April 5, 2019

THE GATEPOST Framingham State’s independent student newspaper

Volume 87 • Issue 20

April 5, 2019

FSUgatepost.com

MSCA ratifies new tentative agreement

By Jillian Poland Associate Editor The Massachusetts State College Association (MSCA), the faculty and librarian union for the state colleges and universities, ratified a second version of the 2017-2020 collective bargaining agreement March 29.

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a document that outlines the conditions under which faculty and librarians agree to work. It is negotiated between the MSCA and a bargaining team comprised of representatives from the Board of Higher Education (BHE) and the state universities’ Council of Presidents (COP).

The two parties have been engaged in a contentious bargaining process since January 2017. The frequent setbacks in the negotiations have been attributed in part to delays relating to the funding parameters provided by the state.

According to a post on the MSCA website, the two bargaining teams fi- Construction crew works on top of Dwight Hall roof to make necessary repairs. nally reached a new tentative agreement following an 11-hour meeting March 4.

Now that MSCA members have voted to ratify the agreement, Massachusetts Commissioner of Higher Education Carlos E. Santiago must sign off.

When the agreement is signed, SantiBy Donald Halsing Casinelli explained the role of social ago has one month to submit a fundmedia as a tool for reaching out to proAsst. Photos Editor ing request to the Office of Employee spective students.

Relations. If the request is approved She said, “I’m also planning on deThe FSU Board of Trustees discussed by the governor and the legislature, both positive and negative trends the veloping resources that will be a kind of the contract will be funded and go University is facing - especially regarding one-stop shop for administrators, [with] into full effect. underrepresented populations on cam- frequently asked questions and points of Vincent Pedone, executive direccontact in certain departments.” pus - during its meeting on March 21. tor of the COP, said the two parties Casinelli added, “I can’t tell you how During the Enrollment and Student are currently finalizing the contract many times I get an admissions question, Development Subcommittee report, FSU language. “I suspect that we will have Social Media Coordinator Christina Casi- and I’m just like, ‘I don’t know - contact that contract actually written and nelli spoke about obstacles her depart- these people.’ ready to go by early next week. And “To be able to have those answers ment faces.

I do not anticipate the commissioner Casinelli described short-term goals readily available for the student, or to having any pause when he sees the and objectives she has pursued since know who to send them to directly,” she contract.” coming to the University in August 2018. said, “I feel like that will help alleviate The MSCA and the BHE/COP bar“[Regarding] social media, particularly any lag time. gaining teams already reached a tenShe added, “It’s all about instant gratat any college, there are two main goals: tative agreement back in April 2018. build awareness and increase engage- ification and response on social [media].”

See MSCA page 4 ment.”

Board of Trustees faces negative comments with positive numbers

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST

News SGA pg. 3 CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS pg. 5

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST

Opinions SEXETERA pg. 8 CARE ABOUT PINBALL pg. 9

Arts & Features

See BOARD OF TRUSTEES page 6 MK ASANTE pg. 17

Senior studio art majors draw on their past work and experiences at FSU

By Tessa Jillson Arts & Features Editor

In the late hours of the night, as the May Hall maintainer finishes up his final rounds, studio art majors are wide awake, covered from head to toe in craft supplies, putting the final touches on their latest projects for the senior thesis exhibitions displayed April

22 through May 3.

Senior Rinnie Natanel said, “I think not a lot of people realize how much time art majors spend working. … I spend a lot of nights here. The janitors, at this point, are my biggest fans.

I think that’s not seen by people or other professors that aren’t in the art department. … It’s just sort of hard to juggle everything when it’s such a

MAZMANIAN GALLERY pg. 19

time-consuming practice.”

According to Natanel, the classrooms in the basement of May Hall are Corey McFeeley / THE GATEPOST currently being renovated into personalized studios for senior studio art majors.

Before the construction of studios in the basement, senior studio art maSOFTBALL pg. 20 jors, getting ready for their senior

Sports

See STUDIO ART page 15 BASEBALL pg. 22 INSIDE: OP/ED 7 • ARTS & FEATURES 11 • SPORTS 19

NEWS

2 | APRIL 5, 2019

Gatepost Interview

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Bailey Morrison Associate Editors Corey McFeeley Jillian Poland News Editor Nadira Wicaksana Arts & Features Editor Tessa Jillson Asst. Arts & Features Editors Brennan Atkins Robert Johnson Jr. Entertainment Correspondent Noah Barnes Opinions Editor Lizzy Stocks Sports Editor Matt Ferris Asst. Sports Editor Liam Gambon Design Editor Cara McCarthy Asst. Design Editor Kathleen Moore Photos Editor Ashley Wall Asst. Photos Editor Donald Halsing Copy Editor Gordon Rupert Asst. Copy Editor Jared Graf Staff Writers Mikael Brown Evan Lee Jon Lee Tom Maye Kayla Otten Lauren Paolini Patrick Peterson Sara Senesac Carlos Silva Julian Vazquez Caeley Whalen Staff Copy Editors Jordan Bacci Caroline Lee Staff Photographer Ryan Feinblatt Staff Illustrator Nicholas Carlson Advisor Dr. Desmond McCarthy Assistant Advisor Elizabeth Banks Administrative Assistant Gwenyth Swain 100 State Street McCarthy Center Room 410 Framingham, MA 01701-9101 Phone: (508) 626-4605 Fax: (508) 626-4097 gatepost@framingham.edu

Felicia Riffelmacher Director of development

By Cara McCarthy Editorial Staff What is your educational and professional background?

I was a late bloomer, which is why I love this University. I was able to go into a community college in later years.

I started in Job Corps and I worked for Amtrak for 10 years as a car attendant, and I was a waitress. Then, I worked for Verizon as a call center rep, and while I was there, they paid for my education. I got my bachelor’s from Becker College, and I got my MBA from Suffolk University. When I got out of grad school, I started working in nonprofits. MBAs have a reputation for being a little money-hungry, so when I was in grad school, people kind of turned their noses up at nonprofit. But when I got out, I realized I could do anything I wanted to do. What I wanted to do was something that was meaningful to me, and I brought some type of service to others, and so I found my way into community-based organizations, and then I started adjunct teaching. I taught nine years [as an adjunct] and I realized I had this love of fundraising and higher education, and then that’s how I ended up here. I worked at Anna Maria College and Clark University and now I’m here.

What kind of work do you do at FSU? I’m the director of development and I do a lot of different things, but my main charge is to help the department raise funds so that students like yourselves will have programs and tuition support, and there are so many funds that we have. If you have a passion, there is a fund here to fund it, so if you like athletics, if you are into the sciences, if you are into the humanities, there are just so many ways that people can support. I usually go out and I speak to alumni, and I get them to rekindle their thoughts of FSU - or their Framingham College - days and find out what they are doing. We want to stay connected with them - try to find meaningful engagement, so they can come back and mentor you guys. And then ultimately, we hope they see the value in that and that they become donors.

What is your favorite thing about FSU? I love the diversity. Coming from a background where you know there wasn’t a lot of opportunity for people who grew up economically like I did to have opportunities for higher education - that’s why I went to Job Corps.

I just love that there is so much diversity here. I love that the staff and faculty all the way up to the president … are so committed to students and not just their education, but their needs. … When I was interviewing with President Cevallos at my second interview, I said, “Well, what do you want me to raise money for?” And he said, “I have students here who are food insecure.

And I want to make sure that students have their needs met, so they continue their college education.” And I went, “Sign me up.” The other thing about the students that I love is that this University seems to have students who are hardworking and they are either the first generation, or they just come from backgrounds where they support their own education. A lot of students work.

A lot of students commute. … The students are very motivated to get their education done because they have a career path in their sights, and it’s just great to see that.

What is one thing you would change or do differently if you could do college over?

I would start earlier. I would have more money to start. I would want to know more about financial aid. I was an independent student at the age of 17.

I was totally out of my parents’ house.

And I did not go to college because I didn’t know where I was going to live in the summer. So, I got accepted to the University of Missouri - I’m from Missouri - and I kept thinking, “Well, where am I going to live in the summer?” I wish I would have just stepped out on faith and did it.

What are your hobbies?

I am a theater junkie - a Broadway junkie - which is why I’ll be working until I’m 90. I already spent my retirement money on Broadway tickets. So, I am a big musical theater fan. I love going cruising, and I know this sounds funny because I don’t consider myself old, but I think younger generations find this funny: I love my Beats headphones and listening to music. They’ve got to be Beats. So, I will tell my family, “It’s 9 o’clock - I’ve got to go listen to my music.” It just makes me very happy.

What is one piece of advice you have for FSU students?

Enjoy the journey. It’s not just about the grades. This is going to be a time in your life that you’re going to think back on many times. And connect with your faculty members - they really do care about you, and they are going to be a great resource for you when you start your career.

CONNECT WITH CARA MCCARTHY cmccarthy8@student.framingham.edu

Correction In last week’s issue, we spelled student Kit Mauriello’s name incorrectly on page 20. We apologize for the error.

Police Logs Thursday, March 28 21:10 Disturbance Larned Hall Report Taken

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Corey McFeeley / THE GATEPOST

Sunday, March 31 20:15 Suspicious Activity Linsley Hall Checks OK

Monday, April 1 02:46 Alarm (Fire/Smoke) Towers Hall False Alarm

Wednesday, April 3 21:00 Smoking Complaint West Hall Services Rendered

NEWS

APRIL 5, 2019 | 3

SGA critiques strict FSU academic and social policies

By Ashley Wall Editorial Staff SGA discussed course selection concerns and alcohol policy changes during its April 2 meeting.

Class and Club Treasurer Lexi Kays commenced Open Forum by reviewing courses currently offered for the fall 2019 semester.

Kays said the current course selection lacks “opportunity and freedom.

“There are sixteen that I could possibly take to fulfill my major, and two are being offered,” she said.

President Ben Carrington also expressed concern regarding course offerings not being published until the beginning of the advising period.

Next, Marketing Club presented their funding request for FRAMapalooza, an upcoming campus-wide event that will take place May 3. The club requested $1,138.37 for the purchase of food and merchandise.

Parliamentarian Adam Scanlon entertained the motion to allocate the full amount to Marketing Club. The motion was unanimously approved by senate.

Vice President Matty Bennet continued his discussion from last week on

proposed constitutional changes.

The first proposal presented to senate was a change to Article IV, which recommended the removal of the vice president position from the legislative branch. The position would be moved to the executive branch instead.

Bennet also recommended the current senate chair position be removed from the executive branch. “They [the vice president] will essentially take over the duties of senate chair,” he said.

Bennet presented the proposed changes to Article VI. The article was altered due to a misprint, and now specifies that all executive branch members are eligible for re-election and responsible for organizing and publicizing administrators’ forums.

Senator Amber Magin moved to accept the changes made to Article VI, pending the duties of president include meeting with the University president once a semester. The senate passed the motion unanimously.

The final change that was reviewed was in Article VII. This change added a requirement for executive board members to attend summer training in addition to the SGA Retreat. Carrington entertained the motion, followed by a unanimous approval by the senate.

“We all experience times where we are stressed out and some of us cope in not-so-healthy ways.”

- Matty Bennet, SGA vice president

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Open Forums

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST SGA President Ben Carrington explains proposed changes to the University alcohol policy.

The senate also discussed the Student Affairs Committee’s proposed changes to the current alcohol policy.

“We need to get student representation,” Carrington said, as he requested feedback from his fellow SGA members.

If approved, the proposal would replace current minimum sanctions for violations with new proposed minimum sanctions based on “minimal versus significant” disruptions.

The alcohol policy currently defines minimal disruptions by the absence of FSUPD response. They would also differ depending on whether those in violation are over age 21.

Based on feedback, it was agreed that current sanctions are harsh for students. With the proposed adjustments, students would face fewer con-

sequences in regard to their education.

The suggestion was unanimously welcomed by senate members.

Bennet said of the third alcohol policy violation, “Just to play devil’s advocate, I think a one-semester suspension is still harsh. I think that we’re all operating under the assumption that people are drinking to party, and there are a lot of other reasons as to why someone may be drinking on campus.

“I think we all experience times where we are stressed out, and some of us cope in not-so-healthy ways.”

Senate did not reach a conclusion, but Carrington will report the feedback he received to the committee.

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY WALL awall1@student.framingham.edu

What are you doing

THIS SUMMER? Catch up or get ahead in your studies and still have time to enjoy your summer!

