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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

Irene Loewenson, Senior Writer

Irene Loewenson ’22 is a history major from New York, N.Y. She is a senior writer. In fall 2021, she was the editor-in-chief. She previously served as a staff writer, section editor, and executive editor for the features section, and as managing editor.

Email: [email protected]

All content by Irene Loewenson
At the faculty meeting in Griffin Hall, the faculty prepares to vote on the CEA’s motion to eliminate the swim requirement. (Irene Loewenson/The Williams Record)

Faculty votes to scrap swim requirement

Irene Loewenson May 11, 2022
The faculty voted at the May 11 faculty meeting to eliminate the swim requirement, which the Committee on Educational Affairs has criticized for having a disparate impact on students from underrepresented minority backgrounds.
Spring semester to start as scheduled; College plans to hold in-person commencement

Spring semester to start as scheduled; College plans to hold in-person commencement

The spring semester will start as previously scheduled, with students returning to campus beginning Feb. 10, President of the College Maud S. Mandel and Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom announced today in an email to students, staff, and faculty. Additionally, the College plans to hold an in-person commencement for seniors, albeit with no off-campus guests.
JA applications drop slightly from last year

JA applications drop slightly from last year

Irene Loewenson and Joey Fox January 22, 2021
Applications from current sophomores to be Junior Advisors (JAs) for the Class of 2025 dropped slightly this year to 95, down from 109 applications last year and 118 applications the year before. Still, the total number of applications remains much higher than the number received three years ago from the Class of 2020, when a record-low 70 applications forced the Junior Advisor Advisory Board (JAAB) to reconfigure the entry system.
The Honor and Discipline Committee heard only three cases last spring, as detailed in its recently released report for the 2019-2020 academic year. (Devika Goel/The Williams Record)

Digging into the data from the 2019–2020 Honor Committee report

Irene Loewenson December 9, 2020
The Honor and Discipline Committee, which adjudicates suspected violations of the College’s academic honor code, has released its report for the 2019–20 academic year. The report — and interviews with members of the committee who compiled it — provides insights into what kinds of cases the committee heard last year and how the cancellation of in-person classes this spring affected honor-code violations.
NESCAC cancels competitions for winter sports

NESCAC cancels competitions for winter sports

Irene Loewenson October 8, 2020
Varsity teams will not compete this winter, President Maud S. Mandel and Athletic Director Lisa Melendy announced in an all-campus email this afternoon, half an hour after the presidents of the 11 NESCAC institutions released a unanimous decision to cancel competitions within the conference.
Many students are considering taking semesters off or gap years. The College will let them. 

Many students are considering taking semesters off or gap years. The College will let them. 

Irene Loewenson May 13, 2020
Forty-three percent of rising first-years surveyed by the Record said they would likely take a gap year if classes remained online in the fall, and 68 percent of surveyed current non-senior students would “seriously consider” taking the fall semester off if it were held remotely. Despite the challenges that a greatly decreased enrollment would pose, administrators said the College will not prevent students from taking gap years or leaves of absence.
Hundreds support Williamstown through remote fun run

Hundreds support Williamstown through remote fun run

Irene Loewenson May 9, 2020
Professor of Economics Sara LaLumia has a tradition of traveling to races with her mother: The professor usually runs a half-marathon, while her mother, who lives in Pennsylvania, runs a 5K. The pair continued that tradition recently — though this time with no travel involved — through a virtual fun run and day of physical fitness organized by Williams for Williamstown, a student-led initiative to buy food and other supplies from Berkshire businesses for medical workers in the area, and Williams Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
In Other Ivory Towers: Racist incident at Amherst College sparks #IntegrateAmherst movement

In Other Ivory Towers: Racist incident at Amherst College sparks #IntegrateAmherst movement

Irene Loewenson April 8, 2020
Students and alumni of Amherst have demanded that the college take action to address racism on campus in the weeks after members of the men’s lacrosse team chanted the N-word outside their black teammate’s suite. In response to the incident, Amherst President Biddy Martin announced sanctions for the team, including placing it on probation for over a year and firing the head coach.
College halts construction projects as worker raises safety concerns

