Spring 17 Issue 4

INSIDE New alumn SAC adviser

Volume 84, Issue 4

ESTaBLISHED 1979

MCLA’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER February 23, 2017

PROTESTING THROUGH POETRY

By Emily Gabert eg3887@mcla.edu Features Editor Students gathered on the second floor of Bowman Hall Friday to engage in a peaceful protest using the power of collected words.

Senior Bryanna Bradley and sophomore John Kelly stood on chairs, reading poetry inspired by students’ experiences on campus in the current political and social climate. The poems detailed feelings of discomfort, loneliness and frustration, and how the narrator felt voiceless. They also mentioned how the 2016 presidential election was the first they were able to participate in.

The poetry reading was organized by senior Phillip Shedd, and English/Communications Professor Kelli Newby. The pair worked together last semester on the production of Venable 8, a play about gun violence.

Shedd explained they wanted to extend the conversation into another semester. The recent events on campus also inspired them to stand up.

“This is something we had to do right now,” Shedd said.

Shedd gathered information from multiple points of view, many of which came from students’ feelings post-election season. Interviews with students

Professor Vadnais passes away

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief

PHOTO BY EMILY GABERT— FEATURES EDITOR

John Kelly, '19, and Bryanna Bradley, '17, read poetry created a collection of students' feelings during the current social POETRY, Page 4 and political climate.

OFF-CAMPUS

Roxane Gay encourages students to fight back

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor “Bad Feminist” and “Difficult Women” author Roxane Gay packed Williams College’s Chapin Hall with a mixture of members from the Williamstown and North Adams communities, as well as their respective Colleges.

The lecture, tiled “An Evening with Roxane Gay”, started off with Gay reading three passages from her new collection of short stories, entitled “Difficult Women”. She switched between topics of love, parents, and growing up in the Mid-West for some time before definitively moving on to talk about the state of politics and conversation in America.

Gay admitted that she wished she had spent more time talking about the campaign and election as it was ongoing. When it was all over, she said that her mother called her to say that the sun was still shining, and asked her to “wake up” – the world had not ended over night.

“I’m trying to figure out how we survive this age of American disgrace.”

Gay said.

Quickly she rattled off actions the Trump administration, in its infancy, had already been doing to show that the “disgrace was going easy”: Executive Order to begin building the Wall’s foundation, the Executive Order on

Page 5

North Adams State College Professor Lawrence Vadnais passed away earlier this month, at the age of 91. Vadnais retired from teaching in 1987.

Of his achievements while at the college, the Center for Resourceful Living remains one of his most notable. The center, which Vadnais founded and ran, remained at the college from 1975 until 1981, and taught students sustainable activities like making their own jam, farming and milking cows — often times informed by local area farmers. The center functioned as a branch of the sociology department, which Vadnais taught within during his time at the college.

Harvard University regards the Center for Resourceful Living as “one of the nation’s first interdisciplinary sustainability programs.”

“The Center for Resourceful Living was a program at the College in the ’70s and the mid-’80s,” the 2009 issue of “Beacon and Seeds,” a publication put out by the College, reveals.

“Its intention was to offer students the freedom and facilities to explore how to live in harmony with nature and to help students acquire skills, knowledge and values enabling them to become more self-reliant and self-sufficient by utilizing limited resources to their fullest potential.”

“It was right after the first gasoline crisis,” Vadnais told the publication. “I started wondering how prepared students would be to face a time of scarcity. This prompted me to look into other things, like how much energy it took to grow the food we bought at the supermarket. I was just amazed.”

According to the publication, the Center for Resourceful Living included a working farm that first presided on campus, before getting moved to Vadnais’ property in Stamford, Vt. A 1976 Berkshire Eagle article also reveals that there

VADNAIS, Page 4

SMALL BUSINESS REVOLUTION

BRistol Borough, Pa. takes home $500K Though North Adams received more votes than last year’s winner

PHOTO BY RON LEJA

Roxane Gay spoke at WIlliams College last week.

Immigration, ICE raids around the country, Affordable Care Act “repeal and replace”, and the recent resignation of Michael Flynn over his strange and illegal interactions with Russia and Vice President Pence.

“I did think a lot about language and how we got careless with the words we use.” she said.

Gay brought up Michelle Obama’s oft-repeated phrase “they go low, we go high”. However, Gay said that millions went on to “parrot” those words without quite understanding what it is they mean when saying the phrase.

Acknowledging that love doesn’t always Trump hate, Gay asked her audi-

ence to “be nasty, wear a pantsuit”, saying that the United States as a country has to get “uncomfortable”.

“There can be no purity in fighting fascism,” Gay declared, “When they go low, we have to go lower.”

Gay was referencing protests and property damage, easily writing off the idea of someone being offended by a broken window or a burnt limo as opposed to systematically oppressed groups all across the country who feel endangered. She brought up Martin Luther King, Jr., claiming that his teachings are “grossly misunderstood” by people who wish to delegitimize

WILLIAMS, Page 3

By Nick Tardive @Nick_Tardive Senior News Editor Bristol Borough, Pa. beat out North Adams and three other towns to win the Small Business Revolution competition, hosted by the Deluxe Corporation. However, North Adams got more votes than the winner of season 1, Wabash, Ind. “Despite the fact that we lost, this has been a galvanizing moment for this community,” Mayor Richard Alcombright said. “The fact that we all came together for this, working toward the same goal, means that we’re winners despite the results.”

Over 3,300 communities in New England – over 14,000 total across the country – were nominated to be participants in the second season of the Small Business Revolution. One million votes were cast with 11 million people reached via social media. North Adams became the only finalist from New

REVOLUTION, Page 2

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February 23, 2017

CAMPUS NEWS

Transfer students give feedback on MCLA policy

By Jonathan Hoel Managing Editor The rate of students transferring schools in higher education is at an all-time high. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which surveyed just short of four million college students, 37.2 percent had transferred at least once during their current undergraduate career.

This is true at MCLA, like any other college. Consider the outgoing transfers, not just as friends we have lost as a com-

munity, but also as lost revenue for the College and how their reasons for departure might be rectifiable.

“MCLA didn’t really offer any higher-level classes for foreign languages,” said Shannon Dyer, a former student who transferred last semester.

Dyer wanted to major in Spanish, so she left, transferring to Quincy College.

A former Beacon writer, Paige Pomerantz, transferred out prior to the fall 2016 semester as well.

“The main reason I left MCLA was because I wanted to pursue

a degree in the music industry, which [they] don’t offer,” Pomerantz said. “I loved the journalism program, but I think this degree program at SUNY Oneonta suits me much better. I don’t think there was anything MCLA could have done on their part; it was a great start to my college career but I wasn’t meant to do all four years there.”

James Bernard, another transfer student that left MCLA, said that they saw a general lack in sufficient mental health awareness on campus.

“The sometimes rigid unwill-

BWN SPOTLIGHT

On the edge of their seats

PHOTO BY NICK TARDIVR — SENIOR NEWS EDITOR

To see our coverage of the Small Business Revolution reveal event at MASS MoCA, please check out this week's edition of Beacon Web News, found on our YouTube page.

REVOLUTION From Page 1

England to make it to a list of eight semi-finalists, and eventually, five finalists.

The eight semi-finalists included Bristol Borough, Pa., Frostburg, Md., Georgetown, S.C., Kingsburg, Calif., Marietta, Ohio, Red Wing, Minn., Woodland Park, Colo. and North Adams.

“It’s incredible how everyone came together,” Julie Gordon, a Deluxe employee said. “Not just your community but the other four as well. It’s almost as if you started your own revolution in this town. We now understand what it means to be namazing” Kingsburg, Bristol Borough, Red Wing, Georgetown and North Adams continued on to the round of finalists, for which a one-week voting contest ended Thursday, Feb. 17. Social media played a large part in North Adams’s push to the top, as individuals were allowed to vote from every internet browser on every device that they owned. There were reports of students at MCLA using computers in the library to vote as efficiently as they could, while some employees at MASS MoCA were instructed to vote, erase their browser histories and vote again.

MASS MoCA did not return the

Beacon’s calls for comments in time for publication. People of the community from City Council President Benjamin Lamb to members of the Common Folk artist collective advertised heavily throughout the voting period, calling on the citizens of North Adams to vote as much, and as often, as possible. North Adams even saw social media pushes from famous country singer James Taylor and actress Elizabeth Banks, a Pittsfield native, to help aide the city in winning the contest.

The Small Business Revolution is a reality-show/documentary-style grant provided by Deluxe, which aims to help small business and larger financial institutions alike grow. The contest looks to showcase 100 small towns and businesses around the country via photo essays and videos as they vie to become finalists and attempt to garner enough votes to win.

As of the last day of voting, North Adams was in third place – behind Red Wing, Minn., and Bristol Borough, Pa. However, as the polls were closing there were reports that North Adams had pulled ahead of Bristol Borough to tie Red Wing for First Place, which made for an exciting tail end to the contest.

Win or lose, however, North Adams got some valuable recognition as a struggling city in desperate need of revitalization. Despite that,

members of the community are looking toward the positive aspect of the vote. The Small Business Revolution got people invested in North Adams, and brought those together who might not normally do so under the umbrella of trying to aid the city as best they can.

“Win, lose, or draw we did something amazing, and we will continue the momentum,” North Adams City Council President Ben Lamb said.

ingness of professors to work with and around these issues with their students, and even the lack of general campus support outside the limited mental health center facilities,” said Bernard on why they left.

“Last semester my roommate and I had a class together, an English class,” said one MCLA junior who wished to remain anonymous. “My roommate never went to class, the professor was always making sort-of passive aggressive remarks about attendance and failing out of school. My roommate made the

decision to transfer out because they weren’t happy with how the pass-fail status of the class was just based on attendance. She felt she could turn in terrible essays and still pass so long as she went to class, and she wanted college to be the other way around.”

