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The Student-Run Newspaper of Williams College Since 1887

The Williams Record

The Student-Run Newspaper of Williams College Since 1887

The Williams Record

The Student-Run Newspaper of Williams College Since 1887

The Williams Record

Ellie Davis

Ellie Davis is a political science major and public health concentrator from Radnor, Penn. She is currently the editor-in-chief. She previously served as the executive editor for investigations and a features section editor.

Email: [email protected]

All content by Ellie Davis
Letter from the editor: Reporting with purpose

Letter from the editor: Reporting with purpose

Ellie Davis January 28, 2026
In a letter from the editor, The Record's Editor in Chief for the spring semester, Ellie Davis, reiterates the paper's commitment to serving the college community with purposeful journalism and a deep dedication to journalistic integrity and independence.
Moira Ford/The Williams Record

Fine or fined: Ticket Appeals Committee hears student pleas

Ellie Davis May 14, 2025
Have you gotten a parking ticket at the College? If so, you might be familiar with the Ticket Appeals Committee, composed of three anonymous members of the the College's community who review pleas. The Record reports on the memorable appeals seen in the history of the committee, along with CSS' ticketing process.
Hugh Kane/The Williams Record

Student charged with secretly recording people in Upper Lasell bathroom

Ellie Davis April 30, 2025
Maxwell Hall ’26 has been charged with 18 counts of photographing an unsuspecting nude person, according to court documents obtained by the Record. The Record acquired court documents at the Northern Berkshire District Court on Thursday that named Hall and matched the description of the incident mentioned in a campus-wide email Director of CSS Jeff Palmer sent on April 14 informing the community that a hidden camera had been placed in a single-stall bathroom in the Upper Lasell Fitness Center on January 16.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

In Other Ivory Towers: Student activist detainment, funding cuts, antisemitism investigation at Columbia

Lena Kerest and Ellie Davis March 19, 2025
In recent weeks, the federal government has canceled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University because of what it describes as the school’s failure to limit antisemitic harassment. The government recently broadened its investigation into cases of antisemitism to 60 colleges and universities. Separate to the ongoing investigations, federal agents detained a recent graduate student at Columbia who had been a vocal participant in recent campus protests against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Photo courtesy of Brad Wakoff.

Botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, journalist Barbara Bradley Hagerty ’81, exoneree Ben Spencer deliver Claiming Williams keynotes

Dalia Levanon and Ellie Davis February 12, 2025
Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist, professor, and author of this year’s Williams Reads book Braiding Sweetgrass, delivered the evening keynote address at Claiming Williams Day on Feb. 6. The morning keynote featured Ben Spencer, who was wrongly convicted of murder and imprisoned for 34 years, and Barbara Bradley Hagerty ’81, a journalist whose reporting helped uncover evidence that exonerated Spencer. 
Photo courtesy of Zach Bishop.

One in Two Thousand: Zach Bishop ’26

Ellie Davis April 10, 2024
Each week, the Record (using a script in R) randomly selects a student at the College for our One in Two Thousand feature, excluding current Record board members. This week, Zach Bishop ’26 discussed French press coffee, Norwegian heavy metal, and using economics to compose music.
North Adams Regional Hospital is offering in-patient care for the first time in 10 years. (Photo courtesy of Berkshire Health Systems.)

North Adams Regional Hospital reopens inpatient care

Ellie Davis April 10, 2024
Students seeking medical care beyond the capacity of the College’s Thompson Health Center often travel to nearby providers. As of March 29, in addition to emergency room and outpatient services, the North Adams Regional Hospital (NARH) at the Berkshire Medical Center is offering in-patient care for the first time in 10 years.
(Photo courtesy of Catherine Farman-Farmaian.)

One in Two Thousand: Logan McClennen ’24

Ellie Davis March 13, 2024
Each week, the Record (using a script in R) randomly selects a student at the College for our One in Two Thousand feature, excluding current Record board members. This week, Logan McClennen ’24 discussed his early March Madness insights, the exciting end to his intramural (IM) basketball career, and being the subject of a song by his ex-girlfriend.
Haley Zimmerman/The Williams Record

College recycling system effective but hampered by poor student compliance, Record investigation finds

Ellie Davis March 6, 2024
To investigate the efficacy of the College’s recycling system, the Record spoke to the Zilkha Center, trailed the work of custodial staff, and surveyed students. While respondents said they care about recycling and believe that they are recycling their own waste effectively, they also reported confusion about the College’s recycling program and estimated that recycled waste produced by students is generally contaminated.
SFS — housed in Weston Hall — implemented the PEG in 2022. (Jane Su/The Williams Record)

Directing deposits: Students reflect on the Personal Expenses Grant

Ellie Davis and Rebecca Call February 28, 2024
Many students receiving financial aid at the College are accustomed to seeing $925 hit their bank accounts from “Williams College Direct Pay” at the start of each semester. But this money — known as the Personal Expenses Grant (PEG) — has only existed in its current form since 2022, when the College established its all-grant financial aid program.
The proposed rail line will run from Boston to North Adams. (Photo courtesy of MassDOT).

Students, faculty continue advocating for Northern Tier Rail Expansion

Ellie Davis December 6, 2023
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is finalizing its report on the feasibility of the Northern Tier Rail Expansion Project, which would bring passenger rail service between Boston and Northwestern Massachusetts for the first time since 1956, with a likely terminus in North Adams, Mass. 
Williams HR helps faculty spouses adapt to the Town job market. (Haley Zimmerman/The Williams Record)

Spouses of faculty struggle to find employment at the College

Ellie Davis April 26, 2023
In a location as remote as Williamstown, spouses of College faculty members can face limited employment opportunities. For spouses who are also academics, getting two tenure-track positions at the College can be difficult, forcing couples to make challenging decisions about their careers.
(Angela Gui/The Williams Record)

Yik Yakkers at the College post for upvotes and laughs

Ellie Davis and Edith Edwards-Mizel November 30, 2022
Yik Yak — an app where individuals can anonymously post to a five-mile radius — has gained traction at the College. Who are the people that choose to spend their time building their Yakarma — the arbitrary points doled out to frequent and successful Yik Yak users — and how have they crafted strategies to get the most upvotes? We spoke with three students to find out.
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