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE FINALISTS’ OPEN FORUMS WITH STUDENTS & CAMPUS COMMUNITY: March 25th - 1:30 pm, DPAC (Faculty & Staff) - 4:30 pm, Alumni Room (students)

April 3rd - 1:30 pm, DPAC (Faculty & Staff) - 4:30 pm, North Hall Commons Room (students)

April 8th - 1:30 pm, DPAC (Faculty & Staff) - 4:30 pm, Alumni Room (students)

April 10th - 1:30 pm, DPAC (Faculty & Staff) - 4:30 pm, North Hall Commons Room (students)

SUMMER SESSION I:

May 28 – June 28 REGISTER TODAY

SUMMER SESSION II:

July 8 – August 9

fitchburgstate.edu / gce/reg

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932CONTACT | FSUGATEPOST.COM AN ADVISOR :

If you have any questions or concerns, please email the search committee chair Desmond McCarthy

978-665-3182

4 | APRIL 5, 2019

NEWS

MSCA Continued from pg. 1 After the MSCA ratified the contract, Santiago did not submit it to the legislature for approval until nearly four months past the deadline set by Massachusetts General Law 150E. When the CBA was submitted in December 2018, the Office of Employee Relations rejected the contract because the BHE did not properly evaluate the cost and it exceeded the amount the BHE had been approved to offer.

Virginia Rutter, sociology professor, vice president of the FSU chapter of the MSCA, and member of the MSCA bargaining team, said, “We had to go back to bargaining because of problems on the presidents’ side and on the Board of Higher Ed’s side that included breaking the rules and, above all, breaking our trust.”

Regarding the bargaining process, FSU President F. Javier Cevallos said, “There are some lessons we have certainly learned from our side.

Any time a proposal comes to the table, we have to fully understand the cost of the proposal. The mistake that happened - the big mistake - was having something in the contract and agreeing to it without understanding the costs.”

Pedone said the process was also delayed because the BHE/COP bargaining team didn’t receive the financial parameters until “well into a year” of bargaining.

He added, “And there was a lot of pressure on both sides to get a contract done, because we were coming up on commencement and members of our campus community were considering actions during commencement. Nobody wanted that, so we worked under pressure to get this contract done.”

The new CBA, if funded by the state, will expire next summer, meaning the parties will return to bargaining as soon as January 2020. Pedone said for the next contract negotiations, he is making it a “top priority” to receive the financial parameters from the state beforehand.

Both Pedone and Cevallos said they are “confident” the newly ratified contract will be approved by the governor.

Cevallos added, “My hope is that we will get the contract approved for payment … very, very soon so our faculty can get paid - the sooner, the better.”

Robert Donohue, psychology professor and statewide MSCA vice president, said he is less assured of the outcome. “I’m in a position now where I’ll believe things when they happen. I’m skeptical of everything at this point. There’s a lot of steps in the process, and we need to fly through these steps so that we can get this collective bargaining agreement funded.”

In negotiating the 2017-2020 contract, Donohue said the MSCA hoped to increase faculty and librarian pay to a level more consistent with comparable institutions and win better workload rates on course equivalencies.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Graphic by Kathleen Moore Course equivalencies allow faculty to count out-of-classroom work such as lab, internship advising, and independent study toward classroom credit hours to create a more manageable workload.

The MSCA and BHE/COP team came to an agreement on equivalencies in the April 2018 contract. However, this agreement was removed from the newly ratified contract.

Cevallos said he thinks the contract “has a lot of good things for the faculty,” including increased family leave and an increase in the payment per credit hour for part-time faculty.

He added, “I think overall, it’s going to be a positive contract for everybody.”

Some members of the MSCA do not share this same view. Rutter said, “We met and we struggled and we struggled and we struggled and we came to an agreement. We found it acceptable, but acceptable is not the same thing as making an ‘A.’” Following the final bargaining session, COP Chair Francis McDonald sent out an email in which he categorized the agreement reached between the MSCA and the management bargaining team as “amicable.”

Donohue and other MSCA members disagreed with this characterization.

He also said the MSCA was “put up against a deadline” that meant they could potentially lose a year of pay raises.

Donohue added, “So, in that context, we agreed to modifying the collective bargaining agreement that we had already ratified. And then the next day, the Council of Presidents sent out a message saying that we had reached an ‘amicable’ agreement, like the union was happy with that process. And it really begs the question: ‘Are they that disingenuous, or are they that stupid?’”

Pedone said he noticed there was frustration on both sides during the bargaining process. “I was taken aback by some of the rhetoric. President McDonald was offering an op-

portunity to put the contentious bargaining behind all of us, so I support his statement.”

Cevallos said, “The bargaining process, by definition, is always tense because we are arguing things across the table. So, to look at things as always being friendly and smooth is not realistic because there are going to be issues and people will disagree.”

He added, “What I think the chair of the Council of Presidents wanted to say is, in spite of all those differences, we came to an agreement that we are all happy with.”

Donohue said he finds it “rather convenient to just attribute every aspect of the process to some kind of inherently tense nature of it.”

He added he’s been involved in negotiating higher ed contracts since 1987 and has dealt with many different management teams in that time.

“There’s a real difference between the inherent conflict and the … gratuitous obnoxiousness that we encountered.”

As the contract bargaining has stretched on over the past few years, both the MSCA and the COP have discussed the struggles surrounding funding within public higher education.

Cevallos said the reality is public universities only have two sources of funding: the state and students. “We all are worried about the cost of education and how expensive it is getting. And even if we are affordable, we are not inexpensive.”

Pedone said all the university presidents are involved in advocating for more funding for public higher education to make college more accessible. He said, “Our public colleges and universities are at a tipping point where cost of attendance is becoming a barrier to degree attainment.”

He added, “So, I’m in Washington today. We had meetings all day yesterday. We had breakfast meetings this morning. I’m flying directly into Boston at 2 o’clock and I have a meeting at the State House at 3. What does it mean to advocate? It means talking

to people, trying to get lawmakers both in Washington and Boston to support - with direct or indirect funding - the operation of our institutions.”

Donohue agreed the state should be providing more support and said both the MSCA and the COP are on the same side when it comes to advocating for more higher education funding. However, he believes the COP could be doing more to support the union contract.

He reference former FSU President Timothy Flanagan who, during another “unpleasant” bargaining period, urged the entire COP to call for a fair and reasonable contract for the MSCA. When the other COP members refused, Flanagan published supportive op/eds under his own name. He even wore a union button saying, “We deserve a fair contract” when he met with the governor. “So, we’ve had presidents here who were publicly willing to go out on their own and advocate for a fair and reasonable contract for the MSCA. That’s what we don’t see at all from the COP now.”

Cevallos said, “I think we just want to continue to move forward as an institution and put all this bad history behind us and look forward to doing what faculty really do best - which is teaching and working with students, mentoring, being in the classrooms and labs.”

Rutter said Massachusetts has been doing well in terms of tax revenue, but funding for public higher education continues to decline.

“Decisions about how money gets spent on education, including faculty and librarian pay, are decisions that are political decisions, not financial decisions,” Rutter said. “There’s a thing I tell my students: when they say we don’t have money, they mean we don’t have money for you.”

CONNECT WITH JILLIAN POLAND jpoland@student.framingham.edu

NEWS

APRIL 5, 2019 | 5

FSU springs into 2019 with new construction projects

By Nadira Wicaksana News Editor This year, the Facilities and Capital Planning Operations department is undertaking various construction projects around campus.

The projects this spring 2019 semester, as well as the ones slated for this summer, are devised to address concerns regarding functionality and performance, according to Patricia Whitney, assistant vice president of facilities and capital planning operations.

The costs of many of the projects are broken down into 74% state funding from the Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management, and 26% FSU funding from the Critical Repairs budget, according to Dale Hamel, executive vice president.

Furthermore, campus buildings and their respective projects are also overseen by the Massachusetts State College Building Authority, the holder of the buildings’ titles.

Dwight Hall roof repair According to a Feb. 1 Gatepost article, the roof on Dwight Hall was reported to have leaky ceilings and was, said Whitney, “beyond its useful life.”

Hamel said the total cost of repair for the roof is $669,053, an increase from the previously reported $600,000.

Contractors began work late March and are expected to complete the project this month, according to Whitney. The roof work involves the replacement of and addition to the roof’s underlayment.

“One of the things that took so long was the undersurface - what’s under the roof - was so old,” said Whitney. “Also, the [building] codes had changed, which required us to beef things up.”

She added, “It wasn’t just a simple ‘take the roof off, put it back down.’”

Whitney said she is very “optimistic” about the project, saying at the time of publication she expects the roof to be completed next week.

Graphic by Kathleen Moore

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST During the week before spring break, a crane lifted the chiller onto the McCarthy Center roof.

Peirce and Horace Mann halls’ water heating repair Around Feb. 23, multiple Peirce and Horace Mann residents reported a lack of hot water in the dorms, preventing them from taking hot showers.

Area directors David Case and Marcie Dineen followed up with residents via email the following day, saying FSUPD and Residence Life staff took note of the situation. They advised residents to use showers in the Athletic Center for hot water if the dorm showers were not warm enough.

The repair cost $7,000 for materials and general contractor costs, according to Whitney. “We also spent about 20 hours of Facilities labor working on the temporary repairs to keep the system operational prior to spring break.”

Facilities was able to complete the project over the break, she said.

According to Whitney, many buildings’ water sources are heated through a “heat exchanger,” a steam coil that surrounds a water pipe. The steam effectively heats the water, and this process is powered by the central power plant.

“In Peirce and Horace Mann, the piece of equipment that takes that steam and heats the water broke,” Whitney said. “In order to repair it, we had to order a whole new part. ...

They’re pretty big things - they have to be freighted in.”

In the meantime, while the Facilities department waited for necessary materials, Whitney said contractors had to take water from two different sources to accommodate the dorms.

“There’s an older hot water heater that could be used in the summer at times, and we hooked it back up. But it’s not large enough to meet the demands of everyone in the buildings,” she said.

McCarthy Center “Chiller” Project The cost of this completed project totaled $550,885, according to Hamel, and involved the replacement of the McCarthy Center’s “chiller,” the building’s air-conditioning system.

“It chills the water,” Whitney said.

“The way the air conditioning works in that building - it’s not like home, where it’s blowing cold air. [The McCarthy Center] has chilled water that runs in pipes through the building.”

Whitney added during the 201718 academic year, the chiller in the building was not “adequately” chilling the water, as well as “intermittently shutting off.

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST Students look at the new chiller on the McCarthy Center roof after returning from break.

“During the summer and the fall, we worked with the [University] architect and engineer to figure out what the problem was. What they found out was that where this is located on the roof did not have adequate airflow,” she added.

To resolve the issue, the chiller was raised above the ground by a crane.

Whitney said, “If you’re walking down State Street, you can now see it peeking above the brick wall. ... You can now see the exhausted air - it’s heat being exhausted.”

She added her department has delayed switching the building’s temperature-regulating system from heating to cooling until temperatures consistently reach 60 degrees, which she expects will happen this month. This is due to the lengthy process necessary to switch from heating to cooling.

Summer projects Additional major projects identified by Hamel include repairs to Crocker Hall and the Admissions Center, as well as the Maple Fields project, which is the renovation of the football field.

According to Hamel, the project will cost $1.3 million.

Whitney said renovations will start May 1, working in cooperation with the schedules of the Athletics department.

“Basically, what we’re going to do with the football field is take off the top coating of the track, and then take off the turf,” she said. The tracks will be resurfaced and the turf replaced with new material.

There will also be additional underground pipes installed to address concerns of poor drainage.

“It’s really long past its lifespan,” Whitney said.

CONNECT WITH NADIRA WICAKSANA nwicaksana@student.framingham.edu Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST A walkway between Hemenway Labs and Dwight Hall was cordoned off during the day so materials could be lifted onto the roof.

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Board of Trustees Continued from pg. 1

Student Trustee Ayanna Ferguson asked if Casinelli was responsible for managing social media accounts for clubs and organizations on campus.

Casinelli said she is “following them and monitoring them,” but not directly managing the accounts.

The issue with the student accounts is they are outdated and infrequently updated, she said, calling them “dead accounts, because, as you know, there’s turnover in eBoards and things like that.”

Trustee Anthony Hubbard asked, “Can you just say a couple things about our strategy to deal with negative messaging on social media?”

Casinelli responded, “Typically, it’s to monitor and observe, unless it is very clearly offensive, defamatory, or an outright lie.

“I don’t believe in deleting a comment or stifling what people say, as long as it’s not awful or harmful. People are entitled to their opinions,” she said.

“Honestly, a lot of our users keep each other in check,” Casinelli added.

Board of Trustees’ Chair Kevin Foley spoke about the two recent hate crimes on campus.

“To me, it’s just such a detriment,” he said, “but we cannot just focus on the negative, because there’s a lot of good that’s happening on campus.”

He added, “I also want to commend the president, administration, and the faculty for their collective efforts to provide support to the students to foster the dialogue of race on campus.”

Foley said law enforcement is investigating the incidents and hopes to have “campus cooperation” in bringing the perpetrators to justice.

“Criminal and civil actions will be taken against them,” Foley said.

He added, “It’s not acceptable behavior. It does not exemplify the tenets of this campus and there’s no place for this behavior on Framingham State’s campus.”