In the case of Bethany Owens, she transferred to Emerson College in Boston because it was her dream school. She only ever aimed to attend MCLA for one semester.

The Beacon was not able to confirm exact statistics for the rate of transfer students leaving MCLA.

CAMPUS POLICE LOGS 2/12-2/19 Sun. Feb. 12 Murdock Hall lot.

Thur. Feb. 16 12:19p.m. – Completed wellbeing check in Berkshire 5:28a.m. – Investigated an emergency call from the Towers and referred student Center for Science and Into North Adams officials.

Refer to incident: 17-51-OF in novation.

11:42a.m. – Filed report on Public Safety log. a personal injury at 235 MerMon. Feb. 13 rill Road. Refer to incident: 4:31a.m. – Investigated a disturbance on campus. Refer 17-57-OF in Public Safety log.

Fri. Feb. 17 to incident: 17-52-OF in 10:49p.m. – Filed report Public Safety log. on a motor vehicle accident 5:43p.m. – Closed case on on Highland Ave. Refer to lost or found property in the incident: 17-59-OF 17-897 in Flagg Townhouse ApartPublic Safety log. ments.

11:06p.m. – Responded to Tue. Feb. 14 a complaint from the Alumni 6:44p.m. – Filed report on and Advancement Office. a supervisory alarm from the Refer To Incident: 17-56-OF I Flagg Townhouse ApartPublic Safety log. ments. Refer to incident: Sat. Feb. 18 17-53-OF 17-826 in Public 8:52a.m. – Responded Safety log. to a medical call from the Wed. Feb. 15

8:44p.m. – Responded to an emergency call from the Bond Street callbox.

9:07p.m. – Filed report on a pedestrian accident on East Main Street. Refer to incident: 17-55-OF in Public Safety log.

11:16p.m. – Closed case on a safety hazard in the

Public Safety office. Refer to incident: 17-60-OF in Public Safety log.

Sun. Feb. 19

1:37a.m. – Responded to a report of disturbing the peace on campus.

11:28a.m. – Assisted North Adams Police on Blackinton Street. Refer to incident: 1763-OF in Public Safety log.

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CAMPUS NEWS

February 23, 2017

3

MassPIRG launches 100 percent renewable energy campaign

By Mitchell Chapman @mitchapman Editor-in-Chief MCLA’s chapter of MassPIRG, the Massachusetts branch of the Public Interest Research Group, revealed last Friday that it is running a 100 percent renewable energy campaign this semester, to be led by Alex Stewart.

“Colleges and universities can lead the nation’s efforts to transition to 100 percent renewable energy to address our largest environmental challenges,” Stewart said in a provided

statement. “Renewable energy makes our campus communities safer and healthier and helps end our reliance on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels.”

State-wide, MassPIRG as an organization has already gotten 180 faculty members and 5,500 students to stand with them on clean energy.

“As significant users of energy, colleges and universities can make a big difference by transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy,” MCLA Campus Organizer Mathias Burner said.

“Additionally, as influential institutions in our communities their actions can set an example

in hundreds of communities across America.”

According to Business Insider, only three cities in the U.S. run off of renewable energy: Greensburg, Kan., Burlington Vt., and Aspen, Colo., with Georgetown, Texas, expected to join them this year.

As such, MassPIRG is looking for North Adams to commit to 100 percent renewable energy. Currently, city buildings, street lights, as well as the skating rink are powered by a 3.5 megawatt solar array built in a capped landfill, supplemented by two 650 kilowatt systems, which are expected to save tax-

Student property stolen from campus center pool

BEACON FILE PHOTO Unguarded items at the Campus Center pool are prime targets for thieves.

Students should report suspicious activity to public safety

By Reagan Smith Staff Writer Student property was stolen from the Amsler Campus Center pool area on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

Public Safety received a call reporting the incident late Wednesday night and it was filed in the Campus Police log under the case number 17-45-OF. MCLA is not responsible for the theft or loss of student property on campus, although Police Chief Dan Colonno did confirm that Public Safety is looking into this particular occurrence.

It’s important for students and fac-

WILLIAMS From Page 1

protests for the sole reason of their violence.

One of Gay’s main examples of this was the comparison between Black Lives Matter and the Women’s March – the latter of which was praised as an “ideal” non-violent protest. However, she pointed out that no arrests were made because police simply refused to arrest people. With Black Lives Matter, the issue of protest itself being inherently racial made it easy for people to write off such protests as “violent riots” lacking merit.

For some time, Gay went on to speak about her experiences as a recently tenured Professor of English at Purdue University in Indiana – including a topical conversation regarding on campus diversity and diversity task forces that was un-

ulty to remember to keep their valuables safe from any misplacement, destruction or theft. MCLA’s student handbook states that if a student takes property or uses services without permission and/or is in possession of stolen property, the student is in violation of College policy.

However, the Amsler Campus Center pool is open to the public during certain hours Sunday through Thursday. During open swim and family swim hours, all students and faculty are welcomed to swim with the North Adams community.

Lockers are available in the Campus Center pool locker rooms, and students are advised to utilize them

to ensure the safety of personal items.

The theft or loss of keys, I.D cards or other belongings should be immediately reported to Residential Programs & Services (RPS) or Public Safety.

To report any and all suspicious activity, MCLA community members should call Public Safety at 413.662.5283 or use the extension 5283 from any campus phone.

Students can also download the Guardian App, which allows them to submit as little or as much information about themselves. The app only reveals the students location when permitted, and has several features that further ensure campus safety.

apologetically against initiatives like that. Gay admitted frustration when asked to discuss diversity, as she said it was a way to “teach white people stuff that is pretty easy to understand”.

“I am tired of talking about diversity,” Gay said, “The word is so overused it is meaningless. We talk about it, talk about it and talk about it and nothing ever gets done. Talking about diversity is not a solution – it’s a distraction.”

The one panel Gay advised people to sit on were hiring committees, as she explained that those were the only real way for a person of color or of a marginalized identity could enact change on their own campus.

Any other task force or committee or panel was not a matter of actually building diversity on campus, but of making a show of it by adding token members of the community to those same groups – an issue some at MCLA have already voiced displeasure with before.

The question and answer portion of the night ran a little long, with people popping up to ask questions ranging from Milo Yiannopoulos and black bloc protesters, to matters of understanding and empathizing with the other side while still maintaining the ability to call them out when they’re wrong, to the role of student activism in schools. To the last question she responded about Yale changing the name of Calhoun College, as John C. Calhoun is a revered politician in this country and an infamous slave owner. Gay went on to quip that “Yale was a slave owner too” and offered up a reticent, sarcastic, “so…yay for change”.

During the talk, Gay admitted that she does not know what the good “fight” looks like, but that she is always on the hunt.

“I have to fight, but I don’t know what that fight looks like yet.” she said.

payers $400,000 a year.

But it could go farther, such as Burlington, Vt. (the first sizable U.S. city to go 100 percent renewable), whose publicly-owned utility, Burlington Electric Department (BED), commits to be “a leader in sustainability by producing power that is as clean and as locally produced as possible” and claims to “treat the environment with the utmost respect,” influencing “decisions and public policy that enhance environmental quality, the use of renewable resources, and the sustainability of Burlington.”

Burlington runs off of a combi-

nation of renewable resources, such as biomass, hydroelectric, solar and wind, and has a population of 42,000 people.

“We are calling for commitments to 100 percent renewable energy and the good news is that 100 percent renewable energy is 100 percent possible,” Stewart said. “We are excited to work with the campus administration to move toward a clean and renewable future.”

Interested students can contact Mathias Burner at 631-3160322 or reach him at mburner@ masspirgstudents.org.

Trump cannot be allowed to continue his escapist fantasies I watched a recordAnd as President of ing of Donald Trump the United States, he has preaching to his choir to be forced into giving of ignorance and up these rallies. He hate, calling out to should not be allowed Orange County, Fla. to do much of what He was lying, as he has already done, Nick Tardive or tried to do, in the he always does. The words spilled out of I Hate This infancy of his adminishis mouth with the tration. confidence of a highly He certainly must not literate fourth grader, as they be allowed to continue the pracalways do. tice of his rallies. Trump must These rallies are his element. be told that he is not campaignDonald Trump hates being ing any longer. The president President. He loves campaigning is already taking vacations for President. He’s not meant to and golfing his little heart out, lead, he’s meant to pretend to be despite him having called out a great leader.

Barack Obama for eight years Donald Trump, President of for doing the exact same thing. the United States of America, Escaping reality is not somestood up on stage and prothing he should have been claimed that Sweden’s wideallowed to do in the first place. scale acceptance of migrants Now that he somehow finagled into their country had led to a the presidency away from an horrific rise in murders in the actual, qualified candidate, country.

Trump has to be told no. By Orange County, Fla., had 167 everybody. murders in 2016. Sweden had Get away from that stupid po100, according to The Independium. Put down that damn nine dent, a United Kingdom-based iron. Put your ass in the chair newspaper. of the Oval Office and do some This is the third fantasized work. It’ll probably be illegal, uptick in terrorist activity the and oppressive.

Trump administration has But we can fight that. That is pushed along in this month. an objective reality that we can From Kellyanne Conway’s non- point to and say, “This is all existent Bowling Green Maswrong”. sacre, to Sean Spicer’s imagined Trump’s fantasy world, built Atlanta attack, and now the rise upon rallies and Kellyanne in murders in Sweden attributConway’s tears of stress, must able to the falsehoods of Our be toppled to the ground.

Supreme Leader Mr. President We do what we did to Betsy CEO Donald Trump.

