October 30, 2020

THE GATEPOST

2020 Election Edition

Framingham State’s award-winning independent student newspaper since 1932

Volume 89 • Issue 7

FSUgatepost.com

October 30, 2020

A spooky dinner in the Dining Commons

(From left) Danielle, Kyla, Kessiah, Djeila, and Alicia enjoyed Halloween festivities in the Dining Commons Oct. 29.

News COVID-19 BY THE NUMBERS pg. 6-7 POLITICAL SURVEY RESULTS pg. 10

Opinions

UNITY DURING UNCERTAINTY pg. 11 CLASH OF THE OPINIONS pg. 12

Sports WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY pg. 15

Arts & Features

Donald Halsing / THE GATEPOST

Gatepost survey finds 79% of students plan to vote for Biden

By Ashley Wall Editor-in-Chief

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

By Steven Bonini Staff Writer An unscientific Gatepost survey conducted of 300 Framingham State University students from Oct. 5 to Oct. 15 found 253 respondents, 84.3%, are registered to vote.

The survey found 199 of registered respondents,

78.7%, plan to vote for former Vice President Joe Biden. Twenty-four students, 9.5%, plan to vote for current President Donald J. Trump. The remaining 30 respondents, 11.8%, plan to vote for a third-party candidate, are currently undecided, or plan to write in another candidate.

Of the 253 registered voters, 139 students, 54.9%, are registered as Independent. Ninety-two students, or 36.4%, are registered as Democrats, and 18 students, 7.1%, are registered

as Republicans.

Four candidates are on the Massachusetts ballot the incumbent, Republican President Donald J. Trump, Democrat and former Vice President Joe Biden, Libertarian candidate Jo Jorgensen, and Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins.

Rep. Jack Lewis, a Democrat representing Ashland and the City of Framingham, said although it may not be to the exact percentage point, the data from The Gatepost survey closely mirrors that of Mas-

sachuesetts as a whole.

Lewis said young people are statistically more likely, as reflected in the survey, to vote for “progressive values and progressive candidates.”

He said the Democratic Party tends to focus on a progressive future, while the Republican Party “often celebrates the past as a place of both nostalgia, but for many Republicans, a place to return to.”

He added, “It continues

See ELECTION page 4-5

Gatepost survey finds student respondents concerned about abortion rights, climate change, and COVID-19

By Donald Halsing Associate Editor

By Caroline Lanni Staff Writer

By Abigail Petrucci Staff Writer

[Editor’s Note: This is the first of two articles about student responses Parlophone Records Limited in a Gatepost survey concerning current national SONG MACHINE ALBUM REVIEW pg. 16 issues. An article excluALUMNI THROUGH THE DECADES pg. 18 sively about the Black Lives

Matter movement, police conduct, and systemic racism will be published next week.]

The Gatepost conducted an unscientific survey of 300 students between Oct. 5 and Oct. 15 about current political issues.

Eighty-two percent of student respondents to The Gatepost’s political survey were concerned that Roe v.

Wade might be overturned by the Supreme Court, and

88% of respondents also Trump administration’s believed the candidate response to the COVID-19 who wins the Nov. 3 elec- pandemic has not been eftion should appoint Justice fective. On the other hand, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s re- 62% of respondents said placement.

Massachusetts Gov. CharNinety-three percent of lie Baker’s administration’s survey respondents said response has been effecthey believe climate change tive. is the result of human acSeventy-two percent of tivity. Additionally, 71% survey respondents said said the U.S. should rejoin they were concerned about the Paris Agreement. efforts to overturn the AfSeventy-seven percent fordable Care Act (ACA), alof Gatepost survey respondents said the See POLICIES AND ISSUES page 8-9

INSIDE: OP/ED 11 • SPORTS 15 • ARTS & FEATURES 16

NEWS

2 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Editorial Board

Gatepost Interview Christopher Latimer

Editor-in-Chief Ashley Wall Associate Editors Donald Halsing Cara McCarthy

Chair of the Political Science Department

News Editor Leighah Beausoleil Arts & Features Editors Brennan Atkins Robert Johnson Jr.

By Dan Fuentes Staff Writer

Asst. Arts & Features Editor Jared Graf

What is your role at Framingham State?

I’m an associate professor of political science. I’m also the chair of the political science department. I’m also the coordinator for the Placement Service Learning Center, and I’m also the pre-law advisor. And I’m also the coordinator of the 3+3 program.

Opinions Editor McKenzie Ward Design Editor Kathleen Moore Photos Editor Caroline Gordon Staff Writers Danielle Achin Patrick Brady Steven Bonini Daniel Fuentes Haley Hadge Ashlyn Kelly Caroline Lanni Johan Perez Abigail Petrucci Emily Rosenberg Advisor Dr. Desmond McCarthy Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

Can you describe the 3+3 program?

So, the 3+3 program has actually been started in many universities, especially the last 10 years, and that’s to provide students going and getting their B.A. or B.S., and then getting a law degree, and instead of seven years, which is what I had to do, it’s six years. And to make it as least complicated as possible, you would leave FSU your junior year if you got into the program. Then, the first year of law school, those credits would come back to FSU so you’d be able to graduate and walk across the stage. And then you go back to your second year of law school. We have a 3+3 program with Suffolk, a private law school, and UMass Dartmouth, which is a public law school, which makes it much cheaper.

Are there any other projects you’re working on currently that you’re excited about?

With the library project we have, we had money for an intern. And so, because the Civic Engagement and Service Learning Center is only two years old, we’re sort of building a foundation. So, one of the things we’re going to be doing is, we’re going to develop - we’ve been developing - a website. It’s not great - it’s OK. But I think for the beginning, it’s fine. The intern is going to help me, and then when I’m on sabbatical, whoever takes over for that semester is going to be working on sort of a pamphlet for the center.

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

Courtesy of Christopher Latimer

And then we’re going to hopefully promote the center more. We’ve been giving away thousand-dollar grants to faculty to work on specific projects that help local community members, local community organizations, and that was successful.

During this time, with the virus and the pandemic, it’s become much more difficult, but hopefully, we’ll be able to continue on, just like we did with the grant, with the library, and have speakers come out and really try to promote. It’s difficult, but try to promote to students the importance of civic engagement, even if it’s something they might be able to do from home during this time. But it’ll be a little bit different. So one of the grants that we gave out - I really liked all the grants - but the one that really, sort of, when I was reading through it really attracted me, was when students from FSU end up giving free medical care - basic medical care - to individuals in the

community that couldn’t afford it.

So, of course we would fund that.

These are the types of projects that the majors and all the different departments are doing, and I hope it gets promoted. I hope it gets wellknown as it has at other schools.

And I think FSU is a little bit behind the eight ball, but I think it’s going in the right direction, which is good.

What do you think the importance of voting is?

As a political science teacher, I think voting is extremely important, but I would have to say it’s probably the easiest thing you could do in politics - is vote.

[Voting is] extremely important during this election. I mean, if you are not happy with the way that Trump has been acting domestically, internationally, again, an unlimited number of things I’ve talked about in terms of what he’s been in my opinion failing at, I mean when

Police Logs Friday, Oct. 23 03:58 Suspicious Motor Vehicle Salem End Lot No action taken

Monday, Oct. 26 16:43 Undesireable Athletic Lots Party Adivsed

Wednesday, Oct. 28 08:51 Motor Vehicle Accident Maynard Lot Report Taken

Thursday, Oct. 29 09:55 Bank Escort Dwight Hall Services Rendered

NEWS

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 3

FSU continues to make environmental efforts

By Ashlyn Kelly Staff Writer For the ninth time, Framingham State University has been named to the Princeton Review Guide to Green Colleges, according to an FSU press release.

The annual review surveyed 695 schools, placing 416 on the list so college applicants can consider the environmental impacts while applying to schools.

According to The Princeton Review press release, 66% of the respondents to The Princeton Review’s 2020 College Hopes & Worries Survey indicated that a college’s commitment to the environment would affect their decision to attend a school.

The FSU press release stated the University follows a “Climate Action Plan” that was written in 2010 and is updated annually. FSU currently uses the 11th edition.

According to the plan, there is “a strong emphasis on reducing CO2 emissions and energy use as well as new policies intended for creating a sustainable, healthy, and inspirational environment for the campus community.”

Carl Hakansson, University sustainable policies coordinator and a geography and environmental science professor, “Most of what is new in the Climate Action Plan has to do with curriculum changes.

“All of the departments have a role in addressing climate change not just the sciences - and so we’ve worked hard to create new courses, and to make it a broader spec-

trum from a curricular perspective,” Hakansson said.

He added, “It is kind of a part of the Climate Action Plan that sometimes flies under the radar because it’s not something physical that you can see like a power plant, or solar panel, or something like that.”

gineering and Design (LEED) Gold or Silver Certification - the most recent being the Hemenway Laboratories, which earned a Silver Certification.

Hakansson explained while COVID-19 has helped the University decrease its environmental impact, it is not a permanent change.

“ We all have to realize that we are all in this together and that regardless of what your discipline is, you can add something to the conversation.”

-Carl Hakansson, University Sustainable Policies Coordinator and Professor of Geography and Environmental Science Some of the previous steps taken to follow these policies are outlined in the press release, such as creating a University vegetable garden and composting program and installing solar photovoltaic arrays on three buildings.

FSU has also completed three projects recently that have earned the Leadership in Environmental En-

“We are using less energy at the University and we’re commuting less,” he said. “So, from a strange perspective, those aspects have decreased, but for the wrong reasons.

It’s not because people are being environmentally conscious. They are just trying to just stay healthy.”

He added, “We’re kind of stuck where we are and communicating

the way we are … and so these very important conversations like climate change are kind of in the back seat to the Coronavirus.”

He said because many students are not on campus, clubs such as the Green Team, which was created in the first edition of the Climate Action Plan, cannot meet and perform student outreach.

“The Climate Action Plan really depends on the students, and the faculty, and the staff buying into it.

It can’t just be the administration saying, ‘Let’s put solar panels on the roof and then that’s enough.’ We all have to realize that we are all in this together and that regardless of what your discipline is, you can add something to the conversation,” said Hakansson.

He emphasized the importance of continued conversations around climate change.

“This whole issue of climate change is not just going to go away, and it can’t be fashionable last year, and out of fashion this year,” he said.

“And so, it’s been hard to build that bridge from 10 years ago to now and sustain the same level of interest, and the same level of compelling commitment.

“Those are lofty goals that are set in the Climate Action Plan, and they’re not goals that come in and out of fashion,” Hakansson added.

“These are extreme times for environmental issues. And we’re running out of time to address it.”

CONNECT WITH ASHLYN KELLY akelly8@student.framingham.edu

Gatepost Interview continued from page 4

we’re thinking about immigration, we’re thinking about the virus, when we’re thinking about trying to get rid of the last part of the Health Care Act that protected not only young people - because you can stay on your parents’ health insurance - but also people with pre-existing conditions. And to not have a plan already formulated or already maybe put on paper in case they actually went to the Supreme Court where they strike down the Health Care Act, I think is ludicrous. A plan should have been

Weather

thought about, should have been ready to implement if they win with the Supreme Court. So, I think a lot of people of color, I think a lot of young people, I think they need to vote because I believe that if Trump wins again, he will have a huge continuing negative impact on their lives. I would say specific things in their lives like criminal justice, like getting a job, like health care, like responding to the virus. I could say hundreds of things, but I think that those would be the main things that I think are extremely important for young people, and

people of color, and everybody.

Voting is vital.

be Biden. I’m about 80% sure it’s going to be Biden. Because, I don’t know, he [Trump] sort of came out of nowhere and he’s able to win. It seems like everything that’s going on trying to suppress the vote nationally, trying to make everybody confused about having people call specific people within a state saying that you have to vote for Trump or else. That’s why I say 80% instead of 100%, I think Biden will win, but I’m only 80% sure.

Who do you think will win the election and why?

