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Volume 81 ◆ Issue 9
Th u r s d ay, N o v e m b e r 1 2 , 2 0 1 5
Dating app still popular despite complications since release
Winter Blitz with Williams
By Joseph Carew Staff Writer
At last week’s Web Summit in Dublin, Ireland, Tinder’s CEO Sean Rad announced an upcoming change to its algorithm that is set to boost connections for users by 30 percent. Tinder, the mobile dating and social interaction app, is a platform that allows its users to view people in their area and either swipe left (not interested) or swipe right (interested) to potentially match with other interested parties. What follows a match is up to the users, as Tinder merely facilitates conversations between people. “We just conducted a survey of over 300,000 of our users. What we found was over 80 percent of people on Tinder are there to find a long-term relationship,” Rad said at the Web Summit conference in Photo by Isabel McKenzie/The Beacon Dublin, according to theguardian.com. The upcoming announcement of this MCLA and Williams students volunteered at the Winter Blitz Saturday winterizing change came after Tinder had reached homes and implementing techniques to preserve heat this upcoming frigid season.
over 190 countries, been translated into 30 languages, and reached nine billion matches since its inception, according to its website, gotinder.com. Conversely, Tinder has been plagued with a deceptive form of advertising in the use of fake profiles. In 2013, Tinder was host to a large number of bots that were pushing matched users to download another app known as Castle Crush. The massive app has worked with mobile identity solution partner Telesign to silence these criticisms and has since seen a decrease in complaints. “Tinder has succeeded in bringing down the level of bots masquerading as attractive users, and has decreased the level of spam afflicting the social app by 90 percent,” according to a March 2015 article by International Business Times. Recently added to this application was the super like button. This feature allows users to inform potential matches of their interest directly. The company claims that super like TINDER continued on page 4
Furlong: Every college campus can be improved First presidential candidate Scott Furlong sees potential for the growth of the College
By Nick Swanson Co-Editor-in-Chief
Scott R. Furlong told the MCLA community what ideas and principals he would institute if chosen to be the next president of the College. He said the campus could be larger and equipped with more faculty members. “I think every campus can improve,” Furlong said. “Right now you have about 90 faculty [members] and full time staff. That’s not a lot of faculty. If you want to develop new programs on campus, you need a little bit of flexibility within the faculty to do that.”
He suggested that more full-time faculty members would increase the availability of professors, and they could use that extra time for students. Furlong is the first of five MCLA presidential search finalists scheduled to visit campus this month. He is currently dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of WisconsinGreen Bay. Furlong received a Bachelor of Arts degree in government from St. Lawrence University, and his Masters of Public Administration and Ph.D. in Political Science from American University. He said three things he is most proud of
during his time as dean includes finding a more coherent First Year Experience Program, the improvement of the First Year Seminar Program on campus, and his efforts to increase student retention. “I consider myself very good at building relations and using my interests and willingness to understand where a person is coming from. [This is] a way of trying to help their decision making and to show the right direction for decision making in the future,” Furlong said. According to the Furlong’s MCLA Presidential Search biography, the general education, First Year Seminar Program, and primary adult degree major are
governed by him as the dean. He has also co-authored two books, “Public Policy: Politics, Analysis, and Alternatives,” and “Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law and Make Policy.” “How do we encourage students to get involved and stay involved on campus?” Senior Kelsey McGonigle asked. “It’s the job of all students to share what programs and activities your clubs or organizations are participating in,” Furlong answered. “All must play a role in selling involvement and selling engagement because it’s a small community and it’s a small school.”
Army vet reflects on time in service Student plans hands-on art festival Joseph Melillo owes military to maturity and education for spring at Windsor Lake Park By Nick Tardive Features Writer
There’s a myriad of reasons for one to sign up for military service; not many are willing to say it’s because they weren’t doing much else with their life at the time, but Joseph Melillo is one of them. With a year gone by since he had graduated high school in 2006, Melillo realized that he wasn’t doing anything and, with a war going on in Iraq at the time, decided to sign up, but not before doing some research of course. He made sure to know exactly what he was getting into at that point in time before finally pulling the trigger and signing up as an infantryman
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in the Army. In his three years of service, Melillo trained at Fort Benning, Georgia, was stationed in Bombholder, Germany (which led to his adventuring across a good deal of Europe, from France, to Belgium, to the Czech Republic and the Netherlands, etc.), and was deployed for a short period of time in Sader City, Iraq. When asked which place he liked most, Melillo didn’t even have to think about his answer. “Definitely Europe,” he said easily, “I got to play with some fun guns and vehicles, and I really just got to travel a lot, experience some cool places.” MELILLO continued on page 5
News
By Torin Gannon Staff Writer
Students and city officials have teamed up to bring an exciting new event to Windsor Lake Park this spring, which promises to deliver a participatory art experience. Participatory art directly involves the audience in one or more stages of the artwork, making them an active part of the creative process and exhibition. FIGMENT is an international art event, celebrating this art form. Senior arts management student Krystal Henriquez has been hard at work with the Windsor Lake Recreation Commission to
Arts & Entertainment
Sports
Andrew Vadnais questions the changing world
Peanuts Movie satisfies Charlie Brown expectations
Volleyball falls in the MASCAC championship
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bring a FIGMENT event here this spring. Henriquez originally got involved with FIGMENT through an internship, but even before then she wanted to bring it to North Adams. “It’s awesome. We need this kind of stuff here,” Henriquez said. The event has been approved and will be held at Windsor Lake Park on April 30, with a rain date of May 1. Henriquez started the process of bringing FIGMENT here through her Grants and Fundraising class. From there, she got in touch with the executive producer of the event, who proposed she take an internship. FIGMENT continued on page 4
News Features Arts & Entertainment Sports Campus Comment Local Events Photo Essay
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Campus News
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Check it Out!
Upcoming events on campus
Thursday, Nov. 12 Christmas Ornament Sale Marketplace 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. Public Policy Lecture: Ray Kurzweil Church Street Center 7 - 8 p.m. Take a Swing at Stress Venable Gym 6 - 8 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13 Women’s Basketball Fundraiser Venable Gym 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
SGA president appoints new parliamentarian senator at large.
By Harmony Birch Managing Editor
A new parliamentarian was appointed by President Alexandra Kadell last Monday at the SGA meeting. Tyler Spencer will take up the position after Rachel Durgin’s resignation. “I’m here to represent you guys and try to get more clubs and constitutions passed,” Spencer said. Senate Secretary, Jamie Burdick, will be “relinquishing” the position effective Nov. 16 because she feels as though her time would be better served as a
Sundance Institute Theater Lab MASS MoCA 8 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 15 Open Swim Campus Center Pool 6 - 9 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 16 Sociology Society Bake Sale Marketplace 12 - 3 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 17 Presidential Candidate: James Birge Meeting with students Sullivan Lounge 1 - 2 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Levitt AMP Terry Miller, the director of corporate and foundation relations, came to speak to the senate about an initiative the college has opted to partake in. The Levitt AMP [your city] grant fund would provide ten free concerts to the city of North Adams. The grant is awarded to 15 participants that are chosen out of 25 grants voted on by the public. There are 40 grant proposals, and the North Adams proposal is currently in fifth place. The grant is in partnership with the City, MASS MoCA, Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, Northern Berkshire Community Collation, and the North Adams Chamber of Commerce. Miller says their main focus right now is broadcasting it. “We really have to make use of every voice,” she said. She told SGA they could sign up to vote at LevittAMP.org,
emphasizing that in order to vote, one must confirm their email address. Checking registration date Jun ior Colby Harvish claims that he’s seen a document that exists for administration and faculty, which shows registration dates based off of students’ credits and their participation as honors student or athletes. Harvish requested that SGA look into making this document open to the public. “Mistakes happen,” Harvish said, adding that he himself is often confused about his registration date because he is an honors student. Theoretically, he should be registering a day ahead of the rest of his class, but this isn’t always the case. Kadell said, though someone may not be an athlete or honors student, they can still receive early registration for special circumstances like learning
disabilities, and those factors might sway registration. Senator McCarthy was also in favor of a public document, believing it would allow her more time to plan for registration. “If I have lots of transfer credits, I want to make sure my registration date matches my schedule,” Harvish said. “I don’t see any cons to having it out there.” Kadell agreed to ask the registrar’s office about the document and that if it was not public, SGA would look in to taking action. Leadership Conference Advisor Jennifer Craig announced that she is directing a leadership conference with Student Affairs. All students are welcome to propose leadership workshop ideas and to participate in the conference. Email Craig for more information.
