Collaboration

ATLAS

Editor’s Note AS COLLEGE STUDENTS WE ARE inherently self-focused. And who can blame us? What we accomplish and learn, who we meet, and how we are viewed in our college years can determine our entire future. It’s okay to be a little selfish in attempts to get ahead in our field and perhaps self-indulgent during free time to let off steam. However, as we use these four years to prepare for our future, we must learn to look beyond just ourselves and understand the significance of collaboration.

Although we all dread group projects, it should be noted that working with other people allows for the creation of a final product you could not have imagined on your own. At Emerson, we often become very focused on our own organizations, within our own majors—but as students of communications and the arts we all have skills that could mutually benefit each other.

A film major could work with a communication disorders major to create a documentary on deaf culture, a marketing student could help a published writing, literature and publishing student gain PR, and collaboration could even be as simple as a photography minor taking some headshots for a musical theater student.

Atlas took on the task of exploring the benefits of collaboration through our articles and events and we cannot be happier with the results. Through our research, we found that Emerson students can benefit not only from collaborating with each other during school, but also through collaborations with other local art students through Pro Arts Consortium (pg. 49) or after graduation through the Office of Development and Alumni Relations (pg. 62). The Newbury Street League shared with us how businesses on Newbury Street work together to keep business thriving and maintain their reputation (pg. 54), while Healing Hands for Haiti explained the importance of US citizens providing aid to countries long after a disaster may have occurred (pg. 56).

Inspired by these outstanding collaborators, Atlas worked with other Emerson organizations and local students both inside and outside of the pages of our magazine. We worked with Simmer Magazine to provide our readers with smoothie ideas and helped the Spirit Squad surpass their goal of $800 for the American Cancer Society through Relay for Life by co-hosting a Zumbathon. For our cover shoot, we worked with Emerson’s Fashion Society and A Prom to Remember to host a prom dress collection. All of the dresses used in the shoot (plus twenty more) were donated to the local nonprofit, Belle of the Ball, which provides prom dresses to girls who cannot afford them. Two MassArt students worked together to create the background for the shoot and our seven models had a blast working with each other and our photographers to create the image you see on the cover.

I am incredibly proud of the results of our collaboration for our cover shoot and for our entire issue, and I hope it inspires collaboration to grow throughout the Emerson community and beyond. I’m humbled to share with you the last issue of Atlas that I will be a part of and cannot wait to see what the future holds for the publication—especially after how much it’s grown in the past two years. Until then, please enjoy Atlas Magazine presents: Collaboration.

Sincerely,

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Spring 2013 Staff SARAH DWYER Editor-In-Chief Managing Editor: LAUREN BISCALDI Assistant Editor: ADAM VIRNELSON Artistic Director: REBECCA ISENHART Assistant Artistic Director: MARISA PERKINS Arts Editor: PATRICK DELGADO Writers: JACQUELYN MARR, VIKTORIYA BEREZOVSKAYA, ANDREA PALAGI Designer: MARISA PERKINS Style Editor: JENNIFER ORTAKLES Assistant Editor: ERIN KAYATA Writer: CELINA COLBY Designer: REBECCA ISENHART Health Editor: LAUREN BISCALDI Assistant Editor: CAROLINE CASSARD Writers/Contributors: ALAINA SAVAGE, JEN MYERS, RIANA ODIN Designer: CHELSEY MOODY Campus Editor: BRYANNA CAPPADONA Writers/Contributers: JULIA HIGGINS, CATALINA GAITAN, CAITLYN BUDNICK, SHANNON DONOVAN Designer: ALEXANDER PIERCE City Editor: RAYMOND BELLINGER Writers: NICHOLAS DUMONT, SARA SELEVICH, VICTORIA MIER Designer: ALEXANDER PIERCE

On the cover: Photo by Zeynep Apes Models: Christina Bozsik, Mahesh Harwani, Aakruti Jagmohan, Steven Paananen, Christine Clayton, Victoria Martins, Angeline Vo Background hand painted by Andrea Manning and Danielle Lauretano

Globe Editor: JHANVI MOTLA Writers: BIANCA PADRO, JULIA DOMENICUCCI Designer: MARISA PERKINS Industry Editor: JHANVI MOTLA Writers: ERIN CORRIGAN, KAREN MORALES Designer: CHELSEY MOODY Blog Editor: BRYANNA CAPPADONA Writers: CHRISTINA BOZSIK, HUNTER HARRIS, KATHARINE SCHAUBLE, JENNIFER MORGAN Photography Editors: ZEYNEP ABES, RORY MCCANN Photographers: JOANIE JENKINS, VICTORIA MIER, COLIN EGGE, JAMIE KAPLAN Copy Head Copyeditor: RACHAEL MOORE Copyeditors: CAITLYN BUDNICK, JACQUELYN MARR, MEREDITH MANN, JENNIFER MORGAN, ERIN CORRIGAN, MICHELE DEBCZAK Marketing VALERIE ADAMSKI, COLIN EGGE, VIKTORIYA BEREZOVSKAYA, EMILY ROBERTS

Connect with us: atlasmagazine.org

@atlas_magazine facebook.com/atlasmagazine

All watercolor illustrations created by the design staff COLLABORATION

Contents

16 6

Meet Our Contributors ARTS

8 10 12 14

Spring 2013 Arts Calendar Collaborative Creative Writing Disaster Pieces Cirque du Circles STYLE

16 22 25 30

Trends, Trains, and Travel Chains, Amethyst, and Brass From Dry to Dewey Campus Fashion Around Boston HEALTH

32 34 37 39 41

Sole Searching Brighter Than Bleach Supplemental The Paleo Diet Smooth Pairings

48 4 ATLAS MAGAZINE

52

CAMPUS Senior Spotlight Mark Leccese on Storytelling Student Recommended Restaurants Writing on the (Bathroom) Wall Artistic Advantages

42 44 46 48 49

CITY Taking the LEAP Homegrown Newbury Street League

50 52 54

GLOBE A Helping Hand for Haiti Inside Immigration Worldly News

56 58 60

INDUSTRY Donations for Innovation The Digital Intern

62 64

Behind the Scenes Special Thanks

66 67

34 COLLABORATION

Collaboration

Meet Our Contributing Writers

 Jen Myers Marketing Communication, 2016 “Smooth Pairings: The Ins-And-Outs of Smoothie-Making” Jen Myers is currently a staff member of Simmer Magazine, the food blog here on campus. She has really enjoyed being a part of a team of such passionate foodies, and hopes to continue writing for the blog wherever she may end up. She loves being active and doing anything outdoorsy, as well as cooking and traveling. Due to her active lifestyle, smoothies often make the perfect meal or snack. In this issue, she has included a few of her favorite smoothie combinations.

Shannon Donovan Writing, Literature, and Publishing 2015 “Writing on the (Bathroom) Wall” Shannon is a freelance writer and professional shower-singer who primarily reads InStyle, Nylon, and The Boston Globe. Her hobbies include writing nonfiction, reading nonfiction, Residence Hall Association and her job at the Iwasaki Library.

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 Caroline Cassard Writing, Literature, and Publishing 2016 “Brighter than Bleach: The Need for a Whiter Smile” Caroline, from Baltimore, Maryland, is the assistant health editor for Atlas Magazine, a reader on the Emerson Review Staff and member of Emerson Fashion Society's Creative Committee. Currently an intern for Girl's Life Magazine, she hopes to one day work in fashion publishing for Vogue, Elle, or Marie Claire. When she's not writing, she is likely watching HBO's Girls or doing yoga.

Riana Odin  Writing, Literature, and Publishing 2016 “The Paleo Diet: A Prehistoric Look at Health” Riana is a writer for em Mag, and a member of the Emerson Women's Soccer team. Riana plans to pursue writing as a career, and is interested in writing for fashion magazines. Currently, she is working on her first novel.

COLLABORATION

ARTS

ARTS CALENDAR

Compiled by Arts Staff

APRIL All the Single Ladies Where: Ned Devine’s at Faneuil Hall When: Every Saturday Night starting April 6 Price: $25

Beowulf- A Thousand Years of Baggage Where: Oberon When: April 16 through May 5th Price: $15-$35

Barry McGee Exhibition Where: The Institute of Contemporary Art When: April 6 through September 2 Price: $15, Free (student)

Actors’ Shakespeare Project presents Pericles Where: The Modern Theatre (Suffolk University), Boston When: April 17 through May 12 Price: $28 - $50

Company One presents She Kills Monsters Where: Plaza Theatre, Boston When: April 12 through May 11 Price: $20, $15 (student) Samurai! Armor from the Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection Where: The Museum of Fine Arts When: April 14 through August 4 Price: $25, Free (student)

New Repertory Theatre presents Lungs Where: Arsenal Center For The Arts, Boston When: April 26 through May 6 Price: $36, $17 (student) The Boston Conservatory presents Freshmen Revue Where: The Boston Conservatory, Boston When: April 30 through May 1 Price: $25 - $30

Just Suspects Where: Improv Asylum, Boston, MA When: April 5th through May 10th Price: Tickets not yet on sale Just Suspects is exactly the kind of riotously inappropriate comedy group that Boston needed.

Started in early 2012 and enjoying success since then, the boys of Just Suspects have made people laugh at a number of venues around Boston. Now at the Improv Asylum for a limited time, these guys are prepared to wow you with physical comedy, wild characters, and fun sketches. Come for the laughs, and be prepared to want to come back for more.

By Viktoriya Berezovskaya Courtesy of Eric LaMonica

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Charles Playhouse presents Blue Man Group Where: Charles Playhouse, Boston When: Ongoing Price: Call for ticket prices (617-426-6912) Bye Bye Liver: The Boston Drinking Play Where: Hennessy’s, Boston When: March 22 through May 31 Price: $20

MAY The Alphabet Rockers Where: Coolidge Corner Theatre When: May 4 Price: $10 Physical Matter: Three Perspectives Where: Harvard Art Museums/ Arthur M. Sackler Museum When: May 4 Price: Free with price of admission ($9, $6 with student ID) Stomp Where: The Hanover Theatre, Worcester When: May 4 through May 5 Price: $22 - $52 Ballet in Cinema: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Where: Coolidge Corner Theatre When: May 5 Price: $20 Distracted Where: Central Square Theatre When: May 9 through June 2 Price: $15 Spank Where: The Hanover Theatre, Worcester When: May 10 through May 11 Price: $37 - $47

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Where: Walnut Hill School for the Arts When: May 10 through May 19 Price: $20, $15 (student) Boston Playwrights’ Theatre presents Boston Theater Marathon XV Where: Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts When: May 11 through 12 Price: Free Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit Where: Museum of Science When: Starts May 19 Price: $22 (admission) Anime Boston Where: Hynes Convention Center When: May 24 through 26 Price: $60 weekend pass ($55 with pre-registration) Big Screen Classics: Dazed and Confused Where: Coolidge Corner Theatre When: May 27 Price: $10

NextDoor Theater presents Legally Blonde Where: Nextdoor Theater, Winchester, MA When: May 3 - May 18 Price: $30 Perhaps you’ve seen it in a crowded movie theatre while snacking on stale popcorn or at home on a 2D television in your pajamas, but you haven’t really seen Legally Blonde until you’ve seen it live at NextDoor Theater. This playful and charming performance tells the story of the bubbly, loveable Elle Woods as she follows the man of her dreams to Harvard where she learns history, economics and ultimately that intelligence is a women’s best accessory. Seeing this beloved movie come to life on the stage is a theatrical event you won’t want to miss!

By Patrick Delgado

2013 Boston Calling Music Festival Where: Boston City Hall Plaza, Boston, MA When: May 25th & 26th Price: $350-$75 Boston’s music lovers need not pine for a music festival any longer.

The first annual Boston Calling Music Festival hits City Hall Plaza on May 25th and 26th headlined by Fun. and The National.

Other artists include The Shins, Of Monsters and Men, Marina and the Diamonds, Portugal. The Man, Young the Giant and Ra Ra Riot. With tickets running from $75 for a one day pass to $130 for the whole weekend (with V.I.P. passes available for $350) this event will be a must-see that promises to start a new Boston music tradition.

By Andrea Palagi

JUNE Boston Symphony Orchestra presents Pixar in Concert Where: Symphony Hall When: June 4 through 5 Price: $22-$92 Back Bay Ringers: The Art of Ringing Where: University Lutheran Church, Cambridge When: June 8 Price: $15 Dragon Boat Festival Where: Charles River

When: June 8-9 Price: Free Free Friday Flicks Where: Hatch Shell, The Esplanade When: Mid- June through Late August Price: Free Free Ferry Day- to Georges Island or Spectacle Island Where: Long Warf When: June 18 Price: Free

After Midnite: The Room Where: a Corner, Brookline, MA When: May 17 & June 21 Price: $9.25 The cult classic comes back to Brookline’s legendary Coolidge Corner Theatre for two showings this summer. Already a staple of the Coolidge’s longstanding After Midnite program, the city’s best place to find camp & cult classics, Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 non-hit The Room comes back twice to delight late night audiences. Long held as the “Citizen Kane of bad movies” this is a chance for the film’s dedicated fan base to catch it again and new audiences to discover the glory.

By Patrick Delgado

COLLABORATION

Collaborative Creative Writing: Breaking Down the Image of the Lone Writer

By Andrea Palagi Photos by Rory McCann

WE ALL HAVE THE TENDENCY to envision “the writer” as someone sitting alone in a basement with a single table and chair and an un-shaded, flickering light bulb hanging from a string overhead. We see the writer sitting in our fictitious basement hunched over his or her latest piece, not answering our calls, and slowly but surely losing touch with the outside world.

However, while we often picture the writer this way, the image of a solitary writer couldn’t be more inaccurate. Every day, writers from all fields are surfacing from their basements into the sunlight and meeting their writer friends to begin a collaborative process. These creative writers are involved with comic book creation, serialized literature, and television production and are now more than ever embracing the art of working together to turn their pieces into collective efforts.

COMICONNECT The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, and Superman vs. The Elite all began as soft covered comic books, but in the last few years each of these superhero stories became a multimillion blockbuster piece. The kind of collaboration that turns a comic book into a Hollywood hit is quite large scale, but even here in Boston the idea of comic book collaboration is thriving and spreading with the help of organizations such as the Boston Comics Roundtable (BCR). This gathering of comic book artists, gurus, writers, beginners, and eager enthusiasts meets weekly in Cambridge to share their work, their ideas, and to have an open discussion about what’s going on in the realm of comic books. In addition to weekly meetings, the BCR gathers once a month for Writer’s Night where script critiques are given to any writer looking to receive outside feedback on his or her art. One of the major focuses of these workshops is to connect comic book writers with other comic book writers and artists in order to encourage and establish future partnerships.

However, Dave Kender, head of BCR, also notes that collaboration means more than making business connections: “The Bos-

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ton Comics Roundtable exists to get people out of their house at least once a week to unload their thoughts, frustrations, fears, and hopes into sympathetic ears.”

Kender also shares that the BCR has published several anthologies over the years such as Inbound (a series that features Boston-based creators), Outbound (a science fiction anthology), and Hellbound (a horror anthology). These collections are physical manifestations of comic book collaboration as their creation involves a variety of writers, a team of people to put the book together, and a community to support its success. However, while this process may seem easy, Kender adds the disclaimer

that collaborating with a great number of artists can often be a “cat-herding activity” as getting creative minds to focus on one thing can be a difficult task.

Despite the difficulties that may come with working together, Kender acknowledges that the BCR “would be the Boston Comics Desk/Chair Combo” if it wasn’t for collaboration.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE SERIAL BOX While the comic book world is flourishing, another collaborative art seems to be fading into the background: serialized fiction. Known best by its Victorian examples, Heart of Darkness, Sherlock Holmes, and Madame Bovary, serial literature was a lost art that is being revived by the people of Plympton: Serialized Fiction for Digital Readers, among others. Plympton’s goal is to bring serial fiction to modern readers on their personal electronic devices such as iPhones, iPads, and eReaders. The idea is that readers can “subscribe” to particular fiction stories and receive them chapter by chapter or section by section as “updates” just as they would when someone “retweets” on Twitter or changes their relationship status from “single” to “it’s complicated” on Facebook.

As readers subscribe to the stories they want to “follow,” they create an artistic group of fiction readers, writers, and die-hard fans. These subscribers build a community where literature is not only words written on a page, but also words spoken and discussed freely in an open forum. According to Yael Goldstein Love, co-founder and editorial director of Plympton, the most crucial collaboration in serialized fiction occurs between the author and the reader. She explains how writers can obtain a great amount of feedback via comments from readers, subscription sales and even the number of click-throughs that their pieces receive. Collaborative feedback causes writers to change various aspects of their stories based on their readers’ input.

Love also reveals an exciting “in the works” idea that Plympton may soon be putting into action. The organization hopes to start the trend of serial fiction becoming a team effort. They would like to see teams writing their stories in the same way television writers work to create a complete series in installments that are headed by different people. While this collaborative aspect is in its beginning stages, Plympton continues to promote

literary collaboration via technology—an angle that is ideal for a world of digital readers.

TOGETHER WE TELEVISE We see collaboration not only in comic book creation and serial literature, but also in the field of television production.

Beloved TV series such as Will & Grace, 30 Rock, and Modern Family all began as single ideas molded into scripts that were then performed to become the pinnacles of television that we viewers know and love today. The process from brain to screen is a long one, and it requires the collaboration of writers, editors, producers, directors, actors, and about a million other people that we never hear about. There is an “i” in television, but not in teamwork. A long way from Hollywood, students at Emerson focus on the collaboration that occurs in the writing and television spheres. Freshman William Stryker, a writing for film and television major, shares what he learned about how collaboration plays a role in television production. He speaks about “punch ups” and how writers will create a script and then look to the comedian to add in jokes, punch lines, and other comic material.