During his report, President F. Javier Cevallos said FSU “is a campus that prides itself on being a place where we respect everyone, and we want to be inclusive of every student and member of the community.”

Millie Gonzalez, interim chief officer of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, spoke about three events: Defining Hate Crimes on College Campuses April 1, guest speaker and film-

Courtesy of Framingham State University maker MK Asante’s talk April 3, and the World Culture Community Collecting event April 5.

Gonzalez then answered questions from the board about the Campus Climate Survey conducted spring 2018.

Trustee Fernando Quezada asked about the low rate of participation in the survey.

Gonzalez said, “That particular time, in the spring, there was a lot of angst and hurt. So, that could be contributing to the very low response rate from students.”

She added, “We need to create a culture of students and faculty and staff taking the Campus Climate Survey.”

Gonzalez noted a lack of responses to the demographics portion of the survey.

Trustee Nancy Budwig and Foley asked how the results of the survey would influence the next course of action.

Gonzalez said, “We already have a structure in place in terms of everything that was recommended in the report.

“Some of the things that we’ve been doing have been OK, but we need to do a lot more,” she added.

Eric Gustafson, vice president of development and alumni affairs, said “almost $4,000” was raised from a silent auction during the December holiday alumni event.

In his report, Gustafson said as of March 18, the University has raised a total of $2,362,513 toward an FY19 goal of $2,500,000.

He added, “We feel good about where we are and where we’re going to finish the fiscal year.”

Cevallos reported the number of international students visiting FSU, and students from FSU travelling abroad, has increased.

“In 2009, we had 37 students who traveled abroad,” he said. “This year we have 90, and that is the highest that we have ever had.”

He added, “In the class of ’08 we had 19 students. … In the class of ’19, we have 72.

“What’s particularly impressing is that 40% of the students who went abroad this year are students of color,” Cevallos said.

Two international students from the hospitality department - one from Nepal and one from Japan - were present at the meeting for the “Student-in-theSpotlight” showcase.

During her Academic Affairs subcommittee report, Budwig said the number of “minority” students who receive a D, F, or W in a course during their first-year spring semesters is lower in courses that use “high-impact practices” (HIPs) than Foundations courses and regular first-year courses.

According to Budwig’s data, the DFW rates in regular first-year courses are 17.55% for white students and 31.01% for their “minority” counterparts. The DFW rates in Foundations courses are 21% for white students and 37% for minority students.

The rates for spring 2018 HIPs cours-

President F. Javier Cevallos discusses the increasing number of international students on campus.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Ashley Wall / THE GATEPOST

es are 12.1% for white students and 21.5% for minority students - the lowest rates, Budwig said.

She also said the number of minority students in the Honors program is up.

“About a decade ago,” she said, “5% of the students in Honors were minority students, and now that number is up to 19%.”

With regards to the five-year accreditation report, Budwig said, “It was said to be a model for the state.”

Lorretta Holloway, vice president of enrollment and student development, read the Enrollment and Student Development report in the absence of Trustee Brian Herr.

Budwig asked about decreasing enrollment numbers.

Holloway said, “Our staff is just working flat out.

“We haven’t necessarily had the best press during a high time of recruitment,” she added.

During her Student Trustee report, Ferguson said SGA’s unallocated budget, derived from the Student Activities Trust Fund, was $14,624.59 at the time of the meeting.

The last day for student organizations to submit funding requests is April 11.

During his Administration, Finance, and Technology report, Trustee Michael Grilli informed the board that a second line of credit was not needed for renovations of the Danforth Art Museum.

Grilli read from the report, which states, “Due to recent gifts and the transfer of remnant Danforth Art Alliance funds, it is not anticipated that this line of credit will be drawn upon.”

He added, “The good news tonight is that we have a donor.”

Foley concluded the meeting by saying, “I just want to take a moment to recognize Fernando’s contribution to the Trustees.”

Quezada was appointed to the Board of Trustees in 2009 by former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. After serving on the board for 10 years, his term has come to an end.

Foley said, “I’ve always enjoyed your candid, and very insightful questions and comments.”

He told Quezada, “You’ll be missed.”

CONNECT WITH DONALD HALSING dhalsing@student.framingham.edu

OP/ED

7 | APRIL 5, 2019

OP/ED Can we stop acting like therapy is easy?

By Thomas Maye Staff Writer Sometimes I wondered if my counselor was made of marble. Her poker face - cold, impassive, like the beady eyes of a goldfish - just never broke. It seemed like I could strip naked in front of her and get nothing but a cough.

But when I had my breakdown in front of her, crumbling under pressure I couldn’t articulate, her armor cracked. Months of unexpressed trauma came bubbling forth, through hot tears and dripping snot - but instead of the gentle understanding I longed for, I saw a look of panic in her eyes, a frenzy in her speech.

She wasn’t in control of the situation, I couldn’t talk through the frog in my throat, and she didn’t know what to do.

“I don’t think I can help you anymore,” she said.

I’d always held out hope I’d reach some miraculous breakthrough, as though a revelation would strike down from the sky as light streamed through the clouds. But sitting there on the squat couch across from her, my face flushed in shame, I’d never felt more alone.

For people dealing with mental illnesses, therapy suggestions beat like an ever-present pulse - but when it comes to the practical realities of visiting a therapist, the conversation tends to go mute. We need to have a more honest, open cultural conversation around mental illness, even if the truth can be discouraging.

Therapy just isn’t easy as it’s made out to be. And oversimplifying the conversation by not acknowledging that fact, while comforting in the short term, is setting people up for failure and disappointment.

A therapist is not your friend - and that’s by design. To underwrite them as a friendly Mr. Rogers-type figure is undermining the complicated line they have to walk. Their job is to point out the illogical, harmful, and counter-intuitive thought patterns that perpetuated your mental illness in the first place, and sometimes, the truth stings.

It’s incredibly uncomfortable to look your demons in the face, to realize you could be making your own problems worse for yourself, or to be told point blank that your hygiene has deteriorated in the past month.

And it’s not a revolving door. You don’t just walk out after a set number of appointments feeling better about yourself. There’s rarely one solitary epiphany - improving your mental health is a long, bumpy road, and you have to be prepared for detours on the way.

Don’t treat therapy as a simple solution. It’s anything but.

That’s not to mention the fact that not every therapist works for you - and vice-versa.

It’s not unheard of for a therapist to refer a client to someone more equipped to deal with your circumstances, or perhaps someone the client may simply better connect with.

Therapy is a relationship, and sometimes, they just don’t pan out. Frequently, you have to shop around.

My counselor wasn’t a bad person for referring me to other therapists, and I assume she was perfectly qualified. But when therapy is treated as the be-all, end-all to recovery, rather than an evolving, often messy process, it’s hard not to feel like a bump in the road means game over.

Therapy is not a promise of salvation. It’s not guaranteed to work the first time, the second, the third, or any, for the matter.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to a therapist when you’re in need. It means we need to be more compassionate and understanding about the realities of recovery, and give clients and counselors the credit they deserve for the challenging process they overcome.

Therapy isn’t easy, and it doesn’t always work - but don’t let that discourage you. Acknowledge to yourself, your friends, and your family that this is going to be a challenging and sometimes uncomfortable journey.

The rewards are worth it.

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

Ridesharing isn’t safe for women

On March 29, the nation was shocked when 21-year-old Samantha Josephson was murdered by a man posing as her Uber driver.

On April 1, an Uber driver right in Boston was arrested for raping a female passenger.

For many FSU students, Thursday nights end with a ride in an Uber or Lyft back to school from one of many bars or off-campus parties.

In their drunken revelry, students rarely think to check the license plate number or even ask the name of the driver.

And students around the U.S. looking to circumvent the cost of taxis by using these ridesharing services are, for the most part, unaware of the many cases of theft, sexual assault, and even murder at the hands of the drivers or the men whom they think are their drivers.

In these cases, the victims are overwhelmingly female.

In July 2018, Elizabeth Suarez was robbed and raped by a man posing as her Uber driver after a night out in Las Vegas.

In February of 2019, a New Orleans Lyft driver was arrested for kidnapping and raping a woman outside her home.

On March 27, a man in Connecticut was charged with posing as an Uber driver and raping two women in the back of his car.

These are just some of the cases that have been brought to the attention of the authorities. By simply Googling, “Woman attacked by Uber driver,” hundreds of results pop up within seconds.

Far too often, women are led to believe that the circumstances of their assault can somehow be traced back to their behaviors - drunk or sober.

Women are taught how to defend themselves through avoidance - don’t drink too much, don’t wear clothing that is too revealing, don’t leave a drink unattended. And now, it seems, don’t get into a Lyft or Uber alone.

The unspoken second half of this is: “or else it’s your fault if you’re killed or sexually assaulted.”

Rideshares are often marketed as a safe way to enjoy a night out on the town, but they’ve become one more venue where women must be responsible for protecting themselves and others.

This booming industry has created a new set of rules that women are finding they have to live by. Emerging technologies, like Lyft and Uber, shouldn’t be making the world a more dangerous place for women. And yet, on the already long list of things women are expected to do to protect themselves, avoiding rideshare apps has now jumped to the top.

Women shouldn’t be left alone in protecting their safety, and the safety of their friends. Rideshare services should be doing more to ensure their cars are easily and clearly identifiable. All cars should be marked with the same flashing signs that occasionally accompany Lyft rides.

While background checks are required of all drivers for both services, both companies should invest in government-accredited background-checking services before giving their drivers the green light.

But unfortunately, we must recognize there are limits to what rideshare services can do to protect customers. We live in a world where sexual assault and violence against women are a normal part of daily life. Until we address the root cause, no number of flashing signs will be able to protect people.

It’s time to start questioning why we have allowed women to shoulder the blame for the heinous actions of men.

We should be teaching everyone, regardless of gender, to be conscious of their surroundings and to have their safety - and the safety of others - always in mind. Our goal should be to foster an environment where girls and women aren’t afraid of what will happen to them if they happen to get into a car alone.

Ridesharing is meant to make our lives easier and more convenient, but instead, it has introduced one more danger into women’s lives. We regret adding to the already lengthy list women are burdened with, but here are some ways to protect yourself in rideshares. Given the prevalence of the attacks, these are tactics everyone should consider, not just women.

Check the driver’s rating. This should go without saying, but if a driver has a score that you are uncomfortable with, cancel your ride.

Share your ride itinerary with friends - that way they know where you are and where you will be going.

Know whose car you are getting into. When a driver arrives, ask and verify their name, the make and model of the car, and the license plate number. If even one minor detail is wrong, take that as a red flag. Do not get in the car.

If you feel unsafe while riding in an Uber, the service added a feature in 2018 that allows you to dial 9-1-1 right from the app and provides your location to emergency services.

These things are by no means a permanent fix - the only fix is to shift the culture when it comes to victim-blaming and violence against women.

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

8 | APRIL 5, 2019

OP/ED

YouTube, you are failing your content creators

By Kay Ann Staff Writer

Just the tip

Listen people, there is absolutely nothing wrong with not being circumcised, and we need to stop shaming men for having an intact foreskin.

Circumcisions have little-to-no purpose according to medical professionals. It can actually put you at risk - but more about that later.

Let me tell you why we still do this today.

The practice of circumcision is based on religion. In the Jewish faith it is akin to making a covenant with God, in Islam it is a purification ritual, and in Christianity it is practiced because Jesus was Jewish and circumcised.

About 85% of men in America are circumcised, according to Men’s Health Magazine, and not for any of the aforementioned religious reasons, but because there is a myth about it being “cleaner.”

And most people still think it’s true, regardless of how little sense it makes.

Like yeah, maybe before showers existed there was a benefit to chopping off your foreskin so it wouldn’t end up infected, but now you can just hop in the shower and wash your junk.

It’s not that hard.

The sad truth is that circumcision became the craze that it is today because of a book called “Embracing the Natural History of Hygiene” becoming a part of popular culture in the 1940s. This book stated that circumcision could reduce the instances of teens masturbating and wanting to have sex at a young age.

Yep. The current standard of circumcision started with a book about mutilating your kids’ genitalia to prevent them from masturbating.

Also, J. H. Kellogg wrote it. Yeah. The cornflakes guy.

Gross.

Also, there’s a thing called bodily autonomy. It’s basically the belief that an individual has a say over their own body, and infantile circumcision is nonconsensual body mutilation.

It’s not cool to make permanent choices for someone other than yourself, especially when that person can’t advocate for themselves yet. It’s like giving your newborn a Nickelback tattoo.

No one should ever have to get a Nickelback tattoo.

But aside from the obvious moral dilemma, there’s a whole slew of medical dilemmas.

Believe it or not, you aren’t just supposed to cut off parts of your body.

The foreskin has a function and without it you are exposing your body to many potential hazards.

For example, the foreskin protects the glands at the head of the penis from bacteria, and being circumcised can leave you at a greater risk for STIs and other infections.

