1-28-2022

BUSINESS, 5

GALLERY, 6

EDITORIAL, 7

Married Terriers share their new sustainable venture — Tish Wish.

Dive into SPLASH 2.0 with the rest of BU’s campus!

See what the FreeP E-Board has to say about affirmative action.

CE LE B RATIN G

FRIDAY, JAN. 28, 2022

OVE R

50

YE ARS

O F

I N DE PE N DE N T

STU D E NT

WORD SEARCH, 10 Explore Boston University with the Daily Free Press staff!

J O U R NA LI S M

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

YEAR LII. VOLUME A. ISSUE I

‘Dismissive’ and ‘unempathetic’: Students claim unjust treatment from BU Disability and Access Services director Lorre Wolf Lauren Rowlands Campus Associate Several Boston University students claimed Disability and Access Services (DAS) — the office which evaluates and recommends academic accommodations to students with learning or psychiatric disabilities — is riddled with excessive, systemic obstacles for students seeking aid.

Students also described Lorre Wolf — DAS director and the University’s 504 coordinator — as someone who was suspicious, dismissive, derisive and rude in her relationship with students requesting accommodation or permission to bring an Emotional Support Animal to their BU residence.

Allegations also include reports that the DAS and Wolf denied what students argue were reasonable accommodations, asking some to be retested for disabilities personal medical professionals had already diagnosed.

“They’re not there to help. They’re there to fight me every step of the way. I don’t trust them,” one student said.

Some of the students who spoke to The Daily Free Press asked to remain anonymous due to fear of retaliation from the DAS, adding negative interactions with the department have led to difficulties obtaining accommodations in the past.

Wolf is responsible for meeting with students with learning and psychiatric disabilities and reviewing their medical evaluations. She wrote the DAS is required to balance the interests of students with those of the University, and can not accept every student’s accommodation request.

“We sometimes have to dig deep to find the merit of some requests,” Wolf wrote in an email. “As director that

role falls to me, so I am usually the target of student displeasure when we simply can’t approve something.”

Academic accommodations The right to reasonable accommodations for students at

or administrative burden.

According to a well-informed source who spoke to The Daily Free Press, for BU to deny requests for “reasonable accomodations” arguably constitutes a civil rights

said.

Wolf wrote most students’ requests to DAS are met without issue, but added she understands “it’s very hard to ask for something” students feel they need, and “harder to hear” when

COURTESY OF BOSTON UNIVERSITY

Boston University Disability and Access Services Director Lorre Wolf. Nine BU students express complaints against DAS and Wolf on the grounds of difficulties gaining accommodations, questionable legal choices and dismissive interactions.

privately funded institutions, such as BU, is guaranteed under Title III of the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Zach Rossetti, an associate professor of special education at the Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, said the term “reasonable accommodations” is anything that removes barriers preventing equal access to education without fundamentally altering the course or creating an undue financial

violation. Students who have issues with the DAS should first file a grievance with the office or, as a last resort, file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights, the source said.

Some students have brought lawyers into proceedings with BU following difficulties receiving accommodations. One filed a Section 504 grievance against the University for violating legal precedent.

“I truly felt that I was being discriminated against,” a student

the request isn’t met in the way they envision.

“I am always sensitive and supportive as we navigate this process with our students,” she wrote.

The student who filed a Section 504 grievance against Wolf said they requested an exemption from the foreign language requirement, a notetaker and priority scheduling.

DAS denied all three requests.

“Why are things like priority scheduling denied for students with physical disabilities?” the student

later wrote in an email. “It doesn’t matter to DAS whether or not it is actually fair or not. It matters whether it appears fair.”

The issue of campus accommodations dates back to a 1997 class-action lawsuit, Guckenberger v. Boston University, brought by BU students with ADHD, ADD and learning disabilities. Six students claimed BU discriminated against disabled students for reasons such as establishing “unreasonable, overlyburdensome” criteria for qualifying as a disabled student.

Former BU president John Westling testified in court proceedings at the time, admitting he fabricated anecdotal accounts of a student he dubbed “Somnolent Samantha” to demonstrate how lazy students often abused disability policy.

“I wanted notetakers but [DAS] wouldn’t give it to me because they said that would make me lazy,” said Marisa Dobbins, a senior at the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, adding she additionally applied to get time and a half on tests in the Fall of 2020.

It took the entire Fall semester for Dobbins to receive the accommodations she requested after being diagnosed with autism, she said.

The court ruled BU could not require students who had been evaluated by medical professions be retested in order to be eligible for reasonable accommodations.

One student said, despite having an ADHD diagnosis since second grade and getting reevaluated every five years, Wolf wanted them to get another psychological evaluation.

“I remember the gist being ‘Unless you have that test through BU, you’re not getting accommodations,’” the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Fenway Campus reopens to house CGS class of ‘25 following overenrollment Tara Dave Senior Writer Boston University opened the doors once again to its newly refurbished Fenway Campus following an overenrollment of College of General Studies students this Spring semester.

The recently matriculated CGS class has become the first batch of

JORDAN COOPER | DFP STAFF

students to be housed in the new complex, located near Time Out Market, since its reopening — complete with a dining hall, gym, shuttle service, courtyard and study lounges.

There are no classes being held on Fenway Campus. Some students noted difficulties commuting to classes a little under a mile away in Central Campus and socializing with students not in CGS, but many held

a generally positive impression of the facilities and campus community.

Stacy Godnick, associate dean for student academic life, said the Fenway Campus is currently home to half of the 718 CGS students who matriculated this month. The class size is greater than BU’s enrollment target of 600 by 19.7%.

BU’s Fall 2025 class was overenrolled by over 1,200 students, comprising a total class number of

College of General Studies. With the overenrollment of the CGS class of 2025, Boston University opened its newly developed Fenway Campus – equipped with a dining hall, gym, shuttle service, courtyard and study lounges.

5,300 students compared to a total of 3,100 students last year. In a Dec. 8 interview with The Daily Free Press, President Robert Brown said the increase in class size was not intentional and the University is “working hard not to have it happen again.”

BU spokesperson Colin Riley said it is not unusual for enrollment to fluctuate and the Fenway Campus reinforces the feel of CGS as a “small cohort college.”

“It certainly has a strong sense of belonging in its own right,” Riley said.

Godnick said BU added a new shuttle bus line that goes to and around the Fenway Campus and that the University distributed MBTA semester Link Passes free of charge to help students residing in the area make their way to and from each campus.

However, some students noted the shuttle service needs some improvement.

CGS freshman Camille Sandage said it can take between 20 to 30 minutes to commute to the Charles River Campus, and up to 40 minutes if the bus is late.

She said she would rather be closer to Central Campus if she had the choice, adding living on Fenway Campus would be “excellent” if the bus was consistent.

“It’s just so hard to get there and all my classes are in Central Campus,” Sandage said.

CGS freshman Shruti Goyal said her and her friends occasionally use a ridesharing app to avoid the longer commute of walking or using the T. “Sometimes, me and my friends will split an Uber, because it’s a $10 Uber, so it’s two dollars per person, and then we’ll get there in like 10 minutes,” Goyal said.

CGS freshman Julia Wesinger said she thinks she’d prefer to live on Central Campus because of the wider variety of facilities and chance to interact with non-CGS students.

“It feels a little isolated over here,” Wesinger said.

CGS freshman James Thompson said he does not mind his commute to the Charles River Campus and likes having suite-style dorms.

“The Fenway Campus is really nice,” Thompson said. “It’s really nice having suites and having so many people in your room and also having a common area.”

For some, the exclusivity of the Fenway Campus helps foster closer bonds between CGS students.

“I feel like on a campus where things are decentralized and spread apart, it’s hard to find a sense of community,” Sandage said. “It’s nice

2 NEWS

Students allege DAS denied reasonable accommodations One anonymous student said, even after a psychologist diagnosed her with ADHD and recommended they receive accommodations, Wolf student said.

In an email, Wolf wrote doctors’ denied their requests for time and notes “may or may not be sufficient” a half and a reduced-distraction depending on factors including the​​ environment for exams.

“She said that I didn’t need credential of the provider and whether it shows a connection between a accommodations,” the student said. disability and the accommodation, “So basically, this woman told me adding it is a “case by case, highly that I wasn’t disabled enough to get accommodations.” individualized process.”

The student said they were “We do our best to work with whatever the student can provide eventually offered 25% additional and strategize with them to reduce time on exams and a quiet room to the need for expensive testing,” Wolf take exams in, but only temporarily until they could be evaluated by a wrote.

Ry Beloin, a second-year graduate therapist or psychologist to confirm student in the College of Fine Arts, their diagnosis.

Afterwards, they said they decided said Wolf doubted the credentials of the psychologist’s letter she to have a meeting with dean of presented to the DAS in a Sept. 1 students Kenneth Elmore to explain meeting, allegedly saying at the their situation.

“Less than 24 hours later I received time, “I don’t even know that this is a real practitioner,” though allegedly an email with accommodation letters declining to call the office’s number for each of my classes with all of the because she didn’t “have time for original requests that I had made,” they said. that.”

Elmore said he can work with In an email, BU spokesperson Colin Riley wrote it is “not students to solve their specific uncommon” for DAS to request problems, but DAS is making decisions about additional material before making a appropriate decision on students’ accommodation accommodations based on student requests if the documentation is requests.

“I think the disagreements are outdated, unclear or incomplete.

“They want you to get this very going to be there,” Elmore said. specific type of testing that costs “There are going to be disagreements thousands of dollars,” said Natalia about the outcome.”

Wolf’s behavior Gonzalez, a senior in the College of Some students, all of whom Arts and Sciences. “It’s really hard to meet the conditions that they set met with Wolf in regards to their forth to get accommodations a lot disabilities, claimed she was of the time because they want a lot “brusque” and “dismissive” in her of documentation that can be really demeanor. One student recalled their hard to have if you don’t have a lot experience asking for permission to bring an Emotional Support of money.”

Lorre Wolf from 1

Animal (ESA) to her BU residence “terrifying.”

“It was a day that I felt incredibly horrible by the time I got home,” Beloin said. “By definition, everyone [who visits] the office is someone who is of higher vulnerability for difficult things.”

Wolf declined to comment on individual student situations.

According to the DAS website, students requesting an ESA should

In the presented letter, Beloin also said her psychologist outlined her need for a support animal due to depression and anxiety. Wolf allegedly called it a “generic ‘dear landlord’ letter” and did not accept it.

“She picked up the letter and she laughed, it was like a scoff, and she threw the letter back down toward me onto the desk and she said ‘I’m not taking this,’” Beloin said.

Beloin said Wolf went into detail

meet with DAS and submit a “Provider Psychiatric Disability Verification Form”​​ and a “Student Acceptance of Responsibilities for ESA In Housing Form” 60 days before the beginning of housing assignments in order to be granted permission.

Beloin said she submitted her request for housing accommodations, including her support animal, Aug. 26 and met with Wolf Sept. 1, which is after housing assignments for the semester were released.

describing how Beloin would likely be evicted from BU housing if she had her support animal without the correct paperwork.

“As she’s describing to me, in detail, about how terrified I should be of being imminently evicted, on her screen, and on the letter on the desk in front of her, is all this detailed information about my clinical diagnosis of depression and debilitating anxiety,” Beloin said.

Riley wrote that because BU is a “no-pet” campus, the DAS carefully

considers all ESA requests, adding it is important for students to follow all the procedures laid out on the website.

“Any student who does not complete the entire process is violating the terms of their [Residence Life Agreement], and that can theoretically include losing their housing,” Riley wrote.

Gonzalez said Wolf would act like she “didn’t believe” she had the conditions outlined in the provided documentation, in conversations she had with her when trying to get ESA approval last year.

Because DAS requires students to apply for an ESA a semester ahead of time, and it was often difficult to find appointments, Gonzalez said they believe the office’s current system is “inherently inaccessible” to students, many of whom often have urgent needs.

“It’s pretty much impossible to do it the way that they laid out for you unless you can have someone else take care of the animal for you and the need isn’t urgent,” Gonzalez said.

After their negative experience with DAS and Wolf, Gonzalez said they did not feel safe in BU housing and decided to move off campus.

“I felt like at any moment they would just kick me out for not having one correct document or not updating things exactly on time because they were constantly very threatening,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez believes Wolf’s conduct is “actively harmful” to students with disabilities.

“I do think that Lorraine Wolf is abusive of her power over disabled students,” Gonzalez said.

Tufts announces closure of children’s hospital Bella Ramirez Staff Writer When Tufts Children’s Hospital announced it would shut down its pediatric unit, Heather Lino felt sick to her stomach. The mother of five-yearold James, a patient at the hospital, thought it was “false news,” but soon realized it wasn’t.

“It’s nerve-racking,” Lino said. “I’m concerned…he’s literally in every single department in that hospital for one thing or another. So it’s a lot to try to coordinate and I just don’t understand how it’s gonna happen seamlessly.”

Tufts Children’s Hospital will close its pediatric unit on July 1., pending regulatory approval, with patients being transferred to Boston Children’s Hospital after the two hospital’s signed a letter of intent to work together.

“The collaboration comes at a time when the Boston-area health care market is rapidly changing,” Tufts Children’s Hospital announced on its website.

Pediatrician-in-Chief Dr. Geoffrey Binney stated the board came to an “important but difficult decision” in a press release to Tufts Children’s Hospital community members.

“Please know that this change will have no immediate impact on your child’s care,” Binney said. “And we will work closely with you and your child’s primary care provider to ensure seamless care as this collaboration develops over the coming months.”

Wellforce Health System, which runs the children’s hospital, said it made the decision to close the pediatric unit to increase “its capacity to

care for critically ill adults at its Tufts Medical Center campus” after receiving a higher number of adult patients in recent months. It also hopes to increase Tufts’ adult beds by 20% following the closure of the hospital’s pediatric unit.

“It’s hard to believe they could say that publicly,” said Tim O’Connell, founder of Tommy’s Place, a non-profit vacation home in Falmouth for children with cancer. “We just went through a pandemic … and we never had a problem with beds for adults.”

O’Connell created a Change.org petition to “Save Tufts Children’s Hospital in Boston!” the day after the closure went public. As of Jan. 27, over 27,000 people have signed the petition.

“From the second that I put that petition up there, I’ve had moms and strangers talking all day and all night every day reaching out to me, asking for help,” O’Connell said. “My whole life is consumed now every day with families reaching out to me and moms scared asking me what to do.

That’s not right.”

For O’Connell, the closure of the children’s hospital puts the community in a “vulnerable position.”

“You don’t disrupt sick kids,” O’Connell said. “And if you do, you better have a 10-year plan in place, not four months.”

Lino was one of the first parents to learn about the closure.

“We were in the clinic and his primary care doctor came running in and was like ‘Listen, I gotta tell you something before it goes public,’” Lino said.

Mary Havlicek Cornacchia, who has worked as a registered nurse at Tufts Medical Center for 34 years, voiced concerns over the children re-

ceiving treatment at Tufts Children’s Hospital not being eligible for care at Boston Children’s Hospital.

“Boston Children’s Hospital has been notorious for being more selective [economically] about who they treat,” Havlicek Cornacchia said.

“And all of us here are just so very concerned that none of those [lower income] kids get lost in the cracks.”

Havlicek Cornacchia also noted how the closure could impact job security for her and other nurses.

“We have 100 nurses that are being directly impacted by this decision,” she said. “We do actually have well over 100 positions posted, but they’re mostly adult positions. And pediatric nurses don’t want to be adult nurses.”

Lino added that she emailed the president and chief executive officer of Wellforce Health System, Dr. Michael Dandorph, shortly after learning about the closure.

“How are you going to sleep at night knowing that [you] are kicking children out of a facility that they

need?” she wrote.

O’Connell said the issue isn’t getting as much attention as it should be.

“Where’s the media? Where are the politicians?” O’Connell said. “We have a new mayor, and she’s out every day announcing new initiatives for affordable housing … where is she on that issue?”

Rhonda Mann, vice president of marketing and communications at Tufts Medical Center, was not available for comment.

SABELLE MEGOSH | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

The teddy bear statue in front of Tufts Children’s Hospital. Tufts Children’s Hospital will close its inpatient pediatric unit

by July 1. and transfer all patients to Boston Children’s Hospital after the two hospitals signed a letter of intent to work together.

