At a special meeting on Monday, the Select Board unanimously chose Charles T. Blanchard, the retired town manager of Palmer, Mass., to serve as the interim town manager of Williamstown.

The Berkshire Eagle recently obtained a copy of the employee complaint against Williamstown Police Department (WPD) Sergeant Scott McGowan alleging that McGowan, who filed a lawsuit against the Town and WPD in August alleging misconduct, had himself perpetrated sexual and racial harassment. The complaint led the department to place McGowan on paid administrative leave last month.

At the Williamstown Select Board meeting on March 22, Acting WPD Chief Ziemba said that the officers who illegally searched the records of WPD critics' have been suspended without pay. Also at the meeting, the board discussed the selection processes for the interim WPD chief and town manager and broadened the scope of Levenson’s investigation.

In lieu of the traditional two-week long spring break this semester, the College has created three Health Days in the hopes that the absence of classes will provide students space for rest and rejuvenation. As these dates approach, the Record spoke with faculty on how they are preparing for Health Days. 

At the March 8 meeting, Patton announced that two recent employee complaints have been “brought up” in the WPD. Also, the board chose a firm to conduct the town manager search and discussed compensating future board members.

Williamstown Police Department (WPD) Sgt. Scott McGowan was placed on paid administrative leave last week after he was named in an employee complaint. According to the Berkshire Eagle, the complaint alleged bullying and verbal harassment of other officers.

Director of Campus Safety & Security (CSS) Dave Boyer will retire this August after 32 years at the College.

At the meeting on Feb. 22, the Williamstown Select Board planned for the hiring of an interim town manager and an interim chief of the Williamstown Police Department.

Members of The Williams Record, Williamstown Racial Justice and Police Reform (RJPR), and the Williamstown Diversity, Inclusion and Racial Equity Committee (DIRE) spoke about civic engagement, racial justice, and police accountability in Williamstown at a Zoom webinar on Thursday.

Williamstown Town Manager Jason Hoch ’95 announced Friday that he will resign from his position. He will stay on the job for up to 60 days and oversee the transition through May while the Select Board hires an interim town manager. Hoch, an alum of the College who has served as town manager since 2015, came under scrutiny after Williamstown Police Department (WPD) Sergeant Scott McGowan alleged in a August 2020 federal lawsuit that Hoch did not adequately investigate allegations of racism and sexual assault within the WPD.

All applicants in the fall of 2022 and 2023 may choose whether or not to submit results from SAT and ACT exams. This initiative will continue the test-optional policy implemented for the 2020-2021 admissions cycle.

Town Manager Jason Hoch ’95 said at the Feb. 8 Select Board that he would slow down the search for an interim police chief after several Town residents criticized him for fielding candidates without first assembling an advisory committee.

The Williams Student Union on Jan. 26 started a petition on Change.org encouraging professors to keep the three Health Days in the spring semester free from classwork and assessments. The petition has amassed nearly 600 signatures at the time of publication.

The Stockbridge-Munsee Historic Preservation Office, which relocated to Williamstown from Troy, N.Y., in October, has begun work on the preservation and protection of Stockbridge-Munsee history.

Also at Monday’s meeting, Select Board member Jeffrey Thomas announced that he would be stepping down, and the board discussed next steps in the Town’s investigation into Williamstown Police Department (WPD) misconduct and the search process for a new police chief. Here are the main takeaways from the meeting. 

1,824 undergraduates plan to be on campus during the spring semester, a significant increase from the fall.

Hoch announced his decision to retain Kyle Johnson as WPD chief at a Williamstown Select Board meeting on Oct. 26. (Photo courtesy of Willinet.) Johnson apologizes, announces investigation into new...

On Nov. 6, Gov. Charlie Baker implemented new coronavirus guidelines to combat the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, reflecting a recent surge in COVID-19 cases across the country. Confirmed...

While the Williams Coronavirus Dashboard only reports on numbers of positive test results, other NESCAC schools also provide metrics on isolation, recovery and disciplinary measures. (Photo courtesy of...

The presidents of four institutions of higher education — Maud S. Mandel of Williams College, Wayne A. I. Frederick of Howard University, Ellen Kennedy of Berkshire Community College (BCC) and Jonathan...