TheOnlineBeacon.com
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Volume 90 • Issue 7
Board of Trustees
Connector Project Planned to Cost $26M BY BRIAN RHODES STAFF WRITER Finalized plans for the $26 million Connector Project, which seeks to renovate Mark Hopkins and Eldridge Hall, were shown to MCLA’s Board of Trustees Thursday, Oct. 24. The project, if it receives funding from the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), will provide significant improvements to both Mark Hopkins and Eldridge Hall, as well as a building connecting the two. According to President James Birge, these improvements include an elevator, a ramp to the academic quad, a Health Services suite, space for emerging technology, and provide additional space for Career Services and other offices. Gina Puc, dean of enrollment management and community relations, was
unavailable this week to elaborate further on the specifics of the project and the academic departments that will be involved. It is unclear at this time where English/Communications, Education, and Human Resources departments, the current occupants of Mark Hopkins, would be housed. According to Birge, the current estimates put the completion of The Connector Project, if funded, in July of 2024. He added that the College submitted the finalized proposal for the project to DCAMM on Oct. 23. The project was presented to DCAMM on Oct. 29 and the college will learn if the project has been chosen for funding in January. “Mark Hopkins is one of the most tired facilities we have on campus,” Birge said at the meeting. “It’s a 1930s elementary school that has never been renovated, and
PHOTO BY BRIAN RHODES
At the Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, Oct. 24, plans were finalized for the $26 million Connector Projecter, which will renovate Mark Hopkins and Eldridge Hall. it doesn’t have the technology that other buildings [on campus] have.” According to Birge, accessibility provided by the new building’s elevator and ramp to the academic quad is a crucial part of the project. Specifically, the second floor of Mark Hopkins
and the academic quad are difficult to access for students with physical disabilities. The Connector Project would make both areas more accessible. “Right now, if a student who uses a wheelchair were in front of Feigenbaum [Science Center], that student
would have to go completely around campus to get to the academic quad,” Birge said. “With the new vision, they would be able to wheel up this ramp, right into the quad, just as anybody else would.” Along with improve-
Board, Page 8
SGA
Public Safety Students Grill Officials On Transparency, Language Investigating
BY NATHAN BIRON SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
College officials discussed the alleged sexual assault and burglary that occurred on-campus, and listened to student complaints about how the situation has been handled thus far at the SGA meeting Monday night. Around 3 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, an unknown African-American male walked into an unlocked townhouse and “fondled” a student in their bedroom, according to an email sent out Saturday morning by Public Safety. The email also stated that, “As the victim awoke, the suspect fled the townhouse on foot.” Public Safety was invited but could not attend due to other circumstances, per an email from Public Safety Chief Daniel Colonno sent before the meeting. Title IX Coordinator Nicole Comstock, who was in attendance, reassured the situation is under control and Public Safety is handling the situation. “I was not directly involved with the case over the weekend due to it being handled through public safety,” Comstock said. “We are going to make sure that we are thorough with this
investigation and any others going forward.” At the meeting, Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs, explained that this case was not a Title IX case, but rather falls under Public Safety’s responsibilities. “There was an arrest made and is now an on-going investigation,” Holbrook said. According to Colonno, there has been no arrest made for this ongoing investigation. Contacted yesterday by The Beacon, Holbrook acknowledged that there was not an arrest in the sexual assault case. “I am certainly sorry that I gave the impression the suspect had actually been arrested, as that is not the case,” Holbrook stated in an email. (See accompanying story on this page). Holbrook added that this process is not a civil rights case like Title IX, but would be considered a criminal case. With an on-going investigation, there will be little information given out to students and the public until the investigation is complete. “For next semester, I plan on making big changes to how things are handled and to also make communication and transparency in the col-
lege,” Comstock said. SGA President Dean Little ’21 echoed Comstock’s feelings on transparency, adding that he would like to work more with Title IX office and Comstock on a more regular basis. “I would like to see more transparency and accessibly between departments,” Little said. “I think the issue needs to be taken seriously and also need to speak with public safety.” Students, like Aidan Rawson ’20, expressed their feelings on the mass email that had been sent out to the campus. “I would have like to seen a better email sent out to students due to the horrific language that was used,” Rawson said. “That word is very traumatizing for some who’ve been victims of this crime.” Comstock noted there will be a discussion with Colonno regarding the language that had been used. Rawson also brought up new ideas to improve the safety and security on campus. “For people living in townhouses, there has and still is an on-going problem with the doors not locking, or not
SGA, Page 8
Sexual Assault
BY TESSA SESTITO EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Public Safety is continuing its investigation into an alleged sexual assault and burglary on campus early Saturday morning. College officials have confirmed there is a suspect in the case, but no arrest has been made. Public Safety Chief Daniel Colonno sent two emails Saturday morning alerting the campus of the situation. According to the emails, an unknown male went into an unlocked townhouse at approximately 3 a.m. and “fondled” a student in their bedroom. The suspect fled the scene on foot once the victim awoke. The alleged suspect is described as an African American male, thin build, round head, and wearing a white long-sleeved shirt. “We [Public Safety] cannot comment on an active criminal investigation,” Colonno said. Bernadette Alden, MCLA’s director of marketing and communications, provided The Beacon a statement Monday noting “There is a suspect
under investigation, however MCLA cannot comment on an active criminal investigation.” During SGA’s meeting Monday night, Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs, stated as part of a long discussion about the incident that an arrest had been made. However, Colonno confirmed Wednesday that an arrest has not been made in the case, and the investigation is continuing. Contacted yesterday by The Beacon, Holbrook acknowledged that there was not an arrest in the sexual assault case. “I am certainly sorry that I gave the impression the suspect had actually been arrested, as that is not the case,” Holbrook stated in an email. “There were multiple questions and conversations during the meeting and since we had released a statement to the effect above, I wanted to share this information with those in the room.” According to the police log, there was an arrest at 3:19 a.m. Saturday. The log
Report, Page 8
News
TheOnlineBeacon.com
MCLA To Host 2nd Day of Dialogue BY HANS RESIGNAC STAFF WRITER MCLA will host its second annual Day of Dialogue Thursday, Nov. 7, to further discussions in the community about what “diversity” means to them. “What we wanted to do was show do[people how] we learn about diversity on campus but also [show] what [exactly] are the diverse ways we learn on campus,” Chief Diversity Office Christopher MacDonald-Dennis said. Workshop sessions throughout the day will be hosted by students and staff members in various classrooms of Bowman Hall, starting at 9:45 a.m. A welcome breakfast, starting at 8:30 a.m., and lunch with keynote speaker Tracey Benson, served at 12 p.m., will take place in the Campus Center Gym. Benson, assistant professor of leadership at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, will host a workshop on Leading for Racial
Equity in Schools. Like last year, classes will be canceled for the day in order to encourage student participation, but this year’s Day of Dialogue will have 18 workshop sessions as well as a bigger target group on campus and in the community than last year. Night classes are still being held. According to MacDonald-Dennis, the Day of Dialogue was created in response to the shift and split in the campus community due to the 2016 presidential election results. Students and faculty wanted a day that they could talk to each other in efforts to break the tension and talk about topics surrounding diversity. “Dialogue requires you to say ‘I’m going to really listen to you and understand you,’” MacDonald-Dennis said. Last year, the event had only 10 sessions whereas this year will include 18 workshops. Some of the events included Mela-
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PHOTO BY MAYA MCFADDEN
Students engage in classroom actitvites with professors as a part of the Day of Dialogue. nie Mowinski’s workshop, “Power Up: Art as Action, Art as Dialogue,” which had around 60 students attend. Another popular talk was Dale Fink’s workshop: “though He Always Held
True to His Cadence and Rhymes Even Great Dr. Seuss Could Be Racist At Times,” had around 100 students who attended. McDonald-Dennis wants students to take the informa-
tion they learn about diversity and use it in different ways to engage in learning. “I wanted people to know about different ways that we learn on campus,” MacDonald-Dennis added.
