THE GATEPOST Framingham State’s independent student newspaper
Volume 86 • Issue 5
FSUgatepost.com
October 13, 2017
MSCA finds gender wage gap at FSU Council of Presidents doubts findings By Jillian Poland News Editor
A study on gender bias released by the Massachusetts State College Association found a gender pay gap among associate professors at Framingham State. On average, male associate professors at the University earn $5,340 more than female associate
professors, according to the report. There was no significant difference in years of service. There are 197 full-time faculty members employed by the University, according to Erin Nechipurenko, assistant vice president of Human Resources. Of those full-time
faculty, there are 53 associate professors. Based on those numbers, more than a quarter of all full-time faculty are associate professors. The study, “MSCA’s Findings on Gender Bias in Full-Time Faculty Salaries: Data Analysis towards a
See WAGE GAP page 5
FSU named green school FSU makes Princeton Review's list of greenest schools for 7th year By Shanleigh Reardon Asst. News Editor
Amanda Martin/ THE GATEPOST
The Mazmanian Gallery featured sculptures by artist Kathleen Volp.
Chaar Yarr plays at FSU By Cam Grieves Asst. Arts & Features Editor
Acclaimed Sufi band Chaar Yaar delivered their signature blend of traditional Indian instrumentality, 12th century
News
poetry and modern Western lyricism to an energized crowd in DPAC on Thursday, Oct. 5. The band, from Delhi, India, performed on campus once
before, stopping by back in 2014 on their way to record a song in Woodstock, New York. Chaar Yaar seeks to provide a musical space in which the
See CHAAR YAAR page 10
Opinions
Arts & Features
Framingham State University has been included on The Princeton Review’s list of green universities for the seventh time. The Princeton Review is a college admission services company. Each year the company ranks the top 375 universities in the country that offer up “the most exceptional commitments to sustainability based on their academic offerings and career preparation for students, campus apolicies, initiatives, and activities,” according to a press release from the company. This year, Framingham State scored an 88 on a “green rating” scale of 60-99. Carl Hakannson, associate professor of geography and author of FSU’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), said the purchase of The Warren Inn and Conference Center in 2016 positively influenced this year’s score. The Inn and surrounding conservation land is a viable space for the University to use as an interdisciplinary classroom in upcoming years, not just for the Environmental Studies program, which has already started using the space. “When the other departments get to the
See PRINCETON REVIEW page 4
Sports
GATEPOST INTERVIEW pg. 2
"LAS VEGAS SHOOTING RESPONSE" pg. 7
MAZGAL pg. 8
FSU FOOTBALL UNDEFEATED pg. 12
PUERTO RICO RELIEF AT FSU pg. 3
"UP, UP & ABROAD" pg. 6
BLADERUNNER REVIEW pg. 11
FERR OR FOUL pg. 15
INSIDE: OP/ED 6 • ARTS & FEATURES 8 • SPORTS 12
2 | NEWS
THE GATEPOST
Editorial Board Editor-in-Chief Cesareo Contreras Associate Editors Bailey Morrison Kayllan Olicio
Gatepost Interview
Amanda Haskins Area Director of North and Linsley halls
News Editor Jillian Poland
By Kayllan Olicio Associate Editor
Asst. News Editor Shanleigh Reardon
What is your educational background and career history? I went to Roger Williams University for my undergrad. I studied secondary education and English. During my student teaching, I was like “Wow I really don’t like working with high school students.” When I graduated from there I actually worked in admissions for three years at American International College in Springfield. At that point, I realized I really liked working in the college setting and I needed to get my master’s degree to do anything else in the field. … After the three years working at AIC, I ended up going to Springfield College to get my master’s in student personnel administration in higher education. Then I went down to Florida for a year to work. Despite the beautiful beaches, I realized I missed my family a lot, so I ended up coming back up here quickly, and I’ve been here [at FSU] for a year and a half now.
Arts & Features Editors Cass Doherty Andrew Willoughby Asst. Arts & Features Editors Tessa Jillson Allison Wharton Cameron Grieves Sports Editors Jose Carrasquillo Matt Ferris Asst. Sports Editors Liam Gambon Richard Tranfaglia Photos Editors Allie Gath Amanda Martin Design Editors Emily Robinson Shayna Yacyshyn Staff Writers Brennan Atkins Noah Barnes Stephanie Bennett Zach Colten Christina Fazio Thomas Maye Camille McKenzie Nick Murphy Sarah Sousa Lizzy Stocks Nadira Wicaksana Staff Photographers Corey McFeeley Madison Rosbach Oscairy Tavarez Staff Illustrator Raysam Donkoh-Halm Advisor Dr. Desmond McCarthy Assistant Advisor Elizabeth Banks Administrative Assistant Gwenyth Swain 100 State Street McCarthy Center Room 410 Framingham, MA 01701-9101 Phone: (508) 626-4605 Fax: (508) 626-4097 gatepost@framingham.edu
OCTOBER 13, 2017
What is your favorite part of being an Area Director? I’ve never really pictured myself working in Residence Life. I’ve always enjoyed working with younger students. I like freshmen. They are eager to learn - to figure things out. I’ve always loved working with that population of students and I’ve never really thought about Residence Life connecting to that. I think since I’ve kind of gone into this field and into this world a little bit more, it’s interesting to see how students balance their lives. All students are here for the educational aspects of it, but of course, there are so many other pieces that come into play with that in terms that they are trying to figure out who their friends are, who they want their friends to be, who they want to be and what they want to do with their lives. There is just so much happening. You get to see so much of it happening in the residence halls. You get to see so many sides to people, which is really cool to watch. … To watch people have that “Ah ha!” moment it’s really enlightening.
worked in a few different areas of higher education now, because I also dabbled in academic advising when I was in grad school. I was an RA in my undergrad. I did orientation. I kind of touch upon everything, so I’m trying to figure out what’s the right fit.
Courtesy of Framingham.edu
What has been your greatest professional accomplishment and what has been the greatest challenge? I consider getting my master’s degree my biggest accomplishment. I’m the first in my family to get a master’s degree. I’ve always had a super supportive family that has always had my back through everything, but it was the concept of putting that much of my time and effort into school. I gave up a full-time job with benefits to go to grad school full time and my family asked, “Are you sure?” and I said, “Nope, but let’s do this.” I was honestly very proud of myself. I had to re-adjust everything about myself at that point in my life. It was a challenge to overcome. … The biggest challenge I face professionally is I think there is always still that big question mark that hangs over all our heads of what do I want? What do I want to do ultimately? There’s not really an ultimately. I’m not that old, so I still have a lot of years to work professionally but where is it that I want to end? … I’m still trying to figure out where my fit is in terms of where I ultimately want to work. That has been a challenge. I’ve
What has been a memorable moment in your career? Every graduation day. I’ve seen graduation days at three or four different schools now, and every single time … I have the privilege of watching them go through so much throughout their time as undergraduate students and then watching them walk across the stage with such a smile of relief and pride on their faces, and see their families and friends with the same look. It’s not an accomplishment of mine, but I feel accomplished for them. So, every graduation, I get the butterfly feeling, the butterfly feeling of a relationship but it’s at a job. … It sounds sappy, but there’s just something magical about graduation day. I love it. What advice would you give to FSU students? I think about when I was an undergrad, “What do I wish I had known, but do I really wish I had [known] that?” It’s kind of part of the experience - to figure things out on your own. ... It’s OK not to know. Just not knowing in general, what you want to do. Who you want to be. Who you want to be with. It’s scary! It’s terrifying - especially when you creep closer to graduation day and you ask, “Wow! Am I on the right path right now?" But that’s OK - there’s still a journey and an experience to be found. That’s one thing I wish I had known and would like to share with other people. It’s not giving away too much. There are just so many opportunities out there. Don’t be freaked out if you don’t know which one you want to take.
