January 26, 2024

Volume 92 • Issue 13

January 26, 2024

FSUgatepost.com

A tasty start to the semester

Dave Ofgant showcasing new meal option at the Metamorphosis station reopening in the Dining Commons Jan. 24.

NECHE team preparing for visiting accreditors

By Sophia Harris Editor-in-Chief Framingham State is in the final stages of the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accreditation review due spring 2024.

An open forum was held as an opportunity for a collective conversation for members of FSU faculty and staff to discuss the current draft of the selfstudy on Jan. 24 at 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.

According to the NECHE accreditation website, NECHE is a “voluntary, non-governmental membership association that serves as an institutional accreditor and promotes educational excellence and quality assurance to its member institutions.”

NECHE accreditation determines

institutional quality, according to the NECHE website.

NECHE decides the effectiveness of an institution as a whole using nine standards for accreditation, according to the NECHE accreditation handbook.

The standards are “aspirational expectations” that must be at least “minimally” met, according to the handbook.

According to the NECHE website, these standards include missions and purposes; planning and evaluation; organization and governance; academic programs; students; teaching, learning, and scholarship; institutional resources; educational effectiveness; and integrity, transparency, and public disclosure.

These standards outline that a university has a “clearly defined purpose that is appropriate to a higher-learning

In an annual Mazmanian Gallery tradition, a juried student art show saw 37 student art pieces displayed and professionally judged by an impartial juror on Jan. 24.

Brian Bishop, professor of studio art, said the juried art show is important because it gives students a chance to see themselves in a professional setting where they get validated by an impartial judge rather than a professor who is able to judge them based on growth as well as skill.

“The best thing about this is, of course - it’s the bravery of putting their work up to be looked at by somebody

that’s neutral, right?” he said. “This person is looking at it just looking at the work - not necessarily understanding the effort or the growth that that person’s gone through. So it’s a scary thing to do.”

Tim McDonald, professor of studio art and interim director of the Mazmanian Gallery, said the gallery also gives students the opportunity to begin developing their professional careers.

“It’s kind of like - for a lot of them their first professional foray,” he said, and added artists who pursue getting their work posted in a gallery professionally may have to submit their work to be juried, so doing it at FSU can act as a trial run for later in their career.

Matthew Bolvin, a junior studio

News

institution, has assembled and organized those resources to achieve its purpose, is achieving its purpose, and SGA pg. 3 can achieve its purpose,” according to the handbook.

The accreditation initiative for Framingham State is led by Mark Nicholas, assistant vice president for assessment, accreditation, and strategic planning, and co-chaired by English EDITORIAL pg. 5 PHOTO JOURNALISM pg. 5 Professor Alexander Hartwiger.

One of the topics administrators were able to discuss at the open forum was “projections” that the executive staff made in the second draft of the self-study. Nicholas stated that the open forum did not reveal any discrepancies with the findings from the executive staff.

The committee is preparing for the

Opinions

Sports

See ACCREDITATION Page 4

Juried student art show recognizes FSU artists

By Raena Doty Arts & Features Editor

Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST

arts major, submitted some of the 100 paintings he was required to create for his watercolor class.

He said all 100 paintings depict transgender bodies so that representation can be made readily available for everyone.

Bolvin added he was in class with Haley Gaskin when she created “Porcelain,” and he was excited to watch it in class as it progressed, which is why it was one of his favorites in the gallery.

Aimee Carrabis, a junior psychology major and another artist featured in the gallery, also made her artwork in an art class.

She said her painting was created for an assignment where she had to draw a

Adrien Gobin /THE GATEPOST BASKETBALL pg. 7 MEET THE CAPTAINS pg. 8

Arts & Features

Alexis Schlesinger /THE GATEPOST

MLK JR. DAY pg. 10 See JURIED SHOW Page 14 BEST OF 2023 pg. 12

INSIDE: OP/ED 5 • SPORTS 7 • ARTS & FEATURES 9

NEWS

2 | JANUARY 26, 2024

Editorial Board

Gatepost Interview

Editor-in-Chief Sophia Harris

David La Fleur

Associate Editor Ryan O’Connell

Sodexo Executive Chef

Interim News Editors Kaitilin Carman Adam Harrison

By Dylan Pichnarcik Interim Asst. News Editor

Interim Asst. News Editor Dylan Pichnarcik Opinions Editor Izayah Morgan Sports Editor Adam Levine Asst. Sports Editor Riley Crowell Arts & Features Editors Raena Doty Jack McLaughlin Asst. Arts & Features Editors Bella Omar Owen Glancy Photos & Design Editors Maddison Behringer Adrien Gobin Asst. Photos & Design Editors Alexis Schlesinger Illustrations Editor Ben Hurney Asst. Illustrations Editors

Emily Monaco David Abe

Staff Writers Dorcas Abe Jesse Burchill Dante Curry Liv Dunleavy Marcus Falcão

Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez

Richard Gill Paul Harrington Emma Lyons Andrea O’Brien Carly Paul Kyle Walker

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TH E GA T E

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Advisor Desmond McCarthy Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

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

What is your academic and professional background?

I’ve been with the company [Sodexo] for over 30 years at different colleges. This is my eighth account [University] where I’ve been a chef, and often I speak to large groups of students, and of course, this question comes up: “Chef, tell us a little bit about your schooling, where you went to school, and where you learned to cook.” I’m really honest: I came from the school of hard knocks. I came up from the bottom and worked all the positions from dishwasher to line cook to catering chef and eventually, the executive chef role. I think what comes with that is I have an appreciation for the people who work for me. … I always say that as much as I am the face of the culinary department of Framingham State University with Sodexo, it’s our employees who see our students every day. If I want them to be impactful and really connect with students, then I have to go out of my way to connect with them.

What are your favorite recipes to cook?

I do a lot of cooking in my house, believe it or not. … It’s a passion of mine. I’m in this industry because I love it. … I like to take traditional recipes and put my own personal twist on them. I love South Asian food and I absolutely love making pizzas. I have a pizza oven at my home. So I love being creative with that and pushing the boundaries. I like to entertain so I have my family over, and entertaining, it’s a lot of fun.

It’s also an opportunity for me to try different things and see how they’re received. That’s probably a couple of things that I enjoy doing. I also love making barbecue food. Southern cuisine is one of my favorites.

What drew you to the culinary field?

I enjoy being creative. I enjoy doing new and different things. I think the @T most rewarding part of the job is to HEGATEPOST come up with an idea, see it through its infancy stages, and see it evolve into an event that we have. … It’s funny to look at the beginning stages of a conversation about an event that we

did just the other day. We did an opening Welcome Back Camp Fire event.

To see what we talked about at the beginning and how it transformed into something else was something I really enjoyed.

What do you like best about FSU? Some of the accounts [universities] that I have been at have been very large. I cooked at Harvard, Wellesley, and MIT. I enjoy the intimacy of Framingham State University where it’s a smaller state school. I feel like I can have more of a connection with our staff. Sometimes in these larger places, a lot of things that you do are

Dylan Pichnarcik /THE GATEPOST difficult so it’s hard to be impactful. I feel like we can do that here. I am extremely blessed to have a great staff and I really mean that to the core. I have great people who work with me, who really care about what they do. ...

We are very fortunate to have talented people who work in the kitchen who always come up with great ideas and that’s something that I enjoy. … I can rely on them to come up with great ideas as well. It’s a great collaborative workspace. I don’t need the accolades.

It’s nice to hear, but I’d much rather defer to my staff and say “These guys did a great job.” It might be my idea, but they knocked it out of the park. So

I’m really lucky to have great people who are willing to do the extra work.

That extra effort to make something great is the best!

What changes is Sodexo currently implementing in the dining commons?

During the fall semester, we implemented a theme night at Magellan’s, which is our action station. In the past, it was all over the map but what we did was have a certain cuisine or theme. Sometimes, it would be Asian-inspired or sometimes, it would be … South American. So we’ve done those on separate nights and I think it’s been very well received. We’re looking to do some different international cuisines within that concept.

Another thing that we implemented at Magellan’s is a customizable order station. You can customize it the way you want where we provide you with all the ingredients of a dish and you can fill out your slip how you want it customized. I think kids have really responded well to that and enjoyed it.

We also do that over at the grill station. You can get a burger how you want it or with whatever toppings.

That’s all going to be customizable so we’re making it fresh.

How do you believe dining services have accommodated members of the community with dietary restrictions and allergies?

I’m going to defer to one of my staff members, Darlene Hughes, who works at my allergen-free station. If I could clone her, I would! She does such an outstanding job. It’s not just the cooking part. It’s the connection with students she has that’s outstanding. … We just celebrated her as our employee of the semester last fall. … She won last semester just because of her strong connection with students. If you ask anybody who has a dietary restriction or allergen if they know Darlene, chances are they’ll say, “Oh yeah, she’s outstanding.” Oftentimes, I tell everybody who works over at that allergen station that it’s not just allergen-free. It’s also the spot if you are just looking for a plain piece of chicken. ... I’ve been in the company for 30 years. This is the best allergen-free station I have run in any account.

CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu

Police Logs Monday, Jan. 22 13:47 Animal Complaint O’Connor Hall Parking Lot Gone on Arrival

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Tuesday, Jan. 23 00:35 Directed Patrol Parking Lot, Salem End Assignment Complete

Wednesday, Jan. 24 23:55 Building Secured Hemenway Hall Secured

Thursday, Jan. 25 09:59 Special Assignment McCarthy Center Assignment Complete

NEWS

JANUARY 26, 2024 | 3

SGA sets the stage for Big Budget

By Kaitlin Carman Interim News Editor SGA approved its own budget proposal for the upcoming Big Budget meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, Jan. 16.

