Rebecca Tauber ’21 is a history and English major and Jewish studies concentrator from Lower Merion, Pa. She was a senior writer. Before that, she served as news editor, executive editor for communications and podcast, and as a managing editor.
Three Williamstown Police Department (WPD) officers illegally searched the names of vocal WPD critics in Registry of Motor Vehicle records as accessed through the Criminal Justice Information System, Acting Police Chief Michael Ziemba told the Record today. He said that 20 people were searched in the few months before former chief Kyle Johnson resigned in December and Ziemba stepped in as acting chief.
Rebecca Tauber ’21 writes as a former varsity athlete about how athletes and the administration should embrace the anger in the wake of the Wood party and reckon with athletic culture and the privilege that comes with playing a varsity sport at Williams.
On Dec. 15, Williamstown Police Department (WPD) Sergeant Scott McGowan withdrew a lawsuit he filed this August against the Town of Williamstown, Town Manager Jason Hoch ’95 and former WPD Chief Kyle Johnson. The withdrawal of the lawsuit came immediately following Johnson’s resignation as police chief on Dec. 14.
Kyle Johnson has resigned from his position as Williamstown Police Department (WPD) chief, Town Manager Jason Hoch ’95 announced at tonight’s Select Board meeting.
Hoch announced that WPD Lieutenant Mike Ziemba would take responsibilities for Johnson as interim chief. In the meantime, local residents called during the meeting for a nationwide search for a new police chief.
The “You know you went to Williams College if…” Facebook group typically consists of alums posting pictures of College ephemera, children decked out in Williams gear and evocative purple and yellow...
On Tuesday, Nov. 17, two students and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19. The tests were the first positives since Oct. 28, and as of publication, bring the total number of student, faculty and staff positives up to 10 since the College started its testing program on Aug. 17.
Last Sunday, members of the College community came together to grieve the passing of Jackson Ronningen ’24 in a memorial service on the steps of Chapin Hall.
When a Junior Advisor (JA) moved back to campus in late August, they thought they had followed the College’s rules for the five- to seven-day in-room quarantine the College required each student to complete.
Each week, we randomly select a unix from a list of all current students at the College for our One in Two Thousand feature. As long as the owner of a selected unix is willing to be interviewed and is not a member of the Record board, that person becomes the subject of our interview. This week the computer (using a script in R) chose Rosa Kirk-Davidoff ’21, who discussed her favorite tree, what type of lychopod she is and Facebook fame.
Last Wednesday and today at two extraordinary faculty meetings held on Zoom, President Maud S. Mandel and Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom gave updates on next year’s academic calendar and faculty voted on changes to the class schedule and Pass/Fail policy, as the College figures out what next academic year will look like amidst the pandemic.
Here are the main takeaways from the meetings.
Despite uncertainty surrounding the next academic year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the yield of students admitted to the class of 2024 was 46 percent, similar to previous years. The matriculating class’ demographics, the admissions office’s use of the waitlist and the preliminary number of students requesting a gap year have also all remained similar to previous years. These figures, however, are still subject to change, as students have until a week after President Maud S. Mandel announces whether classes will resume on-campus in the fall to decide whether or not to take a gap year before matriculating.
At an extraordinary faculty meeting Wednesday, faculty overwhelmingly approved a motion put forward by the Committee on Educational Affairs (CEA) to temporarily adjust graduation requirements, allowing students who are enrolled next year to graduate with a minimum of 30 courses and three Winter Study credits.
Members of the Class of 2020 have seen two United States presidents, three College presidents and two different forms of student government during their four years at the College. They’ve celebrated two homecoming wins, danced to Shaggy live at Spring Fling and witnessed Papa Smurf win a write-in nomination for College Council (CC) –– which later got abolished. They’ve seen the fall of Vine and the rise of TikTok. And most recently, they’ve become the first class to complete their Williams education remotely amidst a pandemic.
In our senior issue celebrating the members of the Class of 2020, we went through the Record archives from the past four years to capture their time at the College through the headlines.
In an all-community email sent yesterday, President Maud S. Mandel announced that the College would maintain a two-semester model for the upcoming academic year while lowering the minimum required number of courses per semester from four to three and eliminating Winter Study. These changes will take effect whether or not the College resumes in-person classes in the fall; Mandel has set a deadline of July 1 to determine whether or not classes will be held on campus.
In an all-campus email sent today, President Maud S. Mandel announced plans to adopt a revised version of the regular two-semester academic calendar for the 2020-21 academic year. Regardless of whether classes are in-person or remote, students will be required to take a minimum of three courses each semester rather than four. Winter Study will not take place in January 2021.
At the beginning of the switch to remote learning, the Record spoke with a variety of professors about their thoughts going into online classes. This week, we followed up with some of those professors as the semester comes to a close after a month and a half of remote learning.
