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

Saud Afzal Shafi, Senior Writer

Saud Afzal Shafi ’22 is a computer science and English major from Lahore, Pakistan. He is a senior writer. He previously served as section editor (2020) and executive editor (2021) for the opinions section.

Email: [email protected]

All content by Saud Afzal Shafi
TAs and language fellows come to Williamstown from across the world to teach students at the College. (Photo courtesy of Shaina Adams-El Guabli.)

Teaching associates and language fellows discuss experiences of teaching, studying at the College

Changes made to program in light of spring op-ed alleging racism and neglect
Jonathan Breibart and Saud Afzal Shafi • November 10, 2021
This year’s TAs and language fellows arrived at the College amid an ongoing pandemic and in the wake of a May 2021 Record op-ed by two former TAs who accused the College of inaction against racism and neglect of their health needs. Many of these language TAs spoke to the Record about their experiences with the program this year.
Four percent of College investments, managed by the Investment Office in Boston, are still tied to fossil fuels. (Photo courtesy of Williams College Investment Office.)

College will not publicly commit to divestment, despite taking steps to end ties to fossil fuel extraction

Saud Afzal Shafi and Joe Fox • November 3, 2021
The College will not be making a public commitment to fossil fuel divestment but does not hold any direct investments in fossil fuels and plans to eliminate indirect investments in fossil fuels in the next several years, President Maud S. Mandel said at the Oct. 20 faculty meeting.
Sept. 27 Select Board meeting: Board to interview Town manager candidates, discusses Article 37 implementation

Sept. 27 Select Board meeting: Board to interview Town manager candidates, discusses Article 37 implementation

Saud Afzal Shafi • October 18, 2021
The Williamstown Select Board met on Sept. 27 to discuss the implementation of Article 37 and the ongoing search process for a permanent Town manager. Article 37 is a citizen’s petition — passed during the August 2020 Town Meeting — that aims to promote racial and socioeconomic equity within Town government.
Out of the eight dining hall workers who responded to a Record survey, seven reported dissatisfaction.

Dining staff say they are overworked, frustrated as a result of labor shortage

Kitt Urdang, Jacob Posner, and Saud Afzal Shafi • October 6, 2021
As the College navigates a local and national labor shortage, some members of the Dining Services staff say they are overburdened, lack confidence in the quality of their work, and are experiencing low morale. Of the eight dining hall workers who responded to an anonymous survey by the Record, seven expressed dissatisfaction with their experiences working in Dining Services this year.
Over the summer, more than 100 students responded to a survey sent out by the OAE indicating their interest in learning ASL at the College. (Devika Goel/The Williams Record)

Following a decade of student-led efforts, College enrolls students in American Sign Language classes

Saud Afzal Shafi • September 22, 2021
Two students are enrolled in an ASL class through Gallaudet University, thanks to the efforts of two alums and high student interest in taking sign language courses.
Williamstown Select Board summer recap: DA Harrington answers questions about Brady list, DIRE committee adds new members

Williamstown Select Board summer recap: DA Harrington answers questions about Brady list, DIRE committee adds new members

Ella Marx and Saud Afzal Shafi • September 15, 2021
Over the summer, the Select Board hosted Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington to answer Town residents’ questions about policies concerning police officers who have committed or been accused of committing misconduct. The board also confirmed new members to the DIRE committee and announced plans to release the findings of an investigation into WPD misconduct.
The vaccine clinic entrance was located at the east door of the Towne Field House, which also serves as the site for the College’s COVID testing program. (Fiona Seibert/The Williams Record)

College to require COVID-19 vaccines for faculty, staff, but with broad exceptions

Saud Afzal Shafi • June 10, 2021
The College will require faculty and staff to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, President Maud S. Mandel announced in a June 1 email to faculty and staff. But College employees can request exemptions on medical or religious grounds or due to “strongly-held beliefs on the subject,” according to Mandel’s email.
(Photo courtesy of Andre Hui.)

Andre Hui ’21: Four years, 200 guest lectures

Saud Afzal Shafi • May 19, 2021
For many students, attending talks given by guest speakers is low on their list of priorities. Not so for Andre Hui ’21, who has attended over 200 talks during his four years at the College.
March 11, 2021 marks one year since the announcement of the campus shutdown due to COVID-19. (Graphic by Devika Goel.)