Executive Office Hours
Absence of Students For Open Office Hour Executives BY MAYA MCFADDEN STAFF WRITER
Students have not been participating in the College’s open office hour initiative, leaving administrators wondering how to bridge the gap between students’ stated desires from the Student Satisfactory Inventory (SSI) for more open communication with executive staff members and actually getting students to participate. The initiative, established by President James Birge, is that with open office hours students can have casual interactions with executive members in more public and student-friendly locations. “It gives us the opportunity to talk to someone we otherwise wouldn’t have if we were only ever in our offices,” said Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs. The hours for executive members are put into the campus events app and an email notice is shared with the campus in advance. Some students have said they haven’t gotten the email notices or they were sent to them with too late of a notice to attend. The description provided in the emails is similar for each executive staff member. Di’Asia Smith ’20 said the email’s description does
not offer much explanation. “Things like internal communications and strategic planning are just buzz words that I don’t really understand,” said Smith. The fall schedule of open hours consists of a total of 10 executive staff members including Birge, Holbrook, Adrienne Wootters, interim vice president of academic affairs, Robert Ziomek, vice president for institutional advancement, and more. The executive staff’s numbers of encounters are said to vary for reasons such as location, time, and students’ knowledge of their roles. Students like Koree Woodley-Adjei ’20 and Anayra Colon ’21 said that they do not recognize many of the listed executive staff names hosting open hours. “These are not the people I see every day so why would I be interested,” said Colon. Holbrook has been hosting her hour time blocks weekly since the start of the fall semester in locations such as the Campus Center Marketplace, Bowman Lobby, and the Freel Library. “Although we all hold our open hours differently, our message remains the same: we are working towards an open accessibility plan,” Holbrook said. In her encounters with students, faculty, and staff,
Holbrook said she’s had casual conversations ranging from the experience of being a middle-aged college student to the faculty promotion process to the effectiveness of the sexual violence prevention training for commuter students. During her first open hour at the start of the semester, Holbrook said no students approached her but since this initial sit down she now has at least one student make use of each of her scheduled open hours. Abigail Dumo ’20 said she hasn’t been to any of the offered open hours because she doesn’t have personal relationships with many of the executive staff. “How do you expect someone to just come up and talk to you if they don’t know who you are,” asked Dumo. “Making yourself available is less work than making yourself vulnerable and trusted.” Of the executive staff Dumo said she would be most willing to talk to chief diversity officer, Christopher McDonald-Dennis because he is vulnerable with students she said. “I just feel like for some of these people my opinion would matter,” said Dumo. Executive staff members like Barbara Chaput, director
Hours, Page 8
News
Oct. 31, 2019
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The following is based on interviews aired on WJJW, 91.1 FM. Answers have been edited for clarity and content. For the entire interview, please visit www.wjjwradio.com/news.
Mayor Bernard Seeks 2nd Term
Branch Challenges Incumbent
JV: What is the biggest thing that you’ve learned during your first term? TB: “The day I was sworn in, President [Mary] Grant, former president of MCLA whom I worked for, gave me a great piece of advice which is ‘you’re going to want to do everything all at once but just slow down and be patient’ and that’s one of the best pieces of advice that I got going into the job as mayor.” “One of the things I’ve learned is that you can never over communicate and you can never take too much time to bring people in. One of the things I look at as a point of pride with that is the work that we did in hiring Chief Wood as the new police chief. I brought in a really good cross-section of the community to form a search committee so I had police, fire, EMS represented, City Council, schools, community coalition. We asked each of the candidates to meet with the community so I’m thrilled we made the absolute right decision with Chief Wood, making the decision to promote from within - but we did it in a way that had integrity, so that’s the big lesson - build your agenda for change very deliberately.” JV: North Adams continues to deal with high crime rates and staffing shortages. What are some more ways of working with this new police chief to further combat those problems? TB: “One thing that we’ve done recently is that we currently have four new officers in the police academy. We also have five reserve officers who have come on board at different points in their training so we’re looking at building our staffing at taking some of that pressure off because we were below where we wanted to be. It takes a toll on the staff, it affects their responsiveness, and their ability to get out there and be fresh and ready.” JV: What steps has your administration taken thus far to combat the opioid epidemic and if given a second term, how would you continue working on this issue? TB: “One of the things that I did early on was I signed onto the national lawsuit against the drug companies to really hold them accountable for the role that they played in over-prescription of legal opioids which we have data to indicate is a pathway to illegal drugs because those are often cheaper and easier to obtain.” “North Adams was selected into a national program recently through a hospital in Boston and it’s working with communities across the state, that the study will be doing data collection but also providing resources to the communities to address their response.” “When we talk about the opioid epidemic, we also are talking about something that is co-occurring with other issues whether it’s mental health, other substances, economic issues, there’s often a connection between substance misuse and domestic violence. One thing that the city police department did very successfully was getting training on de-stigmatizing interactions with people they encounter who may have mental health issues. We have a really good, solid, relationship with the task-force that’s run out of the District Attorney’s office and they’re a fantastic resource. I believe and the data bears this out, that substance misuse is a public health issue as much as, if not more than it is a public safety issue.” JV: Over the past two years it seems that there has been a great deal of economic
JV: Given your lifetime of service, why now, do you want to be the Mayor of North Adams? RB: “I think it’s the background, the experience, the work that I’ve done. It is another way to become a public servant. I have also been an administrator at a law school, I have been on two mayor’s staffs, so I have quite a bit of background. I know how a mayor’s office works, I’ve done a lot of administrative work in my life.” JV: You ran in 2017. Are there any lessons that the first campaign that you? RB: “There are things that I stand for that I still believe in like hoping to empower other women to run for office. I’m a fighter against patriarchal systems and women that support it. My campaign statement is “what are we doing for a child today?” and I think everything in our lives emanates from that and we have a vulnerable community. I’m very concerned about drugs and alcohol. There’s not too much that’s changed from the 2017 to the 2019 campaign, I do believe nobody should run unopposed which is part of the reason I decided to run again. I think a part of this has to be about human rights, women’s rights, equal opportunity. It is amazing that we are approaching 2020 and we still don’t have equality nationally and in our congress. 2020 is the 100th anniversary of the women’s right to vote. I thought that at this stage in my life we would be much further along.” JV: In your campaign literature you mention that there’s only been one woman to run for mayor between 1983 to 2017. Is there a reason you think we have not seen more women run for this seat? RB: “This is mostly a Democratic town, this is not a party election, there are predominantly men in positions of power. When I was growing up women were able to stay home, my mother’s generation stayed home, predominantly men were the providers in the home. So many families, both parents have to work which makes it very hard for children.” “Part of my campaign is about campaign finance reform. Anybody in the United States should be able to run for office. It shouldn’t be contingent on your being able to raise tons of money.” JV: North Adams, as is unfortunately common with most of New England is struggling with the opioid epidemic. How would you approach this issue? RB: “My soul weeps. I’ve lost family members to alcoholism and drugs, it is heartbreaking... You have to go neighborhood by neighborhood and clean out the drug dealers. I think adults have to set the example and I think you have to tell children at a young age. You don’t need to put something in your body to find joy. Obviously, there’s joys and fears in life and obstacles, but if you’re teaching children properly and educating them you hope that you lead children to learning resilience.” JV: Even with this example it’s still possible somebody could become addicted, what would you offer them?
BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-AT-LARGE
PHOTO TAKEN FROM WAMC.ORG
Mayor Thomas Bernard has served as mayor of North Adams for one term and is seeking reelection.
development and investment in the city. Are you concerned that with some of the economic development, North Adams residents may be priced out of living here? TB: “It’s something that we have to look at very carefully. Again, the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition has spearheaded three separate conversations on this issue over the last six to eight months and the consensus is that we’re not at that tipping point yet but we also have an opportunity to make sure that we look at development in an inclusive way. But, the drumbeat for a long time in communities like North Adams has been the need for growth and we’re starting to see it and we hope we can sustain it.” JV: As MCLA combats a trend of lower enrollment, are you concerned about the economic impact that this will have? TB: “I think demographics are a critical part of this and this college age population is smaller than it has been in other generations. I don’t want to take too much from the misfortune of another institution but what MCLA was able to when Southern Vermont College closed in terms of recruitment and bringing in students helps. For a long time I think both MCLA and the city have recognized a tendency to be hidden gems but I think we need to move past hidden gem and say ‘this is our time to shine, this is our time to tell the story of MCLA.’ It really means something to be a top ten public liberal arts college.” JV: Are there any ways you would like to see the city’s relationship with North Adams strengthened? TB: “There’s always room to deepen and to strengthen the relationship. I think we still haven’t fully cracked the code on the flow of transit between campus and downtown. I think one of the things that will help is the work that’s being done to activate Ashland St. and I think the things that we’ve done and continuing to do create a culture of bike-ability in downtown. I think continuing to use Gallery 51 and the Design Lab as anchors between the college and downtown helps, and figuring out how we collaborate, how we connect, how we engage on programming - I think there’s a little bit of a disconnect between what’s available and what students are aware of and then what students are aware of and what their capacity is.”
BY JAKE VITALI EDITOR-AT-LARGE
City Election - November 5, 2019 @ St. Elizabeth of Hungary Parish Polls Open 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
PHOTO FROM THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
Rachel Branch is running against incumbent Mayor Bernard in the November election.
RB: “I was a part of the North County Cares Coalition and I fought very hard when our hospital closed. It’s a travesty that we don’t have a mental health wing and we don’t have beds in our hospital is still something that I’m still standing up and fighting for with other people. If you lose your hospital or religious organization or your school, that’s a decline in your community.” JV: Over the past two years it seems that there has been a great deal of economic development and investment in the city. Are you concerned that with some of the economic development, North Adams residents may be priced out of living here? RB: “One of the concerns I have is gentrification going on in North Adams. We’re watching it in San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Harlem. One of the notes in my campaign is about the fact that we have an aging population. I think you need to deal with the reality that’s going on now. I think one of the economic engines are your small businesses downtown and they need to be supported. I think that’s really important to support them. I also think when you have a Mass MoCA and an MCLA there has to be more integration into the community so we’re all supporting each other and I don’t see that.” JV: Are there any ways you would like to see the city’s relationship with North Adams strengthened? RB: “Positively. More events, forums, student-led events, and to be able to as mayor to reach out to students and say ‘you’re part of our community, here’s access’. I’m glad that Gallery 51 is downtown, there’s a lovely exhibit on women artists, and that needs to be emphasized and strengthened.” JV: How would you get more students to come downtown? RB: “I think it would be my responsibility to reach out to you the students because I’m supposed to be the person that’s welcoming you to this community. And also, the participation of students to say ‘what is it that you would like me to do as your mayor, as our mayor’.” JV: North Adams, as is the case with any city, continues to deal with high crime rates and staffing shortages. What are some more ways of working with this new police chief to further combat those problems? RB: “I really believe in as I say on my television program ‘if each one of us picked up one problem and solved it, imagine the incredible view we would all have of solutions rising’. I have gifts, you have gifts, everybody at MCLA has gifts, we hopefully can find some answers together and I really believe that’s important.”
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3 New Faculty Members Adjusting Well To Campus Community BY BRIAN RHODES STAFF WRITER New faculty members have reported that MCLA has been an approachable environment for them to step into. Maggie Clark, a professor of education, noted how engaged her students have been so far and that the liberal arts style of education that MCLA adheres to is unique. “I’m just excited to work with a group of students who want to be here, who are very engaged,” Clark said. “That’s fun because, even though they may not have experience teaching, they have their own experience being a student.” Clark grew up in Williamstown and went to Williams College, so she hasn’t had many issues adjusting back to her home town.
“I’m just excited to work with a group of students who want to be here, who are very engaged.”
“We felt like it was a good time to come back home,” Clark said. “It’s been a really nice return. It’s been amazing to be so close to family again; that’s made the transitions a lot easier.” Katelyn Born, a professor of biology, noted how kind and helpful her fellow educators have been. “I really enjoy the feeling of collegiality here between other faculty members,” Born said. “Everyone is super friendly and welcoming to me, which is great because sometimes you don’t get that.” Born, who previously taught at the University of Texas at Austin, said that the learning environment and the students at MCLA are human-focused compared to what she has experienced in the past. “There’s a professional lens and then there’s a liberal arts lens,” Born said. “To blend those two I think is really special and a nice opportunity for our students.” “The types of questions I get in class here are very different,” Born added. “At my previous institution, they were more concerned with the mechanisms whereas here they’re more concerned with how [the subject matter] impacts people.” Along with having a different mindset, students at MCLA are more kind and caring, according to Born.
PHOTO BY BRIAN RHODES
Katelyn Born, professor of biology, graduated with a B.S. in community health sciences from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2009. “Students here are very friendly,” Born said. “It’s easier to break down the barriers in order for them to be able to approach me and build rapport.” Xin Shen, a professor of Computer Science, said that the physical size and scenery of the campus has been helpful for him. “Every week, when I have time, I try to walk around on campus,” Shen said. “Everything is pretty well organized,
the buildings are beautiful. It makes me feel comfortable here.” According to Shen, students are always communicative and open to conversation with their instructors. “The interaction with students is very important for me,” Shen said. “I always try to ask questions and talk with students, and I feel the students are willing to talk with me and ask their own questions.”
Shen was also impressed by the student body, saying that he enjoys teaching students from unique academic backgrounds. “Although I’m teaching Computer Science, people in my class come from different departments,” Shen said. “Even if they’re not from Computer Science, they are interested to learn in a course out of their field. It’s a challenge for them but they’re trying their hardest.”
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National STD Rates Increase, MCLA “Barrier Express” Program Unused BY MAYA MCFADDEN FEATURES EDITOR It’s been two years since Health Services established its Barrier Express program to combat the increasing rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the nation, and its convenience has been lacking student attention. The Barrier Express program is a confidential delivery service for students to gain access to sexual health supplies like condoms, lubricants, and dental dams. According to a press release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from Oct. 8, cases of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia were at an all-time high in 2018 and are continuing to increase. As a result of the increase in STD case, newborn deaths related to congenital syphilis from 2017 to 2018 have gone up 22%, according to the report. The program was put together by Jacqueline Krzanik, director of health services, and nurse practitioner Aimee Bullett-Smith with help from Information Technology (IT) Director Ian Bergeron to put the websites order form together for students to place orders at their convenience. Krzanik and Bullett-Smith got the program idea from Boston University’s success-
PHOTO BY MAYA MCFADDEN
The Barrier Express orders are only handled within Health Services by its professional staff members to maintain the students confidentiality. ful Condom Fairy program. “We’ve aimed to make it a barrier-free option, it’s confidential and accessible,” Krzanik said. Since the start of the program, the team worked to remove any difficulties students may have such as with the cost of sexual health supplies and locational access to it, according to Bullett-Smith. To be sure that the program is also inclusive for all stu-
dents, the organizers worked closely with the Women’s Center and the Trans Affinity Group (TAG) two years ago. “We are trying to supply the proper health barriers to all individuals and make the program as user-friendly as possible,” Bullett-Smith said. Despite the program’s barrier-free services, there is a lack of users on campus. On Monday, Oct. 28 an email on behalf of the two organizers
was sent to students to determine the campus’ knowledge about the program and its effectiveness thus far. According to Krzanik and Bullett-Smith, the survey will provide them with feedback to hopefully make the program better and better promote it in the future. “We’re more than willing to adapt to make it more viable and sustainable,” Krzanik said.
