A shared story of perseverance
Equipment failure results in Saturday power outage
Upper campus in the dark for over 12 hours
By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor
A machine failure in Larned Hall caused a power outage to most of Framingham State University on Saturday, Sept. 21.
Resident students were without power for up to 19 hours.
Throughout the day, maintainers and Eversource Energy were on campus to assess the outage, according to Robert Totino, executive vice president of administration, information technology, finance and chief financial officer.
Eversource and a contracted compa-
Rosa
By Raena Hunter Doty Arts & Features Editor
ny, ABB - ESSCO, will return to campus on Friday, Sept. 27 for planned power shutdowns in order to complete repairs. The shutdowns will impact most of campus, according to Dan Giard, director of facilities and capital planning.
The Saturday outage impacted the upper campus, Totino said. Upper campus is considered to be all buildings on the eastern side of State Street. This includes Larned, Corinne Hall Towers, Peirce, and Horace Mann residence halls, as well as the academic and administration buildings.
According to Totino, a switchgear failed in Larned Hall, which subse-
quently impacted the switchgears in the other buildings and caused a power outage between 4 and 5 a.m. on Saturday.
A switchgear is a piece of equipment that “actually turns it [the power] on and off for the whole building,” Giard said.
According to Giard, each building on campus has a switchgear, however they all work in conjunction with one another.
Giard said, “Sometimes if the switch tripped itself, it might just be that building that trips out, so it doesn’t affect the rest of the buildings.
builds connections among the Deaf community
Oct. 15 and Deaf Awareness Month in September.
Rosa Guzman, a Puerto Rican Deaf social worker, spoke about her life experiences in a presentation Sept. 24 in the Dwight Performing Arts Center at an event put on by the Center for Inclusive Excellence, American Sign Language (ASL) Department, and the ASL club.
Everyone who spoke during the presentation spoke exclusively in ASL. Interpreters were available over Zoom to make the presentation accessible in English.
The event happened during Hispanic Heritage Month Sept. 15 through
Bruce Bucci, professor of ASL, said he wanted the audience to learn some soft skills during Guzman’s presentation.
“Soft skills are not related to content,” he said. “They’re more related to perseverance, resilience.
“The skills and the traits that she’s going to talk about - I hope you will internalize them and bring them with you in your future,” Bucci added.
Meriam Bouttisant, junior ASL major with a concentration in Deaf studies, explained the international sign language flag that had been put on display at the front of the room.
She said the flag, invented by a Deafblind person, was created to represent international sign languages that includes people who use Sign but aren’t Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
Bouttisant said the light blue in the flag represents sign language, yellow represents hope, and dark blue represents Deafness.
Guzman said she was invited to speak at FSU after she was approached by Bucci at her K12 alma mater and current workplace, the Willie Ross School for the Deaf.
She said she loves educating about Deaf culture and policy, so she agreed to present here for Deaf Awareness and
Guzman
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Rosa Guzman, Jeffery Coleman, Bruce Bucci, Leticia Rita Santos, Eli Onyeabor, Adrianna Puccio, and Gwendolyn Schutt on stage at the end of Guzman’s presentation on Sept. 24.
Meghan Spargo / THE GATEPOST
E ditorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Sophia Harris
Associate Editors
Maddison Behringer
Ryan O’Connell
Copy Editor
Emma Lyons
News Editor
Dylan Pichnarcik
Asst. News Editors
Kaitlin Carman
Adam Harrison
Opinions Editor
Izayah Morgan
Sports Editor
Sophia Oppedisano
Asst. Sports Editors
Riley Crowell
Izabela Gage
Arts & Features Editors
Raena Hunter Doty
Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez
Asst. Arts & Features Editors
Owen Glancy
Bella Omar
Photos & Design Editors
Adrien Gobin
Alexis Schlesinger
Asst. Photos & Design Editor
Meghan Spargo
Illustrations Editor
Ben Hurney
Asst. Illustrations Editors
David Abe
Emily Monaco
Staff Writers
Jesse Burchill
Liv Dunleavy
Kristel Erguiza
Paul Harrington
Dan Lima
Antonio Machado
Travis Plummer
Kyra Tolley
Michael Trueswell
Staff Illustrators
Ronnie Chiu-Lin
Charlotte Fabrizi
Marcus Falcão
Kyle Walker
Advisor
Desmond McCarthy
Asst. Advisor
Elizabeth Banks
Gatepost Interview Weronika Zawora NEWS
Outreach and Student Engagement Coordinator of the Henry Whittemore Library
By Kaitlin Carman Asst. News Editor
What is your educational background?
I have an undergraduate degree from Clark University in Worcester, where I majored in Global Environmental Studies, and my master’s and is in communications from Regis College.
What made you decide to get into this field?
I’m really passionate about libraries as a third space. I think it’s very important, as we’re losing spaces where people can spend time - prolonged periods of time - without having to pay for anything. Think about if libraries didn’t exist and then we just came up with the idea of libraries. No one would go for it. Like, ‘here’s a bunch of free stuff. We just trust you to bring it back. We don’t charge money for it.’ Things are becoming more and more commercialized. People can spend all day there. Everything the library offers is free for everyone, no matter their age or economic background. That’s becoming increasingly rare. Also, there’s more and more information than ever before, and learning to navigate that using critical thinking skills and not being taken advantage of - especially as I see so many people who are not literate in terms of technology. And it’s not their fault. We always think of this as older people - It’s not necessarily older people.
What are some challenges you are facing?
here on the first day studying already. It’s awesome to see that. … There’s just lots of things for everyone. … It’s really interesting and exciting to be at a stage where libraries are shifting. I know Millie [Gonzalez] and I are working on making the library more sustainable. So in terms of just providing Internet access - what if there’s a storm and people don’t have access to the internet? I was attending a webinar yesterday about Hurricane Sandy and how it decimated the whole neighborhood, and the library was the only place with internet, and people could file insurance claims or look up information when they didn’t have internet in their homes. So that kind of lifeline. It gets really hot sometimes, and libraries can provide AC for people. So, recognizing what the community needs and delivering that at no cost.
What is an interesting hobby you enjoy?
back about my word whiteboard questions. Long term, I would love to start a speed-friending event. Want to make friends? Let’s just get in a room together, get some icebreakers going, get all awkward with it, and hopefully leave with a friend or two. So, activities like that. You know, no one wants to admit that they’re lonely and they’re struggling. It’s hard to meet people, especially again after COVID. I feel everyone’s in their little shell. So let’s start breaking out.
COVID-19 has definitely affected engagement across the board. We’re all going out less. We’re staying at home more. I think we are slowly overcoming that hurdle, but that’s certainly been the most immediate challenge in terms of getting people to attend events. I think people just went into shell shock. We’re not addressing that as a society. That’s a whole different conversation, but we’re not having that come-together moment of like, ‘we survived a global pandemic.’ That is really scary to think about. No one is like, ‘okay, fine, it’s over. Just go back to whatever.’ We do not remember that world. It doesn’t exist anymore. But you know what was life before COVID? So my mission is to certainly re-engage. I want people coming into the library. It’s been awesome. I started in July, so it’s been great to see the students come back. And how many students were
Phone:
I’m heavily involved with Stearn’s farm, which is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) on the north side. A lot of lady farmers. We’ve had female farm managers, I think, since they were established in 1990 except for like, three years. So currently, all their full-time farming staff are women. They produce so much land on this little plot of land. It’s amazing. Just communing with nature. Just spending time in places where we’re not just constantly bombarded with advertisements asking us for money or to create an account for something. I recently got back into dancing. … The Framingham Historical Society did a swing night. So I’ve been doing that. I just want to learn different ways to move our bodies. I do think it’s interesting how, the older we get, the more we’re like, like, ‘why can’t I just skip in the street?’ Why is that weird? There’s just so many things. Like, with … hiking … when we were kids, we’d climb up trees. Now, if I went on a hike and I just saw someone chilling in a tree, I’d be like, ‘Oh my God,’ and slowly back away. But why is that? People get self-conscious about dancing, singing, and just using our bodies in creative ways, but I am a big advocate for that. Get out of your comfort zone.
Do you have any goals you would like to achieve during your time at FSU?
Certainly to get more students using the library in-person and online. I’ve been getting some really positive feed-
Police Logs
Monday, Sept. 23 9:01 Trespass Tow, Maynard Rd Road Parking Lot Vehicle Removed/Tow
Monday, Sept. 23 9:38 Medical Emergency, May Hall Refused Services
Do you have any advice for students?
Well, of course, stop by the library. It’s really going to make a difference in your GPA, not really just … don’t be afraid to pursue … ideas. Sometimes students get discouraged if it’s not something that other people know about, or everyone has such a different perspective. There are billions of people in the worldwhich is astounding to think about. We all have our own perspective and history, and I think people talk themselves out of maybe writing that paper, doing that presentation, or making a post about it. Just go for it. You never know where it ends up and who it’s gonna affect - So, uncharted waters, I say, sail through those uncharted waters.
CONNECT WITH KAITLIN CARMAN kcarman@student.framingham.edu
Wednesday, Sept. 25 10:48 K9 Community Outreach, Campus Way Call/Assignment Complete
Wednesday, Sept. 25 9:32 Electrical Problem, State St Message Delivered
Courtesy of Weronika Zawora
Power outage
caused by the generator running out of oil, according to Giard.
the distribution equipment and the switchgear cannot be completed at the same time because of safety concerns.
Lower campus, Miles Bibb Hall, West Hall, and the McCathy Center, were not impacted by the outage on Saturday and will not be affected by either of the power shutdowns on Friday, according to Giard.
Giard added the lower campus has separate power lines which are fed from the power distribution center and boiler room located behind Dwight Hall.
The administrator-on-call was notified by on-campus staff at 5:06 a.m. that the campus was experiencing a power outage, according to Jay Hurtubise, assistant dean of students.
The first notification from Framingham State about the power outage was an FSUAlert at 11:05 a.m. The message stated, “The University is currently experiencing a power outage. Crews are working to resolve the issue at this time.”
Hurtubise said, “Later on Saturday morning, our staff became informed that the outage would require further investigation and repairs, with no clear timetable for restoration of power. Staff then promptly prepared messages to be issued to the community.”
ident students at 8:25 p.m. The message stated, “Power has been restored to all the areas on campus, except for Larned Hall.”
