Sofie Jones ’22 is an English major from Belmont, Mass. She is a senior writer. She previously served as a managing editor, and before that, as executive editor and section editor for sports.
When Williamstown voters head to the polls on May 10 for this year’s local elections, they will choose between three candidates to fill two seats on the Town’s five-member Select Board: Bilal Ansari, Randal Fippinger, and Jane Patton. On Friday afternoon, the candidates came together for a community forum on campus in Bronfman Auditorium, co-moderated by members of the Record and Ephvotes, the College’s civic engagement organization, to share their campaign platforms with voters.
Why I Never Left Williams College, a new memoir written by acclaimed football coach Dick Farley and Director of Sports Information Dick Quinn, recounts Farley’s decades-long career coaching at the College. The premise is simple: Farley moved out to Williamstown with plans to stay for a couple of years before moving on; instead, he never left.
For many faculty members at the College, friendships with coworkers arise naturally, in shared office hallways or weekly department meetings. There are other duos, however, whose connections overcome departmental divides. To get the real scoop on professorial pals, the Record sat down with three pairs.
A perceived uptick of Campus Safety Services (CSS) interference in residential halls in recent weeks has left many students frustrated and concerned, according to several students who spoke to the Record. Students reported instances of CSS breaking up on-campus parties without adequate explanation, and stressed the negative impacts on mental health and well-being caused by the increased presence of CSS officers.
This fall’s return to pre-pandemic routines and an in-person teaching requirement has brought greater concerns of COVID risks for faculty, even with a campus-wide mask and vaccine mandate in place. Those with young children not yet eligible for vaccination or who live with others who are at risk of severe illness are carrying an especially heavy burden.
What started as a Williamstown resident’s suggestion that the Town community commemorate the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment came to fruition over 18 months and a pandemic later, when The Long Road: Notable Women Remembered premiered at Images Cinema last Thursday.
Many students had hoped that this fall, with the campus largely vaccinated, would finally be free from COVID restrictions. But the prevalence of the Delta variant has led the College to reimplement an indoor mask mandate and a weekly testing requirement. And if the campus sees an outbreak, the College could implement more stringent restrictions, according to administrators.
Masks will be required in all academic and administrative buildings as of tomorrow, regardless of vaccination status, President Maud S. Mandel announced on Tuesday, Aug. 10. There is still no mask requirement outdoors, in private offices, or in residence halls.
Ephraim Williams Jr., the original benefactor and namesake of the College, was an enslaver. This is a clear-cut matter of historical fact. Documents from his life demonstrate that he enslaved at least five Black people, named Prince, J. Romanoo, Moni, London, and Cloe. What is less clear-cut is what the College will do to address this fact.
The Committee on Appointments and Promotions (CAP) has postponed its hiring search for the second of two previously approved tenure-line positions for faculty specializing in Asian American Studies (AAS) until next fall.The religion department was the only department that originally submitted a request for the position, but later rescinded its request due to staffing needs in other areas of the discipline.
In the weeks preceding the College’s June 29 announcement of its plans to convene in person this fall, working groups and faculty worked to modify the College’s academic structure to best navigate a semester that presents unprecedented challenges for students and faculty alike. Still, as September grows closer, there are many unknowns about exactly what classes will look like.
In an email sent to the College community on June 8, Provost Dukes Love, chair of the Ad Hoc Committee on Financial Planning, outlined the steps the College will take to mitigate the financial impact...
In mid-July, the College will disburse the first half of the $1.5 million in federal funds made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act to students receiving financial...
Each spring, the annual Frank Deford and Aaron Pinsky ’06 Awards honor students who exhibit excellence as Sports Information contributors. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the recipients of the 31st Deford and 11th Pinsky Awards will receive their awards in the mail, rather than in a formal ceremony.
When COVID-19 required the campus to close and classes were moved online in March, many senior student-athletes were just beginning to gear up for their final season in Eph uniform. For our senior issue,...
In a press release issued by the Trump administration last Friday, President Donald J. Trump announced Eric Soskin ’99 as his nominee for inspector general of the United States Department of Transportation...
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.
Last week, the NCAA released guidelines for the re-opening of collegiate athletic programs, following the cancellation of the spring 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the College’s administration weighs potential on- and off-campus options for the coming fall semester, what Eph athletics could look like in a post-COVID-19 world remains unclear.
Only a few months ago, Christopher Clarey ’86 was gearing up for tennis’ busy season. Clarey, who covers tennis and global sports for The New York Times, typically spends the warmer months bouncing back and forth across hemispheres to cover some of tennis’ biggest matches.