The email, sent by April Wright, administrative assistant of student affairs, on behalf of Krzanik, states, “The results of this survey will be used to guide the future offerings of free sexual protection barriers here on campus.” Since its start, confidentiality for the Barrier Express program has been important and a necessary factor for its users. Student’s personalized packages are delivered to their school mailboxes with only their campus box number and are not handled by the mailroom’s student-workers. “It can’t get anymore confidential,” Krzanik said. Health Services also provides free barriers for the campus community in designated areas like the library, Women’s Center, Multicultural Education Resource Center (MERC), Student Government Association (SGA) office, and more. They have increased the areas they offer barriers as a result of direct demands from the campus community and in hopes of encouraging students to prioritize sexual health and wellness. “It’s all about promoting healthy behaviors,” Krzanik said. “You don’t want a decision that you make today to affect the rest of your life.”
Club Feature
NEXXUS Steps up with Largest Team in 10 Years
BY LISE MANSARAY FEATURES WRITER MCLA’s award-winning step team NEXXUS has been active for over ten years. This year’s team carries a total of 24 members, making it one of the largest teams NEXXUS has had. The team is currently preparing for its upcoming performance at Moonlight Madness which will be held Wednesday, Nov. 6, in Venable Gym. Stepping is a style of performance that has its origins tracing back to Africa. It involves making sounds with your body such as stomping and clapping, while also combining some dance elements. NEXXUS President Koree Woodley-Adjei ’20 has been a member since her freshman year. “At first I did it because my friends did,” Woodley-Adjei said. “Before I joined I had no prior experience. My first time stepping was in college and I stuck with it because it was fun and good exercise.” Since she first joined, Woodley-Adjei has noticed some changes in terms of the dynamic of the team. “I feel like it’s different now because it’s more inclusive in terms of relationships outside of just practice,” Wood-
ley-Adjei said. “For example, we hang out with each other like we don’t wait until practice to just hang out with each other. We talk all throughout the week and we are more like a family rather than just a team.” Woodley-Adjei encourages newcomers to join the team because of the different experience that stepping provides. “Not only psychically is it very helpful but it’s another way of performance that people forget about,” Woodley-Adjei said. “It’s more than dancing that’s incorporated but stepping is all about being coordinated and really using your body.” This year’s team has a total of 12 newcomers, with varying levels of experience, that are either transfers or freshmen. Houa Xiong ’21, a transfer student, is one of the 12 new members of NEXXUS. “I joined because it was a way to express the anger part of me,” Xiong said. “It allows me to express my emotions through my body rather than my voice.” Xiong, who has never stepped before prior to NEXXUS, admits how helpful the team has been in supporting her. “The returners have been really kind
PHOTO PROVIDED BY EVA WEEKS
Last years NEXXUS team after it’s annual performance with 16 of its members at Moonlight Madness in Venable Gym. and really supportive of my schedule as a student as well as an athlete,” Xiong said. “They work around it and they offer to help me outside of practice when I can’t make it to practice because of games.” Xiong advises newcomers who are
thinking about joining NEXXUS but have no experience to give stepping a chance. “Be open to themselves, have fun, and allow yourself to be present with your body your mind and emotions,” Xiong said.
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MCLA’s ‘Slow: A Symposium in Praxis & Theory’ Comes to MASS MoCA Friday BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR A one-day collaborative interdisciplinary event, “Slow: A Symposium in Praxis & Theory,” hosted by MCLA and MASS MoCA will be held at MASS MoCA in downtown North Adams, Friday, Nov. 1, with registration starting at 8:30 a.m. The symposium will feature over 40 speakers from a range of scholarly and creative disciplines around the country, including keynote lecturer Tina Campt, a professor of humanities and modern culture and media at Brown University. This event will also have 11 different panels of people from all different professions and aspects of life throughout the day, with the first one beginning at 9 a.m. “[This event] explores the theme of slowness,” said Victoria Papa, assistant professor of English/Communications, in a phone interview. “The symposium is aiming to bring together through a kind of interdisciplinary framework the exploration of critical questions related to the speed of modern life.” “One of the things that we’re attempting to do at the symposium is not just [to] simply glorify slowness as being an anecdote to contemporary fast pace living but also to eval-
PHOTO FROM MASS MOCA WEBSITE
“Slow: A Symposium in Praxis & Theory” will feature over 40 scholarly and creative professional speakers at MASS MoCA tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 1. uate how slowness is related to incremental forms of systematic oppression,” Papa added. This symposium event has been in the works for over a year now. After becoming a professor at MCLA in 2017, Papa became very interested in getting involved with The Mind’s Eye journal at the College. Previously run by associate professor of visual art Melanie Mowinski, the Mind’s Eye is a symposium initiative and online journal for faculty at MCLA to explore a wide range of cultural topics, socio-political inquiries, theoretical concerns, and creative practices from within an interdisciplinary framework. The journal is now run by Papa as director. “The Mind’s Eye [was a
print journal] kind of similar to Spires but for faculty, and it was more or less internal [as it] featured MCLA faculty,” Papa said. “In 2016, it switched over to an online platform in an attempt to reinvigorate it and to encourage newer faculty [to take part].” The symposium itself is an event meant to bring MCLA and the local community together in an environment that connects humanities and creative arts. A call for student interns was put out earlier this month and 15 students are now taking part in working tomorrow’s event. These students will also be given the opportunity to attend the variety of panels, speakers’ presentations, and other interactive, hands-on activities
happening at the symposium. “The call for interns was really the access point for students,” Papa said. “This was a way for us to cover student costs for being a part of the event and so that is why we launched a call to the entire student body [at MCLA].” With her excitement and nerves bundling up in anticipation of tomorrow’s events, Papa is most looking forward to the keynote presentation by Campt, who will be speaking about photography and the African Diaspora. “I’m really thrilled about our keynote speaker,” Papa said. “She is really a groundbreaking scholar, an amazing speaker [who is] super captivating, relevant, and in-depth but also accessible
because her work is so profound and engaging.” “Bringing all of these people into our community, exposing them to our community, and representing MCLA at this event in such a way [is] going to allow so many to familiarize [themselves] with our institution which I think is great overall for us,” Papa added. More information, including advanced registration and ticket purchasing, can be found at www.mindseye. mcla.edu. Registering for this event includes access to all symposium events including the keynote luncheon and evening reception at 6 p.m. plus 2-day admission to MASS MoCA; MCLA students can always see the general exhibits for free.
