April 7, 2023

The GOATs of Hilltop

Board of Trustees hold last meeting before budget is finalized

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor

By Naidelly Coelho Asst. News Editor

The Board of Trustees discussed the University’s budget, anti-racist initiatives, and fundraising during the March 31 meeting.

During the Finance Report, Dale Hamel, executive vice president, said the committee expects there to be no student charge increases for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24).

Hamel added the UMass system proposed a tuition lock where students pay the same tuition and fees throughout the four years they attend their university. He said the state universities were

asked to cost out this proposal as well, but they asked for more “flexible language.”

He said flexibility is necessary because some students at Framingham State do not graduate in four years. Therefore, the University would want to ensure the tuition lock remains the same from when they are a first-year student until graduation.

He said, if FSU were to take this approach, which is called “student cost stabilization,” it would be implemented in Fiscal Year 2025 for incoming first-year students in the Fall 2025 Semester. However, he said it may be a “better approach” for the UMass system than for smaller state universities.

Vice Chair Beth Casavant said if the tuition lock were designed to end after four years, it would be an incentive for

A giga-bite of preference

By Ryan O’Connell Arts & Features Editor

Gabrielle Bratcher is a fifth-year sociology major and a resident assistant in West Hall.

Alexa Gibson is a second-year food and nutrition major and a student admissions representative.

Noah Barnes is a fourth-year communication arts major with a concentration in theater, and directed Hilltop’s fall play last semester.

What do they all have in common?

It isn’t their choice of laptop.

According to Framingham State University’s IT Service, every student is

required to have an up-to-date laptop - one that meets the school’s hardware specifications.

These benchmarks include eight gigabytes of RAM (random access memory), 256 gigabytes of hard-drive storage, an i5 processor, and a battery that can hold a charge for over two hours.

Although students are able to use any laptop with satisfactory hardware regardless of brand or operating system, IT Services chooses a school recommended laptop every academic year.

Students can elect to purchase the recommended laptop from Dell at a discounted rate and with the added benefit of a four-year warranty - meaning no-

students to finish by then. On the other hand, it could also be a “disincentive” because then they would be discouraged by the knowledge that they would be hit with a fee increase.

Also in the finance report, Hamel said there will be significant funding for the Mass Grant Plus program, bringing in more financial aid for students in FY24.

He said the finance committee is using the governor’s budget proposal as a baseline for any changes made to the initial FY24 budget, with the caveat that the house and senate budget proposals may decrease allocations to state universities.

Hamel said, “We’re not counting on it at this point,” referring to additional

See BOARD OF TRUSTEES page 5

cost repairs.

According to IT Service Desk Manager Jackie Harrington, the University’s IT department chooses the recommended laptop based on three factors: service quality, cost, and product quality.

Harrington said service quality is the main priority - she said the University contracted with Lenovo in the past, but their support was unsatisfactory, leading them back to Dell.

She added Dell also has intuitive, easy to use products, and is efficient in repairing hardware.

Harrington said Framingham State’s collaboration with Dell is decided

(Left) Eric Qua and Noah Barnes performing ‘Goat Song Revel’ April 5.

O’Connell / THE

E ditorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Leighah Beausoleil

Associate Editor

Emily Rosenberg

News Editors

Sophia Harris

Branden LaCroix

Asst. News Editor

Naidelly Coelho

Opinions Editor

McKenzie Ward

Sports Editor

Adam Levine

Arts & Features Editor

Ryan O’Connell

Asst. Arts & Features Editor

Raena Doty

Design & Photo Editor

Maddison Behringer

Asst. Photos Editor

Zachary Sorel

Adrien Gobin

Staff Writers

Jesse Burchill

Riley Crowell

Owen Glancy

Mark Haskell

Ben Hurney

Jack McLaughlin

Emily Monaco

Izayah Morgan

Lainey Morrison

Kate Norrish

Bella Omar

Carly Paul

Wenchell Pierre

Dillon Riley

Kyle Walker Advisor

Desmond McCarthy

Asst. Advisor

Elizabeth Banks

Gatepost Interview

Zahra Tohidinia Professor of Marketing

By Raena Doty Editoral staff

What is your educational and professional background?

I’ve always been a business student, and I started as an undergraduate student in business administration. And then I got my master’s in business with a concentration in marketing, because that was one of the areas that kind of piqued my interest when I was an undergrad. … I got my bachelor’s and my master’s degree in Iran, and then I pursued my Ph.D. in the U.S. when I went to University of Connecticut, and I got my Ph.D. degree in marketing with a concentration on consumer behavior.

What are your goals as a professor of marketing?

I know students come from different majors and backgrounds. I know some of them are not majoring [in] marketing. And that’s perfectly understandable. Sometimes, you just want to get a little taste of this course, or maybe it’s just a required course. But for me, what’s important is to understand the concept of value, because that’s what marketing is all about - it’s about understanding the wants and needs of your audience or your target market and trying to come up with a valuable offering that takes into account every aspect of your audience’s needs. Or their wants - sometimes people are not fully aware of what’s in the market or the potential of your company or even if you’re a person, right? I also talk about how we should market ourselves in society, in general. So, I think understanding the concept of value and then framing your offering based on the needs and wants of your audience is my goal in teaching marketing.

Do you have any hobbies?

I like to cook, so that’s one of my main hobbies, if you will, because it also helps me to get off my desk - you know, it’s not good for you. … I think it hits two targets with one stone because then you also think about nutrition - you think about health. So it kind of balances my lifestyle a little bit. I really like to walk. I like to go to trails, and recently, I’m trying to learn how to forage for [edible plants] also on those hikes. You know, not a professional - you cannot ask about poisonous mushrooms yet, but I’m learning.

What’s something students wouldn’t expect about you?

When I was an undergrad, I wasn’t

sure if I was in the right place - I wasn’t sure if business studies was the right path for me. And the fact that some of the things that I learned, I acknowledged their value years after. I feel like studying business, especially as an undergraduate - it’s very wide sometimes. You don’t get a lot of deep discussions. But even hitting the surface-level concepts will stay with you. Like, for example, the fact that I took finance classes as an undergraduate, and I always thought they were too formulaic - there was too much math. But then, when coming to the real world, working and just doing everyday stuff, I learned that a lot of those concepts come in handy. Like front-loading the interests - something that we don’t think, “Hey, this will become useful if I know this concept at some point.” Or compound growth rate, something that just looks like a math formula, but we see examples of it in business all the time.

Do you have any advice for students?

There are always cases where students are definitely sure what they want to do,

Police Logs

Friday, March 31 08:41

100 State Street McCarthy Center Room 410

Framingham, MA 01701-9101

Phone: (508) 626-4605

Fax: (508) 626-4097

gatepost@framingham.edu

Parking Enforcement May Hall- 15 min

Spaces Citations Issued

Saturday, April 1 10:38

Noise Complaint North Hall Call Assignment Complete

Saturday, April 1 02:16

Medical Miles Bibb Hall 1 Male Transported to Hospital

Courtesy of Framingham State

but it’s OK if they change their mind. I think that’s one of the things I found out in life. We sometimes feel like you choose something and you stick with it, and that’s great, but it doesn’t mean that we should [not] have flexibility to also consider alternatives. And just like I said, when you start your studies, some of the coursework may seem irrelevant - some of the courses, you may not be as passionate about. But it all makes sense holistically, you know? … Studying and academic work sometimes becomes overwhelming - because I know, you’re taking four courses a semester, every one of them with deadlines … It sometimes seems overwhelming, but that’s OK - to feel overwhelmed. And just know that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and once you get your degree, a lot of opportunities will open up.

CONNECT WITH RAENA DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu

Sunday, April 2

Motor Vehicle Stolen 16 State Street Advised

SGA holds meeting to discuss BSU event funding

By Branden LaCroix News Editor

SGA held a meeting on Zoom April 6 to discuss the funding of the Black Student Union’s (BSU) gala event.

SATC Treasurer Sam Houle said the meeting was called because the funding for the event was approved at the financial committee, but since the funding request exceeds $1,000, SGA needed to review and approve it.

The funding request was for $2,500, which would be used specifically for catering for the event. Houle clarified the $2,500 is not the total cost of the event but is to be used specifically for catering.

The event is off campus and has 100 tickets available for FSU students and students from Lasell University.

Houle said approximately 75 FSU students have reserved tickets, with the remaining 25 being for Lasell University students. He added a stipulation for the original funding approval was that tickets be made available to FSU students first before Lasell University students.

He said the amount requested may have “raised some eyebrows,” but said because this is an off-campus event, SGA is not restricted to the $500 funding limit for catering on-campus events.

According to Houle, the $500 funding limit is due to a contract the University has with Sodexo for catering on-campus events.

Chelesae Simpson, BSU secretary, said the gala is a talent showcase for FSU students in collaboration with Lasell University.

President Dara Barros said, “I just

want to make sure that they’re going to be using RamLink to advertise it to FSU students, if we do pass the motion,” and asked what forms of communication BSU would use. Simpson

Corrections

In the March 31, 2023 edition of The Gatepost, several errors were made in the article “Students express concerns at Administrators’ Forum.”

The first error is in the paragraph, “Barros said a student complained about steak and chicken being raw about two weeks ago.” This paragraph is not correctly attributed. This was discussed by SGA Vice President Raffi Elkoury as well as Student Trustee

Sunday night April 9 Clear, with a low around 31. S wind about 5 mph.

Monday April 10 Sunny, with a high near 64. W wind about 10 mph.

McKenzie Ward.

The second mistake is in the paragraph, “She said the school privileges white students and that ‘we’re 10% away from being a minority-serving institution, and about 49% first-generation students.’” This was misunderstood. What SGA President Dara Barros said was, “There’s a lot of privilege that the University itself as a non-person of color has here.”

said the event will be advertised over Presence.

The funding was approved with only Houle abstaining.

The event will take place April 27

at the Framingham Historical Society commons.

Monday night April 10

Mostly clear, with a low around 40. SW wind about 10 mph.

Tuesday April 11

Mostly sunny, with a high near 70. W wind about 10 mph.

The third error occurred in the paragraph, “Barros asked why the washing machines were not working even though SGA allocated funds toward them.” Barros had asked why they were not working even though the University purchased new ones. The “we” Barros was referring to at the meeting was misunderstood as SGA.

The last error is in the paragraph, “‘I think we’re not given enough respon-

Tuesday night Apr. 11

Partly cloudy, with a low around 50. W wind about 10 mph.

