September 18, 2020

T H E G A T E P O S T

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

Volume 89 • Issue 1

FSUgatepost.com

September 18, 2020

FSU recognized with sixth HEED award New diversity initiatives created during summer

Leighah Beausoleil / THE GATEPOST

Members of the FSU community join together on State Street for a Black Lives Matter Protest Sept. 4.

By Donald Halsing Associate Editor Framingham State was awarded a Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award, according to a Sept. 1 University press release.

The award is presented by “Insight into Diversity,” the oldest and largest diversity magazine in higher education. FSU is among 90 other colleges in the U.S. and Canada to receive this recognition.

This is the sixth time FSU earned a HEED award since 2014, according to the press release. And, for the second year in a row, Framingham State is the only public college in Massachusetts to receive this distinction.

Many new diversity initiatives and programs launched during the last year. These actions were undertaken by the office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement (DICE), the Center for Inclusive Excellence (CIE), the Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching, Scholarship, and Service (CELTSS), human resources, and other administrators and faculty.

According to the Insight into Diversity website, the award measures a college’s “achievement and intensity of commitment” to diversity and inclusion initiatives and programs.

Institutions that display an “outstanding commitment” to diversity and inclusion receive the award.

Constanza Cabello, vice president

of DICE, said she is often conflicted by diversity awards.

“It’s an amazing accomplishment - it means we are on the right path,” she said. But “social justice is really a process and a goal. The award isn’t a stamp or marker that we’ve arrived at, or that we’re done doing the work.”

Cabello’s work includes overseeing the new Institutional Inclusive Excellence Committee.

President F. Javier Cevallos announced the committee’s creation in an email to the FSU community June 17. He said the committee’s purpose

Diane Finch entered the all-women State College at Framingham in 1962. During her four years at what is now Framingham State University, the Vietnam War raged, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and students started protesting what seemed to be an endless war.

Eight years later, Susan Conway graduated with Christa Corrigan McAuliffe in 1970, the year students at Kent State were shot at and killed while protesting the Vietnam War. And, 16 years later, McAuliffe was chosen in a nation-wide contest out of thousands of applicants for the opportunity to be the first teacher

in space. People across the country watched as she died when the Challenger shuttle exploded on national television.

Another 15 years later, Ryan Renauld was awakened in his dorm in Corinne Hall Towers with news that two planes that had left Boston Logan International Airport crashed into the twin towers in New York killing thousands of people. Seventeen of those who lost their lives had ties to Framingham, according to an article by the Metrowest Daily News.

Nineteen years later, in 2020, Matty Bennet graduated from Framingham State University in a virtual ceremony from his home. A global pandemic has closed schools, restaurants, businesses, and houses of wor-

LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT pg. 3 COVID-19 GRAPHICS pg. 4-5

Opinions

See HEED page 6

Alumni through the decades

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

News

SHIFT YOUR PRIORITIES pg. 7 NO TIME FOR “I DON’T CARE” pg. 7

ship across the country. The pandemic has killed over 9,000 people in Massachusetts alone, according to the New York Times as of Sept. 14, 2020.

Diane Finch exited the co-ed State College at Framingham in 1966.

During her four years, the country was changing and people were dying, but the love and appreciation she holds for those four years remains unwavering.

The University has been the home LETTER FROM THE EDITOR pg. 9 away from home for thousands of students for many years. Its size has allowed for close relationships to form between students and faculty ensuring lifelong friends and BEST OF SUMMER 2020 pg. 12-13

Sports

Arts & Features

See ALUMNI page 11 LYCEUM LECTURE pg. 14

INSIDE: OP/ED 7 • SPORTS 9 • ARTS & FEATURES 10

NEWS

2 | SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

Editorial Board

Gatepost Interview

Editor-in-Chief Ashley Wall

Ilene Hofrenning

Associate Editors Donald Halsing Cara McCarthy

Director of Health Services

News Editors Leighah Beausoleil

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

Arts & Features Editors Brennan Atkins Robert Johnson Jr.

How has COVID-19 impacted your work?

It’s impacted it greatly. For one thing, our clinical work is much different.

We’re trying to do things by telehealth as much as possible because it’s important to maintain that six-foot distance as much as we can. If we’re seeing somebody as a patient at the health center, we really can’t maintain that six-foot distance. So, we’re trying to do a lot over telehealth. So, we might do the entire visit over telehealth if we can, or we’ll do the history and talking to the students through either Zoom or telephone, and then have them come in for a physical or a brief checkup, or if it’s something like STI testing or maybe a urinary tract infection, then we’ll have them come in and give us a sample. And then we can get back to them with the results over telehealth as well.

So, that’s a big change. The other big change is that if we do see anybody in person because of the fact that we are within six feet, we have to be wearing PPE [personal protective equipment].

So, we’ll have the heavy masks on and the face shields as well. Sometimes gloves and gowns, too, depending on what kind of interaction it’s going to be.

If we’re getting specimens that could produce aerosols, like if we’re doing a strep throat culture, or the flu culture where the nasal swab goes way up in the nose, then we wear the N95 masks as well with the face shields and everything. That impacts the work because it’s not exactly comfortable wearing those things, and it also feels like it puts a barrier between you and the students.

I mean, it’s kind of odd to be talking to someone who’s got all this garb on.

For people with respiratory symptoms, we are going to be examining them in a different area. We’ve identified room 102 in Foster Hall And we’ve just had them install HEPA High-Efficiency Particulate Air filters. They put a couple of filters in there to enhance the air flow air exchanges with outside air to make it a safer place to work in.

So, that’s where we’ll be seeing people with respiratory symptoms, and doing testing as well.

Asst. Arts & Features Editor Jared Graf Opinions Editor McKenzie Ward Design Editor Kathleen Moore Photos Editor Caroline Gordon Asst. Photos Editor Amanda Garny Staff Writers Patrick Brady Kaitlin Burch Ashlyn Kelly Advisor Dr. Desmond McCarthy Asst. Advisor Elizabeth Banks

What is your role in keeping the University running?

We’re, especially me, much more involved with decision-making around campus in terms of how should the campus respond to the Coronavirus - policies around isolation, quarantine, and testing.

There’s a zillion things that

Courtesy of Framingham State come up in terms of questions - how do we handle this? How do we handle that?

Eating in the dining hall? What’s the best way to make it safe for students?

Helping by setting up the tents outside so people, students, have places to hang out outside where it’s safer as well thinking about those things and sharing it with other people.

Another aspect of my role is sort of being in contact with the local board of health, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health MetroWest Medical Center, just sort of keeping up with what they’re doing and getting guidelines, recommendations, and advice from them as well. Like I said, everything is new. We’re all sort of figuring things out as we go along.

I have a great directors group with directors from other health centers - 40 other directors in the sort of Greater Boston to Worcester area, which has been really great in terms of asking, “Can we deal with this?” “What’s the best way?” and sharing ideas.

What role is the Health Center playing in keeping COVID-19 cases down this semester?