Stryker explains that his college experience has taught him that everyone thinks they are going to be the best in the business, but television production isn’t about thinking that you alone are the best; it’s about hearing and shaping the ideas of others, and in the case of comedians, giving the writer a joke when he or she simply isn’t funny.

Now, we’re back in the basement, but this time, instead of a small table under a flickering light bulb and a chair fit for one, there are a few leather couches with coffee tables and lamps with shades. And instead of one sad artist alone in the dark, there is a room full of writers, illustrators, techies, TV men, and film gals sipping double mocha soy lattes and working with each other to create one final product—a collaborative masterpiece that wouldn’t be the same without every member’s input…or the double mocha soy lattes. 

“And instead of one sad artist alone in the dark, there is a room full of writers, illustrators, techies, TV men and film gals sipping double mocha soy lattes and working with each other to create a final product.”

COLLABORATION

A look into Disaster the world of Pieces bad art

By Jacquelyn Marr

MOST OF US HAVE HEARD the saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure;” usually in reference to your neighbor’s hoarding addiction. But what if it referred to art? What makes one painting a masterpiece and another something that just decorates the garbage dump? Maybe it is the technical skill, the name of the painter, or that it’s hung in a gallery or museum. That’s what the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is looking to find out.

The MOBA got its start in a living room after Scott Wilson, an arts and antique dealer, found the painting “Lucy in the Sky with Flowers” in the trash. His friend, Jerry Reilly, took an interest in it and hung it up in his living room. Reilly found himself becoming more and more drawn to paintings like “Lucy,” which depicts an elderly woman sitting in a chair in a field of flowers with a yellow and green sky above her. Wilson kept his eyes peeled for other pieces of bad art in the trash, thrift stores, and yard sales. The Museum then found a home at the Dedham Community Theatre (which has since closed), and eventually at the Somerville Theatre and the lobby of the Brookline Access Television office. The MOBA still acquires some of its works through thrift stores and yard sales, but recently most have been donated from around the world. Some are even donated from the artists themselves. The artists feel that their art fits in with what the MOBA is showing, and as long as their art is being appreciated, it doesn’t matter how it’s being defined.

“Although it may seem bad art is a very large and vague category,” says Louise Sacco, Permanent Acting Interim Executive Di-

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Works from Museum of Bad Art: Masterworks

by Michael Frank and Louise Reilly Sacco, with permission of MOBA, MuseumOfBadArt.org.

rector of the Museum of Bad Art, “as they say about pornography, it’s hard to define but we know it when we see it.” What wouldn’t be displayed in the MOBA is work by children, art students, paintby-numbers, or commercially produced paintings. “We reject most of the works offered us, most often because they are not art,” says Sacco. “That is they are not sincere and original.” The art at the MOBA is worth seeing because the artists have put their heart and soul into the work they’ve produced. Even if the dog doesn’t really look like a dog, the artists are sharing their passion with the viewer, and thus it is their version of a dog.

If you’ve ever been to the Somerville Theatre, you’ve been mere feet away from the MOBA. Entrance to the gallery comes with the purchase of a movie ticket. The gallery itself is located in the basement in a spare room next to the restrooms. Unlike the renowned Museum of Fine Art, the MOBA is just one room. There aren’t curators standing at every corner watching your every move to make sure the Monet isn’t stolen. Visitors of the MOBA are allowed to view the art however they choose. They can spend as much or as little time as they want looking at each painting. Vis-

“We collect, exhibit, and celebrate

works that would otherwise never find an audience.”

itors aren’t told how to view each piece of art; they can take each that it just looks like a man in a dress,” says Birkenthal. Another piece extremely seriously or they can laugh--there isn’t anybody popular piece is Ferret in a Brothel, which features a ferret wearing there to judge. a pearl necklace as she dances to a vintage Victrola record player.

The room opens up with a sign explaining the museum’s The caption to this piece tries to explore the symbolism within: mission alongside an example of what doesn’t go in the MOBA: a “The reversed eighth notes may hint at secret meaning in the music painting on black velvet of Elvis Presbeing played backwards, e.g., ‘Paul is ley dressed in blue, walking down a or more likely, a reflection of “I was thoroughly intoxicated by dead,’ flight of stairs. It’s not bad art because the artist’s unfamiliarity with proper it’s clichéd and kitsch. If something is notation.” the glorification of trashy and of musical kitsch, it’s assumed that the artist was The Museum of Bad Art allows going above and beyond to make the visitors to appreciate a different calthe off-putting.” piece look especially gaudy and awiber of art than they are used to. “We ful, and that wouldn’t make it sincere. collect, exhibit, and celebrate works Once what is not bad art is established, the real bad art may be that would otherwise never find an audience,” says Sacco. Visitors looked at. Alongside each of the paintings is a caption that states can appreciate people painting for the sake of painting and artists the title, artist, size, medium, and how the piece was acquired. In doing what they love to do, not for money or fame, but because addition to the facts, each caption then gives an analysis of the they would feel empty without it. Maybe along the way they will work with possible intention, symbolism, or comic and clever com- inspire others to pursue their own artistic ventures.  mentary.

The gallery itself features twenty works of art ranging from porLooking to get your fix of bad art? traits to re-imaginings of notable pieces of art and paintings to mixed media (masks, trees, and broken neon lights). One of the Brookline Access Television Somerville Theatre patrons, Rachel Birkenthal, marketing ‘15, says, “I was thoroughly 55 Davis Square 46 Tappan St., Top Floor intoxicated by the glorification of trashy and of the off-putting.”

Somerville, MA 02144-2908 Brookline, MA 02445 Her favorite was the Mini Marilyn En Pointe because she just (617) 625-5700 (617) 731-8566 couldn’t figure out why the main figure looked so short. Her other favorite, the Mana Lisa, just made her laugh. “It’s just clear enough that I can figure out that it’s based on the Da Vinci, but other than

COLLABORATION

Cirque du Circles

Spinning as an art form

By Viktoriya Berezovskaya Photos by Rory McCann

WALK ALONG THE CHARLES RIVER in Cambridge, parallel to the Esplanade, and if the weather’s warm and your timing is right, you will find a secret circus. Barely hidden by some bushes, there is a large green space on MIT’s campus where colorful props spin through the air, performers exchange tips and lessons, and newcomers learn the basics of a beautiful and little-known art.

What you have found is the Boston Spin Jam, one of the city’s hidden surprises, which meets just across the Charles River in Cambridge. This is where the local spinners, members of one of Boston’s many intriguing subcultures, meet weekly to practice and perform. Stepping into this space is like stepping into a circus; hoop dancers turn hula-hooping into an art form, skillfully dancing with the hoop around their hips, legs, shoulders, and chests, or playing with it in their hands. Poi spinners, who often practice with “sock poi,” which are usually made with weights at the ends of socks, create a stunning display of shifting circles by holding one poi in each hand. Staff spinners take what is usually thought of as a weapon in martial arts and turn it into a form of expression.

The number of props is incredible, and each one is mesmerizing in performance. Many spinners choose to use light to make their performances stand out, with LED or—where it can be done safely—with fire. Skilled spinners use their props as though they are extensions of their own bodies, creating a beautiful dance of

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shifting circles with their movements. In the words of prominent local spinner Tyler Pierce, spinning is a “style of dance involving object manipulation,” which includes many varied types of props.

Some of these props are hoop, poi, and staff, but those are only a small sampling.

Although there are many props, there is a unifying movement to it all, making it easier for a spinner who is used to one prop to pick up a second. “Unified Prop Theory” is what some of the more scientific-minded spinners in the community call it, according to Pierce. He himself spins primarily mini-hoops, which are two hoops spun mostly in the hands. Pierce has been spinning for about three years, and is now training to be a professional dancer and spinner for 15 – 20 hours per week. He counts his hours fairly diligently. “If I’m working out my body, I count it as half-time. I count dancing as full-time,” he says.

To him, spinning is first and foremost a form of dance. He started because “a girl I was interested in wanted a ride to a spin jam,” he said, “whatever that was. When I got there, I felt out of my league. I spent an hour trying to hula hoop.” From there, Pierce says that he got more and more interested as he set goals for himself. At first, it was hula-hooping. Then it was hooping at the knees. Then it was trying to do one trick, then another, until he was hooked on it.

“After five months, I was the fastest up-and-coming hooper in the Northeast,” he says matter-of-factly, and seeing his skill now, that doesn’t come as a surprise. Now, Pierce aims to establish himself as a professional performer.

Spinners in the Northeast do not just congregate at their own local spin jams: larger festivals are held where spinning, especially

fire spinning, is practiced and taught on a larger scale. Wildfire, the most prominent spinning event on the East Coast, is a retreat in Connecticut attended by 300 spinners. It takes place several times a year, with tickets selling out as fast as they go on sale. It is a weekend festival full of spinning, dancing, classes, and immersion in one of the most unique artistic subcultures around.

Outside of spin jam and festivals, spinners practice their art in the circus, at raves, and in many performance settings. Spinning is not, however, a widespread performance art, and it is only now starting to get more recognition and exposure. Since it is in that stage, finding performances can be difficult, and Facebook is still one of the only places where events featuring spinners are advertised. The best way to learn more, whether as a spinner or as a spectator, is to find the Facebook group for your local spin jam. As Pierce puts it, “Performers don’t make the best agents for themselves.”

While many of the people at Boston Spin Jam, like Pierce, are advanced spinners who take gigs and perform, numerous others simply do it as a hobby. Spinners of all levels are part of the community and beginners are more than welcome.

However, spinning communities in other parts of America are more competitive. Some communities are full of fiercely competitive performers, while others find more competition in the teaching busi-

ness. Boston, however is not like that. In Boston, spinners share their knowledge and teach one another freely. “People in Boston don’t just view [spinning] as just a living, so they’re more free about sharing their knowledge,” Pierce explains. “Boston is a really generous community.”

The people who are a part of that community are as varied as the props they workv with, making any given spin jam uniquely breathtaking to see and be a part of. With all the magic of a circus and the warm and welcoming character that comes with the spinner subculture, it isn’t uncommon to see impromptu lessons around the practice space, spinners borrowing each other’s props, and interesting partner work. This is a community of open-minded artists where a hug is the standard greeting and everyone is welcome. Even as spinning becomes a bigger and more recognized art form, the community feeling will undoubtedly remain strong.

The warm and welcoming nature of the Boston spinners is ingrained in their very culture, making Boston home to an incredibly unique and open artistic community. 

“Skilled spinners use their props as though they are extensions of their own bodies, creating a beautiful dance of shifting circles with their movements.”

THE COLLABORATION ISSUE

STYLE Trends and Travel: European Style and Its American Counterpart

By Celina Colby Models: Ripley Barnes, Mary Quigley, Julia Pincus Will Sutner, Sarah Metcalf, Cerise Castle

ANYONE WORKING IN FASHION KNOWS that Paris is the style capital of the world. New York is trendy, Milan is chic, London can be skipped altogether; but Paris, Paris is a must. For centuries, America has looked to Europe for fashion inspiration, drawing on the latest trends and renowned classics from across the pond. In recent years, the gap between American and European fashion is shrinking. The United States has come into its own sense of style through using a lot of the same pieces as Europe, but styling them in different ways.

Photos: Scarf: stock.xchng/tromig; Watch: Jamie Kaplan; American details: Rory McCann. Eiffel tower illustration: vectorartbox.com

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ď‚ƒ The details of an outfit can complete the ensemble and totally change the vibe of the outfit. In Europe, the details of a day-to-day outfit tend to be subtle and classic. Jewelry will be small and functional, for example a watch, some pearl earrings or a simple necklace. In Madrid, a long, pendent necklace or a collection of thin rings is enough to complete an outfit.

Scarves are wildly popular across the pond; chunky scarves are more prevelent in Holland and Berlin, while cotton scarves are preferred in Italy and Greece. Hats are a classic way to spruce up an ordinary outfit. In London, bowler hats can be seen everywhere, while in Paris cloche hats or floppy sunhats are more popular.

details

ď‚„ In the United States, the details are less likely to play a supporting role to the outfit, and are more likely to take center stage. Chunky jewelry, statement necklaces, and big rings are forever popular ways to accessorize a plain outfit. Similarly, big belts with designs, colors, and metal words or emblems are used to embellish dresses and skirts. Flashy shoes are another way people insert personality into their clothes in the U.S.; a certain horrendous pair of sequin Uggs comes to mind, but studded heels or neon flats can also do the trick.

Americans are also more likely to gravitate towards loud prints and bright colors to add detail and visual interest to their outfits. In contrast to the subtlety of the details in European fashion, American style gravitates towards more overt tactics.

Continued ď‚„

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Photo: Jamie Kaplan

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jackets  The jacket is an integral part of a fashionable wardrobe for the stylish European set. It is the key element that gives an outfit a chic, sophisticated look. Leather jackets, usually in motorcycle or bomber styles, are most popular in Italy, although many other types can be seen on those cobblestone streets. Blazers are used more frequently in Paris, while Amsterdam prefers military inspired utility jackets. When searching their closets for something to pull over a basic t-shirt, a European fashionista is more likely to grab a jacket than a cardigan or a hoodie. Certainly the jacket has the utilitarian function of adding warmth to an outfit, but it’s used more often in Europe as a style piece.  In the United States, there are many different styles of jackets that are original to this country. In general they are more common in the cooler areas of the country, but denim jackets and hoodies are popular in San Francisco and other warmer areas. Letterman jackets are another traditionally American piece that has evolved into a national style. European jackets tend to be more structured (think blazers, moto jackets, trench coats, etc.) while American jackets have a more casual vibe. They also have a wider styling range, hoodies can create an athletic look, or a more polished one when paired with a skirt or worn under a blazer. While the European jacket adds a sense of structure to an outfit, American jackets span a wide range of style possibilities.

Continued 

Photos: Rory McCann

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denim  Since being popularized in the 1960s, jeans have become a staple garment in closets all over the globe. One of the holy grails of fashion is finding that perfect pair of jeans. Across the ocean, jeans are used as the foundation for a polished outfit. Most popular are dark wash, indigo, or black skinny jeans.

Straight leg is another favorite; it’s rare to see flare or wide leg jeans in Europe. You won’t find acid wash, colored jeans, or even light wash nearly as frequently—thank God. There’s also significantly less distressed denim here than in America. After several thousand years of class conflicts, Europeans really get that—equality or not—looking homeless is not sexy.

Photo: Jamie Kaplan

 Denim takes on a completely different attitude in America. In this country, the staple piece can often be the central focus of an outfit. In the past few decades, denim has gone from light wash to colored, acid wash to dark wash, distressed to coated. Jeans have been flared, bell-bottomed, too-tight-to-breathe skinny, straight leg, and even (heaven forbid) tapered— Mom-style. Beyond just jeans, denim has emerged in America in the form of jackets, shirts, and shoes.

Here denim goes through trends and phases much more than in Europe. It certainly isn’t used as a basic or limited to neutral tones and washes; it can bring the life to an outfit.

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Photo: Rory McCann

footwear

 The footwear in the United States varies dramatically depending on the location and climate. When going out at night, women tend to wear sky-high heels rather than the lower heels favored for everyday by European women. The boot selection is very different—in the Northern part of country, heavy-duty winter boots such as Sorels are popular. In the South, the boot of choice is the traditional American cowboy boot. Athletic sneakers are frequently worn by people of all ages in the United States, often on a daily basis. While European footwear merges practicality with simple elegance, footwear in the United States has a diverse range of styles that vary from region to region.

 Shoes in Europe are very much geared towards the cobblestone streets and uneven walkways of the historic countries. Heels are still worn frequently, but they tend to be smaller heels, often on boots, and strappy sandals that hug the foot for more security.

Flat boots include combat boots and knee high leather riding boots. Flats are the warm weather alternative, most popular in London, whether pointy-toed, or oxford-style laceups. Sneakers are worn mainly by young people; ranging from discrete, leather, lace-up trainers, to the more trendy high top basketball shoes. Rarely ever will you see a running sneaker worn in Europe for any purpose other than working out. Even their most practical shoes retain a sense of sophistication and style. 

Photos: Sneakers: Stock.xchng/hussey; Heels: Stock.xchng/zoostory; Flats: Jamie Kaplan; Boots: Stock.xchng/scotsxc.

COLLABORATION

Chains, Amethyst, and Brass: Making Jewelry with Alyssa Davis

By Jennifer Ortakles Photos by Joanie Jenkins Model: Cristina Scherban

SOME WOMEN CHOOSE A DIFFERENT piece of jewelry to go with

every outfit. Others only wear a selection of pieces that they never take off. Regardless of how much jewelry a woman may own, there is always at least one special piece she values over the rest. Whether it has sentimental or monetary value, its design is the first thing that struck her eye. She may not realize it, but the jewelry designer behind that piece had a lot to consider before it was even ready to sell.

Atlas visited self-taught jewelry designer Alyssa Davis at her studio to find out what goes into one of the designs for her line, Skiler Love. She created a necklace exclusively for Atlas and took us through each step of creating this unique piece.

The bedroom of Davis’ Newton apartment doubles as her studio—a space she keeps pristine and organized despite the many purposes it serves. Shelves display her finest pieces and a bulletin board showcases inspirational photos, pieces she’s working on, and a large

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print-out of her heart, skull, and arrow logo.