I was as foolish as everybody who believed that Hillary Clinton would have won four years ago, and I was so sure. Looking at the polls, not only on the internet - I have four sites that I go to, to look for the polling data and also going on TV - and based on those two things, I thought she was going to win hands down, and she didn’t, obCONNECT WITH DAN FUENTES viously. So, I’m not 100% sure it’ll dfuentes@student.framingham.edu

Sunday night Nov. 1 40% chance of showers. Mostly cloudy.

Low near 35. W winds around 10 mph.

Monday night Nov. 2 Partly cloudy. Low near 25. W winds around 10 mph.

Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov Wednesday night Nov. 4 Tuesday night Nov. 3 Mostly clear. Low near Mostly clear. Low near 40. SW winds around 5 25. SW winds around mph.

5 mph.

Monday Nov. 2 Mostly sunny. High near 45. NE winds around 10 mph.

Tuesday Nov. 3 Sunny. High near 38.

NE winds around 10 mph.

Wednesday Nov. 4 Sunny. High near 55.

SW winds around 5 mph.

Thursday Oct. 22 Sunny. High near 60. SW winds around 5 mph.

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

4 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Election continued from page 1

to not surprise me that young people who were concerned about their own future - with many years ahead of themselves - would support candidates who articulate a vision of progressing toward a collective future.”

Emphasizing the importance of voting, Lewis said in his first primary election, he won by only 64 votes.

“To all the folks who didn’t believe that their vote mattered in that election - every vote definitely mattered, and 32 people shifting one way or another decided the outcome of that election,” he added.

Lewis said with the options to vote early and/or by mail, “We have made it more accessible than ever before to participate in this aspect of the democratic process.”

FSU President F. Javier Cevallos said he was impressed so many students were willing to participate in The Gatepost’s survey.

“Three-hundred participants in this time, when everybody is working remotely, studying most of their classes online, fewer people on campus - that actually shows that there is a lot of engagement and a lot of people who are really interested in the issues,” Cevallos said.

He said he was not surprised to see that the highest respondent rate - 39.3% - came from seniors as he believes “they have been more engaged with the issues.”

Although a minority of respondents were registered Republicans, Cevallos said he was glad they were represented.

He said, “I would expect that perhaps there would be a few more Green Party numbers, but this election is so polarized. I think that the smaller parties - the Libertarians, the Green Party - will not get many votes because they are seen as draining votes from the main candidates.”

Cevallos offered advice to student voters. “Just keep in mind that not everybody agrees with you, respect all opinions, and just exercise your right to vote. It’s a privilege. It is something that we take for granted.”

History Professor Joseph Adelman said FSU students have similar political views to students at other institutions of higher learning as well as to the Massachusetts population at large.

Having taught at FSU during three presidential elections, he said, “One thing it [the survey data] shows, one thing that I found encouraging, is all of the responses seem to suggest a high level of engagement.”

He added, “I think the survey and the responses reflect a pretty polarized country. They reflect some pretty significant issues that the nation is dealing with, and that people are engaged, people are thinking about them, people are worried about them, and people are working on them.”

Political Science Professor John Ambacher said he was happy the majority of respondents are registered to vote.

“The effects of the nature of this

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

NEWS

campaign - how things are working out - is that students are finally getting the message that if they want to make a change, they need to vote,” he said.

Ambacher said he was not surprised to learn the majority of respondents plan to vote for Biden.

“If I was an 18- to 21-year-old, in college, there’s no way that I would vote for Trump. [It] doesn’t mean I’d be in love with Biden,” he added.

Student Trustee McKenzie Ward said, “I think our generation is doing a great job of trying their best to get involved in politics, and I believe that our generation will make a change in our country.”

She added the number of students registered as Independent surprised her.

“One of the issues in our country is the two-party system, and I hope that our generation can do something to break away from just having two parties,” Ward said.

Political Science Professor David Smailes said it was interesting to see where Independents were lining up this presidential election cycle.

“The fact that about 9% or 9.5% [of The Gatepost survey respondents] are saying they’re voting for Donald Trump, that’s I suppose to be expected,” said Smailes.

“It looks from our poll, that a lot of the Independents, not nearly all of them, are leaning toward Joe Biden in the race,” he said.

“I do think, at least from the numbers I’ve seen, it does seem as though voters are breaking more toward Joe Biden nationwide, but I think those numbers that we’re looking at, from your survey, that’s a pretty striking number of Independents who are saying ‘Joe Biden,’” Smailes added.

Smailes said he was surprised not as many students were leaning toward the Libertarian Candidate, Jo Jorgenson.

“I kind of expected maybe a few more toward the Libertarian Party than is showing up,” he said. “Again, it’s not out of line, I think, with where the trend is nationwide.”

Many Gatepost survey respondents indicated they planned to vote for Biden because they want to get Trump out of office. Some stated they are voting for Biden because “he’s not Trump,” and “#SettleforBiden.”

One survey respondent said, “As much as I dislike Biden, voting Trump out is most important to me.

While I think Biden is corrupt, his presidency will hopefully help lead the pathway to more progressive legislation and leadership.”

Another survey respondent said they are voting for Biden “because Donald Trump is an unhinged maniac, and we need peace and stability restored to this country.”

Another survey respondent said, “I am voting for Joe Biden because Donald Trump is only a President for the part of the country that votes for him. He also fuels hate and division, especially through his vulgar and exploiting presence on social media.”

They added, “Above all, his supporters are supporters of homophobic, anti-Black, transphobic, discriminatory movements, and he is more concerned with returning to a ‘Great America’ where these groups will be eternally in danger than protecting all American people. He couldn’t even condemn white supremacy at the [first] presidential debate because he was too scared of losing the Neo-Nazis’ vote.”

Karen Tice, a graduate student in English, said she was disappointed Trump won the 2016 election.

“I am voting for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris because I want this nightmare to end. I have never liked Donald Trump and he has destroyed our country,” she said. “I never imagined the chaos that would occur over these past four years.

“Human rights, women’s rights, health care, the environment, integrity, and the lists go on and on. I lived through many presidents, including Nixon, but never have I seen the office of the presidency abused in this manner,” Tice added.

Jack Nephew, a senior chemistry major who is registered as an Independent, said he would have voted Democratic in this election, regardless of whom the candidate was.

He said, “I’m not particularly endeared by the Democratic Party, but, I acknowledge that they, like most political parties in America, respect the democratic process and the idea of representative democracy. The Republican Party - and especially President Trump - clearly do not. Trump has spent his presidency actively fighting against democracy itself.”

Nephew added, “Any politician who says, ‘The media is the enemy of the people,’ is himself the enemy of the people. Biden probably isn’t the man to save our democracy, but Trump is just the man to destroy it.

Trump is a despicable, racist, misogynistic a** and it embarrasses me to have him represent our country.”

Dahir Hersi, a business management major and registered Independent, said as a Muslim and an immigrant, he disagrees with Trump’s polices on immigration and intends to vote for Biden.

Julia Hanson, a graduate student in English, said she voted for Joe Biden because she is worried about how the U.S. presents itself internationally.

She said, “Our allies are starting to pull away from us because of the way our leadership is going. At the very least, Joe Biden can potentially repair some of the damage done over the last four years.”

Natalie Cooney, a wildlife and environmental biology major, said she is voting for Joe Biden because “Donald Trump is actively enacting anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and appointing officials who are anti-LGBTQ+.

“He [Donald Trump] is racist, sexist, and prejudiced. It’s important to me that he leaves office because my rights, the rights of my friends, and of my family, among so many other Americans, are being actively taken

away under Trump,” Cooney said.

Other students voting for Biden said they agree with his policies.

Melissa Hayes, a political science major and registered Democrat, said she voted for Biden because she believes he will be strong on health care.

“From what I remember hearing, not as much as Bernie and Warren wanted to do with completely universal health care, but he wanted to do something with a universal option and a private option, which I thought was a good idea,” said Hayes.

Hayes said Biden will also do more for the environment. She added unlike the President, he acknowledges the climate crisis and “knows that it’s a priority.”

Rachel Spivey, another political science major and registered Democrat, said she also supports Biden’s climate initiatives.

“Putting ourselves back into the Paris Agreement - that’s definitely something that I agree with,” said Spivey.

Another issue Spivey believes Biden will be strong on is the economic rights of women and minority groups.

“He’s really fighting for economic stability - making sure that [there is] equal pay for equal work, no matter what the color of your skin is, no matter what gender you identify with, or your sexual orientation,” she said. “That’s something that I’m very supportive of.”

One survey respondent said, “He [Biden] cares about people, and this country needs to turn around. I agree with his policies for gun control, and the increase in health care availability for everyone. He takes the COVID-19 situation seriously and wears a mask. He listens to science and the CDC, which can be seen through his actions.”

Some Gatepost survey respondents voting for Trump are in the same predicament as the less-than-enthusiastic Biden supporters because while they don’t completely agree with his policies, they like him better than the other candidates.

One survey respondent said, “I think the country has been improving in some ways,” and Trump could do better in the next four years than “Sleepy Joe.” Another survey respondent said they are voting for Trump “because sadly, this country is mainly run by a two-party system. Therefore, compared to Biden, I believe Trump is slightly more ‘there in the head’ and able to run our country than Biden.”

A Trump supporter interviewed by The Gatepost who asked to remain anonymous said, “I think it is better to be anonymous because Republicans get a lot of grief about their political beliefs and get forced to believe in things I don’t believe.”

They added, “Trump is a smart businessman who is helping the middle class, securing our borders, and he is exposing things that have been swept under the rug for a while.”

One Gatepost survey respon-

NEWS

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 5

Election

continued from page 4

dent said they are voting for Trump “because Joe Biden has failed to do anything in his 47 years of political office. Biden opposed integration in schools, which his sell-out VP Harris made a part of the first Democratic primary debate.”

“Joe Biden is in declining mental health, and demonstrates that he is unfit to be president,” they added.

“Biden is a racist, mentally declining creep.”

Other Gatepost survey respondents voting for Trump said they agree with his policies such as those pertaining to the economy.

One survey respondent said, “I have more faith and trust in Donald J. Trump’s ability to protect and help the prosperity of the USA compared to the other candidates.”

They added, “Moreover, as someone who believes countries should be politically self-serving while also believing the global economy is good for humanity, I feel his policies both help the world economy and help the USA be self-reliant and not be dependent on/tied to other countries.

President Trump has done more for wrongfully convicted felons and is more anti-war than the last few presidents combined, let alone his opponent, Joe Biden.”

Another survey respondent said, “I value the electoral college. I have a gun license. I don’t want the Supreme Court to get packed, and America is the greatest nation in history. The U.S. isn’t systemically racist.”

Another survey respondent said they are voting for Trump because of the “economy and foreign relations - his domestic issues need work, but the economy and foreign relations are the most important issues to me.”

Brett McCulloch, a political science major and registered Republican, said he’s leaning toward Trump this election, but is still undecided.

McCulloch said he isn’t exactly sure of what the Democratic Party currently stands for.

“I feel like the entirety of the last four years have been very anti-Trump, which I can understand that sentiment, but what exactly is my opposing vision? What am I getting from the Democrats? And I’m not so sure I see what that is clearly,” he said.

“I remember watching the very first Democratic debate and seeing everyone raise their hand for the idea of essentially what seemed to be just completely open borders. That’s not something I’d be in favor of,” McCulloch added.

McCulloch said he would like to better understand Biden and whether the former vice president is running as a progressive or a centrist.

“It’d be easier for me to vote for the guy if I felt he was a centrist, which generally, I do think that if he gets in office, he’s going to vote as a centrist or govern as a centrist,” he said.

A number of Gatepost survey respondents indicated they are voting for a third-party candidate.

One survey respondent said they are voting third party because “sadly, [they are] the lesser of three evils.

Unfortunately, our country simply will not improve with the current two-party system.

