ARTS P. 8 Jazz players perform at BrooksRogers Recital Hall
SPORTS P. 12 The Independent Student Newspaper at Williams College Since 1887 VOL. CXXXII, NO. 14
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2018
Men's ice hockey beats Middlebury 2-1 twice
Local paratransit bus workers consider strike By SAMUEL WOLF NEWS EDITOR In the next few days, the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) will consider beginning a strike, potentially ceasing to offer its regularly scheduled paratransit transportation services. This protest was announced on Feb. 6 when the 18 members of the Paratransit Management of the Berkshires voted to begin a strike within the following 10 days. The workers, who are unionized through the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 404 and primarily provide services to disabled individuals, ultimately decided to reject the “best and final offer” that was delivered to them on Jan. 26 after a series of extensive negotiations. The exact timing of the potential strike is still uncertain, however. It was originally scheduled to start on Monday, Feb. 19. Union members, however, have agreed to hold a meeting on Feb. 21 and delay any action until then. It remains plausible that a strike could be averted if negotiations are successful, but previous talks over the past month have ended in stalemate. BRTA provides bus services across Berkshire County, including regular service between Williamstown and North Adams. During a strike, however, nearly all transit conducted by BRTA could be impeded, depending on who exactly decides to strike. “If the paratransit work stoppage affects the fixed route bus operators and mechanics, all BRTA services would halt,” BRTA Administrator Robert Malnati said. Considering the strength and
apparent solidarity of the union, this option appears very possible. Furthermore, the 18 members who voted to strike consist not only of vehicle operators, but also of call takers and schedulers, making any level of service increasingly difficult. According to Malnati, these strikes are not unprecedented, but they are relatively rare. “There was a strike by the fixed route operators in July 2003, which lasted 10 days,” he said. He declined to speculate on the duration of the strike but noted that negotiations are ongoing. “Discussions continue between the union representative and paratransit management. There is still time and a willingness to talk,” Malnati said. Outside groups also remain hopeful that an agreement can be reached promptly. “We appreciate the complexities of running multi-dimensional public transportation services in a rural area,” Director of the Center for Learning in Action (CLiA) Paula Consolini said. “We hope that the parties involved can come to a mutually acceptable agreement soon. Public transportation is a critically-needed service in our region.” The consequences of a strike could be severe for students and local residents. “The strike will adversely impact our students, faculty and staff,” Consolini said. “Some of our students use the bus to get to the local grocery stores, the Rite Aid drugstore and volunteer and course fieldwork. Some faculty and staff use the bus to get to and from work. The impact will be much worse for those in the county who
PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID WILSON.
On Monday, the Paratransit Management of the Berkshires will most likely commence a strike that could impede travel for students and locals. count on the bus for all their transportation, especially the disabled. They don't have cost-effective, reliable alternatives to the service.” Consolini emphasized that, for
CLiA in particular, operations could be severely limited. “The strike will compromise our ability to help get students to their volunteer and course fieldwork beyond
walking distance from campus,” she said. However, numerous alternative transportation options still exist for students, according to Consolini. “I
recommend that students use WSO [Williams Students Online], Switchboard and the state-organized Massrides ridesharing app at commute.com,” she said.
Students explore equity in Braggs explores jazz diaspora construction at the College By JANE PETERSEN EXECUTIVE EDITOR
By WILLIAM NEWTON EXECUTIVE EDITOR
bid in each discipline, but we don’t direct our CMs or GCs to hire or not hire particular firms,” Rita Coppola-Wallace, executive director of design and construction, said. “Ultimately, it’s their responsibility to manage their subs.” Coppola-Wallace, however, did note that as an exception to this rule, the College does instruct its CMs and GCs not to hire from a list of firms that have had previous performance issues on campus. In an op-ed published in the Record shortly before the Claiming Williams panel, Olivia Goodheart ’19, Rachel Jones ’18, Emma York ’19 and Eli Cytrynbaum ’20 cited concerns that the low levels of female and minority construction workers on campus were contributing to national levels of underrepresentation. The op-ed noted that, in 2015, “women made up only 2.7
