Student Newspaper of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts North Adams, Mass.
The Beacon
For more content, visit online at: Beacon.MCLA.edu Volume 77 ◆ Issue 2
Th u r s d ay, S e p t e m b e r 2 6 , 2 0 1 3
College treasurer retires Top ten again
Photo by Amy Modesti/The Beacon
Gerald Demarais will retire after 40 years of service to the MCLA community.
By Nick Arena
Managing Editor Sitting behind a paperworkcovered desk, retiring treasurer Gerald Desmarais looks as busy as ever as he recounts his time at MCLA. Desmarais has been with the college for 40 years now, both as a student and as a member of the administration. His work has cov-
ered many different areas of the College. “I’ve kind of had four different careers,” he said. “I started in athletics as a soccer coach and athletic trainer when I graduated.” After one year, he was approached to work in the admissions department. “I had an absolutely great education. I loved going to school here, and they were going to pay me to
go and tell other people about it,” he said. “I really enjoyed that job, and also interviewing students, trying to help them find a school that’s right for them.” Desmarais reflected that one part of his career he will fondly remember is the opportunity to watch students grow, from their admissions to their graduations. “During my admissions and financial aid life, and even with the coaching, I had the opportunity to work with students and the opportunity to see them grow as they go from freshmen to seniors,” he said. “A lot of times they’d come in, and they’re a little naive, and they’re familiar with their hometown, but now they’re in a bigger pond with a few more opportunities to explore.” After his time in the athletics and admissions departments, Desmarais moved on from the Financial Aid Department to his current position as the College’s treasurer. During his time working for the College, he achieved quite a bit, not only for the College but
DESMARAIS continued on page 4
U.S. News and World Reports ranks MCLA as one of the Top Ten Public Liberal Arts Colleges in America By Ryan Flynn
Senior News Editor MCLA has been ranked No. 10 on U.S. News and World Reports list of Top Ten Public Liberal Arts Colleges for the third year in a row. Sitting among the ranks of peer institutions such as No. 7 ranking University of North Carolina Ashland and No. 8 ranking University of Minnesota Morris consistently marks the progress and success of the college, according to President Mary Grant. “We weren’t always there with those top ten ranking schools,” she said. According to a U.S. News article, weighing factors for the ranking formula include retention rate, faculty resources, and graduation rate performance, which is survey based. In addition, college officials are able to review peer institutions, which
weighs into the ranking system. “The U.S. News ranking formula gives significant weight to the opinions of those in a position to judge a school’s undergraduate academic excellence. The academic peer assessment survey allows top academics presidents, provosts and deans of admissions to account for intangibles at peer institutions such as faculty dedication to teaching,” according to U.S. News. According to Grant, a big part of that ranking process is dependent on the success of the students themselves. “I think the biggest thing is the success rate and profiling of students,” she said. Head of the English and Communications Department Mark Miller said that he believes a big reason for the college making the list is quality education at an
TOP TEN continued on page 2
Creating Equality guest speaker tonight By Nick Arena
Managing Editor
Photo courtesy of Bernadette Lupo
Tonight in the Eleanor Furst Roberts Auditorium, New York Times best-selling author and musician will speak in the creating equality kick-off event. twitter.com/ MCLA_Beacon facebook.com/ MCLABeacon
With the 50th anniversary of the civil rights march on Washington, D.C., having passed in August, MCLA is taking a long, hard look at where it stands now in terms of equality on all levels. MCLA Presents! and the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center will be hosting a slew of events and exhibitions over the next year, both throughout the campus and at Gallery 51, all examining what the College see as equality. “The Creating Equality series is a year-long look at civil rights,” said Jonathan Secor, director of special programs. “We are looking at the 50-year anniversary, [and] the next ten years of major happenings in civil rights. From the anti-war movement to the women’s movement to the civil rights movement, it’s a look back into history.” With some exhibits already appearing at Gallery 51, the campus’ kickoff event for Creating Equality will be speaker James McBride, Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Church Street Center. McBride is a musician and author of books such as “The Color of Water,” and “Miracle at St. Anna,” as well as his most recent “The Good Lord Bird.” According to the MCLA website, “In his keynotes, James McBride touches upon life’s rich lessons, exploring the nature of identity, race, and heritage. He often appears with his own jazz ensemble, using
McBRIDE, continued on page 4
Spring travel courses announced
Fun at Mass MoCA’s FreshGrass
Women’s tennis scrapes victory
Spend spring break in the South or Hawaii
Third annual bluegrass festival featured a variety of talent
Trailblazers begin conference competitions
Arts & Entertainment, page 6
Sports, page 8
News, page 3
News Arts & Entertainment Sports Campus Opinion Local News Photo Essay
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Beacon.MCLA.edu
SGA announces budget By Ryan Flynn
Senior News Editor With the fall semester in full swing, SGA treasurer Kelley Bryant shared operating budgets for the fiscal year. The SGA operating budget is $37,657.31, and the total operating budget for all clubs is $343,815.74. SGA recently faced the pressing matter of replacing the rugby team’s stolen goal posts, which were taken the weekend of Sept. 21. A motion was passed to spend $1,255 on replacing the posts. According to President Jake Powers, the company selling the posts was generous, giving them a “buy one get one free” deal and saving SGA quite a bit of money. While some senators were concerned about security in the wake of the theft, the college will be making sure this won’t happen again, according to the SGA advisor Jennifer Craig. “The College will be looking into storing their equipment in a more secure location,” she said. While Powers had previously talked about the possibility of investing in an open forum-style website for SGA, he announced that the organization decided in a conference last week not to take any action for now, due to a high cost of $17,000. He also noted that the decision was partly based on the College’s recent changes in
Photo by Jess Gamari/ The Beacon
Senator Adwetewa-Badu questions what the College will do to increase security for sports equiptment. their email system. “We’re going to hold off on it for now,” he said. With elections coming up on Oct. 8 and Oct. 9, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the Amsler Campus Center, SGA Parliamentarian Alexandra Kadell announced that a primary election for the class
2017 vice president will be held on Oct. 1. Three people are currently running for the position, ,and there are only two spots on the ballot. Freshmen are encouraged to get out and vote. In addition, Powers mentioned that the elections will use an online voting system, which alum-
nus and former SGA treasurer James Wetzel will be showing students how to use. SGA will also host the SGA Leadership Summit from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sept. 28 in the Campus Center gym. Students are encouraged to attend.
College recognized in U.S. News TOP TEN continued from page 1 an affordable price. While MCLA doesn’t have a lot of the resources that National Universities have, a hard working faculty and staff is what’s moving MCLA forward, according to Miller. “A lot of the excellence comes from the people that work here because we don’t have massive infusions of money,” he said. Miller also said that statistics such as graduation rate cannot always accurately determine student success. Citing his department’s use of the senior portfolio, he believes that when it comes to evaluation, it’s important to note that each student’s education and experience is completely different from the next. “The best way to educate individuals is with an individualized education,” he said. He also said that while making the list again is good news, it’s not everything. “I don’t know how much stock we should put into it, he said. “But as the president said, it’s a good public recognition of our efforts Senior and Colleges Against Cancer President Ben Mancino says he thinks MCLA has made this list three times due to the great professors and many opportunities that have made his college career at MCLA, as well as many other students, so successful.