Getting the foreskin cut off your child is particularly dangerous, since they are in diapers and this means that for the first few weeks after birth your child has an open wound near in their dirty diaper, constantly exposing them to a variety of bacteria. This has caused many serious infections that can permanently scar the body, according to the UK Journal of Medicine.

The foreskin also serves another important function - pleasure and sensitivity.

Everyone who has touched a penis knows that the head is the most sensitive part, and you focus most of your time and energy on it.

The foreskin covers the head of the penis during day-to-day activities, keeping the nerves safe from friction. Without the foreskin, the head of the penis is exposed to the elements, and the rubbing on jeans and boxers causes it to become less sensitive over time.

That’s right.

It decreases pleasurable sensations in your penis.

The foreskin is also a pleasure center in itself, and has hundreds of nerve endings designated for pleasure.

And for the people who like putting penises in them, the foreskin makes intercourse more comfortable and helps its partner achieve orgasm by rubbing against the g-spot. Yep. Uncut penises are scientifically more pleasurable according to the Journal of American Medicine.

Kellogg, who gave you the right to shame people for masturbation and make penises less pleasurable and less sensitive?

How dare you interrupt my mission to give and receive orgasms.

Shame on you.

And shame on society for shaming men for being uncut. #SaveTheForeskin [Editor’s note: Due to the unfortunate stigma surrounding women discussing sex, the author of this column has requested to use the pseudonym “Kay Ann.”]

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

By Cara McCarthy Editorial Staff It’s no secret that YouTube has been failing its content creators over the years, from demonetization of videos, to taking down entire channels for dropping a couple of f-bombs. But, this time, YouTube may have hit an all-time low with its latest endeavor.

Instead of taking down the accounts making predatory comments, YouTube is demonetizing videos and punishing the creators, not the commenters.

The reason why it came to this “solution,” is because of pressure from advertisers.

A standard monetized video on YouTube will have ads playing before, during and after videos. In this case, some of these videos would showcase a child, sometimes in a “compromised” position such as doing gymnastics or dancing. These videos would then be subjected to hateful and sometimes predatory comments.

When companies caught wind of their ads being played during these videos, they started to pull them from the platform and with that, YouTube lost a lot of money.

In an article published by NBC News, companies such as AT&T, Nestle, and Epic Games to name a few, have begun to pull their ads from the platform. According to an AT&T spokesperson in the article, “Until Google can protect our brand from offensive content of any kind, we are removing all advertising from YouTube.”

YouTube’s proposed solution to this was to demonetize those videos so ads don’t get played and these companies can keep giving YouTube their money.

Their ads would only be played on appropriate, videos without children and YouTube gets to keep their money, but at the cost of its creators.

This is a dangerous situation for YouTube to be in because it doesn’t necessarily stop pedophiles from viewing videos featuring children, it simply makes them more anonymous.

Imagine a content creator is openly gay, and someone leaves a homophobic comment on that creator’s video.

Now imagine a company that has its ads played before that video hears about this and does not want to be associated with that comment.

Said company can threaten to take

its business and money away from YouTube. In turn, YouTube can tell that company that ads will not be played on any videos where members of the LGBTQ community can be subjected to those comments, so they can keep giving YouTube profits.

YouTube keeps their money, but now that creator suffers financially and can’t read the positive comments they receive.

However, many content creators on the platform have begun to speak out against this new policy. Some claim it is aiding the pedophiles, and some claim it is a discriminatory practice.

Popular content creator Colleen Ballinger said in a recent video that content from her brother’s channel, The Ballinger Family, has been demonetized and had its comments taken down because of their youngest son doing gymnastics.

It is also worth noting that Ballinger’s video about the situation was demonetized and the comments were turned off for a period of time.

Another channel affected by this is Special Books by Special Kids (SBSK).

SBSK is a nonprofit organization that spotlights both children and adults with a wide range of developmental and cognitive problems to bring awareness and create a sense of inclusion and community through reading.

Channel creator Chris Ulmer, a former special education teacher, made a video accusing YouTube of discriminatory practices. He said YouTube found the channel, “At high risk for predatory comments” despite his videos showing no signs of predatory content or comments in the past.

Obviously, YouTube has an obligation to protect those children who are showcased on its platform, but as Ballinger put it best, “By demonetizing those videos, all you’re doing is helping the pedophile.”

YouTube should not be punishing their creators for the acts of predators.

Instead, it should be working diligently to make sure people like that are not able to prey on them.

Removing comments just makes it easier for them to hide.

OP/ED

APRIL 5, 2019 | 9

Why you should make it a (late) resolution to care about pinball in 2019

By Robert Johnson Jr. Editorial Staff Over the past winter break, I spent an unreasonable amount of time in my neighborhood’s local ice cream/pizza/ bowling parlor in Hyde Park, playing a new arcade game they recently got to replace the previous game that held its place, Blue Shift Incorporated and Atari Games’ “Vapor TRX.” Well, that arcade game wasn’t exactly “new,” unless your definition of “new” reads “something released in 1992.”

Enter Williams Manufacturing’s “Fish Tales,” a pinball game about guys who catch fish and tell tall tales about them. I know you’re chuckling over that, for it is one of the most hillbilly concepts known to man - why would somebody make a game about that?

Pinball, as a genre, is one with a wealth of creativity and imagination, and every pinball table offers something new to … the playing field.

Ha! Got you there.

In our contemporary gaming landscape, where almost everything is either a remaster, a free-to-play game with hefty microtransactions, or a new MOBA or e-sports title trying to capitalize on the success of “League of Legends,” it is always nice to look at something new, even if the art form is older than most modern tastes.

Pinball has gone through a rather

turbulent history, dating back to the days of the Great Depression, when pinball was simply known as an act of “gambling,” much akin to the game of skill that people know it as today.

Since then, however, pinball has grown more intricate, not just in gameplay, but in the overall design of the tables produced for it. I want to see you try to name another genre of game that allows you to play something based on Sir Elton John - you won’t get very far in that endeavor.

Unfortunately, those opportunities to get into pinball are few and far between these days.

With the decline of the arcade scene in America throughout the 2000s, a

piece of American history is slowly fading away with it, too, and while there may be pinball simulators on gaming consoles like Farsight Studios’ “The Pinball Arcade,” nothing beats the real thing.

So, what’s the purpose of this, you ask? Simple.

I want you to put down that controller and go to any of those still-functioning arcades and play some pinball, while you still can.

The barrier to entry, skill-wise, when it comes to pinball, is not significant compared to other games. At the most basic level, all you need to know is that you have two buttons and a plunger to fiddle around with - the

more advanced aspects of the genre will come with time and practice.

On top of that, there’s a pinball game for everyone.

You want to play a game about four monsters who try to form a band?

“Monster Bash” is up your alley.

Want to play a game about an actual, real life band? There’s a lot of those, like ones based on AC/DC, Metallica, Aerosmith, the list goes on... And that’s just the beginning of the rabbit hole that is pinball.

If visiting your local “barcade” is the only way to play pinball, so be it. Take that chance to play a piece of American and gaming history, before it goes away, potentially forever.

Campus Conversations

Do you think events on campus are poorly attended? Why or why not?

By Sara Senesac, Evan Lee, and Ryan Feinblatt

“I think they are. There’s not enough promotion around campus in a timely manner. And you can’t find Toilet Times anymore.”

-Emily McCabe, junior

“Kind of - it depends on the event. The big partyish ones are always sold out. ” -Grace Milford, freshman

“There’s a lot of events, but I feel like not a lot of people attend the smaller ones. ” -Aiyana Florence, freshman

“Yeah. It depends on the event. If there’s free stuff, that’s when people show up.”

-Amadine Muniz, junior

“Yes. Campus events are not as fun to some people.”

-Frederick Watson, junior

“Yes, because sometimes people don’t know they’re happening, and they prioritize other things over events.”

-Mariah Prosansky, junior

Op/Ed submissions reflect the opinions of their authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of The Gatepost or its staff.

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

10 | APRIL 5, 2019

New year, new garden

By Gordon Rupert Editorial Staff It’s springtime and that means three things: the birds are singing me awake an hour before my alarm, the bees building a hive in my car are actually wasps, and it’s time for me to gently place tomato seeds in tiny holes in my dad’s lawn before covering them with fresh cow manure - locally collected, of course.

Gardening is a hobby shared across time, distance, and culture, passed down from generation to generation - and now it’s time to carry on the tradition.

There are two common kinds of gardening - container gardening and community gardening.

I won’t be discussing container gardening. Everyone knows what container gardening is. Get a plant, put it in a pot, cover it with dirt, water it. Everyone had a cactus or Venus fly trap in middle school.

I will, however, be discussing community gardens.

The idea of a community garden is to rent a plot of land for the season from the garden. The owners then buy the equipment and supplies needed to grow plants.

Ideally, because they’re able to buy

OP/ED

so much at a time, it’s cheaper, and because equipment is shared, they can buy more specialized or higher quality tools.

Community gardens are typically located in urban areas and have grown in popularity. This tradition stemmed from victory gardens during WWII. While a community garden isn’t designed to feed a community, and really isn’t able to provide food year-round to those using it, there are a lot of benefits to community gardening.

First, it’s able to build a community of like-minded people who are actively interested in gardening, and can bring

new foods to an area, or even introduce people to new varieties of fruits and vegetables.

Next, it’s an opportunity for people to see where their food comes from.

It’s a chance for people to watch something they planted grow and know what goes into the process.

Finally, a garden is a place that a person can design with beauty in mind. There are thousands of kinds of flowers, and they can change any area in a magnificent way.

There are seed libraries that are connected to the public library that give out seeds for people looking to get

started. You can get thousands of seeds online through Amazon or specialty sites for just a few dollars, if you don’t want to buy plants from the store.

If you’ve got a green thumb - or want a pet that doesn’t bark or meow -a few strawberry bushes or a tomato vine can do the trick instead.

All I know is that in three months time, I’ll be subjecting my family to the unrelenting terror that is steamed brussels sprouts with an endless rant on the importance of community gardens.

pect was arrested.

TMZ reported that Hussle was at his Marathon Clothing store on that fateful day helping a friend - who had just gotten home from a 20-year prison sentence - get some new clothes before seeing his family later that day. Nipsey didn’t notify his team, or security guard, that he’d be going to the store, and apparently no one from the rapper’s camp knew he had left his house.

This describes the type of person Nipsey was: a selfless, thoughtful, generous rapper-turned business mogul who invested in his community and trust funds for his children, rather than cars or jewelry.

The short amount of words I’m given could never truly put into perspec-

tive the essence of Ermias Asghedom.

He was someone everyone should strive to be like, and his legacy will live on through all the people he’s inspired.

According to Complex, Hussle’s debut album, “Victory Lap,” is on track to land a top five spot on the Billboard 200 this week, after seeing a 1,773% surge in streams since his untimely passing.

It’s projected to move between 40,000 and 60,000 units in sales, which could be more than the week it debuted. The last time the album charted was May 5, 2018.

Although he’s gone, the marathon will always continue…

As Nipsey rapped, “My city teaches people use your pistol, not your brain.”

Nipsey’s hustle A rapper turned business mogul

By Jared Graf Editorial Staff Grammy-nominated rapper and community activist Ermias Asghedom, better known by fans as Nipsey Hussle, was shot and killed last weekend outside of his Marathon Clothing store in Hyde Park, Los Angeles, March 31.

The 33-year-old West Coast hip-hop legend leaves behind two children, and longtime girlfriend, Lauren London.

But why was someone so influential, focused, and motivated to spark a change in the community senselessly murdered in broad daylight on the streets of his own neighborhood?

Jealousy.

For years now, Nipsey has been working hard at perfecting his blueprint. This includes his record label All Money In - which turns 10 years old next year - his impressive discography, which - until last year - was made up entirely of mixtapes, and his Marathon Clothing brand, among many other ventures.

In 2013, Nipsey was an independent artist making Forbes List headlines for his one-of-a-kind marketing campaign - Proud 2 Pay - selling 1,000 copies of his “Crenshaw” mixtape for $100 each.

The result? $100,000 straight to Hussle’s pocket, 1,000 copies of his mixtape sold in less than 24 hours at a pop-up shop in his hometown, and the interest of Jay-Z, who bought 100 copies.

Nipsey made theme music for your car speakers - the type of music that

could get you a speeding ticket just for listening. So, when he dropped his magnum opus, “Victory Lap,” after more than six years in the making, fans were undoubtedly excited.

The long-awaited debut paid off, and the album won a Grammy-nomination for Best Rap album at the 2019 Grammy Awards.

Marathon Clothing opened in June 2017 on the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson, two streets and a moniker Hussle heavily represented through his lyrics and clothing line. This move provided jobs for the community Nipsey grew up in, and not only does he own the store, but also the entire shopping plaza the store is located in.

Hussle, who is no stranger to non-traditional thinking, created something more than your average men’s clothing store. His self-described “smartstore” is a place where customers can go, purchase merchandise, and preview new content from the rapper by using an app.

