November 20, 2020

Volume 89 • Issue 10

FSUgatepost.com

November 20, 2020

Interim Provost and College Deans accept contract extensions

By Ashley Wall Editor-in-Chief

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST

(From Left) Kristina, Olivia, Melanie, Emily, and Lillian enjoy Thanksgiving dinner in the Dining Commons Nov. 19.

News SGA pg. 3 COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS pg. 6

Opinions

AN UNTENABLE CHOICE pg. 9 I’LL BE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS pg. 10

Sports

See CONTRACTS page 4

Board of Trustees acknowledges students’ concerns

By Donald Halsing Associate Editor The Board of Trustees discussed COVID-19 plans, inclusivity initiatives, declining enrollment, and the University’s financial standing during its Nov. 18 meeting.

COVID-19 plans for upcoming breaks and next semester Trustees outlined FSU’s plans for Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring breaks; academic calendar changes; and Information Technology Services’ (ITS) plans for the spring 2021 semester.

President F. Javier Cevallos said he received new regulations earlier

in the day from Gov. Charlie Baker requiring all resident students to be tested for COVID-19 before leaving on break. FSU will test all resident students before they leave for break and after they return.

He said the University encourages resident students to stay on campus during the Thanksgiving break, and will provide them with free meals.

“We’re trying to make the best decision based on the data that we have.”

Cevallos said he received an email from SGA before the meeting about Thanksgiving break.

Student Trustee McKenzie Ward informed the Board of a resolution passed by SGA during its Nov. 17 meeting urging professors not to hold face-to-face classes after

Thanksgiving break.

She added a resident assistant told her only 100 students plan to stay on campus over Thanksgiving break of the approximately 700 students living on campus.

Cevallos said the University moved the start of the spring 2021 semester forward one week to allow for extra testing as students return to campus. As a result, Spring break was replaced with a three-day weekend.

“I expected a deluge of complaints and emails about, ‘How can you take Spring break away?’ and I really didn’t get any. I just got a few emails from students saying, ‘Thank you for

See BOARD OF TRUSTEES page 7

Winter sports competitions canceled due to COVID-19

By Ashlyn Kelly Asst. News Editor

The Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) has canceled all competitions for winter sports due to COVID-19.

At FSU, the men’s and women’s basketball teams and men’s ice hockGatepost Archives ey team will only be able to practice, WINTER SPORTS CANCELED pg. 12 condition, and train during their normal season time.

According to the MASCAC press release, these opportunities will not use a year of National Collegiate AthMAZGAL pg. 13 letic Association (NCAA) eligibility and will follow all state recommendBURDEN OF PROOF pg. 16 ed guidelines.

Arts & Features

After the abrupt departure of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Angela Salas in Spring 2020, Dr. Ellen Zimmerman was appointed interim provost.

Having started the position March 9, just days before the University moved to remote learning due to COVID-19, Zimmerman knew the search for a permanent provost would not be a priority for the University during the Fall 2020 semester.

As a result, Zimmerman accepted a one-year contract extension to continue in her current role.

According to President F. Javier e os the se h to fi the osition has not started. Instead, the University plans to begin the search Fall 2021, with the selected replacement taking over July 2022.

He said, “Everyone I have talked to is really happy that she is staying for another year because everybody knows that trying to go through a search pro-

The FSU press release said the decision was made after reviewing the guidelines from Massachusetts and the NCAA, as well as consulting with the MASCAC presidents, and athletic directors and trainers.

Mike Bailey, head ice hockey coach, said, “I think having the season canceled is a huge disappointment to everyone involved. The student-athletes have been working hard training daily with the hopes that COVID numbers would decrease enough for the season to start at the first of the new year.

“To put that much time and effort day-in and day-out and then get the news that we won’t be able to com-

pete this season is tough to take,” he added.

Bill Raynor, head men’s basketball coach, said, “I feel especially bad for our seniors who will not get the opportunity to compete their senior season, however, given the pandemic, safety and health of all is the most important thing we can do at this time.”

Bailey said, “In the end, I don’t think the cancellation of the season took any of us by surprise watching as the Fall athletics on campus were canceled prior. We all pay close attention to what’s happening around us,

See WINTER SPORTS page 12

INSIDE: OP/ED 9 • SPORTS 12 • ARTS & FEATURES 13

NEWS

2 | NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Editorial Board

Gatepost Interview

Editor-in-Chief Ashley Wall

Sam Witt

Associate Editors Donald Halsing Cara McCarthy News Editor Leighah Beausoleil Asst. News Editors Dan Fuentes Ashlyn Kelly Arts & Features Editors Brennan Atkins Robert Johnson Jr. Asst. Arts & Features Editor Jared Graf Opinions Editor McKenzie Ward Design Editor Kathleen Moore Photos Editor Caroline Gordon Asst. Sports Editor Danielle Achin Staff Writers Maia Almeida Taylor Anderson James Barraford Patrick Brady Steven Bonini Sean Cabot Haley Hadge Branden LaCroix Caroline Lanni Johan Perez Abigail Petrucci Emily Rosenberg Lydia Staber Advisor Dr. Desmond McCarthy Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

100 State Street McCarthy Center Room 410 Framingham, MA 01701-9101 Phone: (508) 626-4605 Fax: (508) 626-4097 gatepost@framingham.edu @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Professor of English

By Caroline Gordon Editorial Staff What is your job at FSU? I am an associate professor of creti e itin nd fi st ye itin . teach several creative writing courses plus Expository Writing. I also teach the creative writing seminar, which is now split between two different courses and two different genres. I advise The Onyx, which is the creative writing journal.

What is your educational and professional background?

I graduated from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. I graduated with an English major and immediately after graduation, I went to the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, which is an M.F.A. [Master of Fine Arts o . te y fi st oo elasting Quail,” was published in 2000, it won the Katharine Bakeless Nason Poetry Prize. Then, I started applying for jobs in teaching. I went to Russia for a year under the Fulbright Fellowship o . s in the fi st o o people who went to Russia after Communism fell. Then, I taught a lot of one-year jobs. I taught at Harvard for a year in the English department. I went on a fellowship to the Yaddo Writers Conference. I taught at the University of Missouri in Kansas City. I taught at Whitman College and a few smaller schools. In 2010, I applied for a one-year teaching position at Framingham State University. I have been at Framingham ever since. About four years ago, I was awarded tenure and I was promoted to associate professor.

Why did you choose to teach at FSU? First, I love the school. When I applied, I had never heard of Framingham, which is kind of embarrassing because it is such an important school to Ameri n ed tion. t s the fi st No hoo it s the fi st s hoo o o en in America - and it was started by Horace Mann. Framingham has the best English department I have ever been a part of, and I have been a part of a lot of English departments. I think the FSU English Department is one of the strongest English departments for humanities, literature, and creative writing for undergraduates in the world! However, it seems to be one of the least known it e y ies nde the d . in ham is also affordable, serving students who don’t want to go into debt. I think FSU is a democratic university. My colleagues in literature completely respect creative writing, which was sometimes

Courtesy of Framingham State a point of contention in academia in the past. At FSU, we recognize that all writing is creative, and all creative writing is a scholarly, academic, and literary pursuit. The chair right now, Lisa Eck, is extraordinary. She is so respectful and loves creative writing. The chair before her, Dr. Desmond McCarthy, recognized how important creative writing is. Most of all, I love the students. I cannot tell you how many extraordinary students I have. I am happy to be here. FSU is an incredible place!

What do you like most about working with students?

The most important [part] for me is working with students on their writing, which also extends to reading an analysis of literature. I like seeing students fall in love with writing and reading. I have seen students realize how important writing and literature is and how they can change someone’s life. I adore the moment when a student in my writing classes realizes it’s not true that they are not good at English or writing.

I can almost always tell when I have a budding poet in my intro to writing class because they always say they are not really a poet. Then, they show me they are. I love watching students graduate because it’s a joyous moment [celebrating] what they have accomplished. I like writing letters for my students who choose to go on to a graduate program and for jobs. I love seeing my students get jobs! Most of all, considering the current situation with the pandemic, I love seeing that we are there for each other.

Police Logs Tuesday, Nov. 17 21:12 Assist Residence Life West Hall Turned Over to Residence Life

Wednesday, Nov. 18 12:46 Suspicious Activity Larned Hall Report Taken

How has COVID-19 impacted your job?

COVID-19 has made an extraordinary change to everything. Zoom and other technologies like Zoom are so helpful to us. I love the fact that we have this stuff! They are also extraordinarily challenging. Right now, I am teaching mostly classes on Zoom. But, the problem with Zoom is when you are not physically with students, you are not getting the same kind of neurological response that you get when you are physically with a group of people. It is a subtle distinction, but it is noticeable.

We are not getting the serotonin we get with an in-person social interaction. I read somewhere that a Zoom meeting is like trying to conduct a conversation through a keyhole or window. It’s e h stin nd di fi t. n one h nd you can get materials to students immediately, but nothing beats a group of hungry minds in a room together.

What advice do you have for FSU students?

Right now - hang in there! Keep doing what you are doing. This will not last forever. We are on the cusp of some di fi t ti es t th t doesn t e n we are on the cusp of bad times. Try to listen to each other. Try to realize everybody is having a rough time right now.

I’m not just talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. I am talking about the racism pandemic, the polarity in our political system, and the inequalities we are all struggling with. The important thing is for us to realize how to talk and listen to each other.

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON cgordon4@student.framingham.edu

Wednesday, Nov. 18 18:24 Suspicious Activity Linsley Hall Checks OK

Wednesday, Nov. 18 23:30 Special Assignment Mail Room Assignment Complete

NEWS

NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 3

SGA recommends canceling in-person classes after Thanksgiving

By Maia Almeida Staff Writer At this week’s meeting, SGA discussed the University’s decision to continue in-person classes after Thanksgiving break.

With a rise of COVID-19 cases in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, SGA plans to ask the administration to make all classes currently held on campus remote after Thanksgiving.

President Olivia Beverlie said according to Glenn Cochran, associate dean of students and director of residence life, six out of seven students on campus plan to travel home for Thanksgiving break.

“He [Cochran] only expects 100 resident students to actually be staying on campus for Thanksgiving, and that’s a generous estimate,” Beverlie said.

SGA also urged students who do travel home for Thanksgiving to remain home.

An email sent to students on Nov. 17 from Meg Nowak Borrego, dean of students, stated the campus will remain open during Thanksgiving break and encouraged resident students to stay on campus.

The resolution proposed by SGA advocates keeping the campus and residence halls open for students who need them even if in-person classes are moved online.

Beverlie said the University is aware of SGA’s petition.

“This is just us urging the University to take a step in the right direction, and also urging professors who can make the decision on their own,” Beverlie said.

“I’m hoping that us doing this will convince Dr. Zimmerman [interim provost] and President Cevallos to send a message out to faculty strongly advising” they hold their classes remotely following Thanksgiving break, Beverlie added.

SGA added an amendment to their resolution asking professors to accommodate students who do not feel comfortable returning to campus after Thanksgiving and not to penalize in-person absences.

A second amendment was added to the resolution urging professors to make all materials for their in-person courses available online if they are adamantly against canceling in-person classes.

Vice President Abigail Salvucci said, “Professors should already have a game plan for this. If a professor can’t make it work for three weeks, they should have had a better game plan going into the COVID semester.”

The resolution was passed 14 to 1.

The document was sent to Zimmerman, Cevallos, and the Dean of Students o fi e.

Weather

Beverlie spoke during new business about a special committee for general education approved by the All University Committee (AUC).

“AUC created a separate committee and is looking for student representatives to discuss changing the general education system,” she added.

AUC wants the new committee to come up with a plan for the general education system by April 15 so members can vote on it.

This new committee, chaired by Amanda Simons, biology professor, is looking for students passionate about changing the general education system or adding certain domains, according to Beverlie.

