March 12, 2021

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Several white supremacist decals found on campus

By Brennan Atkins rts eatures Editor

Nine decals have been found throughout campus with ties to “Patriot Front,” an organization recognized by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as a white supremacy group.

The first report of a decal was March 1, and Deputy Chief of Police for Framingham State University John Santorno said, “It appears that most, if not all stickers, were placed

on campus on February 27.”

According to SPLC, a non-profit organization that monitors the activity of hate groups in America, “Patriot Front” is “an image-obsessed organization that rehabilitated the explicitly fascist agenda of Vanguard America with garish patriotism. ‘Patriot Front’ focuses on theatrical rhetoric and activism that can be easily distributed as propaganda for its chapters across the country.”

President F. Javier Cevallos sent a campus-wide email March 3 re-

By Dan Fuentes Asst. News Editor FSU will be switching from Blackboard Learn to Canvas as its new Learning Management System (LMS).

An announcement from Information Technology Services (ITS) stated, “By Spring 2022, all courses will be delivered on Canvas.”

According to the ITS statement, “The current Blackboard Learn environment is no longer evolving to meet faculty and students’ needs adequately.”

According to the eLearning platform review, FSU’s contract with Blackboard ends June 30, 2022.

Robin Robinson, director of edu-

News COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS pg. 6-7

garding the first two decals found. NEWMAN CIVIC FELLOWSHIP pg. 9 The email reported Framingham State University Police Department (FSUPD) was reviewing footage from Crocker and Memorial Groves.

Cevallos also stated the Bias Education Response Team (BERT) and the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) would hold a “Standing Against White Supremacy Virtual Processing Space” in which the FSU community could “discuss these events, its impact, and the next steps for our CANCEL CULTURE pg. 11 See DECALS page

Opinions

Framingham State is switching to Canvas cation technology and instructional design co-coordinator and advisor, said Blackboard is putting “most of their research and development into Blackboard Ultra.”

Robinson said, “If we were going to move to Blackboard Ultra, it would be pretty similar to moving to a new LMS.” In Fall 2019, an e-Learning task force was created to research a new LMS. According to the ITS announcement, the task force’s decision to transition to a new LMS is based on “the need to adopt a more contemporary and interactive online learning environment capable of enriching our student’s educational experienc-

Donald Halsing / T E G TE O T

es, deliver engaging online programs and content, facilitate course design, and inform ongoing assessments and support accreditations.”

The task force consisted of members from the Education Technology Office (ETO), ITS, and 10 faculty members and administrators, including representatives from the Business Office, Academic Affairs, Finance Office, and the library, according to Robinson.

Stacey Cohen, instructional technologist and task force member, said a focus group of students, including members of SGA, were also involved in the exploration process, and “were

See CANVAS page

ENDING THE CYCLE OF TOXICITY pg. 11

Sports

SOFTBALL pg. 13

Gatepost Archives

Arts & Features THE CHRISTIAN BATTLE pg. 14-15 PUTTING THE ‘RA’ IN FRAMILY pg. 16-17

INSIDE: OP/ED 11 • SPORTS 13 • ARTS & FEATURES 14

NEWS

Gatepost Interview

Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Ashley Wall

Christopher Gregory

Associate Editors Donald Halsing Cara McCarthy

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

News Editor Leighah Beausoleil Asst. News Editors Dan Fuentes Ashlyn Kelly Arts & Features Editors Brennan Atkins Jared Graf Opinions Editor McKenzie Ward Asst. Opinions Editor Emily Rosenberg Design Editor Kathleen Moore Photos Editor Caroline Gordon Sports Editor Danielle Achin Staff Writers Maia Almeida James Barraford Patrick Brady Steven Bonini Soren Colstrup Olivia Copeland Haley Hadge Caroline Lanni Lydia Staber Advisor Dr. Desmond McCarthy Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

What is your role at FSU and what does your job entail?

My title is associate dean of academic affairs, and under that, I’ve really got two roles, which are director of academic advising and then chair of undeclared students. … This is my 20th year. And so in that role, I direct advising for the campus, obviously. We take care of undeclared [students] with two professional advisors in O’Connor Hall. And then I help faculty be the advisors. So most of the advisors … are faculty advisors - as part of their job - but they need a lot of assistance, and so I’m there year-round to help them. … So, as far as the chair of undeclared, for obvious reasons, I want to welcome people undeclared, make them feel comfortable, and then kind of slowly or systematically work as to why they decided to be undeclared, and then move them slowly to declare in a major and a minor. I will say that minors are kind of my thing. Everybody’s worried about getting a major, or having a major, or keeping a major. With our curriculum, it’s hard to double major with a four credit system, but it’s not as hard to be a minor in five courses.

What is your professional and educational background?

My bachelor’s degree is in English, and I went to Salve Regina [in Rhode Island]. And then my master’s degree and Ph.D. were in American Studies.

So you see that I took that writing, and I took that interest in history, and put those together, which is what I try to tell students when they’re trying to choose the correct major. And I understand it’s stressful at age 19, 20, 21. But now that I’m older and I’m looking back, I’m realizing it matters, but not all that much because if you want to go on and get a graduate degree, you can take all this, and you put it into a graduate degree.

And there’s nobody who will say to you when you’re 40, “Oh, you made a grave mistake when you were 18.” And with that way, you have plenty of time to, I guess, make room for your minor, and your major, and your interests because if you’re going to go on in your degree always - there’s always time.

What do you like most about your work?

I like the diversity of people that I work with. Starting with my staff, I’ve got two advisors, who have very interesting backgrounds from mine. Mine is an academic background - I was teaching for years. But the two advisors that I have, they’ve been in counseling -

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they’ve been in mental health counseling. So, they’ve got a [variety of] backgrounds that they bring to make this a team. So, I like working with the core team. I also like the fact that I’m in Academic Affairs, but I work very closely with people who are in Student Affairs.

So, in 20 years, I’ve been in Student Affairs for 15 of those, and only five of those in Academic Affairs. … I always say about Framingham State students that they are grateful - that they’re appreciative. I’d say 99 out of 100 in my whole career have been students who are really thankful when we do our jobs - I mean they are our jobs. But when we do them, we’re helping people. I think that’s the part that we like the most.

How has COVID-19 impacted your job?

The three of us - the two advisors and our administrative assistant - we’ve had to really coordinate and become efficient. And then we all had to decide we had to be responsive. That’s the key word here - responsive to the needs of the students. No matter what that looked like, we absolutely had to take care of people. And so, I’ve got my phone here. I answer my phone seven days a week it’s tied to my office phone. I’ve answered this phone in the car, at CVS, whatever the case might be because I really want students to know that we’re trying to respond to their needs. … I don’t want them to be shortchanged.

So we’ve had to be nimble. And then the second part is … a year ago, at this date, there was no Zoom in my life that I knew of, and all of a sudden, there was.

And so, with this technology coming at us, we don’t have time to say, “I don’t want to do that. I don’t want to learn that.” So we’ve had to be nimble with the technology. … I think of anything in my whole career, this has made me realize that three months, six months, nine months from now, we could be doing something else that’s really different. I will say this: there was a dividing line between people who embraced these new skills and others who said, “I can’t do this. I’m out,” and they were of retirement age, so they were out. But I mean, I’m talking like five people off the top of my head, who were here this time last year and they’re gone. Whereas the rest of us are OK to learn new things. So, we’ve got to be flexible. We’ve got to be open-minded.

What would students be surprised to know about you?

I like pop music. I don’t know what people think I would like, but I can listen for hours to The 1975. I actually saw them at Logan Airport at the luggage carousel one time, and I didn’t

Courtesy of Framingham State know who they were, but I was watching them. … I was looking at them, and I realized, “Boy! They could be a rock band,” and then I left and then I realized they were one. … Almost every night, I’m at my computer, I’m working, but I’ve got headphones on, and I’m listening to pop music - whatever there is. I have a standing desk, so typically, I’m actually moving around swaying or whatever.

What is your number one piece of advice for students?

The number one piece of advice is to not worry about their major as much as they do in a minor. … I’ve been constantly saying to parents and teachers that you’ve got to focus on five skills.

No matter what the major is, you’ve got to be able to write well - you can’t fake that. You’ve got to speak well. So, you can escape Effective Speaking class if you want to run away from that, but you’ve got to learn how to speak effectively. Number three is to listen very actively when people are talking - don’t be distracted. Really listen to what they’re saying. The other thing is to learn how to work with different types of people or people who are different than you. So, you hear different points of view, and you realize that the world is a big place with a lot of opinions - not just your own. And then the last thing I would tell students to do is to be aware of what’s going on in the world. Try not to just do your basic Twitter feed because it’ll give you the stuff that you’re already interested in. Try to read other people’s points of view. … That way, you’ll learn diverse opinions, and you won’t be so shocked that the world is such a vast, different place.

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

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NEWS

SGA discusses racist decals found on campus Comic Book Club funding request approved

By Ashlyn Kelly Asst. News Editor SGA approved a funding request from Comic Book Club and prepared for the upcoming Administrators’ Forum during its March 9 meeting over Zoom.

Comic Book Club President Ryan Feinblatt requested $7,500 for a panel of voice actors.

According to Feinblatt, Comic Book Club is partnering with the Student Union Activities Board to hold the event, and they are planning to book Frank Welker, who voices Scooby-Doo, and Rob Paulsen, who voices Yakko Warner from “Animaniacs.”

“He’s very much in the pop culture sphere right now, as well as Welker, who has been doing Scooby-Doo for 60-plus years, so these are very well known people,” he said.

According to Feinblatt, he and Brendan Fraser, SILD student involvement coordinator, have been in contact with the voice actors’ agents for “almost a month now.”

The request was approved 10 - 1 with no abstentions.

SGA then brainstormed ideas and questions for the upcoming Administrators’ Forum.

SATF Treasurer Ewnie Fedna said she is concerned about cameras not working in the parking lots.

“A friend of mine - her car got hit in a parking lot, and the cameras weren’t working or something, so they couldn’t help her, essentially,” she said.