Commentary
Yik Yak lets racist cowards hide at Mizzou By Jake Mendel Web Editor
Saturday, Nov. 14
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Last week The Beacon wrote an article and editorial about the impacts the app Yik Yak is causing across college campuses nationally. Sadly, the article could not have been written at a better time, considering recent events. At the University of Missouri Tuesday night there were Yaks being sent out that said “I am going to kill every black person I see.” The Yak led to an evacuation of the university’s culture center where the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus was meeting with students, according to the Columbia Daily Tribune. Nineteen-year-old Hunter Park was arrested early Wednesday on charges of making a “terrorist threat” to the campus, stemmed from weeks of racial tension, according to USA Today. At Mizzou, there are about 35,000 students. It is not known how many people were involved in threatening students, but If only one percent of this
school thought the yak was a good idea, a large mob of 350 people will be formed; to put it in perspective of how many people can view what is posted on the app. If you go on twitter, you can find the tweets of how terrified these people were. How can people think that Yik Yak is a good idea for anyone? To make matters even worse, Dr. Dale Brigham, a professor at the college, sent an email to his students saying if they don’t feel safe, they shouldn’t come to class. However, he would be there giving an exam in class and said that “If you give into bullies, they win. The only way bullies are defeated is by standing up to them…I know which side I am on. You make your own choice.” Reading the various yaks blew me away. People go on this app every single day and I never see anything positive. At MCLA, Yik Yak consists of a bunch of sexually frustrated 16-year-olds, kids complaining about college, and kids complaining about kids in college. That is the most you are
Screenshot from The Washington Post
going to get when the community who looks at it is roughly 2,000 people. In last week’s article, it was mentioned how there is the potential of good coming of the app, but in reality there is no potential. People can post whatever they want without attaching their name. One person can install fear into an entire campus by pushing a send button. With that much power at your
fingertips, there is no good side to this app. Even though the college stated that there is no real threat anymore, none of it should have happened to begin with. This isn’t bulling, this is threatening someone’s life. People change when they have the power to hide behind an anonymous wall on the internet; it is time to take that away.
Weekend Weather Thursday, November 12
Friday, November 13
Saturday, November 14
Sunday, November 15
Rain High: 54° Low: 43° Precip. Chance: 80%
Scattered Showers High: 50° Low: 33° Precip. Chance: 60%
Partly Cloudy High: 43° Low: 29° Precip. Chance: 10%
Sunny High: 50° Low: 33° Precip. Chance: 10%
FPA’s Theater Program: Romeo and Juliet Venable Hall 8 - 10:30 p.m.
Campus Police Logs have been moved to Page 11
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Campus News
Vadnais offers skills needed to succeed in a changing world By Harmony Birch Managing Editor
What will happen when cheap, available energy runs out? Can democracy exist amidst scarcity? Can human problems be solved with logic? Those were questions Larry Vadnais posed with his students while working at North Adams State College. These are also questions his son, Andrew Vadnais, frequents today with his students at South Kent high school. The questions are part of an innovative teaching model that teaches students how to live in an unpredictable environment. The Lawrence and Elizabeth Vadnais lecture series was held last Wednesday at 8 p.m. in Murdock 218. The lecture series was started by alumni who wanted to honor Lawrence Vadnais, a sociology professor at the College, and his wife Betty. Past lectures have included Noble Prize winner Dean Cycon, founder of Dean’s Beans, and Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Kolbert, a writer and journalist who teaches at Williams College. Andrew Vadnais spoke about his implementation of the Center of Innovation at South Kent. When Larry Vadnais taught at the college, he and his wife implemented a program called the Center for Resourceful Living. The program taught students activities like making jam, farming, or milking cows, and pulled advice and teachings from real farmers. Andrew Vadnais took
inspiration from his parents when crafting his own curriculum, which is based off of three idea portals: sustainable earth, sustainable design and sustainable community. Sustainable earth teaches that every human is related and sacredly connected to the earth through specialized programming. Sustainable design is about creating new and innovative resource-saving designs. Sustainable community provides more context for the first two spheres, and draws students back to how sustainability impacts the world. He believes these ideas are part of a chain of energy vibrations. “Everything is energy vibrations,” Andrew Vadnais said. “Once you send out a thought, that thought goes out there, and that thought-energy frequency attracts similar frequency and pulls it together.” The energy vibration’s he’s caught were started by his parents. “What they did,” he said pointing to his parents who sat in the front row, “40 to 50 years ago was create that vibration pattern.” He noted that many of the audience members had participated in the Center for Resourceful Living, but that he had lived it. “I’m taking the vibration pattern from my parents and I’m stepping up the rampage,” he said. Chris Vadnais, the other Vadnais son, introduced his brother and highlighted the similarities between his brother’s curriculum and his father’s. “I believe that my brother is
building on what my father was trying to do, but that he’s offering education in a different manner, and I think it resonates with students,” Chris Vadnais said. Both the curriculums are unique because they focus on actions and encouraging the younger generation to take accountability for sustainable living. According to Chris, they both recognized that “something is missing from the education system.” South Kent is an all-boys boarding school with 180 students from 22 different countries. Students take their regular classes until the afternoon, where they switch over to the Center for Innovation. “We expose these guys to every single thing we can think of...in our curriculum,” Andrew Vadnais said. The curriculum is supported not only by the Center for Innovation, but also by a philosophy called the hero path that states every student and every staff has this unique path, and that they must journey inward to discover their own meanings in life. “We have to challenge them on a metaphysical level,” Vadnais said. “True education is a metaphysical endeavor.” To be successful in the world, the next generation must be able to read critically, speak persuasively, and understand competing frames of reference. “These curriculums that keep turning out the same old stuff as if the world hasn’t changed—those kids are getting set up for failure,” he added.
Cupery favors critical thinking style discussions Assistant prof. brings personal experiences to lesson plans By Idalis Foster
Senior News Editor David Cupery, assistant professor of political science and public policy, is the newest addition to the history department and brings a focus to Latin America, which he has personal experience with. Cupery spent time in Ecuador where he was a Rotary Ambas-
Photo by Isabel McKenzie/The Beacon
David Cupery, assistant professor of political science and public policy feels welcomed by the College’s small community.
