TTHEHE BBEAEACOCONNthemclabeacon.com Thursday, April 29, 2010

Student Voice of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, North Adams, Mass., since 1974

Volume 71, Issue 11

NEWSPi Upsilon Pi raises

funds for cysticfibrosis in annual run

~pg. 3

SPORTSProfile on MCLA pitcher

James Greely

~pg. 15

A & EMCLA does Shakespeare:

Review of ‘Hamlet’

~pg. 9

Inside this Week

Cultivating anew

Photo contributed by Emily DeMoorStudents digging in the new campus garden last week near Blackinton Street.

Students break groundon new campus garden

By Andrew RoiterSenior News Editor

Earth Day may have come and gone, but edu-cation professor Emily DeMoor and the MCLACommunity Gardens Program are just gettingstarted.

Ultimately, there will be three community gar-dens on campus. While a large 5.3 acre laboratorygarden on Cornith St. is still in the conceptualstage, work on a vegetable garden garden behindthe fine and performing arts building began lastweekend. And an existing garden near SmithHouse, which failed as a vegetable garden duringits three-year existence, is being revamped as ameditative garden.

“There aren’t many places where people can bereflective and contemplative,” DeMoor said on thereasoning behind the garden’s revamping.

The meditative garden will grow herbs, flowersand teas that have been selected to attract birds

and butterflies. Students will have full access to theproducts of the garden. Last weekend the freshmanclass sold t-shirts and gave students the opportuni-ty to plant seeds in the memory of loved ones whodied.

The freshman class also donated a solar-pow-ered birdbath/fountain in memory of RolindaMondesir. The Garden sub-committee of theGreen Team donated two benches to the garden,and the senior class also donated a bench.

SGA chair of the Garden sub-committee ToddFoy said, “I did a project on [the garden] lastsemester, that’s how I got involved. That sparkedmy interest.”

The garden behind the FPA house, named theWellness Garden for its proximity to the buildingof the same name, was almost entirely a studenteffort according to DeMoor.

“The students are the heart and soul of theproject,” DeMoor said.

See GARDEN on pg 12

Grant stressespositives atopen meetings

College presidentaddressed proposed

state budget cutsBy Billy Shannon

Editor-in-chief

With the State House Waysand Means Committee proposinga near $2 million state fundingcut to the College’s 2011 budget,President Mary Grant stressedMonday that we are still in goodshape.

“It’s an interesting time,”Grant said during the first of twoopen campus meetings. “We havea lot of challenges, many of whichare out of our control.”

According to Grant, GovernorDeval Patrick proposed to keepthe allotted 2011 budget forMCLA at $14,372,730, the figurebeing received this year. TheHouse, however, has proposed abudget of $12,508,742, with lessthan half of Patrick’s proposedstimulus money of $1.44 million.

The budget still has to gothrough the state senate before

being finalized, Grant said, andamendments to the House budgetmay boost the figure a little.

“It’s still early in the process,which is a little disconcerting,”she said. “It would be nice to havesome firm numbers.”

Grant has been open andvocal this semester that studentswill face a fee increase beginningthis fall of an amount not toexceed $700 per year, a figureapproved by the Board ofTrustees.

“Ideally, we could come in alittle lower [than $700] in studentfees,” she said. The fee increasewill depend on the final budgetnumbers from the state.

Every single state institutionin Massachusetts will be raisingfees, said Grant, showing a slidecomparing MCLA’s to fee increas-es proposed by other state col-leges.

The College will continue toimprove its offerings through thedifficult economic times.

Development on the centerfor science and innovation will

See MEETINGS on Pg. 12

Governer Deval Patrickinterviewed on WJJW

By Billy ShannonEditor-in-chief

After two years of constantwork, senior radio host CharlesSchnitzlein held the biggest inter-view of his life thus far last week.

Governer Deval Patrick, whowas in Pittsfield for a cabinetmeeting, called into WJJW at 9:45a.m. Friday morning and chattedabout MCLA’s proposed centerfor science and innovation set tohave a groundbreaking this fall.

“I think this is a really impor-tant project,” said Patrick. “Dr.Grant and her team have thoughtthis through and have a com-pelling case for its value to thestudent body at MCLA, but alsofor the entire region.”

Patrick stressed in his inter-view that his administration hasbeen adamant about investing inthe sciences and creating jobs.

“The building is also impor-tant because it will create jobsright away,” he said, “which aremuch needed in Berkshire Coun-ty.”

For Schnitzlein, who said hewas nervous and excited leadingup to the interview, it was also alittle frustrating, given the shortnotice from the governer’s staff.He was told around 3:15 p.m.Thursday that Governer Patrickwould be calling into Schnitzlein’smorning show, “Charlie in theMorning,” the next day.

Schnitzlein was still able to getthe word out, and althoughWJJW’s sound board was downbriefly on the morning of theinterview, he considered theinterview a great success.

It can still be listened to atwww.myspace.com/charlieinthe-morning.