NEWS 3

Boston city employee vaccine mandate extended to Jan. 30 Talia Lissauer Staff Writer Mayor Michelle Wu announced a one-week-long postponement to the COVID-19 vaccine mandate until Jan. 30 for city employees to comply without being disciplined or placed on unpaid leave.

With 1,600 additional submissions of proof of vaccination since the policy was announced on Dec. 20, 2021, more than 94% — in total 18, 270 — of the city workforce is already vaccinated, Wu said at a press conference Monday.

“I’m incredibly encouraged by this progress, and we continue to have very productive conversations with our union partners about the collective bargaining impacts,” Wu said.

“We are giving this one more week to make sure that we realize that progress.”

Wu announced in December that all city employees are required to receive at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination by Jan. 15. The original deadline was extended to Jan. 24.

Three unions — Boston Firefighters Local 718, Boston Police Superior Officers Federation and Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society — announced Dec. 30 they filed a temporary restraining order to stop the implementation of the vaccine requirement.

A Suffolk Superior Court judge rejected the request Jan. 12, meaning workers must comply with the vaccination mandate by Sunday.

“We’re asking Mayor Wu to lead us to a solution that doesn’t end with hard-working city employees being terminated,”

Edward Kelly, general president of the International Association of Firefighters, said. “We’ve served this far into the pandemic. We have to be able to find a solution that doesn’t end with families losing their balance.”

John Soares, the president of Boston Firefighters Union Local 718, said the union worked out a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in August 2021 with acting Mayor Kim Janey allowing unvaccinated firefighters who are uncomfortable receiving a vaccine to take a weekly test.

“We just want to go back to the testing aspect of it,” Soares said.

“We have a small group that we could have taken care of, but we can’t seem to work that out with the city.”

Boston Police Superior Officers Federation (BPSOF) said Wu’s action shows “a contempt for collective bargaining” in a press release Monday.

“While the MOA states that the Union ‘fully reserves its right to bargain over any mandate’ to get boosted, what has the Mayor done thus far to suggest that she will honor this new MOA and any demand to bargain about boosters prior to implementation?”

BPSOF said in a statement.

Boston Police is at 95% vaccination rate while Boston Fire has reached 91%, Wu said at the press conference.

Soares said the number of active firefighters groups — including deputy chiefs, captains, district chiefs and lieutenants — is dropping.

According to Soares, the fire department consists of 1,525 firefighters, and more than 800 of them have less than 10 years of experience on the job.

“The group that could be here is a group that has some seniority,”

Soares said. “That’s one of the things that worries me, we’ll lose some senior people.”

Any policy related to vaccination as a condition of employment must be negotiated with the union, the firefighter union stated in a Dec. 30 press release.

“We’re just asking if we

the Boston Health Commission, vaccination rates increased by 36% from the first to the second week in January and 17% from the second to the third. Overall, a little more than 70% of residents are fully vaccinated and more than 82% have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Paul Beninger, associate

COURTESY OF CDC VIA UNSPLASH

A person after receiving a vaccination. Mayor Michelle Wu announced a postponement of the vaccine mandate for employees until Jan. 30, giving unvaccinated workers an extra week to comply without being disciplined or placed on unpaid leave.

could just sit at the table and have a conversation about the basics of this, which is collective bargaining, by the arbitration,” Soares said. “The city’s built on labor, we just want that opportunity to work off of that contract.”

According to the COVID-19 vaccination weekly report by

professor of Community Medicine and Public Health at Tufts University School of Medicine, said the battle of the vaccine mandate can be traced back to 1901 when the Supreme Court ruled states can enforce vaccine mandates.

“It’s really a balance between sort of individual rights and

Wu invests millions into affordable housing Casey Choung Contributing Writer Mayor Michelle Wu announced an allocation of $40 million to create 718 affordable housing units across the city of Boston as part of her overaching housing justice plan to reduce housing discrimination.

“Housing is a human right. Housing is health. It is opportunity, safety and stability,” Wu said at a press conference on Wednesday. “It must be the foundation for our recovery from this pandemic.”

The portfolio of projects includes rental housing in five Boston neighborhoods — Jamaica Plain, Chinatown, Dorchester, Roxbury and Hyde Park — for families, seniors and individuals with disabilities, according to the Mayor’s Office. These projects also aim to create new homeownership opportunities for low and moderate-income Bostonians.

More than $20 million in funds came from the Mayor’s Office of Housing with a further $7 million from the Neighborhood Housing Trust and recommended more than $14.6 million from the Community Preservation Fund.

Additionally, rental development projects must set aside at least 10% of units for homeless households, and projects that offer additional units at lower Area Median Income levels are given priority.

Wu also announced a commitment of $50 million in funding for Jamaica Plain’s Mildred C. Hailey Apartments at a Jan. 20 press conference.

The funding will result in

the construction of “the largest supportive housing development in Boston” located at 3368 Washington St., where 202 units of affordable housing will be created, 140 of them reserved for people experiencing homelessness.

Funding will also go toward fixing plumbing, ventilation,

communal interests,” Beninger said.

While firefighters have a right to protest, Beninger said he thought they were frontline workers who should not be putting anyone at risk.

Wu said 609 exemption requests — both medical and religious exemptions — have

windows and kitchens in 526 public housing units to improve air quality, prevent environmental health hazards such as mold and mildew, and increase energy efficiency, according to the press release.

“This is an investment that builds on generations of work that advocates and tenant leaders

have done to improve the quality of life for our residents, to create better, brighter spaces we can all be proud of,” Wu said at the press conference.

Samantha Montaño, chair of the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council, said the apartments are in “poor shape” with stairwells being “physically and

MOHAN GE | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. The City will invest $50 million into rebuilding the Mildred C. Hailey apartments in Jamaica Plains as part of Wu’s commitment to housing equity.

been submitted and they are granted on a case-by-case basis.

“This policy does represent an important step in our pandemic and in this moment of emergency,” Wu said. “So we will continue to work with everyone over this week and this policy will be going into effect shortly.”

structurally” unsafe and posing danger to some residents.

However, some residents expressed their concerns about potential displacement due to the renovations, Montaño said.

Other concerns include entering new lease agreements, moving repeatedly and facing crimes in the neighborhood.

However, Montaño added residents will be temporarily relocated and moved back to the renovated public housing units as soon as possible.

“Development doesn’t prevent displacement,” she said. “It just provides more opportunities for a diversity of folks to live in a neighborhood, and antidisplacement efforts are based in preservation of housing at affordable levels.”

Kathy Brown, executive director of the Boston Tenant Coalition, said the group, along with many other activist organizations such as the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization, helped facilitate the investment of funds.

“What’s sometimes not covered is that the federal government has completely bled public housing,” she said. “They put very little money into fixing up public housing.”

Wu also signed an executive order on Jan. 20 to implement the city’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing plan.

“That’s very broad and is really important to us in terms of housing justice, fighting displacement, investing in communities, fighting segregation and discrimination,” Brown said. “We’re looking forward to working with the mayor and to see those improvements in the inclusionary development.”

4 FEATURES

COMMUNITY

BU Medical Campus focuses on combating racial inequities Ava Berger Community Associate In an effort to foster a more diverse and inclusive environment at Boston University, the BU Medical Campus hosted a keynote and panel, “Justice and Equity: Using Language to Ignite Culture Change,” addressing the importance of using correct language in the medical community.

The event, held Wednesday over Zoom, was a collaboration between Boston Medical Center, the BU Medical Group, BU School of Medicine, Public Health and Goldman School of Dental Medicine.

The panel and keynote featured panelists Angelique Harris, the BUMC director of faculty development, Karen Antman, the BMC provost and BUSM dean and Kate Walsh, the BUMC president and chief executive officer.

The event focused on the Glossary for Culture Transformation, an online website geared at creating opportunities to learn “beyond our own identities and experiences,” associate dean for communication at BUSM Maria Ober wrote in an email.

“This big event is really to highlight the first major step that the institution is going to take to emphasize the commitment that we all have to promoting racial equity, and we’re going to start with our language,” Harris said.

The website is grouped by topics such as “Disability & Accessibility” and “Race & Ethnicity.” Users can find not “just what the word actually

means, but how you use it,” she said.

