History unfolds on campus
Donald Trump wins presidential election
Students share thoughts on future of the nation
By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor
Former President Donald Trump is the winner of the 2024 presidential election.
The announcement came at approximately 5:30 a.m. on Nov. 6, according to the Associated Press (AP).
As of press time, Trump has earned 295 electoral votes. A simple majority of 270 votes is required to be declared the winner.
In the Commonwealth of Massa-
chusetts, the election results were announced Tuesday evening. Vice President Kamala Harris is projected to win Massachusetts by 61.3%, according to AP.
Cities and towns across the state will have 14 days to submit official results to the Secretary of the Commonwealth, according to the Secretary of State’s website.
Throughout the day on Tuesday and after the results were announced on Wednesday, students shared their concerns about the future of the nation under a second Trump presidency.
On Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Department of Political Science, Law, and Global Studies hosted “The 2024 Presidential Election Watch Party” in the McCarthy Forum.
Political Science Chair Joseph Coelho said the goal of the event was to get students across campus to “come together and have a civil discussion about politics, but make it more of a social event rather than just something that’s very formal.
“We intended to create an environ-
Women’s ice hockey opens inaugural season
Historic moment for Framingham women’s athletics
By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor
The Framingham State women’s ice hockey team established their place in the Rams’ varsity program when they took the ice at Loring Arena for the first time in University history Oct. 31.
The women’s ice hockey team is the ninth women’s varsity sport sponsored by Framingham State Athletics.
The program is led by Head Coach Robert Lavin, who is returning to Rams’ ice hockey after serving as the men’s ice hockey head coach from 2001-2003.
The team joined the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) after the conference announced that women’s ice hockey would be its 19th sponsored sport.
For this inaugural season, the Rams have a short bench of only 16 players, 14 of whom are freshmen.
Emma O’Regan, a junior from Westford, is the eldest on the team. She came out of a three-year retirement to play for the program.
“I haven’t played an actual game since I graduated high school in 2022it’s been a little bit, but I’m excited to
be back,” she said.
O’Regan added despite the teams’ early losses, “For years to come, we’re going to be the people who set the standards and pave the way for this team.”
The Rams dropped their first three contests against Nichols College and Salem State University, but they have shown promise as they begin to find their footing.
In their home opener against the Nichols College Bison Oct. 31, the Bison blanked the Rams in a 6-0 shutout.
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Nancy Niemi being interviewed by Mike Sullivan of WBZ TV. (Right) Students watch CNN projections of the election results.
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
Sarah Daponde
Liv Dunleavy
Bella Grimaldi
Paul Harrington
Christy Howland
Taylor Kimmell
Dan Lima
Antonio Machado
Daniel Meade
Spencer Pearson
Anthony Pintado
Emma Schor
Anthony Sims
Kyra Tolley
Michael Trueswell
Celia Williams
Staff Photographers
Meg Dame
Oné Green
Travis Plummer
Staff Illustrators
Ronnie Chiu-Lin
Charlotte Fabrizi
Marcus Falcão
Advisor
Desmond McCarthy
Asst. Advisor
Elizabeth Banks
100 State Street
McCarthy Center Room 410
Framingham, MA 01701-9101
Phone: (508) 626-4605
Fax: (508) 626-4097
gatepost@framingham.edu
@T heGatepost | FSU gatepost.com
Gatepost Interview Sabrina Grammatic
Student Experience Manager
By Emily Monaco Editorial Staff
What is your academic and professional background?
I’m an alum from Framingham State. I got both my undergrad and grad degrees here. I did the 4+1 program. I majored in English and minored in Communication Arts. I worked in this office [Student Experience and Career Development] as a graduate assistant while I was doing the 4+1 program and then they had a position open called operations manager. I thought, “I’m going to eventually need a full-time job,” so I applied. I think it definitely helped that I had already worked in the office and was already familiar with the University. So I got that job and started in April of my grad year. After a year or so, that started to change shape into student experience manager because we realized we need more resources available for student organizations and that is how my previous role turned into my current role.
What brought you back to FSU?
I had a really great time here in college. I made a lot of good friends, and I’m still friends with some of those people today. It seemed like a pretty easy option as I was already working here, and then they had the opening for operations manager. From there, it was an easy process. I was familiar with the commute here, so it seemed like an easy and more obvious next step. I love the community here to begin with anyway. The professors were great as well. It was definitely an easy choice to come back and work here again.
What is your role in EXP?
As operations manager, I was more internal. I did more administrative work. But in my current role as Student Experience Manager, I have become more external in regards to working more with students and student organizations. Nowadays, I have a lot of meetings with organizations. Gina and I are both what we call “resource people.” We each have our own lists of clubs, which means we’re the first person that we recommend those clubs reach out to when they have questions or concerns
about events, finance, or anything club related. I’m a resource person for a lot of clubs - I’m also an advisor for The Hilltop Players. I meet with those interested in starting clubs and reactivating clubs as well. It’s a lot of meeting with student organizations, helping them and supporting them with their events and
any questions or concerns they might have. Also, doing training for them and working with their officers to make sure they are meeting the requirements set by the University and our office in order to be recognized as an official club.
What do you like best about working with students?
Getting to know the students - it’s really fun. I meet with students who are interested in starting new organizations. A lot of them are really passionate about it. They’re like, “I needed this to start yesterday.” It’s really cool to be able to get to know the students. Being
Police Logs
Monday, Nov. 4 9:56
State Parking Enforcement, Salem End Road Lot Citation Issued
Tuesday, Nov. 5 5:10 Emergency Call Box Activation, Peirce Hall No Police Services Necessary
in this position and having gone here as a student, I knew a lot of people of course, but now since I have graduated, newer people have entered the school, and I don’t know as many students as I used to. It feels really good to be involved with students and it helps that I am 24, so I can still relate to them. Knowing that they appreciate that help and seeing it first hand when I have students come in to meet with me and I answer any questions for them and they thank me for the information. It’s great to be that support and see it directly influence students.
What are your hobbies?
I like to paint, and I play a lot of video games. Pokémon is huge. I actually have a book club that I have with my college friends who are also FSU alums. We read a book and meet every other month. The months where we don’t do that we play Dungeons and Dragons. That’s a hobby that is big in my life right now.
What advice would you give to students?
I’d say as someone who was specifically a student and works here professionally, being open-minded and trying new things for sure. When I was a student here, I joined Hilltop and I did theater in high school, but it was something that was still new to me, so I was nervous to join a club here. It makes a world of difference to join something. It gives you something else to do that’s not just academic. It’s a great way to meet new people who have similar interests. I can’t express enough, especially now on this side of things, helping people start clubs and be in clubs is a big thing I highly recommend students do, because it makes so much of a difference. When I applied for the operations manager position, I didn’t think I was going to get it, only because I hadn’t worked full time before. I didn’t exactly meet all the requirements they had, but I applied anyway and I ended up getting the job. Trying new things seems scary, of course, but change is good and it helps to push yourself to try new things.
CONNECT WITH EMILY MONACO emonaco@student.framingham.edu
Wednesday, Nov. 6 5:17
Motor Vehicle Accident, State Street / Maynard Road Services Rendered
Thursday, Nov. 7 11:26
Community Outreach, O’Connor Hall Assignment Complete
Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST
SGA holds club representative meeting
By Paul Harrington Staff Writer
SGA approved changes to their constitution and swore in their publicist and secretary during their Oct. 29 club representative meeting.
Vice President Cesar Matos outlined the responsibilities of the publicist position.
The publicist is responsible for overseeing the SGA websites, managing the relationship that SGA has with The Gatepost, and producing social media posts.
President Evelyn Campbell swore in Jazmany Reyes as SGA’s new secretary and Jaelynn Moon as it’s new publicist.
Matos began the meeting with a brief explanation of how club representative meetings operate.
He said, “We’re going to do roll call for all the clubs. We’re going to have a signup sheet in the front. This is to ensure we got everybody who came in for the meeting.”
He added, “It [attendance] does affect your funding, so please make it known to all the other clubs that you are aware of that aren’t in attendance.”
The first order of business was the Canvas officer training.
Matos said, “Club officers are required to complete the Officer Training Modules in Canvas by Oct. 31.”
He added club officers who do not complete the training may be subject to having their funding impacted.
The second order of business was a workshop on preparing club budgets.
He said all clubs that fill out the budget prep form from RamLink will be added to the Canvas page.
Matos said, “Only clubs who have advocates to change their current grouping placement will need to meet with FinCom this year.”
He added, “If you’re going to stay in the same group that you are in currently, you do not need to meet with FinCom.”
Matos announced that the budget for FY 2026 will be released in February or March.
He added there would be no FinCom meeting next week due to the election and emphasized everyone in attendance should vote if they can.
Matos said both EXP (The Center for Student Experience and Career Development) and SGA are asking students to start recording attendance at club
Sunday night Nov. 9
Rain, mainly after 9 p.m.
Low around 50. Southwest wind around 8 mph.
Monday Nov. 10
Rain likely, mainly before 8am. Partly sunny, with a high near 65.
events and meetings.
He added that instructions on how to collect club attendance would go live on Canvas after the meeting.
Matos said the last day to submit expenditure requests this semester will be Nov. 25.
He said, “Make sure your requests for events are two weeks prior to the event date.”
He added the explanation for the date is that it is two weeks before the end of the semester.
The meeting then transitioned to club representatives having the floor to share updates with SGA, as well as to discuss any opportunities for collaboration.
Yair Rachmany, president of Outing Club & treasurer of FSAB, asked if the attendance policy was new.
Matos said, “That is for whenever your club is meeting. … Make sure that you register anyone who comes to the club meeting.”
He added, “if you haven’t done it so far, please start today.”
Kyle Walker, President of WDJM 91.3 FM, asked if attendance had to be taken on the Involve app or if clubs could take attendance on paper.
Matos said, “We would prefer it if you used the app, but if you don’t want to or it doesn’t work for some reason, please have some kind of note-taking as to who comes to your meetings.”
Campbell explained the rationale for collecting attendance.
Campbell said, “It’s coming from the Strategic Planning Committee, which
Monday night Nov. 10
Partly cloudy, with a low around 45. West wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Nov. 11
Mostly sunny, with a high near 6-. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
is trying to see student engagement on campus. They’re curious about how many students are involved on campus and are trying to increase attendance at events.”
Raena Doty, Arts & Features editor for The Gatepost, asked if The Gatepost was expected to reserve their room for meetings because they are held in their office.
Matos said, “You don’t have to reserve your room. It’s like putting it on record that you’ll be in the office space.”
Oak Blum, vice president of Dungeons & Dragons Club, asked if there was a way to set club meetings as recurring events so that the form does not need to be submitted every week.
They were informed by multiple members that they could.
Ben Hurney, president of FSAB, said his club hosted its Fall Fest on Oct. 29. Hurney said the club had put in reservations for AV and tech support weeks in advance, but nobody showed up.
He said, “I just wanted to confirm someone was going to show up because nobody showed up and we had to scavenge for equipment.”
Zachary Sorel, an AV technician, said, “If the event does not make it to the AV tech, it is put into the calendar without a request for tech assistance.”
Maddi Behringer, treasurer of Green Initiative, said her club ordered supplies for an event and they were never delivered. She asked if clubs would have to pay for products they never received.
Diversity and Inclusion Officer Ana Julia Ribeiro replied, “Clubs would never have to pay for a product they never received.”
Ribeiro said Amazon has been delivering to “any door they can find on campus.”
She said, “If you see an Amazon package in a residence hall, notify campus police that it’s not in the right place.”
Grant Alleyne, president of Model U.N., asked if there was a way to reflect club fees in the budget. Matos said there was.
Daniel Moore, president of Fashion Club, asked if there was a way to record attendance for larger events like the Trashion show and the spring fashion show.
Ribeiro said getting a clicker for the event would help track who is a student at the show.
She said, “Do that, and then you’ll have an overarching total because you’ll have the RamLink numbers and the clicker numbers.”
[Editor’s Note: Maddison Behringer is an Associate Editor and Ben Hurney is the Illustrations Editor for The Gatepost.]
