For more content, visit online at: Beacon.MCLA.edu
Beacon@MCLA.Edu 413-662-5535 Mark Hopkins Room 111
Volume 83 ◆ Issue 8
Th u r s d ay, N o v e m b e r 1 0 , 2 0 1 6
Inside
Don’t panic . . . mostly harmless?
Claims of “gag order” Earlier this semester, The Beacon reported that former Vice President of Institutional Advancement Mary Hastings resigned from her position. According to Hastings, this was not the case. By Harmony Birch Editor-in-Chief
On Oct. 6, the Beacon reported that Mary Hastings resigned from her position to “explore other opportunities.” Hastings, however tells another story. She claims she was fired by President Birge for refusing to terminate five of her employees, and says she was offered a “gag order” by the College in place of severance pay. Bernadette Alden, director of marketing and communications, stated that the college does not comment on personnel matters on behalf of President Birge and Richardello. Information regarding Hastings’ resignation was given by Barbra Chaput, director of Human Resources and Denise Richardello, executive vice president of the College. The settlement agreement Hastings received would have
allowed her to resign and offered her a “neutral reference.” It also came with money. While Hastings would not disclose the dollar amount she said it would be distributed throughout a period of time. “It was a phenomenal amount of money for that team to have to raise,” she said. “If we would have gotten a check [in the office] for that we would have been really happy, so that’s inappropriate unto itself.” The agreement banned Hastings from speaking with current students, alumni, faculty, staff and members from the three college boards. She said it would have made staying in North Adams impossible because she’d be running into people all the time that she wouldn’t be able to speak to. “You could have offered me millions and I wouldn’t have taken a gag like that because you’d violate it all the time, and you’d be in court,” Hastings said.
Photo from mcla.edu
According to Hastings, she was alledgedly told to fire five out of eight advancement staff members during the beginning of fundraising season. She refused. Mitch Greenwald, Hastings’ lawyer, said he thought the money wasn’t enough for what the College was asking from Hastings. “I don’t consider it a lot of money in the context,” Greenwald said. “You hear about people getting fired when they deserve
to be fired and getting golden parachutes. This wasn’t even in the ballpark.” He stated it was a little over what would be a month’s pay for Hastings. Hastings was contracted for a $141,000 salary annual rate according to opencheckbook. com, so she would have made
roughly $11,075 a month. The Advancement and Alumni Relations office has eight staff members. At the Advancement office they oversee all information for “the foundation,” the College’s 501 (c)(3) private nonprofit organization. They also shuttle in all donations to the College, and work with the Alumni board, write all grants received by the College, and put on lectures such as the Hardman Lecture series. Among faculty members, the Advancement office is best known for the money it brings in that directly supports student scholarship aid. “The foundation has over the years done exceptionally good work and the number of things that they are able to subsidize primarily for students is tremendous,” psychology professor Deb Foss said. MARY HASTINGS Continued on page 8
A conversation with Stephin Merritt By Jon Hoel A & E Editor
I first heard the Magnetic Fields seven years ago when their albums began situating themselves into my life as important emotional landmarks. Frontman Stephin Merritt has been called one of the greatest American songwriters, a master of his craft, along the lines of a Cole Porter or George Gershwin. The Magnetic Fields have been making delightfully morose, humorous and heartfelt pop records since 1991. Their early records were lauded among the college radio crowd, with the single “100,000 Fireflies” becoming a modest hit in 1991, but they didn’t see any major success until 1999 and the release of sixth studio album “69 Love Songs”, which
received universal acclaim, subsequently cited by many as one of the greatest albums of all time. It’s now been four years since their last record, “Love at the Bottom of the Sea” and they are back—with a new colossal triple-album called “50 Song Memoir” which will drop early next year. Following a two week residency, the Magnetic Fields will be performing the new album, for the first time, over two nights at MASS MoCA next weekend, Friday and Saturday night. I sat down to talk with Merritt at a rehearsal space in MoCA: The Beacon: In addition to the performances you are conducting a residency
here at MoCA. I saw you here play last fall with Sam Davol, the PR folks said you enjoyed it so much you wanted to come back for the residency. Why did you choose to do the residency here in North Adams? Merritt: Because it’s not New York. [North Adams] is actually closer to my house than New York is. There’s so much space, we can put the set together in the actual concert hall while putting out gigantic setup here, the instruments and gadgets. Basically, there’s two stages worth. It’s like being in an opera house. Magnetic Fields Continued on Page 7
Photo by Casear Padilla, Mass MoCA
Stephin Merrit is the leader of four bands, has composed film soundtracks, musical theater, and penned a book of poetry.
2
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Campus News
Beacon.MCLA.edu
SGA: Senate Chair Spencer resigns, Senator Greene elected By Nick Tardive Staff Writer
After serving on SGA for two years as a Senator-at-Large and Parliamentarian, Tyler Spencer, Senate Chair and Class of 2019 President, announced that he would be resigning all of his positions within student government. Spencer serves as a “teen lead” for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, where he spreads awareness about candidates all across the state via coordinated canvassing efforts. Over the last three months, he has knocked on doors all across the Andover, Springfield and Cape areas. Spencer also serves as an elected official within the Republican Party, as he is the Chairman for the Ashburnham Republican Town Committee. On top of that is the added stress of being a full-time college student. “I’m involved in a lot of things back home, and I feel like I’ve been involved with so much that I haven’t accomplished as much as I wanted to,” Spencer said outside of Murdock 218, as SGA met behind closed doors to fill his position as Senate Chair. “In order to accomplish more, I want to focus on the things that are most important to me.” Senators Siobhan Greene and Maggie Allen were both nomi-
nated for the position, with Greene being elected to take Spencer’s place. Although Spencer felt that he had been neglecting his duties as Senate Chair due to being overloaded on work, there was a consensus among Senators that he had been doing a fantastic job at incorporating student voice into SGA meetings, as well as the voice of Senators in e-board meetings. “I’m going to try to carry on what Tyler was doing as Senate Chair,” Greene said. “A lot of what Tyler was trying to do was to incorporate the student voice, was getting student input. We don’t want SGA to be a separate identity.” Also a consensus among Senators was that Greene would fit well into the position. “I am so proud of Senator Greene,” Sen. Kelly, who has sat beside Greene at every SGA meeting this semester, said. “I think she is going to bring some innovation to the position. She’s going to spend a lot
of time talking to Senators, and will help to bring their ideas to the e-board.” President Williams couldn’t say enough nice things about both members of SGA. He admitted that, while he was shocked that Spencer resigned as Senate Chair, Williams knew that Spencer had taken on a lot of responsibility this semester. “I know he’s a dedicated public servant, but he’s doing a lot,” Williams said. “I was shocked that he decided he was going to call it quits. But I wasn’t shocked that he had so much on his plate.” A big advocate of the student constituency and elected senators alike, Williams pointed out that when he took office he hadn’t even known whether or not SGA e-board meetings were open to the public. Spencer, Williams admitted, did a lot to bring those voices and concerns to the e-board. “When I was elected, I decided that I wanted to give more power to the Senate, have more conversation with the Senate,” Williams said. “Tyler held me to that. No conversation went by without him asking, ‘What about the Senate?’” Although Spencer’s resignation did leave a big hole in SGA’s e-board, Williams, along with his peers, held firm that Greene would be a great fit for
BMC strengthens their North Adams campus By Kelsey Kistner Staff Writer
The Berkshire Medical Center (BMC) is strengthening their North Adams campus by offering several outpatient services designed to help patients. Located at the old North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH), the BMC’s campus provides over a dozen programs and services to provide the health care needs of the Northern Berkshire community. Not only does the hospital include routine inpatient and outpatient care, but also community services through specialized programs. According to the BMC website, some of the programs include 24-hour emergence care, Neighborhood For Health, the Berkshire Partnership for Health and Operation Better Start. The 24-Hour Emergency Care facility provides full access care for emergent injuries or illness. Their website states this facility employs, “highly skilled Emergency Medicine physicians, nurses and staff, and is a satellite operation of the main Emergency Department at Berkshire Medical Center.” Neighborhood For Health is a healthcare service educating pa-
tients on how to maintain good health to reduce the need for future hospitalization. The Berkshire Partnership for Health is a “countywide initiative designed to target four key areas of disease prevention and wellness - diabetes, high blood pressure, falls prevention and tobacco treatment.” It also offers specific programs for the control or prevention of diabetes and high blood pressure. Operation Better Start offers interdisciplinary approach to provide services for children, young adults, and families education for helping and preventing obesity. Nurses, dietitians, exercise professionals, and physicians work together to form this program. The NARH closed on March 28, 2014 due to bankruptcy, leaving the Northern Berkshire community without easy accessible emergency care. Community members and MCLA students worried about the long trip to the closest emergency facility- the BMC in Pittsfield, Mass. The hospital served over 30,000 citizens and was the largest employer in the city of North Adams As a result, the local community and state and local legisla-
tors began working hard to solve the lack of medical service in the immediate area. The local community created petitions to bring back a fullscale health care facility. In addition, the North County Cares Coalition formed to discuss the issues and possible solutions for the lack of a local hospital. During the brainstorming process, the MCLA MountainOne Wellness Center teamed up with BMC to provide non-emergency care for the community and College. Registered nurses and nurse practitioners provide service every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Not having a 24-hour service was still a major concern for both community members and college students. Financial problems were still stopping further progress until the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission awarded a $3 million CHART grant for the North Adams BMC. With the additional funds, the BMC was able to replace the old NARH with a well-established and fully functioning hospital. Both the BMC and the North County Cares Coalition were contacted and did not wish to make a statement.
