Issue 8

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Volume 81 ◆ Issue 8

Th u r s d ay, N o v e m b e r 5 , 2 0 1 5

Voting for the Levitt AMP Music Series has begun

By Idalis Foster

Senior News Editor Levitt Pavillions, provider of grants for the Levitt AMP (Your City) Music Series, could bring one of the 2016 music segments to North Adams’ Colegrove Park.

MCLA is working along with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition, North Adams Chamber of Commerce, the City of North Adams and MASS MoCA to match the grant for the series to be brought here.

In this case, students’ votes for North Adams to be one of 15 cities to hold the music series are vital, since it is in competition for this grant alongside cities such as Sheboygan, Wisconsin and Cleveland, Mississippi.

There are 40 cities in total vying for the grants with proposals already in, and only 20 finalists will make it through the public voting stage to be evaluated before the 15 are chosen.

“I receive announcements from many government and private grant opportunities and try to identify those that match the College’s mission and

plans,” Theresa Miller, director of corporate and foundation relations at MCLA said. “Levitt AMP was an announcement that sounded perfect in terms of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center (BCRC), and the emphasis that North Adams places on cultural programming and growing its creative economy.”

Miller went on to explain Colegrove Park’s role as the potential site, a move that she suggests was “perfect to ‘brand’ it as a public performance space by partnering with the Levitt Foundation.” The park is part of the renovation and reopening of Colegrove School, which has been long awaited.

Suzy Helme, director of community events for the city of North Adams, emphasized the importance of this event in helping Colegrove Park become just as vibrant of a place as it once was.

“Colegrove park was once the city’s vibrant downtown green space, but has been largely neglected and unused for decades following the urban renewal that took place in the 50s and 70s,

Registration period is upon us! Flip to page three for the full story on help with registering and choosing classes.

relocating many residents out of the downtown area,” said Helme.

“We are ready to see Colegrove Park reemerge as a jewel of our downtown, and hope to see it filled with many community activities moving forward.”

Voting has already begun as of Monday, Nov. 2 and will continue until Nov. 30. The music series LEVITT MUSIC SERIES continued on page 3

Photo by Makayla-Courtney McGeeney

Richard J. Alcombright won the Mayoral election Tuesday night against John Barrett III with 376 more votes. Alcombright swept all five wards defeating Barrett for the second time. Read the full story on page four.

Yik Yak causes havoc on campuses across the nation The popular app thrives off anonymity and a numeric rating system for each post

By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor-in-Chief

Yik Yak, a cross between a college campus news feed, a freshman virtual diary, and an anonymous message board, is a popular smartphone app inciting mixed feelings since its launch in 2013.

This anonymous, location-based social media app displays messages that can be voted up or down, no matter how extremely offensive the statement is.

Tyler Droll, founder and CEO of Yik Yak, claimed the app’s original intent was to be like “a city’s central plaza or campus bulletin board,” according to Fox News.

Sophomore Hunter Long thinks the popular app is used for gossip and demonstrates the hook-up culture of the milennial generation.

“I do think it can be a positive outlet, however, some people are using it to be spiteful,” he said. “I know it has the potential for harassment. An app that prides itself on being completely anonymous can only spell trouble for college students.”

Anonymity is the primary issue with this app, especially for Margaret Crouch, a professor at Eastern Michigan University who was defamed on Yik Yak last fall during a lecture. On more than a dozen college campuses, the app has been used

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to issue threats of mass violence, including University of North Carolina, Michigan State University, and Penn State, according to a New York Times article by Jonathon Mahler.

“This is the same behavior, it’s just public now,” Catherine Holbrook, vice president of Student Affairs said. “You want to build a community on a college campus, [but] how can we do that if we don’t know who the other person is?”

Danielle Keats Citron, a law professor at University of Maryland, said that Yik Yak “is being increasingly used by people in a really intimidating and destructive way.”

Additionally, the app’s privacy policy averts schools from “identifying users Photo from Forbes.com without a subpoena, court order or search warrant, or an emergency request from a Yik Yak creators Brooks Buffington and Tyler Droll hold the app’s Yak mascot. law-enforcement official with a compelling claim of imminent harm,” according to all tools available to gain necessary the vehicle as opposed to a more helpful Mahler. information. If Public Safety overhears alternative.”

Junior Kyle Maybury believes the that something is happening, they In early October, more than 70 women’s anonymous factor allows users to get away have the opportunity to trace it, but it’s and civil rights groups contacted the with bullying. not completely helpful if the source is U.S. Department of Education about “You can hide behind the screen of your anonymous. the abundance of harassment and hate phone and cause a lot of damage that is “There’s no one regularly monitoring speech online around college campuses likely not going to be traced back to you,” Yik Yak,” Holbrook added. “If it becomes nationwide, according to a Slate he said. “I use it for entertainment. People an issue on this campus, then it will be post some...interesting things. It’s kind of put up for discussion whether or not it YIK YAK a joke app.” should be regulated. I’d be more curious as continued on page 11 Holbrook said that the College uses to what is motivating the students to use

News

Arts & Entertainment

Sports

Students prepare to register for spring classes

Harlequin Revue presented a pleasant variety of musicals

Volleyball league championship to be held this weekend

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News Features Arts & Entertainment Sports Campus Comment Local Events Photo Essay

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2 Police Logs

Campus News

Thursday, November 5, 2015

SGA welcomes new VP of Admin. and Finance

Week of 10/25 - 11/1 Public Safety responded to 116 total calls

Sunday, Oct. 25

◆ 9:22 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a fire alarm at the Amsler Campus Center.

No further action was required.

Monday, Oct. 26

◆ 10:39 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a breaking and entering at townhouse apartment 20. No further action was required.

Tuesday, Oct. 27

◆ 12:38 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a peace disturbance on 31 Blackinton Street No further action was required.

◆ 1:38 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a harassment call at 277 Ashland Street The issue was investigated.

Wednesday, Oct. 28

◆ 5:32 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a weather related issue on campus. The hazard was removed.

Thursday, Oct. 29

◆ 9:21 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a motor vehicle accident at Thrifty Bundle on Ashland Street The call was completed.

Friday, Oct. 30

◆ 10:44 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a well-being check at the Boardman Apartments. A report was filed.

◆ 2:25 p.m. – Public Safety

By Harmony Birch Managing Editor

Open Educational Resources (OER) and Student Government Association’s (SGA’s) stance on them was discussed again during Monday’s meeting.

Gerol Petruzella, the assistant director of academic technology, spoke to SGA about what OER’s are and how the school could implement more OER programs.

Petruzella has been a longtime advocate of Open Source textbooks and other OER’s. In collaboration with the Freel

◆ 2:15 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Flagg Townhouse Apartments. The individual was transported to safety.

Library he has initiated a small stipend for four faculty members to put together OER packages for their respective classes. Among those professors are Jone Sneed from the history department and Lisa Donnovan from the Fine and Performing Arts Department.

Petruzella believes that open source textbooks are an issue of inequality.

“It’s a fairness issue,” he said, referring to the fact that many college students don’t purchase their textbooks because of the price.

When asked why support from SGA was important and what it might look like, Petruzella admitted that he wasn’t sure about the technical aspects of SGA support, but that he thought their voice would help amplify the conversation.

“SGA is a powerful student voice and faculty listen to the student voice,” he said. “When students as a whole start saying something faculty ears perk up.”

He explained that SGA could make sure that the OER conversation was something students, faculty, and administration were involved in.

“The interesting ideas start with students,” he said.

Sushi in the Grab N Go President All Kadell reported the happenings during the last food committee meeting Every Thursday Sushi will be served at the Grab n Go in Bowman. The sushi is reportedly made fresh by Aramark employees. They will serving California roles at $5.99 and Vegetable rolls at $3. 99 There will also be a new flavor added to the Jamba juice station SGA member resigns Parliamentarian Rachel Durgin resigned last Monday. In her resignation letter she stated that she had too many other responsibilities on campus to continue with SGA.

New Vp of Administration and Finance Lawrence Behan, the vice president of administration and finance, introduced himself to SGA at Monday’s meeting. Benhan started two weeks ago. He’s had a long career in administration and finance in both public and private sectors. Before coming to the College he worked at Walden Behavioral Care, as vice president of administration and finance and the chief financial officer.

Before Walden Behavioral Care he worked for the University of Massachusetts Medical School as the senior academic administrator.

Benhan feels grateful to be working somewhere with so much natural beauty.

“I pinch myself every morning,” Benhan said. “I can’t believe that I’m paid to work in a beautiful environment like this.”

MCLA Presidential Search narrowed down to five finalists All are strongly encouraged to attend Q&A meetings and give feedback

By Nick Swanson Co-Editor-In-Chief

The MCLA Presidential Search Committee has arranged dates designated for each finalist to meet with community members and express their interest in being the next president of the College.

