Fall 2015-Issue 5 by MCLA Beacon

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Volume 81 ◆ Issue 5

Th u r s d ay, O c t o b e r 1 5 , 2 0 1 5

First phase of Neighborhood For Health underway By Nick Swanson Co-Editor-in-Chief

Neighborhood For Health (NH) began the first phase of a preventative care service in North Adams that educates patients about how to maintain their health and reduce the need for hospital visits. In this early phase, only people who have been hospitalized in or made repeated hospital visits to Berkshire Medical Center (BMC) in Pittsfield are able to participate, but there are plans to expand the services in later phases. “Today we’re in phase one of a multi-phase program,” Ann McDonald, Neighborhood for Health administrator, said. “In phase one, only people who are ill enough that they have to be admitted to the hospital have the option to participate.” NH is providing education and information in topics such as congestive heart failure, tobacco and behavioral health treatment, good nutrition practices, and living with diabetes. NH partnered with the Brien Center to establish a treatment program for people dealing with substance addictions. “The difference between this program and other programs is we’re really dedicated to looking at the whole person, not just their diabetes or just their heart failure, but from both the physical and emotional perspective to see how we can help,” she said. The clinic is funded by a $3 million grant through the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, which will test a new model for giving care to people after they leave BMC, according to McDonald. “When seeing people leave [NH] here it seems as if a weight has been taken off them, and it makes us happy that we were able to help them in going forward,” Clinical Support Representative Amy Hanbery said. Thirty percent of NH participants do not have primary care physicians. The program aims to have interim care providers who fit patients with an appropriate physician, McDonald said. Around 50 people so far

have participated in the NH program. “One really important thing is, this program often serves as a bridge to get people in [contact] with primary care physicians, and to get them in with other specialists,” she said. NH hired a community health employee who administers recommendations for patients to visit specified resources within the community, she said. When a patient is offered this medical service they must grant the hospital with consent and, in the following 48 hours, meet with physicians or specialists suggested by NH coordinators. Although patients are responsible for attending appointments scheduled by NH,

the goal is to enable them to eventually continue further medical help on their own with care providers in the community, McDonald said. In the third and final phase, NH services will become available to other community members with similar medical needs in northern Berkshire County. If statistics show a stable re-hospitalization rate it would act as an indication that the program is succeeding and the next phase can begin, according to McDonald. “In the future, primary care providers will be able to refer patients, or referrals can come from the student health program at MCLA,” she said.

In phase two, NH services are provided to individuals who repeatedly utilize the emergency services departments. One main goal of NH is to help patients stay healthy outside of the hospital and to reduce hospital readmissions, she said. The North Adams campus of BMC housed the new clinic located on the second floor with hospital rooms re-utilized for specific care treatments. The waiting room is designed to be community-oriented. A planned project will hang pictures of the best views in the Berkshires to better personalize the waiting room, according to McDonald.

Where did the garden go?

Photo by Makayla-Courtney McGeeney/The Beacon

This site next to the Smith House is where the community garden used to be located before it was removed in early Sept. Turn to page 3 for the full story.

Townhouse survey leads to renovation considerations By Joe Carew Staff Writer

Photo by Jay Tocco/The Beacon

A major project to renovate the Flagg Townhouses is being considered by the college.

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A recent study conducted on the townhouse residence area resulted in reasonable options for the College to consider if a major project were to be created. “The Massachusetts State College Building Authority, who owns all the buildings, had provided for a study of the townhouses,” Dianne Manning director of Residential Programs and Services said. “So there are no plans to do anything.” Noting that, this study did allow for some discussion to be had on possible wants and needs of future townhouse residences. With a higher demand than supply for singles, having an entire block consisting solely of singles was reviewed and its possibility tested. Increasing security for the residence area was also looked into. The townhouses lack a single entrance where visitors would normally check in while also

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leaving the security of the individual apartments in the hands of the residents. The latter isn’t inherently a bad thing, but it may lead to an increased amount of unlocked residences. This survey included the idea of having miniature communities in the residence area arise. This implies having likeminded students or those with similar majors living in a section of the townhouses together. “There’s a big push right now in residential higher education facilities for learning communities where students live in areas around themes or topics they’re interested in,” Manning said. Bergmeyer Associates, Inc. was the architecture firm hired by the Authority to conduct this study and looked at reusing and refurbishing the current layout. “Our thoughts for wanting a different kind of residential setting have been going on for a long time,” Manning said. “But this is really the first step in saying hey, what are we going to do here.”

Arts & Entertainment

Sports

Community garden to be relocated again

“Entertaining Doubts” a gateway to film

Volleyball sets school record for victories

Page 3

Page 6

Page 8

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

2-4 5 6-7 8-9 10 11 12

2 Police Logs

Campus News

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Week of 10/4-10/10 Public Safety responded to 96 total calls Sunday, October 4

◆ 12:56 p.m. – Public Safety conducted a vehicular traffic stop on Blakinton Street concerning a registration check. The subject was warned and advised to have valid documentation.

◆ 9:59 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a medical call at Berkshire Towers. The individual was successfully transported to the hospital.

Monday, October 5

◆ 1:37 p.m. – Public Safety responded to call regarding a motor vehicle accident near Berkshire Towers parking lot. A specific report documenting the accident was filled. Tuesday, October 6

◆ 9:45 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a call regarding suspicious activity on Blakinton Street. The call was completed successfully and no further report was needed.

Wednesday, October 7

◆ 6:05 p.m. – Public Safety

dispatched to the Church Street Center when the fire alarm was activated. The area was secured and cause appeared unknown. No further report was filed.

Thursday, October 8

◆ 8:51 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a medical call at Hoosac Hall. The call was completed with no further assistance needed. Friday, October 9

◆ 8:18 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a 9-1-1 hang-up call near the Wellness Center. The call was investigated leading to an individual who was warned and advised of the severity of the action.

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SGA Fall Election Results The results are in for the Fall 2015 Student Government Association election held on Oct. 6 and Oct. 7.

Commuter Seat

Danielle Lee Nolan

Resident Seat

Class of 2019: Senate Representative Midiyanuel Hawkins Declan Nolan

Rachel Sullivan

Senate at Large John Kelly Tyler Spencer

Class of 2018: Treasurer

Vice President Kenneth Rivera

Treasurer

Robbie Gair

President

Midiyanuel Hawkins

Secretary

Brittney Means

Alexander Switzer

Democratic debate steams over gun control By Idalis Foster

Senior News Editor Low blows were kept to a minimum and a lot of ground was covered in the first Primetime Democratic Debate. The five candidates at the top of the polls who took the stage were Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Martin O’Malley, Jim Webb, and Lincoln Chafee. The debate was moderated by CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon with supporting questions from political correspondent Dana Bash and CNN en Español anchor Juan Carlos Lopez. Lemon posed questions from Facebook users who submitted questions previously while the others posed their own questions for the candidates. The most heated portion of the debate was when gun control was brought up by Cooper in light of the latest occurrence in Oregon. Sanders, senator of Vermont, was questioned about his views being that he voted against the Brady Bill, which mandated background checks and a waiting period for citizens purchasing guns. “This was a large and complicated bill. There were provisions in it that I think made sense,” Sanders said. “For example, do I think that a gun shop in the state of Vermont that legally sells a gun to somebody and that somebody goes out and does something crazy, that that gun shop owner should be held responsible? I don’t.” When asked if Sanders was tough enough on guns, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton replied with: “No, not at all…

Thursday, October 15

Senator Sanders did vote five times against the Brady bill. Since it was passed, more than 2 million prohibited purchases have been prevented. He also did vote, as he said, for this immunity provision. I voted against it.” O’Malley weighed in on this topic by highlighting his accomplishment in getting comprehensive gun safety legislation passed in the state of Maryland. He also mentioned the Phillips, a family from Colorado who lost their daughter in the mass shooting in Aurora and lost a court case against the shop that sold the ammunition to the shooter. The discussion was dominated by Clinton who held 31:05 minutes of the speaking time and Sanders who held 28:05 minutes. O’Malley and Webb had similar numbers of about 17 minutes and 15 minutes while Chafee only spoke for nine minutes and eleven seconds. Arguably the most prevalent issue to college students, according to most of the people Facebook had interviewed in their campaign camper, was lowering debt of college students. This seemed to be one issue that Clinton and Sanders agreed needed to be resolved, but the solutions they had differed significantly. Sanders argued for tuition-free public colleges and universities through higher taxes on the wealthy and taxes on Wall Street speculation while Clinton argued for allowing the 40 million Americans with student debt to “refinance their debt to a low interest rate.” There was a short period in which the candidates had to answer the question “Black lives

