3-4-2021

VACCINATIONS, 2

PEP BAND, 3

BOSTON MARATHON, 5

POKEMON NOSTALGIA, 6

New mass vaccination site opens at Roxbury Community College.

The show doesn’t stop for BU’s pep band.

Boston Marathon continues to unite community.

New Pokémon releases spark nostalgia.

CE LE B RATIN G

THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021

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J O U R NA LI S M

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

YEAR LI. VOLUME C. ISSUE VI

Ph.D. applications increase as departments face budget cuts

“I’m not the expert, but clearly the University is cutting the budget,” Star said, “and they have to worry about their money and so they want he wrote. “That is 1.58% of our to accept fewer students, but it’s not Olga Benacerraf applicants, compared to 3.26% last just BU.” Daily Free Press Staff year.”

Associate Dean of the Graduate Star said the increase in philosophy School of Arts and Sciences Malika applications, and most likely other Jeffries-EL said times of economic Despite an uptick in Ph.D. studies as well, is not unique to BU — uncertainty often lead to an increase applications for the Fall semester, it’s happening at other universities as in Ph.D. applicants.

“When the labor market is some Boston University departments well. He said one explanation may be tenuous, you see an uptick in graduate will be accepting fewer students due the desire to escape the job market. to budget cuts.

“We’re at a point where people admissions,” Jeffries-EL said.

She noted past periods of Daniel Star, an associate professor are having trouble getting jobs,” Star of philosophy, tweeted that there is said. “If you get accepted into a Ph.D. economic hardships when graduate an intentional decrease in admitted program, you have funding for five applications increased in response to Ph.D. students in the philosophy years and you can take a break from financial turmoil.

“With markets down, it’s absolutely department from six to four for the the job market and you can try to like 2008 when the financial crisis upcoming year. pursue a different kind of goal.”

“This year the goal is to admit He said the decrease in admissions hit, graduate admissions went up,” 4 (although we offer more spots at was motivated by the University’s Jeffries-EL said. “2016 when President Trump took the office and people the start), because of budget cuts,” financial concerns. were like ‘I While Boston University’s number of Ph.D. applicants for the Fall semester has increased, it will not don’t even accept as many students because of coronavirus-related budget cuts. know what SOPHIA FLISSLER | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF this means,’ so what’s going to happen, graduate admissions went up.”

Jeffries-EL added that due to the fixed budget, programs c a n n o t increase the number of students admitted, even if the number of applicants increases.

“It’s a

budgetary decision,” she said. “You can’t expand just because the pool expands.”

The Chronicle of Higher Education keeps a running list of suspended doctoral programs, and as more programs started being put on pause, Jeffries-EL said students started contacting her department.

“I was getting emails, my office was getting emails,” she said, “various departments getting emails, ‘Oh my god are you taking students? Are you taking students?’”

However, Jeffries-EL said BU is not the only university scaling back its doctoral programs due to COVID-19. She cited The University of Pennsylvania having to close its equivalent to BU’s Graduate Research School for the 2021-22 academic year.

“I’m just glad that we didn’t have to go to that extreme of doing that,” Jeffries-EL said, “but at the same time, common sense says scale back.”

While BU did not have to close the whole school, the departments of English, Sociology and American and New England studies were “paused” for one year, Jeffries-EL said.

“Our decision to pause admission was an investment in our own people,” she said. “It’s negligent to bring in more people and not think about the financial implications on your current, so we cut admissions to help redirect funds to support existing students.”

Sonia Hofkosh, director of graduate studies in the Tufts University English Department, wrote in an email applications are up 40 percent across all Tufts Graduate programs this year.

She noted the increase was particularly substantial in terms of applicants for the English Department.

“We had considerably more than that percentage increase of applications for our PhD program over last year,” Hofkosh wrote.

Though she is unsure of the exact reason for increased applications, Hofkosh cited several possible explanations, including fewer programs accepting students, the removal of GRE and subject testing requirements, as well as the appeal of a fully funded graduate program in an uncertain job market.

“Our program is quite small,” Hofkosh wrote, “so it has been necessary for us and painful to turn away so many very strong, promising applicants.”

Jeffries-EL noted the cuts in admissions seemed more excessive due to comparisons between graduate and undergraduate programs, despite their difference in size.

“If we cut undergrads by 20 percent or 25 percent, that’d be 1,000 students and it’s like, ‘Oh my god,’” Jeffries-EL said, “but grad admissions are small, and so we’re talking about one or two people each program.”

However, while BU is seeing an uptick in Ph.D, applicants, master’s applicants are decreasing, Jeffries-EL said. She said this is due to the fact that a large pool of master’s applicants are usually international students.

“If you’re a brand new student,” she said, “you’re like, ‘I don’t want to pay money to study remotely. I want to pay money to live in the United States.’”

Currently, the future of the job market for graduates is uncertain, but Jeffries-EL said the school is working to address that issue.

“Lots of thoughtful conversations are going on at the graduate side of the house,” Jeffries-EL said.

Live music to stay out of Boston restaurants amid pandemic Taylor Brokesh Daily Free Press Staff

Live music performers will not be allowed to perform in Boston restaurants until March 22.

As Massachusetts entered Phase Three, Step Two of its COVID-19 reopening plan Monday, the City opted for a modified version of the plan, which also bars indoor performance venues and certain indoor recreational activities for an additional three weeks.

Mayor Marty Walsh stated in a press release last Friday that the modified reopening is a result of extra precautions surrounding public health data.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Boston has taken a cautious approach to reopening,” Walsh stated. “We’ve prioritized the health and safety of our residents, and we’ve made decisions based on the latest public health data and metrics. We’ve only moved forward when it’s safe.”

Steve Clark, vice president of government affairs at the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said he believes Boston went ahead with a modified reopening instead of fully moving into the next phase to avoid large

social gatherings on St. Patrick’s Day March 17.

