Press Record

This week on Press Record, Andrea Olivero Pagán '28, a student from Puerto Rico, reflects on Donald Trump's election and its potential impact on the country. Then, we hear from two faculty members at the Williams-Mystic Program: Tim Pusack, an associate professor of marine ecology, and Derek Langhauser, a visiting assistant professor of marine policy and a practicing lawyer. 

In the shadows of Griffin Hall, CSS dispatch officer Paul Oleskiewicz led a ghost hunt for over 30 students, faculty, and staff at the College on Sunday. As a leader of the Northern Berkshire Paranormal Research Group — a local organization that performs paranormal investigations throughout the region — Oleskiewicz has many hair-raising tales and personally recorded audio clips to prove it. In an interview with Press Record, he shared his stories from the field.

This week on Press Record, designer, geologist, and Academic Director of the Stanford d.school, Carissa Carter '01, discusses her new book, Assembling Tomorrow: A Guide to Designing a Thriving Future. Assistant Professor of Statistics Anna Neufeld '18 also shares her experience returning to teach at the College as well as insights into her scholarship.”

The return of the Press Record podcast includes interviews with music faculty at the College to celebrate 25 years of their chamber players ensemble. The podcast also features an interview with Visiting Professor of Africana Studies Kristen Calhoun, who discusses her playwright craft, the political significance of the black theatre, and more.

This week on Press Record, we speak with senior Class Speaker Taylor Braswell and Class Gardener Lydia Von Shwanenfluegel on their roles at graduation. We also host Professor Nelly Rosario, professor of Latino/a Studies, for a conversation about her work in progress the novel How the Medicines Go Down.

This week on Press Record, hear from Nahier Tafere '26 on her reflections on socioeconomic class at the College. Inspired by Claiming Williams panel "Why are you jealous of my book grant?": Sociooeconomic Class at Williams," Pat Klugman, Section Editor for Press Record, and Nahier Tafere have a more casual conversation about navigating class at Williams.

This week, Press Record goes behind the bar at Goodrich, Williams' student-run coffee shop. You'll hear from audio from baristas behind the bar and patrons about their favorite drinks and attraction to the cafe. Student managers also discuss how Goodrich runs since being closed during the early portion of the pandemic and what makes the student-run cafe special.

This special episode marks our second edition of Track Record, a mini-series centering the unique, powerful, and often overlooked extracurricular experiences of Williams students. This week, we talk to Beza Lulseged '25 who took inspiration from late food critic Jonathan Gold and visited restaurants he popularized and some of her childhood favorites during Winter Study. She talks local hot dog shops, uncomfortable fine dining experiences, the importance of eating with others, and the legacy of Gold's attention to casual dining. 

This week, Press Record delves into the world of WCFM. In interviews with students, we learn about WCFM's new fuller-than-ever schedule, the joys of being a radio DJ, the new group Open Decks, and what WCFM hopes to achieve on campus.

This special episode marks our first edition of Track Record, a mini-series centering the unique, powerful, and often overlooked extracurricular experiences of Williams students. This week, we talk to Sam Youngwood '25 who worked at Flocons de Sel, a three Michelin star restaurant, in Megeve, France during Winter Study. He talks food, the exquisitely choregraphed fine dining, spiky celery, his experience with French culture, and how the opportunity impacted his view of the future. 

This week on Press Record we talked to two professors, Joe Cruz '91 and AnneMarie McClain '09. Professor Cruz's classroom philosophy involves drawing students into discussions and relies on a blind grading system, which mitigates bias but also requires that students actively seek out help from him. Professor McClain was interviewed as part of our Prof Pod series, discussing her research on the usage of media by Black families to talk about race with their children. 

In our first episode of the semester, Press Record speaks to student who were off-campus––in the U.S. and abroad––for winter study. Hear stories of ancient temples, exploding water heaters, and mind-boggling sandwiches.

This week on Press Record, you'll hear from student bands, some of whom performed at WCFM's Coverchella a couple of weeks ago. They spoke about the formation of their bands, the sense of community they find outside of school structured music opportunities, an emphasis on fun, and the importance of bringing live music to the social scene on campus. This is our last episode of 2022! Thank you for listening and we'll be back in January. 