Part of our role is education - talking about prevention, making sure the signs are up saying, “Six feet apart,” and “Wear your masks,” and educating, not only students, but faculty and staff as well. One thing that we’re emphasizing more now is a symptom checking. This week and next week, we’re going to be having a big campaign about how everybody needs to, every day, think, “Do I have X, Y, and Z symptoms that could be signs of Coronavirus?” because it is really interesting how different the

symptoms are for Coronavirus. If you have mild symptoms, we’re just going to test you to make sure that it’s not COVID-19. But that also means that it takes 24 hours to get the results back.

So, that means that when we test someone, they need to be isolated for 24 hours just in case it is positive. The likelihood of mild symptoms is it’s probably not [COVID-19] - it’s probably allergies or a cold or whatever, but we just don’t know, and we need to stop any kind of transmission. So, we’ll put someone in isolation for 24 hours, and make sure that it’s not COVID-19. So, education and then early identification of anybody who could possibly have COVID-19, and then the isolation, quarantine, and the contact tracing. So, if anybody’s positive, then we do talk to them and find out about anybody they had close contact with, and then contact those people and put them in quarantine.

Does the Health Center play a role in testing?

We kind of run it, but there are a lot of people helping. We’re the ones who are in communication with the Broad Institute - that’s the lab that does the testing. We also did the training for everybody who’s helping out with the testing. But we have lots of people helping. We need someone who asks everybody who comes if they have any symptoms because we don’t want anyone who has symptoms coming into the gym and possibly exposing other people. So, we send them over to the health center. Then, we have a number of greeters and traffic flow people who tell people exactly where to go so no one’s confused. Then, we have at least five

Police Logs 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

Thursday, Sept. 10 22:38 Medical FSU Police Dept.

Transported to Hospital

Friday, Sept. 11 23:41 Assist Other Agency Maple Street Checks OK

Tuesday, Sept. 15 00:17 Assist Residence Life Maple Commuter Lot Services Rendered

Tuesday, Sept. 15 10:50 Suspicious Activity Larned Hall Advised

NEWS

Letter from President Cevallos Dear FSU Community, I would like to thank The Gatepost for giving me this opportunity to welcome you back to Framingham State University for a semester unlike any other in our 181-year history. So much feels different since the last time we were together, and indeed, the entire world has changed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed the lives of nearly 200,000 people in the United States and forced all of us to adjust how we live and interact with others. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in late May has sparked a racial reckoning that calls on us to examine what more we can do to advance the liberation of the Black community and support what should be the uncontroversial statement that BLACK LIVES MATTER. And as I write this, a large swath of the West Coast is on fire and a hurricane batters Alabama, more evidence of the increasingly severe consequences of the world’s inaction on Climate Change.

What can we do at our small New England University in the face of such global problems?

We can get to work. We can earn degrees that enable us to become leaders in pushing for social justice, or advancing scientific research. We can become educators and make our mark on the leaders who will come after us. We can volunteer at organizations that are undertaking this work in our communities, or for the political campaigns of candidates whose values align with our own.

At the administrative level, we are recommitting ourselves to becoming an anti-racist institution, not just in words, but in practice. This ongoing process requires us to engage all members of our community in capacity

building and training that aids in the understanding of the realities of race, racism, anti-Blackness, and systemic oppression. We are also dedicating increased resources to improve the remote learning experience, to ensure that we can continue to offer an excellent and engaging learning experience throughout the pandemic.

It has been so nice having students back on campus these past three weeks, even in our limited capacity. If we hope to make it through the semester this way, we must all continue to be vigilant about following health and safety guidelines. Please wear your face coverings on and off campus, avoid large gatherings, practice good hygiene, and monitor your health daily for symptoms of illness. If you suspect you might be ill, quarantine yourself right away and contact the Health Department so we can get you tested. This is going to take all of us to be successful.

So welcome back to Framingham State University. Let’s get to work.

Sincerely, Javier Cevallos, Ph.D. President Framingham State University

Courtesy of Framingham State

“Please wear your face coverings on and off campus, avoid large gatherings, practice good hygiene, and monitor your health daily for symptoms of illness.”

-F. Javier Cevallos, President of Framingham State University

Gatepost Interview continued

continued from page 2

people who register students in what’s called the “Care Evolve System” - that’s the Broad software system so they can print the labels that go on their tubes.

Then, we have five people who observe everybody doing the self-swabbing. So, that’s at least 15 people per shift, and we like to have two shifts. Some people do the whole day, but that’s a lot. So, that’s at least 30 people that we need per testing day. All around campus, many departments have sent some other people over to work. We have students who are helping out, which has been great. We have at least one of our SEALs helping out. It’s a massive

Weather

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | 3

effort with everybody on campus. Last week, with the 10 students that we had positive from the same dorm, we decided that we needed to test everybody in the dorm. Within 24 hours, we had pulled together another testing session on Friday. So, we had extra volunteers who came in for that, so that was really helpful. We’re the ones who get the results, and then we, of course, notify anybody who’s positive and work on getting them into isolation, quarantine, and finding out who their contacts are.

Do you have anything else you would like to say pertaining to

Sunday night Sept. 20 Mostly clear, low near 40. N winds around 5mph.

Monday night Sept. 21 Mostly clear, low near 45. N winds around 5 mph.

Monday Sept. 21 Sunny, high near 60. N winds around 10 mph.

Tuesday Sept. 22 Mostly sunny, high near 65. N winds around 10 mph.

COVID-19?

I just want to say that controlling the pandemic, keeping the University open, and keeping people healthy is everybody’s job. We all have to do the masking, the social distancing, the personal hygiene, and washing hands frequently. We also have to feel OK about saying something to people who are not doing it as well - sort of like in an educational way that these are the guidelines, these are the rules, you need to do X, Y, and Z. But the Health Center can’t do it alone. The administration can’t do it alone. We need every single person to really be vigilant. So far, I feel like the fact that we have had

no positive test in our last two testing days is really good. I think there are some people who are maybe a little lacking, but I think a lot of people are maintaining the social distance, and wearing the masks. We just really need to keep that up so that we can keep the University healthy and keep it open for the rest of the semester. My final words are to say, “Thank you,” to everybody who’s really trying as hard as they can, and please keep up the good work and the vigilance because we can do this!

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

Forecast provided by the National Weather Service www.weather.gov Tuesday night Sept. 22 Wednesday night Partly cloudy, low near Sept. 23 50. W winds around 5 Mostly clear, low near 55. mph.

W winds around 5 mph.

Wednesday Sept. 23 Sunny, high near 75. W winds around 5 mph.

Thursday Sept. 24 Sunny, high near 75. W winds around 5 mph.

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

NEWS

4 | SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

COVID-19 by the numbers September 17, 2020

By Donald Halsing Associate Editor

By Leighah Beausoleil News Editor

By Kathleen Moore Design Editor The Gatepost news team will publish a weekly series of charts and graphics showing the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic as the Fall 2020 semester progresses.

New to our graphic series is data from the City of Framingham, which is classified as a “hot spot” for the virus by the state of Masachusetts.

Worldwide COVID-19 infections approach 30 million at time of publica-

tion. Almost a million have died.

However, available recovery data offers a promising outlook. A quarter of people in the U.S. who were infected

by COVID-19 have recovered.