“St. Patrick’s Day is a gathering holiday and a lot of people get together,” Clark said, “I think that they wanted to avoid the celebratory nature that comes with St. Patrick’s Day.” Within the restaurant industry, live music venues have been “one of the hardest-hit segments,” Clark said.

“It’s really good that we’re back on a path to get them reopened and there’s a process in place,” he said. “I think there’s optimism on that side of the industry.”

Wally’s Cafe Jazz Club on Massachusetts Avenue was opened in 1947.

But since March of last year, it has been closed — the longest in its nearly 75-year history.

“We haven’t been open for a year,” said general manager Frank Poindexter. “Live music is our number-one draw. We’ve been doing it for 70 years.”

Poindexter said Wally’s needs to wait for recommendations from Boston’s Licensing Board and the Entertainment Licensing Department, in addition to the Governor’s approval, before it can reopen.

Nia Grace, owner and operator of Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen in the South End, said her restaurant

SOPHIA FLISSLER | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

House of Blues. The City of Boston will not allow musical performances at indoor venues or restaurants until March 22.

was hurt financially because live music was such a large draw for customers, and 90 percent of business was done on-site.

“On a numbers standpoint ... I think we’re down 70 percent of our revenue,” Grace said. “We had to move to a takeout-only model for a good portion of the pandemic.”

Although Darryl’s Corner Bar and Kitchen held an eight-hour, virtual “music marathon” on Juneteenth, Grace said after the modified reopening is lifted, the restaurant aims to begin booking live acts their first day back.

Clark added that entertainers who perform at restaurant venues have also struggled during the lockdown.

“Think of all the entertainers, whether it’s a band or a comedian or a magician,” Clark said. “I definitely think that that void will be filled, and I think that segment of the economy is itching to get out as well.”

Grace said her restaurant is participating in this season’s Dine Out Boston — a two-week-long event when local restaurants will offer special menu prices from March 14 - 28, meaning the promotional event will coincide with the return of live per-

formances.

“We’re excited to be able to say that during our second week of Dine Out Boston, beginning that Wednesday, we will have live music that will return,” Grace said.

Clark said he believed people will go out to restaurants with live venues despite the pandemic — although it may be a gradual return because current performance regulations still ban singing indoors.

“Entertainment is part of the experience of enjoying your local restaurant or bar,” Clark said. “It’s just a better sense of normalcy.”

2 NEWS

Mass vaccination site opens at Roxbury Community College Isabella Abraham Daily Free Press Staff CIC Health officially began its management of a third mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Massachusetts at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center at Roxbury Community College Saturday.

The site operates seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will expand to 10-hour days in the coming weeks.

CIC took over operations from the City, which had been managing the site since early February.

CIC’s operations opened with an initial dosage capacity of 800 Pfizer-BioNTech vaccinations per day, with plans to increase that number to 2,500 daily appointments in a month’s time, according to a Feb. 24 press release announcing the change in management.

“We could not be doing more important work right now, and these mass vaccination sites are an integral part of how we get back to schools, back to work, and ultimately how we get our community, our city, back,” Erika Berglund, a spokesperson for CIC Health, wrote in an email.

Founded in August 2020, CIC Health operates two other mass vaccination sites at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough and Fenway Park in Boston.

The Roxbury location is the first mass vaccination site in the Commonwealth to open in a region with a large population of people of color.

“With the Reggie Lewis Center located in the heart of a diverse, urban community,” Berglund wrote, “the Roxbury site’s expansion is a step forward in addressing the needs of those hardest hit by the pandemic.”

After groups such as the Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition advocated for the City to open a vaccination site closer to BIPOC communities, the City proposed the location and the state agreed, said member Atyia Martin.

Martin said the City was forced to initially run the site due to issues with finding a contractor in time — adding that its opening was “a step in the right direction.”

CIC Health worked in tandem with organizations such as the Boston Public Health Commission to streamline logistics and scale capacity for vaccinations, according to the press release.

The company also contracted Mass General Brigham for medical oversight, Transformative Healthcare to prepare and administer vaccines, and DMSE Sports for on-site vaccination operations and logistics management, the press release stated.

Valerie Roberson, president of RCC, said she was happy to work with CIC to expand testing to people of color in the surrounding area.

“This is one of those times in society where we’re really called on to be our brother’s keeper and make sure that everybody is safe,” she said.

New vaccination appointments will be released each Thursday. Half of the appointments will be reserved for local resident registrations, Berglund wrote.

To build trust and prioritize vaccine equity, CIC Health is actively collaborating with more than two dozen community partners, according to the press release. Those partners include local churches and social service groups that work with elderly communities, Roberson added.

Martin said the Coalition worked with the City to ensure the process was equitable to local residents.

“We basically worked with them to not come into the Reggie Lewis Athletic Center site with a one-size fits all approach because of the range of diversity in the community,” Martin said. “We’re still definitely involved and will not be going anywhere.”

As a result of these partnerships and weekly town halls, CIC implemented a canvassing program that disseminated around 10,000 informational flyers, 10,000 door-hangers and 1,000 posters in Roxbury and surrounding neighborhoods, according to Berglund.

Printed materials and website content are offered in eight “community-identified languages”: Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole,

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. CIC Health announced Feb. 24 the facility would serve as its third mass COVID-19 vaccination site in Massachusetts.

Portuguese, Somali, Spanish, Swahili and Vietnamese.

Roberson said CIC has taken “extraordinary steps” to make sure those who register do not need to use the Massachusetts website and callbacks are in patients’ native languages.

“In some of the populations of color, there is a history where people haven’t always had access or there’s been some situations with a lack of trust,” Roberson said. “These communities really need to know that this is safe, and that the vaccine that they’re getting is the same vaccine that others are getting.”