This week on Press Record, we give a behind-the-scenes look at the students who play the bells. Then, you'll hear from the students who lead Asian American Students in Action.

This week, Press Record's episode is food-themed! Exploring the sense of community and comfort from the home-style Log Lunch, you'll hear from different visitors to the weekly meal and the students behind the counter. You'll also hear from dining staff about the surprising story behind the music that plays throughout Paresky. Staff played their own music until about a year ago, when administrators took over with a centralized sound system.

This week on Press Record, you'll hear a selection of stories from three seniors who were abroad this spring. They discussed everything from exploring the Scottish countryside to being pickpocketed to having a long-winded and culturally illuminating night out. Mountain Day occurred last Friday, so the Press Record staff collected sounds and experiences of the glorious day of no classes and enjoying the outdoors. 

This week on Press Record, you'll hear from leaders and first-years reflecting on their experiences of different EphVentures. There's a WOOLF trip with an unexpected twist, fond memories of community-building, and, at the very end of the episode, three seniors sharing their impressions of campus after returning from semesters abroad.

This special edition of Press Record follows members of the podcast team while we look at our college admissions files. From our expectations beforehand, the actual experience of reading it, to takeaways and discussion afterwards, you'll get to hear it all! We also interviewed Sulgi Lim '06, Director of Admissions, and Lance Ledet '21, Admissions Counselor, about the admissions process. We also talked to Connor Middleton '22 about his thoughts on the College's new all-grant financial aid policy.

This week on Press Record, the podcast talks to students old and new about their college experiences. At the end of the year, we're looking back at our time in Williams and checking in. We've grown and changed; here are some of our stories. 

This week, Press Record talks to current and founding members of the college's step team, Sankofa. Members present and past speak to the supportive, challenging, and fun space that Sankofa has become over its 25 years of existence--you'll even get to hear some step. 

This week on Press Record, the podcast talks to transfer students, pre-frosh, a student admissions ambassador, and members of the Record board about how we end up at Williams, why we do so, and what happens right after we get here. 

This week on Press Record, we delve into the Hopkins Memorial Forest, which hosted the annual Maple Fest this past weekend. We talk to professors, students, and local community members about how they use the forest and think about what it means to us.

This week, Press Record continues our exploration of housing by talking to two professors about how they make a home in Williamstown. One, Justin Crowe '03, went to Williams as a student and now lives here full time. The other, Coby Chasman-Beck, commutes to Williams every week from Brooklyn, NY.

With the housing lottery closing Thursday, Press Record decided to focus on stories about dorms and homes on campus. We interviewed international students and investigated the barriers to feeling comfortable away from their home countries. We talked to upperclassmen roommates, some of who became friends and others who chose to live together. We talked with students who live off campus, investigating the mixed blessing of freedom. What makes a house a home? What barriers do international students face? How do roommates factor in? Tune in to hear about this, and more, on this week's episode of Press Record. 

This week, Press Record explores the romantic landscape of the Williams campus for Valentine's Day. You'll hear from students and community members about their experiences with love, dating, and hookup culture. What creates the unique culture of love at Williams, and how do we navigate it?

This week's episode of Press Record investigates the spaces on campus that gradually reopened during a somewhat unusual Winter Study. In dorms, intramural sports, and dining halls, students express a range of attitudes about socializing in closed spaces.

In this episode of Press Record, we're bringing you three stories on gratitude, mindfulness, and finding space to relax amid the stressors of college life during a pandemic. First, you'll hear from the chaplains, who framed the college experience as a journey to find meaning. Then you'll hear from Bernie Rhie, an English professor who teaches a legendary class on Zen Buddhism, and a student who practices mindfulness. Finally, we created a portrait of Lee's Snack Bar, a space where students eat, study and hang out.

On this season's premiere episode, the podcast team interviewed students, a therapist from Integrative Wellbeing Services, members of Peer Health, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee's Mental Health Co-Chairs. The guests point to aspects of Williams' work-oriented culture as exacerbating the lasting impact of the pandemic on mental health. 

As graduation nears, Press Record spoke with seniors Surabhi Iyer, Rebecca Tauber, and Sam Wolf about life on campus this semester, and what the job search was like during the pandemic.

Instead of a spring break, Williams students get three health days interspersed throughout the semester. Press Record spoke with students across campus and, for many, health days have not helped much with burnout.

