Thursday, December 3, 2015 twitter.com/ THEBEACON_MCLA facebook.com/ MCLABeacon Fitness Center recovers missing equipment News Page 3 Page 6 Arts & Entertainment Sports Page 8 News 2-4 Features 5 Arts & Entertainment 6-7 Sports 8-9 Campus Comment 10 Local Events 11 Photo Essay 12 Anais Mitchell to perform folk music tomorrow Women’s basketball scored fourth win For more content, visit online at: Beacon.MCLA.edu Volume 81 ◆ Issue 11 [email protected]413-662-5535 Mark Hopkins Room 111 By Joseph Carew Staff Writer With a background in student affairs coupled with a long history of working with faculty and staff, presidential candidate James F. Birge looks to appeal to all. “roughout my career I’ve always been a great supporter of students, I frequently will attend performing arts events, I go to lectures that students have organized, I frequently am at student lead presentations I am a fan of athletics and so I go to athletic events frequently,” Birge said. irty years in education has brought the candidate to MCLA aſter having served for institutions such as Franklin Pierce University and, more recently, Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan. Birge holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University and attended Plymouth State University and Westfield State University for his Masters in Guidance and Counseling and Bachelors in Elementary Education, respectively. In his time at Franklin Pierce, Birge secured the largest single donation in the institutions history, expanded undergraduate academic majors as well as increasing the school’s athletic programs. During the student question and answer session Birge took on questions ranging from his previous work with legislatures to his ability to ensure the distance between Boston and MCLA doesn’t hinder the university’s capabilities and funding. e controversial subject of the College’s smoking policy was brought up as well. With a detailed and tragic family history involving with tobacco products, Birge took to supporting a ban on the products on campus. Noting this however, he was quick to say that he would review the current program and wouldn’t initiate any dramatic changes himself. “I think that in each of the campuses I’ve been in the last ten years we have either implemented or they had recently implemented bans on smoking… which I support, and I’ll admit a bias of my own, I’ve never been a smoker,” Birge said. “Both of my grandfathers died from complications related to emphysema. My mother was a smoker and she died as a result of complications related to emphysema. My father was a smoker, although he died from cancer, but had had a heart attack by the age of 60 principally because of smoking. So I have a real bias.” Reflecting on why he decided to apply for the open position at MCLA, Birge spoke of his deep belief in the system he has seen here. “As I read more about the college…I can see that there is really great, important foundation in Liberal Arts and that there’s also an understanding about how students today are looking for a degree so that they can find a job,” Birge said. “So there’s a nice balance between providing a good strong liberal arts education as well as the opportunity for students to declare a major in some profession.” Birge also noted that, having grown up in Lee, Mass. and with daughters in the region, a position at MCLA would bring his family geographically closer. By Torin Gannon Staff Writer Dr. Alan Ray spoke to students about his experience as an educator and what he hopes to do as president of the College. A major focus of the presentation was his experience of and appreciation for the liberal arts. “I’ve been associated with the liberal arts for most of my life,” Ray said. He said the value of liberal arts is that it makes one a critical consumer and producer of culture, and also added that he was very grateful to have that background. Ray also stated that as president, he hopes to cut costs in order to create more scholarships for future students, and incorporate more graduate programs. One issue Ray was very passionate about was diversity on campus. He stated that he feels it is important to enhance and increase diversity of all kinds. “My life has been engaged in being and working on the margins in different ways, working within systems to help people on the margins articulate their concerns and to help address them from my position as administrator,” Ray said. “I’d like to be able to help this institution do that as well.” During the interview portion, Ray was asked how he has handled crises on campus in the past, and he recalled an incident in which a Muslim student claimed they were the victim of Islamophobia and racial violence. e incident sparked controversy on campus, and Ray’s response was to stand with concerned students and make it clear that they would do whatever was possible to find those responsible. Ray stated that although it is impossible for an administrator to ensure absolute safety, he promised to be as clear as possible with students about what is being done to address volatile situations. Ray promises that he will be very approachable for students. “I don’t take myself too seriously, despite the suit,” Ray joked. Ray said he enjoys working with students and SGA, and was always engaging with student run groups at Elmhurst. Ray hopes that as president, he can hold open office hours each month for students to come speak to him about anything they wish to speak about. When asked why he would be a good choice for president, Ray stated, “is is not a time for learning on the job…I’ve done this job for seven years, and as I’ve tried to indicate, I think we’ve had success [at Elmhurst] in many ways that are relevant to what you’re going through here.” Students had a warm response to Ray’s presentation. “He was really great communicating with students, and had some great experience,” senior and SGA president Allie Kadell said. “I think he gave us a lot to [consider] about where we want the school to go, and how we want to fit the next president,” junior Siobhan Greene said. Ray is the former president and professor of religion and society at Elmhurst College in Chicago, Illinois, and he is in residence at Harvard Law School as a visiting scholar. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation, and is a national speaker and writer on Native American issues. In 2010, President Obama appointed him to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. He received his B.A. summa cum laude from St. omas Seminary College, and his Ph.D. in the study of religion from Harvard University. Photo by Nick Swanson/The Beacon Presidential Candidate James Birge speaks to students about his appreciation for the liberal arts and his background in student affairs. Presidential candidates James Birge and Alan Ray conclude campus visits; Trustees to meet next week Ray insightful about creating more scholarships and acknowledge campus’ diversity Photo by Nick Swanson/The Beacon Presidential Candidate Alan Ray talks about the importance of diversity on campus. Birge has 30 years of academia experience and claims to make connection with students “I don’t take myself too seriously, despite the suit.”
With a background in student a� airs coupled with a long history of working with faculty and sta� , presidential candidate James F. Birge looks to appeal to all.
“� roughout my career I’ve always been a great supporter of students, I frequently will attend performing arts events, I go to lectures that students have organized, I frequently am at student lead presentations I am a fan of athletics and so I go to athletic events frequently,” Birge said.
� irty years in education has brought the candidate to MCLA a� er having served for institutions such as Franklin Pierce University and, more recently, Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan.
Birge holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University and attended Plymouth State University and West� eld State University for his Masters in Guidance and Counseling and Bachelors in Elementary
Education, respectively.In his time at Franklin Pierce,
Birge secured the largest single donation in the institutions history, expanded undergraduate academic majors as well as increasing the school’s athletic programs.
During the student question and answer session Birge took on questions ranging from his previous work with legislatures to his ability to ensure the distance between Boston and MCLA doesn’t hinder the university’s capabilities and funding.
� e controversial subject of the College’s smoking policy was brought up as well. With a detailed and tragic family history involving with tobacco products, Birge took to supporting a ban on the products on campus. Noting this however, he was quick to say that he would review the current program and wouldn’t initiate any dramatic changes himself.
“I think that in each of the campuses I’ve been in the last ten years we have either implemented or they had recently implemented
bans on smoking…which I support, and I’ll admit a bias of my own, I’ve never been a smoker,” Birge said. “Both of my grandfathers died from complications related to emphysema. My mother was a smoker and she died as a result of complications related to emphysema. My father was a smoker, although he died from cancer, but had had a heart attack by the age of 60 principally because of smoking. So I have a real bias.”
Re� ecting on why he decided to apply for the open position at MCLA, Birge spoke of his deep belief in the system he has seen here.
“As I read more about the
college…I can see that there is really great, important foundation in Liberal Arts and that there’s also an understanding about how students today are looking for a degree so that they can � nd a job,” Birge said. “So there’s a nice balance between providing a good strong liberal arts education
as well as the opportunity for students to declare a major in some profession.”
Birge also noted that, having grown up in Lee, Mass. and with daughters in the region, a position at MCLA would bring his family geographically closer.
By Torin Gannon Sta� Writer
Dr. Alan Ray spoke to students about his experience as an educator and what he hopes to do as president of the College. A major focus of the presentation was his experience of and appreciation for the liberal arts.
“I’ve been associated with the liberal arts for most of my life,” Ray said.
He said the value of liberal arts is that it makes one a critical consumer and producer of culture, and also added that he was very grateful to have that background.
Ray also stated that as president, he hopes to cut costs in order to create more scholarships for future students, and incorporate more graduate programs.
One issue Ray was very passionate about was diversity on campus. He stated that he feels it is important to enhance and increase diversity of all kinds.
“My life has been engaged in being and working on the margins in di� erent ways, working within systems to help people on the margins articulate their concerns and to help address them from my position as administrator,” Ray said. “I’d like to be able to help this institution do that as well.”
During the interview portion, Ray
was asked how he has handled crises on campus in the past, and he recalled an incident in which a Muslim student claimed they were the victim of Islamophobia and racial violence. � e incident sparked controversy on campus, and Ray’s response was to stand with concerned students and make it clear that they would do whatever was possible to � nd those responsible.
Ray stated that although it is impossible for an administrator to ensure absolute safety, he promised to be as clear as possible with students about what is being done to address volatile situations.
Ray promises that he will be very approachable for students.
“I don’t take myself too seriously, despite the suit,” Ray joked.
Ray said he enjoys working with students and SGA, and was always engaging with student run groups at Elmhurst. Ray hopes that as president, he can hold open o� ce hours each month
for students to come speak to him about anything they wish to speak about.
When asked why he would be a good choice for president, Ray stated, “� is is not a time for learning on the job…I’ve done this job for seven years, and as I’ve tried to indicate, I think we’ve had success [at Elmhurst] in many ways that are relevant to what you’re going through here.”