On-site interpretation and phone support are available in 240 languages, and CIC implemented a door-todoor awareness campaign throughout Roxbury, Berglund wrote.“Part of this is about re-establishing relationships, reimagining or redefining and

centering on people who were just often not involved in that process,” Martin said, “and being respectful of their questions and giving good quality information, instead of finger wagging.”

Martin said some of the biggest challenges in extending vaccine rollout to communities of color boil down to trust — misinformation and a history of medical mistreatment, not ignorance, lead many to be wary of vaccines.

“Equity is about making sure that the processes and the resources actually have support built in to them so that people can actually take advantage of those opportunities,” Martin said. “That means boots on the ground, reaching out to community members who are working multiple jobs, who are juggling family … and really taking that extra effort.”

BUnited slate runs uncontested in StuGov elections Molly Farrar Daily Free Press Staff With the Boston University Student Government elections fast approaching, the BUnited slate is ready to begin their term as the next StuGov Executive Board, said Student Body President-nominee Nyah Jordan, a junior in the College of Communication.

“To care, to be passionate about what we’re doing, to commit as much time as you do to student government,” Jordan said, “I think that shows that this team is not only qualified but extremely excited about what we’re doing.”

Besides Jordan, who currently serves as vice president of Internal Affairs, the BUnited slate includes College of Arts and Sciences junior Hessann Farooqi for vice president, CAS junior Shahaf Dan for VP of finances and COM junior Aimee Mein for VP of internal affairs.

Current Student Body President Oliver Pour ran last year with the OneBU slate and has spent his presidency in an unprecedented global pandemic. He said the duties of the student body president are difficult but important.

“The role of presidents is ever-changing,” he said. “It’s a role that you always got to be on top of the work of course and on top of what the school needs in that given moment.”

He noted the differing circumstances and challenges that each president encounters over the course of

their term.

“What I face as president is different than what the last president will face,” Pour said, “but it will also be different than what the next president will face.”

For Dan, the slate’s message comes from the platform’s name, which he said emphasizes unity in an uncertain time.

“We’re going to get out of COVID sooner or later, so we really want to make sure that we get off strong next year,” he said. “That means helping transfer students, helping any incoming freshmen, just helping any community within our community of BU.” BUnited is the only slate running for executive board this year, following a record-breaking five slates last year. However, Student Election Commission Co-Chair Daniel Daponte, a junior in CAS, said this doesn’t mean the election is any less important for students across BU. “This year, there just isn’t a lot of momentum and it’s been hard to generate interest,” Daponte said. “It’s not unprecedented to have one slate, but we also run Senate at-large elections, and those have multiple parties which vie for 10 seats in the BU Student Government Senate.”

BUnited’s platform covers three main topics: Uniting Health, Uniting Justice and Uniting Community.

“I’m especially excited about our Uniting Justice section,” Jordan said, “just because I think we’re touching on things that e-boards haven’t really dove into before.”

The future executive board said they intend to bring peer therapy programs, an annual social justice fundraiser as well as local busines financial support to BU. Jordan said she believes the fundraiser is a partic-

THALIA LAUZON/ DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF

Members of BUnited host a socially distanced meet and greet Wednesday. The BUnited slate is running uncontested to become next year’s Student Government Executive Board.

ularly important addition.

“I think that’s something that should be implemented in Student Government,” she said. “I don’t think we should wait until a particularly brutal injustice happens when we do something like that.”

To create a more just BU, the slate’s platform states they will promote LGBTQ+ administrative representation and local Black, indigenous, people of color-owned businesses, as well as include voter registration at freshman orientation.

Farooqi, who ran under the ConnectBU slate last year and is a current StuGov senator, said it is the executive board’s duty to be in active conversation with administration and seek accountability and concrete action from the University.

“Our role in those meetings is to make sure that we are holding them accountable, holding their feet to the fire about the policy areas that we really want to see change on,” he said, “because I appreciate statements, but we really need to see tangible improvements to people’s lives.”

To promote healthy practices, the group’s main objectives include a sexual health vending machine, more workout and individual spaces in East Campus and a collaboration with sexual assault prevention organizations on campus to meet their demands for the University.

Mein said the slate is ready to pick up where this year’s executive board left off in terms of involvement and representation of the student body.

“The fact that [Jordan] is already

on the current e-board allows us to continue the work that’s been happening this past year,” she said, “which I think is a really special and unique situation.”

Jordan said the group’s objectives are concrete, achievable and not simply idealistic.

“When we wrote this platform, it wasn’t just an idea in mind,” she said.

“We thought about the logistics of it.

So everything in here just has a detailed plan behind it, and this is also not even the end of what we want to do.”

A virtual town hall will be held to allow the student body to meet the candidates March 15 at 7 p.m. The election will take place March 22 to 25 and the ballots will be collected through the Student Link.

FEATURES 3

ARTS

Boston University pep band finds connection, success despite pandemic limitations Colin Boyd Daily Free Press Staff The toot of the horns that would, in an otherwise COVID-19 free world, emulate from the tucked away band room in West Campus is absent. In its place, a limited chorus plays from the pep band’s performance room, socially distanced and truncated from previous years.

That sound isn’t quite dead, though.

This Spring, the Boston University pep band is still up and running, pumping out its tunes in whatever way it can — though without wind instruments — be it through a Zoom call or a socially distanced and limited-capacity rehearsal.

“We ain’t going anywhere,” said director of athletic bands Aaron Goldberg. “We are not canceled.”

The pep band, as well as the other bands at BU, are still operational, with the band program having reached its 100th and “weirdest” year in action, Goldberg said.

With more than 100 student members on its roster, the band’s outside gatherings were capped at 50 people and its indoor ones at 25, while members stood 12 feet apart for practice last semester. This semester, BU’s Medical Advisory Group updated restrictions by cautioning against wind instruments from playing

in groups, but practices have still continued in a limited capacity.

As such, rehearsals had to be restricted, but they were still able to “keep the traditions alive,” Goldberg said.

“We just basically did a few performances around campus in small groups in front of the [George Sherman Union],” he said, “not related to anything but just to try to bring a little life and energy to campus.”

Pep band’s play has come with expected changes and now splits off into what are essentially “small bands” as described by pep band manager, baritone section leader and College of Arts and Sciences senior Samuel Kamara.

He said the band still tries to get together virtually as a full band group, which helps foster community among members.

“Even though it’s on a virtual platform, there’s still that togetherness,” Kamara said.

“There was still that very strong sense of community that you wouldn’t be able to see in person.”

Conducting a band through a Zoom call, however, has proven itself to be difficult too, Goldberg said.

“Obviously it’s a challenge internally,” Goldberg said. “You know, how do you do band without band?”

Commitments to pep band have been reduced to about one event per week, Goldberg said.

However, this semester, the events have more variation, with options such as rehearsal, social events, a simulation of athletic games and

“SmartMusic assignments” to help students stay sharp.

With the limited commitment of the new semester, pep band has become even more of a social experience for students, Goldberg said.

“When you strip the music away, at least there’s that social component, there’s that school sphere component, and all of those have been really inflated now because that’s all we’ve got,” Goldberg said. “I expect that when we add the music back into the equation, hopefully starting this Fall, that we keep this bond that we’ve built.”

He also said the Medical Advisory Group said it would “re-evaluate” mid-semester. If they make any changes, he said,

pep band will “leap into action.”

The pep band’s rehearsals, whether in person or on Zoom, have taken advantage of BU’s Learn from Anywhere technology to adapt the band experience to the socially distanced world of today.

“You make the best you can out of it,” Goldberg said.

Victoria Paspalas, a senior in the College of Fine Arts and the saxophone section leader of the pep band and marching band, said the pep band’s community has stayed strong despite limits the pandemic has placed on social interaction.

“Every marching and pep band that I’ve ever been in has really felt like a home and a community, so we’ve really wanted to keep

COURTESY OF GWYNETH WILLIAMS

Boston University Pep Band. The band has hosted socially distanced rehearsals and performances this year in accordance with the BU Medical Advisory Group’s guidance.

that intact this year,” Paspalas said. “I think we’ve been doing a great job of trying to do that.”

Kamara said the smaller performance circles have also improved the musical ability of the performers.

“People are less reliant on their neighbors for their sound, and they feel that need to improve,” he said. “When they see that improvement, they want to keep going.”

Kamara said it’s been much easier this semester to acclimate new students into pep band too, given that the immediacy and quantity of performances can be overwhelming.

“When we finally get back into the stands and we finally get back into games, you’re going to see a whole lot more energy,” Kamara said. “We are all crawling up and down the walls begging for the next opportunity to play, so when that happens, we’re going to come out with a lot of energy.”

Ultimately, the pep band has stayed strong throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Kamara said, and will continue to improve.

“This pep band has not stopped for a single beat,” he said. “We just want to make everybody happy through music, and everything that we’ve done so far has worked in a way that when we get back to playing, people will see that we haven’t stopped, and I think that’s going to be the best part about all of this.”

Ask Sophia: How to make the most of university ‘wellness days’ Sophia Yakumithis Daily Free Press Staff In an age of perpetually heightened stress, where we don’t work from home but rather are “living at work,” a week-long break feels more needed than ever.

Unless you are somehow avoiding reality — in which case I strongly envy you — you know most colleges and universities opted to cancel their spring breaks this year due to COVID19’s travel restrictions. Big sigh.

While I support this decision from a public health standpoint, I don’t support it from a collegestudent-mental-health standpoint.

I’m not taking classes in person, nor am I living on campus.

But, simply knowing that for one, glorious week in March I wouldn’t have to stare at my face on a tiny screen all day or have academic obligations?

That opportunity sounds f---ing euphoric, and I want you to try

and tell me otherwise.

Because they’re always respectful and generous when it comes to financial needs because of their exorbitant costs, to throw us a bone, Boston University announced students will receive two “Wellness Days” this semester. That’s right: a whopping two days. No academic work, no classes and no exams.

Sounds good, right? That is until you realize these two days already exist, happen every week and are called “Saturday” and “Sunday.”

I pray you do have classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays because if you don’t, the two days off don’t even apply to you. But if you’re like one of my free-to-be pals out here and looking to use those two days to have the most baller, makeshift Spring Recess ever, I’ve got some tips on how to make the most of it.

Well, buddy, I’m gonna suggest you spend these days reviewing grammar and maybe taking a few spelling tests.

But for everyone else, don’t let the no-week-off thing harsh your mellow. Bring Daytona to

YOU. Load up on sombreros, shot glasses with corny oneliners printed on them and hunker down on an indoor Slip-n-Slide for a crazy “darty” for you and the mice who lurk under your fridge. Scatter a bunch of already cracked glow sticks on your carpeted floor, and feel free to do the same with used condoms — you know, for garnish. And

if you’re still sober by 11 a.m., consider changing that. After all, it’s happy hour somewhere, so strap on your trusty drinking hat and start chugging some good ol’ brewskies.

This is a Wellness Day, right?

And nothing is better for your brain cells and internal organs than getting plastered in the comfort of your own $1,200 a month, 350-foot Allston studio with typhoid-carrying rodents.

And for added spring break vacay vibes, feel free to load up your bathtub with a bunch of smashed Four Loko cans and sea turtle toys with plastic bags wrapped around their cute little heads!

Courtesy of Free-Photos viz Pixa

But if contracting STIs while cross-faded and killing endangered species in Florida isn’t what you had in mind for a random week in March, there are alternative ways to make the most of those two days off. For those looking for something a little tamer, choosing a nice movie and ordering pizza will do.

Wellness doesn’t exist anymore, so do with those two days what you need to survive.

I’ll be sitting in the same bed I attend Zoom classes in, watching garbage on the same screen I view Zoom classes on because that’s all I’m capable of right now.

4 FEATURES

BUSINESS

Virtual internships in place of study abroad prove to be supportive, successful, students say Ashley Soebroto Daily Free Press Staff For seniors, Spring 2021 is their last chance for study abroad opportunities before they graduate. Despite the cancellation of all in-person study abroad programs due to public health concerns, students admitted into the programs are still offered a global experience.

Boston University Study Abroad offered virtual internships with companies abroad as a four-credit course to some students who applied to study abroad programs this semester.

Gareth McFeely, executive director of Study Abroad, said the idea behind the virtual internships was to give students interested in that aspect of the program a chance to have internship experience.

“We reached out to them and said ‘We think we can try to arrange some virtual internships, are you interested?” McFeely said. “About 20 percent of them said that they were interested in that, and so we worked with people that we always work with to do normal in-person programming to see if they were interested as well in hosting virtual interns.”

McFeely said connecting students with companies for internships was “a little rockier” than usual because many of the usual organizations fea-

tured in the Study Abroad Program were not too experienced in operating remote internships.

“This is a first for them too,” he said, “even though they were enthusiastic, they haven’t usually been accustomed to doing remote internships.”

Given the remote setting and the time zone considerations, McFeely said virtual internship programs can be more rigorous than perhaps some anticipate them to be.

“It’s been hard too, to try to really help students understand that this is a pretty significant time commitment,” McFeely said. “You might have 15 or 20 hours on the outer edge of a weekly commitment, along with all of the classes that you’re taking.”

To help students adjust to the challenges of virtual internships, McFeely said the Study Abroad Program has decreased the working hour requirement and consistently checked in with students, though participants are usually very independent.

While unable to experience working in another country, Anastasya Chandra, a senior in the Questrom School of Business who is virtually working at a social media marketing agency in Sydney, said remote internships provide professional opportunities to gain work experience.

Chandra said virtual internships can be “very challenging,” but effective communication is the key to success — being the sole remote intern in

her office can produce obstacles and confusion, so chatting often with her supervisors is important.

“It’s been a little bit tough, to be honest, because the people in the office, they are working faceto-facE and I am the only virtual intern,” Chandra said. “It can be difficult … trying to keep myself in the loop.”

Jillian Degrandt, a junior in the College of Communication, said the video production company in London she is interning with has daily meetings and assigns work through an application called “Trello,” which facilitates communication despite being an ocean apart.

“Everyone can just put in comments on the projects that they’re working on,” Degrandt said. “They’re all super accessible. I can email them at any time and they’ll just get back to me right away.”

While contacting supervisors has been relatively easy, Degrandt said adapting to the six-hour time zone difference between London and Wisconsin — where she currently resides — can be difficult. For instance, she can only attend one of the two daily meetings.

“If you have any questions, you kind of have to use that time right then when you’re online with them, which is only maybe 20 minutes a day,” she said. “It’s really about being prepared and knowing what you need

HANNAH YOSHINAGA | DAILY FREE PRESS PHOTO EDITOR

Boston University’s Study Abroad Office created virtual internship opportunities at overseas companies for students who were supposed to study abroad this semester.

to ask because otherwise you might not get the opportunity for the rest of the day.”

Chandra said she is taking a full load of classes while participating in her internship, which makes navigating the work-study-life balance difficult.

“The best way for me to keep myself not overwhelmed is remember that you’re only supposed to be working like 10 to 15 hours per week,” Chandra said. “I try to only do work when it’s my working hours and when

it’s not, I just focus on other things.”

Virtual internships may impede interactions with other employees, but Sylvia Stoyanova, a junior in the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies currently interning at an international think tank company in London, said the opportunities can also be convenient and efficient.

She said she’s able to schedule meetings back-to-back, multi-task and doesn’t have to factor in a commute to work.

SCIENCE

BU sociology department hosts HIV talk, discusses stigma beliefs and media exposure Divya Sood Daily Free Press Staff Around 38 million people were living with HIV in 2019, according to global statistics from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Thirty eight million people who, often, not only live with the illness but also a perpetual stigma and shame.

Boston University’s Department of Sociology organized a talk Monday titled “Delaying Sex and Wrapping it Up: HIV Stigma Beliefs, Media Exposure, and Risky Sexual Behavior in Sub-Saharan Africa.”

The event is a part of the BU Sociology Seminar Series, which feature speakers from different universities’ and their research about pressing sociological issues. The department typically hosts four speakers per semester, this being their second.

The main speaker of this event, David Cort, associate professor of sociology and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, presented on the relationship between attitudes about HIV and personal sexual behaviors — particularly among youth in Sub-Saharan Africa — and the media’s role in the conversation.

“Does the regional media exposure moderate the relationship between stigma beliefs and sexual behavior?” he asked at the event. “The answer is a resounding yes.”

Cort said his research investigates how social processes are affected

and change across different social contexts and geography. He said he found that stigmas surrounding HIV were linked with both protective and harmful sexual behaviors.

“As media exposure increases, the protective effect of stigma beliefs on sexual debut wears off and the harmful effect of stigma on condom use tends to wear off also,” he said. “So, we see that exposure media has benefits and it has costs.”

In an interview, Cort said he measured participants’ level of stigma by assessing how comfortable they would feel interacting with an HIV-positive family member, teacher and store owner.

He said he found that sexually inexperienced youth who held negative stereotypes about HIV are more inclined to delay sexual activity — a positive epidemiological outcome.

Once youth became sexually active, however, attitudes stigmatizing HIV are associated with an increased risk of non-protective sex — a negative epidemiological outcome.

Deborah Carr, professor and department chair of sociology, discussed how the “us versus them mentality” contributes to this mechanism.

“Sometimes, it makes people feel better to say, ‘Well, this happens to those people, but it can’t happen to me,’” Carr said in an interview. “That can be a harmful belief.”

This way of thinking is present in most societies today in a variety of ways, she said, from COVID-19 to sexually transmitted diseases.

While Cort said he recognizes the mixed outcomes of stigmatizing attitudes, he said he thinks the overall belief system is detrimental because of how those ideas are formed and who is receiving them — they can’t be a “one-message-fits-all kind of thing.”

“My comments all hang on the idea that stigmatization is something that is actually bad,” Cort said. “Media campaigns need to think about that but add more nuance into how the messages are created.”

While his research was primarily on Sub-Saharan Africa, Cort said his findings — the pervasiveness of stigma surrounding HIV — could apply to other regions, specifically Latin America and the Caribbean.

Sub-Saharan Africa is the “worst-affected” region worldwide for HIV, according to the World Health Organization. Of the 1.1 billion people living in the area, around 25.9 million had the disease in 2017 — about 2.4 percent — according to the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017.

As of 2019, adult HIV prevalence is 1.1 percent in the Caribbean, and 0.4 percent in Latin America.

Cort also said the large-scale idea of his research could be applied to stigmas of any disease, even COVID-19, in new research.

“The question is how stigma of any kind of disease, or expressing stigma beliefs about any kind of disease, links to behavioral outcomes that we care about,” Cort said. “If you’re stigmatizing people who have COVID,

COURTESY OF NIAID VIA FLICKR

HIV-infected T cell. Boston University’s Department of Sociology hosted a webinar Monday focused on the impacts of HIV stigmatization and media coverage in Sub-Saharan Africa.

then the question is, to what degree does that relate to behaviors that [you] do personally?”

How media campaigns can encourage protective behaviors while minimizing stigmas with disease is “the million dollar question,” Carr said, but being direct is key.

“To make sure that when [the media is] giving lessons, that it’s really clear things,” Carr said. “‘Here are concrete steps that you can do to protect your own health.’”

She said media campaigns should be launching positive campaigns — rather than victim blaming or fear mongering — not only for campaigns ensuring safe sex, but for those discussing the pandemic, smoking, obesity and other illnesses.

“Do not show images that make those who have an illness look like they have done something to bring it upon themselves,” Carr said. “People often get sick due to no fault of their own. We know there are structural inequalities that make some people more vulnerable than others.”

Joseph Harris, an associate professor of sociology at BU and event attendee, said Cort’s work provides “interesting new light” on the media’s effect on HIV risk.

“One has to look not just at the effects of media in general, but also the quality of different media campaigns, the content and the like,” he said in an interview, “when really understanding how it’s going to impact the public and behavior.”

FEATURES 5

COMMUNITY

International students talk difficulty of getting jobs in the US Rachel Do Daily Free Press Staff It’s the classic teen experience: as early as 14 years old, some Americans are eligible to get their first part-time job.

From there, part-time jobs can lead to fulltime jobs, internships and potential careers. For international students studying in the United States, however, getting even that first part-time job is a challenge.

F-1 students, meaning non-immigrant students coming to the United States, can work on school premises or “educationally affiliated” off-campus jobs, such as a research lab affiliated with a school. But, other off-campus jobs are off-limits except for extreme cases, according to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Jaimie Leung, a sophomore in College of Communication, is an international student from Hong Kong. Leung said for her major, film and television, she would consider staying in the United States, but knows it would be difficult to get the required documentation.

“In the future, I might try applying [for] jobs in the states because of my major,” she said.

“The film industry is definitely in the United States because it’s big, but I know it’s hard to apply for … a working visa and everything.”

Leung said getting a sponsorship is one of

the obstacles international students face when they’re trying to secure a job. Sponsorship is the process when U.S. businesses can petition for foreign workers so they can begin working in the United States, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Leung said though sponsorship is an option for international students, the process still has barriers, such as expense and time. Filing fees to sponsor a non-immigrant, international student that can reach up to $4,500, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

“I feel like employers will just get domestic locals, like employ locals, first before getting international students,” she said.

“It’s definitely harder to get a job for international students.”

COM sophomore Enni Lyu, an international student from China, said the language barrier can also contribute to the hardships of finding a job.

Lyu said she does not consider herself a fluent English speaker, adding onto why she avoids

seeking employment in the United States.

“There’s much to learn,” she said, “and I think if I come to my home country to work, I think it’s more easy.”

She said she decided to come back to China to work after college because she doesn’t feel “comfortable” staying in the United States due to anticipated discrimination in the workforce.

“I feel like there’s some kind of discrimination,” Lyu said.

“Before I go to college, I think ‘Oh, I will have a job, I want to apply for a job and I want to stay in America,’ but after I actually study in the university, I feel like ‘Oh, that’s not easy.’”

Because it is difficult to settle down in the United States, Leung said she has been looking at different options for her future.

Canada is high on the list for her — there’s a new policy for Hong Kong immigrants that allows them to obtain a working visa for up to three years after graduation, which eventually leads to permanent residence in the country.

Lyu said it is important for employers to consider hiring international students because they provide a diverse perspective.

This pathway requires a one year of work in Canada and minimum education and language levels.

For international students to have more work opportunities in the United States in the future, Leung said changing governmental policies regarding employment is crucial. During the last presidency, Leung said she felt as if there were very strict policies on international students in general, making it harder for them to obtain a working visa.

Lyu said it is important for employers to consider hiring international students because they provide a diverse perspective — each company should want to hire people from different populations and backgrounds, she said.

“I think people have different way of thinking, solving the problem,” Lyu said. “International students [and] people all over the world bring with them their own culture, their own thinking mode. So, during the work, they may find different ways to solve problems.”

Leung added bringing diversity to the workplace is essential, and changes, such as giving a year of Optional Practical Training to all international students regardless of major, are necessary to help make more advancements.

“Some students came to the United States for a reason,” she said. “They want to work here, and they want to learn the culture … So I think it’s important for them to have a better policy for working visas.”

EDITORIAL

Boston Marathon will keep the city’s spirit alive What’s blue and yellow and 26.2 miles all over? The 125th Boston Marathon, which is set to look slightly different this year.

For one, the historic competition has been pushed back to Oct. 11. Last year, the marathon was rescheduled similarly before being canceled altogether due to COVID-19 safety regulations.

Hopefully, the anticipated arrival of Phase Four and mass vaccinations will allow a scaleddown, in-person road race. If Massachusetts lets the event continue, the race may provide some much-needed semblance of normality for Boston residents.

The city is rich with history, and along with being the nation’s most recognized and oldest annual marathon, the Boston Marathon has local cultural significance. Especially since many other events or holidays have been canceled — such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade — the race

serves to boost morale and maintain the spirit of the city, giving residents and participants something to look forward to.

The in-person race is anticipated to be smaller than previous years due to safety concerns, but the actual capacity hasn’t been determined yet.

Just as with previous years, though, 20 percent of the runners will be by-invitation, including charity program runners — last year, the Boston Athletic Association was able to raise more than $400 million despite the pandemic.

Since COVID-19 has disrupted many fundraising efforts and decreased donor engagement for many non-profit organizations, the pull of an in-person Boston Marathon could help the charity landscape immensely.

In addition to the traditional, in-person race, the BAA announced an additional virtual component.

Capped at 70,000 participants on a firstcome-first-serve basis, the virtual race also has no qualifying time needed to enter. This means, for the first time ever, anyone can register to compete in the marathon — and if they can complete the entire 26.2 miles without stopping, they’ll be awarded a medal.

There are concerns that the virtual race detract from the competitive, rigorous nature of the marathon. Will allowing anyone to compete and raising the number of participants drastically lose what makes the Boston Marathon so difficult and nationally recognized?

One commenter on a Boston.com article noted virtual races don’t have the same appeal.

Without the course and the qualifying time, it’s just a “let’s pretend it’s the real Boston Marathon race.”

The details of the marathon are currently unclear, but if entry fees remain for the virtual race, $180 or more may not be worth it for some runners.

On the other hand, the marathon will be more accessible than ever. You don’t have to be a hardcore athlete or marathon veteran to run, nor do you have to plan a trip to Boston.

Because it’s so well-known and such a widely important event, the virtual marathon may incentivize many regular people to sign up, prepare for the run and exercise instead

of staying inside on Zoom calls all day. It can also instill a sense of purpose in those hoping to compete.

After the marathon being canceled in 2020, being able to hold it in any capacity this year is a big deal and is a great way to bring people together, even if virtually.

It may seem premature to say an inperson event is possible. Even though Fenway Stadium is set to open in a couple of weeks at a 12 percent capacity, we should still exercise caution. The pandemic is by no means over, and the reopening of many large stadiums, arenas and events may induce a false sense of security.

If the marathon attracts the regular national or even international crowd, it could also pose a risk to the Boston community.

However, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine has recently been approved, and the marathon definitely appears to be within reach. Besides, October is still distant in the future, and with quarantining, masks, social distancing and perhaps staggering of the race, it could go off without a hitch.

The marathon demonstrates how Boston traditions continue to persevere and connect us during a time of severe isolation. Perhaps it can also inspire us to fight against the COVID-19 fatigue and keep us Boston Strong through the last stretch of the pandemic.

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEXIA NIZHNY

EDITORIAL BOARD Colbi Edmonds, Editor-in-Chief Nick Kolev, Campus Editor Charles Moore, Sports Editor Hannah Yoshinaga, Photo Editor

Cameron Morsberger, Managing Editor Daniel Kool, City Editor

Jackson Machesky, Podcast Editor

Alexia Nizhny, Layout & Graphics Editor Emma Sanchez, Lifestyle Editor

Abbigale Shi, Opinion Editor

Lily Kepner, Features Editor

GRAPHIC BY ALEXIA NIZHNY Andrew Harwood, Multimedia Editor

OPINION 6

COLUMNS Gaming the System:

Diamond, Pearl and golden ages

Nick Speranza Columnist As many a viral tweet from the past weekend lamented, “Nobody hates Pokémon more than Pokémon fans do.”

Indeed, The Pokémon Company premiered multiple trailers for new games in the franchise last Friday to mixed reception, despite the fact that one such trailer announced long-awaited remakes of 2006 Nintendo DS titles Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl.

Fans have clamored for remasters of Diamond and Pearl on modern Nintendo hardware for years, to the point that their demands have become a meme. However, now that they have gotten what they wanted, many fans are dissatisfied.

Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl have translated the original games’ pixel assets into 3D models with a caricatured, chibi art style, and while some fans see this as a faithful recre-

ation of the original aesthetic, a vocal group are sented in an explicitly unfinished state? It is also understandably upset about the change. Unflat- a recipe for getting into an online argument, tering comparisons have been drawn between most of which are wastes of time and energy. the remakes and LEGO figures or mobile-game Still, I can’t blame people for acting on the knockoffs, among other things. impulse to complain about the new game. In I also prefer the original to the remastered my opinion, the march of version, but comparing U.S. capitalism has turned screenshots of the two us all into creatures of nosinspires a feeling of cognitalgia. While our distance tive dissonance because I can’t from the United States’ point to any specific qualities juspost-war, economic Goldtifying my preference. The cartoonish en Age grows, economic proportions of the player characters inequality only continues look the same in the remake as they to widen. do in the source material. The enOur social services vironment of the overworld is also programs continue faithfully recreated in the remake to be sold for right down to the repeating trees and bushes.

Pokémon games take the player through a sprawling region full of cities and natural formations — the scope obviously necessitates parts, reuse of certain assets. But I will the vice of austeralways view the original Diamond ity tightens and the and Pearl through rose-colored purchasing power of the glasses, no matter how hard I try average wage remains to be impartial. stagnant. Two economic ILLUSTRATION BY EMMA MONEUSE Of course, constant comcrises have happened in plaining about the new look of these Pokémon the last 13 years: once in 2008 and the other in games seems unproductive at best and actively 2020, the latter brought on by the pandemic. harmful at worst. From a practical perspective, How can we expect people not to wish for it’s still possible that things can change. Video the simpler times when they were either more games obviously change a great deal during de- materially affluent or too young to be saddled velopment — the trailer is even stamped with with responsibility? American politics still orbit the fine print, “Game footage is not final.” around the promise of a return to halcyon days.

Why whine about a product when it is preFormer President Donald Trump’s “Make

Minority Report:

America Great Again” slogan was an obvious appeal to a bygone era of prosperity, Christianity and white homogeneity.

Likewise, President Joe Biden’s campaign pined for a return to a sense of normalcy and civility, promising the veneer of professionalism in government that Trump ignored. Biden’s talking points on the campaign trail specifically referenced the bipartisanship of Southern senators from the 1970s and ’80s as a model the country should emulate, even though it existed to maintain a status quo of racial inequality.

In fact, this curious rhetorical choice from Biden points to the irrationality of our constant nostalgia, the way it romanticizes things that weren’t very good in the first place.

The fond memories and affection for the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl would certainly seem strange to Pokémon fans who didn’t grow up on the games, considering their reputation for tedious battles, among other flaws.

In real life, some of my friends now tell me they actually enjoyed the first few months of the pandemic and miss it, which strikes me as completely insane — the time when we were still adjusting to the isolation and abject fear was fun for you?

For the foreseeable future, this great cycle of nostalgia will continue. Even the painful or annoying periods of life may transform into fond memories, but remembering good times is bittersweet.

As always, all we can do is enjoy the present — the only time we ever actually live in. But, can they hurry up with this vaccine already?

ILLUSTRATION BY SOPHIA FLISSLER

Keep Iowa First

Lincoln Currie Columnist Iowa is not the most diverse, biggest or wealthiest state. But the engaged political culture of Iowa and low campaigning cost make it the best vetting ground for presidential candidates.

After the 2020 Iowa caucus debacle, activists such as Stacey Abrams have argued that Democrats should reconsider having Iowa be the first caucus state. I like Abrams, but she’s dead wrong about this.

Iowa must remain the first state in presidential primaries.

But before discussing why the Iowa caucuses must remain first in the nation’s primaries, we need to understand how a caucus works.

Iowa State Rep. Molly Donahue (D) described a caucus as “a neighborhood meeting” where people get together and decide which candidate they think is best.

I went to a caucus that worked just like a “neighborhood meeting” in Feb. 2020. After everyone decided on their preferred candidate, those supporting a candidate who failed to meet a minimum threshold of voters were asked to support someone else.

This allowed people who supported different candidates to have an open discussion and persuade those who were asked to join new groups.

I remember hearing one woman at the caucus say, “there’s so much democracy happening right now.”

That being said, Iowa’s strength is not in being the all-knowing oracle that always picks the right nominee — they picked Pete Buttigieg in 2020, and he lost. Iowa’s strength is in spotting the people who would be the wrong nominee.

Vice President Kamala Harris, for all her charisma and social media jabs, showed she was unable to run an effective, organized campaign in Iowa, so she dropped out early.

Iowa is essentially a training ground to weed out candidates for what will soon become a tougher, more expensive national battle.

Iowa’s affordability is also a strong reason why the state is the right choice for the first primary state.

Wealthier, more diverse places such as California and Texas are tantalizing for Democrats as a primary starting ground, but they would favor the candidate with the deepest pocket, not who has the best campaign.

More people to reach means more money spent on advertising. There are fewer people to reach and less money to spend in Iowa, a state populated by about 3.15 million people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Texas, on the other hand, has about ten times Iowa’s popula-

tion with nearly 29 million residents.

I understand why picking a state such as Texas would be appealing at first — the state is incredibly diverse and more representative of the United States than the overwhelmingly white Iowa.

However, when considering affordability, making Texas or some other big state first would make it nearly impossible for campaigns with less money to have a fighting chance.

If we had a national primary on a single day, candidates who could raise the most money could bombard the airwaves and dominate the vote, which could end up favoring so-called “establishment candidates.” Doesn’t sound very grassroots-friendly to me.

But I’m a Hawkeye, so maybe I’m biased. I doubt Michelle Obama is biased, however, and she praised the Iowan shrewdness.

“They didn’t suffer fools. They didn’t trust people who put on airs. They could sniff out a phony a mile away,” Obama wrote in her 2018 memoir, “Becoming.”

Wh at Obama is referring to is the intense engagement of Iowa voters, another critical reason why Iowa must remain the first state in presidential primaries.

Candidates will plan events in small towns such as Monticello, and Iowans

will show up.

These are the people you want vetting candidates, so you don’t end up with a lightweight who can own people on Twitter and rack up soundbites but cannot run an effective nationwide campaign.

Though the defense of Iowa staying the first state in primary season does not lie in demographics or popular talking points, the reasons for keeping Iowa first remain strong.

The first state should be a cheap place so that campaigns with less money have a chance to get started. Furthermore, an engaged electorate is necessary for thoroughly vetting candidates and their campaigns. Iowa undoubtedly meets both requirements.

My proposal is simple, there’s no action necessary — all you have to do is preserve the status quo, fight any changes to the current primary order and keep Iowa first.