‘Trick-or-Trivia’ at Colonial Theatre in PiƩsfield Tonight BY JENNIFER VANBRAMER A&E EDITOR IS183 Art School of the Berkshires and Only In My Dreams Events will be hosting “Trick-or-Trivia: A Night of Spooky Halloween Fun” at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. This ticketed event is packed with three rounds of trivia, costume contests, performances, and cash prizes. The night will begin with a special performance by Miss Berkshire 2019 winner Jai Mason Miranda Moirai who is a dancer at the Albany Berkshire Ballet. She will perform a few times throughout the evening. “I think it’s special that we are able to host an event at the Colonial Theatre because it is so accessible to everyone,” IS183 Development Director Michele Bastow said in an email. “You want to create an event that is unique enough to catch people’s eye,
that is worthwhile for the participant, and that creates a sense of community!” IS183 partnered with Only In My Dreams Events and the Colonial Theatre to create this event on Halloween for the community and to bring people together for some thrilling trivia. The event came about organically as IS183 has a great relationship with both organizations, according to Bastow. “Sometimes it is hard to find something to do in the area the night of Halloween that is beyond your traditional party. So, this is a great option,” Bastow said. “A portion of the proceeds go towards IS183 Art School, so you are having a great time for a good cause!” People who attend “Trick-or-Trivia” are encouraged to dress up and be as creative as possible in their costume design. “We [at IS183] are looking forward to everyone having a great time, challenging
themselves with some fun trivia and getting creative with their costumes!” Bastow said. More information about this event and ticket purchasing can be found at www. berkshiretheatregroup.org/ event/trick-or-trivia/. Ticket prices are $25 for those 21 years old and above, $10 for those 13 to 20 years old, and anyone under 13 years old receives free admission. More information about IS183, their art class registrations, or events can be found on their website, www.is183.org. “IS183 Art School is always offering something to everyone,” Bastow said. “Our doors are always open!”
PHOTO FROM BERKSHIRE THEATRE GROUP WEBSITE
Trick-or-Trivia will start tonight at 6 p.m. in Pittsfield at the Colonial Theatre.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Oct. 31, 2019
TheOnlineBeacon.com
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Parlor Cafe Hosted Its First Open-Mic Night of the Year BY SABRINA DAMMS A&E WRITER Celebrating the week of its one-year anniversary, The Parlor Cafe introduced its first monthly open-mic night last Thursday, Oct. 24. The night of music, poetry, and comedy started at 6:30 p.m. with sign-ups. The open-mic night consisted of a diverse variety of performances from MCLA students and North Adams community members, featuring poetic comedy, poetry, cover songs, and original music. “It’s really cool to support people coming out doing what they like,” said audience and community member Viviana Dorfucan after the show. The passion was exemplified by the energetic and enthusiastic energy of the event’s host Nalisha DeCastro ‘23. DeCastro, who started out as a spoken word poet in New York, has competed in competitions including Urban Word and has performed at the Apollo Theater. “A lot of students want an outlet creatively and poetically,” DeCastro said. Open-mic night performer Christopher Curtin ‘21 was one of the first artists Thursday night performing pieces from his stand up routine entitled “Dracula.” The routine was a light-hearted twist on the idea of human interaction with a poetic and heavy undertone. Following the event, one of the audience members commended Curtin on his ability to make his deep material so poetic and lighthearted. There were other diverse
PHOTO BY SABRINA DAMMS
MCLA student, Zachary Rea ‘23, performing at The Parlor Cafe’s first open-mic night of the year, last Thursday, Oct. 24. sets of performances, including multiple poetry readings and musical numbers. While some musicians played cover songs from inspiring artists others played never before heard original works. “I just like seeing people perform their own work, there’s something happy about it,” Curtin said in an email. “The Parlor’s a pretty intrinsically artistic place. It’s welcoming to that sort of
thing. It’s really cool to create a space where artists can just go for it.” Open-mic nights are places for artists, professionals, and hobbyists to share their work in a welcoming and open environment. The Parlor Cafe gives artists a chance to do so, especially with the scarce opportunities of open-mic nights in the area. Zach Rea ‘23 was one of the performers who per-
formed original music. “I really like performing open-mic nights,” Rea said. “There is none in the area so this is great.” The Parlor Cafe closed in 2016, reopening in 2018 by MCLA Alumni Nick Tardive and Julia Daly who are bringing back the calm and friendly coffee shop vibe. “I love the whole vibe of the Parlor,” Curtin said. “I remember it closing down
* THURSDAY, OCT. 31 - SAC’S PUMPKIN PAINTING PALOOZA 4:30 P.M. CAMPUS CENTER MARKETPLACE - TRICK OR TRIVIA COLONIAL THEATRE, PITTSFIELD 6 TO 9 P.M.
* FRIDAY, NOV. 1 - SLOW SYMPOSIUM MASS MOCA 8:30 A.M. TO 6 P.M.
- PANG! PERFORMANCE CHURCH STREET CENTER 7 P. M
* SATURDAY, NOV. 2 - MUSEUM OF HISTORY & SCIENCE GRAND OPENING DOWNTOWN NORTH ADAMS 10 A.M.
a few years back, opening as something else, closing again, and then reincarnating as the Parlor Cafe again, so I’ve experienced some emotional whiplash.” The Parlor Cafe will be having open-mic nights every second Thursday of each month, giving people an outlet to share their art. DeCastro hopes that the openmic night community grows and more people participate.
- HALLOWHINE DANCE PARTY WITH NEXXUS & BLACK STUDENT UNION VENABLE GYM 10 P.M. - TRICK OR TREAT
NORTH ADAMS NEIGHBORHOODS 5:30 TO 7 P.M.
* TUESDAY, NOV. 5 - ELECTION DAY NORTH ADAMS 9 A.M. TO 7 P.M. PITTSFIELD 8 A.M. TO 8 P.M.
News
Oct. 31, 2019
Honor’s Lecture Series
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Escudero Talks Undocumented Immigration BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI STAFF WRITER On Oct. 23, MCLA’s Honors Program guest lecturer Kevin Escudero, assistant professor of American studies and ethnic studies at Brown University, discussed the intersections between undocumented immigrant youth growing up in New York City, San Francisco, and Chicago. According to Escudero, his interest in the topic is rooted in his family’s history. “My mom is a refugee from Vietnam and my dad is an immigrant from Bolivia,” Escudero stated in an email. “Growing up, some of my extended family members were undocumented and I learned more about the implications of immigration status from them.” To give context to his lecture, Escudero read several quotes from undocumented immigrants whom he had interviewed for his book, “Undocumented While Organized: Immigrant Youth’s Political Activism under the Law.” Escudero referred to the 1982 Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe as a turning point for the legal standing of undocumented immigration. In Plyler v. Doe, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that it was unconstitutional for Texas to deny education to undocumented immigrants. “It is the most robust case in terms of reflecting undocumented immigrants,” Escudero said. “The state of Texas did not give a compelling reason as to why they excluded Mexicans [the ethnicity targeted in the case].” Escudero argued that the federal government and local governments
vary in how they treat undocumented immigrants. “The federal level wants to exacerbate undocumented immigrants and sub-federal levels usually try to be more inclusive,” he said. Referring to a 2009 Pew Research Center study, Escudero revealed that in the pre-2010s, there were an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants nationwide; of them, roughly two million were under the age of 18. He advocated for audience members to get involved in the issue of immigration, hoping students take away the importance of political activism and an understanding of what undocumented immigrants experience from the lecture. “The closeness people feel with this issue may not come from activism,” Escudero said. “It may come from the kinship or personal stakes they have with people they know [that are undocumented].” “One way [to get involved] would be to invite undocumented students and activists to campus to share their stories,” he added. Escudero also suggests that members of immigrant rights organizations should visit colleges to lead workshops to help students, staff, and faculty learn approaches to support undocumented immigrants in their community, on and off-campus. Almost 50 students were in attendance for the lecture. The event was free and open to the public. Zachary Finch, director of the MCLA Honors Program, said in an email that Escudero was selected to speak because he has researched “relevant questions concerning
REPORT
From Page 1 indicates “breaking and entering, night” as the reason for the arrest.