Nipsey was also focused on bettering his community. This showed when he created a mile-long open-air museum to help revitalize the black community and launched a program called ‘Too Big To Fail,’ that would help provide opportunities in STEM fields to youth in inner city Los Angeles.

An advocate against gang violence, he coincidentally had a gang violence summit with the LA Police Department scheduled for the day after he was murdered, TMZ reported.

A few days after his murder, a sus-

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

ARTS & FEATURES

APRIL 5, 2019 | 11

ARTS & FEATURES Neufeld discusses Nazi scientists’ ‘Faustian bargain’

By Gordon Rupert Editorial Staff The latest presentation in the series, “1969: The Moon Landing in Context,” covered the life of Wernher von Braun and his conflicted past March 28 in the McCarthy Center Forum.

Michael J. Neufeld, who led the presentation, is a senior curator at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and has written several books on air and space flight as well as Wernher von Braun.

“Wernher von Braun was seized from an early age by an extraordinary and even blinding ambition to become the Columbus of space, to even land on the moon itself. This dream was central to the Faustian bargain he got into with the Nazis who offered all that he asked for - money, power, resources - but only if he did it their way, and for their purposes for weapons and ultimately, slave labor,” he said.

Through this lens, Neufeld talked about von Braun’s early life as the son of a wealthy aristocrat, and the culture of “space nerds” during the 1920s.

The trend was encouraged by Robert Goddard, who launched the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket in Auburn, Massachusetts in 1926, said Neufeld.

Von Braun was enamored immediately by the prospect of going into space. He rejected a classical education of Greek and Latin, and instead embraced the ideas of physics, chemistry, and astronomy after receiving a book about the theoretical possibilities of space rocketry, Neufeld said.

Having earned a doctorate degree in physics at only 22, von Braun was quickly recruited to work for the German military to oversee rocket programs, where in a few short years, he was directing teams of over 5,000 workers.

However, the German army at the time was under the control of the Nazi party, and in order to advance politically, von Braun was compelled to join.

Although he was largely indifferent to Nazi ideology, he eventually joined the SS, the paramilitary branch of the Nazi party, where he was promoted yearly and rose to the rank of Sturmbannführer, equivalent to a major.

There is at least one photograph of von Braun wearing the SS uniform during the war, said Neufeld. However, after the war, von Braun distanced himself from his role in the SS. Further, in 1942, von Braun was

Ashley Wall / THE GATEPOST Michael J. Neufeld reflecting on the life of Wernher von Braun. placed in charge of the V2 rocket program. These were known as some of the most terrifying weapons to fall on London and resulted in thousands of civilian deaths, Neufeld said.

Extensive slave labor from the Dora concentration camp was used in the design and construction of the V2 rockets, and while von Braun was aware of the horrid treatment of those in the camps, he claimed to feel unable to change it in his position.

After the war ended, Neufeld said the United States conducted Operation Paperclip, a mission to recruit prior Nazi scientists to the United States, and to use their research to gain a scientific edge.

The decision to recruit von Braun was based on his own accounts of being against party ideals, including an arrest by the Gestapo after he made comments that were considered defeatist and unpatriotic to the party, Neufeld said.

After moving to America, von Braun was set to work at Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas, on military rocketry projects, rather than being allowed to work on space related projects, Neufeld said.

He was moved shortly after to Huntsville, Alabama where he, along with his cadre of German scientists,

designed one of the first nuclear missiles, the Redstone Rocket, which was based, almost wholly, on the V2 rocket.

During the years he worked for the military, Neufeld said von Braun made it his primary goal to sell spaceflight to the people of the United States.

However, it would take several years before Americans would warm up to the idea of taking to the stars, and von Braun would be scrutinized by the American public.

Neufeld played a song by Tom Lehnard, a songwriting satirist during the time von Braun was in the public eye, that references von Braun’s prominent role in the V2 project.

Lehnard sings, “‘Once the rockets are up, who cares where they come down? That’s not my department,’ says Wernher von Braun.”

However, in 1960, von Braun was appointed as the first director of the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA), and he kept the position until 1970, said Neufeld.

Naturally, as director, von Braun was instrumental in the development of the Apollo 11 mission that brought the first humans to the moon in 1969.

His greatest disappointment in life, however, is that he was unable to lead a mission into space. The closest he

ever was able to get was in a KC-135 stratotanker, which simulates a zero-gravity environment through its flight pattern, said Neufeld.

Von Braun was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1973 and continued to work until his death in 1977, he said.

After the presentation a Q&A was held and Neufeld was asked if von Braun was an opportunist who jumped on board with the Nazi regime to further his research, simply seeing it as a means to an end.

Neufeld replied, “The traditional view of von Braun, as heard in the song earlier, is that he was an opportunist.”

He added, “I don’t believe that is totally correct. While he is an opportunist in some ways, he was joining a Faustian bargain, and believed that if it was for the good of the country, and if he could build something to protect the country, and the country could be proud of, then it was worth it.”

CONNECT WITH GORDON RUPERT grupert1@student.framingham.edu

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12 | APRIL 5, 2019

ARTS & FEATURES

Misconceptions and Mislabeling Hate Crimes with Sophia Hall and Nadia Aziz ‘Defining hate crimes on college campuses’

By Brennan Atkins Asst. Arts & Features Editor Sophia Hall and Nadia Aziz spoke about what defines a hate crime, and the misconceptions surrounding hate crimes April 1 in the McCarthy Center Alumni Room.

Hall works as a supervising attorney for the Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston, an organization that teaches people the differences between a hate crime and incident and works with victims of hate crimes in order to help them receive the justice they deserve.

Aziz serves as a co-interim director for the Stop Hate project, which serves as a place for victims of hate crimes to get the proper support they need, and to strengthen inclusiveness in communities to prevent incidents in the first place.

The event opened up with a question from Aziz: “What do we mean when we talk about hate? ... We think of racism, sexism, homophobia, Anti-semitism-all kind of awful things.”

After a few answers from the crowd, they put up the legal definition of what can be considered a hate crime: “A criminal offense against a person or property that is motivated in whole or part by an offender’s biases against an individual’s race, col-

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or, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.”

Aziz then went on to talk about hate incidents, and how people frequently confuse the two.

“Hate incidents are a much broader category - you know how people say a square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn’t a square? Same thing here. A hate crime is a hate incident, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a hate incident is a hate crime,” Aziz said.

Aziz added hate crimes are unique in nature as they are “message crimes.” While they can target a single individual, more often than not, they end up affecting entire communities.

“It’s a traditional offense with an added element,” she said.

“Nearly two-thirds of all hate crimes go unreported to law enforcement - there’s a lot of different reasons for that. One is that they don’t think they’ll be believed,” she said.

“The FBI reported that in 2017, roughly 7,000 to 8,000 hate crimes occurred, but another source of government data that is from the victims’ perspectives shows that an average of 250,000 hate crimes happen every year in the U.S. That just shows the huge discrepancy between sources,” Aziz said.

Sophia Hall and Nadia Aziz discuss hate crime statistics.

Cara McCarthy / THE GATEPOST

She said this skewed data is the the infrastructure for people to reresult of victims not reporting their port. There are places in Mississippi, crimes to local police, and local po- for example, that don’t have the inlice not being required to report frastructure to report, so thus, they are reporting zero,” she said. their findings to the FBI. “We still have a lot of work to Hall then asked the audience where they think Massachusetts is do,” said Hall. The fact that a hate ranked on the number of reported incident becomes a hate crime only hate crimes per year. After a couple when a person is assaulted or propof mixed “high” and “low” answers erty is damaged is a problem, as it from the audience filled the room, allows everything outside of that to Hall said, “I bet you would be sur- be just incidents, she added.

For support and more information prised to learn that we are actually about hate crimes, visit lawyersone of the top states in the country in terms of highest reported hate forcivilrights.org and NoHateALawyersCommitee.org. crimes.”

“But there’s a silver lining to that news,” she added.

CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS “It’s because we have developed batkins@student.framingham.edu

ARTS & FEATURES

APRIL 5, 2019 | 13

‘Is your piggy bank too big?’

Rosero discusses economic fluctuation in Latin America

By Tessa Jillson Arts & Features Editor Luis Rosero, professor of accounting, economics and finance, spoke March 28 as part of the 2019 Lyceum Lecture series - an event that highlights sabbatical activities and faculty research.

Rosero discussed his research on international reserve accumulation in Latin America, a talk he titled, “Is your piggy bank too big?”

Linda Vaden-Goad, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said the event was designed to establish the ways in which faculty members “are always understanding their own field and how it advances. In part, they do that so they can bring their students forward,” or advance their students’ knowledge about the field in addition to their own.

Lina Rincón, professor of sociology and assistant director of CELTSS, said Rosero earned a B.A. in Economics from Wheaton College, a master’s and Ph. D. in Economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and has appeared in multiple research publications, such as the Journal of Economic Integration and the Journal of Global South Studies.

In his presentation, Rosero dis-

cussed the effectiveness of international reserve accumulation as a method for promoting macroeconomic stability and the implications of Latin American countries that have accumulated large sums of reserves.

Reserves are a supply of a commodity, not needed for immediate use but available. Reserves serve as “precautionary motives to unforeseen changes in the international trade and financial flow,” Rosero said.

He added, “The way that I got interested in this topic was basically based on two trends that I noticed.

The first one is the unprecedented recreational international accumulation of reserves in emerging economies, primarily those in Latin America. The second one, the re-emergence of South-South cooperation.”

Rosero questioned throughout his research whether Latin American reserve accumulation is excessive and if there is a more effective way other than the accumulation of reserves.

The problem for Latin America is that foreign investors are unwilling to borrow emerging countries currency because of three consequences, said Rosero.

One of the consequences Rosero pointed out was the “exchange rates” between countries. A country that

borrows currency other than their own, is not able to “borrow abroad, basically assuming risk for fluctuations in that exchange rate.”

The second was the Procyclical nature of loans. When a recession hits, “typically your currency will become weaker and it will be much more difficult to pay back,” he said.

The third consequence is “inflation pressure.”

“When a country with a weaker currency pays in a strong currency, the process spreads inflation.”

Pesos aren’t considered reserves because of the “original sin,” or how most countries are not able to borrow abroad in their domestic currency, said Rosero. This is due to past financial crises in Latin America, such as the 1980s Lost Decade, the 1994 Tequila Crisis, the 1998 Brazil’s Real Crisis, and the 2001 to 2002 Argentina Crisis.

Rosero gathered information from the seven largest Latin American economies from 1972 to 2014. The countries included Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.

Rosero found that countries with lower capital are just sitting on reserves for show. “Latin America had alone about 720 billion in reserves

just sitting there. To put in perspective, that’s about 1.3 times the size of Massachusetts economy every year,” he said.

Rosero discussed the “impossible trinity,” or the “trilemma,” a concept that states that it is impossible for a country to have “exchange rate stability, monetary policy with their own needs and domestic goals, and freedom of international capital movements,” all at once.

Rosero said he found “reserves seem to give more policy space and improve the trilemma only under two conditions - its fixed exchange rate in Venezuela or due to very large relative levels of reserves in Peru.”

At the end of the presentation, Rosero suggested “access to large pool of reserves without the cost of holding individual reserves” and the “FLAR model,” the Latin American Reserve Fund designed to support trade within the region, as solutions to help improve Latin American economic standing.

CONNECT WITH TESSA JILLSON tjillson@student.framingham.edu

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Studio art Continued from page 1 exhibition, often left their work in the classrooms of May Hall.

Natanel said her own exhibition paintings have been damaged while left in the classrooms - whether it be a smudge in the paint from a professor accidently knocking it over or a bend in the canvas while a worker, waxing the floors, throws it carelessly on top of a pile of other work.

“The second I heard the basements were open, I was the first one to move in here,” Natanel said. “We just felt like the upstairs place, with everyone working and constantly having to put your stuff away, was really hindering people from getting stuff done.”

Although the studios in the basement aren’t finished, senior studio art majors who have moved their projects into the studio space feel as if it has helped their process - some even stating how they felt more “motivated” to complete their work.

Natanel said for her exhibition project, she is creating nine large paintings of Jerusalem based off of photographs she took while visiting.

She is primarily playing with color, scale, and shifts in perception.

Natanel, who grew up in Jerusalem, said her paintings are a “shift from what I remember it looking like when I was really young, to my return when I was 12. … With a different mentality and a different stage of egocentrism, I realized how different both experiences had actually been.

“I liked the idea of making everything really big and colorful and from the perspective that you’re looking up at it,” she said. “These had to be elec-

tric or neon because they’re so personal to me. They kind of have that childlike reference.”

Before she declared her major two years ago, Natanel said she never painted.

“I always looked at a painting thinking, ‘I know exactly how I’d execute that,’ or trying to figure out exactly how I would,” she said.