Students had a warm response to Ray’s presentation.
“He was really great communicating with students, and had some great experience,” senior and SGA president Allie Kadell said.
“I think he gave us a lot to [consider] about where we want the school to go, and how we want to � t the next president,” junior Siobhan Greene said.
Ray is the former president and professor of religion and society at Elmhurst College in Chicago, Illinois, and he is in residence at Harvard Law School as a visiting scholar. He is a member of the Cherokee Nation, and is a national speaker and writer on Native American issues. In 2010, President Obama appointed him to the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. He received his B.A. summa cum laude from St. � omas Seminary College, and his Ph.D. in the study of religion from Harvard University.
Photo by Nick Swanson/The BeaconPresidential Candidate James Birge speaks to students about his appreciation for the liberal arts and his background in student a� airs.
Presidential candidates James Birge and Alan Ray conclude campus visits; Trustees to meet next week
Ray insightful about creating more scholarships and acknowledge campus’ diversity
Photo by Nick Swanson/The BeaconPresidential Candidate Alan Ray talks about the importance of diversity on campus.
Birge has 30 years of academia experience and claims to make connection with students
“I don’t take myself too
seriously, despite the suit.”
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Campus News Beacon.MCLA.edu2
Harlequin’s: “A Night of Miscast”Church Street Center
Social Hall8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 6
Free Movie Screening: The Walking Dead
North Adams Movie Plex9 - 10 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 7
Figure Drawing CollectiveMakers’ Mill:
73 Main Street7 - 9 p.m.
Members: $5Drop-ins: $10
Campus Police Logshave been moved to
Page 11
By Harmony BirchManaging Editor
SGA will vote on SAC’s constitution next week. Despite the backlog presented to Parliamentarian Tyler Spencer a er the previous Parliamentarian resigned, Spencer has made it his mission to approve constitutions as fast as possible, and is hopeful that some may even be fully approved before the end of the semester. Psychology Club and a new club, � e Student’s Veteran Association, was sent to the SGA E-board to be discussed next week, before going to Senate.
Last week’s agendaLast week before
� anksgiving break an o� cial SGA meeting was not able to be held due to a large number of absences. Luckily, there was no o� cial business that needed to be attended to, and the senators that were present went through their agenda as originally planned.
President Allie Kadell spoke with Registrar Steven King in regards to an issue brought up at SGA about posting a schedule for registration times based on class, athletic status, and honors status. King told Kadell that the schedule was not currently open to the public because it risked identifying students who belong to a particular group that remains con dential. He did agree, however, to speak to Monica Joslin, dean of Academic A airs, about the issue.
PR Chair Sam Gi en reported that the All College
Committee has made it possible for sophomores to study away and abroad. Previously, only juniors and seniors were allowed to participate in study away and abroad programs.
Students want more access to Bowman
Students are concerned about not being able to access Bowman Hall during weekends. Catherine Holbrook, vice president of Student A airs, met with Kadell to see if SGA could solve this issue. Senators agreed that Bowman’s schedule was inconvenient. Senator Tim Williams suggested IDs be used to access the building like they are in residence areas.
“It seems like the majority of people would like to see [more] hours open in Bowman,” Kadell said. She agreed to look further into the issue.
Diane Collins to retireDiane Collins, the SGA
o� ce manager, will be retiring this month. Her retirement party will be held in Sullivan Lounge on Friday from 1-3 p.m. All students are invited to attend.
Etiquette Dinner� e class of 2016 is
holding an etiquette dinner that will teach manners and how to conduct oneself in a professional setting. � e proceeds will go to Senior Days and seniors who participate will get $20 o their Senior Days package.
Intramural SurveyStudent Trustee Nick
Hernigle urged students to go online and ll out the intramural survey. � e survey will allow the intramural department to better gauge what sports students are interested in playing and what should be o ered.
“Fill it out as soon as possible, make your voices heard,” Hernigle said.
By Harmony BirchManaging Editor
� ere are six vacant seats in SGA out of 29. � ree Class Senate Representative Seats remain vacant, and two special representative seats, Athletic and Greek, are also empty. � e Class of 2017 still does not have a treasurer. While SGA intends to hold a special election next semester to ll these vacancies, the absence of SGA candidates and the resignations of three E-board members has arguably taken its toll on student government.
Last Monday President Allie Kadell reminded senators how important their attendance to meetings is. Monday showed almost enough absences to prevent SGA from holding an o� cial decorum and conducting o� cial business. � e meeting before that, no o� cial business or decorum was conducted due to the large number of absences.
“You should be mad at those that aren’t here,” Advisor Jennifer Craig said at the meeting, reminding o� cers that their job was to represent student voices. “In the past we’ve always had vacant seats,” she said, adding that this year is not uncommon. However, some SGA senators disagree.
“I’ve never seen nor heard of this much of a change,” Senator Tim Williams said. “Hopefully that’s not indicative of what SGA does.”
� is is Williams’ third year on SGA. He thinks the number of resignations on the E-board might correlate with Cabinet experience. Kadell’s Cabinet contains a couple of new faces like Parliamentarian Tyler Spencer, a freshman. Much of this is related to resignations from previous cabinet members. Last year’s president, Brendan Peltier, had a Cabinet sporting veterans like Kadell.
Junior Colby Harvish served on SGA his freshman and sophomore years and frequently attends meetings. Based on his experience the vacancies are uncommon, but aren’t indicative from an outsider’s perspective to how well SGA has conducted their business this semester.
“It’s unusual compared to the last
two years,” Harvish said, but added, “If anyone looks at it negatively I don’t think that’s warranted.”
He thinks most of the resignations and lack of interest has to do with time commitments. Both Svetlana Morrell, the previous senate chair, and Rachel Durgin, the previous parliamentarian, cited time commitments in their resignation letters.
“Most students tend to be active on campus,” Harvish said. “I didn’t run for SGA [this year] because of the time commitment.”
Craig thinks it all comes down to dedication.
“You want to have students who are dedicated,” Craig said. “If students aren’t interested in special elections then at least we already have the most dedicated students in senate.”
Still, Williams thinks that despite inevitable time commitments, SGA can be doing more to attract student through quantitative work like approving constitutions.
“� e constitutions process doesn’t happen overnight,” Craig said. Constitutions take at least three weeks to be passed if they’re perfect, according to Spencer. Constitutions go through the Constitution Committee, who has a week to look at it, before they are sent to the SGA E-board, who gets another week to read through them. If the E-board approves the constitution, then it is given out to the entire senate, who requires another week before they are informed enough to vote.
� ere’s been a backlog of constitutions for years, according to Spencer. He wants to conquer it once and for all. Currently there are 17 constitutions that need approval. � ree were given out to Senators at the last meeting.
“I want to pass as many constitutions as possible,” Spencer said. He’s been making an e ort to expedite the process by sitting down with clubs to talk about their constitutions before they send them for approval.
“It’s showing people that we don’t just sit in a room for two hours,” he said. “It makes you realize that what you’re talking about is leading to change and you’re not just screaming into the void.”
Low attendance hinders SGA’s normal operations
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Campus News 3Beacon.MCLA.edu
By Idalis FosterSenior News Editor
After a couple of years at MCLA, Mary Ellen Olenyk, director of Human Relations, has left her position at the end of November to take a job closer to home, in the capital region of Albany. Her commute will be shorter, but she will still be a human resources director in her next position.
Olenyk has served on multiple search committees, her most recent one being the Presidential Search Committee. She has also been instrumental in creating a streamlined process for all workers.
“We’ve been able to really professionalize the HR department and create processes and an atmosphere that are consistent and fair for everybody,” Olenyk said. “That was behind a lot of the changes we’ve made and that I’ve pushed for.”
When it comes to what Olenyk will miss most about the College, it is the people here that she focused on. In particular, she said she will miss the students, faculty, and staff, as well as the opportunity to train and help them with different topics.
“This is the first time I’ve worked in higher education and it was a lot of fun for me to work with the students,” Olenyk said. “I think some of the students who have been to some of my programs know that I’m a mom also, so I have kids the same age and I’ve identified well with students.”
Not only will Olenyk miss working at MCLA, but colleagues who worked with her will miss her greatly.
Denise Richardello, executive vice president of the College, expressed her gratitude for Olenyk’s work over the past two years, and how much both she and the campus will miss her.
“Mary Ellen was a true professional; she was highly regarded by the campus community,” Richardello said. “She approached her job with high standards. [She used] her background that she came here with, those strategies and processes...to help us enhance ours more broadly.”
Olenyk was in the corporate world for many years, but the company she previously worked for downsized, leaving her in search of a new job in human
r e s o u r c e s . It was the e x p e r i e n c e in human r e s o u r c e s o u t s i d e the realm of higher e d u c a t i o n that helped her at MCLA.
She hopes the next d i r e c t o r of HR understands how big of a job it is, since there is so much to do. She adds that they will have to learn how to balance the recruiting work, as well as the Title 9 and policies side of the job.
Olenyk has changed the student employment process for fair access, had begun working on the Smoking Task Force and was looking to get more involved in the professional development side.
“Recognition efforts [are] something I didn’t get as much of a chance to finish up on,” Olenyk said. “A chance to really appreciate and recognize all of the employees that we have a little bit more.”
It was this determination that pushed Richardello to really praise her work in her short time here. From her presence when she walked into a room to her frank and candid demeanor, Richardello said that faculty members and colleagues of hers have appreciated Olenyk’s efforts and assistance.
