more points. Of those ten games, the Blazers have won five.

The Falcons were led by junior Charles Doss, who put up 17 points. Doss also added three boards, an assist and a steal off the bench in the win.

The Falcons improved to 10-12 overall with the win and 5-4 in the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play. The Falcons will face off against the Bridgewater State Bear in their final game of the season Saturday.

The Blazers fell to 6-16 overall and 2-8 in the MASCAC on the year. They look to get a win in their final game of the season Saturday in an away game against the Framingham State Rams.

Zion Williamson led Duke with 27 points and 12 rebounds despite playing the final 12:14 of the game with four fouls. Reddish had 22 points. RJ Barrett scored 13 points for Duke.

Louisville (17-8, 8-4) led 59-36 with 9:55 to play but hit only two field goals the rest of the game after the Blue Devils switched to a zone defense in the half court. Duke outscored the Cardinals 35-10 from that point forward to complete the second largest second-half comeback in school history.

On Dec. 30, 1950, the Blue Devils

Boston Celtics (112), Philadelphia 76ers (109)

Al Horford (Bos) 23 PTS, 8 REB, 5 AST 10-12. 100 yds, 0 TD

Joel Embiid (Phi) 23 PTS, 14 REB, 3 AST

NBA

Atlanta Hawks (117), Los Angeles Lakers (113)

Trae Young (Atl) 22 PTS, 6 REB, 14 AST Stl,

LeBron James (LA) 28 PTS, 11 REB, 16 AST

PHOTO FROM FITCHBURG STATE ATHLETICS

Fitchburg State Jordan Jones. Jones recorded 11 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and a steal in the win.

No. 2 Duke rallies from 23-point deficit to stun No. 16 Louisville

BY STEVE WISEMAN THE NEWS & OBSERVER WIRE SERVICE

9

rallied from 31 points down in the second half to beat Tulane 74-72 at Reynolds Coliseum in Raleigh.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski admitted he feared Louisville could beat his team by 35 points as the Cardinals lead grew and grew in the second half. But his team, with four freshmen starters, didn’t let that happen.

“In the last 10 minutes we were spectacular,” Krzyzewski said. “In order to overcome that difference in competitive spirit, we needed to be spectacular because it was that pronounced.”

NHL

Chicago Blackhawks (2), Boston Bruins (6)

David Krejci (Bos) 2 Goal, 1 Ast, 2 Shots

Alex DeBrincat (Chi) Goal, 2 +/-, 4 Shots

NHL

Buffalo Sabres (3), New York Islanders (1)

Johan Larsson (Buf) Goal, 1 +/-, 2 ShotsAst, 2 Stl

Casey Cizikas (NY) Goal, 1 +/-, 1 Shot

Opinion

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10

‘Apex Legends’: Battle Royale Done Right The formula for a battle royale (BR) game is pretty straightforward: A surplus of players drops from the sky with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

They land on an excessively large map, spend a good chunk of time looting buildings for armor and weapons, and then proceed to kill one another with the goal of being the last player (or team) standing, all while being funneled toward one another by a gradually shrinking “safe zone,” or circle.

Over the years, numerous developers have attempted to capitalize on the success of “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (“PUBG”) and the BR giant that is “Fortnite,” yet not one has managed to really hit their mark.

As a result, a general consensus has formed amid the gaming community that BR, as a genre, is sort of played out.

If you’ve played one, you’ve played them all. Besides, none of them can match “PUBG” and “Fortnite,” right?

That being said, the recent success of Respawn Entertainment’s “Apex Legends” comes as a surprise for not only myself but for much of its current player base, many of which have turned their attention away from those aforementioned titles in lieu of this surprisingly good addition to the BR scene.

“Apex Legends,” the newest free-to-play BR experience to hit both consoles and PCs, is quickly proving itself as a top competitor for the BR genre, with many Twitch and YouTube personalities even

referring to it as “The Fortnite Killer.”

In an Electronic Arts (EA) earning’s call released Tuesday, Feb. 5, it was confirmed that over 2.5 million unique users had entered “Apex Legends” within the first 24 hours of the title’s launch, hitting a concurrent user peak of 600,000 users on Day One. At the time of this writing, the number of unique users has skyrocketed to 25 million.

Given the sheer lack of marketing leading up to the launch, “Apex Legends” is, simply put, a sleeper hit. But what is it about the game that makes it so popular?

On the surface, “Apex Legends” really doesn’t do anything to evolve the BR genre.

The formula hasn’t changed.

What it does do is build upon the systems that players are already familiar with to create an experience that feels easily accessible and engaging throughout, all while remedying some of the more common issues that players of BR games have come to despise.