sadorial Scholar for two years and spent four months as an undergraduate in Mexico through study abroad. These experiences have had a great impact on his career and the focus of his research. “I’d like to get involved by finding opportunities for students to have international experience [studying] abroad,” Cupery said. “If possible I would like to get in contact with the Berkshire Immigration Center to have students working with refugees from other countries and perhaps do service learning through a travel course or in the community.” Cupery came to MCLA from the University of Colorado-Boulder where he was a graduate instructor and teaching assistant. He also earned his Ph.D. from the same university and spent his undergraduate career at Centre College in Danville, KY, a liberal arts college with a similar size and mission. “I went to a liberal arts college as an undergrad and wanted to go on to become a professor because of my experience,” Cupery said. “The research I did through that education, the career advice I received, and the study abroad opportunities [offered] were very
unique to liberal arts.” Since his arrival on campus, Cupery has felt welcomed and found the campus to be enjoyable. He mentioned that when transitioning to new places, it can be hard if the community makes you feel like an outsider, which wasn’t the case when he came to MCLA. “It’s a big switch from Colorado to here, and things are different culturally, but the campus community is very welcoming,” Cupery said. “I’ve only been here a few months, but it already feels a lot longer because the sense of community on campus is great.” In terms of his teaching style, Cupery tends to lean toward discussion to get students to learn from one another. He guides them through topics with debates and group activities. He stressed that people want to learn, but they need to know there are several answers to a question, which can come through both lectures and healthy discussion. “One of my goals is to get students to think critically,” Cupery said. “In one course, two teams of students are making competing arguments for debates while the rest of the class listens to both sides. It’s all about getting them to
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V.P. of Admin. & Finance eager to make connections with students By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor-in-Chief
After holding economic and business management positions at various private and public sectors in the commonwealth, Lawrence Behan, the new vice president of Administration and Finance, feels at home in the Berkshires with his passion for the outdoors. “I think my skills will translate well here,” he said. “I’ve had similar responsibilities in all of my positions.” Behan grew up in Arlington, Mass., and has had a second home in Wilmington, Vt. for years. He said this new opportunity made relocating and retiring down the road a lot easier for him and his wife. “I have a liberal arts background, and since my last job, I’ve wanted to get back into higher education,” he said. “With that education you’re able to think creatively [and] reflexively, and problem solve. That’s why I chose that discipline. I eventually pursued business school, but it was really my liberal arts education that set the foundation.” Behan has a Bachelor of Science in economics from Northeastern University and a Master of business administration from Suffolk University. Within the next year, Behan plans to focus on the budget and make connections with all aspects of the campus community. “In a year, if I’ve made all the solid connections I need to and if I was a good listener, then I can say I was successful,” he said. In order to continue the advancement of the College, Behan plans to share MCLA’s story to further its mission and gain funds for additional improvements. “I recognize the funding challenges, but I hope to leverage my relationships on Beacon Hill and use my knowledge to continue the growth of this institution,” he said. “I will be a zealous advocate for the needs of the College and tell its story and why we need to continue to invest in it. The College has a very unique public arts mission.” During Behan’s first days at the College, he met Mayor Richard Alcombright to get a sense of the relationship between MCLA and North Adams. He said MASS question what they may consider to be true.” This semester Cupery is teaching multiple courses, including an upper level course titled Latin American Politics, and two introductory level courses, International Relations and Comparative Government. Next semester he will be teaching a course called Politics of Conflict, which focuses on different conflicts in areas such as terrorism and the civil war. It will also delve into impoverished countries and why they have issues with economic and political development.
Photo from the MCLA website
New vice president of administration and finance, Lawrence Behan, is no stranger the Berkshire landscape, and business and economics. MoCA fits in with the College’s mission of arts. He plans to work to strengthen the bond with the city. “I want to build on those synergies and get the message out,” he said. “We need to figure out how to get the traffic redirected from MASS MoCA toward campus, and link the College to the region.” On Behan’s commute, he admires seeing the sun come up behind something higher, the mountains, and driving through the early fog. Coming from the West, the outdoorsman originally majored in forestry in Oregon and worked at national parks. Later he decided that he didn’t want his favorite recreation to become a job. “I’m a major skiing enthusiast, but I couldn’t imagine myself working on the slopes. It’s something I look forward to with the other fathers who we’ve vacationed with at Mount Snow for years,” he said. For over 20 years Behan’s experience involved executive level administration, finance, information technology, and operational expertise. Previously, he was the vice president of Administration & Finance/ Chief Finance Officer at Walden Behavioral Care, the largest provider of services for the treatment of eating disorders in New England. Additionally, Behan served in two separate administrations as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Financial Officer at the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH).
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Campus News
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The STAGE is set for safe sex on campus By Idalis Foster
Senior News Editor Anal sex, erogenous zones, and open communication about sex are just a few of the topics covered in Students Taking Action for Gender Equality’s (S.T.A.G.E.) College Sex Ed Workshop in Murdock 218 at 7 p.m. Sunday. Janice Lloyd and Kelly Arbor work for Rocket Erotic and have done countless educational workshops about safe sex and the pleasures of it, as opposed to the high school curriculum’s reproduction centric teaching of sex. They gave an hour long session during which students were able to ask questions about sexual terms, specific sex toys, and consent, followed by a pop up store for students to buy toys and erotic books. Photo by Agnella Gross/The Beacon Arbor met senior Hannah Presenters Janice Lloyd and Kelly Arbor of pop-up shop Rocket Erotic answer questions about Bearup, president of S.T.A.G.E., sex and offer products including soy candles , vibrators, and other sex toys. at the Translating Identities Conference last fall, and from been very interested in the the workshop to campus through the pop-up shop, along with the there planned on having a personal connection of educating S.T.A.G.E., being that it is very educational workshop, allowed workshop on campus for MCLA students on both basic and more gender-friendly and challenges her to teach about sex while still students. advanced levels. the norms of sex. making money through selling “[Kelly] did a really great “We try to cover a little bit “Their workshops are 100 products. workshop there, so I spoke to of the bigger topic ranges, like percent inclusive, regardless of “I felt like this was a great way him afterwards about potentially anal and strap-ons, because what’s in your pants,” Bearup said. for people to have that interaction coming to MCLA in the spring,” there’s not always info on that “Prior to going to one of their between the toy and the education Bearup said. “Unfortunately, it stuff at workshops,” Arbor said. workshops, I never knew that you that comes with that,” Lloyd said. didn’t work out, but Jan sent me “Sometimes other workshops could look at sex that way. I always “I realized that there are places, an email over the summer about have a very heterosexual slant, so thought your anatomy played a especially in rural areas, that Rocket Erotic touring colleges to we try to cover as many genders very significant role, but in reality don’t have shops, and rather than do workshops, so I jumped at the and identities as we can...it’s a little it’s a lot more flexible than that.” having a shop in one place, why opportunity to finally bring them bit of everything.” Lloyd had started the pop-up not just move around and bring to campus.” Bearup was drawn to this shop with the intention of creating the shop to places that don’t have Lloyd and Arbor have both aspect when deciding to bring a permanent store, but found that it?” TINDER continued from page 1 conversations tend to last longer than simply right swiped matches. Controversy has surrounded the app since its rise to popularity. Anti-Tinder movements have recently reached national attention. The Neqtr app, selfdescribed as the anti-Tinder, claims that it is “dedicated to building a sociallyconscious community,” according to its website breakupwithtinder.com. Most common among complaints by anti-Tinder sites is the presence of aggressive and crude messages from other users. Webcam focused sites also create fake profiles and bots that will automatically match with users. In a statement released to TechCrunch, a technology news publisher, a Tinder report reads in response to the castle clash complaints: “We are aware of the accounts in question and are taking the necessary steps to remove them. Ensuring an authentic ecosystem has always been and will continue to be our top priority.” Tinder found its origins in Sean Rad, Jonathan Badeen, Justin Mateen, Joe Munoz, Whitney Wolfe, Dinesh
Moorjani, and Chris Gylczynski in late 2012. The next year, the app won TechCrunch’s Crunchie Award for “Best New Startup”. conversations tend to last longer than simply right swiped matches. Controversy has surrounded the app since its rise to popularity. AntiTinder movements have recently reached national attention. The Neqtr app, selfdescribed as the antitinder, claims that it is “dedicated to building a sociallyconscious community,” according to its website breakupwithtinder.com. Most common among complaints by anti-Tinder sites is the presence of aggressive and crude messages from other users. Webcam focused sites also create fake profiles and bots that will automatically match with users. In a statement released to TechCrunch, a technology news publisher, a Tinder report reads in response to the castle clash complaints, “We are aware of the accounts in question and are taking the necessary steps to remove them. Ensuring an authentic ecosystem has always been and will continue to be our top priority.” Tinder finds its origins in Sean Rad, Jonathan Badeen, Justin Mateen, Joe Munoz, Whitney Wolfe, Dinesh Moorjani, and Chris Gylczynski in late 2012. The next year the app won Te c h C r u n c h’s Crunchie Award for “Best New Startup”.
