Spring 17 Issue 9

INSIDE Sounds and Tones records

Volume 84, Issue 9

ESTaBLISHED 1979

April 6, 2017

MCLA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER

Page 5

Diversity, equity and inclusion task force on the job

By Reagan Smith Staff Writer The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force has been using the Supportive and Inclusive Community (SIC) survey results to motivate change on campus.

Dr. William Lewis, a consultant and leader in diversity and inclusion efforts who has

authored several articles on the issue for The National Association of Diversity Officers (NADOHE), was brought to MCLA last week to help President James Birge and other administration to hire a chief diversity officer.

The DEI Task Force put three groups in action as an effort to implement initiatives and achieve goals faster. The groups

focus on Programming and Training, Recruitment Practices and Supports for Students and Policy Review.

“The DEI will do its work through these groups, made of Task Force members who volunteered, under the charge of three different conveners,” Cathy Holbrook, vice president of Student Affairs, said in an email.

The SIC survey results were reviewed at a DEI Task Force meeting last Wednesday in the Fitzpatrick Room, but were not available for The Beacon to acess. Lewis also reviewed the SIC survey results and will make recommendations to administration on how to best develop a Diversity and Inclusion plan for the College, according to Birge’s announcement email.

BARN BABIES return

The goals of each group were also discussed, as stated in a letter to the campus community from Cynthia Brown, vice president of Academic Affairs.

The letter outlined the purpose of the DEI Task Force and provided an overview of MCLA’s Diversity Statement.

NADOHE in Higher Education has over 600 members and

DIVERSITY, Page 4

Meet the SGA Class Rep. and Senate candidates

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO BY TRAMEL GRIFFITH — BEACON PHOTOGRAPHER

A kitten waits for a visitor during last week's Barn Babies. Chickens, a potbelly pig, puppies and even a pair of lambs were also present. For more Barn Babies photos, be sure to check out the photo essay on page 12.

By Hannah Snell Staff Writer Baby barn animals replaced basketball players as the MVPs of the night in Venable Gym on Saturday. A line of students that nearly reached the third floor of the Venable Hall staircase waited to get into this year’s annual Barn Babies, an event in which students are given

the opportunity to interact with young farm animals free of charge.

This year, the event fell on the same Saturday of Residential Programs and Services’s (RPS) Little Siblings Weekend, in which students were invited to bring their younger siblings to visit the campus for the weekend.

Barn Babies brought in 225 students and 20 younger siblings, which is more attendees than last year. The higher

number of attendees was due to SAC’s willingness to accommodate the overflow of people that Barn Babies has seen in previous years. Students were able to visit and interact with their choice of two lambs, three Maltese-Jack Russell Terrier mix puppies, one pot-belly pig named Juliette, two Japanese Silkie chickens, 18 rabbits and six kittens, who proved to be the stars of the night.

BABIES, Page 4

TONIGHT

The first live SGA Presidential Debate

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief

Tonight at 8 p.m., The Beacon will host the very first live broadcasted SGA Presidential debates, to be streamed on the Beacon YouTube page. Students will be also be able to listen to the audio of the debate live through WJJW. “It’s an honor [to be included in the debates]” candidate and current SGA Sena-

tor La’Juan Allen said. “It’s a great opportunity for students to hear the ideas of the candidates. The elections should be more competitive.”

Though this is not the first SGA Presidential primary debate in SGA’s 107 year history, it is the first live broadcasted one, and according to Professor Peter Gentile, who oversees the TV Studio in Mark Hopkins, it is the first program to be recorded live in the studio in its 41 year history. It is also the first Beacon-hosted debate (debates are usually hosted by SGA itself).

“Hopefully a lot of people tune in,” said candidate Kailtin Wright, who is the current president of Debate Club and the chair of the College Republicans. “A lot of people like to comment on politics without doing their research. This is the first time we’ve ever done something like this.”

Most of the candidates believed that the debate will make the candidates more accessible. For current SGA Coordinating Vice President (CVP) and presidential candidate Sam Giffen, it’ll be a learning ex-

LIVE, Page 3

During the upcoming SGA general election, everything from Senate to President to Student Trustee is up for grabs. Nomination papers were due Tuesday, April 4.

The following briefs are from responses from candidates that got back to The Beacon before print deadline. The Beacon will run any remaining briefs next issue.

Note: The complete candidate list was not able to be confirmed in time for print deadline. The Beacon print a complete candidate list in next issue.

Senate-at-Large Andrew Baillargeon Do you have any prior leadership experience?

First and foremost, I’ve been the leader of the MSC gaming clan, one which has members from all around the world and has built up prestigious accolades in many areas, predominantly the New England region, for nearly 3 years.

I’ve spent this semester and a small portion of last semester as the Treasurer for MCLA’s Debate Club, and I’ve spent this school Baillargeon year and a portion of last school year as the Public Relations chair for WJJW, our campus’ radio station. Currently, I’m the full-time President of MCLA’s Film Club. I’ve been a color commentator for the Pittsfield Suns collegiate baseball team for four complete seasons, the most recent of which, I spent a lot of time mentoring a new intern who had joined our team. As for past experience, I spent most of last year as the Secretary for MCLA’s Television and Film Society. Finally, during my senior year in high school, while I was not a team captain for our football team, I served as a leader to our team’s incoming freshmen, and had a significant impact in their adjustment to the higher level of play they were new to.

What do you want to accomplish in office?

I am inspired and ultimately driven by a common motive of our prospective SGA presidents, the motive being to re-establish diversity and acceptance on campus. I am appalled by some of the statistics I’ve seen recently pertaining to how minority students feel in

CANDIDATES, Page 3

2 SGA: Second emergency fund motion fails CAMPUS NEWS

April 6, 2017

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor Senator AJ Cote and Presidential candidate La’Juan Allen attempted to push a motion through the student gove r n m e nt that would have required SGA to pay for club expenditures for emergencies, such as ambulances, campus police and firefighters, from the group’s operating budget.

SGA voted last week on a motion, introduced by Allen on March 21, to fund club expen-

ditures on campus police. The original motion failed, and Allen announced his intentions to introduce “a new motion next week.”

That new motion also failed to pass through the student government, dead-locked at five “yes” votes and five “no” votes. There was confusion regarding the motion’s wording, and the implications if the bill were to pass. Those who voted for it have also tended to support Allen and Cote’s other legislation, while those in opposition have taken a tentative approach to Cote’s orotund style of introducing motions to the Senate floor.

Debate of the bill was capped at five minutes after Allen proposed a friendly amendment to the bill. Senator Jake Vitali had

introduced an initial amendment to keep discussion down to twenty minutes, but Cote did not accept that. Vitali initially introduced his debate cap because the new motion was similar to Allen’s failed bill, which had been kicked around the floor of the Senate and debated over for two weeks before the vote.

Senator Avery Woodbury opened the minimal discussion by pointing out that if MCLA could spend $20,000 on a speaker coming to give a onehour lecture, then SGA should be able to fund emergency services for clubs.

“Well, I’m pretty sure that’s a separate fund,” Senator Declan Nolan pointed out, before bringing up the issue of the

money already added to SGA’s supplemental and operating budgets by Allen, Cote and Woodbury now a month prior.

The three Senators wished for SGA to pay for club emergency expenses through the operational budget so clubs would not have to spend time going to SGA for last-minute funds from the supplemental budget.

Others were confused as to why the three put money in the supplemental budget at all if they would then be giving clubs excuses to not use those funds.

Cote pointed out that the Rugby team pays around $1250 a semester for ambulances that it does not always utilize. He claimed that if Rugby didn’t have to spend that $1,250 on ambulances,

it would be able to buy new equipment. Kolumbia Cook, vice president of the Rugby Club and Presidential candidate Sam Giffen’s selection for SGA Coordinating Vice President, stood up and pointed out, however, that Cote’s points might be misleading.

“We already have our budget planned out for the next year,” she said, “I just wanted to be here to make sure people know that this won’t ‘make or break’ the club either way.”

Nolan, who was representing the Budget Finance Committee on Monday in Treasurer LaVoice’s absence, explained that clubs tended to not be denied requests for funds from the supplemental budget.

SENATOR ADAZAE SHEPHERD-EDWARDS

Replacing campus' vandalized furniture

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor Some College-owned furniture on campus might be defaced with offensive and hateful slurs – such as the third floor of the Freel Library.

Senator Adazae ShepherdEdwards first brought the issue up to SGA at the height of the discussion at MCLA regarding a diverse and inclusive campus. Two consecutive SGA meetings were dedicated solely to open-forum discussions regarding the topic. It was at one of those that Shepherd-Edwards first brought up the issue of desks in the Freel Library being marred by swastikas and slurs and bathroom walls lined with hate speech.

“I haven’t been to the library once this semester, on purpose,” Shepherd-Edwards said. “I’m not asking to refurnish the whole campus, but I am asking to at least address some of these issues.”

Although she attempted to petition MCLA to effect change on campus, Shepherd-

Edwards explained a short couple of days in the Amsler Campus Center marketplace netted her only 15 signatures of a required 60.