It all starts with the initial airdrop. Unlike “PUBG” and “Fortnite,” where every member of a squad is left to plan their own jump, sometimes

resulting in a player landing miles away from their teammates, “Apex Legends” assigns one member of the team as the “jumpmaster.”

The jumpmaster controls all members of the team while

This prevents players from putting themselves at a disadvantage by equipping a less-than-desirable item while trying to quickly gather loot, a common problem seen in other BR games.

Likewise, attachments for weapons are instantly equipped on pickup, and attachments for weapons not currently in a player’s inventory also have an extended pickup time. This ensures that players don’t need to fumble through clunky item menus to prepare for battle — a much-appreciated feature for console players, especially.

Having spent a fair amount of time playing “PUBG” myself, one of my biggest gripes was dealing with player death while playing as a squad. If you happened to be caught in a spray of gunfire and die, your role in that match is over. Your teammates would continue to play while you are left to watch from the sidelines — an especially annoying aspect of the game when you are picked off mere minutes into a match that could last as long as 30 to 40 minutes.

In a title like “PUBG,” if a player dies early on they usually back out of the party,

“Apex Legends” is quickly proving itself as . . .

“The Fortnite Killer” falling from the sky in a V-formation, ensuring they all land in the same general area. It may not seem like much, but this simple change does wonders to promote team play in a genre where a player’s success is practically built around how well they can play with others.

Rather than spend time fighting over “where we should land” or having to deal with that one random player who wants to go off on their own, in my experience, players tend to leave the decision-making up to the jumpmaster.

Looting in “Apex Legends” has also been flawlessly streamlined. When a player picks up a worthwhile piece of gear, a level three helmet, for example, they become unable to equip lower level gear without first holding down the “pick up” button for an extended period of time.

not wanting to wait for their current teammates to play out the entirety of the match without them.

“Apex Legends” fixes this in a number of ways. When a player is “dropped,” a state that occurs before death that forces them to their knees and leaves them unable to fight back, they are able to place a shield in front of themselves to protect against incoming damage, potentially giving teammates a greater chance to revive them.

Even if a player is dropped and killed though, the game isn’t yet over for them. Rather than being knocked out of the match, they also leave behind a “banner” that their teammates can acquire.

Should the team bring that banner to a respawn point, a dead player can re-enter the game. While they may lack any equipment previously gathered, this still gives the player a reason to stick around after death and a chance to continue the fight.

As a result, this strange, overlying sense of comradery is built between players from match to match, even when playing with complete strangers.

While every multiplayer game has its fair share of toxicity within its community, so far my experience with “Apex Legends” has been refreshingly positive, with teammates actually putting forth the effort to make sure every member of the squad is in on the action.

“Apex Legends” can be played on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and a PC. Even if BRs are not your thing, maybe

How Much of Their Teams do Owners Actually Own? Lately, the New Orleans Pelicans have been dealing with a large number of issues, from on-the-court products to PR issues, and most recently, marketing problems. Their supposed “trade talks” with the Los Angeles Lakers are largely thought (and reported by multiple reliable ESPN reporters, such as Brian Windhorst) to have been a simple act of revenge for what the Pelicans believed to be the Lakers tampering with Anthony Davis after he requested a trade from the team weeks ago. The Pelicans seem to have done so with the intent of messing with the Lakers’ team chemistry after the Lakers essentially made everyone not named LeBron James available for trade, and did so publicly.

After all of THAT seemed to have run its course, the Pelicans have encountered

ANDREW BAILLARGEON THE CALL yet another problem; Anthony Davis is still a Pelican after the deadline and he still wants out. The Pelicans cannot trade him until after the season is over.

With roughly a third of the season left, Pelicans fans are reminded of a similar scenario that played over last season with DeMarcus Cousins. He suffered an injury in the later stages of the season, ruining his trade value, and the Pelicans had to watch as he left their team

for nothing.

The question is: if you are the Pelicans, do you continue to play Anthony Davis and risk having an injury ruin his trade value? Such a thing happening would be catastrophic for the organization. It would cause them to be forced to rebuild their roster, preventing them from seriously making a run in the Western Conference for several years at the earliest.

Well, the NBA seems to have provided an answer; they want Davis on the court. After Davis’s agent Rich Paul called the league office, concerned the Pelicans would shut Davis down for the rest of the season, the NBA issued a formal warning to the Pelicans that doing so would incur a $100,000 fine for every game Davis was benched while healthy.

The question then becomes: should the NBA have

the right to do this? To tell a team and the owner how they have to manage their own players?