DeVos. We block the President A poll released by Public of the United States from enterPolicy Polling reported that, out ing every single building where of 712 Donald Trump voters, 51 his rallies will be held. We lay percent of respondents agreed down on his private golf courses that the Bowling Green Masand wait to get run over. sacre justified Trump’s blatantly Stop him from living the lie illegal and unnecessary executhat put him in power. Force tive order on immigration. him to live the reality that his Trump’s rallies are an exercise feeble brain and tiny fingers in escapism. Trump’s rallies cannot fully grasp. are an exercise in post-truth Because otherwise, he’ll keep politics. Trump’s rallies are an winning, and everybody (even exercise in bullshit. his voters) will keep losing.

4

February 23, 2017

CAMPUS NEWS

ECHOES FROM 1979

HOW THE BEACON NEWSPAPER GOT ITS NAME Editor’s Note: The following is an editorial that appeared in the original 1979 edition of The Beacon. The paper had been recently renamed from The Seed.

We’re moving towards a new decade. Many changes are bound to take place as new generations grow up and new methods are put to use.

It is nearing time to say goodbye to the turmoil-ridden 70s with their memories and the anguish that they have brought to some people.

It is also time to say goodbye to the breed of newspaper that was prevalent in the Watergate-inflicted times. Here at North Adams State College, it is time to say goodbye to The Seed.

In the 80s, the U.S. can look toward continued peace, renewed faith in government and a freshness of ideas and attitudes. The 80s will be a time in which all our past mistakes may be erased and new learning experiences based on our mistakes can shine through.

The Seed’s new name, The Beacon, will be one small attempt to undo some mistakes that were made in the past and to get a fresh start start on the year with a new name and a new set of goals and inspiration.

At the time of our selection, we had no idea that the newspaper had in fact once been The Beacon. The name was picked to signify a closeness with the Berkshires, after all,

what did The Seed really mean and what significance did it have with the North Adams/Berkshires area?

The only connotations carried by the name “The Seed” were negative; a seed, seedy, the obvious sexual connotation, drugs and it generally sounded unprofessional.

The Beacon staff hopes that the name and logo, which is also the symbol of the college, will stand for the light that this college reflects on the community.

According to Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, a beacon is a monumental indication of often serving as a source of light and inspiration. This definition, combined with the aspect of the Greylock Tower, help bring the

paper closer to the campus. The Beacon will strive for excellence and will and will try to be a voice of and for the students at NASC. We might not always be errorfree, but we may serve as the thorn in the lion’s paw and actually stir the emotions of the campus and inspire them to write out about things that students feel are not fair and are injurious to good public policy.

The Greylock Towers stands atop the highest peak in the Berkshires, on Mount Greylock. It was built as a memorial to war veterans in the 1920s. From it, a beacon casts its light over the smaller mountains, to warn air traffic and to herald followers to make their way to a higher level of the mountains. The

tower also serves as one of the greatest tourist attractions in the Berkshire area, and from it can be seen the most beautiful foliage in the fall months.

Our decision to rename the paper was not a rash or hasty one.

A name change had, in fact, been pondered by many former staffs of the paper. The present staff chose a name because of several moraledefeating occurances. It is hoped that The Beacon can stir up some motivation and add some interest to its Monday night layout sessions.

It is, in a sense, something to call our own.

From the entire staff to the campus community, we are proud to introduce The Beacon.

Where journalism currently stands in Trump’s America Journalism has been called the fourth estate, or the fourth branch of government, mainly to describe how it functions as an outside entity in regards to government and the community, and as such functions by its own set of rules and standards.

However, with the increased uncertainty of this field, the function of the fourth estate has been undermined, especially since the election. Established outlets such as CNN, Mother Jones, and the Wall Street Journal have undermined their credibility by breaking ethical standards.

To be clear, these ethical breaks have been few and far in between, but the doubt they create within the general public is near-irreparable.

For instance, when the Wall Street

POETRY From Page 1

from the Black Student Union, Latin American Society and the Queer Student Union, among others, were held.

Thoughts and feelings were not only taken from one side of the political spectrum but also the opposing point of view, along with those who do not identify with the popular parties and from people with unique experiences.

“This is how I’m feeling and how many other people are feeling,” Bradley explained. “We have to address uncomfortableness. We’re all tired; everyone can voice their opinion, but people are dismissing the

VADNAIS From Page 1

were plans to buy a farm in Clarksburg.

“In most classes, you learn material, and then later you are tested on that material,” Vadnais said.

“The Center for Resourceful Living was quite the opposite. We’d be faced with a test—a bunch of sick piglets, or a crop of tomatoes that was withering—and then we’d have to learn, right then and there, what was happening and how to respond. We could see the immediate meaning and necessity of

Journal published an article falsely accusing the most subscribed YouTuber, Felix Kjellberg, of anti-Semitic views, they chose to cut ties with his Mitchell fans, the largest Chapman demographic on that site. The JourFrom the nal’s claims came in Editor the form of taking Kjellberg’s jokes out of context, which does no good as the original videos are on the internet for eternity, available for anyone who wishes to watch them.

You can’t lie on the internet and get away with it for long. This goes doubly-true for journalists, as

there are specific watchdog groups established to check the accuracy in the news. A modern consumer of news is also routinely conditioned to falsehoods in the form of opinion and fake news articles being thrown at them, so fact checking has become a must. Whenever something sounds fishy to a modern media consumer, the correct answers are a Google search away.

Perhaps the media was never as ethical as we thought it was, but in this era of instant information and unstable economics in this field, bias and falsehoods have only become more blatant, which is a shame. Most major news companies do great reporting the majority of the time, but it will always be that time when CNN manipulated poll data or that time The New York

truth of others. It’s disgusting.”

Kelly, who politically identifies as a Libertarian, explained how he felt out of place being on a different side of the political spectrum, and how many students were quick to dismiss him for his decision to vote for the libertarian party nominee Gary Johnson.

“People are listening to respond,” he said, “and it’s bringing people apart instead of bringing people together.”

Newby said she had been listening to different points of views and found that more people are not as open to having conversations.

She hopes that with a medium like theater, it can help bring more people together to address some of the largest of issues in our society.

“I feel like people want to dismiss this society as being postracial when it’s not,” Bradley said.

“My main frustration is that people aren’t acknowledging experiences; people are being dismissed and not being represented…just because it isn’t happening to you, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. We need to learn how to have conversations.”

Much like Newby, Shedd also finds there to be power in theater, as it does not exclude people, or it usually doesn’t drive people away just by a title.

“Theater is one of the best platforms,” Shedd said. “You don’t have to put something off by titles, it’s all inclusive. Everything caters to everyone.”

what we were learning. This was wholly different from traditional education, and students just threw themselves into it. I think it helped build character, responsibility and accountability.”

Despite being an innovation of North Adams State, the center was “never mainstream,” and its membership was small up until its closure in 1981.

“When I look at the photos now, I can see how others saw us,” Vadnais said. “We were countercultural all the way. But that’s how it was at the time; if you were an environmentalist, if you talked about scarcity in an era of cheap

gasoline, people thought you were crazy. It just wasn’t how most people thought.”

Legacy

In the fall of 2004, the college established the Vadnais Lecture Series, which was named after him and his wife, Elizabeth. In the fall 2015 semester, Vadnais’ son, Andrew, was the Vadnais speaker.

“What will happen when cheap, available energy runs out? Can democracy exist amidst scarcity?

Can human problems be solved with logic?”

According to Andrew, these were questions his father asked his

Times published a biased article that their audience will remember.

These establishments have been around for a long time, and have built up their reputations, so the general public does not blink when they produce great work, but it is newsworthy when they break their standards.

Of course, these incidents have been overblown by Donald Trump, his fake news, and pushing of “alternative facts,” and the media have only have themselves to blame.

They gave him foothold from which he has used to tear a hole open in people’s perceptions of the media.

The very business model of journalism have given Trump the power that he has, giving him mountains of free media, while ignoring more qualified, but less brash candidates,

such as John Kasich or Jeb Bush.

Trump has noticed mainstream media’s slow return to tabloid journalism, with their big, shout-y headlines, and obsession with what is popular rather than what the public needs to hear.

He also knows that even before this election, people didn’t trust the media. In 2014, Pew Research found that 54 percent of people trust CNN, 50 percent trust ABC, 50 percent NBC, and the figures spiral down from there.

Audience trust is key to a functioning press, and mainstream media has a long way to go in terms of earning back that relationship, for without a functioning fourth estate, reality itself will be up for debate.

PHOTO BY ZACH BENJAMIN— WEB EDITOR

Protesters get ready before the event. classes at North Adams State. Andrew’s curriculum is based heavily off of his father’s.

“Everything is energy vibrations,” Andrew Vadnais said in his lecture. “Once you send out a thought, that thought goes out there, and that thought-energy frequency attracts similar frequency and pulls it together.”

“I believe that my brother is building on what my father was trying to do, but that he’s offering education in a different manner, and I think it resonates with students,” Chris Vadnais, Andrew’s brother said at the event. According to Chris, like his father, An-

drew recognizes that “something is missing from the education system.”

The Vadnais Lecture series is still going strong, with no sign of slowing down. This year’s speaker was Monadnock Institute of Nature Director John Harris, who recounted his journey of retreading that of Edwin Way Teale, as recounted in his seminal work “North With the Spring.” The series is supported by the Vadnais Endowment.

Lawrence Vadnais is survived by his wife of 66 years, Elizabeth, as well as his four children: Martha, Andrew, Christopher and Katie.

FEATURES

NEW SAC ADVISER

Alumni named Coordinator of Campus Center

By Emily Gabert eg3887@mcla.edu Features Editor

Only a semester ago, Nathan Gutmann was nearing the end of his journey at MCLA. Like many other students, he was unsure of what was to come after graduation. Gutmann applied for a few jobs, hoping to get any position that was offered to him.

After applying for a position recommended to him by his mother, Gutmann found that his journey at the College wasn’t over just yet, as he got a job as the coordinator of the Amsler Campus Center and event management.

The previous coordinator, Michael Obasohon, left the position after filling the recently vacated job as the director of the Multicultural Center.

“The main priority of my job is anytime that someone needs a room scheduled or booked, they come through me,” Gutmann explained.