In finding a successor for Olenyk, Richardello stressed that with all that Olenyk has done, her successor will have a lot to follow up with and continue.
“We are in the process of pulling together different constituents from across the campus to serve on a search committee,” Richardello said. “We’ve already posted the position quite broadly and it is a national search.”
The position is listed on multiple online outlets, including Higher Education jobs.
Missing Fitness Center equipment no longer an issueRaber: Students should take pride in free facility
By Makayla-Courtney McGeeneyCo-Editor-in-Chief
Since last year, the fitness center has suffered a loss in items such as foam rollers, resistance bands, and jump ropes. The theme continued into the fall semester, but once a sign went up, pointing out the issue, missing equipment was returned.
“We’ve gotten everything back this year,” Deb Raber, fitness center director, said. “But a lot of equipment was found cleaning out the townhouses at the end of the semester.”
To decrease the ability to steal from the fitness center, Raber moved loose objects and containers of bands behind the desk where the sign-in computer is. In order to use them, an MCLA ID is required. Even when sports teams come in to stretch, they are supposed to individually check out equipment.
“Usually the stuff sports teams use comes back,” she said. “The coaches are making sure nothing disappears.”
To put the cost in perspective, Raber estimated that one inch bands are $20 and thicker ones are $45. When those items go missing, the object and cost is written on a white board for center users to be aware of.
“It’s just as much of the workers’ responsibility as it is the people who use the facility,” Raber said.
At Mount Holyoke College’s fitness
center in South Hadley, Mass., the college offers fitness classes and a wider variety of cardio and strength training machines. Even though their rules do not address how to access free-range equipment, they do say that damaged equipment and injuries must be reported to the Fitness Center Monitor, according to the athletics website.
Amongst the issue of items walking away, there are other on-going situations: lifting chalk was recently banned after improper use, mirrors are being smashed when people lean crash bars on the wall, and over the summer there was an issue with people spitting on the ground.
At Boston College, chalk is not permitted, nor is outside equipment permitted to be brought in. Their rules page follows up by stating that chalk makes too much of a mess, even if the member offers to clean it up.
The most important component of consistency is when users sign into the computer as soon as they enter. Raber has data of gym users dating back to 2010.
“The usage of this facility is skyrocketing,” she said.
With the addition of student study rooms in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation and Bowman Hall, Raber thinks the fitness center potentially has more users than the library.
At other institutions, there are more offerings in a bigger facility, but a usage fee follows. They also have dual stations
to get more use out of strength training machines.
“Students want more ellipticals, weights, or TV screens on the cardio equipment,” she said, “but we’ve priced everything out and it’s just not worth it. This is as much the students’ facility as it is the faculty’s. You don’t pay a fee to use the facility, so take pride in it. Everything you need to get fit is here.”
The fitness center has even more machinery than what’s offered on the surface. A truck tire, used to flip or hit
with a bar as an exercise, was used over the summer in the entrance way hall and left marks on the wall. Such a mishap circles back into Raber’s responsibility, which leads to her removing the tire from use.
“I want to have this equipment for students who know how to use it,” Raber said. “I don’t want to limit their workout because we don’t have the things they want to use.”
Plans to expand the fitness center are still in process, Raber said.
Photo by Makayla-Courtney McGeeney/The BeaconFree-range equipment including bands, jump ropes and foam rollers now sit behind the main desk at the fitness center and requires an ID in order to be checked out.
Photo from LinkedInMary Ellen Olenyk has left her position as Human Resource Director to continue into another position in Albany, NY.
Olenyk leaves position as HR DirectorPosition vacant after Mary Ellen returns home to pursue
other opportunitiesTeresa Watanabe
Tribune News Service
Alton Luke II is an African-American sophomore at Oc-cidental College who backs the broad goal of racial equity for students. But he has chosen not to support the minority student movement aimed at ousting col-lege President Jonathan Veitch and improving campus diversity _ and bluntly announced his views on Facebook.
For that, he has paid a price.Luke said some of his friends,
black and white, have started ig-noring him. He’s been called igno-rant. He said the hostility of some protesters toward those with dif-ferent views is a major reason he is not supporting their uprising.
“They’re doing what they claim white people do to us, which is marginalize us and cast us as the bad guy,” said Luke, a graduate of Long Beach Polytechnic High and kinesiology major who aims to become an orthopedic surgeon. “You can’t have a different opin-ion here or you’re persecuted. But I’m standing against their tyran-nical and unjustified actions.”
Protesters at Occidental, Cla-remont McKenna, Yale, Ithaca, Brown and other campuses ap-pear to have wide support as they demand action to address the bias some minority students say they face.
But sharp dissent over the movement’s tactics is also emerg-ing, as critics have begun to step forward.
At Yale University, nearly 800 students, faculty, staff and others sent a letter to campus President Peter Salovey expressing concerns about several student demands _
among them mandatory diver-sity sensitivity training, an eth-nic studies requirement and the firing of a faculty member who questioned staff warnings about culturally offensive Halloween costumes.
Zach Young, a junior majoring in ethics, politics and econom-ics, had joined the Yale student “march of resilience” against discrimination. But he helped spearhead the letter after he saw the subsequent student demands _ especially the call to fire Erika Christakis, a faculty member who had challenged the costume warn-ing from the Yale Intercultural Affairs Council, asking whether there was no longer room for stu-dents to be “a little bit obnoxious ... a little bit inappropriate or pro-vocative or, yes, offensive.”
The letter defended Christakis’ free-speech rights and called the training and curriculum demands “a menace to the cause of liberal education because they are clearly driven by a particular political agenda devoted to conversion in-stead of intellectual exploration.”
Salovey announced that he supported Christakis.
Young and Luke said they have never been threatened with physi-cal violence for their views _ un-like some protesters, who have reported receiving anonymous threats on the Yik Yak social me-dia site.
Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education in Philadel-phia, said students had always been the most reliable allies in his 14 years of defending free speech rights in higher education. But no longer, he said.
Campuses divide among activist’s tactics
Thursday, december 3, 2015 Campus News Beacon.MCLA.edu4By Harmony Birch
Managing Editor
In the 1980s, at North Adams State College, a young Diane Collins stepped into Room 353 of the campus center to find the student government executive board sitting on the floor surrounded by files.
“When I looked into the office I knew it was going to be a great challenge,” Collins said, “but I was up for it.”
After 32 years as the Student Government Manager, Collins is taking the leap into retirement. A party will be held for her on Friday in Sullivan Lounge, from 1-3 p.m.
In 1983, when the Mark Hopkins School closed, Collins found herself out of a job. She’d already been with the College for eight years, first in the Graduation and Continuing Education office, then as an office worker, lunch lady, and nurse at Mark Hopkins. She knew she liked working with people, so she applied to a new position that had never been offered before, the Student Government Office Manager.
“There were quite a few applicants and
I was blessed to get the job,” Collins said. She sat in her office, bright blue eyes twinkling as she described her work. The cheerful blonde seems beloved by all.
Student Government Advisor, Jennifer Craig, said Collins is known for having the biggest smile and most welcoming heart. When sitting across from Collins, becoming mesmerized by her exuberance, it seems that Craig is right.
When Collins started as Student Government Office Manager, SGA used the floor to file important documents and there were only 18 clubs on campus. Today, the office floor is file-free and there are nearly 60 clubs on campus. Collins believes that clubs help with student retention.
“Students need to have balance; it can’t be all work and no play,” she said. “The more involved students are, the happier they are.”
Collins said she likes being able to make student lives happier. Over the years, she has gotten higher paying job offers from the College, but she always turned them down.
“I love working with students,” she said. “I just couldn’t leave.”
She is leaving now, however, it is not because she doesn’t like her job. Rather, it is what her busy life demands of her.
Students and colleagues are sad to say goodbye, but want Collins to be happy.
“I’m sad for us because we’re losing a great member of our department,” Craig
said, “but happy for her.”Junior Tim Williams agreed that though
he would miss Collins, he was happy she was making the choice that was right for her.
“She’s just such a staple, not just for our generation, but for 30 generations of students,” Williams said.
When she’s not filing purchase order forms, or walking students through the new club application process, Collins can be found in her office helping students with everything from their choice in major and career, to personal issues they need to discuss.
“Diane was always helpful with purchase orders,” Williams added.
“I always tell them to listen to their inner voice,” Collins said in regards to the students. “Just because everyone’s doing something doesn’t mean you need to follow the crowd. At the end of the day, you want to go where you want to be, and when you find what you’re looking for, that’s when you really progress.”
Professors in the computer science department will teach more courses than usual next semester in order to meet student demand.
“Right now we are very understaffed,” said Mike Dalton, chair of the department. “We have three [full time] professors in the department. One of them is normally the chair of the Business department, so we kind of only have two faculty members…Every one of the computer science professors has offered to teach extra courses, beyond contract, so that our seniors will graduate this spring.”
In the past four years, the number of computer science majors has grown 45.7 percent, according to Dalton, going from 47 to 69 majors. Despite this increase, the amount of faculty available to teach required classes has gone down.
There are some departments that struggle to offer enough courses to satisfy students, and double majors and Honors students often have problems taking classes they both need and want. Faculty and administrators said the scheduling of classes can be difficult, but required classes for students are always offered.
The computer science department was close to hiring a professor earlier this semester, but the candidate accepted a job elsewhere, according to Dalton. The College is currently still looking to hire for computer science. In the meantime, there are two adjunct professors to help teach courses.
