December 1, 2011 - Issue 10

Student Newspaper of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Volume 74 Issue 10 For more content, visit us at: theonlinebeacon.com

North Adams, Mass.

Science Center Construction Underway

SGA announces gun referendum time, location

By John Durkan Editor-in-Chief

and Jess Gamari Staff Writer

Photo by John Durkan/Beacon Staff

Construction has begun on the Center for Science and Innovation. Currently, bulldozers are flattening out the construction site. The three-story, 65,000 square foot Science Center will be the first new academic building in 40 years. The project is part of a $54 million project funded by the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management.

The student referendum regarding arming Public Safety will occur between 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. in Bowman Hall on Dec. 6 and 7, SGA Parliamentarian Natasha Dalton confirmed at the Nov. 21 meeting.

Senator Brendan Peltier volunteered to table additional hours until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. so that all students will have the opportunity to vote. SGA President Todd Foy said no decision has been made to expand the time frame yet.

The results of the vote will be presented to the Board of Trustees on Dec. 15, who will make the final decision on whether or not to arm Public Safety.

At the Nov. 28 meeting, Senator Hawa Umarova said the only thing preventing the arming of officers is the campus and com-

Managing Editor

Changes to the 2012-2013 financial aid process have the Financial Aid office urging students to apply as early as possible to ensure they receive assistance during difficult economic times.

According to Carrie Dempsey, assistant director of Financial Aid, a new IRS Data Retrieval Tool will allow students who have completed their 2011 IRS tax return to electronically transfer their financial information directly into their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“This is totally different from what they’ve done in the past,” Dempsey said. “It’s going to

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create less errors because the information is coming right from the IRS.” Dempsey added that using the data retrieval tool is important because it will greatly decrease the likelihood of a student being chosen for verification. During the 2012-2013 financial aid process, copies of federal tax forms will no longer be accepted during verification. Instead, students selected for verification must request an official tax transcript from the IRS. The transcript is free and can be requested online, over the phone, or through mail.

Dempsey strongly urged students to use the data retrieval tool, however, to avoid the five to 10 day wait period for the transcript.

Guns on campus: Yes or no?

Chris Goodell thinks Public Safety should be armed, John Durkan disagrees Opinion, Page 14

“It’ll mean less paperwork they have to get in, which should make it easier for students,” she said.

The MCLA Institutional Application for financial aid will be available after Dec. 15, and Dempsey recommends that students complete it by February. The FAFSA is available on Jan. 1, and the IRS data retrieval tool can be used starting Feb. 1 by students who have completed their taxes. Dempsey urged students to complete their taxes as soon as possible in order to meet the March 1 priority deadline for financial aid.

“The beginning of February, when you have all of your tax information, file those taxes,” she said.

Midnight Breakfast announced Faculty and staff will serve students at the Midnight Breakfast on Dec. 15 from 9:30 p.m. until around 11:30 p.m. in the Centennial Room.

“For those of you who don’t know, Midnight Breakfast is something that is held every year in the Centennial Room, right before finals and it’s just a good time to go eat and hangout,” said Coordinating Vice President Jackie Nash.

Yorick funding SGA granted a total of $3,025 for next semester, short of the SGA, continued on Page 2

The following is an unedited copy of the referendum approved by the SGA Senate on Nov. 14.

Students may vote on Dec. 6 and 7 from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. in Bowman Hall.

Financial aid office releases changes

By Chris Goodell

munity discussions and that they would be armed as soon as possible. However, Student Trustee Jaynelle Bellemore said she was unaware when guns would be implemented if the Board of Trustees were to pass it.

Referendum on the Issue of Arming Campus Police Student Government Association (SGA) December 6 & 7, 2011 To cast your ballot, place an “X” in the box provided next to the statement of your choice. Choose only one or your ballot will be thrown out.

The issue of arming campus police has been discussed throughout the college campus. The MCLA Board of Trustees will now move to vote upon whether or not to arm the campus police. The results of this referendum will be used to convey the student position on this issue.

Based on the college campus discussions and information provided, do you support the arming of the campus police?

Yes, I support the arming of the campus police.

No, I do not support the arming of the campus police.

AID, continued on Page 2

The human ear: a vulnerable organ Mary Redstone examines how much sound is too much to handle Features, Page 5

Index

News World News Features A&E Sports Science

2 3 4-5 6-8 9-11 12

Letter to the Editor Campus Comment Commentary Comic Word Search Photo Essay

13 13 14 15 15 16

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

CAC raises awareness on smoking dangers

By Nicole Knapp Staff Writer

Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) hosted its Great American Smokeout on Wednesday Nov. 16 in Venable Gym from 1-4:30 p.m.

The purpose of the event is to draw people in and bring awareness to the campus about smoking and how it causes lung cancer. According to the American Cancer Society website, although more that 45 million Americans smoke cigarettes, “more than half of these smokers have attempted to quit for at least a day in the past year.”

Stephanie Bush, vice president of CAC, said the event tries to bring awareness by at least reducing smoking if it cannot just be stopped altogether.

“It’s not about quitting cold turkey, but just setting up a plan” said Patricia Deoliveira, a senior and

member of CAC. Bush said that when you walk by people smoking on campus you don’t think twice about it, but the secondhand smoke does increase risk of lung cancer.

“I feel like a lot of people lack awareness on this campus,” Bush said. “I think it’s just important for college students to be aware of the consequences of smoking.”

This year’s Smokeout information table held a variety of pamphlets about smoking and how to quit. There was also a raffle table (the raffle will be drawn Dec. 8), a refreshment table, music, and games, including a kickball game that was planned for the last hour.

Students interested in quitting can contact the Try-to-STOP TOBACCO Resource Center by calling 1-800-TRY-TO-STOP or going to www.trytostop.org. The organization is funded by the Mass. Dept. of Public Health.

News

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MCLA honors workers for career milestones Press Release

MCLA honored employees marking milestone years of service to the College and named this year’s recipients of its annual “Faculty Research Award” and “Creative Project Award” at a “Giving Thanks” reception on Monday, Nov. 21.

According to President Mary Grant, “This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the milestones many of our colleagues have reached in their service to the College, and all that they have done over the years to make MCLA a better, stronger, more welcoming place for students, colleagues, and friends.”

In addition, Bill Spezeski, a professor of computer science, received the Research Award for his paper, “A Keyless Polyalphabetic Cipher.” This award supports any type of faculty research, and may be used for new as well as existing

research projects or inquiries.

Melanie Mowinski, an assistant professor of art, was awarded the “Creative Project Award” for her “PRESS” gallery, which was part of this year’s DownStreet Art initiative. This award category supports those whose scholarship is expressed wholly or in part in creative fields and disciplines, including the fine, performing and applied arts.

Those recognized included employees that have 15 to 40 years of service at the College.

Donald Washburn was honored for his 40 years at MCLA. Those honored for 35 years of service included Robert Bence, history/political science/geography; Gerald Desmarais, administration and finance; Timothy Jay, psychology; and Gregory O’Connor, business administration and economics.

Those marking 25 years of service were Anna Marie Arabia, facilities; Mary Ellen Cohane,

English/communications; Michele Etheir, sociology/anthropology/social work; Patricia Goman, facilities; Glenn Lawson, Freel Library; Mark Miller, English/ communications; James (Seamus) Morrison, administration and finance; Nancy Ovitsky, business administration and economics; Matthew Silliman, philosophy; and Sharon Thomas, history/political science/geography.

Joseph Dzbenski of the facilities department was recognized for his 20 years of service, and Alla Kucher and Scott Nichols were recognized for their 15 years of service in the mathematics and athletics departments, respectively.

Those recognized for 10 years of service included Maria Bartini, psychology; Jennifer Dix, administration and finance; Melissa James, academic affairs; Stanley Spiewak, public safety; and Adrienne Wootters, physics.

“scheduling conflicts” with the Fine and Performing Arts department restricted Yorick from using Venable Theatre.

Bellemore said herself, Nash and Foy are working on a scheduling agreement between the clubs and the FPA department.

the need for faster toasters, because there is not enough time to toast a bagel on the way to class.

Senator Jamal Brown would like to see the cafeteria have chicken tenders every once in a while.

Senate Chair Korinna Dennehey and Senator Nashua Rosa explained that chicken tenders are expensive, and with the all-you-can-eat meal style, the cafeteria would go through a lot of chicken.

“Hamburgers cost between $150 and $200 per meal, while the chicken nuggets can cost up to $800 per meal,” Dennehey said. “It’s not feasible to have all the time.”

Financial aid process SGA allots Yorick funds, talks food changes announced SGA, continued from Page 1

AID, continued from Page 1

To assist students with the financial aid process and answer any questions they may have, the Financial Aid office will have information tables set up at various times from Dec. 5-9 in either the library or outside the cafeteria. (See Financial Aid Announcement for details.)

A workshop will also be held on Feb. 1 in Murdock 108 from 6-8 p.m. for any students who need help filling out their FAFSA. Although few students have attended these workshops in the past, Dempsey said they can be very helpful to students struggling to understand the financial aid process.

“We’ll help them one-on-one complete the FAFSA form,” she said.

Dempsey also welcomed any student with questions to stop by the Financial Aid office in Eldridge Hall. She added that the financial aid process is particularly important given the country’s current financial situation. “[The economy] is not getting any better at this point, so it’s really important to get everything in,” she said.

Students must pre-register to be considered on time for the financial aid process, and rewards will be distributed by the beginning of May.

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT

GET A JUMPSTART ON FINANCIAL AID FOR 2012-2013!

INFORMATIONAL TABLES WILL BE SET UP AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS AND TIMES: Dec. 5: Library 1-3 p.m.; Cafeteria 5-7 p.m.

Dec. 6: Cafeteria 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dec. 7: Cafeteria 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Library 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Dec. 8: Library 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Dec. 9: Library 1-3 p.m.

$5,050 requested by Yorick.

“Granting them the full $5,050 is going to put the SGA in a pretty tight fund squash,” Foy said. “Unfortunately, we have four more supplemental requests coming before the end of this semester.”

Foy explained that the Budget Finance Committee reviewed the budget and decided the club will have enough money for the spring semester, but can come back and request more money if needed.

“We’ve never been off campus until this semester, so this is a new thing,” Yorick President Elizabeth Cardaropoli said. “A lot of this is because we lost our space, and we’re assuming we won’t have it again.”

Cardaropoli explained that

Ice cream station a possibility, frequent chicken tenders not Nash announced that the cafeteria is looking to install a permanent scoop ice-cream station, which would be located along the wall of fountain drinks.

Peltier suggested the cafeteria add wraps to the salad bar so students have another option.

Senator Catt Chaput expressed

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Mascot submission site in works Secretary Jake Powers said that the banner in Bowman Hall that reads “The Search is On,” with a giant magnifying glass is a banner sponsored by the mascot committee. The committee is waiting for Charlotte Degen, dean of Academic Affairs, to approve the website.

Once approved, students can visit mcla.edu/mascot for submission rules.

“We’re not getting rid of ‘Trailblazers,’” Nash said. “Basically, we’re looking for something to run around and be a figure at games.”

The mascot costume will be funded through athletics. Ideas can be submitted to the committee, but must adhere to NCAA regulations.

Stocking stuffers Executive Vice President Stephanie Esposito said 36 stockings for the stocking stuffer program are available at Diane Collins’s office in CC317. The stockings will be donated through the Salvation Army to children up to 12 years old.

Ideas will be included and the intent is to spend no more than $10 in stuffers. They are due by Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. Anyone can participate.

3 Gun issue presents tough Democratic rep. politics for Obama Admin. to retire next year Thursday, December 1, 2011

By Erica Werner Associated Press

WASHINGTON — They are fuzzy about some issues but the Republican presidential candidates leave little doubt about where they stand on gun rights.

Rick Perry and Rick Santorum go pheasant hunting and give interviews before heading out. Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain speak to the National Rifle Association convention.

Michele Bachmann tells People magazine she wants to teach her daughters how to shoot because women need to be able to protect themselves. Mitt Romney, after backing some gun control measures in Massachusetts, now presents himself as a strong Second Amendment supporter.

President Barack Obama, on

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the other hand, is virtually silent on the issue.

He has hardly addressed it since a couple of months after the January assassination attempt on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tucson, Ariz., when he promised to develop new steps on gun safety in response. He still has failed to do so, even as Tucson survivors came to Capitol Hill last week to push for action to close loopholes in the gun background check system.

Democrats have learned the hard way that embracing gun control can be terrible politics, and the 2012 presidential election is shaping up to underscore just how delicate the issue can be. With the election likely to be decided largely by states where hunting is a popular pastime, like Missouri, Ohio or Pennsyl-

vania, candidates of both parties want to win over gun owners, not alienate them.

For Republicans, that means emphasizing their pro-gun credentials. But for Obama and the Democrats, the approach is trickier.

Obama’s history in support of strict gun control measures prior to becoming president makes it difficult for him to claim he’s a Second Amendment champion, even though he signed a bill allowing people to take loaded guns into national parks. At the same time, he’s apparently decided that his record backing gun safety is nothing to boast of either, perhaps because of the power of the gun lobby and their opposition to anything smacking of gun control.

U.S. stands ready to aid Europe

By Julie Pace

Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Monday the United States stands ready to do its part to help Europe with its deepening debt crisis, even as the White House ruled out any financial contributions from U.S. taxpayers.

Meantime, a top European official offered his assurances to Obama and the American people that Europe’s leaders fully understood the magnitude of the crisis. But European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned that decisions on how to solve the economic woes could take time.

The annual meeting between U.S. and European Union officials came amid growing fears

over the future of the euro. Experts say that without drastic action, the euro could be days away from collapsing, a scenario that could cause more financial damage to the already shaky American economy.

While Obama offered no specifics on how the U.S. may be willing to assist Europe, he said failing to resolve the continent’s debt crisis could damage a U.S. economy saddled with slow growth and 9 percent unemployment.

“If Europe is contracting, or if Europe is having difficulties, then it’s much more difficult for us to create good here jobs at home,’’ Obama said at the conclusion of the day-long summit.

While Obama has offered support to his European peers, the U.S. believes the Europeans have

Freed activists vow to press reform campaign

By Barbara Surk Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Seven months in prison for signing an internet petition is not stopping five United Arab Emirates activists from pressing for reforms. Just after they were convicted, pardoned and released, they vowed to campaign for more freedom in the tightly ruled Gulf union.

That the five were arrested at all for taking part in an internet campaign, as opposed to marching, protesting, sitting in at government buildings or more militant activities seen elsewhere in the Mideast, shows how rigid the system of controls is in the UAE, and how determined the country’s rulers are to keep the Arab Spring uprisings out of the oil-rich federation.

The UAE5, as they’re known, want reform, and that could be a recipe for future confrontations.

Political activity is severely restricted in the Emirates, an alliance of seven semiautonomous citystates, each ruled by a hereditary sheik. There are no official opposition groups in the country, and political parties are banned.

Along with at least 130 other Emiratis, the five men signed an online petition in March, calling for constitutional changes and free elections. That led to their arrest in early April.

On Sunday, after being held in prison for almost eight months, the five were convicted of insulting the UAE’s leadership, endangering national security and inciting people to protest.

Then a day later, they received a presidential pardon and were freed.

If the government’s intention by arresting, convicting, sentencing and then releasing them was to intimidate the five, it appears to have failed.

the financial capacity to solve the debt crisis on their own.

But some U.S. allies, including Finland and the Netherlands, have called for the International Monetary Fund to be bolstered with more capital so that it could in turn help stem Europe’s debt crisis from deepening and spreading.

The U.S. is the single-biggest stakeholder in the IMF. And earlier Monday, White House spokesman Jay Carney said the IMF has substantial resources already.

“We do not in any way believe that additional resources are required from the United States and from American taxpayers,” Carney said.

European leaders are set to meet Dec. 9 to discuss next steps in tackling the financial crisis.

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By Bob Salsberg and David Espo Associated Press

NEWTON, Massachusetts — Democratic Rep. Barney Frank announced his retirement Monday effective at the end of next year, closing out a congressional career of more than three decades capped by passage of legislation imposing new regulations on Wall Street.

Frank, 71, won a House seat in 1980 and was one of the first lawmakers to announce that he is gay.

At a news conference, Frank said he had originally intended to seek one more term but changed his mind in part because the state’s new redistricting map will move 325,000 new constituents into his district.

He said he intends to remain active in public policy issues, including defending the socalled Dodd-Frank bill that he co-authored in the wake of the financial collapse of 2008. It was

the most extensive overhaul of the U.S. financial system in decades.

“I think I will find my motives less impugned and I will be able to talk more about the merits,” he said.

In a written statement, President Barack Obama paid tribute to Frank’s “passion and quick wit.” He praised the Massachusetts lawmaker’s efforts to expand affordable housing, defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens and work to enact the “most sweeping financial reform in history.”

Sixteen other Democrats have announced plans not to seek new House terms in 2012, compared with six Republicans.

As chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Frank was instrumental in passage of the Dodd-Frank bill, which contained the stiffest restrictions on banks and Wall Street since the Great Depression.

Occupy Albany protesters jam courtroom and go free Associated Press ALBANY, N.Y. — More than 50 Occupy Albany protesters charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct are walking free from a city courtroom where the Albany County district attorney is keeping his promise not to prosecute nonviolent demonstrators.

After more than 130 arrests over the past month for challenging the curfew Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed to enforce in state-owned Lafayette Park, the challenges and arrests have

stopped over the past week.

Demonstrators say Tuesday they’ve made their point about free speech rights. They’re considering other measures, including a demonstration against foreclosures, winterizing their encampment in the city’s Academy Park and possible occupation of vacant buildings that were foreclosed upon.

They’ve also rallied inside the nearby Capitol for extending the millionaire tax surcharge, which Cuomo opposes, and say they’ll return.

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

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Small class, three big projects

By Skyla Seamans Senior News Editor

Students from sociology professor Susan Birns’ Community Organizing class have been working all semester on three service-learning projects.

These projects include the Hunger Banquet, the “Think Outside the Bottle Campaign,” and a neighborhood organizing class for community members.

“This semester, it was a small class of only eight students,” Birns said. “Six of them ended up working on the Bottle Campaign and two students are planning a class for community members to learn how to organize and advocate for change in the neighborhood.”

Corporate Accountability International, the sponsors of the Bottle Campaign, developed a student handbook for organizing on campus. The students in the class have been referring to the guide for examples of what people in the broader campaign are working on, Birns said.

“This issue also meshed perfectly with a service project the entire class had been working on, the Hunger Banquet,” she said.

“Access to clean drinking water is a growing problem for much of the world’s population.”

Junior Jacquitta Ferguson is one of the students organizing the “Think Outside the Bottle Campaign.” She said the goal of the campaign is to eventually stop the corporate abuse of bottled water, to strongly encourage people to stop buying bottled water and to switch to tap water, which she says is an inexpensive, more environmentally friendly water source.

“It tastes no different from bottled water either,” she said.

“The campaign also seeks to keep companies from privatizing water.”

The view of the campaign is

Photo by John Durkan/Beacon Staff

Students from the Community Organizing class, along with the Native American Peoples, and Culture, Power, and Protest classes, helped organize the heavily attended Hunger Banquet. that water is a human right and not a privilege, Ferguson said.

The class has held a tabling event to advertise the campaign and inform students about its purpose. During that time, the students encouraged their peers to sign pledges promising to refrain from buying and drinking bottled water.

“More recently, we had group members Gina Tatro and Cassie McNeary post facts and pictures about the campaign over water fountains in Murdock Hall,” Ferguson said. “For example, up to 40 percent of bottled water is tap water, and people worldwide spent 100 billion dollars on bottled water in 2005—almost enough to fund the additional 100 billion needed to provide everyone on the planet adequate sanitation and access to water.”

Senior Sara Rogers is another

student in the class who has been working on the campaign and Hunger Banquet.

“We loved the idea of adorning water fountains with eye-catching decorations and facts about the detriments of bottled water and how it affects human beings, animals, and the environment,” Rogers said.

Ferguson said her classmates have also been in contact with administrators on campus to gather more information about how much the College spends on bottled water.

The class also used water bottles from residence areas to build a giant bottle sculpture for the Hunger Banquet. Along with the sculpture, the class held a raffle and handed out pledges as tickets to give students a chance to enter for a reusable water bottle filled with candy.

“We are also hoping to get pledges from the entire Dance Company and possibly provide them with reusable water bottles as a reward,” Ferguson said.

“Also, the movie ‘Tapped’ was recommended to us by a student and is in the Corporate Accountability International handbook, so we hope to educate the campus with this as well.”

Ferguson said she hopes the Bottle Campaign will create more awareness in the community and encourage them to join in on absolving the issue.

“Ideally, we want to stop the sale of bottled water altogether, and instead restore the public’s faith in tap water,” she said. “We can then prevent issues such as water waste and oil use in the production of water bottles, and improve the health of all humans and the state of the planet.”

Birns originally chose these service-learning projects for her students because she knew students’ interest in these topics would ignite. Ferguson said she is pleased with what these projects have turned into and hopes students are taking notice.

“I cannot speak for my other group members, but I would say I am pleased with this project because it is on campus and it is easy to identify with,” Ferguson said. “This impacts not only every human, but the planet as well, and allows us to be creative with educating others about it.

Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”

Junior Kelsey Phifer and senior Cassandra McMartin are working on a separate project with community organizer Wendy Krom, advertising and assisting with the running of a class for members in one particular North Adams area on how to organize their neighborhood, Phifer said.

