March 7, 2025
Horsing around
Four of 10 home games moved to Marlborough
By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor
By Izabela Gage Editorial Staff
The women’s ice hockey team has completed its inaugural season without a storage facility at the Loring Arena.
The team stored their equipment in the Maple Street athletic facility for most of the season, according to athletic officials.
Along with the lack of proper storage space at Loring, the women’s team
By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Arts & Features Editor
The Mazmanian Gallery held an opening reception for “Reciprocity,” an exhibition featuring work by faculty from the Department of Art Design & Art History on March 3. It is on display in the gallery from Feb. 26 through April 5. Ellie Krakow, the director of the Mazmanian Gallery, organized the exhibition. The gallery holds many shows, but it’s rare for one to be focused on the faculty of the Department of Art Design & Art History, she said. “Maybe once every five to eight years.”
It was fun to organize a show that
was required to move four of 10 home games to the New England Sports Center (NESC), according to fsurams.com.
Loring Arena, located on Fountain Street in Framingham, is the home ice for both the men’s and women’s ice hockey teams. The rink is managed by the City of Framingham’s department of Parks & Recreation.
The men’s hockey team has its own storage room within Loring Arena. The women’s team, on the other hand, does not have any storage space at Loring Arena.
Unlike the men’s hockey team, the women’s team must travel to the Maple Street facility every morning before
features her colleagues, she said. They received artwork mostly from the Art & Design faculty, but one of the art history faculty contributed work as well.
The department used to be the Department of Art and Music, and because of that there’s a member of the music faculty performing too, she added.
Her piece in the show is “Fountain,” which is part of her most recent body of work, “Comfort Corners,” Krakow said.
This body of work is “abstracted figure sculptures, so they have an element that’s like the body, and an element that’s abstract and taken from hospital spaces,” she said.
While working on it, she was thinking about how someone lies down in a
practice, which must then be unlocked by Head Coach Robert Lavin.
After the players pick up their equipment, they must then drive to Loring Arena and bring their equipment inside before getting ready to practice.
The Maple Street facility is roughly an 8-minute walk off campus and a 5-minute drive from Loring Arena.
Prior to the conclusion of the fall athletic season, players on the team were responsible for storing their equipment individually in their residence halls and vehicles, according to Lavin.
hospital bed, she added. So she made a figure that’s lying down and about to get a colonoscopy.
She was also thinking about “the art historical form of the reclining nude,” she said.
There is a picture of the back of a waiting room chair on the front of the butt hole, she said. The upholstery has a wavy pattern reminiscent of the intestines.
“I’m thinking a lot about how you see the inside of the body, or if you can see the inside of the body,” Krakow said.
The exhibition shows that the faculty has very different strengths, she added.
Alexis Schlesinger / THE
(Left) Amy Bickford, Aleks Rocha, Lake Portner at the Center for Inclusive Excellence “Horse around with Hugo” event March 5.
E ditorial Board
Editor-in-Chief
Sophia Harris
Associate Editors
Maddison Behringer
Ryan O’Connell
Copy Editor
Emma Lyons
Asst. Copy Editor
Allie Mosher
News Editor
Dylan Pichnarcik
Asst. News Editor
Bella Grimaldi
Opinions Editor
Izayah Morgan
Sports Editors
Izabela Gage
Sophia Oppedisano
Asst. Sports Editors
Taylor Kimmell
Kyra Tolley
Arts & Features Editors
Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez
Owen Glancy
Asst. Arts & Features Editors
Sarah Daponde
Liv Dunleavy
Bella Omar
Photos & Design Editors
Adrien Gobin
Alexis Schlesinger
Asst. Photos & Design Editor
Meghan Spargo
Illustrations Editor
Ben Hurney
Asst. Illustrations Editors
David Abe
Ronnie Chiu-Lin
Emily Monaco
Staff Writers
Jesse Burchill
Raena Hunter Doty
Kristel Erguiza
Paul Harrington
Dan Lima
Antonio Machado
Kate Norrish
Erina Operach
Anthony Pintado
Alexandria Rose
Emma Schor
Anthony Sims
Michael Trueswell
Celia Williams
Staff Photographers
Eliana Buono
Meg Dame
Oné Green
Staff Illustrators
Charlotte Fabrizi
Marcus Falcão
Advisor Desmond McCarthy
Asst. Advisor
Elizabeth Banks
Gatepost Interview Joanne Farley
Director of International Student Services and Study Abroad
By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor
What is your academic and professional background?
I was a transfer student to Framingham State. It was my third school, and I majored in biology and secondary education. I have a license to teach high school biology. It just wasn’t for me. I realized, with all the transferring I went through, I wanted to work in higher ed so I could help students not do what I did, and hopefully, get it right the first time. I started in the undergraduate admissions office at Lasell University, and I was there for about three years, and then I had a crisis: “Do I want to do this forever? I’m not sure.” So, I found a job in a tech office, and I was only there for a couple months before I realized, “No, I want to go back to higher ed.” … That would take me to Curry College, and I had to start over as an administrative assistant in their career services office. And then that office, during the pandemic, joined up with international students and study abroad. That director taught me everything she knew. I was there for a little over five years.
What brought you back to FSU?
As a Framingham native and FSU alum, I feel like I can relate to the students here because I’ve literally been here. Microbio lab is hard? Been there. Have to run down to Maple Lot after class to drive to work? Been there. Transferred and trying to find your place on campus? Been there, too. But Framingham has always been home for me, so I’m happy to be back!
When you were a student, did you study abroad?
I did not. I don’t know if it existed, but I did do an alternative spring break to New Orleans. That was great. We worked with Habitat for Humanity, and we were able to build the foundation of a house. We worked on two different houses. So my group was on the foundation, and then another group, that wasn’t scared of heights, was doing more things on the roof.
Clarification
Why should students study abroad?
Aside from the fact that it’s just an amazing experience to see the world, it also helps in your later life. Employers want to see that you studied abroad because it gives you more of a cultural competency, as well as more problem-solving skills, and more independence, because, say, if something happens here - you know, something’s wrong with your dorm, you might go to ResLife and you say, “Hey, you know there’s something wrong here,” or you might have to have your parents or your guardians, whoever is in charge, call in and help. But if you’re in Italy, in the middle of the country, and something goes wrong, you need to figure it out on your own. There’s the time difference back home, they’re not going to be able to help you, and you just have to up your problem solving and your communication, to really level yourself up.
Are there any misconceptions about studying abroad?
I think the biggest misconception is people think, “Maybe I won’t be able to get credit for my classes,” or “it’s super expensive.” So the study-abroad programs we have here are pretty affordable. We try to keep them around $10,000 for the tuition and fees, and sometimes, that includes meals, too, and your financial aid is going to go with you. It’s not something you have to pay $10,000 out of pocket. You will have help along the way from your financial aid, and you know, not paying us at the same time.
What are your hobbies?
My favorite thing to do besides travel, because obviously, as a study-abroad, international student person, I do travel, but I also like to bake. Banana bread, I would say, is one of my specialties.
Where have you traveled to?
I have traveled to Australia, Spain, Poland, Iceland, Ireland, and Italy. And then this summer will be Denmark and Scotland. They were all great. So Australia, Spain, and Poland were all through World Youth Day, which was a program through the Catholic Church. And so I
went with a bunch of people from my church, and the Pope was there, and we all got to meet each other and kind of celebrate each other and realize that even though we’re from different places, we have something in common. So that was really cool. And then the others were traveling for pleasure with my husband.
What advice do you have for students?
My advice is always just get involved, because that’s how you’re going to make friends, and that’s how you’re going to find your place on campus. So even if going abroad isn’t for you, as long as you’re involved in a club or an activity, or just you have friends in your dormjust go out there and do something!
CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu
The Gatepost would like to provide a clarification to the article “New GenEd proposal under review” published on Feb. 21. The paragraph that reads, “Changes from the previous GenEd model include that students will have a choice of a specific core math course which will be dependent on major requirements. The math requirement must be completed within the first two years of matriculating at the University, according to the proposal.” Although quoted from the proposal, it is not a change from the current GenEd model.
Police Logs
Monday, March 3. 7:39 Found / Lost
Wednesday, March 5. 8:46 Alarm, Trouble Signal Linsley Hall Building Checked
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
SGA discusses changes to constitution and by-laws
By Dylan Pichnarcik News Editor
By Izabela Gage Editorial Staff
Vice President Cesar Matos presented changes to the SGA by-laws and constitution at the organization’s Feb. 25 meeting.
The first change to the SGA by-laws proposed by Matos allows the senate to dissolve committees established by the president with a majority vote.
A motion to approve this change was made by Events Coordinator Alix Ayoub and passed unanimously.
The next change proposed by Matos was to the SGA constitution, which allows the senate to assume full responsibility for removal proceedings, only if the parliamentarian position is vacant and the Judiciary Committee cannot be convened.
In certain cases, this may allow the president to submit removal requests directly to the senate, which must vote within seven days. If the senate fails to reach a decision, the Executive Board shall act as the final authority.
A motion to approve this change was made by Ayoub and passed unanimously.
Matos proposed a change to the SGA by-laws allowing the president to chair the Judiciary Committee in the absence of a parliamentarian.
Currently, SGA does not have a parliamentarian.
If the president is under review, the vice president will chair the committee. If both are unavailable, the longest-serving senate member will act as chair. If leadership remains unavailable, the full senate assumes the responsibilities of the Judiciary Committee.
A motion to approve this change was made by Treasurer Khoa Bùi, which was passed unanimously.
At the meeting, two clubs, M.I.S.S. and Outing Club, requested funds for upcoming events.
A representative from M.I.S.S. was not present at the meeting. However, a written request submitted to the Finance Committee was presented by Bùi.
The event, “Rep Your Flag,” will be held on March 28 and will cost $6,750. The funds pay for renting a venue located in Boston, DJs, and a photographer.
The event will be a collaboration with the Haitian Student AssociationM.I.S.S requested $3,000 for the club’s share of the event.
According to Bùi, “Rep Your Flag” is
Sunday night Mar. 9
Partly cloudy, with a low around 30. West wind up to 5 mph.
Monday Mar. 10
Mostly sunny, with a high near 50. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Feb. 11 meeting.
meant to “represent and create a safe community for students from all different cultures, so they can talk and share experiences.”
A motion to approve the allocation was made by Diversity and Inclusion Officer Ana Julia Ribeiro, which passed unanimously.
Yair Rachmany, president of the Outing Club, proposed two events to SGA and requested funding for both.
Rachmany requested $1,455 for a go-kart racing event at Supercharged Entertainment in Wrentham on March 23.
The money from the allocation will go toward three go-kart races, laser tag, “hyperdeck VR,” a $20 game card, and prepaid food and beverages for attendees.
Rachmany said attendees will carpool to and from the venue.
“We want to provide an inclusive experience. We want to focus mainly on community building and basically, give a chance for the students to hang out and … build friendships,” he said.
A motion to approve the allocation was made by Senator Shawn Brooks and passed unanimously.
Rachmany also requested funds for an indoor skydiving event on March 30.
Monday night Mar. 10
Mostly clear, with a low around 30. West wind up to 5 mph.
Tuesday Mar. 11
Sunny, with a high near 60. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Rachmany requested a total of $1,350, which will be used to pay for a 60-minute flight session, a “fly high upgrade,” and goggles for all attendees.
Rachmany said the goal of the event is to provide “the thrill of skydiving without the risks and make it exciting and inclusive for everyone.”
A motion to approve the allocation was made by Brooks, which passed unanimously.
During the Student Trustee’s Report, Jeremy McDonald said the SGA textbook drive has collected a total of 12 textbooks.
According to McDonald, all collected textbooks will go to the SGA area in the library, located on the lower mezzanine. The donation bins are located outside the SGA office and on the first floor of May Hall.
McDonald said the SGA Admin Forum will be held on April 8 at 6 p.m. in place of the SGA Club Representative Meeting.
The Board of Trustees Forum will now be a dinner, according to McDonald. It will take place on May 6 at 5:30 p.m. in the Faculty and Staff Dining Room on the third floor of the McCarthy Center.
In the Diversity and Inclusion Offi-
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
cer’s Report, Ribeiro said she has met with Michael Newmark, the acting general manager of Dining Services, as well as one of the chefs and an event organizer, to discuss logistics for Culture Week.
Newmark suggested lowering the dining hall fee from $12 to $5 as a Culture Week Special, according to Ribeiro.
She added she has reached out to the Black Student Union to organize entertainment, per a request from Newmark.
She said she is working on a survey to gather input on which countries to feature, using data provided by the Center for Inclusive Excellence.
Ribeiro is working on introducing a new program aimed at supporting affinity groups on campus with help from Jesse Edwards, the diversity, equity, and inclusion officer for the City of Framingham.
CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu
CONNECT WITH IZABELA GAGE igage@student.framingham.edu
Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov
Tuesday night Mar. 11
Partly cloudy, with a low around 40. Southwest wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Wednesday Mar. 12
Partly sunny, with a high near 60. South wind around 10 mph.
Wednesday night Mar. 12 Mostly cloudy, with a low around 40. East wind 0 to 5 mph.
Thursday Mar. 13
A chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60.
(Left) SGA President Evelyn Campbell at the
Women’s ice hockey
Continued from Page 1
Athletic Director Thomas Kelley said, due to scheduling conflicts at Loring Arena, the team had to move some of their games to NESC.
NESC, located 13.5 miles away from FSU in Marlborough, is made up of eight rinks with eight corresponding locker rooms, according to its website.
Lavin said, “When we scheduled the ice, unfortunately, [Loring] had conflicts on those dates, but we had to get ice, and [NESC] was the only place we could get ice. So although it wasn’t ideal, we had to make do with what we could do for scheduling purposes. Hopefully this year, Loring Arena will accommodate us, because it’s much better playing at our home rink.”
Members of the women’s ice hockey team were bused from FSU to NESC for the four games, according to Lavin.
He said he told players on the team that the decision to move some home games to NESC was “out of our control.”
He added, “When I submitted that schedule, that’s what we had. And I think the first year was a challenge for that reason. We had to coordinate with our men’s team and other teams, and so we try to offset the schedule so when the men play away, we’re home, and when we play home, the men play away. That’s the ideal way we would like to do it because it’s limited ice. But it worked - we’re at the sports center and they took care of us. They gave us ice. It wasn’t terrible.”
Kelley said now that the team’s inaugural season has ended, the athletic department knows “what we’re up against, where a lot of the stuff was late on the women’s side because we’re taking it step by step.”
According to Kelley, the men’s season schedule was “done three years in advance, and with the women, we were kind of just throwing the schedule together and trying to find non-conference team games and all that stuff.”
He said, “Now that we have one year under our belt in the conference, we kind of know what our non-conference games are going to be and who’s out there. … We weren’t on time with a lot of this stuff with the women’s program.”
Kelley added, “In actuality, we probably should have started as a club team but the conference was kind of in a bind to have us have women’s hockey, and we wanted to be a good colleague. … There’s a little bit of a give-and-take there.”
According to fsurams.com, the men’s ice hockey team played all eleven of their scheduled home games at Loring Arena.
during games until the second game at NESC.
“I don’t understand why the referees can’t move them. It’s a busy rink over there. … But eventually, we heard about it, and then we just had a couple of players in between just move them fast. So it worked, but I wish there was some communication from the rink on that end of it,” Lavin said.