“A lot of colleges are hiring right now. Some of these colleges are bigger institutions and pay more money. Sometimes we get applications from people that don’t have a degree, or [it] doesn’t seem like they would be a good teacher, and we want to find the best person we can,” Dalton said. “But this problem is definitely making registration difficult for students.”
Monica Joslin, dean of Academic Affairs, said that if students need a course to graduate and it isn’t being offered, departments can offer a course by arrangement. “It’s exactly the same course, it’s just more individualized and scheduled according to students and professors. It appears as a normal course on your transcripts,” she said.
Junior Kathryn Donnelly has struggled with her double major in English/Communications and Education for some time. Last semester, Donnelly met with the chairs of both departments to go over the large amount of classes required for this variety of majors, which were often hard to register for because of conflicting times.
“The [education] department saw the changes the English department was willing to take and said they would take a look at the situation, but nothing happened,” Donnelly said. “There are just too many courses required.”
Conflicting course times are also a problem for students. MCLA alumnus Greg Wilson, ’15, was a double major in English/Communications and psychology. Despite being a part of the Honors program, he did not graduate with honors.
“Unfortunately, the class selection did not work that well with my two majors,” Wilson said in an email interview. “I enjoyed many of the honors classes I took. I learned a lot from them and was able to partake in some pretty amazing discussions…The honors program just didn’t fit with my schedule as time went on, and I had other requirements that had to be met for my double major.”
According to Wilson, there were not enough honors courses compatible with his psychology major to complete the program, which requires students to complete a minimum of 18 credits in honors courses and maintain a GPA of at least 3.2. To graduate with All-College Honors, students must have no less than a 3.4 GPA.
Professor Susan Edgerton, director of the Honors Program, offered a piece of advice for students. “The honors program should not be considered a part of the major so much as an additional concentration, designed to insure students get a robust liberal arts education. It is an extension of the liberal arts offered by the core curriculum,” she said in an email interview.
The process of choosing which classes to offer is slightly different for the honors program than for regular departments. Edgerton says that directors of the program recruit faculty to propose honors courses. Then, the proposals are taken to the Honors Advisory Board for discussion.
“Courses must meet several criteria, including reading and writing intensive, collaborative, interdisciplinary, and oriented toward independent research,”
Edgerton said. “Once a course is accepted, it can be offered whenever faculty members are willing and able to offer it. Our schedule is made according to what is available in this manner.”
Dalton explained his process for computer science. “For every semester…the administration sends every department an excel spreadsheet. It has time slots on it, and it’s our job to fill in the course, maximum number of students, the room we want to have it in, prerequisites for it, and who is going to teach it.”
After each department fills out the paperwork, it is then up to Joslin, Kristina Bendikas, the associate dean of Academic Affairs, and the Registrar to put the courses together.
“There’s a little bit of discussion through email, sometimes we’ll sit down and meet,” Dalton said. “The school…is more than just a business, and we care about our students. However, there is money in and money out and that’s just the reality of it. So Monica’s got a very tough job, and the fact is that she needs to say no to us sometimes. But she’s really good about it. If we give her a good argument she says ‘Oh, ok lets find a way to do that.’”
According to Joslin, the process to creating the course listings is a complex one. “We look at a five year analysis of the type of courses offered, how many were offered in a given year, and enrollment. There are months of work put into it,” she said. “And we don’t say no to required courses.”
Donnelly said she hopes there is more open conversation to help avoid overlap for required courses. “Next semester, there are only two Senior Seminar English classes, but one of them overlaps with a required [education] course, so I don’t have a choice,” she said.
Assistant Registrar Lisa Milanesi points out that these concerns are taken into consideration. “There’s a lot of math involved. We look at the percentage of courses each department teaches, and give each department certain time slots given how many courses they’re going to have that semester. There’s going to be conflicts, but we try hard to avoid that.”
Joslin also mentioned that department chairs do work together on occasion. For example, science students may need to take math, physics, and
biology courses in order to graduate, so the department chairs will discuss the best way to schedule all those important courses.
Senior Alexis Clay, who has finished both her Sociology major and Core requirements, is mostly worried about taking courses she isn’t interested in.
“There isn’t a very big selection for Sociology courses next semester,” Clay said. “At least, not for classes I haven’t already taken. I have to sign up for a lot of random courses I don’t really want.”
According to Clay, the Sociology course lineup for the Spring 2016 semester does not include many courses in her minor, Social Work. “One of the only Social Work classes offered is a night class, and those can be really hard to work into my schedule on top of work and homework,” she said.
Milanesi said that students should talk to their advisors multiple times throughout the semester, not just during preregistration time. “Get ahead of the game. Your advisors want to help you,” Milanesi said. She also recommends keeping track of course requirements on the degree evaluation report on student Banner accounts.
As far as building the schedule, Bendikas said it isn’t made randomly. “We build the schedule with students in mind, with the idea that they will graduate in four years,” Bendikas said.
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Features Beacon.MCLA.edu 5
By Gionna NourseFeatures Editor
She is an orientation leader, admissions ambassador, peer advisor, E3 program coordinator, choreographer for Dance Company, and a sophomore taking seven classes. To say this girl is busy is quite an understatement.
Kircys Canela ‘18 has been involved in volunteer work since high school, when she worked on constructing a house in South Dakota for a family in need through Habitat for Humanity.
This semester, Canela is co-coordinating the program with her roommate, Miesha Adams. The group consists of 10 students, who come to campus from Drury high school and work with Canela and Adams individually.
“We teach them about leadership, talk to them about networking, and help them build their own network,” she said.
“E3” is a program that works with high school seniors who have either dropped out of high school, or are on the verge of doing so. It is an alternative program for the students that aren’t able to thrive in the traditional classroom setting, and involves more hands-on learning. A program like this is important to Canela because at her local high school, she was in a class of 65 students, and only 18 of them ended up graduating.
“I had friends who weren’t able to graduate with me and others who didn’t find interest in being in school anymore,” she said. “I realized that I was able to make it out of that, and that I should help others continue with high school, because it is really important.”
Although her position in E3 is no longer considered volunteer work, and is now paid because she is co-coordinating. Canela stresses that it doesn’t change her involvement in it.
“I would be doing this whether it was paid or not,” she said. “I like it a lot, it’s a lot of fun, and I enjoy being there with the students.”
She is also interested in starting an E3 program in another country, because other countries really need it, in her opinion.
Her absolute dream job is to be a global social worker, which is why she became an interdisciplinary studies major, focusing on sociology and psychology with a minor in social work. Her plan is to achieve a master’s degree in social work after she graduates from MCLA.
Although she was born and raised in the Dominican Republic before she moved to New York City with her family at age 10, she says she doesn’t want to work there after she has completed her master’s. Instead, she would like to live in a different country, where she can learn a culture and language she hadn’t known before.
As for right now, she is doing all she can to make her mark on campus and in the surrounding community. She has pioneered programs such as “E3”, which started as a volunteer program, which has recently turned into a paid position.
Canela and Adams are also part of a program that Miesha founded through collaboration with the North Adams YMCA and MCLA’s Dance Company.
“We go to the Y on Thursdays and teach kids dance routines,” she said.
Yet another one of her ventures, working as an orientation leader over the summer, Canela had a great experience, gained another group of friends, and is almost positive that she wants to do it again next summer.
“I didn’t really know the staff at first, but now we are all like family. It helped me build another family besides my Dance Company family,” she said.“I learned how to lead people differently, how to think and work with others, and how to share ideas. I learned so much about myself, how I work with people, and I also learned a lot about the campus.”
Canela has since been a mentor to the freshman class, and aims to make herself available to them as often as possible, so that they can go to her with any questions and concerns.
She says she came to MCLA from her home in New York City, because she wanted a change of scenery. She also knew she wouldn’t be able to be as involved at a larger campus as opposed to a smaller one. The small class sizes and student to professor ratio were also rather appealing to her.
“I love that the professors will never forget my name here,” she said.
Photo courtsey of Kircys CanelaKircys Canela ‘18 partipates in various clubs and volunteer organizations on campus and in the surrounding community.
Sophomore helps keep local high school students
By Nick TardiveFeatures Writer
For better or worse, North Adams relies on tourism brought in to stimulate the city’s economy.
An entire election was fought, by mayor Alcombright and former mayor John Barrett, over the future of North Adams: whether it continues down its art-centered tourist destination or attempts to regain its industrial glory from the Sprague years.
With Alcombright’s re-election just over a month ago, Lever Inc’s Destination Metrics [DM] project looks to quantify the possible benefits for tourism in the city.
According to their website, Lever Inc. is an organization that “supports local economic development by creating and growing enterprises that leverage local assets, including the talents of young people from our region’s colleges.”“Our objective [for DM] was to quantify the relationship between cultural and industrial destinations throughout Berkshire County,” Adam Oullette, one of the MCLA students who interned for Lever Inc. over the summer said.
Hannah Bearup, Lever’s other MCLA intern working on DM, explained that it was a way to, “prove outside visitors would help [economic development]”.
Both students are Computer Science majors who, though they didn’t work closely together, collaborated in a way to help bring the Destination Metrics project to life. As Bearup explained, Oullette’s job was to tinker and configure the software in a way to create their quantifiably desirable data, while Bearup worked visually to interpret what statistics came in.
“This internship was exactly what I wanted to do as a career,” Qullette explained, “It taught me that if you know all of the fundamentals of Object Oriented Design and Data Structures then you can learn just about anything you want to and be good at it.”