The end of each semester typically brings members of the College community to Spencer Studio Art Building to see work produced by students in studio art classes. This semester’s move to remote learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak bars the art show from occurring as usual, but the pandemic has not stopped student-artists from producing a wealth of work and a desire to share it. We put out a call to studio art students asking them to submit some of their work, and received over 60 pieces from a variety of different courses.
For Julie Fairchild, communications supervisor for Campus Safety and Security (CSS), these past few months have been the quietest she has seen in a while. “It used to be [that] the phone was ringing all the time or there’d be something going on, someone walking in or whatever,” she said. But ever since campus closure, Fairchild hasn’t seen much action.
California State University, the largest public four-year university system in the country, announced yesterday that it will hold most classes online this fall.
The ad hoc academic continuity planning group held a faculty meeting last week, in which professors discussed a seven-page memo released by the group detailing different scenarios for the fall semester in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The memo describes five different scenarios for next semester, some of which have multiple sub-proposals.
In recent weeks, Berkshire County, like the rest of Massachusetts, has seen a continued increase in COVID-19 cases, according to the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH). The figures below show the current severity of the outbreak at the local and state levels. Map and bar graph data is courtesy of the Massachusetts DPH, and pie chart data is courtesy of Berkshire Health Systems. Both sites update their numbers daily; the figures for this article were most recently updated yesterday afternoon.
Yesterday, the College announced its decision to reschedule the commencement ceremony for the class of 2020 to an undetermined future date, ruling out the option to hold a virtual ceremony on June 7.
We randomly select unixes from a list of all current students at the College for our weekly One in Two Thousand. So long as the owner of a selected unix is willing to be interviewed and not a member of the Record board, that person becomes the subject of our interview. For this week, the computer (using a very simple script in R) chose Georgia Ganser ’22.
Students who applied to study away programs this upcoming fall have been advised by the Office of Study Away to register for Williams classes and housing in the coming weeks should programs be cancelled...
As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads throughout the world, the past few weeks have been unprecedented for the College. President Maud S. Mandel’s email on March 11 announcing the closure of the campus and...
Seniors snapped photos in cap and gown, unsure of whether graduation will happen in June. Storage pods, usually only seen in August and May, popped up as students began to move out.
In Other Ivory Towers is the Record’s look at colleges and universities outside the Purple Bubble. This week, we are covering other NESCAC schools’ grading policies in light of decisions...
We randomly select unixes from a list of all current students at the College for our weekly One in Two Thousand. So long as the owner of a selected unix is willing to be interviewed and not a member of the Record board, that person becomes the subject of our interview. For this week, the computer (using a very simple script in R) chose Maddie Dekko ’21.
The College confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the Williams community yesterday morning.
The student, who at the time of publication remains asymptomatic according to the College, had been studying...
The Williams-Mystic program, like the College’s campus in Williamstown and the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford, decided last week to send its students home and transition to remote learning in response...
The Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford (WEPO) announced to its 26 students today that they should return home by Wednesday, March 18, after the completion of the current term this Saturday. Students will complete their final term, which is scheduled to begin on April 26, online.
For the first time in over 50 years, the College has decided to disrupt normal operations mid-semester in light of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. President of the College Maud S. Mandel announced in...
As the coronavirus epidemic continues to spread, international students at the College are experiencing the consequences of increasing travel restrictions. As of Tuesday, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a level three travel health notice for China, Iran, Italy and South Korea, cautioning that all travelers avoid nonessential travel to those countries.
Each week, we randomly select a unix from a list of all current students at the College. So long as the owner of the selected unix is on campus, willing to be interviewed and not a member of the Record board, that person becomes the subject of that week’s One in Two Thousand. This week, the computer (using a very simple script in R) chose Natalie Jean-Michel ’23.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ANDY MUNZER. Williamstown residents have been gathering to play darts since the 1980s as a way to brighten up dreary Berkshire winters.
Two dart boards hang on the wall at Water...
When Caroline Fairweather ’20 arrived at her study abroad program for spring semester last year, she had approximately fifty dollars in her checking account. Her program began on Jan. 2, a day before Winter Study started, and when she landed in London she had not yet received her financial aid money.
https://youtu.be/BlESg1pvNq4
Davis Collison '21 created a documentary about the Spruces Mobile Home park and its destruction in Hurricane Irene.
While community members in many Berkshire County towns,...
Kurt Tauber was a prominent member of the College’s activist community during his 33 years as a professor of political science. (Nigel Jaffe/The Williams Record)
Once I started writing for the Record,...
Last spring, the committee on appointments and promotions (CAP) approved the creation of two new tenure-line positions in Asian American studies (AAS), and the search to fill one of these positions in...