“To create this culture of inclusivity we have to have a shared language and meaning,” Harris said. “In this glossary we not only define a variety of terms and concepts that relate to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and justice, we also provide context for these terms: how to use them in an inclusive way, as well as a reference for this definition.”

Harris said that the Glossary will not stay stagnant, instead it will “continue to grow, change and evolve.”

Fellow panelist Antman also acknowledged that the job will be “continuous.”

“This is just one step in a process,” Antman said. “And we can only celebrate the Glossary and then we have to move on and see what next needs to be done.”

All three panelists identified language as a crucial component of culture transformation. Harris also spoke about the necessity for education on language because BUMC is not “just a hospital,” but an institution “teaching people going out into the world.”

“What’s key about language is people’s humanity, and remembering and realizing that we’re talking to people, and that regardless of what you may think about people or what activities they may have engaged in or whatever, there are people, they’re human,” Harris said.

In the past, BMC has focused on language with the Words Matter pledge, an agreement among the medical community to end stigma surrounding substance use disorder by avoiding words such as “addict.”

COURTESY OF TINGEY INJURY LAW FIRM VIA UNSPLASH

A statue of a woman holding a scale. Boston University Medical Campus hosted a keynote and panel on Jan. 26 called “Justice and Equity: Using Language to Ignite Culture Change” focusing on language to foster racial inclusivity at BU.

The pledge has since been adapted to also include a commitment to end “systemic oppression” and a promise to “build a culture of justice, equity and belonging.”

Panelist Walsh spoke of the feeling of “tripping over my own privilege.”

As the president of a $4.9 billion institution, Walsh pointed out the importance of her recognition of racial inequities.

“As a leader, if I can begin to understand the burden that the people who are trying to do this work

are carrying, I think I’ll just be more effective,” Walsh said.

Impromptu panelist Sheila Chapman, clinical associate professor of medicine at BU, noted that the ability for people of color to speak up at BUMC has improved over the years.

“I’ve been on faculty here a little over 30 years and the freedom I have to speak my own truth now is so much greater than it was 30 years ago, 20 years ago, 10 years ago, five years ago,” Chapman said. “When people

of color would speak their truth, we get shut down because frankly, white people were uncomfortable.”

Walsh highlighted that going forward the work towards racial justice must take center stage.

“The work has to be as important as all the other work we do,” Walsh said. “Thinking about someone’s identity and structural racism has to be just as important as our sepsis code and the right antibiotics. It’s all inextricably linked.”

ARTS

New exhibition showcases art reflecting social issues Lindsay Shachnow Arts Associate A new exhibition, “Life Altering: Selections from a Kansas City Collection,” featuring works that reflect social issues including race, identity and climate change, recently opened its doors at Boston University’s Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery.

The exhibition, which began Jan 18. and ends March 1st, presents

artwork from Bill and Christy Gautreaux — both avid art collectors — after Bill started collecting art 25 years ago when he noticed a lack of representation in the art world, Lissa Cramer, managing director at Boston University’s Art Gallery, said.

“He noticed that there was a gap in our art historical canon,” Cramer said. “Art history typically favors the old white man.”

Gautreaux set out to curate a collection of work that reflects the diversity of artists and their creations, with pieces coming from different backgrounds and experiences, many

of whom pay homage to their culture and identity through their art.

Cramer, who oversaw the curation of the exhibit, said the exhibit features 23 different works from Gautreaux’s collection .

“There’s no theme to this show, each work has its own theme,” Cramer said. “Each piece has its own social justice component, and one of the best things about being in my role is that I get to sit back and let the artists be the ones that drive the social justice movement.”

One piece, a sculpture called “Tightrope, Familiar Yet Complex

1” created by Ethiopian artist Elias Sime, explores climate change and the importance of balancing the benefits of technology with its environmental impact, said Cramer.

Another piece called “Collector of Shouts,” created by Dominican artist Firelei Báez, explores how identity is built, with the painting taking inspiration from the artist’s own image.

Cramer adds how Báez experimented with the type of paper for the painting to create a textured look.

“It’s painted on yupo paper,”

AMANDA CUCCINIELLO | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Works of art from the “Life Altering: Selections from a Kansas City Collection” exhibition. The exhibition at Boston University’s Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery features work that explores social issues, such as race and identity, and will be on display until March 1.

she said. “Yupo paper can absorb watercolor just fine, but then when you put any other paint on it, it doesn’t soak in.”

Hannah Lee, a sophomore in the Sargent College of Rehabilitation Sciences and an attendant at the gallery, said she really enjoyed Báez’s artwork because of the attention to detail.

“I just love the color scheme and just the way that it pops out at you,” Lee said.

Ashley Davis, a freshman at Northeastern University, said the piece that stood out the most to her during her visit to the gallery was the photographic self-portraits from Zanele Muhole — a South African artist who expresses their queer and Black identity through their work.

“I was surprised about all the different, I wouldn’t necessarily say categories, but it covers a broad spectrum of all the topics that are going on right now,” she said.

Emma Schmidt, a gallery assistant and junior in the College of Fine Arts, said she was glad students had the opportunity to visit an art gallery on campus because there are “highdemand contemporary artists that are part of this show.”

“The fact that this is a free gallery and it’s on the first floor of the College of Fine Arts, this is such a great opportunity and I think everyone should be stopping by for every exhibition,” Schmidt said.

For Cramer, the gallery is an opportunity to emphasize the importance of social justice.

“Art is loved by everyone, everyone can enjoy this,” said Cramer. “All I am doing is opening the door for someone else’s voice and that is very important, it can’t just be one person leading the charge.”

FEATURES 5

BUSINESS BU couple create substainable packaging company in response to pandemic’s impact on environment Metta Santoso Business Associate Arsh Kakar and Jannat Kakar, married couple and co-founders of Tish Wish, first realized the need for sustainable packaging when they saw the build up of their own trash from e-commerce packages during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tish Wish is a packaging company that places great value in the sustainability and customizability of its products, Arsh, chief executive officer of Tish Wish and Boston University alum, said. The company hyper focuses on the unwrapping experience of a product, providing sustainable cushioning such as compostable bubble and normal mailers, packaging tissues, stickers and more.

“It bothered us to the extent where we’re like, okay, there’s got to be an alternative for this,” Arsh said.

Arsh worked five years in the packaging, production and manufacturing industry, where he developed connections with material scientists and professionals who helped develop Tish Wish products.

“We came up with a starch-based biopolymer that comes from corn,” he said. “They [corn] are of no value to the farmers as well.”

With its biopolymer film, Tish Wish is able to create value out of corn that would have otherwise gone to waste. According to the website, the average plastic poly mailer takes roughly 500 years to decompose while Tish Wish’s plant-based mailer only takes three to six months.

Tish Wish also advocates for sustainability by implementing the “Timber Re-Leaf Project” — an initiative to ensure that products only use 100% recycled paper, Arsh said.

Moreover, the sustainable packaging company works with a third party organization to plant a tree for every order received in an area that needs reforestation.

“There’s no reckless deforestation that happens in the procurement of these trees, so no rare timbers are used,” Arsh said.

In the last 18 months, Tish Wish planted over 7,000 trees — from Africa to New Zealand — and plans to increase this number drastically in 2022 with a target of 35,000 trees planted.

“It’s a very aggressive target, but I think we’re really confident that we’ll be able to make it just because I feel January’s been off to a great start,” Arsh said.

Tish Wish also plans to increase the number of trees planted per order for its enterprise scale customers — like Netflix — to 100 to 500 trees per order.

“It’s only fair that we do our part on that as well,” Arsh said.

According to Jannat, creative director of Tish Wish and a current BU College of Communication graduate student, the company’s commitment to sustainability appeals to its target age group of 18 to 35-yearolds, who are very “eco-conscious.”

Tish Wish is able to leverage initiatives such as the Timber Re-Leaf Project to conduct “cause marketing” that helps make customers say “let’s go with this company,” Jannat said.

Aisha Rawji, a 29-year-old BU alum and chief executive officer and founder of KYNAH and Kiska Studios, was drawn to the Tish Wish because of its sustainability ethos and purchased the product because the company “cares for the environment.”

Another core pillar of Tish Wish’s philosophy is transparency with its customers, with the company making the decision to display its certifications on all mailers.