A final email was sent to Larned residents at 11:44 p.m. notifying them that power was restored to the building, according to Hurtubise.
He added the FSU Police Department was available throughout the outage for any safety or emergency concerns.
Alyssa MacDougall, a sophomore, said she had a “long day in the dark. … I was very frustrated because it had been all day.
“It was really inconvenient because I had a lot of homework and since I wasn’t able to charge anything, I was a bit behind.” MacDougall said.
Angelina Anderson, a junior, said the outage was “really frustrating.” Due to the outage, she was unable to get ready for work.
Anderson said the response from the Dean of Students Office “felt delayed,” and she did not feel informed.
Jazmany Reyes, a junior, said he thought the outage lasted “way too long. … Why did it take over 14 hours to fix?”
“It went further down the [power line] and tripped [the switch] on the [Utility] pole, which affected the whole upper campus.
“It is not a typical failure,” Totino said. “These are high-performing pieces of equipment.”
Eversource Energy, which according to its website provides power to the City of Framingham, was on campus Saturday, Sept. 21 to “diagnose [the cause of the outage] and assist the FSU facilities team,” said Totino. According to Totino, maintainers, including Giard, were able to make the necessary repairs and bring power back to the upper campus by 8 p.m. excluding Larned Hall, which remained without power until 11 p.m.
Giard “worked with another outside contractor that was able to bring in a generator to campus.” said Totino. “Mr. Giard texted me at 11 p.m. that Larned Hall was back online.”
As of press time, Larned is still running on a generator and will continue to run off of a generator until Friday, Sept. 27, when workers from ABB are scheduled to repair the switchgear.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25, Larned experienced another power outage which lasted approximately one hour. It was
Weather
Sunday night Sept. 29
Partly cloudy, with a low around 51. Lights and variable wind.
Monday Sept. 30
Partly sunny, with a high near 72. Calm wind becoming east around 6 mph in the afternoon
Jamie Moniz, a sophomore resident of Larned, said the outage on Wednesday was “very inconvenient.
“Especially for classes and practices, because there’s only a few hours in the day I can charge my phone and get ready,” she added. “We had one elevator working. I don’t believe we were reached out to about the outage.”
Giard said, “Generators today are environmentally friendly, so they have a special oil that mixes with the diesel to make them more environmentally friendly. … Once that oil runs out, the thing just shuts off.”
According to an email sent by the Office of the Dean of Students, “Eversource has scheduled a mandatory shutdown for maintenance repairs to an area-wide distribution equipment.”
The shutdown is scheduled to start at 5 a.m. and end at 9 a.m.
The repairs to the area-wide distribution equipment is not related to the power outage on Saturday, Sept. 21, according to the email.
The second power shutdown will occur from 5 p.m to 10 p.m., which will “restore permanent power to Larned Hall,” according to an email sent by the Office of the Dean of Students.
According to Giard, the repairs on
The first email from Hurtubise was delivered to students at 12:04 p.m. It notified students that most of campus was without power. However, “[T]he McCarthy Student Center has full power and dining is available as regularly scheduled,” according to the email.
Brooke Drass, a sophomore, said she tried not to be in the building as much as possible just because there was nothing to do. “My sister had a game, so I went to watch it, and then I went to the mall.”
Drass added she had a guest on campus during the outage and “tried to show her what campus was like. …
“It was really inconvenient because I had a lot of homework and since I wasn’t able to charge anything, I was a bit behind.”
- Alyssa MacDougall Sophomore
Hurtubise said, “Sodexo worked with us to also extend the dining hours for Saturday, providing students with more time in those spaces.”
The Dining Commons remained open until 8 p.m., according to a second email sent by Hurtubise to students at 5:53 p.m.
Another FSU Alert was sent to res-
Monday night Sept. 30
Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Light and variable wind.
Tuesday Oct. 1
A chance of showers after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 68. East winds 5 to 7 mph.
It’s hard to show her what campus is like when nowhere has power.”
[Editor’s Note: Izabela Gage contributed to this article.]
CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu
Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov
Tuesday night Oct. 1
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. East wind 3 to 6 mph.
Wednesday Oct. 2
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 66. Northeast wind around 7 mph.
Wednesday night Oct. 2
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 51. Northwest wind around 7 mph.
Thursday Oct. 3
Mostly sunny, with a high near 69. Northwest wind 6 to 8 mph.
Gatepost Archives
A student playing on Larned Beach, May 2023.
Continued from Page 1
Board of Trustees review enrollment and budget data
By Adam Harrison Asst. News Editor
The Board of Trustees discussed enrollment data and the FY2025 budget at their first meeting of the year on Sept. 25.
Vice President of Enrollment Management Iris Godes said enrollment is “looking great.”
The University’s goal for first-year and transfer students was 785, and there are currently 819 new students, which is 34 more than expected, she said.
The goal of 785 was already an increase of 7% over the previous year, and the enrollment data shows the increase in new students is now at 11%, Godes said.
She said, “We implemented a number of new strategies this year to try to encourage new student enrollmenttry to change the trend at Framingham State from a decline to an increase, and we got great results.”
Godes said the retention rate is another important enrollment indicator.
The retention rate is the number of students who re-enroll from their first year to their second year, she said.
“We were hoping for 72%. We got 71%, which is pretty even with last year,” she said.
The goal for graduate students was 250, and there are 265 enrolled. “So you see there as well, success. … We exceeded our goals there,” Godes said.
Godes said increased communications and personalized relationships with students are two of the reasons for the positive enrollment data.
“There was a lot that we could do internally that the University just hadn’t been doing. A lot of it was around how we communicate, how often we communicate, and the approach to communications. I created a plan that was much more personalized to students, more relationship building, not just transactional communications,” she said.
She said they targeted parents of prospective students with one of their publications. It focused on the success of current students, points of pride, and profiles of students “doing amazing things.”
Godes said they made improvements to the admissions open houses, created a checklist to aid confused incoming students, and increased collaboration among departments.
“There were a number of things that we did that I think all contributed. … Admissions can’t do this by themselves, Financial Aid can’t do this by themselves, so it was finding every pocket,” she said.
President Nancy Niemi said, “It’s one thing to admit students. It’s another thing to keep them and help them be successful so that most of them graduate.”
She said the University is building and improving the systems that contribute to student success.
“We may not be exactly where we want to be yet, but we are definitely going in the right direction - it takes the whole University to make that happen,” Niemi said.
Godes presented the undergraduate 2024 profile, displaying that 50% of first-year students are first generation, which is down 4% from 2023. Fifty-one percent of first-year students
are BIPOC, including a 3% increase in Hispanic students. The percentage of BIPOC students is up 1% from 2023.
“That was a 3% increase in our Hispanic students. Of course, that is a population that is growing here in the MetroWest. It’s a strong population to begin with, and it appears to be growing, so great opportunities with them,” Godes said.
She said the out-of-state population increased from 11% to 14%. “We did add an out-of-state award to reduce the cost for the out-of-state students, and that seems to have been effective.”
Governor Maura Healey signed a state budget bill covering tuition and fees for all Massachusetts residents attending community colleges, effective Fall 2024.
The closest community colleges to Framingham State are up an average of 15% in enrollment.
Godes said she is hopeful the increase in community college enrollment will lead to more transfers.
now, we have not received any allocation, but we’re not giving up the fight,” Totino said.
The University received “an earmark for the Warren Conference Center of one and a half million dollars to do some more work there,” he said.
The Warren Conference Center is a site in Ashland, approximately five miles from campus, that was “acquired by the Mass State College Building Authority on behalf of FSU in 2015,” Totino said.
Framingham State filed documentation with the state in 2018 and 2024 to use the Stearns reservoir, located a half mile from campus, as a public resource for the University.
“It’s for faculty, staff, and students - this could be used for research or academic purposes. A couple of our majors tie in nicely here - biology, environmental sciences, and other groups,” he said.
Trustee Mariel Freve said a transportation safety training and mainte-
“We may not be exactly where we want to be yet, but we are definitely going in the right direction - it takes the whole University to make that happen.”
- Nancy Niemi President
“However, they are potentially taking students away from us as well.”
She said, “So we’ll have to monitor that to see what’s going on, but that will be a big strategy this year - developing strong relationships, programming, ease of recruitment, ease of transfer, credit, all that kind of stuff.”
Robert Totino, vice president of finance, technology, and administration/chief financial officer, presented the Fiscal Year 2025 “All Funds” proposed budget, and the actual budget for comparison.
Totino presented the budgeted net income totals -$400,000, due to an approved deficit in “college operations,” resulting in a “slight use of our reserves. … There was a deficit that was budgeted at $1.9 million for the year. We’re looking to finish break even,” for FY25.
He said state universities can apply for grants focused on success, persistence & basic needs, grants, and mental health.
“We hope to receive roughly two million [dollars] from these grants over the course of fiscal 25, but those dollars are still making their ways through the legislative process for approval,” Totino said.
He said a new tax was enacted in Massachusetts in 2022, taxing individuals an additional 4% if they made over $1 million in adjusted gross income. This tax raised funds for transportation and education.
The University anticipated receiving roughly $2.5 million from this tax in the proposed budget, but “as of right
resolution procedures,” she said.
In the next report to the Trustees, Vice President of Student Success Lorretta Holloway said the Financial Crisis Response Team was developed several years ago because the University wanted to streamline assistance to students having financial crises.
“We also saw that students were often going to multiple offices because they didn’t necessarily like the answers they were getting from an office,” she said.
Holloway said students should go to Financial Aid first because “it’s very difficult to give money away, and we need to know exactly what a student was eligible for.”
She said there are different pockets of money that are utilized to support students through situations ranging from being kicked out of their apartment and needing rent, to needing funds to purchase toner to print applications for proof they are looking for apartments, in order to stay at a shelter.
“If you’ve bought toner lately, you recognize how expensive that is, and that’s probably not what you can afford to spend your money on if you’re in a homeless shelter,” she said.
She said her team will be ordering more laptops for students who need them, but don’t have any left at the moment.
Vice President of Student Affairs & Dean of Students Meg Nowak-Borrego said there is a Student Assistance Team consisting of staff and faculty members from Student Success, the Dean of Students Office, and Residence Life.
nance assessment for the RamTram was completed.