The pool of potential finalists was reduced from 10 to five candidates. This differs from the search last semester, which brought only three finalists to campus, according to MaryEllen Olenyk, director of Human Resources.

“The Board of Higher Education guidelines recommend three to five [finalists], so we decided, based on our experience last time, to go with five,” Olenyk said.

Finalists in order of their arrival are: Scott R. Furlong, Ph.D., dean, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; Andrew Rogerson, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs at Sonoma State University; Mary S.

We really want to encourage students to come and ask questions about what’s important to them.

-- Mary-Ellen Olenyk “Missy” Alexander, Ph.D., dean, Macricostas School of Arts and Sciences at Western Connecticut State University; James F. “Jaimie” Birge, Ph.D., interim president at Marygrove College and previous president at Franklin Pierce University; and S. Alan Ray, Ph.D., J.D., visiting scholar at Harvard Law School and previous president at Elmhurst College.

The Korn-Ferry search firm was hired for this, therefore, the overall process was somewhat different, but because people experienced the last one, they knew what to expect, Olenyk said.

“I think we have a bit of a different candidate pool this time and some [candidates] have presidential experience which we didn’t have last time,” she said.

Meetings will be scheduled for finalists throughout their two-day visit with students, administrators and staff, faculty, and librarians.

The Board of Trustees then will conduct a final interview before the finalists return to their current positions.

“We really want to encourage students to come and ask questions about what’s important to them,” Olenyk said. “Whether

it’s clubs…engagement with students or facilities in the area, or tuition…whatever may be on their mind, [they can] come and ask.”

“Having a variety of students there is more helpful than having a couple of students asking similar questions; we want that diversity within the meetings,” Alexandra Kadell, SGA president and search committee member, said. “We only get so much from interviewing them, so, having them come to campus, you really get to interact with them a lot more.”

Kadell plans to provide food and refreshments during the meetings for the students who attend.

The Board of Trustees released the names of finalists last Friday in a campus-wide email that revealed the dates and times they will be on campus. After finalists finish their meetings, surveys will be available for individuals to provide feedback anonymously on the finalists. Feedback surveys will be on the web platform called SurveyMonkey; used in the first search.

Weekend Weather

responded to a fire alarm at townhouse apartment 87. A report was filed.

Saturday, Oct. 31

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Thursday, November 5

Friday, November 6

Saturday, November 7

Sunday, November 8

Partly Cloudy High: 66° Low: 55° Precip. Chance: 0%

Scattered Showers High: 67° Low: 45° Precip. Chance: 60%

Overcast High: 52° Low: 32° Precip. Chance: 10%

Sunny High: 49° Low: 30° Precip. Chance: 10%

Sunday, Nov. 1

◆ 2:00 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Flagg Townhouse Apartments. The individual was transported to the hospital.

Campus News

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

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Students gear up for Inventor of reading machine for registration on Banner the blind to present next Thursday

By Harmony Birch Managing Editor

Registration opens tomorrow and lasts until Nov. 23. For some students, registering for classes is smooth sailing however, sophomore Kiley Clancy only experienced trouble her freshman year of college.

“As a freshman, I had trouble getting into classes for my major, especially since I had the last registration date and a lot of upperclassmen were using them for core classes,” Clancy said.

“Other than that, everything else has been pretty smooth. Now that my registration dates are sooner, I have little to no trouble getting into the classes I want. It was just that one year of frustration.”

Clancy may be an anomaly, though other students like senior Cecilia Wright experience trouble no matter how prepared they are. Wright, an arts management major, never experienced problems fulfilling her core and major requirements, but having a minor in marketing has proven difficult when it comes to registration.

“The class times I need for my major and minor always interfere with each other and overlap,” Wright said.

Wright’s advisor Lisa Donovan has always been helpful. She suggested Wright, who will graduate in the spring, contact business professors to figure out what classes they would offer in future semesters. However, because of the conflicting class times, Wright found herself working with Donovan to get around certain requirements.

“I was going to count marketing communications as my major elective credit, but I am counting that as my minor credit now because the class I was originally going to use as a major elective is not offered in the spring,” Wright said. “Unfortunately, there isn’t much Lisa can do. It would be great if the departments collaborated together, but they don’t.”

One of the solutions to this problem, Wright admitted, might be having a separate advisor for her minor.

Clancy, who is a double major in English literature and secondary education, credited her ability to graduate on time and ease of registration to her two advisors.

“Both of my advisors are really helpful with working toward my double major, and they usually both ask how the other one’s going and if I need any help, which I’m super grateful for,” Clancy said.

Wright thinks there are still likely better ways the school could navigate meeting the students’ multiple requirements in different departments.

“I think talking to each other would be great,” Wright said. “[Holding] a meeting or even using a Google Doc. where teachers can see when their coworkers are having their classes

[might work].”

The college has several systems in place designed to help students graduate on time and to meet their requirements. The Center for Student Success and Engagement (CSSE) advises all undeclared students. CSSE meets with undeclared students at least three times a semester, according to Kate Heekin, the assistant director of CSSE/advising. They offer assistance, though, to any student who desires it.

“My dream is that all advisees see their advisors more than once a semester,” Heekin said.

She believes a student-advisor relationship that consists of only handing off the registration pin code is lacking because it doesn’t allow any conversation about classes and goals.

One of those goals tends to be graduating on time. While Heekin admits that she personally would love to see every student graduate in four years, she admits that for some students, taking only four classes a semester is more desirable.

“For a lot of students it’s not appropriate for [them] to take more than four classes a semester,” Heekin said, listing everything from stress to disabilities as reasons why students may need the extra time.

However, according to Steven King, who works in the registrar’s office, students need to take at least five classes a semester to graduate. At MCLA, students can sign up for 18 credits (six classes) without their advisor’s approval.

“That’s a lot,” King admitted.

If students want to take more classes, they can get their advisor’s approval for anything over 18 credits, and schedules over 21 credits must be signed off by Dean of Academic Affairs, Monica Joslin.

Last fall there were 230 withdrawals from classes, according to King. About half were due to midterm warnings and poor performance in class.

The registrar’s office has only been collecting data on withdrawals for a year.

The college is also looking into extending the withdrawal period, according to King.

Students become at risk for losing their financial aid if they withdraw from too many courses, though. In order to qualify for financial aid, students must take 23 credits a year.

To graduate on time, King advises keeping a close eye on transcripts and the degree evaluation records that can be found on the self-service banner accounts of students.

Though online registration only lasts a day, paper registration will go on until Nov. 23.

By Joseph Carew Staff Writer

Ray Kurzweil, a noted inventor and author, is set to speak on Nov. 12 at 7 p.m. in the MCLA Church Street Center for the 5th annual Michael S. and Kitty Dukakis Public Policy Lecture.

Kurzweil will be discussing the broad topics of science, technology, and Photo from SeriousWonder.com invention in a lecture that will develop techniques Noted inventor and author Ray Kurzweil will present the 5th annual on crafting the future. Dukakis Public Policy Lecture next Thursday.

This event will be held in scientist who works with present day trends in the Eleanor Furst Roberts Auditorium and is free and open to the public, as society to forecast the details of the future, Kurzweil has made numerous predictions on what is to come. well as students.

From foreseeing the explosive growth of the “He is a big thinker,” Benjamin Taylor, a political internet, to large economic growth for the United science professor said. “It’s exciting to have him on States from 1998 to 2009 and widespread speech campus.” recognition, Kurzweil has accurately predicted some Among the various ways to describe Kurzweil, events while missing others. entrepreneur, genius, and futurist appear the most Currently, Kurzweil has comments on the idea often. “The restless genius,” as described by the Wall of singularity (when artificial intelligence reaches Street Journal, has been inducted into the National the ability to redesign and improve itself over and Inventors Hall of Fame, created by the U.S. Patent over again), nanobot technology (specifically, small Office. robots that, in this instance, would be used in aiding Kurzweil, a recipient of 20 honorary doctorates, immune systems), and a rapid expanse in the usage has authored seven books in his 67 years, five of of solar technology. which have become national bestsellers. As an “He has thought about these things and really has inventor, he has created the first music synthesizer some interesting ideas,” Taylor said. “We are hoping capable of recreating the grand piano, along with he will start some good conversation. More than other instruments commonly used in orchestral anything…he is going to… give us things to think pieces. He has also made large strides in speech about and discuss on campus.” recognition technology, and founded and developed The Public Policy Lecture Series has brought nine optical character recognition companies.