“They’re all printed with our

numbers and everything,” Jannat said.

Like most companies throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Tish Wish has faced supply chain challenges due to the global shortage of freight vessels, making it difficult to import materials from countries like Vietnam, India and China.

“Our base material is not made in the United States because the same grade of material is not available yet for this particular usage,” Arsh said.

However, Arsh and Jannat are

currently exploring potential partners in Canada and Mexico to help keep up with demand, Arsh said, and expect 40% of their products to be made in the US starting February 2022.

Arsh hopes that large enterprises like Zara or Gap will follow suit and take the initiative to move away from virgin plastic.

“That’s where the needle will start moving,” Arsh said.

COURTESY OF ARSH KAKAR

Co-founders of Tish Wish, Boston University alumni Arsh Kakar and BU graduate student Jannat Kakar. These two BU affiliates, and married couple, decided to found a packaging company that emphasized sustainability and customizability after COVID-19 revealed the exuberant amount of waste from e-commerce packages.

SCIENCE

BU advocacy group urges students to recycle responsibly Claire Zhang Science Associate The next time you’re unsure if an item is recyclable, put it in the trash — this was the message delivered to students at the “Zero Waste Plan: Explained,” an event hosted by an environmental advocacy club at the Boston University Medical Campus.

Climate Action Group (CAG) held the meeting Monday where they provided further details on the Zero Waste Plan — a program launched

by BU in March 2021 with the goal to reach zero waste on campus by 2030.

The plan intends to tackle BU’s trash disposal issues by enacting 21 different initiatives focused on various aspects of waste management, such as, “redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle/compost, culture change and market development.”

During the meeting, students were informed on what they can do to help contribute to this plan.

Kaity Robbins, a Zero Waste manager, said recycling and composting must be done correctly in order for the waste to arrive at its end destination.

“Folks say, ‘Oh, it doesn’t actually get recycled, it just gets put in with the trash,’” Robins said. “If the waste is clean enough, it does definitely get recycled, and it definitely gets composted, but it’s up to the individual to make sure that they’re following the Massachusetts rules about what can be recycled and composted.”

Moreover, non-recyclable items, such as food, liquids and plastic bags, contaminate the recycling system,

so materials should be emptied, rinsed and dried before going in the recycling bin.

“The most important thing about recycling is not doing what we call ‘wishcycling,’” Robbins said. “You want to do the right thing and put [an item] in the recycling bin, but you’re not sure if it actually is recyclable. So

said Keeley Bombard, president of Environmental Student Organization and senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. “That’s the thing I say in my head every time I’m unsure whether or not I should recycle something.”

Proper recycling also improves safety for workers at recycling facilities. Plastic bags, for example,

with spinning blades to get the plastic bags out.

“They have their hands in the waste and they’re sorting out anything that the machinery didn’t get,” Robbins said. “Things that really trip them up are hazardous waste like needles and broken glass.”

Bombard said she sees students

ISABELLE MEGOSH | DFP STAFF

A presentation called “Zero Waste Plan: Explained.” An environmental advocacy club at Boston University Medical Campus, Climate Action Group, hosted an event Monday Jan. 24 informing students about how to properly sort their trash and the Zero Waste Plan initiative launched last March.

you put it in there and then it ruins the whole bin.”

However, it’s understandable to not know all of the rules.

“When in doubt, throw it out,”

are a big safety concern for workers on the line because they get tangled in a machine which “shreds part of the waste,” Robbins said. The workers will then have to climb into the machine

taking steps to implement the Zero Waste Plan, but student culture of sustainability on campus still needs to be changed.

However, there are initiatives

underway to provide resources that help students change their behavior, said Bombard, who is part of a team developing an app called Recyclopedia — based on the website Recycle Smart MA — for BU students to search whether an item is recyclable or not.

Kalil Menezes, a leader of CAG and a second-year medical student at Boston University School of Medicine, said it was cool to see how the Zero Waste Plan responded to sustainability measures on a systemic level.

“As activists, a lot of times it can feel like we kind of need to go against the current or try to fight whoever is running the organization,” Menezes said. “But if there are things that BU is really doing to improve their practices, we want to build upon that.”

Some of the steps the University has taken so far include partnering with companies who are transparent with their practices, launching a reusable container program for dining halls on the Charles River Campus, and ramping up food donations.

Starting small and educating others about sustainable practices is important, said Ania Filimonov, another leader of CAG and a second year master’s student in the Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at BUSM. “Once people understand the ways that you can be more sustainable, once you start practicing that and bringing that awareness to others around you then it starts becoming a habit,” Filimonov said. “I think small things will build to bigger things.”

6 PHOTOS

GALLERY Spring 2022 SPLASH 2.0

Boston University students gathered in the Metcalf Ballroom of the George Sherman Union for Spring 2022 SPLASH 2.0 on Saturday, Jan. 22. Student organizations and clubs attempted to gain new members with flashy posters and branded giveaways.

Clare Ong Daily Free Press Staff

Two Boston University students stand in front of the Islamic Society of BU’s booth. CLARE ONG | DFP STAFF

A member of FeelGood BU – also known as “the grilled cheese club” according to their Instagram account – wears a grilled cheese sandwich costume. CLARE ONG | DFP STAFF

A Boston University student asks the Latin American Student Association at BU about their club.

CLARE ONG | DFP STAFF

EDITORIAL 7

EDITORIAL

Court challenge to affirmative action reignites debate over the imperfect but necessary policy

ILLUSTRATION BY MONET OTA

“We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary,” said Justice Sandra Day O’Connor in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action.

The 2003 ruling is one of many in a series of Supreme Court decisions beginning in 1978 that decided that race could be a factor in college admissions. While O’Connor may not have envisioned race-based admissions being a long term solution, today, colleges around the country continue to consider the race of their applicants in order to provide educational opportunities to previously underrepresented groups.

However, short of O’Connor’s 25-year mark of termination, affirmative action suddenly stands on shaky ground.

The Sureme Court announced on Monday it would hear two cases brought forward

by Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) on race-based admissions. SFFA — a nonprofit organization committed to ending affirmative action — alleged Harvard University and University of North Carolina’s admission policies harmfully discriminated against Asian Americans.

Although affirmative action has been upheld by over 40 years of legal precedent, this year it will be tested on a majority conservative court that seems determined to reassess thorny legal

issues. Given the conservative tendency to uphold individual rights — except, perhaps, when it comes to a woman’s right to choose what to do with her body — it is no surprise the majority of the right believes an individual’s right to a completely merit-based application decision overrides the collective good of increased diversity in higher education.

Accordingly, conservative journalists have rushed to their keyboards to herald the imminent “Chance to Remove Race From College Admissions,” eager at the likely prospect of a Trump-appointee-saturated court overturning affirmative action.

To be fair, colleges have a lot to answer for in terms of questionable actions they take as part of affirmative action. At Harvard, for example, in order to receive an invitation to apply, a Black student needed to receive a 1100 on the SAT while a white student student required a 1310. For Asian students, the number shot up to 1350 for females and 1380 for males.

From discriminatory testing criteria to strategic placements of people of color on college pamphlets, it seems that for many schools, race-based admissions means filling a quota and setting up restrictive metrics, rather than trying to uplift underrepresented communities in a holistic way.

But that’s not to say affirmative action is

completely unhelpful. For students around the nation who do not have access to the same quality of schooling, a consideration of their racial or socio-economic background is vital to ensuring their access to higher education.

Over the past few years, affirmative action has undoubtedly led to increased diversity on college campuses — something which benefits not only minority students but everyone in an academic setting.

If SFFA founder Edward Blum and his antiaffirmative action activists get their wish — and race is negated from the admissions process — universities may once again start to resemble the days of varsity jackets and old boys clubs, as representation dwindles to abysmal levels.

SFFA and other organizations like them have been fighting passionately for over 50 years for this reality. Their dedication is admirable, but impassioned arguments for an end to the “sordid business” of “divvying us up by race” and equality in college admissions ring hollow when the concept of a legacy still exists.

Why is being cognizant of a qualified applicant’s race in order to offer them the life-changing benefits of higher education so offensive when daddy’s Harvard diploma still makes you three times more likely to be accepted to his alma mater? Is affirmative action really the biggest threat to the values of

higher education when celebrities are paying thousands of dollars for their unqualified children to gain acceptance?

The rich already have affirmative action.

It seems like it’s only a problem when other groups stand to gain from it, and the mechanism lowers chances of acceptance for stereotypically privileged groups.

Using race as a factor for admissions is far from the perfect solution to the problems of educational inequality and underrepresentation facing our country. That being said, getting rid of affirmative action will have disastrous effects for students who can’t afford SAT tutors and attend prep schools. What little diversity colleges have been able to foster must be sustained.

Whichever way the Supreme Court decides, the impending conservative dissection of affirmative action has one good effect— it has forced us to rethink this country’s solutions for systemic inequality. Perhaps it’s time to retire filling quotas and flashing pie charts of a student body’s perfectly-tailored racial makeup.

Holding a genuine interest in fostering diversity, colleges and institutions beyond must make a sincere effort to uplift underrepresented groups and dismantle barriers to success.

EDITORIAL BOARD Jean Paul Azzopardi, Editor-in-Chief Emily Stevenson, Co-Managing Editor Ashley Soebroto, Co-Managing Editor Jesús Marrero Suárez, Campus Editor Nellie Maloney, Co-Podcast Editor

Cici Yu, City Editor

Taylor Hawthorne, Co-Podcast Editor

Smaran Ramidi, Layout & Graphics Editor

Emily Pauls, Features Editor

Taylor Coester, Photo Editor

Michelle Tian, Lifestyle Editor

Mary Geena Prestia, Multimedia Editor

Mitch Fink, Sports Editor

Brian Foisy, Co-Opinion Editor

Sujena Soumyanath, Co-Opinion Editor GRAPHIC BY ALEXIA NIZHNY

8 OPINION

COLUMNS Welcome to the Greenhouse:

The danger of downplaying climate change in journalism

Fiona Broadie Columnist Recently, I started filling out an application for a summer internship at the Wall Street Journal Opinion section. I knew this section of the WSJ leaned conservative — which worried my liberal mind — and although I had never read much of the newspaper, I knew it was well established so I thought it might be a good internship opportunity.

The application asked that I be familiar with the WSJ Opinion section, so I decided to read as many of its articles as I could to prepare myself.

Situated on prominent display in the center of the Opinion section’s first page, the first article that caught my eye was titled, “Is Climate Change in Your Problem Top 10?” by Andy Kessler. I clicked on it immediately because climate change is a primary interest of mine and I aim to write climate change pieces for all of my professional journalism life.

The article, however, appalled me. Writing about the difference between Democrats’ and Republicans’ top 10 most important issues facing the nation today, not only did Kessler

scorn Democrats and anyone else who placed climate change in their “Problem Top 10,” he also argued that climate change is not a bad thing at all. Rather, the article claims we should not be scared of embracing climate change as “progress” and “growth.”

It is a shameful day for all of journalism when a major newspaper like the Wall Street Journal — with digital circulation reaching over 2.7 million people daily — publishes an article that denies the severity of climate change in a manner that is both accusatory and offensive.

It goes almost without saying that I decided to not apply to this WSJ internship due to the publication of this article. I cannot stay true to my values while working for a newspaper that considers such an article publishable. A journalist’s first loyalty should be to the public.

However, Kessler is betraying his readers by undermining the truth and force-feeding us a list of his own priorities while implying that our own priorities are not as important.

I have many thoughts about Kessler’s own “Problem Top 10” list but my opinion of it does not serve you. I am not here to tell you that climate change should be your number one problem.

Perhaps you struggle with food scarcity, systemic racism or job insecurity. Those things may rightly be at the top of your list of concerns.

As a journalist, it is not my job to tell you your priorities, but it is my job to tell you the truth.

The truth is that climate change is an urgent and major issue facing the entire world, and as time goes on, it will affect most of us more and more. Journalism that denies or downplays the urgency of climate change is giving its readers a false sense of security and slowing the climate activism movement.

Downplaying the climate crisis is classist

because climate change disproportionately affects those in poorer communities.

Problematically, it also ignores the prominent role race plays in climate change and its augmented effects on people of color. For example, people of color are statistically more likely to die from environmental causes that are amplified by climate change because over 50% of those who live close to hazardous waste are people of color.

To imply that climate change is not a real issue is to deny the struggles that these communities have faced and will continue to face because of climate change.

Kessler writes of global warming that “we should adapt to change, not slam the brakes on growth.”

What does he want us to adapt to? Is it the forest fires in the American West, encouraged by climate change’s rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns, or drought, brought on by increasing heat and melting glaciers and snowpacks? Does Kessler ask that the nearly 40% of the U.S. population that lives on the coast “adapt” to the erosion of their cities and high-tide flooding due to sea level rise?

I wonder if the coastal communities that are forecasted to possibly be below sea level by 2100 or sooner will be glad that the government chose not to effectively address the growing

force of global warming.

Kessler writes that “progress, not retreat, solves problems.” I agree that progress is generally good, but he means that climate change itself is progress and we should not “retreat” from it.

This familiar argument against climate activism — which raises the point that the world has already gone through climate change in the past — ignores the difference between previous natural climate shifts and this one that we have caused ourselves, the fact that we are here now.

Regardless of the painful irony of protecting our species that is selfishly killing so many other species, how can we sit back and not try to protect our children?

We must have the wild hope that our children will be slightly better than us, and their children slightly better than them, until one day the human race is actually worthy of this beautiful planet Earth.

With that hope, we have to try to make this a livable planet. It may be too late to undo much of the damage we have already inflicted on earth, but we should still try to make it livable, right? That means t a k i n g action in any way we can to stop climate change’s worst effects.

ILLUSTRATION BY SMARAN RAMIDI

Minority Report:

Don’t believe the pundits, Biden’s first year has been a success

Lincoln Currie Columnist

ILLUSTRATION BY SMARAN RAMIDI

Joe Biden has spent just over a year in office and is due for an evaluation. However, my analysis will stray from the opinion du jour that Biden is floundering and has not accomplished much in his first year as president.

After one year with Biden as president, the pundits make it seem as if the Democrats have already lost the midterms.

But I think premature horse-race journalism is a sign of a shallow pundit class. So instead, I’ll be focusing on Biden’s accomplishments and shortcomings, not his poll numbers. To me, Biden’s presidency has already seen many successes for which he has not received enough credit.

Biden should be getting more praise for withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan. America had been fighting in an ill-begotten war in Afghanistan for 20 years. The withdrawal was not without its issues - specifically, a resurgence of Taliban forces in government - and the execution could have been better.

However, the end result is the same and deserves praise. The Obama and Trump administrations failed to end the war while holding the White House.

Biden promised and delivered.

He also signed a massive $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief stimulus package into law in March. The bill sent $1,400 checks to most Americans in addition to spending billions on COVID-19

vaccinations, rental assistance and small business relief.

Of course, while Biden isn’t directly responsible for the economy, he should be able to take credit (as well as blame) for how well the economy is faring. Job creation and low unemployment rates are something that presidents can score some easy points on. As of right now, the unemployment rate is 3.9% and the first year of Biden’s presidency has seen the creation of 6.4 million new jobs.

Millions more Americans are working than they were just one year ago, and that fact should be balanced against legitimate concerns about inflation. The consumer price index was up about seven percent over Biden’s first year, the highest in 40 years. Though the president does not have a presidential inflation controller knob on his desk, he has to take the blame for the damage that inflation is doing to consumers.

It is hard to paint an overall picture of an economy as big as America’s, but painting Biden as a loser because of inflation or as a winner because of low unemployment would reveal the opiner to be a fool, or worse, a hack.

As far as the economy goes, the message should be that job numbers look good and inflation is the thing to tackle next.

Additionally, Biden should be able to claim credit for COVID-19 vaccination distribution.

Over 60% of Americans and 70% of American adults are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, with almost a million vaccinations being given per day right now. With vaccinations being so widely available and affordable for so long, American adults who want a vaccine have had a chance to get one. Luckily, the vaccines, especially with a booster shot, do an excellent job at preventing hospitalization and death due to COVID-19.

