Student Newspaper of Massachusetts College

of Liberal Arts

North Adams, Mass.

Volume 74Issue 10

For more content,visit us at:

theonlinebeacon.com

Index News 2 World News 3 Features 4-5 A&E 6-8 Sports 9-11 Science 12

Letter to the Editor 13Campus Comment 13Commentary 14Comic 15Word Search 15Photo Essay 16

twitter.com/BeaconMCLA

facebook.com/MCLABeacon

Guns on campus: Yes or no? The human ear: a vulnerable organChris Goodell thinks Public Safety

should be armed, John Durkan disagrees

Mary Redstone examines how much sound is too much to handle

Opinion, Page 14 Features, Page 5

� e student referendum re-garding arming Public Safety will occur between 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. in Bowman Hall on Dec. 6 and 7, SGA Parliamentarian Natasha Dalton con� rmed at the Nov. 21 meeting.

Senator Brendan Peltier volun-teered to table additional hours until 8 p.m. or 9 p.m. so that all students will have the opportu-nity to vote. SGA President Todd Foy said no decision has been made to expand the time frame yet.

� e results of the vote will be presented to the Board of Trust-ees on Dec. 15, who will make the � nal decision on whether or not to arm Public Safety.

At the Nov. 28 meeting, Sena-tor Hawa Umarova said the only thing preventing the arming of o� cers is the campus and com-

munity discussions and that they would be armed as soon as pos-sible. However, Student Trustee Jaynelle Bellemore said she was unaware when guns would be implemented if the Board of Trustees were to pass it.

Midnight Breakfast announced

Faculty and sta� will serve stu-dents at the Midnight Breakfast on Dec. 15 from 9:30 p.m. until around 11:30 p.m. in the Centen-nial Room.

“For those of you who don’t know, Midnight Breakfast is some-thing that is held every year in the Centennial Room, right before � -nals and it’s just a good time to go eat and hangout,” said Coordinat-ing Vice President Jackie Nash.

Yorick funding

SGA granted a total of $3,025 for next semester, short of the

Changes to the 2012-2013 fi-nancial aid process have the Financial Aid office urging stu-dents to apply as early as possi-ble to ensure they receive assis-tance during difficult economic times.

According to Carrie Dempsey, assistant director of Financial Aid, a new IRS Data Retrieval Tool will allow students who have completed their 2011 IRS tax return to electronically transfer their financial infor-mation directly into their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“This is totally different from what they’ve done in the past,” Dempsey said. “It’s going to

create less errors because the in-formation is coming right from the IRS.”

Dempsey added that using the data retrieval tool is important because it will greatly decrease the likelihood of a student being chosen for verification. During the 2012-2013 financial aid pro-cess, copies of federal tax forms will no longer be accepted dur-ing verification. Instead, stu-dents selected for verification must request an official tax tran-script from the IRS.

The transcript is free and can be requested online, over the phone, or through mail. Dempsey strongly urged stu-dents to use the data retrieval tool, however, to avoid the five to 10 day wait period for the transcript.

“It’ll mean less paperwork they have to get in, which should make it easier for students,” she said.

The MCLA Institutional Ap-plication for financial aid will be available after Dec. 15, and Dempsey recommends that students complete it by Febru-ary. The FAFSA is available on Jan. 1, and the IRS data retrieval tool can be used starting Feb. 1 by students who have complet-ed their taxes. Dempsey urged students to complete their taxes as soon as possible in order to meet the March 1 priority dead-line for financial aid.

“� e beginning of February, when you have all of your tax infor-mation, � le those taxes,” she said.

Photo by John Durkan/Beacon Sta�

Construction has begun on the Center for Science and Innovation. Currently, bulldoz-ers are � attening out the construction site. The three-story, 65,000 square foot Science Center will be the � rst new academic building in 40 years. The project is part of a $54 million project funded by the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management.

Science Center Construction Underway SGA announcesgun referendum time, location

By John DurkanEditor-in-Chief

and Jess GamariSta� Writer

Referendum on the Issue of Arming Campus Police

Student Government Association (SGA)

December 6 & 7, 2011

To cast your ballot, place an “X” in the box provided next to the statement of your choice. Choose only one or your ballot will be thrown out.

� e issue of arming campus police has been discussed throughout the college campus. � e MCLA Board of Trust-ees will now move to vote upon whether or not to arm the campus police. � e results of this referendum will be used to convey the student position on this issue.

Based on the college campus discussions and information provided, do you support the arming of the campus police?

Yes, I support the arming of the campus police.

No, I do not support the arming of the campus police.

� e following is an unedited copy of the referendum approved by the SGA Senate on Nov. 14.Students may vote on Dec. 6 and 7 from

9 a.m. until 7 p.m. in Bowman Hall.Financial aid office releases changes

By Chris GoodellManaging Editor

AID, continued on Page 2

SGA, continued on Page 2

Thursday, December 1, 2011 News theonlinebeacon.com2

$5,050 requested by Yorick.“Granting them the full $5,050

is going to put the SGA in a pretty tight fund squash,” Foy said. “Un-fortunately, we have four more sup-plemental requests coming before the end of this semester.”

Foy explained that the Budget Finance Committee reviewed the budget and decided the club will have enough money for the spring semester, but can come back and request more money if needed.

“We’ve never been off campus until this semester, so this is a new thing,” Yorick President Elizabeth Cardaropoli said. “A lot of this is because we lost our space, and we’re assuming we won’t have it again.”

Cardaropoli explained that

“scheduling conflicts” with the Fine and Performing Arts department restricted Yorick from using Ven-able Theatre.

Bellemore said herself, Nash and Foy are working on a scheduling agreement between the clubs and the FPA department.

Ice cream station a possibility, frequent chicken tenders not

Nash announced that the cafete-ria is looking to install a permanent scoop ice-cream station, which would be located along the wall of fountain drinks.

Peltier suggested the cafeteria add wraps to the salad bar so students have another option.

Senator Catt Chaput expressed

the need for faster toasters, because there is not enough time to toast a bagel on the way to class.

Senator Jamal Brown would like to see the cafeteria have chicken tenders every once in a while.

Senate Chair Korinna Dennehey and Senator Nashua Rosa explained that chicken tenders are expen-sive, and with the all-you-can-eat meal style, the cafeteria would go through a lot of chicken.

“Hamburgers cost between $150 and $200 per meal, while the chick-en nuggets can cost up to $800 per meal,” Dennehey said. “It’s not fea-sible to have all the time.”

Mascot submission site in works

Secretary Jake Powers said that the banner in Bowman Hall that reads “The Search is On,” with a giant magnifying glass is a banner sponsored by the mascot commit-tee. The committee is waiting for Charlotte Degen, dean of Academ-ic Affairs, to approve the website. Once approved, students can visit mcla.edu/mascot for submission rules.

“We’re not getting rid of ‘Trail-blazers,’” Nash said. “Basically, we’re looking for something to run around and be a figure at games.”

The mascot costume will be fund-ed through athletics. Ideas can be submitted to the committee, but must adhere to NCAA regulations.

Stocking stuffers

Executive Vice President Stepha-nie Esposito said 36 stockings for the stocking stuffer program are available at Diane Collins’s office in CC317. The stockings will be do-nated through the Salvation Army to children up to 12 years old.

Ideas will be included and the in-tent is to spend no more than $10 in stuffers. They are due by Dec. 14 at 4 p.m. Anyone can participate.

Colleges Against Cancer (CAC) hosted its Great American Smokeout on Wednesday Nov. 16 in Venable Gym from 1-4:30 p.m.

The purpose of the event is to draw people in and bring aware-ness to the campus about smok-ing and how it causes lung can-cer. According to the American Cancer Society website, although more that 45 million Americans smoke cigarettes, “more than half of these smokers have attempted to quit for at least a day in the past year.”

Stephanie Bush, vice president of CAC, said the event tries to bring awareness by at least reduc-ing smoking if it cannot just be stopped altogether.

“It’s not about quitting cold tur-key, but just setting up a plan” said Patricia Deoliveira, a senior and

member of CAC.Bush said that when you walk by

people smoking on campus you don’t think twice about it, but the secondhand smoke does increase risk of lung cancer.

“I feel like a lot of people lack awareness on this campus,” Bush said. “I think it’s just important for college students to be aware of the consequences of smoking.”

This year’s Smokeout informa-tion table held a variety of pam-phlets about smoking and how to quit. There was also a raffle table (the raffle will be drawn Dec. 8), a refreshment table, music, and games, including a kickball game that was planned for the last hour.

Students interested in quitting can contact the Try-to-STOP TOBACCO Resource Center by calling 1-800-TRY-TO-STOP or going to www.trytostop.org. The organization is funded by the Mass. Dept. of Public Health.

To assist students with the fi-nancial aid process and answer any questions they may have, the Financial Aid office will have information tables set up at various times from Dec. 5-9 in either the library or outside the cafeteria. (See Financial Aid Announcement for details.)

A workshop will also be held on Feb. 1 in Murdock 108 from 6-8 p.m. for any students who need help filling out their FAF-SA. Although few students have attended these workshops in the past, Dempsey said they can be very helpful to students strug-gling to understand the finan-cial aid process.

“We’ll help them one-on-one complete the FAFSA form,” she said.

Dempsey also welcomed any student with questions to stop by the Financial Aid office in El-dridge Hall. She added that the financial aid process is particu-larly important given the coun-try’s current financial situation.

“[The economy] is not getting any better at this point, so it’s re-ally important to get everything in,” she said.

Students must pre-register to be considered on time for the fi-nancial aid process, and rewards will be distributed by the begin-ning of May.

Financial aid process changes announced

FINANCIAL AID ANNOUNCEMENT

GET A JUMPSTART ON FINANCIAL AID FOR

2012-2013!INFORMATIONAL TABLES WILL BE SET UP AT

THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS AND TIMES:

Dec. 5: Library 1-3 p.m.; Cafeteria 5-7 p.m.

Dec. 6: Cafeteria 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Dec. 7: Cafeteria 11 a.m.-2 p.m.; Library 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Dec. 8: Library 1-3 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.

Dec. 9: Library 1-3 p.m.

AID, continued from Page 1

CAC raises awarenesson smoking dangers

By Nicole KnappStaff Writer

MCLA honors workersfor career milestones

MCLA honored employees marking milestone years of ser-vice to the College and named this year’s recipients of its an-nual “Faculty Research Award” and “Creative Project Award” at a “Giving Thanks” reception on Monday, Nov. 21.

According to President Mary Grant, “This annual event is a wonderful opportunity for us to celebrate the milestones many of our colleagues have reached in their service to the College, and all that they have done over the years to make MCLA a better, stronger, more welcoming place for stu-dents, colleagues, and friends.”

In addition, Bill Spezeski, a pro-fessor of computer science, re-ceived the Research Award for his paper, “A Keyless Polyalphabetic Cipher.” This award supports any type of faculty research, and may be used for new as well as existing

research projects or inquiries.Melanie Mowinski, an assistant

professor of art, was awarded the “Creative Project Award” for her “PRESS” gallery, which was part of this year’s DownStreet Art ini-tiative. This award category sup-ports those whose scholarship is expressed wholly or in part in creative fields and disciplines, in-cluding the fine, performing and applied arts.

Those recognized included em-ployees that have 15 to 40 years of service at the College.

Donald Washburn was honored for his 40 years at MCLA. Those honored for 35 years of service in-cluded Robert Bence, history/po-litical science/geography; Gerald Desmarais, administration and finance; Timothy Jay, psychology; and Gregory O’Connor, business administration and economics.