Photo from Tribune News Service

From left, Democratic presidential candidates Jim Webb, Bernie Sanders, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Lincoln Chafee on the debate stage on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015, in Las Vegas. (Josh Haner/NYT/Pool via Zuma Press/TNS) matter or all lives matter?” to which only Sanders and O’Malley were called to answer before the question was changed to what the candidates would do for African Americans. Both candidates ultimately answered with “Black lives matter” which gained large applause from the crowd. Students who watched the debate included those who have been following the campaigns of the Democrats closely and those who have not. Junior Sara Peck follows the campaigns of Sanders, Clinton, and Republican front runner in the polls, Donald Trump, but is a sole supporter of Bernie Sanders, whose ideals she relates to. “Bernie sees a problem with the top 1% billionaires, and I agree with him there; corporate America continues to get worse, and outsourcing jobs and business to foreign countries just to save money is not helping the working class,” Peck said.

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Junior Abigail Baker has not followed the campaigns of the candidates on either side besides what she’s heard from friends and her community about Sanders. “[Sanders] talked about college eventually being free if he were elected and although that probably won’t be accomplished while I’m in school, you have to think long term and how that may affect us later in life like if we were to have kids,” Baker said. Sanders has been gaining support from young voters but has not been able to catch up to Clinton with recent polls from Huffington Post Pollster putting him at 24.4 percent and her at 45.6 percent. After the debate, Sanders was shown to have grown about three times as many new Twitter followers than Clinton. The next debate is set for Nov. 14th at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa and will be moderated by John Dickerson.

Friday, October 16

Saturday, October 17

Sunday, October 18

Showers High: 54° Low: 35° Precip. Chance: 50%

Nighttime Wintry Mix High: 48° Low: 28° Precip. Chance: 60%

Mostly Sunny High: 44° Low: 25° Precip. Chance: 10%

Saturday, October 10

◆ 7:01 p.m. – Public safety found property on the

grounds of MCLA campus. The item(s) were placed in Lost and Found located at 277 Ashland Street.

Mostly Sunny High: 60° Low: 42° Precip. Chance: 20%

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Campus News

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Smith House garden to be relocated

Photo from the MCLA website

The community garden, established in 2008 as a part of a sustainability program, was located in various places for roughly 100 years. Here, the garden being worked on was in front of Mark Hopkins Hall.

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

For years, joint efforts maintained a community garden that sat next to the yellow Smith House and produced various fresh vegetables and plants, until its removal in early September. A potential new location could be at the site of the old Honors House on Highland Ave., adjacent to Hoosac Hall, according to Cindy Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs. Alumn Jason Brown participated in the garden upkeep in Aug. 2009 during LEAD Academy and eventually got involved with the Sustainability Committee. “In August I visited the campus and spent some time sitting on the bench in the garden,” Jason Brown said. “I was able to reflect on my experiences at MCLA. I used this time and space to remember a friend and classmate who tragically passed away during our first year.” During Jason Brown’s time at the College, he continued to work on the garden, led a group of students to volunteer in the space during First Days, and worked with the Environmental Studies Department interns and faculty.

public benefit corporation founded in 1993, has worked with over 4,000 faculty and administrators at various institutions to incorporate principles of sustainability, fundamental to all aspects of higher education. Twelve colleges and universities accepted ACUPCC in late 2006 and by Earth Day 2008, it was a national initiative with signatories in all 50 states and Washington D.C., according to secondnature.org. In a Climate Action Plan submitted to Second Nature in 2009, the College said that “Education faculty and students have developed elementary curriculum on plant germination and local, sustainable food production. Business faculty has incorporated lectures in their courses on the ‘triple bottom line’ [of] economic, environmental, and social sustainability.” Later, when asked to describe the institution’s plan for further community outreach toward achieving climate neutrality, it was said the garden would be expanded and that McCann Technical Schools would “build raised beds, a tool shed, and other structures as class projects.”

It also said that food from the garden was donated to a local food bank. Former Sustainability Coordinator Caroline Scully reached out to the Beacon’s Facebook page when she noticed the garden was gone. Now, a rectangle grass patch replaces the garden and the bench and birdbath, both of which were placed in honor of students who passed away, are on the opposite side of the Smith House, “I found it very disheartening and was disturbed when I was informed that the Community Garden and remembrance donations had been removed,” Brown said. “It’s important that moving forward from this event, the college takes the necessary time to pause and reflect upon the lessons learned. MCLA has a responsibility to the faculty, staff, students, and greater community to build the institutional capacity and practices that allow for open and engaged dialogue and partnership when making decisions that affect various stakeholders.”

In 2007, former President Mary Grant signed the American Colleges & Universities Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) to move the College closer to climate neutrality. As a part of the College’s educational outreach initiatives, a Sustainability Committee worked with various participants to initiate the garden, according to the MCLA Web site. Even though a group effort managed the garden, Jason Brown said that a Sustainability Coordinator assisted in delegations until the position was terminated due to a loss of funds. Until this semester, Environmental Studies professor Daniel Shustack urged students to work the garden during the summer (peak season), but not Photo from the MCLA website enough could keep it alive. Before the community garden was torn up in Sept., plants and fresh vegetables were planted in Second Nature, a it by students and community members. Massachusetts nonprofit

College to host city council forum on Monday By Harmony Birch Managing Editor

The MCLA mayoral debate scheduled for Monday has been canceled and replaced with a City Council candidate forum. There are 12 council candidates running for nine positions. Of the nine current council members only one, Jennifer Breen, will not be running for re-election. Lisa M. Blackmer, Keith J. Bona, Eric R. Buddington, Nancy P. Bullett, Benjamin J. Lamb, Wayne J. Wilkinson, Kate Merrigan, and Joshua Moran will be running for their previous positions. Ronald Boucher, Robert F. Cardimino, Joseph Gniadek and Robert R. Moulton Jr. are running as challengers. Like the mayoral debate, the forum is a project being put on by Professor Benjamin Taylor’s State and Local Politics class. All research, guidelines, and event protocols were developed by the class. The original project was to host mayoral candidates John Barrett and Richard Alcombright for a free public debate. The

debate was originally to be run only by students featuring a student moderator, Zac Feury, and student panelists, Allie Kadell and Kate Rowell. At Barrett’s request the panel was also opened up to media outlets from the Berkshire Eagle, Tammy Daniels, and Jim Levulis. Each media person was allotted three questions, while Rowell and Kadell got four. The questions were to be developed by the individual panelists and were to discuss three categories: •Economic development, where the questions would pertain to taxes and revenues, spending and outlays, downtown and the Mohawk Theater, crime and blight issues, and recent private investments like the Krens private museum and Cariddi Mill purchase. •Community development and collaboration, pertaining to historical preservation and revitalization, the MCLA/city/community organization’s collaboration, and the planning board and commission activity. •Youth/education/recreation, pertaining

to collaboration between the city and youth organizations, the MASS MoCA expansion and Marshall Street revitalization, events like Wilco’s Solid Sound and Fresh Grass, Community Development Block Grant funds, the Hoosic River redevelopment and parks and recreation opportunities, and North Adams public schools. The closing of North Adams Regional Hospital and the future of Berkshire Medical Center’s North Campus was not to be discussed, as there was a separate debate held on Sept. 16 in which the mayoral candidates were asked solely about their viewpoints on the hospital closing and their response to citizen’s healthcare needs. After that debate, high numbers of support were shown for Barrett during the preliminary elections, where he received the highest number of votes at 1,240 compared to Alcombright’s 974 votes. After receiving the debate handbook that outlined debate procedures and question topics, Barrett informed Taylor on Oct. 1 that he was withdrawing from the debate. “There’s nothing wrong with the location,”