Across from her bed is the table where all her creations start. She turns on indie rock or electronic music and begins every piece by laying out the beads and chains she wants to use. When she assembles body chains, she uses a mannequin in the corner of the room.

Currently, the mannequin holds a tangled up piece she used in a nude photoshoot earlier that day--it’s the most intricate body suit she’s made to date, covering the model’s naked torso with over 50 feet of chains.

Davis started her line last fall and uses her experience in public relations to connect with her customers and other local artists.

A recent graduate of Lasell College, where she studied fashion merchandising, she began designing her line last June because she needed a creative outlet. “I wasn’t in college anymore so I wasn’t constantly surrounded by the whole artistic fashion community that I had originally, so I started designing,” says the 23-year-old.

Just as any entrepreneur, Davis had some kinks to work out when she began her line.

“I think one of the biggest struggles I went through was trying to price everything before the launch,” she says. Another challenge she

faced was deciding who she was designing for. “You’re torn between having a younger target market, who’s so used to everything made in China at really cheap prices, and then not letting it alter your image, and then also not wanting to sell it too high because you don’t want it to be unreachable,” she says.

For the necklace she’s making for Atlas, Davis starts with a brass chain that matches the nail polish she’s sporting. “I’m completely obsessed with anything brass,” she says. She picks pyrite, asymmetrical beads and a yellow, amethyst pendant for the main accents: pieces that she often uses in her current collection.

Davis buys all of her materials within the United States because she finds local products to be more dependable and enjoys the sense of community. “I really like working with local suppliers who I can build a relationship with.” The woman who produces her logo tags—which Davis attaches to every finished product—stamps them by hand and is willing to make extras whenever Davis has a big event coming up.

Continued 

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She opens a section of the chain with pliers and places a few pyrite beads on an eye pin—a thin, metal rod with a ring on one end. “Eye pins,” she says, “hold everything together.” She then connects the eye pin to the chain using a jump ring, which is simply a metal band that opens in the middle. The trick to using them is all in the direction. “When you’re working with jump rings you always want to move them forward or back, you never want to move them side to side because it will distort the shape of the circle,” she says.

WHEN DAVIS MOVED TO BOSTON, she connected with an artistic community she hadn’t expected. “Exposure is really important at the beginning. There are so many things that go into it,” she says.

She hadn’t designed jewelry before, but had experience in communications as an intern for PR companies in New York City. “I like the aspect of communicating with people, collaborating on different projects,” she says.

Her fondness for collaboration shows through in her work where she intricately connects each pendant and chain to create

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a finished product. She repeats the previous step with different sized beads, making a point to place them slightly off-center on the opposite side of the chain. For the pendant, she again uses the same technique but slides the yellow amethyst onto the eye pin with seed beads and more asymmetrical beads on either side. She connects this piece in the middle of the chain.

Since she launched her first collection at Boston Fashion Week, her pieces have been featured in numerous editorials and at local events. Some of Davis’ jewelry can be seen in a Papercut magazine photoshoot with Mayo Hara, an electric violinist. Her line was also promoted at Providence Style Week and Davis competed in Raw, a competition between local artists held at Rumor in Boston.

While some designers would rather stay in their studios all day, she likes outside events to take a break from her work and reevaluate her pieces. “I can’t design 24/7,” she says. However, being so busy can sometimes take away too much time from creating pieces. “It’s totally challenging trying to balance everything, but I haven’t found an aspect of it that I hate yet,” she says.

To finalize her piece, she puts a clasp in the back—she choses a lobster claw—and adds her signature, hand-stamped, metal tag reading “Skiler Love.” For an extra touch, she places an eye pin full of seed beads on one side of the clasp. She began doing this because she didn’t want the clasp to be boring, but it gets mixed reviews. Younger people tend to understand it, while older people aren’t as accepting. “A lot of the people who get the designs and get that its a little bit different and edgier kind of like it because the point is to make it something you can’t see anywhere else.”

Davis plans to continue making her one-of-a-kind pieces with hopes to make edgier, more complex pieces to feature in magazines and at events. As she creates more jewelry, Davis says she wants to work on even more editorials to increase interest in her designs. 

Skiler Love

From Dry to Dewey: Beauty advice to transition you from winter to spring

By Erin Kayata Photos by Colin Egge Styling by Audrey Geiger Models: Pauline Hevia, Goldy Levy

YOUR HAIR IS DRY, YOUR skin is flakey, and all you want is a new look for spring that’s fresh but doesn’t break your budget. With a combination of some basic household items, a few beauty products, and tips from Emerson’s styling guru Audrey Geiger, you can achieve a springtime look that’s easy and affordable.

Geiger is a senior media studies major with a business minor, but don’t let her major fool you. She has dabbled in makeup since her high school years when she started doing theatrical work. Since then, she’s styled for Fashion Society, The EVVY Awards, magazine shoots, and theater productions at Emerson. Back home in Seattle, she does hair and makeup for brides and their bridal parties. Geiger shares with us her favorite simple looks to try for spring.

Continued  Stylist Audrey Geiger

Flower Photo: Stock.xchng/thegnome54; Stylist Headshot: Courtesy of Audrey Geiger

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GEIGER SAYS HER favorite looks for spring involve playing up your natural texture in a messy up-do. “There seems to be a general trend in ‘undoneness,’ something that’s not so fussed over,” Geiger says.

She calls this look “very natural and easy,” and it allows your hair a break from your blow dryer and curling iron. Here’s how to achieve this put-together, yet natural look: • •

• • •

Shower, wash hair, then allow hair to air-dry Use a texturizing product to enhance your hair’s natural texture. “You can make your own with water and salt. The salt texture gives your hair a ‘beachiness’ that’s natural and easy,” Geiger suggests.

Braid your hair. Try a fishtail braid!

Pull out a few pieces for extra volume.

Use dry shampoo for added texture

For a nighttime look, Geiger recommends trying wrap curls for longer hair.

“I’m pretty low maintenance when it comes to hair,” Geiger says, “But I’ll do big wrap curls though. If you wear your hair straight during the day, take a one inch or three quarter inch flat iron and then taking large hair sections, wrap it around the outside of the barrel instead of taking it in. Wrap it two or three times. It’s really beautiful waves without being overdone.” If your hair’s too short to curl, try mixing things up by wearing a fun clip with an oversized flower on it.”

Continued 

“Try mixing things up by wearing a fun clip with an oversized flower on it.”

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“You’re going to want to work on getting that moisture to come back.”

“I’m always really fond of a nude eye… something warm and brown and not too dark, like a really subtle smokey eye that’s fresh and young for spring,” says Geiger. It may be time to ditch your multi colored eye shadow for something neutral with a fresh glow.

To start off, make sure your skin is clean and moisturized. “You’re coming out of winter so your skin may be a little bit duller and too dry. You’re going to want to work on getting that moisture to come back,” Geiger says. Her suggestion for doing so is to mix baking soda with water to exfoliate your skin, then moisturize by applying glycerin mixed with rose water. The glycerin draws in moisture and adds a dewy look to skin. If your skin is naturally oily, skip this step.

Add primer and a little foundation to your face. Try a beauty balm or tinted moisturizer. Blend in with your hands or a brush.

Shape brows by brushing them with a clean mascara wand and filling them in with an eye shadow that’s a shade lighter than your natural hair color.

Start off your eye makeup by putting on eye shadow primer. Geiger recommends

Urban Decay or 2Faced.

Apply eye shadow. If you’re going for a natural look leave your eyes bare or use a shimmery highlighter. For a smoky eye apply a camel or nude eye shadow over lid.

Blend in with your fingers or brush (Geiger swears by MAC brush 217).

Choose a concealer that matches your skin to cover up blemishes. “If you have cooler skin, go with a peachier concealer because the orange and the yellow will help cover blue under your eyes. If you are warmer skin toned, you may have redness or a green cast under your eye. Red corrects green so you’ll go with a warmer concealer,” Geiger advises.

Dab on some clear lip-gloss.

Use a shimmery eye shadow or illuminating highlighter to add highlights. Apply to the center of your nose, Cupid’s bow (the indented space between your nose and upper lip), and tops of your cheeks. Blend well.

Sweep blush onto the apples of your cheeks and jaw line to finish off.

For nighttime: swap a clear gloss for a darker lip color and add more shadow to your lash line and through your crease. 

COLLABORATION

Campus

By Erin Kayata Photos by Joanie Jenkins

  Brielle Dickert, a sophomore photography major from MassArt, enjoyes wearing tights with shorts to class.  Julie Aztzzinaro (right) and Kelley Shawchuk (left), from Wentworth, have stayed true to their fashion during their transitions from high school to college.  Sam Loso, a Wentworth student, says his style has become more colorful since moving to Boston for school.  Mike Harrison, a freshman illustration major at MassArt, rocks a pair of red shoes.  Saleh Alobaib, a freshman computer science major, displays typical Wentworth style.



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HERE AT EMERSON, it isn’t unusual to see a boy carrying a purse or a girl in heels and full makeup on her way to class. “I think that Emerson is a very stylish campus,” says Amanda Kroll communication disorders ‘16. “I see lots of creative things. I see a range of people who [have] a very hipster fashion to people who are very eccentric in their fashion.

I’ve seen a lot of things that I haven’t really seen elsewhere.” Kroll also notes Emerson’s prestigious “dress code,” saying that it’s rare to see students in sweatpants on what she calls a “fashion forward” campus.

Atlas set off to examine the style choices on local campuses to see if we really are as fashion forward as we claim to be and possibly learn a thing or two from both fashion-conscious and comfort-conscious campuses around Boston.

Take Boston University (BU), for example. While your major generally doesn’t affect your style at Emerson, Michelle Choi, a freshman journalism major at BU, says the different majors at her school have different styles.

“Sometimes I see a few kids who are wearing sweats to class, but there are other kids who dress well to class, especially the business majors since they have to wear business attire for their presentations. For the other kids who aren’t business majors, some of them go out of their way to look nice for class, especially the communication majors.”

Choi says it isn’t uncommon to see BU girls dressed in heeled boots, a skirt, and a casual top, accompanied with a North Face or leather jacket. Hunter boots are also popular with the colder weather, but in the spring, they’re replaced with pumps, flats, or ankle boots.

When it comes to going out, the attire is a little more formal.

“Girls make more effort when they’re going out,” Choi says. Many wear stilettos or platform shoes with dresses or skinny jeans and a nice top.

Choi, a freshman, noted the effect that Boston and the college fashion scene have had on her own personal style. She finds

Styles Around Boston inspiration from the downtown neighborhood as well as Emerson, where her boyfriend attends.

“I’m starting to figure out my own personal style…I don’t want to be stuck with just one.”

WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING an array of styles, Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt) may be ahead of any other campus. Students from MassArt contest that there’s no one style that defines the school.

“Some people dress really crazy, then there are some that dress like normal people,” says Mike Harrison, a freshman illustration major. Ariel Tobing, another freshman illustration major, does insist that everyone wears really nice shoes.

The two agree that, despite the differences in style, most students at MassArt make an effort to dress up, whether they’re going to class or going out. Some outfits are worn interchangeably between academic and social settings. For the boys, these outfits usually consist of thermals, sweaters, or graphic tees along with jeans and sneakers. Tobing also includes a hat, a recent addition since coming to college results in fewer haircuts.

Brielle Dickert, a sophomore photography major, prefers a more dressed up look for day to day. She says she enjoys wearing tights with shorts to class, along with a crop top. For going out, she dresses up more, usually sporting a maxi skirt or dress.

She too agrees that you see a wide array of style at art school.

Intertwined with the MassArt campus is the campus for Wentworth Institute of Technology. Despite their proximity to each other, the schools could not be more different in terms of style. According to US News’ website, Wentworth’s student population is 80% male and that definitely influences how they dress.

“A lot of it is athletic apparel,” says Sam Loso, a sophomore architecture major.

“Even now, as you’re looking at people as they’re passing down…‘The Pike,’ the main [walkway] on campus, a lot of what you see is athletic shorts, hoodies.”

Loso then gestured to the glass wall that

made up one side of the student lounge area where he sat. As students strolled by, one thing seemed evident: most of their shopping had taken place at the campus bookstore. While it’s not uncommon to see students sporting their school gear on campus, a few minutes of observation showed that this was the norm at Wentworth.

Loso on the other hand, says that he prefers to wear “whatever’s clean,” which typically consists of a long sleeved shirt or t-shirt and jeans. For going out, he’ll switch it up a little, wearing something plaid or more colorful with nicer jeans. Loso says that his style has become more colorful since coming to school, due to the creative nature of his major and the accepting college environment. Coming from a small, conservative town in Vermont, Loso says he now owns red and blue jeans, thanks to his school’s influence.

The dominant trend of athletic wear does not go unnoticed by the school’s female population. “They don’t really dress up at all,” says Julie Aztzzinaro, a sophomore facilities management major, of the boys at her school.

This however, does not stop the girls of the school from dressing up a bit. Aztzzinaro and her friend, Kelley Shawchuk, a sophomore construction major, say that it’s common to see female design or management majors dressed up. They often wear riding boots or Uggs to class, accompanied by jeans or leggings, with a dress shirt or cardigan. For going out, girls will wear the same, but with a nicer shirt. However, both girls agree that their style hasn’t really changed since coming to school in Boston.

Despite sharing a common location, the differences in dress between these schools are clear. For some, the city has played a role in their style, for others they remain impervious to the urban influence and stick to their old ways. Some treat the classroom like a runway, while others just dress out of necessity. Emerson may be fashion forward in the sense that all majors dress up for class and typically steer clear of Uggs and clunky boots, but if we are, MassArt is right there with us while other schools may surpass us for a night out. 

 

COLLABORATION

HEALTH Sole Searching

Finding the Perfect Pair and Care

By Caroline Cassard Photos by Zeynep Abes

LISTEN—DO YOU HEAR THAT WHINING

from the back of your closet? It’s your trusty sandals, begging to be worn in the early summer sun.

In the summer months our last concern is the greater good for our feet, but the structure of sandals, heels, and sneakers play a huge part in our body’s day-to-day comfort. Involving a combined 52 bones, 40 muscles, and more than 60 joints, feet and the importance of foot care are definitely underrated. And when it comes down to it, flip-flops’ simple design and slip-on feel isn’t always the best fit for an active lifestyle.

Reconsidering the flip-flop means looking into the soles of other equally loved shoes in our closet. Brands such as Converse, TOMS, Vans, and Uggs also provide little to no support: their thin, flat soles are the only surface preventing us from walking barefoot.

Athletic-designed shoes provide more structure and comfort, no matter a foot’s size or shape. Replacing the average sneaker for some athletes, Vibram FiveFingers are racing up and down running paths and everyday public spaces. With choices ranging from flat soles to more natural arches from FiveFingers and bouncy sneakers to the unnatural arch of high heels, finding your personal ‘sole mate’ can be tough. But no matter the shoe, foot, or body

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wellbeing depends on more than grabbing the closest pair in the closet.

Due to the flip-flop’s lack of arch support, little cushion, and zero shock absorption, logic would tell us to turn away from this classic pair of summer shoes. Dr. Jeffrey Coen, a Boston podiatrist at Downtown Crossing, says cheap rubber or plastic flip-flops can cause problems such as plantar fasciitis, a heel-splitting pain in the bottom of the foot.

Considering the opposite of flip-flops—shoes with too much arch—heels can seem just as illogical. Given runway ankle twists and tumbles, they’re not the most natural form of footwear, but it’s impractical to suggest women stop wearing them all together. Dr. Coen says “the second [major problem, after flip-flops] is women in high heels—pointed, slim heels—this can cause metatarsalgia, pain in the ball of the foot.” Daily high heel use can shorten calf muscles by up to 13 percent, tighten tendons in the foot, and even lead to early osteoarthritis.

Luckily, this isn’t the case for everyone. “I have some patients in their 80s who have worn heels all their life and are unaffected, with no pain,” says Dr. Coen. “There’s a genetic factor and the heel-cord [or Achilles tendon] can tighten.”

How do the less genetically gifted deal with stiletto-induced pain? Women in New York City, Hollywood, and London are popularizing Botox heel injections, which eases pressure in the foot for further platform wear and solves “stilettotarsal,” a stiletto-caused

painful condition in the soft tissue of the metatarsal. With no beauty benefit to the look of the feet, the “foot-filler” procedure solely optimizes comfort, and New Yorkers and Londoners alike are coining the term “Loub job,” named after French designer Christian Louboutin’s stiletto. In the procedure, a doctor injects the fat pads of the toes, heel, and ball of the foot with derma filler, the same material used to fill wrinkles in the face, plumping up the bottom of the

where from a few weeks to a year to adjust to the fit and should begin wearing the shoes only a few times a week for short distances. After the first week, and with recommended foot stretches and exercises, pain shouldn’t be a problem. But Dr. Coen says Vibram FiveFingers have drawbacks. “You hit the ball of your foot instead [of the heel], which can lead to fractured metatarsals, [midfoot bones],” he says.

Ultimate care and comfort doesn’t end at shoe selection; exercise is also beneficial. The best exercise for your body, head to toe?

Dance. “The most amazing feet I’ve ever seen are ballet masters’,” says Dr. Coen. “Not ballerinas; pointe destroys their feet—but one ballet master could move his toes like individual fingers.” Dance both strengthens and stretches the foot, and while many forms of exercise can take a toll on over-exhausted ankles, joints, and muscles, dance can allow for a healthy balance.