CONNECT WITH PAUL HARRINGTON pharrington@student.framingham.edu
Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov
Tuesday night Nov. 11
Mostly clear, with a low around 35. North wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday Nov. 12
Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. Northeast wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday night Nov. 12
Partly cloudy, with a low around 35. Northeast wind up to 5 mph.
Thursday Nov. 13
A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 50.
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
Students at the SGA club representative meeting Oct. 29.
Administrators listen to student concerns at forum
By Sophia Harris Editor-in-Chief
Despite minimal student attendance at this year’s Administrators’ Forum on Oct. 28, Student Government Association President Evelyn Campbell and Student Trustee Jeremy McDonald brought forth questions that were on students’ minds.
Some of the concerns they raised were questions students brought to them.
In attendance were President Nancy Niemi; Iris Godes, vice president of enrollment; Lorretta Holloway, vice president of Student Success; Dan Giard, director of facilities; Michael Newmark, director of dining services; Joseph Cecchi, University police chief ; Robert Totino, vice president of administration, finance, and information technology; Ann McDonald, general counsel; Carey Egan, athletics deputy director; Stephanie Crane, associate director of residence life: Kim Dexter, assistant vice president of Human Resources; Meghan Larkin, assistant director of Orientation and Student Experience; and Kristen Porter-Utley, provost.
Some of the concerns brought to the attention of the administrators were the allocation of meal swipes, extended library hours and the possibility of adding new majors.
Student Trustee McDonald asked if there was a possibility of allocating
meal swipes differently so student athletes could use their dinner swipe before the dinner period when they are usually in practice.
Campbell agreed and added that every year since joining SGA, she has received questions about Sandella’s being opened on the weekend.
He added he wants to provide the best dining experience, so he will take the concerns into consideration.
“This is all good information,” he said.
Campbell asked how a student would request the University add a new major. She said a student came to
Newmark said Dining Services is “currently working to bring a state-ofthe-art hot vending machine to campus. … We’re looking at the best location.”
her and asked if a neuroscience major could be offered at Framingham State.
Porter-Utley said the next step would be contacting the chair of Biology.
She said faculty are the ones who “really bring forward ideas, or I should say they implement the idea of a new major.
“There’s a lot of work to do behind the scenes to actually propose a new major, and most of that sits with a department or a faculty member,” she said.
She added, “In terms of getting back to your student colleague, talking to the chair of a department is usually the best point of contact for an idea about a major or course of study that would be of interest to a student.”
Trustee McDonald proposed that the Henry Whittemore lLibrary should be open later on Fridays. The current hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Senator Alix Ayoub said, “In my opinion, I feel like there are a lot of people, including myself, who would like being in the library [later] that just never saw it as an option or something that we wanted to express because it just didn’t seem like such a big deal.” She said the library could possibly benefit from a survey to garner student interest.
Porter-Utley said she will speak to Library Dean Millie Gonzalez.
“There may be students … who want to access the library at hours that it’s not currently open. I am certainly willing to talk to the dean of the library,” she said.
CONNECT WITH SOPHIA HARRIS sharris9@student.framingham.edu
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
(front) Robert Totino, Kim Dexter, Nancy Niemi, Joseph Cecchi, Dan Giard, And Kristen Porter-Utley at Administrators forum.
Continued from Page 1
ment where students could enjoy each other’s company, while discussing political issues,” Coelho added.
Coelho said throughout the night, he heard conversations fueled by “a lot of anxiety. Who’s going to win? Who’s not going to win? About the wars in Ukraine and in Gaza … and just in general, the economy and the prospects of getting a job once they get out of [college].”
Political Science Professor Thomas Severo said awareness about political issues is an important part of understanding democracy.
“I think just getting people out here to that they can share and talk about their opinions is a great way to spark an interest in politics for people,” Severo said.
“There are a lot of people here tonight because there’s free pizza and extra credit, and there are a lot of people here tonight because they genuinely care about the election. I think we’re doing the biggest service for the former group, for the people who are like, ‘Hey, I’ll see what this is all about,’ and then maybe they latch on to something and say, ‘Oh, this is actually a big deal, and I can get involved, and I can make a difference in my community,” he added.
Political Science Professor Guliano Espino said the energy was “high at the beginning of the evening. However, the mood grew somber as the night progressed and many students began to realize their preferred candidate was not going to win.”
President Nancy Niemi said, “It’s wonderful to see students come together and see the school supporting them coming together to pay attention to something that’s pivotal to the next steps in how our country works.”
Niemi said regardless of the outcome of the election, “We should be continuing to have more frequent and more robust conversations about what civic participation means. It’s been studied for a long time around the country how people are less civically engaged.”
She added the watch party was an opportunity for everyone to demonstrate to each other how they can participate in all aspects of the community.
Niemi said participating in democracy is an important aspect of being an active member of a community. “Yes, it’s voting, but it’s so much more. Any chance that we can develop what it means to be part of a community, and the ways in which you can engage, is really important.”
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the the Department of Political Science, Law, and Global Studies hosted two events. The first, in the Henry Whittemore Library, was “Unpacking the results.” The event focused on “understanding the current election results and the evolving state of the race,” with the goal of having “an engaging discussion that unpacks what we know so far and explores the implications of our political landscape,” according to an email sent
Students watch the election results during the “2024
by Niemi.
The second event took place in the Center for Inclusive Excellence. It was called “Decompress & Discuss: Understanding the Election Results.” The event was hosted by Espino and focused on discussing “the election results and their broader implications. … This space offers a chance to unwind, reflect, and gain an informed perspective on the outcomes.”
Espino’s panel specifically dealt with de-stressing after the election. Turnout and engagement was incredible given the short turnaround time for creating and advertising the panel series,” he said.
He added, “it is important to stress that action can still be taken at the state and local level if you are unhappy with the partisan composition of the national government.”
“Students have found it reassuring to have it explained how our system of government was intentionally designed to make it difficult to get policy priorities passed,” Espino said.
“Furthermore, the filibuster in the Senate requires most contentious legislation to get 60 votes for approval, which will likely mitigate many extreme measures that the Trump administration may try to enact,” he added.
Sophomore Jamie Kuenzel said she was “very nervous” on election night.
She added the election watch party gave students “open access to information. People might not be able to access this without an open environment. I feel like it makes people more willing to want to engage with democracy.”
Kuenzel said professors in the political science department are very supportive about researching and looking
at past candidates and the policies they wanted to enact.
Senior Sofia Wilson said she was feeling “very nervous” about the election. “To be frank, I wasn’t super excited for any of the candidates, but I feel confident that I made the right choice for what I want to see happen.”
Wilson said she put an emphasis on researching the five ballot questions because they have the most immediate impact on her and life as a Massachusetts resident.
She added, “I think a lot of the campus community really cares. … I think that genocide and Palestine is a really big one right now in a lot of communities on campus, and I think a lot of queer communities on campus really care about this election, because I know that it poses a great threat to a lot of people right now.”
Wilson said the event “makes it more accessible to people. … I’m a double major in political science and English and I get access to a lot of this stuff, but I know people who don’t major in political science and they don’t see it on a daily basis. So I feel like events like this invite people to come in - even if you don’t agree with people in the room.”
In the race for the Senate, Democrat Elizabeth Warren was reelected with 59.6% of the vote, defeating her Republican opponent John Deaton, according to AP.
Ballot Question 1 passed with 71.6% of the vote. The state auditor now has the authority to audit the Legislature, according to AP.
Ballot Question 2 passed with 59.0% of the vote, according to AP. The act eliminates the requirement that students must pass the MCAS in order to graduate high school. Students are still
required to complete coursework that meets standards set by the state.
Ballot Question 3, the right for rideshare operators to unionize, passed with 53.8% of the vote, according to AP. Rideshare operators now have the option to form unions to collectively bargain with rideshare companies regarding wages, benefits, and conditions of work.
Ballot Question 4, the limited legalization of psychedelics, did not pass, with 57.0% voting against the act, according to AP.
If the measure had passed, it would have allowed citizens over the age of 21 to use natural psychedelic substances under supervision of a medical professional, and to grow and possess limited quantities of those substances in their homes.
Ballot Question 5, which proposed increasing wages for tipped workers over a five-year period, did not pass, with 64.3% of the population voting in opposition, according to AP.
If the act had passed, it would have increased the minimum hourly wage an employer has to pay a tipped worker. It would have been implemented over five years, at which point employers could pool all tips and distribute them to all restaurant workers.
On election day, there were 10 polling locations across the City of Framingham. This included The Farley Building located on Flagg Drive.
Luis Fernandez, 31, class of ’16, voted at the Farley Building and said he felt “apprehensive” after leaving the polls.
He added, “I’ve been trying to not get bogged down with all of the minutiae of all the politicking back and
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
Election Watch Party” in the McCarthy Forum.
Election
Continued from Page 5
forth and all the ‘B.S.’ To me, I’m more worried about the stuff that will actually impact us.”
Fernandez said he is a local restaurant owner and Question 5 was an important issue to him this election.
“After speaking to all of my staff and so many different staff members of different restaurants, we all don’t want question five to pass, especially because it’s being proposed by an out-of-state organization that has nothing to do with how we do our business in Massachusetts,” he said,
Fernandez added, “Do I agree that the tipping system that we have in this country makes sense? Absolutely not. But it’s also a house of cards, and if you
just pull a card from the bottom without properly supporting the actual industry, it’s all going to come crumbling down.”
Sophomore Ashley Carvajal, who voted at the Farley Building, said she felt as if she “saved the world” after voting.
Caravjal said access to abortion was an issue she felt strongly about going into this election season.
She also said the MCAS ballot question was important to her. “I thought it was stressful, so I don’t think it’s necessary.”
Sophomore Meghan Tomasi said she felt scared after the election. “I know a lot of my family members have things like IUDs, so that increases their risk for ectopic pregnancy and without abortions, they won’t be able to get the
treatment they need in case something unfortunate does happen.”
Tomasi said she was also concerned about her own rights.
Sophomore Katherine Evers said she felt “not great. It did not go the way I wanted at all. I was really upset when I found out Kamala Harris didn’t win. I’m feeling really pessimistic about the future of the country. I think it’s going to become more authoritarian and rights for women and climate change protections are going to be reduced.”
Evers added, “It scares me that he won the popular vote and that so many people believe in his message. I don’t think it bears well for future elections and the kind of people that voters will be choosing.”
Senior Andreas Schaniotakis said he is “ feeling hopeful, because we got
through it last time.
“Reproductive rights were extremely important to me. I think that overall freedoms regarding that need to be upheld and preserved.”
Sophomore Makyle Hayes said he was disappointed with the results.
The presidential election officially concluded when Harris offered her concession to President-elect Trump on Wednesday, Nov. 6.
[Editor’s Note: The information in this article is subject to change as ballots continue to be counted nationally. For the most up-to-date information, visit www.apnews.com.]
CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu
Danforth receives $50,000 alumni endowment
By Bella Grimaldi Staff Writer
The Danforth Art Museum received a $50,000 endowment from Framingham State alumna Joan E. Murtaugh, Class of ’61, according to Curator Jessica Roscio.
The endowment will be used to help the museum’s efforts to conserve artwork.
Murtaugh said while at FSU, she took multiple art classes and earned her art certification from taking graduate classes at the University. Her relationship with the Danforth grew from visits to the museum to making donations and then to developing the conservation fund.
“I would say that she’s a true friend of the Danforth and the University,” said Roscio.
She added, “The most recent gift will allow us to take more money out of the endowed fund every year.
“The fund allows us to not only take better care of our collection, but to make it more available to everyone who visits the museum, and that’s really what we’re supposed to be doing.”
Murtaugh’s funds have already conserved five works owned by the Danforth, according to Roscio.
The works include a mixed media piece by Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, a watercolor by Hughie Lee-Smith, a lithograph by Isabel Bishop, an oil painting by Robert Duncanson, and an oil painting by Philip Leslie Hale.
“We’ve taken the pieces to different conservators … so depending on what that person’s specialty is, is where we take the work.” said Roscio.
