October 21, 2022

Poetry’s magnetic pull

Accreditation, branding, staffing shortage discussed at All University Meeting

By Sophia Harris News Editor

By Naidelly Coelho Staff Writer

At the Oct. 17 All University Meet ing, New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accredita tion, the marketing and branding of the University, and strategic enroll ment initiatives were discussed.

Faculty and staff raised concerns about staffing shortages, campus mo rale, and student preparedness.

President Nancy Niemi opened the meeting by emphasizing the impor tance of Framingham State being a public institution.

“We’re here for one glorious rea son. We are here because we serve the public - always have, hopefully always will, or we have no right to ex ist,” she said.

Niemi said she is working hard to meet all the faculty and staff at FSU in order to build stronger relation ships within the community.

“We don’t get anything done un less we have a relationship. My job is to make sure that we have those,” she said.

Niemi highlighted the importance of the changes made to some of the departments at FSU. The dean of stu dents, dean of Enrollment Manage ment, and the assistant vice presi dent of Human Resources all report directly to her now.

“The reason why we’ve done that was because those particular divi sions really needed to be uplifted. They’re incredibly important posi tions and by having them report to me, it’s my responsibility to check in on them to help them do what they need to do,” she said.

Kristen Porter-Utley, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, gave an update on the NECHE accred itation.

She said the 10-year NECHE ac creditation process is coming up in spring 2024.

The NECHE accreditation process is headed by Mark Nicholas, assistant vice president for assessment,

Faculty discuss diversity in STEM, a necessity

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor

By Raena Doty Staff Writer

The Christa McAuliffe Center hosted five faculty members who discussed the play “Young Nerds of Color,” as a part of Mass STEM Week Oct. 19.

The five panelists were Wardell Pow ell, Education professor and Interim diversity and inclusion officer, Ishara Mills-Henry, Chemistry and Food Sci ence professor, Folashadé Solomon, Education professor, Cara Pina, Biology professor and co-chair of the diversity

and inclusion committee, and Vandana Singh, Environment, Society and Sus tainability professor.

“Young Nerds of Color” is a play written by Melinda Lopez, which focus es on the struggles Black and Indige nous people of color (BIPOC) students in STEM face, based on over 60 inter views with people currently in the field.

The play was shown in digital format in the planetarium.

The discussion began with the pan elists sharing how they related to the play.

Singh moved from India to the Unit ed States to earn her Ph.D, she said, and always felt “indebted” to the African American Civil Rights movement.

Mills-Henry said the film resonated with her because she went to a histor ically Black college for her undergrad uate degree, but to a majority-white institution for graduate school and had two very different experiences.

Powell said what stood out to him, as a Black male educator in science, is that he does not encounter a lot of men of color also interested in pursuing STEM education.

He said in his five years of teaching STEM education at Framingham State, he could not recall training any Black male students.

Arts & Features

DECAL UPDATE pg. 3

DON’T DANCE ON THE DEAD pg. 6

Zachary Sorel / THE GATEPOST ALAN FELDMAN POETRY WEEK pg. 10, 11 ‘WOMEN. LIFE. FREEDOM.’ pg. 11

VOLLEYBALL/FIELD HOCKEY pg. 8 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK pg. 9

See

See

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST

Sage Sampson, a freshman fashion design and retailing major, participating in National Day on Writing by creating magnetic poetry.

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief

Leighah Beausoleil

Associate Editor

Rosenberg News Editor

Harris

Interim

Editor

Opinions Editor

McKenzie Ward

Sports Editor

Danielle Achin

Interim Asst. Sports Editor

Adam Levine

Arts & Features Editors

Emma Lyons Ryan O’Connell

Design Editor

Maddison Behringer

Asst. Photos Editor

Howland

Interim Asst. Photos Editor

Sorel

Staff Writers

Gerell Boyce Jackson Clyde Naidelly Coelho

Doty Owen Glancy Adrien

McLaughlin

Norrish

Paul Ryan Schreiber

Desmond McCarthy

Gatepost Interview Mark Nicholas

Assistant Vice President for Assessment, Accreditation, and Strategic Planning

By Naidelly Coelho Staff Writer

What is your educational and ca reer history prior to working at FSU?

I have a Ph.D. in educational studies from the University of Cincinnati and I have worked with institutional effec tiveness or the assessment of student learning. I worked at the University of Cincinnati at the provost office while I was getting my Ph.D. So I was exposed to stuff at the national level on what was called at that point the movement for accountability in higher education. How do we demonstrate the value that institutions add to students and how do we know we are keeping our prom ise that students will have or know or be able to do things that we said? By the time they reach the end of that process of graduation, it takes its form in mul tiple ways of either direct assessments that we can do - assessment of gen ed, generic learning objectives like critical thinking, or written communication or diversity, civic engagement … and indi rect methods like surveys, focus groups and things like that. … So, then I worked at Oklahoma State University for a cou ple of years doing that together with testing. And then I came to Framingham State.

Can you tell me about the NECHE accreditation?

NECHE is one of many institutional accreditors. In fact, all of the New En gland universities and colleges are ac credited through NECHE. Accreditation has two roles: one is to ensure account ability - that institutions are fulfilling the promise of a good-quality higher ed ucation. And the other is improvement, a paradigm. How do we use information that we have about different metrics around the University? It covers the ac ademic programs of life, our institution al resources, faculty and staff members, the kind of professional development they’re engaged in, questions of suffi ciency - in terms of the resources that we offer our students and ourselves. … Every institution is measured by its own mission statement in light of those stan dards. So the institution derives its mis sion out of its own purpose and its own constituents. … So, this accreditation framework allows us to be accountable to our stakeholders, like our students, our parents, the government, the state government, the federal government, people who are interested in providing financial aid to our students, because I

think one of the key reasons why ac creditation exists is because the federal government hands out so many trillion dollars.

Do you have any specific goals you want to achieve in your career?

I think I am definitely an achiever by nature. I’m always wanting to explore new things. So I edit the journal in my field - The Journal of Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness. I curate a lot of the great work that’s done in my field and as the editor, I get to read a lot of the great work that is being done at univer sities around the country and sometimes around the world. … For me personally, I don’t know, maybe I sometimes think I may make a good college president. So I have been spending the last two years examining my own goals and trying to think what it takes and what I need to build from now until then, to be a col lege president. There are multiple path ways to the presidency and I have to fig ure out what that pathway might be for me. How do I position myself over the next few years to be able to do that in a meaningful way? So I sit on the board of several organizations like the New England Assessment Network. I have that kind of visibility at the regional and the national level. … I think some of the work that we’ve done in Framingham with regard to the assessment of student learning has become a model for many people around the country and the state.

Police Logs

Wednesday,

Our program is aspirational to many people. … So I get to speak sometimes about how we did what we did, and talk about it at national and regional levels.

What do you enjoy doing outside of your work?

I love playing tennis. If I’m not play ing it, I’m watching it - especially the Grand Slams. I’ve been to the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, New York. My goal is to go to all the other three Grand Slams. I want to be at the French Open, Wimbledon and the Australian.

What advice you have for stu dents?

I would say take every opportunity that you have and don’t underestimate yourself or short sell yourself. When you see an opportunity that you think is bigger than you, go for it. Because very often you’ll find that the race doesn’t go to the strongest and the swiftest, but the one who perseveres. And so even if you feel that you’re not the strongest or the swiftest, if you persevere, you will reach farther than those who are stronger and swifter.

Alarm (Fire/Smoke)

CONNECT WITH NAIDELLY COELHO ncoelho3@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of Springfield College

Three individuals arrested in connection with December white supremacist sticker incident

By Branden LaCroix Interim News Editor

Former FSU President F. Javier Cev allos announced three suspects were arrested and arraigned in Framing ham District Court in connection to the white supremacist decals found on campus Dec. 9.

In the email sent June 13, Cevallos said the three suspects, Alex Beilman of Meriden, Connecticut, Brian Har wood of Spencer, Massachusetts, and Matthew Smaller of Maynard, Mas sachusetts, have been charged with vandalism and conspiracy to commit a crime.