Senator Cheryl Jacques, journalist Jose Antonio “Kurzweil, who invented the first reading machine Vargas, and Ambassador Andrew Young to campus, for the blind, was awarded the $500,000 Lemelsonamong various other speakers since its 2008 MIT Prize in 2001,” according to lemelson.mit.edu. inception.

As an adherent to Futurism, or a scientist/social

Eight tips for successful registration 1. Figure out which classes you want before meeting with your advisor, write up a schedule, and have a few back-ups just in case.

2. Make sure you are filling up your core requirements first so you can get to your major requirements faster.

3. Be on the look-out for emails from the department secretary about new classes that may fill core requirements. If a class looks like it may fill a requirement (like Global Anglophone for a lit survey, or Women in Writing for your Women’s Studies Minor),but it’s not included on the flow sheets, email the secretary and the department head to see if the class will count toward a requirement.

4. Meet with your advisor well before registration. Go over your flow sheet and any requirements you still need to take and ask them their opinions on certain classes you are considering.

5. Talk to your advisor about the policy for doubling up on requirements. Will Honors Logic and Critical Reasoning count as both an honors requirement and a core? You won’t k now until you ask. Save yourself the trouble now.

6. Try to be mindful about your schedule next semester. Don’t over book yourself with too many classes if you don’t need too.

Likewise, if you find yourself having most of your requirements filled and are a semester ahead of your class, consider adding a minor or exploring different departments.

7. Wake up at 6 a.m. on your registration day, and be sure to have all of your course registration numbers (CRN) and course numbers written out, especially if you’re looking to take a highly coveted class.

8. If you need to add or drop a class, do it right away. Don’t procrastinate.

LEVITT MUSIC SERIES continued from page 1 itself is planned to start in August and run for ten weeks into mid-October.

Some students are skeptical, as they are concerned with who will decide what performers will attend the music series.

“It depends on who is performing,”senior Tiearra Henson said. “If students get to have a say in it as well, then I’d be interested in going.”

“It has to be turnt. It has to get the people going,” junior Dakari Johnson said. “[We need] someone like Lil John or Fetty Wap. I know Fetty Wap might be too expensive, but a performer whose music is along that style.”

The planning for the series has already started, as the proposals for the grants have to be thorough and are ultimately what the 20 finalists are evaluated on after voting in order to get the number down to 15.

“This is an opportunity to bring world class music from all over the country to our great small city and present it for free so everyone in our city can enjoy and experience it, but we only get this opportunity if everyone votes to bring this here,” said Helme.

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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Campus News

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Community Garden now collaborative club project Environuts, Outdoors Club and Good Vibes Yoga vice to bring back garden to campus

By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor-in-Chief

In an attempt to revive the campus community garden, Environuts, Outdoors Club, and Good Vibes Yoga will create a plan of action to relocate a new garden at the site of the old honors house near Hoosac Hall on Highland Ave. After a discussion Thursday night with Cindy Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs, the three groups agreed to collaborate by recruiting students and using their own budgets to establish a potential club to be responsible for the new garden.

Rose Mastico, president of Environuts, suggested there be several plots under different ownership at the new site.

“That way, people are responsible for their own plot and can decide what to do with the food when harvested,” she said.

“North Adams families can own a plot for a year and take care of it. A community effort has more of an impact.”

Outdoors Club put forth donating canoes as raised beds for the garden.

Kelsey Mcgonigle, coordinating vice president of SGA, reminded the clubs that starting a new group would take one year until the senate could grant them a budget. Until then, fundraising and personal efforts from club members would be the only option.

As of September, the garden that sat next to the Smith House was removed due to overgrowth.

Environmental studies professor Dan Shustack stressed focus on who will run the garden in the summer, because that is when most of the labor is done.

“How will people benefit from this garden?” Shustack asked. “There’s a lack of seeing the benefit of growing the food.

People can grow food, but they may not know what to do with it once harvested.”

McGonigle proposed collaborating with the Center for Service and donating food to the Berkshire Food Project. She

“People can grow food, but they may not know what to do with it once harvested.”

- Dan Shustack also said that putting a mailbox, as well as printing and laminating a sign with recipes and placing it at the site, could be helpful.

Other suggestions include getting McCann Technical School involved in making raised beds, or a fundraiser to get grants from Tractor Supply for tools and supplies, Brown said.

Mass Audubon operates a similar style

of gardening at Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary in Pittsfield. They currently have 160 total plots with 60 rented per season.

“They do everything themselves, but we provide the soil sampling, the plot, and water,” Candice Farrell, office manager of Canoe Meadows Wildlife, said. “We have a mailbox that’s on the plot where folks can place a question to the master gardener and share recipes and how to use certain herbs. We also incorporate the gardening into many of our programs throughout the summer.”

Even though this is a larger scale model, Canoe Meadows has been successful for over ten years, Farrell said. The same people come back every year and mostly plant vegetables, and some plant flowers.

The groups talked about having a harvest feast in the academic quad in September, similar to what was done in the early years of having a campus garden.

Another option would be hosting cooking workshops with other clubs or providing the fresh food to Aramark.

“Aramark has rules about what they can accept for food, but they might be able to do some demonstrations,” Brown said.

Outdoors Club decided the next steps to take would be to form a group, check out the garden, sit to create a blueprint, and then fundraise to purchase supplies and tools.

Brown urged the clubs to decide where they would store existing tools, as they are currently located under Smith House.

“Have a meeting to outline the rules to organically garden, and establish a main person who people can go to with questions,” Farrell suggested.

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Mayor Alcombright re-elected for a fourth term

By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney and Nick Swanson Co-Editors-In-Chief

Barrett was mayor of North Adams for 26 years from 1984-2009 and is an MCLA alumnus. This is his 15th time running.

“I think it has come time for me to fade out of the picture now,” Barrett said. “I wanted to give North Adams people a voice they could trust and I hope the mayor will still give people that opportunity.”

Roughly 100 people roared on the corner of Main St. and Holden St. welcoming Alcombright as he emerged from city hall.

“The future of our city is in our

Richard J. Alcombright has been re-elected for a fourth term as Mayor of North Adams, surpassing former Mayor John Barrett III by 376 votes.

Alcombright took all five wards in the election with 2,430 votes as opposed to Barrett’s 2,054.

“My promise is that I will not change direction; I will not change my commitment to an honest government and to the wonderful projects,” Alcombright said. “I will remain highly accessible, ideas will be heard, opinions will be respected and I will not change the way that I see people.”

Around the corner at the American Legion 125, Barrett supporters wept and wondered what could have been done differently.

“We are all disappointed that we won’t see change in the right direction,” Barrett supporter John Shea said. “It was such a close election and those 300 votes might have come from MCLA. I’ve known John [Barrett] for a long time and we don’t know for sure, but if we made Photo by Makayla-Courtney McGeeney/The Beacon an appearance in more Alcombright supporters applaud his places maybe things victory after a long night of waiting. would be different.”

Photo by Nick Swanson/The Beacon

John Barrett awaits results with his supporters on Tuesday night before falling short to Alcombright for a second time collective hands and now more than ever our youth have taken on leadership roles in the community as we’ve seen most recently,” he said. “I’m very proud of the young people in this community.”

For people who knew Alcombright throughout his years in the city, some say his focus hasn’t changed.

“It’s [the victory] absolutely wonderful.

It was a rough race,” Alcombright supporter Bruce Pierce said. “I’ve known Alcombright since high school and his demeanor hasn’t changed. He’s willing to work with everyone.”

North Adams has 8,689 registered voters, 4,513 who turned out, according to The Berkshire Eagle.

“I’m disappointed that I lost but I am not disappointed that I ran,” Barret said.

“I worked as hard as I could during my 26 years as Mayor, I might have made a few mistakes but we all do in our walk of life.”

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know where to go, and we can almost always point them in the right direction,” he said. “I find it really rewarding to be able to help people find what they Features Editor need.”

Tate also facilitates the College’s testing Participation in countless clubs and organizations accommodations. If students need extra time to take on campus is something Chris Tate never imagined for tests, they can schedule an appointment with Tate himself at first, but is quite proud of today. to proctor them in a private testing environment, as Being a 2014 graduate of psychology with a minor long as they have an accommodation plan set-up with in history, Tate was hired as a program specialist in Katie Sutton. “I have a pretty good relationship with Disability Resources at the Center for Student Success all of the students that come in to utilize our testing and Engagement (CSSE) office in Feb. 2015. room,” he said. “A lot of students like testing in this As a freshman, Tate enrolled as a history major, and environment, and are comfortable with the testing planned on transferring to another school after one year facility and myself.” at the College. “I was planning on transferring after my Another reason Tate was hired was to take over the first year, and pursuing the rest of my degree at Westfield,” College’s note-taking program, which he worked on he said. with the Information Technology (IT) Department However, Chris took a class in social sciences, which over the summer. “Our old note-taking program not only changed his major, but his mind as well. “I consisted of students taking notes and making copies, pledged Phi Epsilon Phi in my freshman year, and became but a lot of times those notes would get lost,” he said. more involved with the campus community shortly after,” What Tate and the IT Department have done is he said. “Around then is when I decided that I liked it in made the note-taking program fully digital, and has North Adams, and no longer wanted to transfer.” enabled students to receive notes via email each week.