Those marking 25 years of ser-vice were Anna Marie Arabia, facilities; Mary Ellen Cohane,

English/communications; Mi-chele Etheir, sociology/anthropol-ogy/social work; Patricia Goman, facilities; Glenn Lawson, Freel Library; Mark Miller, English/communications; James (Seamus) Morrison, administration and fi-nance; Nancy Ovitsky, business administration and economics; Matthew Silliman, philosophy; and Sharon Thomas, history/po-litical science/geography.

Joseph Dzbenski of the facilities department was recognized for his 20 years of service, and Alla Kucher and Scott Nichols were recognized for their 15 years of service in the mathematics and athletics departments, respec-tively.

Those recognized for 10 years of service included Maria Bar-tini, psychology; Jennifer Dix, ad-ministration and finance; Melissa James, academic affairs; Stanley Spiewak, public safety; and Adri-enne Wootters, physics.

Press Release

34 HOLDEN STREETNORTH ADAMS 413.664.4444

CASUAL AMERICAN FOOD / CRAFT BEER LIVE MUSIC / LATE NIGHT MENU / WIFI

WWW.PUBLICEATANDDRINK.COM

SERVING DINNER SUNDAY, MONDAY, AND WEDNESDAY 5-9PM; THURSDAY, FRIDAY, AND SATURDAY 5-11:30PM.

BAR UNTIL MIDNIGHT OR LATER.

SGA allots Yorick funds, talks foodSGA, continued from Page 1

Thursday, December 1, 2011 National/World News theonlinebeacon.com 3Gun issue presents tough politics for Obama Admin.

WASHINGTON — � ey are fuzzy about some issues but the Republican presidential can-didates leave little doubt about where they stand on gun rights.

Rick Perry and Rick Santo-rum go pheasant hunting and give interviews before heading out. Newt Gingrich and Her-man Cain speak to the National Ri� e Association convention. Michele Bachmann tells People magazine she wants to teach her daughters how to shoot because women need to be able to pro-tect themselves. Mitt Romney, a er backing some gun control measures in Massachusetts, now presents himself as a strong Sec-ond Amendment supporter.

President Barack Obama, on

the other hand, is virtually silent on the issue.

He has hardly addressed it since a couple of months a er the January assassination at-tempt on Rep. Gabrielle Gi ords in Tucson, Ariz., when he prom-ised to develop new steps on gun safety in response. He still has failed to do so, even as Tucson survivors came to Capitol Hill last week to push for action to close loopholes in the gun back-ground check system.

Democrats have learned the hard way that embracing gun control can be terrible politics, and the 2012 presidential elec-tion is shaping up to underscore just how delicate the issue can be. With the election likely to be decided largely by states where hunting is a popular pastime, like Missouri, Ohio or Pennsyl-

vania, candidates of both parties want to win over gun owners, not alienate them.

For Republicans, that means emphasizing their pro-gun cre-dentials. But for Obama and the Democrats, the approach is trickier.

Obama’s history in support of strict gun control measures pri-or to becoming president makes it di� cult for him to claim he’s a Second Amendment champion, even though he signed a bill al-lowing people to take loaded guns into national parks. At the same time, he’s apparently de-cided that his record backing gun safety is nothing to boast of either, perhaps because of the power of the gun lobby and their opposition to anything smack-ing of gun control.

By Erica WernerAssociated Press

ALBANY, N.Y. — More than 50 Occupy Albany protesters charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct are walking free from a city courtroom where the Albany County district attorney is keeping his promise not to prosecute non-violent demonstrators.

A er more than 130 arrests over the past month for challenging the curfew Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed to enforce in state-owned Lafayette Park, the challenges and arrests have

stopped over the past week. Demonstrators say Tuesday

they’ve made their point about free speech rights. � ey’re considering other measures, including a dem-onstration against foreclosures, winterizing their encampment in the city’s Academy Park and possi-ble occupation of vacant buildings that were foreclosed upon.

� ey’ve also rallied inside the nearby Capitol for extending the millionaire tax surcharge, which Cuomo opposes, and say they’ll return.

Democratic rep. to retire next year

U.S. stands ready to aid EuropeWASHINGTON — President

Barack Obama said Monday the United States stands ready to do its part to help Europe with its deepening debt crisis, even as the White House ruled out any � nancial contributions from U.S. taxpayers.

Meantime, a top European of-� cial o ered his assurances to Obama and the American peo-ple that Europe’s leaders fully understood the magnitude of the crisis. But European Com-mission President Jose Manuel Barroso warned that decisions on how to solve the economic woes could take time.

� e annual meeting between U.S. and European Union o� -cials came amid growing fears

over the future of the euro. Ex-perts say that without drastic action, the euro could be days away from collapsing, a scenar-io that could cause more � nan-cial damage to the already shaky American economy.

While Obama o ered no specif-ics on how the U.S. may be willing to assist Europe, he said failing to resolve the continent’s debt crisis could damage a U.S. economy saddled with slow growth and 9 percent unemployment.

“If Europe is contracting, or if Europe is having di� culties, then it’s much more di� cult for us to create good here jobs at home,’’ Obama said at the con-clusion of the day-long summit.

While Obama has o ered sup-port to his European peers, the U.S. believes the Europeans have

the � nancial capacity to solve the debt crisis on their own.

But some U.S. allies, including Finland and the Netherlands, have called for the International Monetary Fund to be bolstered with more capital so that it could in turn help stem Europe’s debt crisis from deepening and spreading.

� e U.S. is the single-biggest stakeholder in the IMF. And earli-er Monday, White House spokes-man Jay Carney said the IMF has substantial resources already.

“We do not in any way believe that additional resources are re-quired from the United States and from American taxpayers,” Carney said.

European leaders are set to meet Dec. 9 to discuss next steps in tackling the � nancial crisis.

Freed activists vow to press reform campaign

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates —Seven months in prison for signing an internet petition is not stopping � ve United Arab Emirates activists from pressing for reforms. Just a er they were convicted, pardoned and released, they vowed to campaign for more freedom in the tightly ruled Gulf union.

� at the � ve were arrested at all for taking part in an internet cam-paign, as opposed to marching, protesting, sitting in at government buildings or more militant activi-ties seen elsewhere in the Mideast, shows how rigid the system of con-trols is in the UAE, and how deter-mined the country’s rulers are to keep the Arab Spring uprisings out of the oil-rich federation.

� e UAE5, as they’re known, want reform, and that could be a recipe for future confrontations.

Political activity is severely re-stricted in the Emirates, an alliance of seven semiautonomous city-states, each ruled by a hereditary sheik. � ere are no o� cial opposi-tion groups in the country, and po-litical parties are banned.

Along with at least 130 other Emiratis, the � ve men signed an online petition in March, calling for constitutional changes and free elections. � at led to their arrest in early April.

On Sunday, a er being held in pris-on for almost eight months, the � ve were convicted of insulting the UAE’s leadership, endangering national se-curity and inciting people to protest.

� en a day later, they received a presidential pardon and were freed.

If the government’s intention by arresting, convicting, sentencing and then releasing them was to in-timidate the � ve, it appears to have failed.

By Julie PaceAssociated Press

By Barbara SurkAssociated Press

By Bob Salsberg and David EspoAssociated Press

Occupy Albany protesters jam courtroom and go free

Associated Press

NEWTON, Massachusetts — Democratic Rep. Barney Frank announced his retirement Mon-day e ective at the end of next year, closing out a congressio-nal career of more than three decades capped by passage of legislation imposing new regu-lations on Wall Street.

Frank, 71, won a House seat in 1980 and was one of the � rst lawmakers to announce that he is gay.

At a news conference, Frank said he had originally intend-ed to seek one more term but changed his mind in part be-cause the state’s new redistrict-ing map will move 325,000 new constituents into his district.

He said he intends to remain active in public policy issues, including defending the so-called Dodd-Frank bill that he co-authored in the wake of the � nancial collapse of 2008. It was

the most extensive overhaul of the U.S. � nancial system in de-cades.

“I think I will � nd my motives less impugned and I will be able to talk more about the merits,” he said.

In a written statement, Presi-dent Barack Obama paid trib-ute to Frank’s “passion and quick wit.” He praised the Mas-sachusetts lawmaker’s e orts to expand a ordable housing, defend the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens and work to enact the “most sweeping � nancial re-form in history.”

Sixteen other Democrats have announced plans not to seek new House terms in 2012, com-pared with six Republicans.

As chairman of the House Fi-nancial Services Committee, Frank was instrumental in pas-sage of the Dodd-Frank bill, which contained the sti est re-strictions on banks and Wall Street since the Great Depression.

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Features theonlinebeacon.com4

Students from sociology pro-fessor Susan Birns’ Commu-nity Organizing class have been working all semester on three service-learning projects.

� ese projects include the Hun-ger Banquet, the “� ink Outside the Bottle Campaign,” and a neighborhood organizing class for community members.

“� is semester, it was a small class of only eight students,” Birns said. “Six of them ended up working on the Bottle Campaign and two students are planning a class for community members to learn how to organize and advo-cate for change in the neighbor-hood.”

Corporate Accountability In-ternational, the sponsors of the Bottle Campaign, developed a student handbook for organiz-ing on campus. � e students in the class have been referring to the guide for examples of what people in the broader campaign are working on, Birns said.

“� is issue also meshed per-fectly with a service project the entire class had been working on, the Hunger Banquet,” she said. “Access to clean drinking water is a growing problem for much of the world’s population.”

Junior Jacquitta Ferguson is one of the students organizing the “� ink Outside the Bottle Campaign.” She said the goal of the campaign is to eventually stop the corporate abuse of bot-tled water, to strongly encourage people to stop buying bottled water and to switch to tap water, which she says is an inexpensive, more environmentally friendly water source.

“It tastes no di� erent from bottled water either,” she said. “� e campaign also seeks to keep companies from privatizing wa-ter.”

� e view of the campaign is

that water is a human right and not a privilege, Ferguson said. � e class has held a tabling event to advertise the campaign and inform students about its pur-pose. During that time, the stu-dents encouraged their peers to sign pledges promising to refrain from buying and drinking bot-tled water.

“More recently, we had group members Gina Tatro and Cassie McNeary post facts and pictures about the campaign over wa-ter fountains in Murdock Hall,” Ferguson said. “For example, up to 40 percent of bottled water is tap water, and people world-wide spent 100 billion dollars on bottled water in 2005—almost enough to fund the additional 100 billion needed to provide everyone on the planet adequate sanitation and access to water.”

Senior Sara Rogers is another

student in the class who has been working on the campaign and Hunger Banquet.

“We loved the idea of adorning water fountains with eye-catch-ing decorations and facts about the detriments of bottled water and how it a� ects human beings, animals, and the environment,” Rogers said.

Ferguson said her classmates have also been in contact with administrators on campus to gather more information about how much the College spends on bottled water.

� e class also used water bot-tles from residence areas to build a giant bottle sculpture for the Hunger Banquet. Along with the sculpture, the class held a ra e and handed out pledges as tickets to give students a chance to enter for a reusable water bottle lled with candy.

“We are also hoping to get pledges from the entire Dance Company and possibly provide them with reusable water bot-tles as a reward,” Ferguson said. “Also, the movie ‘Tapped’ was recommended to us by a student and is in the Corporate Account-ability International handbook, so we hope to educate the cam-pus with this as well.”

Ferguson said she hopes the Bottle Campaign will create more awareness in the commu-nity and encourage them to join in on absolving the issue.

“Ideally, we want to stop the sale of bottled water altogether, and instead restore the public’s faith in tap water,” she said. “We can then prevent issues such as water waste and oil use in the production of water bottles, and improve the health of all humans and the state of the planet.”