In light of an increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, Press Record spoke with three Asian students about their experiences with race at Williams.

Last week, the College sent acceptances to around 1,000 students across the world. In a special episode of Press Record, we talk with one student about what it’s like to navigate the college application process and life at Williams as an undocumented immigrant.

In this week's episode, we meet with women in STEM and hear about their respective journeys in a male-dominated field. Also on this week's episode, students look back on March 11, 2020– the day of President Mandel's announcement that most students would have to leave campus for the rest of the spring semester in light of the pandemic.

For Black History Month, Tyler Smith spoke to two Black first-years, one who lives in an affinity pod and one who doesn't. They reflected on adjusting to Williams during the pandemic. And Jacob Posner spoke to Williams Student Union representatives Gwyn Chilcoat '24, Manny Copeland '23, and Yunjin Park '23 about their work addressing Williams' history, particularly the legacy of the Haystack Monument.

Press Record presents two stories of the return to campus: one shows how traveling to and from the College is radically different for international students, and the other offers comfort to those who lost hope during a quarantined Valentine’s Day.

This week, we talk with students and faculty about their thoughts before and after the presidential election, and hear about the results of an election survey sent to the student body.

This week, podcast staff member Sonia Prasad talks with Margaux Kristjansson,  Postdoctoral Fellow in Native American and Indigenous Studies, about Indigenous People's Day last week. We also hear student reactions to the College's decision about the spring calendar.

This week, we interview Niku Darafshi about getting students registered to vote, Irene Loewenson about uncovering secret frats and hear students' reactions to the recent presidential debate.

This week, community leaders talk about what Hispanic Heritage Month and the Williams community means to them.

This week, first-years talk about what it's like to start college during COVID-19. Then, we hear from Record reporters about conservative group Turning Point USA's visit to campus. 

One the first episode of Press Record this academic year, we hear about students' experiences in quarantine, and have conversations with first-years and seniors about their first first days and last first days starting Williams in a pandemic.

For our last episode of this academic year, as part of our special issue devoted to the class of 2020, we asked seniors for advice to underclassmen. Here's what they had to say.

This week, we asked a range of students to give a timeline of spring 2020 – in two minutes.

This week, we hear two members of the College community read articles they wrote about loved ones in their lives effected by the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read Professor LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant’s full piece “My Mother Is Busy Getting Ready to Die” from the New York Times here, and first-year Zia Saylor’s full piece “She was my cheerleader and my mentor. Then she was hospitalized with COVID-19”  from The Los Angeles Times here. LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant (@DoctorRMB)’s recording was produced by Michael A. Betts II (@kidsweater), with music by Blue Dot Sessions.

This week, we chat with the College chaplains about celebrating Passover, Easter and the start of Ramadan during the pandemic. Then, we hear a throwback clip from last year's Spring Fling concert and this week's audio journal from Onder Kilinc '23.

This week, we hear from the Zilkha Center's zero-waste interns, Lauren Lynch '23 and Coco Rhum '23, about their continued work remotely. Then, we hear music by the Springstreeters, editor Kevin Yang's dispatch from campus and this week's audio-journal.

This week, we hear from biology professor Joan Edwards about how she transitioned her lab class to remote learning. Then, we hear this week's dispatch from campus, audio journal, and sounds of Williams, featuring Gospel Choir.

This week, we hear from a range of students about the transition to online learning, from editor Kevin Yang reporting from campus, to other students across the country.

This week, we hear from an incoming member of the class of 2024 about being a pre-frosh during this time. Then, editor Nigel Jaffe talks about changes to Integrative Wellbeing Services and remote therapy options for students who are now scattered across the country and the world, and editor Kevin Yang gives us this week's dispatch from campus.

This week, we hear from editor Kevin Zhang Yang about what it's like on campus now that most students have gone home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, we interview editor Jeongyoon Han about the College's recent decision to switch to universal pass/fail grading for the semester.

This week, we talk to Amherst student Thomas Brodey about the environment on campus following Amherst's latest decision to make campuses digital and send students home following new cases of the Coronavirus in Massachusetts. We also sat down with Onder Kilinc and Harun Curak to talk about their new podcast "Cultures at Williams."