Spring 17 Issue 8

INSIDE The Bacon returns

Jokes Volume 84, Issue 8

ESTaBLISHED 1979

MCLA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER March 30, 2017

Page 3

'17-'18 SGA PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Allen: Student comfort, admin accountability

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor “There are major issues that need to be addressed.” La’Juan Allen told The Beacon on Monday as he outlined his platform for the upcoming SGA election.

The platform was built around making students more comfortable on campus, holding faculty Allen and staff accountable through establishing a Student Review Committee, increasing club enrollment by giving them the resources necessary to “thrive” and unifying not just the campus, but the North Adams community as a whole. Allen also called for a more transparent, visible SGA process that takes into further account the desires of the students it is meant to represent.

“These are very broad platforms and ideas.” Allen admitted, establishing that he would role out the specifics of his platform closer to election day.

His running mates

Allen announced his candidacy for SGA president late last week, where he introduced Freshman Darrien Luckett for the role of Executive Vice President and Junior Sychiah Johnson as Coordinating Vice President. Although Luckett is a Freshman, Allen believes that his candidate for EVP would bring a heavy focus to acquiring more resources for music and the arts at the College – as well as bridging the gap between MCLA and North

Giffen: Building off of experience, sucess

Adams.

By Mitchell Chapman “I know he’s a Freshman, but if there’s one @mitchapman freshman I would pick, this is the guy,” Allen said. “First of all, he’s a good person. He’s Editor-in-Chief very open-minded, outspoken. He’s going to advocate on behalf of the students who need For the past year, junior Samantha Giffen it the most. He wants to take this art scene has served as SGA’s Coordinating Vice Presithat MCLA has, that is really great, he wants dent (CVP), under to take it and extend it into the community.” current SGA President, Unfortunately for the ticket, Johnson had Tim Williams. She has to withdraw her candidacy for CVP due to announced her candipersonal reasons on Tuesday. Allen later andacy to be SGA’s next nounced Sophomore Meghan Cookas JohnPresident. son’s replacement.

“I love MCLA,” The decision to run for president came Giffen said. “I want when Allen saw MCLA’s reaction to the rethe opportunity to Giffen cent national election of Donald Trump to be help others love the President of the United States – as well as MCLA as much as I do.” his following executive orders, cabinet nomiDuring her three years nees such as Jeff Sessions at the college, Giffen has or Betsy DeVos and what served as SGA’s PR Chair, Allen called the “desire” for Class of 2018 Vice PresiThe candidates campus solidarity. dent and CVP, served on “I wanted to lead the stuNational Residence Hall so far dent voices to push for that Honorary (NRHH) and (In order of President, CVP solidarity,” Allen said, “to has been a Resident Adpush to be the school we visor (RA) for Residenand EVP) want it to be.” tial Programs & Services Allen also made clear Kailtin Wright, Rebecca (RPS). In fact, she is not that his dedicated push for reapplying for an RA posiGodbout, Stefanie Nieves solidarity did not end solely tion next year so she can with his election. He stipufocus on SGA if she gets the lated that he would be willpresidency.

La’Juan Allen, Meghan ing to work with any SGA Giffen is running on a president, whomever happlatform that would build Cook, Darrien Luckett pened to win, and there is off of relationships with “room for collaboration”. students and administraAllen-Luckett-Cook tion she has already estabSamantha Giffen, Kolumbia rolled out their Facebook lished as CVP. One of her page, featuring small snipgoals as president would Cook, Victoria Muñoz pet candidate profiles and

Stepping it up

be to provide further outlets for students to voice concerns, understanding that not everyone might feel comfortable standing in front of a public SGA meeting.

“I’ve been on SGA for two years,” Giffen said. “I’ve seen it evolve from just addressing menial things to hardcore addressing important student concerns.”

Giffen hopes to experiment with a form of anonymous contact sheet for students who don’t feel comfortable going to meetings can fill out. She also plans to pay attention to the SGA Facebook page, both of which could result in SGA forums on issues raised.

Her running mates

Giffen has selected sophomore Victoria Muñoz to run as her Executive Vice President (EVP) and junior Kolumbia Cook to serve as her CVP, both of whom have helped their respective clubs prosper.

Giffen picked Muñoz for her experience working with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, something Giffen wishes to closely collaborate with as SGA President.

In addition, Muñoz is an RA in Berkshire Towers and serves as a student leader for the summer program LEAD Academy. She is a Sociology and Political Science with a minor in Women’s Studies.

Giffen chose Cook for her recent success bolstering two SGA-affiliated clubs: American Sign Language (ASL) and Rugby.

“Kolumbia came into the year not being on an eBoard of any club to the President of ASL, which she reactivated, and the Vice President of Rugby,” Giffen said.

Under Cook, Rugby became the SGA Club of the Month for February.

GIFFEN, Page 2

Fashion club responds to budget cuts Club views budget as “a huge defeat”

By Reagan Smith Staff Writer

PHOTO COURTESY OF MICHAEL OBASOHAN

Last weekend, the NeXXus Step Team took home second place in the Rho Sigma Phi and Phi Betta Sigma Reconstruction Step Competition at Umass Dartmouth. The group poses with their $1,000 cash prize.

The Fashion Club budget was decreased by $70, or 10.53 percent for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 18). This may not seem like much to larger-scale student organizations, but the Fashion Club has been recently revitalized and counts on its entire budget to continue making progress.

According to Amanda Romanelli, vice president of the club, this is the first semester Fashion Club has seen an attendance increase and active membership.

“The budget cuts were so disappointing and felt like such a huge defeat,” she said. “The club had been inactive for a while. Only this semester have we started bringing the club back to life. The Fashion Club has actually never had general members before, it was always just the E-board of the club that designed and put on shows.”

SGA President Tim Williams refused The Beacon‘s request to comment on the budget deduction.

“This semester we have about 25 members,” Ro-

FASHION, Page 2

2 SGA: Club expenditures motion falls short March 30, 2017

CAMPUS NEWS

fell under the ALANA category were hurting. As of the last fiscal year, clubs spent around $700 to have campus police at events – a rare occurrence, but often required for parties that go past 11 p.m. or events that include people from off campus. SGA Adviser Jenn Craig also stipulated that popular events expected to attract a lot of participants could also be required to pay campus safety to attend.

“By saving them that little piece of money,” Allen said, “now they have the money to push for an extra initiative instead of coming here to ask for money from the supplemental budget.”

On March 6, Allen and Senator A.J Cote helped push an initiative that put $10,000 in the supplemental budget and another $8,853 in the operat-

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor Last week, Senator La’Juan Allen introduced a motion to the floor that would require SGA to pay for club expenditures for campus police presence at events via their operating budget. The vote fell short with fou r yeses, one abstention, and six no’s.

The vote followed a contentious debate. Allen argued that clubs which

STUDENT PHILANTHROPY

Spirit Cords returns

By Gianna Vigliatura Staff Writer Now that spring break has come and gone, the Spirit Cords program is going into full swing, tabling in the Amsler Campus Center marketplace to gain more participants.

Spirit Cords is a program mostly focused on seniors where they are given the opportunity to give back to the school by donating money that will go towards scholarships for current students.

“Students often benefit from scholarships through the school, and this is their way to give back,” said Christine Naughton, director of Alumni Relations and Development.

Naughton explained that philanthropy is a learned behavior, and programs such as Spirit Cords help show students the need and the reason to give.

This year’s senior class is donating $20.17 in honor of their graduation year. To every individual

FASHION From Page 1

manelli added. “We went from never having a single member to having 25 amazing, committed people.”

The organization spends its budget primarily on its annual fashion show in April, according

GIFFEN From Page 1

“I have helped these clubs by increasing membership, retaining members, increasing awareness of the club, and hosting new events,” Cook announced on the campaign’s social media page. “My plan is to help all clubs on campus in the same ways. Not only will I be focused on helping already established clubs, but also new clubs that need support.”

Cook is a Business Administration major with a Management Concentration and a Leadership Minor.

Giffen, Muñoz and Cook are all SafeZone Certified by the Identity and Gender Equality Resource Center.

On the top of a Giffen, Muñoz and

student who donates, they receive the blue and yellow braided spirit cord in recognition of their donation. They are given their cord the evening before commencement as they are welcomed as alumni, so they can wear it to the event.

“All graduates are encouraged [to donate],” said Naughton. “You don’t even have to spend four years at MCLA; anyone who has taken three classes or more here is considered an alumn.”

She continued that it is seniors’ first act as an alumni and they are giving current students opportunity.

There were close to 100 participants last year, a huge improvement from the first year, according to Naughton, and they hope to continue this trend of increase in participants.

“We are delighted to recognize these students for giving back through giving them the spirit cord,” said Naughton.

To learn more, please contact Christine Naughton on Office 365. to Romanelli. This year, the 32 student models that will be showcasing members’ designs were only given $13 to spend on clothing.

Romanelli said most of the outfit materials had to be found at thrift stores, and even that was too expensive at times.

Romanelli and the club’s secretary, Zach Benjamin, attended an Cook administration’s docket would be food concerns about ARAMARK, inclusion and public safety.

Giffen hopes to address these issues in a similar fashion to how she handles things as CVP: by meeting with authority figures and doing research to see if there’s anything administration can do about the matter.

“I have a lot of working relationships, and I think there’s a lot of respect built in,” Giffen said. “I take students ideas and try to work with them.”

As the current CVP, Giffen has already dealt with some of these issues, especially ARAMARK, as she serves on Food Committee. “All of us have already started to take action to adress these issues,” she said.

The SGA Primary election will be held April 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Amsler Campus Center Marketplace.

ing budget, taken from SGA’s reserve budget. The latter of which would have hosted the SGA expenditures on campus safety had Allen’s motion passed.

Many student representatives were hesitant to vote for the motion because of the initiative passed on March 6. The $10,000 put into the supplemental budget was done solely to aide clubs in need of extra funding.

Some members of SGA felt Allen’s second motion was superfluous because of that.

Senate Chair Siobhan Greene advised that it would be best for such a motion be saved until next fall when discussions begin on the budgeting process for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Public Relations Chair Adam Sams

claimed that the discussion was a “slippery slope” argument that would give SGA a heavier burden in bearing the weight of club expenses, as opposed to giving clubs proper budgetary means to be successful on their own.

“We’re not going to be their parents,” Sams said.

Several other Senators agreed that it was the responsibility of the clubs to use their allocated budgets responsibly.

Senator Jake Vitali voiced concerns that the motion did not include a cap on how much money could be allocated from the operational budget in case campus police are needed at events. While Allen claimed that clubs last year spent $700, that number could fluctuate, and the number

could grow in the future until SGA is spending “some crazy number” on such initiatives.

Allen’s motion, meant to act as a “jump-start” for the most vulnerable clubs, was not entirely disregarded.

Senator Adazae Shepherd-Edwards voiced her support for the initiative.

“This wouldn’t apply to all clubs,” Shepherd-Edwards acknowledged, “but there are some clubs that need it.”

The debate went on for close to an hour before Greene expressed disinterest in the cyclical nature of the argument, claiming that the talking points made during the meeting had changed very little from the prior week. She made a motion to vote, which led to the voting down of Allen’s bill.

CAMPUS POLICE LOGS

Sun. Mar. 19 6:45p.m. – Referred a facilities / maintenance issue in the Flagg Townhouse Apartments to another campus.

Refer to incident: 17-103-OF in Public Safety log.

11:46p.m. – Investigated suspicious activity in the Flagg Townhouse Apartments. Refer to incident: 17-104-OF in Public Safety log.

Mon. Mar. 20 3:03p.m. – Warned subject while completing community caretaking.

Completed juvenile arrest of age 15 individual charged with disorderly conduct / trespassing. Refer to incident: 17-106-OF, summons: 17-5-AR, and summons: 17-6-AR in Public Safety log.

Tue. Mar. 21 6:32a.m. – Transported medical call from Hoosac Hall to the hospital. Refer to incident: 17-105-OF in Public Safety log.

6:20p.m. – Investigated suspicious activity in the Ashland Street Lot. 10:19p.m. – Filed report on suspicious activity in Hoosac Hall. Refer to incident: 17-107-OF in Public Safety log.

SGA budget request meeting to defend the Fashion Club and ask for an increase in the budget. SGA still only offered $630 for FY 18, however the club was granted an extra $585 to increase the amount of money each model is granted to spend on materials for this April’s fashion show, according to Romanelli. This brings the individual

Wed. Mar. 22 12:33p.m. – No action required for suspicious activity in the Power Plant Parking Area.

1:25p.m. – Completed appearance in juvenile court.

5:50p.m. – Rendered services for a medical call from Eldridge Hall. Refer to incident: 17-108-OF in Public Safety log.

7:20p.m. – Filed report on trespassing in the Church Street Center. Refer to incident: 17-109-OF in Public Safety log.

Thur. Mar. 23 11:40a.m. – Towed a vehicle from the Taconic Lot. Refer to incident: 17-110OF in Public Safety log.

6:51p.m. – Referred suspicious activity in Hoosac Hall to another campus.

Refer to incident: 17-111-OF in Public Safety log.

7:46p.m. – Completed assistance for an occupational injury in the Amsler Campus Center. Refer to incident: 17112-OF in Public Safety log.

Lot. 1:46a.m. – Completed a follow-up investigation and charged (Moran, Jeramy) with a drug / narcotic violation in the Church Street Center Lot. Refer to incident: 17-113-OF and summons: 17-8-AR in Public Safety log.

10:10a.m. – Filed report on vandalism in Hoosac Hall. Refer to incident: 17-114-OF in Public Safety log.

1:59p.m. – Completed appearance in District Court.

5:20p.m. – Rendered services to a medical call. Refer to incident: 17-115OF in Public Safety log.

7:31p.m. – Filed report on a motor vehicle accident at the Center for Science and Innovation. Refer to accident: 17-4-AC in Public Safety log.

Sat. Mar. 25 5:42p.m. – Filed report on suspicious activity in Bowman Hall. Refer to incident: 17-116-OF in Public Safety log.

Fri. Mar. 24 1:26a.m. – Closed case on suspicious activity in the Church Street Center

Sun. Mar. 26 12:05p.m. – Assisted Other Agency on Montana Street. Refer to incident: 17-117-OF in Public Safety log.

model budget from $13 to $31.

“We want to be able to put on two fashion shows next year, buy sewing machines so we can make our own clothing, host events and fundraisers, go on trips, and much much more,” Romanelli said. “This is quite literally impossible with the budget we will have next year.”

“We have and will continue to fight for this club,” she added.

The Fashion Student Organization meets on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Bowman 319, and hopes to host its fashion show at MCLA’s Design Lab in downtown North Adams.

Disclaimer: Zach Benjamin is the Web Editor of The Beacon.

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT MCLA SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 17-18 ARE NOW AVAILABLE!! APPLY ONLINE AT MCLA.AWARDSPRING.COM LOG IN WITH YOU’RE A# AND PASSWORD. DEADLINE IS MIDNIGHT, APRIL 3RD!!! ******************************************* THINKING ABOUT TAKING SUMMER CLASSES? STOP BY THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE FOR INFORMATION ON SUMMER FINANCIAL AID *************************** SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES: Apply on-line FASTWEB.COM Free scholarship search!

INSIDE Our hopes and dreams

Volume = a x b x c, Issue -5

April 1, 1997

Page 13

MCLA faculty to hold vote of no confidence over President Birge's new bow-tie

By Some Hack Writer The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Faculty Association strongly opposed James F. Birge’s fondness for bow-ties before his appointment as school president in late 2015, saying it was “not a fashion choice the faculty would welcome.”

Documents provided to the Beacon detail early doubts and continuing tumult between staff and Birge’s new raining-dogs-andcats patterned neck-tie.

Interviews with faculty as well as members of the school’s Board of Trustees show that it is likely many among the 91-person MCLA Faculty Association will call for a vote of no confidence in Birge’s beloved new bow-tie prior to its inauguration in May — a gala the president plans to spend roughly $30,000 on to commemorate this momentous

occasion.

“The bow-tie situation is bad,” said English/Communications Professor ____ Moriarty, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “I know he’s trying to be cutesy but it just makes me want to hurl myself down the Murdock stairs.”

A former administrator, Chuck Frumlooper, former MCLA director of fashion, told MassLive he quit the college after five years of killer outfit designing when his superior started telling him to incorporate bow-ties into every outfit.

Frumlooper said in five years there had been no talk of “such silly neck-ties”. Then Birge took the helm. Soon, bow-ties became a fixture of Frumlooper’s superior, Bradley Mord, the school’s vice president of looking fabulous.

“All of a sudden we were running down the list, ‘Can we make this look good with a bow-tie? On

THAT person?’” Frumlooper told the Beacon.

Regulars started quietly disappearing, Frumlooper said.

Birge, successor to MCLA President Mary Grant, who served from 2002 to 2014, earned a reputation as a snazzy, if slightly outdated, dresser during a six-year stint as president of Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H. On Nov. 22, 2015 — before the Board of Trustees hired Birge as president — Moriarty, a member of MCLA’s faculty association, questioned Birge’s history and decried the “absence of flexibility in his bureaucratic sense of fashion” in a message to the Board of Trustees written on college letterhead.

“While his publicity emphasizes classy fashion, it omits the trail of repulsive neck-tie choices that have characterized his latest career years,” Moriarty wrote in the letter.

PHOTO TAKEN FROM SHUTTERSTOCK

A picture of a bow-tie. Not necessarily President Birge's.

“We cannot risk placing our hardearned reputation and excellent standing in the fabric of a novelty bow-tie.”

When the Beacon reached out to Birge for a comment, he claimed to be unavailable. Sources later told

FOR THE GULLIBLE

Ed Sheeran to Perform in North Adams

By Ed Sheeran Himself Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has announced that he will be performing his latest album, “Divide,” in North Adams at Colegrove Park on April 30.

Right before he sets his sights for the United States for his world tour, Sheeran explained how excited he is to visit the small city.

“The culture and art that is a part of the city is just incredible,” he said. “I’m excited to head out there in between shows. I think it’s going to be my best one yet, especially since I’m playing ‘Divide’ in full.”

Sheeran has been nominated 11 times for a Grammy, and has only won twice: song of the year and best pop solo performance for “Thinking Out Loud” in 2016. He has also won two BRIT awards in 2012 for British breakthrough artist, and in 2015 for best male solo artist and album of the year for “Multiply.”

“I think being able to perform in such a close-knit community will give me more inspiration for my fourth album,” Sheeran explains. “I’m already kind of in the processes of starting it, writing wise, but nothing is set in stone.”

“Divide” was the number one album on Billboard 200 chart, selling 87,000 in sales, according to Billboard. Sheeran is on the verge of greatness, and coming to North Adams is just another way for him to get his juices flowing.

“I have a lot of plans for my performance,” he says. “For starters, it’s just going to be me, my guitar, some backing tracks and my loop pedal. I don’t want to make the show too fancy, because I’ve sensed that this city prefers the little things, so it seems fitting.”

When asked about any special guest performers, Sheeran was very vague. “(Laughing) Oh, yeah, wouldn’t you like to know, huh? I can give you a few hints: one is pregnant, the other is a former boy band member and the third is

PHOTO STOLEN FROM THE INTERNET

North Adams is the place to be. an upcoming female pop sensation, who is also writing a new album.”

After doing some digging, the clues were more obvious than expected. Beyoncé announced that she is expecting twins around Grammy season, her being option number one for Sheeran’s surprised guest.

Any One Direction member is up for grabs as well. Both Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan have released music, and Harry Styles recently gave a hint that he’ll be releasing a song soon. Although those are four strong options, Niall Horan seems like the best option, especially since Sheeran has two Irish influenced songs on his album, “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan.”

Lastly, there are too many options for Sheeran’s third hint. Recently though, “Closer” singer Halsey has posted on social media that she has been working on new music, and that her sophomore album will be released in June entitled “Hopeless Fountain Kingdom.”

Sheeran’s performance seems like it’ll be one to remember for the North Adams community. Something that everyone will be talking about for weeks, maybe even months. If you’re not there, then you missed your shot at something great.

The show will begin at 7 p.m., and is free to the public. MCLA will provide van shuttles to Colegrove Park.

the paper the new president was last seen, hammer and chisel in hand, lightly tearing up as he tore down a commemorative statue made in the novelty bow-tie’s honor.

How to understand the police logs

By An Unpaid Intern Could happen at any time, look out – Parking Issue. Subject Warned. (Students don’t pay $100 a semester to just park willynilly wherever they want).

Usually in the morning – Building Access. No Action Required. (Didn’t have to do anything, but still had to show up for someone locked out of a room. They found their keys, don’t panic).

On nice afternoons, when the sun’s out – Community Caretaking – (We don’t know, but aw! How sweet).

All the time – Facilities / Maintenance Issue Referred to Other Campus. (Told someone else to fix the broken thing).

Once a month(ish) – Money Escort. (Brought all of your money someplace else, location not confirmed).

EVERY WEEK, several times – Suspicious Activity. Subject Warned. (Had a stern talking-to with some kid who was the cause of a Suspicious Activity report).

Every day, be careful – Parking Citation Issued. (Gave all the illegal parkers tickets. Can’t park in our lots without a pass).

Once a week, we think – General Info / Informational Only.

(Learned some stuff).

All the time, with so many buildings – Building Secured.

(Eldridge was unlocked. Locked it).

Usually every Friday and Saturday – Investigated Suspicious Activity. (Investigated loud noise and intoxicated students on Blackinton Street).

Whenever you call them for help! – Assisted Citizen. (Always call public safety if you need assistance, very nice, 10/10 would call).

Very often – Building/Room Opening/Closing Room/Building Opened. (Redundant, but let’s be clear; the building WAS opened. After being closed. After being opened).

Only once in a while, rarely necessary – Vehicle Tow. (Towed a vehicle from the Amsler Campus Center. Don’t know how the car got in there, but it’s out now).

Every week, who is doing this? – Hang-up Call. No Action Required. (Please stop prank calling Public Safety).

Whenever it snows, so…a lot – Weather Related Issue. (It snowed a lot).

When students leave their lights on – Vehicle Jump-Start.

(Public Safety will help you with your car problems, because your parents aren’t here to do it for you).

Sometimes. – Officer Duty Completed. (Official Police business).

Not often, but enough – Unwanted Guest(s). Report Filed.

(Drunk person wandered onto campus).provide van shuttles and aspirin to Colegrove Park.

THE BACON

Birge promises "Improved, more thoughtful surveys" as unrest grows over The Maw

By The Vessel of The Maw During a conversational gathering last Wednesday afternoon, President Birge assured students that the administration would soon be sending out a new, comprehensive survey, intended to gauge public opinion on the presence of The Maw—an omnipotent, calamitous destructive force in the form of a massive toothed hole that consumes any who approach it.

The President made it clear to students, faculty, and community members that their opinions and personal experiences would be important factors in any administrative actions taken with regard to The Maw, and that it was vital that a large and diverse group respond to help educate the administration on how they have been

directly affected by The Maw, so that a plan can be formulated to address what some students see as “a pestilential agent of pure evil beyond the contemplative capabilities of the human mind.”

Students complaints have increased since earlier this month, when the combined results of seven preceding surveys were deemed inconclusive and discarded into The Maw, which obliterated not just the physical form of the paper upon which the survey results were printed, but also any memories respondents had pertaining to the survey questions, as well as their senses of smell, for some reason.

“The previous surveys were unfortunately inconclusive for determining an effective course of action that the administration could all get behind,” explained

Bernadette Alden, Director of Marketing and Communications at the College. “However, I think we can all agree that we would be truly and eternally grateful to The Maw if It would allow us to experience, just one more time, the smell of fresh-cut grass.”

Brett Belcastro, ‘17, an English Literature and Philosophy dual major, expressed his confusion with the College’s seeming inability to take action in the face of an obvious malevolent force.

“There were so many others,” said Belcastro, gesturing in the direction of the Townhouse/ Boardman area, where The Maw first surfaced, the very air now engorged with a howling thanatopic maelstrom surrounding Its physical frame. “Now their names and faces are lost to me, as incomprehensible as single atoms

of carbon rising from a buckling funeral pyre.”

Belcastro couldn’t remember his responses to any of the surveys, nor could he remember when the surveys began. [Editor’s note: Neither myself nor any of The Bacon writers can recall this. If your mind is still psychically intact, please notify us of the truth, any truth, at Bacon@ MCLA.edu.] As a student of philosophy, however, Belcastro did have a quick answer to the eternal question, the question we must continue asking until our lungs corrode and wither like limp balloons and our tongues blacken and fall from our mouths: what is The Maw? “I believe it is the rippling of a dead god,” said Belcastro. “A god that wanted to die.”

Keep your eyes peeled for a

new survey in your email sometime next week. If your eyes are ̔ already peeled, ostium apertum ̄̌ ́ ͤ̃ ̽ ̀ ̔̿ ͨ ͮ̌ ͨ ͥ̓ ͧ͛̽̓ ͂̒ ̎̽͊̌̐ ͮ̾̍̆ ̀ ̍̅̚ ͩͪ̈ ͝ ̐̂̈ ͪ̽̏ ͪ̆̽ ̏͊ ͭ mortem ̒​̒ ͮ͐ o̵̠̦̝ ͫͥr̢̧̗̭̠ ͆̈ ḙ̰̠̊ ̕ ̯̮͓ͥ ͟ą͇̰ͮ̏͌ p͙͔͌̄ e̗̫ r̷̜̍̕ t̛̮̩̤ͬ̄ ҉ǫ̘͆​̘ ͢ ̕ ̪̤̏͘ ͣͤ͂ ̀ ̃ ̒ ̃ ͬ ͭ̓ ̞͚̬ ͋ͣ̓ ́ ͅ ̹̯̝͎ ͇̠͎͈ ͪ̏̉ ̙̹ ͋͐ ͌̈ ́ ͥ̆̍̈ ͫ̿ ̣ ̲ ͣ ̑̽̌ o̷̗̤̐̓͗ ̣ r͍̠̲ ̎ e̴͇̬ͩ̿​̬ ͧ̎ ̵̡̂̐ ͏͓̜š͖̞̖ͬ ͨu̓̿͋ ̫͈̏̐ o͜ ̗͓̎̔ ͙ ̲̗̙ͬ̐ͦ͂ õ̳̝̹̓ ̐ ͏c͕ͮ͡ ̲͕ ́ ̀ c̶̻̄ i̖͟ ̖̫̓ d̫͇̦͒͞ ̄ ̀ e̳͙̬̐͒ r̜̭ͯ ̈ ͘ ͔̐ ̙̼ ̪ ̓ ̘ ͩ ̈ ́ ͨ ̫͔ ̽ ́ ͫ͑ͅ ̠̼​̼̲ ͫͬ́ ̭̳͉ ͔̭̝ͩ ͣ͒ ̪ ͦ̚ ̓ ̋ ̮ ̥ ͋ ͋ ̈ ̲̖̌͊ͅ ̃ ̇̓ ́ ̼̯ͨ ͫ ͦ̾ͅ u̵ͥ​ͥ͆ ̝̫̬̂͋͡ ̵ n̠̦̜̐ ҉̢ t̷͡ ̩͌ ̸ͦͨ ͋ ̞̺̐̊ ̃ ̕n͇͚ͯ ͣͭͬ u̴̹͎̺ͤ͋͠ ͋ t̟͝͡ ̰͒ r̡͎̪̈̆ ́ ȋ̠͎̐ ͘ė͜͞͝ ͙͈̟͐͆ ṅ̪ͭ͟͠ ̣ ͣ̈t̤́ ̩̀̀̒͢ ͠i͔̜̭̍͊ ̈ ͐̋ ́ b͖͎͉͌ ͏ ư̖ͩͭ ̍̇̋͟ ͏ ͭ ͈ ͧ͆ͤ ̼̬͔ ̣ ͧ ͬ̄̾ ̻​̻ ̣ ̇̂̚ ̔ ͪ͊ ̫̩̺ͫ ̓̊̿ ̳̯͎ ̍̇͒ ̫̥ͩ̉ͫ ͔̥̘ ͪͣ ͓̈̊ ́ ͤ͘o͉̾ ̸ ͅ r̳̣ͭ ͫt̷͖ s̢̳̘̮͗̂ ͪͮ̾ ̿̎ ͏̤̖̘d̴͕͍͗̋ ö́͠ ̦͎̘ ̃ ͅ ҉ļ̵̰͕̈ ̄̔̋̚ ́ ̀ o̷̺̥̫͒̌ ̴ r̴̤̙̹͠ ̉ ̐ȩ͓̞̩ ̫͉͂̅ ͌̈̎ṡ̰̙͕̽ ̀ ̶̜̎​̎m ̝͕͇ ͪ̾̄ ̤̜ ͪ̃̎ ̬̱͔ͦ͆ ̒ ̉ ̝̯͈ͫ ̪̬̳ ̓̄ ̳͍ ͥ͐ ̣ ̃ ͊̓̏ ͍̯ ̑ ̀ ͩͧ̔̅ ̮̺ ̣ ̦͓̘̼͎ ͛̅ ̀ͨ̍͌͟ ̑̽̚ ̥̰̘ ͫͤ͆ ̈ ̬ ̠ ͑ ̾ ̼ ͮ̑ ̆ ̿ ̉ ̚ ͖ ͥ ̣ͩ̃ i͈͇̲ͯ̓͛ ̫ͥ ̽̕ sͭ ̸̤ ,̼͐ ̮̹̏̋ͅ​ͅ ͔̞̰ͧ̎ ͡͝m̯̜̗͑̄͊ ͦ̕ ̸̢ o̵̼̬̙͉̩ͭͤ ̐̓̆ ř̴̤͖̜͝ ̅͑ ͎̜ͤͅ t̷̤̜̘̒̅ u̗͈̗̔͐ ͣo̫̰͖̒͑ ş͜ ̦̪̾̍ ̈̇ ́ ҉̩͓̦ō̴̥͖̜͂ ̪ ̸ͯ m ̈ ́ ̱͎ ̣ ͓̎ ͦ ̄ ́ ̮ ̥̚ ̺ ̱̯̟̰ͫ ̆͆̑ ͫͤ̄̊ ͩͤ ͓̤ ͧͦ̾̏ ͎̯͉ ͤ̈̓ ̟͕͈ͮͣͅ ̊ ̉ ͇̲̯̥ ͪͣͭ͛̈͑̂͞ ́ ̗͙̖ ̪̩̯͓̔͆͗ ͤ̈̄̎ ͪ́ ̈̇ ́ ͚̪̥̬͕ ̚ ̋ ̈ ́ ̪̜̤ ̙͎̬̙̭ ͬ̒͑͊̏ ́ ̀ ̠ ̓ ͞ ̕ ̓ ͫn̙̳ͧ̄͒ e̺̲̭̿ͨ ̉ ̃ ͏ ș͇̦͗ ̒̓ ͧ ̷̪̼̈ m̷ ́ ̝̳ ͜ ͦ o̧̯͎ r̬̗͟ ̉ ̃ẗ̇̑ ̲̫ u̩̼͟ ͊̌ ͍̥ ̄ī̧̠̞ ,̺̤̈ ́ ̳͖ͬ̑̀͜o̸̮̹ͨ ͛̏ ḿ̵̙̰ ͧ͑ ͫ̔͗ ͊̅͗ ̙̤͙ͅ ̅̿̚ ̀ ͙ ̣ ͑͒̆ ͪ͌ ̩͙͉ ̊̇ ̀​̀​̀ ͖̝̭ ̔̑͆ͯ̄̑͊ ̃ ͯ͂̈͒ ͍̫̝ ́ ̠̩̳͓̤ ͮ͆ ́̉ ̗̹ ͫͮͭ ͯ̒̓̄ ́ ̬̜͍͔ ̣͔̩ ͫ͒͋͆̋ ͇͈͇͔ ̓ ̂̈ ́ ̾ ṇ̸ͧ͂ ͖̠͋ ́ ͮͫ̑̋ ͑͐ ̃ e̷̟ͥ͟ ͚̹͆ s̶͙͕̜͌ ,̙̙̥̌ ́ ͯͨ̚ ̀m̴̝̙̟̆̔ ͠ ̏ ̀ ̀ ͧͪͭ̓̿̅ ̽ ͦ̚e̟͈̗͂ͪ̅͒ ͢ ̓̄ ͏̶ m͚̝̪͆̓ ̛ͯ ̫̲ ͪ̈ ́ o͝ ̮̖̩͊̍͟ ͛ ̀ ̒̍̌̿ ̀ r̻͔͖͆ ͟ ͅ ͆̍̀̊ ͏̡ ͩi̷̲̼̬ ̎ ͦͧ̑͒͊ ̮̅ͅ ̂̎̽ ͭ͋ ͔̜̝ ̤͔ ̪̗͍ ͛ ̠͕ ̣ͥ ͊ ̀ ͥ̍̄ ̀ ͮ͋ ̮̦̮ ͐̆ ̟͙͓ ̾ ́ ̀ ̎̓ ̉ ͮ̈͑ ́ ͉̳̮ ̒ ͧ͆̐̅ ͪ ̝̜​̜ ͤͪ́͊̾̂ ̿̍ ͕̩̫ ̓͂̑ ͆ ̔ ̈ ́ ͓ ͂ ̍ ̮ ͒̃ ̍ ͙̲ͧ̏ ͡ ̓͊̌ ̸̨ ̢ ̏ ́ ̰͍͔̀ ē̸̿̊ ̝ ̂̋ ̖ ҉ m̸ ̤ͯ̾ ͐ ̧ â̵̭̯̺̏̾͆͌͡ ̡ ͋̐​̐̇ ̸̭̙̘͂ ̉ ̤̯ ͪ̎ͬ̆̏̊ ́ ͕̯͇ ͞n̲̖̠ͨ̌̄͆͡ ̛ ̞͍̯ ͏ ȋ̸͇̣ ̱̩͒ ̀ h̸͚̤͙ͥ̒ ̍̎ ́ ̉ ̴ ͪ̀̎ ͖̥͙͓ȋ̶̪͉̗͊̂ ͮ̍̇ ̃ ̙̖̞̮̻͘͜͜͡͠͝l̛̼̭̖ͨ̐̽ ͧͣ͋ ̉ ̿ ̨͎̖͈ ̉ ͖̘̻͉͎ ͬ̐̋ ͘͟͞͝m ̻͎͓ͯ̍̇ ̉ ͥ̏̑ ̻̦ ̒ ́​́ ͆̎ ̈̎ ̃ ̓͗ ̞̖̘̟ ̘̖̬ ̤̜̺ͯ̈ ́ ̭ ̿ ̀ ̆̔̓ ͅ ͖̬͙ ͬ̾͂ ̲̜ ͍͙̥ͩ ̿͐̈ ͖̼̪ ͩ̀ͅ ̓̌ ̙͖̩̹ ͤ̈̍ ́ ̐ ́ ̜̥̜̱ ̃ ͑͗̐ ͖̭͙̤̟ ̀ ̫̗̜͎͇ ͂ ̒̌̊ ́̉ ͩ̀ ͫ ̔ ̎ ͩ ͎͛ ͗ ̮ ͭ ̲ ̍ ̅ ̻̈́ ̜ ͪ oͤ͠ ͉̳̻͈̮̖̤̇͂̎̑̿ ͢ ̀ ̣ ͏̶ r̳̗̮ ͟ ̀ ͯ̂̆ ͪ̄̄̋͜͡į͟ ̰̟̓̀ a̶͞͠ ̜̖̦̍ ͕̖ͅ ̷ ̥̹̯͇ͭ̔̍ ̷̧̡̺̻̜ ͭ͑͗ ̈̔ ́ ͟͠n̘̠͈̽̅̊͡ ̣ ̸ ̦̯̥ͪͭ̏̂ͅ͏ į̸͈̮ ̡ ͈̻̹̗ ͯ͘͢ḩ͐͆̇ ͞ ̹̮̑ ́͢ ̶ ͩ͝i̴̝͎̬̎ ̕ ͦ​ͦ͌͗ ͎̭̫ l̡̧̼̪͆͐ ̙̭̤͈̗ ̢̼ ̤͎̞ͅ ̷͕̦̺ ͮͨ̊ ̐̔̋ ͖̥̗̳̲͍ͯ͛̌͐ͤ ͓̺͖ ̈̚ ̒̏̄ ͮ̒̅ ̲̺̯ ̞̩͖ ͈͛̄ ̗̪ ̣ ͋̇̎ ̟̬̯ ́ ̙̜̻ ͑̌̂ ̬̝ ̣ ̺̲̦ ͪ̽ ̹͎ͅ ̥ͅ ͧ͂̀ ̻̼̟ ̍ ́ ͉͓̘͙ͩ̔ ̱̬̲ ͞ ͆ ͫ̕ ̇​̇ ̼ͤ̎ ͝͡ ̘̬̱̝̲ ̩̖͈̝ o̵̰ͭ̐ ̀ ̤̻ r̨̞͞͝ ̾̿̌ ̻̗͙͚ ͝i̷̼̔̄̈ ̸́ ̗͍ a̷̳̲̓̿ ̸͈̹̟͍ ҉ ̥̳̲͚ ̴̰ ̈͆ ͡n̫̐ ̋ ̞͎̥̜i̡̭̊̈͛ ́ ͏̢ m ̣ ̱͇ ̘ ̛ ̹ ̙̖ ̺̜ ̛ ͅ ͜ ͙͉ ̤̮̱ ̲͔͕ ̣ ̰̘̥̖ ͇̬̯ ̣ ̬͉̘͜ ̮͔̟ ̫͎̠̥̳ͣ̾̄͛̏ ͈̠̰͔̪ ͢ ̬̦͔̯ ͏̒̽͐ ę̛̉ ͟ ͖̫̰̈ ́ ͩm̸ ̯̬̟ ͖̻ ̮̜ ̭ ̠ ̖͔̯ ̮̪ ͗̆ ̬ ̣ ͈̖͔ ͧ̅ ̰͕ ͣ̑̓̌ ͈̝̦̲̦ ̱͕͎̟̠ ͇̻̘̜ͅ ̲͚̟̯ ̣ ̘̤͍ ̣ ͖͍͇̞ ̥̬̖ ̺̟ ̭ ̟͙̗ ̘͍̮ ̣ ͓͍̰͇ h̶͖͙̥̆͟ ̥̪̩̜͢ ̕ ̴ ͚͖̮ ͜i̷͉̖͔̿ ̡ ̃ ̬̱̦̰͈ l͖͓ ̠̭͎̝ ҉̵ ̞̫ ͔ ̥͎̺ ͈̲̹ ͈̖͎͍ ͙̩͚ ͇̟̝ ͖̹̩ ͈͙̭ ̖͚͎̘ ͓̱͔ ̻ ̦ ͉ ̩̬̠ ̮ ̟̼ ̣ ͕̜ ̬̖ ̜̼̻ ̝ ̣ ̙̰ ͅ ̱ͅ ̪ ͙ ̠ ̮

Are you really translat ing this?

By Not Zack Benjamin

PHOTO OBTAINED THROUGH THE PHANTOM ZONE

Dr. Slavoj Zizek

Mark Hopkins Hall to be renamed to honor Slovenian philosopher

By Jon Hoel

Mark Hopkins Hall to be renamed to honor Slovenian philosopher The Beacon has discovered an upcoming press release from MCLA stating that the long withstanding Mark Hopkins Hall (formerly Mark Hopkins Elementary School) will have its name changed from Mark Hopkins Hall to Slavoj Žižek Hall, after the Slovenian Hegelian-Marxist Dr. Slavoj Žižek.

“I had heard MCLA was going to change the English major building to Slavoj Žižek Hall,” remarked one

student. “But it seems like a strange choice. I don’t really understand why they are doing it. Why are they doing this, why?” Žižek, the head researcher at the Institute for Sociology and Philosophy at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, is perhaps best known for the 2012 Sophia Fiennes documentary ”The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology.” The film observes and expands on various other films from cinematic history and how they reinforce their varying ideologies.

“MCLA is a social reality whose very existence implies the non-

knowledge of its participants as to its essence – that is, social effectivity, the very reproduction of which implies that the individuals ‘do not know what they are doing,” Žižek said.

The honorary name-changing ceremony will take place during the inauguration of President Birge next month. The MCLA Beacon, which is created each week in Slavoj Žižek Hall, will reconstitute itself as a Trotskyist paper that revolts against everything on campus constantly henceforth.

Wow i good luck. Wingdings is a truetype dingbat font included in all versions of microsoft windows from version 3.1 onwards. the wingdings trademarj is owned by microsoft, and the design and glyph order was awarded u.S. Design patent d341848 in 1993.

The patent expired in 2005.

In many other countries, a design patent would be called a registered de sign. It is registration of a design to deter imita tion, rather than a claim of a novel invention. this font contains many largely recognized shapes and gestures as well as some recognized world sym bols, such as the star of david, the symbols of the zodiac, index or manicle signs, hand gestures, and obscure ampersands. the symbols included in wingdings were originally designed as part of the lucida font, created by charles bigelow and kris holmes in 1985. Five years after the release of the font, the designers recog nized a need for the ad dition of symbols to com plement the alphanumeric characters that were al ready available. in 1990, it wasn’t easy to find images on the in ternet, store them on your hard drive, or insert them into a document.

Lucida icons, lucida arrows, and lucida stars allowed users to insert scalable images right from the jeyboard, significantly increasing the number of glyphs that could be typed in a docu ment.

FEATURES

PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE

John Cornman: A helping hand in Career Services

By Ron Leja rl2670@mcla.edu Deputy Features and A&E Editor With the end of the semester quickly approaching, graduating students have a lot to look forward to. Outside of the accommodating bubble of college life, there is a world of opportunity just waiting for excited, optimistic millennials to explore. Armed with ambition, adaptability and a deep understanding of the technology that surrounds us, companies are fully embracing this generation and, despite what you may have heard, jobs are out there for those willing to look for them.

However, the act of finding not only a job, but a career path to pursue isn’t always an easy task. For those students who are unsure of how to even begin the process of starting life after college, John Cornman and the MCLA Career Service Center are here to help.

The Career Service Center advises both new and graduating students in making decisions in regards to their field of study, as well as career choices that may be open to them after graduation. By use of a personality assessment and discussions concerning a student’s values and interests, the Career Service Center can assist prospective students in finding both internships, potential jobs and graduate schools for those looking to take their education to the next level.

They also offer a helping hand to those looking to develop resumes and cover letters, as well as sharpen their interviewing techniques.

Cornman, the center’s current

Interim Career Center Specialist, stepped in to the role in February on relatively short notice. He is expected to maintain the position throughout the semester, after which a new, full-time specialist will take his place. While a name wasn’t given, Cornman assures that his replacement has an excellent student-centered approach and will be a wonderful addition to the MCLA community.

“I was not necessarily seeking this role, but am glad to help out as the College brings a new person on board soon,” Cornman said. “I find the students I work with at MCLA are motivated to take the next step in their lives, whether that is heading off to grad school, into the working world or simply making plans for the coming summer and next fall.”

At 73-years-old, Cornman plans on retiring after his short time spent at MCLA. Cornman has spent more than 25 years working in the business world as both a recruiter and a human resources manager, and has helped numerous students as a career service specialist at Berkshire Community College, Southern Vermont College and Greenfield Community College. Needless to say, he is well of knowledge when it comes to helping those ready to take the first step towards landing a job in their chosen career path.

“I haven’t been at MCLA long enough to have any major success stories,” Cornman admits. “But I hope that the students with whom I’ve sat down with feel a sense of focus from my work with them. Several have indicated that developing an organization to their job search has lifted some anxiety off their shoulders.”

Unlike applying for a part-time job, normally a matter of simply filling out an application, the effort

PHOTO BY RON LEJA

John Cornman has 15 years of experience assisting students as a career service specialist. that one needs to put in for a higher paying position can be challenging.

Creating a resume that stands out above the rest can be both daunting and frustrating, and applying to a multitude of potential employers can easily become hectic if one doesn’t keep themselves organized throughout the process.

“Most of the students who are coming to see me now are se-

niors who either have not made any career plans beyond graduation or need help sorting out how to use their major in the labor market,” Cornman explained. “They need to learn how to be organized and effective in their job search, rather than use techniques that lead to frustration, such as mass mailings of resumes

and random usage of job boards.”

The Career Service Center is located on the top floor of Eldridge Hall. For those wishing to speak with Mr. Cornman, he is present on campus Tuesday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. He can also be reached via email, at John.

Cornman@mcla.edu.

GET CRAFTY

C r a f t i n g C l u b : A p l a c e T O GET T O GET H ER , BE C REATI V E

By Emily Gabert eg3887@mcla.edu Features Editor Zigzagged lines in blues, pinks, and purples were drawn across plain white canvas sneakers. Rubbing alcohol was then dropped across the shoe’s surface to create a galaxy appearance, changing the shoe into something new and, well, crafty.

These plain white canvas sneakers were supplied by Crafting Club, an organization on campus known for getting students to come together and make something new. The galaxy sneakers were a recent event held by the club just a few weeks ago.

Even the club’s adviser, Karen Cardozo, came to the galaxy shoe event and made her own pair of sneakers. She wore them the next day, the club’s president, Katrina McColl, said.

Established roughly five years ago, the crafting club was originally the MCLA Artists’ Association. About two years ago, the club decided to change its name, as it made some people weary of going to events hosted by the organization. “[People] felt that if they weren’t an artist then they wouldn’t be welcomed,” McColl explained, “but now everyone is welcomed and everyone feels welcomed.”

Although the club’s name was changed, the initiative has stayed the same – it still remains as a place where students can come together to get creative, relax, and have some fun.

The club tries to hold an event ev-

ery week. The crafts are meant to be easy activities that people from any crafting skill level can do. The number of attendees varies depending on the craft. McColl said bath bombs and face masks have been some of the club’s most popular crafting events.

Weekly crafting ideas come from mostly Pinterest and Facebook. The club comes together each week as an E-board to figure out which craft will be featured that week. After the E-board meets, they ask general members what they think of the intended idea and go from there.

They also dedicate time to try out new projects before they go live with it at their events. Usually the tests work out well; some crafts are repeated from previous weeks as well.

With popular events come the constraints of the organization’s smaller budget. The club quickly runs out of supplies, keeping people from being able to participate.

“I used to advertise [events] on all the class Facebook pages but I stopped,” McColl said, “because so many people came that we literally couldn’t afford to have all the people come.”

The smaller budget makes event planning tough due to the amount of money the club can feasibly spend each week. McColl reported that next year, the club will be getting a $500 increase from the Student Government Association (SGA), which will help with supplies for future events.

Following the results of the 2016 presidential election, the club ar-

PHOTO COURTESY OF KATRINA MCCOLL

The club submitted artwork to RPS's recycling art show. ranged a time where students could use crafts as a creative outlet to get post-election feelings out, while also having a chance to come together and talk about the results.

Earlier this year, crafting club cosponsored an event with MCLA’s chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) for an “Activism Through Art” event where students were able to create pieces that spoke for various causes participants felt strongly about.

“We did a shaving cream [event] at the YMCA with the kids,” McColl said. “You take shaving cream and put food coloring on it, and you mix it in with a brush, then you put paper down and make cool designs.”

The feedback from events is usually positive, McColl explained.

Many people enjoy the events and use it as a way to help them relax from the usual college related stress.

Crafting club meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. in Bowman Hall room 222 and still has one more event that will be happening this semester. The Craftapalooza festival where they sell crafts handmade by people in the club and student submissions. Craftapalooza take place on April 22. Students get to keep all of the profits made off of their own creations. Submissions can be sent to Katrina McColl on Facebook or via Office 365.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT "Young Frankenstein" was a marvelous hay ride

By Emma Monahan A&E Writer The Church Street Center Social Hall was packed Saturday night as students and family members anticipated Harlequin’s final performance of “Young Frankenstein.” The musical tells the story of how Victor Von Frankenstein’s grandson, Frederick, inherits his grandfather’s estate in Transylvania. Not wanting to take part in the family business, Frederick soon changes his mind with a little song and dance.

Although the show did start a little past 8 p.m., the audience cheered as many new faces in the musical theater club took stage. The seating was different; chairs were set up so the stage was to the right, where the live band performed throughout the play, while in front was a cinder block painted backdrop. Not the usual location for a Harlequin performance, and it was difficult to see even from an aisle seat.

Many audience members were stretching up to see over people’s heads, or moving from side to side to see between others.

Junior Danielle DeLamater directed and choreographed the musical. It’s obvious everyone who was a part of the performance worked incredibly hard. At one point during the show, during a big dance number, DeLamater was standing in the back of the room, right behind

PHOTO BY RON LEJA

From left: Conner Noblit, Alex Sasso, Maggie Winslow and Tim Downs the audience, mocking the steps that the actors were performing themselves.

The live band added something to the show. Unlike Harlequin’s fall semester musical revue where a smaller band is used, the full band added so much more to each particular scene, syncing up with certain moments to add more of an effect. The band consisted of the classic piano and drums/ percussion, but also trombone, trumpet and flute.

Newcomers Nate Abell and Amanda Gilmore, both freshmen,

added humor to the mix.

Gilmore played the village idiot Ziggy, whose silly humor and obliviousness made the audience laugh, and Abell played multiple characters throughout the show, Inspector Kemp being his more dominate role, the village’s sheriff.

Sophomore Tim Downs played the lead as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, and the role could not have been as perfect for anyone else. Downs’ voice was perfect for the songs he performed, and the fact that he could keep a straight face during all of the sexual banter

and jokes is impressive. Maggie Winslow played the hysterical, but ever-so-lovable Inga. She also kept a straight face during each crazy scene, and props to her, as well as the other actors, for keeping that Romanian accent throughout the whole show, especially while singing. Downs and Winslow worked so well together, going back and forth easily, and making the audience laugh over little junior high boob jokes.

Junior Alex Sasso played the serious housekeeper Frau Blucher, but her persona lightened up

throughout the play. During Sasso’s performance of “He Vas My Boyfriend,” the audience was laughing so hard at some points you couldn’t hear her sing. Every time her name was mentioned, horses neighed in the background, which made you think of her character in a more intimidating light, but that was not the case.

Another hysterical character was Igor, played by Conner Noblit. With a hump that changed positions every other scene, and an innocent attitude to match, Igor was the semiminor character that the audience seemed to enjoy the most. Noblit’s enthusiasm for his character was definitely shown throughout the night. His performance with Downs, “Together Again for the First Time,” was a great introduction to a dynamic duo.

Even though the show was long, it was still insanely enjoyable. With comedy and music, it’s no wonder that Harlequin is able to bring in full houses for their shows.

They’re able to show true student talent, being able to even give new members a moment in the spotlight.

Although there are no more shows for Harlequin this year, FPA will be performing “Our Country’s Good” April 26 to 29 in Venable Theater. For more information, visit mcla.ticketleap. com/our-countrys-good.

Recycling is no fad at the 7th Annual RPS Recycling Fashion Show

By Chris Riemer A&E Editor It was the middle of the fashion show. The model, Rebecca Patterson, ‘17, stalked down the runway towards the judge’s table and reached out with a note. Diane Manning, one of the judges, took it: it was a service request form. “‘Location of service: right here, right now,’” she read. “‘I just wrecked the stage—it will require maintenance.’”

The 7th Annual RPS Recycling Fashion Show was under way, and the models and designers were holding nothing back.

Patterson, whose tasseled outfit, oversized hat and railroad spike necklace took second place, may have been the boldest contender, but there were others who used unconventional means to make their look stand out.

The 2nd place winning Hoosac Hall RA team used three models in the same costume—a tri-sectioned dragon build of large cardboard boxes that they wore over their heads as they wound back and forth along the runway, shocking the crowd at one point with a blast of confetti from a party popper.

Asked by Manning to talk about the dragon’s tail, one of them (likely Allie Martineau, ‘17, although it was impossible to be sure) paused

thoughtfully before answering: “Cardboard.”

There was a great deal of variation among the costumes, although the materials had some similarities: most were constructed from recycled paper, cardboard, and plastic bags. The first place winner was an outfit made

by The Environuts, and modeled by Kristen Perkins, ‘20. The bee-themed outfit included a tutu and antennae, and it wasn’t just a fun design: the creators emphasized their message of conservation; specifically the importance of protecting the world’s declining bee population.

The 3rd place winning outfit was made by the Townhouse RA staff (worn by Jackie Smith, ‘18), a dress covered in cut-out butterflies made from RPS flyers. Other highlights included Jennifer Reyes’s world flag cape, representing the diversity of the College community, and the Fashion Club’s inventive and stylish ironed plastic bag dress, with matching necklace made of shredded United States currency.

“We’re not committing a federal crime here,” joked Zach Benjamin, Fashion Club president. He and the other designers explained that the outfit’s corset top was sewn together from over 750 hand-cut paper circles, layered on top of the plastic frame.

Before judging occurred, organizers made time for three speeches on different aspects of recycling. Kevin

PHOTO BY DOMONIQUE ACKLEY

The prize-winning outfits, from left to right: Jackie Smith, Kristen Perkins, and Rebecca Patterson.

Pink, ‘09, spoke about his involvement with the Center for EcoTechnology and gave students advice on cutting down their ecological footprint. His advice included unplugging devices with “phantom loads” (devices that draw energy even when powered off), and swapping incandescent bulbs for LEDs, which students can do for

free at the Townhouse RPS office.

Trevor Mance, the founder of TAM Inc., talked to students specifically about recycling different materials, such as textiles, which Goodwill will dispose of for free.

“We can’t all buy Teslas, we can’t all put solar panels on our roofs, but putting one aluminum can in the recycling bin saves the same

amount of energy as running a TV for three hours,” said Mance.

Finally, Kayla LaVoice, ‘17, and Kaitlin Short, ‘17, spoke briefly about a new mural project they’re organizing on campus as part of their Service Leadership capstones. Students should keep an eye on their emails for more information.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

March 30, 2017

7

The Antlers frontman Peter Silberman performs intimate set at Church Street Center

By Chris Riemer A&E Editor

Emel Mathlouthi, Anaïs Mitchell, Josh Nelson and now Peter Silberman—the list of artists with criminally under-attended performances at Church Street Center continues to grow.

Silberman, the sole founder of The Antlers, a pillar of the New York City indie scene, came to the campus last Thursday as part of his Living Room tour. These shows are an opportunity for Silberman to play to smaller crowds—40 to 60 max—and to spread the good news about his recently released solo record called “Impermanence.”

In keeping with the themes of the album, the show was intimate and peaceful. Silberman and his opener/touring bandmate, Tim Mislock, performed off to the side the stage in the auditorium, mere feet from the rows of seats on which the huddled listeners sat in total silence, only breaking the somber mood when Mislock or Silberman would crack a joke between songs.

Their equipment encircled in white and red string lights, the only other sources of illumination were the various pedals the two musicians used to create the spindly, layered sonic textures of

each song. Usually, Mislock would use a loop recorder and oodles of reverb (among other effects, I’m sure) to create an ambient swell in the background, over which Silberman would fingerpick the song’s main melody. In this way, songs which were usually loud and energetic (like “Bear”) would be softened and pulled apart, sung slowly and quietly.

That’s a very deliberate choice from Silberman, who suffered recently from a terrible bout of tinnitus as a result of his constant touring schedule with The Antlers. He retreated to upstate New York and began work on an album much sparser and quieter than his past work, not out of choice but necessity.

The result is “Impermanence,” a sixtrack, 37-minute record where the silences often speak louder than the sounds. In his introduction to “Two,” a track from The Antlers’ popular 2009 album “Hospice,” Silberman explained how direction of his music philosophically and emotionally had changed since then: “It’s been my unofficial objective to try and bring nice things into the world,” he said, before explaining his choice to perform the dark, difficult “Two” as a cathartic exercise. Although he didn’t explicitly mention spirituality, there are numerous references on Impermanence which indicate Silberman is at least in-

Women’s Center hosts feminism open mic

By Ron Leja Deputy Features and A&E Editor The fires of feminism have grown even brighter over the course of the last few months. The rhetoric used by President Trump during his campaign trail has left many feeling as if the plight of women is not being recognized by Trump nor his cabinet, and that several women’s rights are in jeopardy. The result? The day after Donald Trump’s inauguration, more than 200,000 people across the country, women and men, took to the streets for the Women’s March on Washington.

Last Thursday, a group of female students gathered in the Sullivan Lounge for the second annual “Feminism: Open Mic and Art Showcase,” hosted by MCLA’s Susan B. Anthony Women’s Center. The event occurs during women’s history month and gives students a chance to showcase their talents across an array of artistic mediums, granting them the opportunity to not only express themselves creatively, but to hopefully find empowerment in one another.

Several members of Dance Company opened the event with a choreographed piece entitled “Body Love Dance,” an elegant and beautiful display that appeared to touch on the emotional complexity of women.

This was followed by a pas de deux, the French balletic term for a dance with two people, to the song “Secret Love Song part 2,” which seemed to encapsulate a natural connection that women find with one another through their femininity. They also announced that they would be performing at MASS MoCA next Saturday, April 1.

The Alegrettos, MCLA’s a capella and gospel group, took to the stage next to present several songs. Their rendition of “Break Even” by the band “The Script” was an impressive display of the troupe’s vocal ranges and energy with which they perform. Alegretto member Leah Mitchell belted out a

powerful solo over the collective tones of her peers, and the group was well received by those who attended.

Afterwords, attendees were given the chance to take the stage themselves.

While most were hesitant, Kailen Warren, an assistant at the Identity and Gender Equality Resource Center, approached the mic to deliver a short poem they had written that touched on the feelings of both themselves and others, in regards to being bisexual.

The event was short lived, having only lasted about an hour, but Amanda Beckwith, the coordinator of the Identity and Gender Equality Resource Center and the Women’s Center adviser responsible for coordinating the event, was pleased with the students’ performances nonetheless. She felt proud that the general message of the event had given at least one student, Warren, the courage to express themselves.

“The open mic gives student’s another chance to not only perform, but to express themselves through their various talents,” Beckwith explained.

“Feminism is a key to a lot things right now. Yes, it’s being showcased artistically, but it’s not just about art, it’s about being respectful.”

While the turnout may have been relatively small, the air of encouragement and respect for one another lingering throughout the lounge was nothing short of compelling. It became very clear that while feminism may have been the theme, it was by no mean reserved for just women. Respect, understanding and love for one another was always the bigger picture. By encompassing these values, the showcase was a chance to help others find their voice.

“In regards to feminism in art, I hope that the open mic empowers people to find their voice,” Beckwith added. “I hope it empowers people to stand up, and to express themselves. A big part of college is exploration, and by expressing themselves they can begin to be the person they want to be.”

PHOTO FROM NEWS.WGBH.ORG

The enigmatic cover of Silberman's new album, "Impermanence" terested in Buddhism, like the song title “Karuna,” a term in both Sanskrit and Pali which basically means “compassion.”

The set list had a healthy collection of Antlers cuts in addition to the music Silberman and Mislock played from “Impermanence,” including four tracks from “Hospice” and one each from “In the Attic of the Uni-

verse” (2007), “Burst Apart” (2011) and the “Undersea” EP (2012).

Perhaps it was best that attendance was relatively low, since those in the room had excellent views of the performers. Many attendees were students at the College, but others came from out of town or even out of state. One traveled all the way from Connecticut, since the North Adams

show was closest to her home town.

Since it took place on campus, the show had to be sponsored by a College organization, and Spires editor Jonathan Hoel stepped forward to coordinate the whole affair. The Living Room tour was created and organized by the Undertow Collective.

Note: Jonathan Hoel is a Co-Managing Editor at The Beacon.

beauty & the beast ignites ‘90s nostalgia

By Emma Monahan A&E Writer Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” the live action revival of the classic 1991 animation, took the box office by storm after its March 17 release, earning $462 million worldwide so far, according to Forbes. Telling the story of Belle, an intelligent girl living in France who falls in love with the Beast after seeing his true self behind his appearance, the revival is a tear-jerker, with bits of humor, love and music.

Throughout the film, there is more of a back story with certain characters. We learn more about Belle’s mother and how she passed, her family’s life before her and her father moved to the “little town/it’s a quiet village.” We also get a look on who the Beast was before he was cursed, how his upbringing was as a prince and of course, his sensitive side. There were many new songs throughout the film that added much more of a dramatic effect to certain scenes, with “Evermore” and “Days in the Sun” being tearjerkers.

Emma Watson’s portrayal of Belle was a role meant for her.

Watson, who studied English Literature at Brown University and is a bookworm herself, has told multiple media outlets that she’s loved the character Belle like anyone else. What was surprising

from the movie was Watson’s singing voice. Although soft, there are hints of Auto-Tune, but her voice is still enjoyable.

Songs like “Belle (reprised)” and “Something There” in the film show Watson’s vocal skills, you can’t help but sing along to the classics.

Dan Stevens, known for his role as Matthew Crawley on “Downton Abbey”, had the most engaging voice. His performance of “Evermore” is unforgettable. Although some media outlets state that Stevens isn’t “attractive enough” to play the Beast, it’s surprising that it really needs to matter. Stevens’ performance was nonetheless entertaining and engaging, and even if he’s not attractive enough, his portrayal of the Beast was still on point.

Of course, the ever-solikable Gaston was played by none other than Luke Evans, who was perfect for the role. His vocals were also surprising, while performing in “Belle” and “Gaston.” His sidekick, LeFou, played by Josh Gad, who has also voiced Olaf in “Frozen,” was a great match for the comedy in the film. During the performance of “Gaston,” LaFou realizes that he’s illiterate, unable to spell Gaston’s name at the end of the song. During “Belle,” while Gaston gazes at his hopefully future wife Belle and he claims she fills a void in him, LaFou recommends a “Je ne sais quoi?” Gaston says he doesn’t know what it means, although

the film takes place in France!

The duo added the comedy that the film needed, making it much more enjoyable, even if you did want to punch Gaston at the end.

As for the rest of the film's cast, big names like Sir Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, Emma Thompson as Mrs. Potts and Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza were all wonderful additions to the film. Characters like Plumette, played by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Madame Garderobe, played by Audra McDonald, had much bigger roles in the film than in the original. Ewan McGregor as Lumière brought the classic “Be Our Guest” to life, making the scene one of, if not the most, enjoyable scene in the whole film. With the song being so popular, you couldn’t help but sing along.

The nostalgia throughout the film is what made it a tear-jerker. The night I saw the film, a friend of mine and I went out for appetizers beforehand, and one of the managers told us that many people in the restaurant had seen the film, and many of them cried. The film isn’t sad, but you tear up when Lumière is singing about not being able to hold Plumette again, or when Belle sings about her childhood in Paris.

It’s seeing these characters from your childhood be brought to life that gets to you, making it all more enjoyable.

SPORTS

Trailblazers crush Dean College's Women's Lacrosse team 20-2

By Brady Gerow @MCLABeaconSport Sports Editor Junior Mackenzie Cutler and freshman Kim Granito each recorded five goals and led the way for the Trailblazers in their 20-2 win over Dean College Saturday, March 25.

The Trailblazers started the game off quickly, having scored the first 11 goals of the contest.

Cutler recorded all five of her goals during this stretch to help the team to a big lead. Dean recorded one goal with seven minutes remaining in the half, but Granito netted another goal to make the score 12-1 at the end of the half in favor of the Blazers.

Throughout the second half, the Blazers didn’t let up in their relentless attack. They pushed the score up to 19-1 not long into the second half of play. Dean recorded one last goal with seven minutes left to play in the match putting the score at 19-2, before the Blazers scored their final goal to claim the 20-2 victory.

Granito ended with five goals and three assists for the Blazers,

PHOTO BY MCLA ATHLETICS Junior Mackenzie Cutler (left) attacking with the ball in a previous game. Cutler recorded f ive goals and two assists in the game against Dean, while freshman Kim Granito (right) also recorded f ive goals in the win. while Cutler ended with five goals as well and two assists of her own.

While junior Aleah Sangiovanni, junior Chanielle Enomoto, senior

Natalie Caney, and sophomore Brianna Morris all scored a pair of goals in the win, while freshman Julia Coughlin earned the win in

goal stopping two shots for her first collegiate win.

The Blazers now stand at 3-3, and are off until Saturday, April

1, where they will square off against Bridgewater State in an away contest to open up their conference schedule.

Club of the month: Rugby Club

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor The sun begins to slip behind the mountains as the team gathers on the pitch. Fifteen students have met for a game of skill and strategy, a cross between football and fútbol, a match known as rugby. The Club of the Month for February, Rugby Club, brings the sport to the campus in an accessible way.

Rugby Club President Aaron Lopes spent part of his time in high school playing rugby. He is a student of the game and always pushes back on the image of rugby as some sort of gladiatorial battle between large men.

“They portray rugby as a violent sport… they view it as football but without pads,” Lopes said. “I disagree because if it was…it would be a whole other sport. It’s intense but it isn’t like we’re getting our heads cut off.”

The team has been working hard, explaining why they love the sport and trying to recruit as many students as possible. Despite a small pool of students to work with, the Rugby Club continues its long relationship with the College because it appeals to wide variety of people.

“It’s a sport where you can utilize anything,” Lopes said. “It makes you stronger definitely, makes you tougher.”

PHOTO BY MCLA RUGBY CLUB The MCLA Rugby Club was awarded the SGA club of the month award for the month of February.

The club stresses that rugby matches aren’t decided just by brute strength or natural speed, though those can certainly aid players; rugby allows its players to identify their own strengths and utilize these attributes to win.

Lopes speaks with numerous prospective members who are nervous about the sport. They fear injury or are nervous about playing.

He went through those feelings his freshman year.

“After the first game, after you get hit once, after you hit someone

it goes away, the butterflies go away,” Lopes said. “You’re going to get hooked and a lot of our recruits, they’ll say it too.”

The club has enough players for the field, but needs more to lessen the workload on the players. They introduced a flag version of the sport in order to reach students who are initially intimidated by rugby.

“We’re basically showing people this is the fundamentals, this is how you, you know, toss a ball, what you do when you score, all that stuff,”

Lopes said.

Flag rugby is played the same as the traditional sport and the lessons learned there can be transferred to the match-ups against any of the local teams the club faces, including Williams College and Amherst College.

“If we can get a full, committed team we can actually be one of the best teams in West Massachusetts,” Lopes said. “I believe it.”

His optimism aligns with rugby’s recent re-entry into the Olympics.

Rugby on the biggest of stages

can only help to spread it further around the globe. What may do even more to help this club-of-themonth to reach even higher levels is the lack of cuts.

“This is a club sport…there are no tryouts… anyone can come in, you know, practice with us, you know, hang out with us,” Lopes said.

Be it the willingness to develop anyone or the advent of the flag variation, Rugby Club is obviously doing something right.

“This year we got, I don’t know if it’s a record or something—it has to be—but, we got four females to play on our team and then we recruited two more.” Lopes said. “We’re almost at a point where we could get another women’s team and then get a varsity team and I feel like at that point we could actually get the respect that we deserve.”

The club builds a community akin to the other sports teams of the College. Along with their recruitment goals and presentation of the sport, the club just wants to work hard and enjoy the sport together.

“We all push each other. We push each other to get each other better,” Lopes said. “That’s what I love about the sport. My team, we push each other, we’re all hungry.”

Contact Aaron Lopes or Kolumbia Cook for more information on the Rugby Club.

The club practices on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays at Complex field from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

SPORTS

March 30, 2017

Women’s Lacrosse falls to Sage 17-8 SCORE BOARD

MCLA Women’s Lacrosse

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor Charged by a seven goal performance by senior Monica Koralus, the Sage Colleges’ Women’s Lacrosse team defeated the Trailblazers 17-8 last Thursday. This match-up was played on the campus of Albany College of Pharmacy and marks Sage’s first win of the season (1-3). With the loss MCLA falls to 2-3 in the regular season.

The Sage Gators shot out of a cannon to score the game’s first six goals in the first nine minutes. Freshman Kim Granito scored her 14<sup>th</ sup> goal of the season to get the Blazers on the board. The goal seemed to turn the momentum as the score held at 6-1 for the next three minutes.

But Sage caught fire once again with another six unanswered goals. By the end of the first half Granito scored again to end the run, but it seemed all for naught, down by ten goals.

The Gators scored 12 seconds into the second and fired in two more to

MCLA (20), Dean College (2) Mackenzie Cutler (MCLA) 5 Goals, 2 Assists

Makayla Fisher (Dean) 1 Goal, 1 SOG

NBA PHOTO BY MCLA ATHLETICS Senior Natalie Caney taking a shot in the team's loss to Sage. stretch their lead to 15-2 before MCLA responded with a pair of goals by senior Natalie Caney and one by junior Courtney Gabrus. The Blazers would get within nine goals but couldn’t find a match for their opponent’s offense and fell to Sage 17-8.

Granito and Caney both netted hat

tricks and sophomore goalie Zoe Elwell made eight saves in the loss.

This was the third matchup between the two teams with Sage securing the lead 2-1 all time. Last year, Sage defeated the Trailblazers 19-5 on the same day.

The year before MCLA captured an epic 18-13 victory in overtime.

UNC coach Roy Williams: Final Four legend among first-timers

By Shannon Ryan Chicago Tribune wire service His three fellow Final Four coaches call him a mentor, a friend and a man whose image should be chiseled into the Mount Rushmore of college basketball coaches.

North Carolina's Roy Williams will be the granddaddy of the Final Four compared with the trio of first-timers in Glendale, Ariz.

Williams, 66, has guided the Tar Heels to consecutive Final Fours after taking them to the title game a season ago where they lost to Villanova. And this is his ninth time (five with North Carolina and four with Kansas) on this grandest stage of college basketball.

"It's amazing what he's been able to do throughout his career, just sustained excellence," Gonzaga coach Mark Few said. "He's

9

been a mentor for me with just how he handles his program, how he runs his program. They run it with class and they do it the right way. ...

At the end of the day when it all shakes out, he'll be one of the Mount Rushmore types in college coaching."

Few, 54,is making his first Final Four after years of playing bridesmaid at top-seeded Gonzaga, where he has coached since 1999.

The Bulldogs will face No. 7 seed South Carolina, which is also making its Final Four debut with a coach doing the same: Frank Martin, 51.

Dana Altman, 58, is in his first Final Four with Oregon, which hasn't been there since winning the first national championship in 1939. He'll get the first crack at upsetting the tournament's last standing Goliath.

Williams is just two Final Fours shy of North Carolina legend Dean Smith (11) and three

away from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and former UCLA coach John Wooden (12).

Does all of Williams’ experience and North Carolina players who were here last season give the Tar Heels an edge? ”I’m a big believer that experience helps you for the next time you’re in that same situation on how to manage everything that leads up to the game,” Martin said. “Once the game starts I think everything is irrelevant. Everyone’s nervous. You can play in the national championship game nine years in a row. If you go the 10th time, you’re nervous before that ball goes up in the air. There’s no such thing as not being nervous for a game.”

But Martin said the Tar Heels’ experience dealing with the Final Four hoopla _ long interview sessions, a national spotlight, dome shooting must be helpful.

Why Devin Booker’s 70-point game needs to be taken more seriously Recently, Phoenix Suns performance was regarded Shooting Guard Devin as “kind of a gimmick” by Booker put up the game of a sports-reporting behemoth lifetime with an “Deadspin,” as well as electric 70-point criticized by his primary performance, which opponent of Boston, is the sixth time in Isaiah Thomas and his NBA history it has teammate Jae Crowder. happened. Booker In general, people want went 21/40 from Andrew to discredit Booker’s the field while going performance because it Baillargeon seems, as Isaiah Thomas 24/25 from the The Call free throw line in a put it, the Suns “chased” 130-120 loss to the the benchmark.

Boston Celtics last I’m left here wondering, Friday. who really cares if the team did The 20 year old joined a very that or not? exclusive club, with only past Devin Booker is a second superstars Kobe Bryant and year player in the NBA at 20 Wilt Chamberlain having done years old. Last year, he had it before. difficulty establishing a role for So why is this amazing himself on the Suns. He has performance by someone who come a very long way, but this can’t even legally buy alcohol was just incredible. I would be being disregarded so promptly? saying this if it were established Booker’s performance has superstars such as LeBron drawn lots of criticism, for James, Steph Curry or Russell essentially no reason. His Westbrook, guys who are the

faces of the NBA today, but for someone of Booker’s stature, it totally came out of nowhere.

Even if you want to argue that the Suns really did “chase” the 70 points, 51 of which came in the 2nd half, Booker still put on this performance against another professional organization who was definitely trying to not end up on the wrong side of history.

You don’t get to do something this amazing, so amazing that only two players in the history of forever have done it, by a crock fluke.

It goes without saying that Booker will come back down to Earth as the season comes to a close. The Phoenix Suns are, and have been, well out of playoff contention for quite some time, but this performance from Booker definitely serves as the potential lone bright spot for what has otherwise been a dismal season. The Suns definitely have the future in Devin Booker. In

almost assuredly receiving a Top 5 draft pick this year, the Suns have established a guy they can begin to build their team around, which certainly bodes well for their future.

Like it or not, agree or disagree, this performance was amazing, and I certainly look forward to seeing Booker continue to develop in the NBA. Andrew Baillargeon is the host of The Call, a weekly program broadcasted by WJJW. Tune in on Sundays from 7-10 p.m..

Listeners can also tune in via 91.1 FM WJJW or our website, hyyp://www.mcla.edu/ Student_Life/studentmedia/ wjjw/.

Want a guest column? Contact Mitchell Chapman on Office 365.

Warriors (113), Rockets (106) Stephen Curry (GS) 32 Pts, 10 Reb, 7 Ast

James Harden (Hou) 24 Pts, 11 Reb, 13 Ast

NBA Wizards (119), Lakers (108) John Wall (Wash) 34 Pts, 3 Reb, 14 Ast

D’Angelo Russell (LA) 28 Pts, 6 Reb, 9 Ast

NCAA Men’s Basketball #1 North Carolina (75), #2 Kentucky (73) Kennedy Meeks (UNC) 7 Pts, 17 Reb, 2 Ast

Edrice Adebayo (UK) 13 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast

NCAA Men’s Basketball

#7 South Carolina (77), #4 Florida (70)

Sindarius Thornwell (SC) 26 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast

Justin Leon (Flo) 18 Points, 6 Reb, 1 Stl

NHL Boston Bruins (4), Nashville Predators (1) Patrice Bergeron (Bos) 1 Goal, 7 SOG

Craig Smith (Pred) 1 Goal, 3 SOG

OPINION

CAMPUS COMMENT

What do you do on spring days?

“I usually hang around outside and take pictures - mostly pictures of nature, if I’m not in the theater.”

Tori Perry, Senior

“I enjoy just going for a walk around town with my friends, and dining outside if it’s nice out.”

Julia Coughlin, Freshman

“On nice spring days, I sit by the quad and read.”

Emily Meidenbauer, Senior

PHOTOS BY EMILY GABERT, RON LEJA AND TRAMEL GRIFFITH

EDITORIAL

The death of H.R. 1628 and Trumpcare Many open promises later, Congress fumbles the ball “The negative impact of the American Health Care Act on the elderly and the poor was significant enough to scare off the Republican representatives from the poorest and oldest areas of the country, which is a huge part of why the Act failed.”

The American Health Care Act of 2017, a piece of legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (commonly known as Obamacare) was withdrawn on Mar. 24, due to not having enough congressional energy to lead to actual votes.

In layman’s terms: they gutted it; the bill bled all over the Capitol floors and the whole affair was a blundering failure for both the president and House Speaker Paul Ryan, who likely share equal portions of the blame for championing the failing legislation.

The negative impact of the Act on the elderly and the poor was significant enough to scare off the Republican representatives from the poorest and oldest areas of the country, which is a huge part of why the Act failed.

The House Freedom Caucus is a vocally conservative assembly, which somewhat rose from the ashes of the Tea Party movement.

Their strong distaste for the Act was also crucial in its blunder. The caucus was concerned that the replacement was harsh enough with its abolishing of certain aspects of Obamacare.

The bill, which Ryan once described as a “conservative wishlist to provide monumental conservative reform,” was criticized

by both parties for being problematic, not really changing the points that mattered to conservative voters, while needlessly damaging portions of Obamacare that mattered most to moderates and liberals.

In a way, when Trump remarked that it was “tough to pass the bill without support from Democrats,” he wasn’t lying outright-not a single Democrat supported the bill--but as the minority party, that’s a misnomer. The bill did not receive the Republican support it needed.

Maybe it was just a bad bill.

But Congress has passed plenty of bad bills, so what really hap-

pened? POLITICO said the bill failed because it was a dumpsterfire. At the end of the day it was just too contradicting. It couldn’t please both the small-government self-regulatory Republicans and the pragmatic-moderate Republicans. It left too much in place, but also didn’t remove enough of Obamacare to please anyone. After the bill withdrawal, Trump tweeted: “Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!”

It’s another in a long line of tweets from the president showing very little in terms of self-awareness.

The party of obstruction is now in power The importance of student government I was listening to New England Public Radio showed that Republicans weren’t in agreement the other day as I was driving on a good deal of what to replace and home from the Northern Berkshire how.

District Court the other day, A lot of blame for the AHCA’s failure when one of the guests pointed is being pushed onto Democrats, out that the Republican Party’s simply because they are the opposition failure in rallying around the party and it is easiest to blame American Health Care Act was whomever stands in direct opposition one of genuine miscommunication to one ideal or another.

Nick Tardive However, the Democrats really regarding the direction the party I Hate This had no bearing on the passage of the should be taking.

This modern iteration of the AHCA. It was introduced as a budget Republicans, this guest whose bill, which would not have needed a name I cannot remember pointed out, came two-thirds majority vote to pass it into law. to power during the 2010 mid-term elections.

All Republicans needed was a simple Their platform was based solely on opposing majority – a majority that they would have President Obama in all of his efforts to govern. had if the bill had actually appealed to all This platform came in lieu of actually having Republicans. concrete ideas on a specific direction these Yet it is the Republicans who couldn’t decide representatives wanted to take policy. what it is they wanted, and how that would Remember, Jason Chaffetz announced that affect their individual chances for re-election. the Republicans had at least two years worth of It is the Republicans who tried to push it investigations lined up to drown out a possible through the House as quickly as possible.

Hillary Clinton policy.

It is the Republicans who are going to let Now they’re the ones in charge, and members their dreams of repealing the ACA die, simply of the party are realizing that they want because they don’t actually know how to different things. The Republican party had govern. been unified in its defiance of Obama and Their political careers were born and bred on the Clintons. Once they asserted their power obstructionism based on hate. and took control of the three branches of These people don’t actually know how to government, the disagreements started to govern. make themselves known.

We should all hope they care enough to The AHCA died because Speaker Ryan figure out how to govern, and quickly. Because assumed he would have enough votes for now the only thing they can obstruct is it because its entire existence was based on themselves. And with the AHCA, Republicans the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The showed that they are more than willing to do “replacement” was never as big a priority as the just that. repeal, and the rushed nature of the AHCA bill And we will all suffer because of it.

As the upcoming SGA elections apstudents have a say in this group is proach, with everything and notable, as the position arguthe kitchen sink up for grabs, ably hold more weight than it is important for students to SGA President itself. consider the role of student Of course the ground work, government in the MCLA the day to day voting, ulticommunity. mately comes down to the In previous interviews with Senate-at-Large seats and Mitchell Political Science majors, it various chairs, which is why it Chapman is also very important to pay has been brought to my attention that many feel that attention to who is running From the SGA isn’t a “real governfor these positions. It should Editor ment.” To be fair, it does not be a popularity contest, not carry the weight of local and this rings true for all SGA mayor ships, state senate races, argupositions. ably even a local select board, but Before voting for any candidate, it is SGA does represent student interests important to consider: as it pertains to figures in the instituIs this person the best candidate for tion often unreachable by the average the job? student.

What are their qualifications?

SGA also oversees roughly $250,000 What are the pros and cons of electallocated to MCLA clubs, which has ing this candidate? a direct effect on student activities Treat it like you’re hiring someone on campus. It can be the difference for a job, because you are. If they do between a club like SAC being able to not do a satisfactory job, you can fire put on an event like Barn Babies every them with your vote during the next year, or a club like Yorick being able to election cycle. have professional production values in For SGA President, Executive its shows. SGA quite literally has the Vice President, Coordinating Vice power to make or break clubs through President and Student Trustee, these their wallets. election cycles only come once a year, SGA also represents students on the which is why it’s important to spend college’s most powerful group; the extra time with these candidates.

Board of Trustees. This group made SGA can help change the climate of the decision to arm campus safety in MCLA. Learn about the candidates, 2012, and ultimately hired President go out and vote, and we’ll see together Birge. Though there is only one seat, what the 2017-18 school year brings the student Trustee, the fact that us.

CAMPUS NEWS

March 30, 2017

WILDLIFE SOCIETY

Passing the torch

11

The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed to the MCLA community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications department and ad revenue. Single copies are free and additional copies can be purchased at 50 cents each. If you wish to purchase additional copies, please contact a member of staff.

CONTACT INFO News desk number: 413-662-5535 Business number: 413-662-5204 Email: beacon@mcla.edu Website: theonlinebeacon.com Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111 PHOTO COURTESY OF TAYLORJAE TABER

(Left -right) Simone Patrone-lozoff '20 (future treasurer) Kate Nielsen '20 (future VP), Megha Sudheendra '20, Rosie Walter '20 (future secretary), Jordan Teixeira '19 (future President).

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief It’s been nearly two years since current Wildlife Society President TaylorJae Taber created MCLA’s chapter of the Wildlife Society, an international wildlife preservation group. As Taber and others graduate this year, the club is getting ready to embrace a new generation of wildlife lovers.

“We have already elected Eboard positions for next year and are currently working closely with them so they can successfully carry the torch,” Taber said. “Since founding the club in spring 2015 we’ve grown so much and even won SGA awards. I’m super excited to see where the next generation takes TWS but for us graduating seniors on E-board, we are both sad and fiercely proud of its growing interest and continuing accomplishments.”

In October 2015, the club was

CORRECTION Last week, in the features article “Winner of the Second Annual Trailblazer Cook-off,” Dominique StevensonPope’s name was misspelled. We regret the error.

SGA’s “Club of the Month,” during its first full semester as an SGA-affiliated club (Wildlife Society’s constitution was ratified in April of that same year). They also received the Club Organization Excellence from SGA for the 2015-2016 school year (their first full year as an SGA-affiliated club).

The Wildlife Society is now closing out its first full semester with a budget.

“Since this is our first year with a budget we were able to take 17 people to the New England Aquarium and send six people on a behind the scenes tour — all paid for by the club,” Taber said.

“We recently had our annual pizza fundraiser where we made some money and got our name out by including a Wildlife Society sticker with every purchase.

Our club t-shirts came in so our members are looking sharp!”

Next year, the Wildlife Society will receive a $500 increase in their funding, going from a budget of $1,020 to $1,500, with

the club to receive $350 more for trips, $100 more publicity (their publicity budget is set to triple) and $30 for miscellaneous charges, which is reflective of the club’s strong membership.

According to Taber, membership for the club “increases every week,” with an average general meeting consisting of 12 to 15 members.

“At weekly meetings we talk about an animal highlight or watch an interesting video clip, usually educational and funny,” she said. “Then we talk about upcoming trips and events and end with either a fun jeopardy game or my original creation: ‘What The Heck Is That,’ which is a slideshow of about 20 animals ranging in familiarity, where the picture is zoomed in and cropped off. The first team to guess the animal gets a point.

The members have a lot of fun with it because they make their own team names and they have to make an animal sound when they raise their hand to answer,

so hilarity quickly ensues.”

The group plans to join the Environuts in Washington D.C. in the annual Climate March, and are planning to raise money through fundraisers to pay for the group’s expenses.

“We are also planning our second annual field day fundraiser where club representatives or teams of four buy in for $20 and participate in field games,” she said. “There [will be] a bake sale, and each team [will have] their own theme song, [and the] winning team [will] win half of the total earning from the buy-in and bake sale.”

The Wildlife Society will take the first six clubs that sign up.

The group also plans to attend the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary in Lenox, Mass., which has become a member favorite due to its beaver pond. It has become a yearly event.

MCLA’s chapter of the Wildlife Society meets every Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. at Bowman 202.

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EBOARD Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Chapman

Co-Managing Editors Jon Hoel

Sports Editor

Senior News Editor

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Nick Tardive

Features Editor Emily Gabert

Deputy A & E and Features Editor Copy Chief Lauren Levite

For Fall 2017 are now posted right outside The Beacon office, Mark Hopkins, room 111!

Writers Photographers Copy Editors BWN roles Cartoonists

Chris Riemer

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ADVISERS Shawn McIntosh

Jenifer Augur

Young Frankenstein

Photos By Ron Leja Dr. Frankenstein reviews the different portions of the brain and their functions to a group of students through a song entitled, “(There is Nothing Like) The Brain”.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (left, played by sophomore Tim Downs) tries to build the monster’s (right, junior Joseph Sabin) self esteem with an uplifting string of compliments about his strength, manliness and green hue.

Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (left, played by sophomore Tim Downs)and Inga ( right, played by Maggie Winslow) prepare to bring the monster (middle, played by Joseph Sabin) to life with a bolt of lightning.

Dr. Frankenstein, Igor, Inga, and Frau Blutcher are alarmed to hear thunderous footsteps of angry villagers storming the castle.

The jazzy tap number “Puttin’ on the Ritz” has the cast in harmony on saturday night.