Beverlie attended the COVID-19 analytics team meeting last week to discuss the COVID-19 case numbers in

of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement.

“One of the things we talked about is SGA co-sponsoring a letter with the Faculty Against Hate. During Administrators’ Forum, a big problem that was ignored was the transphobia that occurs on our campus,” Beverlie said.

She added, “The letter would be a list of professors who support trainings and workshops around being anti-racist, anti-homophobic, and anti-transphobic.”

Beverlie said, “That’s going to be done next semester, probably because it’s going to take some time to get together.”

Student Trustee McKenzie Ward discussed what she will be bringing up at the Board of Trustees Meeting on Nov. 18.

“Professors should already have a game plan for this. If a professor can’t make it work for three weeks, they should have had a better game plan going into the COVID semester.”

-Abigail Salvucci, SGA Vice President Massachusetts compared to Framingham State’s.

“The Commonwealth recently made changes in how the threshold is viewed for COVID-19 cases. A color-coded map is used to view these thresholds - green being good and red being high risk,” Beverlie said.

If the county is red on the map, that county has more positive COVID-19 cases. If the county is green, the county is at a lower risk.

Counties that used to be in the red are now green because of the threshold for numbers. “It seems like we’re doing better as a state, but we really aren’t,” Beverlie said.

“I don’t want people to think they can get comfortable,” said Beverlie.

“This was just done so that schools can open back up,” she added.

Beverlie said, “In terms of how it affects Framingham State in general, we haven’t made any measures to loosen up anything.”

Beverlie also spoke about a meeting with Constanza Cabello, vice president

Sunday night Nov. 22 40% chance of showers. Partly sunny. Low near 40. SE winds around 5 mph.

Monday night Nov. 23 Mostly clear. Low near 30. NW winds around 10 mph.

Monday Nov. 23 60% chance of showers. Mostly sunny.

High near 55. S winds around 10 mph.

Tuesday Nov. 24 Sunny. High near 40.

NW winds around 10 mph.

Ward said she would inform the Board of Trustees about the resolution SGA passed advocating that Columbus Day be recognized as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. “Other things being discussed during the Board of Trustees Meeting are new appointments in SGA and what work they have been doing for anti-racism and anti-homophobia,” she said.

Executive board members spoke about what committees they are a part of on campus, and what they are currently working on.

Salvucci, who is chair of the Student Advisory Committee, said, “The committee is broken up into two different sectors: passion projects around campus and revising our constitutional paperwork and our bylaws.

“Right now, we are focusing on passion projects, which include the anti-racism, anti-homophobia, and anti-transphobia work, as well as working on our funding paperwork,” she added.

“I’m trying to encourage my com-

ittee to find o e ts th t n fund themselves and bring to the highe o fi es nd s y e nt to do this because we should. We have the money to, so why not?’” she said.

SGA is also preparing for Big Budget next semester. This is when student organizations go to SGA to have their budgets approved for the next academic year.

Big Budget will take place on Feb. 19, said Ewnie Fedna, student activities trust fund treasurer.

Mariah Farris, the outreach and events coordinator, said, “We chat about fundraising events and things that we can do for the school to keep the engagement and morale going.

“We do have fundraising forms being mailed to me - they are cookies and pretzel rods at the moment, so that’s going to be our fundraiser for Winter break,” Farris said.

At the meeting, Ward volunteered to assist SGA Advisor Sara Gallegos on an SGA newsletter.

Gallegos also introduced the new organization called The Investment Club. “They should be ready to go by next week,” she said.

Gallegos said Student Involvement and Leadership Development (SILD) is trying to “boost the Sam the Ram social media.

“Sam’s charge for the rest of the semester, and probably the year, is going to be more motivational as opposed to showing up at events,” she added.

During the Open Forum, Senators Emily Rosenberg, Eryca Carrier, and Mark Haskell raised concerns with the Dining Hall and Dining Services.

Rosenberg said, “I noticed the dining hall has been playing Fox News on their TVs. I think the Dining Hall should be playing more impartial or non-extreme news sources if they’re going to be playing something on their TV.” Carrier said she believes there is a lack of communication between the students and Dining Services about some of the changes that are being made.

She said due to the changes, the food took longer than usual to be prepared.

“I had to order food and I couldn’t pick it up until an hour and a half after I ordered it because it didn’t come out and then I had a meeting,” she said.

Haskell said, “The Dining Services should consider having the weekend to possibly experiment on new food ideas and at least give enough time for them [the dining staff] to prepare.”

Also during Open Forum, Senator Hillary Nna said she would like to increase the number of sanitizing stations in Hemenway Hall.

CONNECT WITH MAIA ALMEIDA malmeida1@student.framingham.edu

Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov Tuesday night Nov. 24 Wednesday night Nov. 25 Partly cloudy. Low 40% chance of showers. near 30. Light NW Mostly cloudy. Low near wind.

40. S winds around 5 mph.

Wednesday Nov. 25 30% chance of showers. Mostly cloudy.

High near 50. S winds around 5 mph.

Thursday Nov. 26 40% chance of showers.

Partly sunny. High near 55. W winds around 5 mph.

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

4 | NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Contracts continued from page 1 cess right now would be quite disturbing and quite tiring. It wouldn’t be easy. It would be a real challenge.”

Margaret Carroll, dean of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, said searching for a new provost during the COVID-19 pandemic would not be the best option.

She said, “The University was in a little bit of an uproar last year with the departure of our last provost and I think Ellen has been a very calming inen e. thin thin s ee ette in.

People are feeling better on campus.”

Biology Professor Richard Beckwitt said, “The willingness of Dr. Zimmerman to serve brought an important degree of stability to what could have been a chaotic situation.

“Her prior experience as associate vice president for academic affairs as well as a member of the faculty meant that she could step into the position of provost already well versed in the functioning of the University.”

Beckwitt added, “She had already earned the respect of the University community. Personally, I would be pleased to have her stay on as long as she is willing.”

James Cressey, professor and chair of the education department, said he was glad to see an internal candidate with experience as a faculty member and an administrator accept the position.

He said, “As a new department chair as well, that’s a factor for me. You know, a lot of us are in new roles.”

Previously, Zimmerman served as the University’s Dean of Academic Affairs from 2008-10 and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2010-15.

Before taking over the role of interim provost, Zimmerman served as professor and chair of the sociology department.

Zimmerman said she was invited to extend her contract for one year, and happily accepted as she was “feeling good in the job and enjoying it.”

“I told President Cevallos that I would let him know by September if I wanted to continue for the extra year and by that time, I felt comfortable in the job,” she added.

“Even with all of the COVID-19 craziness that ensued shortly after I took the osition it e t i e ood fit she added.

Cevallos said, “I’m so happy that she has agreed to stay for another year. Having a search for a provost right now, with everything going on on s o d e so di fi t.

“Having somebody like Dr. Zimmerman, that is so highly respected by the faculty - by everyone on campus - it’s wonderful. So, I am actually very grateful and thankful that she’s staying for an extra year,” he added.

Patricia Thomas, interim dean of business, said Zimmerman extending her contract is “excellent” for the University, “especially now in this environment, with faculty away for the most part, students away for the most part.”

“You want to go through the pandemic with some form of consistency,” she said. “She really knows the Univer-

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sity and she’s been here for so long and sometimes, you just need that person who works really well with faculty and who works really well with students to help you in the interim.”

Zimmerman said one reason she agreed to an extension was due to the support she felt from colleagues and faculty.

Lisa Eck, English professor and department chair, said, “As the interim provost, Ellen Zimmerman has been incredibly responsive to faculty needs and faculty priorities.

“During COVID-19, communication has become more important than ever and Dr. Zimmerman is a genuine and skilled communicator. She established a weekly drop-in meeting for new chairs like myself, and has been readily accessible to all of us on a regular basis,” she added.

Philosophy Professor Paul Bruno s id n y fi st eetin ith en after she took over as provost, I jokingly asked her, ‘What does the manual say about provosts taking over in the midst of the pandemic?’

“I think it is now obvious that Ellen could write that manual. She goes about her work with grace, humility, and intelligence. We are lucky to have her at FSU,” Bruno added.

Desmond McCarthy, English professor and coordinator of the graduate program in English, said, “Dr. Zimmerman is widely admired and respected y the ty. he is ni e y ified to serve as our provost because of her decades of experience as a Framingham State professor, department chair, and associate academic vice president.

“During these unprecedented times, it’s reassuring that the academic division of the University is being led by someone with Ellen’s wisdom, clarity of vision, and deep understanding of the faculty’s strengths and aspirations as well as our concerns,” he added.

Art Professor Jennifer Dowling said Zimmerman is dedicated to her role and “possesses traits that are vital for success in the position.”

Dowling said, “She has been accessible, communicative, transparent, supportive, and thorough. We are fortunate to have her.”

Zimmerman said taking the contract extension “gives the University another year to think about a search for a new person, which is good, because we’ve got plenty to do this year without worrying about the search process.”

Zimmerman said a large component of her work since March has been helping with the switch to remote learning.

She said, “We [Academic Affairs] wanted faculty to be prepared so that if they did need to take their classes remotely, they would have a better idea how to do it so that students would have a better experience.

She said Academic Affairs offered training to support both faculty and students because “it [going remote] wasn’t what they signed up for, but it was unavoidable because of the public health emergency.”

Zimmerman said during this time, the de i i s o fi e o ed to provide resources for online, asynchronous, and synchronous classes.

She said workshops and training were provided to faculty who wanted to gain more experience with operating a virtual classroom.

Additionally, Zimmerman served as the chair of the Academic Continuity Team, a subgroup of the University Emergency Planning Committee developed in February to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Cevallos, Zimmerman “has been deeply involved in all the conversations about the pandemic, testing, contact tracing, continuity of academics, making sure we have courses on campus, and working with faculty to see who could teach on campus and who was going to teach remotely.”

Zimmerman said one of the most rewarding parts of her position has been serving as chair of the pandemic committee.

She said, “We met every single day at 8:30 in the morning for weeks, and the positivity of that group was really fantastic. Everybody was working together. Our whole focus was on how do we make this work for students and what are all of the things that we need to take into account.

“Just getting to know people from across the University and seeing how dedicated everybody was to helping the students continue their education, in the face of this situation, was very heartwarming. It was just really inspiring. I felt really honored and excited to be a part of that project,” she added.

Marc Cote, dean of arts and humanities, said, “She’s received a lot of respect from the faculty. I think she is very thorough and listens well from the faculty as well as the executive team.

Cote said Zimmerman is “nicely transparent” and said she is effective at helping faculty “understand some of the bigger concerns of the University.”

“I think she’s nicely transparent and can talk out well to faculty to get them to understand some of the bigger concerns of the University that might not be clear,” he added.

English Professor Alexander Hartwiger said, “Interim Provost Zimmerman has provided a steady hand during a very uncertain time.

“Her top-to-bottom knowledge of the institution and strong commitment to social justice work has enabled her to respond to the different needs of the members of the FSU academic community as we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and answer the call for an increased commitment to anti-racist work. I am happy to learn that she will be extending her contract,” he added.

In addition to supporting staff and faculty, Zimmerman said she is concerned with how students are adapting to changes at the University.

She said, “I hope that students are feeling engaged. I think it might be a itt e o e di fi t o st dents to ee engaged under these circumstances.

I’m hoping students will let us know if there are things that they are having problems with.”

Zimmerman added the Academi i s o fi e h s h d o e ti e to get student feedback and plan for the fall 2020 semester, compared to last

spring.

Due to this, she predicts the spring 2021 semester will run more smoothly as members of the University will have engaged in remote learning for an entire semester.

She said, “Both faculty and students now know what it feels like to be in the classroom - for those who are taking on-campus classes - how the asynchronous remote classes are working, and how the synchronous remote classes are working.

