THE GATEPOST volume
84 • number 22
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Eleven percent turnout for SGA Spring Election By Julia Sarcinelli News Editor FSU students selected the members of the SGA eBoard, senators, class officers and recipients of the Faculty, Staff and Administrator of the Year awards on Wednesday, April 13. Four hundred and thirty-two votes were cast in this year’s SGA election, according to current SGA President Dan Costello in an email. He added, “While this may seem like a small number, it was an increase of 61 voters from the last spring election despite fewer contested races that typically drive voter turnout. Also, the American Student Government Association puts the national average of SGA Elections nationwide at 4 percent. Overall, it was an impressive turnout, and I was excited to see more students active and engaged in our election process compared to the past few years.” The following students were elected to the SGA eBoard for the 2016-17 academic year: • President Ezequiel De Leon, a junior • Vice President Patrick O’Connor, a sophomore • Secretary Dayna Marchant, a sophomore • Student Activities Treasurer Sarah Horwitz, a sophomore • Class and Club Treasurer Maddie Alper, a junior • Social Events Coordinator JT Manozzi, a junior The Student Trustee is sophomore Karl Bryan. This position is no longer considered a part of the SGA eBoard, but will still report to the senate and eBoard weekly, according to SGA’s Constitution. The ballot for eBoard positions was uncontested, except for the position of student activities treasurer, won - See SGA ELECTION RESULTS page 5
Allie Gath/The Gatepost
Junior Kaylee Brazell hangs out in a hammock on the lawn in front of Horace Mann Hall.
Thirty-five gender-inclusive bathrooms implemented on campus By Jessica Duff Assistant News Editor The FSU administration and the SGA Gender-Inclusion Ad Hoc Committee have fulfilled the committee’s goal of creating gender-inclusive restrooms on campus after two years of work. The committee formed in the spring of 2014 with graduating senior Christopher Hajeck as its chair, but began pushing for gender-inclusive housing and restrooms the following fall. Calvin Ridley, senior and chair of the committee since fall of 2014, said, “The
goal was to get more gender inclusive, but also just to make campus safer for a lot of people. “For instance, a student who is female-to-male transgender was being placed on a female floor. It was uncomfortable for them, also uncomfortable for everyone else - even if they were aware of the situation and respectful of it. … There were some situations where people were unsafe. Where roommates were not OK with it.” Now, students can opt into genderinclusive housing. Many of the gender-inclusive resi-
Class of 2016 honored at Senior Investiture By Bailey Morrison Assistant News Editor FSU kicked off the countdown tograduation with the Senior Investiture ceremony held on April 11 in DPAC. Faculty, staff, parents and invited guests were present at the event. According to Melinda Stoops, dean of students, Senior Investiture is a ceremony to acknowledge the academic achievements of the graduating seniors as well as joining “all of us as a larger community of scholars.” The investiture address was given by FSU alumnus, athletic director and FSU
football coach, Thomas Kelley. He said, “When you’re Irish, there are three things you know for certain - you enjoy a good lager, there’s probably a fireman or policeman in your family and there’s no such thing as a short speech.” He explained to seniors there are three groups of graduates - the successful “you’re going to know where you’re going” group, the middle group that will bounce around trying to figure out “what you want to be when you grow up” and those who will settle. His speech emphasized the importance of striking out “on your own” and - See SENIOR INVESTITURE page 6
dence hall rooms are located near the new gender-inclusive restrooms, according to Ridley. “We kind of had to do them both at the same time,” added Ridley. “It would have been pointless to just do genderinclusive housing and not address the bathroom issue.” FSU administrators began working to establish the gender-inclusive restrooms and created five unisex bathrooms in campus public buildings in January 2015. Room 214A in the McCarthy Center, 214 in Dwight, C-114 in - See RESTROOMS page 3
Inside “Humans of Framingham State” 9
Farewell Kobe Bryant 16
Cass Doherty/The Gatepost
FSU President F. Javier Cevallos spoke to the Class of 2016 during Senior Investiture.
Baseball sweeps MCLA 17