Tate began working at various capacities with career “If those notes get lost, the students will still have the services, such as tutoring and note taking, and eventually email, or I could always re-send them since all of the branched off to coordinate Write Stuff, an innovative notes are on a server,” he explained. program that connects MCLA volunteer writing coaches Tate also hopes to work on reduce the stigma and mentors with 5th-7th graders from the three local around asking for help. “It is cool to be really helpful, elementary schools; “Elementary students come to the and to try and provide students with help even if they MCLA campus and participate in a “college” activity, then don’t know that they need it,” he said. “I think one of use that activity as a springboard for writing assignments,” the reasons I was hired was to help reduce the stigma according to the College’s website.

Photo by Liz Quirk/The Beacon that asking for help and using accommodations is a In addition to the work Tate did with career services, he collaborated with his fraternity brothers to create open Chris Tate ‘14 enjoys helping students utilize resources in CSSE, such as a weakness, when really it should be seen as strength.” private testing center and text-to-speech software.

He even blocks off over two hours every Friday mic nights on campus. The old Elf Parlor, now re-opened for students to come and use some of the assistive as The Parlor, used to have open mic nights all the time, during his senior year, which he is very proud of. All the which drew in large crowds, according to Tate. while, he was looking for jobs in his field. “I had a sort of technology they have down in the private testing room, Once the venue closed, Pines (the fraternity on campus) behavioral focus when I was working as a psych student such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text software.

Tate stresses the importance that students realize the tried to find ways to create fun community events for here, so I wanted to work with people on that capacity,” staff at CSSE is there to help, and to never be afraid to ask. everyone. “I write poetry, and my friend Chris Hantman he said. does as well, and together we were able to bring open mic Tate saw the open position at the College as a great Also, with registration rapidly approaching, Tate says to nights to campus,” Tate said. opportunity to go back to his alma mater and work with be sure to schedule appointments with advisors as soon as Although Tate is from Belchertown, Mass., which “is an college students. “I applied to this job because I was really possible, have an idea of potential class choice, and to get actual location,” according to him, he has lived in North interested in it, and I like working with young people,” he rid of any account holds.

“Advising is a two-way street,” he said. “As much as your Adams for six years now, and doesn’t plan on leaving said. “I like working here and being back at MCLA, but it’s advisors should be able to help you, it is also important anytime soon. really funny not being a student on campus anymore.”

After graduating, Tate began working at the box office at Another facet of Tate’s job is to help point students in that you know things like what your work schedule will be, Mass Moca. He had been working in the arts industry for the right direction when they come to CSSE with any etc. in order to make informed decisions when it comes to quite some time, at North Adams venues such as Gallery questions. “A lot of time, people will come up here and choosing future classes.”

51 and Press. Tate’s poetry was also published at Press tell us someone told them to come to CSSE, but they don’t

By Gionna Nourse

Aramark offers new catering options to students An open house was held on Oct. 29, giving students an opportunity to learn more and try new menu items

By Idalis Foster

Senior News Editor Welcomed by Elizabeth Lesage, head of catering for Aramark, students trickled into the catering open house to taste the variety of food options available through the MCLA Catering service.

The event, held in Sullivan Lounge on Oct. 29 from 2 to 3 p.m., was held to give students a better idea of how to go about booking catering, as well as to show them foods they may not normally expect from Aramark.

“The cake frosting was really good,” sophomore Marissa Essor said, just before comparing it to cake from a bakery she loves in Boston.

“I liked how fresh the fruit was,” senior Alison Gilbert added directly after Essor.

“The only thing is that there aren’t a lot of vegetarian options, but I’m sure they would accommodate for an event.”

Lesage introduced the group of students to Head Chef Tony Fioretti, who has brought his experience in foreign cuisines to the table with new options for catering.

The catering service offers three different menus: Simple Takeaways, a catering packet with a more extensive listing, and a seasonal menu, the current one being “Winter Lights: Festive Bites.”

“I love it because I have a lot of freedom

with offering food options not on the menu and with designing the seasonal menus,” said Lesage. “We have a wide range of serving styles and I am very open to working with students to put together a menu that fits their needs.”

their declining balance as long as they plan in advance.

Aramark has catered many student events in the past and even lent serving materials to clubs, including those under the ALANA umbrella. They have catered

event.”

Essor expressed interest in booking Aramark for catering if she were helping to plan a thank you dinner for one of the clubs she is a part of, which included Harlequin, the Allegrettos, and Dance Company.

Recently, Aramark has taken a series of new initiatives in response to the ideas mentioned by students for options in their cafes. The Trailblazer Café opened up a Jamba Juice station a couple weeks ago with mango and strawberry banana being their first new flavors.

“They are planning on switching out whichever flavor is selling less with a new flavor every so often so that students have new options of smoothies,” said junior Daniel Wohler. “Right now it looks like strawberry banana will be switched out for another flavor.”

Senior Alexandra Kadell went around to students towards the end of the session to offer them a taste of the sushi Aramark is offering every Thursday at the On-The-Go Photo from Aramark Website station in Bowman Hall.

The aramark catering service offers three different menus, including a seasonal “There are two options of sushi right menu this winter called “Winter Lights: Festive Bites.“ now: a veggie roll and a California roll,” For catering, students are asked to events for the Student Government said Kadell. “I thought I’d get some and let contact Lesage at least three days in Association, Student Activities Council, students try out the new option.” advance and, if possible, have a budget for Harlequin, and Yorick.

For more on how to book catering what they want to spend on food for the “[The] class of 2016 is having an etiquette through Aramark, contact Elizabeth Lesage event. With the larger catering, purchase banquet, which is definitely going to be at (413) 662-5238 or Lesage-elizabeth@ orders are most helpful, but with the catered by Aramark,” said Gilbert. “It’s nice aramark.com. Their website is www.mcla.

Simple Takeaways students can pay using to know what options are available for the catertrax.com.

Arts & Entertainment 6 Harlequin’s 13th Annual Musical Theatre Revue pleases audience Thursday, November 5, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

By Jarred Clapp A & E Writer

Photo by Isabel McKenzie/The Beacon

Harlequin Musical Theatre Club’s 13th annual Revue concert hosted an array of numbers from several different musicals, varying from the comedic to heartfelt.

There were classic numbers like “Guys and Dolls” as well as more contemporary pieces such as “Baptize Me” from Book of Mormon. The diversity of the concert brought something for everybody, whether they were seasoned fans of musical theatre or newcomers just there for a free show.

“The Revue was awesome, super energetic and fun to watch,” Junior IDST major Alexis Valentin said. “I think this one was a lot more diverse in terms of what types of acts they performed.

You didn’t know what to expect and that aspect was really enjoyable.”

The balance of genres gave the revue a firm sense of depth, not uncommon for Harlequin, but certainly to a new degree. It was refreshing to jump between laughs and silent appreciation of the singers’ performances.

One of the most impressive and rich solo acts was that of senior Jasmine Garcia’s “A New Life.” Her rich voice filled the concert hall as she hit each note and was met with raucous applause upon completion.

There were plenty of humorous numbers, but the two that received the most laughter were “There! Right There!” and “Baptize Me”. Legally Blonde: the Musical’s “There I Right There!” followed a court’s attempts to uncover if the defendant is “Gay or European” and whether he has been lying about an alleged affair. The religious satire Book of Mormon’s “Baptize Me” depicted a double entendre filled song where a Ugandan girl desire to become baptized into the Mormon faith with dialogue akin to that of the couple losing their virginity.

“I thought the Revue was really great this time,” junior sociology major Lily Breen said. “I haven’t been to one since my freshman year but I thought it was a good mix of really energetic performances and solos. My favorites were ‘Greased Lightning’ and ‘A New Life’.”

The classic pieces were met with an equal level of praise, as they were the most widely recognized. “When You’re Good to Momma” from Chicago, “Guys and Dolls” from the musical of the same name, and Grease’s “Greased Lightning” were all met with positive reactions from the crowd.

“This year’s Revue was probably the best Harlequin performance I’ve seen,” senior English major William George said. “I especially enjoyed their representation of ‘Greased Lightning’ as well as ‘There! Right There!’”