He added, “I think for safety reasons, obviously
we had to do because it was in the middle of a game.”
McGinty said, “I know for a fact that I and all of my teammates hate [playing at] NESC, and having to travel by team bus for a home game was more inconvenient than you’d think.”
Prior to the start of games, players were told by NESC officials and referees to “move the nets off of the ice after warmups and each period if we wanted the ice cleaned,” according to freshman Anna Mc - Ginty, a member of the women’s ice hockey team.
Lavin was not aware players were required to move the nets off the ice
having the players on the ice that have the helmets on in this case, it’s a lot easier for them to do it. I couldn’t do it or my other coaches, so that would have been too dangerous with our sneakers on and stuff. But it worked.”
Lavin said, “I don’t think it was anticipated. So I just think we did what
Junior Emma O’Regan, also a member of the women’s ice hockey team, said, “The games at New England Sports Center were a bit difficult because they didn’t really feel like home games. The players, as well as the athletic trainers, needed to bring so much equipment with them.”
Freshman Petra Cernicek, another member of the women’s ice hockey team, said, “The team had to host home games at NESC because the men’s team already had their schedule submitted before they knew about the women’s team coming, so although NESC wasn’t the first choice, it was still great to get to play games.”
On days the team was scheduled to play at NESC, the team would go to the Maple Street athletic facility to retrieve their equipment.
From the Maple Street athletic facility, “We got a bus that picked us up at the locker room and dropped them off and took them back to school. So that worked out that way. They didn’t have to drive their cars. That was a good deal,” said Lavin.
The team was picked up from the Maple Street athletic facility and
bused to NESC, which is approximately a 24-minute drive, using Route 9 West and I-495 North.
“It messed with our warmup time, and NESC didn’t feel like a home rink, as we were always in a random locker room just like the opposing team,” said McGinty.
All of the men’s ice hockey team’s equipment is stored within their designated storage space at the Loring Arena.
Kelley said a storage room or locker room was not budgeted during planning for establishing a women’s ice hockey program.
Freshman Lila Chamoun, also a member of the women’s ice hockey team, said, “One time, our bus got lost and was late, so we had a shorter office warmup but that’s all.”
Kelley said, “We’re just happy that we got it off the ground and we got to win - it was pretty successful. I thought it was a pretty successful venture.”
Lavin said, “It’s a new season and a new team, and a lot of things were learned. I think now we know the needs, what we have, and what’s anticipated.”
CONNECT WITH DYLAN PICHNARCIK dpichnarcik@student.framingham.edu
CONNECT WITH IZABELA GAGE igage@student.framingham.edu
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
Lily Wilson skating with the puck in a game against New England College Feb. 11.
Leak repaired in the Dining Hall
By Bella Grimaldi Asst. News Editor
On Thursday, Feb. 27, there was a leak in the McCarthy Dining Commons, according to Daniel Giard, director of facilities.
The leak, located in the ceiling over the booth section by the drink station, was caused by a broken heat pipe, according to Michael Newmark, director of dining services.
Giard said Dining Services put in a work order about the leak.
According to Giard, the repair to the pipe took approximately three to four hours. The repair began on Friday morning and was completed in the early afternoon.
“They called me on Friday morning and they said they found it, and it was a heat leak, and they already got it all capped off, and the heat was all back on, and they were just trying to make it safe,” said Giard.
He said Facilities put out buckets to catch the falling water before the repair was made.
According to Giard, he was first notified of the leak on Thursday. He said facilities initially thought the cause was a leak in the roof.
Giard said, “It was a couple of guys that I sent over to check it out. They were pulling up the concrete patio
blocks outside, looking for the drains - the roof drains, to see if they were plugged up. That’s why it took so long, because right along, we thought it was a roof leak.
“Occasionally, we’ll get roof leaks, and a lot of times, there’s nothing we can do about it because we’re not a roofing company - we’re just maintenance.”
The break in the heat pipe was found on Friday. The pipe repair was straightforward, according to Giard.
“On the repair of the pipe, they just had to find the two shut-offs for the heater because every heater has a couple of shut-offs. So they had to find that, unscrew the valve, and take the valve out and then put a new valve in,” said Giard.
According to Giard, the repair to the water damage in the ceiling caused by the leak would take approximately a week.
He said two people from Facilities have been working on completing the repair to the ceiling from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. daily.
The water damage repair is being completed using joint compound, tape, and paint, Giard said.
He said, “Tape is what helps hold all the ceiling back together with the joint compound - it’s not tape, like scotch tape. It’s actually the same paper that the sheetrock’s made out of. … They
Fosteringopenandcollegial communicationwithinourcommunity
put it up and they put joint compound over it. So we didn’t have to take the sheetrock down and redo it.”
According to Giard, the repair is inexpensive because the University did not need to hire a contractor.
“Joint compound is really cheap, and we just have it in stock. … It was a pretty inexpensive fix because we did it in house,” Giard said.
According to Giard, there has not been a widespread leak problem on campus.
He said, “Sometimes, you get [leaks] on a heavy rain, and then it doesn’t leak again anymore. It’s just one time, depending on how the rain flows. But no, I don’t think we have a widespread problem with roof leaks.
“We don’t have a widespread [problem], but certainly with a campus the size we are, we do end up having problems that we take care of all the time. They don’t create a mess like that. We may have a pipe that leaks somewhere, but it might just be out on the floor. So you just come in, change the valve, and it doesn’t cause any damage, but it’s certainly not widespread.”
Freshman Hailey Ryan said she did not notice the leak in the dining hall. She added she has not noticed leaks anywhere else on campus.
Sophomore Trevor Fuller said he had not noticed any other leaks in the dining hall.
Junior James Driscoll said he did notice the leak in the dining hall but was not impacted.
Driscoll added he hasn’t noticed any other leaks on campus.
Freshman Lily Wojciechowski said she noticed a leak in the McCarthy Center and on the third floor of Corinne Hall Towers.
She added her old dorm room in Towers also had a leak at the beginning of this semester.
Freshman Xander Forward said he noticed the leak in the dining hall.
Forward added he was not impacted by the leak because he does not sit in that area of the Dining Commons.
Forward said he noticed “this other leak I saw in the yoga room. Like the room the dance team uses. It was a pretty big leak.”
Forward said he was impacted by that leak because he could not use the room after his workout.
Danforth celebrates 50th birthday
By Bella Grimaldi Asst. News Editor
The Danforth Art Museum is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
The Danforth was founded in 1975 by Paul Marks, a local businessman and fine arts enthusiast, and merged with the University in 2018, according to the Danforth’s website.
The museum is celebrating by holding events throughout the year, said Jessica Roscio, director and curator of the Danforth.
Roscio said the Danforth will be holding “50 years of programming, exhibitions, the collection, teaching up in the art school, including our Hype the Arts celebration this summer, in July, and then we’ll have another event, at the end of the year, in December kind of closing out the 50th year and looking back.”
She added, “We kicked off the year with a donor event in December, where we debuted our 50th anniversary logo, and kind of tied that into our founding back in 1975. Our current permanent collection exhibition celebrates 50 years of collecting.”
According to Roscio, the exhibition shows the progression of the museum’s collection.
“Our first two works that we were gifted were European works by Albrecht Dürer and Francisco José de Goya. But over the years, we’ve started focusing more on American art created in New England and really reflecting the region, that also relates to the new media that we collect. So you get a sense of how much our collection and the way we’ve looked at art history has
changed in the gallery.”
The collection is titled “1975-2025: Celebrating 50 years of collecting” and opened Feb 15, according to a press release from the University.
Roscio said the donor event allowed the museum staff the opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the Danforth.
“It was a way for people who have been affiliated with the Danforth for a while to get together and meet each other and talk and see what the museum had to offer. It was kind of a fun evening looking back, but also looking forward,” she said.
According to Roscio, the Danforth is launching a Health and Wellness series in conjunction with the 50th anniversary. This series includes sessions of yoga in the gallery.
The Danforth is launching its second “Happy Arts” event on July 19. This is a community event involving art making, music, food trucks, and other activities, said Roscio.
“I think looking at the next five years, or the next fifty years, it’s really going to be looking at what it means to have this dual identity of being a university museum and serving the University and serving the students and the professors and really being a part of the life of the University, but also being a community-focused regional space,” Roscio said.
President Nancy Niemi said the Danforth is a unique asset of the University.
She said, “It’s a real link between the University and the community that celebrates an aspect of communities that I think are integral to them being the kinds of communities we want to
live in. It shares beauty, it shares creation, it shares history of the region, and particularly the Danforth is focused on collecting.”
Niemi said the Danforth adds a focus to the arts at the University and provides the Arts & Humanities courses with more opportunities.
She added she has loved seeing the relationship between the fashion department and the Danforth develop.
Niemi said, “The Danforth Museum and school are FSU and FSU is them.”
Eric Gustafson, vice president of Development and Alumni Relations, said the partnership between the faculty and the Danforth has been wonderful. He added the Danforth has been an invaluable resource for the University and community.
“Ever since the Danforth joined FSU, it’s been amazing for our campus community, for the MetroWest Community, for alumni. To be the only public university in Massachusetts with a collecting art museum - it’s a real benefit. For the University, for our students, for our community. The exhibitions are first rate.”
Jennifer Dowling, art professor, said the Danforth is pivotal in expanding the boundaries of the classroom. She said she brings her classes to the museum to experience the artwork.
She said, “We talked about all the fundamentals of art, the elements, and the principles. I found students were left with a lasting impression.”
Timothy McDonald, professor of art, has work featured in the Danforth’s current exhibition. He said his featured pieces, created in 2020, were inspired by the isolation of COVID-19.
McDonald said he generally sends
his students to the Danforth and has conversations about what impacted them.
“It’s always been a place where we could take students nearby to look at actual artworks by important American artists and other artists. And I think that the impact is that we get to see that the museum is part of the community,” said McDonald.
Sophomore Paige Rainville said she has been working at the Danforth since her first semester. She said she loves being there beyond her work hours.
Rainville said in the future, “I want to see [the Danforth] at more events and more collaborations with the school itself. Unfortunately, a lot of people that I know, including art majors, have never been to the Danforth.”
Freshman Soraya Sheridan-Vargas said, “I always look forward to going there and having fun in ceramics because I have a three-hour class there.”
Sheridan-Vargas said she would like to see the Danforth have more studio classes.
She added she would like to go to the yoga sessions at the Danforth.
Junior Alyssa MacDougall said she has gotten to see “some really cool” exhibits at the Danforth.
She added, “It’s a really good opportunity for people’s work to be seen.”
Freshman Mary Zouharis said the Danforth has positively impacted her as it was her first on-campus job as a studio art major.
CONNECT WITH BELLA GRIMALDI igrimaldi@student.framingham.edu
OP/ED
THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL
Accessibility isn’t optional
If you ask any student on campus, they will be able to tell you about the slew of emails that have been sent out in the past week about elevator malfunctions in the Henry Whittemore Library and May Hall.
The May Hall elevator has been permanently out of service since February 14 - with three prior outages earlier that week. It will continue to be out of service for the rest of the semester.
The Whittemore Library elevator, on the other hand, is still in service, but has experienced a number of outages over the last few weeks - each lasting several hours.
This elevator, the only one in the building that serves students, was closed Feb. 12 at 3:10 p.m. and didn’t reopen until 8:43 a.m. on Feb. 14.
It was closed Feb. 26 from 1:33 p.m. to 4:07 p.m.
It was closed on March 5 from 12:05 p.m. to 1:29 p.m.
It was also closed on March 5 from 8:30 p.m. to March 6 at 2:48 p.m.
The Gatepost Editorial Board appreciates the prompt notifications about the operational status of the elevators on campus.
These breakdowns, unfortunately, should have been anticipated. The University had planned to update the May Hall elevator in the summer of 2026, according to Environmental Health and Safety Coordinator Maureen Fowl-
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er.
May Hall’s elevator was installed in 1981. Several members of our editorial board have parents who rode the same elevator when they attended Framingham State.
It’s not a stretch to say that an elevator installed in 1981 might be overdue for an update.
While The Gatepost Editorial Board recognizes the administration did not expect a complete failure of the elevator, these repairs should have been set in motion long before the elevator became unreliable, which has been the case in recent years.
In response to the elevator closure, some classes on the upper floors of May Hall have been moved to the library in order for students with disabilities to still be able to access their classrooms.
This temporary solution isn’t entirely helpful if the library elevator also continues to fail every single week.
This is not a solution for people who have mobility issues.
Furthermore, there are more people on campus with disabilities than you may realize. Not everyone’s disabilities are visible, but that doesn’t mean they don’t require accommodations as well.
Someone with asthma, for example, might not need assistance with mobility, but without an elevator, climbing up flights of stairs in May Hall or the library may be extremely difficult. Worse, it can negatively affect their health, impact their ability to arrive to class on time, or take their focus away from their lectures.
Moving class locations is the right choice, and a good solution given the circumstances. But moving classes to a building that is also experiencing elevator issues is just perpetuating the problem for affected students.
Especially for students enrolled in art courses, who have specialized tools, supplies, and workspaces that cannot be easily moved to another classroom - or even at all.
Health and safety equipment is available on the fourth floor of May Hall, which allows students to safely use paints, inks, and other materials that could be harmful, such as fume hoods, which safely ventilate the space.
Since no other building has proper art studios, students are effectively barred from using these materials, as they cannot be used anywhere without May Hall’s safety features.
By not taking action to upgrade the May Hall elevator, the University is taking educational access away from students who have paid thousands of dollars to attend their classes.
Framingham State students’ ability to attend class should not hinge on one 44-year-old elevator.
Access to these classrooms is extremely important, and it is the University’s duty to provide it to all members of the community.
Accessibility should not be a privilege. But it is starting to feel like one at FSU.
Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu
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The Gatepost Editorial reflects the opinions of the newspaper’s Editorial Board. Signed Op/Eds reflect the opinions of individual writers.
Em’s Gems: Out of Order
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST Emily
Inclusivity for all students means all students
By Liv Dunleavy Editorial Staff
Disabilities include the people you see with hearing aids, cochlear implants, wheelchairs, crutches, or with white canes. Those disabilities, while they are just as important, are usually thought of first when it comes to disabled people.
Your friend who struggles to make it to class every day, someone who may take longer to order at Dunkin’ because of a speech impediment, the person in class who never speaks up or the person who always speaks up a little too much - these are all examples of people with disabilities you may not see at a glance.
Disabilities come in every shape and form. There’s no blueprint for any person on how their disability affects them either. Many people you know may have a disability you are unaware of.
Every disabled person deserves the same access to campus as everyone else. But recently, I can’t help but think our access has been getting more and more limited.
According to a report by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education in 2024-25, disabled students make up 20.6% of the student population in Massachusetts’ schools.
That’s about one-fifth of the student body. As a disabled student myself, I have seen firsthand how different schools treat disabilities.
When I was younger I had what’s called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This is a document that outlined my needs and the accommodations I’d need put in place to achieve academic success.
I carried this with me throughout all of elementary school, middle school, high school, and college. I support myself now with Disabilities Services on campus.
and year to sit down with the Center for Academic Success and Achievement (CASA) and see if FSU’s disabilities center is able to help out with your college experience.
