Spring 17 Issue 2

INSIDE Students Protest Trump

Volume 84, Issue 2

ESTaBLISHED 1979

More surveys to come

MCLA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER February 9, 2017

Page 3

"SURVEYS ARE NOT ENOUGH"

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor MCLA released its diversity survey Monday, Jan. 30, via e-mail to students, faculty and staff on campus.

The survey came as a culmination of the work of the College’s Diversity Task Force, an entity that was met on campus with tepid reactions by marginalized groups meant to be the Task Force’s audience.

Despite lackluster reactions to the Task Force and the survey’s announcement, however, administrators at the College are expecting it to be the first of many “over the years”. It is meant to be the way to take the campus’s temperature regarding inclusiveness and equality, both at MCLA and in the city of North Adams.

“We’re taking the pulse of how people feel, how supportive and inclusive this institution is.” said Catherine Holbrook, vice president of Student Affairs.

When asked why the survey itself was aimed at the whole campus on an individual basis, if the survey was meant to identify which demographics on campus felt marginalized and why, Holbrook explained that an end goal of the College’s is to help educate ev-

SURVEYS, Page 4 PHOTO BY SAM KNISKERN — BWN PRODUCER

OFF CAMPUS

Shaun KING AT Williams The Young Turk preached patience, determination

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor Shaun King spent a night preaching the values of patience on social justice, addressing not just the crowd gathered at the main stage of Williams College’s ‘62 Center for Theatre and Dance, but the overflow crowds all across the campus as well.

The most important lesson King wanted the audience to take away last Thursday was the speed of social movements. King promised that the election of Trump was not a reversal in progress, but just a slowing of its motion.

“The election of Donald Trump didn’t make sense to us because we all thought human progress was linear,” King said. “But it’s not linear. It’s like a roller coaster, with peaks and valleys. And right now we’re in a dip in the quality of humanity, a historic low on metric after metric. But it’s a dip we can work our way out of.”

KING, Page 4

Repurposed surveys as seen in the science center. They were later moved to the campus center by Celia Norcross.

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief Last Thursday, the science and campus centers were decorated with copies of the Strategic Planning and Student Survey, adorned with phrases such as “We exist we matter” and “Respect existence or expect resistance.”

By the morning, they were moved to the second floor of the campus center by Director of Student Development Celia Norcross.

The outrage was a result of 85 percent of the survey takers being listed as Caucasian, with the remaining 15 percent being unlisted, which some saw as failing to acknowledge the existence of the race of the remaining 15 percent.

“The survey results were the last straw,” sophomore Don’Jea Smith said. Accord-

ing to Smith, the idea for the re-purposing of the survey results came over a lunch and were a result of long term dissatisfaction with the execution of the school’s diversity initiatives.

“This is not new anger,” she said. “Once again, I feel like I’m not represented.”

On the administrative side of things, the repurposed surveys presented a conundrum. Catherine Holbrook, the vice president of student affairs, did not want to silent these student voices, even though the repurposed surveys broke school policy.

“I tried not to look at it as ‘they’re posting where they’re not supposed to,’ but that this is a group of people who feel like they’re not being heard,” Holbrook said.

“I tried not to be a policy hound. Often times, policy is the last thing students think about.”

PHOTO BY ZACH BENJAMIN

The MCLA sign is plastered with papers. At the time of press, The Beacon was not able to confirm if this was related to the survey protest.

And thus Norcross went to work, removing easily over a hundred surveys to place them on banners and in spaces allocated for club and organization announcements on the second floor of the campus cen-

ter. According to Norcross, it took over two hours of work.

“Some were up where the fire martial deemed inappropriate, such as windows,” Norcross said. “Some were

PROTEST, Page 3

RENOVATION

Campus pool replacement to strengthen athletic training major

By Reagan Smith Staff Writer After a majority vote in an SGA open forum last September, the Amsler Campus Center pool is expected to be replaced with a larger fitness center and classrooms for the College’s athletic

training (AT) program.

Administration’s renovation plan includes repurposing several rooms in the back of the campus center and filling in the pool. According to Adam Sams, chair of SGA Public Relations, the walls overlooking the pool will be re-

placed with glass for the new AT lab.

“With the pool filled in, they can move the fitness center down to the pool level,” Sams said.

“Maybe [renovations can] include a walking track above that, budget allowing.”

He added: “Doing this will free up two rooms upstairs—down the hall from the Sullivan Lounge, the one AT lab, and the current fitness center location.”

Lawrence Behan, vice president of Administration and Finance, and Catherine Holbrook,

vice president of Student Affairs, are still waiting for the results of a feasibility study done by architectural and engineering firms.

The study will determine when specific aspects of the renovation plan can be put into action.

TRAINING, Page 2

2

February 9, 2017

CAMPUS NEWS

Woodbury, Cote lead SGA special elections

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief One year ago, senior A. J. Cote and junior Avery Woodbury ran for SGA President and Student Trustee as a part of the “Be Great” campaign, named after their organization known for maintaining a food pantry in town. This year, both ran for uncontested Senate-at-Large seats.

“This year, we are running independently from Be Great,” Woodbury said, making clear that this was not an official comeback for the campaign. However, he is open to working with Cote, as they share similar stances on is-

sues concerning students.

“I don’t like how the administ ration gets pay raises, but student programs Cote aren’t getting more funding,” Woodbury said. He also expressed concern for what he believed were faculty positions going missing, instigated by the “Vote of no confidence” MassLive article.

Regardless, they both feel that it is necessary for student voices are represented, and their primary way of doing that is to see that student activities are properly funded.

SAC will bring to life a trailblazer mascot SAC approved to spend $5,000 on mascot based on the trailblazer lion

By Lily Schaub Staff Writer The Student Activities Council (SAC) has been approved to spend money on a mascot. Their pick: the iconic Trailblazers mountain lion that has represented the college since it was called North Adams State.

SAC will spend $5,000 of their funds on the mascot costume.

“We believe that the addition of a mascot at the school will provide a positive amount of school spirit,” said the SGA eboard members in an e-mail. “It would also be an amazing addition to sports games, first days, orientations and other events that really bring the school together.”

The money for the mascot would be used to purchase the suit, keep it clean and make re-

TRAINING From Page 1

“I expect the study to be done by late April or May,” Behan said. “By then we should have something to react to.”

The current AT lab will likely be replaced with a student “quiet room” for studying, according to a marketing research survey Sams and parliamentarian Jessica Lovellette collaborated on last semester. The fitness center will be turned into a recreational space similar to the Hoosac Harbor, which could include a pool table, TV, and more.

“The campus center is the hub of student activity; it just resonated with me why I should try and move the process forward,” Behan said.

According to Holbrook, the new fitness center is estimated to be twice the size of the current fitness center. The gym will serve students as a more usable space and include new equipment.

“Nothing’s finalized yet, but I think the remodel will be 60-70

pairs if needed.

“Not only can it be used to pump up fans at sporting events,” said the SGA e-board.

“But it can also be used at admissions events, for various club activities and tons of photo opportunities.”

When asked about the idea of having a mascot on campus, students were either impartial or thought that it was a nobrainer.

“I probably wouldn’t care,” freshman Luke Korf said. “I don’t go to see the school sports or events.”

“I think that’ll be a good idea,” Victor Stewart said.

“Why not?” junior Avery Woodbury said. “Other schools have one.”

SGA would like to add that if anyone has any questions or comments on the issue, feel free to come to the SGA meetings on Mondays at 7 p.m. in M218.

percent gym,” SGA President Tim Williams said. “The athletic training major will be expanded, including new sports medicine curriculum.”

Though an exact timeline hasn’t been established for the potential modifications, Sams confirmed administration’s rough estimate of having the work finished for the incoming class of 2019.

“We’re hoping the changes bring more students to the AT program,” Williams said.

Behan and Holbrook expressed their excitement about the project, and hope that the new space will inspire more students to come to the College. The new space is aimed to create “seamless traffic flow” on campus, between student residencies, academics, and lifestyle accommodations.

Construction is predicted to begin after the spring semester of 2017, and upgrades to the Amsler Campus Center centennial room will be discussed with the upcoming renewal of Aramark’s contract with MCLA.

On a possible presidential run, Woodbury was mum, but did admit it was under consideration and admitted SenWoodbury ate experience would help.

I just want to get my feet wet first,” he said.

But a run at the presidency would have to be done without Cote, who is graduating after this semester. If Woodbury were to run, it would be “an all-new team.”

In this year’s special election, four senate seats are up for grabs, and there are only four candidates run-

ning. However, these seats could still be taken by a write-in candidate.

“It is a shame that we weren’t able to get candidates on the ballot for all of our offices but these seats are anything but noncompetitive,” SGA President Tim Williams said.

“Write-in candidates must receive 20 votes to ‘get on the ballot’ this is because they did not go through the traditional nomination form process. They would then need to receive at least one vote more than any other candidates in the race to win the seat. In a race where there are no candidates for that office, the write in candidate would need to get at least 21 votes to win the seat.”

Write-in candidates beating balloted candidates is not unheard of.

“These seats are competitive because any person can be elected as a write in candidate,” Williams said. “It has happened recently with Kelsey McGonigle ‘16 winning the Class of 2016 Presidency as a write in over a balloted candidate. No candidate wins the seat until they are elected into the seat.”

The SGA special elections results were not available at the time of press deadline. Go to theonlinebeacon.com for the full results.

SGA: Survey protest solidarity from President

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor SGA President Tim Williams addressed student representatives and a full gallery on Monday night, mentioning w h a t he described as “passive protest” on camp u s via repurposed diversity surveys on Thursday night.

Williams commended the protests as an effective use of a unified voice on campus aimed at highlighting a constant fear and discomfort of marginalized communities at the College.

“SGA has and always will be committed to representing all of the diverse groups on this campus,” Williams said.

Williams announced plans for the student government executive board to reach out to all clubs on campus in order to promote and “better improve” the campus community.

Some responded to the College’s diversity survey by say-

ing that surveys won’t solve problems, conversations will.

Williams and his e-board plan to do just that, bringing conversation to SGA’s constituents in order to better gauge how to make the campus more inclusive and accepting.

Williams also said he hoped that those staging the protests all around campus would bring their voice to the ballot box on Wednesday, where SGA hopes to fill nine positions --six student representative spots and three class council spots.

“Hopefully some of those people get out and vote in the upcoming election,” Williams said. SGA has been looking like a skeleton crew this semester after a string of resignations that started in the fall with Senate Chair Tyler Spencer and Jordan Goyette, and has continued through into the Spring with John J. Kelly and Maggie Allen. Currently, the e-board--all of which cannot vote on matters except for Senate Secretary Godbout-outnumbers current student representatives.

Executive Shannon Esposito came back with a first update from the school’s Food Committee, which met for the first

time on Feb. 6 at 3:30 in the Amsler Campus Center Centennial Room.

Last week The Beacon reported that a student claimed she had found a maggot in her food while eating in the cafeteria. Esposito said that ARAMARK explained that what had been found in the food was not a maggot, which is defined as a soft-bodied legless larva, especially that of a fly found in decaying matter. Instead, what the student found in her food was supposedly a cabbage worm, which feeds on fresher produce--often cabbage or other cold crops, including broccoli. The student claimed she found the cabbage worm on a piece of broccoli in the cafeteria.

Esposito also asked students to bring specific concerns to her, so that she and members of the Food Committee can bring those to ARAMARK - as opposed to people just saying that “the food sucks”, which gives ARAMARK little to work with.

“If the potatoes aren’t cooked right one day, bring that to me,” Esposito said, “so that ARAMARK knows it has to cook its potatoes longer.”

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT INTERESTED IN STUDYING ABROAD NEXT SEMESTER? START THE PROCESS WITH WENDY GUERRA IN CSSE AND THEN CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE TO SEE HOW WE CAN HELP.

HAVE YOU APPLIED FOR 17-18 FINANCIAL AID YET? DON’T MISS OUT ON FUNDS AND

APPLY TODAY AT www.fafsa.gov CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE TO MAKE SURE YOUR APPLICATION IS COMPLETE!! *********************************** SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY: APPLY FOR OUTSIDE SCHOLARSHIPS AT WWW.FASTWEB.COM IT’S WORTH THE TIME!!

CAMPUS NEWS PROTEST COMES TO NORTH ADAMS

Trump protest brings MCLA, town together

PHOTO COURTESY OF KIMBERLY MURPHY

MCLA student Samantha White and Marcela Villada Peacock pose with their signs on Saturday, Feb. 4 during the protest outside of North Adams City Hall that drew almost 70 participants.

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor On a frigid Saturday afternoon, an estimated 70 North Adams residents and MCLA students, faculty and staff gathered together to protest the presidency of Donald Trump.

The protest, which had started out as only Marty Packer, the protest’s organizer, grew to the estimated 70 people at the high point of the event. Lasting from around noon to 3 p.m., the protest saw a strong turnout on a very chilly winter day despite limited advertisement outside of Facebook.

Packer explained to Samantha Kniskern of the Beacon Web News his recent discomfort with Trump’s executive order on immigration an order that effectively put in place a ban on refugees and immigrants from seven predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East.

“Largely I was a bit upset all the last prior week with the various actions, executive orders, Mr. Trump took,” Packer told Kniskern. “Friday night was kind of the end for me. I’m of Jewish heritage, and that particular action resonated deeply, and not in a positive way for me, the start of what happened in Finnmark, Germany [sic]...so I was incredibly, incredibly upset and decided to come out here. . .and we put together an event just on Facebook to spread the news. I’d say we have a pretty good turnout here.”

The protest began floating around Facebook a week before and spread quickly. Towns folk and MCLA students alike got together in bringing together a wide-range of different com plaints regarding the controversial Trump administration.

Some, like Packer, were there protesting the immigration ban.

Others were there fighting for women’s rights. MCLA sophomore Alexander Stewart was there because, although he knows Trump’s policies might not affect him directly, that he had to be there in support of his friends.

“Overall, the vibe is mostly positive, mostly uniting together for those who will be affected by

February 9, 2017

Green living seminars Push forth into 2017

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief With Professor Elena Traister, on sabbatical this semester, MCLA’s Green Living seminars move forward under the leadership of environmental science Professor Daniel Shustack.

“We identify local, regional, and global experts on the seminar topic and then invite them to visit campus for a one hour lecture,” Shustack said.

“Our audience is a mix of undergraduate students including introductory and advanced students as well as community members. The speakers tailor their presentations to accommodate these diverse levels. Thus, the presentations are understandable by those only casually interested in the topic, yet content-rich enough for the experts attendee as well. The question and answer session at the end of the talks allow anyone to probe the issues further.”

According to Shustack, the series has gone on for at least ten years and is broadcasted to the community by Northern Berkshire Community Television (NBCTC).

“This seminar series is designed to increase awareness and knowl-

PROTEST From Page 1

also taken down by maintenance.

But we felt that it was important for these student voices be heard, so they were processed by my office and will remain up for the granted period of time.”

Distorting the message

PHOTO BY TRAMEL GRIFFITH

MCLA senior Julia Daly stands outside North Adams town hall protesting Trump’s inflammatory language and raciallytargeted immigration policies. this administration,” Stewart said. and collaboration.

“There are many ways that I won’t “I know there’s been a lot of fear be affected by the actions but I and negative emotions being chanknow that many of my friends will neled all throughout, but really be affected.” we just have to stand together - all The protest, which took place races, creeds, everyone, just try to outside of City Hall, faced a mini- work together,” Swinchoski said. push back by some members of Protests have spouted up all over the community concerned about the country since Trump’s election - among other things - illegal im- on Nov. 8, but picked back up on migration, which was a major the day of his inauguration. The draw of President Trump’s cam- Women’s March drew unexpectpaign. Promises of the wall fired edly large crowds not just across up crowds in his rallies, and in the country, but around the globe, his first week as President, Trump on Jan. 21. Trump’s Muslim Ban signed an executive order calling has spawned impromptu protests for the foundation to be set on his all over the country. pet project.

The success of the protest has However, there were only around led Packer and the protest to six people who chose to join in the schedule another event on Feb. counter-protest. It was harder for 11. Both groups can be found the Trump supporters to gather a on Facebook.

For more in depth coverage of cohesive voice over their more numerous ideological nemeses.

Packer’s protest, tune in to BeaJunior James Swinchoski offered con Web News, out Wednesa message of intersectional unity days.

3

When asked about the move, Smith was not impressed.

“The message is distorted,” Smith said. “It’s not what we intended for it to be.”

The message of which was about more than a single survey.

“Trump is president,” she said. “I don’t feel safe here. When we were putting these [the surveys] up, the students walking by were laughing, heckling. They did not take the time to understand what we were doing.

I feel oppressed every single day on this campus. There is a hidden racism here. They don’t know where students of color are coming from at all.”

Kenneth Rivera, the vice president of the Latin-American Society, elaborated further.

“This school is trying to make the diversity better but that cannot be done if the only diversity at the school isn’t represented,” he said. “At the time of the results, the amount of students of color that did take the survey were not represented in the results. It’s a total outrage for representation.”

There was also deep-rooted dissatisfaction with the format of inquiry: survey.

“Talk to us,” Rivera said. “You can’t have the conversation about diversity without communicating with the diversity you have now.

We are the ones that live on campus 24/7. We are the ones directly affected when decisions are made. Get our input and our voices heard. We know what works and what doesn’t.

Include us in the conversation and

edge about invasive species threats, conservation, research and management throughout Massachusetts and our region,” Shustack said.

“Very often management, including management of invasive species, intersects with policy at local, state and federal levels. Some talks in this series will exemplify the connections among federal, state, local and non-profit policy and actions and on-the-ground implications for invasive species management.”

The series is as it has been for the last ten years “non-progressive,” as Shustack describes, which has nothing to do with politics, but broadly means that each seminar is its own entity; no one seminar is a twoparter. As such, the series mines the knowledge of experts and professionals from wherever it can, which Shustack has found rewarding.

“Most experts in this field are passionate and care deeply about the species and lands they manage and study,” he said. “A natural extension of this passion is educating others, both other scholars and the public, about it. In many ways, awareness is the first step to caring, and caring is a pre-requisite for conservation action.”

A complete list of upcoming seminars can be found at mcla.edu.

you will see magic happen.”

Smith also expressed dissatisfaction with the survey format, saying, “Surveys are not enough.”

“The campus needs to have a conversation, but nobody is ready to do it,” she said. Smith attended the campus conversations on race the college held, but revealed the amount of people that showed up to these conversations she could count on her hands.

Finding a solution

According to Holbrook, the strategic planning survey was designed by a consultant and was meant to take a snapshot on how people were liking their classes and places on campus, and was not in any way meant to “take a specific pulse on diversity and inclusion.” The redaction of the other demographics was apparently shorthand used by the consultant when making the survey.

“I’d feel left out, too, if I was in that 15 percent,” Holbrook said.

Going forward with the new survey, which will take demographic into account, the College is looking to get as many voices as possible.

“We have all these committees,” Smith said. “I’m not sure what their purposes are and I’m not sure how they’re going to solve these issues.”

Despite Holbrook and Norcross’s efforts to make her voice heard, Smith feels like “no one is listening.”

Rivera offered some advice going forward.

“Actually include students within the diversity task force, not just choose the token few black and brown students that are well known,” he said. “Do not just choose faculty to speak for us simply because they are black or brown. Choose faculty that want to help and have the knowledge and connections to actually help out.”

But most importantly of all, Smith and Rivera stressed open communication, which just can’t be done by only taking a survey.

4

February 9, 2017

CAMPUS NEWS

Langston reflects on unfocused core curriculum

By Gianna Vigliatura Staff Writer As MCLA continues the process of reviewing its core curriculum, the Beacon reached out to English/Communications Professor David Langston to discuss the current state of the core from the perspective of a respected and tenured professor.

Langston was on the committee that shifted the core curriculum in the ’90s. He also served as the director of the core curriculum committee for three years.

“I think we have shifted focus from the way the core was planned, which was to be a kind of interdisciplinary education for citizenship,” Langston said.

He thinks it is important for a liberal arts college to provide an

KING

From Page 1 A lot of people struggled with the idea of a Trump election, especially in regards to the supposed “post-racial” America that was meant to be built upon the election of Barack Obama as the United States’ first African-American President.

King wanted his audience to know that Trump’s win in November wasn’t a repudiation of Obama’s electoral victory, but another roadblock in the way to true social change.

King is listed as the “Senior Justice Writer” at the “New York Daily News” and is a commentator on “The Young Turks,” a progressive-leaning news broadcast that leans toward opinionated news coverage which took off on YouTube.

King first came to prominence as a reporter covering the Black Lives Matter movement, offering it the humanity and legitimacy some felt mainstream media had deprived of Black Lives Matter.

MCLA junior Kimberly

SURVEYS From Page 1

erybody as best as possible.

“We’re trying to cultivate it so people, members of the community, understand what is privileged vis a vis our culture,” Holbrook said, “What do we need to do for all of our students to educate them on where they stand as citizens of the world?”

Cindy Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs, added that not all people “sit in the same seat in the world.

A third party survey consultant named Cathryn Turrentine was brought on to help draft the questions of the survey itself. Turrentine has spent the past ten years alone helping colleges, like Bridgewater State, develop surveys such as the one MCLA just put out.

The goal is to have as many students as possible take the survey and to analyze the data from the survey forthwith (a process MCLA staff will take no part in). Once the data is analyzed, the College will then occasionally release follow-up surveys to continually measure what Holbrook and Brown hope will be a changing

education that is methodological, and that students are taught the conclusions of others as opposed to how to make their own.

“I think we ought to start with not the subjects people don’t know about, but what are the questions we need to ask,” he added.

Langston also stated that the way the core curriculum is now structured, students are only taking a sample of each course when general education should be focused on the common methods for figuring out the world that a good citizen needs. “[The core curriculum] is not a sampling of what’s been thought or considered to be interesting knowledge in a variety of different fields,” he said. “I think we need to review it, overhaul it, and change it.”

Murphy attended the lecture having followed King’s work since he released a 25 part series regarding possible solutions to reducing police brutality - a work that spawned from the murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

“He utilized one particular concept throughout that underlined that progression is not something that works in a linear manner,” Murphy said. “Referring back to statements like, ‘What is this, the ‘60s?’, he wanted to make it clear that a society does not progress continuously upward, that there has always been defects in human progression - such as slavery and the Holocaust - while underlining that there needs to be a severe push to get out of those descents.”

Murphy was struck by King’s presentation of the United States’s ever-growing incarceration problem, which the political commentator linked back to an overt effort by the government to suppress the growth of the African-American community.

King drew comparisons back to The War on Drugs.

Crack cocaine usa

He said we need to focus our attention on how the courses a student takes contribute to sharpening their knowledge and understanding of that subject.

“So we should be focused on good question-asking and not good answer-giving,” Langston explained.

Langston does not believe that changing the core curriculum will change the classes that are being taught, but the courses that are being offered in the core.

“I think the courses that are being offered in the core are very good,” he said. “Individually speaking, each course is very good. But the relationship between the courses are unformulated and leads students in a series of blind alleys rather than seeing a common connection between

them.”

Langston explained that taking a sociology course alongside a philosophy class are both valid in what they are teaching, but the two aren’t structured to display the relationship between the two.

The point of the core, Langston contended, was that students are supposed to be shown the links between all fields of study and how to better understand them as an independent thinker.

He stated we need a set of courses different from the ones the College has now that are focused on general learning and not on teaching courses in the discipline.

“That’s a mistake in understanding how the core could be organized,” he said. “That is a conclusion I made many years ago.”

Langston strongly believes that the third tier in the core curriculum is a waste of time and should be gotten rid of all together. Instead, the College should put the integration and synthesizing that the third tier asks for as a capstone course in each major.

The College is currently reconsidering its core curriculum. The core curriculum includes a course that covers critical reading, thinking and writing, a course that covers quantitative reasoning, a course for language arts, two courses for creative arts as well as human heritage, self and society, science and technology and the core capstone.

For now, the core curriculum is under review and the conclusions the College itself comes to are yet to be seen.

PHOTO BY RON LEJA

Shaun King speaks at Williams College. King stressed that Trump's election was not a repudation of the progress made by Obama, but merely a roadblock to true social change.

campus climate.

Although both Holbrook and Brown were certain that data received from the continuous surveys would aide the College in understanding, they stressed that the survey’s inclusion of room for personal stories and anecdotes would be the true measure of how to make the campus more inclusive.

Alongside the surveys, the College also plans to use gathered data to form focus groups meant to help marginalized students bring their voice to the administration.

“The stories are going to be the key,” Brown asserted.

The focus groups, according to Brown, could serve in a similar function as safe spaces on campus.

The downfall of a safe space, the vice presidents contended, was that a certain few people within marginalized groups on campus were going to go. An anonymous survey might appeal to those not willing to attend a safe space.

“It needs to be movement, intentional, to address some of the concerns of campus,” Brown said, “There are venues for students to do that. Whether they feel those are effective, or safe, then that is what we

we’re trying to find out. If we had started with, say, a safe space, there would be a group of people who already felt comfortable enough to enter that space. Some people, though, might feel more comfortable with an anonymous survey.”

Senior Victoria Fernandez, a member of the Campus Intersections group that popped up on campus following the election of Donald Trump, voiced her displeasure with the administration’s adamance toward putting out the Diversity Survey as soon as possible. According to Fernandez, the Campus Intersections (CI) group held meetings with President Birge, as well as Vice Presidents Holbrook and Brown. In those meetings, CI asked the College to hire a chief diversity officer – as a means to make sure that the survey wasn’t rushed, incomplete and unhelpful, as many of them viewed the Task Force to be.

“When CI had the meeting with Cathy Holbrook we told her we didn’t want that survey to go out until we had a chief diversity officer in place to advise them on how best to do that.” explained Fernandez. “We told them that, a, we didn’t think it would be that useful, and b, the ad-

ministration wouldn’t know how to word certain things or know how to respond to certain answers. They responded by asking us to review the survey and suggest how we could word things better, but we didn’t want to do that. We can only do so much as people who aren’t specialized in that sort of thing.”

Brown and Holbrook said that the College was indeed looking into hiring a chief diversity officer. However they claimed that, because of the process of working the hire into the budget and conducting interviews and call-backs, doing so could take a year. MCLA wanted the diversity survey to come out as soon as possible. Holbrook pointed out that most surveys don’t take nearly as long to put together, and that a chief diversity officer might not be necessary to make the survey itself more comprehensive.

“We met with them as we were finalizing the survey,” Holbrook said when asked about the meeting with CI, “My feeling about this is, there has been a recommendation for several years to do this survey. This data is baseline. So when we do fill that position, they have that baseline data. You don’t want to wait for all

the pieces to be in place.”

Gina Puc recently presented MCLA’s Strategic Planning goals to SGA, of which the establishing of the College as a diverse and inclusive campus that promoted and sought equality among its students, staff, and faculty, was one of the goals MCLA will plan to pursue for at least the next five years.

As part of that five year plan, the continual surveying of the campus climate will play an integral role to the administration in helping them gauge how many students feel unsafe, uncomfortable and unequal in their environments and why. To replace the original Diversity Task Force, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force is being set up by the College. Holbrook and Brown ended the interview by asking students with individual concerns to come to them directly. Brown admitted that people might “feel exposed”, but expressed a desire to maintain an open and honest conversation with whomever might come to them.

“All of us who are involved in this effort,” said Holbrook,”If there is anything people would like to share in a smaller setting, we would love to facilitate that.”

FEATURES

RAMUNTO’S HISTORY

Ramunto's Pizza Pub: A fresh take on pizza

By Ron Leja rl2670@mcla.edu Deputy Features and A&E Editor The North Adams area has become a haven for pizza lovers over the years. The city is home to an abundance of pizza joints: Village, Christos, Pizza Works and Bella Roma, just to name a few. Each retains a unique style and flavor that helps them stand out from one another, and give customers a sense of variety despite similar selection. Ramunto’s Brick Oven Pizza Pub is the newest restaurant to join the flock.

Located at 67 Main Street, Ramunto’s is a family-run franchise found in several small towns throughout the NorthEastern United States. The original owners, Cliff and Marie Ramunto, established the small pizzeria chain in 1996, opening the first Ramunto’s restaurant in New Lebanon, NH. The chain has since set up shop in numerous towns throughout New Hampshire, Vermont and most recently our city of North Adams, Mass.

Cliff and Marie managed and owned the Ramunto’s in Bennington, Vt., their last business venture, before retiring in 2015.

The restaurant is known for being a local favorite, where it is praised for its great take on New York and Sicilian style pizzas, 24 draft beer selection and a friendly, inviting atmosphere.

A delivery driver at the time, Matt Willey of Shaftsbury, Vt. expressed his interest in purchasing the restaurant as a long term investment for his family.

He spent two years under Cliff Ramunto’s wing, learning the

ins and outs of managing a restaurant before taking the reins for himself.

Willey recently set up his second Ramunto’s establishment in North Adams this past December. While still in somewhat of a fledgling state, the restaurant still offers guests the same level of hospitality that they’ve come to expect from their Bennington-based counterpart.

Ramunto’s presents itself as a fusion of pizzeria meets sports bar. A decent selection of both specialty pizzas and chicken wings are available, as well as several different pasta dishes, calzones, pub burgers and salads. A wide array of both domestic and craft beers are available on tap, and six large, LED screens are mounted to the walls, each tuned in to whichever games happen to be airing at the time.

Playing to the hearts of foodies everywhere, both the dough and sauce are made with fresh ingredients on the daily, and the cheeses used are freshly grated.

While this can result in slightly longer wait times then some might expect, the end result is a top-tier, fresh pizza that pops with flavor.

The interior is a mix of both modern and urban design, and while it is not highly stylized for now, the possibilities are near endless, given Ramunto’s size.

Regardless, a noticeable air of warmth and invitation is fervent throughout, making for both an enjoyable dining experience and atmosphere.

Justin Jowett, the restaurant’s general manager, expressed the importance that both he and his staff hold in regards to maintaining an attractive, friendly atmo-

PHOTOS BY RON LEJA Ramunto's Pizza Pub, has a sports bar vibe; TV's hang around the restaurant for viewing of the latest game sphere.

Jowett also started out at the Bennington shop several years ago as a standard employee before making the jump to a managerial position.

“We try to greet every customer with a smile and do our best to make them feel welcomed,” Jowett said. “We want the community to feel at home here, to grab a slice of pizza and a few beers, sit down at the bar and enjoy the game with one another.”

Ramunto’s is open seven days a week, and is currently carryout or dine-in only. Plans to start delivering are currently in the works, and can be expected to start in the near future.

Fried raviolis are one of many pasta dishes that are available at Ramuntos.

FEIGENBAUM VALUES

MCLA Leads intiative has big three-year plans

By Emily Gabert eg3887@mcla.edu Features Editor Armand and Donald Feigenbaum, owners of the General System company, have always honored leadership and community engagement above all else. This is what led them to give a $5 million gift, according to the North Adams transcript, to the College in 2013 through the Feigenbaum foundation.

Howard Eberwein, dean of Graduate and Continuing Education, assumed the subsidy would be funneled into work on the new Center for Science & Innovation building. Instead, the money was put toward student learning opportunities that would better impact the campus, and the name of the foundation was given to the new structure.

Before Mary Grant left MCLA, she reached out to Eberwein to lead a process of plans to invest in the subsidy in ways that would help impact students, and even the community of North Adams.

The MCLA Leads Initiative, consisting of Eberwein and his former intern Zach Feury, has been compiling a list of goals ever since. After two years of planning, and with the help of the grant, two of their 13 ideas are coming to life.

“Not everything in the plan is in motion,” said Eberwein.

“There are particular projects

that we’ve committed to doing in this academic year that are in motion that are really exciting.”

Ideas were collected by different students, faculty and community members, and many people suggested the idea of an educational hub in the downtown area of the city where college students and residents could come together.

“It just so happened there was a space that the College was already renting, and not doing too much with at the time, because Press had moved from 49 Main Street back onto campus when the Bowman Hall renovation was completed,” Feury explained.

“In partnership with the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center, we took the suggestions and the ideas that had been generated through this thinking process, we sort of combined and curated them into what became what’s now called the Design Lab.” The Design Lab has been described as an open-use space, and is welcomed for anybody to use.

The space is decorated with multiple whiteboards and projectors.

There is enough technology for small groups to each hook their own laptops up and to participate in split-screen collaboration with interactive software. Furniture can be re-arranged by the discretion of users, as all of the furniture has wheels. Feury said that even though the lab is in a downtown area, the group welcomes classes to utilize the space.

This semester, roughly five classes are utilizing the space.

Classes that have a community element to them, like Professor Lisa Donovan who teaches a community engagement in the arts class, will be able to work in an area that correlates with their interests. A shuttle will offered on campus for students and classes who wish to go downtown.

“The space is very flexible,” Eberwein said. “We wanted to put the basics in, and then we went through the use of the space for people to talk to us about what we can do to customize and to make it more appealing, and more user friendly, more inspirational. That will happen, really, over the next year; I was in there the other day and I said to Zach, the space feels like it’s developing a personality. It didn’t have a personality when we just had the projectors and white walls.”

Eberstein believes creativity and the projects will define the space on their own accord versus the general idea of what the space is geared toward.

The second goal Eberstein and Fuery are working on is the MCLA Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge, which began back in November and ended on Feb. 8. Students who have big ideas, like running a business or even have a form of technology, were invited to pitch their ideas to judges for a chance to win a $10,000 cash

PHOTO FROM THE FEIGENBAUM FOUNDATION

Armand and Donald Feigenbaum own General Systems. prize to help further develop their ideas. Students had the option of entering individually or as a team. A funded internship, a private work-space, and mentors will also be granted to the winners. Winners will be announced

April 19.

According to the MCLA website, within the next three years the Leads Initiative hopes to add on an entrepreneurship minor in the business administration department.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MCLA OPENS DESIGN LAB AT GALLERY 51

By Chris Riemer A & E Editor MCLA’s Gallery 51 is going through some changes.

The building, located downtown on Main Street, has been host to numerous exhibitions and events since the College began using it in 2005. For a long time, the second half of the building has been home to Press, a multipurpose space intended for artists and students to practice a variety of mediums.

Now, the art supplies and boxes of lead type have been moved to accommodate tables, whiteboards, and a couch. The revamped space is MCLA’s new Design Lab, and students should look into reserving it, both as a functional place for club meetings and performances, and as a comfortable area to be utilized for any event that might require one of those super neat shortthrow projectors Currently, the expansive, welllit room is full of tables and poster boards covered in sticky notes—the result of a brainstorm on improvements that could be made to downtown North Adams, as well as wishes students have for the economic situation of the town in general. The focus seemed to be on the city’s potential as understood by the theory

PHOTO BY CHRIS RIEMER — A&E EDITOR

Aaron Starkman, '17, relaxes with a view of downtown, while an Art and Education class goes on in the background. of creative economy, which conceptualizes industry and economy in terms of information and knowledge, rather than the production of goods.

As more students become aware of the space, it will hopefully be utilized for all sorts of meetings and events: it’s centrally located, and provides a bright and beautiful meeting

area with a view of the snowy hills on the other side of the Hoosic river.

According to Marla Robertson, Associate Gallery Manager at G51, the changes are intended to encourage more students to journey downtown and engage with the city.

“Receptions, gatherings… the goal is to have students

coming to the downtown area more, and using that space for things other than classes.”

The College is holding an Open House event at the Design Lab today at 5:00 pm for any interested students.