Bearup agreed. Working on Destination Metrics was, to them, an interesting project that challenged them intellectually, while stimulating the part of their brains that had attracted them to the computer science field in the first place.
“It forced me to learn how to do things I had no idea about,” Bearup admitted, explaining that she liked having the “crunch” to work under, the pressure of an upcoming deadline that made her work hard, but carefully.
The Destination Metrics project is still in infancy, being only two years old, beginning each summer and ending around November. They utilize small computers, “Raspberry Pi’s” Bearup calls them, which serve as a counter by receiving data from smart phones as a proxy for actual visitors. They have these Raspberry Pi’s stationed outside of Mass MoCA, North Adams’ Main Street, Lever Inc. Headquarters and Spring Street in Williamstown.
“One significant finding was that a lot of people attended Solid Sound over the summer,” Oullette said, emphasizing “a lot”.
Bearup delved into the Destination Metrics data from the Solid Sound festival, explaining that over 8,000 people came to North Adams for the festival. They wanted to figure out where those people went from there, but with a single Raspberry Pi on Main Street and another in Williamstown, the group could tell that people were passing by there. They couldn’t tell whether those people were eating at the Hub or visiting the Antique store, which is where the shortcomings of the project really begin to show.
Outside of that, the interns could only repeat that the information that they had received had not been enough to truly quantify much; in reality it was just the beginning of what could be a long project. Yet the experience was not lost on either student. Bearup joked that she was taking a class that covered material she had to learn over the summer to implement in DM.
“I’m applying the experience that I gained from this internship by using some tips and tricks that I stumbled upon this summer while building my piece [of the project] on personal projects,” Oullette said.“I’m applying for jobs, and the skills that I learned over the summer are really impressive in the eyes of future employers,”
One major problem for the project was the discussion of personal privacy. Oullette and Bearup talk about a negative reaction to DM because some people believed it to be “stalking” as Bearup put it light-heartedly.
“We weren’t looking at individuals,” Bearup stated. “We were looking at whole groups.”
Oullette mirrored the statement, tackling the issue from a marketing standpoint.
“The hardest part of the internship was marketing the project in a way that people did not get offended or think that their privacy was at stake if they invested into the project itself,” Oullette explained.“We spent countless meetings figuring out how exactly we can word the presentations and talk about the projects.”
Computer science students track local tourism
Photo from MCLA WebsiteComputer science majors Hannah Bearup ’16 and Adam Ouellette ’15 created software for a “Destination Meter,” helping Destination Metrics track tourism downtown.
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Arts & Entertainment Beacon.MCLA.edu6
By Mitchell ChapmanA & E Editor
Following the passionate performance of DeQn Sue, Anais Mitchell is sure to thrill audiences tomorrow night in the Church Street Center as part of the MCLA Presents! series of events. e self-described folk artist has a long history with the genre, and has been featured at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Anais’s life as a musician began at the age of 17, when she began writing her own songs. She didn’t break out onto the professional scene until she was 21, when she recorded her � rst album, “ e Song ey Sang When Rome Fell,” in a single a� ernoon, according to nickdrake.com. Her most popular piece of work to date is “Hadestown,” which her manager described as “the story of Orpheus and Eurydice set in post-apocalyptic Depression-era America,” according to ladyslipper.org, but has some mixed criticisms. “Mitchell traverses such a sweeping range of emotions, genres and styles over the course of ‘Hadestown’, it’s frankly remarkable that the whole thing works at all,” James Skinner, critic of drownedinsound.com, said. “ at it works so brilliantly well, that in under an hour it creates a world you’ll want to return to time and time again, that it is a glittering model of the form – of collaboration itself – is nothing short of awe-inspiring.” “In a Vaudevillian manner, she plunders a wide array of idioms, ranging from traditional American folk through Tom Waits mannerisms, country, gospel, jazz, chamber music, and the Penguin-Cafe-Orchestra-goes-to-India vibe of the instrumental Lover’s Desire,” John Lusk, BBC critic, said. “It all makes sense eventually. Kind of.” Mitchell’s most recent album, “Young Man in America,” had a much more favorable reception, garnering a metascore of 86
and a plethora of positive reviews. “For her follow-up to 2010’s stunning folk-opera ‘Hadestown,’ she tones down the scale a little, yet o ers something equally startling: a modern folk record that snaps and sparkles with energy, daring to take on some formidable themes in the process,” Skinner said. “A � erce, melodic a rmation of sadness and grief, love and lust, attachments formed both strong and precarious, ‘Young Man in America’ is a marvel of a record from start to � nish.”
Her newfound critical success translated into high-pro� le performances, as she was asked to open the North American leg of indie folk band Bon Iver’s Autumn 2012 tour, in which she participated in two sold out Radio City Music Hall shows. Yet despite it all, Mitchell sees the value of the indie artists in relation to music as a whole. “I think I was most inspired by this vast community of people who are making music but are never going to be household names,” Mitchell told e Telegraph, a
British newspaper. “Yet they can make enough money to get them to the next town and make the next record. It made me realize you didn’t necessarily have to shoot for the moon. You can make a living without making a killing.” To reserve tickets, be sure to go to mcla.ticketleap.com. e show costs $2 for MCLA students, $5 for non-MCLA students, $8 for alumni, and $12 for general admission.
Anais Mitchell to play folk music at the Church Street Center tomorrow� e self-described folk artist has been a part of eight works since her debut in 2002,
and has played with Bon Iver at Radio City Music Hall
Photo from ww2.kqed.orgAnais Mitchell is the daughter of novelist Don Mitchell, who inspired her to become a singer. She has found her own identity through her music, which she has been writing since the age of 17.
Hardman Poet Jessica Fisher comments on war, childhood, and the struggles of creating poetry
By Chris RiemerA & E Writer
Opening the Hardman Special Initiatives reading, Professor Zachary Finch said that Jessica Fisher’s poetry was concerned with what it means to nurture in a time of violence. He also said that his introduction inadequately described the breadth of Fisher’s subject matter and poetic design. Both of these statements were proven accurate. At the reading last ursday, Fisher interwove stories about her children with tales of far-o war, only distantly visible from her privileged status as an American citizen. In her poetry, linguistic examination uncovered the signi� cance of homophones and homographs: the irony of mortar as a building material and as an agent of destruction, for example. Or, more concisely: “duck duck goose or duck in cover.” “I always like to see where stories rupture,” Fisher said,
between poems. Her 2012 book “Inmost” was primarily concerned with this absurdity of being at war while never experiencing the war in any meaningful or immediate way. Fisher explained that she’d intended to only write one book about the impersonality of the Iraq War, but that its continuation made it a regrettably consistent theme in her work years later. Naturally, the Iraq War is a subject that has been mined for artistic value for many years. Fisher’s poetry set itself apart by approaching the subject almost anti-voyeuristically: rather than provoking emotion with horri� c detail of explosions, death, and the grief of the survivors, Fisher bloodlessly imagined the experience from afar using metaphors of maternity and etymology. Her lines are not numb to the pain of the war’s casualties, but she recognized her distance to the actual events that made up the primary material in many of her poems. Some of her poems were a little closer to their subject matter, though. One of her more visceral ones, from her upcoming book (which she revealed may be titled
“Day Work”), � xated on the events of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting from the perspective of Fisher watching her children in a school play. Fisher also mentioned a 14th-century painting depicting a widespread massacre of people, including children, as an in� uence. “I have sort of a dark imagination,” Fisher said at one point, half-jokingly. “I think a lot about what we do when we do violence to each other.” e reading mostly consisted of poems from her book “Inmost”, although Fisher included material from her other publications. A� er the reading there was a brief Q&A, during which Fisher responded to questions about her writing process and the nature of poetry itself. “ e more you try, the � atter and � atter it becomes,” she said, speaking about the di culty she o� en has in working with a single poem for a signi� cant length of time. e event was the last reading of the Hardman Special Initiatives program slated for this semester.
Fisher is currently a professor of Creative Writing at Williams College
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Arts & Entertainment Beacon.MCLA.edu 7
By Jarred ClappA & E Writer
e player experience in “Fallout 4” can be described succinctly yet vaguely with the statement “it’s like the same but di erent.” At its core, it plays like a much cleaner version of the previous console games in the series “Fallout 3” and the Obsidian-made side production “Fallout: New Vegas” with many subtle, yet de� ning deviations in gameplay. Despite “Fallout 4’s” substantial change in functionality, fans of previous Fallout or Bethesda Studios games will not be disappointed by the most recent installment in the Fallout Franchise. “Fallout 4” o ers a special treat to Massachusetts residents with the location being based in a post-apocalyptic Boston. ose familiar with the city and its surrounding suburban areas will be pleasantly surprised by how accurate the map is, with a somewhat scaled down but remarkably detailed portrayal of the city. e most instantly noticeable
improvement right o the bat are the graphics. Where previous open world RPG Bethesda Games, like “Fallout 3” and “Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”, were immersive and provided the player with hours upon hours of content, the movement and conversations were very choppy and o� en riddled with bugs. ese games were so buggy to the point that it was almost
a staple of Bethesda’s games to feature ludicrous glitches that instead of pulling the player out of the gaming experience, added a di erent layer of engagement. While the game is not completely free of these bugs and crashes, Bethesda Studios made a signi� cant leap forward in their production, especially when it comes to combat. In the previous Fallout games, it was near impossible to play as a � rst-person shooter, making the player rely on a unique method of accuracy called VATS (Vault Tech Assisted Targeting System). In the newest installment, there have been minor changes to the VATS functionality and major improvements to the action-based combat. e improvements with dialogue allow conversations to � ow more realistically, but that comes at a price that could be detrimental to hardcore fans of the series. One of the Fallout franchise’s most alluring aspects is its dark humor associated with the settlers of a post-apocalyptic world just trying to make the best of their lives. at being said, dark humor (speci� cally in dialogue options) was a staple of gameplay, especially in the original turn-based computer games “Fallout 1, 2” and “Tactics”. e speech has been painfully simpli� ed, o ering a “sarcastic” response option along with a basic “yes” or “no,” most of which lead to the same outcome. What the game lacks in speech, it more than makes up for with the sheer amount
of things to do. A player could easily spend hundreds of hours completing side quests, exploring Boston, tinkering with the new functions of settlement building and cra� ing weapons, armor or other items. ere is much that can be disputed as to what changes were good for the game and what took away from previous entries in the series, but what matters most is that the game has evolved, ushering a new era of Bethesda-made RPGs. ose fresh to the game, as well as veterans of “Fallout”, will be pleased with the newest installment, as it o ers something new for every type of gamer to enjoy.