According to the email, the three men have no connection to FSU.

Last year, there were several in stances of white supremacist decals from the group Patriot Front found on campus. The first instance happened on March 8.

[Editor’s Note: See “Several white-supremacist related decals found on campus” in The Gatepost’s March 12, 2021 issue.]

On Nov. 3, 2021, several more stick ers were discovered on campus, and again on Dec. 9.

[Editor’s Note: See “Two white su premacy-related decals found on cam pus” in The Gatepost’s Nov. 5, 2021 issue.]

According to Cevallos’ email, the three suspects are only being charged in connection with the Dec. 9 incident.

The men are allegedly members of Patriot Front.

According to the Anti-Defamation League’s website, “Patriot Front is a white supremacist group whose mem bers maintain that their ancestors conquered America and bequeathed it to them, and no one else.”

University Police Chief John Santoro said the case against the three is in the

“discovery stage” of the court process, “where the defense attorneys request the discovery of any information or evidence that will be used against the defendants.

“Once all that information is sub mitted, reviewed, and vetted by both the prosecutor and the defense attor ney and they have everything that they need to have, then they’ll move on to setting actual court dates” unless oth er information is submitted by either the defense or prosecution, Santoro said.

Santoro added the three defendants are only being charged with the most recent incident and the other incidents are still under investigation “on a lo cal, state, and federal level.”

According to court documents ob tained by The Gatepost, Smaller’s and Beilman’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss and they will be in court Nov. 16. Discovery and jury selection for

Harwood’s case will take place on Dec. 16.

He added the FSU Tip line is also available for anyone with information on the March 8, 2021 and Nov. 3, 2021 incidents or any other case. FSU Tip is anonymous and confidential, accord ing to the Framingham State website.

Santoro said the $5,000 reward for information regarding the other inci dents is still being offered.

To submit a tip, send a text to 67283 containing the word “FSUTIP,” fol lowed by a space, and then your mes sage, according to the Framingham State website.

WeatherSunday night Oct. 23

Cloudy with a low around 52. NE wind around 5 mph. 70% chance of precipitation.

Monday Oct. 24

Cloudy, with a high near 62. NE wind around 5 mph. 50% chance of precipitation.

Monday night Oct. 24

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Calm wind. 40% chance of precipitation.

Tuesday Oct. 25

Mostly cloudy with a high near 68. Light and variable wind.

Tuesday night Oct. 25

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 56. Light south wind.

Wednesday Oct. 26

Mostly cloudy, with a high near 68. Calm wind

CONNECT WITH BRANDEN LACROIX blacroix@student.framingham.edu

Wednesday night Oct. 26

Mostly cloudy, with a low around 53. Light west wind.

Thursday Oct. 27

Partly sunny, with a high near 64. W wind around 5 mph.

FRAMINGHAM

Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov

All University

accreditation, and strategic plan ning.

“This is an opportunity for us to provide assurance to prospective students, to families and to the gen eral public, that we’re an institution that meets clearly stated standards for accreditation, and that there is a reasonable expectation that we will continue to do so,” she said.

The reaccreditation process will show that Framingham State is up to NECHE standards and can offer a good education that students de serve, she said.

Porter-Utley said NECHE accredi tation is required in order to receive financial aid. “With no NECHE ac creditation, there are no students.”

She said writing teams and de partment chairs are helping out in this process.

Porter-Utley said the NECHE pro cess is “still very well” underway. In order to create a better self study, the team attended a workshop last week.

The workshop was necessary to “efficiently do the work it requires to produce our 100-page self study.

“This is important for all of us,” she said.

Porter-Utley asked employees to prioritize responding to any email requesting information from depart ment chairs or writing groups.

“This is a community effort, and so many members of our communi ty are contributing to this important one,” she said.

The goal is to have a draft of the self study by the end of spring, she said.

Lorretta Holloway, vice president of academic enhancement, provided an update on the branding and mar keting of Framingham State.

She indicated a timeline of the de velopments planned by Primacy - the firm that was hired for the rebrand ing of the University.

Holloway said in June 2022, her

office signed bids for the marketing company, and in July, a scope of work agreement was signed to proceed with the rebrand and the website re design.

She said in July, the marketing agency had a kick-off meeting at which the team was “inundated with information.”

Holloway said Primacy completed the discovery phase of their work in September. This included looking at Google Analytics, Slate, and Percus sion as well as weekly meetings with focus groups and assessing surveys from the community.

She said the third phase will in clude the “development of brand personas, competitive brand analy sis, a creative brief, and brand strat egies.”

Holloway said for October, they are waiting on approval for the com petitive analysis, which is the evalu ation of the strengths and weakness es of University competitors.

The next steps will include mes saging for the creative brief, brand strategy, and developing the top three brand concepts. The brand concepts include designs and tag lines, she said.

Holloway said Primacy will also be putting together additional focus groups and testing processes.

She said Primacy will be conduct ing a content audit for the FSU web site.

“If you’ve ever redone a website, you realize it takes a long time. It’s like moving your parents out of the house that they lived in for 20 years,” she said.

“It is going to be kind of that pain ful process, but at the end of it, it’s always an occasion where you find lots of memories,” she said.

Holloway thanked the community for their responsiveness to Primacy.

“They repeatedly talked about how we gave them so much and ac tually gave them more information

than they had from probably any of their other clients,” she said.

Holloway asked the community to respond to any “call” from Primacy in order to ensure that the entire com munity’s voice is represented in the branding initiatives of the Universi ty.

“It has to be a collective represen tation because the new brand is actu ally representing all of us,” she said.

She said Primacy will be present ing the brand guidelines, messaging matrix, and website concepts in No vember.

She said the focus during the spring semester will be on how to “deliver and roll out the brand.”

Jerusha Nelson-Peterman, chair of the Food and Nutrition Department, asked if the FSU seal will be assessed during the rebranding of the institu

tion.

Ann McDonald, chief of staff and general counsel, said, “The original decision had been to wait for the Commonwealth to alter their seal be cause our seal is based on their seal.”

Dan Magazu, director of commu nications, said, “The marketing firm is looking at redesigning our logo and seal so it can be changed sooner rather than later.”

Dale Hamel, executive vice presi dent, gave an update on the strategic enrollment management plan of the University.

He said there are four phases of “engagement” with a firm hired for strategic enrollment planning called Ruffalo Noel Levitz (RNL).

Hamel said phase one includes preparation and data analysis.

He said this process includes en rollment projection models. This model is based on looking further back than the current enrollment model to assess “the number of high school graduates, our market, our anticipated market share, and in forming that process.”

Hamel said the academic program demand analysis led by the provost looks at the change in enrollment over time - “where demand is for dif ferent programs that we offer or may wish to offer” needs to be assessed.

He added there is also a pricing study that examines where Framing ham State is positioned in relation to its sister institutions as well as look ing at additional avenues that are available to high school graduates.

He said the “traditional approach of high school graduates going on to college is no longer the case. We are competing with more than just our sister colleges in terms of making the value proposition case to students, so part of that effort will be looking at that phenomenon as well.”

Hamel said they are also working on a communication audit as well as communication architecture recom mendations.

He said there is “a lot to do on campus,” but communicating those

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST President Nancy Niemi speaking at the All University Meeting Oct. 17.

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST

University

All University

activities is where FSU “falls short.”

Hamel said the University will also be evaluating communication with prospective students. This includes “looking at the timing” of those com munications.

For example, “How quickly we’re responding when offers of admission are occurring, when offers of finan cial aid are occurring, as well as see ing if there are any adjustments that can be made to those processes,” he said.

Hamel said the next initiative will be customer relationship manage ment consulting. This process looks at “how we move students through the funnel and into the University as students.”

Currently, there is a student sat isfaction inventory survey that was opened up last week.

He said he encourages students to reply to this survey because it is “very important to have that feed back in terms of what we’re doing well and what we need to do better as part of this development of a strate gic enrollment plan.”

Hamel said phase two of the stra tegic enrollment plan is strategy de velopment, which will be implement ed in “the next month or so.”

The third and fourth stages in clude goal development and imple mentation, he said.

Hamel said there are a number of new initiatives that will be incorpo rated into the strategic enrollment process.

Part of those initiatives will be the NECHE accreditation and the brand ing and marketing for the University.

“In the short term, we’re focused on the situation of analysis, and in phase two, we’ll be moving into de velopment of the strategic enroll ment plan over the next few months,” he said.

Niemi said she is “blessed to have such an incredible team.”

She answered three questions that were previously sent to her to be ad dressed at the meeting.

An anonymous member of the community asked, “Are we going to bring back COVID testing if there’s a new wave?”

Niemi said there is a COVID-19 Response Team that monitors cases.

She said if the “situation” gets “significantly different,” they will re assess the testing protocols.

Framingham State currently sup plies free self COVID-19 tests, which are available through the Health Center. At this time, there is no man datory testing.

For more information about COVID-19 cases on campus, the Health Center website has up-todate information, she said.

The second anonymous question sent in by a community member asked how Framingham State plans to increase student enrollment.

Niemi responded that as of Oct. 17, the University hired an interim en rollment management professional consultant.

“It’s not going to increase instant ly, but we want to increase it strate gically, smartly, and robustly, and we have to do that through lots of peo ple’s help.” she said.

A third anonymous question sent in by a community member addressed burnout due to staffing shortages in all of the administrative depart ments, “Morale is extremely low and in the end, students will suffer. What real actionable steps will you take to address this?”

“We need to be able to step back from work even if we find it incred ibly meaningful and step back and take care of ourselves in other ways,” Niemi said.

She said she encourages staff to take mental health days in order to prevent burnout. She also encour ages staff to “have the opportunity to say, ‘No,’ sometimes, because we can’t do everything,” she said.

Niemi said she and her team are working hard to hire new staff for de partments. “We’re still assessing how we can fill the spots that we haven’t filled yet.”

She said professional development days are important in increasing mo rale because when administrators learn more about their own work, it increases “happiness.

“When you feel good about that work, you’ll feel happier about doing it as well,” she said.

Following the three submitted questions, the community was given a chance to ask additional questions.

Patrica Whitney, assistant vice president of facilities and capital planning, said due to staffing cuts, her crews are forced to work over ten hours of overtime every week and her department “is still in The Gatepost because we are not doing enough.”

Niemi responded, “You’re right. There are times you just can’t say, ‘No.’ You’re absolutely right.”

In response to Whitney’s con cerns, Hamel said, “Overall, there have been some reductions” in Facil ities staffing.

Niemi said, “We have to figure out if those reductions make sense. And if not, then we have to figure out how to either do the work differently or not do some of the work or fill in again depending on what we need.”

Dwayne Bell, a chemistry and food science professor, asked where stu dent preparedness falls in the big picture of major alignments.

He said he has seen drop-out/fail ure/withdrawal rates rise consistent ly over the past 10 years.

Niemi said, “If students are not successful, then we cannot be here.”

She said some of the factors the University will be addressing in re gard to this concern are looking at different ways to assess students when they are accepted to FSU and instructor training.

She added the University will as sess its curriculum as well as evalu ate the concurrent courses “that help students stay on task as well as giv ing them the skills they don’t have.”

Niemi said, “Student success is everything we do and it’s part of the DNA of what we’re talking about right here.”

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

CONNECT WITH NAIDELLY COELHO ncoelho3@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH SOPHIA HARRIS sharris9@student.framingham.edu

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST

Provost Kristen Porter-Utley speaking at the All University Meeting Oct. 17.

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST

Lorretta Holloway speaking at the All University Meeting Oct. 17.

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST Executive Vice President Dale Hamel speaking at the All University Meeting Oct. 17.

OP/ED

Justice served THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Eight decals belonging to Patriot Front, an organization recognized by the Anti-Defama tion League as a white supremacy group, were placed around campus Dec. 9, 2021.

According to a June 13 community-wide email from former President F. Javier Ceval los, Alex Beilman, 28, of Meriden, Connecticut, Brian Harwood, 24, of Spencer, Massachusetts, and Matthew Smaller, 24, of Maynard, Massa chusetts were arraigned in Framingham Dis trict Court for the placement of these decals.

Though these individuals had no association with Framingham State, they were all “alleged members of the white supremacy group con nected to the stickers,” according to the email.

Just as Cevallos did in his email, we at The Gatepost would like to thank University Police Chief John Santoro and Detective Gene West erlind for their work in tracking down these in dividuals and bringing them to justice.

The actions of these three individuals are inexcusable and brought unwarranted hate to our campus.

This was a nearly impossible case because of the inital lack of evidence.

Additionally, the University Police Depart ment has been facing staffing shortages for some time now.

It took an admirable level of expertise and commitment.

We understand the work that needed to be put into this investigation and the number of law enforcement officials who were also in volved at the local, state, and federal levels.

The dedication to this case is reflective of the University Police Department’s commit ment to upholding Framingham State’s values and helping move the University toward be coming an anti-racist institution.

These incidents were harmful to our BIPOC community members and kept them from feel ing safe on our campus.

The December incident was the third time the Patriot Front made its presence known on campus.

It is a relief to see progress made in stop ping these individuals.

We hope to see investigations continue into the two other incidents. However, we also hope the results of this investigation serve as

a warning and deter those with similar inten tions in the future.

What was accomplished through this inves tigation confirms the importance of not giving up or giving into hate.

Our community members of color matter and they deserved to see these men face the consequences of their actions.

With the continued rise in radical white right-wing extremism, it is more important now than ever that we do not waver in our stance against hate.

We as a University may sometimes feel powerless in stopping the bigotry occurring nationally, but we can do our part to stop it within our own community.

Therefore, we thank the University Police for their part in supporting FSU’s anti-racism efforts, but we should not forget this work is not done.

There is still much to do both on this cam pus and within our University Police Depart ment to ensure everyone feels safe and wel come.

When Santoro became the new chief of po lice, a policy review was initiated focusing on improving the perception of the police, build ing trust with the community, allowing offi cers to get to know students outside of calls, hosting more listening sessions, and becoming more transparent with how the department operates.

We expect Santoro to keep these promises and want to see changes made sooner rather than later.

Tracking down the individuals who vandal ized our campus was a great success, but build ing greater trust between University Police and the community is just as important.

The policies and actions of our police de partment need to be racially just, and the makeup of our force should be representative of our University’s population.

This work is vital to support our community members of color and the values of our Uni versity.

Thank you, University Police, for ensuring there is never a place for hate at Framingham State.

Don’t dance on the dead

By Emily Rosenberg Associate Editor

On Oct. 14 the actor Robbie Coltrane, best known for por traying Rubeus Hagrid in the Harry Potter films, died leading to mixed reactions from fans on social media.

While some mourned the loss of the actor who played their favorite shaggy ole character, others threw celebrations tweet ing things such as “Rest in p***,” “Rot in Hell,” and that they were happy the actor had died.

Coltrane is known for being one of the only actors from the Harry Potter series who did not defend the transgender com munity against J.K. Rowling’s continuous transphobic remarks.

When Coltrane was asked his thoughts on Rowling’s re marks in 2020, he said he did not find the remarks offensive and that Twitter waits around waiting to be offended.

The LGBT+ community or anyone for that matter has valid reasons for strongly disliking Coltrane and encouraging people to stop engaging in content that will monetarily benefit him.

As a person who grew up with Harry Potter and identifies with the LGBT+ community, I am sad and angered to see the fictional world which welcomed so many people from diverse backgrounds become exclusionary. It is a shame that the actor who played perhaps the most outcast, yet accepting character contributed to the exclusion.

Coltrane and other bigots are not excused for their words af ter they died and there is no reason to forgive them. The effects of a person’s discriminatory words and actions leave a painful, lasting stain on those at which they were directed.

However, there is also no reason why reactions to their deaths can’t be more civil.

Directly after a person dies, there are family and friends who are mourning. It is not useful to make public announcements parading someone’s loss no matter how much that person’s words or actions offended you.

Ridiculing their death only makes the person who posts the joke seem like they are stooping to the opposing side’s level, overshadowing what the poster truly wants to accomplishemphasizing the negative impact the dead person had on so ciety.

The goal is to acknowledge the pain Coltrane and others caused people and prove how future generations must do bet ter. This cannot be done through memes and puns.

Not to mention, when employers look you up online, they’ll leave with a bad taste in their mouth after they read you’ve been tweeting “rest in p***.”

To make a public statement online, whether you have five followers or 5,000, is trying to make an impact. If you decide to comment on the death of a public figure who impacted society negatively, you could write how you will not be mourning their death, then list bullet points of how the person negatively im pacted society and that there is still work to be done.

In these online statements, there should also be comments about the individuals who do mourn the death of these peo ple without acknowledging they caused pain. The mourners of public figures like Coltrane are complacent and are also con tributing to the problem.

This type of post is a way to acknowledge the painful impact a person had on society, while expressing that you are not sad they are dead with humility. This will hopefully cause those you reach to stop, think, and even learn something that day, rather than wonder why you are laughing at a dead person.

This is especially if you are on social media with relatives and people across the country who share different views from you.

But either way, death is never an event to take lightly no matter who it is. Our mortality is precious, and is one thing that deserves to be respected because we all share it in com mon.

There can be a way to celebrate the loss of an oppressive voice without dancing on their grave.

OP/ED

Campus Conversations

What is your favorite Halloween Candy?

By Ryan Schreiber, Staff Writer

“Nerds. If I was trick or treating, it would probably be Nerds because we would always trade them when we were younger and Nerds would also get you the best trades because Nerds were like gold.”

-Jada Smith, freshman

“Snickers because when I was a kid that’s what my grandma always gave me for a treat so I got used to liking it.”

- Christopher Revelli, freshman

“Airheads because you can shake it and then it gets really small and looks like a little pillow.”

-Sophia Moretti, senior

“Heath Bars. As a kid I loved the crunch of the toffee and everyone else hated it. I would get so many Heath bars and it was so good.”

- Autumn Ray, freshman

“Twix. Only the left ones. The left ones are the best. I don’t really like candy that much, so Twix is the only one I like.”

-Patrick Rourke, freshman

“Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. I really like the big ones because they’re better, especially with the ones with little pieces inside.”

Eli Paré, grad student

“Twix because of the combination of the cookie and then the caramel and the chocolate tastes really good.”

-Esteban Garcia, freshman

“I like a good Snickers or Three Musketeers. Feel like those are classic chocolate experiences.”

Ellie Lynch, junior

FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 |

By Danielle Achin Sports Editor

The Framingham State volleyball team celebrated their final home game of the season with a 3-0 sweep over Dean College Oct. 17.

The Rams opened up a 4-0 lead in the first set before the Bulldogs made it on the board and the score slowly crept up throughout the frame with FSU maintaining the advantage.

Both teams continued to trade off points for the remainder of the frame before the Rams claimed the first set 25-15 and took the 1-0 lead.

The game intensified heading into the second set with the Rams rallying for 5 straight points, taking the 5-0 lead.

Dean countered with 3 straight points of their own, but Framingham was on the attack and stormed back with another five points before a much needed time out was called for Dean.

Despite Dean calling for a time out, the Rams never lost stamina and continued on with fiery aggression and ran off with the 22-15 lead.

The Bulldogs managed to put 4 more points on the board before Framingham took the second set win 25-19.

Heading into the third frame, both teams were locked in determined not to let their opponent win the set.

The Bulldogs pulled a 3-0 lead at the start of the set before Framingham tied the frame 5-5. The set then continued with both teams trading points back and forth with multiple ties and lead changes.

The teams managed to tie the score at 16-16, then 18-18, 20-20, and finally 21-21.

The Rams then rattled off 3 straight points for the 24-21 lead and eventually took the frame 25-22 and the match 3-0.

With the win, sophomore Malia Shields remarked how proud she is of her team with the complete turnaround playing in the day’s game from last week’s 3-0 loss against Mount Holyoke.

Shields said, “Although it was a close set, I had faith we would pull through, and we did! I think we responded well to the pressure and the intensity of the final set is what pushed us to finish strong.

“Going into tonight’s game, we felt really good. There was a mix of emotions since it was the last home game for the seniors, but everyone brought a lot of good energy and I think we held onto that throughout the game,” she added.

Shields said the team currently stands second in the MASCAC Conference behind MCLA, the only conference game FSU has lost. She said her teammates are more than ready to finish the season strong together.

She said, “Although the past few games have shown different results, we don’t let the scores affect us. Once the game is over, it’s done. No need to dwell on it.”

The Rams are back in action when they travel to Bridgewater State for another conference match Oct. 25.

Rams field hockey loses in overtime nailbiter to Westfield State Owls

By Adam Levine Interim Asst. Sports Editor

By Gerell Boyce Staff Writer

Framingham State field hockey came up short 2-1 against the Westfield State Owls Oct. 19.

Rams sophomore defender Kaylee Beck said, “The entire game throughout, we were dominating. It was an unfortunate ending, but at the end of the day, we are going to remember this feeling.”

Beck was right that the Rams were dominant, and they showed that on both ends of the field. Framingham was able to take 11 shots, seven of which were shots on goal. They held Westfield to 10 shots, but nine of them were shots on goal and that ultimately helped the Owls secure their victory.

Rams junior Kaitlin Loughlin was in at the goal, and, despite the loss, she was able to save seven of the Owls’ shots on goal.

The first quarter was slow and had little action. At 5:48, Rams junior forward Brandi Core set up to take the first penalty corner of the match. This set up Rams junior midfielder Corlene Guenard with an opportunity to put points on the board. Her shot hit the post of the goal and the match remained scoreless.

At 8:23, Rams freshman midfielder Kennedy St. Pierre drove down the field, maneuvering through Westfield’s defense with a chance to score. Westfield’s Bre Foley was there with a defensive save to end Framingham’s advances.

As both teams continued to battle possession to possession, the first quarter came to a close with a scoreless match.

The second quarter started and both teams continued to battle. As possession came and went, both teams had to switch between offense and defense. Neither team seemed to be able to break through.

At 28:24, Westfield saw a chance with their first penalty corner of the match. Framingham was able to use Westfield’s failed attempt and rally their offense. At the other end of the field, Framingham’s Core set up for another penalty corner. Her pass into play gave Rams sophomore midfielder Peyton Coonan the opportunity to assist Guenard with a goal. The Rams took a 1-0 lead at 29:18.

The Rams went into the second half leading the Owls 1-0.

The third quarter resumed with a lot of up and down action on field. After a slow first half of the match, both teams came out aggressively.

Just two minutes into the third quarter, Westfield penetrated Framingham’s defense and put them to the test. The Owls Emily Martin was able to take backto-back penalty corners. Her second penalty corner set up back-to-back shots from her teammates, Madison Ouellette and Lily Spencer. Loughlin was able to save both shots and the Rams kept their 1-0 lead.

Framingham lasted through Westfield’s powerful offensive third quarter without letting up a goal.

The fourth quarter began and provided the most action of the entire match. The Owls once again put the Rams on the defense early in the quarter. After four unsuccessful Westfield penalty corners, Rams sophomore midfielder Abby Clark received a green card penalty at 50:05.

Framingham rallied and switched the momentum of the game. They put Westfield on the defense, but Guenard’s back-to-back shots were unsuccessful.

Westfield’s Foley received her own green card penalty at 55:38 and the Rams continued their offensive push.

On the other end of the field, Westfield’s Kaleigh Murphy got past Framingham’s defense. She assisted her teammate, Emily Martin, on the Owls’ first goal. At 58:53, the Owls tied the match.

The sudden victory in overtime was enough for the Owls to secure their victory. After Framingham’s initial offensive attack, Westfield switched the momentum. After three saves by Rams Loughlin, the fourth shot ended the match. At 69:07, Westfield’s Martin scored her second goal of the match, this time assisted by Skyla Harthcock.

Framingham’s conference record falls to 4-6 and their overall record to 8-7. They close out their regular season with two more conference matchups. Coonan said the Rams plan is “to keep playing hard” as they close out their season.

The Rams will travel to face Eastern Connecticut State on Oct. 25

Volleyball blanks Dean 3-0 in final home game of the season

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Players of the Week

Courtesy of FSURams.com

1st Player of the Week: Bryce Nardizzi

Nardizzi netted four goals and an assist for 9 points in a 2-0 week for the Rams. He tallied a goal and assist in the 4-3 win over Trinity College (Conn.). Nardizzi then added 3 goals in the 5-1 win over Mass. Maritime to remain undefeated in conference play.

Courtesy of FSURams.com

2nd Player of the Week: Hailey Sanders

Sanders earns her first Player of the Week honor this season after averaging 9.3 kills and 2.3 blocks with a .439 attack percentage for the Rams. She tallied 7 kills, 3 blocks, and a .500 hitting percentage in a win over Salem State and added 13 kills, 5 blocks, and a .440 hitting percentage in a win over Fitchburg State.

Courtesy of FSURams.com

3rd Player of the Week: Avery Guiel

Guiel earned the LEC Defensive Player of the Week after tallying a pair of defensive saves during the week for the Rams, one of which secured the 1-0 win over Salem State. Her defensive stop against the Vikings kept the game scoreless until the Rams got on the board 6 minutes later.

FRAMINGHAM

UNIVERSITY’S

ARTS & FEATURES

Alan Feldman Week of Poetry begins with guest poet Jill McDonough

By Ryan O’Connell Arts & Features Editor

The fifth annual Alan Feldman Week of Poetry, hosted by the English Department and Arts Ideas, began with guest poet Jill McDonough Oct 18.

McDonough, who teaches both in the MFA program at UMass-Boston and College Reading and Writing to incarcerated individuals in Boston’s jails, shared some of her poetry from her past books and newest upcoming release, “American Treasure.”

She first read from “Reaper,” which she said was all about the experiences of military drone pilots, and the re petitive, violent nature of the work.

“ ou have this very cyclical - kind of boring - job, terrori ing people a whole world away. And then you go home to your family, and then you do it again and again and again,” she said.

McDonough narrated “TwelveHour Shifts,” which she said was a villanelle - “a really repetitive poetic form.” She added a significant portion of the book ended up being villanelles from the perspectives of drone pilots.

She read, “It’s done in our names, but we don’t have to know. Our own lives, shifts, hours, bounced off screens all day. A drone pilot works a twelve-hour shift, then goes home fresh from twelve hours off, another comes in, takes over our drone.”

McDonough then shared two po ems from another book of hers, “Here All Night.” One of these poems, “In Which I Am Accused of Sleeping My Way to the Top,” is about an experi ence she had reading dismissive on line comments, and how they were

actually encouraging.

“My face is still up there, though, with comments about how slutty I look. I am in my thirties in the pic ture. It looks like me. No makeup. A student evaluation once included this sentence: Sometimes I think Jill forgets to brush her hair.’ This is sexy. This is all that. I am ecstatic,” she read.

She added, “Here All Night” was a less focused collection of poetry, in which a theme was absent, unlike in “Reaper.”

McDonough then read from “Amer ican Treasure,” her latest project

“I hear some of the things they did and look at Flint, at Puerto Ricokids in cages - think this government makes even their violent crimes look like shoplifting. ou can only hurt so many people at a time with your one body, and usually it’s yours getting hurt,” she read.

McDonough wrote she had a Ro manian woman in her class who couldn’t speak or write English. She said she taught her the alphabet, Mc Donough’s name, and asked her what else she wanted to know how to write.

“She wants to write I miss my children,’” she read. “So I teach her.

prison, right ”

McDonough moved away from poetry based on her time working in prisons, and read “The Serious Down er.” The poem is a slightly gruesome account of how she claims if she ever found her wife Josey dead, she would “eat her face” before she calls the po lice.

“I tell her the EMTs for the dead, the morgue guys, will walk in on me, her blood by now darkening and crusting all over my mouth, me looking up like dag, busted.’

“ But it’ll be so sad you won’t be there to think it’s funny,’ I say. That would be the drag,’ adds Josey, nod ding, complacent. That would be the serious downer of that situation,’” she read.

McDonough then read “Backhoe in Snow,” and “Testicles at Trinity,” two other poems involving experiences with her wife Josey: the first a traf fic jam caused by a stuck backhoe in Boston as snow started to pile up the other about their trip to the Trinity atom bomb test site in New Mexico.

She concluded with a poem about an experience she had with a young man in prison, “Donuts in Kid-jail,” which began, “Here is how often you see donuts in kid-jail: never. ero times.”

The poem details an interaction with a young student who had been given two donuts and a carton of milk. She said as they worked together, her stomach growled, and the boy offered her his other donut.

which is set to be released in No vember. She started with “ ero Slave Teeth,” which recounts the origin of George Washington’s false teeth, that slaves lost theirs for his benefit, and the violent denial internet users engage in on topics that challenge America’s perception of freedom.

“ ero slave teeth. No innocents on death row. No lynchings, not all men. Everybody crying rape, not all slave owners were bad,” she read. “Sally Hemmings In love. Three hots and a cot. Must be nice! FREEDOM FREEDOM USA!”

McDonough said her ideas about freedom and the truth of American history, represented in poems like “ ero Slave Teeth,” originated from her involvement in Boston’s jails, at both juvenile and adult levels.

“College Reading and Writing in Grown-Up Jail,” includes her expe riences helping a student write their first grown-up sentence,’ teaching her class about white privilege, and how the United States’ decisions makes her empathi e with the incar cerated, among others.

Help her write their names and ages. Names she touches after she writes, with little finger pats.”

McDonough shared “Big Earth” next, a poem about ight, the ex change between Pats and Bills fans outside the Buffalo Stadium, and a veteran who changed their stance on war.

“He said when he was a kid he couldn’t wait to kill bad guys. But now he’s not convinced they’re all so bad,” she read.

“Sestina For The Women Locked Up At Framingham Who Make American Flags” is about McDonough’s work in jails and the lives the incarcerat ed live there. The poem discussed the practice of prison labor, and made connections to slave labor, as well as the irony of the product prisoners were manufacturing.

“The men in New Hampshire make Live Free or Die’ license plates. Women at Framingham learn digi tal embroidery, make all the Ameri can ags,” she read. “What if we paid them fairly Or just their families It’s f up to make money off people in

“So I said ou are a sweetheart and I am never going to eat your do nut.’ Which made no sense to him. Dude, I have a car and money - I can walk out of here and buy a do en as soon as you finish this poem,” she read.

McDonough read the audience a list of what the boy had lost. “Mother, Father, Sister. Grandmother, school, ring. Country,” she read. She said the boy continued to offer her the donut, said she could have it, and he was go ing to the bathroom - “Donut as test!”

She said she joked to the guard she was going to eat it after the boy had left. The guard begged her not to be cause donuts were hard to come by. She didn’t, she said, and after the boy came back and finished his poem, she left the prison.

“I drove away, past Forest Hills and new condo construction, Blissful Monkey yoga studio, Whole Foods. Parked my car and walked into my house, where no one hurts me, where I eat whatever I want,” McDonough read.

CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL roconnell1@student.framingham.edu

Ryan O’Connell / THE GATEPOST

Jill McDonough reading from her upcoming release “American Treasure” Oct 19.

English professors share poetic works

By Ryan O’Connell Arts & Features Editor

The English Department held a fac ulty poetry reading consisting of sev en poets over oom Oct 19.

Talia Adry, English professor and Framingham State alumna, was the first of seven readers, and shared three poems. Adry began with, “When Hank Left, We Didn’t Look For Him,” which she said was written about the death of a close friend.

She followed with “We Fossil,” a poem she said was inspired by her cu riosity with “the process of discovery, and what we unearth in our person al relationships.” She read about the time two lovers had spent together, and the connection they shared.

“We, an ancient couple, remark ably, have exoskeletons,” she read. “My words: I can’t breathe,’ and yours: ou must.’”

Adry read, “Somewhere Near The Ides of March, 2020” last, which she had written at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and said it dealt with rebirth and “the end of winter.” She added all of the poems she chose to read at the event were about death in some way.

Hannah Baker-Siroty, English pro fessor, read second, sharing four short poems mostly involving her children. Baker-Siroty said she was grateful for

the English Department’s Week of Po etry as well as her inclusion in the fac ulty reading.

Baker-Siroty read about her daily routine, her morning duties, tired ness, and how her son always yells for her in the morning. She shared how she intrepets this screaming, and the love she feels hearing it, as well as a similar story about her daughter in her poem “Blooming.”

She first read from “First Things First,” “Each morning I think joy, or partial joy and not for coffee, but for my son screaming Mommy!’ And that he means me, and needs to start the day surrounded by me. That I am who he continues to pick, among all the things, I am his very first thing.”

Colleen Coyne, English professor, read three poems, two of which in volved her personal interest in infor mal historical texts. She began with “The City Itself is a Mystery School,” which she said recounted her early 20s in Chicago, where she considered she came of age.

She said portions of her poem “Some Remarks On The Great and Un usual Darkness,” which was based on a weather anomaly in the 17th centu ry, incorporated epitaphs written on headstones in New England cemeter ies.

She added, “Wish ou Were Here” was based on her passion for collect

‘Women. Life. Freedom.’

ing old postcards, further connecting to her passion for historical docu ments while discussing a tumultuous relationship.

Bernard Horn, a retired English professor at FSU, said he also had a lot of poems about death, and shared five of them. He added he and his wife have dealt with the death of sever al close friends in the last year and a half, and not from COVID-19.

“So death has been around, and so the parts of our lives our friends re membered that we’d forgotten are gone forever,” he said.

Horn’s poem “At The Cemetery” discussed dying, fading life, and un familiarity that grows with age, which he read first before sharing a related entry from his “COVID Log” collec tion of work.

He also shared lighter poems, such as “Love Before,” which recounted parts of his life before he met his wife. “Love before it knew it was love,” he said.

Miriam Levine, a retired English professor at FSU, also shared some of her recent work. She read four poems, “I Belong To The Party of Lyric Poet ry,” “Watching Birds,” “November,” and “First Lover,” most of which also addressed loss.

Before Levine read “First Lover,” she told student attendees “Oh, by the way, sometimes you mustn’t lis

History majors host discussion on Iran protests

By Leighah Beausoleil Editor-in-Chief

History majors Danni Marque , Abby Versackas, and Jon Ribeiro held a discussion on the protests in Iran in the Center for Inclusive Excellence Oct. 19.

Attendance of the discussion con sisted of 15 individuals, including faculty, staff, and students.

The spark of these protests was the Sept. 16 death of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was placed in the custody of Ira nian “Guidance Patrol” for wearing her hijab incorrectly, according to Ribeiro, who provided context to the group.

Amini was sent to the hospital un der “suspicious circumstances” and was claimed to have suffered a heart attack while detained, Ribeiro said.

He added Amini had no medical history that would back up this claim and leaked medical records revealed blunt force trauma to the head while eyewitnesses cite police brutality as the cause of her death.

Ribeiro said similar protests call ing for “ an, endegi, a adi,” meaning “women, life, freedom,” have been occurring off and on for decades since the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

He emphasi ed these protests are not against the Islamic faith, but for a woman’s right to choose whether to

wear a hijab.

Ribeiro explained the protests are being met with force by the govern ment and media coverage and inter net access has been restricted.

“That’s another reason why the younger generation is sort of taking charge in this protest - because they have better lines of communication,” he said, adding they are also able to bypass certain internet barriers and get videos and information out to the rest of the world.

This is what happened with the news of the Islamic Regime starting a fire in a prison and killing all of the political prisoners, Ribeiro said.

Versackas said it is important to note that Amini’s death is a part of a “much larger historical pattern of murdering women in the slaughter re gion and with the result of no justice happening for these women and typi cally they’re being murdered by men.”

She added, “This is a gendered is sue that we’re talking about. This is a hate crime against women.”

Versackas said for the discussion, people should use the term SWA NA region, meaning Southwest Asia, Northern African, as that location is commonly referred to as the “Middle East,” which is “highly politici ed” and can hold negative stereotypes and connotations.

Marque said she recently had an experience with the Iranian Guidance

Patrol when she was in Iran in April because that is where her boyfriend is from and she was let off with a warn ing for not having a hijab because even tourists have to wear one.

Following the introduction to the topic, a discussion took place focus ing on the lack of media attention to the issue, the desire for other coun tries to do more, and the similarities between what is happening in Iran and the United States.

Sophomore Alex S arka said he tries to stay away from the main stream media’s interpretation of the protests and goes straight to the source by hearing first-hand accounts from Iranians on social media.

History Professor Stefan Papaio annou said he thought these protests would be front-page news and is curi ous why the mainstream media is not covering them.

Senior Kaya Baptiste said it could be harder for the media in the United States to cover what is happening in Iran given how restrictive the coun try is with information regarding the protests.

Ribeiro said he could not help but to see the similarities between these protests and the ones that occurred in June 2020 for George Floyd.

Sociology Professor eynep G nen also pointed out the similarities be tween women in Iran fighting for the right to choose whether to wear the

ten to your teachers,” sharing that this poem was based on a dream, and she had been told once by a colleague, “ Too many dream poems, Miriam.’

“ ou know, so, I didn’t listen to her. If I had I wouldn’t have written this poem, whether it’s good or bad or whatever - I wrote it,” she said.

She read about seeing her first love in a dream, young and lustly, who she knew intimately. She said he was dead, though, and that if she was in the af terlife, he would have appeared “in his ravishing shape, and rise again.”

Rachel Trousdale, English profes sor, read three of her poems, which all related to various scientific topics.

The poems discussed the role her father played in the invention of the laser, the circumstances which gave Earth most of its coal, and a single line poem about her young son’s new found interest in nature.

Sam Witt, English professor, con cluded the faculty poetry reading with two long-form poems, “The 16th Law of Entanglement” and “Stepping Into The Light,” which both discussed connections he had with important figures in his life - first a close friend who died in 2006 and secondly, his maternal grandfather.

CONNECT WITH RYAN O’CONNELL roconnell1@student.framingham.edu

hijab and women in the United States fighting for abortion rights.

“It is not so different - what is go ing on there and it is not so far away from here,” said G nen.

Baptiste said at least in the Unit ed States, people have the freedom to protest and with that right in mind, she asked why the country isn’t doing more in support of those women.

She added when Floyd was mur dered by police, other countries held protests, but the same is not happen ing for Iran.

Eric Nguyen, director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence, said even in Western countries, women are still not granted the right to choose, such as in France where hijab wearing is banned.

He emphasi ed women should have the right to choose not to wear a hijab, but also to wear one.

Junior Rami Khalil said, “We should work and help other countries to make these strides toward, not necessarily being just like United States because we have a bunch of issues as well, but the good that we have is good and we should take that as a sort of role mod el for other countries that really do not have the luxuries that we do.”

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

‘Young Nerds of Color’

do you think that would do to you ” the wife asked.

He shared a story of when he was at a post-baccalaureate conference, and two white women assumed he was only visiting, rather than attending for the same purposes they were.

Pina said students who are not rep resented in science tend to “see sci ence in a different way.” She said a student’s background in uences how they view science and that there is no neutral way to do science.

Solomon said there is a need for various backgrounds in STEM in order to overcome the problems that can be solved through science.

She added, children often lose their enthusiasm for science after a certain age, but there are interdisciplinary ways to help them stay involved, in cluding music.

“I tend to start thinking about how do we keep people connected to see ing the science around them in their everyday lives and their experiences and how do they keep that enthusi asm ’” she asked.

Pina said she encounters interdis ciplinary fields every day in her work. She said for some people, connect ing science to another discipline can be easy, while for others they cannot connect the dots.

“We need a more diverse group of people in science because some peo ple are going to see this and others ar en’t. And if you’re excluding the peo ple who see this, then we’re excluding this whole opportunity to do interdis ciplinary science,” she said.

Singh stressed the importance of BIPOC voices as a way to expand peo ple’s understanding of science.

“When we have diversity we can have different perspectives - differ ent paradigms - and we know that science progresses not only with the continuous addition of knowledge to a pre-existing body of knowledge, but through paradigm shifts - through revolutionary breaks with the knowl edge when we have to reconceptual i e everything,” she said.

“We’re overdue for a paradigm shift in the sciences and beyond. And I think that one way to get there is to have real genuine diversity in the sci ences,” she said.

The panel discussed a clip of the play about code switching, defined in the play as switching between perso nas because of outside pressure to do so, and how this relates to BIPOC stu dents in STEM.

One example of code switching in the play was an experience from one of the people who had been in terviewed during the creation of the play. Before leaving for the interview, this person was stopped by his wife, who asked what they were going to do with the interview and if it would be recorded.

“ ou know about your image. It’s like, what if this becomes a cra y play, that people write really, really terrible things about it in the paper And then your name is associated with it What

The play’s actors also discussed the pressures of representing everyone of their race and culture, and how that contributes to the pressure to code switch.

was similar to her own, because as a first-generation college student, she did not know what types of opportu nities she needed as a student to be successful in her career. She went to her classes and her work study job, but she did not get lab experiences,

important for me is to think about how teaching is done, and thinking about what policies affect what stu dents.”

She used the example of the stu dent who took care of his younger sib lings to illustrate how classroom pol icy can help or hurt BIPOC students.

“If you have a very strict late policy, where you are more than five minutes late, you are absent from the class and there’s an attendance require ment - that population of students is not going to do well,” Pina said.

The panel then discussed a clip of the film which repeats the phrase “I see you,” and what educators can say to encourage BIPOC students in the STEM field.

Pina said it is important to make the message known to BIPOC stu dents in STEM that the struggle is not because of their own doing.

“This space wasn’t built for you,” she said, referring to the STEM field.

Solomon said it is important to think about self care and finding com munity. “The more of our full selves we can bring, the better off we’ll be.”

Powell said he visits student teach ers, and some teachers are working in districts where there are “garbage bags covering the window” with 35 students and only one teacher. Then there are af uent schools where there are 15 students, a paraprofessional, a teacher, and iPad carts, in addition to the student teacher, he said.

“Even though they’re the same 10th graders, the curriculum over here is going to be different while at the same time they’re all taking the same state-wide math assessment,” he added.

When students come to Framing ham State and other universities, the difference in college preparation is not seen and STEM faculty are the first to question why students are not prepared, Powell said.

“They talk about rigor as if it were a static thing. I think for us to get to that point of I see you,’ you re ally need to look at our thoughts as instructors, and be mindful of how these thoughts create all these bias es,” he added.

“ ou have to be someone else be cause you’re, like, representing your entire race. It feels like in some set tings, you have to leave a lot of who you are at home,” an actor said.

The play also discussed the dif ficulties BIPOC students face when they aren’t given the same guidance, resources, and opportunities as other students.

“Like, I had the dean in undergrad, and the dean, she asked me to work in her lab during the summertime, but my parents were like, Well, is she gonna pay you Because if she’s not gonna pay you, you know, you can’t do it,’” an actor said.

Pina said that this experience

and this set her back a lot.

“Even when we’re trying to be in clusive of populations, those popula tions are already behind,” she said.

Singh shared an example of a Black student who would always come late to her class because he was taking care of his siblings and making sure they got to school on time.

She said faculty can help by reach ing out and forming connections with students who don’t reach out on their own.

“What I’m going to do, instead of saying, Oh, don’t do that,’ is to make sure that he has my extra time and my support,” she said.

Pina said, “What has been really

Singh said faculty need to be aware that when they see a student strug gling, it is not necessarily because they are unprepared. “What they see is inequality in society. What they see is oppression in society.”

She said in her courses, she has used physics to stress the idea of be longing and the “right to belong in space you occupy.

“What I would say to a young nerd of color is that you are awesome not only are you important in science, but you are necessary in science,” Singh said.

CONNECT WITH EMILY ROSENBERG erosenberg@student.framingham.edu

Zachary Sorel / THE GATEPOST

(Left) Vandana Singh, Folashadé Solomon, and Cara Pina at the “Young Nerds of Color” panel.

CONNECT WITH RAENA DOTY rdoty@student.framingham.edu

Zachary Sorel / THE GATEPOST

(Left) Wardell Powell and Ishara Mills-Henry at the “Young Nerds of Color” panel.

‘She-Hulk’ - an action-packed law drama

By Jack McLaughlin Staff Writer

“She-Hulk: Attorney at Law” is Marvel Studio’s latest series that fin ished its first season last week.

The show follows Jennifer Walters Tatiana Maslany , who is trying to live her life as an attorney after be coming a hulk, following a car acci dent involving her cousin, Bruce Ban ner.

Marvel Studios has found trouble translating their storytelling formula to a multi-hour television series, but “She-Hulk” is a sign they are starting to find their footing at last.

Right at the series premiere, the viewer is quickly introduced to the confident and snarky Jennifer Wal ters. Her interactions with Bruce Banner Mark Ruffalo will make you adore her immediately and get a strong taste of the unique humor style the show has.

The first few episodes after the premiere focus on how gaining pow ers affects her life, specifically with her work as a lawyer and socially with plotlines surrounding dating and at tending weddings.

“Is This Not Real Magic ” is the best of these first episodes. The sto ry brings fan-favorite sorcerer Wong into the series to sue a magician that is using the mystic arts to send un suspecting audience members to dan gerous situations.

This episode is a perfect example of how well the show exceeds with its humor, character, and plot. Each char acter gets to have iconic moments, most notably Wong’s introduction to the episode.

Along Jen’s dating prospects, she meets the main antagonist of the show, Todd Jon Bass . His distaste toward Jen motivates him to form a group online to attack her. The group mostly focuses on sexist remarks against her, remarking that there “doesn’t need to be a She-Hulk” along with many others.

The actions of Todd’s group are ee rily like how people online respond ed to this show. Many people online commented on the show throughout its run with the same type of remarks that it was actively making fun of.

It was good to see a show with prominence like this acknowledge this type of discourse online and give it the proper criticism it deserved.

Episodes 5 through 7 are a bit slow, but still prove their worth by delv ing deeper into Jen’s internal con ict with her newfound celebrity status which comes together in the episode “The Retreat.”

The episode is primarily set at a wellness retreat. However because of unforeseen circumstances, Jen is forced to stay there for a day. The in ability to do work while at the retreat allows her to open up about problems she’s had since becoming She-Hulk

and offers viewers the most personal episode of the season.

The story picks back up in the last two episodes, with the finale “Whose Show Is This ” being a fantastic wrapup with an abundance of meta humor.

The show does have a lot of cameos from a variety of different MCU char acters, some of which you may not see coming. They fortunately offer a lot more to the episodes compared to lesser attempts at cameo appearances in other Marvel shows.

Visual effects are probably going to be the biggest gripe the viewer will have with this show. There were so many moments where the She-Hulk character looked poorly animated, which is shocking considering the huge budget this show had.

While this wouldn’t be an issue if it were only a few shots or scenes, this would happen many times every sin gle episode, and it ends up being dis tracting enough to where it can take you out of the story.

“She-Hulk’’ was a great surprise especially for someone who has been largely unimpressed with most of the Disney Marvel shows. It’s offering something different enough that will keep you engaged all the way through and will leave you excited for the small surprises they set up in the fi nale.

Marvel Studios has lately been on a streak of shows and movies that have been largely hit or miss. If you

have been apprehensive about their shows because of their less desirable attempts in the last year, I encourage you to give “She-Hulk” a fair chance.

Rating: B Brings hope for future MCU shows

‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ is disappointing drivel

By Owen Glancy Staff Writer

“Thor: Love and Thunder” is the latest installment in the MCU’s “Thor” series. It continues the story of Thor Odinson as he and his friends face off against the terrifying Gorr the God Butcher.

The film’s greatest aspect is ap parent right from the opening scene. Christian Bale’s performance as Gorr is easily the highlight of the movie and one of his better roles.

The soundtrack also stands out, using songs from ’70s and ’80s rock bands such as Guns and Roses and Dio. It makes for exciting background music that enhances the fight scenes.

The rest of the film struggles to live up to its villain and soundtrack. The visuals are at an all-time low for the MCU. There is clear evidence of over worked VF studios. Almost every CGI effect is noticeably worse than even “Iron Man,” which was released nearly 15 years ago.

The characters aside from Gorr are either dull or annoying. Thor progressed from a serious character obsessed with combat to a goofball trying to fit in and live up to his fa ther’s expectations throughout the previous MCU films. Here, he is a ge neric Marvel protagonist. The jokes he constantly cracks go against the

serious tone of the story and feel far more cringeworthy than they were in “Thor: Ragnarok.”

The return of Natalie Portman is initially a surprising plus. Portman’s acting is far better than what was ex pected of her previously bland char acter. Her story of relying on Mjolnir to cure her cancer parallels Gorr’s reliance on the Necro-Sword to keep him alive, offering an interesting moral dilemma.

This potentially interesting sto ryline is ruined by the script. Port man’s character, Jane Foster, con stantly downplays her cancer and destroys the emotional weight of her character. It makes her into another comic relief in a movie where every one is cracking terrible jokes.

The writing and directing is ul timately what kills the film. Taika Waititi’s unique and comedic style helped drag the previous “Thor” films out of mediocrity, but in the current MCU climate, it feels tired and stale.

Waititi’s performance as Korg is good, but it takes up much more screen time than a comedic side char acter should. This hogging of screen time is especially apparent when The Guardians of the Galaxy are given so little at the start of the film.

The best scene in the film is when Gorr has the heroes trapped and gives an intimidating monologue. Bale’s

acting really shines here and every time Thor or any other character at tempts to talk back to him, he silenc es them. The irony of the best scene shutting up most of the characters is extremely apparent and emblematic of what needed to be fixed with the film.

Russell Crowe also makes an ap pearance as eus. He does well and is extremely entertaining but is in the film for such a short amount of time. This is super disappointing as his character could have possibly been interesting and fun to watch. eus’ re turn during the film’s end credit scene feels tacked on and is poorly shot, leading to what is on paper, a great monologue, feeling dry and cheesy.

At the climax of the film, Gorr fac es off against Thor for the final time. This is obviously an important scene and should carry heavy dramatic weight. This tension is ruined by the corniest scene in the entire MCU. Thor transfers his powers to a group of Asgardian children that Gorr had kidnapped earlier in the film.

Putting aside the obvious logical questions this ability brings up, it completely destroys the tone of the scene. The children do virtually noth ing, killing a few monsters and then are teleported away to safety. It makes this logic-defying, mind-boggling de cision not even matter in the greater

plot of the movie.

Ultimately, “Thor: Love and Thun der” is a disappointing entry into the MCU. Great performances by Chris tian Bale, Natalie Portman, and Rus sell Crowe are drowned out by poor visual effects, annoying characters, and baf ing directorial decisions. It is without a doubt, the worst “Thor” movie and one of the MCU’s most dreadful films.

Rating: D-

A marriage of bad writing and directing

CONNECT WITH JACK MCLAUGHLIN jmclaughlin7@student.framingham.edu

CONNECT WITH OWEN GLANCY oglancy@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of IMDb

‘Halloween Ends,’ or does it?

By Ryan Schreiber Staff Writer

I walked into the movie theater to see “Halloween Ends,” and was imme diately greeted by a Michael Meyers look-alike wielding a knife and pre tending to stab my sister.

When I first saw the trailer I was excited that this franchise is hopeful ly going to end.

I hated the new rebooted trilogy

and was disgusted with the way they portrayed certain characters. Why bring back legacy characters who are weak and can’t even put up a fight

The movie opens up with a ash back on a brand new character who we are going to follow throughout the movie. Corey Cunningham, a babysit ter who is terrible at babysitting, and accidentally sends a little child down three oors to his death.

The movie jumps three years later, to see Laurie Strode writing a memoir and her granddaughter Allyson work ing as a nurse. Allyson runs into Corey after he had an encounter with high school bullies. This turns into one of the most questionable relationships ever.

Corey then gets jumped by the bul lies again and encounters Michael Meyers - the rest is exhausting.

I hated almost every single minute of this movie. I hated Corey and ev erything they tried to do with him. I hated that the writers made him best friends with the enemy and portrayed him as possessed.

The writers made the new main character, Corey, so insufferable and boring to watch.

I also hated that they brought back legacy characters only for short cam eos where they were murdered.

When you bring back legacy char acters, don’t kill them, but that is what this movie did.

I hate this movie so much!

Another thing I hated was it didn’t feel connected to the other films. It wasn’t consistent with the 2018 film, “Halloween” and its follow up, “Hal loween Kills.” The other two movies focused on the long lasting fight be tween Michael and Laurie. This film focuses on a whole new character.

ou might not believe it, but this movie had a redeeming quality.

Something this movie did extreme ly well was its thrilling murder scenes. As a horror fan, these scenes were en joyable to watch. For example, Mar got was run over and got stuck un der a gate. The killer came over and stomped her head in.

Executed with a lot of gore, this type of kill was unique and exciting. It is something I’ve never seen before in a horror film. Hats off to director Da vid Gordon Green.

The writers also brought back an iconic death scene where Michael stabs someone against a wall and somehow a knife holds them up.

However, some kills were executed off screen. These murders left peo ple with only a few drops of blood on them, and were not nearly as thrill ing as Margot’s death. When deaths happen off screen, it is disappointing because the audience does not get the same juicy detail as they do with onscreen kills.

Green deserves respect for not re hashing the same formula that all the others followed. It’s nice to see some

thing different if you do it well, but he fell at doing so.

I really hope this movie is the actu al end of a 44-year saga.

But we were teased with Michael Meyers’ mask sitting on a table. Hor ror fans will know when the camera pans to a mask at the end of the film, it usually means there’s going to be another sequel.

I really hope there isn’t.

Rating: D+

‘Halloween’ needs to end

CONNECT WITH RYAN SCHREIBER rschreiber@student.framingham.edu

Courtesy of IMDb

ACROSS

Community Combats COVID-19

Zachary Sorel / THE GATEPOST

(Back left) Jignasa Patel, Yelena Yalli, Ashley Levy (Front left) Rebecca Brabec, Jessica Amelotte, and Roddy Nguyen posing for a photo at the COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Clinic Oct. 18.

Zachary Sorel / THE GATEPOST Yelena Yalli preparing a vaccine at the COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Clinic Oct. 18.

Maddison Behringer / THE GATEPOST Senior Liz Walker waiting in line to get her vaccines at the COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Clinic Oct. 19.

Zachary Sorel / THE GATEPOST

A student poses with a Walgreens Band-Aid after getting their vaccine at the COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Clinic Oct. 18.

Maddison Behringer/ THE GATEPOST Sophomore Ainslee Caton prepares to get her vaccines at the COVID-19 and Flu Vaccine Clinic Oct. 19.

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