TRADITION OF THE GATES
Historically, European universities were often located in walled cities or towns, requiring students to pass through gates or arches to enter the university grounds. The gates symbolized the transition from the secular world to the world of learning, marking a crucial milestone in a student’s academic journey. This tradition was carried over when universities were founded in the United States, and over time, the practice of passing through the gates became associated with two essential events: Convocation and Commencement.
Convocation, held at the beginning of the academic year, is a formal ceremony welcoming new students to the college community. Commencement, held at the end of the academic year, is a graduation ceremony where students receive their degrees and are recognized for their academic achievements. Passing through the gates at Convocation and Commencement serves as a symbolic way of marking the beginning and end of a student’s academic journey, reminding them of the significance of education and the role that universities play in shaping individuals and society.
Today, this tradition continues at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, and passing through the campus gates remains a profound and deeply meaningful ritual for students past and present. In 1894 the institution was founded as the North Adams Normal School to provide teacher training to students in North Adams. The first education teachers who attended the Normal School passed through the gates of Murdock Hall, the original North Adams Normal School building that still stands on the MCLA campus today.
As MCLA has grown and evolved over the years, the long-standing gate procession ceremony at Convocation and Commencement has remained a paramount component of the institution’s identity. The gates of Murdock Hall serve as a reminder of MCLA’s roots in teacher education, the important role that the college has played in the Commonwealth, and the transformative power of a liberal arts education.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
With gratitude and humility, we respectfully acknowledge that Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts stands on the ancestral homelands of the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohicans, who are the Indigenous peoples of this land. Following tremendous hardship after being forced from their valued homelands, they continued as a sovereign Tribal Nation in Wisconsin, which is where they reside today. We pay honor and respect to their ancestors past and present as we commit to building a more inclusive and equitable space for all.
—Land acknowledgment from the Stockbridge-Munsee Community
HONOR SOCIETIES AND SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS
ALANA
Kente Cloth
ALL ACADEMIC SCHOLAR ATHLETES
Gold Sash with MCLA and MASCAC Insignias
ALPHA CHI NATIONAL COLLEGE HONOR SOCIETY
Gold Medallion on a Blue and Green Cord
ALPHA LAMBDA DELTA FIRST YEAR
NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY
Gold, Red, White Cords
CHI ALPHA SIGMA NATIONAL COLLEGE ATHLETE HONOR SOCIETY
Bronze Medallion
DELTA MU DELTA BUSINESS
HONOR SOCIETY
Purple, Gold Cords
MULTICULTURAL ADVANCEMENT
Black, Green, Red, and Yellow multi-color Cords
PHI ALPHA THETA HISTORY
PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY
Madonna Red and Blue with Multi-Colors
Tassel Cords
PI GAMMA MU HONOR SOCIETY
Blue and White Cords
PI SIGMA ALPHA POLITICAL SCIENCE
HONOR SOCIETY
Red, White, and Black Multi-Colored Tassel Cords
PSI CHI PSYCHOLOGY HONOR SOCIETY
Gold and Blue Cords
RHO PI SIGMA NATIONAL
RESIDENCE HALL HONORARY
Blue, White Cords
SIGMA PI SIGMA PHYSICS
HONOR SOCIETY
White and Green Cord
SIGMA TAU DELTA ENGLISH HONOR SOCIETY
Red and Black
STUDENT PHILANTHROPY PROGRAM
Blue and Gold Cord
WOMEN, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY
STUDIES MINOR
Purple Cords
STUDENT VOLUNTEER
Silver Cords
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION
Red and Blue
ART
Hailey Rolon Hudson, NY
ARTS MANAGEMENT
Emily Baker Schenectady, NY
Alison Blakeslee Charlemont, MA
Olivia Bonesteel Averill Park, NY
BIOLOGY
Mahad Ali Pittsfield, MA
Marie Balan Waltham, MA
Dylynn Jane Hardee Pittsfield, MA
Rachel Houghtaling Dalton, MA
Amoure A Joseph Springfield, MA
Deianara Seamans Killeen, TX
Hannah Perault Dalton, MA
Noah StPierre North Adams, MA
Erick Ramos-Jacobo West Valley City. UT
Logan Keyes Cheshire, MA
Britney Lomax Dorchester Center, MA
Christopher J Manley Adams, MA
Courtney Romeo North Grafton, MA
Andrea Roya Cheshire, MA
