Fall 2015-Issue 12

For more content, visit online at: Beacon.MCLA.edu

Beacon@MCLA.Edu 413-662-5535 Mark Hopkins Room 111

Volume 81 ◆ Issue 12

Th u r s d ay, D e c e m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 1 5

Birge and Ray ‘Tis the season finalists for next president

The Board of Trustees will meet tonight at 5 p.m. in Murdock 218 to vote for MCLA’s next president

By Nick Swanson Co-Editor-in-Chief

The Board of Trustees has narrowed candidates in the College’s presidential search from five to two, and will make a final decision this evening.

The trustee meeting tonight will conclude the unexpectedly long search to name the twelfth president of the College. The final selection will be recommended to the Board of Higher Education for its approval. The meeting tonight is open to the public and scheduled to take place in Murdock Hall room 218 at 5 p.m.

Presidential search candidates James F. Birge and S. Alan Ray were named as final candidates during an open session conducted by the Executive Committee of the Trustees on Thursday, Dec. 3.

The Board of Trustees chose the finalists from a field of three other candidates, which included Scott R. Furlong, Andrew Rogerson, and Mary Alexander.

James F. Birge explained a number of service learning and experiences in the community that brought him down the career path he chose today.

“In the fall of 1991, I was driving to work more and more when I recognized I was seeing people on the side of the road with signs stating ‘will work for food’ and those people were increasingly women and children,” Birge said, during a Q&A session on Nov. 17.

He became more interested in the effects of poverty within the community, leading him to volunteer for a homeless shelter in downtown Denver, Colo. This experience was most significant in leading him to concentrate on ways to teach students about these types of societal problems, he said.

Birge was chosen and worked

for five years as coordinator for the center for service at Regis University in Denver. He then moved and was employed at the Pennsylvania Campus Compact, where he suggested the necessity of service learning to 64 college presidents and found opportunities for their students, he said.

Dr. Birge served as interim president at Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, W.Va. from 2006 to 2007.

Birge currently serves as interim president at Marygrove College in Detroit, Mich. and formerly was president at Franklin Pierce University in Rindge, N.H., from 2009 to 2015.

In June, S. Alan Ray, left Elmhurst College in Elmhurst, Ill. after serving seven years as the institution’s president. Ray’s background is supported by his extensive roles in leadership and culture. According to Ray, it has become important to enhance diversity, equality, and student engagements on a college campus.

He has taught undergraduate and graduate level courses as an adjunct professor at schools including Boston College, Elmhurst College, Harvard Law and Divinity Schools, and the University of New Hampshire in Durham.

“I enjoy very much working with students whether it’s casually or more formally through the SGA,” Ray said, during a Q&A session on Nov. 19. At Elmhurst he also has taken part in several events on campus such as friendly flash mobs, the ice bucket challenge, and sporting events, he said.

Ray is a national speaker and writer on Native American issues, higher education, and religious pluralism. He is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation with a prominent focus on federal Indian Law and Native American Culture.

facebook.com/ MCLABeacon

By Idalis Foster

more comfortable for all.”

On rosters, once a preferred name is changed, that is the only name that will show up on college documents, making it easier for students to avoid telling each individual faculty member about their name. Pronouns, however, have only been addressed on the health services’ form, for health services purposes only.

“I think health and counseling services is one of the only places I truly feel included in the administration on campus,” Fox said. “Of course the system isn’t perfect, but I think Health and Counseling services are leading by example of how the LGBT students deserve to be treated by the rest of the parts of our community.”

Other topics brought up by students on campus included gender neutral restrooms, one which was mentioned during the presidential candidate student sessions. According to Brown, the topic is already being thought about by administration.

Specifically, actions have been taken in Bowman Hall to make progress toward gender neutral restrooms.

“The only thing that keeps a gender neutral bathroom from being one is the signage,” Brown said. “So for example, in [some buildings] there are ‘SingleUse’ bathrooms. We’re going to making some signage changes so that they just say restrooms, and most restrooms have handicapped accessible locks.”

Arts & Entertainment

Sports

Toys for Tots accepting donations until the Dec. 12

Everything you need to know about Star Wars VII

Shewcraft to retire after 38 years of coaching and teaching

Page 3

Page 8

Page 11

News 2-7 Features 5 Arts & Entertainment 8-10 Sports 11-13 Campus Comment 14 Opinion 15 Photo Essay 16

WHO MCLA’S NEW PRESIDENT WILL BE

THEBEACON_MCLA

New form makes it easier for students to change names their name and pronouns correctly used in classes and through other academic services, but now Health Services has made it easier for students to change their information with them as well. Another form is now available through their offices, which was put out this past Friday, for students to change how health services personnel refer to them.

“There was further request from students to be able to have a student ID reissued, so that’s what prompted the latest change,” Brown said. “They’ll now get an e-mail back from the Registrar’s Office and they can take that e-mail to Public Safety. Public Safety is now prepared to use that to rerun their student ID with their preferred first name on it.”

With the new ID, students can also reshoot their photo if they feel that it does not match up with their preferred name or pronoun.

Generally, students are pleased by this update, but some woud like faculty and administration to take it upon themselves to ask about one’s preferred name and pronoun, rather than placing that responsibility on the student.

“I would like to see a change in the attitude of some of the faculty,” sophomore Samwise Fox said. “I’ve heard stories about pronouns being ignored and names not being used. It’s made me afraid to approach professors, and I would like to see a change in how they address their students as to make the learning environment

VISIT THE BEACON.MCLA.EDU TONIGHT TO FIND OUT

twitter.com/

Photo courtesy of Photo Club

North Adams had its downtown tree lighting ceremony on Nov. 25. One tree on each end of Main St. lights up downtown.

News

Senior News Editor An updated process for changing a name on school records to the preferred name and pronouns was rolled out on Monday Nov. 30 by the Registrar’s Office. Students can now have their preferred name on Self Service Banner, Canvas, and class rosters.

This initiative was worked on by a number of groups and departments on campus, from Student Affairs to the Queer Student Union. Ultimately, it was Academic Affairs that took it to the Registrar and Computing Services to make sure the changes in names and pronouns would go smoothly and quickly.

“We talked to Computing Services to make sure that all the boring but necessary work of coding was worked out,” Cindy Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs, said. “Because if the computer systems don’t work, then it doesn’t matter what you put on the form, it’s not going to go to where it is supposed to go correctly.”

The new part of the process is an official form, but it also outlines what is changed. This includes advisee listings, housing and class rosters, electronic directories, mid-term evaluations and final grade submissions. The form can be found in the Registrar’s Office and is fairly straightforward.

Not only can a student have

2

Campus News

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Check it Out!

Upcoming events on campus

Thursday, Dec. 10 Board of Trustees meeting to decide MCLA’s president Murdock Hall 218 5 p.m.

Friday, Dec. 11 Free Skate Friday’s Peter Foote Veterans Memorial Skating Rink 1267 Church St. 8 - 10 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 12 Free Movie Showing: The Polar Express North Adams Movie Plex 11 a.m.

Free Trivia The Parlor Café 303 Ashland St. 5 - 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13 Houghton Mansion Holiday Family Bazaar 172 Church St. 9 - 3 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 14 Library Open Late during Finals Week MCLA Freel Library Open until 2 a.m.

Last Day of Finals: Dec. 18

Tuesday, Dec. 15 STEM Educators Conference Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation 8:30 - 3 p.m.

Campus Police Logs have been moved to Page 11

Beacon.MCLA.edu

SGA approves three of 17 club constitutions

By Harmony Birch Managing Editor

Despite a few setbacks this semester due to resignations on the executive board, SGA tied up their last meeting with three fully approved constitutions, and a number of successful changes being enacted by college committees.

“I completely understand that there’s a big hiccup due to the resignation of Rachel Durgin [the previous SGA parliamentarian],” President Allie Kadell said of constitution approval, “but this process would have taken this long anyways.”

SGA Parliamentarian, Tyler Spencer, started his time in office with a backlog of 17 club constitutions. After only three weeks since the Constitution Committee’s return, three of those constitutions have been fully

approved (a process that takes at least three weeks to accomplish).

Psychology Club, Student Activities Council (SAC), and Biology Club were all approved with nine votes in support of the constitutions and four abstains.

Both the Student Veterans Association and the Photography Club have been approved by the SGA Eboard and will be voted on by the senate at the beginning of next semester. Both Biology Club and SAC had student representatives present during the meeting. No one was present from Psychology Club.

“I want to thank you guys for coming out because I think it’s important that the clubs maintain a relationship with SGA,” Parliamentarian Spencer said to the club representatives.

Budget status for inactive clubs uncertain During open discussion, there were some questions regarding club budget. New clubs do not receive budgets until they’ve been in operation for a year.

Both Biology Club and SAC were renewing their constitutions, but Psychology Club was reapplying for club status after having gone inactive. Psychology Club was inactive for over three semesters, therefore it is treated as a new

club and has to apply for a new budget as well as a constitution.

Meeting to vote on new president today Student trustee, Nick Hernigle, reminded everyone that the board of trustees will be voting today on the College’s new president at 5 p.m. in Murdock 218. Everyone is welcome to attend the meeting.

The two candidates that are being considered are Dr. Alan Ray and Dr. James Birge. If you have an opinion you have not voiced yet, make sure to speak to Nick Hernigle before the meeting.

Special elections start right away next semester SGA will start right away next semester on Jan. 25. Special elections will be open the day classes start, Jan. 20. Those looking to run should submit nomination forms by Feb. 3. If Primary elections are needed, they will be held on Feb. 10 and final elections will be the following week. Otherwise final elections will be held Feb 10.

New class to be added to physics curriculum A new class will be added to Physics Department called the Physics of Superheroes, according to Senator Tim Williams and

Senator Shannon Esposito. The two reported that the curriculum committee had made changes to the physics major curriculum, including the addition of the new class.

“Lately we’ve been discussing core curriculum and how tier one, two, and three relate to everything,” Williams said.

Common Hours under review The Academic Policy Committee requested All College create an Ad Hoc committee to look into common time hours to see if they should be changed, according to Senator Evan Pirnie.

Open Source textbooks still a possibility Though the topic has not been mentioned for a few weeks at SGA meetings, President Kadell reminded senators that the open source issue was still being discussed. The Student Affairs Committee has been discussing how to proceed.

“The committee has been talking about doing some cosponsorship with SGA and providing some educational materials for students and faculty,” Kadell said.

RPS initiates message center for students Center will provide more event information to students

By Joseph Carew Staff Writer

Construction has been approved and started for the Message Center in the townhouse residence area so students can have easier access to event postings and flyers.

This idea was formed by the Residential Programs and Services (RPS) Advisory Board, and though construction around the E-Block townhouses began in November, the project has come to a halt for the moment. A rectangular cement pad remains circled by some fencing as RPS waits for the final parts of the Message Center to be delivered.

“The idea of the Message Center was conceived by the RPS

“On one hand, I can see how it is convenient. But I also think it is unnecessary.”

-- Britney Blevins

Advisory Board,” said Dianne Manning, the RPS Director, in an email. “The Message Center will be used by the Townhouse RA Staff, the Townhouse Residence Director, and the Townhouse Advisory Board as a site to advertise events and other information that is important to communicate to the residents of the townhouses.”

As described by Manning, the Message Center has been

constructed elsewhere and will be installed on the cemented location upon its arrival.

The new Message Center will serve a similar purpose to the locations around the campus where flyers and posters are hung. What makes this new construction different is how close it will be to the townhouses, and its presence outside.

“That’s pretty convenient,” sophomore Yamiles Urena said.

Manning also mentioned that the cost of the Message Center will come out of the Residence Hall Trust Fund.

“On one hand, I can see how it is convenient,” senior Britney Blevins said. “But I also think it is unnecessary.”

Blevins went on to point out the numerous other places that fulfill a similar task, like the Greenhouse, and numerous corkboards within the major buildings on campus.

The townhouse residence area was constructed in the 1970s and is named after MCLA’s sixth president, Andrew S. Flagg, who presided over the school from 1966 to 1969.

Weekend Weather Thursday, December 10

Friday, December 11

Saturday, December 12

Sunday, December 13

Morning Showers High: 53° Low: 41° Precip. Chance: 60%

Partly Cloudy High: 57° Low: 39° Precip. Chance: 10%

Partly Cloudy High: 56° Low: 45° Precip. Chance: 10%

Scattered Showers High: 57° Low: 46° Precip. Chance: 50%

3 Townhouse RA and Veteran City-wide parking Affairs collect Toys for Tots ban still an issue among students With the holiday season upon us, students are taking to collecting various donations for causes special to them Campus News

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

By Torin Gannon

By Idalis Foster

“After wrapping them and putting them out, I got an email that the Veterans Affairs office was already planning on doing a Toys for Tots drive. I felt so bad!”

O’Connor said. “But after meeting with Louis, it turns out we just helped each other a great deal.

Spencer’s office was also a huge help in giving me ideas and help when I needed it.”

students to ask for advice, and he can connect them with the right resources and community organizations.

Around this time of year, “Any club or entity can put people start to think about what together a drive,” Moser said. “I they grateful for, and about those just make sure similar drives are who are less fortunate than them. not happening and connect them To give back, students often with community partners. I’m participate in or start up clothing more of a conduit for it.” and food drives to donate to the The Hunger and Homelessness local community.

Campaign, which Toys for Tots just ended before is one of those Thanksgiving Break, drives, and is a was successful collaboration according to b e t w e e n Moser, due to its sophomore overwhelming support Clare O’Connor from multiple groups and the Veterans of students. He stressed Affairs office. that there are great For O’Connor, drives and campaigns getting involved not directly connected this way was a to the Center for no-brainer.

Service, but the center “I really love occasionally advises to the holidays and give students an idea of really admire the community needs.

Toys for Tots,” Sophomore Sychiah O’Connor said.