the position. “I’m going to miss his voice,” Williams said. “However, I know Siobhan will do a great job stepping into his shoes. She has different strengths than he does, but they both care about the Senate having a voice.” Spencer also commented on Greene’s qualifications for the job. “I hope that Senate Chair Greene will continue my efforts to reform SGA,” Spencer wrote in a short statement following the meeting. “I also think that she is highly qualified for the position from her experience with Robert’s Rules of Order and [her] general understanding of politics and government.” Also resigning from SGA was Senator Jordan Goyette, who cited scheduling conflicts as a reason why he had to step down from his position as a student representative. In other news, the Constitution Committee gave SGA its first revised club Constitution. Yorick, the club for Shakespeare lovers on campus, will have its revised Constitution voted on next week by SGA. Parliamentarian Lovellette pointed out that club constitutions must be revisited every three years in order to remain under the umbrella of SGA and receive funding from student government. The Curriculum Committee looked at, and voted to approve, sev-
eral new theatre courses at MCLA. However, Jake Vitali, Class of 2020 Representative, admitted that there was some distance between the All College and Curriculum committees on the aforementioned theatre courses. Last week, Coordinating Vice President Giffen gave an update regarding the hydration stations being added to the Center for Science and Innovation, Murdock and Mark Hopkins. The new water fountains were on back-order, and Giffen said that they would arrive within two weeks. As it has been two weeks since then, the hydration stations shouldn’t be too far out. Regarding a hydration station being placed in Mark Hopkins, Giffen said that she met with Vice President Lawrence Behan, who told her that the school had no plans for renovating the building any time soon, so the water fountain would not cause any reason to hold that off further. In addition, removing the hydration station and replacing it in case of renovation would not be too difficult, so that was cited as a reason for its placement in Mark Hopkins. On Thursday, Nov. 10 there will be a Safe Zone Workshop at 5 p.m in Murdock 218. That same day, Campus Conversations on Race will continue at 8 p.m in Sullivan Lounge
Corrections ARAMARK story: Last issue, The Beacon mispelled sandwiches. We regret the error. Correction to the Corrections: Last issue, in the corrections box, Harmony Birch was spelled “Harmony Birtch.” We regret the error.
Campus News
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Beacon.MCLA.edu
3
The challenge of transfer credits By Mitchell Chapman Managing Editor
Transferring to MCLA from another institution can be a headache, but there are a few steps students can take to ensure the maximum number of outside institutional credits transfer over. Every college institution in the United States and beyond do not necessarily equate to one another. Some colleges have more core requirements than others, some teach the same course material differently, and some have policy that prevents transfer credits from crossing over.
According to MCLA Registrar Steven King and Director of Admissions Gina Puc, their departments conduct a transcript analysis of prospective students to get an idea of what credits will fit where. MCLA tries to be “transfer-friendly” especially when dealing with core requirement courses; though they try to count whatever does not transfer as an elective. There are situations where credit is lost, mostly with students who transfer to MCLA as upperclassmen. MCLA maintains a policy that allows students to transfer a maximum of 75 credits from an-
other institution. “Education majors tend to have more credits than they need,” Puc said. “It really depends on the department. The art, business, history and English departments are usually pretty good at accepting credit.” When credit does not cross over, the best thing a student can do is get a copy of that course’s class syllabus, complete with course description. If a copy of the syllabus cannot be obtained, King and Puc suggest students to contact their college. However, the final say about transfer credits always comes down to the department chair, and as such
Puc and King urge transfer students in particular to get acquainted with their respective chairs. “The department chair ultimately decides what goes through,” King said. “You should talk with your academic adviser first, though.” Puc echoed these sentiments, saying that the transfer process “should be an individualized process based on student experience,” and as such, should start with the student’s academic adviser. However, the office of the registrar remains a resource to students who might have any questions. “Some departments are trickier
than others,” Puc said. “We have the best interests of students, taking into account time to degree, core major requirements, and campus policy.” MCLA transfers a variety of students, from those with an Associates degree from another college, from community college students, to adult learners; and they all have different paths to graduation. Though academic policy and major requirements can cause a boatload of headaches, students have resources available to them to help them navigate these stormy waters to graduation.
Math Professor Patrick Dragon has been replaced By Reagan Smith
Special to The Beacon
Photo by Domonique Ackley/The Beacon
Roberts sits down with The Beacon.
Cokie Roberts lays out the state of the country By Harmony Birch Editor-in-Chief
What’s Cokie Roberts summary of the 2016 election? “It’s bad, it’s really bad.” Roberts grew up in a family immersed in politics with both of her parents representing Louisiana in Congress, and she claims she is the only person from her immediate family who never ran for office. Roberts spoke last Thursday at the Michael S. and Kitty Dukakis Public Policy Lecture about the state of the country and what to keep in mind before voting season. What makes this election so extraordinary other than the idea of electing a woman or a reality star as president? Roberts says it’s the country’s polarization. A polarization that she hasn’t seen to this extent in past elections. “We’ve seen divisions in American society before, but nothing like this,” Roberts said. Regional divisions, demographic divisions and sex divisions are more pronounced than ever. On Wednesday ABC released a tracking poll that Roberts cited throughout her lecture. The poll found deep divisions among a variety of demographics. The gender gap division was 22 points, there was a 44 percent gap between college educated
whites and non college educated whites, a 65 percent gap between whites and non whites, a 66 percent gap between rural and urban dwellers, and 97 percent between white evangelicals and people who don’t adhere to a religion. The country is polarized, and Roberts warned lecture goers against relying too heavily on polls to shape the election. “Horse race polls mean nothing and any pollster will tell you that they’re non predictive; what they are is a snapshot at that moment and time,” Roberts said, adding that there are even less polls this year than there were in 2012. She advised college students against voting third party, saying it was their right but that it meant little for this presidential election. “Vote for somebody who’s going to be president,” Roberts said. When it came to the media coverage of the election, Roberts regretted Donald Trump’s prominence. “I think Donald Trump’s media coverage particularly during the primaries was a phenomenon nobody should be proud of. He got ratings.” Still she expressed the media’s duty to cover Donald Trump, because he was and is at the center of something spectaclar. ROBERTS Continued on Page 11
Mathematics professor Patrick Dragon was fired the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 2. Campus Police Chief Dan Colonno, as well as Bernadette Alden of the Communications Department, to comment on the incident. “I knew from the first day of class that the class I was enrolled in was not the class I signed up for,” senior Emily Meidenbauer said on Dragon’s Math for Liberal Arts course. “The material seemed excessive and unreasonably difficult for a 100-level course. I enrolled in it only to fulfill a requirement for my education major that requires us to have 9 math credits, and hoped it would be an easy A.” Other students were also displeased with Dragon’s course, according to Meidenbauer, and received minimal assistance during his office hours. His Math for Liberal Arts students were not allowed to use calculators and were not given a textbook to reference. “I’ll hopefully do better with
Photo from the University of Connecticut
Professor Dragon taught Math for Liberal Arts. The Beacon knows he is no longer with the insitution. the replacement,” Introduction to Statistics student Jacob Davis said. “He said he’s going to teach us statistics we can use. I think he’s looking more at our effort, whereas Dragon would take off points if our homework wasn’t in pen.” As an academically-successful student throughout her college career, Meidenbauer felt distraught when she began Dragon’s class with a below average grade. Dragon graduated from John Hopkins University, and went
on to study Physics and Mathematics at UMASS Amherst before getting his Ph.D. at the University of California-Davis (UC Davis). He was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award and the William Karl Schwarze award for excellence in teaching and service to undergraduates at UC Davis in 2011. “I don’t know why he was fired,” sophomore Will Taylor said. “If it was just because his classes were too hard, I don’t think that should be a fire-able offense.” Associate Professor of the Mathematics Department Christopher Thomas has taken over Dragon’s Math for Liberal Arts class for the remainder of the semester. Both Taylor and Meidenbauer said it was not revealed to them why Dragon was fired, but a large amount of students felt relieved. “I think I’ll do better [in the class] with Christopher Thomas,” Taylor said, “but it’ll be less satisfying than finishing Dragon’s course.” Thomas couldn’t give away anything regarding his new class, however.