SGA
From Page 1 closing properly,” Rawson said. “I feel that if the school wants to make the townhouses safer, it would be to add key card access on the doors instead of lock and key.” In regards to Title IX, Student Trustee Jacob Vitali ’21 voiced his concern with the actual investigators who speak with the victim to get factual information. “The one thing I‘m concerned about is since the investigators have really no prior knowledge of interviewing skills, then why are we sending them around to conduct the
BOARD
From Page 1 ments to the campus itself, Birge said the project, if approved for funding, would address 25% of the college’s deferred maintenance needs. “It’s an incredibly efficient project as well,” Birge said. Birge believes the proposed Career Services space that the project will create will benefit students who are near graduation and entering the job market.
PHOTO BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI
Kevin Escudero, speaking to students on the importance of understanding the challenges undocumented immigrants have to go through. how marginalized groups of young people… mobilize socially and politically around issues”. Finch also noted that Escudero is the faculty director of the Royce Fellowship at Brown University. According to Escudero’s page on the Brown University website, the Royce Fellowship “supports undergraduate students’ pursuit of independent research projects across a variety of disciplines and in various locations around the globe.” Hannah Noel, a member of the honors faculty and assistant professor of English/communications, first met Escudero when they were affiliates at Williams College. “We finished our dissertation together,” Noel said. Noel believes that undocumented youth immigration has been relevant for a while, not just in light of
According to Colonno, the arrest was part of a routine traffic stop where it was discovered that the driver had a warrant for an outstanding ticket. Colonno did not elaborate on this arrest. interviews,” Vitali said. “Since you [Comstock] are an attorney, do you think that this is affected your case in the interview’s questions?” Comstock agreed that some of the interviewers sometimes might not pick up on things during the interview, but that is why beforehand we talk to the interviewers and makes sure we all undersea what we are looking for to help them in the incident. “I used to be an attorney which is a good background for helping me look through the incident report,” Comstock said. Comstock also hopes that she can make the campus community feel safer and more positive as a whole.
“Increasingly, the state is asking public institutions to align their academic offerings with opportunities for job employment,” Birge said. “This new renovated facility will allow us to connect, in a more direct way, Career Services, internships, and post-graduate opportunities with academic programs.” If approved, DCAMM will provide $20 million for the College’s Connector Project. The remaining $6 million, Birge said, will come from a combination
of surplus funds previously committed to the project by MCLA’s Board of Trustees and fundraising. Denise Marshal, board of trustees chairperson, said that the college, in conjunction with the Connector Project, is attempting to purchase properties on 60 Porter Street and 8 Montana Street. Marshal said, if purchased, these spaces could provide additional office space and campus parking. “It’s gonna change the whole look of the campus,” Marshal said of The Connector Project.
the Trump Administration’s immigration policies surrounding Escudero’s lecture. “Because immigration is such a politically hot topic, I think it is also important to emphasize what people are doing on the ground to respond to [immigration],” Noel said. According to Noel, there is also hostility in heavily criticizing the other sides in a discussion about immigration. “I think that we should all be capable in having a civil conversation, whether or not we agree,” Noel said. According to Finch, MCLA’s Honors Program hosts one guest lecturer per semester. Typically, the honors faculty create a list of scholars they wish to bring on campus, then coordinate with the honors student council to plan events.
OFFICE HOURS From Page 2
of human resources/payroll office, and Lawrence Behan, vice president of administration and finance, have conducted their office hours together in the Centennial Room. Colon and Woodley-Adjei also agreed that some of the locations like Bowman 217 are too serious and intimidating. “People don’t know that you can go in that room because we only ever see staff members in there,” said Woodley-Adjei. Unlike some of the other executive staff members, Wootters was an associate professor. This experience gives her a different perspective of students, faculty, and staff. “The most important thing is that students know that you hear them,” Wootters said. Wootters holds her open hours in the library commons every other week. However, due to a lack of encounters with students thus far, she is thinking of hosting her open hours less frequently during the upcoming spring semester. Both Holbrook and Wootters said they are interested in speaking with
students about institutional or personal issues. “I never want for people to feel like they have to solve everything on their own,” Wootters said. “I’m happy to problem-solve with students over each and every issue.” Dumo said an open forum or panel discussion with these executive staff members would also be beneficial. Large scale campus events like the Presidents Ice Cream Social and Moonlight Madness can also be used to promote such initiatives said Woodley-Adjei. A significant issue that was expressed in the SSI results was the student’s demand for administrative transparency. Wootters agreed that transparency with students is important so students know why administrative decisions are made. The open hours are also times for students to know what executive staff members are responsible for on-campus within their roles and how they go about these managing their divisions. “We know students want their issues to be heard so this is significant because we are coming right to them to hear their concerns out,” Holbrook said.
Sports
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Women’s Soccer
Trailblazers Lose to Mass Maritime in MASCAC Game BY JOHN MORRISEY SPORTS WRITER
The MCLA Trailblazers Women’s Soccer team fell 3-1 in Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play to the Mass Maritime Buccaneers Saturday, Oct. 26, at Clean Harbors Stadium. Mass Maritime jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half with goals from midfielder Emma McNally ’20 and midfielder Shannon Elwood ’20 before midfielder/forward Jessica Baldassini ’20 kicked another in to extend the lead to three late in the second half. The Trailblazers lone goal came in the second half of the contest and was delivered by midfielder Cetera Moore ’21 when she shot the ball past Buccaneer goalkeeper Paige Albertson ’23 on a free kick with just under five minutes to play in regulation. MCLA goalkeeper Megan Richardson added six more saves to her school
record in the defeat, allowing only three shots to find the back of the net late in the second half. The contest was controlled by the Buccaneers throughout the first half, allowing zero shots on goal and keeping the Trailblazers on the defensive side of the field for much of the period. The second half remained a stalemate until Baldassini recovered a loose ball near midfield and broke away to beat Richardson one-on-one and essentially leave the game out of reach for the Trailblazers with just under 13 minutes left to play. The win gave Mass Maritime their first conference win of the season. MCLA has one more opportunity to win a conference game this season against Framingham State. MCLA finds themselves with a 2-12-1 record for the season as they get ready to close out the month against Utica in an away matchup Wednesday, Oct. 30. The Trailblazers lone
SCORE BOARD
Women’s Cross Country Next: @ MASCAC Championships Nov. 2
Men’s Cross Country Next: @ MASCAC Championships Nov. 2
Men’s Soccer
MCLA (0), Keene State (2) Oct. 23 Sean Bradshaw - 4 Saves Garrett Derosia - 2 Shots on Goal Ian Ford-Hunt - 1 Shot on Goal
MCLA (0), Mass Maritime (2) Oct. 25 Sam Edge - 6 Saves Garrett Derosia - 2 Shots on Goal Mateo Wirzburger - 1 Shot on Goal
MCLA (0), Pine Manor (5) Oct. 29 Sam Edge - 5 Saves PHOTO TAKEN FROM MCLA ATHLETICS
Midfielder Cetera Moore ‘21 scored MCLA’s only goal against Mass Maritime. remaining home game will be Saturday, Nov. 2, against Framingham at noon at Shewcraft Field and will wrap up the 2019 season. With an 0-6 conference mark the MCLA women’s
soccer team can end on a high note if the can pull off a victory Saturday and give them a major confidence boost as they head into the off-season and start to get ready for next year’s action.