“The most amazing feet I’ve ever seen are ballet masters’,” says Dr. Coen. “Not ballerinas; pointe destroys their feet—but one ballet master could move his toes like individual fingers.” foot and providing more cushion in every step. Most women seeking the surgery are in their 40s, looking for relief after decades of walking in heels. The downside to the nearly painless procedure?

The foot plumping only lasts 6 months, considering the $400 plus price tag.

Dr. Coen says this procedure hardly exists in Boston. Because it doesn’t last long and requires follow-up injections, it seems many sensible and economic Bostonians just aren’t interested. Accustomed to brick streets and winter’s snowy sidewalks, many women likely drop their heels in a bag and slip them on when they’ve reached the office.

When experiencing pain long after slipping off a pair of overarching heels or sad, flat soles, a relaxing day in supportive sneakers often helps before considering a procedure. Laced tennis shoes provide more comfort and support than typical work or dress shoes. But besides the average sneaker, the “toe shoe”, like Vibram FiveFingers, is making strides. Many people swear by them, and they appear in more closets than one would think. The toe shoe’s popularity lies in the minimalist movement, or the grassroots running crowd. Minimalist runners look to gradually reduce the amount of shoe that separates the foot from the ground, aiming for the needed natural contact that propels the body forward faster and stronger, rather than added padding, foam, and gel lift in what they consider over-packed sneakers.

For people with heel problems, toe shoes reduce pain, allowing for more natural movement. Foot Locker store managers suggest Vibram FiveFingers for marathon runners. While training, they strengthen muscles more than regular sneakers, but many wearers say they can be uncomfortable and even painful until the foot adjusts. Runners new to the FiveFingers shoes could require any-

These physical tolls of exercise are often problems for runners, because while running is a great cardio workout, city routes aren’t the kindest to feet and knees. The worst surface is concrete, the second worst, asphalt. Along the Esplanade, the best option is to jog to the side of the path, on a grassy surface. In the gym, a flat treadmill belt can be as equally unforgiving as pavement.

Running on a treadmill causes an up-down movement with less forward lean, unlike running outdoors, which can be hard on feet and knees. The most common treadmill injuries are Achilles tendonitis, from treadmill overuse or poor walking shoes, and plantar fasciitis, heel-splitting that Dr. Coen mentioned in affiliation with flip-flops. Elliptical machines are beneficial in breaking up cardio workouts that are hard on feet. The gliding is easier on joints, with more forward movement than up-down repetition.

Beyond the gym, sidewalk, dance studio, and closet searching, the path to shoe selection always begins in the store. When shopping for shoes, find support. Look for flip-flops and sandals with an indented heel and visible arch, and avoid low-quality materials such as thin plastics and foams. John Whythe, Chief Medical Expert for Discovery Channel, suggests the sole-bending method. If you can fold a flip-flop nearly in half lengthwise, it’s not worth the cheap price tag. With a pair of pumps, thicker heels distribute weight more evenly and provide better support. And gel insoles and inserts do more than add cushion to your step: they actually reduce the impact on your knees. If your feet just aren’t feeling it, tennis shoes are always the smartest option. Foot Locker managers suggest looking for three qualities in an athletic shoe: lightness, stability, and cushioning. When searching for the perfect fit, perhaps the best, simplest advice is Dr. Coen’s: “Size is just a guideline.

Listen to your feet.” 

COLLABORATION

Brighter Than

The Need for a Whiter Smile

By Caroline Cassard Photos by Hanna Katz Model: Terri Bulan

A TAILORED SUIT, BELTED TRENCH, or patent-leather stiletto contributes to a first impression at a job interview. But the last flash of promise you can offer before heading for the door with a “thank-you” is becoming increasingly important in our beauty-based culture: your smile.

In recent years, dentists, cosmeticians, and drug store employees alike have witnessed a major interest in teeth whitening. From contrasting Hollywood red lips and bright white teeth to Washington politicians’ blinding smiles, it seems everyone is doing it.

Americans spend an annual $1.4 billion on the teeth-whitening industry, and $380 million goes toward over-the-counter products alone. If the real treatments weren’t enough, Panasonic came out with a camera that digitally whitens teeth in every shot. Teeth whitening has become so common—and even expected of the average American—that we rarely consider why we need a brighter smile at all.

Tremont Dental Care manager Matthew Antonelli describes the need for bleach as “culture-driven.” Teeth whitening is 100% cosmetic, with no medical need. The whitening agent, hydrogen

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peroxide, doesn’t remove plaque, protect gums or prevent further staining. It’s solely for appearance—similar to Latisse, for longer lashes, Botox, and tanning.

But what makes teeth whitening different from other cosmetic procedures? It reaches a more even balance of interest among gender and age groups. Antonelli says the interest in women versus men is pretty balanced. The Tremont Dental Care office has provided whitening treatments for patients ages 18 to early 70s: the average whitening patient being a middle-aged Caucasian, middle to upper class. And as people look to remove long-term coffee, tea, and tobacco-induced staining, the industry is continuously growing. Antonelli notes that he’s seen more interest in whitening in the past year than in any of his previous three years at the Tremont office.

With no medical necessity, clinical teeth whitening is not covered by insurance. Tremont Dental Care charges $400 for the ZOOM whitening treatment, a one-time, 45-minute in-office procedure. Nationally, the numbers quickly add up to the annual $1.4 billion sales, and many people opt for what seems more economical: at-home methods. According to an IBISWorld market research report, whitening strips accounted for 45% of whitening product sales in 2012. The most popular over-the-counter method,

Bleach

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We rarely consider why we need a brighter smile at all. the strips range from $25 to $45 a package, and over time, customers can unknowingly spend hundreds on repetitive purchases.

“Both over-the-counter and in-office procedures use the same whitening agent, called ‘bleach,’” explains Antonelli. “But it’s not really bleach—it’s hydrogen peroxide. Dentists can get a more concentrated agent than over-the-counter products, so it’s more effective, and you won’t lose the effect ever.”

HOW DOES THE PROCEDURE WORK? Like skin, teeth have pores. An effective, long-term whitening procedure reaches through several layers, opening up pores much like a facial. Dentists have access to cooling gel, which closes the pores after the treatment, sealing the deal and preventing further staining. However, people with temperature and pain-sensitive teeth experience short-term pain, as opening these pores increases sensitivity. Many benefit from dentists’ barrier gel, which cools gums and prevents sensitivity during in-office procedures. Unfortunately, over-the-counter kits leave this gel out of packaging.

Antonelli recommends that sensitive patients who use gentler toothpastes, such as Sensodyne, avoid the brand three days before a procedure or at-home whitening. Sensitive toothpastes leave a coating on the teeth, preventing hydrogen peroxide from reaching the pores.

But logically, as teeth whitening is essentially bleaching bones with the same chemical used to achieve platinum hair, it should be used in moderation. The main mistake for both whitening enthusiasts and people whitening for the first time is overuse. “We do have a few patients who come every year [for whitening treatment],” says Antonelli, “so there’s definitely a mental aspect to it.” In some cases, he says, “It’s a form of body dysmorphia for your teeth.” Although annual professional whitening won’t hurt, patients do reach a point where their teeth can’t get any whiter.

Over-users and “bleachorexics,” as some call them, face translucent tooth edges, food sensitivity and receding gum lines. Wearing athome trays over-night or nearly every day in short increments can lead to erosion of the enamel, translucent armor that protects from both daily use and grinding teeth. Antonelli explains that “whitening should never destroy enamel. But once enamel is gone, it’s not going to come back.” Over-bleached teeth are difficult to repair.

“Sometimes we have to put crowns or veneers on when the teeth have become too damaged,” New York dentist Ira Handschuh told

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ABC news, referring to enamel loss.

Hesitant to whiten teeth yourself, and not prepared to drop hundreds on a professional procedure? Whitening toothpaste is a practical start—but don’t expect too much from a simple tube of Crest. Toothpastes that promise whitening additives successfully remove plaque and minor surface staining if used twice daily, but they don’t contain enough hydrogen peroxide to whiten teeth like whitening trays, strips and clinical treatments do.

For those looking for an inexpensive, quick fix, perhaps the simplest method is a homemade strawberry scrub. Use a toothbrush to coat teeth with a crushed strawberries and baking soda mixture, allowing the substance to sit on the surface for five minutes before scrubbing off with toothpaste. Malic acid in the strawberries and baking soda remove surface stains. Adina Carrel, private practice New York dentist, says this method is appropriate once a week. But like any whitening procedure, no matter how simple, overuse and overexposure to malic acid can damage enamel.

When whitening teeth, one must consider sensitivity, the types of staining they wish to remove, and cost of a procedure not covered by insurance. The most sensible advice? Talk to a dentist. But above all, a healthy diet and limiting tobacco use, wine, coffee, dark tea, soda, and even blueberry consumption will maintain a healthy, brighter smile for a perfect first impression. 

Supplemental: Is our need for vitamins & supplements all in our heads?

By Alaina Savage Illustration by Zeynep Abes and Chelsey Moody

AS COLLEGE STUDENTS, IT’S HARD to know what goes into the food we eat. Is it fortified with vitamins or does it have little nutritional value? People take supplements for many different reasons. For college students, supplements can make sure all the nutrients are covered. For athletes, they can improve performance and speed recovery, and for vegans, supplements can make sure the nutrients not found in the typical diets are still available.

But before making a trip to the local pharmacy, there are a few things to know about supplements.

Dietary supplements can be anything from vitamins to minerals, herbs to botanicals, or enzymes to amino acids. They can be taken in the form of a liquid, a pill, a capsule, or a tablet. Clearly,

options abound--and these days, Americans are buying more supplements than ever. According to WedMD, we spent about $28 billion on supplements in 2010 compared to the $11 billion we spent in 1995. It is estimated that over half of Americans take supplements. The most popular of these supplements include fish oil, multivitamins, vitamin D, calcium, and CoQ10.

Buying supplements can be tricky because of the way they are manufactured. The FDA doesn’t approve supplements before they are put on shelves; it is only once a product is on the market that the FDA can begin investigating whether or not the product is harmful or produces any ill side-effects. Manufacturers are, however, required to follow “good manufacturing practices,” or GMPs, which means that supplements have to meet certain standards before they are sold. But that does not mean that they are always labeled correctly. Some supplements have been found to contain

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“Supplements can be very helpful in making up for the shortcomings in our diets, but too much of certain vitamins and minerals is not a good thing.” more or less of an ingredient than listed on the label. To avoid this, look for products approved by U.S. Pharmacopeia or NSF International.

So do we need supplements? According to Laura Hartung, a registered dietitian here in Boston, “There’s not much evidence that people who take [supplements] are any healthier. Then again, maybe a little insurance against something that may be missing couldn’t hurt. It’s hard to get all the nutrients you need every day, therefore a multivitamin or some other supplement can have some benefits.”

People take supplements for various reasons. Maybe someone has an iron deficiency or lactose intolerance, or needs to take supplements to make up for the shortcomings in his or her diet. However, taking supplements cannot make up for an unhealthy diet, as many people believe. We must first strive to get our nutrients from natural, whole food sources. Hartung says the typical American diet consists of an excess of carbohydrates, trans and saturated fats, and sodium. To make up for this, we supplement; however, taking a nutrient in the form of a condensed pill is not equal to the natural source. Hartung says, “We should all strive to get more of our vitamins, minerals, and Omega 3s from food. Unfortunately, some people think it is too hard to eat healthy, and they think they can get all of their fruit and veggie nutrients from a pill.”

According to the U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, our diets are lacking the most in vitamin D, folic acid, vitamin B12, iron, calcium, and magnesium. Hartung offers some healthy food choices that are fortified with these missing nutrients, so check out the grocery store and stock up on some of these powerhouse foods: VITAMINS

Folic Acid Vitamin d3 B12

B Vitamins Omega 3s

FOOD SOURCES

Avocados, Leafy Greens Sardines, Canned Salmon, Milk, Yogurt Eggs, Oysters, Fortified Cereals Lentils, Black Beans, Barbanzo Beans Wild Salmon, Sardines, Flaxseed, Quinoa

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Athletes and recreational exercisers alike have also been known to take certain supplements to both aid performance and improve recovery from hard workouts. A supplement such as whey protein, which helps build and repair muscles broken down in exercise, can be beneficial to people looking to put on muscle mass. Creatine has also been shown to help build mass and strength. If an athlete is training for an endurance event, creatine is not needed, as muscle-building is not the goal, but it is important to get the proper fuel needed during endurance events such as running, bicycling, or swimming. This can be achieved with a sports drink such as Gatorade or GU Energy Gels, which provide energy and a caffeine boost during long exercise such as marathon running. Right after a workout, it is important to have a recovery drink with a mix of sugar and carbs that helps replace glycogen lost during hard exercise.

For vegans and vegetarians, vitamin B12 can be helpful since the vitamin is found mostly in animal products, making it difficult for vegans to get enough of. Calcium is also a suggested supplement for vegans since it is found in many dairy products and is essential for strong bones. Iron can also be important, as the iron found in plants is not as easily absorbed as iron found in animal meats, therefore doctors recommend vegans get double the daily dosage.

Supplements can be very helpful in making up for the shortcomings in our diets, but too much of certain vitamins and minerals is not a good thing. For example, getting more than 100 percent of the recommended amount of folic acid can increase the risk of developing precancerous adenomas. Too much selenium can increase the risk of diabetes, and too much vitamin A can make women more susceptible to bone fractures and injuries.

Before supplementing, we should first look at our diet and the types of foods we eat. There are many websites and apps that provide nutritional information on different types of food. For example, CampusDish is a great application that gives nutritional information on food served right here at Emerson College. Also, a nutritional tracker such as MyFitnessPal gives data on food served at restaurants as well as items bought at the grocery store. Using these tools, it’s easy to see where we are lacking on certain nutrients and where we need to supplement. But it’s always better to get our nutrients from whole foods first. 

The Paleo Diet: A Prehistoric Look at Health

By Riana Odin Photos by Rory McCann

THERE ARE TWO WAYS TO think about the word diet: it can refer to either a weight loss plan or a daily intake of foods. The downfall of most fad diets is their separation of the two.

When it comes to cleanses and other trendy plans, there is a set time period for their use. Instead of encouraging permanent improvements to one’s food regimen, these diets are designed to last as long as their popularity does. As dieters everywhere have come to this realization, a new concept has emerged; new diet plans look to encourage weight loss by overhauling your daily caloric intake. One such diet, the Paleo Diet, believes the key to a slimmer, healthier body is eating the paleolithic, or caveman, way. In other words, if our neanderthal ancestors didn’t ingest it, you shouldn’t either. Despite its unique approach, the Paleo Diet cannot escape its fad diet categorization, and because of that, it comes with both benefits and things to watch out for.

Take a trip down memory lane: two and a half million years, the average human was a hunter-gatherer subsisting on only fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and seafood. It took thousands of years before this primitive sustenance was replaced as agricultural and industrial revolutions spawned modern day creations including dairy and processed foods. With the introduction of the right machines came refined sugars and vegetable oils, cereal grains, and an overload of dairy in cups, jugs, and cakes. Our western diets evolved to keep up with this food revolution, but Dr. Loren Cordain, the face of the Paleo Diet, believes our biology never made the jump.

According to Dr. Cordain in his book The Paleo Answer, “We are literally Stone Agers living in the Space Age.” He credits many of our modern illnesses, from cancer to acne, to recent, highly unnatural modifications in what we eat. The Paleo Diet not only preaches the inclusion of foods our bodies can fully process, fresh produce and meats, but also the removal of what it can’t. In other words, the Paleo Diet eschews all processed foods. That doesn’t mean dieters are in for a lifetime of grains and veggies; the diet stipulates that any fish, shellfish, and meats consumed must be free-range and grass-fed, respectively. While it’s called a diet, it is more accurately a lifestyle change.

By excluding foods that are known to cause weight gain, it seems impossible that a Paleo dieter wouldn’t lose weight. Clean foods, like fresh vegetables and fruits, supply us with everything essential to a fit, healthy body: protein, fiber, and antioxidants. If the thought of completely clean living is overwhelming, not to worry:

the Paleo diet allows for 3 non-Paleo meals per week. When compared to other diet plans, the Paleo Diet is in a league of its own, working to positively benefit overall health, rather than focusing only on a reduction of pant size. A Paleo lifestyle is thought-provoking, getting you to truly consider what you put into your body and what that means for your general well-being. Many people don’t realize just how much processed food they rely on daily until they completely cut it out. Researchers claim that the link between diet and disease is a very real one, and that eating “clean” foods brings down the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and, of course, obesity. As Cordain notes in an article for The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “An estimated one-third of all cancer deaths are due to nutritional factors, including obesity.” Other benefits of the Paleo Diet? There is also a clear connection between eating clean and a decrease in acne.

When toxins build up in the body, they exit the skin in the form of inflamed bumps. Fast food and junk food account for many of the toxins we ingest, so there is substantial reason to believe foods that are instead loaded with antioxidants and healthy monounsaturated and omega-3 fats will help diminish acne when included in a diet.

The benefits of a Paleo lifestyle are plentiful, but are they worth its downfalls?

As is the problem with many fad diets, Paleo doesn’t account for all of a person’s health requirements. A typical person acquires most of their daily calcium from fortified breads, cereals, and milk.