There were also pieces that were fairly obscure, like “Walk Through the Fire”, a piece from a musical episode of the TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as a number from Evil Dead the Musical titled “Do the Necronomicon”. Despite even the more musically learned audience members not even recognizing some of these pieces, the crowd replied positively to all the routines.

The Harlequin Musical Revue is an annual event made up of pieces from several different musicals, (with no two pieces from the same show). All club members are guaranteed participation in at least one piece, and often includes a variety of directors.

Solos are reserved for seniors.

Senior Monique Lemay sings “Just Around the Riverbend” from “Pocahontas” as her senior solo.

DeQn Sue, whose name is a mashup o received national recognition from Nat

DeQn Sue t pop at the C

By Mitchell Chapman A & E Editor

Mainstream pop might yield cash, b alternative pop showcases spirit. MCL Presents! continues its trend of unique soun with Friday’s performance by independe musician DeQn Sue, whose music borrow from theatre and jazz.

“DeQn Sue is an artist whose story is just appealing as her music,” critic Steph Evans Earmilk.com said. “Growing up in the sout she’s looked to all sorts of inspiration f her art, looking at everything from classic poetry to singing in her church, growing u to fuel her singing and songwriting passio In her music, it’s her aim to create art tha timeless, something that she can be proud in any years to come, and classic outside any trend.”

Sue has published three albums sin coming onto the alt-pop scene in 2010 (on two of which is physical) when she wro lyrics for the song “Wasting Time,” after bein challenged by a friend to do so, according her website. The song took Sue a day to writ Though she has yet to record the song, sh

Twin Peaks fans disappointed by lackluster

By Chris Riemer A & E Writer

Photo from MASS MoCA

Twin Peaks was an unconventional and philosophically profound television show created by David Lynch that has attracted an enormous, generation-spanning cult audience since its unsatisfying ambiguous finale episode aired in 1991.

At Mass MoCA last Friday, Brooklyn-based artists A Place Both Wonderful and Strange performed in front of a screen showing heavily edited series of clips from both the show and its accompanying prequel film, “Fire Walk with Me” (1992), in an event titled

“Keys Open Doors: The Hidden Life of Laura Palmer.”

Because the show focused primarily on the last moments of Laura Palmer, whose death catalyzed the show’s progression, the content was perhaps a bit more adult than audience members had been expecting. Video clips were culled more from the R-rated “Fire Walk with Me” than from the television show.

The event also featured a individual who identified herself only as Baby Rosemary stripping down to near complete nudity on stage while scenes of Laura Palmer played in the background.

The clips, which often appeared lowresolution and occasionally featured Swedish

subtitles, accompanied by A Place Both Wonderful and Strange’s bass-heavy, repetitive music, garnered mixed reactions from the audience.

“I don’t believe in objective experience, but for me, that was an awful experience,” Devin Snell, ’17, said.

Although the lack of video quality was noticeable, the bulk of the criticism focused on the uninspired music provided by A Place Both Wonderful and Strange, which involved one person crafting dark thumping trap-like beats while another read selections from Laura Palmer’s diary, or alternately breathed rhythmically into the microphone.

According to the event page on Mass MoCA’s

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Sundance Theater lab returns to MASS MoCA

By Mitchell Chapman A & E Editor

Photo from al.com of her father’s favorite television roles (actor Rod Perry) and her mother’s first name, has tional Public Radio (NPR), and has circulated on many indie websites.

to showcase alternative Church Street Center

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as of th, for cal up on. at’s of of

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occasionally sings it live, as “audiences love it,” according to Sue. Her most notable body of work is her album, “Zeitgeist,” which she made with Producer Kevin Wooten, who has worked with the likes of platinum-selling R & B artist Anthony Hamilton and actress/songwriter Jill Scott. “Zeitgeist,” which features 14 tracks (compared to “Idiosyncratic,” which contains only four songs), is a fantastic example of Sue’s style, weaving in her observations about the world and its many problems in a rhythmatic way that is harsh in content but smooth in tone.

“A lot of people have come to me and told me this is, to them, my best work to date,” Wooten said to al.com in relation to “Zeitgeist,” which released shortly after Sue’s dynamic single, “Magenta,” won her the National Public Radio (NPR) Tiny Desk Concert Contest earlier this year. Sue stood out from 7,000 entrees.

“What you’ll hear is a witty soul and a powerful singer backed by precise beats, melodic bass and electronics, all wrapped in humor and heart,” Bob Boilen of NPR, who was involved with judging the contest, said.

“I so loved her song and her performance of ‘Magenta’ that I invited DeQn Sue — along with her producer, Kelvin Wooten — to my desk to perform that song and more.”

The performance is free to view online, and includes the first track of her new EP “Snack” called “Bloody Monster,” which Evans describes as “a dynamic pop track with notes of everything from vaudeville to Motown, along with four other stunning tracks.”

It is worthy to note that theatrics bleed into her performances. Her gestures are big, and she projects her beautiful voice very well. Her performances have all the makings of a crowd pleaser, built on the foundation of bold, highenergy songs.

Sue will perform this Friday from 7:309:00 p.m. in the Eleanor Furst Roberts located in the Church Street Center. Tickets can be purchased at http://mcla.ticketleap.com/ deqn/. The concert honors Margaret A. Hart of the class of 1935, who was the first student of color to graduate from the college, and is held on a yearly basis. All proceeds from this concert benefit the Margaret A. Hart Scholarship fund.

performance at MASS MoCA website, the event was commissioned by the David Lynch Foundation, an organization that provides resources on transcendental meditation to children in order to heal psychological trauma and reduce stress.

Other audience members also expressed their confusion about the connection between the David Lynch Foundation and the event.

“I saw where the artists were going with their production, but to think that Lynch had anything to do with the show is inconceivable,” Brett Belcastro, ’17, said.

It’s unclear whether the members of A Place Both Wonderful and Strange were involved in editing the film. Additional scenes were added that were not featured in the film or television

show, including clips of lions and hyenas stalking prey.

Prior to the performance, there was a costume contest for those who had chosen to dress up as their favorite character (or object) from the Twin Peaks universe. Prizes were given to King Twin Peaks, Queen Twin Peaks, and to the Endangered Pine Weasel (for costumes that didn’t fit under traditional labels). These prizes were won by cosplayers dressed as Dr. Jacoby, Leo Johnson, and Nadine Hurley’s silent cotton ball drape runners, respectively.

Despite the enthusiasm of those in attendance, Keys Open Doors was not the revelatory multimedia experience Twin Peaks fans had been hoping for.

Few get to see the makings of a Broadway play if you aren’t involved in the process. Next Saturday, November 14th, MASS MoCA peels back the curtain with another installment of it Sundance Theater Lab. The event is supported by the Sundance Institute’s Theater Program, which “advances the work of risktaking theatre-makers by providing rare developmental opportunities that support artists throughout their careers,” according to their website. The Sundance Institute’s most recognizable work comes in the form of their yearly film festival, which has drawn crowds between 41,000 and 46,000 over the last five years, according to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Utah, the state in which the festival is held.

However, the Institute has branched out since its establishment in 1981, though remains to have a heavy focus on film, with their theater program being the only one that does not relate to that medium.

The Theater Lab at MASS MoCA is one of six events overseen by the Institute this year.

“Our Theater Lab draws on the strengths and generosity of the theater community to encourage risk-taking and to develop networks of support that will extend throughout each project’s journey to the stage,” Christopher Hibma, the producing director, told the New York Times. According to the Times, the program provides select playwrights with fellowships, which includes rehearsal space, an acting company, dramaturges and creative advisers to help them “hone their works.”

This year’s MASS MoCA lab will

kick off with Kirsten Childs’ “Buffalo Bella,” which explores the life of an African-American experience in the Old West, according to MoCA’s website. The plot revolves around Isabella (“Bella”) Patterson, who gets on a train to see her Buffalo-soldier partner (hence the name!), and encounters a lively, or as the website likes to call it, “colorful” cast of characters. Childs has won an Obie Award for “The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin,” a 2000 play about an African-American schoolgirl in the 1960s. She is also a former Broadway dancer.

Next up is Cory Hinkle, Victoria Stewart, Jeremy Wilhelm, and David Wilhelm’s “Clandestino,” which is about the largest immigration raid in U.S. history: the 2008 ICE raid of Agriprocessors, Inc., in which 389 immigrants were arrested, according to The Washington Post. The next day, half of the school system’s children, including 90 percent of Hispanics, were absent, the Post reports. The score is described as drawing on “Jewish traditions, Guatemalan folk music, and a few local news theme songs.”

Lastly is an untitled project led by composer-lyricist Adam Guettel and playwright Craig Lucas that “tells of a love affair between two average Americans, torpedoed by alcoholism.” The story is an adaptation of an as-yet unknown 1950’s play. Lucas has won Obies for both his direction (“Saved or Destroyed”) and his writing (“Prelude” and “Small Tragedy”) and has been nominated for a Tony twice.

Adam Guettel has won two Tony awards for his Broadway hit “The Light in the Piazza,” a tale about Italian romance, which Lucas had a hand in writing.

The event will take place next Saturday, at 8 p.m. in MoCA’s Club B-10, and costs $5 for students, $10 non students and $15 the day of.

“Razor sharp wit combined with her girl next door aesthetic make for a powerfully funny combination.” — Nerdist

Comedy ―

Beth Stelling

Saturday, November 7, 8pm CLUB B10 $10 STUDENTS | $14 ADVANCE | $20 DAY OF | $26 PREFERRED

TICKETS: massmoca.org or 413.662.2111 87 Marshall Street, North Adams, Mass.

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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Sports

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Volleyball set to host Gladu named baseball coach league championship

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

The volleyball team knocked off Bridgewater State at home on Saturday, defeating the Bears 3-0 and clinching the MASCAC regular season championship for the first time in conference history.

With the victory, MCLA improves to 22-9 on the season with a record of 5-1 in the MASCAC. The victory secured home-court advantage for the Trailblazers, who will host the championship rounds this Saturday.

“It feels amazing to be number one in conference, but we aren’t done yet. I’m so proud of how far this team has come,” senior Angelica Perfido said.

The Trailblazers opened up the game against Bridgewater State in a tight battle, before opening a lead late down the stretch to take the first set, 25-23.

MCLA then went on to take a marathon second set, downing the Bears 25-18 in a set that was marred by several long stops in play, due to rotation issues with Bridgewater State. MCLA finished off Bridgewater in the third set, taking the set and the match, 25-19.

The Trailblazers got a stellar performance from junior Allison Clark, who finished with 18 kills and 13 assists. Senior Courtney Parent had 22 assists and sophomore Brittney Pihl had 14 digs in the libero position.

Bridgewater State was led by Clara Goncalves, with 9 kills and Charleyne Panner who had a game high of 27 assists.

The game was also Senior Day for the Trailblazers, and Parent, Perfido, and student manager Morgan McCarthy were honored before the game. Parent talked about accomplishing one of their season goals, particularly as a se-

Photo by Kasey Conklin/The Beacon

Senior Angelica Perfido rises up for a kill attempt against Bridgewater State on Saturday. nior player.

“Accomplishing this goal is an indescribable feeling, we set this goal all the way back in August when we came to school for preseason, and there has been a lot of hard work from then until now, and having this be mine and Angelica’s senior year makes it a little more special,” Parent said.

The Trailblazers will host the most important tri-match of the season this weekend. MCLA will compete in the MASCAC Tour-

nament semi-final on Saturday at 11 a.m., where they will meet the winner of the quarter-final matchup between Bridgewater State and Salem State.

There will then be another semifinal match, between Framingham State and the winner of the Westfield State/Worcester State quarter-final. The winner of the two semi-final matchups will meet in the final, which is slated to begin at 3 p.m. in the Amsler Campus Center.

Women’s soccer season over Trailblazers beaten in first round of MASCAC Tournament

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

The women’s soccer team’s season came to an end Tuesday night under the lights at Bridgewater State, as the Bears topped the Trailblazers 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the MASCAC Tournament.

MCLA came into the game as the sixth seed in the tournament, while Bridgewater was the third and thus had home field advantage for the first round matchup.

With the win, Bridgewater advances to the semi-finals and will travel to Westfield State on Friday.

Bridgewater State started off the game quickly, scoring just 1:11 into the game. Kelsie Mitchell lofted a cross into the Trailblazer box that found Amanda Leite, who beat MCLA goalkeeper

Katy Daly for her second goal of the season to put the Bears up 1-0 early.

Bridgewater increased their lead in the 34th minute when Olivia Planty sent a long ball 35 yards downfield to Melissa Morton. Morton collected the pass and fired a shot into the left corner of the net to give Bridgewater a 2-0 lead.

Bridgewater took the 2-0 lead into halftime, but quickly tallied their third goal of the game early into the second half. In the 46th minute Leite dribbled down the sideline and sent a cross into the box. The ball found the head of Melissa Yowell, who headed the ball into the Trailblazer goal for her sixth score of the season. The early goal put Bridgewater State into a commanding 3-0 lead.

MCLA gained some ground

on the Bears in the 66th minute, when junior Kayla Lingel dribbled into the Bridgewater box and ripped a shot past Bridgewater State goalkeeper Lauren DeSousa for her second goal of the season.

Unfortunately, MCLA wasn’t able to mount much of an attack after the goal and Bridgewater cruised to the 3-1 victory.

MCLA finishes the season with a record of 3-13-1 overall, and will say goodbye to seniors Alexi Anderson, Jackie Dwyer, Paige Fairman and Darien Sullivan, who played their last games as Trailblazers on Tuesday. Dwyer led the team in scoring this season with 3 goals, while Sullivan had a goal and assist on the season. Fairman and Anderson were both valuable defenders who played in every game during their senior years.

MCLA Athletic Director Laura Mooney named Mike Gladu the new head baseball coach on Wednesday, Oct. 28.

Gladu takes over for Jeff Puleri, who stepped down after 13 years at the helm of the program to take a greater administrative role in the Athletic Department. Gladu has served as an assistant coach at Williams College for the last five years.

“We are excited to bring Coach Gladu on board to lead our Trailblazer baseball program. Mike is widely known and respected in the baseball community. His energy and enthusiasm mixed with his focus on player development will help elevate our program to the next level,” Mooney said in a press release.

“I’m very excited to be hired to lead the Trailblazers baseball program,” Gladu said. “I’m also very thankful to both the administration and A.D. Mooney and the whole athletic department for putting their confidence in me.

I’ve always wanted an opportunity to run my own program and my vision of where our program can go and the vision of the athletic dept. makes this a perfect fit to produce successful student athletes.”

Gladu is a native of Adams and was an All-Western Massachusetts selection his senior year as a pitcher at Hoosac Valley High School. He played at Division II American International College and spent three years in the Chicago Cubs organization, playing for the Wytheville Cubs in the Appalachian League.

Gladu is the manager of baseball operations at Cages at the Mill, and indoor baseball center in

North Adams. He has also managed the Berkshire Americans 18U travel baseball team for three seasons. Gladu stresses the importance of proper instruction at every level.

“Baseball, not only in Berkshire County but many areas in the Northeast, is at a crossroads at the instructional level,” he said. “Now more than ever, it’s vital to run successful programs. From Little League to the high school level, players need to learn the game and have a positive experience to keep them involved and engaged.

It’s my belief that coaches need to ‘wear many hats’ and not only teach the game, but also be role models and teach positive life lessons along the way.”

Gladu is familiar with many players in the MCLA program, working with nine current players on the roster at either the youth or high school level.

“I plan on continuing the strong bond in recruiting between Berkshire County and MCLA, and I also will explore all areas to find great student athletes to become a member of our MCLA family,” he said.

Gladu identified some early challenges of the job being getting to know all of the players and identifying the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Gladu is optimistic about the upcoming season and has his high goals for the Trailblazers.

“My goal is to bring a Division III National Championship to MCLA,” he said. “I don’t know when or if that will happen but I won’t stop trying. That’s my job.”

The baseball season will begin in March, when the team travels to Florida to compete in the RussMatt Invitational in Winter Haven, before coming back to New England .

Mike Galdu’s coaching resume: * Spent last five seasons as an assistant coach for Williams College. * Manager of the Berkshire Americans, and 18U travel baseball team. * Coached in North Adams at both the Babe Ruth (13-15 year olds) and high school levels. * Mananger of Baseball Operations at Cages at the Mill in North Adams. * Member of the Chicago Cubs’ organization as a minor league player for three seasons. * Played at Hoosac Valley High School in Adams.

Sports

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Fair Territory

NFL Power Rankings

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

After a week off, Fair Territory returns with my weekly rankings of the leagues’ top teams.

1. New England PatriotsAfter taking advantage of the short week to pummel an overmatched Miami team, New England owns the top point differential in the league at +116.

2. Cincinnati BengalsAndy Dalton shook off a bad interception late in the fourth quarter and connected with AJ Green for the game winning touchdown, earning a critical victory over Pittsburgh.

3. Denver BroncosDenver had by far their best performance of the season, outplaying Green Bay on both sides of the ball to hand the Packers their first loss of the season.

4. Green Bay PackersGreen Bay looked bad on the road at Denver, and Eddie Lacey appears to have gained 35 pounds since the start of the season, but Aaron Rodgers is unlikely to throw for only 77 yards again.