“Politicians no longer try to reach across the aisle and work together for what’s best for the country anymore,” they added. “ Now, it’s just venom and zero compromise - they all are a bunch of 5-year-olds throwing a temper tantrum.”

Another survey respondent said, “Jorgensen is the best-qualified candidate who isn’t too hard left or right, and uses common sense.”

Another Gatepost survey respondent said, “I can’t bring myself to vote for the Democratic or Republican Party at this time.”

In addition to the presidential election, Massachusetts citizens will vote on two ballot initiatives.

Of the Gatepost survey respondents who are registered to vote, 135 students, 55.8%, said they intend to vote yes on ballot Question 1. This measure would amend the Massachusetts Right to Repair law, allowing independent auto repair shops access to vehicle data.

Twenty-eight students, 11.6%, said they intend to vote no, while the remaining 79 students, 32.6%, are undecided.

Christopher Latimer, chair of the political science department, said he can understand why many students would be undecided on Question 1 due to the amount of money and advertising that has gone into supporting both sides of the argument.

“I was confused,” said Latimer, “being bombarded with commercials.”

Latimer said it was hard to decipher who was advertising both sides of the argument. He added people don’t know if it is the “big auto companies” or even the everyday “mom and pop shops” supporting the ballot question.

He said political action committees, by law, are required to list those who sponsor the commercial.

Latimer added he ended up voting yes on Question 1 after finding out that multiple big car companies were supporting “No on 1.”

Brandon Adams, a sophomore political science major, said voting yes on 1 is the best way to go.

“The question that we’re looking at more specifically is the technology of it. Are we going to be willing to give more data to the mechanics?” he asked.

He said, “All new cars, roughly from 2012 on, have wireless communication systems, so all that data in the car, and this isn’t personal data, it’s not GPS, it’s not anything like that, it’s all on your braking systems, pistons, all that kind of stuff.

“It tells your manufacturer first if you need to repair, and that’s where they monopolize off of it,” said Adams.

Ballot Question 2 would change

the way people vote in Massachusetts from the current “First Past the Post” voting system to a ranked choice voting system.

Of the Gatepost survey respondents registered to vote, 125 students, 51.7%, said they intend to vote yes on Question 2. Fifty-six students, 23.1%, intend to vote no, and the remaining 61 students, 25.2%, are still undecided.

Professor Ambacher said he was originally thinking about voting no on Question 2, but now he’s undecided.

“If I had three candidates, and I had to rank them ‘1-2-3,’ and I voted for one, but he didn’t get a clear majority - do I really want two or three to actually be the one who gets it because of the rank choice procedure?”

Ambacher asked.

“I’m not sure that I want to support that,” he said. “But that’s something I guess I’ve got to really think about a little bit more.”

Ambacher said he was surprised to see so many people in support of the ranked initiative. He thought more Gatepost survey respondents would be undecided.

“I’m going to have to give it much more serious, serious reflection because I never thought that it would get that high of a vote,” he added.

Jillian Carbone, a junior elementary education and liberal studies major, said ranked choice voting could be a “good thing,” and she intends to vote yes.

Carbone said, “I might not fully understand how everything works, but to my understanding, it sounds like if someone were to write in a candidate and label them as their first choice, if that candidate didn’t get enough votes to get a nomination, it could go toward someone’s second ranked candidate.”

She added, “To me, it sounds like it could give certain candidates a better chance when others are dropped out.”

Sylvie Ficco, a sophomore geography major, said she intends to vote no.

“I just feel it would make things more confusing,” Ficco said.

“I feel like if another terrible candidate comes along, I would have to rank them as my last choice,” she said. “And if my first or second choice didn’t win, then technically, my vote would go toward something bad.”

Carl Hakansson, a geography and environmental studies professor, said, “It may have been the first time that I read a survey that I was on the same side of the majority of people in the survey. So, that was interesting.

Given that, I was cautiously optimistic after I read the results.”

He added, “I was surprised, but encouraged at the responses.”

Sociology Professor Virginia Rutter stressed the importance of voting. “It’s not the only way, but it’s one core way that we want to make sure that the voices of people at the grassroots are working at making

sure our values and our concerns are at the table when we’re picking our leaders,” she said.

Rutter said she was happy with the number of students registered and planning to vote.

“I think that these are the issues that many of us across the age spectrum who were concerned about the well-being of our country have been really interested in - just making sure that everybody is registered and that everybody votes their choice,” she said.

SGA President Olivia Beverlie said there is not a good enough excuse for choosing not to vote.

She said, “It’s a right that other countries don’t have, and especially as a woman, this is a right that people fought for me to have, and the fact that people just don’t care enough about it shows to some extent the amount of privilege they have - which is a big problem.”

Mia Ihegie, J.U.I.C.E. president and junior political science major, said, “I just hope more people get registered to vote and take this political matter seriously and not vote for people like Harambe again.”

She added, “Just continue to educate yourself and stay literally woke.

Don’t just wait for an event to happen to educate yourself - don’t wait for the next hashtag or huge incident to happen before you actually start looking into things because this is people’s reality and if we are privileged enough to help them, then why not?”

Constanza Cabello, vice president for diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said, “I want students to be involved in the civic process. A lot of times, people can feel like voting is kind of a waste of time.

“But, it is important to get people voting at all levels in not just the presidential election, but at the state level on issues that impact our communities at the town level,” she added.

Lorretta Holloway, vice president of enrollment and student development, said she wants students to be civically engaged. “One of the things I talked to students about over the summer was to remind people that this is a major election coming up.”

“There’s a lack of representation of younger people,” she added.

Taylor Anderson, a senior English major, said, “People need to vote, stand up for others, educate themselves, advocate for reform. But it’s a marathon - not a sprint.”

CONNECT WITH ASHLEY WALL awall1@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH STEVEN BONINI sbonini@student.framingham.edu

[Editor’s Note: Cara McCarthy, Abigail Petrucci, Caroline Lanni, and Maia Almeida contributed to this article.]

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

NEWS

6 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

COVID-19 by the numbers October 30, 2020

By Donald Halsing Associate Editor

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

By Kathleen Moore Design Editor The percentage of COVID-19 cases climbed from 0.01% last week to 0.02% of the world population this week based on data from various sources taken Oct. 29.

However, over 1.8 million new recoveries were reported worldwide this week.

The number of people still infected by COVID-19 in Framingham decreased by 47, or 1.9%, since last week.

Framingham State University administered 733 tests within the past week, and 3,352 tests within the past 30 days, according to the COVID-19 data page on the FSU website.

No positive tests were returned in the past week, according to the page.

The 7-day negative test rate is 100%.

Only one positive COVID-19 test has been reported in the past four weeks at FSU. A total of 3,325 negative, and 3 positive results, were returned in the past 30 days. The 30-day negative test rate is 99.84%.

Around 3.8% of Framingham residents tested positive for COVID-19.

There were 88 new infections, 131 new recoveries, and four new deaths reported.

The number of people infected decreased by 47, or 1.9%, since last week.

Close to 52% of those who contracted the virus remain infected. Over 45% have recovered and about 3% have died.

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

About 2.2% of Massachusetts residents tested positive for COVID-19.

There were 6,571 new infections and 111 new deaths. Recovery data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has not been updated since last week at the time data was taken.

Over 53% of those who contracted the virus remain infected. Just under 44% have recovered, and about 3.4% have died.

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

Just under 2.6% of United States residents tested positive for COVID-19.

There were 466,088 new infections, 165,084 new recoveries, and 4,809 new deaths.

The number of people infected grew by 296,195, or 3.5%, since last week.

Slightly over 70% of those who contracted the virus remain infected.

About 28% of the population has recovered, and about 1.8% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 in the United States is 0.07%.

Globally, around 0.6% of the population has tested positive for COVID-19.

There were 3,082,440 new infections, 1,869,074 new recoveries, and 40,812 new deaths.

The number of people infected grew by 1,172,554, or 2.9%, since last week.

Out of those who contracted the virus, under 59% remain infected. Recoveries are just over 40%, and around 1.5% have died.

The overall death rate from COVID-19 globally climbed from 0.01% last week to 0.02% this week.

Data sources: Framingham State University City of Framingham MA population: United States Census Bureau – QuickFacts Massachusetts US and World population: United States Census Bureau – US and World Population Clock MA data: WCVB, MA DPH US 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

Framingham

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Massachusetts

NEWS

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 7

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST

United States

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST

World

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST CONNECT WITH DONALD HALSING dhalsing@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH KATHLEEN MOORE kmoore8@student.framingham.edu

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

8 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

NEWS

Policies and issues continued from page 1 though 48% of respondents said they did not think they would be impacted if it is overturned.

Sixty-six percent of student respondents to The Gatepost’s political survey said they were concerned about their student debt. Additionally, 65% also said they believe more of the cost of public higher education should be subsidized by the state and federal governments.

FSU President F. Javier Cevallos said the survey responses show students are familiar and engaged with the issues.

“A university should be a place where you talk about issues that are important and you can disagree. It’s fine to have disagreements about these issues, but it is good that people are thinking about them,” he said. “I was very happy that people reacted to those issues because that shows that people are paying attention to the things that are going on.”

Constanza Cabello, vice president for diversity, inclusion, and community engagement, said, “As a college community, it’s really up to us to create opportunities for education, but also opportunities for multiple voices to get heard. And now, I think that’s hard to do.

“I do think one of the central values of public education is free speech.

I’m the kind of person that’s always like, ‘Free speech needs to be met with more free speech,’” she added.

Roe v. Wade Survey respondents were asked if they were concerned the Roe v. Wade decision on abortion might be overturned by the Supreme Court.

Approximately 83% of survey respondents, 248 students, said they were concerned about Roe v. Wade being overturned, while 52 students, approximately 17%, said they were not concerned.

Student respondents to The Gatepost’s political survey were also asked who should appoint the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s replacement.

Aproximately 88% of survey respondents, 264 students, said whoever wins the Nov. 3 election should appoint her replacement, whereas 36 students, 12%, said President Donald J. Trump should appoint her replacement.

Sociology Professor Virginia Rutter said she is in “utter disbelief” that Judge Amy Coney Barrett may be approved by the Senate.

[Editor’s Note: Trump’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Oct. 26 by a vote of 52-48.]

One Gatepost survey respondent said, “RBG successfully pleaded her first case to a higher power.”

Another survey respondent said, “I am not worried about Roe v. Wade being overturned because I believe that Stare Decisis will be too strong

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

of a factor for the Supreme Court judges to reasonably overturn it.”

Stare Decisis is the legal principle to uphold something, which may be an obstacle for the Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Taylor Anderson, a senior English major, said she hopes Roe v. Wade is not overturned because it would be an “enormous step backward for the country.”

She added, “The next president should decide who to appoint for RBG’s replacement, not Donald Trump. It’s inconsiderate for Trump to appoint the replacement so close to the election because now the court has a conservative majority.”

Alexandra Hebert, a sophomore psychology major, said the future of Roe v. Wade depends on who gets elected. “I hope that it [Roe v. Wade] stays in place because a woman should choose what happens with their body.”

Mariah Farris, a senior and co-president of M.I.S.S., said, “I think that a woman’s body shouldn’t be made political in any sense. A man’s body is not made political. Nobody talks about whether they should or shouldn’t be able to have sex or whether they should or shouldn’t be able to get Viagra prescribed.

“I don’t feel as though men, who usually are more prominent in the government, should be able to make laws [about women’s bodies] - or even women for other women,” said Farris. “I don’t think anybody should be able to make laws that concern women’s bodies.”

Farris said the decision to have an abortion is circumstantial, and no one situation is the same as another.

“There’s cases of rape, cases of trauma to your body, there’s emergency reasons - you could possibly be in danger yourself if you conceive and you can’t keep the kid to term,” Farris added.

“That situation, in my opinion, will never be black and white,” she said.

Ewnie Fedna, a senior and the other co-president of M.I.S.S., shared Farris’ sentiments about abortion and birth control laws.