“We have a lot more information about that and I think that will realy he st dents fi e o t h t they want their schedule to look like. I think students have more experience now and the faculty also have more experience.”

Zimmerman said the positivity seen by students is also rewarding.

She said the students she sees around campus always seem upbeat, even though the on-campus University experience is different this semester, but she is glad there is still a sense of community.

She added, “I’m going to guess the students are also connecting via social media and other ways to try to stay connected with their fellow students.

That’s just so important for everybody’s spirits.”

Founding deans accept contract extension The University faced a challenge this past spring when the contracts of all three founding college deans expired Spring 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Susan Dargan, Marc Cote, and Margaret Carroll were all hired at the same time six years ago and are considered founding deans of their respective colleges.

Susan Dargan, dean of education as well as social and behavioral sciences, said the departure in February of Angela Salas, the University’s previous provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, and the COVID-19 pandemic were major factors in the decision to offer contract extensions.

Margaret Carroll, dean of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM], said the retirement of the associate provost, Scott Greenberg, was also an issue when it came time for their contracts to expire.

She said, “It seemed like a pretty bad time to empty out Academic Affairs.

So, we were asked and agreed to stay on in order to smooth the transition.”

Additionally, there was concern among faculty regarding hiring three new deans as Salas wanted to hire external candidates.

Dargan said, “In general, when people come from outside as deans, they might not know the system. They might have an agenda that isn’t the same as faculty here. I got a sense that faculty wanted people from inside to be hired as deans.”

According to the terms of their contracts, a faculty member can only hold a dean position for six consecutive years before moving back to a tenured teaching position. If a dean were to stay in an administrative role for more than six years, they would lose tenure.

See CONTRACTS page 5

Contracts continued from page 4 Dargan said she went back to the faculty for a month in May. “I was a faculty member. And then, I was appointed to dean. So, I don’t know how long I’m going to be dean, but it’s not a one-year [contract] - none of us got a one-year appointment,” she said.

Cote said the University would have faced a “complicated timeframe” with the departure of Academic Affairs positions as well as three deans.

Cote said he and his fellow deans agreed that moving back to the faculty for one month, then restarting their responsibilities as deans, was better than searching for new candidates to fi thei ositions.

This decision allows the administration to “stagger the departure of the existing deans to allow for a more planned-out program of getting those de n ositions fi ed he s id.

In reference to Cote’s contract extension, Lisa Eck, professor and chair of the English department, said, “Dean Cote gave a much-needed sense of stability to this school year, especially for the slate of new chairs who came on board for the College of Arts and Humanities.

“He has helped maintain a sense of the normal here at FSU by stewarding the Children’s Literature Festival just last week, which is such a touchstone event, while helping faculty adapt to the new challenges of being virtual,” she added.

Zimmerman said the Academic Affairs department didn’t think it was wise to train new faculty deans while dealing with COVID-19.

She said, “The deans were very generous in agreeing to stay. That will give s the e i i ity to t nsition to ne deans gradually. We’re hoping one or two at a time, not everybody at once.”

As deans, Cote, Dargan, and Carroll all work with scheduling and budgeting, as well as professors’ and students’ academic concerns.

Cote said, “In the curriculum, one of the things we’ve been working on is what’s often called decolonizing that curriculum.”

Some highlights of this decolonization include courses addressing diversity such as Contemporary African American Art History, LGBTQ Literature, and Contemporary Latinx Literature, said Cote.

“We think it’s a great idea to get some sort of stronger diversity and social justice component to the general education program,” he said - “social justice being kind of a key element of that.”

Carroll said she hopes to see a learning environment that is inclusive as possible in STEM. She said, “I’d like to see all of my departments take our commitment to being an anti-racist institution very seriously and think about how their own departmental policies impact the success of different students differently.

“In terms of the curriculum, I’d love to see departments really thinking about what kinds of changes they can make that will help a broader spectrum of students succeed, and also better prepare students for the workforce.

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“We can always do better,” Carroll added.

Biology Professor Beckwitt said, “Dean Carroll’s willingness to extend her service as Dean also brought a signifi nt enefit o e e ien e nd st bility.

“I have known Dr. Carroll since she began teaching at FSU, and I know that she is eager to return to the faculty. It is important that the various deans not all be replaced at the same time. There is a learning curve to serving as dean, and it is helpful if there is some institutional memory,” Beckwitt added.

Dargan said she also does a lot of work on diversity and inclusion and is “very concerned about the impact on communities of color that is often disproportionately negative.”

Xavier Guadalupe-Diaz, sociology professor and criminology program coordinator, said he is grateful for Dargan’s leadership.

He said, “She was chair of sociology when I was hired seven years ago, an early and steadfast ally for me and many other faculty of color, and she has always been a widely appreciated, faculty-centered leader on campus.

“I especially appreciate her work and involvement in diversifying the faculty and centering anti-racist work across department, curriculum, and more,” he added.

Education Chair Cressey said Dargan continuing as dean has brought a sense of relief.

He said, “Students are familiar with her, faculty members are familiar with her, and staff on our campus as well.”

Cressey said Dargan serving as interim dean of education for one year gave her the experience of working with the education department and licensure programs.

He added, “We’re thankful that she is dean of this new college because she has that experience with education.”

All three founding deans said they look forward to returning to the faculty once their contracts end.

Carroll said, “I really love teaching biology and I look forward to going back to the classroom. I had actually been on the schedule to teach the intro level course for majors this fall, and I was really looking forward to it.”

Cote said his current plan is to serve as dean for a few more years before returning back to the art and music department to teach studio art classes.

He added he hopes to set FSU up for the est se h ossi e to fi his osition.

Dargan said, “If I step down as dean before I’m eligible to retire, then I would go back to the faculty and do a sabbatical. … I was planning to study the Irish presence in the West Indies.

She added she looks forward to teaching “some courses that I love teaching.”

President Cevallos said, “I’m assuming, or hoping, that it will be 1-3 years before we replace all the deans, or you know, things change around or they go back to the faculty.

“I’m thankful for all three of them for staying longer than originally planned,” he added.

In addition to the founding deans, Patricia Thomas currently serves as

the interim dean of business.

She said her contract is for one year beginning July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

Thomas said she took on the role because she has been a part of the college for the last 14 years.

She said she has listened to current students talk about what they hope to get out of their degrees, and listened to alumni of the College of Business talk about what they wish the college did differently.

Thomas added, “I have a really good working relationship with everyone within the college of business. So, I thought I would be an ideal person to help lead the college during that transition.”

Zahra Tohidinia, professor of marketing, said, “Dr. Thomas has demonstrated her true advocacy for our students when she was the management department chair and she continues to do a great job - this time, with her new role as the dean of business.”

Thomas said since accepting the position, she has worked to make sure the curriculum is relevant and successfully prepares students for the workforce.

She said, “I also want to ensure that our students have some experiential learning as part of that process, not just academic. We want to ensure that they [the students] are closely tied to the two centers: the Metrowest Economic Research Center and the Entrepreneurship Innovation Center.

“We want to ensure the students can get on-campus experiential learning as well as in the business community as well,” she added.

Additionally, Thomas has worked to ens e the i e e ts e ity and inclusion.

She said, “In terms of the learning environment, we want to ensure that both faculty and students feel inclusive. … We want students to be really comfortable. We want them to work hard, to think critically as part of their learning. But, they should also feel very safe.”

Thomas said once her term at interim dean ends, she will return to the faculty.

She said, “If there is an opportunity to continue [as dean], I would also work on that opportunity as well.”

New associate vice president hired Dr. Reema Zeineldin has been hired as the new associate vice president for de i i s o e tions fin n e and institutional effectiveness as of Sept. 28, 2020.

Before accepting the position, Zeineldin was the associate provost for faculty affairs at Mercy College in New York.

She said she was drawn to FSU because the University is a public institution that “talks about inclusion, diversity, and equity and recently committed to anti-racism. … That is really an important step in the right direction and I know that certain institutions may have hesitation in doing this.

“I have an appreciation of their mission, providing affordable education of high quality,” she added.

President Cevallos said it was imo t nt to fi the o e o sso i te i e

NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 5

president as the position works with the Academic Affairs budget, scheduling of courses, and a number of initiatives and issues on campus.

He said hiring Zeineldin would ensure that Zimmerman wouldn’t have to complete this work alone, as it “would have been impossible.”

Zimmerman said “The Academic Affairs budget is a really important piece of Academic Affairs operations, and she’ll be responsible for monitoring that.”

She said Zeineldin will oversee the fi e o nts nd onso ed os the fi e o nstit tion ese h nd the fi e o e tions for Student Retention and Success.

She added, “Her [Zeineldin’s] experience was very well suited to the kinds of responsibilities that she’ll have here.

“I’ve had the opportunity to meet with her a number of times since she got here - mostly by Zoom. She is a very friendly, positive person who’s happy to be here,” Zimmerman said.

“She’s very interested in getting to know the students and faculty, and I’m very excited to have her here.”

Dean Cote said, “I’ve had the opportunity to meet up with her in a couple of meetings so far. We’re already starting to gameplan as to what things she might be taking on to alleviate the burden of the Provost a little bit and to guide some of the budgetary decisions.

“So, I think she’ll work well. It’s very early on in the game, but signs point to an organized person who can help us kind of navigate the budget and resources,” Cote added.

Dean Carroll said Zeineldin will be “an excellent addition to Academic Affairs.”

Carroll said, “She’s got a really good ability to sort of look across departments and across colleges and really kind of delve down into the numbers.

So, she’s going to help with budgets, she’s going to help with faculty assignments, and things like that.”

Zeineldin said her time at FSU has been “excellent” since accepting the position.

She said, “Everybody is nice and very welcoming. The people I am meeting are sharing their experiences. I feel that people are collaborative, which is one of the attractive parts for me.

“I sensed that during my interview - that the members of FSU are looking for someone who’s collaborative, which is a very important thing in the job,” Zeindelin said.

She added, “I’m sensing that this is true, that they want to help give you information, to work successfully with them, and to help support the success of students.

“The dedication to the students is amazing. Since I came, I’ve been seeing some of the internal emails about activities, whether for students or for the community in general. It’s really great.”

[Editor’s Note: Dr. Desmond McCarthy is the advisor for The Gatepost]

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6 | NOVEMBER 20, 2020

COVID-19 by the numbers November 20, 2020

By Donald Halsing Associate Editor

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

By Kathleen Moore Design Editor Over 2.2 million new recoveries from COVID-19 were reported globally since Nov. 12, based on data from various sources taken Nov. 19.

Globally, 3.5 million new cases were reported, 1.2 million fewer new cases compared to 4.7 million last week.

Over 1.1 million new cases have been reported in the United States since Nov. 12.

In his weekly update email, FSU President F. Javier Cevallos said about 130 COVID-19 test results from Nov. 17 were delayed “due to an issue with one box of samples being processed at the Broad Institute.” He said 600 results have been returned so far and only one was positive.

As of 8:00 p.m. Nov. 19, all information on the COVID-19 data page on the FSU website was identical to the information published in The Gatepost last week. The last testing date listed on the page was Nov. 10.

According to the page, Framingham State University administered 863 tests the week of Nov. 12, and 3,728 tests within the past 30 days of that date.

Three positive tests were returned the week of Nov. 12, according to the page. The 7-day negative test rate was 99.65%.

As of last week, two individuals were isolated on campus, and four were isolated off campus. Twenty-two people were quarantined on campus, and 19 were quarantined off campus.

A total of 3,685 negative, and 10 positive results, were returned within 30 days of Nov. 12. The 30-day negative test rate was 99.73%.

Cumulatively, 3,055 Framingham residents, 4.5%, have tested positive for COVID-19. The City of Framingham reported 383 active cases.