Many students I have met who do know about Disabilities Services or other colleges’ versions of accessibility centers refuse to utilize Disabilities Services and struggle greatly throughout their time in higher education. I understand the want to do it on your own or not get help, but sometimes we all need a little help.
It is important to know that if you want to try your first semester or year on your own, you can always go to the Disabilities Services later and get accommodations or aid. There’s no time limit, and it’s never too late to ask for help.
CASA and Disabilities Services are able to provide accommodations such as note takers, extended time on assignments and tests, permission to house emotional support animals, accommodated housing, and many more, based on your disabilities and needs.
and more - have impacted their lives while attending this school.
One student mentioned that while they utilize CASA for accommodations such as private testing, they wish there was more intervention when students experience a class that isn’t neurodivergent-friendly, and suggested CASA could meet with professors who are exhibiting ableist behaviors for intervention.
This student also stated they would love for CASA or FSU to have more events focused around disabled people so that there could be more connection between the disabled population on campus.
They said they would like to attend yoga classes and work out in the gymbut are intimidated going alone - and think having connections with people with disabilities would help them support each other.22
An accommodation another student brought up was the use of elevators and ramps on campus to aid their physical disability as they are unable to use the stairs.
Communication about out-of-order elevators and other modes of accessibility is really important to this student, as just making it to class exerts a large amount of energy. Showing up to a building just to find out an elevator is out of service is a waste of their time, money, and energy, considering they can no longer attend class.
Another student I interviewed gave me insight about housing accommodations, which I have also struggled with immensely, and how their difficulties in sharing a space with another person caused a need for a single room.
They stressed that there was a lengthy process in receiving a single room due to a back and forth with Residence Life over their own disability.
“I went back and forth with Residence Life for at least a month before I came back to school in order to get that in order. I did explain my disability and had a letter from my therapist that basically explained my predicament and even with that the school still attempted to force me to forget my accommodations. It took multiple forces in order for them to actually consider [the accommodation],” the student said.
Many K-12 schools I attended were very accommodating, and helped me grow in so many ways. Having a special-education or disabilities program that helps integrate disabled students instead of separating them is much more effective when teaching special-education skills.
While K-12 accommodations were helpful for me, they do not always work for every student. Many students dislike special education programs or do not have good experiences with them.
Now that I’ve been in college for a few years, I have noticed many students don’t even know about the disability resources offered on campus.
They might not be aware of it as students have to reach out to Disabilities Services on their own, because IEPs and 504 plans do not transfer over after K-12. To apply for accommodations for each class you have to register individually after meeting with Disabilities Services to set up accommodations.
I encourage students of any major
Not every accommodation is perfect at Disabilities Services, but just trying to get aid with your college career can greatly help struggling students.
It is important for students to know that CASA is a resource - even if you are not disabled. For the services to be able to grow and push for more opportunities, people need to utilize them. CASA is helpful for many students, but could be improved greatly with help from the Framingham State community.
I have talked to a few students about their experiences being disabled at FSU. It was important for me to understand how they are being treated by FSU’s population including staff, faculty, and other students.
But I also pondered how their own experiences just being disabled on our campus - from broken elevators, icy walkways, class expectations, uneven pavement, unaccommodating environments, inviting spaces, involvement,
“I also utilize CASA and note takers through CASA, although not as often as [elevators and ramps]. They are instrumental to my time here with my mental issues,” the student said. They said within CASA they mostly utilize the private testing area.
They mentioned that even with these accommodations they still find themself struggling to get by. Note takers are either unavailable due to no one signing up, or unclear due to illegible writing and incomplete notes.
And on top of everything else, the elevators in May Hall and the Henry Whittemore Library - crucial academic buildings - being out of service frequently has caused them to miss multiple days of classes. This student also stated the ramps leading to and from buildings are incredibly inconvenient, and they believe there is room for improvement with these accommodations.
They said that if they can’t register quick enough and all of the singles are taken, they would have to “fight for their life” to get accommodated housing in a building like Larned or West Hall. They stated that it really shouldn’t be this hard to fight to prove a disability. They feel the school should be more than willing to be accommodating than they are currently. This student also said Residence Life continued to ignore their pleas for accommodations and brushed them off.
“It seems like we are more of an annoyance to them than a part of the community, and that can feel very isolating and can make people with disabilities not want to come here anymore,” the student said.
It all comes down to what matters in the end. If FSU wants to show they care for all of their students equally, I don’t know if they’re doing it right. If you want your students to utilize a disabilities service and accommodationsmake your services actually accessible. Students want to feel supported not only by their friends but also their professors and faculty. I’ve been appalled by the ableist behavior exhibited by staff and faculty, professors outing students’ disabilities and staff making snide ableist commentary - there’s incredible need for reform within our community.
From my perspective, FSU has a lot of work to do if they want to really truly be accommodating to their disabled students. I’d probably start by having working elevators.
I wish I could see a future where any disabled person can attend FSU without fear or worry, but currently we are at a point where many improvements need to be made.
Gatepost Archives
The Center for Academic Success and Achievement.
What can FSU do to be more physically accessible? Campus Conversations
by Alexis Schlesinger, Editorial Staff
“I’ve seen a lot of people with wheelchairs and they have to go a whole long way just to go downstairs - they have to take the elevators. The elevators don’t really move that fast ... so those could improve.”
Jesse Ryland, freshman
“Make the elevators better, and maybe add more.”
Ayden Giombetti, sophomore
“As an orientation leader, I worked a lot with incoming students who are physically impaired, so navigating campus was always a difficulty. The campus is in a geographically challenging area. ... On Larned Beach and in front of Dwight, those are very hilly and curved paths. I think if the paths went directly through the grass, it would be less difficult.”
Cesar Matos, junior
“I think they could add scooters around campus. The electric scooters that drive themselves, ... students could rent it.”
“There’s a lot of issues with the elevators on campus, especially the one outside West at the garage level near the parking lot. That has been out since I have been here. On top of that, instead of fixing them [the elevators], they just ‘put a bandaid’ on them hoping for an easy way out of replacing it.”
Autumn Ray, junior
“Please fix the elevators so they stop breaking all the time. It really is not good.”
Io
Phillips, freshman
“Making sure the buttons for accessible doors are functioning, and that they’re in appropriate spots. The Hemenway doors are either malfunctioning or in a spot that isn’t otherwise accessible.”
Zachary Sorel, junior
“Doing something about the elevators. ... The fact they keep going down makes them very unreliable.”
Marlin Polanco, sophomore
“When it snows, they need to start clearing off the raised surfaces on the sidewalk for blind people to walk with. They’re always covered in slush and they never salt it. So it’s not accessible to blind people who use mobility canes.”
Eli Onyeabor, sophomore
Connor Thibault, freshman
Fight to win
By Sophia Oppedisano Editorial Staff
This year’s Super Bowl set a record for viewership with 127.7 million viewers.
According to Nielsen, this is the single largest audience for a single-network telecast in history.
Every year, the Super Bowl audience speculates about the advertisements that will air during the game. Which will have the celebrity cameos, the humor, the emotion?
This year, female empowerment took center stage in ads from Dove and Nike, which used their platforms to uplift everyone from young girls to the most powerful female athletes.
Nike’s ad “So Win” was the compa ny’s first Super Bowl ad in 27 years.
And they made a statement.
Nike gave the stage to nine high-cal iber female athletes, including gymnast Jordan Chiles, WNBA star Caitlin Clark, track and field Olympian Sha’carri Richardson, and three-time Grand Slam champion Aryna Sabalen ka.
Grammy award winner
Doechii narrated the blackand-white love letter to the athletes’ accomplishments. She rattled off a list of what female athletes can’t do.
Be demanding.
Be relentless.
Put themselves first.
If someone says you can’t do it, Nike says do it anyway.
The ad is capped with the message, “You can’t win. So win.”
This ad resonated with me as a wom an who played sports and is now striv ing for a career working in sports.
For decades, female athletes and women working in sports have not been invited into those spaces. They have not been given a seat at the table.
In fact, the rise of women’s sports has only begun in the past decade, co inciding with an outpouring of support for the United States Women’s Nation al Soccer Team (USWNT) when five of their star players filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission accusing U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination.
The lawsuit was settled in 2022 with the athletes receiving $24 million and a pledge from U.S. Soccer to give the women’s national team the same pay as the men’s.
Since then, support for women’s sports has grown into booming success for the WNBA, PWHL, college volleyball and basketball, as well as tennis.
My interpretation of Nike’s ad is this: these nine women are examples of female athletes who have pushed through adversity to find success and they are selling out stadiums, breaking records, and letting their emotions show. They are examples of women who go out and
and even in their families.
The ad quickly received criticism. According to the New York Post, comedian Bill Maher called it a “zombie lie” on “Real Time with Bill Maher” Feb. 14.
Maher defined a “zombie lie” as a problem that was true in the past, but has since been rectified even though groups of people still try to perpetuate belief that it persists.
“When was the last time a woman was told, ‘You can’t do this! You can’t be confident!’ … Who are these imaginary mean old men of the patriarchy?” Maher asked.
During Caitlin Clark’s first press conference with the Indiana Fever, reporter Gregg Doyel asked that she give
Clark won the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year award just a few months later.
I believe this is the spirit of what Nike’s message is about.
In 2022, research from Durham University indicated over two-thirds of football fans harbor hostile or misogynistic attitudes toward women’s sports. These attitudes may no longer exist in the form of an angry old man yelling at or about female athletes, but they do exist in the form of microaggressions and the crossing of boundaries.
In my own work, men do not blatantly tell me to stop trying or that my writing isn’t good enough. Rather, they make comments such as, “Well, this is certainly a noble goal for you,” or “It’s going to be hard for you to make a name for yourself.”
Stark misogyny still exists. Nike’s ad is also encouraging to those who are dealing with covert forms of misogyny, which are no less insidious or pervasive.
Female athletes are fighting to maintain their dignity in the face of men who make veiled sexual comments and call them derogatory names.
Broad-based misogyny still happens, but the less obvious and veiled microaggressions are subtle paper cuts of sexism that rob women of their dignity and their full agency as female athletes.
Sexism may not be appearing in the same way it once did, but it is our job to recognize it in all of its new forms and call it out to protect women in sports.
Nike wants the world to know that no matter what, women will win.
Nicole Hubbard Graham, Nike’s Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement, “This brand wasn’t built on Google ads or clicks - it was built on feelings, and big, disruptive, irreverent, emotional
Those big, disruptive feelings are exactly what the world is telling women not to feel. Nike managed to put our frustrations into words.
You can’t feel. So feel.
You can’t write. So write.
You can’t have opinions. So have opinions.
You can’t fight. So fight. And win.
Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST
Too loud, too reckless, too GHETTO
By Izayah Morgan Opnions Editor
Super Bowl LIX ended with a decisive victory for the Philadelphia Eagles over the Kansas City Chiefs. And yes, while most of us can rest easy knowing the terror of a potential Mahomes three-peat is over, I want to analyze the brilliant halftime show Kendrick Lamar performed.
The show opened with Samuel L. Jackson speaking as the American symbol Uncle Sam. A symbolic choice, as the character of Uncle Sam has been used as a propaganda piece for America and can be a representation of America’s dark past to some - especially to Black folks.
Segregation, false promises to the veterans, Jim Crow, redlining, not to mention the ongoing racial discrimination that is inside the workplace, housing, medicine, and larger society. It persists in almost every aspect of our American society and Uncle Sam represents it.
Having Jackson play him was multilayered, with the obvious connection of Uncle Sam and Samuel, the tie of Jackson having a background in activism, and the quite under-talked about connection of Jackson playing Stephen in “Django Unchained” - a character whose primary motive was to serve as the “boot licking” house slave who actively worked against his fellow “field negroes.”
drick “knew how to play the game.” A question Black Americans ponder - they ask themselves, “Are we fitting into what the dominant society wants?”
Guess we gotta tighten up.
Kendrick transitioned to “Humble,” which is his most popular song and considered to be more palatable to white Americans. All the backup dancers, dressed in either red, white, or blue, stood together to form the American flag. Kendrick sang the lines “Sit down, be humble” - a line many Black Americans have heard when trying to have their voices heard by society.
The choice to have majority Black dancers wasn’t just some random coincidence. Many companies try to pass themselves off as being diverse, but often will limit it to just a few POC. Kend-
the Garden of Eden from the Bible and literally this garden represents the Madison Square Garden Kendrick performed in at the top of his career. As he gives his all to his community but at the same time is a celebrity, he questions the challenges that come with the two identities.
He deserves it all.
Uncle Sam appeared again, commenting how Kendrick had Black men standing behind him during “man at the garden,” saying that it was a culture cheat code.
“Scorekeepers deduct 1 point,” Uncle Sam said.
“peekaboo,” my favorite song off “GNX” had me feeling the urge to crip walk but it was a bit too small where I was at. Kendrick then stated he want-
“Yeah that’s what I’m talking about. That’s what America wants - nice and calm. You’re almost there, don’t mess this up.” The “Not Like Us” beat plays in the background as Sam speaks - directly undermining Sam’s words. Uncle Sam wants Kendrick’s music to be “nice and calm,” easily digestible, and not too “much or too loud” - but Black art isn’t limited by others’ skewed beliefs.
Kendrick snapped back at America. He proceeded to interrupt Uncle Sam, saying, “It’s a cultural divide. Imma get it on the floor. Forty acres and a mule, this is bigger than the music. Yeah, they tried to rig the game, but they can’t fake influence.”
“Forty acres and a mule” were the promises made to African Americans to give the community resources after the Civil War. It is also the name of Spike Lee’s production company. Lee is a prominent Black director of movies that have empowered the Black community and give historical information on the tragedies that befell us.
Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST
“They tried to rig the game, but they can’t fake influence” is another shot at the crown that Drake seems to have had for a while. It wasn’t just a rap battle, but a battle for the culture as well.
Guess the culture didn’t feel Drake. Huh, it must have been the braids.
Kendrick started his performance with the unreleased song “Bodies” and ended the song by saying, “The revolution ’bout to be televised, you picked the right time but the wrong guy.”
Kendrick casting himself as “the wrong guy” displays the contrast in Kendrick’s perceived character by the larger society as the gold standard of how Black people should act - not too loud, reckless, or ghetto - against Kendrick’s true character - a figure who has said by his own words “capitalist posin’ as compassionate be offending me.”
A Black man with revolutionary thoughts who is now hosting the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the most watched piece of media in America.
You, America, picked the right time to have a party, but the wrong man to host it.
He then transitioned to the song “Squabble Up,” which went on for about a minute. Uncle Sam then interjected, saying, “No, no, no - too loud, too reckless, too ghetto!” He questioned if Ken-
rick, in my opinion, chose to contradict this familiar trope by having majority Black backup dancers in a known-tobe-racist industry for POC to get into.
Every backup dancer then ran out of the way as Kendrick performed “DNA.,” the song that displays the contrast of America treating Black Americans as violent creatures by our very DNA.
That’s how our enslavement was justified for so many years. Even after slavery ended, a young Black boy could be perceived as an active threat just for “whistling at a white woman.”
So much so that they track and hunt this boy, kill him, and dump him in the river.
He then transitioned to “Euphoria,” my favorite song in the diss tracks between Kendrick and Drake last summer. A great tease of what was to come in the show. The song sends warning shots to Drake, which, well, let’s be frank, he didn’t listen to.
Kendrick then performed “man at the garden,” a song about a man talking about his accomplishments - who “deserves it all.” I interpret this on two levels - figuratively this garden represents
ed to play everyone’s favorite song but “you know they love to sue.”
Kendrick debated performing “Not Like Us,” instead deciding to “slow it down” and then asked the beautiful women around to “do me this solid.”
“Oh, you lost your damn mind,” Uncle Sam said. Well, it might have been all the Black joy Uncle Sam saw on stage. Or maybe it’s the fact the next song performed was “Luther,” which features SZA, who Kendrick brought out. The song is about empowering your partner, as if the world was Kendrick’s, then he would take his partner’s dreams and make them multiply.
It was a beautiful duet. It was then followed up poetically by the duet song “All the Stars,” which appeared in the “Black Panther” film in 2018. Kendrick’s verses are about the politics that come with being famous and dealing with the dilution of people you once trusted.
SZA’s chorus is a deep contrast to Kendrick’s verse - it represents faith and aspiring for more in life. As my mother told me, reach for the stars, as no dream is too big for Black people.
Uncle Sam interjects again, saying,
Kendrick proceeded to then do one last victory lap on Drake’s head with “Not Like Us.” He pulled out all the stops, getting the whole crowd shouting “A MINOR” at the top of their lungs, everyone dancing, and Serena Williams crip walking to show her support.
You may be wondering why Serena was there. It turns out that she and Drake dated for a short period of time. Surprising nobody, they broke up. Drake has been sneaking and dissing her and her husband for years. That went on until Drake finally did a direct diss, insulting Serena’s husband on his album “For All the Dogs.”
Also during the Olympics Serena decided to crip walk. She was berated with comments telling her it was unprofessional - too ghetto and too Black.
Oh sorry, I said the quiet part out loud.
The Halftime Show closed out with one more song - “tv off.” It was the final celebration to bring out culture-favorite producer Mustard to dance. With a final announcement from Kendrick that we need to turn that damn TV off.
It’s rotting your brain.
Women’s ice hockey opens the door to future success with first program win
By Taylor Kimmell
Asst. Sports Editor
The Framingham State Rams made program history with the first win of their inaugural season in a matchup against the Anna Maria College Amcats on Friday, Feb. 21.
This nail-biting 1-0 game ended in a long-awaited celebration on Framingham’s side of the ice - the women jubilant about having finally secured their first win after facing much adversity throughout their season.
For the first period of the game, both teams focused on defending their territory. Freshman goalie Lila Chamoun kept close watch of the net for the entirety of the game.
Anna Maria was quick to Framingham’s goal, with a shot just 25 seconds into the first period.
Framingham won all of the following three faceoffs, resulting in a shot from freshman Lily Wilson that was blocked by the Amcats’ goalkeeper, Megan Tegethoff.
Two shots from freshman Adrianna Rizzotto succeeded the first from Wilson, both bouncing off Tegethoff’s pads.
Seven minutes into the period, freshman Sarah Lewis was sent to the penalty box for roughing, beginning a 2-minute power play for Anna Maria.
Strong defensive play and three expert saves from Chamoun prevented the Amcats from finding the back of the net during the power play, resulting in a well-executed penalty kill for FSU.
Fifteen minutes into the period, the Rams were on their first powerplay of the game. This enabled Rizzotto, and freshmen Amy Tansek and Kalina Cocheran to find opportunities on goal which were defended by Tesethoff.
At the time of the first buzzer, Chamoun had already accumulated 20 saves.
The second period proved key to Framingham’s success. Lewis won the faceoff and, after several well-executed passes, the puck found its way from Wilson’s stick to the tip of Tesethoff’s glove, landing in the corner of the net for the Rams’ first and only goal of the game.
Wilson said that the goal “was honestly a fluke. I was on the blue line and dumped the puck close to the net. It bounced off the boards, and when Anna Maria’s goalie tried to deflect the puck, she deflected it into the net.”
After breaking the deadlock, the Rams spent the rest of the period focused on defending their goal and preventing the Amcats from tying up the game.
Chamon remained vigilant in the net, defending against another 20 shots.
Around 5 minutes in, Wilson was sent to the penalty box for
cross-checking. The following minute, Chamoun was penalized for smashing, with freshman Isabella Nappi serving the penalty in her place.
Now at a two-player deficit, Framingham continued to stay steady on the defensive end, succeeding in holding off Anna Maria’s advances.
A minute after Wilson was sent back onto the ice, freshman Ruby Boucher was put in the box for cross-checking, bringing the Rams back down to only three players for another full minute.
The Rams were left at a player deficit four more times during the period, Rizzotto, Boucher, and freshmen Ciera Garrity and Alyssa Tansek each serving two minutes in the penalty box.
During the final period of the game, Anna Maria’s offensive pressure increased, pressing for an equalizing goal.
Chamoun said during the third period, the team planned to take a more defensive approach to the game.
She said, “We were keeping pucks deep in Anna Maria’s zone trying to run the clock. There was a lot of pressure on us to be up by 1 in such a close game. Obviously, another goal would’ve been great but protecting our own zone and keeping Anna Maria to the outside was the best move. We executed it perfectly.”--
Chamouns 10 saves, as well as FSU’s successful penalty kill, proved crucial in securing the team’s first win in program history.
Head Coach Robert Lavin said, “We work hard every practice doing drills that reinforce competing and winning
small area battles. … We also improved a ton by playing tight defense in our zone, which also helped our goalies gain more confidence and make more saves.”
As the final buzzer sounded through the rink, the women came together in a long-awaited revelry.
Chamoun noted, “Winning the game felt incredible. There’s nothing like hearing the final buzzer and rushing to your teammates to celebrate.”
Chamoun was named Goalie of the Week following this shutout game, her impressive 48 saves allowing her to stand out against the competition.
She said, “Getting Goalie of the Week was awesome, but honestly, just winning the game and celebrating with my teammates felt like an award in itself.”
Lavin commended the team’s performance throughout the season, making mention of their final game of the first semester.
He said, “Our team kept positive all season … I think our turning point was our last game in the first semester against Anna Maria when we lost 3-2. We played great and Lila Chamoun played unbelievably, and that helped motivate us for the second semester.”
After such a tumultuous season, there is no denying that the team was more than deserving of this win.
Coach Lavin said, “Our first win was definitely a great feeling. I was so happy for the team and Framingham State. Second semester, we lost 2 overtime games and a bunch of two and threegoal games, so I knew we were playing
better and it was a matter of time before we got rewarded.”
Lewis said, “It felt really good to see our hard work pay off. I think we will carry the momentum from winning that game into next year. I think you are going to see us in the win column a lot more next season.”
This win marked what may in future years be referred to as one of the program’s most historically significant games.
Wilson said, “I think it’s monumental for us to end the regular season with a win. It sets us up even better for next year and to let us know in our first year we’ve started something pretty great.”
An unfortunate loss against the Raiders of Rivier University at the conclusion of the first round of playoffs Feb. 26 cut the Rams’ extended season short.
This unsuccessful playoff game closed the door on the team’s 202425 season, but their win against Anna Maria opened a window to future successes in the coming years.
Chamoun said, “We all knew that win was the first of many for our program, and we’re excited to carry that momentum into next season and continue building this team.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH TAYLOR KIMMELL tkimmell@student.framingham.edu
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
(Right) Petra Cernicek skating with the puck against MCLA Jan. 21.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
By Sophia Oppedisano Sports Editor
By Taylor Kimmell Asst. Sports Editor
After 15 years without a win in the playoffs, the Framingham State men’s basketball team defeated the Bridgewater State Bears in a nail-biter MASCAC quarterfinal game Feb. 25. This season, the Rams improved their overall record to 12-15 and their conference record to 5-7, continuing to
steadily improve under the direction of Head Coach Donald Morris Jr. This was Morris’ fourth season with the Rams.
The Rams just managed to knock the Bears down to the fifth seed in the MASCAC, taking the fourth seed for themselves with their upset win against the Worcester State Lancers Feb. 19.
After the Rams were unable to secure a playoff bid last season, Logan Gymnasium was packed for the quarterfinal against the Bears. It was standing room only for students, faculty,
and men’s basketball alumni.
Senior JD Okafor stepped up to the center line and fed the ball back to his teammates, giving the Rams decisive control of the ball in the opening moments of the game.
Both teams were quick to utilize full-court-press defense, but the Rams found their footing first as sophomore Dyree Rogers nailed a step-back jump shot in the paint to open scoring.
Dyree Rogers and sophomore Joshua Saint Jean took turns bounding through the Bears’ defense to lead the
Rams on a 9-0 run in the first 8 minutes of the first half.
The Rams’ bench was charged, feeding off the electricity from the performance of the starting five and the energy of their home crowd.
On the other end of the court, the Bears refused to go quietly and countered with a 7-0 run.
Josh Campbell, a sophomore and forward for the Bears, put up the first 3-point field goal of the game - silencing the home crowd.
See MEN’S BASKETBALL Page 14
Men’s basketball
Continued from Page 13
Campbell was one of the Rams’ biggest foes throughout the game. He put up a game-high 23 points and went 4-8 on 3-point shots.
The Rams began to falter slightly on defense, with Okafor and Dyree Rogers committing turnovers under pressure from the Bears’ press defense.
Senior Adonis Vashon came off the bench for the Rams and put up a much-needed layup to bring the score to 11-7 before the Bears took command of the lead with three 3-point shots.
Down 16-11 with 9 minutes to play in the first half, Framingham took a full timeout with Morris hoping to reset his team.
The Bears’ press was stifling and the Rams could not get into the paint on the offensive end. A layup from senior Kyle Philistin breathed some life back into Framingham and brought the score to 19-13, but the defense continued to struggle defending 3-point shots from the Bears.
“We talked about it even before the game - we know these guys can really shoot the ball. … We had to do a better job of running their shooters off the line and making the shots a little harder,” Morris said.
With 2 minutes left in the first half, the Bears had scored 15 points off Framingham turnovers and their lead had grown to 35-19.
Senior Jordan Howard, Hayes, Philistin, and Saint Jean combined on free throws, layups, and assists to cut the Rams’ deficit to just 10 points. The buzzer sounded with the score 35-25
in favor of the Bears.
During halftime, Morris said his focus was to get the team back to the “bread and butter” that made them so successful in the opening minutes of the first half.
“Sometimes, we have these tendencies where we get away from what got us there. I always try to use the expression, ‘You just have to stay vanilla ice cream. Eventually, you can put a couple of sprinkles on top as the game goes along,’” Morris said.
Returning to those basic principles of success during halftime resulted in the Rams coming out strong in the second half to begin adding sprinkles to the sundae.
Okafor and Dyree Rogers hit two layups in the opening 60 seconds before Saint Jean drove powerfully through Bridgewater traffic to nail a dunk.
The Bears countered with a layup and 3-point shot, taking a nine-point lead 40-31.
The Rams quickly picked up the pace on defense, outdoing their performance from the first half.
Okafor, Saint Jean, and Philistin used height to their advantage to pick up defensive rebounds and Philistin went up for a huge block against a Bridgewater 3-point shot.
With 16 minutes left to play, Saint Jean achieved a double-double. He tallied 20 points and 16 rebounds, 12 of them defensive.
Saint Jeans’ standout performance this season earned him a spot on the MASCAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference second team.
He finished this season leading the league with a field goal percentage of 61.4.
The Rams and Bears traded possessions until the score stood at 45-42 in favor of the Bears with 10 minutes to play.
Going into those last 10 minutes, Morris said he told his players, “This is what we wanted. We wanted a playoff game at home. We wanted to split [series] with everybody. Now here we are. So this is your moment - you have all the student body watching you. … Now it’s your opportunity.”
The home crowd saw the team come together to make their final push for an incredible comeback.
“One of the things we harp on is opportunities are presented every day - it’s what you do with them. … They latched on to that in that moment, and I think that’s what made it successful. They made a lot of big plays and stepped up,” Morris said.
With just under 10 minutes left, Philistin stepped to the 3-point line and took the game-tying shot.
The crowd and the bench stood holding their breath, arms raised above their heads with thumb and pointer fingers touched together.
The shot landed with an unmistakable swish and the gym erupted with palpable excitement and hope as the score stood tied at 45-45.
Bridgewater tried to regain control and connected on two consecutive layups before trading possessions with the Rams for 4 minutes.
The Bears added two free throws to make the score 53-46 and Framingham took a full timeout with 5:30 left on the clock.
In a show of impressive defensive
effort, the Rams stopped the Bears from scoring for the next 4 minutes.
Saint Jean nailed a layup and Philistin hit another well-timed 3-point shot to bring the score to 53-51. Philistin was fouled shortly after and his resulting free throws tied the game.
A layup and a jump shot from Okafor put the Rams solidly in the lead and Morris called a full timeout, nodding his approval as he stepped out on the court and high-fived his players.
The clock wound down to less than a minute and the Bears made a 3-pointer bringing themselves within a point of tying the game at 61-60.
Philistin hit two free throws to give the Rams a 63-60 lead but the game came down to Bridgewater’s best weapon - their 3-point shot.
Bridgewater sophomore Sam Sweeney stepped to the line and got a shot off just as the buzzer sounded. His 3-point attempt arched through the air and bounced off the rim for Okafor to grab on a defensive rebound.
Pandemonium ensued as the bench and the crowd rushed the court and history was made.
“I think when I first came in, the big thing was trying to recruit the right kids to change the culture. … It’s going in that direction. … The guys did a tremendous job this year,” Morris said.
Unfortunately, the Rams’ win streak was cut short when a loss against the top-seeded Westfield State Owls Feb. 27 brought their season to an end.
Westfield was first to put points on the board, freshman Kenneth Rogers Jr. scoring 2 points on a layup just 17 seconds into the game.
Framingham’s first basket came during their second offensive possession, with Okafor scoring on a layup with an assist from Dyree Rogers off a defensive rebound by Saint Jean.
Philistin and Hayes also contributed to the scoring during the first half, which, despite the Rams’ efforts, ended with Westfield at a 12-point advantage.
Framingham worked toward decreasing the deficit during the second half.
This was futile, as Westfield increased their score to 50 before the Rams could connect on another shot.
The greatest point discrepancy came with 7:13 left in the game, when FSU lagged nearly 30 points behind.
WSU’s defense remained vigilant as the seconds ticked by, proving difficult for the Rams to penetrate.
Over the following minutes, crucial shots from Philistin, Vashon, Howard, Okafor, Dyree Rogers, and sophomore Geino Scaringello decreased the Owls’ advantage, bringing the Rams within 16 points of the lead as the final buzzer sounded.
Westfield capitalized on their offensive opportunities, outshooting Framingham 73-42.
Even so, FSU’s successful field goal percentage topped WSU’s by over 10%.
Four of the Rams’ players scored in double digits, Dyree Rogers contributing 14 and leading the team in points. Closely following were Philistin with 13 and both Okafor and Saint Jean with 11 each.
Saint Jean narrowly missed the opportunity for a double-double, crashing the boards for nine rebounds.
During too many offensive posses-
sions, Framingham was unable to connect on shots, resulting in 27 turnovers compared to the Owls’ measly nine.
These turnovers proved to be detrimental to the Rams’ side of the scoreboard, as they provided Westfield the opportunity to secure 58 points, 49% from the floor and 39% from behind the arc.
This semifinal loss for the Rams secured the Owls a spot in the MASCAC Championship game, where they faced off against the Salem State Vikings and came away with the conference title.
Framingham’s ability to put up such a fight against the conference’s top seeded team stands as proof of the program’s improvement this year and provides hope for the upcoming seasons.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
CONNECT WITH SOPHIA OPPEDISANO soppedisano@student.framingham.edu
CONNECT WITH TAYLOR KIMMELL tkimmell@student.framingham.edu
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Right) Makyle Hayes passing the ball to Dyree Rogers in quarterfinal win against Bridgewater State Feb. 25.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Center) JD Okafor going for a layup in quarterfinal win against Bridgewater State Feb. 25.
Women’s basketball wins MASCAC semifinal, falls in final
By Kyra Tolley Asst. Sports Editor
Framingham State women’s basketball defeated the Salem State University Vikings 66-63 in the MASCAC semifinals on the Rams’ home court Feb. 27.
This win brought their overall record to 14-9 and their conference record to 6-4.
Captain Katie Haselton, a senior, scored the first basket of the game while being fouled and converted the subsequent free throw.
Salem then scored a layup after a missed 3-point opportunity from Framingham.
The teams alternated possessions without any scoring plays until freshman Faith Greene confidently shot and sank a 3-pointer, assisted by senior Michelle Moreno.
After two fouls against the Rams, the Vikings made four free throws.
The game was tied 6-6, and junior Reese Perry came into the game for Greene.
Moreno inbounded the ball to Haselton, who dribbled up the court and initiated a passing sequence that ended with the ball in the hands of senior Chloe Rayko. She fired off a 3-point shot that was all net to bring the score to 9-6.
After a foul committed by Salem, Haselton received a pass from Perry, who set a screen to give time for Ha-
selton to shoot a jump shot for 2 more points.
Not only did Haselton show her ability to shoot, but on defense, she stole the ball from Salem under her own hoop and sent the Rams back on offense.
Once again, Rayko received the ball and scored another 3-pointer. Each time the Rams sank a 3-point shot, the home crowd yelling “Boom!” resonated through the gym.
With Framingham leading by 9 points, the Vikings scored a layup and two free throws to narrow the deficit to 5 points, but Perry had the last action of the quarter, a layup, to bring the score to 17-10 in favor of the Rams.
The second quarter started slowly until freshman Jackie Schels recovered a defensive rebound and handed the ball to Haselton, who bounce passed to Perry for a quick layup.
Neither team could sink a shot for several possessions, keeping the score 19-10.
Haselton broke the stalemate with an impressive 3-point shot from the very center of the arc, assisted by Schels.
The Vikings couldn’t score on their next possession, but a turnover by Framingham allowed them to score a 3-pointer, bringing the score to 22-13.
Momentum began to shift in favor of the Vikings when they sank another 3-point jump shot.
A foul committed by Framingham allowed the Vikings to score two more free throws, but Haselton responded with another 3-pointer to maintain the lead.
Salem was still able to shrink the deficit to 5 points by the end of the second quarter, which ended with the Rams in the lead 28-23.
Schels scored the first 2 points of the third quarter, but the Vikings controlled the next 2 minutes of play.
They scored 6 consecutive points while the Rams could only score 2, resulting in only a 1-point difference.
Greene was responsible for the next 5 points of the game - a 3-point shot and a layup.
Salem answered with a layup of their own, but Greene was fouled while
scoring another layup and converted the additional free throw.
The next 2 points came from Schels, who proved to be reliable from the free-throw line, making five of six shots throughout the game.
A few more scoring plays by each team brought the score to 42-35 with the Rams in the lead.
Greene knocked down another 3-pointer to give Framingham a 10-point lead.
Before the end of the quarter, Greene scored a layup and the Vikings responded with 4 more points of their own, bringing the score to 50-41.
The fourth quarter started with little action beyond free throws for each team. During the Rams’ next possession, Greene scored a 2-point jump shot, but proceeded to foul out, ending her night on the court.
After a missed jump shot from junior Kiara Cerruti, Perry, playing the center position in place of Greene, grabbed the rebound and scored a layup.
Head Coach Walter Paschal said Perry’s ability to come off the bench was “huge” for the Rams. “She stepped up with big minutes. That’s what she can do, and hopefully, she can carry that on into next year, too,” he said.
Salem then scored 2 points during their next possession, but Haselton dribbled the ball up the court, passed it to Cerruti, and moved to get open again.
Haselton found herself open on the left side of the 3-point line, received the ball from Cerruti, and shot the ball to gain 3 points for Framingham.
The score was 60-47 and a win for the Rams seemed to be on the horizon, but four free throws, four layups, and two jump shots by Salem closed the gap to 65-63 with 13 seconds left.
Salem made 23 of 27 free throws throughout the game to keep the score close.
Two seconds were left and Haselton was at the free-throw line, trying to ice the game. She made one of two free throws, just enough to make the score a 3-point game.
The Vikings were unable to score a 3-pointer in the final seconds to tie it up, earning Framingham a spot in the
MASCAC Championship game for the second year in a row.
The Rams shot 39% from the 3-point line, with Haselton, Greene, and Rayko leading the way.
Haselton scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds during the game, giving her a double-double - an achievement that is not unfamiliar to her.
She was also named to the MASCAC All-Conference second team for her performance this season.
Haselton’s senior year proved to be her best, as she increased her season 3-point percentage by 10.6% from her junior year, bringing it to 36.0% for the 2024-25 season.
She said she went into her senior season wanting to “give it all you got, walk away from this game, and be satisfied with the effort that you put in and the history that you’ve made as a team.”
Paschal said Haselton is one of the best captains the team has ever had. “She’s our leader and she’s tough. She had four fouls and she stayed out of trouble at the end, so it was great.”
After winning MASCAC Rookie of the Week eight times, Greene was also named MASCAC Rookie of the Year for her success during the 2024-25 season.
During that time, Greene accomplished 10 double-doubles and was particularly impressive with rebounding.
She started every game, averaging 10.9 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and 1 block per game.
Greene said, “The people that are close to me will come and support me. At the end of the day, I just appreciate the opportunity. I thank God for the grace that He has shown me to be on the court.”
The Rams traveled to Bridgewater State March 1, where they lost 76-65 in the MASCAC Championship game, finishing with an overall record of 14-10.
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST
The women’s basketball team cheering on their teammates in semifinal win against Salem State Feb. 27.
Adrien Gobin / THE GATEPOST (Center) Jackie Schels going up for a layup in semifinal win against Salem State Feb. 27.
Ashton Collazo skates into history, ties most career games played record
By Izabela Gage Sports Editor
Playing 100 games of ice hockey in four seasons may sound exhausting for some, but for Ashton Collazo, it’s only the beginning.
On Feb. 20, Collazo skated in his 100th career game at Framingham State University.
But his record didn’t end there. In the last game of the 2024-25 season on Feb. 22, Collazo was one of the starting five players and wrapped up his college career at a total of 101 games - tying FSU’s all-time record, previously held by Marc MacDonald, class of ’86.
Collazo said he has officially signed with the Blue Ridge Bobcats, a professional hockey team based in Wytheville, Virginia. “I haven’t really set too many goals yet. I just really want to get my feet wet and see where I stack up against the rest of the pro-competition. … I just want to keep moving up.”
Originally from Victor, New York, Collazo began skating at 3 years old. He said he was introduced to hockey through a local “Learn to Play” program, following in the footsteps of his older brother.
From early days at his hometown rink to playing junior league hockey with the Seacoast Spartans in Exeter, New Hampshire, Collazo said his journey was driven by a simple goal - to compete at the highest level possible.
Collazo said Head Coach Michael Bailey was a big factor in committing to Framingham State. “Sometimes, it can be hard to find a very genuine coach who tells it how it is, and he was
really straight up with me.”
He added having a campus that is easy to navigate also played a part in finding the perfect school for him.
“The school itself was a very beautiful campus, and it’s simple. … I appreciate how easy it was to know where everything was.”
Collazo said taking on the role of team captain was not something he had initially expected. “I wasn’t a captain of any junior teams because I played for a new team each year, so it was hard to be a captain.
“Around junior year, when my peers selected me as an assistant captain, I was like, ‘OK, I might be a captain my senior year,’ given that it was me and another junior who were assistant captains. It wasn’t until my last year here that I saw that coming,” he added.
Collazo described his leadership style as simply leading by example. “I want guys to see what I do and mimic it. I tried to be the best role model I could.”
Jake Barcelou, a teammate and one of his assistant captains, said, “Ashton leads by example every single day. He was always doing the right things off the ice and he was not only a really good player, but a great person and teammate as well.”
Patrick Colgan, Collazo’s former captain, said, “He’s been producing consistently on the ice since he arrived at FSU. He brings a determined work ethic to the team culture, which is contagious.”
Despite the team’s 3-19-3 overall record this year, Collazo said the team has been improving year by year. “My freshman year, we won two games plus
the playoff game. Next year, we won five. The next year after that, we won eight. And then this year, I think we had [six] wins.
“I don’t think that really reflects how well we did as a team. I think the guys in the locker room know next year and in years to come that the team’s only going to get better,” he added.
Athletic Director Thomas Kelley said, “I think their record wasn’t indicative of how hard they played.”
Collazo said he worked to build a team culture of hard work and dedication.
He said the team’s offseason training has evolved during his time at FSU.
“When I first came to Framingham, our workout schedule wasn’t as dedicated in the off-season, and we didn’t skate as much for [captain practices]. … Then in my sophomore, junior, and senior years, we started to try to turn the culture around.
“One thing I hope that they continue to do is starting in the first week of September, being on the ice four days a week as a team, and then have three lifts a week as well,” he added.
Collazo said the team participated in youth hockey events, including skating with local under-9 teams. “A lot of them think we’re the Bruins, which is nice. We’re a little bit away from them. But it’s stuff like that that keeps the kids excited and hopefully generates more excitement about hockey in general.”
Kelley said everyone could see Collazo’s work ethic and the effort he was putting in, even off the ice. “It’s clear he’s a hard worker. … Nobody worked as hard as he did and he has left a lasting impression.”
Bailey said he can’t thank Collazo enough for his dedication and his contributions, both as a player and a leader. “Ashton has been a tremendous asset to our hockey team and FSU community since his arrival four years ago. He certainly left the team better than he found it.”
Colgan said he was happy for Collazo to reach 100 games in his college career. “It’s a great accomplishment that shows all the time and effort he’s put into being able to stay healthy and play in every game.”
Kelley said, “I’m just proud of him,
and I can’t thank him enough for his diligence and loyalty.”
Barcelou said Collazo’s impact on the team will be felt long after his graduation.
He added, “He was always one of the hardest-working guys on the ice and in the gym. … Ashton’s dedication and motivation to be the best he could be every single day will definitely leave a lasting impact on the players returning to the team next year.”
Colgan said, “I think it’s great for young players coming into a college program to see the alumni playing pro hockey. It sets a path for them as well as builds their confidence knowing that they can achieve that goal for themselves.”
Collazo said he connected with Johnny Baker, a former teammate who has been playing professionally in Italy, and got in touch with his agent.
He said Baker’s agent “gave me the contact of a team in Virginia … and this past Sunday, I drove down. It was a no-brainer for me. I was like, ‘Let’s go see what this is all about.’”
Having signed with the Blue Ridge Bobcats, Collazo will be reunited with Colgan as two rookies on a brand new team.
Colgan said, “Having so much playing experience with Ashton, I think we have good chemistry on and off the ice, which helps a lot.”
He added it’s an exciting opportunity as they can be successful together as teammates after college.
Barcelou said the entire Framingham State men’s team is very proud of Collazo. “Ashton was a great leader and teammate and we will all miss him next year. I know he is going to be successful in his next chapter.”
Bailey said, “He will be sorely missed but believe that his example will be continued by the next leadership group for our team.”
He added, “There is no doubt that Ashton will be successful with whatever he decides to do in the future.”
Stats sourced from fsurams.com and MASCAC.com
Courtesy of Ashton Collazo
Izabela Gage / THE GATEPOST
Ashton Collazo skating with the puck during the 2024-25 season.
ARTS & FEATURES
Center for Inclusive Excellence’s ‘Black Excellence Expo’ brings local Black-owned businesses to forefront
By Ryan O’Connell Associate Editor
By Sarah Daponde Asst. Arts & Features Editor
The Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) hosted seven local Black-owned businesses - from a bakery to a chocolatier to a CBD vendor - as part of the “Black Excellence Expo” Feb. 27.
Jerome Burke, director of the CIE, said he was thrilled with the turnout.
“I’m feeling great seeing people show up, seeing people spending, understanding the spirit of this event is to highlight Black excellence,” he said.
Burke said the idea for the expo came from wanting to do some Black History Month programming at the CIE. He added supporting Black business owners financially is a great way to recognize and positively impact the Framingham community.
“We’ve always been encouraged to start our own business, invest in yourself, really uplift yourself and your family and your community,” said Burke. “I do believe that we have a role in terms of recognizing and highlighting those individuals.”
This was the first time the CIE has hosted local Black business owners, Burke said, and having seven in attendance was “a major win.”
The CIE is already looking forward to next year’s expo, he added. “This is something that I think should now be a staple.”
Burke said he hopes students were
inspired by the expo to start their own business ventures.
“When you think about higher education and FSU as an institution, we should encourage students to be supervisors and managers,” he said.
“If there is not a space for you in someone’s workplace, create your own,” he added. “We want students to be able to think that way. To be like, ‘Hey, I can do this.’”
Zeb Baffour, a freshman, said he enjoyed Patricia Lincoln’s table.
Sharon Young, owner of Patricia Lincoln, gets many of her ingredients, including shea butter and cocoa butter directly from Ghana, as well as hand-made crafts.
Baffour said, “I’m from Ghana, so I can resemble myself going to Ghana and getting … the beads for my sister, and also the gold on the wrists for my mom.
“I used to buy those, so it just brings back memories,” he added.
Additionally, Young also sells CBD products for health, wellness, and skin care. She said she was inspired to start by her mother and brother, who both had terminal illnesses.
“I wanted to locate an oil to alleviate the pain,” she added.
She named her business “Patricia” after her mother and “Lincoln” after her brother in memory of them.
Nicholas Garcia, a senior, taste-tested a Nigerian meat pie from Mama O’s Bakery.
Garcia said he’s Brazilian and has had meat pies before, but this was his first time eating a Nigerian meat pie.
He added he thought the expo was important since “as college students, we live pretty insular lives.
“It’s important to have different perspectives,” he said.
Mama O’s, owned by Rachael Oluokun, sells custom cakes and baked goods, as well as traditional Nigerian vegetable and meat pies.
“My inspiration is my children,” said Oluokun, whose children help her bake and sell their products.
Oluokun said she grew up in Nigeria and moved to the U.S. 10 years ago. She missed getting authentic meat pies in Nigeria and said she wanted to recreate them.
“I started working on it until finally I felt like I nailed it,” added Oluokun.
Oluokun said she started her business in Framingham before moving to Ashland. She added since FSU is so close, she wanted to attend the expo - “It’s right behind my back, in my backyard - let’s go!”
Elesi Fiakofi, a freshman, said she liked Jazz Craftz, and purchased a bottle holder from her.
Jazz Craftz is owned by Jasmine Owusu, a student at Framingham State.
“I crochet various different things,” Owusu said. “I have hats, tops, sweaters, cardigans, skirts, bags, kind of everything.”
She said she first started making crafts in middle school with Rainbow Loom tutorials on YouTube, which led her to crocheting tutorials. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh. Crochet is so fun,’” she added.
Another Framingham State student, Elizabeth Agbolade, promoted her hair styling business at the expo.
“I feel like my inspiration for starting my business was just wanting to do it by myself,” said Agbolade.
She said she would go to different people to get her hair done and she would not get what she wanted.
Agbolade said she saw the flyers for the expo and decided to be a part of it.
“This is a great way to get Black developers in the school out there,” said Agbolade. “I think there’s very
little representation for Black students on this campus, but there is effort and I love that.”
Fiakofi said she was also interested in Patricia Lincoln’s table, since she is from Ghana and moved here 10 years ago.
“It gives more life to small business and Black-owned businesses - sometimes they can be kind of hidden.”
Gina Pacitto, program coordinator, Center for Student Experience & Career Development, helped plan the expo. She said they found most of the businesses they invited through “word of mouth.”
She said they wanted to do something easily accessible to students on campus to honor Black History Month.
Pacitto said, “We decided to put together the Black Excellence Expo, which invited Black business owners to show off their business … and network with students.
“That way students can see what their journey was like,” she added.
Pam and David Griffin began their journey with Chocolate Therapy in 2011 and came to the expo to talk about their business and give out free samples of chocolate.
“We’ve been in business for 13 years. We were in Framingham for 10, but now we’re in Wayland, and we produce amazing chocolate,” said Pam Griffin.
“We wanted to do something for ourselves,” said David Griffin. “We left corporate America to start our own business.”
Chocolate Therapy, featured on “Good Morning America” and “Oprah’s Favorite Things,” makes all their own chocolate, and in many different flavors, the couple said.
“We try to use really unique flavor profiles,” said David Griffin.
Nick Vitale, a sophomore, visited Mama O’s Bakery and Chocolate Therapy tables.
Vitale said the expo was a good way for businesses to get more exposure.
“It seems like a good way to get integrated into a different community,” he said. “At [Mama O’s] stall, she mentioned she sells at farmer’s markets, and this is kind of a different community than that.”
Taimoor Khan, a junior and diversity peer influencer with the CIE, said he helped plan the expo.
“We’re putting a spotlight on local businesses, local Black-owned businesses, and I think that’s really important,” said Khan.
CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL roconnell1@student.framingham.edu
CONNECT WITH SARAH DAPONDE sdaponde@student.framingham.edu
Oné Green / THE GATEPOST
Jasmine Owusu, owner of Jazz Craftz posing in front of her stand at the Black Excellence Expo.
ARTS & FEATURES
Taki Harris reflects on their journey to artistry and advocacy
By Liv Dunleavy Asst. Arts & Features Editor
The Center for Inclusive Excellence, Department of American Sign Language (ASL), and ASL Club came together on March 4 to host Takiyah (Taki) Harris for “‘The Road to Where I Am Today’ A Deaf Artist Shares Their Story.”
The event took place in the McCarthy Alumni Room and interpreters made sure the event was accessible in both English and ASL.
Jacob Heal, a junior ASL interpreting major, started the discussion, explaining why Harris was elected as the event’s speaker.
“Taki is a wonderful person, an awesome artist, a director of American Sign Language, of Artistic Sign Language, and the two of us have worked together in the past in Broadway on Boston - so I have learned a lot from Taki.
“So I would like to introduce Taki as an amazing Deaf artist, and a person that really advocates for the Black Deaf community. Thank you for coming,” Heal signed.
Harris introduced themself with their sign name and stated their pronouns as they/them. They went on to talk about their childhood - they grew up in Kankakee, Illinois, and moved around because their father was in the military.
They mentioned that growing up in Kankakee, a predominantly white town, and going to a mainstream white school caused them to be unhappy.
“I didn’t know who I was, I didn’t know my identity. … At that white school, they didn’t foster identifying who you are,” they said.
After graduating high school, they went on to attend National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) located in New York, and Rochester Technical Institute (RTI).
They added, “I also started being involved in vocational rehab (VR), working with Deaf and Hard of Hearing students, in terms of having disabilities and getting them VR funding. All of these different areas of my life have allowed me to get where I am now, where I am currently going for my second master’s.
“For you that are seated in this room … think about what you want to do, think about the opportunities you have, what passions lie within you?
“I know some students feel a sense of anxiety where they feel as though they want to give up or drop out, but I want to encourage you to follow where your heart is leading you,” they signed.
“Some of you may want to eventually give up on sign, but that’s import-
ant not to do. Look at yourself, look at the skills you have and use them. I am here to support you and stand with you,” Harris stated.
Harris then opened up the floor for Q&A from participants in the room.
One student asked if anyone in Harris’ family knew any sign when they were growing up.
Harris responded, “At first [my mom] realized when I wasn’t able to speak clearly, she started to use specifically visuals, for instance ‘cookie,’ but then she would use phonics as well.
“And so she would mouth ‘cookie’ and show me the pictures. And she often started to come up with her own signs, called ‘home signs.’ She would have a picture of a cookie and pretend to put it in her mouth. With visuals and phonetics, I started to understand,” they added.
Another student asked how Harris has been participating in activism recently.
“I like to advocate for Deafblind immigrants. I used to work at the Horace Mann School for the Deaf and I realized there were a lot of Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Deafblind students who were from out of this country,” Harris signed.
“Unfortunately at the Horace Mann School there were not a lot of Black, Indigenous, and people of color …
who were instructors at that school so it was definitely a lost opportunity,” they explained.
They said that in the classrooms you might see one Black instructor, “one Asian instructor, or one Latinx instructor,” but oftentimes those instructors would leave. They said this would leave an impact on the students because they are not able to find a role model within their teachers.
Harris added, “I am an advocate for children and families, just thinking about ICE, and what’s going on right now and the lack of communication that may happen if ICE were to come,” they signed.
“That’s where I became a staunch advocate to make sure these students are protected. To provide resources to specifically these immigrant families.”
Taki Harris’ work and resources are available at @TakiHapicArt on Facebook or their Instagram @Takiphoto.
CONNECT WITH LIV DUNLEAVY odunleavy@student.framingham.edu
Planetarium displays faculty art and fashion pieces
By Francisco Omar Fernandez Rodriguez Arts & Features Editor
Arts & Ideas hosted a Linda VadenGoad Authors & Artists event in the FSU Planetarium, located in the Christa McAuliffe Center on March 4.
Laura Kane, a professor in the Fashion Design & Retailing Department, shared three projects with the audience.
As an apparel designer, she seeks to communicate meaning through clothing, and how the process of doing so is similar to other forms of research, she said. She’s especially interested in how that process can help fashion design scholarship be considered a more legitimate field.
The first garment shown was inspired by a piece of music titled “Raining by Sunset,” by mandolinist Chris Thile, she said.
The design’s approach was inspired by her colleague Jessica Ridgeway, a professor at Florida State University, she said. Ridgeway takes musical notation, codes them into colors, and creates pieces based on the music.
“Each note of the music notation was associated with a particular color, and each length of the note was then given a particular sized rectangle, so the song is played across the fabric,” Kane said.
She got to see these garments in person and talk to Ridgeway about the process, she said. Then she wanted to turn a song she loved when she was 15
into a garment.
She presented this garment at a conference, citing Ridgeway, she said. Ridgeway saw it and asked if they could work together on a song Ridgeway was interested in, and Kane quickly agreed.
Ridgeway wanted help in translating “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from “The Wizard of Oz” into a garment, Kane said. It would embody Dorothy’s journey from Kansas to the Land of Oz while also paying homage to the piece’s history.
“She also wanted something that would kind of transform into something exciting and beautiful. So I want to take you over the rainbow!” she said.
The traditional-looking garment suddenly turned into a much more colorful one, and was followed by applause.
“So this garment is transformable. We designed it specifically to transform while spinning, because that was the tornado that took Dorothy to the Land of Oz,” Kane said.
In the garment are layers of circles, each one representing the whole song on one instrument, resulting in the song playing over and over again, she said.
Ridgeway’s grandmother used to sing the song to her eight brothers and sisters, Kane said. With her grandmother’s passing, Ridgeway wanted to dedicate the garment to her.
Each of Ridgeway’s nieces and
nephews, aged 2 to 12, listened to the song and drew what they heard, she said. Then Ridgeway took the artwork and worked pieces of it into the garment.
The last garment is from a different story, she said.
Kelly Cobb, a professor from the University of Delaware’s Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies, approached Kane a few years ago, Kane said.
Cobb studies the idea of creating products while being conscious of how it’s going to impact future generations, Kane added.
“So when you’re creating or thinking about using materials, can you use stuff that already exists and reuse it so that you can keep it going, and you’re not just throwing it away?” Kane asked.
She also worked alongside Casey Stannard, a professor at Louisiana State University, she added.
Kane and Stannard were told to create one future-inspired garment, and one history-inspired, Kane said. Kane was given the future while Stannard had the past.
Creating this garment was a different experience for Kane because she had a shorter time frame, she added.
Both of the garments were on display back in 2023, she said.
Next was Laura Osterweis, a professor of art. She thanked many people, including Arts & Ideas, for putting the event together.
Knowing that she would be presenting there was a motivating force for her sabbatical, she said. She’s thankful for the time to focus on her work.
She also thanked her mother. She’s her biggest supporter and traveling companion, she said.
During their trip to Hawaii in 2023, she saw how each of the islands she visited had very different cultures and landscapes, she said.
Osterweis discussed with Ross Barros-Smith, the planetarium and media technology manager, having the students in her classes make artwork for the planetarium’s dome, she added.
After seeing students make artwork for the dome, she decided that she wanted to, she said.
Digital art and animation were incorporated, she said.
“The idea here is that you can go to a planetarium, and you’re supposed to look up at the sky, and I want you to also look at your feet, and all around you,” Osterweis said.
She asked everyone to explore the idea of “natural beauty, photographic beauty, artistic beauty, cosmetic beauty, and cosmic beauty.”
CONNECT WITH FRANCISCO OMAR FERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ ffernandezrodriguez@ student.framingham.edu
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“As a whole, we can make a whole art conversation happen,” she said. It is a special opportunity for the faculty to be able to show their work where students can see it, she said.
A great deal of teaching is the exchange of ideas between students and teachers, she said. Teachers learn much from what students do, so it’s nice for this to go the other direction.
“Hopefully that just keeps the dialog between us very fertile and helps everyone move forward as artists,” Krakow said.
The plaque by her art says it focuses on objects that fail - “(w)heels can’t turn; belly buttons are tethered to familiar but unrecognizable technological equipment; rather than information, ‘screens’ display close-up photos of textures from medical spaces.”
She hopes her work inhabits the space between flesh and technology, the plaque said.
Paul Yalowitz, a professor of art, made sketchbooks. They’re titled, “Monster Sketchbooks or Making Friends,” and inside are mostly monsters, he said.
“I’ve given in the past my classes the assignment to do a drawing a day, and so that’s what I was doing,” Yalowitz said.
A new monster was drawn every day, sometimes with a name or a funny story, he added.
He doesn’t have a specific plan when drawing these monsters, he said. Instead, he lets the drawings tell him the story as he draws.
Sometimes they start as doodles, other times as a squiggly line, and sometimes as shading a shape, he said. As he draws it, he thinks about
what he could write about it.
It’s fun to make something that didn’t exist before, he added. It’s a nice outlet that helps him communicate and relax.
It gets him excited because he doesn’t know what’s going to happen next, he said. He gets to see what develops on his pages.
It’s important to keep working every day, even when it’s difficult to think of a new idea, he said.
“You have to keep thinking of
but it’s really nice to be on the flip side,” she said.
She introduced her “former department buddy” Christian Gentry to the crowd. They used to be in the same department before the recent name change, she added.
Gentry, also known as Maribo, is a professor of music from the Communication, Media, & Performance Department. Gentry works as a sound artist, composer, and performer based in Framingham, Krakow said.
based on objects he’s seen or used, such as a longleaf pine needle.
He said he likes to create because throughout his life he’s felt compelled to. As a kid, he began by copying the comic strips of the daily paper, he added.
His inspiration comes from what’s often called the natural world, he said.
“I prefer to think of it as wildness, because it’s all around us, it’s in us,” McDonald said.
“I prefer to think of it as wildness, because it’s all around us, it’s in us.”
- Tim McDonald Art Professor
new things, and that’s fun to kind of stretch yourself beyond what you think you’re going to do,” he said.
The plaque by his art asks a question - “Please look through the books and find your favorites, there should be something for everybody. Which would you send to a friend? Which would you send to an enemy?”
During the exhibition, Krakow gave a short speech to the crowd. Teaching and learning is a reciprocal relationship, she said.
“I can’t explain how much our lives as artists are enriched by what you do and what you bring to the classroom,
He creates chamber and solo works with electronic elements, she added. He performed for about half an hour in front of the Mazmanian Gallery.
Tim McDonald, professor of art, made a series of drawings in the summer of 2024 using water-based media titled, “clouds and water.” There are 55 drawings in the series, and 17 of them were on display, he said.
He used a chance-based system to figure out how they would be displayed, resulting in the gaps, he said.
Most of the work is both abstract and observational, he said. They’re
McDonald has collaborated with Gentry before, he said.
“These were two pieces that are kind of going toward the performance he’s going to do in collaboration with my exhibition at the Danforth,” he said.
Several years ago, Gentry recorded the sound of McDonald drawing, making an ambient soundscape out of it, he added.
McDonald is always impressed by the work of his colleagues, he said.
“Great people and great artists,” McDonald said.
Gentry and McDonald are collaborating in “Sonic Improvisations,” which will be shown at the Danforth on May 4.
The plaque by McDonald’s art says he sees “the moment of making a mark as an embodiment of imagination, where mind and body become one.” It’s an original experience.
Melanie Cataldo, a visiting lecturer in the Art Design & Art History Department, made several small paintings. Their names are “Curious baby,” “Let it snow,” “Speedy witch,” “Part of one,” and “Giraffe.”
The paintings are of moments in between things, without any set goal, she said.
The plaque by her art lists some of these moments - “These characters were painted in quick moments between things - dating dinners, snowstorms, Halloween, the accidental killing of a beloved plant (was it really an accident?) - little moments.”
She gives herself a certain amount of time to do the painting, which can range from 30 minutes to two hours, Cataldo said.
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
Attendee observing an artwork on display at the Mazmanian Gallery.
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
Spread by Associate Editor Maddison Behringer
The Mazmanian Gallery held a reception for the Framingham State University faculty exhibition “Reciprocity” March 3. Faculty whose pieces are included in the show are: Robert (Bob) Alter, M Cataldo, Marc Cote, Jennifer Dowling, Christian Gentry, Marcus Green, Stephanie Grey, Polly Marie Hensel, Ellie Krakow, Tim McDonald, Yumi Park Huntington, Carol O’Malia, Laura Osterweis, Bahareh Safarani (The Safarani Sisters), Ruth Scotch, Leslie Starobin, Keri Straka, and Paul Yalowitz.