Coronavirus Resource Center

Data sources: Framingham State University Town 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 US data: CDC, New York Times Recovery data: Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center World data: WHO, Johns Hopkins

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST

Framingham

Kathleen Moore / THE GATEPOST

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

Massachusetts

NEWS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | 5

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

6 | SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

NEWS

HEED continued continued from page 1 is to “identify and advance FSU’s strategic inclusive excellence objectives.”

Cabello said faculty, staff, and students on the committee will analyze data and metrics, work with institutional-level policies, and have the authority to implement systemic change.

Another new initiative is the Anti-racist Pedagogy Academy hosted

by CELTSS and DICE. Lina Rincon, assistant director of CELTSS, said the academy’s goals are to “engage faculty in understanding what it looks like to become anti-racist in the context of teaching and advising.”

She added, “The academy will offer resources and conversations on how faculty can reflect on their own identities as they relate to living in a racist society, learn about inclusive pedagogies to use in the classroom, engage in decolonizing their curriculum, and think about how to work toward changing university policies to be anti-racist.”

Additionally, the CIE is launching a Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation initiative. The concept was first developed by the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AACU).

According to the AACU website, the program aims to erase “structural barriers to equal treatment and opportunity on campuses.”

Cabello said, “It’s an opportunity to look at how we as communities transform through understanding one another.” She added the program is currently hiring students to be peer facilitators.

Additionally, four remote workshops focused on race are scheduled for the fall semester.

Rincon said her session with Cabello, “Engaging in Dialogue about Race in Teaching and Advising,” will

@TheGatepost | FSUgatepost.com

include a discussion of race’s effect on work at FSU. “We will encourage participants to reflect on how race and racism affects their experiences and invite them to think about how these experiences connect to the work that they do on a daily basis,” she said.

The session is scheduled for Sept.

25.

Another resource for faculty to hold discussions about race is an “Anti-racist Dialogues” group.

According to the FSU website,

vention,” according to the website.

Brad Medeiros, chief of Framingham State University Police, shared a statement on Facebook from the Association of Chiefs of Police for Massachusetts on June 2.

The statement was published in response to the controversial death of George Floyd at the hands of Minnesota police officers.

The Chief’s post said police at Massachusetts state universities continue mandatory training on “fair and impartial policing and in de-es-

“We’re experiencing a dual pandemic right now of COVID-19 and racism.”

-Constanza Cabello, Vice President of DICE the group aims to “support and give space for FSU employees who wish to self-reflect and consider their personal role and responsibility in dismantling racism and to move this education towards effective anti-racist action at FSU.” Other employee resources include training modules on EVERFI, including “Diversity and Inclusion EDU, Managing Bias, and Harassment Pre-

force policy is already in line with the national #8cantwait campaign.

Sodexo, FSU’s food service provider, posted a similar message on Instagram June 16.

The message also referenced Floyd’s death. According to the statement, in order to “amplify and make space for BIPOC, trans voices and helpful information, we held off posting to Instagram.

“Sodexo has put out workshops to provide awareness, education and important conversations about inclusivity which will be made available for our team to participate in.”

According to Cabello, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on communities of color.

She said her office created a page within the COVID-19 information section of FSU’s website to “highlight our focus on equity during these times.”

“I’ve heard folks say we’re experiencing a dual pandemic right now of COVID-19 and racism,” she said.

The page includes information on inequity resulting from the pandemic, including xenophobia against Asian Americans and the relationship between racism and public health.

It also contains links to resources, including the Rams Resources Center, technology for remote learning, and emergency sources of funding for students and their families.

Cabello said systemic barriers to diversity and inclusion are amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are going to see an impact, and that makes diversity and inclusion work so much more urgent right now - more than ever.”

calation techniques.”

In a message to the community later in the month, Cevallos said, “University Police commit to working directly with our communities of color to break down any barriers that exist and ensure the department’s relationship with our entire community is one of trust and understandCONNECT WITH DONALD HALSING ing.” dhalsing@student.framingham.edu He said University Police’s use of

OP/ED

O P / E D THE GATEPOST EDITORIAL

Shift your priorities “To (safely) be here, it takes all of us.”

Those words are plastered around campus and included in every COVID-19-related email sent in the past few months. But, it seems students and employees alike are not taking those words to heart.

Our community can only operate successfully when everyone follows the COVID-19 related rules set in place by our administration.

When those rules aren’t followed, our ability to continue educating and learning safely goes awry.

One of the rules put in place this semester during such unprecedented circumstances - is that no parties or large group gatherings are allowed.

We get it. Having a social life is an important part of the college experience and we feel the same way you do. We want nothing more than for students to enjoy hanging out with friends, attending classes, and diving into student activities on campus.

But now is not the time to push boundaries and question protocols put in place by our administration to keep us safe. Life can’t return to normal until COVID-19 has been eliminated by a vaccine.

If people wore masks, socially distanced, and washed hands, they wouldn’t get COVID-19.

It’s as simple as that.

In order for us to maintain campus activities, including living on campus, we must all agree to work together toward enforcing safety protocols to ensure that COVID-19 is eradicated from campus.

However, this can’t be done if people are behaving irresponsibly.

There are credible and definitive reports of student parties happening on and off campus.

When we see videos and photos of students on social media not following these three simple rules, it becomes obvious there are people in our community who don’t take the severity of this pandemic seriously.

Those who think it is OK to host or attend parties aren’t holding themselves and others accountable.

On campus, positive test rates must be kept under 2%, and while there are factors limiting transmission of the virus - such as mandatory testing, a campus-wide mask mandate, and only 15% of classes being held in person - this doesn’t mean everyone is immune to contracting COVID-19.

While we have a smaller community this year with only 790 students living on campus and 1,226 students attending class in-person, it is still imperative that everyone follows the basic COVID-19 guidelines set in place by the CDC. No one is safe from the virus. All it takes is one careless action - intentional or unintentional - to put yourself, your peers, faculty, and staff at risk.

For students, this means that you should

not be attending parties, whether they are in a dorm, outside, or off-campus.

There is absolutely no excuse for risking the lives of those around you because you want to selfishly indulge in socializing with your peers in ways that are not socially distanced.

However, the weight of following safety protocols should not be placed solely on students’ shoulders as our campus population is not composed only of students.

While our administration believes self-policing and holding one another accountable is adequate protection, it is not a replacement for devising serious consequences for those who violate safety protocols.

It is unfair to assume that students can always police themselves.

Although the employees of Framingham State have worked tirelessly since the beginning of the pandemic to establish safety protocols and procedures, enforcing those policies is both more challenging and important than ever.

Whose job is it to hold people responsible for breaking the COVID-19 rules?

We understand that students must be accountable for their actions, but our administration must respond vigorously to those not following safety guidelines.

There is more to be done by our administration than just posting flyers around campus or sending weekly testing update emails.

As students, we see the parties and gatherings happening.

What we don’t see is those involved facing consequences for putting our community in danger.

And it’s not just students who deserve accountability from our administration. Faculty members teaching on campus need to know if they are endangering themselves and their communities when they travel to FSU. How would you want to learn that students in your class attended a large gathering?

