Nov. 8, 2017: Davis Center highlights College's colonialist past

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ARTS P. 8 Review of ‘Loving Vincent’ at Images Cinema

SPORTS P. 12 The Independent Student Newspaper at Williams College Since 1887 VOL. CXXXII, NO. 8

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2017

Women’s soccer wins NESCACs for eighth time

Davis Center highlights College’s colonialist past By EMMY MALUF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF On Monday, members of the Davis Center placed signs along the path on the lawn outside of the Paresky Center and the Congregational Church. The signs contained facts and statements related to the College, Williamstown and Native American history. Shawna Patterson-Stephens, director of the Davis Center, was the primary organizer behind the project. Signs included statements such as: “Fort Mass. (North Adams) was built to offset the Schaghticoke Village, owners of Mt. Greylock. Ephraim Williams, Jr., led the fort”; “Prior to European colonization, there were several eastern woodland tribes in what would become New England” and “Two extensive trails used by Native peoples for centuries intersected in Williamstown; evidence of permanent sites haven't been found.” “Oftentimes, attempts to bring awareness can have a sense of irrelevance, a sense of ‘that happened to those people over there,’ but a project such as these signs brings the issue closer to home,” Angela Wu, assistant director of the Davis Center, said. “It makes it clear that the Williams community is built on indigenous land, and that however great the education that the College provides, there were people that paid the price for us to enjoy these benefits, and their histories should be recognized as much as Colonel Ephraim Williams’ is.” “In recognition of Indigenous People’s Month, the Davis Center wanted to provide recognition [of] native people’s culture and the legacy of injustice that has historically been committed against the indigenous commu-

nity via these signs,” Dominic Madera ’21, a community builder at the Davis Center, said. “For me, this is a reminder to be mindful of the indigenous experience in my workshops on identity.” The signs were one part of the Davis Center’s larger effort to recognize Native American and Indigenous People’s Month. On Monday, the Davis Center collaborated with the Departments of American Studies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies to host “A Tale of Two-Spirits,” a talk by former Lambda Legal Director of Community Education and Advocacy Holiday Simmons, a “Black Cherokee transmasculine two-spirit activist.” Next Tuesday, the Davis Center will collaborate with the Student Athletic Advisory Committee to show More Than a Word. The documentary, according to its website, “analyzes the Washington football team and [its] use of the derogatory term R*dskins.” “[Our] goals are to raise awareness about Native American history as part of Native American Heritage Month [NAHM],” Wu said. “As with most heritage months, NAHM provided an opportunity to recognize the complexities of American history, including the histories of those who are often left out of American narrative.” “It’s incredibly wrong that we live on and claim land as our own that we acquired by killing, harming and moving American Indian bodies,” Katie Manning ’20, a community builder at the Davis Center, said. “But at the same time, I continue to live here, attend college here, and don’t think about the history of this land on a daily basis. The fact that I can not think about it reveals how much white privilege affects my opinions on the matter.”

NICHOLAS GOLDROSEN/NEWS EDITOR

The Davis Center placed several signs on Paresky lawn to draw attention to the College’s history of colonialism and violence toward Native Americans.

Berkshire Doula Project College removes lead, asbestos holds student training By SAMUEL WOLF STAFF WRITER

By CARLOS CABRERA-LOMELÍ STAFF WRITER This past weekend, students and community members gathered in Griffin for training to become abortion and IUD doulas. This is the first time the Berkshire Doula Project (BDP) has hosted an entirely student-run training. Doula training seeks to prepare students, faculty, staff and community members to be a support for individuals dealing with the physical, mental and emotional challenges of abortion and IUDs. After this training, students have the opportunity to participate in the greater doula support network at local clinics. Behind this whole project are this year’s BDP trainers: Claudia Forrester ’18, BDP site coordinator, Madeleine Elyze ’18, BDP meeting coordinator and Julia