Trailblazers Head Into Final Game With Three-Game Losing Streak The Gators continued their unstoppable scoring with Roque scoring his second goal of the night at After losing 0-5 against Pine Man- the 56th-minute mark. or College Gators Tuesday, Oct. 29, Forward Yanes Seidi ‘23 earned the men’s soccer team look to add a his first goal of the night 78 minwin to their overall record of 3-13 in utes into the game, while Vasquez their upcoming game against Fram- followed closely behind with Pine ingham State University Rams. Manor’s final goal of the night at The Gators kept the ball on the the 81st-minute mark. Trailblazers’ half, racking up 18 The match up against the Rams shots, 10 of which were on goal, is also the last conference game for while the Trailblazers managed the Trailblazers, taking place on the five shots, with only two on goal. Rams’ home turf Saturday, Nov. Midfielder/foward Oscar Uriel 2. The Trailblazers currently hold Roque ‘23 started the scoring run for themselves at 1-5 in conference play. the Gators, hitting the back of the net Last week, the Trailblazers faced within the first 15 minutes of the game. off against Mass Maritime Friday, With 13 minutes left in the first Oct. 25, and Keene State College half, forward Noe Vasquez ‘22 Wednesday, Oct. 23, losing both scored the second goal for Gators. matches in final scores of 0-2.
Peter Sherman, Tanner Giggliotti - 1 Shot on Goal
Next: @ Framingham State Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m.
Women’s Soccer
MCLA (1), Mass Maritime (3) Oct. 26 Goal - 85:18 (2nd Half) - Cetera Moore Megan Richardson - 6 saves Alyssa Porter - 2 Shots on Goal
Men’s Soccer
BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE MANAGING EDITOR
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The game against Mass Maritime Academy was also MCLA’s senior night, celebrating the collaborative efforts of their five graduating players: midfielder Nick Castle ‘20, forward Garret Derosia ‘20, defender Issa Jalloh ‘20, defender Dominic Miaello ‘20, and defender Ryan Wanek ‘20. In all three of the past games, the Trailblazers have had to deal with a hard-hitting defense from the opposing team, making only two shots on goal against Pine Manor, who had 10; three shots on goal against Mass Maritime, who had eight; and three shots on goal against Keene, who had six. MCLA Goalkeeper Sam Edge ’23 has made a total of 18 saves over the course of the three games.
Cetera Moore - 2 Shots on Goal
MCLA — Utica (Wed.) Oct. 30 Next: vs. Framingham State Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m.
Women’s Volleyball
MCLA (3), Worcester State (0) Oct. 23 Reagan Scattergood - 10 Kills; 4 Blocks Natasha Stewart - 14 Digs Ahna Schlaefer, Kelly Moczulski - 4 Service Aces
MCLA (3), Castleton (0) Oct. 19 Kelly Moczulski - 14 Kills Laiken Cornwell-L’Hote, Ahna Schlaefer - 1 Block Natasha Stewart, Ahna Schlaefer, Houa Xiong - 9 Digs
Natasha Stewart, Houa Xiong - 5 Service Aces
MCLA (0), Plymouth State (3) Oct. 19 Ahna Schlaefer - 7 Kills; 2 Blocks Natasha Stewart - 18 Digs Kelly Moczulski - 4 Service Aces
MCLA (3), SUNY Cobleskill (1) Oct. 29 Kelly Moczulski - 14 Kills Reagan Scattergood - 5 Blocks Houa Xiong - 27 Digs Kelly Moczulski - 7 Service Aces PHOTO TAKEN FROM MCLA ATHLETICS
Pictured left to right with family: Issa Jalloh ‘20, Dominic Maiello ‘20, Garrett Derosia ‘20, Nick Castle ‘20, and Ryan Wanek ‘20.
Next: @ Bridgewater State Nov. 2, 12:00 p.m.
News
Oct. 31, 2019
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10
Suspect in BC suicide case accused of taking advantage of boyfriend’s depression BY MARIA CRAMER, NICOLE DUNGCA AND HANNA KRUEGER STAFF WRITER BOSTON GLOBE After Alexander Urtula jumped to his death from a Roxbury parking garage in May, his girlfriend, Inyoung You, told authorities she had rushed there to try and stop him, two law enforcement officials said Tuesday. But prosecutors have described You as an abusive partner who exerted full control over Urtula, which was documented in thousands of text exchanges that revealed a toxic and tumultuous 18-month relationship. You, a 21-year-old native of South Korea who grew up in Washington state, has been indicted on involuntary manslaughter charges in Urtula’s death. Prosecutors said You took advantage of Urtula’s depression to isolate him from friends and family and hounded him into taking his own life, repeatedly saying the world would be a better place without him. On Tuesday, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said “a more complete summary of the facts leading up to and following Mr. Urtula’s death will be revealed at the arraignment and during the course of the
PHOTO FROM SUFFOLK DISTRICT ATTORNEY OFFICE
Alexander Urtula was bright, gregarious, and socially conscious, with plans to become a doctor. impending litigation.” “I stand firmly behind this office’s detailed presentation of the evidence to the Suffolk County grand jury and the returned indictment against Ms. You,” she said in a statement. You, who withdrew from Boston College in August, is living in South Korea, which could pose an obstacle for prosecutors who have asked her to return to the United States to be arraigned. Rollins’s office has not released the name of a lawyer who has been in touch with prosecutors about the case. Messages left for You’s relatives were not returned. Urtula’s family did not answer the
door at their home in Cedar Grove, N.J. Urtula killed himself on the morning of May 20, when he was slated to graduate from BC. Urtula’s parents, immigrants from the Philippines, were on campus that morning when Urtula contacted them to say he was planning on hurting himself, according to the two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because You has not been arraigned yet. At 8:37 a.m., Urtula jumped from the top of the Renaissance parking garage near the Ruggles MBTA station, according to his death certificate. Rollins has said that You had used her phone to track Urtula
to the garage and was present when he killed himself. You, who studied economics at BC, grew up in Issaquah, Wash., a community of more than 39,000 people about 17 miles east of Seattle. In 2016, she graduated from Issaquah High School as a distinguished graduate for having achieved a grade point average of at least 3.7, according to the Issaquah Press. She was an avid tennis player who helped her team reach the county finals her senior year. At BC, one student said You had confided in him about how stressed she was over her relationship with Urtula.
“I knew that she had a lot of problems going on,” the senior said, asking to remain anonymous. “I knew she tried her best, and she did care about people. I knew [the relationship] was difficult for her.” The student did not provide details about what made the relationship difficult but described You as a funny, caring woman who appeared genuinely interested in helping others sort through problems. “She was a very kind person,” he said. “When you talked to her, she would never seem like the type of person to say these kinds of things . . . I couldn’t believe that she would have done this.” Binh Luu, a junior, remembered bonding quickly with Urtula over basketball when they met. Soon, they were playing regular pickup games at the gym together. Luu, who was a premed student like Urtula, frequently sought advice from his friend, who specialized in biochemistry and also planned to become a doctor. “He really fits the model of being a leader and a mentor,” Luu said. “He really encompasses the idea of wanting to look out for people that are going to come after him.” Luu had heard from mutual friends that Urtula was involved in a “bad, toxic” relationship.
