April 22, 2022

Volume 90 • Issue 23

April 22, 2022

FSUgatepost.com

Twenty miles to Boston!

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST (Center) Giovanella Ferraz of Piracicaba, Brazil, and other third-wave runners in Framingham during the 126th Boston Marathon held Patriot’s Day, April 18. See page 9 for a full photos spread.

Board of Trustees freezes tuition and fees for AY 2022-23

By James Barraford Staff Writer The Board of Trustees voted to extend its freeze on daytime undergraduate tuition fees and housing rates for Academic Year (AY) 2022-23 during its Jan. 23 meeting.

This is the second year tuition and fees have been frozen.

The decision was made to alleviate student economic stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising inflation.

Dale Hamel, executive vice president, said there were many factors that led to the decision.

Hamel said he hoped freezing tuition and housing would help maintain enrollment.

He said during the COVID-19 lockdown, there was a reduction in spending in areas such as food costs, training via online platforms, conferences, and travel. He said he expects the upcoming 2023 budgets to be more in line with historical costs.

“On the staff side, the reductions have largely been in IT administration and finance,” Hamel said, adding there have been “selective reductions on the faculty side” in response to enrollment reductions, which are closely aligned with the majors that have seen the “most significant reductions.

“The majority of the reductions came from non-personnel areas. So, we’ve been able to work closely with trust fund managers to identify ar-

Not just a profession - a passion

News SGA pg. 3

eas where those non-personnel costs TUITION FREEZE pg. 5 could be reduced,” he said.

Hamel said one of the Board of Trustees’ “major missions” was making higher education affordable for undergraduates.

He said that affordability includes listed price, net price, quality of instruction, and co-curricular activities.

During the pandemic, FSU received funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and MassGrant funds, which assist the most-needy students, he said, adding once these students’ needs are met, the next lev- HALEY’S COMIC pg. 7 el of need can be assisted.

Hamel said he does anticipate the PUT STUDENTS FIRST pg. 6 need to increase charges in the fol-

Opinions

See TUITION FREEZE page 5

Sports

Eight professors honored with Distinguished Faculty Awards

By Caroline Gordon Arts & Features Editor

By Emily Rosenberg Arts & Features Editor

By Ryan O’Connell Asst. Arts & Features Editor Kimberly Arditte Hall, College of Social Sciences and Education Prior to teaching at FSU, Kimberly Arditte Hall worked on psychological research and scholarship during her post-doctoral fellowship in women’s

mental health at the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder at the Veterans Administration Boston Healthcare System.

Arditte Hall said since she began teaching at FSU, she has started her own psychology research lab called the Research and Emotion Cognition and Psychopathology Lab (RECAP).

She said she is “really proud” of her lab as it is now “fully functional and currently running” She added she has two students currently working as her research assistants in the lab, and she has one student using data from the lab for their honor’s thesis.

Arditte Hall explained that all three students will be presenting original research that they have conducted in collaboration with her at the Massachusetts Undergraduate Research Conference and the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship and BASEBALL pg. 8 Service conference.

In addition to the lab she started on campus, Arditte Hall said she collaborates with other hospitals and universities in the greater Boston area and nationally.

She won the Excellence in Scholar- ENZO SILON SURIN pg. 11 ship Award and said she felt “really excited” when she received the news.

DISTINGUISHED FACULTY pg. 12-13

Arts & Features

See DISTINGUISHED FACULTY page 12

INSIDE: OP/ED 6 • SPORTS 8 • ARTS & FEATURES 9

NEWS

2 | APRIL 22, 2022

Editorial Board

Gatepost Interview

Editor-in-Chief Leighah Beausoleil

Patricia Lynne

Associate Editors Donald Halsing Kathleen Moore

English Professor

News Editors Steven Bonini Haley Hadge Ashlyn Kelly

By Haley Hadge News Editor

Asst. News Editor Sophia Harris Opinions Editor McKenzie Ward Sports Editors Danielle Achin Tyler Wahl Arts & Features Editors Caroline Gordon Emily Rosenberg Asst. Arts & Features Editor Ryan O’Connell Design Editors Maddison Behringer Emma Lyons Copy Editor Patrick Brady

What does your current job entail?

I have multiple hats that I wear. I am the “cat herder” for first year writing, which mostly means that I help the English department chair informally as the chair of the first year writin committee and as the official coordinator of writing placement and the writing studios to mana e first year writin . So I look at the placement. I had been responsible for developing and maintaining the writing placement exam, as well as our studio program for students who come in needing extra support in writing. I also coordinate the minor in science communication. I teach a course called Writing About Science, but I also work with students who intern as they get their minor in science communication. I will have a new hat in the fall, which will be the chair of general education, which I’m very excited to work on. This has been a long time coming.

Staff Writers James Barraford Jackson Clyde Dan Fuentes Dallas Gagnon Mark Haskell Stefano Hernandez Branden LaCroix Abby Petrucci Lydia Staber Kyle Walker Multimedia Critics Sean Cabot Jack McLaughlin Ryan Schreiber Advisor Desmond McCarthy

@

TH E GA T E

O

Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

N PE

What is your educational and professional background?

I got my bachelor’s at Virginia Tech.

I actually started out in chemical engineering and discovered that I didn’t understand calculus well enough to stay an engineer. So, I switched to English and graduated from there with my bachelor’s. My master’s was also an English [degree] in the teaching of writing and literature at George Mason University. And then, I got my Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

Again, a Ph.D. in English, this time with a concentration in rhetoric and composition. I have been a professor mostly at public colleges through my career. I was at North Carolina State for seven years and then I worked at Northeastern for a semester. And then I got the job here at Framingham. [I’m] very happy at Framingham State - much happier than anyplace else I have been. So, I’ve been a professor of English throughout my career, but always teaching writing.

What will your responsibilities be in this new position?

This is a brand-new position. ... General education as a program area has not existed and does not currently exist. @T come July 1Swhen It will exist I take reHEGATEPO T sponsibility for this. … I will be responsible for making sure that systems are in place so that data is gathered about general education and our learning outcomes for general education. And so that that data can be used then in those

T TH EGATEPOS

100 State Street McCarthy Center Room 410 Framingham, MA 01701-9101 Phone: (508) 626-4605 Fax: (508) 626-4097 gatepost@framingham.edu @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Courtesy of Framingham State decisions that will be made by governance which will make recommendations on those, but the decisions will be made through bodies like the University Curriculum Committee, as they should be.

What led you to your upcoming position as the chair of the new General Education Program Area? ha e wor ed with first year students my entire career, and I have always been interested in how people make the transition from high school to college, and how they find their place in colle e. s said, I started out in chemical engineering. Everybody in my high school would have pegged me as a math and science kid. I was not when I got to college, and I never would have known about things like how much I enjoyed literature if I hadn’t taken a literature class as part of general education. I consider general education to be this experimental space where you can take a course in nutrition and see if you really like it. You can take a course in political science and see if you really like it without it derailing you if it turns out the answer is, “No, you actually don’t [like it].” I joined the University Curriculum Committee in 2010 and we began work on the revision to general education that is now our current … domain model for general education. I worked with the committee that designed that and I chaired the full University Curriculum Committee as

part of that. During that time, I got very interested in looking at what other universities do - how they manage this part of the curriculum. That is really central in a lot of ways, but is also set to the side and doesn’t seem to be as embedded in the general degree as we’d like it to be.

I don’t think we succeeded with the domain model in doing that. The domain model, like most everything [at the] University, was a compromise, which means to some extent, everybody is unhappy with the result. But I think that the work that needs to be done in this area is really important.

What advice do you have for FSU students?

Try something new. Whether it’s a class you know, as I was talking about with general education, or a club, or a sport, try something that you’ve never done before. College is one of the best opportunities you have to try things out in very low-risk ways. When you leave college, you lose some ease of connection. You don’t have as easy access to things like clubs and organizations. You have to do more work to go out and get into those. [It’s] easy enough to walk to c arthy and find somethin oin on and just join it. Take a class that you are interested in, but you know nothing about ust to find out. ust experimenting - it’s really important.

