em Magazine S/S 2011 "Power"

THE POWER ISSUE

THE

POWER ISSUE

em magazine — SPRING 2011

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THE POWER ISSUE

a letter from the editors

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he idea behind The Power Issue came from a conversation we had about wanting to showcase Emerson students as more than just filmmakers, actors, writers, anchors, etc. We are all about celebrating the accomplishments of our fellow students, but this time around we wanted to do it in a different way.

We know that Emerson students are power players in the professional field, but what about in everyday life?

So we found six students who we feel have amazing personal stories to tell.

These everyday stories are about the overcoming of obstacles, the determination to fulfill a dream, the ability to create change. Through these stories we came to find what power is really about.

We want to thank our staff for all of its hard work this semester. This issue would not have been possible without your commitment and dedication and we are so excited to share your work with the Emerson community!

Joanna: With this being my sixth and final issue of em, I have to say I don’t think I could ask for a better one to go out on. This issue is totally different than anything we’ve ever done before, and I’m extremely proud to share it with all of you. I’ve gotten to see the magazine grow so much and I am very excited to see where it will be in the upcoming years.

I want to give a big thank you to the staff members I’ve gotten to work with over the last three years, and especially to my Co-Editor, Justin Reis, for keeping me sane through all of this and whose passion is truly what keeps the magazine going. Thanks everyone for reading, I hope you love it!

Justin: When we began to close this issue about a month ago I realized that the entire process was about to embody the term bittersweet. Sweet because all of our hard work was coming together, our final product was beginning to take shape, and, most excitingly, something resembling a social life was about to become an option again. However, I recognized that the end of this issue also meant the end of a chapter in em’s history - the bitter end of an era that stretched back to before my time with em. With The Power Issue closing, the majority of our core staff – the seniors who showed me the ropes almost two year ago – are moving up and on to bigger and better things. So Shana, Lauren, Michelle, and even Victoria and Casey, this issue is, at least on my part, dedicated to all of you – you have all taught me something different and, inarguably, em Magazine has grown into something great because of you guys. And finally to my Co-Editor, Joanna, the past year has been a whirlwind to say the least but we’ve managed (somehow!) to stay sane and produce two amazing issues. You’ve raised the bar at em and I know you’re going to take the journalism world by storm.

As always, thanks for supporting em, enjoy the issue!

&

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em magazine — SPRING 2011

THE POWER ISSUE

BEHIND THE SCENES

THE POWER ISSUE

em magazine — SPRING 2011

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THE POWER ISSUE

EM MAGAZINE Volume 12 - Spring 2011

JOANNA ARPIE & JUSTIN REIS co-Editors In Chief EMILY DYESS & SHANA WICKETT Web Directors

LAUREN LANDRY Managing Editor

KYLE KOSLICK & MOLLY WOLFBERG Editorial Assistants

ALEXANDRA GURVITCH Creative Editor

DAVID GOLDBERG Emerson Editor

MICHELLE KING Looks Editor

KIMYA KAVEHKAR Features Editor

DANNI SCULLY Photo Editor

BLAKE METZGER Style Director

ELIZABETH WALSH TEODORA KALTCHEVA Beauty Director Marketing Director

Laura Franzini Emerson Copy Editor

Devan Norman Looks Copy Editor

Sarah Cascante Assistant Style Director Emerson Writers Jamie Loftus Sarah Dwyer Katie Ouellette Elizabeth Venere Katie Kenny Samantha Howell

Daniel Jones Features Copy Editor

Olivia Moravec Assistant Looks Editor

Looks Writers Siri Winter Sonya Glaessner Daniel Tehrani Ali Antonucci Jessup Deane Corey Catanese

Photographers Stylists Hope Kauffman Joya Burda Lauren Kroll Mariah Nimmons Joel Soh Karen Loder Stasia Fong Regina Mogilevskaya Bryan Rogers Evan Tetreault Molly Adams Benjamin Askinas

LORENA MORA Entertainment Editor MARIA MURRAY Design Director

Tamara Omazic Danica Benitez Relationships Copy Editor Entertainment Copy Editor

Jeeyoon Kim Assistant Features Editor

Features Writers Devin Brown Melissa Park Rheanna Bellomo Chloe Deas Caitlin Bueller Lauren Vislocky Courtney Swift Hair & Make-Up Ti Ti Tran Jacqueline Tiongson Olivia Eaton Audrey Geiger Crystal Yuen

MICHELLE GOLDEN Relationships Editor

Relationships Writers Joey Polino Natalie Morgan Kelly Riordan Caitlin Anders Caroline Praderio

Marketing Staff Melissa Obleada Karlan Baumann Kit Brown Sana Bakshi Rachel Palmisciano Julian Schnee Liz Cormack Garren Orr Andrea Zendejas Alexia Kyriakopoulou

Brian Annis Technical Director Entertainment Writers Carly Loman Matt Grossbart Ben Lindsay Ruby Scalera Grace Gibson Erin Doolin Santiago Nocera Stefani Robinson Design Staff Micah Schweitzer Katie Reynolds Sara Wynkoop Liz Cormack Anna DesLauriers Julie Petzold

MISSION STATEMENT As Emerson College’s exclusive lifestyle magazine, em Magazine is all about the students who write it, and the readers who love it. We push the limits of your average magazine by providing our readers with provocative and edgy content that spices up the Emerson lifestyle. We groom our staff for the fast-paced, exciting world of magazines and publishing by encouraging them to make each and every issue of em Magazine one you can’t be without.

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To contact em Magazine, email us at emmagonline@gmail.com. We appreciate your feedback!

SPECIAL THANKS Visit our website at www.emmagonline.com.

Emerson College, Sharon Duffy, Kathleen Duggan, William Beuttler, Lisa Diercks, SGA, Joe O’Brien and Journeyman Staff © 2010/2011 em Magazine Front & Back Cover Photo // Hope Kauffman Emerson College Styling // Blake Metzger 150 Boylston Street Model // Ilaria de Plano Boston, MA 02116 — em magazine SPRING 2011

THE POWER ISSUE

Features

46 The Elements of Power

by

48 Acceptance: Chris Largent M 50 Conviction: Elise Pie L V 52 Perseverance: Ashley Brow D 54 Independence: Kate Lagreca J by

by

56 Determination: Cameron Ross C 58 Modesty: Landry Allbright C B 60 Animal Rights R B 62 Liebergott through the Years J A 64 Getting Social Media to Work for You

auren

by

elissa

Park

by

islocky evin

by

Brown

eeyoon

by

Kim

heanna

aitlin

ourtney

Swift

ueller

ellomo by

oanna

rpie by

Chloe Deas

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THE POWER ISSUE

Departments

Emerson 7 Here at Emerson...

8 Street Seen 10 What's It Really Like?

12 The Path to Presidency 13 The Last Two Standing 14 Hot Shot Alumni Q&A 16 Study Abroad 18 Organization Profile

Looks

19 Accessories 22 Women’s Trends 28 Men's Trends 32 4 Looks, 1 Item 33 Straight Guys Sound Off on Fashion Trends 34 The Power Brow 36 His & Hers: Guys Style the Girls

Relationships

38 Deal or no Deal: Dating Deal Breakers 39 I'm Just Not that Into Who You're Into 40 Internet Dating 42 Military Dating 43 Dating Outside Your Religion 44 Picking Up the Pieces 45 Stage Five Clingers

Enterntainment 65 Behind the Scenes of Unstitched 66 Summer Fun in Boston 67 It Gets Better at Emerson 68 Night OUT 70 A Feast of Strength 71 Beer for Beginners 72 2010-2011 Emerson Highlights 73 Boston Boroughs

Editorials 75 Introduction to Editorials 76 Unstiched 78 They Shoot Models Don’t They?

86 The Golden Girl 6

em magazine — SPRING 2011

THE POWER ISSUE - EMERSON

Here at Emerson...

Text // Jamie Loftus As most people at Emerson know, this student body is anything but the norm.

We pride ourselves on being different, and here are just a few of the things we’re notorious for.

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Square-rimmed glasses on students who have 20/20 vision.

More broadcasters at a sports game than players.

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There is an organization for every interest.

You have to label your Apple products so they’re not lost in a sea of obligatory Macbooks.

Students wear scarves in the summer.

We have the biggest concentration of Lady Gaga fans, possibly in the world.

There are longer lines at the Equipment Distribution Center than at the dining hall.

We have resumes that run on for miles.

The primary excuse for missing a party: “I can’t; I have rehearsal.”

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We use broomsticks instead of baseball bats.

There is a rampant reliance on Red Bull.

We consider “normal” to be a cardinal insult.

14 13 15 Two of the residence halls double as performance venues.

Jay-walking from Tremont to Boylston is a rule, not an exception.

Students suddenly and randomly burst into song.

POWER Q&A

What are some Emerson oddities that, at first, seemed strange but now seem like the norm?

“Well, there was a stretch of time when my Little Building common room was covered in posters of disney channel stars...It’s also socially acceptable to dress in different time periods.”

Kevin Sweeney, Film, Class of 2014

“The fact that it’s one street long and everyone knows each other. I definitely thought that was weird at first, but now its completely normal.”

“Everybody wants to wear glasses even if they can see.

People always are surprised when the find out my glasses are actually real!”

Louisa Borden, Marketing Communications, Class of 2014

Grace Dietrich, Film Production, Class of 2011

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THE POWER ISSUE - EMERSON

Molly Wolfberg / Marketing / 2013

Wikki Park / FIlm / 2014

street Kate Horn / Marketing / 2012

Simone Sullivan / Film / 2014

Matt Merksemer / Media Studies / 2013

Cheyenne Cantor / Marketing / 2014 Nikki Werner / BFA Acting / 2013 Elizabeth Ronzio / Marketing / 2013

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em magazine — SPRING 2011

THE POWER ISSUE - EMERSON

Taylor Fattoross / 2013

seen

Kit Brown / Communication Studies / 2013

Nick Moody / Media Production / 2013

Rachel Palmisciano / Marketing / 2013

photos // hilary hawkins, regina mogilevskaya, stasia fong, Molly Wolfberg, Benjamin Askinas

Addie Reise & Emily Onofrio / 2013

Tori Piskin / Screenwriting / 2013 Cindy Song / Film / 2013 Mark McCune / Film Production / 2012

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THE POWER ISSUE - EMERSON

What’s It Really Like in the

Journalism Field TEXT // SAMANTHA HOWELL

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POWER Q&A

eginning in the fall of 2011, the Journalism major at Emerson is morphing to reflect the developments and changes in the industry. Emerson’s Journalism Department Chair, Ted Gup, said that under the new curriculum, students will no longer declare a concentration in either Print or Broadcast Journalism, but will instead simply be Journalism majors. This new streamlined major will encompass both concentrations.

“In its simplest terms, majors had been required to declare whether they’re Print or Broadcast, which is a kind of false dichotomy,” Gup says. “Today, most storytelling is done across platforms so you don’t have that distinction.” He said that a journalist who is restricted to only one of the mediums “has a much more limited prospect as a career.”

The new curriculum applies only to incoming students; those who are already enrolled will remain within their declared concentrations. So does this deny current students the ability to grow into multifaceted journalists? Gup does not think so.

“Convergence is not new to Emerson,” he says. He advised current students who remain concentrated in either division to utilize the opportunities Emerson has to offer, whether that is extra-curricular activities or elective courses.

“If I were preparing myself to be a journalist, I would want as many arrows in my quiver as I could have,” he says, suggesting that journalists learn all the tricks of the trade.

“I would want to know how to capture audio. I would want to know how to shoot video. I would want to know how to edit video. I would want to know how to integrate those with a written story for the web,” he says.

While the curriculum is focused on helping new students become familiar with various journalistic mediums, Gup believes current students who were required to specialize will not be any worse off, so long as they take his advice.

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“It’s sort of the old meat and potatoes,” he says. “Learn to be a hell of a good reporter. Learn to be a hell of a good writer.

And learn to tell stories across platforms.

If you’re comfortable telling stories across platforms, then you have many more opportunities.”

The new curriculum will focus not only on print and broadcast writing and reporting, but also on the utilization of the Internet to piece all of these components together. He argued this focus mirrors the focus of the industry today.

“Every major news outlet, every television station of note, has a website,” he says.

as they want.

“It kicks the door open to the worst possible stuff that’s said about you,” she says.

“In terms of social media, that’s the worst part of it. I choose to ignore that part and focus on the information.” While social media sites can be a world of harsh criticisms, Stephanos believes they can also provide a wealth of infor mation, whether its tweeted teases for a newscast or headlines and hyperlinks that connect web surfers to a full story.

While it’s obvious that newspapers are working to develop a greater online presence, Stephanos expresses that this Inter

“We will die if we don’t jump on this bandwagon...”

-FOX25 News Anchor and Emerson Alumna MARIA STEPHANOS (on the importance of cross-media storytelling)

“Every newspaper of note has a website.

Almost every website has video and audio and multimedia on it. It’s hard to imagine a major player in journalism today that isn’t embracing all of those.”

FOX25 News Anchor and Emerson alumna Maria Stephanos witnesses this Internet emphasis firsthand every day.

“It’s unbelievable,” she says. “What a difference! I used to get phone calls from pay phones with tips. And now I’m getting texted tips, tweeted tips, emailed tips.”

Stephanos said the rise of social media websites like Twitter and Facebook can be unique and vital journalistic instruments.

“I tweet a lot,” she says. “It’s a great tool.

For me, as an anchor, to get that kind of instant feedback and opinion is invaluable.”

She says that although it won’t change the way she reports a story, “it gives context and perspective and an idea what the audience is feeling about that subject before anything’s even done.”

However, Stephanos is aware that the Internet does have its setbacks. She says the anonymity allows people to be as negative

net emphasis is also made in the world of broadcast.

“We stream our newscast live at six o’clock,” she says. “We put our stories online so a lot of people who aren’t making appointment television at ten o’clock can click on to myfoxboston.com. We will die if we don’t jump on this bandwagon.”

In addition to the growing role of the Internet in the journalism industry, Stephanos stresses the importance of cross-media storytelling.

“Television can give you something newspapers can’t give you, and newspapers can give you something television can’t give you. Radio can give you something that none of us can give,” she says. “But altogether, what a powerhouse that could be.”

Stephanos says this focus on convergence and cross-media is crucial to the survival of the industry.

“We’re all feeding off each other. Otherwise we would starve.”

After you graduate, what do you want to do with your journalism degree?

I would like to find some sort of position that c ombines my love of fashion, c ulture and lifestyle in a c apac ity in both a broadc ast and editoria l c apac ity. And ultimately, I would like to host my own TV show or be a reporter/host at the Today Show.

-Nikki Fig, Class of 2011 I hope to use the tools this major has taught me to have the gusto - yes, I said gusto - to host my own radio show. Ultimately, I think it would be sweet to be a program direc tor so I c ould estab lish a play-list that says ‘to hell with the top 40 agenda.’

-Lindsay Burrill, Class of 2011

em magazine — SPRING 2011

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Professor Q&A

Mike Beaudet TEXT // KATIE KENNY — PHOTO // STASIA FONG Mike Beaudet (‘92) graduated from Emerson College with a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism before receiving an M.A. from Northeastern University. Six months out of school, Beaudet got his first job as a reporter at the State House radio station. After his short stint on Beacon Hill, he moved around New England working at cable broadcast stations to build up his resume tape, eventually becoming a TV reporter at network affiliate FOX25.

Beaudet has received much recognition during his broadcast career, including winning nine Boston/New England Emmys, being named 2008’s Outstanding Investigative Reporter and receiving the Radio and Television Digital News Association’s 2010 Edward R. Murrow Award with his Fox Undercover news team. He eventually came full circle by returning to Emerson College to teach journalism.

Juggling two professions simultaneously may seem difficult, but Beaudet said he finds ways to bring his fieldwork into the classroom. em: What type of journalism classes do you teach?

MB: The first year I was here I taught a graduate-level class called, “TV News Magazine and Documentary.” This was fun to teach because many of the stories I do in investigative reporting at FOX25 are longform stories, which are four to five minutes long. Now I’m teaching the new second-semester freshman course called, “The Digital Journalist,” which gets them out with cameras very early on. The students make audio packages, photography slideshows with audio and, in the second half of the semester, they put together video reporter packages. In their first semester, the students go out with the equipment but they’re not editing it. This is the first time they are gathering it, editing it and crafting stories. em: How do you relate what you do as an investigative reporter to your teaching style?

MB: I think real examples help the students relate. For instance, I made my class all get Twitter accounts because I’m trying to show them [that] journalists use it to promote their stories and gather information. As an example, I told them about a tweet I had put out about a story I was doing at the time, and within minutes someone replied with more information we didn’t even know about. I also try to give my students ethical examples.

I hope they find it useful to hear real life stories instead of just theories and concepts.

Young people get social media, and since newsrooms are trying to use that in new ways, it puts students in a great position.

If you’re passionate, then do it. You have to be passionate because it’s a competitive field and there are a million people who want your job. You need a fire in your belly to really do this. It’s not for everyone.

em: Are you optimistic when you tell your students about the future of journalism?

em: What advice do you give your students?

MB: I remember sitting at Emerson as a student and having guest speakers saying journalism-as-we-know-it is over. They would say we should not expect any money and I would get annoyed. I never say that. It’s a changing field but I still think it’s a great field. Look at the history of journalism: it’s been around forever and it’s always going to be around. Is it changing in how we deliver it? Absolutely; but I don’t think it’s dying.

MB: The key thing [that] was true back when I was a student and is still today, is to get involved with as many extracurricular activities as you can. Everyone should definitely take advantage of all the different media outlets in the city when it comes to internships, too. Do different internships to find out what a TV newsroom is like [as opposed] to a newspaper newsroom. There are so many incredible opportunities at Emerson and internships close by for [students] to get real hands-on experience. If they take advantage of it, they can go far.

Be open to learning everything and the technology. While it’s already Internet-based, it will just continue to push in that direction, so the more a journalist can stay ahead of the technology, the better they’re going to be.

em: How are you different?

MB: I’m an optimist—a realist, but still an optimist. I give my students a reality check though. Especially in the last few years, FOX has had so many layoffs because the economic model changed a lot.

But it’s also an exciting time to be coming out into the field if you prepare yourself right and if you learn the web and multimedia. I have some print students and I tell them they can’t just be learning print. They have to learn the camera too, so they make themselves that much more marketable.

I love my job, and if you can say that after 20 years, you’re doing something right.

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THE POWER ISSUE - EMERSON

the path to presidency

how three Emerson students rose to the top of their organizations Student organization presidents are a powerful force to be reckoned with. They command respect from their fellow members and outsiders alike. They were chosen to lead their respective groups because of the experience they have gained through the organization, and because of the love they have for it. Not only do these presidents make a difference within the Emerson community, they help make a difference around the world, as well.

TEXT // KATIE OULLETTE — PHOTOS // LAUREN KROLL

ANANDA BOGA, Youthrise

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n November 2008, Ananda Boga was disappointed to see a lack of leadership demonstrated by politicians following the 48 hours of terrorist attacks in his home city of Mumbai, Maharashtra India. In response, Boga, currently a freshman Visual & Media Arts major, created Youthrise as a platform for his fellow classmates to become socially aware and active. The members of Youthrise immediately organized a peace rally in honor of the attacks, but they quickly realized the group had potential to help students make a greater impact. The organization decided it would aim to promote leadership, unity within diversity and a cleaner environment for teenagers.

The three chapters in India were able to “focus on real grassroots level stuff.” They renovated an orphanage, set up rainwater harvesting and compost systems in villages and helped children in Dharavi, Asia’s largest slum. But since the U.S. already has an established volunteer system, the Boston chapter of Youthrise needed to have a different focus.

With Emerson’s superior edge in the arts, Youthrise is going to use entertainment as a means to spread awareness among young people. Boga plans to create a YouTube channel for the group, where they will combine entertainment and student activism, introducing topics such as terrorism, AIDS, world hunger, poverty and rehabilitation sustainability using comedy sketches and other skits to entertain, inform and empower viewers. The recent earthquake in Japan has shown that people need to band together at a moment’s notice, and if the youth of the world are well informed, they can help create a solution.

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em magazine — SPRING 2011

KATIE WOODS, ASB

CARA SANDERSON, ASL

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hen Cara Sanderson joined ASL Emerson her freshman year, she was one of four members.

“It was really intimidating,” says the senior Communication Disorders major. Two of the members were the group’s presidents, one of whom was deaf. Sanderson did not attend meetings regularly because she feared trying out the signs she had learned from her ASL 1 class in front of someone who knew the language fluently. There were several factors, however, that kept drawing Sanderson back to ASL Emerson. After working with children with disabilities at home in Wakefield, MA, she wanted to attend a college with a strong Sign Language program without having to major in it. Emerson’s club exposed her to ASL, deaf culture and deaf awareness.

By her sophomore year, Sanderson had gained confidence, and she began to attend meetings more frequently. By her junior year, she was working to create a deaf awareness program called “Deaf Deaf College.” Taken from Northeastern University’s “Deaf Deaf World,” Deaf Deaf College has participants go to different stations and complete different hypothetical situations around Emerson without speaking.

Now, as president of the club, Sanderson is trying to do as many projects with ASL Emerson as she can before she graduates. Along with Deaf Deaf College, Sanderson has also organized a music video and a silent dinner at UNO’s.

