Letter: Comment to Ken Swiatek's Letter on Zoning Proposal

To the Editor:

Ready. Fire. Aim. That seems to be a common way of doing town business in Williamstown these days.

It may be a holdover from the Covid Crazy Days of Zoom-only discussion, where having an eye-to-eye, in-depth conversation was nearly impossible. And it is not just the Planning Board. Educating our townspeople on fact-based reasons for a proposal seems often to elude many of our public representatives. Opportunity for questioning and public comment BEFORE an idea or expensive new hire is officially put forth for a vote seems to have taken a back seat in town decision-making. And our out-dated town meeting is no place to hash out important issues. For many good reasons, the majority of eligible participants cannot participate.

Spring is a time of new beginnings. Haven't we agreed that we will make a special effort to make all voices heard? Even those who may feel or be marginalized? Understandably, our civic leaders are weary and battle-scarred. We must thank them for serving through a very challenging period. But now let them make a concerted effort to hear and value the many voices who wish to be heard on a number of critical issues facing our town. We will all be the better for it.

Donna C Wied
WIlliamstown, Mass. 

Williams Grads Reminded of Community that Got Them to Graduation

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:14PM / Sunday, June 02, 2024

The graduates heard from two speakers — Phi Betta Kappa speaker Milo Chang and class speaker Jahnavi Nayar Kirtane. The keynote speaker, Lonnie Bunch, the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, was unable to attend and recorded his speech for playback. See more photos here.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Williams College said goodbye Sunday to its graduating seniors.

 

And a representative of the class of 2024 took the time to say goodbye to everyone in the community who made students' journey possible.

 

Milo Chang, the Phi Beta Kappa speaker for the class and one of two students to speak at Sunday's 235th commencement exercises, explained that the term "Williams community" applies to more than those who get to list the school on their resumes.

 

"It includes everyone who has shaped our experiences here, from loved ones back home to the dedicated staff members who make campus their second home," Chang told his classmates. "During my time at Williams, we've seen this community step up in remarkable ways to support us."

 

Chang talked about the faculty and staff who gave their time to operate the COVID-19 testing centers and who greeted students before they could take their first classroom tests in the fall of 2020, and the dining services personnel who kept the students fed and somehow understood their orders through the masks everyone was wearing when this class arrived on campus.

 

And he shared a personal story that brought the message home.

 

"We often underestimate the power of community until we experience a taste of its absence," Chang said. "I remember staying on campus after our first Thanksgiving at Williams, after most students went home to finish the semester remotely. I remember the long hours sitting in empty common rooms. I remember the days you could walk through campus without seeing another student.