With three of the biggest options cut out, it seems unlikely that a Paleo dieter will be able to meet the recommended 1,000 to 1,300 milligrams. Vitamin D faces the same problem, as most foods with added vitamin D are off limits. While it can naturally be collected from spending some time in the sun, supplements may need to be added to the diet regimen. In addition to these issues, many Paleo dieters struggle with adhering to limitations that the diet poses.

Despite the 3-cheat meal allowance, the Paleo Diet imposes some pretty strict rules that most dieters likely haven’t experienced. The

“The Paleo Diet not only preaches the inclusion of foods our bodies can fully process, fresh produce and meats, but also the removal of what it can’t.”

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“Despite the 3-cheat meal allowance, the Paleo Diet imposes some pretty strict rules that most dieters likely haven’t experienced. The biggest rule? No salt.” biggest rule? No salt. More often than wheat, salt makes its way onto nearly every ingredient list. Even in healthy home cooked meals, many people find salt a necessary taste enhancer. Cue the collective sigh of grandmothers everywhere. If you can get past all of that, there is still the hurdle of expenditures. The fresh produce section is the priciest in terms of quantity versus how long the food lasts. The Paleo dieter will have to replenish their refrigerators often, as preservatives are forbidden.

Professional bodybuilder Evan Centopani has made a living off sculpting his physique. In the years before reaching professional status, he followed the Paleo Diet, benefitting from the abundance of animal proteins, green vegetables, and healthy fats it incorporates. He attributes steady energy levels, a lack of constant hunger, and improved quality of sleep to the diet. “Eating this way was

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incredibly easy,” says Centopani. “Protein is very easy to prepare not only in bulk, but in advance, as are vegetables.” Though he acknowledges that the Paleo Diet may not be the most cost effective due to the high cost of quality protein, he insists that you get what you pay for. “I have found, more often than not, that what is cheapest is rarely the best.”

The Paleo Diet has made a name for itself in the fad diet world of infomercials and home-delivery meal plans. Its emphasis on a regression to simpler, more health-conscious habits makes it well worth the hard work, but be sure to weigh the risks and rewards in relation to your personal health status. When you choose a diet, remember this: “The best diet is one you will stick to,” Centopani says. 

Smooth Pairings The Ins-and-Outs of Smoothie-Making PROTEIN: peanut butter ground oats Greek yogurt silken tofu soy

By Lauren Biscaldi & Jen Myers Photo by Zeynep Abes Illustrations by Chelsey Moody

FRUITS: berries bananas kiwi pineapple dates acai berries

FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND PROTEIN: EVERYONE from our

mothers to our doctors remind us just how important these food groups are. But what’s a college student—limited by insufficient dining hall options and a packed schedule—supposed to do? Buy a blender, of course.

At an on-the-go campus, smoothies have become the answer to many a student’s dining woes. Frozen berries, peanut butter, and spinach form the basis for some of the simplest but healthiest five-minute meals. In collaboration with Simmer Magazine writer Jen Myers, Atlas created a DIY-style smoothie formula packed with perfection: pick and choose components from each column, toss, and blend until smooth. 

TIP: Replace ice with frozen fruit to chill your shake without adding unwanted water.

VEGGIES:

SPICES: cinnamon nutmeg ginger

chick peas avocado spinach collard greens kale

LIQUID:

juice coconut milk coconut water almond milk TIP: To keep your smoothie from being too runny, make sure your blender is ⅔ solids and ⅓ liquids.

SUPER-FOOD SMOOTHIE:

Take one handful spinach, a sliced beet, flax, a handful of frozen mixed berries, a drizzle of honey, and soy milk.

Blend until smooth.

GREEN SMOOTHIE: Take one handful of either kale or spinach, one frozen banana, two dates, and soy milk. Blend until smooth. For a post-workout protein shake, add peanut butter or a protein powder of your choice.

SUNSHINE SMOOTHIE: Blend frozen raspberries, frozen mango, frozen pineapple, one banana, and soy milk until smooth.

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CAMPUS

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Students with college success, bright futures

By Catalina Gaitan Photos courtesy of spotlighted students

JAY LENO. MARIA MENOUNOS. HENRY Winkler. We are quick to recite these household names with pride, believing that our shared alma mater will guarantee us the same enormous successes as these notable alumni. But before they and many others became the Pulitzer Prize Finalists, bestselling authors, show-hosts, television producers, Golden Globe and Emmy Winners that we strive to emulate, they were seniors: almost-graduates without a clue of what incredible accomplishments lay ahead.

With this year’s senior class’s final semester drawing to a close, we’ve selected some soon-to-be graduates that we believe are looking to futures just as bright.

Caroline Praderio, WLP ‘13 Aspiring Author The mark of an over-achiever can be found in his or her will to be the best at everything. This is a trait that senior Caroline Praderio has taken to new and impressive heights. While in high school in Grafton, Massachusetts, Praderio was driven by her artistic interests, performing in a school play or musical every semester and taking dance lessons three nights a week. She was voted in the yearbook as “Most Musical,” having played saxophone in the concert band, jazz ensemble, and pep band. On the side she did a workshop on experimental jazz and started her school’s first saxophone quartet. She even skipped her junior prom to go to band camp.

Predating all of these interests, however, was Praderio’s love of writing. It came as little surprise when she became a published author by the tender age of 20, releasing her memoir Sweet Baby Jesus: A Collection of Personal Essays by Caroline Praderio with Emerson Undergraduate Students for Publishing Club—known as “Pub Club” around campus.

The journey to writing this novel began when Praderio chose to pursue poetry as a writing, literature, and publishing major. She was shocked into an identity crisis almost immediately, finding her Introduction to Poetry class a struggle she hadn’t anticipated. She started frequenting the Counseling Center, contemplating changing her major or giving up writing altogether. By chance, she was placed in a non-fiction writing class. “I thought it would all be information and reporting like journalism, but it ended up being about writing memoirs and personal essays,” she said. “I found that I loved it, people liked reading what I wrote, and it was all coming so naturally.” This motivated her to join the catharsis, an online campus literary magazine, and authors like David Sedaris inspired her to pursue nonfiction writing as her career.

Praderio took this new goal seriously, deciding to submit a manuscript to Pub Club’s book project which now publishes two student works per semester. The concept came to her while in a non-fiction class. “All of a sudden it popped into my head,” she said. Sweet Baby Jesus: a Collection of Personal Essays by Caroline Praderio. And I started writing.” She quickly began filling the pages of her notebooks with new essays and submitted them for the spring semester selection process.

Upon returning from winter break, Praderio got the call. “Part of me feels that it’s not real, but I know I did the work,” she said. “Sometimes I read sentences in there and ask myself when I wrote them. It feels so out of body.” Sweet Baby Jesus ended up as a collection of seven personal essays which focus on her childhood and adolescent experiences, ranging from the topics as serious as the exploration of her religious faith to the more comical discomfort with the ways her thighs touch when she runs on her mother’s treadmill.

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With this accomplishment under her belt, Praderio’s main focus is now on solidifying her career as an author. Unfortunately, she says, it’s nearly impossible to make a career out of writing directly out of college. Instead, she hopes to find a job working with a magazine, newspaper, or book publishing company while she writes creatively on the side. “Writing is almost like a drug habit,” she said. “All you want to do is write, write, write, but you need a day job to support it.”

Praderio, however, has managed to snipe up a job post graduation. She is working with the popular cooking program America’s Test Kitchen as their editorial and social media intern, handling their Twitter account and maintaining an online press archive of the show. She estimates it will take at least 20 years before she can fully support herself on her own writing, but she’s made some goals for herself in the meantime. “In ten years I want to be living in New York City, I want to have a really big bed, and I want to have at least one book published,” she said. “It’s hard work, and a lot of times it’s more appealing to go out with your friends or watch Netflix. But if you really want to be a writer, you have to test yourself and do things that are worth writing about.”

Lauren Cortizo, Marketing ‘13 Global Marketeer Everyone knows one of those infuriating people; the ones that are capable of doing something on absolute whim and then becoming incredibly talented at it. Take Lauren Cortizo: friends dared her to join the Canton High School wrestling team as a joke, but by her senior year she became an All-American wrestler and placed 5th at Nationals. She decided to join her student council and was voted Class President. She joined her school’s cross country team and is now in training for this year’s Boston Marathon.

This pattern of success was only threatened once at the beginning of her college career when she switched her major from Broadcast Journalism to Marketing. “I hated it at first,” she said about her new marketing courses. “I just wasn’t passionate about what I was listening to in class.” Then, two years later, she applied to Walt Disney Studio’s competitive internship program. She not only got the internship, but was also was offered a full-time position immediately after graduation with the company’s Integrated Marketing and Synergy department in Los Angeles.

During her summer internship, Cortizo found her long-awaited passion for marketing. “I finally learned that I liked it,” she said. “I was always given a product in class that never pertained to me, but I was finally working on things that I felt passionate about and really enjoyed.” This included working on the marketing process for movies like Frankenweenie, Brave, and Wreck-it Ralph where she participated in elaborate brainstorming sessions alongside the heads of Disney’s variety of departments, including ESPN, ABC, Disney World, Disney Channel, and Disney Cruises.

Her position after graduation is more flexible, being a one-year rotating position that will allow her to work with digital, music, and global marketing.

“It’s a chance for me to explore more options,” she said. “The ability to explore is perfect for me.” Working with global publicity is currently her primary choice, but she’s hoping to work internationally in any way. Ultimately, she hopes to take her career overseas and live abroad for several years at a time.

“I think everything happens for a reason, and I’m lucky I have a bunch of different interests,” she said. “It’s more of a journey for me which is exciting.

But that doesn’t make me nervous because I know every path has a destination.”

Laura Franzini, Journalism ‘13 Accomplished Copyeditor

Since entering college, Laura Franzini has rarely stopped working. She is Treasurer of her sorority, Kappa Gamma Chi, dances with Emerson Urban Dance Theater, and is preparing for her third consecutive internship this summer. Her talent for copyediting, editing, and organizating the creative work of many, therefore came naturally to her, and has given her the experience to move forward in the career field of her choice.

Franzini was originally interested in pursuing photojournalism, but switched her focus to writing during an internship this past fall with The Boston Globe. Working as a correspondent, Franzini wrote articles and briefs for publication in the paper’s West and Metro sections both in print and online, but found herself more interested in the editing process than that of reporting. “Copyediting allowed me to be heavily involved in the journalistic process, but in a less aggressive capacity than reporting, which was a personally unfulfilling challenge,” Franzini said. “I still love the writing process and have an unyielding affinity for grammar, so it helps balance my creativity and logic.”

Since discovering this niche, Franzini has continued exploring other avenues of journalism, including as an editorial writing intern at Natixis Global Asset Management where she reports, writes, and produces online content. “I applied for the position to get experience in a different field of writing and communications than what I’ve focused on in school,” Franzini said. “And it’s been a complete one-eighty and opened my mind to what else I could do with my degree.”

After graduation, Franzini will begin a third internship at The Boston Globe copydesk where she hopes to solidify her career plans for the future. “It will help me decide if copyediting is really the direction I want to take,” Franzini said. “But my overarching plan is to just keep my options open and roll with the punches.” 

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Professor Mark Leccese on storytelling

By Julia Higgins Photos by Rory McCann

MARK LECCESE’S LAUGHTER IS infectious. It’s the epitome of a warm chuckle—pleasant to listen to, and easy to join in on. This is preferable, as Leccese’s laughter is frequent— almost as frequent as one of his many personal anecdotes, which he uses with abandon to color conversation. With his inclination to observe, understand, and then tell, he is a model example of a storyteller, a narrator of life. This raconteur quality has inherently shaped his career; for the past 30 years, he has been a reporter working in Massachusetts, covering stories that range from the political to the artistic, and everything in-between.

Leccese is a Massachusetts boy, born and bred. He grew up in Somerville, and moved from the shadow of Boston in his junior high years. Unlike a lot of young boys, who grow up with dreams of someday becoming an astronaut, a fireman, or the like, Leccese pinpointed “reporter” as his career choice from as early as he can remember.

“I’m a very unusual person in that I always knew it was what I

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wanted to do,” says Leccese. “Once I realized that I would never be the catcher for the Boston Red Sox—and that was in Little League—all I wanted to do was write.”

Leccese took this desire to write with him to elementary school, enchanting his peers with his compelling papers, and building his reputation as a storyteller. In junior high, Leccese and a few of his friends began producing an underground newspaper, instead of joining the already-established school newspaper.

“We started our own mimeograph, stapled, eight-page paper,” says Leccese. “We used pen names, we typed it on a typewriter, and we took the bus into Harvard Square, where a group of young communist-types let us use their printer. Our little paper was forbidden on school property, so we stood on the sidewalk at the end of the driveway and charged a dime to cover our costs.”

This was the first paper Leccese was involved in, and certainly not the last. After graduating high school, Leccese went on to study at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he wrote for the daily newspaper for four years, covering a variety of topics. Once he finished his four years at UMass in 1979, Leccese got a job as a political reporter for a daily paper, The Fitchburg-Leominster

Sentinel & Enterprise, and then, “there were 30 years in between.”

These “30 years in between” that Leccese refers to were the golden days of his career as a reporter. During this time, he worked as the editor-in-chief of a political newspaper, as a freelancer for literary magazines and the Boston Globe, and as an editor for countless publications. Instead of focusing on a specific period of his career, however, or on a single great achievement, Leccese prefers to look at his body of work as a whole.

“What I’m most proud of is the day-to-day coverage of a community,” says Leccese. “Whether that community was a small city, like when I was starting out, or later in my career, when it was a state. What I’m proudest of as a reporter is that you can, day-in and day-out, do your very best to learn what you can learn and inform people.”

This has long been Leccese’s goal as a reporter: to serve and inform the general public. He has done so through several forums, which have been both well known and under-the-radar.

From 2000 to 2004, Leccese worked as a freelancer for The Boston Globe, writing as a reporter for the City Weekly section of the Sunday paper. While at The Globe Leccese also had the opportunity to write various articles: features, art-type stories, license

commissions, and more.

“That’s one of the fun things about that kind of freelancing,” says Leccese, in reference to his time at The Globe. “I got to do all types of stories, and I was also doing stuff for different publications here and there. I’d tell potential employers, ‘I’ll write for anyone who’ll cut me a check,’ because that’s what you do as a freelancer.”

After freelancing for The Globe, and various other publications throughout Massachusetts, Leccese was hired for his teaching position at Emerson. Since then, his time has been largely dedicated to his students, though he has not forgotten his craft; he is an unpaid columnist for boston.com, focusing on media criticism in the Boston area. Leccese chose to remain unpaid for this venture, as he believes his lack of a salary allows him to maintain his independence as a media critic.

After all Leccese has accomplished, he still has dreams to do even more. “The one thing I haven’t done in my career that I would most like to do is long-form nonfiction--a book,” says Leccese. “A reporter’s book that tells a story. But that’s the dream, and I have work that I need to do now.” 

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Student Recommended Restaurants

By Caitlyn Budnick Photos by Rory McCann

AT EMERSON, STUDENTS OFTEN GET too comfortable with the restaurants within a half-mile radius of campus when venturing beyond the campus meal plan, opting for yet another burrito from Boloco or a sandwich from Panera. Yet Boston has so much to offer poor college students with eateries siting on every corner. So hop on the T and try some delicious and affordable options recommended by those who know your struggle best: other college students from schools all over the city.

Boston College

Boston College (BC) sits all the way at the end of the MBTA B Line, but that doesn’t mean that the area lacks restaurant offerings. Mike Rocco, a freshman computer science major at BC, shared a couple hot-spots around campus that he enjoys.

Fin’s Japanese Sushi + Grill 354 Chestnut Hill Ave. Brighton, MA 02135 With 3 locations across Boston, Fin’s serves up modern Japanese cuisine that can easily be described as “fresh, flavorful, and delicious.” Sushi rolls begin at around $4, while entrées can run up to $20. However, Rocco says that even though the food is not cheap, he feels like he definitely gets what he pays for. His favorite foods from Fin’s include spider maki with shrimp, a sushi dish, and chicken fried rice. While the atmosphere is clean and modern, patrons should leave their sweatpants at home—Fin’s dimmed lighting requires a more polished look.

Quality of food: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Service: 5/5 T-access: 5/5 Take the B Line to Chestnut Hill, the C to Cleveland Circle, or the D Line to Riverside.

Price: $$ Eagle’s Deli and Restaurant 1918 Beacon St. Brighton, MA 02135 Eagle’s Deli is a family-owned restaurant right off the Cleveland Circle stop on the C Line. The restaurant offers up plenty of freshly-made sandwiches, wraps, and salads and has a full breakfast menu. They have an extensive menu of burgers and hotdogs as well. A typical meal ranges from $7 to $15, but Eagle’s

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offers 5 separate burger challenges for the adventurous eater, ranging in price from $16.99 to $59.99. The top challenge, named after the deli itself, includes 5 pounds of burger, 20 pieces of bacon, 20 pieces of cheese, 5 pounds of fries, a pickle, and a drink. Rocco typically opts for the ranch burger: a healthy portion of bacon, ranch, lettuce, tomato, and cheese and a side of fries. At only $8.99, this meal is far easier on the wallet. “The food is fresh and delicious, and their french fries are definitely something you don’t want to pass up,” says Rocco. The restaurant is very casual and friendly to families.

Quality of food: 4.5/5 Atmosphere: 3/5 Service: 4/5 T-access: 5/5 Price: $

Boston University

Moving inbound on the B Line, the sprawling Boston University (BU) campus contains plenty of restaurants. Freddy Ferrari, a freshman accounting major, and Emily Baroni, a freshman biology major, shared their favorite spots on the east end of campus.

Scoozi 580 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, MA 02215 In Emily Baroni’s first semester at BU, she ate at Scoozi 4 times. An Italian restaurant, it serves pizza, pasta, and sandwiches, along with traditional Italian dinner dishes, including chicken piccata.

Lunch is relatively inexpensive, with paninis starting at $7 and pasta dishes beginning at $10. Larger dinner entrées start at $16. While Baroni favors the chicken parmesan, she’s liked everything she has ever ordered. The restaurant has quick service and outdoor seating, perfect for people-watching when the weather is nice. They also deliver, for less than perfect weather when no one wants to leave the comfort of their dorm.

Quality of food: 4/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Service: 4/5 T-access: 5/5 Across the street from the Blandford St. stop on the B Line.

Price: $ 

Noodle Street 627 Commonwealth Ave. Boston, MA 02169 Noodle Street is a Thai restaurant between the Blandford St. and Boston University East stops on the Green Line.

“It combines reasonable prices with large portions, making it an ideal spot for a college student on a budget—who also happens to love Thai food,” says Ferrari, whose personal favorite dish is the drunken noodle, a spicy noodle dish. A normal entrée generally ranges from $10 to $15. Big, open windows at the front of the restaurant let the sunlight stream in during the day, making it a nice spot for a casual bite to eat.

Quality of food:4/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Service: 4/5 T-access: 4/5 Price: $ In addition to the restaurants listed, food trucks are scattered all over campus. Ferrari frequents many of the food trucks such as Pennypackers, Clover, and the Dining Car, all serving various sandwiches, and Bon Me, focusing on Vietnamese delicacies.

His favorite is Roxy’s, a food truck that specializes in grilled cheese. Ferrari loved their green muenster melt, a sandwich with muenster cheese, avocado, and bacon.

“Six dollars for a cheese sandwich may have been a little steep,” he says, “but I regret nothing.”

Northeastern University

food as “awesome” and very authentic.

She always gets the drunken noodles with the fried banana for dessert. “They are very nice to students, and they always have really cool artwork on the walls,” says Lawson, describing the rotating display of contemporary art, which lends to the cool, relaxed ambiance of the restaurant.

Quality of food: 5/5 Atmosphere: 4/5 Service: 4/5 T-access: 4/5 Take the E Line to the Symphony or Northeastern stop Price:$ Rebecca’s Cafe 360 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115 “Rebecca’s is without a doubt the hotspot on campus,” Budnick says. It’s a cafeteria-style restaurant with a grill open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serving fresh options including eggs and burgers.

They serve soup, salads, and other snacks, but Rebecca’s is most well-known for their selection of delicious sandwiches and paninis. Budnick’s favorite is the tomato, mozzarella, and pesto, to which she adds chicken at no extra cost. “It’s real hearty café food and not dining food made in bulk,” says Budnick, “and the sandwich makers are super friendly and get to know the regulars.” Rebecca’s Café on Northeastern’s campus takes Husky Dollars as well as meal swipes included on the campus meal plan, making it ideal for Northeastern students.

Northeastern University sits along Huntington Avenue, followed along by the E Line. Two students at Northeastern, Taylor Lawson, a sophomore business major, and Kelsey Budnick, a sophomore health sciences major, polled their friends and shared their favorites.

Quality of food: 5/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Service: 4/5 T-access: 5/5 Price: $

Pho & I 267 Huntington Ave. Boston, MA 02115

Tufts University might be a bit of a journey down the Red Line to Davis Square, but the campus doesn’t hurt for local, off-campus food options. Kevin Kozikowski, a sophomore chemical engineering major at Tufts, shared some favorites.

Pho & I serves a mixture of Vietnamese and Thai cuisine, including noodle dishes and rice and pho, a popular Vietnamese noodle soup. The dinner entrées range from $8 to $15, and the restaurant accepts Husky Dollars, part of the Northeastern campus meal plan. Lawson describes the

Tufts University

Anna’s Taqueria 236A Elm St. Somerville, MA 02144 With 6 locations around Boston, Anna’s Taqueria need not only be enjoyed by Somerville residents. However, the one in Davis Square is a favorite among students in their search for authentic Mexican street food. Anna’s is locally owned and operated, dealing with only the freshest ingredients.

For $5 to $12, they will create your favorite Mexican dish and prepare it right in front of you. Kozikowski orders the burrito and customizes it by choosing his favorite fillings, such as a choice of meat, salsa, cheese, rice, and beans, among other options. The bustling restaurant echoes with the voices of its many customers, a clear indication of its popularity. For both students and residents, Anna’s is the place to be.

Quality of food: 4/5 Atmosphere: 3/5 Service: 4/5 T-access: 3/5 Price: $ Deli-icious 20 College Ave. Somerville, MA 02144 Deli-icious is also only a 2 minute walk from the Red Line in Davis Square.

Perfect for anyone looking to grab a quick lunch, they are a locally-owned deli that serves any kind of sandwich imaginable, along with burgers, salads, and an array of appetizers to complement the rest of the meal. Perfect for a college budget, the food is all around $7 to $10, and it can be purchased using the Tufts campus meal plan. The small restaurant is set up selfserve style, so customers order from the counter to take their food away or place an order online for delivery.

Quality of food: 4/5 Atmosphere: 3/5 Service: 3/5 T-access: 3/5 Price: $ 

COLLABORATION

Writing on the (Bathroom) Wall Story and Photos by Shannon Donovan

AS YOU SIT DOWN TO relieve yourself in the library (bathroom), you might notice something. A message is scrawled across the stall door, asking you a question. Is expression inherent or learned? Good question. But here’s a better one: is bathroom graffiti? We have all received the emails alerting us to the negative graffiti in the residence hall elevators. But another, positive kind of guerrilla art has taken hold of Emerson’s bathrooms. At Emerson, bathroom graffiti goes far beyond curse words and initials encased in hearts. Littered throughout Little Building, Ansin, and Iwasaki Library are various quips, ranging from pensive (memento mori, Latin for ‘remember you will die’) to encouraging (you are worth something).

As far as expression goes, graffiti is a remarkable medium to consider. For one thing, the artist almost never lays claim to their work or gets any recognition. Graffiti is by its nature temporary, so bathroom graffiti artists know their creations will eventually be painted over by facilities. But for some, that’s exactly why they do it. An Emerson graffiti artist who wishes to remain anonymous says her inspiration came from street art, particularly Banksy. “I like street art, and I like the meaning behind graffiti. I like that the artist knows the meaning behind it but someone else walking by will not.” She is willing to lay claim to a piece on the second floor bathrooms of Little Building; Art is eggs with an accompanying illustration, saying she was inspired by a similar piece of graffiti created by a friend from home. “An art teacher said that to my friend Sean years ago and he is still trying to figure out what it means,” she says.

“I like that graffiti is temporary for a couple of reasons,” she continues “It changes with current events and it is a good way to remember that nothing is strictly permanent. Its very fluid.” Another aspect of graffiti to consider is its interactive nature. In the women’s bathroom at the Iwasaki Library, a graffiti artist posed a series of questions for visitors to ponder including: Where does your trash go? Is expression inherent or learned? When did childhood become a dream? Emersonian women responded in a number of ways including “probably heaven” and the all-encompassing “42”. When a piece of graffiti is created on a bathroom stall anyone who sees it and has a pen at hand is free to respond anonymously. Like the Internet—except eventually, this will all be washed away or covered by layer of thick industrial paint, never to be seen again. With the constant threat that anything put online could be used against us, it is quite liberating to emote in a way that cannot be traced.

At a school so immersed in online culture, Emerson’s artful graffiti is a throwback to our pre-Twitter past. Lowbrow as it may appear, bathroom graffiti can be a form of tangible artistic expression. Graffiti is an art form, and not all graffiti is negative or hurtful. The beautiful impermanence of graffiti can even stimulate useful discussion. As the oft-forgotten Emerson motto reminds us: Expression is necessary to evolution. 

Toilet Paper Photo: Stock.xchng/gobran111.

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Artistic Advantages of the ProArts Consortium

By Julia Higgins Image courtesy of ProArts Consortium

FOR EMERSON COLLEGE STUDENTS interested

in taking music classes at Berklee College of Music, painting classes from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, or ballet, jazz, or African dance lessons from The Boston Conservatory, the Professional Arts Consortium (ProArts) may be the answer.

The ProArts Consortium consists of six arts schools within the Boston area: Berklee College of Music, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, The Boston Architectural College, The Boston Conservatory, the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Emerson College. Though each of these schools has a specific specialty, all of them have one feature in common; they are all dedicated to exploring the arts. Students attending these schools have the opportunity to take a variety of classes at any of the participating schools, allowing them to expand their educational and artistic horizons.

Senior journalism major Samira Winter has experienced much success and growth as an artist through the ProArts Consortium, from which she has taken classes at Berklee College of Music.

“I’ve taken Harmony 1, Writing Skills, Intro to Film Scoring, and Songwriting at Berklee,” says Winter. “I loved the classes that I took.

Berklee has such a different class environment, and it felt great to only study music. They have a really unique, contemporary approach to understanding music, which differentiates the experience from any other music lesson.”

This is part of what ProArts truly strives for: giving students the opportunity to expand their artistic interests in an environment that is quite different from their own school.

Winter also adds that she would definitely recommend ProArts to fellow students, as it can potentially provide them with a really great opportunity to “expand interests and meet new people.”

When choosing courses through ProArts, it’s important to remember that the program only allows students to take courses that don’t interfere with a pre-existing course load. It’s also in students’ best interest to sign up for courses as soon as they become available, as space is limited for all courses in the program. For each participating college, students have to beware of specific limits on the number of courses they can take, or credits they can earn. The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, for example, only allows students to take one course per semester, whereas at Berklee students can take a maximum of three courses per semester through ProArts.

The ProArts Consortium provides a solid platform to students wishing to expand their creative and artistic skills, and it does so in a way that is relatively simple and easy to follow. The program has also evolved over the past few years; it is beginning to sponsor events that showcase the artistic talents of ProArts students on a larger platform. Last spring, for example, the Consortium had their first arts festival, Give Luck a Chance. Here, students had the opportunity to put their dance, painting, musical, and film skills on display, among other talents. Emersonians looking to pursue the arts more in depth should consider taking advantage of this program, as it is freely available to the Emerson community. 

The registration process for the ProArts Consortium is simple, though there are certain steps that require more time and effort than others. Any student interested in taking classes through ProArts must first acquire a ProArts Cross-Registration Form, which can be found at the Registrar’s Office in the Student Service Center here at Emerson College.

Decide on which courses to take, and from which school. Each school offers a range of about 30 courses from which to pick, making the decision process potentially challenging. At the Boston Conservatory, for example, students can take anything from “Dalcroze Eurhythmics” and “Gyrokinesis” to “Yoga) (for those wondering, Dalcroze Eurhythmics is a Swiss method of combing rhythm, structure, and musical expression through movement).

After deciding on a set choice of courses, the next step is to complete the “Cross-Registration Form,” and turn it in to the Emerson College Registrar. The CrossRegistration Form is easy to complete, and merely requires students to list their name, current address, and any ProArts courses they wish to take.

Once this form is completed, it needs to be taken to the Registrar of the host college; if students wanted to take classes at Berklee, for example, the form would need to be signed by the Berklee Registrar. The completed CrossRegistration form should also be turned into the Emerson College Registrar.

COLLABORATION

CITY Taking the LEAP

Local non-profit girls’ lives are worth defending

By Nick Dumont Photo by Colin Egge A GIRL WALKS HOME FROM her high school in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She’s alone and has another mile to go. A gray Volvo approaches and slows down next to her. An older male in the passenger seat calls out to the girl, asking her to come closer. The girl sees a side street up ahead and hurries towards it, but the driver notices. He speeds up, swerves onto the street, and cuts the girl off. The passenger door swings open and a man climbs out, cornering the girl. She reacts quickly and falls on her back, extends her leg, and kicks the attacker in his shin and then below his waist. He cowers over in pain and she runs away, safely fleeing to the police station.

This nightmare scenario is a reality in some of Boston’s more dangerous neighborhoods. “A lot of girls [in these neighborhoods] don’t feel safe walking home from school. They know people who have gotten jumped, they all know someone who’s gotten killed,” says Gina Varamo, a lead teacher at Girls’ LEAP, a nonprofit organization that teaches young women how to stay safe in their communities, avoid risky confrontations, and physically defend themselves if they have no other option.

Lifetime Empowerment and Awareness Program (LEAP) is an afterschool program that travels to Boston neighborhoods, targeting girls between the ages of 8 and 18, most of whom are at-risk youth living in violent communities.

The nonprofit organization was founded in 1995 following a string of sexual assaults against women in Cambridge. Public officials failed to provide public warnings about the crimes, and girls in the area were unprepared and vulnerable to attacks. Faculty members at Wellesley University and Tufts University joined up to create LEAP and focused on teaching young girls how to protect themselves against violence.

The methods they teach focus primarily on awareness and self-empowerment, and they emphasize that there are alternative means to reacting to violence. “The girls are like, I’m going to learn how to fight, I’m going to learn how to defend myself. I’m going to be tough and beat up all the boys,” says Varamo. “But it’s more than just teaching 8-year-olds how to break noses. It’s about teaching that 8-year-old that her ideas are worth defending.”

With that said, LEAP is aware that fighting is sometimes unavoidable, like in the case of an attack or extreme bullying. The first

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half of every 2-hour LEAP session is focused on physical skills.

For example, escape skills equip the girls with ways to strike back if they’re grabbed around the neck or cornered. Strike skills are moves that can cause damage to a human body and should only be used if they’re absolutely necessary.

Once the girls learn strike skills, they must take the Girls’ LEAP promise, an oath that makes them swear they won’t use these moves to bully people or hold power over them. “[The girls] are breaking noses, hitting for the midline, kicking into the sensitive parts of the body,” says Varamo. “And we want them to understand the severity of those actions.” The promise also requires them to pledge that they will only use these skills in dangerous situations when it’s absolutely necessary.

Unlike boxing or karate, LEAP’s physical system is tailored around a woman’s body. The girls are taught how to engage their core, the strongest part of their body. They’re shown how to drop their hips, use their legs to stay low, and maintain leverage.

After focusing on physical skills for the first hour of the session, the teaching women (as they’re called at LEAP) move on to reflective self-defense. The exercises focus on confrontations, and how to avoid or solve them with words. This is the approach that LEAP encourages, and they use group discussions and activities to help the girls develop camaraderie, confidence, and self-awareness.

The entrance and exit surveys that LEAP conducts with its members illustrate that girls are embracing this nonviolent philosophy. After participating in LEAP, 87% of the girls believed they could stop someone from bothering them by just speaking to them, and 93% believed they could solve an issue without violence.

Jennifer Zemke, a teaching woman at LEAP, believes that learning how to be verbal is key. “It’s about the girls learning to claim their space and use their voices, and when they learn that they are capable of protecting themselves and being powerful they gain a lot of security and open opportunities for themselves.” After spending so much time together, the girls gradually become more comfortable with speaking up in the group.

LEAP is a comprehensive program and requires 10 weeks to empower the girls and prepare them for conflicts they might face in their communities. Ideally, Varamo says that girls in the program shouldn’t have to use the strike skills or verbal techniques they learn at LEAP. The instructors help girls develop an awareness of their surroundings and teach them how to project confidence so they can steer clear of conflicts altogether.

The program’s true value doesn’t lie in self-defense methods, but rather in how it builds the girls’ identities at a crucial time in their life when they’re most insecure. Zemke says that she’s witnessing first-hand how girls in the program emerge from their shells. “I’ve seen some change in the girls that I work with,” she says. “They’re getting more engaged, getting louder during physical skill training and getting more involved during our reflective exercises.” This is just one example of how the organization and its sense of community help the girls develop into women and teach them valuable life lessons.

LEAP recognizes that girls outside of Boston would benefit from their programs, but plans to expand to Brockton last year were derailed by a lack of funds. Like any nonprofit, LEAP has enough interest but not enough money. “In order to expand we need lots of college volunteers. Girls’ LEAP thrives on volunteers,” says Varamo. “[The girls] are interacting with them one-on-one in every single program and learning about them and forming bonds and relationships.”

Right now, the organization is running 10 after-school programs, but if they want to continue to grow and thrive, they need volunteers.

In an attempt to recruit more members, LEAP created an adjunct chapter, which includes teaching women from Emerson College, Boston University, and Lesley University. Varamo handed out flyers at Emerson and recruited Zemke and 2 other girls, Hailey Chavez and Kate Rosenzweig.

Varamo says that the LEAP experience is rewarding and literally life-changing. “LEAP came into my life when I was in a very rough spot. I didn’t really know who I was, what I valued, what I wanted to do. It really helped me figure out who I am and what I wanted,” she says. “I’ve grown from being in Girls’ LEAP probably just as much as the girls have. It’s something that I will never

forget, ever.”

As Varamo traveled her path to self-realization she also enriched the lives of the girls she trained. Many of these girls come from broken households, high-crime neighborhoods, or schools where bullying is prevalent. LEAP is a community where they can learn how to cope with their surroundings. “It’s an all-female safe space where you can just be open and honest,” says Varamo.

“There’s no judgement.” Above all else, the girls also learn that it’s okay to just be themselves.

When LEAP students graduate, they have to give one reason of why they’re worth defending. At a graduation in South Boston in February, around 30 girls, including the teaching women, stood in a semicircle in front of friends and family and shared their reason. Some of the answers were silly. “I’m worth defending because I’m awesome,” said one girl. Others were reasonable: “I deserve my own space,” said another.

But one response from a young participant summed up the entire reason why Girls’ LEAP exists. “I’m worth defending because I’m a human,” she said. “And I have basic human rights that others should respect.”

For girls so young to grasp such an important concept is one of the largest reasons why LEAP truly matters and illustrates why it can be constructive to anyone. A girl doesn’t have to be from a dangerous neighborhood to benefit from LEAP’s welcoming community, which can foster their identity and help them mature. The physical skills that the girls learn in the program are helpful, but they may never have to use them. The idea that they all deserve to be defended and treated with respect, however, is something they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.  Interested in volunteering for Girls’ LEAP? Visit leapmail.wix.com for more information.

COLLABORATION

Homegrown:

The Possibilities of Urban Farming

By Sara Selevitch Photos by Rory McCann

THE INTERSECTION OF LUCERNE AND

Balsam Street in Dorchester, Massachusetts, contains all the elements of a typical urban neighborhood: beige houses with vinyl siding loom over grey concrete sidewalks, where clumps of weeds sprout up through the cracks. The scene seems far removed from nature, save for the plot of land that runs the length of the block, which is filled with impeccable rows of leafy vegetables. Spinach and endives sprout up from the ground, and heirloom carrots grow in tall raised beds of light soil. In the heart of this Dorchester neighborhood, crops like head lettuce, herbs, and even raspberries, are growing and thriving at City Growers’ Franklin Field Farm.

City Growers is a for-profit urban farming company founded in 2009 by Margaret Connors and Glynn Lloyd. Their mission is simple: transform vacant lots in Boston into sustainable farms. The duo was inspired by the statistic that 7 percent of farms produce 72 percent of our food in America. “We feel that needs to change,” Connors says. “We saw a need to create a new industry and realized that there were ways to do it.” City Growers’ main focus is on the community. In producing local agriculture, they also create employment opportunities for community members and increase local access to affordable and nutrient-rich foods.

Since their inception, City Growers has cultivated 4 plots in Dorchester and Roxbury. These plots vary in size, and each farm boasts a different batch of crops. Glenway Farm is their newest cultivation, and this formerly abandoned quarter-acre lot will soon foster green romaine, red leaf head lettuce, Japanese turnips, rainbow beets, herbs, and flowers. City Growers sells their hyperlocal produce to 16 local restaurants and grocery stores in the Boston area. “We want to keep supplying local food stores who have difficulty accessing fresh produce,” Connor says. “It’s hard for distributors who are dealing with such volume to deliver fresh produce to these small stores.

We are hoping that we’ll be able to fill in that gap.” In the future, the group also hopes to expand into their own farmer’s market in Roxbury to sell their produce directly to the people.

The benefits of urban agriculture span economic and environmental domains. Its potential is most clearly outlined in a recent study conducted by the Conservation Law Foundation. The CLF is an environmental advocacy organization with offices around

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New England. They develop solutions to a wide range of issues including energy, wind facilities, transportation, and food. In 2012, the CLF teamed up with City Growers to compile a report on the promise of urban agriculture in Boston. The report examines the effects of converting 50 theoretic acres of land into agricultural production. “One goal was to demonstrate benefits that farming can bring,” says Jennifer Rushlow, a CLF attorney and the leader of their farm and food initiative. “The other goal was to analyze the state of policy in Massachusetts and Boston and ask if the laws and policies are really working in our favor.” CLF concluded that this venture would create over 200 jobs, produce enough fresh produce to feed over 3,600 people over a 6-month period, and result in a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

There are many obstacles to overcome before this vision can come to fruition. “There are real concerns around soil contamination in urban settings,” Rushlow says. “The perception is that the soil is either contaminated or poisoned and that there’s no way to do it safely, but that isn’t necessarily true.” Part of the problem

stems from current policy and the way current hazardous waste laws are constructed. What the CLF hopes to do, Rushlow says, is to clarify for people the best way for them to use their land safely.

Luckily, the CLF is not the only group addressing these issues.

The Urban Farming Institute of Boston is a nonprofit sect of City Growers that focuses on issues of land ownership, soil remediation, and job training. One of their programs is a 28 to 30 week training course that includes both classroom sessions and practical

experience in the field. After completing the training, each farmer will receive a plot of land to grow on. UFI also sponsored a Massachusetts Urban Farming Conference at Roxbury Community College in March. The conference provided an update on the state of Boston agriculture and laid out the opportunities and challenges of growing food in the city.

Urban agriculture in Boston is also receiving support from local government. In 2010, Mayor Menino formed the Urban Agriculture Initiative with plans to change zoning laws to better suit farming efforts. This past February, he proposed the creation of The Massachusetts Food Innovation Trust Fund, which would provide

a source of financing for local food entrepreneurs. All of these efforts are working towards giving the people of Boston access to affordable local produce.

At its place on the corner of Lucerne and Balsam Street, the Franklin Field Farm embodies the possibilities of urban agriculture. Once an abandoned city lot, it has been transformed into a thriving farm. The Franklin Field Farm and the others like it serve as a beacon of community and a wealth of resources. Groups like City Growers and the CLF are well on their way to forever altering the way Bostonians think about, purchase, and consume produce.

ďƒž

COLLABORATION

Newbury Street League

Story and Photos by Victoria Mier

FOUNDED IN 1972, THE NEWBURY Street League is the equivalent of a business association. Its mission is to promote and protect the quintessential Newbury Street atmosphere: the metropolitan-meets-quaint hustle and bustle of the shops and restaurants that line the avenue, selling everything from homemade soaps to scrumptious sweet potato fries. Devoted to improving and preserving every aspect of the street, the League wants you to know that Newbury Street has something for everyone--regardless of your price point.

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Long before the premier shopping retailers and delicious cafes, there was only water–a lot of water. In 1857, a 2-mile section of the Boston Harbor was slowly filled in, eventually evolving into the Back Bay neighborhood and what is today known as Newbury Street. Formerly one of the most-desired places to reside in the city, Newbury Street has transformed into a shopping, dining, and entertainment mecca. Due to the sudden sprouting of businesses along the tree-lined boulevard, a business association was forged– and so the Newbury Street League was born.

Collaboration can easily be considered a major factor in the League’s success. “We partner with many member businesses to

“I think people come for the whole picture,” Michele Messino says of Newbury Street. “Whether it’s the historic structures, unique shops, or restaurants – we’ve got everything.” create sponsors and great promotion. It works really well,” says League executive director Michele Messino. The Herb Chambers Corporation, one of the biggest auto dealers in the area, recently partnered with the League to produce Newbury Street’s Fashion’s Night Out in September–just one example of the working relationships the League has developed in their 40 years. Fashion’s Night Out featured, in addition to the expected fashion shows, live music, makeovers, luxury cars, special in-store events, and celebrity appearances. Mayor Menino kicked off the Fashion’s Night Out festivities, followed by various musical performances at the main stage and along the entire street. Newbury Street’s Fashion Show featured Boston designer Britt Ryan, as well as Marc Jacobs, Ted Baker London, M. Miller, and many more.

Fashion’s Night Out isn’t the only exciting event organized by the Newbury Street League. In December 2012, it also hosted the Annual Holiday Stroll. Over 50 businesses participated, offering

holiday-themed events, food, drinks, and special deals on their services or merchandise. Music and entertainment were vital parts of the event’s success, brightening the street with holiday cheer. The League also hosts galas and auctions to help benefit the businesses on Newbury. Last June, the League held a 40th Anniversary Gala at the Mandarin Oriental for a night of cocktails and live music.

According to Messino, marketing and promoting Newbury Street businesses is an essential part of being a League member.

It’s no surprise, though, that there are modern-day challenges to the League’s original purposes. In particular, Messino struggles to advertise Newbury Street as something that remains interesting and exciting, despite its longstanding presence in the Boston area.

Fortunately, these issues don’t phase Messino very much. “It’s not really a challenge,” Messino says, “Marketing and promoting has definitely changed, but we’ve progressed along with the times.”

“I think people come for the whole picture,” Michele Messino says of Newbury Street. “Whether it’s the historic structures, unique shops, or restaurants – we’ve got everything.” Even after 40 years, Messino and the rest of the League’s members are devoted to staying true to their mission statement, whether it’s marketing and promoting or developing strong relationships with public departments through collaboration. As Messino says, “We’re constantly working to improve.” It’s no surprise that between the devotion of the League and the unique charm of the street itself, the businesses of Newbury Street are in good hands. 

COLLABORATION

GLOBE A Helping Hand: three years

after earthquake, nonprofits continue work in Haiti

By Julia Domenicucci Photos courtesy of Healing Hands for Haiti Illustration by Marisa Perkins

BAD NEWS TRAVELS FAST IN our hyper-connected society. Media coverage of global disasters seems to be minute-by-minute in the days after they occur. Events to raise money for disaster relief are quickly planned and promoted, such as NBC’s “A Concert for Hurricane Relief ” after Katrina or the 12-12-12 concert for Hurricane Sandy fundraising. Individual citizens give their money or their time to a variety of organizations. But once the reporters go home and the bands stop playing, only a few organizations stay behind to help the locals continue the recovery process.

Three years after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook the small country of Haiti, nonprofits are still an important part of the Haitian people’s survival. Through continued collaboration, these organizations provide services that include medical assistance, distribution of supplies, and lessons in basic hygiene and care. Yet the presence of some organizations began long before the earthquake, and will likely remain essential for years after earthquake recovery ends. Boston’s Healing Hands for Haiti is just one of these organizations.

“Normally what we do, our particular group, is give seminars on

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the various disciplines, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, prosthetics, orthotics,” explains Frank Shirley, the treasurer of Boston Healing Hands. These goals shifted slightly after the earthquake, putting more of a focus on orthotics (dealing with devices to support limbs such as braces) and prosthetics (making artificial body parts). According to an NBC news article posted a few days after the earthquake, over 800,000 people in Haiti were already handicapped before the disaster. The earthquake only compounded the problem; countless were injured and although no one is sure exactly how many received amputations because of the calamity, the same NBC article estimates a minimum of at least 75 amputations a day. Organizations involved in the medical fields of orthotics and prosthetics, such as Healing Hands, became invaluable.

Recognizing an increased need for their services, Healing Hands barely hesitated once they learned of the earthquake: just one week after the event, a small team—including Shirley—traveled to aid the ailing country. They were certainly not the only ones who wished to offer their support. “After the earthquake there was a huge influx of help, a lot of different organizations,” says Shirley.

The first Healing Hands trip to Haiti took place in August 1998, twelve years before the earthquake. Originally consisting of one larger group named Healing Hands for Haiti International, a second group was formed with Boston as the hub and, to start with, a team of five. Shirley became involved with this Boston

branch about ten years ago. Although the number of organizations in Haiti—and funding for them—has decreased in the past few years, both the international and the Boston branch remain closely affiliated and together send teams of orthotists, prosthetists, and nurses into the country year after year. Every member is a volunteer and the money they need is raised through donations.

Since the earthquake hit in January 2010, Shirley has been to Haiti five times. Over the course of those trips he noticed a change.

“Originally there was only one prosthetic and orthotic facility and that was Healing Hands,” says Shirley. “There are probably six now.”

Initially, the goals of the organization centered around education, and with the immediate emergency mostly passed, Healing Hands and other nonprofits can return to their pre-earthquake tasks. “We would go down and teach more than treat,” Shirley says.

“And that’s what we’ll continue to do.”

Before the earthquake, for example, Healing Hands was able to greatly decrease the mortality rate of children who had surgery for hydrocephalus, a condition where pressure is put on the brain because of too much fluid.

“Of the surgeries they were doing, maybe one out of 10 [children] would live,” says Shirley. “Our nurses developed a pre-op and post-op program that educated the mothers on basic cleanliness— you know, keep your fingers out of the wound, keep the wound

clean.” After a year of these lessons, the situation was reversed— only one out of ten children who underwent the operation died.

Shirley says, “It was unbelievable.”

Just as public awareness was limited before the catastrophe, in the three years since the events in Haiti both interest and media coverage has waned. Shirley believes a lack of awareness is complicated by fears of going to underdeveloped countries such as Haiti and an economy that does not leave people with much extra money or time.

“There’s definitely less help now than right after the earthquake,” Shirley says. “[The nonprofits] have run out of money. It’s going to be a year or two that people donate, but there’s always someplace else that people are going to have to spend money.”

Although Shirley alludes to the many other natural disasters that require humanity’s attention, Boston Healing Hands and several of their affiliates are not leaving Haiti anytime soon. The Healing Hands for Haiti International group, an organization based in Florida named the CRUDEM Foundation, a Port-auPrince-based spinal injury treatment group called Medishare, and others have also made continued commitments to Haiti.

“The whole idea is to teach people so that they don’t need us anymore,” Shirley adds. Even in the light of recent setbacks—including the continuing issue of cholera—Shirley outlines an optimistic hope for Haiti’s independent future. 

COLLABORATION

Inside

Immigration

By Bianca Joanie Padró-Ocasio Photos by Jon Simmons

THE LAND IS ARID AND dry. There’s barely anyone there, except for a U.S. Border Patrol car. On the other side I see a Coca-Cola truck. Recently imported coke. The Mexico-Texas border runs up mountains, runs down hills, and any way you look at it, it’s only a fence.

I can picture it now: President Obama with his “gang of eight” sitting at a round table. Notice it’s a round table, and there’s no sides to it, though there are many perspectives in play.

Secure the borders, add more miles to the fence, and strengthen privately owned detention facilities. A gang of eight.

Bipartisan members of the United States government have recently engaged in an immigration debate that would make changes to immigration laws and border control measures.

What made this topic rise to the top of Obama’s to-do list is the amount of Latino voters who favored Obama in the 2012 elections, over the ex-presidential candidate for the Republican party, Mitt Romney. Even though immigration is still a very controversial topic, the fact that most immigrants are not given a fair chance to obtain U.S. citizenship and are almost immediately stripped of their human rights when they cross the border is harder to ignore.

The Obama administration recognizes that deporting millions of American residents is unreal and wants to give younger immigrants the “path to citizenship.” Amnesty, as others would call it, for undocumented immigrants, which could come in a span of ten years.

This debate is not just taking place in the United States. The truth is that other countries like Canada and Australia are also targets for people seeking better living conditions. The United Kingdom is also currently facing a similar debate. According to a survey conducted by The Guardian, Britons regard immigration

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as the biggest public issue in British society. Furthermore, the publication explains that “one in three people believes tension between immigrants and people born in the UK is the major cause of division.” Sound familiar?

But the case in the U.K. is much bigger than that. According to Emigrate.co.uk, the U.K. is now the most popular country in the European Union for migrants. Not only is the rate at which they receive immigrants increasingly fast (591,000 migrants in 2010 alone), but the U.K. has little control over immigrants who enter illegally.

Unlike the U.S., strengthening border security is not a viable option.

Cindy Rodríguez, a journalism professor at Emerson who specializes in reporting about race relations and cultural affairs says “I think the polls show that Americans do want to have reform and want to offer pathway to citizenship for, at the very least, the young people who were brought here by their parents and have lived here and have contributed to society … That is having an impact on how political leaders view the issue because they know that these individuals are the future voters of America.”

She also thinks that the Republican party is beginning to see that they are forced to change their immigration platform because they’re aware of the amount of immigrants that favored Obama in the last election.

“If you’re not keeping in tune with the needs of individuals, you’re shutting yourself out,” Rodríguez says. “Sure, undocumented people cannot vote but most people who are undocumented have some connection to people who are here legally and can vote and those are the people who will have a say who gets in.”

One reason that has delayed the U.S. debate on immigration are the popular myths that surround the topic. For example, “they are stealing our jobs” is a phrase that divides the public and perpetuates xenophobia. According to the International Business Times, a financial newspaper, relaxed immigration laws in the U.S, could “encourage entrepreneurship, increase demand for housing, raise tax revenues and help reduce the budget deficit.”

Rodríguez adds that although there is big opposition right now, there are a lot of social and executive groups that are in favor of immigration, “It’s going to be a big fight. There’s a lot of people who have a stake in this. Chambers of Commerce throughout the U.S. are pro-immigration.

Why? Money. You have churches; some are pro [immigration] and some are against it, so that’s another huge group, and then you have all kinds of groups who are adamant.”

Regardless of why certain groups choose to support or not support immigration, Rodríguez points out that this topic needs to be discussed, “The laws that exist now are so outdated, and some of them make absolutely no sense. [Congress] needs to completely overhaul it.”

In the U.K., reasons to support migration are fairly similar in some ways to Obama’s encouragement of the amnesty for younger immigrants. For example, according to the Office for the National Statistics (ONS) of the U.K., the main reason for migrating to Britain is formal study. It is not logical for the government to dissuade talented and potentially successful students from contributing to England’s future and economy.

The economy is also the base for the British believe that their country is being “overcrowded” by Eastern European immigrants.

In 2014, EU work restrictions issued in Romania and Bulgaria will be lifted and thousands are expected to migrate to Britain. David Cameron, Britain’s Prime Minister, has begun an anti-immigration campaign. According to the Brownsville Herald, Britain is even considering ads around Romania and Bulgaria, the EU’s poorest countries, saying that immigrants could face restrictions if they decide to migrate. The fact that these countries are the poorest ones in the Union has led the public to believe that a mass migration could take place starting 2014. In an article written for the Brownsville Herald, Bulgarians and Romanians spoke out against the stereotypes and

the negative backlash they’re receiving in Britain.