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hile Alternative Spring Break was gearing up for its fifth year this past March, Katie Woods was gearing up for her fourth. When the senior Writing, Literature & Publishing major was a freshman, the program was cheaper than flying home to San Francisco for spring break. That first year, she helped with the Hurricane Katrina relief effort in Waveland, Michigan, where she and fellow students repaired and cleaned homes in the area. Their main project was to build a deck 20 feet off the ground for a house, while also plastering and painting the inside of it.

During her sophomore year, Woods continued with disaster relief from Hurricane Ike in Galveston, Texas. She wore a HAZMAT suit to gut a house that had not been touched in the year since it had flooded, and used a sledgehammer to “beat stuff up in a helpful manner” when removing toilets or taking down drywall. Last year, Woods traveled to Cedar Rapids, Iowa after the flooding, where she also gutted houses with rotted floorboards.

Throughout her time participating in ASB, Woods said she has gained more responsibility in coordinating the program. She takes this on as a full-year project by picking the leadership team and constantly fundraising and spreading the word. She still considers ASB to be a fledgling program, but it has already grown from just one trip a year to three. She said she believes the program could grow even more with the right exposure, so she is training a few passionate members to keep it going.

THE POWER ISSUE - EMERSON

The Last Two Standing Collin Kittredge Smith and Rosie Moan Get Ready to Host the 30th annual EVVY Awards

TEXT // KATIE KENNY — PHOTO // BENJAMIN ASKINAS

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he head writer and co-host of this year’s EVVY Awards looks a little disheartened. It could be because another Emersonian recently went on an online forum to take a nasty swing at Collin Kittredge Smith about representing the Emerson community.

“I want people to like me as a host,” says the junior TV Comedy Writing major. “I’m not trying to speak for you, I’m trying to speak with you.”

The online hater had struck a nerve in Smith’s well-known funny bone. The current host of Emerson Channel’s late night show, Closing Time, Smith says his motivation for auditioning was to try to expand his late night comedy experience through one of the many unique opportunities Emerson College provides.

An Emerson comedienne who also put herself out there is senior BFA Acting major Rosie Moan. A selfproclaimed “Emerson Girl” (based on her involvement solely in on-campus activities rather than outside ones) and Smith’s co-host, Moan has been involved with Emerson Stage productions, plays and films, and serves as president of Mercutio Troupe. Moan also founded the short-form improv comedy group, Stroopwafel. Moan was looking for the next step.

“I wanted to get a bigger experience,” Moan says. “So looking around at Emerson, the biggest thing to host are the EVVY’s.”

Encouraged by her parents to audition, and boasting a hefty resume, Moan says the 30th Annual EVVY Awards seemed like a natural step for her. After what she calls “the longest audition process ever,” including hours of improv, monologues, scene writing and numerous callbacks, Moan won the coveted hosting spot alongside Smith.

In contrast to Moan, Smith’s jour-

ney to snatching the ultimate Emerson hosting gig had a different start. As a freshman, he was unsure of what extracurricular activities he wanted to focus on, so he “dabbled” in everything he could. He produced two rap music video parodies, joined Wax on Felt and Jimmy’s Traveling All-Stars, worked on the Emerson Channel, and was asked to join the

“My co-host is my better half,” Smith says, smiling. “She’s ridiculously talented and has that kind of free-spirited presence which connects with everyone.”

“Every time we get together we make fun of each other,” says Moan. “We have this brother-and-sister relationship. When we au-

“I want people to like me as a host...I’m not trying to speak for you, I’m trying to speak with you” -Collin Kittredge Smith, TV Comedy Writing, Class of 2012 EVVY’s last year, where he wrote sketches and warmed up the audience before the show.

“The interview process was interesting for me because I’m one of the head writers,” Smith says. “Where Rosie went in kind of dry, I went in with an idea of the show. I knew that it was a huge, huge commitment, but also very rewarding.”

The admiration and respect the two hosts have for each other only strengthen this already talented duo.

ditioned, we only read one thing together, but we worked really well from the beginning.”

The writers and the fresh-faced hosts of the largest student-run award show in the country are trying their best to not only honor the past—with a comedy “throw-back” to the years of the Emerson College Workshop with Dennis Leary and Mario Cantone—but to also mix in the “edgy” side of the new Emerson.

em magazine — SPRING 2011

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Hot SHOT

Alumni TEXT // SARA DWYER PHOTO // PROVIDED BY ROY

Sipping her coffee at a Starbucks in the North End, Cyndi Roy is the epitome of humble, despite many impressive accomplishments. She has no idea that she is listed on Emerson’s website under Notable Alumni, right up there with Jay Leno and Bobbi Brown, for being the Deputy Press Secretary for Governor Deval Patrick. While Roy was at Emerson studying Print and Multimedia Journalism, and after she graduated in ’04, she has racked up many credits and gained some insider wisdom. em met with Roy to find out exactly what makes her “notable.”

em: What is your current career?

CR: I had been with Governor Patrick since his first campaign, doing communications for him in a Deputy Press Secretary role, and, mid-way through his term, I went to another office of his as the Communications Director there. Recently, I came to Reagan Communications for public relations. em: What has your career path been like? What did you have to do to get involved in Governor Patrick’s campaign and then into your current career?

em: How do you feel that Emerson has prepared you for your career path?

CR: I didn’t expect to ever get into PR. Eventually, I got a call from a woman from the Massachusetts Democratic Party, where I interned when I was at Emerson, and she asked me if I was interested in being her replacement as the Communications Director. When the governor won, they asked me to be part of the administration.

It seems like everything kind of naturally rolled into the next step, and I think so much of it was based on the relations I was able to make.

CR: Emerson encourages you to take what you’re there to study and apply it outside of the classroom. And Emerson has tremendous connections with others who were instrumental in getting me where I am today. The other thing is the caliber of professors. I am still in contact with professors I had six years ago, and I think they are people that I will always have in my life both as friends and as mentors.

em: What clubs and activities were you involved in at Emerson?

em: Do you feel that networking at Emerson has benefited you?

CR: I was really involved in the Berkeley Beacon. I started as a news writer and Assistant News Editor. Senior year, I was Editor-inChief. The other thing that I was really proud of that I did there was restart the Society for Professional Journalists. I was also a peer tutor.

CR: Yes, absolutely. More and more I realize just how valuable those relationships I’ve made are. I had a few internships while I was at Emerson and they definitely laid the groundwork for my career. Even for just my social life, I met some really great people who introduced me to other great people.

em: What do you feel makes you a powerful person?

em: What is your advice to current Emerson students?

CR: I’m not sure if I would describe myself as a powerful person. I think power, in general, is understanding yourself and your limitations, and pushing beyond those limitations to achieve what you really want out of life.

CR: Don’t be afraid to try something brand new. You’ve got four years to explore before reality hits, and you’re limited by a variety of factors. Really take advantage of those four years to do things that you want to do and don’t be afraid of what people think. If an organization doesn’t exist, make it up yourself. Take advantage of internships and resources and, finally, have fun.

em: What aspect of your life are you most proud of?

CR: I was the first person in my family to go to college. Doing it without a road map, and moving to a different city, and falling in love with a different city is probably my biggest success.

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Cyndi Roy, Class of ‘04

em magazine — SPRING 2011

THE POWER ISSUE - EMERSON

Nikki Muller, Class of ‘08 TEXT // SARA DWYER PHOTO // PROVIDED BY MULLER People called Nikki Muller crazy when she resigned from her job at the United Nations and moved to Asia to find a career in broadcast journalism, but for Muller, this move was a necessity. She decided to move on the day of the Chinese New Year because she is about to start a new life and 2011 is “so her year.” Now that Muller is in Singapore, she is catching up with old contacts and hoping to get back into broadcasting because she realized that “television is in [her] blood.” With this passion for hosting, it is no wonder that Muller chose to come to Emerson as a broadcast journalism major and that she graduated magna cum laude in 2008. em interviewed Muller—despite the thirteen hour time difference—to find out what keeps this alum going.

NM: Do you want to know how old I am? em: Sure!

NM: I’m 25. I deferred Emerson for two years, because I got a job hosting “Studio Disney” on Disney Channel Asia when I was 17. I got my first job as a VJ for MTV Asia at 15 years old, and that’s when I knew I wanted to work in TV for the rest of my life. em: What is your current career?

NM: I recently resigned from the UN Headquarters in New York. I did some video production work for them and wrote articles, etcetera. I also coordinated many high level events in New York, Italy and Lebanon. I’m now in Singapore looking to return to television full time. em: What clubs were you involved in at Emerson?

NM: I hosted and did senior production for Good Morning Emerson, and did a documentary called “Going Home” that was in many film festivals. I also did EIV News @ 6:00 for a while, and was Associate Producer for Kevin Bright’s first [sketch comedy] production, “Browne at Midnight.” em: What is a funny memory about Emerson?

NM: I was doing this project for Kevin Bright’s class and we needed a coffin. So I had to go funeral home hopping all through the South End. I was so nervous being the only Asian in an Irish neighborhood looking to rent a coffin, so I took my friend with me. We got a lot of rejections, but eventually we got one!

em: What do you feel makes you a powerful person?

NM: I have no shame. I’m diplomatic, and I’m definitely not mean, but I know what I want and I think that’s an important quality to have. em: What aspect of your life are you most proud of?

NM: I’m so proud of what I’m doing right now and taking a risk at a time when everyone is living cautiously. I’m also proud that I hosted MTV at 15 years old, and that I was nominated for Best Entertainment Presenter at the Asian Television Awards when I was 20. em: Are you still in touch with friends you made at Emerson?

NM: Yeah, a handful. They are all in television living the dream.

At Emerson, I met focused individuals who knew what they wanted to make of themselves. I respect them for that and will always look up to them. em: What is your advice to current Emerson students?

NM: Keep your footage and be proud of your work. Be involved outside of the classroom. Take History of Jazz and Burlesque!

Get in the studio on day one, even if it means prepping tapes, being grip, doing whatever it takes, because these are the people who end up running their own shows! em: If you could have any superpower what would it be and why?

NM: I’d love to be able to touch any book and absorb all of the information inside. As a communicator and journalist, this means incredible power because you know your facts. Plus, it will help me get dates. em magazine — SPRING 2011

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Study Abroad: South Africa TEXT // ELIZABETH VENERE

I

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KARINA VAN BERKUM

n Emerson’s Kasteel Well program, students live in a 14th-century castle while immersing themselves in the rich European culture. In the Los Angeles program, students explore the entertainment industry through internships. When Karina Van Berkum, a senior Writing, Literature & Publishing major, went on her semester abroad, she did something slightly different.

“My friend and I went on a wine tour in a little tiny town called Stellenbosch. They take you on these bus trips around, and one of them had a lion park [and] a gardener— who I don’t think was allowed to give us the authority to do so—was like, ‘Do you want to hold this baby lion?’ And we were like, ‘Yes! Absolutely!’” she says.

Van Berkum spent five months at the University of Cape Town in South Africa last spring, studying and experiencing its culture. Through her coursework, volun-

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teerism and travel, she discovered how different the worlds of Cape Town and Boston are.

Van Berkum explained that she chose not to participate in any of Emerson’s study abroad programs because they did not fit her interests.

“I felt like I just wanted to go somewhere new. I get a place in my mind and decide where I want to go and make that happen. So I just thought Africa, and knew I had to go outside of Emerson to do it,” she says.

Despite this big decision, Van Berkum explained that there was no huge emotional build-up before she left.

“Surprisingly, I wasn’t very nervous, but I also wasn’t overly excited. I didn’t know what to expect, so I felt neutral. I took things as they came,” she says.

During her stay, Van Berkum lived with other international students off-cam-

pus. She would walk the half-mile to the university every day, where she studied African Literature, Shakespeare, African Dance and South African history. She noted that the setup of the classes was one of the noticeable differences between Cape Town and Emerson.

“The culture is so laid back compared to Boston,” she says. “Everyone is kind of on this mindset of, ‘Oh, you know, it’ll get done. It’s fine.’ No one’s stressed out about school at all. They said, ‘Oh, I got a C. It’s fine; I’ll do better. You know, whatever; let’s go have a beer.’”

Not only were Van Berkum’s new classmates laid back about school, they were also open to discuss personal and controversial issues.

“AIDS is a big problem there, and they were very open about that,” she said.

“They were [also] open about race in a way that you never see here. So that was

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a little bit different. But I got used to it really quickly because I liked it.”

After taking two or three classes a day at the university, Van Berkum would return home or go out with friends to a café or bar. These excursions had curfews, however; ones that did not exist for her back in Boston.

“I couldn’t be out past dark because it’s not a really safe place,” she says. “They kept beating into us about the crime, and you have to ‘watch out, watch out, watch out,’ and we thought, ‘Okay, they’re just trying to scare us, make us really safe,’ but then we saw stuff like that start happening.”

After some students in her program fell victim to mugging, Van Berkum’s housemates installed locks, gates and even electric fences to protect themselves. Van Berkum said that this aspect was the most difficult to adjust to.

“The safety thing was a big culture shock for me because I come from the woods,” the native of Deerfield, N.H. explains. “It’s such a safe place…here [Cape Town] it’s like, ‘don’t even walk around

with a group after five o’clock or else something’s going to happen,’ and you only have yourself to blame.”

This warning did not mean that Van Berkum did not venture out. She said she spent hours lounging on the beach and bartering in the Cape Town markets.

“I loved the university because of its gorgeous buildings and the way it looked over the entire city,” she says, “and I loved the downtown area where there were always colorful markets and street performances. Actually, my absolute favorite parts were on the mountains—the plants and views were unbelievable at the top!”

Aside from day trips, Van Berkum also had a week off from school to travel, which she used to further explore South Africa.

“I decided to go with two of my friends up the South African coast…it’s called the Garden Route. And we went on this hopon, hop-off bus, which was really cheap and kind of designed for students. They drop you off at hostels, and you can get back on at any of the designated times. We just lived as gypsies for a week,” she recalls.

Van Berkum said her friends spent that week skydiving, bungee jumping and touring wineries, as well as exploring the countryside.

Overall, Van Berkum said the one thing she took away from her trip was the humility she felt while in South Africa, especially when volunteering. She taught English and math to her own class of fifth graders every week in Khayelitsha, one of the poorer towns near Cape Town.

“It’s one thing to read about poverty, and it’s another thing to see it, and go there, and talk to the kids,” she says. “They talked to me a lot and asked me all these questions. I was really humbled by [the questions] because you could just tell that [the kids] really wanted to know about things that I would never have thought [of].”

These conversations included discussions about American families and daily life, and even questions about Van Berkum’s physical appearance. She said these queries were a part of their shared learning experience.

“I think they really wanted the education of interacting with me as much as I wanted it [of] interacting with them,“ she says.

The experience of stepping outside your comfort zone is also important, which is why Van Berkum recommends this program to Emerson students.

“To go to have fun is great, and also important. But to put yourself out there and kind of make yourself…more vulnerable, so that you can take more away from it, I think, is more important,” she says.

And while Van Berkum’s trip did not drastically impact her future career goals, they brought her closer to something else.

“If anything, my trip enhanced my love of traveling and cross-cultural experiences, which I guess could impact my career goals,” she says before admitting that her experience probably would not impact her career directly. Her semester in South Africa did, however, encourage Van Ber

“It’s one thing to read about poverty, and it’s another thing to see it and go there and talk to the kids...they talked to me alot and asked me all these questions. I was really humbled.”

-KARINA VAN BERKUM, Class of 2011 kum to embrace a new attitude.

“I think being abroad made me adopt the mentality of the people around me, so in South Africa I was much more relaxed and adventurous than I am at Emerson.

I really looked for opportunities to do things because I knew I wouldn’t be there for long, and I wanted to take advantage of the uniqueness of the city, like the wine country and markets,” she says.

Now that Van Berkum is back in Boston, she said she is missing not only the 70-degree South African winters, but also the South Africa she saw while on her week of travel.

“I often think about my week off, staying in hostels throughout South Africa, because I think that is when I ‘saw’ the most,” she says. “I experienced different parts of the country—farms and interesting waterfalls and smaller, hidden towns—and that really stuck with me.”

Apparently, when it comes to traveling abroad, getting there is only the first step. em magazine — SPRING 2011

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CEPS

TEXT // JAMIE LOFTUS

In such an overwhelmingly broad environment as the Emerson College extracurricular scene, it is difficult to pinpoint something completely out of the ordinary. However, the problem may be that students are not sure exactly where to look.

T “

he name SPEC is short for speculative script, or a script that follows the same format of a current TV show on the air,” explains secretary Jen Gandrup. “SPEC is the only organization on campus dedicated exclusively to the workshopping of scripts. We’re casual and fun, but we like to workshop at least a piece a week with as much critical feedback as possible.”

The club assembles on a weekly basis, usually with a new script to examine, and reads through it from beginning to end, taking careful notes. Authors of the piece are also invited to speak on their work, addressing any concerns, strengths or advice they seek, and the SPEC community is more than willing to oblige. From there, discussion is opened up to the entire room. All members are invited to offer their recommendations on how to make the piece spectacular.

Criticism is expected to remain constructive only, and all members are more than happy to oblige.

They may not be the largest group on campus, but members of SPEC certainly are outspoken on their thoughts, and one can expect an honest critique of their work. The group is also host to several events throughout the year, including talks with notable screenwriters (this year’s guest is Groundhog Day writer Danny Rubin), as well as an annual student scriptwriting contest and regular screenings of well-scripted films of note.

Although not as lauded as other organizations that receive large sums of SGA funding, SPEC is accessible to more than just screenwriting majors. With its community setting and openness to opinions, it is valuable to any student seeking to broaden their views on story structure and critique. SPEC appeals to everyone by being uniquely welcoming, collaborative and honest. And let’s admit it--in a school dedicated to some of the toughest businesses in the world to break into, a little honesty can never hurt.

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SPEC

SPECtacular opportunities

Interested in joining? SPEC is always accepting script submissions. All scripts should be emailed to emersonspec@gmail. com in a pdf or doc format. Also check out the group’s Facebook page for updates on script writing contests and upcoming speakers.

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go big or go bold TEXT // ALI ANTONUCCI & COREY CATANESE PHOTO // HOPE KAUFFMAN & STASIA FONG Although it seemed like it would never come, the spring season is finally here and has brought with it a great change in style. This spring’s accessory trends are inspired by a wide variety of influences: tribes of the African savannah, a prettier version of punk, and eyepopping bright colors complemented by gold accents.

It’s time to put away your boots and step into spring with these fresh, new accessories.

colorful accessories are here to remind us Tseemhese of the weather soon to come. Although it may intimidating to pair a bright pink shirt with a

Messenger Bag, $14.95, Emerald Belt, $5.95, Orange-Red Belt, $5.95, Metallic Card Case, $3.95, and Necklace, $12.95, H&M. Rings, $28, LF. Hermès Scarf, Goyard Card Case, Temperley London Wallet, Lanvin for H&M Necklace, Christian Louboutin Shoes, Michael Kors Watch, Chanel Bag, and Earrings, Stylist’s Own.

neon belt, it can work really well, especially with the addition of a few gold accents. The gold acts as a neutral and helps to make sure the outfit is not too overwhelming. Calvin Klein Collection and Gucci did it best, combining multiple bright, solid colors in every look. The great thing about this trend is that you can take it as far as you want.

If you’re not quite ready to dive right in, start off small and keep your clothing simple. Brighten up your favorite basic black dress by wearing some jewel-toned pumps and a classic, oversized gold watch. For those who are willing to splurge, Michael Kors has countless high-quality options. If you’re a little tight on cash, you can still find the perfect watch at Target with Merona’s boyfriendstyle faux multifunction watch in gold, and the best pumps at Steve Madden with the Bevy shoes in royal blue suede. For even more of a steal, head to H&M and stock up on their neon-colored braided bracelets, complete with gold clasps available for just $2 each. No matter how you choose to incorporate this trend, the addition of eye-popping color to an outfit can really help you stand out. em magazine — SPRING 2011

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tribal

T

ake a walk on the tribal side with this season’s hottest handcrafted accessories. Centered on primary colors and natural fabrics, this trend can be worn by everyone. We’ve seen ethnic-inspired accessories in the past, from wooden platforms to chunky jewelry, but this season’s showstoppers have a more homespun feel. The allure of this trend is that it allows you to mix bright colors with neutrals, and it can be worn both casually and for a night out. On the runway, Missoni and Roberto Cavallii perfectly channel this tribal trend using wide-brim hats and layers of fringe on anything from bags to bracelets. To incorporate this trend into your everyday style, combine small prints with large jewelry and a few neutral pieces such as sandals or a belt. Head to Forever21 for some cheap tribal-patterned bangles that can either be worn alone or stacked on each arm. If you’re looking for some arm candy, Pendleton makes tribal printed cross-body bags, which can be found at Pendleton stores or Urban Outfitters.

Flats, $35.90, Scarf, $29.90, and Wallet, $29.90, Zara. Canvas Bags, $95,Wooden Bangles, $35, LF. Winifred Grace Earrings, $115, Cuff, $115, and Bangles, $115, Dress.

Vintage Necklace, Stylist’s Own.

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rough around the edges W

ho said girls don’t like to get rough?

This season, girls shouldn’t be afraid to toughen up their everyday style. Even the most feminine accents are given a twist: bows embellished with studs, flowers made from chains and zippers, and headbands heavily adorned with metal. This look mixes the super girly with the punk rock, and the result is the perfect blend of sexy and sweet. Take Phillip Lim’s Edie bag, for example. It’s made with soft, luxurious suede, but is accented with a bow sprinkled with studs that keep it from being too saccharine. Burberry Prorsum also chose to toughen up its runway this season by taking this iconic classic trench coat and bags and adorning them with punk rock studs. Those looking for something more affordable should turn to ASOS’s scalloped edge beaded clutch or Urban Outfitter’s tangled chain and rhinestone bib necklace to ease the impact on your bank account.

To take this trend from runway to real life, choose one toughened up accessory and let it be the star of your outfit. If you overload on studs or big accessories, you lose that essential girly quality.

Winifred Grace Chain Bracelet, $175, Phillip Lim Studded Bag, $695, and Wristlet, $350, Dress. Necklace, $12.95, H&M. Messenger Bag, $85, Clutch, $70 and Beaded Bracelet, $35, LF. Top ShopWallet, Stylist’s Own.

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THE POWER ISSUE - LOOKS Suno Shorts, $255, Stel’s.

Phillip Lim Long Sleeve T-Shirt, $150, Dress. Suno Blazer, Christian Louboutin Shoes, and Lanvin for H&M Necklace, Stylist’s Own.

WOMEN’S TRENDS TEXT // Michelle King PHOTO // lauren kroll

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THE POWER ISSUE - LOOKS Missoni Dress, Stylist’s Own. Jeffrey Campbell Shoes, $198, LF. Winifred Grace Cuff, $115, and Bangle set, $115, Dress.

Bold Prints T

his trend is not a look for the shy, so be prepared to attract attention.

Nothing says confidence, like wearing head-to-toe print, so if you’re feeling particularly bold one night, pair two different prints—just make sure they share a complementary color. After all, you want to look like this was a choice, not that you got dressed in the dark. Look for prints in juicy lime greens, mesmerizing purples, and eye-popping oranges.

To avoid looking too Rainbow Bright, place a neutral, like a basic white t-shirt, somewhere in your outfit to break up the look and provide some balance. When it comes to accessories, keep it classic, but still on trend with bold pops of color and gold accents.

The head-to-toe print look works best for the evening, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a statement during the day. A silk top in a bold print with jeans or black pants is daring and fun, but still acceptable for class.

Diane von Furstenberg’s spring collection displays a wide array of different bright prints in bold colors, prices range from about $150-$400. If you don’t want to pay the money for a top designer, Forever 21 has plenty of great options as well.

Styling // Blake Metzger & team Model // Christina Rigopoulos

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Neutrals and Coral T

he best thing about the neutrals trend is all the different ways it can be worn— classic, preppy, girly, sexy, minimalistic— the options are endless.

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or an evening look, slip into a khaki colored dress in a structured cut. Pair the dress with heels in a chocolate brown and a bold necklace for a pop of color.

Phillip Lim Dress, $525, Dress.

Messeca Shoes, $165, LF. Necklace, $12.95, H&M. Temperley London Wallet, Stylist’s Own.

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F

or a casual, daytime look, pair khaki cropped pants with a delicate, girly top. Top this look off with a spring-appropriate wedge or leather oxford. If you want to splurge on this trend, take a look at ShopBop. For an inexpensive alternative, check out Urban Outfitter’s Cheap Monday Juliana Pant for $45.

Vanessa Bruno Athé Pants, $265, Blouse, $191, and Belt, $147, Dress. Phillip Lim Bag, $525, Dress. Chanel Sandals, Hermès Scarf, and Vintage Ring, Stylist’s Own.

Use this trend as a canvas to accentuate tropical-inspired coral accessories. Use touches of coral to provide an unexpected pop to your otherwise neutral outfit. A coral bag, like the Jil Sander Satchel Bag available at Barney’s, can take you from day to night. For more affordable finds, check out H&M. They are featuring many coral accessories this season that would be perfect to pair with a neutral dress or top. em magazine — SPRING 2011

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1970s T

he ‘70s are back— lush fabrics, bold make-up, big hair, decadent prints, and tons of glamour were seen on the runways of Christian Dior and Marc

by Marc Jacobs.

the wide-leg Awhenlthough can be intimidating, styled and tailored correctly, it is the perfect elegant addition to your wardrobe. If you are bottom-heavy, wear a slim-fitting top to balance out the trend. Boyish and petite body types can pull off a billowing blouse in a bold color. Regardless of body type, the wide-leg pant always looks best with heels, so pair this look with a ‘70s inspired wedge or platform. The Gap has its Perfect Wide-leg Pant available for less than $50 in an array of different colors for spring. ShopBop offers more luxe options with the Rebecca Minkoff Morgan Pant for $325 and the Carlos Miele Wide-leg Trousers for $150.

Phillip Lim Pants, $375, Aaron Ashe Blouse, $209, Dress.

Sandals, $49.95, Belt, $5.95, H&M.

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F

or another ‘70s look, try a feminine and flirty denim dress. Have fun with this trend—this isn’t the time for diamond studs and classic black pumps. Instead, experiment with neon jewelry and ‘70s inspired sunglasses.

Both Urban Outfitters and Top Shop are providing affordable versions of the denim dress.

MiH Jeans Shirt, $198, Dress.

Jeffrey Campbell Shoes, $185, LF. Bangles, $5.95, and Necklace, $12.95, H&M. Chanel Bag, Stylist’s Own.

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cropped trouser

Aiko Shorts, $160, and The Local Firm T-Shirt, $100, Stel’s.

Hat, $25.90, Zara. Comme des Garçons Sneakers, Ray Ban Sunglasses, and Vintage Watch, Stylist’s Own.

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MEN’S TRENDS TEXT // SONYA GLAESSNER — PHOTO // LAUREN KROLL

This spring, men’s fashion trends are all about the letter C. Cropped pants, color blocking, and canvas bags are the new essential items, designed for the guy who wants to look good without trying. During this season’s fashion week, menswear maintained a central theme of casual confidence, designers showed collections that supported a more subtle sophistication. Whether it’s dressing up your cropped pant with a pair of loafers, balancing a color blocked ensemble with smaller neutral accessories, or pairing a canvas bag with your favorite Bermuda shorts, these trends can be easily incorporated into any wardrobe. The clothes more than prove their worth with the ability to go from everyday into night.

Styling // Blake Metzger & team — Model // Cody Jue

Cropped Trouser E

mbrace your inner prep with the return of the cropped trouser this season.

Whether you like them straight or cuffed, this pant is a fashion trend worth investing in. Tommy Hilfiger and Alexander McQueen sent these tailored treasures down the runway in a variety of neons and neutrals. Wear this pant to lunch or work with a patterned blazer, fitted cardigan, and striped crew neck tee. For your feet, try a pair of loafers or suede chukkas.

Accessorize using a thin leather belt, or suspenders. Cropped trousers make an easy transition from afternoon to afterhours when paired with a velvet blazer, a crisp button-down shirt in a solid color, and a skinny necktie or bowtie. Complete your ensemble with a neutral sock and some lace-up oxfords. When shopping this trend, make it last by looking for classic colors like black, navy blue, or dark brown.

Want the look but can’t drop the cash?

Check out Zara for pants that are of higher quality than their price suggests. If you’ve got the urge to splurge, try Ralph Lauren’s Preston Pant, available at Bloomingdales.

Color Blocking his season, the fundamental buildTin color. ing blocks of fashion are drenched Color blocking reemerged

on the runways, when designers Dsquared2 and Prada showed collections constructed from different color categories. If you’re trying to colorcode your ensembles, stick to solids and put away your patterns. Remember that complementary colors play an essential role in this trend, so you want to avoid colors that clash. For an afternoon outing, keep your look casual with a colorful silk blazer, black or white v-neck tee, pair of bright Bermuda shorts, and some leather boat shoes.

Keep your accessories to a minimum by choosing a skinny leather belt or a pair of sunglasses. Color coordinate your evening look by layering a bright v-neck sweater over a black button down shirt. Pair this with a slim tailored trouser in a bold color. Again, limit your accessories to a neon tie or bowtie, thin leather belt, and suede oxfords.

If you’re strapped for cash, try H&M’s red slim trousers or blue fitted cardigan. If you are willing to drop some money, check out Armani Collezioni’s double face jacket, available at Neiman Marcus online.

Canvas Bag D

on’t put your other bags out with the trash, but do make some room in your closet for this season’s coveted canvas bag.

Louis Vuitton showed love for this beachy bag and designed a canvas linen tote complete with leather straps and gleaming silver buckles. With its neutral color palette and masculine construction, men won’t be afraid to rock this trend with confidence. This tote is perfect for a day in the park with a navy v-neck sweater, charcoal Bermuda shorts, and a pair of slip- on sandals. Balance out your outfit with a pair of aviator sunglasses and a thick leather belt with a prominent buckle. Give your pockets a rest for the night and take your canvas bag out with a fitted black blazer, navy long sleeved tee, and dark wash denim jeans. For a finishing touch, add some distressed leather boots and a chunky silver watch. Shopping for a steal? Check out Filson’s canvas tote bag at Urban Outfitters for $58.00. If you’re in the market for a high-end take on this trend, try the Anachronorm KCP Damaged Tote bag at Barneys.com.

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color blocking

Jeans, $39.90, and Belt, $25.90, Zara. APC Sweater, $225, Stel’s. Thom Brown Shoes, Timex Watch, and Bag, Stylist’s Own.

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canvas bag

The Local Firm Shirt, $230, and Jeans, $195, Stel’s. Makr Backpack, $160, Billy Kirk Belt, $150, Stel’s. Ray Ban Sunglasses, John Varvatos Shoes, and T-Shirt, Stylist’s Own.

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four looks one trend

No wardrobe is complete without one standout power piece. This eye-catching item should be something that can be worn day to night, in a myriad of locations and situations. It should be bold and on trend, but still classic enough that it can be mixed and matched for numerous different looks. Zara’s red blazer can be worn in four unique ways, all making one clear statement—power.

Text // Olivia Moravec — Photo // Ethan Walfish Styling // Blake Metzger — Models // Jacquie Exline, Stefani Robinson, Sara Beth Murray, Brianna Baxter Red blazer $99 from Zara

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Skirt, $59.90, and Cardigan, $59.90, Zara. Socks, $50, Shoes, $280, Cotelac.

Bag, and cuff, Stylist’s Own.

Pants, $200, Blouse, $140, Cotelac. Earrings, $215, Gretta Luxe.

Bangles, $5.95, H&M. Shoes, $90, Aldo. Turban, Stylist’s Own.

look 1

look 2

look 3

look 4

The blazer is a workplace staple, but it’s important to keep this looking from being your typical office outfit. Play with accessories and textures to keep the look structured and professional, but still stylish. Finding that balance is all about contrasting elements. Tuck a flirty crochet white top into a more structured neutral pleated skirt. For accessories, pair an oversize tote in a snakeskin print with knee socks and brown oxfords. The overall effect is young and fresh, yet still completely chic.

The right accessories and styling make this blazer perfect for a night out.

Bold bangles, eye-catching geometric shaped gold earrings, and a colorful printed scarf liven up the structured blazer. Let these bold accessories speak for themselves and keep it simple on top by taking advantage of another big trend this spring—color blocking. Pair a red top under the blazer with bright c colored harem pants on bottom for a sexy look that is still classy. Keep this look polished with neutral heels.

Although it’s typical to think of a blazer as a stiff piece, appropriate only for the office, it can be incorporated into a casual, daytime look by pairing it with a printed t-shirt and cropped jeans.

Get creative with the accessories. A skinny colorful belt adds a playful element that stops the blazer from being too proper. A colorful scarf tied around a leather backpack is both relaxed and chic—a perfect look for class. Woven neutral wedges are casual enough for the day, but still evoke a flirty feel that keeps the outfit from becoming too basic.

For a look that can easily make the transition from day to night, pair the blazer with a flirty spring dress in neutral lace. An oversize clutch in a eye-popping color is large enough to tote around during the afternoon, but still sleek enough for a night out—the perfect accessory to go from day to night. Top the look off with t-strap heels that implement the neutral lace of the dress. This girly fabric brings a very casual element to this otherwise elegant look.

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Jeans, $265, T-Shirt, $80, Belt, $65, Backpack, $540, and Scarf, $65, Cotelac.

Shoes, $80, Aldo.

Dress, $59.90, Zara.

Clutch, $140, Cotelac. Necklace, $215, Gretta Luxe.

Shoes, $90, Aldo

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Straight Guys Sound Off TEXT // JESSUP DEANE & OLIVIA MORAVEC PHOTO // MOLLY ADAMS

H

ow can you tell an Emersonian from any other student in Boston? Why, look at the way they’re dressed of course! Nary a sloppy outfit nor a pair of sweats in sight, Emerson is a very style-conscious campus. Sadly, keeping on trend means taking a risk and braving mixed reviews. We asked three “average guys” here at Emerson to tell us what they actually think of a few upcoming trends in women’s fashion this Spring. Four Emerson gentlemen with of four different personal styles were hand picked to take on this daunting task and hold nothing back. One by one they sounded off on some of this season’s most popular (and risky) looks.

‘70s Inspired Pants First at the plate: wide legged pants. Right off the bat, this MC Hammer throwback was not a fan favorite. “Wouldn’t you be afraid of getting caught in the wind on Tremont?” asked Junior, Jeff Ackerstein. “I would openly make fun of you if you were wearing them… Wide legged pants freak me out.” said Freshman, Bobby Feltault.

Other comments included references to Mormonism, pantaloons, and the phrase “short and dumpy.” Finally, these, as they called them, “mom jeans” were put perspective by a consensus from all three guys. It was a collective opinion that only a few women can pull off these pants - if compelled to attempt these slacks, the guys advise you to stick to a patterned pair or an above the knee cut.

Consider this your warning-- you don’t want your look being compared to a third “grader’s elastic-ankled sweat pants.”

NEON A major trend for spring, neon can electrify an outfit, but the overall con-

sensus on it was that it should be used sparingly; “Everything neon would be too much, but accessories are fine,” said Senior, Roger Ouellette. Feltault agreed.

But moderation is key; “If she walked into a party with (a lot of) neon makeup, I would think she was drunk,” said Ack-

or tight jeans is a look that’s sexy and comfortable. These guys’ main concern is women going too overboard. “When girls look like tom boys, I’m not going to look much,” said Ackerstein. The Annie Hall look, mixing feminine and masculine, pleases both sexes. So fear not ladies, your man will not get mad when he sees you in one of his favorite shirts.

A common thread appeared in our discussion with the four guys; they all sneered at looks that were unflattering on real women. While a six foot, size 0 model may look great in a pair of lime green harem pants, a real woman might have some trouble pulling that look off. The distaste for many styles came from the lack of shape and structure; to the guys, a shapeless figure is not worth being on trend. Regardless of what is in, you should always dress for yourself; if something is simply unflattering on you, don’t wear it.

Who cares if something is all the rage if you don’t look and feel your best?

Each guy pointed out, in their own way, that more important than any trend is dressing with taste. Wearing what fits and suits you is of utmost importance in your wardrobe; with this new insight you’ll be more than prepared to take on spring’s trends.

erstein. Used sparingly, neon can ramp up any outfit for a night on the town.

MASCULINE DRESSING We finally hit a homerun with the current trend for taking on the tailored men’s look. “Is it weird that I like girls in men’s clothing?” asked Ackerstein. It was by far the crowd favorite, all four loved the idea of adding a piece or two from the classic man’s wardrobe; pairing a man’s button down with leggings

Styling // Blake Metzger Model // Mariah MacFarlane

Proenza Schouler Dress, $725, Adam Sweater, $295, and Balenciaga Shoes, $575, Gretta Luxe. Socks, $50, Cotelac. Hair Accessory, $5.95, H&M.

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THE POWER ISSUE - LOOKS

the

power brow

TEXT // SIRI WINTER PHOTOS // STASIA FONG — MODEL // TAYLOR MARSH

E

yebrows may be one of the lesser mentioned of the facial features but their ability to strengthen the face and stylize or intensify a simple makeup look shouldn’t be discounted. After all, they do take center stage on your face.

This season’s beauty trends are upping the attitude with striking shapes and solid hues. So get ready to arch your perfectly curved, coifed, and colored brow. Ladies and gentlemen meet the Power Brow: A pair of bold eyebrows groomed to perfection.

Over the years eyebrow trends have fluctuated from partially non-existent to dramatically bleached, and everything in between. The spring 2011 catwalks are showcasing the minimalist brow look, but this doesn’t mean no eyebrows, it actually means more. Models for designers such as Chloe, Diane Von Furstenberg, Stella McCartney and Narciso Rodriguez walked the catwalk with big, dramatic, yet effortlessly groomed brows. Rather than pencil drawn brows the hairs have texture and volume while still being neatly tweezed and without looking wolverine-esque.

The current trend for eyebrows this season has settled on classic yet defined, an ageless arch that is strengthened by a richer color;

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think Madonna, not Frida Kahlo. Luckily, the look is extremely easy to achieve and maintain through a very basic regime of tweezing and can be enhanced with the help of some affordable products dedicated to the upkeep of the brow.

It’s important to remember that unlike that bold lip color that you remove at the end of the night, your brows are here to stay, so you don’t want to end up with nothing to work with. Rather than spending the time (and money) on perfecting an attention-grabbing brow that looks over-tweezed, you can focus on a simple regime to clean up and enhance your brows, The Power Brow does just that. Think natural, except a more fabulous version of what nature blessed you with.

Such eyebrows have rested proudly on many iconic women from Audrey Hepburn to Brooke Shields so it’s no wonder that this timeless look is back. Following along with the revival of the ‘70s trend that was seen at Fashion Weeks across the globe, who better to look to than the women of this decade, the dark angular brows that have long graced the faces of iconic women like Debbie Harry and aforementioned Madonna, can be idolized even today. The Power Brow is a look that doesn’t demand a lot of maintenance; simply following some guidelines that will give you a good base shape to work with, leaving you free to experiment with color accentuation.

A wide variety of beauty products are available for the upkeep of this brow look, the most essential and inexpen-

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sive tool is an eyebrow pencil available at your local drug store.

Remember when choosing your shade to match it to your hair color. If the pencil is darker than the roots of your hair, it is too dark. Aside from the essentials, there are entire makeup collections dedicated to the eyebrows. Anastasia Soare is considered the eyebrow queen in Beverly Hills and through her salons she maintains the eyebrows of many celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey. Fortunately, there is no need for a visit to her salon to benefit from the results. Anastasia has her own line of products. ‘Anastasia Beverly Hills’ is an extensive collection ranging from gels and powders to aftertweeze creams and brow tool kits and even has custom shaped eyebrow stencils. Her collection is available at Sephora stores.

As with any facial feature, your brows should compliment the rest of your look. In terms of makeup this trend can take you from day to night. The angled boldness of the brow works well in contrasting and dramatizing a soft peach pink eye shadow dusted all the way to the brow bone, the curved shape frames the eyes allowing the color to look fresh not over powering, and a few coats of mascara complete the look, simple but effective. A darker more defined brow can help to accentuate the boldly pigmented panda-eye shadow trends, spotted on the runways of Francois Guillot in shades of purple.

Bright tones of lilac bring out the ‘70s trend and can even be paired with a woven headband of similar tones for a groovy yet modern trend. If your more into the everyday look visualize a perfectly nude, barely there complexion, complete with a very trendy, slicked back low ponytail and nothing more than a pair of strong brows that speak for themselves.

three ways to achieve

the perfect eyebrow Waxing:

Waxing is a faster and longer lasting alternative to achieving a more cleaned up brow, and going to a salon will ensure a good shape is achieved. But don’t expect to go straight from the salon to a dinner date, as waxing can irritate the skin and redness around the brow area may remain for a while.

Where: Bliss Spa, W hotel, 100 Stuart Street.

Threading: To achieve quick hair removal and

brow shaping in one, eyebrow threading is another alternative. This intricate method originated from India and involves plucking out a group or a line of hair all in one and at any angle you desire. This is probably the most expensive of your options.

Where: Amaci Salon, 230 Stuart Street

Tweezing: This is the quickest way to remove

stray hairs and is virtually cost-free. All you need is a pair of tweezers. To avoid pencil line eyebrows, simply tweeze the hairs that are out of line with the dominant shape of your brow.

Tweezers cost $1-$4 at Sephora or drugstore.

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THE POWER ISSUE - LOOKS

His &Hers TEXT // Danny Tehrani PHOTO // MOLLY ADAMS MODELS // DOMENICA PERRONE & DANIEL VIGNAE

F

ashion has always been a reaction to society’s mindset.

During the space race of the ‘60s, Pierre Cardin made futuristic pieces that ignited a craze for all things mod.

‘80s fashion was defined by Thierry Mugler’s linebacker shoulders and over the top glamour, in tune with the great economic growth of the era. In our own time, many have called fashion overly referential, drawing inspiration from the past and not really adding anything new to the fashion equation. It is indeed true that many designers have been looking to decades past.

But what is new, what is so exciting about fashion now, is the freedom it embodies – not just in the haphazard, devil-may-care way we mix and mold until we make something new–but in the way it is expressed as well. There is a startling and provocative new trend hitting the runways and it isn’t fur or florals or printed fabrics—it’s androgyny.

