November 3, 2023

Volume 92 • Issue 8

November 3, 2023

FSUgatepost.com

‘Hello ... is Waldo there?’

Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST (Left) Sean McCormack, dressed up as a sith lord from Star Wars, and Mike Trueswell, dressed up as Waldo, performing at the Suit Jacket Posse’s Halloween show.

All University Meeting focuses on strategic planning and NECHE review

By Kaitlin Carman Asst. News Editor

By Adam Harrison Asst. News Editor The administration provided updates on enrollment, NECHE, and strategic planning at the All University Meeting on Monday, Oct. 30.

President Niemi said, “We’re here because we care that education is a tool to make the world a better place a more just place.”

Iris Godes, Dean of Strategic Enrollment Management, said while undergraduate enrollment is “still below where we were last year, the amount of

decline” is decreasing.

Godes said undergraduate enrollment is down 5% from the 2022-23 academic year, new student enrollment increased 6%, graduate enrollment increased by 6%, and total University enrollment is down 2% as of Oct. 15.

In previous years, the University’s undergraduate enrollment was down 10-11%, “so to be only 5% behind means the curve is on the upswing,” she said.

She recognized the efforts of the staff in the audience toward accomplishing this positive change. “I can take credit for none of it,” Godes said, who joined the administration in May 2023.

Godes said for FY 24, $260,000 re-

mains for action team requests and those teams have been notified so they can start working on initiatives.

She added over the next five years, the University will ultimately spend $18 million toward strategic enrollment initiatives.

Godes highlighted the Massachusetts Tuition Equity Law passed on July 1 this year.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education website, the law “carves a pathway to in-state tuition rates and state financial aid for certain non-US citizen students, including undocumented students.”

In order to qualify, students must

News PREMIUM SINGLES pg. 3 FAFSA pg 5

Opinions TAKE A CHANCE pg. 6 BENCH pg. 7

Sports

See ALL UNIVERSITY MEETING page 4

Children’s literature, illustration, and the importance of context Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival returns for 37th annual installment

By Ryan O’Connell Associate Editor The annual Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival featured a “What’s New In Children’s Literature” presentation and remarks from Nora Chan Nov. 2.

The festival also featured illustrator Ekua Holmes and author Dashka Slater.

The “What’s New In Children’s Literature” presentation, hosted by Education Professor Laura Hudock and Senior Curriculum Librarian Samantha Westall, showcased their recommended books written for audiences preschool to young adult released in 2023.

Hudock and Westall compiled a list of

89 titles - many of which they had physical copies to pass around - and them categorized into the themes “Standouts,” “Wonder,” “Self Love,” “Save Our Planet,” “Community,” “STEM,” “Changemakers,” and “Cultural Specificity.”

Hudock and Westall then began with their “Standout” picks, many being picture books.

Westall first highlighted “This Book Is Banned,” which she described as a humorous and accessible way to introduce the discussion of censorship to young readers.

She continued with “You Are a Story,” described as a depiction of how an

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST

MASCAC pg. 8 individual’s story is always ongoing.

Hudock then touched on “This Is a FIELD HOCKEY pg. 9 Story,” which she said was an engaging and colorful book, sure to captivate young readers as they discover the joy of reading.

Hudock and Westall recommended other picture books “Something, Someday,” “In the Dark,” and “I Am a Tornado,” which they described as rhythmic, moody, and lovely, respectively.

Westall then surmised two young adult books, “Her Radiant Curse” and “Nightbirds,” both fantasy novels about young women facing issues caused by Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST their magical powers.

TALES OF TRANSPORTATION pg. 10

Arts & Features

See SWIACKI page 12

ROOM REPORT pg. 11

INSIDE: OP/ED 6• SPORTS 8 • ARTS & FEATURES 10

NEWS

2 | NOVEMEBER 3, 2023

Gatepost Interview

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Emily Rosenberg

Michael Harrison

Associate Editors Ryan O’Connell Sophia Harris News Editor Naidelly Coelho

Chair of Marketing Deparment

By Sophia Harris Associate Editor

What is your educational and professional background?

I have a bachelor of science in finance - technically, marketing and finance, but they didn’t recognize dual Opinions Editor degrees. So I chose finance at the time.

Izayah Morgan I have a bachelor of science in management and an MBA that has a concentration in finance. My doctorate is Sports Editor in international business with a cogAdam Levine nate in marketing. That’s the broad educational piece of all the degrees.

Asst. Sports Editor My work background - part of the reaRiley Crowell son I went into finance is because I was working with financial service firms Arts & Features Editors after working in aviation. So I’ve been Raena Doty in the aviation industry, financial serJack McLaughlin vices, then consumer electronics with Bose Corporation. I started off basicalAsst. Arts & Features Editors ly in a sales role, primarily sales, and Bella Omar then some service. I was fairly good Owen Glancy at my job. So when a training position came up in the training department, I Design & Photo Editors got hired to train salespeople and train Maddison Behringer our service people. And that was in the Phoenix Investments down in Enfield, Adrien Gobin Connecticut. … Then I moved to Fidelity. I was there for over eight years, Asst. Design & Photos Editors and then after Fidelity Investments Dylan Pichnarcik … I became a manager of the training Alexis Schlesinger department. .... Then when I went to Bose Corporation, I was hired as a sales Illustrations Editor trainer and program manager - kind of Ben Hurney a dual role and that - was one of the reasons I liked that role. Going to Bose, I’ve Staff Writers always been a believer in learning as Jesse Burchill much as you can and like doing different Carly Paul things. … Part of my role there, too, as a Liv Dunleavy program manager with the performance Jackson Clyde consulting improving the performance, Emily Monaco not only of individuals as a trainer, but David Abe of the organization. So I was working on Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez process improvement initiatives. One of the initiatives that worked out in Dante Curry one of the corporations was a $30 milRichard Gill lion business development fund. They Andrea O’Brien were trying to figure out more effective Paul Harrington uses of the investments they weren’t Dorcus Abe getting a return on. So I met with sales folks, and the operations folks and figAdvisor ured out what some of the issues were.

Desmond McCarthy I was able to come up with some soluAsst. Advisor tions and solve some of the business Elizabeth Banks problems that they were having. … In my first job really out of college, I was working at American Airlines sales and service and then at a cargo airline down in Miami where I was a flight dispatcher. … During the training role, one of the things both at Fidelity and Bose was I loved the teaching part of it. … I started working on my doctorate because I figured - for a retirement strategy - I’d

Asst. News Editors Kaitilin Carman Adam Harrison

Courtesy of Framingham State be able to teach at universities. … So I started here in 2009. The 15 years have just flown by. It’s just amazing. I love working with the students here. We’ve got a great group of faculty, particularly in the Department of Marketing - Dr. Rahman, Dr. Tohidinia, Professor Karat, and Dr. Krings, but also my colleagues in the College of Business. I landed in a really nice spot at a small university.

I like small. I get to know the students really well in class.

What are your hobbies?

I love to fly. I am a private pilot, not commercially. It’s such an exhilarating experience. The learning process was amazing as well. … So flying is a really big hobby. I like to ski. I used to do all kinds of sports. I was a three-sport athlete in high school. I did two different sports in college, and played in the old men’s league when I was 30. … I follow our athletic teams here. … I have to say my other hobby right now is watching horror movies. And that’s primarily because my son loves horror movies. So it’s a really nice father-son bonding. I’ve been doing it since he was little. I just

love being around him and he is such a great kid. … So that’s a lot of fun. I have to say my dog Dobby - I love walking with my dog. And taking walks with my wife, we always take walks and that’s kind of a hobby.

Do you have any advice for students?

I would say try different things. Try to be present and be in the moment as much as you can. Particularly in this day and age with cell phones and other things. I think we miss so much going on around us. But try to take advantage of the opportunities that are presented to you and a lot of you just may not even know it. Talk to people. Talk to your faculty members. Talk to your friends. Talk to the administrators here. My experience has been people are more than willing to help if someone comes and asks them for help. So take people up on the offer. And it’s a great way to meet people, to experience new things.

CONNECT WITH SOPHIA HARRIS sharris@student.framingham.edu

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

Saturday, Oct. 28 6:38 K-9 Training Maynard Parking Lot Assingment Complete

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Sunday, Oct. 29 8:05 Follow Up-Investigation Towers Hall Assignment Complete

Monday, Oct. 30 10:54 Well Being Check Peirce Hall Checks OK

Tuesday, Oct. 31 10:50 Medical Larned Hall Transported to Hospital

NEWS

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | 3

Premium singles added to residence halls last summer

By Andrea O’Brien Staff Writer Three hundred dorm rooms across all residence halls were transformed from standard doubles to premium singles over the summer.

According to Shakira Rosado, residence hall director of Corinne Hall Towers, most premium singles come with a full-size bed, a dresser, a wardrobe, a “comfy” chair, and a desk with a desk chair.

Last year, premium single tours were conducted in Towers. Students who were interested were shown four premium single options, said Rosado.

“This layout [that we chose] was the one that our survey showed was favored by residents,” she said.

While premium singles were added to all six residence halls on campus, Larned and Towers had the most installed, said Glenn Cochran, associate dean of students and director of Residence Life and Housing.

Horace Mann and Peirce halls have only a few premium singles, and they differ in set-up from the ones in Larned and Towers, said Cochran.

Judea Blake, a senior, has a premium single which includes a full-size bed with two closets, one desk, two dressers, and a couch.

Blake previously had a double as a single, which was different from her premium single, as the double had two of everything, she said.

“I like having it [the premium single], but I would rather a double as a single, personally. But since the premium single is what they had, that’s what I got,” said Blake.

“I definitely like not having a roommate. Also, the couch is pretty cool because I’ve never seen a couch in someone’s room, so that’s my favorite,” she said.

Rosado said, “Residents enjoy having extra space to themselves, especially from my interactions with those in Towers.”

Senior Olivia Alexander said she didn’t know what the premium singles in Larned and Towers looked like as they were just added this semester.

“I live in Miles Bibb, so I’ve actually never seen any of the premium singles in Larned or Towers,” said Alexander.

However, Olivia Putnam, a junior, said she has “a lot of opinions” about the new premium singles in Larned and Towers.

“I think they’re overpriced, but not for the reasons you might think,” said Putnam.

Emily Rosenberg / THE GATEPOST A show room for a premium single in Corrine Hall Tower displayed during the Spring 2023 semester.

“It’s basically the equivalent of a double as a single, except instead of pushing two twin beds together, they just got a full bed and added a chair.

But other than that, it’s the same thing - just more expensive,” she said.

According to the Framingham State website, the annual cost of a premium single is the regular room rate plus an additional $3,000.

In Larned, the annual price of a standard double, triple, or quad is $9,380 and the annual cost of a premium single is $12,380. In Towers, a standard double is $8,880, a design single, a single is $9,700, and a premium single is $11,880.

Meredith Morin, a junior, said she was very surprised to hear that a premium single is an additional $3,000.