She said, “Men should not have any say about body parts and things they don’t even understand firsthand.”

Fedna added, “I’m 100% pro ‘Do whatever you want.’ It’s not my business.”

SGA President Olivia Beverlie said the Supreme Court seat should be filled by the president who is elected on Nov. 3.

Student Trustee McKenzie Ward, a sophomore, said, “I was really surprised that the vast majority believed that the next president should choose RBG’s replacement. I believe after the precedent was set in 2016, we should listen to what Mitch McConnell said then and continue that now.

“Our rights shouldn’t be a political fight like the GOP makes them to

be,” Ward added.

Rep. Jack Lewis, a Democrat representing Ashland and the City of Framingham, said, “I’m very impressed to see that a great majority of Framingham State students who participated in this poll are concerned about the current trajectory of the Supreme Court with Ruth Bader Ginsburg passing, and what that might mean for the removal of hardfought-for rights, including access to reproductive health care.”

Climate Change Student respondents to The Gatepost’s political survey were asked if they believe climate change is the result of human activity.

Approximately 93% of survey respondents, 278 students, said they believe climate change is the result of human activity, while 22 students, approximately 7%, said they disagreed.

Gatepost survey respondents were also asked if they believe the United States should rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement.

Approximately 71% of survey respondents, 214 students, said the U.S. should rejoin the Paris Agreement. A fifth of survey respondents, 59 students, said they were unsure, while 27 students, 9%, said the U.S. should not rejoin the agreement.

President Cevallos said, “One of the questions was about whether climate change was caused by human activity or not. Again, that is something that you can agree or disagree with. I happen to believe that it is caused by all the emissions that we have.

“At least nobody is denying the fact that the climate is changing.

I don’t think you have any climate change deniers,” he added.

“It is what you would expect in a university: people paying attention to the issues, thinking about them, and responding,” Cevallos said.

History Professor Jon Huibregtse said Trump supporters, who comprise around 40% of the national population, are “not in tune” with the idea that climate change is the result of human activity.

He said, “It seems like FSU’s population is very heavily on the yes side compared to the national data.

“People in this age group believe more heavily that climate change is happening because they can see it on a scale within their own lifetime,” Huibregtse added. “Potentially, I think it’s also a product of being taught about climate change from a very young age.”

As for rejoining the Paris Agreement, Huibregtse said undecided respondents probably do not know enough about it.

He said, “Legitimately, it’s a complicated thing. They might not be willing to just say, ‘Yes, we should assume it’s a good thing,’ and want to do their own investigation into it.”

A Gatepost survey respondent said, “I am very environmentally ori-

ented, and climate change is my No. 1 concern both politically and morally.”

Another survey respondent said, “I am voting for Joe Biden because I understand what is at stake. I want a president who acknowledges climate change is real, and that we need to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords.”

They added, “Our country cannot survive four more years with a man who refuses to acknowledge that climate change is real.”

Nicole Arsenault, a senior communication arts major, said, “To a certain extent, climate change is an issue, but it’s not the biggest thing we have to deal with right now.”

Haley Chase, a senior sociology major said, “I am concerned that it is caused by humans, but I think natural forces beyond human control are gradually affecting it as well. However, if we as humans can do our part to reduce the ongoing issue of climate change, then we should.”

Julia Cohen, a senior ASL major, said, “Humans definitely are responsible for climate change. There are so many alternatives that we could use to lower our carbon footprint and to better the world we live in.”

SGA President Beverlie said, “I think we should rejoin the Paris Agreement, and it was selfish of us to pull out of it. America has a big climate pull and our impact in it matters.”

Carl Hakansson, a geography and environmental studies professor, said what stood out to him was how unpopular the Trump administration is in regard to its approach to climate change.

“I was surprised to see how much support there was for these political issues. I was surprised but encouraged,” he said.

Rep. Lewis said, “It’s great that 92.7% of Framingham State students agree with the vast majority of scientists that climate change is real, and that it is at least partially due to human activity. And that, again, a great majority of students think we should rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement.”

COVID-19 Response Student respondents to The Gatepost’s political survey were asked if they believe the Trump administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been effective.

Over three-quarters of respondents, 231 students, said the Trump administration has not responded effectively to the pandemic. Thirty-five students, approximately 12%, said they were unsure, and 34 students, approximately 11%, said the Trump administration has responded effectively.

Gatepost survey respondents were also asked if they believe Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been effective.

Approximately 62% of survey respondents, 187 students, said the Baker administration has responded

NEWS

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 9

Policies and issues continued from page 8 effectively to the pandemic. Almost a quarter of survey respondents, 71 students, said they were unsure, and 42 students, 14%, said the Baker administration did not respond effectively.

Communication Arts Professor Audrey Kali said she was very surprised that the survey found approximately 22% of students either were unsure about the effectiveness of Trump’s response or thought it was effective.

“I do not think the Trump Administration’s response was effective, due to them giving us a lot of misinformation,” said Kali.

“I think Baker was more on board and organized with his plan toward COVID than Trump was,” she added.

Professor Rutter said the most important aspect of responding to COVID-19 is paying attention to the facts about the safest practices.

“You can’t have points of view that are just, ‘Well it’s this way, or it’s that way.’ And right now, overwhelmingly, the issues that are facing us are issues that we need to look at real-world data,” she said.

A student interviewed by The Gatepost, who asked to remain anonymous because they support President Trump, said they support the president’s COVID-19 plan.

“He was effective but not perfect,” they said. “He tried to do as best as he could have done, and a lot has to do with how the states are run as well.”

Kevin Durant, a junior accounting major, said, “Well, I think Baker did as well as he could for as long as he could.”

Durant added, “Trump - I feel like he could have done better for the country overall and should have just shut it down for a couple weeks before to make sure everyone was safe.”

Student Trustee Ward said, “I was shocked that 14% of those who responded don’t believe Charlie Baker’s response to COVID-19 was enough.

I think he was one of the governors who responded the best, and he acted quickly.”

Health Care Respondents to The Gatepost’s survey were asked if they were concerned about efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.

Approximately 72% of survey respondents, 217 students, said they were concerned about the future of the ACA. Forty-two students, 14%, said they were unconcerned, and another 41 students said they were unsure/undecided.

Student respondents to The Gatepost’s political survey were also asked if they were concerned about losing their health care coverage in the event the ACA is overturned.

Approximately 48% of survey respondents, 145 students, said they did not think they would be impacted. Sixty-seven students, approximately 22%, said they were con-

cerned about losing their coverage if the ACA is overturned, and 43 students, approximately 15%, said they were unsure. Forty-five students, 15%, said they were not concerned about losing their coverage.

Robert Donohue, faculty union president and psychology professor, said, “We’ve got an awful lot of college students here who are going to have pre-existing conditions, and without the Affordable Care Act, that’s really going to impact them in terms of being able to get affordable and good health care.”

Lorretta Holloway, vice president of enrollment and student development, said she was surprised by how many students did not think they would be impacted if the ACA is overturned. “We have the prime age of people who in one way are benefiting from this. So I was like, ‘Wow, 40% don’t think they’ll be impacted.’”

Professor Rutter said, “The fact that half of the people said, ‘I don’t think I will be affected’ - that was kind of interesting to me, and I think that it may have to do with the fact that in Massachusetts, we already have our own Massachusetts health care.

“Younger people might not realize that the ACA is what makes it possible for people to be covered by the parents’ health insurance for a longer period of time,” she added. “I worry about that for all people, but I worry about it for my students because I think that having access to good health care is essential for living a good life.”

Professor Kali said, “People don’t understand health care, and as a University, we need to do more ... to educate the students and faculty on this issue - mainly about state and federal subsidies.”

Carly Eiten, a junior fashion design and retailing major, said, “Everyone deserves health care, so taking it away from people who depend on it is not fair to them.”

Noelle Bouvier, a senior marketing major, said, “Abolishing the ACA may affect a lot of people with pre-existing medical conditions.”

Corrin Deleon, a senior history major, said, “The Affordable Care Act is something that helps people who normally might be unable to afford health insurance. If it is overturned, then there could be a rise in the number of people who are unable to have health insurance.”

Nate Rogers, a junior communication arts major, said, “The Affordable Care Act was made to make sure that kids with disabilities and adults don’t go completely bankrupt for the care that they need to live. We are all human. We can’t get through this world without each other.”

bregtse added.

One Gatepost survey respondent said, “I am not worried about my own student loans, but I empathize with those who are worried.”

Sarah Assimakopoulos, a sophomore communication arts major, said, “I am concerned about student debt. This is because I am paying off my student debt by myself.”

Haley Chase, a sociology major, said, “I am highly concerned about student debt for multiple reasons.

First off, I am stressed with the limit in which they expect us to start paying off student debt. The time we have to find a job and then make enough money to support ourselves and pay off student loans is limited and sets graduates up for failure.

“I am also concerned about paying more money into student loans than the original loan amount because of interest,” Chase added. “Additionally, I am afraid of student loans holding me back from getting ahead in life because it has the potential to affect my credit score, which in return can affect the process of buying a house.”

Maddy Pimental, a senior communication arts major, said, “I am concerned about student debt. I think most people my age are struggling with making money and saving money. As young adults, we have a lot of responsibility with money as we try and get on our own two feet after we graduate.”

Julia Cohen, an ASL major, said, “Personally, I’m not concerned about student debt. I’ve worked hard throughout my four years to get scholarships, which all in all lowers the amount I’ll have to pay back.”

M.I.S.S. Co-president Mariah Farris said, “I’m an undergrad, and I already owe almost $50,000 in loans, and I haven’t even gone to grad school. So, yes, this is a problem.

Right now, I feel like our undergrad degree is going to be the equivalent of a high school diploma in two years.”

Ewnie Fedna, also a M.I.S.S. co-president, said, “I feel like they [the state and federal governments] have money for a lot of other things.

So much money went towards unemployment for the pandemic. That money has to come from somewhere, and that money’s been there all along.”

Student Debt Student respondents to The Gatepost’s political survey were asked if they were concerned about their lev-

el of student loan indebtedness.

Two-thirds of survey respondents, 199 students, said they were concerned about their level of debt.

Seventy-five students, 25%, said they were not concerned about their level of indebtedness, and 26 students, 9%, said they were unsure.

Gatepost survey respondents were also asked if they believed more of the cost of public higher education should be subsidized by the state and federal governments.

Approximately 65% of survey respondents, 194 students, said they believe the state and federal governments should subsidize more public higher education costs. Approximately a quarter of survey respondents, 79 students, said they were unsure or undecided, and 27 students, 9% said they do not believe the state and federal governments should do more to subsidize public higher education costs.

Professor Donohue said, “That’s actually kind of interesting that there isn’t a greater percentage of our students who think that there should be more of a subsidy by the state and federal governments. I mean, if you look at other industrialized nations, the rate at which they subsidize higher education tends to be much greater than the United States.

“I’m also a little bit surprised that only 66% of the students were concerned about loan indebtedness,” he added. “I wonder if that’s because it seems like something off in the distant future to some of the students, or perhaps, we have a certain percentage of our students who are in a financial position to not leave with a big debt.”

Vice President Holloway said she had anticipated there would be a higher percentage of survey respondents concerned about their student loan indebtedness.

“I mean, obviously, it’s 66% who said they were concerned, but I would have thought there would be 80%,” she said.

Professor Huibregtse said the overall increase in student debt is the result of trends in American policy over the past 50 years, starting with cuts to student aid programs by the Reagan administration.

“Student loan programs have been gutted over the last 30 years,” Huibregtse said. “Loans and grants have been gutted. Over the last 40 years, taxes have been cut. A lot of those taxes would go in various ways to support education at all levels - not just at the university level. Colleges have been asked to create more services for students than they had years ago.

“Cutting availability of student aid, the cutting of taxes, and cutting funding to those additional services coupled with the decline of the middle class - have all led to this crisis,” he said.