Barrett said in an interview with the Beacon. “I’ve debated there before and had no problem with it.” He felt as though the question topics were “too restrictive” and did not touch upon issues that were both important to MCLA students and the rest of the city. Among the topics, Barrett wished the hospital and safety, particularly at the college had been included On Oct. 5 Barrett emailed Alcombright requesting that a separate debate containing a media panel from WAMC, WNAW, iberkshires and the Berkshire Eagle be held in a different location. Alcombright wrote back agreeing to the debate with one request. “Because of the hard work, effort and time put into the proposed Oct. 19 debate led by MCLA students, my only insistence is that an MCLA student (of their own choosing) be on the media panel, and be allowed the same courtesy and time to ask questions.” BARRETT continued on page 4

Campus News

Thursday, October 15, 2015

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MASSPIRG spreads awareness of high Blue light walk to enhance textbook costs with Zombie event students’ safety on campus By Torin Gannon Staff Writer

By Matt Hotaling Staff Writer

Students ran around the quad chased by zombie textbooks, a grim reminder for many students of how their expensive textbooks take a big bite from their budgets. Although this event was fun with students dressed up as zombie textbooks, the rising cost of college is something that affects all students regardless of field of study or type of institution. According to Collegeboard. com, a student should expect to pay approximately $1,250 a year on just textbooks and on over $600 a semester. learning materials. Textbook publishers have little competition and their monopoly allows them to inflate the prices of their texts. Open-source textbook initiatives are hoping to help give students a much more affordable option. MassPIRG is hoping that by increasing awareness of opensource materials, more professors will consider switching from traditional textbooks to an opensource option and help their students save money. What sets these textbooks apart is the “open” license, which enables two key features. First, open-source textbooks can be legally shared, copied, and distributed, so students can access the material in a wide range of print and digital formats at little or no cost without fear of expiration dates. Second, opensource textbooks can be legally adapted by instructors, which makes it possible to add new material, change terminology, or remove unnecessary chapters so the textbook perfectly fits a class. It’s not uncommon for students to pass on buying a textbook due to prohibitive costs. A 2014 survey of students by U.S. PIRG Education Fund revealed that approximately 65 percent of students opted out of buying a text, knowing it might negatively affect their grades. By having textbooks freely available to all, students will not be financially restricted from having the

Photo courtesy of Naudia Sanchez

Students dress up as zombie textbooks in the campaign for open source textbooks. materials they need to succeed. Publishers like OpenStax College make their texts available to students free as digital copies, and have the option to buy print versions for an affordable cost, usually between $20 and $50 to cover the cost of printing,

Physics books can be really expensive, and most students won’t touch the text again after my class. - Kebra Ward, associate physics professor according to Avery Woodbury, sophomore and MCLA MassPIRG chapter chair. Open-source textbooks can be especially useful for students at liberal arts colleges like MCLA that require students to take courses in multiple domains. Often, the intro-level courses that students take to fulfill the core curriculum will require them to purchase large textbooks that can run anywhere from $100 to $300, which most students will never use again. For this reason, professors like Kebra Ward have adopted open-source textbooks for their classes. “I teach the general physics course, so it’s a course that’s for

“I think we both owe the MCLA students that amount of respect,” Alcombright wrote. When making his request, Barrett referenced the last mayoral debate held at MCLA in 2009 when Barrett and Alcombright last ran against each other. The debate was held before Alcombright started his current six-year term as mayor, and ended Barrett’s 26-year-term. During the 2009 debate, Barrett, who was North Adams’ longest-running mayor, focused his platform on how far along the city had come, while Alcombright proposed a more aggressive economic platform that would focus on job growth across the board. This year the tables have turned as Alcombright fights for a fourth term. His current platform includes continued work on budgets and reserves for capital improvements, revitalizing Western Gateway Heritage State Park, continued support for private investors who had invested in the Cariddi Mill and a new contemporary art museum, work to make the armory a community/ youth center, open a

BARRETT continued from page 3

non-majors,” Ward said. “Physics books can be really expensive, and most students won’t touch the text again after my class.” Open-source textbooks may not cost anything to students, but they are still robust and competitive when compared to

traditionally published textbooks. “The textbooks are peer-edited by professionals, so quality isn’t an issue,” Woodbury said. Woodbury and others from MassPIRG plan on meeting with educators on campus to try to convince them to switch to open textbooks if possible in their courses. Students may not be able to run away from costly textbooks yet, but those who could evade the zombie textbooks on the quad longest won small cash prizes. Woodbury said that he would like to organize similar events in the future, perhaps making them a regularly scheduled event.

Berkshire Scenic railroads route between downtown North Adams and Adams, create bike paths, bring more businesses to North Adams, collaborate with the college and MASS MoCA to develop ideas for reuse of the Mohawk Theater, and planning for reuse of closed mill and church spaces. During Barrett’s 13 back-to-back terms as mayor, he oversaw the opening of the North Adams Public Library, the construction of Brayton Elementary School, and an addition to Drury High School. His current platform mainly focuses on the housing stock and city decay through federal Community Development Block Grant funds. He is also looking to revamp policing efforts and hire a full-time code enforcement officer. In an interview with the Berkshire Eagle he said he’d be declaring a war on drugs. Barrett also hopes to renovate the Mohawk Theater. The city council forum will be on Monday at 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. in Church Street Center, and the new Mayoral debate will be held next Tuesday, October 20, in the Druy high school auditorium at 7 p.m.

Catherine Holbrook, vice president of Student Activities, recently brought an idea to the Student Government Association (SGA) to improve safety around campus. Holbrook, along with members of SGA and the MCLA staff, took a tour of the campus to assess its safety. This included checking for burned out street lights and malfunctioning emergency lights. They were also looking for places where more Photo by Isabel McKenzie/The Beacon lighting could be used to Emergency blue lights are located make students feel safer. around campus and will dispatch “It’s to give facilities, Public Safety immediately. campus police, and the college a sense of how things happening doesn’t mean students see their campus as they that concerns have fallen on walk around,” Holbrook said. deaf ears. Colonno states that a The walk did bring some new more subtle change is a shift in concerns. A few lights were found philosophy for campus police. to be burned out or not working, Students may notice Campus but Holbrook is confident that Safety making their presence the most pressing issues are ones more known around campus and that can be fixed quickly. A list of participating in the community. maintenance needs discovered “It’s about fostering a sense during the walk was given to the of trust between the campus director of Facilities. community and the police “There was no area that department, not that it doesn’t we found that we thought was exist now or it didn’t exist in the terrible and couldn’t be fixed in past, but we try to enhance that a the short term,” Holbrook said. little bit more,” Colonno said. The long-term goal of the Colonno also urges students project is to come up with an to take advantage of the services assessment of projects that that campus safety provides, such might take more time. There are as the escort service, which he currently plans in place to add feels are underused. He doesn’t two new emergency lights on want students to feel as though campus, one on Montana Street they are being a bother, and that and one in front of Hoosac Hall. officers are more than happy to Holbrook also wants to hear from help them and make sure they students about what they think feel safe. would make a safer campus. “They really are here for This kind of exercise is us. I’ve definitely seen from my nothing new to Public Safety, freshman year to my senior year which routinely tours the that they’ve stepped up their campus. Interim Chief of Public presence a lot,” SGA president Safety Dan Colonno was happy Alexandra Kadell said, regarding to hear a new perspective. He was the efforts of Public Safety. also happy to take an opportunity Holbrook and Colonno both to educate students. Colonno understand that maintaining a spoke to those attending the walk safe campus is an ever-changing about situational awareness, and effort and requires vigilance. the environmental design model They hope that students play that goes into designing the their part and keep in mind safety measures on campus. situational awareness when on “Those teaching moments and off campus. Ultimately, both go both ways. I think we learned hope to see that the community as much from them as they did feels safe for students, and are from us and the walk overall,” eager to do what is needed to Colonno said. achieve this. Colonno also stressed that “We believe we have a safe changes to improve safety on campus, but we want the safest campus are underway, and that possible campus,” Holbrook said. just because students don’t see