Big Budget is an annual meeting during which senate members approve or disapprove proposed budgets and allocate group one student organization funding from the SATF (Student Activity Trust Fund).

Group one organizations include SGA, FSAB, WDJM, and The Gatepost.

The allocations will cover the organizations’ needs for maintaining equipment, providing services to the community, and hosting events.

This year, it will be held on Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in McCarthy 419.

Vice President Raffi Elkhoury described it as “a senate meeting where we meet and we basically go over the budget reports and vote to approve or disapprove their budgets.”

He said, “We have to look at the individual expenditures that Group One organizations are allocating their money towards and approve each of those allocations and then we approve their total budget.”

Group One budgets are approved “line item by line item,” while for Groups Two and Six, the senate approves “the group’s total and we approve the amount for that group,” said Elkhoury.

SGA’s total proposed budget is $47,325 for FY25, a 2.87% decrease from FY24 to FY25.

Elkhoury said since FY21, the SGA budget “has been pretty much decreasing every year.”

He presented four smaller budgets and their individual line items that comprise the proposed total budget.

They are the operations, training, benevolence, and banquet budgets.

The operations budget totals $25,075.

SGA proposed $3,000 for general and operating expenses, $7,875 for RamLink, $0 for Sam the Ram student worker, $4,200 for the Thomas Eames Scholarship, $0 for parking passes, and $10,000 for auxiliary expenses, according to Elkhoury.

He said that both the proposed funds for the Thomas Eames Scholarship and auxiliary expenses are “set in stone.”

The Thomas Eames Scholarship covers the SGA President’s yearly tuition and book costs.

David Abe / GATEPOST ARCHIVES (Left to Right) Student Trustee Ryan Mikelis, President Evelyn Campbell, Vice President Raffi Elkhoury, Secretary Anna Rissoti, and Outreach & Events Coordinator Liv West at a Senate meeting.

Auxiliary expenses include costs such as maintainers, police details, and ASL interpreters, according to Elkhoury.

He said the proposed training budget totals $3,000 to be available for on-campus orientation.

The benevolence awards budget is $1,750, and the banquet budget is $7,000.

According to Elkhoury, a new category has been added to the SGA budget for outreach tabling catering and SGA is requesting $500 to be allocated to it.

“This is a new category that’s been created so that we have a specific area in our budget for money for when we do tabling to be able to provide coffee or donuts or things of that nature at tables so that students can get those things when they come up to the table,” said Elkhoury.

He said an additional $500 has been requested for outreach tabling prizes for students who attend SGA outreach tables.

SGA requested $5,000 for diversity events - which has remained the same since FY21, according to Elkhoury.

They have allocated an additional $300 for election promotion. Elkhoury said it “is for tabling or stickers or anything relating to promoting the SGA election.

“I think it’s really important that

Weather

we have the student body active in voting for who the people who represent them are and it’s important that we are promoting that in some capacity, and so having some money for that promotion should help to facilitate that,” he said.

He said two additional categories, Drag Bingo and Spicy Bingo, have been added to designate allocated funds specifically to these individual events.

The $1,000 allocated for Spicy Bingo will cover all of its prizes. However, the $1,000 for Drag Bingo will not, according to Elkhoury.

For co-sponsored events, $1,000 is being requested. This is a $2,500 decrease from the $3,500 that was requested for FY24.

He said, “I decreased it … given that we had moved out some of the allocations for Drag Bingo and also considering” that SGA did not want to take money away from other organizations.

Additionally, remaining funds from this proposed allocation will allow and encourage partnerships with smaller organizations through co-sponsorships, according to Elkhoury.

He added, “Co-sponsoring an event with SGA isn’t just about money. … We have a lot of active members who can provide their services and time” as opposed to only supporting monetarily.

SGA is allocating $200 for promotional items. “In 2021, there had been

$500 in promotional items and we have kind of been running with those items still.

“So this is $200 just to get some fresh new stuff,” he said.

The Week of Kindness event is being allocated $1,000 compared to last year’s $500.

“That $500 had actually been a decrease from previous years for Week of Kindness and I think that was definitely felt in our ability to do what we wanted for that event,” said Elkhoury.

Freshman Senator Megan Rokicki asked, “Why is our budget decreasing when it should be increasing a little bit because of when we have to buy catering or something? The prices are going up on things.”

Elkhoury said, “Just because there’s more money total to allocate across to all organizations, that doesn’t mean that we should just increase our money because there’s money available.”

There is a slight decrease in the total proposed budget, but changes that were made in individual areas will better meet their needs, according to Elkhoury.

“That money could be used for other organizations that have … more of a need than we do,” he said.

CONNECT WITH KAITLIN CARMAN kcarman@student.framingham.edu

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

Sunday night Jan. 28 Rain likely. High near 40.

Light wind, with a NE wind around 5-10 mph.

Monday night Jan. 29 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. N wind 10 to 15 mph.

Tuesday night Jan. 30 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. SW wind around 10 mph.

Wednesday night Jan 31 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. W wind around 10 mph.

Monday Jan. 29 Snow likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. N wind around 20 mph.

Tuesday Jan. 30 Mostly sunny, with a high near 30. N wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon.

Wednesday Jan. 31 Mostly sunny, with a high near 40. W wind 8 to 10 mph.

Thursday Feb. 1 Partly sunny, with a high near 40. Northwest wind around 10 mph.

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

4 | JANUARY 26, 2024

Accreditation Continued from Page 1 accreditors to visit FSU’s campus from April 7 to April 10.

Eight representatives from different universities across New England will come to Framingham State’s campus to assess how it compares to what was recorded in the self-study, according to Nicholas.

The final report of the 100-page document follows the assessment of the internal audience’s feedback from campus constituents, a review during professional development for staff days, and a feedback forum through an online portal that was open to the entire campus community.

The first draft of the document was completed after this feedback was considered.

The second draft was completed after NECHE staff reviewed it. They identified areas the committee misinterpreted or did not address. They also paid close attention to whether the emphasis placed on the different standards was accurate, Nicholas said.

Nicholas said the feedback on the second draft of the document was “very positive.”

He said the NECHE Association said FSU’s committee “created a well-written, candid, easy-to-read, data-substantiated” document.

He added NECHE stated that FSU created “one of the best self-studies they’ve read in a while.”

Nicholas said, “I think the due diligence at each stage is what makes it a good self-study.”

He said that was because of “the work of the standard writing committees, the hard work that each of these committees did, the leadership of the co-chairs of each of those standard committees, and a wonderful copy editor that’s been hard at work.”

NEWS Nicholas added, “It’s one thing to say we have a good, well-written selfstudy - and that’s what NECHE has told us. It’s another thing to have a disciplinary expert of each standard come in and look at it and say, ‘I know how an academic program should look, and these are the areas that your academic program needs attention.’”

He said there will be areas of improvement that will be highlighted by the visiting team that were previously found by the self-evaluation, “but it’ll be interesting to see if they read anything further into those things.”

Nicholas said, “I think that the purpose of this whole process is to identify and then synergize whatever we find through this process.”

He added, “We welcome their feedback because their external eyes see things differently and they cross-pollinate our ideas.”

Nicholas said the value of the visit is not only gained from the findings of the self-study but also what the team can learn from each other as professionals of their institution.

Nicholas added students will be able to meet with the visiting team without faculty and administrators being present when they come to campus.

“Encouraging students to participate openly, freely, and candidly in those conversations with the visiting team” is crucial for them to get an honest feel for the campus environment, Nicholas said.

He said the team has one more copy edit to complete before the visit starts in April.

The copy editor for the self-study is Professor Sarah Mabrouk. The goal for the final edits to be completed on the document is Feb. 3, he said.

Nicholas said at this stage, “We’ve done everything we could to get the community engaged in multiple ways.

“And now it will be for us to incorporate some of the feedback that NECHE gave us and do our copy edit, and then produce the document,” he said.

Nicholas added the committee will now be “shifting gears” from the narrative to the self-study.

“We need to figure out how to bring the self-study together and then plan for the visit,” he said.

He added the commitment and dedication to the accreditation initiative has been outstanding. All 50 constituents who joined at the beginning of the process still remain after nearly a year and a half.

“I think the commitment of our faculty, staff, administrators, and students to the process is stunning, especially given that the University is also doing strategic planning and strategic enrollment management,” Nicholas said.

Psychology Professor Kimberly Arditte-Hall, who co-chairs Standard 5, the Student Success Standard, with Dean of Students Meg Nowak Borrego said, “Over the next few weeks or months, the process will be about finalizing the self-study report before sending it out to the site visitors.

That’s a high-priority item to get the report finished. It’s close, but again, we’re at a stage where we’re getting last rounds of feedback and edits to incorporate from stakeholders.”

History Professor Jon Huibregtse, who co-chairs the Standard 4 Committee, the Academic Program, along with Dean of Social and Behavioral Sciences Susan Dargan, said he attended the open forum to “listen to other members of the community that haven’t been as involved as us” to express any concerns with their standard’s draft.

Dean of STEM Margaret Carroll, who co-chairs Standard 6, with History Professor Maria Bollettino, Teach-

ing, Learning, and Scholarship, said the purpose of the open forum was for “feedback, and because we are small committees, other eyes are going to see other things that we don’t see.”