Wednesday April 12

Mostly sunny, with a high near 75. W wind about 15 mph.

sibility on our own to also learn these life lessons,’ he said.” The “he” referred to SATF Treasurer Sam Houle. This is incorrect. This quote was actually spoken by Barros.

We apologize for these errors. We thank SGA for the work they do in holding these forums every semester.

Wednesday night Apr. 12

Mostly clear, with a low around 53. W wind about 10 mph.

Thursday April 13

Sunny, with a high near 81. W wind about 15 mph.

CONNECT WITH BRANDEN LACROIX blacroix@student.framingham.edu

Gatepost Archives

(Left) SGA Vice President Raffi Elkhoury, Secretary Mark Haskell, and SATF Treasurer Sam Houle.

Gatepost 90th birthday

Spread and Photos by Asst. Photos Editor Adrien Gobin

(Left) Phil LeClare, ‘94, and Steve Katsos, ‘96, catching up at The Gatepost birthday celebration March 25.

President Nancy Niemi addressing students and alumni at The Gatepost 90-year birthday celebration March 25.

Gatepost staff and alumni socialize at The Gatepost 90-year birthday celebration March 25.

Board of Trustees

funding from the Fair Share amendment, which went into effect this January.

Hamel said two of the trustees recently had a “legislative breakfast” with representatives from the House Ways and Means Committee, as well as Senate President Karen Spilka.

“So at least we’ve made our case,” he said, adding that the state legislature may decide to allocate all of the additional Fair Share funding to transportation, but it is going to be an “interesting” time in the next few months as the state legislature’s budget rolls out.

In the President’s Report, Nancy Niemi noted the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, during which approximately 58,000 Americans lost their lives.

She provided an update on the NECHE accreditation process which will conclude in 2024.

NECHE, the New England Commission of Higher Education, determines institutional quality using nine standards for accreditation.

we can definitely be able to address the threat that incident is posing to the sense of belonging, of an identity or well-being of an identity of any of the represented portion of our populations on campus, whether it be faculty, staff, or students,” Coleman said.

Another initiative he will be implementing would provide support to the communities that have been impacted, he said.

“This team will help us to identify campus partners across campus who can liaise with us and make contact with impacted communities across campus. It will also be able to help us be able to immediately provide resources to members of the communities on campus that have been impacted,” Coleman said.

The race and policing conversation that happened as a response to Tyrese Nichols’ death was designed to help the campus process and talk through that incident, according to Coleman.

He said some faculty shared concerns about the increased workload of faculty of color resulting from advocating for students of color.

She said the data concerning the lack of diverse faculty representation is surprising, and something FSU needs to “work on,” especially for parttime faculty.

Budwig said this is especially important for FSU as it pursues the status of being a Hispanic-serving institution, even though right now, it is considered a primarily white institution.

Regarding the enrollment strategy, she said understanding what students need and who is applying will take time.

Budwig said, “You know, it’s a competitive market.”

In the Development and Alumni Relations Report, Vice President Eric Gustafson said a couple of scholarships and $90,000 were gifted to FSU.

He said it was a “busy winter” with the men’s and women’s basketball gathering, and an event celebrating the 90th year anniversary of The Gatepost.

In the spring, the class of 1973 will have their reunion, Gustafson said.

He said, “We’re really focused on partnering academic departments as

said there has been no movement with the two vacant board positions since the previous meeting in January.

Foley said mandatory diversity, equity, and inclusion training for the board will be taking place in May.

In the Student Trustee Report, McKenzie Ward said SGA elections will take place April 13. Ward will be graduating in the spring, and a new student trustee will be voted on by the student body.

Ward also commended the University for their anti-racist efforts. She said during her job search for positions in higher education, no other institutions have required candidates to include a diversity and inclusion statement as part of their application.

The Student-in-the-Spotlight was senior political science major Blake Carlson. He was introduced by Joseph Coelho, chair of the Political Science, Global Studies, and Pre-law Department.

Carlson is a goalie for the FSU Hockey team, the vice president for the Political Science Club, and a research assistant for Political Science Professor Giuliano Espino - they have produced multiple academic papers on drug policy. He also tutors students in statistics and research methodology.

Carlson highlighted his time as a student of professors Espino and David Smailes, saying both professors made him realize that the faculty at FSU are what sets the University apart.

He said Smailes “has been an excellent lecturer who has made me really enjoy learning, and the way in which he shaped his classes and tests pushed me to dig deeper into the subject more than I normally would.

“The rumor mill is Dr. Smailes is going to be retiring in the next year or two, and it’s going to be a sad day when he finally does because the school and Political Science Department will be losing one of their very best,” Carlson added.

He said without Espino, he probably wouldn’t be the student he is today. He said Espino pushes his students to think “autonomously,” adding the first assignment he completed for Espino was an essay asking him to disagree with two of the professor’s opinions.

There are nine NECHE sub-committees writing an entry self study, she said.

They are writing how the University meets the standards and making observations where the University “shines and where we need improvement,” Niemi said.

She said once the appraisals are complete by the end of April, there will be writing sessions before the writing team leaves at the end of May.

The first draft of the self study should be ready by the Fall 2023 Semester, Niemi said.

Jeffrey Coleman, vice president of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said racially motivated incidents keep happening on and off campus that will impact the “sense of belonging” on campus.

He said the implementation of a “playbook” of procedures would help FSU respond to these incidents.

“But we want to be able to immediately, within a 48-hour time frame, provide a campus response so that

“The things that came up really focused around safety, belonging, and customer service - specifically for students,” Coleman said.

Trustee Diane Finch said she is “thrilled” with Coleman’s initiatives because of the caring and support they will provide to students, faculty, and staff.

She said these initiatives will make FSU a model for other institutions and hopefully, the “gold standard” in terms of what DICE is doing for community and safety.

During the Strategic Enrollment Report, Trustee Nancy Budwig shared some of the areas the committee has been focusing on to enhance enrollment efforts. For example, she said they looked at faculty recruitment in terms of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“And it’s not just about the representational qualities, but really looking at what is diversity, what’s going on - structurally and through appointment,” she said.

we always have in terms of how we connect alumni with current students and alumni and faculty.”

For example, there was recently an event for students to connect with and learn from alumni of the liberal studies major.

FSU has about $4 million in reserves so far in grants, and $1.7 million pending in two large transactions, Gustafson said.

For fall 2023, there are already 391 students registered for the Danforth Art School, while last year, there were 175 students at this time, he said.

“So we’re definitely going to be well ahead of last year - so excited to see that continue to grow,” Gustafson said.

He said another focus is to have high school students take summer fashion design classes. They will be working with admissions and the faculty of fashion design and retailing to make sure those students get to come to campus to visit the labs and see what FSU can offer.

In the Chair’s Report, Kevin Foley

He said he found a life-long friend in Espino, serving as his undergraduate research assistant and even helping to create a program in the political science department to teach students methodology.

Carlson said his personal motto is “Leave it better than you found it,” and encouraged the trustees to adopt the saying as well.

He added, “Thank you to everyone who has had a hand in my success here. I may not be able to pay it back, but I know I will be able to pay it forward.”

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

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH NAIDELLY COELHO ncoelho3@student.framingham.edu

“But we want to be able to immediately, within a 48-hour time frame, provide a campus response so that we can definitely be able to address the threat that incident is posing to the sense of belonging, of an identity or well-being of an identity of any of the represented portion of our populations on campus, whether it be faculty, staff, or students.”

- Jeffrey Coleman, Vice President of Diversity, Inclusion, and Civic Engagement

OP/ED

THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

It’s time to vote in the SGA election

On April 13, Student Government Association (SGA) will hold its annual election. Students from any class standing may cast their ballot virtually by simply heading to RamLink.

SGA is a vital organization at our University. It is how student concerns are brought to the attention of administrators. SGA is also responsible for allocating funds to student organizations and events on campus.

These elections sound important, right?

Well, in the past few years, participation in SGA elections has been minimal at best.

The general consensus is few people other than those in managerial positions in student organizations vote in the election or even have much knowledge about who the candidates are.

This needs to change.

Similar to the state and federal governments, SGA student representatives are responsible for finding solutions to issues on campus, and for speaking on behalf of the student body on the problems that matter to us.

Along with holding weekly open forums, they also hold Administrators’ Forums every semester at which students can share concerns and suggestions for the University. After these forums, SGA representatives are responsible for following up with administrators and reporting back to SGA on an action plan for how these issues will be addressed and/or resolved.

Every year, SGA is responsible for the allocation of a budget of hundreds of thousands of dollars. This past year, the amount available for allocation was $363,600.

This isn’t free money.

This is your money.

Students pay a $70 activities fee every year. The money accumulated by our payments is called the Student Activities Trust Fund (SATF), and SGA decides who and what this money goes toward.

The purpose of this money is to benefit students. It exists to assist in creating a vibrant student community and provide resources to

students.

If students do not vote in the SGA election or stay up to date with their representatives, this money could essentially be allocated to anything they want without consequence.

SGA represents the students. It is in the name of their organization title. However, they cannot properly represent you, your concerns, or wants if you do not make your voice heard to them.

The Gatepost encourages you to become informed of and participate in student government.

There are many ways to become informed and make changes that matter.

The first step students can take is to attend Candidates’ Night on April 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the alumni room. There, students can become acquainted with who is running for each position, what their qualifications are, and why they believe they deserve to serve in their elected roles.

Students can also become involved by attending SGA meetings, and participating in open forums.

Another way to be informed is to read The Gatepost. We cover all SGA meetings as well as Administrators’ Forums and any other news that relates to the functioning of our University.

All of this active participation leads to the most significant action a student can take: voting.

Not just filling out the ballot online, but making informed choices.

Know who is representing you.

Talk to those people.

Understand their intentions and goals in serving these positions.

The role of these student leaders is to ensure the student body is receiving a fair, equitable, and enjoyable college experience. But they cannot do this without you.

Save WDJM

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor

Last week, I learned WDJM is being advised by the Center for Student Experience to eliminate the FM radio signal, which will strip the club of its legacy title for next semester.

I understand. It must not be easy to maintain the popularity of an FM radio station when people listen to music on streaming services today.

But WDJM was never just an FM radio station.

It was a place where students, often quirky or outcasts, could go to find community and share their love of music with other geeks.

I am not a member of WDJM. However, my love for the station stems from the reason why I am at FSU in the first place: my dad.

My dad, a 1986 alumnus always describes his first semester of college as lonely.

This was until he met the director of WDJM. It was at the radio station where he and several generations of students found a home.

His stories of WDJM broadcasts, throwing parties in the DPAC, interviewing people on air, and hanging out after hours is what I hoped college would be and it is what led me to FSU.

