Christopher Hughes ’28 is a prospective political economy major from Seattle, Wash. He is the Town News Editor and was previously a staff writer for features.
Hosted on April 26 by the Native American Indigenous Student Alliance (NISA) in collaboration with Native students from Dartmouth, the Northeastern Intertribal Indigenous Community Gathering honored and brought together Indigenous communities from across the country and globe in a day-long reflection and celebration of Native students, Native leaders, Native community members, and Native faculty in the northeast.
Students at the College have faced disruptions to their summer plans, including the cancellation of summer research programs and federal internships, amid a federal hiring freeze and significant cuts to federal funding for research.
The Williamstown Select Board completed voting on its recommendations for Town Meeting warrant articles at its April 14 meeting. At Town Meeting on May 22, voters will decide on the articles.
The College’s comprehensive fee — which encompasses tuition, room and board, and other required charges — will increase 5.7 percent to $90,750 for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Williamstown began reconstructing South Street between the Field Park traffic circle and the Clark Institute of Art on Monday, April 16. The project is expected to conclude in summer 2026.
David Baron ’25 and Asa Quasney Wardat ’25 have won the Gates Cambridge Scholarship, which fully funds postgraduate studies at the University of Cambridge. They are two of the 25 Gates Cambridge scholars from the United States this year.
The College intends to repurpose much of Lawrence Hall as an interdisciplinary center for student art following the completion of the Williams College Museum of Art’s (WCMA) new building in 2027.
Two warrant articles drafted by the Planning Board will be voted on at Town Meeting on May 22, after the Williamstown Select Board voted to add them to the Town Meeting warrant on Monday. One measure aims to regulate short-term rentals in the Town, while the other would regulate the installation of geothermal heating wells.
The College will establish the Climate and Community Leaders Initiative in collaboration with Williams-Mystic in fall 2025, Dean of the College Gretchen Long and Executive Director of Williams-Mystic Tom Van Winkle announced in a Feb. 13 email to the classes of 2027 and 2028. According to its website, the program will provide students with specialized climate-focused opportunities throughout their time at the College.
Recent executive orders from President Donald Trump have called into question the security of federal funding for research, including grants from the National Science Foundation. Members of the administration told the Record that they are uncertain how the College would respond to future funding freezes, but remain committed to supporting faculty research.
The Williamstown Planning Board approved Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity’s application to develop a 1.75-acre lot on Summer Street in the Town’s White Oaks neighborhood at its Jan. 14 meeting. Habitat for Humanity is set to acquire the land from the Williamstown Affordable Housing Trust, and the development, which will be called the Meadowlands Subdivision, will comprise four 1,200 square-foot houses for residents earning 30-percent to 60-percent of the Town’s median income.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for Western Massachusetts on Nov. 6, signaling a high risk of brush fire amid unseasonably low humidity, warm temperatures, and strong winds. In response to these conditions — which have created the second driest season in Williamstown since 1982 — more than 200 municipalities across the state, including North Adams, have prohibited all outdoor fires.
