The Williams Record (https://williamsrecord.com/category/news/)
For most students on campus, the first full week of classes has also brought the first full week of freedom from quarantine. After remaining in their rooms until receiving confirmation of two negative COVID-19 tests, most students are now free to visit the entire campus. The College’s COVID Dashboard, which ticked up to three confirmed cases this weekend, remains a distant worry.
Having completed the budget for fiscal year 2021 in February, town manager Jason Hoch ’95 had to go back to the drawing board once the effects of the pandemic became clear.
The Clark and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MOCA) both closed on March 14 and remained shuttered through the spring. The long months without visitors took a heavy toll on both museums.
As college towns across the country have reeled from the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, small businesses, cultural institutions and local government in Williamstown have weathered heavy losses while managing to avoid the absolute worst of the crisis. Still, lasting pain from the spring and deep uncertainty about the future remain.
On Sept. 8 and 9 – days chosen for their proximity to Labor Day to acknowledge the American labor movement and the contribution of laborers – more than 5,000 scholars in higher education, among them professors and administration from the College, will pause classes and administrative services to host virtual teach-ins.
After a long and turbulent primary season, two incumbents representing Western Massachusetts — Democratic Sen. Ed Markey and Democratic Rep. Richard Neal — were re-nominated on Tuesday night. They defeated Rep. Joe Kennedy III and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, respectively.
While the Town acknowledged that McGowan’s lawsuit “raises genuine questions or doubts about the Town’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and racial equity,” their response –– the second public statement made by the five-person board on the lawsuit –– disputes several of McGowan’s characterizations of incidents. Additionally, it denies allegations that Johnson committed sexual assault or racial harassment, and claims that McGowan did not experience retaliation for reporting and opposing alleged incidents of sexual assault and racial harassment.
Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) and Mayor of Holyoke Alex Morse are competing in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’ 1st congressional district this Tuesday.
Renewed criticism of College’s 2018 funding of new police station, concerns over WPD presence on campus
A sergeant at the Williamstown Police Department (WPD), Scott McGowan, filed a federal lawsuit today against the Department, WPD Chief Kyle Johnson, Williamstown Town Manager Jason Hoch and the Town of Williamstown for what McGowan described as retaliation against McGowan for reporting instances of racial harassment and sexual assault allegedly committed by both unnamed WPD officers and Johnson.
In Other Ivory Towers, or IOIT, is a Record column covering events and news in institutions of higher education. On July 14, Dartmouth College computer science graduate student Maha Hasan Alshawi began a hunger strike to bring attention to what she and local advocates say was the school’s mishandling of her Title IX complaint.
Now 16 days in, Alshawi is continuing the strike with the goal of ensuring that Dartmouth gives her allegations proper consideration.