Cutting outside Pitcher’s Mound Pub By Reagan Smith
Special to The Beacon Alex Heck, a 20 year old male from North Adams, was arrested and charged with assault and battery using a dangerous weapon early Saturday morning. North Adams Police informed Williamstown, Pittsfield and Adams Police of the reported stabbing outside the Pitcher’s Mound Pub, a bar right off the MCLA campus. The victim of the stabbing called for an ambulance on Church Street, where MCLA Campus Police were asked to respond to the scene. “The victim sustained a non-life-threatening wound to their arm,” Campus Police
Chief Dan Colonno said, in a safety alert sent to MCLA students. “While this incident did not involve members of the MCLA community and poses no immediate threat to our campus community; it did happen near campus.” Colonno made it clear to students that even if offcampus, the safety of MCLA students is still the concern of Campus Police. The safety alert included a reminder to be security conscious and aware of surroundings. According to Colonno, students are urged to only walk in well-lit areas and remain in groups when traveling off campus. MCLA Public Safety offers
the Guardian App, which allows students to report potential crimes, hostile situations and emergencies on their mobile phones. The app also lets students identify specific friends, roommates or family as, “Guardians,” so Campus Police have more ways to check on the individual. Students can also call Public Safety for an escort if they’re feeling unsafe. Any and all suspicious people and/or occurrences should be reported to Campus Police immediately by dialing extension 5100 from any campus phone, or (413)662-5100 from cell phones or off campus phones. Dial 911 if in an emergency situation.
4
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Opinion & Editorial
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Editorial
The Beacon
Canada will not solve our problems We have to stay if we want our country to change. Did any of us actually believe there’d be a Trump Presidency? What happens now? The articles streaming are hyperbolic, or at least, worst case scenario, articles are trying to explain everything to the group of Americans, like us, who don’t comprehend what happened Tuesday night. Should we be filing our Visa’s out of fear for our lives? The biggest fear of a Trump presidency, maybe the reason the media refused to take him seriously, is his unpredictability. He’s not a career politician, he does flip flop, would he be effective at anything he says? What about the House and Senate, both Republican majorities? We don’t know and we can’t tell you. What we do know is that if you leave, you’re letting your country fall to the majority. The majority who elected Donald Trump as president. You’re giving up before you even know what you’ve lost. What we do know is that the majority of the country stands by gay marriage according to the Pew
Research center. Abortion is more heavily contested but we still have a slim majority of pro choice-deportation we’re less certain on, but Trump has flip flopped his stance multiple times throughout this election cycle. Four years is a deceptively short period of time, and the presidency isn’t the only political ground our country has to stand on. If anything this election emphasizes the importance of voting even more and participating in state and local elections too. It takes time to build a political revolution. You must rebuild from the ground up. We need you, students of MCLA. We need you closely monitoring the government, calling your representatives and senators if a piece of legislation you’re against ends up working through the ranks at any level. We need to hear you protesting in the streets and building support. It is up to us to heal the growing sickness of racism and bigotry. If you, the people, fall into the trap of self-pity and complacency then the direction of this country will be commandeered beyond
our control, without a doubt. Just don’t let the conservative powertrust in Washington, D.C see us wavering at any point. As scared as we are, the students of MCLA and the people of the United States must stand together for anybody in the federal or state governments to really take notice. We have to channel the fear coursing through us in an effort to maintain the legality of gay marriage, or the unconstitutionality of stop-andfrisk. Our voice does not count on one day every four years. The voice of the American people matters so long as you shout loud enough. Make sure that the voice of the American people is heard 365 days a year. If you don’t, people can get complacent enough to fool themselves into thinking that Donald Trump is an acceptable candidate. This will not be easy. But Democrats and Republicans and Independents alike must join together to accomplish the real goal here: discourse. We have to keep the discourse going, the debate. We need you here to present diverse voices, to show people
what real people of color, real LGBTQ community members look like. We need you here so that America stays strong, so that no matter what, we’ll be stronger for it all. We’ve survived Nixon and Vietnam, we survived Reagan and the war on poverty, we survived Bush. This isn’t the time to run away. We’re not at war, we are not refugees. We still live in a democracy—and many of you are arguing that democracy failed you—but it didn’t. Tuesday showed us the anger of those who feel left behind in a changing America. Now we need to listen and work to protect ourselves and others from that anger, but also to pull everyone up. We need to learn not to leave others behind in our quests for “hope,” and “change.” So buckle down, put away the dramatic Facebook posts, and get out in the street with signs and rehearsed arguments. And above all, remember that the American system has endured far too much to let a man like Donald Trump actually make anything worse.
“What’s your opinion of black Friday?”
The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed free to the College’s community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications department, and ad revenues. Single copies are free, additional copies may be purchased at 50 cents each. Contact information: News desk number: 413-662-5535 Business number: 413-662-5404 Email: Beacon@mcla.edu Web site: beacon.mcla.edu Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111 Mission Statement The Beacon strives to provide timely and accurate news of campus and local events. Editorials Policy Unsigned editorials that appear on these pages reflect the views of The Beacon’s editorial board. Signed columns and commentaries that appear on these pages reflect the views of the writers. Letters Policy The Beacon welcomes Letters to the Editor. Deadline is noon on Mondays for that week’s newspaper. Letters should be kept to 500 words or less and are subject to editing for grammar and content. The Beacon will not publish anonymous or libelous letters. Letters must be signed by the writer and include a phone number. Letters may be dropped off at the office or emailed to Beacon@mcla.edu. Contributions Policy The Beacon accepts stories, photos, and opinion pieces for publication. Submissions should be dropped off at the office by Monday at noon or emailed to Beacon@mcla.edu. Advertising Policy The Beacon reserves the right not to publish any advertisement it deems to be libelous, false. or in bad taste.
Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Harmony Birch Web Editor Managing Editor Jake Mendel Mitchell Chapman Design Editor Adam Sams A&E Editor Features Editor Jon Hoel Joseph Carew Copy Chief Buisness Lauren Levite Manager Photography Editor Reagan Smith Domonique Ackley Video Editor Dan Wohler
Staff
Staff Writers Emily Gabert Nick Tardive Kelsey Kistner
“I love black Friday! My mom is kind of an obsessive couponer, and she’s passed down the skill to me. We always go out, its a family tradition.” - Caroline Leaver, 2019
“No one in my family really likes going out for black Friday. But I do enjoy cyber Monday, when I can shop for deals out of the comfort of my own home.” - Kenny Olchowski, 2020
“I worked, all day” - Emma Berkowitz, 2020
Sports Writer
Brady Gerow
Photographers and Videographers Shunquell Dennis Sam Kniskern
Cartoonist
Samwise Fox
A&E Writers Ronald Leja Chris Riemer Emma Monahan
Copy Editors
Advisers
Ayrel Brosnan Nick Webb
Jenifer Augur Shawn McIntosh
Online at: Beacon.MCLA.edu
Facebook.com/MCLABeacon Twitter.com/TheBeacon_MCLA
“ I try not to go out. It can get pretty hectic, and I’m not a fan of the crowds. If my family planned on it, I guess I’d go too.” - Antonio Archina, 2019
“ We don’t do it! My mom black Friday is for crazy people!” - Samantha Hamelton, 2018
Photos by Ron Leja
“This black Friday I think I’m gonna go out. I normally don’t, but there’s some shoes I’d like buy this year.” - Travis Rice, 2017
Thursday, November 3, 2016
I
Opinion & Editorial
HATE By Nick Tardive
THIS
Staff Writer
The Bottom Up The phrase “President-elect Donald Trump” is like acid on the tongue. You spit it out at the world around you, searing holes in the concrete and pavement, but no matter what you cannot quell the burning. Despite that, it is imperative that we respect the results of the election, or else we run the risk of embodying even a tiny bit of Donald Trump himself. We run the risk of becoming the Republican obstructionists that muffled the victory of America’s first African-American President. We have to not be idiots about this. Just chill out for a second. It turns out the world hasn’t quite burned down overnight. Prospects of this Republican clean sweep can be horrifying, but at the very least we should agree to come together long enough to see what President-elect Trump has to offer. That being said... I do not expect good things. Nobody should. This was the worst possible. Everybody across the board who doesn’t happen to be straight, white men: Latino, Muslim, African-American, members of the LGBTQ community. Hell, even Jewish people. You all have a right to be afraid. But don’t be afraid. Be patient. If at any point the promise of law and order comes down and a Trump-appointed judge rules stop-and-frisk constitutional, or the mass deportations begin, or Muslims have to wear a scarlet letter. Then, please. Don’t be afraid. Get pissed. Make sure that this is something that even a heavily conservative America will realize is not okay, come 2020. Get pissed. Organize, protest. Let’s get
out from behind our damn computer screens. Let’s ditch our Safe Spaces behind. Because people shouldn’t need a “Safe Space” if a man who campaigned such as President-elect Trump did could even come close to victory, let alone win. Take the safe spaces to the streets. Organize. Stand together, holding signs for hours, screaming your collective lungs out until enough people start to get the message. Take s**t from the police. Go to jail. Get tear-gassed. Be willing to die for your fundamental human rights. Contact your representatives, local level all the way to Congress. Vote in midterms and off-year elections. The Top Down Wow, okay, so...Democrats? You goofed so bad that the American electorate chose Donald “Whatever Grabber” Trump over you. They were so turned off by your corporate, middle-ofthe-road schlock that Donald J. “I might be dating by daughter” Trump was considered to be a more-trustworthy alternative. You screwed up, Democratic Party. Really, the whole process began with Bill Clinton’s Blue Dog blueprint for the Democratic Party. He realized that Ronald Reagan’s conservatism was so ingrained within the electorate, he basically forced Democrats to the center. Less progressive, more...moderately progressive, with semi-liberal values that could be shaken by a check in the pocket. This was not a case of party creationism, however. This was a natural evolution from the horrific failures of unabashedly liberal candidates such as McGovern, Carter in his campaign for reelection, Mondale and Dukakis.