“We had some increased collisions in 2023 that prompted the internal assessment, and again, it provides transportation for folks that are not familiar around campus and other options … and it’s a program mostly supported by student drivers,” she said.
She said after the initial internal assessment, they were able to change hiring parameters, standards around monitoring controls, and formalize the process for collision reporting and corrective action.
The second internal assessment is the active threat preparedness program, which covers facilities access, physical accessibility, and accident and incident reporting.
She said, “And so that is getting launched here in ‘25, and then we will report when we have that completed.”
New Title IX regulations were released in April 2024, and the deadline for implementation was August 2024.
Assistant Vice President Kim Dexter said it was a “monumental” task. “This was going to be our opportunity to fully overhaul the documents in an attempt to make it as navigable for our communities as possible.”
She said they improved the readability of the document compared to the previous plan.
“Now we are able to prohibit all or list all prohibited discrimination under one policy, so there’s less jumping back and forth trying to find where information is in the document. That also allowed us to merge our complaint and
“When someone is referred to that group, it could be everything from they stopped going to class to we hear their mother passed away. Whatever it might be that someone is concerned about the student, they can contact anybody on the Student Assistance Team or submit the forms that are available,” she said.
In his report, new Student Trustee Jeremy McDonald introduced himself and recapped recent developments at SGA.
He said SGA changed their constitution to incorporate all clubs into the student government meetings.
Club representatives are now invited to attend every other SGA meeting.
“We’ll be bringing in club representatives to our meetings and hearing their concerns - hearing where we can help them and support them,” he said.
In 2023-24, McDonald said SGA helped to have “a ramp to be built in conjunction with Facilities, [and] install baby changing tables in both men’s and women’s bathrooms across campus.”
He proposed a Board of Trustees meet-and-greet event, where students are able to meet the Trustees in an informal setting.
McDonald said it is important that students are able to meet Trusteesshake their hands, and talk to them.
“My very first day on campus, I was moving in and President Niemi was there and came up to me and we struck up a conversation. It’s just really important to foster that kind of connection,” he said.
Framingham State becomes a Pepsi school
By Paul Harrington Staff Writer
Returning students may have noticed the disappearance of the Coca-Cola machines and retail products on campus.
This is a result of Framingham State rolling out a 10-year contract with Pepsi.
PepsiCo was selected by Framingham State through a request for proposal (RFP) process, according to Director of Procurement and Contracts Management Natasha Bizanos-Ashe and former Executive Vice President Dale Hamel.
Hamel said, “When those contracts expire, we go back through an RFP process to consider either continuing with the current vendors or to make a change in matters.”
According to Hamel, Framingham State had a contract with Coca-Cola for 10 years, including an additional year at the end to take the RFP process into account.
Bizanos-Ashe said, “We try to get these out six to nine months ahead of when we’ll actually need the service, so a total of 11 years for our most recent contract.”
According to Bizanos-Ashe, the proposal was officially made by Framingham State on January 22, 2024.
The evaluation committee that oversaw the process took both the financial aspects and the offerings of the vendors into account when making the final decision.
According to Bizanos-Ashe, the only two providers to bid on the “pouring rights” contract were Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Hamel said, “It’s not surprising.
Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST
Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi are going to be good at providing these types of services.”
He added a lot of [committee] members focused on the “Cola” aspect of it, but that it’s much larger than whether Coca-Cola or Pepsi is provided.
Hamel noted that students don’t just drink Pepsi, and that student tastebuds depend on the time of day.
He said, “What we found out was, in the morning, they go with fortified milk, they might have an energy drink, they might have sparkling water, and then they’ll have the actual Coca-Cola ola at another time.”
According to Hamel, once the committee learned about the different beverages, they began to analyze the financial components, and that’s where there were significant differences in what was provided.
He said, “[We had] come to find out that Pepsi currently has eight of the nine state universities, and now they would have nine of the nine state universities.”
Hamel added, “They’re basically buying these contracts because they see it as a strategic initiative. You get students used to that firm’s drinks during their college period.”
In terms of student benefits, he said, “The individual funds [from the contract] will go into the dining service trust fund.”
According to Hamel, the additional revenue “impacts what rates we have to set overall for the meal plan.”
He added, “In terms of direct payment to the University, that was significantly different, and it was advantageous to Pepsi.”
The contract is set to last 10 years with the possibility for one five-year renewal once the contract runs out.
According to Bizanos-Ashe, there are currently 13 vending machines located across campus, with Pepsi products also being offered at retail loca-
tions and fountain machines at the Dining Commons.
Bizanos-Ashe noted, “We didn’t realize until we had that presentation about all the different products that Pepsi has. I didn’t know Bubbly was a Pepsi product.”
She added,“So then you’re like, ‘Oh, it’s not just Pepsi.’”
Jacob Measmer, a senior fashion design major, is unfazed by the new contract.
He said,“I couldn’t care less between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. I just miss peace tea.”
Heather Welsh an administrative assistant in the Office of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education, is not thrilled about the new contract.
She said, “There’s a lot more variety with Coca-Cola, and I would be more OK with the prices if it were Coca-Cola.”
Welsh added, “I do know Coca-Cola is expensive, and places tend to prefer Pepsi because it’s a cheaper contract. So for the fact that we have now switched over to Pepsi and the prices haven’t even gone down a bit is really annoying.”
Meriam Boutissant, a junior deaf studies major, said, “I prefer coke products because they have sprite, and I believe they have more options that people would like.”
She added, “I’m a big fan of sprite, but you know, unfortunately, they have taken it away.”
Dylan Rezendes, a junior psychology major, said coke reigns above all. He said, “Honestly, Cherry Coca-Cola hits.”
Jocelyn Pepe, a freshman chemistry major, agreed.
She said, “I just have never been a fan of Pepsi. I like how it [Coca-Cola] tastes.”
CONNECT WITH PAUL HARRINGTON pharrington@student.framingham.edu
Rejuvenation rooms open in residence halls
By Izayah Morgan Editorial Staff
Students now have access to rejuvenation rooms in all residential buildings.
The office of Residential Life opened them to provide a quiet space on campus for students, according to Glenn Cochran, associate dean of students. Cochran said the rooms were inspired by the Rams Refresh Room in the libary.
The Rams Refresh Room was instituted as part of the staff’s wellness initiative. Library staff members worked closely with the Health and Wellness Center to reimagine the room as a space for students.
“It is a sound-proof room that has a little bit of everything,” Millie Gonzalez, dean of the library, said. There’s fidget toys, coloring books, Bluetooth speakers, therapy lamps, and a weekly meditation space, Gonzalez said. The Refresh Room is also a space where activities are hosted throughout the week, such as the weekly meditation session.
“We hear a lot of students who want the room expanded to more than one
person, but for now, we’re going to keep it limited to one person. Sometimes when you’re on campus and have a roommate, you don’t get much private time. You have it here,” she said.
Residents are able to access the residence hall rejuvenation rooms with a key card, which can be signed out at the front desk as if they are signing out monopoly or pool balls, Cochran said. “That card access will unlock the door for use in the rejuvenation room.”
He said when students enter the room, there will be a massage chair and games to play. In addition, “The space is intended to be a place where you can relieve stress and hopefully get yourself centered.
“If you want a space to meditate, you can do that. If you want it to serve as a prayer room, you can do that as well,” Cochran said. “It could just be a place where you do breathing exercises or just a place to step away from everyone and just relieve some stress.”
For decorations in the space, “We tried to put some peaceful artwork on the walls and we will probably add some pieces as we go along,” Cochran said. Residence Life wants the room to
be accessible, but also preserved.
“We don’t want everything to disappear but the big heavy chair,” he said.
As of press time, rejuvenation rooms are open in all six resident halls - Peirce, Horace Mann, Larned, West, Corinne Hall Towers, and Miles Bibb.
“In regards to the launch, we had problems with locks on the doors,” Cochran said. “It is available to schedule for a 45-minute block and to do whatever you want. However, if students just want to use the room for as little as ten minutes, that option is available.
“The space in the library is great, and going off that, the rejuvenation rooms were made to be where the people are [living],” he said. “It’s made to be available all throughout the day, so when the writer’s block hits you at 9 at night and your assignment is due at midnight, you can get it done.”
Security Desk Attendants in the dorm will log sign-outs of the room key to help keep track of usage. This will track how many people use the space so Residence Life is able to continually update the room based on usage, Cochran said.
“Every night when the RA goes on
duty, they will do a slight inventory check to see if anyone made a mess or spilled something, but besides that, it is available 24/7 to students,” he said.
Senior Quentin Antonio, an education major, said, “The rooms are going to be a really positive thing for students. It will be great for when you need to do a late-night assignment.”
Nana-Yaw Afiedzie ’24 said, “When I was going to Framingham, it [a rejuvenation room] was just in the library, but it’s great to see its expansion to the dorms. I think students will really enjoy it.”
Junior Connor Aubin, a cybersecurity major, said, “The rooms sound really nice, I mean having a room that’s free of all distractions is great - especially with all the electronics available right in your room.”
Junior Kayliana Sevieri said, “It’s cool - especially since it has a massage chair. It sounds like a really good place to relax and wind down.”
OP/ED
THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL
Don’t pull the plug on communication
If you stayed on campus this past weekend, the cold, wet weather wasn’t your biggest concern. The problem we all suddenly faced was that other than the McCarthy Center, West Hall, and Miles Bibb Hall, the campus had no power for nearly a full day.
This power outage left residents confused, upset, and in the dark, both about the lack of power starting at approximately 5 a.m. and the lack of any communication from the administration until approximately 11 a.m.
Power outages aren’t always preventable, but not communicating vital information to students is.
With all of the offices on campus that could have communicated with residents about the outageFacilities, FSUPD, Dean of Students, and Residence Life - why did residents have to wait six hours to hear an official word from anyone?
The first official notification to the community was in the form of an FSU Alert sent at 11:08 a.m., which stated, “The University is currently experiencing a power outage. Crews are working to resolve the issue at this time. McCarthy Building has power.”
These three sentences don’t even begin to address what students needed to hear.
FSU Alerts are intended to quickly send information to the entire campus in the event of emergencies. They are short and to the point so they can convey pertinent information as quickly as possible.
This message was sent hours after the actual emergency began. This vague alert is what should have been sent out in the morning soon after the outage occurred.
Six hours gave University officials plenty of time to assemble more than three sentences worth of information - information so basic that it wasnt news to anyone by the time it was sent out.
Even worse, this first communication still left everyone wondering what happened and how and when it was going to be fixed.
A follow-up email was sent at 12:08 p.m. by Jay Hurtubise, assistant dean of students, providing some information about what was going on.
The first line of this email stated the University had immediately sent out emergency response personnel to work on the outage in the morning - meaning administrators knew about the outage hours before finally deciding to alert students.
Were the students actively dealing with the power outage simply an afterthought for our administration?
We understand the outage took everyone on campus by surprise and the top priority was working with Eversource to resolve the issue. However, communication should have been next on the list, not something that was coordinated halfway through the day.
These communications gave no information to students about what the timeline for restoring the power was, leaving them wondering if they would be left in the dark once the sun went down.
An additional six hours passed before students were sent an update.
Six hours of students wondering what caused the outage. Six hours of students worrying about the food in their fridge going bad. Six hours of students not having any answers about the state of
Have an opinion?
Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu
their home.
When the next email was sent out, it was 6 p.m. The email stated, “At this time, our Facilities team and the power company, Eversource, have developed a plan to restore power to all campus buildings within the next couple of hours. Residents of Larned Hall may experience a minor delay once power is restored to the rest of campus, as the building’s system will require additional work before coming online. Miles Bibb and West Hall are already currently operating with full power, as is the McCarthy Center.”
This email is still vague. Though it implies the issue will be resolved soon, it does not explain what exactly is going on in each building.
It especially brings up questions for residents of Larned Hall, left wondering why their residence hall is unable to have its power restored along with the rest of the campus.
This confusion regarding the state of Larned’s power continued with the next FSU Alert, which was sent to all students with the subject line, “Power Outage Over.”
The alert, sent at 8:27 p.m., reads, “Power has been restored to all the areas on Campus, except for Larned Hall. An update will follow.”
This subject line is incredibly misleading. It implies that the issue has been completely resolved, despite the fact that many residents were still left without power.
No one was told why there were additional issues preventing power from being restored in Larned along with the rest of campus.
On top of this, students still weren’t told the cause of this widespread outage until Monday, when a brief explanation was sent at the end of an email about a scheduled power outage later in the week.
The email sent on Executive Director of Facilities Dan Giard’s behalf, read, “Saturday’s power loss was due to an electrical switch in Larned Hall that went down.”
That short sentence is all students have been told about this outage’s cause.
Why did it take two whole days for that sentence to be sent to students?
That sentence could have been included in any of the emails from Hurtubise. It should have been one of the first details provided.
So many questions would have been answered.
All students on campus are adults who deserve the full details of events that directly affect their living environment - even if those details may make us unhappy.
Ineffective communication makes us feel worse.
The Gatepost Editorial Board believes students deserve timely communication about major events on campus that impact their lives.
Waiting six hours before receiving a vague alert telling us information most students already figured it out by themselves isn’t what students deserve.
We pay to live and learn on this campus and should be treated with respect.
Respect is shown through timely and honest communication. The least the University owes us is to keep us up to date about our homes and our campus.
Don’t just leave us in the dark.
Opinions should be about 500 words.
Anyone can submit.
We look forward to hearing from you!
| FSU gatepost.com
You’ve
got time
By Liv Dunleavy Staff Writer
I’ll be real - I’ve been in college for a while. As a 2020 high-school graduate, I feel like I can give myself some grace. But as the semesters pass and my credits accumulate, I feel worse and worse about my place in my academic career.
Going to college for the first time - during the pandemic no less - felt scary and exciting, but I don’t think I was equipped for everything that was about to be thrown at me. I was just a small fish in a big, big pond, and I don’t think I ever got acclimated to the water.
My college journey started at a highly regarded private school, one of the colleges of the Fenway, a school that I felt proud to tell my family and friends I attended. I was ready to be a success story - the success story - but of course, life throws a wrench in one’s plans every once in a while.
Starting college during the pandemic, in my opinion, was one of the main reasons I am where I am today. I am at my third college, Framingham State University, in a completely different major, at an age older than what one would assume a junior would or should be, and still so utterly confused about what the hell I am going to do with my life.
Starting college during the pandemic meant my class struggled to meet in person. My first year was a mess of Zoom and miscommunication, a loss of motivation, and a complete rewiring of the part of my brain that processes information.
All of this to say, when the school opened up the next fall for in-person classes, I didn’t know what I was in for.
I did not know how to be a student. I did not know how to balance my social life with school. I didn’t even know what to do every day with my own time, and honestly I still don’t. I feel like I missed out on a lot of vital moments.
I realized maybe a fancy private college was too big of a first step during COVID. I took a gap semester.
Time went by. I got older.
I started at a community college the next fall. Community college was an eye-opener, I felt like it gave me the space to explore my options without pressure. I was older than most incoming freshmen but I was also surrounded by transfers like me, and late comers who had the brilliant idea of not spending egregious amounts of money on schools without some sort of certainty.
It felt weird - making friends with freshmen there - I wasn’t so old they felt disconnected. In fact I have a lot of tendencies to act more childish so I did often get mistaken for a freshman, but it was like I was looking back at my past self making the mistakes I already have, and I could just sigh and say, “It is going to be OK.”
I still feel this way now, but definitely on a larger scale. After going to college for almost five years now, I feel like those struggles I faced at my first school - time management, life balance, finding my way in this crazy world - they’ve all been overcome with time.
Honestly, I freak out some days thinking about my future. I don’t know where I will be in five or 10 years. I know where I would like to be, and I can plan as much as possible. But honestly, I have spent so much time in college not knowing how it will end and I still don’t know.
But I can tell you this - I don’t know your story. It might be very different from mine. It might be similar. What I can say confidently is you have time. I’ve made so many friends along my college journey - people with stories and passions and fears, people who have helped me grow and allowed me into their lives so we are able to grow by each other’s side.
These days, these months, these years you spend on this campus, in this big pond, or another pond, lake, or ocean - whether you see yourself as a big fish, a small fish, a frog, a lily pad, a tadpoleyou are doing just fine.
You have time.
It is OK not to have figured it out right away.
Kendrick versus the FAN
By Izayah Morgan Opinions Editor
Hip-Hop is an art form I grew up loving from a young age with my father playing Hip-Hop tracks on the drive to school and producing beats in his studio.
As I grew, I learned the origins through my own research. Starting in New York, Hip-Hop was influenced by disco and house music. DJ Kool Herc in 1973 spun his turntable at his sister’s back-to-school party - this marked the birth of Hip-Hop.
At first Hip-Hop was a niche genre, but blew up in the ’80s with rappers such as LL Cool J, Run-D.M.C, Big Daddy Kane, and more producing music.
Fifty years later, Hip-Hop is now one of the biggest music genres - with that there are pros and cons.
Throughout the years we saw many beefs - Nas vs. Jay Z, Tupac vs. Biggie, 50 Cent vs. Kanye, Nicki vs. Remy Ma, and the most recent example, Kendrick vs. Drake.
Some ended with peace, others in violence.
Throughout the 2010s, the “King of Hip-Hop” title was up for grabs and it was between two main figures.
Drake and Kendrick Lamar.
The two have widely different experiences that shaped their view of Blackness. Drake grew up with an absent Black father and a white Jewish mother. In his early life, he became a child actor, finding success on the show “Degrassi.” He went on to make a song with singer Trey Songs and was noticed by Hip-Hop legend Lil Wayne.
on the themes of growing up in Compton while being a good kid. His third studio album, “To Pimp A Butterfly,” is his most critically acclaimed, specifically in the Black community, and is centered around issues of race and trauma.
In Hip-Hop, we have what I like to call OGs - people who are respected in the industry of Hip- Hop and have great influence on the Hip-Hop community. For me was my uncle who, let’s say, had his thoughts on Drake’s come up. However, an OG can be anyone in Hip-Hop who grew up with the genre and has a say in the industry.
Essentially, OGs have the say so on who is here to stay. It was clear most OGs sided with Kendrick.
Kendrick had grown with the culture, saw it as part of himself and gave to it.
crown.
J. Cole responded to Kendrick with the now-deleted diss song, “7 Minute Drill.” Drake responded with the song “Push Ups” pushing light jabs at Kendrick, as well as other artists.
Kendrick sent out warning shots within the songs “Euphoria” and “6:16 in Los Angeles” - telling Drake not to push this beef further as he previously had in his last feud with rapper Pusha T., who exposed Drake for doing Blackface and having a secret child.
Drake pushed it further.
He dropped the song “Family Matters” and accused Kendrick of having kids that were not his, but his manager’s, and abusing his wife. I went to sleep that night texting my uncle that the beef was over and Drake had wonno question.
remember the roots of where this came from and how Black people so often create smiles out of pain. We are some of the best minds and entertainment in one.
When we sit and analyze everything, this beef was about the culture in which rap was created - the struggle, love and authenticity which Kendrick represented. On the other hand, Drake represented to many the thing a Hip-Hop artist should never do - to claim a lifestyle he never experienced.
To the culture, Drake represents what they never wanted rap to become - inauthentic. Especially to the struggle many African Americans suffer from today.
Subsequently, Kendrick hosted “The Pop Out: Ken & Friends” on Juneteenth, a holiday that celebrates the freedom of
He joined Wayne in the height of his career in the “I am Music” tour. Drake then released his debut album “Thank Me Later” which debuted at number one - his dominance has been history from then.
Kendrick had an upbringing that was very different. Born in Compton, California, Kendrick often described his home life and real life as separate. Growing up, he saw his parents be happy and treat him well, but life in Compton, as you can imagine, was hard. Drug money, violence, and political tension shaped his worldview.
However, he rose above his harsh circumstances and became one of the most respected rappers of his time. His studio album “Section.80” became/is a wonderful introduction to Kendrick. His second studio album “Good Kid M.A.A.D City” is beautiful as it touches
However, with his hiatus after his album “Damn” in 2017, it was clear that hit after hit Drake took the crown of Hip-Hop King. Kendrick returned in 2022 with his fifth studio album, but was flocked with controversy and a mixed reception.
The album made it seem like Kendrick was done with the culture and looked toward focusing on his wife, kids, and therapy as discussed in his latest album “Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.” With this shift in Kendrick’s focus, it looked like Drake had won the battle for king and could be “as big as the Super Bowl.”
Drake went on to make a long awaited feature with J. Cole, where they proceeded to name themselves and Kendrick as the “big three” of rap.
However, Kendrick proceeded to show them all that he was “Like That.” He went on a track with Future and Metro Boomin and proceeded to diss Drake and J. Cole, but the track left the feeling Kendrick had an itch for Drake’s
Ah Kenny, I’m sorry for doubting you.
Kendrick proceeded to drop, not even an hour later, the song “Meet the Grahams.” In this track, Kendrick apologized to Drake’s son for having a terrible father and blamed Drake’s own dad for being absent in his life and producing a manipulator. He also apologizes to Drake’s mother for birthing such a terrible person and highlights his poor treatment of women.
I thought this was a good diss, butsurely - Drake could come back, right? No. He couldn’t.
Kendrick, hours later, dropped “Not Like Us,” where he produced one the biggest diss tracks ever and one of the biggest club bangers ever. He classified Drake as a pedophile, groomer, and colonizer. All in a song you can crip walk too.
This beef taught me many things. It taught me to respect this art form that gave so much to the culture and filled so many lives with joy. It taught me to
the last enslaved African Americans in Texas. It was a huge success and, for a moment, had a person on stage from every walk of life.
To me, rap is associated with my family, friends, and Black joy. Even if it was just for a moment, we stopped the hate and disrespect and sat and enjoyed what two phenomenal artists gave us.
Whether they be a rapper, singer, athlete, gang member, or just an ordinary person, every bit of drama was dropped. Even if it was just for a night, it felt as if America had come together.
Now, we have the recent announcement that Kendrick will be performing for the Super Bowl Halftime Show - the single most watched program in America.
The questions a lot of people have been asking are “How will Kendrick diss Drake?” and “How will Drake respond to this decision by the NFL?”
My answer is, it’s already over.
There are no round twos.
David Abe / THE GATEPOST
Campus Conversations
By Adam Harrison and Raena Doty, Editorial Staff, and Sarah Daponde and Taylor Kimmell, Staff Writers
How do you feel about
“I never really thought about it. They’ve always just been two different sodas to me. It’s just soda.”
- Alexa Ponce, senior
“I didn’t even know that Coke products were available at one point. It’s been Pepsi the whole time that I’ve been here, but I’d rather it be Coke products. I like Sprite.”
- Audrey Gauthier, freshman
“I’m not the biggest fan of the transition from Coke to Pepsi because I’m a really big fan of Diet Coke. I do like the fact that the dispenser machine has new flavor podsyou can make ice cream with that, too.”
- Khoa Bui, sophomore
and
really Coke lovers. We have Coca-Cola stock. I have CocaCola merch. I do wish it was Coca-Cola.
- Ava Gagne, junior
“I like Pepsi, so I like the change.”
- Mary Weldon, freshman
“This is a disaster. This is disastrous. They took away Sprite from me specifically and I’m devastated by that. Imagine drinking a Starry. Imagine that. Horrible. It is horrible.”
- Zen Crosby, junior
“I hate it. I hate Pepsi. I think we should have Coke back.”
- Caitlin Cruz, freshman
“I hate it. I absolutely hate it because Coke was great and I had the option of Diet Coke. ”
- Scarlett Thomas, junior
“Well, since I’m a freshman, I don’t really have an opinion on that, but I do want the Coke products back because I heard there was Vitamin Water and other products that I like.”
- Jaysha Powell, freshman
“I really don’t like it at all.”
- Bri Camilli, sophomore
Roopika Risam
Roopika Risam
“My mom
I are
SPORTS
Cross country dashes through the Dartmouth dirt
By Riley Crowell Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State University men’s and women’s cross country teams competed at the UMass Dartmouth Invitational Sept. 21.
Junior Meghan Johnston and sophomore Kate Buban led the way for the women’s team. Johnston finished the 5K course in 20:50.9. Buban followed closely behind in 20:53.6.
Buban said, “I think that I did my best for the conditions. I felt like at the start of the race, I fell pretty far back, but then I got into a groove, and I did the best I could for that day.
“I was hoping for a better time, but I’m happy with how it went,” she add ed.
Head Coach Mark Johnson spoke highly of his two top finishers. “Both of them trust the program. … They be lieve that what we’re doing is going to make them a better runner.
“It’s been great just having them be able to push each other in practice, so then during meets, they’re able to push each other forward there, too,” he added.
Buban agreed Rams support and push each other.
“After we do our warm-up run, we put on our running spikes, we go over to the race line, and we all cheer each other on. I think we definitely moti vate each other,” she said.
The next runner to cross the finish line for the Rams was first-year Grace Avery with a time of 21:51.
“Personally, I think the race went really well,” Avery said.
Johnson gave nothing but high praise for the rookie runner. He said, “I started talking to Grace last October, and since our first talks together, she has bought into the program.
“Every day, she’s asking for more. She’s asking for more reps. She’s ask ing for faster times. She wants to push herself and wants to push her team mates,” he added.
Avery’s performance earned her MASCAC women’s cross country Rook ie of the Week honors for the second time this season.
ing to accelerate and finish strong was a hard ask because of all the turns in the mud, but I held my form and ran strong the whole race.”
Johnson said, “I think the sky is really the limit for Vincent.
“Both him and our other freshman newcomer, Aaron Corlette - I cannot wait to have them for the next four years to push each other,” he added.
This marked Gauthier’s second
Buban said, “I like that we’re able to go against people who are faster than us, so it can push us to work harder.”
Gauthier said, “To me, the bigger the race, the better, because it creates an amazing atmosphere. The whole space becomes energized and it fuels you to run paces so fast, while it feels so easy. There’s nothing like it.”
Both Rams’ teams faced suboptimal weather and course conditions on the
fun to run through the mud.”
Gauthier said, “Once I’m in the race, those kinds of conditions play more to my strengths. I generally have a very high tolerance for conditions and the rain felt wonderful after I got all warmed up.”
Johnson expressed his satisfaction with the results of the meet. “I’ve been with the program for eight years now. … I have not been happier leaving a cross country meet than I was this past Saturday. Just across the board, it felt like for the most part, everything that could go right did.
Avery said, “I feel honored to be recognized by the conference. The recognition and the support from my team makes me work even harder, knowing that the work I’m putting in is paying off.”
Johnson said, “I was excited to see her win Rookie of the Week for her second consecutive week - if anyone deserves it, it is definitely Grace.
“Track and cross country, they’re very individualistic sports, and she’s viewing everything from the team aspect, which is just really great to see,” he added.
First-year Vincent Gauthier led the charge for the men’s team, turning in a time of 27:44.6 on the 8K course.
Gauthier said, “I think my race went almost as good as it could have with those conditions.
The last mile or two was tough. Try-
men’s teams, Framingham finished 36th.
Both the women’s and men’s meets featured representatives from NCAA Division I, Division II, and Division III.
Cross country deviates from the norm of Division III sports by featuring cross-division competition, giving the Rams the chance to compete against the best of the best.
Despite the difference in divisions, Framingham coaches and runners don’t back down from the challenge and enjoy the opportunity.
Johnson said, “It’s an opportunity to showcase your skill, show people who you are, and that we’re able to compete with the best of the best.”
Avery said, “Competing with Division I and Division II schools at first was intimidating, but now it makes me race with more confidence.”
change of clothes. I had a blanket for the bus ride, thankfully.”
Johnson said, “Going in, I told the team, times are out the window today. … Just go out there, have fun, and do what you need to do to push.
“Really just trying to keep everyone positive. Positive mentality going in sets you up for opportunities to succeed,” he added.
Luckily for the Rams, the rainy and muddy conditions didn’t slow them down too much. Buban said, “I liked the race. I even thought it was kind of
“Both the men and the women all ran really strong, great races. We had a number of collegiate personal bests. Across the board, just a great day for the Rams,” he added.
First-year standouts Avery and Gauthier both spoke about the warm welcome they’ve received from the program. Avery said, “From the beginning, both the coaches and team have shown me nothing but positivity and support.
Gauthier said, “My coaches and teammates have been amazingly supportive and helpful. There’s such a drive from all of them to get better and it really makes me hopeful for the rest of the season and seasons to come.”
The Rams have five remaining events in the season, including the MASCAC Championships and NCAA Regionals in November. Both teams are excited about what lies ahead. Avery said, “I am stoked for the rest of the season! I am excited to continue to race with the team! I feel really good about how far I’ve come this season.”
Gauthier said, “I’m feeling really positive about the rest of the season. I’ve always gone into races with goals, and often, especially in my senior year of high school, I fell far short every time. However, I went into this past race with a time goal of 27:30, and finished only 14 seconds slower, despite the conditions.”
Walsh said he feels great going into the rest of the season. He said the only thing he has “to lock in on” is ensuring he saves his best race times for the championship.
Cross country is back in action on Sept. 28 when they travel to Mass. Maritime for the Travis Fuller Invitational.
[Editor’s Note: Staff Writer Taylor Kimmell contributed to this article. Ben Hurney is the Illustrations Editor for The Gatepost]
Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST
Field hockey falters in conference opener
By Izabela Gage Asst. Sports Editor
Field hockey traveled to Fitchburg State University for their first conference game Sept. 20, and Eastern Connecticut State University for a non-conference game Sept. 25.
The Rams fell to the Fitchburg State Falcons 4-2 and the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors 2-0, bringing their overall record to 1-4, and their conference record to 0-1.
Fitchburg State opened the action-packed game with their first shot on goal less than 30 seconds in, which did not find the back of the net. Framingham kept up the pace, earning four shots on goal in the first five minutes of the game.
With 45 seconds left in the first, the Falcons netted the first goal of the game, gaining the lead 1-0.
The teams went back-and-forth for the entire first quarter, with Framingham totaling seven shots on goal and Fitchburg right behind them with six.
The Falcons scored their second goal less than a minute into the second quarter, while the Rams struggled and only had one shot on goal.
Two minutes into the third quarter, first-year Finley Hogan scored her first collegiate goal, assisted by senior captain Emma Bailey.
First-year Mikayla Malmquist scored unassisted 48 seconds later, earning her first collegiate goal, tying up the game 2-2.
The Rams fought hard on defense.
However, the Falcons regained their lead when they netted their third goal four minutes later.
Framingham struggled to keep up in the fourth, unable to make any opportunity to score. Fitchburg stayed consistent and found the back of the net once more with six minutes left in the game.
The Rams stayed dominant with their defense as sophomore goaltender Kaitlyn Tello saved 16 shots out of 20, earning a .800 save percentage.
When asked about her first collegiate goal, Hogan said, “Scoring gave me more confidence in myself, which directly correlates to my motivation and excitement that I can help my team on the field.”
About scoring her first goal, Malmquist said it was “a relief to get one on the board.”
She added, “I’m excited to keep pushing myself offensively.”
Most recently, Framingham State lost in a shutout to the Eastern Connecticut State Warriors.
ECSU gained an early lead, netting their first goal nine minutes into the game.
The Rams struggled with offense, only tallying one shot on goal from senior captain Kaylee Beck 14 minutes into the first quarter.
Framingham had no opportunity to score in the second quarter, totaling zero shots on goal. Eastern Connecticut was able to secure their second goal with six minutes left.
Beck tried to score once more in the first minute of the third quarter, but was unable to find the back of the net.
Goaltender Rowan Whittaker stayed on top of defense and did not let the Warriors score again in the third.
The fourth quieted down, with ECSU only fighting for two shots on goal, and FSU came up empty-handed.
The defense was strong, as Whittaker made 12 saves out of 14, acquiring a .857 save percentage.
Malmquist said, “[This season] has had a slow start game-wise, but we have only had one conference game so far, so we are ready to jump into some more.”
Sophomore Natalie Roehr said, “We’re taking it one game at a time and fighting for every ball. We’re working on giving it our 100% effort all the time.”
The Rams are coming back after a loss in the MASCAC finals last year, and are looking for redemption.
“Being part of a team with such high goals is really motivating, and it pushes us to give our best every day,” Malmquist said.
Roehr said the team has maintained their high expectations. “We’re going to keep fighting every single game for what we want at the end of this season.”
Hogan said, “No matter how hard they push us in practices or games,
they’re super supportive and I think all the freshmen realize they see our potential and want us to reach it.
“It makes us push so much harder knowing that we can make it just as far this year if not further,” she added.
Framingham State plays conference opponent Salem State at the Maple Street Field for a mental health awareness game Sept. 28.
Women’s soccer wins first conference game under new head coach
By Izabela Gage
Asst. Sports Editor
By Kyra Tolley Staff Writer
Women’s soccer shut out the MCLA Trailblazers 3-0 on their home turf for the team’s first conference game Sept. 21. Their overall record is now 1-6, and their conference record is 1-0.
The Rams started strong with three shots on goal in the first two minutes.
Junior Madison Magone saved the first shot MCLA had on goal four minutes into the game.
Sophomore Melissa Romeiro took advantage of a loose ball, scoring the game’s first goal unassisted with seven minutes left in the first half.
The first half ended with the Rams in the lead 1-0, while the Trailblazers struggled on offense, totaling only four shots on goal in the entire game.
Senior Alicia Tocman opened the second half with two shots on goal. Junior Grayson Tellier and first-year Abigail Pratt both contributed one shot each, bringing the Rams to 21 shots on goal.
The Rams pushed up the field, not letting MCLA have any opportunity for shots on goal in the second half.
First-year Hailey Ring tallied her first collegiate goal, assisted by Tocman, bringing the score to 2-0.
First-year Bella Grimaldi kept up the momentum and attempted to net another goal, which was saved by the Trailblazers.
FSU totaled 23 shots on goal by the end of the game, while Magone easily stopped all four goal-scoring attempts from MCLA in the first half.
In the last two minutes of play, Ring netted her second collegiate goal bringing the final score to 3-0.
Ring capitalized on attacking, to-
taling six shots on goal throughout the game. Tellier, Tocman, and senior Cathryn Cooney each finished the game with three shots on goal. Pratt, Romeiro, and senior captain Megan McAullife contributed to the team’s efforts with two shots on goal each.
With her successful performance against MCLA, Ring earned MASCAC Rookie of the Week Sept. 23.
“I definitely feel like I have a title to uphold. There are some expectations there from not only myself, but I’m sure my coaches have [them] as well for me,” Ring said.
Senior Captain Victoria Potter said, “The intensity that we came out with for MCLA and the bond that we have as a team is what helped us secure that win.”
When asked about the team’s motivation going forward for the rest of the season, Ring said, “Just because we won that game doesn’t mean our work is finished.”
Head Coach Michael La Francesca earned his first win with the Rams in their dominant 3-0 win against the Trailblazers.
La Francesca credited the players, saying, “They continue to believe in their ability to take it to the next level.
“As coaches, it’s our job to keep them in that specific mindset and push them a little bit harder because they
have what it takes to be very competitive in this conference.”
Ring said, “I feel like [his] support is what a lot of us need right now to keep going. … I just feel like it pushes us to where we need to be.”
As of press time, Framingham State lost to UMass Dartmouth 2-0 in an away game Sept 25.
The Rams totaled five shots on goal, all of which did not find the net.
Magone racked up 13 saves out of 15 shots, with a save percentage of .867.
The Rams are seeking redemption when they travel to Salem State University to play the Vikings Sept. 28.
Romeiro said, “The way we’re practicing is the way we’re going to play. The team is definitely motivated to get onto their field and beat them.”
[Editor’s Note: Bella Grimaldi is a Staff Writer for The Gatepost.]
Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST (Right) Allison Harmuth dribbling during loss to Fitchburg Sept. 20.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Front) Hailey Baker during game against Lasell Sept. 5.
ARTS & FEATURES
Senator Oliveira speaks at a ‘Books Not Bans’ event
By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Arts & Features Editor
The Whittemore Library and the Education Department hosted the event “Books Not Bans: Preserving Access to Diverse Perspectives” in the McCarthy Center Forum Sept. 25.
The event started off with a visiting speaker, state Sen. Jake R. Oliveira. He introduced himself as a Framingham State University alum, Class of 2008. He represents some communities in Western Massachusetts.
Oliveira said he used to serve on the school committee of his hometown of Ludlow. He added the races for school committees and library trustees are getting more attention because of the issue of book banning and the question of what schools can teach.
Highlighting the education majors in the room, he said, “Educators are the backbone of our democracy, along with our librarians, and that’s why it’s such an honor to be here today.”
Most of his early years on the school committee were focused on budgetary concerns due to the recent recession, he said, and added it slowly has shifted into focusing more on social issues.
Oliveira shared one of his first experiences with book banning from 2019, before the pandemic. A parent complained about a book containing passages about the LGBTQ+ community being in a middle school library, he said.
That same library had a non-binary librarian, he added. Ludlow was a conservative community, so “she rubbed a few people in the community the wrong way.” Despite that, she was kind and influential to everyone and made the library an inclusive space, he said.
He treated the complaint with respect while emphasizing how to judge these sorts of books, he said.
“We will take a look at it and we’ll read these passages because you can’t just look at a line in a book. You got to look at the totality of the message of that book that you’re reading, not just snippets that you want to pick and choose to fit your political ideology or a way in which you can create more fissures in a community,” Oliveira added.
After reading the book, he realized there was nothing age inappropriate for middle-schoolers in it, he said. But because the parent had complained, she returned to the committee meetings and read specific passages of books she found there and didn’t like, he added.
He said this led to more members of the committee “feeding into this narrative and creating some kind of loud noises regarding what was in these books.”
When the parent took to social me-
dia, it caused certain groups to start seeing Ludlow as a conservative and targetable community, Oliveira said. There was one group with “affiliations and ties with far, far right-wing groups that have been deemed as terrorist organizations by the NAACP and the Southern Poverty Law Center,” he added.
“They began reaching out to churches within our community and organizing meetings at local coffee shops and restaurants to try to invite more like-minded people in order to create more of a firestorm around the books that were in the school,” he said.
Oliveira said he was part of another committee, one that was made up
in a community to be loud voices in order to try to drive their own political ideology,” he added.
He recognizes that this is nothing new, but while these people used to be on the sidelines, they’re now running for office, Oliveira said.
Not only are books being challenged, he said, but so are organizations such as LGBTQ+ Alliances in schools.
“This is happening not in Florida, or in Texas, or in places that are far from here. It’s happening right down the road. It’s happening within our communities,” Oliveira said.
Local elections are extremely important, he said. Low voter turnout allows these small but loud groups to
of teachers, parents, and a representative of the school committee. This group would review any challenged book, he added.
After “12 or 13 book challenges,” they realized that all of these books were, in fact, age appropriate, he said. Even the committee members who had different ideological ideas agreed, he added.
He said because of this, the questionable group has tried to get “like minded people into our town government that could then begin to remove books and create a culture within our schools that was really hostile to the LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color.”
Oliveira said this “small but loud” group also caused several educators to leave the school district. The kind librarian mentioned before sought other employment, he added.
He stressed the importance of public libraries, calling them centers of democracy where people can get unfiltered information.
Throughout the country, Massachusetts has the fourth largest number of book challenges out of any state, he said, and added fifty-four percent of those challenges are in public libraries.
Book bannings are not anything new, he said. “We have gone through waves throughout our history where people have challenged books, where they’ve organized a small group with-
get into power and makes our schools “not inclusive places, but places where we build walls against individuals instead of lifting people up,” he added.
He urged people to vote in both the presidential election and the local elections because the local elections can have serious consequences for our communities.
“The most important thing that you can do is educate yourself on the candidates that are running and show up to vote,” he said. Without that vote, banned books could become the new normal.
Next, the panel discussion began. The panel had five members - Amanda Landry, Class of ’20 and a librarian for the Framingham Public Library; Elizabeth Thompson, a Framingham Public Schools librarian; Laura Hudock, professor of education; Jerome Burke, director of the CIE.
After his speech, Oliveira joined the other panel members.
In response to a question about what happens behind the scenes in these situations, Thompson shared what sometimes happens in her school. “So in my particular school, there hasn’t been any formal challenge. What happens more oftenstudents will take books focused on LGBTQ+ issues or things like that and they will misshelve them, or hide them, or flip the titles,” she said.
“Staff members will come to me
and say, ‘This isn’t appropriate. How could you have this? How dare you?’” she added.
She said she works across the street from the school’s health teacher, and from her, Thompson learned more parents have asked for their kids to opt out of certain aspects of health class, or even the class in general, she added.
She specified the lessons around sex education and consent, saying parents ask for their kids not to be included. “That never happened when I started, and now every year there’s two or three more kids where this is happening.”
Landry said in her library she’ll have books on display that she keeps needing to reorganize. Books that she “will continuously have to take out from the majority to put back on so you see the cover that has a Black person’s face on it,” she said.
“How is it constantly ending up back up in that same spot that’s not right in front of people’s faces like I want it to be?” she asked.
She said she supports Oliviera’s bill on this matter because “it’s handing power back to librarians. It is showing that librarians have an authority and that we aren’t just making willy-nilly decisions.”
One person asked Burke, “What do you do in your research? What do you find are some long term implications of banning books, particularly those from marginalized communities?”
He said they made the Diversity Dialogues program in direct response to book banning.
He added they wanted to create a space where “we’re having conversations about issues that we’re often told not to be talking about.
“Appreciating all those issues and trying to create spaces where we’re encouraging persons to be highlighted and urging persons to be to be advocates was really the idea behind the program,” he said.
An attendee asked Hudock, “What do you see as the role of higher education in this arena of book banning?”
She said if teachers are limited in what titles they can adopt, there’s a risk that those titles won’t reflect the students fully.
“Then we’re excluding students from fully learning in the schools. And so we have to know how to create those spaces, to have the books in the classroom, to have those conversations in the classroom, how to supplement the system? And to do that, teachers have to be trusted,” she said.
CONNECT WITH FRANCISCO OMAR FERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ ffernandezrodriguez@ student.framingham.edu
Meghan Spargo / THE GATEPOST
State Sen. Jake Oliveira at the “Books not Bans” event Sept. 25.
Guzman
Continued from Page 1
Hispanic Heritage Month.
She said her motto has always been “Turn your ambition into action,” and she doesn’t like sitting idly.
“I don’t just talk the talk, I walk the walk,” she said, and added she is always working toward a goal until she achieves what she wants to do, at which point she finds a new goal.
Guzman said discrimination against Deaf people is common. She added, “I hope my experience overcoming discrimination and obstacles will also help you and inspire you.
“Being Deaf should not be the reason to limit you or prevent you from reaching your goals,” Guzman added.
She said she was born to hearing Puerto Rican immigrant parents who moved to Massachusetts because they wanted the economic opportunities available to their family.
She added when she hadn’t developed speech by age 2, her grandmother began to worry, and only then was she diagnosed as deaf.
Guzman said this was very difficult for her parents, who had limited connections in the area and no understanding of Deaf culture, but her doctor recommended they place her in the Willie Ross School for the Deaf, and she started school at the age of 3.
She said her mother began to take evening classes to learn ASL, but her father couldn’t do that because he worked the graveyard shift for many years.
Guzman said growing up Deaf caused her to face many forms of discrimination, and because it was such a constant part of her life, “it was just normal.”
She added this discrimination motivated her further and shaped the
person she is today.
Guzman said she graduated high school two years later than most people and this lowered her self esteem, but looking back on it, she thinks this makes sense given how many Deaf people - like her - face language deprivation in their youth.
“We’re playing catch-up,” she said, describing this experience.
She added it doesn’t matter if Deaf students graduate late. “What matters is I’m receiving the education that I need to meet my goals - and I wanted to go to college, I wanted to live a good life, I wanted to be financially stable,” she said.
Guzman added she wanted to go to Smith College for their social work program, and one of her interpreters in high school discouraged her from going - but this only ended up moti-
vating her more.
“I’m thankful for that person who didn’t believe in me,” she said.
She said she didn’t go to Smith College right away and did a program at Holyoke Community College first, and she was further challenged because she got pregnant right before her first year.
Guzman said her parents doubted she would be able to handle college and raise a child at the same time, but she did manage it - though she took three years to graduate instead of two.
She added her hearing sister, who’s a year older than her, entered college and had a child at about the same time as her, and despite the fact that Guzman faced more barriers in her life and schooling because she’s Deaf, both she and her sister graduated at the same time.
Guzman said she finished her bachelor’s degree at Western New England University and then eventually went to Smith College for a master’s program in social work.
Guzman added her mother was very proud when she completed her undergraduate degree - where she was on both the dean’s list and president’s list - but she “didn’t have much to say otherwise.”
She said at Smith College, she had to deal with a professor who reported to the disability services office that she didn’t belong in the graduate program because she was struggling in one class and requested tutoring, even though the tutors were available to all students.
Guzman said she had to face a panel of administrators at the school who judged her qualifications for staying in the program, and the only person on the panel who seemed to think they didn’t need to scrutinize her place in the program was a Black woman.
She added when that professor who reported her for underperforming congratulated her at graduation, she walked away from him without saying anything.
“Sometimes silence is the best answer,” she said.
Guzman said after she received her graduate degree, she spent time experiencing as many different things as she could, including skydiving, completing a Spartan race, running a half marathon, winning Miss Deaf Massachusetts and competing for Miss Deaf America, and competing in high-level amateur fitness divisions.
She added none of these were paying jobs, so she had to work - and take care of her daughter and eventually her son - throughout this time.
Guzman said today, she’s working on starting a therapy practice, because she believes it can be hard for Deaf patients to connect with hearing therapists, and said the two times she’s tried to go to a hearing therapist, it was awkward.
She said she needed to have an interpreter and she “didn’t like that third party being there because it was a waste of time and it wasn’t intimate. There was no connection.”
Guzman said Deaf people are more likely to experience trauma and discrimination, and often this is at the hands of hearing people, so it could be challenging to have a hearing therapist.
“I want [a therapist] who culturally understands my experience of oppression growing up. A hearing person has power and privilege,” she said.
Guzman said she twice failed the test for licensure to become a therapist, in part due to the fact that the written English test isn’t in her first language, and this can create difficulty understanding the exact meaning of the test.
But, she added, she passed the test on her third try in January, and now she’s trying to find the right space to open up a practice that will serve Deaf clients.
“Hearing clients have more access, choices for what’s out there,” she said. “Deaf people are barely getting by with what’s out there because it’s not accessible.”
CONNECT WITH RAENA HUNTER DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu
Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Rosa Guzman and Meriam Bouttisant on stage at the Dwight Performing Arts Center Sept. 24.
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Rosa Guzman, Angela Herbert, and Bruce Bucci on stage at the Dwight Performing Arts Center Sept. 24.
ARTS & FEATURES
‘Napoleon Director’s Cut’ - not so revolutionary
By Michael Trueswell Staff Writer
Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” explores the victories and failures of Napo leon Bonaparte and the relationship between Napoleon and his first wife, Josephine. The film follows Napoleon through the French Army, revolution ary turmoil, and his fluctuating grip on power.
Ridley Scott’s director’s cut of “Na poleon” was released in August and attempts to deliver a deeper look into this complicated historical fig ure’s personal life and professional experiences.
Anything but short, the director’s cut of “Napoleon” drags out the film, an extra 45 minutes making it nearly three-and-a-half hours long. Regret tably, this added runtime slows the already sluggish period film which contributes to audience disinterest and exacerbates the original issues of the film.
One of the largest issues in the original “Napoleon” was its under whelming cuts between important moments in Napoleon’s life. At the cost of not mending these issues, the “Directors Cut” instead includes more of Napoleon’s personal struggles and historical information. It portrays a more authentic life of Napoleon while further dragging out the events, making the work less concise than the original.
was an extension of the failed Russian invasion. This was the beginning of the end of Napoleon’s domination of Europe, and the “Director’s Cut” correctly displayed this
tirety from the original, despite this theater’s impact on Napoleon and decline of his political dominance. This is among many cuts of defining moments in Napoleon’s life.
someone’s life without emitting massive portions of it, it was my hope that the added runtime in the “Director’s Cut” would contribute to showing other vital moments in Napoleon’s career that were left out from the original.
Vanessa Kirby’s performance as Josephine was one of the most engaging of the original cut of “Napoleon.” In her added scenes of the “Director’s Cut” she surpasses the expectations she set in the original. Mostly added at the start of the movie, she again is able to connect with the audience with her emotional vulner- ing new depth to the character of Josephine. Her
Sadly, these added performances are not enough to justify the nearly three-and-a-half hour runtime.
Despite the attempt, Ridley Scott’s Director’s Cut of “Napoleon” fails to fix the many issues of the original. The added runtime does not provide enough substance and leaves the audience unaware and confused of the importance of historical events shown.
For the audience members who are familiar with the life stories of Napoleon and Josephine, they too are left unrewarded by the film’s overfocus on irrelevant details and an exhausting runtime. Although an improvement, Ridley Scott’s “Director’s Cut” still falls short of engaging the audience or providing an accurate depiction of its characters.
Joaquin Phoenix’s most notable contribution in the “Director’s Cut”
Electrix Vintage outshines
pyrotechnic display at NYFW
By Bella Omar Asst. Arts & Features Editor
Electrix Vintage - @electrixvintage on Instagram - has been a dynamic, NYC-based vintage store since its conception in 2020. The owner, Fashion Institute of Technology student Danny Colon, personally curates the brand’s eclectic online and pop-up store selections - and makes fashionable vintage items accessible through affordable pricing.
By sourcing through local estate sales and keen customers, every piece is high quality and guaranteed unique - making Electrix truly stand out in the oversaturated and overpriced world of curated vintage.
To my disappointment, The Peninsular War was excluded in its en-
character’s experiences and trauma went mostly unaddressed in the original cut. By following Josephine before she met Napoleon, her added scenes are able to emotionally - enc- olu -
tion often entailed. This served the purpose of showing how chaotic and tyrannical the state had become before the establishment of Napoleon’s empire. It also allowed the audience to care about and understand Josephine’s perspectives more as a character as the film follows her through the decades.
All that can be said, the Director’s Cut of “Napoleon” left me simultaneously wanting for more and wishing for less.
Rating: C-
An exhausting film battling against the runtime
The brand’s recent New York around faces, oversized
ers and sweaters tossed over shoulders gave fortlessly chic appearance. Somehow in dem with these
an tuxedos and graphic crop-tops also walked down the runway - giving everyone new inspiration
an vacation or their next
The one-of-a-kind leather, woven, and felt purses that ried particularly
ing the unique personalities of each look -
one to wonder, “What is in that
After Colon and the Electrix team closed, the crowd began to anticipate the second show of the evening
from NYC-based brand, Hot Couture. Fire producers Joules Magus and Chris Flambeaux have produced pyrotechnic art installations and wearable fire designs since 1992 - and recently began showing their work within the NYC fashion scene under the Hot Couture label.
As someone unfamiliar with wearable flames, I was not sure of what fashions I expected the models to be wearing - but as they walked out, it was, shockingly, nothing.
Models appeared on stage dressed in next-to-no clothes and flammable head pieces that were ritualistically set aflame one at a time by Flambeaux - allowing himself time to disclose the intentions behind each work to the audience.
Each piece resembled the shape of horns and other animalistic features, paired with minimal black clothing. They failed to provide the variation and nuance typically expected from couture showcases.
The smoldering looks were all described as variations of “dark,” “evil” or “demonic” by the designer throughout the show - leaving the audience bored by an otherwise very flashy display of “fashion.”
Charlotte Fabrizi / THE GATEPOST
Marcus Falcão /THE GATEPOST
‘Longlegs’ - a 21st-century horror classic?
By Jesse Burchill Staff Writer
Released on July 12, “Longlegs” is a supernatural horror film starring Maika Monroe, Blair Underwood, Alicia Witt, and Nicolas Cage. It focuses on an FBI investigation into the titular character, a Satan-worshiping serial killer responsible for multiple family annihilations despite never entering their homes.
The film made a wonderful first impression from its very first set of trailers, in which the trope “less is more” is in full effect from the very beginning. The trailers focus on atmosphere and the actions of the title character without giving too much away. In one trailer, we hear a chilling 911 call from a member of a targeted family, mere moments before the massacre.
The character Longlegs does not appear at all in the trailers, but this works in the film’s favor, as the audience is left wondering about the true nature of his crimes and what he even looks like, leaving his identity an even greater mystery
The movie itself manages to make an impression as well, starting with its cast.
Maika Monroe, famous for her role in the 2014 horror film “It Follows,” returns to mainstream horror as Lee Harker, the film’s main protagonist and the chief FBI agent in the Long-
legs investigation. Lee is depicted as a highly competent agent and manages to discover a slew of important information on how Longlegs operates. Monroe delivers as a stoic and socially awkward character who nonetheless remains as a compelling protagonist.
Longlegs himself is portrayed by the iconic Nicolas Cage. In this role, Cage is nigh-unrecognizable as the character thanks to his makeup, speaking patterns, and physical mannerisms.
Cage is already well-known for intense performances and a broad acting range, but here he gives a standout performance. Cage is creepy, off-putting, and chillingly childish as a grown adult, yet he is utterly convincing as a Satan-worshiping serial killer.
Despite his relatively small screen time and immature personality, and thanks to Cage giving his all, Longlegs is a fully cognizant monster and murderer whose actions keep a stranglehold over the rest of the film.
Tonally, “Longlegs” stands out well with an oppressive, unnerving atmosphere from the very beginning. The music, lighting, cinematography, and sound design altogether create an intense feeling of “wrongness” surrounding the Longlegs investigation, and this wrongness permeates the film from beginning to end.
However, the film made some missteps narratively.
For example, the relationship be-
tween Lee and her mother Ruth felt more “convenient” than believable, as it felt a bit underdeveloped. Alicia Witt gives a service able per formance as Ruth, but the emotional connection between moth er and daughter didn’t quite stick the landing. The underwhelming depth in Lee and Ruth’s relationship feels like a wasted opportunity to me.
the final film can come off as underwhelming in comparison, or as tonally different from what its own trailers depict it as.
Furthermore, it’s demonstrated early on that Lee seems to have psychic abilities of some sort after correctly identifying the house of another serial killer from nothing but a gut feeling. The film proceeds to do absolutely nothing with this plot point after Lee is assigned to the Long- legs case. She’s never shown using such powers again, despite the interesting story of a psychic dealing with someone like Longlegs getting a decent set up.
Finally, the trailers for this movie were considered by many to be top-tier in quality and gathered significant attention to the film itself. As a result,
Nicolas Cage’s limited screen time, as compared to the rest of the cast, can also be disappointing to his fans. While some may be let down by the end product, “Longlegs” nonetheless showed up with an inspired marketing campaign, a persistently unsettling tone, the great Nicolas Cage, and a truly hellish ending, and as such succeeds at leaving its mark.
Rating: B
Creepy as hell
CONNECT WITH JESSE BURCHILL jcelardo@student.framingham.edu
‘HIT ME HARD AND SOFT’ - a dive into Billie Eilish’s bittersweet relationships
By Antonio Machado Staff Writer
It seems that whenever Billie Eilish pops out a new record, it ends up being a pop masterpiece, and her newest album, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” is no exception to that.
The album opens with “SKINNY,” where Eilish details her struggles with body image and coping with the pressures of fame over a bassline as dreamy as her voice. The track serves to set up some of the groundwork of the narrative structure of the 10-track LP alongside the orchestral motif featured in later tracks.
The second track, “LUNCH,” is a tongue-in-cheek, sapphic pop-rock anthem. Eilish has been subject to a lot of public speculation about her sexuality, and she addresses the rumors in a very matter-of-fact manner on her chart-topping hit.
“LUNCH” released concurrently with the album and served as its lead single. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Eilish spoke about not wanting to release any singles prior to the album’s release as she wanted to make an “album-ass album,” and she most certainly succeeded.
The album begins to really dive into Eilish’s heart when we arrive at “CHIHIRO.” The track’s synths engulf you completely, drowning out Eilish’s vocals as she describes the uncertain-
ty of love.
Eilish makes a quick de parture from her usual mel ancholic sound in the fourth track, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” to make a beautiful song about wanting to love ’til death do them part. The track quickly be came a summer hit, undoubtedly due to its effervescent clichés delivered in the most enthusiastic ’80s pop.
Eilish worked alongside FINNEAS, her brother and long-time collaborator, to craft this record. The dynamic duo have solidified themselves as staples in contemporary pop with their very clear artistic vision and knowledge - however, their work together can, at times, feel a bit monotonous.
“WILDFLOWER” serves as the halfway point of the album. Eilish speaks about her fixation on her current partner’s ex, and she does so over a rather conventional guitar instrumental, allowing her vocals to take control. It is an effective track, yet somewhat forgettable in comparison to what
follows. “THE GREATEST” serves as the album’s climax, both vocally and lyrically, converging the themes of Eilish’s struggle with her fame and a partner that refuses to put in effort. The track transitions from the usual whisper to a career-best belt from Eilish as it crescendos accordingly to her frustration in her relationship.
“L’AMOUR DE MA VIE” begins as a jazzy breakup ballad where Eilish admits to lying about loving her ex-partner but takes a drastic turn sonically at its midpoint. She trades her guitar for some autotune and a wonderful hyperpop synth that assists in sprinkling in a few rightfully bitter remarks.
The album’s conciseness is both a detriment and its strength. The few tracks that diverge from the record’s narrative structure stick out and feel pointless. The eighth track, “THE DINER,” takes Eilish back to her debut album with its ominous lyrics and instrumental that can only be described as haunted circus music.
“BITTERSUITE” opens with a cer-
emonious synth that devolves into a more tropical dance synth before a long and rather gloomy synth. The meaning of the song is somewhat lost in its ambiguity, but it seems to tell a story of the downsides of desire.
Riddled with references to previous tracks, the album’s outro, “BLUE,” can be easily described as its best track. Eilish speaks to her ex-partner, talking about their similar upbringings yet clear differences as she transitions from pop excellence to a hiphop verse that sounds as though she were underwater.
Although “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” has its weak points, the highs are demonstrative of an incredibly talented artist with a very clear future ahead of her. Eilish is undoubtedly on her way into becoming a legend and has already solidified herself as a staple in contemporary pop, and so I can’t wait to hear the next one.
Rating: B+
Man, isn’t she the greatest?
Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST
Puzzles
36. Born, in a society column
37. SoCal NFL team
38. Carve with acid
39. Perfect ride
41. “Blue” birds
42. Wander from the flock
43. Sewn line
45. Oxymoronic seafood
48. Medical insurance grp.
51. Brand that partnered with Swedish Fish in 2016
52. Sherwood Forest lady
54. Gelatin substitute
55. Christmas song in which “the weary world rejoices”
56. Fishing snares
57. Chess game endings
58. One of Pittsburgh’s three rivers
1. Antifur org.
2. Wedding vows
3. Obstacles to collaboration
4. Mineo of Old Hollywood
5. Thai dish with peanut sauce
6. Olympic hero Jesse
7. Granny
8. Bygone Monopoly token with a handle
9. Conveniences for ’90s music listeners on the go
10. Shape of some galaxies
11. Southernmost capital in Central America
12. Cartoon featuring Yakko, Wakko and Dot
13. MLB squad in Queens
15. Moroccan capital
21. Pleased as punch
22. R-rated, perhaps
24. Potentially dangerous spike in voltage
25. Urban food truck protein
26. Kendrick with a Pulitzer
27. Clock radio switch
28. Horizontal punctuation mark
29. South African currency
30. 2003 pop hit about a crush on a friend’s parent
31. Mythic Greek queen
35. Rafter, for one
37. “Omg 2 funny!”
40. Shady garden nooks
41. Asian country that hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics
43. Move stealthily
44. Jon Stewart has won more than 20 of them
45. Comedian Rivers
46. Amused outburst
47. Very funny person
48. Descriptor for noon
49. Half a Hawaiian fish
50. Not deceived by
53. ___ Grande
Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.
SJPPresents TheTrolleyProblem
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
(Front) Ryan O’Connell and Chris Miller explaining the game “Press Conference” during the SJP show Sept. 26.
Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST
(Front) Chris Miller and Paige Rainville performing during the SJP show Sept. 26.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Paige Rainville and Emma Schor playing “Words Words Words” during the SJP show Sept. 26.
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST Paige Rainville running into the crowd during “Press Conference” during the SJP show Sept. 26.
Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Paige Rainville, (center) Jena Johnson, and Ryan O’Connell assigning quirks for the game “Party Quirks” during the SJP show Sept. 26.