“They seem really big, but $3,000 is crazy for a premium single. That’s more than I pay in rent to live off campus,” said Morin.

Liv West, a junior and the outreach and events coordinator for SGA, said she knows some students who have these premium singles in Larned and Towers and has been in them before.

“They’re really big and spacious,” she said. “But if people want a bigger room without having to pay a higher price, I think there should still be an option for a double as a single.”

Weather

According to Cochran, because these rooms were originally doubles, meant for two people, there was a lot of extra furniture that had to be removed.

“We had to move 600 beds because we took the twin beds out and put in full beds,” said Cochran.

One of the problems Residence Life faced while undertaking this renovation was what to do with all this extra furniture.

Cochran said some of the extra furniture was saved in storage in case the number of students graduating from high school increases in the future and enrollment and the demand for housing increases with it.

“We may end up with higher demand for housing some day and we could, theoretically, turn premium single rooms back to doubles.

“Right now, we don’t have that demand so we were trying to say, ‘What is it that people will like that we could do with the space?’” said Cochran.

He said the rest of the furniture that was not put in storage was moved to other campuses in the state system that needed it, including Mass. Maritime Academy.

The installation of premium singles was not the only residence hall renovation completed over the summer.

Some of the other renovations and projects done included installing new flooring in Peirce and Horace Mann halls, which was a “big project” that cost $278,000, according to Cochran.

This project was funded by capital improvement funds with the Massachusetts State College Building Authority (MSCBA), said Cochran.

Additionally, Cochran said new stairwell doors were installed in Larned, which he said was important for fire safety reasons.

All the mattresses in Miles Bibb were replaced and the new FSU logo was added to residence halls on campus, he said.

In Towers, a wall was decorated with the University’s motto “Live to the Truth” on it. Cochran, Rosado, and Christoper Addario, residence director of Larned Hall, worked on it collectively, said Stephanie Crane, associate director of residence life.

CONNECT WITH ANDREA O’BRIEN aobrien3@student.framingham.edu

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

Sunday night Nov. 5 Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. SW wind around 10 mph.

Monday night Nov. 6 A chance of rain after 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45. SW wind around 10 mph.

Tuesday night Nov. 7 A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. W wind around 15 mph.

Wednesday night Nov. 8 A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. NW wind around 10 mph.

Monday Nov. 6 Partly sunny, with a high near 60. NW wind Wound 5 mph.

Tuesday Nov. 7 A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. W wind around 15 mph.

Wednesday Nov. 8 A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 50. NW wind around 10 mph.

Thursday Nov. 9 A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 50. NW wind around 10 mph.

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

NEWS

4 | NOVEMBER 3, 2023

All University Meeting Continued from page 1 have attended high school in Massachusetts for at least three years and earned a high school diploma (or the equivalent) in the Commonwealth to qualify.

Godes said the law will be “a great opportunity, hopefully for a moment that the students will be able to … qualify for the lower cost and be qualified for some financial assistance.”

Godes also addressed changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will be implemented for 2024-25.

Because of these changes, the 202425 FAFSA will open some time in December.

These changes will allow the application process to be more streamlined and will expand eligibility.

“That is a new federal requirement - must be done,” said Godes.

She said these changes are expected to allow more students to qualify for more financial aid and the Pell Grant but could also cause some to lose eligibility.

[Editor’s Note: See “Several Changes Coming to 2024-25 FAFSA” on page 5] Mark Nicholas, assistant vice president for assessment, accreditation, and strategic planning, discussed the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accreditation process update via Zoom.

He said to think of the self-study review as a “health check for FSU” that accredits the institution every 10 years and “is recognized by the U.S. Department of Higher Education as an ensurer of institutional and academic quality.”

He said that accreditation and positive standing, which the University currently has, allows students to receive financial aid.

“The accreditor provides an important function in higher education in being the buffer between the federal government or state governments and institutions and in the classrooms,” said Nicholas.

He explained it as a peer-review process in which “reviewers will be asked to examine what our mission is against the quality standards that NECHE provides us and so then we examine how we meet our own mission.”

As part of the accreditation process, Nicholas said the University must submit a “reflective and candid” self study that is approximately one-hundred pages long and is divided into nine chapters that mirror the nine standards of NECHE. He said the chair of the NECHE evaluation team will be visiting the FSU campus Dec. 1 to establish the structure of the reviewing team’s visit from April 7 to April 10 2024.

He requested that faculty keep an open schedule during NECHE’s visit unless they are teaching.

According to Nicholas, the first draft of the review will be made available to campus on Nov. 13 and will have an open feedback space until Dec.15 to incorporate comments and feedback Ann McDonald, chief of staff, general Counsel and secretary to the Board of Trustees, presented on strategic planning.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

She said the process of the University collecting information for NECHE re-accreditation as well as creating a strategic enrollment plan, “will afford us the opportunity to look at the information that’s been derived, and see what’s missing - if anything - before we begin the visioning process.”

“We are in the process of forming our committee, and we’ve gotten approval from the Board of Higher [Education] to proceed with that.” She said the Strategic Planning Committee would convene later in the week for their first meeting.

McDonald said analyzing the University through NECHE standards requires the administration to “look inward,” and compare FSU data to that from previous years.

The strategic plan is focused on comparing FSU data “in context, to look in the MetroWest area - to look in the public higher ed sector… to look in the preschool through 12th,” she said.

“This process for strategic planning will be concentrated and inclusive, and we will try to make it be as transparent as possible,” Mcdonald said.

Kim Dexter, assistant vice president of human resources and equal opportunity, is currently co-chairing the Strategic Planning Committee with Mcdonald. She said the committee is hoping to find another chair with the appointment of our faculty and librarians.”.

Once the committee is approved, they will continue to meet periodically to review and discuss strategic materials.

“We just signed a contract with Linda Campanella from SOS Consulting.

Linda assisted with that process and has assisted many of our sister institutions in their process as well,” she said.

According to their website, SOS Consulting is an organization that addresses leadership and/or organizational challenges and provides strategies and techniques to successfully resolve them.

The Board of Higher Education visited campus Nov. 1 for the first step in the strategic planning process.

McDonald said, “The Board will also ask us to integrate a number of their plans - the strategic plan for racial equity, the performance measure and reporting system.

“We will weave those into the work that we look at, as we begin to set that course for strategic planning,” she said.

McDonald said the strategic plans are public documents that can be found on the Department of Higher Education’s website.

Three key pieces of developing this plan are “determining the strategies, looking at the actions, and looking at the metrics,” she said.

The executive staff will review data and projections about the institution, and “hopefully, the projections in the NECHE document are going to mirror, in some part at least, what’s going on in the strategic plan.”

The strategic plan will be far more detailed than the NECHE projections, but they shouldn’t be drastically different. They should be similar in format,” McDonald said.

The “mission and core values” of the strategic planning process should be similar to NECHE. Comparing the

mission and core values will be “one of the first things we look at when determining whether or not that needs to be adjusted, or needs to stay as is,” McDonald said.

McDonald said the administration will consider NECHE’s key performance indicators. “It is a criticism of the last strategic plan… [That] we set the strategic plan but then we did not necessarily monitor it, to make sure that we were meeting the recommendations that were part of that.”

She said they should cut themselves a little slack, because “about halfway through there, we had a pandemic, and sometimes, we have to shift our attention to the immediate concern and that shifts you away from some of the other things that you may have planned to do.”

McDonald said the administration must set goals in order to be realistic.

“When we build a strategic plan, we build it in such a way that we can fulfill it.”

She said, “Each one of the organizations, the departments, the divisions, and the individuals need to align their work with the strategic plan to make sure that we actually get to the place that we hope to be in 2029.”

An active survey was sent to the Board of Trustees to provide feedback on the visioning process. She said, “When we are able to announce the committee membership, we will be launching another survey for all of the Framingham University community.”

McDonald said this is “to get input from folks in terms of how you view the future of Framingham State University, where do you see us in four years, where should we be going.”

She said they will analyze the information from the survey and weave that into the strategic plan.

“Our hope is that for the May trustee meeting, that we’re able to give them a very rough draft and outline of sorts, in terms of where the committee sees us going, so they can then approve us going forward,” she said.

She said she hopes they can turn in the draft to the Board of Higher Education by June so they can review and complete it.

The draft will be finalized this summer “so we can bring it back to the greater community next fall, for the Framingham State community to look at and give us feedback on it before it moves back to the Board of Trustees” and the Board of Higher Education for final approval, she said.

Niemi concluded the presentation with an opportunity for staff members to raise questions and concerns.

History Professor Joseph Adelman was concerned about the number of new projects that are underway and the “limits of human possibility.

“We only have 160 hours a week.

That seems to be slipping away as we’re talking about more [projects] and Saturdays [being worked],” Adelman said, referencing Saturday open houses in the Fall and April.

He asked if “there were active strategies to ensure that we’re doing the most important things. Are there things that we’re going to stop doing?

Are there things that we’re going to say, ‘No, this is too much?’

“What concrete strategies, as we

balance adding all of these additional things, to make sure that we’re not burning out?”

Niemi said, “We’re at the apex of a lot of these big things that no human should probably have to put together at the same time - NECHE, strategic planning, strategic enrollment - so we really … feel it now.”

“By this time next year, NECHE will be out and done, and hopefully, we’ll pass with flying colors - I think we will - and we’ll go forward with that implementation,” Niemi said.

She said, “I hope that we can work together to get more of an answer because you’re right. We only have X number of hours in a day - in a week.

“But we can and we should, use that time to the best and most strategically important advantage, which is making our community as rich with students, people and action toward learning as we can.”

Sarah Pilkenton, a chemistry professor, raised a concern about the FAFSA application process regarding the IRS data transfer that will require students and their contributors to consent to the transfer.

She asked if students would be made aware that if they do not give consent to the transfer, they will not be eligible for financial aid.

Pilkenton said occasionally, students might answer ‘no’ when prompted for consent to access financial information for the FAFSA. Godes said, “If they say they do not give consent, then they will get a message,I’m assuming, that says you will not be eligible for federal financial aid.”

Pilkenton said the current website is difficult to navigate, and an email had been sent out regarding an updated version in development. “As we’re recruiting, will the new website be out? Our current one is clunky and things are buried,” she said.

Iris Godes said messages have already been sent out to students to let them know about changes that have been made.

“Beyond that, the hope is that we will offer sessions to the students for assistance with the FAFSA and give them some highlights - make sure you do this, make sure you do that.”

Godes expressed similar concern, but is optimistic about the upcoming website. “The navigation of the current site, I think we would agree, is not very user friendly.”

She said, “A great amount of attention is being paid to, ‘How can we make this better for prospective students and their families to find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible?’ and, ‘How can we improve the information and messaging to make it much more student focused?’”

Godes said a lot of hard work is going into the website creation right now, and the anticipated date of release is “right after the NECHE visit in April. That’s the goal, fingers crossed.”