Would you rather find out on social media, or from your administration with a guarantee those students are being held accountable for their actions?

Students and faculty deserve better than current expectations and consequences.

We need humility, honesty, straightforwardness, and a policing strategy from our administration. We need clear consequences if someone attends a large party.

And we need accountability from our fellow students, too.

Most importantly, we need transparency all around.

To be at Framingham State safely, it takes all of us working together: students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

All it takes is one of us not prioritizing safety for the campus to shut down again and all of us to go home early.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | 7

No time for “I don’t care”

By McKenzie Ward Opinion’s Editor

One of the most exciting days of my elementary school career was during early November in 2008 in my 1st grade teacher’s classroom.

I understand how that may be considered oddly specific, but I remember this day clearly because it was the first time I was introduced to voting.

It was right before the historic 2008 election and for the first time in the history of the United States, there was a Black presidential candidate nominated by a major political party.

Our class held a mock election in which we voted for whom “we” wanted as president. We did this again in high school during the 2016 election.

I remember being so excited to have the chance to “vote,” and over the years, my excitement about voting has only grown stronger.

Being able to vote for the first time in November of 2018 during the midterm election is one of my proudest days because I knew I was helping make a change with my vote, which is something women were not allowed to do until 1920.

But something that I have noticed the past couple of months is how many people consider themselves apolitical, not interested or involved in politics and often chose not to vote in state and/or federal elections.

How could you not be interested in something that has so much impact on your everyday life?

There is not a single day that goes by that politics and voting don’t affect your life in some capacity.

Voting and educating yourself about politics is more than choosing which side of the aisle your beliefs line up with or selecting a candidate. Voting means having the privilege to have your voice and beliefs be heard and advocating for the policies and ideas that you support.

Although we live in the United States where we have the freedom to make our own choices, choosing to be apolitical is no longer a choice when your vote decides whether we have four more years of a president who has allowed 200,000 people living in the United States to die during a pandemic while he continues to golf and tweet while ignoring the cries of the nation.

Our country is about to have arguably the most historic and life changing election ever and still there are people across the nation who meet the criteria to vote but will not vote because according to them, politics does not affect them, or they just don’t like politics.

Even though you may think politics doesn’t affect you, your vote may save my right to choose whether I want to have an abortion or save the lives of women who are currently detained in ICE detention centers in Georgia and are being forced to have hysterectomies.

Your vote is more than some filled-in bubbles on a piece of paper.

Your vote can save lives.

“I don’t like politics” is no longer a valid answer to “Why don’t you vote?”

We are quickly approaching the deadlines to register to vote.

The deadline for Massachusetts is October 14th. The deadlines for other states can easily be found on Ramlink under the events tab.

Although you may not like politics, our lives will forever be changed on November 3rd and everyone in this country who is eligible to vote has a right to take part in that change.

Please consider dedicating the next couple of weeks to educating yourself about how influential politics is in our lives and then request a mail-in ballot.

Just remember: when you wake up November 4th to the results of the 2020 election, unless you voted or were active in politics, you don’t have a right to complain about the outcome.

You had the chance to make a change, but because you “don’t like politics,” you lost that chance.

Have an opinion?

Feel free to email it to: gatepost@framingham.edu Opinions should be about 500 words.

Anyone can submit.

We look forward to hearing from you!

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OP/ED

8 | SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

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Campus Conversations If you knew about students attending parties and potentially bringing COVID-19 onto campus, would you tell someone? Why?

By Donald Halsing, Associate Editor

“Yes. I think it really depends on the severity. If there’s a party off campus with 100 people I would tell someone.”

-Jay Christian, sophomore

“Yeah. If I knew where it was happening I would tell my RA.” -Ben McGhee, senior

“Yes. I don’t want to get sick, especially if it’s freshmen. I don’t want them to ruin it for everyone else.”

-Danielle Parenteau ,sophomore

“Yeah. I would definitely tell someone, maybe an RA or someone who can get that information down the right channel.”

-Tadiwn Chitongo, sophomore

“Yes, because that affects everyone’s health and safety.”

-Cassidy Shaw, sophomore

“Yes. Normally I wouldn’t care, but in a pandemic it’s really serious.”

-Madison Burek, sophomore

p d sub issions re ect the opinions of their authors only and do not necessarily re ect those of he atepost or its staff. @The atepost | FSUgatepost.co

SPORTS

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | 9

L etter from the E ditor

To our student athletes, There’s no question that this semester is different than any other in the history of FSU. The decision to cancel fall sports based on MASCAC restrictions and NCAA guidelines is heartbreaking, to say the least. Losing the chance to participate in sporting competitions is something no one could have predicted a year ago, and is something I wish more than anything that I could change for all of our student athletes. Our athletes are not athletes exclusively - you are students, you are community members, you are performers, gamers, artists, teachers. You do so much more that deserves recognition. While I alone cannot get you back onto the fields playing with your teammates, I can ensure The Gatepost will feature student athletes, and especially seniors, in a larger spotlight than typically seen in our sports section. I acknowledge your struggles to adapt to new forms of athletic training and practicing, and I hope that our sports section this fall provides readers with a glimmer of hope and something to look forward to as we move through this semester. I know that all of our incredible athletes will come out of this unconventional time with stronger bonds than before. I cannot wait to see what amazing feats our athletes perform both on and off the field.

All my best, Ashley Wall Editor-in-Chief

Photos from the Gatepost Archives Spread by Donald Halsing/THE GATEPOST

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A R T S &

ARTS & FEATURES

F E A T U R E S

VRAM ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2’ is a return to form for the series

By Robert Johnson Jr. Arts & Features Editor If you’re reading this newspaper, and are of a certain age to have an attachment to him in some way, you probably know who Tony Hawk is.

The legendary, internationally renowned skateboarder who, aside from landing the first successful 900 at the 1999 X-Games, became a hero to millions of young kids and rebellious teenagers, providing them a glimpse into what skateboarding really can do to a person’s life.

Of course, with all this newfound, mainstream fame, came endorsements, and one of the most iconic endorsements of Hawk’s career - so far, anyways - is the “Tony Hawk’s” series of games, which include “Pro Skater,” “Underground,” and a number of other games under that umbrella.

However, throughout the last decade, the “Tony Hawk’s” series was not in a good place. The franchise was far from the media juggernaut it once was at the turn of the millennium - and no thanks to Robomodo’s failed attempts to capture the attention of skate fanatics with 2009’s “Tony Hawk: Ride,” 2010’s “Tony Hawk: Shred,” and, the straw that snapped the board in half, 2015’s critically panned “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 5.”

After five years and another change in developer, Vicarious Visions (VV) - with a little help from Beenox brought back the series in a big way with the remade - and “remastered” compilation release of “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2.”

As the title suggests, this release bundles the entirety of 1999’s “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater (THPS1)” as well as 2000’s “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (THPS2),” but with a 2020 lens to it - improved visuals, new skaters, new music - courtesy of Machine Gun Kelly, A Tribe Called Quest, among others - and just a whole lot of “new” across the board.