There were 259 new infections, 136 new recoveries, and two new deaths

United States

reported since Nov. 12. The number of people infected increased by 121, or 4.3%, since last week.

Just over 53% of those who contracted the virus remain infected. Just under 44% have recovered and approximately 2.7% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in Framingham is just over 0.2%.

Cumulatively, 189,518 Massachusetts residents, 2.5%, have tested positive for COVID-19. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health estimates there are 34,664 active cases.

There were 14,565 new infections, 5,776 new recoveries and 223 new deaths since Nov. 12. The number of people infected increased by 8,566, or 4.9%, since last week.

Over 56% of those who contracted the virus remain infected. Just under 41% have recovered, and approximately 3.1% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in Massachusetts is 0.15%.

Cumulatively, 11,498,515 United

States residents, 3.5%, have tested positive for COVID-19. The New York Times reported there are 172,391 active cases.

There were 1,136,597 new infections, 332,870 new recoveries, and 9,398 new deaths since Nov. 12. The number of people infected grew by 794,329, or 7.7%, since last week.

Just under 72% of those who contracted the virus remain infected. Approximately 27% of the population has recovered, and 1.6% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in the United States is 0.08%.

Cumulatively, 56,108,310 people globally, 0.7%, have tested positive for COVID-19. The New York Times reported there are 598,877 active cases.

There were 3,519,750 new infections, 2,231,406 new recoveries, and 66,142 new deaths since Nov. 12. The number of people infected grew by 1,222,202, or 2.3%, since last week.

Of those who contracted the virus, 60% remain infected. Recoveries are

approximately 39%, and 1.4% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 globally is 0.02%.

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

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST

World

Framingham

Massachusetts

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CONNECT WITH KATHLEEN MOORE kmoore8@student.framingham.edu

Board of Trustees continued from page 1 taking care of our health,’” he said.

Trustee Nancy Budwig said the Academic Affairs Committee discussed some other changes being made to the spring 2021 academic calendar, including the final day for students to change a course to pass/ fail and the impact of the pandemic on promotion and tenure decisions.

She added the University has produced “really clear” materials outlining different course modalities offered for the spring semester.

“I think it will be a big help to students.”

Patrick Laughran, chief information officer, said ITS is transitioning out of responding to FSU’s technological needs created by the COVID-19 pandemic, and shifting its focus back to programs and initiatives. Demand for ITS peaked in August, and has since returned to a normal level.

He said ITS equipped 35 classrooms with lecture-capture technology and provided well-attended training sessions and instructional documentation for faculty. Participation numbers were “beyond anything that we had ever seen before.”

Laughran said ITS is anticipating ways to keep up with demand during the spring 2021 semester. This includes working with the Student Affairs Office to provide WiFi and laptop access for students learning remotely. He said ITS is placing a larger focus on outreach this semester, specifically to lab science instructors to find ways to conduct labs remotely.

“To our knowledge, there isn’t an unmet or anticipated need that we can’t address. We’ve been working very closely with Lorretta [Holloway] and her staff to ensure that wherever people are expressing the need, or wherever we can do any outreach in order to elicit where that need might exist, that we’ve got the capacity to meet that,” he said.

ITS usually works on larger projects and upgrades during the Spring and Summer breaks in order to avoid disruption to operation of the University. Laughran said he hopes to begin planning in December and January how projects will be executed by ITS during the upcoming semester.

Student Trustee raises concerns about off-campus parties Student Trustee Ward read a letter she received from an anonymous student who was concerned about the FSU administration’s response to off-campus parties and a spike in COVID-19 cases after Halloween weekend.

Ward read to the Board, “We have reported and brought up concerns of resident students partying to the administration, and the administration has continued to brush them under the rug.”

The student said in their letter that they are a resident assistant, and student workers from Residence Life have been left to “pick up the slack.

“By actively choosing to not hold

NEWS

resident students accountable for going to off-campus parties, it puts myself, other student workers, students, faculty, and staff members’ lives in danger. You must realize that off-campus parties and the students who are attending them will bring FSU to a forced closure,” the student stated in the letter.

The student’s letter concludes, “If campus closes, you [administrators] still have a roof over your head and food to eat. If campus closes, where am I supposed to go?”

Ward said it was “heartbreaking” to her that the student worker did not feel safe on campus.

In response to the student’s letter, Dean of Students Meg Nowak Borrego said, “I hope that particular staff member who was concerned about how this was handled would speak to the administration as they are part of our leadership team.”

Nowak Borrego said Jay Hurtubise, director of community standards, spoke with FSU students who were identified from photos from a Halloween weekend party. She said no more than six to eight people were visible in each photo, so it was “hard to tell” how many people attended the party.

She also said the six COVID-19 cases reported the week after Halloween “did not all stem from a University party.”

Ward said she received the letter only a few hours before the meeting, and will reach out to the student to put them in contact with administrators.

Inclusivity and equity initiatives Trustees discussed changes to the University seal - which currently includes Native American imagery - recognition as a veteran-friendly institution, as well as racism, equity, and gender-identity training.

Constanza Cabello, vice president of diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said she spoke with local Indigenous people about changes to the University seal.

Earlier in the day, Cabello said she attended a Zoom meeting with members of the Nipmuc community from Natick. Cevallos, SGA President Olivia Beverlie, and Director of Communications Dan Magazu were also in attendance.

“It’s really important that we use this opportunity as we look at our University seal to engage in some restorative justice with local Indigenous communities, and have this really be a relationship that we foster and cultivate - and not do apart from the [Nipmuc] community,” Cabello said.

Trustee Anthony Hubbard said the Board’s Governance Committee, which met in October, discussed changes to the University’s bylaws describing the seal.

Hubbard said the current provision in the bylaws “is rather detailed in describing the seal.” The committee suggested establishing some minimum parameters for the design, while omitting other details, which would allow the University to more

quickly adopt a new design.

He said the minimum parameters suggested include the name and founding date of the University, along with the University motto, “Live to the Truth.”

Ward said she presented a resolution to SGA to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples’ Day. “We’re trying to make this campus an anti-racist campus, and one of the things we need to be doing is changing our wording and how we recognize our holidays.

“Like Dr. Cabello was saying, we are on Indigenous land, and we need to recognize the privilege we have to be able to be educated on this land that was stolen from other people,” Ward added.

Cevallos said FSU was recently recognized as a veteran-friendly school. “Considering that last week was Veterans Day, we would want to thank all the veterans for their service. And, we’re happy that our institution has been recognized for what we’re doing for our veterans.”

Evan Prasky, a U.S. Army veteran, was featured as the “student in the spotlight.” He said the support he received from the FSU Veteran Services Center was “absolutely amazing.

“If you are like me, and come in and you have no idea what you want to do, they can kind of give you a little push and figure out where you want to go,” Prasky said. “If you want to be involved, they have a community of people who reach out.

“I can walk down the halls of FSU and I know 10 to 15 people before my first day of classes start, which was awesome,” he added.

Cabello said her office continues to offer anti-racism training for employees and students. She said two guides were published for employees about applying anti-racism to their work and understanding systemic racism.

She said the Institutional Excellence Committee is focusing on searching for policies which “disproportionately impact Black and Latinx students, and unintentionally favor white students,” by examining data.

Cabello said Patricia Birch, director of inclusive excellence initiatives, has been running the Center for Inclusive Excellence on her own after a search for a part-time program coordinator failed.

She said Birch has created programming for Latinx Heritage Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, and is currently working on programming for Transgender Awareness Week as well as Native American Heritage Month.

Ward said a concern brought up during the recent Administrators’ Forum was students being misgendered by professors, which is “detrimental to their identity because it invalidates who they are.” She said students requested FSU look into mandatory gender identity training for professors.

Hubbard said the Governance Committee considered establishing a new committee to oversee diver-

NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 7

sity, inclusion, and anti-racist practices.

He said the Committee advised against creating a new committee because of the limited number of trustees available to serve. Additionally, diversity issues are already being discussed in other forums at the University. Therefore, a special group would be redundant.

Hubbard said the Committee instead suggested each committee of the Board should address diversity issues independently and report to the Executive Board “to signal that these are important issues to be handled at the highest levels of the Board of Trustees.”

Admissions and community outreach Trustee Brian Herr said FSU’s admissions numbers are down more than other Massachusetts state universities’. “That is a concern, I think, to all of us.

“I don’t think there’s any clear answer yet as to why Framingham State is lagging behind some of the other schools in the system - something that we all need to be aware of, and certainly work to correct,” Herr said.

Lorretta Holloway, vice president for enrollment and student development, shared enrollment data for the Fall 2020 semester.

Holloway’s data indicates 4,876 students are enrolled at FSU this semester. This number decreased from 5,456 in Fall 2019, and 5,565 in Fall 2018. Overall enrollment decreased by approximately 8.6% since last fall.

Holloway highlighted the weekto-week chart showing full-time equivalent enrollment by class level. She said there was a drop in the number of senior undergraduates, and that number is not always dependent on the number of returning junior undergraduates from the previous year.

She said the Enrollment Data Team discussed this data and asked, “Why are people leaving?”

Holloway added the number of students enrolled at the University varies as the academic year progresses, and the team produces monthly reports on enrollment in order to analyze retention.

“Enrollment isn’t just about bringing them [students] in, in the beginning. It’s also about ways in which we’re keeping them throughout,” she said.

Holloway said recruitment relies on three primary methods of outreach: items sent via mail, high school visits, and college fairs - the latter two of which are no longer possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holloway said instead of hosting a couple of open houses in the spring as usual, virtual open houses will be hosted for prospective students and families every other Wednesday throughout the spring 2021 semester.

She added targeted mailing and

See BOARD OF TRUSTEES page 8

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8 | NOVEMBER 20, 2020

Board of Trustees

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continued from page 8 personalized videos are being sent to prospective students living in key areas, and virtual tours are available online.

Herr said Geography Professor David Merwin prepared maps displaying where returning and non-returning students live. “That might help us correct some of the challenges we face right now.”

Holloway said FSU is losing students from the MetroWest area - the towns surrounding Framingham - because well-educated parents earning a high income live there.

She said those parents may encourage their children to attend a “perceived higher-ranked” institution.

“We are not just competing against our sister institutions for that, but also clearly competing against private institutions,” she said.

Even among other state colleges, Holloway said proximity is an important factor. She said FSU is losing potential students who live in Boston because they can easily commute to Bridgewater State University on the subway.

She said college and FAFSA applications are down nationwide. The admissions cycle has been delayed due to the pandemic, especially since many high school students did not start their years until early October.

Holloway added FSU hosts a variety of events at which high school students can engage with admissions staff.

Additionally, she said she suggested to Dan Magazu that the Alumni magazine should include a “family spread” in an effort to reach out to the children of alumni who are eligible to apply to FSU. Trustee Richard Logan was concerned that waiting until the spring edition of the magazine to publish a family photo spread might be too late, and admissions would miss out on a large group of potential students.

Eric Gustafson, vice president of development and alumni relations, said figuring out what kinds of events alumni will attend virtually has been a challenge.

However, he reported attendance at the annual Swiacki Children’s Literature Festival was very similar to last year’s attendance, which was entirely in person.

Gustafson also said attendance at Homecoming events was “great,” including the Alumni of Color Networking Panel and Alumni Achievement Award Presentation.

Herr said use of the Counseling Center, Rams Resource Center, and other student support services has declined during the fall 2020 semester.

He shared data comparing how many students used the Counseling Center between May 18 and Oct. 28 for 2019 and 2020. During that time period in 2019, 299 students visited the center, and 1,030 sessions were held. However, during that same period in 2020, 186 students sought counseling, and 974 sessions were

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Courtesy of Lorretta Holloway

Enrollment levels at FSU changed each week according to Lorretta Holloway, vice president for enrollment and student development. held.