Birns originally chose these service-learning projects for her students because she knew stu-dents’ interest in these topics would ignite. Ferguson said she is pleased with what these proj-ects have turned into and hopes students are taking notice.

“I cannot speak for my other group members, but I would say I am pleased with this project because it is on campus and it is easy to identify with,” Fergu-son said. “� is impacts not only every human, but the planet as well, and allows us to be creative with educating others about it. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.”

Junior Kelsey Phifer and senior Cassandra McMartin are work-ing on a separate project with community organizer Wendy Krom, advertising and assisting with the running of a class for members in one particular North Adams area on how to organize their neighborhood, Phifer said.

“� is six week course is called ‘Learn to Organize Your Neigh-borhood,’ which was for the com-munity of Brayton Hill,” Phifer said. “� e service learning aspect of the course has really helped bring some of the concepts that we were learning about in class to life.”

Birns has also been in contact with the Northern Berkshire Community Coalition because they take part in a great amount of neighborhood organizing in the North County. Her class also attended the Coalition’s October meeting as an exercise in observ-ing the organizing required to run a large, e� ective meeting, Birns said.

“Although it was not part of their Service Learning,” Birns said, “students have also been following the evolution of ‘Oc-cupy Wall Street’ in cities across the United States, because of the golden opportunity to watch the organizing involved in the devel-opment of a social movement.”

By Skyla SeamansSenior News Editor

Photo by John Durkan/Beacon Sta� Students from the Community Organizing class, along with the Native American Peoples, and Culture, Power, and Protest classes, helped organize the heavily attended Hunger Banquet.

Small class, three big projects

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Features theonlinebeacon.com 5

Mary RedstoneFeatures Editor

Around loud sounds - be

carefulTinnitus is not something I like

to joke about, considering it is something that I’ve had to put up with for the past few years.

Since I’ve never been properly diagnosed with this particular form of hearing damage, I can’t say for sure where it came from. It’s just as likely that it came from the number of ear infections I have had over the years as it came from being exposed to loud music for years. However, I’m more will-ing to blame all the loud music.

Now, I’m not trying to hop on a soap box and preach to you the dangers of loud sounds, wagging my finger in your face and tell-ing you to turn down your music. I’m still just as guilty as anyone else for listening to loud music even now. But, it really is easy to prevent something like this from happening. I just foolishly chose not to.

Both my parents are in the mu-sic industry; my mother is a gui-tarist and guitar instructor and my father is an audio engineer. If I had $1 for every lecture I’ve gotten from them about protect-ing my hearing... well, I certainly wouldn’t be in as much student debt as I am.

But, somewhat ironically, I didn’t listen to them. Throughout the two-or-so years that I was in a rock band in high school, as well as being a part of the high school’s Jazz Band, I didn’t use any ear protection. I played all my gigs and rehearsals with my ears only a few feet from the drum set. And, our sets were anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour long. I would walk away with at least a small amunt of ear fatigue every time, but I never changed anything.

Now, if the room I’m in is quiet enough I hear a constant ringing. Sometimes the room has to be completely silent for me to hear it, and sometimes it is audible over normal conversation. I used to sleep with a white-noise gen-erator playing in order to block it out. Now I just play music, other-wise I can’t fall asleep through the constant ringing.

It’s too late for me to change any-thing now, and it’s very annoying - both the noise and the fact that I can’t change it. Luckily for me, that is all that is wrong with my hearing. I can still hear all the fre-quencies a person my age should, and I’m still pretty good at playing music by ear. Unfortunately, it’s taken this long for me to realize stuffing a little tissue in my ears at a gig or concert is worth saving them from getting any more an-noying damage.

How much sound is too much sound?By Mary Redstone

Features EditorSound is everywhere, it’s ines-

capable: your alarm wakes you up in the morning, you talk to house-mates and roommates as you get ready, you listen to the professor in class, you might listen to music as you walk between classes, and so on throughout your day. If your ears are such an important part of your life, why would you mistreat them, intentionally or uninten-tionally? Ear fatigue may not be clinically recognized, and neither is tinnitus, but hearing loss is and they are easily avoidable.

HOW SOUND WORKS

At its most basic, sound is made up of waves that oscillate air pressure. The varying pressure is measured in frequencies, and these frequencies can be higher or lower depending on the length of their wave.

When these waves reach the ear, they are amplified through the middle ear and cause the ear-drum, hammer, anvil, and stirrup to vibrate. The vibrations are car-ried further into the ear, causing the small hairs in the cochlea to move and trigger nerve endings in the brain.

The sound pressure level (SPL), or loudness, of a sound is mea-sured in decibels (dB). This is a ratio that increases in multiples of 10. The quietest level (0dB) is near silence. The next level, 10 dB, is 10 times louder than 0 dB, and 20 dB is 10 times louder than 10 dB but 100 times louder than total silence.

Some of the loudest sounds in-clude fireworks (140 dB) and a jet engine (120 dB). While these are incredibly loud, the distance you are from the source greatly affect how loud it really is once it reaches your ears. Fireworks at its launch site may be 140 dB, but viewing them from a distance sig-nificantly diminishes the sound as well as the effect it has on your hearing.

Another factor in how your ear perceives sound is whether or not it is prolonged exposure to loud music, such as an hour long rock concert, or a short burst of sound, like a slamming door or a gun-shot. A sudden loud noise causes the ear drum to contract and be-come taut in order to protect it-self; too many sudden changes in the shape of the ear drum can cause a perforated ear drum, one of the causes of hearing loss and damage. A sudden loud noise also does not give the ear drum enough time to react, so often the tautening happens a fraction of a second too late.

TYPES OF HEARING DAMAGE

Any kind of damage to the ear, resulting in a loss of hearing, that is caused by an external factor is known as noise-induced hearing loss. The slow loss of hearing as a person ages is called presbycu-sis and often occurs unrelated to noise-induced loss.

One of the most common types of noise-induced hearing loss is ear fatigue. Prolonged exposure to sound, often at high volumes, can simply tire the ears so they do not hear as clearly. This fatigue dampens the perceived sound to protect itself.

If this occurs when listening to personal music, such as an iPod or in the car, a listener may be more likely to turn up their vol-ume to hear it better, which in turn causes even more fatigue.

This is also what happens after attending a loud concert without any ear protection. If you’ve ever walked away from a concert or a club with a ringing in your ears and everyone sounds slightly muffled or like they are under wa-ter, you have suffered ear fatigue. This usually goes away after a few hours, but continual fatigue can cause the ear permanent fatigue. The resulting permanent hearing loss effects high frequencies and causes them to become less audit-able.

When the ear attempts to protect

itself from a loud noise it either contracts the ear drum as earlier mentioned or goes through a tem-porary threshold shift (TTS). The latter is when the ear changes its sensitivity to sounds, moving its threshold for sound higher. Even though the title makes it sound like it is a temporary shift, exten-sive exposure to loud sounds can make this shift permanent.

Tinnitus, or more commonly re-ferred to as a ringing in the ears, is a more serious type of hearing damage. This occurs when the ear perceives noises that are not really occurring and sending signals to the brain. The noise perceived is usually a buzzing, humming or ringing noise in one or both ears. This noise varies in volume from a low hum only detected in silence to a volume that can be heard over normal conversation. While 90 percent of tinnitus is caused by exposure to loud noises, it can also be caused by sinus infections, certain medications, or head or neck trauma.

Acoustic trauma is generally less common as it involves a one-time over-stimulation of the ear, not instances such as a loud concert or prolonged use of loud head-phones. It usually comes from sources such as gunfire, fireworks, or a large drum hit loudly. It is often caused by a perforated ear drum that pulled itself too taut trying to protect itself.

PREVENTION

The easiest way to ensure that

you do not suffer from any kind of noise-induced hearing loss is to be aware of what you are hearing.

If you use an MP3 player that allows you to set a volume limit, do so. This eliminates the tempta-tion to turn it up loud enough to do damage.

This is even more important for those who use ear buds because it limits the distance between speaker and ear drum. With reg-ular headphones, there is more space, and thus more time for the ear drum to react and protect your hearing.

If you are at a concert and are close to the speakers, put in ear plugs. If you do not want to use the large, often times neon col-ored, ear plugs then it also works to put tissue or napkin in its place. The amount of ear drum covered determines the amount of protec-tion it has; so, if you have a bit of tissue in that only covers half of your ear drum, leaving the other half of the opening uncovered, then you are only protecting half of your hearing.

If you work around loud noises, for example construction work that requires loud machines, a musician, or an audio engineer, it is even more important to pro-tect your hearing so that you don’t lose your job.

Bottom line is, your hearing is a precious sense, do all you can to protect it. You wouldn’t stick a fork in your eye, would you?

Information compiled from seattle-sound.com The louder the volume coming from an iPod, the less time it takes to cause ear damage. The time also varies depending on the use of in-ear earbuds or over-the-ear headphones.

Information compiled from sonicelectronix.comThe louder the noise, the less time it takes to cause ear dam-age. The time can be altered by distance from the sound as well as using ear protection such as ear plugs.

Thursday, December 1, 2011 A&E theonlinebeacon.com6

Many who have been to Mass. MoCA have never seen the third floor of the main building. The room is a massive space with the charm of the rest of the museum, fused with the feel of a coffee shop.

Friday night it was packed wall to wall with students from MCLA and Williams College, as well as folk enthusiasts of all ages. With a cash bar and concession stand the space blended the best of both large and small venues, with seat-ing for over a hundred visitors. The combination of intimacy without the sacrifice of space makes the venue perfect for the eclectic tunes of Sam Amidon.

The Vermont native puts on a show unlike anything most people have seen at a folk rock concert. Opening with a video of Amidon rowing in a boat and telling the story of a young person doing the same, with a deer as company, just gave the audience a taste of what was to come.

Inspired by Kentucky bluegrass fiddlers and Mobb Deep alike the show was accompanied by drawings, videos, and anecdotes from Amidon. The depth of the performance was shocking com-

ing from the booming voice of a young shaggy man in a tee shirt, jeans, and barefoot, looking like he rolled out of bed ten minutes before show time.

Amidon truly blended old school folk musical sounds with new ideas about story-telling via pictures and music, as well as blending in old songs with his own flair. Throughout the show, Amidon commented on both past and future via the music, but also directly through his stories.

The most surprising element of

the show was how Amidon seam-lessly led the audience through the performance. Comedic draw-ings and a funny story would be followed with a solemn tune. The next number featured a part for the audience to sing along too, keeping everyone on their toes. Seriousness, comedy and depth, coalesced together by the talents of Amidon himself as well as a drummer/ bassist, gave the event both a complex and simple feel.

Switching between the banjo, guitar, and fiddle, not to mention

a few forays into break-dancing, Amidon put on a set that kept the audience on their toes. Songs about local landmarks like Mount Greylock, mixed with a strong folk presence and energetic stage performance make Amidon a show not to miss.

The next show in the alterna-tive cabaret series hosted by Mass. MoCA is Stephanie Rothenberg’s mixed reality talk show, Best Practices in Banana Time, Dec. 3 at 8 p.m.

DownStreet Art on Ice will return for a third consecutive year, extend-ing this summer and fall’s art events into December with art openings, live music and more in downtown North Adams on Thursday, Dec. 1, beginning at 5 p.m., to be held in conjunction with the city-wide cel-ebration, “Hometown Holidays.”

This year’s events – which are free and open to the public – will feature six exhibition openings, two per-formances, art deals, art on a stick wandering cart, as well as specials at downtown businesses.

Performances include those by the MCLA Allegrettos, the College’s a cappella group. The students will perform traditional songs of the sea-son at different venues throughout downtown.