“And I believe it is a crisis,” Hui-

CONNECT WITH DONALD HALSING dhalsing@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE LANNI clanni@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH ABIGAIL PETRUCCI apetrucci1@student.framingham.edu

[Editor’s note: Ashley Wall, Cara McCarthy, Branden LaCroix, and Leighah Beausoleil contributed to this article. McKenzie Ward is opinions editor of The Gatepost.]

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

NEWS

10 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Political Survey Results The Gatepost conducted an unscientific survey of 300 FSU students on topics ranging from the election to current political issues. The survey was conducted from Oct. 5 to 15.

Are you registered to vote?

253

35

12

How will you vote on Massachusetts Ballot Question 1?

135

28

79

A YES VOTE supports the ammending of the Massachusetts Right to Repair law, allowing independent auto repair shops open access to telematic data.

[Editor’s Note: Gatepost survey respondents were able to select multiple racial identity categories.]

A NO VOTE opposes this proposal, retaining the current law from 2013 which does not require telematic data systems to be open-access.

How will you vote on Massachusetts Ballot Question 2?

125

56

61

[Editor’s Note: Gatepost survey respondents were provided transgender male and transgender female gender identity options. No survey respondents selected either option.]

A YES VOTE supports the proposal to change the way Massachusetts citizens vote to a ranked choice voting system.

A NO VOTE opposes this proposal, retaining the “First Past the Post” voting system.

[Editor’s Note: Only voters registered in Massachusetts answered questions in The Gatepost survey about ballot initiaves.] @TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Get Social with us!

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

@TheGatepost

OP/ED

OP/ED THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Unity during uncertainty With the 2020 presidential election only a few days away, those living in the United States find themselves at the breaking point.

Many believe once the dust clears, Inauguration Day comes, and the chaos that is the 2020 election is behind us, we will come together as a nation and civilization will go back to “normal.”

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible that the damage caused to this country over the past four years will disappear overnight. It is going to take time, and all of us working together to bring the United States back to being a place rooted in prosperity and kindness.

While many believe the results will determine whether issues such as systemic racism, women’s rights, and LGBTQ+ protections will be resolved - this couldn’t be further than the truth.

The truth is - a presidential election is not going to decide whether these issues are resolved.

As of Oct. 29, presidential election polls produced by The New York Times shows Biden leading in the Electoral College vote.

Regardless, we won’t know the results of the election until days or weeks after the polls close.

It is up to us to continue to address issues impacting the lives and livelihoods of our neighbors.

Voting President Donald Trump out of office is not going to be the end all be all for our nation’s problems.

Perhaps the most important issue we face is climate change. No matter the cause of our planet’s sickness, it is our responsibility to care for its health.

If we fail, we will not have a planet to live on and we will not be able to address other issues.

The solution to climate change lies in each individual being aware of their impact on the environment. We can all recycle, reduce, and reuse in order to help our planet.

Perhaps a more important responsibility we as citizens have is speaking out about companies’ and governments’ actions that contribute to climate change.

It doesn’t matter who becomes our president - we still need to discuss climate change with our elected representatives.

Racism is another issue which the government alone cannot solve.

Each individual is responsible for determining how they respond to racism. Awareness is the first step on a long path to eradicating racism from the public sphere.

It is our responsibility as citizens to raise these issues with our elected representatives and instigate change.

Solutions start with the people - not the halls of Congress.

No matter who is elected to serve as the nation’s next president, we still need to address

the systemic racism that is deeply rooted in our country.

It is just as important to address gender-related rights in our nation.

Despite non-binary genders starting to be recgonized, there is still work our country needs to do to protect gender-related rights.

We are reaching a point that very well may set us back decades. With issues such as reproductive rights for those with uteruses, LGBTQ+ protections, and access to affordable health care all on the line, we need bipartisanship more than ever.

Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s refusal to share her opinions on abortion, birth control, and in vitro fertilization speaks to the danger our country currently faces due to the power of her new position as a Supreme Court Justice.

This confirmation will far outlast Trump’s presidency and holds much greater weight than any other change he has enacted thus far.

It doesn’t matter who becomes our president - reproductive rights and LGBTQ+ protections need to be fought for.

These issues are so much larger than left or right, red or blue, Democratic or Republican these are human issues.

Over the summer, we truly saw the worst in people. Both sides, drastically divided by politics, hurting each other, and furthering the divide which was already too wide to begin with.

We need to look at this as the height of our political divide. We cannot afford to let this devastation get worse when there are lives on the line.

This problem is bigger than us, it is bigger than politics, it is bigger than Trump v. Biden and it will not be over come Nov. 3.

It cannot be on the shoulders of one man, Trump or Biden, to fix the problems that have been rooted in this country since long before any of us were alive.

These issues started plaguing our country long before Trump was elected, and they are likely to continue regardless of who wins this upcoming Tuesday.

It is up to all of us - together.

We need to erase the line that divides us.

We need to put our party affiliations aside.

We need to come together as one nation to make our country a place we all can be proud to call 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!

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 11

Trump and African American men - what’s the appeal?

By Robert Johnson Jr. Editoral Staff Trump and African American men - what’s the appeal? By Robert Johnson Jr. President Donald Trump is, to many, a divisive figure in the United States and the world at large.

From his signature appearance, to his easily mockable voice, to his heinous, cruel, and downright racist policies over the past four years, he hasn’t exactly been a shining figure.

With this in mind, it should be pretty easy for people of color to resist agreeing with his ideas and working alongside him, or his Administration, right?

Right?

Apparently not, as somehow, two world-renowned rappers - Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and O’Shea “Ice Cube” Jackson - not related - have indicated support for the Trump Administration and the President’s reelection campaign.

While 50 Cent has since pulled back his endorsement in an Oct. 24 post on Twitter, and Ice Cube has explained the reason he collaborated with President Trump on the Platinum Plan - a plan that “commits to unlocking $500 billion in access to capital, creating 3 million new jobs, and bridging historic disparities in health care and education” for communities of color, according to a Bloomberg article, it is still baffling to me that they even got hitched to the Trump train in the first place.

In case you aren’t as well-versed in the realm of rap as I like to think I am, 50 Cent and Ice Cube were best known for being rappers who tackled harsh subjects, not only regarding poverty in urban neighborhoods, but also police brutality, gang violence, and a whole slew of other topics for which Trump wouldn’t catch himself showing sympathy.

I mean, one of Ice Cube’s most famous songs, alongside NWA at least, is explicitly titled “F*** tha Police,” which, if I recall correctly, goes against Trump’s appreciation for the “boys in blue.”

So when news began to spread that the two men were working alongside perhaps the most prejudiced president we, as a country, have had in a long while, the word “hypocrisy” began to play loudly in my head, as many Black Americans on Twitter defended both men’s temporary decisions and, in doing that, backed Trump at the same time.

Of course, this begs the question: what do African Americans, men in particular, see in Trump?

Do they find him to have a kind of machismo they like? An aura of power? A promise of immeasurable wealth? Do they feel protected by him? All of those questions appeal to me.

In a report by Geoffrey Skelley and Anna Wiederkehr titled “Trump is losing ground with white voters but gaining among Black and Hispanic Americans” posted on the political analysis website FiveThirtyEight, they state, “Notably, young Black voters don’t seem to feel as negatively about Trump as older Black Americans do. For instance, an early-July African American Research Collaborative poll of battleground states found that 35 percent of 18-to-29-year-old Black adults agreed that although they didn’t always like Trump’s policies, they liked his strong demeanor and defiance of the establishment.”

Given how Skelley and Wiederkehr phrase it, one could say, “Fair enough.” With Trump’s recently unveiled Platinum Plan again, the same one he collaborated on with Ice Cube - young Black voters might also feel more of an obligation to support his cause given the financial benefits of this plan for underrepresented communities.

However, I’m not sure if I can vibe with that as an Afro-Latino man.

Brothers, both of this University and of this country, do not be fooled by the promise of a better economy or the power of a pose behind a podium. Trump should not be your image of “machismo,” either. He’s a frail 74-year-old man with the physique of a droopy, heavyweight wrestler. It might be somebody’s definition of “macho,” but it isn’t mine.

I understand that Black American men are invested in “getting their money up,” and, because of that, they see something in Trump’s way with “rebellion” or going against the expectations of how a president should act. However, I will never understand why someone like me would support an individual who wouldn’t care about them in return, unless you’re someone like Ice Cube or 50 Cent with a lot of money.

But, then again, Trump isn’t exactly “anti-establishment” this is the same guy who has a tower in one of the wealthiest cities in the world, filled to the brim with gold-plated toilets.

Being a “rebel” didn’t get him there - greediness did.

If you don’t have money, you’re nothing to Trump. Voting for a man who claims to have your “best interests in mind” won’t get you more of it, either.

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

12 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Clash of the Opinions Yes on Question 2

OP/ED

A “yes” vote on Question 2 (2020) would implement ranked choice voting for primary and general elections for state executive officials, state legislators, federal congressional and senate seats, and certain county offices beginning in 2022.

Ranked choice voting would allow voters to rank their candidates in order of preference rather than selecting one candidate per race. If a candidate receives greater than 50% of all first-preference votes, the candidate is declared the winner.

If no candidate receives greater than 50% of all first-preference votes, then the candidate receiving the fewest first preference votes is eliminated, which would then trigger a recount. Those votes would then go to the voters’ second choice and the process would continue until a candidate has a majority of the votes.

Those in favor of this initiative argue that ranked choice voting ensures majority support of a candidate and provides more candidates for voters to choose from which removes the fear of split-voting, and restrains negative campaigning.

Republican Bill Weld and Democrat Deval Patrick, both former Massachusetts governors, argue ranked choice voting would strengthen how our democracy works and ensure that the winning candidate is elected with the broadest majority possible, according to their op-ed for WBUR. The current voting system makes it possible for candidates to win even without majority support from voters. For example, a candidate could win with a simple plurality of 35% despite 65% of voters not voting for them when there are multiple candidates.

Maine was the first state to pass ranked choice voting after electing a governor twice who did not receive a majority of the votes. This will be Maine’s first election using the new form of voting.

According to WBUR, 40% of Massachusetts elections that have three or four candidates do not result in a winner who receives a majority of the votes.

Just this year, in Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District Primary, 56% of voters did not support the two top candidates. Ranked choice voting would ensure that the elected candidate would have a majority of the votes.

This new process of voting would reflect the choice of the majority of voters as it would require a candidate to have a majority of votes in order to win.

Under the current system, there is the fear of vote-splitting, which occurs when citizens vote for a candidate who is an independent or a third-party candidate due their dislike of the candidates from the major parties.

Ranked choice voting would remove this fear of voting and encourage a broader field of qualified candidates to run from all parties.

This would mean that voters would no longer have to pick the “lesser of two evils” and their vote would represent who they want in office. Ranked choice voting will finally give a chance to underdog candidates who are often overlooked due to the fear that a vote for a third-party or independent candidate doesn’t count.

Supporters of ranked choice voting also argue that it would restrict negative campaigning as candidates would need to be not only campaigning for first-preference votes, but also hunting for second-choice and thirdchoice votes. This would mean that candidates would not be able to only target specific demographics, and would instead have to broaden their appeal to the electorate.

Ranked choice voting could mean an end to the hyperpartisanship that has split our country politically for years.

Advocates for ranked choice voting would also argue that candidates would be less willingly to participate in negative campaigning and attacking rivals as it might turn off voters who might support them as their second-choice or third-choice candidate.

Those against ranked choice voting argue that it is too confusing, which is why lawmakers will need to ensure that voters are provided with resources to educate themselves about the process.

Ranked choice voting is not perfect. But by ensuring a win from a candidate with a majority of support while also removing the fear of split voting, Massachusetts voters will be better represented in elections.

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

A YES VOTE would enact ranked choice voting for primary and general elections for state and federal officers in Massachusetts beginning in 2022.