Photo from knowyourmobile.com
Over the summer she shadowed t h e producer of FIGMENT Boston as a production assistant, an experience she describes as “really gratifying.” Henriquez is building a team so the FIGMENT event can happen. The team hosts members from MASS MoCA, as well as many student volunteers, and she’s still hoping more people will help out. They will soon send open invitations to all artists to submit their artwork or project. “This is a really good opportunity for arts management majors to take their interests and their passions and put it into a real-life perspective, and to work on something that’s really happening,” Henriquez said. “It also gives artists a chance to put their artwork out there and experiment with their [projects].” Volunteer Chris Handschuh came aboard the project after noticing a desire in the community to have some form of participatory art. He felt like FIGMENT would serve this need. “I like that [FIGMENT] is so different…. This takes a community; it takes people coming together, wanting to be part of this core team, because it’s specific to where it’s being held,” Handschuh said. Henriquez and company have been working with the city to make this event happen. According to Henriquez, the Windsor Lake Commissions is very excited to see the influx of people to the area, and all hope to see these crowds bring their business to the rest of North Adams. “The city has been very positive toward it, and I think we’re all in a mutual agreement that it’s [going to] be really good for this area,” Henriquez said. City events coordinator Suzy Helme shares their enthusiasm. She notes how happy she is FIGMENT continued from page 1
Both Lloyd and Arbor agreed that the biggest item to debunk when it comes to sex is the assumptions behind it, and the cause and effect formula that is often applied to sex. “We make a lot of assumptions based on what our culture has told us about sex, gender, and identity,” Lloyd said. “I think it’s about clearing it up and breaking down those walls, and opening up our minds to bigger things and other possibilities.” “[Many think] that it’s cause and effect; when I do X then Y happens,” Arbor elaborated on Lloyd’s answer. “Sex is a journey and it’s a way to express ourselves, which can take many paths, [such as] having the room [for] something to emerge through that interaction, and letting our desires just keep getting untapped and unleashed.” Bearup was very pleased by the turnout and expressed that this event really set the tone for their future events, with a strong center around safe sex and improved education about sex. “Sex-ed is so important for a plethora of reasons — it leads to safer sex, weakens rape culture, and empowers everyone involved,” Bearup said. “S.T.A.G.E.’s goal is to make people more comfortable with talking about sex, because we’re all healthier, happier, and safer when we’re fully aware of what’s going on.”
to see students wanting to make their mark on North Adams in a positive way, and to be so excited about the process. “It’s great to have students dreaming and planning big,” Helme said via email. “The students don’t complain; they are ready to get to work and help each other make this event a success.” Helme hopes this event will be successful and introduce students to Windsor Lake Park. She also hopes to work with Henriquez and her team to bring a bigger and better FIGMENT event to North Adams in 2017. If you are interested in more information, or would like to be part of the event, contact Krystal Henriquez at Krystalhenriquez@figmentproject.org and be on the lookout for the events website which will be up in the near future.
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Features
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Senior gains cultural acceptance abroad in Barcelona By Gionna Nourse Features Editor
The constant noise of the metro train, authentic home-cooked meals, overwhelming cultural acceptance and worldly love will all be missed by the senior who visited a beautiful city in Spain last spring. Adrianna Carter, ‘16 studied in Barcelona, Spain for four months, while receiving credits towards her degree in interdisciplinary studies at the College. As a non-traditional commuter student, Adrianna will be twenty-four years old when she graduates this May. Despite the constant coming and going that accompanies commuting to school, she found her niche in the Spanish language. After taking Spanish in her senior year of high school, and passing with flying colors, her love for the language began to blossom. “I really loved the language, and when I came to MCLA, I wanted to get back into Spanish and start with a solid foundation, so I started in the beginning Spanish classes” Adrianna took Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 with Language Professor Marianna Bolivar when she enrolled at the College in the spring of 2013. Her love for the language quickly sparked an interest in the study-abroad program the College offers. “I always wanted to study abroad, and to go to Spain, because I wanted to speak Spanish,” she said. While exploring the options and destinations the College offered through International Studies Abroad (ISA), Carter found Barcelona to be a nobrainer. “[Barcelona] had the beach, and the mountains and the city, it was just something different,” she said. Being from a very small town like Pownal, VT, Carter craved a change of scenery. “There are a lot of mountains where I am from in Vermont,” she said. “I love the mountains, but I also love the beach.” Since there is no “on-campus housing” offered at the “Universidad autonoma de Barcelona,” students could either stay in a “residencia,” (an off-campus MELILLO Continued from page 1 There is a long standing trope surrounding veterans and their time in the military; they mostly don’t like to talk about any combat experience or problems that they had when serving. Joseph isn’t like that at all. He carefully words his sentences because they could easily be misconstrued to sound problematic, when really he’s just thorough. The Army veteran admits that there was an incredible sense of camaraderie among all of the soldiers he served with, another classically held belief about the military, but also shortly discussed his issue with poor leadership. He said that it didn’t matter if he had a good idea because he simply wasn’t a higher-up. “I definitely felt like I didn’t have any say in anything,” Joseph said, not heartbroken by the fact, but acknowledging the downfalls of the system, “It just wasn’t a good system.” Joseph still believes that his experience was absolutely worth it. As he was straight out of high school when he enlisted, the Army matured him a little bit. Without it, Joseph doesn’t think he would have been able to handle the responsibility that comes with being a college student. “When I got out, well, I’m nailing it, you know?” he asks, proud of himself. The full scholarship he received for his three years of service doesn’t hurt either.
Photo by Liz Quirk/The Beacon
Senior Adrianna Carter reminisces about some of the experiences she had while studying abroad in Barcelona last spring.
apartment) with other students, or chose the “home-stay option”, where host families take in students for the semester. This option allows students to not only take part in a more authentic experience, but feel more at home if not used to living on their own. “Since I am a commuter, I never really experienced living on my own or in a dorm-type setting with other people,” she said. By choosing the home-stay option, Adrianna and her friends seized the opportunity to speak more of Barcelona’s native language and fully immerse themselves in the Spanish culture. The four lived with an older couple who cooked for them each night, and looked out for them as parents would. “They were very accommodating, so sweet and just the cutest couple we had ever met,” Carter said. “She was very motherly and warming, and would tell us what events were going on, things to see, places to go and other places to stay away from. And she was cooking for us all the
time, which was great!” The motherly figure that hosted Adrianna and her friends wasn’t the only person who made an impact on her time in Barcelona. Although a lot of her time was spent soaking up the sun on the beach, and exploring the city, she did take a full course load as well. She mostly focused on furthering her degree in interdisciplinary studies, which she described as combining Spanish and sociology with a minor in business administration. The classes she took included Human Resources Management, where she did a lot of team-building exercises, Management Services, where she learned about companies and how their management systems operated, and an advanced Spanish course. Adrianna stressed the importance of the “cultured” professors that taught at the Universidad. “Everyone out there is a cultured professor,” she said. “Especially my human resources management professor,
she had traveled all over the world and worked for all of these big-time companies, and just had a really worldly sense about her, as a lot of my professors did.” Before her time at MCLA, Adrianna had taken classes at the community college of Vermont (CCV) and then Berkshire Community College (BCC). Other than her participation in MCLA’s Dance Company her first two semesters, she wasn’t that involved in on-campus activities. Through a mutual friend, she found out about the study abroad opportunities, which “connected her to campus in a weird sort of way”. “In my personal experiences, when you go abroad, you learn a lot about who you are and what you want to do, and you evolve as a person,” she said. “You also kind of realize how small you are in a big world.” Although the price tag on a trip like Adrianna’s is around $14,000 before airfare and souvenirs, she doesn’t believe in putting a price tag on an experience like that. She will forever miss the “excited Europe feeling” she once experienced. What remains is the “haze” that comes over her when reminiscing with friends. The four spent almost every waking moment together, not only in Barcelona, but during other short visits to Italy, the South of France, and the Islands of West Africa. “I would recommend it to anybody,” she said with a smile. “You will never look back on your life, and regret going abroad; it will be something you always have.” A few days before she was leaving to come back to the states, Adrianna found herself crying on the beach because she didn’t want to go home. A few Spanish men came up to her and asked why she crying. She replied with “Because I love your country.” The men responded to her saying “this is your country now too.” “To hear someone say that to you makes you realize the world is beautiful,” she said. “Just having that acceptance and feeling like a part of their country gave me the most overwhelming feeling of worldly love.” “It was so much more than I ever dreamed of,” she said.
continue with his life, he applied for MCLA but was denied because he had done very poorly in high school and didn’t have the grades; using the learned responsibility of military service, Joseph went to a Boston community college for several years before reapplying to MCLA and being accepted. For its part, Joseph couldn’t be happier with the help he has gotten from MCLA’s Veteran’s Resource Center. He says that the staff in charge of it have added a “very personal touch” in helping MCLA’s veterans with their time at school. Occasionally Joseph does miss the military, but he knows that it wouldn’t be right to re-enlist even if he wanted to. “What’s keeping me from going back is Photo by Gionna Nourse/The Beacon my family, my girlfriend and my friends,” Joseph Melillo (right) among other veteran students share stories over pizza during Joseph said, “You don’t only affect yourself the monthly meetings held in the Veteran’s Resource Center in Venable Hall. when you serve in the military, you affect Along with that, the military supplies him from service is, simply, readjusting to life as everyone around you, and it can be very with a small living stipend each month just a civilian. Joseph, again defying common tough for them.” for having served; not much, but it’s a nice Hollywood soldier tropes, got through the For the most part though, Joseph seems process relatively painlessly. compensation for his time as a soldier. content with being at MCLA. Although “You’re on guard right when you come being older does make him view his own Joseph knows that Veteran Affairs (VA) can be a difficult organization to deal with back,” He said, “It takes a while to come schooling in direct comparison to other, for some people coming out of the military. down from that.” younger students, he doesn’t count that as His method was a unique one: like when a bad thing. He likes his classes, his major, Still, he maintains the importance of just sticking with the process, because in the he took a year off between high school and even his professors despite the fact that it end it’s not at all impossible like some may enlisting, Joseph took another short break was hard getting used to a lack of structure between coming home and applying for in some electives, something that is very make it out to be. “The VA can be very tough to deal College. Living off of the money he had weird for someone who lived under a strict with,” Joseph concedes, “You have to jump saved up until then, he used time to relax structure for three years in the military. through a lot of hoops, but it’s worth it and “make up” for the years he had missed Although Joseph definitely prefers when in the military. when you do.” the lack of structure to dealing with the When Joseph decided it was time to military leadership. Another difficult part of returning home
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Thursday, November 12, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Beacon.MCLA.edu
“The Peanuts Movie” capitalizes on expected Schultz formula By Mitchell Chapman A & E Editor
It’s great to see Blue Sky Studios with a hit after the debacle that was their “Rio” franchise and the lackluster performance of the last “Ice Age” movie. Unlike their competitor, “Pixar,” creativity is not Blue Sky’s strong suit. “Peanuts” is not a terribly hard franchise to get right. One might say that this film was even giftwrapped for the studio, given the simple formula and years of history the franchise has. Still, there are plenty of ways of thinking outside the box when it comes to this property, such as Bert V. Royal’s “Dog Sees God,” which explores what would happen if the “Peanuts” characters grew up. Blue Sky chose a far less radical departure from the source material, merely adding a new, unnamed character, but still manages to flesh out Charlie Brown in powerful ways appropriate to modern day audiences. Charlie sees himself as a failure. He can’t fly a kite, he does awful in school, he can’t dance, and the new girl in school, whom he fancies, barely knows that he exists (or so he thinks!). He’s also a kid, so much of his values are based
Photo from Twentieth Century Fox
Audiences will enjoy a plethora of familiar faces with new paint jobs. on looks, which the film pushes back on (he later gets recognition and popularity for academic achievement). Nevertheless, the film remains true to classic “Peanuts” formulas. This helps and hurts the film. On one hand it gains a feeling of authenticity that this sort of return
to the big screen demands. It really does seem as if Charles Schultz, who passed away in 2000, had a hand in making the film. This isn’t terribly difficult to do, seeing as the man left a paper trail spanning decades, which, for better or for worse, remains in circulation amongst newspapers. This is the
same ol’ Charlie Brown, just with a new paint job. However, the story seems segmented, like this is just a series of Schultz comic strips (and some of the material might be lifted directly from them), all loosely strung together around the plot of Charlie Brown getting the girl.
Except he doesn’t get the girl (that would be too much of a departure from the strips for Twentieth Century Fox). Rather, the plot is structured around how Charlie Brown obtains the courage to start talking to the girl, who unfortunately lacks a proper name. In terms of dramatization, the movie does a great job of playing up just how nervous Charlie is, filled with the zaniness of his world and how mean (but in a lighthearted way!) it can be. Unlike “Dog Sees God,” the film by no means tries to pander to “modern day issues,” like depression (which Charlie feels to an extant) or identity crises in order to remain true to the source material. Of course, there is a way to include additions, like the new girl, but it seems clear that Fox and Blue Sky lacked the teeth to make something that truly defied audience expectation. That doesn’t make for a terrible movie,on the contrary. “The Peanuts Movie” is Blue Sky’s highest critical success, but it makes it less perfect film than it could’ve been. I recommend this to any fan of “Peanuts” or Charlie Brown, though I think there’s enough there to give newcomers an entertaining evening of fun.
Video game writer contrasts mediums
Comic book writer Evan Skolnick has written for “Star Wars Battlefront,” “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance,” and was involved with the unfortunately cancelled “Star Wars 1313” By Chris Riemer A & E Writer
Evan Skolnick, a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) professor and writer for both comic books and video games, visited MCLA last week to give a talk on storytelling entitled “The (Super) Hero’s Journey.” He spoke about the narrative techniques used in video game and comic book storytelling, drawing from his experience as a Marvel employee and video game developer. Skolnick talked about the priorities of the companies that create video games, and how the landscape for prospective employees has changed in the recent past. He demonstrated the process of creating a video game by describing his involvement as lead writer for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, a dungeon crawler based on Marvel’s Civil War story line. Writing for video games requires a very different mind set than the type required for almost any other art form. Skolnick compared the process to bullfighting, emphasizing the difficulty of balancing an intricate story with plain playability. “The game doesn’t want a story on it,” Skolnick said. “The game
just wants to be a game.” He described a paradox faced by all video game writers: the more control given to the player, the more fun the game; but the more control given, the harder it is to write a proper story. “People do not come to games looking for a story… in games, gameplay is king,” Skolnick emphasized. “A game probably isn’t the best place to show off what a fantastic writer you are.” Of course, it’s not impossible for a game with an elaborate story to be a commercial success. As an example, Skolnick showed images from the acclaimed game Bioshock, which prompted approving noises from the audience. A large part of Skolnick’s presentation centered around the idea that video games are no longer a niche industry: according to him, 72% of Americans now play video games. RPI has one of the few degrees specific to the industry: “Games and Simulation Arts and Sciences.” This may be because video games can offer an immersive experience unparalleled by any other form of media. “Video games are capable of evoking emotions that other forms of media can’t: guilt and complicity,” Skolnick said. He
talked about the first act of Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2, in which players are forced to make choices early on that they later discover may have been against their moral code. While the original Marvel Ultimate Alliance had a clear boundary between good and evil characters, Skolnick used the idiosyncrasies of the video game medium to try to create some ambiguity between the two opposing sides in the sequel. Near the end of the presentation, audience members asked about opportunities as writers in the video game industry. Skolnick responded by facetiously emphasizing the difficulty of a career in game development. While clearly meant to be interpreted as tongue-in-cheek, this tonal shift was noticeable. “For all his knowledge, he seemed reluctant about the field in general,” Brett Belcastro, ’17, said. “He seemed disinclined to recommend it, even to people in the audience who were enthusiastic about it.” The talk was nonetheless well received by the video game fans in the audience. In the future, perhaps MCLA will develop a curriculum like RPI’s that will teach students the process of game development.
Photo from Evan Skolnick’s twitter page
Skolnick has noticed several differences between how video games and print stories, like comics, are told. Video games are first and foremost games, and must accommodate for the interactive nature of the medium. However, as games like “BioShock: Infinite,” “The Walking Dead,” and “The Last of Us,” have shown general audiences, games have powerful narrative tools that other mediums don’t have.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Arts & Entertainment
Makers’ Mill unites people through art
Beacon.MCLA.edu
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By Jarred Clapp A & E Writer
With a variety of artistic outlets in North Adams, such as Mass MoCA and Gallery 51, there is plenty to see but not a lot of hands on activities. Newly founded North Adams Makers’ Mill aims to change that, providing a space for artists and community members with a space to work and ‘make’. “The mission of Makers’ Mill is to strengthen the northern Berkshire creative community through infrastructure, collaboration, organization, and education,” according to northadamsmakersmill.org. Located downtown Main St, Makers’ Mill opened in June of 2015 amidst North Adam’s Downstreet Art project, fitting right into the hub of creativity that takes over the town during the summer. With school back in session, Makers’ Mill invites students and townsfolk alike to join them and continue exploring their innovative and artistic sides. Membership is free for students, a charge that is typically $40 per month for non-students. “We’re looking for people to get engaged with the space,” junior Arts Management major and Makers’ Mill intern Isaac Wood said. “We want to create a community of makers and artists to collaborate with each other.” The Mill offers weekly events such as figure drawing collective on Mondays and knitting night on Wednesdays. Other events include screen printing on Nov. 14th and dorset button making on Nov 21st. “I’ve been a member for about a month and I would definitely recommend joining Makers’ Mill,” Julia Daly, junior IDST major said. “There’s nothing else in the town or surrounding area quite like it. If you’re into art it’s a great recourse. Everyone is very friendly and nice.” Makers’ Mill’s space is open to members 24 hours a day, and offers several resources. Not only are there standard art supplies available, there are other provisions such as printing machines and knitting materials. “I really enjoy the community aspect of the Mill,” Daly said. “They have tons of supplies which is great especially since I’m not an art student and can’t use campus materials.” While there are not programs directed specifically at students, it is a place for everyone to check out. Between the free membership and plethora of materials, it is a great place for students to explore their creative side, while providing an opportunity to work with others. “It’s definitely a communal space,” Wood said, “Don’t be afraid to swing in and start a conversation.” The mission of the Makers’ Mill is something that is missing from North Adams. Their goal of bringing people together through art is not something that is alien to the town but the way it is approached is quite different from the other galleries and art spaces, including those based within the school’s curriculum. “Students should definitely check it out,” Daly said, “We need people for a community.” Makers Mill is located at 73 Main St. in North Adams and can be found online at northadamsmakersmill.org and facebook.com/ northadamsmakerspace.
Photo Courtesy of Isaac Wood, of North Adams Maker’s Mill
Community members partake in craft. The North Adams Maker’s Mill encourages community involvement through art and conversation.
Photo by Mitchell Chapman/The Beacon
DeQn Sue and her Grammy-nominated producer, Kevin Wooten, lit up the Church Street Center Friday night, with strong, emotional music. Her music follows conventions of pop while making enough deviations to cater to indie fans. The show was opened by MCLA’s The Allegrettos.
“DeQn Sue” brings her passion to MCLA
Alternative pop artist pleased audience in the Church Street Center with songs such as “Magenta” and “Bloody Monster” By Mitchell Chapman A & E Editor
The indie artist has several tools in their toolkit. They are not bound to the brainless repetition and sparse subject matters that signed artists feel they need to have to pander to the “largest demographic,” whatever that means. “DeQn Sue’s” music reflects that, at times showcasing the power choice can have in music. Note that this is not undirected choice. Sue’s music is well-informed by producer Kevin Wooten, who has worked with traditional music previously, to great success, as many of the artists has worked with have obtained platinum-selling status. However, with any kind of experimental music, and to some extent I do classify Sue’s music as experimental, there is a wide berth for failure. Not that I think Sue failed in every way, but the show as a whole was uneven. The starting and ending numbers were pretty strong, but the middle felt like filler, with the exception of “Flame,” which I quite liked. Still, it is hard to compare it to the show’s finale, “Magenta,” a song so dynamic that it essentially put DeQn Sue on the map, and alone is worth hearing for the price of admission (which was $2 for students). Speaking of money and such, I have to note that she didn’t attempt to shove her merchandise down the audience’s throats. Sometimes that can happen with indie artists, though if she had a t-shirt or something (perhaps with one of the colorful images from her website), that would be fine. She did promote “Zeitgeist” and “Snack,” the latter of which she played up as being free, a thoroughly humorous gesture in the age of online piracy, file sharing, and Youtube-to-Mp3 websites. Still, her music connected. Despite the fact that there were empty seats in Church Street, most of the time, Sue had people on their toes, such as senior Amanda McField, who got to experience some of how the show came together, in conjunction with
other MCLA Presents! Performances. “I thought the show was phenomenal,” she said. “I love how MCLA Presents! pulls together a great season of artists that I know I have never heard of. I am also a part of the Performing Arts Management class this semester and seeing how it all came together made the show ten times more enjoyable plus I got to meet the artist.” The concert was held to raise money for the Margaret A. Hart Scholarship, which is awarded to a full time MCLA student with junior or senior status with a minimum GPA of 3.0, who has demonstrated community service. This year’s recipient is senior Waikhine Phu, a native of Myanmar who came to the United States in 2006 to study at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and got involved in several local programs there, such as their Big Brother, Big Sister program, Women’s Center, Queer Straight Alliance, and Berkshire playwrights lab. She left school in 2010 to volunteer as a teacher in her home country after it was hit by a cyclone. She returned to school as a full-time student in 2014 to pursue a degree in psychology, a field she aspires to help grow. The concert was opened by MCLA’s The Acapellas, who did a fine job of introducing Sue, though their music by no means reached the intensity of her acclaimed “Magenta.” Overall, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night that should’ve gotten more attention than it did. I have never been disappointed with an “MCLA Presents!” performance, and I find it unfortunate that many have not experienced this high-quality series. DeQn Sue is a graduate of Oakwood University in Huntsville, Ala., and has released three properties under her name, the most recent of which is her EP “Snack.” Her music covers a variety of topics, mostly derived from events from Sue’s life (such as her “Bloody Monster” roommate whom Sue described as a “closet racist”), though is very general and nonspecific in their language, most likely in an attempt to make her songs universal.
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Sports
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Volleyball upset by Framingham MCLA falls in conference championship game to underdog Rams 3-0
By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
Framingham State defeated MCLA 3-0 in the MASCAC Tournament Final on Saturday to claim their second consecutive MASCAC Tournament. With the victory, Framingham State advances to the NCAA Division III Volleyball Tournament. The Trailblazers had finished the regular season with a record of 21-10 and were 5-1 in MASCAC play. That mark was good enough to secure home court advantage throughout the conference tournament, which led to MCLA hosting the semi-finals and final of the tournament on Saturday. MCLA opened the game with a hard fought semi-final victory over Bridgewater State. The Trailblazers started off the game strong, taking the first two sets by the scores of 25-17 and 25-16. Bridgewater State showed great resiliency in the third set, staving off elimination with their backs to the wall. With the set tied at 26, Bridgewater got crucial kills from seniors Clara Goncalves and Julie Hutchins to force a fourth set. Things remained tight into the fourth set, with MCLA and the Bears trading points throughout the set. With the score tied at 2424, senior Courtney Parent set up junior Allison Clark, who hammered home the kill to give the Trailblazers the one point lead. On the next possession, Bridgewater junior Hannah Maymon’s attempt went into the net and the Trailblazers won the set 26-24 and the game, 3-1. MCLA was led by Clark, who had an outstanding match, recording 26 kills and just one attack error; junior Rachel Mills had 10 kills and senior Angelica Perfido had 9 kills. Parent had 34 assists, Perfido had 22 digs and sophomore Maggie Allen had five blocks. Bridgewater was led by Mayon and Goncalves, who each had 13 kills. Charleyne Panner had 41 out of the teams 42 assists. Framingham State and Westfield State met in the next game on neutral ground, with the winner securing a date with MCLA later in the afternoon. Framingham used their superior length and athleticism to stifle the Owls at the net, forcing Westfield to earn points off of attack errors and miscommunication. Framingham cruised during the first set, 25-16, but made seven errors in the second set and Westfield snuck away with it, 25-23. Framingham rallied back and took the next two sets by the same score, 25-22, finishing off the Owls 3-1 and advancing to the MASCAC final. Framingham was led by Conference Player of the Year Alycia Rackliffe, who had 22 kills and 19 digs. Sara Leonard led all players with an impressive 51 assists for the Rams. Westfield was led by Shannon Sheas’ 16 kills and Lizzie Taylor’s 36 digs.
Framingham continued to roll in the championship game, trumping the Trailblazers in three straight sets to win the MASCAC Tournament, 3-0. The result was the opposite of their regular season meeting, which saw MCLA defeat the Rams 3-0. MCLA got off to a decent start, jumping to a 7-1 lead over Framingham, but the Rams would rally back, climbing their way back into the set, using a 5-0 run to tie the set back at 11. Things remained tight, but Framingham got two huge kills down the stretch from senior Annie DeLoid to give Framingham the first set, 25-21. The Trailblazers attempted to rally back, but ultimately had their hearts broken in the second set. Allen smashed home an assist from freshman Beatrice Lechler to put MCLA up 24-21, just one point away from tying the game at one set apiece. Perfido had her attempt blocked by Leonard and Mackenzie Webster, and Rackliffe, lethal all day going to her right, proceeded to smash home four consecutive kills for the Rams, giving them the set 26-24. In the third and final set, MCLA remained competitive but it was clear that Framingham was the better team. The tournament came to an end when Allen had an attack error to end the set and the game, 25-21. Rackliffe led Framingham with 20 kills and 18 digs and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Wan had 9 kills and Leonard had 30 assists. Clark led MCLA with 11 kills and sophomore Brittney Pihl had 31 digs. Despite not qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, the Trailblazers have secured the second seed in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference New England Championships. Due to a scheduling conflict with first seed Endicott College, MCLA will host the tournament on Saturday. The tournament will begin on Saturday at 11 a.m. when the number one seed Endicott Gulls (22-10) take on the fourth seeded Amcats of Anna Maria College (17-15). The second game of the day will have the Trailblazers (2310) taking on the third seeded Lesley College (16-5) at 1 p.m. The championship game will take place thirty minutes after the conclusion of the MCLA/Lesley game, and will feature the winners of the first two matches. The Trailblazers will look to build on their impressive season that already saw several program records broken. The 23 wins for the Trailblazers blew past the previous program high of 15, and the season also included an impressive 13 game winning streak. Clark also shattered several program records, including most kills in the season, where her 439 kills demolished the previous program record of 258. Clark’s 4.14 kills per set were also a program record and the 27th best mark in the country in 2015.
Photo by Kasey Conklin/The Beacon
MCLA junior Sam Anderson smashes home a kill for the Trailblazers on Saturday against Bridgewater State.
Photo from Framingham State Athletics
The Framingham State Rams celebrate their second consecutive MASCAC Championship on Saturday after defeating MCLA in the conference tournament three sets to none. Framingham State will represent the MASCAC in the NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament and will face Brockport State tomorrow in the first round of the tournament.
Sports
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Fair Territory
NFL Power Rankings By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
History was made this week, as for the first time in NFL history three teams are 8-0. To go along with those historical teams, there are a slew of average squads that are looking to sneak into the playoffs. 1. New England PatriotsAnother week and another easy win for the Patriots. The negative takeaway from New England’s 27-10 victory is injuries to Dion Lewis and right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, forcing Tom Brady and company to deal with a makeshift offensive line and unproven playmakers. 2. Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati rolled through Cleveland 31-10 on Thursday night, and will play Houston this Monday. Cincinnati is third in points scored (28.6 ppg) and fourth in points allowed (17.8 ppg). 3. Carolina PanthersCarolina has answered any questions about their legitimacy with a big victory over Green Bay on Sunday. The 8-0 Panthers remaining games are as follows: at Tennessee, Washington, at Dallas, at New Orleans, Atlanta, at Giants, at Atlanta and Tampa Bay. 4. Denver BroncosDenver was dealt their first loss of the season at Indianapolis in a game that saw their league-best pass defense get destroyed by Indianapolis. Peyton Manning is currently on pace for 28 interceptions this season, and his passer rating of 75.6 is more than 20 points below his career average. 5. Green Bay PackersLosses on the road to Denver and Carolina shouldn’t have Green Bay fans too worried. However, giving up 66 points over the last two weeks should have fans a bit concerned about the team’s ability to win shootouts without Jordy Nelson. 6. Arizona CardinalsArizona took a week off from beating up on overmatched opponents and will resume play this Sunday in a huge NFC West matchup at Seattle. Arizona is fifth in total yards this season and third in total yards allowed
in 2015, and teams are only averaging 3.5 yards per carry. 7. Minnesota VikingsTeddy Bridgewater went down with a concussion after a controversial hit, but Minnesota rallied back and defeated St. Louis in overtime to advance to 6-2 on the season. With Green Bay losing their second game in a row, Minnesota has moved into a tie for first place in the NFC North. Adrian Peterson’s 758 rushing yards are the most in the season through 8 games. 8. Seattle SeahawksSeattle is coming off a bye, after an unconvincing victory over Dallas, but the Seahawks have a chance to get back into the NFC West race with a matchup on Sunday night against Arizona. For all of the criticism that faces the Seahawks, their defense has given up the second fewest yards this season, although the defense has to force more than nine turnovers over the second half of the season if they want to take a third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl. 9. St. Louis RamsMinnesota stopped St. Louis and held Todd Gurley to only 89 yards rushing on 24 attempts. However, St. Louis (4-4) already has tiebreaking victories over division rivals Seattle and Arizona and will host Chicago this Sunday. 10. Pittsburgh SteelersJust as things were beginning to come together for Pittsburgh, the injury bug strikes again. After losing Le’Veon Bell for the season with an ACL tear, Pittsburgh loses Ben Roethlisberger for at least two weeks with another foot injury. Undeterred, Pittsburgh rallied behind backups Landry Jones and DeAngelo Williams and defeated Oakland on Sunday. All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown set franchise records with 17 receptions and 284 yards against Oakland, and already has 69 catches and over 1,000 yards through the first nine games. 11. New York JetsThe Jets are clearly a better team with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, and it showed on Sunday as they scored 28 points against the Jaguars and are quietly averaging 25 points per game, the 11th best mark in the league. The Jet defense remains as stout as ever, allowing 20 points per game and holding opponents to only 3.8 yards per rushing attempt. 12. Oakland RaidersOakland dropped a tough game to a banged up Pittsburgh squad, but at 4-4 remain right in the hunt for an AFC playoff spot. A showdown on Sunday at home against Minnesota should have one of the preseason dark horses in great position to qualify for the playoffs. Oakland then has three straight games against sub-.500 teams, as they play at Detroit, at Tennessee and then at home against Kansas City before hosting Denver on December 6.
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Opinion: The Mets
are here to stay By Tyler Bacon Sports Writer
This wasn’t supposed to be the New York Mets year. They weren’t supposed to make it to the World Series. They weren’t even supposed to win the division and make the playoffs. All of the “experts” crowned the Washington Nationals preseason National League East Champions and even World Series Champions. But no one saw the New York Mets coming this fast. Not even me. These are not the 2006 Mets when everyone believed that they were the best team in the division and maybe the whole National League; the team that should have won game seven against the Cardinals and would have easily beaten any team from the American League from that year. That Mets should have started a dynasty. The 2015 Mets came into the season with a bunch of young pitchers that the organization hoped would mature and develop into aces. They came with a hole at shortstop and questions all around the field. Would their 36 year-old left fielder, Michael Cuddyer, be able to stay healthy and help carry the team offensively? Would Juan Lagares be able to maintain his gold glove defense from the year before and hit enough to stay in the lineup every day? And maybe the most important question of them all, would these young hard-throwing pitching prospects be able to make an impact this year or would it be 2016 when the team starts to blossom? Those questions were answered and if there were problems, then General Manager Sandy Alderson fixed them through trades. Fate seemed to be on the Mets side this past season because one of their best trades was the one they tried to make but fell through involving Wilmer Flores and Carlos Gomez on July 29th. That allowed the Mets to trade for Yoenis Cespedes, who was a revelation as a rental player, turning the Mets from a postseason contender to a team
that could legitimately win the World Series. The pitching staff went from alright to dominant when young studs Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz came to the big league club. The Mets went from two aces, Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom, to four aces and their crafty veteran, Bartolo Colon. The young pitching and the addition of Cespedes is what made the Mets the surprise team of the year. The Mets should be the top dog in the National League East for a while. That is easy to say right now, but they will battle with the Washington Nationals for years to come. The Mets have a bunch of their position players coming back. A key to that is catcher, Travis d’Arnaud, who continues to improve and carry the Mets offensively and behind the plate. The franchise needs to be willing to spend some money on some upcoming free agents, whether it is re-signing Cespedes or finding an offensive player who can carry the offense like Cespedes can. The Mets’ pitchers will continue to improve and get better. Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard are the players who will decide how far the New York Mets will go in the next handful of seasons. With a pitching core like this, the Mets should be penciled in to contend without hesitation. The Mets finally played some meaningful baseball in October for the first time since 2006. The last nine years have had its ups and downs but there has been a lot more downs than up: Carlos Beltran striking out in game seven in 2006 before the World Series, the collapse of 2007, the Yankees winning the World Series and making the Mets even more of an afterthought in their own city, the abysmal offense that took place early in the season, Wilmer Flores crying in the infield when he thought he was traded, and finally trading for Cespedes and igniting the offense. There should have been only one fitting ending to their season; a World Series Championship.