“Fallout 4” o� ers a special treat for lovers of the RPG and general audiences
Photo from BethesdaAs usual, “Fallout 4” features an even larger open world for players to explore (above).The iconic power armor makes a return in this rendition of the post-apocalyptic role-playing game (below).
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Sports Beacon.MCLA.edu8Women’s basketball downs Lasell
McLaughlin’s 25 points gives MCLA their fourth consecutive victory
By Jesse CollingsSports Editor
Junior Courtney McLaughlin scored a career high 25 points to lead MCLA past Lasell College on Monday, 85-72. The win was the
Trailblazers’ fourth consecutive victory, and they improved to 4-2 on the season. MCLA had the hot hand in the first half, shooting 68 percent from the field and using a 29-13 second quarter to open up a commanding 53-31 lead at half-time. The Trailblazers are shoot-
ing just under 40 percent on the season, the top mark in the MAS-CAC conference. Head coach Holly McGovern talked about the team’s ability to get off high-quality shots.
“Our shot selection and unself-
ishness in transition has led to better offensive opportunities,” McGovern said. “We are begin-ning to run lanes better, and are making that next pass that leads to better looks at the basket. The next step for us will be to improve second chance scoring opportu-nities and continue to play with confidence.”
Lasell mounted a small come-back in the second half, eventu-ally whittling down the Trailblaz-er lead to 10 points in the third quarter after Katie Stopera made a free throw for the Lasers to make the game 59-49 in favor of MCLA. The Trailblazers continued to nurse that lead for the remainder of the game and cruised to the 13 point victory.
The Trailblazers shot well across the board. In addition to shoot-ing 55 percent from the field, they shot 8-16 from beyond the arc and converted 11 out of their 12 free throws. MCLA’s full court press forced the Lasers into 22 turn-overs on the game that the Trail-blazers converted into 31 points. MCLA also held a big advantage in points in the paint, scoring 44 points near the basket as opposed to the 30 that were scored by La-sell.
Lasell got a big game from se-nior guard Deanna Barrett who led the Lasers with 28 points and 6 rebounds. Fellow senior Stopera added 21 points and 6 assists for Lasell.
MCLA was led by McLaughlin’s 25 and also got 17 points from junior Ashley Clawson. Junior forward Kayla Hotaling had 15
points and 6 assists and Court-ney Durivage had 10 points and 7 rebounds off of the bench. Fresh-man Courtney Pingelski had another strong start for MCLA, recording 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. McGovern talked about Pingelski getting off to a strong start in her rookie campaign.
“Courtney has gotten off to a great start through her work ethic. She quietly goes through practice taking in our concepts and adapting them to her game,” McGovern said. “She is a won-derful court player, especially in transition. CP will make some mistakes, but has shown an ability to overcome those mistakes and not repeat them.”
The Trailblazers are currently being led by Hotaling, with 12.2 points per game, in rebounds with 7 rebounds per game and in blocks in blocks with 1.5 blocks per game.
The Trailblazers are led by a balanced offensive attack that features seven players who are av-eraging better than 7 ppg. In ad-dition to Hotaling, McLaughlin is averaging 9.8 ppg and Pingelski is right behind her averaging 9.2 ppg. Ashley Clawson is averag-ing 7.5 ppg, and both Durivage and Brayleigh Hanlon are averag-ing 6.3 ppg. Freshman McKenzie Robinson is averaging 5.2 ppg.
MCLA played Utica College on Wednesday night and will be back in action on Saturday when they host Simmons College in North Adams at 1 p.m.
Photo from MCLA AthleticsMCLA sophomore Courtney McLaughlin scored 25 points on Monday to lead the Trailblazers past Lasell College. McLaughlin shot 10-18 from the field and also had 4 steals and 3 assists.
Men’s basketball stopped by NYUBy Tyler Bacon
Sports Editor
The MCLA Men’s Basketball team traveled to New York Uni-versity on Sunday and lost by a fi-nal score of 97-67. MCLA’s record on the season drops to 2-4 while NYU improved to 4-0.
MCLA’s Careem Kirksey talked about where the team can still im-prove this season.
“There’s always improvement needed on the defensive side of the floor because those key stops can win us the game,” Kirksey said. “Looking back on the 2-4 record, if we made those stops, we would be 5-1 and on the other side of the ball we need to run our plays and do it effectively.”
New York University jumped out to an early 25-8 lead and never looked back from there. The Violets led 51-33 at the end of the first half. The Trailblazers were led by Ki-Shawn Monroe with 8 points and Kirksey with 7 points at halftime. NYU was led by Costis Gontikas with 16 points and 6 rebounds in 9 minutes at halftime.
In the second half, NYU out-scored the Trailblazers 46-34 to
cruise to a 30 point victory. Monroe would end up lead-ing the Trailblazers with 12 points and a perfect 6-6 from the free-throw line. Merle Darling and Joe Wiggins would be second on the time with 8 points for the game.
Travis Rice talked about his thoughts on the loss to NYU.
“The NYU game didn’t go as planned, but we have a lot of guys hurt on the team,” Rice said. “I think the injuries af-fected our perfor-mance a little, but overall I think we still played hard.”
Patrick Burns and Gontikas both scored 22 points to lead NYU. Burns also added 8 re-bounds. NYU shot 56 percent from the field while
MCLA only shot 38 percent from the floor. NYU dominated the paint outscoring MCLA 72-32.
Rice believes it is still early in the season and a couple of improve-ments can help the team win games.
“It’s still early in the season but out record is not what we want it to be but we are going to bounce back,” Rice said. “We have a lot to work on. Most importantly we have to fully execute our plays and trust one another.”
The Trailblazers are currently being led by senior guard Paul Maurice, who is averaging 14.6 points per game. Kirksey is aver-aging 13.2 ppg and senior Khalil Paul is averaging 12.2 ppg.
Junior Dakari Hannah-Wornum is the team’s top defender, averag-ing 11.8 rebounds per game and 3.7 blocks per game. Hannah-Wornum’s 22 total blocks on the season are the second highest to-tal in the country.
MCLA is back in action on Wednesday when the Trailblazers are home against WPI at 7:30 p.m. WPI currently is a perfect 5-0 on the season and is ranked No. 13 in the nation by D3hoops.com
Photo from MCLA AthleticsMCLA freshman Ki-Shawn Monroe scored a career high 12 points on Sunday, going 6-6 from the free throw line.
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Sports Beacon.MCLA.edu 9Scores
Men’s Basketball
Sunday, Nov. 29 MCLA @ NYU 97-67, L
Women’s Basketball Monday, Nov. 30 MCLA @ Lasell College 85-72
Standings
Men’s Basketball
Team Record
Salem State 3-2Fitchburg State 3-4West� eld State 3-5Bridgewater State 2-4MCLA 2-4Worcester State 2-4Framingham State 1-5
Women’s Basketball
Team Record
Framingham State 4-2MCLA 4-2Salem State 3-2Worcester State 3-3Bridgewater State 2-3West� eld State 2-3Fitchburg State 0-8
SchedulesSaturday, Dec. 5
Women’s BasketballMCLA vs Simmons1 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 9
Women’s BasketballMCLA vs Mount Holyoke5:30 p.m.
Men’s BasketballMCLA vs WPI7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 12
Women’s BasketballMCLA @ UnionNoon
Men’s BasketballMCLA vs Southern Vermont@ RPI4 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 13
Men’s BasketballMCLA vs TBA@ RPITBA
Fair Territory
NFL Week 12 Power Rankings
By Jesse CollingsSports Editor
With only one undefeated team le in the NFL, a dark horse team surges into the number one spot in the Week 13 Power Rankings.
1. Carolina Panthers-� e Panthers look to be gaining steam as the season wears on, trouncing Dallas on � anksgiving and embar-rassing the Cowboys in front of a national audience. Led by do-it-all quarterback Cam Newton, Carolina is averaging 34 points per game over the last � ve games.
2. New England Patriots-Injuries � nally caught up to New England on Sunday night, as their normally potent o ense was crippled and the Patriots’ perfect season came to an end at the hands of Denver. A loss to a 9-2 team on the road in overtime while battling injuries isn’t all that disappointing, and if some key players get healthy for the postseason, the road to the Su-per Bowl will still go through New England.