CONNECT WITH HALEY HADGE hhadge@student.framingham.edu

Police Logs Monday, April 18 12:26 Noise Complaint Athletic Field Gone on arrival

Monday, April 18 21:56 Motor Vehicle Accident FSU Police Department Report Taken

Tuesday, April 19 11:41 Alarm (Fire/Smoke) Honors House Checks OK

Wednesday, April 20 00:14 Undesirable West Hall Advised

NEWS

APRIL 22, 2022 | 3

SGA discusses inclusivity and the state college debt review

By Haley Hadge News Editor SGA discussed updates on the Gender-inclusive Bathroom Study, the Massachusetts State College Debt Review, and outdated COVID-19 prevention methods during it’s April 19 meeting.

During her report, President McKenzie Ward provided a progress update on the Gender-inclusive Bathroom Study.

She said she discussed adding a changing table to the new bathroom with Dale Hamel, executive vice president one of the point people for the study.

SGA discussed considering this addition to the new restroom at it’s April 6 meeting.

According to Ward, Hamel said they would be “more than happy” to add it to the study.

Ward said she began working on this project in December 2021 in an effort to increase gender inclusivity on campus.

She originally thought it was “just going to be changing a sign,” she said, but it has become a $100,000 project.

She said currently, the only gender-inclusive restroom she knows of on campus is located in the McCarthy Forum, and it is often locked and therefore unusable.

Ward said it sends a bad message that the only gender-inclusive bathroom in the McCarthy Center is behind the Forum stage. “It really makes it seem like we’re trying to hide people who don’t want to use a gendered ‘men’s’ or ‘women’s’ restroom.”

A motion to allocate $5,000 of SGA’s unallocated Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) funds to the “Gender-inclusive Bathroom Study” was passed.

Ward thanked the senate, saying,

“This is making sure that everyone on campus has a place - that they feel safe and welcomed.”

Secretary Sam Houle said he attended the Massachusetts State College Debt Review on April 14 and learned that the Massachusetts State College System has $1.2 billion in capital debt.

He said according to the review, each Framingham State student pays $2,100 in fees that goes toward paying interest on the University’s debt.

“That’s $2,100 that students are paying and not getting anything back for it,” said Houle.

He said this debt increases student fees by 25%, adding, “It’s 25% that students are paying and receiving absolutely nothing.

“You’re shrugging off $1.2 billion onto your students that are already dealin with the extremely inflated cost of college,” he said.

Houle said he hopes SGA can become “more vocal” about this issue.

Ward said that according to a study she read, for the last 20 to 30 years, Massachusetts has been “severely” undercutting public institutions of higher education.

She asked, “Where is that money going to that should be going to us?

“It just adds to the conversation that the University needs to be more transparent in what the fees are that they’re charging us.”

Anthony Sims, a sophomore English major, suggested SGA send a letter voicing their concern on this issue to Massachusetts gov. Charlie Baker “asking genuinely for change.”

During Open Forum, Sims said it bothers him that payment in cash is not accepted at The Grille and other campus dining locations.

He said, “Not everyone has a debit or credit card on them with money on it.

“Personally, I’m a college student.

I’m poor by nature,” he said.

Sims added if he wanted to trans-

“It just adds to the conversation that the University needs to be more transparent in what the fees are that they’re charging us.”

-McKenzie Ward SGA President

Weather

fer cash to his bank account, he would have to drive to his hometown, which is one hour away, which would cost him excess “gas money.”

Dara Barros, diversity and inclusion officer said the reason campus dinin locations don’t accept cash is due to COVID-19 restrictions implemented when it was thought the virus could be transferred by surfaces.

She added dining services, located above the police station in McCarthy, can transfer cash into RamCash.

Faculty Advisor Sara Gallegos said this concern should be voiced in an email sent on behalf of SGA. She added, “Most places have already moved to bringing cash back,” and it is “illegal” not to accept cash in Massachusetts.

The issue of accessibility on campus was revisited from SGA’s April 6 meeting.

clusion and Community Engagement (DICE) that she will attend.

There will be a student listening session on April 27 at 1:30 p.m., she said.

Barros also encouraged everyone in attendance to consider the diversity courses being offered for the fall.

“I’ve taken those classes here and they were pretty eye-opening and interesting,” she said.

Sims proposed forming a “coalition of clubs” on campus in order to “streamline” student experience, productivity, and collaboration.

He said, “Most of the clubs that exist now were founded by just a singular group of friends and they would all take place at roughly the same time on the same night[s].”

Sims said an example of this would be the conjoining of the Comic Book, Anime, and Gaming clubs.

“It really makes it seem like we’re trying to hide people who don’t want to use a gendered ‘men’s’ or ‘women’s’ restroom.”

-McKenzie Ward SGA President Ward said a friend of hers was in the dining hall with a student who needs a straw in order to drink.

The student usually brings their own but had forgotten it that day, Ward said.

She said the closest location that had straws was Dunkin’. However, when her friend informed the staff worker at the entrance of the dining hall about their situation, they were met with “attitude and were told they should be better prepared.”

Ward said, “If we’re supposed to be an inclusive campus, we should really be taking into consideration our students who are just trying to help other students.”

She added this is especially true since other dining locations on campus are allowed to have straws.

During her Diversity and Inclusion fficer report Barros said the di erse student artwork selected by the Center for Inclusive Excellence, is now on display there in O’Connor Hall.

She said there will be “listening sessions” for the search committee for the new vice president of Diversity, In-

“It would lead to greater events with more profit mar ins and it would be better [for] just bringing people together,” he said.

He added, “There are certain clubs that may not seem like they line up, but sometimes, they can.”

Sims said one “genius” example of this was the collaboration between the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Comic Book Club.

He said the two clubs purchased approximately 50 tickets to go see the then newly released “Black Panther” movie in IMAX theaters.

Emily Rosenberg, outreach and event coordinator, passed the “U-Rock” to Ward.

The “U-Rock’’ is presented to recognize a senator’s accomplishments during the weeks between meetings.

[Editor’s Note: McKenzie Ward is Opinions Editor for The Gatepost.

Emily Rosenberg is an Arts & Features Editor for The Gatepost.]

CONNECT WITH HALEY HADGE hhadge@student.framingham.edu

Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov

Sunday night April 24 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Light wind.

Monday night April 25 A chance of showers after 11 p.m. Cloudy, with a low around 45. Wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday night April 26 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. Wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Wednesday night April 27 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. Wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation 30%.

Monday April 25 Partly sunny, with a high near 61. Wind around 5 mph.

Tuesday April 26 Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%.

Wednesday April 27 Partly sunny, with a high near 60. Wind around 10mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday April 28 Partly sunny, with a high near 50. Wind around 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

NEWS

4 | APRIL 22, 2022

COVID-19 by the numbers

By Kathleen Moore Associate Editor

­

Data collected April 9

­ ­ ­

­ ­

Data collected April 20

Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, CDC COVID-19 Data Tracker, Johns Hopkins

[Editor’s Note: The Framingham Public Health Department is no longer reporting the number of COVID-19 cases in the city as of Feb. 2, 2022.]

­

­

­

[Editor’s Note: The number of tests administered does not indicate an outbreak of COVID-19.]

­

­

Data source: Framingham State

Data collected April 20

Data sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Worldometer, City of Framingham

FSU Dance Team Presents

IMAGINE 2022

Showcase in the DPAC!

My Way

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Make the most of your summer!

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• 5-week, 8-week & 12-week sessions • Over 200 courses offered entirely online • Undergraduate and graduate courses*

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Thursday, May 5th, at 7:30 PM Saturday, May 7th, at 3:30 PM Doors open 30 minutes prior to the show

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NEWS

Tuition freeze

APRIL 22, 2022 | 5

Continued from page 1

lowing year.

He said 65% of operating costs goes to personnel, as well as collective bargaining agreements, which “are not large, but have to be covered.”

Hamel added inflation has dramatically increased the cost of utilities.

He said with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, FSU is expecting a “pretty large anticipated increase in the upcoming fiscal year” in the cost of fuel.

Fringe benefits are another example of increased costs, he added.

He said in terms of revenue, FSU is “very fortunate” to have been able to “invest both the University’s endowment funds and The Foundation’s endowment funds.”

He said these funds have gone up in the past couple of years, although they have gone down in recent months.

“We use a rolling three-year average of fund balances, or investment balances, that subsidize the operating budget. So, the fact that our endowment goes up, there’s more annual funding each year that’s available to support the operating budget,” Hamel said.

He added the economic impact of COVID-19 will linger in the upcoming years.

Hamel said the Board of Trustees has contingency plans for responding to the ongoing challenge of COVID-19 as well as to its long-term impact.

He said, “We don’t anticipate, in the long run, actually getting back to the size institution that we were prior to enrollment reductions.”

Hamel said while these reductions began before COVID-19, the pandemic “exacerbated” them in the last two years.

“We recognize that we need to align the University with kind of a new reality relating to the size of the institution,” he said.

Hamel said he hopes to see students who have dropped out because of the pandemic return.

He said in addition to coming

charges when individuals are being impacted so much,” he added.

Ellen Zimmerman, interim provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said the decision was just “the right thing to do.

“At this point, we need to really help people be able to afford their education,” Zimmerman said.

“One thing we really don’t want to have happen is to have students facing really, really tough circumstances - in some cases, ending up going deeper into debt - struggling to try to stay in school,” she said.

Zimmerman said that by freezing tuition and housing rates, FSU was not increasing the financial burden of students when they may be dealing with other burdens, such as a sick family member.

“We want to adopt policies that will facilitate people being able to continue their education in every way that we can,” Zimmerman said.

Lorretta Holloway, vice president of Enrollment and Student Development, said the Board of Trustees is “very much concerned” about how much debt students have at the end of their education at FSU. She said when COVID-19 happened, it “exposed cracks and fissures” within the higher education system.

She said what had been done to solve these issues in the past was only superficial, a “tape it up and hope for the best” attitude.

“COVID was like, ‘Oh, no, that’s funny you did that! I’m going to make sure that it’s all expensive!’”

Holloway said.

She added COVID-19 caused many students to lose their jobs or have their hours cut.

Holloway said, “If you were struggling before, you were struggling more [now].”

She said it would “just be mean” to expect students to not be affected financially by the pandemic.

The University’s role, as much as possible, is to help students obtain their degree, she added.

“Why would you hit someone when they are down?” Holloway asked.

“At this point, we need to really help people be able to afford their education,” -Ellen Zimmerman Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs back, he wants students to catch up.

Hamel added students have been having difficulty with the online format of classes, which has resulted in a higher drop-out rate.

“We’ve got students needing to both catch up and to come back into the system,” Hamel said.

He said he hopes the University will retain more students post-pandemic.

“We’re certainly cognizant of the fact that not only has this been a financial impact to the University, but it’s been a financial impact to individuals as well, not only to students as individuals, but their families,” Hamel said.

“During this period, it just seems like a difficult time to increase

She said the decision was a cost-conscious one because even with the freeze, the school still needs to continue paying its own bills.

As a state institution, the residence halls are owned by the Building Authority, she said.

“We still owe money whether we fill the residence halls or not,” Holloway added.

She said enrollment and revenue have been going down, but, despite this, “Now is not the time [to raise rates].”

Holloway said the “easiest answer” would have been to raise student fees in order to recoup the financial loss from lower student enrollment.

“That was just something that nobody - nobody - was in favor of,” Hol-

loway said.

She said the Board of Trustees recognizes FSU has a lot of competition for students in Massachusetts. She added the Board works to find a balance between taking in revenue and not leaving students with an excessive debt.

Kevin Foley, chair of the Board of Trustees, said the decision to freeze undergraduate tuition and fees was “based on the recognition of the financial hardships incurred by students due to the pandemic.

“We realize the detrimental impact the pandemic had on the families of students and wanted to send a message of support,” Foley said.

He said this decision allows students a “more affordable experience with less of a debt burden.”

Foley added, “In addition, the Board believes with this action, FSU

she was in agreement with the decision.

She said the Board of Trustee is “hopeful to do the same thing for the following academic year.

“They’re hoping to keep it going as long as they possibly can,” she added.

Hannah Polansky, a senior English major, said she was happy with the decision.

However, she said she thinks the cost should have been lowered a bit considering the pandemic’s impact on student services offered during the pandemic.

Polansky said she viewed the decision positively because paying tuition was already “overwhelming” and “at least” prices weren’t going up.

“I think it sends a good message to students and makes them feel like the school sort of cares for them,” she said.

“COVID was like, ‘Oh, no, that’s funny you did that! I’m going to make sure that it’s all expensive!’”

-Lorretta Holloway,

Vice President of Enrollment and Student Development remains a top-value institution.

“FSU provides a compelling educational value compared to other state and private institutions,” he said.

McKenzie Ward, SGA president, said, “The decision to freeze these rates is extremely important because despite us seeing very low COVID-19 numbers, students are still facing the financial crisis that has been happening all around the world since the start of the pandemic.”

Ward added many students, on and off campus, lost their jobs because of the COVID-19 lockdown.

She said FSU is a “working campus,” and many students have parttime or full-time jobs.

“One complaint I’ve heard from students is the difficulties of trying to balance both working to earn the money needed for an education, but also maintaining a good enough GPA to feel like they’re getting the best education possible,” Ward said.

“It’s difficult to find a new job when you’re fighting with dealing with COVID-19, but also dealing with the stress of school,” she said.

Ward added this decision is important because it allows students to obtain an education without worrying about finding additional funds were tuition and fees increase.

She added, “I am super thankful to the University and the Board of Trustees for deciding to freeze tuition and fees and housing for next year. It definitely does not go unnoticed and it’s very appreciated by the students who are just trying to get through - day by day - the semester.

“Having one less thing to worry about - the added cost of education is fantastic,” Ward said.

Student Trustee Hillary Nna said

“They have the decency to put a freeze on the already overwhelming costs of attending university during a time when money is tighter than ever for many students and their families,” Polansky said.

Nathan Rogers, a senior communication, media, and performance major, said he wondered if other schools would implement a tuition freeze as FSU has.

“I’m just curious if this is going to be more viral now,” Rogers said.

He said the decision would help students with rising educational costs in light of the pandemic and the recession.

Chester Macaskill, a senior accounting major, said the decision reduces the pressure “for the time being.”

Macaskill said most of his friends were on board with the decision because it allowed them to continue their education even though many lost their jobs during the pandemic.

“I think it shows us that they do want us to succeed and allows everyone to get an education,” Macaskill said. “For once, it seems like they are on our side.”

Joana Silva, a junior criminology major, said the decision is “very helpful” to students who are working to pay off their tuition.

“I just think that FSU is a school that really cares about their students and wants to make sure that they can get their experience any possible way,” Silva said.

[Editor’s Note: McKenzie Ward is Opinions Editor for The Gatepost.]

CONNECT WITH JAMES BARRAFORD jbarraford@student.framingham.edu

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

6 | APRIL 22, 2022

O P / ED

OP/ED

THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Rushed and hushed After serving as Class of 2022 president for three years and vice president her freshman year, Samantha Collette will not be allotted time to speak at her graduation.

Due to time constraints, a speech from the senior class president has been cut from the program.

In an article published in the April 8 issue of The Gatepost, Collette said time for the undergraduate commencement ceremony has been limited because it is being merged this year with the graduate ceremony.

Instead, tucked away in a hallway, amid the chaos of pre-graduation jitters, right before she and her peers begin their walk, Collette will give her speech.

How are people going to even hear her?

Will she need a megaphone?

It has been two years since Framingham State students participated in a real, in-person graduation ceremony. Yet, this spring, the ceremony is barely even about them as the trustees and administration can’t spare five minutes to the student class president to speak to and for her graduating peers.

With the senior class president cut from the program, FSU undergraduates will only have the opportunity to hear the speeches of people they hardly know.

Students are not likely to remember the words of a random person who doesn’t know them, but every word spoken by someone who has been through it all with them would resonate.

Seniors have spent the half of their college experience in their bedrooms on Zoom as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Graduation day is meant to be for them and all they have achieved despite the disruptions to their college experience.

However, graduation has become less about celebrating students and more about racing to see how quickly the University can complete a combined graduation ceremony.