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST
Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST
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Alexis Schlesinger / THE GATEPOST
Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST
Mike Curley’s lifelong love of learning
By Sophia Oppedisano Editorial Staff
“Learning is a lovely addiction.”
This is the life-long philosophy of Mike Curley, a retiree auditing classes at Framingham State.
Even though he often chooses to stay in the background of the classes he audits, Curley’s kindness, humor, and passion for learning are traits that are familiar to the students in his classes.
On a recent afternoon before English Professor Desmond McCarthy’s Contemporary American Fiction class, Curley walks into the classroom in a grey, plaid, tweed suit over a red sweater.
When a classmate complimented the suit, Curley brushed his palms over the jacket. “It’s rented,” he replied with deadpan humor. “I rented it especially for today.”
He draped the jacket over his chair before settling in, crossing an ankle over a knee and folding his hands in his lap, his kind smile indicative of his warm personality.
“Are you going to ask me where I grew up? Because I never grew up,” he said.
Curley grew up in Newton and spent his high school years at Newton North, where he played basketball.
He claims he was not the best student, but after a stint playing basketball at a “now-defunct” junior college, Curley said he went to UMass Boston, where he graduated hoping to become a teacher.
He chuckled as he admitted that his teaching plans did not pan out.
“I got a job in a bookstore. From there, I landed a job here, managing the college bookstore in the early ’70s,” he said.
From then on, Curley stayed in the University’s orbit and returned to study counseling while he worked for the state helping young adults find jobs while they studied for their GEDs.
Curley worked for the state program until funding was rescinded in 1983 and he settled in to work for a Boston book publisher.
Eventually rising to the director of customer service position, Curley worked with the publisher for 27 years.
“I’m proud of what I did there and I certainly grew up a lot. … I’ll be 15 years retired on March 1,” he said.
As he prepared for retirement, “I was sitting in my office and thinking, ‘What am I going to do?’” he said.
“I had a great interest in movies … I had taught an adult education course, but I wanted to study in a formal academic setting, so I came up here one day in the summer to check things out,” he said.
This was 15 years ago and today, Mike is known as a veteran University auditor.
University auditors observe courses for a reduced fee. They are not required to take exams or give presentations and do not receive grades.
In McCarthy’s American fiction
class, Curley said he is currently learning about identity and the self in the postmodern literary era. He connected the course themes to the way he felt after his retirement.
“So who am I? Who am I after I’m now retired? What I discovered, what I learned is my identity then became ‘student.’
“So boom, I’m here. … It’s infectious,” Curley said.
Curley said the more he learns, the more he realizes he does not know, enhancing his quest for knowledge. He also thoroughly enjoys the course material in the classes he audits, so much so that he often repeats them.
Curley’s first class was Language of Film, taught by since retired film professor Claudia Springer.
“I remember sitting in the back of the room, and she was taking attendance, and she said, ‘Anyone’s name I didn’t call?’ so I raised my hand and, you know, I stick out like a sore thumb.
“So I go up, the class is over, I see her and I said, ‘Well, I’m auditing this class,’” Mike recalled.
Springer told Curley she had had a bad experience with an auditor who sat in the front row of one of her past classes and raised their hand for every question.
“Don’t worry,” Curley told her. “I’ll be back in my man cave.”
Curley’s figurative “man cave” is always the back row of the classes he audits.
He sits with rapt attention, a notebook, pen, and the required reading laid out on the desk before him. His glasses often hang from a chain around his neck.
He rarely participates, but his jovial chuckle often fills the classroom to punctuate a humorous moment between professor and students. When he does raise his hand, his excitement for the material is often palpable in his voice.
English professor Carolyn Maibor, with whom Curley has taken his fair share of classes, said, “He’s so respectful. I always see him kind of hang back and look around, and if there’s a student who’s at all interested in speaking, he always lets them take the lead. … He’s so kind and so respectful, and I think in ways that people aren’t necessarily aware of.”
Curley is auditing Maibor’s African American Literature course this semester.
He said he values the course’s insights about slavery and racism.
“The thing I like about her is I’ll read the material and think, ‘Well, I understand this.’ Then she’ll ask these probing questions and I think, ‘Why didn’t I think of that? That’s very interesting.’ Her depth and breadth of knowledge are very impressive, and she’s able to elicit that from the students through conversation,” he added.
In addition to feeding his insatiable curiosity, Curley said his time at Framingham State has given him a “sense of community.
“As much as I say I stick out like a sore thumb, I do feel like I belong here, and I want to come here four days a week,” he added.
Curley said he is always impressed by the “friendliness” of his classmates, and he enjoys the sense of community in the classroom and admires how personable students are.
Adriana Baldelli, a junior English major, has taken three classes with Curley.
“When I noticed Mike in my first class that I attended at FSU, I immediately felt welcome. His bright smile was something that really inspired me,” Baldelli said.
She noted his contagious passion for learning “is something that I admire and hope to have when I’m his age.
“He will be someone that I never forget and I’m so lucky to have been able to talk with him - discussing books and life in general,” Baldelli said.
Curley said he has taken approximately 60 courses over the past 15 years and has begun struggling to find new liberal arts classes that interest him.
He said he often kids with his friends, telling them, “‘I’m running out of classes. … I’m going to take nursing,’ and they believe me,” he said with a laugh.
Curley is fond of repeating classes he enjoys. This is his second time taking McCarthy’s Contemporary American Fiction class. According to McCarthy, Curley has taken six literature classes with him, most of them more than once.
Curley asked, “The way I put this is, if you went to the Museum of Fine Arts and looked at the Egyptian exhibit, for example, wouldn’t you want to go back and look again?”
Curley said McCarthy’s teaching style resonates with him because “he’s funny, he’s smart, he’s kind, he’s devoted to students and I’m always impressed by that.
“When you take a class with him, you’re not only taking contemporary literature, but you’re taking ‘Des-
mond 101.’ He’s teaching you empathy - that literature is about understanding different perspectives.
McCarthy’s class just finished reading “The Road” by Cormac McCarthy.
“This one made me weep,” he said.
McCarthy said the feeling of admiration is mutual. He regards Curley as “a role model for everyone at Framingham State.
“He embodies what a lifelong love of learning should be,” McCarthy said.
According to McCarthy, he and Curley have known each other since Curley started taking classes 15 years ago.
“Having Mike Curley in the back of the room learning along with me as he’s reading some of these books a second or third time is such a privilege and is incredibly inspiring,” he said.
McCarthy noted how much Curley’s “quiet, empathetic presence” has added to every classroom they have shared. “One thing I love about Mike is that quietly at the back of the room, he is paying attention to everyone. He is rooting for every student’s success,” he said.
Outside of the classroom, Curley said he maintains a sense of community through his softball league.
Curley has been playing softball for over 25 years and said he now plays for a senior league three seasons out of the year.
He said once a month, he meets teammates for a lunch in Natick.
He also gardens with his wife, exercises, and enjoys rooting for the Boston Red Sox and reading in his spare time. His favorite book is James Joyce’s novella, “The Dead.”
Curley said even after all this time at Framingham State, he is “so grateful” and “as long as I can get up that hill, I’ll keep going.”
With his signature smile and deadpan humor, he leaned forward and said, “Now I’m just waiting for when they build the statue.”
CONNECT WITH SOPHIA OPPEDISANO soppedisano@student.framingham.edu
Dylan Pichnarcik / THE GATEPOST
Mike Curley in a classroom in May Hall.
ASL Club hosts panel of alumni
By Raena Hunter Doty Staff Writer
The American Sign Language (ASL) Club hosted a panel of alumni who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in ASL to speak on their experiences as professionals Feb. 25.
The event was held entirely in ASL with interpreters available to ensure the event was accessible to people who didn’t know ASL.
Mark Foley, ASL Club vice president, and Meriam Boutissant, secretary, hosted the panel discussion with four alumni - Kayla Barboza, ’24, Mackenzie Lloyd, ’22, Julia Cohen, ’21, and Hunter Robinson, ’24.
Robinson said the ASL Club at FSU was extremely important to him because he began college in 2020, and at the time, he lived in New Hampshire and did all of his classes over Zoom.
Barboza said one challenge she faced as an ASL major was when she decided to switch from a concentration in interpreting to Deaf studies.
She said she decided to change her concentration after realizing she felt more passionate about other aspects of ASL than interpreting. She added, “I didn’t want other people to think, ‘You can’t become an interpreter,’ but that’s not why.
“Now, I’m in my master’s for Deaf education, and I really feel it has a good impact on me,” she said. “A good change, but a difficult change.”
Cohen recommended students who
By Liv Dunleavy Asst. Arts & Features Editor
If you haven’t seen the classic films “Paddington” or “Paddington 2,” you might want to set aside a day for fun with this adorable British-Peruvian bear. “Paddington in Peru,” the third movie in the “Paddington” franchise finally hit U.S. theaters in February smashing the box office and garnering avid attention from Paddington fans across the world.
The film opens on Paddington taking his photo for his passport in a photobooth in an amusing sequence of photos. Finally, settling on what in my opinion should not be a legal option for a passport photo, he celebrates his UK citizenship with the Brown family and friends.
We then get an update on what the Brown family has been up to all this time since the last film. Judy is in the process of applying to university and Jonathan is inventing lots
are looking to work as an interpreter should integrate themselves in the Deaf community.
“Don’t only go to class,” she said, and added she rarely spent time in the Deaf community until she started an internship during her senior year. She said she didn’t feel fully prepared to enter the field as an interpreter because she waited so long.
“You should do everything you possibly can,” she said. “You have to be ready and motivated to just jump in.”
Lloyd said the biggest challenge she faced when going out into the field as a professional was that she had to put herself out there and communicate her needs in order to grow.
“Supporting one another is very important, and if you’re struggling with something, you need to ask instead of just sitting in the back and doing a nice smile or just sitting there clueless,” she said.
An attendee asked the panelists about maintaining work-life balance in their career, and Robinson said this can be a challenge because he works from home and his bedroom is his office.
He recommended students have a plan for their career growth to keep them on track, but most importantly, “Remember why you’re doing it.
“Every time I get the opportunity to interpret and use my skills at work, it’s so inspiring, and it makes me remember why I’m here all over again,”
of amazing projects still, but barely leaves his room.
Mary, the mother, has been working on an art piece called “The Sofa Years,” and it represents how over the years the sofa has become more empty since the kids have grown up. Henry, the father, who works as a risk analyzer at an insurance firm, has a new boss at work from America, who encourages him to “embrace risk.”
Paddington jots all of this down in a letter to his Aunt Lucy, to update her and tell her about how life is treating him and his family recently.
Though, in a turn of events, this gentlemanly chap has found himself in quite the predicament when he receives a letter from the Home for Retired Bears, where his only remaining family member Aunt Lucy lives, stating that she has been acting odd and seems lonely.
he said. One attendee asked the panel about how to gain confidence in signing, and Barboza said she was in their shoes exactly when she was at FSU, as she didn’t have a lot of confidence in her signing.
“But now, to be in the Deaf education field, I need to stand up and teach in front of other people,” she said. “It’s crazy, and it’s hard. But you have to force yourself to work on it and be honest with yourself.”
Lloyd said, “For me, [confidence] comes from making mistakes and then learning from them.”
She added that as an interpreter she does a lot of work where confidence is necessary. “If I go to a doctor’s appointment and there’s a doctor there and there’s another interpreter there and there’s [the patient] - if I’m nervous and I don’t have any confidence, what’s going to happen?”
is not feeling well, he decides he’d like for them all to go visit her.
It is a perfect moment for Paddington as he finally received his UK passport and can travel freely, and has to convince the Brown family to take a vacation to Peru to visit his lonely aunt.
Henry - the usual party poopertakes this as an opportunity, no - a risk - and surprisingly agrees to the trip.
But things start getting weird when Paddington feels a strange primal connection to his good friend Mr. Gruber’s collection of bear-themed Peruvian tchotchkes at the antique store.
After a wonderful song and flight montage, the family arrives at the Home for Retired Bears and starts assessing the situation. But it turns out Aunt Lucy is gone!
Cohen said, “The classroom is a safe space for you to learn, so you’re free to practice - you shouldn’t feel afraid.” She said Lloyd’s story about going to a doctor’s appointment is a high-stakes situation, unlike the classroom, where “it’s important, definitely, but not like a doctor’s appointment.
“Make mistakes, accept them, and move on. Learn from them. And again and again, it happens. That’s normal. That’s life. But accept it and want to learn from it,” she added.
CONNECT WITH RAENA HUNTER DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu
suit of her. Of course, Paddington is determined to find her in the midst of the literal largest jungle in the world.
The family embarks on what I would describe as an incredibly-comical-yet-frustrating pursuit on a rented boat with a charismatic shady-ish man and his daughter who heavily implies they should not continue this journey.
After watching it twice now, I’ve determined I love this movie and I love the “Paddington” franchise. He is just a gentlemanly bear, with such a kind soul, and gives everyone a chance to be their best self.
Every character experiences some sort of growth in this film. I loved how unique it was even for antagonists - how they overcame their own hurdles.
I found myself laughing so much I had a headache by the time the end credits rolled.
I highly recommend this movie to anyone who needs a pick-me-up, or wants a good laugh. It’s heartfelt, silly, and makes a wonderful story out of a Peruvian bear who is also a UK citizen.
Paddington has found a home in his foster family, the Browns, over the years he has spent living with them after that fateful day all of those years ago when they took him in. So when he hears from the Home for Retired Bears that his Aunt Lucy
Why would Aunt Lucy just up and leave like this?
It seems that she’s set off on a quest in the jungle, but why? This mystery is what the family has to solve, and by solve, I mean they need to search the entire Amazon in pur-
It lifted my spirits up after a horrible day, and even on a rainy day, Paddington’s encouraging attitude could make the London clouds clear to make way for sunshine.
CONNECT WITH LIV DUNLEAVY odunleavy@student.framingham.edu
Paddington’s back with a whole lot of Brown
David Abe / THE GATEPOST
Raena Hunter Doty / THE GATEPOST
Hunter Robinson, ’24, speaking at ASL Club’s alumni event Feb. 25.
‘Arcane Season 2’ is almost a masterpiece
By Owen Glancy Arts & Features Editor
It’s no exaggeration to say that “League of Legends” is a game that’s as divisive as it is popular. As one of the most played competitive video games on the planet - that already had a multitude of animated trailers and music videos - an animated Net flix series based on the game was an inevitability.
However, despite how easy a de cision this was to make, the produc tion process was anything but. Studio Fortiche, the same animation studio responsible for many of “League’s” promotional videos, was given the herculean task of translating an entirely multiplayer game into a coherent TV series.
The difficulty of adapting the source material was just the beginning of the production staff’s woes as delay after de lay would near ly get the proj ect canceled. It would take four years for the show to be announced, and another two to actually release back in November 2021.
When “Ar cane” was released, it was a massive par adigm shift for not just animation, but for all video game adaptations across the board. The ini tial season was so good, even people who hate “League of Legends” were fans of “Ar cane.”
Following the breakout success of the first season, “Arcane” was immediate ly greenlit for a season two that was meant to serve as the series’ last. In November 2024, we finally got to see “Arcane Season 2.”
the others like it throughout the rest of the season would have been impossible without the phenomenal music and animation that the series is known for. Artists like Stray Kids, Twenty-One Pilots, and Imagine Dragons were massive contributors to the show’s soundtracks, and it shows with every episode having a segment
with her budding friendship with an abandoned child named Isha making her realize she could be more than the criminal people see her as.
Vi on the other hand has essentially abandoned Zaun, her homeland, to become a member of Piltover’s Enforcers mostly in an effort to lock up her sister, but also to be with Caitlyn,
with Jayce, Ekko, and Hiemerdinger’s investigation of the Hex Gates deep beneath Piltover.
Despite this incredible start, the show can never quite seem to surpass it as there is just too much going on for only nine episodes. If the season had taken some more time to explore the consequences of the Hex Gate investigations, Vi and Caitlyn’s relationship, and the growing threat of Ambessa taking over, the final battle in episode nine would have felt so
Did it live up to the hype?
In most ways, yes!
After the explosive ending of season one, season two immediately follows up on that momentum with a first episode dedicated entirely to showing the residents of Piltover reacting to and dealing with the tragic killing of half of their leaders at the hands of Jinx.
This first sequence is nearly entirely silent, letting the phenomenal music and animation take over and really hammer home just how devastating this moment was for so many of the central characters. It’s a perfect moment of “show, don’t tell” that right off the bat shows that “Arcane” has still got it.
However, that moment and all of
too abrupt and disruptive. While it is definitely true many of these moments come out of nowhere, these segments are incredible for adding some variety to both the visuals and tone. If there’s the opportunity to do something more creative like this over doing a more traditional montage, then why not take it? It takes away nothing, and instead leads to segments of phenomenal songs paired with breathtaking visuals.
Truthfully though, a show’s technical aspects are often the least important part to consider when measuring its quality, with that metric going instead to the story and characters. Thankfully, “Arcane Season 2” is mostly great in both of these aspects.
The central conflict between Jinx and her sister Vi is still just as powerful and emotionally gut-punching as ever. Jinx has gone from a mentally broken enforcer of a drug lord to a savior figure in the eyes of her people,
and the radical changes to both Piltover and Zaun that their conflict brings was the major focus of season one, and was a big part of the reason that season one felt so personal, because it was.
Sadly, season two chooses not to focus on Jinx and Vi as much in favor of a much bigger scale conflict between Jayce and Viktor that eventually balloons into a potentially world-ending threat. While it was expected that season two would up the stakes, it’s safe to say that the writers went too far.
This leads to what is season two’s fatal flaw, what makes it mostly phenomenal instead of entirely phenomenal. The pacing is just too fast in the back half.
The first three episodes of the season are perfectly paced, showing the growing tension between Jinx, Vi, and Caitlyn finally explode in a masterfully animated action scene juxtaposed
However, because of the show’s insistence on only being two seasons long rather than three, we get lots of big moments and hype reveals that feel emptier and less impactful than they did in season one.
Despite this major flaw, it’s important to note that the show is still excellent. It’s still one of the best seasons of television released in 2024, and one that succeeded in making me and thousands of others cry at many moments throughout.
“Arcane Season 2” is as complicated as it is compelling. It’s a show full of interesting characters, excellent action, and banger music, but it’s also a show that ends up putting the cart before the horse and cramming nearly an entire additional season of content into the last three episodes. However, it’s still “Arcane.” Even if slightly worse than season one, season two is still truly great and only helps in cementing “Arcane’s” status as one of if not the best video game adaptations ever made.
Rating: A
Excellent in all universes
ARTS & FEATURES
‘EUSEXUA’ - the climax of FKA twigs’ career
By Antonio Machado Staff Writer
“Eusexua is a practice. Eusexua is a state of being. Eusexua is the pinnacle of human experience,” singer-songwriter FKA twigs boldly writes at the end of each of the music videos for her newest album.
“EUSEXUA” is twigs’ hard-pressed attempt to describe the feeling that occurs in the brain right before an orgasm occurs through her music. As the musician’s third studio album, twigs’ artistic and musical vision has been refined, and it’s demonstrated in the sonic nuances found in every second of every track.
The title track of the record, “Eusexua,” is a sonic description of the definition of the word “eusexua,” which was coined by fusing the words “euphoria” and “sexual.”
Throughout the track, twigs glitters at the apex of her range. Transcendent falsettos are engulfed by a heart-thumping beat that refuses to drop, leaving the ears constantly on the edge awaiting satisfaction - satisfaction that is granted as twigs’ otherworldly vocal climaxes in the track’s resolution.
“Girl Feels Good” dives into the waters of Madonna’s “Ray of Light” with an electronic midtempo bounce. FKA twigs empowers and emphasizes the power of female sexuality as she exclaims, “When a girl feels good, it
‘Captain
By Izayah Morgan
Editorial Staff
makes the world go ’round.”
“Perfect Stranger” fetishizes a nondescript partner, yearning for the thrill of an anonymous hookup over a pop-garage vocal. The conventional pop track is offset by the intricate techno distortions that decorate it, leaving an unsettling thrill to reflect the nature of the lyrics.
Desire is innate when describing the state of “eusexua,” and desire is the purpose of “Drums of Death.” “Craving rabid f**k,” she proclaims over a beat composed of distorted, staggering vocals emulating mechanized drums.
one that quickly fades as the track is overcome by percussion and twigs’ plethora of electronically infused vocal stacks that emulate her internal turmoil.
“Childlike Things” diverges from the rest of the album. Although it may initially feel like a speed bump, the track mixes the European dance pop heard in other tracks of the record with an Eastern pop as twigs details childlike joys - and she’s assisted by North Kardashian West, who briefly raps in Japanese.
need to submit to a partner who she feels addicted to. A soft howl that follows the chorus creates an intimate and hypnotic ambiance that feeds into the trance twigs is placed under. The final track, “Wanderlust,” feels like a moment of clarity after all the mental turmoil throughout the album. With her autotuned talk-singing verses and melodic chorus, she reminisces on her own desire, recognizing it is limitless but that it should not be her only pursuit in life.
“EUSEXUA” cannot be described as a club or dance music album. Instead, it is more aptly described as a sonic representation of the physical sensations experienced at a club.
FKA twigs’ artistry is placed bare on display with “EUSEXUA.” The record feels like an amalgamation of all the greatest electronic records in history, combined into an album that, through the usage of twigs’ exceptional ear, creates a soundscape of pure ecstasy.
Björk’s influence can be heard within the house-influenced dance floor of “Room of Fools,” which dances away all of twigs’ worries and makes space for the quieter, more introspective half of the record.
She details her difficulties living inside of her body and sharing that body with a partner on “Sticky.” The track begins as an allusion to a ballad,
America’
“Captain America: Brave New World” is the fourth installment in the “Captain America” series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is set in - for lack of a better term - a brave new world.
The film stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, the new Captain America. After “Avengers: Endgame” the previous Captain America (Chris Evans) passed the mantle and iconic shield to Sam Wilson.
In the Disney+ series, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier,” Sam ends up taking the mantle back after he discovers the U.S. government gave it to someone who didn’t fit the title Captain America. We also get to know the important character of Isaiah Bradley (Carl Lumbly), who was a super soldier, similar to Captain America, but instead of celebrating his accomplishments, he was in prison for the majority of his life after service.
Sam Wilson had a controversial introduction as Captain America post “Endgame,” so it’s safe to say skepticism was high. That being said, I think the movie delivers highly in some aspects but under delivers in others.
The main conflict is between Sam Wilson and Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) but has conflicts from other outside factors such as Samuel Sterns
The chromatic vocals of “Striptease” relay the difficulties twigs faces when trying to share herself with a partner.
“I’m stripping my heart ’till my pain disappears,” she cries as she conflates opening up emotionally with having her sternum physically opened. This pain leads to an operatic bridge that is accompanied by a drum and bass evocative of a Jersey beat.
“24hr Dog” has twigs expressing a
- bold and new
(Tim Blake Nelson) and Seth Voelker (Giancarlo Esposito).
One of the positives is how the movie handles the political turmoil that is happening between the world discovery of adamantium, which is stronger than the previous strongest metal vibranium.
Thaddeus Ross pro poses an accord at the White House that could see all major countries share the adamantium and distribute it fairly. All seems well until an assassination attempt almost takes the president’s life. This thrusts us into the main conflict of the movie.
tion of beautiful CGI scenes through the middle of the movie with this was wonderful.
Sam was amazing to see as Captain America. He was funny, great in combat scenes, and sympathetic and empathetic to others. There were also subtle microaggressions throughout the movie that, because of Sam’s race, he won’t be given the same respect and grace as Steve Rog- ers, which was a good point to highlight.
However, it is here where I think the movie has too many themes injected at once with Samuel Sterns being introduced about halfway through. While the reasoning of this character made sense to the plot, it felt a bit messy in combination with the introduction of Seth Voelker who didn’t get enough screen time - a shame as Giancarlo is my favorite actor.
Another positive is the inclusion of Sam’s own Falcon - Joaquin Torres - whose inclusion provided good and well-timed comedy. The combina-
As a Black man myself, what he represented to me and Black men all around this country was felt internally and externally. Which can be shown by me having the waterworks a couple times. It was powerful to see someone who looked like me take on the mantle as America’s hero, which undoubtedly left me with a more positive impression of the film.
Overall the movie was good. However, it had a bit too much going on and too many characters it tried to juggle. I do think the humor and visual spectacles helped this movie quite a bit.
Rating: A
There’s an ointment for that
CONNECT WITH ANTONIO MACHADO amachado4@student.framingham.edu
The choice to have a Black man embody an American icon and carry the red, white, and blue shield, without having his identity disappear as a result was powerful. This decision will undoubtedly be controversial, but that doesn’t make it any less important.
Without a doubt a choice that needed to be made, especially in today’s political climate.
Rating: B-
A brave choice
CONNECT WITH IZAYAH MORGAN imorgan@student.framingham.edu
Marcus Falcão / THE GATEPOST
Ben Hurney / THE GATEPOST
‘The Six Triple Eight’ - history well-delivered
By Michael Trueswell Staff Writer
“The Six Triple Eight” released late last year follows the true story of WWII’s all-Black 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion of the U.S. Women’s Army Corps.
Written and directed by Tyler Perry, the film follows the volunteers of the 6888th as they work together to end a years-long backlog of mail to meet an imminent deadline, simultaneously enduring extremely poor conditions and discrimination from white soldiers.
The women of the 6888th grow closer through their shared experiences supporting each other and making a real community by the end, and in some cases honoring those who died in the line of duty.
Its music was recognised with an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song of 2025 for “The Journey.”
War films often fail to convey the necessary and complex logistical effort required of armed conflict. “The Six Triple Eight” stands apart from these other works and shows just how vital these communication systems were in WWII. Support roles in the military may not be as exciting as combat, but they are not without danger as seen in the film.
The film effectively conveys how failures in mail handling during wartime cause serious harm to soldiers
and their families. In some cases, soldiers and families went years without hearing from each other, thus unnecessarily damaging morale and causing unneeded suffering. Touching, personal scenes of soldiers and civilians uncertain of what happened to their loved ones reveal the stakes of their mission, and its impact on the characters.
Although some of the cast in “The Six Triple Eight” are fiction al, most char acters were based on real individ uals. Emo tional scenes utilize strong writing and historical accuracy to depict the lives of the characters on the screen. The acting in “The Six Triple Eight” is very well done with convincing performances from its main actors.
thankfully receives a lot of attention in the film as she plans and organizes the battalion.
The other major notable performances are Milauna Jackson as Capt. Campbell and Ebony Obsidian as Cpl.
Lena Derriecott Bell King. King is the main character at the start of the film, until a slightly jarring shift after they complete training to focus on
Generally, the scenes that may seem to be most
the rest of the battalion.
“The Six Triple Eight” engages its audience with the achievements of the women in the 6888th and doesn’t turn away from the discrimination they faced in the Army as Black women.
This film is very engaging, taking the audience on a journey back almost a century and across the globe. With realistic uniforms and characters, it is easy to get attached to them and their hopes.
Emily Monaco / THE GATEPOST
to be historically accurate.ments like Major Adams telling a general “over my dead body” in response to him threatening to replace her with a white lieutenant were accurate to Major Adams’ real autobiography, “One Woman Army.”
Rating: B-
Surpassed almost all my expectations
Kerry Washington’s performance as Major Charity Adams particularly embodies the character and commands nearly every scene she is in. Major Adams being the first Black woman to be commissioned as an officer in the Army and the leader of the 6888th
Cpl. King’s visions distract somewhat from the plot, although her romance with Abram shows why the Army’s failure to deliver these letters was tragic. The continued return to Abram and Cpl. King’s relationship late into the film takes attention away from the actions of Major Adams and
CONNECT WITH MICHAEL TRUESWELL mtrueswell@student.framingham.edu
Puzzles
ACROSS
1. Moistens, as a turkey
7. Restaurant reading
11. Ambulance worker: Abbr.
14. Skiing style
15. Black cat, perhaps 16. Gen ___
17. Home that uses certain dryer sheets?
19. In favor of
20. Hankering
21. Managed care grps.
22. Followed surreptitiously
24. Classic sitcom set during the Korean War
25. ___-cone
26. Hop aboard
29. When the mosquitoes fly?
35. Warning signals
37. Hubbub
38. World Cup org.
39. Hindu scripture
40. Host of a talk show that aired from 1986 to 2011
42. Fertile 36-Down
43. Word after “loose” or “tight”
44. “___ about time!”
45. The “o” in Roy G. Biv
47. “Betcha can’t eat just one”?
50. Donkeys
51. ___ canto (operatic singing style)
52. Foot’s curve
54. Salad type made with croutons
57. Rapper Anderson .___
58. Letter in the Greek (or English!) spelling of “Sphinx”
61. Where D.C. is
62. Selling M&M’s, say?
65. Gentleman’s address?
66. Coffee dispensers
67. Fought oneon-one
68. Faux ___
69. Bog fuel
70. Fleet-footed
DOWN
1. Pamper
2. ___ vera
3. Like cotton candy
4. Foil metal, once
5. Cast a spell over 6. Appears to be
7. Farm lows
8. Second-largest living bird
9. Snug retreat
10. Sense of foreboding
11. Blasts
12. “A ___ technicality!”
13. Walked (on)
18. Syllables from Santa 23. Right away
24. Quagmires
26. Courtroom hammer
27. Justice Kagan
28. Winnie-the-Pooh and others
30. Iran’s official language
31. Org. approving prescription drugs
32. Chic Manhattan neighborhood
33. No longer a minor, say
34. What expecting parents choose
36. Potting material
41. School org.
46. Accumulates
48. Become closemouthed
49. Lady’s address?
53. Surprise attacks
54. Verge
55. Most populous continent
56. Hard to find
57. “Hey, over here!”
58. Stack
59. Used a weeding tool
60. ___ 500
63. Genetic messenger
64. Visualize
Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.
Wellness Wednesday
Spread by Photos & Design Editor Adrien Gobin and Asst. Illustration Editor Emily Monaco
Photos by Associate Editor Maddison Behringer, Photos & Design Editor Alexis Schlesinger, and Staff Photographer Eliana Buono