According to Roscio, the Danforth has utilized two conservators on art pieces: Lisa Mehlin, a paintings conservator, and Northeast Document Conservation Center, which handles works on paper.
Since Murtaugh’s donation, the Danforth has installed a plaque naming one of the galleries after her niece.
Murtaugh said, “Attending some of their open houses and seeing the art-
work that they acquire, things from the new artists that are there, and being on the Foundation Board, I get the chance to hear Jessica, the curator, present all of this. [It] has spurred me on and created an interest.
“I think it’s important to have the artwork that people create, to have it preserved, and it sort of helps to represent culture, and it helps people to learn,” she added.
Roscio said, “Besides the Conserva-
Freshman Marian Awuah said, “I like the Danforth Art Museum because I like seeing the amazing art people have created over the years. There’s a lot of creativity.”
She added, “It makes me feel happy that they’re continuing to create art and put it on display for people to see.”
Sophomore Miranda Allicon said she loved taking art classes at the Danforth and noted how beautiful the museum is. She said she enjoyed the
ing the new collection.
Senior Hailey Baker said she has enjoyed going to the Danforth and seeing the new exhibits there. “I like seeing the changes that they’re able to put into place to make it different every time you go.”
Baker said the museum restoring artwork is “pretty interesting, because it’s things that you would never think to go look at. … You would never think that restoring art will have such an
tion Fund, which is a long-lasting gift, she has supported staffing when we needed to give some of our staff more hours a few years ago. … She’s given money toward or supported exhibitions [and given] scholarships in the art school.”
collection she saw when she was last there.
“I thought it was very inspiring and moving,” she added.
Freshman Archith Thipparthi said he enjoyed the historical aspect of the museum and expressed interest in see-
impact, but a lot of the time, the art trends stay the same throughout the years, and that’s a way that you can see that.”
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST A sculpture from the Danforth Art Museums permanent collection.
FSU to honor student veterans
By Christy Howland Staff Writer
An on-campus luncheon to honor student veterans during Veterans Day week will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in the McCarthy Center. Coordinator of Veteran & Military Ser-
cluded. The vet center is great and Veterans Services hosts events throughout the year.”
“I joined the Army when I was 19. I was a 19K Abrams Tank Crewman. I was the driver and then later a loader - loading main gun rounds and operating an M240. After I got out and first
of our varying ages and life experiences. It almost seemed like there was a cultural gap between us. I really like hanging out in the vet center. It’s nice to be able to connect with other veterans who share similar backgrounds,” she added.
FSU is recognized as a Veter-
Report, Framingham State has been ranked number 33 this year in the category “Best Colleges for Veterans of all Public and Private Regional Universities in the North,” which includes New England and Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Freshman elementary education
“FSU is already a very inclusive school, so I think that by being a veteran-friendly school, that gives FSU a better sense of belonging and inclusivity.”
- Maya Secka Freshman
vices Peter Gillies said the luncheon is scheduled for the Wednesday after Veterans Day because the University is closed that Monday.
“We’re looking to do something commemorating Veterans Day, but when we’re all here,” he said.
Major General Gary Keefe, the highest-ranking military officer in the Massachusetts National Guard, has been invited to speak at the event, according to Gillies.
“I’m a member of the VFW, so I’ll be participating. Peter Chisholm [FSU’s government relations liaison] knows a lot of the legislative people, so he’s involved in extending the invitations,” he said.
All 120 student veterans will be notified of the event through email and flyers posted in the Veterans Center, added Gillies.
“We usually hold events a few times a semester. We had a welcome-back luncheon, did a taco bar over in the Veterans Center, we’ll be doing the Veterans Day luncheon, and I’m sure we’ll have something during finals,” said Gillies.
In addition to events, FSU honors and supports student veterans with many resources and a center on campus.
The Veterans Services Center, located in Dwight 213, is a dedicated space just for student veterans.
“The Veterans Center is our main resource. Folks go there to study. When I got here this afternoon, they were doing some tutoring. We’ve got computers in there, just a quiet place, and a lot of things that are veteran-specific,” said Gillies.
“You want to talk to somebody who’s a vet who understands what you’ve been through and what you’re going through. Even in terms of just resocializing, coming back from the military back into the civilian world, can sometimes be a bit eye-opening, a kind of culture shock,” he said.
Senior English major Kailtin Carman, who served in the Army as an E4 specialist, said, “I think the University does a great job making veteran and military-affiliated students feel in-
started at FSU, I was older than the traditional freshman,” said Carman.
“I felt there was a disconnect between me and my classmates because
an-friendly school because of the resources available through the Veterans Services Center.
According to U.S. News and World
major Maya Secka said, “I think it’s great that FSU is a veteran-friendly school. It’s important to have accessibility and inclusion in a school environment.
“FSU is already a very inclusive school, so I think that by being a veteran-friendly school, that gives FSU a better sense of belonging and inclusivity,” she added.
Gillies said, “They have veterans over at MassBay and there’s a coordinator over there, so we’re doing things together. We’re also tight with the Framingham Veterans Council, and the Veteran Service Officer in Framingham does nothing but handle things for veterans.
“The main thing is information-sharing. If there are changes in things like being able to get a property tax break, getting veterans license plates for free, something being proposed in the legislature, or something comes down the pike and actually gets signed into law, we get the word out to them,” he said.
There is a veterans’ networking group that shares which companies or businesses in this area are veteran-friendly and will hire veterans, he said.
Sophomore finance major Adam Harrison, who is currently serving in the Army National Guard as a Specialist, said, “I think FSU’s Veterans Center has put in a lot of effort with holding veteran events and giving opportunities.
“They’ve been nothing but helpful with everything I’ve needed and have always been a great resource,” he said.
[Editor’s Note: Kaitlin Carman and Adam Harrison are Assistant News Editors for The Gatepost.]
OP/ED
THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL
Veterans, we thank you
With a highly emotionally charged election behind us, it is easy to become overwhelmed by despair about what may lie ahead.
Therefore, people may forget that Veterans Day is coming up this Monday.
However, it is important not to forget the men and women who have fought for us and who are still fighting for us this Nov. 11. No matter how you feel about the election results, it is important to take this day to thank those who have served our country.
Framingham State currently enrolls 120 veteran students. These are people trying to better themselves by going to class, getting their homework done, and eventually earning their degrees, just like the rest of us.
The Gatepost is proud that two of our editorial board members are military-affiliated.
Senior Kaitlin Carman, an English major, has been a part of The Gatepost for two years and is currently an Assis tant News Editor.
She served as an Abrams tank crewman and was one of the first enlisted 19K women in her unit. She loaded main gun rounds in the tank and shot an M240 machine gun during her service. She also served as a CBRN rep resentative for her unit.
Kaitlin said that in the military, it doesn’t matter what political party Amer icans are affiliated with, which president is in office, or whether members of one’s unit are conservative or liber al. “We are dedicated to serving every American - some even give their lives.
One of them is John Maynard, Class of ’10, who wrote a column for The Gatepost during his active service, in Iraq, “Words from the War.”
John, The Gatepost thanks you.
The Gatepost is proud to display a signed uniform from John’s unit in the office, given to the paper in gratitude for the care packages sent to John’s unit.
We are grateful to all of the veterans who have worked on The Gatepost in the past, and we will think of them on this Veterans Day.
Unlike most of us, veterans have made a sacrifice for their peers and their country. They made that sacrifice 365 days a year while they were on active duty. Taking one day to honor veterans on Nov. 11 is just a small gesture of thanks for the many days they have
“Freedom isn’t free, and we are willing to pay,” added Carman.
Kaitlin, The Gatepost thanks you.
Sophomore Adam Harrison, a finance major, has been a member of the Army National Guard for almost three years. He has been on The Gatepost for two years and is also an Assistant News Editor.
He has served in his brigade S6 as a signal operations system specialist, managing a variety of tactical radio communication equipment, and building and operating network systems. He has also taught radio operation procedures and etiquette to soldiers from several units.
Adam said, “Service members come from all walks of life, from every corner of America, and continuously sacrifice their time with families, civilian careers, physical comfort, and potentially their lives to protect the freedom we can enjoy here without worry, and Veterans Day is meant to honor that.”
Adam, The Gatepost thanks you.
Many Gatepost alums are also veterans. Three prior Gatepost editors served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
It can be daunting, not knowing the correct language to use or much about the military or specific wars. But you don’t have to be an expert in geopolitics to offer gratitude.
For example, if you are at Dunkin’ and see someone in line wearing memorabilia representing their service, offer to buy them a coffee as a small thanks.
Thanking the veterans around you doesn’t have to be monetary. A simple “Thank you” is enough.
Just because someone is affiliated with the military doesn’t mean that they voted in any particular way. Don’t let assumptions determine how you treat people.
Recognizing veterans is not a political statement. It is a show of appreciation and a recognition that their service to our country doesn’t end when they step off the battlefield.
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 1918, World War I officially ended.
On Nov. 11, we celebrate and honor not only those who fought in WWI, but all of the people who have served in the U.S. military fighting for our freedom.
Those sacrifices have come from some of our peers here at FSU who are veterans themselves, actively serving in the reserves, or who are otherwise military-connected.
As a community, we need to ensure we are honoring and supporting these students every day.
If you want to learn about more ways to do so, speak to Coordinator of Veteran & Military Services Peter Gillies or visit the Veterans Office, located in Dwight Hall.
The Gatepost has only one thing to say to veterans in and around our community:
Thank you for your service.
Plagiarism is at its worst
By Emma Schor Staff Writer
Plagiarism is a growing concern that has gained more awareness and drastically increased throughout today’s society.
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, students have easily had access to various websites and search engines that make it easy to copy information and even cheat. Some examples include Google, Yahoo!, Firefox, and even different AI websites.
There has been access to these websites for quite a few years now. However, everything was switched to a digital format because of the pandemic. This format has now become the default for most schools, with very few teachers handing out physical worksheets.
Even tests have now defaulted to an online format. Tests can be given through websites like Google Forms, Formative, Pear Deck, and Canvas.
Back in March, there was an initiative to proctor the SATs and ACTs online. According to the US Department of Education, these are tests that have been given on paper since 1926. This form of testing has been around for almost 100 years, and now it is being switched to a digital format.
This can result in plagiarism and cheating on these larger exams - students are easily able to copy and paste the questions into Google and have the answers pop up in front of them.
Most students, including my peers, are prone to plagiarizing sources. They tend to do this because they want to get their assignments done. They don’t really care about the quality of their work.
There are also those who aren’t properly taught how to create a works cited page, and even some who aren’t taught at all.
If an outside source is not cited that is considered plagiarism, which is also considered cheating.
The exact definition of plagiarism, stated by Google, is the practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own. In most cases, students are caught copying paragraphs and even entire essays off of AI websites. In today’s society, it is extremely easy to give AI a prompt and have it write for you. An example prompt can be something along the lines of, “Write a 750-word essay on how dogs are better than cats,” and AI will write that exact essay on how dogs are better than cats.
What’s even worse is that some teachers and professors won’t even mark down or take note of this plagiarism. However, this is different for every teacher.
There are those who have AI checkers available and ready to use, but there are also those who don’t check at all. In most cases students will be marked down for plagiarism, as well as not doing their work properly.
There is now a demand for AI checkers, meaning that students’ work will be checked every time it is submitted. Those teachers who don’t check for plagiarism will be forced to.
We are lucky that most teachers already detect plagiarism, as well as catch it early on within a term or semester.
Students don’t just copy work for English classes, they can go online and have apps like PhotoMath do their math homework for them.
How will students learn and advance their skills if they are just relying on and copying from an outside source?
If a student is plagiarizing and not learning from anything, there is no benefit to that assignment.
Plagiarism also takes away the ability for students to be creative. Teachers need to encourage various tools that can be used to help promote a more honest and creative academic environment for everyone.
When students simply lift content from various sources without rephrasing it or giving proper credit, they miss out on the real learning experience, which is all about understanding and expressing ideas in their own unique way.