When you first Ollie into the game, be it on THPS1’s Warehouse or THPS2’s Hangar, you will stumble and fall a lot. You will be kicking yourself, wondering why you can’t chain a grind into a wall jump, into a Wallie, into a special grind for big points like you used to when you were a kid. You will groan in disgust, similar to how I did when I finished my first two-minute run, scoring less than a six-digit point value, wondering how I had “lost my ability to play.”

After all, I did play the original

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“THPS1” and “THPS2” on a Nintendo 64 controller - we can’t all be winners.

That’s OK, though - it’s supposed to be that way, just like real skateboarding. Before long, you’ll notice yourself getting better, and that’s the magical part about the initial struggle of playing “THPS1+2,” which plays and controls smoothly enough that it feels like doing an Airwalk - everything just feels right.

There is a lot of content in the single-player campaigns for both games, featuring all the Park Goals that you know, along with individual challenges a player can complete. However, in order to complete the 714 challenges in the game, you have to get your hands dirty with the Multiplayer and Create-a-Park offerings.

I am pleased to say that the Multiplayer, while not entirely perfect at the moment, is an absolute blast of adrenaline to play, offering online game types such as Combo Mambo and Graffiti, as well as local, splitscreen games such as H-O-R-S-E and Free Skate.

At the current moment, I feel that some online game types in Online Jams, such as Combo Challenge and Score Challenge, could use some adjusting to their criteria - some rounds can either wear out the two-minute time limit, or the round can end in the matter of 10-to-15 seconds. However, Competitive Mode is totally fine, given that the point of Competitive Mode is to be a harder variant of Jams.

Create-a-Park is easier than ever, now with the inclusion of Smart Rails and Ramps to ease the process of making your own, unique skate parks.

You can even upload your creations to the cloud, so other players can try it

out and remix it to their liking, afterwards.

The character creation suite may lack in terms of customization with no variable body types, for instance. But, there are still many options to choose from, in terms of what your skater can wear. It also helps that there are a plethora of unlockable grip tapes and board designs that you can obtain to add some flavor to your skater’s appearance. The shoe selection is pretty nice, too, if you’re into that.

However, in the case of the Pro Skaters, all the usual suspects are here - the Hawkman himself, Bob Burnquist, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, and Elissa Steamer, to name a few - as well as some new blood in the form of Aori Nishimura, Riley Hawk, Leo Baker, alongside other modern-day skate prodigies. Baker’s inclusion is especially cool in the sense that a non-binary individual is a playable character in such an iconic and mainstream series such as “THPS.” All the skaters in the game are unique in their own way, ranging from

Activision the style of skateboarding that they prioritize - Street, Vert, or Ramp - as well as their personal clothing styles.

“THPS1+2” is a brilliant offering from a company that’s still riding off the highs of working on “Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy” and it definitely shows. The production value just exudes quality from all corners - it is far from the cash-grabby attempts of the Robomodo days of the series, where games were just quickly put together to capitalize on nostalgia.

Just from looking at the Pro Skater-focused vignettes that one unlocks from obtaining all of a character’s stat points, you can see Vicarious Visions’ willingness to present this game with its best foot forward to win the crowd back - or, in skater terms, goofy or regular, depending on which foot VV decides to push the board with.

If Vicarious Visions can re-make all the games in the series, I would not mind that one bit.

CONNECT WITH ROBERT JOHNSON JR.

rjohnson10@student.framingham.edu

Grade: A To quote Zack de la Rocha: “...Turn that s*** up!”

ARTS & FEATURES

Alumni continued

Continued from page 1

everlasting memories.

The cost of the University has allowed for students of all different economic backgrounds to come together.

Starting out as an all-women school with little to no ethnic diversity, the University has come a long way.

Seven alumni throughout the decades share their experiences at Framingham State as it changed and grew to become the University it is known as today. Despite being a small state school, it lives on largely in people’s memories as having been the best years of their lives.

Diane Finch ’66 - The 1960s Diane Finch began her time at State College at Framingham in 1962 when the college was still all women. But this was not much of a change for Finch who came from an all-girls high school. One of five sisters, Finch was a first-generation student studying elementary education with a minor in Early American History.

In an attempt to “get away,” Finch said she chose Framingham because of its distance from her hometown as well as for the size of the school. She graduated high school with a class of 36 students, so to her, the 300-student graduating classes at Framingham were quite large.

She also enjoyed meeting people from all different areas of Massachusetts as well as from out of state. “And I just liked the feel of it,” she said. “It was a great, great pick for me.”

Finch stayed on campus in Pierce Hall where the women lived in single rooms. “Almost like cells,” Finch said.

“I was on the third floor overlooking the dining hall roof, but I liked it because it had the tunnels. At that time, we could use the tunnels to go over to our classes.”

Finch then spent her remaining three years in O’Connor Hall. The hall was used as a dorm until 2016 when it was repurposed as an office building, according to an article by The Gatepost.

At the time, the dining hall was sit-down dining, so the students were served by waitstaff.

She described the students being close with their professors. “Many of the professors … would go down to O’Connor Hall, where they had the cafeteria, and would have their lunch,” she said. “We went down - we lived there - so we would sit with them and talk with them.

“Every Wednesday night, it was a formal dining, and a lot of the faculty members would come and eat with us,” she added. “Dr. [Justin] McCarthy and his wife always came on Wednesday nights.”

D. Justin McCarthy was appointed the college’s president in 1961,

according to the Framingham State website.

Finch said, “It was small, so it was a very, very intimate campus, and the professors were all very available to us.”

During her time at Framingham, Finch was involved on campus.

“My very first year Ted Kennedy was running his first senatorial race,” Finch said. “I was the chairperson on campus for the Ted Kennedy race, so that started to sort of kick me off as a freshman.”

She explained how after he won, he came back to campus and acknowledged the work she had done.

Finch was also an active member in the Intercultural Relations Club. In her sophomore year, the club went to New York for the United Nations General Assembly where they represented Iceland.

She explained how Japan, represented by Yale, and England, represented by Harvard, were the two big countries they were negotiating with at the time.

“It was unbelievable,” she said recalling her experience. “Remember, those were all male schools at that time.”

Finch was also associate editor of The Gatepost her junior year and editor-in-chief the following year. She went to the University of Minnesota for a three-week conference her junior

year with the president of the Student Government Association (SGA) and others.

The newspaper was produced differently during the time. Instead of weekly issues, there were a total of four. During her senior year, the paper went from four to six issues, with a special issue in February for Religious Emphasis Week.

The newspaper was in O’Conner Hall as opposed to its current office in the McCarthy Center.

“It wasn’t all computerized, so we had to set the galleys up,” Finch said. “I would have to drive them into Brookline to The Jewish Times, and they ran the newspaper for us and delivered them.”

She added, “It went from writing, to laying out the galleys, to bringing it to the printer, writing it off - it was a very different experience.”

Finch recalled the joy campus events brought such as May Day. “The sophomore class took over the campus,” she said. “It was always a surprise. People would wake up that first Friday in May and it went for the weekend.”

“I used to love going down singing at the town square downtown,” Finch added. “At Christmas time, we would sing as a choir down there, and they would go for hot chocolate and cookies. The town would all come out.

“That was a very special time,” she

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | 11

said.

