University launches new public-facing website
By Sophia Oppedisano Editorial Staff
Framingham State launched an updated version of its public-facing website, framingham.edu, along with a reorganized MyFramingham intranet, as part of a larger University rebrand this summer.
The external and internal information housed on framingham.edu and MyFramingham, respectively, have undergone a design overhaul and reorganization.
The cost of the framingham.edu redesign was $621,125, according to
Executive Director of Marketing and Communications Dan Magazu.
Magazu was involved in the project as director of communications before being promoted to executive director of marketing and communications, when the website redesign became “[his] project” in May 2024 after Avril Capers’ retirement from the executive director of marketing and communications role.
The public-facing content, meant to draw in prospective students and their families, is housed on framingham.edu.
It was previously a page that served as a landing point for current students, faculty, and staff in addition to potential
new students and their families.
The choice to redesign the public-facing content for framingham.edu was a “University decision amongst the Board of Trustees and Executive Staff,” Magazu said.
“It had been probably seven or eight years, and the old site was starting to feel a little outdated. Your website is your number-one marketing tool. It was important to get a fresh site up there,” he added.
Magazu said the framingham.edu redesign project began in 2021 and took approximately three years to complete.
By Raena Hunter Doty Arts & Features Editor
The Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival hosted Ibi Zoboi and Duncan Tonatiuh as keynote speakers Nov. 7.
President Nancy Niemi introduced the speakers.
“There are not many universities that have such a deep and thoughtful celebration of children’s literature and illustration and their profound continuing effect on literacy,” she said.
“Not just literacy of children and young adults, but of our collective ability to read the world of stories and ar-
tistic designs in so many different formats,” she added.
She said though digital and video media has become increasingly popular, “there is still nothing like a book,” and she believes books have a power offered by “no other media.”
Tonatiuh was introduced first, and said though his books are “very different from one another,” spanning a variety of genres - both fiction and nonfiction - “one thing almost all of them have in common is that they have to do with Mexican culture or Mexican-American culture.”
He said he was born in Mexico City
and grew up in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
“When I moved there, I didn’t know the kids in my neighborhood. I didn’t know the kids in my school,” he said. “What I did have was a school library.”
Tonatiuh said he borrowed a lot of books as a kid, especially “choose your own adventure” books, and became interested in writing his own stories.
He added he also became interested in drawing after his cousins would bring him comic books and he “had never seen comics, so I got really excited.
(Left) Paige Rainville and Emma Schor at the Nov. 13 Suit Jacket Posse improv show.
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
Erina Operach
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 Christian Steinmetz
Marketing Manager, Office of Marketing & Communications
By Bella Grimaldi Staff Writer
What is your academic and professional background?
I have a bachelor of arts and a master of arts in communications. My bachelor of arts is from the University of New Hampshire, and my master’s is from Georgia State University in Atlanta. In between those two degrees, I started off as a graphic designer and a production artist working in direct mail advertising, and then I worked for a local publisher in Boston called America’s Test Kitchen. It’s the publishing company that makes Cook’s Illustrated magazine, and I worked there. And then I went to grad school, and after grad school, I made my focus working in communications and marketing for higher education. I worked for Georgia State University for five years doing communications work for them. I took some time off from higher education and I worked in digital media for a number of years. I worked for CNN, I worked for How Stuff Works, and I worked for a radio program called Live Wire radio, mainly doing communications and marketing at How Stuff Works. At CNN, I was a writer, and I was a multimedia host there as well. Then, I went back to higher education in 2021, and I started working for Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, and now I’m here at Framingham State.
What is one aspect of your job that is unique?
In higher education, marketing and communications aren’t always the biggest priority for universities, so it’s unique in the sense that there aren’t a lot of people who work in universities who have these backgrounds and skill sets. They’re usually pretty small teams, and that’s the case at Framingham. I think we have eight people on our team. I manage the University’s budget for advertising - specifically for how we recruit prospective new students for enrollment - and that can be everything from working together with vendors like advertising vendors or platforms, doing research on audiences and our share of voice and then assessing the data from our advertising and seeing if it was successful, or if we need to change strategies.
What is something students wouldn’t know or expect about you?
What are some of your hobbies?
I started off not as a marketing person, but I started off in music, playing in punk and hardcore bands in the Boston music scene in the ’90s. I also write fiction on the side. I write for comic books and I write short horror stories as well. I like to read a lot, too. I read kind of a mix of everything, but I’m a horror nerd, so I’m very involved in the horror writing community, and I’m a previous member of the Horror Writing Association. I have one dog named Winn, and he’s my constant companion, and we go hiking into parks and exploring on adventures. I’m still into music. I don’t play music anymore, but I still enjoy going to see shows - not just punk, but I go to metal shows or really kind of anything.
How will Framingham State’s marketing change under your leadership?
One of the big things that we’re working on right now is developing a marketing strategy for the University that will align with the strategic plan that the University set up, and also the strategic enrollment plan that was already built, I believe, a year ago. We’re trying to set that up, and what’ll be different about that is I try to be very intentional about data-driven decision-making when it comes to marketing, and that involves brand management. It also involves setting up a strategy for social media and involving best practices. I would also say I try to think about marketing a little differently than most marketing people do. My background training as an academic is actually rhetorical criticism, not in marketing per se, and I believe that the basic principles of public speaking are applicable to all communications and marketing. I work from there, and then I try to incorporate the best practices of contemporary technology and society.
What drew you to Framingham State?
I was really excited about Framingham State because I really like the campus and the community. Framingham State is very different from where I’ve worked before. I previously worked at urban research universities, which were smack in the downtown of major me-
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tropolises. Framingham State just has one really beautiful, traditional, physical campus. Something that I’ve just been really excited about since I got here is there’s just a great community and an atmosphere of belonging at Framingham State that I haven’t experienced at other universities, both with the students and with the faculty and staff.
What advice would you offer students at Framingham State?
If there are students who are into communications and marketing, I would say that it’s important to have a strategy like I was talking about, and make data-based decisions, but I think it’s also important to leave room for your gut and trust your instincts about what may or may not work. Then you can always come back and do an assessment to figure out if it was successful. I think the other thing I would recommend for people getting into marketing in general is that the marketing industry can become really obsessed with trends, and those trends aren’t necessarily good for the goals or the audience of the institution that you’re working for. Some recent examples would be NFTs, which were very popular two years ago. Right now, the big thing is AI, and I would just say, don’t let the fear of missing out drive your strategy.
CONNECT WITH BELLA GRIMALDI igrimaldi@student.framingham.edu
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Courtesy of Christian Steinmetz
Continued from Page 1
The website was launched as part of the University’s plans to rebrand other outward-facing marketing tools such as the new logo.
The rebrand encompassed “what makes a university’s visual identity,” Magazu said. This includes colors, fonts, logos, and the use of photography.
“We’re talking about the identifiers of the University, so people see it and hopefully think, ‘That’s Framingham State,’” he added.
University President Nancy Niemi said, “It’s so much better because you’ve got the distinction between the public-facing purpose of the website and all the [internal] business we take care of that was confused in the old version.”
Niemi added the new website adds a level of clarity to the University’s brand and provides clear information on topics such as cost and what students can expect when they enroll.
She noted the changes may affect the University community, but “there are some things [we] can’t ask permission for.”
“We knew we needed a new website. We knew we needed a new marketing and branding strategy,” Niemi said.
The new brand is something Niemi’s administration had a hand in creating when she was appointed president in 2022.
“Our tagline is ‘Proudly public and truly transformative.’ I think that did come in part from me … because I wanted to be that bold. People don’t want a mission statement - they want to hear what you are, and I make no apologies for being a public institution that serves our community, and we’re going to do it better than anybody else,” Niemi said.
If students, faculty, and staff have problems with the website or SharePoint, Niemi invites them to “help us make what we do have work for you.
“It’s fine to be critical of something because that’s how we get better. That just takes people saying, ‘OK, here’s what I think is wrong. Here’s what I think can help,’ and let’s work together to make it better,” she said.
The logo and the site were both designed by Primacy, a branding and marketing company that advertises a specialty in higher education, according to its website.
Magazu said Primacy worked closely with the University community, using focus groups, surveys, and meetings with campus leadership.
“It’s a very collaborative process,” he added.
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Dan Campagna, account director for Primacy, said, “[Primacy] had a defined scope,” and the rebrand and the website redesign went “hand in hand.”
Primacy’s role in the general rebrand, which students might recognize as the new logo or new fonts on campus, involved phases of research that culminated in the company working with the University to discern “Who Framingham State is as a university, and how we want to represent ourselves … through communication in our branding,” Campagna said.
He added the rebrand was highlighted by the redesign of framingham.edu to “better reflect Framingham and its community” as well as “take the new brand and express it.”
According to Campagna, Primacy’s role in the website was specific to its redesign, not the content it presents. “We assisted with content, but I don’t know that we made any key decisions in terms of what content specifically was on the site. We did help with organization and we had a level of testing in there as well to make sure that if folks were looking for specific types of content, that it was represented and labeled accurately, but that was kind of the extent of our involvement.”
The website is now a marketing tool for prospective students and their families, according to Campagna.
He said the website and the brand should convey Framingham State as “a university that meets students wherever they are in their journey, and can help them from whatever their starting point is.”
One of the goals of the newly designed marketing-based site is to draw in new students and increase enrollment, said Iris Godes, vice president of enrollment management.
Godes worked closely with Magazu and Primacy on the framingham.edu redesign.
The project moved at “warp speed,” according to Godes. “This is … a twoyear project that we did in less than a year.”
Godes, like Magazu, joined the project after it had already begun when she was hired in May 2023 and “the whole rebrand part had just been completed,” she said.
“I got more heavily involved when we were pinning down what the design was going to look like and then more so with the content and the split between the website and what MyFramingham became on this SharePoint site.
“The goal was to be very modern and bold, and it seemed to fit that bill,” she said.
However, Godes said things became more complicated when it came to the
Monday night Nov. 18
Mostly clear, with a low around 40. West wind around 5 mph.
Tuesday Nov. 19
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“nitty-gritty” of placing the content into the design. She said the focus then shifted to the question of, “OK, here’s the template for this particular page, and is this template working?”
This “nitty-gritty stuff” is not what current Framingham State students are looking at because “now, hopefully, you’re mostly on that SharePoint site,” Godes said.
The SharePoint site is strictly meant for the internal community. It serves as a portal for current students, faculty, and staff.
Godes said she has received feedback from faculty and staff that framingham.edu is tricky to navigate and they can’t find what they’re looking for.
“It’s because you’re not supposed to be there - it’s not designed for you anymore.
“[Faculty and staff] were trying to circumvent the navigation. It’s a completely different approach. … I think it has been a little bit of a challenge for the University community,” she said.
The line has been drawn between the content students, faculty, and staff have access to on the SharePoint site and the marketing content that framingham.edu utilizes to draw in prospective students.
“If you think about the amount of content when you get into trying to market the University to prospective students and their families and what our current students need access tothat’s a huge amount of information. Maintaining it is huge, and the messaging is completely different,” Godes said.
The drawbacks to having all information in one place on the old site was the University ran the risk of confusing potential new students because the marketing was more successful in serving the internal audience, according to Godes.
She added the shift to separate internal and external pages “makes total sense” because the division of information serves both communities and eliminates the amount of information recruits have to comb through.
It is difficult to make a projection of how the website will specifically impact enrollment, Godes said.
Enrollment had been decreasing for many years but has risen slightly for AY 2023-24.
As part of the initial rebrand stages, new material was going out to prospective students who had expressed interest in the University, which Godes believes contributed to the higher enrollment numbers.
The materials include a radio ad, ads on the MetroWest transit buses, and
digital content such as Google ads.
There are also printed materials, including a “viewbook,” postcards, financial-aid information, and then a final “yield piece” that alerts students to their admission to the University.
“The materials that were going out were much stronger than what we had done before, tapping into that messaging that went into a new communication plan. … A more modern, current, stronger voice did, I think, have an impact on this incoming class,” Godes said.
She added the website will complement these new advertising and print materials now that it has been fully launched for AY 2024-25.
President Niemi said she believes the website will contribute to a rise in enrollment because the website represents “the vitality of who we want to be.
“We’re much better now at updating content, making sure that we look the way we want to look, and [being] responsive,” she added.
Godes said she believes the University’s brand is “high quality, lower cost, and proudly public.”
For faculty, framingham.edu used to be decentralized, and it allowed them to go in and edit their own department pages. Godes said she has received feedback that faculty are “excited” they no longer have to worry about their own pages.
“On the marketing side, we want to make sure that there’s consistency in messaging, that there are certain standards that are followed, so a student who’s exploring isn’t having a completely different experience from one page to another. This allows us to stay connected, stay consistent, and stay on brand. It relieves the faculty of that responsibility,” Godes said.
If members of the University encounter issues with the site, they are encouraged to email web@framingham.edu to create a ticket that the marketing staff will manage.
Benjamin Alberti, professor of anthropology and the interim FSU chapter president for the Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA), spoke from his perspective as a professor about the new design of framingham.edu.
“When I started to use it, I noticed that both the functionality and the content were seriously problematic,” he said.
Alberti noted the search feature on the website does not accurately call up anything that might be related to his search. He also commented on how
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the design is more functional on a cell phone than on a desktop.
He said he’s experienced some frustration over missing content on the site, including information such as his office number as well as the office numbers of other members of his department.
“That’s how students find us. That’s how we find each other. That’s how we send stuff through inter-departmental mail. That information was available on the previous website. It’s halfway through the semester and this is still like this,” he said.
Alberti is a professor in the depart ment of sociology and criminology. He said the chair of the department sub mitted material for the website that gave information about the programs they offer.
“There was material on the previous website about our program, specifical ly, and that material has been replaced by some clearly AI-generated general stuff about sociology or criminology that is not our material. … It’s too gen eral. There are also images of faculty from other departments doing things as part of our program on our page, and they had nothing to do with it,” he said.
There is a photo on the landing page for the sociology and criminol ogy department of a chemistry pro fessor who teaches at the University as well as what Alberti believes are “stock photos” of students in classrooms.
“What really upsets me is the fact that the faculty at this University and administrators and librarians put their heart and soul into this job. This is the public-facing [website] of our University. We pride ourselves on our teaching, on our scholarship, and our service to the University.
vendor as of June 30, 2023.
“That drove our decision to make SharePoint our MyFramingham portal as well as to make it more of a one-stop shopping experience so people aren’t going to SharePoint for one thing, and MyFramingham for another thing,” Harrington said.
According to Harrington, faculty and staff had open training sessions last year, and each department that joined the SharePoint project has its own site.
edu.
The feedback has been “generally positive - you always find the few negative things that come through, but [it’s been] mostly positive and constructive. Mainly what I see are broken links that occur, which happens working out the kinks of a new system,” she said.
K-la Vazquez, a junior, said the SharePoint site is overwhelming to look at because there is so much in-
registration proved difficult for her this year on the new MyFramingham website.
“I kept getting an error message because the website kept redirecting me to a different page. As a senior, I felt frustrated because I was unaware of what I was navigating,” she said.
“If this is the impression that’s been created of all the good stuff that we are doing, then it’s absolutely appalling. It denigrates all of the hard work of the faculty [and] the passion of the faculty. It completely sucks all that out of the room, and we’re left with an appalling hash of a website,” Alberti said.
MyFramingham is a portal for students to access information about advising, billing, CASA, Residence Life, and their DegreeWorks.
It is essential for students as well as faculty and staff.
According to Executive Director of Enterprise Application Services Marsha Bryan, $64,211 “on the temporary contractor for the rollout of SharePoint Online.”
Patrick Laughran, associate vice president and chief information officer for Information Technology Services (ITS), said, “All other costs were part of our annual subscription to Microsoft 365. … We also handled the vast majority of the work to configure, train, and roll out the solution ‘in-house’ within the ITS-Enterprise Application Services Team.”
Microsoft 365 Solutions Specialist Jackie (Lovell) Harrington said the move to SharePoint “made the most sense” because of the University’s contracts with Microsoft 365.
SharePoint is not part of the rebranding initiative. However, because of the framingham.edu project, “everything needed a home,” Harrington said.
The original MyFramingham portal was scheduled for “end of life” by the
within the MyFramingham system, she added.
There was a soft launch of the new MyFramingham on March 1, 2023 and a small group of students was consult-
ing. I’ll click on DegreeWorks, and then I’ll try to go back and see the class catalogs and stuff like that, and it’s like, ‘Wait, I don’t even know where I’m going.’ It gets so confusing for me,” she
“It just looks a little more modern. It’s keeping up with our new logo. It looks aesthetically pleasing, but there’s definitely some trouble navigating it.”
- Avry Guilbert Senior
ed prior to that date, according to Harrington.
“We were seeing positive reviews on the look and everything like that. Then, once the soft launch occurred, that’s when we opened it up to anybody - faculty, staff, students - to provide feedback and change the system based on feedback we received,” she added.
Harrington said the site is still “possibly evolving” based on feedback. She also noted that departments are able to edit their own sites, similar to how departments could edit their pages when that information was on framingham.
said.
Samantha Reynolds, a senior, said MyFramingham confused her even before the portal moved to SharePoint.
“I was just starting to get used to the other one, and now suddenly, I was bombarded with a brand new website. … I can’t really find most of the stuff I need,” she said.
Reynolds said it would be helpful if the search bar on the website could further refine her searches instead of the first results leading her back to the student homepage.
Leticia Rita Santos, a senior, said
Ainslee Caton, a senior, said, “It took me over half an hour to find the form for me to add a minor onto my degree because it is now hidden away and very inaccessible.”
Caton added the site’s inaccessibility is exemplified by how many clicks it takes her to get to a specific page.
“I think I’ve counted about five to seven clicks just to get to Canvas,” she
Lucy Forgit, a junior, said she believes the website is hard to navigate because she had gotten used to the previous version.
“You can’t find anything. You can’t find any of your logins from the website. Now, [you have to] go through three pages to find MyFramingham, and then go to your login - it’s terrible,” she added.
Forgit said SharePoint should be easier to navigate to from framingham.
Magazu sent a campus-wide email Oct. 24 to let students know they can directly access MyFramingham from framingham.edu using the dropdown menu in the top right corner of the framingham.edu homepage.
Avry Guilbert, a senior, said she likes the website. “It just looks a little more modern. It’s keeping up with our new logo. It looks aesthetically pleasing, but there’s definitely some trouble navigating it.”
Guilbert believes some of the confusion could be attributed to there being “a lot of places that look like they could be the right spot for the right thing you’re looking for.” She added the menus can be misleading.
A student-worker for Information Technology Services who asked to remain anonymous said they feel the new MyFramingham is “really convoluted” compared to the old model.
“The saying ‘form over function’ goes really well here because I feel like, sure, the new website looks prettier, but I feel that for students and faculty, it’s not very easy to navigate,” they said.
The student-worker said they receive a “decent amount” of requests for help navigating the SharePoint site from students.
They added the site could use some simplification in terms of streamlining information.
“I think the main thing is just to have quick and easy access to things that people need, especially for relevant information, like courses or Outlook,” they said.
At the top of the SharePoint homepage is a link for students to use if they need assistance navigating the SharePoint site.
Harrington said, “We’re always welcoming feedback here at IT. I want to hear what people have to say if there’s any constructive criticism to make the system better.”
Ronnie Chiu-Lin / THE GATEPOST
$3.65 million barn project announced at Board of Trustees meeting
By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor
The Board of Trustees passed a motion approving the construction of a barn at the Warren Conference Center during their Nov. 13 meeting.
The project is a partnership between Framingham State and the town of Ashland and will cost $3.65 million, according to Robert Totino, vice president of administration, finance, and technology.
The Warren Conference Center is located in Ashland and was acquired by the Massachusetts State College Building Authority on behalf of FSU in 2015.
Totino said the construction of the barn is expected to begin in the spring of 2025 and will be completed between the fall and winter of 2025.
Previously, there was a barn on the Warren Center property that was razed a few years ago. Totino said the site of the barn “was given back to the town of Ashland.”
He added, “We’re working collaboratively with the town of Ashland to rebuild the barn site. What we can see happening is there could be an on-site event meeting space.”
Totino said the barn will also serve as a recreational facility with room for an ice-skating rink available to students as well as restrooms.
There will also be a partnership with the Student Transportation Center (STC) to shuttle students to and from the Warren Center while the ice rink is open, according to Totino.
He said STC will be “making student trips to do ice-skating venues for maybe our resident students in our residence halls, things like that, and also for academic programming.”
Totino said the ice rink is expected to be operational “by mid Decemberabout a month from now, and last until roughly March, end of February.”
Framingham State will contribute $2.15 million to the project, while the town of Ashland will provide the additional $1.5 million.
Money to fund the project is “largely made up of state appropriations. We have a $1.5 million earmark in the state-approved budget from August of ’24 for fiscal ’25,” said Totino.
The additional funding required to complete the project is approximately $600,000 and will come from “prior funding from previous years,” Totino said.
In response to Totino’s report, Student Trustee Jeremy McDonald asked if there were plans to publicize the barn and ice rink to students.
Totino said, “There will be plenty of publications with the student government, resident assistants, the resident directors, and of course, our commuter students.”
The motion to approve the project passed unanimously.
During her report, President Nancy Niemi announced the New England Board of Higher Education (NECHE) approved FSU for reaccreditation for the next 10 years.
Niemi said in the future, NECHE has asked FSU to submit “a progress report in August 2026, which is a new action that they’re taking with most institutions. … At that time, they want to hear about how we’ve systematized our multi-year planning and our strategic planning, because at the time they came, we had not finished that work yet.”
She added, “They wanted to hear how we finished our strategic plan, and the evidence of how we are addressing enrollment and financial goals. … They also expect to hear from us about how we’re evaluating our academic program portfolio.”
Niemi added she presented the University’s strategic plan to the Board of Higher Education in October.
She said the Board of Higher Education approved the strategic plan unanimously.
During his report, Jeffrey Coleman, vice president of diversity, inclusion and community engagement (DICE), highlighted “our faculty and staff professional development initiatives. With these particular initiatives, our focus has been on helping faculty and staff develop more of a deeper understanding and practical application around diversity equity, and inclusion (DEI) principles, and also how to create support for classroom environments.”
He added, “Each of those professional development initiatives focuses on improving student engagement and retention, particularly amongst our underrepresented groups and identities.”
Coleman said he is also focused on “collaboration on many of our DEI efforts with faculty and staff.”
Coleman said, “We are moving to-
ward innovating for student success, and adapting and adopting programs, practices, and pedagogies to enhance teaching and learning that meet the evolving needs of our student population, our adult students, employers and the needs of ever-changing diverse society.”
During his report, Eric Gustafson, vice president of development and alumni relations, announced Kristen Daly, class of ’92, will serve as the new alumni trustee.
Gustafson said the Alumni Association and the FSU Foundation Board, voted for Daly’s appointment to the Board of Trustees.
During his report, Student Trustee McDonald discussed the Administrators Forum held on Oct. 28 by the Student Government Association (SGA).
[ Editor’s Note: See “Administrators listen to student concerns at forum” in the Nov. 8 issue of The Gatepost. ]
McDonald said, “The topics included dining, the atmosphere, the website, event planning and campus timing, athletics, and the academic calendar. I was very pleased by the administration there and by the answers that we received.”
McDonald discussed the Board of Trustees’ forum, which will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the Henry Whittemore Library. The event will be an opportunity for students to meet with the trustees.
He said, “I want to stress the importance of this kind of event. It’s important for the students to be able to know who the board is.”
McDonald also discussed recent SGA initiatives.
McDonald said STC will now transport students to the Loring Arena during men’s and women’s home hockey games.
McDonald said, “We’d like to expand this to Bowditch Field for our football team, which is our other off-campus location.”
McDonald discussed the women’s ice hockey team, which played their first game on Oct. 31. “This event was the first time students were able to utilize the STC as transport to the Loring Arena.”
During Niemi’s report, Aline Davis, professor of biology, introduced the student-in-the-spotlight, senior Rachel Sharon.
Sharon, 33, “has continuously held between one and three part-time jobs while completing her degree,” Davis said.
She added, “They’ve all been related to her major. She has worked at Animal Care at Mass Audubon. She has worked at Weston Nurseries and continues to do so, and she has worked at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation.”
Sharon has served as the coordinator of the Framingham State community garden during the summer of 2023 and as President of the Wildlife Club during the 2023-24 school year.
Sharon is a transfer student from Mount Wachusett Community College.
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
(Left) Nancy Niemi, Claire Ramsbottom, Jeremy McDonald, and Antonia Soares Thompson at the Nov. 13 meeting of the Board of Trustees.
OP/ED
THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL
You can make change in between elections
As The Gatepost Editorial Board reflected on the election, many of us felt overwhelmed and hopeless as we watched the Republican Party win a majority of seats in the U.S. House and Senate, along with the Presidential contest.
We know many others on our campus share these feelings, and therefore, we want to stress that it is still important to remain engaged in our local and state governments even though the presidential race is over. We can still enact change on the local level if we are persistent in our fight for a better future.
We understand many feel disappointed in the results and may believe there is nothing they can do that will have any impact in the long run, but now is not the time to give up.
These strong emotions that people are feeling should be channeled to fight harder to ensure our voices are heard.
Especially now, when issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights are at risk with a president and vice president who have pledged to strip support for both, our voices are necessary to ensure these rights remain protected at the local and state levels.
There are several ways you can become involved with government at the local and state levels.
You have the right to vote and you should exercise that right at every opportunity. Elections do not just occur when there is a presidential candidate on the ballot. They are scheduled more frequently than you might think.
State elections occur every two years. During these elections, you can vote for who you want to represent your community at the State House.
Local elections can occur at various times during any year.
It is important to stay up to date on when elections are happening in your community. Elections that occur in your city or town are where change that could most directly impact you is enacted.
Even when elections are not occuring, there are still ways to remain politically engaged on campus.
You can get involved with the Civic Engagement and Service Learning Center in the CIE. According to the mission statement of the center, “Through equitable and reciprocal partnerships with campus organizations and community partners, we address pressing social, political, economic, health, and environmental changes of our times.”
The Civic Engagement Center is the perfect place to start if you are unsure how to get involved. The staff works with faculty and student organizations to run events designed to promote civic engagement on campus.
You can take relevant courses in political science, sociology, or history, among other departments.
The political science department offers many courses that explain the structures and processes of government. These courses can help you better understand exactly what your political involvement can accomplish.
The sociology department offers many courses focused on social issues in America and what solutions are needed to resolve them.
American history courses can explain how we got to where we are today.
Educating yourself about American history, politics, and society is a great way to become more engaged with how our country works and how you as an individual can become more civically involved.
Framingham State is a liberal arts university where students have the opportunity to take elective courses that are not in their majors. You have control over your education and can choose classes that support your major goals and participation as an active member of society.
With registration underway, now is the perfect time for students who are interested in learning more about these issues to register for a relevant class next semester.
Consider taking “Social Problems” or “Social Class” if you want to take a course about American society.
Consider taking “Public Policy Analysis” or “Race, Politics, and the Law” if you would prefer a course focused on the structures of American politics.
To get involved off campus, look into local committees for political action.
The Massachusetts Democratic Party website offers several opportunities for involvement in Democratic politics. The party hosts events, promotes local job opportunities, and creates a shared space for members of the Democratic Party to come together and find community.
According to their website, “When we empower people to organize their local communities, we can change our Commonwealth and our country for the better.”
The Massachusetts GOP website also offers a host of opportunities for local Republicans to get involved with their party.
No matter your political party or personal feelings about this election, it is essential to engage in local politics.
Many changes can and will be made throughout the four years between the presidential elections. Don’t you want to be a part of those changes?
As young voters, we have to work to make our voices heard and seize all the opportunities available to us.
Don’t slack on your political involvement!
Living without meaning - finding freedom in Camus’ philosophy
By Celia Williams Staff Writer
Imagine all the things you are doing - studying, planning, hustlingultimately add up to nothing.
No grand payoff, no cosmic purpose, no higher destiny. At first, a terrifying thought, but what if, instead of fear, that realization gave you freedom?
Albert Camus, a philosopher, novelist, and the father of existentialism, famously wrote about the “absurdity” of life.
He argued that in the absence of inherent meaning, we may carve out our own paths. In a world where success is defined by grades, scores, and rigid expectations, Camus’ idea might be precisely what today’s students need. Instead of waiting for someone else’s definition of a meaningful life, we should create our own. That is where Camus’ philosophy steps in.
Imagine a life without a universal path, no “right” way forward, no final meaning. No meaning at all. Does it sound frightening? Perhaps. According to Camus, it is also the only true path to freedom.
In his work “The Myth of Sisyphus,” Camus introduces the concept of the “absurd.”
The absurd, he says, is born from the clash between our human need to make sense of life and the “unreasonable silence of the world.”
We crave answers and patterns, hoping that everything we do somehow “adds up.” But the universe has no answers for us. It is indifferent. Instead of finding meaning, we face emptiness.
Camus saw this as the gap between our desire for meaning and the world’s indifference, an absurd reality defining human experience.
To illustrate the absurd, he uses the story of Sisyphus, a character from Greek mythology.
The gods condemned Sisyphus to push a boulder up a mountain for eternity, only to watch it roll back down each time he neared the top.
Camus believed that Sisyphus can teach us something profound. Sisyphus is a hero, not because he achieves something but because he achieves and accepts the endless struggle. Camus writes, “The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
For many students, life can feel like an endless series of tasks. There is always another exam, project, assignment, or application to complete. The idea is that each success will bring you closer to some ultimate sense of accomplishment or meaning. What happens when you get there? Does the satisfaction even last? Or do you go onto another project without feeling anything?
Camus would contend that this consistent quest for significance outside ourselves is bound to leave us frustrated. Similar to Sisyphus, we are pushing a rock that generally moves down.
No single accomplishment, grade, or grant can ultimately fulfill our craving for a reason.
Camus offered an alternative.
Rather than struggling to find the perfect purpose, he suggested we find freedom in accepting life’s absurdity. There is not a surrender but a way of living more fully. When we stop seeking answers, we are free to define meaning on our own terms.
Camus wrote, “You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.”
For students, this could mean investing in what genuinely fulfills them, even if it does not align with external expectations or traditional success markers.
As an English major or any other “unimportant” major (fashion, music, linguistics, philosophy, etc.), you are a target of prejudice that is simply incorrect.
No passion of yours is unimportant. We should not live this life to simply make a lot of money. Sure, having money is good - I wouldn’t want to have nothing to eat, but is that all there is to life? Money? You won’t take that with you to the grave.
We were born naked, and we will leave naked.
We have a choice - to be paralyzed by the lack of inherent meaning or to rebel against it, against the nurture we were forced to accept as nature.
Living with intention and joy.
When we embrace the absurd, we are free to find meaning in things that bring us learning something new, creating art, forming friendships, or exploring ideas.
In accepting that life may not have a single purpose, we gain the freedom to live each moment fully and make each experience meaningful on its own terms.
Instead of waiting for life to reveal its meaning, perhaps we should embrace the absurdity and find beauty in each moment.
After all, true freedom lies not in waiting for answers but in choosing to live without them.
Journalists - our call to action is now
By Dylan Pichnarcik Editorial Staff
On Nov. 3, Donald Trump held a rally in Lititz, Pennsylvania. Between his usual fanaticism, Trump remarked about the bullet-proof glass that sur rounded him in light of the attempt on his life on July 13, according to an article published by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC).
At the rally he said, “I have a piece of glass over here, and I don’t have a piece of glass there. And I have this piece of glass here, but all we have re ally over here is the fake news.
“And to get me, somebody would have to shoot through the fake news. And I don’t mind that so much.”
Additionally, throughout the rally Trump referred to the media multiple times as “bloodsuckers,” according to an article by ABC.
The soon-to-be leader of the free world called for members of the inde pendent press to be shot.
And we elected him President.
These men and women serve as a small part of a pillar that keeps our nation free. They are the gatekeepers of the government.
The press and the executive branch of government have long been at odds with each other. Even President Biden’s current White House Press Secretary often makes snide remarks to reporters in the event someone from the press corps asks a question she deems inappropriate or unneces sary.
But for a president to promote ex treme violence against private cit
izens simply because of their pro sib lings, cousins, and or bluffs, Trump has shown his quick temperament and willingness to defeat anyone who opposes him.
For the next four years Trump’s administration should be reported on with precision, accuracy, and objectivity without fear of a White House
Anything coming out of the 47th presidency is news and can be reported on. Do not live in fear of what you are reporting - you might just save the country from a president who has 34 felony convictions.
While I urge journalists to constantly report on the Trump administration and exercise their right to free speech - it is important to make the distinction between hate speech and
Hate speech - attacks.
And is used to harm another person or threaten someone or an entity such as the press. Trump uses hate speech constantly to get across to his supporters who argue he is exercising the right to free speech.
We have a right to say what we want, but not whatever we want.
We, the press, should never promote or use hate speech in writing or reporting the news.
Reporting the news should not be used as a platform to comment on the presidency - leave that to editorial writers. Rather, it should be used as an outlet to protect citizens who now live in fear of the next four years.
Campus Conversations
By Izayah Morgan, Opinions Editor
and Emma Lyons, Editorial
“What do you do to stay positive?”
Staff
“Being around good people and making sure I’m surrounded by people who are going to support me and make sure I’m doing well.”
- Bianca Furtado, sophomore
“Know that everything happens for a reason. … God puts you through circumstances to build your character.”
- Trevor Whitmore, sophomore
“Gaslight yourself into thinking that everything is OK because then it’s just reverse psychology. But also being with friends, doing things that make me happy.”
- Liv Florestal, junior
“Looking on the bright side of things. Always trying to find a way to just think positive. Life sucks, but we have to keep pushing.”
-
Chad Harris, freshman
“I usually indulge in things I really like to stay positive - my hobbies, my favorite things, my friends.”
-
“Multiple self-care apps. One I use is Finch.”
- Peter Marszalek, senior
Rileigh Kelley, junior
BenHurney
/THEGATEPOST
SPORTS
Reigning MASCAC volleyball champs fall in semifinals after strong end to season
By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor
By Kyra Tolley Staff Writer
After a strong end to the season with two consecutive sweeps, the volleyball team lost 3-0 in the MASCAC semifinals.
The Rams closed out their season in third place out of the eight MASCAC teams. Their final overall record is 1316, and their conference record is 4-3.
They played their last regular season match at home with a 3-0 sweep against the Salem State Vikings Nov. 9 and began their playoff run against Mass. Maritime Academy Buccaneers Nov. 12 at home with a 3-0 sweep in the MASCAC Quarterfinals.
The Rams traveled to Bridgewater State to compete in the MASCAC Semifinals, where they fell to the Bears three sets to none.
Rams vs. Vikings
The Rams defeated the Vikings 3-0 at home in the final conference game of the regular season Nov. 9.
The first three points of the game went to Framingham, but the teams then alternated points until the score reached 6-3 in favor of the Rams.
Captain Stella Bailey, a junior, contributed assists to sophomore Natalie Reynolds, who had many kills early in the match. The Bailey-to-Reynolds connection created a total of 17 points during the three sets.
An assist from Bailey led to a skillful tip of the ball over the net by Reynolds and gave Framingham the advantage with a score of 10-7.
The Rams gained two more points with a service ace by sophomore Emma Dobbins and a kill from Reynolds. Framingham stayed consistent limiting their errors during play, while the Vikings struggled with hit and receive errors. Even when Salem gained points, the errors put the Rams further ahead.
The two teams went back and forth scoring two or three points at a time before letting the opposition score the same, until Bailey stepped up to serve.
Bailey pushed the momentum in favor of the Rams with three service aces in a row that brought Framingham to an 8-point lead
A decisive move by Bailey gave the Rams their 22nd point when she wound up to strike the ball over the net, but at the last second tipped the ball to her left to find sophomore Jamie Moniz, who got the kill.
The set concluded with a kill by Reynolds to win the set for Framingham 25-17.
Reynolds’ final kill of the set brought her career kill count to 600 kills. The next two sets brought the total to 610.
Framingham gained 3 points to start the second set, including a service ace by Dobbins.
Following 3 points for Salem, the Rams made offensive plays and Captain Carly Beaulieu, a junior, provided a service ace to put Framingham in the lead 7-3.
After both teams made errors, effectively giving the opposition points, Salem seemed to turn the tide with several kills, but Framingham kept up the intensity and responded with their own kills to stay in the lead 14-9.
Framingham quickly tallied 4 points in a row by forcing attack errors from Salem and setting up Moniz for a kill.
Reynolds left Salem’s defense scrambling with a powerful attack that resulted in too many touches for the Vikings, bringing the score to 20-12 in favor of Framingham. Salem was only able to get to 15 points before the Rams finished out the set.
The Rams took the set 25-15.
The third set began with 4 of the first 5 points going to Framingham. Beaulieu contributed another service ace to the team’s score.
The set was fairly even, with each team gaining a couple of points at a time, but the Rams soon ran away with the lead.
The Vikings gained a few points, but Reynolds contributed four kills, bringing the Rams’ lead to 17-8.
Framingham’s win was finalized when the set closed out with three attack errors by Salem to end the third set with a score of 25-12.
Both Beaulieu and sophomore Anneli DiVirgilio finished the match with 11 digs each and sophomore Jaimee Lowe contributed 7 digs.
Reynolds said of her 610 career kills, “I couldn’t get all those numbers without the back row passing and the setter setting, so I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates.”
Heading into the playoffs off the back of a championship win last season, Beaulieu said, “That was probably the best feeling I’ve ever felt in my life - winning. It’s an amazing feeling. It’s indescribable.
“It really sets the tone that we were
the champions and it lets other teams know that, so I think that fires us up,” she added.
Rams vs. Buccaneers
The third-seed Rams opened their playoff run in the MASCAC Tournament Quarterfinals at home against the sixth-seed Mass. Maritime Buccaneers Nov. 12.
As last year’s MASCAC Champions, the Rams made a statement in their three-set sweep of the Buccaneers, the first crucial step in defending their title and earning another ring.
The first set opened with a bang as Reynolds smashed a kill into a hole in the Buccaneer defense.
From there, the Rams never gave up the lead.
Service aces from Beaulieu, Dobbins, and Lowe contributed to the Rams’ 16-8 lead.
Mass. Maritime called a timeout and attempted to catch the Rams’ lead with service aces and an attack error on the Rams, making the score 16-12.
Their efforts would be futile as kills from Moniz, Dobbins, and freshman Hope Verhoeven cleared the way for a winning service ace from DiVirgilio.
The Rams took the set 25-17.
Bailey assisted every kill in the first set, contributing 40 out of all 42 assists across all three sets.
Bailey is in her third season of playing with the Rams and has amassed 2,198 assists so far across all three seasons. Her energy on the court is unmatched as she ‘sets’ her teammates up for success.
The Buccaneers got off to a quick start in the second set, but the Rams matched them point for point until they ran away with the lead.
A kill by Reynolds brought the Rams to a 16-10 lead. Reynolds led the team with 13 kills, followed closely by 11 from Verhoeven, who boosted the lead to 21-14.
Freshman Sarah Medeiros continued to freeze the Buccaneers’ defense as she collected a kill before DiVirgilio set Lowe up for a kill to secure the set 25-18.
With one win separating them from advancing to the semi-finals, the Rams stepped up for the third set.
The Buccaneers put up a fight, matching the Rams point for point until the score was tied 8-8. Moniz decisively took the lead with a kill, one of her six of the night.
From there, a series of attack errors cost the Buccaneers and Medeiros, Dobbins, and Reynolds continued to strike with kills, assisted by Bailey. DiVirgilio tallied another service ace.
The score was 14-8 when Mass. Maritime called a timeout.
The Rams maintained their lead and freshman Madysen Cedrone got down for a dig that fed the ball to Bailey for a kill from Reynolds.
Cedrone’s excitement was palpable as she smacked the court before joining the team huddle.
She led the team with 13 digs in the match.
Medeiros tallied another kill to bring the lead to 19-10.
The Rams made quick work of the rest of the set, supported with kills from Moniz, Verhoeven, and Medeiros. They ultimately won the set 25-15, completing their sweep of the Buccaneers.
Rams vs. Bears
The Rams traveled to play the Bridgewater State University Bears Nov. 14 for the MASCAC Semifinals. Due to Framingham’s win over Bridgewater during the 2023 MASCAC Championships, this was expected to be a competitive matchup.
Despite how back and forth each set was, the match ended in a 3-0 win for Bridgewater.
The Rams started each set strong by winning multiple points, but they weren’t able to hold off Bridgewater’s offense for long
DiVirgilio held down the Rams’ defense with 22 digs during the match, Verhoeven led their offense with 11 kills, and Bailey contributed 20 assists on the day.
The Bears only won each set by a 5-point margin, but were still able to clinch the win and a spot in the MASCAC Championship match for the second year in a row.
Bailey said, “We have had a champion mindset all year long and truly had our eyes set on that championship.
“It’s heartbreaking to say the least, but it lights a fire under [us],” she added.
She said the team is going to focus on everything that will push them to be better and work harder. “We have laser focus on next season and we’re using the pain of this loss as fuel,” she said.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH SOPHIA OPPEDISANO soppedisano@student.framingham.edu
CONNECT WITH KYRA TOLLEY ktolley@student.framingham.edu
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
The Rams celebrating a point in sweep against Mass. Maritime Nov. 12.
Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST Natalie Reynolds (center) going up for a kill against Mass. Maritime Nov. 12.
Men’s basketball makes statement with home opener win
By Taylor Kimmell Staff Writer
The Framingham State Rams secured a victory with their first home game of the season against the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards Nov. 12.
This 91-80 win brought the team’s overall record to 2-1.
The Rams came into this game with a determined attitude. Junior JD Okafor said the team planned to “play hard and to make a statement.”
According to Okafor and Marshall Kerley, a freshman, FSU had prepared to defend against zone offense from Wentworth prior to the game.
“We knew they were going zone from the start of the game, and that let us, or let me, specifically, set my feet for shots, and let us be able to get the ball into the high place so we can score in the paint as well,” Kerley said.
Okafor confidently stated, “You can’t zone us. We have shooters, and we have people who can make plays.”
Wentworth put the first points on the board with two 3-point jump shots during the first 90 seconds of the game.
The Rams battled back with a 3-pointer from Kerley and, following another layup from Wentworth, a layup from sophomore Joshua Saint Jean, bringing the score to 8-5 for Wentworth.
The Leopards maintained the lead, adding another 5 points to their score before FSU could score again on another layup from Jean.
Then, another two 3-point shots came from Wentworth.
Following a foul from the Leopards’ defense, Framingham was awarded two attempts from the free-throw line. Kerley sank both shots easily.
Several turnovers later, Kerley scored again on a 3-point jump shot.
The Rams were granted another two free throws, with Okafor scoring on one of them.
On the following turnover, Wentworth was able to score another 3 points. The following minute, they took advantage of one of their two free throws, bringing the score to 23-15, the Rams trailing behind.
For another 7 turnovers, the scoreboard remained stagnant. This was until FSU seized the opportunity for
an impressive comeback.
Framingham sank shot after shot and defended their side from any attempts by Wentworth.
The fruits of their labor were seen when at 5:07, a lead change occurred, resulting in a score of 24 for the Rams over the Leopards’ 23 - a lead that would soon increase dramatically.
Senior Kyle Philistin said, “I feel like when we started to press, they started to press, and they started to fumble the ball. … We took advantage of that.”
Framingham continued to rack up points for the remainder of the period.
Philistin scored on two free throws and a jump shot while Jean added points with a layup.
The Rams’ defense held off the Leopards, allowing them only 4 points for the rest of the period.
The Rams continued to tally points, with field goals from Kerley, Philistin, sophomores Dyree Rogers and Korban Gann, and senior Calvin Johnson.
As the first period came to a close, the Rams held the lead over the Leopards with a score of 44-32.
Framingham State continued to dominate during the second half of the game, refusing to allow Wentworth to pull ahead even once.
Kerley started the Rams off on a high note, scoring 3 points on a jump shot that sailed effortlessly into the net.
Wentworth fired back with a 3-pointer of their own, which was overshadowed by a layup from Rogers.
Following another 3-point shot from the Leopards, Jean scored on a layup.
The Rams refused to relent, matching each point from Wentworth with more of their own.
Over the next 10 minutes, Wentworth scored 18 points and Framingham scored 17.
Framingham maintained the lead, scoring on a free throw and a dunk from Okafor, a layup from Philistin, two free throws from senior Adonis Vashon, and a 3-pointer from Kerley.
After these plays, the Rams held their ground with a score of 78-57.
A brief time-out for Wentworth seemed to put the pep back into their step, as they scored enough to come within just 8 points of the lead.
However, two more 3-point shots
procured by Philistin and Kerley revived the Rams’ energy for the remaining 2 minutes of the game.
Wentworth continued to attempt to chip away at Framingham’s lead, scoring on a jumper and two foul shots.
Hayes, Rogers, and Philistin built up FSU’s lead, putting more space between the Leopards and victory.
In the last 16 seconds, Wentworth sank a shot, but the measly three points awarded from it were futile, and Framingham came away with the win, 91-80.
FSU scored on 34 of their 62 fieldgoal attempts, earning them a percentage of 54.8, compared to Wentworth’s 48.3%.
The Rams’ took advantage of 12 of their 19 earned free throws, resulting in a 63.2% success rate.
Kerley scored 28 of Framingham’s points during the game, an impressive number from any player, especially a freshman.
“That was just my role for the game,” he said.
“I’m just doing anything and everything that I can to help my team win. If they need me to go out and do that again, I’ll do my best to do that,” he added.
Kerley said his initial shock from getting so much game time has faded, allowing him to find security in his role on the team.
According to Kerley, the other players have been more than welcoming, and he is excited for the possibilities that the season will bring.
“I’m welcome to every challenge that’s come my way. I had a rough start the first three games, but now I feel comfortable,” he said.
Kerley said this win has helped to boost the team’s morale.
“We just wanted to get this win and prove that we’re a real team this year,” he said.
Framingham trailed behind Wentworth at the start, but their comeback was swift.
Okafor said, “After the first 5 minutes, we realized that we’re the better team, so we just had to execute and show we’re the better team.”
He noted the team’s unity and determination led to this victory, saying, “Everybody knew their role and bought into it,” which he believes will help them as the season progresses.
Philistin said the team came into the game with two goals - pressure the ball and execute plays to keep bringing up the score.
The Rams came close to losing the advantage multiple times, but were able to pull themselves together and keep scoring.
Philistin noted, “As energy picked up, we made sure that everybody stayed high and kept pushing.
“Once we stopped pressuring and we let them start to score and come back in the game, that’s when it started to get close. But we locked in toward the end - kept pushing and then got the win.”
In recent years, the team’s record has fallen short. They ended their 2023-24 season with an overall record of 6-9 and a conference record of 1-11.
Just 3 games into the season, Head Coach Donald Morris Jr. acknowledged the team’s potential for the upcoming season.
“I think we’re starting to buy into using our depth to be successful. We’re a very young team,” Morris said.
Morris noted the team has only one senior starter, and the bench must always be prepared to contribute to the game once they are called in.
“We believe that there’s more strength in numbers than just playing like five guys,” he said.
Morris said retention has been at an all-time high during the start of this season - the best it has been in his four years coaching.
“You can kind of see guys who were here a year ago, who were learning what we wanted them to do, are now understanding it more, and it’s translating to them.
“I think they’re building good habits. ... We have guys who are here, and I told them, ‘Listen, you may not be able to reap the benefits of what the program is going to be in the next five or six years, but we need you to step in and help change the culture very slowly.
“I think that’s what we’ve been working on every day, whether it’s practice, on the bus, or watching film consistently,” Morris added.
Morris said the team will try to build on every game, learning and improving throughout the season.
“Our big motto is ‘Try to keep finding winning moments.’ The more winning moments we can collect, the more we know we’re going in the right direction, whether we win or lose,” said Morris.
In their game against the Elms College Blazers Nov. 14, the Rams took the victory with a score of 85-76. This improved the team’s record to 3-1.
The team travels to New England College Nov. 16, hoping to conquer the Pilgrims and come away with their fourth win of the 2024-25 season.
Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST Kyle Philistin going up for a shot in win against Wentworth Nov. 12.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST Brenton Caesar-Allen (left) and Dyree Rogers (right) high-fiving after win against Wentworth Nov. 12.
Women’s ice hockey opens conference play with tough loss
By Izabela Gage Asst. Sports Editor
The women’s ice hockey team fell to the Rivier University Raiders 10-1 in their first conference game Nov. 9. This loss brings their overall record to 0-3, and their conference record to 0-1.
The Raiders dominated the game from the first faceoff, and goaltender Lila Chamoun stayed vigilant with five saves from their quick-fire offense in the opening 2 minutes.
Forward Finley Hogan gained possession of the puck after Framingham won their first faceoff of the game. She took a fast shot on net, which was saved by Raiders’ goaltender Rachel Symmes.
An early 4 minutes into the game, forward Petra Cernicek was put into the penalty box for cross-checking, putting the Rams on the penalty kill.
Less than a minute later, the Raiders scored their first and only power-play goal of the game.
It was back to 5-on-5, and Rivier did not let up on offensive pressure. Chamoun stayed strong in the goal crease with 4 saves.
The Raiders stayed aggressive and netted the puck twice in less than a minute, bringing the score to 3-0.
After another 4 saves from Chamoun, the Raiders slipped another puck through the Rams’ defense and found the back of the net once again.
Goaltender Anna McGinty was substituted for Chamoun, and tallied 5 saves before Rivier found another opening on the net, and brought the
score to 5-0.
Defender Adrianna Rizzotto scored the Rams’ first and only goal of the game at 17:47, assisted by forwards Jamie Webster and Sarah Lewis.
The Raiders ended the first period with one last goal despite McGinty’s efforts on defense, and brought the score to 6-1.
McGinty said, “I don’t tend to get rattled from being scored on, actively losing, or getting peppered by shots.
“I usually take the time in between periods to rest my legs, drink water, and get my energy back up for the work ahead,” she added.
Rizzotto said, “We didn’t play the prettiest first period - we talked about it after and we came out and competed harder the rest of the game.”
The second period opened with 2 shots on goal by forwards Ceira Garrity and Webster, both of which were saved by Symmes.
McGinty tallied 13 saves in the second period before the Raiders brought the score to 7-1.
Rivier earned a short-handed goal after McGinty tried to stay assertive in net with 8 saves.
The Rams rounded out the second period with one more save by McGinty.
The third period started in favor of the Rams, with Garrity winning the first faceoff.
The Raiders gained possession and took another shot on goal a minute later.
The Rams’ offense stayed aggressive, taking 5 shots on goal in the first 10 minutes, contrasting with the Raid-
ers’ 3.
Rivier’s Rebecca McKelvey was called for cross-checking and the Raiders made a second short-handed goal at 10:31.
The game was back to even strength until 1 minute later, forward and defender Kalina Cochran and defender Lila Amarante were put in the penalty box for hitting from behind and tripping, respectively.
Only 3 seconds after the teams were back to 5-on-5, Rivier netted their 10th and final goal of the game.
The last 6 minutes of the game were back and forth, with both Framingham and Rivier tallying 3 more shots on goal each.
With standout performances from Chamoun and McGinty in goal, the Rams demonstrated their abilities to withstand strong offense, promising an ongoing exciting season for the inaugural women’s ice hockey team.
McGinty totaled an impressive 40 saves, earning a save percentage of .870. Chamoun tallied 17 saves, earning a save percentage of .809.
The Rams only allowed one power-play scoring opportunity out of six.
McGinty said she thinks her teammates handle penalty kills well. “My teammates’ positioning is good in the defensive zone.
“They are good at making smart plays during tense times such as those to get the puck out of the zone or just make it so I can see the shot and make a clean and simple save on it,” she added.
She said she is hoping to improve
Meet the Coach - Women’s ice hockey
By Izabela Gage Asst. Sports Editor
Robert Lavin, 58, is back on Framingham State’s coaching staff as the women’s ice hockey program’s first head coach.
Lavin said he has been coaching for over 30 years.
He began coaching at Nichols College. “It was kind of the same situation we have here with a team that was struggling. But, after four years, we advanced to the playoffs, and it was a
really good, solid program.”
After working at Nichols, Lavin coached at Salve Regina University. He helped with recruiting and started rebuilding, and the team ended up making the playoffs in his second season as head coach.
He then came to Framingham State and was named the head coach of the men’s ice hockey program from 200103 before transitioning into coaching high school hockey.
Lavin said leaving Framingham State was a hard decision to make. “We had a very small roster when I came in and I recruited some really good players. I was really excited about the class I had coming in,” he added.
He coached at Natick High School, Acton-Boxborough High School, and Winchester High School.
After working at the high school level, Lavin started coaching at Worcester Academy in 2016. He supported the team to two league championship games and helped establish the men’s JV team.
“The women’s program was something that I thought could be a good opportunity to build something here. So, I came back to Framingham,” he said.
He said he has always liked Framingham State. Athletic Director Thomas Kelley and Deputy Director Carey Eggen were also a part of the reason he came back. “I really like working with them. … They support me.
“Mark Greenfield was there as well, as the facility manager. So they’re all
her ability to come out of the net and “make myself look bigger to the shooter because I’ve been finding myself being deep in the crease on shots.”
Rizzotto said, “We are taking everything one game at a time, looking to improve, and going over what we need to fix and what we did well.”
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH IZABELA GAGE igage@student.framingham.edu
people I felt comfortable with,” he added.
Lavin said he has a great coaching staff for the women’s ice hockey team. “We have a really good nucleus here. … I think it’s probably one of the best coaching staffs I’ve ever had.”
Lavin was inspired to be a hockey coach because of the “competitiveness … and creating a team that pulls in the same direction.
“That’s what we’re trying to do here now,” he added.
Lavin said his high school coaches are the ones he learned the most from. He added that his junior hockey coach, Jeff Jackson, in Detroit was helpful as well.
He added that Jackson is now the Notre Dame coach and has brought the team to national championships. “He’s a ‘players’ coach’ who worked hard to develop players. He emphasized practice and team cohesion, so he influenced me to get into coaching.”
Lavin said his favorite hockey memory is when he was coaching at Salve Regina. “My second year, they were all freshmen and we made the playoffs as the eighth seed.
“We were down 5-2 to Tufts, who was a really good team. They beat us two times before - 10-2 and 8-2 - they were beating us going into the third. But, the team came out in the end - we had beaten them in overtime, 6-5, and then advanced to the semifinals in the league. That was pretty exciting, because they were really young guys,” he said.
Lavin said his plan for recruiting is to “keep pushing.”
He added that last year, they tried to recruit local women but “ended up shifting to get girls in Canada and the Midwest.”
Now, they are looking hard into girls’ club hockey. He said, “These travel teams have a lot of interest. We’ve had a lot of visits on campus, which is great!”
He said the team has been playing well this season so far in three games against Nichols and Salem State University. Against Rivier, he said the team gave up some very easy opportunities. “It’s not concerning to me, though, because I thought they played pretty well.”
Lavin said he is doing his best to keep the team positive. “We had a tough start … so the biggest thing for me is keeping us together. We’re gonna have ups and downs.”
He said he expects the women’s team to finish the season strong. “Right now, we have two girls out, who are very good players. When they’re healthy, it will give us three lineswhich gives every player more rest every game.
“They’re going to keep improving in the next year,” he added.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH IZABELA GAGE igage@student.framingham.edu
Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST Adrianna Rizzotto with the puck against Rivier Nov. 9. Rizzotto scored the lone goal for the Rams.
Courtesy of Robert Lavin
Robert Lavin Women’s Ice Hockey Coach
ARTS & FEATURES
CELTSS host awards ceremony for faculty
By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Arts & Features Editor
On Nov. 13 the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship, and Service (CELTSS) hosted an awards ceremony in the Heineman Ecumenical Center to recognize distinguished faculty.
Maria Alessandra Bollettino, CELTSS director, said she was delighted to celebrate last year’s award recipients that night.
She quickly gave the floor to President Nancy Niemi, who couldn’t stay for the whole ceremony due to a Board of Trustees meeting.
Niemi started off by asking the awardees not to be offended when a small group of people suddenly get up and leave, as she wasn’t the only one heading to the meeting. “It is not you, my friends.”
Moving on to the awards ceremony, Niemi said, “I’ve been thinking a lot throughout this election season and the past week about the commitment that FSU has to education as a tool for social equity and justice.”
She said it’s important for teachers and advisors to ask themselves questions like, “What are our behaviors as we go about honoring that commitment?” and “How do we work with social justice when we talk to our advisees?” and “How does that connect with making the world more equitable?” to list a few.
Niemi talked about a book called “The Children’s Story” by James Clavell. The author wrote it after his 6-year-old daughter returned home from school one day. She had memorized the Pledge of Allegiance, but she didn’t know what any of the words actually meant.
Clavell asked several people about the pledge, and saw that no one had ever explained what it means to any of them, Niemi added.
Using Clavell’s own words, Niemi read, “It pleases me greatly because it keeps asking me questions - questions like, what’s the use of ‘I pledge allegiance’ without understanding?”
She said she keeps “The Children’s Story” on her shelf of books that both comfort her and make her remember why she works at FSU. “I see this commitment to questioning critical analysis - that means greater equity for all our students and all of us - in the work of those who are being honored tonight and I’m honored to be your colleague.”
Provost Kristen Porter-Utley thanked CELTSS for organizing the event and she also thanked everyone involved in the decision-making process. “The decision-making process was very robust and very thoughtful, and I just want to thank everybody who was supporting that process.”
Five distinguished faculty members were present, she added. Porter-Utley wanted to share some “quick words” on each of them.
She described Folashadé Solomon, professor of Education, as an excel-
lent scholar whose research focuses on learning, physics, dance, and identity.
Porter-Utley noted how Solomon “serves as a principal investigator for a multi-site, interdisciplinary National Science Foundation learning project.” It focuses on how the body, not just the brain, contributes to learning.
Solomon’s work in the Education Department focuses on equity in education and early childhood and elementary science methodology, Porter-Utley said.
“This and her other very, very impressive and imperative scholarship, especially right now, makes her so deserving of the 2023-24 Award for Excellence in Scholarship,” she said.
Porter-Utley said she was delighted that Cara Pina, professor of Biology, was the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Service.
“Cara has tirelessly since joining Framingham State worked to advance our institution’s commitment to anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in her courses, in her department, in her college, and across our institution,” she said.
Pina makes sure that everyone feels heard and respected, Porter-Utley added.
Porter-Utley said if Michael Harrison, professor of Marketing, asks anyone, they’ll say he deserves to be the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Advising.
Speaking to Harrison, she said, “You really, really care about their success, including so many of our student athletes who really look to you for support and guidance.”
She wanted to thank Harrison for
his important work with his students both in and out of his area of expertise, she added.
Visiting lecturers Santosha Adhibhatta, Peter Moynihan, Anne Roberti, and Elizabeth Banks were given quick congratulations by Porter-Utley for being the recipients of the Award for Excellence in Teaching. Banks and Moynihan were not present but they were recognized and celebrated regardless.
She said she was proud of Adhibhatta’s success in helping students pursue engineering careers, Roberti’s commitment to English language learners, Moynihan’s devotion to student success, and Banks’ commitment to the success of The Gatepost.
Dawn Vreven is another recipient for the Award for Excellence in Teaching, Porter-Utley said. “It’s an amazing thing to receive at an institution like ours, and I hope Dawn, wherever she is tonight, hopefully, doing something nice on her sabbatical - which is very well deserved - can feel our deep appreciation for all she does to support the success of our students.”
Each of the recipients present gave a quick presentation on their accomplishments.
[ Editor’s Note: Elizabeth Banks is the Assistant Advisor for The Gatepost. ]
Oné Green / THE GATEPOST Santosha Adhibhatta speaking at the CELTSS Faculty and Librarian Awards on Nov. 13.
Swiacki
Continued from Page 1
“We would make our own,” Tonatiuh said. “We would grab pieces of paper, old notebooks, and draw our own superheroes, draw our own villains, and make up our own characters. And that’s when I started drawing, and I never stopped doing it for more than 30 years.”
He said he had family in both Mexico and the U.S., and when he was high school-aged, he moved to the U.S. He went to a highly art-oriented high school in Massachusetts. Eventually, he went to Parsons School of Design in New York City.
“I was very happy there, but as I spent more time in the United States, I began to miss some of the things that were always around me,” he said.
“I think sometimes, when you leave a place, you notice what’s special about it,” he added, and used the example of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.
“That’s just something I always did and celebrated as a kid and never thought twice about it,” he said. “When I was somewhere where people didn’t celebrate it or they didn’t celebrate as much, I began to say, ‘Wow, this is pretty unique.’”
Tonatiuh said this is when he became particularly interested in Mexican and Mexican-American culture, and began connecting his assignments to the culture when he was able.
He added when he was in his final year at Parsons, he had to do a yearlong senior project, and decided to draw on the art of the Indigenous Mixtec culture in Mexico based on a friend, Sergio.
“I went to my university’s library and I looked up Mixtec art,” he said. “I was very excited when I saw these drawings. And I’d seen this kind of artwork growing up in Mexico - in one of my elementary school textbooks I had.
“But I’d be lying if I said that was something that inspired me when I was a kid,” he added, and said as a child, he was more drawn to art from outside of Mexico - comic books from the U.S. and anime from Japan, for example.
“But after I had lived in the United States for several years, when I saw this kind of art again I was very struck by it,” Tonatiuh said.
He added he wanted to portray Sergio’s life in a format inspired by ancient Mixtec codices, showing the different jobs he had and troubles he went through in these highly stylized drawings. A copy of this piece is on display in the Mazmanian Gallery until Dec. 11.
Tonatiuh said one of his professors connected him with a children’s literature publisher and inspired him to write children’s books, and though he didn’t know how to write for children at first, he eventually pitched and published his book “Dear Primo: A Letter To My Cousin.”
He added he writes about many subjects, but Mexican culture is always a
part of it, and one of the most rewarding parts are from students who connect with his books, like a group of elementary students who wrote a poem based on his book “Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale,” which he shared with the audience.
“I was very moved, especially the first time when they shared it with me because it does kind of confirm for me this idea that it’s important to see our stories reflected in books,” he said.
Ibi Zoboi, Haitian-born author of young adult books including “American Street” and “Nigeria Jones,” said she was glad to visit Massachusetts because she has a connection to the area - her daughter went to school here and she has a connection to Boston because it has the third largest Haitian population in the country.
She said Haitians started moving to Boston in the 1960s when Haitian academics were welcomed into U.S. academia and family members moved with them.
“And I share that with you because this is what I write. I was born into a country that doesn’t get the best rap in the media. So I create dangerously,” she said.
She said she grew up hearing harmful narratives about her birth country, and now everything she writes is to “right that wrong.
“Creating dangerously means I take risks - big risks,” she said. “My books have been challenged and banned in different school districts across the country, but I continue to write because I am creating dangerously.”
Zoboi said everyone should strive to create dangerously, and added her husband is a high school teacher and her daughter is going into education, “and I remind her that teaching is also an art. To teach dangerously requires that you are passionate.”
She said this passion doesn’t necessarily have to be in a public space“it could be in your kitchen, or in your shower.”
Zoboi listed principles that help when “creating dangerously” - such as “question everything,” “make it beau-
tiful,” “make it powerful,” “create with your heart,” and “it’s OK to be scared.”
She said it’s important to her that she tells her story regardless of who tries to tell her it doesn’t matter because she herself learned to love writing after seeing an author writing about marginalized topics.
“There are so many things in my career that let me know that no one wants to read my story or no one cares,” she said, but she wouldn’t have fallen in love with writing without falling in love with other people’s words.
Zoboi said Octavia Butler was a particular source of inspiration for her, “and if you know Octavia Butler, she’s a tall Black woman with short hair and she’s not necessarily glamorous or a movie star, but I was the kind of young person that I didn’t look for that in my idols.”
She said she looked for “intellectual heavyweights,” and Butler was exactly that.
“And when I discovered that I shared a birthday with her, I became a super fan, because I was like - we’re the same,” she added.
She said it was her aspiration to be like Butler, along with her “radical imagination,” that has brought her this far in life.
Zoboi said she’s always had a radical imagination - in school, she was a good artist and a bad student because she “could not complete tasks.
“Maybe I had some undiagnosed ADHD - I don’t know,” she added.
She said students with radical imaginations who aren’t good in academic settings may slip by the notice of their teachers, and it’s important to help students cultivate their imaginations.
“A radical imagination means that you go beyond the superficial to question your world and to create those answers,” she said.
She added when she’s in middle schools, she asks students what they think the world will be like in five to 10 years, and they often struggle to answer the question, so she then asks
them what they think the iPhone 50 will be like - and that gets their gears turning.
“In asking those questions, I let them know that they are artists even though they say that they don’t want to be an artist when they grow up. That is art making,” she said. “That’s something truly empowering to tell marginalized children who feel like they have no place in the world.”
Zoboi said Haiti is often on the news “and none of it is positive,” so to her, telling the story of her birth country in a way that represents Haitian friends and family is radical imagination.
She then shifted to talking about her own childhood, and said her mother was a radio journalist in Haiti during a time when this was a very dangerous job, especially for a woman, due to the political climate.
“I’m continuing her legacy,” Zoboi said, even though she didn’t fully know her mother’s legacy because her mother didn’t talk about it.
She said her most dangerous book is “Nigeria Jones,” even though it’s not her most popular book, because it reflects her truth as a Haitian girl growing up in a diverse community in New York City.
She said, “I’ve never gotten called the N-word in my life, but I have been called something - and pardon my French - ‘Haitian booty scratcher.’ Or been told ‘HBO,’ which is ‘Haitian body odor.’
“All of these were from kids who looked exactly like me. And what do you do with that sort of trauma and that hurt? You write about it,” Zoboi said.
“I was nervous about this book but ultimately it went on to win the very prestigious Coretta Scott King Award,” she said. “I needed to write that book to make way for my fun, lighter books, but this is all part of why I create dangerously.”
Raena Hunter Doty / THE GATEPOST
Ibi Zoboi at the Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival Nov. 7.
A taste of tribal traditions
By Liv Dunleavy Staff Writer
The Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) hosted a Taste of Culture event Nov. 13, a continuation of the Taste of Culture series celebrating culture through cuisine and engagement.
Held in the CIE, the event started with a few words from Director Jerome Burke. He welcomed guests and introduced the event and the Taste of Culture series.
“We really wanted to use it as an opportunity to highlight food. Food is a way to connect people. Just think about most of the social events that you enjoy - there’s always food at the center,” he said.
He added alongside food, the conversations people have and lessons they learn in those social spaces are what they wanted to facilitate with these Taste of Culture programs.
“The truth is, we are on tribal land. I know our president has been really committed to building a greater relationship with our tribal community. There have been a number of initiatives that we are very excited to do,” he added.
Burke continued to describe the land acknowledgement mural recently installed in the Henry Whittemore Library.
He said, “[The mural] came from a project that our own FSU students were able to work alongside members of the Nipmuc Tribe in terms of developing that mural.”
Burke then invited Shani Turner, the medicine woman of the native Nipmuc Tribe, who introduced herself
and Nitana Hicks Greendeer to say a prayer.
“I am an employee of the National Wampanoag Tribe. I am a representative of this area, the Natick area, the Framingham area. This is native land. We are known as the freshwater people,” Turner said.
“I had the privilege of meeting him at the unveiling of our land acknowledgement mural in September,” Burke said.
Cameron Greendeer said, “This month, November, is Native American Heritage Month, and I do a lot of these talks all through this month, and I al-
Turner introduced Nitana Hicks Greendeer, who continued with a prayer before the food was served.
After the prayer, Nitana Hicks Greendeer briefly thanked the Nipmuc community, Framingham State, and the members of the community who provided the food for the event.
Burke presented Cameron Greendeer, a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin and Nitana Hicks Greendeer’s husband to perform a song and drum solo.
ways tell everyone this month is not meant for me or my family or any of our native people.
“It’s really meant for you guys to get a chance to learn who we are and to learn that there’s over 570-plus nations across the United States, plus even more - that’s only federally recognized tribes,” he added.
He explained there are many differences between tribal nations - they have different beliefs and cultures, though their connection to the water
and land of each region is similar.
His parting words were a description of the song he would sing, which he said is “traditionally known through Ho-Chunk country as a thank-you song for when you get fed.”
He played the song accompanied by his hand drum, a smaller version of what would be used in a powwow.
“I think it works out for Native people that we see ourselves in the schools and also as teachers in these schools,” he said. “This is a step in the right direction for Framingham State University, giving us recognition of Native people being on this land and in the community.
“Just having a month is great, but I think it needs to be even more celebrated in the curriculum, and also having people like us in these buildings and institutions,” he added.
Turner had a table set up with different tribal wares, including handcrafted paddles, furs, turtle shell adornments that are part of regalia used while dancing, and a turtle shell bag with a pouch sewn inside.
“We want to make sure you have that connection toward your education. You have Nipmuc people here. You have different types of people here,” she said. “It’s not just Nipmuc people - there could be a friend or a neighbor that you never knew is connected within this University.
“We want to make sure that our history remains in this area,” she added.
CONNECT WITH LIV DUNLEAVY odunleavy@student.framingham.edu
Is the new ‘Dragon Ball’ game an inferno or barely a spark?
By Erina Operach Staff Writer
“Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero,” released Oct. 11, is the fourth game in the “Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi” series.
Many long time fans of the series were taken aback by the name change. Though it is a sequel to the third game, it is no longer under the name “Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi.” The new naming convention comes from the Japanese series, where the series has been called “Dragon Ball Z: Sparking!” since the original release.
The American name Budokai Tenkaichi comes from the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai games. Atari reused the name because of the popularity of the Budokai game series.
The game features many beloved returning characters and their transformations - totaling up to 182 characters with more to come with DLC.
The game has not taken the most balanced approach to all of its characters. The fusions, for example, are some of the strongest characters in the game, which lines up with the canonical lore of the series but doesn’t
always make for the most fun gameplay. Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta is so powerful that my friends and I have banned him from our casual games.
The improp er balancing cannot be ignored in online games, though. It is almost im possible to load into a match, even in nonranked modes, and not be met with a UI Goku, SSJ4 Gogeta, or the most threat ening of them all Z Broly.
These characters are far more powerful than any other character you can pick, but you can still defeat them if you just play a bit more strategically.
Legendary Super Saiyan Z Broly, on
the other hand, is broken. The character can consistently spam its ultimate to the point where your entire team is wiped within seconds, leaving you with a bitter taste in your mouth.
If you can manage to get away from those characters or defeat them before
they can use their ultimate, the game is fantastic. I only bring up these big flaws of the balancing because
I love this game and want to see it succeed.
Nearly every day for the last week, all I could think about was getting out of class and going back to my dorm to
play “Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.” There’s so much fun to be had, even in the single-player campaign.
I love the Sparking Episodes included in the game. Sparking Episodes are alternate stories to what happened in the anime. Getting to see these iconic characters follow plotlines that never happened or never could have happened is an amazing experience. Seeing Gohan Black instead of Goku Black or Vegeta overcome Babidi’s curse is peak “Dragon Ball.”
The game is jam-packed with epic animations, great characters, crazy mechanics, and a wonderful story.
Rating: A-
“Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero” is the series’ newest raging inferno
Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST
Attendees at the Taste of Culture event Nov. 13.
By Owen Glancy Asst. Arts & Features Editor
The 1970s were an undeniably excellent decade for film, but for American cinema, this is one of the most important time periods in the medium’s history.
The U.S. was going through one of the more tumultuous periods of its history. With the country knee deep in the Vietnam War and having just come off the heels of the Civil Rights Movement, there was certainly no shortage of things for filmmakers to touch upon in the ’70s.
Add on top of all that, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) coming into effect in 1968 and filmmaking technology becoming more accessible than ever, the sheer quantity and quality of American cinema drastically increased.
Some of the medium’s most iconic voices emerged with Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, George Lucas, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, and Francis Ford Coppola making their feature film directorial debuts this decade. This moment in cinematic history was dubbed the New Holly-
wood Movement, and its effects can still be felt to this day.
However, not every director from this time period sees the same level of popularity as Spielberg or Scorsese, yet they still made incredible, impactful works. One of these directors is Robert Altman.
Altman burst onto the scene with “M*A*S*H” in 1970, a massively successful film that received a TV show based on its characters. However, Altman wasn’t done - he would then go on to make “Brewster McCloud” in 1970, and then “McCabe & Mrs. Mill-
moody atmosphere, with Altman finding ways to make even daytime shots look oozed in shadows. Homes and buildings are messy and rarely have windows open, the streets feel oddly empty despite the obvious presence of cars and people on their daily commutes, and it all feels very surreal at times.
What grounds the film is its protagonist, Detective Philip Marlow. Marlow both echoes and improves upon the great noir detectives of the genre’s past. He’s rarely seen without a cigarette, and his wardrobe is full of
er” in 1971. These films would become classics in their own right, but in 1973, Altman would create arguably his best and most well-known work.
“The Long Goodbye” is unique among Altman’s early works, as it’s the first time the comedy has truly taken a backseat to the storytelling. It’s also his first neo-noir film, a style that was once again gaining popularity in the ’70s thanks to films like “The French Connection” and “The Sting.”
The film’s scenes all carry this
RuPaul’s Olympic failure
By Anthony Pintado Staff Writer
When rumors of an Olympic-level competition for drag queens were spread across the internet, fans’ speculation peaked. This would be the start of a franchise showing off the best from around the world.
These rumors turned out to be true, bringing the creation of “RuPaul’s Drag Race Global All Stars.” Described as the “Olympics of drag,” it brought 12 queens from across the world to compete on one international stage.
“Global All Stars” was set in stone to be the best season of the entire franchise. It was bringing fans from all over to root for their country’s representative.
Fan engagement was through the roof. Everyone was ready to see international girls shine in front of a larger audience than they ever got on their original season.
That’s what we thought.
The season started off strong with an amazing two-episode premiere styled Talent Show. Each queen got to present their own talent. Standouts included Alyssa Edwards, Eva La Queen, Miranda Lebrão, and Vanity Vain.
This was the last good showing the season had for a while.
There were two types of queens this season - “RuGirls” and “Drag
Race girls.” RuGirls were judged by RuPaul, and the rest were international queens with different hosts.
There was a clear bias for the RuGirls, which led to underwhelming performances, unfunny jokes, Addison Rae-level acting, and Ice Spice-esque lyricism get ting praise judges. This sulted in an extremely predictable sea son that left no one wanting more, not even the competing queens.
Examples of dumpster appeared as the season went on, con-“drag”ulating Kween Kong, Kitty Scott-Claus, and Alyssa Edwards every week while they constantly disap pointed.
suits and coats typical of his character’s archetype.
However, he brings such a sarcastic energy to the role. He has a comeback or quip for seemingly everything thrown at him, and his apparent apathy to many of the precarious situations he finds himself in is both hilarious and refreshing.
The camera also assists Marlow in helping ground the film in reality, with shots often framed either far away from the characters so that you can see exactly what’s around them,
or framed through objects making certain scenes even more tense.
Just like Marlow, however, the camera is never doing one thing for too long. There are many scenes that have the camera following random background elements, or focusing in on the minute details of a minor character. It’s certainly jarring at first, but it makes the camera seem as if it’s a character itself, almost putting the audience in the scenes.
Despite how unique “The Long Goodbye” is in Altman’s filmography, it’s important to highlight that Altman’s signature naturalistic style is still present. In a manner that almost certainly inspired filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino, the dialogue in this film is incredibly natural and fluid.
It’s easy to forget that these are actors reading off a script being specifically directed. These conversations just feel so realistic, an aspect of the film only enhanced by the strangely intrusive and active camera angles.
“The Long Goodbye” may not be the most popular ’70s neo-noir, it may not be the most popular Robert Altman film, and it’s not even the most popular film from 1973, but it’s one that should not be overlooked.
If you’re even a little interested in anything you just read about the film, I promise “The Long Goodbye” is going to become one of your favorites.
CONNECT WITH OWEN GLANCY oglancy@student.framingham.edu
well, yet still not receive a win.
Clear rigging for the RuGirls wasn’t the only problem this season had, as there was also a case of slight bullying from Kween Kong and Kitty ScottClaus. All season long, Nehellenia had been seen as an underdog by her competitors, but the two prior mentioned contestants took it too far.
In challenges such as acting, they rewarded a team with all three RuGirls the win for the week even after a trashy and frankly boring performance. On the other hand we had a group with Pythia, Nehellenia, and Soa De Muse do extraordinarily
Whether claiming she wasn’t level, Kitty calling her an “ungrateful cow,” saying her outfit was ugly and calling her stupid, or Kween Kong deliberately not choosNehellenia cause she’s “so f**king annoying” and “acting like a child,” they did not take a step off of
While most of this could be seen as playful shade, it’s usually done so the queen on the receiving end can take a moment to digest it and throw shade back. These moments, however, happened in confessionals and these comments were made behind Nehellenia’s back.
The behavior was disgusting to watch and left a very bad taste in many people’s mouths.
The judging throughout the season
was unfair, and it felt like native English speakers versus everyone else. For a season meant to highlight international queens, it was weird to see all of them mistreated throughout the season, and in the end only having one make it to the finale.
All of this combined with horrible production and even worse judging made me think it’s time for RuPaul to wrap it up, pass the legacy to someone else.
Without a doubt “Global All Stars” was the most disappointing season of “Drag Race” since “All Stars 5.” There have been 45 seasons since “All Stars 5.” It was a complete waste of the extreme talent brought onto set.
While a redemption for “Global All Stars” is needed, if season two is anything like season one, RuPaul can keep it deep down in the files, because no one will be tuning in.
Rating: F
RuPaul, no one is saying love after that mess
WITH ANTHONY
‘The Long Goodbye’
Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST
Puzzles
40. “Funny you should mention that ...” (... letters 6-10)
43. Star pitcher
44. Removal from power
45. “Do ___ others ...”
46. Zigzagged
48. “Gimme a ___!”
50. Elsa’s creation in “Frozen” (... letters 1-4)
55. “ at’s incredible!”
59. Ways of doing things
60. Baltimore NFL player
62. Part of IOU
63. Auth. unknown
64. Unchangeable (... letters 5-10)
66. Bit of DNA
67. Work, as dough
68. When doubled, the Road Runner’s catchphrase
69. Googly-___
70. Tall tales
71. Sums things up? DOWN
1. Some big horns
2. “Location?”
3. Not mainstream
4. Slime
5. Tiny sweater?
6. Unemotional
7. Type of question in 20 Questions 8. Mustard relative
9. at guy’s 10. On dry land
11. “I’m having the time of my life!” 12. Gin mixer
13. Health insurance giant 18. Worry 22. Fabric known as “cactus silk” 24. Bear with cold porridge 26. Spuds
28. “Hamilton” actor Cervantes
30. Airport safety org.
31. List-ending abbr.
32. “Can I leave now?”
34. “___ Just Not at Into You” (2009 rom-com)
35. Key near Ctrl
36. Color, as hair
38. FBI employee, for short
39. Pi follower
41. Exploding stars
42. “ at’s gotta hurt!”
47. Performed before the main act
49. Ages and ages
50. JPEG le, e.g.
51. ___ Island hot dog
52. Large sports venue
53. Do the dishes?
54. Aqua na rival
56. Serenaded, say
57. Totally dominated
58. Sobs
61. Terminates
64. Cloud’s backdrop
65. “More info coming” initials
Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.
On Nov. 13 the African Student Association hosted a “Painting Workshop” in the CIE.
Painting Party
Photos by Associate Editor Maddison Behringer, Photos & Design Editor Adrien Gobin, and Asst. Photos & Design Editor Meghan Spargo
Spread by Photos & Design Editor
Adrien Gobin