There are even some students who won’t plagiarize at first, but as the semester or term goes by, they will begin to fall into the plagiarizing habit. They could potentially begin to lose their academic motivation and just want to finish their assignments.
If someone is only using copy and paste, what information will stay in their minds?
Have an opinion? Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu Opinions should be about 500 words. Anyone can submit. We look forward to hearing from you!
Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST
Men struggle too
By Izayah Morgan Opinions Editor
Men’s Mental Health Awareness is critical to understanding the way boys and men are perceived in society.
A lot of us from what I have been told by close friends and observations find a common theme of not being able to share our feelings with anyone.
I struggle with this myself sometimes - especially since I entered adulthood at 18.
Combine that with a cancer diagnosis just the year before, I felt as if I had nothing and no one. I felt that I was just so special that no one could understand the predicament I was going through.
As I finished up my last session of chemotherapy, it was almost straight to college. It was a culture shock to say the least, which left me scared. My mother presented me with two options: leave college and return home, or just go for it.
knew and it thankfully sent me on the right path.
After the first semester, I felt hopeful but still felt I needed to be a part of something bigger than myself. Then and only then, when I wanted better
cellence.
In my life right now, I am at a high that before in my younger years I would not have recognized I was in until later on in life.
To my other men, whether you be
Thankfully, I chose the latter option.
During my first semester, I struggled getting in and out of class due to my motor skills being impaired. Thankfully, my roommate Raffy found the time to help me find and get to my classes. I felt seen and heard by a man I barely
for myself, did I join The Gatepost, Framingham State’s independent student newspaper.
I eventually found an amazing community there that branched out to the multiple jobs I now do at the Center for Academic Success and Achievement and the Center for Inclusive Ex-
family, friends, or even the people I pass by on the street, know you are loved by others
From one man to another, we don’t show enough love to those (men) in our lives. We often don’t feel appreciated and valued, even when we try to do right. We feel as if no one sees our
good deeds and our ability to change. Especially in the online world that we live in, we as young men often compare ourselves to men who hit the lottery young or are far above us in age. We tend not to give ourselves the grace to make mistakes - especially in our youth. Is it out of fear or judgment, that if you fail and have to admit it to those around you that it might be too much to bear?
But I’m here to tell you that even if you experience that pain, it will be just a passing moment. Afterwards, you will feel better after getting the thing you were holding back from for so long.
I know saying to just share your failures is scary for a lot of men out there. Rightfully so, I still struggle with it to this day.
It is a journey to share yourself with the world. And everyone may not accept the honest version of you and what you bring with you.
A lot of us are still bearing the pain of what we went through early on.
We never ever feel that we could share that part of ourselves with others. But if we don’t, we will end up hurting those that care about us.
So let’s give ourselves a break. And focus on our mental health.
Campus Conversations
How do we move
foward as a country after the election?
By Izayah Morgan, Opinions Editor
“I honestly don’t know. … I’m nervous about the amount of hate that may arise now.”
- Caitlin Halig, senior
“We need to look at policy. A lot of us let blue vs. red divide us, but often, we don’t look for solutions to the problem.”
- James Driscoll,
junior
“I honestly have no idea.”
- Nick Messina, junior
“Work together, which will be hard because we’re so divided, but that’s all you can do.”
- Ashley Lacivita, junior
“I think the state should really have a say on what their people want.”
- Lauren Martinek, junior
“That’s a hard question. I think communication and really taking the time to understand everybody’s perspective is the most important.”
- Shalon Nesvacil, senior
Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST
SPORTS
Cross country competes at MASCAC Championships
By Riley Crowell Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State University men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the MASCAC Championships Nov. 2.
The meets were hosted by Fitchburg State University at the Doyle Conservation Area in Leominster.
Among the six men’s teams, Framingham placed fourth. Among the seven women’s teams, Framingham placed third.
Head Coach Mark Johnson said, “I think across the board, it went almost as well as it could have.”
The Rams had 12 runners competing in the men’s 8K meet and nine runners competing in the women’s 5K meet.
Leading the way for Framingham in the men’s meet was freshman Aaron Corlette with a time of 26:56.93 and a ninth-place overall finish.
Corlette said, “I feel like I exceeded my expectations a lot and it felt really great.”
Johnson said he was impressed with Corlette’s effort and attitude during the race. “He came in and ran a 52-second PR, which is a massive peak at the right time. He ran a great race.
“After the race, he came over like, ‘Hey coach, guess what? I was in first place for a solid couple seconds today!’... I love that he’s willing and confident enough to go out and try to take that,” he added.
Corlette’s time placed him 2nd alltime on the Framingham men’s cross country 8K leaderboard.
Johnson said, “Seeing that he took the number two all-time on our Framingham State record board … incredible for a freshman to come in and do.”
This was the fourth time being the Rams’ top finisher this season for Corlette - an incredible feat for the rookie standout.
Corlette said, “I’ve improved a lot. Coming into the year, I knew I had to
stay focused. The biggest keys to that have been my teammates and coaches believing in me and making me feel comfortable.”
His stellar season and performance at the MASCAC Championships earned him MASCAC All-Conference honors.
Corlette said it means a lot to him to be recognized by the conference, especially as a freshman. He added it shows his hard work is paying off.
Finishing second for Framingham in the men’s meet was freshman Vincent Gauthier with a time of 28:22.77 and a 19th-place overall finish.
Gauthier, who is also having an impressive freshman season, holds the 5th spot all-time on the Framingham men’s cross country 8K leaderboard, which he achieved with his 27:25 time at the Travis Fuller Invitational earlier this season.
Johnson said it’s awesome knowing that he has two of the top five 8K runners in FSU history in Corlette and Gauthier for the next three years.
Graduate student Patrick Walsh ended his FSU cross country career with a bang - finishing third among Framingham men’s runners and 23rd overall with a time of 28:40.12.
Johnson said, “I think Pat has done a great job this year, kind of being the ‘big brother’ on the team and having someone who has been there and done that with all the courses that we go to.
“I think it’s been incredible for Vincent, Aaron, Robert, and all of the guys on our team to have that person to look up to,” he added.
Leading the way for the Rams in the women’s meet was junior Meghan Johnston with a time of 20:19.61 and an 11th-place overall finish.
Johnson said the most impressive thing about Johnston is “her resilience and willingness to just push herself to the limit year after year - come into camp and just push through any challenge that comes up.
“She’s done a great job just going through practice every day, coming in with the right mentality, and bringing
her teammates along, too,” he added. Finishing second for Framingham in the women’s meet was sophomore Kate Buban with a time of 20:52.41 and a 15th-place overall finish.
Buban said, “This is the best season that I’ve had with consistency.
“I gave it my all. … Although I’m not amazed at my time, I’m proud of my effort,” she added.
Sophomore Natalie Grimaldo placed 16th overall with a time of 20:57.43.
Freshman Grace Avery followed closely behind in 17th place with a time of 21:04.39.
Avery said, “I think that the MASCAC Championships went really well.”
Avery added that her consistent performances have been a result of her hard work. “I feel that I have improved a lot this season. The biggest keys to my success have been trusting the training and process.”
The rolling hills of the course provided a challenging environment for the runners, but Johnson said he was happy with how his team handled it. “I thought the team did really well adapting to it and just going with the mentality that everyone is running the same course.”
Buban said, “I think the course was the hilliest course we’ve done throughout the season. On mile two, there was an uphill that I found challenging.”
Avery said, “This course was a good test of our mental and physical toughness.“
With the MASCAC Championships behind them, Framingham cross country will return to a familiar course when they travel to Hopkinton, New Hampshire to compete in the NCAA Regionals Nov. 16.
The NCAA Regionals will be hosted by Suffolk University and take place at Hopkinton State Fair Grounds - the same location the Rams raced at in 2023.
Johnson hopes the prior experience with the course will be able to help the runners this year.
With chilly conditions expected on the day of the meet, Johnson said the keys to success for his team are “dressing appropriately, fueling our bodies going in, and just controlling the things that we can control.”
The Rams will send seven runners on both the men’s and women’s teams to compete at the NCAA Regionals.
Avery said, “I am feeling super confident and ready to race. I am excited that I have the opportunity to race with my team again before the season ends.”
Johnson said, “I’m honestly very excited for it. The team has put in so much work.”
Corlette said, “I feel calm and relaxed. I know I’m going to have fun at the regionals race.”
Buban said, “I’m excited for spending the last few weeks of the season with the team and closing out with a bang.”
Johnson said his message to the team is, “Have some fun - it’s an NCAA Championship. You only get to race in so many of those in your career. Take that in - you’re racing against the best of the best in New England.”
Ben Hurney / FSU365
The men’s cross country team before the MASCAC Championship meet Nov. 2.
Ben Hurney / FSU365
Men’s cross country Captain Patrick Walsh (left) cheering on women’s cross country Captain Meghan Johnston during MASCAC Championship meet Nov. 2.
Inaugural season
Continued from Page 1
The Bison did not waste time establishing a dominant offense that outshot the Rams 83-11, but freshmen goalies
Anna McGinty and Lila Chamoun handled the relentless pressure with grace, combining for 77 saves.
They combined for a .929 save percentage despite the six goals.
Their efforts could not curb the Bison as the Rams’ shortened bench fought for time outside of their defensive zone.
The Rams struggled with penalties, totaling 23 penalty minutes on 10 infractions compared to the Bisons’ 10 penalty minutes on five infractions.
Lavin said the team struggled with physicality and penalties during their exhibition games in the preseason.
“We’re going to be addressing that because the [exhibition games] we’ve had have been extremely physical on both ends. I think a lot of it is frustration, too. Sometimes, the other team gets away with something and [the Rams] try to make up for it. They shouldn’t. It’s supposed to be no check - it’s physical, but no check. You don’t want anyone to get hurt,” he said.
Despite the Bisons’ 10 power play opportunities, they could only convert one for a goal.
Four of the Rams’ penalty kills came in the third quarter.
“I was really happy with them because we killed off a lot of penalties at the end. Nichols wasn’t pulling back - they were trying to score, but [the Rams] won their battles and got pucks and the goalies were making saves,” Lavin said.
After their first three games, the Rams have an 0.81 success rate on penalty kills.
Undeterred by the shortcomings, the Rams’ skills still shone through.
The team displayed deftness in using the boards to maximize puck movement, and freshman Bella Nappi’s speed and stick handling were unparalleled as she attempted to capitalize on the few fast breaks the Rams could find.
Freshman Adrianna Rizzotto had arguably the most heart-stopping play of the night. After a stinging Bison shot off the post, Chamoun was caught in heavy traffic out in front of
the Rams’ goal and Rizzotto managed to throw her stick out at an incoming rebound shot to barely tap the puck out of the net.
The home crowd let out a sigh of relief that parlayed into cheers of encouragement as the Rams cleared the puck.
“All that was really going through my head when I made that save was that I couldn’t let them score another goal - especially one that was deserved,” Rizzotto said.
Among the lively spectators in the crowd were President Nancy Niemi and Dean of Students Meg Nowak Borrego.
Lavin said, “It was good to see the school leadership here tonight. … The school has been great supporting [the team], and I think that’s a huge thing.”
The Rams had the opportunity for redemption the next night as they traveled to Nichols for a rematch Nov. 1.
They significantly cut the deficit from the previous game, losing only 3-1 and scoring their first goal in program history.
“I look forward to growing together as a team and seeing my teammates get all their firsts,” she added.
Nappi said, “To be a part of the program’s history is definitely a huge achievement and I hope it can pave the way for many opportunities this season.”
Chamoun came up big in the net, playing the first 40 minutes, saving 50 of the 53 shots on goal.
McGinty shut out the third period when she came in for the last 20 minutes of gameplay.
After their first three games, McGinty, Chamoun, and freshman goalie Brigid Milligan have averaged a combined save percentage over 0.90.
Rizzotto said one of the big goals the team has for the season is just to compete. “We want to put up a good fight against all the teams we play and show them that we are not just a new team they can run over. I think we proved that in our second game against Nichols.”
For their third contest, the Rams traveled to Salem State to face off against the Vikings Nov. 5. The Rams
“Playing in an inaugural season is definitely an incredible experience. It’s a chance to set the tone for the program’s future and create lifelong memories.”
