FOOD WASTE pg

Food wasted in Dining Commons

By Brennan Atkins Editorial Staff

FSU Dining Services held two events showcasing the amount of food wasted in the Dining Commons Oct. 8 and Nov. 5.

Rachael Bissonnette, field marketing coordinator for Sodexo, designed the events to place all unconsumed food in plastic bins that were then weighed for waste totals.

“The goal of the event is to bring light what happens every day in the back - to show the amount of food waste that is thrown away on a daily basis,” Bissonnette said.

The Oct. 8 event resulted in 170 pounds of food wasted in two-anda-half hours. This weight equates to 140 meals, according to Feeding America.

An organization that strives to help those who are hungry.

The total weight of the food collected in two hours on Nov. 5 weighed in at 120 pounds, which is equivalent to 100 meals wasted, according to Bissonnette

Annalisa Marzeotti, a sophomore criminology major said, “I expected [the weight] to be a bit higher because of the amount of stuff I see people throw away. It’s good that it isn’t that high, but I think we can still take steps to lower it.”

Describing the process of food removal, Bissonnette said, “All the food that gets deposited on the dish return line goes into this machine that grinds up all the food and dehydrates it. It compresses it, and it makes it smaller.” The processed waste is then given to Casella Waste Systems. “It’s not like it just goes in the trash,” Bissonnette said.

Bisonette also described how sodexo use external organizations in order to take away uneaten food. “In students aren’t eating, and stop making it.”

Bissonnette discussed certain factors affecting the weight of food waste on a daily basis. She said, “There might be busier days during the week or we might have an event where more food waste is produced. For example, on the days that we serve chicken nuggets, the food

“I see people grab food all the time, touch it, say ‘this is gross,’ and then just throw it away.”

-Mike DaGirolamo, junior sports management major

the past, we’ve worked with the Food Recovery network. ... What they do is, on a designated day of the week, they’ll come to us and see what we have that can be frozen, or what is non-perishable, and they would take it to donate somewhere.”

Maddie Brown, a sophomore food and nutrition major, said, “I feel like it’s good to know how much food we aren’t eating. I think we are wasting way too much food. I think Dining Services should take note of what waste tends to be much higher.”

Gwen Morton, a junior studio art major, said, “I wouldn’t place any blame on Sodexo employees because they can’t help what materials they have to work with.”

Mike DaGirolamo, a junior sports management major, said, “I see people grab food all the time, touch it, say ‘this is gross,’ and then just throw it away. While I’m not completely aware of the everyday amount of food wasted, I feel like anything over 100 pounds in two hours is mental.” Sodexo use WasteWatch powered by Leanpath, a program which is used to measure food waste and keep track of data.

Bissonnette said, “It benefits us in two ways. One, it lets us know if we are buying too much so we can cut back on costs, and second, it helps us reduce the amount of waste that we are creating when we make meals.”

Sodexo has other ways in which it strives to be environmentally friendly. The napkins in the dining hall are biodegradable, and they support organizations that fight against food waste, such as Stop Hunger and The Campus Kitchen Project.

Bissonnette encourages students to be thoughtful of their food waste. “Don’t take as much as you think you’ll eat, because you can always go up and get some more in the Dining Commons. The amount of full meals that we see come down the dish line is crazy.

She added, “Outside of the University, you can do the same thing. Don’t buy more than you think you might need,” she said.

The next Weigh the Waste events will take place March 24 and April 21.

CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS batkins@student.framingham.edu

FAFSA DAY @ FSU

Need help filing the 2020-2021 FAFSA?

Did you know FSU has a priority deadline of March 1st?

Don’t miss out on any Financial Aid - come to FAFSA DAY!

Where: Student Lounge, McCarthy Center 308 When: February 11 th & 13 th 11AM - 2PM

And February 24 th & 26 th 11AM - 2PM & 4PM - 6PM What to Bring: 2018 Tax Documents, FSA ID

and your Laptop. No Appointment Necessary

FSU’s Financial Aid Staff will be available to help you with the process.

OP/ED

Common sense for the common cold THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Coughs and sniffles may be spreading through your classes faster than the latest TikTok trend, but a few simple steps can drastically cut your chances of suffering during this flu season.

Vaccinations are an important step, but they aren’t a cure-all - the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adds the current flu vaccine is only 58% effective in preventing infections.

Between 22 and 31 million people caught the flu between October 2019 and February - with close to 1% of cases resulting in death, according to the CDC Ultimately, prevention is key. A good diet will go a long way in strengthening your immune system, as will getting enough sleep and physical exercise.

Chicken soup for the soul, are we right? But if you are going to break a sweat, make sure you’re wiping down machines at the gym before and after your workout. You don’t know what germs you may be carrying.

And, as obvious as it sounds - wash your hands, you nasties. Typhoid Mary can tell you all about how skipping out on a good scrub is a really bad idea. If cases around you are particularly severe, take a cue from the Korean fashion influencers and rock a medical face mask (and feel free to add a snail mask while you’re at it). Most doctors offices will offer them free of charge. Even if you don’t have symptoms, fask masks can help prevent the germs from spreading - protecting yourself, your friends, and others around you.

Face masks may not be your style, but we doubt walking around with a stuffy nose is, either.

If these prevention tips don’t work and you still catch the flu, please go to the Health Center as soon as possible.

The Health Center is open Monday through Friday from 8 A.M to 5 P.M. They can diagnose your sicknesses and provide you with flu and cold kits at no cost, so you do not have to worry about going to the store to get your cold medicine. If you run out of cold and flu supplies before you get to go home, or you get sick on the weekend, take advantage of the self-care station on the third floor on the McCarthy Center. Again, you don’t have to pay anything to make use of the products available.

If the Health Center does determine you have the flu - they will likely recommend you go home until you are no longer contagious - we recommend you listen to them. Although heading home isn’t an option for everyone, staying in the dorms leads to a greater risk of spreading your sickness to your roommates, and can hinder your ability to heal faster.

Plus, your roommate is probably less willing to cut the crusts off your grilled cheese while you warm up with some soup.

The Health Center - and your parents, for the matter - will likely recommend drinking plenty of fluids, resting, and taking OTC painkillers like ibuprofen to help lower your fever.

Finally, please do not go to class while you’re sick. Not only is it no fun to sit through class while you are sick, you are putting others at risk.

We all know how much professors attendance policies can discourage us from taking care of ourselves - but no professor wants you in class if you are going to be blowing your nose every 10 minutes. Stay safe this flu season. We’ll get through this together.

GATEPOST Guidance Pencils vs pens - the ultimate showdown

By Ashley Wall Editor-in-Chief

By Donald Halsing Editorial Staff

While we live in a modern world of keyboard clicks, college students still scrawl scribbles across sheets of paper time and again. But what tool is best to use for writing? Traditional pencils and pens are frequent favorites among tiresome fingers. They’re reliable, easy to find in stores, and timeless.

Besides commonplace pens and pencils, there are also mechanical pencils and erasable pens. Additionally, both come in a variety of colors and styles.

With so many options, each with their positive and negative components, one writing utensil must reign supreme.

To start, keeping a fresh point to draw with is important to keeping calculations and contentions clear. Standard pencils must be sharpened, which is a hassle. Mechanical pencils, however, easily replenish their tips with writing material without the need to find a pencil sharpener.

However, some pencil lead is weak, and with strong hands, breakage is likely to occur, causing angered, bold words across the page.

Whatever is written by a writing utensil must be readable. Pens develop smooth, clear lines, and are more ergonomic to write with than pencils. Writing made with graphite pencils varies in darkness depending on how much pressure the user applies, which can be problematic.

Don’t forget about color. Both pens and pencils come in a variety of hues and shades.

While regular pencils make gray or black marks, colored pencils offer some variety. However, colored pencils are also notoriously difficult to sharpen.

Pens come in a variety of colors, although blue or black is the default choice of professors.

Another important consideration is how long your notes will last. If your marks fade away, it’s unlikely you will get good marks in your class.

Pen can be easily smudged. But, once it dries, it is very difficult to modify. Anyone with sweaty palms knows pencil often smears at the most inconvenient times of studying.

But what if you need to change something you wrote? Pencils usually include a small eraser on one end for correcting mistakes, but words written by pens are notoriously permanent.

What if there was a writing utensil with the permanence and clarity of a pen, but also with the flexibility of a pencil? Erasable pens are the solution. Erasable pens don’t need to be sharpened and produce clear, easy-toread lines.

They also include the convenience of an eraser to quickly correct mistakes.

And, of course, erasable pens come in a full rainbow of colors! For our left-handed writers: we see you. Erasable pens provide the perfect solution for those oh-so-unavoidable smudges.

So the next time you reach for your basic number two pencil, remember: erasable pens are the writing utensil of the future.

[Editor’s Note: Gatepost Guidance is a bi-weekly column. The opinions of the authors do not reflect the opinions of the entire Gatepost staff.]

Have Letter to the Editor? Have a question for Gatepost Guidance? Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu Letters should be approximately 500 words. We look forward to hearing from you!

By Kaitlyn Cullen Staff Writer

Have you ever gone to your favorite store to pick up a new pair of reliable jeans? The same style, same fit, and same size - but they’re too tight? I would usually say don’t worry, you’re not the only one - but you should worry. And then you should do something about it.

I’ve seen posts going around social media where women post pictures of their jeans side-by-side, and I know you probably have too, but each post is unique. Some jeans are all the same size on the tag, but clearly not in reality when compared to each other. Other jeans are all fitted to the same person but vary from size to size on the tags.

Yet both have the same message. The numbers on women’s jeans are just that - numbers, and they don’t make sense.

The average pants size of women in the U.S. in 2019 was 18-to-20, and the average size for teenage girls was 12, according to Daniel Bubnis, who has a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion.

These sizes aren’t even available in most stores women and girls shop at in your average mall!

Men’s jeans are more accurately sized specifically based on waist and length, whereas most women’s jeans found in popular stores are a bit less sensible, with waist and length measurements consolidated to even sizes ranging from 00 to 16, not even counting most plus-sizes.

“The US, in general, uses the Size 0 standard, which corresponds to a waist and hips range for jeans sizes,” says Blitz Results. “There is a ½ inch difference between both the waist and hip for every size up. A size 4, for example, could fit women with a waist size of 26-26 ½ inches and 34 ½-35 inches hip measurement.”

After comparing several current denim size charts from Aéropostale, Charlotte Russe, Liverpool Jeans, 1822 Denim, and Miss Me Jeans, it appears Blitz Results’ claim is mostly true - but many companies differ slightly.

In the past year alone, I have gone from a size 4 to a size 8 according to Aéropostale’s jean sizings. However, my old size fours fit better than my new size eights, and they’re hardly even stretched out.

So why has Aéropostale changed their sizing so radically this past year? Many other popular stores like Aéropostale, including Charlotte Russe and American Eagle, target girls and women from teenagers to young adults as their primary sales audience. These stores’ ever-changing size charts are toxic to impressionable young girls’ and women’s body imaging and self-confidence. There’s already a known issue of body shaming and bullying in the U.S., especially within these age groups, and large, successful clothing companies should be fighting AGAINST it, not kindling the cause.

Female bodies are naturally curvier than men’s, and even so they can be quite skinny due to high metabolisms or they can be packed with extra love, making it incredibly difficult to find any size on the all too basic current sizing charts - jeans, dresses, and jumpsuits included.

Getting all of your clothes personally tailored WILL rack up your bills,

so it’s understandable that most people wouldn’t even consider that an option. A more feasible option would be to change the way we measure the sizes of jeans for women - by their waist, length, AND hip size.

This is why I urge women to stand up to big companies and demand a better sizing regime. And in the meantime, remember that size is just a number!

We will NOT be bullied by clothing companies who try to tell us that we need to be small to be beautiful.

‘Parasite’ deserves all the recognition it got By Brennan Atkins and Noah Barnes Editorial Staff

“Parasite” deserves all the recognition it got.

We don’t always agree with the Oscar nominations and winners, over the last couple of years, we’ve actually been somewhat disappointed by their decisions.

Whether it’s a film that never got nominated we feel as if should’ve gotten recognition, such as “Waves” by Trey Edward Shults, or a film we feel as if shouldn’t have won, such as “Bohemian Rhapsody” winning Best Editing, sometimes the Oscars leaves us wanting more.

However, one thing that we will never do is crawl to Twitter to vehemently attack other people’s opinions - If you enjoy a film, you should be allowed to do so openly without people belittling your views.

Unfortunately, This seems to be the case all over Twitter and Youtube when it comes to Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” which got the Oscars’ for Best Foreign Language film, Best Original Screenplay, and the main topic of debate - Best Picture.

Parasite is an excellent film - We are aware that if the movie didn’t get as much attention with American audiences as it did, the Academy would have likely ignored it for Best Picture. But the proof is in the pudding, and it did extremely well in the American box office for a foreign film, grossing at $35 million. Boon Jong Ho got recognized at the Cannes International Film Festival with the Palme d’Or, a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film, and won best international independent film at the British independent film awards. It’s even getting added to the Criterion Collection, which for many directors, is a dream come true.

So then why is Bong Joon Ho facing so much resistance for winning Best Picture at the Oscars.

Similar to how they ruin anything they touch, one huge problem emerging from Twitter are blatant racists. If you don’t want to read, sure, but it crosses the line of criticism when you legitimately say it’s less of a film if it’s in a different language.

One viral tweet via @Millerstream writes “A man named Bong Joon Ho wins #Oscar for best original screenplay over Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and 1917. Acceptance speech was: ‘GREAT HONOR. THANK YOU.’ Then he proceeds to give the rest of his speech in Korean.

These people are the destruction of America.”

While he continued to backpedal after making that tweet, it created an outlet for many other racist comments to be circulated through the web via comments. We genuinely don’t understand why these people even watch the Oscars, as film is becoming more progressive every single day. Another reason people are unhappy with “Parasite” is the fact that it won both Best Foreign Language film and Best Picture. Some believe that if it’s the best foreign film, it should be immediately disqualified from being nominated for best picture. While it’s true that a foreign film has never won Best Picture, this is something that happens almost every year with other categories.

Take Peter Farrelly’s “Green Book” for example, on top of winning Best Picture it also received the Oscars’ for Best Screenplay and Best supporting actor.

Why should some films be restricted to certain accolades while others aren’t?

Film, like many other art forms, can be enjoyed universally. Even without subtitles, one can appreciate certain elements in film such as cinematography, the actors’ physical acting,

soundtracks and editing.

If you genuinely didn’t enjoy the writing from Boon Jong Ho, or the acting from Kang-ho Song, or any other element of the film, it’s absolutely fine to be dissapointed with it winning Best Picture. We wanted “The Lighthouse” to be nominated for Best Picture, and were surprised to see it only got nominated for Best Cinematography.

Admittedly, we were a bit upset by this - But we would never verbally attack someone for disagreeing with what we believe. If you like something that we reviewed as not particularly great, that doesn’t mean we think you’re wrong, we simply have different tastes.

Anyways, we couldn’t be happier that “Parasite” won, and it’s temporarily being brought back to theaters if you didn’t catch the chance to watch it.

‘Give as Much Love as You Can,’ not just romantically

By Robert Johnson Jr. Editorial Staff

Ah, yes. Valentine’s Day. The one day in a given year that contains more self-loathing and romance-related jealousy than any other day - and, yes, New Year’s Eve comes very close.

Every year, the game plan for single people like myself is one in the same - look on social media and observe all the mushy “happy Valentine’s Day to my one-and-only” posts and many reposted memes about people receiving that one message Team Snapchat sends every user of the service - you know which ones I’m talking about. Don’t act like you don’t. While most of us look back in anger and resentment toward the act of romantic love, I do have a proposal for you, and not a proposal of the romantic kind. Listen, rings don’t come cheap, and I’d rather use that money for video games and comics, thanks.

This Valentine’s Day, I challenge you to not shake your fist at your Facebook timeline or your Instagram feed, but, rather, I implore you to give love to those who mean a lot to you in your day-to-day life.

Yes, I know that saying “I love you” to people that you have no romantic affiliations with is a tough thing to do for people who only recognize that simple phrase as a “phrase you only use with your significant other,” but there’s no need for something so sweet to be held back by societal “standards” of the past.

Instead, let those words fly! You only have one life and you have a lot of loving potential in you!

For most of us with favorable parental units, telling them that you love them is a very natural process, and, hopefully, you’re not in a romantic relationship with either of them. Why can’t you do the same with your friends, whether you’re in a relationship with them or not?

If your friend is into hugs, give them a tight one, but with consent.

If your friend likes being kissed on the cheek, go give ‘em one, but with twice as much consent.

If your friend is feeling down about not having a significant other for the seventh year in a row, go and tell them that they deserve love, too!

Love should not be reserved for that one person you’ve been eyeing on Instagram for weeks on end, it should be shared openly with everyone. And while many readers of this newspaper might have that special someone in their lives, which I am definitely not bashing in the slightest, I challenge you to make sure that love gets spread to those around you.

Heck, if you’re not even into being mushy, do something kind for another person, or get in the habit of going out of your way for someone you care about. There are many ways to convey and display love!

The world is already tough enough as it is - do your best to make sure that love is always going around for those who need it the most.