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Beacon@MCLA.Edu 413-662-5535 Mark Hopkins Room 111
Volume 80 ◆ Issue 1
Th u r s d ay, F e b rua r y 5 , 2 0 1 5 See page 12 for more photos
Presidential candidates will visit for Q & A’s By Nicholas Swanson Senior News Editor
Photo Credit Osakpolo Igiede/The Beacon
Giullia McDonald and Nicole Carknard brace snowstorm Juno outside of Murdock Hall. See more photos on page 12
Fine and Performing Arts department receives $15,000 grant from NEA By Harmony Birch Staff Writer
Berkshire County is known as a cultural hub. However, according to Lisa Donovan, an arts management professor at the College, residents of Berkshire County lack opportunities to engage in the arts. This is showcased by the lack of artistic programs offered in Berkshire County schools. “Arts are getting increasing marginalized as a result of No Child Left Behind and testing,” Donovan said. In December the FPA department was granted a $15,000 grant as a part of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Collective Impact initiative. This isn’t the first grant the NEA has awarded to establishments in North Adams; last May DownStreet Art received a $10,000 Art Works Grant for meeting a high artistic standard and engaging the public. The Collective Impact grant however, is awarded for projects making art accessible to all communities and regions. Donovan, along with Maren Brown, an arts specialist, wrote the grant proposal. It’s called “Leveraging Change: Improving Access to Arts Education for Rural Communities.” The project will consist of researching different tools and methods other rural communities across the country
are using to provide accessible arts education, and then figuring out which tools would work in rural Massachusetts and Vermont areas. Research supported by organizations like the NEA found that students exposed to the arts are likely to better succeed academically, socially, and civically.
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An institution of higher education can be a connector. Lisa Donovan
According to the grant proposal the project “addresses the need to provide tools for rural arts advocates, to make use of the research resources, and synthesize best practices in rural arts education specific to rural areas.” Donovan and her team will be working with the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC), Berkshire Arts Education Network, the Vermont Arts Council, and the Berkshire Readiness Center. Ben Doyle of the Vermont Arts Council says there’s not a lot of state wide leadership in Vermont for Arts Education. The Vermont Arts Council has decided to focus on Arts
Education as their strategic plan for the next five years. “What I love about the Collective Impact model is that everyone has a stake in the issue,” Doyle said. According to FSG.org, a consultant firm dedicated to helping foundations, business, nonprofits, and governments enact and create lasting social change, Collective Impact is “the commitment of a group of actors from different sectors to a common agenda for solving a complex social problem.” “I think that what we communicated successfully is the power of higher education,” Donovan said. MCLA is uniquely situated already closely connected to the community. Donovan suspects that a large reason the College received the grant was because the NEA is looking for a visibility piece; they gave it to the people they though could produce the most change. “An institution of higher education can be a connecter,” Donovan maintains. Donovan will be hiring student interns to help track research and literature reviews. Her course called Community Arts and Education, will work to collect data for the project. Arts Management student
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NEA GRANT COLLEGE, continued on page 3
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Tyler Fairbank, Board of Trustees Chair, announced the three finalists recommended by the presidential search committee for the next college president. The candidates will be visiting campus individually Feb. 5 through Feb. 13. While visiting they will meet with staff, administrators, faculty, librarians, and students. Additionally, each finalist has an in-depth presidential profile available on the MCLA website. These can be compared to the Presidential Leadership profile, which explains the responsibilities and qualifications of a college president. Fairbank said students should read through and familiarize themselves with the individual profiles to see which candidate best matches up to the Presidential Leadership profile. “We have three candidates that really seem to exude and embody all of those characteristics and
capabilities that we identified in the presidential profile,” Fairbank said. “I know we have three unbelievably qualified candidates, and can lead to very exciting opportunities, and now the challenge will be getting down to one,” Fairbank said. “The cool part about this whole process is that every person’s voice counts, where everybody will have an opportunity to participate and contribute to the presidential profile,” Fairbank said. Dr. Paula Krebs, dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Bridgewater State University, will visit on Feb. 5 and Feb. 6. Prior to Bridgewater, Krebs, spent 20 years at Wheaton College in Norton, Mass. where she was chair of the English department, taught Victorian literature and culture, and served as Special Assistant to the President for External Relations. According to Krebs’s resumé, she organizes the New England CrossSector Partnership, a consortium MEET THE CANDIDATES, continued on page 3
College receives award for outstanding community service By Gionna Nourse Staff Writer
MCLA was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll from the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) in December 2014, in appreciation of its student-based volunteer, civic-engagement, and service learning efforts throughout the year. 2014 is the fourth year the college has been honored by the CNCS with this prestigious award. The CNCS gives the award annually to the institution that shows outstanding commitment in the three above-listed fields. Spencer Moser, Coordinator of Center for Service and Leadership at the College, is the man who fills out the applications sent to the CNCS each year. He explained that the White House and Federal Government put out the President’s Honor roll every year, and it is open for colleges and universities to apply to. Moser also said the CNCS offers grants
to agencies with outstanding community service. Although the College does not receive funding via this award, it is a prestigious honor that can allow for possible funding. “For the past ten years, MCLA has consistently been recognized on the President’s honor roll for its strong, close, trusting, reciprocal relationships with local businesses, the YMCA and its director, public schools, etc., and within the last five years, I only recall one year that the college did not receive the honor,” Moser stated. When the CNCS sifts through the mass of applications for this award, the stronger applications usually are the ones which stand out. “The vast majority of data that is used for the application comes from the Center for Service and Leadership office,” Moser said. “In my opinion, what makes MCLA’s application stand out is the large number of diverse civic-learning programs we have, which are supervised by student leaders,” he said. “We also have a robust, strong community service program, and
CNCS HONORS COLLEGE, continued on page 3
Arts & Entertainment
Sports
Late professor remembered for contributions
‘Monster Hunter’ demo exceeds expectations
Men’s and women’s basketball standings
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News Features Arts & Entertainment Sports Campus Comment Local Events Photo Essay
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Campus News
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Weekend Weather Thursday, February 5
Changes to club budget process now more accessible he said. “We add up the totals and see what to subtract. Then we e-mail out our suggestions.”
By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Managing Editor
Cloudy High: 20° Low: -12° Prec. Chance: 90%
Friday, February 6
Budget Request Forms for fiscal year 2016 were released to all clubs and organizations on campus to be due tomorrow. Budget season lasts until March 9, when final allocations are voted on by the senate. According to SGA treasurer Nicholas Hernigle, the Budget Finance Committee (BFC) serves as a middleman in the timeline between clubs submitting a budget to ensure that the math is correct and that nothing stands out. “We make sure there is nothing in there that we won’t fund,”
Partly Cloudy High: 16° Low: 7° Prec. Chance: 20%
Saturday, February 7
Sunday, February 8
This year, two steps in the process are different to benefit the clubs and organizations seeking more money. “In the past clubs asked questions at the SGA meeting about why they weren’t getting the money requested, and it lasted hours,” Hernigle explained. “This year we’re meeting with everyone to explain the budget and giving them the option to come back and essentially negotiate their desired amount.” Hernigle mentioned that the SGA may not be getting more money based on how many incoming students pay the Student Activity Fee, which is decided by the board of trustees. This determines how much more allocated money SGA can give to clubs and organizations.
The week of - 1/25 - 1/31 Sunday, January 25 ◆ Public Safety responded to a medical call at Hoosac Hall. Individual was transported to the hospital. ◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The building was checked and secured.
◆ Public Safety responded to a threat to m\commit a crime at townhouse 13. A report was filed. ◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The call was completed. ◆ Public Safety responded to a fire alarm at townhouse 41. A warning was issued.
Tuesday, January 27 ◆ Public Safety responded to a medical call at the Hoosac Hall residential parking lot. A report was filed. ◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The building was checked and secured. ◆ Public Safety responded to a medical call at Hoosac Hall. Services were renderd.
Wednesday, January 28 ◆ Public Safety responded to a report of a motor vehicle accident on Ashland St. A report was filed. ◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The building was checked and secured.
The MCLA Beacon Online Cloudy High: 15° Low: 8° Prec. Chance: 70%
“Budgets are always a tough issue, because clubs want to continue to do the incredible things they are doing,” SGA President Brendan Peltier said in an email. “The process Nick has set up should make it easier and I feel that it is more transparent and straight forward.” [pull quote] According to Peltier, if there are any late budget submissions those clubs and organizations will not be able to receive funds. According to Hernigle, after the request forms were sent out, there were immediately clubs asking for help in explaining the process. This year the process is different because equations are incorporated in the excel sheets to further assistance in planning. “Sometimes clubs’ E-boards change positions, and they really need someone to explain how the process works,” he said.