The answer is quite simply, yes. The NBA has a responsibility to step in on situations like this. As an owner of the NBA, you not only own your team, but you’re largely responsible for the product that the entirety of the NBA puts out. By proxy, you are responsible for bringing in revenue to the league.

If the Pelicans happen to bench Anthony Davis and go on the road to play the Warriors, who would actually want to see a game like that?

Really, the Warriors would win that game by 30 against a talentless team of no-names.

The Warriors have also won the NBA Championship three of the last four years, so why would anyone feel inclined to go to a game like that? Of course, the Warriors

would be the home team in this scenario, meaning their revenue is directly hindered by something totally out of their hands.

Not just that, but the general dynamic of such a team would serve as a major turnoff for basketball fans in general, and the league as a whole would suffer.

In addition, it is insanely immoral to take the player who took your team out of the trenches — from when New Orleans was unwatchably bad — and stop him from playing basketball for a period of months to then later unceremoniously trade him away and have that be that.

While the NBA has to have an eye out for the teams, they also have to take care of the players. They have adequately done so by threatening the Pelicans with this hefty punishment.

Feb. 14, 2019

Opinion

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11

Editorial

Maintenance: Slip Slidin’Away Anybody who has lived in New England, especially in the Berkshires, understands that snowstorms are an expected occurrence with every winter season.

Each snowstorm comes with advance warning and preparation. Looking at a simple weather forecast, reading a newspaper or listening to a radio news brief can tell you that. So why is it that each time it snows in North Adams, this campus remains unprepared?

Although some snowstorms do not turn out as aggressive as meteorologists predict, the problem still stands that the College is either illequipped, understaffed or underfunded when it comes to taking preventive measures.

As college students, we pay to attend classes here. Not every snowstorm warrants school closures or even delays, so maintenance workers have to be ahead of the curve and lay the groundwork for any severe weather conditions that may be ensuing.

For example, the polar vortex was a hot topic at least a week before it reached the Northeast.

We were expecting it, but it didn’t seem like the campus was at all prepared.

People constantly were slipping on ice patches throughout campus. These falls would have been comical if it were part of a cartoon; however, it is terrifying to watch someone casually walking or even saying “Hi” to someone in passing and then immediately slip, hitting the ground hard.

Around campus, walkways are covered in snow and ice causing hazards to pedestrians. Steps are covered in ice, and salt and sand are nowhere to be found. When salt and sand appear, clumps of it are found in the corners less traveled.

Steps leading to the Hoosac St. parking lot at

the townhouses often go unshoveled, and the long way around is covered in ice. Students are left to make sense of navigating snow-covered parking lots and finding parking solutions in lieu of spaces swallowed by snowplow-created mountains.

Residential Programs and Services has a procedure in place for how parking lots are supposed to be addressed in the snow, yet we rarely, if ever, see that procedure followed. While getting every student to move their vehicle may be no easy task, many students would jump at the chance knowing the alternative is what we currently face.

When students have an evening class, especially, the campus is not as well lit as during daylight, so the ice slicks are harder to see, causing more falls and potential injuries. A simple sprinkling of salt and sand the night before a storm is expected would suffice.

This is nothing new. It seems to be something we vocalize every winter and still the College lacks the ability to improve. We are tired of having to write this same editorial year in and year out, but it seems nothing is done.

There have even been occasions where salt and sand have been sprinkled directly onto the snow, without even an attempt to shovel before laying down the salt and sand.

Recently, we’ve been fortunate with warm weather to melt the initial snow and ice that covered campus. However, the effects of global climate change are not a viable solution for this problem and should not be depended upon with each passing snowstorm.

Safety is the number one priority, no excuses.

Although budgets are tight, maintenance that keeps us safe should not be compromised.

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Andrew Strout Ally Thienel Erika Lucia Julia Teixeira Shunquell Dennis

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Andrew Baillargeon

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Adviser Shawn McIntosh

Feb. 14, 2019

IN OTHER BEACON NEWS

Leaders of the Roundtable Photos by Jake Vitali

Brandon Pender ‘07 (upper left), Christopher Hantman ‘14 (upper right), Erin Fielding Buffato ‘05, Michelle Hansen ‘08, Katie Bonneville Rosa ‘10, Dan Summers ‘07, Brandon Pender ‘07 from the Alumni Board of Directors (bottom left) were among nearly 30 presenters at Saturday’s Leadership Conference.

The conference saw students and presenters from as far away as Worcester State University and topics focused on everything from networking, using improvisational skills to become a more confident public speaker, time management, and how to lead with love and compassion.

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