Fast-moving Easy fire burns 400 acres, triggers evacuations in Simi Valley near Reagan Library BY HANNAH FRY, RONGGONG LIN II STAFF WRITER LOS ANGELES TIMES A large brush fire erupted in Simi Valley early Wednesday and was quickly burning toward neighborhoods, triggering mandatory evacuations amid strong Santa Ana winds. The Easy fire started near the 118 Freeway and Madera Road shortly after 6 a.m. Over the course of two hours, the fire has chewed through 407 acres of dry, dense brush. The fire, aided by winds gusting from the west, is advancing toward the 23 Freeway, said Ventura County Fire Capt. Brian McGrath. Portions of Simi Valley, Moorpark and Thousand Oaks are under mandatory evacuation orders. The evacuation area was encompassed by the 118 Freeway to the north, Olsen Road/ Madera Road to the south, Madera Road to the east and Highway 23 to the west. The area bordered by Highway 23, Moorpark
PHOTO BY BRIAN VAN DER BRUG
John Malta waters down mulch at his home while firefighters battle Easy fire in Simi Valley/Los Angeles Times Road, Read Road and East Olsen Road is also under a mandatory evacuation order. A shelter has been set up at the Thousand Oaks Community Center at 2525 N. Moorpark Road. The blaze is burning near the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. Thick smoke choked the hillside where the large building—a repository of presidential re-
cords from former President Ronald Reagan’s administration—is perched among dense brush. Flames burned on both sides, but the library has not yet sustained damage, officials said. It is not clear how the fire started. Video footage from the scene showed wind-whipped flames rapidly consuming a large swath of hillside in the area as residents fled from
their homes. All Simi Valley public schools were closed because of the fire. A second destructive wildfire broke out in the Riverside County town of Nuevo in the 26000 block of Water Avenue shortly after 7 a.m. Cal Fire said multiple structures have been burned and authorities have called for more fire engines to help battle it. The blaze comes amid dan-
gerous weather conditions and the threat of more blackouts as utility companies attempt to reduce wildfire risk. In the area of the Easy fire, gusts of about 30 mph from the northeast were reported nearby around 8 a.m., National Weather Service meteorologist Lisa Phillips said. “We are expecting the winds to strengthen,” Phillips said. Later in the day, the weather service forecast sustained winds of 20-30 mph and gusts of up to 50 mph. They’re expected to ease slightly around 4 p.m., with sustained winds 15-25 mph and gusts up to 45 mph. Relative humidity levels are expected to fall to as low as 4% — critically dry, parching rain-starved vegetation and making it even more prone to ignition. Forecasters say the gusty winds will be the strongest to hit the region in recent memory and triggered urgent preparations for more potential fires and evacuations. The winds are expected to continue through Thursday.
Opinion
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11
Editorial
Safety Issues a Reality No one comes onto a college campus thinking that they’ll never hear about sexual assault. No one thinks of it as an impossibility in their lives. We’ve all heard the PowerPoint presentations, done the online “required” school surveys, and listened to the badly rendered 80s films put on by our high school overlords teaching us of the dangers. But somehow it still feels entirely different when we’re faced with the actuality of it, even when it has unfortunately become an expected “norm” of the college system. Sexual assault is a very visceral reality, and only when it’s brought into the forefront of our lives do we ever truly consider it an issue. It’s those times that it really matters how people react to the situation. When the email was sent out this Saturday morning, there was palpable shock around campus. And while most of us were extremely grateful for Public Safety’s quick informational email, there was still a whole slew of unanswered questions: “What do you mean there was a sexual assault?” “Where did it take place?” “Do you know who it was?” Adding to the fire was the additional questioning
topic of burglary, like an addendum, tacked on the second campus-wide email. “What was stolen?” “How much?” The campus was grateful for Catherine Holbrook, vice president of student affairs, and her announcement at SGA that an arrest had been made, but with the recent admission by the Public Safety Chief Daniel Colonno that an arrest had not been made further sets worry. We all want to feel safe on campus, we want it to be a place where we’re free to live and learn in an environment we can feel secure. It was unfortunate that Public Safety wasn’t at the SGA meeting after the incident, but understandable as students were ready to go on a majorly heated offensive. Even so, it was good to hear from Holbrook and the others in attendance. We’re stuck with waiting for Public Safety to open up their lines of communication while the investigation remains ongoing. So for now, the only thing we can do seems to be re-lock our doors and hope no-one comes in at night. And even then, the issue extends with some doors in the townhouses not locking properly.
Sleep Is A Luxury In College
Sleep is important; it restores our energy, fights off illness and fatigue by strengthening our immune system, helps us think more clearly and creatively, strengthens memory and gives us a more positive mood throughout the day. Sleep isn’t just a passive activity and something to fill the time when we are inactive, but rather it is an active and dynamic process vital for normal motor and cognitive function. Most adults need somewhere between 6-10 hours of sleep per night. Different people need different amounts of sleep to feel rested. Generally, it’s recommended to get an average of eight hours if you’re not sure how much sleep your body needs. If you are frequently tired or irritable during the day and find yourself sleeping more than an extra 2 hours per night on weekends, then you are probably not getting enough sleep during the week. College students are notoriously sleep-deprived and have poor sleep habits. Many have too much on their plate to have a solid eight hours of sleep each night. The reality is that many students are overworked. Many take a packed course load, work a part-time job, participate in any extracurricular activities, and still try to find time to be social. This overload leads to a notoriously sleep-deprived semester (sometimes full academic year). Students tend to only find an average of six hours to sleep. Over the course of a week, that’s 14 hours less than the recommended amount―more than half a day of sleep lost weekly. Although this may be accepted as normal, especially in a collegiate setting, students are sleeping less than years before. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that, as a nation, 35% of adults are
TESSA SESTITO NOT FOR THE BETTER not getting enough sleep. A lack of sleep has an impact on us both mentally and physically. Since sleep deprivation can impact the immune system function, our ability to fight off infections becomes more difficult and we are more prone to getting upper respiratory infections, such as cold and flu. Thus, we feel “run down” because heart and lung function is affected by lack of sleep and associated with worsening chronic lung and heart disease and high blood pressure. Obesity has also been linked to a lack of sleep. Sleep deprivation causes an increase in ghrelin, a hormone that is associated with hunger for high-calorie foods, while simultaneously causing a decrease in the hormone leptin (which reduces appetite.) This leads to weight gain in many people. Attempting to keep up an active social life with everything else going on can easily lead to students denying their body an adequate amount of sleep. Other factors, such as drinking, can decrease the likelihood of quality sleep as well. Alcohol can make you feel tired because it is a depressant and has sedative qualities, but drinking alcohol can interrupt sleep and interfere with the quality of your sleep, magnifying the effects
of sleep deprivation. Lack of sleep impacts brain function, attention span, mood and reaction times. As a result, sleep deprivation can severely hurt grades. Many college students cram before a test and pull an “all-nighter,” staying awake until the early hours of the morning. This sleep deprivation causes long-term impacts on skills like memory recall, concentration, and retention; skills needed to do well on tests. During sleep, the brain organizes, sorts, and stores what we have learned and experienced that day, making it easier to recall at a later time. Sleep also helps you weed out irrelevant information and helps you make connections between your memory and information you learned that day, even if you have not made those connections while awake. Essentially, getting at least six to eight hours of sleep helps increase the likelihood of learning and retaining information. Lack of sleep can be caused by, and contribute to, mental health problems. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 44% of students experience symptoms of depression. Also, 80% feel overwhelmed by academic responsibilities, and 50% have struggled with anxiety. Sleep is underrated when it comes to college students. Many treat sleep as a luxury only for the weekends, when it should be treated the same no matter the day of the week. The negative effects of an unfulfilling night of sleep outweigh the benefits of a few more hours of studying. College students need to start changing their sleep habits and schedules; until that day, sleepy students will sadly continue to under perform academically and fall asleep in class, or possibly skip class altogether.
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Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Tessa Sestito
Managing Editor Corey Mitchell-Labrie
Senior News Editor Nathan Biron
A & E Editor Jennifer VanBramer
Features Editor Maya McFadden
Editor-at-Large Jake Vitali
BWN Executive Producer Julia Teixeira
Staff Staff Writers Natalia Giacomozzi Taylor Scarver
Brian Rhodes Hans Resignac
Features Writer
A&E Writer
Lise Mansaray
Sabrina Damms
Sports Writer John Morrisey
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Robert Wehry Rosedolphe Ambroise
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Jim Niedbalski
KIDS HAVE A BLAST AT BOO BASH
PHOTOS BY COREY MITCHELL-LABRIE