SGA President Tim Williams pledged his full support to the initiative, promising to bring the issue up directly to Cathy Holbrook, vice president of Student Affairs, in a meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

“I will work with the office to get this done until the day my term is up,” Williams said, “And if it isn’t done by then I will work with the next Presidential administration to make this happen.”

If MCLA is truly dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive campus atmosphere, Shepherd-Edwards said, the College would have to remove furnishings that contain hateful and offensive imagery or language as soon as possible.

“Nobody should have to feel that way in any school climate ever, period.” Shepherd-Edwards said.

There was a small discussion among some Senators at SGA about the best course of action to be taken by student

PHOTO BY NICK TARDIVE — SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

A desk on the Freel Library's 3rd Floor features a back-and-forth battle of graff iti one of several defaced on the library's quiet floor. representatives. Williams said he would go directly to the administration with Shepherd-Edwards’s concerns, but Senator Jake Vitali inquired as to what the Senate could do

if the administration did not move to action swiftly.

Presidential candidate LaJuan Allen, however, said that it would not be up to SGA to take action on such an is-

CAMPUS POLICE LOGS MARCH 26 - APRIL 1, 2017 Sun. March 26

10:37a.m. – Investigated Suspicious Activity on Ashland Street.

Mon. March 27

1:34a.m. – Responded to a fire alarm in Berkshire Towers.

Refer to incident: 17-118-OF in Public Safety log.

12:14p.m. – Filed report on a medical call from Eldridge Hall. Refer to incident: 17119-OF in Public Safety log.

9:42p.m. – Investigated Suspicious Activity in the Bond Street lot.

Safety log.

Wed. March 29

2:46p.m. – Made arrest for trespassing in the Freel Library Lot. Refer to incident: 17-123-OF, and arrest: 17-7AR in Public Safety log.

Checked fire alarms in all resident buildings.

Thur. March 30

3:23p.m. – Responded to a 911 Hang-up Call from the Admissions Office.

Fri. March 31

10:13a.m. – Completed Traffic Control in the Murdock Hall Lot.

Tue. March 28

10:06a.m. – Filed report on a motor vehicle accident in the Brewer Perkins Lot. Refer To Accident: 17-5-AC in Public

Sat. April 1

2:46p.m. – Filed report on a Motor Vehicle Stop and citation on Davenport Street. Refer to

summons: 17-9-AR in Public Safety log.

5:33p.m. – Completed work on a Facilities / Mainte-

nance Issue in the Amsler Campus Center. Refer to incident: 17-125-OF in Public Safety log.

sue. The College would have to resolve this by itself, he contended. Allen then went on to ask President Williams to help “push” the administrators in the right direction.

CORRECTION Last week, on the front page, the article about Senator La’Juan Allen was abruptly caught off by error. Additionally, the companion article about CVP Giffen had her running mates swapped. We regret this.

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CAMPUS NEWS

April 6, 2017

MEGHAN COOK

Replacement CVP candidate CANDIDATES From Page 1

Was originally asked to run as CVP

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief When junior LaJuan Allen announced his bid for the SGA presidency, it was originally with freshman Darrien Luckett for Executive Vice President (EVP) and junior Sychiah Johnson as his Coordinating Vice President (CVP).

Within a week of the announcement, Johnson had to Cook withdraw her bid due to personal reasons.

Thankfully, Allen already had someone in mind for her replacement: sophomore Meghan Cook.

“LaJuan approached me a few weeks before announcing his candidacy asking if I was interested in being his CVP,” Cook said. “I was very interested but at the time of his asking I had a very busy schedule, there was never a good time to meet and really discuss it more.

Therefore to continue on with his campaign as scheduled he selected Sychiah Johnson. I was disappointed to hear Sychiah had to withdraw her candidacy but excited when LaJuan thought to ask me again. I am very pleased to be on this ticket.”

Within a few days, Johnson’s candidate post on the campaign’s social media site was deleted to make way for Cook’s and the campaign logo was updated.

Coming into college, Cook served on her high school class council and even served as her class President. She was also captain of her soccer team.

“These experiences allowed me to be a voice and representative of my peers and I hope that being CVP of SGA will allow me to do the same,” she said.

Since arriving at MCLA, she has yet to serve on a club E-Board, as she wanted

LIVE

From Page 1 perience.

“Both Kailtin and La’Juan are Political Science Majors,” Giffen said.

“I’m a psychology major. I’ve participated in an SGA Q & A with [current SGA President] Tim Williams and [Senator] A. J. Cote, but I have never participated in debate proceedings.”

Wright acknowledged that her experience in debate club might help her in the debate.

“Debate Club definitely gives me

to get to know her peers and the MCLA community before “jumping into office.” If elected, she hopes to make SGA more open to students and clubs.

“As CVP I hope to establish open lines of communication throughout campus and the community,” Cook said. “I want to be an asset to those who feel their voices are not being heard. I will work with clubs and students to hold administration and faculty accountable to all student needs while focusing on student to student conversations that will elicit actions and campus unity.”

And she is open to learning what the position entails.

“I should be CVP because I hope to bring a new perspective to SGA,” she said. “I am new to the scene but extremely excited to be a representative of the students of MCLA. I am open to listening to anyone who has ideas, feedback, criticisms, and by being a representative to who listens and wants to unite the campus and community in solidarity I believe I will be a great candidate to coordinate within SGA to make sure all voices are heard.”

As per the first Live SGA Debates, which will feature Allen and fellow SGA President candidates junior Kaitlin Wright and current CVP Samantha Giffen, Cook is optimistic.

“Having a live debate with give the MCLA community a great opportunity to see what each candidate has to say and how they will handle their presidency if they win it,” Cook said. “This will give everyone the chance to really see who their candidates are and how they compose themselves in the name of MCLA. I think this could really be what sways the people who are still unsure of who they are voting for.”

The first live SGA Debate will stream on The Beacon‘s YouTube channel and on WJJW tonight at 8 p.m., and will be moderated by Beacon Managing Editor Jon Hoel and Senior News Editor Nick Tardive.

an upper hand,” Wright said. Per the possibility of a future Debate Clubhosted race, on the Senate and Class Rep. levels: “This’ll definitely be a test pilot. We’ll have to see what the turn out is.”

Although debate performance will not necessarily determine who is the most qualified candidate for the position, which Giffen acknowledged.

“Just because you might be the most qualified for the debate does not mean you are the most qualified for the position,” she said. “Which I know I am the most qualified for that.”

Allen, whose campaign is on its second CVP candidate in sopho-

terms of safety on campus, and I would love to be a part of the driving force behind correcting that. I have seen plenty of discontent on campus towards our food providers in ARAMARK, which I would like to use my platform to try and change as a recent attendee of the food committee. Finally, as someone who acknowledges that there are things on campus worth fixing and tending to, I would like to be a part of the force on campus dedicated to making the campus an ideal living, loving and learning community.

Why should people vote for you?

I think people should vote for me because anybody who truly knows me knows that I am going to go out there and give it 110 percent in whatever I set my mind to. I’m dependable, I’m a good problem solver and I will communicate with as many students as I can on campus to try and ensure that as much of their current situations on campus are ideal as possible. To sum it up, I believe people should vote for me because I’m qualified, dedicated, experienced and I won’t back down or crumple in the face of a difficult situation.

Class of 2020 Representative Jake Vitali Do you have any prior leadership experience?

For this past year I have been the Class Representative for the Class of 2020. Throughout my first term I had the opportunity to serve on Curriculum Committee, Student Affairs Committee, Constitution Committee and Public Relations Committee.

However, my work has extended beyond just being an active commitVitali tee member Throughout my first term as 2020 Senator, I concentrated on making the campus community of MCLA one that was welcoming of all races, gender identities, sexualities, ages and political ideologies. I have done this through trying to build a greater trust with faculty, as well as through approving new clubs for students to express themselves through. In addition, I have lobbied for improvements to our school’s communication infrastructure (wifi and cell re-

more Meghan Cook, after junior Sychiah Johnson dropped out of the race, advocated for the importance of debates as it relates to SGA’s visibility.

“Debates are always good and lead to creative discussion,” Allen said.

“I will always advocate for more debates. People need to be engaged and interested in the SGA process.

If students have a better idea of how student government operated, they would be more comfortable with running.”

Addressing his CVP replacement, Allen stressed that there are times when things don’t go as planned, and quick action is necessary.

ception) to ensure students are getting full value out of their tuition. When the parking lots went untouched after several storms and spaces were seemingly disappearing, I stood up and demanded better.

I’ve also worked to improve the image of SGA. Too often I’ve heard that we are unorganized and ineffective. However, I recognize how much thought and dedication each of our members gives to our work, and I believe we need to do a better job showing the community what it is we do and how we constantly seek to make a difference.

What do you want to accomplish in office?

If re-elected, I would like to focus on the number one concern I have consistently heard from students, food. I believe that food committee has made significant strides in building a better relationship with ARAMARK, the school’s current food provider.

I’m glad that they have heard us on things like bringing late night offerings to Trailblazer Cafe for lunch. I’m also glad that they are beginning to reconsider the meal plan offerings.

I want to continue applying pressure to ARAMARK to do better, assuming their contract is renewed. One of my greatest concerns is that this willingness to work with us now is just because of the contract and it will soon disappear. I believe that the best people to hold them accountable is the people whom they serve every single day.

I also want to work on the most controversial issue on campus, policing. Our campus police officers are incredibly hardworking individuals and I have the utmost respect for them, but they have great areas for improvement. I want to see there be more transparency within the department on the types of tools they have access to and their enforcement tactics. I also believe that we should have the opportunity to get to know our officers through community building events and workshops. Sadly, only a few of our officers seem to be engaging with our community right now.

As many of my peers have suggested, I am tired of surveys. We have gone through an extensive process of collecting data about the biggest diversity and safety concerns of students, now we must act. I am sickened to know that so many of my peers do not feel safe on this campus and that they feel transferring may be their only option. We must do

CANDIDATES, Page 3

“She [Cook] was a person on my candidate list,” Allen said. “She was a person who expressed interest in the job and it’s great to have Meghan on. I had to adapt quickly and although it [the replacement] was a big blow to the campaign, it was a time to take charge. Things are always going to happen that don’t go as planned.”

The debates will be moderated by Beacon Managing Editor Jon Hoel and Beacon Senior News Editor Nick Tardive, who both expressed their excitement towards being part of something never done before on campus. Both are graduating seniors.

“If all the praise about REM was true, then they’d be Miracle Legion.”

3

“I’m really excited,” Hoel said.

“It’s nice to see SGA taking things so seriously and to have so many candidates is a good thing for future management of the student budget.”

“I’m thrilled to be able to have this opportunity,” Tardive said. “It’s great to see all these groups [The Beacon, Beacon Web News, SGA] come together to be part of this and do something out of the norm for student government and student government elections.”

The SGA primary election will be held April 11 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Amsler Campus Center Marketplace.

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4

CAMPUS NEWS

April 6, 2017

DIVERSITY From Page 1

continues to grow. This organization sends officers to American Universities to educate campus members about diversity and inclusion.

Brown wrote that Birge charged the Task Force to focus on a list of things, including engagement in the strategic planning process (integrating the data and information obtained from the survey into the College’s new strategic plan) to ensure that diversity and inclusion are key pillars of the plan.

Birge also encouraged the Task Force to create the working groups to address areas of focus, such as campus programming and bringing diverse speakers and trainers to MCLA, according to Brown’s letter.

“None have met yet, although one will do so later this week,” Holbrook said. “Broadly, they will be deciding what tasks they can do this semester to move forward on their respective charge.”

The Task Force is expected to bring together the campus community to facilitate campus conversations on diversity and inclusion, and to promote structured dialogue on important issues, Brown added.

BABIES From Page 1

The event is put on annually

by Students Activities Council (SAC), and this year it was organized by both SAC Traditions chair Shannon Esposito and Saturday Night Spotlight (SNS) chair Jordan DeGaetano.

“It’s my favorite SAC event, I think it just really helps to de-

ASL Club: Back from the brink

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief

When American Sign Language (ASL) Club President Kolumbia Cook joined earlier this year, the group had a treasurer and one general member. Now, club membership has grown to ten.

“Our attendance has increased due to the fact that we have been tabling, had posters up and have been doing more events,” Cook said.

“When students realize that we do not have anybody fluent in ASL to teach the club, they become uninterested. Also, some students feel they need experience to join and this is not the case.”

The club focuses on learning ASL together through activities such as games and instructional videos. This academic year, ASL Club has hosted two well-attended movie nights: last semester’s showing of “Hush,” a horror which follows a deaf protagonist during her brief retreat in the woods, and this semester’s “Through Deaf Eyes,” a documentary published by PBS. Cook sees movie nights as a way to reach out and educate the College community on deafness and ASL while encouraging people who

crease the stress on campus and give everybody a night to relax,” Esposito said. “We’re really excited for it to be happening again this year.”

The event was organized so a set amount of students could visit the animals at an in ten minute intervals.

Despite the efforts of the SAC E-board, there were financial challenges that stood in the way of organizing the event. SAC had over $14,000 cut from its budget

might not attend general meetings to get involved with the club.

“Movie night attendances have consisted of our active club members,” Cook said. “We would like to see an increase of students attending events like this in the future. Some students may feel it is only for active club members, but anyone is welcome to join us.”

Only general meetings are slated for the remainder of the spring semester, but Cook revealed they plan to use next year’s SGA budget to get lessons from a certified ASL instructor through Skype. ASL Club’s budget is expected to virtually double, going from $165 this year to $300 next year, most of it coming from equipment costs (the budget for which is expected to raise from $20 this year to $125 next year).

The group is also receiving an extra $25 each for publicity/promotion and miscellaneous costs, and will have access to an increased SGA supplemental budget of $10,000, reserved for new SGA club initiatives and emergencies.

ASL Club did not have a budget for the 20152016 school year.

“Anyone is welcome,” Cook said. “No experience necessary. If you have any sign language knowledge please come to a meeting or contact us via email.”

ASL Club meets Sundays at Bowman 207 at 6 p.m. ASL Club can be contacted through their

for Fiscal Year 2018 (FY 18). In order to to accommodate the increased cost of the program (approximately a $1,500 increase in price), Traditions chair Esposito offered $1,000 out of her budget to co-sponsor the event, usually put on solely by SNS. “This event is one of our more pricey events, so in order to have an event every single week for students, more pricey events might have to be cut,” Esposito said. “We do plan to co-sponsor

PHOTO COURTESY OF ASL CLUB

The club tables in the Campus Center. They have grown from two members to ten.

Facebook page or by emailing Cook on Office 365.

with SGA to bring this event next year and hopefully budget well enough that we can kind of do it because it is a fan favorite as you can see today that there’s a lot of people here.”

According to a statement read

by DeGaetano at an SGA budget meeting, SNS also plans on researching “less expensive alternatives” in order to continue the event in future. SAC President Shane Keane also reported that the club will try everything it can

to bring back the popular event.

“We’re still going to try to get as many events out as possible,” Keane said. “It’s definitely going to be a little trickier to get stuff like this just because it is very expensive, but we’re going to do the best of our abilities to make sure the campus has great events like Barn Babies to go out to.

We’re just going to work with what we have and make it a good year next year.”

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FEATURES

LIFELONG LEARNING

Finding a connection between body and mind

By Emily Gabert eg3887@mcla.edu Features Editor Roxanne Morton-Fili juggles her time between MCLA’s Counseling Services and Pittsfield’s Clinical Support Options. Both jobs provide her with unique opportunities she thoroughly enjoys.

Morton-Fili spends Monday and Tuesday on campus, while Wednesday through Friday she works for Clinical Support Options. She said it was a bit of a challenge at first, but she has eased in much more to her new schedule. Morton-Fili has been working in Pittsfield for four years and joined MCLA at the beginning of this semester. “[MCLA] is an absolutely different environment,” Morton-Fili explained. “A lot of my clients, for Clinical Support Options, I meet in their homes. It’s not office based at all…it is a completely different kind of experience because the job entails a lot of driving, and you’re walking into a different environment in each home you go to.”

Before doing outpatient and in-home therapy, she worked as a community support worker, where she connected resources to the community.

Morton-Fili is a Pittsfield native who always knew she wanted to be a social worker, as she always enjoyed helping and talking to others, but she also once considered doing psychology and nursing. At first, she was undecided between the two, but found both disciplines have benefits to the field she was interested in.

“I strongly believe your body and your

PHOTO BY EMILY GABERT

Morton-Fili enjoys swimming and cooking in her free time. mind are connected,” Morton-Fili said. “In the nursing field, ideally having some psychology and sociology information is helpful. In the psychology field, some medical background is helpful.”

She holds a master’s degree in social work from Westfield State University, a bachelor’s degree from Elms College, and she has two associates degrees from Berkshire

Community College. One of Morton-Fili’s associates degree is in health science with a minor in medical science.

Her background in health sciences helps her determine possible causes of something going on psychologically with her patients, as there is often a connection between physical health and mental health.

Morton-Fili finds social work tobe a

learning experience, as every person she meets gives her more of an insight into the world around her. She enjoys learning.

For people interested in going into counseling, she recommends that they going into counseling, as it is easier to follow that trail and do clinical hours – but she still believes there is much one can learn from both psychology and sociology.

“I enjoy working with the students and letting them know it’s okay to breathe,” Morton-Fili said, “that being in college and having all the additional responsibilities of adulthood and being a student and having to figure out where to go with their future, can be so overwhelming. Every once in a while, it is okay to stop and breathe.”

To get her students to stop and breathe, she practices mindfulness DBT (dialectical behavior therapy). Mindfulness can be hard for people to do at first, as it is primarily focused helping people get a few minutes of peace Mindfulness and DVP takes a self-talk and distraction direction, which is a skill to use your body as a tool to “ride through the bumps until it’s over,” according to Morton-Fili.

She takes a humanistic approach when meeting with patients, along with CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy), and strength base. A humanistic approach, to Morton-Fili, is looking at the bigger picture and seeing how it can impact a person.

“I believe that everybody has something that they’re able to build from,” she said.

She finds out these strength bases from conversations with students.