Finch described finding her own identity as the most memorable thing to happen to her during her time at the college.

“It’s just the development of a whole person by self identity,” she said. “I think it really grounded me, and rooted me, into who I was.

“Framingham certainly catapulted me in terms of my career as an educator,” she added. “I think that the notion of really defining myself occurred at Framingham. … But the platform as a woman, and as one that could stand up for herself, and think for herself, could advocate for herself, and could move into different circles.”

Finch said, “It opened my world.

“It gave me a much larger worldview, even at that time,” she said. “I remember Kennedy was assassinated my sophomore year. We had all the trouble about Vietnam. … We were right in the mix of things.”

Finch brought up the alumni song.

“As time goes on, and chains are connected and the chains will not be severed until we go - until we leave this world - and I feel that way,” Finch said. “I feel like my chain is still part of Framingham, and it will never sever. It’s beautiful. It’s a beautiful song that we have.”

CONNECT WITH LEIGHAH BEAUSOLEIL lbeausoleil@student.framingham.edu

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ARTS & FEATURES

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The Best of

By Brennan Atkins Arts & Features Editor “Da 5 Bloods” is the latest Spike Lee joint that focuses on a platoon of African American veterans returning to Vietnam to claim the body of their former squad leader, as well as a stash of gold they hid while they were serving.

The film uses de-aging CGI in order to bounce between the younger and older versions of each character seeing the origin, and effects of trauma was a short, powerful way of showing how war can utterly change a person.

What makes the film especially interesting was how it felt like Spike Lee wanted to teach Black history at any and every point where it was relevant to the plot. Lee takes an incredibly direct approach to do this by adding in real clips of Muhammed Ali, Angela Davis, and Martin Luther King Jr. discussing the criminal oppression African Americans have to face.

What hits especially hard is that many of these issues aren’t resolved - Lee uses this not only to create a moving plot, but an important lesson.

Netflix

By Patrick Brady Staff Writer “The Old Guard” was released this past summer, and is easily the best Netflix action film I have ever seen.

The film revolves around four immortal mercenaries, who discover that there’s a fifth among them. Once they’re united together, they fight to stay alive against the evil government forces who want their immortality.

As a Netflix original film, it was surprisingly good. But as an action flick, it was great.

“The Old Guard” had intense and riveting action sequences, sprinkled in with great character dialogue. Not only did it keep me engaged the entire time, but also kept me on the edge of my seat on numerous occasions - a feat that very few films succeed with nowadays.

There were very few lame moments, and the film made use of its multi-million-dollar budget. For instance, the action scenes were explosive, but not overly so. And most importantly, the movie didn’t rely too much on CGI. While Netflix films often lack in thrills, this one fully delivered.

Netflix

By Ashley Wall Editor-In-Chief

The second season of the hit Netflix show “The Umbrella Academy” takes viewers into a world unfamiliar to fans of the first season. Based on the comic book series by Gabriel Bá and Gerard Way, the plot centers around protagonist Five Hargreeves, played by Aidan Gallagher, failing miserably to save the world from an inevitable apocalypse while simultaneously saving his brother from stopping the assasination of President Kennedy.

The much-anticipated season provides a deeper glimpse into the lives of a dysfunctional family of superhero children. If you find yourself fascinated with cults, mafias, and talking monkeys, then this show is for you.

One major selling point of this season is that it successfully uses time travel to introduce heavy topics such as sexual orientation discrimination and racial discrimination in the political climate of the 1960’s.

The season’s plot is frankly brilliant and promises to have viewers on the edge of their seats throughout all 10 episodes. Each episode is guaranteed to make you scream at the screen with complicated plot twists all leading up to the end of the world.

“The Umbrella Academy” promises to be nothing like any other Netflix original that you’ve seen.

Netflix

By Robert Johnson Jr. Arts & Features Editor Thanks to the unending nightmare that is the COVID-19 pandemic, many video game-adjacent events and gatherings had to be cancelled to enforce social distancing policies all across the world.

However, as dark as that realization might have been for those looking to mash buttons and trash talk with their friends, Discord came to save the day, blinding Light theme and all.

The free instant messaging and VoIP service has brought joy to so many servers, as well as the users contained within them. With Discord’s ability to voice chat and screen share with friends, especially those that one would usually connect with in person, the service has become a prominent, daily source of joy and meme sharing amongst friends.

On top of that, Discord has also been a great tool for tournament organizers looking to make events happen in the wake of the pandemic, with events such as AnimEVO and Quarantined Rapport making waves in the competitive end of the Fighting Game Community. That’s impressive.

Discord

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ARTS & FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | 13

Summer 2020

By Jared Graf Asst. Arts & Features Editor Less than a year ago, budding hip-hop/pop-punk/emo-rap/trap sensation Juice WRLD walked off his private jet, collapsed at the airport, and died of a drug-induced seizure.

This July, the once accused industry plant’s first posthumous album “Legends Never Die” was released, selling nearly 500,000 copies in its first week alone - and not without reason. The impressive numbers are a direct product of the talent and versatility exhibited by a 21-year-old artist stepping out of his comfort zone to make timeless, yet innovative music.

The Marshmello-assisted “Come & Go” finds Juice WRLD blending different genres together and creating an infectious summer anthem - all while self-analyzing his own tendency to sabotage relationships.

On tracks such as “Fighting Demons” and “Can’t Die,” the young artist eerily predicts his own death multiple times. “They tell me that I’m finna OD in no time / I told them ‘I’ll do it on my time, not your time,’” he chillingly raps on the latter.

Ironically, “Life’s a Mess” featuring Halsey serves not only as an uplifting ballad about finding happiness, but also a break from the album’s profoundly honest content.

Juice WRLD delivered a perfectly polished body of work, adaptable for SadBoi Hours or your Friday nights out.

Who else can do that?

Grade A Productions/Interscope Records

By Robert Johnson Jr. Arts & Features Editor Similar, but also not similar to the story behind another EA disaster - that time period when “Titanfall 2” came out a week before “Battlefield 1,” with the former getting almost no promotion - “Rocket Arena” is a super fun, hectic third-person arena shooter that deserves more than the hand it was dealt.

Released with very minimal fanfare during a global pandemic (almost) nobody saw coming, Final Strike Games are constantly keeping the game up-to-date and adding new content for the few players that decided to take the plunge - especially when it went on sale at GameStop for $10, less than a week in.

Despite the unfortunate situation, and the potential of the game going free-to-play sooner than Final Strike Games expected, “Rocket Arena” is a game that deserves praise, for it is a unique take on a genre that doesn’t provide much wiggle room, in that regard.

Final Strike Games

By Cara McCarthy Associate Editor “Chemical Hearts,” directed by Richard Tanne and starring Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams is a romantic drama that was distributed by Amazon Studios in August.

Reinhart takes a break from her breakthrough role in “Riverdale” to play Grace Town alongside Austin Abrams as Henry Page.

The film, based off of the novel “Our Chemical Hearts,” written by Krystal Sutherland, centers around Reinhart’s and Abrams’ characters as they are recruited to be co-editors of their school’s newspaper, a position Grace reluctantly accepts.