Currently the college SGA recognizes 55 clubs and organizations with three being inactive: Photography Club, Cheer Club and the Society of Music. According to Hernigle, two new clubs include the Book Club and Students for a Democratic Society. SGA Manager Diane Collins’ advice regarding the budget process is to ask Hernigle or herself for help if there are any questions. “Although the information appears a lot different than previous years, it is because Nick is trying to facilitate the process by outlining step-by-step what is expected when submitting the budget,” she said in an email. “This is a very tedious process; therefore, asking questions earlier, rather than later, would eliminate a last minute rush to get club budgets in on time.”
Campus Police Logs
Monday, January 26
Cloudy High: 23° Low: 13° Prec. Chance: 50%
Beacon.MCLA.edu
◆ Public Safety responded to a need for medical transport. Transportation was provided.
Thusday, January 29
alarms cause was determined to be unknown.
Saturday, January 31
◆ Public Safety responded to a medical call at Hoosac Hall. The call was completed.
◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The building was checked and secured.
◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The building was checked and secured.
◆ Public Safety responded to a need for medical transport. at Brewer Perkins lot. Individual was transported.
Friday, January 30 ◆ Public Safety responded to a report to assist a citizen. Individual could not be located.
◆ Public Safety responded to a report of Suspicious activity at Murdock Hall. The report was determined to be unfounded.
◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The building was checked and secured.
◆ Public Safety responded to a building check on Church St. The building was checked and secured.
◆ Public Safety responded to an alarm at Hoosic Hall. The
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Thursday, February 5, 2015
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Late professor remembered Meet the Candidates! for contributions to College continued from page 1
that links doctoral universities with teaching-intensive institutions for the purpose of training Ph.D. students. Krebs graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Pa. and earned a Ph.D. with a concentration in 19th century British and American literature from Indiana University. Dr. Greg Summers, vice chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, will visit on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10. According to Summers,’ profile, he was responsible for several college functions related to teaching and learning, including academic planning and program review, accreditation, and assessment of student learning; professional enrichment for faculty and staff, including instructional development, pedagogical innovation, research, and grant funding; and finally, oversight of personnel issues including those related to hiring, appointment types, and retention, tenure, and promotion. Summers earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Wisconsin Madison with a concentration in environmental history. Dr. Jane McBride Gates, vice president of Academic Affairs at Western Connecticut State University, will visit on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13. According to her profile, her fellowships and academic awards include being named one of NAACP’s 100 Most Influential Black Leaders in Connecticut (2011 and 2013) and named one of Arkansas’ Outstanding Women by U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln. She has successfully joined four honor societies: Pi Alpha Alpha National Honor Society for Public Affairs and Administration, Delta Kappa Gamma International Honor Society, Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society and Delta Kappa Gamma International Honorary Society. Gates has completed the Harvard School of Education Management Development Program, Leadership America Forum, and the Harvard Graduate School Institute for Management and Leadership. Gates attended Arkansas State University and earned the Master of Public Administration from the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. She earned her Ph.D. with concentrations in Organizational Behavior, Public Policy Analysis, Legislative Process and Chinese Politics from Southern Illinois University. The Board of Trustees will vote to decide the next college president at their meeting on Thursday, March 5. The new president will officially move to campus during the summer.
By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Managing Editor
Photo from the MCLA website
Dr. Paula Krebs
Photo from the MCLA website
Dr. Greg Summers
Photo from the MCLA website
Dr. Jane McBride Gates
Grant supports collective impact NEA GRANT, continued from page 1
Kathleen Sansone believes this is a rare opportunity for FPA Majors. “Applying students to real world situations is a great experience, the more opportunities the better,” Sansone said. Sansone is working with a similar Collective Impact model herself. The Berkshire Regional Creative Youth Development Summit, a project started by Sansone, is geared to celebrating and bringing together programs that use artistic expression to better teenage lives. Both Donovan and Sansone agree that art
betters communities and individuals. “It’s a matter of convincing the community that this needs to happen. [pull quote] I think that two conversations happening at once in the same area, hopefully, will make our communities listen,” Sansone said. A component that will need consideration in the “Leveraging Change” project is cost. “Are there things that can be leveraged for Arts Education that don’t require funds?” Donovan questioned. She believes this circumstance will affect and alter the research and tools used in the Berkshires.
James L. May of Florida Mountain retired from the college as professor emeritus after serving for thirty-three years, and recently passed away on Jan. 19 at home. A memorial service was held on Jan. 24 in Murdock Hall where friends, family, faculty and former students shared memories. In 1974 May started at North Adams State College and made his focus to bring about a research component to the Psychology department. Former colleague, Professor Timothy Jay, joined May two years later with the same field desires. “We were the two youngest in the department,” Jay said. “Jim is largely credited for implementing research into the curriculum. He pioneered that.” Jay explained that participatory experiments and research didn’t exist as part of a course, but said this is what modern psychology is about. May was interested in the history of psychology as well, and even went on to serve as department chair, something Jay said he was very engaged in and cared much about. May had the college and department’s best interest; creating the undergraduate research conference at the college stemmed from May’s efforts as well. Jay said, by integrating research, participation and data analysis into the curriculum, the pair trained students for competitive graduate schools and also showed new faculty the benefits of including such an area of concentration. “We would take students to conferences and bring popular people to the school to speak,” Jay said. “Instead of designing a whole new course, we were able to incorporate research into the seminar and have the students work on different aspects of the research topic.” Jay and May would spend time outside of the classroom by taking their kids fishing. “He had a dry sense of humor, very sarcastic, but no one ever said anything bad about him,” Jay said. “He was sociable and a good mediator when changes came around, and older professors had difficulty adapting. He was always nice and respectful.” Another former colleague, Steve Green, professor of sociology emeritus, felt honored to have known and worked with May. “We worked together on various projects, served together on many committees,” he said in an email, “and when later on I became Vice President of Academic Affairs, Jim was one of the faculty members I called on most frequently for help and advice on a variety
Photo from The Berkshire Eagle James May passed away in his home on Jan. 19 of issues.” Green also noted that May was a teacher both in and outside of the classroom and that he was demanding, but provided all the support a student would need to succeed. “Jim was a really good person to know and talk with. Very friendly, very bright, and good humored,” he said. Deborah Foss, amongst other speakers at the memorial, said that May was a part of the committee that hired her to join the department in spring 1987. “I learned a lot from Jim that went beyond teaching,” she said in an email. “He and I shared a passion for wanting to spend our careers working in public higher education. We would often comment to each other that if public (affordable and accessible) colleges didn’t exist, neither one of us would have ended up as college professors.” According to Foss, May pushed for the college to establish an Institutional Review Board to ensure that research was conducted in accordance with professional ethical standards. He was also the first chair of the faculty professional development committee, which assimilated technology into teaching and learning; later he helped institute a Faculty Center. “When I think of Jim’s legacy, it’s all about paying it forward, bringing your best to students and the greater college community every day,” Foss said. “The most important lesson I learned from Jim is a lesson that applies to students as well. Stretch yourself, get involved, and make a difference. You’ll be a better person for it, and your part of the world will be a better place because of you.”
CNCS honors College
COMMUNITY SERVICE, continued from page 1
a system in place in which leadership and compassion are created,” Moser said. “These are skills that students can use even after graduation,” he said. Moser then explained how such programs usually work. “They address local needs, as well as learning to communicate well and appropriately with others,” he said. “It is service learning with an academic component to it.” Unlike other programs on campus, the Center for Service and Leadership doesn’t require students to volunteer; they do it on their own, because they are interested. “MCLA students volunteer for events on
their own, it is not required as part of a class or anything like that,” Moser said. Breana Gladu, Student Coordinator for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)Learning is one of the many students who took something they were passionate about to another level by becoming a mentor of sorts to children in the surrounding community. “This is the second year STEM in Action has been running, and I have had a wonderful experience coordinating this program,” she said. “I have a small staff of college student mentors that walk the children through the labs. These mentors have to be science majors, they just need to have a love for helping children and giving back.”
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Thursday, February 5, 2015
Campus News
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MCLA launches teaching initiative with gift from Greylock Federal Credit Union By Nicholas Swanson Senior News Editor
In December MCLA started ‘Greylock Teach Fellows,’ a program made possible through a $100,000 pledge from Greylock Federal Credit Union (GFCU) towards “Sowing Seeds for Success: The MCLA Campaign for the Future.” The program will provide a head start for 20 to 30 high school students looking to expand their learning experience through teaching, and will make certain incentives available through MCLA. “GFCU asked us to put a project together that would have an impact on children in Berkshire County,” Howard Eberwein III, dean of Graduate and Continuing Education, said. He explained GFCU has a history of investing in education related endeavors in the Berkshires. The group spent a weekend on campus. The weekend included a tour and meeting with the admission office to learn about ways to pursue a college education.