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.
It has been more than a month and a half since most students left campus and returned home to finish the semester remotely. If you are anything like us and have found yourself in a bit of an entertainment...
In a moment that offers the ultimate test to the written word’s ability to connect us, members of the College community have rallied to keep it afloat.
Williamstown Commons, a nursing home and care facility on Adams Road off of Route 2, is in the midst of a COVID-19 outbreak that has reached more than half of its residents.
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 script in R) chose Olive White ’22.
Students admitted to the Class of 2024 participated in Virtual Previews on Monday, following the cancellation of on-campus revisit programming due to COVID-19. The event, hosted by the Office of Admission, featured virtual versions of several sessions typically offered on-campus each spring.
Although often thought of as the purview of scientists exclusively, epidemics are central to the work of several professors of literature at the College, who study how widespread disease is written about and understood in popular culture.
The Office of Admission and Financial Aid will implement a test-optional policy for students applying to the College as first-years and transfers during the 2020-2021 admission cycle. This move comes...
Mackenzie Hunter and Landon Marchant ’20 knew from the start that they did not want a “traditional wedding.” They originally envisioned getting married in New Zealand this June, during a honeymoon-slash-road trip across the country. When the COVID-19 pandemic brought international travel to a halt a few weeks ago, however, the duo came up with a backup plan much closer to home.
The Williams College Museum of Art (WCMA) closed its doors to visitors indefinitely on March 16, following concerns about the spread of COVID-19 and the College’s mid-semester switch to remote learning.
In early May, students at Williams and other colleges across the country went on strike in protest of the U.S. invasion of Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Fifty years later, at a virtual faculty meeting on March 11 after in-person classes were canceled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, President of the College Maud S. Mandel referred obliquely to the strike.
Eph alpine skier Maddie Dekko ’21, ranked second in the Eastern Division this winter, returned after the NCAA Championships announced their cancellation.
A day after the College announced
its mid-semester...
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...
Mass. prohibits use of handheld devices for all drivers
On Feb. 23, new “hands-free” driving legislation took effect in Massachusetts that prohibit all use of handheld devices behind the wheel....
Nikole Hannah-Jones, a staff writer at The New York Times Magazine and the curator of its 1619 Project, which puts slavery’s continuing legacy at the center of American history, began her talk to a sold-out audience at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance last Wednesday with a disclaimer.
Ten students enrolled in study abroad programs in Italy are facing uncertainty about the rest of their semester due to the country’s coronavirus outbreak and subsequent program cancellations.
In hopes of better understanding the one-third of student body who actually know what goes on at “lift,” I decided to see if I, an unathletically-inclined Record editor, could walk a day in an athlete’s sweat-soaked shoes. In the words of NARP hero Captain James T. Kirk of Star Trek, I was determined “to boldly go where no [nonner] has gone before.”
In an email sent to students on Feb. 5, the Student Government Task Force, which was elected last December and was tasked with restructuring the College’s student government over Winter Study, recommended that College Council (CC) be abolished and replaced with three independent governing organizations.
During a public meeting last Wednesday, Vice President for Campus Life Steve Klass announced significant changes to the Williams Motorcoach system and to the College’s severe weather response protocol,...
Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of Little Women diverges from past versions in its split timeline and evocation of empathy for Amy March. Photo courtesy of IMDB.
Greta Gerwig’s retelling of Louisa May...
Many community members support turf installation, citing concerns over natural grass maintenance. (Photo courtesy of Mount Greylock Regional High School Athletics.)
In late September, the Mount Greylock...
The Council on Aging offers free fitness classes at the Harper Center for community members to stay active. (Sofie Jones/ The Williams Record.)
We all know how students stay active on campus: working...
(Zoe Bank/The Williams Record.)
The Record’s sports section has long published “Captain’s Corner” interviews, but this week, we are mixing it up with our inaugural “Coach’s Corner,” giving...
In the 1950s, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) coined the term “student-athlete” as part of a campaign to affirm that collegiate athletes were students first and foremost and, therefore,...
Dylan Barbour ’16, the co-founder and chief operating officer (COO) of the philanthropy-meets-fitness app Vizer, has built a fanbase on campus after appearing on the most recent seasons of ABC’s The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise. Last weekend, Barbour returned to Williamstown, speaking on Friday afternoon at a ’68 Center for Career Exploration event in Paresky auditorium.
Lt. Col. Cook ’98 built a partnership with the Los Angeles Rams and USC Trojans to incorporate film into Marine training. (Photos courtesy of the Hoover Institution and Sporttechie.com.)