A major trap confining the Democratic Party are superdelegates. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz admitted on CNN that superdelegates are basically used to ensure that elected Democratic officials don’t have to be worried about outsider candidates with a strong grass-roots campaign winning. One thing Bill Clinton and President Obama share as politicians that Hillary Clinton could not emulate was a genuine charisma and likability. Even President-elect Trump can get people to like him... That charisma and genuineness was really the crux of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama’s campaigns. Bill was cool, Barack the quick-witted Professor-type with an overwhelmingly positive message. They could easily mask their adherence to the Democratic machine. What the party refused to see this year was that now, more than ever, the election is a popularity contest. It’s a reality show. That’s the game that Donald Trump played. Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren should have been the nominee this year. If the Republican Party can find success in becoming increasingly, belligerently more conservative, the Democratic Party has to appeal to the progressive ideals of the electorate. A likable presidential candidate can do wonders for politicians running on the same ballot, as we learned during the swamp drainage that occurred in D.C Tuesday night. Senator Sanders was the most liked candidate in the primary elections on either side. It doesn’t matter that people argued he’d never be able to do what he wanted to, because at that same
time everybody was suffering from the collective aneurysm of President-elect Trump’s baffling rise to supremacy. If Sanders had been the nominee, he would have appealed to Libertarians and Independents and Greens simply due to the fact that he carried the same anti-establishment mentality as Trump. He did so while portraying a message of peace and unity. But no. The Democratic Party loves its machine. The machine spun around and popped out the name Hillary Rodham-Clinton. The Republican Party moved further to the right because the Democratic Party pushed itself to the right. And now it’s time for the progressives in this country to swing the scale in favor of liberalism. Hillary Clinton I’m sorry, Hillary. In the end, I even started to like you a little bit. But you are the worst candidate the United States has seen in a long time. Blowing the primary elections during your first “your year” to a charming, funny and intelligent young Senator from Illinois? Understandable. Blowing the general, after being handed the primary thanks to her most serious, possible establishment opponents refused to run, to a man who’s a walking implosion of debauchery? This is it for you, Secretary Clinton. Like Trump said in his acceptance speech; thanks for all your years of service. But please, go home and retire from politics. How do you fail to address, satisfactorily, the Benghazi and E-mail scandals well enough to get people to screw off? How do you allow those to snowball until they’re greater than the sum of Trump’s alleged sexual assault, incestual inclinations and business shadiness? Unlike Bill and Obama, there is just that distinct lack of solid personality and set of beliefs that has the entire world wondering whether or not your every breath is a cold, calculated half-truth. Your every non-answer pivot was noticeable, awkward, and to your biggest detracors, absolutely condemning.
Beacon.MCLA.edu
5
It is a horrible shame that you lost. Electing America’s first woman President, to follow up two terms of its first African-American Commanderin-Chief, would have been an achievement in its own. But you deserved to lose. The Media And finally... Stop it already with your damned disabling objectivity. I shouldn’t have to turn to Stephen Colbert to find a summary for what is happening in the hearts and minds of all Americans. I shouldn’t have to watch as you prop up a limp, lifeless, hopeless ooze of a candidate beside the pristine, functioning robot and call them equals. Everyone knows you think differently. Everyone knows you all voted for Secretary Clinton. Maybe, if journalists and reporters had the ability to give their take on a subject, people who watch CNN or NBC would understand why Trump was so obviously the wrong candidate for the job. Their soulless, dead stares as they read election results as they are forced to explain with a straight face that Trump’s acceptance speech was “the most Presidential he’s ever acted”. It’s the same thing they said about Trump when he won the nomination and pivoted toward the general election. Or any time he’s caused a really major scandal and been confined to the teleprompter for a whole week straight. There are some things that can be reported on fairly and accurately. I just wish that journalists would re-evaluate their beliefs in an attempt to understand why they were a major part of the problem in this year’s election. And I hope the field that I love desperately learns that sometimes the best way to inform the public is to be biased. Now let’s all pray that the hype around Trump’s destructive abilities have been overblown, and that come the next four years the democratic process has survived long enough to reverse the damage done by the Democratic Party and the modern, mainstream media in this grueling election.
XKCD
6
Thursday, november 10 2016
Arts & Entertainment
Senior Bryanna Bradley performing at the previous fall’s Dance Company performance. Bradley is one of the veteran dancers in the company and will be performing this fall as well.
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Photo By Zachary Benjamin
Dance Company reinvents itself With the fall performance looming, MCLA’s Dance Company looks to shake things up, adding dance classes and participating in community events. By Emma Monahan A&E Writer
MCLA’s Dance Company is always known for putting on fun and energetic performances for the community. Although members may be known mostly for their highly-anticipated shows, which will be showcased Dec. 1-3, the club wants to be more than just dancers. Junior and Dance Co. President Taylar Jackson has been dancing for 16 years, and she said the group is really trying to reinvent themselves, with more volunteering throughout the community and on campus. “[The e-board], saw that we have the biggest club on campus, and that we should be utilizing this
By Ron Leja A&E Writer
Yorick, MCLA’s student-run Shakespeare club, will be hosting a semi-formal banquet in the Church Street Center Social Hall on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m. Attendees will be treated to not only a meal, but a multitude of scenes from some of Shakespeare’s plays including Twelfth Night, King Lear, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. MCLA students will receive free admission to the event, while non-student guests will be asked to pay a $5 donation fee at the door. Several members of Yorick
more, we should be helping more,” Jackson said. “We can do more than just dance.” The club has participated in local events like the Fall Day of Service, the Sam Gomez Race, and has also helped out at the Berkshire Food Project. Co-President Rachel Mills was the one who got Dance Co. more into volunteering, Jackson saying that Mills’s passion for volunteering affected the whole group. “We decided it would be a really good thing for us to start helping, and using our members to help out the community. So we’ve been doing as many things as we can,” Jackson said. Apart from their shows in their fall and spring semesters, Dance
will also be offering there various talents to those who attend in the form of an auction. The services of each club member can be expected to vary; while some of them will be particularly helpful, others may be distinctly fun or entertaining. “Some of the things being auctioned are someone will cook you dinner, or someone will write you a short story in which you’re the main character,” Rachel Valliere, vice president of Yorick, said. “I’m offering my service by helping someone clean and organize their room.” While the club has traditionally performed two shows per year, one in the fall and one in the
Co. has also been known for performing at Midnight Madness. Their performance on Oct. 26 to kick off the basketball season was a way to illustrate what the club has in store for their first show in December. With over 55 dancers this semester, and working towards broadening their reputation on campus, Dance Co. has some special pieces in store for next month’s show. “This semester, we have a pointe piece, Bryanna Bradley’s tap piece will really stand out, a lot of hip hop which is always a favorite, and a modern/contemporary type of dance, which is different but really good,” Jackson said. Emily Resabala, a sophomore who has been a part of Dance Co.
for two semesters, joined the club because she loves to dance and wanted to get involved on campus. The two seemed to click. “Dance Co. is like a family and when you dance, that’s a way to express yourself,” Resabala said. “If people are shy, but then they dance, they say more than when they speak.” This semester, Resabala has taken on the role as choreographer, which has been a challenge. “When you’re a choreographer, you learn to work with different types of people since it’s open to everyone,” she said. “You have people who have danced their whole lives in the same room with people who have never danced before. It’s a challenge, but a good learning experience.”