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Thursday, October 15, 2015

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MSNBC’s Joy Reid to speak at Church Street Center tonight By Gionna Nourse

editor of MSNBC Digital, Richard Wolffe, last month, Reid said “we have seen [a clash] most recently with the Features Editor ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, and the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic party.” Joy Reid, MSNBC national correspondent, political “If you look at the history of the Democratic Party, it blogger, radio host and book author is visiting MCLA has always sort of wobbled along this fault-line of white to let students know their liberal arts degrees won’t be liberalism and black liberalism,” she said. completely useless after graduation. Reid graduated from Harvard University in 1991 with She joins us to share her thoughts about the role of a concentration in documentary film studies, and is affirmative journalism in today’s society, developed currently producing a documentary entitled “The Fight through her various media experiences and Years. ” outstanding work as a multi-platform journalist. “[Reid] is someone who turned her major in film This fall’s Hardman Lecture with Reid includes studies into a highly successful career as a writer and an hour-long Q&A session for students at 5 p.m. reporter, and I know that this transition from student in Murdock Hall, Room 218, and a lecture at 7 to professional is a crucial question for our students at p.m. tonight, at the MCLA Church Street Center. MCLA, ” Finch said. The lecture is entitled “The Role of Journalism of “The Fight Years” dives deeply into the history of Affirmation in the Social Media Era,” and is free and boxing in the 1950s and 1960s in Miami. Reid and her open to the public. husband are producing this for a local south Florida Reid comes to speak at a time when journalism is television station, titled WPBT. undergoing big upheavals. “A topic like ‘Journalism of “[After attending the lecture],students majoring in Affirmation’ (JOA) is interesting and timely,” English/ journalism and communications studies, as well as Communications professor Dr. Joseph Ebiware said. others within and outside the MCLA community will Ebiware said that because of the elections we have most likely have a better understanding of how and why an “engaging and entertaining political discourse Photo from Twitter platforms like FOX News and MSNBC are popular and nationwide.” Joy Reid is an MSNBC national correspondent and former host coexist in this social media era,” Ebiware said. “JOA is also primarily focused on analysis of of the daily political commentary program ‘The Reid Report’ . “Students, especially those of media, communications different political ideologies, and how this difference and journalism will benefit from the Q&A session. oftentimes influences individual and collective ‘takes’ such as The Miami Herald, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, They will have the opportunity to ask questions and get on the complexities of issues like race relations, right to life, The South Florida Times and Salon.com. Her writing direct answers from a veteran practitioner in the field of gender equity, and so on,” he added. covers a wide range of political topics from the presidential journalism and mass communication. ” Reid has held countless titles throughout her career, campaign trail to the current U.S. healthcare system, to including becoming a 2003 Knight Center for Specialized local gun laws. Journalism fellow, and co-host of “Wake up South Florida”, “She always has a savvy and penetrating perspective on Q&A Session: a morning radio talk show broadcast from 2006-2007. what’s going on in the world around us, whether its high Murdock Hall Rooom 218 However, her most prized title is being an MSNBC profile matters, like national political campaigns, or more political correspondent. During her years at MSNBC, under-examined stories that the mainstream media tends Today at 5 p.m. she has worked with a wide range of individuals in the to ignore,” English/Communications professor Zachary Open to all students television industry, such as director Spike Lee, comedian Finch said. Bill Maher, reporter Alex Seitz-Wald, and many others. She With experience as a freelance political columnist for The Lecture: has covered everything from breaking news, to events on Miami Herald, she became managing editor of TheGrio. “The role of Journalism of Affirmation in and off location, to the current campaign trail of 2016. com in 2011, according to msnbc.com. TheGrio.com From 2000-2014, Reid worked as editor of “The Reid is a daily online news and opinion platform devoted to the Social Media Era” Report Political Blog”, which blossomed into a daily delivering stories and perspectives that reflect and affect MCLA Church Street Center, Eleanor Furst television program that offered Reid’s distinctive analysis African-American audiences. Roberts Auditorium and insight on the day’s news. It was an hour-long Reid has mostly recently published a fascinating new Tonight at 7 p.m. weekday U.S. and world political commentary program book entitled “Fracture –Barack Obama, the Clintons, and Free and open to the public aired on MSNBC, which premiered on Feb. 24, 2014, and the Racial Divide.” It is an analysis of politics and race in unfortunately was cancelled in Feb. 2015. our current society. Reid’s columns and articles have appeared in publications During an interview with vice president and executive

New Rugby Coach Continues Club Operations By Nick Tardive Features Writer

From center field of MCLA’s rugby pitch in the Athletic Complex, two lines of four players run from the center line, passing the ball back and forth in the cool air of a late, autumnal afternoon. Coach Luke Labendz observes his players as the group in front fumbles with the ball, dropping for push-ups as consequences for their mistakes. Labendz decides not to address the details of these mistakes just yet, in order to get the most out of practice time. Instead, he explains that he will wait for the practice to end and discuss the issues with players afterward. The new coach of the school’s Rugby Club has only seen his team practice twice so far. After filling out the paperwork on Oct. 7, he was hired. With the season hanging in the balance, depending on the hiring of a new coach, the late entry of Labendz comes as a sigh of relief to the players. Austin Jones, Vice President of the Rugby Club and Forwards’ Captain on the team, credited the players for not only pushing the school to hire a new Coach, but sticking with the team. While not formally allowed to practice without a head coach, they did organize together. Members of the team expanded interest, trying to bring some rookies into the club who might not have even known the school had a Rugby team if the season had been cancelled. “When [Former Head Coach] Glenn left, it was very hectic.” Jones admits in between short breaths, signifying a hard practice. The past is the past, though. With Labendz now taking the team’s reigns in hand, he makes a point to emphasize coaching by committee. “I don’t want to be a yelling, intimidating, no questions asked sort of coach,” Labendz says, “I actually want the players to ask me questions.”

around fifteen years of his life playing and coaching rugby. A certified level 200 coach (required by USA Rugby for contact teams) with years of experience working with Berkshire United under-19 Club. The simple act of coaching isn’t what drew him to the job. Nor was it out of a love for MCLA (he attended North Adams State College for the Fall ’96 semester). Luke Labendz just loves football, in all of its aspects. “This is a high speed game of chess, with collisions,” Labendz remarks. More importantly to him, anyone can do it as long as they want to. He constantly refers to the practices as being “open.” Anyone with a pair of shorts can stop by and get good exercise out of it, whether they have any interest in the game or not. “Anybody can borrow a pair of cleats, buy a $3 mouth guard and play,” Labendz states, more than once. “But it doesn’t matter if they join the team. Maybe if they come to a practice, they’ll be interested, they’ll become fans, start coming to games. It’s about building the sport.” Labendz stresses building as a main focal point to his coaching methodology; build the sport, and build up the players’ endurance and egos. He will run laps with them, because he believes that doing so will inspire the players to run even further. He jokes with the players, intermingles, and in a sense becomes one of them. He doesn’t seem so much a coach as he does a senior player who knows when to guide and how to do so. As he stands off to the sidelines, a player Photo by Nick Tardive/The Beacon yells: A few members of the rugby team during one of their weekly “Give me the ball! I need the ball!” practices held at the MCLA Athletic Complex. In response, Labendz takes the ball from his hands and Just because Coach Labendz doesn’t want total control of tosses it to the player. his team does not mean that he is a newbie to the position, “Here’s the ball,” he says grinning, “Now take a lap.” however. He has spent, according to his calculations,

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Artist Jim Shaw shares his refined history and wit at MASS MoCA By Mitchell Chapman A&E Editor