Herr said, “There’s some concern there that students may not be reaching out, or be as aware of being remote more often than not about some of the services available to them.”

Finance and business items Gustafson said three new endowed funds have been set up. Those funds include a scholarship supporting students coming from Boston Public Schools, another scholarship for first-generation students, and a fund to support preservation of the Danforth Art Museum’s collection.

He added the Danforth has received many new donations, and is also selling off pieces of the collection which no longer “fit the mission” of the museum.

Additionally, the museum lost revenue over the summer after all in-person community art classes were canceled. Gustafson said, “They’re getting good attendance for their virtual art programs, but they just don’t bring in near the revenue that in-person classes do.

“The hope is that we can offer a few more programs in person, which will help boost revenue, and they’re really trying to figure out a plan for next summer,” he added.

Gustafson said fundraising for the

year-to-date is over $1.1 million.

He added most of that fundraising came from current donors to the University. Reaching out to new donors has been difficult because of the pandemic.

“We’re really looking forward to being able to get back out, see people in person, and start to build those relationships we need to keep fundraising moving along,” Gustafson said.

Trustee Michael Grilli said budgets released by the state government all show “level funding” for higher education institutions.

He said the Administration, Finance, and Information Technology Committee expects the University’s operational budget will be balanced going forward, without any major windfalls or surpluses.

“We’re going to finish within our revenues, with a little something left over that doesn’t really touch on the trust funds,” Grilli said.

He added, “The residence hall and the food service trust funds will still be bleeding as well as the Warren Conference Center.”

Grilli asked the Board to pass a resolution approving “Investment Class Allocation Target Ranges.”

These ranges break down where the University keeps its capital.

The ranges included 35% to 65% in equities, 20% to 35% in fixed income, 10% to 35% in cash portfolio, and 0% to 5% in alternatives. The resolution was approved.

Ann McDonald, chief of staff and general counsel and secretary to the board of trustees, informed the Board of mandatory training sessions which all trustees are now required to attend by law.

She said current trustees must complete eight training sessions before next November, and any new trustees must do so within the first six months of their appointment.

McDonald said the sessions are held live between 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., which is an inconvenient time.

Kevin Foley, chair of the board, said the training session schedule is “intrusive” and “not very well thought out.”

McDonald said she hopes the sessions can be recorded so trustees can access them in a more convenient format.

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

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OP/ED

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NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 9

THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

An untenable Thanksgiving choice Earlier this week, the Dean of Students Office sent out an email encouraging resident students to remain on campus over Thanksgiving break.

The email was sent to the campus community with only nine days remaining before the official start of break.

It stated, “Individuals choosing to travel or not observe social distancing practices, even with family members, should strongly consider remaining off campus for the full 14-day quarantine period, which would mean nearly the remainder of the fall term.”

This is an inconsiderate request as resident students are now faced with a decision to either spend Thanksgiving alone on campus or to celebrate with their families and risk not being able to return to the dorm rooms they paid for.

As an incentive to remain on campus, the University is offering resident students free meals during the break period.

However, the University’s website states, “If you register to remain on campus, the expectation is that you avoid holiday gatherings and travel out of the area as this undermines the public health purpose of this housing option.”

Thanksgiving is a time to be with loved ones and express gratitude for the blessings we have. It is not - as the University suggests - a time for college students to sit alone in their dorm rooms, eating to-go orders from the dining commons.

While Thanksgiving, and the holiday season in general, will look very different this year due to the pandemic, students deserve to be home with their families during this time of the year - Thanksgiving, and the holidays following - without the ultimatum is-

sued by the University or the heightened risk of COVID-19 that comes from being on campus amid a thirdwave in Massachusetts.

We are in no way asking the University not to encourage social distancing over the break, but we do not believe asking residents to stay on campus, away from their families, for Thanksgiving is the proper response.

Although we appreciate the offer of free meals for students who choose to remain at FSU, to ask every resident student to stay on campus during Thanksgiving break is not the proper course of action.

Not only will it keep students from seeing their immediate families, but it is an ineffective move on the University’s part.

During this week’s SGA meeting, President Olivia Beverlie shared that the University only expects one out of every seven residents to remain on campus over break.

That is approximately 100 residents.

Many students have travel plans set, plane tickets paid for, and desperately want to see their parents and siblings.

They deserved more time to make this decision if the University expected its Thanksgiving plan to be effective.

Our question is: Why were administrators so quick to take away spring break five months in advance, but made the decision to strongly encourage residents to stay on campus over Thanksgiving break only nine days before they are supposed to go home?

Other Massachusetts universities, such as Fitchburg and Bridgewater states, have planned to go fully remote post-Thanksgiving break. We would like Framingham State to consider taking the same course of action.

FSU has left its students completely

in the dark by waiting until nine days before Thanksgiving to unveil a plan concerning the break - even though students have been asking what the plan was since the start of the semester.

Encouraging students to remain at school rather than go home to be with loved ones is frankly hypocritical as those making the request travel to and from their own homes each day.

They do not experience the day-today life of a resident student on this campus.

Would you, an administrator, want to stay on an empty campus alone while your loved ones are gathered around the holiday table to give thanks?

Would you want to be told not to come back to campus for nearly the remainder of the semester because you wanted to go home for the holiday weekend?

We think not.

In addition to asking residents to stay on campus throughout the holiday, the administration has ordered any resident student who wishes to remain on campus for the remainder of the semester to get tested Tuesday, Dec. 1.

But testing can only do so much especially when commuters are rarely tested.

Commuters do not get tested as regularly as residents do even though they are more exposed to the outside world.

Why are residents being asked not to go home for five days when commuters, faculty, and administrators get to go home every day and don’t get tested as regularly as resident students?

If the University is concerned enough about the risk of COVID-19 on

campus post-break to ask resident students to stay on campus, the residence halls should be closed for the few weeks remaining until winter break.

Several times over the course of this semester, we at The Gatepost have reported on students’ concerns about the University’s handling of the pandemic.

Many of these students believe administrators have not addressed their concerns adequately.

Trustees, administrators, and residence life staff have been made aware of a number of instances in which students have disregarded social distancing guidelines outlined not only by the University, but the state as well.

It’s time for FSU administrators to listen to their students’ concerns and to act on them.

Students agreed to be on campus because they were told, according to an email sent to the community in August, “Failure to abide by the Student Code of Conduct [concerning COVID-19] may result in serious consequences that could cause a student to be removed from the residence halls and/or be expelled.”

But now, many students believe those responsible for keeping them safe are not following up on their promise to hold those who are not following the rules accountable.

Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks. But we can not be thankful for the disappointing response from those who have a responsibility to keep us safe.

We all want a safe holiday season.

Students shouldn’t have to sacrifice time with loved ones when the answer to a safe and healthy holiday season is right in front of us.

Send us home.

Have an opinion?

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

Anyone can submit.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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OP/ED

I’ll be home for the holidays - no literally

By McKenzie Ward Opinions Editor This year’s Thanksgiving debate isn’t going to be which Thanksgiving side dish is the best or who is going to win the Thanksgiving Day high school football game.

Instead, families across the United States will be debating whether to stay home for Thanksgiving and the other major holidays or go to Grandma’s.

Honestly, if you had asked me in March whether I thought we’d be having to debate whether to go to Thanksgiving dinner, I would have said no because none of us expected this pandemic to last more than eight months.

I’m not going to lie and say that I’m excited to get to skip out on family holiday parties despite complaining to my mom every year about having to dress up for them.

Like many of you, I’m tired of only getting to see my loved ones through a computer screen or having to stand 6 feet away from them while wearing a mask.

But the last place I want to see my family right now is at a funeral.

Massachusetts is already expe-

riencing a spike in cases in the last couple of weeks, some school districts are moving back to completely online instruction, and hushed whispers of a second lockdown are no longer just whispers.

But despite being in the middle of a pandemic that has killed over 250,000 people in the United States alone, people are still deciding that traveling across the country or even across their small hometown is a smart thing to do.

A survey completed by Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center found that 38% of Americans are planning to attend large holiday gatherings.

This 38% of Americans cares more about their holiday feasts than the hospital workers who will be swamped

by COVID-19 cases due to individuals disregarding social distancing guidelines.

Deciding to travel and ignore social distancing guidelines during the pandemic is not only selfish, but it screams privilege. The actions of someone who refuses to abide by social distancing guidelines will not

only affect them, but will affect every single individual they will come into contact with following their large social gathering. This includes everyone at the grocery store, their coworkers, their neighbors, and essentially their entire community.

Reckless actions might be the reason someone will be spending Christmas Day in the ICU. Governors across the country have already predicted that following Thanksgiving, it is likely we will see even more COVID-19 cases across the country due to the disregard of social distancing guidelines.

Although in-person holiday gatherings may not be possible this year, that doesn’t mean you have to cancel the holidays all together. For Thanksgiving Day, Zoom has lifted its 40-minute time limit for free meetings in order for people to still be able to “see” their friends and family.

This won’t be my family’s first year using video communication to see family members, as we have used it in the past when my cousins were in college in other parts of the country or studying abroad. Although it

wasn’t the same as having them there in person, just getting to see and talk to them always put a smile on every family member’s face.

This year when I’m on Zoom with my family members, I will be smiling because I know our “family party” isn’t going to endanger the rest of our communities.

The holiday season is not just about shopping and having huge family parties with an extravagant amount of food.

It is a time of year that reminds us of the love and care we have for our family and friends.

And this year, that love and care needs to look a little different in order to make sure all of our friends and family are here to celebrate the holidays with us in 2021.

As Gov. Andrew Cuomo stated, “I love you so much and I am so grateful for you that I’m not going to see you.

That’s how I know you love me.”

So this year, I will be home for the holidays and you should be, too.

The problem is more than just Trump

By Ashlyn Kelly Editoral Staff This election won’t solve our problems.

And if you think it will, you’re delusional.

Getting America unentangled from racism and sexism will not be solved by one person - let alone in four years.

America has been racist and sexist since the beginning. That means there are 244 years of actions toward people of color and women that need to be rectified.

Not only will Joe Biden be inheriting that, but also the deeply divided American people and political system that have only been inflamed by the last four years.

Racists have crawled out from under their rocks in even the most liberal of towns, yelling their hateful rhetoric from the rooftops.

Women’s rights were and still are on the line due to Trump’s Supreme Court appointees.

There have been some instances when some police have shown that if you look or think differently than them, they will not protect you.

While this election and the next four years may be a key turning point in history, they are not the “end-all be-all.”

It cannot be forgotten that, in 2016, Donald Trump received 62,985,106 votes.

In 2020, Trump received 73,685,981 votes as of Thursday, Nov. 19. That is the equivalent of all of the United Kingdom or most of Thailand, according to the Worldometer.

In those four years, Trump told a white supremacy group to “stand back and stand by.”

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He put immigrant children in cages.

He is indirectly responsible for the deaths of over 250,000 people because of his lack of response to COVID-19.

Yet, Trump’s vote total still increased.

However, Trump is just a reflection of the biases, prejudices, and selfishness held by some Americans long before he was sworn into office.

To solve this, America needs to turn inward.

We need to face our racist and sexist past and mend the wrongs that have been committed.

Organizations like the KKK need to be designated domestic terrorist groups.

The subconscious sexist advertisements and jokes need to be called out.

We, the American people, need to stay engaged and elect politicians who see these issues and make them a priority.

Our politicians need to figure out a way to work across the political aisle because the American people are suffering from their lack of leadership.

The well-being of Americans should not be - and is not - a partisan issue.

But all of these issues existed well before Jan. 20, 2017.

President George W. Bush deported thousands of Muslims and Arabs post-9/11 just because of their country of heritage.

President Bill Clinton signed the 1994 Crime Bill, which fueled the problem of mass incarceration, especially of Black men.

These issues are not the work of

political parties.

These issues that people face go back decades upon decades.