Dance Co. is also trying something else new: student run master classes for MCLA students that only cost $2 where you can learn how to tut, jazz-funk, and hip-hop. Taking place in Sullivan Lounge on Saturdays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., the classes are way for students to be a part of Dance Co. “It’s a chance to give students a feel of the dances that are usually performed,” Resabala said. “So most of these master classes are dances and styles that we have used in the past.” Dance Co.’s fall performance will be on Dec. 1 and 2 at 8 p.m., and Dec. 3 at 2 p.m. in Venable Theater. For more information, contact Taylar Jackson on Office 365.
spring, they feel that the banquet is an opportunity to introduce both students and members of the community to Shakespeare in a way that may be livelier than the typical play. They also hope that the event will help to embellish the fun side of Shakespeare, and make his performances enjoyable for all. “I think a lot of people expect us to do a fall show, so they’re not as excited, I guess you could say,” Julie Castagna, Yorick club president said. “But holding a banquet definitely opens us up to different members of the MCLA community that usually wouldn’t be involved in Yorick. It was a huge success last year, and there was a
lot of positive feedback, so we’re expecting the same for this year!” The banquet also takes on the form of a philanthropic endeavor, as all proceeds are expected to help support the illustrious Shakespeare and Company. “The money collected from the auction will be donated to Shakespeare in the Courts,” Valliere said. “It’s a program ran by Shakespeare and Company which has adolescent offenders work with performers, take classes, participate in rehearsals and prepare their own Shakespearean play as part of their probation.“ Over the years, members of Yorick have attended numerous
workshops put on by Shakespeare and Company, who have offered their expertise in technique, language, stage combat, as well as the art of directing and managing live performances. Together, they have helped to tone one anothers craft as performing artists. “It’s a very welcoming place for anyone who is interested in theater,” Castagna said. “We wanted to donate to a good cause, something that would really make us feel like what we’re doing was right, and something to really help the community. Shakespeare & Company has helped us immensely in the past, and we wanted to give back to them.”
Yorick to host its second Shakespearean banquet
Thursday, november 10 2016
Arts & Entertainment
Beacon.MCLA.edu
MAGNETIC FIELDS Continued From Page 1
Big Thief played at MoCA’s B10 Club last Saturday to a sold out audience. The band received a standing ovation for their show.
Photo by Chris Riemer / The Beacon
Brooklyn band Big Thief shatters the expectations Big Thief performed its album “Masterpiece” at MoCA (and no thief puns were made in this Beacon review.) By Chris Riemer A&E Writer
In 2000, Dave Eggers published a memoir called “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.” It was a title meant to evoke confusion, accusations of arrogance, but above all, conversation about the book. That title will forever be inextricably linked to the experience of reading Eggers’ book. You can understand my apprehension, then, when I saw the title of Big Thief ’s new album. However, Masterpiece is nothing like Eggers’ ironically grandiose statement. In fact, I wonder if the band even considered the possibility that listeners might mistake the title for pretension. So what is Big Thief ’s album? Folk-rock, I guess, alternating between tender ballads and heavier, almost anthemic jams. Occasionally both at once, like in the band’s live centerpiece “Real Love.” North Adams is typically not a stop on many touring schedules, but Big Thief is still sort of in that perfect spot between an ill-prepared band of musical novices and the sort of polished, long-running live act who get no closer to us than the distressing NorthamptonAlbany-Burlington triangle. Their show at MoCA last Saturday was their first seated concert so far, and it was clear early on that this was a performance meant to be
experienced in an upright position. The songs were the same ravaged-time-signature dreamy gems from Masterpiece, but without all the sharp edges clipped off. The most energetic moments on the album carried through: the distorted, ruthlessly repeated note near the end of “Real Love,” the math rock-esque tonal and time signature twists throughout “Animals,” and of course, the booming and perfect titular track, with its disjointed feedback-filled solo. Guitarist and vocalist Adrianne Lenker is responsible for the poignant and beautiful lyricism, which elevates Big Thief above some of their New York indie rock contemporaries. Her performance both live and on the album is fantastically varied, both in terms of her voice—which alternates between a soft swell and a drawling, tooclose-to-the-mic mutter—and her brilliant jazz-influenced guitar work, which included acoustic fingerpicking, fuzzy grunge chord progressions, and destructive noise-rock wailing. The unsung hero of Big Thief is Buck Meek, whose position in the group is a little difficult to discern. He isn’t the primary vocalist, and his guitar generally compliments Lenker’s, but he is by no means a backup vocalist nor a rhythm guitarist. Meek’s jittering, spacey guitar textures layered over Lenker’s melodies resulted in a sound which was at times unsettling,
but rarely affected the bouncy, catchy groove of each song. Before playing “Masterpiece,” a likely candidate for single if the album had one, Meek sang a short piece a capella with his piercing, unapologetically Texan yell. It was amazing, and also super weird. About halfway through the show, Lenker gave the band a break and played a few slow, solo cuts as well, including a faithful cover of Judee Sill’s “The Kiss.” When I listened to Masterpiece the first few times, I skated right past the ballads in favor of the weirdest, noisiest tracks. I was forced to reevaluate my initial impression during this section of the show. The softer tracks on Masterpiece deserve the same love and respect as their more boisterous counterparts, from the reverb-drenched anecdote “Paul” to the disarmingly cozy “Lorraine,” which contains perhaps the most gorgeously rendered—and explicit—lyrics on the album. I’ll close by quoting the description from Big Thief ’s Bandcamp page, which sums them up better than I ever could. “Listening to Big Thief is like the feeling of looking at a dog and suddenly marveling that it is like you but very not like you; when you are accustomed to looking at a dog and thinking ‘dog’, watching Big Thief is like forgetting the word ‘dog’ and looking at that naked animal and getting much closer to it and how different it is to you.”
On the early Magnetic Fields records and again on “Love at the Bottom of the Sea” you heavily utilized synthesizers, in addition to some conventional instruments. Will we see synth on the new album? On some of the early records we had electronic instruments, but on the “House of Tomorrow” EP we got a review talking about the irritating synthesizers— some reviewer who didn’t like synthesizers-- but on that EP, there weren’t any synthesizers— they were mistaking the cello for a keyboard. So, we were not always as electronic as people thought. But on the first record, which is almost all samples, we were. And then on “Love at the Bottom of the Sea”, there’s lots of samples of all sorts…many of which were not what they started as…I was gleefully playing with the various new technologies of instrument as opposed to computer…we started out as a computer band and we haven’t actually ever gone back to that. Having learned to play that stuff [gestures at the dozens of various instruments]. The new album is called “50 Song Memoir” out a memoir album at this point in your career, other than the landmark? No reason other than the
7
A good title. If you have a good title you can get away with anything. Love has changed a great deal, especially courtship has changed unrecognizably in the last 17 years—particularly in the gay community. When I now listen to “69 Love Songs”, they’re all sort of novelty songs because people don’t behave that way anymore. It’s a much more romantic album than you would expect from a record that came out now. Though you could say that for almost any album of the 20th century. You have this new album “50 Song Memoir”, “69 Love Songs”, you did the book with Roz Chast “101 Two-Letter Words” and you did that list for Rolling Stone last year, My Life in 15 Songs. Do you have an affinity for lists, or is that something that comes from writing for a long time? Well, the Rolling Stone list was a feature, a request from them. I think Americans are obsessed with numbers and lists. At the time of “69 Love Songs”, I thought of it as Warholian variations on mechanical theme. Now, I think of it more as a women’s magazine; here’s a number of any random thing you can make a list of. Last week, we had the new trailer for the new Lemony Snicket Netflix Series. Presumably because of
If you have a good title you can get away with anything. year landmark, it seemed like the right moment. I don’t expect to do another autobiographical album at any point, this was a gimmick. I could imagine doing another theme album about travel, like “Charm of the Highway Strip”. But, having written 50 songs about me, I’m pretty much done with that. Merge Records is going to reissue your first two albums, “Wayward Bus” and “Distant Plastic Trees” in Dec. Is there a feeling of nostalgia to listen to these albums now? Well there will be a great deal of nostalgia for the new album, because it’s all about me and the last 50 years. Most of it is not directly nostalgic but, near the end there is a sort of nostalgic conclusion. I’m totally open to nostalgia, but I didn’t get it from listening to the first two albums But I think the first several Magnetic Fields albums are deliberately nostalgic. What I did get out of listening to the vinyl masters—I made the first album for vinyl, and it never came out on vinyl. So the original intention, I didn’t have any high or low end because I thought it was going to be played on vinyl. So naturally it sounds very good on vinyl. I’m happy with how the masters turned out. “69 Love Songs” was repressed on vinyl last year as well. What is it about that record that seems to grab people so much? That resonates even 17 years later?
your friendship with Daniel Handler, there is a lot of rumor mongering that you will be contributing to that show’s soundtrack, is that true? No. I would love to, but they’re doing the Beatles and the Stones or something. One of my favorite Magnetic Fields songs is ‘Old Orchard Beach’. I’ve been vacationing in Saco, Maine my whole life. I was curious what significance it might have to you or the New England aesthetic in general? When I lived in Boston and I didn’t like Boston, I spent a lot of time driving to cities nearby. And I enjoyed going to Portland, Maine…I used to just drive around for fun. I would always see signs for Old Orchard Beach, which seemed like a romantic faraway place (I gather it’s not terribly romantic). It still sounds great, and it’s— it’s a nicely confusing name, how could there be an orchard beach, what could that mean? How would one orchard beach be older than another? It’s kind of like Mrs. Paul’s Crunchy Fish Sticks it doesn’t make any sense. It’s so ambiguous it could mean almost anything. For the full interview, go online to beacon.mcla.edu. The Magnetic Fields will perform their new album over two nights at MASS MoCA on Nov. 18 and 19 at 8 p.m. tickets are available at massmoca.org
Features 8 WJJW selected Club of the Month for October Thursday, November 10, 2016
Beacon.MCLA.edu
The College’s radio station club joins the debate club as the second club of the month this year By Joseph Carew Features Editor
The club that brings you polka, political talk, and pop music on 91.1 FM has won the Club of the Month for Oct. WJJW joins the likes of Debate club, the Wildlife Society, and Book Club with this designation. “It’s a wonderful feeling; I’m just extremely proud of the station and of my DJs and of my e-board and our adviser Jim Niedbalski. We would fall apart without him; he is just wonderful,” Emma Monahan President of the club said. “I was just so excited because the station has been working really hard the past couple of years.” The College’s radio station has been attracting more students in the past two years than ever in recent history and looks to capitalize on its success to increase the amount of time slots and evolve the station. “We want to be more than just DJs, we want to form ourselves into MCLA’s music provider in a way,” Monahan said. “[If] they want to be a part of more than that you’re more than welcome to but if they just want to play music, that’s fine too.” Joining the club gives access to the College’s radio station where you can build your own show with little limit from others. “It is the perfect club for people who want to join something small
Photo from theonlinebeacon.com
WJJW provides radio programming from early morning to midnight seven days a week. I guess, like two hours during the anyone; we have political shows, she said. “We do have our FCC week,” Monahan said. “It’s a great we have polka shows, we have license so we have regulations we chance to really invest yourself country shows, we have variety have to follow but it’s nothing too into something and to be a part of of everything,” she said. “It’s just extreme.” something.” such a wide and open club that Those interested can be put on She is working with her club you could literally do whatever an on-call list and take slots when to help improve the club’s name you want. You could talk the regulars are unavailable and, with recognition on campus and to whole two hours if you want.” interest growing, the club now better sell the club to the College. Monahan came to the College looks to expand its time on the air “We’ve done open houses in part because of WJJW’s lack giving more opportunities to the and at open houses I always say of restrictions and it is that free people who have not immediately to people: ‘Do you like music? atmosphere that she stresses to been able to get a slot. You do? You want to play the those considering the club. “We have four of them right music you like? This is the club “There’s just such freedom now,” Monahan said. “So it’s still a for you.’ It’s really, the clubs for to create whatever you want,” way for them to get involved and
you know if they decide they want to do a weekly show they can come to the end of the semester meeting and claim one for the spring because we want to keep them.” WJJW, like most clubs on campus have no restrictions or requirements for joining. Even for those who have no experience in radio, joining the club requires only a training lesson by one of the qualifying members. “You come to a meeting, you pick a time slot that works best for you, you get trained by Jim and Tim Williams [the former President] and you give them a show name and description and you’re kind of done,” she said. To help with the anxiety and being unfamiliar, new members may have the opportunity to join a show hosted by one of the e-board members and see how they approach being on the radio. “We’ve been trying this new thing where after training you sit in with an e-board member and you sit in during one of their shows and you get more of a hands on lesson from that.” WJJW allows users the chance to train from the College’s best radio personalities and create their own unique show. With an E board that is working to expand programming, joining the club seems like an excellent opportunity to get on the air.
VP of Institutional Advancement fired MARY HASTINGS Continued from page 1
Hastings claims she was hired to uncover pathways to funding for the College. She was previously the Director of Development at The New School, a college in New York, where she worked for five years before taking a position as the Executive Director for the American London Symphony Orchestra Foundation. She states that part of what makes her a great fundraiser is her background. She was raised in the Berkshires and attended the Manhattan school of Music for her undergraduate degree and Julliard for her masters in trumpeting. When Hastings was hired, on July 11, a few faculty members were aware of her presence through a press release from the College. Foss said she only met Hastings a few times but said she was fantastic. English professor David Langston said he had never met her and didn’t know much about her, but was excited that someone had taken up the Advancement Vice President position. When she was terminated, Hastings said she received a letter signed by President Birge stating that she was terminated for, “inadequate leadership, inappropriate communication with internal and external parties, comments of a sexual nature, and use of profanity.” Though Hastings did not show the paper document of the letter to The Beacon, her lawyer confirmed its contents. The faculty found out about Hastings’ termination during a meeting with the president when someone asked about his
plans for fundraising with Hastings. It was at that meeting, according to Foss, that the President informed them that had Hastings had left because he and she had different expectations. When she asked what Birge meant by “inappropriate internal and external communications,” Hastings said he was referring to her behavior towards Richardello. “I [told him] I never spoke badly about her externally, but if you’re going to fire people for speaking badly about her internally and or swearing, you’re going to need to get rid of your entire campus,” Hastings said. Richardello and Hastings didn’t get along, according to Hastings. Hastings claimed that Richardello demanded a weekly meeting with her, but that she could only schedule Richardello in before or after work hours. Richardello told her that that was unacceptable and that by refusing to make time for her between the hours of eight and five she was disrespecting the president’s office. As VP of institutional Advancement and development Hastings said she believed her role was to manage the office, uncover new donors, and work directly with the president. Richardello told Hastings multiple times that the College hierarchy worked on a system of the president being the top executive, then Richardello being second in command, and then the rest of the vice presidents falling below them, according to Hastings. “In many ways the academic VP should be your on-campus president and the
Photo courtesy of MCLA
The Office of Institutional Advancement oversees alumni relations, grants lecture series. president is the off-campus fundraiser PR professional, and tells the college story to the legislature and the public,” Langston said. Under Mary Grant the vice president of Institutional Advancement reported directly to the president, according to Hastings. The real tension between Richardello and Hastings occurred in Hastings’ third week at the College. Richardello demanded that Hastings fire five of what Hastings calls her “strongest,” staff members.
Hastings had told Richardello during the interview process that she wasn’t looking to do mass firings. She had been hired to restructure the office. She believed that Birge and Richardello felt that the office hadn’t been raising enough money. Last year she said the Advancement office raised around $1.6 million for the College, but that this number was low when compared to the previous years. In 2014, according to the Foundation tax MARY HASTINGS Continued on page 11
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Campus Life
Women’s Center hosts The Great American Smokeout
Photo from MCT Campus
By Mitchell Chapman Managing Editor
As MCLA attempts to go smoke free, The Susan B. Anothony Women’s Center will host The Great American Smokeout; a nation-wide event created by the American Cancer Society. Members of the Women’s Center will table for the event Nov. 17 in the Amsler Campus Center to promote the event. The smokeout, which will take place Nov. 17 across the nation, is a day in which smokers stop smoking for the day. The American Cancer Society stresses the importance of quitting, citing the fact that about 40 million Americans still smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the world. According to the Center for Disease and Prevention, about 480,000 Americans die
from smoking related illnesses, which accounts for roughly one in five deaths. It is a leading cause of preventable death. The event is in line with MCLA’s plans to go smoke free by 2018, something that is still being planned out by Vice President Catherine Holbrook and endorsed by President James Birge. “All that I’ve heard about
process that starts one day at a time. And every day you stay quit is another step towards a healthier life. That’s not just great for you, but for all of your family, friends, and other loved ones will truly appreciate.” According to the CDC, the national smoking rate dropped from 17 to 15 percent, which was the most significant oneyear decline since 1993. It signified a tenpoint decline since 1997, when the national smoking rate was 24.7. However, the American Cancer Society warns that cigar, pipe smoking, and hookah are still prominent, which can lead to much of the same health problems. Whatever the method of smoking tobacco, quitting is a deeply personal choice up to the individual, which can positively affect their own health and those around them.
“All I’ve heard about smoking is bad.” -- President Birge smoking is bad,” Birge told The Beacon earlier this semester. As such, the MCLA smoking policy recognizes “that exposure to tobacco smoke (both active and passive) presents an unhealthy environment and has been linked to many serious health problems.” The American Cancer Society’s description of the events reads: “Quitting is a
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Campus Safety Log Monday, Oct. 31 2:51a.m. – Filed report on Larceny / Forgery / Fraud in the Amsler Campus Center. 12:23p.m. – Filed report on a drug offense in Hoosac Hall. 3:38p.m. – No action required for an accidental 911 Hang-up Call from the Shapiro House. 6:15p.m. – Warned subject involved in a Juvenile Problem in Venable Hall. 11:38p.m. – Filed report on Suspicious Activity in the Townhouse Lot 3. Tuesday, Nov. 1 1:49p.m. – Completed medical transportation from the Wellness Center. 4:39p.m. – Filed report on Vandalism on Ashland Street. 7:33p.m. – Could not locate an Animal Issue in the Berkshire Towers Lot. 7:47p.m. – Filed report on Larceny / Forgery / Fraud in Murdock Hall. Wednesday, Nov. 2 10:30a.m. – Unsuccessful location of Suspicious Activity in the Amsler Campus Center. 3:44p.m. – No action required for an accidental 911 Hang-up Call from Murdock Hall. Thursday, Nov. 3 10:52a.m. – Filed report on Larceny / Forgery / Fraud in the Amsler Campus Center. 11:22a.m. – Rendered services on Suspicious Activity by the History House. 11:57a.m. – Rendered services on a motor vehicle accident by the Amsler Campus Center.
1:11p.m. – Filed report on Larceny / Forgery / Fraud in the Amsler Campus Center. 5:54p.m. – Investigated an animal issue in the Church Street Center Lot. 11:14p.m. – Rendered Services to a medical call from the Amsler Campus Center. Friday, Nov. 4 11:08a.m. – Closed Case on a 911 Hang-up Call from Eldridge Hall. 1:37p.m. – Transported subject to the hospital from the Wellness Center. 1:50p.m. – No action required for an accidental 911 Hang-up Call from Eldridge Hall. 3:49p.m. – Responded to accidental 911 Hang-up Call from the Amsler Campus Center. 9:41p.m. – Investigated Suspicious Activity in Berkshire Towers. Saturday, Nov. 5 12:12a.m. – Assisted North Adams Police with suspicious activity at the Pitcher’s Mound. 3:31p.m. – Rendered services for Suspicious Activity on Church Street. 6:46p.m. – Investigated Suspicious Activity at the Center for Science and Innovation. 8:26p.m. – Checked and secured Bowman Hall because of Suspicious Activity. 11:38p.m. – No action required for suspicious activity in the Ashland Street Lot.
GLOBAL FILM SERIES
FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT FAFSA Update For 2017-2018! Complete Your 17-18 FAFSA Starting Oct. 1st! Make Sure You Complete It Early Financial Aid Will Be Awarded On A First Come, First Serve Basis. SPRING REGISTRATION IS HAPPENING SOON! CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE AND STUDENT ACCOUNTS FOR ANY HOLDS ON YOUR ACCOUNT! SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES! APPLY ONLINE AT WWW.STUDENTSCHOLARSHIPS.ORG ALSO, REGISTER ON FASTWEB.COM FOR MORE FREE SCHOLARSHIP SEARCHES!
9
Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in Murdock 218
Sports 10 Volleyball defeats Salem State 3-1 Thursday, November 10, 2016
By Brady Gerow Sports Writer
Behind a record-setting night from senior Allison Clark, the Volleyball Trailblazers defeated the Salem State Vikings 3-1. The Blazers came out hot in the first round of the MASCAC playoffs. Clark set the pace, leading the team with 12 kills, while having claimed the school’s all-time record in the process. “It is great to know that the schools record has been broken,” Clark said. “...I actually did not know how many kills I had left.” Clark’s 12 kills were enough to put her two kills ahead--totaling 777--of the previous record holder Kayla Bromback, who had 775. Clark was also named first team all MASCAC for the second year in a row. Despite the fantastic performance, the match started in favor
of the Vikings. They came out to an aggressive 6-0 lead in the first set, forcing the Blazers to dig their heels in. Together, they fought hard, coming back with a five point run of their own to claim the set. The Blazers eventually went on to win that set 25-22 behind the big rally. The third set of the match proved to be the only bump in the road for the Blazers. In a win or go home situation, the Vikings pulled off an aggressive 25-11 set win, having made it a new match. With a match score of 2-1, the Trailblazers needed to put it away soon to avoid a comeback from Salem. They did just that. Almost as commanding as the Vikings set three win, the Trailblazers cruised to a 25-12 set win to advance to the next round. “Wednesday proved to us that on any given day a team can be
Craig Anderson and Senators achieve emotional victory in Edmonton By Joseph Carew Features Editor
Playoff Fantasy:
Can you ride into the sunset with Matt Ryan?
By Jake Mendel Web Editor
With nine games in the books, Matt ‘Matty Ice Ice Baby’ Ryan has two more passing touchdowns than last season. He also has more rushing yards than last season with 69 . Ryan also currently has his highest completion percentage of his career and is currently first among fantasy quarterbacks with 21 points more than Drew Brees, who is in second. With fantasy playoffs in about four weeks, it is time to talk about playoffs (PLAYOFFS!?!?). Ryan has looked great having weapons all around him, even with two very good running backs next to him in Tevin Freeman and DeVanta Freeman but the offense isn’t about running the ball. Instead, they are focused on getting these guys the ball in
space. As a result, Matt Ryan’s numbers have looked great. More importantly, last year Matt Ryan was notorious for throwing red zone interceptions. This year, Ryan has cleaned up his act and is nine touchdowns away from breaking his career high with seven games still left to play. When looking at his playoff schedule, other than the Rams, Ryan has a very easy schedule. Most leagues start in week 13, in which the Falcons play against the Chiefs. After that, they play the Rams, 49ers, Panthers, and the Saints. Week 17 usually isn’t included in playoffs, it doesn’t hurt to be playing the Saints. Looking at all these teams, only one of them ranks higher than 22nd in quarterback points allowed meaning that Ryan has a great match ups throughout the playoffs. One of the worst things people do in fantasy is over think their matchups. With the information given to us, yes you should be playing Matt Ryan throughout the playoffs and it is likely you will be riding into the sunset with the #1 fantasy quarterback in 2016.
Beacon.MCLA.edu
great,” Clark said. “We can have our ups and downs but as long as we keep fighting we can take on anyone.” Maggie Allen added six kills for the Trailblazers, as well as 16 assist from Taylor Wiese and 12 assists from Beatrice Lechler. Michelle Laga also added 21 digs on the defensive end; while Lechler added 13 digs of her own in the win. The Blazers moved onto the semifinals of the tournament on Saturday, Oct. 5. The team started the day by defeating the Westfield State Owls 3-1. The Owls had defeated the Blazers earlier during the regular season. The Blazers found themselves in line to face off with the Framingham St. Rams at the tournament finals. The Rams had also defeated them earlier in the season. They suffered a simi-
lar fate in the finals, taking a 3-0 match loss to the Rams on Saturday.
Clark ended her career as a Blazer with 803 kills in only two seasons.
There are moments in professional sports that remind fans that sometimes it’s more than just a game. On Oct. 30, the entire hockey community witnessed such an event as Craig Anderson and the Ottawa Senators posted a 2-0 shutout against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers. Anderson, the Senators goalie, was the first star of the game and the first star of the week ending Oct. 30, allowing 0 goals in two games. His second victory came just days after his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. Anderson posted a shutout against the Vancover Canucks
on Oct. 25 and took a leave of absence following the cancer diagnosis of his wife. He returned against the Oilers after his team’s other goalie suffered an injury and proceeded to make 37 saves in a 2-0 shutout. His wife, Nicholle, had “encouraged her husband to suit up and return to the team while they wait to learn more about her diagnosis,” reports sabreshockeycentral.com. This was the third time in his career in which he collected consecutive shutouts. He currently owns a 5-1-0 record to this point with a 2.46 goals-against average and .921 save percentage accord-
ing to NHL.com. Edmonton had started off the year 7-1 and was one of the hottest teams in the league before Anderson ended their 5 game winning streak. His performance in net led to a standing ovation by the Edmonton crowd when it was announced he was the first star of the game while coaches for both teams donned Hockey Fights Cancer ties in support of Anderson’s family. As the final horn was blown, the entire Ottawa Senators team
photo from athletics.mcla.edu
VICTORY IN EDMONTON Continued on page 11
Anthony Basile awarded player of the year
By Brady Gerow Sports Writer Behind a 10 goal season, men’s soccer forward, senior Anthony Basile, was awarded the honor of player of the year by the MASCAC at the season’s end. Basile is the first MCLA player to have received the honor since Dave Pereira. Pereira received the award at the end of the 1992 season. “The MASCAC is filled with talented players,” Basile said. “To have been able to compete in this league for the past three years has taught me that this award does not come easy.”
photo from mcla.athletics.edu
Basile put in a lot of work to receive the award. He recorded a league-high 73 shots on the season, 16 more than the next closest player in the league. Alongside his constant offensive pressure, Basile recorded ten goals over the course of the year. This has him the most regular season goals of any player in the MASCAC. Basile also lead the league with 22 points recorded over the season, and almost half of Basile’s goals came from one single game. On Oct. 25, he scored four goals against Albertus Magnus. “I love to compete and chal-
lenge my abilities,” Basile said. “Being a part of this program gave me the opportunity to go out there and do just that.” Basile recorded three gamewinning goals this season, coming up big in crucial moments. Despite his big year up front, Basile couldn’t have done it without his teammates. “Nothing could have been achieved without my mates!” Basile said. “They have pushed me each day, challenging me in practices and even games to perform and be the best I can be.” Basile had help from many different players over the year. Eleven different players recorded an assist this season for MCLA, not including Basile, who recorded two himself. Basile was one of eight seniors who ended their career as Trailblazers on Nov. 1, where MCLA took a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Bridgewater St. in the opening round of the MASCAC playoffs. Still, the men’s soccer team had a successful season, and Basile says goodbye with a final score of 8-8-1 and the title of MASCAC player of the year.