It is sad that WDJM is no longer the place my father made it out to be.

But the lack of engagement will not be fixed by switching to streaming and podcasting.

Students can, and already do, make podcasts on their own.

Student organizations across this campus constantly struggle to engage students. Part of the reason is because the administration does not provide proper support to student leaders or their organizations.

We are constantly fighting battles to obtain spaces to run events and club meetings simply because a lot of rooms are locked or not available for student use.

Students must schedule events more than two weeks in advance, and it is often impossible to find places to meet.

WDJM is only one of many student organizations that has fallen victim to the barriers preventing student engagement.

And there are already too few spaces on campus that are dedicated to the student community, and the ones that are, are small and not designed for students to gather, especially the WDJM radio station.

If the station were bigger, a whole group of students could jam out there at once. The station could DJ events, and students could work on assignments while listening to their friends’ shows.

Instead, the office is only big enough for five to eight people to comfortably hang out there at once. It is also tucked away on the fourth floor of the McCarthy Center. Unless a student has a class there, they likely don’t know there is a radio station.

However, even though there was a loss of membership in the past few years, the answer is not to get rid of the WDJM FM radio signal.

Broadcasting over the radio is a valuable and fun experience. It brings students together by putting them in the same room to create a live show they are proud of.

A show they are excited to make.

When shows are live, people make hilarious mistakes. They are candid. And this is what people remember.

Podcasting and streaming can be similar, but having broadcast a few WDJM shows myself, I argue that the thrill of being live adds a level of joy that can enhance your communication and professional skills over time.

There is value to maintaining both an FM radio signal and developing podcasting and streaming services.

Although some might argue that an FCC license is expensive, this is not true.

The money allocated to WDJM for an FCC license is only $1,905, according to the WDJM budget made public at the Feb. 11 SGA Big Budget Meeting.

In comparison to the multi-hundred thousand dollars allocated to student organizations, this is pennies.

WDJM is approaching 53 years of being a student organization. It produced numerous successful alumni who went on to work at radio stations and TV networks.

But most importantly, it created long-lasting friendships and memories.

To strip the station of its name and sole purpose - producing radio - to save a few bucks is a disgrace to its legacy.

And if this decision is made permanent, the administration will set a precedent for other student organizations - that they would rather cut operations than protect and revitalize a precious student community.

Prove there can be magical places at Framingham State as I thought when I was younger.

Please, save WDJM.

Courtesy of RamLink

FSU must do more for housing insecure students

By Leighah Beausoleil Editor-in-Chief

When I enrolled in college, I thought I would finally get the stability I’ve been chasing my whole life.

I thought I had finally earned four years in one school with the promise of housing security as long as I paid my tuition and room and board bills.

When I first began looking at colleges in high school, I went to my guidance counselor with some community college options because I figured that would be the most affordable approach to higher education given my lack of financial resources and assistance.

However, my counselor told me, “No.” He did not think I should split up my four-year college experience like that.

I needed the stability.

For context, when I first met my counselor, I had just transferred to Bartlett High School in Webster.

The fourteenth transfer of my educational career.

He was shocked at how well I still managed to do in school and told me I would have done much better if I had only been given the chance to stay in one place.

Therefore, he did not want to see me split up my higher education experience.

He told me not to worry about the cost. I would be granted the necessary financial aid.

So, I applied to schools in the New England region, both public and private, looking for the best way to pursue a career in community journalism.

When the acceptance letters came rolling in accompanied by financial aid packages, my decision was clear.

I was going to Framingham State.

This decision felt good.

This decision felt right.

I moved into my very first dorm in the fall of 2019. I was making friends, getting involved, and working hard.

Come my sophomore year, the world was in the middle of a global pandemic and I found out my grandparents, whom I lived with at the time, were planning to move to South Carolina.

This meant I had nowhere to live unless I transferred to a college down South.

I did not have anyone else to turn to at the time.

I made it through winter break living on campus despite there being no dining options.

However, I knew when the spring semester was over and I had paid my bills and saved enough for a driver’s ed program, I would not be able to afford to stay at Framingham State for the whole summer.

Knowing you have nowhere to go and nothing you can do about it is hard.

I was scared.

If I went down South for the summer, I would have to leave my job, I wouldn’t be able to obtain my license, and the money I would have needed to pay for the fall semester would have been put toward travel expenses. Would I have to give up all the prog-

ress I had made at this University - the jobs, the experience, the leadership positions?

Would I even be able to afford a school down South with the cost of out-of-state tuition?

This is when my counselor at the Counseling Center suggested I look into resources available on campus for students in my situation.

I got in touch with the Dean of Students Office and set up a meeting with the person in charge of Student Support & Advocacy at the time. They were very busy, so we could only meet for 15 minutes over a Zoom call.

Finally - a way to address this situation!

Unfortunately, this meeting was not helpful at all.

I was expected to explain everything about my situation in this limited window of time - information that took me months to finally open up about at the Counseling Center.

Then, I was told other students had experienced worse situations, and I should use the last of my money on an apartment.

I had saved $800 for driver’s ed.

What landlord was going to give me an apartment for $800?

That’s not even a month’s rent in most places.

Their only other advice was to get another job and work 60 hours a week, which was not an option for me at the time, especially given the fact I didn’t even have a car.

Thankfully, I was able to sort every-

Campus Conversations

Who is your favorite professor and why?

By Ben Hurney, Dillon Riley, and Kyle Walker, Staff Writers

“She’s great - because you know how fully online asynchronous classes are? She makes it so easy without Zoom. She makes videos on Panopto for you to watch and she puts them in order for you to watch them. It’s great! I love it!”

Professor Yaying (Mary) Yeh, Finance

-Gerald Fernandez, sophomore

“I love Professor Chon because she’s just the best. She teaches physics and just understands how it’s like to be a student. She’s like, ‘I could make this complicated, but I’m not going to make it complicated’ and is just very understanding.

Professor Kristin Chon, Physics -Lillian Thibeult, junior

thing out myself and it’s lucky that I did, because it seemed as if the University wanted to wait until I was out on the street before deciding to make any moves.

To this day, I wonder why the University did not care enough to help me.

The administration claims the University is student focused, but clearly, that is not always the case.

I at least knew of the options available on campus for those who are facing housing insecurity, but unfortunately, these did not help me.

Why are they even there, then?

There is so much the University can do for students facing a situation like mine two years ago.

The Dean of Students Office needs to spend more time meeting with and listening to students in crisis. In addition, these meetings need to feel safe and comfortable for students to effectively discuss and address their housing insecurity.

There should be emergency housing options. It wouldn’t be an additional cost given students already live here year round.

It could be a program in which students can even work at the University such as how resident assistants and orientation leaders are able to live on campus while working during the summer.

Students going through similar or worse situations to mine deserve the support the University claims to offer.

Change won’t help me now, but it can help them.

“My favorite professor is Jennifer Dowling. She’s very cooperative, takes the time to help all of her students, and is pretty reasonable at accommodating everyone’s needs in the classroom.”

Professor Jennifer Dowling, Studio Art

-Chris Alano, junior

“Professor Johnston. She’s very understanding when you have a conflict with something like two tests in one day and makes sure that you get the support you need.”

Professor Amy Johnston, Environmental Science

-Oscar Rubyck, freshman

“Ira Silver: I love that man. I’m taking his class this semester online and last semester’s class in person. He’s just an amazing teacher and the conversations we have in that class are amazing.”

Professor Ira Silver, Sociology -Juan Urbaez, senior

“My favorite professor despite being a history major I think is Professor Espino. I think he has a very insightful mind and he challenges students to think outside the box.”

Professor Giuliano Espino, Political Science -Alex Szarka, junior

Softball splits with Saints

By Adam Levine Sports Editor

By Riley Crowell Staff Writer

The Framingham State Rams split games with the Emmanuel College Saints in their nonconference doubleheader at the Maple Street Field April 4.

The first game started slowly, with both teams holding each other scoreless through the first two innings.

Framingham’s offense broke through with a double from third baseman Makayla Rooney in the bottom of the third inning.

Rooney scored on a single by Rams’ shortstop Camille Desrochers, giving Framingham a 1-0 lead.

Framingham’s bats continued to heat up in the fourth inning. Rooney provided an RBI single, and Desrochers contributed a two-RBI single to extend

the Rams’ lead to four.

Framingham’s left fielder, Gwen Carpenter, and catcher Talia Duca, secured the Rams’ 6-0 victory with RBIs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Framingham’s starting pitcher, Ally Moran, shined in the circle, pitching the Rams’ first complete-game shutout of the season.

In seven innings of work, Moran allowed zero runs, walked zero batters, and only allowed three total baserunners of the 24 batters she faced.

Moran also struck out five Saints batters on her way to victory.

Moran recently won MASCAC pitcher of the week and currently boasts a season ERA of 1.13, keeping opposing teams off the board at an elite level.

When asked about her success and plan of attack, she said, “Throwing pitches where the batters are going to get weak hits. Just relying on my defense.

“I love it. I know I can rely on them at all times.” Moran added.

Head Coach Larry Miller said, “Her whole career, she’s gone out there and hit her spots.

“We have a ton of confidence in her,” Miller added.

The Saints marched back in the second game with an 8-4 victory over the Rams.

Emmanuel capitalized on two errors made by Framingham’s defense and took an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

The Saints profited off another error by the Rams’ defense in the top of the second inning and increased their lead to 5-0.

Framingham’s Olivia Mendonca relieved Rylynn Witek as pitcher during the top of the third inning.

Framingham’s defense held strong and allowed for Duca to score a tworun RBI in the bottom of the third inning.

The Rams trailed 5-2 entering the top of the fifth inning, but the Saints’ offense had their best inning of the game.

Emmanuel pieced together RBIs from three consecutive batters and increased their lead to 8-2 over the Rams.

Framingham’s right fielder, Keely Scotia, tried to spark the Rams’ offense with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The final inning was scoreless for both teams, and the Saints finished the doubleheader with an 8-4 win over the Rams.

Framingham’s loss ended their seven-game win streak.

Rooney said, “I think when we’re in

Meet the Coach - Women’s Lacrosse

By Adam Levine Sports Editor

Doran said she began playing lacrosse in seventh grade, which was “late-ish compared to everyone else who were on my teams.”

Doran said her best friend growing up, and their whole family, played lacrosse. She said, “I was sick of soccer, so I picked up lacrosse and really liked it.”

She said she played lacrosse through middle school, high school, and at Eastern Connecticut State University.

Doran said her first experience coaching lacrosse was at Eastern Connecticut as an assistant coach right after she graduated. She said, “Because of who I was as a player, that transition for me wasn’t super hard.”

Doran said she coached her former teammates at Eastern Connecticut when she became an assistant coach.

She said, “Rippey actually reached out to me as he was leaving.”

Doran said she came to Framingham because of everything it offers.

She said, “Being in the MASCAC conference is awesome. The location is awesome. The school here - your education actually means something when you graduate from Framingham.”

Doran said her favorite part about coaching at Framingham is the athletes.

“My student athletes are awesome. I show up and have fun every day,” Doran said.

She said, besides the memory of winning the 2022 MASCAC championship, her athletes always stand out to her.

it, we’re in it and we definitely put our hearts on the field.

“It’s tough for that second game here, but it was good on that streak.”

Miller said, “The second game today got away from us a little bit, but we’re excited for conference play on Friday.”

“We faced them [Bridgewater State] the last two years in the MASCAC championship, and it’s always an exciting doubleheader,” Miller added.

The Rams hold an overall record of 12-8 and a MASCAC record of 2-0.

Framingham will host Bridgewater State for a MASCAC doubleheader April 7.

Devyne Doran, 27, is in her second season as the Rams’ head lacrosse coach.

Doran said one of her best memories as a coach is winning a MASCAC championship in her first season as the Rams’ head lacrosse coach. Doran said, “First year coming in and winning - that’s kind of hard to top.”

She said, “I was just really able to have that honest conversation with my friends of, ‘Hey, I’m not your friend.’

“‘This is gonna be my job and when you graduate, we’ll be friends again.’”

Doran said former Rams’ head lacrosse coach, James Rippey, mentored her during her first head coaching position at Mitchell College.

Doran said, “Being able to teach lessons through lacrosse and having it translate into their life, postgrad, or even as they go through their college career - I think it’s really, really cool.”

Doran works alongside Assistant Coach Dave Planchet. She said, “He’s like the dad of our team.”

Doran added, “I could not, probably, get through a day without Dave.

“The girls love him. They trust him.

“We would not be where we are right now if it weren’t for him,” Doran said.

Doran said her favorite athletes growing up were female athletes, such as professional tennis player Venus Williams, now retired professional tennis player Serena Williams, and now retired professional soccer player Mia Hamm.

Doran said, “I feel like the ones [athletes] that definitely had the most impact on me personally were girls that I played with in college and in high school also who just supported me and pushed me a lot.”

Doran said she categorizes her coaching style as “holistic” and “balanced.”

She said, “I know that being a student first, being a person, having a social life, having family, all that kind of stuff - playing lacrosse is an added bonus to being a college student.”

Doran said, “We definitely have a lot of fun and I think that’s a big part of our success is ‘winning is fun.’”

CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE

alevine5@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE alevine5@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH RILEY CROWELL rcrowell@student.framingham.edu

Stats sourced from fsurams.com

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST Angelina Lynch batting during game against Emmanuel College April 4.

Photo by Frank Poulin Photography

Devyne Doran

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST Rylynn Witek picthing during game against Emmanuel College April 4.

Women’s Lacrosse face new competition in Florida

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor

One hot morning in Panama City, Florida, Regan Fein sat on the beach and was in awe as she watched dolphins jump through the water.

A native New Englander, it was the first time Fein had ever seen starfish, sharks, stingrays, or dolphins.

Spring break is a typical time for students to take life-changing trips. And this was no exception for the FSU Women’s Lacrosse team who traveled to Florida from March 12-17 to play two tournament games against Ohio Northern University and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy.

Florida provided an exciting new turf for teammates to explore both with their lacrosse sticks and their inner travel-bug.

Fein, a captain of the team and a senior, said traveling for tournament games seems to be a tradition for some FSU sports teams. Last year, women’s lacrosse traveled to South Carolina. She said the trip provides an opportunity for teams to play universities they would otherwise never compete against.

Fein said playing teams from across the country provides perspective to their own gameplay, adding when the team plays the same New England universities every year, players learn what to expect.

She added there are “a hundred plays you can practice” but until they are put into a live game, they won’t realize what should be tweaked or adapted.

Jordan Utter, a senior and a team captain, said the team had to access both Ohio Northern and Merchant Marine’s best and worst aspects of their game by watching a lot of film and confronting pre-dispositions in practice, so they could capitalize on any errors when they faced off on the turf.

“At the end of the day, we play our game against every team with the same goal in mind. I would say the actual game played was similar to what we see here, but our preparation was much different,” Utter said.

Utter said, “The first game we played against Ohio Northern was electric energy from the Rams for the whole 60

minutes of play.” The Rams beat Ohio Northern 25-7.

On the other hand, Fein said Merchant Marine was a tougher opponent and they lost 17-12. She said the Rams weren’t able to “click” like they normally do, and while facing a more

Brooke Phelps, a junior and team member, said to prepare for the games against Merchant Marine and Ohio Northern, they practiced Monday and Thursday, as well as watched film of the other teams.

After “crushing” Ohio Northern, the

“These are the people that I am going to be friends with for the rest of my life, like that is honestly just like the best part of it,” Fein added.

Fein said being in Florida was also a great team building experience. “All 20 of us were in a house together, which sounds like it would be horrible, but it was a beautiful house … and I really just got that feeling like ‘Wow these are my teammates, we get along so well.’”

Head Coach Devyne Doran said teammates cooked and went grocery shopping together. She said she was lucky to manage a responsible group of women who had no issue working together to clean the kitchen and take care of the beach house.

aggressive team this became a disadvantage.

Yet, it proved to her what the team needs to work on moving forward, she said.

team’s biggest win at that point in the season, Fein said she enjoyed decompressing by going to the beach, watching the waves, and grabbing hotdogs with her teammates.

She added not only did her team do an “awesome” job traveling efficiently and staying happy during what could’ve been a stressful time, they also worked hard to fundraise for the trip. The team threw several fundraisers throughout the year to bring down the initial cost of taking the team to Florida, including selling concessions at a Bruins game and hosting their own mini thrift shop in the McCarthy lobby. Also during the trip, two teammates had birthdays turning 21 and 22 years old calling for a fun celebration with cake.

After recalling a smooth plane trip and cool walks to the ice cream shop in the Panama City downtown area, Phelps laughed about a mishap that occurred halfway through the week.

Phelps was taken to the emergency room when her face and skin swelled up due to sun poisoning.

“Everybody made fun of me the whole freaking trip because I had a really bad allergic reaction and I looked crazy,” she said.

Utter said, “Being in Florida with my team is a memory I will cherish forever. …. I don’t know if I will ever have the opportunity to stay in a house with 23 of my closest friends again so I will forever savor that.”

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of Brooke Phelps

Courtesy of Brooke Phelps

“These are the people that I am going to be friends with for the rest of my life, like that is honestly just like the best part of it”

- Regan Fein, Captain of Women’s Lacrosse

ARTS & FEATURES

‘Autism Goes to College’ goes to FSU

By Raena Doty Asst. Arts & Features Editor

The Chris Walsh Center hosted a screening of the documentary film “Autism Goes to College” and a subsequent question and answer session with Jan Blacher, the film’s executive producer and a UCLA psychology professor.

“Autism Goes to College,” approximately an hour long, follows five college students through aspects of their daily lives. The film gives insight to what types of strengths, struggles, and barriers they face because of their disabilities.

The film started with personal testimonials from the students about why they chose to go to college and how they cope with their struggles.

The students in the film showed varying degrees of enthusiasm for their new lives - some, like Jonathan, an artist, were very certain of what they wanted to do, while others, like Guillermo, were less certain and needed to explore their paths a bit more.

Aniella said she didn’t want to go to college at first, but said when she did, she got very involved in arts, theater, and other extracurriculars at her school.

She said she didn’t know when she wanted to disclose her autism diagnosis. Text on the screen of the film added that many autistic students don’t know when to disclose their diagnoses, and may wait until they’re in “crisis” to tell someone.

Jasmine, another student featured in the documentary, said no university accepted her as a student, so she went to community college instead while also working at a Chick-fil-A.

She said college was more “mature” than high school and she had to worry less about bullying, but also that certain environments in college were hostile to her. She added test taking was hard for her because other students made noise and it was hard to concentrate.

Caroline was more confident as a student in her ability to access support from her school’s disability support services. She was an older student who started out going to community college for eight years before transferring to a university.

Many of the students and their parents mentioned the difficulty of transition involved in going to college. Some services were difficult to access, especially when considering the challenges created by a student’s autism.

Jasmine’s mother said because students over the age of 18 need to sign a waiver for parents to access medical

or academic records, it can be particularly hard for parents to provide support.

Day-to-day classroom struggles were another major focus of the film.

One of Jonathan’s art professors said Jonathan was an exemplary student who was able to apply complicated concepts based on minimal explanation.

He also said some students were bothered by the way Jonathan would stand up to pace or stim - though, he added they became more accepting when they learned he was autistic.

Jasmine said getting a notetaker or extra time on tests was especially hard, and often the struggle of getting the accommodations was more difficult than she thought was worth it.

Many student struggles could be traced to early childhood.

Jonathan’s mother said he took longer than expected to begin acquiring language, but she was able to communicate with him by putting signs on objects with the name of the object written on it.

Aniella’s father said she was held back after first grade, but she struggled to get an individualized education program (IEP) because she scored too highly on tests.

Most of the students expressed pride in being autistic - though not without anxiety over the future, especially for students who were graduating, like Guillermo.

“The future is looming over my shoulder - I don’t know what to do,” he said, but the documentary showed shortly after filming wrapped up, he

had graduated and done well despite all his nerves.

After the film wrapped up, the question and answer session began.

When one audience member asked about how one could view the film or present it at another event, Blacher said it could all be done through the website www.autismgoestocollege.org, and added accommodations could be made to make it available as much as possible.

“Bottom line,” she said, “we will make it accessible.”

Another audience member asked how the production team chose the five students to be the stars of the film.

Blacher said the project started out as a study at her university called “Autism 101,” and when students came to her department looking for support, they began interviewing faculty and autistic students.

She said the original project was filming a few of the students to be put on UCLA’s website, but when she began filming the project with the help of Erik Linthorst, he wanted to expand it into a longer project.

“Like 10 minutes in, he stopped the film, told his cameraman, his lighting people, ‘Whoa, stop,’ and he turned to me and said, ‘This is a full-length documentary,’” Blacher said.

She added, Guillermo and Aniella were part of the original filming project.

Other students applied to be part of the project through advertisements on social media and Blacher interviewed all of them before giving

Linthorst the final say on who ended up in the project, Blacher said.

One attendee asked Blacher whether she is available as a speaker, and she said yes. She also added that the students in the film are available as speakers, though they have other responsibilities, so they may not be as available as she is.

She said the student stars of the film were involved in the production of the documentary, and what the final film ended up looking like.

“I particularly urged Erik, the director, to make sure that the student had a say - that the students were driving,” she said. “They set the path of the film. They had some concrete intellectual contributions to the film.”

Several audience members had questions about how to best support an autistic student.

One attendee asked how to know how accommodating a university will be to student disability before accepting an offer to go to the school.

Blacher said it can be difficult for families with fewer resources, but she recommends visiting the disability services center before sending in an application.

She added students who don’t want to disclose their disability may still be able to get aid through the disability services center, and visiting the center before making a decision can provide insight.

When students choose to disclose they are autistic came up several times throughout the documentary and in the conversation.

Jonathan mentioned difficulty getting along with his roommates in his first two years of school, and text on the screen added that roommates are not informed of student disabilities due to confidentiality reasons.

However, when asked, Blacher added many autistic students don’t want to have roommates at all - which is in line with non-autistic student preference about having roommates.

Blacher said she would try to compile resources for people who want to do further reading on this topic and Therese Ajtum-Roberts, coordinator of the Chris Walsh Center, would try to send out the resources to people who want them.

She also said there’s a sequel to “Autism Goes to College” currently in the works, tentatively called “Autism Goes to Work.” Blacher said it will hopefully have a more diverse range of people in it who will represent more autistic people across the country.

CONNECT WITH RAENA DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu

Raena Doty / THE GATEPOST

Amanda Bedard introducing executive producer Jan Blacher April 4.

Alumni to author

Gledé Browne Kabongo discusses her journey in self-publishing

By Ryan O’Connell Arts & Features Editor

By Bella Omar Staff Writer

The Department of Communication, Media, and Performance hosted guest speaker Gledé Browne Kabongo - self-published psychological thriller author and FSU alum - to talk about her experiences as a writer April 3.

Kabongo began by talking about her time in college at FSU. “I think it was the perfect fit for me,” she said.

She said she graduated high school at 16, and the smaller campus felt like the right place for her.

Kabongo said she originally planned to study journalism, but ended up majoring in communication arts with a minor in journalism, and that she thinks it was a positive change.

She said she worked in global marketing and communications after graduating in 1994, which helped her to become the self-published author she is today, now the writer of seven novels and recipient of four awards for her fiction writing.

Kabongo said writing is more like a second job, and this has to do with the high competition in fiction writing. She added although she would love to write full time, there are a lot of hoops authors need to jump through to live comfortably - self published or otherwise.

She said when she decided to self publish her work in 2013, the concept was still new and stigmatized. She added the choice to self publish was also spurred by the rarity of agents in fiction writing.

Kabongo said she chose to write psychological thrillers because “the genre chose [her],” and she’d always had a love for suspense and mystery stories. She added it wasn’t until the novel “Gone Girl” resurfaced in popular culture that she learned what genre her work fit into.

“That book gave a resurgence to psychological thrillers, and so [I said], ‘Oh, so that’s what I write. OK, cool,’” she said.

Kabongo said there are more pros than cons in self publishing - such as having more creative freedom, stronger control over when the product reaches market, complete ownership of your intellectual property, and the ability to change pricing and royalty returns without considering a publisher or agent.

She said while self publishing has lots of benefits, it’s an extremely competitive business.

She then shared some harsh statis-

tics about the field, such as the fact that 60% of a publisher’s income will come from only 4% of their books, and that in 2021, of 3.2 million books, less than 1% sold more than 5,000 copies.

Kabongo then shared several downsides to self-publishing such as having to make all payments out-ofpocket, being responsible for all marketing aspects, and having to meet or exceed market expectations without the safety net of a publishing team.

She then described how she lays out the “groundwork” for any given project. The first focus is creating a story idea, title, and cover design, since those elements are what make the first impression on a potential reader.

Kabongo said she then researches the topic and creates a 200-word synopsis of the plot and characters. Finally, she added, she develops the outline for the novel.

Given that her genre of choice, the

psychological thriller, is plot based, Kabongo said she takes screenwriting techniques and applies them to her storytelling. Working backwards from the surprise twist or ending to the beginning, she said she takes a careful approach to authoring mystery.

She then segued into the business aspect of self-publishing, discussing the editing, publishing, and marketing processes of being an “author-preneur.”

Concerning marketing, Kabongo made it clear that any given story will not appease everyone.

“You need to build your tribe and you need to whittle it down and figure out what kind of person will like that book,” Kabongo said.

James Mills explores outdoor recreation and activism

By Raena Doty Asst. Arts & Features Editor

James Edward Mills, journalist and wilderness expert, visited FSU April 4 to give a presentation on and answer questions about how to engage people of color in outdoor recreation.

Mills began by describing his experiences going to the Grand Canyon in the Colorado River - a privilege few get to experience because of limits the National Parks Service imposes to keep pollution out of the area.

He said in his party of 15 people, he was the only person of color - and, in fact, the friend who invited him to come, who had been a tour guide for four decades, said Mills was the only Black person he’d ever taken through the Grand Canyon.

Mills said 4.5 million people visit the Grand Canyon per year, but only 29,000 people are permitted to go through the Colorado River.

“After our trip was over, we had the pleasure of meeting and spending

time with many people of color on the Canyon rim - so it’s not to say that there are no Black folks on the Grand Canyon,” he said.

Mills then described his personal history working in nature. He said his father was a lawyer and activist who worked with Martin Luther King Jr., and because of that, expectations for him were very high throughout his childhood. Despite that, he chose not to go to graduate school, as was expected of him.

He said his career helped him explore all over the world. From working at The North Face, then a small company, to visiting the highest Alpine lake in the world, Mills had the opportunity to see and visit many places.

It was the events of Sept. 11, 2001 that pushed him to start a career in journalism, writing, and photography, he said.

“I decided that I was going to start looking for stories [of] people like me in the outdoors that had very similar experiences and probably had many

of the same stories I had that could ultimately be shared with a broader audience,” Mills said.

He said he had the chance to interview Ken Burns, a filmmaker who made a documentary about national parks, and Burns told Mills a story he’d never heard before, which he called a “radicalizing experience.”

He said Burns told him about a unit of the military called the Buffalo Soldiers, made mostly of Black men, who were stationed in the national parks in Yellowstone and Yosemite.

“If someone with my backgroundin civil rights, in outdoor recreation, in working in the national world as a person of color - had never heard this story before, chances are millions of people around the world have never heard this story either,” he said.

He added the only permanently stationed Black park ranger in Yosemite today is Shelton Johnson.

Mills said the work of making parks and outdoor recreation more equitable will involve making sure people

of color know they’re welcome in the space.

“Welcome isn’t just to say, ‘We’re open to everyone.’ Welcoming is literally inviting people to come in. That’s what we fail to do. That’s what we have been failing to do since the 1900s,” he said.

“There is yet to be a really explicit moment in time where there’s a sign that says ‘Black folks welcome.’ That’s never happened. And it’s probably never going to happen, because no one is really prepared to say, ‘Wow, we really have to fix this problem,’” he added.

Mills concluded by saying the problems are much larger than a simple lack of interest in the outdoors from people of color.

“How can you possibly expect someone who doesn’t have the ability to put food on the table to go for a wilderness adventure on an overnight experience?” Mills asked.

CONNECT WITH BELLA OMAR bomar@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL roconnell1@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH RAENA DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu

Maddison Behringer / MHWPC

(Left to right) Niall Stephens, Gledé Browne Kabongo, and Zahedur Armen at Kabongo’s behind the scenes event April 3.

Student laptops

Continued from page 1

entirely by the IT department, since the quotes for student hardware don’t exceed the threshold required for a request for proposal (RFP).

The recommended laptop for the 2022-23 school year is the Dell Latitude 7430, offered with stock parts to FSU students at $1,414.64. This comes to a 23.5% discount when compared to the regular price of $1,849.

The University also recommends a cheaper laptop alternative with a weaker processor - 2022-23’s being the Dell Latitude 3420 for $1,136.72.

So what do students use their laptops for? Is it worth buying the school’s recommended model? Or is it a waste of money?

Bratcher said she’s had the same laptop since her freshman year - almost five years - and purchased the school recommended model. She added she and her dad chose the Latitude due to the University’s student discount and the availability of convenient repair.

“If it broke, I was going to be able to get it fixed for free, all that kind of stuff,” she said. “I break things pretty easily, so my dad was like ‘we’re doing that.’”

Bratcher said she’s had to take advantage of the laptop’s warranty in the past.

“Actually, like three times,” she said.

She added she has always been satisfied with the laptop’s speed and doesn’t care too much about having top-of-the-line performance.

“A lot of my friends are like, ‘You should get an Apple, it’s better,’ but I really am not doing anything crazy. I’m doing the regular school stuff, watching YouTube if I’m bored at night, just stuff like that. And it does everything I need it to do,” she said.

Bratcher added she’s never had any issues with her laptop. She said it’s fast and has never failed her outside of forgetting to charge it, which she admitted was her fault anyways.

She said the only thing she disliked in her laptop is the aesthetics, and said even that wasn’t a big deal. “I like how things are sleek, and that one is very, kind of boxy. … It’s not that big of a deal to me,” she said.

Bratcher said she was “not at all” a tech savvy person.

She said the school work she did on her laptop was mostly limited to writing essays, discussion posts, and using Canvas, but sometimes included using Microsoft Office products, such as Excel.

She added last semester, she even had to work with other students who had Macs to help them create spreadsheets, since Apple technology does not easily support Microsoft products.

Bratcher said her laptop is also used for leisure.

“I watch YouTube, a few times I play like ‘Happy Wheels’ when I get

bored,” she said. “This is going to sound really stupid, but I used to play ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ on it with my nephews.”

Alexa Gibson has had her laptop since she arrived at FSU in 2021 too, but it isn’t the school recommended model.

She said she uses a Lenovo IdeaPad 5, and it’s the first laptop she’s had all to herself.

She added she enjoyed having her own laptop, but initially faced some challenges installing programs and using software like Microsoft Word, and would call her parents for help.

“Even so, I’m not a huge technology person,” she said.

Gibson said she paid about $600 or $700 for her laptop at Best Buy, and its performance hasn’t weakened very much in the almost two years she’s had it.

“It’s stayed mostly the same. Once

restart my computer to get that to work,” she said.

Gibson said as a science-related major, she spends a lot of time using programs like Microsoft Excel, online tools like Smartwork5, and writing research papers, which her computer is suitable for. She added she sometimes uses it for online shopping and streaming services.

She said as an admissions tour guide, she’s asked a lot about whether incoming students need to buy the school’s recommended laptop.

“I always tell them I wouldn’t nec-

semester.

He said he paid around $1,500 for the GL65 Leopard in 2020 - about on par with what a student-discounted Dell Latitude costs in 2023.

Barnes said the computer runs excellently.

He added if he compared any other computer he’s used to the one he has now, he’d expect the Leopard to already have Photoshop open by the time the other device had finished logging in.

Barnes said while the computer performs well, the sound makes it hard to use.

“If I go into a class, occasionally, even if I have settings changed on how it performs or whatever, it gets hot. And it will blow a fan - a fan will go off inside,” he said.

“And it can be quite loud. And when it gets to that point, I have to turn it off to avoid making noise and disrupting other students, because that’s the last thing I want to do,” he said.

Barnes added he has learned to partially prevent the noise his device produces, and it’s something definitely not present with other laptops.

essarily say you need to get it through the school, just because I’ve never had extreme issues with mine where I’ve needed help. But even if I did, I know we can go to the IT desks,” she said.

Noah Barnes said he’s had two laptops during his career at FSU.

He said he got his current laptop,

He said he still feels confident in his laptop despite this, since having a quick machine is useful in college when bouncing between assignments in courses like filmmaking and graphic design.

Barnes added a high image quality is also important in his major, and his current laptop works well for it.

He said he was somewhat comfortable with computers - not knowing much about hardware but very familiar with software such as the Adobe suite.

Barnes said when he has to get another computer, he probably won’t get another gaming laptop. He said the high definition and quick speed is good for school work and streaming content, but the noise and price of it discourage him from getting the highest stats next time.

in a while my Word and stuff on my computer keeps telling me that I can’t log into my OneDrive, but I just ignore that,” she said.

She added the only other issue she can remember is needing to restart the laptop to connect to WiFi whenever she moves buildings on campus.

Gibson said she is happy with her laptop, but wishes she could read and respond to texts on her computer like MacBooks and have a toggleable lightup keyboard for typing in the dark.

She added she feels comfortable relying on her laptop since she’s only ever watching TV or doing homework, but that it isn’t perfect.

“Sometimes I would meet with someone online on a portal app, and then the audio and video just wouldn’t work for that - and it’s like a 30% chance I’m going to have to

a GL65 Leopard gaming laptop, due to complications he had using Adobe products with a weaker computer in his freshman year.

Barnes added the first laptop was “a bit more to the school’s stats” when compared to his current laptop, and he bought the first device for a low price. He said he ended up replacing it after only a year due to the negative impact its speed was having on his workflow.

“It wasn’t really working for what I was doing in classes, because I have to use a variety of Adobe products, and it just was not holding up. It was taking so long to the point where I wasn’t getting work done, and so I figured I just needed a new one,” he said.

Barnes said this was important because he’s had at least one class require Adobe editing software every

Barnes said he decided to buy his current laptop when he had an issue reading from an SD card on his first computer.

“It was a media class where I had to shoot two ads. And I shot the footage, and I only had it in an SD card. And I plugged it into this laptop - my original laptop - and … I tried to export the footage onto Premiere Pro on this laptop,” he said.

“I don’t even know how this happened, but it just … crashed,” he said. “Which is pretty normal for it, but when it happened not only did it crash, but it took all the files I was exporting and corrupted them to the point where I couldn’t access anything on that SD card.

“So I had to reshoot the entire thing.”

“A lot of my friends are like, ‘You should get an Apple, it’s better,’ but I really am not doing anything crazy. I’m doing the regular school stuff, watching YouTube if I’m bored at night, just stuff like that. And it does everything I need it to do.”

- Gabrielle Bratcher, Fifth-year Sociology Major

“I’m not a huge technology person.”

- Alexa Gibson, Second-year Food and Nutrition Major

‘The basis of our democracy’

Traci Griffith discusses the Constitution’s effect on people of color

By Raena Doty Asst. Arts & Features Editor

By Jack McLaughlin Staff Writer

Traci Griffith, the racial justice program director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts (ACLU), came to FSU April 4 to lead a discussion called “Promised on Paper, Pathetic in Practice: Race-Related Protections in the U.S. Constitution.”

The ACLU is a nonprofit legal organization dedicated to social justice and protecting laws.

Students gathered in the McCarthy Center Alumni Room with Griffith and Carol Gray, a political science professor who hosted and sponsored the event.

She began by describing the parts of the United States Constitution meant to provide equal protections for U.S. citizens.

However, when these documents are put into practice, she said they leave out people of color.

Griffith gave a few examples of

discrepancies in the Constitution between what it’s supposed to do and what it actually does.

Griffith said that though the First Amendment is intended to give freedom of speech among other rights to all citizens, Florida has recently imposed limits on what books are allowed to be taught in schools, which predominantly pertains to stories by and about people of color and other marginalized groups.

She also gave the example of the barriers people face when they’re arrested, and how someone who has less money may not be able to pay bail. Though two people may face the same fine for the same crime, a richer person can post bail while a poorer person must remain in jail.

Griffith said though the fine may be equal for everyone involved, it doesn’t affect both these people the same way because of their different socioeconomic statuses.

The next topic discussed was school segregation. Griffith explained that this has been an issue in Massachusetts for a long time.

Following the passing of the Racial

Imbalance Act in 1965, segregated schools are defined as a student body comprised of more than 50% of one particular group, Griffith said.

She said when the Boston school committee failed to develop any plans to integrate their 44 schools, Black parents began to organize against segregation. In 1974 the committee’s efforts to preserve segregation were found to be unconstitutional.

Griffith explained that as a result of this, “white flight” began happening in the city. She described this as white people moving out of the city and into the suburbs. This caused communities to become more segregated, which resulted in schools in the area to also be segregated.

It was revealed in 2020, there was a $23 billion disparity in funding for schools that primarily served Black children compared to predominantly white schools, she said.

“It’s clear that segregated schools, no matter what color children are, pose a threat to equal education opportunities,” Griffith said.

Finally, she discussed how minority groups’ voting rights are impacted.

Griffith said despite important changes such as the Voter Rights Act of 1965 and the 24th Amendment, voter suppression remains an issue in migrant communities.

Longer waiting times, a higher frequency of rejected ballots, and stricter voter ID laws make it more challenging for people of color and those who are poor to vote, she said.

Griffith explained that while it is true that you are registered to vote once you receive your driver’s license, not everyone can afford to obtain one - especially in cities like Boston and Springfield, who have high populations of people of color.

She added there are movements happening to make voting easier, but they may not all be successful.

“Shouldn’t we be making it easier [to vote]? That’s the very basis of our democracy,” Griffith said.

Daryl Christopher on sustaining joy and graphic design

By Ryan O’Connell Arts & Features Editor

Arts & Ideas hosted Daryl Christopher for a participatory workshop in their “Humanity, Design + Happiness” series of events April 6.

Stephanie Grey, an art professor, introduced Christopher, who has taught graphic design courses at a number of universities in Massachusetts, including Northeastern and Lesley.

Grey said she met Christopher at the Rhode Island School of Design while both were pursuing masters’ degrees in graphic design, and that his positive outlook and curiosity was contagious.

Christopher said he had two things to share with the audience to help make their interactions with the world “a little bit easier to understand.”

He first discussed the importance of the series title, “Humanity, Design + Happiness,” how the terms are interconnected, and the relationship to sustaining joy.

He added he was surprised by this, since he feels like he doesn’t hear the word joy very often. He said he asked students in his Type 1 class to describe what joy meant to them, who described it as being close to happiness or having fun.

“Fun is amusement and light-hearted play, and the main difference, right, [is that with] joy there’s a deep sense of satisfaction, so think about that,” he said.

Christopher said that in the end,

what is needed is relationships, and that’s all that matters. He added design, humanity, and these relationships are all connected.

He said these connections are always present in his life as a graphic designer, and illustrated it by presenting a short picture book to the audience full of paper cutouts which flowed into different letters, all part of the same typeface.

“We’re going to look at some de-

demonstrating the flow between different letters, and how they elicit different emotions. He transitioned next into a series of graphics showing abstract black shapes, and asked attendees to identify patterns in them.

He then asked attendees about their favorite letters and why they liked them, focusing mostly on the “feelings” people said they associated with their favorites. He added different fonts, sizes, and shapes commu-

somewhere in the frame.

He moved onto physical images next, prompting attendees to share their experiences and memories associated with an old baseball, a white sock, a fork, and an egg.

Christopher shared his own associations with the objects after attendees had spoken, sharing a story about a child scared because they broke a window with a baseball, and a boy who made sock puppets for children with cancer.

He then instructed attendees to write down a time someone was selfless for them in their lives, and to share the experience if comfortable. One attendee told a story about being given an unprompted gift in middle school, and feeling a sense of acceptance through it.

Christopher ended the workshop by encouraging people to be selfless every day, and shared a story about a time he cleaned up a young woman’s vomit on a packed train to help her feel better in the moment.

“I just got down on the floor and I was cleaning it up. And you know what happened - immediately, everyone’s eyes are on the back of my head, right? Which is good, because then they weren’t looking at her,” he said.

signs, and I really want you to think about form, the way you think about the unity of form,” he said. “And then we’re just going to segue that into ‘How does that work with relationships?’”

Christopher flipped through the entire booklet for the audience,

nicate different emotions, such as a squared or circular dot in a lowercase i.

Christopher asked attendees to view a series of seven images next and tell him what they saw inside of them, all of them abstract art pieces, and most involving text overlaid

“And then I got out to Harvard, and a lot of us got up to move out, and I went over to her and I just put my hand on her shoulder and I just said, ‘It’s OK, it can happen to anyone.’ And she smiled,” he said.

CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL roconnell1@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH JACK MCLAUGHLIN jmclaughlin7@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH RAENA DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST

(Left) Daryl Christopher preparing to toss an orange to an attendee April 6.

Professors discuss human interference in natural disasters

By Raena Doty Asst. Arts & Features Editor

A panel of FSU professors came together in the Alumni Room April 6 to host a panel called “Natural Disasters are NOT Natural.”

Gathering together information from the fields of sociology, ecology, and economics, the panel aimed to educate on how “natural disasters” like earthquakes, tornados, and hurricanes are created and made worse by man-made matters like politics.

Kaan Agartan, professor of sociology & criminology, led the panel and opened the discussion.

“Maybe it’s time to listen to those folks in the racial justice movements, environmental movements, Indigenous peoples’ rights movements, anti-capitalist folks, when they’re saying, ‘We need a new world,’” Agartan said.

The first presenter was Zeynep Gönen, professor of sociology & criminology. She talked primarily about the recent earthquake in Türkiye.

Gönen explained that Türkiye is on a fault line that makes the country susceptible to damage from earthquakes, and while the earthquakes are unpreventable, the damage was very preventable.

She said while approximately 57,000 deaths were recorded, unofficial predictions estimate that somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 people died, and 14 million people were displaced from homes.

“This incredible loss was not natural at all,” she said.

She said corruption in Türkiye’s neoliberal authoritarian government made the damage worse and the number of deaths higher than they needed to be.

Gönen defined “neoliberalism” as a political economic ideology that started to appear in the 1970s after economic strife, and said neoliberal governments tend to favor the free market.

She said Türkiye experienced a large earthquake not very long ago, in 1999, which killed approximately 17,000 people. After the earthquake, the government began collecting a special communications tax, commonly known as the earthquake tax, which generated $36.5 billion between when it was created and today.

However, this money was not put to use toward strengthening infrastructure and preventing tragedy in the face of an earthquake, Gönen said.

She also said the response after the 2023 earthquake was not as effective as it should have been, and emergency responders did not appear in the first 48 hours of the disaster.

Gönen projected a picture on the screen for everyone to see, which depicted Turkish protesters of the government after the recent earthquake. In the photo, people held a sign that said, in Turkish, “This is not an earthquake, this is a massacre,” she said.

The next professor to present was Xavier Guadalupe-Diaz, professor of criminology & sociology, who spoke primarily about Hurricane Maria, the 2017 hurricane that devastated Puerto Rico.

Guadalupe-Diaz, who is Puerto Rican, began his presentation with a summary of the colonial history of Puerto Rico. He explained Puerto Rico was first colonized by Spain, and then later the United States “acquired” it in 1898.

He said though people born in Puerto Rico are considered U.S. citizens, a citizen who lives on the island does not get voting representation in the federal government or the right to vote for the president.

Laws limiting Puerto Rican expression date back to the early 20th century, when Gag Law made it illegal to fly the Puerto Rican flag, Guadalupe-Diaz said.

He said the U.S. government removed some tax exemptions for Puerto Rico in 1996, which may have been made possible by the lack of Puerto Rican representation in Congress. He added the Puerto Rican government needed to borrow more to keep the government going, which eventually led to Puerto Rican debt surpassing the gross national product.

Because of this, Puerto Rico was in debt when Hurricane Maria hit, and the natural disaster was much worse than it might have otherwise been, he said.

Guadalupe-Diaz said he still has family in Puerto Rico, and he visits them every year. He showed pictures he took at his grandmother’s house in Puerto Rico in July 2017, a few months before the hurricane hit, then pictures of his grandmother’s house from August after the storm.

The difference was immense - after the hurricane, plants covered the yard and there was junk scattered all over the area.

“This is the same yard,” he said.

“It’s unrecognizable. Maria happens and Puerto Rico loses power, and water, and cell service. I wasn’t able to communicate with relatives for a really long time,” he said.

Next to present was Vandana Singh, an environment, society & sustainability professor. She had a slightly different take than Gönen and Guadalupe-Diaz - rather than discussing the socioeconomic factors that can make a tragedy worse after the fact, she took a scientific approach, talking about how climate change can contribute to the severity of a natural disaster in the first place.

“Not all hurricanes are necessarily natural,” she said.

She shared statistics on the screen that showed the contribution climate change makes to extreme weather events, extreme heat, extreme rainfall, and extreme drought. In all studies conducted on these four types of natural disasters, the majority of them found climate change made the events more intense and/or more likely.

Singh connected these events to what Gönen said, and added that neoliberal governments often contributed more to climate change. She showed a video graphic of different countries’ contribution to climate change, which showed that the U.S. and China are the biggest contributors to carbon dioxide emissions.

The final presenter was Luis Rosero, an accounting, economics, and finance professor. He discussed the way natural disasters may be made better or worse by local, national, or international economies.

He began with some statistics about how natural disasters are more deadly for low-income countries than high-income countries. While statistics about where natural disasters hit were about balanced between countries of different income levels, the number of deaths due to natural disasters was much higher in low-in-

come countries.

He also shared statistics showing that though high-income countries tend to pay more gross dollars while recovering from natural disasters, low-income countries generally lose a higher percentage of their gross domestic product due to natural disasters than high-income countries.

Rosero said people in low-income countries generally don’t pay for insurance due to a number of factors. He said insurance isn’t always available in low-income countries, and people who don’t make a lot of money can’t always justify the cost of insurance.

When answering the question of “why” this happens, Rosero once again went back to neoliberalism and capitalism.

“A lot of these economies have been set up in this very destructive nature,” he said. “We basically exploit not just the workers, but we also exploit nature.

“This, obviously, is problematic, because it creates these constant races for resources. And as countries are continuously racing to extract resources, they don’t necessarily do it in the most environmentally friendly way,” he added.

The panel ended on a more positive note as they discussed how people came together to engage in collective action in response to these tragedies.

“These disasters and subsequent flaws … really galvanized political engagement and they brought everybody together,” Guadalupe-Diaz said.

Singh said many of the tragedies saw “so-called ‘ordinary’ people” collecting and acting together, and this action applied on a wider scale would make the world better.

“It restores your faith in human nature,” Singh said.

CONNECT WITH RAENA DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu

Raena Doty / THE GATEPOST

(Left) Professors Zeynep Gönen and Xavier Guadalupe-Diaz in a panel discussion about natural disasters April 6.

‘Murder Mystery 2’ - it will keep your attention hostage

By Leighah Beausoleil Editor-in-Chief

Netflix released the sequel to “Murder Mystery” March 31, once again starring Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston as Nick and Audrey Spitz.

This time, the Spitzes are headed to the wedding of Vikram “The Maharajah” Govindan (Adeel Akhtar) and Claudette Joubert (Mélanie Laurent). The wedding takes place on the Maharajah’s private island.

Since the last mystery, Nick and Audrey have started their own private investigation company that is not going well, putting a strain on their relationship.

Audrey has been trying to convince Nick to complete the detective certification course with her, which involves reading a textbook by the same man who wrote the certification exam. Nick argues he does not need to complete this course because he was a cop, although he never passed the detective exam.

In need of a break, the Spitzes accepted the Maharajah’s invitation.

Arriving on the island, it is clear how wealthy the Maharajah and his family are because of the personalized gifts in their room, a removable ceiling, a closet full of clothes, and an abundance of exotic animals roaming the island.

But don’t worry about where you step - the animals have diapers.

The absurdity of much of this movie’s content and plot is absolutely entertaining, making it a great movie to watch for a good laugh.

Despite the fun and relaxing time the Spitzes share on this island, the plot takes a turn when the Maharajah’s wedding entrance atop an elephant ends with a dead body guard and the kidnapping of the Maharajah himself.

Taking him away on a motorboat, a henchman shoots at Nick, who ran after them. However, the gunman misses.

This now being a hostage situation,

Former MI6 Hostage Negotiator Connor Miller (Mark Strong), who is the author of the Spitzes’ textbook, and his team get involved.

The events throughout the movie are ridiculous and the comedic delivery of many of the lines is iconic.

The kidnappers lead the couple, along with the other suspects, to Paris.

From accidentally drugging themselves to being framed for the kidnapping, the Spitzes find themselves in tricky situations, including when they are face-to-face with the kidnapper and Audrey dangles from the Eiffel Tower.

This movie has comedy, action, and even romance as Nick and Audrey work together to survive yet another murder mystery.

It was great seeing some of the first movie’s quirky characters return for this next mission, such as Inspector Laurent de la Croix (Dany Boon), who only cared about hitting his vape after being shot.

In this movie, you never know what to expect next.

Rating: A

By Jack McLaughlin Staff Writer

“Scream VI” is the latest installment in the long-running slasher franchise that’s managed to stay consistently fresh with each passing addition.

The story takes place one year after the last film. The lovable group of survivors from the last series of Woodsborough killings are all together in New York City for college. All is going well until a new ghost-faced killer emerges, plotting to kill the main characters with mysterious intentions.

The biggest advantage of this new installment, surprisingly, is the lack of screentime the legacy characters receive. With Sidney and Dewey no longer part of the movies, Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox) is the remaining character from the first film that has an active role in the story.

While the loss of the other two characters leave a noticeable gap, the film relies on the characters established in the last film and this is where viewers get the opportunity to enjoy the story without the need for the older cast to keep intervening.

If the last film did not sell you on the new cast, this one absolutely will. This was important to do considering these characters will be responsible for carrying the franchise forward.

The latest group of survivors, dubbed “The Core Four” in the film, all continue to have fantastic chemistry with each other. It’s hard to pick a favorite from the new cast, but the standouts from the group are Tara (Jenna Ortega) and Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown).

However, this doesn’t stop famil-

iar faces from dropping into the story. Kirby (Hayden Panettire) from “Scream 4” makes a return in a supporting role. Her part of the story allows for an exciting bit of fan-service while also making sure that it doesn’t overshadow what the film wants you to focus on - the new cast.

Characters aside, “Scream VI” has some of the most tense moments in the entire franchise.

From the open ing kill that sub verts your ex pectations at every turn, it lets the audi ence know that this install ment will once again use the established formula of a slasher movie and twist it in a way that surprises viewers.

The best encounter with Ghostface is the bodega sequence with Tara and Sam (Melissa Barrera). This entire mo ment had perfect tension that will leave you holding your breath, with a payoff that keeps the identity of the killer an exciting mystery.

Another fantastic decision made by the filmmakers was to set this film during Halloween. This allows the film to get creative with setting up

encounters with Ghostface, as the costume is a very popular pick in the city. This makes the potential suspects expand from outside of the characters established in the story. Anyone wearing the costume in the city can be considered a threat to the main characters and keeps the viewer from being able to make an educated prediction of who the killer is.

The characters needing to determine whether or not the many people wearing the same costume as their attacker makes the subway sequence another example of tension executed perfectly in the moment. The small chance that the many people on the subway dressed as Ghostface could be trying to kill the main characters kept the moment from being predictable, cementing a classic mo-

A key moment in all six “Scream” movies is the mystery of who is behind the mask. It almost always ends up being the best part about the film, and this one did not disappoint. The reveal was fantastic, and the motive behind the attacks

made sense in the context of the new films.

But what is this franchise without its abundance of meta humor? This film delivers on that important hallmark, making jokes about many film franchises that all feel the same with a never-ending story with predictable plots.

The newer type of meta humor found in these movies that make fun of online film discourse is also present here and funnier than ever. As someone who partakes in film discussion online, Mindy’s line making fun of Letterboxd users was particularly hilarious to me.

“Scream VI” continues to propel this long-lasting franchise forward with a formula that is constantly evolving to keep it from becoming predictable. This latest installment is easily one of the best in the series, and I hope this energy continues into the next addition.

Rating: A-

Long live The Core Four!

The enjoyability of this movie is the real mystery

‘Scream VI’ - a sublime slasher sequel

CONNECT WITH JACK MCLAUGHLIN jmclaughlin7@student.framingham.edu

Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST

‘The Whale’ is an emotional masterpiece

By Owen Glancy Staff Writer

Darren Aronofsky is one of the most prolific and unique directors in film history, and his newest film “The Whale” is another example of his obvious talents.

Of all of Aronofky’s films, this is absolutely his smallest in terms of scale. The vast majority of the film takes place in one apartment, and only features eight actors.

The apartment only has a few rooms, but by keeping certain rooms secret, it gives the film a degree of suspense. This also leads to plenty of excellent emotional payoffs, with the reveal of these rooms clu ing the audience into the main character’s past.

Despite the minimalist approach, Aronofsky gets the most from what he has. It also helps that the minimal set and small cast allowed Aronofsky and the crew to create the award-winning design of the main character, Charlie.

Charlie, played by Brendan Fraser, is introduced as both a visually and mentally disgusting character. The digitally enhanced fat suit looked mind-blowingly realistic.

The groundbreaking special effects looked so realistic, everyone in the theater was stunned.

Aside from the effects, Fraser’s Oscar-winning performance was absolutely masterful. He makes Charlie feel so human. The character is full of flaws, and he is clearly a man who has made many mistakes in his life. Now that Charlie has reached his final week of life, he wants to find some sort of solace, something of value he contributed to the world before he leaves it behind forever. Charlie attempts to reach solace by reconnecting with his estranged daughter, Ellie. Sadie Sink does an excellent job as Ellie, further proving her obvious acting talents after her breakout performance in “Stranger Things.” While not personally applicable to me, there were people in the audience who were moved to tears by the relationship between Charlie and Ellie. The two have great chemistry, and it’s obvious that Fraser and Sink are both at the top of their game.

The relationship between Charlie and Ellie is easily the strongest part of the film, but Hong Chau comes as a close second. Her character, Liz, serves as a bridge between two portions of Charlie’s life. Liz is the sister

of Charlie’s deceased boyfriend, who he left his wife and daughter for.

Chau’s performance makes you feel both sympathetic for and disgusted by Liz. Her constant changing between trying to help Charlie to instigating his self-destructive behavior is incredibly intriguing to watch.

Not every character and performance in this film is great. Ty Simpkins plays Thomas, a young runaway boy with a religious background who attempts to help Charlie via prayer. A portion of Charlie’s trauma is a direct result of Thomas’ religious group, which puts him at odds with both Liz and Ellie.

While his character has led to great scenes for Chau and Sink’s characters, Simpkins’ acting is simply not up to snuff with his peers. He doesn’t do poorly, but he definitely sticks out in a film full of Oscar-nominated performances. His character also feels strangely forced into the story. It doesn’t quite fit in such a tight-knit script.

One scene in particular that really demonstrates this film’s strengths is the emotional confrontation between Charlie and his ex-wife Mary (played by Samantha Morton) regarding Ellie. In this scene, Mary confesses that she has given up hope in trying to parent Ellie. She can only see her daughter as a failure. Meanwhile, Charlie needs to know that Ellie will be OK, especially after leaving her a large sum of

money. As Mary is leaving the house, Charlie screams at her, “I need to know that I have done one thing right with my life!”

Fraser’s powerful delivery of this line combined with the swelling music and Mary’s apathetic response makes for such a heart-rending scene to watch. It really proves how excellent the writing, directing, score, and performances in this film actually are.

The ending of the film is obvious from the very beginning. We know that Charlie had only a week left of life from the film’s very first scene. Despite this, his death is handled so well and so beautifully, that it left me speechless.

“The Whale” is a truly emotional tour de force of a film. The minimal sets, cast, and script are all masterfully combined by a legendary director into a phenomenal movie that must be seen to be believed.

Rating: A

CONNECT WITH OWEN GLANCY oglancy@student.framingham.edu

By Kyle Walker Staff Writer

After several delays, the electronic rock and hyperpop duo 100 gecs has finally released their sophomore album, “10,000 gecs.” This album is quite short, only running at around 27 minutes.

The group released the album on March 17, though this was not the original plan. In July 2021, they had announced on social media that a new album was coming in “early 2022,” along with a tour to support it.

Even without a new album to support, the group still toured… a lot.

They supported many shows for bands such as Nine Inch Nails and My Chemical Romance, and played around 80 shows throughout their “10,000 Gecs Tour’’ (2021–2022).

Through these shows, they premiered plenty of material from the new album though it wasn’t out yet. It seems like they aren’t tired of touring yet either because they are preparing for a tour this summer called “10,000 Gecs Tour 2.”

So now that the wait is over… was it worth it?

The album opens with “Dumbest Girl Alive.” The song begins quite theatrically with a familiar synthesized crescendo. Ah yes, the THX

“Deep Note.” It then abruptly pauses this sound with gunshot effects which begins a post-hardcore style riff. All in the first 20 seconds of the song. This song perfectly sets the scene for the album, and it becomes very evident that 100 gecs is still very strange and chaotic, and I mean that in a good way.

The album progresses with “757,” a highly infectious track that carries a vibe that is very much like their first album. It very well could have been on that album. The incorporation of Star Wars’ blaster sound and Wilhelm scream in the song further adds to its appeal.

“Hollywood Baby” is one of my favorite tracks from this record. This was the final single released before the album dropped. This song is fantastic and is very reminiscent of late ’90s alternative music. The chorus and the distorted guitar riffs are super catchy, and ultimately make the track shine.

These tracks are perfect examples of what makes a great hyperpop track. They are all super high-energy, full of electroacoustic production, and over auto tuned vocals.

“I Got My Tooth Removed” is easily one of the most unhinged tracks I have heard in my life. It begins with a slow, lightly instrumented, emo

ballad and quickly switches to a ska chorus about getting a tooth removed and not wanting to talk about it. I had a whiplash reaction when I first heard it, as I was taken aback by this track’s sudden shift. However, its complete absurdity and lack of seriousness made me appreciate this album even more.

Oddly enough that song isn’t the only one to evoke such a reaction from me. “One Million Dollars” features a chaotic instrumental with several different text-to-speech voices repeating “one million dollars” over and over, including the female TikTok text-to-speech voice which caught me off guard.

Rating: B+

There

Ben

This album is a quick listen, and honestly, the band is able to effectively convey plenty of energy and strange ideas within such a short amount of time. As I somewhat mentioned earlier, I believe music doesn’t have to be serious to be great, and I think that’s what this album proves. 100 gecs has been very consistent with doing whatever they want and honestly, I am living for it.

I will definitely be keeping them in my radar, and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.

An incredibly human experience

‘10,000 gecs’ - solve for gecs

can never be enough gecs.

Hurney / THE GATEPOST

Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST

Puzzles

40. Unit of resistance

41. Overindulged kid

44. Santa ___, California

45. What a blowhard or balloon may be full of

46. Frat guys

47. Place to give a cat scritches

49. Focus of some early farmers’ worship

53. Financial losses, figuratively

56. Wellbalanced and sensible, and what 20-, 32- and 41-Across should be

59. Four Corners state

61. “All right, you win this time!”

62. “Not in a million years!”

63. Goalless score

64. Jockey (for)

65. Most spoken lang. in the world

66. Fill with wonder

67. Like the Crying Cat Face emoji

68. Street tormented by Freddy Krueger

DOWN

1. Pear with russet skin

2. Trade show

3. Disappearing from public view

ACROSS

1. “___ your pardon?”

4. Ice Spice’s genre

7. Parliament decree

10. Reggae precursor

13. Palindromic houseware brand

14. Palindromic mathematician Lovelace

15. Pounded with a fist

17. Wiretapped, maybe 19. Animal, vegetable or ___ 20. Retired boomer? 22. Pressed sandwich 23. Flipped out 25. Rudely ignore 26. Related (to)

28. Dressed like Trixie Mattel 31. “It’s Raining ___” (gay anthem)

32. Wiring enclosure 37. Stroke the fur of

38. Eggs, to biologists

39. Former Bolivian president Morales

4. Hazardous household gas

5. Love dearly

6. Bear called xiongmao in Mandarin

7. Box full of bucks

8. Casino token

9. Yellowfin or albacore

10. Plunge made by Greg Louganis

11. “John Wick” star Reeves

12. Wing it onstage

16. Member of a high-IQ society

18. Business school subj.

21. Massive in scale

24. Key near ]

26. Soundboosting gear

27. Don’t discard

29. Opera star 30. Tooth’s anchor

32. Sudden shock 33. Pigmented eye layer 34. Low point

35. “Deary me!”

36. Dec. holiday

42. Charge, as an atom

43. Pat oneself on the back

46. Pipe similar to a hookah

47. Wading bird 48. Wading bird

50. Golf clubs usually made with steel

51. Finnish “brick phone” brand

52. Association of merchants

54. Star that makes a dramatic appearance?

55. Was aware of 57. Villainous

58. Consider to be 60. “___ we done here?”

Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.

Goat Song Revel

Maddison Behringer/ THE GATEPOST Amy Bickford as Dionysus during “Goat Song Revel” dress rehearsal April 5.

Maddison Behringer/ THE GATEPOST Eric Qua as Satan during “Goat Song Revel” dress rehearsal April 5.

Adrien Gobin/ THE GATEPOST

(Left) Liz Walker and Emma Brosnan celebrating during “Goat Song Revel” dress rehearsal April 5.

Adrien Gobin/ THE GATEPOST

(Back) Eric Qua, (front left) Noah Barnes and Liz Walker performing a scene during “Goat Song Revel” dress rehearsal April 5.

Maddison Behringer/ THE GATEPOST Emma Lyons as God during “Goat Song Revel” dress rehearsal April 5.

Maddison Behringer/ THE GATEPOST Noah Barnes as Job during “Goat Song Revel” dress rehearsal April 5.

Maddison Behringer/ THE GATEPOST Liz Walker as Chorus during “Goat Song Revel” dress rehearsal April 5.

Spread by Photos & Design Editor Maddison Behringer