The men’s and women’s crew teams ended their season last weekend at Wormtown Chase in Worcester, Massachusetts and Head of the Fish in Saratoga Springs, New York, respectively. Highlights...
Women’s crew’s collegiate eight boat took 12th place in 17:25.3, requalifying the boat for next year. (Photo courtesy of Kurt Urdang.)
The Head of the Charles Regatta is known for its challenging...
A label has been added to contextualize the depictions of Native people in a mural in the Log. (Nicky Wu/The Williams Record)
Last month, the College hung an informational label beside one of the murals...
The men’s rugby club team is 1–2 this season after beating Union but falling to Siena and Amherst. (Rebecca Tauber/The Williams Record.)
Last Saturday, three Eph teams stared down the Amherst Mammoths...
Joey Fox/The Williams Record
In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a law that included a tax on the returns from certain college and university endowments, of which the College’s endowment...
The window of Wheelan's car was broken by high-velocity potatoes. REBECCA TAUBER/DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR.
On Sunday morning, a Campus Safety and Security (CSS) officer who was patrolling Thompson parking...
Fall teams, such as men's soccer, complete preseason training in accordance with NCAA guidelines. Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
For fall athletes, returning to school also means returning...
An increased number of faculty of color are going on temporary leave or departing from the College this year compared to recent years. These faculty cite multiple reasons for leaving, ranging from professional...
Stop & Shop workers across New England returned to work on Monday for the first time in 11 days, ending the strike that began on April 11. According to Skyhook, a location technology company, visits...
New England Stop & Shop workers went on strike on Thursday after months of tense negotiations with the grocery chain. Five United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) chapters, representing 31,000...
Stop & Shop releases “final offer” to workers threatening strike
Following weeks of tense negotiation, Stop & Shop updated its “final offer” to the five local unions that authorized...
Following the College’s March production of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ play “The Last Days of Judas Iscariot,” the theatre department received a reprimand via email from Dramatists Play Service for...
Jeffrey Israel released a book yesterday on the interplay between resentment and popular culture. PHOTO COURTESY OF WILLIAMS COLLEGE.
Jeffrey Israel, assistant professor of religion and Jewish studies,...
Gym monitor Howard Garbarsky began working at the College while at studying at MCLA to write his screenplay, “The Atomic Voles.”
Most students’ interactions with Athletic Facility Monitor Howard...
United Food and Commercial Workers, which voted to authorize a strike, represents the North Adams Stop & Shop. NICHOLAS GOLDROSEN/MANAGING EDITOR
Hundreds of members of United Food and Commercial...
COURTESY OF KEITH FOREMAN In The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, witnesses ranging from Sigmund Freud to Pontius Pilate are called to testify on whether Judas Iscariot should go to heaven.
Last...
North Adams Stop & Shop workers will vote on Sunday to decide whether or not to authorize a strike.
United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1445, which represents some of the Stop...
Following recent discussion and coverage of the struggles of minority faculty and issues of retention at the College, the Record examined news surrounding this issue at other colleges and universities...
Departures of faculty of color in 2007 prompted the formation of the Faculty Staff Initiative (FSI), a grassroots group that examined the experiences of minority faculty and staff at the College. Led...
Two professors canceled their courses in the days leading up to the start of spring semester. In an email to students enrolled in her courses, Kimberly Love, assistant professor of English, cited...
The track and field teams, unable to access the Towne Field House, currently practice in Lansing Chapman Rink. Sabrine Brismeur/Photo Editor.
After discovering further hazardous materials in the Towne...
On Oct. 29, several members of the faculty sent out a petition calling for the College to adopt the Chicago Statement on Principles of Free Expression, originally released by the University of Chicago...
This week, the Record sent out its biannual approval ratings survey, which measures student views on a variety of campus institutions. Students could answer “approve,” “disapprove” or...
On Oct. 15, Williamstown community and Select Board members pushed back against student organization Reclaim Childhood’s requested closure of Hoxsey Street for their annual fundraiser, Halloween...
Affirmative action trial challenges Harvard’s admissions system
On Monday, Oct. 15, a trial began against Harvard regarding its affirmative action practices (“Michael Wang ’17 takes part in advocacy...
Last year, the Junior Advisor (JA) system underwent significant changes. Due to gradual decreases in both applications and in students accepting the position, the Junior Advisor Advisory Board (JAAB) changed...
Job action in local School District ends
On Sept. 26, Mount Greylock Regional School District Superintendent Kimberly Grady announced the end of the job action by teachers against the newly merged school...
On Sept. 7, the student body was sent an email containing an “unofficial resource guide” to life on campus. This guide, which was spearheaded by Eli Cytrynbaum ’20 and Katie Manning ’20 and included...