Thursday, November 10, 2016 VICTORY IN EDMONTON Continued from page 10
skated over to their victorious goalie and hugged and congratulated him. The emotion within him and the team was palpable in the arena. “We love hockey... it’s a great game,” Senators coach Guy Boucher told reporters after the game. “But there are things that are bigger. There are a lot of people who showed that tonight.” The Edmonton Oilers posted on twitter following the game “#OilCountry is with you, Craig & Nicholle. #HockeyFightsCancer.” Anderson and his wife will now move forward to face this new opponent with the support of the entire hockey community behind them. ROBERTS Continued from Page 3 “If people are attracted to that person it’s not nothing,” she said, citing his massive crowds of 30,000 people at his speeches. She also questioned how much the media did shape the election, considering other Republican hopefuls like Jeb Bush, who spent $150 million on TV ads and still lost. While she didn’t imply that the media was blameless, Roberts thought the polarization was too be expected as a consequence of a fast changing world. “Young people just don’t understand the opposition to being gay,” Roberts said. She also pointed out that the country has been growing more and more diverse, and while this is a way of life, a life once depicted by towns like North Adams where factory jobs once boomed, is becoming extinct. People are angry and this drives them to extremes. On one extreme Roberts sees the Tea Party, on the other a movement like that of Bernie Sanders’s, a candidate she’s written unflattering words about. “If what you want to do is affect the outcome and have somebody that will win that’s one way of looking at politics,” Roberts said. “If what you want to do is push the debate which is totally a legit thing to do, that’s another way of looking at politics, and the Tea party pushes the debate, Bernie Sanders pushes the debate, [but] neither one of them can command the majority.” But what happens now that the alternative right, like the
Opinion
News
Beacon.MCLA.edu
11
How did this happen? By Emily Gabert
Staff/Features writer In 2012, I feared Mitt Romney becoming president. I was 16 at the time and believed he was the worst thing to ever walk the planet. I remember how fearful I felt about the possibility of him winning. That election night felt like the scariest night of my life, as I sat seeing all the red states pop up across the television screen. Blue popped up in some parts, and somehow, the blue conquered the red. I felt so much relief. In the past year, I’ve watched as a business man and a reality television star somehow rose to power. I originally laughed off his plans of running for president and continued forward, I couldn’t see him going beyond the bare basics. I thought Donald J. Trump was just running his mouth and trying to find someway to make himself relevant again, yet, I found myself in the office of the Berkshire Eagle on 2016’s election night, watching and silently praying for the color blue to conquer the red again. Unfortunately, red dominated the country.
Seeing a representative from my home state of Vermont gain such a power, and spark a revolution gave me so much hope. The world is much uglier than any of us like to admit, yet this old Vermont Senator – Bernie Sanders – somehow filled the darkness with an aura of beauty and positivity. As cliché as it sounds, Bernie made me realize how important it is for us to step up, and make our voices be heard, and I think other supporters of his feel the same way. I wasn’t happy when Bernie decided to endorse Hillary but I understood. My first presidential election had many eyebrow raising moments, whether it was Trump barking out plans for a ridiculously large wall, to Marco Rubio roasting Trump’s small hands. And then there was the ongoing joke that Ted Cruz was the Zodiac Killer. In the midst of the red trying to turn each other out, Bernie was receiving so much flack for being different. Hillary Clinton was quiet for the first part of the election, but somewhere she gained traction and the next thing we all knew, nobody could MARY HASTINGS Continued from page 8
Photo by Domonique Ackley/The Beacon
Tea Party, has become the Republican majority? Donald Trump may refuse to accept a loss if he loses and that might have the power to disrupt what Roberts calls this “Funny little country on the banks of the Atlantic that decided to play with this experiment.” An experiment called democracy. Still Roberts thinks that the majority of people, like they did when both George Bush and Barack Obama were elected, will end up accepting the results.
Check out the Beacon Web Newscast! Now premiering online, and on select campus televisions!
returns, the office made $6 million in revenue, in 2013 they made $2.5 million. Hastings said previous years made more because those years were influenced by campaigns and grant money the College had received. Hastings told the College during her interview process that restructuring could be done but that it would have to be a gradual process that would take around two years. “When I said I wouldn’t do the firing that was like throwing down the gauntlet. It was standing up to the top two layers of the College,” Hastings said. Hastings wasn’t fired until eight weeks later. She said she was not sure why the president waited eight weeks after the incident to fire her. Due to the confusion of Hastings’ firing, faculty have expressed concern over Advancement’s ability to raise money. “The faculty is concerned that the Development office won’t be able to collaborate with the administration,” Langston said. “I don’t know if they have a positive relationship. The firing of Mary Hastings gives pause for concern, but I have seen no evidence that
stop talking about her email scandal. Trump continued to give no hints into what plans he has for the country, other than his overused comment “I will defeat ISIS,” and his intentions to build a stupid wall. In a way, his ignorance was funny, but after time it just grew frustrating. All he could do was fight and poke fun at peoples’ character. I tried so hard to not pay attention to the businessman, but it was hard with the memes flooding my Facebook news feed, and with mainstream media rearing his orange face at every chance they got. His supporters became more and more talked about, and it became much more clear to me, how much he was taking advantage of a specific demographic. Trump’s team effectively communicated in such a way that these people found appreciation in his image. He’s not a politician in the traditional sense, and he can get away with saying all these vile thoughts simply because he has the money that the everyday working class has tried so hard to earn. It’s hard to condense my feelings
into a couple hundred words. It’s hard for me to think clearly, when I feel so much fear. I fear for all the women and minorities in this country. I fear for all of those that are different and are a “threat” to Trump. As a society, we have come so far in being much more open about the unspeakable, and it’s scary to think so much process could be erased because a walking and talking orange thinks he has the right to be disgusting because he sits on piles of money everyday. I fear for the world my fouryear-old niece will grow up in. I can’t stand to think of her growing up to learn to fear the world around her, all because some politician (who should be well-respected and well-spoken) thinks it’s funny for him to talk down about women, and to grab parts of their body – without her consent – for his entertainment. Women are not objects and they are not slaves. I’m scared and I can’t even begin to fathom what’s in store for our country in January 2017.
there isn’t a strong relationship between them.” The fact that five people from Advancement were set to be fired is equally disturbing, to Langston. “It’s a due process concern,” Langston said. “You can’t fire
“Transparency is not uniform. Something about budget and hiring that are, even in the best of times, too unclear,” Langston said. Faculty concern is only deepened by further concerns of the financial health of the College. Both psychology and English have received budget cuts of some form, according to Foss. Though she admits she doesn’t know many details about the College’s budget. English Department Chair Mark Miller confirmed that there were budget cuts across the board for the English department, adding that the English department did not currently have access to a correct budget. Jennifer Dermady, English department office manager, had reached out to administration on Sept. 28 and still has no access to a correct budget. “I’ve been here for 29 years,” Foss said. “There’s never been a year where we couldn’t use more money.” Denise Richardello is currently acting as the VP of Institutional Advancement for the time being, as well as the executive vice president.
When I said I wouldn’t do the firing . . . it was standing up to the top two layers of the College. people on whims.” Still, professor Langston believes that the administration hasn’t necessarily proven themselves to be nontransparent, yet.
(Full Disclosure: Harmony Birch is the Development Assistant at the Alumni Office.)
Education Not Incarceration
SSDP
General Meetings Wednesdays at 7 p.m. in Bowman 208
12
Photo Essay
Thursday, November 10, 2016
Beacon.MCLA.edu
The women’s volleyball team holds hands while the national anthem plays in the background
MASCAC Women’s Volleyball Tournament Photos By Shunquell Dennis
Brianna O’Rourke ’19 jumps in the air to block the opponent mid-air. The Women’s Volleyball Team has a huddle before the game.
Allison Clark ’17 blocks the ball before it has a chance to hit the floor.
Rebecca Godbout ’18 serves the ball as the other team prepares to defend.