CONNECT WITH KAITLIN CARMAN kcarman@student.framingham.edu CONNECT WITH ADAM HARRISON aharrison3@student.framingham.edu

NEWS

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | 5

CELTSS funds faculty and librarian research

By Naidelly Coelho News Editor The Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship, and Service (CELTSS) has funded faculty and librarian research, professional development and mentoring since 2007.

Education Professor and CELTSS Director May Hara said the center provides “extra support to faculty who are looking to get tenure and those who have been at FSU for a while and just need professional development.

“My position is designed to evaluate what faculty want and need for development and to arrange different opportunities for them to get that development,” she said.

History Department Chair and CELTSS Assistant Director Maria Bollettino said CELTSS supports faculty and librarians as they engage in scholarship, enhance their pedagogy, and become more effective advisors.

“It’s not just we provide opportunities for mutual support and conversation around advancing one’s practice, but we also provide funding for faculty and librarians to present their original research or their creative work,” she said.

CELTSS is overseen by the Office of Academic Affairs, which allocates money to CELTSS and that is distributed to faculty and librarians, Bollettino said.

Hara said faculty and librarians have to apply for the grants. There are three rounds of funding and the Funding Committee reviews each proposal. This happens three times per academic year.

Bollettino said, “One of our main functions is to provide [grants] and these are competitive grants. You don’t just get them - faculty and li-

brarians have to apply for these grants.

“We do want to fund the scholarly and creative work of faculty and librarians because faculty and librarians who are current in their fields are better instructors of students, and can better acquaint students with the cutting edge of disciplines, she added.

Bollettino said in the steering committees, there are representatives from every department, including the library and Education Technology Office.

CELTSS subcommittees include the Funding Committee, Scholarship Committee, Event Committee, Advising, Mentoring, External Committee, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, according to Framingham State’s website.

Funding is available in several categories: course release, conducting research and creative work, presenting research and creative work, teaching and learning, and attendance at conferences or other professional workshops, according to the website.

After the CELTSS Funding Subcommittee evaluates the proposals, all requests must be approved by the Office of Academic Affairs.

According to FSU’s website, each individual may receive up to a $1,500 maximum award, in each category, in each funding round.

Applications are found on the Framingham State website and deadlines are ordinarily in October, early December, and early March.

Communication, Media, and Performance Professor Audrey Kali said she is “thankful” for CELTSS as she has received many grants from the center.

She said the first grant she was awarded was an “Innovation in Teaching” grant that supplied her with a MacBook Pro to record students when

delivering oral presentations.

Kali said she also went to Washington D.C. for her animal research and she received a grant from CELTSS to be able to travel.

She said many students are surprised when she talks about all the research she has conducted before.

Her most recent grant allowed her to conduct research on “The rhetoric of pesticide companies, and how they persuade people to use pesticides hurting sustainability and biodiversity and the importance of insects on our planet.”

Through this grant, she was able to travel to North Carolina to speak with an entomologist and gather information for her research.

“What surprised me over the years is that I would often ask students what they think the role of faculty is on campus, and they would just say, ‘Teach,’” Kali said.

CELTSS also provides mentoring to faculty and librarians. Cara Pina, biology professor and CELTSS director of mentoring, said she usually has professional development days planned throughout the year that faculty can attend.

She said a survey that is conducted every year allows faculty and librarians to express their opinions on what they need from the center.

Cara said, “We try to have one per month, and so there’s a pretty standard schedule for when it happens. But there are different topics depending on what exactly we’re doing.

“For example, if we are having a panel of faculty, you talk about something that they happen to be an expert in, and we’ll ask the panelists when is a good time, where you can all meet, and then we’ll schedule the event then,” she said.

Cara said there is no individual

mentoring taking place at the moment because there have not been any requests.

In the past, “We’ve had opportunities for people to sign up and say that they want individual mentoring and then we’ve had individual mentoring for them,” she said.

In the Spring semester, there is a “creative poster session” at which students have the opportunity to present their creative projects and research.

Bollettino said CELTSS organizes the student research and creative practice conference which happens every May. “This opportunity is for students who have engaged in their research over the year to present that research to one another, to the larger Framingham State community, to the larger MetroWest community,” Bollettino said.

Domenic Scalzi, a junior, said this program is a great asset for professors because “professors should be able to provide students with the best education they can give.

“I did not know CELTSS was a thing - it’s a great thing,” he added.

Sarah Silva, a freshman, said she didn’t know about the opportunity students have to show their work.

“I look forward to being able to show my projects to everyone at some point.”

Kali said, “The quality of our University depends on the quality of our faculty. “ For more information about CELTSS, visit framingham.edu/centers-and-institutes/celtss CONNECT WITH NAIDELLY COELHO ncoelho3@student.framingham.edu

Several changes coming to FAFSA for 2024-25

By Emily Rosenberg Editor-in-Chief

By Dylan Pichnarcik Editorial Staff Several major changes are coming to the FAFSA for the 2024-25 academic year that may affect the amount of financial aid students receive.

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and colleges that distribute federal aid, including Framingham State, require students to complete the form in order to be considered for financial assistance toward their tuition and fees bill.

Due to the changes, the application will be available on a tentative date in December instead of October, when it is typically available.

These changes will be initiated due to the FAFSA Simplification Act passed

by Congress in 2020. According to the U.S. Department of Education website, the act significantly overhauls the process of awarding federal aid.

The act changes the needs analysis that determines eligibility for financial aid. A student’s “Expected Family Contribution” that determines a student’s ability to pay for college and

their eligibility for Pell Grants will be replaced by the Student Aid Index.

The Student Aid Index removes the number of family members in college from the calculation.

Director of Financial Aid Caitlin Laurie said, “The income and household size will go into a student aid index, and that will determine the eligibility for a Pell grant.”

Laurie said the Student Aid Index is likely to “greatly expand” access to financial aid for most students except in rare situations.

The Financial Aid Office sent out an email to students on Oct. 25 explaining to inform students of the new changes.

Laurie said the new application will be more streamlined. Compared to previous years when the FAFSA had around 100 questions, the new application will only have 30.

In addition, the new FAFSA will be made up of sections to be completed by the applicant’s contributors who must all create their own Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. Contributors include biological or adoptive parents, stepparents, and if students are married, their spouses.

Another significant change alters how the federal government verifies tax information with the IRS. In previous years, applicants were given the option to enter income information manually or to use a data retrieval tool if a federal tax return was filed by the applicant or contributor. Now, applicants and contributors must consent to a direct data transfer from the IRS regardless of if a federal tax return was filed.

Laurie said if a federal tax return was not filed, it indicates important information for the needs analysis as well.

She said a drawback to this change is that if applicants and contributors do not consent to a direct data transfer, the student completing the application will not be considered for federal aid.

Students are not required to add contributors to their FAFSA if they fall under certain categories in which they are deemed financially independent from others or if they have dependents.

Other reasons why students may not need to add contributors to their applications is if they are in active military duty or a veteran, are a graduate student, or have gone through the le-

gal emancipation process.

Another change to the form will affect students who list one of their parents as a contributor and their parents are divorced. In previous years, students whose parents were divorced were required to report the income of the parent they lived with the most in the past 12 months. On the new FAFSA form, students will report the income of the parent who provides them with the most financial support.

Laurie said, “It is a huge change, obviously. If the person contributes more to the student financially they are probably making more money, so that could result in a decrease in eligibility.”

Laurie said the Financial Aid Office will be supporting students through these changes in the upcoming months in the form of workshops and support seminars. Students will receive updates through emails.

CONNECT WITH EMLY ROSENBERG erosenberg@student.framingham.edu CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarick3@student.framingham.edu

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6 | NOVEMBER 3, 2023

OP/ED THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Every weekend shouldn’t be Halloweekend “Halloweekend” is a time-honored tradition for college students.

For young adults, taking a break from coursework to celebrate the holiday is almost certain, whether by themselves or at a party.

And for some, that celebration might include consuming alcohol or marijuana.

For 21-year-olds in Massachusetts, recreational, responsible alcohol and marijuana use is socially acceptable.

It’s expected that some college students will spend Halloween unwinding with some light social drinking, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The problem is when this activity becomes habitual and it is no longer just for fun.

College students are highly susceptible to not knowing their limits and are vulnerable to becoming addicted to these substances.

Students are usually also lacking the knowledge of how damaging excessive substance use can be to their mental, physical, and emotional well-being.

For example, what is portrayed in the media as a typical college party is actually a depiction of binge drinking and drug abuse.

Having four drinks on one occasion for a female and five drinks on one occasion for a male is considered binge drinking.

Many college students do not know this or that binge drinking is a national problem.

Approximately 13% of full-time college students aged 18 to 22 met the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the past year, according to a 2021 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism survey.

Additionally, 22,219 college students aged 18 to 24 are hospitalized for alcohol poisoning every year, according to a 2021 bulletin from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHS).

It is important for college students to learn more about their limits, and to become educated so they don’t end up in one of these statistical categories.

Waking up with a hangover every Sunday is not normal.

It is important to learn how to drink responsibly so alcohol consumption doesn’t interfere with other aspects of your life.

Additionally, due to the legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts, students have easy access to this substance, leading to its normalization and an increase in consumption without much knowledge of some of the consequences that may occur.

Because marijuana legalization is still relatively recent, there have only been a limited

number of studies analyzing the long-term effects of this substance and how it impacts the body and mind - especially within the college student demographic.

Marijuana can impair thinking, memory, and learning. It also affects learning and the ability to make connections within the brain like building memories.

Researchers are still studying how long marijuana’s effects last and whether the impacts on the brain are permanent.

A lack of education paired with such easy access to marijuana is harmful.

That is why it is up to you to educate yourself about the difference between social use of substances and addiction.

There are several resources right here on campus to help you reduce your risk of developing an unhealthy relationship with these substances.

For example, the S.E.A.L.S. Peer Health Educators hold tables in the McCarthy Center on how much alcohol is in a standard drink and how to read your blood alcohol content (B.A.C.).

The Health and Wellness Center is equipped with professionals with a background in safe drinking and substance use.

Just in the last few weeks, FSU’s health center has hosted events on the use of fentanyl, Narcan training, and alcohol’s role in abusive relationships.

These resources on campus as well as helplines such as the SAMHSA National Helpline, 1-800-662-4357 are available to students who believe they may be battling addiction.

If you think you or someone you know has a substance abuse problem, reach out to SAMHSA or Framingham State’s on-campus counseling and health center.

Please - use these resources before it is too late.

And educate yourself on how to be safe.

It is not wrong to want to have a drink on Halloween, but Halloweekend is not every day.

Know your limits.

Have an opinion?

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

Anyone can submit.

We look forward to hearing from you!

The Gatepost Editorial reflects the opinions of the newspaper’s Editorial Board. Signed Op/Eds reflect the opinions of individual writers. @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Take a chance, take the stage

By Ryan O’Connell Associate Editor Three weeks ago I went to a show at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, where I saw Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, two improv comedians who made their big break in the ’90s, perform live.