Cross country runs the ECAC Both the Men’s and Women’s cross country teams competed against nearly 50 other schools on Saturday during the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships, held at Williams College. Despite top runner Christopher Gamble sidelined with an injury, the Trailblazers still managed to turn out a strong performance, finishing in 28th place overall. MCLA sophomore Adam Sleezer was the top finisher for the Trailblazers, clocking in with a time of 29:52, which was good enough for 136th overall. Freshmen Ryan McMahon finished just behind Sleezer in 139th place with a finishing time of 29:56.
Sophomores Avery Woodbury and Drew Weisse finished in 161st and 162nd place respectively, with times of 30:34 and 30:35. Sophomore Matt Aceto finished in fifth for the Trailblazers in 32:36 for 212th place overall. The Women’s cross country team finished in 46th place and were led by sophomore Paige Herzog with a total time of 28:53, which was good enough for 211th place overall. Junior Annie Gagnon finished in second for the Trailblazers, with a total time of 30:26, which placed in her 257th place overall. She was followed by sophomore Kaitlyn Wright who finished in 261st place overall with a final time of 30:59 .
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Scores Volleyball Saturday, Nov. 7 MCLA vs Bridgewater State 3-1, W MCLA vs Framingham State 3-0, L Cross Country MCLA @ ECAC Champ. Women: 46th Men: 29th
Schedules 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 Volleyball ECAC New England Champ. Endicott vs Anna Maria @ MCLA 11 a.m. ECAC New England Champ. MCLA vs Lesley 1 p.m. ECAC New England Champ. Championship Game Endicott/Anna Maria Winner vs MCLA/Lesley Winner 3 p.m. Women’s Basketball MCLA vs RPI @ Smith College 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15 Women’s Basketball MCLA vs TBA @ Smith College TBA Men’s Basketball MCLA vs Norwich 2 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 Men’s Basketball MCLA vs Lyndon State 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18 Women’s Basketball MCLA @ Daniel Webster 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20 Men’s Basketball MCLA vs Castleton State 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21 Women’s Basketball MCLA vs SUNY-Cobleskill 4 p.m.
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Opinion
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Beacon.MCLA.edu
“What’s your favorite football team?”
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“I know nothing about football. Only thing I know is men pushing each other around.”-Virginia Graves, 2015 Photos compiled by Tierra Henson
Health & Fitness Bigger than biceps Staying fit after college
By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor in Chief Every so often online I’ll stumble across someone from high school with a fuller face following groups of party pictures. Most of those people played a religious sport and ate whatever they wanted to, however, now it seems to have caught up to them. Whether you want a dad bod or not, every body’s figure changes a lot over time. I find that people who did sports in high school often had no way of staying active once it ended. For years they automatically exercised without the burden of incorporating it into their schedule. Some even played one sport per season, and get really lost after they stop. For me, working out became my sport, because I pushed myself and set new goals for certain exercises and tracked it. I don’t have a coach like in a sport, but working out with someone does
add competition. It also makes me hold myself accountable, rather than someone counting on me to show up to practice or beat a personal record, leading to personal guilt and dissatisfaction if I don’t do what I need to do. With that being said, continuing sports in high school is very similar. Now you have even less guidance because your mother isn’t making your meals and the introduction of beer and alcohol comes into play. The better part is that you’re closer with your teammates because you can live with them, so any positive eating habits can potentially rub off on each other. One of the reasons a college student eats poorly is because of how much food can be purchased for cheap, and while spending a lot of time with teammates, pot lucks can be held every week to share healthier food options. As a graduating senior, I’m not so worried about continuing to make good food choices so much as I’m worried I won’t always have a gym to work out in. This might be the case for people who were always given a school gym to workout with teammates. Once you join a gym after leaving college, you eventually meet people after going around the same times every day. Even after just working at a gym, I know a lot of the customers and see them out around town. I’ve also made a lot of personal connections at the gym too. By replacing new friends/strangers with high school and college sports teammates, you’ll savor a component of your motivation toward a fitter lifestyle.
WJJW Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Composts in Training with Nick Tardive 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. The Gas Station with Matt Aceto 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. A bailar con Tangie (Early afternoons with Tangie) with Tangie Mendez This show is in Spanish 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. On Air with Devin with Chris Riemer 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. The Squirrel with Alison Gilbert 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Current with Tim Willia.m.s 8:00 - 10:00 p.m.The Bucket with Becky and Courtney 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. On Air With Devin with Chris Riemer Friday 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Bumpin’ with Britt with Brittany Whitford
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Thursday, November 12, 2015
Police Logs
Announcements, Events, & Opinion
Dog Spotting
Poets age 13-19 are invited to share their work at the open mic or compete in the poetry slam. Preregistration is STRONGLY recommended. Never shared before? Now’s the time to start! We want to hear what YOU have to say. Teen Open Mic/Poetry Slam November 15, 3P Gallery 51 51 Main Street North Adams Free
Public Safety responded to 116 total calls Sunday, Nov. 1
Watch The Walking Dead on the big screen
◆ 9:57 p.m. – Public Safety responded to two medical calls one in Hoosac Hall and the other in the Townhouses. Both subjects were transported to the hospital.
Free (weekly) Screening of the Walking Dead North Adams Movieplex 80 Main Street 413-663-6300 9 PM Free Watch the latest episode with your friends on the big screen!
Monday, Nov. 2
◆ 9:57 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Wellness Center. The subject was transported to the hospital.
Tuesday, Nov. 3
responded to an alleged Animal issue. An Animal Issue report was filed.
◆ 3:43 p.m. – Public Safety
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investigated a motor vehicle accident on Church St. An accident report was filed.
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Wednesday, Nov. 4
◆ 6:40 p.m. – Public Safety responded to an alleged larceny, forgery, fraud by the facilities building. ◆ 11:22 p.m. – Public Safety responded to an alleged vandalism at Murdock Hall. A vandalism report was filed.
Thursday, Nov.5
◆ 3:36 p.m. – Public Safety
2015 MICHEAL S. AND KITT Y DUK AKIS PUBLIC POLICY LECTURE
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responded to an alleged suspicious activity in the townhouse parking lot. The subject was warned.
Friday, Nov. 6
◆ 11:08 p.m. – Public Safety
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 7:00 PM
responded to an alleged drug offense in the Flagg Townhouse apartments. A drug offense report was filed.
◆ 11:59 p.m. – Public safety responded to an alleged alcohol offense. The subject was warned.
C HU R C H S TR EET C ENTER Eleanor Furst Roberts Auditorium
Saturday, Nov. 7
◆ 2:15 a.m. – Public Safety
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
responded to a medical call at the Flagg Townhouse Apartments. The individual was transported to safety.
◆
Sunday, Nov. 8
2:31 a.m. – Public Safety responded to an alleged disturbance in the Townhouses. A warning was issued.
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Teen open mic to be held at Gallery 51 Sunday
Week of 10/25 - 11/1
◆ 2:38 p.m. – Public Safety
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Photo Essay
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Beacon.MCLA.edu
The Trailblazers finished the regular season with a record of 21-10 and were 5-1 in MASCAC play. MCLA opened the game with a victory over Bridgewater State. Framingham State defeated MCLA 3-0 in the MASCAC Tournament Final on Saturday.
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference 2015 Volleyball Championship Photos by Agnella Gross
MCLA students cheer on the Trailblazers after their 3-1 win against the Bridgewater State Bears. MCLA junior Rachel Mills serves during the Trailblazer’s second match against Bridgewater State.
Framingham State gets a pep talk before their final match against MCLA.
The introduction of the Trailblazer’s starting lineup excites the team and the crowd.