The MCLA Jazz Band, under the guidance of local musician and teacher Jamie Choquette, will per-form from 6-7 p.m., at 107 Main St. Starting at 8:30 p.m., Patrick Gray will perform on the stage at PUBLIC Restaurant, 34 Holden St.

In addition, a Children’s Scavenger Hunt will be held throughout North Adams, Dec. 1-8, as part of the Hometown Holidays celebration. Clues will be available at Verizon Wireless, I Got Goodies and MCLA Gallery 51 starting Dec. 1, as part of the evening’s events.

Exhibition openings include those at the NAACO Gallery, 33 Main St.; MAYA IV by Jarvis Rockwell, 49 Main St.; “99¢ and up: Art Mall” at MCLA Gallery 51, 51 Main St.; Melanie Mowinski’s installation at

PIP Gallery, 53 Main St.; “Patterns and Pressure” at PRESS, 105 Main St.; and an MCLA student show in the window of 109 Main St.

MCLA Gallery 51 Manager Ven Voisey said the event offers a wide variety of artistic holiday gifts for purchase.

“Whether you’re a conflicted ide-alist, a die-hard capitalist, something in-between, or none of the above, you’ve probably found yourself be-fuddled by shopping malls and big box stores, and people’s behavior within them, during holiday shop-ping season. This upcoming exhibit is simultaneously an examination of that phenomenon, and a great chance support the local economy by adding artwork from a selec-tion of MCLA Gallery 51 and DownStreet Art. The gallery will be chock-full of affordable, ready-to-be-sold-off-the wall art of a wide variety of mediums priced between 99 cents and $99.”

In the NAACO Gallery, 33 Main St., an opening reception for the exhibit, “Rogue Waves: The Work of Jennifer Smith and Colleen Wil-liams,” will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Smith will exhibit fiber collage that combines shimmery thread, beads, metallic paint and bits of fabric mounted onto wooden panels; in addition, she is showing an array of holiday ornaments created using the same materials and process. Wil-liams will show new porcelain works which feature complex surface de-sign on figurative vessel forms.

MAYA IV, 49 Main St., will feature new and old works by North Adams artist Jarvis Rockwell. In addition to

new works – including a new wall drawing – Rockwell has on exhibit his “MAYA IV sculpture and works he created in the 1960s and ’70s.

The PIP Gallery will feature an installation by Melanie Mowinski, MCLA art professor. It consists of a series of hanging silk panels entitled, “Tree of Souls,” that was originally created for and shown as part of the “Festival of Trees” at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield.

“PRESS: Letterpress as a Public Art ” will unveil the new exhibit, “Patterns and Pressure,” featuring MCLA student projects printed at PRESS during the fall semester by students in Mowinski’s “Intro to De-sign” and “Concrete Poetry” classes.

At 109 Main St.,“Coming up NEXT! MCLA’s Emerging Artists” is a preview of work created by some of the students who will graduate from MCLA this spring.

In addition, artist Marc Mulher-rin and Kirsten Warming will return downtown with their “Artsicle” cart. Artists were asked to participate in the project creating their own “art on a stick,” which will be given away during DownStreet Art on Ice. The cart will be then parked at MCLA Gallery 51 as part of the “99¢ and up: Art Mall” show.

DownStreet Art on Ice also will see the culmination of the Window Decorating Contest. All businesses are invited to participate in this holiday window decorating contest. Judging will take place on Dec. 1. Judges will include: North Adams Mayor Richard Alcombright and lo-cal artist Jarvis Rockwell.

Sam Amidon plays eclectic folk at MoCABy Andrew Hodgson

A&E Writer

Photo by Cara Sheedy/Beacon StaffVermont native Amidon played at Mass MoCA Friday as part of their Alternative Cabaret series.

The New Bedford Whaling Mu-seum is calling all “Moby-Dick’’ fans.

The museum is currently seeking readers for the 16th annual “Moby Dick’’ reading marathon early next year.

The readers will get a 10-minute slot in the marathon when Her-man Melville’s classic novel of man versus whale is read from cover to cover without breaks. The reading takes about 25 hours.

The Standard-Times reports that the event scheduled for Jan.6 through Jan. 8 has turned into a three-day celebration that includes Melville-related exhibits, lectures, quiz programs and a dinner.

Anyone interested in being a reader can call 508-997-0046, ext. 151, to request a slot.

New Bedford museum seeks readers for ‘Moby Dick’

Associated Press

DownStreet Art on Ice returning for third year

Press Release

Dance Company Fall production

Dec. 8th & 9th @ 8 p.m.Dec 10th @ 2 p.m.

Venable Theatre

To reserve tickets give the box office a call at 413-662-5123, or email mcladancecoreservations@gmail.com

Downtown North AdamsDecember 1st

5 pm on...

Online at:theonlinebeacon.com

Thursday, December 1, 2011 A&E theonlinebeacon.com 7

Gallery 51 will launch its an-nual “99 cents and up” holiday sale event at DownStreet Art on Ice, on Thursday, Dec. 1, 5-8 p.m., in the 51 Main St. gal-lery. The art will remain on sale through Dec. 30.

“99 Cents and Up” features greatly reduced prices on art created by local and national artists.

A free opening reception will be held on Thursday, Dec. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m. as part of a downtown-wide evening of gal-lery openings and activities – DownStreet Art Thursday on Ice. According to MCLA Gal-lery 51 Manager Ven Voisey, the event is a perfect opportunity to stock up on unique and afford-able gifts. All items can be tak-en at time of purchase, and gift wrapping will be available.

“Whether you’re a conflicted idealist, a die-hard capitalist, something in between, or none of the above, you’ve probably found yourself befuddled by shopping malls and big box stores, and people’s behavior within them, during holiday shopping season,” Voisey said. “This upcoming ex-

hibit is simultaneously an exami-nation of that phenomenon, and a great chance support the lo-cal economy by adding artwork from a selection of MCLA Gal-lery 51 & Downstreet Art – ex-hibited artists to the holiday gift list. The gallery will be chock-full of affordable, ready-to-be-sold-off-the wall art of a wide va-riety of mediums priced between 99 cents and 99 dollars. Come on

down to the Art Mall!”Featured artists will include:

Ernest Carbone III, C. Ryder Cooley, Gregory Scheckler, Kar-in Stack, Christina Stott Voisey, and more.

MCLA Gallery 51 is a program of MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center. It is at 51 Main St., and is open every day from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more infor-mation, call (413) 664-8718.

You know what’s a shame about Main Stage’s production of “Uri-netown”? The fact that the show didn’t open until it was too late to write a review in time for publica-tion.

“Urinetown” was a well-exe-cuted musical with talent from our own students. It contained messages to connect social and economic classes through humor and plain old good-heartedness.

Directed by fine and perform-ing arts professor, Laura Standley, “Urinetown” featured senior Jeff Bliss as the hero Bobby Strong and sophomore Melody Rolph as the naïve Hope Cladwell. The two try to balance their love for each other as they are caught be-tween good and evil. The acting and vocal range was something of another planet, putting audience members in both a trance and laughs.

“This was the best MCLA pro-duction I’ve seen in a long time,” sophomore Candice Crow re-marked.

The play was not only absolutely hilarious, but the show was also relatable to financially-struggling college students and those who consider themselves close to the events with Occupy Wall Street. The cast even made a last-minute banner stating “Occupy Pulblic Amenity 9”. Very clever, indeed.

Main Stage’s “Urinetown” brought hilarity to reality with the charac-ters trying to find peace in a world where it’s a “privilege to pee” and everyone’s wallet is empty.

“The whole Occupy Wall Street events coinciding with our show is pure coincidence,” stage man-ager Sarah Dion said. “We chose this musical last semester because it highlights all aspects of theatre.”

Dion also mentioned this is the first time in many years that Main Stage has produced a musical.

Usually the club Harlequin is the group that presents musicals on campus, but according to Dion, director Standley wanted to go in a different direction.

Evil is relative to “Urinetown,” but what is not relative is the outstanding acting job of junior Jaqueline Coughlin, who played Penelope Pennywise, the jaded warden of the poorest urinal in town, Public Amenity 9. Cough-lin kept up a steady German ac-cent not only through two acts,

but in song, where her voice car-ried full and heartily. Coughlin brought a new level to college theatre, creating a beautiful mesh of humor, voice, and sensitiv-ity. Clearly drawing inspiration from “Blazing Saddles’” Mad-eline Kahn, Coughlin figuratively brought the house down.

Coughlin wasn’t the only break-out star of this show. Junior Thomas Leidenfrost grabbed au-dience’s attention with his spot-on role as narrator and crooked-cop

Officer Lockstock, accompanied by the ever intuitive Little Sally, played by sophomore Jacquelyn Gianetti. This year’s crop of fresh-man talent was was well-picked with Ben Balon as Officer Barrel and Courtney McLaren as Soupy Sue taking on ever-needed sup-porting cast and voices. Casting with Main Stage’s “Urinetown” was strong, something with a force likea hurricane

“Urinetown” brought new defi-nition to MCLA theatre, present-ing concepts to audiences that gave depth and meaning to the musical. The struggle between getting swept up in corruption, the defining line of good and evil, as well as the question: “Are dreams really meant to be bro-ken?” was highlighted in such a way that those who lacked the-atre-watching experience were just as entertained as they would have been had they stayed home glued to Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert’s own political humor.

If you did not get a chance to see the musical, that’s a really unfor-tunate scenario. Ask one of the lovely cast members to sing for you, or maybe join up with the group for their next performance. While Main Stage has no plans for the spring semester to bear any musicals, the modern plays the group puts on always appreci-ates new and curious talent.

‘Urinetown’ a well-executed hit By Nora Weiss

Staff Writer

Photo by Cara Sheedy/Beacon Staff‘Urinetown’ was the MCLA mainstage production this semester.

Gallery 51 to present ‘99 Cents and Up’

Delivery AvailableBLAZER BUCKS ACCEPTED

Village Pizza

413-664-4134 or 413-664-688951 Eagle St.

Open 7 Days a Week Late NiteMon-Thurs 11am-2amFri-Sat 11am-3amSun 11am-1am

$1 offAny Large Breadstick

or PizzaOffer expires 12/8/11

Press Release

Thursday, December 1, 2011 A&E theonlinebeacon.com8

MCLA’s Berkshire Cultural Resource Center announces that its “Tricks of the Trade” series will focus on “Reuse of Spaces for Creative Purposes” Dec. 6-8, at three seminars to be held throughout Berkshire County.

Participants will discover op-portunities and ideas to utilize existing spaces creatively by turning them into arts venues, galleries, studios or arts organi-zations. The Tricks of the Trade workshops are free and open to the public, but registration is re-quired.

All seminars begin at 6:30 p.m. In North Adams on Dec. 6 at

MCLA Gallery 51, participants will learn a variety of ways that private spaces – such as city halls, public walkways, hospitals and empty storefronts – may be used. Many of these spaces have the potential to be turned into a creative business, art studio, art gallery or performance venue.

Panelists include the curators of two of North Adams’ private spaces for public art: Diane Sul-livan, who curates ART @CITY HALL; and Sharon Carson, who curates the public art pro-gram at North Adams Regional Hospital. Also on hand will be representatives from Art about Town and DownStreet Art.

On Dec. 7, at Ferrin Gallery in Pittsfield, the series will high-light opportunities to be found by reusing sacred space, such as vacated churches or synagogues.

For this session panelists will include private and non-profit organizations that have trans-formed former sanctuaries into new developments.