What does it say about our society if fashion is moving towards a unisex ideal? Traditional gender roles have lost their value. Although this may not be true everywhere, in many places gender roles have become more fluid – women go to work, stay at home dads and so called “mannies” are becoming more and more common. Gay and transgender rights are gaining support worldwide; same sex marriage is now legal in Argentina, Canada, and The Netherlands. Within our own country Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was just recently repealed. Freedom within gender roles is gaining ground worldwide, and so, as it always has, fashion mirrors modern society and the new freedoms and rights we proclaim.

The point of the androgynous look is balance. Women wear tailored pieces to achieve a bit more structure in their wardrobe while men do the opposite, taking cues from womenswear to create a look that is lighthearted and more easy-flowing than menswear usually allows for.

The ideal outfit for this trend is unisex—a fitted, crisp white shirt, a sharp bowtie, simple boots, and a striking leather or canvas bag. Wearing such minimalistic, genderless clothing is both striking in its political implications as well as its physical beauty. Wearing something so paired down, no prints, no gender qualifications, is fresh, natural and effortless. Simplicity allows for the fabrics you choose to speak for themselves. What does this look have to say? Equalization of the sexes, obviously.

A girl should feel free to borrow from her boyfriend’s closet

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or shop the men’s rack. Slip on a button-down and a blazer, pair them with skinny jeans, and you’ve got a look that’s clean and structured. Go for grunge in tie-dye and trippy prints, ripped jeans, baggy sweaters and loose-fitting flannels. Take inspiration from Balenciaga’s spring collection and think punk in leather from head to toe—skin-tight pants, hard-edged jackets, Doc Martens and studs, studs and more studs. Go for slick, tailored pieces for a fabulous night out. Reference Yves Saint Laurent’s iconic le Smoking look by pairing a tight-fitting tux with your highest black heels and your brightest red lipstick. The look takes a classic piece of menswear and feminizes it, which is the proper way to pull off the androgynous look. The impression you should be trying to achieve is crisp, elegant, and structured.

Guys should take inspiration from certain staples of female fashion. Take trends traditionally saved for womenswear, such as splashes of neon, and incorporate them into your wardrobe. A blazer in a DayGlo shade can be very Miami Vice, but as the only pop of color in an otherwise black or neutral outfit, it makes the look easier to pull off and more vibrant. Man bags are quickly becoming a must have. Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent have

“The era of women in binding corsets and men in tight collars is over; commonly held gender roles have lost their significance and indeed, their oppressive grasp on society.” made male versions of their bestselling bags, the Lariat and Muse, respectively. There are too many on the market that seem utilitarian, so go for bags that are simple but have edgy hardware details. Buckles, straps and studs can be tasteful when placed sparingly. When it comes to raiding your girlfriend’s closet, check out her scarf rack and jewelry box. Pile on rings, bracelets and necklaces or eschew a tie for a printed scarf with rich colors to add an effortless ease and grace to a simple suit. Take inspiration from the recent cocktail ring trend and grab a big class ring (with a large jewel to match) in ripe colors like red and green.

While most guys go for more modern watches, stay classic with a larger chain link watch in gold, or one with a buttery black leather band.

In the world’s current mindset, gender is no longer as valued or deemed something to abide by with utmost strictness as it once was. The era of women in binding corsets and men in tight collars is over; commonly held gender roles have lost their significance and indeed, their oppressive grasp on society. In fashion, androgyny means ease, an easing of societal pressures and an easing of the wardrobe. A couple in matching simplistic looks or a guy in neon, a girl in rough leather; each carries a free-flowing, free-willed, too-cool-to-care attitude that exemplifies the modern mindset.

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THE POWER ISSUE - RELATIONSHIPS

Deal or no Deal Dating Deal Breakers

text // Caitlin Anders — PHOTO // MOLLY WOLFBERG

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hen my boyfriend and I are just hanging out, he always seems to let various turn offs slip—ones that would be automatic deal breakers.

However, he can’t handle back or chest acne, and excessive eye shadow makes him give me this “What, what, what are you doing?” look. The weirdest turn off? He has an unexplained fear of amputation. Missing limbs terrify him, and he’s told me many times that if I ever lose a limb, it would be a deal breaker. Forget love if I’m missing a foot! If I were to have a secret 5-year-old child hidden away somewhere, however, that would be perfectly acceptable.

A child would be fine because he could just “hang” with my kid all the time, and since the kid wouldn’t actually be his, no child support would mean all fun. Legitimately, we’ve had this conversation multiple times, and even polled our friends on the subject. We’ve cornered people in the common room, asking them what’s a bigger deal breaker— finding out someone has a missing foot or a five-year-old kid that isn’t yours?

I don’t understand this argument at all.

A missing foot is no big deal, unless you have some weird foot fetish, which in my opinion would be a bigger issue. A kid, though, seems like a pretty big deal to me—a screaming, costly, little rugrat running wild, cock-blocking you and

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your significant other at every corner. I love kids, but a missing foot just seems like a lesser deal than a pint-sized third wheel. Arguments like this (and we have a lot of them in our relationship, we’d make excellent dinner guests) always get me thinking. Something one person considers a deal breaker might not be a big deal at all for someone else. Are there any universal deal breakers? Should there be?

My very first boyfriend seemed like a catch at the time; but looking back he probably wasn’t worth all the tears and angry phones calls, even if he did have awesome abs. His anger issues were far from attractive, and when he got really angry he would go around stomping powerfully on unsuspecting anthills. No joke. The kids at our school affectionately replaced his last name with aardvark and called him king of the ants. He also had a huge nose and would constantly stab me in the eye with it when we kissed. My dating perils, however, might as well have been fairytale dreams come true compared to my friend’s romantic endeavors. “Having two Facebooks should definitely be a deal breaker.” My friend Natasha, a freshman BFA Acting major, gives her input with a sigh and an eye roll, “Also if the only present they ever gave you was a gas station rose or they slipped you ecstasy with your cough medicine, like my incredibly violent

ex did. Actually, that should be a deal breaker too…”

Natasha has had some bad luck in terms of steering clear of deal breakers.

Once, her and her now ex were driving in his car and he saw a pretty girl walking nearby. He slowed down the car and asked for the girl’s number, and even asked Natasha to write it down for him.

“Oh, I wrote it down alright, I just never let him have it. I think I still have that somewhere,” she says. Even after he got himself locked up for substantial battery, he would have her come down to the jail and stand outside his window for hours, just so he could see what she was wearing and know she wasn’t off with other guys. What a charmer.

It seems practically every time we show interest in someone, they have to go and reveal some awful trait or habit that we’d have to be way-too-desperate-tofunction to deem ok. He’s incredibly cute and into hockey, and then you find out his favorite phrase is “blow me.” She’s a great girl, until she reveals she won’t have sex unless she’s partially clothed.

Sometimes we let these things slide, but everyone should be able to declare “no deal” every once in a while. Don’t be afraid to say no to the person who hacks into your school’s security camera system just to see who you’re hanging out with.

I won’t judge you.

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I’m Just NOT That Into Who YOU’RE Into text // joey polino

S

ignificant others come in all shapes and sizes: white, black, tall, short, chubby, lean, romantic, egocentric, emotional, aggressive, arrogant or maybe even fake. One of the hardest things to do in a friendship is to tell your best friend that you’re just not that into who they’re into.

Everyone knows that in addition to meeting the parents, you must meet the best friend—and you must have the best friend’s approval. Let’s face it, the best friend can be your biggest asset and your worst enemy at the same time. They’ve been at your significant other’s side for longer than you’ve probably known them.

The best friend usually knows best.

“You know your best friend better than anyone else does. So if you don’t like this significant other, you probably don’t like them for a certain reason,” says John Podhor, Marketing major, Class of 2012.

This could be restricted to issues over their personality. Maybe the guy is into ‘80s metal, has a possibly unhealthy obsession with torture porn movies like the Saw franchise or just plain dresses like a bro.

Meanwhile, your best friend’s closet is exclusively J. Crew and Anthropologie and Katherine Heigl is her acting idol.

Or, it could get serious. While you can look past the lacrosse pinnies, baseball caps and pastel shorts, you absolutely cannot overlook the fact that they have a history of potentially harmful problems that may include, though are not limited to, anger, depression, chronic emotional breakdowns, promiscuity or abuse (of the physical, verbal or even sexual nature).

People have a tendency to be stubborn, missing those hints because they’re far too focused on maintaining that feeling that makes everyone else slightly nauseated.

It’s easy to get lost in the fantasy world of first dates and getting-to-know-you phases that have been glamorized as the best times of our lives by romantic comedies and Gilmore Girls.

But that’s why you have best friends; the best friend is the one who can spot these red flags. As the best friend, we are morally obligated to throw up our hands and inform our best friends that their sig-

nificant other is not just being friendly with that girl/guy across the room.

They’re flirting. We’re supposed to inform them that they’re known to be a bit of a slut and therefore are much more of a detriment of their health than anything else.

However, before doing anything, the most important thing to remember is that there is a difference between a potentially harmful relationship and you just not liking said significant other.

“

“I think a friend’s duty and job is to voice their opinion but not necessarily voicing it to the point where they’re pushing the friend into a certain direction,” says Jessica Peck, Marketing major, Class of 2013. “You’re allowed to have your opinion…but at the same time, as a friend, I know I don’t want to be responsible for his or her decisions.”

If you find yourself in a situation, where hinting and interventions don’t work and you see your friend heading

It’s easy to get lost in the fantasy world of first dates and getting-to-know-you phases that have been glamorized as the best times of our lives by romantic comedies and Gilmore Girls...

According to Podhor, “If you see that the relationship’s not awful for him to be in, I can just not like it and go along with it. But if it’s actually bad for the person, then I would be vocal about it.”

Telling our best friend that the person they’ve been stressing over is not worth their time isn’t an easy task. We know that they can either listen to you, or ignore the warnings. So how are you supposed to go about telling them? Aside from the simple nudge, the obvious method is to sit them down and tell them that it’s not going to work out, as much as they think it will.

Interventions, though, don’t always work out as we hope. Freshman Marketing major Chloe Tims realls her best friend in high school, who was in a relationship with a guy way too arrogant for their tastes. Along with another friend, Tims sat her best friend down with a list and attempted to intervene. “In retrospect, the list was probably not the best idea,” she says. Her best friend turned around and ratted them out to her boyfriend. The girls are no longer friends.

So what if an intervention doesn’t work? At the beginning of a relationship, it’s easy to think “Well, he’s never been like that with me.” If they’ve never experienced it themselves, why should they worry?

”

shotgun down a road of no-return, what do we do? Are we supposed to sit back and wait for them to come crawling and crying to us?

Freshman Writing, Literature and Publishing major Becca Pollock thinks the best way to go about this is to voice your concern no matter what. Recently, her best friend confronted her about a boyfriend. “It kind of sucked and I didn’t listen. But when I ended up getting hurt, I appreciated my friend more. I’ll also trust her opinion more in the future,” says Pollock.

While there is no definitive answer to this question in terms of course of action, it’s clear that the most important thing to do is to respectfully voice concern. Demanding that our best friend should break up with their significant other could end up ruining your friendship. By telling them to watch out without demanding a break-up, you’re showing concern without the overbearing aspects that everyone hates in the heat of the moment.

After saying something, the best course of action is for you to be there for your best friend when they realize the mistakes they made or could have made.

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One Girl’s Journey to Find Everlasting Internet Love text // Kelly Riordan

T

he idea of “Internet dating” as a viable way to meet guys intrigued me. I had first experimented with it the summer after my sophomore year in college and had received, at best, mediocre results.

I went on three dates, all of which confirmed my suspicions that the web was nothing more than a sketchy way to meet socially inept men. Thus, thoroughly unimpressed and breathing a defeated sigh at my seemingly established spinster status, I canceled my OkCupid account and decided my Internet dating days were over.

After that, I swore I’d meet someone in person. It would happen just like it did in the movies: we’d meet in line at the bank, our eyes meeting over transacted checks; we’d be walking our dogs nonchalantly down the street, when Fido and Fluffy would see each other and excitedly run circles around the love of my life and me, leaving us face-to-face in a leashtangled union.

There were, however, kinks in my plans. Not only did I visit the bank extraordinarily infrequently, but I didn’t own a dog, and even if I had, there was rarely a time I’d seen a man on the street with whom I’d want to share a leash-tangled union. My love life was taking a turn for the utmost grim.

But then, in my hour of desperation, I remembered an old friend. And though this friend had failed me once before despite the purest of intentions, I decided once again to put my trust on the line. And so began my second tryst with the world of online dating.

I thought that maybe, just maybe, I’d missed my soul mate the first time around. Maybe he hadn’t even had an OkCupid account back then. After all, it’d been a few months; there was bound to be fresh meat by now.

This time I brought out the big guns: I not only signed up for OkCupid, I set up accounts on Match.com, Chemistry.com and Zoosk. If Prince Charming was out there, he wasn’t going to slip through my clutches this time.

However, I ended up using only OkCupid again, because all three other sites demanded I pay for the entirety of their services. My artillery had been reduced, but my determination was stronger than ever.

In order to fully understand the world that is OkCupid, one needs to be familiar with the workings of the site. First, it is not required, but is highly recommended, that all users create some sort of user profile stating who they are, what they’re doing with their lives, what six things they couldn’t live without, what they’re really good at, and what people generally notice first about them. On the right side of the profile page, in a column, is general information about you called “details.” In this column users put their height, body type, how often they smoke and drink, whether or not they want kids, if they prefer cats, dogs or both, what their occupation is and what their first language is. There is also the option to put up a user-picture (which I highly suggest doing).

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More information is, of course, preferable to leaving your profile blank or full of one-word answers. The more information that potential dates can read about you, the better chance you’ll both have at really connecting. As in the real world, online dating is all about presenting yourself in an honest and candid way. Don’t be afraid to write about your love for Snuggies or your fear of clowns; anything someone judges you for on your profile is probably something they would have judged you for once it came out of the woodwork further down the road anyway. And remember: you’ll be critiquing their profile just as carefully so don’t let the haters get you down!

In terms of communicating with potential soul mates, OkCupid has several methods by which one can browse. The first, and most common, is what the site calls an “intimate message.”

An intimate message is almost identical to a Facebook message in format; the only difference is the infinitely more

Online dating is all about presenting “yourself in an honest and candid way. ”

disturbing title. As one individual, username, Crydajam, put it, “it sounds like a trading of bodily fluids rather than an epistolary exchange.”

The second most common form of communication is the chat application, by which users may chat instantly with another user, granted that user is online. This application is, again, almost identical to the model used by Facebook. I tended to avoid it however, because, generally speaking, only desperate creepy weirdos ever messaged me through chat, supplying pornographic remarks and tragic pick-up lines.

That isn’t to say, however, that desperate, creepy weirdos won’t send you an intimate message as well.

The first round of messages I received were disheartening.

TallProf45 emailed me querying, “Im tall, dark, intellectual and a college professor. Interested?” Optimus99 emailed stating, “U sound funny. I have a secret. I once had a cat but I killed it. Wanna go kayaking sumtime?” Mr. Odd got right to the point, asserting, “If u wana ********** give ur number pretty thang.” Not only was this latter message offensive, I couldn’t figure out a sexual action ten letters long that was worthy of censorship.

Then one day, thankfully, I glanced a message from moniker, Grise3678. It read, “You seem like a really cool person. I dig your taste in music and books and just think you’re probably a lot of fun to hang out with. I’d love to talk to you sometime if you’d be interested.” Soon after, we decided to meet for coffee.

At first, being face-to-face with this person I’d only had written contact with was indescribably strange. Now, neither of us had the privilege of sitting back and working out a witty response to each other’s remarks. Our meeting felt forcefully improvised and stiff. After a while, however, we found our rhythm and things seemed to go smoothly. We discussed You-

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tube videos, music, and each other’s favorite movies. But then I began to notice little strange things; without the veil of the Internet to hide behind, Grise3678 was not nearly as confident nor as polite as he’d appeared online. He stared directly at my chest as he spoke, hardly let me get a word in edge-wise, and at the end of our date, “forgot his wallet,” forcing me to cover his tab. Afterward, I bid him a not-so-fond farewell and slumped home.

My next date was with UnicornLover44, which, despite my heavy doubts regarding his choice of username, went surprisingly well. He sounded great on paper: a third year student at Northeastern, biochemistry major, loved animals, and had a great sense of humor. There was far less awkwardness with this new guy, and we fell into casual conversation easily. On our date we took a walk around the Common, stopped by Starbucks for a little caffeinated refreshment, and just hung out, talking about, well, everything really. I was actually thinking this guy might be worth a second date when he began explaining to me his “love affair” with science and how science is the only thing he truly loves. Confused by this confession, I asked him what he was doing on a dating site. He explained to me that, being confined in a laboratory all day running experiments he never had time to meet new people. So he decided to join a dating site.

This explanation left much to be desired for me, but it was all I needed to hear. That was the last time I saw UnicornLover44.

Interestingly, the explanation provided me by UnicornLover44 was not uncommon among men in the OkCupid community. Many of them simply had become consumed by their work and didn’t know how to meet other people in real life, ultimately resorting to the Internet in a last-ditch effort at making friends.

Many of them told me in their “intimate messages” that, what made me different from other users on the site was my easy-going, casual attitude. They explained to me that it didn’t seem like I was trying too hard.

It was true. While I was using an online dating site in an attempt to meet guys, I wasn’t doing it as a panacea for my abrasive or awkward social interactions; I knew the rules of the physical world and hadn’t found what I was looking for there.

Now I wanted to experiment with the Internet world to see if the conventions were different and if so, what they could yield for me. All I had to do was translate my physical persona into an online profile.

This fact, however, is what ultimately gave me the most trouble in my pursuits of acquiring everlasting Internet love.

I kept encountering men who just didn’t really know how to interact with people on a face-to-face level; they’d become so

accustomed to sitting in a lab or an office, Skyping, emailing or Facebook messaging people, that they’d gotten lost in the rules of cyber-sociality—rules that don’t translate well to real life. A superb example of this inability to mix the physical with the Internet world occurred during my final, and decidedly strangest, date with Mandolinstrings11.

I’d been messaged by him three days earlier and had thought he sounded relatively normal. He read books, played several instruments and had just started work at a real-estate firm. Plus, I mean, I had two failed dates under my belt by

the rules of the physical “worldI knew and hadn’t found what I was looking for there... ”

now, what could I lose? We set up a Skype date and I remained cautiously optimistic.

On the night of our date, I logged into Skype at 8:05PM (fashionably late for our agreed-upon meeting time of 8:00PM.) Instantly I received a video-chat invitation, and before I knew it, I was Skyping with Mandonlinstrings11. As with my previous dates, things started out fine. We just talked about how our days had been, what our plans were for tomorrow and what our hobbies/interests were.

Then, maybe twenty minutes into our conversation, he casually asked, “So do you want to see my mandolin?” And I figured, “Sure why not. Let’s hear the guy play the mandolin.”

But instead of getting up to retrieve the instrument, he abruptly stood, knocking the chair back and revealing his pants-less form, his manhood in all its furry, erect glory. Horrified, I quickly ended the session and blocked him on both OkCupid and Skype.

Soon after, I decided once again to retire from the Internet dating scene. If Romeo was out there, he was just going to have to find me in the real world.

However, that being the case, I’m not of the opinion that Internet dating can’t work. The examples I’ve listed in this article are, of course, only from my own experience. There exists proof everywhere that it can work. Everyone knows someone who met their significant other via the web. What I will say is that, much like in the physical world, dating on the Internet is a crapshoot in the dark. You never know exactly whom you’re going to meet, and just because someone seems great at first doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not putting up anything more than a gilded exterior, bound to crack later on.

Thinking of giving it a shot?

Here’s a rundown from the expert. ok cupid

- Completely free - Includes personal blogs, public forums, and instant messages - You can “wink” at other people if you find them interesting. Now you just have to wait for them to wink back.

- Boston Globe once said it is “The Google of online dating”

zoosk

- Free to browse thousands of singles - Free to make or receive initial contact with other members - Free to start having fun with online dating - Not so free when you want to actually connect with someone of interest

match.com

Once you sign up, you can send out emails to those you are interested in And if you want to get amp your stalking ability, you can pay extra to see if your email was read

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What I’m Fighting For a look into the life of a military couple

text // natalie morgan — photo // courtesy of kathryn flynn

“I’m not looking to be a military wife,” says Kathryn Flynn, a senior Marketing major. Women today work ceaselessly to become independent and self-empowered. It’s hard to imagine giving up a dream career to follow a military guy all over the country—possibly even the world.

Aja Neahring, sophomore Writing, Literature and Publishing major, had been dating her boyfriend Zachary French, 19, on and off for a few years when he decided to join the Air Force.

Their relationship was strained when French was assigned to a base in Guam instead of being stationed near Boston. “It’s a lot of extra stress,” says Neahring. “It’s literally a fifteen hour time difference. He goes to bed when I get up for class.”

There’s no arguing that long distance relationships hurt.

Without a physical connection, communication can be difficult.

Flynn has been in a long distance relationship with her boyfriend Timothy “Timmy” Peterson for two years. “You have to have a really intense connection,” says Flynn. “[Sometimes] what happens when you live apart is that you grow separately and sometimes you don’t grow in the same direction.”

Right now, Flynn’s boyfriend is stationed at the Pensacola Naval Base in Florida where he studies engineering. Still, the couple only sees each other once every three months. “We’re both saving for our own individual big giant things. I’m so busy that me stepping away from my life here [is] not possible.”

Instead of moping, Flynn makes the best of her time alone. “It’s actually great to be in a long distance relationship right now because of my lifestyle.” Flynn keeps herself busy with two jobs and a day that starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 10 p.m. “I’m 20 and should be able to develop my own self professionally.”

“I think once you decide that you’re going to be in a relationship with someone [in the military] you sort of make a commitment to each other for the long term,” Flynn comments. “It would be super masochistic to do what I’m doing without having any expectation of a future with this person. It’s totally hurtful, all the time.”

While Flynn is not engaged, she and Neahring both understand the military pressures of marriage. “If you get married, you make twice as much [in the military],” says Neahring. “You get a house all to yourself, no curfew, and a lot more choice of where you [are stationed].”

Flynn’s boyfriend has yet to be sent out on cruise for six months—which means little to no contact—and even though they’ve talked about how they’re going to handle it, they have no plans of breaking up at the intimidating prospect of being apart.

Focusing on her marketing career and developing as an individual are important to Flynn before committing to marriage. “I want to say that I can [make the commitment] but [he] needs to go away and come back a couple times,” says Flynn.

“He’s a spectacular boy and he’d be a great husband and I have no doubt in my mind that he would be a good father and I can see my life with him. It just needs to go in order.”

Neahring, who aspires to be a sports photographer, finds it hard to balance her own professional goals with a military relationship. “Either I go with him everywhere he goes or I have a job in one spot and stay in that place and see him when I can.”

It’s not an appealing option when you’re in love, but it’s all about balance in any relationship.

Neahring and her boyfriend, Zachary, broke up shortly after her interview. “It had a lot to do with communication,” says

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Kathryn Flynn, Marketing Communications, Class of 2012 with her boyfriend Timothy “Timmy” Peterson Neahring. “He was expecting me to spend the summer with him no matter what, and I wanted to take the job I was offered. We’re both still growing up and changing, and we’re not realizing that the other will be changing as well.”

To survive without the physical connection in military relationships can be near impossible without a solid emotional bond. In a way, a strong relationship can strengthen with distance and couples can really get to know one another.

The lifestyle of a military couple is much different than that of a regular couple. “It’s such a gift to be with [someone] you feel like you want to be with forever. When you’re with them everything is so great…everything spins perfectly,” says Flynn.

The truth is that real love, no matter the distance and the obstacles, perseveres. “You hear about it in movies and you read about it in books…for [love] to actually work is such a bizarre thing and sometimes it does and you [can’t] push it away or get scared off,” says Flynn. “I can’t even express to you how happy I am in my relationship which some people have a hard time stomaching.”

Flynn and Peterson have come a long way from the centuries-old picture of the military couple. The challenges present in any relationship are amplified by the longing and the lack of communication long distance brings. Sometimes the mature thing to do is step out gracefully, because no relationship is strong without the strength of the individuals. To make it work is a commitment—one that should be based in deep love and mutual dreams for the future. With these, any romance can last a lifetime.

THE POWER ISSUE - RELATIONSHIPS

Breaking expectations: dating outside your religion text // michelle golden

G

rowing up I didn’t have much of a Jewish education. My parents (both Jewish) always fought about whether I would go to public school or a Jewish private academy, whether I would spend my Sunday mornings at home or taking Hebrew classes, or whether I would get a Bat Mitzvah when I turned 12 or just celebrate it like it was just another birthday. My mother grew up in a very Orthodox Jewish household while my dad and his family observed the Jewish religion conservatively. Ironically, my mother was the one who didn’t care too much about educating her children about the Jewish way of life.

Let me first say this: I am very proud that I am Jewish. Being Jewish means I celebrate my ancestors and what they have been fighting to keep for centuries: their identity. I celebrate a culture and a family from all over the world that do good for other people—even through all of their hardship and adversity.

Throughout the years my dad has attempted to help me meet a nice, Jewish boy—usually pointing out the ones with yamakas pinned down to their thick curly hair and a level of intelligence that would surpass even a collection of encyclopedias. (I think I broke his heart when I didn’t apply to Brandeis.) The topic of marriage has crept into many phone and dinner conversations with my dad, who would love for me to find a “pure-bred” Jewish guy. But ever since my first boyfriend at 16 (who was Panamanian and a converted Jew), it’s been rather difficult—especially since I’m in love with someone who isn’t Jewish.

I celebrate a culture and a “ family from all over the world that

do good for other people—even through aall of their hardship and adversity.

”

When I went to Israel for the first time, I learned a lot about my identity and what it means to be a Jewish Israeli. I volunteered on an army base with other Jewish students and Israeli soldiers and was able to learn more about my Jewish family who lives in and serves the country. Very quickly, I realized Israel will always be my home and I will always relate to the Jewish religion and identify with its culture and traditions.

And then I came back from my trip. I became more actively involved with Emerson’s Hillel organization, went back to Israel the following year to visit family, and during the fall went to The Jewish Federation of North America’s General Assembly where the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu spoke. Let’s just say I was even more inspired.

Despite becoming more connected to the Jewish identity over the past few years, I still felt a distinct pressure to meet someone who is Jewish. You have to remember, there’s a process. If I marry a Jewish guy, I can have a Jewish family, have Jewish babies, and

send my Jewish children to Jewish day camps, Jewish sleep away camps, and Hebrew school so they, too, can repeat the process, keep the faith, marry someone Jewish, and continue on the Jewish religion.

But let’s put things in perspective. Marriage isn’t a priority for me at this point in my life, although it is something that I have thought about for the future. When my boyfriend (a non-observing Catholic), who is currently at boot camp in the Marines, sent me a letter informing me that he has started attending Jewish services instead of Chapel and included the yamaka he wore which fell out of the envelope, I couldn’t help but think about all those marriage conversations with my dad. I knew he wasn’t going to be too fond of the idea. And to my dismay, he didn’t find it as cute and romantic as I had. Why? Because, according to him, even if my boyfriend were to convert, he is still not “technically” Jewish.

The questions do linger—my dad does have a point. “What’s going to happen when I have kids one day and they have no idea whether they celebrate Passover or Easter, Hanukkah or Christmas, Lent or Yom Kippur? What’s going to happen when my kids don’t know whether they are Jewish or Christian, Catholic or Jehovah’s Witness? What’s going to happen when he or she grows up and wants to have a family and doesn’t know what to tell their children to celebrate?”

Bottom line: Keeping the faith means marrying someone who you can share your religion with and pass it on to generations to come. If I were to marry someone who was also Jewish, perhaps I would be able to relate more to that person on a religious level, but maybe not so much on a more personal and emotional level. I say if you’re in love, you’re in love. And in the end, being in love and respectful of one another’s beliefs and identity is all that really matters.

I’ve learned whether or not I choose to have children, I will still do what I do every year. I will go to synagogue during the high holidays (and make a sincere effort to go more than that).

I will go to Israel whenever work will allow me to and my child will have a bar/bat mitzvah and he/she will go to Hebrew school on Sundays in order to fulfill some sort of Jewish education. More importantly, I will always talk about our Jewish history so that it can never, ever be forgotten.

Whether I marry outside the Jewish religion or not, I will always keep the faith. Being Jewish is a part of who I am and who I will always be—whether or not my husband was born that way too.

em magazine — SPRING 2011

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picking up the pieces getting back on your feet after a break-up text // joey polino

W

hen a relationship ends, it’s pretty easy to enter into the five stages of grief. It always starts by telling people that it was an amicable end to the relationship, you both decided that it just “wasn’t working” (denial); you can go about publicly slandering your ex all over Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr (anger); you can beg—though you would never beg—to have them back (bargaining); you can mope around, take up a few pharmaceuticals, gain ten pounds and wear lots of sweats (depression).

Or, you can look in the mirror and tell yourself that you don’t want to spend your next birthday, Christmas or Valentine’s Day alone and do something about your current relationship status.

And now before you go on rolling your eyes, let’s be totally, 100 percent serious about this.

Moving on after a relationship is one of the toughest things to go through, both privately and socially, in college. It’s so much worse when your now ex goes to the same school and lives on campus.

The first thing you’re going to need to do after a break-up is to remind yourself who you are. “A lot of hurtful things can be said during a break-up. And some of them might not necessarily be true. But if you’re hit at enough, you might start believing them,” says Johan Anderson, a Film major, Class of 2012.

This sort of identity crisis is one that we all might not want to host immediately following a break-up. But if someone beats the idea that you’re an unfortunate perfectionist down your throat it’s not a stretch to think that you’re going to start thinking twice about things. According to Anderson, you just can’t do that to yourself.

Resist the urge to be lazy. Don’t walk around in sweats all day because you just don’t have the energy to dress to impress right now. This is Emerson. Pull yourself together. People are going to notice if you go from dressing like a member of the cast of Gossip Girl to wearing pajamas to class.

The way you dress affects the way you think, the way you walk, the way you portray yourself. It can turn a sympathy comment into a compliment. Everyone wants to hear “You look hot,” over “How are you really doing?” with an upturned eyebrow and sympathetic stroking of the forearm.

“After a break-up it’s good to look like you’re still being yourself. You don’t want it to seem like that person was defining you.

You need to show that you dress this way because you want to and you feel good. Not that you necessarily wanted to impress your significant other,” says Anderson.

Go to a party. Do not miss a beat with your social life. Those first few weekends after a rather public breakup are not the times when you should be sitting in your room watching Bridget Jones and drinking your red wine sorrows into oblivion.

Keep up dinner dates in public places like the Dining Hall or EmCafe. Don’t sulk in the corner, sit where you can be noticed and ignore, ignore, ignore whenever the ex walks into the room. Making eye contact will only give them the satisfaction that you’re still not over the relationship.

The gym is a great place to meet people. Not only does it show

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that your body is important to you, but asking someone to spot you while you lift a few weights guarantees the start of a conversation.

“Watching guys weight lift is hot. Also you have to share equipment, which makes for conversation. And I know that men find women who weight lift sexy. I love the look on guys faces when I bench press,” says Ashley Holland, a Journalism major, Class of 2014 and exercise junkie.

It’s not all about looking hot and being seen, though. Those are just two external factors after a break-up. What might be more important is everything inside you—everything that you’re feeling.

Whether it’s splurging on DVDs at Newbury Comics or indulging on cannoli at Mike’s Pastry it’s important to do things that make you happy. “I just love running around Urban Outfitters. When you’re out shopping it’s easy to forget about the breakup. It’s a good way to take your mind off everything,” says Sydney Epstein, a Film major, Class of 2014.

Distraction is key. The more you keep your mind off of your ex, the easier it is to not just go about your day-to-day life, but to move on. “When you distract yourself, you stop thinking about being with them and so it’s easier to see yourself with other people,” Epstein says.

But what if your ex keeps texting or calling you? It could seem like they might want to get back together with you.

The short answer is: don’t let that fool you. Remember that even if you did get back together, it probably wouldn’t last all that long. Someone wanted to break-up in the first place… do you really want to be with that person that didn’t want to be with you?

An easy way to fix this is to delete your ex from your phone. If a number shows up and you have to ask who it is, they might realize that you’re trying to move on as best as you can and ultimately will leave you alone. (At least, some people would do that.)

These days the Internet makes it easy to check-in on the ex.

So consider hiding them from your News Feed on Facebook (or removing them entirely from your friend list).

In the end, just remember that if you’re not together anymore there’s a reason. It wasn’t working out, you weren’t right for each other, or maybe the timing just wasn’t right. There’s no need to try and humiliate them because you’re angry. There are going to be times when the sight of them will send you back to those final moments when you realized that it was the end. But you can’t spend your life harping on said moments. If you do, life and opportunities are going to pass you by.

THE POWER ISSUE - RELATIONSHIPS

stage five clingers guys vs. the girls... who takes the gold medal?

text // Caroline Praderio — PHOTO // ETHAN WALFISH

W

e’ve all been there: it’s a slow afternoon browsing the News Feed on Facebook, when suddenly the urge hits.

You flirt with the search bar, typing the first three letters of your ex’s name, then deleting them. I shouldn’t be doing this, you tell yourself, but the lure is too powerful to resist. Homework?

Returning that urgent email? Calling mom back? It can wait, you think—as you hit the enter key.

Most of us have spent a few too many minutes (or hours) stalking ex or current partners on Facebook— but maybe you’ve taken a step further, into the desolate, desperate realm of cling-dom. Maybe you’ve walked, very slowly, past his dorm room every night for a week—always on your way to the bathroom, of course. Maybe you’ve texted her every half hour—just to keep tabs on her whereabouts. Maybe you’ve been subject to these absurd behaviors from disenchanted or jealous lovers. Some of us have even dealt with the ultimate in unruly relationship stalkers—the ever vigilant, completely insane, and sometimes frightening Stage Five Clinger.

But what exactly is a Stage Five Clinger? Popularized by the Vince-Vaughn-straddling, hair-whipping performance from Isla Fisher in 2005’s Wedding Crashers, the Stage Five Clinger has seeped into common parlance and helped define that special brand of crazy reserved specifically for boyfriends and girlfriends that just won’t leave us alone. Freshman Theatre Studies major Lizzie Milanovich defines the Stage Five Clinger in different terms though.

“The first thing I think of is a puppy,” she says. “You know how you get a puppy and right away it’s…totally in love with you after knowing you for a day? And it’s cool for awhile…but then you realize this person is not a puppy and it’s kind of like, ‘...Really?’”

But one question remains: who sinks the claws in deeper—the ladies or the gents? Which sex holds on tight and never lets you go—even if you really just wish they would?

Melody Madarasz, a sophomore Musical Theatre major, thinks that Stage Five Status is more common among her female counterparts. “I want to say men, but I know it’s women, because women have a harder time letting something go than men do,” she says.

Madarasz’s own experience with a Stage Five Clinger may beg to differ. After a brief hookup with a fellow participant in a summer theatre program, she found herself subject to his intense clinging tactics. “It got weird when he sat me and down, and started asking me how we would continue our relationship when he went to college,” she says. “And I was like, ‘What relationship?’”

Freshman Jacob Ouellette disagrees. “If I had to choose I would actually say guys, to be honest,” says the Broadcast Journalism major. “It’s weird for me, being a guy, to say that but from what I’ve seen…guys could be a little more clingy.” However, Ouellette’s own experience suggests otherwise. Eight months after being dumped by an old high school girlfriend, he still feels the cling of an ex, even after moving on to a new relationship. “As soon as my ex, who broke up with me, found out that I was hanging out with someone else it was fighting words from there on out… just totally badmouthing the girl I’m with now,” he says. “It’s a little bit ridiculous, a little immature, I think.”

So what’s the final word? Is it the girls or the guys who cling harder to their respective mates? According to Emerson’s favorite love advisor, David “The Dating Doctor” Coleman, the answer is neither. “On a daily basis I receive emails asking questions or describing situations that clearly prove to me that both men and women can become clingers under the right circumstances,” he says. “I am seeing more and more men hover and smother over women who seem not to want or need them, a concept they have a hard time understanding, but I still get a high number of emails from women who are Stage Five Clingers who don’t want anyone near the man (or woman) they are dating.”

An online poll of 52 Emerson students showed similar results: about 60 percent agreed anyone can be a Stage Five Clinger—and in the end, it depends on the specific situation. Only one thing is definite, whether you’re reading too far into her Twitter hashtags or actively stalkin’ his life on the Jersey Shore boardwalk—it never hurts to loosen that grip a little. In the end, it’s the clinger in a relationship who lacks power—but still retains an endless lexicon of weird scare tactics, of course. Both guys and girls need to think before it’s too late and they reach Stage Five status.

Remember: clinging is not just another form of caring.

em magazine — SPRING 2011

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ELEMENTS OF POWER PHOTOS // EVAN TETREAULT

P

ower is a trait Emersonians may not readily ascribe to themselves. Hard-working? Check.

Ambitious? Yes. Powerful? Maybe not. Power is not defined, however, by your savings account, how much you bench press, or how many wars you have waged; it is the strength to get through the day. Power is the determination it takes to commute five hours a week for one practice. It lies in the commitment you make when you decide to change your whole belief system. Power is perseverance, and the ability to overcome adversity. It is something you embody the moment you are able to accept yourself and everything that makes you unique. Power is also in the moment you realize you need to step out of the spotlight in order for self-growth. What makes us remarkable at Emerson are the everyday struggles and triumphs we experience. Our humanity doesn’t come from the work we do, but from the people we are when we are off duty.

On these pages, it does not matter what your major is or what connections you have, it is all about sacrifice, determination, and the perfected art of doing what you love, no matter what the risks may be. We hope you will find inspiration in your peers, and recognize and appreciate the power you hold within yourself.

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determination conviction perseverance

conviction

independence acceptance

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Cameron Ross TEXT // COURTNEY SWIFT

W

aiting to throw the stone, everything Cameron Ross knows about curling sometimes slips away from memory. He points his toe, removes his gripper and then the glove of his throwing hand. Later, he wipes off the ice and places the stone down. Nerves mounting, he waits for the call. Taking a moment to breathe, he places his foot down and stares for a second or two at his release point. But after the stone is released, Ross knows it is up to how he threw it, and what the sweepers do with it.

After the 2006 Winter Olympics, Ross, Post Production Major, Class of 2014, knew he wanted to try something new.

Curling intrigued him as it was something a little bit bizarre and definitely not very popular in the United States Curling, created in Scotland over 500 years ago on icy lakes, is now played in 48 different nations around the world. It attracts more than 13,000 players from just the U.S. alone.

Ross began curling when he was 13 after visiting a club in his home state of New Jersey. He took a class where he learned the fundamentals. Later, he enrolled in a junior program with the Plainfield Curling Club and after a few months was at his first spiel, similar to a weekend tournament. As Ross got better, he joined a team, and they began playdowns (regional tournaments), which can lead to a nationals bid. Ross said this was an eye-opening experience of competitive play. “It’s very much strategy-based like chess,” he says. “You can have the best strategy, but you still need to be able to execute it.”

Ross’ passion and love for the sport keeps him curling.

He spends almost five hours every Tuesday traveling to and practicing at his new club, Broomstones, in Wayland, Mass. “It’s harder in college without a car,” Ross says. “When you have instruction that’s what makes you better.” Sometimes he must miss class for tournaments, but he does it because of his love for the sport. Next year, he plans to design his class schedule around curling more so he can spend more time practicing. Ross enjoys curling so much because it was the one thing his parents didn’t force him into; rather, he actively pursued it. “They didn’t push me, and I think that’s why I like it so much. I curled for me, I didn’t curl for them.”

He also practices Pilates, originally starting because his mother is an instructor. “I definitely attribute a lot of my success in curling to Pilates,” he says. “It keeps me flexible and strong, and some of the exercises are similar to how you curl.” He described how curling is very one-sided, where you are always working certain muscles. Ross says Pilates is good to keeping strength throughout so he doesn’t become disjointed.

Curling often gets a lot of flack for not being athletic enough, but Ross described how every player must have strong leg muscles as well as good balance, arm strength, and a certain

degree of flexibility in order to be successful. The sport, played on ice, isn’t something to take lightly. Ross has seen reporters hit their heads on the ice, and other players get shoulder tension and even dislocate kneecaps.

Ross generally plays the 2nd position, which means he sweeps the ice. He played with his team from New Jersey for four years before well-known curler and coach Keith Dropkin and his team asked him to join his Junior Nationals team as an alternate. Dropkin says adding a fifth man to any team is a conflicting decision because the player can be a great addition or a distraction.

But in this case, Ross was an asset to Team Dropkin’s dynamic. “Chemistry was a key consideration in choosing Cameron,” he said. “We wanted someone who could perform if called upon and also make everyone else feel good and fill those gaps between games.”

Ross described how he helps to mellow his team out. This might happen if they have lost or someone doesn’t sweep enough in one end or another. “I help get them loose, and then they can go play the game they know how to play,” says Ross. Teammate Korey Dropkin agrees. “He fits in perfectly,” he says. “He basically fills in every slot, like he’s a good player and knows how to talk to everyone and what we need if we’re down. He’s basically the spirit of our team.”

His team will often sing and dance on the ice to get their nerves out. “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles, “In the Air Tonight,” by Phil Collins, and “Amie” by Pure Prairie League are some of his team’s favorite songs. Dropkin feels that Ross was an essential part of the team. “He redefined the role of assist player,” Dropkin says. “He always knows what’s needed by teammates and instinctively knows who needs support and also what it takes to give that support.”

In February of this year, the team placed second at Junior Nationals held in Alaska. One of Ross’ favorite moments in his curling career was last year at Junior Nationals when he met U.S. curler Pete Fenson who played on the 2006 U.S. Olympic team. “If it wasn’t for his team and them being in the Olympics, I wouldn’t be curling,” Ross says. During one of their matches he came to watch. “That was great to have someone so important cheering for you,” says Ross. “Someone who I cheered on was now cheering for my team.”

With the curling season coming to a close, Ross is not currently part of a team, and is looking around for one to join.

“It’d be nice to have a stable team,” he says, “but I like that people jump around.” He says certain teams just fall apart, but that others will get together. Right now he is trying to figure out whom to join forces with, but if someone asked him there would be consideration.

Ross is trying to start a curling club at Emerson, but it is in the initial stages. He says he sometimes wishes it were an NCAA sport, but wonders if it wasn’t so conventional if he would still be interested. To those that make fun of the sport, Ross says he mostly shrugs it off. “I just remind them that it is an Olympic sport.”

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Elise Pié TEXT // LAUREN VISLOCKY

F “

ree Shabbat dinner” was emblazoned across the Hillel flyer hanging on Elise Pié’s floor in the Little Building.

Much like any other college student, broke and undernourished by the cuisine in the dining hall, Pié’s eyes were instantly drawn to the promise of free food. Little did she know that her quest for free food would lead to a lifechanging decision to convert from Catholicism to Judaism.

“I went by myself which was really scary...I was just blown away by how interested the board was in getting to know everyone and how smooth everything went.”

-Elise Pié, Communication Studies, Class of 2012 Growing up, Pié’s exposure to Judaism was minimal.

Living in a Connecticut town without a large Jewish community, Pié never had any Jewish friends in high school.

Even with the lack of exposure to Judaism, Pié began to question her Catholic faith. “There were doubts for me being Catholic. I remember hating going to church, and then as I started to get older I started disagreeing with some of the beliefs of the Catholic Church.” From then on, Pié disconnected herself from religion. That is, until she went to Emerson.

Walking alone into the Charles Beard Room the night of the dinner, Pié was greeted by members of Hillel, a Jewish organization that caters to college campuses across the nation, as well as internationally, and whose mission it is to create a welcoming and engaging environment with activities for both Jewish and non-Jewish college students.

“I went by myself which was really scary—walking into a place that you don’t know anyone. I was just blown away by how interested the board was in getting to know everyone and how smooth everything went,” Pié said.

The aspect that truly impressed Pié was the sense of community she felt while attending the dinner. When the night was over, Pié knew this was for her. From there she began asking around about Hillel and was told to get in contact with Gary Fayman, the president of Hillel at the time.

“I got in contact with him and got on the list, and he started sending me emails to come to the meetings and I did. I started to get to know everyone,” she says.

Pié became an active member of the Hillel community, not only going to meetings but participating in various religious events, high holy days, and Shabbat, the Jewish Day of Rest that takes place from sundown on Friday to Saturday.

Though her participation in Hillel had increased since attending that first Shabbat dinner, it wasn’t until this

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past January after attending a Young Zionist leadership conference with college students from North America that support Israel that her decision to convert was cemented.

A couple of weeks later, Pié discussed the matter with Hillel’s advisor Arinne Braverman who Pié describes as her “little Jewish godmother.” Braverman aided Pié in her quest to find a rabbi: helping her get in contact through emails and setting up meetings. Though the search only took a couple of weeks, Pié was turned down by other rabbis twice.

For those Sex and the City fans who remember Charlotte York’s pursuit to find a rabbi in the sixth season, prospective converts do in fact have to be turned down three times by a rabbi before being allowed to start the conversion process.

According to Pié, “It’s partly because they want to make sure you’re serious about it.” Prospective converts are required to go to a beth din which is a religious court that asks a series of questions to make sure the potential converts are making an informed decision and converting for their own purposes and not because they are being persuaded by others.

After finding her rabbi, the next step was to begin the actual conversion process. But Pié’s process had to be adjusted to fit her schedule. Conversions can take one or more years depending on whether a person is converting reform, conservative or orthodox. Being a college student who splits her time between Connecticut and Boston, Pié needed to have a process that would allow her to convert in less than a year. Pié chose to convert Reform, the form of Judaism which is open to adapting Jewish practices and traditions to modern society, because it fell in line with most of her beliefs.

While Pié found that most Connecticut rabbis would not take on her conversion because of the location difference, Rabbi Sam Seicol was understanding. According to him, “The conversion process is hard to define. It wasn’t shortened because there is no specific time frame required, but rather an assessment of where she was.”

In her decision to convert, Pié not only has the support of her rabbi and the Hillel community, but that of her family as well. Pié’s mother Lee Konieczny was initially surprised by her daughter’s decision but had no problem accepting her daughter’s choice. “I think it’s a parent’s job to raise their children with the ability to navigate their own way, and I see that in Elise.”

In April, Pié will finally complete her conversion process with a ceremony called a mikveh in which she will be immersed in a bath of water and say several prayers. Pié has come a long way in her conversion process and is not planning on wavering any time soon. “It’s very independent work so sometimes I have to push myself. Sometimes it takes some personal restriction, but there’s never a point that I want it to stop.”

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Ashley Brow

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fter visiting a bevy of doctors and specialists, senior communications disorders major Ashley Brow finally found out what was wrong with her vision. Brow’s father informed her of a rare genetic disorder that he had passed on to her called Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) Syndrome. Brow was in fifth grade at the time, and within the next three years, her world would slowly slip into darkness.

VHL is a genetic disorder that causes the formation of benign tumors throughout the body. In Brow’s case, the capillaries of her retinas became tangled due to the disease, which lead to her eventual blindness.

Brow, now age 22 and completely blind, swings her cane with a practiced, familiar rhythm as she walks through the Piano Row residence hall, using it as an extension of her arm and as a means of identifying the objects in danger of being in her way. There is no way of knowing what she’s gone through solely by looking at her; she isn’t a typical college student.

“I have a pretty unique experience because I used to be able to see just fine, which is why people usually think I can see them because just out of instinct I turn my head or I look down at my nails because that’s what I did for the first thirteen years of my life,” she says.

Brow was not optimistic about the prospect of becoming blind.

She found herself scared about what her life would become without her sight. She was alone at first, lacking any explanation that blind people could be happy and healthy too.

“I didn’t know any other blind people, so I didn’t actually think something could be okay. I just went with the stereotype that I am going to be like Helen Keller or something like that,” she says. “There were definitely tears, and there were definitely issues.”

Brow was able to accept her fate eventually, as she had three years before her sight was completely gone, but that experience has vastly altered how she interacts with her peers. “I think I am much more selective with my friends now because you know I don’t really—this might sound bad—have the time and patience to educate people,” she says.

Few people outside of her close friends understand what she is forced to deal with, hence Brow’s frustration with those who may or may not understand her condition. “People just really don’t understand sometimes. I think it’s difficult if you don’t necessarily look different. That is one thing I get a lot, that I don’t look blind,” Brow says.

Her roommate freshman year, senior communication disorders major Caitlin Simmons acknowledges a perceived fear of Ashley and the possibility of offending her or saying the wrong thing.

“I don’t think people know how to approach her. She is just like everyone else—you just need to let her know you’re there and then you can find out how cool she is,” Simmons says.

Brow says the hardest thing about going through day-to-day life

TEXT // DEVIN BROWN

is people not “understanding” and people being “afraid to say hi.”

Brow is a defiant example of the other end of strength and self-dependence, in her impressive creative feats. In spite of the tragedy she faced early in her life, Brow, armed with a BrailleNote (a device that allows typing without sight), authored and published her own fantasy novel, Royal Pain, at the age of 19.

As for the content of her 288-page novel: “It is a social commentary; a lot of the inner thoughts of the main character are my inner thoughts. There are a lot of things about superficiality in there. It has been described as a young adult realistic fantasy.

It’s insight into my own mind in a world that has magic, princesses, and witches,” Brow says.

But Ashley doesn’t consider herself an author. Her true passion is helping people by working in therapy centers. Ashley has plans to attend graduate school in the New England area in order to continue her training in speech language pathology.

“I have always wanted to do therapy-based work helping people,” she says. “I guess I just know how important it can be when you see the changes that people make, especially with language and speech disorders. Being able to communicate with people is such a huge part of our lives and we take it for granted.”

Her own experience in having a visual impairment and participating in the subsequent therapies lends itself to her ability to empathize and genuinely understand the value of the work that would be entailed. “It’s always just been in my head that I want to help people. I think that is just how my personality is.

I am really sensitive to how much of an improvement you can make, and how appreciative people would be of it,” she says.

Though hands-on therapy work is what she aspires to do, she isn’t always tender and loving. Brow has an impressively brazen mentality. “I don’t really care what other people think, because there are always going to be people who are ignorant or trying to cut you down to size, think you can’t do certain things. It could be easy to get aggravated, but I think it’s best to shrug it off and know you are right and others are wrong,” she says.

Her slow descent into blindness and the resulting challenges she has faced since have shaped Brow into a capable and interesting individual. What she has gone through in her life is incredible, but she doesn’t want anyone to think she’s the only one that could have survived the ordeal she faced.

“I get that all the time,” she says. “People are always saying to me ‘I could never do what you do.’ But you could if you had to.”

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Kate Lagreca TEXT // JEEYOON KIM

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yes fixated and ears attentively listening to the lecture, Print & Multimedia Journalism, Class of 2014, Kate Lagreca, struggles to ignore fatigue and stay focused. She hardly had a voice other than a raspy cough, but Lagreca refused to miss class even though she was struck with both bronchitis and pneumonia simultaneously last semester.

“I think I’m harder on myself than I should be, but I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. I don’t pay thousands of dollars to miss class,” she says.

“I’ve always had this certain work ethic in school where I did things for me... but now that there’s a price tag attached to it, it’s different... but that sense of being overwhelmed pushes me in the best way possible.”

-Kate Lagreca, Print & Multimedia Journalism, Class of 2014

Many Emerson professors interject jokes and comments in class about how students need to perform well with the intent of not wasting their parent’s money. Yet not all students can relate to that sentiment because some are supporting themselves through their four years at Emerson, Lagreca among them.

“I feel even more motivated and driven because I’m paying for it. So while I want to make my parents proud, it’s my money in the end and my debt in the end,” Lagreca says. “I’d rather come out on top and do well and be successful for my own sake and to say that I did it for me.”

One of her suitemates, freshman Writing, Literature and Publishing student Nina Corcoran has noticed that Lagreca always gets her work done early and puts in 100 percent. “[Kate] is the kind of student who believes that the only way you’re going to grow is to push yourself,” Corcoran says. “I admire that she doesn’t just do assignments because they were assigned, but instead to challenge herself and to really learn.”

Financial aid for Lagreca is a mixture of state grants, federal grants, Emerson grants, a work study award, and loans — all distributed on bases of need and merit. She feels incredibly fortunate to have received good aid from the college because she probably wouldn’t have been able to enroll otherwise. This is surprising because Emerson has been found on The Princeton Review’s list of colleges with poor financial aid numerous times.

Her sights were set on Emerson since freshman year of high school, but she knew finances would impact the college decision process for her.

“I knew this was the place for me so I was kind of banking on getting good financial aid,” Lagreca says Choosing Emerson meant turning down financially compelling offers from other universities, such as Drexel, which were much closer to home in Philadelphia. She knew that the journalism program at Drexel was new and felt that Emerson’s would suit her much better. However, turning them down was not what her parents wanted to hear.

“My mom was pretty upset because she knew I would be paying for myself. I think a mom’s worst nightmare is seeing their kid in debt at 50,” Lagreca says.

Her parents are regretfully unable to help her pay for college because of financial instability that grew from her parent’s divorce about six years ago. Her mom, Patti Lagreca, is now the sole custodial parent for both Lagreca and her older sister. She had to make a drastic change from being a stay-at-home mom to re-entering the workforce where the pay was low. Her dad tries to help out in small ways like helping pay for textbooks each semester.

“My girls had to adapt to a whole new lifestyle but in a way I think it benefited both of my kids,” says Patti Lagreca.“It was just the three of us, and I had to go back to work so they had to grow up faster and assume more responsibility.”

For now, Lagreca has an on-campus job in the fitness center. The money she earns is just enough for her living needs.

Lagreca doesn’t have problems finding time for friends, but when going out, she is conscious of her spending and tries not to waste money on food when Emerson’s meal plan is readily available.

Her mom adds that taking on financial responsibility for herself has definitely made Lagreca more aware of her spending and has further enhanced her independence.

“Kate doesn’t ask me for money. She is very self-sufficient and is careful [with her finances]. She doesn’t like to have her account go below a certain point,” Patti Lagreca says. “To this day she has not asked me for one cent.”

In supporting herself, Lagreca has found that she’s grown up rapidly since her arrival at Emerson. She has noticed with peers that independence can mean different things to each person. Some take the ability to stay out late without curfew to signify independence, while others adopt a new-found sense of responsibility in taking care of themselves.

“I’ve always had this certain work ethic in school where I did things for me and make myself proud, but now that there’s a price tag attached to it, it’s different. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by it, but that sense of being overwhelmed pushes me in the best way possible,” says Lagreca.

When Lagreca went home for the first time, her mom knew that Emerson was the right choice in the end. Upon Lagreca’s return, her mom and grandparents started commenting on how much she had matured in such a short amount of time.

“I’m very proud of her,” Patti Lagreca says. “I’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth in Kate already. She is so happy in Boston and there’s nothing more a parent could want than that.”

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Chris Largent TEXT // MELISSA PARK

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ne Sunday when Chris Largent was six years old, he wore a blue dress (with pink roses) to church and an elderly woman asked his mother why her son was wearing a dress. Largent wasn’t embarrassed, as he’d often been mistaken for the opposite sex before— at restaurants, waitresses would address him as “young man” and inevitably rush away to recompose themselves when they were quietly informed that the “young man” was a “young lady.” On Sunday mornings, Largent took cues from his parents, watching his father don a suit and his mother wear a dress, understanding that he was expected to wear a dress, even as he felt he was a boy stuck in a girl’s body.

Largent, a transgender male, first verbalized these feelings to his friends at the neighborhood playground. Their reaction was nonchalant, almost indifferent. “And they were just like, oh that’s cool.” His peers’ unspoken acceptance was Largent’s first step in validating his gender identity. He says, “When you’re a kid, there are no barriers or filters. We kind of go backwards: we know who we are when we’re born and get transformed by a bunch of ungodly things, and then we have to try and reconfigure who we are.”

Gender, especially, as Largent describes it, is the most fluid form of identity a person possesses, and the spectrum of gender identity could be seen as a color wheel, where even the slightest shift to the right or left or up or down can change a color to an entirely different shade. “If I wasn’t comfortable performing as the male that I identify as, I’d be wearing dresses. No matter what your gender identity is, you perform differently on each level.”

Largent says he was lucky enough to come to a school where students and staff are so openly welcoming and accepting of his change. The sophomore design technology major says Emerson is really where he began to “reinvent myself and begin to figure out who I am again.”

The first few weeks of freshman year are unsettling for any new student, but Largent encountered a very different set of obstacles regarding his transformation. Prior to his arrival at Emerson, Largent decided to legally change his birth name, Christina Largent, to Chris Largent. Although the paperwork had been filed and approved, the school had already enlisted him as Christina Largent on their roster. While other students cringed easily at a mispronunciation of their names during roll call, Largent faced his with a joke. “I told them my name wasn’t Christina Largent, it was Chris Largent, and if some people looked at me odd, I told them my parents were hippies.”

Largent’s parents are church organists, and both are accepting of his new gender identity. His father, Greg Largent, says, “I’m incredibly proud that he knows who he is. A lot of people try to repress it or hide it, but he’s taken steps to feel most like himself, and that shows strength and courage.”

Two months into his time at Emerson, Largent began his testosterone therapy following a physical examination.

Traditionally, patients are required to have six months of

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therapy and are asked to live as the gender they associate themselves as, in order to work through emotional boundaries; in Largent’s case, he had already begun living in his new gender and had such strong support from his family that he was allowed to skip the majority of the therapy. “As humans, we’re visual, we’re audible, and if you look in the mirror and it’s just not right, you want to bring together what your brain says with what your body shows.” After the required time of therapy, the testosterone injections began. Largent injects a two-inch needle into his leg ten times during a two-week period to ensure the balance of testosterone in his body. Too much testosterone and Largent’s estrogen fights to overpower the foreign steroid, essentially reverting Largent’s transformation. Too little testosterone and his body hormone count drops to average levels of both estrogen and testosterone Largent feels not only a physical, but also an emotional difference from when he first learned of what it meant to be transgender. “In four years, I’ve gone from being a dyke lesbian to who I am now, on testosterone and in a very healthy relationship. I’m recognized as a guy no matter where I go, I can use the guy’s bathroom no matter what—I don’t get questioned.”

The first winter of his freshman year at Emerson was the first time Largent says his transformation was accused of being immoral and wrong. The wife of his theater mentor is a deeply religious and conservative woman, who deemed Largent’s new gender identity a sin. “I asked her where in the Bible did God say the word ‘transgender.’ Frankly, I’d like to see that.” Her refusal to call him by male pronouns stemmed from her belief that Largent had gone against God’s plan. “I told her it might be God’s plan to put my male form into this female body to show that it’s not your flesh that makes you who you are.” Largent adds, “I figured I was done. My mentor didn’t stand up for me that I know of.”

As a newly inducted brother of Emerson’s Phi Alpha Tau fraternity, Largent feels accepted and warmly received by his fellow brothers. Initially, only a few of the brothers knew of his gender identity change. “It’s always good for me to be Chris before I’m the transgender. I wanted to put the emphasis on myself, not on what I was.” His lack of close male friends in the past often made him feel nervous interacting in his new environment, including walking into a men’s bathroom.

Now, Largent has seven new brothers, and a renewed sense of brotherhood. “I have this great group of guys now, just connecting with them to have guy talk and be frustrated about the same things and be upset and angry and flustered together.”

Nash Hightower, a fellow Phi Alpha Tau brother, says, “Chris is the definition of a brother, someone who cares about you no matter what happens. He’s genuine.”

Largent is still in a continuous process of transition. “It’s a never-ending story because my transformation is going to be this long, sprawling thing that happens throughout my life. I don’t know where it’ll end, so I won’t say that it’s come to an end yet.”

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Landry Allbright

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hile many child actors seem to fall apart as they get older, Landry Allbright, an Emerson junior, has never felt better. Though she had begun to make a name for herself in Hollywood at a young age, Allbright chose to put her career as an actress on hold to attend college, stepping out of the spotlight and into Beantown.

Allbright’s previous work experience includes roles playing Nicholas Cage’s daughter in the movie Con Air, the Grinch’s childhood love interest in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and recurring roles on numerous television shows such as The Bold and the Beautiful, Will and Grace, and Malcolm in the Middle. She began her acting career at the age of two when she starred in her first television commercial for Cabbage Patch dolls, but she admits that none of this was her idea originally. “My sister was the one who wanted to act first,” Allbright says.

“My mother brought me with her when she interviewed with an agent, and they ended up signing both of us.” While older sister Taylor found success doing a lot of voiceover work, Allbright made her way to both the small and big screens.

Allbright could not be further from the “child star” stereotype. The downto-earth, blonde haired, blue-eyed BFA acting major is not interested in the celebrity status, and is focused instead on a successful acting career. “I realize that fame is definitely an aspect and a perk of acting,” Allbright says, “but I disassociate it with the career. It is clearly possible to become famous other ways— like being on reality TV— but the fame itself is not what motivates me. My ultimate goal is to be successful, not just famous.”

She admits that while growing up, she didn’t feel any different than other kids her age or think the things she was doing were anything special. “I didn’t realize that it was unique or awesome at the time,” Allbright says. “I just thought that everyone had hobbies and this happened to be mine, but now I really appreciate it.”

Her momentum as an actress peaked between the ages of five and 12, but once high school and puberty hit, she confesses that she lost her “cute kid” appeal, and things began to change. Everyone involved in her career began to focus

more on her looks than her talent— a common problem for child actors. “Once I started to become a young woman,” Allbright says, “I was being sent out on more sexually driven roles and I found that I had a really negative reaction to all the pressure. The fun that had motivated my childhood career was crumbling away, and my heart just kind of fell out of it.” She stopped acting and instead concentrated on school and looking at colleges.

This was a relief to her mother (and manager) Donna Allbright who believes that education is the most valuable thing for her daughter. “My greatest fear was that she would love the feeling of working in the ‘business’ so much, that when she got older and would be faced with how hard it really is, she would spend much of her adult life desperately seeking any possible projects,” Donna says. “I have always felt that children who made that kind of money and were not well educated were dangerously unprepared for making healthy life choices.”

The Los Angeles native applied to USC and UCLA, but fell in love with Emerson after visiting the campus, and she knows now that she definitely made the right decision. “I could have never guessed what this college had in store for me,” Allbright says. “I have learned so much about myself both as a person and as an actor. The classes, teachers, and especially the other 15 people in my BFA acting class have forever changed me and have given me the knowledge and ability to hone my craft as an actor.”

Allbright has been in a number of Emerson theater productions, most recently including Kappa Gamma Chi presents The Vagina Monologues and Emerson Stage presents Chops. She has also acted in a number of Emerson student films, but because she belongs to the Screen Actor’s Guild union and needs to get approval from them in order to do it, which can often be “tedious,” she doesn’t audition often.

While she may have had some success with acting in the past, Allbright knows that there is no way she can rely solely on that when it comes to her future. “I greatly value my past experience in the industry,” Allbright says. “I think it will

TEXT // CAITLIN BUELLER help me get my foot in the door and show how serious I am about what I have dedicated my entire life to. Sometimes I do wonder if [taking time off from acting] will hinder me, but I know it was the best choice for me even if it wasn’t the best choice for my career.”

Donna Allbright believes that stepping out of the spotlight while making the transition from child to adult actor will only benefit her daughter. “I think Landry will be a better actor because of the maturity and life perspective that Emerson has and will provide,” she says.

Though she may not seem like your average college student (how many Emersonians do you know that have their own IMDB and Wikipedia page?), you would never know by talking to Allbright that she is anything but normal. “Landry is the type of person you can know for five minutes and feel like you’ve known her your whole life,” says Allbright’s roommate and best friend, Sonya Glaessner, junior writing, literature, and publishing major. “What makes her such an amazing person (and actress) is the fact that she can relate to so many people on such a personal level.”

Allbright says she would never even come close to flaunting her success, and has even responded to the phrase “You look so familiar” with a shrug of her shoulders to avoid bringing it up. “My biggest fear is sounding big-headed or conceited,” Allbright says. “I don’t value people who are like that. This is not who I am; it’s just something I’ve done, and it’s not something I’ve let define me.”

Her plans after graduation include moving back home to L.A., finding an agent, and starting to audition for roles.

“My goal is to be a film actor,” Allbright says, “but I know I’m not going to land a huge role right away. I plan to start small and try to build up momentum again. I know it will be worth it, though. This is definitely my calling.”

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Until all are free A profile of animal rights activist,

Bakara Wintner TEXT // RHEANNA BELLOMO — PHOTO // BAKARA WINTNER

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akara Wintner had never been to stockyard before. Walking alongside a line of crates and pens packed with goats, pigs, chickens, and other farm animals— all shaking in fear— she started to tear up.

Then she saw them: the male calves, piled on top of one another in the dark, crying.

Leaning down to soothe their distress, she pushed her index finger through a gap in the pen. The babies pushed and trampled one another to get to her finger.

They hadn’t had their mothers’ milk in a while and were looking for nourishment and comfort.

“Right then, it was over for me. I started crying hysterically,” she says. “The hardest part was seeing the other people around me feeling nothing and looking at me like I was the wrong one for feeling something, like I was just a bleeding heart.”

Wintner attended an animal auction at this stockyard in Ohio as part of her summer internship with Farm Sanctuary, an organization in Watkins Glen, N.Y. that fights against factory farms and in favor of the humane treatment of animals.

At the sanctuary, Wintner worked as an education and advocacy intern, spreading awareness about animal cruelty and abuse across America.

Male calves serve no purpose in the dairy industry and are mostly used for veal. The calves she had tried to comfort were off to the slaughterhouse of the highest bidder.

“Most people couldn’t stomach eating meat after seeing that, but instead they keep themselves as far away from the idea of cruelty as possible,” she says.

“No one wants to cause suffering or environmental destruction, but they do because they refuse to associate meat with a specific animal— it’s just an anonymous generalization without a face.”

When she was seven, Wintner wanted to become vegetarian but didn’t understand how she could go about it. At 13, she decided to act. After watching a movie about slaughter in school, she knew she

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was doing the right thing for herself.

Her father, George Wintner, knew this would prove difficult for her being in a meat-eating family, but he never doubted her commitment and drive. “They are very high ideals and values to maintain, but I knew she would do it,” he says.

Six months ago George Wintner stopped eating meat. “I all of a sudden lost the desire to eat meat. It just doesn’t appeal to me,” he says. “She caused me to think about what I was eating and where things come from.”

Two years ago Wintner switched to a vegan lifestyle in further support of animal rights after reading about animal mistreatment and environmental issues at dairy farms.

“It made me think, ‘Wow, this is just as horrible. Here I am thinking that I’m making a difference,’” she says, pointing out that animals at industrial farms are forced to live in their own feces and are given cheap feed not meant for their digestive systems. “At that point, I didn’t have any more excuses. Anything past that would have just been apathy.”

According to Mercy For Animals, a national non-profit animal advocacy organization founded in 1999, one vegetarian saves 50 animals per year and one vegan saves 80.

Calla Wright, the campaigns coordinator at Farm Sanctuary who worked with Wintner, says she is very dedicated and hard-working when it comes to these issues. “Bakara is motivated by her own undying passions and beliefs. She will never fail to get done what needs to be done,” she says. “For example, she was scheduled to go to Ohio for five days, and stayed three weeks because the job she had gone to work on wasn't finished yet. That is definitely her defining strength.”

On her first day at the sanctuary, Wintner took a tour of the farms to meet the animals. She played with a few piglets and goat kids, pet the cows and met the chickens. But no other animal connected with her like Marino.

Marino, a turkey, was once abused; half

of his face was paralyzed and scarred.

The other half, however, showcased his beautiful feathers: black at first glance and bright cyan blue when touched by the sunlight; his bold red crown and waddle striking.

“I would hold him under his wings, to support him, and he would close his eyes and fall asleep on me,” she says. “Turkeys are genetically modified to carry more weight than their bodies physically can— whenever I could, I would try to relieve that for him and just be there.”

Wintner visited Maurice often during her time at Farm Sanctuary and in August, at the end of her internship, she wanted a tattoo to remember him by. “He was really special to me,” she says.

Sitting on her upper left arm, almost at the shoulder, the tattoo flows across her skin. A single feather, spanning the width of her arm, curves upward and then back down, almost floating over the script that reads, “Until all are free.”

The phrase, often used by animal liberation groups, strongly resonated with Wintner, who appreciates their work and commends any efforts made to stop animal exploitation and abuse.

“The people and the animals I’ve met— we can’t stop fighting until all are free.

Life is life, no matter who or what it is,” she says. “This is my ode to animal liberation and non-violence.”

Wintner has always been passionate about caring for animals and defending their rights, but never thought it would be more than a supplement to her future writing career. It wasn’t until she met feminist and animal rights activist Professor Michelle Graham that Wintner began to pursue animal advocacy as a career.

“She was the one who made me believe that this could be life’s work,” she says.

“She is my hero.”

Wintner’s father, George Wintner, fully supports her decision and is eager to see where it takes her. “Bakara is extremely passionate about her causes,” he says. “The ability to take that kind of

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passion and turn it into a career is quite an undertaking and I give her a lot of encouragement. She is on the right path, and I’m hoping she succeeds.”

Wintner played a key role in the cagefree egg campaign at Emerson. Working closely with the Humane League of Boston, which partnered with Emerson on the issue, she collected signatures from students and wrote to faculty donors.

“Emerson, as progressive as we are, violently fought us against this. We had to hit them where it hurt: in the pocket,” she says. “But that’s the sad part— that property and money are more valuable than life and the environment.”

Wintner was very happy with the support from the Emerson students. “It was overwhelming,” she says. “But it would be better if they were willing to do more than just sign their name.”

Her advice? Become vegan. She admits that this may be a bit drastic for a meateater, but completely debunked the myths that most believe to be pitfalls of the vegan lifestyle.

“It’s not more expensive and it’s definitely not any harder or unhealthier,” she says. “And if you understand the consequences— both environmentally and ethically-- of those industries, it’s easy to stay with it.”

Wintner believes the major factor behind the lack of support in veganism is fear.

“A lot of people are scared of this lifestyle because they perceive it to be an all-ornothing endeavor, as if you can never eat anything.” The truth is, she says, any decrease in animal product consumption is a big deal.

She suggests making a once a week switch from meat to vegetables or pasta and cutting back slightly on dairy intake.

For example, keep eating eggs but switch to soy milk. “There is no vegan police that is going to say, ‘You’re not doing this right. You’re busted,’” she says.

The other issue, Wintner says, is that most people are apathetic or just lazy.

“Most people don’t support factory farms, but their unwillingness to make any kind of sacrifice— in appetite, or for shoes, or a

purse— does just that,” she says.

Wintner realizes that the fight for animal rights may not see its end for years to come; this does not diminish her spirit, but instead intensifies it.

“It’s not going to be an easy fight, and it’s not one I’m going to live to see the end of.

But I can’t not do it,” she says. “I can’t get a job at a fashion magazine and pretend I’m doing enough.”

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JACKIE LIEBERGOTT THE MAKING OF A LECGACY

TEXT // joanna arpie PHOTO // RICHARD HOWARD

Her Vision: a “Campus on the Common”

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ifteen years ago, Emerson consisted of a series of brownstones strewn along Beacon Street. In total, the campus was less than half the size of what it is today, with facilities both faculty and staff say were inadequate. Under the careful watch of President Liebergott the college has transformed into a landmark within the Theater District of Boston.

With a series of smart real estate decisions, the college was able to buy up old office buildings within the Theater District, which at the time was not nearly the thriving neighborhood it is today. Hoping the area would turn around, Liebergott oversaw the purchase of seven buildings. What began with the renovation of an old post office in 1993, eventually to become the Little Building, led to the openings of 216 Tremont Street, Walker Building, Tufte Performance and Production Center, Piano Row, Colonial Building and the Paramount—nearly 600,000 square-feet of space.

The decision to stay in Boston rather than relocate to Lawrence, a plan proposed in the late ‘80s, and her commitment to expanding the campus beyond Beacon Street and into the heart of Downtown Boston, will forever be attributed to Jacqueline Liebergott. Dean Ludman referred to her vision and stewardship in relocating the college’s campus as her most significant achievement while at Emerson.

The move not only changed the college forever, but the surrounding neighborhood. Since the relocation, luxury hotels and

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condominiums including the Ritz Carlton, a movie theater and other businesses have sprung up making the area much more desirable. The Mayor himself joined forces with the college to help breathe life back into Downtown Crossing through the construction of the Paramount Theater.

Her vision of an urban college where students could learn and grow, transformed into the Emerson College we all know and love today. And as the college expands in Boston and beyond, so does that vision.

Her Fight: challenging the union

In the fall of 2003, President Liebergott announced her plan to dissolve the college’s faculty union. What emerged was a three-year union battle, with the President and Board of Trustees on one side and disgruntled faculty members on the other. She wanted the union to disband or give up its oversight on decisions including hiring and tenure.

The tension was visible at Commencement that spring when a group of professors chose not to rise when called upon. Both the Globe and the Herald reported about a dozen students stood up and turned their back to the president as she spoke.

The struggle over contracts climaxed in May 2005 when an

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overwhelming margin (76 in favor, 10 opposed, 4 abstained) of the faculty union called on her to resign, stating no confidence in her or the Board of Trustees. Despite all this, she refused to go.

A tough negotiator, she continued to challenge the union on its demands, never wavering from her stance that the decision was in the best interest of the college. Local newspapers covered the ongoing situation heavily, especially as things grew more heated, causing some teachers to leave the college.

In the fall of 2006, an agreement was finally made. A new handbook was created and agreed upon by both sides, and with some added changes, the union was maintained and still is today.

Throughout the three-year struggle faculty members, the press and even students criticized Liebergott. More than anything, the union war showed her tenacity and courage to stand up to a group who voted her out and say, I’m not going. Some may not agree with her choices but you have to admit, her commitment to what she believes in is something that carries through her entire presidency, and something she will always be remembered for.

with the Community University of China, adding a fourth country to Emerson’s study abroad programs. Emerson plans to host CUC students next spring, and two Emerson students are set to attend school in Beijing in the fall.

These are programs that will live on after her retirement. As will the campus, and all the work she has put in to help Emerson grow and thrive. Her colleagues describe her as determined, energetic, and her work ethic second to none. Students say she’s involved, friendly, and clearly loves Emerson College. That is Jacqueline Liebergott’s legacy.

Her Awakening: addressing racial issues at Emerson

Last year when the Beacon reported the college’s decision to deny tenure to Roger House and Pierre Desir, two African American professors, the college faced an uproar of criticism, and people looked to Liebergott for how the college would respond to the controversy.

In addition to commissioning a panel review of the college’s hiring practices which resulted in a detailed report which concluded, “There are to be found at Emerson unexamined and powerful assumptions and biases about the superiority, preferability, and normativeness of European-American culture, intellectual pursuits, academic discourse, leadership, and so on.”

Faced with this reality, the college was left to do some serious soul searching, and Liebergott did not shy away from the problem.

Her response was rather to set up a series of meetings with faculty, students and staff to discuss the report. The college implemented a Diversity Strategic Plan and involved students of all ethnicities to take part in Campus Conversations on Race.

The president is not unrealistic about the state of this issue, often emphasizing that the college needs to do more in attaining diversity. While there has been no swift change in numbers here at Emerson, eyes have been opened to a problem that has gone on for a long time, and under Liebergott’s leadership the administration has begun to address it.

Her Legacy: expansion to LA and beyond While she may not be around to see these projects through, President Liebergott will leave Emerson with several new and exciting ventures in the works. In 2008 the college purchased property in Los Angeles on Sunset Boulevard for a new permanent center.

The new building will take students out of Burbank and give them the opportunity to actually live and work in Hollywood. The Hollywood center will also double enrollment for the LA Program, providing more Emerson students the opportunity to try their luck in the epicenter of the entertainment world.

Liebergott also worked to bring new abroad programming to Emerson. Last year she established s student exchange program em magazine — SPRING 2011

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Social Media Gets You the Job TEXT // CHLOE DEAS

Ciccione, Print and Media Journalism, class of 2010 found the job she was looking for all summer through a Facebook status: “Is anybody in New York looking for a job in PR?” The website that was once simply a drama-filled site of social interactions is now also a hub for kicking off your career.

Emerson was recently mentioned on the blog BostInnovation as the school that came in second among Boston schools for having the most Klout. Klout originated in 2007 when Joe Fernandez, CEO and Co-founder of Klout, was recovering from jaw surgery and spent immense amounts of time on social networks. He developed and obsession with social web influences, which led to Klout. Klout is a way of measuring the impact of social media— quickly broken down, it determines the true reach, amplification probability, and network influence of each school, (or company/person tweeting).

Some readers may have been surprised to see such a small school taking second place just after Harvard, but the truth is, the Emerson community has been in the social media world from the beginning. “Students in my classes were on it with Facebook immediately when there were maybe a thousand or so users.” says Randy Harrison, marketing professor at Emerson.

Ciccione found the job she was looking for all summer through a Facebook status: ‘Is anybody in New York looking for a job in PR?’ Ciccione demonstrates her Emersonian roots of social media education by being the perfect example of how connections made through online networking can be crucial to finding that first job. “[Social networks] seem like something you can post pictures on about how cool your party was, but you can also definitely use them for business.”

The status that led her to her career was from a student she had a gender and performance studies class with at Emerson. Ciccione quickly responded to the update about a public relations opportunity in New York and was given the information she needed to apply to North 6 Agency, where she is currently working as an account executive.

With Facebook and other social networking sites becoming a place to promote ourselves in the business world,

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concerns are being raised about our personal lives needing to be kept off the networks.

“I Google myself all the time, just to make sure nothing weird is popping up,” Ciccione says about checking out what your online presence looks like to other people. Ciccione’s awareness of this is for a good reason. Harrison says that “every company today checks out candidates on social media and its up to you to manage your ‘brand’ presence at all times. Strange postings show employers poor judgement on your part.”

Harrison specifically finds LinkedIn to be one of the more useful online tools in network building and defining your “brand”. “You may only have six connections to get started, but as you go into the business world you’re going to be expanding your networks, and your connections will be expanding their networks,” Harrison says about LinkedIn. Some will tell you, it’s okay to just copy and paste that resume that you spent so much time perfecting right into LinkedIn. According to Harrison, this is not the way to go.

“It wastes the power of LinkedIn, which lets you integrate presentations, case studies, and links to your web site and create a personal, in-depth profile.”

Delia Cabe, a publishing professor at Emerson College is fond of the brevity of Twitter. She, like Harrison, also sees great importance in strengthening your presence on social media. In each tweet “you want twenty percent of your personality to show through, twenty percent expertise [self promotion], and the rest [sixty percent] should be spent engaging in the community and starting conversations.”

Tweeting your way to success seems a little unorthodox, but Ciccione’s success story shows us just how possible that is. As Professor Cabe will tell you, “don’t be shy.” Get out there and make some noise in the social networking world.

how do you think social media will help launch your career?

POWER Q&A

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tatus updates, tweets, posts, comments, feed. These common terms in today’s culture would have had entirely different meaning even ten years ago. The social network world which helped to create the new meanings for these terms was the answer to Emerson Alumna Terri Ciccione’s lack of employment.

“I think if you market yourself well it makes it easier to make connections with people online and through those connections you can get jobs.”

-Alicia Haxhi, Writing, Literature, & Publishing, 2011 “Obviously Facebook is good on the personal level, which I do think is key in the film business (you want to work with people that are professional of course, but it’s a major bonus if you have a likable crew), but with linkedin, and vimeo, you can stay up to date on what sort of projects your contacts are working on.”

-Rachel Thompson, Film Production, 2011

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BEHIND THE SCENES OF

EMERSON UNSTITCHED PHOTO // MOLLY ADAMS

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Summer fun in in Boston TEXT // GRACE GIBSON & CARLY LOMAN PHOTO // BOSTON DISCOVERY GUIDE

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any Emerson students spend their summers far from the Boston Common and bright purple and yellow Emerson banners. Instead, some spend their summers lounging on the beaches of Aruba; tanning their New England shaded skin while reading Vogue and sipping on cocktails.

Others opt to ski their summer away; finding refuge on the cold white-iced mountains of northern Europe where days are spent in hot tubs and beside gorgeous ski instructors. Or, more likely, in rural Connecticut. In which case, we understand why you might want to stay in Boston.

If you’re one of the many Emersonians staying Suffolk-side, be sure to take advantage of all that’s going on in Beantown when the weather is above kill-me-cold.

4th of July Fireworks When: July 4th

This annual Boston event begins at 10 p.m. on the Fourth. Fireworks light up the sky over the Charles River, but can be seen all over the city. The annual Boston Pops Fourth of July concert is scheduled for the first and second of the month.

EarthFest Boston When: May 2st

This annual event, held at the Hatch Shell, is Boston’s largest free radio concert. The event features live music performances, environmental exhibits, and healthy food compliments of Whole Foods Market and other vendors sponsoring the event.

SoWa’s Open Market When: Opens May 16th

This market, located in the heart of Boston’s South End, offers something for everyone. Vendors set up booths with everything from handmade jewelry to fresh produce to antiques.

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Free Friday Flix

When: June 18-August 27 WBZ is sponsoring this free outdoor event at the Esplanade. Classic films, such as The Wizard of Oz, will be set up on an outdoor screen for a drive-in inspired experience.

Arts on the Arcade When: July 7-August 25

This outdoor market offers quality handmade goods paired with live music. Every day from noon to two, local performers provide original music. The market takes place on Wednesdays at City Hall Plaza-Community Arcade.

Fantasy Day at Fenway When: August 29th

Red Sox fans can spend the day touring Fenway and meeting the players. All donations for this event go to the Jimmy Fund.

Boston Restaurant Week When: August 9-14, Augus 16-21

For only $20.09, you can get a three-course lunch at select Boston restaurants. This price includes beverage, tax, and gratituity.

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It Gets Better at Emerson TEXT // MATT GROSSBART PHOTO // MOLLY ADAMS

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hat do Emerson students have in common with Ke$ha, Tim Gunn, and Hilary Clinton? They’ve all submitted videos to the It Gets Better Project.

The It Gets Better Project was founded by blogger Dan Savage last fall in response to the rash of LGBT teen suicides. The aim of It Gets Better is for people who have survived bullying, often due to their sexuality, to reach out to teens, particularly those of the LGBT community, who may feel helpless and alone and offer a message of support and solidarity. This outreach is done via short videos that aim to tell bullied teens that it really does get better. The people in the videos have gone through the same struggles that teens may be facing right now and they’ve come out as better, stronger people.

As It Gets Better grew in popularity, Emerson students started to take notice. Tau Zaman, a Political Communication major, Class of 2013, began to think about how Emerson could get involved. He came up with the idea of a school-wide video. While other colleges had videos featuring entire organizations, clubs, and departments, a video featuring a wide range of students from all across a college campus had not been done before. Zaman and Molly Adams, a Visual and Media Arts major, Class of 2013, who filmed the student submissions, wanted the video to be edited to contain a mix of both serious and comic elements, and put together in such a way as to tell a fluid narrative. Zaman pitched the idea to the Student Government Association (SGA) Senate in January, and thanks to an enthusiastic response, the video was soon underway.

Zaman hopes that, in addition to being the first school-wide It Gets Better video, Emerson’s submission will break new ground on several fronts. He hopes that the video will broaden the issue beyond LGBT-related bullying so that it becomes accessible to a wider range of people. He recruited students from international backgrounds, in order to de-

liver the phrase “It gets better” in a variety of languages, thus reaching out to cultures that were not previously targeted by the videos.

In addition to the diversity they’ve sought out, the makers of Emerson’s video have been surprised by the variety of people who have shown up on their own. In an interesting change of pace for Emerson, many of the participants in the video were straight males relating stories of high school bullying, thus broadening the message in the way that Zaman had hoped for. Reflecting on the filming, Adams said, “A bunch of people came that I would never have talked to otherwise. I think people will see a whole new side of Emerson.”

Students featured in the video could base their contribution on their comfort level, and were free to either choose to relate their own stories about dealing with bullying, or offer a simple message of support by saying their name, major, and, of course, “It gets better.” In typical Emerson fashion, participants have told their stories in a vari-

“The aim of It Gets Better is for people who have survived bullying, often due to their sexuality, to reach out to teens” ety of different ways. For his contribution, Pat Lambert, a Political Communication major, Class of 2012, chose, among other things, to sing.

Explaining his unique approach, Lambert said that, for all of the help they provide, “a lot of the time It Gets Better videos can kind of be downers. I wanted to show what makes me happy and what’s exciting about being part of this community.”

Lambert went on to say, “Emerson really is the perfect platform for this message.”

Lambert’s statement was echoed by SGA President Cami Bravo, a Marketing major, Class of 2012, who hopes the video will “show Emerson for what it is – a supportive community where you can grow into what you want to be.”

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night OUT!

TEXT // SANTIAGO NOCERA & ERIN DOOLIN PHOTO // DANNI SCULLY & LAUREN KROLL

Where to Go

After You’ve Had Your Night Out: The Friendly Toast This kitschy restaurant has been named “Best Breakfast in Boston” by Boston Magazine and “One of the Best Breakfasts in America” by Esquire, and is the perfect place to start your morning—or afternoon—after a long night out. Portions are large and the food is fresh (make sure not to pass on the handmade whipped cream—you’ll never go back to the canned stuff), but the real standout at The Friendly Toast is the décor. Vintage signs, old toys, loud wallpaper, and even mannequins make this restaurant a fun choice for your morning-after brunch. Find more, including the full menu, at http://www.thefriendlytoast.net/.

Bliss Spa This luxe spa, located in the W Boston, is the best way to get some much needed relaxation after a night out of running around Boston. The spa is open seven days a week, from nine to nine and offers a full menu of spa care. Consider The Triple Oxygen Treatment, a skin-care facial that Bliss has become famous for, to rejuvenate your skin. The treatment lasts 75 minutes and costs $160. For something more affordable, consider the Lighten-up Seaweed Task Mask for just $25. Spend the rest of the day relaxing in one of the gender specific steam rooms. Be sure to not forget your Student ID—Bliss offers 15% off for students. You can find a list of all its services at www.blissworld.com

Trident Booksellers and Cafe Take a walk down Newbury Street and end with brunch at this quaint café. After a busy night with friends, take a moment by yourself to breathe and recoup. Trident is both a café and bookstore, so pick up a magazine, slide into a booth, and enjoy one of its tasty meals and a bit of peace and quiet. It’s known for its sweet potato pancakes and lemon ricotta French toast, so forget about calories and enjoy this moment by yourself after an intense night. For more information visit http://www.tridentbookscafe.com.

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Where to Go If You’re

Newly Single and Ready to Mingle

Kickass Cupcakes Just want to eat your feelings away? Then you should probably head down to Kickass Cupcakes out in Davis Square for some gourmet cupcake action. With flavors such as Mojito and Caramel Macchiato, you should be able to drown your sorrows pretty quickly and easily.

They even have deep fried cupcakes. Who knew breaking up could taste so amazing? For more information on location and flavors, visit the website at www.kickasscupcakes.com

Newbury Day Spa You deserve to look good and feel pretty after a breakup. Isn’t it time to finally splurge a bit and treat yourself to time in the spa? Take a short walk down Newbury to the Newbury Day Spa, where you can get a half hour massage for 50 bucks and a basic manicure for $17. Or hey, you could treat yourself like a princess and go for a French manicure for $19. Why not? You’re worth it. For more information on prices, check out newburydayspa.com.

Where to Go For

Something New Christina’s Homemade Ice Cream We’ve all had JP Licks and Ben and Jerry’s. But for those looking for a new ice cream parlor to try, then check out Christina’s Homemade Ice Cream in Cambridge’s Inman Square. With over 50 flavors of every variety – from cookie dough to ginger – there’s a treat for everyone. Not into ice cream?

Christina’s also has several sorbet flavors to choose from. Just a quick walk from the Central T station, Christina’s is the perfect outing at any time – it’s open 7 days a week until 10:30 pm. For a full list of the unique flavors Christina’s has to offer, go to http://christinasicecream.com.

Skyzone Indoor Trampoline Park How often do you get to jump around on a trampoline in Boston? For a place that’s truly unique and lots of fun, venture out to the SkyZone Indoor Trampoline Park just outside the city. It takes some time to get there, but is completely worth the trip. Unleash all your energy jumping around like you did in your backyard trampoline – jumps can last from 30 minutes up to 2 hours. Looking for more than just random jumping? Check out the cross training workout available there. For info, schedules and prices, hop over to http://boston.skyzonesports.com/home.aspx

King’s Back Bay Bowling If trampolines aren’t your thing, then maybe bowling is. The Back Bay bowling alley King’s is a great place to go for something new and exciting. An enormous entertainment facility, King’s has 16 bowling lanes and a full size restaurant to enjoy. Get a group together and enjoy the fun, colorful facility full of neon lights while brushing up on your bowling skills! The restaurant offers delicious pizzas, burgers and more – all in great throwback retro style.

Whether you hit strikes or gutter balls, King’s is the place to be for a fun atmosphere, excellent food and a good time. For hours and other details go to http://kingsbackbay.com/#1. em magazine — SPRING 2011

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AFeast

of

Strength

TEXT // STEFANI ROBINSON — PHOTO // MOLLY WOLFBERG

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magine if, for recreation, you willingly decided to gorge yourself with copious amounts of spicy, fattening, arteryclogging foods until your body literally can’t take any more. This is exactly what food competitions are all about.

Competitive eating, whether done by amateurs or professionals, challenges the basic physics of what the body and stomach can handle. For the ultimate food lover, Boston offers plenty of challenges ranging from the peculiar to the ridiculously oversized. Sam Glassberg, a Visual and Media Arts major, class of 2014, and serious foodie, has been doing this kind of thing for years.

“I’ve always loved food,” says Glassberg. “I’ve eaten my fair share of bizarre things. I’ve eaten pig’s ears in Kansas City, Missouri. I’ve eaten whale in Tokyo, Japan. I’ve eaten blowfish as well, which is something that could kill me.”

Aside from his taste in uncommon delicacies, Glassberg has participated in small food bets, as well as full-on food competitions. It was Adam Richman, the ultimate food fanatic from Man v. Food, who inspired his love of food competitions.

“I realized I could not only eat for pleasure, but I could eat competitively. I could eat for sport, as a feat of strength…to show that I had some bizarre talent.”

Eating obscenely large meals is not really what you would call a normal past-time for the average person, but after being vegetarian for five years, Glassberg says he’ll take a five-pound burger any day. Upon moving to Boston, he discovered the Eagle’s Deli Challenge. Eagle’s Deli (1918 Beacon St., Brighton), a Boston College landmark located in the heart of Cleveland Circle, is well known for its wide variety of burger challenges.

The deli’s legendary Eagle’s Challenge burger was featured on Man v. Food, and was even too much for Richman to handle.

Eagle’s offers other challenges that vary in price, as well as the prizes for completion.

Glassberg dropped $55 to take on the Eagle’s Challenger Burger. His challenge: to eat a burger consisting of ten halfpound beef patties, piled with a pound of cheese, 20 pieces of

bacon and a side of fries weighing in at a whopping five pounds. Although he didn’t complete the challenge, Glassberg says he thinks he could have. “I wasn’t too full yet, but my body said, ‘No! You cannot do this.’ My body was literally rejecting the meat.”

Despite the loss, Glassberg still remains confident that one day he will one day beat the Eagle’s Challenge. “I’d really, really love to compete again,” he said. “I don’t see myself stopping.”

Boston Food Challenges Want in on the action? Boston has plenty of eating competitions ranging from extreme burgers to gluttonous sundaes.

norm burger

beckett burger

emack attack

Challenge: Take a big juicy burger, top it with Muenster cheese, mushrooms, onion rings, lettuce and tomatoes and then for fun add another one on top of it.

Prize: Winners are inducted into the Norm Burger Hall of Fame and added to the list on the restaurant’s website for all to see.

Challenge: This 1 pound, 9 ounce burger was created last year to honor Red Sox player #19, Josh Beckett.

Prize: Finish the burger and you’ll get a shirt that lets everyone know you beat the challenge. (Losers take home one that says the burger beat you.) With this challenge you can feel good while stuffing your face because a portion of the proceeds go to the Josh Beckett Foundation.

Challenge: Try your luck with this 28-scoop sundae that comes in at about 15 pounds with all the toppings.

Prize: Knowing you completed the challenge and all the bragging rights that go along with it.

Cheers, 84 Beacon Street

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McGreevy’s

Emack & Bolio’s, 8 Park Plaza

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Beer for

Beginners TEXT // LAUREN LANDRY PHOTO // REGINA MOGILEVSKAYA

On Friday night you’re pounding PBR. Come Saturday you’re tapping kegs of Keystone. Sunday Funday brings on the Busch, which leads somewhere into the Milwaukee’s Best you’ll still be feeling on Monday.

At least, as a stereotypical college student, this is what you’re expected to be doing. But, beer has been breaking boundaries and crushing convention as of late. No longer is it reserved for fraternity parties and baseball games. Although cheaper ales hold their rightful place in our collegiate budgets, there are beers out there more palatable than Natty Light. If you’re a beginner to brewski, here are some watering holes with an extensive selection of beers on draft you should try out, along with recommendations straight from the servers themselves.

The Public House 1648 Beacon Street, Brookline.

This Brookline bar operates by the motto, “Eat good food, drink better beer.” With 30 different types of beer on tap and over 150 bottles, there’s bound to be something that will tempt your taste buds.

Recommendations: L’Amitie and Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Pints range in price from $5.75-10

Redbones

55 Chester Street, Somerville.

Located in Davis Square, Redbones features a rotating list of 24 microbrews. While you’re at this barbecue joint feel free to satisfy your appetite with some southern hospitality. Nothing pairs better with beer than baby back ribs and smoked beef brisket.

Recommendations: Opa Opa IPA and Sixpoint Bengali Tiger.

Pints range in price from $5-9

Sunset Gril & Tap 130 Brighton Avenue, Allston.

Rather than heading to Allston for another party you know will get busted, stop in at the Sunset Grill & Tap instead.

Their mantra is “Life’s too short to drink cheap beer.” Thanks to their 112 taps and about 380 microbrews and imports all perfectly crafted for your palette, you don’t have to.

Recommendations: Allagash White and Weihenstephaner.

The average pint is $4.99

The Otherside Cafe 407 Newbury Street, Boston

Located on the other end of Newbury Street, this cafe has been called a “hipster haven.” Although they do have PBR on draught, The OtherSide also serves up Mayflower Stout that hails straight from Plymouth, giving the haven some history.

Bottoms up!

Recommendations: Racer 5 IPA and Victory Lager. The average pint is $5

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This year’s most memorable

Emerson Moments TEXT // BEN LINDSAY

THE LARAMIE PROJECT The incredibly moving play opened on September 24th with ArtsEmerson at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. The performances and the messages of both the original production and the 10 year follow-up were astounding.

NYP STABBING For once most of us actually read one of George Noonan’s public safety emails when he informed us of a stabbing that took place in front of Emerson’s late night stomping grounds, NYP. The fear only lasted until the weekend, because let’s be serious, there’s not too much that’s going to keep an Emersonian away from a slice of NYP at 2 a.m. on a Saturday night.

ON-CAMPUS HOUSING Remember that time Emerson mandated that Juniors live on campus and then realized there wasn’t enough space for them? It certainly was not the first or last housing debacle to hit Emerson, but it sure pissed off a lot of upperclassmen hoping to score oncampus digs.

GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE In October, Emerson was fortunate enough to host a debate with the four governor-hopefuls at our very own Semel Theater. The evening played out rather predictably until Taylor Gearhart, Class of 2011, stumped the candidates with an unexpected, but memorable question: “If you could be any living politician, who would you be?”

THE LIP DUB Going into the monstrous, nine minute Lady Gaga Lip Dub, Emerson students knew they were doing something special, but no one could predict the kind of publicity the thing would get. The video, now on Youtube, was featured on Good Morning America, Yahoo News, and other major media outlets. It is getting closer to 1 million views by the day.

LOVE IS LOUDER RALLY What started as a counter protest against the Westboro Baptist Church’s proposed protest of The Laramie Project quickly turned into a proclamation of not only gay pride, but Emerson pride, as hundreds of students circled our campus. It was a truly magical morning.

MR. EMERSON PAGEANT In September, Alpha Epsilon Phi put on the first annual Mr. Emerson Pageant. The night unraveled hilariously as the boys showed off their stuff the way only a true Emersonian can, with junior Jeff Rizzi taking home the title.

THE YULE BALL The Yule Ball was a chance to dance and have some finalizing fun with friends before our month-long Christmas break. Spurring memories of the Black and White Dance, it was especially nostalgic for first-year Emersonians.

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ARTS Emerson

With the opening of the Paramount came the launch of ArtsEmerson. The company has brought first-class performances from all over the world to the Emerson community, and provides students opportunities to work along side professional artists.

LEE PELTON After 19 years at Emerson, President Liebergott announced her retirement and we were all left wondering who could possibly fill her shoes. After almost a year of searching, Lee Pelton was announced as our 12th President. In the fall he addressed the college promising to bring Emerson to greater heights.

Only time will tell but he’s got Jackie’s stamp of approval, so for now we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.

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Boston Boroughs:

coolidge corner TEXT // RUBY SCALERA PHOTO // BRYAN ROGERS

If you’re looking to get away from the buzz of Boylston Street and find some of the quieter parts of the city it’s not hard. The outbound Green train to Cleveland Circle will bring you right to Coolidge Corner. In addition to a Trader Joe’s, Staples and adorable vintage signs, this Boston borough has fantastic coffee, cheap books and stops for every occasion, whether with a date, friends or parents.

destination: THE REGAL BEAGLE

located at:308 Harvard Street why go? Self-named “The Neighborhood Joint,” the Regal Beagle is a great place to go if you want to get a little fancy. Beagle offers a nice selection of seasonal, creative comfort foods like mac & cheese made with buttery Ritz cracker, truffle oil and sea salt crust. The cocktail lounge atmosphere gives it an upscale feel while the menu is very affordable. Try one of the house cocktails and complete the night with one of the many decadent desserts made to order.

destination: PEAR TREE OF BROOKLINE

located at: 1298 Beacon Street why go? When you know what kind of earrings will match your dress and you just can’t find them or that one necklace your friend has been looking all over for, go to the Pear Tree of Brookline. In addition to selling a wide range of beads, they offer an open and comfortable workspace, providing the tools of the trade to create your own jewelry.

They also offer classes and private workshops.

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Boston Boroughs

destination: PEET’S COFFEE AND TEA

destination: THE PARIS CREPERIE

destination: BROOKLINE BOOKSMITH

285 Harvard Street why go? Between the homemade blends, enticing aromas, attractive staff and adorable atmosphere Peet’s Coffee and Tea is a great stop to catch up on work or chat with your friends. The café is homey and quiet, with mismatched chairs giving it a bohemian look, and a great window to sit and people watch as you sip your drink.

278 Harvard Street

279 Harvard Street why go? We’ve all been there. Your book list is a thousand pages long but you can’t afford to buy any of them. At the Brookline Booksmith, there’s no way you’re leaving without an arm full of books.

In addition to the upstairs bookstore, there is a bargain basement made up of used books in great condition.

located at:

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why go?

Across the street from the Brookline Booksmith is the Paris Creperie, one of the most hopping food joints in Coolidge Corner. The Creperie is usually packed on the weekends but the wait is worth it.

The menu includes savory and sweet crepes, as well as a ton of delicious smoothies and milkshakes to choose from. Try the signature Nutella frozen hot chocolate, it will change your life.

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located at:

destination: COOLIDGE MOVIE THEATRE located at:

290 Harvard Street why go? If you’re looking for a bit of history you’ll come across it here. Originally built as a church in 1906, the Coolidge was redesigned as a theater in 1933. Today it is the most successful independent, not-for-profit cinema in New England. You won’t find big budget blockbusters here.

Instead check out the latest indie flick or a screening of an old classic like Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

THE POWER ISSUE

Power Palette This season, fashion embraced anything and everything that was big, bold, or bright. Last season’s minimalism collided full force with the maximized attitude of spring and re-introduced color and volume into our wardrobes. In this issue, our styling team welcomes the much needed change and shows us the best ways to wear this seasons trends. In EMERSON UNSTITCHED, designer Michaela McCrink shows off her winning collection - complete with bold tribal patterns and a color pallete to match. Then our styling team takes us back to the dark daze of disco in THEY SHOOT MODELS, DON’T THEY. Citing Sydney Pollacks timeless film They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, our stylists turn up the volume and broadcast spring’s dramatic shapes and hues with a hint of ‘70s glam. Finally, in THE GOLDEN GIRL, our team uses natural lights and elements as the perfect palette to show off the prints and patterns that spring brought us. It’s clear that now, more than ever, is the time to take a chance and make a statement with your wardrobe - whether it be bold, bright, or even a brilliant mix of both.

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Emerson Unstitched For the first time ever, em Magazine and Emerson Independent Video teamed up to create Emerson Unstitched, Emerson’s first fashion design reality program. Winning designer Michaela McCrink wowed the judges with her innovative use of classic silhouettes in vibrant prints ad colors. Drawing her inspiration from em Magazine’s own “New Classics Issue”, McCrink showed a collection that was both fashion forward and wearable and walked away with the grand prize. Here models Xiao Lim, Stefani Robinson, Jacquie Exline, and Madi Silvers show off the 4 winning looks.

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Photo // Joel Soh

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THEY SHOOT MODELS, DON’T THEY? Models Jeff Freeman, Justyna Lewinska, Xiao Lim, and Julia Libani take a trip back to the days of Studio 54 for an exhausting spin on the dance floor in Spring’s dangerously exhilarating trends. photo // Benjamin Askinas styling // Blake Metzger & team 78

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THE GOLDEN GIRL

With nature as her backdrop, model Ilaria de Plano shines in this season’s prints and patterns - transporting us outside of the city but remaining as chic as ever with easy to wear pieces that speak for themselves. photo // Hope Kauffman styling // Blake Metzger & team

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Editorial Credits They Shoot Models, Don’t They?

Look #1 On Julia: Suno Skirt, $800, Stel’s. Sweater, $310, Cotelac. Stella McCartney Bag, $1,095, Gretta Luxe. Cuff, and Christian Louboutin Shoes, Stylist’s Own. On Xiao: Top, $39.90, Zara. Pants, $220, Cotelac. Stella McCartney Shoes, $655, Gretta Luxe. Hat, $55, and Sunglasses, $29, LF. Look #2 On Julia: Helmut Lang Dress, $485, Gretta Luxe. Jeffrey Campbell Shoes, $198, LF. On Xiao: Helmut Lang Dress, $380, Stella McCartney Bag, $995, and Barbara Bui Shoes, $490, Gretta Luxe.

On Justyna: APC Sweater, $260, Stel’s. Skirt, $295, Gretta Luxe.

Christian Louboutin Shoes, Stylist’s Own. On Jeff: Robert Geller Shorts, $210, and Sweatshirt, $260, Stel’s.

Look #3 On Justyna: Sweater, $187, and Stella McCartney Skirt, $525, Gretta Luxe. Wedges, $100, Aldo.

On Jeff: Our Legacy Shirt, $240, and Shorts, $150, Stel’s.

On Xiao: Jump-Suit, $59.90, Zara. Yigal Azrouël Belt, $340, Gretta Luxe. Jeffrey Campbell Wedges, $175, LF. BCBG Max Azria Necklace, Stylist’s Own. On Julia: T Los Angeles Dress, $185, Dress. Necklace, $200, and Yigal Azrouël Scarf, $360, Gretta Luxe. Jeffrey Campbell Flats, $120, LF. Look #4 On Julia: Jeans, $265, Vest, $210, and Oxfords, $295, Cotelac.

Lariat, $130, Gretta Luxe.

On Jeff: Robert Geller Jeans, $325, Square One Tank, $45, Stel’s.

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The Golden Girl Look #1 Kalen Skirt, $260, and Top, $340, Stel’s.

Suno Bracelets, $75, Stel’s. Dolce Vita Sandals, $130, LF. Look #2 Millau Top, $108, Bluette Shorts, $128, LF. Phillip Lim Cardigan, $550, Dress.

Look #3 Dress, $255, Gretta Luxe. Roarke New York Bracelet, $60, and Extended Bracelet, $110, Dress. Turban, Stylist’s Own. Look #4 Phillip Lim Dress, $750, Dress. Hat, $45, LF. Look #5 On Ilaria: Myne Dress, $253, Dress. Bag, $485, Stella McCartney Sandals, $375, and House of Harlow 1960 Bangles, $140, Gretta Luxe.

Tom Ford Sunglasses, Stylist’s Own.

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221 Newbury Street Boston, MA 02116 (617) 424-7125 http://www.dressboston.com/

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Cotélac Chicago 1159 West Webster Avenue Chicago IL 60614 773 281 2330 96

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Cotélac New York 92-94 Greene Street New York NY 10012 212 219 8065

Cotélac Boston 168 Newbury Street Boston MA 02116 617 266 2009

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Yigal Azrouel Balenciaga Chloe Stella McCartney Jimmy Choo Michael Kors J Brand Proenza Schouler Marc Jacobs Bring in this copy of em Magazine to receive 15% off of your entire purchase.

Some restrictions apply. Not applicable to sale merchandise. See store for details.

CENTRAL STREET WELLESLEY | COPLEY PLACE BOSTON | WWW.GRETTASTYLE.COM CHECK OUT OUR GRETTACOLE + GSPA LOCATIONS IN BOSTON WELLESLEY CHESTNUT HILL

353 Newbury Street — Boston, MA — 617.236.1213 em magazine — SPRING 2011

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knowledge “There is nothat is not power -Ralph Waldo Emerson

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