College halts construction projects as worker raises safety concerns

Irene Loewenson April 1, 2020
The College paused construction on the North Science Building and Fort Bradshaw projects on Friday, at the same time that iBerkshires.com was writing a story in which an anonymous worker voiced concerns about the projects’ potential for the spread of COVID-19. Representatives for the College said that the decision was made to protect the safety of workers and to comply with directives from the government.
Admissions office adjusts to pandemic as it admits Class of 2024

Admissions office adjusts to pandemic as it admits Class of 2024

Irene Loewenson March 25, 2020
The Office of Admission sent letters of admission through regular decision to the Class of 2024 yesterday, bringing the total number of acceptances to roughly 1,250 — slightly more than usual. The small increase in acceptances is one of several adjustments the Office has made as it confronts the disruption and uncertainty of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Fifty years ago, a very different mid-semester disruption

Fifty years ago, a very different mid-semester disruption

Sofie Jones and Irene Loewenson March 25, 2020
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.
Coronavirus pandemic causes mass cancellations of abroad programs

Coronavirus pandemic causes mass cancellations of abroad programs

Jeongyoon Han and Irene Loewenson March 15, 2020
A day after announcing the end of in-person classes in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the College cancelled the Williams-Exeter Programme in Oxford (WEPO) for the spring on Thursday and urged students studying in Europe to return home. Most programs in Europe have told students to head home, and the College’s senior staff is assessing courses of action regarding programs outside of Europe.
WEPO tells its 26 students to leave Oxford

WEPO tells its 26 students to leave Oxford

Irene Loewenson and Rebecca Tauber March 12, 2020
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.
One in Two Thousand: Scott Fineberg

One in Two Thousand: Scott Fineberg

Irene Loewenson March 11, 2020
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 on campus, willing to be interviewed and not a member of the Record board, that person becomes the subject of our weekly interview. For this week, the computer (using a very simple script in R) chose Scott Fineberg ’22.

In Other Ivory Towers

Irene Loewenson February 19, 2020

In Other Ivory Towers is the Record’s look at colleges and universities outside the Purple Bubble.  Colorado State University-Pueblo offers cannabis major Colorado State University-Pueblo...

Profiles of Presidents Past: Morty Schapiro

Profiles of Presidents Past: Morty Schapiro

Nigel Jaffe and Irene Loewenson November 20, 2019
For Morty Schapiro, the best part of being president of the College was entry Snacks. “I did Snacks every Sunday night for nine years,” he said. “My favorite part of being president at Williams was Sunday nights, doing Snacks, sitting there for two hours and chatting with everybody, hanging out afterward, listening to what’s going on in their lives.”
One in Two Thousand: True Pham ’23

One in Two Thousand: True Pham ’23

Irene Loewenson November 13, 2019

Irene Loewenson/The Williams Record 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...

One in Two Thousand: James Fortin ’22

One in Two Thousand: James Fortin ’22

Irene Loewenson October 30, 2019

Ethan Dinçer/The Williams Record 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...

Sunrise hikes persist despite cold

Sunrise hikes persist despite cold

Irene Loewenson March 6, 2019

On weekly sunrise hikes, students enjoy hot chocolate and Munchkins at the top of Pine Cobble Mountain. PHOTO COURTESY OF SEAMUS CONNOR. The sun had risen, the water in my bottle had frozen into a...

Ephs self-advertise for romance

Ephs self-advertise for romance

Irene Loewenson February 13, 2019

Hipolito Vazquez ’22 put together a humorous boyfriend resume for potential suitors, posting copies in public spaces around campus. ANIAH PRICE/PHOTO EDITOR Roughly one in five alums from the...

Jihong Lee ’22 looks chic as always with an eye for print and aesthetic. Photo courtesy of Jihong Lee.

Sartorial Observer: Jihong Lee ’22

Irene Loewenson September 26, 2018

“Jihong, you’re literally the only person I know who can pull off a beret!” Charlotte Hanson ’22 said the moment Jihong Lee ’22, wearing a glimmering black outfit topped with a black beret,...

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