“This six week course is called ‘Learn to Organize Your Neighborhood,’ which was for the community of Brayton Hill,” Phifer said. “The service learning aspect of the course has really helped bring some of the concepts that we were learning about in class to life.”

Birns has also been in contact with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition because they take part in a great amount of neighborhood organizing in the North County. Her class also attended the Coalition’s October meeting as an exercise in observing the organizing required to run a large, effective meeting, Birns said.

“Although it was not part of their Service Learning,” Birns said, “students have also been following the evolution of ‘Occupy Wall Street’ in cities across the United States, because of the golden opportunity to watch the organizing involved in the development of a social movement.”

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

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How much sound is too much sound?

By Mary Redstone

Features Editor Sound is everywhere, it’s inescapable: your alarm wakes you up in the morning, you talk to housemates and roommates as you get ready, you listen to the professor in class, you might listen to music as you walk between classes, and so on throughout your day. If your ears are such an important part of your life, why would you mistreat them, intentionally or unintentionally? Ear fatigue may not be clinically recognized, and neither is tinnitus, but hearing loss is and they are easily avoidable.

HOW SOUND WORKS At its most basic, sound is made up of waves that oscillate air pressure. The varying pressure is measured in frequencies, and these frequencies can be higher or lower depending on the length of their wave.

When these waves reach the ear, they are amplified through the middle ear and cause the eardrum, hammer, anvil, and stirrup to vibrate. The vibrations are carried further into the ear, causing the small hairs in the cochlea to move and trigger nerve endings in the brain.

The sound pressure level (SPL), or loudness, of a sound is measured in decibels (dB). This is a ratio that increases in multiples of 10. The quietest level (0dB) is near silence. The next level, 10 dB, is 10 times louder than 0 dB, and 20 dB is 10 times louder than 10 dB but 100 times louder than total silence.

Some of the loudest sounds include fireworks (140 dB) and a jet engine (120 dB). While these are incredibly loud, the distance you are from the source greatly affect how loud it really is once it reaches your ears. Fireworks at its launch site may be 140 dB, but viewing them from a distance significantly diminishes the sound as well as the effect it has on your hearing.

Another factor in how your ear perceives sound is whether or not it is prolonged exposure to loud music, such as an hour long rock concert, or a short burst of sound, like a slamming door or a gunshot. A sudden loud noise causes the ear drum to contract and become taut in order to protect itself; too many sudden changes in the shape of the ear drum can cause a perforated ear drum, one of the causes of hearing loss and damage. A sudden loud noise also does not give the ear drum enough time to react, so often the tautening happens a fraction of a second too late.

Mary Redstone Features Editor

Around loud sounds - be careful

TYPES OF HEARING DAMAGE Any kind of damage to the ear, resulting in a loss of hearing, that is caused by an external factor is known as noise-induced hearing loss. The slow loss of hearing as a person ages is called presbycusis and often occurs unrelated to noise-induced loss.

One of the most common types of noise-induced hearing loss is ear fatigue. Prolonged exposure to sound, often at high volumes, can simply tire the ears so they do not hear as clearly. This fatigue dampens the perceived sound to protect itself.

If this occurs when listening to personal music, such as an iPod or in the car, a listener may be more likely to turn up their volume to hear it better, which in turn causes even more fatigue.

This is also what happens after attending a loud concert without any ear protection. If you’ve ever walked away from a concert or a club with a ringing in your ears and everyone sounds slightly muffled or like they are under water, you have suffered ear fatigue.

This usually goes away after a few hours, but continual fatigue can cause the ear permanent fatigue.

The resulting permanent hearing loss effects high frequencies and causes them to become less auditable.

When the ear attempts to protect

Information compiled from seattle-sound.com

The louder the volume coming from an iPod, the less time it takes to cause ear damage. The time also varies depending on the use of in-ear earbuds or over-the-ear headphones.

5

Information compiled from sonicelectronix.com

The louder the noise, the less time it takes to cause ear damage. The time can be altered by distance from the sound as well as using ear protection such as ear plugs. itself from a loud noise it either contracts the ear drum as earlier mentioned or goes through a temporary threshold shift (TTS). The latter is when the ear changes its sensitivity to sounds, moving its threshold for sound higher. Even though the title makes it sound like it is a temporary shift, extensive exposure to loud sounds can make this shift permanent.

Tinnitus, or more commonly referred to as a ringing in the ears, is a more serious type of hearing damage. This occurs when the ear perceives noises that are not really occurring and sending signals to the brain. The noise perceived is usually a buzzing, humming or ringing noise in one or both ears.

This noise varies in volume from a low hum only detected in silence to a volume that can be heard over normal conversation. While 90 percent of tinnitus is caused by exposure to loud noises, it can also be caused by sinus infections, certain medications, or head or neck trauma.

Acoustic trauma is generally less common as it involves a one-time over-stimulation of the ear, not instances such as a loud concert or prolonged use of loud headphones. It usually comes from sources such as gunfire, fireworks, or a large drum hit loudly. It is often caused by a perforated ear drum that pulled itself too taut trying to protect itself.

PREVENTION The easiest way to ensure that

you do not suffer from any kind of noise-induced hearing loss is to be aware of what you are hearing.

If you use an MP3 player that allows you to set a volume limit, do so. This eliminates the temptation to turn it up loud enough to do damage.

This is even more important for those who use ear buds because it limits the distance between speaker and ear drum. With regular headphones, there is more space, and thus more time for the ear drum to react and protect your hearing.

If you are at a concert and are close to the speakers, put in ear plugs. If you do not want to use the large, often times neon colored, ear plugs then it also works to put tissue or napkin in its place.

The amount of ear drum covered determines the amount of protection it has; so, if you have a bit of tissue in that only covers half of your ear drum, leaving the other half of the opening uncovered, then you are only protecting half of your hearing.

If you work around loud noises, for example construction work that requires loud machines, a musician, or an audio engineer, it is even more important to protect your hearing so that you don’t lose your job.

Bottom line is, your hearing is a precious sense, do all you can to protect it. You wouldn’t stick a fork in your eye, would you?

Tinnitus is not something I like to joke about, considering it is something that I’ve had to put up with for the past few years.

Since I’ve never been properly diagnosed with this particular form of hearing damage, I can’t say for sure where it came from.

It’s just as likely that it came from the number of ear infections I have had over the years as it came from being exposed to loud music for years. However, I’m more willing to blame all the loud music.

Now, I’m not trying to hop on a soap box and preach to you the dangers of loud sounds, wagging my finger in your face and telling you to turn down your music.

I’m still just as guilty as anyone else for listening to loud music even now. But, it really is easy to prevent something like this from happening. I just foolishly chose not to.

Both my parents are in the music industry; my mother is a guitarist and guitar instructor and my father is an audio engineer.

If I had $1 for every lecture I’ve gotten from them about protecting my hearing... well, I certainly wouldn’t be in as much student debt as I am.

But, somewhat ironically, I didn’t listen to them. Throughout the two-or-so years that I was in a rock band in high school, as well as being a part of the high school’s Jazz Band, I didn’t use any ear protection. I played all my gigs and rehearsals with my ears only a few feet from the drum set. And, our sets were anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour long. I would walk away with at least a small amunt of ear fatigue every time, but I never changed anything.

Now, if the room I’m in is quiet enough I hear a constant ringing.

Sometimes the room has to be completely silent for me to hear it, and sometimes it is audible over normal conversation. I used to sleep with a white-noise generator playing in order to block it out. Now I just play music, otherwise I can’t fall asleep through the constant ringing.

It’s too late for me to change anything now, and it’s very annoying - both the noise and the fact that I can’t change it. Luckily for me, that is all that is wrong with my hearing. I can still hear all the frequencies a person my age should, and I’m still pretty good at playing music by ear. Unfortunately, it’s taken this long for me to realize stuffing a little tissue in my ears at a gig or concert is worth saving them from getting any more annoying damage.

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Thursday, December 1, 2011

A&E

theonlinebeacon.com

Sam Amidon plays eclectic folk at MoCA

By Andrew Hodgson A&E Writer

Many who have been to Mass.

MoCA have never seen the third floor of the main building. The room is a massive space with the charm of the rest of the museum, fused with the feel of a coffee shop.

Friday night it was packed wall to wall with students from MCLA and Williams College, as well as folk enthusiasts of all ages. With a cash bar and concession stand the space blended the best of both large and small venues, with seating for over a hundred visitors.

The combination of intimacy without the sacrifice of space makes the venue perfect for the eclectic tunes of Sam Amidon.

The Vermont native puts on a show unlike anything most people have seen at a folk rock concert.

Opening with a video of Amidon rowing in a boat and telling the story of a young person doing the same, with a deer as company, just gave the audience a taste of what was to come.

Inspired by Kentucky bluegrass fiddlers and Mobb Deep alike the show was accompanied by drawings, videos, and anecdotes from Amidon. The depth of the performance was shocking com-

New Bedford museum seeks readers for ‘Moby Dick’ Associated Press

Photo by Cara Sheedy/Beacon Staff

Vermont native Amidon played at Mass MoCA Friday as part of their Alternative Cabaret series. ing from the booming voice of a young shaggy man in a tee shirt, jeans, and barefoot, looking like he rolled out of bed ten minutes before show time.

Amidon truly blended old school folk musical sounds with new ideas about story-telling via pictures and music, as well as blending in old songs with his own flair. Throughout the show, Amidon commented on both past and future via the music, but also directly through his stories.

The most surprising element of

the show was how Amidon seamlessly led the audience through the performance. Comedic drawings and a funny story would be followed with a solemn tune. The next number featured a part for the audience to sing along too, keeping everyone on their toes.

Seriousness, comedy and depth, coalesced together by the talents of Amidon himself as well as a drummer/ bassist, gave the event both a complex and simple feel.

Switching between the banjo, guitar, and fiddle, not to mention

a few forays into break-dancing, Amidon put on a set that kept the audience on their toes. Songs about local landmarks like Mount Greylock, mixed with a strong folk presence and energetic stage performance make Amidon a show not to miss.

The next show in the alternative cabaret series hosted by Mass.

MoCA is Stephanie Rothenberg’s mixed reality talk show, Best Practices in Banana Time, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m.

The New Bedford Whaling Museum is calling all “Moby-Dick’’ fans.

The museum is currently seeking readers for the 16th annual “Moby Dick’’ reading marathon early next year.

The readers will get a 10-minute slot in the marathon when Herman Melville’s classic novel of man versus whale is read from cover to cover without breaks. The reading takes about 25 hours.

The Standard-Times reports that the event scheduled for Jan.6 through Jan. 8 has turned into a three-day celebration that includes Melville-related exhibits, lectures, quiz programs and a dinner.

Anyone interested in being a reader can call 508-997-0046, ext.

151, to request a slot.

Online at:

theonlinebeacon.com

DownStreet Art on Ice returning for third year Press Release

Downtown North Adams December 1st 5 pm on...

Dance Company Fall production

Dec. 8th & 9th @ 8 p.m.

Dec 10th @ 2 p.m.

Venable Theatre To reserve tickets give the box office a call at 413-662-5123, or email mcladancecoreservations@gmail.com

DownStreet Art on Ice will return for a third consecutive year, extending this summer and fall’s art events into December with art openings, live music and more in downtown North Adams on Thursday, Dec. 1, beginning at 5 p.m., to be held in conjunction with the city-wide celebration, “Hometown Holidays.”

This year’s events – which are free and open to the public – will feature six exhibition openings, two performances, art deals, art on a stick wandering cart, as well as specials at downtown businesses.

Performances include those by the MCLA Allegrettos, the College’s a cappella group. The students will perform traditional songs of the season at different venues throughout downtown.

The MCLA Jazz Band, under the guidance of local musician and teacher Jamie Choquette, will perform from 6-7 p.m., at 107 Main St. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Patrick Gray will perform on the stage at PUBLIC Restaurant, 34 Holden St. In addition, a Children’s Scavenger Hunt will be held throughout North Adams, Dec. 1-8, as part of the Hometown Holidays celebration.

Clues will be available at Verizon Wireless, I Got Goodies and MCLA Gallery 51 starting Dec. 1, as part of the evening’s events.

Exhibition openings include those at the NAACO Gallery, 33 Main St.; MAYA IV by Jarvis Rockwell, 49 Main St.; “99¢ and up: Art Mall” at MCLA Gallery 51, 51 Main St.; Melanie Mowinski’s installation at

PIP Gallery, 53 Main St.; “Patterns and Pressure” at PRESS, 105 Main St.; and an MCLA student show in the window of 109 Main St. MCLA Gallery 51 Manager Ven Voisey said the event offers a wide variety of artistic holiday gifts for purchase.

“Whether you’re a conflicted idealist, a die-hard capitalist, something in-between, or none of the above, you’ve probably found yourself befuddled by shopping malls and big box stores, and people’s behavior within them, during holiday shopping season. This upcoming exhibit is simultaneously an examination of that phenomenon, and a great chance support the local economy by adding artwork from a selection of MCLA Gallery 51 and DownStreet Art. The gallery will be chock-full of affordable, readyto-be-sold-off-the wall art of a wide variety of mediums priced between 99 cents and $99.”

In the NAACO Gallery, 33 Main St., an opening reception for the exhibit, “Rogue Waves: The Work of Jennifer Smith and Colleen Williams,” will be held from 5 to 8 p.m.

Smith will exhibit fiber collage that combines shimmery thread, beads, metallic paint and bits of fabric mounted onto wooden panels; in addition, she is showing an array of holiday ornaments created using the same materials and process. Williams will show new porcelain works which feature complex surface design on figurative vessel forms.

MAYA IV, 49 Main St., will feature new and old works by North Adams artist Jarvis Rockwell. In addition to

new works – including a new wall drawing – Rockwell has on exhibit his “MAYA IV sculpture and works he created in the 1960s and ’70s.

The PIP Gallery will feature an installation by Melanie Mowinski, MCLA art professor. It consists of a series of hanging silk panels entitled, “Tree of Souls,” that was originally created for and shown as part of the “Festival of Trees” at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield.

“PRESS: Letterpress as a Public Art ” will unveil the new exhibit, “Patterns and Pressure,” featuring MCLA student projects printed at PRESS during the fall semester by students in Mowinski’s “Intro to Design” and “Concrete Poetry” classes.

At 109 Main St.,“Coming up NEXT! MCLA’s Emerging Artists” is a preview of work created by some of the students who will graduate from MCLA this spring.

In addition, artist Marc Mulherrin and Kirsten Warming will return downtown with their “Artsicle” cart.

Artists were asked to participate in the project creating their own “art on a stick,” which will be given away during DownStreet Art on Ice. The cart will be then parked at MCLA Gallery 51 as part of the “99¢ and up: Art Mall” show.

DownStreet Art on Ice also will see the culmination of the Window Decorating Contest. All businesses are invited to participate in this holiday window decorating contest.

Judging will take place on Dec. 1.

Judges will include: North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright and local artist Jarvis Rockwell.

A&E

Thursday, December 1, 2011

theonlinebeacon.com

7

‘Urinetown’ a well-executed hit

By Nora Weiss Staff Writer

You know what’s a shame about Main Stage’s production of “Urinetown”? The fact that the show didn’t open until it was too late to write a review in time for publication.

“Urinetown” was a well-executed musical with talent from our own students. It contained messages to connect social and economic classes through humor and plain old good-heartedness.

Directed by fine and performing arts professor, Laura Standley, “Urinetown” featured senior Jeff Bliss as the hero Bobby Strong and sophomore Melody Rolph as the naïve Hope Cladwell. The two try to balance their love for each other as they are caught between good and evil. The acting and vocal range was something of another planet, putting audience members in both a trance and laughs.

“This was the best MCLA production I’ve seen in a long time,” sophomore Candice Crow remarked.

The play was not only absolutely hilarious, but the show was also relatable to financially-struggling college students and those who consider themselves close to the events with Occupy Wall Street.

The cast even made a last-minute banner stating “Occupy Pulblic Amenity 9”. Very clever, indeed.

Photo by Cara Sheedy/Beacon Staff

‘Urinetown’ was the MCLA mainstage production this semester.

Main Stage’s “Urinetown” brought hilarity to reality with the characters trying to find peace in a world where it’s a “privilege to pee” and everyone’s wallet is empty.

“The whole Occupy Wall Street events coinciding with our show is pure coincidence,” stage manager Sarah Dion said. “We chose this musical last semester because it highlights all aspects of theatre.”

Dion also mentioned this is the first time in many years that Main Stage has produced a musical.

Usually the club Harlequin is the group that presents musicals on campus, but according to Dion, director Standley wanted to go in a different direction.

Evil is relative to “Urinetown,” but what is not relative is the outstanding acting job of junior Jaqueline Coughlin, who played Penelope Pennywise, the jaded warden of the poorest urinal in town, Public Amenity 9. Coughlin kept up a steady German accent not only through two acts,

Gallery 51 to present ‘99 Cents and Up’ Press Release Gallery 51 will launch its annual “99 cents and up” holiday sale event at DownStreet Art on Ice, on Thursday, Dec. 1, 5-8 p.m., in the 51 Main St. gallery. The art will remain on sale through Dec. 30.

“99 Cents and Up” features greatly reduced prices on art created by local and national artists.

A free opening reception will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of a downtown-wide evening of gallery openings and activities – DownStreet Art Thursday on Ice. According to MCLA Gallery 51 Manager Ven Voisey, the event is a perfect opportunity to stock up on unique and affordable gifts. All items can be taken at time of purchase, and gift wrapping will be available.

“Whether you’re a conflicted idealist, a die-hard capitalist, something in between, or none of the above, you’ve probably found yourself befuddled by shopping malls and big box stores, and people’s behavior within them, during holiday shopping season,” Voisey said. “This upcoming ex-

but in song, where her voice carried full and heartily. Coughlin brought a new level to college theatre, creating a beautiful mesh of humor, voice, and sensitivity. Clearly drawing inspiration from “Blazing Saddles’” Madeline Kahn, Coughlin figuratively brought the house down.

Coughlin wasn’t the only breakout star of this show. Junior Thomas Leidenfrost grabbed audience’s attention with his spot-on role as narrator and crooked-cop

Officer Lockstock, accompanied by the ever intuitive Little Sally, played by sophomore Jacquelyn Gianetti. This year’s crop of freshman talent was was well-picked with Ben Balon as Officer Barrel and Courtney McLaren as Soupy Sue taking on ever-needed supporting cast and voices. Casting with Main Stage’s “Urinetown” was strong, something with a force likea hurricane “Urinetown” brought new definition to MCLA theatre, presenting concepts to audiences that gave depth and meaning to the musical. The struggle between getting swept up in corruption, the defining line of good and evil, as well as the question: “Are dreams really meant to be broken?” was highlighted in such a way that those who lacked theatre-watching experience were just as entertained as they would have been had they stayed home glued to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s own political humor.

If you did not get a chance to see the musical, that’s a really unfortunate scenario. Ask one of the lovely cast members to sing for you, or maybe join up with the group for their next performance.

While Main Stage has no plans for the spring semester to bear any musicals, the modern plays the group puts on always appreciates new and curious talent.

Village Pizza 413-664-4134 or 413-664-6889 51 Eagle St.

Open 7 Days a Week Late Nite Mon-Thurs 11am-2am Fri-Sat 11am-3am Sun 11am-1am Delivery Available BLAZER BUCKS ACCEPTED hibit is simultaneously an examination of that phenomenon, and a great chance support the local economy by adding artwork from a selection of MCLA Gallery 51 & Downstreet Art – exhibited artists to the holiday gift list. The gallery will be chockfull of affordable, ready-to-besold-off-the wall art of a wide variety of mediums priced between 99 cents and 99 dollars. Come on

down to the Art Mall!”

Featured artists will include: Ernest Carbone III, C. Ryder Cooley, Gregory Scheckler, Karin Stack, Christina Stott Voisey, and more.

MCLA Gallery 51 is a program of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center. It is at 51 Main St., and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (413) 664-8718.

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Any Large Breadstick or Pizza Offer expires 12/8/11

8

A&E

Thursday, December 1, 2011

theonlinebeacon.com

Shows helping with late fall cabin fever

By Nora Weiss Staff Writer

John Deming A&E Editor

Jungle Work Paul Simon’s declaration of, “Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio” in “Mrs. Robinson” has taken a new meaning.

To be a celebrity in this world no longer constitutes having certain necessary attributes, like being interesting or doing anything celebratory.

A large percentage of mainstream culture is no longer interested in finding the heroic value in the creations or actions of an individual.

Instead, we are transfixed on popular television shows focused on the situational dramas we already have in our own lives, filmed somewhere in New Jersey. Others like to watch dolled-up folks from LA who have been labeled “socialites” throw their weight around. This is what we call “Reality TV.” Reality to some is watching other people’s un-interesting and grotesque lives on the E! Channel, but reality to others is that these unintelligent hour segments of “entertainment” are what media critique Neil Postman would describe as programs that are “amusing ourselves to death.”

One of my heroes, the creative genius (and lyrical philosopher) of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters once said that to be a celebrity in today’s world, “you just have to have that extraordinary lack of imagination that you’re perfectly happy to be known for nothing.” Television is the greatest catalyst of this phenomenon as our progression from Jerry Springer and Maury, to the beaches of “Survivor” to the beaches of New Jersey has progressed over the decades.

Television provides us with thousands of channels, each with its own form of this, and further proves how much trash really floats around in space. Waters refers to reality TV as “the new opiate of the masses.” Television ratings confirm this notion.

I was appalled one day when I checked CBS news online and found a “top 10 creepiest celebrities of the year” poll from E-poll market research in anticipation for Halloween. The usual suspects like Marilyn Manson found their usual place, but the appalling runner up was Casey Anthony. According to this poll, Anthony is considered a celebrity.

Maybe somebody got “newsmaker,” “accused murderer” and “celebrity” mixed up, or maybe our national fixation on child murder that dates back to JonBenet Ramsy (and no thanks to Law and Order SVU either) has spun out of control. Either way, Americans’ morals and attention spans have once again failed: When Bruno Richard Hauptmann kidnapped and murdered Charles Lindburgh’s son, it was indeed it was given national attention, but in 1932, at no point would someone declare him a celebrity. It’s a different world – what is it coming to?

Let’s talk TV. When you’re nestled in a valley with no cell phone service and it snows in October, having a few television shows to turn to is key.

Status updates and Tumblr posts are littered with pictures and quotes highlighting show genres from action and horror, to comedy and slapstick. Let’s go over some of the more popular shows so those of you who seem to lack a weeknight routine can finally hop on the bandwagon.

AMC has really kicked down the door this season with the return of “The Walking Dead.” The show, based off of a comic book, follows the journey of everyday people trying to survive through a scary-good depiction of a zombie infested world. It’s basically the zombie version of “LOST” with fewer flashbacks, but just as much walking through nature. Season two of “The Walking Dead” has thrown us into a world of constant uncertainty where characters continually surprise us. Personally, I have watched very few shows with the character depth “The Walking Dead” projects. Between the multiple storylines, the dangerous zombies, and the mystery of what tomorrow may bring, this show gives us an honest and very well done version of a zombie apocalypse. “The Walking Dead”

Photos courtesy of hollywoodreporter.com

Slacker comedy ‘Workaholics’ and zombie drama ‘The Walking Dead’ have been the cure for cabin fever this fall.

remains one of the more well-developed shows with good writing, acting, and action-packed episodes. The show just had its spinetingling mid-season finale and is going on a hiatus until February, so AMC is giving you a chance to catch up on season two. Netflix also has the epic first season available to watch instantly.

Don’t look to AMC’s other gem “Hell on Wheels” to break down racial walls or bring historical accuracies to your living room every Sunday night at 10 p.m. However, if you’re into cut-throat dialogue, blood, scalping, and rapper Common literally working on the railroad all the live long day, you should give this show a chance.

Hero-slash-Confederate-soldierslash-outlaw Cullen Bohannon gives off that mysterious bad boy charm that never outgrows itself, getting a high ranking job in the corrupt world of constructing the United States railroad on the east

coast in a post-Civil War world.

Between him, the comedic relief of Irish immigrants, and the tough talk of ex-slave Common, and a female lead you can actually root for (she ripped an arrow out her palm and shoved in through the throat of a Native American in the first twenty minutes of the pilot), “Hell on Wheels” has a lot going for it.

“American Horror Story” is a rare type of show for FX to produce, but it oddly fits. This suspensethriller has intense sexual scenarios that leave us puzzled yet slightly curious; the show also has a twisted storyline that’s one of the more engaging on television. The story follows the Harmon family who relocates to Los Angeles to move on from family drama. The family of three moves into a neighborhood of people (or ghosts, we’re still not sure) who all have a connection to the Harmon’s haunted home. Every episode features an-

Tricks of the Trade features county-wide creativity Press Release MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center announces that its “Tricks of the Trade” series will focus on “Reuse of Spaces for Creative Purposes” Dec. 6-8, at three seminars to be held throughout Berkshire County.

Participants will discover opportunities and ideas to utilize existing spaces creatively by turning them into arts venues, galleries, studios or arts organizations. The Tricks of the Trade workshops are free and open to the public, but registration is required.

All seminars begin at 6:30 p.m.

In North Adams on Dec. 6 at MCLA Gallery 51, participants will learn a variety of ways that private spaces – such as city halls, public walkways, hospitals and empty storefronts – may be used. Many of these spaces have the potential to be turned into a creative business, art studio, art gallery or performance venue.

Panelists include the curators of two of North Adams’ private spaces for public art: Diane Sullivan, who curates ART @CITY HALL; and Sharon Carson, who curates the public art program at North Adams Regional Hospital. Also on hand will be representatives from Art about Town and DownStreet Art. On Dec. 7, at Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, the series will highlight opportunities to be found by reusing sacred space, such as vacated churches or synagogues.

other flashback of those who previously lived in the house, giving the Harmon’s home a darker and more complex history. Why do we like this show? In a word, the show is downright weird. Like, it’s really weird. Maybe it’s just me, but there are a lot of “LOST” themes floating around networks these days.

You can catch “American Horror Story” on FX every Wednesday at 10 p.m.

I would never leave Comedy Central out. The station has given us “Workaholics,” but if that’s the company’s only investment for when South Park’s contract is up this season, well… I mean we could do better, but we could do a lot worse. College roommates Blake, Adam, and Anders move into together as they transition into adulthood, sharing a triple cubicle at work where ironic humor ensues. “Workaholics” is a lot like life, where most of it is really overwhelming and unnecessary.

From a group self-pleasure time in the car due to a hot co-worker and hand puppet fights to overcome alcoholism, “Workaholics” is Comedy Central’s “Always Sunny” and “The League.” Only this show has more in-your-face slacker humor, kind of like “Grandma’s Boy” with less old ladies and more sleep-overs in the office. You call it trying too hard? Someone else calls it their 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night ritual (that’s when it’s on, take the hint).

Editor’s Pick

Fall’s finest new releases The holidays are coming, and whether its a present for your folks or something for the ride home, everyone needs some new music. Here is this weeks pick from among 2011’s finest releases

The Who Quadrophenia: The Directors Cut (Reissue)

Photo courtesy of farm4.flickr.com

For this session panelists will include private and non-profit organizations that have transformed former sanctuaries into new developments.

They include David Carver from Scarafoni Associates, Hezzie Johanson from the Contemporary Artist Center in Troy, N.Y., representatives from Minerva Arts Center, and Jessica Conzo from Alchemy Initiative in Pittsfield.

Conzo and the other cofounders of Alchemy Initiative re-purposed an empty church and created a location for sustainable artist studios, urban gardening, events and art/craft workshops. The result was a

place where community members can collaborate and engage with each other.

On Dec. 8, at IS 183 in Stockbridge, the series will focus on an artist lecture and discussion with Michael Oatman, a visual artist who specializes in extensive collage and installation art of a scientific precision and genre. His work is on exhibit at Mass. MoCA. Oatman will speak about his repurposed air-stream trailer installation, “All Utopias Fell,” a fictional take of a solar-obsessed scientist who crash-lands back to earth.

Bringing their own experiences and knowledge, these se-

Genre: Classic Rock Rock Opera

Arguably the finest of the Who’s musical achievments, Pete Townshend’s second rock opera “Quadrophenia” features the bombastic tracklist featuring “The Real Me,” “The Punk and the Godfather,” and “Sea and Sand,” as well as some demos you didnt know existed

Sports

Thursday, December 1, 2011

theonlinebeacon.com

Women’s basketball season kicks off with 2-1 record

9

Start season with back-to-back victories, but lose match with Williams on Sunday night

By Kaitland Hager and Kayla Koumjian Sports Writers

MCLA women’s basketball team has started their season with a record of 2-1. The women won their first two games, but couldn’t come up with the win against Williams College Sunday night.

In the contest, junior Lucy Tremblay scored a career high of 30 points in a losing effort. Tremblay was named MASCAC player of the week for her performances during the Williams game, as well as Becker College.

“Every team has different strengths and weaknesses,” said Coach Holly McGovern. “We go to play each team.”

“It was a really good feeling knowing I had my career high against one of the previous ranked team in the country,” Tremblay. said. “I hope I can continue to bring the same intensity to every game.”

Tremblay also felt the game against Williams was a great opportunity for the team to learn.

“Playing Williams is always a good learning experience,” she said, “because they are unlike any team we will play in our conference.”

Tremblay’s 30-point game wasn’t enough to win the game, but it earned her a MASCAC Player of the Week award. Currently, she is the second highest scorer in MASCAC, quickly gaining ground on Fitchburg’s Amy Fahey.

The other two Trailblazers in double figures were seniors Alie Dobrovolc and Jen Wehner. The duo also led the team in rebounds, each collecting seven.

The game was closer than the final score indicated, MCLA nursed a slim lead for the early minutes of the second half, but Williams ultimately turned it over.

After playing a few games, junior Johanna Miner feels the team is becoming closer. “Our energy is high and we’re very supportive of each other,” Miner said. “We have learned each individual’s way of play. Every person has a different role which helps out the team.”

The philosophy of the MCLA Women’s basketball team is simple: take the season game-by-

Photo by Ian Grey/Courtesy of MCLA.edu

The women’s Trailblazers have gotten off to a 2-1 start on their season. They have been voted most likely to win the MASCAC conference in the 2011 season. game.

“Every team has different strength and weaknesses,” said Coach Holly McGovern. “We go to play each team.”

Three games into the season, the ‘Blazers have done just that.

Finishing Sunday night with a

2-1 record, the women’s team has played each team accordingly, adjusting to fit the pace of play.

There are some things that remain the same no matter the opponent.

The team dynamic is strong. This season, the ‘Blazers have players who can create shots and players

who can knock shots down.

“Our team chemistry is good now compared to the past few years,” Miner said. “Although we have new players, they all have contributed to the team.”

BASKETBALL, continued on page 11

Men’s Basketball drops to 1-4

By Robert Beauchesne Sports Writer

The MCLA men’s basketball team is currently experiencing some growing pains. Over the last four contests, the program is 1 and 3, having dropped a few tough games. With every new season, there is a learning curve.

MCLA is learning on the fly as they prepare for a rigorous conference schedule.

The Trailblazers are gaining experience as they play quality teams in tough environments.

The struggle for wins is especially disappointing after MCLA’s extremely strong season last year, when the team finished with an overall record of 17-10.

However, it is important to note that at this time last season, MCLA had a record of only 2-2.

The Trailblazers are gaining experience as they play quality teams in tough environments.

This can only help the team as they enter the long months of December and January.

The Trailblazers recently competed in the North Shore Collegiate Tip-Off hosted by Endicott College. In the tournament opener, MCLA defeated Suffolk University of Boston 86-78 in an overtime thriller.

At halftime, the Trailblazers had a three point advantage, and eventually pushed the lead to 9 points after a put pack by Richard Johnson, a transfer from Springfield Technical Community College.

The Rams of Suffolk staged a furious comeback and would eventually tie the game at 59.

After a few minutes of back and forth play, Suffolk would edge out to a 70-66 advantage with a minute to play. Jamal Brown hit a layup, and on the ensuing possession Suffolk player Colin Halpin was fouled. Halpin managed to hit one of two free throws to push the Suffolk lead to three.

On the final possession of the game, Vernon Cross hit a dagger three pointer to send the game into extra time.