SOUNDS AND TONES RECORDS

H E L P I N G E XP A N D A N D G R O W T H E L O C A L M U S I C S C E N E

By Ron Leja rl2670@mcla.edu Deputy Features and A&E Editor Sounds and Tones, a local record label started by Chris Hantman, the community engagement coordinator of the Center for Service and Citizenship, aims to help musicians across the country live out their dream by giving them a foundation on which to hone their craft. The atmosphere surrounding Sounds and Tones is one of invitation and diverseness, allowing up-and-coming artists the chance to begin their musical careers under a label that truly wishes to see them succeed, not for profit, but for the sake of art.

Hantman began working on the Sounds and Tones label out of Franklin, Mass., in the summer of 2011. He and a group of friends, jobless and bored, decided to start the label due to their interest in the local music scene. Together, they would help to promote the local musicians they enjoyed, as well as discover new talent along the way.

Later that summer, they released their first compilation album entitled, “It’s a Pop-Punk Kind of Summer,” featuring several local acts including Transit, The Hotelier, Born Without Bones and many more.

Hantman returned to college, maintaining the label appeared impossible.

The dream fell dormant, but not for long.

In 2015, while in-between several jobs, Hantman reinvigorated the label after gaining several years of marketing and promotional experience. He had helped bands book several shows, but wanted a name to host them under, something recognizable that people could rely on, and with that goal in mind Sounds and Tones began anew.

The label is currently home to about ten artists, spanning across several different genres. Sounds and Tones books

PHOTO BY DOMONIQUE ACKLEY

Sounds amd Tones at an event earlier this semester in Sullivan Lounge regularly out of the Adams Elk Lodge They are always looking to bring touring acts through the Berkshires, and in turn help to grow the local music scene.

“We don’t like to stick with one genre, we have diverse tastes and want that to be reflected in the music we book,” Hantman explained. “We have about ten artists signed to the label itself that we help with social media and marketing, tour booking, and everything in be-

tween.”

Other members of the MCLA staff assist Hantman in managing the label.

Christopher Tate, access adviser at the Center for Student Success and Engagement, was attracted to working with Sounds and Tones upon realizing Hantman’s professionalism and the potential that the label carried.

“I’ve worked with several organizations in the past several years, many

of them arts based, and Sounds and Tones stands out,” Tate said. “We’re doing something really unique to our area in having a DIY label that manages and promotes local and regional talent while also booking and hosting events.”

Francesca Shanks, MCLA’s social media and marketing manager, met Hantman at the Elks Lodge after opening for the jazz-punk band Moonhooch in 2015. A musician herself, Shanks plays baritone ukulele and has been active in the DIY music scene for years.

“I offered myself up, and he started helping me with booking and promotional work as I recorded an album,” Shanks recalled. “About a year after that we all realized more help was needed in terms of marketing and promotion for our artists, so I stepped up. I am a marketer and that’s my wheelhouse. Since then, we’ve greatly expanded our PR efforts, and our artists have appeared in magazines like Impose, New Noise, and other niche publications.”

Hantman and his team are all avid supporters of the arts. Many of their early acts were comprised of musicians met through one-off gigs or show bills of events they’d attended. Over time, the label has grown in popularity.

“We go through weekly and discuss as a group how a particular artist might fit into our family of signed acts, whether we’d like to book them a show, or both,” Tate exclaimed. “Between us always being on the lookout and outreach from artists, it’s a very exciting time to be working in the arts in North Adams.”

Sounds and Tones desires to not only see their roster grow, but their musical acts flourish and eventually move on to bigger, prominent labels in the industry.

“It’s a labor of love, but it is absolutely amazing,” Hantman noted. “I get to meet and hear musicians from around the world. I get to help people follow their dream and I get to do all of this with the support of a great team.”

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Dance Company's spring show this Saturday

By Jon Hoel Co-Managing Editor Question: what is the most exciting event MCLA presents ever y year?

Answer: Dance Company’s spring performance.

This performance, a mainstay of any year at MCLA, will be their 16th annual at MASS MoCA, and feature a wide variety of dance genre including hiphop and pointe, as well as tap dance.

“It’s gonna be a really fun show,” said Courtney Chester, a senior in Dance Co, “It’s got lots of variety as usual. Lots of seniors this year so it’s a pretty special show for most of us.”

The show is massive, depicting 60 dancers in a vast exhibition of all four years of school and all disciplines.

“It is an amazing experience that brings people together through the art of dance,” Junior Sychiah Johnson said. Johnson is taking part in three dances in this year’s show. “There’s

PHOTO BY SHUNQUELL DENNIS

Dance Company's Fall '16 show. not an overarching theme but some dances are about self-appreciation (like body love), some are party-theme, and some are even political.”

Dance Company’s 16th Annual Spring Concert Performance will take place

on April 8 at 2 P.M. in MASS MoCa’s Hunter Center.

Tickets are free for MCLA students with valid student ID’s, and $5 for regular admission. You can buy your tickets at massmoca.org.

PHOTO COURTESY TAYLAR JACKSON

The spring show is one of MCLA's biggest events each year

a ghost of its former self

By Ron Leja Deputy Features and A&E Editor The sci-fi genre seems to be all the rage as of late. With advancements in space exploration, robotics, and the budding field of Trans-human technology, dreams of what the future holds for advancements in science and technology have sparked the public interest. However, when it comes to the film industry, I can’t help but to feel that the influx in movies surrounding these topics is starting to grow old.

In the case of “Ghost in the Shell,” the newest live-action adaption of a popular anime series, what may have been awe-inspiring and unique several years ago now feels repetitive, overdone and somewhat boring.

The original 1995 film is regarded as a classic amidst anime enthusiasts. The film was praised not only for its complex storyline and highly unique cyber-punk motifs, but its fluid mixture of CGI animation.

This 2017 rendition, directed

by Rupert Sanders and starring Scarlett Johansson, does well in keeping up with the original storyline for the most part, but it does borrow story elements from some of the other “Ghost in the Shell” movies and TV series.

The movie takes place in the year 2029, in a gritty, yet futuristic version of Tokyo. Johansson plays the character of the Major, a woman whose body was destroyed beyond repair following a supposed terrorist attack. Hanka Robotics, the leading developer

of augmentative technology, places her brain in a robotic body fitted with a cloaking device and capable of performing extreme acrobatic feats.

The Major is part of an elite anti-terrorist unit dubbed section nine, a group of soldiers and assassins fitted with augmentations, devices that grant them a number of abilities such as enhanced vision, strength and mental capacity. It is mentioned that 75 percent of Earth’s civilizations have been augmented with these various forms of tech to assist in their day to day activities.

This leads to some fairly interesting visuals, such as a character whose fingers are comprised of a number of thin, robotic limbs, capable of typing faster than the average human.

The Major is incapable of remembering anything prior to being born anew in her current android-like form. She is at times plagued by hallucinations that she believes to be fragments of her past life, all of which, in true sci-fi fashion, are aesthetically computerized in their appearance. They often disintegrate into messes of pixels, and glitch in and out as she passes through them. Much of the story revolves around her trying to piece her memories back together, in hopes that she can come to understand her true origin.

The cinematography and CGI are the high-point of the film.

A futuristic Tokyo replaces the neon advertisements that the city is known for with towering holograms that animate the skyline and decorate the faces of

PHOTO FROM GEEKANDSUNDRY.COM

The original "Ghost In The Shell" examined what it meant to be human in a world of cyborgs. buildings. Hologram fish float down the street in one scene, and some of the city’s inhabitants can be seen accessing phone apps through a hologram bubble that surrounds their heads.

Unfortunately, while the film is visually entertaining, it misses its mark in practically every other category. The film suffers from incredibly dry characters who frankly just aren’t very interesting. Sure, they are capable of doing some pretty extraordinary things, but they often deliver lines with little to no emotion.

When it comes to characters of the sci-fi genre, this is an all too familiar personality: the cold,

monotonous super soldier who responds to almost any scenario with an uninspired one liner. The characters are one dimensional.

The original film did much of the same, but in 1995 that charactertype wasn’t nearly as rehashed as it is now, and the intricate animation more than made up for it.

Ghost in the Shell is very much an action movie as well, and as such it would have been nice to see at least one stellar fight scene.

While the final confrontation is ultimately better than the rest, that isn’t saying much when all the others are mundane in their delivery. The Major is an elite, cybernetically enhanced super sol-

dier, and yet none of her battles consist of anything outside what we haven’t already seen from other films. She runs on walls and out-maneuvers attackers in hand to hand combat, but none of her encounters hail in comparison to, say, those in Marvel’s “Logan.”

The story pacing is also fairly slow, and while the subject matter is thought provoking and the story itself relatively easy to follow, at no point was it all that interesting. I found myself uninvolved and disappointed about half way through. In the end, “Ghost in the Shell” will be enjoyed by longtime fans of the franchise, but I don’t feel that it lives up to its origin.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

April 6, 2017

7

W H E N T H E G O D O F L OV E R E T U R N S HE MIGHT BE KIND OF UPSET WITH JOSH TILLMAN

By Chris Riemer A&E Editor

If I had to describe Josh Tillman in one word, it would be: “unavoidable.”

The ubiquity of Tillman as Father John Misty is a relatively recent development in what many people don’t realize is a long, twisting career. Before adopting the Misty moniker in 2012, Tillman played drums for the folk rock group Fleet Foxes for four years and released eight-or-so albums under his Christian name, the first one around 2003. Nowadays it’s difficult to imagine a musical-social scene without Tillman’s presence, but nobody really knew who he was until about five years ago.

