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The Online Beacon

The Student News Site of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

The Student News Site of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

The Online Beacon

The Online Beacon

The Online Beacon

Students gather by the temporary Rage Room outside the Amlser Campus Center.

Breaking Stress: How MCLA’s Rage Room Helped Students Tackle Midterms

Karen Yamada, Staff Writer November 3, 2024

Midterms at MCLA are a notoriously stressful time for students. With multiple exams, assignments, and projects demanding attention, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This year, MCLA introduced a unique...

All equipment used while investigation MCLA. From left to right: 3 EMF readers, vibration box, communicator, and another EMF reader

The Night of the Paranormal

Lucas Smith, Staff Writer October 31, 2024

With the spooky season upon us, students all across campus are eager to get into the spooky spirit. However, what if the "spooky" is real, and inhabiting MCLA right now? On October 19th, two professional...

Mannie McBride, Chief Editor of Spires, announces the next poet up to the stage.

Spires Open Mic Night Brings Artists Together

Fallon Maloney, Staff Writer October 30, 2024

Hot cups of coffee, pastries, music, and poetry. What sounds more welcoming than that? This past week, in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation here at MCLA, there was a lively celebration...

Amos Kennedy Jr. is a letterpress printer from Detroit. His work is on walls around the world.

Not Dead Yet: Letterpress Printing’s Amos Kennedy

Kate Zelkowitz, Web Editor October 29, 2024

In a world gone digital, print media is talked about like an endangered species on the brink of extinction. Paperless is the name of the game in most industries, as they work feverishly to stay current....

The welcome sign at Freel Library's Midterm Monster Mash Study Session.

Midterm Monster Mash Study Night: A Spooky Good Time for Academic Success

Karen Yamada, Staff Writer October 27, 2024

On the evening of Thursday, October 17, The Midterm Monster Mash Study Night at Freel Library was a well-rounded event designed to support students during one of the most challenging academic periods....

Artist's Sean Jones and Brinae Ali

Dizzy Spellz Mesmerizes MCLA with Afro-Futurist Vision and Creative Innovation

Anna Najimy, Staff Writer October 24, 2024

Early this semester, MCLA's Venable Theatre was transformed by the dynamic and thought-provoking performance called "Dizzy Spellz". Dizzy Spellz is an Afro-Futurist production blending music, theatre,...

Clarke Stading, President of MCLA's TV and Film Society, shows a clip from "Frankenstein" during a presentation about the Hays Code.

Hay Now! TV & Film Society Hosts Lecture on Hays Code

Kate Zelkowitz, Web Editor October 20, 2024

The top 10 highest-grossing films of 2024 might just have William Hays rolling in his grave. For those unfamiliar with the man, MCLA’s TV & Film Society hosted a lecture on the evening of October...

Resources were available in Freel Library during MCLA's Mental Health Resource Fair on October 10, 2024.

MCLA World Mental Health Day Resource Fair

Mariposa Ribon, Features Editor October 16, 2024

Mental health comes across as a very taboo concept to many people. In plenty of households, it is not a common topic of conversation, and can even be brushed aside or forbidden. “Mental”, defined...

2024 Banned Books Week: An MCLA Librarian's Opinion

2024 Banned Books Week: An MCLA Librarian’s Opinion

Mariposa Ribon, Features Editor October 14, 2024

"The New English Canaan" by Thomas Morton, published in 1637, was the first banned book in the history of the United States. Its critical analysis of customs, perceptions, and systemic power structures...

Michael Nichols-Pate as Robert Martin in Fort Salem Theater's production of The Drowsy Chaperone.

Community Theater’s Biggest Fan: Michael Nichols-Pate

Kate Zelkowitz, Web Editor October 12, 2024

Michael Nichols-Pate isn’t a method actor. Despite countless TV and movie cliches that would make you believe it’s the only way to go, Nichols-Pate believes it can often do an actor more harm than...

MCLA's Freel Library hosted their Bookstore Crawl on Oct. 5th, 2024.

Western Mass Bookstore Crawl: Exploring Pioneer Valley with MCLA

Karen Yamada, Staff Writer October 11, 2024

On a crisp Saturday morning in early October, a group of students from MCLA embarked on a literary adventure, organized by the Freel Library staff. This unique event offered participants the chance...

"Osage Shield, Reclamation” by Yatika Starr Fields, a member of the Cherokee Nation.

Sovereign Printscapes: Why Indigenous Newspapers Matter

Mariposa Ribon, Feature Editor October 3, 2024

It is no secret that the U.S. government’s Indian Boarding Schools have created a lasting traumatic impact on Indigenous communities. The attempt to divide and conquer Indigenous lands and people continues...

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