“I also am in charge of the information booth in the market place. I’m the supervisor of [12 employees] and I also am an advisor to SAC. It’s a couple of hats, but it’s doable and maintainable.”

Gutmann has so far found his transition from student to faculty to be the most fun and interesting aspect of taking the job. Many of his friends, who are still currently attending MCLA as students, find it weird to see him in his position.

He enjoys getting to see the behind the scenes of putting together an event. As a student, he was always interested in how they planned and put things together, and now as a faculty member he enjoys being in the loop

of things going on around campus.

Gutmann enjoys seeing how appreciative students are of the work.

As an adviser to SAC, he helps the students involved plan events. Gutmann stands back and watches what they do, while offering advice or helping the students keep on schedule of when forms need to be handed in.

“Sometimes we’re like the parents,” Gutmann explained, “and we say ‘okay, you gotta get your forms in, there’s a deadline to everything.’”

Gutmann’s position is currently just an interim job. He explained that he will not find out until the end of this academic school year as to whether or not the job will become permanent. Student Development oversees the spot and will make a decision on whether or not it is needed.

Right now, Gutmann says he is pleased with the position and is just taking life as it comes by. He said he enjoys the job so much, he even wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life doing it. Gutmann enjoys how busy the job keeps him, as he has had experiences with jobs where he would finish his day’s work quickly.

“I was a little nervous when I first started workiing with the EMS scheduling system, I wasn’t familiar with it at all,” Gutmann recalled. “But the best way to learn is to get thrown into it, and I picked it up within a day. All the nerves went away after I realized the program wasn’t as difficult as I thought.”

As a student, Gutmann played both golf and baseball. He also served as an orientation leader, supervised intramural sports and even helped

PHOTO COURTESY OF NATHAN GUTMANN When Gutmann isn’t at work, he helps referee high school basketball.

out with some admission events in his hometown of Adams. As a faculty member, he would like to one day help the men’s golf team during the spring season. Gutmann’s longterm career goal is to be an athletic director. As a student, he majored in business administration with a concentration in sport’s management.

Gutmann also did a study away pro-

gram at the University of Tennessee Martin.

“Just like it is with everyone else graduating college, it’s figuring out how to get from point A to point B,” Gutmann said.

When Gutmann isn’t at work, he helps referee high school basketball, and is involved with the staff intramural volleyball team.

North Adams Celebrates 20th Annual Winterfest

By Ron Leja

rl2670@mcla.edu Deputy Features and A&E Editor Friends and family lined Main Street last Saturday for the city of North Adam’s 20th annual Winterfest Celebration. The conditions for this year’s event couldn’t have been more ideal.

After two significant snow storms dropped almost two feet of snow across the region and a string of some bitterly cold days in the week prior, event goers were treated to 45 degree weather, blue skies, heaps of snow and several winter themed activities to enjoy.

Winterfest is typically a day-long event that takes place primarily on Main Street, but has been known for branching out in to other areas of the North Adam’s community.

This year, the Peter W. Foote Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink offered free access to the public, as well as free rental skates as part of this year’s festivities. Sledding, snowshoe hikes and a community bonfire also took place at Windsor Lake the following Sunday.

Several activities have become staples of Winterfest over the past 20 years, and continue to be well received favorites of the community. Local business owners and artists alike took part in the annual ice sculpting competition, each using a collection of power tools to transform blocks of ice in to festive, artistic displays.

Erik Kerns, Co-Owner of the Bright Ideas Brewery on the grounds of Mass MoCA, was unsure of what exactly he would create.

“It hasn’t come to me yet,” Kerns said at the time. “It’s all part of the creative process though. As I work on the block it’ll come to me.”

By the end of the day, Kerns had sculpted a giant pint glass from his block of ice. Bob and Michael St. Pierre, a local brother team, along with their friend Josh Choquette, used their knowledge of tools to create an alligator, which they later dyed green.

City Council President Ben Lamb even joined in on the fun. Sponsored by the Empire Café, Lamb created a North Adams inspired snowglobe. With a happy demeanor and plenty of enthusiasm, he expressed why he always enjoys Winterfest.

“I think it’s great that despite the weather, no matter the case, Winterfest brings the community together,” Lamb explained cheerily. “It gives us all a chance to enjoy the outdoors, get to know our friends and neighbors and have some fun.”

The annual corn-chowder cook off also took off in full swing. Sponsored by the Pop Cares foundation of North Adams, six local restaurants whipped up their own rendition of the hearty, chill reducing soup. Each contained a blend of ingredients all their own, helping to make the chowder-tasting experience a

PHOTO BY RON LEJA Michael St. Pierre begins to cut a block of ice during the ice sculpture competition.

notable recommendation for future attendees.

The second annual Winterfest Farmer’s Market was also hosted on the corner of 66 main street. Inside, several booths and tables were set up, each featuring local treats and arts and crafts projects, offering something for everyone. Sous vide poached duck eggs, Hoppy Valley beer mustard, and bottles of locally crafted and aged wine were

among just some of the products up for grabs.

At the heart of it all, Winterfest is a close knit event meant to give the general public something to look forward too after trudging through the winter season. It may not be extravagant, nor all that exciting, but it is a celebration of the life we all endure while living in the Berkshires, and a showcasing of our various abilities and craftsmanship.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Ubisoft's "For Honor" a bloody good time

By Ron Leja rl2670@mcla.edu Deputy Features and A&E Editor It goes without question that many facets of our society are driven by competition.

Whether witnessing it from the comfort of our homes or engaging in it ourselves, competing with one another is ingrained in multiple areas of our day to day lives.

As humans, we not only love to exhibit prowess, but to win. Whether on our own or as part of a team, we hold victory in high regard. Generally, we compete not for fame, not for glory, but for honor.

World renowned video game publisher Ubisoft released their much anticipated, competitive, third-person action fighting game “For Honor,” last Tuesday. “For Honor” places players in the battle weathered armor of some of history’s most formidable warrior classes and pits them against each other in armed combat, either in one on one scenarios or teams of two.

By attacking, guarding, and breaking through their opponents defenses, players whittle away at each others life bars using a series of combos and skills that are unique to each character. Large, heavy characters like the Shugoki are slow, but capable of dishing out large amounts of damage in a single hit. The Berserker, on the other hand, are able to chain together quick attacks in succession. However, they need to parry incoming attacks right before being hit in order to effectively block.

The winner is rewarded in a number of ways, but the most exhilarating and enjoyable is that of the execution. Win, and a player is given the option to end his opponent in a display of brutality. Lose,

and the player is made to watch their character beheaded, impaled, crushed or bludgeoned.

The combat system boils down to a complex combination of juggling between attacks and defense.

Players use the right stick to switch between three defensive stances.

From those stances, various combos and moves can be administered in an attempt to break through their opponents own defense, often requiring the player to switch between stances mid-attack.

The learning curve is steep, but all the more rewarding once mastered.

The Meta game that makes up much of the online component of “For Honor” is also relatively complicated at first, but interesting and fun nonetheless.

Upon running “For Honor” for the first time, players are given the option to join one of three warring factions: the ever valiant Knights, the barbaric Vikings, or the mysterious and revered Samurai. Each faction is made up of four characters, each

dist inc t

in their appearance, play style and skill sets.

Another six characters are currently planned for future release.

Selecting a faction places a player on that respective team, but does not bar them from playing characters across each of the groups.

Instead, each player works at gaining points for their given team. Points come in the form of war assets, which can be distributed among different regions across a world map.

Each region is owned by whichever faction has the most points placed in the region itself.

Based on which team has the most war assets in each area ultimately determines which faction owns each region. The regions are updated every six hours. The game is then further broken down into seasons, and rewards are administered to each faction based on which team owns the majority of the map at the end of each season. In its entirety, the game plays out like an action-packed

version of the popular board game Risk.

Predominately a multiplayer experience, “For Honor” does include a single player campaign mode to help new players associate themselves with the games somewhat steep learning curve. The combat in “For Honor” is very much its own, and unlike anything that gamers have experienced until now. As such, mastering each character is no easy task, and could easily require several hours of play across each in order to feel efficient with each of them.

Players will also gather numerous equitable items to fit each character with, allowing them to make each character feel like their own creation. Items range from different sets of armor to weapon components, each with their own set of stats that both strengthen and weaken elements of how a particular character plays. For example, a particular helmet may increase a characters stamina, but lower their defensive capabilities.

“For Honor” is unique in its delivery, but the game isn’t without its drawbacks. The game is visually appealing, however the amount of content offered doesn’t seem to justify the current $60 price tag. The campaign suffers from poor voice acting and a sub-par story that is neither engaging nor very interesting, and the maps, while gorgeous, aren’t very diverse. With a slew of triple A titles such as “Mass Effect: Andromeda” and “Persona 5” right around the corner, it is possible that this game be put on the back burner for most within the next few months.

Regardless, “For Honor” is worth checking out simply for the fact that there is nothing quite like it currently on the marker. “For Honor” is currently available on the Xbox One, Playstation 4 and PC.

Mark Kozelek goes pound-for-pound yet again

By Jon Hoel Co-Managing Editor

For 25 years, Mark Kozelek has been raising, often capping the bar in whatever facet of music he is working in at the time. If you haven’t listened to his music, you are doing yourself a great disservice.

Kozelek’s career began with the dreamy slowcore San Francisco band Red House Painters in the late ‘80s. They released six superb records, most notably “Down Colorful Hill” and “Rollercoaster,” both of which were criminally unavailable for a number of years following the band’s popularity in the ‘90s.

Red House Painters dissolved in the early 2000s and from its ashes came Sun Kil Moon, Kozelek’s new band, with pretty much the same lineup.