The plan to merge the two graduations is absurd and disrespectful to each population of graduates.

Each group, undergraduate and graduate students, deserves their own moment in the spotlight, which should not be shortchanged simply for convenience.

Both populations experience college quite differently and their graduation ceremonies should reflect that.

The ambiance of each graduation is going to clash, which will only bring about vexation for everyone.

In an email, President F. Javier Cevallos said combining the two ceremonies is an idea he has had for a while, and he thought undergraduates seeing graduates “hooded at the ceremony is a source of inspiration for undergraduates that are thinking about pursuing graduate work.”

However, according to Cevallos’ administrative assistant, Katie Hebert, the hooding will actually not take place at the ceremony.

So what is the point?

It sounds as if graduate students won’t be participating in a hooding ceremony.

According to the Princeton Graduate School, hooding is a time-honored tradition recognizing students’ successful completion of their respective grad programs.

Graduating from college is no easy feat, and what students have accomplished should be celebrated.

Without students, there would be no graduation. There is no excuse as to why graduate and undergraduate students can’t have their own individual ceremonies when they are paying the fee for the venue.

Students deserve to feel valued at their graduations and not as if they are a burden disrupting the trustees’ and administration’s weekend.

With the COVID-19 pandemic and all the usual challenges that come with being a student, graduates of Framingham State deserve proper recognition of their success.

Part of that recognition for undergraduates is to hear words of wisdom and celebration from their own elected class president.

At the very least, let Collette speak.

Have an opinion?

Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu Opinions should be about 500 words.

Anyone can submit.

We look forward to hearing from you! @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Put students first

By McKenzie Ward Opinions Editor Anyone who knows me could tell you that I have a deep and passionate love for higher education, and yes, I know I’m crazy for it.

My love for higher education is specifically focused on student success and retention. And during my time as intern for the New Student and Family Programs Foundations, I was introduced to the idea of having colleges and universities being student ready, rather than having students be college ready.

What it means for a college or university to be student-ready is that these institutes provide support to all students and meet students where they are. A student-ready institute understands the struggles that college students face, understands the educational needs of students, and provides support to students so that they can succeed academically and graduate.

A student-ready institution would mean all, yes, I mean every department, including admissions, the business office, the registrar’s office, and even campus safety, would be intentionally “designed to facilitate students’ progressive advancement toward college completion and positive post-college outcomes,” according to “Becoming a Student-Ready College: A New Culture of Student Success.”

And while some may argue that a student’s success is dependent on the student themselves, sometimes their success and ability to get there is out of their control due to many barriers.

For college students who are first generation, it is extremely difficult because they are the first within their family to navigate the difficulties of higher education.

For students who have family members who have attended college and graduated, they are more likely to have the support and understanding of how institutions function and how to achieve academically.

By reexamining and reworking the structure of institutions to be more student-focused, students are going to feel better supported through their academic journey which is essential for success.

This would mean having clear and constant communication with students about the community resources that are available to them, whether that be academic support, financial aid, the registrar’s office, donation centers, or counseling. But it is also making sure that the people working in these places understand how to work with any and every student who walks through their door.

No student should ever leave a university office feeling as if they were dismissed or not important to the institution.

Having training focused on supporting students’ well-being and success should be required of every department on college campuses to ensure that faculty and staff are equipped with the knowledge and skills that are needed for a student-ready campus.

In 2021, Education Data Initiative reported that the dropout rate for undergraduate college students is 40%.

They also reported that 30% of the dropout rate are freshmen students leaving before even starting their freshmen year.

By reducing the barriers to a student’s success by changing policies, processes, and practices, we can increase the retention rate at universities such as FSU while also increasing our graduation rate while we are at it.

I hear time and time again from individuals who are associated with this University complaining about low enrollment numbers and how we need to do more to increase it - which I agree with. It would be great to see an increase in enrollment at FSU. However, what about our students who are currently enrolled?

And while we do have a retention committee, and I thank those who have made this a priority, it needs to be a whole University effort. We have students at FSU who do not feel supported, listened to, or properly communicated with, and they are leaving.

We should be focusing on the students we already have, more than the possible students we could be enrolling in because without our current students, we wouldn’t be here and there wouldn’t be prospective students.

I am not asking our faculty and staff to hold our hand throughout the four years. I am simply asking that faculty and staff at all universities and colleges need to be our support system that many of us do not have.

OP/ED

Campus Conversations

APRIL 22, 2022 | 7

Do you think the class president should have time to speak at graduation?

By Maddison Behringer, Editorial Staff

“Sure, Why not? I mean, in high school, you have a valedictorian speak.”

-Melissa Palabiyik, senior

“Yes. I think it should be good - especially if it is the president. ... [She] is a big part of the school, so I feel like it’ll be an important thing to do.”

-Bessie Trinidad-Jeannot, sophomore

“Sure. I have no problem with that.”

-Miguel Torreshurtado, junior

“I would say yeah. If they were elected, I mean, I think they should. You do it in high school.”

-Sofia Wilson, freshman

“I thought they already did. But yeah, I think it makes sense, right?”

-Alex DaSilva, freshman

“I do think they should have time to speak during graduation just because they’ve put work into being the class president.”

-Anly Zapata, senior

Sam the Ram Ran a Marathon

Haley Hadge / THE GATEPOST

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SPORTS

SP O RTS

Softball takes game two in double header against Johnson & Wales

ams Baseball beats merson 21 2 in mercy rule ame

By Danielle Achin Sports Editor

By Tyler Wahl Sports Editor

The Framingham State softball team faced off against Johnson and Wales in a doubleheader coming back victorious in game two after losing game one against the Wildcats. fter the 10 8 loss in the pre ious ame the ams came bac to the field charged up for seven more innings of game two. ohnson ales too to the plate first where ailey ric son plated two runs with a sin le base hit followed by a sacrifice fly from ea han urs a allowin aelani amble to reach home from third base.

The first scoreless innin for the ams left the ildcats at a 3 0 ad anta e. n the top of the second the ildcats added fi e to their score ta in the 8 0 lead before the Rams took to the plate once again. reshman infielder lly ruca scored the first run for the ams after doublin down the line sendin utility player freshman Shelby oode home from second finishin the play by ta in third on a passed ball.

Sophomore first baseman elsey c uill tac ed on another run with a sin le base hit followed by a two run sin le from freshman outfielder Broo e rassia and a one run sin le from unior outfielder wen arpenter ad ancin the score 8-5. hile still trailin behind three runs the ams slowly crept up to the ildcats score and tallied four more runs between the third fourth and fifth innings after FSU capitalized on the scoreless innings from the Wildcats. laimin the 8 lead the ams allowed a sin le run from the ildcats in the top of the sixth before adding three more insurance runs on a bases-loaded double from ruca extendin the lead 12 .

The ildcats had one last opportunity in the top of the se enth to ta e the plate and tally up more runs before the ams claimed ictory.

Despite the fi ht the ildcats were unsuccessful and it didn t ta e lon for the ams to force three outs to reach the final 12 mar in.

The ams are now 15 13 o erall and sophomore pitcher aroline u hes spo e on the positi ity that the team always brin s to the ames whether they win or lose. “ e came as a whole to eep a positi e ener y no matter what and fi ht e ery innin to hold the score and brin in runs for oursel es ” she said. “ e did a lot of reat thin s in ame two but o erall as a team we ept a positi e ener y and cheered e eryone on.” u hes added she has complete faith in her team oin far this season not because of s ill le el but because of the trust they ha e in each other. “ t the end of the day e eryone would ha e each other s bac s. The oal for the remainder of the games is to keep working together and keep a positive ener y e en if we are the underdo ” she said.

The softball team loo s to push their record to 1 13 when they tra el to orcester State for more double header action on pril 23.

The ams baseball team faced off a ainst merson olle e on pril 20 out slu in the Lions 21 2 on Bowditch ield. n this non conference ame merson ot out to a hot start in the first innin with two easy runs scored early in the ame.

Despite the Lion s successful first innin the ams easily bounced bac with a home run to ri ht field by unior outfielder hris annetta. annetta not only set the pace for the ams in this ame with his initial homerun, he also went 5-5 at the plate for the game, bringing in four more runs throughout the match. merson had a relati ely solid defensi e start to this ame only lettin up one run through the course of two innings.

The final score after two innin s a e merson a one point ad anta e heading into the third. The Lions never saw another point tallied to their total for the rest of the game.

Between the third and fourth innin s ramin ham State was able to rattle off an astounding 14 runs and hold the Lions with zero runs scored. n the bottom of the third a slew of players on the ams contributed to their high-scoring offensive inning.

Sophomore outfielder yan Boyle started it off with a line dri e sin le brin in annetti in for the first score of the innin . reshman outfielder Lucas Basile followed up with a double of his own scorin two more ams on the play. Directly followin Basile s hit freshman shortstop Ste en Burban sin led one to center field allowin Basile to score.

Burban then ran home after a bla in fast sin le sent sophomore infielder ameron ilroy to first base.

The inning concluded and Framingham State amassed a six run lead through the course of one short inning.

The ams pro ed their se en runs were not a flu e replicatin their near perfect third inning statline in the fourth. reshman pitcher or ell Dia uic ly sent the Lions offense bac to the du out on a stri eout and two easily fieldable rounders. ramin ham State s offense in the fourth innin closely mirrored the pre ious. annetta ilroy and Basile all contributed with hits and runs.

The ams climbed to a 15 2 lead by the end of the fourth refusin to ta e their foot off the gas pedal in the upcoming innings.

Dia continuously held off the Lions for the next three innin s with his pitching, and the Rams offense showed their dominance adding six more runs to their tally by the se enth innin .

The game was called before the bottom of the seventh started, awarding the S ams with the 21 2 win o er merson olle e. annetta was the ams hi hest scorer a ainst merson and rallied his team on offense after his initial homerun to start the game. fter the ame he said “ oach has a reat plan for us to win ames and we ha e a reat roup of uys who ha e been stic in to the process and it s been startin to show lately which is reat.” our year head baseball coach Sean allahan seems to ha e a reat relationship with his team which is not entirely unconnected from the team s chemistry as a whole. annetta added “ feel reat about the team chemistry ri ht now. e had a tou h schedule to start the year but we really came to ether as a team and we are startin to piece it to ether now.”

The dominant win o er merson is a reat way for the team to start the latter half of the season. lthou h it wasn t a conference matchup the confidence boost is something the team looks to take with them going forward. annetta said “ t s oin to be hu e for us to carry this performance and our last couple of performances into the rest of the season. This part of the season is when it really counts and we ha e ust started playin our best baseball and am confident in our uys to eep it oin .”

The Rams look to continue their momentum in an important conference matchup s. orcester State pril 22.

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FRAMINGHAM STATE JOHNSON AND WALES

21 2

12 9 CONNECT WITH DANIELLE ACHIN dachin@student.framingham.edu

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FRAMINGHAM STATE EMERSON COLLEGE

CONNECT WITH TYLER WAHL twahl1@student.framingham.edu

SPORTS

APRIL 22, 2022 | 9

126 Years Boston Strong

The community gathers throughout Framingham to cheer on runners of the 126th Boston Marathon held on Patriots’ Day, April 18.

Photos and Spread by Editor-in-Chief Leighah Beausoleil

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ARTS & FEATURES

ARTS & FEATURES

The CIE hosts first ever art purchase awards Student artwork embodies identity and overcoming challenge

By Ryan O’Connell Asst. Arts & Features Editor The Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) unveiled a gallery containing a selection of pieces from over a dozen student artists related to the theme of identity, anti-racism, and social justice April 14.

Artists’ mediums included paintings, collages, photographs, drawings, and sculptures, with 15 works being purchased by the CIE for the gallery.

Eric Nguyen, director of the CIE, said it was important to him that students saw themselves represented all across the University. With recent renovations leaving many walls in the CIE bare, he said he “knew immediately [he] wanted to hang student art.”

Among 13 different student artists, senior studio art major Michelle Haley was the only one to have more than one piece shown in the gallery. She had three creations included in the show, being “Harvey Milk,” “Marsha P. Johnson,” and a sculpture, “Chained.”

Haley said she was inspired to create the two paintings “Harvey Milk” and “Marsha P. Johnson,” because of the importance she felt they held in protecting and advancing LGBT+ culture.

Junior Abigayle Versackas standing beside her collage April 14. good way to get her work out there volved working with failures. “ was ind of frustrated with fi since she would soon graduate, and said she appreciated it might help uring out what topic I wanted to disother students feel more comfortable cover and elaborate on for my ceramic pieces, and I just started working with at Framingham State in the future.

“I thought it was a really good op- the clay and I kept making these tall portunity to have something here for pieces but they would keep collapswhen I graduate, and also it’s nice ing over and over and over again,” she that my artwork can make others feel said.

Davis said her submission began in more included, or more represented, her ceramics class and involved exlike the LGBTQIA,” she said.

Haley said her favorite submission aggerating the imperfections on the was “Chained,” her ceramic piece, and outside while “creating a beautiful inside.

“Things aren’t always what they appear on the outside, versus what you see is really what matters. So, that’s how I kind of came up with this

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST that students get to see these in the future, and get to read what I said, and hopefully they get inspired through it,” she said.

Senior international business major Kwazay Casey created his painting “Student Athlete” to represent a series of challenges and accomplishments in his life, he said.

Casey said Nguyen reached out to him after the project deadline, and after speaking to him about opportunity and vision the gallery would help create, stayed up for 24 hours straight to complete the piece. “ had to finish it in two days so submitted it to him at three o’clock, when it was still wet,” he said.

“‘You’re just a country, you’re just a flag, you’re just a race, you’re just a region.’ But we’re more than that.”

- Kwazay Casey Senior International Business Major

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST Senior Kwazay Casey standing in front of his artwork at the reception April 14.

“Harvey Milk and Marsha P. Johnson are just probably my favorite, most iconic civil rights activists for LGBTQ individuals,” she said.

Haley added the showcase was a

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enjoyed being able to see other students’ contributions.

Another ceramic piece was submitted by senior fashion and merchandising major Hailey Davis, whose submission titled “Inner Beauty” in-

idea of inner beauty, through development of other organic materials and things I see around me,” she said.

Davis said she was encouraged by her ceramics professor to submit her work to collections like the CIE’s art purchase, and that the whole experience has been ery beneficial for her.

“They’re meant to be seen. They’re not meant to be stuck in a closet somewhere,” she added, referring to her artwork and the fact it is now a permanent fixture of the .

“This experience, I think, has been super beneficial. nd m really lad

Casey said he asked his brother about what to create when he was brainstorming the piece, and was told he should use the opportunity to tell some of his story.

“He just kind of told me like, you know, ‘You’re graduating. You’re endin . ou ha e a cra y story m a first generation graduate student - I’m an immigrant. I’ve been through some tough things,” he said.

Casey added he spent most of his childhood in a country experiencing See CIE SHOWCASE Page 11

ARTS & FEATURES

APRIL 22, 2022 | 11

CIE Showcase Continued from Page 10

war, and that it inspired him to “push people to see [his] artwork, to understand the storyline.” He expanded on that storyline, and emphasized the resilience it takes to be a student, an athlete, and an immigrant.

He said some may see it as a single title, but the piece is more than that. “‘You’re just a country, you’re just a fla you re ust a race you re ust a region.’ But we’re more than that,” he said, encouraging people to see the storyline.

Casey shared how his experience as an athlete and a fifth year student inspired his message, and the importance of breaking away from negative labels. “ s a football player bein a fifth year - so you know not being a traditional four year - so just kind of letting people know that if you just don’t stick to the stigma and you just keep pushing forward, you can create great things,” he said.

Casey said he had participated in a few art shows prior to the CIE’s purchase gallery, and added how art has always given him a form of escape and

(Left) CIE Director Eric Nguyen standing with attending artists April 14.

Versackas created the collage in an outlet for his ideas.

He said he has been drawing “as December 2021 as the final pro ect of long as [he] could hold a pencil,” and her African American History class, that his grandmother would often and submitted the piece to the showgive him books and supplies when he case in part due to “perfect timing.” was a kid. “So I can create my own reShe said she enjoyed making art ality and just look at it - that’s why I that tells a story, and generally works in collages and paintings, and espestarted to paint.”

Junior history major Abigayle Ver- cially likes to share her or other’s exsackas contributed a collage to the periences that carry “deep si nificant gallery, her piece titled “The Assault meaning. on Black Women’s Bodies.”

“Some of my pieces on the surface,

Visitors listening to Eric Nguyen’s opening statements before the gallery opened April 14.

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST just looking at them look very superficial but thin when we tal about them or when I explain them or when people really look at it, it has a deeper meaning which I really like - so lots of symbolism,” she said.

Versackas said she had never participated in a showcase before, although art has always been a passion of hers. She added she really enjoyed the concept of the CIE’s purchase showcase, that it was impressive to see her art hung up, and how the message was important to her.

“I think it’s a great opportunity,” she said. “It’s so crazy to see my own artwork up on the wall, and see the artwork of all these other students, and I think it’s amazing they’re doing this. I think it’s great for students to see their own art and for other people to come in here and see themselves in the art.

“I think this is a great opportunity for people, and I hope more people participate in the future,” she added.

“Please participate, please support student art, please come and look!”

CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL

roconnell1@student.framingham.edu

FSU alum Enzo Silon Surin shares his passion for poetry

By Caroline Gordon Arts & Features Editor Those who have a passion for poetry came together at the Heineman Ecumenical Center for a reading, hosted by the English Department, from the 2022 Miriam Levine reader, poet Enzo Silon Surin.

Surin is a Haitian-born poet, speaker, educator, and social advocate who graduated from FSU in 2000.

Lisa Eck, chair of the English Department, said the poetry reading is “historic” as Surin is the first iriam Levine reader to be taught by Miriam Levine.

Surin said it was a “pleasure” to be back at FSU as he felt like he was “coming home.”

He added, “To have an entire day built around my work is very emotional. I’m trying not to cry over the pages. It means so, so much to me because Framingham State has always

been part of my story.”

Surin described his time as a student at FSU, noting that if he had not met Miriam Levine, he would have had to keep “searching for his purpose.”

He said he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in sociology, but something was “revving up inside” of him, something he “could not deny.”

Surin said his father persuaded him to find a ob in the psycholo y field as his father did not think he would make enough money working as a poet. e said when his first boo “ i her Ground” was published, his father told him that he “mastered the English language,” meaning Surin made him proud.

Surin explained that as a Haitian born immi rant he had difficulty expressing himself, but eventually writing became his outlet.

“Never did I imagine that writing would take me to the places it has tak-

en me,” he said.

He explained the city he grew up in, Queens, New York, made him have to “fi ht for himself” because of the ne ati e en ironmental influences that he did not know how to articu-

Clenched Fist.”

Surn read a poem from the book titled, “Birth of a Clenched Fist” as aspiring poets and writers sat on the edges of their seats.

Caroline Gordon / THE GATEPOST Enzo Silon Surin reading in the Heineman Ecumenical Center April 19. late to his friends and family inspired him to write, “When My Body Was A

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON

cgordon4@student.framingham.edu

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ARTS & FEATURES

Distinguished Faculty Continued from Page 1

Courtesy of Kimberly Arditte Hall “I actually saw a congratulatory email before I saw the email announcing me as the winner of the Scholarship Award. So, it also made me feel really happy because it made me feel connected to a lot of people in the community, which during the pandemic felt hard, so it was nice to feel connected.”

Courtesy of Kenneth Grunes

Kenneth Grunes, College of Business At 21, Kenneth Grunes was the youngest to earn an MBA from Boston College. He was also a sales and marketing associate for several computer tech companies. Grunes was happy and satisfied with his career but always thought there was something special about being in front of a classroom.

He began as an adjunct professor at Bentley College in 1982. Grunes said over the past 40 years “students haven’t changed” as they still come to class with varying degrees of preparation and all want to learn.

Grunes said his favorite part of teaching is letting the students discover their most effective way to learn.

“Not any two people learn the same way,” he said. “I have to tap into how each individual learns, whether it be some directly, maybe doing some role playing exercises, team projects and so forth.”

He added he does not think stand-

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position at FSU. Kozol also started an animal education program for elementary schools. During the education program, they take a one-day visit to a school to supplement the curriculum.

Kozol said she and her business partner made 50-60 visits to schools per year, and she raised the invertebrates in her house, such as cockroaches, beetles, and giant grasshoppers.

She said what she loves most about teaching at Framingham is making connections with students. She teaches primarily non-biology majors who either do not like science or don’t think they’re good at it. To engage students, she uses stories of living organisms and how they’ve solved the problem of survival.

“You start talking about diabetes, and they have a family member who is diabetic … or you’re talking about some amazing adaptation and they noticed a bird that morning,” Kozol said.

She added, sometimes she’ll make a connection in her own head she’d never thought of before, which is another exciting moment in the classroom.

Kozol said her major goal is to get students to look at the world differently the moment they walk out of the classroom. “I hope that learning the process of observation and curiosity and asking questions becomes something they use anytime they’re walking around outside.”

She added the scientific method is a crucial tool to apply not just to science, but everything in one’s life such as opinions and false information on social media.

“Leave your preconceptions at the door,” is her advice for students. “If you say, ‘I’m not good at science, or, ‘I can’t do this,’ I don’t buy that.”

She said she’d much rather have a student answer a question and give her the wrong answer than wait to deCourtesy of Andrea Kozol liver the right answer.

“Learning involves making mistakes and we all make them. EvoluAndrea Kozol, College of STEM As an undergraduate anthropolo- tion requires mistakes,” she added. gy major working at the Museum of “Believe in yourself, make more misScience, Andrea Kozol’s path to being takes, take risks.” a biology professor at Framingham Holly Pearson, College of Social State wasn’t always linear.

After graduating from Boston Uni- Sciences and Education As a child who practiced martial versity, she took a class on animal behavior at Harvard. Kozol said she had arts and gymnastics, Holly Pearson an “epiphany,” and asked the profes- never imagined herself taking on the sor what she could do to get a Ph.D. role of professor.

Pearson has been teaching at Framin biology with a bachelor’s in anthroingham State since 2017. Back then, pology.

After earning her Ph.D., she taught she was a Miles Bibb Fellow.

The Miles Bibb fellowship honat Indiana University before starting a ors Mary Miles Bibb’s legacy as an family and taking a break.

She said while earning her Ph.D., abolitionist and her dedication to she had a lot of opportunities to teach the education of fugitive slaves. It when she realized it was her true pas- is “designed to bring scholars to the sion. “I realized I was more in love university with the ultimate goal of with teaching than with doing re- changing the professoriate at FSU and beyond,” according to the Framingsearch,” she said.

When her kids were old enough to ham State website.

Pearson’s focus is disability studies go to preschool, she took a part-time ing in front of a class lecturing is an effective way to learn, and he said he barely talked in his last two classes.

A typical class for Grunes includes teamwork, sometimes with competition. He said they are always “self directed.” He said sometimes they do treasure hunts, scavenger hunts, and have even explored the University tunnels.

He said when discussing post-college jobs, he prefers to refer to them as “career jobs” so as not to minimize what students are doing now in parttime work. Therefore when thinking of skills that will be transferable to career jobs, he said he hopes that while a lot of them may not have the title “manager,” they at least have those aspirations to move up in the organization.

Grunes advised students to develop their own code of ethics because it will gain people’s respect for them.

“It will give you independence, self worth, self-assured competence that you need. If you’re always feeling that you have to hide out and you’re not being your true self, you’re not being authentic, then you’re not only cheating yourself, but the company because they hire the whole of you.”

and activism for institutional change in higher education.

She said institutional change has been hard to achieve, but it’s a worthwhile effort.

“It really has to come from all the stakeholders,” she said. “Everyone including the students, the faculty, the staff, because oftentimes it is centered around particular voices.”

She added traditional change can be hard because people live in an individualistic society. “The work is about learning about ourselves, thinking about, critically, ‘how can we collaborate?’”

Pearson said her favorite thing about teaching is engaging with students. “And it has been an ongoing investment,” she said. “Building that relationship with everyone that is in the classroom with me is so powerful because not only do I share my vul-

Courtesy of Holly Pearson nerability, but over time, they often share their vulnerability and together we share a greater sense of what it means to be human.”

She added she lo es to find inno ative ways to help students learn content such as going on walks outside and findin personal connections to what they learn, like “blasting” their favorite song in class.

She added sometimes she struggles to see herself through the classic model of a teacher, and dislikes how people put so much emphasis on the power differential between teacher and student.

“It is through [the world of disability studies] where it allowed me to find my oice and reali e as a teacher you are also being an activist,” Pearson said.

“All of us have wisdom,” she said.

“It’s not like students walk into the classroom [without any knowledge] and I’m the one that dumped all this knowledge into them. … I love it because I get to advocate and learn from each one of the people that are in my classroom with me.”

Sandra Rahman, College of Business Sandra Rahman has been with FSU See DISTINGUISHED FACULTY Page 13

ARTS & FEATURES

APRIL 22, 2022 | 13

Distinguished Faculty Continued from Page 12 for 20 years teaching classes such as Marketing Principles, International Business, and Doing Business Abroad.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in management and a master’s in business administration from Suffolk University.

In 2000 she completed her doctorate in business administration at Nova Southeastern University in Florida. For her dissertation she traveled to factories in Bangladesh, and researched the use of child labor.

Rahman said she brought her love of travel and international business with her to Framingham, and she has traveled with students to China, Brazil, Costa Rica, Russia, and Dubai multiple times.

“It’s important to have an international perspective. Because you understand the United States better, and you understand people’s issues

their curriculums, and studying how students learn. She added her work is very focused on the classroom, and fi urin out how she can best help students.

Yu said she most enjoys keeping her students at the center of her classes, and the communication she has with them is one of her favorite aspects of teaching. She emphasized she has learning objectives, but also encourages students to have their own voice in the class and help guide learning.

She added small class sizes of about 15 helped her to interact more with individual students. She said she incorporates projects that test students’ knowledge in the real world, such as Courtesy of Shelli Waetzig traveling to Chinatown to analyze the

This year, she won the Excellence

and concerns, so I think it makes you a better global citizen,” she said.

Rahman also said she enjoyed involving students in challenging and practical situations.

Her senior strategic marketing class is currently engaging in a “real marketing challenge” by creating a marketing campaign for a small California brewery start-up. She said students even get the opportunity to speak to the executives every month over Zoom.

She said she has had many proud moments as a professor at FSU, but specifically remembered a time when she encouraged a deaf student to attend a class trip to Montreal. She said because he needed an interpreter, she contacted CASA, and the University paid for an interpreter.

in Advising Award, which she said she feels “very honored and surprised” to have won.

She said what “drove” the faculty advising award was the work she has been conducting with students in health related fields where she advises students early in their academic careers and provides them with the tools they need to succeed during their time at FSU. Waetzig added that she helps students with their graduate school applications.

“I want to be a sounding board for them because the application processes to any post-graduate program are difficult and to ha e someone who can help guide you through it, is an important thing we can offer at Framingham State,” she said.

She said she feels “accomplished” because she is able to support students on their academic journeys and because faculty members are acknowledging the importance of advisors.

Waetzig said, “I am grateful that people acknowledge the efforts that I am trying to make in order to better things for the students.”

She said students need to be advocates for themselves and that students should not be afraid to approach faculty members.

“I think a lot of the reasons faculty are here at Framingham State is because they do enjoy teaching and they do enjoy interacting with the students - one of the perks of Framingham State,” she said.

She added, “Students need to know that we will be on their side and that they need to take advantage of all the help you can get.”

Shelli Waetzig, College of STEM Shelli Waetzig’s passion for chemistry blossomed at the University of Kansas where she earned her Ph.D. During her time at FSU, she has fostered that passion through her teaching of Organic Chemistry I and II, Special Topics: Advanced Organic Chemistry, Special Topics: Structural Determination of Organic Compounds, and Chemical Research I.

Fei Yu, College of Arts and Humanities Fei Yu is a visiting lecturer at FSU, and the only professor to currently offer Chinese language courses. She holds a master’s in applied linguistics from Shanghai University, and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Yu said she is researching the teaching of foreign languages and

Courtesy of Sandra Rahman

lence in Service Award for being the team leader for the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education State Program Review for the FSU Teacher Education Program.

She said the FSU Teacher Education Program must be legally approved to offer a program that prepares teachers to be licensed in public schools.

“In order for the equity issues, pedagogical training, and so forth to be of high quality, the state comes in and reviews all of our programs from top to bottom,” she said.

She said K-12 schools are FSU’s partners in the Teacher Education Program. During the two-year state review, partnership data was reviewed as well as the ways the partnership feedback is incorporated into the program.

Zoino-Jeanetti added that a few of the projects the Teacher Education Program partnered with the K-12 schools include professional development, partnerships with English language learners, projects with science education, and anti-racist pedagogy.

She said on individual bases the professors have partnered with the schools, but as a whole, the program has a shared steering committee called the Teacher Education Advisory Counsel, which the partners are also a part of.

Courtesy of Fei Yu Chinese characters used in signage.

Yu said it is important to have students practice so they can use this knowledge later in their lives. She explained how she has family members record phrases to help students discern accents, and they even talk to Chinese students learning English.

“At the end of the semester, the ESL program students come to our classroom to present what they learned about English - what they learned about American culture. And our students try to use what they have learned … to interview all the students from China,” she said.

Yu said she really enjoyed seeing students becoming comfortable with the language and culture, and wishes more students would step out of their comfort zone to take foreign languages.

She said she would like people to know that FSU has a Chinese program and offers a Chinese minor, adding the classroom environment is always a fun and relaxed way to learn a new language.

Julia Zoino-Jeannetti, College of Social Sciences and Education Prior to teaching at FSU, Julia Zoino-Jeanetti’s passion for teaching began as a high-school teacher of interdisciplinary humanities in Boston.

She also worked as a GED coordinator and instructor in a community-based adult education program.

Zoino-Jeannetti won the Excel-

Courtesy of Julia Zoino-Jeannetti She said, “I am standing on the shoulders of giants, in the sense of the long history of the teacher education program at Framingham State. I also benefited reatly from the expertise of my colleagues. I did not do this by myself.”

Zoino-Jeannetti added, “It’s a shared honor - it really is.”

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON

cgordon4@student.framingham.edu

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FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY'S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

14 | APRIL 22, 2022

ARTS & FEATURES

SEAN’S MEDIA MAYHEM

‘Morbius’- an exercise in pointlessness

By Sean Cabot Multimedia Critic

reasons that somehow make even less sense.

That’d be a spoiler if not for the fact that Keaton was all over the film s trailers in a desperate attempt to raise hype by association with the most profitable film franchise of all time, alongside teases that Spider-Man himself existed in this universe.

Hilariously, most of these were edited out of the final cut.

Now, I’m not opposed to everything Sony has been doing with their license. “Into the Spider-Verse” remains pea fiction and “ enom” is eminently entertaining on account of its pure absurdity.

Unlike Venom, however, Morbius has no memorable stories to his name aside from “Rise of the Midnight Sons,” and that had Blade and Ghost Rider.

Sony can’t even commit to a new Spider an to fi ht all its Spider-Man villains. And it’s not like there aren’t options for heroes other than Peter Parker or Miles Morales.

How about Gwen Stacy? Mayday Parker? I’d even take Spider-Woman, and she has nothing to do with Spider-Man. The closest thing this franchise has to a hero seems to be Silk, in the form of a far-off Amazon Prime Series. But considering that the next film on Sony s doc et is “ ra en the Hunter,” they’ll be lucky if people still care about their brand by the time it comes out.

In short, I cannot formulate a single reason to watch “Morbius” beyond morbid curiosity. The most entertaining thing about it is the fact that anyone thought it was a good idea.

Daniel Espinosa’s “Morbius” has no good reason to exist. Even if it wasn’t rooted in one of the most cynical cinematic universes yet created, Sony would still have to reckon with the fact that ma in a film about this character is an awful idea on almost every conceivable level.

Why? Simple – no one cares about Morbius, not even comic book diehards. He’s a C-list Spider-Man villain who doesn’t even have the cult following of characters like “The Superior Foes,” and whose entire deal boils down to being a vampire created by science instead of magic.

That’s unchanged here, with Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) accidentally turning himself into a vampire while attempting to develop a cure for a blood disease he and his best friend Milo (Matt Smith) have been suffering from since childhood.

Then Matt Smith also turns into a ampire and they fi ht.

No really, that’s it. The disease Morbius is working to cure is completely abandoned as a plot point, and the rest of the movie is mostly ust a bi arre slap fi ht between Leto and Smith with no coherent themes to provide depth, and just as much in the way of compelling characters.

Morbius himself has been advertised as blurring the line between hero and villain, but in the movie he’s perfectly decent. His most villainous act is killing an absolutely anodyne group of mercenaries the film is desperate to frame as scumbags.

Smith’s Milo can be fun at moments though - his weird, off-kilter ener y definitely pic s up the slac of Leto’s autopilot performance. n truth there are definitely worse ideas for comic book adaptations that have turned out well. Someone decided to make an Iron Man cartoon where Tony Stark was a teenager and it was somehow pretty good.

And to be fair, the whole “science vampire” idea does have an inkling of promise. But “Morbius” wasn’t made because someone had an idea that would bring an obscure character to life - it was made because Sony needs to squeeze their Spider-Man license dry.

Even if it means insulting the very concept of cinematic storytelling via what might be the worst comic book movie cameo ever.

See, at the tail-end of the movie, Michael Keaton’s Vulture is warped from the Marvel Cinematic Universe into Sony’s universe of Spider-Man supporting characters for reasons that don’t make sense, just so he can CONNECT WITH SEAN CABOT scabot@student.framingham.edu tease a team-up with Morbius for

Rating: F

An utterly toothless waste of time.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

For the bake-off wannabe ‘A Good Day to Bake’ is a lovely treat

By Mark Haskell Staff Writer For those who adore “The Great British Baking Show” (GBBS) and baking altogether, this is the book for you. “A Good Day to Bake” is full of 70 sweet and savory recipes for any day of the week that you want to bake, accompanied by fla or.

Having watched the GBBS for a number of years, it presented me with a want and desire to learn how to bake. What I baked, because of the show, was a spin on an upside down cake.

My version used different ingredients such as blackberries, raspberries and blueberries. Other ingredients included strawberry Icelandic Skyr, muscovado sugar, and other ingredients I had in the cabinets.

A fact that you, the readers, may not know is that Benjamina Ebuehi was a 2016 contestant on the GBBS, and she was a uarter finalist on that season. In this book, Ebuehi writes so positively about cakes and her recipes speak to a more natural, seasonal, and down to earth way of baking.

The chapters in the book are titled “herbs & tea,” “stone fruit & berries,” “vegetables,” “best of beige,” “spice cupboard,” and “chocolate.”

An example of a recipe that was fantastic to make were the rosemary and honey scones from the “herbs & tea” section.

These scones are a go-to for treats when you are short on time and already have all the ingredients on hand.

These scones are delicious and such a delight for satisfying the munchies.

What makes the scones so special are being made with honey and rosemary and a glaze made with the two ingredients. The other special element to these scones are the addition of butter or clotted cream and an extra drizzling of honey to the top of these scrumptious scones.

Another recipe, within the “herbs & tea” section, that looked amazing and tasted fantastic, are the tarragon blondies. Do you imagine tarragon being in dessert?

I most certainly did not imagine that, but they are nonetheless delicious. Tarragon, as it is, is not a commonly used or popular herb and, likewise, blondies are outshined by their popular sibling, the brownie.

Because these two foods are outcasts, they will be right at home together and create something very unexpected and delicious.

The special components of a recipe such as this are tarra on spri s fi e

to be exact, vanilla bean paste, clove, white chocolate, and macadamia nuts.

Despite all the unusual ingredients, it was a lovely treat to create for my family and to share with friends, family, and neighbors.

A recipe that I would love to try and create is Ebuehi’s malted milk caramel cake. I will fully admit to the reader that this cake is very unfamiliar to me because I have never heard of malted milk or malt extract.

The recipe says the cake provides a double dose of malt - the powder in the sponge and dark, sticky malt extract in the caramel that brings the ca e a rich and almost fruity fla or.

This cake, if made, will be a hit for me and my family because it is so atypical for us to create.

As a baker and a fan of the GBBS, this cookbook and any other that I have read and made recipes from have brought me a sense of enjoyment by measuring ingredients, doing the prep wor and waitin for the final product. Slicing up cake is a wonderful thing that deserves to be enjoyed all year round no matter what.

Courtesy of Amazon.com

Rating: A

e A tom kers for ba every. where

CONNECT WITH MARK HASKELL

mhaskell@student.framingham.edu

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APRIL 22, 2022 | 15

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Puzzles

ACROSS 1. *Pub beverage 5. Eve’s partner 9. Do some reconnaissance 14. *$1,000,000, informally 15. What a rat may wear 16. Florida’s third most populous city 17. *Animation collectible 18. Where India is 19. “... but maybe I’m wrong” 20. Trattoria order made with cutlets 23. “I’m unimpressed” 24. Futbol cheer 25. “Calm down!”

28. Stretch across 31. Disapproving sounds 35. Kuwaiti leader 36. A close one is only good in a barbershop 37. “Little piggy” 38. Grapelike berry 39. Dietfriendly ... like 20-Across, 51-Across, 4-Down and 40-Down, as per the starred clues’ answers?

40. *Miner’s target 41. The, in German

42. Like many a Juilliard student 43. *Got hitched 44. Therapy visit, slangily 46. Annoyance 47. *Legumes Mendel studied 48. Grandparent’s urging at dinner 50. Hat named for a Moroccan city 51. Sushi bar order made with avocado 59. “Ain’t” alternative 60. Lines up a free throw 61. Kindle competitor 63. Lamp spirit 64. Part of a wooden crate 65. Boundary 66. Fragrant compound 67. Chest muscles, for short 68. Glimpsed DOWN 1. Theater chain 2. Name hidden in “relieved” 3. Palindromic beauty magazine 4. Seafood restaurant order made with squid 5. Up to one’s ears 6. *Prefix for “honor” 7. *Singer Grande’s nickname 8. *“Cry ___ river!”

9. Seat for a stand-up comic 10. Red thing on Oscar night 11. Luxury hotel chain 12. At the top of 13. Gabrielle of “Uncharted” 21. Supervillain Luthor 22. Feeling friendless 25. Scans, like a barcode 26. One of three for the 2022 Oscars 27. ___ dice (deception game) 28. Oceanfront 29. Treaties 30. “Halt,” to a pirate 32. Abolitionist Harriet Beecher 33. Seoul, South ___

34. Sunflower products 36. Suddenly pay attention 40. Pizzeria orders often made with ricotta 45. Tush 47. For every 49. Chasing 50. Observes Ramadan 51. *Number in a Bumble profile Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.

52. *Hi-___ image 53. *Sinusitis doc 54. Speak hoarsely 55. “Death on the ___” (2022 film) 56. Computer debut of 1998 57. Ore deposit 58. Theater box 62. Range of knowledge

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY'S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

PHOTOS

Gala Galore

16 | APRIL 22, 2022

Spread by Design Editor Maddison Behringer

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST (Left) Cole Moretti and Sam Collette at BSU's Casino Gala April 16.

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST (Left) Nicole Kamala and guest attendee Renée Martin at the Casino Gala April 16.

Emma Lyons/ THE GATEPOST Students playing a card game at the Casino Gala April 16.

Emma Lyons / THE GATEPOST (Left) Ikayrah King-Freeman and Ruby Gonzalez at the Casino Gala April 16.

Emma Lyons / THE GATEPOST Students playing card games at the Casino Gala April 16.

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST (Left) Tahnyia Black, Jeff Occius, and Reggie Wiley pose for a selfie at the Casino Gala April 16.

@The Gatepost | FSUgatepost.com