Spooky Edition 10/20/2023

C E LE B RATIN G

FRIDAY, OCT. 20, 2023

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50

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STU D E NT

J O U R NA LI S M

THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY

YEAR LIV. VOLUME B. ISSUE IV.

BU prepares for first deadline post-affirmative action ruling

ISABELLE MEGOSH | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Boston University’s Admissions Reception Center. According to BU’s admissions office, the University will remain committed to enrolling a diverse student body.

BY SYDNEY TOPF AND LINDSAY SHACHNOW Campus News Editors

Boston University remains committed to attracting and enrolling a diverse student body as its first early decision deadline approaches, following the Supreme Court’s decision to end affirmative action in college admissions, according to BU’s admissions office.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled against affirmative action — a policy that allowed colleges and universities across the country to consider race as one factor in the college admissions

process. The Supreme Court voted along ideological lines, with conservative justices having the majority vote of 6-3.

“BU Admissions will, to the extent permitted by law, continue to practice holistic admissions to identify students whose varied life experiences, academic interests and talents will contribute to the dynamic educational environment of the University,” BU Dean of Admissions Kelly Walters wrote following the decision.

BU Director of Undergraduate Admissions John McEachern said he is “disappointed” with the ruling, but he does not anticipate

that it will change the way they recruit prospective students.

“We have the freedom to do what we’ve done now for many years, which is to recruit a pipeline of students who we very much want to apply and enroll at BU,” he said. “My understanding is that the ruling hasn’t impacted that.”

BU spokesperson Colin Riley echoed this sentiment and said BU is “going to comply with the law.”

The ruling will effectively prevent BU and other colleges and universities from considering prospective applicants’ race

and will impact class diversity, according to college admissions experts.

Three out of every five American universities already did not consider race in their application process prior to the ruling, and some have prohibited race-based decisions outright, Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion.

This year, BU added a new question to its Common App application, allowing prospective students to choose between one of two questions for the BU specific application.

Students now have the option to choose between: “Reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you.

Why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it?” and “What about being a student at BU most excites you?

How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?”

BU wanted to give students a choice in what they want to write about, McEachern said.

“We thought giving students choice simply just made sense,” he said. “Students still have the opportunity to respond to the essay question about the fit with BU, but also to think critically about communities that are important to them.”

McEachern said BU added question one to learn more about students personally.

“We thought critically about what’s missing, what might students be able to share that were not able to get through other elements of an application,” he said.

Other universities including Northwestern University also

changed their supplemental essay from asking students to express why they want to attend the institution to a question about students’ identities.

Jonathan Feingold, an associate professor at Boston University School of Law and expert on affirmative action, said there are legal ways for universities to consider race in applications.

“The Supreme Court did not overturn, at least not explicitly, existing precedent that stands for the proposition that a university may, under certain circumstances, employ race-conscious admissions to further the goal of producing a racially diverse student body,” Feingold said.

Feingold said universities, like BU, will begin to focus on students’ essays.

“What we are seeing at a minimum is almost every college or university that I’m aware of that previously considered the racial identity of individual applicants during admissions, they’re no longer doing that,” he said. “What I think we will see a turn to is consideration of race that is more directly tied to the individual experience of individual applicants.”

In Chief Justice Roberts’ majority opinion overturning affirmative action, he wrote that college admissions officers can consider race by looking at how it affected an applicant’s life “through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.”

Monica Nickolai — a college admissions specialist at Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience, a public high school in St. Louis, Missouri — said colleges will begin to Continued on page 2

Open Newbury ends after expanded run of weekends

BY SAMANTHA GENZER Contributing Writer

Open Newbury Street, an initiative by the City of Boston to transform Newbury Street into a pedestrian-friendly zone on certain Sundays throughout the summer, ended this weekend after 16 consecutive Sundays of the event.

Last year, Open Newbury was held for six Sundays in the summer, but was expanded to 16 this summer, an “ambitious expansion” that was well received

by Boston residents and business owners, said Jacob Wessel, the City’s public realm director.

Wessel said the Boston Transportation Department collaborated with Isenberg Projects to manage marketing efforts, outdoor structuring plans and regulations to ensure a harmonious blend of music and urban life.

One of the recurring performers this year was Cjaiilon Rodriques Medina-Andra, popularly known as Snap Boogie, a breakdancer and former America’s Got Talent contestant.

“I love Open Newbury streets,” Medina-Andra said. “I think they should do it more often than not.”

For Medina-Andra and many other performers, Open Newbury became a platform to connect with the community and gain recognition.

“I wanted to make sure I was

[at Open Newbury] for as many Sundays as possible because it really does wonders for me,” he said. “I feel like it [allowed] me to connect with people on a deeper level.”

The event also became a valuable practice ground for young artists. Bradley Rittmann and Ryan Peter Murphy, both Berklee College of Music students, found Open Newbury to be a “learning experience” to grow their platform and skills.

“It’s a better way to gauge how the average listener perceives us,” Rittmann said. “It’s a good way for us to get out of the Berklee bubble, honestly, and get reactions from people who aren’t musicians.”

Pop musician Evan Cole, a recent Berklee graduate, said being able to uplift the Boston community was the most rewarding part of performing at Open Newbury.

“Seeing everyone’s reactions and how it affects the people that are in the audience or passing by,” Cole said. “I worked so hard to put out this music, and it’s great when people are touched by it.”

Cole also noted that performing at Open Newbury is inspiring for other growing artists.

“The more people that [busk], the more it inspires people to do it themselves because there are so many talented artists in Boston,” Cole said.

However, many performers

faced challenges dealing with unpredictable weather and complaints from residents.

Medina-Andre said some residents were not as “welcoming of the street performers as they were last year,” noting that some disliked the loud music during his performance.

Despite these challenges, Cole said many residents enjoyed the live music and atmosphere of Newbury Street.

“There’s nothing they can really do because the power of music is great and it’s bringing people together,” Cole said. “I think music really brings people together, and I think it makes the city better.”

Street team members, alongside staff from the Boston Police Department, Public Works Department and Transportation Department, worked every Sunday from July 2 to Oct. 15.

Newbury Street is one of the city’s most famous shopping and dining destinations, and the events drew tens of thousands of visitors, Wessel said.

Passersby Kayla Dennis and Emily Umanzor expressed that Open Newbury has become a cherished tradition enjoyed by many.

“I love walking around here seeing everybody and what they have to offer,” Dennis said. “I feel like there is something new every week to see.”

Local businesses also

HOLLY GUSTAVSEN | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

People walk through Open Newbury Street. The initiative ended this weekend after 16 consecutive Sundays.

flourished during Open Newbury.

Rebecca Kalaitzidis, owner of Achelous Salon and Apothecary, appreciated the opportunity to showcase her business in a booth on the street as her store is located on the second floor of a unit on Newbury Street.

“Especially during the summer, you die up on the second floor,” Kalaitzidis said. “It’s like a brick oven pizza … It’s nice to get out in the fresh air.”

Brianna Fornoff, who works at Rothy’s, grew up in Arizona where traditions like Open Newbury did not exist.

“I love seeing everyone out here,” Fornoff said. “It’s a great

way to socialize with new people … I feel like there’s a lot of new things that they get to see on the street.”

Wessel said planning has already begun for the next steps in planning for future events, but added that Open Newbury does draw “mixed opinions” from some businesses.

“We do acknowledge that Open Newbury does not work perfectly for all businesses,” Wessel said.

“We want to really do some due diligence on how businesses feel about it and what the economic impact of Open Newbury is before making decisions for future years.”

2 NEWS

Dana-Farber, Brigham and Women’s split sparks questions for future

XIAOYA SHAO | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Beth Israel and Dana Farber announced a plan for a $1.68 billion dollar cancer hospital exacerbating concerns about Dana Farber’s split from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

BY ANNA RUBENSTEIN Associate City Editor

Through a collaboration between Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a plan to build a $1.68 billion cancer hospital in Boston was unveiled last week, exacerbating concerns among patients, their families and employees as they seek to understand how the partnership will impact their lives.

The collaboration with Beth Israel meant Dana-Farber would be leaving their current partnership with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where DanaFarber first started leasing beds in the 1990s. This came as a shock to Brigham, which was reportedly unaware of the move.

“We learned, not from DanaFarber but through a leak … that they were going to announce on Thursday they were going with Beth Israel,” said Brigham COO Ron Walls in a meeting recording on Sept. 21 obtained

by The Daily Free Press.

Walls said in May of this year, Brigham and Dana-Farber had a summit meeting about “getting to work quickly” and to build “a future in cancer together.” In August, the institutions agreed they would complete plans for a “long-term relationship” by the end of September, conversations that Walls said continued until four days before Dana-Farber’s announcement.

“I know that this is disappointing,” said Brigham

President Anne Klibanski during the meeting. “We were on track to sign an even longer term agreement, and that was as of the week of the announcement … We had a plan. That was it.

Except it wasn’t.”

During the meeting, Brigham faculty mourned the loss of the “powerful and productive” partnership they had with DanaFarber. But conversation quickly turned to the now.

“We have time to get this right,” Klibanski said, urging her colleagues to put the noise aside. “Clearly, other plans have been made, we need to make our own.”

Since the contract between Dana-Farber and Brigham will continue until 2028, both institutions see this five-year period as time to figure out how to continue providing cancer care despite changing circumstances.