CONNECT WITH KAYLLAN OLICIO kolicio@student.framingham.edu
Police Logs Friday, October 6 21:09 Salem End Parking Lot Follow-Up Investigation Call Assignment Complete
Saturday, October 7 21:32 Arrest McCarthy Center Transfer to FPD
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Monday, October 8 22:53 Alarm (Burglary/building) Whittemore Library N/A
OCTOBER 13, 2017
THE GATEPOST
NEWS | 3
SGA funded $879.95 for new chairs By Andrew Willoughby Editorial Staff Student Trustee Karl Bryan said his proposal to change Columbus Day to “Indigenous Peoples’ Day” was thwarted due to miscommunication. Bryan reported this during his trustee's report at SGA’s weekly meeting on Oct. 10. According to Bryan, President F. Javier Cevallos thought he wanted to “lead a discussion” as opposed to simply changing the name of the holiday. Bryan said he hoped the University would “embrace the name change to set an example for the broader MetroWest community.” “No one was to blame for the situation,” he said. Bryan said he hopes the name change goes through for next year. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, many SGA members wore pink to the meeting. SGA President Kyle Rosa said they wore pink as a way to “bring awareness to [breast cancer]. The biggest tool we have is a large group of leaders and visibility. We are using this resource to bring more at-
Amanda Haskins / THE GATEPOST SGA members wore pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
tention to breast cancer.” SGA unanimously approved its own funding request for $879.95 to replace five desk chairs in the organization’s office. Rosa said the new chairs will replace the president’s, vice president’s, administrative assistant’s, secretary’s and student trustee’s old chairs. Gaming Club President Robert Quist requested an amount not to exceed $1,155.43. He said the funds will go toward shirts, food and decorations for the club’s “Last Day on Earth” Halloween event. SGA approved the request. Jack Capello, craft club president and SGA vice president, requested $791 for club meeting supplies. This
includes supplies to last for the remainder of the semester. “Last year, we had to turn people away because we didn’t have enough supplies. That broke my heart,” said Capello. The funding request was approved. Equestrian Club President Julia Barrone and Treasurer Matthew Banks received $874 from SGA to fund a trip to the Equine Affair in Springfield, Massachusetts on Nov. 11. The travel and conference request included funds for a van and driver, seven tickets to the event and food for the participants. Wildlife Club President Drew Shaheen proposed a change to a funding request which was ap-
proved last week for the club’s annual whale watch event on Nov. 4. Shaheen requested an additional $337.50, as the student discount of $27 per ticket he was initially quoted by the New England Aquarium only applies to high school students. College students instead receive the senior discount of $33.17. Wildlife Club’s request was approved. During the President’s Report, Rosa said the tree branches that had fallen on the roads and walkways last week have been removed. However, Senator Alex Backer said more have fallen since. During the Vice President’s report, Capello said Community Service Club’s constitution was approved. Student Activity Treasurer Sarah Horowitz announced the Big Budget meeting will take place on Feb. 9 and 16 at 4 p.m. in the Forum. Rosa swore in freshman Matt O’Sullivan as a senator. Social Events Coordinator Hailey Small presented Senator Olivia Beverlie with the U-Rock award. CONNECT WITH ANDREW WILLOUGHBY awilloughby@student.framingham.edu
Puerto Rico relief efforts underway at FSU By Christina Fazio Staff Writer The Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement is collecting supplies to donate to the citizens of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, according to the Framingham State website. FSU is working with the organization “Southbridge for Puerto Rico,” which will sort, pack and deliver the donated supplies to another organization in Boston, which will then ship the boxes to Puerto Rico. On Wednesday Sept. 20, Hurricane Maria devastated the island of Puerto Rico. Hurricane Maria was the strongest hurricane to hit Puerto Rico in 89 years, according to The Weather Channel. Millie González, interim chief
diversity and inclusion officer, sent out an email on Sept. 29 to the FSU community informing the campus about the donation efforts. "We ask for the Framingham State community to donate whatever you can contribute because the people of Puerto Rico are suffering and need assistance,” said González. Roxana Marrero, executive administrative assistant to the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, informed González of Southbridge’s relief efforts. Marrero resides in Southbridge, González said. This project was a joint effort between González and Marrero. “Without Roxana’s help and connection to Southbridge, it would have been difficult to get our donations to the people of Puerto Rico,” González added.
“We ask for the Framingham State community to donate whatever you can contribute because the people of Puerto Rico are suffering.” - Millie González, interim chief diversity and inclusion officer
Marrero said, “I am from Puerto Rico, as well as many members of my community, and we knew we needed to do something to help. … I offered to transport the donations to Southbridge because we had the logistics in place already.” The students and faculty of FSU are not the only contributors to the donations for Puerto Rico, she added. González said Sodexo has donated boxes to package the donations for easy transport to Southbridge, as well as W.B. Mason, which has donated a truckload of water. The relief effort has been successful, said Marrero. “This first shipment was picked up by the National Guard on Friday, Oct. 6. We shipped a total of 50,000 pounds of goods,” she said. “FSU’s donations were part of the total contribution.” Molly Fennessey, a senior, said, “I honestly don’t know much about the donation boxes on campus, but I think they are great.” Fennessey said she wished the boxes were advertised better so more students could be made aware of the efforts. Due to the lack of electricity, contact with Puerto Rico has been very difficult for family, friends and volunteers. Marrero said, “Some of us have
not heard from our families yet or have only been able to know of them through other people.” Cristal Polanco, a senior, said, “It’s so sad. I was reading today that 90 percent of the island does not have water. There’s definitely more that we can do [to help].” Donations for Puerto Rico will be collected until Friday, Oct. 13. Donation boxes are located in the McCarthy Center, the library, the Center for Inclusive Excellence, the counseling center and Dwight Hall 311B, said González. The email sent to the campus community lists possible donated items, including water, toiletries, cleaning supplies, canned goods and first aid materials. Marrero and González said The Center for Inclusive Excellence are developing ideas about “community conversation” about the devastation. González said she will update the online guide if there are any updates on the relief efforts. “My heart breaks for the people of Puerto Rico and the beautiful island. Roxana and I appreciate all of your donations,” said González.
CONNECT WITH CHRISTINA FAZIO cfazio@student.framingham.edu
@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com
4 | NEWS
THE GATEPOST
OCTOBER 13, 2017
Princeton review Continued from pg. 1 Warren Center, I think that we can use it in a much broader sense,” he said. He added, “It’s not just about being in the woods or being in the wetlands or banding birds … it’s a very natural setting and it should be a real plus for the University.” Additonally, Hakannson said that while it may have seemed like "low-hanging fruit" compared to other projects, recycling has been a challenge to address. "All it takes is throwing your stuff in the right barrel and our recycling rate is not nearly what we want it to be." With the completion of Hemenway Annex, as well as West and North halls, the Climate Action Plan will now focus on promoting awareness of environmental initiatives on campus and creating a more inclusive understanding of climate change across disciplines. Maureen Bagge Fowler, environmental health and safety coordinator, said The Climate Action Plan, initiated in 2007 at FSU, has been credited with organizing and planning projects that have helped reduce emissions by 33 percent on campus. Having a plan like this in place helps the school secure funding and recognition for green initiatives. She added the largest contributor to reducing the campus’ carbon footprint was changing the power
North Hall is one of the LEED certified residence halls on campus.