Johnson just finished “I remember a drive on Dec. 4 that being a kid and being so excited Photo courtesy of Josephine McDonald she was involved in for Christmas One of multiple boxes in the residence halls, this one is in through Reach MA, a morning.

If the Townhouse Greenhouse aside boxes of food, clothing, non-profit that benefits and helps people escape together, as a and canned goods for a different drive. abuse. The drive was community, we open for all donations can provide that Aramark, the Follett Bookstore, of canned foods, school supplies, to children who otherwise may not have it, it [will be] a successful and Alyssa Spano, Resident and other items. This was an Director of Berkshire Towers, effort made by SAAC, the Student holiday season.”

Originally, O’Connor reached were more than happy to give Athletes Advisory Council, to out to the Center for Service in boxes to use for the campaign. It give back to a non-profit this year.

“I think community service Student Affairs to learn how to ends Dec. 12 and the residence students and their organize the Toys for Tots drive. hall with the most toys donated helps She realized the process was will receive a surprise during community by bringing it together,” Johnson said. “When easier than expected, and filled finals week.

Spencer Moser, coordinator students are out doing good things out a Community Development form for Resident Director, of Center for Service and in the community, the community Troy Heffron, She then spoke to Citizenship, emphasized that might be more inclined to go on Spencer Moser for advice before he doesn’t run the drives put on campus for events and support around this time, but students the students.” setting up boxes. do. His door is always open for Senior News Editor

a plan in place, they should be looking for a place to park off the Staff Writer street.”

Baker advises students to be It’s that time of year again when aware of weather reports, because the parking ban is back in effect, bad weather can get them a fine and the North Adams police are instead of just a warning. reminding people to keep the Interim Chief of Public Safety, streets clear in the early morning Offi cer Dan Colonno, said that hours. students who live off -campus on The ban is in effect from Nov. Blackinton and Montana St. are 1 to April 30, and during this time residents, including MCLA under compliance with the ban, students, are asked not to park and should look to their landlord on the street between 1 a.m. and for alternative parking. He added that students’ 6 a.m. over-night N o r t h “When this time of guests are also Adams Police year rolls around and subject to this Lieutenant, the overnight parking rule and must William Baker, comply. stated that the ban takes effect, it really “ W h e n ban is placed taxes the already limited this time of to make sure year rolls that snow parking” around and plows and salt Dan Colonno the overnight trucks are able parking ban to keep streets takes effect, safe, and to it really taxes the already limited ensure that residents’ cars don’t parking, ” Colonno said in an get plowed in. email.

Those in violation of the ban Blackinton Street resident Zoe can face a fine of $20, or a fine of Dupont said the ban has created $30 if they are impeding ice or some diffi culty in the past. She snow removal. Cars can also be noted that during this time of towed or booted, which comes year, she and her housemates have with additional fees. to park in their back yard, leaving Baker stated that at this time, little room for additional people.

NAPD officers are trying to be a “If I want a friend to come up, little more forgiving with those in they have no place to park, and violation of the ban, with many officers opting to place orange in our back yard we only have so warning tickets on vehicles many spots open,” Dupont said.

Colonno offers his sympathies, instead of fines. but reminds students of their “We try to give as much leeway responsibilities. as we can through the holiday “It is a difficult process that we season, because we really don’t have to work through and while want to inconvenience people,” it is frustrating to our campus Baker said. community, the burden of finding Baker added that students parking for those who do not have should know they can still be a permit is ultimately up to the ticketed for violating the ban. individual, ” he said.

“Right now we’re handing out Visit northadams-ma.gov for warnings, but that can change more info on the ban. at any time,” Baker said. “So if [students] don’t already have

Transfer students from NY transition with ease Students are now guaranteed to have all their credits and current major transferred over to MCLA

By Joseph Carew Staff Writer

MCLA has developed a new program aimed at simplifying the transfer process for associate’s degree graduates from State Universities of New York (SUNY) schools.

New York residents wishing to transfer to MCLA from another institution where they have earned their associate’s degree (along with a 2.5 GPA) will have guaranteed admission to the major of their choice, be able to transfer over any credits (up to 60) if they have the degree from a SUNY, and will receive the New York reduced tuition rate.

“This [program] allows any New York student with an associate’s degree from a SUNY campus…to come in with guaranteed transfer ability of credits and jump right into their selective major at MCLA,” said Gina Puc, director of Admissions.

In essence, the program dissolves the border between Massachusetts and New York, thus making transferring from a New York State school akin to transferring from one in Massachusetts.

“There have been some efforts in the Massachusetts State University system… that had developed programs like the Mass. transfer program,” Puc said.

“Which is basically what we are doing here with the New York students.”

A participating student will enter MCLA as if it was their third academic year. The majority of their core requirements will be completed, but a physical education course,

as well as a senior level capstone class, will still be required of them.

“Transfer students are a growing population,” Puc added. “Most statistics show nationwide that almost 30 percent of students will transfer at some point in their academic career.”

According to MCLA’s website, 17 percent of the 2015 enrollment was from New York State. Director Puc made no mention of any specific numerical goals for the program. “[There are] no specific goals, [but] because of our New York tuition reduction program, almost a quarter or so of our

“Most statistics show nationwide that almost 30 percent of students will transfer at some point in their academic career” - Gina Puc

students currently at MCLA are from New York State,” Puc said. “We hope to grow a little bit of the New York transfer population, obviously, because we already have the program in place with Massachusetts.”

Puc explained that this program focuses on streamlining a process of transferring that had once been complex.

“I am totally confident in the fact that if this program was around, I would definitely have taken advantage of it for sure,” Junior Alexis Valentin said when asked about the program in an email. “It’s offering a lot to New York students, and it’s great because I know when I transferred here, it was a lot to transition to. I think this program is an excellent way for not only getting help financially, but also academically, as credit transfers from New York are a super tricky thing.”

4

Campus News

Thursday, December 11, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Campus Center pool allows for a wide range of practices

Students can take Physical Education classes in the pool as well as host kayaking or paddle board events

By Makayla Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor-In-Chief

Some people use it for muscle rehabilitation, the community uses it for swim classes, but most students aren’t aware that the Amsler Campus Center has weekly open swim hours.

The campus center pool was built in 1971 and costs $26,030 to operate a 45 foot by 75 foot facility for fiscal year ‘15, according to vice president of Administration and Finance, Larry Behan.

Changes since its establishment include an additional three feet in 1996 to meet National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulations.

Pool supervisor, Adam Hildabrand, appoints the lifeguards and says the space is in need of improved paint and updated lighting.

“It’s free of use to the MCLA Community, the water quality is very good, and it’s unique to the college,” he said. “It is a resource and we are at an institution with

limited resources. If we get rid of it, we would never get one again; it would be gone forever.”

He said that with the renovated Centennial Room design, there’s much less foot traffic passing the pool, making students less aware of its presence.

One lifeguard, junior Andrew Haier, claims the pool has seen more usage since he started working there two years ago.

“Students regularly use the pool, but there is a small amount of students that [do],” he said. “I think [the pool] is a good asset to the college because we can use it for events put on by SAC, or other groups on campus, and we can also rent it out to groups in the community. A local cerebral palsy group utilizes the pool regularly and that is a great community outreach opportunity.”

He said if the school decided to add an intercollegiate swim team, it would be more cost effective than adding a new sport like lacrosse.

“We already maintain the pool, so adding a team would not cost

the school more,” Haier said.

Aside from the community’s attendance at the pool, students can enroll in a one credit physical education course for scuba diving.

“It was really rad. It was a really fun class,” senior Cody Gawle said. “I paid a relatively cheap price to be scuba certified, because I was already going to Miami around the same time the trip was offered.”

Gawle took scuba diving Photo by Makayla-Courtney McGeeney/The Beacon his sophomore year and said The Campus Center pool hosts a variety of activities including scuba there’s several certification diving classes , paddle boarding, and swimming lessons for the options. For the class he took, community. there was an option to take a trip to Miami to get certified, Besides the campus center 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. Mon. through but Gawle was already headed pool at the community’s disposal, Fri. Open swim/lap swim is from down south. the Northern Berkshire YMCA 10:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sat., and “The original class is paying presents a variety of swim lessons from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. on Sun. to use the equipment, which is and classes in their facility, Open swim hours at the campus around $300 or $400, and the including aqua cardio power, center pool run from 6 p.m. until certification is around $1,000 to cardio walking, and deep water 9 p.m. Sun. through Thurs., with take a trip,” he said. aerobics, according to ymcanb. family swim on Sunday’s from 1 Other events the pool hosts org. p.m. until 3 p.m. include paddle boarding and The YMCA’s pool is open from kayaking.

Commentary

Core classes lack women studies focus

By Allie Martineau Special to the Beacon

The Introduction to Women’s Studies class should be a part of MCLA’s core curriculum because the concepts and perspectives presented to students make them better-rounded individuals with a critical eye for culture.

Part of a liberal arts education is taking core classes in a range of subjects to broaden a student’s knowledge with different opportunities for learning. A student can end up taking a class to fill a requirement that does not benefit them at all, but women’s studies offers something for everyone in a range of subjects while also teaching the student about themselves and the world.

The course catalog describes the women’s studies minor and classes offered at MCLA as focusing on seeing traditional disciplines from a feminist perspective, developing an interdisciplinary understanding of women’s experiences and accomplishments, and explores the way gender is culturally, socially and historically constructed.

As an interdisciplinary field it has roots in society, sociology, psychology, history, science, philosophy, and more.

It fits perfectly into the goals of the core curriculum by teaching varied knowledge, skills and experiences graduates need to be successful.

Instead of Introduction to Women’s Studies or women’s studies classes like Culture and the Body fitting into branches of the core requirements like Self and Society or Human Heritage, Introduction to Women’s Studies could be its own requirement. It would be adding another class to the current core requirements, but it could replace the language arts requirement, because language arts is not as relevant to as many students as writing, computing technology, or women’s studies. Students can still study a language as an elective.

The class looks at culture and society from a feminist perspective, but better than that it teaches intersectionality,

a view that takes into account overlapping and intersecting identities and systems that help a person understand that at school, at work or anywhere, another person’s experiences and identity may not be like their own, and they are based on many different factors working together.

It’s important to learn the differences between sex, gender and sexuality, how culture constructs aspects of gender, and for students to know that their experiences and privilege may not be the same as someone else’s. Students should learn these differences and why they exist, and know how to listen to the experiences of others with an open mind and the right vocabulary.

As Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies Karen Cardozo says when she teaches the class, Introduction to Women’s Studies is not easy because it is impossible to only introduce it; the concepts covered are not easily understood or swallowed without hard work, and the class covers a wide range of topics in a short amount of time. The class challenges the way a student sees the world, themselves, and other people.

The great thing about women’s studies is that unlike some other classes students have to take for the core, it applies to everyone and everything. It is relevant, and it is only getting more relevant. More and more Americans are educating themselves about race, class and LGBTQIA+ issues as these issues become more visible in media, and we all need to work to be aware and educated. This education applies with family, peers, at school, today, after graduation, and in the work force.

To prepare students for the world and help them become the wisest and most experienced they can be before graduation, Introduction to Women’s Studies should be added to the core curriculum. As feminist author and activist Bell Hooks wrote in her book Feminism is for Everybody, “Feminist thinking teaches us all, especially, how to love justice and freedom in ways that foster and affirm life.”

160 local third graders visit several areas of the College

By Torin Gannon Staff Writer

A crowd of excited third graders await to enter an inflatable planetarium as Professor Paul Allen tells them all about the stars.

This was all a part of the program, “Third Grade Goes to College.” This program brought over 160 third grade students to MCLA’s campus. The students came in from Brayton, Sullivan, and Greylock elementary, as well as Clarksburg School and St. Stanislaus Kostka School.

“Our goal is to raise the aspirations of young students in the community so they know that they too can go to college someday,” said Program Coordinator Sue Ducet.

Through various workshops, the students are given a taste of what they can learn on campus. Using lab equipment, completing experiments, doing performance workshops in the dance complex, and going inside the aforementioned planetarium were just

some of the activities students were able to participate in.

“They are all smiles,” Ducet said, regarding the kids’ reactions to the program.

The students’ teachers also enjoy the program. Kira O’Brien, a teacher from St. Sranislaus, agreed that the students were really enjoying their time on campus, and that it had left a mark on those who were in the program last year.

“They kind of know about [MCLA] already and once they get here and do the fun activities, they get even more interested,” O’Brien said.

Professor Paul Allen, who had been running the star lab workshop, also enjoyed working with the young students.

“The enthusiasm I see out of these kids is unbelievable,” Allen remarked happily.

This is the fourth year that MCLA has hosted the program. It was made possible through the Berkshire United Way and Berkshire Compact for Education.

Follow The Beacon on Instagram and Twitter!

NO CARD MINIMUMS

mclabeacon

@TheBeacon_MCLA

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

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Features

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Theatre students use talents to raise awareness

By Nick Tardive Features Writer

Theater majors Viv Valdez and Cory Flood participated in MCLA’s Hunger and Homelessness Week for the first time this year. They are both taking the “Exploring Leadership” Capstone class, and were required to participate in an event that would give them leadership experience.

“We were both experiencing it together,” Flood said, “That’s actually why we worked together because neither of us had any idea what we were doing.”

MCLA’s Hunger and Homelessness Week is a project that puts on drives to collect non-perishable foods and “gently used” clothing that volunteers then help prepare and give out to those in need. The project is headed by the school’s Center for Service and Citizenship and aided by the Women’s Center and MassPIRG. “In theater, we entertain our audience,” Valdez said, explaining how she believed theater and community service are linked, “and I feel like entertaining people gives them happiness and some kind of satisfaction, and I get that same satisfaction from helping people with community service.”

Flood and Valdez teamed up to lead groups of students on campus in what Flood called “events” aimed at raising

awareness, in addition to food and clothing. His job was to undertake the “Chalk Statistic” project, which involved researching statistics on homelessness and starvation.

“I just gathered as many volunteers as I could and we took a few days, found the statistics and wrote them up,” Flood said. “We had to keep redoing it though because it of course it would rain every day. Like, there goes all that work.”

The satisfaction that comes from community service may not always be obvious; with theater, one is delivering happiness up front. Actors are the center of attention, and their names are often known to the audience in attendance.

When it comes to community service, it is not necessary for the volunteers to receive praise.

“I can say we almost all play a part,” Flood said, almost rolling his eyes. “You are an actor in a show, you are one of the gears that makes a show work. If you’re a volunteer in a can drive you’re also a gear spurring it along. The more you do, the more you get.”

Valdez claimed that the project was very successful this year. She and Flood worked together in recruiting volunteers and raising awareness not just around Berkshire County, but around the world.

“I want to travel and be able to do community service in other places,” Valdez said. “I’ve been looking into it, and the Peace Corps has different elements. One option is

5

going to another country and helping the children in local communities and schools.”

Her first foray into community service was what got her to keep an open mind to volunteering for Hunger and Homelessness Week. Valdez described herself as being “forced” to participate in community service through a leadership program she was a part of. She had to help replant crops and help weeding.

“The look on the family, their faces when they saw all the work we had done, that was the satisfaction that made me realize I really wanted to help people,” Valdez said.

One of the most important things that Flood drew from his time working in the Hunger and Homelessness Week effort is his overall awareness of the situation. Doing research for his “Chalk Statistics” project has opened his eyes to the severity of the problem in a way that he says he probably wouldn’t have been otherwise. He also believes that the chalk statistics was a great way to make other people aware of the situation as well.

“I definitely think the chalk is a very subtle way to do it, you know, everybody walks around the campus and most people keep their heads down because making eye contact is really weird,” Flood said, “And if you see it and get caught by the statistic you say, “Oh what’s this? I’ve already read half of it, maybe I’ll read all of it”, and even if they don’t do anything about it, it’s good because they’re more aware.”

Puerto Rico native embraces cultural change

By Gionna Nourse

Ricans speak Spanish, have their own flag, and of course their own drinking age. Despite the cultural differences, students generally have a lot in common with each other.

Most kids, for example, would complain about the cafeteria food and long for their moms and dads and their home cooked meals. Like other students, he also misses his friends and family back home. He has pictures of them on

the walls of his dorm, along with comical posters, and a huge Puerto Rican flag.

“We hung out at bars. Club 77, El local, Lupulu…,” he said.

Although Conrad came to school with a double major in English and Education, he quickly realized that wasn’t the path for him.

“I’m an English/Communications Major with a concentration in Public Relations. I also have a minor in Arts Management,” he said. “I wanted to be an English teacher so I could write. But you change your mind, it happens.”

This is a common situation among many college students. According to NBC News, 80% of college students have yet to choose a major, and 50% of those students end up switching their major at some point in their college career. Many students go into college thinking they want to pursue one thing, but are put into an experimental environment, and end up becoming interested in another.

Conrad has discovered a passion for music, and even describes himself as a singer/songwriter. He loves to play piano and gets his inspiration from artists such as Amanda Palmer, Regina Spektor, and Perfume Genius.

He is also treasurer of the photography club and education club on campus, as well as a member of MCLA’s musical theatre club, Harlequin.

“I want to be doing a lot of things after college,” he said.

“I don’t have a set career in mind, but I would like to work for a Public Relations (PR) firm, specifically in music.”

east coast. She began to realize that she needed not only a change of scenery, but to experience a different side of herself; she wanted to go somewhere away from everything she knew.

“I was born and raised in California and spoiled by the sun year round,” she said. “I wanted to experience the bitter cold, and being away from the people I loved. I guess it was just time for me to take a leap, take a risk, and explore different parts of myself.”

Women’s Volleyball Head Coach Amanda Beckwith was “relentless” in recruiting Clark to MCLA. She found Allison after spending ample time looking at top community colleges and their top players.

“I knew I wanted to look for a transfer student from California,” Beckwith said. “There are 88 community colleges in California with volleyball teams, and Foothill’s team was fifth in the state.”

“I have to applaud and thank Coach Beckwith for her recruiting skills and relentlessness when it first came to even considering coming all the way across the country,” she said.

It was Beckwith who first contacted Clark’s coach at Foothill, and although there are no scholarships available for Division 3 athletes, Clark had a “gut feeling” MCLA was the right choice for her.

“Coach Beckwith first contacted my Community College coach as I was currently looking for opportunities to play volleyball on the east coast,” she explained. “I came across Coach Beckwith and I got a really good gut feeling about her.”Coach Beckwith had a vision for Clark at MCLA, and Clark began to trust in that vision when making her final decision. “As cliché as [it sounds], I just had a gut feeling that

good things would come my way if I trusted in myself and Coach Beckwith and her vision,” Clark said.

Beckwith is a coach who keeps in contact with her recruits at least a few days a week via emails and phone calls. She also builds strong, trusting relationships with her players’ parents. Something she felt set Allison apart was her drive and competitive nature.

“She is honestly one of the most competitive athletes I have ever coached,” she said. “Her work ethic is like no other, and she pushes herself to be the best student athlete she can be .”

Clark also knew that attending MCLA would allow her to balance participating in an excelling psychology program, and competitively playing the sport she loves.

“I yearn to learn new things and push myself to exceed my own limits, mentally and physically, so being able to do both of those was a critical reason [I chose MCLA],” she said.

“Setting and breaking team goals in volleyball and pushing my limits academically, I would say my time here is one of every day growth,” she said.

She has found herself “at home” here, and the volleyball team has become a second family to her.

“I have met some people I know I will have forever in my life and others I look at and wonder how I lived without their presence for so long,” she said.

When reminiscing on her decision, she abundantly thanks Coach Beckwith for giving her the opportunity to come into “such a beautifully sculpted environment”.

“I am so glad I chose to come to MCLA,” she said.

“Everything happens for a reason, and I am just beginning to realize mine.”

Features Editor

Sebastian Conrad ‘17 sits in the Aramark Cafeteria poking at his food with a fork, but knows better than to eat any of it. He greatly misses the food back home, 1,694 miles away in Puerto Rico.

“I miss the food, traditional food. It’s hard to find plantains and good homemade rice and beans…,” he said, eyeing the undercooked white rice and sliding his tray aside. “One of the things I miss most is drinking,” he said with a laugh. “In Puerto Rico the legal drinking age is 18, but here you have to be 21. I’m only twenty.”

Conrad found MCLA on Wikipedia while searching for schools in Massachusetts. He always knew he wanted to go to school in Massachusetts, despite it being so many miles away from the place he called home since birth. However, he does have family in Framingham and a brother in Rhode Island, who offer a sense of comfort through times of stress and potential hardship. After weighing his options, he decided to further his education at MCLA instead of in Puerto Rico.

“I didn’t see any colleges that grabbed my attention,” he said. “There weren’t many options and it didn’t really feel right. I was good at English and wanted to study it further, so it didn’t make much sense for me to study in a place that spoke Spanish.”

Though Puerto Rico is a United States territory, the cultural difference between the two is substantial. Puerto

Photo by Liz Quirk/The Beacon

Sebastian Conrad reflects on his journey of nearly 1,700 miles from Puerto Rico to MCLA.

Coach Beckwith inspires student move across the country

By Gionna Nourse Features Editor

When looking at opportunities to play volleyball at a fouryear school, Allison Clark ’17 didn’t mind that her ultimate decision would land her completely across the country.

After graduating from high school, Clark wasn’t exactly sure what path she saw herself taking when it came to higher education.

“Out of high school, I was unsure what I even wanted to do with my life,” she said.

She decided to attend Foothill Community College in Los Altos, California for her first two years before making any major decisions regarding a four-year school.

“Foothill Community College was the smartest thing I could have done for myself,” she said. “In those two years I became motivated, persevered through hard ship, and began to grow into exactly who I wanted to become.”

Clark played volleyball at Foothill, and confided in her coach, who taught her the importance of pushing herself to her fullest ability.

“I had a coach that pushed me every day to be my best and I could not thank her enough for making my time at my community college one to remember,” she said.

“It was not just a commuting school for me. I built relationships there with professors, teammates, and coaches that I hold very highly in my heart. I would not have done it any other way,” she said.

When Clark neared completion of her two years at Foothill, she started to consider opportunities to play volleyball on the

6

Campus News

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Adulthood: hard to define for college students

By Allie Martineau

Special to The Beacon Can college students really be considered adults?

Members of the MCLA community have varying opinions and experiences with growing up and whether they do or can consider themselves adults.

Sociology professor Edward Curtin says he is not able to call college students adults yet because things have changed so much for people in their 20s. Most college students lack three major requirements: a relatively stable career, relationships, and a sense of identity.

“For someone to be an adult, there has to be a sense of relatively stable self-identity, but that’s a big one,” Curtin said. “That would include sexual identity, because there is so much sexual experimentation in the culture today. [There should be] a relative sense of a career, and a feeling of wanting or establishing some kind of family life. [It] doesn’t have to be the old fashioned kind of family, but some kind of stable relationships.”

According to Curtin, most college students cannot be called adults yet because they fit into a theory called ‘emerging adulthood,’ coined by Jeffrey Arnett at the University of Maryland. This theory centers around people ages 18-25. Arnett says this period is neither adolescence nor adulthood, but a unique time in between where a person is independent, and the future is full of possibility rather than heavy responsibilities.

“If someone is 40 years old, most people at that age would say they are adults, and if someone is 25, they would probably say they are an adult, but without certain qualifications,” Curtin said. “So for a 25 year-old today, I believe they would feel like they are sexually an adult.”

Curtain added that in terms of responsibility for their actions, people in their 20s are adults, but they probably

wouldn’t feel fully adult in the old sense of being financially independent, or being on a career path they are sure of in terms of having finished school.

“The short answer is that it depends on your age, but there are so many variables,” Curtain said.

Sophomore Faith Loyko believes being an adult means being able to take care of yourself, and that skill does not come with age, but experience.

“I don’t know if it necessarily has to do with age, because someone can be 15 and taking care of themselves, and someone can be 24 and still not taking care of themselves,” Loyko explained. “I am more of an adult than I was last year, but it’s a learning process. You don’t just become an adult overnight.”

Sociology professor Michele Ethier studies adolescence, and believes that to become an adult, a person goes through processes as a teenager. These processes resolve numerous conflicts, like grief, and teens must separate from the negative effects of the pack mentality in order to articulate who they are as a person.

“Whereas the teen tries on many identities, most adults settle on one that fits their personality,” Ethier said. “By the end of adolescence and certainly by young adulthood, the individual ought to be able to stand separate from the crowd…[and have developed] a philosophy of life, a political orientation, and social sensitivities.”

Ethier explained that in order to become an adult, a person must be able to stand comfortably as an individual, develop their own beliefs about the world from a local to an international level, and recognize that the world is not black and white, that people can be good and bad, even their parents.

Ethier also pointed out that although a person is legally considered an adult at 18 in the U.S., they still face regulations to contradict the label: they can enter the military and risk their lives at 18, but they cannot drink or rent a car until they are 21,

and many big rental car companies only accept customers age 25 or over.

College students in 2015 belong to the generation called Millennials, anyone born between 1982 and 2004. For Millennials, growing up and becoming an adult means something different than it did for their parents, members of the Baby Boomer generation, or Generation X. College students today look toward graduation, but do not exactly look forward to it, dreading tough economic challenges. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, textbook prices have risen 1,041 percent since 1977, and in 2014, student loan debt was at an average of $28,950 per borrower, according to the Institute for College Access and Success.

Numbers are still rising, and Mark Kantrowitz of Edvisors.com reports the average borrower in 2015 will owe $35,051 in loans. Adulthood can look much different now with this kind of student debt looming over graduates, which was not the case 20 or 30 years ago when college costs were much lower.

“When I went to college, my father told me [to] really enjoy these four years because when they’re over, you have to be an adult,” Curtin said. “There wasn’t all this pressure on me like there is [for students now], because there were a lot of jobs available. The economy was good. It stinks now. Students today are faced with the idea that college is not for learning, it’s for a career, and learning for learning’s sake is rarely emphasized.”

Some students on campus consider

themselves adults because they take care of a range of adult responsibilities daily, the most common being paying various bills, cooking for themselves, and working one or more jobs.

Senior Cassie Goulette, a resident of the townhouses, budgets her money between groceries, medical bills, and credit card bills. Graduation is just around the corner and for most seniors, being able to continue maintaining their responsibilities in today’s job market is a real, petrifying concern.

“There’s a lot of grief toward millennials because our parents and parents’ parents don’t think we are doing as much as we could, or as much as they did,” Goulette said. “My parent’s friends who went to college think current college students are crybabies and say they had loans too… but they forget to factor in the societal changes that have occurred since they were in college. These people who have been to college view current college students as separate, because the way we feel doesn’t line up with the way they felt.”

MCLA: What does being an adult mean to you?

Mara DeJesus ‘16

“I consider myself a dependent adult. I have the capability to be on my own, but not [fully] yet. I’m very fortunate to have my parents help me and teach me hard work!”

Keegan O’Neil ‘18

“For someone to consider themselves an adult, I feel that they have to have a certain level of maturity.

When I was five years old, I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, which is a form of autism, and there was a worry I wouldn’t be able to function as an adult. The doctors and my parents were afraid I would be the one at school rocking in the corner, and thankfully that’s not what happened. Being an adult, and going out for myself, I really had to work up to do that.”

Celia Norcross, Director of Student Development

“Does anyone ever reach full adulthood? I don’t know if everyone or anyone I can think of ever reaches full adulthood because everyone’s experience is different. I think [becoming an adult] depends on your circumstances, and I think there are some people at a younger age who are pushed into adulthood, so it’s not based on age; it’s really

based on experience. I think most college students can make adult decisions. I don’t think that all of them have the maturity level of being adult because for me, being an adult is a multi-tiered state of being.”

David Zachary Finch, Assistant Professor of English and Communications

“I think adulthood in my mind involves the ability to empathize with other people, the ability to assume responsibility, not just for yourself, but for others, and that’s where college students are kind of in between. They’re learning to take responsibility for themselves being away from home for the first time.”

Cassie Goulette ‘16

“I consider myself an adult, but in most ways I’m still not. I guess it’s someone who’s financially stable and someone who can take care of their own situations maturely. I feel that as you go through college, you become more of an adult, because I definitely feel more adult-like than I did freshman year. I view freshmen as kids, and in retrospect, I was not what I could have been as a fresman, [and I didn’t] act the way I could have acted to be more adult.”

Meaghan Fuller ‘17 “I do consider myself an adult. I pay most of my own bills, I can handle any minor crisis that comes up without having to call home, and I can actively schedule my own life.”

Emily Gabert ‘19 “For me, an adult is somebody who has everything together and knows exactly what they’re going for in life, what they’re doing, and has a good sense of the world. I think responsibility and having a professional image is what makes someone an adult. I don’t consider myself an adult because I don’t think I’m very professional, and if I am an adult, it just hasn’t hit me yet.”

Amber Harris ‘19 “I’d say you’re an adult at 21, when you’re done with college and have a career path, a place to live, and you start to get the things you want out of life. Even if you’re not there yet, you’re still trying to make headway on it. You can be on your own, because as a child you want to be around people a lot, but as you get older you value your alone time, and I think you learn to be alone.”

Domonique Ackley ‘16 “To be an adult means to be self-reliant and to take your life into your own hands. You can’t expect or depend on your parents or anyone to do things for you anymore. I have been responsible for my own life since I was 19.

Taxes, living expenses, and my future has been my responsibility, and I have had no one to fall back on. So I manage my own life when it comes to all aspects.”

Manat Wooten, Assistant Director of CSSE/Career Services “Adulthood is a work in progress, and an evolution of experiences. There is no magic number that signals a fully formed adult that I think people would like to believe. I would consider [college students] adults because they are in this amazing transformative time guided by their educational and cocurricular choices. It’s setting the stage for what they may do for the rest of their lives. I think it is in our best interest to consider college age students as adults. If we want students to be adults, act adult, and incorporate responsibility into their actions, we need to incorporate that language into our language as professionals.”

Campus News

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

7

Mental health awareness increases Rising numbers of students seeking help reflect national trends

By Paige Vincent Copy Editor

There are several reasons why a college student skips class: they might have a family commitment, they might not enjoy the class, or they could need a sick day. The last possibility often conjures up images of coughing, runny noses and other physical ailments.

But for many students, a sick day means racing thoughts of overwhelming anxiety and emotion.

“More often than not, when I take a sick day from class, it is because I am in a bad state mentally with my depression,” a sophomore said, who requested to remain anonymous for health confidentiality.

Several studies have shown an increase in mental illness among college students, and MCLA is no exception.

“Eighteen percent of undergrads come to counseling here, which is higher than the national average of schools of a similar size,” Heidi Riello, director of Counseling Services, said.

“Over the past year there has been a 40 percent increase in crisis intervention at MCLA.” The rest of the nation presents similar statistics. In a 2013 survey by the American College Health Association, “between a quarter and a third of students meet the criteria for an anxiety or depressive illness during their college experience,” and “one in four students (with these issues)

reported having suicidal thoughts or feelings.”

The most common way mental illness manifests itself among college students is through anxiety and depressive disorders, according to Riello. “The top two most common diagnoses, year after year, are anxiety and depression,” she said. “Up until recent years, depression was number one and anxiety was number two. But in the last few years it has been flip-flopped: anxiety is number one and depression is number two.”

Although there are several different types of mental illnesses, most warning signs for these disorders are similar. They include withdrawal, mood changes, sleep/appetite changes, illogical thinking, apathy and increased nervousness.

Psychology professor Benjamin Wood stated that he also believes that anxiety and depression would be in the top two most common mental illnesses amongst college students, but added that other issues are present as well.

“Eating disorders, while there are probably not that many people who have it, are more of a problem at the college age than they have been in the past,” he said. “The issue of substance abuse among college students also comes to mind.”

“We use the DSM-V for diagnoses,” Riello said. “When you are meeting with someone and gathering information, which includes them presenting

problems and symptoms, you are creating a picture of whether or not this meets the diagnostic criteria of a particular mental disorder, as defined by the DSM-V. If it doesn’t, you begin to figure out whether there is a reaction to something happening in the patient’s life, or if the problem could be developmental.”

“Eating disorders, while there are probably not that many people who have it, are more of a problem at the college age than they have been in the past” Benjamin Wood

Along with individual therapy, medication is another way in which mental illnesses can be treated. “I would make a referral to the campus psychiatrist (Dr. Bob Holland) if it seems like the patient’s symptoms are consistent with a major anxiety or depressive disorder,” Riello said. “But there is also the intensity and the duration of the symptoms to consider as well.”

Wood added that there are instances where a patient may want medication over therapy.

“Other times, the person is ambivalent about it,” he said, “but I will refer them if something is going on in their life that is really keeping them from functioning, such as they haven’t gone to class or slept in weeks, or they may be suicidal.”

The sophomore, who suffers

from anxiety and depression, utilizes both individual psychotherapy and medication for treatment. “Therapy is extremely helpful for me, but I need medication to stabilize my disorders,” she said. “Therapy allows me to learn tools to cope, but the medication makes my symptoms less severe.”

The direct causes as to why more college students are suffering from mental illness has yet to be pinpointed; however, Riello and Wood have their own theories as to why and whether or not the issue could truly be called a “crisis,” as many articles on the subject suggest.

“I don’t know if I would call it a crisis, but I agree with many of the studies that this issue is more severe than it has been in the past.

We are seeing more students that are ‘in crisis’,” Riello said. “This could be because more students, who have mental illnesses are able to go to college, whereas in the past they may not have been able to because of the lack of services provided on-campus.”

Wood also is hesitant to label the issue a “crisis,” and adds that he believes external factors could be the cause of the rise in mental illness, not that this generation is any sicker than the last. “I think there is less stigma, so students are going to therapy more knowing they have mental disorders, where in the past they may not have been looking at those things,” he said. “We also have to remember more young people are going to

college now than in the past.”

While there may be less stigma associated with mental health in this day and age, sufferers of these illnesses still seem to experience scrutiny. “You would never have to provide an explanation if you weren’t in class because your diabetes was acting up,” the anonymous MCLA sophomore said. “Mental illness is the same thing. I shouldn’t have to owe anyone an explanation, but I do.

Society doesn’t treat mental and physical health in the same way, and it’s sad.”

Another MCLA student, who also requested to remain anonymous, admitted to feeling the same stigma. “I always feel like I have a big secret in having an anxiety disorder, when in reality it shouldn’t be,” they said. “It is a part of who I am and I should be able to own it without society labelling it as a weakness.”

Both students expressed how their illnesses impact their daily life, citing how they sometimes fall behind in school, and feel more physically sick at times.

“Anxiety weakens your immune system, so I am more prone to catch a physical illness,” the second MCLA student said.

“On days where I feel particularly anxious, I feel dizzy and often get migraines. I also feel fatigued because I lose sleep, which could also be why I am more prone to catching colds; all thanks to anxiety.”

The Counseling Center is located on the top floor of Health Services.

Use it or lose it: unspent meal money returns to ARAMARK

By Torin Gannon Staff Writer

Many students are aware that if they don’t spend their declining balance by the end of spring semester, that money is lost.

But what happens to that money?

Simply put, it all goes back to ARAMARK. Last year, approximately $12,800 of unspent declining balance money was retained by ARAMARK at the end of the spring semester.

“Even though they’re lost dollars, they’re not really lost; they’re accounted for in our budget,” John Kozik, General Manager and Director of Operations of ARAMARKsaid.

For most students, buying a meal-plan each semester is an essential part of life on campus. With each meal-plan students get a certain amount of meal-swipes, giving them access to the cafeteria; it also comes with a declining balance, which is a certain amount of money to spend at a few locations on campus like the POD and Subway. Depending on what meal plan is purchased, students can get either $355, $550, or $600 in declining balance.

What money is left in a declining balance by the end of the fall semester rolls over to spring semester, but if it isn’t spent by the end of the school year, that money goes back to ARAMARK, no matter how much.

Kozik believes that this money still goes to the benefit of students. The money is put towards everything from ordering food, to replacing lost plates. Kozik says the reason students are unable to keep the money at

the end of the school year is because Aramark has to meet financial commitments, and count those dollars in their budget.

In a non-scientific study, 43 students were surveyed. Of those, 24 had unused declining balance money at the end of the school year, and about 50 percent of them claimed to have lost between $50 and $100.

According to Kozik, this semester there are 765 students with meal plans, and if trends from the study play out on a grander scale, around 50% of those students face having remaining declining balance at the end of the school year, and half of them will have between $50 to $100 going back into Aramark’s budget.

Kozik claims that last year, out of the 800 meal plans, the average amount of declining balance left in students’ accounts was $16. That’s $12,800. This year it could be $12,240.

Declining balance isn’t the only thing that doesn’t transfer between spring and fall semesters. Any unused meal swipes go to waste if not used by the end of the spring semester. Kozik stressed that students should pick meal plans that best suit their lifestyles in order to avoid this problem.

One thing that should be considered when looking at this data is what students get compared to what they pay. The 225 block, which gives 225 meal swipes and $355 declining balance, has a $2,022.50 value, if each swipe is given a $7.50 value (That’s the average price of a meal). This plan costs $2,164, $141.5 more than the estimated value. The 160 block, which has $550 declining balance, has an estimated

value of $1,750 and costs $2,135, $385 more than it’s worth. The 100 block plan has $600 declining balance, and its estimated value is $1,350, and it costs $1,911, $561 more than its value.

Kozik promised that the overall value of what ARAMARK has to offer surpasses what students pay.

“We try to build a program, and I think we’ve done a good job, that’s better in value,” Kozik Photo by Jay Tocco/The Beacon said.

When dining at the Centennial Room in the Amsler Kozik says that the extra cost Campus Center, there’s the option of using declinis not money lost. ing balance, cash, or paying for a meal plan.

“We take that money and ensaid. hance the program,” he said.

Rainville pointed out that students lookARAMARK’s stance is that students ing to spend their declining balance can never really lose when they pay into the order things through the POD. She added program, and that all money is being put that the issue with this is that items can to their benefit. Some students still feel un- only be ordered in bulk, and typically carry comfortable with ARAMARK’s policies. a high price tag. She felt that students could Junior Mallory Schettine stated she was find better deals outside of the school. frustrated but not shocked by the fact that Kozik maintains that ARAMARK is ARAMARK retains unspent declining bal- working for the students. He stated that ance. Her feelings were mixed on the issue. any money collected from the declining “I understand it’s kind of my fault for not balance is reinvested into the program and using it, but it would be nice if I could have is being spent to keep things running well it back” Schettine said. and make improvements where necessary.

Senior Kyrie Rainville was more upset He also stated that students have a responabout the matter. She felt that there are sibility to themselves to spend what declinroadblocks that keep students from being ing balance they have. able to spend all of their declining balance “It’s not that students don’t have the opin time. She cited a lack of desirable options portunity to spend it, there is advertising at the POD as being one of these. out there by us. Students don’t do them“They’re setting us up for failure if we selves justice [when they don’t spend it],” don’t like what they’re selling,” Rainville Kozik said.

8

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Everything you need to know about Star Wars: Episode vii

By Mitchell Chapman A & E Editor

The Empire is the First Order… The Rebellion is now The Resistance Don’t let names fool you, they actually provide very little information about which way the film will swing. “The Resistance” could very well be a name slapped onto The Rebellion (some like to call it the New Republic) by the First Order, or the First Order, v i c e versa. In this universe, misinformation has b e e n spread about the events of the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V and VI), and some 30-odd years have passed between this film and Episode VI. So it’s nigh impossible to judge, at this point, which side is winning the war.

The Prequels never happened While Episodes I, II, and III remain canon, it is very unlikely that director J.J. Abrams will reference them, not only because of their poor critical reception with fans, but because the events of Episode VII happen nearly 50 years after the events of Episode III. The world of “Star Wars” changes fast, and the era where thousands of Jedi roamed the galaxy has long fallen into myth.

Speaking about myth…

The original trilogy is now just stories, at least on the desert world of Jakku. There

are several theories as to why this is, many including the First Order’s propaganda machine, but for whatever reason, our protagonists Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) aren’t aware of everything that happened in the original trilogy.

rendition, though the extent of their roles are unknown. Fan favorites Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C3PO will also make an appearance.

Due to the condition o f Chewbacca actor Peter Mayhew, it is very possible that the character will be computer animated

Photo from Disney

Our Heroes Rey: A female scavenger on the world of Jakku. She can be seen scavenging through a crashed Star Destroyer in the film’s trailers, where many fans theorizes she finds the iconic Millennium Falcon.

Her journey will see her cross paths with Han Solo (Harrison Ford), an old smuggler who helped the heroes of the original trilogy defeat the empire, who reassures her that “It’s true. All of it. The Dark Side. The Jedi. They’re real.”

Finn: Also known as FN-2187, Finn is a stormtrooper with “nothing to fight for.” Footage of the movie’s trailers see him defecting in a TIE fighter and crash landing on the desert planet of Jakku, where he meets Rey. Along the way, he eventually gets Anakin Skywalker’s old lightsaber, which was last seen in “Star Wars: Episode VI: The Empire Strikes Back.”

Original Trilogy Cast: Luke, Leia, and Han Solo (Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford) are all returning for this

during c e r t a i n sequences.

many fans to believe that he is going to be killed off in Episode VII. Captain Phasma: A female stormtrooper adorning silver armor with such a demeanor that many believe that she will bring credibility back to the stormtroopers.

Played by Gwendoline Christie, she’s sure to not miss.

Supreme Leader Snoke: The big bad of this trilogy, and Kylo Ren’s boss, little is known about him, other than the fact that he predates Emperor Palpatine.

There have been many fan theories thrown about him, including the “Darth Jar Jar,” and Darth Plagueis theories (Darth Plagueis was the Sith Lord described in Epsiode III as being able to “save others from death...but not himself,” and was Emperor Palpatine’s master).

Our Villains Kylo Ren: A dark force user and big fan of Darth Vader. In the trailers, he can be seen with what is left of Darth Vader’s mask, who was one of the main antagonists of the original trilogy. He vows that he will finish what Vader started. Originally there was a lot of fan backlash against his weapon of choice, the cross guard lightsaber, which has inspired a bevy of memes, though it has yet to be seen how well it will function during combat. Kylo’s real name is a mystery, derived from an organization of force users called the Knights of Ren, which he was a part of, according to preemptive materials for an upcoming book in the new Star Wars canon titled “Aftermath.” Adam Driver, Kylo Ren’s actor, has not appeared on some cast lists for Episode VIII, leading

A larger galaxy Episode VII is meant to be part of a new awakening of “Star Wars” films. Episodes VIII and IX have already been confirmed, with spin-off films on the way. The first is “Rogue One,” which will be directed by Gareth Edwards of “Godzilla” and is set to release December of next year. Disney’s current film schedule will see a “Star Wars” film released every year for the next six years, with the new trilogy and spin off films alternating so that each film sees two years of production. It’s a great time to be a “Star Wars” fan, with the first new film not being so far, far away.

G51: Spectacle 99 offers a fragmented gallery of possible holiday gifts

By Mitchell Chapman A & E Editor

Gallery 51 just opened up their annual affordable art show with “Spectacle 99,” and have a treasure trove of items on sale, some reasonably priced, others not.

Though this is a full art show, the “theme” or in the case of this show, the gimmick, is that all art is on sale, priced between 99 cents and $99.99.

Not surprisingly, few pieces were priced under $20, the maximum amount of money I feel most college kids would feel comfortable spending on such a show, especially considering that most of the items on sale were smalls, though a few $80+ paintings were on display.

It is important to take into consideration that Photo by Mitchell Chapman/The Beacon all pieces were made by professional artists, some Gallery 51 is trying to take advantage of the holiday season G51 veterans like MCLA Professor Melanie by selling high quality works from professional, but local, Mowinski, who was featured in the “Winter artists, many of which were featured at G51 before.

Greens” exhibition; others who have ties to the gallery like Gallery Manager Julia Morgannotable. In total, 24 artists produced work for the gallery, Leamon, who composed a wide variety of art, ranging from not entirely unheard of by G51 standards, but completely contemporary tile art to miniature watercolor paintings; dwarfs September’s “eat me alive so that I may see you and still others, who are just prominent artists in the area, from the inside,” which included works from only Maggie like Stephanie Boyd, who also produced the popular miniNowinski, Alicia Renadette, and Torsten Zenas Burns. paintings, but also provided other work, like ceramics.

As a functional gallery, “Spectacle 99” does not have much The high level of participation in this exhibition is

to offer in terms of striking visuals. This is mostly because of the huge amount of smalls featured, which fragments a gallery attendee’s focus. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great examples of art work, but it would’ve been nice to have a few more larger pieces of work to break things up. This is a compromise of having affordable work by professional artists, who rely on their work for a living.

It’s either small or expensive.

Professional art oftentimes costs upward of $1,000, with 5-figure prices pretty commonplace for moderately popular artists. Though the small size and multitude of pieces detract from “Spectacle 99’s” place as a show, it’s not every day that a large portion of North Adams’s population can afford to spend money on art made by professionals.

This is somewhat of a “working man’s” show, where, if you’re lucky, you can snag a high-quality work of art for under $20 (Jennifer Huberdeau’s photography seemed to be a particularly good deal), and if you’re not, you can end up spending $85 for a piece of paper (Zoe Doucette’s work comes to mind).

The exhibition will remain in the gallery between Dec. 3-27, right during the Holiday season. It’ll be interesting to see where the prices stand post-Christmas, and I encourage you to check out the gallery during that time. Nevertheless, if you want a quick piece of art to stock a stuffing or give to a loved one, Gallery 51’s “Spectacle 99” isn’t a terribly bad place to check out.

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Dance Company Fall Show 2015

9

Dynamic talent, diversity in numbers Photos by Liz Quirk/The Beacon

Lighting and costumes played a key role in this year’s show (above). Senior Giovani Dulcio was a common face in the show, and had perhaps the most dynamic solo (below).

Lighting and colors were central to this falling flat when compared to the more

By Mitchell Chapman show, and the technical team led by grand pieces.

A & E Editor The solos, for the most part, were fine, Dance. Company Advisor Andrew Hoar Dance can be dynamic, colorful, and made sure that the production values with breakout performances by Dulcio in at times, confusing. MCLA’s Dance were no less than professional for this “Photograph,” in which his body moved quite impressively to the tempo and Company’s Fall Show is no exception, show.

With that in mind, while I feel that the emotions of the Ed Sheeran song of the though seeing as this is a college show, the number of abstract Katie Workum- set pieces more or less always hit their same name, and Dance Company Comark (though I am not a fan of country President Bryanna Bradley in “Phoenix,” esque pieces was minimal.

This is a tough medium to tell a story music, for instance, I was still able to which highlighted her physical range and in, with even professional outlets at times enjoy senior Victoria Cordisco’s “House multitude of expressions. Other notables only being able it display the emotions of Party,” because of the amount of effort were freshman Amanda Romanelli a situation rather than the actual events. that went into the choreography), the in “Trouble,” and freshman Mikaela In this way, dance is somewhat like duets and solos were pretty much a hit or Serrano-Moore in “Chandelier.”

Act Two was brightened up by a very the independent cinema of the theater miss. This isn’t to say that they were bad. world. The importance of mise en scene In the context of their own genre of show, impressive and lighthearted performance is doubled, seeing as the medium relies they probably were fantastic and just by the Nexxus step team. I’m always primarily on visuals created through seemed out of place with what was largely amazed when a choreographer can have a large number of people in sync to the a grand show. body movement to make meaning.

It can be a bit jarring to go from a large last second, and the step team surely That being said, Dance Company had a good number of dynamic pieces that piece containing weeks of choreography, brought that and more. They would’ve created notable, while abstract, meaning. striking visual effects and an epic score, been a perfect way to open up the show, The show was filled with grand set to cut to a few dancers with basic lighting but sadly, they were allocated to the sixth pieces such as “Begging for Thread” by and no musical score, trying to express slot in the second act, and appeared Colleen Regal, “The Sweetest Revenge” basic, but soft human emotions in the only for the night I watched the show. by senior Giovani Dulcio, and “Flawless” same way a stage play would. The latter, dysFUNKcrew, an alum step team, will by junior Abby Baker, defined by the while could work with the appropriate occupied that slot Friday and children large number of bodies involved, and transitions and other pieces of its nature dancers from Berkshire Dance Theater the choreographers’ grand use of them. sprinkled throughout the show, ended up filled that space Saturday.

Harlequin’s “A Night of Miscast” hopes to be annual event

By Jarred Clapp A & E Writer

Photo by Tiearra Hanson/The Beacon

Freshman performers Kevin McGrath and Tim Downs perform “Take me or leave me,” from “Rent.” It is usually sung by female characters Maureen Johnson and Joanne Jefferson, but, like every number in “Miscast,” genderswapped the roles. The night featured positive feedback from both the performers and the audience.

A warm opening reception too place in Church Street Centers’ social hall, filled with small tables and offered an assortment of snacks and coffee as the hall was filled with lively Christmas music. Harlequin Musical Theatre club’s first “Night of Miscast” premiered to an enthusiastic audience and energetic performances.

The philosophy behind the miscast was to swap gender roles of the performers and let Harlequin members sing tunes in parts that they most likely would not have the opportunity to in their typical shows. The idea came to seniors Zack Page and Beccah Szcyzygiel

after seeing New York’s MCC theatre miscast performance four years earlier. Harlequin finally was able to show their own Miscast in this end of semester celebration.

“I and the E-Board are so happy with our turn out,” senior and Harlequin Co-President Brianna McDermott said. “We had a great, supportive audience and everyone in the cast really brought it. It was a fun, new opportunity that I think everyone enjoyed, which was really our main goal from the beginning.”

The gender role swap of Miscast provided a new comical dynamic that previous Harlequin shows did not use too heavily. Male singers’ voices cracked as they sang in octaves that were far outside their reach, and female singers acted out

exaggerated mannish gestures, all of which was intentional and the response from the audience was incredibly positive and humored.

“It was a great show,” junior Virvioly Valdez said, “each of the pieces were funny and extremely entertaining.

Everyone did an amazing job. I hope there will be another one next year, I would certainly perform in it.”

Barely a month after Harlequin’s previous event, The Revue, members of the club returned to the stage to entertain a packed room, which was almost as lively as the singers themselves, from joining in to some of the melodies, answering hypothetical questions within songs, HARLEQUIN continued on page 10

10

Thursday, december 10, 2015

Arts & Entertainment

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Pixar experiments with darker concepts in new film

By Mitchell Chapman A & E Editor

Photo from Disney “The Good Dinosaur” follows the story of Arlo, a young dinosaur born into a harsh world, in which his kind never went extinct.

Despite its cartoony aesthetics, the film has dark overtones not usually present in Pixar films, and certainly not to the extent “Good Dinosaur” presents them. Along the way, he meets a human, who terrorizes his family’s crops, which launches him into a complex journey of offense, failure, revenge, loss, anger, and understanding. The film’s deviation from genre expectations are the film’s greatest strengths and weaknesses.

Pixar and Marvel are amongst the few studios that have earned their right to experiment. For Marvel, it came in the form of “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “Ant-Man,” while Pixar defied industry norms with the much acclaimed “Inside Out,” and this year’s “The Good Dinosaur.”

Is “The Good Dinosaur” up to Pixar standards? Well, both yes and no. The movie is utterly gorgeous, displaying some of the finest visual pleasures since audiences were treated to the first “Toy Story” back in 1995. Nintyfive percent of this charm stems from their flawless integration of a photorealistic world with computer generated (CG) characters, who, while cartoony, add depth and character to the world. They aren’t distracting, like in the utter mess that is “Space Jam,” or the fond work that is “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” Is it worth seeing in 3D? Maybe for a second or two, but I honestly can’t justify spending a few extra bucks for what essentially, in the context of this movie, is a cheap thrill. This isn’t “Avatar,” where 3D adds a whole new dimension to the effects. For the most part, the special effects are simple yet complex; they do the job, but they don’t distract from the narrative of the film. Pixar has never really been about gigantic set pieces, and they continue this trend in “The Good Dinosaur.”

MCLA Presents! ends on strong note

By Chris Riemer A & E Writer

Last Friday, audience members at Church Street Center were treated to an enthralling performance by America’s “Queen of Folk,” Anaïs Mitchell. Mitchell and her band filled a lengthy set primarily with songs from the last five years of her career, playing tracks from albums like Hadestown and Young Man In America.

“I’ve never been to this town before, but my impression is that it’s just one big modern art museum,” Mitchell joked.

Between songs, Mitchell frequently spoke about the background behind certain lyrics, her family, and the upcoming OffBroadway production of her concept album Hadestown.

Much of Mitchell’s music is subdued and melancholy, but her light voice provided a refreshing effervescence, preventing even the sadder songs from seeming stiflingly oppressive or mournful. Only one track was capable of subduing the audience’s applause for several seconds after it ended: the gorgeous “Shepherd,” an ode to a shepherd’s wife who dies in childbirth while her husband is away. Mitchell revealed that her inspiration for the song was a book her father had written about a sheep farmer.

“When people ask for requests, they tend to ask for stuff from 10 to 15 years back, and the most depressing stuff in the catalog,” Mitchell said. “Which is kind of my jam, anyway.” She also spoke at length about “The Tailor,” a song she’d originally intended to be about the oil industry, but which turned into something more personal. Mitchell began writing the song after watching There Will Be Blood, a movie which both disturbed and fascinated her.

As a solo artist, it can be difficult to find a backing band whose style meshes well with the original sound of the songs. Mitchell had no such problem with the members of her touring group, who occasionally stole the show with their skilled and adaptable performances.

Multi-instrumentalist Ben Lazar Davis and guitarist Bridget Kearney did double duty, performing as the opening band as well as playing backup during Mitchell’s performance. The band was filled out by Alec Spiegelman, who played bass clarinet and keyboard. All members of the band provided vocals, either as backup or singing together with Michell.

Davis’s performance merits its own mention: he was responsible for many of the most musically complex moments during the show, interchangeably singing, playing rhythm or lead guitar, drumming, and playing synthesizer; frequently two or three simultaneously.

Kearney and Davis’s opening act was a fantastic blend of alternative rock buzz, world music, and indie song structure. The two of them managed to produce a full band’s worth of sound with two heavily effects-laden guitars and their voices.

Kearney spoke near the end of their set about the process of recording their recent EP BAWA in Ghana.

“Ben got typhoid, which was kind of a buzzkill,” she quipped. “The album has a kind of feverish intensity.”

Kearney plays in the group Lake Street Dive, whose album Side Pony is coming out February 19. Davis and Spiegelman are both members of indie band Cuddle Magic.

More information on Anais Mitchell can be found at her website: Anaismitchell.com.

Most of the enjoyment of this film comes from the narrative and how Pixar presents it. Their movies, especially their short films, are full of these seemingly odd little quirks that offer subtle commentary on certain types of characters. It usually comes in the form of physical comedy, somewhat indicative of the “Looney Toons” and “Tom & Jerry” cartoons of old, though despite it all, Pixar never uses adult themes such as alcohol.

This level of physical awareness is one of the few Pixar trademarks present in the film, as great care has been put into the animation to make every character unique, not only in dialogue, but in body language and how they physically react to the world around them.

Unfortunately, the story itself is where the film is lacking. The plot follows Arlo (Raymond Ochoa), a young dinosaur raised on a farm.

The universe is somewhat alike that of “Cars,” in which cartoonish dinosaurs carry out what would otherwise be very human tasks.

The film’s advertising explains that this takes place on an Earth in which dinosaurs were not wiped out 65 million years ago, but it’s never properly explained on film, so I’m going to ignore it. Unlike Pixar’s other worlds, in this one, dinosaurs (and humans) are perfectly capable of getting bruised, battered, broken, and even killed, a very strange contrast given the friendly designs of the dinosaurs.

Given this nature of the world,

HARLEQUIN continued from page 9 and of course, raucous applause.

“We had been planning the show since the beginning of the semester,” McDermott said, “but we did not begin rehearsals until about a month ago (we wanted to get through the revue before we began the next project). Even then, we were only rehearsing once a week up until our show week. It was really up to each individual to be practicing on their own time.”

The show’s formula was similar to that of the Revue, meaning there were two acts in which soloists or duets would perform pieces they had picked and wanted to share with the audience.

“The set-up was slightly different from

the plot is constructed around it. Arlo goes through many hardships, losing his father (because of course that has to happen in a Disney film) in one of the most strikingly edited death scenes in a children’s film to date. He then watches his mother work to the point of exhaustion trying (unsuccessfully) to harvest enough food for Arlo’s family, when Pixar suddenly decides to separate him from his family.

For a homecoming movie, it has got to be one of the most bittersweet and sloppily edited films I have ever seen. Arlo meets several friends along the way, who, while are amusing in their own right, add little to the overall plot of the film and are clearly written in only to develop Arlo himself. This is a zero-to-hero film with no payoff, with Arlo managing to improve himself, but never gets the chance to actually actuate his strides on a platform that actually matters. The ending seems rushed and the film feels as if entire chunks are missing. Too many characters are present for only a single sequence, never to come back in a meaningful way, and Pixar never resolves their main conflict: the survival of Arlo’s family. While it is good that Pixar is breaking conventions, this movie is not a great example of them doing so. The film tries to display harsh realities, but only does so successfully some of the time, and sacrifices major plot constructions while doing so. Still not as bad as “Cars 2,” though.

the Revue,” McDermott said, “there were no auditions, so anybody who wanted to participate could. Everyone who performed selected and directed their own pieces, with the exception of “Summer Nights,” which was a combination of choreography from Danielle DeLamater and vocals from Alex Sasso.”

The show was concluded by all of the members of the production joining together onstage to perform “Summer Nights” from “Grease” to which much of the audience members sung or hummed along with.

“We had very positive feedback from both the performers and the audience,” McDermott said, “so I would hope that we could continue this as an annual event.”

Follow the Shankar family’s journey to bring the music of the East to the West.

Work-in-Progress: Live Music + Video ―

Nari

Saturday, December 12, 8pm HUNTER CENTER $5 MEMBERS | $8 STUDENTS | $12 ADVANCE $18 DAY OF | $24 PREFERRED

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

Sports

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

11

Shewcraft leaves big legacy on campus Professor and coach spent nearly four decades at MCLA

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

Ron Shewcraft sits in his nearly empty office located right outside Venable Gymnasium. The only remaining items that standout are pictures of his family and soccer balls saved from memorable victories.

“I spent the whole weekend in here cleaning everything out,” Shewcraft said. “I had tons of trophies and All-American certificates in here right before then, but I have to get everything out.”

After 38 years of service at MCLA, Shewcraft is retiring at the end of the semester. From 1977 until 2006, Shewcraft was the head coach of the Men’s Soccer program at MCLA, which had a 292-184-46 career record under his leadership.

Shewcraft also has served as a physical education instructor at MCLA, and is currently the Phys Ed. Chair in the Biology Department.

Shewcraft came to MCLA after playing and later assistant coaching at West Virginia University.

He originally only planned to stay at the College for a couple of years, but ended up staying for nearly four decades.

Shewcraft said that when he first applied for the job at MCLA, there were over 100 applicants for the position. He made it to the final two and flew him back out here for another interview, this time with the president of the College.

“He asked me where I saw my-

self in five years,” Shewcraft continued. “I said, I see myself sitting in my office [when] a former student athlete walks in and says, ‘I’m really glad I chose this school, and I’m glad I played for you.’ It was a politically expiated answer, but it was also true.”

Shewcraft had his greatest single-season success as a coach in 1978, his first full season at the helm of the program. During that season, MCLA went 17-2-2 and made it all the way to the NCAA Division III Final Four, the only MCLA team in any sport to go to the Final Four. Shewcraft lamented on the differences between then and now.

“I’ve had quite a few kids that have come from Division I programs play for me. [There are] kids I have recruited that went to a Division I program and, for whatever reason, were not happy, so they came back and played for me,” Shewcraft said. “When I first started here, I had four or five of those players on one team. The overall quality of Division III... not the effort, but the quality of competition, is not the same now.”

Shewcraft was able to find success, both as a coach and a teacher, despite facing many challenges throughout his tenure at MCLA. “The challenge on both the academic side and the athletics side has been the resources. I think Massachusetts ranks pretty low in respect to support of higher education,” Shewcraft said. “I was never one to say that because I don’t have this, I can’t do this. It

Photo by Jesse Collings/The Beacon

Shewcraft spent 38 years at MCLA coaching soccer and teaching physical education. was really kind of the opposite.

My philosophy has always been that we will find a way to make it work.”

Shewcraft said he will miss the commitment and the support that he has gotten from members of the campus community.

“We wanted to build a press box at the (soccer) field. My boosters group talked to me about it and one of the parents came to me and asked what they could do to help,” Shewcraft said. “I told him about the press box and he happened to be a construction manager.

He went out and found donated materials for the project, put together a timeline, and led the effort to build the press box. We had faculty members come in and help paint it, and facility workers came in during their off time to help out. We also had electricians in to wire it..it was a team effort.”

Current Men’s soccer coach Adam Hildrabrand, who took over for Shewcraft in 2006, talked about the impact Shewcraft has had on the program.

“I played for Ron, I have been here for 20 years and he has been

here for 38. I went into his office the other day and noticed how empty it was, it was kind of like having your parents move out of the home you grew up in,” Hildabrand said. “A lot of people don’t get to decide when they retire, often they are fired or forced out of their job. Ron is going out on his own terms and I really admire that.”

When asked what he will miss most about MCLA after he retires, Shewcraft was passionate about educating youth and how he will miss working with them.

“I’ve always enjoyed teaching and coaching. Frankly, I consider them the same thing,” Shewcraft said. “In soccer, you have to be a good teacher to succeed as a coach, because there are no time breaks, and the distance is so big that it is difficult to communicate effectively. I always thought I was good at teaching, as well as handling personal issues and people.”

Shewcraft will begin his retirement by spending more time with his family. He and his wife Diane want to spend more time with their two children, twins Ryan and Sarah. Ryan is currently working on his PhD at New York University, while Sarah lives in Savannah, Ga., and recently gave birth to Shewcraft’s first grandchild.

“I’m going to give myself a year to figure out what I want to do. I’m still healthy and young enough that I can do anything I want,” Shewcraft said.

“Friday Night Lights” coming to MCLA? Shewcraft Field Light Initiative looking to bring night games to MCLA Athletics

By Paige Vincent Copy Editor

The athletic department has been working on bringing lights to Shewcraft Field at the Joseph Zavattaro Athletic Complex, home to MCLA’s soccer and lacrosse programs. The total cost of the project is $400,000; the athletic department has been fundraising for $200,000 before a Dec.31 deadline, and the College agreed to match the other $200,000.

“The lights are going to advance the athletic program because it will increase the amount of times we can practice and will increase flexibility in game scheduling,” Adam Hildabrand, head Men’s soccer coach and director of intramurals, said. “The flexibility in scheduling games at a later time will allow parents, and actually students, to attend games more often.”

Hildabrand further emphasized the value later games would bring in regards to school spirit at the College. “Typically a mid-week game is at 3 or 3:30, depending on daylight savings, and on a Tuesday game at 3 o’clock, when a lot of kids are still in classes, it is a tough atmosphere for us as a

home team,” he said. “For a school as small as we are, it is hard to create school pride and success in athletics, and I think these lights could help that process.”

On exactly how the installation of the field lights could help solve this problem, Hildabrand was quick to think of a few examples.

“I think a Friday night soccer game would be a fun thing for a student that does not typically go to a lot of the athletic events,” he said. “The fact that the athletic complex is removed from campus also means there are probably a lot of students that have never been up there.”

Christine Naughton, Director of Alumni Relations and Development, commented that that fundraising effort has been in process for quite some time, and has seen success. “Proceeds from the annual MCLA Athletics Golf Classic has benefitted the lights project for several years,” she said. “In addition individual staff, alumni, and community members have made contributions.”

Naughton added that although the goal has not been met (roughly $170,000 has been raised out of the $200,000), the fundraising will be continued past the December 31st deadline. “We will continue

attend games as something to do if they were scheduled at convenient times for them,” she said.

Shewcraft Field was opened in October of 2007. According to the MCLA Athletics website, the turf field is accompanied with “covered benches, stereo system, and a press box.” The field is named after former MCLA Men’s soccer coach Ron Shewcraft, who, in his 29 years of coaching at MCLA, earned 292 wins and 15 trips to the postPhoto from MCLA Athletics season, including a 1978 trip to The initiative is looking to raise $200,000 to install lights on the NCAA Final Four. Shewaround Shewcraft Field. craft, who has continued to work at the College as a PE professor, fundraising until the $200,000 is Darling said. “It is easier to attend is retiring at the end of the semescompleted,” she said. “The lights athletic events that are held on ter (for more inforatmion, see project is in the College budget to campus. Volleyball and basketball story on Ron Shewcraft above). be completed.” games are right here for us.”

“I actually played for Coach Night games would make atWhen asked if they would be Shewcraft, ” Hildabrand said. “Obtending them easier and more more likely to attend a soccer viously he has a very impressive desirable, according to two stu- game on a Friday evening, both dents. “I’ve personally never been students responded that they winning record, but on top of that to a soccer game,” sophomore Ella would. “I think Friday night he is just a phenomenal person.

Lafontant said. “I don’t even know games would be a ton of fun,” When I played here, that field where the soccer field is. I don’t Lafontant said. “I would try to was grass. We built the press box have a car on campus, so even if I make one if I could and it would in preseason. I think that Coach were to go to a game, it would be be more likely that I would be able Shewcraft has really cared about more difficult.” to go since it isn’t a school night.” the field a lot and getting it up Another student had similar Darling agreed. “Having a night to the standard that it should be. comments. “I’ve never been to the game on a Friday would probably These lights would only continue soccer field or to an athletic event draw in bigger crowds. I think that honor.” up there,” sophomore Tianna

more students would be willing to

12

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Sports

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Trailblazers extend winning streak

Women’s basketball shuts down Simmons College, picks up their sixth straight victory by double digits

a three pointer with 3:27 left in the quarter to put MCLA up 15-3.

“McKenzie brings energy and composure off the bench.

She has shown to provide a boost offensively, while controlling the tempo and makes great adjustments defensively,” head coach Holly McGovern said. “She was pivotal this week in creating turnovers and showed she could get out in transition and make good decisions.

Photo from MCLA Athletics It allows Ashley to Junior point guard Ashley Clawson had six assists and was a perfect 8-8 from get a break and fothe free throw line during the Trailblazer’s victory on Saturday. cus her attention at six game winning streak by douBy Jesse Collings being a great on-ball defender.” ble digits. Simmons falls to 2-4 on Sports Editor MCLA continued to dominate the season. in the second quarter, going on a The Trailblazers got right to MCLA utilized a 19-7 first quar17-8 run to head into the half with ter to open a double digit lead and work in the first quarter, prevent- a 36-15 lead. Junior Kayla Hotalnever looked back, holding off ing Simmons from scoring until ing had a huge first half, recordSimmons College at home, 53-43 5:45 was left in the opening pe- ing six points, seven rebounds, to pick up their sixth straight win riod. Mid-way through the quar- two assists, four blocks and two on Saturday. The Trailblazers im- ter, freshman McKenzie Robinson steals all in the first half for the proved to 6-2 on the season and came into the game and scored Trailblazers. have won every game during their seven straight points, including

College football playoff preview

By Tyler Bacon Sports Editor

We knew a couple of things heading into the final weekend of the college football season.

We knew that Oklahoma was basically guaranteed a spot in the playoff since they did not have a conference championship game to play in. The winner of the Michigan State and Iowa Big Ten Championship Game was getting in too. As long as Clemson and Alabama won their championship games, they would complete the four team playoff.

Michigan State earned a spot in the playoff by beating Iowa.

Alabama returned to the playoff after beating Florida 29-15 for the SEC title. That sets up a battle between Alabama and Michigan State that will feature a lot of running the ball and defense.

Alabama recovered from an early loss to Ole Miss and has looked like the nation’s best team in the second half of the season.

Alabama should be considered the top threat to win the College Football Playoff. They have running back Derrick Henry, who

has been nearly impossible to slow down this season. The Alabama defense has also been very good at stopping the run on defense.

Michigan State’s only chance is to stop Derrick Henry and be able to move the ball on offense, keeping Henry and the Alabama offense off the field.

That is going to be no easy task, however. Henry looks like a man among boys at times this season, with the way he runs through tackles. Michigan State has to hope that Henry’s recent workload—90 carries in the last two games—is enough to slow him down.

A big key for Michigan State is the health of quarterback Connor Cook. The layoff between the Big Ten Championship Game and Cotton Bowl should give him more time for his shoulder injury to heal.

The Spartans should be able to keep this game close because of their defense, but Alabama is the better team in every category and should pull through with a win in the end.

Clemson earned a spot in the playoff after squeaking by North Carolina on Saturday after some controversy of an offside penalty.

Clemson never left the top spot of the College Football Playoff selection committee’s rankings this season. They are the only undefeated team left in the nation.

Oklahoma has had to work their way into the top four. They were ranked 15th in the nation starting Week 10, then reeled off

five straight wins, including three straight against Baylor, TCU, and Oklahoma State.

Clemson defeated Oklahoma in a bowl game last year by a score of 40-6 but Oklahoma is led by a different quarterback this year.

Baker Mayfield is averaging over 308 yards per game this season through the air and has thrown 35 touchdowns compared to 5 interceptions. They also have a strong running game that is putting up over 230 yards per game, led by Samaje Perine.

The Clemson defense has been very stout this season, holding opponents to only 20.2 points per game, the 20th best mark in the nation. However, Oklahoma’s offense is averaging 45 points per game, the third highest total in the country.

This will be the toughest offense that Clemson will face this season. Clemson has not faced a team this season with this much offensive firepower. If this game becomes a shootout, then the Clemson offense, led by Deshaun Watson, is going to have to find a way to keep up with Oklahoma, which they are fully capable of doing.

The offensive firepower of both teams makes this game a must-watch on New Year’s Eve, and one of the most exciting college football games this season.

In the end, Oklahoma should have too much offense for Clemson to keep up, setting up a National Championship Game of Oklahoma versus Alabama.

MCLA took their foot off the gas in the second half, as Simmons showed more life on offense in the third quarter, outscoring the Trailblazers 15-14, matching their offensive output for the entire first half. Simmons continued to edge closer in the fourth quarter, opening the quarter on a 9-0 run.

MCLA did not get on the board until Hotaling made a free throw with 3:31 left in the first quarter.

Simmons got as close as down eight with 56 seconds left on the clock, but a pair of Ashley Clawson free throws iced the game for the Trailblazers, as they held onto their double-digit lead to extend their victories-by-double-digits streak to six games.

“We were able to get off to a great start because we contested shots and rebounded defensively.

We extended our lead from 12 at the end of the 1st quarter to 26 late in the 3rd quarter,” McGovern said. “Simmons did a nice job adjusting to our pressure, and added some of their own. We lost some focus and need to play the full 40 minutes. Overall, I was pleased with our week and our ability to execute our presses.”

The Trailblazers were led by Hotaling, who finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Clawson finished with 10

points, including going a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line, and also led all players with six assists.

Robinson and fellow freshman Courtney Pingelski both scored 10 points.

Simmons was led by Presley Silva who had eight points, and

by Ashley McAdams who led all players with 14 rebounds, eight of which came in the second half.

MCLA’s defense was stifling for most of the game, holding Simmons to only 25.9 percent shooting from the floor, and the Sharks were a non-factor from beyond the arc, going only 1-6 on threepoint field goals, although Simmons was very efficient from the free throw line, going 12-14 from the charity stripe.

The Trailblazers shot 37.3 percent from the floor and outscored Simmons 24-14 when it came to points in the paint.

MCLA played Mount Holyoke on Wednesday night and will play at Union College on Saturday. Union is 4-1 on the season and coming off a dominating 49-29 victory last Thursday over SUNY-Cobleskill. The Trailblazers will then go on their winter break and will be back in action on Jan. 4 when they host Southern Vermont.

MCLA’s Hotaling named MASCAC Player of the Week

Beacon File Photo

MCLA junior Kayla Hotaling was named the MASCAC Player of the Week on Monday for her performance over the last week.

Hotaling averaged 13.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3.7 blocks per game in wins over Lasell, Utica and Simmons over the last week.

“I couldn’t have done it without my teammates, so I just want to thank them,” Hotaling said. I’m just trying to go out every practice and game and give it my all and do the things that coach and the team need me to do in order for

us to be successful.”

Hotaling is currently fifth in the conference in rebounding, third in field goal percentage and fourth in blocks per game.

The Ravena, NY native, currently leads the Trailblazers in scoring with 12.3 points per game and in rebounding with 8.6 rebounds per game. Last season, Hotaling led the Trailblazers with 11.8 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game and in defense, leading the team with1.6 steals per game and in blocks with 2.3 blocks per game.

Sports

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Fair Territory

NFL Power Rankings

By Jesse Collings Sports Editor

The number one team continued to separate itself from the rest of the field and other teams were upset at home as a wacky Week 13 influenced the power rankings.

1.Carolina PanthersCarolina fell behind early on the road against New Orleans but rallied back in a spirited comeback that saw them extend their regular season unbeaten streak to 16 games over the last two seasons.

Despite underwhelming statistics, quarterback Cam Newton may be the front-runner for the MVP award thanks to his leadership and clutch performances.

2. Arizona CardinalsArizona cruised past St. Louis with a 27-3 victory on the road.

Quarterback Carson Palmer, at age 36, is throwing for career highs in yards per attempt, yards per game, quarterback rating and touchdown percentage. Palmer is 26-8 as the starter for the Cardinals and the Arizona offense is averaging a league best 31.8 points per game this season.

3. Cincinnati BengalsWith New England falling at home, Cincinnati has moved into the number one seed position in the AFC. After losing to Arizona three weeks ago, Cincinnati has won their last two games by a combined score of 68-10 and have a huge AFC North showdown on Sunday at home against Pittsburgh 4. Denver BroncosDenver continues to look reborn under quarterback Brock Osweiler and have their sights set on one of the top two seeds in the AFC. Osweiler is completing 61 percent of his passes and Denver is now 2-0 under his leadership.

Denver has Oakland at home this week before two huge AFC North games, first at Pittsburgh and then at home against Cincinnati.

5.New England PatriotsNew England was dealt one of the worst losses of the Bill Belichick era as they were drubbed at home by Philadelphia. The good news for New England is that it is unlikely that they are going to allow 21 points through special teams errors and an interception return for a touchdown. The bad news is that this is clearly not the same team that went 10-0 to start the season, thanks to numerous

injuries on both sides of the ball.

6. Green Bay PackersAaron Rodgers and company were bailed out by a literal miracle on Thursday night, as his Hail Mary prayer was answered by tight end Richard Rodgers. The 8-4 Packers move back into first place in the NFC North thanks to Minnesota’s no-show against Seattle on Sunday, and the number two seed in the NFC is still not out of the question.

7. Seattle SeahawksSeattle churned out one of the most impressive victories of the season Sunday, rolling over the previously 8-3 Vikings, 38-7 in Minnesota. The maligned Seahawk offense is averaging 34.5 points per game over its last four games and undrafted rookie Thomas Rawls is leading the league in rushing yards per attempt, averaging 5.6 yards a pop.

8. Pittsburgh SteelersThe Steelers remained alive in the AFC North title picture, blowing out Indianapolis on Sunday to improve to 7-5 on the season. The Steeler defense has had an up and down series of games, in the last five games they have given up the following point totals; 16-35-939-10.

9. Minnesota VikingsThe Vikings looked helpless on Sunday against a surging Seattle team and their offense was shut out, there only points coming from a Cordalle Patterson kick return touchdown. Despite their 8-4 record, Minnesota doesn’t look ready to trade blows the titans of the NFL, having lossess to Green Bay, Denver and now Seattle. Minnesota will have a chance to shed that image tonight when they play at Arizona on Thursday Night Football.

10. Kansas City ChiefsKansas City won their sixth straight game of the season, defeating Oakland 34-20. At 7-5 the Chiefs remaining four games come against sub-.500 teams, meaning Kansas City is in prime position to snag a playoff spot despite starting the season 1-5. Even more impressive is that Kansas City is doing this without do-itall running back Jamaal Charles, who is out for the season.

11. New York JetsRyan Fitzpatrick showed a lot of fire on Sunday, leading New York down the field in the fourth quarter before finding Brandon Marshall in the end zone to tie the game at 20 and force overtime, which the Jets won after Giant kicker Josh Brown missed a game-tying field goal. The 7-5 Jets have won two straight and are currently locked into the sixth seed in the AFC. 12. Buffalo BillsBuffalo’s offense looked extremely impressive on Sunday, scoring 30 points against a Houston defense that had only given up 29 points combined over its last three games. Buffalo will end the season on January 3 against the Jets in a game that will likely determine a playoff spot.

Beacon.MCLA.edu

College coaches often the highest paid state employees

By Geoff Baker KRT Campus

The highest-paid nonprofessional sport coaches in the world squared off this weekend as college football played its conference championship games.

Those curious about how highly compensated these coaches are - including Washington coach Chris Petersen, who recently received a raise - can now instantly peruse their contracts online thanks to a group of curious Seattle lawyers.

The six lawyers manning the Seattle head office of HKM Employment Attorneys LLP have built a website containing PDFs of the full contracts, exhibits and appendices of virtually every football coach working for an FBS and FCS public university.

“It was kind of random to begin with,” Jason Rittereiser, one of the lawyers who worked on the site ahead of its launch Wednesday said. “A couple of employment lawyers at our firm who are also big sports fans started talking about NCAA football coaches and how much they get paid. As far as public employees go, they’re some of the best, if not the bestcompensated employees in the states they work in. So we wanted to see exactly how they are compensated.”

They knew that was possible, just not altogether easy.

One of the things about public universities is they are held accountable for the tax dollars given them and are subject to publicdisclosure requests. Within a year, the HKM crew had acquired the contracts of just about every college football coach in their hands - 167 in total.

They could see exactly what top-paid coaches like Nick Saban, Jim Harbaugh and Urban Meyer earn in base salary and incentive bonuses. But also quirky clauses: like the 60 hours of private-jet time given to former Minnesota coach Jerry Kill, or the eight tickets to gymnastic events provided Robert Ambrose at Towson State.

The site doesn’t have contracts for private universities like Notre Dame, Stanford and Miami. Nor for Penn State, Pittsburgh and Temple, which claimed exemptions under Pennsylvania records law.

Some sites, like USA Today, were already posting NCAA football coaches’ salaries in a database before the HKM one launched.

“But none of them gave any analysis of it, or actually allowed users to view the actual contracts,” Rittereiser said.

So, the HKM lawyers took things a step further: posting a PDF of every contract. The site also has a best-to-worst ranking of the 167 contracts in terms of compensation, bonus clauses, perks, contract length, buyouts and golden parachutes, done by lawyer Daniel Kalish - who devised an algorithm to calculate final rankings.

A former King County prosecutor who specializes in complex

trial litigation, Kalish, selected as a “Super Lawyer” in this year’s Washington Law and Politics Magazine, compiled the rankings and picked Alabama head coach Saban as having the No. 1 contract. Rick Comegy of Mississippi Valley State was assigned the 167th spot.

Of interest locally, the contract of Washington’s Petersen, ranked No. 13 overall - just behind No. 12 Les Miles of Louisiana State.

Washington State head coach Mike Leach came in at No. 43.

Petersen’s contract stands out, given he’s the third-highest-ranking coach not to have his team in the final top-25 college rankings in the past three seasons (Charlie Strong of Texas is No. 8 and Brett Bielema of Arkansas No. 11). That was before the UW last month gave Petersen a two-year extension valued at $4 million in 2019 and 2020.

Of course, Petersen only joined the Huskies from Boise State last season, finishing 8-6 overall after losing the Cactus Bowl to Oklahoma State. This year’s team needed an Apple Cup win over Leach’s Cougars to finish 6-6.

Petersen’s original five-year, $18 million deal, posted on the new website, shows him earning base salaries ranging from $345,161 to $420,000 in each of those seasons.

But bigger money comes from compensation for participating in media programs, promotion, sponsorships and appearances set forth by the school.

For that, he gets $2,286,559 in 2014, $2,020,000 in 2015, $2,190,000 in 2016, $2,360,000 in 2017 and $2,530,000 in 2018.

In addition, his appearance in last year’s Cactus Bowl garnered a $75,000 bonus - the same he’ll earn from this year’s bowl game.

Perks include two “courtesy cars,” a country-club membership and the UW paying for Petersen’s wife and children to fly to away games. Also, the original contract contained a clause that Petersen would automatically be extended through the 2019 season if athletic director Scott Woodward were to leave the school before the end of 2018.

As they say, the devil can sometimes be in the details.

The website opines that LSU coach Miles, rumored to be on the chopping block until recently, may have kept his job because of a termination clause that would have paid up to $15 million over a set period of years if he were fired before Dec. 31. That declines to $12.9 million if fired starting next year, then $8.6 million if a dismissal happens as of Jan. 1, 2018.

“Compensation matters big, obviously, when it comes to these deals,” Rittereiser said. “But it isn’t all about straight salary. There are a lot of hidden things in these contracts that make them better than others that may look the same.”

And now, football fans - and taxpayers who don’t care much for the sport- can comb through details and judge for themselves.

13

Scores Women’s Basketball Saturday, Dec. 5 MCLA vs Simmons 53-43, W

Standings Men’s Standings Team Salem State Worcester State Fitchburg State Bridgewater State Westfield State MCLA Framingham State

W-L 4-4 4-4 4-5 3-5 3-6 2-5 1-6

Women’s Standings Team

W-L

MCLA Framingham State Westfield State Salem State Worcester State Bridgewater State Fitchburg State

6-2 5-2 4-3 3-3 3-4 2-5 0-10

Schedule Saturday, Dec. 12 Women’s Basketball MCLA @ Union Noon Men’s Basketball MCLA vs S. Vermont @RPI 4 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 13 Men’s Basketball MCLA vs TBA @ RPI TBA Thursday, Dec. 31 Men’s Basketball MCLA vs Sage College 1 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 4 Women’s Basketball MCLA vs Southern Vermont 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 6 Men’s Basketball MCLA @ Worcester State TBA

14

Opinion

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Beacon.MCLA.edu

The Beacon

What is your favorite holiday event?