From 2003 Kozelek would begin an aggressive and rewarding studio and touring effort, touring constantly all over the world and becoming radically prolific for a complex instrumentalist and songwriter—he has released seven studio albums under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, three solo albums, as well as a collaborative album with metal band Jesu, an album with Jimmy LaValle of The Album Leaf, one with the indie band

PHOTO FROM PITCHFORK.COM Desertshore, and an album of poetry with Argentinian actor Nicolás Pauls.

This Friday will see the release of the eighth Sun Kil Moon album, entitled “Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys Of Blood,” his longest album ever at 130 minutes.

Kozelek, at his start, wrote dreamy, often dreary and wistful love songs on the Red House Painters records. As his

career lengthened, he began to experiment writing more prosaically.

The clear turning point for him came with two records, “Perils From the Sea” and the seminal 2014 album “Benji” where his poetic prose lyrics and masterful instrumentation was matched with an emotionality he had not quite reached before. As Ian Cohen wrote— rather pointedly--“Benji” is an album where everybody dies.

It’s an album about death.

The new album, “Common as Light and Love” continues in the “Benji” tradition— Kozelek is a master of tone and nostalgia; he can even sentimentalize something as ubiquitous as thinking about eating Domino’s Pizza and weld it into something powerful. This is all entirely evident from the opening moments of the first track “God Bless Ohio”

Kozelek doesn’t waste time for a second here. In the song “Lone Star” he chastises North Carolinians, here dubbed rednecks/hillbillies, for their absurd anti-transgender bathroom restrictions. He blames the rise of Trumpian politics on the ignorance of the internet age and correctly predicts a Trump win, (the record was recorded and mixed before last November).

Thematically the record also touches on the alleged Richard Ramirez victim Elisa Lam, a former roadie-friend of Mark’s named Butch, and the renewal of Mark’s faith in millennials, after a successful concert at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville New York, which he sings about rather plainly in the song “Sarah Lawrence College Song”.

All of the instruments on the album were played by Kozelek, aside from the drum tracks, which were recorded

by Steve Shelley formerly of the band Sonic Youth.

“Common As Light And Love Are Red Valleys of Blood” can be streamed at sunkilmoon.com right now, but will be officially released on Feb. 24, 2017.

Kozelek’s next album, another collaboration with Jesu, “30 Seconds To The Decline Of Planet Earth” will be released on June 1.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

February 23, 2017

7

Former student IZZY heltai releases new album

PHOTO FROM DJBOOTH.NET

British producer Paul White with his frequent collaborator, Atlanta rap artist Danny Brown.

the modern producer: paul white’s “accelerator”

By Chris Riemer A&E Editor For a long time, record production was kind of a thankless job: you’d spend hours upon hours intricately tweaking a bunch of tracks, which had been thrown together in a few takes by an egotistical musician, and receive none of the credit even if the album blew up. Some rare producers like Phil Spector and Rick Rubin have broken through into the mainstream as a result of their public antics and/or high-profile projects, but it’s only with the relatively recent advancements in electronic music production that “producer” has become less of a background term. Nowadays, the producer of a track often creates many of the instrumentals from scratch, basically building the entire thing around a vocal track provided by another artist.

In hip-hop specifically, producers are beginning to get their due. One you’ll want to look out for in the near future is Paul White, who was behind almost all the tracks on Danny Brown’s highly acclaimed album Atrocity Exhibition (2016).

Having also worked with artists like Yasiin Bey and Open Mike Eagle, White is beginning to earn a reputation as a producer of

thick, grimy beats for big-name rappers. Interestingly, he also did a track for Charli XCX, who, love her or hate her, certainly knows how to pick producers— Rostam Batmanglij and Sophie have both worked for her.

On the heels of Atrocity Exhibition, White has released Accelerator, a brand new EP with collaborator Danny Brown, consisting of two songs and their instrumentals. The first track (the titular one) is an unstoppable barrage of thick toms and snares with Brown’s rapid-fire vocals riding through thick layers of vintage synths. If there’s any criticism to be given, it’s that the song sounds like an Atrocity Exhibition b-side. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.

Although “Accelerator” was my favorite, fans are responding more to the other track, “Lion’s Den.” The beat slower and spaced-out, utilizing more minor chords, and features throughout a vocal sample in (I think) French. It’s a bit different from one of Brown’s typical instrumentals, but the lyrics could come from no one else.

Brown views his experiences growing up in Detroit as parallel to the biblical story of Daniel in the lion’s den. It seems like the bleakness he developed

throughout his early career, and perfected on Atrocity Exhibition, will be showing up in future: “That voice in my head said have another round Couple lines of coke got me feeling right now I might lose it all, I keep on down this road Seen too many fall, but this is all I know.”

All great producers have their idiosyncrasies, and White might not be your style. Whether you enjoy Accelerator or not, I also highly recommend Flume’s new EP, the second companion release to his Grammy-winning 2016 album Skin. As a fan of both Pusha T and Moses Sumney, I was thrilled to hear their sonic contributions to this incredible release: the stuttering trap banger “Enough,” one of a growing number of brilliant Pusha T tracks where he basically raps over a single skull-rattling bass note (“Numbers On The Board” and H.G.T.V. being other prime examples), and the more downtempo, moody, echoing instrumental of “Weekend,” perfectly complementing Sumney’s incredible voice and not dissimilar to his own recent solo work.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS HANTMAN

By Emma Monahan A&E Writer In Izzy Heltai’s recently released five-song album “Izzy Heltai and Secret Creature,” the MCLA student is able to showcase his original songs, as well as an original arrangement of a traditional song, in the acoustic/indie genre that he plays. Although, according to his Facebook page, “sad” seems more fitting.

In the opening track, “San Francisco Bay,” you’re hit with harmonies automatically. The song is a perfect starter for this album, with lyrics that are relatable for everyone listening. A part of the song goes, “I will see you when the sun sets in the west, when I close my eyes.”

Heltai is accompanied by Matt and Tim Shiebler.

Also featured on the album is Mike Vogt, who plays the mandolin on the opening track, as well as track four, “I Think I Get It.” The mandolin is a nice accompaniment to the lyrics Heltai has written, as well as pairing well with his voice and the music as a whole.

“Down To The River” is another example of Heltai

and Shiebler’s harmonies together. The first 40 seconds of the song are stripped down bare, just vocals. The song then moves into an acoustic guitar solo. Heltai’s vocals fit well with the song, picking up about halfway through. The song is a classic indie tune, with some hints of twain, like an old fashioned country song.

Heltai’s music is very similar to bands like The Avett Brothers, Fleet Foxes, and The Lumineers. Heltai’s voice is reminiscent of artist Jake Bugg’s, with its rustic appeal and calming harmonies. “Dig My Own Grave” showcases just that, a song that is beautifully written, telling a story woven neatly through. Part of the lyrics go, “So I will go and find my way/and down this road I dig my own grave/ and when I die the words she will say/if home is where the heart is then my heart stopped beating today.”

“Folk tunes, good 4 your soul,” Heltai’s Facebook describes, and it’s an accurate description.

Heltai’s music is what you want to play on a rainy day, as the music just makes you feel good.

1960s proto-punks The shaggs reunite for wilco’s solid sound festival

By National Public Radio wire service A 1960s cult favorite is back: The Shaggs are going to be performing in June at Wilco’s Solid Sound Festival in North Adams, Massachusetts.

The Shaggs were a sister act from rural New Hamshire founded in 1968, featuring Dorothy “Dot” Wiggin on vocals and lead guitar, Betty Wiggin on vocals and rhythm guitar and Helen Wiggin on drums; they were later joined by their sister Rachel on bass.

The group came together in 1968 at the insistence of their father, Austin Wiggin, who claimed his mother had foretold that someday he would have daughters who would have a band.

To fulfill his vision, Austin prevented the girls from going to school, kept them from making friends outside the family, and — perhaps counterintuitively — wouldn’t allow them to listen to

music, as the sisters told BBC 4 interviewer Jon Ronson in 2011.

To make his dreams come true, Austin made them practice day and night and staged weekly shows for them in their small town of Fremont, New Hampshire. The Shaggs’ lyricist was sister Dot, who wrote about situations like looking for her missing cat, Foot Foot.

Eventually, in 1969, Austin Wiggin paid for The Shaggs to record an album that became an outsider classic: Philosophy of the World. Of the 1000 LPs pressed, 900 were said to have been stolen by the album’s producer, though that is unsubstantiated. Perhaps unsuprisingly, the Shaggs stopped performing publicly after their father’s death in 1975.

Those remaining 100 copies of Philosophy of the World — and the sisters’ thoroughly off-kilter, atonal, and arrhythmic songs — became legendary. They were hailed as proto-punk pioneers.

The Shaggs fans included Frank Zappa, who is often quoted

as having called them “better than The Beatles” (a possibly apocryphal claim that gave the name to an alt-rock Shaggs tribute album) as well as members of the band NRBQ, including pianist Terry Adams. NRBQ asked The Shaggs for permission to reissue songs from their professional and home recording sessions and to make Philosophy of the World commercially available again, and resulted in Red Rooster/Rounder reissuing the album in 1980.

Shortly after that reissue, critic Lester Bangs wrote about The Shaggs in The Village Voice: “They recorded an album up in New England that can stand, I think, easily with Beatles ‘65, Life with the Lions, Blonde on Blonde, and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks as one of the landmarks of roll’n’roll [sic] history ... They can’t play a lick! But mainly they got the right attitude, which is all rock’n’roll’s ever been about from day one.”

Interest in the Wiggin sisters has continued to percolate over the ensuing decades. In 1999, the

PHOTO FROM PITCHFORK.COM label RCA Victor re-re-released Philosophy of the World; later that year, the New Yorker writer Susan Orlean profiled the trio in a feature that began: “Depending on whom you ask, the Shaggs were either the best band of all time or the worst ... Such a divergence of opinion confuses the mind. Listening to the Shaggs’ album Philosophy of the World will further confound.” A shortlived, off-Broadway musical about their life was produced in 2011.