Despite this, he’s had a lot of time to ponder what a Great American Album would look like, and if it were any other artist releasing an album like Pure Comedy, I would assume that’s what they were going for. Though, Tillman has always had a penchant for making grand philosophical statements, and for loosely shrouding his political dissertations in the self-aware guise of the folk rock hit.

I feel confident in stating that you should completely ignore this album if you found Tillman’s previous work insufferable, because there’s less subtlety and more self-congratulatory posturing than ever. If there’s something in here for you, you’ll leave in disgust before you ever uncover it. Tillman paints himself as complicit in the brutal cult of celebrity, but constantly assumes wise and impartial characters to distance himself to the culture he’s criticizing throughout the album. It would be easier to hate him for it if he didn’t already hate himself so much.

What’s more frustrating about Pure Comedy is how often the

“everyone’s wrong and we’re all the same.”

What seems to me the central moment of the album occurs during the ninth verse of the 13-minute folk-rock epic “Leaving LA:”

PHOTO FROM YOUTUBE.COM

Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) waxes philosophical to a festival crowd in New Jersey. music is actually great. The production on tracks like “Two Wildly Different Perspectives” and “The Memo” is braver and more inventive than anything Tillman has done (including “True Affection” from 2015’s I Love You Honeybear, a sort of preamble to the electronic details Tillman now seems to dole out more liberally). It’s clear from the list of composers he called in to help, which includes Nico Muhly, that he was going for something truly outside the box.

And in most ways, Pure Comedy is absolutely successful. Tillman’s natural skill with incisive phrasings comes through strongest when he’s weaving creative conceptualizations of human institutions—ones we’re so used to that we rarely think about how absurd they are. On religion/capitalism/pharmaceutical science, Tillman sings: “Their languages just serve to confuse them Their confusion somehow makes them more sure

They build fortunes poisoning their offspring And hand out prizes when some one patents the cure.”

The language falls a little flat when Tillman leans too heavily on the postmodern entertainment philosophy he’s clearly been studying: Neil Postman’s “Amusing Ourselves To Death” and David Foster Wallace’s “Infinite Jest” come to mind.

I like “Jest” as much as anyone, but this stuff isn’t exactly news in the literary world, and Tillman acts like he’s the first one to finally figure it out. However, the longer I spend with Pure Comedy, the more sympathetic I am to whatever horrific experience of celebrity Tillman is trying to explain.

The album’s self-titled first track starts at the very beginning: birth.

Tillman’s description of (among other things) the flawed design of childbirth, early hunter-gatherer society, menstruation and religion actually comes across as intelligent, poignant, and sympathetic—a tone

he’s struggled to reach on his previous albums. Desperation is not far below the surface—the varied vocal performance throughout the record begins in this first track with some pretty convincing screams.

I won’t go deep into the track listing, primarily because the album is an hour and 15 minutes long, but also because I feel differently about the songs every time I hear them. “Things It Would Have Been Helpful To Know Before The Revolution” is a great example: it took me five or six listens to begin to understand what Tillman was trying to do, and how the “When I Was Done Dying” lyrical rhythm and “A Day In The Life” mayhem during the bridge were effective parts of an otherwise soft and introspective song basically about modern lifestyles.

“When The God Of Love Returns There’ll Be Hell To Pay” and “Two Wildly Different Perspectives” were other favorites of mine, even if the latter struggles a little to make a point beyond

“My first memory of music’s from The time at JCPenney with my mom The watermelon candy I was choking on Barbara screaming, ‘Someone help my son!’

I relive it most times the radio’s on That ‘tell me lies, sweet little white lies’ song That’s when I first saw the comedy won’t stop for Even little boys dying in department stores.”

Even if he wanted to, Tillman couldn’t give up entertainment for stuffy philosophy, and despite what he says about the music industry, it seems clear he has no intention of stopping. Maybe with Pure Comedy he’s finally found his stride combining the two. The commentary on the album might be the closest thing to the snappy and eloquent diatribes he laces his interview responses with, for better and for worse.

I’m sick to death of the metaanalyses of music journalists on the public impact of Father John Misty on the world and vice versa and so on, ad infinitum.

All I know is that Pure Comedy is nothing like any other album I’ve heard, and that even his detractors could perhaps find something to love about it. I don’t know if I’ll always care about what Tillman has to say, but I’ll give my blessing to anyone who spends their life making something out of nothing.

UPCOMING EVENTS IN THE AREA

performance at houghton mansion

PHOTO COURTESY OF COMMON FOLK

The bluegrass group is performing this Friday

FreshGrass Festival veterans Damn Tall Buildings are performing in local haunt the Houghton Mansion this Friday.

Hailing from across Massachusetts, the acoustic bluegrass quartet are being hosted by Common Folk. According to a statement by Common Folk, “Damn Tall Buildings is an allacoustic guerrilla roots band from Boston, Massachusetts. While their instrumentation is that of bluegrass, they are not bound to it. With lyrical storytelling and foot-stomping grooves, their songs about love and ramblin’ help to forget the everyday troubles and slip away into their up-tempo hobo-anthems. With members from all around the United States, Damn Tall Buildings is truthful combination of four-different people branding their influences into a single sound. The Boston

Globe described them as, ‘The Carter Family for the millennial generation.’ Damn Tall Buildings has toured through many venues and festivals all across the United States, including North Adam’s very own Fresh Grass (where they were awarded second place in the 2016 band competition).

On top of sharing the stage with bands such as The California Honeydrops, The Dustbowl Revival, Sierra Hull, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Gangstagrass, and many more. There is no doubt that North Adams needs another taste of Damn Tall Buildings.”

Before the show, there will be an opening set by members of the Hudson Valley group Upstate Rubdown, performing a capella as Not My Sister.

Doors open at 7:30pm and the show starts at 8:00 pm.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door, and can be purchased at commonfolk.org/upcomingevents.

game store opens in williamstown With a grand opening ceremony this weekend, the Berkshires will have one of its first community gaming stores. Purple Dragon Games was founded by ex-Williams student Niko White in the former Hart’s Pharmacy storefront. According to White: Purple Dragon Games will sell traditional games and accessories. Headlined by such popular products as Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons and Dragons, Settlers of Catan, and Star Wars: X-Wing, these games are primarily aimed at adults and older teens, and are enjoyed globally by millions of players of all ages and backgrounds.

In addition to offering a large selection of games, Purple Dragon Games will offer regular gaming events, beginning on their grand opening weekend.

SPORTS

Redemption for the Tar Heels

By Brady Gerow @MCLABeaconSport Sports Editor A year after falling short in the National Championship to Villanova, the North Carolina Tar Heels rallied behind junior point guard Joel Berry II's 22-point effort to claim the schools sixth National Championship with a 71-65 victory over the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

In a game plagued with foul calls and a lot of missed shots, the Tar Heels found a way to prevail in the game's final minutes. Two minutes remained on the clock when senior Kennedy Meeks was able to corral a loose ball for the Tar Heels on a play that seemingly needed to be reviewed as Meeks placed his hand out of bounds.

To the Bulldogs' demise, the play wasn't reviewed, and the Tar Heels pulled away from there.

After a pair of steals and a blocked shot, the Tar Heels capitalized on all three of those turnovers and pushed six points ahead of the Bulldogs, giving a final score of 71-65.

The officiating wasn’t something that came into

PHOTO FROM SPORTS ILLUSTRATED Junior guard Joel Berry II celebrating the North Carolina Tar Heels' National Championship win over Gonzaga, The Tar heels defeated Gonzaga 71-65. Berry II scored a game high 22 points to lead the Tar Heels to victory. question just late in the game, the game saw 44 total fouls called, only two less than the amount of total shots made by both teams (46). The game saw no real rhythm, as neither team was able to shoot over

Men’s Tennis falls to reigning champs Colby Sawyer

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor The reigning North Atlantic Conference (NAC) champion Colby Sawyer Chargers shut out the Men’s Tennis team on Sunday 9-0. This, the season opener for the Trailblazers, marks the sixth consecutive 9-0 loss to Colby Sawyer since the 2012-2013 season.

Colby Sawyer improves to 5-9 overall on the season and is 1-0 in the NAC with the win in search of their sixth consecutive conference championship.

How it happened The Chargers quickly dominated the doubles competition, capturing a succession of three 8-1 victories including knocking off the Blazers top duo of All-NAC players junior Aaron Goldsmith and senior Robert Wabshinak.

The singles competition saw a similar one-sidedness as the conference-powerhouse Chargers took all six contests. The closest of these included senior Jeffrey Mason facing down Colby Sawyer freshman Matt Burke. Mason was defeated 6-2 and 6-3 in this battle, the closest scores of the day.

The loss means that the team will start the season on the back foot with a record of 0-1 overall

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS Sophomore Jack Peterson sending the ball towards his opponent in his match. and 0-1 within the conference.

MCLA was predicted to place fourth in the conference in this year’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll and is headed by third year coach Trevor Grimshaw. Last season saw the Men’s Tennis team go 4-7 overall and 3-3 in the conference to make the playoffs. Unfortunately for that team they ran into the Colby Sawyer Chargers in the first round and were eliminated.

The Trailblazers get back on the court today at 3:30 p.m. at Rhode Island College and will be looking to get back to .500 on the season.

36 percent from the floor for the game. For teams that both averaged over 80 ppg (points per game) on the season, it was surprising to see both teams shoot the ball so poorly. Both teams also struggled from the

charity stripe, where UNC missed 11 free-throws and the Bulldogs missed nine.

Despite the struggles, the Tar Heels were led by their veteran point guard Berry II. Berry had struggled through most

of the tournament with two sprained ankles, but he came to play in the championship where he recorded a game high 22 points. Berry also recorded three rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block in the game to help lead the Heels to the championship. Berry was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournaments Final Four for his efforts in the Tar Heels final two games of the season.

Both teams struggled immensely with foul trouble, the Bulldogs had five players called for at least three fouls, one of them, Zach Collins fouling out of the game entirely. the Tar Heels also placed four players in the category of possessing three or more fouls, but luckily had nobody foul out of the game.

It was an ugly game to say the least, but the Tar Heels prevailed in the end and claimed the program’s sixth national title and Head Coach Roy Williams’ third title in his NCAA coaching career. The Tar Heels finished the season at 33-7, claiming the national title that they came so close to last season, while the Bulldogs finished at 37-2 on the year and ended their season in heartbreak.

Vargas leads New England College over Trailblazers

By Brady Gerow @MCLABeaconSport Sports Editor Having gone 2-3 at the plate with four RBI's and pitching the final 3.2 innings to get the save having led the New England College (NEC) baseball team to their seventh straight victory as they defeated the MCLA Trailblazers 12-7 on Thursday March 30.

The Blazers opened up an early 3-0 over the Pilgrims through 1.5 innings. In the first, the Blazers got RBI's from junior Joe Dimassimo and senior Myles Candelet for a 2-0 lead.

NEC scored three runs in the top half of the second inning off sophomore pitcher Brendan Kelly without having registered a hit.

They took advantage of three walks and a passed ball to tie the game at 3-3. From that point on, the Blazers struggled to keep pace offensively with the Pilgrims.

The Blazers captured the lead again in the next inning, but that was the last shimmer of light for the Blazers. The Pilgrims scored three times in the bottom half of the fourth to take a 6-4 lead. Two out of the three runs that inning came from Vargas’ two RBI triple, Vargas’ triple was also the team’s first official hit of the game. The Pilgrims added three more runs in the fifth off Blazers reliever, junior Frank

PHOTO FROM NEC ATHLETICS Freshman Stanley Vargas throwing a pitch in the team's 12-7 victory over MCLA. Rickus, to extend to a 9-4 advantage with two innings left to play.

The Blazers attempted to make the comeback starting with two runs being scored in the top half of the sixth inning off of sophomore Jonathon Parker’s triple. Parker was then stranded on third base and the Blazers were unable to capitalize on having a player in scoring position.

The Blazers struggled to keep things in check on defense, having allowed the Pilgrims to score two runs of their own, nullifying the runs that Parker sent in earlier that inning. The Blazers trailed 11-6 going into the eighth inning of play, where they recorded one last run to cap off their scoring for the game.

The Pilgrims also recorded one run in the eighth inning giving the final score of the game of 12-7 in favor of the Pilgrims.

Selah Delomba earned the win for the Pilgrims tossing the first 5.1 innings. While Vargas allowed just three hits and struck out five to earn the save. Junior Joe Murray took the loss for the Blazers after pitching two innings where he recorded one strikeout and let up three runs.

The Blazers, now 4-6 on the year will look to face off with Skidmore College in an away game today Thursday April 6, while the Pilgrims now 7-7 will look to face off with Thomas College on Saturday April 8.

SPORTS

April 6, 2017

9

SCORE BOARD Women’s Lacrosse Beaten By Defending Champs Bridgewater St. MCLA Women’s Lacrosse

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor Despite a five goal effort by junior Mackenzie Cutler the MCLA Women’s Lacrosse team fell to the Bridgewater State Bears 24-11 on Monday. The Trailblazers fall to 3-4 on the season and 0-1 in the MASCAC while the Bears improve to 5-5 and 1-0, respectively, with this game.

Bridgewater stands third in the conference while MCLA sits at fifth in a group of eight teams. MCLA freshman goaltender Julia Coughlin (0-2) absorbed the loss while senior Allie Forman (4-4) took the win for Bridgewater.

After a series of fouls and disjointed plays senior Melissa Renauld ripped a shot into the back of the net for the Bears a little over two minutes in. The teams continued to battle and fouls were handed out like Christmas decorations on December 26.

Bridgewater found their rhythm first and extended their lead to 7-0 with about 13 minutes into the first half.

The Blazers finally found an answer to the onslaught in the form of senior Natalie Caney. Caney stunned the crowd with two goals separated by just 11 seconds. The teams traded goal for goal after Caney’s display of talent getting the score to 10-5. Neither team seemed capable of stopping the offense of the other with nine minutes left in the half. The Bears buckled down defensively, capitalized on turnovers, and put shots on net to pad their lead

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS Junior Mackenzie Cutler controlling the ball in a game earlier this season. Cutler recorded f ive goals in the team's loss to Bridgewater St. with four unanswered goals. It seemed as though the four-time and defending MASCAC champion Bears would make short work of the Blazers in the second half.

Cutler would have none of that as she fired off her 20th goal of the season just about a minute in. Caney followed up with another MCLA goal to get the score within seven at 147. Even after trading goals with the

Bears again to get the score within seven it seemed as though Bridgewater had found a way to extinguish the hopes of the Trailblazers. After an eight unanswered goal run through the middle portion of the second half the game was out of reach. MCLA eventually fell to 24-11 in the contest.

Sophomore Zoe Elwell came in relief of goaltender Coughlin and made six saves on 16 shots for the Blazers.

Statistics Caney’s four-goal game for the Blazers was her seventh straight game with at least a goal and puts her at 20 on the season. This is her third consecutive year with at least 20 goals, but the fastest she has ever done so.

Freshman Kim Granito’s two goal effort maintains her possession of the team lead in that category at 23.

Granito also stands second in the MASCAC for goals with this marker and ranks fifth with 29 points on the season.

Senior Melissa Renauld netted eight for Bridgewater in the game and leads the MASCAC with 33 goals and 51 points in ten games this season. The Bears’ goaltender, Forman, leads the conference with 66 saves after making three in the win.

The Bridgewater State Bears have had the Blazer’s (as well as most of the league’s) numbers for the past few years. Last season the Blazers were defeated 19-4 while the year before resulted in a 20-4 loss.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Fantasy Baseball for the 2017 Season By now, a large majority Don’t: Get trigger happy with of fantasy baseball the waiver wire leagues have set their Making, and earning, leagues up, drafted, waiver wire claims on a and are off to the player you really want races. Whether you’re is like waking up on in a money league, Christmas morning. with there being a However, in order to little bit of something Andrew not end up like little on the line for your Cindy Lou down in Baillargeon Whoville on these league, or you’re The Call in a league where days, it’s important to bragging rights are manage your waiver at stake (and let’s be order effectively. honest, who doesn’t like those?) When making waiver claims, I’ve decided to conjure a little determine if the rest of the guide detailing how to manage league has reason to be your teams over the course of interested in the player you’re the long season. adding. If you suspect someone Do: Manage your team else will be interested, then consistently, usually on a day to it becomes time to consider day basis whether or not falling to the While missing a day or end of your league’s waiver two every now and then order is worth trying to snatch won’t exactly eliminate you that player away. Sometimes, from playoff contention, it is your relief core may really need important to understand that to pick up that dynamic closer fantasy baseball is not fantasy someone else just dropped, football, and requires day to so it would be worth falling day attention. It isn’t enough to down the waiver wire. In other show up to the draft and check instances, though, if you badly on your team every few days, as need to claim an outfielder in a in a competitive, active league, league where your competition you will be lucky to make the is set at the position, it will playoffs like this. It’s important usually be a better idea to wait that you manage your roster out the waiver period and add as much as you can afford to that player for free off of free do so. This involves adding/ agency after the player bypasses dropping players as needed, waivers. managing your IR if applicable, Do: Add utility players and making/accepting There are a lot of players in beneficial trades before they the baseball world, but your expire. roster is only so big. Filling

your roster via the draft is not so hard, but optimizing it can sometimes be difficult. You might want to play Carlos Correa and Jonathan Villar both at once, but you can only play one of them at Shortstop.

Fear not! Villar is eligible for third base as well, and can simply be played there if you have an opening. These utility players, capable of playing multiple positions, are absolute godsends if your team gets stricken by injuries to places where your utility players can fit. Try and stack as many of them as is reasonably possible.

Don’t: Get spam happy with probable pitchers In point based leagues, and category based leagues with innings pitched or strikeouts as a category, probable pitchers are very important. It is usually advantageous to have as many starters each day as you can possibly get. With that said, having no pitcher is better than having one who will get rocked for several earned runs in an inning or TWO pitched. It isn’t always easy to predict these sort of outings, as a pitcher in a bad matchup can always outperform our expectations, and vice versa, but generally, unless you’re desperate, it is better to err on the side of caution. If you’re thinking about adding a starter for one game, look at the starter’s stats up to that point in the season, and arguably

most importantly, look at their matchup. I like my odds a lot more if I am looking at a pitcher with a 4.50 ERA taking on the Padres than I do taking a pitcher with a three ERA heading to Fenway. Worth noting is that there are exceptions to this rule: Always play your ace and ride the hot hand, but above all, make sure you make advised decisions with your pitchers; do not just throw them onto your roster with reckless abandon.

Do: Have fun and keep it simple Unless you’re in a money league, at the end of the day, the league you’re in is made with simple effort of bringing everyone together for some good ol’ competitive fun. Don’t lose your cool if you make a bad move or two, because it’s a long season and there’s always time to turn it around.

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, hyyp://www.mcla.edu/Student_ Life/studentmedia/wjjw/.

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

MCLA (11), Bridgewater St. (24) Mackenzie Cutler (MCLA) 5 Goals, 6 SOG

Victoria McDonough (Bridg) 2 Goals, 1 SOG

MCLA Softball All games postponed Games against Rensselaer scheduled for March 30 postponed due to weather.

Next game is scheduled for Thursday April 6th against Southern Vermont College on the road. Games are at 3 and 5.

MCLA Baseball MCLA (7), New England College (12) Jonathon Parker (MCLA) 1-3, 1 Run, 2 RBI

Stanley Vargas (NEC) 2-3, 1 Run, 4 RBI, 2 BB

NBA OKC Thunder (110), Milwaukee Bucks (79) Russell Westbrook (OKC) 12 Pts, 13 Reb, 13 Ast, 41st Triple-double

Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) 11 Pts, 10 Reb, 4 Ast

NCAA Men’s Basketball

#1 North Carolina (71), #1 Gonzaga (65) Joel Berry II (UNC) 22 Pts, 3 Reb, 6 Ast

Nigel WilliamsGoss (Gonz) 15 Points, 9 Reb, 6 Ast

NHL Boston Bruins (4), Tampa Bay Lightning (0) David Pastrnak (Bos) 2 Goals, 5 SOG

Tuukka Rask (Bos) 1.00 SV% 26 SVs

OPINION

CAMPUS COMMENT

How do you de-stress for tests?

“I usually read, write, or play games on my computer.”

James Farley Sophomore

“Usually what I do is either listen to music or watch Netflix. It depends on the type of day it is.”

Cheyenne VanBramer, Sophomore

PHOTOS BY EMILY GABERT AND RON LEJA

How I’ve changed my political stance

I’d first like to say that the though I don’t personally have a name of this column is one that kid in school: It’s because I don’t represents my political like living in a country affiliation. with a bunch of stupid The animal of the people,” the author once Libertarian Party is a said. porcupine and I try to Humor aside, the employ the pillars that surface of this quote is make up the party’s a strong message: free belief system in this public universities may column. For example, lead to a more eduJoseph my belief in the Noncated public. But, as that Carew Aggression Principle, political friend of mine The Porcupine pointed out, the crucial or NAP, led me to write about the danpart of that quote is Chronicle gers associated with where he specifies, “I like randomly punching to pay taxes for schools,” people you label as Nazis. Okay Green is speaking for himself but on to the column.

Senator Sanders’ plan is speaking I was once a Bernie Sanders fan. for all.

Over break I was reminded that A plan that forces the collective I politically aligned with Senaof society (or even a specific portor Bernie Sanders on a survey I tion of it) to pay for something took about a year ago. I vaguely that they don’t agree with didn’t remember that moment, but have sit well with me. drifted rather far from the SenaPersonally, I may very well tor since that moment. Even just choose to help a local school to a handful of months later, when educate those of my town but, I it had come time to vote, he and hesitate when it comes to forcI were quite far apart. I’d like to ing my neighbors to do so. explain why.

Once the conversation had It was sometime last year that been put into that context (forcone of my close friends had ing others to conform to my begun to obsess about politics. belief system) I had to rethink Our first presidential election every stance I had previously was coming up and he wanted to taken. know where we all stood. The kid Using the government to was determined to get us to think enforce my subjective views about our stances on everything on people didn’t compute with from drug regulation to healtheverything I had been taught by care to firearms. He was then as my parents, through schooling, I am today: Libertarian. For the and in my everyday life. purpose of brevity I’ll cover our And so I pulled away from first discussion: making tuition candidates who promised more free at public colleges and uniregulations and a larger governversities. ment at the cost of individual Originally I agreed with Senafreedom and choice. tor Sanders and interpreted his Individualism has become stance in the form of a quote by extremely important to me in one of the authors I read in high these months and I still respect school: John Green.

Senator Sanders but, as men“So let me explain why I like tioned before, I just couldn’t to pay taxes for schools, even vote for him.

EDITORIAL

Advising is about more than careerism With an abundance of advisers, students have no excuse A key, crucial avenue to succeed at MCLA is to pursue and acquire lots of advisers. Sure, when you arrive at school, you’ve got your peer adviser and major adviser, but there is so much more to grow and achieve.

A lot of primary advice (perhaps too much) we get from is our immediate peers. “What classes should I take?” or “I’m tired, should I skip and sleep in?” are questions we end up posing to our friends.

And that’s valid to an extent, someone who has experienced the same situation you are in and has immediate interest in your life is a definite voice to be relied on.

But not solely. The Beacon relies heavily on its advisers, but also turns to the Copy Chief, Lauren Levite to make alot of its hardest decisions.

Sometimes your academic adviser isn’t quite the right fit. It’s awkward, because it’s a small campus and you can genuinely like somebody who doesn’t know the right information for you individually.

They’re not always available enough, they don’t give the student the individual attention they might need to succeed in their semester.

This isn’t always the fault of the adviser--who is likely overworked and teaching more classes than they should be. But when you are the student, it’s up to you to take initiative and seek additional/supplementary advisers.

Your adviser won’t be heartbroken to lose you, nor will their feelings be hurt if they find out you’ve also been having meetings with someone at CSSE about your classload. It’s more than reasonable that any individual is taking their education seriously.

But it’s also important to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Take Shawn McIntosh, a professor in English/

“Sometimes your academic adviser isn’t quite the right fit. It’s awkward, because it’s a small campus and you can genuinely ike somebody who doesn’t know the right information for you individually. They’re not always available enough.”

Communications as well as the adviser to The Beacon. Since McIntosh only came to the school two years ago, he doesn’t have the wealth of knowledge on which literary survey may suit you best, but that’s not something you need to switch advisers for.

Professor McIntosh isn’t always the best adviser but some of the advice he has given to many English majors is invaluable on what courses will be most important to them.

There are so many kinds of advising--hands on, encouraging independence, friendly, cold, indifferent. Advisers have all kinds of style, and indeed, every student needs something different to really push them in the right direction.

One thing’s for sure: no matter who your adviser is, no matter what you major is, you should definitely take ENGL-239 Writing & Reporting the News I. You’re going to take it, right??

RPS: update your policies, be wary of dogma

Policies change with time, as well against having it are reduced. as current laws. For Resident StuHaving guests over dent Services (RPS), To have a guest over for which oversees and the night, a typical student coordinates student has to take out a form, housing through the have their roommate sign college, time has come it, have their RA sign it, for change. and get it approved by Credit where it’s due: the RD, a process that This academic school can take around a week year, RPS has finally sometimes. During finals, Mitchell allowed for gender overnight guest passes are Chapman neutral housing, a suspended, which can be welcome step in the From the seen as a disrespectful and right direction, that condescending measure Editor acknowledges the fact that assumes that students that most students on campus, many of on campus are legal whom are legal adults, do not adults, and are capable of making have the time management skills their own decisions. There is noth- to have friends visit and properly ing inherently wrong with men pass their finals. and women living in the same Once upon a time, this might room or housing situation, and at have made sense, especially in the the end of the day, it’s ultimately days of North Adams State, when up to the student to pick a housing the school had a notorious reputaenvironment that best works for tion as a party school, but in 2017, them, through the options availthis policy does not hold up, and able on campus. assumes that RPS is somewhat However, this does not change responsible for the academics of the fact that some of RPS’s policies their residents (they’re not). need to be reformed in order to Not only this, but the policy reflect progress made up to the demonizes guests, as it was written year 2017. assuming that they are inherently One obvious policy that comes a bad influence, primarily for their to mind is their policy on marijua- ability to distract from studies. na, which was recently legalized This, combined with the process across the state. The official policy to obtain a guest parking pass, has not changed, due to fears of actively discourages students from losing federal funding. In fact, having guests over through the students who get with marijuana official channels. This results in in their dorm rooms might be put students either sneaking in guests on probation and required to go to or not having them at all, which is an “educational” class on the mata shame, as a lighter guest policy ter, measures wholly inappropriate could result in students unintenfor a legal substance less harmful tionally advertising the College to than alcohol. friends and siblings.

It’s understandable why RPS Public Relations does not want to jump into a situThe term “gag order” has been ation it knows nothing about, but brought up by previous Beacon there should be some give with staffs, and arguably applies to RPS. their policies. As laws change, so Whenever something goes awry should their policies, even if that in the resident halls, no RAs are results in a situation where mariallowed to speak to The Beacon juana is still not allowed in dorm and in some cases, their residents, rooms, but punitive measures on the matter.

There is some information you can’t glean from an organization’s hand-picked sources, and this approach to PR makes it looks like RPS has something to hide.

Things happen. People make mistakes. Organizations make mistakes. Nobody’s perfect. Honesty and transparency goes a long way with media organizations and the general public.

Policy Dogma Unwillingness to change. Enacting old policy word for word, in a focused, methodical way. This only works if the policy you work with, your blueprint from how to run your slice of society, is perfect.

If not, you need to allow room for leeway, which I haven’t seen a whole lot of in my three years on campus.

Policies are not laws. They do not need to be followed dogmatically.

One great example of this is when Director of Student Development Celia Norcross chose to make a policy exception when sophomore Don’Jea Smith and a group of other MCLA students chose to subvert the official channels to protest a survey put out by the College, acknowledging that protest papers would most likely not get approved.

This mentality could also work in RPS’s favor, especially in terms of updating existing policies. It can be very difficult to update policy when those in power are used to religiously following them. The student handbook is not the Bible.

The Resident Student Handbook is a fluid document that can be changed. A great way to encourage this is to reduce penalties for members of RPS and residents who break policy, looking at each instance on a case-by-case basis, rather than blindly following standard procedures with no oversight.

A lot has happened going into 2017. It’s time to get on the same page.

CAMPUS NEWS

11

April 6, 2017

Today: White Ribbon Day

By Gianna Vigliatura Staff Writer White Ribbon Day, an international movement to end violence against women and gender-based violence, will come to MCLA in form of an event in the Quad.

This past week students have been encouraged to sign a pledge in the Marketplace agreeing to help reduce this violence, receiving a white ribbon to acknowledge the pledge. This has been leading up to the event itself that will be held today at 12:15 p.m. Over the past few months, there has been a biweekly meeting of a group of individuals to discuss reducing toxic masculinity on campus.

This group is co-sponsoring the event with the Identity and Gender Equality Resource Center (IGE) and the Susan B. Anthony Center. They are receiving additional help from the North Adams Elizabeth Freeman Center and Jane Doe Inc., an organization based in Boston. “[We] decided to participate in the White Rib-

LETTER A Rebuttal to “The Myth of the Wage Gap” The argument in a previous issue titled “The Myth of the Wage Gap” is flawed at best, and at worst a vehicle for the misuse of information and thus, creation of misinformation being spread to the population of MCLA. Not only is Carew’s use of statistical information misleading, but his logic is not sound; quite the contrary, it is grossly fallacious.

First and foremost, it is important to clarify, as Carew does despite later contradictions to himself, that the wage gap is defined by women receiving less pay than their male counterparts for the same work. Engineers are paid more than teachers. This is old news. The problem that still needs addressing, however, is when male engineers are paid more than female engineers, when male teachers are paid more than female teachers, and so on. Therefore, career choice is not in the “multitude of factors” that explain why men are paid more than women.

Furthermore, Carew points out that men are

CANDIDATES From Page 3

better and I know that we can do better.

Why should people vote for you?

I pride myself on being a collaborative leader, willing to work with anyone who wants to make MCLA a better place. I have worked closely with the Williams administration, while simultaneously being a thorn in their side. I believe that my experience and relationships with fellow SGA members gives me an advantage in exploiting the process to force real change on campus.

bon Campaign because it is a broader international movement that we could show support for, as well as broadcast our efforts to open dialogue on the MCLA Campus,” said Christopher Tate, access adviser in the Center for Student Success and Engagement (CSSE). He added that they hope the event will foster discussions on violence against women and gender-based violence “as they pertain to our campus and beyond,” and that their inspiration to hold this event also had to do with the harassment of a student.

“During the conversations with the group trying to reduce toxic masculinity, there was a sense that the group wanted to ‘do’ something beyond just having conversations,” said Brian Gallagher, coordinator of Student Conduct and Community Standards. “White Ribbon is a way that all members of our campus can ‘do’ something together-to take a stand against violence against women and all gender based violence.”

He said that having the White Ribbon Day is the biggest thing the discussion group will have accomplished this spring as they are new and still

trying to establish themselves as a group with a specific identity at the College. Connor Ogborn, a freshman, will be a speaker at the event, along with senior Travis Rice, both of whom are student coordinators at MCLA’s Center for Service and Citizenship.

“This event is so important because we need to get the message that gender-based violence is wrong; and, we all need to learn when to draw the line,” said Ogborn. “Another huge piece of this is that we need to show the people who have been subjected to this type of violence that they are not alone. We are here for them to fight for what is right and just.”

Ogborn wanted to be a speaker for the event to help the message be heard and to show that he will stand for people who have experienced this brand of violence. The biggest hope these members have is that White Ribbon Day will let the College come together as a community and take a stance against violence targeting women and gender-based violence.

statistically more likely to choose careers in the sciences while women are more likely to focus on the humanities. While this is true, this data point does nothing to discredit the existence of the wage gap because, as previously noted, the wage gap is addressing men and women who are doing the same work. Additionally, the reason men and women are choosing such different careers is that young girls are discouraged from the fields of science and math because they are “traditionally masculine.”

Though Carew attempts to disprove this fact, he again misuses statistical data and proves nothing but his own ineptitude for drawing relative conclusions from the data he seeks out. First of all, women being hired for jobs says nothing of the salaries they receive upon being hired in comparison with men in the same field. More importantly, the math Carew tries to use is entirely contradictory. It doesn’t take a mathematician to see that being offered a job between 20 and 32 percent of the time isn’t nearly equal regardless of the percentage of applicants that were female. But then again, when you seek out sources (“The Gender Wage Gap is a Myth,” for

example) that echo what you wish to express, the numbers are just a means to an already decided upon end.

Carew’s infallible logic continues when he states the “fact” that women are just too involved in their personal lives to worry about working as hard as men supposedly do. We simply must be doing something wrong, right? It’s got to be our poor work ethic, our bad decision making, or maybe our “inferior negotiating skills.” Or maybe, just maybe, it’s a society that tells us our only purpose in life is subservience to men, earning less than, being less than.

The point is that the argument made in “The Myth of the Wage Gap” is a misinterpretation of the numbers. Women are far more complex than men like Carew will ever understand and to misuse numbers and sources in an attempt to prove something rather than learn something is to do a disservice to oneself.

At no point during this past term have I ever been afraid to say the unpopular or ask the difficult questions.

I pride myself on being the voice of the Class of 2020 and I have always voted strategically to ensure MCLA is in a strong position for the long term.

Class of 2018 Representative Brianna O’Rourke Do you have any prior leadership experience?

I was the SGA Treasurer in 20152016 , the Student Trustee and Class of 2018 Treasurer this year, I was co-captain of the Women’s Volleyball team this past season, VP of the Townhouse Advisory Board and

Bridget Broyles MCLA Class of 2020 a current Admissions Ambassador.

What do you want to accomplish O'Rourke inIoffice? have spent the last two years on the E-board and branching out of those positions, I think I could make more concrete change as a Senator. I want to see transparency in the process, I want to hold others accountable to make MCLA the best it can be, and I want to represent the voices of students who might not be comfortable speaking up on their own.

Why should people vote for you?

People should vote for me because I have served on Class Council this past year for the Class of 2018 and I know the wants and needs of the class. I also have an extensive amount of experience in SGA that will allow me to introduce change that student’s want to be made.

Class of 2020 Treasurer Jake Vitali See separate brief.

If you are running for SGA, either as a balloted or a write-in candidate, please contact Mitchell Chapman on Office 365.

APPLY NOW Beacon applications for Fall 2017 are now posted right outside The Beacon office, Mark Hopkins, room 111! We’re looking for: Staff Writers* Photographers Cartoonists Beacon Web News Staff Podcasters

And More!

Copy Editors Page and Graphic Designers Illustrators Ad Representatives Business Manager

Beaconiers have gone on to real world internships and jobs at publications like The Berkshire Eagle and The Bennington Banner. *Writing and Reporting the News I required for staff writing

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 Jon Hoel

A & E Editor Chris Riemer

Joseph Carew

Sports Editor

Senior News Editor

BWN Producers

Nick Tardive

Features Editor Emily Gabert

Deputy A & E and Features Editor Ron Leja

Copy Chief Lauren Levite

Brady Gerow

Dan Wohler Sam Kniskern

Design Editor Adam Sams

Photo Editor

Domonique Ackley

Web Editor and Business Manager Zack Benjamin

STAFF Photographer Tramel Griffith

Copy Editors

Staff Writers

Nick Webb

Reagan Smith

Aryel Brosnan

Emma Monahan

Gianna Vigliatura

Gianna Vigliatura

Hannah Snell

Hannah Snell

Lily Schaub

ADVISERS Shawn McIntosh

Jenifer Augur

Barn Babies Photos By Tramel Griffith

This cute lamb waited to be held and loved.

Saturday night in Venable Gym little sibs joined in on the fun of Barn Babies.

Students bonded over the interaction with bunnies and kittens.

Bunnies, lambs, goats and Japanese silkie chickens were some of the animals available to interact with.