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Joseph Christopher Aponte Sprinfield, MA
Logan Ayala Troy, NY
Anais Badio Casselberry, FL
Kirsten Barrett Oneida Castle, NY
Jenna Bateman Pittsfield, MA
Jacob Bendik Shaftsbury, VT
Tyler Canata Lanesborough, MA
Robert S Correia Waterbury, CT
Gabe Dias Shrewsbury, MA
Brad Dowd Garrison, NY
Quentin Gittens Pittsfield, MA
Kumar Lewis East Elmhurst, NY
CHEMISTRY
Justina Elizabeth Pardi Niskayuna, NY
Ethan McWhirt Adams, MA
Nathan Morse North Adams, MA
Curt Nitzsche New Bedford, MA
Jayco Jesus Pena Salem, MA
Ash Pixley Adams, MA
Paul Roeder Pittsfield, MA
Peter Sherman Bethlehem, PA
Nathan Walerowicz Sanborn, NY
Robert Wiltsie III Castleton, NY
Molly Wojnicki Adams, MA
Aleasia Yeaton North Adams, MA
Jamarri Young Acton, MA
Molly Wojnicki Adams, MA
COMMUNITY HEALTH EDUCATION
Irving Mogene Auburndale, MA
COMMUNICATION
Mamadou Diallo Brooklyn, NY
Karesha Graham Brooklyn, NY
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
COMPUTER SCIENCE
Ryan Bradley Marshfield, MA
Aaron Brooks North Adams, MA
Johnluke Kunce Pittsfield, MA
Benjamin Major Norton, MA
Darren O’Leary Cheshire, MA
EDUCATION
Christopher J Manley Adams, MA
Alexandra Pierce Bennington, VT
ENGLISH
Salimatu Bah Randolph, MA
Pablo Calderon Providence, RI
Corin Carpenter Attleboro, MA
Thailia Chee Cheshire, MA
ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Ty Mazzeo Averill Park, NY
Sean Murphy Leander, TX
Johnny Pierre-Perez Jr. Cambridge, MA
Michael Swint North Adams, MA
Illia Vasilevich Pittsfield, MA
Aris Yu Teaneck, NJ
Jheneay Rose Watkins West Yarmouth, MA
Mason Willard Chesterfield, MA
Eleanor Signe Gubbins Plymouth, MA
Alicia Loughman Adams, MA
Edgar Perez Brooks Brockton, MA
Chloe Smith Pittsfield, MA
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
HISTORY
Emily Durkee Johnsonville, NY
Joshua Gould Boxford, MA
David Alfred Lennon Adams, MA
HEALTH SCIENCES
Michael Bankowski Tewksbury, MA
Fatma Ceylan Pittsfield, MA
Christopher Duff Pittsfield, MA
John Hankel Fishkill, NY
INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES
Julia Conturso Unionville, CT
Charity Grace Curtiss Great Barrington, MA
Kaitlyn Giron Pittsfield, MA
Clarence J. Givhans Brooklyn, NY
Alexander D. Hall Pittsfield, MA
Tara A.R. Jones-Nutting Becket, MA
Michelle Kroboth Pittsfield, MA
Stacie G Morris Adams, MA
Jacqueline Maria Moulton North Adams, MA
Sydalee Rinker Easthampton, MA
Serena Wiita Gardner, MA
Alia Hashem Adams, MA
Alyssa Mercier Pittsfield, MA
Finley J. Root Pittsfield, MA
Bryan Rosario Queens, NY
Emily Olsen Maynard, MA
Jennifer M. Parker Pittsfield, MA
Amber Scott Pittsfield, MA
Diane L. Shaheen Lee, MA
William D. Shanahan Dracut, MA
Miranda Stracuzzi Pittsfield, MA
Jheneay Rose Watkins West Yarmouth, MA
Jesseca Williamson Westhampton, MA
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
MATHEMATICS
Bobita Atkins Holbrook, MA
Emily Downing Norton, MA
Tyler-Earl Trzesiara George Pownal, VT
PERFORMING ARTS
Emi Bailey Framingham, MA
Joe Cook Auburn, MA
Georgia Dedolph Saugerties, NY
Sara Lynn Elser Pittsfield, MA
Luna Hayes Dalton, MA
PHYSICS
Mason Willard Chesterfield, MA
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Taylor Hope Philadelphia, PA
Andrew Levesque Clarksburg, MA
Nicholas Strezynski Lenox, MA
Paul Davila Valqui Pittsfield, MA
Bee Kelsey Billerica, MA
Bob Lane Kittery, ME
Jax Marer Cohoes, NY
Dana McCormick Bennington, VT
Max Murray Gansevoort, NY
POLITICAL SCIENCE AND PUBLIC POLICY
Em Marlay-Wright Albany, NY
Andie Schafer Brighton, CO
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
PSYCHOLOGY
Ella Katherine Arthur Williamstown, MA
Maya Bachmann-Delgado Belchertown, MA
Lydia Ann Beeler Worcester, MA
Emma Claire Carpenter Adams, MA
Philip C. Evans Pittsfield, MA
Vincent Giacomozzi Wareham, MA
Mark Hayden Cheshire, MA
Wallace Matthew J. New Marlborough, MA
Chantelle Monaghan Erving, MA
RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY
Hannah Blake Clarksburg, MA
Danielle L. Boulais Pittsfield, MA
Alyssa Bullett Bennington, VT
Caroline Coffield Bennington, VT
Kathryn Kopetchny Dalton, MA
Calvin Atticus O’Neil Chestnutt Hill, MA
Luis Rivera Adams, MA
Juliana Alexandra Rodriguez Rodriguez North Adams, MA
Janeilah Vazquez South Boston, MA
Ellie Walter-Goodspeed Auburn, WA
Sarah R Williams Stephentown, NY
Molly Wojnicki Adams, MA
Olivia Zaleski Adams, MA
Kristina Piazza Feeding Hills, MA
Julia Rose Rabideau Clifton Park, NY
Chelmose Senat Forestdale, MA
Victoria Skubel Adams, MA
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