plant from oil to natural gas. Other projects completed by Dining Services have also helped in the effort to reduce emissions at FSU. “My number one item that we did was convert the power plant from number 6 oil, which is an emitter of greenhouse gases, to natural gas,” she said. Freshman Lauren LaPointe said “I think it’s important to be sustainable. It’s not why I came here, but it’s definitely not a bad thing.” Executive Vice President Dale
Hamel said, “While these investments have been significant - exceeding $5 million dollars - they have more significantly reduced annual operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions.” Freshman John Decius said he’s noticed the printers in the library print on both sides of the page. “It’s good because that way there’s no wasted paper.” Freshman Mya Brathwaite said she’s noticed there has been a lot of effort to encourage recycling on
The Gatepost Archives
campus. Marissa Vellucci, a freshman, said, “Having all of the separate recycling bins in the newer dorms is something I’ve noticed. They’re nice to have.” Freshman Mariah Yoder said, “It’s always good to be bio-friendly.” CONNECT WITH SHANLEIGH REARDON sreardon1@student.framingham.edu
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OCTOBER 13, 2017
THE GATEPOST
NEWS | 5
Wage Gap Continued from pg. 1 Deeper Understanding,” was co-authored by Virginia Rutter, interim chair of the Framingham State sociology department, and Jenn Berg, a math professor at Fitchburg State University. Rutter said, “Members here at Framingham State were asking, ‘What about gender issues?’ Which is a reasonable thing for every woman at work - for every person at work - to ask. … We were not hot on the trail of some big crisis. We wanted to test this.” The study used the fall 2015 salary data of full-time faculty across all the state universities, according to the executive summary of the study. The data were stripped of all identifying information, but still included gender, rank, years of service, salary and university of employment. The study revealed gender pay gaps of varying significance in different positions at Mass Maritime Academy, Massachusetts State College of Liberal Arts, Salem State University and Westfield State University. Rutter said, “While there are significant differences for other ranks and other schools, we were particularly attentive of this difference [at Framingham State] because it was not accompanied by years. It gives us even stronger evidence to point to the gender gap.” Westfield State University is the only other university in the MSCA system where a salary gap exists between genders without any significant difference in years of service, according to the study. There were no significant gender pay gaps found at Bridgewater, Worcester, Fitchburg State universities. Across the entire state university system, there was no significant gender pay gap at the rank of assistant professor. Vincent Ferraro, a sociology professor, said the lack of a gender pay gap at the assistant professor level is promising. “This suggests that efforts to close the gap upstream - at the entry point for the tenure track - have been successful. Whether this parity persists is
something we’ll need to keep an eye on with future analyses.” President F. Javier Cevallos and Kim Dexter, director of equal opportunity at FSU, deferred to Vincent Pedone, executive officer for the State University Council of Presidents, for comment on this study, as it has been discussed in the course of bargaining between the MSCA and the BHE. Pedone raised a number of concerns about the accuracy and release of the study. The study did not control for years of service, the faculty’s academic discipline or market factors, he said. “I am in no way, shape or form a researcher, but … I’m thinking that a simple t-test is probably not the most reliable measure to draw any conclusions on salaries at state universities. “Additionally, it concerns me that the data they used is old data from 2015,” he added. He said, “For these reasons, I don’t think it’s appropriate at all to conclude that there is a gender salary bias on our state university campuses based on this report.” Pedone added while he applauds the MSCA’s efforts, the timing and “controlled release” offered no opportunity for the Board of Higher Education or the Council of Presidents to review the data or methodology of the study. He said when he received a paper copy of the report, he thought it was only intended as a topic of discussion at upcoming meetings. “I honestly thought it was a draft given to us in order to start a conversation and not something that was going to be discussed in public,” he added. Rutter said FSU administrators were aware of the ongoing study and were sent links to the executive summary on the day it was given to the bargaining team. “There was nothing on the handout we provided that stated ‘draft,’ so I’m very sorry that he didn’t understand when we publish a study that the study is made available,” she said. There is nothing “hidden or
mysterious” about the data or the methodology used to analyze the data, Rutter added. “The techniques we were using were very simple statistical techniques that people can do if they are curious about the information,” she said. Rutter said, “How the test fits the data is what is important, and the simplest, most transparent test is often the best. The tools we were using with descriptive and more transparent statistics are in fact methods for ‘controlling’ for various things.” In response to concerns about relevance of the 2015 data, CJ O'Donnell, MSCA president and a math professor at Mass Maritime Academy who worked closely with Berg and Rutter on the study, said, "With another year and the formulary increase that was applied July 1, 2016, we think results would be 'better' - that is, there would be a lower chance of gender bias as of today." Rutter stressed the MSCA did the best analysis possible given the data and resources available. “I would say that it’s more than a jumping off point because this study comes in the context of so much other work” done regarding gender wage gaps, especially in higher education. This “helps us to recognize that these patterns in our data are similar and that in some ways, they’re different,” she added. The institutions within the MSCA have fewer instances of gender wage bias than many institutions of public higher education, including the UMass system, said Rutter. The MSCA believes that the institution of formulary increases has helped reduce social inequalities, including gender inequality, according to the executive summary. A formulary increase is a process in which the BHE compares the salaries of faculty, staff and librarians at the state universities to those at comparable institutions. Based on these determinations, faculty, staff
and librarian salaries are raised a small percentage to bring their pay closer to that at comparable institutions. As all workers are compared to the same value, the MSCA believes it can help to flatten any initial differences in salary that could have been based on gender, race or some other factor. In the course of negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, the BHE and COP have proposed eliminating this practice. Ferraro said, “Research around the country and around the world demonstrates time and again that work performed by women is valued less than work performed by men, even when it’s the same exact work. And here I mean the literal valuation - how much they’re paid.” Pedone said the collective bargaining agreement between the BHE and the MSCA accounts for a joint salary study to be conducted by the COP and the MSCA. “Frankly, if the union perceived that there were salary inequities on our campuses, a better forum for this discussion would probably have started with a joint salary survey. So, I’m happy to join with the union to collaborate on a new salary survey to inform this discussion,” he added. Robert Donohue, MSCA vice president and president of the Framingham State MSCA chapter, said, “If the COP is interested in working with the MSCA on investigating possible salary bias, I assume MSCA would welcome that opportunity.” Ferraro said this study is a reminder that equality is something that people must continually fight for. He added, “it’s not like once we get there, we’re done. Things tend toward inequality, so getting to a level playing field is just the start. Staying there requires just as much effort, maybe more. CONNECT WITH JILLIAN POLAND jpoland@student.framingham.edu
“Research around the country and around the world demonstrates time and again that work performed by women is valued less than work performed by men, even when it’s the same exact work. And here I mean the literal valuation - how much they’re paid.” - Vincent Ferraro, sociology professor @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com
OCTOBER 13, 2017
THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL
Gender wage gap still an isssue In 2017, one would hope that gender wage gap issues in the workplace would be problems of a bygone era - an era when women were expected to be happy making 59 cents for every dollar a man made. One would think those days would be long gone by now. But sadly, the gender wage gap persists, even here at FSU. Last week, the Massachusetts State College Association released an executive summary of a gender bias study that involved Massachusetts’ nine state colleges and universities. Framingham State University in particular was singled out for having a gender wage gap among associate professors. For a breakdown of the study, we refer readers to The Gatepost’s comprehensive article on the subject in the news section this week. Referencing fall 2015 salary data for fulltime faculty, the report states that, on average, male associate professors at FSU made around $5,340 more than female associate professors. Keep in mind, as the study notes, there wasn’t a substantial correlation between years of service and the large gap in pay, meaning female associate professors who have worked at the University for the same number of years as their male coworkers are making less despite the fact that they hold the same position. Of the schools analyzed, Westfield State is the only other Massachusetts state university that has a wage gap discrepancy that can’t in some way be tied to faculty members’ years of service. Council of Presidents (COP) representative Vincent Pedone has questioned how accurate the study is considering the constraints on the data - the numbers used were from 2015. However, this issue reaches far beyond concerns of methodology in one relatively smallscale study. Nationwide - even globally - gender inequity is an undeniable problem. According to the Pew Research Center, when it comes to full-and part-time work, women earned 83 percent of what their male co-workers earned in 2015. Chief among Pedone’s complaints is that the survey was not completed in collaboration with the COP. As Pedone suggests, we urge the Board of Higher Education and the COP to work in conjunction with the MSCA to conduct more extensive research to determine the full extent of the gender wage gap in the state university system. It’s time to even the playing field for everyone in the workforce, and that can start here at FSU by following through with the “inclusive excellence” of which FSU boasts and close the gender pay gap.
THE GATEPOST
OP/ED
OP/ ED | 6
[Editor’s note: UP UP & Abroad is a bi-weekly travel comic series in which Design Editor Shayna Yacyshyn shares her adventures while studying abroad in Italy. Check back in two weeks for the next installment.]
Campus Conversations Did you know there is a gender wage gap among associate professsors at FSU? By Julia Christ and Thomas Maye
“No, I didn’t. It’s kind of a shock. Among professors, I’d think it’d be equal.” -Jennifer Dunlap, junior
“I feel like most professors here are “I didn’t. But I’m all for women’s women. They do just as much work empowerment - women should be as men.” paid equally to men.” -Victoria Brown, junior -Diane Monteiro, freshman
“I feel like gender shouldn’t play a “I feel like that’s not right. Everyone “That makes sense, because there’s role, especially in education.” should be equal.” a gender gap for most jobs. If you’re doing the same job, you should get -Cari Schlossberg, junior -Kimani Bryan, freshman paid the same.” -Ally Bettencourt, freshman
Op/Ed submissions reflect the opinions of their authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of The Gatepost or its staff.
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7 | OP/ED
THE GATEPOST
OCTOBER 13, 2017
It’s impossible not to politicize tragedy By Thomas Maye Staff Writer Fifty-eight people were killed on Oct. 1 at The Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas after a gunman opened fire on concert-goers. If mass shooting trends continue, as they have for decades, the body count will only increase throughout the year. But despite the perpetrator of the shooting having over 23 firearms in his possession during the massacre, in a state with comparatively lax gun restrictions to other parts of the U.S., the overwhelming likelihood is that nothing about our gun control system will change. The victims will die without justice. To conservative lobbyists, speaking out about mass shootings is “politicizing a tragedy.” But regardless of whatever good intentions lawmakers purport, ulterior motives behind such statements are clear to see. Claiming that criticizing the sociopolitical factors directly involved in mass shootings are somehow heartless and overly “political” absolves the key-holders to such policies of all responsibility. It’s gaslighting, and it reduces what should be a serious conversation about America’s chronic gun control issue to an ad-hominem debate about the sincerity of protester’s motives. Lawmakers that do nothing in the face of gun violence have blood on their hands. No mat-
ter how many times certain conservative pundits would like to deny it, the fact remains that gun violence is fundamentally a political issue. When American shooters - mentally ill or otherwise - directly benefit from the lack of legislative action to address mass shootings, it is willful ignorance to pretend that these tragedies can be divorced from politics. Furthermore, if addressing gun violence after a mass shooting is improper, when will it be the right time to speak out? Looking in the other direction will not muffle the sound of gunshots. And although it may be an ugly, uncomfortable conversation, it is the job of politicians to advocate political solutions to political issues. Representatives shouldn’t get to take a break from their duties just because the issues are complicated. It is one thing to reach an impasse due to ideological differences. Although a survey from Politico and Morning Consult said that 64 percent of voters support stricter gun legislation, it would be folly to assume that such a pervasive issue has only a singular solution. That said, the complaint that talking about the epidemic is “politicizing a tragedy” can be dismissed. It’s missing the point entirely - this shooting was exacerbated by our political climate, and did not, as critics suggest, happen in spite of it.
Creative Commons
A vigil was held in Las Vegas in honor of the victims at the shooting that occured at the Route 91 Harvest Musical Festival.
The Campus Professional Development Steering Committee is pleased to announce the 6th Annual Campus Professional Development Days will be held on January 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2018. The University wide goals of Academic Distinction and Student Success, Inclusive Excellence and Organizational Effectiveness, Reputation, Relationships, and Resources.
@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com
8 | ARTS & FEATURES
THE GATEPOST
OCTOBER 13, 2017
ARTS & FEATURES By Tess Jillson Asst. Arts & Features Editor Kathleen Volp said she never understood little girls’ obsessions with horses. She learned about male horses of war in art history and found it unusual that horses were generally feminized. At her local thrift shop, Volp began collecting a variety of horse props during the 2016 presidential election, reflecting on certain qualities war horses possess, such as “maleness” and “aggression.” She proposed a connection between war horses and the current “testosterone-driven” political landscape, relating the “divisive” election back to western history, violence and war. While analyzing the horse sculptures, former student Marjorie Anderson felt Volp was comparing today's political climate to a “big giant pile of horse manure.” Volp said, “I think we can agree that the tactics of the political campaign and what’s happening in politics really is a one-upmanship and it seems to be dominated by white males and western white male culture.” Confederate monuments frequently involve horses, men riding horses and battling, said Volp. By creating a platform of smaller sculptures, which she calls “un-monuments,” she is deliberately addressing the multitude of massive confederate monuments and the overwhelming fear they illustrate to the public. “Un-monuments” are more intimate, said Volp. “You have to go up close because it’s more one-on-one. … That’s very different from the way monuments stand. They are meant to overwhelm. These are meant to engage.” Although large-scale monuments can be intense and communicate negative ideals, Volp said she is not thrilled about the ongoing removal of confederate statues in our country. “I think when they go, we’re burying history and we’re burying the conversation that we should be having. I think we need to change the context around them or put them into context. … It’s ugly business, and we need to constantly be talking about it,” Volp said. The materials Volp uses, including buffed graphite, plastic, nylon and
Kathleen Volp's
The Politics of Fear
Kathleen Volp's graphite "un-monuments" displayed in the Mazmanian Art Gallery from Oct. 6 to 27.
rubber balls, convey the different values of colors and textures. Volp coats her sculptures with powdered graphite instead of black paint to create a metallic-like cast, resembling the appearance of monuments. The graphite material forms a mechanical texture similar to gunmetal, simulating the mechanisms of war and holding a sense of gore, adding to Volp’s metaphor. Senior Danielle Butler said, “Graphite is metallic, so it helps you correspond those ideas and mimics monuments on a smaller scale. If they were black, it wouldn’t help the connection.” Volp commented on how the graphite unifies the “un-monuments.” “It really highlights all of the details and textures and most importantly, the binding and the joining together of these different parts. … It preserves the texture in the original material at the same time,” she said. Volp uses cheap plastic toys when starting her sculptures. She cuts the toys into pieces and patches them in different locations before coating the objects with acrylic mediums such as GAC, black adhesive coating, powdered graphite and in other cases, wax. The cheap materials, including
“You have to go up close because it's more one-on-one. ... That's very different from the way monuments stand. They are meant to overwhelm. These are meant to engage." - Kathleen Volp, artist
plastic, rubber and nylon, are used to reflect upon the overwhelming amount of junk in the environment, the ocean and generally in life. The nylon material, wrapped around rubber balls on the sculptures, make the conversation about power and horses overtly sexual, as to call out the misogynistic, anti-feminist Trump administration. Volp’s sculpture, “spin,” depicts a graphite horse concealed underneath a pink plastic My Little Pony toy. The message here seems to be poking fun at young girls’ obsessions with horses. “You know My Little Pony may go out of style 20 years from now, but I think it still holds true to this fairytale-like” aesthetic, Volp said. Senior Emily Bowling said, “It definitely makes me look at animals differently. I feel like horses are usually depicted as peaceful, gentle beings, but here they look so satanic and demonic. Especially with ‘spin.’ It is in this My Little Pony disguise and you can kind of see its skeletal form underneath. It’s like using a children’s toy that’s supposed to be fun and friendly, but it's just really creepy.” Butler said they were looking at Volp’s pieces the other day “associating them with American politics.” “spin” in particular felt “dressed up, but it’s really just … a prop,” they said. Volp deliberately gets rid of color in her sculptures as a way to associate them with the political atmosphere, although “a little bit of color is intentional,” she said. Her sculpture, “spin,” is not the only one containing colors other than gray graphite. The mixed media assemblage, “clowns to the left of me; jokers to the right,” portrays a large horse
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dressed up as a clown and a smaller horse behind the larger, juggling red and orange balls. Volp said the image is supposed to evoke a sense of pointlessness. A clown smile painted on the larger horse’s rear end, facing the smaller horse, acts as the communicator of propaganda. Senior Rohma Shirwani said Volp is “repeating the same gesture” in her sculptures, specifically the representation of balls in relation to male dominance and power. Volp’s sculpture, “fake news,” deviates from the rest, displaying a chicken’s body with a dunce hat for a head. Dunce hat or Dunsman is a term used to describe “someone who is completely off their rocker,” said Volp. John Duns Scotus, who was a Catholic theologian in the 1400s, theorized that if he wore a cone-shaped hat, he could funnel the spirit down through him and channel God, but the thought bordered on heresy and Duns became an embarrassment to the Catholic Church, she said. Volp related the story back to Trump and his phobia of fake news. The sculpture perfectly represents the cowardice of Trump in relation to real-world crises, as Volp refers to the fearful chicken from “Chicken Little” who screams, “The sky is falling!” Volp said, “As I began to move forward with this, it seemed like the anxieties became founded. … I want these works to be able to go forward because this is a cycle that we’re going to be seeing again and again.”
CONNECT WITH TESS JILLSON
tjillson@student.framingham.edu
OCTOBER 13, 2017
By Andrew Willoughby Arts & Features Editor
THE GATEPOST
ARTS & FEATURES | 9
Asian Culture Club seeks to shine spotlight on Lyrical Substance underrepresented student population
“How could you listen to that? The lyrics are garbage.” I hear people criticize others’ tastes in music by saying something along those lines quite often. So, do a band’s or artist’s lyrics need to have substance in order for their music to be worthwhile? I like to think I listen to an eclectic range of music. Some of my favorite artists take themselves seriously, while others - maybe not so much. On the serious end of the spectrum, there’s acts such as La Dispute, which take a more poetic and story-oriented approach to song writing. Songs such as “King Park,” which tells the tale of the aftermath of a drive-by shooting or their “Here, Hear” series of EPs, which focuses on spoken-word passages. The “Here, Hear” series tackles topics that are rarely heard in the music industry. From telling tales of Greek mythology to reading a passage from Tom Robbins’ “Still Life with Woodpecker.” Does the substance of these lyrics add to my enjoyment of La Dispute’s work? Definitely. But the real question is, “Does a lack of substance equate to a lack of quality?” That’s where we come to Ho99o9 - pronounced “horror” - I know, I’m not a fan of their name either. Ho99o9 is an alternative group, that seamlessly blends the line between hardcore punk and hip-hop. They openly advocate for “anarchy and chaos” in the opening track to their latest album. Needless to say, listening to them does not make me an anarchist. Along with their name, Ho99o9 often utters some truly cringe-worthy lines. They quote the infamously terrible Drowning Pool song “Bodies,” as their vocalist shouts “let the bodies hit the floor” on the chorus of the track “Knuckle Up.” I am able to look past all of this because the band manages to fuse two genres that have no right sounding as good as they actually do together. And then there’s foreign artists. I listen to a handful of foreign-language groups. For the most part, I have no idea what they’re saying, but in no way does this detract from my enjoyment of the music. When I put on a record by Midori, a Japanese jazzpunk fusion outfit, I’m not listening for deep, introspective lyrics from Mariko Gotō. I’m in it to hear her sing and shout at a breakneck speed, accompanied by Hajime’s blistering piano sections and Yoshitaka Kozeni’s crashing drums. And then there’s the rising popularity of K and J-pop in the U.S. Some people just like to listen to those genre’s upbeat melodies and appreciate the personalities of their members. Understanding the language isn’t necessary to digest their content. So, yes - quality lyrics undoubtedly enhance the way I experience music. But a lack of substantive or coherent lyrics doesn’t detract from that either, as long as the group or artist is doing something interesting sonically.
By Thomas Maye Staff Writer
When sophomore Isaac Vu, president and founder of Asian Culture Club, was researching clubs to join, messages of inclusion were striking. From Black Student Union to Pride Alliance to Latinos Unidos N’ Accion, special-focus groups continually spread the message that there was a place for everyone to belong on campus. But, despite the overwhelming emphasis on diversity at Framingham State, Asian Americans just didn’t fit in the picture. “There wasn’t anything like Asian culture club,” Vu said. Asian people make up a comparatively small proportion of the student body at FSU. Vu estimates there may be a total of 126 Asian students on campus, though official demographic data is hard to come by. But, “just because we’re small” statistically, he said, “doesn’t mean we should be erased.” He added, “I just want people to realize Asians exist on campus.” Lily Rasakham, a junior and secretary of Asian Culture Club, had a similar sentiment when she arrived at FSU. “When I was a freshman, I didn’t see many Asians around. But as a junior, I’ve started to see the growth in the Asian community, and I’d like to see it grow more.” As a first-generation student and Asian American, she hopes Asian Culture Club will help students adjust and feel a sense of belonging and acceptance as they navigate through college. Rose Piz, a sophomore and vice president of the club, said, “I would love to meet more Asians on campus. ... It would be nice to know there’s more of us.” The idea for Asian Culture Club was conceived from Vu’s involvement in planning last year’s semi-formal dance with SUAB. He was interested in theming the dance on Asian cultures, but several people were concerned over potential complaints of “appropriation” on the
part of SUAB. Considering there are a variety of culturally themed groups on campus, Vu saw there was considerable opportunity to shine light on a vibrant and diverse, yet underrepresented, group at Framingham State. Although the club has just taken flight, members have ambitious visions for its future. Vu has plans of holding dances and singing performances to show off traditional Asian music from around the continent. He also had the idea of handing out money bags for the Lunar New Year, a common practice in Chinese New Year’s celebrations. Vu made sure to specify, “It’s not just going to be like a history class. ... I want people to get something out of it.” Piz proposed the idea of showing Asian movies and media presentations. Rasakham was excited about sharing Asian cuisine with the student body “The dining hall has Asian food, but it’s not real Asian food,” she said. She hopes to host interactive cooking workshops to show students of all backgrounds how to make authentic Asian cuisine. Besides the excitement of broadening students’ horizons, Asian Culture Club is fundamentally about building understanding and community. Students of all ethnicities are welcome to join in a shared mission of educational outreach and acceptance across cultural barriers, regardless of their prior exposure to Asian heritage. Jordan Peterson, advisor for the club and a staff member at SILD, summed it up nicely - “Empowering students ... it boils down to, I would say, to just see a new form of community starting. It’s really why I do my job.”
CONNECT WITH THOMAS MAYE
tmaye1@student.framingham.edu
“It's not going to be like a history class. ... I want people to get something out of it.” - Isaac Vu Asian Culture Club president and sophomore
CONNECT WITH ANDREW WILLOUGHBY awilloughby@student.framingham.edu
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10 | ARTS & FEATURES
Chaar Yaar Continued from page 1
before, stopping by back in 2014 on their way to record a song in Woodstock, New York. Chaar Yaar seeks to provide a musical space in which the audience and performers can freely love one another and to open up a dialogue to fight back against prejudice and strife, according to lead singer and poet Madan Gopal Singh. Incorporating a diverse array of instruments and musical influences into their repertoire, Chaar Yaar’s eclectic symphony builds bridges across cultural and geographical barriers the band itself exemplifies, Singh said. “Amjad Khan, our percussionist, is a Muslim. Pritam Ghosal, our sarod player, is a Hindu. Deepak Castelino plays Western guitar and is a Christian. I myself was born a Sikh,” Singh said in an interview with The Gatepost before the performance. “We all come from different backgrounds, but when we play together, our sound is one,” Singh said. This blending of culture and sound is intrinsic to what Chaar Yaar represents as a band. From the band’s conception when Singh first met Castelino, the two of them began working on what he referred to as the “in-between language” or the language of the “inn.” “Historically in Central and
South Asia, trade and spiritual creativity were intertwined. If you think of the performance as an inn, in the mornings, the antechamber belongs to the traders. In the evenings, the poet occupies the foyer. We are the beggars that reside outside of and pass between these spaces - this is Sufism,” Singh said. The band started the performance with a musical rendition of 17th century Sufi poet Bulleh Shah’s “Alif Allah.” The more traditionally Sufi instrumentation and subject matter is nevertheless interjected by Castelino’s subtle yet masterful guitar-playing. The song built tension off of minimalist percussion until it broke midway, picking up pace off of a call-and-response style duet between Castelino’s guitar and Ghosal’s sarod - a traditional Indian string instrument. The sarod set a driving rhythm over which the brighter notes of the guitar and Singh’s own booming voice hovered. An eclectic model unfurled itself - the drums provided the instrumental framework of the “inn,” the guitar and sarod did battle within, each vying for auditory supremacy as Singh’s commanding vocals traversed the undulating sonic landscape. The second song in the performance, “Anand,” was one of the band’s most well-known - a Chaar Yaar ode to 15th century poet Kabir. This was where the band really started to emphasize their
Corey McFeeley / THE GATEPOST Pritam Ghosal plays sarod for Sufi band Chaar Yaar.
OCTOBER 13, 2017
interpretation of the Sufi musical tradition of audience participation, encouraging the crowd to sing and dance along. “The meaning of the chorus is, ‘Sing bliss, O true one.’ The true one in this case is a woman of course, men are mostly false,” Singh said, to ripples of laughter. The percussion quickly took center stage at first. Khan provided a fast, pattering rhythm that Ghosal’s plucky sarod easily bounced off of - the frantic dissolving riffs contrasted starkly with Castelino’s sparse, methodical guitar work. Ultimately, what drove this song
love and understanding is carried over in Chaar Yaar’s interactions with the audience as well. As a band, it is important that although each member has different opinions, ideologies and morals, they must come together and speak as one. “We have to understand what the other is speaking. There is unity in diversity, musically speaking - it is important not only to play your part, but to make a space for others to perform,” Ghosal said before the concert. “We, both the performers and the audience, have to unite. It is a
“We all come from different backgrounds, but when we play together, our sound is one.” - Madan Gopal Singh, lead singer of Chaar Yaar
were the vocals. This time with both Singh and Castelino singing in tandem as the audience capitulated their own vocal contributions with increasing exuberance. This is the kind of musical space Chaar Yaar seeks to build in each of their performances - a musical language that transcends cultural boundaries and unites people with love for one another and the power to resist societal prejudices and injustice. “We live through turbulent times. There was a great deal of ethnic and political unrest in India in the ’70s and ’80s. That was a major reason I decided to rethink what I was doing with my life as an academic. Could I really afford to sit aside as people close to me were suffering and dying for what they believed in?” Singh said. He spoke of his friend Safdar Hashmi, a cultural activist who performed street theatre, translated poetry and wrote scripts. He was killed by hired goons on New Year’s Eve, 1989, on the outskirts of Delhi, while in the middle of a performance, Singh said. “There is a certain state of friendship that is concrete and lived. The death of a friend implies also a part of you dying in him. That is what the in-between language is - reaching out, giving up a part of yourself, expecting the same in return, and meeting somewhere in between,” Singh said. According to sarod player Ghosal, this drive to achieve mutual
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journey we are all on - nobody is an audience member and a performer separately,” Ghosal said. Singh added, “You might only achieve this feeling for 30 seconds during a show, but when you do, it is like descending from a high mountain pass into a verdant clearing. You just have to keep pushing and pushing until it happens.” Later on in the performance, more Western musical influences began to seep into Chaar Yaar’s set - a piano performance by Dr. Christian Gentry with vocal backing by members of the FSU chorus on a Sufi-inspired rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” All these layers of disparate instrumental and vocal arrangements look like a recipe for noise salad, but Chaar Yaar implemented each element with grace. The transitions between Khan’s thundering percussion and the twang of Ghosal’s sarod, Castelino’s soft singing voice and Singh’s booming one and the interplay between Gentry’s electronic audio-clips and Chaar Yaar’s traditional Sufi instrumentality, retained a seemingly effortless fluidity. Singh said the language of Chaar Yaar’s music “is like a sapling, fragile. Nurture it and it grows in our being.”
CONNECT WITH CAMERON GRIEVES
cgrieves@student.framingham.edu
OCTOBER 13, 2017
Beauty by Bailey Millions of Peaches
THE GATEPOST
ARTS & FEATURES | 11
FILM REVIEW
THE COUCH BOYS REVIEW:
By Bailey Morrison Associate Editor Picture the packaging - a peachy ombré design with the words “Just Peachy” scrawled in cursive across the front. As soon as you open the palette, you’re greeted with the overwhelming scent of peaches and cream. If you’re like me, The Presidents of The United States of America’s “Peaches” is on repeat in your brain. This and several other products - foundation, lipstick, setting spray - were released by Too Faced in their “Peaches and Cream Collection.” With this release, I planned on picking up this palette until I was bullied out of making the purchase by my best friend under the guise of practicing fiscal responsibility. A few weeks later, she bought it for me for my birthday so here it is in my hands. So, let’s talk about it. The palette features 12 matte shades, all infused with peach and fig cream. The shades are very versatile - whether you want to slap on a little makeup before class or meticulously create that smoky eye you love; this palette can do that. The shades are all warm-toned, which is unusual for a palette but this pays off. This unique palette is unlike other launches I’ve seen recently. Of course, with any eyeshadow palette, the first thing you think about is formula and color payoff. This one does not disappoint. Each shade is buttery smooth and blends like a dream on the eyelid. One dip of my brush into the palette and a little blending is all it takes to showcase the shades in this palette. Because I’ve only been playing with this palette for a few days, I’ll share my first impressions. My favorite shade, by far, is “Peach Sangria.” The dusty rose color is a buildable shade that can simply highlight a very subtle makeup look or exaggerate a dramatic eye look. “Peach Sangria” is the shade your eye is drawn to immediately in the palette, as the rest are more muted and peach-toned. The packaging of this palette also stuck out to me. The mirror inside is huge - this is definitely a palette you could take traveling with you and use this mirror as needed. The packaging itself is sleek with gold lettering and a magnetic clasp shaped like two peaches. This palette is available at Sephora and on the Too Faced website and retails for $45. CONNECT WITH BAILEY MORRISON bmorrison1@student.framingham.edu
By Brennan Atkins & Noah Barnes Staff Writers
Warner Bros. Pictures
The original “Blade Runner,” directed by Ridley Scott, is a cult classic in the scifi genre. It is the story of Deckard, a blade runner in Los Angeles in the year 2019. The blade runners are a special task force of the LAPD whose job it is to hunt and “retire” replicants, bioengineered androids that have the ability to disobey their creators. The sequel to this fantasy noir film, “Blade Runner 2049,” is directed by Dennis Villeneuve. It is set 30 years in the future, and the replicants are still present in the society. Rather than having Harrison Ford take the lead role, we are met with Ryan Gosling as the replicant Blade Runner KD6-3.7, also known as K for short. It is hard to give a detailed summary of the movie without getting into spoiler territory - from very early on, the audience is given important information that is vital to the film’s plot. While that may seem very simple, it is anything but. It is satisfyingly clever enough to keep you interested throughout. There's never a dull moment. K is a quiet and antisocial replicant who always does things by the book when it comes to his job. He keeps his composure most of the time, so when he displays emotion on screen, it comes off as surprising and this really amplifies the tension between him and the viewer. Deckard, the lead role from the first film, returns as a supporting character who teams up with Ryan Gosling. Gosling’s and Ford’s characters work together extremely
well in the film. From their first scene together it’s clear these two click well. Undeniably, the best part of the film is its cinematography and visuals. Roger Deakins has shown that he is an utter genius behind a camera. Every single frame in this movie is visually stunning. Whether it is the beautiful neon-filled streets of Los Angeles or the desolate desert ruins, every shot is remarkable. We honestly feel as if this might be one of the most realistic, moving and beautiful futuristic worlds that has ever been captured on screen. While the movie stands at a hefty two hours and 43 minutes, it doesn't feel that long. It has great pacing. If you feel like you would be interested in this movie but are not sure, there are three free Blade Runner shorts on YouTube which detail small aspects of the movie. This movie isn't heavily reliant on the first film, so one can watch this movie with no context from the first and still enjoy it. This movie has easily proven itself to be a fantastic sci-fi film. However, we would go as far as to say it is one of the best sequels ever produced. It represents everything a sequel should be. [Editor's Note: Brennan Atkins and Noah Barnes are "The Couch Boys," two friends who watch and review films together. ]
CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS batkins@student.framingham.edu
Andrew Willoughby / THE GATEPOST
Grade: A Not just a replicant of the first film - a beautiful sequel with amazing acting and cinematography
ADMIT ONE
ADMIT ONE
CONNECT WITH NOAH BARNES nbarnes@student.framingham.edu
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12 | SPORTS
OCTOBER 13, 2017
THE GATEPOST
SPORTS Harris shines as football stays undefeated with win at Fitchburg By Matt Ferris Sports Editor Framingham State traveled to Fitchburg State to take on the Falcons in a MASCAC game on Oct. 6. The Rams received the kickoff to begin the game. After a return of 23 yards from Nasir Thomas, the Framingham offense took the field. After solid chunks on the ground from Sebastian Robert and Stephen Beahn, Framingham picked up a couple of first downs, but ultimately turned the ball over on downs to start the game. After the turnover, Fitchburg came out with good starting field position. On third down, Falcons’ quarterback James Antonelli threw a pass intended for receiver Devin Summiel, but Rams’ safety Jaquan Harris jumped the route for an interception. Set up by the pick, Framingham marched down the field on just four plays to score the games’ opening touchdown. Quron Wright capped off a four play, 46-yard drive with a sixyard touchdown run. After a missed extra point, the Rams went up 6-0. Framingham’s defense forced a three and out on the next possession, setting the offense up again with a good field position. Wright again capped off the scoring drive, this time with a 16-yard rush for a touchdown. Kicker Ryan Clifford converted the extra point to cap a five play, 37-yard drive, putting the Rams up 13-0. The Falcons responded on their next drive. Fitchburg quickly drove down the field in just three plays. The 62-yard drive was finished off with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Antonelli to Summiel. The Falcons cut the deficit to 13-7, after a made extra point. Framingham was forced to punt on their next drive, but the punt pinned the Falcons inside their own 10-yard line. On the next play, Framingham got pressure on Antonelli, who just threw the ball away. However Antonelli was called for intentional grounding while he was in the end zone, resulting in a safety for the Rams, making it a 15-7 game. After a good return on the free kick, the Rams found themselves with good field positon. Zak Walker finished off the five play, 36-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown rush to make the score 22-7. Framingham would strike one more time before half. After a 25-yard punt from the Falcons, the Rams again had good field position. On the second play of the drive, Walker connected with Thomas for a 38-yard touchdown pass, making the score 29-7 going into halftime. After two straight three-and-outs from the Fitchburg offense to start the half, the Falcons drove down the field for a touchdown to cut into the lead. Antonelli found Summiel in the
end zone to cap off the 11 - play, 71-yard drive for Fitchburg, making it 29-14. After another Harris interception, the Rams were forced to start their drive on their own one-yard line. Fitchburg brought pressure on the first play and got to Walker in the end zone for the safety, making it 29-16. With a little momentum, the Falcons looked to cut into the Rams’ lead even more. On the next possession, the Falcons came out aggressively, but after just three plays, Harris came away with another interception. Framingham then killed six minutes of the clock on their next possession. Picking up three first downs, Framingham ran 11 plays before finally kicking a field goal on fourth down. Clifford converted the 36-yard field goal to extend the lead to 32-16, the final score. The Rams finished the game with 405 yards of total offense, passing for 142 and rushing for 263. The defense limited the Falcons to just 195 yards, giving up 167 through the air and only 28 on the ground. The defense also forced five turnovers. Harris was responsible for all five turnovers, as he had five interceptions. This tied an NCAA record for most in a game by a single player. He had a total of 19 yards on interception returns.
Harris now has a total of eight interceptions on the season through just five games. Walker completed seven passes on 15 attempts for 142 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He added eight yards on the ground with a touchdown. Wright rushed 24 times, tallying 145 yards and two touchdowns. He now has 721 yards on the season along with five touchdowns. Five different Rams players had a reception in the win. Thomas led the way with two catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. With the win, the Rams stay undefeated on the season at 5-0. They also stay on top in the MASCAC with a 3-0 conference record.
FRAMINGHAM STATE 32 FITCHBURG STATE 16
CONNECT WITH MATT FERRIS mferris2@student.framingham.edu
Kicker Ryan Clifford punts the ball for the undefeated Rams.
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OCTOBER 13, 2017
13 | SPORTS
THE GATEPOST
Editors’ picks for 2017-18 NBA awards Matt Ferris
Jose Carrasquillo
Liam Richard Gambon Tranfaglia
NBA champion Runner Up MVP
Golden State Warriors
Cleveland Cavaliers
Lebron James
Lebron James
Defensive Player
DeAndre Jordan
Rookie of the year Sixth
Lonzo Ball
Dennis Smith Jr.
DeAaron Fox
Ben Simmons
Jamal Crawford
Louis Williams
Jamal Crawford
Louis Williams
D’Angelo Russell
Nikola Jokic
D’Angelo Russell
Karl-Anthony Towns
Tom Thibodeau
Brad Stevens
Brad Stevens
Billy Donavan
Man Most Improved Coach of the year
Cleveland Cavaliers
Golden State Golden State Golden State Warriors Warriors Warriors Boston Celtics
Cleveland Cavaliers
Giannis Kyrie Irving Antetokounmpo Rudy Gobert Kawhi Kawhi Leonard Leonard
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Players of the week
fsurams.com
Jaquan Harris had five interceptions in a 32-16 win over Fitchburg State.
Field Hockey loses two league matchups By Richard Tranfaglia Asst. Sports Editor Framingham dropped its game to Rivier College on Oct. 5, by a score of 2-1. Beth Castle scored the first goal of the game for the Raiders off a one-time pass from Jaclyn Fraser. Sydney Buono answered for the Rams eight minutes later to tie the game at one. The game remained tied going into the half. Linsey Roth scored the would be game-winning goal a little over midway through the second half. She scored off a deflected save from Rams’ goalie Haley Duggan. The Rams outshot the Raiders 18-13, but could not find the back of the net to tie the game. Roth and Fraser tied with three shots each on net. Meaghann Ackerman led the Rams with six shots on goal. Duggan made six saves for Framingham. Emily Foster stopped 11 shots for Rivier. The Rams fall to 2-9 on the season.
RIVIER 2 FRAMINGHAM STATE 1
OCTOBER 13, 2017
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14 | SPORTS
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Kelly Brinkman had 43 kills over a four-game stretch for the Rams volleyball team.
the Falcons with five minutes left in the game to keep the Rams out of reach. Fitchburg outshot Framingham 24-12. DeHorsey led the Falcons with seven shots on goal and Ackerman led the Rams with four shots. Duggan made a season-high 16 saves for the Rams. Rhiannon Fletcher stopped five shots for the Falcons. The Rams move to 2-10 on the season and 1-7 in the LEC.
FITCHBURG STATE FRAMINGHAM STATE
5 3
The Rams lost their fifth-consecutive game on Oct. 10 to UMass Dartmouth by a score of 5-0. The two teams combined for 23 shots in the first half, but could only score one goal. Haley Donahay got credited for it by using a give-andgo with Erin Kish. The Corsairs’ offense exploded in the second half with 15 shots and four goals. Mary Brown scored consecutive goals to make it a 3-0 game. Her first was ripped from the right side of the field past the Rams’ goalie. Brown’s second was on a breakaway after losing the Rams’ defense. Less than two minutes later, Delany Burns scored on a redirected shot from Brown to extend the Corsairs lead. Alexis Keohane added one more goal late in the game to reach the final margin. The Corsairs outshot the Rams 26-17. Burns led with 11 shots on net and Ackerman once again led the Rams in shots with six. Duggan made 12 stops for the Rams in the loss while Allison Burke saved 11 for UMass. The Rams drop to 2-11 on the season and 1-8 in the league.
The Rams took on Fitchburg State for a league matchup but could not get the win. They lost 5-3. The first half was a shoot-out as the teams combined for six goals. Aislinn DeHorsey scored the first two goals for the Falcons in the eighth and 20th minutes of play. Bailey Donelly got Framingham on the board just two minutes later, cutting the lead to one. Molly Richard scored back-to-back unassisted goals for the Falcons to extend their lead to three. Caitlin Baril made it a two-score game just 30 UMASS DARTMOUTH 5 seconds before intermission. FRAMINGHAM STATE 0 The Rams got within one goal when Amie Souza gathered a loose ball in front of the net and sent it home. Sophia Laperle scored the insurance goal for CONNECT WITH RICHARD TRANFAGLIA
rtranfaglia@student.framingham.edu
Women’s Soccer stays winless in MASCAC, falling to MCLA By Camille McKenzie
Staff Writer
fsurams.com
Isaac De Souza scored two goals and had one assist in a 3-0 victory over MCLA.
The Rams traveled to North Adams for a MASCAC matchup against the MCLA Trailblazers. This looked to be a good matchup for both teams, since neither had yet won a game within the MASCAC. In the first half the Rams outshot the Trailblazers 18-1, but neither team was able to score any goals. The score remained 0-0 going into the second half. Seventy-five minutes into play, the Rams got their only goal of the game. Kaleigh Pallotta’s cross was deflected by a Trailblazer into the goal. A minute later, the Trailblazers tied up the game. Lauren Magiardi assisted Kaylyn Holliday, who finished with a goal. With less than eight minutes left in play, Kayla Baker made a huge play for the Trailblazers.
Unassisted, Baker earned her first goal of the season. This put MCLA up 2-1 to Framingham, which was the final score. Overall, the Rams outshot the Trailblazers, 326, but MCLA took more advantage of their opportunities. MCLA’s Meghan Richardson was active in goal, making 11 saves Framingham’s Jennifer Stevens made two saves out of only four shots on goal. This loss for the Rams makes them 2-8-1 and 0-4 in the MASCAC.
MCLA 2 FRAMINGHAM STATE 1 CONNECT WITH CAMILLE MCKENZIE cmckenzie@student.framingham.edu
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OCTOBER 13, 2017
Ferr or Foul:
USA out of 2018 WC By Matt Ferris Sports Editor Following a 2-1 loss on Oct. 10, the United States men’s national soccer team failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Team USA played a total of 10 qualifying matches, in what is known as the CONCACAF Hexagonal. In such a format, the top three teams automatically qualify for the World Cup and the fourth moves on to a playoff with a team in a similar position from another continent. In those 10 games, the team went 3-4-3 officially eliminating it from contention. This will be the first World Cup since 1986 in which the United States will not be a participant. Following the firing of head coach Jurgen Klinsmann in 2016, who led the team to a 0-2 start in the qualifiers, the U.S. hired Bruce Arena, who finished up the qualifiers with a 3-2-3 record. Arena, a former U.S. player, is serving his second stint as the coach of the national team. Arena coached from 1998-2006, during which he qualified for three World Cups in as many tries. Until this point, soccer has been considered to be on the rise in the United States. After coming within one bad strike away from beating Belgium in the 2014 World Cup and advancing to the quarterfinals the last eight of the entire field - U.S. soccer fans were and anxious for the team to take the next step. The step included not just competing with the Belgiums of the world, but beating them. Not only did the team not take that step forward, but they took a significant step backwards. This proves that the U.S. is nowhere even close to being a powerhouse on a global stage like it is in almost every other sport. Soccer in the USA has a long way to go if the team wants to take the leap to competing with teams like Spain, Germany, or Argentina - losing to Trinidad and Tobago in a win or go home game proves that. Sure Sunil Gulati, the president of United States soccer, has had a lot of success throughout his tenure with the team, and sure Arena has had a lot of success in his previous run with the squad, but it is time for a change. It is time for a fresh start. The U.S. soccer program needs a complete transformation: a new president, a new coach and younger players. With a player like Christian Pulisic, who is only 19 years old and already a star, the U.S. has someone to pass the torch to for the future. However, the team needs more youthful players to surround him. Developing players should be the number one priority for U.S. soccer. The reason teams like Spain, Germany and Argentina are so good is because they have a revolving door of talent. When older players retire, newer, younger players step right in and are competitive. This is what the U.S. is missing. The U.S. must start a complete rebuild and start developing players like the powerhouse soccer nations, before it can even think about redemption in 2022. The sooner they realize this is not an overnight fix, the quicker strides can be taken.
15 | SPORTS
THE GATEPOST
Men’s Soccer falls to .500 on the season, now 7-7 By Liam Gambon Asst. Sports Editor The Framingham State Rams hosted MCLA on Oct. 7. Isaac De Souza put up the first goal of the game off an assist from Justin Hansen in the 41st minute. Ken Stahovish scored next in the 50th minute off an assist from De Souza to put the Rams up 2-0. De Souza scored again in the 55th minute to wrap up the scoring for the day giving Framingham the 3-0 win. De Souza now has 13 goals in as many games. The Rams heavily outshot MCLA 29-9 in this matchup. Corey Davidge only had to make one save in the win. The Rams improve to 7-6 with the win.
FRAMINGHAM STATE MCLA
DEAN COLLEGE 1 FRAMINGHAM STATE 0
3 0 CONNECT WITH LIAM GAMBON lgambon1@student.framingham.edu
Volleyball climbs in MASCAC with another conference win By Jose Carrasquillo Sports Editor On Oct. 5, Framingham traveled to Mount Holyoke for a nonconference matchup against the Lyons. The Rams and the Lyons began by trading points back-and-forth, with neither side gaining an advantage until Framingham took a 13-9 lead. Due to multiple errors from Framingham, Mount Holyoke used an offensive outburst with 13 kills to only five errors in the set and rallied to a 25-23 set win. Framingham began the second set as strongly as they began the first with a 7-2 run to open. The Lyons quickly responded with five straight points to even out the set at 7-7. Each side continued to trade points until Mount Holyoke went on an 18-4 run to
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end the set. Mount Holyoke used the Rams eight errors to win the second set. The third set was hotly contested as each side failed to gain a significant lead over the other. The Lyons broke the tie at 6-6 with four unanswered points, but the Rams made a run of their own to tie the set back at 14. Following the tie, it was all Mount Holyoke as they finished the set with an 11-5 run with a final score 25-19. Kelly Brinkman led the way for Framingham with seven kills and 8.5 points.
MOUNT HOLYOKE 3 FRAMINGHAM STATE 0
FRAMINGHAM STATE BRIDGEWATER STATE
3 0
10/12 vs. Newbury College 10/14 vs. Worcester State 10/14 vs. Plymouth State 10/16 vs. Anna Maria College
CONNECT WITH MATT FERRIS mferris2@student.framingham.edu
Framingham State matched up against Dean College on Oct. 10 at home. Alex Gordonbeck started the game with a goal in the eighth minute off an assist from Pepe Vieira to put Dean College up. Vieira scored next in the 10th minute assisted by Santiago Cardona off a giveand-go strike past Davidge in net. Stahovish scored the Rams only goal of the game off a header in the 16th minute assisted by Hansen. Dean outshot Framingham 20-14 in the game. Davidge played half of the game, allowing two goals and saving four. Josh Arno played the second half making four saves. Framingham falls to 7-7 on the season.
10/19 at Mass. Maritime
MOUNT IDA 3 FRAMINGHAM STATE 1
SUFFOLK 3 FRAMINGHAM STATE 1
CONNECT WITH JOSE CARRASQUILLO jcarrasquillo1@student.framingham.edu @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com
16 | PHOTOS
THE GATEPOST
OCTOBER 13, 2017
Suit Jacket Possee held their first show of the semester on Tuesday, Oct. 10 in the Forum. The group introduced new members, while performing crowd favorites such as “The Oracle”, “Survivor” and “HalfLife.”
Allie Gath/ THE GATEPOST
Suit Jacket Possee @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com