Dean of Business Patricia Thomas, who co-chairs Standards 1, 2, and 3 with Sarah Mabrouk - the Mission and Purpose, Planning and Evaluation, Organization and Governance standards - said, “It’s more of just being comprehensive and ensuring that we can generalize it across the campus, and it’s not just the committee’s ideas in terms of the way we analyze and project all of your standards.”

Mark Powers, executive director of Student Records & Registration Services, and History Professor Stefan Papaioannou co-chair Standard 9, Integrity, Transparency, and Public Disclosure.

Papaioannou said the importance of a public forum is the feedback from all stakeholders.

He added, “Just the last couple of rounds, we didn’t really get any external comments one way or the other.”

Assistant Dean of Students, Jay Hurtubise, who is a committee member of Standard 9, said, “You become involved in reviewing and looking at all of the standards and hoping for a better understanding of how things are being reported because that’s what the self-study is. We’re just saying, ‘This is who we are.’ It’s nice to get a look in the mirror.”

[Editor’s note: For additional information, see “Framingham State’s 10year accreditation review scheduled for 2024,” and “Accreditation committee preparing to compile report,” on The Gatepost’s website.]

CONNECT WITH SOPHIA HARRIS sharris9@student.framingham.edu

NOW IS THE TIME TO APPLY FOR 2024-2025 FINANCIAL AID! Have you filed your 2024-2025 FAFSA yet? The priority filing deadline is March 1, 2024!

Get help filing your 2024-2025 FAFSA from FSU financial aid staff!

Bring your laptop, no appointment necessary.

February 1, 2024 10:00am-Noon in the Commuter Lounge, McCarthy Student Center February 8, 2024 2-4pm in CASA February 15, 2024 10am-Noon in the Hemenway Computer Lab, Room 122 February 22, 2024 4-6pm in the Commuter Lounge, McCarthy Student Center February 29, 2024 2-4pm in CASA @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

JANUARY 26, 2024 | 5

OP/ED THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Embracing the chill Hello fellow Rams, and welcome back to Framingham State!

It’s a cold start to the semester, so this week, The Gatepost editorial board discussed ways all of us can keep healthy both physically and mentally during these long winter months.

Low temperatures and short days, plus the stress that comes with returning to school, sometimes make it difficult to focus or be productive. However, it’s important to start the semester off on the proverbial right foot even in bad weather.

A good strategy for all students to start with is to keep busy. Whether it’s getting a head start on course readings or even just tidying up your room, taking action is a great way to make progress that can carry into your academic and personal life.

It’s also important to keep a healthy state of mind and to avoid overworking.

This can be accomplished by creating and sticking to a schedule that makes you responsible for your goals, and ensuring your academic performance is what you want it to be.

Another great way to stay on top of things is to make lists. While lists are easy to make, following them can pose a challenge, but they are effective at tracking accomplishments and goals over time.

You can also create physical or digital calendars, which help prevent anything from sneaking up on you and keep you ahead of all your responsibilities.

Finding productive indoor activities is another critical skill to maintain your well-being during the winter months.

On-campus resources dedicated to maintaining a good mental state include the Center for Inclusive Excellence, which frequently hosts events and programming related to identity and belonging.

According to the Mayo Clinic Health System, failing to build a sense of belonging during a person’s developmental stages can lead to a “lower self-esteem, a more negative worldview, … [and] a perception of rejection.”

Additionally, if you are interested, you can visit on-campus religious mentors through the campus ministry to connect with your spirituality. The ministry offers Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, and Muslim mentors, all of whom can be a great resource for connecting with your faith.

If you need a moment to unwind and relax, you can visit the Rams Renew Space located in the Upper Mezzanine of the Henry Whittemore Library.

This space was designed to “destress for success” and features a massage chair, a Verilux Happy Light for light therapy, an Expresso bike, hands-on activities, meditation cush-

ions, and yoga mats, according to the Framingham State website. You can reserve the room for 15, 30, or 45 minutes, which is helpful for resetting.

The counseling center also provides resources on diverse topics pertaining to mental health that can be accessed for free by any student. Because sometimes you just need to talk it out.

To improve physical well-being, you do not have to jump into running or join a sports team. It could start with taking the stairs when you usually take the elevator, taking a walk around campus with your friends, or using the stationary exercise bike in the library to move while you work on homework.

You could also walk on the treadmills in the athletic center while listening to music or your favorite podcast - of course, free of charge.

If you are looking for something with a little more of a kick to it, the Athletic Center also offers free group exercise classes Monday through Thursday. These include yoga and Zumba on Mondays, cycle, core and stretch, and power yoga on Tuesdays, yoga and Zumba on Wednesdays, and power yoga on Thursdays.

With classes starting at 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., this is another great way to get exercise despite the chilly weather.

According to the National Library of Medicine, “Students experienced a reduction in stress and anxiety levels after completing a six-week yoga and meditation program preceding final examinations. Results suggest that adopting a mindfulness practice for as little as once per week may reduce stress and anxiety in college students.”

You could also join clubs on campus to improve your physical well-being such as the Outing Club, the Dance Team, the Afro-Caribbean Dance Group, the Ski and Snowboard Club, and the Martial Arts Club. All offer ways to bring more movement into your life alongside other students.

In any case, maintaining control of your mental and physical health is crucial to having an enjoyable winter and a successful semester.

Whether you prefer to work on your well-being alone with a new studying strategy, or with peers in a spin class, there are always methods to improve your physical or mental well-being.

Succeed as a student by meeting your goals.

Commit yourself to finding the perfect balance between coursework and your personal life, even if it takes time.

So while the winter weather makes it hard to do your best, remember - get your work done, but get some sleep too.

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!

The Gatepost Editorial reflects the opinions of the newspaper’s Editorial Board. Signed Op/Eds reflect the opinions of individual writers.

Photojournalism now and forever

By Dylan Pichnarcik Editoral Staff If you went home today and asked your parents to see family photos, chances are they would return with a photo album stuffed tightly with prints.

But you would not simply be looking at a book. It would also be a map, a map of your history, and the history of those you call your family.

These significant moments in one’s life are forever immortalized in small color prints, highlighting birthdays, graduations, weddings, and various gatherings. It would be a roadmap of your life, and of the life that was lived before your journey started.

While photographs are often used for leisure, their purpose is primarily for constructive documentation. A significant number of events regularly reported in major news outlets across the country are often accompanied with photographs.

These images serve as testaments to the events covered.

A visual anchor emphasizing events that define generations.

The addition of images in media is incredibly important, as it provides visual emphasis to the reader. It puts the image of whatever article they may be reading into their mind, and how they feel about the issue into their heart.

In the 1960s, photojournalists across the nation flocked to Washington D.C. and heard of the voice of Martin Luther King Jr. as he declared before the world his dream for a better future.

Imagine the grandeur of this event. Think how powerful reading about the event must have been in the wake of his words.

Now go onto Google, and search for images of MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech. See the power of his speaking, the interest and agreement of the vibrant crowd.

While images of triumph such as this dominate the media of the past, photojournalism has also highlighted the worst of the world.

Photojournalists travel to the harsh parts of the world, putting their safety in danger to capture images that will radiate across the globe and show the human struggle. In a study done by the International Federation of Journalists it was reported that Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST 120 journalists and media workers were killed in 2023 in conflicts around the globe This is a trend that can be traced back to almost every conflict of the 20th century.

Images of the Vietnam War circulated throughout the country and the world, emphasizing an unnecessary conflict that cost the lives of millions of United States servicemen, innocent foreign civilians and journalists.

For the average American picking up a newspaper and seeing a man walk through an active minefield, knowing that he shares the general opinion that his profession has put his life on the line unnecessarily is incredibly powerful in emphasizing the issue that is reported.

Stark contrasts in the media have carried photojournalism into the 21st century.

Powerful images of the first female and woman of color to be inaugurated to the office of vice president of the United States have now been replaced with images of conflict, genocide, and overall unrest throughout the world.

These show our evolution, the events that make us human, moments where we stand united under one flag.

Moments where we are ashamed to call ourselves Americans. Moments in time that make us ask “Why?” Seeing a photograph and responding with “Why?” is the appropriate response. It shows compassion and intellectual integrity.

Not all photos hold the same meaning, not all photos will show joy and agency.

Some will break your heart. Or may be unseeable. But the emotion connected to the photographs shows their importance in telling a story.

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

OP/ED

6 | JANUARY 26, 2024

Campus Conversations What makes your club special?

By Owen Glancy and Alexis Schlesinger, Editorial Staff

“We essentially do costumes - we learn various cosplay techniques like sewing.”

- Rileigh Kelley, sophomore President of Cosplay Club

“Fashion Club is like soup - a lot of different varieties. You never know what you’re going to get. We’re going to have a lot of arts and crafts, a lot of creative design.”

- Daniel Moore, junior Secretary of Fashion Club

“Anime Club is just a cool place to hang out, watch some anime, and meet new people.”

- Lisa Rockwood, sophomore Vice President of Anime Club

“Wildlife Club is a club where people can come learn wildlife skills. [People] who are interested in having a wildlife career, or [want to] have a casual walk in the woods, maybe get to hold an owl if you’re lucky.”

- Rachel Sharon, senior Co-President of Wildlife Club

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

“We like to play board games, we like to play video games on our projector. … We’re an open environment and we’re always looking for new members.”

- Cole Doucette, junior President of Gaming Club

“A community of people who want to make this campus a better place for the students.”