Lt. Col....
Women's basketball is one of the few surviving JV teams on campus, following the cancellation of the majority of teams in the last two decades. Photo courtesy of Williams Athletics.
When Athletic...
Jake Jacobson ’82 uses a paramobile to golf. The machine transitions him safely from seated to standing and supports him as he takes a swing. (Richard Gregory/Newstimes.)
Former professional golfer...
Around 200 students have volunteered at the organic-practicing Peace Valley Farm in Williamstown since the early 1990s. (Photo courtesy of Marco Vallejos.)
When Marco Vallejos ’20 walks into breakfast...
Verdell previously served as men’s basketball assistant coach at Bates. Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
This past summer, Tommy Verdell was named associate athletic director for inclusion and...
Joey Lye ’09, a former softball shortstop and women's hockey captain at the College, will make her first Olympics appearance next summer, after 10 years of professional play. Photos courtesy of Sports...
Varsity captains welcomed keynote speaker Timothy Alexander during their annual training. Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
Before Eph athletics kicked into full gear this fall, 85 student...
Women’s crew finished third in the New England Rowing Championships at Lake Quinsigamond in Worcester on Saturday. Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD
The men competed...
EMMA TENBARGE ’19
WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Peapack, N.J.
Emma TenBarge ’19 was named to the All-NESCAC Second Team last week, after a record-breaking final season for the Ephs. TenBarge, who...
Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
Team: Women’s tennis
Hometown: Palm Beach, Fla.
Major: English and political science
Snack bar order:Pasta bowl with chicken and broccoli
Given...
Students tabled for ABS at the Purple Key Fair this year, handing out Oreos and welcoming new students to join the group. Photo courtesy of Ang Vecchiarelli.
This spring marks the 10th anniversary...
SOFIE JONES/SPORTS EDITOR
Sofie and Justin are entrymates in Willy AB, but they truly bonded when they got attacked by wasps during their WOOLF trip. Kenia and Justin met when they were paired as tutorial...
Nate Munson-Palomba ’21 looks to score upfield after catching an under during WUFO’s home tournament at Cole Field last weekend. Photo courtesy of Barron Koralesky.
Several club sports teams competed...
The women’s crew team, including their members pictured above, traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C., to train over spring break. Photo courtesy of Eph Rowing.
Many Eph sports teams returned to campus last...
Athletics’ travel coordinator and team scheduler Tammy Wright is in her 29th year at the College. Aniah Price/Photo Editor.
In her official job at the College, Tammy Wright keeps Eph athletics...
Isaac Freitas-Eagan ’22 was one of only three first-year skiers in the region to qualify for NCAAs. Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
The end of the winter sports season brought a slew of NCAA...
Briana Scurry, a two-time Olympic gold medal-winning goalkeeper for the U.S. women’s national soccer team (USWNT), gave a talk at the College on Feb. 26, discussing her landmark career, the fight for...
Nordic skiing updates fans on its latest practice runs and team travels at Ephnordic.blogspot.com. The team also has a Facebook and Instagram. Photo courtesy of Ephnordic.blogspot.com.
Social media...
The women won NESCACs with 1873 points, taking their sixth consecutive win and 18th victory in the meet’s 19-year history. Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
Three months ago, Caroline Conforti...
Driscoll newly offers nutritionally-balanced meals, available at dinners Monday through Friday and at lunches on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
SABRINE BRISMEUR/PHOTO EDITOR
A new initiative at...
Alan Hirsch and his son Eric Hirsch ’19 have attended Eph basketball games together since 2003 and now serve as NSN commentators. Photo courtesy of Sports Information.
Alan Hirsch, chair of justice...
On Nov. 13, College Council (CC) voted to approve a one-time allocation of $34,000 to Minority Coalition (MinCo) to fund heritage month events. At the meeting, MinCo co-chairs Tyler Tsay ’19 and Rodsy...
Last Friday, College Council (CC) held the first meeting of a new subcommittee on the funding of high-cost club sports. The goal of the committee is to generate a bylaw proposal for CC to vote on, which...
This fall, Greta Snyder began her three-year tenure as a visiting assistant professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies [WGSS], marking her return to the United States. after spending five years...
Fi van Wingerden ’20 has taken five or more classes each semester since her freshman spring. Her sophomore fall, she balanced six classes, including two with lab sessions and a daily language class....
Last Saturday, the College marked the start of the 2018-2019 academic year with the annual convocation ceremony in Chapin Hall, which included the awarding of this year’s Bicentennial Medals. Four alums...
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