- Bella Nappi Women’s Ice Hockey Forward
The Bison struck early, scoring all three goals in the first 14 minutes of play.
The Rams’ lone goal was scored by freshman Kalina Cochran, assisted by Nappi and fellow freshman Sarah Lewis in the second period.
Cochran is from Columbia, Maryland, and said she didn’t expect to be the player to score the first goal for the team, but “I’m excited to be able to contribute like that and I hope to score a bunch this season.
Gobin / THE GATEPOST Kalina Cochran during game against Nichols College Oct. 31. Cochran scored first goal in program history.
Nappi said, “Playing in an inaugural season is definitely an incredible experience. It’s a chance to set the tone for the program’s future and create lifelong memories. … We get to be part of something brand new and shape the team’s culture and identity.”
As far as team chemistry, Rizzotto said the team has really started to gel during the past couple of weeks.
Lavin has yet to name a captain or assistant captains for the team as they work to continue finding their footing as a team in the first few weeks for game play.
continued to build on their momentum in a 4-2 loss.
The Vikings scored their first goal early in the first period and doubled their lead on a power-play goal to start the second.
Late in the second, Ceira Garritty, a freshman from Stillwater, Minnesota, flipped the puck past a Viking defenseman and gave chase on it to flick a backhanded goal into the back of the net, cutting the Viking lead to 2-1.
The Vikings answered early on in the third period to make the score 3-1, but freshman Petra Cernicek scored just over a minute later after Milligan made two tough saves and sent the resulting rebound onto Cernicek’s waiting stick.
Cernicek flew past two Viking defensemen to bury a five-hole shot, bringing the deficit to 3-2.
With hopes of tying the game and staying out of the loss column, Lavin pulled Milligan in favor of an extra skater, but the Vikings secured their victory with an empty net goal.
After a few days of rest, the Rams are set for their first conference clashes against Rivier University at home Nov. 9, and Worcester State, where they will be the home team at the New England Sports Center Nov. 15.
Lavin said, “Right now, it’s just tough with 10 skaters over 20-minute periods. It wears them out. … But they’re happy - they’re just excited to be the first team, and they just want to build off every game and get stronger.”
“Our team has gotten close since the start of the school year, we all come from different places and only a couple of us have ever played together before so it was interesting to see how we would all do together,” Rizzotto said.
Nappi said, “We’ve been focusing on building team chemistry, refining our strategies, perfecting puck movement, and analyzing game footage. These efforts have helped us start to find each other’s way of playing as a unit and boost performance. I’m definitely excited to see our progress from here.”
Members of the team come from as far as Jackson, Wyoming, where Cernicek is from, and New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, Canada, where freshman Lily Wilson and Lewis are from, respectively.
Nappi, who is from Utica, New York, said, “I chose FSU mainly for its commitment to both athletics and strong [appreciation] for sports, but also [because of] the new major of sports management. Being able to have that career option while playing a sport I love definitely sold it for me.”
The women’s ice hockey team is looking to turn heads as they continue to make their mark on Framingham State Athletics and vie for their spot in the MASCAC conference this season.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
Goalie Anna McGinty (center) saving a puck during her start against Nichols College in home opener Oct. 31.
Adrien
Men’s ice hockey drops season opener as penalties prove costly
By Izabela Gage Asst. Sports Editor
The men’s ice hockey team fell to the Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) Penmen 3-2 in their non-conference season opener Nov. 2. Their overall record to start the season is 0-1.
The Rams currently rank sixth in the MASCAC after placing ninth out of 10 in the MASCAC preseason poll Oct. 24.
Head Coach Michael Bailey said, “I respect the other coaches in the MASCAC’s opinion. With that being said - I think we are going to surprise a lot of teams.”
Defender and Assistant Captain Jake Barcelou, a junior, said the team is feeling overlooked. “We are going to do everything we can to prove people wrong. We know we are very capable of being a top team in the conference.”
He added the team has been working really hard on the ice and in the gym to prepare for this 2024-25 season.
Goaltender Liam Kilgallen, a junior, said all three Ram goaltenders have been working hard each practice and have “mainly focused on just giving our team a chance to win every game.”
SNHU started the action with forward Brendan Lynch taking an early shot one minute into the game, which was saved by Kilgallen.
A high-sticking penalty on the Penmen set up a power-play for Framingham at 2:21, but the advantage was quickly shut down by a 5-minute major penalty on forward Brady Rossbach, a sophomore, for hitting from behind.
SNHU maintained possession of the puck for almost the entirety of the power play. Kilgallen tallied 8 saves before the penalty time was completed.
Forward Johnny Baker, a senior, returned to 5-on-5 play with a shot on goal, which was saved by SNHU goaltender Colin Berke.
Assistant Captain Kaleb Kinskey, a graduate student, was put into the penalty box for interference, putting the Penmen back on the power play.
Kilgallen made another two nail-biting saves before defender Brent Scott, a sophomore, and SNHU’s Ryan Clear were both put in the box for cross-checking. This started a 4-on-3 penalty kill for the Rams.
Only 20 seconds later, Kinskey was back on the ice, evening the teams to 4-on-4.
A little over a minute later, forward
Scott Bugarin, a sophomore, found an opening on goal, but was unable to net the puck.
Scott and Clear finished their penalty times as Framingham gained possession of the puck with forward Nathan Gines, a sophomore, hoping to net the first goal of the game, but Berke shut down the attempt.
The Penmen took the puck back into the Rams’ defensive zone and hoped to get the puck into the goal crease, but Kilgallen tallied another save.
Gines dropped the puck back to defender Walker Smith, a senior, who was hovering near the edge of the Penmen’s defensive zone, and he took a shot on goal. Berke deflected the puck and Assistant Captain Devante Dixon, a senior, went in for the rebound but to no avail.
SNHU had another two opportunities to score, but Kilgallen stopped both.
A minute later, Gines was given 2 minutes in the penalty box for tripping, putting the Penmen back on a power play.
Sixteen seconds later, Clear got past Kilgallen’s defense and netted SNHU’s first goal right before the end of the first period.
SNHU opened the second period with two shots on goal. Kilgallen stopped both before they could get past the goal line.
Bugarin handled the puck and brought it back into the Penmen’s defensive zone, aiming to put the Rams’ first point on the board.
The Rams tallied three more shots on goal before Barcelou tied the game at 1-1, scoring at 4:18, assisted by forward Charles DiMartino, a freshman.
Putting a goal on the board created momentum for the Rams, as they took four shots on goal in four minutes, overpowering the Penmen’s one.
Forward Sam Larkin, a junior, did not let up on offense and took three back-to-back shots on goal in less than two minutes, but Berke stopped all opportunities.
Defender Cameron Craig, a sophomore, was called for interference and was into the penalty box for a minor 2-minute penalty. This put SNHU back on the power play.
The Penmen were deterred by the Rams’ defense and could only find two openings on the net, which Kilgallen stopped with ease.
After the power play, SNHU still had possession of the puck and took another two shots on goal that were stopped by Kilgallen.
The Penmen won the faceoff in the Rams’ defensive zone at 16:20 and quickly shot the puck toward the net, catching Kilgallen off guard, finding the back of the goal for their second goal of the game.
DiMartino tried to net another goal for the Rams and went back for the rebound shot, but it was unfortunately blocked by Berke.
Framingham kept possession of the puck, with Scott taking one last shot on goal, but it was unable to get past the goal line.
With 4 seconds left in the second period, SNHU’s Jack Gray was put into the penalty box for holding.
The Rams started the third period on the power play, with Captain Ashton Collazo, a senior, searching for an opening on the net, but he did not succeed.
Framingham did not let up, tallying six more shots on goal, all saved by Berke. Collazo came back with more force and netted the Rams’ second goal of the game at 3:28.
The Penmen held up on defense, with the Rams remaining steady and tallying five more shots on goal before the puck was out of their possession.
SNHU took a shot on goal, but Kilgallen did not let it slip past his pads.
Nineteen seconds later, the Penmen won the faceoff in the Rams’ defensive zone, and 17 seconds later, scored their final goal of the game, bringing the score to 3-2.
Penalty minutes started racking up for the remaining 10 minutes of the game, beginning with SNHU’s Derek Flynn for boarding.
Not even a minute later, forward Caleb Dusek, a senior, and SNHU’s Ryan Houle earned two minutes each for roughing.
The penalty minutes finished up for the three of them, but with 4 minutes left in the game, Collazo received a major penalty for elbowing and got put in the box for 5 minutes.
Kilgallen ended the game strong, stopping the last shot on goal from SNHU before the final buzzer sounded through the rink.
Bailey said the number of penalty minutes the Rams had to kill played a major role in the outcome of the game. “We had to waste so much energy killing penalties all night. When we were 5-on-5 or better, we were gassed.”
Collazo said, “At the end of the day, when I look around our roomwe know what we have and we know
where we stack up.
“I think if we shore up our defensive zone and be more disciplined, we will be difficult to beat,” he added.
Barcelou said, “We know that when we are playing our best - we are going to be a hard team to beat.”
Despite only scoring two goals, the Rams outshot the Penmen 36 to 31.
During the loss, Framingham won 34 of the faceoffs, beating SNHU’s 33.
The Penmen used one power play to their advantage of the six they received, converting one for a goaloverpowering the Rams, who converted zero of three power plays.
Bailey said the captains have helped make the team “a really great unit” and have “done a fine job at preparing everyone for a successful season.
“It’s a long season and the key is to learn from our mistakes and try to improve each and every day.”
Kilgallen said it felt great to be back on the ice. “It wasn’t the outcome our team wanted but it’s something we can learn from and build off of for sure.”
Barcelou said the main thing the team is hoping to do is spend less time in the penalty box. “Coach Bailey emphasizes playing disciplined hockey and we will look to do that in our upcoming games.”
Collazo said, “Despite being on the penalty kill for the majority [of the game], we were still able to outshoot and outplay SNHU.”
Bailey said, “The team came out with a ton of energy and stayed in the game to the final buzzer - never quitting.”
The Rams take a road trip to the State University of New York at Canton and are back on the ice for two games against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos Nov. 8 and Nov. 9.
Barcelou said the Rams are looking forward to traveling to the away games. “It will be two very hard-fought games and we know we have to improve certain areas of our game to get a different result than we did [in this game].”
Bailey said the team is “staying positive and enjoying the moment as we are pumped to be given this opportunity to have an overnight road trip.”
Meg Dame / THE GATEPOST
Captain Ashton Collazo (middle) setting up for a faceoff against SNHU Nov. 2.
Meg Dame / THE GATEPOST
The men’s ice hockey team celebrating after a goal against SNHU Nov. 2.
Men’s soccer draws with Fitchburg St. in dramatic season finale
By Kyra Tolley Staff Writer
The Rams tied the Fitchburg State University Falcons 2-2 in an eventful last game of the season. The team concluded their season with a 1-13-3 overall record and a conference record of 1-5-1.
Fitchburg’s postseason ranking and chances of getting a bye depended on a win against Framingham.
From the first whistle, both teams brought an aggressive spirit to the field. Together, the Rams and the Falcons accumulated 38 fouls during the course of the game.
Head Coach Adam Gabbard said, “There’s a little bit of history between both teams. … We knew that we weren’t going to make the playoffs, but we knew we could kind of ruin things for them.”
The first scoring opportunity of the game came in the 2nd minute when freshman Michael Jokic’s shot on goal was stopped by Fitchburg State goalkeeper Alexander Carvalho.
The Falcons quickly responded with a shot on goal saved by goalkeeper Timothy Singleton.
The fouls started early in the 3rd minute when the first two fouls by Fitchburg were recorded.
The Rams went on the attack in the 7th minute when a shot on goal by junior Gustav Hemmingsen was saved by Carvalho.
The pace of the game slowed down heading into the 9th minute, but the ensuing series of fouls resulted in one yellow card each for Gustav Hemmingsen and senior Karl Hemmingsen.
Over the following 2 minutes came a pair of missed shots by Fitchburg and even more fouls traded between the teams.
Sophomore Landon Medeiros answered the Falcons’ opportunities with one of his own - a shot on net that Carvalho saved once again.
In the 21st minute, Gustav Hemmingsen made his second attempt on goal with a shot saved by Carvalho.
Twenty-three minutes in, a long ball over the top of the Falcons’ defense created a significant look at the net for senior Bryce Borletto-McCray, who got a head on the ball with enough velocity to force Carvalho to tip it over the net.
Freshman Yuji DaSilva took the resulting corner kick, which sophomore Jack Holt got on the end of with a bouncing volley to score the first goal of the game.
Holt said, “Usually I try to get in there and win a header, but from experience playing, sometimes you know where the ball might drop, so I kind of dropped off from the players running into the box.
“It fell where I thought it would, and I got to get a shot off,” he added.
The Rams and the Falcons exchanged scoring opportunities until the 29th minute, when a confrontation broke out among multiple players of each team.
A red card was handed out to one player of each team, which effectively brought both teams down to 10 men. Ejected from the game were Karl Hemmingsen and Fitchburg’s Liam Evans.
Karl Hemmingsen said, “Our season was done, so I was trying to spoil their season. I knew I was getting a red, so I was just trying to take one guy with me - get them to get a red, too.”
In the 36th minute, a lob into the box gave senior Lachlan Forgan a chance at a header while facing away from the net that missed just high of the goal.
The final 9 minutes of the first half involved a combination of shots and fouls between both teams, but the Rams had the last word with a shot on goal from freshman Jose Figueroa that was saved by Carvalho.
Fitchburg began the second half strong, with multiple shots on offense before they were awarded a penalty kick that successfully passed Singleton to bring the game to a 1-1 tie.
Two minutes later, the Rams attempted to capitalize on a free kick, but Forgan headed it out of bounds.
The following 2 minutes saw more offensive takes by Framingham, but none of them rolled in.
From the 61st minute until the 66th, Fitchburg contributed more shots and corner kicks and committed additional fouls.
Holt responded to the Falcons’ uptick in offensive play with a shot from outside the 18-yard line that took an unexpected deflection, but Carvalho was still able to get a glove on the ball and make the save.
More offense for Fitchburg increased tension heading into the 77th minute, when two Framingham players were given yellow cards - Figueroa and sophomore Abdellah Eddahbi. A few minutes later, a yellow card was given to the Falcons.
In the 82nd minute, momentum favored Fitchburg. Within just 2 minutes, the Falcons had 3 shots on goal, all of which Singleton stopped.
Gustav Hemmingsen stepped up to take a free kick from within the Falcons’ defensive half in the 87th minute. The ball took multiple deflections before Eddahbi was able to capitalize on the set piece and bring the score to 2-1.
Within the same minute, Fitchburg quickly counterattacked and drew an-
other penalty kick. The Falcons successfully tied up the game 2-2, but the tension of the game provoked more unrest among the players.
With less than 4 minutes left in the game, another two red cards were handed out - this time to Gustav Hemmingsen and Fitchburg’s Brandon Gonzalez.
In the final moments of the game, both teams had attacking opportunities, but neither was able to score again.
Gabbard said the chippiness between the players made the game more exciting and the energy brought by his team against Fitchburg will be seen more consistently next year.
With the transition into the 2025 season, Gabbard said, “I think the class we have coming in is a really young, hungry, talented group, so I think you’ll see a little bit more of today, but for the whole season, versus just the last game.”
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH KYRA TOLLEY ktolley@student.framingham.edu
Meg Dame / THE GATEPOST
Gustav Hemmingsen during draw against Fitchburg State Nov. 2.
Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST
Field hockey ends season with hard-fought loss
By Taylor Kimmell Staff Writer
The Rams hosted the Bridgewater State Bears for the MASCAC quarter-finals Nov. 5.
Bridgewater State’s offense was strong out of the gate. The team pressured the defense and kept the ball near FSU’s net for the entirety of the first quarter.
BSU’s shot on net at 4:36 was shut down by sophomore goaltender Kaitlyn Tello.
Seconds later, Bridgewater maneuvered around the Rams’ defensive players, netting the ball for the first goal of the game.
BSU had one more attempt on goal during the quarter - the shot blocked on a stick save from freshman Mikayla Malmquist.
The second quarter began similarly to the first, with BSU putting pressure on the Rams’ net.
The Bears scored another goal a minute and a half into the quarter.
The Rams remained diligent on the defensive end, clearing many of Bridgewater’s attempts to make it into the circle.
Unfortunately, FSU was unable to hold off every advance, and BSU scored once again.
Framingham State battled back toward the end of the quarter. Graduate student Kaitlin Loughlin and graduate student and Captain Angelina Serra expertly passed the ball back and forth down the field, earning the team a corner with less than 2 minutes until halftime.
Seconds later, Captain Kaylee Beck, a senior, netted the ball to put a point on the board for the Rams with an assist from Serra.
Framingham came into the second half of the game with renewed vigor, keeping pace with Bridgewater for a greater part of the third quarter.
FSU brought the ball into the circle multiple times, but never close enough
to score a goal.
Six minutes into the quarter, Bridgewater earned a corner and attempted to score. The Rams held their own in the face of each shot, with saves from freshman goalie Rowan Whittaker and sophomore defender Marina Cadena.
Framingham cleared the ball, bringing it back across the 50-yard line for several minutes before losing possession to BSU.
The Bears stole the ball, rushing back down the field for a wild shot that sailed far to the side of the net.
During the final quarter of the game, Bridgewater started off strong with a corner less than a minute in, which resulted in their fourth and final shot of the game.
FSU made an effort to capitalize on their possession of the ball, allowing Serra to take it to the net and send in a shot. Bridgewater goaltender Brianna Gagnon would allow nothing to get by.
The remaining 10 minutes of the game were eventful. BSU took control on the offensive end, earning a corner at 50:28 which they were unable to take advantage of.
The Rams managed offensive play for the remainder of the game.
They earned two corners back to back, enabling freshman Finley Hogan to take several shots on net. Unfortunately, none made it past Gagnon.
FSU earned an additional two corners just a minute later. Cadena attempted to score, but was turned away with a block from Gagnon.
Senior Emily Riggins made one final play, shooting the ball in the last 30
seconds of the game. The attempt was stopped by Bridgewater’s goalie, and the game ended with a score of 1-4, a loss for Framingham which marked the end of the season.
Senior Julie Hadley noted the team had suffered some pre-game anxiety.
“We had beat Bridgewater twice coming into that game. … We were all trying to rally and hype each other up despite the inward stress and anticipation we may have been feeling internally.”
Whittaker said Bridgewater’s offensive advances had caused the Rams to struggle.
“Bridgewater came out strong in the first half and pressured us heavily defensively, which we struggled to recover from.”
Hogan said the team had a productive season despite some internal struggles.
“We definitely faced some adversity with a lot of injuries. … But we faced it well and as a team.”
Beck said, “I can confidently sit here and say this program was the best experience I’ve had at FSU. Win or lose, we are a family and always will be.”
Hadley added, “I can’t wait to see the potential of this team come alive. I definitely see a MASCAC title in their future.”
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH TAYLOR KIMMELL tkimmell@student.framingham.edu
Football falls to Plymouth St. despite offensive spark
By Daniel Meade Staff Writer
The Framingham State Rams were defeated by the Plymouth State University Panthers 41-20 at Bowditch Field Nov. 2.
With the loss, Framingham’s overall record falls to 2-6 with a conference record of 2-5.
Framingham fell behind 20-0 early as Plymouth scored on their first three possessions, all rushing touchdowns from star running back Willie Lombard from 48, 10, and 22 yards.
Similar to previous opponents, Plymouth went for a run-heavy approach against Framingham. Plymouth attempted just seven passes on the day, completing four of them.
The Rams entered the game having scored just 6 points against Mass. Maritime in their most recent matchup. EJ Nichols started at quarterback after spending this season as a star wide receiver.
Framingham got on the board with 9 minutes remaining in the second quarter when running back Camari Glasgow, a junior, rushed for a 2-yard touchdown after sophomore wide receiver Ayden Ramirez caught two passes from Nichols for a total of 38 yards.
Plymouth answered back with a four-play 69-yard drive capped off with a 14-yard touchdown run from running back Gregory Walker to make the score 27-7.
Plymouth took over with 1:53 remaining, but was unable to score be-
fore time ran out in the first half.
On the first drive of the second half, Nichols completed two quick throws to wide receiver Ty Kelley, a freshman, and receiver Alex Maia, a sophomore, for four and five yards, before running back Makoto Uchikawa ran the ball on four consecutive plays for 30 yards, the biggest being 22 yards.
A 6-yard run by Kelley kept the chains moving on third-and-4, and Uchikawa added an impressive 19-yard run during which he hurdled a Panthers defender.
The drive was finished by a 2-yard touchdown pass from Nichols to Kelley with 8:45 left in the third quarter. Kelley said of Nichols, “I love the way he plays. He is mobile and has a great playmaking brain and the connection will only grow from here.”
A 10-play 48-yard drive in the fourth quarter resulted in Lombard scoring his fourth rushing touchdown of the day from six yards out.
The next Rams’ drive ended when a pass intended for Ramirez was intercepted by Jonah Bassett Jr. and resulted in a 1-yard rushing touchdown for the Panthers by Shawn Harrington, making the score 41-13.
The Rams made the most of their final drive. Nichols completed three out of four passes before running for a 14-yard touchdown with 5:03 left in the fourth quarter, making the score 41-20.
Despite the loss, there was a sense of optimism from the Rams’ offense with Nichols at quarterback.
Nichols said, “I feel like I came in
and played pretty efficiently for the most part, which was the goal offensively coming in. A couple plays I wish I could get back after watching film, as far as playing more aggressively and relying on my legs a bit more. But overall, I think it was a decent performance with only three days of practicing at the new position.”
Ramirez said he was impressed with his chemistry with Nichols, considering they had less than a week to practice with Nichols at quarterback.
Nichols said the team’s goal for the end of the season is to continue to grow and go into the offseason on a high note.
He said, “Just play with pride ... re-
ally try to find some good to build off for momentum going into the offseason, and certainly leave Bowditch with a win in our final home game of the season.”
The Rams’ next game will be at Western Connecticut State University Nov. 9. Their final home game is Nov. 16 against Worcester State.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH DANIEL MEADE dmeade2@student.framingham.edu
Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST Captain Kaylee Beck on a breakaway during tournament loss to Bridgewater State Nov. 5.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST EJ Nichols (center) running the ball as quarterback during game against Plymouth State Nov. 2.
ARTS & FEATURES
Faculty highlight trends in children’s literature
By Raena Hunter Doty Arts & Features Editor
Sam Westall, Henry Whittemore curriculum librarian, and Laura Hudock, professor of Education, hosted a talk called “What’s new in children’s literature?” as part of the Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival Nov. 7.
They started by explaining their reasoning for how they choose which books to highlight, namely that they want all the books to be high quality, “culturally specific and authentic,” enjoyable, relevant to teachers and librarians looking to develop curriculum, and representative of trends in children’s literature.
Hudock said, “And these are also books that we just get really eager to share with you. Our text messages will just blow up between the two of us when we find a book that we want to add, and that could be all the way dating back to February. We start this process early.”
She added there’s also a significant amount of narrowing down the number of books, and that this year they had about 180, much more than the 100 they highlighted during the event.
They started with a few choice books about “Libraries & Access,” such as “The Night Librarian” by Christopher Lincoln.
“I’m hoping this might awaken a new generation of book lovers,” Hudock said, and added in this graphic novel “the magic of storytelling shifts from figurative to literal, literary puns and references to familiar characters abound.”
In the section on “Linguistic Diversity,” Westall introduced “My Mother’s Tongue” by Uma Menon. She said, “This story celebrates the magic of multilingualism and reminds us that every voice with its unique accent and rhythm is essential.”
In “Familiar Settings,” Hudock said “L is for Love” by Atinuke “exudes joy. Spare pattern yet alliterative text will surely tickle the ears of the youngest of readers when shared aloud.”
Westall introduced “Built to Last” by Minh Lê, which she said is about two boys whose friendship is tested when their joint creation is destroyed - but “they remember that friendship is about picking up the pieces and starting over.”
“They Call Me Teach” by Lesa Cline-Ransome tells the true story of an enslaved Black man nicknamed “Teach” after his commitment to spreading literacy among enslaved people, according to Hudock.
“The emotional weight of this first-person slave resistance narrative opens a door to classroom conversations about U.S. history and education,” she said.
During the section on “Civic Activism,” Westall introduced J. Albert
Mann’s “Shift Happens.” Westall explained the rather non-traditional nonfiction book discusses the history of labor in the U.S.
“I appreciate Mann’s commitment to continuing the story of labor issues into the present day, showing readers that history is all around us, and sometimes all you have to do is take action,” she said.
In the section on “Social Justice,” Hudock quoted the opening of “What Makes Us Human” by Victor D. O. Santos when introducing the book, posing a riddle asking the room to figure out what makes us human - to which the answer is “language.”
She said the book “celebrates how language in its many forms has shaped human thought, values, storytelling, and raises awareness about endangered languages.”
In the section about “Cultural Awareness,” Westall said “This Book Won’t Burn” by Samira Ahmed is particularly relevant in the current political landscape.
“Told from the perspective of this iconic bus [La Chiva] used widely for transport in rural Colombia,” readers are introduced to a number of quirky passengers in this picture book.
“Growing Up Under a Red Flag” by Ying Chang Compestine is a picture-book memoir “about growing up during the Chinese cultural revolution,” according to Westall.
“[It] doesn’t pull any punches,” she said. “Compestine recounts the harsh realities of censorship, scarcity, and conformity. … The striking illustrations invoke vintage propaganda, all while capturing fear, hope, and resilience.”
In the section “Traveling through Time & Space,” Hudock introduced “It Happened in Salem” by Jonah Winter. She said in this picture book with surrealist illustrations “readers are encouraged to reflect on how false accusations can easily spin out of control.”
Section “Cracking the Code” explored books encouraging interest in
“[The book’s] timely theme of combatting censorship brings a message of resilience and activism to readers, especially those facing similar issues,” Westall said.
“This Land” by Ashley Fairbanks is a child-appropriate introduction to the way much of the land in the U.S. was and still is sacred to many Indigenous Americans, according to Hudock.
She added the book “invites readers to explore their communities and lean into our history - that all presently occupied spaces, wherein we live, work, play, and learn, are Indigenous lands.”
In the section on “Celebrating #OwnVoices” books - which is a movement dedicated to uplifting books written by marginalized people representing their own voices - Westall recommended “Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice” by Anna Lapera.
She said the book follows 12-yearold Mani, who has to navigate sexism, social isolation, and the general woes of puberty as a young person of color.
“Empowered by discovering letters from her aunt who was banished while fighting against femicide in Guatemala, Mani finds her own Quetzal voice,” Westall said.
Hudock introduced “I Am La Chiva!” by Karol Hernández, and said,
mystery and puzzles. During this portion, Westall introduced “The Enigma Girls” by Candace Fleming, which tells the true story of 10 teenage girls who helped turn the tide against the Nazis in World War II.
“Fleming’s fast-paced narrative combines personal stories with insights into cryptography, complete with puzzles for the readers to decode themselves,” she said.
Hudock introduced “Only for a Little While” by Gabriela Orozco Belt in the section “Finding Home,” which she said tells the story of a young girl who must adjust to an upheaval in her life after her father loses his job.
“Resilience prevails, and the final double spread reveals a home para siempre” - for forever, Hudock said.
In the section “Perseverance & Perspective,” Westall said the graphic novel “Plain Jane and the Mermaid” by Vera Brosgol is a “vibrant, funny, empowering story of finding value beyond one’s appearance.”
Still working in the same section, Hudock asked, “Have you ever noticed in the ‘Marvel’ universe that just when all hope is lost, ‘Boom!’ The hero lands back on their feet?”
She said this is the moment Joe is waiting for in “And Then, Boom!” by
Lisa Fipps. Joe lives in “adjunct poverty” and the middle-grade novel “delivers a pragmatic yet authentic character study about existing in the margins.”
Westall said, “We’re all familiar with it - that feeling of frustration slowly building until you feel like you’re a volcano about to erupt.”
For the section “Socio-Emotional Learning,” she introduced “Sometimes I Am Hot Lava” by Jody Jensen Shaffer, which follows Buddy, who has these “hot lava feelings.
“When he learns to take deep breaths” - at this point, Westall took a breath herself - “and uses words and cools down, Buddy shows us it’s OK to get mad, as long as you know how to handle it.”
In the section “Being a Good Neighbor,” Hudock introduced “Between Two Windows” by Keisha Morris, which documents the friendship between two boys who live in apartments that have windows facing each other, connected by an old pulley clothesline.
She said they share pictures back and forth using the clothesline for a long time, but when the clothesline is taken down, they “have to relocate their storytelling IRL.”
Hudock said the book is “poised to be a favorite in early-childhood classrooms, especially if it is followed with an excursion outside with sidewalk chalk.”
The section “Scientific Inquiry” included the book “The Iguanodon’s Horn” by Sean Rubin, which shows the history of scientific renderings of the dinosaur the Iguanodon, Westall said.
“This book is an engaging tribute to the wonderful and ongoing scientific process and discovery that children will go back to again and again,” she added.
The “Living Harmoniously” section included three different books about wolves - among them “This Wolf Was Different” by Katie Slivensky.
Hudock said this book, written from the point-of-view of the first wolf to be domesticated by humans, has “soft charcoal and pencil illustrations” that “have an ethereal quality, underscoring the speculative nature of this account.”
Westall said “The Gale” by Yan Mo in the section “Our Natural World” follows a child on an annual trip with his grandfather in rural China.
“This tale captures resilience and acceptance in the face of life’s uncontrollable events,” she said.
Finally, the authors highlighted books by the two featured speakers at the Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival: “¡Felicidades!” by Duncan Tonatiuh and “(S)Kin” by Ibi Zoboi.
CONNECT WITH RAENA HUNTER DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu
Raena Hunter Doty / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Laura Hudock and Sam Westall during “What’s new in children’s literature?” Oct. 7.
Digital Humanities teaches text analysis with Voyant Tools
By Sarah Daponde Staff Writer
The Center for Digital Humanities held an event in-person and over Zoom on Nov. 1 to teach attendees about Voyant Tools, a text analysis software.
The event was hosted by Bartholomew Brinkman, English professor and the director of the Center for Digital Humanities. He was assisted by Digital Humanities Intern Spencer Pearson.
Brinkman began the event by asking who had used Voyant Tools before and the attendees said it was new to them.
To demonstrate how the software works, Brinkman selected a story he thought everyone would be familiar with. He chose Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” a text that he preemptively loaded in Voyant Tools.
He projected his screen to show how Voyant Tools constructed several different types of text analysis on the novel.
This analysis included information on readability, average words per minute, and a word cloud that showed the most popular words in the corpus.
The word “corpus” has the same root as the word “corpse” and means “the body of the text,” Brinkman said.
The first tool Brinkman showed was a word cloud - a visual displaying the words used in the text, arranged
by size according to frequency.
“Those things are related to things like vocabulary, density, readability, average words, percentage, and things like that,” he added.
To see more context of when the words appear in the corpus, Brinkman showed the other tools, which work together to give a deeper analysis. “A lot of these tools talk to each other,” added Brinkman.
to see the “big picture” of the text right away.
“What are the words that jump out at you?” he said. “And then those are potentially themes and things like that, right?”
Brinkman also encourages his students to put their own essay drafts into Voyant Tools to see what topics in the paper are “jumping out” the most. He added that this was a helpful way
“I just threw in an essay that I had written at some point and was basically just able to see the general gist of what it was about.”
- Spencer Pearson Digital Humanities Intern
“It’s generating the kinds of questions we want to follow up on,” said Brinkman. “And it’s generating the kinds of questions that maybe we wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”
Pearson said he found Voyant Tools useful for analyzing his own essays.
“I just threw in an essay that I had written at some point and was basically just able to see the general gist of what it was about,” he said.
Brinkman added that he frequently uses Voyant Tools in some of the courses he teaches when looking at difficult readings. He said he encourages his students to use the software
to see what topics need to be written about in greater detail to strengthen the essay.
“There are actually quite a few tools,” said Brinkman. “But we’re not going to talk about all of them today.”
He added that some tools are more “polished” than others, but that they can all be helpful in their own way for searching for connections within the corpus of a text.
One of the attendees, Halcyon Mancuso, executive director of the Mancuso Humanities Workforce Preparation Center, asked Brinkman if he told his students to use Voyant
Tools before or after they had read a certain text.
Brinkman said he had done it both ways, depending on what he wanted his students to pay attention to, but he was beginning to favor having the students put the text into Voyant before they read.
“With the exception of, you know, great students like Spencer here, sometimes it’s difficult to get that initial read right,” he said.
Brinkman said it can help when trying to understand the “big picture” of texts such as argumentative essays and nonfiction work, so students could ask more “probing questions.”
“I think maybe I used to think that was cheating more than I do now,” he added. He related this to how he is more and more frequently asking his students to use ChatGPT to understand texts.
Pearson added he had only used Voyant Tools in his Digital Humanities class so far, but that some of his teachers have him use ChatGPT for the same kind of analysis.
Brinkman said he encourages students to use Voyant in any class it would be useful.
[Editor’s Note: Spencer Pearson is a Staff Writer for The Gatepost]
CONNECT WITH SARAH DAPONDE sdaponde@student.framingham.edu
Ryan’s Runway
By Bella Omar Asst. Arts & Features Editor
You may know Ryan O’Connell from the staff box of your weekly university newspaper, or even from the stage of an improv performance in the forum - but you should know him as your one-stopshop for fall fashion inspiration.
Here is what this layering paragon has to say about building a stylish wardrobe.
Who or what is your biggest style inspiration?
I like the old-school style. Before centralized heating was a thing we used to wear, even laymen used to wear, like three piece suits. I’m really interested in history as well. So, old photos are cool, and seeing people in workwear from 70 or 100 years ago is really neat to me, because what they wear is what we would consider to be formal wear now. So I’m inspired by
that kind of stuff. The image I have in my head right now is the picture of the guys on the steel beam - and they have high-waisted, wide-leg pants, and suspenders and dress shoes 10,000 feet in the air!
How would you describe your personal style?
So I really like a preppy style. I also really enjoy workwear. I don’t have the money to be wearing Carhartt ev ery day, but there’s a lot of other real ly good workwear brands. A lot of my clothes are more of a baggy fit, I don’t like slim fitting clothes. I enjoy comfort quite a bit. I’m also a short guy, and I’m very thin, so I get cold really easily, so I really enjoy layering. And layering opens up so many doors for being well dressed - partic ularly because, like a sweater just on its own, does not look very good, but when you layer, it looks so so nice.
Walk me through today’s outfit.
So this is a Ralph Lauren trench coat - I got it on eBay for like $40. The shirt underneath is Tommy Hillfiger.
Where do you usually shop?
I love eBay. eBay is my absolute favorite. It’s really cheap, and they have a bunch of size checking requirements. So it’s really, really good. There’s just so much stuff on eBay, and it’s not really as popular as other things among people our age, like Depop and Poshmark. So it’s often marked up less.
If you could give out one piece of style advice, what would it be?
It would be to not be afraid to try new things, wear what you think looks good. I have recently been very into the trench coat type of thing, which is like a really archaic style. Not many people wear those anymore, and they look out of place, but I think they look really cool and they’re very warm, and when they’re layered. They just look super neat and very posh. So it took me a while to be able to get the confidence to go and wear that every day, but I would just encourage everyone to kind of explore their style.
The world is Ryan’s runway and we are just living in it!
[ Editor’s Note: Ryan O’Connell is an Associate Editor on The Gatepost. ]
CONNECT WITH BELLA OMAR bomar@student.framingham.edu
Girl meets superstardom - a review of Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet’
By Antonio Machado Staff Writer
After the general public caught a whiff of her “Espresso,” Sabrina Carpenter got to work on finding the secret formula on how to become the next It Girl - and the recipe was titled “Short n’ Sweet.”
Although the singer has been in the public eye since her Disney days, it wasn’t until the tongue-in-cheekness of her hit single “Nonsense” and its improvised outros that people began to realize her star power.
Released Aug. 23, “Short n’ Sweet” served as Carpenter’s sixth studio album and a much-needed break from the current self-serious state of pop music. Authenticity is so incredibly striven for in the contemporary pop world, and Carpenter is so authentically funny.
Originally a fun surprise to celebrate her performance at Coachella, “Espresso” became the song of the summer. Its pseudo-disco is accompanied by silly, nonsensical lyrics that serve to create a perfectly infectious track that’s too sweet to possibly put down.
The album is exactly as it was named - short. Sitting at 36 minutes, the record’s 12 tracks humorously sift between Carpenter’s relationship issues and successes, and though there are a few more serious moments, the highlights of the album are its humor.
Jack Antonoff’s nostalgic synth arpeggios on “Please Please Please” would normally cause the track to fade into the background, but Carpenter’s comedic pleas to her partner to not embarrass her have an in describable allure.
strumming of “Coincidence” evokes an early Joni Mitchell. She laughs and eyelashes as she details her part ner leaving her to return to his own ex, an in credibly palpable irony that makes this a standout track.
Pop-infused track “Bed
Chem” features a platter of steamy lyrical content with a side of Ariana Grande-esque falsettos as she jokingly details sexual innu endos. The Freudian slip of “Come right on me / I mean camaraderie” only works due to the zany charm of her delivery.
sprinkle of a southern twang.
Referencing the 2007 movie, “Juno” is a track that can only be described as “so f**king horny.” Popularized by the
The Dolly Parton country acoustics of “Slim Pickins” feature some of the silliest moments of the album. She jokingly complains about her difficulty finding “a boy who’s jacked and kind” and that “the Lord forgot [her] gay awakening” with the subtlest
place and lifeless when placed between the upbeat charm of “Espresso” and “Slim Pickins.”
The anadiplosis of “Sharpest Tool” serves for an interesting pre-chorus, but the track quickly fades into the background of its much more interesting successors. It sounds like some-
thing that could’ve been found on Carpenter’s previous album, “emails i can’t send,” but lacking the intimacy that made the record successful.
Contrastingly, “Lie To Girls” is a beautiful ballad that could similarly find a home in Carpenter’s previous record, but it finds a life of its own within “Short n’ Sweet” with its self-deprecating humor.
“Short n’ Sweet” is a demonstration on how pop can be entertaining and fun and a much needed break from the melancholic synths infesting the genre. However, the record is nothing revolutionary or new to pop. Every track could easily belong to another artist who came before her, and though they all possess a bit of that Carpenter charm, it is not charming enough to save the record.
The record is, however, charming enough to guarantee Carpenter a career that will be long n’ tasteful, and I am prepared to savor every bite.
Rating: C+
Oh she left quite an impression
‘Sports and Leisure’ - a heart ‘Crush’ing first album
By Alexis Schlesigner Editoral Staff
After releasing their first single on June 7, Bus Crush quickly moved on to an album release less than a month ago. Released on Oct. 11 following a release of three singles, “Sports and Leisure” made for a strong start to the band’s career.
The album follows a long and tiresome breakup and the lead singer is the narrator through it all.
The first two tracks, “Even Score” and “Good to Me,” are the most angry of the album and are the fastest paced with the most intense vocals, guitar, and drums.
“Even Score” starts off chastising us for wanting revenge for the hurt we felt. Then, “Good to Me” flips it back on us, and the hurt we caused the narrator. The narrator cries for better treatment, begging “it wouldn’t hurt to be good to me.” The tracks combine to tell us how much hurt there was on both sides.
Despite all the hurt, the narrator still yearns for us. Going into the next few tracks, it is very apparent there are still feelings. “Strawberry Stain” asks us “where did you go when I sent you home?” It’s almost as if she is hurt that home was not with her.
The strongest track on this album comes next. The lyrics throughout
this album are deeply meaningful, but some can get lost behind the backing tracks. It’s best to listen with the lyrics in front of you.
“I Can Hear the Birds” is a beautiful tribute to the memories missed after a relationship - something we can all relate to.
The narrator describes how we used to listen to the birds as we would lie together. Now that we are gone, she can still hear the birds. She feels selfish for still “walking through the memories,” but can’t help it. The lyrics of this song are so strong and clear, perfectly complimented by a softer, simpler backtrack.
you’re not there, I can do it better than I did it before.” Some of the lyrics get a little lost on this one, but it still ties together very well with “Seven,” conveying the back and forth that comes with moving on.
“Seven” comes up after, wondering if the listener is missing her the same way. Can we hear the birds too?
Immediately after, “Better” doubles back on these thoughts. Now we are told it’s better to move on, that the narrator is “moving fast now that
Just enough losing heroines
By Owen Glancy Asst. Arts & Features Editor
With a title like “Makine! Too Many Losing Heroines,” it’s understandable to make a few negative assumptions of the show’s quality. It doesn’t help that it’s based on a light novel, a Japanese writing medium that is often chastised for storylines that either pander to niche subcultures or act as blatant power fantasies for the readers to insert their own selfish desires into.
However, just like the characters within, “Makine” overcomes the stereotypes given to it to become something truly special.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. This show is absolutely gorgeous. These simple character designs are made instantly memorable in how they pop out of the screen in these detailed backgrounds full of vibrant colors.
The dark, cool moonlight illuminating a character’s tears, the shadows cast by sparklers in the height of summer, the flowing clothes as a character runs down a track, there is so much detail in every little aspect of this show. The melancholic, overdramatic period of life known as high school is portrayed in such a delicate visual language that remains both beautiful enough, and flexible enough to deliver both emotional and hilarious scenes.
Despite how excellent the show’s
“Sour Blue” backs up “Better’s” bitterness. This track perfectly describes the cold feeling toward the other person, when you start to feel negatively toward them, knowing that neither of you want each other.
“Gone” gets us angry again. How could you feel this apathy toward me? How do you sleep knowing how hurt I am? The narrator tells us her hurt will stay. So don’t ask anything of her.
In “Greyhound,” the narrator accepts that she will have to be the one to make the decision to move on - to start something new despite being scared.
The album closes out with “Win To-
day.” Even though the narrator shows growth following this breakup, she is only human. She checks back in with the listener once more, asking us “Did you win today?”
She still regrets how everything went down. Despite moving on, there is still that lingering anger. You made your decision, but do you feel like you won? Do you feel good about it?
While there are several tracks on this album that lose their lyrics behind strong backtracks, the message and story of the album make it worth it.
Not only that, but each song transitions smoothly into the next, not once jumping from too fast of a pace to something slower.
The album itself is incredibly emotional and cohesive, and a huge start to what will hopefully be a long career for Bus Crush.
Rating: A-
I hope you still hear the birds
CONNECT WITH ALEXIS SCHLESINGER aschlesinger@student.framingham.edu
visual style is, it’s ultimately just the start of what makes the show so good. The plot and characters are what really carry the bulk of the show’s quality.
The story follows Nukumizu, a friendless high school student who accidentally sees his classmate Anna getting rejected by her childhood crush at a local family restaurant in favor of her friend. Anna sees, and guilts him into paying for her meal, leading to her paying him back by making him homemade meals until her debt is paid off, much to the chagrin of Nukumizu who doesn’t want much to do with her.
title of the show tells us all we need to know about the outcome of our heroine’s romantic pursuits, yet we can’t help but become invested anyway.
This does not seem like the most riveting story in the world, and frankly, it isn’t. On paper, the story beats are not particularly interesting. However, it’s in their execution and in the overall plot’s simplicity where the story finds its footing.
As Nukumizu slowly becomes closer to Anna and the other just as unfortunate girls she associates herself with, we begin to get wrapped up in their drama. In a fashion similar to hearing a friend talk about a particularly rocky situationship, we get inexplicably drawn into the story. The
It definitely helps that all of these characters are incredibly entertaining. Nukumizu plays the straight man to the eccentric personalities of the show’s many other characters, and he is hilarious.
Every insane situation, every heartbreak, and every new friendship formed, we only love this guy more and more as he further dedicates himself to being the best support he can be for our heavy-hearted heroines.
The titular heroines are Anna, Lemon, and Komari and throughout the show, they all see their dreams of the perfect high school romance crushed by those around them. It would be extremely easy to make these three very bitter and angry characters, especially given the fact that all three of the men they’re pursuing can initially be seen as extremely selfish.
However, the show instead goes in a more interesting direction, having these girls attempt to find healthy ways to get over their anguish. Anna
joins the literature club, Lemon dedicates herself further to track and field, and Komari throws herself into her new role as president of the literature club.
There is one major flaw that hampers the show’s momentum however, and it’s the final episode. Typically the last episode of a season of a show is saved for the climax of the story or maybe an epilogue made to wrap up loose ends. “Makine’s” final episode is 100% filler, with zero impact on either the characters or plot.
It leaves the story on such an unsatisfying note, especially after the emotional climax of the previous episode could’ve ended things on such a powerful moment.
“Makine! Too Many Losing Heroines” is not at all what I expected, but I loved it anyway. This proved that a simple story populated by interesting characters is sometimes all you need to hook an audience.
Rating: A-
Losing heroines, winning audience
Charlotte Fabrizi / THE GATEPOST
Ronnie Chiu-Lin / THE GATEPOST
Puzzles
38. Destiny’s Child hit whose title is sung after “let me hear you” (... letter 4)
41. Does a cow chore
44. Tibetan animals
45. Caramel-stuffed candy
49. Mystery writer Christie
51. It precedes tee
53. ___ sleep
54. Go up and down (... letter 2)
55. Job similar to transcription (... letter 5)
59. V’s K-pop band
60. Org. regulating hard hats
61. Pesters
62. Squirrel’s snack
64. Make a witty comment, or a phonetic hint to what the indicated letters do (Bonus: Note what these letters spell)
68. Garbage drop in a high-rise
69. When prompted
70. ___ tai
71. Detests
72. Strange
73. Sierra Nevada’s Atomic Torpedo, e.g. DOWN
1. Geography class diagram
2. Bump together
3. Joint or pen
4. Heros in NOLA
5. Adams of “Doubt”
6. Scottish “not”
7. Accra’s country
8. Wrap brand
9. Small chess piece
10. She lived in Eden
11. “D’oh!”
12. “Full bird” military rank
13. Trendy
18. Thanksgiving tuber
22. Ripen
24. Quickly note
25. Thumbs-up
26. “Tasty!”
27. 2000 candidate Ralph
31. Boat people’s home country, for short
33. Invite for
35. “It’s All About Me” singer
36. In tune
39. Volcano output
40. Admin. helper
41. MercedesBenz subsidiary
42. “We’re on the same page”
43. Knocks flat
46. Folder’s art
47. Camera lid
48. “Holy *@$!” in a text
50. Apt. coolers
52. Matched up
56. “I’m amazed!”
57. “Common Sense” writer
58. With 16-Across, French for “by airmail”
60. Change for a $2 bill
63. Hwy.
65. STEM component, briefly
66. Vatican City’s continent: Abbr.
67. Korean automaker
Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.
Photos by Associate Editor Maddison Behringer
Small Mouth Sounds
Spread by Photos & Design Editor Adrien Gobin and Asst. Photos & Design Editor Meghan Spargo
(Left) Janice Agyemang and Emma Schor at the “Small Mouth Sounds” dress rehearsal on Nov. 5.
The cast of “Small Mouth Sounds” at their dress reharsal on Nov. 5.
(Left) Amy Bickford and Kira James at the “Small Mouth Sounds” dress rehearsal on Nov. 5.
Erin Operach at the “Small Mouth Sounds” dress rehearsal on Nov. 5.
The cast and crew of “Small Mouth Sounds” at the dress rehearsal on Nov. 5.