THE GATEPOST Framingham State’s independent student newspaper
Volume 87 • Issue 18
March 15, 2019
FSUgatepost.com
FSU community protests two hate crimes in one month By Bailey Morrison Editor-in-Chief
Bridgette Sheridan, history professor, received a Phenominal Woman nomination on March 5.
Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST
Building a stronger FSU community
Students express their concerns amid continued racist incidents By Tessa Jillson Editorial Staff President F. Javier Cevallos and other administrators hosted an open forum March 6 in the McCarthy Center to address the recent hate crimes. FSUPD Chief Brad Medeiros updated the community on the status of the Feb. 1 hate crime investigation. That day, racist writing was found on a bathroom stall on the
third floor of Horace Mann. Using camera footage, FSUPD identified 12 females who had entered the bathroom during the timeframe they believed the crime occurred. “These cases are a little difficult,” he said. “You have a situation where we either have evidence, we have a witness, or we get a confession - and that’s how these things work. “We can’t frivolously charge 12
females who went into the bathroom and say that they all did it. Everybody’s been interviewed and nobody’s giving it up. So, this is where we sit with this investigation right now,” he said. Cevallos said, “I’ve had it with these kinds of things. We have all had it with these kinds of things. This is not a place for hate. Our community does not stand for this. He added, “We need all of us to
See COMMUNITY FORUM page 6
From the moon to Mars
Lewis and Newman explore spacesuit design in ‘Fashioning Apollo’ By Tom Maye Staff Writer Neil Armstrong’s iconic Gemini spacesuit is deteriorating, Cathleen Lewis, curator in the Space History Department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, said at a panel discussion on Feb. 27 in the Forum. The spacesuit had long surpassed its intended “16-month” lifespan, and was at risk of falling
News
apart, she said. “No one expected it would last 50 years.” Lewis stands on the frontlines of the preservation process, utilizing cutting-edge technology to maintain the suit and other priceless artifacts from the Apollo missions for future generations. Spacesuit design hasn’t ended with the Kennedy Administration, though. Dana Newman, former NASA deputy now works at MIT designing future space suit
Opinions
prototypes for potential manned missions to Mars, improving on past technological limitations and emphasizing enhanced spacesuit mobility. She detailed her work alongside Lewis, also discussing her projections for future Mars missions, and how her research could help people with disabilities back on Earth.
See FASHION APOLLO page 15
Arts & Features
A student in Towers was the target of a hate crime on Feb. 27. This is the second hate crime reported during the month of February. At around 4:30 p.m. that day, a student reported a note to FSUPD after it was slipped beneath their door. A message was written on a napkin, which included racist language targeted at the Hispanic and Latinx communities. The note read, “Morir s****.” This is the second hate crime to occur in Towers in the last two years. Johnny Hurley, assistant director of residential education and area director of Towers, said in an email to the community that “this incident targeted a specific person who has experienced problems with a person or persons over time, and so, it is not believed to be a random act.” Sgt. Martin Laughlin said FSUPD questioned all of the students in the building the day the note was reported and though the act may not be random, the department is investigating the incident in the same manner as the other hate crimes. When asked if FSUPD had any suspects he said, “We’re working on it.” According to Laughlin, the cameras placed in Towers did not capture the perpetrator. He said FSUPD is unable to share information with students regarding the investigation because it could potentially “taint the process.” He added, “We want to tell everyone, but we have to be mindful.” Millie Gonzalez, interim chief officer of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said the administration is planning several events to educate the community about implicit bias and the ways the FSU community can combat racism. She said she is working with CEOAction, an organization that develops lesson plans for diversity and inclusion in the workplace to bring an interactive “tour bus” on campus and to host “interactive, immersive training.” Glenn Cochran, director of residence life and associate dean of students, said during the 2018 fiscal year, 50 additional cameras were installed in residence halls across campus at a total cost of $140,000. He said, “This doesn’t mean people aren’t going to continue to do these kinds of things. But we want people to feel safe and students really seemed to want cameras to deter these acts.” He said it’s “difficult” for FSUPD to narrow down a suspect list in regard to who slid the note
See HATE CRIME page 4
Sports
CAMPUS CLIMATE SURVEY pg. 3
EXPLOITING FEMINISM pg. 10
PHENOMENAL WOMAN pg. 13
WOMEN’S LACROSSE pg. 18
BIG BUDGET MEETING pg. 5
LETTER TO THE EDITOR pg. 11
“CAPTAIN MARVEL” REVIEW pg. 17
FERR OR FOUL pg. 19
INSIDE: OP/ED 8 • ARTS & FEATURES 12 • SPORTS 18