So how do we fix it and what happens next?

We must continue to fight, protest, and vote.

Not just for ourselves.

For our families.

For our friends.

For our neighbors.

For the little Black child in the next

town over who has to learn that some police will not always protect them just because of the color of their skin.

For the college student four states away who has to drive across state borders to get an abortion because reproductive healthcare is not readily available in their state.

For the families all across the country which live in fear of deportation every day.

For the sake of our democracy.

OP/ED

NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 11

Campus Conversations What are your plans for Thanksgiving?

By Donald Halsing, Associate Editor

“I’m just spending time with my family because my grandparents are going to Florida.”

-Julia Candito, freshman

“My friend from Maryland is coming over. So, she’s just going to come over and we’re going to spend some good time together.”

“I’ll be spending it with my dad and two sisters - just at my house, very small.”

-Matt Sajver, sophomore

“I am staying here because I live out of state, and I don’t want to spread COVID-19.”

-Anna Stewart, sophomore

“I’m going to play games with my brothers: fun games.”

-Jake Doherty, sophomore

“I’m going home on Tuesday, and then spending time with my family, and then I’m working on Black Friday.”

-Charity Marino, sophomore

-Thiago Frietas, freshman

an

p

s bmissions re ect the opinions of their a thors onl o not necessaril re ect those of he atepost or its staff FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM

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12 | NOVEMBER 20, 2020

SPORTS

Winter sports Continued from page 1 with the spike in positive cases across the country, things were not looking good.”

Walter Paschal, head women’s basketball coach and home events coordinator, said he is “keeping his fin e s ossed th t e n get the spring sports to be able to play.”

Senior ice hockey forward Soren Colstrup said, “I do think the school athletic program could have been much more transparent with the decision-making process.

Athletes were told certain dates that ended up being rumors and I think the added anticipation really affected a lot of athletes, especially with the election and the stress of academics in mind.”

The MASCAC press release said the risks were too large for a season to happen.

Senior women’s basketball guard Sophia Church said, “The team has been holding Zooms since May and we discussed possibilities like this one. It was disheartening news but expected, honestly. We wished for a different outcome. ... However, what is most important right now is safety and health. There is nothing any of us can do with these circumstances. i e ith fi e o y te mates in an apartment, so we have had conversations and have come to be OK with the news,” she added.

Senior ice hockey defenseman Walker Hamilton said, “Finding out was tough. We had an idea it was coming because everything seemed to be trending that way, t hen it e e o fi i it t -

ly hurt.”

Junior men’s basketball guard John Calton said, “I was disappointed and upset. I had some personal and team goals that I wanted to achieve this year, but I believe the school took the best precautions for all the student athletes’ safety.”

Colstrup said, “I was most looking forward to my parents being e to t h e y o the fi st time. My parents live in Minnesota and they were planning to come to Massachusetts for my senior night, which would have been fun.”

With the season canceled, many of the coaches are focused on holding skill and conditioning sessions.

“We will plan on working on our strength and conditioning with off-ice workouts and hope to be able to return to the ice once it’s safe,” said Bailey. “We will get together as a team for various team-building activities.”

Paschal said his team has “had some workouts as a team and [are] hoping to have some more when we get back second semester to get ready for next year.”

The coaching staff and athletic department staff are willing to provide support for student-athletes according to the FSU press release.

Bailey said he recommends student-athletes “stay positive and keep working hard. It’s so important to have balance in your life, work hard in the classroom, be good to your family and friends, and make healthy choices.

“When you get news like this about your season being canceled,

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it is so important to lean on all of the other positives in your life to get you through,” he added.

Raynor said, “My message to all student-athletes is to take this time to improve their skills.

“I would also offer that they make sure they continue to perform academically. When life throws you lemons, make lemonade!” he added.

Junior women’s basketball guard Liana Cunningham said she plans to use this time as a “rebuilding year.

“The season may be at a pause but there’s still a lot of improvement we as players need to develop,” said Cunningham. “A year is a long time off from playing, but even during the season you practice more than you actually play - playing is an added bonus. We can’t change the outcome of this season, but we can do everything in our power to be ready for the next one.”

Calton said, “My plan in place for the season is to continue to get better, whether it be on the basketball court or in the weight room.”

Colstrup said, “In place of the season, I plan to focus more on another interest of mine - music.

I play in a band with my brother and another friend of mine, so the oid o s o ts i e fi ed ith music for sure.”

Church said, “Times like these are times we could have never predicted, so making the best out of it is the only option.”

Many had pieces of advice for their teammates.

“You should do your best to stick together as a team through

these tough times, and you should all work together to achieve success,” said Cunningham. “Nothing worth having comes easy and it is extremely important to appreciate the opportunities we are given whenever they are offered.”

Hamilton said he encourages his teammates to “play every game like it’s your last because it could possibly be your last time having the opportunity to play the sport we love.”

Calton said, “Some advice I would give to my teammates and any athletes at FSU would be to control what you can control. The season getting canceled was out of our control but what we can control is working out every day, staying in shape, and keeping our grades up so we will be ready for the upcoming season.”

For seniors, many are looking forward to graduation and the future.

“I personally am looking forward to graduating and moving on,” said Church. “This has been rough, especially after the news about basketball being canceled.”

Hamilton said, “I’m really looking forward to seeing what the future holds for all of us. As seniors, it goes fast and I’m looking forward to watching all my teammates continue to pursue their dreams, whether that includes hockey or not.

“We were a tight group of guys through the ups and downs, but I’m thankful for having all of them in my life.”

CONNECT WITH ASHLYN KELLY akelly8@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of FSU Rams

ARTS & FEATURES

NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 13

ARTS & FEATURES

Gaming communities and clubs thrive on Discord, despite COVID-19

By Robert Johnson Jr. Arts & Features Editor

Before March, Discord was just another application in the sea of apps one could install on their phone, tablet, or computer. It was a way for gamers to come together and organize events and game sessions, watch parties, and other activities.

However, late March saw the rise of a new threat - COVID-19.

As days grew into weeks, with those weeks extending to months, and restrictions increasing on in-person gatherings, the situation began to look dire for LAN parties, “Dungeons & Dragons” groups, and the hustle and bustle of competitive tournaments that host large crowds.

The same can be said for major events, such as Frosty Faustings and Combo Breaker. Organizers had to cancel their meticulously-planned events, or move them to a remote setting.

Neither happened.

In short, COVID-19 put a beating on the gaming community at large.

However, Johan Perez, a junior English major, was prepared for this historic moment, as his Discord server for Framingham State University students, the FSU Goons, was already well on its way when lockdowns began to roll out across the world.

The FSU Goons server originally served as a way for Perez and the other inhabitants of the Game Room in the McCarthy Center to have everyone reachable in a centralized place when they’re not all in the Game Room.

“Basically, what happened is that we were kind of a little community of mostly [“Super Smash Bros.”] ‘Melee’ players at the time,” Perez said. “It was a bunch of us coming in the Game Room saying, ‘Oh, yo, come here!’ I know a couple of people had phone numbers together, but there was no clear communication of what was going on.

“I know I didn’t have anybody’s number - I would just show up to the Game Room and, if people were there, I’d play. If people weren’t there, I’d wait a little and sometimes, there would be people there,” he added.

“But one day, I think we had a dozen people or something like that.

Suddenly, I thought, ‘Hey, we need something to actually keep ourselves together. Like, keep ourselves in communication if we [want to] have any

events, [if] we want to run any tournaents do nythin s e ifi he s id.

Perez said, “I know at the time, I was thinking of making a club or something like that, so I thought it would be kind of a base of operations.

sick. It’s a lot of people’s main game in that server,” Perez said. “But, I took my chance to be like, ‘Hey, would you like to play some other games, too?’ …

I made it so it was less ‘Smash’ and, more, ‘Hey, we’re just also a bunch

And, so, FSU Goons was born!”

As far as the name goes, Perez recalled why he came up with it.

“I think I just liked the name - like a goon squad,” Perez said. “We were all goons. That’s what we are - huddled around a CRT, playing ‘Melee.’ It was the prime time for that.”

In the almost two years since the server’s inception, many game-centric scenes have spawned - both in the onfines o the e oo nd eyond the double doors that lead to it.

of friends together at Framingham State.’

“It became a way for us [to say] that we are not just a ‘Smash’ server and we play ‘Smash’ together - we’re a bunch of friends … and we also play ‘Smash,’” Perez said.

Featuring other games than just those in the “Super Smash Bros.” series “opened the doors” for others to participate.

“I know when [Junior Sophie Fitzgerald] got [a copy of] ‘Soul Calibur II,’

“I created the English Club Discord because I felt that Zoom was a new platform that not many of my peers were familiar with when it first became the big platform for classes.”

- Sarah Sagan, English Club president “What’s nice about the group, at the very least … [is that it was] very ‘Smash’-based. We all came together mostly because of ‘Smash’ and things like that,” Perez said.

However, he wanted the group to be “more of a general thing,” going beyond the group’s fascination for the “Super Smash Bros.” games.

“Now, obviously, I played a lot of ‘Melee’ and I played a lot of ‘Smash’ - I still like ‘Smash,’ [because] ‘Smash’ is

we were like, ‘Let’s show you guys this game - this game is cool! This game’s got Link in it! Hey, look, there’s this guy named Voldo and he crawls on the oo the ti e s id e e .

He added, “When [Naruto] Clash of Ninja was brought onto campus, [Junior Eddy Olu] got interested, and we just said, ‘Look at this old jank game we can break!’ It became a way for all of us to come together, regardless of what we were playing. I think that’s

the strongest thing about this server - it’s not just one thing.’”

In the months since Framingham State originally closed its campus back in late March, Perez has organized tournaments on the server for multiple games such as “The King of Fighters 2002: Unlimited Match,” “FOOTSIES,” “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” and “Street Fighter V,” to name a few.

On top of that, he has since allowed people from outside FSU to enter the server, granting them a special “Visitor” role to identify them among the students.

Speaking on the evolution of the server, Perez said the messages evolved from, “‘Hey, who’s in the Game Room to play?’” to “us having full-blown conversations.

“The server will be the new Game Room,” Perez said of his intentions to expand it, to make it a community “all of its own.”

He added, “You know what it started with? It started with that ‘Killer Bean [Forever]’ watch party, because, at that point, I made an extra role called ‘Visitor,’ where I kind of connected people who weren’t from FSU. … I don’t ever intend to do anything with that role - I don’t plan on kicking people out, because I want people to come together. Almost like cross-pollination, I say.”

Jeff Lew’s “Killer Bean Forever” was a 2009 animated action movie that gained a cult following in 2019 thanks to many memes depicting off-thewall action sequences and the now iconic opening scene with breakdancing coffee beans. hi e e e s o is n no fi i o tfit o e s ho ye n to ente the Game Room again, other more o fi i o s on s h e sin e started Discord servers of their own, namely for clubs and organizations.

Madison “Mady” Bruno, senior English major and president of FSU’s Pride Alliance, played a role in helping the Pride Alliance create a server of their own.

“The Pride Discord server was made [in] just about a month, I would say, after FSU went into quarantine [this past] spring,” Bruno said. “Something we know about the LGBTQ+ community is that not everyone has the privilege of having a home, of having a place that loves and accepts you to go back to.

See DISCORD page 14

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14 | NOVEBER 20, 2020

ARTS & FEATURES

Discord Continued from page 13 “My fear was - and still is - that when campus, a space that was safer than home for many LGBTQ+ folx, was physically taken from us, many in our community - especially those of us who are trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming - would be put in really harmful, violent, and lonely situations,” she said.

Sarah Sagan, a junior English major, created a server for the English Club during the summer, citing the “bothersome experience” of using Zoom.

“I created the English Club Discord because I felt that Zoom was a new platform that not many of my peers ee ii ith hen it fi st e e the big platform for classes,” Sagan said.