I’ve also already talked about Biden’s $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill in a column last year, but it is worth including in his

evaluation as well, seeing as it made historic investments in America’s roads, bridges, electric vehicle infrastructure, power grid and internet capabilities.

The above points lead me to the opinion that Biden has accomplished a lot in his first year with victories on the economy, COVID-19, infrastructure and foreign policy to tout.

But perhaps the infrastructure bill best sums up the predicament of Biden’s presidency. Biden did something important — investing over a trillion dollars in infrastructure — that failed to send his approval rate soaring. However, things like that are why I think Biden has been so successful so far. By not obsessing over his poll numbers, Biden was able to take the decisions necessary for the long-term wellbeing of the country. Most people do not vote based on infrastructure, but governing based solely on what animates voters the most at this particular moment is a bad method of governing.

So, here’s the question I pose to the Biden critics — is the purpose of campaigning and winning office to be popular and have a high approval rating? I think (or at least hope) that the purpose of politics is to win governing power so one can effect change, not merely so one can hold onto power for as long as is desirable.

Biden has left America better off than he found it one year ago. Millions of Americans are back to work and millions more are vaccinated against COVID-19. One of our endless wars drew to an end as our president brought our soldiers home and invested in the infrastructure necessary for all Americans to thrive.

Rather than looking forward with gloom at the midterm elections later this year, I look back at the accomplishments that uplifted so many Americans and will continue to uplift so many more in the years to come. I’ll leave all the horse race malarkey for the gamblers and puffed-up pundits.

PHOTOS 9

GALLERY Student-organized COVID-19 policy protest

Boston University students demanded remote learning options and additional COVID-19 accommodations on Jan. 25 in front of President Robert Brown’s office.

Anh Nguyen Daily Free Press Staff

Boston University students walk down Silber Way demanding hybrid learning options and more accommodations from the school.

ANH NGUYEN | DFP STAFF

Boston University graduate student Jay Ward holds a sign in protest of BU COVID-19 policies.

ANH NGUYEN | DFP STAFF

A Boston University student holds a sign saying “BE BETTER BU!” outside President Robert Brown’s office during the protest. ANH NGUYEN | DFP STAFF

A Boston University student and School of Social Work student Jay Ward speak with a law enforcement officer during the protest. ANH NGUYEN | DFP STAF

Boston University students hold signs urging BU to do better with their COVID-19 policies. ANH NGUYEN | DFP STAFF

10 GAME

Word Search BU Edition

WORD SEARCH BY DFP EDITORIAL BOARD

CARTOON BY YVONNE TANG

LIFESTYLE 11

Lifestyle

‘Encanto’: Disney magic done right Lynn Chu Staff Writer While I don’t think anyone predicted falling in love with a fictional, magical, Colombian family over winter break, the sensation that is Disney’s newest release, “Encanto,” says otherwise.

“Encanto” is about the multigenerational Madrigal family who protect their village after a traumatic past leads them to a life full of magical gifts.

Each family member has been blessed with a special power and they all live together in their magical house “Casita.” From shapeshifting to healing, each family member uses their powers to help create a safe and sound community — all except one: Mirabel.

While the movie opens like any other Disney musical with fun colors and animations, in the weeks since the Disney+ debut of “Encanto,” many have found the movie to strike a chord when it comes to its themes of family and

intergenerational trauma.

While we watch the Madrigals navigate obstacles that threaten to tear their family magic apart, audiences may be reminded of their own immigrant families who have settled after fleeing war or poverty, but at the cost of familial issues that often go unspoken and ignored.

“Encanto” has been successfully enjoyed by audiences of different ages, many of whom are seeing characters that look like them for the first time as Disney admirably expresses the

The character Mirabel Madrigal in a scene from the movie “Encanto.” Lyn Chu fell in love with the magic of the Madrigal family, calling this film one of Disney’s best.

ANH NGUYEN | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

different and diverse aspects of Latinx culture.

Everyone can most likely identify with at least one member of the dynamic Madrigal family.

Maybe you see yourself as the perfectionist sibling who is afraid to speak their mind. Or maybe as the sibling doing everything to keep their family from falling apart. Or maybe as someone who has become the family’s black sheep. Or maybe even a parent who has passed down their trauma while just trying their best to protect their family. Complicated family relations are universal, no matter what kind.

Personally, it’s been a long time since I’ve been so invested in Disney characters who are both relatable and easy to fall in love with. Mirabel’s determination and pure pride in her family members come to life on screen as she tries her hardest to make everyone happy despite being the odd one out. Her support for her sisters and cousins — even as she is the only one left behind in the nursery — made me feel unexplainable emotions that can only be understood as an older sister myself.

Composer Lin Manuel Miranda’s “Surface Pressure,” sung by the super-strong Luisa, also seemed relatable for firstborn children across the world, addressing the stereotype that the older sibling does not always need to be protective and responsible.

And of course, like all other Disney movies, there’s just so much fun in the details. The movie’s insanely catchy hit song, “We Don’t Talk About

Bruno,” has recently become the first Disney song to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Streaming Songs Chart. Its steady position at No. 4 on the Hot 100 is also Disney’s highest since “Colors of the Wind” from 1956’s “Pocahontas,” even beating out the 2014 hit “Let it Go” from “Frozen.”

Social media, especially TikTok, has also taken to the phenomenon with fans sharing artwork, various theories about the family and different analyses of the film. So many clues are hidden throughout the film that the audience can discover something new with every rewatch.

The first time we watch it, we try to understand the characters and the plot. The second time we watch the movie, we’re looking for smaller details like Bruno, hidden in the background. By the third time around, we’re wondering which family would win in a fight - the Madrigals or the Incredibles?

The movie takes us on an emotional roller coaster, while also leaving us with a heartfelt message. We were suspicious of Bruno’s absence and then angry at Abuela’s attitude towards Mirabel. But in the end, we understand that there is no villain within a family. They are all just trying to do what is best for each other.

In a time where the pandemic situation only seemed like it was becoming more hopeless, “Encanto” has managed to bring us together with a heartfelt reminder of what’s most important — the magic found within family and community.

The beginning of a new chapter Samantha Elizondo Senior Writer Going to college has been something that I have looked forward to ever since I was in middle school. I always dreamt of running away to a place of my choice and starting my own life, independent from my family.

Growing up in the naturally beautiful state of California, I

had dreams of watching the Santa Barbara sunset and running along the Santa Monica Pier during my college years. However, in my freshman year of high school, this dream of mine changed.

I no longer pictured myself in the same state and decided I wanted a drastic change. I thought to myself – when else would I be able to explore a different environment? Besides, I knew that regardless of where I

went to school, California would always be my home. Moving away would be worth the risk.

This is when I came to the realization that I wanted to move to the East Coast since I had only been there once in the eighth grade to New York and Washington D.C.. I remember being in New York for the first time – walking by dozens of people and listening to the constant city noise – but I didn’t think this was where I

COURTESY OF AUNG SOE MIN VIS UNSPLASH

Book pages folded to make a heart. Enjoying her new chapter in life, Samantha Elizondo writes how her 3,000-mile move from California to Boston University helped her grow as she continues to get to know herself better.

wanted to be.

The second city that came to mind was Boston. I had watched a lifestyle blogger who was studying at Boston University, which piqued my interest to sign up for the High School Honors summer program when I was a rising senior.

Safe to say, those six weeks changed everything. After taking Professional Presentation with Professor Justin Joseph at the College of Communication, I knew I would return in a year and a half to get my bachelor’s degree in something communicationsrelated.

As I said before, the natural beauty in California is incomparable to anything else.

I will always miss the feeling of standing in the Redwood National Park – feeling the beams of sun seemingly enter my soul through my skin and hair. I will always long for the smell of salt wafting in the air and the wind rushing through my curls as I sit in the front seat of my best friend’s mini-cooper, driving down Highway 17 to Santa Cruz.

However, as beautiful as home may be, moving away is something that made me a better person.

I’m now in the second semester of my sophomore year here at BU, and although I’ve only experienced college through the lens of this pandemic, my experience here has been nothing short of rewarding. Every semester somehow gets better, and I truly wouldn’t change a single thing.

That being said, living alone is hard. Personally, the hardest part

of college is not the academics, but rather finding balance. I am no longer solely responsible for getting good grades and being a good sister and daughter. I’ve left my comforting nest at home that I took for granted and am learning to grow. It’s difficult, but necessary for the soul.

In between my 20 credits, two BUTV10 shows and commitments at the Daily Free Press, I also have to find time to exercise, stay in contact with friends and family, keep a clean living space, make sure my fridge is stocked — the list goes on. Balancing all of this has not been easy, but it’s something I prioritize so I can feel completely satisfied.

Managing my time is something that I am still getting the hang of. Moving out has really made me question what’s important to me because with all of this new freedom comes loads of responsibility. You only want to invest your time and energy in places that you deem important.

I believe space is necessary to grow and evolve, so having a solid 3,000-mile separation from my family and old routines has greatly helped me in that regard.

It really encouraged me to think about what I want without my parents influencing me.

Moving out has improved my relationship with myself by giving me independence and freedom. After all, my reality is in my hands, and I can’t think of anyone better to shape my present and more importantly, my future, than me.

SPORTS 12

SPORTS

Women’s basketball defeats Lafayette at home Rachel Cherry Contributing Writer Junior guard Sydney Johnson and freshman guard Alex Giannaros carried the Boston University women’s basketball team (11-8, 7-1 Patriot League) to a 67-57 win against the Lafayette College Leopards (710, 3-4 PL) on Wednesday night at Case Gym. Coming off their first Patriot League loss of the season to Lehigh University, the Terriers battled to get back to their winning ways in conference.

The win marks BU’s sixth consecutive home victory — the Terriers haven’t lost at Case Gym since November, and sit in second place in the Patriot League standings.

“They didn’t have their heads down after [the Lehigh] game,” head coach Melissa Graves said postgame.

“They went into the next play, next game, focusing on the next opponent and knowing that we have to win this one.”

Johnson led BU with 24 points and five rebounds while Giannaros added 15 points off the bench. Senior forward Chiara Tibbitt chipped in a season-high 11 points, knocking down five of her seven field goal attempts.

With her performance on Wednesday, Johnson recorded two consecutive games with at least 20 points for the first time in her career — Johnson also scored 24 points in the 79-67 loss to Lehigh on Jan. 22.

Sophomore guard Makayla Andrews led Lafayette with 13 points, and senior guard and forward Makaila Wilson posted 12 points and five rebounds in the losing effort.

Lafayette struggled to hit shots —

specifically from beyond the arc. The Leopards shot just 12.5% from threepoint range on 16 attempts. BU fared significantly better, hitting seven of its 18 attempts from long range.

After a back-and-forth game in the first quarter, the Terriers raised the intensity in the second period, going into halftime with a nine-point lead over Lafayette.

Come the second half, the

Terriers to face an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter.

“Obviously didn’t have a great third quarter, but I thought they were challenged going into the fourth quarter and we really pulled away in that,” Graves said.

Graves was pleased with her team’s ability to perform as a unit, complimenting junior forward Maren Durant and sophomore

Beneventine and her energy in the game.

BU returned for the fourth quarter on fire, as Giannaros came out with a three-pointer in the first minute of the final period, bringing the BU bench and fans to their feet. Scoring nine consecutive points for the Terriers, Giannaros shrunk the deficit to just one point.

The Terriers continued to maintain

making their free throws to solidify their 10-point win.

Johnson and Graves both emphasized focus and energy as the team looks forward to their next matchup against Colgate University in Hamilton, New York on Saturday afternoon.

“Games are never easy,” Johnson said postgame. “So, just not getting down on ourselves early if shots

MOHAN GE | DFP STAFF

Junior guard Sydney Johnson in a game against Lafayette College on Jan. 26. The Boston University women’s basketball team got back on track with a 67-57 win against the Leopards following its first Patriot League loss of the season.

Leopards dominated the third quarter with junior guard Jessica Booth controlling the court alongside Andrews and Wilson, leaving the

forward Caitlin Weimar for their key roles in rebounding and the team’s commitment to great defense, specifically sophomore guard Sophie

their momentum, as they went on a 6-0 run on the court to capture the lead. The Leopards got into some foul trouble late, and the Terriers were

aren’t falling or things aren’t going our way but just keep in focus and have high energy, and I think we’ll be OK.”

Off the Post: Hockey talk with NHL Network’s E.J. Hradek Belle Fraser Columnist E.J. Hradek started his career clacking away at his typewriter in Westchester County, NY, covering high school sports games for his local paper. Now, he’s a senior reporter for the NHL Network, a fan-favorite host and has most recently dipped his toe into broadcasting NHL games.

A prominent figure in the sports media industry, Hradek has lived a life full of hockey. His love, passion and knowledge of the sport has propelled him to a career many dream about, and he continues to make strides.

“I’ve wanted to be in sports

since I was pretty much a baby,” Hradek said. “I fell in love with hockey and I’ve been kind of a rink rat my whole life.”

I was lucky enough to pick the expert’s brain about all things NHL and beyond earlier this week. As both a fan of the game and Hradek’s work, it was, no doubt, the best 25 minutes of my Monday.

Selfishly, I asked about the Rangers and their burst to the top of the standings this season. For the first time in five years, it feels like they can shed the “rebuild team” label and hold their own as true competitors.

“I think the Rangers are a really interesting team because they’re at the start of the early part of their window of opportunity,”

Hradek said. “They’ve got great goaltending with Shesterkin and they’re a good team, and they’re a fascinating watch over the next several years.”

Outside of the Eastern Conference, Hradek has his eyes on the Colorado Avalanche. The group has yet to see the third round of the playoffs in the past couple of years, but has been a powerhouse in the league for the past few years. Even though the Avs have been on a run recently, Hradek acknowledged the postseason is a whole other animal.

“I always say the playoffs come down to two things for me, matchups and injuries,” he said.

“How healthy are you and how do you match up against a team

COURTESY OF E.J. HRADEK VIA INSTAGRAM

A senior reporter for the NHL Network, E.J. Hradek. This fan-favorite hockey reporter stepped away from the typewriter of his local paper and, discovering broadcast, toward a career he feels lucky to have.

you’re locked in there with for seven games.”

Colorado topped the league at the end of the 2020-2021 regular season with 82 points, but were unable to get past the Vegas Golden Knights after sweeping St. Louis in the first round. They’re once again near the top of the league this year, but the team will have to truly prove themselves when May rolls around.

And then there are the teams that always seem to get it together right when it’s needed. Squads like the Capitals, Penguins and Bruins have been forces in the NHL for the past decade and produced some of the most exceptional franchise athletes of all time.

Hradek said players including Sidney Crosby, Patrice Bergeron and Alex Ovechkin have created a winning culture in their clubs –– and are still bonafide star players in the league despite being on the back end of their respective careers.

But the reality is the NHL’s staple teams are going to eventually change. And the guys who have been the face of the league for years will inevitably age out — at this point, sooner rather than later. With that comes a new generation of hockey players, many of whom are bred from our very own Hockey East and the college hockey world in general.

“It’s a younger league than it’s ever been,” Hradek said. “I think this is a testimony really to the path of going to the USHL and the US Juniors and then playing college hockey. That path is so much stronger now than it was many years ago.”

We’ve seen this hold true within our own program at Boston University. Whether it’s the AHL or NHL, Terriers have made the jump to the pros and normalized using college as a stop on the way to the big stage. Some guys are ready to make that next step.

But, Hradek said, in some cases, these young players could greatly benefit from a year or two more with their college groups.

He pointed to Quinn Hughes and Cale Makar, who are now some of the biggest names in the game but took the time to develop at the collegiate level before leaving the nest. Granted, it’s a unique case for each player and their respective draft team, but some extra practice never hurt anybody.

That sentiment holds true in Hradek’s own career, as he has practiced –– and arguably perfected –– nearly all areas of the sports media industry. He’s gone from newspaper print to magazine writing, television, broadcasting, radio and has even held a stint as a pro scout for the Dallas Stars for a couple years.

“I’ve been getting to call games lately and do play-by-play for games for the NHL Network and that’s been just a dream come true, even at this late stage of things,” Hradek said. “I think it keeps you fresh to do different things in life.”

Hradek’s resumé is about as filled as can be at this point, but what shined through the most when talking to him was the genuine love he has for the game and his job.

“I’ve been as lucky as anybody in the world,” Hradek said.