February 7, 2020

Page 1

THE GATEPOST Framingham State’s award-winning independent student newspaper since 1932

Volume 88 • Issue 14

FSUgatepost.com

February 7, 2020

Board of Trustees discuss mental health, Counseling Center staffing concerns By Evan Lee News Editor

By Leighah Beausoleil Asst. News Editor

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST

Students enjoyed a “Friends” TV-series themed bingo night hosted by SUAB in the Dwight Performing Arts Center Feb. 5.

News

EQUIPMENT DRIVE pg. 4

Opinions FRUIT BAR pg. 6 SEX ED pg. 7

Arts & Features FENTY BEAUTY pg. 10 “MARRIAGE STORY” pg. 11

Sports

Ashley Wall / THE GATEPOST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL pg. 12 UFC TAKEOVER pg. 13

See BOARD OF TRUSTEES page 5

Health center closely monitoring influenza on campus and global coronavirus outbreak By Abigail Saggio Staff Writer

GATEPOST INTERVIEW pg. 2

Student Trustee Olivia Beverlie asked if progress has been made to help the overworked staff at the Counseling Center during the Board of Trustees meeting Jan. 29. “I know we had touched on this last year, the Counseling Center, that whole issue of it being very overworked right now,” she said. “Has there been any progress made in that area in terms of the stress that is being put on them?” Trustee Hope Lozano Bielat pointed out a drastic increase in “crisis visits” compared to 2016. Lorretta Holloway, vice president for enrollment and student development, responded, “I think it is as concerning as it sounds.” She pointed out a mental health crisis on college campuses - “not just here but around the country” - that has affected both those who have

The FSU Health Center is taking precautions to prevent the spread of influenza. Health Center Director Ilene Hofrenning said there were “around 20 students” who visited the health center with flu-like symptoms during the fall semester. During the spring semester, she said there have only been “a couple” of visitors who had symptoms of the flu with negative test results. Framingham State has participat-

ed in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) statewide influenza surveillance system for about 10 years, according to Hofrenning. The surveillance system collects flu data from participating health centers, hospitals, and urgent care centers in Massachusetts in an effort to stop the spread of the virus. Hofrenning said, “Every week, we send in the number of visits that we see, and the number of influenza-like illnesses.” She added the health center sends specimens from flu tests conducted on campus which the DPH tests to

determine which type of flu is potentially on campus and the severity of the strain. In Massachusetts, the flu severity level from Sept. 29 to Jan. 18 was “high,” and included 15,000-20,000 emergency room visits for flu-like symptoms, according to the DPH. Around 2,000-3,000 of these patients were hospitalized. Hofrenning said FSU takes serious measures in an effort to prevent a pandemic on campus by monitoring sick students as closely as possible. “It’s hard to predict the flu,” she

See FLU page 3

The 1,000-Point Club Velozo and O’Day Shoot for the MASCAC Title By Liam Gambon Sports Editor Seniors Emily Velozo and Mary Kate O’Day have played side-by-side together for four years on the Framingham State basketball court. The two have put up consistently stellar statistics throughout their collegiate careers, which shows how much of an impact they have had. Velozo currently sits at a 12 points per game average for her career, while O’Day owns 15 a game. But neither has statistically en-

joyed a better season than the current one. Velozo went from a 14.8 points per game average last season, to a 19.3 average this year. She also spiked her field goal percentage from 45% to 50.4% and her 3-point percentage from 40% to 47.9%. O’Day is currently averaging 17.8 points per game for the second year in a row, but more efficiently this time around. She has risen her field goal percentage from 40.5% to 44.1% and her 3-point percentage took a huge leap, jumping from 29.5% to

39.8%. Their constant improvement yearto-year shows how great the two are as they have yet to slow down. “Coaching these two young ladies has been a pleasure. And we aren’t done yet coaching them,” Head Coach Walter Paschal said. “They have worked so hard over the years to get to where they are now and deserve all the accolades that comes from working so hard. I mean, all spring, all summer, when no one is

See THE 1,000 POINT CLUB page 13

INSIDE: OP/ED 6 • ARTS & FEATURES 9 • SPORTS 12


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