Williams welcomes diverse freshman class

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WILLIAMSTOWN — The Williams College class of 2008 began arriving early this week — 540 students, 265 men and 275 women, according to the admissions office. They were selected from more than 5,700 applicants. "We were faced with a difficult task in choosing the class from among a large number of candidates," said Richard Nesbitt, director of admission. "The excellence of the applicant pool was remarkable, and I am extremely pleased with the wonderful group of students who comprise the class of 2008." Factors cited by students who elect to come to Williams are academic reputation, size of the college, personal attention, attractiveness of the campus, academic facilities, and extracurricular opportunities. The college was recently again ranked the top liberal arts school in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Williams' strong financial aid program is critically important in encouraging outstanding students to apply, according to college officials. “The strength of the college’s need-based aid program (meeting 100 percent of demonstrated need) and its goal of achieving greater economic diversity within the student population ensures that every student who is admitted can afford to attend Williams,” said Paul J. Boyer, director of financial aid. The comprehensive fee for 2004-05 is $38,100. Fifty percent of students receive financial aid, and the awards from all sources for the class of 2008 range from $4,150 to more than $40,000, with an average award of $28,600, which includes an average scholarship of $25,800, according to the college. Average student debt has declined as a result of Williams lowering student loan expectations: The average debt of graduating seniors has declined from $15,000 in 1996-97 to $10,600 in 2003-04, Williams reported in a news release Wednesday. In the entering class, 28 percent are U.S. students of color: 57 African-American, 48 Asian-American, and 45 Latino, the college said. One hundred ninety-eight students come from the Middle Atlantic, 121 from New England, 79 from the West, 42 from the Midwest, 51 from the South, 12 from the Southwest and 37 from overseas. New this fall is the chance for first-year students to participate in one of three four-day “mid-orientations,” Saturday, Sept. 4, to Tuesday, Sept. 7, in Exploring the Arts, Woolf (an outdoor program), or Where Am I? (an introduction to the community and service). The three programs are coordinated by Sandra Burton, the Lipp Family director of dance and assistant professor of physical education; Scott Lewis, assistant professor of physical education; and the Rev. Richard Spalding, the college chaplain. After a series of placement exams, academic information sessions and meeting with their first-year academic advisors, students will have the opportunity to begin toiling away in more than 600 courses offered each academic year. Tutorials, introduced in 1988, are one of the hallmarks of the Williams education. This year 41 are being offered. Tutorials are usually limited to 10 students, and at the start of the term, the instructor divides the students into pairs. Each pair meets weekly with the instructor. At the weekly meetings, one student delivers a prepared essay or presentation pertaining to the assignment for that week, while the other student — and then the instructor — offers a critique. In the following week, students switch roles. Typically students write five or six essays during the term and offer five or six critiques of their partner’s work. The fall semester at Williams runs from Sept. 9 to Dec. 20. Williams College is consistently ranked one of the nation's top liberal arts colleges. The college’s 2,000 students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of its undergraduate teaching. The achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in research. Admission decisions are made regardless of a student’s financial ability, and the college provides grants and other assistance to meet the demonstrated needs of all who are admitted. Founded in 1793, Williams is the second oldest institution of higher learning in Massachusetts. Information: www.williams.edu.
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Dalton Zoning Board OKs Conversion of Zip's Bar into Apartments

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Zoning Board of Appeals on Tuesday approved the conversion of the former Zip's Bar & Billiards into four apartments. 
 
The owner, Ron Carver, submitted an application for a special permit requesting to convert the first floor of the tavern into residential apartments.  
 
"The former tenant went out of business. He was operating a bar/nightclub and had lost business and decided after COVID that it just wasn't worth his while to continue," board Chair Anthony Doyle said.
 
"So Mr. Carver is left with an empty commercial space, and the question is do you try to get another bar in there or do you do something else, and he opted to convert."
 
The detailed application that Carver submitted was described by board members as impressive. The notice of the public hearing was posted on April 23 and 30 to alert neighbors to come and speak. 
 
Despite the public hearing notice, no one attended the meeting to speak against the application, which is a good indication that the neighbors support it, Doyle said. 
 
Carver attended the meeting and provided a letter from one of the neighbors expressing their support for the change. 
 
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