In the aisle with me was my girlfriend and five other close friends who’d all been on the Hilltop - our school’s theater club - improv troupe, The Suit Jacket Posse, at one point or another.

It was, of course, invigorating to see one of us join Colin and Brad onstage for a game - and between fits of laughter I was only able to think about how much fun I’ve had performing for an audience at Framingham State.

The funny thing?

I didn’t know I liked any of that stuff three years ago.

In October 2020, I was a senior in high school and learning on Zoom after the initial outbreak of COVID-19. As a gamer, I was more than happy to be inside, talking to my friends all day.

Even before that, I mostly kept to myself - the only extracurricular I participated in was DECA, an international business roleplay program, which assembled merely three or four times a year.

That was all, really, I did outside of school. Plus a few Saturday mornings I gave up for extra credit in my AP Computer Science class.

There wasn’t anything wrong with that - I don’t regret the way I spent that time, working on my art and writing, video production, and spending time with my friends on Discord but in the last two years, I definitely don’t wish I spent more time by myself.

When I moved into Towers my freshman year, August 2021, I was in a new environment.

That new environment helped me change - because after meeting my random roommate, saying goodbye to my mother and sister, and looking out onto Framingham from the 11th floor, I found myself doing things differently.

I was taking every new opportunity I could.

I struck up a conversation with a girl who lived on my floor, which turned into a conversation with her and her roommate, then them and their neighbors, most of the floor, and into a friend group.

Emily Rosenberg, now our Editor-in-Chief, recommended I join the school newspaper, The Gatepost. I attended the social with one of those friends I made on our floor, Maddi Behringer, now a Design & Photos Editor studying abroad.

I joined without any idea what I wanted to do, other than to take photos, maybe.

But I took the chances I was given.

I started to report for the Arts & Features section, learned a whole new way of writing, and developed strong communication and leadership skills.

A few days before that, I had heard a highschool friend was going to try out for The Suit Jacket Posse. He asked if I wanted to come. I agreed, because I decided I didn’t have anything I’d rather be doing in my dorm.

That night I met my girlfriend, and a half dozen of the funniest people I know. And although I wasn’t picked for the team that first semester, that opportunity was enough to help me realize I really loved performing.

Putting myself out there wasn’t exactly easy. It takes a lot of courage to do anything new, let alone acting.

But even if I hadn’t liked improv, or the newspaper, my major, or any of the other great new things I’ve tried at college, I don’t regret it.

There’s only one way to know if you’re going to like something. Only one way to know if you’re about to find your new favorite hobby. One way to start the next best chapter of your life.

That’s to try something new. Take a chance.

Take every opportunity you can get.

OP/ED

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | 7

: The Cheapest Vending Machine on Campus

Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST

Campus Conversations What is you favorite cold weather activity?

By Bella Omar, Editorial Staff, and Alexis Schlesinger, Editorial Staff

“Oh! I’d have to go with snowball fights because you get to throw snowballs at people.”

“Would it be bad to say, ‘Just staying in and watching movies?’”

“I personally don’t like the cold, so I like staying in and watching Netflix.”

- Julian Rainone, freshman

- Melissa Romero, freshman

- Natalie Grimaldo, freshman

“Probably snowboarding.”

- Kaian Lopes, freshman

“I like sitting inside and reading a book by the fire, for sure. But I also like just bundling up and going on a walk in the woods.”

- Patrick McGonagle, senior

“Snowboarding.”

Madison Stumpf, freshman

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

8 | NOVEMBER 3, 2023

SPORTS

Men’s soccer wins in overtime; advances to semifinals

By Adam Levine Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams beat the Worcester State Lancers 3-1 in double overtime in the first round of the MASCAC Tournament at the Maple Street Field Oct. 31.

The Rams and Lancers battled for 110 minutes to decide who will move on to the MASCAC Tournament Semifinal game.

After 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods, Framingham emerged victorious.

Framingham’s win extends their win streak to six games, which is their longest win streak this season.

Their last loss was in their first matchup to Worcester, which ended 3-1 Oct. 14.

Framingham’s senior forward, Jeffson Malachie, said their win was “a completely different game” compared to their previous matchup with Worcester.

Kunphel Sinha, a senior captain and a midfielder, said “Changes were made by the coaching staff” between the two matchups.

“The team just followed through

and we performed,” he said.

The Lancers dominated the offensive statistics, taking 25 shots and nine corner kicks in comparison to just 11 shots and two corner kicks from the Rams.

Worcester began the match strong, taking shots and penalty corners without any response from the Rams.

During the 19th minute of the match, the Lancers snuck one past Framingham’s goalkeeper, Joey Sturzo, for the first goal of the game.

Although Worcester’s Wilber Garcia was credited for the goal, an error on Framingham’s defense resulted in an own-goal.

Framingham responded with an offensive strike of their own.

Pass after pass after pass, the Rams marched down the field.

Malachie capped off the attack with a goal after a pass from forward Gustav Hemmingsen.

Hemmingsen said, “The game was going kind of slow, so my mindset was just trying to pick it up, make it faster, try and find the right paths.”

Malachie said, “At first, I didn’t know I was going to get the ball.

“The defender jumped, he missed it,

and I thought ‘Oh, this is my chance to score.’

“I took a chance - found composure and everything - and I finished,” he added.

Framingham tied the game 1-1 in the 26th minute of the first half.

Neither team let up, but the scoreboard still read 1-1, a tie, after the remaining 64 minutes of regulation.

After allowing the first goal, Sturzo recorded five saves for the Rams.

The 90-minute regulation began to weigh on the players and the exhaustion was evident to the fans as time expired.

Framingham came out for the first 10-minute overtime period with a spark in their game.

Less than three minutes into overtime, Hemmingsen stole the ball, turned, and shot. The ball flew past Worcester’s goalie and the Rams celebrated a 2-1 lead.

Hemmingsen said, “To be honest, I didn’t even know the goalie was off his line.”

He said Sinha, who was playing striker with him, told him to shoot.

“I decided to trust him,” Hemmingsen said. “Goes to show, put your

trust in your teammate and we’ll make it work.

Hemmingsen’s goal was a much-needed kindle to the Rams’ flame.

Framingham continued to pressure Worcester.

With fewer than two minutes remaining in the first overtime, Framingham’s Arthur Santos Da Silva assisted Sinha on the final goal of the game.

Sinha said, “The goal was me instinctively reading the goalie positioning and I shot my shot.”

The Rams held off the Lancers’ ill-fated attack in the final overtime period.

Sturzo saved both of Worcester’s shots and the Rams held on for their 3-1 victory.

The Rams travel to Bridgewater for the MASCAC Tournament Semifinal game Nov. 3.

Sinha said the matchup with Bridgewater will be a “dog fight.”

“Friday will be just another game,” he said. “They don’t know what’s coming.”

OCTOBER 28 FRAMINGHAM STATE FITCHBURG STATE

1 0

OCTOBER 31 FRAMINGHAM STATE BRIDGEWATER STATE

3 1

Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com

Adam Levine / THE GATEPOST Men’s soccer celebrating 3-1 double-overtime win over Worcester in the first round of the MASCAC Tournament Oct. 31.

CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE alevine5@student.framingham.edu

Volleyball defeats Husson on Senior Night

By Adam Levine Sports Editor

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST Volleyball team lining up for a point during 3-0 win over Husson Nov. 1.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

The Framingham State Rams beat the Husson University Eagles in three straight sets during their final home regular season matchup Nov. 1.

With just one regular season game remaining, Framingham now holds an overall record of 17-10 and a MASCAC record of 3-3. The Rams rank fourth among the eight teams in the MASCAC. Framingham’s Anna Szymanski led the game with 12 kills and 43 total attack attempts.

Szymanski earned MASCAC Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 30. She recorded a season-high 18 kills during the Rams’ 3-2 loss to Regis Oct. 28.

Szymanski said, “I wouldn’t be able to do without my team.

“Without a pass and a set, I’m really nothing.

“I owe it all to them and it wouldn’t be possible without them,” she added.

The Rams started strong in the first set, taking a quick 5-1 lead.

Husson tied the set 5-5 and continued to match Framingham’s pace.

The Eagles gained a 21-20 lead over the Rams, which was their only lead of

the entire game.

Framingham scored four consecutive points and eventually finished the set 25-23.

The second set was just as easy as the first.

The Rams took a 7-1 lead and continued to dominate the Eagles.

They finished the set with a 25-19 win.

Although the Eagles only lost the third set 25-19, it was the most lopsided of the three sets.

Framingham held a 9-point lead at 12-3, which was the largest lead during all three sets.

The Rams closed out the game with a clean sweep of three sets.

The Rams honored one of the captains, senior Hailey Sanders, during their Senior Night.

Sanders said she “loved” being honored and having a strong fan section to cheer her on.

She said, “I love the energy. I love the support.

“It really helped us, I think, tonight, too,” Sanders added.

Head Coach Richard Casali said

the team hasn’t progressed as quickly as he had hoped due to injuries and a young roster.

Despite these factors, Casali said he is still “really pleased” with how the younger players have progressed and where the team stands in the MASCAC. “I still think we can win this thing if everything falls into place,” he said.

Framingham travels to Salem for a MASCAC matchup and their final regular season game Nov. 4.

OCTOBER 28 FRAMINGHAM STATE NORWICH

3 0

REGIS (MASS.) FRAMINGHAM STATE

3 2

NOVEMBER 1 FRAMINGHAM STATE 3 HUSSON 0 Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com

CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE alevine5@student.framingham.edu

SPORTS Cross-country teams excel at MASCAC Championship Meet

By Adam Levine Sports Editor

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | 9

Field hockey wins first MASCAC playoff game since entering the conference

By Dante Curry Staff Writer

The Framingham State University men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed at the MASCAC Cross Country Championship Meet Oct. 27.

Among the seven teams, Framingham’s women’s team placed third and the men’s team placed fourth.

At the 2022 MASCAC Cross Country Championship Meet, Framingham’s men’s and women’s team placed fifth and fourth, respectively.

In the 2023 MASCAC preseason polls, coaches across the conference predicted Framingham’s men’s and women’s team to place fifth and fourth, respectively.

Interim Head Coach Mark Johnson Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST said, “I honestly couldn’t be happier Framingham’s Avery Guiel dribbling with how both of our teams performed during 3-2 win over Bridgewater Nov. 1. this year.”

Johnson said the goal for both Framingham State defeated Bridgeteams was to place higher at the MASwater State 3-2 in the first round of the CAC Championship Meet than the MASCAC Tournament at Maple Street previous year, as well as the preseason Field Nov. 1. poll predictions.

Framingham’s Kaylee Beck, one Freshman Kate Buban led the womof the team’s captains, said, “Honen’s team with a finishing time of estly, we just knew we needed to pull 20:46.39 and an eighth-place finish. through today.

Buban placed highest among all “Bridgewater is one of those teams rookies in the meet. She earned MASthat no matter what the score is, CAC Rookie of the Year for the season they’re always going to fight to every and earned a spot on the All-Confersingle ball, tooth and nail, so we knew ence Team. we needed to bring that same energy She said, “I am happy that my hard today,” she added. work has been recognized.

The first quarter began slowly, with “It is really cool to have my mofew shots on the goal. ment,” she added.

Bridgewater’s Jordyn Perry took a Buban said, “Although I would have shot, but Framingham’s goalie, Kaitlyn liked to run a faster time, I know that I Tello, saved it. put my all into that race.

Just before the 19th minute, Bridge“I did my best,” she added. water produced the first score of the Buban said she knows she “truly game with a shot from Madison Ellis, challenged” herself. assisted by Lexi James.

Senior captain Patrick Walsh led It appeared the Bears took a 2-0 lead the men’s team with a finishing time in the 20th minute, but the officials of 27:48.59 and a fourth-place finish. recalled the point after agreeing the Walsh earned a spot on the All-Conball had touched the chest of one of ference Team.

Bridgewater’s players during the play.

He said, “I’m fine with my individuFramingham turned things up and al performance.” took five consecutive shots, none of Walsh said he finished the race with which resulted in a goal. “gas in the tank” and wished he pushed The third quarter was extremely imhimself harder for a higher placement. pactful - the meat and potatoes of this “Luckily, I’m planning on taking my game. master’s at Fram and hopefully takFramingham started the half with a ing advantage of the COVID year. The hope for the first-place spot isn’t gone to stay healthy. yet,” he said.

Walsh said the new goal is to recruit Walsh said he is “proud” of the work more and for both teams to place even from both the men’s and women’s higher at next year’s meet. teams this season.

Both teams will compete at the NCAA He said the goal for the men’s team Division III Regional Meet Nov. 11. this season, given its small roster, was Buban said, “I am ready to run a faster time.

“I feel that I am capable of doing so - I will just really need to kick butt,” she added.

Coach Johnson said, “I am very confident that we’re going to have a strong showing at DIII Regionals.

“The teams have earned the opportunity to go out there and race against the best teams in the upper Northeast. So, I think no matter what, it’s going to be a fun and good day,” he added.

Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com

Adam Levine / THE GATEPOST CONNECT WITH ADAM LEVINE Kate Buban, alevine5@student.framingham.edu 2023 MASCAC Rookie of the Year

lot of energy and momentum on their side.

Framingham’s Isabella Kondi, one of the team’s captains, said the shift in energy came “from last year’s playoff run.”

She said, “Being in the LEC [Little East Conference] last year and getting a playoff game was absolutely spectacular. Losing really put things into perspective for us.

“At this halftime, because we were down, we really did not want to be in that position again, so we kicked it into gear and put it to bed,” Kondi added.

The Rams brought that same energy. At the 31-minute mark, Beck sent in a score on an assist by Angelina Serra, leaving the box score 1-1.

Beck said, “It feels amazing. It’s like one of those things where it feels like time stops and you just keep going.”

After the score, the Rams seemed to get into a groove and quickly sent five more shots toward the net.

They were all unsuccessful, and the next point came from Bridgewater with 20 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

Bridgewater’s Perry scored on an assist by Zoe Bergeron, taking a 2-1 lead.

Less than 20 seconds later, Framingham’s freshman Allison Harmuth tipped in a loose ball on a solo shot.

Harmuth scored off a Rams penalty corner as time expired.

She scored her first goal in the MASCAC playoffs, of the season, and in her Rams career, to tie the game at the end of the third period.

Harmuth said, “It feels awesome.

“I’m so happy to have this opportunity to play for this team. I’m so proud of how far we’ve come.

“And honestly, it was the team who did it, not just me,” she added.

The game went into the fourth quarter all tied up at 2-2, thanks to Harmuth’s goal.

Bridgewater did not take this lightly and came out swinging in the fourth, desperately trying to prolong their MASCAC championship run.

The first two penalty corners and the next three shots on the goals all came from Bridgewater, but Framingham held strong.

In the 49th minute, Framingham took the lead with a huge goal from Kondi, assisted by Serra.

Kondi said, scoring the game-win-

ning goal was “absolutely electric.”

Framingham kept the pressure up and the next five shots at goal all came from the Rams.

Kondi’s goal seemed to be the final dagger for Bridgewater. They did not have any more shots for the rest of the fourth period and they failed to produce another score.

Framingham won round one of the MASCAC playoffs 3-2.

This is a single-elimination tournament, which means Framingham’s win eliminated Bridgewater for the season.

After moving to the MASCAC this season, this is Framingham’s first year in the playoff tournament.

Head Coach Allie Lucenta said, “We love” being in the new conference.

She said, “It’s a very competitive conference compared to the conference we were in before. It’s nice being able to play each team twice, so now this is our third time playing Bridgewater.

“It was a good battle,” Lucenta added.

Framingham managed to achieve success in all three of their matchups with Bridgewater this season.

The Rams advance to the semi-final round, hosted by #2 seed Westfield State Nov. 3.

Coach Lucenta said the plan is to watch film to prepare.

She said, “It’s mostly just mental at this point - making sure that everyone is in the zone.”

OCTOBER 28 WESTFIELD STATE FRAMINGHAM STATE

2 1

NOVEMBER 1 FRAMINGHAM STATE BRIDGEWATER STATE

3 2

Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com

CONNECT WITH DANTE CURRY dcurry@student.framingham.edu

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Left) Framingham’s Angie Serra looking to pass to an open teammate during 3-2 win over Bridgewater Nov. 1.

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10 | NOVEMBER 3, 2023

ARTS & FEATURES

Tales of transportation

By Raena Doty Arts & Features Editor

By Jack McLaughlin Arts & Features Editor When class lets out at 2:20 p.m. on Friday, many students are eager to get out as fast as possible so they can catch the RamTram for a trip to the mall or movie theater.

In fact, for resident students without cars, this may be their only mode of transportation.

At the same time, many students are leaving for the weekend - maybe they’re a commuter who wants to relax as soon as possible, or they have a family get-together they just can’t wait to attend.

These students may be running as fast as possible to the parking lot shuttle.

The Student Transportation Center (STC) offers an essential service on campus - safe transportation for everyone who might need it, whether it’s because they had to park in the Union Avenue Parking Lot after the Maple Parking Lot was full, or because they have to go to Target to get groceries.

And essential to the STC are two employees - Sheryl Jacob, who drives the RamTram from FSU to several off-campus locations during the week, and Tracy Thibaudeau, who is in charge of the parking lot shuttle on Monday to Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sheryl Jacob began working at Framingham State in 2016, following a 30-year career as a school bus driver.

She said she chose to be a bus driver when her son was just starting kindergarten, and wanted to have the same schedule as him.

After working in the office of a school bus company in conjunction with being a bus driver for about five years, she said she decided she prefers being outside of an office when working.

“I just decided I like being out. I don’t want to be cooped up in an office,” she said.

Jacob said she’s had many memorable experiences as a bus driver, including sliding down an icy hill with 65 elementary school students on board.

“One of the parents - luckily - was out,” Jacob said. “He’d seen what was happening and he ran down, and he stopped the traffic and I just kind of kept pumping and pumping, and sliding a little bit, but eventually got to the bottom.”

Jacob said safety is always a priority when driving, and it’s especially important to be able to remain level-headed in uneasy situations.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

“You have to try to stay calm, even when things are stressful,” she said.

Traffic is a guarantee if you travel anywhere on Route 9, and Jacob said this was one of the most frustrating parts of being a RamTram driver.

“Sometimes I’m just like, ‘You gotta be kidding!’” she said.

She also commented on the other drivers that she encounters on Route 9, and said, “You would be shocked if you knew how many near misses I’ve gone through in just this semester alone.”

Jacob explained that she isn’t from this area, and will sometimes become stressed over taking different routes to get to pick-up locations like Shopper’s World or the Natick Mall.

“I just get nervous because I could see myself going so deep into Natick that I don’t know where I am,” Jacob said.

Despite this, Jacob said she prefers to drive this route over the parking lots because of the consistent schedule.

Jacob’s favorite part about the job is the people she gets to meet from driving. She said she enjoys getting to listen to some of the conversations her passengers have while driving.

“All the sudden somebody will say something really funny and I’ll start cracking up and they all just kinda look at me - I’m like, ‘Sorry, that was really hysterical!’” Jacob said.

To keep things fun on the tram, Jacob said she likes to decorate the inside of the bus for the holidays.

“One year I decorated the shuttle with all Halloween lights, and I had a strobe light going. … I’ll play holiday music,” she said.

She said she enjoys working with the student employees at the STC, and cherishes her time with them.

“There’s been a few that are real close to my heart. Now they’re gone and I’m a little sad but it’s good you’ve got to expect it,” she added.

Outside of work, Jacob lives at home with her sister, and in her free time enjoys painting, she said, and added she began painting shortly after her son was born. She said her favorite type of painting is “dot art,” where the entire piece is made up of paint dots of different sizes and colors.

“That’s my passion. I love that stuff,” she said.

Thibaudeau works from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. driving loops around the parking lots to shuttle students from campus to cars.

“I drive in circles for eight hours a day. I pick on passengers. I laugh at the passengers,” she said. “I have conversations. Lots and lots of conversations. If you ask me what I talked about to you, I might not remember it the next day because it just kind of

blends in.”

She said began working here eight years ago after working most of her career as an elementary school bus driver, adding she chose to switch to driving a bus for college students because it was more consistent.

“The duties are pretty much the same, except that the kids entertain you differently than what I get entertained now, and I don’t have to tell the people I drive now to ‘sit down, keep your body parts to yourself, stay out of the aisle,’” she said.

She added children have “more of an imagination,” and she had to make up lots of stories to keep them entertained.

“My name was Tinkerbell, and I drove Santa’s sleigh at one point,” she said, and added, “Now I drive a toasted marshmallow - but I haven’t used that one for a few years.”

Even now, though, Thibaudeau makes up stories about her duties as a shuttle driver.

“We have to open the doors at train tracks. Well, I don’t open the door to stop, look, and listen for a train - I open the door to let my ghost friend, Jeffrey, who got run over by a train, on the bus,” she said.

“He rides around the Athletic Lot and then he gets back off at the train crossing,” she added.

“And he has a girlfriend!” she said.

“Anastasia - she lives in the tunnels underneath Framingham State, ’cause she froze to death - don’t ask me how that happened in a heated tunnel.”

Thibaudeau gives nicknames to everyone she works with, including “Scar,” “Esmeralda,” and “Tarantula.”

She said this started because two student employees had the same name, and she gave them nicknames to help tell the two apart.

“They just come to me,” she said, describing how she comes up with the nicknames.

She said when she began working at Framingham State, she thought working with student workers was the best thing ever, and added since then she’s learned it can be really hard because students aren’t always the most reliable, but most students are very good.

In her free time, Thibaudeau said she’s a big fan of true crime - she added she listens to true crime podcasts in the car to and from work, and listens to documentaries about true crime if no students are in the shuttle while she’s driving.

“I could probably kill somebody and not leave any DNA,” she joked.

She said at home, she has two dogs - 3-year-old sibling black labs named Dixie and Lexa.

“They’re complete opposites,” she said. “One likes to play ball, the other likes to play tug-of-war. One likes

water, one doesn’t. But don’t separate them, because then they’ll cry.”

She said she got them when they were 6 months old, and balancing work with them was initially very difficult.

“When I first got them, I didn’t want to put them in a cage, so I let them have control of the mudroom - and I had to refinish my floor,” she said. “They got into permanent marker, they got into Wite-Out, they destroyed a case of water.”

She said they’re able to be left alone now, but “one still has her puppy going on. Almost every night, all the sudden she’ll start growling and barking.”

She said the best part of her job is “the people,” and for students, she had a lot of advice to give - “You’re too young to drink anything but KoolAid and coffee, OK? You gotta go to classes,” she said. “Pay attention in your class. Do your homework. Make good choices.”

Despite only being employed for a month, student worker for the STC Melissa Romiero has already been given the nickname “Bonita” by Thibaudeau, and enjoys hearing from Thibaudeau about Jeffrey.

Another student employee, Parker Winters, nicknamed W (pronounced “Dubyah”) by Thibaudeau, said it’s “awesome” to work with Thibaudeau and Jacob, and commended Thibaudeau for always having energy at early shifts.

“Tracy, even at … 6 a.m., has energy in the morning. I don’t know how she does that,” Winters said.

Kim Galvani, coordinator of transportation services - or, as Thibaudeau calls her, “Cinderella” - said the work done by Thibaudeau and Jacob is essential to the campus because for many people, the RamTram and parking lot shuttles are the only way they can get around.

She added the most important part of Jacob and Thibaudeau’s job is ensuring student safety while they’re on the bus.

She said one of her favorite memories of working with Jacob was “getting to devour her delicious, award-winning desserts,” and she loves seeing Thibaudeau’s holiday costumes, staff nicknames, and her word of the day.

“The incredible friendships I’ve seen grow over the years make me proud to be a part of the STC staff,” she said.

CONNECT WITH JACK MCLAUGHLIN

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ARTS & FEATURES

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | 11

Haute Halloween Fashion Club hosts costume contest

By Raena Doty Arts & Features Editor Who said Halloween can’t be glamorous? Certainly not Framingham State’s Fashion Club, which spent Oct. 31 - Halloween night - throwing a costume contest in the Alumni Room.

Angelina Casucci, a junior fashion design major and the president of Fashion Club, who was dressed as a princess, said the event was based on last year’s event, the Celebrity LookAlike Contest.

“We wanted to do something similar but also different, and it worked out that Halloween was on a Tuesday, which is when we usually have meetings,” she said.

She added typical meetings often involve activities to help people build skills in fashion, and most meetings are very beginner-friendly - for example, in the past they’ve made scrunchies and jewelry.

Katie Sharpe, a senior fashion design major and secretary of the Fashion Club who dressed in dark clothes and makeup - a sharp contrast to her bright pink hair - said she didn’t plan out her costume in advance, just put together what she had in her dorm.

She added she hopes students are able to have fun at events like the costume contest.

The event was filled with music, candy, pizza, and taking pictures of all the costumes before the contest started.

The night ended with the costume contest, where four participants were able to win awards in four categories - “Most Creative,” “Funniest,” “Scariest,” and “Most Realistic.”

Attendees voted for the winner through a Google Form, and the person with the most votes in each category won.

Kate Norrish, a sophomore English major, dressed in a red robe and a laurel wreath to represent one of Dante Alighieri’s most iconic looks in “The Divine Comedy,” won the award for “Most Creative.”

Emmy Iyan, a junior political science major, won “Funniest.” She was dressed as “Angelina [Casucci]’s friend Chucky,” and chose to dress as that because Angelina “told her to.” She said she chose a photo as her prize “to take pictures of Angelina.”

Sarah Snyder, a freshman with an undeclared major, won “Scariest” for their costume as a succubus.

They added they had all the components for the costume lying around, and only put the costume together after everything was bought - from the dress to the horns.

Owen Thornton, a senior history major, won the category for “Most Realistic” in his costume for Jesse Pinkman from “Breaking Bad.” He said his costume was made to go with his girlfriend Samantha Reynolds, who dressed as Jesse’s girlfriend from the show.

Reynolds, a junior fashion design

Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Left) Kate Norrish, Sarah Snyder, Emmy Iyan, Owen Thornton, contest winners Oct. 31. major and the vice president of Fashion Club, wasn’t in her costume as Jesse’s girlfriend, though - she was dressed as a witch for the night.

She said she hopes students will become more i n volved through events like the costume contest, and added the Fashion Club was much larger before the COVID-19 pandemic caused schools to shut down.

Priscilla Remis and Rui-Rui Zhang, professors of fashion design and retailing and faculty advisors for the Fashion Club, both came in costume - they said.

Remis was dressed up in a shark costume, though no shark in particular, she said.

Zhang wore an off-white sweater - Remis said the c o s tume was “a procrastinator, an indecisive costume wearer.” Zhang joked she wore a comforter costume.

They said meetings and events for the club give them a chance to see a different side of students.

“A lot of them here have made their own costumes, done their own makeup - they look terrific,” Remis said.

She added the students of Fashion Club eBoard work independently to plan their events.

“The students really do it all on their own. We didn’t have anything to do with it, besides showing up and making sure it’s running smoothly, and that’s kind of our role,” Remis said.

Zhang said as advisors, it’s their job to “be the facilitator, be the supporter.”

“Eat their pizza,” Remis added.

[Editor’s Note: Kate Norrish is also a Staff Writer for The Gatepost]

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: New dorm, same decorations

By Raena Doty Arts & Features Editor Sonia Luzon, a freshman health and wellness major, was an active student during high school - for starters, she was homecoming queen, a cheerleader, and on her cross-country team.

Now that she lives at Framingham State, she proudly displays medals and awards on her dorm room wall from her time in high school to remind her of her life before college.

She said participation has been more difficult during college, and while she’s interested in potentially joining the student government, she’s already kept busy by her time at FSU spent cheerleading and on the dance team.

Luzon said she chose to have a single room because she wanted privacy and control over her space.

“Something has to be the way I leave it,” she said, and added she keeps her room very clean most of the time,

and having a space to herself makes it easier to focus on her schoolwork.

Luzon said there’s not really much she thinks is missing from campus, though she wishes her dorm room had a closet more like the closets in Larned Hall that are taller and have shelf space.

She said food from the Dining Commons is “not bad” and “UCook is the best.” She added she likes to make a “Chinese pasta” dish using macaroni noodles, chicken, broccoli, carrots, and teriyaki sauce.

She added the Dining Commons has been a great place for her to make friends, and said a few days ago she ended up chatting with someone about the dessert offerings and has been messaging them on Snapchat every day since.

Luzon also added she’s good friends with everyone who lives on her floor.

She said the floor has only female residents, and sometimes it can be frustrating that they can’t use the men’s bathroom on the floor even though there are no men.

She added one of the challenges of living on campus has been finding times to shower, but learning the habits of the people who live in her hall

Sonia Luzon’s bed with LED lights above with her has helped make it easier.

For prospective students living on campus, Luzon said she thinks it’s important to “go to class. Do not skip, because once you skip, you’re going to keep skipping.

“And stay on top of your work,” she added. “Don’t be the type of student, when the teacher assigns it, to be like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna do it later.’ You’re really not gonna do it.”

Luzon said her favorite thing about living on campus is the close accessibility of her dorm.

“It’s right there, so I never miss class. I can just take a nap, wake up for

Raena Doty / THE GATEPOST my next class, and then go,” she said.

Her room itself is decorated in very “calm” colors like white, gray, and cream, she said, and added she hasn’t decorated much but hopes to decorate more in the future.

On her bed is a bright pink blanket, one she’s had since she was a baby, she said.

“My mom gave it to me when I was little,” she added. “I can’t really sleep without it.”

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ARTS & FEATURES

Swiacki Continued from page 1 Hudock gave her standouts next, led by the middle-grade novel “The Probability of Everything.”

Hudock continued with “The Labors of Hercules Beal,” a middle-grade novel set in Cape Cod focusing on a boy forced to reenact the 12 labors of Hercules, which she said was a “definite read.”

She added “Gather” is another great young-adult novel about a stray dog and a boy who is struggling with food insecurity and his mother’s recovery from drug addiction, an emotional read filled with figurative language and deadpan humor.

Hudock and Westall mentioned a shared standout, “An American Story,” a picture book they both loved for the difficult question it poses to educators - “How do we teach hard parts of American history, especially to elementary-age children?” Hudock said.

She added the book was inspired by a racially-charged incident which occurred in author Kwame Alexander’s daughter’s fourth grade classroom, and how the teacher was unwilling to have a conversation regarding the horrors of slavery and retained trauma.

Hudock and Westall then transitioned to the “Wonder” category, recommending titles “Dear Yesteryear,” “Every Dreaming Creature,” “Twenty Questions,” and other picture books they said evoke a strong sense of wonder.

Hudock said she and Westall noticed an embrace of diversity in review of the 2023 titles - not only in terms of positive representation of race and LGBTQ+ people, but also in terms of linguistic diversity.

“The Words We Share” illustrates how a recently immigrated daughter code switches to help her father’s business, and offers an authentic view into what their conversations sound like by printing Cantonese dialogue in both Chinese and italicized English, Hudock said.

Hudock added “Scroll,” similarly, introduces readers to the calligraphy-based Chinese language, and how “How to Speak in Spanglish” touches on the same code switching found in “The Words We Share.”

Westall introduced the “Self Love” category, featuring titles “Big,” “Barely Floating,” “Code Red,” and “Wepa,” among others, books of mixed reading levels which all focused on some aspect of identity and accepting oneself.

Hudock surmised “No World Too Big,” “The Day the River Caught Fire,” “Total Garbage,” and “Global,” which made up the “Save Our Planet” category, focusing on climate justice, the origin of Earth Day from fires on the Cuyahoga River, and the issues with how Earth’s garbage is handled.

She said “Community” was the best identifier for the next group of books, including titles “Our Pool,” “In Every Life,” “Mascot,” “Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay,” and “Accountable,” among others.

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“Mascot,” for example, illustrates how students of different races respond and argue for or against their town’s beloved mascot - as required for a school project - a racist depiction of a Native American, Hudock said.

“STEM” as a category featured “Big Tree,” “Fungi Grow,” “As Night Falls,” “Jumper,” and “Friends Beyond Measure,” she said, with other books which involved a science-related topic.

“Changemakers,” Westall said, included, among other titles, “Mexikid,” “Words of Wonder from Z to A,” and “How Do You Spell Unfair?” Books like “Mexikid,” she added, teach chil-

books there were to challenge, and how quietly they were removed. She said now, with social media, and a boom in diverse books, there has been a loud response.

Chan said as an adult, seeing books like “Front Desk” - which depict microaggressions and racism - and the “Cilla Lee-Jenkins” series - which features a biracial, half-Chinese protagonist, like her - challenged deeply upset her.

She compared past campaigns against books to modern ones - in the past, she said, oppressors took pride in their familiarity with the petitioned work, and used their knowledge to

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST (Left) Dashka Slater and Ekua Holmes answering questions after their lectures Nov. 2. dren it’s OK to be embarrassed, but it’s not OK to let it control you.

Hudock and Westall concluded with the “Cultural Specificity” category, with “Two Tribes,” “Chinese Menu,” and “The Antiracist Kitchen” alongside other books representing the unique experiences of culture separate from America.

Nora Chan, ’16, and an editor for Curriculum Associates, spoke at the Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival dinner prior to the featured speakers and following the “What’s New In Children’s Literature” panel.

Chan said she was honored to speak at the Literature Festival and be surrounded by educators, writers and students. She added she read many of her favorite books for the first time at Framingham State.

She said she initially felt unqualified speaking to an audience of educators about book banning.

“How can I summarize a wildly complicated topic that involves a lot of emotion and a lot of very personal identities? I am not a teacher, librarian, or school administrator. I’m not a parent, and I do not interact with kids in the classroom directly,” she said.

“I can guess that I was asked to talk tonight because every time I see my former professors and teachers, I immediately jump into this very subject at every chance I get,” she added.

Chan said as a biracial person, she didn’t see many books speaking to that part of her when she was younger.

She added when she was younger, she wasn’t aware of the censorship facing books because of how few

limit the literacy of others.

Protestors today, she added, “are the new illiterates, achieving a rare historical distinction.”

Chan said the scary part of the attempted censorship on books is that it potentially causes librarians and educators to censor themselves out of caution.

She said in 2022, 27% of librarians said experiences with book challenges influenced their purchasing decisions, while in 2023 that figure rose to 37%.

Chan said the two main questions she considers when she sees book challenges are “Why are they being challenged?” and “What can I do to empower the authors, librarians, educators, parents, caretakers, and even kids to continue?”

She said she doesn’t think she has dominion over what children should be able to read, and censorship of any kind will be depriving at least one kid with an interest that is outside the “safety of the mainstream.”

Chan added the concern behind censorship is to “protect the little ones from pain, confusion, and hurt,” which she admits is a true concern but said deciding this for children is echoing the dystopian world of “The Giver,” where there is no choice.

She said people can fight back against initiatives to ban books by reading the work themselves, getting the opinions of kids who have actually read it, and by being vocal against book challenges.

“All it boils down to is that we need more of every kind of book,” Chan said.

The Festival ended with presenta-

tions from illustrator Ekua Holmes and journalist Dashka Slater.

Holmes spoke about her journey to becoming a children’s book illustrator, and her artwork, which highlights resilience, Black culture, and family.

Holmes said her career as an artist was supported from childhood, and her inspiration too comes from children and nostalgia. “I think it’s because I got frozen at the age of 8 and … parts of me are still there.”

She said her household never had the budget for art, and she would buy a calendar every year from a gas station or beauty salon. She added this served as her only Black imagery until she saw “Street Children,” a painting

by John Wilson, which was the first piece of art she saw that featured children like her.

Holmes said she found collage was her favorite medium, and discussed some of her artwork. “Golden,” is a collage of a Black girl jumproping, her favorite childhood activity, she said.

“Matter of Time,” is an image of a faceless father and son, which represents a common relationship between young Black men and their father figures, she added.

“Precarious,” and “Girl Literature,” she said, are two paintings - and parents sent her photos of their children in positions almost exactly like in the paintings.

Holmes said she got her first illustration job after her artwork was featured in a J.P. Licks in Jamaica Plain, where a publisher took note of her name and reached out. She added she never thought it would amount to anything, until she received a manuscript to review.

She said the illustrations were for a picture book about the life of Fannie Lou Hamer - a famous civil rights activist who’d only had one other book written about her.

Holmes said she was thrilled to work on the project, but felt a lot of new responsibility after agreeing to do the illustration. She added the first five illustrations were easy to conjure, but after that, the ideas dried up.

She said she thought about giving up, until she remembered what her mother would tell her to remember when she got overwhelmed - “just do the next thing.”

After she completed the illustrations for the picture book on Hamer, she made the illustrations for “Black is a Rainbow Color.” “‘Black is a Rainbow Color’ is a powerful anthem that celebrates all things black - the colorful and the cultural,” she said.

She said she developed the style from a child’s point of view and drew it as a coloring book - Holmes added when she was a child, there was no crayon for her skin color, and she would need to overlap several colors to get a skin tone similar to hers.

The book depicts cultural icons, such as the black train tracks of the southern migration, the blues of Bil-

See SWIACKI page 13

ARTS & FEATURES

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | 13

Swiacki Continued from page 12 lie Holiday, and the shiny black shoes that walked to work during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

She recommended that to combat book bans, people read more books including children’s books. She added people also continue to share and gift books, as well as to support authors, illustrators, and to write their own books.

“I believe everybody has at least one novel in them,” she said.

“These children’s picture books that you and I will write or illustrate, read or give to others, are a gentle yet powerful form of activism. The images we make and the stories we tell are our own contemporary cave paintings where we celebrate what is, and we cast our aspirations into the light,” she said.

Slater, a journalist and the author of “Wild Blue” and “Accountable,” two books on the 2023 “What’s New” list, spoke about her experience writing “Bus 57” and the importance of context in writing.

Slater started her lecture by telling a story of a time she was punched in the face.

She said Sven, a boy in her class, punched her in the face, it hurt, and was surprising - after Sven was sent to the principal’s office, her teacher

asked her, “What had happened just before Sven punched you in the face?”

Slater used this question to reflect on her troubled home life at the time, and a key into her own behavior. She remembered, she said, teasing Sven before she was punched. She described what it was like to watch his fair skin turn red with every comment she made.

She added before this piece of necessary context, she seemed like a victim and Sven seemed like an aggressor - but after revealing this, they were both to blame.

Slater then introduced “Bus 57,” a story involving an event that happened in her neighborhood on Nov. 4, 2018, where Sasha, an agender student, had their skirt lit on fire by a Black 16-year-old named Richard.

Slater explained the burns Sasha suffered and the felony charges Richard received, but added more to the context of both of their lives which changed the narrative of the story.

She said Sasha was questioning their gender and was autistic, with interests atypical to other teenagers in the area. Richard too, she said, did not fit in. It had been at his third high school that year, and had just suffered the loss of his best friend, who was murdered earlier in the year.

Slater said Richard was instantly deemed irredeemable by the public

for identifying himself as homophobic at 16, but said it wasn’t possible to know the circumstances in which he had said it.

She added it was just as possible he said it after being interrogated for several hours, or labeled himself that voluntarily, but wasn’t convinced it should define him forever.

“If you’re homophobic when you’re 16, is that the same as being homophobic when you’re 26, or 36, or older? What does the research tell us about bias crimes committed by juveniles versus adults?” She asked.

Slater added research found many juveniles who commit hate crimes do so because they are following the lead of a more biased peer, and not because they are particularly biased themselves.

She said Sasha and Richard are actually more similar than they seem.

“When you dig a little deeper, it becomes clear that Richard and Sasha’s context is the same context, a context in which people who aren’t white, straight, affluent, Christian, csigender men, are less likely to be safe, less likely to be freely who they are, less likely to receive the help they need,” she said.

Slater connected this idea of context to “Accountable,” which tells the story of a racist Instagram page, the white and asian boys who followed

‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ - a mixed adaptation

By Jack McLaughlin

Arts & Features Editor

By Owen Glancy

Asst. Arts & Features Editor After nearly a decade of growing a massively dedicated fanbase, the wildly popular “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (FNAF) game series finally has a film adaptation.

The film has been in production since 2015, and after many swaps with writers, directors, and even studios, the Emma Tammi-directed project has been released.

Initially, FNAF’s plot is simple enough. Mike Schmidt (Josh Hutcherson) is given a new job doing night shift security at the abandoned Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza.

Mike quickly discovers the old animatronics in the restaurant - Freddy, Chica, Bonnie, and Foxy - get a bit quirky at night and haunted hijinks ensue.

Going deeper into the plot, the film is able to do something remarkable make FNAF lore digestible for a casual moviegoer.

If you know anything below the surface about this game series, you know that the lore is complicated and if you aren’t watching a healthy dose of Game Theory videos online or reading the books, it’s easy to get lost.

They were able to simplify the plot enough to where there is a decent amount of intrigue, while also making it inviting to a newcomer of the series.

The film’s cast is mostly unremark-

able, unfortunately - which brings the them in more comedic or heartwarmenjoyment of the story down quite a ing ways.

This may sound strange to those bit. Hutcherson does a fine job in the lead role, and portrays Mike’s rela- who haven’t seen the film, and that’s tionships with his sister Abby (Pip- because it is. Even if it is accurate to er Rubio) and police officer Vanessa the lore of the games, it takes away from the potential suspense and hor(Elizabeth Lail) well.

For the most part, these are the ror of every scene, instead making three characters you are going to be it feel closer to a children’s film atsticking with for most of the story. tempting to be a horror movie.

They service the plot enough - but The rest of the film’s production none of them have lasting power that falls a bit short of the impressive animatronics. The music, while makes them entirely memorable, occasionally brilliant, is unlike Matthew Lillard. mostly forLillard is the shining star of gettable and nevthis film. Player truly ing the villain, adds to the William Afton, he film. elevates every scene he’s Freddy Fain - which unfortunately zbear’s Pizza are very few. looks great, His ability to still play almost like it an incredibly entertainwas a real abaning and twisted villain has doned restaurant not worn off since “Scream,” that they filmed in. and fans will certainly be However, every pleased with his porBen Hurney / THE GATEPOST other location in trayal of Afton. the film is very One of the highlights of the film is the special effects by generic and the bland cinematograthe Jim Henson Company, famous phy and score do nothing to help this.

The film’s greatest sin is that it is for their work on “The Muppets” and “The Dark Crystal.” By making the an- boring. Every plot twist and jumpimatronics not only real, but by giving scare was so predictable that it made that responsibility to such a trusted not falling asleep in the theater a and experienced team, enhanced the challenge.

We know virtually nothing about film’s potential for scares tenfold.

Sadly, the film rarely capitalizes FNAF, so the fact that we were able on these incredible effects. Instead of to stay five steps ahead of every scene having more scenes where the anima- in the film is not a good sign, to the tronics go on killing sprees, they use point where Owen would say that this

and created the account, and the Black girls it targeted.

She said she worked closely with those involved in the case for years, learning about their contexts and the hidden relationships not elsewhere reported - that the two groups were good friends before this incident, having sleepovers and spending time together frequently.

Slater said that complicated stories like the one in “Accountable” grow hearts and minds.

“When people learn a complicated story, one that doesn’t lend itself to easy answers or snap judgements, their hearts expand along with their minds. Context and shades of gray make the world a fuller and better place. One in which most of us are imperfect, but not evil,” she said.

“Working together is never easy.

Sometimes we’re going to punch, sometimes we’re going to be punched.

There will be tears and there will be blood, and places where our understandings of the world collide,” she said.

Slater added, “And I’m saying this as politely as I can - we have no f*****g choice.”

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film is more effective at putting him to sleep better than melatonin.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is a film of ups and downs. Matthew Lillard, the impressive special effects, and the surprisingly simple plot are all excellent, making the film worth watching.

But the mostly bad cast, the constant tonal whiplash, the underwhelming production design, and the bland writing make it a slog to get through.

For fans of the games, this is a miracle adaptation that somehow makes nearly a decade of carefully crafted lore digestible in just under two hours. However, for anyone else, it’s your average PG-13 horror flick that offers nothing new or original.

Rating: C Five Forgettable Nights at Freddy’s

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ARTS & FEATURES

‘Super Mario Bros. Wonder’ is full of 2D amazement

By Paul Harrington Staff Writer

The outstanding success of previous “Super Mario” games that have launched on the Nintendo Switch such as “Super Mario Odyssey”’ left longtime fans wondering if the positive momentum could keep going when “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” dropped on Oct. 20.

Playing “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” was a refreshing experience full of eccentric mechanics never before seen in past installments.

The game’ introduces players to a new kingdom to explore and save from the looming threat of Bowser.

The Flower Kingdom is full of eccentric surprises through each of the six worlds you navigate in your hero’s journey.

Right off the bat, the player is given the option to play as any of the characters - Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Blue Toad and Yellow Toad, Toadette, three different options for Yoshi, and Nabbit.

The only difference in gameplay between the characters is that Yoshi and Nabbit take no damage from enemies, but cannot use transformation power-ups. These characters are perfect for those who are looking for a calm and laid back experience of the game.

The single-player experience is a fun journey, but the game is at its peak when you get the experience to play with friends. “Super Mario Bros.

Wonder” offers both local and online enhance different gameplay aspects multiplayer where you and up to four such as how high you jump, becoming friends can play together and save the a walking coin magnet, and even invisibility. The variety in badges makes Flower Kingdom.

The game does an excellent job sure players do not get bored of stickof tapping into the sense of sound ing to a certain playstyle.

In addition to the badge system, with unique sound effects. Whether it be the drums that play when you players also have access to four new ground pound, the Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST power-ups - the Buboccasional musical ble Flowscales that you er which gives you bubcan run across, ble shooting powers, the or power-ups, the Drill Mushroom which game bleeds of allows you to dig undercreativity when ground to sneak p a s t it comes to sound foes, the Elephant Fruit effects. which turns you into an eleThe two-diphant and allows you to use mensional visuyour trunk to hit enemies, and als of the game the Wonder Flowers are full of vibrant which allows playand warm colors. ers to trigger wonYou get to see the der events. amount of love Wonder Events occur put into each levwhen you collect a Wonel. Some levels der Flower. The game has even have hidden about 60 Wonder Events exits that reward in different levels that you for looking beare sure to make you smile.M y tween every nook personal favorite was “Pira-n h a and cranny.

Plants on Parade” where the level itWhen it comes to self turns into a lively parade full of powering up the platsinging Piranha Plants. forming experience, the One of my favorite aspects that game excels in this deoffers skilled players a genuine chalpartment. It introduces the brand new badge system, which is a lenge is the game’s self-titled Special World. The Special World is a series of personal favorite of mine.

As you progress through the game challenging levels that test players on players can collect badges that can different skills. For the six in-game

worlds, each one has a Special World level tied to it that is unlocked after completing every level in each world.

Once those levels are completed, the player is granted access to one final challenge known as “The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon” which offers players a marathon-style final level full of challenging obstacles that I can attest are very difficult.

Your skills with the badges you earn throughout the game are tested in this final level.

Overall, “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” is a game that is packed to the brim with creativity. The game easily captivates players with its ambitious level design.

This game is the perfect mix of both enjoyable and challenging. It does an amazing job of incorporating new content that is sure to leave positive memories with the player. I can wholeheartedly say I enjoyed every moment of this game.

Rating: A+ A warmhearted addition to Mario’s never-ending adventures!

CONNECT WITH PAUL HARRINGTON pharrington@student.framingham.edu

‘going...going...gone!’ - hemlocke spring’s rousing debut “going…going…gone!” a song about people during the pandemic and the in the world. “pos” is the first new song on the running away from your problems. uncertainty of that time. hemlocke springs’s most popular album, and a change to the fun atti- She uses the medium of ’90s alternaIndie-pop artist hemlocke springs’s single “girlfriend” is the second track tude of the first four songs. The ironic tive rock to convey the emotions. Her debut album “going...going...gone!” on the album. This song introduc- and frank look at modern love and the ability to command multiple genres hemlock between David Abe / THE GATEPOST solidifies is 21 minutes and 24 seconds of pure es her signature of playing different difference springs as a true artist. characters on the track. The bridge the internet and real enjoyment.

The album is full of hemlocke springs, born Isimeme previously went viral on TikTok and people gives a look at fun pop songs that make “Naomi” Udu, chose her stage name is truly fun and silly in a way that is a very different side of you want to dance alone the artist. from an online word generator. She reminiscent of the ’70s. in your room. Her vo“pos” is still an rous“girlfriend” is the song I recomstarted writing songs to relieve stress cal talent is apparent during her master’s program in medi- mended to my family. I do also hear ing display of her vast voon every song and is a trucal informatics at Dartmouth College. multiple family members singing this cal talent. The song also has ly exciting listen for all. From the “going ... going ... gone!” released particular track and if you are going a music video that brings in varying genres and attitudes on the Sept. 29, includes four of her previous to listen to any one song on the album multiple characters from her previous music videos such album, no listener will be left bored.

TikTok hits as well three brand new I recommend this one. as Gina the puppet, hemlocke springs has grown greatly Songs like songs. the pa- as an artist in a very short time and “heavun” The album is a look at modern love per bag I look forward to the music she will and society in and following a pan- a n d m a n , make in the future. demic, while also looking inward at “ e n her blue knee1” the artist and her self perception. and purThe first song on the album, b o t h ple wigged “gimme all ur luv,” was the first song s e a r c h alter ego, and artist hemlocke springs ever released in the her goth alter ego.

August 2022. The song is filled with and society David Abe / THE GATEPOST “the train to nowith extremeechoes and synths with some fun where” is one of the new different sounds. sound effects that keep you from any ly Rating: A+ “heavun” uses a ’70’s synth-heavy songs added on this album, and while amount of boredom. inspiration with punchy drums, a the lyrics are not cogent, the song is The music video was filmed in her unapologetically fun! great display of hemlocke springs’ hopeful. The song feels a bit too ranbedroom during the pandemwide vocal range and vast variety dom for its serious tone, but it still ic and replicates a telehealth of vocal styles. Whereas “enk- fits in well with the album. It sounds therapy session. It is a lovenee1” uses a much more tradi- like it could be used during an escape lorn, but detached track about falltional pop approach scene in a ’90s movie. The song creing in love. The song David Abe / THE GATEPOST CONNECT WITH DORCAS ABE to ask similar ques- ates a world in the listener’s mind. and video truly capture dabe@student.framingham.edu tions about her place The album ends with the title track the detachment felt by

By Dorcas Abe Staff Writer

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

ARTS & FEATURES

NOVEMBER 3, 2023 | 15

X I M GP

S ’ D I V A D J D TUNES NEW MUSIC EVERY WEEK!

Puzzles

ACROSS 1. Resist, like gravity 5. Most comedians named Jimmy didn’t 5-Down but...

11. Cute ___ button 14. Balm that’s 75% vowels 15. Long black vehicle 16. “Gosh!”

17. “Big Mouth” girl voiced by Nick Kroll 18. Female spider’s pouch 19. “ ___ habits die hard” 20. Tattoo liquids 21. Not trans 22. Helpful 24. “Shameful!” sounds 26. Film noir hats 28. Greet someone wordlessly 31. Duck found backward in “ingredients” 32. Showed off one’s muscles 33. Most politicians named Al wouldn’t partake in 23-Down, but...

36. “That’s gotta ___!”

37. Eldest HS students 38. Pirates’ yeses 40. Most late-night hosts named Bill wouldn’t consume 4-Down, but...

43. Gene mutation 45. Prepare to photograph 46. Pamper 47. Farm vehicle 50. “Hamilton” opening 51. Car rental brand 52. Full theater initials 53. AccuStrike blaster brand 57. The Used genre 58. More expansive 61. Personal hero 62. Sit back?

63. “I’ll turn this car ___!”

64. Clownfish of film 65. Body spray brand 66. Most actresses named Kathryn don’t drive 43-down, but...

67. Nibble like a mouse DOWN 1. Artsy Salvador 2. North Carolina college 3. Woody Guthrie genre 4. Flavor enhancer in many canned soups 5. Verify a clubber’s age 6. Protection, or Zeus’s shield 7. Dishcloths 8. Rx prescribers 9. Spanish for “that” 10. Cryptographer’s device 11. Love, in Le Havre 12. Dip ... or dance that involves dipping 13. Alpamayo’s mountain range 23. Upscale eating experience 25. “___ Kills Monsters” (play) 26. Verizon offering 27. www.cornell.___ 28. Remote business: Abbr.

29. Many a univ. donor 30. ___ Bradley (handbag brand)

31. White heron 34. Gazed at 35. Rat (on) 37. Part of the Converse logo 39. “Get it?”

41. Bar ___ (Jewish rite) 42. Texter’s “I think...”

43. Certain mid-size sedans 44. Place to park Puzzle solutions are now 47. Letter after eta exclusively online.

48. DJ’s version of a song 49. Got up 50. Gladiator’s venue 52. Sexy guy 54. Actress Espinosa 55. Capitale d’Italia 56. ___ of traffic 59. Not likely to catch feelings, briefly 60. Hercules, to Jupiter

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

PHOTOS

16 | NOVEMBER 3, 2023

Shrimp Showdown Spread by Design & Photos Editor Adrien Gobin

Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST (Left) Khora Lane and Assistant Dean of Students Jay Hurtubise finishing up their dish at “Dueling Dishes” Nov. 2.

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST (Left) Officer James Devens and Communications Dispatcher Kianna Bauer cooking at “Dueling Dishes” Nov. 2.

Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life Glenn Cochran judging at “Dueling Dishes” Nov. 2.

Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST Assistant Dean of Students Jay Hurtubise presenting his dish at “Dueling Dishes” Nov. 2.

Dean of Students and Campus Police department competed in the annual Dueling Dishes event hosted on Nov. 2nd.

Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST (Left) Vice President of Academic Enhancement Lorretta Holloway and Associate Dean of Students and Director of Residence Life Glenn Cochran waiting to judge at “Dueling Dishes” Nov. 2.

@The Gatepost | FSUgatepost.com