Greeks are also a big group of migrants who are traveling to the U.K. The devastating economic crisis under which Greece is in is directly affecting England, both in terms of migration and finances.

It’s hard to think of immigration as a human issue because political rhetoric is often limited to figures and ideas of security that are not always true to reality.

To put these facts into a human context, freshman Jenni Leahy shares her mother’s experience as an Irish immigrant in the United States and her own experience as an American immigrant in England.

“I was young enough when we moved to the U.K. that growing up was natural. I learned everything along with the other kids, same for my brother and sister. There were some issues.

When I was 4 years old, I was in the playground with my best friend and asked her to fix the ‘barrette’ in my hair, but in England they call it a clip. She had no idea what I was saying so we just got really mad at each other. I remember our parents were called in and it was all put down to ‘being American’ which came to be the explanation for many things early on,” Leahy says.

It would be hard to imagine a world where immigration is a controversial topic, especially in the United States, a land that was built up by immigrants. We’re culturally and ideologically complex, and basic living conditions shouldn’t be limited to a “first come, first serve” basis.

I can see it now: President Obama sitting down at a round table with a gang of eight. Notice the table has no sides. No sides for undocumented people to sit at, no sides for stories to be shared in Congress, and no sides for numbers to measure the power of the human spirit. 

“It’s going to be a big fight. There’s a lot of people who have a stake in this.”

COLLABORATION

W o r d l y Compiled by the Globe staff Illustration by Marisa Perkins

UNITED STATES & EUROPE:

As the US attempts to limit gun violence while upholding the second amendment, the United Nations is meeting to work through the Arms Trade Treaty with a goal to eliminate illegal weapons trades, especially ones that negatively affect communities.

SYRIA:

In early March the 1 millionth refugee fled the troubles in Syria. Those who travel to nearby countries are causing an increase in populations (such as in Lebanon, whose population has increased 10% since the refugees began arriving).

GLOBAL:

From continued debates about Pussy Riot’s 2012 sentencing and Steubenville-induced commentary against rape culture to rallies in Lebanon and Tunisia and Queen Elizabeth II’s decision to change the rules of succession, women’s rights are gaining awareness across the globe.

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N e w s VATICAN CITY:

From the first pope resigning in almost 600 years and the reveal that the Vatican department shares a building in Rome with Italy’s biggest gay sauna, the Vatican has had some explaining and rearranging to do.

JAPAN:

Every year from late February until May, Japanese civilians must endure terrible pollen allergies caused by the sugi (Japanese cedar trees). The sugi have always grown near religious sites and are part of national folklore.

This environmental phenomenon is less of a priority for the government than post-tsunami reconstruction.

AUSTRALIA:

A study conducted by senior economists at the Australian National University found that good-looking male workers earn 22 per cent more than average-looking colleagues. Good-looking females, however, don’t earn the same advantage.

COLLABORATION

INDUSTRY Donations for Innovation

By Erin Corrigan

EVER WONDER HOW A SCHOOL like Emerson College can afford all of the programs and opportunities it offers along with the regular costs of maintaining a school where over four thousand students thrive? Of course, tuition is the first answer that comes to mind, but this money alone does not cover all of the college’s expenses. According to Emerson’s June 30, 2012 Financial Statement, the school’s total expenses in 2012 added up to almost $138 million. The report also said the total Emerson received from tuition and fees was less than $103 million. Where does Emerson get the rest of the money it needs to be a successful establishment of higher education? The answer is simple: private gifts and grants, which Emerson’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations takes care of.

Danielle Reddy is one of the head honchos of the school’s gift program. Specifically, the Emerson alum runs the Annual Fund, which provides support for academic programs, scholarships, and financial aid for current students. Sitting next to her giant plush giraffe in her office on the seventh floor of the Walker Building, Reddy says the Annual Fund only counts for certain things in the school’s totals. “It’s meant to be dollars that can be used now that the school needs this minute.” This means that much of the funds go to paying operations costs. “It keeps the lights on and the heat on and it keeps the trash being taken out and things being clean and up-to-snuff,” Reddy says.

What’s unique about the Annual Fund is that those who give to it can choose to direct their support to a specific organization or department that impacted them or their children. For example, if an alum participated in Emerson’s theater department, he or she can opt to give their gift to the Office of the Arts. Or, for those

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dedicated to creating a better dining experience for current students, giving dining services some money to put towards new ice cream flavors.

Reddy says the office’s goal is to get people into the habit of giving what they can each year, even if they can only give a little.

One way the office tries to achieve this goal is through mailing creative cards and letters to students’ parents and alumni. “This year’s theme for our mail piece was taking our alumni through the Emerson journey again,” Reddy says. One mailing was styled after a daily planner featuring a crammed to-do list that included tasks like “finish essay,” “marketing class,” “internship,” “softball,” and “EVVY’s meeting.” Reddy explained, “The idea was to point out that Emersonians are over-scheduled and everyone has a thousand things going on.” Alumni can especially relate to this concept, as Emerson students are known for jamming every opportunity they can take into an already tight schedule.

One of the office’s most creative and fun ways to encourage gift giving is through the mustache - Mike MacWade’s mustache that is. MacWade, a board member and Emerson graduate of 1985, wanted to teach the school’s youngest alumni the importance of giving. He told Reddy and the office staff that if they could figure out how to reach out to this young population, he would make a gift of $25,000. Reddy says MacWade has a “very significant” mustache, so the facial hair became the brand of the MacWade Challenge. Now in its third year, the challenge is a matching-gift program. Emerson grads of the last ten years can make a gift of any amount to any program and MacWade will match that gift. “So if you did Alternative Spring Break and that’s what you wanted to give your money to and you gave 100 bucks, Mike would also give 100 bucks there. So it doubles your impact,” says Reddy. The office has seen a great response to the challenge. “The first year we met our goal of $25,000, last year we exceeded our $25,000 goal, so this

year he’s upped his money in order for us to stretch,” Reddy says.

According to Reddy, alumni and parents are giving the most back to the college. “Those are the people who have a natural affinity to give back. They were impacted by this place and we’re hoping they’ll want to show their appreciation for that by giving something.” The results clearly prove this appreciation to be an incredibly high one. The office reported that in the last fiscal year, more than 1,974 new donors made gifts to the college. Parents gave a total of $342,000. In total, 5,608 donors gave $4.76 million to Emerson.

All of these gift-giving programs depict how highly Emerson values community, connectivity, and collaboration. One little known fact about Emerson alums is that nearly fifty percent of them have graduated within the last ten years. “So when you come out, you’ll be part of this enormous group that makes up a really young piece of our population,” Reddy says. For this reason, the office also works hard to collaborate with current students to give back to Emerson in different ways. One of these ways is through the Senior Class Gift. Lindsey Athanasiou, who helps spearhead the senior gift, explains, “Part of the purpose of having a Senior Class Gift is to educate seniors before they leave of the importance of giving back to Emerson, celebrating their time here, and coming together to leave their legacy.” In high school, a senior gift usually means giving the school something like a bench or a tree,

Some events include speed networking and day-long trips like the New York Connection to meet alumni in various professional career tracks.

Pearson says EC4Life helps students transition to become active alumni and to “understand that important connection that starts the minute you come on campus. The minute students arrive, we want them to know they’re part of this really phenomenal Emerson family,” she says. “There is a lot of opportunity that I think students may not perceive as being as valuable as it is.” EC4Life is always looking for members from all stages of the Emerson experience, including current students, and it doesn’t have to be a huge commitment. “It can be the level of involvement that you want it to be,” says Athanasiou. “It really can be catered to a student schedule.” Those interested in joining can sign-up through Emerson’s alumni page under the “current students” section or simply visit the office on the seventh floor of the Walker Building.

Another friendly face you might come across in the office is Mary Ann Cicala, Interim Director of Alumni Relations. Cicala says all of these elements, including EC4Life and the Senior Class Gift, really bring together what Alumni Relations is. “At the end of the day, Alumni Relations is a staff of three, essentially, and our job is to keep about 35,000 alumni engaged.” This means connecting them with each other and with the school and allowing them to celebrate the experiences they had at Emerson. Cicala compares

“It’s about finding their personal way to engage with each other and with the college” - Mary Ann Cicala, Inteim Director of Alumni Relations

but Emerson does it differently, usually through scholarship funds.

This year, the senior gift will be a contribution to the Griff O’Brien Scholarship, in honor of Griffin O’Brien, a member of the class of 2013 who passed away unexpectedly last July. His parents set up the scholarship for others to contribute to.

Not only is contributing to the senior gift beneficial to the school and future students, but donating also puts students on the path to reaping benefits like becoming a member of the President’s Society. The society is a group of alumni, parents, and friends who invest annually to ensure Emerson remains a state-of-the-art institution. Athanasiou explains that members get special access to opportunities like a reception with President Pelton, networking and professional events throughout Boston, New York, and LA and free tickets to the Boston Film Festival and Emerson’s Spring Musical. Members also receive recognition with other distinct alumni in publications like the annual Donor Report. Current seniors only have to make an affordable gift of $100 to join the society. Membership is yearly, so to be a member every year, alums must make the annual required gift according to their alumni status.

The Senior Class Gift is one arm of a larger organization called EC4Life. Athanasiou is co-adviser of EC4Life with Rachel Pearson, Associate Director of Development and Alumni Relations.

EC4Life’s mission is “to facilitate continuous interaction and sharing between alumni and students by fostering lifelong loyalty, participation, and philanthropic support while maintaining Emerson spirit and tradition.” The program offers endless opportunities for networking with renowned alumni and other prominent figures.

EC4Life to the “OL-for-life” kind of experience. As soon as new students arrive on campus, a frenzy of highly-enthusiastic orientation leaders welcome them and their families into the community.

“That’s what it is,” says Cicala. “It’s a crazy welcome and heralding into the alumni experience.”

The endless giving-and-receiving process as a whole depicts what Jeffrey Schoenherr, Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations, says the office is trying to establish: philanthropy. “We’re trying to give the alums who don’t know this campus the opportunity to come back, to take a tour, to participate in reunion weekend, and we’re trying to allow the younger alums to know that we need their support to continue to make this campus thrive and to add opportunities to the campus that they didn’t have when they were here.” Reddy extends this thought, explaining the importance of giving back to Emerson so that future students can enjoy the same things current students are experiencing now.

The memories students make at the college are what bring them back. “At the end of the day,” says Cicala, “we want people to feel engaged and participate in the life of the college. Whether that’s coming back and speaking on campus, connecting each other through unions or personal connections, or making a gift to the Annual Fund or a scholarship that’s meaningful to them, it’s about finding their personal way to engage with each other and with the college.” Emerson gives so much to its students; the Office of Development and Alumni Relations provides gateways for us to return the favor. 

COLLABORATION

l

The Digital Intern

By Karen Morales

THE IMAGE OF THE TYPICAL student intern is changing. The digital age has completely rewritten the idea of interns scurrying around a busy office, while juggling cups of coffee and stacks of copy paper. Paper cuts and a ringing phone were the intern’s torment. Now, thanks to technology, an intern can manage files, write press releases and articles, and market their company— all from the comfort of their own bed. While a telecommuting internship might seem like an unconventional way to gain experience and insight into one’s chosen career, Emerson students are anything but conventional. Some have wholly embraced the idea of a digital internship—is it worth it for you?

Students from the technology generation know all too well that the internet can simplify many tasks from your real life: you can check your bank account balance, read a book, meet the love of your life, order a pizza, blow your credit limit shopping online, and break up with your significant other. While some of these things are better done in person, many can successfully be accomplished with a strong wifi connection—a telecommuting internship is just one of the more productive examples.

“Our office does not normally post these kinds of internships on our job or internship board, eHire, as they do not meet our internship guidelines,” said Mary Sullivan, associate director of career services. “However, we have found that some students may find

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and participate in these types of opportunities on their own, and some may be approved for credit internships by academic departments.”

While not traditionally recognized by the departments, the college is making strides to make telecommuting a reality for notoriously busy Emersonians. Jessica Treadway, the writing, literature, and publishing internship coordinator, explains that the college has recently established and implemented guidelines for career services and department internship coordinators to approve a remote internship for school credit.

Getting your organization deemed legitimate by both an internship coordinator and career services is only the first step in receiving credit for your digital work. The college stipulates that the internship must use a document sharing tool, allowing interns to easily share their work with a supervisor. Emerson also asks that interns and supervisors exchange regularly scheduled email reports, allowing the intern easy access to a superior—someone who can answer questions, log hours worked, and discuss project progression. Alternatively, weekly video chat meetings can be scheduled, in order to provide personalized feedback. Finally, depending on the relative location of the employer to the employee, weekly mentoring meetings are required.

“There’s so much going on with social media and online marketing, there’s a lot you can do from your laptop.”

“We do not particularly encourage virtual internships, but we have put these guidelines in place for the rare occasions in which it is appropriate and the only way an intern can work for a particular organization,” says Treadway.

Of course, there are certain majors that lend themselves to virtual internships better than other majors. For example, online internships for marketing, journalism, and writing, literature, and publishing majors make sense as opposed to acting majors or visual and media arts majors, whose work isn’t is more phsyical and hands-on, thus not always accommodated to online mediums.

For Alexa Zahares, a senior writing, literature, and publishing major, working remotely is the only possible way to gain experience through her current internship. This semester, Zahares works as an editorial intern for The Marble Collection, a literary magazine for Massachusetts high school students. In addition to editing 10 submissions per week, she manages the magazine’s social media accounts.

“I don’t mind working remotely because I like everything the publication does, and I’m really interested in copyediting, and working with high school students,” she says. “I also like the fact that I don’t have to do any office tasks like copying papers or running to get coffee.” Another advantage of working from home?

“You end up putting in the same amount of hours, but no time is

7

work done by its deadline, it doesn’t really matter when or how you do it as long as it’s good and on time,” she says. “It’s also great because it’s very much about self-discipline and determination.”

One drawback of the digital internship, though, is that sometimes technological problems can cause miscommunication. She says, “When I was studying abroad, my editor e-mailed me to add some more pictures to my article. I didn’t have access to a computer, so I didn’t see the e-mail until the day after. I had to try to send picture attachments from an iPhone and it was a whole hot mess.”

Horowitz interns as a blogger for Electrojams.com, an electronic dance music blog. The freshman journalism major says she thought it would be a good step towards her chosen career path of working for a music magazine. Horowitz expressed similar sentiments about the flexibility of a digital internship, along with acknowledging its negatives. “I can take it anywhere with me and work from it. It’s really easy to get all of my work organized. However, if there is no internet access or any Wi-Fi its practically impossible to do any work,” she says.

“We have found that some students may find and participate in these types of opportunities on their own, and some may be approved for credit internships by academic departments.” lost commuting or traveling to the office.”

While it cuts out a daily commute, sometimes working from home isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. “I miss the communicative environment—it’s different not being in a social environment with other staff members.” In terms of communicating with her boss however, she remains positive. “I contact her everyday, she’s really good about responding to emails.”

For Bethany Sales, a graduate student and intern, working independently is the best thing about her job. Sales works at JMD Production, a book production company. As a virtual intern, she is responsible for both marketing and publicity, including creating flyers, writing press releases, managing her boss’s social media calendar, and sending books to potential reviewers. “I work better independently,” she says. “As a graduate student, I know how to work on my own by now.”

For underclassmen Lindsay Geller and Shannon Horowitz, their virtual internship positions offer opportunities to hone their skills in their desired field and build their resumes. Geller, a sophomore marketing and writing, literature, and publishing double major is an editorial intern for ieatgrass.com, a vegan blog. She writes weekly “Foodie Tuesdays” and “Fashion Friday” posts, in addition to managing the site’s Pinterest account. Geller’s favorite thing about her internship is the flexibility. “It’s really easy to fit in a virtual internship in your schedule because as long as you get your

Technology problems aside, the interns advise those who are currently looking for job opportunities to keep an open mind about remote internships. “Other people should explore this more,” says Sales. “There’s so much going on with social media and online marketing, there’s a lot you can do from your laptop.”

Horowitz has found that her digital internship has led to great perks. “I had no idea that with this job, I would be able to meet my favorite artists, interview them, get into concerts for free,” she says.

“Because of this, I’ve been able to network easily and efficiently.”

Gellar found her internship by searching for vegan websites online and emailing the organization asking about internships. Her advice to students interested in trying something similar: “Email as many places as you are interested in. Make sure that your email is as good as a hard-copy cover letter would be. Make sure that your internet-based presence is 100% employer friendly because that will be the first thing they look at, especially since most places ask you to provide links to your social media.”

In this digital age everyone’s eyes are glued to their laptop or tablet screens. Finding an internship where you work online is just a simple Google search away. While traditional office internships aren’t going anywhere, Emerson’s newly established remote internship guidelines are an indication of departure from tradition and a possible view into the future. 

COLLABORATION

From the Cover Shoot Photos by Zeynep Abes and Rory McCann

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Special Thanks A Prom to Remember Alice Bellinger Anne Debczak Boloco Brittany Bailey Charles Entioritte Christine Sigrist Darian Carpenter Duncan Gelder Edward Wodjeski Fashion Society Gian Lombardo Harvard Crimson Press Jacob Porter and the cast of Clubland Judith Josephs Julianna Buck Linda Kayata Lorem Ipsum Books LuShuang Xu Mary Kayata-Edmond Pathways to Wellness Renee Bellinger Spirit Squad Student Government Association

COLLABORATION