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Volume 83 ◆ Issue 4
Th u r s d ay, O c t o b e r 1 3 , 2 0 1 6
Inside
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Sam Gomez race this Sunday
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The Best of Everything
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Owls defeat Trailblazers
Hardman Speaker to discuss media portrayals of Islam By Harmony Birch Editor-in-Chief
Photo by Domonique Ackley/The Beacon
Senator Ben Downing, center, at his final meeting with the North County Cares Coalition. Downing is not seeking re-election.
Farewell, Sen. Downing By Nick Tardive Staff Writer
After 10 years in politics, Senator Ben Downing has somehow maintained his brutal modesty and honesty. In his final meeting with the North County Cares Coalition (NCCC), Downing and his constituents didn’t pull any punches. The “farewell” was less than that; it was business as usual, as members of the group
brought up their desire for the restoration of a functioning hospital in North Adams- as well as issues regarding public transit and the opioid crisis in Berkshire County. Downing didn’t seem to have wanted it any other way. “I want to thank you all,” Downing told NCCC members, “for continuing to organize and advocate in your community. Even if you don’t see results…it’s important.” Ever the opportunist, Downing
took the objective, middleof-the-road approach during the discussion. He praised the NCCC members for advocating and putting pressure on elected officials and local leaders, while reminding the group that those they are pressuring are people as well – people with good hearts who might not always be able to act or legislate how they might like. Elizabeth Manns, one of the meeting’s few attendees and an
employee at MCLA, expressed complete satisfaction with the work Downing has done as State Senator. She praised his willingness to meet with constituents, even if he had to be the bearer of bad news. As someone who voted for Downing every year since 2006, Manns did not regret her decision at all. The confidence North County’s DOWNING Continued on Page 3
No laughing matter: clowns on campus By Lauren Levite, Emily Gabert, Emma Monnahan, and Reagan Smith Copy Chief, Staff/Features Writer, A&E Writer, and Special to The Beacon
The New York Times reported that creepy clown sightings first began to surface all the way back in August starting in Greenville County, South
Carolina. Residents began to report about clowns trying to lure children into the woods with candy and money. Clown sightings began to spread from South Carolina and have steadily climbed their way up to the northeastern side of the United States, making their determined way into the Berkshires. Time Magazine’s website published that at least
a dozen of states have reported sightings. The Berkshire Eagle reported that the Adams Police Department responded to a clown sighting on the Ashuwillticook Trail, which is a couple hundred yards away from the police station. The officer who responded to the call found no clowns. Social medias like Yik
Yak and Twitter reported a sighting of a group of individuals dressed as clowns at the Cumberland Farms on Ashland Street around 11 p.m. on Oct. 3. Nothing pertaining to the sighting was reported in police logs. A student also reported on CLOWNS Continued on Page 3
Police Chief Daniel Colonno talks on campus burglaries By Mitchell Chapman Managing Editor
According to this year’s Clery report, on-campus burglaries more than doubled in 2015, from four in 2014 to 11 in 2015. Public Safety Chief of Police Daniel Colonno elaborated on these numbers. “Five of the reported 11 ‘On Campus Burglaries’ [in 2015]
were in residence areas and while students often state that their dorms/townhouses were secured, campus police did not find any signs of forced entry,” he said. “Leading to the inference that the rooms were left unsecured by the occupant(s).” In addition, Colonno noted that five of 2015’s burglaries were committed by a single individual,
who stole electronic devices from “unsecured and unattended common areas around campus.” “People are reminded not to leave their valuables unattended and unsecured,” Colonno said. “As an aside this individual was arrested and charged by campus police and the New York State police.” According to Colonno, traditional items ripe for theft
include cell phones, laptops, ocasionally clothing, as well as money and bank cards; essentially anything of value that is portable and easily concealed. Colonno noted that the Flagg townhouses are notably less secure than Hoosac Hall and Berkshire Towers. BURGLARIES Continued on Page 2
In the United States we live in what English professor Zack Finch refers to as a “media bubble.” How often do you think about the lives of people in different countries with different cultures? News and popular Foukara culture is centered in American-centric views and perspectives. “I think a lot of Americans, even if you are fluent in our own media landscape, we tend not to think globally in our media coverage,” Finch said. Abderrahim Foukara is this year’s Hardman scholar. Foukara is the chief of Al Jazeera Satellite Channel’s Washington, D.C. bureau. Al Jazeera is a primarily Arab channel owned by the country Qatar. It broadcasts several channels in multiple languages. Finch and English professor Joseph Ebiware choose each semester’s Hardman scholars. Ebiware describes it as a balance between finding someone students are interested in and someone whose background provides students with information they need. “The ultimate purpose is for students and the community at large to get valuable information about things that occur,” Ebiware said. “We take time to make sure the event is meaningful and relevant to students and the community.” Foukara is host of the show “Min Washington,” a weekly broadcast that focuses on DC and American politics and its effect on the Middle East and Northern Africa. In a time where we risk being uninformed, and where tensions in the Middle East are only relevant because the perceived threats they could enact on American soil, Finch and Ebiware saw a dire need for an unbiased but informed perspective. “Here in the United States the discourse around Islam has been contentious to say the least. The media coverage of Islam tends to be extremely reductive,” Finch said. Ebiware agreed that Foukara’s perspective would give community members a more transatlantic lens. “We wanted to focus on the way media unwittingly plays on influencing the minds of people,” Ebiware said.