Hannah Marx ’27 is a prospective history and Arabic studies major from New York, N.Y. She is the executive editor for the features section. Previously, she served as a college news editor and staff writer for the news section.
This academic year, nine faculty members are retiring from the College. The Record invited each of them to share a photo, their favorite class they have taught at the College, and any wisdom or advice for the community.
In an executive order from the Secretary of Defense, books written by Williams professors were banned from the US Naval Academy Academy library. Read about the books, the authors' reflections, and their surprising takeaways from this incident.
The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) exempt staff positions had increased from 290 to 443 since 2009, outpacing growth in faculty positions by 40 percentage points. A Record investigation found student support, increased resources for faculty, and government requirements as primary drivers of the trend.
From horseless carriages to red SUVs, Spring Street has long served as the commercial center of Town. Students, faculty, and community members can often be found waiting in long lines on Friday for Log Lunch or eating ice cream from Lickety on a warm September day. But how has this illustrious street evolved over the course of the Town’s history?
“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, the Record covered the College’s absence from a national anti-war strike, its exchange program with women’s colleges, the Record’s 100-year anniversary, and the beginnings of Factrak.
Deep in the College's archives, thousands of hours of footage and other artifacts immortalize the sermons and declarations of Osama bin Laden, as well as records of Afghanistan in the 1980s and '90s. Professor of Anthropology David Edwards, along with four Afghan journalists from Pakistan, worked tirelessly to archive these vestiges of the past.
Mika Brzezinski ’89, now a co-host of the MSNBC television show Morning Joe along with her husband Joe Scarborough, sat down with the Record to discuss her favorite memories from the College, highlights from her career as a TV journalist, and her approach to reporting — along with how she views the media’s role during the Trump administration.
In the 1979-80 academic year, Reza Pahlavi, son of the Shah of Iran, attended the College. Despite the heightened security and international attention surrounding his home country, he blended in as another student, marking a unique chapter to the College's history.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, the Record brings you its annual profile of a campus couple. This year, Claudia Russell ’25 and Jesse Shapiro ’25 discussed their first date, adventures abroad, and bucket list for their final semester at the College.
Athletic donations fall under a policy that the College introduced in 2012, which allows donors to designate their gifts to specific sectors: financial aid, “equity and inclusion,” faculty support, athletic teams, and a variety of academic programs. Donors can also donate to the College’s “highest priorities,” essentially leaving their gifts undesignated.
Magnús Bernhardsson, professor of history and chair of global studies, presented the initial findings of his three-year research project at a presentation in Schapiro Hall on Nov. 14. The project — a study of refugee families from Syria and Iraq who resettled in Iceland between 2016 and 2021 — is a collaboration between Bernhardsson and Hanna Ragnarsdóttir, a professor of multicultural studies at the University of Iceland’s School of Education.
Students will be required to pay tuition to the College for semesters spent studying away beginning in the 2027–28 academic year. Once the new policy is implemented, the College will pay a study away program’s tuition — which is often significantly less than the College’s comprehensive fee — and collect the rest as an effort to contend with recent financial pressures, Provost Eiko Siniawer and Vice President for Finance and Operations Mike Wagner said at the Nov. 6 faculty meeting.
Gramercy Bistro, a farm-to-table restaurant on Water Street, permanently closed on Oct. 6 after 23 years in business. According to Alexander “Sandy” Smith, the chef and owner of the restaurant, the property’s landlord declined to renew his lease, forcing him out of the space.
This week, Valentina Cohen ’26 discussed her plans to study abroad in Paris, her passion for learning languages, and how she adjusted moving from Miami to Williamstown.
First-year enrollment dropped by over 5 percent across American colleges and universities this academic year, according to data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) on Oct. 23.
The Williamstown Apothecary — the only pharmacy within a mile of campus — will close on Nov. 14 due to major financial challenges. Its closure will pose accessibility challenges for students seeking over-the-counter medications, prescriptions, and toiletries. In response, the College is working to provide new services that will replace gaps created by the Apothecary’s closure.
Employees of the College donated at least $81,488.45 to political organizations this past year, according to public data from the Federal Election Committee (FEC). Of the reported data, 99.5 percent,...
After wrapping the 2023–24 season as co-captain of men’s basketball, Nate Karren ’23.5 signed a one-year contract with the Ulster University Basketball club to play professional basketball in Belfast, Ireland.
The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) hosted a daylong event, “Play and Inquiry: Celebrating Latinx and Queer Art Communities,” on Saturday to celebrate its latest exhibition, “Teddy Sandoval and the Butch Gardens School of Art."
STATE Food + Drink opened on Sept. 20, replacing The Break Room at Greylock WORKS, which was last open to the public on Sept. 1. The restaurant will serve breakfast and lunch, six days a week, as well with a full dinner menu beginning on Oct. 10.
Andy Hogeland ’76 stepped down from his position on the Williamstown Select Board after nearly two decades in the role. He announced his decision on Facebook on Aug. 8, writing that he is planning to move to Connecticut to be closer to his family.
Last week, the Record sent its biannual approval ratings survey to 500 randomly selected students using a script in R. The survey asked students to indicate their approval, disapproval, or neutrality on many campus institutions, including the Junior Advisor (JA) system, the Davis Center, and President of the College Maud S. Mandel.
It would be hard for anyone at the College to miss the excitement of giant inflatables, food trucks, and loud music that radiated from Science Quad last Saturday. Rapper bbno$ headlined the event — All Campus Entertainment (ACE)’s Spring Fling concert — which also featured performances by several student bands.
The College will begin the construction process for the Multipurpose Recreation Center (MRC) on May 8, when the contractor for the project, Suffolk Construction, is scheduled to arrive at the site. The College plans to break ground in late spring with an anticipated opening in winter 2025, the Office of Communications announced on April 8.
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, Anika Kakarla ’27 discussed playing on the squash team, being pre-med, and learning Indian classical dance.
Men’s and women’s crew moved into their newly constructed boathouse, located on the Lake Onota waterfront, on March 28. The new boathouse has twice the boat storage of the previous boathouse and features a team room equipped with a television, a room to gather in before and after practice, heated spaces for boat storage, and bathrooms with showers.
Professor of Economics Stephen Sheppard died on March 2 at the age of 69. He taught at the College from 2000 until the 2023 fall semester. Students and faculty remember Sheppard as a deeply curious and passionate man and an integral part of both the economics department and the larger College community.
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
After 30 years at the College, Assistant to the President and Secretary of the College Keli Gail will retire this July, President Maud S. Mandel announced in an all-campus email on Feb. 6. A search committee, led by Mandel, will hire Gail’s successor.
Following the long-awaited opening of Crust pizzeria, Spring Street will see a shuffle of its businesses. A new café, Tea and Boba Lounge, will open at 76 Spring St. on Feb. 2. The A Better Community Clothing Sale (ABC), the previous occupant of the space, moved to 30 Spring St.
The Smoothie Spot, a Spring Street establishment that sells smoothies, smoothie bowls, and toasts, will close on Oct. 29. The café is part of Nature’s Closet, an outdoor specialty retailer, and has...
Students elected 11 candidates to the Williams Student Union (WSU) this semester, seven of which are returning representatives. Only the Class of 2027 had enough candidates for a contested election, and only two students from the Class of 2025 ran, leaving one of the governing body’s 12 spots unfilled.