“I like being able to make a bunch of food with my family and eat around the fire.”

-Sam O’Brien, 2016

“Too many to choose from but if I had to pick one I’d say Christmas Eve with my family.”

- Alex Stewart, 2018

The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed free to the College’s community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications department, and ad revenues. Single copies are free, additional copies may be purchased at 50 cents each.

Contact information: News desk number: 413-662-5535 Business number: 413-662-5404 Email: Beacon@mcla.edu Web site: beacon.mcla.edu Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111 Mission Statement The Beacon strives to provide timely and accurate news of campus and local events.

Editorials Policy Unsigned editorials that appear on these pages reflect the views of The Beacon’s editorial board.

Signed columns and commentaries that appear on these pages reflect the views of the writers.

“Decorating cookies with my kids.”

- Celia Norcross, Director of Student Development

Commentary

It is about to be the most wonderful time of the year, but before that comes the worst.

Christmas lights are going up, and so is the stress level of students.

The semester is coming to a close and final exams are approaching ominously.

Academic pressure is high due to procrastination, students are overloaded with work, and their stress levels are through the roof.

The majority of students experience a high level of stress.

Although students respond to stress differently from one another, stress has negative physical, emotional, and psychological impacts on everyone.

For junior Leah Harwell, the stress during finals week takes a big toll on her.

“Without fail, I’m always stressed around the end of every semester,” she says. “I’m always swamped with work and it makes me miserable.”

With winter break right around the corner, it makes it hard for most students to focus on their school work. Assignments are forgotten about, work keeps piling up, and before you know it, you have dug yourself into a hole and you are stressing out because you do not know how you are going to get yourself out of it. Contrary to the popular belief of students, that does not always necessarily have to be the case.

Did you ever stop and think that maybe the countless assignments on your desk could possibly be somewhat your fault? When it comes down to it, it is ultimately up to you to choose how the end

“I enjoy seeing family I have not seen in months. I live here so I don’t get to see them as often.”

-Alison Gilbert , 2016

Letters should be kept to 500 words or less and are subject to editing for grammar and content. The Beacon will not publish anonymous or libelous letters.

Letters must be signed by the writer and include a phone number. Letters may be dropped off at the office or emailed to Beacon@mcla.edu.

Contributions Policy The Beacon accepts stories, photos, and opinion pieces for publication.

Submissions should be dropped off at the office by Monday at noon or emailed to Beacon@mcla.edu.

Photos compiled by Tiearra Henson

Beat stress before it beats you

By Jay Tocco Photographer

Letters Policy The Beacon welcomes Letters to the Editor. Deadline is noon on Mondays for that week’s newspaper.

of your semester is going to be.

Sure, it is easy to blame your professors for assigning a ton of work as if they are not aware you have other classes to tend to, but who could possibly truly not realize that? This leads us into the magical world of deadlines.

Generally, professors give deadlines weeks in advance so you have plenty of time to thoroughly get your work done.

If you avoid procrastination and start an assignment well before the deadline, chances are that you will be less stressed and the assignment will be done in time.

More often than not, most students never have more than one major deadline on the same day, so it can be very simple to prioritize your work. Writing all of your deadlines in an agenda will help keep you organized and make sure that you never forget about a single assignment. Try to even make notes to yourself regarding the importance of each assignment and how long you are anticipating that it is going to take you so that you know when to begin them.

Even with a good work ethic and good organization skills, it is inevitable that some stress is going to come with the end of the semester, which is why it is important to eat healthy, sleep well, and schedule time for yourself every day.

It really is up to you whether you are going to finish strong or collapse at the finish line. Keeping yourself on track is a fool-proof way to avoid end-of-the-semester stress. If you tackle your work before it tackles you, there is no way you will not succeed.

Health & Fitness Bigger than biceps

Final tips to stay fit

By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Co-Editor in Chief

To summarize all of my health and fitness advice from four semesters is too much content to fit into a half page of two columns. Instead I’ll finish my college writing career with some last reminders.

Now that you’ve suffered through the dos and don’ts of maintaining health in college, you should have enough common sense to understand that eating a donut for breakfast doesn’t equate to a nutritious meal. The three macros to pay attention to on nutrition labels is protein, fat and carbs, and donuts are all carbs, baby. An example breakfast includes one piece of toast, one egg and a yogurt. If you have the ability to do more, try egg whites with spinach and peppers and two pieces of toast. Whole grain, no bleach!

Not eating won’t make you skinny in time for formal. Your body will go into starvation mode, holding onto whatever fat it still has. My advice for losing weight: eat small portions more frequently. Aim for each meal to be around 350-400 calories, but don’t be religious. If one of your meals is 500, then so be it. Life’s too short to count calorie.

Don’t fall off the bus after college. Yes, your career comes

Advertising Policy The Beacon reserves the right not to publish any advertisement it deems to be libelous, false. or in bad taste.

first, but you can’t work your butt off in a cubicle until you do in the gym first at 6 a.m. No, you don’t need an expensive gym membership, because body weight exercises will help increase your strength better than any cable machine. Try alternating squats and push-ups with speed skaters and burpees. Combining strength training exercises with plyometric moves will keep your heart rate up and burn fat while building muscle.

So what if you’re not an athlete? You can still work out and train and be considered an athlete. Many people compete in powerlifting, CrossFit and bodybuilding. The world of fitness is limitless in sculpting muscle and increasing weight at the bar.

If anything, being an individual athlete is harder than being part of a team because there’s more self-made pressure. You depend on yourself and no one else can make you pick up more weight or put down a brownie. If you drop the ball you let yourself down, not a whole team or institution.

While college is supposed to be 80 percent drinking and 20 percent studying, don’t let that interfere with your progress. Beer is heavy and cheap, and drinking a 30-rack each weekend won’t get you a six pack. Exercising has to be a priority if you’re serious about it.

All in all, be safe and smart with your body, but don’t get obsessed.

Care about yourself as well as the ones around you and don’t fall off track. Love who you are and what you look like, but remain healthy and confident. And most importantly, keep going. Peace and deadlifts.

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

Sports Editor Jesse Collings A&E Editor Mitchell Chapman

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

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

Staff Staff Writers

Photographers and Videographers

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

Isabel McKenzie Tiearra Henson Elizabeth Quirk Jay Tocco

Cartoonist

Caitlin O’Neill*

Copy Editors

Advisers

Caitlin O’Neill* Paige Vincent Lauren Levite Veronica Colacurcio

Jenifer Augur Gillian Jones Shawn McIntosh

*Holds more than one position

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

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Announcements & Opinion

Beacon.MCLA.edu

15

MCLA’s non lethal weapons policy puts student safety at risk

By Lauren Levite Copy Editor

With the number of campus shootings having increased in the last year alone, student access to personal weapons has come into question. Should students be able to protect themselves with nonlethal weapons, such as pepper spray and pocket knives, or will possession of these weapons open more doors to violence?

According to mass.gov, Massachusetts residents over the age of 18 are now allowed to purchase and carry pepper spray without a firearm ID (FID) as of 2014. Massachusetts was the only state to have this law until they got rid of it. However, MCLA does not allow any sort of

weapon to be carried on campus.

Senior Cassandra Goulette believes that if students wish to carry non-lethal weapons, it should be documented by public safety. “Students can be taught proper ways to use pepper spray,” she said.

“As long as [students] follow state guidelines, it should be allowed,” Goulette said. “If this year is anything to look at, this is not a safe campus.”

According to the student handbook, “No individual may possess, carry, store, use or have in the individual’s custody or control, a firearm or other weapon on campus.” The handbook continues on to say that these rules are aligned with the state law on unauthorized possession on college campuses.

Seeing as pepper spray, mace, or pocket knives no longer need to be authorized with FIDs, students should be allowed to carry these weapons without repercussions.

In the past year, MCLA has experienced one reported sexual violence incident, a bomb threat, a loaded gun on campus, and increased drug and gang activity near campus. For some students, this has them staying in their dorms or townhouses at night.

However, staying in is not an option for everyone. Berkshire Towers (BT) and Hoosac Hall have 24/7 staff coverage by Resident Area Security Monitors (RASMs) who are required to attend shifts at midnight, 3 a.m., and 6 a.m. respectively. Getting to these shifts can be scary for

residents on a campus that is open to the public.

“I walk from the townhouses to Berkshire Towers for my job,” said Sara Williams, a BT RASM. “It gets really dark in the winter, and can get pretty scary. I would feel safer if I could have mace.”

Police escorts are available at all times for students who do not wish to walk across campus at night.

The New York Times says that in four years of college, one in four women will be sexually assaulted on campus. MCLA has done a good job at reinforcing its sexual assault policies—which are zero tolerance—and reminding students of what constitutes as assault. Last semester, a required quiz was sent out to all students regarding sexual assault and how

to handle it.

As far as school shootings, there have been 45 in 2015, including k-12 and colleges, according to Newsweek. The most recent one was on Oct. 1 at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, where nine people were killed and seven people injured.

Nothing to this extreme has happened around the MCLA campus, but this does not mean it couldn’t happen. Due to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the conservative politicians the organization supports, legislation on further gun control has failed to make headway in Congress. Until the government decides on a course of action, it’s important for students to protect themselves more than ever.

If colleges regulate Yik Yak, they risk infringing on freedom of speech

By Chris Riemer A&E Writer Even before the racial protests at the University of Missouri, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding an app called Yik Yak. The app allows users to anonymously post short pieces of text, and broadcast them to nearby users. The average Yik Yak thread is brimming with offensive, annoying, and obscenely sexual posts, as well as just general rudeness. It’s about as repugnant as a bathroom stall, a comparison that has been made by several prominent news organizations including the Huffington Post.

The Huffington Post article,

Why Your College Campus Should Ban Yik Yak, by Ryan Chapin Mach, is not just in favor of banning Yik Yak, but for the prohibition of any forum that allows people to post comments anonymously. You know, like bathroom stalls.

The article highlights an important distinction between the two: bathroom stalls are vital architectural mainstays of the American ablution process, whereas Yik Yak has no obvious use to anyone other than entertainment.

Yik Yak is a social media app not unlike Tumblr or Twitter.

You can be anonymous on any of these platforms. The difference

is that Yik Yak posts only appear to those in a certain geographic radius to the poster. What about this feature makes the app worse than any of its counterparts?

It’s not the app that’s racist or inflammatory, it’s the people using it; people who would otherwise express their misguided notions in another forum. If a user posts something truly harmful, or suggests they might commit a criminal act, the company that runs the app can provide that user’s information to law enforcement. It’s the same as every other social media outlet: you have the right to free speech, but if you post something illegal, your anonymity is voided.

The things we don’t like about Yik Yak are actually things we don’t like about the people around us. The app enables people to express thoughts and beliefs that they might repress around friends and family. It should come as no surprise that people say filthy stuff when liberated of the need to protect their reputation.

It’s also worth noting that most of the things people post on Yik Yak are no grosser than a shared Facebook video or an R-rated movie. Users are quick to vote against morally questionable content, and posts that get five negative votes are deleted automatically. It’s comparable to people covering

Corrections

From Issue 11 Dec. 30

Page 4 Diane Collins has been with SGA 32 years and with the College nearly 40 Page 10 • Jaxon Poirier’s name was mispelt • Heather Upton was incorrectly named as Jaxon Poirier Did we make a mistake? Let us know email us at Beacon@mcla.edu

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME AGAIN!!!

TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT REAPPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID FOR NEXT FALL! STOP BY THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE IN ELDRIDGE HALL TO PICK UP AN INFORMATIONAL PACKET IF YOU DIDN’T GRAB ONE OUTSIDE THE CAFÉ THIS WEEK! DON’T FORGET THE MARCH 1ST PRIORITY REVIEW DEADLINE DATE! HAVE A VERY HAPPY HOLIDAY!!

up an objectionable statement on the aforementioned bathroom stall. This method of selfpolicing is usually enough to keep the app just the right shade of inappropriate without being actually harmful.

To college administrators, there’s nothing more important than the safety and wellbeing of their students. Racist, sexist, and generally hateful speech should be dealt with harshly whether it appears as graffiti on a bathroom stall, or an online post. However, prohibiting an app that ultimately allows free communication would be an egregious misuse of power, as well as questionably legal.

Email your press release and information on Office 365 to beacon@mcla.edu The Beacon staff for Spring 2016 Co-Editor-in-Chiefs Harmony Birch & Gionna Nourse Senior News Editor Idalis Foster Arts & Entertainment Editor Mitchell Chapman Sports Editor Jesse Collings Web Editors Jake Mendel & Matt Aceto Photography Editor Agnella Gross Copy Chief Brittany Gallacher Emily Gabert-News Writer Torin Gannon-News Writer Joseph Carew-News Writer Nick Tardive-A&E Writer Jonathan Hoel-A&E Writer Paige Pomerantz-A&E Writer Tyler Bacon-Sports Writer Caitlin O’Neill-Copy Editor/Comics Lauren Levite-Copy Editor Liz Quirk-Photographer Domonique Ackley-Photographer Dan Wohler-Videographer Natalia Reyes-Videographer

Congratulations!

16

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Photo Essay

Dancers end “Haunted,” choreographed by Megan Chanowitz.

Beacon.MCLA.edu

Mikaela Serrano-Moore choreographed and performed a solo to Sia’s “Chandelier.”

Dance Company Fall Performance

Dancers perform “Flawless,” choreographed by Abby Baker.

“House Party,” choreographed by Victoria Cordisco, was a high energy tap dance piece that got everyone smiling.

Sweetest Revenge, choreographed by Brianna Bradley, closed the show.