President Olivia Beverlie said her car was buried in the parking lot after the last snowstorm.

“They basically plowed everyone’s cars in and also did not provide shovels, literally anything. … A nice facility worker was nice enough to take the little Bobcat and shovel out the front of my car for me, but that’s not like an every person scenario,” she said.

Secretary Lexi Kays said she is “fed up” with the Education Department.

She said she believes there is a

lack of communication.

“I feel as though $80,000 of my money has been literally flushed down the toilet - that’s how upset I am about this situation and I know I’m not the only one,” she added.

Beverlie said she would like to “bring up again the Counseling Center and how it’s underfunded.

“We don’t even have someone who can prescribe like actual meds there,” she said. “They don’t have that at the Counseling Center anymore like they used to. There’s no prescriber so if someone does want to be medicated, they have to go to outside like their PCP [primary care physician/provider].”

Senator Hillary Nna said she would like to know what the University is doing “around anti-racism and inclusion besides the brief incoming training that you’re required to take.

“I didn’t attend the Zoom session [concerning decals related to white supremacy groups found on campus] because I think this issue affects everyone differently, and my emotions around it can be really intense, and I didn’t want to go into a meeting where I wasn’t really sure how that was going to be taken,” she said.

Fedna said she believes the anti-racism forums should be hosted by faculty of color. “From a Black person’s perspective, I would feel more comfortable going there knowing that another person of color [is] hosting it.”

Beverlie said she also wants to talk about the use of money in relation to the anti-racism efforts.

She said, “One of the emails that floated across my desk was like a good chunk of change for just signs that said, ‘Love is love, science is real.’ And to me, I sit and think like, OK, this is performative. … You’re not actually doing anything by having those signs.

“I’m kind of just getting tired of the university throwing up signs and thinking that that’s going to be that and that that’s us being anti-racist when it’s literally not and it’s quite the opposite, and it’s trivializing to

Weather

some degree,” she added.

Student Trustee McKenzie Ward said when more decals were found on campus after the initial email from President F. Javier Cevallos, it “was really concerning that I found that out through a Facebook post by a student leader rather than an administrator or anyone in the executive staff.”

Senator Eryca Carrier said she would like to “push for conversations about things that happen on campus to be talked about in the classroom.

“Classrooms are the best way to access everybody, so I think trying to promote and take advantage of that setting is really valuable,” she added.

Beverlie said, “The heading of the email itself was so conspicuous, saying ‘decals.’ It was almost clickbait because it’s like, ‘What? Are you handing out free stickers? Am I going to get a bumper sticker?’ That was my first reaction when I saw that.”

Ward said, “I had the same reaction. I had an even stronger reaction when yesterday’s email was, ‘Update on last week stickers.’

“Can we think about better wording before sending out emails, but especially when it’s such a serious topic and affecting every single student on campus?” she asked.

In her president’s report, Beverlie said because of the University changing its seal, she is thinking about “buying the rights to some type of documentary or informational video about Indigenous people.

“It would be really cool if we could do some type of informational video moment,” she added. “Students will have the link for 24 hours to watch the video, and possibly have some type of discussion forum to talk about it,” she added.

During her vice president’s report, Abigail Salvucci said, “SAC [Student Affairs Committee] is getting the ball rolling on some really cool ideas, like civic engagement on campus - Hillary’s [Senator Nna] been doing a lot of work with fig-

uring out a bee garden and bee hotels.”

Senator Mark Haskell, who sits on the Student Advisory Council, said he “discussed with Katie Abel a holistic thinking in terms of compartmentalization, examining bills, and proposed improvements to said bills, hunger, [and] a lot of other things, such as free sanitary products.”

During her report, Mariah Farris, SGA outreach and events coordinator, said, “I emailed out last week to the senators sitting on the committee and they each sent me back their form of an event or idea or topic that they want to plan, and we’re going to get that started this week.”

During her report, Paola Bilbraut, SGA diversity and inclusion officer, said Director of Inclusive Excellence Initiatives Patrica Birch “needs four female-identifying individuals to read the bios of the ‘Woman Making History Now’ award recipients.

The event is virtual on Zoom Tuesday, March 23 from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.”

SGA Advisor Sara Gallegos said in her report, “Leanna Lynch, who is the coordinator of the Veterans Program is leaving the University.

She got a wonderful job with the VA. Her last day’s on March 26. I’ll keep you updated on any updates filling that position.

“We’re going to start pulling together all the money that’s … going to be left out of each organization so that we can kind of look at what the collective spending amount is for the end of the fiscal year. So, just stay tuned for that,” she said.

To end the meeting, Salvucci said she is looking for five students to interview for her thesis to talk about “how college being expensive has changed their experience with college or how, you know, having to choose between buying a textbook or buying a meal or buying clothes.”

CONNECT WITH ASHLYN KELLY akelly8@student.framingham.edu

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Monday night March 15 artly cloudy. o near . inds around mph.

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Thursday March 18 artly sunny. igh near . ind around mph.

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Decals continued from page 1 community.”

Constanza Cabello, vice president for diversity, inclusion, and community engagement led the processing space via Zoom March 5.

Cabello started the discussion by stating, “I don’t want to spend a ton of time talking about ‘Patriot Front,’ because I really don’t want to give this group any more visibility and space than they’ve already taken up on our campus and in our community.”

Instead, Cabello used the time in the processing space to relay information and campus resources to faculty and staff.

Santorno was also part of the discussion and explained that FSUPD has been “securing,” “removing,” and “photographing” the decals found.

Santorno said, “We’ve been interviewing any type of witness or reporting parties that have told us about the stickers. We’ve reviewed hours upon hours, maybe dozens, or close to 100 hours of footage. The University has well over 200 cameras on campus. Those cameras were able to capture some of the incidents as they happened.”

In another campus-wide email sent March 8, Cevallos attached images of two of the decals, along with a photo of two male subjects involved with placing them around campus.

According to Cevallos, “They walked onto campus from High Street entering on to State Street. The sub-

jects left the campus area by walking North on State Street turning onto High Street.”

University Police have increased the number of foot and car patrols on campus as a result of the incident, according to the email.

The investigation involved contacting nine state schools to identify if there were any similar reports, and as of March 5, none of the other sister institutions reported similar incidents, according to Santorno.

FSUPD also contacted the Massachusetts State Police Anti-Terrorism Unit.

Santorno, Cevallos, and Cabello all believe “Patriot Front” vandalized campus due to the ease of committing such acts at public institutions.

Santorno explained he believes the culprits came to Framingham State due to the “liberty” of public institutions. He said private institutions are able to trespass, and be more restrictive with who they allow to be on campus.

Cevallos said, “I think they’re just some people that came around and just started posting things. And obviously, we are an open campus, I mean, anybody can come in. We are a state institution. Our campus is open to everybody - it’s easy to come and go, and we cannot limit that.”

Cabello said, “I’ve worked on campuses where you can’t get onto campus unless you’ve been checked by the security monitor in the front.

And as a public institution, that’s not what we want - we want to be a re-

Courtesy of F. Javier Cevallos ecal found on campus belonging to hite supremacist group.

@TheGatepost

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Courtesy of F. Javier Cevallos ecal found on campus belonging to hite supremacist group. source to the community.

“It’s great that the public has access to our library and the resources we offer. And so I think that’s part of why it’s easy. I also think that as a public institution, we honor free speech,” she added. “We view that as a really important tenet of our democracy. And so now it’s about meeting free speech with more free speech. I think that’s part of why public institutions have become an easy, quick target for white supremacy groups.”

However, Cabello doesn’t want to label this incident as free speech. She said, “Let’s call it what it is - it’s vandalism.”

One of the first decals was discovered by Psychology Professor Stacy Grossman.

“I regularly take walks on campus because I consider campus a beautiful and safe place,” she said. “When I saw the decal on the Memorial Grove sign, my heart sank and my blood began to boil.

“I instantly knew the decal represented white supremacist ideology because it had the words ‘America First’ and ‘Patriot Front’ on it. Even though the decal has the colors of the American flag, I know from studying history that “America First” has nothing to do with patriotism. ‘America First’ is synonymous with hate and eugenics,” she said. “I know from studying developmental psychology that the group who made the decal wants college students to think that the group is patriotic.”

Grossman said she felt supported by her colleagues in the Psychology Department, as well as Cevallos for sending the campus-wide email within a day of the incident. “This evidence is only possible because campus infrastructure includes security cameras.”

Cevallos explained while the cameras’ primary goal is to capture incidents as they happen, they also serve as a deterrent to crime. However, the

recent pandemic has created opportunities for people to hide their faces.

“They [the cameras] are not going to stop somebody from doing whatever they are doing,” Cevallos said.

In June 2020, Cevallos released a statement in regard to FSU’s commitment to becoming an anti-racist institution. This most recent incident has Cabello and her colleagues “doubling down” on this anti-racist stance.

Cabello said, “I think that the reason we’re having such a strong response to this unfortunate situation is because we know where we stand, we’re clear with our vision, we’re clear with our values, and we’re sticking to them.”

She explained incidents like these not only disturb the physical environment and emotional well-being of the entire community, but they also disrupt the active anti-racist work that was already being conducted.

Cevallos said, “The situation, the circumstances, the things that were going on in this country really call for us to become more aggressive in terms of anti-racism, and changing the conversation to understand that racism has been a pervasive fact of life in our society, and has had really significant consequences. It is time for us to truly address the issue of racism and commit ourselves to becoming an anti-racist institution.”

Sophomore and Student Trustee McKenzie Ward said, “I was disgusted to see that people have decided to spend their time and energy to spread such a hateful message on our campus. It breaks my heart that because of these individuals, there are FSU students who no longer feel comfortable walking around campus alone.

“College for many people is a second home and each and every student has a right to feel safe and respected on their campus.” She added, “However, I am extremely appreciative of

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Decals continued from page 4 the transparency from the University about the incident and the ongoing investigation. I hope that the University is able to locate these individuals and that they will be reprimanded for their actions.”