MCLA would go on to dominate the overtime session. Tyrell Mosley, the talented scorer from Boston, began the late rally with back to back layups. Senior Chris Harris also had a pair of buckets in overtime to push the lead to 8

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff

The men’s Trailblazers have dropped to a record of 1-4 as the season moves on. points.

Suffolk did not have another run left in them, and the final score was 86-78. Jamal Brown had 18 points and 7 rebounds for the victors. MCLA got a tremendous effort from their reserves, with their bench outscoring Suffolk’s 52-8.

In the tournament championship, the Trailblazers took on the home standing Endicott

Gulls. Endicott would race out to an early lead, and would take a 41-34 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

In the second half, MCLA began to make their move. Richard Johnson had a thunderous dunk which made the score 55-50.

Tyriq Rochester made a layup which knotted the score and 73.

The two teams would then trade baskets, with Chris Harris

converting for the Trailblazers.

Lance Greene of the Gulls would break the tie with a layup in the final seconds which proved to be the game winner. John Henault led Endicott with 21 points.

Rochester would lead the team in points with 22. Harris was the only other Trailblazer in double figures, tallying 11 points in total.

Men’s Basketball, continued on page 10

10

Sports

Thursday, December 1, 2011

theonlinebeacon.com

NBA Lockout ends with player/owner agreement Sixty-six game season will commence on Christmas Day, ending an almost six month stalemate

By Brendan Foley Sports Editor

It is all but official: There will be an official season of the NBA. The lockout is over.

The lockout began at 12:01 EDT on July 1st, 2011, the culmination of months of speculation and rumor of dispute between the NBA team owners and the players.

As of this printing, all that is left to officially end the lockout is for the players and owners to ratify their new agreement. This is a mere formality, and for all intents and purposes for the fans, the lockout is seen as being over.

The season has been shortened from the standard 82 games to only 66. Game play will commence on Dec. 25.

This is the fourth work stoppage the NBA has had to contend with in its history. All of the labor disputes have occurred in the last sixteen years of the league. NBA play was shut down for two months in 1995, followed by a brief stoppage

in the following season in 1996.

This particular work-stoppage was particularly galling, as it followed the incredible 2010 playoffs and finals, where the entire nation was swept up in Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Maverick’s going head-tohead with the Lebron James and Dwayne Wade led Miami Heat.

The Maverick’s were considered heavy underdogs going into the Championship series, having been nearly knocked out of the playoff tournament earlier. But the team persevered and emerged victorious.

Noted sports columnist, editor of Grantland.com and author of “The Book of Basketball” Bill Simmons referred to the 20102011 NBA season as “one of the greatest seasons of all time.”

The cause of all this trouble was the Collective Bargaining Agreement that exists between the owners and the player’s union.

LOCKOUT, continued on page 11

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The NBA lockout has been resolved, pending an official ratification of the agreement. Play is planned to resume on Christmas Day.

Men’s Trailblazers struggle for win as season continues

Men’s Basketball, continued from page 9

Harris and Mosley also chipped in with 7 rebounds each.

MCLA played well in both games and proved they can compete away from the Campus Center gym.

MCLA had a few days of before taking on two perennial powerhouses.

The Trailblazers returned to North Adams to take on the Owls of Keene State. Keene wasted no time as the jumped out to a 29-14 lead halfway through the opening frame. In the second half, MCLA would fair no better as the deficit would grow to 24.

For the Trailblazers, Tyriq Rochester and Jamal Brown had 11 points each and Rochester also added 11 rebounds.

MCLA would have no time to recuperate as they would take on Williams College at home on Sunday night. The game did not go well for the Trailblazers as they were defeated handily by Wil-

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff

The Trailblazers were trounced by Williams College on Sunday, 84-59. liams, with a final score of 84-59.

Williams shot the ball incredibly well, going 10-17 from beyond the arc and shot 62 percent overall.

The Ephs capitalized on their hot shooting by taking a 28-13 lead in the first half. Rochester once

again had a solid effort, scoring 14 points and was one rebound shy of a double double. Tyrell Mosley also had 11 points.

MCLA is currently at the bottom of the MASCAC conference record standings, with the lowest record in the conference. They have not yet played any games against MASCAC conference teams, so this could easily change.

MASCAC conference play will not commence until mid-January.

The Trailblazers will next play Renesslaer at Southern Vermont on Fiday night.

Online at: theonlinebeacon.com

Sports

Thursday, December 1, 2011

theonlinebeacon.com

Women’s basketball struggles against Williams BASKETBALL, continued from Page 9

Brendan Foley Sports Editor

Lights! Camera!

Legendary coach takes great player (who has combated racism throughout his life and playing career) under his wing. Legendary coach and superstar accomplish great things. Legendary coach retires, and instead of replacing him, the superstar and his team rally to take the coach’s lessons to heart and coach themselves. After a number of setbacks and turmoil, the team goes on to coach themselves to an NBA championship title.

That is not the plot of an upcoming inspirational sports movie.

That is the true story of the 19661967 Boston Celtics, and how Bill Russell became the first AfricanAmerican head coach in NBA history. It also remains the only time a team has coached themselves to an NBA title.

So where’s the movie?

For that matter, where’s any of the Boston sports movies? Seriously, the city has been attracting film crew’s like flies on sugar ever since The Departed hit, but so far most of the cinematic portrayals have simply used the city as a bland urban backdrop, devoid of any definitive character (case in point: Surrogates).

The only films to even try to give Boston and its surrounding boroughs any sort of identity are almost always crime-oriented or feature a criminal element (The Fighter is a strong film, but the emphasis on Dicky Edlubnd’s drug uses sort of lumps it into the subcategory I’m talking about).

And, look, filmmakers aren’t wrong to use Boston to tell these crime stories. When your city hosted a character like Whitey Bulger for decades, of course, that’s going to get play.

But c’mon, go into Boston and throw a rock and you’ll probably hit someone whose memories of the city are directly tied into the sports franchises that we so celebrate. (Note: do not randomly throw rocks at crowded urban areas. Not unless you absolutely have to.)

There is no better window into the souls of American cities in the 20th and 21st centuries than their sports teams. So much of Boston’s history is writ large in the ups and downs of its sports franchises, that it is amazing that no one has stepped up to the plate and tried to craft a film out of it. (The horrifying racial history of the Red Sox alone is fascinating for how it corresponds to Boston’s own struggle with race.)

So let’s see movies of Teddy Ballgame and Larry Legend. Let’s celebrate the best and worst of Beantown on the silver screen.

Chemistry is very important in college basketball due to the long break between semesters and the time players need to spend with each other on campus.

The team has been practically forced to bond, spending time during games, practices and even during holiday breaks, when the team remained on campus to continue training.

“It’s hard because we aren’t with our family, but we made this commitment and when we are back we are 100% focused and ready,” Miner said.

When asked about what how the team prepares for their best level of play Miner said, “We focus a lot on the little things so they become more natural in a game, which will strengthen us for our conference games.”

“It’s hard because we aren’t with our family, but we made this committment and when we are back we are 100% focused and ready,” Miner said.

It would appear this level of dedication is paying off in a big way as the season prepares to heat up.

Senior Allison Dobrovolc opened the season with 15 points and 7 assists against St. Joseph’s of Connecticut on November 16.

Sophomore Danielle Scolpino had 13 points off the bench in MCLA’s easy win against Becker College. The team is consistent, from starters to substitutes.

Slated to win the MASCAC conference this year following their record-breaking 2010-2011 season, the ‘Blazers might have been feeling the pressure in the beginning of the season. As they

(As of Press Time)

Men’s Soccer framingham salem worcester westfield bridgewater mass. maritime MCLA fitchburg

All

Conf

8-8-3 12-7-0 8-8-2 10-7-1 6-7-3 2-12-1 5-10-1 3-12-1

5-1-1 5-2-0 4-2-1 4-2-1 3-1-3 1-5-1 1-5-1 1-5-0

Women’s Soccer

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon Staff

The Trailblazers are currently tied for second best record with Bridgewater and Framingham.

move into their third week of games, that has changed.

“Everything needs to take place in the moment,” McGovern said.

“That takes the pressure off [the big picture].”

Players on the team were enthusiastic about being picked to come in first.

“Being seeded number one puts a lot of pressure on us,” Tremblay said. “I think it’s a good kind of pressure, but with that we need to prove we are number one in our conference.”

So the team takes it day-by-day and game-by-game and stays focused on each opponent as they step on the court.

Opening the season away at St. Joesph’s, the ‘Blazers fought hard and came away with the 62-60.

Tremblay, named Rookie of the Year in the 2009-2010 season, set up the last shot of the game with thirty-five seconds on the clock and a 60-60 tie on the scoreboard. Finding sophomore Kaitlyn Chenevert under the hoop, Tremblay sent a clean pass in her direction. Chenevert put the ball up right inside the square and with two seconds on the clock,

took the two point lead. It wasn’t the cleanest game, with both teams committing more than 18 turnovers. The ‘Blazers managed to create more chances to score, though, racking up 22 of their 62 points on turnovers by St. Joseph’s alone.

Their second game, away against Becker College, on November 22, showed improvement. Turning over a significantly less number of balls, MCLA pulled away from Becker steadily from the start of the game. At halftime, the ‘Blazers were up 40-22 thanks in part to Tremblay’s solid offering of 13 points.

With almost the entire team contributing in the second half, MCLA pulled away quickly and never looked back. Becker wasn’t able to regain an advantage and took the loss.

This was followed by the most recent Williams loss.

The team will play Bates College on Friday where they hope to make their record 3-1.

“Overall,” McGovern said, “we need commitment to helping players grow and understand what their roles are on the team.”

NBA lockout comes to an end LOCKOUT, continued from Page 9

The cause of all this trouble was the Collective Bargaining Agreement that exists between the owners and the player’s union. The CBA lays out the rules for salaries, contract lengths, schedules, etc. things which are becoming large sticking points as the NBA continues to grow in terms of fandom and revenue.

A mutually agreed upon CBA was established in 1996 to end that lockout, and was updated and re-signed in 2005.

However, there has been word and rumors of discontent from both sides of the players and owners, which led to much speculation and concern that a lockout or player’s strike could occur when the 2005 CBA expired and it came time to decide upon a new one.

This talk was present even in the 2011 Finals tournament, clouding what should have been one of the more triumphant and enjoyable

Standings

11

worcester westfield bridgewater fitchburg framingham salem MCLA mass. maritime

All

Conf

13-5-1 15-3-1 11-7-1 10-6-2 8-8-1 7-7-3 6-10-1 2-13-0

5-2-0 5-2-0 5-2-0 4-3-0 3-3-1 2-3-2 2-4-1 0-7-0

Volleyball All westfield framingham worcester bridgewater MCLA salem mass. maritime

Conf 6-0 5-1 4-2 3-3 2-4 1-5 0-6

15-20 19-13 13-17 8-22 12-21 3-17 0-28

Men’s Basketball All fitchburg westfield salem bridgewater framingham worcester MCLA

Conf

5-0 4-0 4-1 2-2 3-4 1-2 1-4

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Women’s Basketball All fitchburg bridgewater framingham MCLA salem westfield worcester

Conf

5-0 2-1 2-1 2-1 1-2 1-3 1-3

0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0

Women’s Basketball 12/2 vs. Bates 12/3 TBD 12/5 @Johnson 12/7 Union

4 p.m.

TBD 5:30 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball 12/2 vs. Rensselaer 6 p.m.

12/3 vs. TBD TBD 12/7 Brandeis 7:30 p.m.

12/10 @SUNY Canton 1 p.m.

Photo courtesy of Google.com

NBA Commisioner David Strern worked to find a solution to the labor dispute. sequences in NBA history.

The talks between players and owners have had many starts and stalls since the lockout began, but most disputes appear to have been resolved.

The regular season will go from Christmas Day until April 26, 2012. Playoffs will commence on April 28, and the latest possible date for them to conclude on June 26.

Online at: theonlinebeacon.com

12

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Science

theonlinebeacon.com

Scully surveys Berkshire bumblebees

By Skyla Seamans Senior News Editor

Caroline Scully discussed her thesis research on the plight of native bees in the northern county on Nov. 18, which marked the final Brown Bag Lecture of the semester.

Scully is the coordinator of the Berkshire Environmental Resource Center and the chair of MCLA’s Sustainability Committee. She began her Master’s thesis in 2008, at Antioch University of New England. Her presentation was called, “A Survey of Bumblebees in Northern Berkshire County.”

“Bumblebees are part of a larger group: native bees from North America,” Scully said. “Many people think honeybees are native but they were actually transported to America from Europe and South Asia for pollination.”

She said there are 250 known species of bumblebees. Of these bumblebees, 44 species are found in North America and 21 are in the northeast. She debunked the myth that bumblebees are on the decline, saying there is no way to track the validity of this assumption.

Scully’s research was the baseline information for the 2008 international database concerning bees.

“Bumblebees are the most effective pollinators of our crops and plants,” she said. “Unfortunately, there is so little information about the many species of bumblebees and what is known is mostly anecdotal.”

Photo by Will Casey/Beacon Staff

Caroline Scully presents “A Survey of Bumblebees in Northern Berkshire County” at the final Brown Bag Lecture of the semester.

Scully decided to collect different bumblebee species from Northwestern Massachusetts because no one has done this work before.

Her project consisted of selecting 37 open fields in Northern Berkshire towns to collect bumblebees from. Her criteria was that the fields had to be close to roads so they could be easily accessed and she needed to survey a variety of landscapes.

“We need to know what species of bees there are in this area and so many others,” she said. “This was my goal. There also needs to be more research on the habits of

Want to recycle your old electronics? (computers, printers, monitors, cords, phones, iPods, etc.)

Drop off items in:

Mark Hopkins Hall basement from now until Wednesday, Dec. 7 or contact us for a drop-off appointment * We cannot take televisions at this time, unless they belong to MCLA (but you can bring TVs under 33 inches to Best Buy for no charge!) *It is not your responsibility to remove data from home computers (but Good Point deletes all data anyway at the plant.)

Questions?

Contact Caroline Scully, Green Team Chair 102 F Murdock Hall 413 662 5125 Caroline.Scully@mcla.edu

On Dec. 8, Good Point Recycling from Middlebury, Vermont, will pick up and recycle everything in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

Check out their website at: www. retroworks.net

Sponsored by the Green Team (aka Sustainability Committee), Facilities Department and Computer Support Services.

bumblebees and how far they travel.”

Scully spent 30 minutes at each site collecting bees by capturing them in jars of soapy water, which she said is an effective and fast way to gather the bees. She would then wash, dry, label, pin, and identify each bumblebee. She also identified the different flowers the bees were pollinating during collection and the types of fields where they were most abundant.

“My dining room table was once covered with little jars of all the different bumblebees I had found,” she said. “I was able to identify ten

different species in the Berkshire County.”

Scully’s research was completed after two years, but she is still working on the publication of her findings. The most common bumblebee in the area is the ternarius bumblebee, which makes up 42 percent.

The second most common was vagan bumblebees, at 32 percent.

“There are small distinctions between species,” Scully said. “I had to enlist the help of bee experts in order to indentify some of the species I found.”

John Ascher, from the Museum of Natural History, and Rachel Thiet, her thesis advisor, were her main supporters during the project.

“I could only collect bees in sunny and still weather nearing 70 degrees,” she said. “If the weather was not right, the bees would not be in the fields.”

Scully’s lecture also discussed the lifespan of bumblebees. Unlike honeybees, all male bumblebees die at the end of the season.

New queens are the only bees to hibernate, she said. When they come out in the spring, they are the first to feed on spring flowers.

They then locate nesting sites, nurture their larva, and stay in the nest for the rest of the season once the workers have hatched.

“It would be fascinating to do a whole other season of collection to compare it to the results I found during my research,” she said. “It is impossible to predict what to expect and if I would be successful

that day or not. Even when I had a plan, it would completely change once I started collecting bees, but this is true for most ecological research.”

Community member Katherine Montgomery said she knew very little about bumblebees before Scully’s lecture, but now finds herself worrying about their future.

“From looking at the pictures during the lecture, I could see the distinction between the faces of each bumblebee.

This made them all the more special.”

“I am concerned about bees being lost,” she said. “I notice how bees hide in flowers at night or in the cracks on windowsills to try to keep warm. I have become very sentimental about their futures.”

Community member Sharon Wyrrick said she hopes people will be less afraid of bee species and realize that they are gentle insects unless provoked.

“Bumblebees are so diverse,” she said. “From looking at the pictures during the lecture, I could see the distinction between the faces of each bumblebee. This made them all the more special.”

Dr. Leibo to discuss climate change Press Release The ENVIRONUTS in conjunction with The Climate Reality Project will be hosting a presentation on Global Climate Change in Murdock Hall Room 218 on Thursday, December 1 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The presentation will be given by Dr. Steven Leibo of The Sage Colleges located in Troy, N.Y. Dr. Leibo is a professor of International History and Politics with a focus on the relationship between Asia and the West. He is perhaps

better known in the upstate New York region as a long time international affairs commentator for WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

He currently serves as the Climate Reality Project manager for upstate New York and Vermont.

Caught between the trauma of the economic crash of 2008 and short term challenges from revolutions in the Mideast to the impending presidential campaign of 2012, Americans seem to have forgotten that infinitely more existential challenge that threatens our very existence as a community; the emerging climate

crisis caused by humanity having accidentally upset the heat balance of the entire earth. Dr. Leibo will update the audience on the science of man made climate change, the already emerging catastrophes associated with that destabilization, from devastating storms to crop failures and offers a “score card” on the likelihood of humanity successfully navigating our way through this challenge.

If you would like more information about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please contact Jason Brown at jb7701@mcla.edu.

NASA launches super-size Mars rover

By Marcia Dunn Associated Press

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The world’s biggest extraterrestrial explorer, NASA’s Curiosity rover, rocketed toward Mars on Saturday on a search for evidence that the red planet might once have been home to itsy-bitsy life.

It will take 81/2 months for Curiosity to reach Mars following a journey of 354 million miles.

An unmanned Atlas V rocket hoisted the rover, officially known as Mars Science Laboratory, into a cloudy late morning sky. A Mars frenzy gripped the launch site, with more than 13,000 guests jamming the space center for NASA’s first launch to Earth’s next-door neigh-

bor in four years, and the first sendoff of a Martian rover in eight years.

NASA astrobiologist Pan Conrad, whose carbon compound-seeking instrument is on the rover, had a shirt custom made for the occasion. Her bright blue, short-sleeve blouse was emblazoned with rockets, planets and the words, “Next stop Mars!”

Conrad jumped and cheered as the rocket blasted off a few miles away.

“It’s amazing,” she said, “and it’s a huge relief to see it all going up in the same direction.’’

The 1-ton Curiosity – as large as a car – is a mobile, nuclear-powered laboratory holding 10 science instruments that will sample Martian

soil and rocks, and analyze them right on the spot. There’s a drill as well as a stone-zapping laser machine.

It’s “really a rover on steroids,” said NASA’s Colleen Hartman, assistant associate administrator for science.

“It’s an order of magnitude more capable than anything we have ever launched to any planet in the solar system.”

The primary goal of the $2.5 billion mission is to see whether cold, dry, barren Mars might have been hospitable for microbial life once upon a time – or might even still be conducive to life now. No actual life detectors are on board; rather, the instruments will hunt for organic compounds.

Campus Comment

Thursday, December 1, 2011

theonlinebeacon.com

How do you feel about your classes next semester?

“I feel very satisfied with my class selection. I was able to register early because I am an athlete, so I got into all the classes I needed and wanted.”

“I am happy about my class selection next semester.”

- Raj Ishmael, 2015

- Tyshawn McGee, 2014

13

The Beacon

The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed free to the College community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications department and from ad revenues.

Contact information: News desk number: 413-662-5535 Business number: 413-662-5404 E-mail: Beacon@mcla.edu Web site: www.theonlinebeacon.com Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111 Mission Statement The Beacon strives to provide timely and accurate news of campus and local events.

Editorials Policy Unsigned editorials that appear on these pages reflect the views of The Beacon’s editorial board.

“I’m happy that I got all my choices, but dreading the workload.”

“I will be picking all my classes tomorrow. But I am happy”

- Jennifer Jean Baptiste, 2014

- Jay Medrano, 2014

Signed columns and commentaries that appear on these pages reflect the views of the writers.

Letters Policy The Beacon welcomes Letters to the Editor. Deadline is noon on Mondays for that week’s newspaper.

Letters should be kept to 500 words or less and are subject to editing for grammar and content. The Beacon will not publish anonymous or libelous letters.

Letters must be signed by the writer and include a phone number. Letters may be dropped off at the office or e-mailed to Beacon@mcla.edu.

“I’m content with the classes I picked. I got into all of them so I’m happy.”

“I am excited about the classes I chose for next semester and I am looking foward to doing well in all my classes.”

- Jamal Brown, 2012

- James Hunter, 2014

Contributions Policy The Beacon accepts stories, photos and opinion pieces for publication.

Submissions should be dropped off at the office by Monday at noon or e-mailed to Beacon@mcla.edu.

Advertising Policy The Beacon reserves the right not to publish any advertisement it deems to be libelous, false or in bad taste.

Editorial Board

Compiled by Dennise Carranza

Letter to the Editor

W

To Arm or Not to Arm: Is that the only question?

e have all heard the debates for and against arming the campus police. Our campus has been enveloped in an ongoing debate surrounding this issue for what feels like an eternity. We have heard good discussions, thoughts, and feelings around this whole issue. But has it been enough?

As you know, the Student Government Association (SGA) unanimously passed a referendum that will allow us as students to decide how we feel. We will have to go out there to the ballot box and vote on an issue that will affect the entire campus community, as well as the future of this institution. Thus, we need to be as educated as possible.

Yet, I have heard from many of you that there may not have been enough information. Whether because of scheduling or of the manner in which the open forums were conducted, it appears we still find ourselves struggling with the topic. When will the officers be armed if this passes? Is the crime at MCLA high enough to warrant it? How will we gauge the integrity of officers who will carry lethal

weapons? The list of questions I have before me goes on and on.

Well, I’m sorry to say that I have no answers for you. The administration has assured us that they have carried out all the necessary steps to ensure this is the right move for us. Further, they have asserted that they have provided ample amounts of information. I would say that they have done a lot, but have they truly met their “burden of proof ” to us as students? Can we vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on what we’ve been told?

I’m honestly not sure.

So let your uncertainty influence your vote and feed your desire for more information. Ask questions of Public Safety, your administrators, your staff, your faculty, and your fellow students. Do not be silent or complacent. Gather all the knowledge you can and then vote on that. Information provided, or the lack thereof, constitutes the basis for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote in this historic and important move for our institution. I’ll see you at the polls.

Todd B. Foy, Jr. ‘12 SGA President

Submit a Letter to the Editor to MCLA Beacon Mailbox on FirstClass or to beacon@mcla.edu.

Editor-in-Chief John Durkan

Photo Editor Cara Sheedy

Managing Editor Chris Goodell

Copy Chief Ed Damon

Senior News Editor Skyla Seamans

Business Manager Tatyana Gorski

Sports Editor Brendan Foley

Ad Manager Jen Smaltz

A&E Editor John Deming

Web Editor Caleb Hiliadis

Features Editor Mary Redstone Staff Writers

Photographers

Nicole Knapp Andrew Hodgson Jessica Gamari Tano Holmes Robert Beauchesne Kaitland Hager Kayla Koumjian Nora Weiss

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Videographers

Ariana Tourangeau Cartoonist

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14

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Opinions

theonlinebeacon.com

Commentary

Firearms necessary for Public Safety to serve and protect

Chris Goodell

Managing Editor

I

t seems that not a week goes by without the firearms issue being addressed in some way, and for good reason. Being such an important topic, and with the SGA referendum taking place next week, I think it’s time that our opinions be known.

Anyone who read my column in the November 17 issue of The Beacon may have gotten the impression that I am against the arming of Public Safety. This is actually not the case. While I may disagree with some of the processes surrounding the issue, I believe having an armed campus police force is a good idea.

Public Safety officers are fullysworn, and the purpose of any police force is to serve and protect. Let’s face it, we live in a dangerous world, and Public Safety can’t be expected to fully protect the campus if they don’t have the necessary tools.

Some might point to the fact that this is considered a “safe campus.”

Honestly, I do feel safe on campus, but this issue isn’t about what has happened, it’s about what could happen and Public Safety’s ability to respond. Everyone is safe – until a tragedy happens, and for those of you who think something couldn’t happen here, think again. Great Barrington experienced a school shooting in 1992 at Simon’s Rock College of Bard, a small liberal arts college in Berkshire County (sound familiar?).

Others who are opposed to the arming of campus police point to the fact that the North Adams Police Department is fairly close to campus and would be able to respond in a worst-case scenario. According to Google Maps, NAPD is a four minute drive from campus. Taking into account their use of lights and sirens, let’s cut that time in half and assume it would only take two minutes for NAPD to reach campus. Add to that the fact that NAPD officers would be less familiar with the layout of the campus than our Pubic Safety officers, and the response time increases. Two minutes may not seem

like a long time, but during a lifethreatening situation where the use of firearms would be warranted, two minutes could be the difference between life and death.

This brings us to another important point: when is the use of firearms warranted? It seems as though some people are under the impression that armed Public Safety officers would present a risk to students. Police officers only draw their weapons if they feel lives are being threatened, and only use those weapons under the most extreme circumstances. It’s very likely that armed Public Safety officers would never even have to draw their weapons. But at least they would be prepared.

As a student, it is somewhat irksome what funding for the firearms will be coming from student fees.

However, given the fact that student fees seem to increase every year anyway, it’s a fairly small price to pay for properly equipped Public Safety officers.

I’m a safe driver - but I still wear my seatbelt. This may be a safe campus, but we should still have protective measures in place. You never know what could happen.

A different approach to holiday shopping Tano Holmes

Foreign Correspondent

T

hrongs of people crowd the downtown of Heidelberg.

Songs and the sounds of frivolity ring out over the thousands of visitors to the Heidelberg Weihnachts Markt (Christmas market).

The market stretches over six different squares throughout Heidelberg, with vendors selling a wide variety of foods and souvenirs, and cultural items. For example, German candles, Christmas tree ordainments, crystal mobiles and hand made jewelry. “Glühwein,” a hot spiced wine often with rum which is traditional throughout Germany at Christmas time, is served all almost all the food stands, and offered in collector mugs, with painted pictures of the Christmas market.

There are also different events offered throughout the Christmas market, most notably an ice skating rank, which is open every

Tano Holmes writes weekly for The Beacon from Heidelberg, Germany, where he is studying abroad day from the 23 of November to the 23 of December, and is quite cheap, only 3 euros to go skating.

There are also many free concerts sponsored by the Christmas Market as well as individual street musicians and entertainers.

The whole market is a wonderful place to gather, as well as to buy truly special Christmas presents, while supporting small and local businesses and artists.

I wish we in the United States could have something similar, where small business stands could stand in front of major chains and galleries, and the average shopper would stop by the stands first. I wish we had downtown areas that were not just financial centers, where banks and insurance companies show off their wealth with sky scrapers, but also communal places, were the average citizen or tourist could experience and truly live the culture of the city.

Safe campus? Might Editorial as well buy into fear! Clubs need space too

John Durkan Editor-in-Chief

N

APD Commissioner of Public Safety John Morocco said at the panel discussion on Nov. 16: “I don’t know if having officers armed is going to make your campus any safer.”

Well, that’s just swell – the assigned regional expert can’t guarantee that firearms will improve campus safety. To be fair, this campus is extremely safe, according to the Clery Report, a yearly report released by Public Safety that documents crime on and near the campus.

So, why are we discussing the possibility of firing an initial $25,000 and an annual $6,000 out of our sawed-off student-fee shotguns?

Oh right, a June 2008 report to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education titled “Campus Violence Prevention and Response: Best Practices for Massachusetts Higher Education” (look it up at mass.edu) suggests 27 recommendations to every public college and university in the state to improve... well, you read the title. Essentially, this report reacts to the fatal Vir-

ginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings.

Just to be weary: the top-listed contributor of the report is Daniel O’Neill, Founder, President and CEO of then-Applied Risk Management, which created the report.

Point being, people make a living off improbable security risks selling fear, whether its an airport or a state school. It’s honest work, considering that scared Department of Higher Education boards approach them. But a lot of these suggestions sound even more overboard than guns. For instance, this report suggests surveillance cameras (with a suggestion that “wide-ranging benefits” outweigh privacy), door upgrades, bag checks (not in the 27 but mentioned elsewhere), prepared or contracted trauma teams, and emergency signaling capabilities in every classroom. From a different perspective, this report might even suggest that guns are not nearly enough!

(This also raises the question, do we even have enough officers on duty at a time to react to a shooter situation any ways?)

To little or no surprise, the report states the obvious: “Pervasive media images of mass shootings... have raised the specter of serious violence on college campuses...the risk of serious violence on campus is remarkably low, particularly in its most extreme form.” Simply, you’re safe, but be prepared – or better yet afraid – for the worst.

(Also if the report convinces everyone that they’re not afraid enough to throw bags of money at security suggestions you’ll never call them back to do the followup report, and the next infinity of those reports of interchangeable statistics that suggest you’re safe but words that sell you fear.)

In case you forgot, I’ll remind you where I come from in terms of fear: I still fly planes post 9/11, I swim in oceans even though the TV tells me that sharks can rip my head off via dreadlocks, and I still walk around MCLA worry free at any hour of the day even though the Public Safety officers are not armed. And lastly, I regret nothing if any of those things go wrong if it’s out of my control.

Don’t live life in fear, but I digress...

We don’t need this. Public Safety and even NAPD for that matter do a wonderful job already serving and protecting. Caving into fear does not make this campus, or world for that matter, a safer place.

Furthermore, the report says: “It is critical that colleges and universities maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of available resources.”

I strongly agree with this line: instead of spending our money based on a recommendations from a riskmanagement team and instead we look and improve our educational experiences.

Regardless of where you stand, let the Trustees know what you think in next week’s vote. After all, you’re paying for this fear-driven change.

I

n the last SGA meeting a lengthy discussion focused on Yorick requesting extra funds to ensure a space for next semester.

Yorick, as well as other theater clubs, is not a part of the Fine and Performing Arts department, but nonetheless deserves the use of Venable Theatre.

With the budget tight enough as it already is, student clubs have just as much of a right to use campus space as much as the

FPA department. After all, aren’t extracurricular just as important?

Furthermore, how come these scheduling conflicts are arising now? For years the department and clubs were sharing the stage and performing well. What changed?

Also, the on-campus location is also convenient to the student body who pays for these clubs.

Thankfully, the SGA is working towards an agreement between the clubs and FPA. Make it work.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

For Fun

To view previous comics, visit: theonlinebeacon.com/weekly-comics-with-aurora-cooper

theonlinebeacon.com

15

By Aurora Cooper

Word Search: Musicals A CHORUS LINE ALL THAT JAZZ ANNIE BLUE HAWAII BRIGADOON BUGSY MALONE CABARET CALAMITY JANE CAMELOT CARMEN CAROUSEL CHICAGO EVITA FAME FANTASIA FUNNY FACE FUNNY GIRL GIGI GODSPELL GREASE GYPSY HAIR

HELLO, DOLLY! HIGH SOCIETY HOLIDAY INN JAILHOUSE ROCK LA TRAVIATA MARY POPPINS MOULIN ROUGE MY FAIR LADY NEWSIES OKLAHOMA! OLIVER! PAL JOEY SHOW BOAT SILK STOCKINGS SOUTH PACIFIC STATE FAIR SWEET CHARITY SWING TIME THE MUSIC MAN TOMMY TOP HAT WEST SIDE STORY

Word Search courtesy of puzzles.ca

16

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Photo Essay

theonlinebeacon.com

‘Blazer basketball is back!

By Dennise Carranza

The Trailblazers are off to rough start at 1-4, but will look to rebound when they defend their title at the Tri-State Shootout, a four-team tournament at Southern Vermont College.

Senior guard Tyrell Mosley ponders his next move.

Senior forward Jamal Brown works his way to the basket.

Senior forward Connell Brown plays some defense.

Mosley takes a shot inside the paint.