Until the contract ends, the two will continue their current affiliation through the transition.

“Nothing is changing today,” a Dana-Farber spokesperson said in an email statement.

“We have deep respect and profound appreciation for our BWH colleagues, and we are confident that we will continue to work together to provide an exceptional patient experience.”

Dana-Farber cited the reason for ending its relationship with Brigham as a misalignment in visions for the future, specifically in building a canceronly hospital. In Brigham’s meeting, Chief of Surgery

Affirmative Action continued from page 1 implement a holistic approach to reviewing applications.

“There are lots of colleges out there that are operating under what is required now by law from the Supreme Court, but still thinking about ‘how do we create a campus that is diverse,’” she said. “[Colleges are] working predominantly through the holistic review process, to make sure that they’re still recruiting a class that brings in a variety of thoughts and viewpoints to the campus.”

Nickolai said she believes this new review process will put greater emphasis on applicants’ essays.

“The essays written by the students explaining their identity and their viewpoint and really who they are becoming more important than ever,” she said. “I’m now, more than ever, working with students to make sure that they really … come to life in the essay so that the reader has a true understanding of who they are.”

Jeffery Beckham is the CEO of Chicago Scholars, a selective college access program for first-generation and underserved Chicago students. He said students feel unwanted by universities, following the ruling.

“I always encourage students, ‘that’s not the case.

The schools do want you.

They reach out to us every day to find you,’” Beckham said.

“That’s why we exist, to help those young people find the right school.”

BU is a platinum partner for Chicago Scholars, which means BU meets full demonstrated need for their students, sponsors students’ visits to campus before accepting admissions and provides students with an oncampus liaison, according to

Gerard Doherty said their future cancer care model will include new facilities, but will continue to embed cancer care in acute care hospitals.

“Patients with cancer don’t only have cancer, they have heart disease, liver disease and kidney disease and they need all different kinds of specialists to provide the best care, we think that’s the best model,” Doherty said.

Dana-Farber believes in creating specialized cancer centers, according to a Boston Globe op-ed written by their president Laurie Glimcher and Beth Israel CEO Kevin Tabb.

“We do know that both patient care and patient experience improve with dedicated centers built around unique service lines,” said Ali Baaj, a spinal surgeon at the University of Arizona, when asked about this approach. “Oncological care, in particular, poses unique challenges that are likely better met with a dedicated cancer center.”

Despite differing theories, all institutions involved — Dana-Farber, Beth Israel and Brigham — have stressed that their patients remain at the forefront amidst moving parts.

Representatives of both DanaFarber and Brigham have said they have contingency plans if the contract ends and the new hospital has yet to be built.

“This is most difficult for patients,” said Giles Boland, president of Brigham and Women’s Physicians Organization, during the meeting. “We feel for patients now, and the many conversations I’m sure you already are having with patients about what this may mean for them.”

Virginia Lewis, a patient at Brigham who has received care from Dana-Farber, voiced both affiliations, or have other concern over the motivations hospitals in the area contribute behind the split. to the new cancer center.

“Dana-Farber has saved my The story has stirred Boston’s life in the past … but I feel very health industry over the past strongly that [the split is] all month, but it’s far from the only about money,” Lewis said. “It’s problem it faces. Alan Sager, a disheartening to see.” professor at Boston University’s Lewis questioned why Dana- School of Public Health, said Farber did not try to preserve the “main healthcare story” is

BU installs new dorm turnstile scanners

BY CRYSTAL YORMICK Senior Writer

Boston University installed new turnstile scanners at Student Village II and Claflin Hall, as an initiative to increase security measures in all residence halls across campus.

Kelly Nee, chief safety, security and preparedness officer for BU, wrote in an email that the scanners are for “enhanced access, control and visitor policy monitoring.”

The scanners have two waisthigh doors that swing open when a student swipes their BU ID. Paul Riel, associate vice president of auxiliary services at BU, said a convenient aspect of the new turnstiles is that they operate faster and provide more information compared to the previous model.

“We thought these turnstiles were aligned with where technology is headed,” Riel said.

“The optical scanners have run their effective force for some time, but we just felt these new turnstiles … give us a higher level of safety.”

Riel said the scanners are part of an initiative to install turnstiles across all 12 campus residences.

Eight more turnstiles will be installed, but there is no set

ANDREW BURKE-STEVENSON | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Students swipe into Student Village II. Boston University has installed new turnstile entrance scanners at StuVi II and Claflin Hall.

timeline on the project, he said.

Riel said scanners will improve security guards’ efficiency.

“It’s a tool that provides them a greater tool to do their jobs more effectively,” Riel said.

The turnstiles were first installed in Mugar Memorial Library and are also present in dining halls, such as Marciano Commons and West Campus dining hall locations.

Lizzie Victori, a junior in the College of Communication and resident of Student Village II, said the turnstiles are slower, louder and more inconvenient compared to the old scanners, but she is aware BU installed them

for the safety of the students.

“I guess they really just don’t want people with not such good intentions to get in,” she said.

“There’s been issues in the past of people getting into the dorms when they’re not supposed to or people saying they live here when they don’t.”

However, Victori pointed out that this security measure could be evaded since students can sign in whoever they want.

The turnstiles initiative comes after an unaffiliated 33-year-old man jumped to his death from the 26th floor of StuVi II in February.

BU students expressed concerns about student safety and security

in on-campus housing.

When asked about if this incident, and incidents similar to it, played a role in BU getting the scanners Nee wrote, “breaches of security do play a role in how we assess need and identify gaps so that we can take corrective actions.”

Mateo Jaime Luna, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a resident of Claflin Hall, prefers the new scanners, saying that the only issue he has had is that it can be difficult to walk out at the same time someone walks in.

“I think it definitely adds a safety feature that a lot of people would now have to overcome if they wanted to do something in Claflin,” he said.

Cassidy Young, a sophomore in Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said she feels BU does a good job with safety overall.

“I’ve lived on campus freshman year and now again sophomore year,” Young said. “I definitely in my housing have felt safe. Walking around campus for being in a city, I felt pretty safe too.”

Victori said she feels safe in BU dorms but the rest of campus is “a free for all.”

“I feel like the rest of the campus is hard to monitor just

the organization’s website.

Beckham said he anticipates a decrease in Black and Brown students as a result of the ruling and hopes colleges invest in partnering with organizations like Chicago Scholars.

“I’m unfortunately afraid that that’s what this is going to lead to out the gate,” he said. “We’ll have to just wait and see what institutions do to create access points and opportunity areas.”

BU’s class of 2026 had 6,309 early decision and 74,487 regular decision applications.

Eight percent of students are Black, 11.6% are Hispanic, 20.3% are Asian American, 23% are international and 30% are white.

McEachern said it is “impossible” to know how the ruling will affect next year’s class demographics.

Alexis Martin, a senior at Padua Franciscan High School in Parma, Ohio, is applying to BU this admissions cycle and said she is unsure about how the decision will affect the class composition next year.

“I really want to attend somewhere that has a very diverse campus,” she said. “I just hope that this wouldn’t change the campus atmosphere in the future.”

Carter Findelar, a senior at Rocky River High School in Rocky River, Ohio, said he hopes college becomes “something that more people have access to.”

“Change is never super comfortable for anybody,” said Findelar, who is applying to BU’s class of 2028. “I do hope that we can continue to see the application process work to become more fair and open for everybody.”

Bailey Scott and Maya Mitchell contributed to the reporting of this article. that Boston has some of the most expensive healthcare in the world.

“We have to focus much more attention on the floor, the basics of healthcare, than on whether it’s the BI or the Brigham that has its name on the door of the hospital where patients get cancer care,” Sager said.

because it’s so public,” she said.

“Anybody could just walk down Comm. Ave. and just go into whatever building.”

Despite this openness, Victori does not think there are safety measures the University needs to take because of this, a similar thought shared by Jaime Luna.

“If we had more safety features to the buildings where you study and stuff, a lot of people are rushing in and out,” Jaime Luna said. “We’re a college that accommodates thousands of students so I feel like it would add a buffer rather than a safety thing and it would become a safety hazard.”

Nee described the BU security systems as always “developing and evolving.”

“We always strive to find the right balance with security without over securitizing in any particular location,” Nee wrote.

“We keep an eye out for the latest technologies.”

In her new role as Chief Safety, Security and Preparedness Officer, Nee wants to create more policies that work for everyone.

“I look across the entire university to see how we can improve the security posture, again, by striking the right balance, and working collaboratively with all those affected by those security measures,” Nee wrote.

NEWS 3

Judge hears motion to dismiss negligence, sexual assault case against Chelsea High School, BU

MOLLY POTTER | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Chelsea High School. Boston University appeared in court to argue a motion to dismiss an alleged sexual assault claim from a woman who said she was “groomed and sexually abused” by a Chelsea High School teacher in the late 1980s, while BU was managing the school district.

BY AVA BERGER AND MATTHEW EADIE Senior Writer and City Co-Editor

Boston University appeared in court on Thursday to argue a motion to dismiss an alleged sexual assault claim from a California woman who said she was “groomed and sexually abused” by a Chelsea High School teacher in the late 1980s, while BU was managing the school district.

The Trustees of Boston University and the City of Chelsea filed separate motions to dismiss the claims at the Suffolk County Superior Court.

The motion to dismiss was taken

under advisement by Judge Rosemary Connolly and the decision whether to dismiss the case will be announced at a later date.

According to the lawsuit filed in December 2022, the former student, using the pseudonym Jane Doe No. 99, is suing Paul Cheffi, a science teacher at CHS until 1990, the City of Chelsea and BU for around $1.1 million.

The former student, now nearly 53 years old, was 14 when the alleged abuse began in 1986 and lasted throughout high school, court filings show.

BU and Chelsea are both being accused of violation of Massachusetts fair educational

practices law as well as negligence, according to court filings.

Cheffi denied all allegations against him, according to court filings. He has not responded to requests for comment.

Strephon Treadway, an attorney for the City of Chelsea appeared at the hearing, along with Jeffrey Pyle, an attorney representing BU. In 1989, the Massachusetts state legislature appointed BU to oversee Chelsea Public Schools due to students reporting the state’s lowest SAT scores and about half of high school students not graduating. The agreement expired in 2008, according to BU

Today.

The agreement between BU and the City of Chelsea, led by then-president of BU John Silber, sparked nationwide controversy and challenges to its constitutionality.

Silber and other BU officials wrote extensively about the partnership in various educational and academic journals during the 1990s and into the early 2000s.

“Boston University, responding to a request from the city government of Chelsea, undertook a task based on the proposition that the precipitous decline in our schools is reversible,” Silber wrote in the January 1994 edition of the Journal of Education. “Our schools worked once and in Chelsea we are showing how to make them work once again.”

The complaint filed in December 2022 claims Cheffi “engaged in sex acts” with the former student in his car and at his home in Revere from 1986 until her graduation in 1990. Despite “public displays of affection”

by Cheffi with the student in his classroom at the school, according to the complaint, no action was taken, although both CHS and BU “[were] aware or should have been aware” of Cheffi’s alleged actions.

“As [Cheffi] indicated in his response to the lawsuit, he unequivocally denies all charges,” Cheffi’s attorney James Cipoletta said earlier this week.

BU’s attorneys are arguing that the agreement, which was approved by the Massachusetts

legislature in 1989, gives BU immunity to liability from the negligence claim and that the statute of limitations on sexual harassment charges has expired.

Mark Itzkowitz, an attorney representing the former student, also appeared before Connolly on Thursday and argues that since it wasn’t until 2022 that she was aware of the harm caused by the alleged sexual assault, the statue of limitations has not expired and that the agreement between BU and Chelsea violated the Massachusetts Constitution to begin with and should not be considered.

Government agencies, like school systems, are given special protections under the Massachusetts Tort Claims Act and can not be held liable to the same standard as other individuals.

Carmen Durso, another attorney representing the former student, who was part of the litigation team against the Archdiocese of Boston in the early 2000s sexual abuse case, said BU should not have this same protection because it is a “violation of the Constitution.”

“We’re arguing that with respect to BU, they can’t get that kind of special protection because it’s not available to anybody else,” Durso said earlier this week.

Connolly chose to review the arguments all three litigation teams made on Thursday and issue a decision on whether or not to dismiss the case at a later date.

Cambridge passes controversial changes to affordable housing law, allowing for taller buildings

BY JENNY LAMBERT Associate City Editor

Cambridge City Council amended their 100% Affordable Housing Overlay, a plan which now allows for taller and denser affordable housing developments, in a 6-3 vote Monday despite multiple city councilors and city council candidates opposing the proposal.

The amendments, referred to as AHO 2.0, expanded upon the original law adopted in 2020 to now increase the height limit of affordable housing developments to 12 stories in specific areas such as Massachusetts Avenue, Concord Avenue and Cambridge Street and up to 15 stories in areas such as Harvard Square and Central Square, Cambridge City Councilor Marc McGovern said.

Councilors Burhan Azeem, Denise Simmons, Quinton Zondervan and McGovern, all voted in support of the amendments, alongside Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Vice Mayor Alanna Mallon.

Councilors Dennis Carlone, Paul F. Toner and Patricia M. Nolan voted against.

Carlone said the amendments “[do] not make sense,” and they needed a more “holistic, long term solution.”

“What I’ve learned over time is that people in affordable housing wish to live in housing that looks like their neighbors, and they don’t want to stand out as affordable housing,” Carlone said. “It just doesn’t make sense in the way the zoning is written … the zoning becomes Russian Roulette zoning.”

McGovern said he does not understand why people are so strongly opposed to the law.

He said 616 units have been approved in AHO projects since

it was launched three years ago, over 200 of which are family-size units, which people in Cambridge “desperately need.”

“In some ways, I really don’t understand what all the hoopla is about,” McGovern said. “This is not going to solve our affordable housing problem, but it’s also not going to turn Cambridge into Manhattan and destroy the city … [It’s] not going to make a difference to the average homeowner in Cambridge. It really isn’t.”

City Council candidate Joan Pickett said she felt these amendments were a missed opportunity to have “a broader conversation.”

“What many people wanted, including myself, is to actually step back and look at the more complicated issues around affordable housing,” Pickett said.

“It’s not just about height and it’s not just about setbacks, it’s about ‘how are we financing it?’

‘What is the responsibility of the universities to provide housing for their students?’ … all of those issues still remain undiscussed.”

McGovern countered arguments against the amendments regarding funding.

“I’m trying to solve a problem, I’m trying to meet a crisis, and yet other people are just … going to vote against everything that might help do it,” McGovern said. “So do you really want it or not?”

Hao Wang, another city council candidate, said he opposed the amendments because they had “no civic engagement” and they did not preserve the parts of Cambridge with “rich history.”

“I came from Beijing, we had industrialization,” Wang said.

“During that process, we lost a lot of our historical and cultural heritage, and many decades later, many people started to regret that.

PHOTO COURTESY OF PERCIVAL KESTRELTAIL VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

The skyline of Cambridge. Cambridge City Council passed new amendments increasing height limits for housing developments.

If we are not careful, we will lose our Cambridge rather quickly.”

Azeem, who supported the amendments, said he believed the amendments will bring a more vibrant community to Cambridge.

“I’m just excited to welcome our new neighbors,” Azeem said.

“I think that it’s really great that we’re welcoming new people and making the city a little bit more affordable, and having people who can benefit from all the great things that Cambridge has to offer.”

Carlone said affordable housing requires much more thoughtful decisions than the amendments that were put forward.

“The point is, this is one easy solution, but when you have

complex issues affecting the price of land … a simple solution rarely is the right solution, long term,” Carlone said. “I firmly believe that the dedicated nonprofits, long term nonprofits, don’t even want this. They want an extra floor two, and this has killed that now.”

McGovern said affordable housing is an “ethical and moral issue” for him.

“We’re talking about housing, we’re talking about housing people, why is this so controversial?” McGovern said.

“Housing is key to everything.

When you have stable housing, your physical health is better, your mental health is better, your academic outcomes are better, your job outcomes are better,

your quality of life is better, kids do better. Everything is better when you have stable housing.”

Wang said he wants to make Cambridge a better place for young people to live.

“I want our young, newly graduates [to] live and work and play in Cambridge, which calls not so much about affordable housing, more about commercial development, market rate housing and better arts and better nightlife,” Wang said. “I think we should work together to make Cambridge a better place for young graduates.”

Adithya Iyer contributed to the reporting of this article.

4 FEATURES

BUSINESS

Fall brings seasonal tourists to Salem

KATE KOTLYAR | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

A crowd on Essex Street in Salem, Massachusetts. The city reaches its busiest time now, right around Halloween.

BY CORINNE DAVIDSON Contributing Writer

Stepping into downtown Salem is like walking into a Halloween classic: witches at every turn, Frankenstein walking down the street, brick walkways and architecture that is straight out of the 1800s.

Tour guides are everywhere, explaining the history of the city. Visitors are chatting, laughing and screaming from the occasional jump scare.

The historic witchy vibes draw people in all year long, but with Halloween just around the

corner, the city hits its busiest time of year. Tourists and vendors flock to Salem not only for the festivities but also for the community.

The city draws people in from various distances. Austyn and Samantha Hyder are Tennessee natives who have been making the trip to Salem every year for the past four years. They said the lore, history and architecture keep them coming back year after year as well as the excitement of being in a different city.

“Being from somewhere like Nashville, when we are able to

come to places where you can get anywhere on foot is just super fun to us,” Austyn said.

While walking around Salem on a weekend, visitors are met with bustling streets lined with various shops. The art fairs and flea markets host vendors selling vintage clothing, jewelry, art prints and more. Isaac Bidwell, the owner of Pickled Punks, has been selling his art at the Salem Flea Market for seven years.

Bidwell is drawn to fairs like the Salem Flea Market because they are niche and fit his “a little creepy and a little cute” aesthetic.

Bidwell first discovered the craft festivals in Salem when proposing to his wife.

“There’s the old church that’s around the side. That’s where I proposed to her,” Bidwell said. “Then I noticed this craft festival going on and the greedy capitalist in me went, ‘Oh, wait a minute. I can start doing this.’

So since then, I’ve been here every year.”

Another vendor, Allison Reynolds, traveled from Rhode Island to sell her accessories and creations in Salem for the first time.

“I have a friend who lives in Salem and she’s been vending here for four or five years now,” Reynolds said. “As I started to create more stuff, she was like, ‘Yeah, you should probably just apply and see what happens,’ so I got accepted.”

Being such a tourist hot spot means that Salem brings in a variety of customers for the vendors. Reynolds said one of the coolest things about vending somewhere like Salem was getting to meet people from all over the place and, in turn, seeing her work in a variety of places.

“My jackets are now in Canada and some lady was moving to India and bought one of my jackets,” Reynolds said.

“It’s a lot more touristy so I can get more people who are from farther away.”

Salem profits off the Halloween season, but ultimately the city thrives off its history. Salem is infamously known for the witch trials of 1692, which ran for a little under a year. Around 150 people were jailed for witchcraft and 14 women and five men were

hanged.

Annemarie Duggan, a biology teacher at Shrewsbury High School, grew up near Salem and was told about the city as a kid.

“We have such amazing national history here,” Duggan said. “It’s kind of embarrassing that we don’t come out more often just to kind of see what is here and go into museums and things.”

Duggan said she wanted to bring her family during the summer to explore more of the historical side of Salem, since “it’s so crowded” during this season.

On top of tricks and treats, Salem cultivates a welcoming and all-inclusive community.

Adrienne King-Lewis is the owner of King Lewis Engraving and Gifts. Originally based in Dallas, Texas, King-Lewis relocated her business to Salem in September 2022.

The business has kept the same idea of engraving gifts but since moving to Salem, KingLewis has catered products to be more centered around Salem.

She was drawn to move to Salem since she had never lived in a small city before and found the city and the scenery around it gorgeous.

People are drawn to Salem for the Halloween aesthetics and vibes and come back for the small city energy, welcoming community and variety of people. The city is truly a melting pot for tourists and locals alike.

“It’s a gorgeous place. I love how the whole city really seems to be a celebration of otherness,” King-Lewis said.

“It’s just really welcoming and fun.”

COMMUNITY

Sinister forces haunt BU: vengeful toilets, loose poultry, drunk ghosts of Boston’s past

BY PRIYAL PATEL Contributing Writer

Years ago, when Laura Young was working a closing shift at Mugar Memorial Library, what seemed like an average night took a spooky turn when she stumbled upon the remnants of an alleged seance.

Upon first look, the library is a standard place to study, filled with clothbound books and the caged study spots on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors.

Young, a User Services assistant at Mugar, said that, when closing the library, she and the rest of the staff have felt a haunting presence since that night.

“I was clearing the fifth floor and suddenly turn the corner and smack in the middle of a desk was a large pentagram and two actual chicken feet sitting on the desk,” Young said.

Was it the work of supernatural forces? Or a prank perpetrated by university pranksters? And if it was students, the question remains — where did they acquire those chicken feet?

“I don’t know what other conclusion I could possibly come to except that they were doing satanic rituals,” Young said.

Young isn’t the only one working in Mugar who has felt

the eerie presence of something looming over her.

Seana Davis, the library coordinator at Mugar User Services, has a ghost story of her own — one which explains the chilling reputation of the fourth floor.

The fourth floor of Mugar has doors that lead out to a balcony, which are locked so students can’t access it. Davis believes that the doors used to open, making it an area where students used to meet up. Rumor has it a student either fell or jumped off, and she said she believes that is why the fourth floor has a certain cold and sinister feel to it.

“Lights will suddenly turn on or turn off … turn off if someone’s in the row even if they’re trying to keep them on, or turn on even though no one walks by,” Davis said. “Sometimes, when the fourth floor is empty, people have reported being able to hear steps of the ceiling of the third floor.”

Whether Davis’ ghost story is true or not, it’s not the only spooky occurrence haunting Boston University’s campus.

From historic buildings to the autumn leaves coloring the sparse foliage, BU’s campus is steeped in otherworldly charm.

Kilachand Hall, a dormitory now housing students of the honors college, has much more

than a newly-renovated study lounge going for them over on their side of campus. Eugene O’Neill, a famous playwright who amassed a Nobel Prize for Literature, multiple Pulitzer Prizes and Tony Awards for his work, died in the very building that now houses the University’s elite, formerly the Sheraton Hotel.

According to the New England Historical Society, O’Neill’s last words were uttered on his deathbed, in what is now room 401: “I knew it. I knew it. Born in a hotel room and, goddammit, died in a hotel room.”

Although the Sheraton Hotel has long been replaced, O’Neill doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo. Many have said that the lights flicker or heard suspicious noises while riding the rickety elevator up or down.

Kilachand Hall isn’t the only hotel-turned-dorm ghost story that is a staple in Boston University’s haunting lore.

Myles Standish Hall, which used to be the Myles Standish Hotel, was the frequent stomping grounds of baseball legend Babe Ruth. Ruth used to stay specifically in room 818 of the hotel. It is said that his ghost remains haunting the dorms.

Myles Standish Hall is also said to be haunted by the famous playwright Arthur Miller’s uncle,

MOLLY POTTER | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

A plaque explaining how KHC 401 is ‘haunted’ by Eugene O’Neill. People say there are other ‘hauntings’ around Boston University’s campus.

who committed suicide on the ninth floor.

The dormitories in Warren Towers have a similar haunted aura about them.

Melinda Tran, a freshman in the College of Engineering, recalls seeing handprints on the Warren C Tower elevator doors.

But that’s not all. The bathrooms on the 16th floor of the tower also seemed to have some plumbing issues — flooding bathroom stalls being one of them. Tran said she saw one of the toilets in the bathroom flushing on its own, what seemed to be the work of the supernatural.

“I walked in and [the toilet] just

kept flushing,” Tran said. “It was sending a sign that I shouldn’t be in there. It was throwing germs at me and it knows I’m a germaphobe, so it was targeted and I felt scared.”

BU should become a tourist attraction for the supernatural, the peculiar and the unexpected.

Could these ghost stories be a way to brush away the actual infrastructure issues and wiring problems that have been festering throughout campus? It all depends on perspective and how much you are willing to experience to uncover the chilling truth.

FEATURES 5

SCIENCE

BU researchers receive $550,000 grant, propose holistic approach to misinformation

BY ANNA ALBRECHT Contributing Writer

One of the biggest issues plaguing the internet today, and stumping researchers across the globe, is misinformation. But, a team of researchers led by Boston University professor Marshall Van Alstyne, propose a solution.

It lies in the intersection of tech and behavioral science.

Van Alstyne, a Questrom School of Business professor of information systems, said his team received a large grant from the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering across the U.S., to “explore the question of using markets to address misinformation.” With the grant of $550,000, the team hopes to find an “antidote” to fake news, while maintaining free speech and avoiding censorship, according to the Faculty of Computing and Data Science website.

Van Alstyne said some of society’s biggest problems — global warming, the pandemic, questions of presidential legitimacy and conflict in the Middle East — can’t be solved if fake news is allowed to run amok.

“We can’t find solutions if we can’t agree on basic facts,” Van Alstyne said. “The current solutions don’t seem to be working and we needed different ones.”

Van Alystne and his team propose to shift the burden of truth.

“Usually, [researchers try] to

put the burden on the user to make more decisions about this. Or sometimes they’ll put the burden on the platform to intercept and then censor when, in fact, the party that knows the truth of the statement typically is the author of that statement,” he said.

Swapneel Mehta, a postdoctoral researcher at BU and a member of the team, said social media has become as “interconnected as an information ecosystem.”

“When there are harms on one platform, they typically translate into different versions of harms on other platforms,” he said.

Instead of a content evaluation centered in a specific platform’s database, this developing program will reach beyond and bring third-party resources to the original statements, adding a layer of liability to telling the truth.

Supported by Questrom marketing professor Nina Mazar and David Rand, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor of management science and brain and cognitive sciences, along with other researchers and professors with expertise in various fields, the research allows for a holistic approach to developing a mechanism that encourages truth.

The theory behind this research is rooted in a speaker-listener relationship that parallels that of buyer-seller. At the very heart of the United States economic system is the idea of acting in accordance with self-interest, Van Alstyne said.

“Decentralized choices make the best use of their

private knowledge,” he said.

“Decentralized choices of buyers and suppliers gives you a social optimum.”

The substantial team is made up of researchers with expertise in psychology, data science and business and engineering, as well as experts in misinformation at Cornell University and MIT. The diversity in the researchers’ fields directly adds complexity to the situation, bringing the early stages of theory and research “as close to being practically useful as possible,” he said.

On the engineering side, the team developed “machine learning generative models, multi-agent simulations, in coordination with a large volume of public digital trace data,” Mehta said.

Tejovan Parker, a second-year PhD student studying computing and data science at BU and a graduate research assistant of the team, said in order to discuss fake news, a new “vocabulary” or a “conceptual map” is needed. The use of AI can help make this a reality.

“It’s hard to do research in this field without natural language processing because everything works at this massive scale,” Parker said. “You’d have to have an army of undergrad research assistants manually categorizing with all of their bias.”

While the research is still in its early stages of development, the team has high hopes for the future.

According to Van Alstyne, the team hopes to have an internally-

ARTS

PHOTO COURTESY OF CODY O’LOUGHLIN

Marshall Van Alstyne in Questrom. Van Alstyne, a grant from The National Science Foundation, to “explore the question of using markets to address misinformation.”

working code by the end of the fall semester and first test results within the year.

If successful, this research could serve as the jumpingoff point for a new way of understanding and distributing information. Restoring credibility and establishing a self-ensuring

standard of accountability in media outlets will not only allow for better information but better communication as a whole.

“If it works, it’s a hell of a theory,” Van Alstyne said. “But that’s what we’ve got to prove.”

Fashion & Retail Association rebrands, becomes more inclusive

BY RUBY VOGE Contributing Writer

When Cecilia Muñiz, Sofia Hudzik and Reeya Mathur assumed leadership positions this Fall in Boston University’s Fashion & Retail Association, they knew something had to change: inclusivity.

In the past, the club’s logo was pink and overtly feminine, which deterred non-female members from joining the club, said Hudzik, a junior in the College of Communication and the club’s vice president of marketing.

This semester, the three changed the colors of the club’s original logo — from pink to blue and purple — in an effort to make it more inclusive.

“The blue and purple are supposed to represent being gender neutral, but also the ombre of the logo itself is supposed to express freedom of creativity and just that we’re always changing, we’re always evolving,” said Mathur, a junior in COM and the vice president of operations.

And so, F&R began the process of rebranding.

“The club was established in 2004, and when it was established, it was very girly and feminine and just very based around females and women,” Mathur said. “And fashion, it’s a gender neutral thing.”

Hudzik spearheaded the rebranding process.

“With how much of a presence fashion has had online, I think a

MOLLY POTTER | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Boston University Fashion and Retail Association’s Instagram page. F&R has made strides to become more inclusive to all BU students through the rebranding and restructuring of the club.

lot of people have just been way more into expressing themselves and really playing with fashion and seeing how they can make it most true to themselves,” Hudzik said.

The rebranding not only includes outward aesthetic changes but also internal restructuring.

The club’s executive board is now organized into teams, including an event

planning team, a content creation team, a social media team, a website team and more.

Molly Newell, a sophomore in COM and F&R’s co-director of content creation, said the club has already begun to see the impacts of the rebranding this year. She said the club’s number of registered members has grown, as well as its social media engagement.

“Our members are already more diverse and we’re already getting more professional opportunities,” Newell said. “It’s so interesting how just a switch of your values and how you brand yourself can immediately change the people that join.”

Mathur noted that the club’s E-Board now has two male members: Alex Ye, the treasurer, and Jonny Lee, the content creation graphic designer.

Previously, the club’s E-Board lacked male representation, Mathur said.

“I feel like fashion in general has a very … targeted reach towards women because women’s fashion is huge,” said Lee, a junior in Questrom School of Business. “Just because fashion’s reach is geared more towards women in general, it’s still a little bit slow in my eyes.

But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I think that because we’re changing now, it’s set up for the future.”

F&R describes itself as “BU’s only organization committed to connecting students to the competitive fashion and retail industry,” according to its club description.

For its members, the club provides a weekly newsletter with a variety of internship opportunities within the fashion and retail industries.

“I think a lot of people struggle to conceptualize how many different routes you can go because you can do anything you want in fashion, no matter what your skills are or interests,”

Hudzik said.

Along with the newsletter, F&R holds a professional panel each fall, which highlights professionals from large retailers. The club also hosts a guest speaker series throughout the year, as well as sessions for LinkedIn development, resume building and professional headshots.

F&R’s signature event is its annual fashion show, which is put on at the end of every Spring semester. Last year’s show, which was held in the Metcalf Trustee Center, featured a gardenia theme and included catered food and beverages, gift bags and a brand showcase.

“It’s focused a lot on student designing. Every piece that enters the runway is designed by a student and every model is a BU student,” said Muñiz, a junior in COM and F&R’s president. “It gives opportunities for everyone.”

The club has also been partnering with retailers in Boston. They recently hosted an event with Vintage Underground on Commonwealth Avenue.

This fall, students can also look forward to shopping events with Beacon Hill vintage store Vico Style and Diesel on Newbury Street.

“We want to give a comfortable environment for people to express their creativity in all types of ways,” Muñiz said. “Just make it a welcoming place for everyone, no matter what your background is or what your interests are.”

6 PHOTO

GALLERY

Salem and the Halloween industry

BY KATE KOTLYAR

Every fall, Salem transforms from a sleepy city on the North Shore to a bustling tourist destination faster than the leaves turn. People come from all around the globe to soak in the spooky atmosphere and learn about the City’s ties to the Salem Witch Trials. Small businesses line the streets, selling everything from $80 palm readings to handmade witch hats.

A group of people dressed as witches walking at the Derby Waterfront District in Salem on Saturday.

Bridget Scott-Shupe picks out candies at Ye Olde Pepper Companie, a locally owned candy store in Salem.

A person dressed as a Plague Doctor tries to spook passing tourists from an upper floor window in a house on Essex Street.

A person and their dog dressed in matching dinosaur costumes walk down Derby Street.

A horde of tourists exit the crowded Salem MBTA station.

A man strolls through the streets of Salem with his black cat, Luci-purr.

PHOTO 7

Dan Lavoie, a busker also known as the Salem Satan, gives out free hugs for people in Derby Square.

Crowds of people browse vendors in Derby Square.

Isaac Bidwell, an artist at Pickled Punks Plush, hands a customer a graphic t-shirt he designed.

Melissa Cote, a tourist in Salem, takes a photo of a grave at the Salem Witch Trials Memorial.

A couple dressed as Sally and Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” put their dog, dressed as Zero, into a carrier.

Joshua Grutzik, a salesperson at Pickled Punks, blows into a “Sadsquatch” whistle to demonstrate to a customer how the animal would sound.

A tour guide for Witch City Walking Tours shows a group the Old Town Hall in Derby Square.

Crowds of people pack Essex Street in Salem.

8 OPINION

Mad Women:

COLUMNS

Fine tunings: crafting Amy Dunne

BY HAILEY PITCHER COLUMNIST

Amy Elliott Dunne is a cool girl.

She’s tall, beautiful and slender. She’s sophisticated and highly educated from a successful and wealthy family. She’s in a happy and stable marriage with her husband of five years, Nick Dunne.

This is how Amy Elliott Dunne appears to those around her. However, something wicked lies underneath all the glitter and glory. Underneath lies the maddest of women, a woman who is calculated, irrational and unpredictable. A woman who has embraced madness.

“Gone Girl” was published in 2012 as a thriller novel written by Gillian Flynn.

The book was adapted into a film in 2014 directed by David Fincher, starring Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne and Ben Affleck as Nick Dunne. The plot follows Amy as she executes her plan to frame her husband for her murder after she caught him cheating on her with his student.

Amy met Nick at a social gathering and the two immediately hit it off, exchanging witty banter mixed with a facade of romantic chemistry. The pair do start out a happy couple, living together in New York City and both working as writers. The disintegration begins when the couple lose their jobs due to the recession and move to Nick’s home state of Missouri due to his parent’s declining health. Despite their troubles, Amy is determined to stay the ideal, supportive wife.

This changes once Amy catches Nick cheating on her with his student, Andie.

Amy snaps and begins to craft her master plan to frame Nick for her murder. She shows incredible patience and selfdiscipline with this, planning the plot for a year, creating fake debt statements, crafting a treasure hunt for Nick while she is missing and fictionalizing the key evidence in the investigation: her diary. With quotes like “For Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d buy a

gun,” and “This man of mine may kill me.

He may truly kill me,” it was the perfect framework to frame Nick.

Nick is a non-confrontational person.

Amy was especially meticulous with this characteristic of him because it is something the media would weaponize against him.

It’s a punishment for Nick for changing from the sweet and quiet man she once knew to a cheating liar who has also altered his personality for her. Amy believes that marriage will only work if both spouses are happy all of the time, even though that isn’t the case. She didn’t want to experience the ebbs and flows of a healthy marriage and it contributes massively to her downfall.

While “missing,” Amy goes to incredible lengths to alter herself, even slamming a hammer into her face to puff it up while she is staying in a cabin community in the mountains. As she watches the investigation unfold, just before she is about to finish her plan and kill herself, she does a 180 and runs to her wealthy ex-boyfriend, Desi Collings.

While staying at Desi’s, she takes advantage of his wealth and adoration, pretending to be a victim of Nick Dunne and that she’s realized Desi is her true love — all just to kill Desi in the name of “self defense” and frame him for her disappearance after seeing Nick appear on a talk show, defending himself and stating he loves her.

Upon Amy’s return home, she crafts yet another narrative for the cameras, immediately broadcasting her story to the media. Amy’s charm wins the hearts of viewers, returning to a picture-perfect happy marriage and even announcing a pregnancy. When Nick confronts her about her disappearance, she says, “I’ve killed for you. Who else can say that?” When the movie ends, the couple is still together and Amy is in complete control of the rest of the narrative, which can only be assumed as more unanswered questions and mistrust within the relationship.

Amy Dunne is an emotional con artist.

The roots of this persona can be traced

back to her parents’ children’s book series “Amazing Amy,” based loosely on Amy’s childhood. Loosely because Amazing Amy was everything real Amy wasn’t. Amazing Amy had the puppy Amy never had and she was on the volleyball team when Amy got cut. As Rosamund Pike puts it in a 2014 interview with Charlie Rose, “[she’s] under the media spotlight for something [she] didn’t earn through [her] own merits.”

Growing up with this fictional yet superior Amy affected Amy’s self-image and transformed her into a sporadic character who molds herself to match whomever she is with.

The scariest part of the film is Amy’s ability to get audiences to sympathize with her. Any woman would want to be perceived as a “cool girl” and any woman would be upset if their husband cheated on them. Amy’s gradual execution of her plan invites the audience to gradually rationalize

her actions, even if it’s just rationalizing her choice to run away from Nick. The narrative sets the scene of a relationship lacking healthy communication, and audiences sympathizing with Amy for this or saying they’re entering their “Gone Girl era” is completely irrational and unhealthy for people to embrace. While it is reasonable to criticize Nick for wronging Amy, it is unreasonable to encourage and be influenced by Amy’s narcissistic tendencies and maliciousness.

“Gone Girl” has an emphasis on personality altering to flatter others, an exhausting task for any and a task that Nick eventually gave up when he cheats on Amy. Amy Dunne has never known peace. She has never had the opportunity to be authentically herself, perhaps because she doesn’t know her true self or perhaps because she’s actually much more evil than those around her realize.

ILLUSTRATION BY LILA BALTAXE

EDITORIAL

FreeP’s Freaky Five: ‘Thriller’ and scaring children Spooky season is officially upon us!

It’s time for pumpkin spice lattes and horror movies. To celebrate Halloween and the fall feeling, The Daily Free Press Editorial Board voted on five freaky Halloween superlatives to embrace the season.

Best Halloween Song The editorial board was conflicted on this vote, but ultimately, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” received more votes than the 1960s classic, “Monster Mash.”

Although “Thriller” is not directly a Halloween song, there are many elements of Jackson’s masterpiece that create a spooky vibe. The song opens with slow, creepy footsteps and a creaky door opening. Ghouly and ghostly noises and werewolf howls chime in to help foster a Halloween feel.

As the tensions rise, an abrupt and loud noise catapults the song into its groovy, dance-inducing melody.

The music video for the song was well before its time — it’s more of a zombie horror short film than the music videos of the time or even any that we have today. Jackson revolutionized the music industry and there is no better example of his unique style than his classic “Thriller.”

Best Halloween Movie Tim Burton’s classic 1993 film “The Nightmare Before Christmas” took home first place for the best Halloween movie.

There were many options to choose from — including a plethora of Disney Channel originals — but Burton’s claymation Hallo-Christmas mashup won this category.

There is something eerie yet really impressive about the use of claymation in this film. The main character, Jack Skellington, is also an iconic character in both Christmas and Halloween lore.

There is a nostalgic feeling when

curling up on the coach under a cozy blanket and turning on “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” It’s an iconic dual holiday film that is perfect to kick off Spooky Season.

Best Halloween Costume Surprisingly, the editors selected the category of historical figures as the best Halloween costume. Historical figures can be really creative, which is a necessary trait for the FreeP’s best Halloween costume.

One creative historical figure to dress up as this Halloweekend is Marie Antoinette (head optional). With the summer release of Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster hit “Oppenheimer,” dressing up as J. Robert Oppenheimer might be an especially popular costume this year.

We’ve all seen too many angels, devils, nurses and doctors. It’s time to switch it up and turn to our past as inspiration for our future costumes.

Best Halloween Candy The debate about the FreeP’s favorite Halloween costume caused some friction amongst The Daily Free Press. We almost disbanded the paper after this heated argument. However, Reese’s Pumpkin (very specifically) Peanut Butter Cups took home first place.

There were a variety of options for our favorite Halloween candy, including Twix, Milky Way and Almond Joy. Yet, the peanut butter chocolate treats finished on top.

Its orange wrapper and pumpkinshaped candy is a staple of trick or treating and the Halloween candy image. Simply, there is no Halloween without Reese’s.

Best Halloween Activity There is no greater joy than the inspiring fear in the eyes and hearts of those unlucky enough to cross your

path on Hallow’s Eve. Even more fun is scaring those young enough to believe whatever tricks you pull.

Thus, scaring children earned the honor of being the FreeP’s favorite Halloween activity.

Costume parties and trick or treating are both too common on Halloween night. Scaring children takes skill and precision and the payoff is much more rewarding than winning first place at a costume party.

As we welcome Spooky Season, we hope our Freaky Five will help you celebrate the Halloween spirit(s) that emanate throughout Boston University’s campus.

This Editorial was written by Opinion Co-Editor Brett Abrams

ILLUSTRATION BY BRETT ABRAMS

GAMES 9 Chloe Patel, Editor-in-Chief Emilia Wisniewski, Managing Co-Editor Stella Tannenbaum, Managing Co-Editor

Editorial Board T HE I N D EPEN D EN T STUDE NT NEWSPAPE R AT B O STON U N IVER SI TY

The Daily Free Press is published Monday through Friday during the academic year except during vacation and exam periods by Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc., a nonprofit corporation operated by Boston University students. Copyright © 2023 Back Bay Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.

INTERROBANG BY LILA BALTAXE

Sydney Topf, Campus Co-Editor Daisy Levine, Features Co-Editor

Analise Bruno, Lifestyle Editor

Lindsay Shachnow, Campus Co-Editor Annika Morris, Sports Co-Editor Molly Potter, Photo Co-Editor Matthew Eadie, City Co-Editor Austin Chen, Sports Co-Editor Andrew Burke-Stevenson, Photo Co-Editor Adithya Iyer, City Co-Editor Nathan Metcalf, Opinion Co-Editor

Lila Baltaxe, Layout & Graphics Co-Editor

Brett Abrams, Opinion Co-Editor

Clare McMillan, Layout & Graphics Co-Editor

Eden Mor, Features Co-Editor

Krishna Sreenivasan, Podcast Editor

Andrew DiBiasio, Multimedia Editor

10 LIFESTYLE

LIFESTYLE Things I Learned From Strangers:

Shaggy the Dog and The Lady with the Magic Potion

By Lili Culhane Contributing Writer

I’ve always loved Halloween.

Dressing up has been, and forever will be, one of my favorite activities.

My mom always taught me to bring a certain level of commitment to the Halloween experience. I owe all of the creative blood rushing through my veins to her. Who else would spend two hours applying prosthetic skin to her daughter’s face and then artistically peel it in order to fulfill a dream of becoming a Glitz Zombie?

While my mom doesn’t hold my hand through the process (as much) anymore, I still really like Halloween.

I like putting together something fun and walking down a random street to some random house party and telling some random people that I love their Wizard of Oz group costume — except their Cowardly Lion, who didn’t even have a tail. I took offense as I believe I would be the Cowardly Lion in my friend group, and let’s just say, I would at the very least wear a tail.

As it’s well into October, I have been hearing murmurs of people’s costumes for this year. A man walking down the street told the girl he was with that he and his dog are going to be Scooby Doo and Shaggy — but since it’s not obvious, I should mention that the dog will be the Shaggy of the equation.

Later that day, on the train, a little girl and her mother spoke to someone on the phone telling them that they are going to be witches. The mom was quick to tell Mimi that she will be carrying around a thermos of wine and calling it her “magic potion.”

I wonder if she knew that she revealed to everyone on the train what the “magic potion” truly is.

Of course, we probably won’t see her Halloween night and thus won’t give it away. And, there is also the question of how many people other than myself were eavesdropping. That is always the

ILLUSTRATION BY LILA BALTAXE

lingering question, isn’t it?

Am I the only one left to wonder what Mimi wants to be for Halloween?

The other question is, why do they want to be those things for Halloween? These days, I get ideas from my friends. Last year we were spies. Well, we all had squirt guns and ear pieces and wore black in the form of bodysuits or leather skirts or LBDs (Little Black Dresses.

Don’t forget about that acronym.

It’s useful. If I could guarantee you knew it I wouldn’t have to write this part).

Some people knew we were spies. Some people thought we were security guards, Secret Service and the like. Regardless, we liked the costume. And we felt confident in what we were wearing, even though a black romper with no jacket naturally results in quite a few goosebumps.

In the weeks leading up to the “big day” (usually the Friday

near Halloween, who cares if it’s the 31st when you’re not trick or treating), I wonder if I’m being creative enough.

Sometimes, I wish I were still the little girl whose mom was there to braid her Wednesday Addams wig before sending her off to get some candy. No one even knew who I was that Halloween. But it didn’t matter.

The costume was killer.

Through all the doubt, year after year, I walk the streets (suburban or Commonwealth Avenue) in something I’ve spent a bit too much money on and have some jack-o-lovin’ fun.

That’s the point, anyways. It doesn’t matter if your mascara is running or if your toga keeps falling down (not in a revealing way, hopefully, but just in an annoying “ugh, I have to pull my toga up again” way).

And it’s because dressing up is, and always will be, the most fun ever.

Halloween lets you be that character from your new favorite TV show that you have a really strange parasocial relationship with (boys, please let it be Carmy from “The Bear” this year).

It allows you to escape the way you’re normally seen for a second and be the Spiderman version of yourself or the sexy-spy version of yourself or a lion without a tail (I mean seriously, in what world would you dress up as the Cowardly Lion and not put on a tail?!).

But it’s not about hiding behind the costume, it’s about showing something about yourself. Scooby Doo Man wants to impress the girl he was talking to with his humor. “The dog is the human and the human is the dog!”

People are going to love that! You could throw it in a metal bowl on the floor and they would gobble it right up!

The Witch Mom is going to be known as the adorable mom who

dressed up with her kid. And the other moms in the neighborhood are going to recognize how clever she is for calling her Sauvignon Blanc her “magic potion.” She’ll be a legend for Halloweens to come!

And this year, when I dress up like a deranged puppet, I can show people that I can be mysterious and broody. Even though I smile whenever I see a baby and I cry at videos of lost dogs being found by their owners.

First impressions are hard.

How is someone going to be able to know you at first sight? How could the general public possibly understand how much you care about the Marvel Universe and that Robert Downey Jr. is your idol when you’re just wearing your jeans and white t-shirt on some random Tuesday in September?

Well, maybe that’s why Halloween was made. People just wanted one night where they could show off the part of themselves that they want to be seen and appreciated. Because some dude, in his jeans and white t-shirt on Oct. 31 of some year, said, “You know what? I wish people knew how much I like Iron Man so that I can bond with someone about the Marvel Universe and get complimented on my knowledge of Robert Downey Jr. fun facts.”

It’s about being a 21-yearold girl and playing dress up like you’re still eight years old and your mom is making you wear long underwear under your cheerleader costume because it’s exceptionally cold this Halloween.

Maybe I should invest in long underwear again. I never did get goosebumps back then. I was just prepared. Prepared and prowling the streets for some full-sized packs of Skittles.

Halloween and sustainability: a grave issue

By Anna Welsh Contributing Writer

Spooky season is upon us and with that comes the influx of costumes. Whether the trend this year is fairies and angels, “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” or the classic witch and skeleton — there is no doubt that in a college town as large as Boston, students will don at least one of these on the nights of “Halloweekend.”

In a few days, many will inevitably turn to Amazon Prime to fast-track their last-minute costume idea to their dorm mailbox. But just as fast as they are thrown together, the colorful wigs and cheap, nylon tutus will be stuffed into the back of a closet or deep in a trash bin.

But behind the masks exists a graver issue: sustainability.

Halloween is arguably one of the least green holidays, and the issue is only being exacerbated by the rise of fast fashion brands.

In a 2019 report conducted by Hubbub, a UK-based

environmental charity, it revealed the true data behind Halloween’s waste generation. The report included survey results from companies such as Amazon, H&M, PrettyLittleThing and Zara.

The brands reported that polyester — a plastic-based material — makes up 69% of the materials utilized for their clothing.

Now, what exactly is polyester?

It controls the fast fashion sphere with high accessibility and low costs, yet the material itself is incredibly harmful. The fact that it is the same resource that is used for the production of plastic water bottles says it all.

The money spent on costumes is rapidly growing, with the National Retail Federation estimated that costume spending in 2023 will

ILLUSTRATION BY LILA BALTAXE

reach a record $12.2 billion. It can be inferred that year after year, consumers seek to change up last year’s costume and click “buy it now” on the trendiest pieces.

The rise of influencers in today’s society has only made trend-following harder to resist.

The data behind the brands and the fabrics they work with are unbeknownst to many. The small tags detailing the materials on the interior of the clothing are not a priority to look at for many consumers, as the low price tag steals the show.

Fast fashion, however, is not the only solution that still allows you to adhere to a low budget –– there are some amazing alternatives.

Consider frequenting one of the many flea markets and thrift stores that Boston has to offer. Buffalo Exchange, a thrift

store just a T-ride away, has racks of costume ideas and affordable closet basics.

The Fenway Flea, running Oct. 22 and 29 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., offers booths filled with vintage and thrifted pieces.

Also, don’t be afraid to get crafty with what’s in your closet.

An apron can be transformed into a chef from “Ratatouille.” A bedding sheet can turn you into a ghost. A velvet blue tracksuit can make you Violet Beauregarde from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

The possibilities are as endless as your creativity.

Try a new makeup

or face paint look, consult Pinterest for how to take some red lipstick and become Spiderman, or some green paint to take on Hulk.

Throw on a sports jersey and take the last-minute approach.

Let us use this as an opportunity to think outside the box, and get inventive with the types of costumes we sport.

For many, Halloween is a time of self-expression. For these fast fashion brands, it represents a lucrative period for their tossable pieces. But for the Earth, we need to do better.

LIFESTYLE 11

LIFESTYLE

Día de los Muertos: how to build your own ofrenda to honor the deceased

By Daniela Cejudo Contributing Writer

While it might seem odd to want ghosts in your home, in my homeland, we welcome them with open arms.

Día de los Muertos, or the “Day of the Dead,” is a cultural celebration like no other.

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not just the “Mexican version of Halloween,” but a time where the boundary between the living and the deceased becomes beautifully blurred, allowing us to remember and honor our loved ones who have passed away.

This holiday goes back three thousand years, when the Aztecs actually used to have a whole month dedicated to the dead instead of just a couple of days.

They believed that death was not something to be feared, but rather should be welcomed as an integral part of life. The Aztec festival dedicated to Mictēcacihuātl, the “Lady of the Dead,” celebrated the goddess of death and the afterlife. Now, Mexicans all over the world celebrate Día de los Muertos on Nov. 1 to Nov. 2, remembering their loved ones who have moved on to a better place.

Mexicans prepare for this celebration by creating “ofrendas” or altars in order to honor deceased family and friends.The ofrenda is a carefully arranged display that typically consists of several symbolic elements, each of which carries special meaning. Creating one is a deeply symbolic and personal act, and it serves as a way to welcome the spirits of the deceased back into the world of the living.

Here are some ways you can make your own ofrenda:

Photographs One of the most important aspects is to include photographs of your deceased loved one, as it not only allows the living to remember them, it also welcomes the spirits back to the living world.

Marigolds These bright orange flowers are not only beautiful, but their distinct color and smell is meant to help guide the spirits to the altar.

Candles Candles are also meant to help guide the spirits to the altar, as well as offering them light. They are usually left in the form of a cross and also help represent one of the four elements: fire.

Water A bowl of water is included to quench the thirst of the returning spirits, who are believed to have traveled a long way. This helps represent the element of water.

Pan de Muerto Directly translating to, “Bread of the dead,” this sweet pastry is one of the most delicious things to come out of Mexico.

It is placed on the ofrenda to nourish the dead as they make their way back to the land of the living, as well as for the living to enjoy during the celebration.

They are usually decorated with a skull and crossbones, as well as representing the element of earth.

Incense Not only does this purify the air and represent the element, but it is also placed to help carry the words and prayers of the living to the deceased in the afterlife.

Personal belongings Place items loved or used by the deceased around their photo.

The items can also be things that just remind you of them.

Did they have an old watch they always wore? Maybe a special necklace? Here is where the most personalization occurs and you can truly connect with your loved one.

Food and drinks Buy or make your deceased loved one’s favorite foods or drinks!

Your loved one is coming back to share a meal with you, so place things you believe the dead and the living will enjoy!

All of these items are placed in tiers, and every state in Mexico has a different way of arranging their ofrendas.

The top tier represents who is being invited to the altar, as well as God and any holy figures. Typically, pictures and crosses are placed here.

The second tier is for food, drinks and the personal belongings of the deceased –– representing all the things they loved and cherished during their lifetime.

The third tier is for water, so spirits can quench their thirst before they make their way back to the afterlife. Flowers and candles should also be placed on this tier.

Día de los Muertos is a

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very special celebration for Mexicans, but it can be celebrated by anyone who wants to connect with a loved one who has passed away. The day is all about connecting with the dead –– but even more, it’s a day for the living to find comfort in knowing they will never be

alone.

This beautiful tradition serves as a reminder that love and memories transcend the boundaries of life and death –– uniting people in a shared celebration that connects us to those we hold close to our hearts.

You Scared Me!:

Why should we care about horror?

By Josh Rosenthal Senior Writer

My first encounter with horror came without warning. For one of my early birthdays, my grandpop gave me a massive book all about the history of cinema — imagine me as a loud, tiny creature who was elated to receive such a perfect gift.

As fate would have it –– I flipped it right open to the page about “The Exorcist,” which featured an iconic image of a possessed Linda Blair with her head twisted all the way around.

I did not care about iconography, though. I was so frightened I begged my parents to return the book to wherever it came from –– worried about the evil it held.

I realize now that my reaction was excessive, but this occurrence is indicative of the true strength horror wields –– it scares those who engage with it –– but it can also fascinate them and pave the way for further exploration into the genre. That exact power compelled me to become the horror enthusiast I am today.

However, it is very easy to be dismissive of horror, especially if the genre is broken down to its most unfortunate elements:

irritating jumpscares, endless sequels with an absence of creativity and gratuitous cruelty that exists solely for shock value.

While any critiques pertaining to these issues are valid, there is so much more to admire about horror as a whole, especially when so many of the greatest works in the genre embrace an attitude of subversion towards these points of contention.

As a deeply transgressive genre, for example, horror contains a sincere knowledge of what it is like to be an outsider — granting anyone who has ever been made to feel that way a sense of representation that is difficult to find in their daily lives.

Consider, for instance, Brian De Palma’s electrifying 1976 film “Carrie,” based on Stephen King’s equally chilling debut novel. As a subject of harsh bullying, the titular character feels forced to suppress her emotions in order to fit in with the same community that ostracizes her, a friction which inevitably boils over in the film’s blood-soaked climax.

Horror often aligns with subjects who are prevented from being their authentic selves by others, providing amplified depictions of distress

and isolation that viewers can connect with on a more personal scale. A modern example of this type of portrayal would be Ti West’s “Pearl,” a film centered around a lonely farmhand whose desire to become a star pushes her to violent measures.

Both “Carrie” and “Pearl” refuse to trap their characters into confined spaces, which is reflective of what I love about horror. Much like our own emotions, horror films are often complicated and messy, granting an artistic catharsis in the form of uninhibited carnage and chaos.

In the same regard, horror not only allows its heroes to defeat any number of evil villains, but it gives them agency over how they reckon with the trauma they have experienced.

For example, Sidney Prescott — the protagonist of the “Scream” franchise — overcomes a lot of brutality and personal losses with an inspiring amount of determination. In fact, some of the series’ most memorable scenes focus on the life Sidney has built for herself in spite of all she has suffered through.

Through David Cronenberg’s contributions to the craft and recent films like Julia Ducournau’s “Titane,” horror

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also unflinchingly charts the damage that can be done to our own bodies. While this exploration can turn exploitative in the hands of an unsympathetic filmmaker, the finest media in the body horror subgenre recognizes how to prioritize empowerment and rapturous transformation instead.

I find horror films to be a wonderful merchant of empathy and understanding. Even through

all the gore and terror, they still serve as a way for viewers to feel seen and heard, as well as supplying some much-needed escapism every now and then.

As Halloween approaches, I highly recommend making some popcorn, turning off the lights, and diving into a horror film or two — they might be scary, but they could also lead to a new appreciation of what the genre has to offer.

12 SPORTS

SPORTS

Field hockey routed in 7-0 loss to Harvard

By MICHAEL DEMSKE Contributing Writer

Boston University’s field hockey team fell to the Harvard Crimson by a final score of 7-0.

The Terriers (7-7, 2-2 Patriot League) did not have an answer for 11th-ranked Harvard’s (113) relentless offensive attack.

Head coach Sally Starr knew the task the Terriers had ahead of them before the game even began.

“Harvard’s obviously an outstanding team,” Starr said.

“I knew it would be a really difficult game for us tonight. I’m not surprised, quite honestly.”

Harvard started off strong, collecting three penalty corners in the first five minutes. On the third penalty corner, Crimson senior midfielder Avery Donahue sent the ball past Terrier senior goalkeeper Kate Thomason for her second goal of the season.

Less than a minute later, the Crimson put their second goal on the board off a corner from sophomore forward Kate Oliver in the sixth minute, when sophomore midfielder Kitty Chapple got her third goal of the year past Thomason.

“We were maybe playing a little bit too much man-to-man, player-to-player and again, just allowing them to manipulate us,” Starr said.

The Terriers put no shots on goal and collected no corners the entire game. This is the first time they have failed to record a single shot in a game all season.

“Obviously not getting any shots, not getting any corners, that’s a huge disappointment. I don’t care who we’re playing,” Starr said. “We need to be better there.”

The second quarter was even worse for the Terriers as they surrendered four goals in the span of four minutes. Through Terrier turnovers and strong open field offense, the Crimson never ceased their pressure on the struggling Terrier defense.

BY AUSTIN CHEN Sports Co-Editor

Men’s soccer (7-3-4) Despite having one of the best seasons in recent program history — including a sevengame unbeaten streak — the men’s soccer team has struggled in the last few games, especially on the road. Their next three games, all against Patriot League foes, will ultimately determine the fate of their season.

5)

MOLLY POTTER | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

Boston University sophomore forward and midfielder Maddie Hudson (13) in a game against Harvard in April. The Boston University field hockey team lost to Harvard 7-0 on Tuesday.

The Crimson unleashed a barrage of offense in a threeminute span, and BU had no answer. Crimson freshman forward Sage Piekarski found the back of the net twice in 39 seconds in the 20th minute.

Freshman midfielder Lara Beekhuis followed with a goal of her own in the 21st minute.

Donahue drove home her second of the game off a beautiful corner in the next minute.

Down 6-0 at the half, there were not many positives for the Terriers to take into the huddle.

Despite the defensive meltdown and lack of any offensive spark, coach Starr wanted to see her players close out the game strong.

“Just 0-0, a reset.” Starr said.

“It’s an opportunity for us to improve and an opportunity for us to get better.”

In the 34th minute, the

Crimson struck one more time in the game when junior midfielder Maddie Mullaney shot one home off a perfect pass from Donahue.

Harvard’s transition game gave the team so much of their success. The Crimson were fast across midfield, connecting passes through holes in the Terrier defense which set their attackers up for prime shots.

“We gave them too much space. We weren’t compacting the field,” Starr said. “In the second half, we did a better job of playing off each other’s shoulders, taking some passing lanes away and taking those long passes away from them.”

For the remainder of the second half, the Terriers were stifling on defense, turning away multiple Crimson attempts on goal.

“We defended much better

in the second half as we compacted space much better,” Starr said. “It’s something we’ve been talking about a lot, and it’s critical against any team but particularly against a team like Harvard, where [if] we give them any space, they’re going to find it.”

The Terriers are clinging on to the last PL playoff spot with a date at a much-less intimidating Colgate University (3-10, 0-4 PL) on Oct. 20 at 4 p.m.

Coach Starr emphasized that she felt like she saw enough good things from her team to take care of business on Friday and secure a spot in playoffs.

“I saw things tonight that we really wanted to improve upon from the previous weekend against Lafayette,” Starr said. “I saw some really good improvements, and I think that we’re ready for Colgate.”

Women’s soccer draws 1-1 with Yale

By ELLA WILLIS Contributing Writer

Boston University women’s soccer team drew 1-1 against Yale University in an intense non-conference matchup on Tuesday after a hardfought second half.

“I don’t think we started on our front foot a little bit and [it was] disappointing to concede early,” head coach Casey Brown said. “But I thought we kind of grew in the game, particularly the second half. I thought that was much stronger and showed a lot of positives of who we are.”

Yale (5-4-5) got the scoring off to a quick start when junior midfielder Ellie Rappole found the back of the net in the 2nd minute.

Dominating possession for a lot of the second half, the Bulldogs created a lot of opportunities for themselves.

It was a slow start for the Terriers (6-5-5, 3-22, Patriot League) as they had yet to register a shot before the 19th minute.

Yet, BU seemed to settle

An update on BU Athletics

HOLLY GUSTAVSEN | DFP PHOTOGRAPHER

The Boston University women’s soccer team in a huddle during a game against Yale University on Tuesday. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

into the game a bit more after senior forward Abigail McNulty drew BU’s first of three corner kicks in the first half.

After several unsuccessful attempts to rush up the left wing, junior midfielder Hugrún Helgadóttir, with additional help from freshman forward Ava Maguire, found sophomore forward Margy Porta for the equalizer in the 36th

minute, sending the ball right behind Yale’s senior goalkeeper Marisa Shorrock with a strong kick and heavy traffic in front of the net. The goal was Porta’s second of the season and the only BU goal of the night.

“She’s playing with a lot of confidence right now and a lot of momentum,” Brown said about Porta. “It’s great to see her find the back of the net.”

The Bulldogs began the second half with strong strikes from Rappole and junior midfielder Tanner Cahalan that respectively landed wide and glanced off the post. Ultimately, Yale was unable to get anything past BU’s junior goalkeeper Celia Braun in the second half despite three more shots.

BU applied some pressure and kept Shorrock lunging for

saves for the remainder of the match, forcing her to stop an assault of 10 shots. Even so, the Terriers created some golden chances in the remaining minutes of the match with four shots as the clock ticked down.

“We knew we could do better and wanted to prove that,” Brown said.

“The girls were hungry to show and create the type of goals and ways we feel like we can score and attack, and there were some really good pictures of that overall.”

BU tied the school record for draws in a season with their fifth.

They sit in fourth place in the PL standings with two games remaining, both against conference opponents.

The Terriers will now look to beat American University on Saturday in the final stretch. The match kicks off at home at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

“A big part of focusing on American is going to be just recovery and a lot of us, playing our style and playing our way and really being the aggressor,” Brown said.

Women’s soccer (6-5-

The women’s soccer team has had more of a middling season than their male counterparts, but a 3-2-2 conference record has them in contention with two more PL games to play.

Sophomore midfielder Giulianna Gianino leads the team in goals and assists.

Cross-country Both the men’s and women’s squads have performed well in the regular season, notching multiple top-3 finishes apiece. They look to continue their success with the Patriot League Championships coming on Oct. 28.

Field hockey (7-7) Legendary head coach Sally Starr’s 43rd season with the Terrier squad has been up-and-down all season, but they are 4-2 in their last six games. They have a chance to sneak their way into the PL playoffs with three games left in the regular season.

Men’s ice hockey (1-1) BU’s most popular team entered the season with a lot of hype, but a trio of unconvincing performances to start the season have tempered those expectations. They currently sit at No. 6 in the U.S. College Hockey Online rankings, and must step it up if they want to compete for a championship.

Women’s ice hockey (0-2) Tara Watchorn’s first season in charge of her former squad has gotten off to a rocky start. They lost both games of a home-and-home against a Northeastern University squad currently sitting at No. 10 in USCHO’s rankings, but have a chance to rebound with two games against Syracuse University at home.

Swim & Dive The men’s and women’s squad opened their seasons last Saturday at home against Bucknell University, but only the women won. Head coach James Sica took over from a retiring Bill Smyth in May, and filling the shoes of the former 18-year boss will be a tough task.