Natanel said she has an internship lined up in Jerusalem right after she graduates, where she will be working in a museum, as a real estate photographer, or in a school. After her internship, she is going to spend some time finding a studio space, applying to get her master’s in Poland or the Netherlands, and possibly attempting to move to New York.

“They say your memory is best retained in the time before your career.

So, for me, I kind of don’t mind the idea of having a long path before my career. It’s honestly very attractive to me and I think that I just have to be positive about it,” she said.

You can view Natanel’s work at Rinniestudios.com.

Hannah Nesbitt, who is currently working on textile and tapestries for her exhibition project, said she takes up half of the studio with the amount of cloth and supplies she needs.

“I feel like my life is a tapestry,” she said.

Nesbitt, who double majors in apparel design and painting, is creating tapestries and quilts as a way to show the relationship between coping with trauma and textiles.

Last summer, Nesbitt said she went to South Africa on a mission trip with

Natanel works on one of her nine paintings of Jerusalem.

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Courtesy of Rinnie Natanel

Courtesy of Rinnie Natanel Natanel paintings will be exhibited in MazGal on April 22 through May 3. her church. While there, she made 15 to 16 memory blankets for mothers and their babies, and handed them out to women in the township of Lavender Hill.

“Some of these tapestries in the exhibition have remnants of the actual quilts that were handed out. It’s all in conversation with each other,” she said. “I’m a trauma survivor myself, so I can say personally that textiles have really helped me. … It’s the way I relate completely. The way I communicate. The way I understand. The way I hope.”

Nesbitt is also designing a wearable art dress made of quilts for the senior exhibition.

After she graduates, she hopes to go on a retreat with Alabama quilters who are descendants of slaves. “Those are the women that make me work hard,” she said.

Her next step is to get into design school to get her master’s in textiles.

“I think for me, at this point in my life, it’s a good place to be here [at FSU] in a sense because I can pursue personal things. I can explore trauma in my artwork, and at the same time, focus on technical skill,” she said.

You can look at Nesbitt’s work on her website, thetextilesqueen.com.

Kierstyn Brady said Nesbitt’s artwork is “her favorite.”

For the exhibition, Brady painted four large-scale self-portraits.

Brady’s work comments on non-authentic versions of the self.

She said she introduces herself in the paintings to make people feel as if they should be skeptical of her. Using different levels of pixelation in her paintings and scaffolding under the pixels, Brady reflects on the way people edit the authentic version of

themselves on social media.

“I believe before you can comment on anything, you have to start with yourself. So, in many ways, commenting on yourself is the only way to comment on the world as a whole because it’s the only truth you’re ever going to know,” she said.

Currently, Brady is a studio assistant intern at Community Kiln, a community ceramics school which includes sponsorships for people who have run-ins with the law to attend different art classes.

Brady said she plans to attend Lesley University next year for expressive therapy, with the hope that she can open her own expressive therapy center, teaching art through the lenses of mental health.

“Art is the best way to express yourself. It’s an active meditation.

It’s being in the moment with what you’re doing, which is very rare - a lot of people just work without paying attention and it’s easy to miss hours of your time,” she said.

You can view Brady’s work on her Instagram @Kierstynbradyart.

Kaela Henderson said she started painting when she was in high school, but only started to find her way through painting once she reached college.

“My sketches have become much looser. The different classes I’ve taken here really got me thinking about what fits for me, what I’m more comfortable with, and how I can express myself,” she said.

Henderson said she is making collages of black people she finds online and in magazines, rearranging their facial features by incorporating different images such as food and plants.

To contrast the collages, Hender-

ARTS & FEATURES

APRIL 5, 2019 | 15

Studio art son is also adding positive statements about black people in her exhibition project.

“I’m primarily showing that throughout history, black people have been oppressed and everything they’ve gone through - slavery, and racism, and segregation - has made them confused about their image,” she said.

Henderson said at first, she started the collages using a lot of browns, but now she is using different colors to “show the diversity between black people as well as their skin color and hair.”

In the future, Henderson said she wants to be a professional artist with her own gallery. Right now, Henderson is saving up enough money to go to graduate school and is searching for an artist’s residency.

Natanel said she went into the major knowing that 90% of studio art majors quit making art after they graduate, but FSU has taught her to shift her mentality.

“I learned a crazy amount. I felt I learned more than I would have in any other major because it really stuck with me,” she said.

FSU studio art graduate Emily Bowling said, considering her senior year was really stressful. After gradu-

ation, she took a break from making artwork and managing her social media accounts, looking for non-art related jobs, finishing up her freelance work, and fixing up her home studio.

“I started to feel stressed out about not creating new artwork even though I was still really burnt out and frustrated,” she said. “This was probably my biggest struggle since finishing school, and going from a full classroom setting every day to making work for myself and my portfolio rather than graded assignments.”

She said she started making small goals for herself, creating two-minute pen and marker drawings and small watercolors. She also started experimenting with sewing and photography, and kept up with other artists’ work online.

“I think it’s really important to keep feeding your creative energy even when you don’t feel like making art,” she said.

Bowling said she has found a few online communities and groups of artists who spread information about upcoming events, classes, shows, and artists sharing freelance work.

“It’s so important, now more than ever, to use social media and the internet to your advantage,” she said.

“You can show your work to an in-

One of Kierstyn Brady’s pixelated self-portraits.

Courtesy of Kierstyn Brady

finite amount of people so quickly and effortlessly, and so many online platforms are free.”

FSU studio art graduate Sergio Lopez had a similar experience to Bowling’s. He said after graduating, he found a nine-to-five desk job and art became his secondary practice.

Lopez said, “Don’t stop painting.

Things get in the way - like your 9 a.m.

to 5 p.m. desk job - but don’t let that become an obstacle in creating your art. There won’t be anything to look at it if you don’t make it.”

Alice is the only character who seeems to develop throughout the novel, but that doesn’t mean the other characters aren’t strong.

The whole story-within-a-story concept is hard to write, but Albert does a great job in creating these Hinterland characters who genuinely make you feel on edge. It’s the type of stuff that is pulled directly from your childhood nightmares, and I loved every second of it.

However, one character I could have completely done without - and I know I will probably get heat for this was Ellery Finch.

He annoyed me from beginning to end and felt entirely unnecessary for a bulk of the story. It’s hard to talk about why I feel this way without spoiling anything, but if you read the novel, you’ll see what I’m talking about.

Even though there were parts of the story that dragged a little, I believe the ending is worth pushing through for.

It’s certainly an unexpected twist, and Albert’s ability to tie the loose ends together was almost flawless.

The ending, though satisfactory, just left me wanting a bit more.

There is a lot of build up to the end of the story, and because of that, I expected the ending to be much longer.

I don’t think it needed to be changed, but I definitely think more action could have been included for Alice.

Overall, this was the first fairy tale-style story I actually enjoyed. It had the perfect balance of reality and fantasy, and I am really hoping the sequel to this book gives Alice the action-packed justice she deserves.

CONNECT WITH TESSA JILLSON tjillson@student.framingham.edu

Alice in… Hinterland?

By Sara Senesac Staff Writer Melissa Albert’s novel, “The Hazel Wood,” follows the confusing life of 17-year-old Alice, who definitely doesn’t have the normal issues of an angsty, smart-mouthed teenager.

Alice and her mother, Ella, have spent their years travelling from place to place and sleeping on friends’ couches, running from a never-ending stream of bad luck.

Many of these incidents are the result of a collection of fairy tales titled “Tales from the Hinterland,” a book within the book - written by Alice’s grandmother, Althea - and the cult following the book has created.

Alice has never met Althea because of her mother’s determination to cut ties from the Hazel Wood - Althea’s estate, where the tales were written.

Shortly after receiving news of Althea’s death, all hell breaks loose and Ella is kidnapped, leaving Alice no clues other than a note saying, “Stay away from the Hazel Wood.”

So, naturally, the first thing Alice does is set off for the Hazel Wood alongside her friend and Hinterland-super-fan, Ellery Finch, thus beginning our journey into the fantastical world of the stories.

I read a lot of mixed reviews about this book before going into it, and I have to be honest when I say my expectations were relatively low. Negative reviews aside, the whole whimsical, unrealistic fairy-tale setting has just never really been my cup of tea.

But dear reader I was wrong!

This book had the perfect mix of reality - with creepy Brother’s Grimmstyle characters from the “Tales of the Hinterland.” I appreciate that unlike other books in this genre, we don’t spend the entirety of the story stuck in this “wonderland-like” world - instead, it ties fairy tale into the reality we are all familiar with.

Alice’s personality has received lots of negativity in other reviews due to her foul language and short temper, but I found these things made her extremely entertaining, and honestly, quite relatable to a lot of teenagers.

In the words of Alice herself, “Life never turns out how you imagine it will when you’re young. Everything is smaller than you think, or too big.

It all smells a little funny and fits like somebody else’s shirt.”

So, how else would you expect someone in her situation to act? It’s hard to remain positive when your only family member has been kidnapped, and you have no idea who you really are.

Rating 4/5 Bookmarks A Fairytale with teenage angst.

CONNECT WITH SARA SENESAC ssenesac@student.framingham.edu

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ARTS & FEATURES

16 | APRIL 5, 2019

‘Shazam’

kickstarts a new era of DC movies

By Brennan Atkins Asst. Arts & Features Editor

By Noah Barnes Entertainment Correspondent The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is now seven movies deep, starting in 2013 with “visionary director” Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” and now “Shazam” is added to the series of mediocre to, well, bad movies.

Will Shazam fly above the rest?

Shazam is a superhero flick directed

by David F. Sandberg featuring Asher Angel as Billy Batson, Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy Freeman, Zachary Levi as Shazam, Djimon Hounsou as The Wizard Shazam, and Mark Strong as Dr. Thaddeus Sivana.

Billy Batson was separated from his mother at a young age, and since then, has been jumping from foster home to foster home in the hope that he may one day find her again. His lack of family causes him to be distant from everyone and serves as a stark contrast from when he becomes Shazam.

Batson is one day called to obtain the power of Shazam, a power that is handed down from an ancient wizard of the same name. It gives the user in-

credible strength, flight, and electric hands. All the user has to do is scream ‘Shazam!’ and the powers will come to them at any time.

“Shazam” is filled with interesting concepts, some of them landing, but others being lost in the midst of all the bizarreness.

When thunder claps, lightning strikes.

One unique trait that Billy Batson has is his ability to change into Shazam instantly. Being able to do this allows for some clever scenes, and depending on the situation, being Billy is better than staying as Shazam.

The story between Billy and his mother reeks of a typical hero origin story, but they take it in a different direction that, despite having rough patches, is important in making Billy realize what matters. The theme of family and what that entails is prevalent throughout the film.

The costume alone gives off a “golden age of comics” vibe - somewhat reminiscent of the Sam Raimi “Spider-Man” movies - that captures a raw, unfiltered look into what these heroes would look like in the real world.

It wouldn’t be a DCEU movie with-

out at least one - or maybe a couple - of flaws.

For one, the mistakes made in the film feel as though they would have been made in comic book films 10 years ago, as if they didn’t know what works and what doesn’t.

The flaws in the script, character building, plot, and action feel like they could have been easily fixed.

Like, having a bully hit a kid with a car with no repercussions, is a tad bit more serious than just the typical school bully antagonist. It’s unrealistic and distracting.

While the action isn’t awful, it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. Hero throws bad guy, bad guy throws hero.

You get the gist.

There are only two fight scenes, and one of them teeters on the edge of even being a fight.

Mark Strong accepted the role as Shazam’s antagonist as an apology to audiences for the 2011 film “Green Lantern,” in which he played one of the most iconic villains in DC comic history, Sinestro.

Ironically, his role as Sivana makes his role as Sinestro look good by comparison.

While it’s definitely not the most

Grade: BElectrifyingly and shockingly ... average.

polished stone in the pond, “Shazam” is thinking in the right direction when it comes to where the DCEU should go next. It features more lighthearted and fun scenes, with less of a focus on telling a grand story.

The mistakes made in producing the film were bad, but at least they’re showing a glimpse of what DCEU could be.

Warner Brothers CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS Batkins@student.framingham.edu CONNECT WITH NOAH BARNES Nbarnes@student.framingham.edu

48. Abase 50. Brit’s bathroom 51. ___ on the back 52. Absolute 53.*Venezuelans’ neighbors 55. *Temptation for Odysseus 58. Bagel’s shape 59. Crazy way to run 60. Word before “love” or “story” 61. Tennis legend Chris 62. Adjusts, as a clock 63. Loch ___ 64. Sleepover game challenges

DOWN

ACROSS

1. Samantha of “The Collector” 6. Vegan protein 10. Violent Greek god 14. Native New Zealander 15. Possible score after deuce 16. Old Italian bills 17. Dallas suburb 18. *Barrier-breaking bang 20. *SoCal ballplayer 22. ___-frutti 23. Yellowfin tuna 24. Floppy beagle part 25. Beverage server, quaintly 27. Pessimistic word, even when “no” is removed 29. Author Roald 30. “Bad Moon Rising” band, briefly 31. Lawn border tool 32. Art Deco artist 33. “Don’t go!”