The last time that The Shaggs have played together publicly may have been in 1999, at an

NRBQ 30th anniversary show.

Dot Wiggin released a solo album Ready! Set! Go! in 2013.

The Solid Sound Festival is curated by the band Wilco, and takes place on the grounds of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA). This year’s Solid Sound headliners include Television, Kurt Vile and the Robert Glasper Experiment as well as Wilco.

The Shaggs’ booking at Solid Sound was earlier reported by Consequence of Sound.

SPORTS

Hotaling hits 1000!

By Brady Gerow @MCLABeaconSport Sports Editor MCLA senior Kayla Hotaling was able to cement herself in Trailblazer history, surpassing the 1,000 point mark in the team’s 80-48 victory over the Southern Vermont College Mountaineers on Wednesday, Feb. 15.

Hotaling is now only the seventh player in MCLA history to score over 1,000 points in a career. Hotaling has played all four of her collegiate basketball years at MCLA, and finished her career with 1,029 points in regular season play.

Hotaling wasted no time reaching the milestone in the game, scoring all of her nine points in the first quarter.

Although Hotaling did not score for the remainder of the game, she had already gotten six more than she needed to cement herself into Blazer history.

As for the rest of the team, they came out of the gates playing well on both sides of the ball. After having scored 23 points in the opening quarter on 45 percent shooting and 60 percent from three, the Blazers ended the quarter

with a 12-point lead over the Mountaineers.

While MCLA stayed very consistent on the offensive end, they tightened up their defensive play in the second quarter of play. The Blazers allowed the Mountaineers to score only seven points in the entire quarter. On top of having improved defensively, the Blazers put up 22 more points on a similar 47.1 percent shooting and 66.7 percent from beyond the arc.

The Blazers were paced by junior Paige Vincent, who scored both a career and team high 14 points on a night when MCLA placed 12 different players in the scoring column.

The Blazers also recorded 18 offensive rebounds, as well as having out-rebounded SVC 4323 on the night.

After the first quarter, MCLA was never really threatened.

The Blazers outscored their opponents in all but the final quarter, when they were outscored by one point.

SVC was paced offensively

by Chloe Longe, who recorded 16 points and five rebounds for the Mountaineers. The Mountaineers were only able to place six different players in the scoring column, which

PHOTO FROM MCLA ATHLETICS

Senior Kayla Hotaling shooting a free throw in a game earlier in the season. Hotaling reached the 1,000th point mark, only the seventh Trailblazer in Women's basketball history to reach the milestone. led to their large deficit for the entirety of the game.

MCLA, now 9-15 and 3-9 in the MASCAC, will face off with

Worcester State in the opening round of the MASCAC playoffs in an away game on Tuesday, Feb. 15. SVC, now 1-23 and

1-17 in their conference play, will play their final game of the year against Dean College on Monday, Feb. 20.

Women’s hoops reach double overtime but fall to Bridgewater

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor In one of their greatest games of the season the Women’s Basketball team managed to scrap together a strong comeback on Feb. 18 only to fall in double overtime to Bridgewater State 73-71.

Despite the loss, the Trailblazers will be involved in the MASCAC playoffs as the sixth and final seed while Bridgewater maintains its position as the fourth seed.

The teams cautiously tested one another’s defense in the first two minutes with a series of missed layups and turnovers. To paraphrase Brad Pitt’s character in the movie “Moneyball,” “It doesn’t matter how many games you win if you lose the last one.” And so when the Bears broke out to a 6-2 lead, MCLA used a time out to slow down the game. The first quarter ended with the Trailblazers being down 9-3.

The Bears quickly mauled the Blazers in the second quarter, scoring 14 points to the Blazers’ six. The game didn’t look good and the MCLA women’s basketball team went to the locker room down 23-9.

A poor third quarter would be the end of the game in all but name if a rally was not someone made. Somewhere in the locker room a spark was lit.

In a scene that would have made Smokey the Bear gasp, the Trailblazers stepped on to the court ablaze. Down by 17 at some points the Blazers outscored Bridgewater 22-19, charged by junior Emily Moulton’s nine points.

The fourth came and MCLA cut the

lead to three only to see it increase to seven with three minutes left in the game.

Senior Courtney McLaughlin was not to be denied and managed to draw a foul, net the two free throws and score a layup to bring the game within a basket. With 32 seconds left on the clock the referee’s whistle blew once more. MCLA had fouled Bridgewater’s Rhiana Page and she was to shoot two free throws. She made both putting the lead at 52-48.

Clutch senior Kayla Hotaling caught fire like a Suzanne Collins’ novel and charged through to bury a layup. Twenty seconds left in the game and the Blazers were down by two. Hotaling again came up huge for the team and netted another layup with six seconds left on the clock.

Overtime came next.

The caution that dominated the early part of the game was long gone as the teams matched one another basket for basket through the first overtime.

Hotaling again saved MCLA with a layup with two seconds left in overtime tying the game at 63 and forcing another five minute overtime.

The Bears got the lead on an early basket and managed to barely edge the Blazers with each drive. Sophomore Courtney Pingelski nailed a three pointer late for the Blazers but it proved not enough and the women’s team fell to Bridgewater in a tightly contested matchup.

Hotaling (23 points), Moulton (18 points), and McLaughlin (16 points) each reached double-digits in scoring for the Blazers. Hotaling’s effort allowed her to reach a team-leading 300 points

PHOTO FROM DOMONIQUE ACKLEY — BEACON PHOTO EDITOR MCLA 's Brayleigh Hanlon (Left), Mckenzie Robinson (Middle), and Courtney Pingelski (Right) setting up on defense in a game earlier this season. in the regular season. With 308 points she enters the playoffs in eighth place in the MASCAC for scoring.

MCLA finishes the regular season

with an overall record of 9-15, having gone just 3-9 in the MASCAC, while Bridgewater enters the postseason 11-14 and 6-6 in those respective categories.

SPORTS

Women's Basketball advances to semifinals

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor In an upset, the sixth seeded Trailblazers defeated the third seeded Worcester State 64-54 to move to the semifinal round of the MASCAC playoffs. MCLA was powered by double-digit efforts from seniors Courtney McLaughlin (22 points) and Brayleigh Hanlon (ten points) as well as a double-double from senior Kayla Hotaling (20 points, 11 rebounds) in the effort.

MCLA outscored the Worcester State Lancers 36 to 24 in the final two quarters to take the playoff game and advance to the semifinal against the Framingham State Rams Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. in Framingham.

How it happened: The MCLA women’s basketball team was two hours and twenty four minutes away from their home court facing a team that had swept the season series going 2-0 and outscoring the Blazers 118-105. Despite this MCLA got off to an un-intimidated start McLaughlin started the scoring driving in for two layups only

to see Worcester come up with points of their own. MCLA was not to be denied and fought to gain a slight advantage of 18-14 in the first quarter. The intensity of the game began to increase and the Lancers came out in the second with six unanswered points to take the lead for the first time.

The Blazers were being outplayed but managed to keep the score within two points at 30-28 by the half.

The teams entered the locker room knowing this was a suddendeath match. Win, or finish your season and the teams came out with more emotion than ever before. Halftime ended and Hanlon quickly tied the game and got a layup to retake the lead for the Blazers. Then Worcester charged down and did the same, putting them ahead 38-35 with five minutes left in the third quarter. A timeout came for MCLA and immediately resulted in a thrilling three point shot by McLaughlin to tie the game. Hotaling followed with a layup to once again give MCLA the lead. The ebb and flow of the quarter resembled the game as a whole and at the end of the third the Blazers lead just barely at 42-38.

The final quarter. The last quar-

ter of the season for one of these teams. It was MCLA who seemed to understand this more and the usual suspects of McLaughlin and Hotaling tailed two points each to increase the lead to 4638. Worcester scraped back into the game getting the score within four points with 1:29 left in the game. The Lancers called a timeout and regrouped to make a final push in the game as the Blazers worked on how to keep the lead.

The game resumed and MCLA missed a shot, Worcester missed a shot and the tension grew with every tick of the clock. Junior Emily Moulton broke the scoring drought netting a free throw to put another nail in the Lancers’ coffin. In desperation Worcester kept sending Blazers to the free throwline only to watch them sink nearly all of the them. As the buzzer rang the score stood 64-54 and MCLA’s women’s basketball team had advanced to the semifinal game against the Framingham State Rams.

Worcester saw double-digit efforts from sophomore Kaitlyn Berkel (18 points), freshman Catherin Sweeney (16 points) and a double-double by sophomore Britt Herring (ten points, ten rebounds).

February 23, 2017

9

Men’s basketball season ends with loss

By Joseph Carew jc2824@mcla.edu Co-Managing Editor The final game of the season resulted in an 88-54 loss for the Men’s basketball team against the Bridgewater State Bears. The Trailblazers finish the season with an overall record of 2-22 and unfortunately went winless in the MASCAC (0-12). Bridgewater with the victory will enter the playoffs as the third seed having gone 14-11 overall and 7-5 in the conference.

The Blazers turned the ball over 31 times leading to 35 points for the Bears in the final game of the regular season.

Seeing a chance to grab a better seeding in the playoffs, Bridgewater came out of the game with a fury of points. The Blazers would get on the board only to see the Bears net seven in a row. Junior Keiland Cross got the lead to within just five points six minutes into the

game only to see Bridgewater buckle down and increase it.

By the half, it seemed like the Blazers would finish the season on a fifteen game losing streak with the score at Bridgewater 42-MCLA 27.

This sense was further reinforced as Bridgewater scored 46 points in the final half to outmatch MCLA’s 27. A bright spot in the loss was Cross’s double-double in which he netted 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.

The season ends with six Blazers in triple digits for scoring and with Juniors Cross and Joseph Wiggins tied for the team lead in points at 385.

The pair also end their year in a three-way tie for third in the MASCAC for scoring with Salem State’s Shaquan Murray.