5. Carolina PanthersYou can only play the teams on your schedule, and Carolina has beaten all of them, no matter how unimpressive they seem to be. Carolina’s opponents this season have a record of 22-31 in 2015.

6. Arizona CardinalsArizona owns the second best point differential in the league at +116 and rallied from 17 down to crush Cleveland at home on Sunday. Carson Palmer is tied for the league lead with 20 touchdowns on the season, is fourth in passing yards and third in quarterback rating behind Tom Brady and Rodgers.

7. Seattle SeahawksSeattle has had an up-anddown season to say the least, bouncing all over the power rankings from week to week.

With that being said, the defense that was facing harsh criticism two weeks ago has given up a combined 15 points over the last two games, both victories on the road, albeit against toothless offenses in Dallas and the sinking 49ers.

8. Atlanta FalconsSome wind was taken out of the sails of Atlanta, as they blew a lead to the hapless Buccaneers, although this is still a team that could easily win 11 games and win their division.

9. Minnesota VikingsMinnesota has won three straight and thanks to the Packers losing on Sunday Night, Minnesota finds themselves just one game out of first place in the NFC North. Over the three game winning streak, rookie wideout Stefon Diggs is fourth in the NFL with 332 receiving yards over the three game winning streak.

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Men’s soccer eliminated from tournament by WSU Worcester State tops the Trailblazers in penalty kicks

12. New Orleans SaintsRob Ryan’s defense leaves a lot to be desired, but Drew Brees made sure that defense was not going to be a factor during Sunday’s wild home victory over the Giants, throwing for 511 yards and 7 touchdowns. Brees is completing 70 percent of his passes this season with 15 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions.

13. New York JetsThe Jets were beaten soundly by the Raiders, but still remain right in the hunt for a playoff spot. The injuries to both Ryan Fitzpatrick and Geno Smith during the game against Oakland could cause some issues inside an already fragile locker room.

14. Pittsburgh SteelersAs soon as the Steelers got quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back, they are dealt a brutal blow with star running back Le’Veon Bell getting put on the injured reserve with a torn MCL. Roethlisberger was also very mediocre in his return to the starting lineup, suggesting that he is also not 100 percent.

15. New York GiantsEli Manning and the Giants offense looked really strong on Sunday, scoring nearly 50 points against New Orleans. However, the makeshift New York defense seems to be a big problem and will likely hinder the team from advancing far in the playoffs.

Scores Men’s Soccer Saturday, Oct. 31 MCLA @ Framingham State 2-1, L OT Tuesday, Nov. 3 MCLA vs Worcester State 1-1, L, PK 6-5 Women’s Soccer Saturday, Oct. 31 MCLA vs Framingham State 2-1, L Tuesday, Nov. 3 MCLA @ Bridgewater State 3-1, L

10. Oakland RaidersIf the season were to end today, Oakland would be the fifth seed in the AFC. Oakland averages 5.9 yards per offensive play, the eighth best number in the league and are sixth in the league in average points scored per drive. 39 year old safety Charles Woodson leads the NFL with five interceptions this season.

11. St. Louis RamsRookie sensation Todd Gurley is almost single handily making the case to draft running backs in the first round. After rushing for 133 yards against San Francisco on Sunday, Gurley became the first rookie running back in NFL history to run for at least 125 yards in four straight games.

Gurley leads the league in rushing yards per game at 115 yards per game and in yards per carry with an average of 6.1.

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Volleyball Saturday, Oct. 31 MCLA vs Bridgewater State 3-0 W Cross Country Photo by Kasey Conklin/The Beacon

Senior midfielder Tyler Vona slides in and nearly puts in the winning goal for the Trailblazers, as Worcester State goalkeeper Jason Barrett swipes the shot away.

By Tyler Bacon Sports Writer

The MCLA Men’s Soccer team was eliminated from the MASCAC playoffs on Tuesday when Worcester State defeated them on penalty kicks. The game ended in a 1-1 tie, but after two halves and two overtimes the game needed penalty kicks to decide the winner.

Worcester State advanced by winning the PK’s 6-5. The penalty kicks went eight rounds when MCLA’s Tyler Callahan took the kick and hit the crossbar, giving Worcester State a chance to knock home the game winner. Worcester State’s Andre Ipojuca stepped to the line and calmly kicked it into the left corner of the goal, giving the Lancers the win.

After the second overtime, the two teams engaged in a shootout to see who would advance to the next round. The first Trailblazer to kick was Christopher Shea, who was denied by the Lancers goalkeeper. Worcester State struck first in the penalty kick stage when Eric Davis scored on his kick.

The Trailblazers evened the score when Anthony Basile took the second kick and found the back of the net. The tie didn’t last long as the Lancers scored on their second kick to put them back up one.

With MCLA trailing 2-1 in the shootout, Dylan Pereira stepped up to take his turn trying to tie the score once again. Worcester State keeper Jason Barrett made a huge save to keep the lead. The Lancers made it 3-1 on their next kick.

With elimination nearing, MCLA’s Jesse Moore converted on his kick to inch closer, making it 3-2. MCLA keeper Kamron Anderson came up huge with a big save keeping MCLA in the game.

Senior Ryan Baker converted on his kick to even the PK score

at 3-3. Anderson came up with another clutch save keeping the score tied.

Sean Kenney and Nolan Burke both scored on their kicks, but so did Worcester State, keeping it tied after seven rounds.

The eighth round saw Callahan step to take his kick. He ran up to the ball and kicked it just a little high, hitting the crossbar and away from the net. That is when the Lancers Ipojuca put home the game-winner past Anderson, and advanced Worcester State to the semi-final round.

In the first half, Worcester State scored first in the 11th minute for a quick 1-0 lead. The Trailblazers tied the score in the second half when Basile scored his 10th goal of the season.

Both teams had chances to take the lead in the second half and both overtimes but both goalkeeper’s were strong to keep the game tied.

The tough loss ends MCLA’s season and gives them a final record of 5-9-3. It was also the final game as a Trailblazer for seniors Kenney, Baker, Edgar Asamoah and Tyler Vona.

MCLA ended their regular season with a tough loss against Framingham State on Saturday afternoon. They lost 2-1 in overtime when Framingham State scored on a free kick in the 97th minute.

MCLA got on the board first when Edward Boateng sent a long lead pass to Basile for a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute.

Framingham State answered and tie the game in the 29th minute when Cory Cardeiro scored the first of his two goals. His second goal was the game-winner in overtime after an MCLA foul in the 97th minute.

Saturday, Oct. 31 MCLA @ MASCAC Champ.

Women: 7th Men: 6th

Schedules Saturday, Nov 7 Cross Country MCLA @ ECAC Championship Women Start: 11 a.m.

Men Start: Noon Volleyball MASCAC Semi-Finals MCLA vs TBA 11 a.m.

MASCAC Semi-Finals Framingham State vs TBA @ MCLA TBA MASCAC Final Semi-Final #1 Winner vs Semi-Final #2 Winner 4 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 13 Men’s Basketball MCLA @ Southern Vermont 7 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 14 Cross Country MCLA @ New England Champ.

Women Start: 11 a.m.

Men Start: Noon Women’s Basketball MCLA vs RPI @ Smith College 4 p.m.

10

Opinion

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

The Beacon

“What is your opinion of Yik Yak?”

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

“I think it’s a cool way to meet people who have similar interests as you, but I think it’s being used in the wrong way because of negative comments and such.”

-Emily Young, 2018

“Like all social media, it has its positive and negatives. Use it to get information about your area.

Do not use it to bully people.”

-Michael Rooney, 2017

“It doesn’t matter to me and I don’t see how it’s an essential application.

It just takes up space on my phone.”

-Rachel Newkirk, 2016

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.

“I have no experience with the app. However, it seems to be an interesting and humorous attempt at an anonymous twitter.”

-Matt Clark, 2016

“It’s pretty stupid since people only ever complain or post about wanting sex.”