She added, “The thing about clubs, nowadays, is that they’re all being hosted in one Zoom group, which, it might be convenient, but I also feel like more students at FSU are using Discord, rather than Zoom, maybe on a more casual level, and that’s what I wanted to do with the English Club.

“I wanted it to be a more ‘casual’ club that people could just drop by, say ‘hi,’ and still have some sort of inter-

action that deviates from the ‘formalness’ of Zoom,” Sagan said.

Since the server’s creation, the English Club has hosted a “Spooky Reading Night,” with hopes to run future events such as their Fall Poetry Contest.

Sagan took organizational inspi-

FSU Holy Trinity Discord server] and I looked at other Discord servers that I made in the past. I wanted to see what channels worked. … But by looking at other FSU Discords on campus, I was able to get inspiration from that,” she said.

However, just as Sagan took inspi-

“The grassroots nature of our community is the most important part of it. Without the grassroots, there would be no bigger community. All you have to do is put your foot in the ‘door,’ so to speak, and get people to come together.”

- Johan Perez, founder of FSU Goons ration from another Discord-based, FSU-oriented server, the “FSU Holy Trinity” - a server that housed the executive boards, members, and events pertaining to the Comic Book, Gaming, and Anime clubs. definite y oo ed t th t the

ration from the FSU Holy Trinity, the Holy Trinity took partial inspiration from somewhere else - Perez’s FSU Goons.

Gustavo “Gus” Pazzi, an undeclared freshman and creator of the FSU Holy Trinity Discord server, said the three

clubs “needed a new way to get everyone together while still being stuck at home. fi ed is o d se e ith everyone in it would at least help in reeling in [more] people for whatever event we would have at that time,” Pazzi said. “But, seeing how idk [Perez’s other, more personal server] and oons e e in fi ed it wouldn’t hurt to try.”

As far as what other clubs and organizations on campus can learn from gamers like Perez, he offers some advice.

“The grassroots nature of our community is the most important part of it. Without the grassroots, there would be no bigger community. All you have to do is put your foot in the ‘door,’ so to speak, and get people to come together,” he said.

With this in mind, Perez has no plans to end the reign of the Goons anytime soon.

[Editor’s Note: Johan Perez is a Staff Writer for The Gatepost.]

CONNECT WITH ROBERT JOHNSON JR. rjohnson10@student.framingham.edu

‘Yakuza: Like a Dragon’ - seamlessly reinventing a legacy

By Sean Cabot Staff Writer

The “Yakuza” series has carved out a unique niche in the gaming landscape, combining melodramatic stories, bizarre combat, and even more bizarre side activities. But after a sendoff to series hero Kazuma Kiryu in “Yakuza 6,” SEGA has decided to focus on a new hero and a new gameplay style.

“Yakuza: Like a Dragon” does not merely adopt the series’ Japanese name as a subtitle to signify a new beginning for its story - the entire direction of the series has changed. What was once a series of open-world action brawlers with bombastic real-time combat is now a turn-based RPG. Whereas the previous games fosed on the n e i y this game’s story follows Ichiban Kasuga, a bright-eyed Yakuza punk with a bad temper. When his patriarch Arakawa tells him to take the fall for a murder, Ichiban serves 18 years in prison only to find th t no one is itin o hi when he gets out.

Though Ichiban manages to reunite with Arakawa, he is shot and dumped in Yokohama - home to two different immigrant communities and their own organized criminal elements. He proceeds to get himself tangled in a con-

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i t s o ndin these tions nd n anti-crime movement called Bleach Japan, with disgraced detective Adachi, former nurse Nanba, and a barmaid named Saeko by his side.

The story and characters are all endearing, genuine, and superbly acted, with themes commenting on classism in modern Japan - a large subplot criticizes how its postwar policy disenfranchises those of Korean and Chinese heritage. Ichiban himself is particularly compelling - his many on-paper similarities to Kiryu, the Dragon of Dojima, end up highlighting just how different they are in execution.

He is “like a dragon,” but has not completed his journey to become one just yet.

Kaiji Tang and Greg Chun give standout performances as the optimistic Ichiban and the sardonic Nanba, and the cast even features “Star Trek’s” George Takei in the role of Arakawa, who blends in seamlessly with his lesser-known castmates.

Yokohama initially seems like a nest of crime, pollution, and poverty, but gradually evolves in complexity and beauty as the player explores it. It i es hi n h n e to find ose in his life - his goal being to become a hero like those in his favorite game, “Dragon Quest.”

The references to that series don’t ning and grind-heavy progression, but end there - “Yakuza’s” new turn-based otherwise?

The legacy of the “Yakuza” series gameplay liberally borrows from it. To bolster the fun and fast-paced combat, remains strong.

Ichiban’s party has access to different o s th t h n e ho they fi ht.

While in classic RPGs the term o e e s to ty es o fi htin sty es like knight or mage, here it is literal - the classes consist of careers such as foreman, musician, chef, or even breakdancer. These jobs serve similar roles as their fantasy inspirations, but the urban aesthetic gives the game a unique identity.

Even summons are endearingly bizarre, being interpreted here as an app that lets Ichiban call various allies to he hi fi ht one o hi h is fish n ed N n y.

SEGA In addition to the main plot, Yokohama has many side activities to engage with - substories that walk the line between absurd and heartfelt, karaoke, “Mario Kart” races, and indepth business management. That last A joyous romp through activity is especially important - one of Japanese gangland the game’s seven playable characters is recruited and upgraded by growing Ichiban’s business.

As is the usual with “Yakuza,” the tone masterfully rides the line between absurd and profound. The only CONNECT WITH SEAN CABOT real blemishes are a rather slow begin- scabot@student.framingham.edu

Grade: A-

ARTS & FEATURES

NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 15

From ruins to Venice

Heidi Lau brings Macau around the world

By Cara McCarthy Associate Editor The Mazmanian Art Gallery hosted the fi th inst ent o its esd y Talks series with artist Heidi Lau Nov. 17 via Zoom.

Lau was born and raised in Macau, China and moved to New York when she was 17 to earn a Bachelor of Education in Fine Arts degree from New York University, according to Mazmanian Art Gallery intern Haley Donahue.

Her artwork has been displayed in places such as the Museum of Arts and Design, The Art Museum of Chinese America, and the Macau Museum of Art. She has also been awarded the Emerging Artist Fellowship at Socrates Sculpture Park in Venice, and the Martin Wong Foundation Scholarship.

Lau began her talk by describing it as a “stream of consciousness” biography, showing her research, and talking about her latest exhibition which is on display at Martin Brown Los Angeles Gallery.

She said one of her biggest inspirations came from Macau because of its history.

She shared a photo from her portfolio of a place in Macau and described it as a “tunnel in history.” In the photo, Lau said you can see the original city wall, an ancient temple, a Catholic cathedral, and a modern day casino. She said these all signal different periods in Macau’s history in one photograph.

Lau said around 450 years ago, Ma-

s st s fishin i e until Matteo Ricci came to the city from Portugal. From there, she said Macau became a city full of “religious mononyms.”

She said she sometimes thinks about her work as “an author trying to piece together fragmented narratives th t e e ne e o ete in the fi st place.”

Lau shared that she believes she grew up in ruins in Macau and, because of that, found herself taking photos of houses that looked similar to the ones she grew up in.

She described the homes as “vessels of different times” because many of the houses photographed were built in the 15th century.

She said much like her family, these structures have “agency of their own productivity and wisdom … whether they can communicate that with us or not.”

Lau shared an exhibition she did in Venice titled “Apparition.”

She said while it was “a great honor” to be part of the show, it was also “extremely intimidating.”

Lau said the fact that the exhibition was intimidating made her want to “push that comfort level even further by really thinking about my own family and the role they take in Macau.”

She added at the time she thought her family’s role in Macau was “invisible.”

Lau attempted to make the exhibition seem as if you were walking through a “mythical entrance” into the

space.

A fountain in the middle of the courtyard, where the art was displayed, was meant to represent a snake goddess.

In the story of the goddess, she had to slay a mythical turtle and use its legs to prevent the sky from falling. In the exhibition, the fountain is at the center of the courtyard and the “turtle legs” are around her.

Lau said she had created this exhibition before she knew it would be on display in the courtyard and said it was i e the s t es fit e e tly.” he fin t o the ition exhibit included a video of her grandmother.

She said, “Whenever we [her and her grandmother] would go into a public restroom, she always said ‘excuse me’ to herself.”

Lau said that meant her grandmother was saying “excuse me” to the spirits because “they [her and her grandmother] had no right to be there” and her grandmother would use it to scare Lau into respecting the spirits.

Lau showed her latest project titled “Spirit Vessels,” which opened in Los Angeles this past summer at Matthew Brown Los Angeles.

She was unable to attend her residency program at Long Beach State University due to the California State of Emergency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Within 10 days I had to leave this residency that I had been saving up,

and honestly preparing for, for the past two years,” Lau said.

She said due to New York’s stay-athome order, she was unable to go to her studio to work on her projects and volunteered to be an essential worker during the pandemic. Eventually, she created the pieces for the exhibition from her 500-square-foot apartment.

According to her statement at Matthew Brown Los Angeles, “Lau succumbed to the depths of her own interior - which manifested as conversations prodding below the surface of physical and mental states.”

The statement also read, “In a sense these miniature buildings are self-port its d in o the in en e o colonial architecture in Macau, which illustrate the passage of time with their own diminishing materiality.”

Many of the works in this exhibition are modeled after ancient temples and Han Dynasty tomb burial sites with s e nd fine det i s e edded into the ceramic material.

She said she was inspired by the Han Dynasty tombs because they are a piece of permanent architecture and history in China, opposed to the wooden buildings she grew up in - which could burn down easily.

Lau said, “I really want to make sure that people who see my work can get something from it, whether they know the background story or not.”

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ARTS & FEATURES

The Butcher expands his horizon on ‘Burden of Proof’

By Jared Graf

Asst. Arts & Features Editor Another month, another Hit-Boy produced album - this one coming in the form of Benny the Butcher’s second studio album, “Burden of Proof.”

Released just last month, the project is a gritty, yet intimate masterie e th t finds enny o t o his e ement and proves Hit-Boy can adapt to any artist’s style.

With only 12 tracks, there’s not much room for error on “Burden of Proof,” and remarkably there is none.

The project starts off strong with the self-titled introduction, which finds enny in ith hi on his shoulder. Over boom-bap production that the Buffalo native is no stranger to, his tough-talking tirade begins.

“I was young in my prison phases, how you know you really gangster / Jail cells where I learned decision making,” Benny spits over production reminiscent of early Roc-A-Fella days.

On a song complete with high caliber rap and immaculately chopped up samples, the only complaint is that it should have been longer.

The same formula is used on “New Streets,” as we get one long verse from Benny over a classic soul sample loop - the only difference is the laid-back tempo. The song is the offspring of drug-laced rap and your grandma’s favorite oldies tune, and although that may seem like an odd combination, it doesn’t sound like one.

Contrary to most of his peers, Benny attempts to vilify street life by speaking on the real consequences that came with his drug dealing days, such as death and prison.

The rapper gets his message across by relating rather than preaching. “I was you, not comprehending or understanding it / Losses turn into pain, then they become advantages,” he says at the end of his verse.

“One Way Flight” has a similar tone, as old-school vocal samples accompany modern-day drums, allowing Benny to properly boast about se in d s nd his ti e in s with women.

Drug-rap kingpin Freddie Gibbs assists Benny with the hook, and contributes a verse of his own toward the end. “You gon cry in that Toyota or this Maybach?” Gibbs facetiously asks his female companion.