34. “On Bended Knee” group, or a hint to the starred answers’ first three letters 37. Magic charm 40. Sty sound 41. Bounded along 45. Composer Brian 46. Top or bottom bed 47. Warning about a dog

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1. Put into position 2. Knight who found the Holy Grail 3. Egging on 4. Florence’s river 5. Spain’s former “river of gold” territory 6. Electric dart shooter 7. Sty woe 8. Flipper 9. Half of bi10. Vinyl collectible 11. Babysitter’s reading material?

12. Steamy literature 13. Slightly sweet, as wine 19. PC corner key 21. Gangster’s gun 25. Dyed fabric 26. “I’m standing right here!”

28. Biblical peak (BONE anagram) 29. Moscow mule or White Russian 32. Online publication 33. Frosted flakes 35. “___ be surprised!”

36. Raised 37. Jellyfish that are named for a Gorgon 38. Erstwhile 39. Easy pace 42. Wall-covering person 43. Mark on an exam?

44. Can’t stand 46. Building near a silo 47. Hudson ___ 49. Stinks 50. Olympic sleds 53. Lions’ prey 54. Kind of lox 56. R.R. stop 57. Bonanza find

Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.

ARTS & FEATURES

APRIL 5, 2019 | 17

On the streets of ‘Killadelphia,’ ‘Buck’ finds hope MK Asante on the emancipation of language

By Thomas Maye Staff Writer It was while looking at his suicidal mother filled with tubes and wires on the hospital bed, post-overdose, that “Buck” author MK Asante finally agreed to go back for his high school degree, he told the crowd at DPAC on Friday.

Asante, then a repeat dropout, wasn’t new to hardship. With a brother in federal prison, a murdered best friend, a distant father, and a sister institutionalized for schizophrenia, tragedy was a way of life on the streets of North Philadelphia, he said. But seeing her in such a state, he couldn’t say no.

“She was this close to death,” the doctor told him. “I didn’t want to rattle her… I didn’t think she’d find a school, anyways,” he said. “I’d been kicked out of one of the worst schools in Philadelphia - once you get kicked out of there, it’s a wrap, you know what I’m saying?”

“The jail my brother was staying at was better than my school,” he said.

But at the new alternative school his mother pushed him towards, one of the few that would accept him, Asante reached an “epiphany” that forever changed his philosophy on life, literature, and learning.

Looking at the “blank page” for a creative writing assignment, Asante

said he realized language and self-expression could be a tool to provide “emancipation” from his bleak circumstances - eventually culminating in the writing of his memoir.

“Now, I see why it was illegal for black people to read,” he said, drawing upon the American legacy of slavery and oppression. He explained that knowing new words gave him the power to express new ideas, thus explicating struggles and enabling people under “unimaginable circumstances” to fight back.

“Buck” deals heavily with the “school to prison pipeline,” and flaws in education among inner-city schools. “Some schools prepare you for higher education,” he said. “Other schools, in other neighborhoods, prepare you for incarceration.”

With overcrowded student populations, chained windows, and “militarized” armed guards patrolling the halls, school was a place of misery and dejection for Asante. “At no point did anyone from those schools sit me down and ask me what was going on at home,” he said.

Asante said some Philadelphia judges were known to receive “kickbacks” for choosing to send students with behavioral issues to juvenile detention centers instead of more lenient options, such as suspension, reinforcing the pipeline and cycle of poverty.

MK Asante presents on his memoir, “Buck” to the FSU community in DPAC.

Just as well, though, “Buck” charts the journey of Asante’s “re-education.” “What you learn in school isn’t always the same thing as education - it’s like the difference between sex and love,” he said.

Part of Asante’s re-education and renewed relationship with literature was finding books that connected to his struggles. The theme reverberates throughout the text.

“Buck’s” Philadelphia was a vibrant but dangerous world with its own language and customs, he said, and it was essential he accurately portrayed their vernacular.

“Language is such an important part of where you’re from,” he said, and hip-hop was inseparable from it - it gave people from the inner city a way to express the realities of life around them. Rap and hip-hop lyrics interweave his writing, giving voice to the streets.

“I spit lyrics to songs all day, every day,” he said. “It’s like I got hip-hop Tourette’s.”

The word “Buck” carries many meanings - from “bucking the system,” to “getting buck,” to the “buck-naked” vulnerability of his writing, and was once a term for slaves on the auction block, Asante said.

In Philly, he also said it’s slang for a young black man - the people he strived to speak for in his memoir.

“Why isn’t there no book that’s

real, that’s raw. … Written for kids like me when I was young? It’s because you haven’t written it yet,” he said.

“I’ve seen the senselessness of it all … I wanted to tell the stories of people that basically couldn’t tell their stories because they’re not here,” he added, recalling the long history of violence that surrounded him.

Asante carried this philosophy throughout the rise of his meteoric career. He’s published books of poetry, an album of music to accompany the memoir, and produced a documentary on Kwanzaa, “The Black Candle,” which he worked on with the acclaimed Maya Angelou, who became his mentor.

Angelou taught him the power of vulnerability in his writing and giving the most authentic story of his life in North Philly.

Writing “Buck” was a painful process, he said, in which he had to relive the trauma of his experiences all over again. After publishing, Asante found his outspokenness had alienated him from some people in his circle - but Angelou told him to speak his truth regardless.

“I didn’t know if I wanted to put all this down. I came to Dr. Angelou and asked, “What advice do you have for me?”

She said, “Just tell the truth.”

CONNECT WITH TOM MAYE tmaye@student.framingham.edu

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST

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18 | APRIL 5, 2019

ARTS & FEATURES

Communication Arts integrated visual media senior showcase “Be Seen. Be Heard. Be You.”

By Tessa Jillson Arts & Features Editor

Communication arts seniors concentrating in integrated visual media displayed a wide range of photography, video, and design projects they’ve worked on for their capstone class, prior classes, and internships April 2 in the Mazmanian Art Gallery.

Christopher Bowen, communication arts professor, said the showcase/ reception is a great way for students to display and celebrate all they’ve accomplished throughout the years.

“Although everyone has their own individual work,” he said, there is still “a cohesive presentation.”

Communication arts seniors participating in the show included Sydney Buono, Brittany Dougal, Alison Evans, Michael Johnston, Ethan Norton, Cat Pilotte, Nada Shaaban, Abbie Smola, and Brittany Yates.

Throughout her communication arts experience at FSU, Buono said she has focused on graphic design, film, and animation.

Her work in the exhibition consisted of Hilltop posters, two 20-minute videos she created for her internship at the Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange, Health and Wellness Center posters, a spoof video of Law and Order, an illustration book called “The Little Field Hockey Team That Couldn’t,” and four photographs of herself, her friends, and others that she redesigned in Adobe Illustrator to make the photos “more graphic.”

Shaaban also decided to use Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop to manipulate the photographs she took on her study-abroad trip to India to make them look like illustrations. She placed the photographs on different colored canvases and hung them from strings behind her display table.

While in India, Shaaban said the experience felt surreal and her perspective of the world changed - most of the photos she took seemed fake to

Alison Evans presents her brand, Aje designs.

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her. “I turned them even more into illustrations, to make them even more fake, to kind of represent that surrealistic, abstract expression I felt when I was there.”

Shaaban and the other seniors in the exhibition also created and presented their branding packages, which included a personalized logo, resume, cover letter, and stickers or buttons to market themselves.

Shaaban’s brand “R.I.P. Youth” “comes from the reality that there are moments in our lives that force us to grow up too fast, and as a result, ‘rip our youth away’ - for lack of better expression. This causes a loss of innocence, but nonetheless, makes us who we are, or who we are meant to be,” she wrote in her artistic statement.

In Yates’ artistic statement, she wrote, “Photography and design have always been a passion of mine. Yates Creative is a professional outlet where I am able to showcase and create pieces that reflect who I am and my style of work. This brand also allows me to separate my professional work from my personal life.”

Yates created a photography portfolio and collage using photographs from her photojournalism, basic photos, and photo and architecture classes for her final project. Her photo collage contains photos of decaying buildings from Framingham State University, Wrentham State School, and Wrentham State Hospital.

Evans exhibited pamphlets and business cards for her brand, Aje Designs, on a table below hanging crystals - her brand’s image.

Evans also designed creative company posters, travel brochures, a promotional poster and a lyric CD sheet for her friend who recently released an album.

Besides her internship work, which involves creating promotional posters for events on campus, Smola created four black and white pixelated portraits of her friends. She said she

Corey McFeeley / THE GATEPOST Nada Shaaban displays her collection of photographs from India. wanted to “incorporate photography and graphic design into one piece.”

The four portraits are enclosed in one large bordered frame to create a “cohesive piece. … All people are different and of different races, but they all go together,” she said.

In her artistic statement, Smola wrote, “Photography has been a passion of mine longer than graphic designing has been, but I equally love both. I take portraits mostly, but I consider myself a lover of all subjects.

I take pictures to capture a moment in time. … With my graphic designing, I like to create all sorts of things, whether that is a logo for a friend and their startup company, or making posters for events that are happening around town.”

Norton presented his “lookbook” on patterned shirts, a project he has been working on in his independent study with Professor Laura Osterweis.

Norton said for his capstone project, he wanted to incorporate all the things he studied while at FSU. He looked at the project as “an opportunity to integrate design, illustration and photography” to produce a piece that shows his personality, perspective, and the different skills he has learned.

“It’s a mixture of photography and

Corey McFeeley / THE GATEPOST

design,” he said. “The project is quite literally in progress at the moment. …

So, I’m presenting half of the book as like a spread on the board of an office, where you’re discussing it with photos that can be used as inspiration or a style guide.”

Norton is also working on another spread on jackets, “Waiting for A Good Rainy Day.” Dougal said she wanted to work on something completely different this semester for her project. She created a three-part video, “Someone is Watching,” about a guy wearing shunglasses who is transfixed and kills certain people also wearing sunglasses.

She shot and directed each part of the video in a day with help from her co-workers.

Johnston created a documentary called, “We Are Here,” an inside look in the day-to-day life of a deaf person. “It shows that they have the ability to do anything they want to do.

Of course, they can’t hear, but that doesn’t stop them,” he said.

The documentary contains interviews with his parents, who are both deaf, his sister, who is deaf, and Father Shawn, a priest for the deaf community in Newton.

Johnston also took photos of Father Shawn for his project.

Pilotte focuses on digital art, spending eight hours to two weeks drawing different anime and indie video game characters.

She said she always had a passion for digital art, starting at the age of 12 on her Nintendo DS and picking it up again on a tablet once she turned 18.

In addition to the senior integrated visual media exhibition, the communication arts department is also hosting a solo show April 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the forum. The show consists of three short films constructed by film production senior John Malešević.

CONNECT WITH TESSA JILLSON tjillson@student.framingham.edu

SPORTS

APRIL 5, 2019 | 19

SPORTS Women’s lacrosse pushes win streak to three

By Liam Gambon Asst. Sports Editor After a player scores a goal, they drop their stick on the ground and celebrate.

This is so that the officials can check the pocket to make sure their not playing with an illegal stick.

On Monday in a matchup against Wellesley, there were plenty of Framingham sticks on the ground.

The Rams dropped their first stick within two minutes of the start of play, as Nicole Pacheco netted an unassisted goal.

Morgan Begley scored two minutes later for Framingham before Grace Gamache took over the game.

Alissa Marino scored the Rams’ third goal off an assist from Gamache and then returned the favor, assisting a Gamache goal a minute later.

Gamache assisted the Rams’ next two goals from Begley and Pacheco to put Framingham up 6-0 in the first 12 minutes of play.

Within those 12 minutes, Gamache had a hand in four of the six goals scored.

Head Coach James Rippey said, “She’s been one of our leaders on the field.

She’s been doing special things for us since her freshman year.”

The Rams netted eight more goals to go up 14-0 before Wellesley scored its first goal of the game.

Five different players scored for the Rams during their 14-0 run, and five different players came away with assists.

“One of the things that’s been really unique about this group is how balanced we are across the board,” Rippey said. “We’ve had a lot of games this year where seven, eight, or nine players are scoring and contributing.”

Framingham scored once more and allowed three more Wellesley goals as time dwindled down to the final second.

The Rams walked away with a 15-4 victory.

“We played well - we came out fired up,” Rippey said. “We came out and really dictated the tempo of the game.”

Gamache and Begley led the way for the Rams.

Begley scored three goals and added two assists, while Gamache netted two

goals and came away with four assists.

Indigo Fox Tree-McGrath came away with her seventh win on the season in net, as she only allowed one goal before she was replaced late in the game.

With the win, the Rams improve to 7-3 on the season.

FRAMINGHAM STATE 15 WELLESLEY 4 The team with the most shots in a game usually comes out the winner.