Senior studio art major Gwen Morton said, “This was disappointing, but not all that surprising. It’s disheartening that these people feel emboldened to do these sorts of things, but at the end of the day, it just means we have to work harder to show them that their hateful rhetoric is unwanted and unwelcome, both on our campus and everywhere else.”

Morton said she is glad the administration is taking this issue seriously. “White supremacy in any form cannot be tolerated.”

Senior English major Taylor Anderson said, “It’s very frustrating and disheartening to hear about this.

“It’s disheartening to know that even though Trump is no longer president, his shameful rhetoric and harmful ideologies still manage to bolster white supremacists and hate groups across the country.”

During the processing space, Cabello commented on how an incident

such as this not only affects students, but the community as a whole.

“In these moments, we always keep students center. But I also want to acknowledge that this has probably really impacted our faculty and staff colleagues as well. ... I think that immediately, many of us go into how can we support the students, but this is an attack on all of our community.”

Cevallos agreed. “I’ve been saying all along that my motto is, ‘Everybody should feel respected in our community.’ And those kinds of decals, stickers, or whatever you want to call them, are not respectful - they are offensive. And anything that is offensive is hurtful. So we don’t like to have that happening in our community,” he said.

Cabello said this incident has motivated DICE more than ever. She said, “For us in DICE, and I know that other folks are feeling the same way, this has actually added fuel to our anti-racist fire, and that we are ready to double down. We already knew our work was important before - this is just a close-to-home reminder that the work is going to get done.”

Any information related to the incident can be reported to Univer-

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ecurity footage of persons of interest eb. sity Police via telephone at 508-6264911, or to remain anonymous, text FSUTIP to 67283.

BERT also has a bias incident response form on its webpage for those who are witnesses or targets of bias incidents.

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Courtesy of F. Javier Cevallos

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

CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS batkins@student.framingham.edu

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COVID-19 by the numbers March 12, 2021

By Donald Halsing ssociate Editor

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

By Kathleen Moore Design Editor The number of people with COVID-19 worldwide continues to increase by less than 1% weekly based on data from various sources taken March 10.

Just over 325 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally.

Framingham State University administered 801 tests within the past week, and 3,843 tests within the past 30 days, according to the COVID-19 data page on the FSU website.

One positive test was returned within the past week, according to the page. The 7-day negative test rate was 99.87%.

One positive case was self-reported by a student within the past week.

Three positive cases were self-reported by students since Feb. 18.

Two individuals were isolated off campus. One person was quarantined on campus and one person was quarantined off campus.

A total of 3,767 negative, and eight positive results, were returned in the past 30 days. The 30-day negative test rate was 99.79%.

Cumulatively, 7,003 Framingham residents, 10.25%, have tested positive for COVID-19.

The City of Framingham reported 1,264 active cases.

There were 118 new infections, 82 new recoveries, and two new deaths reported since March 4. The number of people infected grew by 34, or 0.49%, over the past week.

Approximately 18% of those who have tested positive remain infected.

Just under 79% have recovered and approximately 3.3% have died.

The overall death rate from

COVID-19 in Framingham is 0.34%.

Cumulatively, 562,394 Massachusetts residents, 8.16%, have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates there are 26,135 active cases.

There were 9,174 new infections, 14,005 new recoveries, and 251 new deaths since March 4. The number of people infected decreased by 5,082, or 0.92%, over the past week.

Approximately 6.7% of those who have tested positive remain infected.

Just under 91% have recovered, and approximately 2.9% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in Massachusetts is 0.23%.

The New York Times reported that cumulatively, 2,376,322 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Massachusetts. According to the Times, 23% of the population has received at least one dose, and 11% has received two doses.

Cumulatively, 29,149,380 United States residents, 8.83%, have tested positive for COVID-19.

The New York Times reported 58,530 active cases.

There were 368,430 new infections and 10,028 new deaths since March 4. The number of people infected grew by approximately 358,402, or 1.25%, over the past week.

[Editor’s note: No recovery data has been reported by the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center at the U.S. level since March 6. Calculations were made using data collected March 3.]

Approximately 61% of those who have tested positive remain infected.

Just over 37% of the population has recovered, and 1.8% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in the United States is 0.16%.

The New York Times reported that cumulatively, 98,203,893 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the United States. According to the Times, 19% of the population has received at least one dose, and 10% has received two doses.

Cumulatively, 117,978,628 people globally, 1.52%, have tested positive for COVID-19.

The New York Times reported 467,404 active cases.

There were 2,852,543 new infections, 1,723,647 new recoveries, and 59,460 new deaths since March 4.

The number of people infected grew by 1,069,436, or 0.93%, over the past week.

Just over 41% of the world’s population that has tested positive remain infected. Approximately 57% of the population has recovered and 2.2% has died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 globally is 0.03%.

The New York Times reported that cumulatively, 325,552,430 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered globally.

Data sources: Framingham State University City of Framingham Mass. population: U.S. Census Bureau – QuickFacts Massachusetts U.S. and World population: U.S. Census Bureau – U.S. and World Population Clock Mass. data: WCVB Channel 5 Boston, Mass. Dept. of Public Health U.S. data: CDC, New York Times World data: WHO, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center Recovery data: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center Active Cases: New York Times Vaccination Data: New York Times *Calculations for new infections, recoveries, deaths, and infected population size change are made using both data from this week and last week’s data published in The Gatepost. New data collected Wednesday before publication.

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Canvas

Courtesy of Framingham State continued from page 1 allowed to play in the ‘sandbox.’”

Ellen Zimmerman, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, said, “There’s not really a sandbox, but they get to play with the different systems and see which one appeals to people the most. They look carefully at what each system can and can’t do, as well as cost. Although, cost was not the driving fac-

geous,” according to the e-Learning review.

Robinson said, “The Canvas platform integrates with our existing tools such as Respondus, Panopto, Voicethread, and Zoom.”

Funding for the new LMS is covered under the University’s Operations Budget and was approved by executive staff.

The e-Learning review revealed

back to campus.”

Robinson said, “We’ve had Blackboard since 2000, and the basic framework has not changed in all of those years.”

“Canvas provides a better, more streamlined” experience for students, she added. “Through all of our decision-making and planning, we’re putting the student at the forefront of what we’re planning to do.”

“The Canvas platform integrates with our existing tools such as Respondus, Panopto, Voicethread, and Zoom.”

-Robin Robinson, Director of Education Technology and Instructional Design Co-coordinator and Advisor tor in this particular case.”

According to the e-Learning review, Blackboard Ultra, Brightspace, and Canvas were the three LMS’ that the task force researched and compared.

The e-Learning review documented how the task force scored the programs on 52 different factors, including general criteria, teaching and learning system administration, configuration, integration strategies, and professional services.

The systems were also scored based on comprehensiveness, reliability, accessibility, and security.

Canvas scored “highly advanta-

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that data was collected in the form of student and faculty surveys between January and September of 2020.

One survey respondent said, “I have used Blackboard for 3 years at this school and others and Canvas for 2 years. I would 10/10 use Canvas over Blackboard. The ease of use has an immense improvement and things are much easier to communicate and navigate. Please do not go Blackboard again. Use Canvas and the students will be very, very glad you did.”

Zimmerman said, “I think people will really appreciate having a system that’s easier, even when we come

Robson Rodrigues, a junior business and IT major, said, “I remember using Canvas in high school, and it can be effective, much more effective than Blackboard, if the professors are all on the same page on how to use it.”

He added, “The only issues with it are user error.”

Zimmerman said, “The input from students to the committee was really helpful. It’s extremely important to include both faculty and students in that kind of conversation when it’s going to affect academic classes.”

According to the Canvas Project

Timeline, the transition will begin with some Summer 2021 classes.

Robinson said for the summer semester, “The faculty will have a choice.”

She added, “They may decide to use Canvas, or they can use Blackboard to teach their course. Then for the fall, everyone will transition to Canvas.”

The Canvas Project Timeline shows that faculty training, conversations, and information sessions will continue throughout the transition.

The EventBrite page for the ETO lists three Canvas workshops for March and another three for April.

Robinson said, “We’re actually financing a 24/7 support line which will be available to students and faculty and who work with our user services department, so that when someone comes into the system, they have support.”

She added, “We recognize that transitioning in the middle of a pandemic is not a trivial undertaking, and we thought about this carefully.”

Cohen said, “This is not the first time we’ve looked at Canvas and said, ‘Wow, that would work well here.’ The last time we did that, we just didn’t have a lot of support from the campus.”

She added, “A silver lining of this pandemic is that really quickly, everybody had to get familiar with tools to reach their students remotely.”

Zimmerman said, “Change is never fully easy, but we had to. We tried to find a system that we thought would be the most comfortable for people to switch to.”

The Canvas Project officially kicks off on Friday, March 12.

CONNECT WITH DAN FUENTES dfuentes@student.framingham.edu

NEWS

McKenzie Ward receives Newman Civic Fellowship award

By Steven Bonini taff riter McKenzie Ward will be one of 212 students from 39 states, in addition to Washington D.C. and Mexico, to participate in the Newman Civic Fellowship.

According to the University website, Campus Compact, “a Boston-based non-profit organization working to advance the public purposes of higher education,” selects students for the fellowship from Campus Compact member institutions who “demonstrate a commitment to finding solutions for challenges facing communities locally, nationally, and internationally.”

Constanza Cabello, vice president for diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said in order for a student to be eligible for the fellowship, they must be nominated by the campus president.

Ward said after discussing the details of the fellowship with former fellowship recipient Abigail Salvucci, vice president of SGA, and having a meeting with Cabello to go over the application process, she decided to apply.

Ward said she applied for the fellowship in mid-January and was nominated by President F. Javier Cevallos.

Ward is a sophomore double majoring in English and history.

She is currently serving as student trustee and is a peer mentor for FSU Foundations, a first-year seminar program. She is also the Foundation’s intern on campus and is a member of the Tau Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies.

Ward is also Opinions Editor for The Gatepost.

She served as an SGA Senator for the 2019-20 academic year.