-Kaitlyn Russel , 2016

Photos compiled by Agnella Gross

Editorial

Yik Yak users should be aware of virtual footprints, consciences A new social media bulletin example), when the internet is board, also known as Yik Yak, down, and sometimes general provides students on campus with positive comments. This variety a source of news, entertainment, of subjects can be talked about and an outlet to vent or complain. on any social media site, except The app allows users to make if someone has a problem with anonymous posts that can be seen what’s being said, Yik Yak makes by anyone in a certain physical it so that a post cannot be traced location. The anonymity seems back to the source. to be the most attractive aspect Currently the College does of the app, along with the ability not regulate this platform, as it to up- or down-vote a post. The has yet to be reported as a threat app doesn’t allow pictures to students. One might of people’s faces to be think Yik Yak is good and posted, nor actual names; bad. When you download however, users get around the app, you’re asking to that by subtly including see the things that will be letters of a person’s name. posted there. If ‘orange Some may think that the thetigernews.com pumpkin’ disagrees internet is a place with no with ‘green lantern's’ rules; however, it's up to the user post, they might down vote, or to police their virtual behavior. delete the app altogether. For Sometimes students forget that whatever reason the tool is used they leave a mark on their own on this campus, users should be record when posting harmful safe and think before posting things online. Even though Yik detrimental subjects on it. If there Yak is anonymous, who’s to say are harmful posts, please bring it they don’t change that down the to the attention of Public Safety line and release names? It’s bad or utilize the Wellness Center enough you could be tracked by in situations where someone’s your location, as that is the basis mental or physical well-being is at for congregating posts on the app. risk. It’s not about regulating the On this campus, posts consist app, but regulating the intentions of telling people to get their of the app’s users. laundry out of a community As a student and a citizen laundry room, looking for with common sense, try to think hook-ups, breaking news (if about the ramifications of posting someone sees an ambulance harmful or rude words about outside the townhouses for another person.

“I don’t get the point of it and don’t see how it’s funny.”

-Kayla Quinn, 2016

Health & Fitness

Bigger than biceps

Skipping out on the healthy lifestyle

By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor in Chief

A lifestyle is a regular routine that fits the needs of a person’s life. This is opposed to a diet, in which a temporary set of food restricts daily eating habits. Well, this past week I took a break from my lifestyle of clean eating and working out daily. Typically I try to work out five to six days a week, so not going at all gives me anxiety some days.

I felt fine at the end of it all; lazy but fine. Sometimes it’s okay to take a break, for whatever reason, and it was hard to convince myself to do so at first. Late night Village Pizza and wings and Ben and Jerry’s rarely enter my lifestyle choices, so “halloweekened” got the best of me.

After turning 21, I decided to beat the fall cold by taking this much needed break. It was bound to happen after four days of celebrating. I looked at it as

an experiment, physically and mentally. I did work out one day, and it was a sick struggle, meaning I thought my lung was going to fall onto the treadmill next to me.

While being committed to fitness and clean eating, one has to be in control of their lifestyle and just so, one has to be in control when deciding to take a break from that routine.

When you’re sick, the last thing you should be doing is pushing through a workout. You’re only going to be more drained for the rest of the day and take longer to repair your immune system.

Even though my diet took a toll, I had more time to bang out homework assignments.

Sometimes having the gym as a hobby means time management and negotiating responsibilities.

The fit community might say #noexcuses, but I’m not hitting the gym after a full day of classes and homework if my bed is calling my name. If that happens, I just supplement a missed workout with an exceptional diet for that day and gear up for an intense workout the next day. On the other hand, I have squeezed in 45 minutes of cardio after a night class before, and it hindered the time it took to get to sleep.

Listen to your body when it’s time to rest, as well as when it’s time to kick behind. Don’t ignore your eating patterns and stop digging into your roommates’ meals. Meal prepping is the most important part when avoiding failure while eating clean. Take a week off when necessary, and check in with your body, the only body you have.

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 Co-Editors in Chief Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Nicholas Swanson Co-Web Editors Jake Mendel Matt Aceto

Sports Editor Jesse Collings A&E Editor Mitchell Chapman

Senior News Editor Idalis Foster Features Editor Gionna Nourse Buisness Manager Sam Stuhler

Copy Chief Brittany Gallacher Photography Editor Agnella Gross Managing Editor Harmony Birch

Staff Staff Writers

Photographers and Videographers

Jarred Clapp Chris Riemer Torin Gannon Joseph Carew Matt Hotaling Tyler Bacon Nick Tardive

Isabel McKenzie Tiearra Henson Elizabeth Quirk Jay Tocco

Cartoonist

Caitlin O’Neill*

Copy Editors

Advisers

Caitlin O’Neill* Paige Vincent Lauren Levite Veronica Colacurcio

Jenifer Augur Gillian Jones Shawn McIntosh

*Holds more than one position

Online at: Beacon.MCLA.edu Facebook.com/MCLABeacon Twitter.com/TheBeacon_MCLA

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Check it Out!

Upcoming events on campus

Thursday, Nov. 5 Student Faculty Basketball Game Venable Gym 6-8 p.m.

Biology Club Movie Night Sullivan Lounge 6-8 p.m.

Friday, Nov.6 MCLA Presents! DeQn Sue Church Street Center Auditorium 7:30-9 p.m.

Saturday, Nov. 7

Announcements, Events, & Opinion YIK YAK continued from page 1 article. One particular incident occurred at the University of Mary Washington where female students were threatened with rape, murder, and other abuse.

The article goes on to say that Yik Yak isn’t the problem on campus, but that the students treat the experience like they would while still in high school. The writer, Rebecca Schuman, proposes a justification to college behavior.

“College is stressing students out so much, they blow off steam by acting like monsters, or—more likely—a large number of students have no business being in college at all.”

“In the past, cyber bullying has not been an issue on this campus,” Holbrook said. “Think before you post, and if you don’t want something bad said about you on Yik Yak, then don’t post something bad about someone else; it’s the golden rule.

Students need to understand more about their digital footprint because 92 percent of employees look deep Photo/screenshot from Yik Yak at MCLA into social media.”

Students post whatever they want on Yik Yak while others up or down vote it.

MAEA Fall Conference Lobby of MASS MoCA 8 a.m.

Yorick Banquet and Auction of Services Church Street Center Social Hall 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

MAEA Fall Conference Bowman 8:30 a.m.

College Sex Ed Workshop Murdock Room 218 7-8:30 p.m.

Intramural Pick Up Volleyball Venable Gym 6-8 p.m.

Student Meeting with President Candidate Sullivan Lounge 1-2 p.m.

Admissions Open House Campus Center Gym CAC Movie Night Wednesday November 11 3:30-6:00PM Sullivan Lounge

12:00 - 2:00 pm A bailar con Tangie (Early afternoons with Tangies) with Tangie Mendez 2:00 - 4:00 pm On Air with Devin with Chris Riemer 4:00 - 6:00 pm The Squirrel with Alison Gilbert 6:00 - 8:00 pm Current with Tim Williams 8:00 - 10:00 pm The Bucket with Becky and Courtney

11:00 am - 12:00 pm Music Variety 12:00 - 1:00 pm Hazards of Love with Kathleen Sansone 1:00 - 3:00 pm The Squirrel with Alison Gilbert 3:00 -5:00 pm On Air with Devin with Chris Riemer 5:00 - 7:00 pm Unitarian Radio with Alex HicksCourant 7:00 - 9:00 pm MCLA Pregame with Tim Williams and Erika Flannery 9:00 pm - 12:00 am Metal Heart with Micky Saturday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm FolKenS.uch with Ken Swiatek 12:00 - 2:00 pm Metal Heart 2.0 with Micky

Email your press release and information on Office 365 to beacon@mcla.edu

Tuesday, Nov. 10

Wednesday, Nov. 11

10:00 am - 12:00 pm The Gas Station with Matt Acetto

11

Dr. Scott Furlong will be on campus today from 1p.m.-2p.m. in Sullivan Lounge to meet students and at an open meeting in Murdock 218 from 2:30p.m.-3:30p.m.

Monday, Nov. 9

Greatest Speech of All Time Performance Murdock Room 218 7:30-9 p.m.

WJJW

Thursday 8:00 am - 10:00 am Composts in Training with Nick Tardive

10:00 pm - 12:00 am On Air With Devin with Chris Riemer Friday 8:00 - 11:00 am Bumpin’ with Britt with Brittany Whitford

Daylight Ravings

Sunday Nov. 8

Open meeting with resident Candidate Murdock Room 218 2:30p.m.-3:30p.m.

Beacon.MCLA.edu

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENTS AVOID A HOLD ON YOUR SPRING REGISTRATION!!

CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE AND STUDENT ACCOUNTS TO MAKE SURE YOUR PAPERWORK IS COMPLETE. ***************** CHECK OUT THE WEEKLY SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY IN THE ‘STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS’ IN YOUR COLLEGE EMAIL!!

12

Photo Essay

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

“Greased Lightning” from “Grease” ends Act 1 of the revue.

Harlequin MusicalRevue Photos by Isabel McKenzie

“Legally Blonde’s” “Gay or European” opens Act II, including Cory Flood ‘16 and Alex Sasso ‘18.

The fairy tale creatures of “Freak Flag” from “Shrek” come together to accept and love the things that make them different from each other.

Salesmen Kiley Clancy ‘18 and Ben Hoyt ‘16, fight about the best way to sell products in “Rock Island” from “The Music Man.”

Claire Harrison ‘18 as Sweet the Demon in “Walk Through the Fire” from the musical episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”