Students reflect on the year when COVID changed everything

Annie Lu, Bellamy Richardson, Saud Afzal Shafi, and Alice Qu • March 10, 2021
One year ago this week, students received an email from President Maud S. Mandel that announced the campus closure and the transition to remote learning. That week, students wept, partied, spent time with friends, and said many goodbyes.
(Saud Afzal Shafi/The Williams Record)

One in Two Thousand: Emma Paquette ’21

Saud Afzal Shafi • March 3, 2021
This week the computer (using a script in R) chose Emma Paquette ’21, who talked about insidious skiing injuries, alpaca farms, and studying abroad in Rome last spring.
Rhiana Gunn-Wright, a climate activist, holds a lecture on the Green New Deal.

December fire at Hoxsey house caused by refrigerator malfunction, fire chief says

Owner of burned-down house hopes to repair over the summer
Saud Afzal Shafi • February 10, 2021
A three-bedroom house at 23 Hoxsey St. was severely damaged by a fire on Dec. 23. Three College students lived at the house, which is colloquially known among students as Teal House, but were away for winter break at the time of the fire.
Rhiana Gunn-Wright, a climate activist, holds a lecture on the Green New Deal.

Answers to your questions about spring semester changes

Tali Natter, Saud Afzal Shafi, and Annie Lu • January 20, 2021
In light of the recent email from Dean of the College Marlene Sandstrom to students, faculty, and staff, the Record compiled a list of answers to reader-submitted questions regarding plans for the spring semester.
A look into the honor and discipline committee’s all-student email

A look into the honor and discipline committee’s all-student email

Saud Afzal • November 18, 2020
On Nov. 6, the Honor and Discipline Committee sent an email to the student body to “communicate a piece of information and a few suggestions.” The email, sent by Associate Professor of Economics and Faculty Chair of the Honor and Discipline Committee Sarah Jacobson and student chair of the committee Morgan Noonan ’22, came as the committee considers a potential rise in honor code cases compared to previous semesters.
One in Two Thousand: Max Odell ’22

One in Two Thousand: Max Odell ’22

Saud Afzal • November 4, 2020

Photo courtesy of Max Odell. 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...

Four takeaways from the College’s plan to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19

Four takeaways from the College’s plan to mitigate the financial impact of COVID-19

Sofie Jones, Kitt Urdang, and Saud Afzal • June 23, 2020

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...

Faculty face choice between in-person and remote instruction if campus reopens

Faculty face choice between in-person and remote instruction if campus reopens

Annie Lu, Lucy Walker, and Saud Afzal • June 21, 2020
Faculty members have been asked to inform the College by yesterday, June 20, whether they would teach in person or remotely if the campus were to reopen in the fall. The academic subcommittee of the working group tasked with determining what an on-campus fall would look like sent an all-faculty email on June 10 to address curricular planning in the case that campus reopens in the fall. The College has not yet decided whether or not to open campus in the fall, with the decision deadline still set for July 1.
Seniors complete theses amid pandemic

Seniors complete theses amid pandemic

Saud Afzal • May 23, 2020

A senior thesis represents the culmination of many students’ academic journeys at the College. But this year, like most other aspects of College life, the senior thesis process has been heavily affected...

Record Recs: (Free) coming-of-age films and crime dramas

Record Recs: (Free) coming-of-age films and crime dramas

Arrington Luck and Saud Afzal • May 13, 2020

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...

CDE fellows continue living, learning on campus

CDE fellows continue living, learning on campus

Saud Afzal • April 22, 2020

(Photo courtesy of Melissa Simo.) While most undergraduate students left campus after the last day of in-person classes on March 13, the 27 graduate students at the College’s Center for Developmental...

How staff at the College prepared for the changes that came with campus closure

How staff at the College prepared for the changes that came with campus closure

Jeongyoon Han, Bellamy Richardson, and Saud Afzal • April 15, 2020
With President of the College Maud S. Mandel’s March 11 decision to bring normal College operations to a halt, staff at the College faced one of the biggest tasks in their entire careers: shutting down an in-person college campus and moving 2,000 students off campus, all while keeping the College running. And it has been a task that the College had been planning far in advance of Mandel’s email.
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