Emily Zas ’25 is an English and history major from Brooklyn, N.Y. She is an editor-at-large. She served as a managing editor in fall 2024, and before that, as executive editor for features, section editor for features, and staff writer for news.
Love was in the air for the 1,360 students at the College who filled out the Marriage Pact survey last week, to mixed results. Students reflect on unexpected pairings, awkward encounters, and wholesome connections.
Students reported to Campus Safety Services on Sunday that a table in Frosh Quad painted with American and Israeli flags was damaged and vandalized with graffiti that included antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiments.
The Aso O. Tavitian Foundation donated 331 works of art — which date from the 15th through 19th centuries — to the Clark Art Institute, the museum announced in a press release on Monday. The foundation also gifted $45 million to support a dedicated curator position at the museum and the construction of a new Aso O. Tavitian Wing, which will host the donated collection.
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, Vanya Funez ’26 discussed her time at Williams-Mystic, blacksmithing, and healthy sleeping habits.
On Saturday, Hoxsey Street was buzzing with students in neon clothing carrying gallon jugs full of mysterious liquids. The daytime party — the “darty” known colloquially as “Sensations” — is an annual event on the first Saturday of May. But the Record wanted to know more: When did the tradition begin, and why?
If you’re a student, it’s likely you heard about the Phantom 500 early in your time at the College. This week, the Record surveyed the entire student body to test the theory.
On March 9, 1874, it was 23 degrees below zero in Williamstown — but the cold did not deter Town residents from attending that year’s Town Meeting, where they voted to establish a public library....
“This Week in Williams History” is a column that looks back at memorable moments in the College’s past through articles in the Record. This week in history, a professor defended modern students, the College changed its schedule, and students held a forum on bias incidents.
The annual Winter Carnival weekend is packed full of traditions that go back nearly a century. One, however, has been out of fashion for the last 50 years: the crowning of a “Winter Carnival Queen.”
On Sunday, Feb. 18, actresses Laura Linney and Jessica Hecht spoke to a packed Paresky Auditorium about their careers, the importance of the arts to a liberal arts education, and the changing landscape of creative fields. The event culminated Hecht’s Winter Study filmmaking course, featuring a screening of six student-produced short films
Students might not be aware of the hidden feature in the basement of the Faculty House: a two-lane bowling alley, home to the Faculty Club Bowling League.
“Dead Week” — the four-day classless lull between the end of Winter Study and the start of spring classes — is neither “dead” nor a week. Dozens of students flock to popular cities like Montreal and New York City to escape the empty interlude. But what about those who venture elsewhere, or stay put on campus?
This weekend was the culmination of four weeks in which students in the Winter Study course "A Filmmaker's Workshop" produced short films, led by their experienced course instructor: actress Jessica Hecht.
At the height of the Hungarian Revolution in November 1956, Steve Bullock ’57 pitched an idea to his Delta Upsilon (DU) fraternity brothers: to “adopt” a family of Hungarian refugees. Three months and a series of miracles later, a Hungarian family of four moved into the DU fraternity house in Williamstown.
In 2003, four students established the "Cawamayday Cup" — an award given to the group of students assigned the last pick number in the housing lottery. Though the prize has been discontinued in recent years, previous recipients remember it fondly.
Although John R. Lane ’66 majored in American Studies while at the College, his successful career as an Art director would not have been possible without taking classes with professors S. Lane Faison ’29 and Whitney Stoddard ’35.
“This Week in Williams History” is a column dedicated to looking back at memorable moments in the College’s past through articles in the Record. This week in history, the College abolished its...
On Feb. 24, students gathered at Agard House for live jazz, a silent auction, and dancing. The fundraising gala hosted by Williams Mutual Aid received over 150 donations and auction bids, raising over $1,500 to be redistributed to members of the College community.
The Record surveyed the on-campus water bottle fillers that display the number of bottles filled and ranked the most and least used by their counts as of Feb. 21.
This Valentine's Day, students at the College might be wondering how likely they are to marry a fellow Eph. The Record compiled statistics on alum marriages at the College and nationally.
While some students today pay full price for their textbooks, many others receive a book grant from the College that covers the full cost of all necessary course materials. The Record reports on the history of the book grant — from the 1914 Memorial Library, to a book voucher system, and then a final shift to the grant system as it exists today.
Before Earl A. Powell III ’66 served as director of the National Gallery of Art, he studied art history and European history at the College under three professors who mentored members of the Williams “Art Mafia” to success.
This Winter Study, students taught and attended a record 66 Free University courses — an 18 percent increase from the 56 courses offered last year and nearly double the 34 courses offered during Winter Study in 2020. Whether they were crocheting sweaters, tasting cheeses, or pursuing any of the other unique course options, students at the College embraced many new hobbies this January.
Anne Joseph O'Connell was appointed to President Joe Biden’s Council of the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) on Oct. 14. In this role, she will offer advice to executive-branch and congressional officials to improve the administrative processes of federal agencies under Biden’s White House.
The global studies program will kickstart the Global Scholars Initiative this spring, encouraging a small cohort of students to develop greater international awareness by studying global issues and traveling together.
The Sustainable Living Community (SLC) will provide metal compost bins to upperclass dorm kitchens across campus this semester. The move, which was announced in a Daily Message, is a response to the College’s removal of compost bins in residential areas for this academic year. The SLC said it hopes to expand the project to first-year dorms and co-ops.