A NO VOTE would not implement ranked choice voting, and the current plurality voting system will remain in place for state and federal elections.

No on Question 2

A “no” vote on Question 2 (2020) would not implement ranked choice voting, and the current plurality voting system would remain in place for state and federal offices, excluding presidential elections.

Those against this initiative claim there is no problem with the current system, in which the candidate who receives the most votes is the winner of the election.

The strongest argument against ranked choice voting is the system is too confusing.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito intend to vote “no” on the ballot measure because they believe it will add a layer of complication, delay results, and increase election costs. The ballot measure may reduce voter turnout because potential voters may choose not to cast their votes because they do not understand how the system works or who they are really voting for.

What is ranked choice voting? In this system, if a candidate does not receive more than 50% of the popular vote, the candidate with the least number of votes is eliminated. That person’s votes are then counted by their second choice instead, and the votes are tallied again. The cycle repeats: eliminating the final candidate and choosing the next-ranked candidate from losing ballots, until one candidate gains 50% or more of the vote.

Ranked choice voting artificially increases the number of votes candidates may have. Second and subsequent rounds of vote tallying add votes to more popular candidates, and likely will skew the vote in a direction which does not accurately represent the views of citizens.

If voters are forced to rank all the candidates by order of preference, they are asked to vote for candidates they do not want to vote for. If a voter’s ballot is counted by their fourth or fifth choice, it is unlikely that ballot will continue to represent the will of that voter, and perhaps will cross a line into supporting a candidate whose views are in opposition to the voter’s.

This method of voting is unnecessary. Many candidates for state legislative seats, and even some federal seats, run uncontested. Even so, many elections have a clear majority winner. Counting the fraction of second-choice votes from candidates who lost is unlikely to make a huge difference in most races.

Those in favor of ranked choice voting falsely claim the system increases democracy and representation. The only thing ranked-choice voting increases is uncertainty. With a plurality voting system, each voter can claim with absolute certainty for whom their vote counts. With ranked choice voting, each voter cannot say whom their vote counted for after exiting the polling station.

The proposed system does not match the way people choose candidates. With political issues, people can pick a point along a spectrum of support or opposition. With candidates in an election, however, there is not a spectrum: voters must choose one over others. Ranked choice voting will not encourage voters to make a definitive choice, and as a result, voters will not choose candidates based on which one represents their ideas the best.

Ranked choice voting is confusing and unnecessary, and prevents democracy from happening as it should. A “no” vote on Massachusetts Ballot Question 2 (2020) will prevent numerous problems in future elections.

OP/ED

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 13

Divorce isn’t always something to be sorry about

By Emily Rosenberg Staff Writer Three years ago, I was sitting on the corner of the couch eating a snack and trying to do my English worksheets when my mom barged out of her bedroom and disrupted the silence of our five-person household.

“Your father and I are getting a divorce.”

Long story short: my mother wanted to move to Pennsylvania to live with her extended family, but my dad wanted to keep us in Beverly.

Now, when not in Framingham, I live with my dad and two sisters in Beverly, Massachusetts. My mom lives with her boyfriend in Maine.

The divorce is the most traumatic and painful event of my young adulthood, but when people offer their apologies for my “broken” family, it irritates me more than makes me feel better.

As a little girl, I thought my family wasn’t good enough because we weren’t like the ones on TV. We didn’t have special Christmas traditions, we didn’t go on vacations, and we didn’t have elaborate Sunday dinners.

Instead, we had a depressed teenager unwilling to do anything outside the house, a rebellious and loudmouthed Emo who the whole middle school saw as a b***, an overly anxious dad, and an emotionally abusive mother.

It took the divorce for me to realize that you do not have to look like a Hallmark family to be a family.

The first few weeks when my sis-

ter, dad, and I were settling into our new house, my sister made chickpea salad on wheat bread like mom used to make. I stayed silent, a pit in my stomach as the movers emptied my childhood room. I’d never seen it clean before. Later, I threw myself on the bare floor of our new house and sobbed.

Today, when I pass my old home, the doors are painted orange instead of white, the blue curtains that made the house a ”dungeon” are replaced with blinds, and there’s a big garden in the front lawn.

But that doesn’t matter.

In the house down the road, I woke up every morning to my dad’s chipper voice, made lunch, chatted with my twin until 8:05 and rushed out the door with my shoes half on to get to school before 8:15.

At night, we’d get takeout from one of the few gluten-free restaurants as we had extracurriculars, and then we watched “Madmen” or “The Office” all together if we didn’t have too much homework.

It wasn’t like Hallmark, but it was like the Rosenbergs.

Do I sometimes question how my life would be different if we were still a traditional family? Yes. But my family’s separation has stopped the constant fighting between my sisters and I, has allowed me to build a stronger appreciation for my dad (who also went to FSU), and has transformed me into a more mature, insightful wom-

an.

If we had stayed together, I would have moved to Pennsylvania with my mom, and I would have never become the Chief Editor of my high school literary magazine. I probably never would have had the drive to go to college.

If my mom had never left my dad, she would’ve never had the courage to step out of her comfort zone and explore her life in different ways, which she so desperately needed. While her neglectful actions over the years have caused my sisters and I anger, pain and frustration, being a victim of it all has allowed me to view life through a different lens and understand my strengths as an independent woman.

Over the past three years, I’ve felt the love of my family more than I ever did then when we were all cooped up in the same house. The separation has also forced us to confront challenges we otherwise would’ve never realized

were there.

Despite what the stereotypes might say, I don’t view the divorce as a burden, or an extremely horrible situation where if a fairy godmother gave me infinite wishes, I’d tell her to give me my family back. My family background is something that I wouldn’t be me without.

I’m not sorry for that.

When you apologize about my divorced family, it instills the idea that there is only one good way to have one.

Just because my family doesn’t look like yours doesn’t mean we’re unhappy.

We’re separated, but still a family in our own way. I’m sure many families can agree with that statement.

I know you’re trying to be sympathetic, but please stop being sorry, because I’m not.

Remember: masks in gyms are mandatory

By Caroline Gordon Editoral Staff

A bright yellow sign, “Per state regulations, face coverings are required,” blinds me as I walk through the doors of my local gym.

As I climb the stair stepper, I feel suffocated by the thin piece of fabric that protects me from COVID. Doing cardio is difficult, but doing cardio while having your breathing restricted is a workout from hell.

Although wearing a face mask hinders my workout, I still wear one to protect myself and others from contracting COVID. Some folks in my gym do not think like me.

The CDC says, “Wearing a mask is most important when physical distancing is difficult.”

Gyms are enclosed facilities where people line up to utilize machines like hamsters on wheels - it is not the ideal setting for social distancing.

You need to wear a mask in the gym.

I have been attending a local gym since it reopened over the summer and unsurprisingly, some members do not wear masks.

You would think it is just young people, but I’ve seen people of all ages exercising without face coverings.

Scary!

I wonder how they could have walked in and not be forced to wear one.

Then again, I have seen people walk past the front desk with masks on, only to take them off once they are past the cubbies.

I guess people don’t care.

One man who appears to be 100 years old sprints on the treadmill without a mask. I have a difficult time understanding how a high-risk individual can be so incautious.

The other night, I was using the hip abductor machine while I could hear heavy breathing behind me.

This breathing didn’t sound muffled.

Curious, I slyly turned around and saw a familiar face - unmasked. I was so disgusted and worried that I was exposed that I fled the gym.

“Being exposed to air droplets with COVID-19 would be less problematic if you were, say, jogging past a place where droplets were, versus working hard for 45 minutes next to a person who may be carrying Covid-19 and is talking loudly, coughing or breathing hard during their workout next to you,” according to Suzanne Lukovics, a physical therapy director who was quoted in a CNN article.

Essentially, working out in a gym and exerting yourself without a mask

on while infected can spread the disease more quickly.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information conducts research on the effects masks have on our breathing when exercising.

“It is plausible that an athlete who is exercising intensely for a prolonged period, especially if wearing an overly tight face covering, could be at risk of physiologically significant hypercapnia and hypoxia.”

However, the article follows that evidence with a conclusion that encourages people to wear masks when working out. They believe the benefit of limiting transmission when wearing one exercising outweighs the slight oxygen deprivation.

Lukovics agrees.

“Our amazing bodies will accommodate over time and we will seem less breathless with each en-

counter of using face masks while exercising. If we have the choice to prevent the spread, and ‘endure’ a bit of a harder workout for our lungs, we should do it for the long-term good.”

Not wearing a mask while exercising can expose you to COVID. Even if everyone else around you is wearing one, the virus can still be lingering in the air from a previous crowd.

Or you can be infected and be asymptomatic. Not covering your face will spread the virus to others.

Do you want to be responsible for causing someone else’s illness?

Wearing a mask while working out is annoying and may leave you a bit winded, but will slow the spread of COVID. Be respectful of your health and the health of others.

Wear a mask in the gym!

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

OP/ED

14 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Campus Conversations What does voting mean to you?

By Donald Halsing, Associate Editor

“Voting just means a change for the future in the right direction, and making a positive impact on the world.”

“Voting means voicing your opinion.”

-Scott Nosky, freshman

“Voting means making sure your beliefs are accurately represented for your leaders.”

-Kevin Wood, freshman

-Emma Gunn, sophomore

“To me, voting means that I have the ability to help people change the future and make sure that as we progress into the future we have human rights, and everyone is equal.”

-Anna Szymanski, sophomore

“Voting is a right that everyone should have. I think it’s everything right now: it’s our future, it’s the now, it’s everything, basically.”

-Markha Baieva, senior

“It just means being able to get our voices out and actually have a say in what’s going on in our government, and I feel like that’s something that’s very under representative because people our age don’t vote, so it’s important that we do.”

-Mikayla Wooding, sophomore

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

SPORTS

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 15

The Women’s Cross Country team comes together

By Caroline Gordon Editorial Staff During her senior year of high school, Ashley Bosch put down her field hockey and lacrosse sticks and stepped up to the starting line instead.

In high school Bosch ran track, but when she came to Framingham State her freshman year, she found her passion for running cross country.

“My senior year of high school, for my spring season, I would usually do lacrosse. However, all my friends were doing track, so I signed up just to be with my friends. I ended up doing mid-distance to distance - I really fell in love with it,” said Bosch.

She said she reached out to Coach Scott VanderMolen at FSU, sent him her times, and he welcomed her to the team.

Fast forward, and Bosch is now captain of the women’s cross country team.

Bosch, VanderMolen, and the team were devastated when this season was canceled due to COVID-19.

“We were all upset. Cross country is a huge part of our lives. It takes up a lot of our time in the fall,” said Bosch.

She added, “We expected it. We know COVID is a big thing and that it’s not going to go away quickly.”

VanderMolen is proud of how the team has pulled together.

“Our team takes pride in being a supportive group and that has been consistent through this pandemic,” he said.

“It has been a powerful learning experience for everyone. They’ve dramatically improved at training without the structure of a normal season. I think it will help us take advantage of off-season training and find out what we’re capable of,” said VanderMolen.

Despite the bad news, the women’s cross country team stayed in good spirits.

“We were still happy that we were able to practice. At least we still have that little bit,” said Bosch.

“We are a very close-knit team. We all get along and still talk every day, but it was different maintaining that

bond this season. Normally, we would have the pre-season, but we did not have that this year,” she said.

Bosch continued, “We have done some socially-distanced team bonding activities that the other captains and I have put together. But going through harder races with your team strengthens that bond and not having those is different.”

She has tried to remain optimistic and busy during this trying time.

“With being all remote, it is difficult to find motivation to go out and run. My goal has been to be as consistent as possible through this,” she said.

Being on the cross country team has positively impacted Bosch’s life.

“The team becomes your family, especially in the fall. Most people’s schedules match up, so we get to see each other a lot. They have become like a family to me and I have made some of my best friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life,” said Bosch.