Blike ’19, BDP historian. They all have their own reasons for becoming involved with BDP. It was friendship with BDP cofounder Elizabeth Curtis ’17 that introduced Elyze and Forrester to the Berkshire Doula project. For Blike, a quick and unplanned decision to join BDP became a life-changing opportunity: “BDP has been a savior for me in so many ways: I have met some of the most amazing people, whether that be likeminded Williams students or incredible medical professionals like Shannon [McLaughlin-Carvajal, certified midwife nurse] or Dr. [Joan] Lister, the nurse practitioner and since-retired provider who works with us at BMC [Berkshire Medical Center], or even staff at [the College] who are so willing to help and support students in any way

they can, like [Health Educator] Laini [Sporbert], our birth control queen who comes in to BDP with all her props to teach us about safe sex and contraception without compensation, just because she loves it,” Blike said. “There’s nothing like the feeling of finding a space where you feel completely supported and empowered not only to do amazing work and to build confidence, but also to feel vulnerable and to grow and learn.” The Berkshire doula community began with the efforts of Curtis and co-founder Roshny Vijayakar ’17, along with fellow alumnae Mary Congdon ’17 and Abby Robinson ’17. BDP came into existence during the spring of 2016, with the first doula training the following fall. SEE DOULA, PAGE 5

PHOTO COURTESY OF JULIA BLIKE

Over the weekend, the Berkshire Doula Project hosted a training for those wishing to become abortion/IUD doulas.

In recent months, the College has discovered lead in Sloan House, as well as asbestos in Bronfman Science Center. The removal process is ongoing, but the College's Office of Safety and Environmental Compliance believes that no imminent risk exists for students. Asbestos and lead paint frequently present a problem in older buildings and on-campus structures are no exception. For both buildings, the abatement of the hazardous material is only one goal of construction that is currently underway. In fact, the materials were only detected and removed as a result of other projects that were being undertaken in those locations. “It’s Williams College’s practice to conduct environmental testing before any project even begins, so that we can ensure that any and all hazardous materials are dealt with properly, and to the letter of state and federal law,” Frank Pekarski, manager of Safety and Environmental Compliance, said. Prior to construction, Facilities, Construction and Design Project managers filled out a form identifying the potential for environmental and health hazards, and the Office of Safety and Environmental Compliance coordinated all of the necessary testing. Ultimately, outside contractors were hired for both structures prior to construction in order to assess the presence of hazardous materials. With regards to Sloan House, Pekarski said that the College administration “has seized the opportunity provided by the recent vacancy of Sloan House to improve it even further.” Though Sloan House has been examined frequently over the years for lead-based paint and chippings, recent renovations were seen as an ideal time to engage in necessary exterior lead abatement. Lead hazard

is greatest for young children, who may ingest paint chips and experience problems with neurological development as a result. Lead has the potential to affect all ages, however, and is present in 87 percent of all homes built before 1940. In addition to lead removal, new windows, shutters and trims are being installed in Sloan House, and renovations may also be made to the east porch. Sloan House’s reopening date is still uncertain, as Design and Construction staff have yet to finalize the list of alterations that they wish to make. Bronfman Science Center, which the College will almost entirely tear down and replace over the next several years, faces a lengthier, three-stage construction process. The first phase, which involves the removal of the discovered asbestos, began on Oct. 16 and will be completed in midNovember. Phase two will begin in June 2018 and entails the abatement of all remaining hazardous materials in the building. The third phase constitutes the removal of the foundation of Bronfman and, according to Pekarski, “will begin once the building itself has been demolished.” Asbestos was widely used throughout Bronfman when it was built in the early 1960s because of its durability and its ability to resist heat and withstand corrosion. However, it also carries significant risks to human health. “The problem with asbestos comes about if it is inhaled,” Pekarski said. “In order to be inhaled, it has to be friable in a condition where it will be releasing, or be able to easily release, fibers.” This makes asbestos harmless when intact but also means that it needs to be carefully contained during construction. To this end, the College is bringing in highly trained state-licensed workers to aid in removal. Pekarski emphasized that these removals are routine and not a cause for alarm. “Whether a large project like

Bronfman, or a small floor tile replacement in an office, our office is involved from the conception of the project until its completion to ensure that asbestos or other hazards are discovered and handled appropriately before any work is begun,” he said. Facilities, he emphasized, is proactive in testing buildings across campus, and often has multiple asbestos surveys on file at a time. “Although many buildings around the country still contain asbestos and lead building materials, there are ways of containing these safely so that they’re not a threat,” Pekarski said. “This will be discovered again. It must be discovered if it’s present.”

WHAT’S INSIDE 3 OPINIONS Open letter to the next president of the College 5 NEWS Williams 101: The Board of Trustees 7 FEATURES The truth about Freemasonry 9 ARTS A review of the production of ‘J.B.’ 12 SPORTS Mike Monti to serve as interim men’s hockey coach this season

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