Feb. 11, 2022

Page 1

Volume 90 • Issue 15

FSUgatepost.com

February 11, 2022

Nancy Niemi selected as next University president By Steven Bonini News Editor

Nancy Niemi was selected to be Framingham State’s next University president by the Board of Trustees Dec. 23. The Board of Higher Education (BHE) officially approved her selection Feb 1. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education and has served as the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore since 2019. From 2015-19, she worked as an inaugural director of Faculty Teaching Initiatives for Yale University’s Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. From 2009-15, she served as a professor and chair in the Department of Education at the University of New Haven. Prior, she taught at Nazareth College as an associate professor of education from 2008-09 and before that, she was an assistant professor of education from 2002-08 at the college. Chair of the Board of Trustees Kevin Foley said the Board brought forward “three exceptionally fine” candidates to serve as the next president, but he said ultimately, they saw Niemi as the candidate with the best background and experience, highlighting her views on social equity and her strategic plan for the future. “She was certainly personable, she was well prepared, and she was very thoughtful,” said Foley. In the campus-wide community surveys for each candidate, Foley said Niemi “stood out” as highly favored by all campus constituencies. These results played a major role in the Board’s decision to select Niemi, he added. Foley said he believes Niemi has a strong “strategic vision,” and her background as a provost has helped her “formulate a lot of her viewpoints on equity in higher education.” He highlighted Niemi’s commitment to helping grow an engaged faculty and working to assist them in adapting to the future of teaching. From the Trustees’ viewpoint, Foley said one of the biggest challenges facing the University is branding and using strategies to increase enrollment, adding, “She’s going to have a lot to do.” Foley said when Niemi eventually takes over as president, she’s going to need to be able to listen to her constituents, including the Board of Trustees, members of the administration, and faculty, as well as “making sure she’s setting the tone” and making herself known to the campus community. Niemi said enrollment will be an area of concern for her, adding, “That

See NIEMI page 5

Nancy Niemi, the eighth president of Framingham State University.

Monti Washington helps FSU understand ‘Which Lives Matter’ By Emily Rosenberg Arts & Features Editor Monti Washington gave his interactive presentation “Which Lives Matter,” in DPAC, Feb. 7 organized by FSAB, the CIE, and BSU. Framingham State was his first stop on his “Which Lives Matter’’ tour speaking to colleges across the country. His presentations are interactive as he invites the audience to participate in what he calls “courageous conversations.” Along with performing as Bill on Tyler Perry’s “BRUH,” and Terrence Abrams on BET’s “Games People Play,” he is a spoken word poet and speaker. Washington began his presentation with a spoken word poem. He posed rhetorical questions regarding racial and class disparities in the United States. “How come we have easier access to guns than educational funds? Why are there more liquor stores than book stores in minority neighborhoods?” he asked. The question, “Which lives matter?” is uncomfortable because it implies that some lives matter more than others, he said. “All Lives Matter” is the ideal, but is like unconditional love which is not real, Washington added. “It sounds good. But is it real? Well, you’ll be in love and then I’ll like spit

Courtesy of Inflection Point Radio

News

SGA pg. 3 in your cereal or something,” he said. “The only unconditional love is for POLICE CHIEF SANTORO pg. 6 babies and dogs.” Blue Lives Matter was created in direct contradiction to Black Lives Matter - which originated to protest against police brutality, he said. “Not law enforcement, not the police, but police brutality,” he said. He noted there was never a time in the United States when it was shown that white lives did not matter. He discussed the Black Lives Matter movement and said people try to justify police brutality by asking, “What HOLOCAUST TRIVIALIZATION pg. 8 did they do?” Washington used the example HALEY’S COMIC pg. 9 of Tamir Rice, 12, who was playing with a toy gun in a park when someone called the police but they did not let him put down the toy gun before shooting and killing him. He said even though Rice was only 12 years old and playing, people still wondered if he was doing something wrong. Washington emphasized that the statement does not say Black lives are greater or better, but they have importance and significance - yet some people still have trouble feeling comGatepost Archives fortable with the phrase. SPRING SPORTS COVID PROTOCOL pg. 10 A big reason people don’t feel comfortable with the phrase Black Lives Matter is because they do not believe in Black experiences with police brutality and instead think if Black people followed the same rules INDIGENOUS CLIMATE JUSTICE pg. 12

Opinions

Sports

Arts & Features

See MONTI WASHINGTON page 13 HAWKEYE REVIEW pg. 14

INSIDE: OP/ED 8 • SPORTS 10 • ARTS & FEATURES 12


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