She continued, “On and off the course with running, you learn a lot about yourself. You must build strong confidence within yourself. Running

Courtesy of FSU Athletics

Courtesy of Ashley Bosch

“Those are two things that I am really proud of. I have been able to spread awareness for our team not just through the athletic department, but also to the community,” she added.

Bosch discussed their training regimen during COVID-19.

“We all get sent our runs from our

training plans differ.

“Coach Scott does a really good job of tailoring the workouts to each person to help them grow and prevent injury. Our workouts range from hill workouts, faster runs, and easy runs,” said Bosch.

She added, “We have been doing lots of longer workouts. Like a oneand-a-half-mile repeat at a tempo pace. If we were competing, we would do a lot more tempo workouts.

“Sometimes we do band workouts, and push ups to strengthen our hips,” she said.

Bosch offered some advice to the underclassmen on the team.

“I always say to work hard and trust the process. Our coach makes a longterm regimen for us and he always says, ‘slow and steady wins the race,’ so trust that. Also, understand that it’s not going to be easy,” she said.

“It can be difficult balancing being a college athlete with academics know that you will come out on the other side. We are all here because we love the sport, never lose that love,” said Bosch.

She is proud of the team’s accomplishments.

“We have grown and have gotten a lot better as a team. In the MASCAC, we were not a real contender when I first came in. We had some of the pieces and slowly we have been building the team. Everyone has been feeling like underdogs, and this season was supposed to be our big underdog season,” said Bosch.

She said, “We had some really good freshmen come in this year. Last season, we had a lot of great meets.

In our last championship meet, we placed a lot better than we have in previous years. I think as a team we have been working our way up the MASCAC to become a real contender.”

Bosch reflected on her most memorable FSU race, which was at Franklin Park in Boston last year.

“I ran the best race I have ever run in my life - it was a huge moment. I felt like I was finally in the right space mentally and physically,” said Bosch.

“The support I got from my teammates after was incredible. Everyone

Ashley Bosch

“It has been a powerful learning experience for everyone. They’ve dramatically improved at training without the structure of a normal season.”

- Ashley Bosch, women’s cross country captain is a very mental sport, so the team is always helping each other and building up confidence in one another.”

Bosch is proud of the work she has put into the team.

“I did some community service work through the team. Last year, I read to a fourth-grade class. I am one of the social media coordinators for the [Student] Athletic Advisory Committee. I have represented the team with both of those activities,” said Bosch.

coach. Then, every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday mornings, we meet up as a team and run together. When we don’t run together, we are expected to run on our own,” said Bosch.

“A lot of kids are still at home which is hard because they are farther away. I am lucky because I was able to get an apartment close to campus, so I am always around the area,” she said.

Although most of the athletes run on the same days, their individual

Courtesy of Ashley Bosch

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON cgordon4@student.framingham.edu

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

16 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

ARTS & FEATURES

ARTS & FEATURES

“Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez” provides a sliver of joy during a dark 2020

By Brennan Atkins Arts & Features Editor On Jan. 30, Gorillaz released a music video titled “Momentary Bliss,” featuring British rapper Slowthai, and the band Slaves - the hard-hitting track got fans of the virtual band ready for a cacophony of kooky tunes.

Damon Albarn, the singer behind 2-D, changed the music industry forever when he released the album “Gorillaz,” a 2001 funky alternative rock album featuring four virtual band members, illustrated by Jamie Hewlett.

Since then, Gorillaz has been a prevalent figure in both the rock and hip hop scene - “Song Machine, Season One: Stange Timez” marks the band’s seventh album.

The project opens up with “Strange Timez,” featuring The Cure’s Robert Smith, a track full of offbeat trumpets and robot sound effects, connected with a simple keyboard melody. It produces a mystical vibe, leaving the listener wondering where their place is in the world, or rather, during these “Strange Timez.” Smith’s fiery passion is on full display while he triumphantly sings the chorus, ultimately contrasting 2-D’s monotone verses.

2-D’s thought-provoking lyricism is prevalent, with lines such as, “I’m speeding through the forest strange echoes of Belarus / Where presidents pin badges on disconnected youth / What would you be dreaming of? No horseplay, no diving / Cutting glass with scissors, whilst the great leaders reclining.”

“The Valley of The Pagans” is the big return of Beck himself, and arguably better than ever. Damon truly capitalized on what made Beck great lyrics that seem like nonsense, but in reality, are just strings of interesting metaphors and wordplay. The funky beat is accompanied by a scathing, high pitched keyboard - at points, the inner Beck comes out with heavy, intense guitar riffs.

Ultimately, this track seems to have a unique emphasis on social media, and our presence in the online world, as Beck sings, “She’s a plastic Cleopatra on a throne of ice / She’s a hemophiliac ... With a dying battery light / Candy-colored fingers and schadenfreude eyes / Thinkin’ airbrushed thoughts with a logo on her mind.”

This track hits particularly hard as it’s somewhat of a throwback considering the feature, but it’s lyrics are more rel-

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

evant than ever.

In what feels like a perfect song for driving on a rainy Friday night after a breakup - “The Lost Chords,” featuring Leee John brings the album down to a particularly somber tone. The song is repetitive, but mostly to bring attention to the masterful instrumental backing the track. The mix of wavy guitar riffs, piano, and synths make the track incredibly catchy.

The song’s production should not be ignored - but among the other unforgettable tracks, “The Lost Chords” seems to be lost among the rest of the LP. Speaking of unforgettable tracks, ScHoolboy Q shines on “PAC-MAN,” a song that brings the band back to the familiar territory of 2-D’s beautiful harmonic tones over a heavy rap feature - reminiscent of “Feel Good Inc.,” or “November Has Come.”

Murdoc slaps the bass to produce a grimy bassline, with a keyboard reminiscent of video game sound effects.

2-D laments about being lost in the world, and the anxieties people feel when they delve into their past.

However, what makes this track one of the best on the entire album is how ScHoolboy Q almost completely steals the attention from 2-D. The track goes silent, almost as if the stage is being prepared for Q to come out and spit facts. He viscously raps, “Yo, I been at the top of the top, fell from the ceiling before I fell / ‘Cause I needed to grow, Bruce Leeroy, with the glow, uh / Walk on the edge, f*** trying to dream in the bed / ‘Fore I die on these meds, n**** gon’ die in the feds / ‘Fore I make it to jail, I’ll probably put one in the head / F*** the judge and prosecutor for hanging me dead.”

ScHoolboy Q has always been someone to tackle injustice head on, and just as video game developers create obstacles in games to defeat the players, the American justice system has created a world in which African Americans have to constantly fight.

“Chalk Tablet Towers,” featuring St. Vincent is certainly a track some may find enjoyable, but it definitely has a pop-party theme vibe - a well-produced one, but a party track nonetheless.

St. Vincent isn’t heavily featured in the track, and while it’s more than likely she was essential in developing this track, limiting her to two duo sections with 2-D and ad-libs, make her seem less important than other features on the album.

Another highlight of the album has to be the anticipated track featuring Sir Elton John and 6LACK, “The Pink Phantom.” When people heard these two would be collaborating with Damon, the initial reaction was confusion, as they come from two completely different genres.

Fortunately, “The Pink Phantom” not only works, but serves as a testament to Damon’s incredible singing and mixing abilities.

2-D’s bleak, yet smooth singing acts as an auditory bridge between 6LACK’s monotone, autotuned rap, and Elton John’s powerful, masterful voice. The clash of sounds and genres almost doesn’t work, but this messiness is innovative and refreshing.

At one point, 2-D’s and Elton John’s piano medleys furiously collide, and although the tempo of the song has been completely abolished, it feels as if two huge figures throughout music history are duking it out in the most playful way possible.

Fans of 6LACK can definitely draw parallels to his rapping pattern, and the theme of this song, to his 2016 song “Prblms.” On the track, he desperately raps, “Wait, I got so many examples of all of the good times we had / Long summer nights / Held you a long time, put your name in my rhymes / Refresh your memory of where you wanna be / The phantom’s on the way, she’s comin’ down the street.”

“Aries,” is the typical 2-D monotone song - most of the seven albums have it, this record is one of them. There isn’t much to say for this track, other than it doesn’t compete well with the rest of the tracklist. However, with Peter Hook on the bass, and Georgia on the drums, the instrumental behind the track exhibits infinite good vibes.

“Opium,” featuring EARTHGANG, starts with two minutes of straight percussion mixed with synths, and while this is admittedly a long time to wait, EARTHGANG’s feature is more than worth it.

Johnny Venus of EARTHGANG screams out, “I’ve been cooped up for a minute,” and several other of their deepest anguishes and anxieties, only for him to completely switch up to a fast, joyous verse accompanied by playful cheering in the background.

Briefly mentioned before, “Momentary Bliss,” featuring Slowthai and Slaves was the song to kick off the song machine, but oddly enough it serves as the final song in the tracklist.

Although corny, Damon took “save the

best for last” to heart, as this powerful punk song may be one of the strongest tracks in all of Gorillaz’s discography.

The song will make you want to run a mile, finish all your work as fast as possible, then maybe run another mile if you have the energy - it’s that hype.

The smooth guitar riffs turn into what you would hear at a mosh pit at points in the song, as Slowthai’s inner British punk star comes out, singing, “It makes me sick to think you ain’t happy in your skin! / It’s wearing thin to think light bulb don’t blink! / Just flickers, so dim, then it pops and withers! / You’re a Turkey Twizzler, you deserve school dinners!”

This album feels as if its theme is really what Gorillaz has always been about - the world sucks, and the connections you have with others are the greatest treasure someone can obtain.

Damon was able to get artists from all over the world, and connect them all together through the power of his voice and mixing.

This sort of wholesomeness is what we need for the rest of 2020, and the Song Machine delivers exactly that.

Parlophone

Grade: A Song Machine is a global collaboration of artists that produces a truly unique sound!

CONNECT WITH BRENNAN ATKINS batkins@student.framingham.edu

ARTS & FEATURES

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” deserves as much praise as it can get

By Patrick Brady Staff Writer

From the very first minute, I realized I was in for a cinematic treat. Aaron Sorkin brought his A-game talent to Netflix, and it truly shows. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” is very reminiscent of Sorkin’s “The Social Network,” as far as cinematography and screenwriting go.

Even though the distribution rights were originally planned for a theatrical release

by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks, the film was sold to Netflix, due to the outbreak of COVID-19.

It was released as a Netflix original film on Oct. 16.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” is based on the true 1969 trial of seven defendants charged with conspiracy and inciting riots relating to protests over the Vietnam War. The film most notably stars Eddie Redmayne as Tom Hayden, Sacha Baron Cohen as Abbie Hoffman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Richard Schultz, and Michael Keaton as Ramsey Clark.

Although it is hard to write movies based on true events, Sorkin brought each character to life through his unique directing style.

Seven people are put on trial after they protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Two of the seven defendants are Hayden and Davis.

After the first day of the trial, it becomes very evident Judge Julius Hoffman, played

by Frank Langella, shows significant prejudice for the defendants. Furthermore, Hoffman only listens to the prosecutor, Schultz, rather than the defendants.

All of the actors who portrayed the defendants gave amazing performances of people who wanted nothing more than to win over the consideration of the judge.

Each defendant has different distinct personalities and views of what occurred during the riot.

Cohen as Abbie Hoffman particularly stands out of the ensemble cast, due to his wide range of emotions. In one scene, he can be cracking jokes and making the viewer laugh - but in another, he could be giving a heartfelt and deep speech.

Cohen is known for portraying quirky and off-putting characters, such as “Borat,” “Ali-G,” and “Bruno” in an offensive manner. Therefore, it is a nice change of pace for him to be offering a wider range of emotion to his characters without losing his comedic touch.

Gordon-Levitt’s performance was absolutely outstanding as well. He took his acting to new heights as a stuck-up prosecutor, who - for most of the film - cared very little about the defendants on trial.