Ward said she was “happy” to hear she had been accepted for the fellowship and she hopes this program will help her to enhance her “leadership skills.

“I think this fellowship is going to be an amazing experience,” she said. “It really allows me to further my reach on campus and also further my reach in the community and help make it a better place.

“I’m really passionate about civic engagement, while also being really passionate about mental health and educating people on mental health,” she added.

Ward said her personal “goal” with this fellowship is to learn skills to help “better serve underrepresented groups of individuals” during her time at FSU as well as post-graduation.

She added she hopes to use this fellowship to help educate the campus “on mental health issues, while also continuing Abby’s [Salvucci’s] work with food and housing insecurity.”

Ward said she attended a luncheon with Salvucci, as part of the former recipient’s fellowship, to talk about mental health.

She said at the luncheon, they discussed “how we need to better fund

Leighah Beausoleil / T E G TE O T mental health and make that one of our priorities, especially on campus, with COVID and the impact COVID has had on mental health issues.

“One of my goals is to hopefully work with Anna Cross [the executive director of the MetroWest Nonprofit Network] - my mentor - to better educate people on funding mental health in universities and also just in our government in general,” she added.

Ward said as part of the fellowship, she’ll attend “monthly virtual meetings with other fellows,” adding she hopes she’ll be able to attend a conference for the fellowship at Tufts University next year.

She said she’s still awaiting more details on the conference.

Ward said in terms of career goals, she hopes to eventually serve as FSU’s SGA president and one day attend law school.

She said she believes this fellowship will help expand her experience and better prepare her for those fields.

Cabello said anybody who knows Ward “knows that she is super involved on campus - she really cares about FSU. “She cares about the local community,” she said. “I think her work with student government has been really, really impactful.

“For her to be part of student government - to use her position within student government to advocate for different social justice topics - has been really important,” she added.

Cabello said Ward was a “natural choice” for the fellowship.

“I’ve gotten a chance to work with Kenzie [Ward] closely through her role as a student trustee,” she said.

“I’ve just been really impressed with her ability to advocate for students, to think with a justice lens, and to help us be a better campus.”

She added as part of the fellowship Ward will join the “community engagement work group,” a group Cabello leads which she said “essentially” works to “connect on different ways and initiatives that FSU can best partner with the local community.”

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Cabello is also on the MetroWest Nonprofit Network Board and said she will work with Ward to “think about initiatives and projects and ways that we can positively influence FSU, but also the larger MetroWest community.”

Cevallos said he was “honored” to nominate Ward for the fellowship and “thrilled” to learn of her acceptance.

“She has demonstrated outstanding leadership qualities at FSU, particularly in her role as student trustee,” he said.

“She is a passionate advocate for her fellow students and does an excellent job keeping members of the Board and Executive Staff informed about issues of importance to students,” he added.

Cevallos highlighted Ward’s advocacy for mental health, food, and housing insecurity as well as areas of social justice, adding she’s “an ideal candidate for the Newman Civic Fellowship.

“I know she will represent FSU well in this role,” he said.

Salvucci said seeing Ward accepted for the fellowship was “exciting,” adding she thinks Ward is someone who is “invested in the betterment of the community.

“This position isn’t easy - it takes a lot of creativity and self-motivation to create new ways to support the community,” said Salvucci. “But Kenzie [Ward] already has the foundational energy and love for this work - I already know she will succeed.

“When she’s passionate about something, she will work until she gets to her goal,” said Salvucci. “She has a lot of love for her community, and really invests a large part of herself into this work, which is so commendable.”

Salvucci said her personal experience with the fellowship has been “great.

“This role has given me handson learning and experience when it comes to non-profit work, and what it means to do service and be part of a community, especially during a pandemic,” she said.

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She added being on the MetroWest Nonprofit Network Board has given her “firsthand knowledge of how the pandemic is hurting not only nonprofits, but the community around us in general.”

Salvucci said the Board has helped “foster ideas on how college students can invest and support the amazing community around us.”

Regarding her work with Anna Cross, she said Cross has been, “for a lack of a better description, amazing.

“Anna has such a deep love and respect for the nonprofit world, and it’s infectious,” she said.

“She respects the younger generation of leaders and really listens to our new ideas,” she added. “As a part of the MWNN [MetroWest Nonprofit Network] Board, Anna has never viewed me differently than the other members, despite the age or credentials difference, and I know she will do the same for Kenzie.”

Cross said the MetroWest Nonprofit Network is “thrilled” to serve as the mentor organization for Ward and said their priority is to “support next-generation leadership.

“We’ve been so honored to serve in this capacity for the inaugural year of the Fellowship and this year’s student leader, Abigail Salvucci,” said Cross.

“It’s clear that the students who are chosen to serve as Newman Fellows are committed, passionate advocates, and activists who are determined to create positive changes in their communities,” she added.

Cross said the MetroWest Nonprofit Network is “committed to the program and the mission of the Fellowship,” adding they have voted to create a “permanent position” on the MetroWest Nonprofit Network Board for “any current and future students who are selected to serve as Newman Fellows.

“We are excited about having McKenzie [Ward] join us at the leadership table and look forward to learning from and with her,” said Cross.

CONNECT WITH STEVEN BONINI sbonini@student.framingham.edu

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OP/ED

OP/ ED THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Oh, the places “cancel culture” won’t go!

On the 117th birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known by his pseudonym Dr. Seuss, Dr. Seuss Enterprises announced six books by the author would cease publication.

The titles include “If I Ran the Zoo,” “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” “On Beyond Zebra!” “Scrambled Eggs Super!” ‘The Cat’s Quizzer,” and “McElligot’s Pool.”

The announcement explained the books “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong,” and Dr. Seuss Enterprises made the decision with a panel of experts as part of their commitment to support “all communities and families.”

Notably, Seuss’ “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” was under scrutiny for its racial and ethnic stereotypes because of its portrayal of an Asian man whose eyes were drawn as slanted lines.

The New York Times reported many are not happy about the announcement, with some claiming the decision promotes “cancel culture,” and raises questions about whether an author’s works should be curated after their death “to reflect evolving social attitudes, and what should be preserved as part of the cultural record.”

However, ceasing the publication of select Dr. Seuss titles is not an act of “cancel culture.”

A common pop-culture phrase, “cancel culture” is a form of ostracization that holds individuals and companies accountable for being offensive or insensitive.

Those shunned by society are considered “canceled,” which in turn damages careers and tarnishes the names of public figures.

Society is not canceling Dr. Seuss. Instead, his estate is voluntarily removing racist literature and images from common circulation to contribute to a growing movement for equity for all people.

The stereotypes Seuss conveyed are damaging to a developing child’s image of people and the world, and teaching children that people from certain ethnic backgrounds behave or appear a certain way is not what children’s literature should be doing in today’s world.

Parents expect their children will discover that every person is unique and people cannot be summarized by their appearance or customs.

Racially insensitive images and rhymes nurture false expectations in the minds of children.

People often say, “Appreciate the art, not the artist.” Yet, Seuss is an example of why we can’t follow that standard as the artist’s ideology makes its way onto the page. Those hesitant to condemn the racist language and images are likely only recalling the fun memories they have of Seuss’ work and are not among the groups being stereotyped in these books.

Times change. What was socially acceptable to say or write nearly a century ago may no longer be OK today.

When Seuss wrote “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street” in the 1930s, the words he chose and images he drew aligned with cul-

tural beliefs at the time. Today, the stereotypes found in many of Seuss’ works can no longer be tolerated.

Children’s stories littered with discriminatory images should no longer be read to children.

Nobody is calling for a book burning. However, some of Seuss’ titles are better suited for scholarly research than storytelling before bedtime.

Most importantly, the decision from Geisel’s estate to stop publishing some of his stories places a stronger emphasis on his other works.

As The New York Times points out, some of Seuss’ books, such as “Horton Hears a Who!” and “The Lorax,” are centered around “ethical and moral imperatives to treat others with kindness and care for the planet.” Those themes are still relevant today.

Dr. Seuss is, and probably always will be, an influential and highly appreciated children’s author whom kids from all backgrounds can read and enjoy in their early years and whom adults can return to in order to relive their childhood memories of “Green Eggs and Ham,” and “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” But much as Sam refused his green eggs and ham, we must refuse to allow these egregious racist stereotypes to fill young children’s minds.

Book lovers should commend and support Dr. Seuss Enterprises for living up to its mission of “supporting all children and families with messages of hope, inspiration, inclusion, and friendship.”

Have an opinion?

Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu Opinions should be about 750 words.

Anyone can submit.

MARCH 12, 2021 | 11

Ending the cycle of toxicity

By McKenzie Ward Opinions Editor In February 2020, I made one of the most difficult life choices and decided to end my three-year relationship with someone who I thought was “my person.”

For years I had heard from friends, family, and other people in my life that my significant other at the time was my “perfect person” and I constantly heard, “So, when’s the wedding?”

I remember the quiet chuckle I would let out every time I heard that question because I remember thinking, “They really don’t know how bad it truly is, do they?”

Long nights of fighting and then early mornings of “I love you” and “I didn’t mean anything I said.”

You didn’t mean to tell me how I was essentially not good enough for you?

How do you accidentally tell someone that?

After months of walking on eggshells, I decided I had enough and left, shocking everyone in my life - myself included.

It has been a year since I last spoke more than 20 words to that person.

I thought ending the relationship and not going back to them would be the hardest part of the journey, and at first it was.

No one informed me that the hardest part would be the first healthy relationship after a toxic one.

It took me almost a full year of bad first dates, red flags bright enough that they could light up Broadway, and lots of deleting and then redownloading dating apps for me to find someone who not only respects me, but wants a healthy relationship and is willing to work for it.

It wasn’t until my current relationship that I truly realized how traumatized I was from my previous relationship, and I have been asking myself, “This is supposed to be your breath of fresh air, why is this so hard?”

What I had failed to realize during my journey of ending the cycle of toxicity is that I didn’t know what a healthy relationship was like. All I knew was toxic dependence on another human.

Every day is a constant struggle. I often find myself overthinking and overanalyzing every text, call, and mood change in fear that I did something wrong because for three years, every issue was made to seem like I was the one to blame.

I have had to teach myself that every argument isn’t going to end in screaming and ignoring each other, but that healthy communication with my partner is possible and essential for a relationship.

Dating someone new who has good intentions is like learning how to ride a bicycle. There are going to be days when you fall flat on your face because you begin self-sabotaging the relationship by believing you’re not worthy of love. But then you look behind you and you can see your partner cheering you on reminding you why you are working so hard for your happiness.

Although I am with someone who cares about me, who is always willing to sing with me in the car despite me being tone deaf, who will listen to me babble on about the American Revolution - it is still hard. I am constantly learning healthy relationship traits and unlearning the toxic traits that for years I thought were normal.

One thing I have had to come to terms with when learning how to be in a healthy relationship is that relationships are far from perfect. And often times those Disney fairytale relationships can be some of the most toxic ones.

To those who are still in a toxic relationship, whether they know it yet or not, I promise you, you will one day have the courage to leave.

And to those who are in their first healthy relationship after a toxic one, there are going to be bad days. But don’t let one bad day in the relationship deter you from the happiness that everyone deserves.

Leaving an abusive relationship is not something you have to do alone.

Domestic Violence Programs Hotlines Massachusetts: Voices Against Violence 1-800-593-1125 Nationwide: National Domestic Violence Hotline 24/7 Crisis Hotline: (800) 799-7233

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OP/ED

12 | MARCH 12, 2021

Campus Conversations What are your thoughts on cancel culture?

By Donald Halsing, Associate Editor

“I think there has been a thing where people have been getting away with things that they really shouldn’t have been for a very long time. So now, it’s just lots of holding people accountable.”

“I think - more so than cancel culture - it’s just holding people accountable.”

-Alex LeBlanc, sophomore

-Matthew Donahoe, sophomore

“Cancel culture is so bad. I think everyone makes mistakes, and you shouldn’t define someone by their worst actions - just as you shouldn’t define them only by their best actions.”

-Jessica Vinskus, senior

“I think it’s good in some ways and bad in different ways. In some ways, it’s good because it brings awareness to problems. But in bad ways, it ruins people’s lives, and sometimes their careers.”

“Without history, we’re not who we are right now. At the end of the day, I get why people don’t like the Dr. Seuss books. I think he’s a part of our childhood and we should keep it it’s a part of us and who we are.”

-Amanda Edme, sophomore

-John Finkle, freshman

“It’s not really a thing for me because you can’t really cancel somebody. They’re going to do what they do, it’s just somebody’s opinion.”

“I think that cancel culture is the wrong way to go. We should be more focused on educating the people that have said something offensive than we should be saying, ‘We can’t have any more of them. Stop talking.’ That’s not going to get us anywhere. I think that it’s counterproductive - that’s how I feel about it.”

-Qwazay Casey, senior

“I think, especially if a person did something years ago and now they’re a different person, why come at them if that was them in the past?”

-Marclo Escobar, freshman

“I think it’s really bad. The world is a worse place because of it.”

-Savion Allen-Harding, freshman

-Jacob Stearns, freshman

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

SPORTS

MARCH 12, 2021 | 13

SPORTS Women’s Softball team steals back their season

By Danielle Achin

Sports Editor

Spring is upon us, and with the snow finally melting, the women of FS ’s softball team are more than ready to take the field together for the first time in over a year.

Senior Camille Desrochers and unior Laela Pepin are ready to lead the team with the two other veteran players returning to the roster. The remaining players are new and haven’t experienced playing for the niversity yet.

The eight sophomores and 10 freshmen on the roster are looking forward to their first season playing for FS after last season’s cancellation. ven though they are a team on paper, they have yet to play as a team on the field.

“I remember our spring break was canceled first, they said we were gonna have the two week break thinking we were gonna have those couple weeks off and we’ll come back ready to go,” Desrochers said. “When we got the news about the whole season being canceled it was so crazy and we were all so confused.”

Pepin said, “We were supposed to have our Florida trip the week everything was canceled, we had meetings for it thinking everything was O . We all went to dinner in the dining hall and we got an email saying the trip

was canceled, I was very upset about it.”

Desrochers is from Westford, having played many sports growing up, she decided to continue playing softball in college.

“I did Tee ball in either indergarten or first grade, then played softball right away,” Desrochers said. “My older sister played so I ust kind of followed her lead.”

Pepin is from Acushnet, and has been playing the game since around 8 years old.

“I started playing baseball when I was really young,” Pepin said, “I transitioned from baseball to softball at around 8 or 9 years old.”

Many student athletes have endured the emotional rollercoaster of finding out if their team was eligible to play for another season, luckily these Rams have been given another chance.

“Going into this year with basketball being canceled, we kind of expected that as well,” Desrochers said.

“Our coaches and team has done a good ob keeping our fingers crossed, so there’s been a lot of positive thinking going into this season.”

The women are fortunate enough to get together six days a week practice time both in the Athletic Center and on the field.

Although they are able to play, the team must follow restrictions made by the CDC ust like every other sport.

“We do split practices, one half the team would go into the small gym to hit and the other half would hang out and do homework, and we would switch in after,” Pepin said. “But since we’re outside, it’s definitely a lot better, I think we’re all appreciating the weather and the fact we’ve been able to go outside, it’s a different vibe.”

The team has been practicing for about two weeks now, preparing for their first game against mmanuel College next week.

Rather than their normal Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday game schedule, restrictions made by the CDC created an abnormal season schedule different from what the women are used to.

This requires the team to get tested every Tuesday and Thursday clearing them for their now Friday, Saturday, and Sunday games back to back.

“We need to have a negative test within 72 hours of the game, so getting tested on Tuesday covers us for Friday’s game, and that Thursday will cover us for Saturday and Sunday games,” Desrochers said.

Despite not playing a real game together as a team, the women are more than ready to leave it all out on the field.

“I’ve gotten closer to a lot of the players and developed great friendships, having the team with everything going on helped,” Pepin said.

“To know that they’re staying active was something that helped me stay

up during times that were hard.”

Desrochers said no one is more passionate about the sport than Head Coach Larry Miller. This is his eighth season coaching the team and is the most excited to see them back in action once again.

“This whole year has taught everyone to not take anything for granted,” Desrochers said. “The fact we’re even playing games next week, it feels like it’s been forever.

“We’re ready to put ourselves to the test.”

With the season upon them and their love for the game more valuable than ever before, Desrochers and Pepin leave words of encouragement for the season ahead.

“Go out there and play the game like you have been. ou ust keep going. Don’t get stressed out about things. Mistakes are gonna happen and we learn from them,” Pepin said.

“We’re definitely a team that likes to have fun, and when we have fun, we win games.

“After last year, you ust have to appreciate every single second. Four years goes by in the blink of an eye and some haven’t even experienced their first college softball game,” Desrochers said. “Have fun, take advantage of every second, because before you know it, you’ll be graduating.”

CONNECT WITH DANIELLE ACHIN dachin@student.framingham.edu

“I’ve gotten closer to a lot of the players and developed great friendships, having the team with everything going on helped. To know that they’re staying active was something that helped me stay up during times that were hard.”

- Laela Pepin, Junior softball player Camille Derochers | Courtesy of fsurams

Laela Pepin | Courtesy of fsurams

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14 | MARCH 12, 2021

ARTS & FEATURES

ARTS & FEATURES

The Christian battle with COVID-19

By Steven Bonini

Staff Writer

sually, the “Our Father” prayer can be heard coming from the Heineman cumenical Center on Ash Wednesday as those receiving ashes mark the first day of Lent.

On this year’s Ash Wednesday, ristelle Angelli, the FS Catholic Minister, stood inside the historic building and distributed ashes to the faithful with a tip, but there was no celebration of the ucharist to coincide.

“Normally, we have Mass on campus,” Angelli said. “We have a priest come and we have Mass, and we’ll have I would say anywhere from 50 to 80 people that come.

“This year, we didn’t have a Mass on campus because we didn’t want to gather that many people in one room it wouldn’t have worked,” she added.

This is one of the many challenges Christians are facing in the era of CO ID 19.

To adhere with CO ID 19 guidelines, Angelli said approximately seven people at a time entered the center and kept a social distance.

“I had a paper bag, and I threw the tip after I used it on one person into the bag,” she said. “ ach person got a fresh tip , so nothing touched anybody. And I was able to keep a decent distance, ust extending the length of my arm.”

Angelli said in her personal experience at Catholic Masses at St. William’s Church in Tewksbury, some of the rituals have been changed to accommodate with CO ID 19 guidelines, such as receiving Holy Communion.

“Normally, Catholics have the option of receiving communion on the tongue, or on the hand,” she said. “And so, now you can only receive on the hand, you can’t receive on the tongue.”

Angelli said at her church the “congregation” does not receive the wine which represents the Blood of esus Christ.

She said only the priest drinks from the chalice a change from a typical Mass where each individual would have the option of drinking the wine from the same cup.

Angelli said the number of people attending Mass is “fairly close to what it used to be,” but they are also offering a virtual experience for those still hesitant to go in person.

She said they’ll record the Mass and put it on Facebook Live.

Angelli said those who attend in person Masses wear masks and she has not seen any pushback on the notion.

She added people step away from

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Photo of the Heineman Ecumenical Center. the priest, lift up their mask when receiving Communion for a “split second,” take the Host, and place the mask back on their face.

Angelli said for sanitation purposes churches have been using a “machine” which sprays the pews with a sanitizer, and she said as a result, the “hard wood” of the pews is discoloring.

She said some of the pews are taped off indicating parishioners cannot sit in those areas.

Pews where parishioners can sit are marked with red tape ensuring everybody is socially distanced, she added.

There is also an online sign up process at her church for those who want to attend Mass, this way the church doesn’t reach maximum capacity, which is approximately 122 people, according to Angelli.

In regard to people’s faith during this CO ID 19 pandemic, Angelli said she’s seen people both grow their faith and question it.

“People are definitely ust more anxious,” she said.

“I guess it depends on how it hits you as an individual. For some their faith they ust feel stronger in their faith because it’s giving them perspective and helping them to get through things.”

She added others often ask, “‘Why do bad things happen to good people?’

‘Why would God let something like this happen to us?’”

Angelli said she is still “praying” about whether or not she will take the CO ID 19 vaccine.

She said many Catholics she’s spo-

ken with have reservations about the vaccine because both Moderna and Pfizer tested their vaccines on stem cell fetal tissue.

“People are ob ecting ethically,” she added.

According to the Nebraska Medicine website, the companies Moderna and Pfizer performed confirmation tests on fetus cell lines descended from elective abortions in the 1970s and 1980s.

Angelli said some bishops have taken it and some bishops disagree with taking it.

Pope Francis has given his blessing to the vaccine and has approved official text stating, “All vaccinations recognized as clinically safe and effective can be used in good conscience with the certain knowledge that the use of such vaccines does not constitute formal cooperation with the abortion from which the cells used in production of the vaccines derive,” according to atican News.

Pope Francis and Pope meritus Benedict I have been vaccinated according to Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See press office.

Angelli said she is continuing to meet with students via a weekly Bible study group over Zoom, but they are not meeting in person for any events.

With aster not too far away, she said nothing on campus will occur for Catholic students, but they will be reciting the Stations of the Cross over Zoom on Good Friday, April 2.

She also said a priest has recently started working with her and they do intend to start holding Masses on

campus. The details are still being discussed.

David Baldwin, the associate dean of students for student development and overseer of campus ministry, said campus ministry stopped Masses a couple years ago because of low attendance.

“It wasn’t worth it,” said Baldwin.

He said Angelli has now been building a “base” of students who are likely to attend Mass on campus and said if there is a “nice core of people who are going to go,” then he’d be open to bringing it back.

“If you’re only getting like two people to come to Mass is it worth it for the priest to come all the way out here?” he asked. “It’s not like he lives here in Framingham.”

Baldwin said in regard to his religious beliefs, he considers himself to be “religious lite” and said he is a Baptist who does not attend service every Sunday, but he does believe in a higher power.

He sympathizes with students and people who may be struggling with religious outreach at this moment in time, adding it’s difficult for people of faith because they cannot connect with others in their house of worship as they normally would.

He said in regard to the pandemic, this is not the first time suffering has occurred on arth and he believes suffering is a “part of life.

“Does it shake some people’s faith?” he asked. “Sure some will come back, and some will not.

“What happens in the religious

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MARCH 12, 2021 | 15

Battle with COVID-19 Continued from page 14

on campus.

He is also an on staff member at the First Baptist Church in Sudbury, a church approximately 10 minutes away from FS , and said a challenge for his church has been connection as a community.

realm when there’s suffering?” he asked. “There are candlelight vigils where people come together as a group and mourn the loss of thousands or hundreds of thousands. And you don’t have that opportunity to do that right now.

“I think that’s a factor in folks losing faith,” he added.

Thomas Chesnut, FS vangelical Minister, discussed his experience with religious students and said he is currently meeting with a number of students virtually to help them grow their faith.

“I am still meeting with students with various denominational backgrounds most of whom I knew and was connected with prior to this school year,” he said.

“I meet weekly via Zoom with a small group of students to study the Bible together and pray for one another,” he added. “I also meet with a handful of students in one on one video chat meetings on a weekly basis to discuss life, our faith, read the Bible, and pray with one another.”

Chesnut said he believes these students are “benefiting” from being in this community together as it allows them to connect with other “believers”

spread apart.”

Chesnut said everybody at their services wears a mask and the only people who are not are those who are preaching.

He said when it comes to singing, they wait until the very end of the ser-

wafer and the cup are there together, and you ust peel back the top there’s a wafer you peel back the next layer, and then you can drink the cup,” he said.

Chesnut said everybody he knows is “willing” to take the CO ID 19 vac-

“I meet weekly via Zoom with a small group of students to study the Bible together and pray for one another. I also meet with a handful of students in one-on-one video chat meetings on a weekly basis to discuss life, our faith, read the Bible, and pray with one another.”

- Thomas Chesnut, FSU Evangelical Minister Chesnut said their sanctuary is currently meeting in person at approximately 25 of the building’s capacity, with approximately 80 to 90 people in attendance. He added attendance is decided by an online registration process.

“Once our spots fill up, we do have an overflow room because we have a fellowship hall,” he said. “It’s a very small number, it’s like 10 people can be in there, so a family or two if they’re

vice because singing requires a lot of air flow. “ ven when we have a band on stage the musicians who aren’t singing are still wearing masks,” said Chesnut.

In terms of Communion, Chesnut said his church ust started distributing it again, as they could not do so previously in the online setting and decided not to do it in the outdoor meetings.

“What we actually do is we have individually packaged cups where the

cine, adding he has not seen any religious pushback on the idea.

“I very much believe that God uses the Pfizer vaccine and the Moderna vaccine to help cease this thing that is taking place,” he said.

CONNECT WITH STEVEN BONINI sbonini@student.framingham.edu

Smithsonian historians whip up enticing lecture

By Caroline Gordon

Editorial Staff

Paula ohnson and Ashley oung, historians at the National Museum of American History, gave a presentation on the late chefs ulia Child and Lena Richard via Zoom March 10.

The event included discussions of Child’s and Richard’s lives, racism in the culinary community, the chefs impacts on American History, and their inspirations. Their experiences differed because Child was white and Richard was Black. oung began the discussion by sharing Richard’s ourney to becoming a chef with the help of the Barrens, an elite white family she worked for.

She said Richard went to culinary school in Boston, where she experienced racism as students had to give consent for her to attend classes and she had to eat lunch separately. oung said despite the adversity, Richard “shined” in school and classmates were curious about her own cooking techniques. She touched upon how after graduation, Richard went on to build a “culinary empire” in New Orleans.

“During her whole career, she faced pervasive racial stereotypes, but still celebrated her Black roots,” oung said.

“Richard owned and operated catering businesses, eateries, a fine dining restaurant, an international frozen food business, and was the first Black chef to have their own cooking

show. She accomplished all of this during the racially segregated South,” she added. oung said on top of her career as a chef, Richard opened a school for Black people where she taught them how to get involved in the food industry. ohnson said Child was also an educator as she created a culinary school in France called The Three Hearty aters. “Child was intensely curious about connecting people and food,” she said.

Child was born into a wealthy family and attended Smith College where the president initially withheld her diploma because she thought Child wasn’t deserving, ohnson said.

She touched upon how after college, Child oined the Office of Strategic Services the predecessor to the CIA. ohnson explained how Child ventured to China after World War II where she met her husband Paul whose knowledge of wine and food interested her.

She said Child was a “much beloved” historical figure known for her 18 cookbooks and 11 popular television series, which aired between 1963 2000. All of which were filmed inside her Cambridge house. ohnson added Child was widely known for boosting professional cooking and inspiring generations of women to become chefs.

She then debunked the myth that Child is French, despite owning a French restaurant and the name of

her first cooking show “The French Chef.”

“Child was very much an American in her outlook and optimism,” ohnson said.

She discussed how historians have “loads of evidence” Child was social as she had friends across the country and was involved with many different educational organizations. ohnson added, “She was widely popular on television. iewers felt like they knew her. They felt as if she was speaking directly to them. An astonishing number of people have something to say about her. We continue to hear testimonials of her impact from professional chefs ” Next, the historians discussed Child’s and Richard’s inspirations. oung said, Marie, Richard’s daughter, helped her mother’s cookbook become successful.

She explained how Marie was a home economics ma or and transcribed recipes into the cookbook in a visually appealing manner.

“The cookbook was very successful in New Orleans. Within weeks of publication word of her cookbook spread to other parts of the country, demonstrating the power of a network,” oung said.

She added Clementine Paddleford, a nationally famous food writer, helped advertise Richard’s cookbook and invited Richard to the New ork Tribune’s test kitchen to give cooking lessons. ohnson said when Child was attending the Le Cordon Bleu in Paris,

her classmates motivated her to write “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.” ohnson added, “Child seemed to collaborate with everybody ” She discussed Child’s relationship with Avis De oto, an editor who helped Child publish her cookbooks. ohnson said they communicated regularly through letters in the 1950s and they were a “truly astonishing partnership.”

The event closed with the discussion of oung’s and ohnson’s connection to Richard’s and Child’s recipes. oung said she and her mother cook Richard’s recipes to connect with her.

“Cooking her food has been a tremendous learning experience. Her gumbo filet is phenomenal,” she said. ohnson said the blog, “Do Try This At Home,” makes her feel connected to Child.

She explained how the blog is where people post about cooking Child’s recipes and how the recipes bring people together.

“I love this because this is exactly what ulia Child was telling us all to do. I can still hear her telling us today,” ohnson said.

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON cgordon@student.framingham.edu

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Resident assistants put

By Cara McCarthy

Associate Editor

While walking through the doors of their residence halls on move in day, Framingham State residents are greeted by the smiling face of their resident assistant (RA).

After weeks of training, room inspections, and crafting door tags, resident assistants at Framingham State are eager to meet the students they get to help guide through the school year.

Due to the CO ID 19 pandemic, smiles were covered by masks, housing contracts were signed and left in mailboxes, and the bridge between RAs and their residents only got longer.

But, this year’s RAs refused to let a pandemic get in the way of creating an engaging, safe, and healthy community throughout Framingham State’s residence halls.

Last March, the spread of CO ID 19 forced FS to shut its doors including residence halls for the remainder of the school year. Administrative Resident Assistants (ARAs) Gina Crosby and Samantha Collette were among two of last year’s RAs who would no longer get to see their residents.

They both said it was upsetting to hear they would not be returning to campus after last year’s extended spring break.

Crosby, a senior psychology and elementary education ma or, said she became a resident assistant because she wanted to be involved as much as she could during her college career and was encouraged to apply by her RA her first year at FS .

“My freshman year, I had one friend,” she said. “I felt like I wasn’t involved as much as I wanted to be on campus.”

RAs of Peirce, Horace Mann, and West halls.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

She added being a RA has not only helped her be more involved on campus, but her position has also increased her confidence and made her feel as if she is a part of the Framingham State community.

Crosby was placed in Larned Hall her sophomore year, and through the encouragement of then Area Director of Larned Hall, Marcie Dineen, she applied for an administrative resident assistant position.

“My sophomore year, I was doing

would not be returning to campus, she was upset.

“I loved my ob. I was taking on this new role as an ARA and I felt like I was doing a good ob at it,” she said.

Crosby added that despite residence halls closing, she along with other RAs still made attempts to be available for their residents if they needed help ad usting to a new online learning environment.

“We were trying to do as much as we could. But once it hit the point

“During holidays or milestones in the semester, I always hang little cards on each resident’s door so they know I’m thinking of them,” she said.

Collette also said she makes sure to constantly check in with her residents through email to send them various reminders through a monthly newsletter. These newsletters include everything from program reminders to important CO ID 19 updates from the niversity.

She said she was inspired to be-

“I wanted to do what my RAs did for me my freshman and sophomore years. They were just a person you could talk to. Very sociable and always somebody who you know is a nice person and has a very positive attitude. So, I just really liked that and I thought it was something to emulate.”

- Brian Gerard, RA of Miles Bibb Hall well as an RA. I knew all of my residents and I felt comfortable enough taking that step forward to becoming an ARA and having a more active role on campus,” she said.

For the 2019 20 academic year, Crosby was promoted to the ARA position of Miles Bibb Hall, then known as North Hall, but her year was cut short when the niversity announced residents would not be returning to campus after spring break.

“When everyone left for break last year, I’ll admit it, I said, ‘Oh, this CO ID 19 is going to go away in a week,’” she said. “So, I prepared as if I was coming back.

“I only brought home a few items, I was still emailing residents, and I was still doing ARA work,” Crosby said. “I was prepared to come back .”

She added once she learned she

where we were trying to transition to a remote niversity, everything was kind of cut off,” she said.

She added RAs attempts to reach out to residents were not often responded to because after spending the day looking at a screen, the last thing a student wanted to do was look at their email.

This year, Crosby is once again the ARA of Miles Bibb Hall. She, along with her staff, have used social media, including Facebook and Instagram, to their advantage in order to better connect and engage with their residents.

Collette, a unior fashion design and retailing ma or and ARA of Corinne Hall Towers, said she has maintained a sense of community in her building by never letting her residents think she has forgotten them.

Courtesy of Marcie Dineen

come an RA her freshman year when she co hosted a program with her RA. “She knew I was interested in applying to be an RA and the program was a big hit ” she said. “From that point forward, I was sold.”

She added she wanted to give students the chance to make friends and help them escape the stress of homework.

“I have always loved leadership positions and pushing myself to do more for my community, and I thought this would be an excellent way to achieve those personal goals,” Collette said.

When she learned she would not be returning to campus following spring break, Collette said she was “devastated,” but she has not let that stop her from keeping a positive attitude toward her position.

“I knew as soon as I packed my bags for break that my ob would not be the same,” she said.

Colette added, “ ven though program attendance is low, and the residence hall occupancy is minimal, I think the general heart and soul of the ob has remained.” nlike Crosby and Collette, who were RAs before CO ID 19 began, Brian Gerard and Hannah Devlin began their positions this fall during the pandemic.

Gerard, a unior management maor and RA in Miles Bibb Hall, said he wanted to be a resident assistant so he could help others the way his RAs helped him in the past.

“I wanted to do what my RAs did for me my freshman and sophomore years. They were ust a person you could talk to. ery sociable and always somebody who you know is a nice person and has a very positive attitude,” he said. “So, I ust really liked that and I thought it was something to emulate.”

Gerard has also found creative ways

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MARCH 12, 2021 | 17

the ‘RA’ in fRAMily Continued from page 16 to engage with his residents such as working extra shifts at the security desk and starting a Facebook group for his floor.

“I honestly feel like I have gotten to know all my residents in different capacities,” he said. “If people spend most of their time in their dorm and they go out ust to get food, whatever the case may be, why not ust be there with them?”

Devlin, a sophomore child and family studies ma or and RA in Corinne Hall Towers for the 2020 21 academic year, said over the summer, she was prepared to take on being an RA during CO ID 19.

“By then summer , CO ID 19 had already taken over. So, I was aware of the risk of being an RA and we the RA staff knew there would likely be chances of CO ID 19 cases on campus and in the dorms,” she said. “And I was ust ready to take on that challenge with the other RAs in the building and across campus.”

As was the case with Crosby, Collette, and Gerard, Devlin said one of the biggest challenges she has faced this year is building relationships with her residents.

On top of the challenge of building relationships, Devlin said she hopes her residents don’t view RAs as someone who is there to ust “tell them what to do.”

Devlin added that while trying to hold events virtually she and her staff realized they needed to come up with other approaches to encourage residents to attend their events.

“We quickly realized that after being on Zoom calls all day, residents were not willing to get on another one at night for our programs,” she said.

“So, here in Towers, we’ve leaned toward socially distant programs in person.”

Devlin said since she started holding more programs safely in person, more residents have been attending.

Courtesy of Marcie Dineen

RAs of Corrine Hall Towers. stay appropriately spaced out and made sure everything was sanitized after each use before the next person used the supplies.

Collette said thanks to the large common areas in Corinne Hall Towers, RAs have been able to hold larger, more interactive, programs such as DI pro ects and karaoke nights.

She added her favorite program she put on was a BuzzFeed quiz night because it gave her an opportunity to get to know her residents better.

“It was really relaxed, but residents on my floor were able to get to know one another more and laugh at all of the results,” Collette said. “It was a great way to get to know my residents better without small talk.”

Gerard said his first program was a Bingo game he hosted over Zoom and that 15 Miles Bibb residents attended

“I was there for about two hours,” she said. “And as residents were coming in and out, I said, ‘O , make a goodie bag for you or your friends.’

“Being there in the lobby and catching them residents as they came by, I got a lot of people saying ‘Oh I didn’t know this was happening.’ So, it was definitely very successful being in a central location,” she added.

Dineen, the area director of Miles Bibb and Linsley Halls, said the 30 RAs on staff this year have all found creative ways to engage and stay connected to the FS community so they can “live the true student experience.”

She added, “To the RAs: keep it up.

It might feel like you aren’t making a difference, especially this year, because it’s hard to feel it, it’s hard to see it, and it’s hard to identify it.

“It’s the little things that continue

“Think about realistic goals for right now. That might be getting through the day, it might be getting through the week, and that’s OK. Give yourself a break, take time for yourself, and do a lot of self-care.”

- Gina Crosby, ARA of Miles Bibb Hall Despite the obstacles CO ID 19 has put in place for this year’s RAs, they have still found ways to create fun, exciting, and safe programs for their residents.

Crosby hosted an event where residents could decorate a pot for the succulent plants she provided them.

She hosted the event in an open space in Miles Bibb Hall so everyone could

which surprised him because it was held virtually.

Devlin hosted a alentine’s Day goodie bag event which she set up in the lobby of Corinne Hall Towers in order to attract more residents to the program.

She added, “I got a bunch of stuff from the Target dollar section like little baggies and goodies, and they residents loved it.

huge difference when they’re dropping off a meal and ust saying, ‘Hey, have a good lunch,’ or things like that to the person who hasn’t had any human contact for five days,” Dineen added.

Glenn Cochran, associate dean of students and director of residence life, commended the work this year’s RAs have put in despite the challenges CO ID 19 has presented them.

“I’m very proud of them for taking on this challenge and working hard to help other people in the community in less than ideal circumstances,” he said.

While the past year has been anything but ordinary, FS ’s resident assistants have refused to let the CO ID 19 blues get them down. Instead, they have adapted to their roles in order to better serve their community and be pivotal leaders on campus.

Crosby’s message to the FS community is that it is O to take time for themselves even if it doesn’t feel like they should.

“Think about realistic goals for right now. That might be getting through the day, it might be getting through the week, and that’s O ,” she said. “Give yourself a break, take time for yourself, and do a lot of self care.”

Collette said, “Please get involved as much as you can right now. Things are a real bummer but we still should make the best out of the experience we’re having,” she said.

“We have always said that RAs are the most resilient and flexible people on this campus and this proves true especially right now.”

to really make a difference and make an impact,” she added. “ now that your little acts of kindness aren’t for nothing.”

Dineen said the Miles Bibb Hall RAs are also responsible for checking on students who are quarantining in Linsley Hall and they have served as a way for isolated students not to feel so alone.

CONNECT WITH CARA MCCARTHY “I think they’re RAs making a cmccarthy8@student.framingham.edu

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‘MOXIE!’ - A teen movie Gen Z can get behind Emily Rosenberg Editorial Staff At first glance, ‘Moxie’ looked like any classic teen film. Within the first couple minutes I was rolling my eyes due to the use of cheesy costume that narrows high school students into problematic stereotypes.

I was happily proven wrong.

Released on Netflix, March 3, and directed by Amy Poehler, the film follows ivian, a senior in high school who’s shy and compliant with the rules.

This changes when she recognizes the new girl, Lucy, being harassed by football quarterback, Mitchell. Not too long after Lucy’s arrival, he and his obnoxious buddies publish a list of misogynist superlatives calling Lucy the C word. Bubbling with anger, ivian goes home and puts together a zine made from her mother’s ’90s mementos while Bikini ill’s “Rebel Girl” explodes in the background.

She plops 50 copies in the girls’ bathrooms, and within a week, the “Girls of Moxie” are drawing hearts and stars on their hands, throwing a campaign to win their friend a scholarship competing against Mitchell, and doing anything they can to smash the patriarchy under the instruction of the anonymous Moxie, ivian.

The “Girls of Moxie” are a progressive dream. Compared to older teen classics that focus on romance and ditzy girls concealing their flaws to get their fantasy boy, “Moxie” portrays unapologetic women fighting for what they believe in with romance as a side consideration.

While I regret to say my window for battling sexist athletic policies has passed, the passion and grit that is conveyed through Alycia Pascual Pena, Lucy, and Hadley Robinson’s ivian limitless acting will be inspiring to the loudmouth generation we call Gen Z. Where it especially shines is its inclusiveness and unforgiving dialogue.

Right off the bat, Lucy tells her nglish teacher that “The Great Gatsby” is no longer a classic as “It’s about some rich white guy... and I guess we’re supposed to feel bad for him because he’s obsessed with the only girl he can’t have?”

The diverse cast of queer, Black, Hispanic, and Asian actors whose voices remain prominent throughout the film allowed the story to be intersectional and show how different and more cruel women of colors’ experiences can be while still emphasizing the need for women empowerment in general.

There were also a few moments in

the film like when Lucy and her friend Amaya kiss at a concert, but it is never discussed again. Though it felt a bit random it’s a step in the right direction as including small interactions such as this in future films will help to normalize characters with queer identities without their whole character arch being their coming out.

One uncomfortable choice, however, was when Seth ivian’s crush and only male supporter of Moxie and ivian hang out and end up cuddling in a display casket while trespassing in a funeral home. Despite my longing for representation of young relationships that are realistic and geeky, this only brought discomfort and confusion. It did not fall into place with either characters’ personal development, and ust felt like the writers were trying to be overly quirky.

Still, Seth and ivian’s slow paced romantic B plot is a heart clenching adventure that is worth fighting for.

Their excellent ability to communicate with one another also becomes a crucial story telling device that drives home the message as the two are a perfect example of equality in a relationship.

‘Moxie’ screams everything that every girl wanted to scream in my high school and in all high schools across America. The greatest bit of

writing is a dream where ivian is running hopelessly through a forest, unable to scream for help. Then, toward the end, the girls hold a walkout to protest a sexual assault and they all scream together, flashing back to ivian’s dream but now we can hear her.

The dream was a beautiful way to capture the feeling of being trapped by society’s demons. The moment they were heard felt like an official call of hope for young women and other marginalized people. ou will be heard, not ust in film, but in the world.

ADMIT ONE

Grade: AAn important message with odd choices.

ADMIT ONE

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

The scavenger hunt can be found on page 20 1: The sundial on May Hall Lawn 2: Street sign across from Crocker Grove 3: Artwork on the 3rd floor of the McCarthy Center 4: Picture hanging in the stairwell of the McCarthy Center Lobby 5: Outside Horace Mann Hall 6: A flower pot outside the Heineman Ecumenical Center 7: Outside window of West Hall 8: The sculpture behind May Hall 9: Front of Dwight Hall 10: The gate posts outside Hemenway Hall 11: Mural on the 3rd floor of the McCarthy Center 12: Memorial Grove @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

ARTS & FEATURES

MARCH 12, 2021 | 19

Elizabeth Olsen bewitches Marvel fans in ‘WandaVision’

By Olivia Copeland

Staff Writer

This past Friday, fans everywhere said goodbye to one of the best pieces of Marvel content to date.

The refreshingly calm and gradual series, “Wanda ision,” stars lizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, The Scarlet Witch, and Paul Bettany as her “hubby who’s part machine,” The ision.

The show kicks off after the events of “Avengers: ndgame,” so it is pretty useful to catch up on your Avengers homework before checking it out.

The superhuman couple have ust moved to the suburban town of Westview, New ersey and their only worries involve fitting in and hiding their superhero identities from their neighbors.

Also, it’s the ’50s for some reason.

And, ision was dead last time we checked.

Needless to say, the series starts off shrouded in mystery. This mystery is offset by the show’s sitcom style, complete with a “live studio audience,” a new theme song each week, and a cryptic commercial for every episode. As the episodes continue, the decades change, so we get to see Wanda and her family in the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s.

More mystery arises as the season unfolds. There are glitches that occur every now and then, pulling you out of the dream like world of Westview and creating even more questions, like Why is this woman’s blood the only thing in color? and Who is speaking to Wanda through the radio and Why did the show ust rewind in the middle of a sentence?

ventually, the show has to break out of the sitcom world and provide actual context for what is really going on, but the mysterious first few moments are certainly captivating and bone chilling.

“Wanda ision” takes a nice break from the action packed films and shows people generally expect from the Marvel Cinematic niverse (MC ,) and instead explores the characters in more depth. Not only were the stylistic choices of the series en oyable, but also the writing and acting made the show very special to viewers, and many would love to see it renewed for a second season.

But, of course, a second season doesn’t seem to fit into Marvel’s big plans for its expanding universe.

“Wanda ision” marks the beginning of Phase 4, a new chapter of the MC .

Phase 4 will include 12 more films, 11 other television series, and even a holiday special. So it is unlikely that more time will be spent on this series, but it is certain that we haven’t seen the last of Wanda Maximoff. ven still, fans will miss this show for its eerily cheerful sitcom style episodes and the brilliant performances of the cast. Olsen attracts audiences as an adorable sitcom wife and mother, and then gives a heartbreaking performance of her character’s desperation to numb the insurmountable grief of losing everyone she loves.

Teyonna Parris as government agent Monica Rambeau is the solid voice of reason, and she does a fantastic ob conveying Rambeau’s complex character.

The chemistry between Olsen and Bettany is obvious, and the show ben-

ACROSS 1. Completely puzzle 6. Father’s Day VIP 10. Ooze 14. River through Rome 15. He was slain by Cain 16. Weigh station unit 17. January, in Jalisco 18. Wynonna or Wyatt 19. Practice in the ring 20. ___ bliss (last 4 letters in this answer ...)

22. Bilbo Baggins portrayer (... + first 3) 24. Singer Diamond 25. Cyber ops grp.

26. Falls in two countries (last 3 ...)

29. One may have a basket and a bell (... + first 3) 33. Pelvic bone 34. Teenage skin trouble 35. Race, as an engine 36. Rudolph’s is red 37. Insurer known for its gecko 39. “The Gift of the ___” 40. Non-native speaker’s subj.

As it is certain that Wanda will efits from the actors having worked together as these characters for the return in future MC pro ects, there past seven years. qually impressive is hope that this error may be corare ullian Hilliard, Billy Maximoff, rected, but it is unfortunate that the and ett lyne, Tommy Maximoff, series ended without her taking acwho are ust 9 and 11 years old re- countability.

Despite this, “Wanda ision” tells spectively, but each has impressive acting experience and do a wonderful a beautiful story about deep sorrow ob playing Wanda’s superhero twin and terrible longing, and the consequences of pushing away such emosons.

The incredible acting performanc- tions and it also has some epic fight scenes. This show has room for such es are complemented by the behind the scenes work. It was no small feat touching quotes as, “What is grief to create a different theme song for if not love persevering?” as well as almost all nine episodes, so Marvel kick a one liners like, “Boys, hanhired a reputable composer for the dle the military. Mommy will be right task, Christophe Beck, who did the back.”

“Wanda ision” delights as a musiscore for both “Frozen” films he definitely knows how to produce a cal, a comedy, and a drama. It pushes catchy tune. His success with “Wan- the boundaries of Marvel entertainda ision” is apparent in the presence ment with grace. The show certainly accomplishes what it set out to do: of the music all over the internet even people who haven’t watched the tell Wanda’s story and get people amped for what else Phase 4 has to show are playing its songs.

However, the series is not without offer. flaws. My ma or criticism of “Wandaision” is how easily it lets the main character off the hook. She ends up ADMIT ONE hurting a lot of people very badly, and never apologizes for it. Instead she is praised for the “sacrifice” she made by deciding to no longer hurt The strongest those people, rather than taking acAvenger countability for her actions, she only makes a expresses bitterness for how she is viewed by the people she hurt. stunning TV This sets a dangerous example for debut. those dealing with similar emotional battles as her character. Dealing with ADMIT ONE pain is not an excuse to inflict pain on others even when it is unintentional. The show implies that Wanda’s pain was an excuse for the pain she caused others, and that she does CONNECT WITH OLIVIA COPELAND ocopeland@student.framingham.edu not owe them an apology.

41. Risk territory west of Siberia 42. Occupied, like a diner booth 43. Rod in old movies (last 3 ...)

45. “___: Long Walk to Freedom” (... + first 3) 47. Browns’ city: Abbr.

48. Cold drink brand 49. Word after “time” or “slot” (last 5 ...)

53. Popular chip flavoring (... + first 2) 57. Response to a startling greeting 58. Mild expletive 60. Journalist Couric 61. Fly like an eagle 62. Capitol Hill staffer 63. Actor Zac 64. “So far, so goof” has one 65. Common subscription length 66. Campus bigwigs DOWN 1. Support for a rose 2. Singer Turner 3. Lift that’s not a Lyft 4. Lemon pie topping 5. NFL or NHL squad 6. Spanish rice dish 7. Org. for attorneys 8. Prefix with “scope” 9. “The Irishman” star 10. Strut down the runway 11. Huge event 12. Carrier to Tel Aviv 13. ‘Do for a while’ 21. Tire filler 23. Naughty or ___ 26. Highest digits in Sudoku 27. Statement about a past defeat 28. Airplane passageway 29. Covertly loop in 30. Box of oranges 31. Permitted by law 32. Musical set in Argentina 34. Feel unwell 37. “21st Century Breakdown” band

Grade: A-

38. Site of a small canal 39. Babyproofed, say 41. Wrinkly fruit 42. Crept 44. Suzuki of baseball 45. Title abbreviated to its first and last letters 46. Point of no return?

49. Nearly all 50. Nautical greeting Puzzle solutions are now 51. British fellow exclusively online.

52. A Great Lake 54. Gillette razor 55. Animal in a pride 56. Perfect scores for divers 59. Toothpaste tube letters

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

PHOTOS

20 | MARCH 12, 2021

Spread by Ashley Wall/ The Gatepost Photos By Donald Halsing/ The Gatepost

The Gatepost Scavenger Hunt Can you find all 12 locations on campus?

The answer key can be found on page 18

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