“We want to plug them into the rhythm of the campus, to get excited about college and their college studies,” Eberwein said. Professors of Education Christopher Himes and Maxine McKinney de Royston are instructing the college course, Education in Society, to students in the program at Taconic and Pittsfield High Schools. The course will be taught for free as a part of each program during this three-year project. The group meets three times a month and consists of students in their junior or senior year of high school. “Part of the course is not saying, ‘you should be a teacher,’ but showing what it means to be an educator,” Himes said. Himes thinks being an educator is showing “How to challenge the norms and dynamics in a classroom and to show the students how we ultimately decide how we teach.” “This project seemed like an opportune moment to explore ways in which we could engage high school students in thinking about
what it means to be a teacher,” Eberwein said. Eberwein expressed concern for challenges in the field of education that go beyond encouraging students to pursue teaching. One is the need for licensed teachers in STEM fields, especially mathematics and chemistry. “This is also an effort to get students who are thinking about studying science, to also think about combining their love of science with the teaching field,” Eberwein said. Eberwein addressed another challenge regarding the diversity that is growing in high schools today. “Our teacher workforce is predominately white and our student body is becoming predominately diverse, so as a result, our faculty are not reflecting the students who are arriving at the schools,” Eberwein said. Eberwein explained a core value of the college is promoting, celebrating, and leveraging diversity. “This is an opportune time to
encourage students who reflect these diverse populations to think about teaching because we believe that will support long-range, the health and future of our school and the children that travel through them,” Eberwein said. Greylock Teach Fellows offers a number of incentives to students who finish the program. Those who do so successfully earn three college credits and a Future Educators of America (FEA) membership. According to Eberwein, FEA was reinstituted at the high schools through this project and is another way for model teachers to serve as an adviser of a club that explores teaching in education as a profession. In FEA students go on field trips and are given a chance to work with teaching middle and elementary school students. Eberwein said not all of these students in the program are convinced yet, that they want to be teachers, which is why they want to give them exposure to these activities.
Event encourages athletic Climate change seminar activity for young girls has campus feeling green By Idalis Foster Staff Writer
The much-anticipated National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD) festivities will be hosted by the athletics department this Saturday. This year’s celebration will be the college’s 25th year of participation in the national event and is opening the Amsler Campus Center Gym to women and girls from the North Adams community. This year’s theme is “Game ON” and is free for local youth with a small charge for the adults. Girls from grades three to eight and adults of all ages are welcome. The NGWSD activities are sponsored by the athletes and coaches of the college’s Women’s sports teams. Participants will begin activities in the Campus Center gym Saturday morning, and have lunch before attending the women’s basketball game. Meanwhile, women from the
campus and local community will participate in games at McCann Technical School, including Pickleball, and have their lunch before returning to campus to attend the women’s game as well. Past activities have included Zumba Dance, volleyball, basketball, lacrosse, golf, dancing, and pickle ball. NGWSD is currently celebrated in every state. It began in 1987 in remembrance of Olympic volleyball player, Flo Hyman, who earned many achievements and worked hard for equality of women’s sports. Hyman died of Marfan’s Syndrome, a genetic disorder that affects connective tissue, during a volleyball tournament in Japan. The day emphasizes the importance of encouraging girls to get in the game and giving them a chance to find their passion in sports. It also promotes healthy living through good nutrition
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Dr. Brian Rose, professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University of Albany, kicked off the first Green Living Seminar last week with a question: What sets the temperature of the Earth? Rose said he wanted to show a deeper understanding of the past and future climate of the Earth, although his presentation focused more on the science of climate change than the importance of discussion. “I like these seminars because there’s an attempt to bring scientists in to talk about what they do,” Rose said, “[and] to bring people in with other kinds of expertise to give the students and community some more holistic sense of the problem.” His presentation included graphs illustrating the warming of Earth since 1900, with the result being 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Rose also gave important facts, such as 2014 being the warmest year on record since scientists began documenting global temperature in the last half of the 19th century. He covered more current research of greenhouse gases, ice albedo (also known as reflectivity), how water vapor affects the earth’s temperature, and how changes in clouds affect solar and terrestrial radiation. Rose even included some of his own scientific research. “I’ve done some work looking at mechanisms that can give very abrupt changes in a climate model, mechanisms that have to do with interactions between sea
ice and ocean circulation,” Rose said. “That’s what I wrote my PhD thesis on. The motivation underlying a lot of that work is actually that we still have these big upstanding questions about what happened when the climate was colder, and what processes come into play in a colder world that went away in a warmer world.” Rose received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at McGill University in Quebec, and obtained his Ph.D at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). According to the MCLA website, the Green Living Seminar Series is presented by the Environmental Studies Department and the MCLA Berkshire Environmental Resource Center. Dan Shustack, professor in the Environmental Studies Department, has been in charge of organizing the seminar series this semester. “It happens each spring,” Shustack said. “There’s actually a class component and part of it is attending the seminars. The class last semester deliberated and together they decided on the topic for this year.” Sophomore Jamien Meservey is part of the class and said she is excited to attend the seminars. “When I’m in class, I have to pay attention, but going to these seminars is interesting because it’s on my own time and I’m actively involved in what I’m learning,” she said. The Green Living Seminars will take place every Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Murdock 218 and will address a different topic each week. To watch podcasts of past seminars, go to www.mcla.edu/greenliving.
Black History Month Events 2/5 - Robert T. Jones, Empowerment Officer at international consulting firm, Lee Associates Workshop at 1 p.m., speech at 7 p.m, Sullivan Lounge 2/6 & 7 - 10th Annual Blues & Funk Festival
2/6 - Maya & The ReMinders 2/7 - Robert Cummings, Misty Blues & Arthur Holmes 7:30 p.m., Venable Gym
2/6 - Soul Food Dinner
featuring guest chef Velma McAdoo 4:30 - 7:30 p.m., Centennial Room
2/7 - Basketball vs. FSU
Women’s game 1p.m., Men’s game 3 p.m., Campus Center Gym
2/7 - Powerful Words and Slam Poetry Night with Kyla
Lacey and Women’s Center 5 - 7 p.m., Sullivan Lounge
2/11 - BSU Sex in the Dark
Topic: Domestic Violence & HIV Awareness with SGA 6 - 8:30 p.m., Campus Center 324A
2/12 - Rutha Harris: Songs of Civil Rights
6:30 p.m., Church Street Center
2/13 - BSU Movie Night: Brown Sugar - A romantic
comedy film written by Michael Elliot and Rick Famuyiwa, directed by Famuyiwa, and starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan, with a follow-up discussion on relationships. Refreshments will be served. 7 p.m., Sullivan Lounge
2/14 - New York State Black & Puerto Rican Legislators Youth Summit with
Dr. Steve Perry Convention Center Empire State Plaza - South Mall Arterial Albany, New York 10 a.m. start, depart at 8 a.m. E-mail Tom Alexander for rides - thomas.alexander@mcla.edu
2/17 - Campus Conversation on Race, Part II, co-spon-
sored by BSU/RPS/CCOR 6 p.m., Sullivan Lounge
2/19 - SELMA movie screening and discussion,
facilitated by CCOR 6 p.m., Images Theater in Williamstown
2/21 - MCLA Leadership Conference 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
2/21 - No FLEX Zone: Glow in the Dark Party
10 p.m. - 2 a.m. - Venable Gym $2 admission
2/25 - Discussion on Drug Policy, Public Safety, and Race with Jack Cole, Ameri-
can drug policy reformist and former detective 7 - 8:30 p.m, Murdock 218
Features
Thursday, feburary 5, 2015
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Study Abroad: A life-changing experience
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Students studied in Czech Republic and Alaska during the fall semester
Photo Courtesy of TaylorJae Taber
Sophmore TaylorJae Taber gives a thumbs up to the beautiful view while studing in Fairbanks, Alaska. classes and explore the field. While studying at UAF, Taber By Juanita Doss took classes such as geology, Features Editor wildlife surveying, horticulture, Her love for animals, wildlife anthropology and article survival and endangered species took her to further her interest in wildlife on an unforgettable journey to conservation and management. Alaska: a place she never wanted After being in Fairbanks for a to leave. short period of time, Taber fell in “It was the most amazing expe- love with her surroundings and rience,” said sophomore TaylorJae never wanted to leave. When she Taber. “I was in the woods all the found out about UAF’s graduate time.” research program for wildlife, She left her Swansea, Mass., Taber instantly made it her goal home on a hot and sticky August to go back for grad school. day to make her dream of saving “After I decided to come back wildlife a reality. However, when for grad school, I began networkshe arrived at the University of ing with grad students, as well as Alaska-Fairbanks (UAF), the working closer with the profesweather was a high of 50 degrees. sors,” Taber said. Despite the first snowfall in When she returns to UAF for Sept. and the sun setting not to her master’s degree, she plans to long after noon, Taber, an envi- research and study polar bears ronmental studies major and bi- and the Alaskan grizzly bear. ology minor, was eager to attend Taber enjoys being at MCLA,
but finds student life at UAF and the Fairbanks community more intriguing and hands on. On the weekends she visited glaciers, hiked trails and had the chance to see the aurora borealis, which brought amazement to her eyes. On her last day in Alaska, the sunrise was at 10:30 a.m. and the sun set at 2:15 p.m.. Seniors Lily O’Neill and Nicole Ngoon landed in Prague, the largest city in the Czech Republic on O’Neill’s twenty first birthday. “As soon as we got off the plane, the Czech students at the university took us to every cool place around Prague in one night,” O’Neill said. O’Neill, a business major, and Ngoon, an English major, minoring in business, attended the University of Economics- Prague (UEP), which is an economic and business oriented school. “I know people were probably thinking ‘why I am an English major at a business school’,” Ngoon said. “I wanted to have a new experience and take a new variety of business classes that MCLA didn’t offer.” Unlike her course schedule this semester at MCLA, her class at UEP lasted three hours and only met once a week. Ngoon only had classes on Mondays and Wednesday’s which made it easier for her to travel around Europe and learn something else beyond the books. During her time in Prague, she traveled to places such as Paris, Switzerland, London and went to Amsterdam twice. She went air
walking in Switzerland, saw the Eifel Tower light show, watched the changing of the guards in London, and went sky diving. “Sky diving was such an amazing experience,” Ngoon said. “Skydiving through the Elms is something I really wanted to do, so when I arrived in Switzerland, I told myself I’m going to jump off a plane.” Ngoon also walked through the Anne Frank’s house and became enlightened by the world today. However, during Oktoberfest, she took a tour of a concentration
but towards the end of the semester her workload nearly doubled. “The professors there seemed to be more relaxed than some of the professors I’ve had here. Professors never gave us due dates on assignments, it was a more like a ‘hand it in when you can’ type of thing. When class wasn’t in session, O’Neill also traveled around Europe and had the chance to cross the Charles Bridge at night, and snap photos of the castles around Prague. O’Neill recalls on her abroad
Photo Courtesy of Nicole Ngoon
Seniors Nicole Ngoon and Lily O’Neill stop to take a photo while touring Litoměřice, Czech Republic. camp, which gave her a different type of perspective. “I couldn’t handle the pain of walking through the gas chambers,” Ngoon said. “The camp was in such a beautiful area, one wouldn’t expect many people to lose their lives here.” O’Neill’s classes seemed more relaxed at the beginning of the semester, with a small workload,
experience as one that was well worth the stress of gathering money and filling out applications. “I would not change this experience for anything,” she said. “It truly changed my way of life, and I would encourage other students to see the world outside of MCLA.”
Doughty earns $3,000 “Koko” scholarship Athletic Training major is the first MCLA student to receive the EATA Award
By Kaliegh Hayes Features Writer
Instead of falling down the icy sidewalks here at MCLA, senior Elizabeth Doughty has gone nowhere but uphill during her jour-
ney as a Trailblazer. During her four years here, Doughty has achieved numerous accomplishments. She was a residential advisor for three years, tutoring students and completed hundreds of clinical hours in athletic training.
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“She I opened the email and Doughty. was this wonderful woman screamed at the top of that would sass you but give you my lungs. tough love.”
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Photo from MCLA Website
Professor Krzyzanowicz (left), Doughty (right) pose for a photo after Doughty received the Kerkor “Koko” Kassabian Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Scholarship Award.
Doughty’s consistency and love for what she does have led to another accomplishment in her college career: In December, she received the Kerkor “Koko” Kassabian Eastern Athletic Trainers’ Association Scholarship Award. According to athletictrainersofmass.org, the award is given to an individual who has shown a long record of serving the physically active population through their association with the Athletic Training Profession. Doughty was given the application by her advisor, Biology Professor Ryan Krzyzanowicz. The scholarship, which includes a $3,000 award and a trip to an athletic trainers’ conference in Philadelphia, is competitive and sought after by students throughout the northeast. “I was actually surprised,” says Doughty, who received the news by email after waking up one morning.
Elizabeth Doughty Still in her pajamas, Doughty ran across campus to tell her advisor the good news. “I am extremely proud of Liz receiving this award,” says Krzyzanowicz. “She has worked hard in both the classroom and clinically, and this award shows that. It’s a great honor for her and MCLA’s Athletic Training Program.” Doughty was introduced to athletic training her senior year of high school while helping her mentor, Laura, who was athletic trainer for the school’s football team. “She was phenomenal,” says
Inspired by Laura, Doughty decided to follow in her mentor’s
footsteps. Four years later, Doughty is just months away from graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a focus in athletic training. “What keeps me into it is the patients,” she said “Making sure that they have someone they can connect with and have support from.” After commencement in May, Doughty hopes to become a college residential director somewhere in the Carolinas, to escape New England’s snow and to take some time to figure out where she wants to go with her medical education background.
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‘Selma’ and ‘American Sniper’ provoke debate over accuracy, heroism By Mitchell Chapman A&E Writer
“American Sniper” and “Selma,” while both critical and financial hits, have sparked controversy over their portrayals of real-life people. American Sniper follows the story of Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper) the “deadliest sniper in American history” through his four tours of duty in Iraq. According to chriskyleamericansniper.info, Kyle is credited with 160 kills. Bradley Cooper, who plays Kyle in the movie, is presented as a complex individual who would give his life for his country, but abandon his family for what he believes is the greater good. The director of “American Sniper,” Clint Eastwood, is known for simple, good vs. evil themes. It is refreshing to see “American Sniper” break this mold, even if the movie has been criticized for doing so. “Kyle was a slippery character,” CJ Johnson, a critic from ABC, said. “According to his autobiography, he was extremely proud of his lethal prowess, and of his ‘kill count.’” In his book of the same name, Chris Kyle claimed “everyone he shot was evil” and “deserved to die.” He said that he enjoyed killing, provoking harsh criticism such as “psychopath patriot” from Bill Maher, who questioned if Kyle truly was a hero, which
sparked additional discussion. “I think he was an absolute American hero,” freshman Kaitlin Wright said. “He risked his life and time he could’ve spent with his family to ensure our freedom.” Not only does he leave his family, but he had to face women and children on the battlefield. Kyle’s primary objective in the film was to protect his allies and he was presented with hard decisions. Despite the real world Chris Kyle claiming that violence doesn’t affect him, he is deeply troubled in the film when faced with killing the innocent. At the time of this publication, “American Sniper” is nominated for six Oscars, including Best Performance by a Leading Actor for
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is on Netflix), the film takes place over a three month period initiated by the Birmingham Bombing, which sets the tone for the film. Oyelowo’s depiction of King is complex, presenting both his accomplishments and flaws, and does a great deal to flesh him out as a human being. While “Selma” does a great job presenting some historical facts, its main strength is presenting how those facts came to be. The product is a film driven by characters that may or may not be accurate to their realworld counterparts. “The film humanizes Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the colossal burden he faced in 1965.” Mark K. Undergrove, director of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and
Oyelowo’s depiction of King is complex, presenting both his accomplishments and flaws, and does a great deal to flesh him out as a human being. Bradley Cooper and Best Picture, and holds a 72 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. “Selma” follows the events leading up to the 1965 Selma-toMontgomery march spearheaded by Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) in hopes of passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Directed by Ava DuVernay (“This Is the Life,” “Middle of Nowhere,” and “I Will Follow,” the last of which
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Museum said. “But “Selma” misses mightily in faithfully capturing the pivotal relationship— contentious, the film would have you believe—between King and President Lyndon Baines Johnson.” The film’s main criticism has been its portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson (played by Tom Wilkinson), who in the film repeatedly urged King to put his ac-
tivities “on hold” so he could focus Outlaw of Screenrant.com said. on domestic poverty. Many news “Even if you don’t like biopics or outlets, such as the Huffington intense melodrama, you will find Post, have gone so far as to sug- that the film is cinematic and gest that the inaccuracies contrib- grounded enough to offer a great uted to “Selma”’s Oscar “snubs” (it onscreen story worth engaging was nominated for two), though it with.” is possible that is a result of a lack Both “American Sniper” and of critic screenings. “Selma” are playing at the North “The film falsely portrays Presi- Adams Movieplex. The Oscars dent Lyndon B. Johnson as being will be aired February 22 7 p.m. at odds with Martin Luther King on ABC. Jr. and even using the FBI to discredit him,” Joseph A. Califano Jr., Johnson’s former assistant for Domestic Affairs said in an article for the Washington Post. “In fact, Selma was LBJ’s idea.” On all other facets, the film has been praised as a film, particularly for its narrative prowess. “’Selma’ is wellcrafted political theater that is handled with enough insight and complexity to make it an important and relevant modern Photo from Warner Bros. Studio viewing experi- ‘American Sniper” poster that shows Bardley ence,” critic Kofi Cooper in uniform with American flag.
‘Monster Hunter’ demo exceeds expectations Matt Hotaling
hunts,” junior Kaź Lukacs said, “but most the game is intense boss battles.” The game’s signature monsters Gamers at MCLA huddled toall bare resemblance to things gether over their Nintendo 3DSs that might be seen in nature, but as they geared up for the latest inare all unique and unearthly. 4U stallment in the “Monster Hunter” boasts a diverse cast of 96 monfranchise coming out next week. sters made up of returning faThe “Monster Hunter” franchise, vorites and new arrivals ranging developed and published by Capfrom oversized dinosaurs and com, stretches back 11 years with electric-charged wolves to tigerits first title released on the Playdragon hybrids. station 2. The franchise is imIn anticipation leading up to mensely popular in Japan and has the release of 4U, Capcom issued a small, but growing cult followa number of demo codes to fans ing in the United States. of the franchise. The demo allows players to suit up with one of the game’s 14 different weapon types, including the two weapons new to 4U, and challenge one of three monsters available in the demo. The demo reveals that each of the weapons seems to have undergone Photo courtesy of Rory Young of neoseeker.com 2014 some minor changes, but the A screenshot of the game in which players battle Gore Mademo doesn’t A&E Writer
“Monster Hunter” is a fantasy action franchise best known for its challenging but fair difficulty, hundreds of hours of gameplay, and its over-the-top, anime-inspired weapons and armors. In a 2014 press release, Capcom describes the genre of the new Nintendo 3DS title: “Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate” (4U) as “hunting action,” but those familiar with the franchise can tell you that this doesn’t even begin to describe the game. “Part of the game is gathering supplies in preparation for the
show enough to judge if the weapons have been rebalanced drastically. The biggest feature missing is
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Japan, the geography of the region—the fact that it’s a smaller, denser country—has made the local play really catch on,” Game
I’m excited for the new weapons, and the new monsters. But I’m especially excited about playing online with others. Brad Gradneigo
underwater combat, which was present in previous installments of the franchise. In its place, however, is the ability to engage monsters in 360 degrees of space. With this newly added ability to attack monsters from above—and even mount them—it appears that thought was put in to the design of the game’s levels, which are now more vertically oriented.
No More Lonely Hunts While the ability to play with up to four players locally has been present in previous games, 4U will be the first in the franchise to allow online play between 3DS owners not in each other’s immediate vicinity. “The thing that’s always sold ‘Monster Hunter’ is the fact that you play with other people. In
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Director Kaname Fujioka said in an interview with US Gamer. “In the West, it’s a completely different environment. It’s a lot harder for people to actually get together and play the game. With our focus on implementing really good, robust online play in this title, we’re hoping that’s going to help lower the barrier of entry for people,” Fujioka said. “I’m excited for the new weapons, and the new monsters,” senior Brad Gradneigo said, “But I’m especially excited about playing online with others.” Testing of the online connectivity proves that this feature is as good as promised. Players from multiple continents are able to play together over stable connections with little to no lag. “Monster Hunter 4U” promises to be the biggest and best in its franchise with the upcoming re-
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Tenth Annual Blues and Funk Festival tomorrow with food, activism, inspiration Shirin Hijab A&E Editor
Tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. in the Venable Gym MCLA Presents!’s Tenth Annual Blues and Funk Festival will begin with the reMINDers and Maya Azucena, and on Saturday, Arthur Holmes Blues Band, Misty Blues Band, and Albert Cummings Band will play. The event is free for students. This year is a “rewind year” where all the artists have played at MCLA before, and some of the musicians are from the Berkshire area, like Albert Cummings. Friday night is focused on non-traditional blues and hiphop, while Saturday focuses on straight-up blues. The musicians on Friday night focus their music on an instrument for social change. The reMINDers are a hip-hop duo comprised of Big Samir and Aja Black, while Maya Azucena is mostly a solo musician who occasionally collaborates with other
musicians. While traditional blues Many of the musicians produce ning before the show in the cafete- She also said that her favorite is necessary and fun, these three themselves independently and ria from 5 to 6:00 p.m. Tomorrow song by the ReMINDers is “If You musicians’ music looks to be the most exciting of the festival. However, if band photos are to be believed, all the bands should be able to give a strong performance. “I think it’s a chance to hear a sort of really broad range of music that’s sort of called blues or funk,” Michelle Daly, the new program coordinator for the Berkshire Cultural Resource Center and organizer of the Festival, said. “They’re all really high-caliber musicians Photo courtesy of BCRC’s flikr for 10th Annual Blues & Funk Festival that put on great shows. So you’re going to have Maya Azucena takes control of the stage. fun. You’re going to want to dance. There’s going to be food. Daly said that this is “an interest- is also the Black Student Union’s Didn’t Know” and she also likes It’s a chance to kind of shake it up ing model for anyone looking at Soul Food Night with a guest chef. Azucena’s cover of Leonard Cothis time of year too, right, be- pursuing this kind of career.” Daly said she hopes that the hen’s iconic “Hallelujah.” cause it’s really easy to sit in your Maya Azucena will speak with music and the festival will inspire room and watch Netflix and not students about her music and her students to use their creativity in do anything.” work as an activist tomorrow eve- in the midst of social problems.
Wonder of science, art combine at Gallery 51 Matthew Aceto A&E Writer
Paintbrushes and phytoplankton, stencils and seafloors. Though they seem like polar opposites, art and science naturally coexist in a world full of imagery. Open now through March 22, Gallery 51’s new exhibit “Winter Green” brings these illustrations to life in a way that is both fascinating and informative. On Thursday, Jan. 29, Gallery 51 welcomed the public to “Winter Green’s” opening reception. Artists and scientists featured in the exhibit were there to present their work and share their inspirations. Elizabeth Bisbing, an artist from New York City, echoes her love of art with a passion for flowers. “I’m very interested in what’s native and what’s invasive,” said Bisbing, whose collections of water-
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color roadside wildflowers are on display. “At one point I was making one [collage] per day.” The exhibit features a diverse selection of photos and art pieces portraying all forms of vegetation. Viewers are able to learn about underwater plants such as green needlegrass and mat sandbur, all while taking in the lifelike imagery. Michelle Daly, a coordinator of “Winter Green”, believes now is the perfect time for the exhibit. “I think it’s sort of that dead of winter when things are a little bit colorless,” Daly said. “The idea is to fill the gallery with these colorful images that are evocative of nature and hopeful for spring.” Evoking interest amongst viewers is Art Professor Melanie Mowinski’s tree meditation station, which is intended to capture a sense of relaxation. “I wanted to create that you are
with the tree. Both the conceptual tree and the literal tree,” Mowinski said. “For a student, I think meditation is good because it’s a discipline.” Like other artists that contributed to “Winter Green,” Mowinski showed appreciation for the photos and illustrations the exhibit had to offer. “I think [Vanessa Nesvig’s paintings] are similar to what I do,” she said. “I get lost in the detail.” Nesvig, an artist from Freeport, Maine, studied marine samples through a microscope to create abstract paintings of underwater plant life. Also on display are freeze-frame shots of Cornus Canadensis, the world’s fastest growing plant discovered by Williams College Biology Professor, Joan Edwards. Accompanied by the photos is a slow-motion video of the pod’s explosion, a feature that viewers such as Joan Ross Cummiskey find compelling. “The video of the exploding pod is fantastic,” said Cummiskey, a resident of Gloucester. “Today we’re here, tomorrow we’re headed to MoCA.” In the Berkshires, there is an endless amount of art (and nature) to seek.
Photo by Jay Tocoo/The Beacon
The tree meditation station by Melanie Mowinski.
Nomadic Massive gives energetic set Shirin Hijab
to the front of the stage, he began philosophizing about how history keeps repeating itself. RawNomadic Massive delivered gged not only tries to effect social a great, positive, and interac- change through music but also tive concert experience at Mass works in the pain-relieving busiMOCA on Saturday night. Their ness of podiatry. Their eponymous album is probinvolvement with the audience, and their movement around the ably their strongest, but the vocal stage gave a special verve to their delivery of their lyrics is strong music. Most notable and beautiful throughout their work and their was when they switched through movement on stage merits a comseveral different languages in- pilation in itself. The singers led the audience cluding English, French, Creole, through a couple interactions: and Spanish. The four vocalists of the band one where everyone screamed to let their aggression at the problems and anxieties facing creative people, and one where they led the audience together in whispering and building up the whispers collecPhoto by Shirin Hijab/The Beacon tively. Finally, Rawgged MC sspeaking on stage. the singers encouraged the appeared dressed pristinely and creatively. They are Vox Sambou, audience to “defend themselves” Nantali Indongo, Lou Piensa, and by stepping forward and making a Waahli. Waalhi performed with a shield with their arms. At the end black rasta cap while Vox Sambou of this exercise, Rawgged said he wore a bright red shirt. Many at- felt safe now. A quick online search will show, tended and dancing was encouraged. There was a strong atmo- however, that the band is not sphere for both the band and the as well-known as they perhaps should be. Perhaps they are betaudience. Bassist Rawgged MC went to the ter known in Canada; either way, front of the stage when the music it was fabulous that they could quieted and spoke about how the come here and show the musical concert was a safe space where and lyrical talent. For photos of the concert and everyone can be creative and that these places don’t exist in some the live, see The Beacon online countries. The first time he came and the Beacon Twitter. A&E Editor
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’Blazers even conference record By Tyler Bacon Sports Writer
Brady Rules By Jesse Collings Sports Editor
After a ten year odyssey, Tom Brady has finally found his way back into the promised land, capturing his fourth Super Bowl championship, a decade after winning his third. While there was plenty of success in-between the championships, NFL records, 2 MVP awards and numerous deep playoff runs, it never felt completely right unless Brady could cap off his run with another championship. A big piece of the argument in the never-ending Tom Brady/ Peyton Manning debate was that Manning might have held the statistics and the awards, but Brady had the rings. For the last decade, Brady has been like Manning, a lot of hardware and statistics, but no championships. Not anymore, Brady has officially backed up his statistical superiority with a calculated execution of the league’s best defense. Brady was not perfect on Sunday. He threw two bad interceptions that would have been uncharacteristic of Brady several years ago. His victory was aided by a great effort by his defense who held Seattle to two important three-and-outs when the Patriots were trailing late in the second half, and by a gutty effort by his receivers who took some big hits from the “Legion of Boom” and still kept on chugging. A legendary play by cornerback Malcom Butler sealed the victory for Brady while the quarterback was on the sideline. But Brady was perfect when it mattered. Down by 10 in the fourth quarter, Brady was tasked with driving down the field, with no running game, against perhaps the greatest secondary of all-time. And he did it. Not one but two, cold-blooded, perfect drives on the highest degree of difficulty imaginable. Fans have made fun of Tom Brady for a lot of different things. They have laughed at his fairytale marriage, his various hairstyles, and his liberal interpretation of male footwear. But nobody was laughing as he was being sized up for his fourth ring. There will always be select fans that claim Joe Montana, or John Elway, were the greatest quarterbacks of all time, and old-timers will swear by Johnny Unitas and Otto Graham, and there is an argument for all of them. But a fourth Super Bowl ring for Brady undisputedly establishes him as one of the greats, and gives him perhaps the best argument for being the greatest.
MCLA senior Ruben Delrosario drained a jumper with 33 seconds left which ended up being the game winner as the Trailblazers squeaked past Worcester State 5554 in a conference game played at Nichols College, in Dudley, Massachusetts. The Blazers took the lead 53-51 with 2:33 left after an Adam Conquest jumper. However, the Lancers would fight back and eventually take the lead when Charles Gunter made the second of two free throws with 55 seconds left making it 55-54 Worcester State lead. Following a timeout, Delrosario hit a mid-range jump shot with 33 seconds left to regain the lead for the final time. The Lancers had a chance to win the game on the next possession. They ran down the clock to under ten seconds and Brendan Rios’ jumper with five seconds left was off the mark. MCLA sophomore Careem Kirksey controlled the rebound and was fouled. He would miss the front end of a one and one giving Worcester one last chance with little time remaining. The ’Blazers tough defense forced Rios into a turnover and then they ran out the clock to preserve the victory. MCLA shot a staggering 62% in the second half to earn the hard-fought victory, and their stifling defense held Worcester to just 28% shooting for the game. Worcester was kept in the game by their powerful offensive rebounding, pulling down 17 of them, compared to MCLA’s 7. The ’Blazers were led by Isshiah Coleman’s 12 point and 6 block effort. Senior center Kenny Suggs led the way in the second half for MCLA, going 5-5 and scoring all 10 of his points in the second half. On Saturday, with MCLA trailing with six minutes left in the game, Bridgewater State’s Barrett Murphy drilled a three-pointer to put the Bears up 55-54. Senior Delrosario would answer on the next possession with a driving layup to not only give the Trailblazers the lead but also reach the 1,000-point milestone. Murphy then sank two free
Photo From MCLA Athletics
MCLA senior point guard Ruben DelRosario scored his 1,000th career point last Saturday against Bridgewater State. DelRosario is currently averaging 8 points per game, and leading MASCAC with 3.9 assists per game. throws two possessions later and Delrosario made 1 of 2 at the line to tie the game at 57 with 4:59 left to play in the game. Bridgewater State senior Justin Clark then drove the baseline for a layup and a foul. He made the ensuing free throw gave the Bears the 60-57 lead that they would not lose. Khalil Paul would answer with a layup of his own to cut into the lead but Bridgewater’s Michael Lofton hit two free throws as the clock ticked under four minutes left. Paul Maurice would make 1 of 2 free throws to cut the lead to 62-60. Bears Kyle Gibson would increase the lead to four with
a foul line jumper. Delrosario would take advantage of a Bears turnover with an off-balance shot off the glass to pull the Blazers within two with 1:24 left on the scoreboard. MCLA would get whistled for a pair of technical fouls late in the game as things got a little chippy. Gibson would make 3 of 6 free throws at the end of the game to secure the win for the Bears by a final score of 70-62. Delrosario says that the milestone means a lot but he wants to win the conference. “It means a lot to me because I’ve worked so hard these past 4
years,” Delrosario said.” But I set goals for myself to accomplish and ultimately the goal is to take conference.” Senior Anthony Barbosa thinks the team is doing a lot of things well but sees room to improve. “We are starting to show great effort and energy,” Barbosa said.” But we have to capitalize more down the stretch and make big plays.” MCLA (7-13 overall, 4-4 MASCAC) will look to even the season series with Fitchburg State on Saturday as they host the Falcons for a 3pm tip off.
somberly cleaned out their lockers at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center — instead of preparing for their second Super Bowl championship parade through downtown Seattle in as many Februarys. “I had no doubt in the play call,” Wilson said. “Still don’t.” It’s not that the Seahawks’ quarterback loves horror flicks. To those in the Northwest, that is what film of the Patriots’ Malcolm Butler sprinting immediately to the pass before Lockette had a chance to reach the ball at the goal line will forever be. Butler intercepted the pass. The first and only interception in 335 plays
from the 1-yard line in the NFL’s 2014 regular season and this postseason ended the Seahawks’ drive to win consecutive Super Bowls. They ended up one yard short of becoming the eighth franchise to repeat, and first in a decade. Asked if he saw Butler’s gigantic break as Wilson starting his throwing motion toward him and Lockette, Wilson said: “No. … He made a phenomenal play. One of those bang-bang plays.” Instead, Wilson is watching and re-watching to gain full understanding of what caused Seattle to blow its 24-14 lead in the fourth quarter. He’s searching also for what the offense did right — and
to where he and it should go next. Wilson did take one break from sleep and re-living the deadly Super Bowl ending over and over: He went to a barber Monday to cut off almost all the unruly, darkand-curly hair he hadn’t trimmed since the beginning of the regular season. Renewal of the head. That is what Carroll told his players to get during a noon meeting Tuesday. He wants most to get away from the game for a month or so. For Wilson, true renewal won’t come until more than half a calendar year from now. The NFL’s 2015 regular season doesn’t begin until Sept. 10-14.
Wilson doesn’t question final call MCT Campus Russell Wilson watched the film of Super Bowl 49 about a dozen times in the first 18 hours after Sunday’s game. And he still believes in the decision coach Pete Carroll and play caller Darrell Bevell made: Throw the fateful pass intended for Ricardo Lockett from the 1-yard line on second down with 25 seconds to go and their Seattle Seahawks trailing New England, 28-24. “When I threw it, it was ‘Touchdown. Second Super Bowl ring. Here we go!’ ” Wilson said Tuesday as he and hushed teammates
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Thursday, December 4, 2014
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Trailblazers’ skid continues Scores Road losses to Bridgewater and Worcester drop Women’s Basketball to 1-7 in MASCAC and 7-13 overall
Men’s Basketball Thursday, January 29 MCLA vs Salem State 56-55 W Saturday, January 31 MCLA @ Bridgewater St. 70-62 L Tuesday, February 3 MCLA @ Worcester St. 55-54 W Women’s Basketball Thursday, January 29 MCLA vs Salem State 64-61 W Saturday, January 31 MCLA @ Bridgewater St. 57-36 L Tuesday, February 4 MCLA @ Worcester State 50-41
Photo From MCLA Athletics
Sophomore guard Courtney McLaughlin is currently second on the team in scoring, second in rebounding, and first in steals per game.
By Jake Mendel Sports Writer
The Trailblazer’s second half push wasn’t enough as they fell to Worcester State 50-41. The Blazers (7-13, 1-7 conference record) went on a 16-2 run to make it 44-41 with two minutes to play but were outscored by the hosting Lancers 6-0 in the last two minutes. Sophomore guard Courtney McLaughlin had 11 points while forward Kayla Hotaling earned a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and added two blocks. Hotaling is currently third in the conference in blocks per game, with 2.4 bpg. MCLA was able to fix their turnover issues that had plagued them in recent games, as they only committed 12 turnovers, compared to 27 in their previous game. MCLA was cold shooting the ball however, only shooting 27% from the field while Worces-
ter shot 37% as a team. Worcester was led by Shannen El-Qasem’s 12 points and 10 rebounds and guard Julie Frankian added another 10 with 3-7 shooting from the field. Guard Nani Perez only scored 2 points for the Lancers, but was arguably the most impactful player on the court Tuesday. Perez finished the game with 10 assists and an impressive six steals. MCLA couldn’t overcome turnover issues as they lost to Bridgewater State 57-36 on Saturday afternoon. The visiting Trailblazers fall to 7-12 (1-6 conference record) on the year and have lost seven of their last eight games. The Bears improved to 12-7 (6-1 in conference). The deciding factor of the game were turnovers, MCLA turned the ball over nine times in the first eight minutes. They were able to keep it close by leaning on their defense, a three pointer by Court-
ney McLaughlin with seven minutes left in the half made it a one point game. After a timeout, the Bears went on a 16-2 run to end the half, leading 34-19 as the Blazers were unable to get over their turnover issues. MCLA, who were led by Brayleigh Hanlon’s nine points, couldn’t make up ground in the second half as they were outscored 23-17. Chanelle Melton lead the Bears 21 points, as Bridgewater was able to score 32 points off of MCLA’s 27 turnovers (their third highest turnover amount of the season). The Trailblazers were able to snap a conference losing streak that spanned nearly three years last Thursday, as they toppled Salem State 64-61. It was the first MASCAC victory for the Trailblazers since they defeated Salem State in the semi-finals of the 2012 MASCAC Conference Championship. The Trailblazers got big per-
fomances by Hotaling and McLaguhlin to earn the victory. Hotaling scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had 6 blocks and 2 steals in the victory. McLaughlin scored 22 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and swiped 3 steals to lead the Trailblazers. Courtney Durivage added a near double-double, finishing with 8 points and 10 rebounds. MCLA overcame a strong game from the Viking’s Rachel Carter. Carter, who leads MASCAC in scoring, scored 25 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enought for the visiting Vikings, who are currently 2-16 overall and 0-6 in MASCAC. The ’Blazers look to bounce back as they face 11-7 Fitchburg State in Saturday’s home game at 1 p.m. They look to even up the series after they lost in Fitchburg 66-47 last month. They will then host Framingham State on Tuesday, as they look to claw their way back into the conference race.
QB Win-Loss ratio, does it even matter? By Jake Mendel Sports Writer
When I was watching the pregame coverage of the NFC and AFC championship games, they used two stats that really didn’t make any sense. One was that Andrew Luck was 0-3 against the Patriots and that Russell Wilson is 9-0 against Peyton and Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees (All super bowl MVPs). The reason why these stats don’t mean much is because there are 11 players on the field. Why would a quarterback’s record against another quarterback mean any-
thing? They never see each other on the field. The narrative of “Luck can’t beat the Patriots” started going around when he was 0-3 against New England. What they forgot to mention was that the Patriots offense was averaging 48 points in those three games. What can Luck do about that? The same thing can be said about “Russell Wilson is a big game quarterback”. Wilson being 9-0 not only does nothing, but actually discredits how great Seattle’s defense has been over the last three years. Lead by Richard Sherman and two of the best safeties in the NFL,
the Seattle defense has been able to make things as easy as possible for the offense. TeamRankings. com shows that the Seattle defense has lead the league in points allowed up per game over the last three years, averaging 15.6 over that span. The Seattle defense has been so dominant that 29 out of the 32 teams in the NFL would have a positive point ratio if they had the defense that Wilson has since he entered the league. As we saw in the championship game, Wilson can have a terrible game and still have a chance to win. Wilson wasn’t in the top ten of yards, touchdowns, or comple-
tion percentage during the 2014 season. So does this mean he is actually a bad quarterback? No, it just means that the quarterback win/loss ratio doesn’t do any player justice. This is true when talking about quarterbacks and any record. For instance, Tom Brady has a 6-2 record in AFC Championship games, an NFL record, yet he has thrown just as many interceptions as touchdowns (11-11) in these games. Quarterback win and loss tells us little about how good a quarterback or a team is, especially with no context.
Standings Men’s Basketball Team Bridgewater St. Westfield St. Fitchburg St. MCLA Salem St. Worcester St. Framingham St.
W-L 7-1 7-1 4-3 4-4 2-4 2-5 0-8
Women’s Basketball Team Westfield St. Bridgewater St. Worcester St. Framingham St. Fitchburg St. MCLA Salem St.
W-L 8-0 6-2 4-3 4-4 3-4 1-7 0-6
Schedules Saturday, February 7 Women’s Basketball MCLA vs Fitchburg State 1 p.m. Men’s Basketball MCLA vs Fitchburg State 3 p.m.
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Opinion
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Beacon.MCLA.edu
What did you think about Super Bowl XLIX? “It was probably one of the best Super Bowl games I’ve ever seen. I think Seattle’s classless for trying to fight New England. Katy Perry is bae though.” – Issac Portugal, 2015
“A great comeback effort by Seattle, a poor coaching choice at the end which led to a Patriots win. On another note, go Cowboys!” – Kraig Page, 2015
“I only caught the last two minutes. I thought the fight was funny.” – Tabitha Torres, 2017
“It was very nerve-wracking. It was a close game and the ending was wild. I’ve never seen an actual fight like that before.” –Julie Cascarano, 2017
The Beacon 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.
“It was a good game, but I didn’t really care that much because I’m a Steeler’s fan.” -Kircys Canela, 2018
“It was rigged. Ball is life.” -Travis Rice, 2017
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.
Photos compiled by Isabel McKenzie Health & Fitness
Bigger than biceps
Reshaping the mind and body
By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney Managing Editor
Welcome back to the snowy Berkshires, just in time to touch on New Year’s resolutions, which I’m sure most of you have already disregarded at this point. What would this column be without cliché resolution banter? Let me state my resolutions first
and then explain why they are what they are. 1.Be more aware of my surroundings (I’m very clumsy) 2.Take more photos every (Don’t let the Nikon collect dust) 3.Keep a mini journal at all times and document random thoughts 4.Be more selfless So, why is lose 10 pounds and exercise more not on my list? Because that is what I call a lifestyle, not a diet or a resolution. I find that people like the excuse of a resolution just because they know they’ll fail. It’s the new thing come January. Let’s re-label resolutions to New Year goals. Goals are something to be accomplished and by doing so, keep track of your daily behav-
Art & Politics
Notes on Unknown Places
Islamophobia and the barbarity of imperialism
By Shirin Hijab
Arts & Entertainment Editor In the afternoon of MCLA’s first snow day, I spent my time watching a short film directed Mustafa Abu Ali called “They Do Not Exist.” I’d read about this film online in sources of information I could find and then found it on YouTube. Throughout January and probably through December I’ve
been hearing all about “American Sniper” but haven’t contributed my cynicism to the debate and haven’t even given much effort to seeing the movie. A lot of typical things have been going through my head: representations of Arabs in the media, distribution of films by Arab filmmakers in the US, etc. Getting nowhere, I found solid reason in watching “They Do Not Exist”; perhaps it sheltered me against films like “American Sniper” which I hadn’t even seen but was only going off what Tumblr and the liberal media were telling me. “They Do Not Exist” is a documentary film about Israeli bombings of Lebanese refugee camps. Then my thinking turned to
iors. The most important thing about succeeding is being aware of yourself. If you don’t think you’re succeeding, you’re not going to know unless you’re aware of yourself; if that wasn’t confusing… Develop a way to keep track of these goals. One way of doing so, is to keep a journal, or maybe take a photo of yourself every couple of weeks to notice a body transformation, or even monthly therapy sessions. Incorporating another person’s perspective can be helpful with things that you don’t realize about your person. We are human, we are bias, and we are defensive in all ways. Another point I’d like to make is that if your goals are more personal to you, then it may be easier to accomplish. Once the goals make Facebook, everyone is involved and everyone is waiting for you to fail. Keep things to yourself! The more personal the goal, the more the old argument of imperialism through film/ideas and I wondered how much this could apply to “American Sniper.” When I was at the movies Saturday, my phone vibrated and thought: somebody texted me; somebody loves me. After, I saw that BBC was telling me that ISIS had allegedly murdered another journalist, this time a Japanese one, Kenji Goto. I didn’t think of how evil and barbaric the members of ISIS were like a lot of people might have and have been coloring the rhetoric with these words. I thought of (a) what Goto was thinking in the alleged execution and what motivated him to become a journalist and (b) how the US was going to respond and keep responding to ISIS. Straight-up: the war against ISIS is immoral because of the number of refugees it creates and how it reinforces this virulent and irrational Islamophobia the west has
aware of yourself you are without external distractions. In regards to health or fitness goals, maybe you already have a healthy lifestyle and wish to enhance it. This type of goal could be running a 5k race or increasing your vegetable intake; which are both achievable by the day and week. For running, increase your mileage every week or so depending on your skill level, and for vegetables, plain and simple go to Big Y and only visit the produce section, I dare you! Whether any of these goals pertain to you or not, they’ll definitely make you feel better as a person and make you more aware of your body. Don’t involve other people, that make this more complicated. Be yourself, conquer your own obstacles and develop a process that works for you.
against all Muslims; the members of ISIS are not barbaric—they are wrong in their ways used to effect change but they are not barbaric. Think back on the examples of “American Sniper”, a fictional film and “They Do Not Exist”, a documentary; these demonstrate the barbarity and the cruel violence of the US and the State of Israel. I imagine the violence in “American Sniper” will not be able to communicate the stark terror that the victims of the US have felt. I won’t make any judgments on the US cinema at large but I’ll say that I prefer a film made of truth instead of some film that serves; it seems, to incite a new wave of Islamophobia. Unfortunately, whether Eastwood wanted it or not, it seems that this imperialism of the Arab culture, this hatred of unknown peoples, has been reinforced by our American hero and the widespread intolerance of Islam.
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 Brittany Gallacher Sports Editor Jesse Collings
Managing Editor Makayla-Courtney
A&E Editor Shirin Hijab
McGeeney Web Editor Osakpolo Igiede
Copy Chief Caitlin O’Neill Photography Editor Agnella Gross Design Editor Meg Gugarty
Senior News Editor Nick Swanson Features Editor Juanita Doss
Staff Staff Writers
Photographers
Gionna Nourse Rominda DeBarros* Harmony Birch* Idalis Foster
Isabel McKenzie Liz Quirk Jay Tocco
Design Team Tyler Bacon Kaliegh Hayes Osakpolo Igiede* Jake Mendel Shauna Gilardi Mitchell Chapman Videographers Matt Aceto Kaleigh Anderson Copy Editors Darien Quick Rominda DeBarros Harmony Birch
Advertising
Sam Stuhler Shauna Gilardi*
Cartoonist
Nikki Kratonis Advisers
Jenifer Augur Gillian Jones Jim Niedbalski
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Events & Announcements
Thursday, February 5, 2014
Check it Out!
Upcoming events on campus
Today, Feb. 5 Student Leadership Conference Meeting, CC 324A 9-10 a.m. Ambassador Recruitment Table, Marketplace 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Student Leadership Workshop w/Robert T. Jones, Sullivan Lounge 1-2:30 p.m. Green Living Seminar Murdock 218 4:15-7 p.m. Speaker: Robert T. Jones, CEO/ Founder Lee Associates Sullivan Lounge 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 6 Ambassador Recruitment Table, Marketplace 10:30 a.m.-2:30p.m. MCLA Presents! 10th Annual Blues and Funk Festival Church Street Center and Venable Gym 7-9:30 p.m. Soul Food Dinner featuring Guest Chef Velma McAdoo CC Centennial Room 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 7 National Girls and Women in Sports Day, Amsler Campus Center 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. MCLA Presents! 10th Annual Blues and Funk Festival Venable Gym 7-9:30 p.m. SLAM Poetry Night & Women’s Center Speaker: Kyla Lacey Sullivan Lounge 5-7 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 7 Dance Company Meetings, Dance Complex 4-6 p.m.
Beacon.MCLA.edu
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Shout Out Loud to host MASSPIRG advocates for affordable textbooks benefit fundraiser PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Shout Out Loud Productions, Inc. will host a fundraiser, Cocktails with a Purpose, at 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 at the Crowne Plaza in Pittsfield. The event will feature a cocktail hour, dinner, a live and silent auction, and dance party. The organization’s president, Jeanet Ingalls, also a survivor and ardent advocate, will facilitate a panel discussion on the different facets of human/sex trafficking in Massachusetts. The discussion will also include Cailin James, a human trafficking educator from Boston, and State Representative Smitty Pignatelli. Funds raised will support and educate Massachusetts’ law enforcement officials, health service providers and the community at large to recognize victims, expand and strengthen protocol, and help provide support for human trafficking victims. “This protocol will hopefully help
individuals understand what to do by acting quickly and connecting the victims with much needed resources. We need to find solutions for victims instead of incarceration, which leaves them with a felony on their record,” Ingalls said. General admission tickets are $80; student tickets, $40 with I.D.; and dance tickets are $25 (valid from 10:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.). Tickets can be purchased online at shoutoutloudproductions.com and must be purchased before Tuesday, Feb. 24. For more information contact Ingalls at jeanet@ shoutoutloudproductions.com. Shout Out Loud Productions, Inc., established in 2012, is focused on raising the global awareness of sex trafficking, and socially sanctioned abuse and poverty in the lives of women and children.
Alumna Gillian Jones to publish first book in March NORTH ADAMS — Berkshire Eagle staff photographer Gillian Jones ’91, an instructor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), announces her first book, “B is for Berkshires,” will be available in March from Islandport Press of Yarmouth, Maine. A children’s alphabet book, “B is for Berkshires” was written by Joan Duris, and features Jones’ photographs of various scenes from throughout the region. The book combines short verses with informative text to introduce children to the Berkshires. According to Jones, the idea to do an alphabet book had been in the back of her mind for some time. So, when contacted last year by publishers at Islandport Press about providing the photographs for “B is for Berkshires,” she immediately was on board with the project. “When I got the call about this book, I was like, ‘Yes!’” Jones exclaimed. “It’s a dream to have this published.” Melissa Kim, senior editor of
ATTENTION!!
All clubs/organizations budget requests are due tomorrow, Friday, February 6, 2015 by 4pm. Please submit all budget materials to Nick Hernigle and Diane Collins via Office 365. If you have any questions, please stop by the SGA office and speak to Diane Collins ASAP.
children’s books at Islandport Press, said she was thrilled to come across Jones’ work, which she discovered while looking for a photographer for the project. “Gillian has such a great feel and obvious affection for the region,” Kim said. “Her landscapes are lovely, but even more; her photos of people really convey the joy of the Berkshires, whether they are at work or at play. “Our designer even changed the format of the book to show off Gillian’s photos more,” Kim added. “She’s been such a delight to work with, and we can’t wait to share the book with everyone.” Following “A is for Acadia (Maine)” and “C is for Cape Cod,” “B is for Berkshires” is the third in a series of New England-themed alphabet books for children by Islandport Press. From “G is for Greylock” and “F is for Foliage,” to “H is for Hoosac Tunnels” and “M is for Museum,” the book includes a number of familiar Berkshire sites and scenes.
NEW ADDITION! The Beacon wants to publish your work! Submit poetry, photos and short stories to the Beacon email! beacon@mcla.edu
Dear Editor, In the digital era where affordable education for all is emphasized, students are still stuck paying unreasonable amounts for textbooks. I am contacting you on behalf of The MASSPIRG MCLA Chapter and our team in regards to our Affordable Textbooks Campaign. Currently, printed textbooks cost have risen at almost four times the rate of inflation, and along with rising tuition costs students are sometimes stuck between choosing to buy their most expensive textbook or pay for living expenses. As part of our campaign, we are trying to draw attention to something called “open textbooks,” or open source textbooks that students, teachers, and the general public can access for free. Currently over 2,000 faculty in hundreds of classrooms across the country have adopted the open textbook model. Though alternative purchasing options such as book rentals, ebooks, and used book stores help lighten the load, in the long run all students are affected by the
monopoly publishing companies currently have over the textbook industry. With student photo petitions, faculty support, and awareness events, we plan to try to persuade MCLA to transition to this revolutionary yet simple idea. While our long term goal is to have every student have access to free or minimal cost textbooks, we are willing to take small steps with our goal. We are aware that there are some obstacles in the way of our goal, such as time and money to write open textbooks, introducing faculty to open textbooks, and training faculty to be able to comfortably use them. We hope to drive adoption of open textbook program to help faculty make the transition and help students save money at MCLA, or convince the administration to find a more affordable alternative to the current situation. Thank you for your time, Avery Woodbury MCLA Class of 2017 1-978-604-1426
Be sure to attend Q & A’s with the presidential candidate finalists! For more information, visit: www.mcla.edu/about_MCLA/President/Presidential-Search-Committee
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Thursday, february 5, 2015
Photo Essay
Beacon.MCLA.edu
Snowmageddon MCLA battles the recent snow fall this past week. Photos by Osakpolo Igiede
Above, freshman Allison Meehan walking through the MCLA gates on Tuesday during the remnants of snowstorm Juno.
Above, freshman Emily Carpenter bundles up to go out into the evening cold.
Above, senior Michaela Caprenter and junior Rosa Oliveras embrace the snow on their way to class. Below, a plower moves along Church Street on Monday’s snowday.
Above, a plower removes snow along the Church Street walkway in front of Murdock Hall during Monday’s snowday.