They include David Carver from Scarafoni Associates, Hez-zie Johanson from the Contem-porary Artist Center in Troy, N.Y., representatives from Mi-nerva Arts Center, and Jessica Conzo from Alchemy Initiative in Pittsfield.

Conzo and the other co-founders of Alchemy Initiative re-purposed an empty church and created a location for sus-tainable artist studios, urban gardening, events and art/craft workshops. The result was a

place where community mem-bers can collaborate and engage with each other.

On Dec. 8, at IS 183 in Stock-bridge, the series will focus on an artist lecture and discussion with Michael Oatman, a visual artist who specializes in ex-tensive collage and installation art of a scientific precision and genre. His work is on exhibit at Mass. MoCA.

Oatman will speak about his repurposed air-stream trailer installation, “All Utopias Fell,” a fictional take of a solar-obsessed scientist who crash-lands back to earth.

Bringing their own experi-ences and knowledge, these se-

John DemingA&E Editor

Jungle Work

Editor’s Pick

Fall’s � nest new releases

� e holidays are coming, and whether its a present for your folks or something for the ride

home, everyone needs some new music. Here is this weeks pick

from among 2011’s � nest releases

Quadrophenia: � e Directors Cut (Reissue)

� e Who

Genre: Classic Rock Rock Opera

Arguably the � nest of the Who’s musical achiev-ments, Pete Townsh-end’s second rock opera “Quadrophenia” features the bombastic track-list featuring “� e Real Me,” “� e Punk and the Godfather,” and “Sea and Sand,” as well as some demos you didnt know existed

Shows helping with late fall cabin fever

Tricks of the Trade features county-wide creativity

Let’s talk TV. When you’re nestled in a valley

with no cell phone service and it snows in October, having a few television shows to turn to is key. Status updates and Tumblr posts are littered with pictures and quotes highlighting show genres from action and horror, to com-edy and slapstick. Let’s go over some of the more popular shows so those of you who seem to lack a weeknight routine can � nally hop on the bandwagon.

AMC has really kicked down the door this season with the re-turn of “� e Walking Dead.” � e show, based o of a comic book, follows the journey of everyday people trying to survive through a scary-good depiction of a zom-bie infested world. It’s basically the zombie version of “LOST” with fewer ashbacks, but just as much walking through nature. Season two of “� e Walking Dead” has thrown us into a world of constant uncertainty where characters con-tinually surprise us. Personally, I have watched very few shows with the character depth “� e Walk-ing Dead” projects. Between the multiple storylines, the danger-ous zombies, and the mystery of what tomorrow may bring, this show gives us an honest and very well done version of a zombie apocalypse. “� e Walking Dead”

remains one of the more well-de-veloped shows with good writing, acting, and action-packed epi-sodes. � e show just had its spine-tingling mid-season � nale and is going on a hiatus until February, so AMC is giving you a chance to catch up on season two. Net ix also has the epic � rst season avail-able to watch instantly.

Don’t look to AMC’s other gem “Hell on Wheels” to break down racial walls or bring historical ac-curacies to your living room every Sunday night at 10 p.m. However, if you’re into cut-throat dialogue, blood, scalping, and rapper Com-mon literally working on the railroad all the live long day, you should give this show a chance. Hero-slash-Confederate-soldier-slash-outlaw Cullen Bohannon gives o that mysterious bad boy charm that never outgrows itself, getting a high ranking job in the corrupt world of constructing the United States railroad on the east

coast in a post-Civil War world. Between him, the comedic relief of Irish immigrants, and the tough talk of ex-slave Common, and a female lead you can actually root for (she ripped an arrow out her palm and shoved in through the throat of a Native American in the � rst twenty minutes of the pilot), “Hell on Wheels” has a lot going for it.

“American Horror Story” is a rare type of show for FX to produce, but it oddly � ts. � is suspense-thriller has intense sexual scenari-os that leave us puzzled yet slightly curious; the show also has a twist-ed storyline that’s one of the more engaging on television. � e story follows the Harmon family who relocates to Los Angeles to move on from family drama. � e family of three moves into a neighbor-hood of people (or ghosts, we’re still not sure) who all have a con-nection to the Harmon’s haunted home. Every episode features an-

other ashback of those who pre-viously lived in the house, giving the Harmon’s home a darker and more complex history. Why do we like this show? In a word, the show is downright weird. Like, it’s really weird. Maybe it’s just me, but there are a lot of “LOST” themes oat-ing around networks these days. You can catch “American Horror Story” on FX every Wednesday at 10 p.m.

I would never leave Comedy Central out. � e station has giv-en us “Workaholics,” but if that’s the company’s only investment for when South Park’s contract is up this season, well… I mean we could do better, but we could do a lot worse. College roommates Blake, Adam, and Anders move into together as they transition into adulthood, sharing a triple cubicle at work where ironic hu-mor ensues. “Workaholics” is a lot like life, where most of it is really overwhelming and unnecessary. From a group self-pleasure time in the car due to a hot co-worker and hand puppet � ghts to overcome alcoholism, “Workaholics” is Comedy Central’s “Always Sunny” and “� e League.” Only this show has more in-your-face slacker humor, kind of like “Grandma’s Boy” with less old ladies and more sleep-overs in the o� ce. You call it trying too hard? Someone else calls it their 10:30 p.m. Tuesday night ritual (that’s when it’s on, take the hint).

Paul Simon’s declaration of, “Where have you gone Joe DiMag-gio” in “Mrs. Robinson” has taken a new meaning.

To be a celebrity in this world no longer constitutes having certain necessary attributes, like being inter-esting or doing anything celebratory. A large percentage of mainstream culture is no longer interested in � nding the heroic value in the cre-ations or actions of an individual. Instead, we are trans� xed on popu-lar television shows focused on the situational dramas we already have in our own lives, � lmed somewhere in New Jersey. Others like to watch dolled-up folks from LA who have been labeled “socialites” throw their weight around. � is is what we call “Reality TV.” Reality to some is watching other people’s un-inter-esting and grotesque lives on the E! Channel, but reality to others is that these unintelligent hour segments of “entertainment” are what media cri-tique Neil Postman would describe as programs that are “amusing our-selves to death.”

One of my heroes, the creative genius (and lyrical philosopher) of Pink Floyd, Roger Waters once said that to be a celebrity in today’s world, “you just have to have that extraordi-nary lack of imagination that you’re perfectly happy to be known for nothing.” Television is the greatest catalyst of this phenomenon as our progression from Jerry Springer and Maury, to the beaches of “Survivor” to the beaches of New Jersey has progressed over the decades.

Television provides us with thou-sands of channels, each with its own form of this, and further proves how much trash really oats around in space. Waters refers to reality TV as “the new opiate of the masses.” Tele-vision ratings con� rm this notion.

I was appalled one day when I checked CBS news online and found a “top 10 creepiest celebrities of the year” poll from E-poll market re-search in anticipation for Hallow-een. � e usual suspects like Marilyn Manson found their usual place, but the appalling runner up was Casey Anthony. According to this poll, Anthony is considered a celebrity. Maybe somebody got “newsmaker,” “accused murderer” and “celebrity” mixed up, or maybe our national � xation on child murder that dates back to JonBenet Ramsy (and no thanks to Law and Order SVU ei-ther) has spun out of control. Either way, Americans’ morals and atten-tion spans have once again failed: When Bruno Richard Hauptmann kidnapped and murdered Charles Lindburgh’s son, it was indeed it was given national attention, but in 1932, at no point would someone declare him a celebrity. It’s a di erent world – what is it coming to?

Photos courtesy of hollywoodreporter.comSlacker comedy ‘Workaholics’ and zombie drama ‘The Walking Dead’ have been the cure for cabin fever this fall.

By Nora WeissSta� Writer

Press Release

Photo courtesy of farm4.� ickr.com

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Sports theonlinebeacon.com 9Women’s basketball season kicks off with 2-1 record Start season with back-to-back victories, but lose match with Williams on Sunday night

By Kaitland Hager and Kayla Koumjian

Sports Writers

MCLA women’s basketball team has started their season with a re-cord of 2-1. The women won their first two games, but couldn’t come up with the win against Williams College Sunday night.

In the contest, junior Lucy Tremblay scored a career high of 30 points in a losing effort. Trem-blay was named MASCAC player of the week for her performances during the Williams game, as well as Becker College.

“It was a really good feeling knowing I had my career high against one of the previous ranked team in the country,” Tremblay. said. “I hope I can continue to bring the same intensity to every game.”

Tremblay also felt the game against Williams was a great op-portunity for the team to learn. “Playing Williams is always a good learning experience,” she said, “because they are unlike any team we will play in our confer-ence.”

Tremblay’s 30-point game wasn’t enough to win the game, but it earned her a MASCAC Player of the Week award. Currently, she is the second highest scorer in MAS-CAC, quickly gaining ground on Fitchburg’s Amy Fahey.

The other two Trailblazers in double figures were seniors Alie Dobrovolc and Jen Wehner. The duo also led the team in rebounds, each collecting seven.

The game was closer than the fi-nal score indicated, MCLA nursed a slim lead for the early minutes of the second half, but Williams ulti-mately turned it over.

After playing a few games, ju-nior Johanna Miner feels the team is becoming closer. “Our energy is high and we’re very supportive of each other,” Miner said. “We have learned each individual’s way of play. Every person has a different role which helps out the team.”

The philosophy of the MCLA Women’s basketball team is sim-ple: take the season game-by-

game.“Every team has different

strength and weaknesses,” said Coach Holly McGovern. “We go to play each team.”

Three games into the season, the ‘Blazers have done just that. Finishing Sunday night with a

2-1 record, the women’s team has played each team accordingly, adjusting to fit the pace of play. There are some things that remain the same no matter the opponent.

The team dynamic is strong. This season, the ‘Blazers have players who can create shots and players

who can knock shots down. “Our team chemistry is good

now compared to the past few years,” Miner said. “Although we have new players, they all have contributed to the team.”

By Robert BeauchesneSports Writer

The MCLA men’s basketball team is currently experiencing some growing pains. Over the last four contests, the program is 1 and 3, having dropped a few tough games. With every new season, there is a learning curve. MCLA is learning on the fly as they prepare for a rigorous con-ference schedule.

The struggle for wins is espe-cially disappointing after MCLA’s extremely strong season last year, when the team finished with an overall record of 17-10.

However, it is important to note that at this time last season, MCLA had a record of only 2-2.

The Trailblazers are gaining experience as they play quality teams in tough environments. This can only help the team as they enter the long months of December and January.

The Trailblazers recently com-peted in the North Shore Col-legiate Tip-Off hosted by Endi-cott College. In the tournament opener, MCLA defeated Suffolk University of Boston 86-78 in an overtime thriller.

At halftime, the Trailblazers had a three point advantage, and eventually pushed the lead to 9 points after a put pack by Rich-ard Johnson, a transfer from Springfield Technical Commu-nity College.

The Rams of Suffolk staged a furious comeback and would eventually tie the game at 59. After a few minutes of back and forth play, Suffolk would edge out to a 70-66 advantage with a minute to play. Jamal Brown hit a layup, and on the ensuing pos-session Suffolk player Colin Hal-pin was fouled. Halpin managed to hit one of two free throws to push the Suffolk lead to three.

On the final possession of the game, Vernon Cross hit a dagger three pointer to send the game into extra time.

MCLA would go on to domi-nate the overtime session. Tyrell Mosley, the talented scorer from Boston, began the late rally with back to back layups. Senior Chris Harris also had a pair of buckets in overtime to push the lead to 8

points. Suffolk did not have another

run left in them, and the final score was 86-78. Jamal Brown had 18 points and 7 rebounds for the victors. MCLA got a tremen-dous effort from their reserves, with their bench outscoring Suf-folk’s 52-8.