In a matchup against Smith College, that rang true for Framingham.

Hanna McMahon and Gamache scored early in the game to put the Rams up 2-0, but Smith answered back 20 seconds later to cut the deficit to 2-1.

From then on, Framingham peppered the Smith goalie with shots as they went on an 8-1 scoring run that poured into the second half.

Following the run, both teams scored twice more before the end of regulation.

Framingham went on to earn a 12-4 victory.

The Rams’ key to success was outshooting Smith 25-11 in the game, as they constantly harassed the Smith goalie.

Marino scored three goals for the Rams and added an assist. Gamache followed her with two goals and an assist of her own.

With the win, the Rams improve their record to 8-3 heading into a big-time matchup against Bridgewater State on Saturday.

Rippey said. “Saturday’s game is going to be one of the games that determines the number-one seed in the regular season conference championship.”

He added, “We certainly know what’s at stake.”

FRAMINGHAM STATE 12 SMITH COLLEGE 4 CONNECT WITH LIAM GAMBON lgambon1@student.framingham.edu

Gatepost Archives Grace Gamache battles off a Smith College defender for a loose ball.

Gatepost Archives Rams’ midfielder Maggie Destino looks to make a pass.

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20 | APRIL 5, 2019

Ferr or Foul

A shot in the dark for the White Sox

By Matt Ferris Sports Editor It seemed like all the attention during this MLB offseason was focused on the big-name free agents such as Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.

And with good reason - considering both players got record-breaking money, signing with new teams.

Machado decided on San Diego for 10 years and $300 million, a record-breaking amount at the time.

Harper broke Machado’s record just a couple of days later, signing a 13-year, $330 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sure, both these deals deserve a lot of attention, but hardly any attention was focused on the many contract extensions that took place during the offseason.

Some of the biggest names in baseball got signed to huge contract extensions, including Nolan Arenado, Chris Sale, Paul Goldschmidt, and Alex Bregman.

And how could you forget the face of the MLB, Mike Trout, getting paid the most money of any professional athlete ever, inking a 12-year, $426 million dollar extension?

But the biggest head scratcher of any of the extensions signed this offseason has to be Eloy Jimenez.

Jimenez is certainly not a household name.

The 22-year-old rookie from the Dominican Republic signed a six-year, $43 million dollar extension with the Chicago White Sox. Sure, Jimenez is one of the highest-touted prospects in the entire MLB, but there is just one problem with this deal - he has never had even a single MLB at bat in his career prior to signing the deal.

This is just plain crazy.

And history certainly isn’t on Chicago’s side, either.

The last two big rookie extensions haven’t exactly panned out.

The first was Jon Singleton, who signed a five-year extension with the Astros back in 2014 during his rookie campaign.

Singleton hasn’t played in the MLB since 2015 and never hit higher than .200 at the plate.

The second was Scott Kingery, who signed a six-year extension with the Philadelphia Phillies just last season.

Let’s just say: Kingery’s rookie season last year was far from impressive.

Kingery played in 147 games, which is almost a full season, and hit just .226 with only eight homers and 35 RBIs. It’s safe to say neither of these extensions really worked out.

The White Sox’s decision to extend Jimenez was just plain baffling.

Jimenez was under team control until 2020 before the contract extension, meaning time should have been a friend to the White Sox. Chicago had plenty of time to evaluate Jimenez during the 2019 season and see if all the hype surrounding him was warranted.

But instead, the White Sox decided that Jimenez was well worth the risk for $43 million, which is no small amount.

So far, in 11 games this season, Jimenez is batting just .200 with zero homers and just 2 RBIs. Yes, obviously, it’s still very early in the season and Jimenez has plenty of time to turn things around, but for now, White Sox fans are holding their breaths and hoping Jimenez is the real deal.

But only time will tell if the White Sox got a perenial all-star locked up for the next seven seasons, or if they completely wasted nearly $50 million on a player who has literally proven nothing.

SPORTS

Softball runs over MCLA to sweep the doubleheader

By Carlos Silva Staff Writer In a doubleheader versus the MCLA Trailblazers on March 30, the Rams were ready to dominate from the start.

The Rams were able to score four runs off just four hits in the first inning of the leadoff game.

Later in the next inning, Grace Caughey was able to hit a double to right field bringing in two more scores to extend the lead to six runs.

The very next inning, the Rams put up five more runs off just five hits.

The game ended in five innings with a score of 11-0.

The Rams were able to come out and show they have explosive offensive and defensive abilities in the first game of the double header.

Starting pitcher Kelsi Gunarathne set the all-time leading strikeout record at FSU in the first game as well.

The two games added to her total number of 361 strikeouts during her career.

With the win, the Rams move to 1-0 in the conference and 6-9 overall on the season.

The Rams again took on MCLA in the second game of the doubleheader at Maple Field.

The Rams may not have been as strong on offense in the second game of the double header, but they definitely showed up with their defense.

Thanks to a six-strikeout performance from Gunarathne, as well as a breakout sixth inning, the Rams released mayhem with five late runs.

This allowed FSU to win 5-0 in the final game of the day.

The Rams’ record now stands at 2-0 in the MASCAC and 7-9 overall.

FRAMINGHAM STATE 5 MCLA 0

CONNECT WITH CALOS SILVA csilva14@student.framingham.edu

FRAMINGHAM STATE 11 MCLA 0

Corey McFeeley/ THE GATEPOST Rams’ shortstop Mycala Moody catches a fly ball.

CONNECT WITH MATT FERRIS mferris2@student.framingham.edu

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SPORTS

APRIL 5, 2019 | 21

Rams’ ace, Kelsi Gunarathne becomes FSU’s all-time strikeout leader

Gatepost Archives Kelsi Gunarathne is now the all-time leader in strikeouts in Framingham State history with 361 K’s in her career.

By Carlos Silva Staff Writer Softball ace Kelsi Gunarathne was crowned the FSU all-time strikeout leader on Saturday, March 30.

Gunarathne, the workhorse on the mound for the Rams, has become the most dominant softball pitcher in school history, 361 strikeouts.

She was able to reach this milestone after yet another impressive showing during a doubleheader against MCLA when she shut out the Trail Blazers in both games.

“Kelsi has a great presence in the circle,” Head Coach Lawrence Miller said when asked about Gunarathne as a team leader. “When she is out there, our team has complete confidence in her, which spreads its way into the rest of our play.

Kelsi has established herself as being the most-dominant pitcher in FSU history and has been an integral part of our record setting seasons the past two years.”

Miller coached FSU Softball during their historic back-to-back MASCAC conference championships during which Gunarathne was key to the team’s success.

Gunarathne’s freshman year consisted of 12 starts and 13 appearances in total.

She was asked to do a lot of the heavy lifting for her team at such an young age, which ended up leading to a 4-7 record as a starter. She had an average ERA of 4.05 with 40 strikeouts in just under 60 innings of work.

Even with a limited workload, Gunarathne still showed she could be dominate on the mound.

Things picked up in a very impressive way during her sophomore season.

Gunarathne had an astronomical season with a 1.56 ERA, which is nearly a two-and-a-half-point decrease from her previous season.

Additionally, Gunarathne had 144 strikeouts, an increase of over 100 from her freshman campaign.

Her sophomore season was also very important as she proved she could handle the duties of an ace.

From her freshman to her sophomore year, she doubled her appearances, doubled her starts, quadrupled her wins, and nearly tripled her innings.

But most importantly, the team seriously improved under her leadership.

During her freshman year, the team won just 13 games.

But in her sophomore season, the team jumped up to 31 wins with 12 wins coming in the conference.

The Rams were MASCAC tournament champions in her sophomore season and a large part of the team’s success was due to Gunarathne’s 17-7 season.

Coming off a championship year, expectations were high not only for the Rams but also for Gunarathne in her junior season.

Gunarathne continued her dominance as the Rams’ ace.

She started 22 games and was featured in 28 games in total. She had a 16-8 season and again led the Rams to MASCAC glory, winning another conference title.

She once again had a phenomenal ERA at 1.88, with 129 strikeouts. She pitched 145.1 innings, avering almost one strikeout per inning, an impressive feat.

After her junior season, not only did Gunarathne show that she is an amazing pitcher, she also showed that she can be a great leader for a championship-winning powerhouse.

Despite the pressure, she has been able to succeed at an elite level.

Gunarathne is now in the middle of her final season at FSU. After getting off to a shaky start in the beginning of the year and losing four of her first five starts, Gunarathne has gotten herself back on track as of late.

So far this season, Gunarathne has started 10 games and appeared in 11.

She is currently 4-6 in her 10 starts, including 7 complete games.

Her ERA is 3.09 so far this season.

Just as in her past seasons, Gunarathne’s strikeout numbers are sky high.

In just 63 innings, Gunarathne already has 53 strikeouts.

She is on pace for another 100-strikeout season yet again and by the end of the year will look to compile a record we won’t see broken for a long time.

The team got off to a rough start to start the season and are now sitting at 7-11 on the year.

However, the team is off to a fast start in the MASCAC, sweeping their first series in the conference over the weekend.

It is safe to say that Gunarathne’s presence as a great player and a fantastic leader will be missed in future seasons for the Rams, but for now, Gunarathne and the Rams are poised to make a run for a third-straight MASCAC title.

CONNECT WITH CARLOS SILVA csilva14@student.framingham.edu

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SPORTS

22 | APRIL 5, 2019

Baseball remains undefeated in the MASCAC

Players of the week

fsurams.com

Kelsi Gunarathne won both games of a doubleheader against MCLA while becoming FSU’s all-time leader in strikeouts.

Gatepost Archives Kyle Dembrowksi streches to make the play at first base for the Rams.

By Mikael Brown Staff Writer The Rams won 7-6 over the MCLA Trailblazers in the first game of the doubleheader on March 31.

The first inning of action was controlled by the Rams.

Aaron Williams started off the bottom of the first with a double to right center. Kyle Dembrowski followed up with a single through the left side, which plated two Rams to put them on the board first.

Al Wallach started the game pitching for the Rams with a strong performance, holding the Trailblazers to zero hits and zero runs going into the second inning.

The Rams increased their lead to 3-0 on an RBI from a Joe Ambrosino single through the right side.

The third inning began with the Trailblazers fighting back, tallying three runs on four hits to tie the game.

Dembrowksi responded for the Rams, finding the sweet spot and homering over the left-field fence.

The Rams played solid defense in the top of the fourth, holding the Blazers hitless in the inning.

During the sixth inning, the Blazers added two more to the board as the Rams fell behind by two runs going into the bottom of the seventh.

After a single by Kyle Lippert, the Rams ended up scoring on a wild pitch, bringing the deficit to within a run.

With an RBI in the seventh inning by Dembrowksi, the Rams tied the game 6-6.

The Rams eventually won the game by one run on a Jonathan Clotier walk-off hit.

With the win, the Rams are now 2-0 in conference play and 8-8 overall.

FRAMINGHAM STATE MCLA

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7 6

In the second game of the doubleheader, the Rams once again took on MCLA. The Rams got off to a hot start in the bottom of the first striking for four quick runs. Ambrosino provided a three-run homer to give the Rams the early lead.

Dembroski got involved in the bottom of the third with a homer of his own. The solo dinger gave the Rams a 5-0 lead.

MCLA struck back for a run in the top of the fifth to cut the deficit to 5-1.

But the Rams answered back for three more runs of their own. Cory Caraher reached base on a throwing error by the second baseman, plating two runs, followed by an RBI single from Williams to make it 8-1.

The Blazers got a run back in the sixth off an RBI single to center to make it 8-2.

Once again, the Rams answered back in the bottom of the inning to extend their lead. Matt Fogarty tripled to deep center, allowing Ambrosino to score to make it 9-2 - the eventual final score.

Kevin Connelly picked up the win for the Rams after a strong pitching performance. He went 5.2 innings, giving up three hits, two runs, and striking out six.

With the win, the Rams improve to 3-0 in the conference and 9-8 on the year.

fsurams.com

Kyle Dembroski went 3-for-4 with three RBIs in Baseball’s 7-6 victory over MCLA.

FRAMINGHAM STATE 9 MCLA 2

CONNECT WITH MIKAEL BROWN mbrown17@student.framingham.edu

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Morgan Begley scored three goals and added two assists in Women’s Lacrosse’s win over Wellesley.

SPORTS

APRIL 5, 2019 | 23

Upcoming Home Games Softball - Tuesday April 9 @ 2pm Baseball - Tuesday April 9 @ 2pm Womens Lacrosse - Tuesday April 16 @ 7pm

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PHOTOS

24 | APRIL 5, 2019

Photographs by Ashley Wall/ THE GATEPOST

SUAB Presents:

Nailed It! FSU students participate in a cake decorating competition based on the hit tv show Nailed It! During the competition, students replicated a professional cake with the baking materials supplied .

Professional Cake

Photographs by Ashley Wall/THE GATEPOST

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