- Raffi Elkhoury, senior Vice President of SGA

SPORTS

JANUARY 26, 2024 | 7

Women’s basketball wins fourth consecutive game

By Adam Levine Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams won their past two games, defeating the Worcester State Lancers 83-55 Jan. 20 and the Fitchburg State Falcons 83-41 Jan. 24.

The Rams’ starting five dominated the Lancers’, scoring a combined 77 of the team’s 83 points. The team shot a combined 90% on free throw attempts, making 18 of their 20.

Framingham center Flannery

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST Flannery O’Connor shooting free throws during 83-55 victory over Worcester State Jan. 20.

O’Connor said free throws can “make or break a game.”

She said, “We do a lot of free throw shooting at practice.

“It’s very important and we really like to hone in on that,” O’Connor added.

Head Coach Walter Paschal said, “We have some older kids that understand the importance of them.

“If we make 20 a game, that helps,” he added.

Framingham point guard Gwendolyn Carpenter led the Rams to their victory and recorded her first career triple-double, scoring 20 points and recording 11 rebounds and 10 assists.

She also contributed three steals and a block on the defensive end and only gave up one turnover on offense.

“It’s very cool,” Carpenter said.

“And I think it also goes to show how well we play as a team together. Obviously, I can’t do any of that without my teammates and they finish baskets and passes that I have to get those assists.

It goes to show how well we work together.”

Framingham took an early 4-0 lead, but the Lancers quickly fought back.

They scored 6 points in a row and took their first, and only, lead of the game.

The Rams then took over the game and never took their foot off the gas pedal. They outscored the Lancers in each of the four quarters, propelling them to victory.

Their win over the Lancers continues the Rams’ perfect 8-0 home record.

Carpenter said, “I think it’s always

fun when we get to play home. We have a home crowd - usually, we have a good turnout.

“It’s kind of our motto: ‘We don’t let people come in here and take things from us.’ So it’s a goal of ours to win at home,” she added.

During their second matchup of the week, the Rams beat the Falcons 83-41 on Fitchburg’s home court.

Framingham’s defense led to their offensive success. The team recorded a season-high 22 steals and capitalized by scoring 33 points off turnovers.

O’Connor led the team in steals, recording five of her own. She tied with her teammate, forward Kelsey Yelle, by scoring a game-high of 20 points.

“Defense is the key to every game,” O’Connor said. “If you get the stops you are looking for, it puts you in a really good position to win the game.

We have gone up against some pretty successful teams this season and what pushed us forward in those games has been our defense!”

Yelle said, “We made good defensive plays that helped slow down Fitchburg’s offense, which ultimately led to our victory and, after a slow start, we came out in the second half ready to work together to get the victory.”

Once again, the Rams dominated their opponent, outscoring the Falcons during each of the four quarters, which included a 35-12 third quarter.

Yelle said, “The key to the team’s victory against Fitchburg was pushing the ball, finding the open players, and taking good quality shots.

“It ended up being a great team win,” she added.

The Rams now hold an overall record of 16-2 and a conference record of 5-1, suffering their only MASCAC loss to Bridgewater State.

Carpenter said, “That Bridgewater game was not a good game and we want that one back. So I think we’ll be excited to see them again.”

Framingham travels to Westfield State to begin the second round of MASCAC matchups Jan. 27.

Yelle said, “The team is excited to go into the second round of MASCAC matchups.

“It is always one game at a time and not every game will look the same, but if we continue to work together and play as hard as we can, then we have a great chance to end up going far,” she added.

JANUARY 20 FRAMINGHAM STATE WORCESTER STATE

83 55

JANUARY 24 FRAMINGHAM STATE FITCHBURG STATE

83 41

Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com

CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE alevine5@student.framingham.edu

Men’s basketball remains winless in MASCAC

By Adam Levine Sports Editor

The Framingham State Rams lost their past two games, facing setbacks to the Worcester State Lancers 72-59 Jan. 20 and the Fitchburg State Falcons 61-59 Jan. 24.

The Rams fought a tough game against the Lancers in a seemingly lopsided matchup.

Worcester’s victory marked their 17th consecutive win in the MASCAC after a perfect 12-0 record last season,

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST Joshua Saint Jean shooting free throws during 72-59 loss to Worcester State Jan. 20.

including winning the 2023 MASCAC Championship.

Framingham’s Head Coach Donald Morris Jr. said, “Our mindset was, ‘We have nothing to lose, only something to gain.’

“I thought we played really well and we competed really hard,” he added.

Framingham point guard Bryan Thompson, one of six returning players on the 17-man roster, said, “Our game plan was just to keep it close because we know Worcester is a good team.”

Morris said a contributor to the loss was freshman standout forward Joshua Saint Jean’s injury toward the end of the first half.

Prior to his injury, Saint Jean scored 6 points and recorded five rebounds and two steals. He is averaging 10.2 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game for the season and has earned MASCAC Rookie of the Week three times.

Morris said after Saint Jean’s injury, “Kids competed and stepped up.

“A lot of them are very young. But you know what, they really, really dug in and competed,” he added.

Despite the loss, the Rams shot 46.2% on 3-point attempts and 78.6% on free throw attempts, both of which

are improvements on the team’s season averages of 28.5% and 62.7%, respectively.

Framingham contested Worcester’s powerful offense through the first 28 minutes of the 40-minute game.

There were seven lead changes and two ties in the game, which was indicative of Framingham’s unwavering fight.

The Rams lost their following matchup to the Falcons 61-59.

The Falcons took an early lead and never gave it up. Their biggest lead was with seven minutes remaining in the first half, commanding a 29-14 lead.

Framingham finished the half strong, cutting the Falcon’s lead to 9 points.

Fitchburg maintained a steady lead for the beginning of the first half before Framingham began to attempt a comeback.

After a burst of Framingham’s offense capitalizing on defensive stops, Fitchburg’s lead quickly fell to 5 points.

The Rams crept closer to the Falcons, but their comeback attempt ultimately fell short.

The Rams now hold an overall record of 5-14 and a conference record of 0-6, tying their number of wins from last season with six games still remaining in the season.

Framingham travels to Westfield State to begin the second round of MASCAC matchups Jan. 27.

Thompson said, “It is kind of hard to beat a team twice, so I think the second time around will be good because we’ve seen everything once.”

Morris said, “With each game, we have to adjust to the opponent.

“I think as much as it seems hard to believe, I think we’re taking steps in the right direction because we’re building continuity with the right type of recruits.

“I think day by day, they get better and better - it’s pretty positive,” he added.

JANUARY 20 WORCESTER STATE FRAMINGHAM STATE

72 59

JANUARY 24 FITCHBURG STATE FRAMINGHAM STATE

61 59

Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com

CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE alevine5@student.framingham.edu

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

SPORTS

8 | JANUARY 26, 2024

Meet the Captains - Women’s Cross-country CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE alevine5@student.framingham.edu

By Adam Levine Sports Editor

Amanda Bedard

Photo Credit / Frank Poulin Photography This article is shortened for print.

Read the full version at fsugatepost. com.

Amanda Bedard, 22, was a captain of the women’s cross-country team during the 2023 season. She also ran on the women’s track and field team during her time at FSU. Bedard, an early education major, graduated after the Fall 2023 Semester and hopes to be a kindergarten teacher.

“I’ve just always loved working with kids,” she said. “I just really enjoy it. They’re so fun and happy and I

like how excited they get about everything.”

Bedard said she is only licensed as an early-childhood teacher and she doesn’t want to teach older students.

“Once they get taller than me, I’m like, ‘No. No. No. No.’” Originally from Paxton, Bedard said she grew up playing soccer and did not begin running track until her sophomore year at Wachusett High School.

“I did soccer my whole life, but I was so bad,” she said. “I loved the running part. I would always be the first one to the ball and then I would literally freeze because I didn’t like being aggressive.”

Bedard said she likes running cross-country more than track and field. She said she ran the 5K and 10K races during the track and field season, which she said is her favorite race.

Bedard said, “Even though it’s the most brutal mind game - terrible 6.2 miles on the track - like, terrible - but honestly I feel like you can really challenge yourself and see you’re pushing yourself so much mentally as well as physically. So, I honestly like it - that’s when I feel the most accomplished.”

She said her favorite part of the team is how “supportive” everyone is.

Bedard said, “We care about each other so much.

“I know if I have a bad day or a bad workout they’re all going to be there still cheering me on and they support me regardless of my performance,” she added.

Gwen Madden Gwen Madden, 21, was a captain of the women’s cross-country team during the 2023 season and is a captain for the women’s track and field team this upcoming season.

Madden, a criminology major, is a member of the Rams’ Class of 2024 and hopes to work in law enforcement after graduating.

She said she has family members

Photo Credit / Frank Poulin Photography

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

who work in law enforcement and the field has always interested her.

Originally from Raynham, Madden said she began running during her sophomore year at Bridgewater-Raynham High School.

She said, “I originally did it to get ready for lacrosse, but I kind of just fell in love with it and decided to keep going with that instead of lacrosse.”

Madden said she ran winter and spring track and field beginning her sophomore year and began running cross-country during her junior year.

She said she was recruited to run at FSU, specifically by her high-school teammate Emily Newcomb.

Madden said her favorite part of the University besides the team is going to sporting events and showing support for other athletes.

She said her favorite memory competing for FSU was during the Spring 2023 track and field season. She was a member of the 4x800-meter team, which was the first team in FSU women’s track and field history to qualify for the DIII Championship meet.

Madden said her favorite part of the team is how close everyone is. “I like how friendly we are and we’re all just very close.

“We’re our biggest supporters of each other,” she added.