Whether you’ve got a club gathering or an open mic planned, it might be cool to switch it up from the typical

on-campus meeting locations, especially once the weather warms up a little. While you’re there, check out G51’s current exhibit “OFA ATU,” which engages visitors in a story about fish, economics, and greed, and draws some interesting parallels between the Kingdom of Tonga and the city of North Adams.

new restaurant Ramuntos opens downtown Fresh mozzarella, homemade pizza dough, and burger meat from henry’s market in bennington makes for an exciting new pizza joint

By Emma Monahan A & E Writer In the cold, harsh January wind of early last week, the light from Ramuntos pizza shop stood out like a beacon of warmth in the North Adams downtown, pulling in hungry customers from the frigid streets.

Junior Britt Whitford, sophomore Emmy Resabala, and I entered the restaurant, seating ourselves towards the front of the room. Brick walls made the pizza shop feel more like an actual restaurant, and the decorations of pizza peels hung up on the wall was something different. Flatscreen TVs lined the wall in the back where the bar was, complete with 24 beers on tap. Few people sat there for a Monday night.

Just like any pizza shop, customers can order at the counter, which is right in front of the kitchen. There are a variety of pizzas: classic New York, thin crust style and Sicilian, which is described as twice baked crust on their menu. Served by the slice as well, their hand cut French fries, which are seasoned to perfection, pair wonderfully for a cheap and quick lunch.

One of the cool aspects of the restaurant is the kitchen.

It’s not closed off like most restaurants but out in the open where customers can see their meals being made, and it also makes the area spacious. During such a slow night, it seemed that the employees really enjoyed working together in the fun

PHOTO BY CHRIS RIEMER

PHOTO COURTESY OF BRITT WHITFORD

The pulled pork burger is a little pricy at $11.35, but with Try the lunch special, which includes two slices and a drink.

It's $3.75 for cheese pizza, $5.75 for specialty slices. the hand-cut fries it's well worth it. environment. The room, full of booths, tables and a pizza display, is more elegant for a pizza shop than normal, but still has a family environment, where you can seat yourself, eat off paper plates and hang out with the locals.

On social media, many customers rave about the garlic knots, which also comes in a pizza form, and they live up to the hype. Resabala ordered chicken parm, which included two garlic knots and a Caesar salad for an extra $2.49. Taking up nearly the whole plate, Resabala said it was filling and worth it.

Whitford ordered a pulled pork burger with hand-cut fries. The pork was flavorful, juicy, and just the just the right amount of BBQ sauce, where it’s not dripping all over your shirt.

Just like with the pizza, the fries paired perfectly with the burger, acting as the perfect meal for lunch or dinner, to-go or to dine-in, and could be great with a cold beer.

Their appetizer menu consists of a variety of options, like spinach and artichoke dip, jumbo wings, beer battered onions and more. From the menu, I ordered cheese fries and mozzarella sticks. The

cheese fries didn’t have the classic, golden, gooey cheese that you would expect to be poured on top. Instead, it was like they chefs used shredded cheese, but the fries are still so good you don’t even care. As for the mozzarella sticks, which also had Parmesan cheese and seasoning sprinkled on top, they were a stringy classic that you can’t go wrong with.

If you're not interested yet, consider that Ramuntos is doing is a 50 percent off deal for MCLA students. When you bring your school ID, students will be able to get 50

percent off two items, excluding single pizza slices and beer.

Although the restaurant doesn’t provide delivery, hopefully it is something that the owners will consider for the future, but the food and atmosphere is worth the walk or drive downtown.

Ramuntos is open 7 days a week, and has 24 draft beers.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

February 9, 2017

7

Anime Blockbuster “Your Name” Absent From Academy Awards Nomination

By Ron Leja rl2670@mcla.edu Deputy Features and A&E Editor The Academy Awards are yet again being criticized for what some believe to be a lack of diversity amidst their nominees.

Fans of anime, a highly stylized form of animation originating from Japan, have taken to the internet to publicize their frustrations concerning the film “Kimi no Na wa.” Despite its huge success over the past year, it was denied nomination for best animated film of 2016.

“Kimi no Na wa,” or “Your Name” in English, is the modern, romantic, fantasy drama written and edited by the popular anime artist Makoto Shinkai. It tells the story of two complete strangers: Mitsuha, a teenage girl living in the countryside, and Taki, a teenage boy living in Tokyo.

One morning, the two awake only to find that they have temporarily switched bodies. The switch is short lived, and makes them question whether or not they are dreaming.

However, as this phenomenon continues to occur, the two protagonists begin to make sense of what is going on. They scribble notes on their arms for one another to read when they return to their own bodies. Only by briefly experiencing the life of the other do they begin to develop a deep understanding for one another that eventually leads to romance. They plan to meet, but struggle to do so through a series of untimely events and

PHOTO FROM IDIGITALTIMES.COM

"Kimi no Na wa," or "Your Name," received no Oscar nominations, despite being the highest grossing anime film worldwide. mishaps.

Last November, the anime and entertainment company Funimation announced that the film did make the official Oscar consideration list for Best Animated Feature. However, it was not selected for the nomination shortlist, of which only five films are chosen.

Fans of the film and anime enthusiasts could not help but to question the decision. “Kimi no Na wa” has yet to hit American theaters, which could explain why it didn’t make the list. However, given the film’s popularity across multiple countries and

the inclusion of anime films in past events, many were shocked to see it absent from the list.

Andrew Pietrykowski, sophomore and secretary of the MCLA anime club and theater major, expressed his disappointment in hearing that the film would not be given a chance to take home an Oscar.

“I haven’t seen it yet, but I was really upset that it didn’t make the cut,” Pietrykowski said. “I think that anime should really be considered more in regards to awards shows, as well as Western media. The few anime shows that are broadcast in the

United States tend to appear late at night on Toonami.”

The art design throughout “Your Name” has received a high level of praise, as well as its emotionally powerful and unique approach to an unconventional romance. The film is a brilliant display of vivid skies and masterfully detailed landscapes.

Each scene is hand-drawn and right on par with the works of the ever popular Studio Ghibli, creators of Howls Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, all of which are considered classic anime films. “‘Kimi no Na wa’ exploded in

popularity recently,” Pietrykowski went on to say. “It’s still in the top five list in Japan’s box office, and is currently ranked as the number one feature film on the site ‘MyAnimeList’ by a majority of its user base.”

The film has received a huge amount of commercial success since its initial release at the 2016 Anime Expo in Los Angeles, Calif.

It later received a theatrical release in Japan, where it not only grossed a staggering $190 million, but remained as the top box office film for 12 consecutive weeks. In China, the film made an estimated $10.9 million in its first day, eventually grossing $81.3 million. Soon after, it earned another $2 million from limited releases in Thailand and New Zealand.

A high demand for the film has since led to numerous international releases and extended showings. As a result, “Kimi no Na wa” recently claimed the title of highest grossing anime film of all time, toppling Studio Ghibli’s immensely popular “Spirited Away.”

“Spirited Away” is currently the only anime film to ever win an Academy Award, making the exclusion of “Kimi no Na wa” even more of a gut wrenching affair for not only anime fans, but patrons of film, storytelling and the field of animation.

Those interested in experiencing the anime for themselves will be given the chance later this year, when it premieres in select theaters across the U.S. on April 7.

MCLA CLUB & ORGANIZATION NEWS MCLA’S YORICK CASTS STUDENTS FOR UPCOMING PRODUCTION OF Julius CaesaR

PHOTO FROM YORICKMCLA. WORDPRESS.COM

MCLA’s Shakespeare performance club Yorick held auditions this past weekend for its spring production of Julius Caesar.

Many students were cast in the show. Last semester, the club put on a banquet and auction, including performances of various Shakespearean scenes. The spring show will be a full production.

“We are hoping the show will reach people,” Alycia Skerry, junior and director of the production, said. “It is a universal story about fear and human nature that resonates in today’s society.”

Yorick produces at least one full production each year with a focus on including the community and engaging the audience in the performance as an art form. Last year, Yorick decided on a non-traditional play entitled Shakespeare

in Hollywood, with both modern and Shakespearean characters interacting in a 1930s film studio.

“The club aims to provide an educational and fun environment for its members with Shakespeare’s text and techniques as their basis,” President of Yorick Julie Castagna, junior, said. “I hope that Julius Caesar will bring us back to Yorick’s roots of doing a traditional Shakespeare show. I am also looking forward to showcasing our new talent.”

The show will be held April 6-8 in the Social Hall of the Church Street Center. Tickets are free.

For upcoming information about the event including reservations and times, visit MCLA’s Yorick Facebook page.

MCLA WIND ENSEMBLE ACCEPTING NEW MEMBERS, TO PERFORM ON APRIL 14

PHOTO FROM YOUTUBE.COM The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Wind Ensemble is currently accepting new members and will be performing on April 14.

The ensemble’s director, Adjunct Instructor of Music Patrick O’Connell instructs the diverse group of musicians comprising current MCLA attendees, students from the local Drury High School, and several community members.

“College students get to mentor high schoolers that are involved,” Patrick O’Connell said. This unique participant blending strengthens the Wind Ensemble’s connection to the local community.

This semester’s selection will

include pieces such as “Arabesque”

by Samuel R. Hazo, “Come, Sweet Death” by Johann Sebastian Bach, and “The Blues Brothers Revue” arranged

by Jay Bocook as well as additional repertoire sung by student vocalists.

Rehearsals are held on Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Church Street Center. To join, contact Patrick O’Connell at P.OConnell@ mcla.edu. A limited supply of rental instruments are available upon request by calling the Fine and Performing Arts department at (413) 662-5255. The concert is free and will be held at the Eleanor Furst Roberts Auditorium in the Church Street Center at 7 p.m.

SPORTS

Champions Once Again!

By Brady Gerow bg3580@mcla.edu Sports Editor Behind the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots ascended back to the top of the football world by defeating the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI 34-28, the only Super Bowl to ever go into overtime.

Pulling off the biggest comeback in Super Bowl history, Tom Brady and Bill Belichick cemented themselves as the best player-coach duo in football history, as the best to do their respective jobs in football history.

While going 43-62 with 466 yards and two touchdowns, Brady not only set the record for most Super Bowls won by a quarterback ever, he also claimed his record setting fourth Super Bowl MVP trophy, as well as setting Super Bowl records in pass attempts, completed passes, and yards thrown in history.

Brady, now undoubtedly the best quarterback to ever play the game of football, did not win the game alone. Down 21-3 going into the half, Brady and the Patriots had to do something that had never been done before.

No team had ever come back

PHOTO BY DARRON CUMMINGS - AP

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady hoists the Lombardi Trophy alongside Patiots Head Coach Bill Belichick after winning Super Bowl 51 34-28 over the Atlanta Falcons in OT from that sort of deficit at the halfway point.

Brady, James White, Danny Amendola and the Patriots’ defense had different plans. White recorded three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving, as well as 110 receiving yards on 14 receptions

as well as 29 rushing yards on six attempts. Although White did not get the trophy, he was the absolute MVP of this game for the Patriots.

The only supporting cast in terms of scoring was Amendola, who started the comeback for the Patriots recorded 78 yards receiving

Blazers fall to Worcester St., Losing Streak extends to 9

By Brady Gerow bg3580@mcla.edu Sports Editor

The Worcester State Men’s Basketball team was able to hand the Trailblazers their ninth straight loss in a contest that ended 80-54 at Worcester State College on Saturday, Jan. 29.

By rebounding well and taking advantage of second chance points, the Lancers gained their lead on the scoreboard.

In the first half of play, the Lancers recorded twice as many rebounds as the Blazers, having led to a comfortable 47-35 lead at the halfway mark.

“I believe we have to put forty minutes of strong confident basketball together,” MCLA junior Keiland Cross said. “We often do not start well, and once we get in a hole or a large deficit it is very difficult to dig ourselves out of it.”

The Blazers have struggled to start games off the right way all season. The game against the Lancers was no different.

The Lancers grabbed 12 offensive boards in the first half, which was only one rebound short of tying the Blazers’ 13 rebounds in the half. The Blazers were out-rebounded 54-32 in the game, which was also the catalyst to the Lancers’ 21 second chance points on the night.

The lack of rebounding on the Blazers’ end led to repeated second chance points for the Lancers, which allowed them to cruise to a lead and not have to

on eight receptions.

Although he did not score in the game, Patriots receiver Julian Edelman was a huge impact for the Patriots as well. Late in the fourth quarter, Edelman made what could be viewed as the best catch in a Super Bowl ever. While in a mess

of three Atlanta defenders going for a tipped pass, Edelman jumped into the mess of defenders and somehow kept control of a ball only inches off the ground to continue the drive that led to the game-tying touchdown for the Patriots.

With only three minutes left in the biggest game of the year, Matt Ryan and the Falcons were within field goal range while already up 28-20. A field goal in that situation would’ve put the game out of reach for the Patriots.

Going into a second and 12, while in field-goal range, the Falcons decided to attempt to pass the ball. This attempt led to a sack on Ryan followed up by a holding call that eventually led to a fourth and 33 taking the Falcons out of field goal range, allowing the Patriots to tie the game in the next drive.

Despite the lack of performance from the Falcons in the second half, Brady and the Patriots completed the absolute best comeback in Super Bowl history, while simultaneously solidifying Tom Brady as the best quarterback to ever play professional football, and Bill Belichick as the best head coach in professional football history.

Say what you will about Brady and Belichick and the controversies that surround them, but numbers don’t lie, and as far as numbers go, they are the best.

Men’s Basketball falls to Westfield, Losing Streak reaches 10

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS Junior Merle Darling goes for a lay-up in the loss worry about losing it.

“Once we can put together a full 40 minutes, then the outcome of these games will be much different,” Cross said.

Of the seven players to put up points for the Blazers, Cross led the team with 12 points on the night. Cross was also the team’s leader in assists with four, and was tied for the top rebounding spot with junior Joe Murray, who recorded seven boards having matched Cross’ seven rebounds.

Although the Lancers only had two players with seven or more rebounds, they had 11 different players record a

rebound in the win compared to MCLA’s eight.

The Lancers were led in scoring by Aaron Anniballi, who netted 15 points on the night, as well as recording four assists and three rebounds.

Anniballi was helped by Corey Gatta, who put up 14 points, as well as Cal Howes, who came off the bench to score 11 points for the Lancers.

The Blazers, in search of their first conference win, will face off with Framingham State in an away game on Wednesday, Feb. 8. In addition, the Lancers will travel to Fitchburg State for a game on Wednesday.

With two losing streaks on the line, the Westfield State Owls defeated the Men’s Basketball team 85-65 on Feb. 1. This loss puts the Trailblazers at 2-17 overall on the season, a dismal 0-8 in the MASCAC, and increases their losing streak to 10 games. With the victory at home, the Owls stand at 6-13 overall and 3-5 in the conference.

Even with four of the five starters for MCLA with double-digit points, the Blazers couldn’t match the six doubledigit players for the Owls.

Westfield’s Shane Pasquantonio and Allister Williams lead the team with 17 points each and had a combined 14 rebounds in the game.

By halftime Westfield had taken a significant lead at 4126. The Blazers didn’t surrender however and, with roughly nine minutes remaining on the clock, had cut the lead to just ten.

Junior Keiland Cross began to heat up and it seemed as though the game could go either way.

This rally was eventually halted as the Owls clamped down and scored seven unmatched points, putting the score out of reach with time

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS Sophomore Tyler McKay contorts the ball in the contest winding off the clock.

Cross led the team with an 18 point effort and notched six rebounds while junior Joe Wiggins summoned up 16 points for the Blazers.

Both players reached 300 points on the season in the effort and are one-two on the team in scoring.

In this losing streak MCLA has been outscored 842-611, allowing an average of 84.2 points per game while scoring just 61.1.

SPORTS

Women’s Basketball beaten by Westfield Losing streak grows to 4

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor Hurt by turnovers and significantly out-shot, the Women’s Basketball team fell to Westfield State Owls 95-60 on Feb. 1. With the win, the Owls stay dominant in the conference at 8-0 while the Trailblazers fall to 2-6 in the MASCAC. With this loss MCLA adds to a now four-game losing skid and 7-12 overall while Westfield State improves to 14-7 overall.

The Blazers were within striking distance near the end of the first quarter, down 22-17 when Westfield’s Kirsy Segarra made a three-point shot with three seconds left. This energized the Owls to 11 unanswered points and a 21-point lead by the half.

The third quarter started out with a Westfield offensive explosion as the Owls again went for 11 unanswered points, increasing the lead to 61-29.

This mountain would prove too large to climb, and the Blazers never threatened Westfield State’s lead after this point.

A bright spot in the darkness for MCLA, senior Kayla Hotaling led the team with 17 points and 12 rebounds while sophomore Karina Mattera reached 13 points by the end. Mattera achieved her 150th point of the season and 350th point for MCLA in two seasons.

With the double-digit effort, Hotaling now has ten or more points in 15 of 18 games played this season and leads the team in points with 118.

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS Senior Kayla Hotaling taking a shot in the loss.

What to expect for the NFL offseason ahead With Super Bowl LI behind us and officially in the books, it’s now time for all 32 teams in the NFL to look towards the offseason.

With multiple prominent names hitting free agency, and others potentially hitting the trade market, I want to forecast what we can expect for this upcoming off-season.

pick in the draft--I would figure that Garoppolo will remain with New England for the time being.

2. Ben Roethlisberger is certainly not going to retire.

After their loss to the Andrew Patriots, Steelers QB Ben Baillargeon Roethlisberger was noncommittal on his return to The Call the NFL next season, leaving 1. Jimmy Garoppolo some to believe he may be will not be traded contemplating retirement.

I would say this is an almost I want to take a moment to tell certainty. Yes, we’ve heard for a few everyone that the notion of Big Ben weeks now that the presumed heir to retiring is absurd. the Tom Brady throne might end up He is a 34-year-old QB with plenty donning another team’s jersey next of years, and money, left on his year. current contract.

Though we’ve heard a lot, such With the Steelers sporting one as the Patriots putting a price tag of the premiere offensive cores in on the young QB, in addition to the NFL, featuring players such as teams such as the Chicago Bears and top caliber wide receiver Antonio Cleveland Browns coming out in Brown and arguably the best running reports as major suitors, I don’t think back in the league in LeVeon Bell, I Garoppolo ends up getting traded. sincerely doubt Roethlisberger would I think this is more masterwork choose now to retire. from the likes of Bill Belichick in the It was likely a “spur of the making. moment” mindset he’d taken after Placing a price tag on Garoppolo the team’s demoralizing defeat. seems to have given at least 3. The Redskins will retwo teams a precedent as to how sign Kirk Cousins to a long valuable and/or talented Garoppolo term deal. might be.

Despite keeping everybody, The price tag, currently rumored including their own players, in the to be a 1st and a 4th round draft dark, I believe the allure of having pick, could also be a sign that the a stable, competent quarterback for Patriots might be wanting to move year to come, something Washington on from Garoppolo, perhaps fearing hasn’t seen in a long time, will be too that he might not be what they were much for them to trade or even let hoping for to take over once Brady’s Kirk Cousins go. career is over.

Currently, when we compare This mind game the Patriots are Kirk Cousins to other, similar-aged playing right now is a great mystery. quarterbacks of similar talent, we find However, unless a team comes at the top of the list draft classmate calling with an offer they can’t Andrew Luck, who inked a five-year, refuse--if, say, the Browns offered 122 million-dollar deal just a year their 1st overall pick and another

ago.

Look for Cousins to receive a contract of similar stature.

4. With the 1st overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Cleveland Browns select…..

Myles Garrett. You read that right.

There’s no way this organization takes a quarterback with the 1st overall pick. It could, however, be explored as an option if Mitch Trubisky, who reportedly “Loves Cleveland,” falls to their alternate 1st round pick, at 12th overall.

But for now, the Cleveland Browns clearly have plenty of needs up and down their roster.

As such, it only makes sense for them to draft for talent, and Myles Garrett features the complete package at #1.

His intangibles are simply amazing, he is fast, has a great football IQ, he’s tough, and he is no small fry either, checking in at 6’5 290 pounds.

Bringing a tantalizing presence to the Browns’ defensive end of the ball, the clear 1st overall pick should, and likely will, be Myles Garrett.

Andrew Baillargeon is the host of The Call, a weekly program broadcasted

by WJJW. Tune in on Sundays from 7-10 p.m.. Listeners can also tune in via 91.1 FM WJJW or our website, http://www.mcla.edu/Student_Life/ studentmedia/wjjw/.

February 9, 2017

Conte has revived Chelsea

By Kevin Baxter Los Angeles Times MANCHESTER, England - Under normal circumstances, attending the holiday office party isn’t considered a particularly noble act. But when you’re the head coach of the Chelsea Football Club, there are no such things as “normal circumstances.”

So when Antonio Conte became the first manager in six years to show up and share a toast with the team’s receptionists, secretaries and security personnel earlier this month, it was the latest in a series of departures from the diva-esque Jose Mourinho, the man who preceded him.

Last December, office workers did their best to avoid eye contact with Mourinho, lest the self-proclaimed “Special One” fly off in a rage.

This year Conte spent two hours smiling for selfies in front of the Christmas tree.

The locker room Mourinho left behind was riven by division and cliques, leaving players wary of their teammates. The new coach encouraged them to relax with a beer after games and organized regular dinners for his players and staff, a bonding exercise that has created trust.

But perhaps the biggest change has come on the field. A year ago the team awoke on Christmas morning 15th in the 20-team English Premier League, four points out of the relegation zone after winning just two of its previous eight games and without a permanent manager following the sacking of Mourinho.

This Sunday, Chelsea awoke atop the table, six points clear of the field.

A victory over Bournemouth on Monday would give Chelsea 12 consecutive wins, the longest EPL winning streak in 14 years and one shy of the single-season record.

SCORE BOARD MCLA Men’s Basketball MCLA (65), Westfield St. (85) Keiland Cross (MCLA) 18 Pts, 6 Reb, 5 Ast, 2 Stl, 2 Blk

Allister Williams (Westfield St.) 17 Pts, 4 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl

MCLA Women’s Basketball MCLA (60), Westfield St. (95) Kayla Hotaling (MCLA) 17 Pts, 12 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl

Lucy Barrett (Westfield St.) 17 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Stl

Super Bowl New England (34), Atlanta (28) Tom Brady (NE) 43-62, 466 yds, 2 TD, 1 Int, 95.2 QBR

Want a guest column? Contact Mitchell Chapman on Office 365.

9

Matt Ryan (ATL) 17-23, 284 yds, 2 TD, 1 Fum, 144.1 QBR

OPINION

CAMPUS COMMENT

EDITORIAL

What events do you want to see on campus?

I’d totally like to see open mics more than once a month. Ever since the Parlor closed there really hasn’t been a proper weekly outlet for students to express themselves.

Luke O’Brien, Sophomore

I think a weekly open mic would be cool. It would give people an opportunity to speak their mind.

Evan Lacey, Junior

Movie screenings with more fresh-out-of-thetheater movies.

Preston Long, Freshman PHOTOS BY DOMONIQUE ACKLEY, EMILY GABERT AND RON LEJA

The First Amendment and its faculties As a media organization filled with student journalists, The Beacon is very aware of the integrity and utter importance of the freedom of speech for press, for public figures and for citizens.

Often we extend our respect for this right to say anything— regardless of how insipid—even to foreigners, like Greek-British senior Breitbart Editor and nefarious attention-seeker Milo Yiannopoulos. Yiannopoulos was, as reported by Berkeley News, recently invited by the college’s student organization, The Berkeley College Republicans, to speak at the Martin Luther King Jr. Student Union.

Disapproving students exercised their right to freedom of speech, and protested the appearance by Yiannopoulos.

The event was canceled, not because of their objections to Yiannopoulos, but because violence erupted due to an outside group. Allegedly, the ANTIFA (Anti-Fascist Action) caused the violence, a group of 150+ protesters emerged on the campus in black bloc.

Berkeley’s Chancellor Nicholas Dirks made clear that the college does not share any of Yiannopoulos’ neoconservative views, but they did go to extraordinary lengths to plan for this event, working closely with the Berkeley College Republicans and putting the appropriate resources in place to maintain

Breitbart’s Milo Yiannopoulos was livid when his appearance at U.C. Berkeley was canceled last week, but his and President Trump’s claims of free speech supression are without warrant.

security.

We could spend months debating over this, citing how Yiannopoulos was banned from Twitter for inciting violence and harassment against others, or announced a scholarship exclusively for white men. But there’s no need, his actions speak for themselves. Besides, what he is really after is publicity, and after President Trump directly tweeted about him, he got it. His being turned away at Berkeley is a bigger headline.

A far more egregious offense is taking place simultaneously— and not getting the sensationalist attention Milo has been seeing for years. Six journalists covering the violent protests after President Trump’s inaugural parade have been arrested and charged with felony rioting, an outrageous claim. They were documenting what was happening around them, doing their job. It’s the kind of anti-fourth estate rhetoric that is becoming all too-familiar in the first year of the Trump administration.

So, a suppression of journalism, but offering of platform, for fascism under the guise of free

speech?

Imagine if this was not happening in California, but on our own campus at MCLA, how we might feel. There’s an adage: “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it.” That may be true, but perhaps, in the current climate, we should bear in mind how dangerous this can be. Perhaps we ought not to have given President Trump such a platform.

“Well,” contrarians might say, “if you don’t like what somebody is saying, just turn it off, ignore them.” But when we’re talking about Nazi propaganda, just leaving these people to their own devices may not have spectacular consequences.

So what do we do? Well, we discuss it. And universities are the perfect place for discourse.

Meanwhile Yiannopoulos will enjoy his $250,000 advance for his book deal with Simon & Schuster. The title of that book, incidentally, is Dangerous, which may be quite telling of the idea that this is what he wanted all along.

Sad!

House GOP are poisoning the well for ‘freedom’ Republicans continue to inflate regulations with oppressive legislation

Republicans have control over puddles, some deep-seated ditches, areas that hatred for the Envioccasionally wet and ronmental Protection other large sections Agency. Four days ago, of public and priMatt Gaetz (R-FL-1) vate lands directly in introduced a bill to violation of the Clean “terminate” the EPA. Nick Tardive Water Act. But conservative “The federal govI Hate This ernment shouldn’t be contempt for the EPA doesn’t just start and regulating every drop end with the existence of water,” Bill Schusof the EPA. ter, House Transportation In November, the Senate and Infrastructure Commitpassed a resolution introduced tee Chairman (R-Pa.), whose

by Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) that panel has authority over water repealed an EPA regulation policy, told “The Hill.” that gave the federal govern“Just about every wet area in ment authority over small the country is open to federal waterways. Just a week before regulation under this rule,” he the inauguration of President added. “The rights of landownDonald Trump, the measure ers and local governments will was also passed by the House be trampled.” of Republicans.

While this sounds reasonable, The rule, which gives federal consider President Trump’s ex-

ecutive order regarding regulations. For every new one introduced, two must be repealed.

Republicans claim that regulations are a detriment to economic growth and individual freedoms. Farmers having to get a federal permit to dig a ditch, they contend, is unfair and will harm farmers’ ability to thrive.

What they don’t talk about is the fact that the regulations they are trying to overturn are exactly what allow companies to take advantage of waterways the EPA and the Clean Water Act are trying to keep clean.

Flint, MI is still without clean water because the state government was careless in the way it re-routed water through a river that was known by the state to be contaminated as early as 2001.

Republicans don’t care that

their actions could lead to Flint becoming less an infuriating anomaly and more an unfortunate commonality.

Large corporations and the government alike, without proper regulations, will have more freedom to do as they please. This often leads to both taking cost-saving measures as often as possible. This gets us a Flint, or this gets us another pipeline leaking over 100,000 gallons of diesel underground in the Midwest.

And really, it makes sense when you consider how Republicans treat the environment and climate change.

They contend these are issues liberals bring up to justify more regulations, as opposed to the regulations being used as a measure to stop public and private sector oversight - either

accidental or purposeful.

I’m sorry if a farmer needs a federal permit to dig a ditch.

But if they don’t need to get that permit, they could easily be dumping chemicals into the ditch. Not because they are an evil person who hates the environment, but because it’s convenient. And, some day in the future, a new water route might be sent through a water supply that has been contaminated, unknowingly, by that not-permitted ditch.

Regulations may seem like a suffocation of individual rights.

But freedom without oversight brings out the darker parts of human nature. And when things are intended to help out, say, individual farmers, larger corporations or the federal government will be the ones who take advantage of these new rules, or lack of rules.

OPINION

February 9, 2017

MCLA’s marijuana policy highlights hypocrisy This past November, ing written Massachusetts voted about medical “yes” on Question 4, marijuana. The legalizing marijuana RPS Resifor recreational use for dent Student adults 21 and over. DeHandbook spite this development, states, “The Milena marijuana remains ilpossession, Casassima use or sale legal as a schedule-one Start Making of narcotics, controlled substance on a federal level. hallucinogens, Sense This creates conflict or any other for schools like MCLA, dangerous and/ which are located in Masor illegal drugs, without a sachusetts but still receive prescription from a licensed federal funding. In fact, physician is prohibited both last semester, Students for on and off campus.”

Sensible Drug Policy hosted There are several proba panel discussion with lematic areas within this some leaders in the MCLA statement. First, there are community who stressed townhouses that allow the that MCLA was essentially use of alcohol by students unable to budge in its zero over the age of 21. Alcohol tolerance policy regarding is toxic to the body with marijuana. alcohol withdrawal having Because of threats to the potential to cause death. federal funding, MCLA is It is highly unlikely that a unable to make changes in licensed physician would its rules and stance regardprescribe alcohol to treat ing marijuana. However, anything, yet it is perfectly while the MCLA handbook acceptable to use alcohol in contains a lengthy list of the these specific locations on negative side effects of mar- campus. ijuana use, there is nothIf someone wants to use

medicinal marijuana that has been prescribed by a physician to treat a serious illness, that student must find space off campus to take their medicine. The MCLA Handbook also states, “The College embraces wellness and, therefore, prohibits the use of any substance in a harmful or abusive manner.” If MCLA embraces wellness and prohibits a student from using a prescribed substance for medical reasons, the College is not staying true to its mission statement.

A quick look at the MCLA website reveals: “MCLA is committed to creating a campus climate and culture of mutual respect that represents and honors diversity in our society.

We celebrate this diversity and affirm the dignity and worth of all people.” Ostracizing, criminalizing, and penalizing students who are using marijuana to aid in their goal of receiving a degree from this institution goes against everything that

MCLA claims to stand for and it is so important that students speak out against this.

While it is understandable that MCLA feels the need to follow federal regulations to protect funding, it is also crucial that our administrators put the health and wellness of students as a priority. Instead of simply pointing out all of the hypocrisies in MCLA statements, I hope to use them to illuminate the very real need for students to speak up and put pressure on the administration to work with us to create ways for students to be able to access the resources they need to succeed, even if those resources are still being demonized by outdated and racist federal drug policies.

“Start Making Sense” is a monthly column by Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) President Milena Casamassima. Also, SSDP meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in Bowman 203.

The watch-dog role of journalism works both ways In the age of Trump, we with their methods that I can’t must be ever vigilant of the get on board with. It seems government, and the laws easier than ever to be a part it chooses to pass. Nowhere of a loud, passionate protest, is this more important than but I often wonder how many journalism, for if we don’t of those protesters tried to go catch Trump’s mistakes, no through the official channels Mitchell one will. to make change happen, by Chapman calling their Representatives But we forget that we must From the also be vigilant of the methin Congress, submitting an ofEditor ods used by protesters, for ficial complaint about somesocial justice has a dark side, thing they want see changed, too. Protesters destroying or by starting a campaign to let the property of businesses far removed the authorities know that that change from the issues they were protesting, is something the people want to see Black Lives Matter protesters talking happen. over a Bernie Sanders speech (SandAnother thing that is important to ers, one of the few politicians with keep in mind is if the outrage makes integrity that made their agenda a sense, because the protesters thempriority), and dogmatic modes of selves aren’t always right. Does the thinking are just a few examples of means justify the end? Is the outrage questionable methods used by these warranted? With the bandwagoning progressive fighters. effect of the internet and the rise of I often agree with the end goal of fake news, it is more important than many of these protesters, but it is ever to always do original research.

It is extremely important to always go through the official channels first, for it will determine whether or not people will take your campaign seriously. Protest should always be the last resort, not the first one, for you might prematurely label your campaigners as hard to work with, which will ultimately undermine your cause.

Do not blindly follow any one cause, for you will open yourself to be taken advantage of and might find yourself peddling a message you don’t even agree with. There are a lot of organizations that prey on over-eager activists.

Be open to dialogue and don’t lash out when things don’t go your way.

Lastly, do your research. Learn the rules of the press, of government, of whatever is relevant to making your change happen. You can’t expect the world to accommodate for you, in the world of Trump.

Fight hard, fight long, but always fight smart.

The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed to the MCLA community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications department and ad revenue. Single copies are free and additional copies can be purchased at 50 cents each. If you wish to purchase additional copies, please contact a member of staff.

CONTACT INFO News desk number: 413-662-5535 Business number: 413-662-5204 Email: beacon@mcla.edu Website: theonlinebeacon.com Office: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111

POLICIES Letters: The Beacon welcomes Letters to the Editor and columns on issues of interest to the campus. Deadlines are 11:59 p.m. Sunday. Strive for 500 words or less.

Editorial: Unsigned editorials that appear in these pages reflect the views of The Beacon.

Signed columns and commentary pieces reflect the views of their writers.

Contribution: The Beacon accepts stories, photos and opinion pieces. Submit to beacon@mcla.edu.

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

EBOARD Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Chapman

Co-Managing Editors

At the time of press deadline, follow-up protests about diversity erupted around campus. The Beacon is currently investigating them and will have a story for Issue 3, but you can see a developing version of this on this week's edition of Beacon Web News, which you can watch on our YouTube page.

PHOTO BY DAN WOHLER

Chris Riemer

Sports Editor

Senior News Editor

BWN Producers

Nick Tardive

Features Editor Emily Gabert

Deputy A & E and Features Editor Ron Leja

Lauren Levite

MCLA UNder protest

A & E Editor

Jon Hoel Joseph Carew

Copy Chief

BWN SPOTLIGHT

11

Brady Gerow

Dan Wohler Sam Kniskern

Design Editor Adam Sams

Photo Editor

Domonique Ackley

Web Editor and Business Manager Zack Benjamin

STAFF Photographer Trammel Griffith

Copy Editors

Staff Writers

Nick Webb

Reagan Smith

Aryel Brosnan

Emma Monahan

Gianna Vigliatura

Lily Schaub

Hannah Snell

Gianna Vilgliatura Hannah Snell

ADVISERS Shawn McIntosh

Jenifer Augur

n o i t c i v n o C d n a p i h s r t u Leade o h g u o r h Spreads T s m a d A h t r No Griffith l e m a r T y Photos B e Ackley u q i n o m o &D

(top left

) Senior

people w orried a

Kevin Hil bout the

(top mid

dle) Facu

campus

) Former

for their

rns and

student

presents

safety o

f the Ear

lty and S taff com

es conce

(middle

l-William s re

e togeth

support Bethany

them.

O’Neil a

the pop

th.

ulation o

f

er to litig

ate the

nd senio r Jackie Saturda Kelly fig y downt ht o wn. (bottom middle) Student s attend ing the 2 Confere 2nd Ann nce on S ual Lead unday fo ership cus atte ntively o life after n alumni’s college. presenta tion on (bottom left) Staff from var ious dep artment the conf s at MCL erence s A helped o that in coming run s tudents welcom a n d visoto e and in rs felt formed. (bottom left) Gue st speak er AJ Ad ams ma the conf de an ele erence s ctrifying tarted th entrance at morn as ing. rights on