According to mcla.edu, this was Travis Rice’s final game for the Trailblazers and he netted four for the team in the loss.

Pine Manor’s big three too much for Trailblazers to hold off

By Brady Gerow @MCLABeaconSport Sports Editor

The Pine Manor Gators outscored the MCLA Trailblazers Men's Basketball Team in their 104-89 victory on Wednesday Feb. 15, after having three separate starters score more than 20 points in the game.

The Gators were led by Tank Roberson's 27 points. Chancie Williams went for 25 points, while Curtis Hyman added 20 points in the win for the Gators.

The trio was more than enough to lead the Gators to secure victory in a high-scoring game.

The only time the Gators were threatened was at the start of the second half. Leading 5739, the Gators thought they were comfortable, but the Blazers had other ideas. With the score at 66-45 and still 16:21 left to play, the Blazers used a 16-2 run to get the score within seven at 68-61.

Although the Blazers tried to continue their run, it was cut short by a Gators block that eventually led to an 8-2 run of their own to put them back in a sizable lead.

The Blazers shaved the lead down to eight later in the half with a pair of free throws from Nolan Bird, but that was a close

as the Blazers got for the rest of the contest.

Junior Joseph Wiggins paced the Blazers with a 30 point effort while going 11-23 shooting on the night. Junior Joe Murray also recorded a solid performance with 17 points and a career best 21 rebounds for the Trailblazers.

Like many of their games over the year, the Blazers had a few players generate a solid performance, but no one else was able to get it going, as no one else scored more than nine points on the night.

Junior Keiland Cross, who has been a solid player for the Blazers this year, struggled

to get the game going offensively Wednesday night. Cross was able to do everything else for the Blazers recording nine points, 13 rebounds, and 12 assists, one point shy of recording the triple double.

The first half of play was all the Gators, as they took advantage of every shot they were given, having shot 22-43 from the field on 51.2 percent shooting. The Gators also shot solid from beyond the arc, recording a 53.8 percent field goal percentage from behind the three point line.

Despite the solid performance from MCLA's three players in Wiggins, Murray,

and Cross, the Blazers didn't come away with the win due to the offensive efficiency from the Gators.

Despite Roberson, Williams, and Hyman having recorded most of the points for the Gators, Eric Rosario recorded 14 assists, eight rebounds, and two steals on the night playing a big supporting role for the Gators.

The Trailblazers, now 2-22 and 0-12 in the MASCAC, will wrap up their season on Saturday Feb 18 when they travel to Bridgewater State for a 1 p.m. tilt. Pine Manor finished their season on this night, and finished with a 16-8 record on the year.

An under-the-radar goodbye to an under-the-radar player Anybody who follows baseball, even the casual fan, will know names such as the recently retired David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees, Mike Trout, etc. The top tier players. The household names. These are the “faces of baseball,” the guys you see in commercials all the time, the guys that are on ESPN Andrew a ton, and the guys who involved in someBaillargeon are thing notable on a week The Call to week basis. But it goes without saying that there are a lot of players in baseball. There is no “I” in team, and a lot of the aforementioned prolific names wouldn’t be where they are without the support of their team. Baseball is a game of “right place, right time” a lot of the time, and one of the biggest embodiments of that mantra recently called it quits.

I’m talking about Nick Swisher. The guy who made it to the majors because, as he said “I mean, I got my first call-up to the big leagues with the A’s because Jermaine Dye broke his thumb and I happened to

be hot in Triple A at the time. That’s the business.” The same guy who also attributes his large on the field contributions to the 2009 World Series winning Yankees team to outfielder Xavier Nady also going down early in the season. Last off, the same guy who largely credits Hideki Matsui for winning his team said World Series, even saying that he goes out of his way to thank Matsui for winning him said ring, even if he knows it’s exaggerating.

Nick Swisher isn’t the most famous, talented, or notable player the MLB has ever seen. He even admits in his article for the “Player’s Tribune” that he isn’t a Hall of Famer. However, Swisher was a great player and person for the game of baseball, even if it didn’t always feel like it. Swisher was a key piece of the 2009 New York Yankees team that went on to win the World Series.

He was key in 2013 when he helped lead the Cleveland Indians to their first playoff birth in almost a decade.

Swisher will go out at the age of 36, just four years shy of his personal goal of playing until the age of 40. Swisher spent 11 years in the MLB, consisting of time with the Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, and

his last stop, the Atlanta Braves.

Nick Swisher has always been a solid on the field presence, sporting good power, decent contact, and a good glove. Swisher has always sported his trademark batting stance, consisting of him essentially squatting at the plate while also retaining a semi-kneel form, effectively holding his head at chest high level. For whatever reason he did that, it worked to the tune of a .249 average with 245 career homers in a whopping 1,527 career games.

Swisher will be remembered as someone who was good on the field and great off of it. During the 2009 run to the World Series with the Yankees, Swisher became famous for the “Swisher Salute” which originated as a way for Swisher to honor his grandfather, who was in the military. However, it evolved into a way to pay tribute to his fans wherever he was playing. Swisher has always been an active member of his community; founding and raising a New York softball league during his time with the Yankees, being largely responsible for the “Brohio” fad that took Cleveland by storm when he was with the Indians, and lastly, for doing some of the wacki-

est things, like inviting a Yankees fan to party with the team during their championship parade in 2009 after said fan promised to name their newborn child after him.

It has always been the small things with Nick Swisher, and while those won’t get him into the Hall of Fame, they’ll definitely get him into the “Hall of Favorites” And I, for one, am definitely going to miss him.

Andrew Baillargeon is the host of The Call, a weekly program broadcasted by WJJW. Tune in on Sundays from 7-10 p.m. Listeners can also tune in via 91.1 FM WJJW or our website, http://www. mcla.edu/Student_Life/studentmedia/ wjjw/.

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

OPINION

CAMPUS COMMENT

EDITORIAL

What do you do on “Enemy of the American people” snow days? tweet comes from a failing Trump

I think that the school does the best that they can, but I’d like to see them address the plights of commuters better. A five hour delay is silly, for lack of a better term.

Levon Hilling, Senior

I help my friends shovel, get caught up on homework, and also admire the beauty of the snow, because I love snow.

James Swinchoski, Junior

Sleep, eat, do my homework, and un bury my car from the parking lot.

Jake Vitali, Freshman

PHOTOS BY DOMONIQUE ACKLEY, EMILY GABERT AND RON LEJA

“The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @ CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” tweeted the president last week.

Though it is true that each of the outlets he named have their fair share of problems, Trump has overblown those problems in an attempt to discredit their good work altogether, while Trump scandal upon Trump scandal piles up around him.

But when Trump does something wrong, he treats it as no big deal.

A prime example of this is his non-apology after a 2005 tape of his resurfaced, featuring lewd comments about women.

“This was locker-room banter, a private conversation that took place many years ago,” President Trump said in a prepared statement. “Bill Clinton has said far worse to me on the golf course — not even close.”

When Trump’s enemies slip up, he blows it completely out of proportion.

When Trump slips up, often in tremendous ways, he brushes it off as if it’s nothing, even if those slip-ups are big enough to impeach him.

This is hypocrisy in its purest form.

In fact, when he screws up, all Trump can do is point the

This is a man who gave a presidential memorandum his third day of office, freezing government hiring (except for the military) and then immediately contradicted himself three days later by issuing an executive order to beef up security around the Mexican border (hiring more officers).

blame somewhere else. The “enemy of the American people” tweet came after a disastrous week in which Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned.

Perhaps Trump is attacking the media because he knows he is not doing a good job.

Every day he commits conflicts of interest and tries to push disastrous policy that more so than not blows up in his face.

This is a man who gave a presidential memorandum his third day of office, freezing government hiring (except for the military) and then immediately contradicted himself three days later by issuing an executive order to beef up security around the

Mexican border (hiring more officers).

And Trump has already been stopped, and will continue to be stopped, as evidence by his revoked travel ban, which, if reinstated, could cause irreparable harm to the American people.

Trump knows he is not doing well, so all he can do is attack reality, and the easiest way to do that is by trying to discredit the truth-seekers, i.e. CNN, The New York Times, ABC, NBC, CBS, as any story that dares call him out must be fake, for in his mind, everything he does is fantastic.

The greatest that has ever been. You wouldn’t believe it.

And we don’t.

Silencing through Violence: Richard Spencer and Fascism The danger of justifying violence to stop the spread of evil ideas

There are things that don’t seem like a controversial stance to me. For example defending freedom of speech doesn’t even register as a stance most people would disagree with. I find that more and more of these thoughts I had always presumed as being universally held Joseph are slipping into the debate circles of college Carew The Porcupine campuses.

The recent punch Chronicle of the alt-right leader Richard Spencer and the positive reception of it struck me as odd.

Any unprovoked attack on an individual whose ideology doesn’t match yours places you in the domain of the foolish and cruel.

Apparently, this has become a controversial stance and so I thought I would write about it. Now before I get accused of defending these two terms, I would first like to say that these ideologies are some of the worst creations of humankind. Okay, back to the argument.

Merriam-Webster defines Fascism as: “a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.”

Merriam-Webster also defines Nazism as: “including the totalitarian principle of government, predominance of especially Germanic groups assumed to be racially superior, and supremacy of the führer.”

If this person you are about to attack doesn’t believe or adhere to these definitions they are not Fascist and/or a Nazi.

In recent times it seems the terms have been used against traditional conservatives and anyone in support of the current president who is, by definition, neither of these

terms. Therefore the person you are about to hit isn’t what you think they are, and by your own logic, should refrain from acting against them.

The actual Fascist and Nazi individuals are not going to alter their thinking because you attack them. By pursing force on these people, not only are you emboldening them to take action, but you are granting them the high ground and adding an edge to their movement, giving them a more appealing look.

“The No Platform policies that students’ unions have adopted to silence people on the right have generally been counterproductive, promoting intolerance to contrasting ideas, and making right-wing ideas look more ‘edgy’ than they really are,” according to James Heartfield of Spiked-online. com. Regardless of beliefs, the person being blindsided by violence will assume the underdog and underground role. In essence, you are doing much more for these minor movements by attacking them with violence than if you had done nothing.

Interesting to note is that Mussolini’s black shirts and Adolf Hitler’s brown shirts

utilized intimidation and violence to hinder and destroy their opposition. The resistance to this violence never went away and their justification was similar to the justification behind the attack on the modern day “fascist.” Their opposition had ideas they saw as dangerous and they worked tirelessly and without moral restriction in order to prevent the spreading of their opposition’s ideas. The means matter as much as the ends.

Note that the terms “Fascist” and “Nazi” are being attached to people who are, by definition, neither. There lies an inherent danger in selecting a part of the population and labeling them as a type of subhuman or someone who should be hurt or killed. This is especially true when the definitions become blurred and the numbers of the group are increased. The stage is being set for a grand evil to emerge.

Once again, I will say that those who truly follow Fascism and Nazism are promoters of an obsolete and wretched ideology, but to attack them for only their beliefs is to sink to their predecessor’s level and embolden their movement.

OPINION

February 23, 2017

Pluralism and inclusion at MCLA

Retrospective account and analysis from three decades at MCLA

By Joe Ebiware For quite some time, I have heard comments by individuals, read students’ well-articulated and passionate write-ups in The Beacon newspaper about diversity and race relations on campus. At this point, I feel compelled to indulge in informed retrospection about diversity and race relations issues since my arrival at MCLA. Hopefully, the narrative may be informative for the administration and students in our efforts and fervor to reach the diversity and inclusion vista.

Looking at the rear view mirror and comparing those images with the images of today, I can say that MCLA has come a long way.

This conclusion is not to downplay the many things that still need to be done regarding pluralism and inclusion.

It’s a remarkable stride to see pictures of students of color on MCLA publicity materials like billboards, flyers and pamphlets today.

In the '80s, several reminders, remonstrations and letters to the administration eventually resulted in a gradual change; my letter titled “New Student Handbook for 1989-90” addressed to the V.P. Student Affairs dated October 2, 1989, speaks for itself.

One of the lowest points about race relations among students of color and white students on campus was in 1994. Like my other ALANA faculty and staff, I had an ear-full of complaints daily from students of color in my capacity as faculty adviser to the Multicultural Students’ Society (MCSS). The stories range from slighting remarks to occasional brazen derogatory remarks directed at them in the cafeteria and/or other public spaces on campus. The few other faculty of color and some staff members coordinating the IEP program essentially functioned as therapists as a number of students sought safe spaces in our offices for solace, advice, and ears to listen.

In an effort to stem the tide before something more serious happens, I first met with the then V.P. Academic Affairs and later with the President to suggest something, anything the College could do to promote camaraderie, peace, and mutual respect among students on campus. For a starter, I proposed the idea of a “Multicultural Advancement Award” that could be presented to a student identified for his/her exemplary work on and off campus to improve race relations and diversity. Both the President and the VP Academic Affairs were receptive of the idea and did not view it as a racialized proposition because it defeats the purpose if the intent was to incentivize only one group of the student population.

As a matter of fact, the first recipients of the award were one black and one white student whose endeavors, the selection committee determined, were significantly above and beyond those of the other nominees. The Multicultural Advancement Award is now a seminal Award at MCLA, given annually during the College-wide Spring Student Recognition Dinner. The concept of the award

All students who come here have a right to an unalloyed institutional support and attention to their legitimate needs

and the support from the administration was well-meaning as far as I am concerned, but whether it achieved its intended objective of creating a congenial campus atmosphere for diversity and inclusion to endure and thrive is something for others to determine. My response, though, to such a query will be in the realm of a degree analysis--to some extent.

There were still a few sporadic incidents on campus and one in particular called “Black Out” resistance march organized on campus in the 1997 spring semester.

ALANA students effectively utilized their knowledge and the College environment to call attention to their evidence-based grievances and sought an audience with the College administration. This was in 2004. At the time, there seemed to be a lack of interest by the previous administration to hire and replace the only full-time ALANA staff who resigned in the Admissions Office. The administration regretted the lack of funds so hired a replacement. So, a replacement was predicated on the availability of funds even though there was dire urgency to fill that position. Furthermore, a new ALANA staff hired to replace a deceased ALANA staff member at the Student Affairs office was eventually required to undertake more recruiting assignments at the expense of the Student Coordinator job for which he was hired. So, this new hire at the Student Affairs office could not really focus on students’ problems like advising and retention issues, which were imperative at the time. There were meetings that Professor Jones-Sneed and I, with some other ALANA faculty members, convened with the President and VP Academic Affairs.

Among the things discussed was a need to revisit the ALANA recruitment strategy at the time and the need for a more comprehensive plan that also includes retention and nurturing. Again, the usual budget cuts constricted any well-meaning effort by the administration to demonstrate good faith and address these problems.

As the month of May was drawing close, I made a publicity pitch through the Feb. 19, 2004 edition of The Beacon (available in the archives), to encourage and remind students about the upcoming annual MCAA award, its virtue, and the principle behind this award.

I also reminded the campus community and appealed to members to start thinking about which student they would nominate. In that “Letter to the Editor,” I also cited Martin Luther King’s exhortation to be “maladjusted” as contained in one of his several writings “… there are some things within our social order to which I am proud to be maladjusted…”

In a sense, it was an attempt to connect the ideals of the Award with what the previous recipients did which were atypical and fundamentally against the grain. Dr. King did not “…adjust [himself] to segregation and discrimination…”

By mid-February or thereabout in 2004, the ALANA students became impatient and moved beyond anger to anguish and action.

They organized themselves, came up with a document titled “Race and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts” which they formally presented to the President. Among the evidence-based grievances chronicled in the document were the cursory ALANA student recruitment and retention efforts by the College. The others were students’ experience of overt and covert ethnic prejudice and discrimination by some faculty in the classroom, the non-collegial residential life environment. They also made some demands

that included replacement of some administrative staff for benign neglect, dereliction of duty, and malfeasance. A timeline to implement their demands was also included in the 13 page document. The entire campus was jolted because everyone was caught off guard, including ALANA faculty.

The situation gradually deteriorated and became a messy stalemate as the deadlines came and passed. I then stepped into publicly show support and solidarity with the students and also became the subject of personal attacks by a colleague who is now retired.

The spate of e-mail exchanges between us escalated and eventually made their way to the outside world--The Transcript and The Berkshire Eagle newspapers-- because someone leaked them to the newspapers. The administration intervened and cautioned us to cease and desist from the e-mail war. My opponent resorted to an alternative platform when he launched a bitter diatribe against me and black students at MCLA in his weekly program on the local access cable television channel in North Adams. While he reveled in his First Amendment rights and relished the unbridled opportunity to taunt and reproach me, I felt good and elevated because I was able to restrain the imbued confrontational expressionism of the African that I am.

These situations and incidents underscore my narrative above that MCLA has come a long way regarding pluralism and inclusion.

All students who come here have a right to an unalloyed institutional support and attention to their legitimate needs. The changing times and student demographics rightfully demands new ideas and changed institutional strategies and structures. Revamping the curriculum to include specific pluralism-related courses as graduation requirement has been discussed for quite some time. Current initiatives to make this happen is a step forward; we cannot legislate morals but by administrative fiat, students can be intentionally exposed to courses that may shape their thinking about pluralism and the "global village" environment in which we live. The changing times also demand a point-person and office for diversity issues which could also be a clearing house for pluralism-related matters. Also, hiring a credentialed ALANA and International Student Coordinator in Student Affairs should be considered. And most importantly, this person should be given earnest, unfettered autonomy to work with students, earn their trust and advocate their rights and responsibilities when the need arises. S/he is more effective to douse the flicker of student discontent before it becomes an inferno. Ideally, the ALANA Coordinator is the eye and ear of both students and the administration because s/he is trusted and expected to proffer good advice to students as well as administration with some degree of confidence and integrity.

Still licking my wounds and mending the battle scars.

Professor Joseph Ebiware has taught at MCLA since 1985. He teaches courses in Mass Media, Broadcast Journalism, Communication Law & Ethics, Creative Writing and Speech Communication. He is a special contributor to the Becaon.

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EBOARD Editor-in-Chief Mitchell Chapman

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STAFF Photographer

Christian Fellowship

First Monthly Underground MCLA’s Christian Fellowship will be hosting their first monthly Underground: Community Worship event. Set to take place on Saturday, February 25th, 2017, Christian Fellowship will be bridging the gap between worship and college communities by inviting traditional college students and college-aged community members to partake in the festivities.

The event will start at 8pm in the MCLA

11

Campus Center’s Sullivan Lounge.

“Underground will be a space for college students and college aged adults to come together and worship God, pray for our community, and to challenge the understanding of our own personal applications of faith” says vice president and MCLA junior Cassandra Lavoie. The event will feature music, prayer, testimonials, and participatory art to create a

devoted community to celebrate but also explore their faith. Light refreshments will also be served.

If you are unable to make this event do not worry for it will be repeated monthly during the last weekend. Christian Fellowship also hosts Bible Study every Thursday at 8pm in Bowman 203. Be sure to check their Facebook for updated meeting and event info.

Trammel Griffith

Copy Editors

Staff Writers

Nick Webb

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Emma Monahan

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Gianna Vigliatura

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Hannah Snell

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ADVISERS Shawn McIntosh

Jenifer Augur

A reindeer brought joy to the families who attended the Winterfest this year.

Photos By Tramel Griffith & Emily Gabert

Children and adults enjoyed making s’mores this Saturday in the springlike weather.

Throughout the Main Street of North Adams there were multiple ice sculptures being made in the hope of winning first place. The community members and their pets explored the different activities to take part in.