Camille Carvalho Camille Carvalho, 21, was a captain of the women’s cross-country team during the 2023 season. She also ran on the women’s track and field team during her time at FSU. Carvalho, a sociology major and Spanish minor, graduated after the Fall 2023 Semester.

She said she either wants to go into pre-law and work with immigration or domestic violence, or work for a non-profit.

“My parents are both immigrants,” Carvalho said. “I’m Brazilian and I’ve seen how a lack of resources, or lack of awareness of resources, has affected the immigrant community.”

Originally from Spencer, she said she played soccer and ran track and field in high school until she got too many concussions. She then ran cross-country her junior and senior years.

Carvalho said, “I think a part of my heart will always go out to soccer, but I think that cross-country - the atmosphere of a cross-country team - is so much different.

“Knowing that you’re competing, that you’re working as a team, but competing against yourself is definitely a different kind of battle,” she added.

“I am definitely a long distance runner,” she said. “I ran the 2-mile and the mile mostly in high school and then now for track I ran the 10K and the 5K.” She said, “I definitely have an unattainable dream of running a half marathon and a reach goal of running a marathon.”

Photo Credit / Frank Poulin Photography Carvalho said her favorite part of the team at FSU is how “genuine” everyone is, both her coaches and her teammates.

She said, “I’m just really grateful for the program and for everything that it’s taught me.

“It has taught me a lot more about myself not only as a runner, but it’s definitely put me in situations to grow as a person - overcoming obstacles that you didn’t think that you would have to face,” Carvalho added.

Becca Morris This article is shortened for print.

Read the full version at fsugatepost.com.

Becca Morris, 22, was a captain of the women’s cross-country team during the 2023 season and is a captain for the women’s track and field team this upcoming season.

Morris, a psychology major, is a member of the Rams’ Class of 2024.

She said she wants to be a mental health counselor for ages above 13 years old.

“Growing up, I went to therapy and I felt like it helped me a lot,” Morris said.

“I want to be able to help people who are struggling with the same things that I’ve struggled with.”

Originally from the Berkshires, she said she began running at a young age because of her older brothers, Zach and Josh, both of whom Morris said have been inspirations for her as a runner.

“I grew up knowing that’s what my family liked, so I started to do it and follow in their footsteps,” Morris added.

Morris said she runs the 400-meter hurdles because one of her brothers hurdled.

She said she chose FSU because, “When I toured, I felt the most welcomed here.

“I think that the whole school in itself is small enough too, where everybody knows everybody and it gives you

that ‘fRAMily’ aspect,” Morris added.

Morris said she doesn’t have a favorite memory being a member of the two teams on campus. “Every day is a good memory because I feel like our team is a good size and a good mix of silly and chaotic that every day seems like the best kind of day.

“I like coming in not knowing what we’re going to expect,” she added.

Photo Credit / Frank Poulin Photography

JANUARY 26, 2024 | 9

ARTS & FEATURES

Framingham State professors inspire learning in all ages

By Emily Rosenberg Editor-in-Chief Emerita The Adventures in Lifelong Learning program proves that academic learning doesn’t end with the completion of a degree or diploma.

FSU, in collaboration with Framingham Public Library, provides an opportunity for those over the age of 60 to take a noncredit course in a variety of disciplines with Framingham State professors.

Examples of classes offered this spring include the study of Charles Dickens with FSU President Emeritus Helen Heinemen and Native American History to 1860 with History Professor Joseph Adelman, among others.

The program began in 2011 in person at the Framingham Public Library.

Anne Roberti, executive director of English Language programs, said during the Fall 2023 semester, over 200 people participated on Zoom. She said it switched over to Zoom during the COVID-19 pandemic isolation period.

Similar to the undergraduate semester schedule, the program is offered in the fall, spring, and summer.

Classes will run on Tuesday afternoons for four weeks in the spring.

The program is organized by a planning committee with the Framingham Public Library and it is funded by grants from the Framingham Cultural Council and the Marlborough Cultural Council. Roberti said the committee’s intention is to offer courses in a variety of disciplines each season. The committee also seeks out professors who are older in age to teach the courses.

Roberti said the program has high engagement. “I like that they are adult learners and there are adult learners that have the opportunity to be pursuing knowledge and getting educated in areas that they’ve always wanted but never had the opportunity to.”

Larry McKenna, an environment, society, and sustainability professor, has taught courses in the program for six years. This fall, he taught a course on understanding the total eclipse of 2024.

“In the first session, we kind of looked at the basics of the eclipse. In the second class, we looked at some of the ways that eclipses are used to study other sciences. In the third class, we looked at the role of eclipses in literature and music,” he said. In the fourth class, they reviewed how to view the eclipse.

McKenna said preparing for a course with the elderly population requires him to be on his “A game.”

“They all read the paper. They all have a lifetime of accrued experiences,” he added. A lot of participants also have master’s degrees and Ph.Ds.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

“Some theories are limited only by your creativity and the insatiable curiosity of the people who take the courses, and I mean insatiable. These people are interested in everything and anything,” McKenna said.

McKenna said now the program is on Zoom, the opportunities for learners to join have expanded. For example, mobility issues are no longer a problem, and some people can join from longer distances if they choose to. However, like all remote events, it also restrains social engagement, which is not good for mental health.

“When the classes were in person, it was introduced obviously as a social get-together, which was very important for the participants and very important to me, because I’d like to see that social interaction. Of course, the disadvantage was that they had to get there on their own and some people of that age have mobility issues,” he said.

Regarding social interaction, McKenna noted a memorable piece of “advice” a fellow faculty member gave him about teaching a course before 11:15, which was lunch time - “don’t go over… nothing is going to get in their way of having lunch together.’”

McKenna said both of his parents join his lectures every week. “It’s pretty funny.”

David Smailes, a political science professor, has taught a number of courses for the program for three years.

Smailes lectures for the first 45 minutes of the class, and for the last portion he will open up the Zoom for questions, which always fills up the time. He said this time is almost like “a weekly current events test” for him because the discussion will move in areas that are relevant to the news.

He added the discussion time is truly a moment everyone in the class can learn from because people may offer their experiences, or they may ask thought-provoking questions he might have to research later and get back to the class the following week.

“They can take it wherever they want,” because the courses are not for credit. In a for-credit undergraduate course, if a student asks a question that is off-topic, a conversation only has so much breathing room until Smailes needs to move back on track to stay in-line with the syllabus.

On the other hand, because professors for the Lifelong Learning Program only have four classes to teach their course, Smailes said it can be tricky trying to plan what to include in the little time he has with the participants.

Something Smailes has noticed is how participants come to discussion about politics with an open mind.

He said while discussing politics, he noticed participants are clearly criti-

Courtesy of Framingham State Lissa Bollettino, History Department chair and teacher of a Lifelong Learning course. cal of certain politicians’ actions, but none try to push ideologies.

He added it’s different from teaching undergraduates because some of the participants have actually experienced the history he teaches. For example, he was only 4 years old when JFK was assassinated so he does not remember it well, but many of his Lifelong Learning students remember it as young adults.

“When you’re talking about historical events, people actually lived through those events,” he said. “[My undergraduate students] are going to be explaining Trump for the rest of [their] life.”

Lissa Bollettino, chair of the History department, has taught two courses - African American History to Reconstruction and African American History since Reconstruction. She started teaching courses because she was a lecturer for the Lifelong Learning Lecture Series at the library.

Bollettino said both courses were about the experience of people of African descent and then African Americans in the regions that ended up becoming the United States. “What constitutive role did they play in building our nation and transforming our nation?”

She said she loves how enthusiastic participants are, adding they have a wealth of diverse experiences that bring a lot to a discussion.

For example, she said in October she taught about the Civil Rights movement, which many of the partic-

ipants were able to share their experiences of living through.

She added teaching for the Lifelong Learning Program is also different because she doesn’t tend to teach undergraduate courses on Zoom, which allows her to lead more discussion and project-based classes.

However, she said as far as the population difference, her students for both her undergraduate courses and the Lifelong Learning classes are “both curious. They’re both enthusiastic. They’re just curious and enthusiastic in different ways.”

She added there is a stigma that some older people are “set in their ways and think of the world in a certain way.

“I have found that most of the people who’ve taken the courses with me have been very open minded and very excited to learn things.”

Bollettino said the program connects Framingham State with the wider community.

“I like breaking down barriers between the University and the city of Framingham and the community of Framingham and I would love to see even more options for the University and the University’s faculty,” she said.

[Editor’s Note: Emily Rosenberg is a recent alumnus of Framingham State. Interviews for this article were completed in December 2023.]

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG

erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

10 | JANUARY 26, 2024

ARTS & FEATURES

Faculty discuss Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s influence on education

By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Staff Writer The Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) held a panel discussion on Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 23. They focused on an important question - how has his legacy impacted us?

The panelists were all faculty at Framingham State University. They included the Director of the CIE, Jerome Burke, Biology Professor Cara Pina, Social Psychologist Jen Lin, and Chemistry and Food Scientists Chantrell Frazier and Ishara Mills-Henry.

Frazier is the first African American woman to graduate with a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Florida International University.

Also, Burke is from Jamaica and has served in their leading human rights organization.

to justice everywhere.” She likes to emphasize that her classroom is a safe space, especially for marginalized identities, she said.

Burke said his family saw MLK as an example that education is important to helping people rise above their circumstances. He said, “So even at any point where I ever feel like I’m struggling or felt like the system is against me, I’m always saying there are opportunities, there are teachings, there are great men, there are icons.”

Pina said MLK’s teachings have been implemented in education, especially in the classroom environment. She said, “The idea of education being liberating, the idea of how you work through spaces where you might be experiencing microaggressions, how you can excel in spaces that were not sort of designed for you.” She

ject relates to their background.”

She added she wants everyone to be able to get an education, and that she works toward that goal. She said, “I spend a significant amount of time working towards our state, the state of Massachusetts, having better education, having free education to ensure that people have the ability to be educated.”

Frazier said she starts the semester by asking her class who their favorite music artists are. She said she later groups the students by their genre choice, showing them that they have something in common with someone they might not expect to share anything with.

She added, “It’s just one of those things that allows me to connect with you guys as well as for you guys to connect with each other, especially

Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST Panelists at the Center for Inclusive Excellence’s panel discussion about Martin Luther King Jr.’s impact on education Jan. 23.

The host of the talk was the President of the Student Government Association, Evelyn Campbell. She asked the panelists their first question, “How has Martin Luther King Jr.’s work and legacy personally impacted your life?”

Frazier said that he gave her the possibility to be where she is now.

“Back when Martin Luther King was fighting for civil rights, it wasn’t even a thing for us to cohabitate in spaces.”

She added, “That’s how he’s impacted me, just to be able to enter that space.”

Lin said MLK’s legacy has impacted her professional life in psychology. She said, “He has indirectly influenced me in a professional way because he has influenced countless psychologists.” She said there are psychologists who study racial stereotypes, microaggressions, and cultural competence now, which she refers to as “ripple effects” from MLK. Lin added that she likes to share one of MLK’s quotes with her students, “Injustice anywhere is a threat

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

added this was her experience moving through education.

Mills-Henry said she wouldn’t have had any of her educational experiences if it weren’t for MLK. She said she didn’t learn a lot about MLK and the Civil Rights movement when she was growing up.

She added she was concerned about what’s happening in the education system. She said, “It’s a lot like how I grew up, and we’re actually cutting back on some of the progress that’s been made over the years.” She said because of this it’s important to be civically active and actually vote in local elections. She described this as the impact MLK had on her life.

Campbell asked the next question, “What ways has Dr. Martin Luther King’s philosophy influenced your approach to teaching and working with students?”

Pina answered first, and said she tries to make sure her classroom is beneficial for everyone. She said, “People from different backgrounds deserve to see how the particular sub-

when you’re all undergoing a subject that can be very difficult.”

Burke said he talks to students about what their passions are and how to advocate for them. He said a crucial part of MLK’s message was advocating for what you think is right.

He added, “So it’s having those conversations with students and working through those and then encouraging and helping them to really make an impact in their communities.”

Mills-Henry said she likes to get an awareness of who is in her class and what challenges her students are facing. She said, “What barriers are they facing? What are their backgrounds?

What are some of their interests?”

Lin said she also tries to make her classroom as inclusive as possible.

She said she does research on scholars of color to share with her class, in order for the scholars to get some recognition and for the students to see someone similar to them being successful in their field.

The next question for the panelists was, “In what way specifically do you

promote inclusivity and diversity in your role drawing on King’s ideals?”

Pina said she and some of her colleagues have worked on a bulletin board in Hemenway Labs that shows STEM professionals who are also people of color. She said she felt the need for this because most of STEM history is credited to white men, even though they don’t deserve all of it.

She said, “People don’t necessarily get credit for being the one to figure something out. They get credit for publicizing it. So there are lots of things that have happened in STEM that people are unaware that occurred from people of color.”

Mills-Henry said her department also has a bulletin board, though theirs is of alumni from different backgrounds. She also said that in her classes she has given assignments involving researching scientists of different identities, such as women of color, and finding out what barriers they had to face.

Frazier said she likes to have oneon-one meetings with her students to understand their backgrounds.

She said, “Just understanding overall what my classroom is and just trying to make sure I correlate the message in all forms for you guys to learn.

That’s something that I tried to do.”

Lin said she helped to create the Diversity Committee in her department with the main goal of empowering students of color. She said she also published papers on anti-racism in higher education.

Campbell then asked, “How can academic institutions promote ongoing dialogue about civil rights, social justice, and equality in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. throughout the year?”

Frazier said that in her class she uses quotes from different types of people in order to open dialogue about it. She said, “So that’s something that I do, just having quotes from all different types of individuals that mean different types of things that can integrate into different parts of their lives.”

Lin said she thinks that they need to combine anti-racism with their values, rather than treating it as an afterthought. She said, “Just speaking as a psychologist, I think what will be really helpful would be to truly integrate anti-racism with our institutional culture.”

Mills-Henry said professors need to make sure their policies and practices really work with the University’s anti-racist commitment. She said it’s good to have events such as the panel, and not just for MLK. She said, “I think that this is a wonderful event, having a lot more of these types of events around Martin Luther King’s philosophy, but it could be anything, it could be civil rights, it could be social justice.”

CONNECT WITH FRANCISCO OMAR FERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ

ffernandezrodriguez@ student.framingham.edu

ARTS & FEATURES

JANUARY 26, 2024 | 11

‘In the Absence of Light’ shows history of Black art in America

By Jack McLaughlin Arts & Features Editor The 2021 documentary “A Black Art: In the Absence of Light” was screened in the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) as part of the University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day event series Jan. 23.

Tim McDonald, art professor, began the screening by giving an introduction to the film. His address focused on the marginalization of Black art, saying that “it shows just how marginalized things are, things you probably have never heard of.”

He explained how when he was learning art history, the textbook he had did not show much representation for African American art and how professors at FSU like Erika Schneider are working to rectify that.

“There were no African American artists, no indigenous artists in it, and we have art historians like Dr. Schneider working diligently trying to change that,” he said.

The beginning of the documentary focused on the 1976 art exhibition “Two Centuries of Black American Art.” This exhibit was the first of its kind in the United States, offering a look at African American artwork that was curated by Black artist David C. Driskell.

“Two Centuries of Black American Art” was described in the documentary as a massive success. One of the interviews about the success said that the introduction to it in Atlanta saw an attendance that no other exhibit had seen in the city before.

The documentary continued by showcasing African American representation in the arts, ranging from artists and art collectors.

The collector they focused on was Kasseem Dean, known professionally as the musician Swizz Beatz. He has a collection of art, called the Dean Collection, that is made up of African American art which he also showcases on his social media platforms.

Dean explained that art galleries used to not take him seriously, but he did not let that deter him and was able to amass a large collection of African American art.

In the documentary, Dean talked about the benefit of showcasing the artists behind the work he was interested in, as it would give the artist enough exposure to be taken more seriously by art galleries.

A section of the documentary featured Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald, who did the presidential portraits for Barack Obama and Michelle Obama respectively.

Wiley talked about his process of creating his portrait and his desire to be different from contemporary art and the presidential portraits that have come before his.

He also emphasized how he tried focusing on Obama not as a president with power, but as a person with importance on their physical presence.

Sherald’s take on Michelle Obama’s portrait came from wanting to differ-

Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST Attendees viewing “A Black Art: In the Absence of Light” in the Center for Inclusive Excellence Jan. 23. entiate how Michelle presented herself to the world and find something more private.

Her portrait of Obama cemented herself as a household name and became her breakthrough moment as an

tions guide one in the search for that meaning,” he said.

Burke explained that he wants those who watched the documentary to understand that “art is a catalyst for change. I also hope it creates on-

“Showcasing Black artists intiates important conversations about race, identity, and representation.”

- Jerome Burke, Director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence artist.

Speaking on the documentary, McDonald said the part that resonated with him the most was the ending, where artist Theaster Gates talked about making art “in the absence of light.”

“All the artists in the film began making their work when no one was looking, when no one cared to look, when no one knew that there might be something to look at,” he said.

“That speaks to the level of commitment necessary to be an artist.”

CIE Director Jerome Burke spoke on the significance of Barack Obama’s portrait, and its significance in the documentary.

“It was extremely powerful to witness the first Black president being painted by a Black artist. Understanding the struggles of the Black community, it felt like a full-circle moment - one of those things that, as a Black man, is extremely inspiring,” he said.

McDonald said he hopes that attendees watching the documentary take away the significance art history has when it comes to seeing yourself represented in it.

“Everyone needs to see themselves reflected in it, the good and the bad.

Art helps to provide meaning, and perhaps more importantly, the ques-

going dialogues around representation.”

McDonald said his main takeaway from the documentary was how the artists’ work is built on a foundation of love for the craft - “the love of what the late Congressman John Lewis called the beloved community.”

“That love, as he saw it, represented in the Rev. Dr. King, is what called the congressman to the Civil Rights movement and to public service, and, I think, what is the ground on which these artists build their practice.”

Burke said his takeaway from the documentary was the resilience that these artists had in the face of marginalization and rejection.

“The documentary was able to highlight the stories of these artists who, despite their challenges, continued to create meaningful and impactful art. It underscores the importance of acknowledging and valuing diverse perspectives in the art world, promoting a deeper understanding of the intersectionality of race, identity, and artistic expression,” he said.

McDonald said that the documentary combined with his own perspective on the world and history is a hope that there will be more of an awareness toward the systemic oppression that has existed since the beginning

of this country.

He explained further that he hopes this will “help to expose more people to work that has been going on for centuries, alongside and equal to the works of art that we revere and house in our most admired institutions. And that artists, once on the margins, move to the center and get paid.”

Burke talked about why there exists a distinction for Black art, explaining that “Black artists were not recognized or provided the opportunity to create and display their works.”

He said that his perspective on how Black art is perceived hasn’t changed since watching the documentary. “I have always known that Black artists are powerful and have been producing amazing work. It is refreshing to witness the rest of the world now appreciating and celebrating Black artists.”

Burke also spoke about the importance of representing Black artists, especially to an audience that may not be completely familiar with them.

He said, “Highlighting Black artists ensures that diverse perspectives and experiences are represented in the art world.

“Showcasing Black artists initiates important conversations about race, identity, and representation.

It encourages viewers to engage in thoughtful discussions about the role of art in reflecting and shaping societal narratives,” he said.

When asked, McDonald emphasized the importance of representation when it comes to bringing awareness to Black art.

“I think it comes to an understanding of representation - who is being represented, what is being represented, how is it being represented, what is the context with which the representation is happening, and who is doing the representing.”

CONNECT WITH JACK MCLAUGHLIN

jmclaughlin7@student.framingham.edu

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12 | JANUARY 26, 2024

‘Saltburn’

ARTS & FEATURES

Best of ‘My Hero Academia’ Season 6

‘Bomb Rush Cyberpunk’

‘Extraction 2’

By Jack McLaughlin Arts & Features Editor

By Raena Doty Arts & Features Editor

By Paul Harrington Staff Writer

By Adam Levine Editorial Staff

“Saltburn” got everyone who saw it talking about it when it was released in November. Critics were split on director Emerald Fennell’s latest film, but I think it was easily one of the best to come out all year.

Ollie (Barry Keoghan) is spending his summer with his wealthy friend Felix (Jacob Elordi) at his family’s estate. As Ollie’s stay continues, mysteries begin to unravel and increasingly disturbing things are happening in the home.

What makes “Saltburn” so intriguing is seeing how far it will go in terms of trying to shock you. A handful of the scenes left my jaw hanging in disbelief, but as messed up as they were it all served a purpose that was so satisfying to see play out.

Barry Keoghan absolutely delivers as the lead. Ollie’s development throughout took fantastic turns and by the end you’ll be so conflicted on whether he is a noble protagonist or the villain of the story.

Felix and his family are so entertaining to watch act together - the obvious “fakeness” they display around each other is always a delight to see and its contrast to Ollie’s character makes for an interesting dynamic.

I can safely say that “Saltburn” is not for the faint of heart. There are parts that I’m probably not even allowed to describe here, so tread carefully if that’s not your cup of tea.

“Saltburn” packed its 127-minute runtime with fantastic performances, gorgeous visuals, and shocking sequences of debauchery.

Fans of “My Hero Academia” went through a lot in 2023, and while the ongoing manga can seem daunting to someone looking to get into the fandom, the anime offers a good entry point for newcomers.

Jumping straight into the action, the sixth season starts with a climactic battle against the Paranormal Liberation Army. Even for fans who are in the story for the drama less than the flashy Quirks, there are plenty of moments of exposition from already compelling plotlines.

The second half of the season is where the show really shines, though. The high-conflict stakes never give up even in the moments of rest, which makes it so any binge watcher won’t be able to hit “next episode” fast enough.

The worldbuilding and the relationships among characters keep getting deeper as the season progresses. Just when you think the conflict couldn’t be any more tense, a new bombshell is dropped and you’re presented with more decisions about what is right and wrong, good and bad - what it means to be a hero and a villain.

Ultimately, it’s a show for anyone who really wants to sink their teeth into and pull apart the high tensions of what it means to be a good person.

Though it may be written under the aesthetics of superheroes, the story is about so much more, and has something for everyone.

As the conflict ramps up in “My Hero Academia,” there’s never been a better time to get in on the show - after all, there’s now fewer than 100 days until the premiere of the seventh season on May 4. But that means you only have to watch fewer than two episodes a day to catch up!

Out of the various releases of video games in 2023, I believe one indie game held its own amongst long awaited triple A launches with bigger fan bases and lucrative marketing campaigns.

Team Reptile’s “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk” is an adventure platformer that can be defined as a spiritual successor to SEGA’s “Jet Set Radio” franchise that meshes the themes of rebellion and graffiti art into an adventure that anyone can enjoy.

It offers new players a refreshing platforming experience centered around using skateboards, BMX bikes, and rollerblades, and spraying graffiti signs as you go “All City” with your crew.

Accessibility is a big factor in why I think “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk” is one of the best games of 2023. The game can be bought on the major home consoles and can be played on PC. “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk” also is priced at a very affordable rate of $39.99. Nowadays, gamers are used to paying over $60 for a new launch on a video game.

“Bomb Rush Cyberfunk” features music and graffiti from independent musicians and artists, and the choice to have “Jet Set Radio’s” legendary music composer Hideki Naganuma music on the track adds to the feeling of authenticity of the game’s experience.

One might think they need to play “Jet Set Radio” before diving into “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk,” but that is more than wrong. “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk” is welcoming to any gamer looking for a fun adventure platformer to sink their time into.

I just cannot get enough of “Bomb Rush Cyberfunk.”

“Extraction 2” is a must-watch sequel to its original - “Extraction” and shows why they are the seventh and eighth most-watched Netflix original movies, respectively, according to MovieWeb. Director Sam Hargrave incorporated the same intense, high-paced, well-crafted action sequences from the first movie and added a clear, concise backstory to Tyler Rake’s life.

Chris Hemsworth’s portrayal of Rake, the main character of the series, highlights the character’s emotional dilemma between his job as a mercenary and his tendency to play the “hero” role.

Rake is a mercenary and the series follows the same mission - the extraction of an assigned target.

While the first movie displays Rake’s business-like nature of a mercenary on a mission, the sequel continues the emotionally-driven finale of the first movie.

When Rake’s ex-wife Mia (Olga Kurylenko) seeks his help to extract her sister and kids from an impossible position, Rake knows this is a mission he cannot pass up.

Rake stops at nothing to rescue his former sister-in-law Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and her son and daughter from a Georgian prison in a seemingly never-ending, well-choreographed action sequence.

Hargrave uses many of the main characters from the first movie, such as the brother-sister duo of Nik Khan (Golshifteh Farahani) and Yaz Khan (Adam Bessa), while delving into Rake’s former life.

Although Hargrave incorporates many clichés from this action-style movie, his originality shows and keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat.

Sit down and binge the first two movies before Hargrave’s third movie of the trilogy is released in the next year.

CONNECT WITH JACK MCLAUGHLIN

jmclaughlin7@student.framingham.edu

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@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST

2023 ARTS & FEATURES

‘Priscilla’

‘Monster’

‘RUSH! (ARE U COMING?)’

JANUARY 26, 2024 | 13

‘D-Day’

By Bella Omar Asst. Arts & Features Editor

By Owen Glancy Asst. Arts & Features Editor

By Heather Nuttall Staff Writer

By Liv Dunleavy Staff Writer

Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” whisks viewers through years of stardom-adjacent excitement, isolation and most importantly growing up, all through the director’s signature beautiful visuals.

Glamorous costuming by Stacey Battat and saturated shots of excess and romance make the relationship between Elvis Presley (played by man-of-the-hour Jacob Elordi) and Priscilla Presley (played by Cailee Spaeny) almost feel fantastical and bring the audience to a place of uncomfortable naivety.

Scenes featuring her high school graduation and frustrated math homework montages emphasize just how groomed Priscilla was and how rushed her childhood really was by a whirlwind romance with the much older king of rock-and-roll.

Priscilla is placed within a sad white and blue shag-rug-adorned interior as a hopeful new ornament to Elvis’ life. She waits patiently for the fairytale romance he promised - politely posing herself on spotless furniture and teasing her new jet black hair as high as he wills it.

Coppola paints Priscilla in Elvis’ doll-like light in the sterile dollhouse of Graceland. He dresses her to his taste, doesn’t expect her to speak or think, and abandons Priscilla whenever he is finished playing with her.

Shiney cars, parties and Elvis’s posse of almost equally fabulous friends quickly go from exciting to imprisonment for our heroine as the rockstar’s patience and affection dwindle.

Only after years of neglect, grooming, and abuse does she realize she spent the better part of her teen years chasing a relationship that would never exist.

Coming out only a mere year after the significantly less impactful Elvis feature by Baz Luhrmann, Coppola tactfully created a phenomenal story that had viewers grieving Priscilla’s young adult life all while in awe of her growing up.

“Monster” is the latest film from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda, and it is by far the most underrated movie from last year. This is easily the director’s most approachable work, since it moves much faster than his last few films, and is more refined than his early work.

The performances are what really stand out here, and they are electrifying. Even if most of the film is just talking in rooms, these performances combined with Kore-eda’s brilliant direction makes every scene riveting.

The level of the child acting is especially impressive, given how emotional and devastating the story is toward these characters. They honestly give such moving and powerful performances that it wouldn’t be absurd to call them Oscar worthy.

On the writing front, this is one of the director’s strongest films. While not as great as some of the other films from last year - “Oppenheimer” and “May December” come to mind it still holds its own against its competitors and succeeds in being the most emotionally resonant script of the year.

The choice to have this story play out in a style similar to films like “Rashomon,” where one event is told from multiple different perspectives, is fascinating. Having something as intimate and personal as adolescence be broken down like this is both devastating and intriguing. We see the dark side of every character, and in the end, who was in the right and how that situation ended is ultimately left up to the audience.

“Monster” is a truly emotional film that both warms and breaks hearts with its delicate performances, masterful direction, and brilliant writing. If there’s any film from 2023 that deserves more attention, “Monster” is undoubtedly it.

Since their 2021 Eurovision win, viral rock sensation Måneskin have captured the attention of fans worldwide with their unique blend of Italian and English songwriting.

They released their highly anticipated third studio album - “RUSH!” - in January 2023.

Their deluxe November record “RUSH! (ARE U COMING?)” - invites listeners further into their world of powerful vocals, fast-paced rock, and thumping bass that echoes down the spine.

The album features four additional songs, including “VALENTINE” - a rock ballad which interweaves guitar and crashing symbols with a tale of suffocating love. As Damiano David sings “All this love,” over and over in the final chorus, we feel his breathlessness fade away into Thomas Raggi’s unstoppable guitar solo.

Also added are “OFF MY FACE,” “THE DRIVER,” and “TRASTEVERE.” “THE DRIVER” perfectly captures the essence of Måneskin’s discography to date. “Don’t do it slow,” David sings at the end of the pre-chorus.

The band promises throughout to be a catalyst for the listener - “the driver” - that propels them to new heights of experience.

And they deliver. The rest of the album features some of my personal favorites. From the bassline of “GASOLINE” to the determined lyrics of “IL DONO DELLA VITA,” each song cements the band’s lively and unapologetic style.

With the addition of “THE LONELIEST” as its final song - a ballad that acts as a farewell to life and a conclusion to the love story that inspired previous tracks - Måneskin have delivered an album entirely their own, soaked in glitter, champagne, and heartache.

In 2023, I was told the “future’s gonna be OK.” What got me through was the promise of the much anticipated release of Agust D’s (also known as Suga/Yoongi from BTS) third album “D-DAY.” With the success of his previous mixtapes “Agust D” and “D2,” fans were buzzing for the opportunity to relish in more of Yoongi’s lyrical prowess. “D-DAY” as an album continues the story of Yoongi’s passions, touches on his personal growth and experiences, and dives deep into his own emotional hell.

What sets him apart from other musicians is his ability to be emotionally vulnerable with his fans.

He can confide in, share his trauma with, and brag to us, because we eat up his accomplishments as if they were our own.

Songs like “Amygdala” have a special place in our hearts, with lyrics that bring the listener through a journey of trials and tribulations he has faced, and his wish for his amygdala (a part of the brain responsible for processing threatening incidents and responding emotionally) to aid and help him feel something after enduring trauma.

The greatest part of this album release is the world tour. His visits to multiple countries around the world and performances of his album changed lives, if not just mine. The energy he exuded whilst being sick was top tier, as BTS always delivers.

He even performed multiple of his classic hits such as “Tony Montana,” “AGUST D,” and BTS’ rap line track “UGH!” Agust D once again proves his goals remain the same from day one - he will make history, and he will carve himself into it.

CONNECT WITH OWEN GLANCY

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hnuttall@student.framingham.edu

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ARTS & FEATURES

14 | JANUARY 26, 2024

Juried show Continued from Page 1 reflective surface, so she decided to draw a window in her bedroom.

“It’s actually my favorite part of my room. My dad bought me a candle over Christmas and it made my room so Christmassy,” she said.

Carrabis added her favorite part of being in the juried art show was being able to see all the other artworks in the show, and also that people get to see her work on display.

She added her favorite juried piece was “Touch This Painting” by Lola Castoreno, a vibrant and highly textured painting.

Castoreno said they made the piece because they wanted to test different techniques.

“And I’m interested in the idea of people interacting with paintings, so that then you see what happens over time,” they added.

They said when they named the painting “Touch This Painting,” they actually intended that as a directive for viewers, and people should actually touch it if they want.

Alexandra Lagoutari, a senior liberal studies major, had two pieces in the gallery: “Untitled” and “Feeling Clean.”

She said the piece was only called “Untitled” because she forgot to put the name in, but had she remembered, it would have been called “Reminis-

cent.”

Lagoutari added the painting depicts a trail she and her brothers used to bike together with their dog Nikita who recently died, so it was named in her honor.

She said she made “Feeling Clean,” a giant sculpture of a Q-Tip, because “it was just fun. I thought it was like

sculpture called “Melancholic.”

She said the Mazmanian Gallery showed her statue on the ground, but she would have preferred it on a pedestal to represent the somber feeling she wanted the piece to capture.

Domrose said the statue is supposed to show “a feeling that you can’t reach, but everyone feels that

“This person is looking at it just looking at the work - not necessarily understanding the effort or the growth that that person’s gone through. So it’s a scary thing to do.”

- Brian Bishop, Professor of Studio Art

an odd thing to make into a big form.”

The top three art pieces were chosen and the three students who made the art pieces were awarded with a cash prize.

Alyssa Domrose, junior studio art major, won the third-place prize for a

feeling.”

Carly Paul, a senior communications arts major, won second place with her piece “Self-Reflection,” which she said was incorrectly labeled as “Self-Admiration.”

She said the picture was taken

during summer 2023 when she was studying abroad in the Netherlands, and the self portrait was inspired by the self reflection that came with being in a new place.

The first-place winner was Haley Gaskin for her painting “Porcelain.”

The painting depicts a toilet from an upward angle with blood visible in the water.

She said she painted the piece as part of an assignment for class where she needed to satirize a social taboo, and the idea “really just came to me.”

Gaskin added she was inspired in part by “Fountain” by Marcel Duchamp, which is made from a porcelain urinal, and said she was considering changing the title of her piece of “Fountain of Youth” - in part in homage to Duchamp’s work and in part because “periods represent youth.”

President Nancy Niemi said she thinks the annual juried show is “essential and tremendous.

“The act of creation in our students, and the level of skill and beauty that they have, is extraordinary. And we have the ability to do that every year, and be recognized by our community and our families, and I think it’s wonderful,” she said.

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Spread and Photos by Photos & Design Editor Maddison Behringer

Mazmanian Gallery

Visitors looking at student art at the Mazmanian at the Annual Juried Show Opening Reception Jan. 24.

Visitors looking at student art at the Mazmanian at the Annual Juried Show Opening Reception Jan. 24.

Visitors looking at student art at the Mazmanian at the Annual Juried Show Opening Reception Jan. 24.

Alyssa Domrose’s statue “Melancholic,” which won second place in the 2024 juried art show Jan. 24.

A visitor looking at student art at the Mazmanian at the Annual Juried Show Opening Reception Jan. 24.

Courage and Resilience @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Puzzles

ARTS & FEATURES

ACROSS 1. Actress Menzel of “Wicked” 6. ___ Bay Rays 11. Lawyers’ grp.

14. “Water Lilies” painter Claude 15. Audibly 16. Tennis barrier 17. Investigates (In this answer, note the first 2 letters + the last 3) 19. Berkeley school, briefly 20. Radio journalist Shapiro 21. Doesn’t exist 22. Location 23. Turndowns 25. “The Mikado,” e.g. (... first 2 letters + the last 2) 28. Comes after 30. Grammy winner Morissette 31. “I don’t care what they do” 32. Exercise, as power 35. File extension for simple documents 36. Where to enjoy rolls while rolling? (... first 3 letters + the last 2) 39. Disco ___ (“Simpsons” character) 42. Insurance company with a green mascot 43. Alluded to 47. Against: Prefix 49. Idolize 50. Certain shoe bottom (... first 3 letters + the last 2) 54. Drops the ball 55. Hydrochloric ___ 56. Cleveland’s Great Lake 57. Filming locale 58. Terrible review 59. Shares a meal ... or what 17-, 25-, 36- or 50-Across does?

63. Finish 64. Peter of “Everybody Loves Raymond” 65. Iraqi port city 66. Web feed initials 67. Gathers DNA, perhaps 68. “Heavens to ___!”

JANUARY 26, 2024 | 15

DOWN 1. Seat, as a jury 2. Choice on “Let’s Make a Deal” 3. Most stained, as from a leaky pen 4. Once named 5. Tags on X 6. Anklebones 7. “Move ___!” (“Keep going!”)

Puzzle solutions are now 8. Opening at the dentist’s office? exclusively online.

9. It may be groan-worthy 10. Append 11. Far in the past 12. Author Potter of kiddie lit 13. No less than 18. Feels crummy 22. “Me day” destination 24. Took legal action 26. Soft mineral 27. Gerontologist’s subject 29. One who’s left a country 32. Nintendo console 33. Business abbr.

34. Word before “surfing” or “trip” 37. Close to 38. Meander 39. Ice remover 40. They have big bills 41. Frees from fastenings 44. Most to the point 45. Overdue debts 46. Time for a midterm 48. “Not certain yet,” briefly 49. “Mudbound” director Dee ___ 51. “Ta-ta!”

52. Sonicare competitor 53. Cares for 59. Small ammo 60. Line of seats 61. Consumer protection org.

62. Surname that’s an auditory organ backward

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PHOTOS

16 | JANUARY 26, 2024

Spread by Photos & Design Editor Maddison Behringer

Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST (Left) Morgan Patterson and Haylie Taylor doing homework in Henry Whittemore Library Jan. 24.

Emma Lyons / THE GATEPOST Students utilizing the study space in Hemenway Labs Jan. 25.

Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST Ellie Lima working in Henry Whittemore Library Jan. 24.

Emma Lyons / THE GATEPOST (Left) Lexi Beattie and Shiba Nankya studying in Hemenway Labs Jan. 25.

Study Tips 1. Remember To Take Breaks.

2. Stay Hydrated.

3. Make Lists!

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST The computers in the Student Lounge in the McCarthy Center Jan. 25.

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