November 12, 2020 Vol. 91 Issue 9

TheOnlineBeacon.com

Thursday, November 12, 2020

Public Safety Alert Prompts

Volume 91 • Issue 9

Freel Library Roof to be Renovated

Administrative Response

BY NATALIA GIAZOMOZZI MANAGING EDITOR The MCLA community was informed of an harassment incident that occurred on Friday, Nov. 6 via email by campus police chief Daniel Colonno on Friday night, which was followed by messages from President James Birge and chief diversity officer Christopher MacDonald-Dennis.

“A female MCLA student was walking in the area of the Mount Greylock Bank on Ashland Street when she was approached by 3 males.

These males surrounded her and made derogatory and intimidating comments,” Colonno wrote.

He described one suspect as a white man with brown hair, wearing jeans, a black shirt, and in his early 20’s.

The two remaining suspects were described as older white men with “one one wearing jeans and the other wearing cargo pants.”

Colonno said that anyone with information regarding the incident should contact the North Adams Police Department at 413-664-4945 or MCLA Campus Police at 413-662-5100.

At time of publication, the victim has not been identified and no suspects have been arrested.

About two hours after the safety alert was issued, Birge emailed the MCLA Commu-

nity condemning the incident.

“Any form of harassment and intimidation to any one of our MCLA community members is unacceptable.

We have a zero tolerance policy for any hateful rhetoric or action at MCLA. The health and safety of our students is our number one priority and I want you to know that we strive to foster a safe and welcoming environment for our community,” Birge wrote.

He classified the incident as a “bias crime”, and elaborated on what it means for the college campus.

“It remains more important than ever that we support each other. If you see something, say something,” Birge noted.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, MacDonald-Dennis sent an email on behalf of the Faculty Association Executive Committee before noon condemning the incident as well.

“We are deeply saddened and, quite honestly, outraged that this was done to you in the town you currently call home. Home should always be a safe and welcoming space, and we pledge to continue our fight to make it so for all of you,” he wrote.

MacDonald-Dennis also encouraged students to reach out to the Faculty Association Executive Committee if they want to discuss the incident.

PHOTO BY BRIAN RHODES

Glenn Lawson, supervisor of circulation at the Freel Library, said that roof leaks a significant issue and that they have had to place special tarps throughout the second floor to contain and divert leaking water.

BY BRIAN RHODES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The roof of MCLA’s Freel Library, which has experienced issues with leaks in recent years, is set for replacement soon.

The replacement of the Freel Library roof will cost approximately $420,000 according to Curt Cellana, director of fiscal affairs.

“Construction should begin soon,” he said in an email to The Beacon on the status of the roof’s replacement. “And the contractor has given us a completion estimate of 20 days, weather dependent.”

Cellana noted that the roof will be paid for, in part,

by the Department of Capital Asset Management and Mainte-nance’s (DCAMM) small projects program, which provided each of the state universities with $975,000 to be used for approved projects.

“This new program would allow us to repair the roof with DCAMM funding their portion (80%) and MCLA would now be allowed to cover our portion (20%) with these new funds,” he said. “As you can see with this new DCAMM program the college will now be able to repair the roof at no expense.”

Glenn Lawson, supervisor of circulation at the Freel Library, said that the

leaking issues with the current roof have persisted for several years.

“This library opened in 1970, so it’s over 51 years old,” he said in an interview with The Beacon. “I’ve been here since 1983. There’s always been leakage to some degree.”

Lawson said that roof leaking is a significant problem and that they have had to place special tarps throughout the second floor to contain and divert leaking water. He mentioned that the leaking has made it hard for students and library staff to utilize the space on the second floor.

Library, Page 10

Virtual Celebration for Fall Grads Coming Dec. 11

BY BRIAN RHODES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MCLA will be hosting a virtual graduation reception event on Dec. 11 at 4 p.m. for students graduating this semester.

The virtual reception, which would have normally been in person, will be conducted via Zoom in order to follow both the state and college COVID-19 guidelines. Jacqueline Kelly, coordinator of conferences and campus events, noted that the college will send an email soon providing more details and inviting students, faculty and staff to attend.

“The office of academic affairs traditionally hosts a December academic reception for all the August and December graduates,” Kelly

PHOTO TAKEN FROM ALUMNI.MCLA.EDU

Jacqueline Kelly, coordinator of conferences and campus events, noted that the college will send an email soon providing more details and inviting students, faculty and staff to attend the Dec. 11 event. said in a Microsoft Teams interview. “So we will be sending them all a letter in

an email inviting them. The whole campus community is welcome to watch.”

Kelly noted that they are recording all of the speeches before the event, saying that they will premiere live at the event. She said that Dean of Academic Affairs Ely Janis, Vice President of Academic Affairs Adrienne Wootters, MCLA President James Birge, and Alumni Board President Dennis Ducharme ‘82, will all give speeches for the reception.

“All of the graduates are welcome to register. Any students that aren’t graduating that want to see their friends are welcome to register; faculty, staff, everybody should register to watch and tune in to celebrate our December and August grads,” she said.

Kelly said that while they did not meet with the newly elected SGA Class of 2021 council for this event, they

are already working with them to plan graduation celebrations for spring graduates in May. “The senior class council members are actually members of the commencement committee, a group of just about 30 people from across campus that actually get together the full day of celebration,” she said.

When asked about the Class of 2020’s graduation festivities, Kelly mentioned that there has been sig-nificant involvement from members of the class. She noted that they voted and decided on a reunion style weekend with a full commencement.

“The institution is really excited to do that,” she said.

“The alumni office and stu-

Graduation, Page 10

News

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Television and Film Society Being Revived

BY MARIAMA NDIAYE STAFF WRITER The MCLA club Television and Film Society (TFS) has been inactive for a while now.

Both Mak Wagner ‘22, president, and Ryan Weir, vice president, plan to restart activities next semester due to the pandemic unexpectedly carving time in their schedules.

Wagner answered some questions about the progress of the club so far.

“Let me start off with saying it’s been a bumpy road. Television and Film Society was originally founded in 2016 and wasn’t revived until maybe spring/fall 2019 by myself and Ryan when we suddenly came into the president/vice president roles. And I say suddenly because that’s how it happened,” Wagner stated.

They elaborated on the process of getting TFS recognized again as an official MCLA club.

“We were thrust into these positions without having any clue what to do, or how to run a club. Thankfully we had Amanda, and the wonderful

recourses at SGA to help us get TFS back on its feet. Under our care, if you will, TFS now has a Facebook page, an Instagram, a club email, and a YouTube page. On this YouTube page, we have our first ever short film, Persistent Perception, which was directed, written, filmed, acted in, and edited by Ryan, co-directed, filmed, and acted in by me, and features a cast with members from the club,” Wagner said.

They noted the process to create the TFS’s first short film took nearly two weeks.

“After the film finished production, TFS hosted its first showing, in which we premiered the short film to the students of MCLA. We’ve managed to buy the club amazing equipment to produce our productions, we now have a club advisor, we’ve held tabling events, and overall made the club more organized and gave it structure (this structure consisting of a format that stimulates an actual production team for a film, ie. Writers room, auditions/ casting, finding directors, etc.).

The thing we’ve struggled

PHOTO FROM BEACON ARCHIVES Students Mak Wagner and Ryan Weir are aiming to restart the Television and Film Society in spring 2021. with most, however, is club attendance. We have enough people who are interested in the club, and want to come but don’t,” Wagner said.

When asked about who are the other members of TFS, Wagner emphasized that TFS is still looking for student participation.

“It has been just me and Ryan for a while. We had a few regulars who attended our meetings until we went home

for the spring due to COVID, but other than that, both Ryan and I were afraid it would continue to be just us until the very end. However, Amanda has recently informed us that there are several students who are interested in the club, so I’m hopeful that we can work together in the future, to continue Television and Film Society’s growth, and improve on what’s already there,” Wagner said.

They added that they discussed with Weir over the summer how to move the club forward. Both members agreed it was best for TFS not to meet during the fall semester. “[We] decided it would be best not to meet, to protect us and our fellow students. Everything with the pandemic has been confusing and stress-

TV, Page 10

SGA

SGA Agrees To Firearms Referendum On Spring Ballot

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI MANAGING EDITOR After the newly elected class of 2022 council, senators-at-large, and student trustee were sworn in, SGA president Shannon Prouty ‘21 discussed her meeting on Friday, Nov. 6 with MCLA President James Birge to get underway the SGA meeting on Monday, Nov. 9.

“We discussed the policing report that came out in September. One point we talked about was holding a referendum on our ballot, asking students if police officers should be armed on campus,” Prouty said.

SGA voted unanimously to place the referendum on their ballot during the election during the spring semester.

“Now this would be on the ballot for when we are voting for our positions for next fall,” Prouty added.

EVP Noah Henkenius ’22 discussed the firearms referendum further with this reporter in a separate article in this Beacon issue.

Prouty also noted Birge suggested that a new job in SGA should be established in the mold of student trustee.

“He suggested possibly doing a student trustee-elect.

I will send this to our constitution committee for review.

He suggested that we always have a student trustee and somebody who almost shad-

ows the student trustee so we can have somebody prepared for the next year or the year after, depending on how many years the student trustee is at the college, because it is a state mandated position,” she said.

Prouty also said that SGA may invite Birge to one of its meetings before the conclusion of the fall semester to discuss the referendum further.

Henkenius announced to the SGA body that budget finance committee, constitution committee, academic policies committee, and sustainability are lacking participants.

“I would like everyone who is interested in joining them to email me by tomorrow [Tuesday] at 5:00 pm. That way if I see people not emailing me by that time, I can kind of jog their memory because some of these committees meet every day of the week,” he said.

SGA also voted to donate the proceeds from the upcoming Sam Gomez Race to Northern Berkshire Community Coalition. The organization was suggested by residential seat member Ian Crombie ’23.

“They are a general non-profit I believe down the street from [MCLA] and they work with unity youth groups,” Ian said.

More information about the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition can be found at http://www.nbccoalition. org/ .

Prouty concluded the meet-

PHOTO FROM BEACON ARCHIVES Students Mak Wagner and Ryan Weir are aiming to restart the Television and Film Society in spring 2021. ing by announcing that she had received two emails from fashion club and Asian-American union prior to the meeting.

“Fashion club would like to change about nine things in its

constitution and its name, so that has to go to constitution committee. And Asian-American union would like to change their name too,” Prouty said.

She listed Crombie and senator-at-large Emma Marino

’21, who was unable to attend the meeting, as the current members of the constitution committee.

The next SGA meeting will be held on Monday, Nov. 16th at 7:00 pm.

News

Nov. 12, 2020

SGA

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Campus Firearms Referendum Slated for SGA Election Ballot in Spring Semester

BY NATALIA GIACOMOZZI MANAGING EDITOR Student Government Association (SGA) executive vice president (EVP) Noah Henkenius ’22 told the Beacon that SGA has begun discussions to proceed with the firearms referendum as suggested by MCLA’s campus policing committee in its report released on Sept. 28.

“It will likely happen on the SGA election ballot in the spring semester,” Henkenius said in an email.

He noted that since SGA has recently taken the firearms referendum recommendation into consideration, there were limited details at the time of the interview.

“We will have a clearer idea of what this means for the MCLA community in the upcoming weeks when we discuss it further,” Henkenius said.

The campus policing committee outlined the recommendation of the firearms referendum in the second-to-concluding page of its report.

“In the academic year 2020-2021, the MCLA Student Government Association (SGA) should explore the necessary steps to organize an official referendum

to allow every matriculated MCLA student to vote on the question of whether or not campus police should continue to carry lethal sidearms. Should the vote support, via a simple majority, the removal of lethal sidearms, the College should commit to taking all necessary steps to remove lethal sidearms within 12 months of the results of that referendum,” the report said.

Henkenius did not have a definite answer to how SGA could play a role in attesting to the report’s recommendation that the MCLA community “must be more embedded in the work of campus policing and vice versa.”

“We do not have a clear answer to the question yet.

I would like to emphasize, however, that it is part of our goals for the remainder of the semester and going into next semester to discuss SGA’s role in establishing a campus policing atmosphere,” he said.

Henkenius added that SGA intends to appoint representatives to the Public Safety Oversight Committee which the report recommends that the college should create.

“We plan to appoint three students to a public safety

PHOTO PROVIDED BY SGA

EVP Noah Henkenius ‘21 discussed the firearms referendum with the Beacon as mentioned in MCLA’s campus policing report released in September. oversight committee this available for comment.

Monday [Nov. 9] after the However, before refernewly elected members are ring questions to Henkesworn in,” Henkenius said. nius, Prouty told this reInformation about the porter via email she would new members of SGA after elaborate on details as they last week’s special election are developed through can also be found in this is- SGA’s ongoing discussions. sue of The Beacon.

“However, at this time, SGA president Shannon there is not much to update Prouty ’21 declined to be yet at this point. We are just interviewed and coordinat- starting with this stuff, and ing vice president (CVP) I will be able to update you Melanie Davis ’22 was un- more as more information

Part gallery tour, part listening party—it’ll feel like you have the place to yourself.

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comes up,” Prouty said.

Christopher MacDonald-Dennis, the college’s chief diversity officer who served as the chairman of the campus policing committee, declined to be interviewed and instead provided a brief statement.

“I have not heard from anyone [in response to] the report. The recommendations were from a diverse group of alum, staff, faculty, and students for the President; I don’t have any thoughts about how SGA would run this referendum as I am not that familiar with how SGA does such things,” MacDonald-Dennis said.

The MCLA community received the report at the beginning of the fall semester through an email sent

by President James Birge.

“The intent of the Committee’s work has been to help create a more community-based safety program at MCLA where students and employees feel safe. The recommendations speak directly to developing a better, more collegial relationship between students, faculty, staff, and public safety officials,” Birge wrote in the email.

The next SGA meeting will be held on Nov. 16.

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News Theater Owners Ask ‘Lame Duck’ Congress for Rescue Nov. 12, 2020

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BY RYAN FAUGHNER LOS ANGELES TIMES With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening the survival of U.S. cinemas, the lobby representing theater companies on Monday called on Congress to pass a stimulus package that includes $15 billion in relief for independent entertainment venues.

“American movie theaters need help now,” said John Fithian, president and chief executive of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners in a statement. “Soon, a vaccine will allow our industry to return to normal, but without bipartisan action now in the lame-duck session of Congress, hundreds of movie theaters will not make it.

Local communities across the nation are and will be permanently damaged.”

The Washington, D.C.based trade group is pushing lawmakers to pass the so-called Save Our Stages relief plan as part of a larger economic stimulus package during Congress’s lame-duck session following the presidential elec-

PHOTO BY JOHN NACION

A Regal Cinemas movie theater in New York City. The U.S. Cinema lobby is urging Congress to aid movie theaters as the pandemic continues to spread. tion victory of Joe Biden over Donald Trump.

The Save Our Stages legislation, introduced by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), would allow Small Business Administration grants equaling 45% of a venue’s 2019 revenue or $12 million, whichever is less. Venue operators also would be eligible for a second grant equal to 50% of the first award.

Save Our Stages was introduced as a $10-billion program to help venues such as live concert halls. It was later expanded to $15 billion in order to include movie theater operators.

Democrats and Republicans were unable to compromise on a new economic relief package before last week’s presidential election, which was called for Biden by media organizations on Saturday.

Theater owners have been hammered by the coronavirus crisis, which led to months of nationwide closures. Though most states have allowed movie houses to reopen, continued fears of the virus, capacity limits and a lack of new Hollywood movies have shrunk revenues. NATO has said that without federal relief or a sharp increase in attendance, 70% of small and midsized theaters could be

4

forced to file for bankruptcy or go out of business.

A rise in COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has made the situation more precarious for theater owners, which employ roughly 150,000.

Spiking caseloads in Europe have led to the reclosure of theaters in countries including Italy and Britain. Meanwhile, the movie release calendar has continued to thin as Walt Disney Co. last week took 20th Century Studios’ “Free Guy,” starring Ryan Reynolds, and “Death on the Nile,” directed by Kenneth Branagh, off the 2020 schedule.

Theater stocks rose sharply Monday on Wall Street after Pfizer said early data showed its vaccine candidate may be 90% effective at preventing COVID-19.

Shares of AMC Entertainment, the largest theater owner in the world, surged $1.28, or 51%, to $3.77.Plano, Texas-based Cinemark’s shares jumped to $13.08.

Gatos-based streaming service Netflix, which has seen usage grow during the pandemic, fell $44.23, or 9%, to $470.50.

Russia Breaks 20,000 new COVID-19 Cases as Hospitals Stretched

BY JAKE RUDNITSKY BLOOMBERG NEWS Russia for the first time reported more than 20,000 COVID-19 cases in the last day as a surge in some regions is overwhelming local hospitals’ ability to care for patients.

There were 20,582 new coronavirus infections in the last day, with twothirds of them outside of Moscow, the government’s virus response center said Friday. Russia has reported 1,733,440 total cases, the fourth-most globally.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin Thursday said infection rates and hospitalizations in the capital resumed their uptrend early this week and extended an order to keep older schoolchildren at home for another two weeks.

The disease’s spread in regions beyond Moscow and St. Petersburg has highlighted the problems plaguing Russia’s underfunded health-care system, with many areas struggling to handle the influx of sick people. The surge comes as federal authorities resist wider lockdowns, even as European countries from the U.K. to Greece have tightened restrictions this week.

Health authorities announced an investigation last month of the deaths of 13 patients in a single Rostov-on-Don hospital due to a lack of oxygen, while so-

PHOTO BY ALEXANDER NEMEN

Folks outside of the St. Basil cathedral in Moscow, Russia. The country approved of the world’s first known coronavirus vaccine in August. cial media posts from clinics around the country show the ill crowded into corridors due to a lack of facilities.

More than 45,000 people have died with COVID-19 since April, according to government data, which cover only the period April-August.

Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova said Oct. 28 the situation was “critical” in 16 regions, with over 90% of beds devoted to COVID-19 occupied. That’s even after authorities set up more than 25% more emergency places in hospi-

tals for virus patients than during the spring peak.

“We will continue to help regions that don’t have capacity on their own, sending teams of doctors to help local medics and deploying additional beds,” Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said Monday. “But it is important that the regions do not cover up the problems.”

Officials said some regional governments had been slow to enforce measures limiting large gatherings of people and mandating residents wear masks.

Even as colder weath-

er pushes more people indoors, the Kremlin has resisted new restrictions to combat the epidemic’s second wave in hopes of reducing the economic fallout from the pandemic. Instead, it issued a nationwide order last week to wear masks in public.

The authorities are placing their hopes on the roll-out of a handful of vaccines — still in the testing phase — to stem the tide of infections. Moscow will begin offering free public vaccinations in late November or early December, Mayor Sobyanin said Nov. 1,

though officials have warned that ramping up production is proving difficult.

However, getting people to agree to the inoculations, none of which have completed Phase 3 testing to establish their safety and effectiveness, may be difficult. An October poll by the Levada Center found 59% of Russians would not take a free, voluntary COVID-19 vaccine.

The poll of 1,601 Russians showed a growing number of people expect to get sick and that 61% doubted official statistics on the number of ill.

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Election 2020

Election 2020 Support and Dialogue Page Available On Canvas

BY ISABEL COSTA STAFF WRITER Off the heels of the recent presidential election and the coronavirus pandemic sparking stress, sadness, anxiety, and chaos, chief diversity officer Christopher MacDonald – Dennis and Professor of Sociology Kerri Nicoll have established a Canvas page with modules for students to cope with the outcome of the election as well as dealing with the topics the outcome entails.

MCLA students and faculty are encouraged to look at the Canvas page with its different resources set for the MCLA community.

Nicoll and MacDonald-Dennis emailed the MCLA community on Nov. 2 linking the Canvas page for open dialogue, split into smaller sections to give students support through this time.

On the Canvas page you will find sections to help students on topics such as Resources for Difficult Dialogue, Support for Faculty and Staff and Post-Election Dialogues and Discussions.

When reached for comment by the Beacon, MacDonald Dennis said the following in a statement: “The support and dia-

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KERRI NICHOLL

Professor of Sociology Kerri Nicoll and Chief Diversity Officer Christopher Macdonald-Dennis also wanted to create a dialogue to help faculty discuss the election with students. logue were meant to help the community through what could have been a challenging time with not knowing who the President of the United States was.

We wanted to allow people space to process their emotions. We did not end up having any students participate in the virtual dialogues/

Check out your local college radio station, broadcasting from 10 a.m. to midnight every day

support. I think it was difficult to process something that was still in process. I am not sure if the in-person spaces had attendance.

Nicoll said she wanted to be a part of a way to make students comfortable after the 2016 election stating, “After the 2016 election, many people (students,

faculty, and staff) needed support. That election came as a shock to so many, and we just weren’t prepared to provide the space and time people needed to process. We were able to cobble some things together, but we wanted to be more proactive this time and be ready with that time and

space,” she said.

Nicoll and Dennis also wanted to create a dialogue to help faculty discuss the election with students.

“We had a Faculty Forum (our twice monthly faculty meetings) to discuss planning for the election, and it was clear that there were many faculty members who wanted to help students talk through how they were feeling and responding to this election but who didn’t feel quite equipped to facilitate those conversations,” Nicoll said.

She summarized that her and MacDonald-Dennis wanted to provide faculty with “the resources they needed to facilitate dialogue in their classes if needed.”

Dennis and Nicoll encourage students to reach out with any resources or questions they may have in regards to the Election 2020 Canvas page or if they want to get more involved.

MacDonald – Dennis and Nicoll have been working to ensure that MCLA continues to be a safe space for students always and before and after this year trying election.

For more information, contact Christopher MacDonald Denis at Christopher.MacDonald-Dennis@ mcla.edu or Dr. Kerri Nicoll at K.Nicoll@mcla.edu.

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Arts & Entertainment

Nov. 12, 2020

* THURSDAY, NOV. 12 - Biology Department Virtual Gathering: John Wright

Hosted by Biology Department

Microsoft teams Meeting 12 p.m.

- MCLA Alumni Career Panel (Nailing the Zoom Interview and more) Hosted by Career Development Zoom Meeting 4 p.m.

- Artist Talk: Nayland Blake Hosted by Williams College Virtual 5 p.m.

- Stepping through the Joy or the Heat Hosted by Multicultural Resource Center Church St Center Social Hall 7 p.m.

* FRIDAY, NOV. 13 - Senior Career Workshop Hosted by Class of 2021

Bowman 204 11 a.m.

- Clark Art Talk Hosted by Clark Art Museum Virtual 12 p.m. please visit mcla.presence.io for links to virtual events

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- Safe Zone Workshop Hosted by Athletics Campus Center 324B 3 p.m.

- Open Mic with MERC Hosted by M.E.R.C. Church St Center Social Hall 7 p.m.

* SATURDAY, NOV. 14 - Spicy Guacamole Day Hosted by MCLA Dining Services Centennial room 8 a.m.

- Featured Artists Series: Tara Sabharwal Hosted by MCLA Gallery 51 Virtual 12 p.m.

- Auto Bio Comics with Anna Moriarity Lev Hosted by City of North Adams Virtual

* MONDAY, NOV. 16 - Crafting Club General Meeting Hosted By Crafting Club Center Bowman 208

* TUESDAY, NOV. 17 - Trailblazing the Path Career Roundtable: Arts Management Hosted by MCLA Alumni Association Zoom Meeting, 8:57 a.m.

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Arts & Entertainment

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Alex Trebek: A Hero to Me and Many Others

BY SATHVIK NAMBURAR THE BALTIMORE SUN It has long been said that we should never meet our heroes in person because they will inevitably disappoint us. Alex Trebek was the exception to this rule.

He appeared on our television screens every weeknight for the past 36 years, the warm-hearted and reassuring presence who guided contestants through the game show “Jeopardy!” With his Canadian-inflected “Oh no, sorry” when a contestant was incorrect and his joy when a player earned a big payday; in many ways he became a larger figure than the show itself.

Trebek, who died Sunday at age 80, made it glamorous to be knowledgeable simply for knowledge’s sake. When I was in school, I would watch “Jeopardy!” and see how my interest in “useless trivia” was not so necessarily useless after all. And in my teenage mind, it gave the show even more credibility to have a host as suave as Trebek. It became my ardent desire to meet him, and so, I applied to be a contestant.

I was chosen to compete on “Jeopardy!” in August 2019.

The last year of the show was unlike the first 35, as Trebek had been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer

PHOTO BY CAROLYN COLE

The host of “Jeopardy!”, Alex Trebek, rehearses for an upcoming January 2011 show featuring a trivia showdown against an IBM computer in Yorktown Heights, New York. Trebek died Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020; he was 80. in March of 2019. I had read news stories of Trebek writhing in pain between episodes, vomiting due to his chemotherapy drugs. As I prepared for my episode to be taped, I was unsure how healthy Trebek would be and whether he would even be able to host the show.

On the day of my taping, I still did not know what to expect. One by one, my fellow contestants and I were introduced. Then he strode onto the stage from behind a curtain, his suit tailored as always, his makeup and hair impeccable.

He looked like himself, ready to command the show.

But all was not well. He stumbled over words, and during the contestant interview session I could see that his hair was not his own. Still, he persisted, and seeing his struggle from up close gave me strength. Despite trailing for much of the game, I was somehow able to win.

Trebek’s example served as the timely and necessary reminder that with effort and focus, nearly any difficulty can be overcome. As I told my family members after the game, he deserves much of the credit for inspiring me onward to victory.

As a medical student, I

have had many interactions with people who have been diagnosed with cancer. I have long admired their will to live and to persevere, and Trebek was certainly no exception.

Once he was diagnosed with cancer, he could have left “Jeopardy!” to enjoy a most deserved retirement and to be feted for his accomplishments. Instead, he chose the opposite approach, returning to work every week regardless of the difficulty. Because of this decision, he was one of my heroes and was undoubtedly a hero to so many others.

During my taping, Trebek

used each break to interact with the studio audience. He knew that many audience members had traveled significant distances to watch a “Jeopardy!” taping, and he knew that his presence was a primary reason for the show’s popularity.

One audience member asked Trebek about what lessons he had taken from his cancer diagnosis and his ensuing treatment. I expected Trebek to discuss the struggle of living with cancer.

Instead, he replied with one word: “Kindness,” he said.

He told the audience about how so many people had shown him uncommon decency, writing letters of support and offering to help him in ways both mundane and extraordinary.

The kindness he had been shown gave him hope for the future, he concluded.

That is Trebek’s greatest legacy. He was a kind man, a decent man who worked hard and never drew attention to himself. He had been diagnosed with a terrible disease, and he fought it bravely. He was a celebrity, but he made “Jeopardy!” contestants and audience members feel welcomed and special.

I will forever be grateful to have met Alex Trebek.

Alex Trebek died on Nov. 8, 2020 in Los Angeles California.

Late-night TV Hosts Taunt ‘Unhappy Gilmore’ Trump for Refusing to Concede Defeat

BY CHRISTI CARRAS LOS ANGELES TIMES

President-elect Joe Biden has won the 2020 election, but the real winners might be all the late-night TV hosts who never have to perform material about President Trump ever again.

Well, at least after Inauguration Day. For now, Trump is still the president of the United States, and the network comedians are still roasting him — this time for refusing to concede defeat after former Vice President Biden and California Sen. Kamala Harris were declared America’s next president and vice president, respectively, over the weekend.

“Trump still hasn’t conceded, and I read that White House staffers are trying to figure out who should be the one to tell him it’s over,” Jimmy Fallon said on “The Tonight Show.” “People thought it might be Jared Kushner or Ivanka, but today they finally found the perfect

PHOTO BY STEVEN FERDMAN -Jimmy Fallon attends “The Inheritance” Opening Night at the Barrymore Theatre on Nov. 17, 2019 in New York

City. Fallon and many other late night hosts are roasting President Trump for his refusal to conede. person to deliver the news.

Watch this.”

Cue a cleverly edited video of a younger reality-TV Trump telling an older Trump, “You’re fired” and to “just get out” ... la “The Apprentice.”

“The president has been holed up in the White House tantrum pantry, where things are so stressful, the Daily Mail reports his staff is

lighting rose-scented candles in an attempt to soften the environment and combat the smell of fast food delivered to the president,” Stephen Colbert said on “The Late Show.”

“The president would like you to believe that we will never know who really won the election. But we do know.

We know it’s Joe. And come

Jan. 20, Donald Trump will know it too.”

Leading up to, during and after the events of Nov. 3, Trump and the GOP have made baseless claims about voter fraud, for which there is no evidence.

“Trump says he’s gonna hold rallies to outline specific incidents of voter fraud, which, of course,

means ramble incoherently about Jon Bon Jovi and Lady Gaga,” quipped James Corden on “The Late Late Show.”

“But here’s the thing ... guys.

We don’t have to listen to him anymore. Now he’s just some guy.”

“The president — and virtually the entire Republican Party — are engaged in an attempt to delegitimize the election and blow up our democracy,” said Seth Meyers on “Late Night.” “Clearly, the deep rot in our political system and the conservative movement exposed by Trump’s rise is not going away. He is not unique, and fixing that will require bold, systemic change.”

Meyers was among multiple hosts who couldn’t help but poke holes in the Trump administration’s unfounded conspiracy theory that the left rigged the ballot count in its favor. The man lost by 4 million popular votes and still had a chance to win the electoral college. How does that make sense? He should only me mad at himself.

Sports La Russa Told Arresting Officer, ‘I’m a Hall of Famer, Brother. You’re Trying to Embarrass Me’

Nov. 12, 2020

TheOnlineBeacon.com

BY LAMOND POPE CHICAGO TRIBUNE Tony La Russa’s surprising return to manage the Chicago White Sox took another turn late Monday when ESPN, citing court records, reported the Hall of Famer was charged with driving under the influence after a February arrest in Arizona.

The case was filed Oct. 28 — one day before the Sox announced La Russa’s hiring — according to the Maricopa County Justice Courts website.

A White Sox spokesman confirmed to the Chicago Tribune that the organization was aware of the arrest before hiring La Russa.

“Because this is an active case, we cannot comment further at this time,” the spokesman said.

When ESPN reached him Monday night, La Russa said, “I have nothing to say,” and hung up.

A “high-ranking” Sox official told USA Today that “La Russa is in no danger of losing his job or receiving any discipline by the club.”

It’s the second known DUI arrest for La Russa, 76, who was arrested in March 2007 in Jupiter, Fla., after he was found asleep

PHOTO BY SCOTT TAETSCH

Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields (1) loads up a first-half pass against Penn State at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in State College, Pennsylvania. Ohio State won, 38-25. at the wheel with his vehicle running and in park at a stop sign. He pleaded guilty to that charge eight months later.

“I accept full responsibility for my conduct and assure everyone that I have learned a very valuable lesson and that this will never occur again,” he said in a statement at the time, according to an Associated Press story.

According to an affidavit cited by ESPN, La Russa allegedly ran his car into a curb on Feb. 24 near Phoenix Sky Harbor Inter-

national Airport. He told a responding officer he had been at dinner with friends and hit something and had a tire blow out.

The officer detected “a light odor” of alcohol and described La Russa as “argumentative” in the affidavit, ESPN reported. La Russa was taken into custody after a field sobriety test, the report said.

ESPN obtained the full arrest report Tuesday, which included La Russa asking an officer, “Do you see my ring?” Later, according to the ESPN report, he

said, “I’m a Hall of Famer baseball person,” and, “I’m legit. I’m a Hall of Famer, brother. You’re trying to embarrass me.”

Free-agent pitcher Marcus Stroman was among those reacting to Monday’s news on Twitter, writing, among other things Tuesday, “It keeps getting worse. Smh!” The White Sox named La Russa their new manager on Oct. 29, replacing Rick Renteria, who guided the Sox to their first winning record since 2012 and first playoff appearance since 2008.

8

The Sox and Renteria parted ways on Oct. 12, less than two weeks after the Sox lost to the Oakland Athletics in three games in a best-of-three American League wild-card series.

Renteria is one of three finalists for AL Manager of the Year. The winner will be announced Tuesday evening.

La Russa hasn’t managed since 2011, when he led the St. Louis Cardinals to a World Series championship. His major league managerial career began at age 34 with the Sox. He went 522-510 from 1979 to 1986 and won the AL West in 1983.

The Sox had a 26-38 record when La Russa was fired on June 20, 1986, by Ken “Hawk” Harrelson, who was in his first — and only — year as the baseball operations chief after being moved from the broadcast booth. Less than a month later, La Russa became the A’s manager.

He is a three-time World Series winner (1989 A’s, 2006 and 2011 Cardinals), is third all time in managerial victories and was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014. Who knowss what the future holds for the hall of famer.

NBA season to officially start before Christmas

BY KYLE MILLIGAN SPORTS EDITOR

The 2020-2021 NBA season is right around the corner.

The season start is scheduled for Dec. 22.

The Los Angeles Lakers were just crowned champions after the longest season in NBA history, ending on Sunday, Oct. 11. The 20192020 season began on Oct. 22, with a highly anticipated matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers.

With the season just being 11 days shy of a full year, the entire NBA had to work hard in order to have a championship. When the NBA announced the bubble, many executives, fans, and players were doubtful that it would be a success.

In four months, just two out of 322 players tested positive for COVID-19 during the bubble-like environment in the Walt Disney World campus in central Florida.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has a lot to do with successfully finishing the season in a neutral blocked off site, something that has never been done before.

Although the Lakers just won their 17th champion-

ship about a month ago, they have about a month left to prepare for this upcoming season. The National Basketball Players Association tentatively approved the league’s plan for a 72-game season beginning on Dec. 22 and ending prior to the summer Olympics in mid July.

The NBA has released the offseason schedule. The offseason will begin by lifting the moratorium on transactions before the Nov. 18 NBA draft. Followed by Free Agency and the start of training camp on Dec. 1.

The 51-day span between the end of the NBA Finals on Oct. 11 and the start of training camp is less than half a traditional offseason.

The schedule will be condensed, but is expected to limit travel.

It will be the shortest offseason ever recorded between NFL, NBA, NHL, and the MLB. This season following the bubble will be another historic one. Many teams haven’t played games since March. While other teams’ seasons ended in September and October. Teams like the Golden State Warriors will be coming off a 10 month

PHOTO BY ASHLEY LANDIS/POOL

LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers walks across the court during Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at the AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex. long offseason.

Silver convinced the NBA league owners and players that starting prior to Christmas is the best option financially. Revenue losses would be immense.

With the prospect of an expedited off-season due to COVID-19, LeBron James joked that he may have to take some plays off in the first half of the season to catch his breath.

“You know what though?

He’s definitely gonna have some minute restrictions.

I’m not sure he’s getting

back on D the first half of the season,” said President Obama. “The first half of the season, I’m cherry-picking the whole first half of the season,” James answered.

James will be entering his 18th season of his career on the shortest rest in his career. The Lakers preached all season how it is a marathon rather than a race.

With the dates in place, it seems as if the Lakers will begin games without being able to host a parade.

Although people around the world are looking for

some sort of normalcy in life, they might be waiting another year for the NBA. The season will be different for sure, but NBA commissioner Silver has given people no reason to believe the league won’t continue to be successful.

Most NBA cities are still unable to have public gatherings of more than 500 people. The NBA plans to start the season without fans in the arenas.

Commisioner Silver and the rest of the league has some serious work to do.

Sports

TheOnlineBeacon.com

NFL Season Predictions at the Half Way Point, Who Will Win Super Bowl LV?

BY KYLE MILLIGAN SPORTS EDITOR At the halfway point, it’s fair to say there is no clear prediction. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the only remaining undefeated team at 8-0, but experts question their ability to keep up the hot start.

Five of the Steelers eight wins have been decided by only one score. Four of those five games have been against teams with under a .500 record. The Steelers have shown an inconsistent run game and run defense.

However, if the Steelers can keep it up, we can safely expect them to be contenders for the Lombardi trophy at the end of the year.

The second best record belongs to the Kansas City Chiefs. Although the Chiefs season hasn’t always been perfect, the Chiefs are in a good position to pursue consecutive championships.

The Chiefs offense has proven they are not going to turn the ball over. Patrick Mahomes has 25 pass touchdowns with only one interception. The Chiefs defense will be the biggest question entering the second half of the season, because the offense will show up.

I predict the Chiefs will repeat. Every team’s defense has to plan and strategize their gameplan around the Chiefs explosive offense.

And Reid and Mahomes seem fearless no matter who their opponent is. It will come down to what team can beat them in a shootout, and I believe there is none.

The Buffalo Bills have started out hot with a 7-2 record, 4-0 in the AFC East.

The Bills have displayed an explosive offense so far. Buffalo’s defense has seemed to be a lot worse than years prior. If the defense can improve, and the

SCOREBOARD NFL: Week 8 Thursday

Packers (34), 49ers (17)

A. Rodgers (GB) 25/31, 305 YDS, 4 TD

Sunday

Falcons (34), Broncos (27) M. Ryan (ATL) 25/35, 284 YDS, 3 TD

Bills (44), Seahawks (34) J. Allen (BUF) 31/38, 415 YDS, 3 TD

Titans (24), Bears (17)

R. Tannehill (TEN) 10/21, 158 YDS, 2 TD

Ravens (24), Colts (10)

L. Jackson (BAL) 19/23, 170 YDS, 13 CAR, 58 YDS, 1 TD

PHOTO BY JILL TOYOSHIBA

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and wide receiver Tyreek Hill walk off the field together after Hill scored on a pass from Mahomes in the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. offense stays the same, the Bills can be trouble.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is not in MVP form. They have proven to be better than most good teams, but have yet done anything to prove they are just as good or better than the league’s elite.

The Ravens 2 losses are against the Steelers and the Chiefs. Two teams they will possibly have to beat in order to make it to Super Bowl LV. I think Jackson can be a Super Bowl winner. This year, I think otherwise.

The Steelers, Bills, Chiefs, and Ravens are the four teams I believe will be competing for Super Bowl LV in the AFC. Honorable mention to teams like the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, and Las Vegas Raiders. These teams all have so much left to prove before being considered.

In the NFC, it seems like more of a toss up. It seems safe to say we can count the NFC East out. With Dak Presscott out for the year and the vintage Carson Wentz nowhere to be found, one team will make the playoffs, but none will

compete.

There is a three way tie for the NFC best record with the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints, and the Seattle Seahawks. All three of these teams have a shot to win it all.

There’s only two words to explain why the Packers have a shot and they are the same every season ‘Aaron Rodgers’. The two time MVP has thrown for 24 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Rodgers can do it without an elite defense. But can he do it with just one dangerous target in Davante Adams?

The answer to this question will come soon enough.

The Saints have shown improvement all around since their 1-2 start. With two huge statement games this year against Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they look like the favorite to win the NFC South.

The Seahawks situation is quite similar to the Packers.

One guy, Russell Wilson.

Wilson has carried the Seahawks to a 6-2 record. The defense has been really bad.

The biggest key to fixing this problem is finding out how to make Jamal Adams

effective in their scheme.

There is no clear favorite to win the NFC. The Buccaneers are also still well in contention. Tom Brady will lead, and he has weapons like he never has before.

The biggest key for the Buccaneers is consistency. The last two games they beat the sorry New York Giants by two, and were blown out by the Saints 38-3.

The two teams who recieve the most media coverage, the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots have been a huge dissapointment.

The Patriots and Cowboys somehow still have a shot, despite terrible records.

Without Brady, the Patriots way of finidnig players we never heard of that Brady turned to stars looks like it has ended.

The best way to explain the Cowboys is an absolute disaster. 4 different quarterbacks have started. And the Cowboys seem to have drama within the locker room with players and coaches.

It’s safe to count both teams out. Not out of the playoffs, but out of Super Bowl contention. Competition is fierce.

Beacon Sports Trivia: NCAA Basketball Which team was the first to win 100 games in a row?

What school has won the most consecutive championships?

Which of these cities has never hosted a Final Four?

a. Duke MBB b. UCONN WBB c. Kentucky MBB

a. Duke MBB b. North Carolina MBB c. UCLA MBB

a. Chicago b. San Diego c. Denver

Last Week’s Trivia Answers Which team has the highest total of wins in the FBS?

9

Which team has been to the most bowl games?

Which school(s) have won the most Heisman Trophies?

Chiefs (33), Panthers (31) P Mahomes (KC) 30/45, 372 YDS, 4 TD

Vikings (34), Lions (20) D. Cook (MIN) 22 CAR, 208 YDS, 2 TD

Giants (23), Washington (20) D. Jones (NYG) 23/34, 212 YDS, 1 TD

Texans (27), Jaguars (25)

D. Watson (HOU) 19/32, 281 YDS, 2 TD

Steelers (24), Cowboys (19)

B. Roethlisberger (PIT) 29/42, 306 YDS, 3 TD

Raiders (31), Chargers (26) D. Carr (LV) 13/23, 165 YDS, 2 TD

Dolphins (34), Cardinals (31)

T. Tagovailoa (MIA) 20/28, 248 YDS, 2 TD

Saints (38), Buccaneers (3) D. Brees (NO) 26/32, 222 YDS, 4 TD

Monday Patriots (30), Jets (27) C. Newton (NE) 27/35, 274 YDS

College Football Rankings- Week 10 1 Alabama 6-0 2 Notre Dame 7-0 3 Ohio State 3-0 4 Clemson 7-1 5 Texas A&M 5-1 6 Florida 4-1 7 Cincinnati 6-0 8 BYU 8-0 9 Miami 6-1 10 Indiana 3-0 11 Oregon 1-0 12 Georgia 4-2 13 Wisconsin 1-0 14 Oklahoma State 5-1 15 Coastal Carolina 7-0 16 Marshall 6-0 17 Iowa State 5-2 18 Oklahoma 5-2 19 SMU 7-1 20 USC 1-0 21 Texas 5-2 22 Liberty 7-0 23 Northwestern 3-0 24 Auburn 4-2 25 Louisiana 6-1 College Football Game of the Week (Week 10)

4 Notre Dame (47), 1 Clemson (40)

K. Williams (ND) 23 CAR, 140 YDS, 3 TD

a. Michigan

c. Alabama

Both a & b

D.J. Uiagalelei 29/44, 439 YDS, 2 TD

News

Nov. 12, 2020

Library

TheOnlineBeacon.com

appeal to prospective students. Law-son said that, even once the roof is fixed, there are small issues that the leaking caused, such as

carpet stains and rust-ing, that will need to be fixed in the future.

“If you’re coming here as a prospective student, and you look through through the library, and you see what it looks like upstairs, the first thing you’re gonna say is ‘I don’t wanna even be in this building, let alone have my son, my daughter, or myself come in here to look,” he said. “So we need to get [the roof repairs] done.”

According to Lawson, the new roof will allow for everyone on the campus community to use the library more effectively, and will make it a more prominent place for people to go.

“The library should be the center of your campus, it should be the inviting thing,” he said. “Outside, it looks great, we can take a lot of pictures, but we dread it when prospective students and people come walking through upstairs.”

the rules and regulations implemented by the pandemic,” they said.

Amanda Schuler, Student Government Association Office Manager, had some comments to say about the SGA clubs on campus during COVID-19 and Television and Film Society.

“In my own opinion, it can be hard to say how clubs are really doing, but for those that have reached out to me and have updated me, they seem to be doing well all things considered.

Clubs have been good about hosting virtual meetings as much as possible while others have worked within all state, local, and college guidelines to safely meet in person,” Schuler said.

She provided several instances in which clubs have improvised activities under Covid-19 protocols.

“Some events that clubs have done are outdoor fires, jeopardy, trivia game nights with prizes, virtual speakers, performers, and when able to have also hosted a few giveaways. This past weekend for SAC’s Fright Night event, it brought together multiple clubs to collaborate and put on events that students could go to one after another throughout the evening which I

thought was very fun and creative,” Schuler said.

She noted that all MCLA clubs were tasked with using the online format Presence for organizational purposes at the beginning of the year.

“We have asked all clubs to use Presence to update their club rosters, submit their meeting minutes within their organization page, and create events for all their meetings that will keep track of attendance by checking students into that event. This platform also has a finance option that was unveiled at the beginning of October so clubs can access, request, and see their budget balance in real-time. About 13 clubs have submitted requests so far and it seems to be going well,” she said.

Schuler expressed pride in SGA working with the semester’s current circumstances.

“Overall I am very happy and proud of our SGA clubs that have taken it upon themselves to think outside the box and continue creating events and other ways for students to engage together and as we continue through a more virtual world. I can’t wait to see what groups come up with next.”

From Page 1 “There’s really not much you can do with these things hanging down,” he said. “All we can really do is we make sure that the water is not going all over things. We have in the past had giant sheets of plastic, if a new hole develops over where books are, we can cover it up. But that’s not fixing the problem.”

According to Lawson, issues come up frequently because the Freel Library’s roof is flat, necessitating repairs and re-placement. He noted that Bowman and Eldridge Hall also have flat roofs.

“When they [rennovated] Bowman they put a whole new roof on it. Eldridge is much smaller, so the amount of space is not nearly as great,” he said.

Lawson said that the state of the current roof makes the Freel Library an unap-

Graduation From Page 1

dent affairs will be doing a lot of that work.”

Kelly said that all Fall graduates are also invited to come back to participate in the spring celebrations.

“That is something that we always do, but we also want to be able to recognize that achievement as it’s happening for December,” she said. “So we real-

PHOTO BY BRIAN RHODES

Glenn Lawson, supervisor of circulation at the Freel Library, said that issues come up frequently because the Freel Library’s roof is flat, necessitating repairs and re-placement. pealing place for students to go to on campus.

“It’s more cosmetic in some ways,” he said. “The sound of dripping, it looks bad, it ly like to celebrate in that moment that they’re ac-tually finishing their degree, but we want them to be able to come back and do the whole kit and ca-boodle that everyone gets to do in May.” Kelly noted that they will be closely monitoring developments with the COVID-19 pandemic when fi-nalizing plans for graduation celebrations in the spring.

Want to write a guest column for The Beacon?

If you’re interested in writing a guest column, contact Brian Rhodes at br1620@mcla.edu

doesn’t make a very good atmos-phere for study.”

Lawson also believes that the issues with the roof are likely hurting the college’s

TV

From Page 2 ful, especially with all these new policies and rules, we figured it would be easier to not add on to this. We also weren’t sure if people would even be willing to come to the club, regarding corona; attendance was dwindling already. We were hopeful that the pandemic would eventually die down enough where people would be more willing to join a club in the Spring, for the spring semester, but because we cannot predict the future, it’s still all very up in the air whether that can, and will, happen. Cases are now on the rise, once again, so at the moment, everything is uncertain. Regardless, Television and Film Society isn’t done changing, but both Ryan and I are excited to see exactly how it ends up by the time we leave MCLA,” Wagner said.

They concluded with some optimism towards the spring semester.

“We did have hopes to write/film another production in the spring and talked about making something apocalyptic since we’re in a very similar situation right now, and it’ll allow us to play with, but still follow,

10

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

Nov. 12, 2020

Opinion

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11

Editorial

Talking Turkey over Trump

With coronavirus cases breaking records each day, Thanksgiving will look very different this year. That should give you pause; already 240,000 Americans will not celebrate this holiday with loved ones.

For those of us fortunate to enjoy the holidays with loved ones, we need to confront the elephant in the room: chances are you may have some relatives who invited outgoing President Donald Trump along with their MAGA hat.

They are not alone—70 million others voted for him.

So, how will this Thanksgiving be any different than the previous three Thanksgivings?

Trump is the first incumbent to lose a second term at the White House since George H.W. Bush. Judging by the videos of pro-Trump voters chanting "Stop the Count" in Michigan and "Count the Votes" in Arizona, this is a fact that many of his supporters refuse to accept.

President-elect Joe Biden has consistently emphasized that he doesn’t see red states or blue states-- he sees the United States. Is it possibly for families to put politics aside and unite once again?

As far back as 2017, psychologist Vaile Wright at the American Psychological Association told

Vox Media that families should not avoid discussing politics.

Rather, she suggests several ways to help mend open wounds. One way is to “avoid all verbal attacks and judgment.” If your past discussions have not changed anyone’s mind, do not expect it now.

Try to show empathy, as difficult as that may be.

Acknowledge your cousin's perspective through a nod, give a chuckle to Grandma’s conspiracy theory, or brush off the comment that “people are snowflakes.” That may be more than what you think they deserve, but taking the high ground may well be the first step towards reconciliation.

After all, Thanksgiving is not the only time families get together.

Come winter break, the inroads we may have made at Thanksgiving could make our winter holiday season with family that much more pleasant, regardless of what is happening at the White House.

And a bridge built over the troubled waters we’ve experienced the last four years will not be finished overnight. All of us-- Biden supporters, Trump fans, progressives, conservatives, independents—have to lend a hand.

Or, in these times, bump elbows.

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Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Brian Rhodes

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Sports Editor Kyle Milligan

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Adviser Shawn McIntosh

Nov. 12, 2020

IN OTHER BEACON NEWS

12

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