In the tournament champion-ship, the Trailblazers took on the home standing Endicott

Gulls. Endicott would race out to an early lead, and would take a 41-34 advantage into the locker room at halftime.

In the second half, MCLA be-gan to make their move. Richard Johnson had a thunderous dunk which made the score 55-50. Tyriq Rochester made a layup which knotted the score and 73.

The two teams would then trade baskets, with Chris Harris

converting for the Trailblazers. Lance Greene of the Gulls would break the tie with a layup in the final seconds which proved to be the game winner. John Henault led Endicott with 21 points.

Rochester would lead the team in points with 22. Harris was the only other Trailblazer in double figures, tallying 11 points in to-tal.

Photo by Ian Grey/Courtesy of MCLA.eduThe women’s Trailblazers have gotten off to a 2-1 start on their season. They have been voted most likely to win the MASCAC conference in the 2011 season.

“Every team has different strengths and weaknesses,” said Coach Holly

McGovern. “We go to play each team.”

BASKETBALL, continued on page 11

Men’s Basketball drops to 1-4

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon StaffThe men’s Trailblazers have dropped to a record of 1-4 as the season moves on.

The Trailblazers are gaining experience as they play quality

teams in tough environments.

Men’s Basketball, continued on page 10

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Sports theonlinebeacon.com10

Pitcher’s Mound Pub

Open 7 days a week

FREE WIFI!FREE Mound Bound

sticker with a College ID

Every Thursday Night is TRIVIA with “THE MACHINE”

21+ ID after 10 p.m.

Pitcher’s Mound

You don’t need to be 21 to eat great food!

Homemade Lunch Specials

ThursdayOur famous steak tips with mashed potatoes and corn

TuesdayShepard’s Pie

WednesdayMeatball grinders or

Pasta with veal or meatballs

FridayFried clam dinner or fish and chips

Daily Homerun Menu Pub food for great prices

$2 $3 $4

Harris and Mosley also chipped in with 7 rebounds each.

MCLA played well in both games and proved they can com-pete away from the Campus Cen-ter gym.

MCLA had a few days of before taking on two perennial power-houses.

The Trailblazers returned to North Adams to take on the Owls of Keene State. Keene wasted no time as the jumped out to a 29-14 lead halfway through the opening frame. In the second half, MCLA would fair no better as the deficit would grow to 24.

For the Trailblazers, Tyriq Roch-ester and Jamal Brown had 11 points each and Rochester also added 11 rebounds.

MCLA would have no time to recuperate as they would take on Williams College at home on Sunday night. The game did not go well for the Trailblazers as they were defeated handily by Wil-

liams, with a final score of 84-59. Williams shot the ball incredibly

well, going 10-17 from beyond the arc and shot 62 percent overall. The Ephs capitalized on their hot shooting by taking a 28-13 lead in the first half. Rochester once

again had a solid effort, scoring 14 points and was one rebound shy of a double double. Tyrell Mosley also had 11 points.

MCLA is currently at the bot-tom of the MASCAC conference record standings, with the lowest record in the conference. They have not yet played any games against MASCAC conference teams, so this could easily change.

MASCAC conference play will not commence until mid-January.

The Trailblazers will next play Renesslaer at Southern Vermont on Fiday night.

Men’s Basketball, continued from page 9

Men’s Trailblazers struggle for win as season continues

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon StaffThe Trailblazers were trounced by Williams College on Sunday, 84-59.

NBA Lockout ends with player/owner agreementSixty-six game season will commence on Christmas Day, ending an almost six month stalemate

By Brendan FoleySports Editor

It is all but official: There will be an official season of the NBA. The lockout is over.

The lockout began at 12:01 EDT on July 1st, 2011, the culmination of months of speculation and ru-mor of dispute between the NBA team owners and the players.

As of this printing, all that is left to officially end the lockout is for the players and owners to ratify their new agreement. This is a mere formality, and for all intents and purposes for the fans, the lockout is seen as being over.

The season has been shortened from the standard 82 games to only 66. Game play will com-mence on Dec. 25.

This is the fourth work stoppage the NBA has had to contend with in its history. All of the labor dis-putes have occurred in the last six-teen years of the league. NBA play was shut down for two months in 1995, followed by a brief stoppage

in the following season in 1996.This particular work-stoppage

was particularly galling, as it fol-lowed the incredible 2010 playoffs and finals, where the entire nation was swept up in Dirk Nowitzki’s Dallas Maverick’s going head-to-head with the Lebron James and Dwayne Wade led Miami Heat. The Maverick’s were considered heavy underdogs going into the Championship series, having been nearly knocked out of the playoff tournament earlier. But the team persevered and emerged victorious.

Noted sports columnist, edi-tor of Grantland.com and author of “The Book of Basketball” Bill Simmons referred to the 2010-2011 NBA season as “one of the greatest seasons of all time.”

The cause of all this trouble was the Collective Bargaining Agree-ment that exists between the own-ers and the player’s union.

Photo courtesy of Inquisitor.comThe NBA lockout has been resolved, pending an official ratification of the agreement. Play is planned to resume on Christmas Day.LOCKOUT, continued on page 11

Online at:theonlinebeacon.com

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Sports theonlinebeacon.com 11

Men’s Basketball

fitchburgwestfield salembridgewaterframinghamworcesterMCLA

All Conf5-04-04-12-23-41-21-4

0-00-00-00-00-00-00-0

Women’s Basketball

fitchburgbridgewater framinghamMCLAsalemwestfieldworcester

All Conf5-02-12-12-11-21-31-3

0-00-00-00-00-00-00-0

Women’s Basketball

12/2 vs. Bates 4 p.m.12/3 TBD TBD12/5 @Johnson 5:30 p.m.12/7 Union 5:30 p.m.

Men’s Basketball

12/2 vs. Rensselaer 6 p.m.12/3 vs. TBD TBD12/7 Brandeis 7:30 p.m.12/10 @SUNY Canton1 p.m.

Brendan FoleySports Editor

Lights! Camera! Legendary coach takes great

player (who has combated racism throughout his life and playing career) under his wing. Legendary coach and superstar accomplish great things. Legendary coach re-tires, and instead of replacing him, the superstar and his team rally to take the coach’s lessons to heart and coach themselves. After a number of setbacks and turmoil, the team goes on to coach themselves to an NBA championship title.

That is not the plot of an upcom-ing inspirational sports movie. That is the true story of the 1966-1967 Boston Celtics, and how Bill Russell became the first African-American head coach in NBA his-tory. It also remains the only time a team has coached themselves to an NBA title.

So where’s the movie?For that matter, where’s any of the

Boston sports movies? Seriously, the city has been attracting film crew’s like flies on sugar ever since The Departed hit, but so far most of the cinematic portrayals have sim-ply used the city as a bland urban backdrop, devoid of any definitive character (case in point: Surro-gates).

The only films to even try to give Boston and its surrounding boroughs any sort of identity are almost always crime-oriented or feature a criminal element (The Fighter is a strong film, but the emphasis on Dicky Edlubnd’s drug uses sort of lumps it into the sub-category I’m talking about).

And, look, filmmakers aren’t wrong to use Boston to tell these crime stories. When your city hosted a character like Whitey Bulger for decades, of course, that’s going to get play.

But c’mon, go into Boston and throw a rock and you’ll probably hit someone whose memories of the city are directly tied into the sports franchises that we so cel-ebrate. (Note: do not randomly throw rocks at crowded urban ar-eas. Not unless you absolutely have to.)

There is no better window into the souls of American cities in the 20th and 21st centuries than their sports teams. So much of Bos-ton’s history is writ large in the ups and downs of its sports franchises, that it is amazing that no one has stepped up to the plate and tried to craft a film out of it. (The horri-fying racial history of the Red Sox alone is fascinating for how it cor-responds to Boston’s own struggle with race.)

So let’s see movies of Teddy Ball-game and Larry Legend. Let’s cel-ebrate the best and worst of Bean-town on the silver screen.

Chemistry is very important in college basketball due to the long break between semesters and the time players need to spend with each other on campus.

The team has been practically forced to bond, spending time during games, practices and even during holiday breaks, when the team remained on campus to continue training.

“It’s hard because we aren’t with our family, but we made this commitment and when we are back we are 100% focused and ready,” Miner said.

When asked about what how the team prepares for their best level of play Miner said, “We fo-cus a lot on the little things so they become more natural in a game, which will strengthen us for our conference games.”

It would appear this level of dedication is paying off in a big way as the season prepares to heat up.

Senior Allison Dobrovolc opened the season with 15 points and 7 assists against St. Joseph’s of Connecticut on November 16. Sophomore Danielle Scolpino had 13 points off the bench in MCLA’s easy win against Becker College. The team is consistent, from starters to substitutes.

Slated to win the MASCAC conference this year following their record-breaking 2010-2011 season, the ‘Blazers might have been feeling the pressure in the beginning of the season. As they

move into their third week of games, that has changed.

“Everything needs to take place in the moment,” McGovern said. “That takes the pressure off [the big picture].”

Players on the team were en-thusiastic about being picked to come in first.

“Being seeded number one puts a lot of pressure on us,” Tremblay said. “I think it’s a good kind of pressure, but with that we need to prove we are number one in our conference.”

So the team takes it day-by-day and game-by-game and stays fo-cused on each opponent as they step on the court.

Opening the season away at St. Joesph’s, the ‘Blazers fought hard and came away with the 62-60. Tremblay, named Rookie of the Year in the 2009-2010 season, set up the last shot of the game with thirty-five seconds on the clock and a 60-60 tie on the score-board. Finding sophomore Kai-tlyn Chenevert under the hoop, Tremblay sent a clean pass in her direction. Chenevert put the ball up right inside the square and with two seconds on the clock,

took the two point lead. It wasn’t the cleanest game, with both teams committing more than 18 turnovers. The ‘Blazers managed to create more chances to score, though, racking up 22 of their 62 points on turnovers by St. Jo-seph’s alone.

Their second game, away against Becker College, on No-vember 22, showed improve-ment. Turning over a significant-ly less number of balls, MCLA pulled away from Becker steadily from the start of the game. At halftime, the ‘Blazers were up 40-22 thanks in part to Trem-blay’s solid offering of 13 points. With almost the entire team contributing in the second half, MCLA pulled away quickly and never looked back. Becker wasn’t able to regain an advantage and took the loss.

This was followed by the most recent Williams loss.

The team will play Bates Col-lege on Friday where they hope to make their record 3-1.

“Overall,” McGovern said, “we need commitment to helping players grow and understand what their roles are on the team.”

BASKETBALL, continued from Page 9

Photo by Dennise Carranza/Beacon StaffThe Trailblazers are currently tied for second best record with Bridgewater and Framingham.

“It’s hard because we aren’t with our

family, but we made this committment and when we are back we are 100% focused and ready,”

Miner said.

NBA lockout comes to an end

Women’s basketball struggles against Williams

The cause of all this trouble was the Collective Bargaining Agree-ment that exists between the own-ers and the player’s union. The CBA lays out the rules for salaries, contract lengths, schedules, etc. things which are becoming large sticking points as the NBA con-tinues to grow in terms of fandom and revenue.

A mutually agreed upon CBA was established in 1996 to end that lockout, and was updated and re-signed in 2005.

However, there has been word and rumors of discontent from both sides of the players and own-ers, which led to much specula-tion and concern that a lockout or player’s strike could occur when the 2005 CBA expired and it came time to decide upon a new one.

This talk was present even in the 2011 Finals tournament, clouding what should have been one of the more triumphant and enjoyable

sequences in NBA history.The talks between players and

owners have had many starts and stalls since the lockout began, but most disputes appear to have been resolved.

The regular season will go from Christmas Day until April 26, 2012. Playoffs will commence on April 28, and the latest possible date for them to conclude on June 26.

LOCKOUT, continued from Page 9

Photo courtesy of Google.comNBA Commisioner David Strern worked to find a solution to the labor dispute.

framingham salemworcesterwestfield bridgewatermass. maritimeMCLAfitchburg

worcester westfieldbridgewaterfitchburgframinghamsalemMCLAmass. maritime

Standings(As of Press Time)

Men’s Soccer

Women’s Soccer

Volleyball

westfield framinghamworcesterbridgewater MCLAsalemmass. maritime

8-8-312-7-08-8-210-7-16-7-32-12-15-10-13-12-1

5-1-15-2-04-2-14-2-13-1-31-5-11-5-11-5-0

15-2019-1313-178-22

12-213-170-28

All Conf

13-5-115-3-1 11-7-110-6-2 8-8-17-7-36-10-12-13-0

5-2-05-2-05-2-04-3-03-3-12-3-22-4-10-7-0

All Conf

All Conf6-05-14-23-32-41-50-6

Online at:theonlinebeacon.com

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Science theonlinebeacon.com12

Caroline Scully discussed her thesis research on the plight of na-tive bees in the northern county on Nov. 18, which marked the final Brown Bag Lecture of the semester.

Scully is the coordinator of the Berkshire Environmental Resource Center and the chair of MCLA’s Sustainability Committee. She be-gan her Master’s thesis in 2008, at Antioch University of New Eng-land. Her presentation was called, “A Survey of Bumblebees in North-ern Berkshire County.”

“Bumblebees are part of a larger group: native bees from North America,” Scully said. “Many peo-ple think honeybees are native but they were actually transported to America from Europe and South Asia for pollination.”

She said there are 250 known species of bumblebees. Of these bumblebees, 44 species are found in North America and 21 are in the northeast. She debunked the myth that bumblebees are on the decline, saying there is no way to track the validity of this assumption.

Scully’s research was the baseline information for the 2008 interna-tional database concerning bees.

“Bumblebees are the most effec-tive pollinators of our crops and plants,” she said. “Unfortunately, there is so little information about the many species of bumblebees and what is known is mostly anec-dotal.”

Scully decided to collect different bumblebee species from North-western Massachusetts because no one has done this work before.

Her project consisted of selecting 37 open fields in Northern Berk-shire towns to collect bumblebees from. Her criteria was that the fields had to be close to roads so they could be easily accessed and she needed to survey a variety of landscapes.

“We need to know what species of bees there are in this area and so many others,” she said. “This was my goal. There also needs to be more research on the habits of

bumblebees and how far they trav-el.”

Scully spent 30 minutes at each site collecting bees by capturing them in jars of soapy water, which she said is an effective and fast way to gather the bees. She would then wash, dry, label, pin, and identify each bumblebee. She also identified the different flowers the bees were pollinating during collection and the types of fields where they were most abundant.

“My dining room table was once covered with little jars of all the dif-ferent bumblebees I had found,” she said. “I was able to identify ten

different species in the Berkshire County.”

Scully’s research was completed after two years, but she is still work-ing on the publication of her find-ings. The most common bumblebee in the area is the ternarius bumble-bee, which makes up 42 percent. The second most common was va-gan bumblebees, at 32 percent.

“There are small distinctions be-tween species,” Scully said. “I had to enlist the help of bee experts in order to indentify some of the spe-cies I found.”

John Ascher, from the Museum of Natural History, and Rachel Thiet, her thesis advisor, were her main supporters during the project.

“I could only collect bees in sunny and still weather nearing 70 de-grees,” she said. “If the weather was not right, the bees would not be in the fields.”

Scully’s lecture also discussed the lifespan of bumblebees. Unlike honeybees, all male bumblebees die at the end of the season.

New queens are the only bees to hibernate, she said. When they come out in the spring, they are the first to feed on spring flowers. They then locate nesting sites, nur-ture their larva, and stay in the nest for the rest of the season once the workers have hatched.

“It would be fascinating to do a whole other season of collection to compare it to the results I found during my research,” she said. “It is impossible to predict what to ex-pect and if I would be successful

that day or not. Even when I had a plan, it would completely change once I started collecting bees, but this is true for most ecological re-search.”

Community member Katherine Montgomery said she knew very little about bumblebees before Scully’s lecture, but now finds her-self worrying about their future.

“I am concerned about bees being lost,” she said. “I notice how bees hide in flowers at night or in the cracks on windowsills to try to keep warm. I have become very senti-mental about their futures.”

Community member Sharon Wyrrick said she hopes people will be less afraid of bee species and re-alize that they are gentle insects un-less provoked.

“Bumblebees are so diverse,” she said. “From looking at the pictures during the lecture, I could see the distinction between the faces of each bumblebee. This made them all the more special.”

Scully surveys Berkshire bumblebees

Photo by Will Casey/Beacon StaffCaroline Scully presents “A Survey of Bumblebees in Northern Berkshire County” at the final Brown Bag Lecture of the semester.

“From looking at the pictures during the

lecture, I could see the distinction between the faces

of each bumblebee. This made them

all the more special.”

By Skyla SeamansSenior News Editor

Want to recycle your old electronics?

(computers, printers, monitors, cords, phones, iPods, etc.)

Drop off items in:

Mark Hopkins Hall basementfrom now until Wednesday, Dec. 7

or contact us for a drop-off appointment

* We cannot take televisions at this time, unless they belong to MCLA (but you can bring TVs under 33 inches to

Best Buy for no charge!)

*It is not your responsibility to remove data from home computers (but Good Point deletes all

data anyway at the plant.)

Questions?

Contact Caroline Scully, Green Team Chair 102 F Murdock Hall 413 662 5125 Caroline.Scully@mcla.edu

Sponsored by the Green Team (aka Sustainability Committee), Facilities Department and Computer Support Services.

On Dec. 8, Good Point Recycling from Middlebury,

Vermont, will pick up and recycle everything in an

environmentally and sociallyresponsible manner.

Check out their website at: www. retroworks.net

The ENVIRONUTS in conjunc-tion with The Climate Reality Proj-ect will be hosting a presentation on Global Climate Change in Mur-dock Hall Room 218 on Thursday, December 1 at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The presentation will be given by Dr. Steven Leibo of The Sage Col-leges located in Troy, N.Y.

Dr. Leibo is a professor of Inter-national History and Politics with a focus on the relationship between Asia and the West. He is perhaps

better known in the upstate New York region as a long time inter-national affairs commentator for WAMC Northeast Public Radio. He currently serves as the Climate Reality Project manager for upstate New York and Vermont.

Caught between the trauma of the economic crash of 2008 and short term challenges from revolutions in the Mideast to the impending pres-idential campaign of 2012, Ameri-cans seem to have forgotten that infinitely more existential challenge that threatens our very existence as a community; the emerging climate

crisis caused by humanity having accidentally upset the heat balance of the entire earth. Dr. Leibo will update the audience on the science of man made climate change, the already emerging catastrophes as-sociated with that destabilization, from devastating storms to crop failures and offers a “score card” on the likelihood of humanity success-fully navigating our way through this challenge.

If you would like more informa-tion about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please contact Jason Brown at jb7701@mcla.edu.

Press Release

Dr. Leibo to discuss climate change

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – The world’s biggest extraterrestrial ex-plorer, NASA’s Curiosity rover, rocketed toward Mars on Saturday on a search for evidence that the red planet might once have been home to itsy-bitsy life.

It will take 81/2 months for Cu-riosity to reach Mars following a journey of 354 million miles.

An unmanned Atlas V rocket hoisted the rover, officially known as Mars Science Laboratory, into a cloudy late morning sky. A Mars frenzy gripped the launch site, with more than 13,000 guests jamming the space center for NASA’s first launch to Earth’s next-door neigh-

bor in four years, and the first send-off of a Martian rover in eight years.

NASA astrobiologist Pan Conrad, whose carbon compound-seeking instrument is on the rover, had a shirt custom made for the occa-sion. Her bright blue, short-sleeve blouse was emblazoned with rock-ets, planets and the words, “Next stop Mars!”

Conrad jumped and cheered as the rocket blasted off a few miles away.

“It’s amazing,” she said, “and it’s a huge relief to see it all going up in the same direction.’’

The 1-ton Curiosity – as large as a car – is a mobile, nuclear-powered laboratory holding 10 science in-struments that will sample Martian

soil and rocks, and analyze them right on the spot. There’s a drill as well as a stone-zapping laser ma-chine.

It’s “really a rover on steroids,” said NASA’s Colleen Hartman, assistant associate administrator for science. “It’s an order of magnitude more capable than anything we have ever launched to any planet in the solar system.”

The primary goal of the $2.5 bil-lion mission is to see whether cold, dry, barren Mars might have been hospitable for microbial life once upon a time – or might even still be conducive to life now. No actual life detectors are on board; rather, the instruments will hunt for organic compounds.

NASA launches super-size Mars roverBy Marcia DunnAssociated Press

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Campus Comment theonlinebeacon.com 13

Editor-in-Chief John Durkan

Managing Editor Chris Goodell

Senior News Editor Skyla Seamans

Sports Editor Brendan Foley

A&E EditorJohn Deming

Features EditorMary Redstone

Photo Editor Cara Sheedy

Copy Chief Ed Damon

Business Manager Tatyana Gorski

Ad ManagerJen Smaltz

Web Editor Caleb Hiliadis

The Beacon is published Thursdays during the academic year and is distributed free to the College community. The Beacon is funded by the Student Government

Association, the English/Communications department and from ad revenues.

Contact information:

News desk number: 413-662-5535Business number: 413-662-5404

E-mail: Beacon@mcla.eduWeb site: www.theonlinebeacon.comOffice: Mark Hopkins Hall, room 111

Mission Statement The Beacon strives to provide timely and accurate news of campus and local events.

Editorials Policy Unsigned editorials that appear on these

pages reflect the views of The Beacon’s editorial board.

Signed columns and commentaries that appear on these pages reflect the views of

the writers.

Letters Policy The Beacon welcomes Letters to the

Editor. Deadline is noon on Mondays for that week’s newspaper.

Letters should be kept to 500 words or less

and are subject to editing for grammar and content. The Beacon will not publish

anonymous or libelous letters.

Letters must be signed by the writer and include a phone number. Letters may be dropped off at the office or e-mailed to

Beacon@mcla.edu.

Contributions Policy The Beacon accepts stories, photos and

opinion pieces for publication. Submissions should be dropped off at the office by Monday at noon or e-mailed to

Beacon@mcla.edu.

Advertising Policy The Beacon reserves the right not to

publish any advertisement it deems to be libelous, false or in bad taste.

The Beacon

Editorial Board

Staff Writers

Nicole KnappAndrew HodgsonJessica GamariTano HolmesRobert BeauchesneKaitland HagerKayla KoumjianNora Weiss

Photographers

Dennise CarranzaBrian McGrathWilliam Casey

Copy Editors

Jessica WrightMegan CooneyKristen Rubano

Videographers

Ariana Tourangeau

Cartoonist

Aurora Cooper

Advisers

Stephen Kilduff

Ad RepsLiroy OzinciJacob McCallAaron CrawfordDylan Glaser

Design Editor

Jenifer AugurPaul LeSageGillian Jones

How do you feel about your classes next semester?

“I am excited about the classes I chose for next semester and I am looking foward to doing well in all my classes.”

- James Hunter, 2014

“I’m happy that I got all my choices, but dreading the workload.”

- Jennifer Jean Baptiste, 2014

“I’m content with the classes I picked. I got into all of them so I’m happy.”

- Jamal Brown, 2012

“I feel very satisfied with my class selection. I was able to reg-ister early because I am an ath-lete, so I got into all the classes I needed and wanted.”

- Tyshawn McGee, 2014

“I will be picking all my classes tomorrow. But I am happy”

- Jay Medrano, 2014

“I am happy about my class selection next semester.”

- Raj Ishmael, 2015

Compiled by Dennise Carranza

twitter.com/BeaconMCLAfacebook.com/MCLABeacon

Online at:theonlinebeacon.com

Letter to the Editor

We have all heard the de-bates for and against

arming the campus police. Our campus has been enveloped in an ongoing debate surrounding this issue for what feels like an eternity. We have heard good dis-cussions, thoughts, and feelings around this whole issue. But has it been enough?

As you know, the Student Gov-ernment Association (SGA) unanimously passed a referen-dum that will allow us as students to decide how we feel. We will have to go out there to the ballot box and vote on an issue that will affect the entire campus commu-nity, as well as the future of this institution. Thus, we need to be as educated as possible.

Yet, I have heard from many of you that there may not have been enough information. Whether because of scheduling or of the manner in which the open forums were conducted, it appears we still find ourselves struggling with the topic. When will the officers be armed if this passes? Is the crime at MCLA high enough to warrant it? How will we gauge the integri-ty of officers who will carry lethal

weapons? The list of questions I have before me goes on and on.

Well, I’m sorry to say that I have no answers for you. The admin-istration has assured us that they have carried out all the necessary steps to ensure this is the right move for us. Further, they have asserted that they have provided ample amounts of information. I would say that they have done a lot, but have they truly met their “burden of proof ” to us as stu-dents? Can we vote ‘yes’ or ‘no’ based on what we’ve been told? I’m honestly not sure.

So let your uncertainty influence your vote and feed your desire for more information. Ask questions of Public Safety, your administra-tors, your staff, your faculty, and your fellow students. Do not be si-lent or complacent. Gather all the knowledge you can and then vote on that. Information provided, or the lack thereof, constitutes the basis for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote in this historic and important move for our institution. I’ll see you at the polls.

Todd B. Foy, Jr. ‘12SGA President

To Arm or Not to Arm: Is that the only question?

Submit a Letter to the Editor to MCLA Beacon Mailbox on FirstClass

or to beacon@mcla.edu.

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Opinions theonlinebeacon.com14

Throngs of people crowd the downtown of Heidelberg.

Songs and the sounds of frivol-ity ring out over the thousands of visitors to the Heidelberg Wei-hnachts Markt (Christmas mar-ket).

The market stretches over six dif-ferent squares throughout Heidel-berg, with vendors selling a wide variety of foods and souvenirs, and cultural items. For example, German candles, Christmas tree ordainments, crystal mobiles and hand made jewelry. “Glühwein,” a hot spiced wine often with rum which is traditional through-out Germany at Christmas time, is served all almost all the food stands, and offered in collector mugs, with painted pictures of the Christmas market.

There are also different events offered throughout the Christ-mas market, most notably an ice skating rank, which is open every

day from the 23 of November to the 23 of December, and is quite cheap, only 3 euros to go skating. There are also many free concerts sponsored by the Christmas Mar-ket as well as individual street musicians and entertainers.

The whole market is a wonder-ful place to gather, as well as to buy truly special Christmas pres-ents, while supporting small and local businesses and artists.

I wish we in the United States could have something similar, where small business stands could stand in front of major chains and galleries, and the average shopper would stop by the stands first. I wish we had downtown areas that were not just financial centers, where banks and insurance com-panies show off their wealth with sky scrapers, but also communal places, were the average citizen or tourist could experience and truly live the culture of the city.

It seems that not a week goes by without the firearms issue being

addressed in some way, and for good reason. Being such an important topic, and with the SGA referendum taking place next week, I think it’s time that our opinions be known.

Anyone who read my column in the November 17 issue of The Bea-con may have gotten the impres-sion that I am against the arming of Public Safety. This is actually not the case. While I may disagree with some of the processes surrounding the issue, I believe having an armed campus police force is a good idea.

Public Safety officers are fully-sworn, and the purpose of any police force is to serve and protect. Let’s face it, we live in a dangerous world, and Public Safety can’t be expected to fully protect the campus if they don’t have the necessary tools.

Some might point to the fact that this is considered a “safe campus.” Honestly, I do feel safe on campus, but this issue isn’t about what has happened, it’s about what could happen and Public Safety’s ability to respond. Everyone is safe – until a tragedy happens, and for those of you who think something couldn’t happen here, think again. Great Barrington experienced a school shooting in 1992 at Simon’s Rock College of Bard, a small liberal arts college in Berkshire County (sound familiar?).

Others who are opposed to the arming of campus police point to the fact that the North Adams Police Department is fairly close to campus and would be able to respond in a worst-case scenario. According to Google Maps, NAPD is a four min-ute drive from campus. Taking into account their use of lights and sirens, let’s cut that time in half and assume it would only take two minutes for NAPD to reach campus. Add to that the fact that NAPD officers would be less familiar with the layout of the campus than our Pubic Safety officers, and the response time in-creases. Two minutes may not seem

like a long time, but during a life-threatening situation where the use of firearms would be warranted, two minutes could be the difference be-tween life and death.

This brings us to another impor-tant point: when is the use of fire-arms warranted? It seems as though some people are under the impres-sion that armed Public Safety officers would present a risk to students. Po-lice officers only draw their weapons if they feel lives are being threatened, and only use those weapons under the most extreme circumstances. It’s very likely that armed Public Safety officers would never even have to draw their weapons. But at least they would be prepared.

As a student, it is somewhat irk-some what funding for the firearms will be coming from student fees. However, given the fact that student fees seem to increase every year any-way, it’s a fairly small price to pay for properly equipped Public Safety of-ficers.

I’m a safe driver - but I still wear my seatbelt. This may be a safe cam-pus, but we should still have protec-tive measures in place. You never know what could happen.

Clubs need space too

John DurkanEditor-in-Chief

Commentary

Editorial

In the last SGA meeting a lengthy discussion focused

on Yorick requesting extra funds to ensure a space for next semes-ter.

Yorick, as well as other theater clubs, is not a part of the Fine and Performing Arts department, but nonetheless deserves the use of Venable Theatre.

With the budget tight enough as it already is, student clubs have just as much of a right to use campus space as much as the

FPA department. After all, aren’t extracurricular just as important?

Furthermore, how come these scheduling conflicts are aris-ing now? For years the depart-ment and clubs were sharing the stage and performing well. What changed?

Also, the on-campus location is also convenient to the student body who pays for these clubs.

Thankfully, the SGA is working towards an agreement between the clubs and FPA. Make it work.

Safe campus? Mightas well buy into fear!

A differentapproachto holiday shopping

Chris GoodellManaging Editor

Tano HolmesForeign Correspondent

Tano Holmes writes weekly for The Beacon from

Heidelberg, Germany, where he is studying

abroad

Firearms necessary for Public Safety to serve and protect

NAPD Commissioner of Public Safety John Moroc-

co said at the panel discussion on Nov. 16: “I don’t know if having officers armed is going to make your campus any safer.”

Well, that’s just swell – the as-signed regional expert can’t guar-antee that firearms will improve campus safety. To be fair, this campus is extremely safe, accord-ing to the Clery Report, a yearly report released by Public Safety that documents crime on and near the campus.

So, why are we discussing the pos-sibility of firing an initial $25,000 and an annual $6,000 out of our sawed-off student-fee shotguns?

Oh right, a June 2008 report to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education titled “Campus Violence Prevention and Response: Best Practices for Massachusetts Higher Education” (look it up at mass.edu) suggests 27 recommen-dations to every public college and university in the state to improve...well, you read the title. Essentially, this report reacts to the fatal Vir-

ginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings.

Just to be weary: the top-listed contributor of the report is Daniel O’Neill, Founder, President and CEO of then-Applied Risk Man-agement, which created the report. Point being, people make a living off improbable security risks sell-ing fear, whether its an airport or a state school. It’s honest work, con-sidering that scared Department of Higher Education boards approach them. But a lot of these suggestions sound even more overboard than guns. For instance, this report sug-gests surveillance cameras (with a suggestion that “wide-ranging benefits” outweigh privacy), door upgrades, bag checks (not in the 27 but mentioned elsewhere), pre-pared or contracted trauma teams, and emergency signaling capa-bilities in every classroom. From a different perspective, this report might even suggest that guns are not nearly enough!

(This also raises the question, do we even have enough officers on duty at a time to react to a shooter situation any ways?)

To little or no surprise, the re-port states the obvious: “Pervasive media images of mass shootings...have raised the specter of serious violence on college campuses...the risk of serious violence on campus is remarkably low, particularly in its most extreme form.” Simply, you’re safe, but be prepared – or better yet afraid – for the worst.

(Also if the report convinces everyone that they’re not afraid enough to throw bags of money at security suggestions you’ll never call them back to do the follow-up report, and the next infinity of those reports of interchangeable statistics that suggest you’re safe but words that sell you fear.)

In case you forgot, I’ll remind you where I come from in terms of fear: I still fly planes post 9/11, I swim in oceans even though the TV tells me that sharks can rip my head off via dreadlocks, and I still walk around MCLA worry free at any hour of the day even though the Public Safety officers are not armed. And lastly, I regret nothing if any of those things go wrong if it’s out of my control. Don’t live life in fear, but I digress...

We don’t need this. Public Safety and even NAPD for that matter do a wonderful job already serving and protecting. Caving into fear does not make this campus, or world for that matter, a safer place.

Furthermore, the report says: “It is critical that colleges and univer-sities maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of available resources.” I strongly agree with this line: in-stead of spending our money based on a recommendations from a risk-management team and instead we look and improve our educational experiences.

Regardless of where you stand, let the Trustees know what you think in next week’s vote. After all, you’re paying for this fear-driven change.

Thursday, December 1, 2011 For Fun theonlinebeacon.com 15

By Aurora Cooper

Word Search: Musicals

Word Search courtesy of puzzles.ca

A CHORUS LINEALL THAT JAZZ

ANNIEBLUE HAWAIIBRIGADOON

BUGSY MALONECABARET

CALAMITY JANECAMELOTCARMEN

CAROUSEL CHICAGO

EVITAFAME

FANTASIAFUNNY FACEFUNNY GIRL

GIGIGODSPELL

GREASEGYPSYHAIR

HELLO, DOLLY!HIGH SOCIETYHOLIDAY INN

JAILHOUSE ROCKLA TRAVIATA

MARY POPPINSMOULIN ROUGE

MY FAIR LADYNEWSIES

OKLAHOMA!OLIVER!

PAL JOEYSHOW BOAT

SILK STOCKINGSSOUTH PACIFIC

STATE FAIRSWEET CHARITY

SWING TIMETHE MUSIC MAN

TOMMYTOP HAT

WEST SIDE STORY

To view previous comics, visit: theonlinebeacon.com/weekly-comics-with-aurora-cooper

Thursday, December 1, 2011 Photo Essay theonlinebeacon.com16

‘Blazerbasketball

is back!By Dennise Carranza

Senior guard Tyrell Mosley ponders his next move.

Senior forward Jamal Brown works his way to the basket.

Senior forward Connell Brown plays some defense.

Mosley takes a shot inside the paint.

The Trailblazers are off to rough start at 1-4, but will look to rebound when they

defend their title at the Tri-State Shootout, a four-team tournament at

Southern Vermont College.