It’s okay to have a little fun every now and again. Artist Jim Shaw, creator of MASS MoCA’s “Entertaining Doubts,” exhibition, understands this, displaying a dry sense of humor as he recounted his life experiences Thursday night. “I tried being an illustrator in 1978 when there was no art market, and in California, there really, really was no art market,” Shaw, who started out by making Xerox posters for his college band, said. “So I ended up working in special effects.” Shaw’s art served as a gateway to film jobs. One of his photo manipulation pieces landed him a job during the pre-production of 2011’s “The Tree of Life,” a film that waited over 30 years to see completion. Shaw has five Imdb credits, three in the visual effects department (1982’s “Tron,” 1983’s “The Jupiter Menace,” and 1987’s “The Hidden”), and two in the animation department (1980’s “The Forbidden Zone” and 1988’s “Earth Girls Are Easy”). He also has several that the database missed, such as his involvement with “Nightmare on Elm Street 4,” which he has proclaimed as his “proudest movie credit” in an interview with fellow artist Tony Oursler. However, the ultimate direction Shaw’s career took was in fine arts, especially in series, of which MASS MoCA’s “Entertaining Doubts” is his largest. Shaw had several inspirations, including politics, dreams, and comic book artists Dick Sprang and Wayne Boring, who were active during the Golden and Silver Ages of comic books. This is evident in his many riffs on “Superman” in the exhibition, as well as his collages made up of both artist’s work. “There is lots of mimicry in my work,” Shaw admits. “I didn’t think that my life was that interesting so I tried to make an autobiography for my generation.” References are a key aspect of Shaw’s work, and “Entertaining Doubts,” definitely exemplifies this. His “The Rinse Cycle,” for instance, is heavily based off of Wagner’s Photo by Mitchell Chapman/The Beacon “The Ring Cycle,” an earlier work which he could not find the original image of. Jim Shaw presented a PowerPoint presentation about his work at Mass MoCA’s His “Dream Object” series of works are often reference-heavy, as they themselves Club B-10 Thursday night. His dry humor was met with mixed reactions. are inspired by dreams he has had, which in turn are constructed out of his past experiences and memories. “I was taken aback, but in a mix of impressiveness and shock, that Jim Shaw presented The exhibition has certainly been popular. MASS MoCA curator Denise Markonish has described it as “such a crowd pleaser since it opened in March,” though Shaw’s wit the way he did,” junior Breana Gladu said. “His monotone and nonchalant behavior was an ironic accent to his lively and unique works of art that projected behind him. has seen split opinions. “I thought it was really interesting to see how Jim Shaw was able to incorporate so Between his dry humor and seemingly unprepared presentation, I was still thoroughly many influences and references into each piece of art,” sophomore Lawrence Edwards, impressed by his amazing work.” Jim Shaw’s exhibition will remain on display through January 2016. Admission is free who attended the event for a class, said. “His tone seemed very uninterested and lacking in enthusiasm.” for MCLA students.

Fun, creepy adventure film will give you ‘Goosebumps’ Adaptation of children’s books deliver quite the spook By Rick Bentley

Tribune News Service

Photo from Sony Pictures Animation

R.L. Stine’s creepy “Goosebumps” books have created many a sleepless night for youngsters too old for Itsy Bitsy Spider but not mature enough to face a real nightmare like Freddy Krueger. The author’s wide library of works have provided a gateway for young readers headed toward scarier books. Television shows based on Stine’s books have provided the same structure for those not old enough to face the likes of “American Horror Story” or “The Strain.” The film “Goosebumps” does the same thing for horror films. An older audience may feel nostalgic for the books or get a smile out of the cornucopia of creatures that come to life. But the movie is aimed at the same youth market that embraces the books. “Goosebumps” opens like so many of Stine’s books. Average teen Zach (Dylan Minnette) moves to what appears to be a quiet little town. The teen is immediately attracted to his next door neighbor, Hannah (Odeya Rush), but is given a stern warning by her father (Jack Black) to stay away from the girl and the house. He doesn’t. Zach discovers that Hannah’s dad is Stine and the author has locked copies of all his books. When one accidentally is opened, the Abominable Snowman chases Zach, Hannah and Champ (Ryan Lee), the traditional goofy nerd who Stine loves to add to his stories. More books are opened and the group must find a

way to trap all the creatures or die trying. Director Rob Letterman finds the right tempo of terror for the ghoulish attacks. A werewolf battle in a supermarket has as many comic turns as scares. The same goes for all the other creatures, including a cemetery filled with zombies. The scariest creature is Slappy, a talking ventriloquist dummy voiced by Black. He provides a darkness to the story that lifts up the creepiness levels. Darren Lemke’s screenplay has some huge holes (such as an abandoned amusement park that still has electricity), but he manages to give time to many of the classic Stine creatures. Lawn gnomes and poodles will never look the same after this film. All that’s missing is a snack-eating canine. Minnette has the thankless job of being to this film what Fred is in the “Scooby-Doo” tales. He provides a little muscle, a slight romantic element and sets up Champ (the film’s answer to Shaggy) for comedy lines. Rush looks like she could play the sister to Mila Kunis. It’s a film that’s as much fun as it is creepy. It can’t survive under the harsh scrutiny of horror film experts, but it is mildly chilling enough to scare youngsters. “Goosebumps” is fun enough to entertain young an old.

Arts & Entertainment

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Reproduction consoles cheap but adequate Past consoles are being sold for the price of a current generation release, but have some glitches By Mitchell Chapman A&E Editor

that they come at this price for a reason. I personally own the AtGames Sega Genesis and Atari Flashback (model 6). While I do believe that each console is a great value for money, they have their faults. The Genesis has input problems. Games can be slightly blurry and the colors are a bit off. I’ve had no such problems with the Atari, though it is rather easy to corrupt what essentially is an emulation of the

In an age where $60 games have become the norm, gaming can have a strain on the average consumer. Because of this, there are many cheap but quality alternatives to the monthly “triple A” releases, including a few friendly nods from the past. AtGames, for example, has a selection o f original Atari reproduced classic consoles, classics. including the Sega Game Gear, Both systems Sega Genesis, and condensed Photos from www.atgames.us are light and feel versions of the Atari, ColecoVision, very much like a and Intellivision systems under their toy. This was somewhat of a staple of early “Flashback” line. All come with a wealth consoles, as they were sold alongside of games (usually 80-100) preloaded onto the console, and can be obtained toys and marketed towards younger for about $40 apiece, (about the price of a audiences, but it brings up durability new 3DS game) though it is worth noting concerns. The Genesis is small enough

See it now!

that it can survive a notable drop, but the elongated Atari will not survive much at all. The games, however, are fantastic. AtGames did a great job at picking (for the most part) fun and addicting sections of both systems’ libraries, though they did leave out a few key omissions (you will not see “Pac-Man” or “E.T.” for the Atari 2600 here). Nevertheless, considering the amount of games that come bundled with t h e

consoles, that is understandable. The Sega Genesis comes at a particular value, seeing as many of the games included are still being sold on the Nintendo eShop for modest prices (roughly $5 a pop). My only serious criticisms of the consoles are their lack of compatibility with original cartridges. The Atari Flashback (and this is true for all of their “Flashback” line) does not have a

slot for original system cartridges. This is due to the fact that the Flashback is a hodgepodge of all Atari consoles, though it retains the classic 2600 controllers. Their Genesis does include a cartridge slot, but does not register games that plug into each other, such as “Sonic and Knuckles,” (which they had the liberty of loading onto the console) or unlicensed games. Personally, I feel as if both were a great introduction to their respective systems. It is unfortunate that there is no sizeable equivalent for the Nintendo consoles (the closest equivalent is the “Factor-5,” which although it is sold at half the price of the AtGames reproductions, comes with only five games). For what they are charging, I highly recommend picking either system up if you have any vague interest in either, though if you have the chance, I recommend buying the originals.

Dr. Dog’s music “electric” Performers fed off each other’s vigor and created a lively atmosphere By Jarred Clapp A&E Writer

Photo from the FPA’s facebook page

When: October 15-16: 8 p.m. October 17: 2 p.m. & 8 p.m. Where: Venable Theater Tickets: $2 for MCLA students $5 for outside students $5 MCLA faculty and staff $8 MCLA alumni $12 general admission

Go online now to beacon.mcla.edu for an exclusive review of the show!

Through a sea of skinny jeans, flannels, and denim jackets psychedelic-folk band Dr. Dog flooded MASS MoCA’s concert hall with vibrant sounds to which the crowd exuberantly shuffled to. Roughly 800 attendees cheered and sang along during Dr. Dogs two hours of material. Northampton-based PsychFolk band, The Sun Parade, provided an energetic set list, jumping, dancing and singing in the roughly six feet of stage left in front of Dr. Dog’s backline. The two bands were a perfect combination, with Dr. Dog being veterans of the mash up genre of psychedelic, indie, and folk. The Sun Parade’s inspiration is a direct result of their influence on younger musicians. The Sun Parade is proving to be a rising star of the Psych-Folk genre. The concert goers varied in age. While the majority of attendees were in their early twenties, there was a substantial amount of gray beards in the audience. Dr. Dog has only been active since 1999 but draws a fan-base that crosses generations. “I‘ve attended and worked countless events at MASS MoCA as an intern and patron,” Senior Chris Handschuh said. “This entire performance experience was one for the books. The Sun Parade and, Psych-Rock champions, Dr. Dog played truly incredible sets for a strong audience of the hippest, young (and some not-soyoung)[people]. I couldn’t help but shuffle my feet and bop my head as I worked the door. The energy was scintillating.” The sense of connection within the concert hall was palpable. Not only did the performers feed off of each other’s

vigor, the listeners danced in several large groups, laughing and relishing the music and vibrations. “The show was electric,” Sophomore Erica Baretto said. “Dr. Dog’s performance undoubtedly created a lively atmosphere unlike any other. People were still dancing and grooving even after the band left the stage.” For a solid five minutes after Dr. Dog finished their set the audience, still retaining the same level of exuberance prevalent throughout the concert, stomped and cheered, finally erupting in a chorus of “One more song!” Within moments of the pleas of the concert-goers, Dr. Dog returned to the stage for another 20 minutes of music. The band played material from several of their albums, especially their most recent album B-Room released in 2013. Dr. Dog has released eight studio albums that have stretched across their decade and a half career as well as a variety of compilations, EPs and live works. Their indie-pop musical dynamic stems from influences such as classic artists The Beatles and The Beach Boys, all while retaining a sound for the modern age. “It was a unique psychedelic experience,” Baretto said. “It’s easy to see why people have been following them [Dr. Dog] from one show to the next.” The Sun Parade has recorded two albums since 2012, their more recent being “Heart’s Out,” which was released Sept. 2014. “The Sun parade exploded with nebular energy,” Handschuh said. “In a way that brought the audience to life in a collective sense. It was a communal groove.”

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Sports

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Volleyball stuns Framingham Women’s tennis Trailblazers hand Rams their first conference loss in two years, set program mark for wins in a season By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

The Volleyball team swept away the Framingham State Rams on Tuesday in Framingham, handing the Rams their first conference loss since 2013 and moving into sole possession of first place in the MASCAC. “This was a huge win for us. We clinched the number one spot in our conference and it moves us one step closer to our season goals,” senior Courtney Parent said. “Home court advantage is important and we love playing at home in front of our fans.” With the victory, MCLA sets a program record for wins in a season and are now 16-7 overall and 3-0 in MASCAC play. Framingham State falls to 17-5 on the season and had their four-match winning streak snapped. Framingham had previously won nine consecutive MASCAC matches and hadn’t lost since falling in the MASCAC Championship game to Westfield State in 2013.

The Trailblazers came out strong for the heavily hyped match, taking advantage of some Framingham errors and opening up a 19-12 lead in the opening set. The teams traded points until sophomore Chanielle Enomoto delivered a service ace to hand MCLA the set, 25-18. The second set also saw MCLA open up a 19-12 lead, but this time Framingham State remained resilient. The Rams took advantage of several MCLA attack errors and crawled within one point of the Trailblazers 23-22. Junior Allison Clark hammered home a kill off an assist from Parent to give MCLA a 24-22 lead and putting them one point away from taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match. After a Framingham timeout, all-conference outside hitter Alycia Rackliffe delivered a critical attack error to give MCLA the set, 25-22. The Trailblazers saved their best for the third and clinching set, closing out the set and the match on an 8-3 run. Senior Angelica Perfido picked up the final

kill for MCLA off of an assist by freshman Beatrice Lechler to take the third set 25-16. The tale of the set came from the teams’ respective hitting percentages. While MCLA was able to rack up 16 kills in the set and had a kill percentage of .256, Framingham only had 8 kills and had a kill percentage of just .061. The Trailblazers had a well-balanced attack, led by Clark, who had 11 kills and 17 digs. Junior Rachel Mills had 10 kills and Perfido had 9 kills and 10 digs. Parent had 16 assists and Lechler had 13. Framingham was led by Rackliffe, who had 12 kills, and Julia Wan who had 9 kills. Danielle Girard had 12 digs for the Rams, and Sarah Leonard led all players with 26 assists on the day. After a series of road matches, MCLA is back at home tonight as they host Smith College at 7 p.m. They will also host a trimatch on Saturday, starting with an early morning engagement with SUNY-Delhi at 9 am. MCLA will then continue MASCAC play against Salem State at 11 a.m.

Men’s Soccer drops two heartbreakers in final seconds By Tyler Bacon Sports Writer

second half, but the referee called offsides to keep the score tied at 2. The winning goal would come in the final seconds of the game when Mount Saint Vincent’s Pablo Tellez took a through ball and beat Anderson to make the score 3-2. With the loss, the Trailblazers move to 2-7-2 on the season. The Men’s Soccer team lost another tough game against Worcester State in overtime on Saturday by a score of 3-2. The Trailblazers jumped out to a 2-0 start when Kwadwo Kusi scored two goals in the first 30 minutes of the game. The

Trailblazers took a 2-0 lead into the half. The second half was when Worcester State answered back scoring two goals of their own to force overtime. In overtime, Worcester State’s Bryan Brasil scored the gamewinning goal just one minute and 18 seconds into the extra period. The loss moves the Trailblazers conference record to 1-3. MCLA is back in action on Saturday as they host conference opponent Massachusetts Maritime Academy with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m.

The MCLA Men’s Soccer team lost a heartbreaking game against Mount Saint Vincent by a score of 3-2 on Monday. Mount Saint Vincent scored the winning goal with just 27 seconds left in the game. The Dolphins got on the board early, scoring just a minute into the game when Joseph Llamuca found the back of the net. Mount Saint Vincent added another goal in the 18th minute when Kevin Jardines scored an incredible goal on a bicycle kick from the top of the box, just beating MCLA’s goalie Kamron Anderson, making it 2-0 early in the first half. The Trailblazers battled back and scored a goal of their own in the 34th minute when Tyler Vona sent a cross into the box, which found the head of Anthony Basile and the back of the net to make it 2-1. The goal was Basile’s eighth goal of the season. Ten minutes later, the Trailblazers tied the game when Christopher Valente scored on a cross from Sakan Sadowsky. The goal was Valente’s first of the season. The second half was a back and forth affair with both teams getting their shots in. The Trailblazers Photo by Kasey Conklin/The Beacon thought they scored the go-ahead goal late in the Trailblazer Tyler Callahan dances his way around a defender.

concludes season at Anna Maria Their season ended with a 6-7 overall record, sophomores Deaso and Sfakianaki named to all-conference teams

Photo from MCLA Athletics

Senior Kylie Dumas picked up a victory in singles play in her final match as a Trailblazer. Dumas was also named to the NAC All-Sportsmanship team.

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

The Women’s tennis team came up short in their final match of the season, falling to Anna Maria College 5-4 last Thursday in a game that was previously scheduled for Sept. 29. MCLA began the contest against the Amcats in Paxton, Mass. with a doubles competition. The Amcats took the top two doubles matches, with the team of Jessica Guatieri and Nicola Zamira defeating the top MCLA pair of sophomores Emily Deaso and Mariza Sfakianaki, 8-0. The Amcat duo of Callie Mulcahy and Marissa Leonard defeated the MCLA team of freshman Taylor Turner and sophomore Lyna Benantar, 8-2. MCLA earned a point in the number three doubles spot, as juniors Rebecca Waterhouse and Anna Despart defeated the Anna Maria team of Freya Sprous and Jessica Palmer, 8-0. In singles competition, Guatieri earned her second point of the day, defeating Deaso in the number one slot, 6-2, 7-5. Sfakianaki earned MCLA’s second point of the day, defeating Zamira in the second singles slot, 6-4, 6-3. Mulcahy defeated Turner in the third slot, 6-3, 6-2, but junior Shelby Gauthier had little trouble disposing of Marrisa Leonard, winning the fourth singles slot 6-1, 6-2. MCLA sophomore Ashley Juskhas competed against Sprous in the number five singles slot, which proved to be the most thrilling and pivotal point of the match. Juskhas took the first set,

7-5, but Sprous rallied back to take the second set, 2-6, before edging out Juskhas in the tiebreaking set, 10-8 to earn the critical fifth point for the Amcats. Senior Kylie Dumas picked up the last point for MCLA in the number six singles slot, defeating Laura Cabral 1-6, 6-4, 6-3, to earn a point in her final career match as a Trailblazer. The Trailblazers finish the season with a record of 6-7 overall and 3-4 in conference play. MCLA narrowly missed out on a birth in the North Atlantic Conference playoffs after qualifying for the tournament for the first time in program history in 2014. MCLA was supported by the strong play of Deaso, who was named to the NAC first team allconference for her season. Deaso went 9-4 overall this season, playing primarily out of the number one singles position, and went 6-1 against conference opponents. Deaso was quick to credit her teammates and her coach for her success. “I wouldn’t have made it this far without the support of my team and coach [Holly] McGovern,” Deaso said. Sfakianaki was named to the second team all-conference after going 11-1 on the season and 5-1 in NAC play, working primarily out of the number three singles position. Sfakianaki and Deaso were also named to the NAC first team all-conference as a doubles team, as they went 8-4 and 5-1 in conference play. Dumas was also named to the All-NAC Sportsmanship team for her spirited play throughout the season.

Sports

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Fair Territory

Devonte Freeman has made fantasy owners very happy through five weeks. 6. Arizona CardinalsAfter a setback last week against St. Louis, the Cardinals got back on track and blew out Detroit on the road by 25.

NFL Power Rankings By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

With the top five teams all picking up victories in Week 5, the top of the power rankings remains the same, but a litany of close games on Sunday leaves an impact on the bottom half of the rankings. 1. Green Bay PackersNew England and Green Bay are so close right now, it is really splitting hairs when it comes to anointing one superior to the other. Green Bay’s strong defensive performance over the last two weeks secures it’s position at #1. 2. New England PatriotsA calculated destruction over a depleted Cowboy’s team was expected from New England, and their ability to bottle up the Cowboy’s strong running game is a sign of improvement for one of the team’s few weaknesses. 3. Cincinnati BengalsA gritty victory over Seattle has doubters believing in Andy Dalton and Cincinnati. Dalton’s QBR of 115.6 is 31 points higher than his career average. 4. Denver BroncosIt looks like the end of the line for Peyton Manning, but once again the defense earns a victory for Denver. 5.Atlanta FalconsAnother close win over Washington has Atlanta at 5-0.

7. Carolina PanthersCarolina was on a bye week this week, allowing them to nurse their undefeated record for another week. The Panthers travel to Seattle this week, which should serve as a good indicator of where they stand in the NFC. 8. New York GiantsAfter a rough first two weeks, Eli Manning has gotten his team back on track and New York is now 3-2 and looks like the favorites in the NFC East. 9. Seattle SeahawksLosing to an undefeated team on the road, in overtime shouldn’t be that big of a knock, but Seattle was very disappointing blowing a big lead to Cincy and was shredded by Andy Dalton in the fourth quarter and overtime. 10. New York JetsThe Jets took a bye week before facing Washington this week and then New England. The Jets rank second in total defense, second in passing defense and eighth in rushing defense. 11. Pittsburgh SteelersPhysical defense and power running has held Pittsburgh together after Ben Roethlisberger went down, and with Big Ben set to come back soon, Pittsburgh remains one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC. 12. Buffalo BillsBuffalo is probably the most enigmatic team in the league, occasionally looking both dominant and incompetent. Wins over Indianapolis, Tennessee and Miami don’t exactly inspire any confidence, but much like the Jets, Buffalo has shown the ability to beat less talented teams consistently.

Golf finishes sixth By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

The golf team competed in the the two day NAC Championship Tournament over the weekend, finishing in sixth place out of eight teams competiting. The tournament was held on Saturday and Sunday and took place at the Rutland Country Club in Rutland, VT. Sophomore Nick Young led the Trailblazers, shooting a two day total of 163, finishing ninth overall in the individual championship. Young was also named to the second team All-NAC on Tuesday for his consistent play throughout the fall season. This is Young’s second major award as a member of the MCLA Golf team as last season he was named the conference

rookie of the year. Cooper Gavin and Sam Slocombe tied for 28th place with a two day cumalitive socre of 199. Senior James Clark finished 33rd with a two day score of 212 and was also named to the NAC Sportsmanship team at the end of the tournament. The tournament was won by Husson University, with Salem State, Castleton State, Maine Maritime and UMaineFarmington rounding out the top five. The individual tournament was won by Greg Martin of Husson, who shot a 144 over the two day tournament. His Eagle teammate Daulton Wickenden finished second with a score of 149. Zachary Temple of Castleton and Tyler Conigliari of Salem tied for third.

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Women’s soccer Scores falls to Worcester Men’s Soccer

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

The Worcester State Lancers scored two of their three goals in the first half and held the Trailblazers scoreless as Worcester State cruised to a 3-0 victory in North Adams on Saturday. It was the fourth straight shutout loss for MCLA and they have now gone 340 minutes of game time since their last goal, which was a Darien Sullivan strike in the 70th minute against SUNY-POLY on Sept. 23. With the loss, MCLA has now dropped ten consecutive games and has a record of 1-10 on the season and is 0-4 in the MASCAC. With the victory, Worcester State improved to 6-4-2 overall and is unbeaten in the MASCAC with a conference record of 3-0-1. MCLA had a couple chances early in the game, but were unable to find the net. In the third minute, junior back Marisa Sprague put a shot on that went wide to the left, and in the sixth minute, Sullivan put a shot on net that was saved by Lancer goalkeeper Jillian Witkowski. Worcester State started the scoring in the 20th minute, when Tsara LeBlanc scored off an assist from junior Kendal Bergenholtz. Bergenholtz lofted a cross into the box that found the head of LeBlanc for the freshman’s fifth goal of the season. In the 32nd minute, senior Alicia Macomber would finish off a beautiful cross from junior Briana Moreno for her fifth goal of the season, giving Worcester State a 2-0 lead. The Lancers would continue to assault the MCLA defense throughout the second half, but MCLA’s defense held strong for a majority of the period. The

Trailblazers had perhaps their best opportunity to score in the 74th minute on an attack that was started by junior striker Natalie Caney. Caney launched a shot that was punched away by Witkowski and rolled out of bounds for an MCLA corner kick. Freshman Lauren Mangiardi took the corner kick and, after a poor clearance by the Worcester State defense, the ball fell to senior defender Paige Fairman who took a shot that was saved again by Witkowski. Worcester State would tack on their third and final goal of the day in the 78th minute when Bergenholtz scored her third goal of the season. The goal came after a shot from sophomore Ashleigh Howard cracked off the post and the ball fell to Bergenholtz, who buried the shot and the Trailblazers’ hopes of a rally. Worcester State outshot MCLA 28-6 and held a 7-1 advantage in corner kicks. MCLA was bolstered by the strong play of junior Katy Daly, who finished the game with 12 saves on 15 shots on goal. Fairman talked about Daly’s spirited play in net after the game. “Katy has made great strides this year, and it has been evident in how hard she’s working. Having her be so active behind us, knowing she will make those saves, is reassuring and allows the team to push forward into the opposing teams defensive third,” Fairman said. The Trailblazers played Nichols College on Wednesday and are back in action this Saturday when they travel to Bourne, Mass. to take on the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers in conference play. The Bucaneers are 3-7 overall and, like MCLA, are winless in the MASCAC. Kickoff time is at 4 p.m. and the game can be seen at www.mascac.tv.

Monday, Oct. 12 MCLA vs Mount St. Vincent 3-2, L Saturday, Oct. 10 MCLA @ Worcester State 3-2, L OT Women’s Soccer Saturday, Oct. 10 MCLA vs Worcester State 3-0, L Volleyball Thursday, Oct. 8 MCLA @ Sage 3-1, L Tuesday, Oct. 13 MCLA @ Framingham State 3-0, W Women’s Tennis Thursday, Oct. 8 MCLA @ Anna Maria 5-4, L Golf Saturday, Oct. 10 MCLA @ NAC Champ. 6th Cross Country Saturday, Oct. 10 MCLA @ James Early Invit. Men: 26th Women:35th

Schedules Thursday, Oct. 15 Volleyball MCLA vs Smith College 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 Volleyball MCLA vs SUNY-Delhi 9 am MCLA vs Salem State 11 am Cross Country MCLA @ Western New England Invitiational Women Start: 10:30 a.m. Men Start: 11:15 a.m. Men’s Soccer MCLA vs Mass. Maritime 1 p.m. Women’s Soccer MCLA @ Mass. Maritime 4 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21 Men’s Soccer MCLA vs Montclair State 3 p.m.

Opinion

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

“Do you follow the presidential campaign? And if so, what do you think of Donald Trump running for president?”

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“Donald Trump is using the want people have for honesty to get elected. I don’t think people will only look at honesty.” -John Kelly, 2019

“*Laughs* I really don’t like him. I was afraid my dad was going to vote for him since he is really conservative but even he isn’t voting for him. People think he has a possibility of winning because he talks a lot but I don’t think it is going to happen. I don’t want it.” -Kaitlyn “Kai” Holl, 2019

“I don’t think he should be president. Bernie Sanders! It won’t solve all problems no matter who we choose, we need better, more social reform.” -Sam Resendes, 2019

“I think the things I think about Donald Trump aren’t appropriate for a school newspaper.” -Jacob Fennell, 2016

Health & Fitness

Bigger than biceps The century to be knowledgeable

By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor in Chief

This past weekend I went home for Columbus Day weekend, after I experienced my first Comic Con convention in New York City. After the madness, I went home and did the annual apple picking and pumpkin carving shenanigans with my family. At the same time, my boyfriend’s aunt and uncle from St. Louis, Mo. were in town, so I spent some time with them as well. We took some day trips and I got to know them better. His aunt used to run a fitness center for 15 years while his uncle was an anthropology professor and now is the vice president of a large hospital. Before I knew this, I witnessed his aunt bring her own sweetener to dinner to essentially make lemonade with lemon water. The next day, she made her daily concoction of diluted diet Mountain Dew for a caffeine fix. At first I was confused as to

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“I think he promises change which Americans are looking for. Americans are apathetic to change thinking that’s what he would do rather than understanding that we have to do the work ourselves.” -Zach Benjamin 2019

over here preaching the health and fitness lifestyle. That’s why I’m mad. There are millions of sources out there that inform us on the good and bad things in life, and while you shouldn’t believe everything you read online, to a certain extent you should; that is, by researching credible sources. If a little bit of soda-water is your source of caffeine, fine, but only if you’ve tried drinking water or black coffee and decided it would kill you if you continued. What this comes down to is if you haven’t tried to nurture your body

At first I was confused as to why a smart woman, with three children and years of experience and wisdom, would be consuming the poison that is soda and artificial sweeteners. it may be hard to determine this about an individual.Now, you might be thinking, why does this connection matter? Well, with my preconceived notions, I was having a fit, because this is the century of knowledge of harmful sugars and other processed foods. I was dumbfounded, just like I am when I see people in line at fast food drive-thru windows. It’s kind of like, don’t you watch Netflix documentaries or read health articles? Even the ridiculous ones that tell you all the foods that you should stop eating because too much of it can be dangerous. Aren’t you aware? Wake up, people! While people continue to shorten their life-spans with poor eating habits, I’m sitting

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Photos compiled by Tiearra Henson why a smart woman, with three children and years of experience and wisdom, would be consuming the poison that is soda and artificial sweeteners. However, once I learned of her work history and her husband’s professions, I wasn’t as befuddled. She knew what she was doing to her body without me having to give a health spiel at dinner. Until I took the time to have an in-depth conversation with her, I wouldn’t have known that she and her husband had a health background. In general,

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and consume bad things, then you’re just choosing bad habits. On the other hand, if you have tried a healthy lifestyle and it didn’t work, then try again or be happy and comfortable. My boyfriend’s aunt knows all about a healthy lifestyle by being immersed in it through her job at the fitness center, and now she chooses her bad habits. For the record, I commend her on at least diluting the soda and splitting the portion, because usually a bottle is two servings, when most consume it in one sitting. I urge you to learn about how to keep your body alive in the most efficient way as possible for as long as possible. That’s why I’m here to help and choose to spread the word to

the people who still eat white bread and rice (but seriously, whole wheat tastes better). This stuff should be common sense by now. Some suggested Netflix documentaries: “Forks Over Knives,” “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead,” “Fed Up,” and a book I read last semester, In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. He’ll be at Williams College on Oct. 20 and I HIGHLY suggest you attend, because it’s free!

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

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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

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Announcements, Events, & Opinion

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Check it Out!

Beacon.MCLA.edu

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENTS

Upcoming events on campus

REFUNDS WILL BE OCCURRING SOON!!

Thursday, Oct. 15 Resume Workshop Campus Center 324A 4 p.m.- 6 p.m.

CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE AND STUDENT ACCOUNTS IN ELDRIDGE HALL TO MAKE SURE YOUR REQUIREMENTS ARE COMPLETE!! ***************** CHECK OUT THE WEEKLY SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY IN THE ‘STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS’ IN YOUR COLLEGE EMAIL!!

Q&A with Joy Reid Murdock Hall 218 5 p.m.- 5:45 p.m. Hardman Lecture Joy Reid Church Street Auditorium 7 – 8 p.m. Dog Sees God Venable Auditorium 8 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 16

Wayne Soars QandA Murdock Conference Reception Room 218 3 p.m.- 4:30 p.m.

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How to Ace an Interview Sullivan Lounge 4-6 p.m. Dog Sees God Venable Auditorium 8 p.m.

Don’t forget to “like” us on Facebook

Family Carnival Venable Gym 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Dog Sees God Venable Auditorium 8 p.m.

The

“Berkshire's Best Burger” 3 Furnace Street North Adams, MA (413) 662-6547

Offer Valid Until 12/31/2015, Limit One Per Customer

Sunday, Oct. 18

Sam Gomez Race intersection of Church St. and Prospect St. Check in 9:30 a.m. race starts at 11:30 a.m. Berkshire Food Festival Main Street 12-4 p.m.

FOR A Burger, ApPEtizer, or entree

Freight Yard Pub

Saturday, Oct. 17

Off Coupon

NO CARD MINIMUMS M-W: 7:30am - 10:00pm Th&F: 7:30am - 11:30pm Sat: 9:30am - 11:30pm

Dine-In and Take-Out menu online. Gift Certificates & Discount Programs Available

www.TheParlorCafe.com fb.com/TheParlorCafe (413) 346-4279

DIVE INTO THE ART OF NONFICTION

Wind-Up Fest Friday, October 16 HUNTER CENTER $10 FOR 2 AFTERNOON EVENTS, 2:30pm & 3:30pm $10 FOR 1 EVENING EVENT, 7:30pm

Visit wind-up.org for the full schedule of events taking place October 15–18

TICKETS: massmoca.org or 413.662.2111

87 Marshall Street, North Adams, Mass.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Photo Essay

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Colorful leaves blanket the ground as the trees change.

Changing Colors

P ho t o s by E l i z ab e t h Q u i rk

Students walk through the changing foliage on campus.

This tree outside the Science Center is a mix of orange and green.

The view above the parking lot across from Murdock Hall has a lot of color.

This tree beside Venable Hall is always one of the first to shed its leaves.