“Teachers really listen to what you want to do and make your dreams come true,” he said. He also said that the small size of the school allows the opportunities for students to shine and get involved. “At a large school it’s harder, because you get lost in the crowd,” he said. President Grant noted that since she was a student here, classes have gotten smaller, facilities have been improved, and scholarship opportunities have increased, all contributing to the colleges threeyear run in the top 10.
2013 results for the Top Ten Public Liberal Arts Colleges
1. United States Naval Academy Annapolis, MD
6. St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s City, MD
2. United States Military Academy,West Point, NY
7. University of North Carolina– Asheville, Asheville, NC
3. United States Air Force Academy. USAF Academy, CO
8. University of Minnesota– Morris, Morris, MN
4. Virginia Military Institute Lexington, VA
9. Purchase College –SUNY Purchase, NY
5. New College of Florida Sarasota, FL
10. Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, MA
Alumni Giving Rating Graduation rate 5% performances 8%
Undergraduate Academic Reputation 22%
Financial Resources 10% Student Selectivity 13%
Faculty Resources 20%
Retention 22%
Deciding Factors
Thursday, September 26, 2013
News
Beacon.MCLA.edu
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Travel to Southern U.S., Hawaii Gabriel Kogel Staff Writer
Fifty years ago, Eugene “Bull” Conner used attack dogs and fire hoses against African-American protestors in Birmingham. When the images were broadcast across the nation, Americans could no longer remain blind to this kind of race-based injustice. Fifty years have passed since Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. led 200,000 demonstrators to the nation’s capital. During the march on Washington he gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, an eloquent call for racial equality. A month later, members of the Ku Klux Klan detonated a bomb in the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four young girls. King eulogized them as “martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity.” The tragedy came to be seen as a pivotal moment, galvanizing sentiment and spurring demonstrations. To honor the five-decade anniversary of some of the movement’s most momentous events, Professors Frances Jones-Sneed and Ely Janis have organized the civil rights travel course. This 10day bus tour will take place over spring break, visiting historic sites in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Ga., Greensboro, N.C., and Nashville, Tenn. “I’ve had it in mind to offer this course for 10 years, ever since my colleague suggested the idea. So it’s been in the works for quite some time,” Jones-Sneed said during a break between afternoon classes at the History House. “I grew up in Mississippi. The his-
tory of the civil rights struggle is a big part of who I am today.” The course will visit museums such as the King Center, at the site of King’s assassination in Memphis, and the International Civil Rights Center, once a Woolworth’s store where the first sit-ins took place. According to Janis, students will compile a travel journey as they receive first-hand accounts from participants in the struggle, educators, and museum guides. “We want to expose students to the living history of the brave men and women who sacrificed so much to have their voices heard, and change American society for the better,” he said. The course has no prerequisites and is open to students of all majors. The deadline for application is Oct. 15 and a non-refundable $500 deposit is required. The total cost for the trip is $1,500, including all but incidental expenses. Jones-Sneed and Janis have room for 20-25 participants. Although students are priority, the course is open to the larger community if seating is available, they said. Also being offered this spring is the Hawaii travel course, taught by Professor of Anthropology Sumi Colligan. Rather than accept a touristy ideal of Hawaii as a multicultural paradise, the course seeks out indigenous viewpoints, spending time with activists and native communities. “The native Hawaiians were deprived of their land, cultural heritage, and language when the United States illegally annexed the islands in 1898. This course
MCT Campus File Photo
This spring, students will have the opportunity to take travel courses to the Southern states or Hawaii during spring vacation. will engage students in the restorative project now taking place on the islands,” Colligan said. The course will run from March 6 through March 17, visiting both the Big Island of Hawaii and Oahu. Activities planned for the course include a visit to Iolani Palace, home of the native monarchy; staying at the University of Hawaii, meeting students, educa-
tors and activists; spending time with children in a Hawaiian language immersion preschool; and exploring a tropical forest in Volcano National Park, along with others. Space is limited to 12 students of sophomore status or above, and priority will be given to anthropology minors and academic achievers. The course costs $2,800
including all but incidental expenses. Students are required to keep a detailed journal during the trip. After the trip is complete, they must develop an 8-10 page research paper, as well as a presentation, according to the syllabus. For more information, or to apply to either travel course, contact the respective professor via FirstClass email.
Bolívar joins dept. of modern language Nick Swanson Staff Writer
Mariana Bolívar Rubín was recently hired in the Department of Modern Language as a professor of Spanish. However, Rubín is also inspired to explore other areas of interest while working at the college. “There are so many different things I want to be a part of on campus,” Rubín said. “I want to go everywhere to learn all that I can about this school and its students.” Rubín said she would like to help with classes associated with the College’s women’s studies minor, as well as with integrating more courses with service learning. She said it is important to expand every area of learning because students are branching out in many different directions. “There are many things to take into account while teaching, but most important is to understand the differences of developmental stages of students,” Rubín continued. “From there you can apply your knowledge to those stages and use appropriate learning styles to approach the student and help them in the right way.”
Photo by Kayla Degnan/The Beacon
Mariana Bolívar is the new Spanish teacher at the College. Rubín has experienced many different levels of education on the teaching spectrum. “I like to take part in the student’s life to have a better understanding of how they think and work. It fascinates me to see how direct their thoughts are to knowing what they want to study,” Rubín said.
Prior to being hired at the College, Rubín was employed at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo., as a graduate instructor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese since 2007. Two years before that, Rubín had been a Spanish graduate teaching assistant at Colorado State University (CSU).
Rubín spent her first three years of teaching as an elementary Spanish teacher in Fort Collins, Colo. “I believe Mariana will create a new and different dimension that will benefit the foreign language department greatly,” Cindy Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs, said. Rubín is fluent in Spanish and speaks English and Portuguese. She has managed to balance all of her obligations to education with being a mother. Rubín was raised in Venezuela and graduated in 1996 from the Universidad Santa María, a private school in Caracas, Venezuela with a degree in philosophy of law. “Before coming to the United States, I did not even think about being a teacher,” Rubín said. “School in Venezuela is so much more strict and controlling to what is allowed to be taught, which never seemed logical to me.” Rubín continued to expand her education to study graphic design at the Colorado Institute of Art in Denver, Colo. “In schools here, professors are more connected with teaching
and have more say in what is being taught, which was a major attraction for me,” Rubín said. In 2003, she earned her associate degree in art and general education at Front Range Community College in Colorado. Rubín earned a bachelor’s degree in both English and AfroAmerican literature in 2005, and then a master’s degree in foreign languages at CSU in 2007. After that, she enrolled in two master programs at the University of Colorado: the graduate teacher program in 2010, and the Foreign Language Technology Program in 2011. “Through all of this I learned that I love to help guide students to get a good education, and the constant feedback I receive also helps me in return,” Rubín said. According to Rubín, a strong connection between the College and its community is important so that everyone has a better understanding of the culture that surrounds them every day. “I am excited. This new chapter in my life has started, and I love all the energy of the people that I have been working with at the school,” Rubín said.
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Thursday, September 26, 2013
News
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Kenyan mall in terrorist hands MCT Campus
NAIROBI, Kenya _ Kenya’s shopping mall nightmare apparently is not over, despite Kenyan government claims that its forces were in control, with the sounds of gunfire still emanating Tuesday from the Westgate shopping mall where terrorists believed to be members of al-Qaida’s affiliate in Somalia killed dozens of shoppers on Saturday. The Kenyan military said it was still conducting “mop up operations” but the al-Shabab terror group claimed it still held hostages inside. With journalists kept too far from the center to see what was unfolding, Twitter became the source for information from both sides. But the government’s tweets offered confusing and conflicting accounts of what exactly was happening inside the mall. On Monday evening, the government had tweeted that the mall was under “full control,” and Kenyans assumed the ugly ordeal was finally over; one Kenyan television station announced the operation to retake the mall had ended, citing an unnamed military source. The Kenyan inspector-general of police, David Kimaiyo, took to Twitter to taunt the gunmen assailants. “Man-to-man fight is when the winner has one more
round in his magazine. We don’t quit a battle worth winning. We’ve ashamed (sic) the attackers,” he said. Those claims appeared premature by Tuesday morning, when more gunfire erupted from within the shopping mall. A raging fire inside the mall appeared to have been put out, although smoke continued to rise from the roof. Three Kenyan soldiers have died, and an additional eight others have been wounded, said the military. An official news conference promised Monday evening by a Twitter account belonging to the National Disaster Operations Center still had not materialized by late afternoon on Tuesday. “We believe all hostages have been released,” tweeted the National Disaster Operations Center on Monday. But by Tuesday, the Kenyan government appeared to suggest more hostages remained inside. “The delicate (and) complex nature of the Westgate rescue operation called for extreme care (and) caution to ensure the safety (and) security of the hostages,” tweeted the Kenya Defense Forces on Tuesday. A new al-Shabab Twitter account mocked the Kenyan statements for “incoherent ramblings of Kenyan officials and the blatant discrepancies” on Tuesday. The new account, (at)
MCT Campus File Photo
Kenyan officers stationed a block away from the Westgate Shopping center in Nairobi. Security forces are combing the shopping center to look for suspects. HSM(underscore)PR, is the sixth account opened by the terror group, after the first five were suspended, said SITES, which monitors online jihadi activity. “The hostages who were being held by the Mujahideen inside (pound sign)Westgate are still alive, looking quite disconcerted but, nevertheless, alive,” the new account said.
The terror group also suggested the death toll had not finished rising. “There are countless number of dead bodies still scattered inside the mall, and the Mujahideen are still holding their ground,” the terror group said. The Israeli-owned Westgate shopping center, which contained three floors of upscale cafes, retail
stores, and a fourth-floor cinema, was frequented by Nairobi’s large international crowd of diplomats and aid workers, as well as welloff Kenyans. The Kenyan government says 62 have been confirmed dead and 175 injured.
Desmarais says goodbye Creating equality kick-off tonight DESMARAIS continued from page 1
also on a personal level. He attained his master’s degree in education and master’s in business, all while working full time. “My mom probably would have liked me to go for my doctorate, but only so I could stop at her house for supper when I was going to school,” he laughed. All of his time spent at MCLA has given Desmarais the time to build strong bonds with the people he has come to work with every day. “He’s been wonderful to work with. He’s just a great guy,” Laura Brown, the assistant director of fiscal affairs, said. “We all love him and we’re all going to miss him.” The administration and finance team, which includes Brown, Vice President James Stakenas, accountant Jennifer Dix, clerk Kathleen Mazanec, and staff assistant William Norcross, all agreed that the College will not be the same without Desmarais. “When he came in, and at the time it was called administrative services, and he became the treasurer, he owned the job from day one,” Mazanec said. “He was not afraid to make decisions. As a result of that, he made our jobs easier. He simplified.” In everything from the campus phone system to the student mail system to the campus copy center, and even the furniture all across
campus, Desmarais has played a role in making the College a more efficient and livable place. “There are many things that people use every day to be productive as faculty, staff, and students that Jerry was instrumental in making sure were provided, so that we have a comfortable environment to be in,” Stakenas said. While Desmarais may seem like a ‘strictly business’ type of person, his devotion to the College and the people he has worked with stretches far beyond that. “I think the thing about Jerry is that he went to school here, he’s been here for 40 years, and he cares deeply about this institution and about the people here,” Norcross said. “It’s not just a place where he comes and goes to work. It’s his second home. It’s part of him and part of who he is as a person.” Brown added, “Every year he invites us to his home, and we have a retreat where he provides brunch for us and we sit on his beautiful deck. We talk business, but we just kind of get together as a thank you, as an appreciation for all of our hard work. That’s above and beyond, I think.” Despite everything he has done for the campus, his colleagues all see him as an extremely humble person, and as he looks back on his career, it shows. “I think it’s important that you try to set an example of doing a good job and working hard and always trying to do the right
thing,” Desmarais said. “I guess if that could be a legacy that would be a good one to use.” Another long-time friend and colleague, Ronald Shewcraft, the department chair of Physical Education, said Desmarais was devoted to his job and to the people around him. “An example of dedication is his choice to stay on well into the fall to see the new science building completed and the final audit be completed and correct on his watch,” Shewcraft said. “That is simply because he really cares and is concerned about doing the job right.” While he may be officially retired come Oct. 4, the College and all of his friends here will continue to remain a part of his life. “He is one of the most genuine and trustworthy people I have ever known, and I have sought his advice on a number of things, both personal and professional, over the years,” Shewcraft said. “He will be hard to replace in the workplace, but I have the privilege and the honor of continuing to have him as a close personal friend.” Stakenas noted, “Our overall attitude is we have to leave things better than how we found them. I think those of us that work for Jerry and with Jerry, we all embrace that. I think that at the time that he retires in another month we can say that about the institution: it’s a better institution because of Jerry.”
McBRIDE continued from page 1
music to inspire audiences and lift his colorful, often humorous stories to another level.” The Creating Equality series will continue through the next two semesters with other events such as “Mail Order Brides,” which debuts tonight at Gallery 51, “Word Becomes Flesh,” “Who’s Hungry,” and “50 Years After the Fire,” which looks most directly into the civil rights movement. Groups on campus are also being incorporated into the events. “A great composer out of Harlem, Craig Harris, is writing new music based on the civil rights happenings 50 years ago and he will be working with his own band out of Harlem, but also with the Alegrettos,” Secor said. Secor added that other keynote speakers who will be hosted as a part of the series include Andrew Young and Gloria Steinem. Over the course of the series, the MCLA community “will examine and honor the dedication, leadership, and sacrifice that make social change possible,” according to the College’s website. “Through courses, conversations, cultural programs, and leadership opportunities, faculty, staff, and students will consider
the accomplishments and challenges associated with all dimensions of human rights, including racial equality, women’s rights, gay rights, immigrants’ rights, and economic equity.” Secor hopes to see the series address the issue of what exactly racism and other inequalities look like today. For more information about James McBride or the Creating Equality series, visit www.mcla. edu or call 413-662-5391.
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Apple sells 9 million new iPhones MCT Campus Apple announced Monday that it has sold 9 million new iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C units since Friday, shattering a record set last year. Apple sold 5 million units of the iPhone 5 during the first weekend of September 2012. This was the first year the new iPhones were also available the same weekend in China. The iPhone 5 did not go on sale in China until December 2012, when it sold 2 million units during its first weekend. Blowing past that record of 7 million sales for the combined first weekends exceeds nearly every analyst’s projection.
“This is our best iPhone launch yet _ more than 9 million new iPhones sold _ a new record for first weekend sales,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive. “The demand for the new iPhones has been incredible, and while we’ve sold out of our initial supply of iPhone 5s, stores continue to receive new iPhone shipments regularly. We appreciate everyone’s patience and are working hard to build enough new iPhones for everyone.” The company also announced that 200 million iOS devices have upgraded to the new iOS 7 operating system. Apple says that’s the fastest software upgrade in history. The massive sales came despite
limited supplies. On the first day, many people standing in lines outside Apple stores left disappointed because the company had run out of the gold iPhone 5S. Apple did not provide a breakdown between sales of the two new models. According to one report, however, the iPhone 5S was more than three times as popular as the iPhone 5C. Localytics, an analytics and marketing platform for application developers, says it measured 50 billion data points across its network. In its report, the firm says the iPhone 5S was far and away the clear choice among Apple fans over the weekend. “That means that the iPhone 5S outshines the 5C by a factor
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of 3.4x, a clear indicator that the early adopters are favoring the high-end 5S compared to 5C,” the report says. “This makes sense since those who feel the need to buy a new device the very weekend it launches are most likely the power users who want the highest-end phone experience.” In the statement, the company said: “Demand for iPhone 5S has exceeded the initial supply, and many online orders are scheduled to be shipped in the coming weeks.” MCT Campus File Photo
At right, the new iPhone 5C, thinner than the previous iPhone generation, comes in green, blue, yellow, pink, and white.
Microsoft tries again with tablets MCT Campus
Microsoft Corp. on Monday unveiled two new models of its Surface tablets, part of the software giant’s efforts to make headway in the tablet market and come back from a huge writedown it took in July against an earlier version of the Surface. At an event in New York, Microsoft showed off the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2, as well as several services the company hopes will lure consumers and business customers away from Apple Inc.’s iPad and tablets running on Google Inc.’s Android operating system. The Surface 2 will come in two models, with either 32 gigabytes or 64 GB of storage, and starting at $449, while the Surface Pro 2 will come with an entry price tag
of $899 for models ranging from 64 GB to 512 GB of storage. The new Surface models will be available Tuesday for pre-ordering and will be in retail outlets starting Oct. 22. Microsoft said anyone purchasing either of the new Surface models will also receive free Skype calling to landlines in more than 60 countries and unlimited Skype Wi-Fi on their Surface devices for one year, and 200 GB worth of free cloud-based SkyDrive storage for two years. The Surface releases come after a busy summer for Microsoft. Since July, Microsoft has launched a sweeping corporate reorganization, Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has said he would retire within a year, and Microsoft said it would purchase Nokia Corp.’s mobile-phone handset and device
MCT Campus File Photo
With the new Surface Tablet, Microsoft tries to compete with Apple’s iPad. business for more than $7 billion. And also in July, Microsoft said it would take a writedown of about $900 million related to inventory of its Surface RT tablet, which the
company launched in October 2012. Still, some analysts say that even a charge like that isn’t going to keep Microsoft from pushing the Surface and its Windows op-
erating system as an alternative to the iPad and Android devices that rule the tablet market. Sarah Rotman Epps of Forrester Research said in a research note Monday that Surface remains “a linchpin for Microsoft’s new devices and services strategy,” even though it won’t be an immediate best seller for the company. The company is “not giving up,” Epps said. “Microsoft is doubling down on Surface (and) making needed hardware improvements to appeal to businesses and consumers.” Epps said that while the first versions of the Surface tablets couldn’t compete well against Apple’s products, the new models offer better features for potential customers.
Obesity rates in adults continue to rise MCT Campus Adult obesity rates remained unchanged throughout the country last year, except in one state _ Arkansas _ ending three decades of rising weight gain. That’s the good news out of the latest annual report on America’s obesity epidemic from the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This is certainly one of the most hopeful reports we’ve had,” said Jeffrey Levi, the executive director of the trust, a nonprofit, nonpartisan health research group. But “F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2013,” points out that the average adult continues to hit the scale more than 24 pounds heavier now than in 1960. Indeed, what the report calls a “frightening prospect and an unacceptable outcome” is that young people today may be the first generation to live sicker and die earlier than its parents did. Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas topped the list of the 10 heaviest states, while Massachu-
MCT Campus File Photo
Western Americans live lighter lives. setts, the District of Columbia and Colorado boasted the lowest obesity rates, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more,
while a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is classified as overweight, according to the CDC. More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, with dramatically increased risks of heart disease,
Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and a host of other health problems, the report said. The study follows another this week, published in the American Journal of Public Health, that showed 18.2 percent of the premature deaths in the U.S. are associated with excessive body mass. Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, said that while the new obesity study provided hope, “we know how fragile a disease like this can be. We should look at this flattening and see that we have to do more. There is a strong tendency to think that we have solved these problems and then remove resources much too early.” The study found that the adult obesity rate was above 30 percent in 13 states, at least 25 percent in 41 states and above 20 percent everywhere. In 1980, the rate wasn’t above 15 percent anywhere; in 1991, not above 20 percent; in 2000, not above 25 percent; and in 2007, only one state Mississippi topped 30 percent.
Levi said the “dark cloud on the horizon” was the growing problem of the baby boomer generation, which more and more was developing ailments related to obesity. Whatever progress is occurring remains uneven. The report said obesity rates continued to be the highest in lower-income communities, communities of color and in the South, where high rates of hypertension and Type 2 diabetes are prevalent. Nonetheless, public awareness campaigns that focus attention on obesity might be having an impact. The “F as in Fat” rankings follow an encouraging CDC report last week that showed improved obesity rates among lowincome preschoolers in 19 states and increases in just three. “There isn’t a magic bullet,” Levi said. “What I think we’re seeing is a culture change driven by investment in programs that promote nutrition and physical activity, like the Let’s Move campaign. People are becoming far more aware, far more mobilized and far more conscious.”
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Thursday, September 26, 2013
Arts & Entertainment
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Bluegrass legends and rising stars perform at FreshGrass Mass MoCA’s third annual bluegrass festival brings in enthusiastic crowd and talented musicians
Photo by Shannen Adamites/The Beacon
Despite a chill in the air, a crowd gathered to watch The Devil Makes Three perform on Joe’s Field on Sunday afternoon.
By Shannen Adamites
Arts and Entertainment Editor Fall can mean a lot of things. To some, it means hot beverages, oversized sweaters, apple picking, and picturesque foliage. In North Adams, all of those apply, but the ultimate kick-off of the season also includes FreshGrass. FreshGrass is an annual bluegrass festival known for bringing both the legends and the
newcomers to the MASS MoCA campus. “This year was definitely bigger than last’s,” JonDavid Shetler, a junior and bluegrass enthusiast, said. “It was full last time, but the museum only used half the grounds. They used all of the space this time around, which proved to be really effective considering the number of people who came.” The courtyards were lined up
with stages, vendors, and stations. Local restaurants like Desperados and Spice Root provided everything from burritos and fries to chicken tika masala and rice as Lickity Split sold burgers and mac & cheese on their grill station on a giant, raised pavilion. Kid’s Space arranged an activity area for children, where they flaunted their handcrafted banjos made from paper plates and colorful yarn. At night, the colorful displays of Christmas lights brightened the grounds. Joe’s Field, a giant field in the back of the museum, was packed with people sitting in lawn chairs and on blankets, or dancing and hula-hooping off on the black-top to the gritty trio. The Devil Makes Three and the country-rock tinged instrumentals of Leftover Salmon. Friday night featured the Boston-based band The Deadly Gentlemen at the Hunter Center inside the museum. Their fastpaced “banjo rap” had the audience clapping, stomping their feet, and toasting their plastic cups to the remarkable technical musicianship, fun-filled cover songs, and witty lyrics. During the afternoons, bands from Berklee commandeered the smaller stage. On one of the main stages, The Lone Bellow, swept the audience off its feet with their nostalgic, love-struck lyrics and grand instrumentals that resemble the popular folkpop sensation Mumford and Sons. “The Lone Bellow were absolutely fantastic,” Kathleen Sansone, a sophomore and FreshGrass volunteer, said. “They
Photo by Kayla Degnan/ The Beacon
The Wandering Rocks are a bluegrass group from Williamstown who performed on Saturday evening. seemed to emotionally connect with the crowd the most, and that, mixed with their music, made for an excellent concert experience.” That night the Hunter Center featured The Wood Brothers, an eclectic trio with a full artillery of instruments, including a bowed upright bass, a guitar that doubled as a drum, a melodica, and a Hendrix-esque electric guitar. With powerful vocals that resembled Bob Dylan’s and Van Morrison’s, the trio blew away the audience with funky bass lines, bluesy riffs, and a uniqueness that cannot be compared to any other bluegrass act out there. “The Wood Brothers know how to bring the blues to bluegrass, and they bring the funk with it, as well,” Adam Tobin, a senior, said. “They were the perfect break from the norm of
bluegrass.” Luke Spellman, a senior, felt that the Sunday night closing headliner, the classic bluegrass ensemble, The Del McCoury band, were the star of the festival. “I thought Del McCoury was the highlight of the show,” he said. “He is one of the oldest and most experienced bluegrass players still touring, and his warmth and talent shine through his performances in an effortless way.”
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The Parlor announces several fall shows By Jess Gamari Editor-in-Chief
With the chilly fall weather upon us, The Parlor Café is back to its normal hours. Since students have returned to the area, the Parlor has made a few improvements to the menu and has added a fall performance lineup. Every Friday at 8 p.m., stop in to hear poets, musicians and writers perform at the open mic. The parlor provides a small PA and microphone, capable of handling three input signals. Anyone interested in performing an instrument, should stop in early for access to a house drum kit, guitars and amps. Sign up at the bar at 7 p.m. for a 15 minute set. Just this week, the Parlor has acqired a piano from an old church downtown. The Parlor has compiled a fall lineup of musicians and poets from many backgrounds. Jason
Morin, owner of The Parlor, says he found these artists through phone calls and via Facebook. n On Saturday Oct. 12 at noon, Blueberry Buckle has recently performed at events and venues throughout Western Mass. and Southern Vermont. Sisters Cate (violin) and Savannah (drums) with their father Tom Byrne (guitar bass and wind instrument) will give a performance, producing celtic, blues, jazz, old time, and some rock and roll music. n On Saturday, Oct. 12 in the evening, Boston native and multi-instrumentalist singer song-writer Jesse Hanson performs music from her recently released album, “Back to Boston,” now available on iTunes. As a multi-instrumentalist and solo artist, Hanson records each instrument melody on a looping machine, allowing her to write and perform songs using
electric violin, guitar and brass instrument. In her youth, she performed as a violinist for the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra for seven years. She placed in every regional competition she competed in, including the New England Country Music Organization’s “Bluegrass Instrumentalist of the year 2013” and “Instrumental Duo of the year 2013.” n In leiu of an open mic, on Friday Oct. 25 in the evening Viking Moses, a band known for its constant rotating musicians, delivers a combination of rock, soul and folk music. Brendon Massei of South Missouri created the band in 2003, now currently based in Northern Appalachia. n Three bands will perform on Saturday Oct. 26. Soft Powers leads the evening at 8 p.m., followed by Polysonic Joy and Be the Seen.
Photo by Emily Boughton/The Beacon
Two Trees, an electric folk band from Northamptom, performed at the Parlor Cafe Satuday night.
Arts & Entertainment
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Beacon.MCLA.edu
‘A Marriage’ is an interesting journey
Photo by Sam Thomson/Beacon Staff
Simultaneous spray painting created this colorful piece on display at Gallery 51.
By Raanan Segal
Arts and Entertainment Writer At the entrance to Gallery 51, the piece “Looking Over Levittown” immediately introduces the dominant aesthetic of Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin’s mixed-media art installation, “A Marriage: 1 (Suburbia).” Images of suburban life, presented in intentionally startling screens and colors, are superimposed with photos and footage of the principal players of the art piece.
Walking around the room, it’s hard not to feel the bizarre mix of the personal and the cerebral at work in the various pieces. Vaughan and Margolin’s pieces seek to appropriate and redefine classic images of American culture and suburban life in such a way that they are compatible with a family in which the parents are two men. They approach the topic through a mix of conceptual presentation and images projected through a kaleidoscope of unusual color choices, social parallels, and
Prof. to hold booksigning The College announces a book signing in honor of Dr. Lisa Donovan, associate professor of arts management, for her book, “Integrating the Arts across the Content Areas,” will take place tonight at 6:30-7:15 p.m. in the PRESS Gallery, 49 Main St. The event is free and open to the public. Short remarks will begin at 6:45 p.m. Refreshments will be served. “Integrating the Arts across the Content Areas” discusses how to bring the arts back into the classroom with arts-based activities and strategies to use in language arts, mathematics, science and social studies instruction. This resource helps teachers to gain a better understanding of why and how to use the arts to reach and engage students. Developed to help motivate disengaged students, this professional resource provides activities, concrete examples and stories from teachers already implementing art-based curriculum. The strategies are presented in categories that include: dramatic movement, storytelling, poetry, mu-
sic/rhythm, and visual arts. This resource supports the Common Core State Standards. Before joining MCLA last January, Donovan was an associate professor and director of the creative arts in learning Division at Lesley University. She is a theater artist, educator, administrator and arts-based researcher. For two years she served as audience engagement liaison for Jacobs Pillow Dance Festival conducted research as part of a Wallace Foundation Grant. Donovan has a broad range of experience working as an arts educator, and administrator in a variety of arts organizations including: the Berkshire Opera Company, University of Massachusetts’ Department of Theater, as well as Boston University’s Theater, Visual Arts, and Tanglewood Institutes. She was formerly the executive director of the Massachusetts Alliance for Arts Education. She lives with her husband Rick and sons Alexander and Jack in Lee, Mass.
performance art. Dominating the first half of the exhibits are a series of moving portraits, playing on screens under cut-out maps. These pieces, along with the pink bubblegum welcome mat, provide a statement of purpose to the whole affair, showing the family as they are and where they have been. “Untitled Transparency Piece” in particular suffers from an emotional distance present throughout this part of the performance. It creates a striking
image through its transparent collage of classic advertisements, but on its own it feels more like an oddity than a bold statement of purpose. However, by the back half of the exhibit, everything comes together in glorious fashion. The heavier pieces of art reside here, those that provoke reactions beyond mere interest. In particular, “Two Channel,” “Floor Record: Wax,” and “Garden Hose Piece” solidify the premise of the entire exhibit. Taken together, these three pieces combine conceptual, personal, and political elements. “Two Channel” is a multimedia piece featuring a variety of people sharing their experiences and opinions, captured in a series of testimonials shot with two cameras. It is presented in two videos playing simultaneously on the same screen. Although by itself it is a fairly standard museum media piece, it gains resonance when combined with the dominant imagery of the exhibit. So much of the exhibit is defined by updated versions of classic images, such as “Untitled Transparency Piece,” that “Two Channel” appears distinctive and provides a political aspect to the whole exhibit. The centerpiece of the back half, “Garden Hose Piece,” neat-
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ly encapsulates the whole message of the gallery in one interactive work. Sitting on the lawn chairs and watching cut-together scenes of classic sitcoms displaying familial bliss on a dingy old black-and-white TV, it’s easy to feel the care and genuine effort that went into this work, and into each piece of art in the presentation. They show skill; the artists are not simply plastering whatever comes into their heads on a screen, but are giving these images serious thought, and attempting to provoke serious thought in the audience as well. The art installation contextualizes the artists’ experiences as part of a long tradition of suburban life that exists outside the family and will continue afterward. It seeks to show us all as people playing out our lives similarly, in similar roles, filtered through pop culture imagery and the experiences of one family. Continuing in the theme of examining social trends, Gallery 51’s next scheduled show is “Mail Order Brides” by Eliza O Barrios, running from September 26 to October 27. It is advertised as a commentary about race, culture, and gender, made by a group of FilipinoAmerican artists. It will consist of multimedia projects and installed pieces.
‘Markings’ to open at PRESS gallery
Photo from PRESS gallery’s Fickr page
Bold artwork by Janette Brosard. According to her artist’s statement, she is interested in modern social relationships and the frustrations that accompany them. The PRESS Gallery will present a new exhibition of work, “Markings,” created by PRESS interns, volunteers and MCLA faculty beginning tonight. An opening reception will be held tonight, at the 49 Main St. gallery, 6-8 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. “Markings” features letterpress prints and artist books by former PRESS interns and volunteers Adriana Alexatos, Hayley Parker, Antoine Scalbert and Leeya Jackson, as well as PRESS founder Melanie Mowinski, assistant professor of art at MCLA. Inspiration for this exhibit stems from a quote by Theodore Roethke, “Time marks us while we
are marking time.” Each artwork created reflects time spent in the studio, at the press or the typecase, considering text and image. Each mark on the page, is a mark in time, whether a day in the life of an intern, or months or work towards an end goal. On view will be reduction cuts, works that combine text and image, poetry broadsides, artist books and more. One of the most important parts of an internship at PRESS is learning how to use the equipment and then creating a print or a series of prints that utilizes these new skills. This internship also includes understanding how different papers, inks and other mediums change
how the work is received. Mowinski will highlight this relationship with three new pieces created with the same print matrixes but with different papers and formats. These works are part of a greater body of work entitled, “When I am Among Rocks and other stories of walks in the woods.” At the opening reception, MCLA also will celebrate the release of “Integrating the Arts across the Content Areas,” by MCLA Associate Professor Lisa Donovan. According to Mowinski, Donovan’s book is an incredible resource for teachers wanting to bring arts back into the classroom, including how and why the arts can be used.
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Sports
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Beacon.MCLA.edu
MASCAC play begins By Jesse Collings Sports Writer
Christopher Oxholm Sports Editor
Don’t blame Tom
Three weeks deep and Tom Brady is hanging in there. He’s getting older, losing his teammates, but he’s still bringing home the “W.” Currently, the New England Patriots have a comfortable 3-0 record, but comfortable really isn’t the right word for it. After barely beating the infamously lousy Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets, they finally played a decent game on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fans weren’t happy with the Patriots first two weeks. Beating the Bills by only two and the Jets by a mere three, it was good to see them win a game with a 20-point spread. It’s hard to blame Tom Brady alone for those first two losses. When a quarterback loses the legs of Wes Welker, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez you can bet the farm that it may take him a week or two to find his groove again. Yes, the Buccaneers are somewhat of a low-end team but a 20-point win is a 20-point win. On top of Brady being able to physically cope with this situation, he certainly has an emotional toll to fight through. Wouldn’t anyone who lost three of their key players to trade, injury, and 1st degree murder? It doesn’t matter what the sport casters tell you on ESPN after the game. If the Patriots don’t continue to win it’s because the Brady dynasty has come to an early end. At 36 years old, there’s no more time to rebuild a team around him. As of right now, Patriots fans best hope for an immediate fix is to pray for a miracle so Gronkowski can get back on the field. Despite his recent lack in success, Brady has outplayed many other quarterbacks in history, especially in his draft class. Chad Pennington was drafted in 2000 as well, only he was No. 18 in round one, whereas Brady was picked 199 in the sixth round. Brady has five Super bowl appearances, and three rings; Pennington never made it past round two in the playoffs. The Patriots are back at it again this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons at 8:30 p.m.
The Women’s Tennis team began conference play Saturday with a tough loss at home to visiting Lyndon State, falling 7-2. The Trailblazers fell to 1-6, while Lyndon State improved to 3-3. After being shut-out in three out of their last four matches, the ‘Blazers were able to get onto the scoreboard against a very game Lyndon St. team. They were led by sophomore Stephanie Giardina, sweeping her singles match against Lyndon St. junior Olivia Bernard, 6-2, 6-1. After the match, Giardina was very excited about her development as a player. “It felt great! The win definitely helped keep my spirits and my confidence up,” Giardina said. “I think playing with such tough opponents in previous matches has helped me improve my game, which is what I’ve been focusing on - improvement.” After dropping all three doubles matches, the ‘Blazers showed more fight in singles winning two out of the six match-ups. In addition to Giardina, freshman Rebecca Waterhouse came out on top in her match-up against Lyndon St. senior Kelly Butler, in a hard-fought victory, 7-5, 7-5. The most competitive game of the day came when MCLA sophomore Ama Adwetewa-Badu took
on Lyndon St. sophomore Alexandria Maynard in singles c o mp e t i t i o n . Maynard dominated the first set 6-0, but Adwete wa-B adu returned the favor, taking the next set 6-1. In the third and deciding set, Adwetewa and Maynard exchanged scores well into extra games, with Maynard eventually coming out on top, 107. After a series of tough opponents, Coach Rebecca Waterhouse was on top of her game. Holly McGovCastleton in a match played in ern was satisfied with the im- Pittsfield. It was more of the same provement she saw in her team. for the ‘Blazers, as they fell 7-2 “Our players have been work- to drop to 1-7, while the visiting ing on their fundamentals and Spartans improved to 2-5. translated some pieces of those After sweeping all three of the today within our match,” she said. doubles matches, the ‘Blazers “I thought that Stephanie Giar- continued to show improvement dina and Kelley Bryant put forth during the singles matches. This a great effort in their 1st Doubles time, it was senior Kelley Bryant match and showcased some of the who came out on top, defeating skills that we are trying to estab- Castleton junior Meghan Susslin, lish consistently.” 6-3, 1-6, 10-7. The following day, MCLA took For the second straight day, on other conference opponent Rebecca Waterhouse won her
Photo by Amy Modesti/The Beacon
singles match, finishing the weekend with a perfect 2-0 record in singles matches. Waterhouse defeated Castleton junior Kaydeen Juaire comfortably in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5. The ‘Blazers will try and snap their losing streak when they face St. Joseph at home on Wednesday, September 25. MCLA will then spend the weekend on the road as they travel to Thomas College on Saturday, and then Anna Maria College on Sunday.
Volleyball goes 2-2 this week Chistopher Oxholm Sports Editor
The Volleyball team went 2-2 this past week. The team played a match Thursday, Sept. 19, two on Saturday, and another single match on Tuesday. After losing to Elms Thursday, Sept. 19, the Trailblazers won two home matches against Bay Path and Curry on Saturday. They beat Curry 3-2, but the real victory for them was their shutout against Bay Path 3-0. The score was a perfect shutout, but the road there was rough. In all three sets, the difference was never more than four: 25-21, 2523, and 25-23. Junior Allie Change put up the highest numbers with seven kills from 16 attempts, followed by freshmen Sam Anderson who had six on 14. On Tuesday, volleyball played the competitive Sage Gators, getting shutout 3-0 (25-9, 25-14, and 25-14). The Trailblazers begin conference play on Saturday at Worcester State and then head to another MASCAC opponent, Framingham, on Wednesday. Photo by Emily Broughton/The Beacon
Freshman Rachel Mills goes for a spike.
Sports
Thursday, September 26, 2013
MASCAC opener loss By James M. Hunter Sports Writer After coming off an impressive overtime win last Wednesday against Albany Pharmacy, the women’s soccer team came up short this past Saturday against Worcester State, losing 2-1. It was the MASCAC opener for both teams, Worcester heading into the game with a 2-3 overall compared to the Trailblazers’s 3-3. Worcester took the lead in the 19th minute of the game, with the score staying 1-0 until half. It was Gaby Gonet who placed the ball perfectly to teammate Kelsey Cartwright through goalkeeper Danielle Heinsohn. A few minutes before, Gonet had a header that almost went in net, butcaught the crossbar instead. Senior Brianna Dandurant comments on the team play. “There are times we can improve on what we know so we can easily fix it,” Dandurant said. “Right now it’s not a matter of worrying about that. We just need to get out there and do it. We have the tools, like the knowledge, speed, skill, and stamina.” It wasn’t long into the second half when they tied the game. Another goal from freshman Natalie Caney came in the game at the 50th minute of the second half. Caney led the team in scoring with her fifth goal on the season. She has also been named MASAC Rookie of the Week honor for the second time this season. It wasn’t until the 73rd minute, Worcester’s Shelby Archer scored
Mens Soccer @ Worcester L, 3-0 @ Skidmore L, 2 - 1 Photo by Gabriel Kogel
Trailblazers stock thier opponent. a goal towards the lower left corner past Heinsohn. Later in the half, they had chances on net but it was Worcester goalkeeper, Jillian Witkowski, who stopped three shots on goal late in the game. “Proving people wrong,” Dandurant said. “Putting us in the 6th place is a bit of a dig but the teams that were placed on the top of the list have to live up to that ranking. All we have to do is show up to play and prove people wrong and I have a great feeling we will do that this year,” says Dandurant about conference play. MCLA came up strong last week with an impressive 2-1 overtime win against Albany Pharmacy. It
was Caney who scored the winning goal in overtime. Caney shined once more on Tuesday with a hat trick at SUNYIT along with senior Rebecca Pike who scored shutting out the Wildcats, 4-0. Starting this past Tuesday, the womens soccer team will go on a five game road trip playing in and out of the conference. The Trailblazers travel to Salem State the 28th, Mount Holyoke on October 1st, Fitchburg State October 5th and Western New England College on October 9th. The Trailblazers next home game will be Saturday, October 12th against Framingham State at 1 p.m.
Sports recap for the week
Sports Editor
Men’s Golf The golf team competed in the Williams Invitational this past weekend at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown. MCLA finished 23rd at the close of the two day event. Trailblazer Taylor Dunn performed best for MCLA, finishing with a 78 in the second round, 10 strokes under his first round performance of 88. He tied for 75th place individually. Cam Boraski and Mitch Mullet finished second and third best for the Trailblazers, totaling 172 and 188 over two rounds. Williams placed first at their home course with a team score of 607. Eric Michalak of Manhattanville’s placed first, individually shooting 147 for his two-day total.
Scores Mens Cross Country 5 out of 7 9/14
Blazer Wrap-up Christopher Oxholm
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Men’s Tennis
Men’s Soccer
The men’s tennis program hosted their only fall match Friday, Sept. 20, against the Western New England Golden Bears. The Trailblazers lost 9-0, starting their official season off at 0-1. The Golden Bears’ Andres Otero, Alex Sause, and Peter LeFrancois each got a pair of points. Otero and Sause worked together to defeat the top Trailblazer duo of Taylor Krowitz and Robert Wabshinak 8-4 in doubles. Both Otero and Sause won their singles matches. LeFrancois also doubled up, beating Mitch Mabardy 6-0, 6-0 in the third singles slot, while teaming with John Mindek to win 8-1 in the number two doubles slot. The rest of the Trailblazers season will be held in the spring as they get ready for NAC play.
The Men’s Soccer team has struggled this season so far, standing at 2-4 overall. They played their MASCAC opener on Saturday at Worcester State, losing 3-0 and fell to Skidmore on Tuesday 2-1. The MASCAC game at Worcester was dominated by the Lancers, limiting the Trailblazers offence to only two shots on goal. Worcester was able to attempt seven, scoring one in the first half and two in the second. Shots on goal were a problem for the Trailblazers again on Tuesday at Skidmore. The Blazers were only able to gather three while the Thoroughbreds managed 10 shots on goal. The game was tied in the second half at 1-1 until the 85th minute when Skidmore found the back of the net for the victory shot. The Blazers have a home game against MASCAC opponent Salem State on Saturday at 1 p.m., and then hit the road for a match at SUNY Cobleskill on Tuesday.
Golf @ Williams Inv. 23rd MCLA Inv. 3rd Womens Cross Country 5 out of 5 9/14
9
Womens Soccer @ SUNYIT W, 4 - 0 Worcester State L, 2-1 Womens Tennis Castleton L, 7 - 2 Lyndon L, 7-2 Volleyball Elms L, 3-1 Bay Path W, 3-0 Curry W 3-2 @Sage L, 3 - 0
Schedules Mens Cross Country 9/28 at Elms 12:30 p.m.
Womens Soccer 9/28 vs. SSU 2:30 p.m. 10/1 @ Mt. Holyoke 6:00 p.m.
Mens Soccer 9/28 vs. SSU 1:00 p.m. 10/1 @ SUNY Co- Womens Tennis bleskill 3:30 p.m. 9/28 vs. Thomas 12:00 p.m. 9/29 @ Ana Maria Golf 1:00 p.m. Today vs. Westfield 11:00 a.m. Volleyball 9/28 vs. Worcester 10/2 @ Elms 12:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 10/2 @ FramingWomens Cross ham 7:00 p.m. Country 9/28 at Elms 11:30 a.m.
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Opinion
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Beacon.MCLA.edu
What is your favorite part about autumn? “I love to rake. I love raking.”
“The scenery is nice and beautiful. The weather is nice and cool.”
– Ian Coyne, 2015
– Jarret Ferriter, 2015
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.
“The air is crispy and fresh smelling.”
“The scenery around here is my favorite thing about autumn. I can’t wait until the leaves change. Plus I’m in Outing Club and we go camping, so I’m excited for that.”
– Michael Malone, 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.
– Kyla Graves, 2016
“The squirrels.”
“The scenery is pretty nice around here. The leaves change and I love the fall weather.”
– Nikki Kratounis, 2015
– Rashard Taylor, 2014
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.
Editorial Board
Photos compiled by Samantha Thomson
Free Guns!
By Nick Arena
Managing Editor A Florida group, the Armed Citizen Project, is looking to hand out free shotguns to citizens in neighborhoods with higher crime rates. According to the Associated Press (AP), the group’s president is ensuring that safety measures will be taken when handing out the firearms. “Ron Ritter, president of the Armed Citizen Project of Florida, said the donated guns will reach their new owners through participating dealers or gun shops,” AP reported. “The new owners will have to pass a background check and also complete gun safety training, Ritter said Wednesday.” Background checks and gun safety training are both excellent ideas, but again, we are standing on the mentality that we should
fight fire with fire. The number of gun deaths in the United States is continuing to climb, and what we as citizens need to remember is that not all of these deaths occur because of malicious intent. Another AP story reported earlier this year that a young 5-yearold boy fatally shot his 2-year-old sister in Kentucky with a rifle he had received for his birthday. Adding all of these incidents to the shooting sprees like the recent Navy Yard shooting in Washington D.C., and the average, run-ofthe-mill shootings, the numbers begin to soar. According to www.gunpolicy. org, the number of incidents have been climbing since 2009, where there were a reported 31,347 gunrelated deaths, to 2011 where it reached 32,163. I’m not a math major, but an increase of over 800 in two years’ time does not show improvement. So do we continue to fight fire with fire? If a law-abiding citizen shoots an armed criminal then it’s just another “bad guy,” right? Does someone like that actually even get counted on these lists of deaths? Given Florida’s recent issues with gun violence and related deaths, you would think they would start considering their stance on what security means, and actually start thinking before they start throwing Remingtons around.
Editor-in-Chief Jess Gamari
Cool places!
Each week, check out a new place to visit in the area
Sports Editor Christopher Oxholm
Photography Editor Kayla Degnan Web Editor Michael Dahlroth
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Managing Editor Nick Arena*
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The Cascades Trail is located off of Marion Avenue, North Adams, MA. The path leads to a cascading waterfall.
11 DownStreet Art features puppets, performance Thursday, September 26, 2013
NORTH ADAMS. — Giant hawks and doves will “soar” through Main Street at the DownStreet Art event, tonight from 5-8 p.m. DownStreet Art is a project of MCLA’s Berkshire Culture Resource Center, partnering with the City of North Adams, Develop North Adams, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and Orbit Visual Graphic Design. An initiative of MCLA’s, Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC), DownStreet Art (DSA) is a public art project designed to revitalize downtown North Adams. By harnessing existing art organizations and events and transforming vacant and open spaces into art destinations, DownStreet Art defines North Adams as a cultural haven, driving tourists and community members. n “Mortal Beasts and Deities: Larger than Life Puppetry and Splendiferous Stilt Dancers,” led by Mark Alexander of northwestern Connecticut, will visit the downtown during this event with its signature act giant stilt puppets “The Flock of Doves and Hawk.” n “As much as we will miss Nick and Jake’s beautiful, artistic exploration of gay marriage here at MCLA Gallery 51, we are greatly looking forward to sharing the work of one of the founding members of the Filipina-American art collective ‘Mail Order Brides.’ Eliza Barrios’ show will open as part of the DSA Thurday festivities,” Jonathan Secor said. n MCLA Gallery 51 will premiere a solo exhibition of new and cumulative work by Barrios on Thursday, Sept. 26, with a free opening reception, 5-8 p.m. The exhibit will include text-based drawings, singlechannel video projections, and photographs from Barrios’ collaborative project, “Mail Order Brides” n MCLA’s Fine and Performing Arts department will previewing s from the upcoming Encore Series production, ‘Spring Awakening,’ at 5:30 p.m. at Gallery 51.
Local Events
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n This mixed-media installation, “Writing Series: (Manga) Sulat Sa Pader* (Writing on the Wall),” will draw material from both English and Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines. “(Manga) Sulat Sa Pader” translates from Tagalog to English as “Writing on the Wall.” n In addition, for one night only, artist Jeffery Kitchen will present “Prototype” in The Artery. This “pop-up” exhibition will include 10-plus photographs enlarged onto large posters that will spread across the Artery’s walls. n In the alley between Berkshire Bank and the China Buffet, artists Erin Ko and Alex Chouls will present “Image Flow,” an interactive projection. “Image Flow” uses the Google image search API to visualize creative collective consciousness, as people’s thoughts are turned into image clouds and woven together in real time. n Also in the galleries, Gallery 107 will present “It’s a Wrap,” to feature the accumulated drawings from those who participated in “Art on the Town festivities” over the summer. n In Gallery 53, it’s the last chance to see local artist Rich Remsberg’s “Historyland,” which has been extended through Sept. 29. And the Adams Community Bank will present Janet Picard’s “Regarding Nature,” also extended through Sept. 29. n In the Branch Gallery, Jamie Franklin, a curator/collector, and artist Renee Bouchard will offer “Alternate Realities.” The exhibit pairs Bouchard’s paintings with works by such folk/self-taught/outsider artists, which Franklin and Bouchard have collected, both separately and as a couple, over the last seven years. n The self-taught creators come from disparate backgrounds; they range from amateur painters, doodlers and tinkerers to folk artists who work in tradition-bound communities (such as calligraphers and rug hookers), as well as patients at institutions devoted to the care of the mentally ill.
FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT ATTENTION STUDENT LOAN RECIPIENTS! IF YOU’RE BORROWING A STUDENT LOAN FOR THE FIRST TIME, YOU MUST COMPLETE ENTRANCE COUNSELING AND YOUR MASTER PROMISSORY NOTE ON LINE. REFUNDS WILL BE OCCURING IN A FEW WEEKS! DON’T DELAY YOUR REFUND!! CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE IN ELDRIDGE HALL TO MAKE SURE YOUR PAPERWORK IS COMPLETE!
Photo by Jess Gamari/ The Beacon
Members of Dysfunk Crew performed at a previous Down Street Art event. n In the PRESS Gallery, an opening reception will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Markings,” which will feature letterpress prints and artist books by former PRESS interns and volunteers Adriana Alexatos, Hayley Parker, Antoine Scalbert and Leeya Jackson, as well as PRESS founder Melanie Mowinski. n Inspiration for “Markings” stems from a quote by Theodore Roethke: “Time marks us while we are marking time.” Each artwork created reflects time spent in the studio, at the press or the typecase, considering text and image. Each mark on the page is a mark in time, whether a day in the life of an intern, or months or work towards an end goal. n In addition to the “Mortal Beasts and Deities” performance, Mike “Wamba” Martin will serenade those traveling on a trolley between the MCLA campus and downtown North Adams as he plays the ukulele.
Photo by Jess Gamari/ The Beacon
Mike “Wamba” Martin will perform on a trolley for MCLA students traveling from campus to Main Street.
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Thursday, September 26, 2013
Photo Essay
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Autumn Season
Photos by Kayla Degnan
As the days shorten, chlorophyll fades, giving way to other pigments in the leaf.
New England is known for its fall foliage.
Pumpkins decorate windows in a townhouse to prepare for fall and Halloween.
Wild Oats Market in Williamstown has decorated the entranceway with fall related props.
Apples make centerpieces for kitchen tables now that apple picking season is here.