request [that] the CMs track their use of such firms for us,” Coppola-Wallace said. “We don’t track workforce During Claiming Williams hours or vendor percentages day, the Feminist Collective for women or people of color and Converging Worlds oras of now.” ganized a panel to discuss Also discussed in both the the underrepresentation of op-ed and the panel were conwomen and people of color in cerns that the College’s vetting the construction industry and process for employees could how the College could improve make it difficult for formerly on its efforts to increase diverconvicted workers to get jobs sity in its own hiring practices. in an industry typically seen Titled “Breaking Barriers for as a gateway to the middle Women and POC in the White, class. Currently, the College Male World of Construction,” performs Criminal Offender the panel featured tradeswomRecord Information (CORI) en from the New England Rechecks on all vendors who gional Carpenters Union, who do business with the College, are advocating for more diverwhich reveal any felony comsity and equity in the industry. mitted within the past 10 years, "The focus of the panel was any misdemeanor committed first and foremost to highwithin the past five years as light women in the construcwell as any instance of murder, tion industry and their work manslaughter or sex offense. breaking barriers, battling According to Coppolaracism and sexWallace, having a ism and orgapositive CORI renizing for equity sult does not autoin the industry in Western Mas“The focus of the panel was first and matically disqualify someone from sachusetts, in work on a College particular as foremost to highlight women in the project. Results are part of their union," Alexanconstruction industry and their work reviewed on a caseby-case basis with dra Griffin ’19, individual one of the panel breaking barriers, battling racism and each contractor because organizers, said. of the varying levUnder cursexism and organizing for equity” els of complexity rent protocol, and severity that when undertakexist in different Alexandra Griffin ’19 ing a new consituations. “We struction projconsider the severect, the College ity of the charges, hires construction managers (CMs) or percent, African Americans 6.9 background and mitigating general contractors (GCs) to percent and Asian Americans circumstances and the length manage the operation. CMs 1.3 percent of the construction of time since the offense or GCs then hire subcon- industry” (“Diversifying local la- or conviction,” Coppolatractors for the disciplines bor: examining hiring practices Wallace said. “For example, involved in the project, such in construction at the College,” someone who was convicted as electrical or carpentry. Jan. 24, 2018). Currently, the of possessing a small amount While the College is involved College does not track any data of a banned substance 10 in vetting subcontractors, regarding what percentage of its years ago would be eligible it does not tell CMs or GCs workforce is made up of women to work on campus today. On the other hand, a person who which specific firms to hire and people of color. “We encourage CMs to hire was convicted of or not hire. “The College does partici- minority- or woman-owned pate in vetting the subs that business enterprises, and we SEE EQUITY, PAGE 5
On Thursday, the College kicked off its annual Faculty Lecture Series with a talk from Associate Professor of Africana Studies Rashida Braggs in Wege Auditorium. The Faculty Lecture Series was founded in 1911 by Catherine Mariotti Pratt, wife of Professor of Philosophy James Bissett Pratt. Professor of Music W. Anthony Sheppard is this year’s Faculty Lecture Series chair. While the lecturers are different every year, Sheppard said that the goals of the Series have remained constant throughout time. “The Series showcases faculty scholarship and creative work, offering the College and broader community an opportunity to learn about our work outside of the classroom,” he said. “We aim to select two faculty from each academic division, representing the great diversity of topics and scholarly approaches pursued at Williams.” Braggs’ lecture, entitled “Diasporic Research through
Embodied Performance,” focused on the migration of African American musicians in the mid-20th century and, specifically, on the legacy of jazz musician and composer Sidney Bechet. Attendees walked into the auditorium to the sound of one of Bechet’s most famous works, “Summertime.” Braggs discussed the rich musical tradition of African Americans abroad in reference to her recent book, Jazz Diasporas: Race, Music and Migration in Post-World War II Paris. “With this book, I really wanted to look at the migration of African American musicians as they migrated to Paris, mostly in the 1940s – at the end of World War II – until the beginning of the 1960s,” Braggs said. “I wanted to see what kind of survival strategies they had, what kind of collaborations they had. I wanted to ask questions about the ways that jazz music culturally performed. Did it change? Did it morph in terms of its national identity?”
Braggs focused on Bechet’s place in jazz history as one of these performers. “Sydney Bechet was one of the most influential solo improvisers in jazz history,” she said. “In Jazz Diasporas, I argue that Sydney Bechet manipulated and negotiated his Creole, French, American and African descendant subjectivities to more successfully assimilate and rise to fame in his new diasporic home of mid-century France.” In order to further understand the work of Bechet, Braggs transformed into the musician in her short one-woman SEE LECTURE, PAGE 5
WHAT’S INSIDE 3 OPINIONS A discussion on the value of activism 5 NEWS Claiming Williams Day survey released 7 FEATURES Hopkins Observatory planetarium enthralls visitors 8 ARTS Lecture at Clark discusses artistmodel duality 10 SPORTS Matt Levine '74 popularizes lacrosse in New York City
PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAMS COLLEGE.
Rashida Braggs is an associate professor of Africana studies at the College.
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