While the film at first glance may seem like your typical love story, it is more a story of self love than romance.

The acting and the chemistry between the two stars is something to be admired, Reinhart truly embodied the role of Grace, and her emotional portrayal felt real and heartbreaking.

While I may be a hopeless romantic who went into this film looking for a love story with a happy ending, the message this film presents in the end surpasses all expectations and truly makes it the best film of my summer.

Amazon Studios

By Ashlyn Kelly Staff Writer Taylor Swift surprised the world this summer by dropping her eighth studio album “folklore,” which diverged from her previous genre of pop into alternative.

“Cardigan,” the first single, is mature and melancholy, accented with wistful vocals and pensive violin. It is written from the perspective of Betty, one of the characters Swift created for the album for the first time.

However, her typical autobiographical songwriting tendencies were not absent. Fans believe that the haunting song “my tears ricochet” is a metaphor for her parting ways so publicly with Scott Borcetta, her old label owner, and Scooter Braun acquiring all her master records from her first six albums.

In the chorus, Swift croons, “And when you can’t sleep at night, you’ll hear my stolen lullabies.” After the acquisition, Swift stated that she was only made aware of the sale with the rest of the world and was not given a chance to buy back her masters.

Once again, Taylor Swift has proven her ability to cross genres and break boundaries, and I cannot wait to see what she comes up with next.

Republic Records

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ARTS & FEATURES

Alexander (Sandy) Hartwiger tells FSU what it means to be a global citizen

By Cara McCarthy Associate Editor At the Fall 2020 Lyceum lecture, Monday, Sept. 14 Professor Alexander (Sandy) Hartwiger presented his research on what it means to be a global citizen.

The lecture, sponsored by CELTSS, was originally scheduled for the Spring 2020 semester, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hartwiger, a member of the English department, used his own experience, the experiences of those with whom he met along his travels, and research to answer the question: “What is a global citizen?”

Hartwiger began the talk by telling the story of a young man who he met during his time in Israel.

Asel Asleh was only 17 years old when he was “chased by soldiers, beaten, and shot in the neck” by Isreali soldiers while observing a protest, according to Hartwiger.

He went on to tell the audience Asleh was fluent in Arabic, Hebrew, and English and could change which language he was speaking “as seamlessly as he moved between groups.”

To Hartwiger, Asleh “embodied the spirit of what it means to be a global

citizen,” because he “dared to use his positioning and experience as a way to teach the world how to make meaningful and deep connections that transcended indifference,” Hartwiger said.

He also told the audience a little bit about how he came across the idea to research the ideology of being a global citizen.

After being raised in Virginia by two parents, neither of whom owned passports - Hartwiger attended Appalachian State University.

Only eight months of working in the corporate world is what it took for Hartwiger to ditch the suit, grow his hair long again, and become a teacher. He would then go on to teach in schools in India, Hong Kong, and Lebanon.

He also took much of his talk to go through several mission statements surrounding global citizenship in higher education - including Framingham State’s.

The University’s mission statement reads, “A Framingham State University education cultivates thoughtful, responsible local and global citizens, prepares students for a career, and positions them for success.”

Hartwiger deems this definition of global citizen to be too broad, as it

only states that in order to be a global addendum covering the idea of being citizen, they must be “a conscientious, a global citizen through the COVID-19 pandemic and the growing Black Lives non-local citizen.”

Drake University’s mission state- Matter movement.

Hartwiger said after witnessing the ment claims that “individuals must be able to succeed in different cultur- global response surrounding the panal contexts and see their own culture demic, it reveals “a world incapable from other points of view,” according of responding to global threats.” He added he is “shockingly disappointed to Hartwiger.

However, he also said that privilege with the lack of cooperation across naplays a big role in determining who tions.”

He also cited the trend of assigning gets to be a global citizen.

“White, male, wealthy, and west- blame, specifically due to President ern educated as global leaders, whose Donald Trump calling the COVID-19 very position furthers exploitative, virus “the China Virus.”

“At its core, this demonstrates economic, and political policies,” said Hartwiger. “These programs provide how far we are from understanding the expertise and skill sets that enable ourselves as part of a community,” certain participants to quickly join the Hartwiger said.

On the other side of the spectrum, transnational capitalist class maintaining positions of power and influ- he discussed the global community that has been formed surrounding the ence.”

In Hartwiger’s words, “Citizenship Black Lives Matter movement, citing is still a contested category, leveraged the spread of protests and the worldfor political purposes, and emerging wide movement this summer protesting the injustices endured by Black from xenophobia.”

He used the controversy surround- people all across the globe.

Hartwiger said, “The continued ing the true birthplace of President Obama, and most recently the same fight to end oppression in one place question being raised about Demo- has an impact on the other.” cratic Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris.

CONNECT WITH CARA MCCARTHY He concluded his talk by adding an cmccarthy8@student.framingham.edu

‘Project Power’ holds back its true potential

By Patrick Brady

Staff Writer

“Project Power” is an action, sci-fi film directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. Both directors previously collaborated on other films, such as “Paranormal Activity 3,” “Catfish,” and “Nerve.”

The film features Jamie Foxx as Art and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Frank Shaver.

Although it was bloody and brutal at moments, the film never had a violent, gritty feel to it.

The pacing was also muddled at times, but Foxx and Gordon-Levitt attempted to carry the film through its rough patches.

Robin, a dealer played by Dominique Fishback, is almost robbed by a group of thugs who seek “Power” - a pill that, if taken, grants people superpowers for five minutes. But before anything can escalate, Shaver - a police officer, who is also one of Robin’s buyers - breaks up the fight.

Quickly thereafter, Robin is abducted by Art, who forces her to take him to her dealer’s safe house. After things get out of hand and shots are fired, Art bonds with Robin. They agree to work together in order to find the person who is distributing the pills.

What makes this film different from a typical superhero film is how

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the pill often isn’t used for doing good. In fact, almost everyone who takes the drug in the film has bad intentions. “Project Power’s” main premise revolves around how if people take the pill, they can live like a superhero for 5 minutes, even with the risk of death.

Although the film starts off somewhat strong, it quickly dives into mediocrity after Foxx’s first fight scene.

From then on, the dialogue becomes cheesy and the intensity fades with the revival of Netflix’s great weakness in their action films - cringe-inducing scenes that are unnecessary and don’t progress the plot.

The film itself is way too quick, and should have had a few more scenes of exposition or - at the very least - a few more high-intensity action sequences. And while the action scenes were somewhat intense, they felt repetitive.

Along with terrible exposition and sub-par action sequences, the film relied way too heavily on CGI. But nonetheless, Netflix did try - but failed to hide - the CGI through the usage of color correction.

The action in the film was repeatedly bogged down by cheap-looking CGI with elaborate, but useless, set pieces. And even though the set pieces were clearly of high-budget production value, they were never really used until the final 20 minutes.

Most importantly though, the film was quite boring throughout a majority of the second half and didn’t hold my attention for very long. Instead of being the action-packed film it had promised, it relied heavily on exposition spoken between Art and Robin - and not the exciting kind. It’s almost as if the film’s screenplay writer wanted to establish a highly intricate character bond before closing with the grand finale.

Despite the negative aspects of the film, “Project Power” does have some redeeming qualities to it. For one, Foxx and Gordon-Levitt delivered their lines almost flawlessly, and their conversations never lacked any substance.

Along with the acting, the grand finale of the film was a spectacle to behold. Not only did it take full advantage of “Power’s” central storyline, but looked great as well. The colors were vibrant, the action was consistent, and it barely ever stalled.

Compared to other Netflix originals, such as “Triple Frontier” or “6 Underground,” “Project Power” was very enjoyable.

But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t flawed.

A reason why “Project Power” was disappointing was due to its promotional material, which hyped up the film way too much. Furthermore, the trailers were misleading, since they

didn’t touch upon the film’s premise.

Although advertised as a superhero flick, most of the movie revolves around Robin and Art’s attempt to take down a drug lord who sells the pills.

“Project Power” has an intriguing premise, but sadly, never takes full advantage of it. Although the acting was fine, Foxx and Gordon-Levitt were not able to save the mediocre script. But at this point, do expect a sequel, since it topped Netflix’s charts when it was first released.

ADMIT ONE

Grade: CThere is not much “Power” left in Netflix original films.

ADMIT ONE

CONNECT WITH PATRICK BRADY pbrady@student.framingham.edu

ARTS & FEATURES

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020 | 15

‘How to Get Sh*t Done’ gets the job done

By Caroline Gordon Editorial Staff If you’re like me, you like to get stuff done.

The feeling of checking something off a to-do list makes me feel efficient and makes me want to do even more.

Oftentimes I feel like I can’t stop getting stuff done, whether it’s sneaking in another workout or doing extra photo editing. Although I like to stay busy, I wondered how many of the activities I checked off my list during the day served me.

I decided to do some research on productivity and how to make the most out of my time. The book, “How to Get Sh*t Done” by Erin Falconer, helped me be more productive while taking things off my jam-packed to-do list.

Throughout the book, Falconer gives anecdotes about her personal life and her goal to grow her business, LEAF, and manage the editor-in-chief position for the self-help website, Pick the Brain. The book is targeted more towards women, but this read is helpful for all.

Falconer starts off the book by defining POP, which stands for personality, opportunity, and productivity. “POP takes personality (P) - who you are - and combines it with where you are in life and in the world, as a woman, a.k.a. your opportunity (O), to create your very own definition of productivity (P).”

Falconer’s goal throughout the book is to redefine what being productive means to you. She notes that your definition of productivity may look different than someone else’s and not to compare yourself to anyone else. I appreciate how Falconer discussed obstacles you could face and how not to let them get in the way.

“Sometimes a roadblock is a bitter pill to swallow, but sometimes it’s an unexpected gift. Realizing you don’t really want the thing you thought you wanted means you can free up all the energy to pursue your real goals.”

My favorite aspect about this book is Falconer’s constant positive tone. She touches upon internal self-dialogue and how crucial it is to be positive.

Positivity is a huge part of this book

ACROSS 1. One may be Grade A 4. Pageant prize 9. Verde or roja dip 14. Call out 15. ___ nerve (retina-brain connector) 16. Truck attachments for winter 17. *Traditional Easter meal (notice letters 4 to 6) 19. Cary of “The Princess Bride” 20. Fort Knox bar 21. Witherspoon of “Walk the Line” 23. Oolong, for example 24. Mooring place 25. *Brahma or Devi (4 to 7) 27. Batting position 29. Concert tour worker 30. Stud location 31. Hold the floor 35. Word before “money” or “crop” 36. *2010 act that gave coverage to millions, informally (4 to 6) 39. Not pass, in school 42. Teaser ad

and I like that because positivity aids productivity.

Falconer talks about how to use the internet to your advantage opposed to letting it consume your life and slow you down. She offered four helpful tips on how to minimize your screen time.

After reading this book, I began implementing all four. The four tips are: disable the culprits - meaning control urges to social media binge; gather together all the tasks you can do offline; set a schedule - which includes distractions; and make your current work full screen.

I think these recommendations are of utmost importance, especially to younger generations, and I am so glad she discussed these.

One of her most important messages is to lose the idea that you should always do what others want you to do and to have courage to say no in order to allocate time to your own productivity.

This is a bold and blunt message.

I admire how she gets to the point and I think this is excellent, straightup advice.

43. Shop appliance, briefly 46. Taking Rx drugs 49. Contents of a helpful column 51. *Intensive care enclosure (4 to 7) 55. List element 56. Uncle, in Uruguay 57. Texas city whose name is Spanish for “flat” 58. Peter out 59. The March King 61. Certain spy, or a hint to the starred answers’ indicated letters 63. More refined 64. Merchant group 65. Addams cousin 66. Balance sheet plus 67. Buenos ___ 68. Old game console DOWN 1. It may be lunar or solar 2. Italian dessert that’s similar to sorbet 3. Workout paraphernalia 4. Basis for a lawsuit 5. Wall St. launch 6. Video game pioneer 7. Ready for baking, like dough 8. Took steps 9. Olympic swimmer’s wear, perhaps 10. More than most 11. Good time to dig for clams 12. Honeybunch 13. Tested, as an ore sample 18. Brought into the world 22. California’s Big ___ 25. Wife of Zeus 26. “At ___!” (standing order, in a sense) 28. Corn holder 32. Electric guitar need 33. Roof sealant 34. Environmentalist’s prefix

Finally, Falconer discussed burnout vs. exhaustion, which I had difficulty differentiating before reading this book.

She referred to the American Psychiatric Association’s markers of burnout: emotional exhaustion, lost sense of self, and sense of failure. I think it was clever how she made sure to dedicate a whole chapter to burnout and how to identify and stop it.

In my opinion, ending the book with the chapter “Avoiding Burnout” made sense and tied in well with the rest of the book.

As someone who used to wish there were 25 hours in a day, I am glad I came across this book to change my

perception of productivity.

I would rate this book five out of five bookmarks.

CONNECT WITH CAROLINE GORDON cgordon4@student.framingham.edu

36. Cassini of fashion 37. She loves, in Latin 38. Retina cell near a cone 39. Place for a pedicure 40. On edge 41. Jason Mraz hit that spent 76 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 43. A, B, C, D, E or K 44. Transparent sheet 45. Gets set?

47. Head out 48. NBC sketch show 50. Vague sense 52. Subarctic forest 53. Bored feeling 54. Polite refusal 58. States further 60. “We’ll ___ about that!”

62 Infant follower?

Puzzle solutions are now exclusively online.

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

PHOTOS

16 | SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

It takes all of us to keep our community safe

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Lorretta Holloway, Vice President of Enrollment and Student Development

Wear a mask to protect yourself and others!

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g Ser vic Rach es Marke ting C ael B Gene issonnett oordinat or ea ral Areth Manager nd a Phi llips

Michael Desilets Class of ‘69

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FSU Women's Field Hoc

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FSU Women's L

Photos courtesy of FSU community members. Photo Spread by Ashley Wall/THE GATEPOST FRAMINGHAM STATE UNIVERSITY’S INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1932 | FSUGATEPOST.COM