The Beacon
Student Newspaper of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, Mass.
For more content, visit online at: Beacon.MCLA.edu Volume 79 ◆ Issue 3
Th u r s d ay, O c t o b e r 2 , 2 0 1 4
VP Charlotte Degen retiring after 40 years
Photo By Osakpolo Igiede/The Beacon
Faculty, staff, students and community members attended a retirement reception for Degen on Tuesday in the Campus Center Marketplace, to honor 40 years of service.
By Juanita Doss Staff Writer
She has a love for students and their success. A love for the MCLA community and love for her job. After 40 years of dedication and hard work, Charlotte Degen, vice president of Student Affairs, will retire on Oct. 10. “It’s such a privilege to work with
people,” Degen said. “We get to change their lives, change the lives of their families and then change the lives of their communities.” Degen studied at North Adams State College during her undergraduate years. She said she was a student employee almost everywhere on campus, including RPS, the cafeteria, and the registrar’s office. She graduated in
1969. Over the course of 40 years, Degen had eight different jobs, which changed almost every five years. In 1975, she was given her first job at MCLA as a grant writer, which later helped her start the Individual Enrichment Program (IEP). Funded through the Federal TRiO Program, IEP gives students a chance to brush up on their skills over the summer before entering school in the fall. The program was a success and continues to thrive today. Originally the IEP included an exercise program, according to Degen. “Workouts were supposed to be every morning at 7 a.m., but that didn’t last long,” Degen said, laughing. Degen ran the morning exercises until one of her students insisted that he would do it. He was more of a morning person than she was and had loads of energy. “I just let him take over. It was great,” she said reminiscing back to that summer day. Today, students are still enrolling in the IEP program and taking courses to prepare them for college classes, minus the morning exercises. In the following years, Degen became the dean of students
DEGEN continued on page 3
The People’s Climate March
Photo by Christopher Johnson/The Beacon
Between 310,000 and 400,000 protesters gather in New York City on Sept. 21 advocating for climate justice.
twitter.com/ MCLA_Beacon facebook.com/ MCLABeacon
New Biology Professor prefers exercise science Herrick hopes to build a platform for exercise and health science News, page 3
Secor to leave MCLA after 10 years
Poet, author Murillo to debut writers’ series By Idalis Foster Staff Writer
This year, the Hardman Special Initiatives and Zachary Finch, assistant professor of English/ communications, are set to debut the Creative Writers-InResidence Series, a new lecture series of creative writers who will be speaking to the students and community about their experience in the field. The series will begin on October 6 and 7 with the first creative writer-inresidence John Murillo, a poet and author. Murillo is an assistant professor of creative writing and African American literary arts at Hampshire College, and has previously taught at New York University. He is the author of the poetry book “Up Jump The Boogie,” published in 2010 by Cypher Books. “[Murillo] came to Dartmouth College where I was teaching three years ago and gave a reading and it was riveting,” Finch said. “He’s a great performer, a great
Photo courtesty of John Murillo
John Murillo, poet and author, will kick off a new lecture series about his experience in the field on Oct. 6 and 7. reader, and I feel like his work deserves a wide audience.” During Murillo’s residency, he will be visiting creative writing classes as well as creative arts courses, giving advanced poetry students personal advice on
MURILLO continued on page 3
“Half the Sky” author to be Hardman Series Speaker Nicholas Kristof will lecture on women and girls’ oppression in Africa and Asia By Juanita Doss Staff Writer
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times Columnist Nicholas Kristof will be presenting his lecture on Half the Sky Thursday, October 16 at 7 p.m. in the Campus Center gym. The Hardman Lecture Series will be hosting this free event, which is open to the MCLA campus and general public. According to the MCLA website, “the lecture series presents indepth discussions with some of the leading journalists of our time and is made possible through the generosity of the Hardman Series.” Half the Sky was chosen as a summer reading assignment by the Hardman Lecture Series committee for incoming students, who work with the book during their first year experience courses. English/communications professor Paul LeSage is on the
committee and says this book was chosen because it is appropriate and fits into what’s happening in the world today. Kristof co-authored Half the Sky with his wife Sheryl WuDunn, who was a journalist for the New York Times. The book focuses on the oppression of women and girls from Africa and Asia, and addresses topics such as sex trafficking, maternal mortality, and sexual violence. “Half the Sky is an inspiring book and its readers will get that too,” said Professor Zach Finch, Faculty Co-Coordinator of the series. Kristof and WuDunn became the first husband-wife team to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism for their coverage of China’s Tiananmen Square democracy movement, according to the MCLA website. Together, they
KRISTOF, continued on page 3
Rugby opens the season News 2-5 with a win at home Sunday Arts & Entertainment 6-7
Johnathon Secor will take a new position as a producer
Trailblazers took the lead 62-10 against Green Mountain College
Arts & Entertainment, page 7
Sports, page 9
Sports Campus Opinion Local Events Photo Essay
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Campus News
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Weekend Weather
SGA honors retirees event for students to share experiences from when President Grant was here.” According to Stolz, invitations will be sent out to students and more information will soon be available.
Thursday, October 2
SGA urges students to take part
By Nick Swanson Senior News Editor
AM Clouds/PM Sun High: 68° Low: 45° Precip. Chance: 20%
Friday, October 3
Mostly Sunny High: 69° Low: 51° Precip. Chance: 0%
Saturday, October 4
Showers High: 61° Low: 42° Precip. Chance: 60%
Sunday, October 5
Members of the Student Government Association (SGA) plan to show their appreciation for members of administration leaving the college. “The next SGA meeting will be dedicated to Charlotte Degen, (vice president of Student Affairs), for all of the great work she has done in the last 40 years,” SGA president Brendan Peltier said. Degen retires on Oct. 10 The meeting will be in Murdock Hall on Monday, Oct. 6 beginning at 7 p.m. On Thursday, Nov. 6 a celebration to honor President Mary Grant is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. “This will be a moment for us to thank President Grant for everything she has done,” Student Trustee Alyson Stolz said. “There will be time designated during the
Peltier said event coordinators for the 59th annual Northern Berkshire Fall Foliage parade, set for Sunday, Oct. 5, will be tabling in the Campus Center marketplace this week to gain volunteers. The Berkshire Chamber of Commerce organizes the event each year and the theme for this upcoming parade is ‘The 100th Anniversary of the Mohawk Trail.’ SGA also supports the upcoming Sam Gomez Road Race taking place on Oct. 19. “The event is being sponsored by intramurals and is free for students to sign up,” Alexandra Kadell, SGA executive vice president, said. Kadell said SGA members that are volunteering will soon receive a list of their responsibilities concerning the race. As of last week there are 12 runners registered for the race, but the SGA plans to put up more flyers and posters on campus to help
with advertising. Elsewhere on campus, SGA recently sponsored the women’s volleyball team by giving out prizes to winners who participated between the second and third set of the game. “It’s a great opportunity to help support the team and to let people know who we are and how we help,” said Stolz. “We will sponsor and show support for others on campus, including athletes, because they are students just like us,” Peltier said. Windsor Lake Update According to Peltier, the Windsor Lake Recreation Commission (WLRC) still has no definite timeline for the construction of the volleyball court it has promised. Half of the project was to be funded through the Sam Gomez Race last year. The other half was supposed to be funded by the City of North Adams. Peltier said SGA will wait one more week before deciding to withdraw the funds if WRLC does not attempt to find a solution. He said one idea to finish the project is to let volunteers build the volleyball court with trained workers during the upcoming Fall Day of Service.
SGA FALL ELECTIONS STUDENT SENATOR Senate Athlete Seat Svetlana Morrell Senate Commuter Seat Bethany O’Neil Senate At-Large Seat Jamie Burdick Lucas G. McDiarmid Lauren Tomaszczuk Ryan Robison Senate Representative 2015 Osakpolo Igiede Senate Representative 2016 Sherley Jules Grace Ngobo Toko Senate Representative 2018 Jennifer Baptiste Rachel Durgin Elsa Rose Mastico CLASS OFFICERS Vice-President 2015 Osakpolo Igiede Lucas G. McDiarmid Vice-President 2017 Bridget Forson President 2018 Matthew L. Fascaldi Meghan DeLuca Vice-President 2018 Lauren Tomaszczuk Secretary 2018 Shannon Esposito Vote in SGA Senate elections in the Campus Center Marketplace from Oct. 8 till Oct. 9.
SGA votes to keep student governance By Nick Swanson Senior News Editor
The Student Government Association (SGA) conducted a referendum electronically last week, asking students if they should have a presence in college governance committees. The referendum resulted in a vote of 57 to 1 in favor of having students serve on college governance, according to SGA President Brendan Peltier. SGA appoints students to sit on certain committees including the All College, Curriculum, Academic Policies, and Student Affairs Committees. If a ‘no’ vote had passed, students would have lost the right to
serve on governance committees completely. However, this was not a conspiracy to keep students off governance committees, according to Sociology Professor Sumi Colligan. “Every time the faculty gets a new contract, SGA needs to hold a vote in order to allow students to serve on [MCLA] governance committees,” Colligan explained. In this case, the new contract will provide easier access for professors to achieve higher standings at the college. According to Colligan, the contract that instigated the vote lets faculty members who are up for tenure and also have the necessary number of years automati-
cally receive promotions without having to go through a separate process. The contract also stipulates the composition of the governance committees and reinstates what the duties and responsibilities of those committees are. According to Colligan, student representation on college governance makes a difference; when students are present they can ask questions, make observations, share experiences, and influence the direction of the vote. “Students need to understand the importance of participating in these committees,” Colligan said. “It’s important because we want students to feel they have a role in
the governance process of the college and that we all should have a say on the policies in which curriculum programs are structured.” According to Colligan, in the time between the contract ratification vote and the student referendum, students were not allowed to serve on college governance committees. Colligan noted it would have been more convenient to have the vote before faculty had the ratification vote, because there would have been no disruption in students serving on college governance. However, she said there is no rule that states the referendum must happen before the ratification vote.
Campus Police Logs The week of 9/21-9/27 Sunday, September 21 ◆ 1:31 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Campus Police Office. The subject was transported to the hospital. Monday, September 22
Partly Cloudy High: 60° Low: 40° Precip. Chance: 20%
Beacon.MCLA.edu
◆ 1:58 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a vehicle fire at the corner of Montana Street and Blackinton Street, near the Boardman Apartments.
The call was completed.
Thursday, September 25
Tuesday, September 23
◆ 5:09 a.m. - Public Safety responded to a call about suspicious activity in the Hoosac Hall Complex Parking Lot. A citation or warning was issued.
◆ 5:19 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a 911 call at the Flagg Townhouse Apartment Complex. The call was investigated. Wednesday, September 24 ◆ 5:22 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a call to jumpstart a broken down vehicle at the Facilities Building Parking Lot. No action was required.
◆ 8:56 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a burglar alarm at the Amsler Campus Center. The cause of the alarm is unknown. Friday, September 26 ◆ 12:38 a.m. - Public Safety
responded to a call regarding an individual disturbing the peace. The subject was issued a warning. Saturday, September 27 ◆ 11:04 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Hoosac Hall Complex. The call was completed. ◆ 11:20 p.m. - Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Hoosac Hall Complex. The subject was transported to an ambulance.
Campus News
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Beacon.MCLA.edu
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Biology prof. focuses on growing health sciences New professor hopes to establish a health science major at MCLA in the future By Isabel McKenzie Staff Writer
New assistant professor of biology Sarah Herrick is hoping to expand the health science curriculum here at MCLA. While looking for a post-graduate teaching job, Herrick was told about MCLA by a friend. She researched the school, liked the intimate setting, and was drawn in by the science center. Herrick received her Masters and Ph.D. from Springfield College, where she was a teaching assistant in the biology and chemistry departments and specialized in exercise physiology. Here at MCLA, she is teaching Anatomy and Physiology II and a
Biology Seminar with a focus on Exercise Physiology for Disease Intervention. “Exercise Physiology was a major that I kind of found by accident,” Herrick said. “It’s been a major that has taken my two favorite things in the world, which is exercise and science, and putting them together. It allows me to validate why being active and being healthier is better for you.” Before deciding on exercise physiology, Herrick was looking to become a physical educator. She changed her mind because she didn’t like the way physical education was being represented at the high school level. Herrick said that exercise science is more of a community ed-
ucation, and she enjoys working with people outside of the school setting to achieve their fitness goals. Herrick is looking to establish some more research-based health initiatives, along with getting a health science major up and running. She said she would love to see an expanded fitness facility and programs such as nutrition support groups or walking initiatives for faculty members. Dr. Ann Billetz, chair of the biology department, said the department is very interested in broadening their health science offerings. “We are excited to have professor Herrick because she expands
our Allied Health expertise,” said Billetz. “Professor Herrick’s research focus is exercise physiology, which is a new field for our department and provides a wider range of research experiences for our students.” Herrick is active beyond the classroom, enjoying outdoor activities such as road biking, running, and hiking up Mount Greylock. She said she loves the mountainous scenery of North Adams, and the quiet town makes her feel at home. Herrick added that she also appreciates down time with movies, music, and books. She said when she’s not teaching or being active, she considers herself a homebody.
Photo By Kaleigh Anderson/ The Beacon
New Biology professor Sarah Herrick is interested in exercise science and looks to establish a health science major.
Degen to retire Kristof expected to leave impact on community such as every student having the opportunity to take part in an internship. She believes that internships can prepare students for success in their field. A chance for every student to live on campus for one semester is another goal Degen hopes to see met. She said it’s important that students really get to know each other. Lastly, she hopes the clubs and organizations will continue to expand, and for students to take what they learned in their courses and apply it in clubs. “I am very confident that the team who is here will continue to strive together. I am confident that the students will invest in other students’ success,” Degen said. Associate Dean of Students, Photo By Osakpolo Igiede/The Beacon Theresa O’Bryant, will serve as Degen addressed the crowd at interim vice president of student a retirement reception in the affairs. O’Bryant met Degen when Campus Center Marketplace on she was an incoming freshman. Sept. 30. From that moment on, Degen was DEGEN a mentor to O’Bryant until she continued from page 1 crossed the stage on graduation became the dean of students day. and then was promoted to vice “When I first met her, she came president of Student Affairs in over and introduced herself with 2013. a big smile on her face,” O’Bryant Degen’s love and passion for said as she laughed to herself. “I horses and taking part in the didn’t think we’d be as close as we horseback riding team during her are now, but I’m thankful to have undergraduate years inspired her met her, and worked for her.” to help manage the Equestrian O’Bryant also said when Degen Program, which is a part of leaves she will have some very big intramurals. shoes to fill. However, she is ready Faculty, students, and staff have to take over and continue the hard been posing with horse stuffed and dedicating work Degen leaves animals and placing toy horse behind. figures on their cars to return the Director of Student love and support, as well as give Development, Celia Norcross, thanks to Degen for all she has has been working with Degen done for the college community. for 13 years and has appreciated For the past five years, she has her leadership qualities. She sees been the advisor of the NEXXUS Degen as a great mentor and step team, as well as their biggest professional. fan and support system. “She’s an advocate for students “She is very passionate about and always finds a way to support the team,” said Captain Timothy their initiatives and enable them Williams ‘17. “I remember when to meet their goals,” Norcross she hired a vocal coach for us said. to project our voices better and It’s a bittersweet moment for breathe in between our steps.” Degen to say her last goodbyes, After 40 years, there are goals but she said she will always have a that Degen still hopes to see love for the students, their success, accomplished after she leaves, and the MCLA community.
KRISTOF continued from page 1
have written three best-selling books. Kristof won his second Pulitzer in 2006 for his columns that focused on the genocide in Darfur. Kristof has also won the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Anne Frank Award, and the Fred Cuny Award for Prevention of Armed Conflict. Events leading up to the lecture will focus on educating and inspiring students. They will be able to ask questions at the close of the lecture and to have their books signed.
Finch predicts Kristof ’s lecture will have a strong turnout with both students and members of the Berkshire community in attendance. “Every person in the audience will be able to take one good thing out of the lecture, gain the information and use it to their ability,” said LeSage. On October 9 at 7 p.m. in the Church Street Center, a panel discussion for Half the Sky will take place. The panelists include Kristen van Ginhoven, co-founder and Artistic Director of the Woman’s Action Movement Theatre, Karen
Photo from Google images
Nicholas Kirstof Cardoza, professor of Interdisciplinary Students at MCLA, and Kiaran Honderrich, a lecturer in Women’s Gender and Sexuality studies at Williams College.
Murillo to spend two days on campus and perform poetry reading at Gallery 51 Poet’s work addresses family history and personal identity in both free and formal verse
MURILLO graduate school and their work, and giving interviews to students in both The Beacon and WJJW. His stay will culminate with a reading of his work at Gallery 51 at 7 p.m., which will be open to the public. “[Murillo’s poetry] reflects the urban experience of someone growing up in Los Angeles, being that he’s from Los Angeles,” Finch said. “The poems are beautifully crafted; sometimes he writes in traditional forms but he also writes free verse, which seem like they might be influenced by hip hop and contemporary music.” The work of Murillo focuses on a range of subjects from love and childhood to the criminal justice system and racial profiling. Finch’s students are reading Murillo’s book in some of his
classes. The series will continue with a visit on November 17 by Polish poet and translator Ewa Chrusciel, who will also be giving a reading at Gallery 51. There will also be a spring semester oneday residency by fiction writer and essayist Catherine Lacey on April 2. “The goal, I think, is to build on this really strong student interest in creative writing and to have events that will give the English department and the Creative Writing program a better reputation in the community as well,” Finch said. This Creative Writers-InResidence series is modeled after the Hardman JournalistIn-Residence series, which has become a popular attraction for students and the North Adams community.
“My idea was to begin cultivating some programming that builds on the interest of creative writing amongst the students, and create some events that expose students to writers who are working in the field, who are publishing actively, whose work is circulating, who are maybe emerging and are just starting to become well known, so we can catch them on the way up,” Finch said. As with the Journalist-InResidence series, Finch hopes to see the series continued in the future and expanded to bring in more guests while keeping the residency portion for both the fall and spring semesters. “Last year was my first year here and when I came in I realized there was no Creative Writing series at the college, so that’s one of the first things that I wanted to
News 4 We’ll call it a revolution when there’s change MCLA students join over 300,000 demonstrators in People’s Climate March in New York City Thursday, October 2, 2014
By Christopher Johnson Staff Writer
NEW YORK — Like at the beginning of a rock concert, rebellious attitudes passed from person to person as they all declared their excitement. A group of MCLA students staked out a patch of asphalt and waited anxiously for the event to begin. But this wasn’t a rock concert; the People’s Climate March (PCM), a large-scale demonstration aimed to influence all the heads of state to adopt new policies for climate change on a global scale, took place on Sept. 21. An estimated 310,000-400,000 people took part in the march from 162 countries out of the world’s 196. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who marched along with Mayor of NYC Bill de Blasio, Mark Ruffalo, Leonardo DiCaprio, convened the Summit. The frustration experienced by MCLA students waiting for the march to get going seemed to symbolically represent the pent-
up anxiety of no one caring and no one doing anything. Everyone both inside and outside the NYPD-enforced perimeter of the march was still unbearably excited to get marching and chanting and demanding justice. Before marching began, a man with a drum strapped to his torso drummed out a simple beat to which several students from MCLA intoned with clapping. A short while later, the march began.
Out of the world’s 196 countries, 162 were represented in the march. Then the group from MCLA and their neighbors in the crowd stopped and started repeatedly. In the meantime, no one could abstain from fawning over the beautiful signage and 3-D portrayals of Mother Earth, seagulls, penguins, and even a vacuum cleaner sym-
Fungus could help agriculture adjust to climate change MCT Campus
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Imagine a world, just a few decades away, where once-fertile cropland is baked and starved of rain by ongoing climate change. Just add fungus. Scientists are discovering that microscopic fungi can help make food crops more abundant, less thirsty and more tolerant of rising temperatures. Now, fungi-boosted seeds from a startup company are coming to market in Kansas and soon will be elsewhere. And one of the world’s leading agribusinesses is deeply invested in fungi and other microbial advances. “It’s a bit of a paradigm shift,” said Brad Griffith, vice president of microbials for the St. Louisbased Monsanto Co. The technology could make a crucial difference, considering the United Nations forecasts a need to increase food production by at least 60 percent to feed a projected 9 billion people by 2050. Griffith said soybean farmers have been using microbials for several years to increase yields, but interest is rapidly growing in ways to help crops withstand heat and salinity. That could make more land arable and help counter the effects of encroaching saltwater. “Climate change has been a major motivator for us in moving forward with commercialization,” said Rusty Rodriguez, a microbiologist and chief executive officer of Seattle-based Adaptive Symbiotic Technologies, or AST. “We’re pursuing as aggressive an approach as we can. We see this as mitigating the impact of climate change on agriculture — until it gets too bad where it’s not going
to matter.” Rodriguez and his colleagues found that certain fungi found naturally in the soil allow plants to flourish under harsh conditions. They discovered this by looking at plants that thrive in Yellowstone National Park’s punishing thermal conditions. Treating seeds allows microscopic fungi to colonize the root systems, conferring those adaptive abilities on food crops. AST says field test results showed corn yields with the seed treatment increased 25 percent to 85 percent under drought conditions using 25 percent to 50 percent less water. “We’re concluding these products will perform irrespective of soil type and climate zone,” Rodriguez said. “There is nothing yet telling us not to move forward.” AST has proprietary treatments so far for corn and rice and is working on soybean, wheat, barley, sugarcane, sorghum, leafy greens, tomatoes and citrus. “We always support the availability of new, innovative products that would help our growers produce their crops in a better way,” said Sue Schulte, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Corn Growers Association. “Until they get out into the real world — that’s when people really start to pay attention to how they work.” “These things have been around for millennia,” Griffith said. “Our science is finally catching up. There are billions of microbes in a teaspoon of soil. But how do you know which ones are beneficial and serve a specific purpose? With our BioAg Alliance we’re trying to make good decisions based on DNA in the lab to identify which product candidates we can get out in the field.”
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bolizing the clean-up of the earth. But these people didn’t come with solely climate justice in mind; they were thinking of justice in a much broader sense. If this wasn’t already obvious from the anti-colonialist and anti–capitalist signs held by the marchers, then their chant of “Hey hey, ho ho! Bank of America’s got to go!” sung in front of an open Bank of America location made it clear. In fact, there will be a large-scale protest in Ferguson, Mo., drawing on the energy of the PCM, on October 10-13. Many Manhattan residents shouted down praise from their apartments or simply held up signs or waved at the marchers. When a moment of silence was held, everyone around the MCLA group held up their hands in the style of the “hands up, don’t shoot” used in Ferguson. When the silence broke, everyone screamed and stretched out their limbs in excitement, and then, unsure if they were screaming as loud as they could, screamed louder. This
Christopher Johnson/The Beacon
Demonstrators carried colorful signs, covering everything from climate change to colonialism. cheering-screaming was the at- but after dispersing and leaving, titude taken at the PCM. This at- many longed to return to a place titude wants the change right now where they had existed amongst and won’t wait for it. Even if it has so many other people for the peto keep waiting, it will demand riod of a couple hours. The sense the same change and more every of direction and energy invested day. in change felt all day is extremely People’s feet were aching by the difficult to express, but is perhaps end and many probably wanted best summarized by one protestto be at the end of the march er’s sign: “Give a s***.”
Bowman set to open June 2015 By Nick Arena
Multi-Media Editor Construction on Bowman Hall moves according to schedule as it inches towards its completion date. The building is set for completion in June of 2015, according to vice president of Administration and Finance James Stakenas. “There are multiple steps that have to be taken and it all needs to be inspected, but we’re on track and we’re on time,” Stakenas said. “Our desire is to be in the building in June and to be able to offer second session summer classes [there]; that way we can give it sort of a test run.” The year-long project is currently in the process of erecting the metal studding in the interior of the building. “Now I’m seeing metal studding in the lowest level on the north side, which means that they’re making great progress,” Stakenas said. “They have to do the studding, all new electrical, all new plumbing, all new ventilation, central air conditioning, and the list goes on and on.” The $15 million project, funded through the $55 million dollar bond that also went towards the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation, went to bidding in February, causing a slight delay. Construction began at the end of the Spring 2014 semester. The new Bowman Hall will house many of the departments
that were in the old building, plus a few new additions, according to Stakenas. “When the building opens up next summer, it will contain an office for building secretary. The math department and the computer science department are moving over, so we’re building into that space a computer science hardware lab and a computer science software lab,” he said. “We’re also having a graphics lab in the building that will be used by multiple different departments, but probably art as well as computer science. Visual arts go back into the space that they were in and the Academic Affairs administration is moving over with the vice president and dean of Academic Affairs.” Stakenas also addressed student concerns over asbestos being
found in Bowman Hall, stating that the College has been aware of its presence since the renovation’s inception, and safe disposal was factored into the cost and time of the project. “[We] knew it was there,” he said. “Every construction project at the state level does a scan to see what needs to come out of the building, and buildings of this era have asbestos. There’s asbestos in the adhesive that holds the tiles down, there’s asbestos in the caulk, there’s asbestos in the insulation, so it was all a part of the plan. It’s not a surprise; it was built into not only the cost of abatement, but in the timeline to remove it in order to keep the project.” Construction will continue on towards the end of the Spring semester.
Photo by Osakpolo Igiede/The Beacon
Construction workers working on the Bowman renovation move wood from a pile on Oct. 1.
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US &World News
Thursday, October 2, 2014
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West Africa pleads for help Hong Kong youth drive protests Rising costs and restricted government fuel dissatisfaction fighting Ebola epidemic MCT Campus
WASHINGTON — The presidents of three West African nations pleaded Thursday for much faster help from the world in battling a deadly Ebola outbreak that has killed nearly 3,000 people and could infect more than a million others in the coming months as the virus continues to spread. “Partners and friends, based on understandable fears, have ostracized us,” Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said at a meeting on the Ebola crisis at the United Nations. “The world has taken some time to fully appreciate and adequately respond to the enormity of our tragedy.” Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma, who took the drastic step Thursday of putting more than a million people under quarantine, said the disease his nation was fighting was “worse than terrorism.” “Ebola as a disease is such that even an hour too late leads to exponential transmissions,” he said. “That is why faster response, of a kind similar to responses to natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes, is required.” The president of Guinea, Alpha Conde, attended in person, while the presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone stayed in their countries and participated by video. The United Nations, through the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank, as well as a number of countries, led by the United States, have pledged to respond to the Ebola epidemic. But they acknowledged Thursday that it hasn’t been enough.
“We are not moving fast enough. We are not doing enough,” President Barack Obama said. “Right now, everybody has the best of intentions, but people are not putting in the kinds of resources that are necessary to put a stop to this epidemic. There’s still a significant gap between where we are and where we need to be.” An estimated 2,917 people have died from Ebola in West Africa, while 6,262 cases have been reported, the WHO said Thursday. Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone have been affected. Liberia and Sierra Leone could see up to 1.4 million new cases by the end of January without stronger efforts to fight the virus, according to a report that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released this week. WHO Director Margaret Chan warned world leaders that the outbreak will probably get worse before it gets better. “This is a fast-moving epidemic that got ahead of everyone at the start and is still running ahead, jumping over everything we put in place to try to slow it,” she said. “We are talking about nothing less than a potential meltdown of this continent,” World Bank President Jim Yong Kim said. The African presidents asked for more treatment centers, labs, equipment, doctors and nurses, additional training for health care workers and logistical support to improve response times, as well as for the lifting of flight bans to and from their countries.
MCT Campus
HONG KONG — Why are so many young people on the streets of Hong Kong, risking clashes with local police and a government that has a history of brutal crackdowns? Part of the answer lies with protesters like Ka-Chai Kwok, 25. A recent college graduate, Kwok said she had few job prospects. Hong Kong rents are so high that she lives with her parents, sleeping on a couch. Unlike her parents and grandparents, Kwok said she felt little kinship with the Chinese mainland. She’s fed up with what her city is becoming. “For our generation, people in their 20s, we were born here and have witnessed the change since the British handover,” said Kwok, referring to China’s resumption of sovereignty over Hong Kong in 1997. “We feel this is our stand. We have to create a space for free speech and away from the threat of the CCP [the Chinese Communist Party].” For the last four days, tens of thousands of protesters like Kwok have taken to the streets, risking tear gas and pepper spray to seek a more democratic system for local elections. Along the way, they’ve exposed a deep generational divide, one that separates young protesters not just from Beijing but also from their prodemocracy elders. “The young people of Hong Kong no longer have the same kind of identification with China as their parents did,” said Sebastian Veg, director of the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China.
A sign strung by protesters in the Mong Kok section of Hong Kong reads, “Fight, protest peacefully. Demand real universal suffrage.” Veg notes that much of the city’s cial place, with a special autonoolder generation lived under Brit- my. We just want them (Chinese ish rule. As a result, they feel more leaders) to keep the promises they attachment to the Chinese main- have made.” land than their offspring. Under a 1984 pact, Great BritTwice a year, the University of ain agreed to return Hong Kong Hong Kong polls a sample of resi- to China in 1997. The agreement dents aged 18 to 29 and another promised Hong Kong residents a group that’s 29 and older. The lat- “high degree of autonomy” under est survey shows that 86 percent of a construct that Chinese leader the younger group identify them- Deng Xiaoping called “one counselves as “Hong Kongers.” Only 62 try, two systems.” percent of the older group idenConstantly glued to her mobile tify themselves as such, with the phone, Kwok has been following remainder identifying themselves these developments closely. Her as “Chinese” or another ethnicity. parents, by contrast, haven’t paid “To tell you the truth, we don’t close attention, she said. They want to be defined as Chinese seem resigned to whatever Beijing people,” said Simon Wong, 24, dictates. one of several protesters inter“We are a different generation. viewed who made similar state- We have the power of informaments. tion,” said Kwok. “We have roots “I am not one of those people in Hong Kong. This is our home. who thinks that Hong Kong can For some of the older people, become independent,” he quickly Hong Kong was seen as a tempoadded. “But Hong Kong is a spe- rary stop to another place.”
Some question people’s conviction that they have a right to online anonymity. “If you really want to be anonymous, stay off the Internet, pay cash and homestead in Montana,” said Paul Santinelli, a venture capitalist with Palo Alto firm North Bridge Venture Partners. “From the day that you buy a computer with a credit card and log onto the Internet, people know who you are.” The backbone of the Internet was created through the federally funded Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, so “Big Brother was watching from the get-go,” Santinelli said. “You sign up for tracking when you use (the Internet).” Yet in the past year, companies such as BitTorrent and Guerrilla Mail — a Chicago-based service founded in 2006 that offers anonymous, disposable email accounts — have won over mainstream customers after once mainly serving tech geeks and rabble-rousers. BitTorrent is on the cusp of tremendous growth, with a surge in users — and, after years of stunted revenue, the promise of more cash from two new products that target consumers worried about government spying on.
encryption tools to protect email, and Apple’s new operating system changes how smartphone data is encrypted, making it tougher for law enforcement to collect. Yahoo also has added encryption to email services. BitTorrent has more than 170 million monthly active users across every country and has added millions more users through two new services: Bleep, a messaging and phone call app, keeps all personal information private and safe from NSA’s mass data collections, according to the company. Sync, released last year, is a file-sharing program that looks much like Dropbox, but it doesn’t use servers or third parties to store or move the data, so it’s inaccessible to everyone but the sender and receiver. Guerrilla Mail, which gives users an email address without any registration or login and deletes emails permanently after one hour, has done nearly half of its business in the past year. And Tor grew from 75 million users in 2012 to 150 million in 2013, after the NSA operation was revealed. In May, Micah Lee, a Berkeleybased technologist with media site The Intercept, who helped protect the Snowden documents
Stuart Leavenworth/MCT Campus Photo
Movement builds to ensure privacy for Internet users MCT Campus
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Before Edward Snowden, the National Security Agency, and Prism made headlines, a group of technologists was dedicated to making the Internet more anonymous. They were viewed mostly as paranoid, weird and potentially criminal. Now, more than a year after revelations of the government’s mass electronic surveillance program, they are leaders in a movement heating up in Silicon Valley and abroad to create more ways for people to use the Internet while keeping private who and where they are, and what they’re doing on the Web. These include email accounts that cannot be spied on, file-sharing services that cannot be traced by the government, and message services that cannot be recorded and stored. “That idea used to sound farfetched. It doesn’t sound so crazy anymore, does it?” said Andrew Lewman, executive director of the Tor Project, an international group of researchers and technologists who maintain an Internet network in which all users are anonymous and their locations are hidden.
Joining the effort are tech giants such as Google, Apple and Yahoo, responding to a backlash from their users over data collection; niche tech companies such as San Francisco-based BitTorrent, which builds software so Internet users can keep their identities and data hidden; and ad hoc groups of technologists from Silicon Valley to Europe. While total anonymity on the highly commercialized Internet, powered by advertising revenue and big data sales, is probably impossible, security experts and tech leaders say that one way or another, anonymity will be a bigger part of the digital future.
“People are saying there was something of value in the anonymity we lost.” “Users are more aware that what they are doing online may not be private, and they are taking steps to combat that, and they are looking to technology companies for solutions,” said Daniel Castro, a senior analyst with the Washington-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
from being hacked, created OnionShare, an anonymous filesharing service that uses fake domain names to protect data. “It’s the pendulum swinging back again,” Castro said. “People are saying that there was something of value in the anonymity that we lost.” Jon Jones said the only way he can do his job these days is through anonymous Internet programs. He runs art teams whose members are all over the world, collaborating to build video games. BitTorrent’s secure file sharing program, Sync, allows him to “poke through” China’s firewall and assure artists that their content is secure. “Even if someone steals my phone or my laptop gets dropped, I can still keep data safe,” said New York-based Jones, who started his art production management company, SmArtist, in 2009. But since the NSA revelations in summer 2013, Jones also has turned to BitTorrent for his personal life. “It changed absolutely everything for me,” he said. “I suddenly realized I have no idea how anything works.”
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Thursday, October 2, 2014
Arts & Entertainment
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Fall Foliage Parade to celebrate community Residents, students to honor North Adams tradition at parade on Sunday
By Nicole L’Etoile
Arts & Entertainment Writer The annual North Adams Fall Foliage Parade will take place on Sunday at 1 p.m. The parade will start near Ocean State Job Lot on Route 8 and continue on to Main Street and Ashland Street. “The parade typically has the same participants each year, but it’s getting more and more difficult to get extravagant participants like we used to due to lack of funding,” Coordinator of Events & Programs for Berkshire Chamber of Commerce Danielle Thomas said. MCLA’s Center for Service will provide t-shirts, food, and transportation to the parade starting at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning. Transportation will leave from Sullivan Lounge in the Campus Center. To sign up, contact Rachel Durgin on Office 365. Spectators can expect to see the same high school bands that always participate, along with the Shriners that have participated in the past. 68 groups and organizations will participate in this year’s parade, which is a jump from the 46 groups which participated last year, according to Thomas. A couple of MCLA’s groups will participate in the parade, including the College’s cheerleaders and
Beacon file photos
The North Adams Fire Department arrives at last year’s Women’s Center. In keeping with the tradition of having important public figures participate, Sheriff Bowler, with his mounted horses and hummer, will attend along with Senator Benjamin Downing, District Attorney David Capeless, and the City Council. “MCLA has the opportunity to shine as a college at this commu-
parade, left, and the American Legion marches at right.
nity event,” Thomas said. T h e r e are typically well over a t h o u sand people in attendance, whether community members, visitors, or MCLA students, according to Thomas. “You go to the parade as a little girl, then you bring your children when you get older, and then you move away and come back for it each year,” Thomas said “This is a
special event that is very traditional to North Adams.” People come from all over the country to see the annual parade. The parade is one of the largest events in North Adams and is celebrating its 59th consecutive year. The volunteer opportunities presented through the parade and its requisite planning are abundant, and volunteers have been lacking in the past
few years, according to Thomas. “Getting involved and getting your hands dirty can be beneficial to anyone, both MCLA students and community members, and it’s a fun way to get involved,” said Thomas. For more information about the Fall Foliage Parade or about how to get involved or volunteer, contact Danielle Thomas through Berkshire Chamber of Commerce.
Netflix spotlight
‘Nymphomaniac’ explores human sexuality By Christopher Johnson Arts & Entertainment Writer
It is very easy to pay attention solely to sex in Lars von Trier’s “Nymphomaniac,” but the exploration of the human condition through a novelistic narrative is almost more interesting. The story is narrated by Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who tells her life story through scenes and chapters from age 5 to age 50. The scenes from her life are not shown chronologically, but rather in a timeline that best conveys her emotional and sexual development and proves why she thinks she is a horrible person. At the beginning of the film, Joe lies unconscious in what might be the creepiest ally in an unknown city. It is extra-twisty in nature and a ghastly yellow light illuminates the falling snow. Gainsbourg has played characters in the previous two von Trier films: “Antichrist” and “Melancholia,” composing with this film what is called by critics von Trier’s “Depression Trilogy.” While “Antichrist” maintains a steady development of psychology within the characters’ minds and “Melancholia” detaches itself from the characters, “Nymphomaniac” tells us an entire life, detailing various
experiences, most of them sexual. The narrative emotion in this film doesn’t come from the pure depression of “Antichrist” or the callous existentialism of “Melancholia,” but from showing an outcast shamed because of her sexuality. Joe, after being cared for by Seligman (Stellan Skarsgård), begins to tell her story to him. Seligman is a reclusive man who often mentions works of literature and music when they are relevant to Joe’s story. In a fashion typical for von Trier’s characters, he starts to hyper-analyze symbols in Joe’s narrative and makes connections to what he’s read. In a bit of irony, Seligman reveals he is asexual and makes the perfect judge for Joe, who feels she’s a horrible person, since he doesn’t fully understand sexual attraction. He is an unbiased judge of character. One element really peculiar to this film is how much like a novel it progresses; it’s told in chapters, and many of the characters’ names are shortened to just letters. Von Trier travels between settings effortlessly; part of the film takes place in Seligman’s apartment, where Joe tells him about her life through purely interior shots, while other parts of the film are actual scenes from her life.
He does this using a blend of techniques, sometimes splitting the screen or shifting to black-andwhite. The camera moves around in the most recent evolution of von Trier’s style, dictated to his cinematographer (Anthony Dod Mantle for “Antichrist” and Manuel Alberto Claro for “Melancholia” and “Nymphomaniac”). This includes an interesting technique of cutting, but staying almost exactly on the same shot. One peculiar shot involves a cross-fade between a vagina and an eye. In “Nymphomaniac,” it’s important to consider violence with regard to sex and lust and whether, in this sense, it’s better to abstain in order to not hurt someone else. The presence of violence against women is impossible to ignore, and what von Trier intended or feels toward this issue is ambiguous. The violence is also extremely brutal and realistic, similar to the domestic violence in “Take My Eyes” (dir. Icíar Bollaín). It would be easy to say the violence makes sense symbolically, since Joe is represented as a Christ figure, but in the film, the violence has no real meaning and is not there to bring up the prospect of social change. It would also be incorrect to say of von Trier what some have said of Ulrich
Seidl’s “Paradise Trilogy,” which is that he hates human beings. The moral quagmire most likely to be overlooked occurs in the chapter called “The Dangerous Men.” Joe begins by approaching an unidentified African man who doesn’t speak English (whatever language he speaks is not credited in film details). In her telling of the story, she refers to him and his brother as “negroes,” which Seligman scolds her for, but she defends her use of it. The only purpose of this scene seems to be for Joe to experience the insecurity of being unable to communicate with her sexual partner. It also plays into the sickening and exhausting tendency to view black men as dangerous. Even if this scene was meant as homage to the lack of communication in Ingmar Bergman’s (one of von Trier’s favorite directors) “The Silence,” it is in poor taste. The film is the best in the trilogy, with “Melancholia” as a close second. This isn’t to say “Antichrist” is not good, but the second two reveal more about how humans act in extreme situations. The movie presents an excellent moral question about whether one can live a good life without sexuality; however, it never answers it.
Photo courtesy of Zentropa Entertainment
‘Nymphomanic’ touches on the human condition through the eyes of a woman named Joe and her experiences with sexual development. The whole trilogy is on Netflix right now. “Nymphomaniac Vols. 1 & 2” were added recently. This version of “Nymphomaniac” runs approximately four hours, but the director’s cut is five and a half and it is a crime that it has been released in a cut version.
Arts & Entertainment
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Secor to leave Berkshire Cultural Resource Center
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After ten years at the College, Secor takes a new position as producer for NYC’s Urban Bush Women By Rachel Fitterman Arts & Entertainment Editor Jonathan Secor, arts management professor and director of the Berkshire Cultural Resources Center (BCRC), will be leaving the College in November. “I’ve been here ten years— longer than I’ve ever been anywhere,” Secor said. “I’ve done some great stuff with some great people, but I believe strongly in the power of change, and the time had come not only for myself, but for MCLA and BCRC as well.” Secor will be taking on a position as producer for the Urban Bush Women Dance Company in New York City, where he is originally from. “New York is home. It’s where I’m from; I grew up in Harlem. I’ve had an apartment there [as a second home] for many years, so I will commute to New York from the Berkshires for a little while, but eventually my whole family will move there,” Secor said. He added that his best memories at MCLA included the numerous people he has had the opportunity to work with. “I’ve collaborated with so many different communities here, from the artistic community, with some really amazing artists both home-
grown and flown in, to the political community, working with the city of North Adams and the mayor, and the business community,” Secor said. “We’ve had a very unique position working directly with the chamber of commerce, as well as local reality developers, and certainly the MCLA community too.” Secor said one of the first things that drew him to the position as BCRC director was the lack of a traditional “job.” “There was nothing there—it was a chance to take an idea, a concept, a vision and run with it. That’s one of the reasons I need to go, because that’s done,” he explained. “It was the ability to create new programs and open an art gallery, develop a professional seminar series, that drew me in. MCLA runs an art festival [DownStreet Art] now. There really was the ability, freedom, and support to create a new artistic entity, and we’ve accomplished that.” Keeping up with Gallery 51 will mostly be maintenance, he said, and he expects the next director will be able to find a balance of sustainability. “I hope that whoever replaces me can build a more solid foundation for BCRC, because right now we do a lot with a little, and that isn’t sustainable. The job for the next director is to decide what
that balance of sustainability is, and how to maintain what we’ve worked hard to create,” Secor said. His love for teaching and sharing knowledge will also follow him into the future. “I’m hoping to find other venues to share what I love with young people, and what I’ve always enjoyed is being able to share what I’m doing,” he said. “I’ve worked with a lot of production companies, and now my students are planning the next MCLA Presents! show, for example. Urban Bush Women has training programs, as well. They have a summer institute and leadership training for young people, and I think that’s one of the reasons they wanted to hire me, because of my experience teaching.” Secor added that of his time here, he is most proud of the College’s up-and-coming role in the arts community. “Now we have the Gallery, and the arts culture that has become so popular on campus. There was no arts program when I started ten years ago, no arts management or art major. None of it was here. Even [MCLA’s] theatre program was their best-kept secret. Now we’re in the conversation nationally when it comes to art,” he said. “I’m not only leaving MCLA, I’m leaving the Berkshires as well, and
Beacon file photo
Jonathan Secor will leave MCLA by the end of the semester. I hope that I’ve done something that has made [the Berkshires] better for the larger community. MCLA is a totally different place than it was when I first started, and if I can say that I’m a part of
WJJW Student Radio Schedule Monday
8 – 10 a.m. Keeping up with Keem with Arkeem Samuel A variety of cultural music 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. Today’s Country with Kaleigh Anderson Today’s top country hits along with some classic songs to start up your day 12 – 2 p.m. Just Jammin’ with Justine Cozza An assortment of jams from JayZ to Jason Mraz that are guaranteed to get you jumping out of your seat 2 – 4 p.m. Rock ‘n Roll with Jesse Collings A selection of rock music from folk to heavy metal across all periods of time and space 4 - 6 p.m. Time Marches On with Tim Williams A wide variety of music from pop, rock, punk and more 6 – 8 p.m. Why Bother with Eric’s Pod with Eric Perez-Fonseca A jumble of oldies, classic and modern alternative rock, and other stuff that will make you question what my iPod is made of
8 – 10 pm NEPP: Not Enough Pop Punk with Emma Monahan You can never get enough of poppunk, alternative and rock
Tuesday
9 – 11 a.m. Americanarama with Kevin Dinon Americana and Jam Band music 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. Alternating Currents with Sean Kelleher A diverse mix of alternative music 1 – 2 p.m. Mass MoCA Radio Hour with Catherine DeGennaro A mix of music and talk – find out what’s going on at Mass MoCA 3 - 6 p.m. FolKenSuch with Ken Swiatek A blend of old and new folk, singer-songwriter, folk rock, and blues since 1996 7 – 9 p.m. The Bucket with Becky, Courtney and Alex Emo, post rock, pop punk, country, and everything in between, along with some laughs and quality conversation, all in one bucket 9 p.m. - 12 a.m. The Vinyl Show with Ryan Walters
All vinyl and nothing else, across all genres - Rock, Classical, Ambient, Pop, Jazz, Jam, Soul, Oldies, and occasionally something new
Wednesday
8 – 10 a.m. Keeping up with Keem with Arkeem Samuel A variety of cultural music 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Random Riot with Celeste Wheelock A random variety of music from today to yesterday, including a Recipe of the Week 4 – 6 p.m. The Edge of Sound with Sean Kelleher A showcase of progressive, unique, unconventional and simply strange music from all eras 6 – 8 p.m. Radio Production Class
Thursday
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Hardcore Wakeup with Jordan Goyette Your favorite hardcore, punk and metal to get you up and moving 1– 3 p.m. The Beat Box with Matthew Osgood Today’s hottest hits along with
a large selection of electronic dance music 4 – 6 p.m. Chill Pill with Nicole Feijoo Chill music to mellow your afternoon
Friday
10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Dope Vibes with DJ S.L. A feel-good vibe of a variety of music, including hip-hop, rhythm and blues and pop 12 – 2 p.m. Rock ‘n Roll with Jesse Collings A selection of rock music from folk to heavy metal across all periods of time and space 9 p.m. – 12 a.m. Metal Heart with Micky Non-mainstream, off-the-wall, melodic and obscure metal/rock from the past and present
that change, then I’m proud. I’m also leaving behind some pretty big murals [from DownStreet Art] so now it’s hard not to see art in North Adams, which I’d say is a pretty good legacy.”
Sunday
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Ry-Guy Polka Time with Ryan Pause Get your Polka dancing shoes on and get ready to Roll out the Barrel, and don’t worry about Who Stole The Kishka 2 – 5 p.m. The Sunday Shuffle with Aryel Brosnan Featuring a mix of music from the 1960s to today, across various genres and artists, with a themed show on the first Sunday of the month 5 – 8 p.m. Sound Soup with James Swinchoski A melting pot of auditory waves from all genres and dimensions. Embrace whatever weirdness or normality lies within the bowl of your speakers!
Saturday
10 a.m. - 12 p.m. The Country Music Show with Jerry Tyler 9 p.m. – 12 a.m. Recognize Rap Radio with Matt Aceto Globalizing the hottest music from hip-hop’s current and future stars
Listen now at 91.1 FM or online at mcla. edu/wjjw
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Sports
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Fair territory
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Women’s Soccer falls to Salem State By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
Silence the critic By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
When ESPN announced they were going to suspend Bill Simmons for his harsh criticism of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, they did so under the guise that Simmons was “daring” them to do it. Simmons, in an animated rant on his podcast, condemned the commissioner for his lack of transparency during his handling of the Ray Rice situation. Simmons finished off his rant with some parting words for ESPN executives. “I really hope somebody calls me or emails me and says I’m in trouble for anything I say about Roger Goodell, because if one person says that to me, I’m going public,” Simmons said. “You leave me alone. The commissioner’s a liar and I get to talk about that on my podcast.” ESPN certainly responded, slapping Simmons with a three week suspension from all media activities. ESPN released a statement that says they expect all members of their editorial operations to work under journalistic standards set up by ESPN, and Simmons did not meet those expectations. Basically, Simmons and his opinions on Goodell were too abrasive for ESPN’s management, and I’m sure they didn’t enjoy Simmons’s challenge of their authority. The problem is, Simmons has become one of, if not the most, prominent personality associated with ESPN. He has reached that lofty status by coming across as a regular sports fan that puts his feelings into his columns. Simmons has taken harsh stances on many issues, but most of them don’t result in any disciplinary actions. This time, Simmons didn’t insult just anybody, he insulted ESPN’s biggest business partner, one they paid $15.2 billion to broadcast Monday Night Football. Never once in his rant did Simmons insult ESPN, his actual boss. In fact, he praised the work of many of his colleagues, especially the work by newsmagazine Outside the Lines. But because Simmons insulted the NFL, ESPN was obligated to do something about it. ESPN is by far the largest entity in sports media, and they have a responsibility to protect journalistic ethics. Suspending a top talent for doing something they are paid to do because a corporate sponsor gets its feathers ruffled is an example of everything that is wrong with major news reporting today.
The women’s soccer team let in a goal early and was unable to recover, losing at home to MASCAC rival Salem State on Saturday, 4-0. The win dropped the Trailblazers down to 2-6-1 on the season, and 0-2 in conference play. Salem State improved to 4-12 on the season, and is undefeated in MASCAC play so far with a 2-0 record. Salem got going early, as junior defender Leah Wood received a pass from junior Amy Griffith and lofted a shot over the head of MCLA goalkeeper Katy Daly to put Salem ahead 1-0, in the 7th minute. Not long after in the 18th minute, Wood found senior forward CeCelia Cresta-Davis on a long pass, and Davis beat a diving Daly to put Salem ahead, 2-0. Junior Kelly Birchmore added a third goal in the 24th minute, and senior Katelyn Krish would add another in the second half to secure the victory for the Vikings. After falling to Worcester State 4-0 on September 20, the Blazers are now up for what is sure to be a
Photo by Jesse Collings/The Beacon
Junior Alexi Anderson has supplied a big offensive boost for the Trailblazers’ struggling offense in their game against SUNYIT last Wednesday.
very competitive season in MASCAC play. “It isn’t for a lack of trying. Our players work so hard in practice and during the games. We know we can do better,” head coach Deb Rabor said. “I think we are twothirds of the way there, it is just that final third of the game that we need to execute better.” The Blazers did earn their second victory of the season, defeating a visiting SUNY Institute of Technology last Wednesday, 1-0. The two teams were locked at 0-0 until the 70th minute, when freshman Courtney Hayer delivered a beautiful cross into the box, which was collected by sophomore Jackie Dwyer, who put it away to give MCLA the lead. “We changed our formation a bit and I thought that really helped,” Raber said. “[junior defender] Alexi Anderson was up more on offense, and she did a great job today.” The Blazers are back in action on Saturday, as they host MASCAC rival Fitchburg State. The game will be at the Zavattaro Athetlic Complex, and begins at 1 p.m.
Women’s Tennis finishes week 1-1 By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
The tennis team dropped its fifth match of the season, falling to the Univeristy of St. Joseph on Monday in non-conference play, 5-3. The loss brought MCLA down to 5-5 on the season. St. Joseph took the advantage in doubles competition, winning two of the three matches. MCLA’s lone victory was thanks to Mariza Sfakianki and Emily Deaso, who won their contest 8-2. In singles action, Sarah Mikutowicz and Sarah Murphy each won in the top two slots for MCLA. However, St. Joseph’s retaliated when Lisa Wawrzynowski defeated Sfakiani and Emely Chenard defeated Deaso in two very close battles matches. A third close match, between MCLA’s Rebecca Waterhouse and USJ’s Serena Sundara, was nullified and ruled incomplete due to darkness. USJ sealed the victory when Tara
Smith defeated MCLA’s freshman Anna Despart, 6-1, 6-0. The team picked up its third conference victory on Saturday, winning a hard fought game at home, defeating Thomas College 6-3. The victory brought MCLA’s record in NAC play to 3-1 on the season. In doubles action, Thomas took the number one match, pairing sophomore Lindsey Allen with senior Jessica Bowen, who defeated MCLA’s duo of senior Sarah Murphy and freshman Sarah Mikutowicz, 8-2. The Trailblazers rebounded, however, as the teams of freshmen Mariza Sfakianki and Emily Deaso, and sophomore Rebecca Waterhouse and junior Ama Adwetewa-Badu, both won their doubles matches, 8-5. In singles play, Thomas again took the number one match, as Bowen dispatched Mikutowicz, 6-1, 6-1. MCLA bounced back, as Murphy defeated Allen in the number two slot. Murphy dropped the first set, 1-6, but recovered, winning the next two
sets, 6-2 and 6-4. Murphy talked about rallying back and taking the match, and receiving some helpful advice. “I did lose confidence. I was upset at first, and I allowed myself to feel that way. But I got it out of my system before starting my second set. I kept saying to myself: You lost the first set, it sucks, but it’s over and there’s nothing you can do but adjust,” Murphy said. “Before starting my second set (tennis assistant) Jerel Dydowicz came up to me and told me my opponent was a great net player, but couldn’t return lobs. My whole second set consisted of dropping the ball really short to bring her to the net, and lobbing it over her so she couldn’t hit it back. I adjusted.” “Jerel Dydowicz works for Aramark; he’s an incredible tennis player. He comes up to our practices to help us out and he came to our Thomas match to help as well and to give all of us some advice” Murphy said. Sfakianki took part in a match
that nearly mirrored Murphy’s match in the third slot. Sfakianki squared off against Thomas senior Dalia Williams, who took the first set 6-2. However, like Murphy, Sfakianki rallied to win the next two sets, 6-4, 6-2, and take the match. Waterhouse and Deaso also claimed victories in singles play, ensuring the College’s victory. After a difficult campaign last season, Waterhouse talked about the team’s success this season. “Having the team as a whole play so well in our conference matches and support each other unconditionally feels like our biggest success,” Waterhouse said. “We’ve all improved a lot since last year and I’m excited to see where we are able to go from here.” The team wraps up its regular season this week. They host Anna Maria today at 3 p.m., and finish up NAC play at home on Saturday, taking on Johnson State at 1 p.m. They will close out their regular season on Sunday, when they travel to Colby-Sawyer.
with a repeat of the first set, taking the fourth set 25-20 to secure the win. Sophomore Sam Anderson was the top Blazer on the attack, finishing with a game-high 15 kills on the evening. Freshman Chanelle Enomoto added a big helping hand, leading MCLA with 19 assists. Defensively, senior Jackie Paluilis was the top player, leading MCLA with 22 digs. The Volleyball team would lose at home on Saturday, to MASCAC rival Worcester State, 3-0, in the team’s first conference game of the season. The win propelled the visiting Lancers to an impressive record of 13-2 on the season, with
a 2-0 record in conference play. In the first set MCLA was hurt by errors; they committed twelve compared to Worcester State’s two, and Worcester cruised to a 25-15 victory. In the second set, both teams kept it very close, but Worcester was able to jump ahead at the end and win 25-18. Worcester completed the sweep, winning the third set 25-20, despite a spirited rally by the Blazers. Regardless of the errors, head coach Amanda Beckwith is confident the team can regain its winning form. “The Worcester game was not our best, but I am confident we will bounce back,” Beckwith said.
“In the sport of volleyball, stats do not really dictate how well offense and defense actually are. Unfortunately we were “off ” in each area of our play.” The team hosted Framingham State on Wednesday, in their annual Dig Pink. The Dig Pink game combines volleyball with charity, as the team and the college work together to increase breast cancer awarness. The teamm will be busy this weekend as they will travel to Northfield, Vermont, to play a doubleheader against Anna Maria and Norwich University on Saturday. They will then host Mitchell College on Oct. 8, at 6 p.m.
Volleyball tries to right self in conference play By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
MCLA trumped Bay Path University on Monday, defeating the hosts, 3-1. With the victory, the Trailblazers improved to 8-5 on the season, and are 0-1 in MASCAC play. MCLA opened the game strong and was able to take the first set, 25-20. Bay Path rebounded with a strong second game, getting the best of the visiting Trailblazers and leveling the game, 25-17. MCLA was able to return the favor in the next set, taking the advantage with a 25-18 victory. MCLA completed the victory
Sports
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Beacon.MCLA.edu
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MCLA Rugby Men’s Soccer Scores opens fall season drops dramatic with victory heartbreaker at Women’s Tennis
Saturday, September 27 MCLA vs Thomas College 6-3
Salem State By Tyler Bacon Sport Writer
Photo From MCLA Rugby Facebook Page
MCLA’s Dominick Cooper breaks a tackle during the team’s opening match against Green Mountain College. would score on a sweeping run By Jesse Collings and the Trailblazers followed it up Sports Editor with a succesful conversion kick The MCLA Rugby Club opened to take a 12-0 lead. The game would continue with it’s fall season with a resounding victory at home, defeating Green more of the same from MCLA, as Mountain College by a score of they dominated the ball and nearly shut-out Green Mountain. Ko62-10 on Sunday. The team had been hit hard by lis and Pecor led the attack with graduation, and was apprehensive three trys each, while Tommy about starting the season, starting Chiang had two. Dominick Copfour rookies in the opening con- per added one, as did Aaron Pertest. The Trailblazers quickly put kins, who ended his first career those worries to bed, pummeling Rugby game with a score. MCLA Green Mountain College in the was also strong kicking the ball, first half. As the teams broke for as they finished the game 6-10 on halftime, MCLA was completley conversions. The Ruggers are back in action in the drivers seat, leading Green on Sunday, Oct. 12, when they Mountain 38-0. MCLA got off to a fast start, travel to Ringe, New Hampshire as Walt Pecor carried the ball in to take on Franklin Pierce Unifrom 35 yards out to put MCLA versity. up 5-0. 7 minutes later, J.J. Kolis
Freshman Young leads MCLA at Westfield Invitational By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
MCLA freshman Nick Young shot a team best 74 and MCLA was able to finish 12th out of 14 schools at the annual Westfield State Invitational on Tuesday. Young’s 74 was just four shots off of the lead, and was good for fourth place overall in the tournament. Senior Mitch Mullett was the second place finisher for MCLA, shooting an 87 on the day. Chris Merriman was third for MCLA, shooting a 105 for the tournament. The individual tournament was won by Castleton State’s Zach Temple, who shot a one under par 70 on the day. Patrick Ford of Rhode Island College, Tyler Beaudry of Westfield State, Young and Ryan Butler of RIC rounded
out the top five. The team tournament was won by Rhode Island College, who shot a cumulative score of 302. MCLA finished 12th, shooting a total score of 377 on the afternoon. Babson College finished second with a score of 309, while Castleton State, Westfield State “Blue” and Roger Williams Univeristy finished in the top five slots. The team will compete again on Saturday, Oct. 11, when they compete in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship. The ECAC championship will be held at the Crumpin Fox Golf Club in Bernardston, MA, and will begin at noon. The team will then compete the next day (Sunday, Oct. 12) in the North Atlantic Conference Championship, which will be hosted by rival Salem State.
Salem State’s Kevin Gallo scored with under a minute left to lift the Vikings to a 2-1, come-frombehind win against the visiting Trailblazers on Saturday. Salem State earned their first win of the season with a record of 1-7 and 1-1 in MASCAC play. The loss drops the Blazers to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in conference. Ten minutes into the game, Salem State had a 2-on-1 breakaway but the pass went just out of bounds. Sophomore Anthony Basile connected on a penalty kick for the Trailblazers to give them a quick 1-0 lead. The Blazers held a 7-6 advantage in shots in the first half but were unable to hold on to the one-goal lead going into halftime. Salem State tied the game at 1 when Dimitri Flessas knocked in a pass from Kelly Abreu from the top of the box with less than thirty seconds remaining in the half. In the second half, the Blazers dominated possession for most of the period. MCLA stole a pass and Kwadwo Kusi took a shot from just outside the box, and it bounced off the post. Later in the second half, Basile tried to chip a shot past Salem State keeper, Nondas Kargakis, who had come out of the box, but Kargakis made a diving save to keep the game tied at one. The Blazers had many oppor-
tunities to retake the lead in the second half, but a missed header and open net in the final minutes would keep the game tied. Dylan Pereira talked about the struggles of finishing on Saturday. “We needed to finish,” Pereira said. “We had the chances but we were getting so unlucky.” Despite the limited scoring chances, Salem State took the lead with less than a minute left when Gallo received a pass from Costa Hatziianou and took a shot that bounced off the right corner post. The goal gave the Vikings a 2-1 win. The Blazers go on the road next to take on Fitchburg State this Saturday. They look to get another win in conference and make a jump in the standings. “They are a tough team who we are tied with record wise in the standings,” Coach Adam Hildabrand said. “If we get the result we will move past them and several other teams in the MASCAC.” Pereira thinks they just to have to play their game and come out focused to get the win Saturday. “We need to come out stronger than ever,” Pereira said. “We have to play hard and get a win to boost our confidence even higher than before.” MCLA has a record of 4-4 overall and 1-1 in MASCAC while Fitchburg State has an identical record of 4-4 this season and 1-1 in conference.
Cross Country finds its stride By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
Both the Men’s and Women’s Cross Country teams had their strongest outing of the season on Saturday, as they both competed in the Elms College Invitational. The male Trailblazers had a respectable finish, placing in 5th place out of a total of 11 schools that completed the race. Senior Brendan Peltier paced MCLA on the 8k course, finishing with a total time of 31:43, good for 21st overall. He was followed by freshman Drew Weisse, who finished in 32:24 and 24th overall. “I am very confident in the team’s performance as our October races approach. As the season moves on, and all of us continue our training, I feel as if we can all improve and be competitive within the MASCAC’s,” Peltier said. “As long as we stay injury free, knock on wood, I can for see
a very strong top 5 develop as the season continues!” The Women’s team had a similar result, finishing 8th out of 12 schools that completed the race. Trailblazer sophomore Annie Gagon led the team with her 35th place finish, completing the 6k course in 31:21. Freshman Paige Herzog came in second for MCLA, winding up with a time of 32:01, good for 40th place overall. Gagon talked about the team’s improvements as the season enters it’s final month. “We still have several runners returning from injury and illness. Hopefully over the next few weeks when the full team is running we will continue to improve our performances and close the gap between our scoring runners.” Both teams will be in action on Saturday, when they travel to Keene, New Hampshire, for the annual Keene State Invitational.
Monday, September 29 MCLA @ St. Joseph 3-5 Men’s Soccer
Saturday, September 27 MCLA @ Salem State 1-2 Women’s Soccer Saturday, September 27 MCLA vs Salem State 0-4 Volleyball Saturday, September 27 MCLA vs Worcester State 0-3 Monday, September 29 MCLA @ Bay Path 3-1
Schedules Thursday, October 2 Women’s Tennis MCLA vs Anna Maria 3 p.m. Saturday, October 4 Cross Country MCLA @ Keene State Invitational Women’s Tennis MCLA vs Johnson State 1 p.m. Women’s Soccer MCLA vs Fitchburg State 1 p.m. Volleyball MCLA vs Anna Maria @ Norwich 2 p.m. MCLA @ Norwich 4 p.m. Men’s Soccer MCLA @ Fitchburg State 6 p.m. Sunday, October 5 Women’s Tennis MCLA @ Colby-Sawyer 1 p.m. Tuesday, October 7 Men’s Soccer MCLA @ SUNY-IT 6 p.m.
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Opinion
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Where is your favorite place to go and see the fall foliage? “The courtyard near Eldridge has the trees that bloomed first – the leaves are red already.”
“The Taconic Lawn, because you can easily see the mountain range and color changes.”
–Adazae Shepherd, 2018
–Brandon Roy, 2016
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: beacon.mcla.edu Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111 Mission Statement The Beacon strives to provide timely and accurate news of campus and local events.
“On top of the area above the campus center is pretty cool.””
“Fish Pond is the best place to go.”
– Callen Gardner, 2016
–Carrisa Sacherski, 2015
Editorials Policy Unsigned editorials that appear on these pages reflect the views of The Beacon’s editorial board. 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.
“I like to walk around and look at the trees.”
““Probably anywhere while walking. Mount Greylock has a great view.”
–Julia Carroll, 2017
-Joshua Reynolds, 2017
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. 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.
Photos compiled by Agnella Gross
Bigger than biceps
The joy of overindulding By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Editor-in-Chief
The weekend is ahead and it holds many opportunities to rejoice with friends on the couch watching movies, or maybe running around getting coffee and donuts for breakfast, or frozen yogurt for dessert. Either way, you’re treating yourself after a good week of eating and routine work. Here’s my personal mantra: If I eat well Monday through Friday, then there is room to indulge on Friday night or Saturday. On those days, I’m either doing errands or not leaving my room. Both options leave room for sweets to sneak in. Coming from a person with a large sweet tooth, it’s taken years to master clean eating. During the week, don’t eat sweets or heavy
foods after 8 p.m. That food will sit in your stomach while you sleep and your body will hold onto it because it doesn’t know when it will see food again (that’s why breakfast is break-fast, because you break the fast from food). On the weekends, there’s a greater chance that you’ll be up later, so eating a cupcake or two around 8 p.m. isn’t so bad. A lot of females assume all carbs, sweets, and fatty foods need to be ignored entirely to keep their figure. Wrong. Within reason, you could eat a donut each day and not gain a pound. But the catch is, you’ll maintain weight and not lose. Typically, it doesn’t matter what you eat, but when you consume it is important; the earlier in the day, the better. With fall in full swing, cider donuts, apple pies, and Halloween candy is a temptation; I give you permission to dive in, within reason. Assign yourself a cheat day during the week, when you tend to snack or cheat the most (usually Fridays or Saturdays). The best part about cheat days is that you can literally eat whatever you want and it wouldn’t make a difference in your weight. The next day, continue with your normal diet and your body will never know the difference. Cheat days are an excuse to deviate from your diet and to indulge your body without routinely consuming processed sugars and carbs for the rest of your life. Here’s to cheat DAYS, not to cheat weekends. Eat lots of food, love your body. Happy Fall!
In my humble opinion...
Dress code woes By Nick Arena
Multimedia Editor Devils Lake High School in North Dakota has banned female students from wearing leggings, yoga pants, jean leggings, or jeggings, and tight blue jeans. Why are these articles of clothing being banned? Because they are distracting male students and teachers. According to Gawker.com, citing Valley News Live coverage, an assistant principal at the high school also showed female students two clips from the movie “Pretty Woman,” the one with Julia Roberts as a young prostitute, to illustrate how their tight clothing makes them appear. Later, the same principal added that this had nothing to do with objectifying the girls. My question is, how exactly did this principal come to that conclusion? By telling these girls that they
Editorial Board aren’t allowed to dress in a specific manner, because it will make all of the boys stare, you are telling them that they are simply object being stared at. Here we go again, blaming a woman for her choice of clothing rather than blaming the man who refuses to control himself and act like a polite and well-socialized human being. Even worse than that, is now we’re not even targeting revealing clothing. It’s commonplace now to see a female high school student being suspended or slut-shamed for wearing skirts or dresses that are too short by the school’s standards. But now full legged pants are a no go too? I’m not entirely sure what these schools are expecting their students to wear at this point. As someone who has worked for a number of clothing stores, I can honestly say that a large amount women’s clothing nowadays runs a bit on the tight side. But the point is that this should not matter. If a young woman wants to wear tight jeans, who really cares? It is not her fault that she chose to wear long pants in the morning, it is the fault of the young men who refuse to stop objectifying her. And I really don’t think that I need to get into how absolutely disgusting it is to think that high school teachers, these “grown” men, are finding young women between the ages of 14 and 18 so sexually attractive that it is distracting them from their jobs. It’s time to put the blame where it really belongs, folks, and stop blaming the innocent party.
Editor-in-Chief Makayla-Courtney McGeeney
Sports Editor Jesse Collings
Web Editor Jenna O’Connor
A&E Editor Rachel Fitterman
Senior News Editor Nick Swanson
Copy Chief Avery Finnivan Multimedia Editor Nick Arena
Design Editor Meg Gugarty
Staff Staff Writers
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Isabel McKenzie Idalis Foster Juanita Doss Christopher Johnson
Osakpolo Igiede*
Nicole L’Etoile Tyler Bacon
Agnella Gross
Design Team
Osakpolo Igiede*
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Advertising
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Jenifer Augur Gillian Jones Jim Niedbalski Videographers
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Thursday, october 2, 2014
Events, Announcements & Horoscopes
Check it Out!
Horoscopes
Upcoming events on campus
Today, Oct. 2
Voter Registration, Marketplace 4-7 p.m. Intramural Sports,Venable Gym 6-11:30 p.m. The Internet’s Own Boy,Murdock 218 6:30-9:30 p.m. STAGE Meeting,CC 324A 7-8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 3 Artist Association, Murdock 218 6-8 p.m. Berkshire Food: Project Service, Sullivan Lounge 7-8:15 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 4 Saturday Night Chat, Sullivan Lounge 7-9 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 5 Fall Foliage Parade, Leave from Sullivan 10:30 a.m. -3:30 p.m. Good Vibes Yoga, Dance Complex 8-10 p.m.
Letter to the Editor As a commuter student attending MCLA, I have first hand experience when it comes to the horrific challenge of finding a parking spot. I first attended MCLA from 2007 to 2010, and the parking difficulties were a stressful and delay-causing issue even then. Now I find myself attending MCLA years later, and rather than the issue having been reduced or even eliminated, I find that it has actually gotten worse. As a student and a member of the local community, it is very exciting to see MCLA build a new Science building and work-
Aquarius (1/20-2/18): A lucky connection or contact could be something to smile about at the start of the week, especially as it might involve a top-notch deal. This week might contain other surprises, too, as the people you connect with seem to have your best interests at heart. Pisces (2/19-3/20): Work and career opportunities continue to look positive, so much so that you may be tempted to make a bold move. If an offer comes your way, this isn’t the time to dither - it might not be around long. Your best bet is to run with it and learn as you go. Aries (3/21-4/19): Don’t be surprised to see your co-workers acting a bit silly today, Aries. There is no getting around the high spirits that permeate the office environment. It’s almost impossible to get any work done with today’s planetary atmosphere. Rather than cracking the whip and trying to increase productivity, why not join in? Lighten up a little. Taurus (4/20-5/20): Though you know you should eat wholesome food, it might be difficult to keep up the habit. In addition, you may need to be very diplomatic with someone who is treading on your toes, though how long ing on expanding its academics. The problem, however, is that the new Science building now stands where many commuting students used to park. Now there is even less space for to park without worrying about getting a ticket or being towed. Some may say to show up earlier so you can find a parking spot, but I’ve tried that with absolutely no success. I have personally received many parking tickets, one on the first day of class this semester I might add. I have also been late to classes even when showing up to the college 30 minutes to an hour early. This issue has been around for years and really needs to be
Thursday, October 2
you can keep this up is another matter.
Gemini (5/21-6/20): The cosmos has arranged the perfect sky for you to reach an important goal and claim the success you deserve. Be on the lookout for an offer that could make a positive difference to your plans. Plus, you’re in the perfect situation to close deals and negotiate opportunities. Cancer (6/21-7/22): You may feel motivated to do more entertaining or invite guests to stay and enjoy your cozy comforts. However, don’t rock the boat over the weekend, as someone’s response may be less than pleasant. An unexpected chance to grab a new job or contract could be yours this weekend. Leo (7/23-8/22): Regarding new ideas and enterprising opportunities, you may be able to cherrypick one or two special ones this week. The willingness to take a risk could pay off, especially if you’re starting a business or expanding one you already have. You have what it takes to make the best of any situation and turn it to your advantage. Virgo (8/23-9/23): Visitors who mean a lot to you can make your home an even warmer and cozier place. You’ll probably spend a lot of time fixing it up and receive resolved. There are a few ways I can think of to resolve or at least lessen this issue. One would be to put greater restrictions on how many residential students can have vehicles on campus. Then some of the residential parking spots could be for commuters. Second, work with the City of North Adams to widen a few of the surrounding streets, such as Church Street. Then there could be street parking on both sides of the road. My third and final suggestion is to build another commuter parking lot, or a parking garage. Since MCLA is looking to expand, why not buy out some of the small surround-
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11
Letter to the Editor
I understand the precautions campus safety has implemented to help protect our students from violence. However, I believe these precautions do not do justice to what has happened recently where a student I know very well Libra (9/23-10/22): The move of was stabbed and could’ve possibly Venus into Libra could set you been killed. thinking about your image and As the school works diligently getting a makeover. If you feel a to keep their students safe, stulittle stuck in a rut in this area, dents are concerned that they will some words with a savvy pal not be able to go out on the weekcould result in you getting a new ends and have fun without worhaircut or clothes. rying about their safety. It’s unfair to us taht we cannot walk around Scorpio (10/23-11/21): You’re in campus freely without fearing for a natural phase when it helps to our lives. At the same time, we all relax and recharge. Although this want to be treated like the adults can be a sign of delay, it often we are, and be able to take care of brings opportunities to resolve ourselves. tricky issues. Plus, an offer you I think there are a few more can’t resist may come your way solutions to this recent scare that this weekend. our school can apply to enhance the safety of our students and Sagittarius (11/22-12/21): Will staff. Of course, we should not go romance happen out of the blue? to places we are not comfortable. This week’s alignment hints that We should also not go anywhere it might. If you’re seeking a love with someone we don’t know or adventure, hang on to your hat places we’ve never been to, unless because a sizzling experience our friends are there and say it’s may be coming your way. okay. I believe in order for Blackinton Street to stay safe and be ocCapricorn (12/22-1/19): You may cupied by only MCLA students, hear about unexpected moneythere needs to be either campus making opportunities, and you police or North Adams police could have success with varipresent at the end of the street on ous negotiations, too. The week the weekends. By doing this, they ahead spotlights career issues and can keep out unwanted people or the value of mixing with folks individuals they find to be a threat who may be able to help your to our community. cause. Horoscopes.com It’s great to have the police patrolling now and then. Howing properties and use some of ever, we don’t want to be treated that space for parking? Not nec- like children. We want the opessarily all of the space needs to portunity to have fun with our be devoted to commuter parking, friends, while also being safe and but at least enough to make this responsible. These precautions issue far less of a problem. are important to our campus, Students have enough stress community and the future of our when taking classes; they should school. We must be cautious and not have to stress over parking as understand the consequences of well. Although I am speaking as a making bad decisions. I will look commuter, it is not only affecting forward to seeing where these commuter students but faculty as standards evolve. well. This problem has been presThank you for your time and ent for years, and MCLA needs to attention. address the issue and resolve it. Sincerely, Sincerely, Craig Deraway Eric Rogers Class of 2014 Class of 2018 sincere compliments. The only downside might be that your current partner may not be there due to circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Enjoy the visit.
FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENTS ATTENTION STUDENT LOAN RECIPIENTS!! IF YOU’RE BORROWING A STUDENT LOAN FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU MUST COMPLETE ON-LINE ENTRANCE COUNSELING AND YOUR MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE. COMPLETE BOTH AT www.studentloans.gov DON’T DELAY YOUR REFUND! CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE IN ELDRIDGE HALL TO MAKE SURE YOUR REQUIREMENTS ARE COMPLETE!
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Thursday, October 2, 2014
Photo Essay
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Down Street Art Left: Senior Jacob Fennell dances with a performer on stilts along Main Street. Below: From left, senior Alex Jamal and Crane & Co. employee Sarah Derderian give a Main Street crosswalk a makeover.
Left: Jonas McCaffery of Stamford, VT, prints pamphlets with the Chinese proverb “Women hold up half the sky” on a 1969 Vandercook Printing Press.
Left: Sophomore Crysta Cheverie and junior Kelsey McGonigle pose as live mannequins in the PRESS Gallery windows for the exhibit “Who’s That in the Window?” Right: Viewers tear off slips of paper that say “Let Go” from senior Courtney McLaren’s paper dress as a part of “Who’s That in the Window?”
MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center hosted the final Down Street Art festival of the season. Members of the College and local communities gathered to view the exhibits, listen to music and interact with the artists and gallery managers. Photos by Nick Arena