The film itself was an emotional rollercoaster - especially in the second half.

There were very few comedic chops once it got serious. And while Cohen made the occasional joke, the film’s atmosphere was gloomy and intense during the last hour.

Due to the consistent jump-cuts and the

fact that the camera never lingered on a frame for more than 10 seconds, the film never got dull or boring. There was always something happening, even though most of the film centered around the courtroom itself.

Sorkin’s snappy script kept the movie alive as well. Despite having a truly disturbing subject matter, the film kept moving at a brisk pace and never dwelled on the character’s suffering. As a viewer, it made the experience even better, since prolonged sequences of torture or threat usually draw me away from films.

The dialogue was realistic as well, and each individual character was fully fleshed out. There was not one actor who seemed to have been miscast.

Along with the screenwriting, the film’s editing was fantastic. The almost seamless scene transitions made for a smooth viewing experience. And, most importantly, there were no scenes that felt tacked on.

The soundtrack of the film never felt overdone, but did get loud at moments especially during the protest scene. But the music never got loud enough to muffle the dialogue.

What stood out most of all though was the color pallet. The colors were not muted in the slightest bit - the blacks were definitely black and the scenery popped. Even when watching it in SDR, the colors were more vivid than most movies with HDR. And above all, the film’s message about the federal government’s overuse of power was actually relevant to today’s era. Sorkin made it obvious that the U.S. government was still as flawed back in the late 1960s as it is today.

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” is an absolutely phenomenal film. Sorkin blew this film out of the water with his flawless script and casting choices.

The movie flew by, despite its two-plus hour runtime. If Netflix continues to cash in on these types of blockbuster films, they’ll have the strongest lineup out of any streaming service.

ADMIT ONE

Grade: A+ Sorkin has outdone himself yet again ADMIT ONE

CONNECT WITH PATRICK BRADY

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 17

‘An Embarrassment of Witches’ is a tribute to the highs and lows of friendships

By Robert Johnson Jr. Arts & Features Editor In 1984, three dudes from a still-recently formed rap group called Whodini asked a question in a song that would, eventually, stand the test of time, “Friends - how many of us have them?”

The answer, I think, is “hopefully, all of us have at least one,” but the graphic novel featured in today’s Comic Corner is one that deals with the concept of friends and the general power of friendship, as well as the trials and tribulations that come with being friends in adulthood.

Only, in the case of Sophie Goldstein and Jenn Jordan’s “An Embarrassment of Witches,” animal familiars are involved in the equation. Nevertheless, friendship is a dominant theme in it, and, because I love a good story about a pair of friends with a spooky-ish theme in it, I have to feature it here.

The story follows two characters - Aurora “Rory” Rosenberg-Gonzalez and Angela Jeong - who are both fresh from graduating college and are preparing themselves to take on the world at large.

However, as soon as the story begins in medias res with Rory getting dumped by her boyfriend, literal minutes before boarding a plane to Australia for a job opportunity, the reader is in for a story full of dilemmas, as Rory returns to her friend’s apartment, tears flowing out her eyes.

It is from there that readers get introduced to Angela, Rory’s (eventual) roommate, who, as it turns out, is set to start an internship at Panacea Group - a botanical alchemy company. ... That happens to be advised by Rory’s mother, Audrey. Awkward.

Pair this with Rory’s attempts at convincing - read that as “lying to” - her mother that she is “in Australia,” and you get yourself a recipe for disaster that generates a lot of stress between both Rory and Angela, as well as Audrey, who is trying to get the truth out of one of them.

From there, add the prospect of romantic interests to the hypothetical laboratory flask, and it just explodes, with glass flying everywhere.

As Angela progresses through her internship and as Rory continues to keep up the facade, both of them begin to grow apart from one another, and worse, begin to generate animosity toward each other. This even gets reflected in the moods of their familiar companions, Rhonda and Archimedes, respectively.

This page-turner is minimally and beautifully illustrated by Goldstein and creatively written by both Goldstein and Jordan, and it shows on every page. Using a rather small color palette, both creators manage to convey a realistic story, but with all the whimsy and creativity of a fantasy world.

For example, one of my favorite pages shows Rory and Angela on a trip to the mall - conveniently after Rory’s sudden breakup which features several pastiches of real-world brands. “Taco Spell,” “Seers,” and “Fae Jewelers” never fail to get a chuckle out of me, but I think the best joke on that page is the “H&M” in Hebrew lettering.

That’s just absolutely brilliant!

In reading this graphic novel, it had me think about my friends from a life before adulthood, before college, and all the times that we had, both good and bad. The downhill bike races and trampoline wrestling matches are times I will always fondly remember, of course, but I also have a fondness for the times where we would say to each other that we’re “not friends anymore” after a play fight or argument went sour.

Of course, we would always retract that statement, except for the few times we didn’t.

I guess what I’m trying to say here is that Goldstein and Jordan’s story is an excellent one. If a whimsical story such as “An Embarrassment of Witches” can get me thinking about life like that, then I can say with confidence that it is a great book.

That being said, you need to get out there and get yourself a copy of this brilliantly crafted, brilliantly told graphic novel, any way you can.

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

pbrady@student.framingham.edu

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

ARTS & FEATURES

18 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Alumni through the decades Matty Bennet ’20 - The 2020s

By Leighah Beausoleil

Editorial Staff

[Editor’s Note: This is the final addition in a series of features.]

Matty Bennet started at FSU in 2016 and studied political science with a minor in sociology.

Bennet originally started out as a sociology major because he had taken a class in high school and enjoyed it.

Out of fear of not being able to find a job after college, Bennet thought he should switch to business management, but his parents told him he should do what he loves.

After taking an Introduction to American Government class, he decided to switch to political science.

He had grown up seeing his parents civically engaged and he watched the news with them every night. He said doing that shaped his opinions and world view, preparing him for the class.

Bennet planned to commute to school, so as a Natick resident, he had been looking at colleges close to home such as Framingham State. He ended up choosing FSU after receiving a merit-based scholarship.

As a commuter, Bennet said his experience was “not bad at all.” He only lived about a 15-to-20 minute drive from campus, and expressed how much he loved how small and close knit the community was. “You would never know that Route 9 was right there by standing in front of May Hall,” he said.

Bennet spent a lot of his time involved in on-campus activities. In his freshman and sophomore years, he was part of Pride Alliance and did programming work for the Center of Inclusive Excellence.

He was also a Rams 101 Peer Mentor the first year it launched. In his junior year, he got involved with SGA - he became the president his senior year.

Bennet said his most memorable moment at FSU was getting sworn in as SGA president.

“I helped to change - with a great group of people - the narrative of who SGA is,” Bennet said. “I think that I’ve done a really good job this year about switching our focus from saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to clubs when it comes to funding to focus more on student initiatives and student concerns.”

Bennet explained holding a po-

ACROSS 1. Word repeated before “sis boom bah” 4. Only a female one can sting 8. Latin clarification 13. “Of course!”

15. “Quickly!”

16. Any Best Picture winner 17. *Amount with no wiggle room (see letters 1 to 3, 6 to 9) 19. One of the Pointer Sisters 20. Cold comfort?

21. Deer skull extension 22. Athos, to Aramis 23. Cold side at a deli 24. Palindromic drink 27. *Milk-producing animals from France’s mountains (3 to 6, 8 to 10) 33. Made tracks 35. Pre-stereo 36. Weasleys’ owl 37. Edible submarine 38. Colorful card game 39. Irritate 40. Protective suit

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

sition in SGA, such as president, is about learning as you go. He cited COVID-19 as an example, explaining how he had to figure things out and make tough decisions as he went along.

He recalled how in 2016, after Donald Trump won the presidency, “There was a group of students that organized a very grassroots movement.”

He explained the movement was led by students and supported by faculty. “I would say probably about 100 students walked around campus, talking about how we condemned hatred and we were very hopeful for the future - and how Framingham State can be a sanctuary. A lot of people got up and were able to speak, and I was actually one of them.”

One of Bennet’s favorite courses he had taken at FSU was a Public Policy Analysis course. He ended up writing a 40-page policy review of “transgender public accommodations and legal remedies” which won a departmental award. Bennet said it was one of the best pieces of writing he’s ever produced.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, Bennet, along with many other seniors, finished his final year from home through online classes.

42. Takes home 44. Big name in locks 45. *Appliance combination that can be stacked (2 to 4, 8 to 10) 48. Retired flier: Abbr.

49. Vow renewal vows 50. AFL’s partner 52. Weekly medical journal, with “The” 55. “___: Endgame” (2019 Marvel Studios film) 60. No longer groggy 61. Tree texture, or a hint to each starred answer’s pair of hidden words 62. Internet connection device 63. Start the pot 64. Conclusion starter?

65. Enjoys toys 66 Kernel, e.g.

67. Test site DOWN 1. Widespread 2. Largest continent 3. German word that doesn’t rhyme with “sir” 4. “Saving Private Ryan” or “Dunkirk” 5. Skeptical response 6. Anatomical pouches 7. N95 masks and such, briefly 8. “Everything gets done” 9. “It’s all right!”

10. Live the wrong way?

11. Web search result 12. Cloth concern 14. Jane Austen heroine Woodhouse 18. Mountain lion 21. Drink that may be amber 23. Stuck-up 24. “Phooey!”

25. Drama with 30-Down 26. Wavy ‘dos 28. Flour bag measures 29. Word before “circle” or “peace” 30. Long solo songs 31. Bridge payments 32. Messy weather

Bennet explained it was sad he didn’t experience all of the traditional events that take place for seniors, and how the end-of-year events for SGA and other clubs were also canceled.

“Realizing that I’m not going to see people and say goodbye for the last time - that’s very sad,” he said. “But, I’m trying to focus on the positive.”

He and others formed a group to try and plan virtual events for their class, as well as events that can take place for them when the pandemic has passed.

“I’m very lucky,” Bennet said. “I am very happy that I found Framingham State. It seems very cliché - it’s only four years of your life.

“It’ll be four years I’ll always remember, and it was very transformative for me,” he added. “I’ve grown a lot as a person. I’ve grown a lot of my skills. And I think that it is a school that has so much to offer.”

Bennet is now employed as an admissions counselor at Southern New Hampshire University.

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

34. Whatchamacallit 41. Cashes in 43. Officially withdrew 46. Root problem 47. The letter “O” resembles one 51. Folklore monster 52. Floor or table fixture 53. G.I. no-show 54. Zilch 55. Top-notch 56. November 2020 choice 57. Rank above viscount 58. Capital of Latvia 59. Highbrow person 61. “Now where ___ I?”

Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.

VOTE!

OCTOBER 30, 2020 | 19

Are you planning to vote in Massachusetts?

Polling places are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. However, some Massachusetts towns begin voting as early as 5:45 a.m.

To learn about your polling location and hours, visit www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA/bal/MyElectionInfo.aspx Did you complete a mail-in ballot? Track your ballot at the following website: www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/track/trackmyballot.aspx Absentee ballots may be returned by mail or to your local city/town hall. Your ballot must be returned by the time polls close in order for it to be counted.

Are you planning to vote in a different state?

Check your state government website for information on your local polling locations and ballot information.

“Someone struggled for your right to vote. Use it.”

-Susan B. Anthony Spread by Ashley Wall /THE GATEPOST

Information courtesy of The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts wesbite

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

PHOTOS

20 | OCTOBER 30, 2020

Incumbent Donald Trump Republican Candidate Vice President Candidate: Mike Pence

Former Vice President Joe Biden Democratic Candidate Vice President Candidate: Kamala Harris

Meet the 2020 presidential election candidates Vote for your candidate on election day - Nov. 3 Jo Jorgensen Libertarian Candidate Vice President Candidate: Spike Cohen

Spread by Ashley Wall /THE GATEPOST

Howie Hawkins Green Party Candidate Vice President Candidate: Angela Walker

Photo courtesy of the Howie Hawkins campaign FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM