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Volume 83 ◆ Issue 6
Th u r s d ay, O c t o b e r 2 7 , 2 0 1 6
Inside
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All College: Curriculum confusion, new major
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Burglary Arrests
Harlequin Musical Revue
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Golf finishes in seventh
The Punch Bowl Series
By Nick Tardive Staff Writer
The All College Committee (ACC) met last Thursday to discuss “cleaning up” the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) process, as well as the possibility of adding a community health education major. After approving the minutes for the ACC’s meeting on Sept. 29, Professor Deb Foss passed around a draft language form called “Navigating the Curriculum Process and the CBA.” Many professors on the board, such as history Professor Ely Janis, were confused as to the wording in the draft language and the UCC’s role in adjusting a department’s curriculum. All departments must have a UCC consisting of the department chair and at least two students. Any additional members must be outlined by written departmental procedures. These UCCs meet to consider curriculum changes, however there is no requirement for the committees to record votes made during meetings. That was where the confusion came in, as professors, such as Janis, were unsure as to whether their departments were required to take votes at all. Foss explained that this was a matter of individual, departmental rules. However, even if a UCC was required by a department to take votes, they are under no obligation to record the votes; recording the votes is a matter of preference, or rule in case a certain department declared that their UCC must do so. After discussing voting on the draft language, the members of the ACC decided to table the vote until after the form had been sent to the departments first. The ACC gave the departments until Nov. 3 to look at and deliberate on the draft language, and look to formally vote on the matter in their Nov. 10 meeting. Professor Anne Goodwin then introduced an outline for a community health education major, which would require a total of 62 credits with a mix of health, biology, sociology and psychology courses. Foss pointed out that, although a major would need 62 credits to graduate, 17 of the credits also apply toward core requirements, which would aide a student in graduating faster. If adopted as is, the major would apply to President Birge’s goal of graduating students faster, within the outlined four years as opposed to five or even more. Goodwin said that the major would be housed within the Biology Department, of which Goodwin herself is a member, and to make the new program viable, the school would have to hire a full-time professor. She also pointed out that the community health education program could easily be paired with a child and family studies or health, aging and society minors. The new major would add five new courses to MCLA’s available class list. Another topic brought up during the meeting were forms that require Adviser/Center for Student Success and Engagement (CSSE) signatures. Foss pointed out that there is no formal policy requiring an adviser’s signature on an add/drop form. Other professors brought up that it should be the Registrar’s office that should put the final signature on a form as opposed to CSSE, as the Registrar is where student records are kept. However, the Registrar had no way to track how students change their major, and that using CSSE as a middle man was at one point a necessity for the process. Also discussed was a “revision in the works” for the interdisciplinary studies minor.
Read the full story on page 2!
Phot o
by Emily acon Gabert Gabert/The Be
Sen. Warren endorses Hinds By Harmony Birch Editor-in-Chief
Executive Director of the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, Adam Hinds, is running for senate— if you haven’t heard already. Hinds is a Berkshire native, born in Buckland, who attended Mohawk Trail Regional High School in Shelburne Falls, and now resides in Pittsfield. The Democratic candidate
has received a long list of endorsements most recently by Senator Elizabeth Warren. “Adam is committed to strengthening our communities and to making sure state government works for working families in Western Mass.,” Warren said. “His ability to bring people together to get things done makes Adam the right choice for the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden District, and I’m happy to
endorse him.” Hinds is hoping to fill Ben Downing’s seat, a seat he’s held for the last decade, and Downing is rooting for Hinds, with his endorsement Elizabeth made official on Oct. 6. “I firmly believe Adam is Warren the best candidate to serve as state senator,” Downing told the Beacon. “Yes, we are from the same party, but more HINDS Continued on Page 11 Adam Hinds
Marketing team takes on digital initiatives By Harmony Birch Editor-in-Chief
The Be Here campaign that helped shepherd in a larger freshman class this year is being extended, Bernadette Alden, head
of Marketing and Communications, told the Trustee Board’s enrollment committee on Thursday, Oct. 20. This year’s campaign is a more personalized variation, Alden said, called, “I’m here.” One of the factors that helped the
marketing team measure Be Here’s success could be measured by the eagerness in which other college departments like student affairs and MARKETING Continued on Page 11
Audrey’s story: The human element in recovery By Nick Tardive Staff Writer
Editor’s Note: This is a continuation of last week’s “Heroin: The human element in recovery.” Audry moved from Florida to Massachusetts, entering a detox clinic in Danvers where she was given a free bed and enrolled in
MassHealth. Audrey described her time at the Danvers clinic as as “a dorm that constantly has people moving in and out.” Audrey left the detox program clean and entered into a 6-month halfway house program, for which she was ultimately removed for “fraternizing” with another person in the house. She was perturbed by the fact that the harm reduction
program allowed people trying to recover from using drugs, to use drugs – while at the same time two people caught up in a romance could be removed with the snap of one’s fingers. Through it all, however, Audrey stayed clean. She got into a sober HEROIN Continued on Page 11
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Thursday, October 27, 2016
Campus News
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Punch Bowl series tackles gender and the media By Emily Gabert
Staff/Features Writer Students and faculty gathered in Murdock Hall for the second installment in the Punch Bowl series. This week’s topic focused on gender, media, and the 2016 presidential election. David Zachary Finch, an English/Communications professor, first introduced the video by telling attendees about a recent New York Times article that he had read. The author of the article believed that Donald Trump has created a referendum with the media and gender. Although he found himself agreeing about certain parts of the article, he also found himself skeptical of what he had read. “I felt multiple ways about the article. I wasn’t entirely convinced, but I found some virtues in the argument,” Finch said. “That feeling of being undecided, of seeing both perspectives is one that I’ve become familiar with, even though it’s an uncomfortable feeling. And I think it’s something we are hoping to cultivate, in general, across the board in terms of being open minded and receptive to whatever the argument is coming out of. [While] also cultivating a healthy skepticism, especially when it comes to the media; especially out of something so heated, like the 2016 Presidential Election.” Finch believes that it is our responsibility to understand the media and to think and to read it critically. A video produced by Vox Media was shown to spark conversation. The video focused on Hillary Clinton and the opposing sides that Clinton has been subjected to facing in the election. Two three minute segments were shown to students.
Photo by Emily Gabert/The Beacon
MCLA faculty listen to Political Science Professor Samantha Pettey as she talks about how gender and politics are connected. In the video, Vox founder Ezra Klein talked about how Hillary Clinton would govern if elected. Finch urged students to think about the message from the video as they watched and to come up with questions about the video, and what they believed they were being persuaded into thinking. The video focused on gender dynamics and how Hillary shows what some would consider predominantly “female traits” like being a good listener; it also stated how Hillary lacks “male presidential traits” like being a good speaker. Students were quick to voice their thoughts on the video. A few students found the video to be too focused on sexism, others found it absurd that to be considered a good leader, you must immediately be a good speaker. Some even found that holding Hillary to the same standard as Republican candidate, Donald Trump, to be ridiculous as she has more experience than he does in politics, as he works primarily as a business man.
New political science professor, Samantha Pettey, was among the faculty active in the Punch Bowl hoping to get attendees to think deeper about the ongoing issues, and more thoroughly. Pettey’s main focus in political science is in American Politics. Although Hillary Clinton is the first female presidential nominee, the problems Clinton faces are also problems many women in politics face as well, no matter the position. “These questions and responses from the media are not new,” Pettey explained. “It’s just the same kind of picture over and over.” Pettey’s talk to the audience covered is how gender and political parties are connected, and how the media effects this. She started off teaching attendees about media framing and how exactly it works. Professor Pettey sees media framing as cutting everything out of a picture frame, and only focusing on a small portion of the bigger picture. “It’s a very different picture
SGA: hydration stations, club interplay By Nick Tardive Staff Writer
Last week, SGA Coordinating Vice President (CVP) Sam Giffen announced that she, alongside the head of facilities and Vice President Lawrence Behan, had worked out the addition of hydration stations to different locations around campus. Giffen said that there would be five new filtered water fountains added in four locations around campus where they had not been already: Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation, Murdock Hall, the Amsler Campus Center and Mark Hopkins. Senator ShepherdEdwards brought up that Mark Hopkins might not be the best place to add a hydration station, as it is arguably MCLA’s building most in-need of major renovations. President Williams pointed out that, since CSI was just built and Bowman
was just fixed up, Mark Hopkins’ renovation might not be monetarily feasible for quite some time now. “I was surprised when I mentioned putting one in Mark Hopkins,” Giffen said. “It came up in our meeting that Mark Hopkins didn’t have one either, but at this point we weren’t sure the feasibility...that [hydration stations] could even be placed in there.” Although nobody objected to the placement of the hydration stations, Shepherd-Edwards went on to question whether or not it might be best to refrain from adding the hydration sta-
tion to Mark Hopkins entirely in order to prioritize the future renovation of the old school building. Giffen admitted that she wouldn’t say no, but would raise the concerns “I don’t know the actual timeline of when it will be renovated,” Giffen said. “I believe that they have the right thing in mind, and they wouldn’t waste their money on it.” During the Open Forum discussion, Class of 2020 Representative Jacob Vitali brought up the matter of MCLA’s shuttle and a lack of advertising regarding the schedule. Williams said that students could go online and Google “MCLA shuttle” or “The Great Escape shuttle” to access a PDF file. Although the file is from last year, its times are still accurate. “If it looks like last year’s [schedule], I’m going to say, ‘Oh wait, that’s not right,’ and move on,” Shepherd-Edwards said. She went on to suggest a
than if we saw the entire room here,” Pettey said. “This is what the media does. They tend to to focus on particular issues or topics, and it effects how we views things.” She showed the audience two articles. One was about how men are treating the 2016 election as a normal election, while women aren’t. The second article talked about how GOP women are still loyal to Trump, despite the sexist accusations against Trump. Pettey asked attendees if they believed the articles were talking about the same thing. Differing opinions floated around the room, but the basis of gender was continued to be found; also discussed was the results of the 2016 presidential election based on who each gender voted for. If men only voted for Trump, he would win, and vice versa with Clinton. “[Women] are 20 percent more likely to vote for Clinton,” Pettey explained, “versus men [who] are seven percent more
likely to vote for Trump.” One student brought up the ongoing issue about election fraud. Professor Pettey debunked voter fraud by explaining how unlikely it is for voter fraud to occur. “This is media framing at its finest because what we have is a really interesting topic about voter fraud…but we find in American politics that voter fraud is very, very, very, very rare. Like .0001 percent fraud out of a 31 billion votes,” Pettey clarified. “…and there has also been talk about the rigged elections and the electoral college. People tend not to like the electoral college; this is not new… voter fraud is very rare. This is why media effects and framing are very important.” Voter suppression, sensationalism, and whether or not the media changes our beliefs were also talked about; it has been found that the media does not necessarily change our beliefs, but it makes us think about things in different ways.
change in location for the shuttle to be over by Public Safety as opposed to near Hoosac Hall/ the Campus Center. Giffen also announced that she will be holding a club workshop at 7 p.m. in Bowman on Nov. 3. This is part of a larger overall plan by SGA to increase participation among students on campus, as well as club interactions. “At the leadership summit, a lot of people touched on cohosting events together, and I wanted to push that even more,” Giffen said. “A lot of clubs have been collaborating together this semester - clubs that don’t normally collaborate together. I plan on bringing it up at all of the workshops that I have.” Last year, alumnus Kelsey McGonigle had a sign up in the Campus Center (near the Trailblazer Cafe and TD ATM) with race cars going around a circular track. Clubs nominate each other to get further along the track. Giffen said that she would like to do something similar to that, where clubs were rewarded for interacting
with each other. Senator of the Week went to Siobhan Greene for filing club minutes over the past three weeks during her required office hours. The Budget Finance Committee is working on finalizing structural changes to SGA’s supplemental budget request form. Senate Chair Tyler Spencer revealed that the Class of 2019 is collaborating with President Birge and Catherine Holbrook, vice president of Student Affairs, on a memorial for Melissa McHenry. McHenry was a student at MCLA who passed away May 9, 2016. She was a member of the Class of 2019. Executive Vice President Esposito also announced SAC’s “Freak Week”, with the theme this year being “Paranormal Sactivities”. On Friday there will be a Paranormal Activity movie marathon in the cafeteria; the entire series will be shown consecutively. On Saturday, there is a Glow in the Dark Roller Skating event in Venable Gym from 7 to 11 p.m.
Campus News
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Beacon.MCLA.edu
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Artist talk at Birge introduces diversity task force G51 is tonight Also implements a steering committe for the College’s strategic plan
By Mitchell Chapman Managing Editor
By Harmony Birch Editor-in-Chief
President Birge submitted a proposed steering committee to help him come up with a new strategic plan for the College for the Trustee Board’s approval. Adrian Wooters, Gina Puc, Amanda Beckwith, Barbra Chaput, Jake Lebewire, Diane Scott, Graziana Ramsden, Adazea Shepherd-Edwards, and Elizabeth Manns are among some of the members. “My success in the past with strategic plans has come from assigning committees with appointing different voices,” President Birge said. “I think the more voices we can have that people recognize, the more sense of ownership people will have over the weekend.” The committee will meet twice this fall. Birge also introduced his new Diversity Task Force to the Trustee Board’s executive committee on Thursday, Oct. 21. “I wonder about how inclusive we are for our increasingly diverse student population,” Birge said. Birge met earlier this year with two different groups of students, one was a group of students of color, who divulged that they felt uncomfortable with police presence on campus. The students told Birge that they felt as though they were constantly being fol-
Beacon file photo
President Birge addresses The Beacon in this Spring 2016 file photo.
lowed. The students told Birge that they felt intimidated and as if they could’t relax. “They’re always watching them, they stop them in the street,” Birge said. While at a student affairs committee meeting, two white students told Birge they felt more comfortable and safer with police presence. “It was just emblematic of how we look at the world through different lenses,” Birge said. “I’m not saying that one way is right or the other is wrong. They’re just different
perspectives, and are we tuned in to those differences.” The task force was established to help a consultant the school has hired to create a climate survey for the campus. The survey will likely be admitted to students through an online agent like survey monkey, and the consultant will help compile the data for the task force. “Ideally we’ll have the survey results done by spring, with recommendations that we can start implementing in the fall,” Birge said.
Ballot Question 3 aims for roomier conditions for animals By Harmony Birch Editor-in-Chief
On Nov. 8 Massachusetts voters will decide whether or not to keep breeding pigs, veal, and egg laying hens from being confined in spaces where they cannot lay down, stand up, fully extend their limbs, or turn around freely, according to Massgov.com. Citizens for Farm Animal Protection has raised $1,129,938.61 for this ballot measure. The measure’s top donors are Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, Massachusetts SPCA, Animal Rescue League of Boston, Mercy for Animals. The WBUR/ MassInc, Western New England University Polling Institute, and WBZ/UMass Amherst polls all show the question winning by at least 35 points. Opponents of the question argue that it would negatively impact taxpayers by raising the price
of these products, and could be potentially dangerous for farm animals and consumers. Ken Klippen from the National Association of Egg Farmers stated that this measure wouldn’t improve conditions for chickens. “The National Association of Egg Farmers wants the people in Massachusetts to know that it has been more than five decades since the modern system of producing eggs ensures that chickens have better health, produce more grade-A eggs, and prevents contamination of the eggs with dirt and manure on the ground,” said Klippen. Klippen argues that this measure will disrupt chicken pecking order. In 2008 California proposed and passed a similar measure that stated that animals should be able to lie freely and turn around. Klippen argued that the measure did nothing to increase animal well being. Propo-
sition 2, while allowing animals space, did not address other animal welfare needs like nesting, foraging, or dust bathing. “Don’t be misled by those putting forth this initiative who are intentionally trying to misinform, and who really don’t want you to eat eggs anyway. Ask the farmer who provides the best care for his chickens because he wants to keep his chickens producing quality eggs at a price families can afford,” Klippen said in a statement to Ballotopedia.com. Supporters of the initiative argue that the question will improve animal safety and support “family farmers.” In an op-Ed in the Boston herald, Stephanie Harris, the director of the campaign and the Massachusetts director of the Humane Society, argue that Question 3 would only cost egg farmers a penny per egg, and would increase consumer health.
Tonight, artists Shelley Chamberlin and Michelle Daly will discuss their collaborative exhibition “Everything I never told you: Secrets too beautiful to keep” at Gallery 51, from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibition, which opened Sept. 29 and will remain at Gallery 51 through Nov. 20, highlights the relationship between the two artists by turning their conversations into art through what they call a postcard project (some of which images are available to view at instagram.com/toobeautifultokeep/). The gallery also includes installations, drawings, paintings, printmaking and mixed media that all serve to highlight the artist’s 15 years of friendship. The gallery description reads: “’In Everything I Never Told You: Secrets Too Beautiful To Keep,’ Shelley Chamberlin and Michelle Daly explore themes of vulnerability, intimacy, relationality, nostalgia, memory, disruption, determination, absurdist humor, and hope. As longtime friends, artistic collaborators, and conceptual partners, the two artists have worked in tandem; their artistic trajectories gapping and converging, illuminating spaces and places for each to delve more deeply into their individual inquiries.” The event is free and open to the public. MCLA students, especially those interested in the arts, are encouraged to attend. “It’s a variety of emotional geography,” Daly told The Beacon earlier this year. “Symbolism in a sort of metaphoric, analogous way.”
Since the advent of the internet, postcards and other forms of paper-based communication have lost a lot of their practical value, which opened the door for artists to beautify them. According to The Washington Post, The U.S. Postal Service processed 770 million stamped postcards in 2014, down from 1.2 billion in 2010. In fact, other artists around the country have ran similar exhibitions, such as The Neighborhood Postcard Project, which describes itself as a “global participatory art project that fosters community connection through storytelling exchange,” or The Postcard Collective, whose mission is “to build and maintain a network of individuals who seek to share their art with each other in the form of postcards, to open up a direct line of communication between artists, and to promote a sense of camaraderie and connectedness throughout the Collective.” Daly is the acting director and former program director of the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC). She described her work as “an exploration into the ways identity is formed and changed by the convergence of new technologies, the natural environment and interpersonal relationships.” As such, Gallery 51 is a program of the BCRC. Chamberlin interdisciplinary artist who teaches drawing, printmaking, and mixed media at Portland Community College and the Multnomah Arts Center. Her work has been featured on NBC’s “Grimm.”
Two arrests made for burglaries By Reagan Smith
Special to The Beacon Justin Perez of Roxbury and MCLA student Wesley Melo were arrested and charged with burglary and possession of stolen property from student residencies earlier this week. According to Campus Police Chief Daniel Colonno, Perez and Melo were responsible for a number of recent incidents in which they entered unlocked dorm rooms in Hoosac Hall and stole various items. Perez had two open probation warrants on him from the West Roxbury District Court for failing to report. He was held at $500 cash bail for his alleged involvement in the theft of five debit cards, and less than $250 worth of property. Neither Perez nor Melo are still on campus.
Conditions of Perez’s release, upon posting bail, include a ban from the MCLA Campus. Melo’s conditions of release are undetermined. Campus Police sent out a safety alert to students and faculty on Tuesday, urging students to lock all doors and keep ground-level windows shut and locked. The alert included a reminder to students not to share keys, and to always keep their access ID card on them. According to Colonno, each student should card into residence buildings on their own. Any and all suspicious person(s) or activity should be reported to Campus Police by dialing extension 5100 from any campus phone or 413-6625100 from your cell phone or off campus phone. Dial 911 if you feel you are in an emergency situation.
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Thursday, October 27, 2016
Opinion & Editorial
Editorial
The Beacon
Don’t get too excited to ‘blaze it’ It’s likely that most of our campus community will be saying yes to Question 4 on the Massachusetts ballot come Nov. 8. As our friendly neighborhood club, Students for a Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), will tell you, the United States has been battling a costly and ineffective war on drugs for years. Nearly four months after the UN declared the heroin problem in the US a “crises,” it’s become increasingly apparent that strict drug laws, and incarceration for possession, hurt more users more than they help. Perhaps the biggest reflection of America’s war on drugs is seen due to strict policing of marijuana. Marijuana is has less long term health effects than other drugs, even legal ones like alcohol and nicotine, it’s also recently been spotlighted as an effective medication, because of it’s lack of lasting side effects. Still, due to intense policing, research on the
effects of marijuana is still new. The big draw of recreational marijuana for most states seems to be in the economic benefits. Colorado
put forth increased drug education programs aimed at youths. Eight out of ten polls performed in Massachusetts show Question 4 narrowly
Perhaps the biggest reflection of America’s war on drugs is seen due to strict policing of marijuana. reported an increase of $40.9 million in tax revenue from their first ten months alone. Washington reported in July 2015 an additional $83 million in tax revenue since they legalized marijuana. Both states saw significant decreases in law enforcement costs. Washington spent $200 million on marijuana enforcement between 2000-2010, before it was recreationalized. In Colorado marijuana related arrests have dropped 84 percent. To offset potential abuses of the drug both states have
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winning. Studies have shown that marijuana has more lasting health effects on adolescents and children than adults. Teenagers are likely to become addicted, according to the marijuana education campaign listen2yourselfie.org. Governor Charlie Baker, Boston mayor Marty Walsh and House Speaker Robert DeLeo formed the Campaign for a Safe & Healthy Massachusetts to oppose this measure under the assumption that legalizing marijuana would put
children at risk and make the growing opioid crises worse. Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) removed marijuana from its list of gateway drugs. There is little to no evidence that marijuana use causes further drug use. If (and likely when) marijuana becomes recreational in Massachusetts, The Beacon advises the campus community to act responsibly. Marijuana is bad for developing minds, and has different effects on different people. Web MD states that some side effects include distorted sense of time, paranoia, anxiety, depression, and short term memory. It can also induce psychosis-like symptoms, according to NPR. That being said the pros seem to outweigh the cons and it is assumed that both alcohol and nicotine can be consumed responsibly, so why not marijuana? Just remember there’s more to life than “blazing it,” and use sensibly.
“If you had to volunteer for something, what would it be?”
The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed free to the College’s community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications department, and ad revenues. Single copies are free, additional copies may be purchased at 50 cents each. Contact information: News desk number: 413-662-5535 Business number: 413-662-5404 Email: 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. 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. Letters must be signed by the writer and include a phone number. Letters may be dropped off at the office or emailed 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 emailed 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 Editor-in-Chief Harmony Birch Web Editor Managing Editor Jake Mendel Mitchell Chapman Design Editor Adam Sams A&E Editor Features Editor Jon Hoel Joseph Carew Copy Chief Buisness Lauren Levite Manager Photography Editor Reagan Smith Domonique Ackley Video Editor Dan Wohler
Staff
“If I had to volunteer for anything, it would have to be something that benefitted the North Adams community. Something like a soup kitchen, or clothing drive.” - Keegan O’Neil, 2018
“I’d like to volunteer for anything that would help kids, or something to do with food. I mean, who doesn’t like food?” - Heather Brzykcy, 2020
Staff Writers Emily Gabert Nick Tardive Kelsey Kistner
“I’d like to volunteer for anything music oriented, preferably some kind of music festival.” - Jacob Davis, 2019
Sports Writer
Brady Gerow
Photographers and Videographers Shunquell Dennis Sam Kniskern
Cartoonist
Samwise Fox
A&E Writers Ronald Leja Chris Riemer Emma Monahan
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Advisers
Ayrel Brosnan Nick Webb
Jenifer Augur Shawn McIntosh
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“I’d like to work with elementary school children. I worked at a camp for kids over the summer, and it was really fun. It’s something I’d definitely consider doing again.” - Abbi Luczynski, 2020
“I would love to volunteer for NASA’s mission to Mars. If not that, then something to benefit science.” - Andrew Pietrykowski, 2019
Photos by Ron Leja
“I’m currently mentoring teens in a leadership project called the Young Leadership Program. I’d like to continue to work with teenagers and young people in general.” - Hanna Schrade, 2020
Opinion & Editorial
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Letter to the editor:
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From your friendly neighborhood alumnus
To the students attending MCLA:
After a hiatus of fifty years away from my time at what was then North Adams State College, I returned to find the campus of MCLA a changed place in many, many ways. Attending both the 2016 graduation and the most recent alumni reuinion weekend, I must acknowledge how impressed I am with the oppurtunities currently available to you. One notable and exciting change from the past was the commitment fo diversity. In addition, I became acutely aware of the growing legacy of this educational institution. You may not know that when I attended in 1961 the school was ostensibly a commuter school oriented towards teacher preperation. There was one dormitory for women and there was a 8 p.m. curfew for those students in residence. Downtown, Jack’s hotdogs were ten cents each and it was not uncommon to put down a dollar for ten. Each year during alumni weekend there is a presentation of alumni awards. This year was my first oppurtunity to hear about the accomplishments of
some of the past graduates who have distinguished themselves. As I listened to the presentation I was overwhelmed with the accumlation of expertise that had its roots in what is now your college. A fellow graduate, Peter Abuisi, (1966) drawing on the influences of four specific faculty members as well as his early exsperiences in the field was credited for establishing a 250 student K-12 education program in Vail, Colorado. Another recipient, Katherine Foster Warren (1982) also cited the impact of mentorship of a specific faculty member to influence her to attend medical school which led to her become a leading researcher in a cure for a rare but deadly pediatric brain cancer. Her early interest was spawned by taking a winter break one credit course offered by the college titled “cancer”. Walking around your current campus I was impressed by the facilities available to you, specifically the magnificent Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation. Equally impressive were the conversations I had with a number of students currently attending, including Ally, who shared her excitement about developing a movie through the
Students need to be protected from Burglaries
Thank you for your time, Sincerely, Nicole Hastry
Sincerly. Donald A. Wilkinson (1966)
Columns
I
HATE
To the Editor: Recent activity of break-ins around the vicinity of campus has been a cause for concern for not only the town of North Adams but the students and faculty of MCLA. I understand that on campus students were told to lock their doors, but I believe in this situation that is not enough action. As we are gaining more enrollment in our school I think it’s vital to start taking stronger action to ensure the student's safety. No parent would feel safe leaving their child at a school that says just lock your doors. As recruitment for our school is among us for future freshman and transfers I believe now is the time to take action to set a positive example of our school safety. While our future students’ impression of the school is important, the current students who pay money to go here are also important. We may be committed to go here but we are not committed to not being protected. The ten recent burglaries have been jarring to the students of MCLA and to me personally. Locking our doors is not enough when the break-ins also involved smashing windows. Who says that won’t happen here? The campus hires RA’s who do rounds at night by themselves, no escorts or defense on hand. They can only do so much before they are putting their own lives in danger. MCLA needs more campus security around at night especially under these circumstances. MCLA needs action and we need it before the break ins develop into an on campus problem.
club she has helped organize, one of the fifty or so clubs on campus. I also took advantage in attending the wonderful theatrical presentation of “The Best of Everything”. I also noted the availability to you or a number of nationally known speakers. I would highly recommend that you learn more about some of the past graduates who have received distinguished awards over the years. My weekends at MCLA made me aware for the first time that so much has been acoomplished since my time there. Cumulatively, we all are members of an incredible education institution. I am excited to know that with the oppurtunities available to you, particularly a faculty that is available to bring out the best in you, that a number of you will go on and contribute to this growing legacy of excellence.
By Nick Tardive
THIS
Staff Writer
Editor-in-Chief
Bye, Bye Bully What did anybody really expect? The man who rose to political power through his ability to bully unsuspecting middle-school teachers...went on to use his political power to bully people within his state who disagreed with him? Say whaaaaaa-? Chris Christie is a terrible human being who only became Governor of New Jersey because John Corzine is also a detestable thug. The only thing that changed about the Governor’s office is the switch from red to blue, and the addition of a hundred or so pounds. Christie won a hard fought election in 2009, and then coasted to a landslide victory in 2013 over Barbra Buono. Who, you ask? Exactly, I reply. My lovely Governor hasn’t had the toughest competition to go up against, and he was easily able to push them down with his obnoxious yelling and willingness to get down-and-dirty. As much as I hate to say it, I’m glad that Donald Trump was able to bully the bully. As the Bridgegate trial plays out, and New Jerseyans learn more and more about the complicity of the Governor as the whole thing plays out, all I can really ask is: did anybody think that he was innocent? Apparently quite a bit of people did, but now that his
Harmony Birch
approval ratings are beginning to sink into the low 20s and highteens in terms of percentage, all I can do is rejoice that Christie’s political career is coming to an end. Eight years of loud-mouthed bragging, pushing, disrespect. Eight years of a man taking credit for creating job growth in the state while he stripped apart regulation after regulation, handing corporate entities the ability to legislate themselves. What has it brought New Jersey? Private sector job growth with stagnant wages and low economic confidence. He promised to make Atlantic City an economic powerhouse, and his buddy the Donald used that to profit and not give anything back to the city. All he did was close a stupid bridge. For his own petty reasons. Because he’s a bully. Chris Christie’s entire political career was based on that one thing: that he was willing to get in someone’s face, like a real New Jerseyan. What New Jerseyans didn’t realize is that someone who relies on that to get what they want is a piece of crap who should not hold political office. Bye, bye, Governor. You’ve been anathema to us and I’m glad to see your political career crumble and burst into flames. Because it’s exactly what you deserve.
Millennialves i s s i M Money is Dismal I’m currently $915 in credit card debt $21,029 in loan debt. I work a minimum wage job at the school with about 12 hours a week because it’s too stressful to work multiple jobs and take a full course load. I get a full ride in terms of financial aid, but still have $1,000 more to cover once my refund check comes in. It was partially for this reason that I decided to graduate a semester early. However, as I timidly apply for jobs it’s hard not to remember that the market is against me. In 2015 Newsweek reported that millennials made up 40 percent of the unemployed. In March the Guardian reported millennials were making 20 percent less than their compatriots. Graduating from a Liberal Arts college, it’s not a surprise that the average salary in my field is $36,360. To all of you seniors biting their nails and crying
themselves to sleep over your impending graduation, we’ve got a long road ahead of us. Student loans are at record highs, home ownership seems like a fairytale, and marriage is on the decline, not because millennials don’t want to get married but because the average wedding costs $100,000. Despite our disdain (or financial inability) for settling down, millennials have proven to be scrappy. We travel more than other generations according to the G brief, at an average of 4.2 times per year for recreation. We also are one of the most optimistic generations based off of Pew Research data, we love our DIY, and we want to have a sense of mission and purpose (which is likely why we’re willing to go into jobs with low salaries.) You’ll be alright senior brothers and sisters, who needs money when you’ve got credit cards?
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Arts & Entertainment
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Harlequin Revue: get ready for laughs Musical theatre club to put on fourteenth annual show twice this saturday By Emma Monahan A&E Writer
Every fall, MCLA’s musical theater group, Harlequin, puts on a spectacular revue performance consisting of pieces from different musicals. The fourteenth annual revue will take place on Oct. 29 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the Church Street Center. Although its limited to only two shows instead of its usual three, the members are still in high spirits about the performances they will be putting
on for the student body, as well as the community. “The revue this year has been going well so far,” junior and copresident of Harlequin, Alex Sasso said via email. Unable to attend a sit down interview because of crazy rehearsal hours. “We have a wonderful group of directors and all of the cast and crew is super enthusiastic, hardworking, and very willing to adapt to whatever we throw at them.” In the past, Harlequin Revues have always engaged the audience, making them laugh and
WJJW Contest
Student radio’s logo contest, fall concert and much more By Ron Leja A&E Writer
WJJW, MCLAs noncommercial, student ran radio station, is currently seeking the help of its listeners far and wide in designing a new logo for the station. The station, found on 91.1 FM, hosts a vibrant collection of radio shows throughout the week that not only covers an extensive range of musical genres, but provide listeners with plenty of interesting banter throughout. “Some of the e-board and I feel that it’s time for an update,” James Swinchoski, WJJW’s vice president pronounced. Currently a junior, Swinchoski has been a part of the station since his freshman year, with aspirations of becoming a radio DJ. He is also the host of “Sound Soup,” an electric music show that runs from five to seven on Sundays. “We’ll also be doing a new banner at the beginning of next semester, so we decided that now was a good time to change the logo too.” Rules concerning the creative aspects of the logo have intentionally been left scarce, allowing artists the chance to delve deep in to their own creativity and allowing for the production of something truly unique. WJJW does ask that those submitting designs refrain from using stock photos found through digital means, and that the work presented be original. “With the logo, we really left it open to the vision of whomever submits it,” Nathan Buchanan,
WJJW’s secretary and host of “Live From the Fallout Shelter,” explained. “It can be done on paper, with paint, crayons or even on the computer, as long as it’s done by oneself and does not use images previously created by someone else. It can be in color, black and white, and as simple or complex as the creator wishes.” All contest entries can be submitted to either Swinchoski or Buchanan through the Outlook email system, or brought directly to the WJJW station on the third floor of the Campus Center. The contest is being ran through November 1, at which time the station will vote on a winner. Buchanan hopes that the contest could potentially help the station branch out not only through MCLA’s student body, but the Berkshire community, helping to draw in new listeners by letting them become part of WJJW history. “I hope it gets people more involved with the station,” Buchanan stated. “And I hope it can open up WJJW more to the fact that we also need to be actively engaged with potential listeners, outside of the studio and outside of merely our playlists of music.” The station is currently in the process of planning several music based events as well, in an effort to help promote WJJW. An acoustic show featuring student musician Eric Robbins, with more acts to be announced, is set for Nov. 18 in Sullivan Lounge. The show is expected to be a teaser for the WJJW sponsored spring event, Downtown Sound.
cheer as their friends performed before them. On Sunday, the cast and crew went through dress rehearsal. Despite the stress, students were still excited to perform their pieces, and eager to get on stage. “For this year’s Revue we really focused on the entertainment factor of our pieces,” Sasso said. “We want to make sure that the audience is having a great time!” Harlequin’s cast will perform from some well-known numbers from Mamma Mia!, Moulin Rouge, Rock of Ages, The
Wedding Singer, and more. “The casts are having so much fun and I have no doubt that the audience will as well, even if they aren’t a ‘musical theatre person’,” Sasso said. The opening number, “Hey Good Lookin” from Dogfight, brings in the fun that Harlequin is known for and kicks off the show for the night. It gives the audience a glance at what is to come, as well as a peak at some new members. Although dress rehearsal seemed crazy within itself, it still seemed well put together. Sasso
and her co-president, junior Danielle DeLamater, had a handle on things when the cast seemed to get a bit rowdy or too loud. During some pieces, the director of the piece would make specific changes to the song or dance, to make it just right for Saturday. Admission to Harlequin’s Revue is free, but donations will be taken for the Barrington Stage Company’s Kids Act! Program. Sasso also informed that the spring musical will be sometime in March 2017.
John Kelly’s “live memoir” is inspired and enlightening By Chris Riemer A&E Writer
John Kelly’s memoir began a long time ago. Since 1976, he has been filling journals with ideas, sketches, and plans—many personal, many more related to his extensive career as a performance artist, visual artist, musician, poet, and on and on. These journals are the substance that makes up his most recent project, a “live memoir” called Time No Line (a compressed rephrasing of “Time Is Not Linear”). On Saturday, Kelly came to MASS MoCA for a workshop performance of this new piece. It was his third time performing at the museum. The show begins simply enough. A projected slideshow of photographs from his journals runs in the background, while Kelly tapes Xeroxed pages to two boards on either side of the stage. Pages flash across the screen too quickly to even skim. It’s difficult to tell which fragments are important and personal, and which are jokes or doodles. It would have been frustrating, if the snippets I was able to discern weren't so compelling: Kelly apparently likes making lists, one of which was titled “A list of the reasons for castration;” another “Art or die.” With bullet points, no less. It’s difficult to describe Kelly, because he’s so many things at various times. Depending on what character he's playing at the moment, his movements are graceful, delicate, forceful, or even
Photo by Steven Menendez
slapstick, but always precise. Not prepared, however: he revealed after the show that there was no choreography, just blocking. As far as costumes go, let me put it this way: at one point, Kelly walks out from behind a wall wearing socks, a silver prom dress with a “Miss Canada” sash, and a beanie—to perform “Blue” by Joni Mitchell (beautifully, by the way). Kelly also performed falsetto renditions of “In My Room” by The Beach Boys and “What Makes a Man a Man” by Charles Azvanour. Out of character, Kelly is an eloquent and passionate speaker with a good sense of irony, cocking an eyebrow when he’s
unsatisfied with his locution and frequently causing the audience to burst out in laughter. Some of Kelly’s most authentic moments occurred during spoken-word segments, and during the Q&A after his performance. Kelly used this time to speak about his experiences as an actor, drag performer, member of the LGBT community and HIV-positive gay man. As a young man, Kelly studied ballet and fashion illustration before becoming involved in the growing New York City drag scene of the late ‘70s and ‘80s. KELLY Continued on Page 7
Arts & Entertainment
Thursday, october 27, 2016
Philadelphian Poet Sonia Sanchez lecturing. Sanchez is a veteran speaker who has lectured at more than 500 colleges in the U.S. alone.
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Photo from JMU Media
Poet, activist Sonia Sanchez Leonard Cohen Albums to hear series no. 4 to talk at Williams College By Jon Hoel A&E Editor
A preliminary voice in the African American literature and political culture, Sonia Sanchez’s legacy speaks for itself. Tonight, Oct. 27, Sanchez will be lecturing at Williams College as part of its Davis Lecture series. Sanchez is a Philadelphia poet, playwright, activist, teacher and renowned lecturer, having spoken at more than 500 universities and colleges in the United States, and has read her poetry all over the world. Sanchez is famous for being a primary figure in the Black Arts Movement, an artistic branch of the Black Power movement beginning in the late ‘60s. Alongside other writers of the movement like Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison, the Black Arts Movement encouraged contemporary African American artists to stand against assimilation, namely
KELLY Continued from Page 6 “When I started doing it in ‘79, it was the nastiest thing I could think of doing,” Kelly said. Drag has informed his performance ever since, but along with it comes an underlying frustration at being labeled a “drag artist” rather than just a performer or actor. “I came from visual art and dance; I work through character,” Kelly emphasized during a break in his performance. “For me, it’s more acting than drag.” However, both his personal life and his work are closely tied into the issues that have historically affected drag and the
its derisive cultural subversion, and encourage diversity and originality in the face of intolerance and racism. Sanchez’s talk at Williams is entitled “Push-Ups for Peace,” which was inspired by her 2006 arrest with the Granny Peace Brigade, a conglomerate of elderly women protesters. The group gathered at a military recruitment center in Philadelphia to try and encourage young people not to enlist to fight the Middle East. Instead, in absurdist gesture, the Grannies offered to go to war in the young people’s place. As the Grannies were forced outside and into police vans, a reporter asked Sanchez what they intended to do if they had gone on to became soldiers. She told the reporter wryly, “We would have done push-ups for peace.” Nigerian novelist and professor Chinua Achebe once praised Sanchez saying her writing was “full of power and yet always
clean and uncluttered. It makes you wish you had thought those thoughts, felt those emotions and, above all, expressed them so effortlessly and so well.” Sanchez is the author of 16 books, including her most recent “Morning Haiku.” This most recent book is a gathering of haikus that celebrates life while mourning the loss of legendary African American figures in the worlds of music, literature, art, and activism. Sanchez was the first Presidential Fellow at Temple University where she started teaching in 1977. Sanchez was awarded the Langston Hughes Poetry Award as well as the Robert Frost Medal for distinguished lifetime service to American poetry. Sanchez’s lecture will take place at 7:30 p.m. at Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall on the Williams campus. It is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a book signing.
LGBT community: namely, the AIDS epidemic of the ‘80s and ‘90s. “The AIDS epidemic has
of his performance is intended to help a younger audience discover an LGBT history which has largely been erased. During one of the more sobering moments, Kelly pointed out how full the room would have been if his peers had survived. “There’s a sinkhole in the cultural dialogue,” Kelly said. “There’s really no way to convey that catastrophe.” Time No Line is very much a work in progress. Kelly anticipates a written component at some point, but the performative aspect will continue to exist and evolve. “I don’t know what form the performance part of the memoir will take,” Kelly admitted.
“My generation died, my partners died, my collaborators died, my audience died.”
- John Kelly informed my work my entire life,” Kelly explained. “My generation died, my partners died, my collaborators died, my audience died.” Part of the retrospective focus
Photo from Columbia/Sony
By Jon Hoel A&E Editor
Leonard Cohen has been in the headlines a lot lately. Over the summer, a letter he wrote to the late Marianne Ihlen went viral for its aching emotion— the words of a true-to-life love story in its death throes. In the letter, Cohen assured Ihlen he would “follow her soon.” On Oct. 17, The New Yorker’s David Remnick penned a feature on Cohen’s life—his music and lyrics, poetry, performance anxiety, religion and humor. The feature was gripping, touching and thorough, a magnificent take on a musician and poet of the highest caliber in his twilight years. After a career spanning five decades, countless Juno awards and Grammys, Cohen has inarguably earned the right to call it a day on his own terms. His fans were gravely alarmed when in the Remnick feature Cohen went as far as to say he was “ready to die.” In the year that we lost David Bowie and Prince, the notion that Leonard Cohen may soon be leaving us was not welcome news, to say the least. However recently Cohen decided to reassure fans— during an appearance at a consulate for a listen-along of his new record, Cohen spoke up. “I said I was ready to die recently,” Cohen told host Chris Douridas, “and I think I was exaggerating. I’ve always been into self-dramatization. I intend to live forever.” It’s hard to know in which statement he’s being more wry. “You Want It Darker,” Cohen’s 14th studio album, comes off like an epigraph—a grand final statement. His observations are those of a master aesthete, a man who has been writing insightfully all his life. The album was produced by his first son, Adam Cohen, a modestly well-regarded
songsmith in his own right. The title track is the lead off, with the repeating chorus a religious statement. The Hebrew word Hineni, meaning ‘here I am’ is repeated. Hineni was used in the Torah and when Cohen murmurs “I’m ready my lord.” He sounds like a deeply pious man doubling down at the end of his life. Cohen’s baritone has been the backbone of his last few records, notably his 2014 album “Popular Problems”. Here it is no different, his growls and do well complimenting the furthered lyrical content: in younger years, Cohen’s lyrics were confidently romantic (his 1977 album “Death of a Ladies Man” produced by Phil Spector is a example of this.) now they seem more faith focused and serious. “Traveling Light” and “If I Didn’t Have Your Love” are among the bleakest moments of the record, though always with a charm and poise to suggest just a touch of playfulness. The contrast is relieving from the almost entirely somber tone of the record. After the instrumental “String Reprise,” the record concludes with the song “Treaty” a reprisal of the album’s second song, perhaps it’s strongest. “Treaty” speaks to both a religious love and a humanist one. It expresses a remorse for impossible love— Cohen is perhaps alluding to his own faith, a deeply intertwined relationship with both Judaism and Buddhism. While at a glance the record may indicate an absolute sense of gloom and clemency, that’s only seeing the contours of the album. In its wholeness, it is a gentle and ruminative in the best way. “You Want It Darker” is not only the best Leonard Cohen album in years, it’s one of the best he’s ever made. Not an album to be missed.
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Features
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Professor Nondo gets down to business
New business professor focuses reasearch efforts on improving conditions for Africa, native Zambia By Joseph Carew Features Editor
Straight from Central State University in Ohio, Associate Professor Chali Nondo joins the College’s Business Administration and Economics Department. “The experience has been very phenomenal,” Nondo said. “For me to be a part of a very small community, I think is a very good thing for me who would like to have that close-knit relationship with the students.” While at Albany State University Nondo said it was difficult to develop those relationships with students because of the sheer number of them. It seems to be the opposite at MCLA. “I know them all by name,” Nondo said. “Which is because you know it is a very small class sizes you know which is a very good thing for me.” Originally from the South African country of Zambia, Nondo first came to the United States seeking his masters at Notre Dame University but quickly refocused on industrial engineering at the bachelor’s level at a less expensive school. He earned his bachelor’s at California University of Pennsylvania and spent the rest of his time in higher education up to his PhD in natural resource economics at West Virginia University in Morgantown. “After completing that I moved to Georgia, where I was teaching at Albany State,” Nondo said. “I was teaching there as an Assistant Professor of Economics and primarily you know I was conducting research on the Albany metropolitan area which covered, I think about eight counties looking at economic development.” In the courses that he teaches, Nondo likes to bring in real experiences his students have had with the topics they discuss. When he was discussing a higher minimum wage
Photo by Domonique Ackley/The Beacon
New professor Nondo teaches microeconomics, macroeconomics, as well as economics and business statistics this semester. he got a welcomed response from a student. “‘It becomes very costly for employers to hire employees and, you see, employers start to fire some workers’ then a student looked at me: ‘That happened to me,’” Nondo said. The student had been let go because the company could not afford to keep her on at the price they were paying her. “That’s what teaching is about,” Nondo said. “I have to believe in personal experiences in the classroom.” Nondo also finds it rewarding to teach across disciplines. A class of students with varying majors provides everyone with different perspectives to listen to. “So they are all bringing different perspectives in class of socioeconomic
issues which actually enriches the classroom environment,” Nondo said. He mentioned a political science major in one of his classes and trying to find out how politics fit within the economy helps the class see a different viewpoint. “So you really bring to life the real experiences from the student’s perspective and then they bring them into the classroom,” Nondo said. Teaching wasn’t what Nondo always wanted to do, though he has such a passion for it now. “I was initially training as a civil engineer,” Nondo said. “So I worked as a civil engineer back in Africa for almost seven years and it happened that during
the time I was working I joined a project in which was sponsored by the International Labor Organization.” It was when his employers asked him to provide a training curriculum for some small scale contractors in the area that he first got involved with teaching. “It allowed to have that interaction with people from diverse backgrounds,” Nondo said. “While I was teaching in the classroom they were taking all the contractors outside then they were working on building a small bridge, building a small portion of the road and I said ‘wow you learned something.’” Seeing his students put his teaching into practice seemed to hook him. “I didn’t plan to become a teacher, no. It’s been something that I’ve loved to do as a lifelong career,” Nondo said. He moved from engineering to business because of electives he was taking after his bachelor’s degree. “I took two classes as electives: micro and macro,” Nondo said. “So those were the first business classes that I ever took. So just that connection that I had with the instructor made me say ‘this is what I want to do.’” Connecting his engineering background with business administration seemed to align with what he wanted to give back to his home. “I was actually exploring different programs then I said ‘what program if I were to do it would help me to make a huge difference in my community and in particular my country’ because I come from Zambia, Zambia’s endowed with plenty of natural resources but in spite of having those, the abundance of natural resources, there is a lot of mismanagement with those resources.” Nondo sought out a program that would help him formulate the policies and strategies that would help solve some of his home country’s problems.
Professor Benson encourages sports, exercising By Emily Gabert
Staff/Features Writer Moving around and checking the way your heart races and how your blood pressure rises isn’t an uncommon occurrence in Marisa Benson’s classes. In fact, she does it to help students get engaged in those early mornings. “In any of my classes, no matter what you take, I will try and find at least one place to put exercise in,” the biology professor said. “At all times.” Benson hopped into MCLA from Rhode Island where she earned her Master’s degree in Exercise Science at the University of Rhode Island. She then went on to Syracuse University, where she is currently finishing up her PhD. “I played [sports] growing up and I watched them all the time, I talk about them all the time,” she said. “Sports has really played a huge part in my life and I truly believe that exercise is medicine. That’s what I really think is most special about [exercise sciences] and the fact that I get to study exercise and the positive effects it has, all the time.” Benson is currently teaching
two anatomy courses: anatomy and physiology and functional human anatomy; in the spring, she will teach an exercise science class. To make her classes different from the way other professors teach the classes, she’s slipped some aspect of exercise sciences into her classes. In her functional anatomy class, she gives students an injury of the week for them to study, and to learn about the various injuries once can suffer from in relation to exercise and sports. She also likes to put things learned in the classroom into real world context, to help her students know where to apply different things learned in the classroom. “The students are nice here. They kind of put up with my crazy exercise talk sometimes,” Benson laughed, “which I know sometimes, some students can be like ‘oh my God, what is this lady saying?’ But you know, it’s not anything strange for me to jump around in class or have everyone get up and stretch or do some jumping jacks. They’ve been very good about that and just laughing it off.”
Professor Benson plans on community to be quite beneficial She finds no form of exercise getting involved with the athletic for not only students, but to the overshadows another, though she training department once she community as a whole. does have a love for running. is more settled in. She wants to Benson loves all kinds of “Whatever people can find take the time to research the sports. She mostly considers that they like to do, just get community and the campus first; herself a New England sports moving,” she said, “whether that’s she also plans to help students in fan, sharing a special love for taking your dog for a walk or the athletic training major to get the Boston Red Sox and the New weightlifting – whatever it is – involved in research in the field. England Patriots. just get out and do it.” “They’re here because they want to learn,” she said of MCLA’s student body, “which I think is very nice, and I think it’s a huge compliment to the school. I think the school should be very proud that their students are here and want to learn and take the time [to learn].” While at the University of Rhode Island, Benson not only did research in exercise, but she also observed and learned about exercise in a community setting. She recalled working with older adults often in community centers. Benson helped train older adults, while also studying the process; she wants to get students not only in the athletic training department out into the community and on campus to Photo by Emily Gabert/The Beacon do research, but also for biology students to get involved as well. Professor Benson is currently completing her doctorate at Syracuse Benson finds service in the University.
Campus Life
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Fall Day of Service attracts many student volunteers By Kelsey Kistner Staff Writer
The Fall Day of Service is an annual event where MCLA and Northern Berkshire County community come together to enhance the local community through volunteer work. As the name implies, this event takes place in the fall as part of the Center for Service and Citizenship’s (CSC) continuum of service. This year’s Fall Day of Service took place on Saturday, Oct. 22. Volunteers included student, staff, faculty and residents. Christopher Hantman, Community Engagement Coordinator at MCLA, truly believes in the importance of this event. “Service is important for us as a college community to do because not only do we personally grow from doing serviceand that’s what college is, a place
for personal growth-we learn to communicate,” Hantman said. “Most importantly, we learn to be better versions of ourselves.” Students performed service at nine designated locations that have expressed need for volunteers to CSC. They included the Berkshire Food Project, Louison House, and Habitat for Humanity. The CSC Director Spencer Moser shared a situation he thought really gets to the basis of why this day is so important. One of the sites this Saturday was a demonstration on how to bag knit bedrolls for the homeless. To make these, people knit using only strips of plastic bags. Last semester during the Spring Day of Service an MCLA student taught a local family how to make them. Since then, that family has taught more people, and now the bedrolls are becoming a staple for the Day of Service. That original family has come
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FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT FAFSA Update For 2017-2018! Complete Your 17-18 FAFSA Starting Oct. 1st! Make Sure You Complete It Early Financial Aid Will Be Awarded On A First Come, First Serve Basis. SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES! GO TO SALLIEMAE.COM AND CLICK ON “Plan for College” TO START SEARCHING FOR SCHOLARSHIPS NOW! ALSO, REGISTER ON FASTWEB.COM FOR MORE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES!
back for this year’s Fall Day of Service to teach others how to knit these bedrolls. Moser explained this snowball effect is proof of what volunteering can do within a community. The continuum of service is a phrase created by the CSC that has developed into an ideology. According to Moser the continuum of service provides monthly opportunities throughout the school year for students to participate in community service. “[What’s] important for students to understand about the continuum of service is that you don’t need to have a beginning and end point- you can jump in when you want,” Moser said. “The spirit and the opportunity of service will constantly be there.” The Fall Day of Service has seen an increase in the number of student volunteers each year. More and more groups, clubs, and individuals sign up every fall. Amber Coombe, an MCLA student who participated, shared why volunteering is important to her. “I genuinely believe in doing all you can to help others. There are so many little ways we can each make a profound difference in this world, and I try to do anything I can to support those around me and help those in need,” Coombe said. According to Moser, the Fall Day of Service began as a spinoff from the day of service in the spring. Moser, community partners and the mayor felt an event like this should not be limited to once a year.
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Campus Safety Log Monday, Oct. 17 12:05p.m. – Rendered Services at North Adams Court on Holden Street. 1:40p.m. – No action required for accidental 911 Hang-up Call from Mark Hopkins Hall. 11:19p.m. – Checked for suspicious activity and secured Eldridge Hall. Tuesday, Oct. 18 8:28a.m. – Completed investigation on 911 Hangup Call from the Facilities Building. 11:24a.m. – Transported subject to hospital after Medical Call from Bowman Hall. 11:36a.m. – Transported subject to hospital after Medical Call from Hoosac Hall. 6:43p.m. – Investigated 911 Call from Venable Hall. Wednesday, Oct. 19 6:00a.m. – Transported subject to hospital after Medical Call from Berkshire Towers. Refer To Incident: 16326-OF in Public Safety Log. 3:28p.m. – No action required for accidental 911 Hang-up Call from the Center for Science and Innovation. 11:30p.m. – Could not locate B.O.L.O (Be On the Look Out) on campus. Refer To Incident: 16-327-OF in Public Safety Log. Thursday, Oct. 20 9:15a.m. – No action
required for accidental 911 Hang-up Call from Venable Hall. 10:03a.m. – Transported subject to hospital after Medical Call from Bowman Hall. Refer To Incident: 16328-OF in Public Safety Log. Friday, Oct. 21 1:35p.m. – Filed report on Larceny / Forgery / Fraud in the Townhouse Lot 3. Refer To Incident: 16-330-OF in Public Safety Log. 8:16p.m. – Investigated 911 Hang-up Call from Hoosac Hall. Investigated 10:07p.m. – Transported subject to hospital after Medical Call. Saturday, Oct. 22 1:08p.m. – Completed Follow Up Investigation. 10:11p.m. – Filed report on Larceny / Forgery / Fraud in the Amsler Campus Center. Refer To Incident: 16-334-OF in Public Safety Log. 10:59p.m. – Filed report on Medical Call from Berkshire Towers. Refer To Incident: 16335-OF in Public Safety Log. Sunday, Oct. 23 3:26p.m. – Assisted NAPD at 27 Blackinton Street. Refer To Incident: 16-336-OF in Public Safety Log. 6:35p.m. – Responded to accidental alarm from a Flagg Townshouse. 8:13p.m. – Continued previous investigation at the Amsler Campus Center.
Student poetry book now for sale at College bookstore By Mitchell Chapman Managing Editor
Last semester sophomore Amber Harris released her first book, “Conductor of the Damned,” and soon after it appeared on display near checkout at the MCLA bookstore. Now three student books are for sale at the bookstore, the latest being Senior Yamileyka Rojas’s “body: one in a trinity.” “It’s a poetry chat book of free verse contemporary poetry,” Rojas said. “The cover is black and white, and there is balance throughout the content of the book. [As such], it focuses on the mind and soul— the part that keeps you alive; but also the body.” Rojas, a public relations major, is credited as y.l.r., the username she uses for her tumblr poetry blog. Rojas said that she composed the entire poetry book over the summer, which she had to design and edit herself. She published “body” through CreateSpace, based off of the suggestion of poet Rudy Francisco, who is best known for his work with slam poetry. “I started from scratch on their website,” Rojas said. “It was over-
whelming at times, and I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing.” However, Rojas came out with a finished product, which she sees as a first step towards her career. After MCLA, she wants to go to graduate school to pursue a career in publication design and marketing. Working towards that goal, she is taking Professor Shawn McIntosh’s “Publication, Design & Typography” course and is looking into the application process for Emerson College. She expressed interest in working with books and magazines. Rojas’s favorite part of the book is the introduction, which is written like a piece of poetry. According to Rojas, it serves to introduce the theme of balance throughout the whole book. Rojas said that most of the poems in the book were written like love poems, and as such focus on experiences more than anything else. Also, as the name would suggest, “body” will not be the only self-published poetry book Rojas will produce. She plans on releasing a second part, full of both new poetry that she has written since the first book’s launch on July 28 (it appeared in the MCLA book-
store Oct. 14) and poems that did not make it into part one. “I feel like I didn’t include some poems that I could have,” Rojas said. “The book could also have been longer.” This arrangement was made possible by MCLA Bookstore Manager Kristin Dempsey, who was first approached by Amber Harris in the spring for “Conductor.” Dempsey agreed to keep a few copies of the book in stock, and soon after it was joined by Harris’s second book “Tale of the Rebel.” Rojas is the second student author to have her work sold at the bookstore. “I usually order three copies of each book, to start off,” Dempsey said. “When they go, we just order more.” Dempsey has included additional descriptions of the books with author bios to go with the display, which has caught the eye of members of the community. “I’ve had alumni come up to me and tell me how neat this is,” Dempsey said. “I think it’s great for them to be able to do this.” Dempsey is currently open to selling more student work. She can be reached at (413) 662-5240 or mcla@bkstr.com.
Sports 10 Daily Fantasy: MCLA Golf finishes 7th The worst two in NAC Championship weeks of the year Thursday, October 27. 2016
By Jake Mendel Web Editor
As a Daily Fantasy player, you could look at last and this week as the best two weeks of the year, or the worst. Also known as ‘Bye Week Hell,’ with six teams being on bye in each of the two weeks, more than twice as many as any other week in the year. With that being said, playing Daily Fantasy is all about match ups and with three games basically being out of the picture, there is a higher chance of finding the right match-ups. There are two different trends we can look at when viewing these match-ups. What offenses have been playing well? What defenses have been playing poorly? Is there one that is more important than the others? We can look at teams like the
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Cleveland Browns, who give up 30 points to opposing quarterbacks for more than a month straight. Usually, playing Ryan Fitzpatrick in Fantasy isn’t the best decision, but in a bye week, against the worst defense in the NFL, he is the perfect surprise play in fantasy, which means Brandon Marshall also needs to be played. But then there are games like the Jags and the Titans that should not be looked at whatsoever when trying to put together a good lineup. Obviously, it is a week-to-week league, but to trust Marcus Mariota against 18th ranked Jaguar defense. But, running backs are a different case, especially when it comes to DeMarco Murray. How often are they shut down? Can they win against most cornerbacks? If so, a quarterback can have an average game with one receiver having a huge game. Michael Floyd, AJ Green, and a surprise, Cole Beasley all fit into that category for week eight. If there is one take away here, don’t just look at statistics, they are the results, to win in fantasy you want to be able to under-
photo from Brendan Dalley/Pixabay
By Joseph Carew Features Editor
With the end of the 2016 North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championships came the end of the fall golf season for MCLA on Oct. 16. The Trailblazers landed in seventh position this year at the NAC championships while the Husson Eagles maintained their dominance in the conference with their eleventh victory in the last thirteen years. “I honestly thought it went really well,” Josh Fortier, a new addition himself to the golf team and member of the Class of 2017, said. “The program got a lot more competitive than its previous years and we started four rookies all year long as well as the conference championship, when no other team had more than one rookie.” Junior and rookie Matt Lawrence achieved his best
Another Tie at Shewcraft for Women’s Soccer By Brady Gerow Sports Writer
An early start and late game goal wasn’t enough to get the MCLA Women’s Soccer team a victory over the Albany College of Pharmacy (ACP) on Tuesday, Oct. 18 at Shewcraft Field. A game that started a little over an hour past scheduled time didn’t disappoint. A late goal from freshman forward Kaylyn Holliday was what made the game exciting. The game ended 2-2, resulting in yet another tie in double over time for MCLA. “Leading up to our game against APC, our energy and intensity at practice were amazing,” said freshman goalie Megan Richardson. Down 2-1 in the 75th minute of play, the Trailblazers needed some sort of play to keep them alive in the contest. Holliday, the team’s leading scorer, recorded her fourth goal of the season in order to equalize the game. “Coach Raber told us at our last practice before the game that we needed to capitalize on each and every scoring opportunity,” said
Women’s Soccer Team photo from athletics.mcla.edu
Richardson. “We do not know if we will have that same opportunity again.” MCLA came out of the gates doing just that. Only 35 seconds into the game, the Blazers scored. Senior Natalie Caney broke free from the defense and slid a near effortless ball past ACP keeper Kennedy Rives. This was not a lead that stood for long. Only 17 minutes later ACP found an answer. ACP’s leading scorer, Erin Tersengo drew a penalty in the box and was awarded a penalty kick. Tersengo didn’t waste her opportunity; sending the ball past Richardson evened the score. The game remained even for the rest of the half.
Later, Tersengo found another opportunity and notched an unassisted goal in the 61st minute of play, having shifted the momentum of the game in favor of ACP. Holliday’s late game goal was the equalizer later in the game. “I am so proud of the composure that Kaylyn and Natalie had to put the ball in the back of the net,” said Richardson. “The tenacity and determination that our team had…is the reason that we found success in capitalizing on those opportunities.” Richardson stopped seven shots from the goal in a game that could have gone either way. ACP held a slim 21-20 shot advantage, but MCLA controlled the corner kicks, recording seven to ACP’s zero. MCLA is now 3-8-4 (1-41 in MASCAC) after taking a hard fought 2-1 loss to Fitchburg State on senior night at Shewcraft Field. MCLA will next play at Framingham St. on Saturday, Oct. 29 in their final regular season game.
round of the season and went on to finish tied for ninth in the Conference championship. This performance helped Lawrence get placed on the 2016 NAC Men’s Golf All Conference Second Team. “I would say Matt Lawrence made the biggest jump,” Fortier said. “He started the year by being right around 80 all year and got himself on the all conference team at the end of the year because of how strong he finished.” Lawrence, Quinn McCormick, and Nick Bator were each rookie of the week at one point throughout the season, pointing to better years ahead for a team with a strong and young foundation. MCLA has finished 6th or worse in the previous three years in this championship. Placing around the same position as previous years is quite a feat with
the amount of turnover they had experienced. The successful introduction of numerous rookies was the story of this year. With strong showings at the Cobleskill invitational (3rd) and the Westfield invitational (5th) this season, the future of MCLA golf looks good. “This actually was my first year and I’m glad I played. Of the ten kids we had on the team only one was a returning player,” Fortier said. Fortier was Lawrence’s teammate in the championship and was named to the All NAC sportsmanship team this year. He sees a bright future for the team in the coming years. “Absolutely. I think if we can get everyone to return I think we can make a serious run at the top of the conference,” Fortier said. “Just having everyone get experience this year was a huge step for next year.”
Trailblazers halt Lancers By Brady Gerow Sports Writer
A strong, spread out offense helped lead the MCLA Womens Volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep over the Worcester State Lancers in a key MASCAC tilt. In a match to divide the pack in the MASCAC conference, the Trailblazer’s squad stepped up as a whole in order to get the job done. Behind strong third and first set wins, the Blazers were able to squeak by with a close second set win to get the victory. The second set would be the dagger for the Lancers. Having gone down 13-7 early in the set, the Lancers were able to come back to tie the set at 13. After having tied the set, the Blazers and the Lancers went back and forth. Each scoring point after point, no one gained an edge. Finally, the Blazers strung together a few points towards the end to get a 25-21 set win. This put the Blazers up 2-0 in the match. With their 25-17 final set win, they recorded a slightly better score than their 25-18 first set win. The name of the game for the
Blazers was teamwork that night. MCLA had four different players that recorded five or more kills in the match. The Blazers were led by senior Allison Clark with eight kills on the night. Clark, the team’s main scorer, is currently leading the team for the second year in a row with 269 kills. Clark was followed up by senior Sam Anderson and junior Margaret Allen who each recorded seven kills on the night. The Blazers weren’t slacking on the defensive side of the ball. Having recorded 10 blocks in the match, they were able to keep their opponents out of reach. Freshman Brooke Queripel, Anderson, and Allen all recorded three blocks in the match. Junior Michelle Laga added a team high 15 digs, as well as Clark adding 10 herself. The win over the Lancers placed MCLA in a tie for third place with Bridgewater State, who they will play in the last game of the regular season. MCLA, now 13-13 and 3-2 in the MASCAC, aims to gain another win against SUNY Cobleskill in a non-conference match Tuesday, Oct. 25 on the road.
News
Thursday, October 27, 2016
Letter to the editor:
An Open Letter to Males in the MCLA Community Gentlemen,
When I read Harmony Birch’s Sept. 28 column in The Beacon describing the sexist treatment she received on this campus I was sickened and saddened. Eight days later it was revealed to the world that the Republican presidential candidate bragged to Billy Bush about sexually assaulting women using similar language that Ms. Birch experienced. The stream of women who allege to have been groped and assaulted by Mr. Trump grows each day, yet the majority of men stay silent. Gentlemen, it is apparent to me that we must change our male culture. I realize that this is a tremendous undertaking that I am asking you to start. Do not despair. We might not be able to change male culture across Berkshire County, across Massachusetts, across the United States, or across the world; but we can change male culture here at MCLA. There are two things that each of us must do. First, we need to change our own attitudes toward women that we hold deep in our hearts. This change is a personal change that only you can undertake. Second, we must have the courage to immediately condemn disparaging language and demeaning behavior toward our female colleagues. This change will be much more difficult because it goes against so much of our “male code” and “good old boy” culture. Nevertheless, the only way that code and culture will change is if we personally take action against sexist language and behavior. On the opposite end, when we do hear one of our fellow males acting in a gentlemanly and respectful manner, we must reinforce that acceptable behavior. Our male culture should not encourage boorish, demeaning language and behavior; but rather gentlemanly, respectful language
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and behavior. Think about the women in your life. How would you feel if your partner, your mother, your grandmother, your sister, your daughter, or in the case of old guys like me, your granddaughter was subjected to the kind of language to which Ms. Birch was subjected. How would you feel if that beloved woman was groped and assaulted? I’d bet the proverbial buck that you would be more than offended. You would probably take steps to defend that beloved woman’s dignity and demand that she be treated with respect. Gentlemen, we must demand that each woman, whether we are related to them or not, is always treated with respect and dignity. Furthermore, we must make those demands of each other. It is through those demands we will change our male culture here on campus. Changing culture is a topic that is near to my heart. I won’t bore you with a lengthy diatribe, but here are some basic facts that we all need to know. Culture is not something that changes because a leader issues a directive that it must change. Culture will not change because some goofy old professor like me writes a letter to you. Culture will not change because we hope it will change. Why not? Because culture is continually formed, reformed, and reinforced by our minuteby-minute interactions with each other. It is a living entity that exists in our relationships with each other. That sounds difficult, but it also provides the means by which we can change male culture. It is through our interactions that we can have an impact. Think about what you will do the next time your buddy uses degrading language to describe a woman. Will you “be cool” and just let the comment slide, or will you have the courage to call out your friend on his comment? Think about
the next time you are with a group of guys and someone calls a woman a derogatory and disparaging term. Will you just laugh and join in on “the fun,” or will you have the backbone to say it is wrong? Think about the next time you are tempted to say or do anything to a woman that could be interpreted as being less than respectful. What are you going to do? Will you act on that impulse, or will you listen to the wee small voice in your head that says, “That’s wrong, don’t do it”? I hear a lot of talk about how we are going to “stand up to bullies.” I hear a lot of talk that we need to stop the injustice and racism in this country. I think those are noble objectives that everyone should be encouraged to promote, attain, and sustain. Nevertheless, attaining those objectives will be hollow if we allow our female colleagues to be demeaned, degraded, and made to feel like an object rather than a person. Gentlemen, we must have the courage to stand up to our fellow men who use degrading language and behavior toward women. We must have the character to say to each other that those types of actions are not cool, are inappropriate, and cannot be tolerated. We must have the strength to speak out against men who debase, degrade, and demean our female colleagues. We must have the conviction within our hearts to ensure that our own conduct toward our female colleagues is always respectful. Gentlemen, please join me in changing our male culture here on campus. Respectfully submitted, Thomas B. Whalen, Ph.D. Professor Whalen is an Assitant Professor at the Buisness Adminstration Department at MCLA.
Check out the Beacon Web Newscast! Now premiering online, and on select campus televisions!
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importantly, we share the same values. I am particularly impressed by Adam’s experience - as a negotiator for the UN, doing grassroots antigang work in Pittsfield and leading the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition - and how he can use that to bring people together, in Western Massachusetts and in the senate, to solve problems and help move our community forward.” Downing’s is one of a long list of endorsements from both local state figures. North Adams Mayor Alcombright, Congressman John Olver, District Attorney David Sullivan, and The Berkshire Eagle. If elected Hinds says he’ll confront the heroin crises, create more jobs, improve education, prioritize the environment, and strengthen rural communities. Hinds hopes to reduce heroin overdoses by curbing prescription opiates, providing first respondents with over dose reversal drugs, steering law enforcement towards treatment rather than incarceration, and increasing medical treatment facilities. His economical plans include supporting the creative economy, providing resources to the manufacturing businesses still left in the Berkshires, training employers to reach out to educational institutions for their workforce, market the Berkshires to others specifically in hopes of attracting young people, and focusing on eliminating class divides by providing more housing, education, and affordable energy. In terms of education Hinds says he’ll fight for universal pre-K, better funding solutions for schools with a declining population, encouraging neighboring district collaboration, promoting more trade and apprenticeship programs, and instituting more qualified social work professionals to assist students with emotional stress. Environmentally, Hinds hopes to institute a net zero carbon emission in the Berkshires and Hampden county. He also wants to utilize renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro-power. He believes that by working with local educational institutions like MCLA he can help create more energy certificate programs. Hinds also focuses on the small towns in Berkshire and Hampden county. He wants to speed up the broadband process in Western Massachusetts, increase regional school transportation, create more affordable housing and assisted transportation in hill-towns, and by supporting local farms. Hinds is running against Republican Christine CanningWilson. Canning-Wilson is a Lanesboro businesswoman whose platform is centered around economic growth and state tax reduction. Canning-Wilson believes the lack of businesses in Western Massachusetts results from the states “three tiered tax system.” “If you have a corporation, what happens is feds will take their tax money out of the corps. Massachusetts has its own layer of embedded taxes so you are paying that. Plus paying FICA and everything else. Financially it isn’t profitable for a business,” she told iberkshires.
house in Revere, Mass. She made it the full six months through the program, found a job, and saved up enough cash to rent an apartment by the beach. It was April, it was summer, and it was beautiful out. “People have an idea of how addicts are,” Audrey said. “Some people steal, some people prostitute themselves…but a lot of them are just happy they’re making money without having to steal from their families.” Audrey explained that she, herself, was a “binger”: she would go on a month long heroin binge, enjoy the high, and then move on with her life until she got caught up in the cycle again. Some addicts function at even higher rates, and some get lost in the life on the corner. Many people view addicts as “junkies”, people who live and die by the corner-way-of-life. “Some of the brightest, most interesting, smart, cool people I know are addicts,” Audrey said, “I know people who have gotten degrees while using regularly. People who’ve held jobs at, like, accounting firms while using.” She described addiction as an “obvious mental health issue”. Within the past six months of Audrey’s clean living three people she has known personally have died. According to the Berkshire Eagle, there were 30 overdose deaths in 2015 in Berkshire County alone. Although Audrey is unwilling to demonize the connotations of the word “junkie”, she wants the world to understand that addiction is a pit that just about anyone can fall into. It’s not a stereotype that only certain people fit, but a lifestyle that could lead one down a very selfdestructive path…or in the case of her friends who have earned degrees while using, it might not even have much of a noticeable effect. MARKETING Continued from Page 1 advancement used the campaign independent of the marketing offices urging. “Which is actually a little bit of a double edge sword,” Alden said. The team has also been focused on making literature that better represents results like internships and study abroad opportunities. The marketing has been more testimonial based, according to Alden. A marketing company the school hired last year helped the College determine their negatives and positives. One of the negatives was location. Jackie Kelly, an Admissions office intern, and the social media director Francesca Shanks have been making 15 second video campaigns on their iPhones of different students stating why they’re here at MCLA. Shanks explained to the board the importance of SEO and Pay Per Clicks (PPC). The school has started paying Google to show up higher in different searches. Shanks described PPC as “paying for the privilege” to be at the top of a search.
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Photo Essay
Thursday, October 27, 2016
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Students outlined SAC’s table as they created happy pumpkins to help decorate their dorm rooms for the upcoming week’s holiday.
The Treat Before the Trick
Senior Amber Wilson carefully pours her finishing touches to her colorful sand pumpkin, while freshman Rachel Hawkins begins her own.
Seniors Courtney Chester, Abby Baker, and junior Sychiah Johnson pose with Dance Company costumes.
Photos By Emily Gabert
There were a wide range of things to make and fun items to buy in the Campus Cemter on Monday, just in time for Halloween.