3.Arizona Cardinals-� e Cardinals have probably the most impressive resume out of any team in the NFL, with victories over Cincinnati and at Pittsburgh and Seattle already this season. Arizona didn’t play their best football on Sunday, picking up a nar-row victory at home against San Francisco, but their high- ying o ense and playmaking defense might make them a favorite in the NFC, even over Carolina.
4. Cincinatti Bengals-Marvin Lewis’ bunch dis-mantled the spiraling St. Louis Rams, rolling over St. Louis 31-7 to move to 9-2 on the season. Considering Cincin-nati has only two remaining games against teams with win-ning records, the Bengals have likely punched their playo ticket for the � h consecutive season.
5. Denver Broncos-A er looking dead in the water with Peyton Manning as their quarterback, Denver has seen a resurgence under the leadership of Brock Osweiler. Osweiler looked con� dent de-feating the defending champs.
6. Minnesota Vikings-� e 8-3 Vikings zoomed past
the free-falling Atlanta Falcons to take sole possession of � rst place in the NFC North. � ey may not be all that ashy, but a physical running game and a dy-namite defense that is allowing only 17.6 points per game, the second lowest total in the NFL, Minnesota has gotten done in a tough NFC.
7. Seattle Seahawks-Seattle picked up a much-
needed victory at home over Pittsburgh on Sunday, downing the Steelers 38-30. Russell Wil-son picked up his � rst career victory when his defense sur-rendered greater than 25 points, proving that he can win a shoot-out, which is necessary consid-ering Seattle will likely have to go through Arizona and Caro-lina if they hope to reach the Su-per Bowl for a third consecutive year.
8. Green Bay Packers-Green Bay dropped another
close game, this time to division rival Chicago at home. Aaron Rodgers is clearly feeling the loss of top target Jordy Nelson as his remaining receivers struggle to get open. Rodgers’ yards per game and yards per attempt are there lowest since he took over the starting job in Green Bay in 2008.
9. Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh lost a tough road
game to Seattle, but their o ense put up plenty of points against the stout Seattle defense. Quar-terback Ben Roethlisberger is unfazed by any situation, and has found budding star wide receiver Markus Wheaton for numerous big plays over the last couple games. Wheaton is aver-aging 19.0 yards per reception, giving Antonio Brown a much needed sidekick on the outside.
10. Kansas City Chiefs-A er starting out the season
1-5 and getting hit with injuries, Kansas City has managed to win � ve games in row with a scoring di erential of +98. � e signing of free agent wide receiver Jer-emy Maclin has proven to be a crucial acquisition, as Kansas City is airing it out more in the absence of Jamaal Charles.
11. Indianapolis Colts-Matt Hasselbeck, at 40 years
old, has a quarterback rating of 94.4, his highest quali� ed total since he led the Seattle Seahawks to the Super Bowl in 2005. He is also 4-0 as a starter and has the 6-5 Colts looking like a playo team a er all.
12. Houston Texans-Similar to Kansas City, Hous-
ton looked to be going nowhere early in the season, but have im-proved to 6-5 thanks to a sti ing defense that has held opponents to under 8 points per game dur-ing their four-game winning streak. Reigning and defend-ing NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt has once again proved he is the league’s top de-fender, leading the NFL in sacks with 13.5.
Opinion:Warriors marching into the history books
By Jesse CollingsSports Editor
Defying all odds, the calen-dar has turned to December and an NBA team is still wait-ing for its � rst loss of the season. � e Golden State Warriors have rattled o 19 consecu-tive victories to start the season, the most ever in NBA history. Nineteen wins in a row is im-pressive in its own right, it is tied for the seventh most con-secutive victories in NBA his-tory, and to accomplish that feat to start a season is unheard of. � e Warriors are also do-ing it coming o of one of the most dominant seasons in NBA history, in which they won 67 games and cruised to the fran-chise’s fourth championship.
� e idea of a “championship hangover” is one that has plagued teams for decades. Once a cham-pionship is won, the � re usu-ally burns a little less bright at the start of the following season, players want more playing time, and the overall competitive edge begins to dull. Golden State has ignored all of those restrictions and annihilated the rest of the NBA at an unprecedented rate. Golden State is leading the league in scoring, averaging bet-ter than 115 points per game. � e next closest team is averaging 108 points per game. � e Warriors are also surrendering only 99.9 ppg, the 14th best mark in the league. � at means the Warriors are winning games by average of 15.4 points per game. � e all-time record for point di erential in a season is 12.28, done by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, a team that on 69 games (including 33 in a row) and won the NBA championship. So far, the War-riors are 3 ppg better than them. Golden State of course is being led by reigning MVP Steph Cur-ry, who is o to a legendary sea-son. Curry is averaging 31.6 ppg and shooting 51 percent from the oor and leads the league in free throw shooting, knocking down 94 percent of his attempts from the free throw line. Curry has taken on a greater o ensive role than he has in the past, averag-ing over 20 � eld goal attempts per game a er never having � n-ished a season averaging greater than 17 attempts per game. Of course, you cannot talk about Steph Curry without mentioning three point shoot-ing. Everyone knows that Curry is the best shooter in the NBA, but I don’t think people under-stand how ridiculous he really is. Curry is shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc, a number that is ten points better than the league average of 34 percent. � e real unbelievable statistic is that Curry is shooting over 11 three
pointers a game, by far on pace to be the highest total in his-tory. Last season, Curry set the all-time record for most three point � eld goals made in a sea-son with 286. 19 games into the 2015-2016 season, Curry is on pace to make 402 three point-ers! 402! � e combination of volume and e� ciency is some-thing the NBA has never seen. As great as Curry has been, the Warriors as an entire unit have been outstanding. When the team with the best player in the NBA is also the team that plays the best team basketball, then the rest of the NBA is in serious trouble. Klay � ompson is the per-fect second banana for Curry at the shooting guard position, a skilled defender that can take on the tougher assignment on the other end of the oor, which allows Curry to freelance on defense and focus on o ense. � ompson also doubles as per-haps the second best shooter in the NBA behind Curry and can heat up at any moment. Andre Iguodala is a swiss-army knife, capable of playing lock-down defense, attacking the bas-ket and handling the ball and is a top playmaker. Harrison Barnes brings many of those same tools and has shown the ability to guard four positions at di erent times. Although Curry rightfully gets most of the press, Draymond Green is the heart and soul of the team. Green is probably the most versatile defender in the NBA, is an extremely skilled passer and has shown the ability to play the center position despite being undersized. In fact, the Warriors small-ball deathsqaud lineup of Green, Barnes, Iguodala, � omp-son and Curry is averaging 160 points per 100 possessions and is surrendering 90 points per 100 possessions. Let those numbers sink in for a minute. � e thing about the War-riors is that NBA teams are not supposed to be this good any-more. � ere are so many rules in place, from the salary cap to the NBA dra lottery that tries to level the playing � eld. � e Warriors have been able to become so successful main-ly because of smart dra ing. Only Curry and Barnes are top-10 dra picks, and they were each taken outside the top-5. Golden State has hit homeruns on � ompson and Green, but have also been smart in acquir-ing quality role players like Andrew Bogut, Festus Ezeli, Shaun Linvingston and others. � e Warriors historic start has been the best storyline in the NBA, making every game must watch TV. � e question now is how far can they go.
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Opinion Beacon.MCLA.edu10 e Beacon
The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed free to the College’s community. The Beacon
is funded by the Student Government Association, the English/Communications
department, and ad revenues. Single copies are free, additional copies may be
One of the most common plugs used on incoming students to prepare them for college is the idea to get involved in as many clubs as possible. Admissions recruiters know what students do aside from academics will play an important role in their social life and how comfortable they feel on campus. By � nding people to befriend with similar interests, it can allow for a support system away from home, especially for those who live on campus.
Our campus has 51 clubs and organizations funded under Student Government Association. On top of that, the Center for Service and Citizenship o� ers several volunteer opportunities a semester, in the community and on campus. Both are great ways to meet new people during a new chapter of one’s life. ey also act as resume boosters for post graduation. However, there seems to be a decrease in student’s ability to commit to activities outside of studies and working.
e number of students volunteering is declining, according to a USA Today article. Nationally, in 2010, 26.1 percent of college students volunteered that year, down from 31.2 percent in 2004. e Bureau of Labor Statistics say that individuals with more education engage in volunteer events at a higher rate that those who are less educated in 2014. About 39.4 percent of post-grads volunteered, 27.3 percent of people with some college education volunteered, and 16.4 percent of high school grads volunteered. Bigger, more organized volunteer opportunities seem to have the largest turn out from sports teams and greek
organizations rather than a group of strangers.
In MCLA’s Guide to Clubs and Organizations, it says there are 168 hours per week, 15 hours of class time, 30 hours of study time, 56 hours of sleeping, 21 hours of eating, and 20 hours to have a part-time job. In concludes by saying there are 26 hours le to get involved. As if these measurements existed in a perfect world, then roadblocks wouldn’t be an issue. If life isn’t consistent, then how is one supposed to be responsible to attend a meeting that doesn’t pay out with money or with a credit. If students didn’t have to attend a three hour night class, they wouldn’t, but a er paying for tuition and receiving a credit, it makes the value worth it.
Are student’s too busy to get involved?
A student at the Northern Illinois University student newspaper writes, “When you’re involved in extracurricular activities, not only do you get that experience, you get the chance to meet di� erent people through the process. If you were the leader of an organizational group or club, it shows that you have leadership skills and know how to take control of things.” Even though extracurricular activities will advance social and leadership skills, a club that’s a hobby, won’t help advance your career unless it’s directly related to the � eld.
e last day to withdraw from classes just passed a few weeks ago and many students do so a er realizing that some courses and interests outweigh each other and
EditorialAre we particpating in extracurriculars less?
Understanding supplements and vitamins
By Makayla-Courtney McGeeney
Co-Editor in Chief
With winter break only a few daydream thoughts away, you may be gearing up for a vacation somewhere warmer and sunnier. While hiding under your late fall coat, you may be wondering, ‘What's the quickest way to lose weight overnight?’ I can tell you it isn't possible. What your next thought might be is how to get your hands on some cheap Wal-Mart lose-weight-fast capsules. Don't do it, I've been there.
Nowadays with the massive push for athletes and � tness models to use supplements, it's hard to decipher what's actually doing your body good. I'm not a chemistry or biology major, but I've learned a little about supplements, more so in the past two years by experimenting with di� erent brands myself.
While most supplements either help one gain weight or lose weight, other types exist for a variety of body maintenance. Only looking for protein powders and fat burners are the extremes at each end of the spectrum of supplement options. Supplements can also improve overall health
and aesthetic goals to become more achievable, according to an article from September on BodyBuilding.com.
Vitamins and minerals are just as important as they were when your parents forced Flintstone gummies on you every morning. Because it's hard to manage all necessary vitamins and minerals through food, you may have to obtain them another way. A good multivitamin can make up for any nutrient de� ciencies.
Outlets to look for any supplements include C a m p u s P r o t e i n . c o m , BodyBuilding.com, and General Nutrition Centers (GNC); however don’t get sucked into a salesperson selling you expensive products a er telling them you don’t know what you want. Do some research, then shop.
Fish oil is another staple in the � tness community and essential to a regular diet. Fish and meat contain omega 6 and omega 3, which are also important fatty acids because they regulate blood pressure and in ammatory responses, according to Web MD. ese protect against heart disease, diabetes and types of cancer.
e next time you see a packet of daily vitamins, don’t get scared or believe they’re all fat burners, because really they regulate bodily functions and compensate for nutrient imbalance. If you can incorporate necessary nutrients into your diet, then vitamins and supplements may not be something to bother with. However, if you’re into constant li ing and working out as a lifestyle, it may be good to consider these diet add-ins.
Bigger than bicepsHealth
“I bought two liters of unicorn blood on Amazon on Black Friday.”
-Jackson Poirier , 2019
“On Black Friday, I bought some socks, a phone case and a necklace for Christmas gi s to my family.”
-Jackson Poirier, 2019
“On Cyber Monday, I bought my friends (who are expecting) a baby bouncer.”
-Callen Gardner, 2016
“I bought some Christmas gi s for my family and girlfriend on Shop Local Saturday.”
-Chris Merriman, 2016
“I bought some Christmas gi s and a deep-fryer on Black Friday.”
-Colby Harvish, 2016
EXTRACURRICULARScontinued on page 11
“On Cyber Monday, I got some cat sweat-ers for a great deal.”
-Abby Lucas, 2016
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Announcements & Opinion Beacon.MCLA.edu 11
Sunday, Nov. 22◆ 2:24 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a suspicious activity reported at the college. No Action was required.
Monday, Nov. 23◆ 5:29 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a suspicious activity reported at Venable Hall. The situation was investigated but the suspicious activity reported was unfounded.
Tuesday, Nov. 24◆ 4:16 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a vehicle in need of assistance at the Freel Library parking lot. The vehicle was successfully jump started.
Wednesday, Nov.25◆ 5:46 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a report of an unwanted guest at the Amsler Campus Center. The subject was warned.
Thursday, Nov. 26◆ 1:27 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a fire alarm at the Amsler Campus Center. The Alarm was false.
Saturday, Nov. 27◆ 1:54 a.m. – Public Safety responded to a disturbance at the campus headquarters. No action was required.
◆ 6:37 p.m. – Public Safety responded to an alarm at the Falgg townhouses. The alarm was accidental.
◆ 8:17 p.m. – Public Safety responded to a report of an unwanted guest at the Amsler Campus Center. The subject was gone upon Public Safety’s arrival.
Sunday, Nov. 15◆ 5:20 p.m. – Public safety responded to a vehicle in need of assistance at the Berkshire Towers. They tried to jumpstart the vehicle but were unsuccessful.
End-of-Semester Stages
� ursday8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Composts in Training with Nick Tardive10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. � e Gas Station with Matt Aceto12:00 - 2:00 p.m. A bailar con Tangie (Early a� ernoons with Tangie)
with Tangie Mendez � is show is in Spanish2:00 - 4:00 p.m. On Air with Devin with Chris Riemer4:00 - 6:00 p.m. � e Squirrel with Alison Gilbert6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Current with Tim Williams8:00 - 10:00 p.m.� e Bucket with Becky and Courtney10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. On Air With Devin with Chris Riemer
Friday9:00 - 11:00 a.m. Bumpin’ with Britt with Brittany Whitford11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Music Variety12:00 - 1:00 p.m. Hazards of Love with Kathleen Sansone1:00 - 3:00 p.m. � e Squirrel with Alison Gilbert3:00 -5:00 p.m. On Air with Devin with Chris Riemer5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Unitarian Radio with Alex Hicks-Courant7:00 - 9:00 p.m. MCLA Pregame with Tim Williams and Erika Flan-
nery9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. Metal Heart with Micky
Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. FolKenS.uch with Ken Swiatek12:00 - 2:00 p.m. Metal Heart 2.0 with Micky 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. � e Generic Show with DJ Generico4:00 - 6:00 p.m. Outrage with Aaron Lopes, Messaoud Kerris and
Leland Harper6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Grab the Bull By the Horns with Ben Harvish7:00 - 9:00 p.m. Potts on the Rocks with Casey Potts and Dylan
Burkhart9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. North Adams Hip-Hop with Matt Aceto and
Guy FrancoisSunday
10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Ry-Guy Polka Time with Ryan Pause 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Eclectic Mix With Iz and Nick with Isabel
McKenzie and Nick Cross2:00 - 5:00 p.m.� e Sunday Shu e with Aryel Brosnan5:00 - 7:00 p.m.Sound Soup with Ja.m.es Swinchoski7:00 - 9:00 p.m.� e Call with Andrew Baillargeon9:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. � e List with Drew Weisse
FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT
IT’S ALMOST THAT TIME AGAIN!!!TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT REAPPLYING FOR
FINANCIAL AID FOR NEXT FALL!
2016-2017 FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION PACKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO PICK UP OUTSIDE THE CAFÉ.
STOP BY OUR TABLE BY THE CAFÉ ENTRANCE ON DECEMBER 8 AND 9 FROM 11:00AM – 12:45PM.
NOT EATING IN THE CAFÉ? STOP BY THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE IN ELDRIDGE HALL TO PICK ONE UP.
EXTRACURRICULARScontinued from page 10
call for a sacri ce. Perhaps the way of recruitment for extracurricular
and volunteer opportunities is to blame for a declinein interest. Students’ main form of communication rely on Facebook class pages, email and group messages, in addition to � yers on walls and on TV screens, and during the ice cream social club fair at the beginning of the semester.
� e awareness is prevalent, but as students grow through college, their focus lessons on extracurricular activities, and focuses more on getting enough credits to graduate and to nish quicker to save money.
� e northern Berkshire community will once again gather to discuss important issues facing its residents at our monthly forum on Friday, Dec. 11.
� e Northern Berkshire Community Coalition (nbcc)advocates a unique community management program.Community asset mapping is a di� erent, positive approach to building strong communities. Every community has needs and de cits that ought to be attended to, but it is possible to focus on assets and strengths emphasizing what the community does have, not what it doesn’t. � ose assets and strengths can be used to meet needs and improve community life. To draw upon a community’s assets, we rst have to nd out what they are.
What to expect:• Discover what resources you
bring to the table in solving local issues
• Look at our community as one lled with assets rather than needs
• Identify the assets in our community that will set the stage for planning future forums and their conversations.
“� e December forum is a unique opportunity to change
the way we look at solving issues in our region. O� entimes, when faced with a challenge, communities are apt to focus on their needs and de ciencies, which runs the risk of the community creating a need-based identity. During this forum, we will discover the assets within the northern Berkshires, so that future forum conversations will be asset-based,” explained Annie Rodgers, Program Coordinator of nbCC’s Northern Berkshire Neighbors Program.
� e forum will begin with a round of introductions followed by brief announcements of your upcoming events or new projects. Please bring � yers about your events and announcements, as there will be a table available for sharing them. � e forum will be held on Friday, December 11, 10 a.m. to noon at the First Baptist Church in North Adams (please use the Eagle Street entrance). Also note that the organizers of the Friendship Center Food Pantry at 45 Eagle Street ask friends who attend the nbCC forums to please bring a non-perishable food item for donation to the pantry. For more information on this forum, please contact Annie Rodgers, at (413) 663-7588, or e-mail [email protected].
Join nbCC’s during their December forum on Community Asset Mapping
WJJW
Thursday, December 3, 2015 Photo Essay Beacon.MCLA.edu12
Rachelle Ferguson cuddles a baby pig.
BABIES
Jaclyn Ordway ‘18 cradles a bunny.
Freshmen Declan Nolan and Dirk Jones are all smiles while they look at a baby bunny.