The album’s pinnacle comes at the half-way mark with “Famous,” a grimy joint with hard-hitting drums and a woozy bass line. he t se es s e e tion o Benny’s past and coming to terms with his newfound notoriety. His raps are visceral, as there’s more storytelling than thought in them.

“Get in the booth, I recall it then record it,” Benny says on “Famous.”

Almost every line on the project touches on real life experiences, making for quality content that isn’t fake or dramatized.

The 35-year-old rapper’s aggres-

sive delivery is best displayed on “Sly so unique and energetic that he could Green,” a track full of braggadocious rap about paint drying and make it exciting. ot es nd fie e o d y.

He doesn’t necessarily rap fast, but Christian Dior shirt rocker, two Glock wearer / Only rapper that would’ve packs so many syllables into a line isin to he the fit. thrived in the 2Pac era,” Benny spits th t it s s Each bar is woven together so tighton the track’s opening lines.

“Over The Limit” is Benny’s at- ly that there’s barely any breathing tempt at game-day music, and he room on the album.

Benny literally does not miss a beat. knocks it out of the park. The song is “Burden of Proof” is the Buffalo the soundtrack to an exuberant lifeo ds ith s fi st e t ste o i tosty e nd enny fi s this s he even compares his driveway to a high- ry, as he highlights more wins than losses and expands his palette to new way rest stop at one point.

On “Timeless,” hip-hop heavy- sounds.

The project sounds more like a weights Lil Wayne and Big Sean join the Butcher to spit motivational bars scoring for “Scarface” than it does a over a scrapped “Watch the Throne” Griselda album. beat Hit-Boy made nearly 10 years ago.

Although the production is old, the rappers are able to make it sound fresh and contemporary.

Soul samples have never The production on “Burden of made drug rap sound Proof” is noticeably less polished than this good.

Hit-Boy’s other releases, but that’s to be expected when paired with Benny’s raw style - which is why it works so well.

Fans have come to know and love Benny for his sinister, grimy sound, but the crisp, up-beat production o it oy o es he n o ish without relying on frequent collaborators, such as Alchemist or Daringer.

There’s not a single skip on the album - each track is adrenaline-pumping victory music, even those with CONNECT WITH JARED GRAF soul samples. The Butcher’s style is jgraf@student.framingham.edu

Grade: A

Women prevail in the military

By Caroline Gordon Editorial Staff

Patty Birch, director of inclusive excellence initiatives, hosted the “Native American Heritage Month: Untold Stories Warriors for Freedom” on Nov. 17 via Zoom.

She introduced panelists Nicole Ogir and Leanna Lynch.

Ogir is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Navy. She has been on five different deployments.

Lynch is the coordinator of Veterans and Military Student Programs at FSU. She also served 16 years in the Army.

Birch said she was “honored and humbled” to have both women speak.

She asked the first questions: “Who are you?” and “What kept you going during your time in the military?”

Ogir, a native of Worcester, answered she has five brothers, two sisters, and over 20 nephews and nieces.

“I joined the Navy because I wanted to do something for my country,” Ogir said.

She joined the Navy in September 1996 and came to San Diego, California in March of 1997.

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Ogir still resides on the West Coast.

Lynch said she joined the Army at 17 years old.

“A month after I graduated high school, I was on a plane headed to Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, also known as ‘Lost-in-the-Woods, Misery,’ because it is lost in the woods and a miserable place,” Lynch said.

She joined the Army as a truck driver.

Lynch said she worked her way up to being a recruiter in Quincy.

Her two youngest brothers also joined the service. One served 15 years and the other served six years.

Lynch had an assignment in Hawaii for six years and deployed with the aviation unit. She also spent 15 months in Iraq.

In Iraq, she refueled aircrafts, drove, and took care of family members when units were going to deploy.

“I was very fortunate I came home with all the people I went there with.

My brothers were there at the same time and, unfortunately, they can’t say the same,” Lynch said.

After 16 and a half years of military service, Lynch left the Army.

Birch asked, “What are some chal-

lenges you faced in the military, and how did you overcome them?

Ogir said the biggest obstacle she faced in the military was being a woman.

When she joined the Navy, women were not in full combat positions, so she started off as a sonar technician.

“I was not looked at as having equal strength and knowledge. Men did not want to be engaged with females on the ship and, if they did, it was to take over,” Ogir said.

She said she overcame the oppression with her strength and honesty.

Another obstacle she faced was racism.

“Because people didn’t know my race by looking at me, they feel like they can use certain terms that I don’t deem appropriate at all. There was a lot of correcting and teaching that went on,”she said.

As a Native American, Ogir said she dealt with racism throughout her career, until she retired in 2016.

She said she tried to succeed at all her tasks because without being the best, there was no respect.

Lynch said, “There was a lot of harassment, sexual and otherwise, because I am a woman.”

She had one man in her first unit who taught her how to drive trucks.

“He was the best and he made me the best,” Lynch said.

In her next unit, she said had another male mentor who told her to be assertive in order to gain respect.

Similar to Ogir, Lynch said throughout her entire career, she had to fight to be viewed as equal to men.

She said the people she oversaw kept her going through trying times.

As racism and sexism were the main problems the women faced, Birch asked if they could offer any advice on how to cope.

Ogir said racism is everywhere.

“I think over the last couple of years, we have all seen an uptick in that kind of hate speech. In order to get over it, we need to teach people,” she said.

Lynch said she went through lots of microaggressions. Her piece of advice was to not let microaggressions slide.

“Address the situation head on,” Lynch said.

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON cgordon@student.framingham.edu

ARTS & FEATURES

NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 17

‘The Liberator’ defies expectations

By Patrick Brady Staff Writer Netflix’s new animated war drama, “The Liberator,” has some great depictions of battle, along with heart-wrenching moments. Unlike most Netflix originals, the story doesn’t lose track of its heart, even when tasked with depicting the horrors of war.

“The Liberator” was based on a book by Alex Kershaw, titled “The Liberator: One World War II Soldier’s 500-Day Odyssey.”

It was released to Netflix on Nov. 11.

The TV show stars Bradley James as Felix Sparks, a U.S. Army infantry commander who leads a group of soldiers from Italy to a German concentration camp, and Martin Sensmeier as Sgt. Samuel Coldfoot, a demoted Indian soldier who Sparks elects as sergeant.

Additionally, the show features Jose Miguel Vasquez as Cpl. Able Gomez, Forrest Goodluck as Pvt. Cloudfeather, and Bryan Hibbard as Cpl. Hallowell.

The Thunderbirds, the group of soldiers led by Sparks, get involved in a gunfight with the Germans during the show’s opening three minutes.

Luckily, none of the Thunderbirds is injured or killed. A day later, Sparks is struck by a bullet while in combat,

and the team has to call for a medic.

After the event, there is a flashback to two years earlier in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Sparks has re-enlisted in the Army because he is low on cash.

Once Sparks sets up the team, it transitions back to the day after he got shot. Sparks is in the hospital with a wound that should have killed him.

While the series is short, the four episodes do deliver a satisfying look into the soldiers who fought in World War II. With that being said though, the show could have benefitted from an extra episode or two, since the first episode left a lot to be desired - the story was rushed and the characters felt stale in the first half of the first episode.

The series moves quickly uphill after the first episode though, and doesn’t lose track of its main goal to tell a linear, character-driven story. Even though not all the characters are fully fleshed out, almost every soldier has a backstory and different motivations.

Much like HBO’s “Band of Brothers,” the show isn’t afraid to hold back on the violence. But then again, the cartoony animation makes the blood and gore less impactful and realistic.

Although there is a lot of controversy surrounding the show’s animation, I found it to add to the story.

Even though it can look like a Snapchat filter at times, the animation’s

ACROSS 1. 8.5” x 14” paper size 6. Idle of Monty Python 10. Pasture sound 13. Came to light 14. Jubilant cry at a roulette table 16. App with #tbt pics 17. Not yet finished 18. Tear into, as a gift 20. “Superman” journalist Lane 21. “I told you so!”

22. UFO navigators 24. TV monitor?

27. Slender and tall 30. Popular cookie 32. “My Pregnant Husband” network 34. Opening words 36. “Well, obviously!”

37. Tokyo-based watchmaker 39. More achy 40. Hairy, tailless animal 41. It balances a debit 42. March composer whose name’s last three

design and color pallet never took away from the experience. But the particle effects can look bad at times, along with the fire and debris.

Despite not having a star-studded cast, the actors were quite talented and gave accurate portrayals of soldiers caught in a warzone. In particular, James brought the character of Sparks to life by the ability to produce a wide range of emotions.

The show’s writing is exceptional as well - the story isn’t all about the atrocities that occur in war. In fact, a lot of the scenes revolve around personal dialogue between Sparks and his men.

There was never a dull moment in the show, despite having a rough, disjointed first episode. If the characters weren’t engaged in conversation with each other, then there would be battle sequences.

Even though it was animated, the show never felt constrained to hold back from the violence and vulgarity.

It took full advantage of the TV-MA rating for its adult audience. Since war is a sensitive subject, I do appreciate that the show’s creators didn’t fall for the family friendly TV-14 rating.

Along with the script and acting, the soundtrack is well-composed and got loud when it needed to - primarily in the war sequences. Also, the cinematography was near flawless - especially during the aerial-view

letters are apt 43. Airport scanning org.

44. The things over there 45. Insect that eats termites 46. Jacob’s brother 48. A Swiss Army knife has many 49. Circle or square 51. Pay-___-view 53. Nest egg choice 56. Many profs’ degrees 58. Very concerned 61. Places for movie accessories 65. Ran leisurely 66. Manitoba lies on its southwestern shore 67. Heartbeat 68. Number that’s also a pronoun 69. Indian bread 70. Equine ride DOWN 1. Wild animals’ hideouts 2. Bert’s buddy 3. *Absolute fact (see letters 10 to 5) 4. Concerning 5. Big jump 6. CPR pro 7. Make muddy 8. Smitten 9. *Pets with multicolored coats (9 to 6) 10. Spam generator 11. “Rumble in the Jungle” boxer 12. Key near the space bar 14. “This ___ my day!”

15. Dermatologist’s concern 19. “A rat!”

23. Adds horsepower to, and a hint to the starred answers’ hidden words 25. *”Child’s play!” (8 to 5) 26. Toilet paper layers 28. Greek god of war 29. *”Julie & Julia” director (6 to 4) 31. Perlman of “Cheers” 33. Pigeon coop

shots.

“The Liberator” doesn’t gloss over the brutality of war, but manages to keep the audience engaged through powerful performances and vibrant animation. While it does have its downsides, like all miniseries do, the show’s messages never feel forced or overly preachy. Despite getting off to a slow start, “The Liberator” quickly regains its footing and doesn’t lose sight of its goal until the credits roll.

ADMIT ONE

Grade: B+ Do yourself a favor and don’t watch the trailers for the show they don’t justify the experience.

ADMIT ONE

CONNECT WITH PATRICK BRADY pbrady@student.framingham.edu

34. Rae of “The Photograph” 35. Common lunchtimes 36. Items in a spreadsheet 38. Tennis great Arthur 47. Arizona city known for its red rocks 48. One may end with .org 50. Programs on iPhones 52. “Child’s play!”

54. Actress Witherspoon 55. Threw into the mix Puzzle solutions are now 57. Japanese noodle 59. Hannibal and his elephants exclusively online. crossed them 60. 12-0 baseball victory, say 61. Vietnam’s national dish 62. Snag in a stocking 63. Praiseful poem 64. “I’m a ___ of my word”

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NOVEMBER 20, 2020 | 19

A panel event to share stories, discuss literature, and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community Featuring author Jeanette Winterson

RSVP on Ramlink Hosted by The Journal of Critical Thinking, The English Club, The Onyx, The Gatepost, and SUAB

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20 | NOVEMBER 20, 2020

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Photos by Donald Halsing. Spread by Ashley Wall/ THE GATEPOST FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM