Emerson College’s student newspaper since 1947 • berkeleybeacon.com
Thursday, March 12, 2020 • Volume 73, Issue 21
COVID-19 OUTBREAK RAPIDLY DISRUPTS LIFE AT EMERSON PELTON RESPONDS TO “UNPRECEDENTED” COVID-19 PANDEMIC
Utah Jazz player tests positive for COVID-19 after team practice at Emerson
Dana Gerber, Beacon Staff
Ethan McDowell and Aaron J. Miller, Beacon Staff
President M. Lee Pelton said many answers concerning long-term extracurricular continuation, housing feasibility, summer and fall classes, and room, board, and tuition refunds remain uncertain amid the transition to conduct remote classes due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus. “We spent nearly three hours going over significant questions and resolving how those questions should be answered,” Pelton said in a phone interview with The Beacon. “Each day we’ve been faced with a new set of circumstances and we are managing a whole set of issues related to this global crisis.” Pelton said upper college officials, including members of the IT, Campus Access and Security, Center for Health and Wellness, and Academic Affairs departments met for a meeting on Wednesday, and plan to meet again either Thursday or Friday to reassess the situation.
Following a Utah Jazz practice at the college’s gym on March 5, a player on the team tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from the team. The player, center Rudy Gobert, was preparing for a game against the Boston Celtics on March 6 and the team held practice in the Brown and Plofker gym. Pelton said Director of Health and Wellness Jane Powers has reached out to the Boston Public Health Commission for assistance. “We typically give a wide berth to the professionals who practice in our gym,” Pelton said in an interview late Wednesday night. Boston public health officials have advised the college that “no immediate action is required at this time,” according to a statement from Emerson College. The test came back positive shortly before tipoff and the NBA canceled the game. At 9:37 p.m. Wednesday evening, the NBA announced the suspension of the 2019-2020 season following Gobert’s positive diagnosis of COVID-19.
See Online, page 2
See NBA Player, page 2
What does this mean for us? What we know and what we don’t See Know, page 3
See Response, page 2
Emerson athletes question season’s future See Athletes, page 8
How Emerson’s response differs
How COVID-19 impacts Marlboro See Marlboro, page 3
INSIDE THIS EDITION
Alum’s live podcast tour comes to Boston in mid-March Pg. 5
The Beacon online
Good customer etiquette empowers the service industry Pg. 6
berkeleybeacon
Students respond to drastic changes See Grapple, page 5
Emerson College transitions to online classes See Online, page 5
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Pelton speaks on “uncharted waters” of COVID-19
Continued from page 1 Pelton said the college plans to update the college’s COVID-19 FAQ with more answers regarding campus and student life this week. In a college-wide email sent Tuesday, Pelton announced that the last day of in-person classes will be held on Friday, March 13, after which a week-long break in classes for professors to prepare their plans for a remote classroom will ensue. Beginning Monday, March 23, classes will proceed remotely, likely through the Zoom video-conferencing system. Pelton said the decision to cease in-person classes was to ensure community safety, but he remains unsure about the specifics of the remote learning transition, especially in classes that include more hands-on and interactive elements. Pelton explained that Provost Michaele Whelan is working with teams, chairs, and faculty to adapt the experiential learning method to a remote environment. Pelton said he could not currently anticipate plans for summer or fall classes. “We took into account humane and human factors of the student experience,” he said. “The answer to how we will be able to replicate the experiential classroom or studio experience into a remote learning experience is evolving. And I
don’t have an answer today.” The nuances of the remote learning environment, Pelton said, will be at the professors’ discretion. “I trust the faculty to develop creative, innovative, and meaningful instruction for all students under all circumstances,” he said. While Pelton acknowledged the potential of a remote learning experience, he also said he understood its limitations. “Online education in some instances, but not all, may be a poor substitute for the in-class experience,” he said. Pelton said the administration decided not to close residence halls, as other Boston-area colleges such as Harvard University and MIT, have done, because students had already arrived back from spring break when much of the COVID-19 issues arose. He also said Emerson’s relatively small 3600-person student body also played a factor in the decision to allow students to stay on campus. No Emerson students have been confirmed positive. “Our students have already been on spring break and are back on campus, and we do not have any evidence to suggest that any of the students who are currently on campus have presumptive coronavirus,” he said. “The principal view was that because the risk in Massa-
chusetts remains low and we don’t have any students who’s presenting [symptoms of] the coronavirus, and it’s not presumptive, that we would allow students and their parents to make a decision and the principal is to give students and their parents some agency in this rather than kick kids off campus.” Pelton said the ability for residence halls to stay open will be reevaluated as the COVID-19 pandemic develops, and even if a majority of students decide to leave, that will not affect the college’s decision in regards to keeping residence halls open. Pelton said the college is still attempting to bring students home who are currently studying at programs in European cities, such as Paris and Valencia. Though Trump instituted a 30day ban beginning Friday on the travel from Europe to the U.S., this excludes U.S. citizens. As of March 11, there are 95 confirmed and presumptive positive cases of COVID-19 in Massachusetts, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts Tuesday afternoon. Pelton said information regarding the continuation of student organizations and extracurriculars, extended housing, large event gatherings such as the ERA awards and the EVVY awards,
refunds for students who choose to leave campus, and student employment will be provided as soon as possible, and will be posted in the FAQ later this week. Pelton said he has received over 400 emails from members of the Emerson community regarding the COVID-19 response, and said he understands community frustration and anxiety regarding the lack of quick answers regarding the college’s response to the pandemic. However, he emphasized the college wants to be confident in their responses before sharing them. “We want to make sure that our answers are complete,” he said. “We ask for patience while we develop answers to these questions.” The Emerson potential merger with Vermont’s Marlboro College, Pelton said, will not be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue to move forward. Though there are also no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at Marlboro, Pelton said he is in continuing talks with President Kevin Quigley. Pelton said there are many ever-changing aspects of the college’s response, including what would happen if an Emerson student tested positive or if the pandemic worsens. dana_gerber@emerson.edu
How does Emerson’s response compare to others’ in the city Karina Sanchez, Beacon Staff Following Gov. Charlie Baker’s declaration of a state of emergency Tuesday, a cascade of colleges and universities across the commonwealth told students to vacate campus housing and moved classes online. Emerson College released its own statement Tuesday evening detailing the decision to shift classes online. “In the interest of safeguarding the health and wellness of our students, faculty, and staff as well as members of the greater community, who may be more vulnerable to this disease, the college has made the difficult decision to transition all in-person classes to online learning for the remainder of the spring term according to the schedule below,” the statement read. In a statement released Tuesday morning, Harvard President Lawrence Bacow asked students to not return to the college after spring break and be moved out by Sunday, March 15. “The decision to move to virtual instruction was not made lightly,” Bacow said in a statement. “The goal of these changes is to minimize the need to gather in large groups and spend prolonged time in close proximity with each other in spaces such as classrooms, dining halls, and residential buildings.” Amherst College in Western Massachusetts, MIT, and Boston College are asking students to move out of campus housing before spring break and are conducting all classes online for the remainder of the semester. Northeastern and Boston University are all moving classes online. In the same statement sent to Emerson students on Tuesday, President M. Lee Pelton left the option up to students to leave campus or not. “The Boston campus will remain open to the conclusion of the Spring Term,” Pelton wrote. “Students will have the option to leave or stay on campus.” Other universities like Suffolk, Tufts, and Mount Holyoke have also announced their dorms are closing unless students have special circumstances. Suffolk President Marissa Kelly specified what special circumstances meant to their campus in a statement to students. “However, to minimize health risks to our community, we ask that students who are currently living in University-sponsored housing make plans to move out of their rooms, with the exception of international students living on campus who are unable to return to their home countries and domestic students with special circumstances. Students who move out of the residence halls will be eligible for a pro-rated refund based on the time remaining in the semester,” Kelly stated. Emerson professor Nancy Allen said she believes that schools must decide to go remote on a case by case basis. Allen has a master’s degree in Public Health in Health Communications from Tufts University and has presented at the
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Emerson College 13. Suffolk University 14. Northeastern University 15. Boston University 16. Harvard University 17. Lesley University Tufts University 18. Regis College Olin College of Engineering Brandeis University Boston College Babson College
Emmanuel College UMass Boston MassArt Berklee College of Music Wentworth Institute of Technology MIT
Centers for Disease Controls health communications conference. She teaches courses on infectious diseases at Emerson. “It is different for Emerson because we have just returned from spring break,” Allen said in an interview. “It would not have been a reasonable decision to have gone remote before spring break because the virus was in a totally different stage than what it is now, and the timing of spring break has put us in this state of unknown.” Emerson has not addressed whether students who decide to leave would be reimbursed for the remainder of the semester and what steps to take in moving out. President of Suffolk University Marisa Kelly guaranteed that students who left their on-campus housing would be reimbursed for the remainder of the semester, according to the Suffolk Journal. Allen made it clear that our healthcare system is not prepared for the alignment of flu season and COVID-19. She warned that outbreaks can go on for unpredictable amounts of time. “We do not have enough hospital beds or respirators to respond to coronavirus and seasonal flu,” Allen said. “This could push the healthcare system to the brink.” karina_sanchez@emerson.edu
A map of all of the Massachusetts colleges that have shifted to online courses. Jacob Seitz / Beacon Staff
NBA player tested positive for COVID-19 Continued from page 1 According to the statement, “a player on the Utah Jazz tested negative for influenza, strep throat, and an upper respiratory infection. The individual’s symptoms diminished over the course of today, however, in a precautionary measure, and in consultation and cooperation with NBA medical staff and Oklahoma health officials, the decision was made to test for COVID-19.” Athletic Director Patricia Nicol also confirmed in an interview with The Beacon that the Jazz practiced on the college’s campus before the March 6 matchup against the Celtics but de-
clined to comment further. Junior Henry Johnston is the Director of Emerson Channel Sports and said he was present when the Jazz practiced in the gym March 5. Johnston said the Jazz players practiced on the court and sat on the bleachers. He also said at least one player rode a stationary bike and saw team staff use the elevators. COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, transmits from an infected person by coughing and sneezing and is known to live on flat and smooth surfaces for an extended period of time, according to the CDC. ethan_mcdowell@emerson.edu
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March 12, 2020
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Marlboro preparing for spring break delays Jacob Seitz, Marlboro Monitor Marlboro College is debating whether to allow its students who will be going home for the college’s upcoming two-week spring break to return to campus due to concerns over the rapidly spreading COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, according to college President Kevin Quigley. In an email sent to the Marlboro community on Wednesday afternoon, Quigley said Marlboro will allow its international students, seniors working on their Plan assignments, and any students with pre-approval to stay on campus during the break. It will also restrict all college-funded travel, which includes spring break trips and conferences for faculty. “The college is actively preparing for the possibility that we may need to ask students to delay their return to campus and to transition to online classes temporarily after spring break,” the email reads. “That decision could be made at any time between today and Friday, March 20, should conditions and recommendations from the CDC and Vermont Department of Health change.” In a phone interview on Wednesday from
Vermont, Quigley said the decision will be in collaboration with Emerson. “[We will be] talking to Emerson to see how [Emerson’s] plan is working and determine whether or not it’s safe to bring our community back,” Quigley said. Quigley said bringing students back later than expected is not out of the question, and that Marlboro has plans in place. “If it turns out that we think it’s in the best interest of our community and keeping our students safe, to have them go home for six weeks,” Quigley said. “We still want to maintain the option of finding a way to finish the semester here on campus and have the plan presentation and commencement.” In an email sent to the Marlboro Community on Wednesday afternoon, Quigley asked all students departing for spring break to bring with them materials “to conduct studies remotely for some period of time.” Quigley said despite Marlboro’s remote location atop Potash Hill, the college is not immune to the virus. “Our hilltop setting does not provide us adequate protection from the virus because people come and go all the time,” Quigley said.
What we know and don’t know about how COVID-19 affects campus Andrew Brinker and Stephanie Purifoy, Beacon Staff In a packed press conference Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in Massachusetts and announced that cases of COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, had doubled since Monday. Within hours, colleges and universities around the commonwealth released unprecedented plans of action to contain the spread of the virus. Emerson joined them, announcing a move to remote instruction after a one-week break and giving students the option to move out of dorms. As of Wednesday, there are 95 total cases in the state. Six people have been hospitalized but no one has died of the virus so far. Suffolk County has reported 19 cases. Two Harvard students are being tested for COVID-19. More than 125,000 people in over 100 countries have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 4,500 have died, including 28 in the U.S., according to a COVID-19 tracker created by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at John Hopkins University. On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the virus a pandemic. With many aspects of the transition to online classes still uncertain, The Beacon has assembled a compilation of everything we know and everything we don’t about different aspects of the COVID-19 crisis. Academics All in-person classes will end on March 13 and for the following week—March 16 to 20— there will be no formally scheduled classes, according to a statement from President M. Lee Pelton. Pelton said the break would allow faculty and staff to develop plans for facilitating the rest of the semester. “Because a significant amount of learning at Emerson is highly experiential, this transition week will give faculty and staff sufficient time and resources to develop a new online learning environment,” he said. What this new online learning experience will look like is still unclear. Some professors have expressed intentions to use the video conference service, Zoom. A great deal of uncertainty surrounds performing arts and production-based classes, where the variety of work done is hands-on. Pelton said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon that the college is actively workshopping the formatting for those classes. “The answer to how we will be able to replicate the experiential classroom or studio ex-
perience into a remote learning experience is evolving,” he said. “And I don’t have an answer today. But I do know that the Provost is working with deans and chairs and faculty to move forward in a way that will provide students enrolled in experiential learning class to have the best educational experience that they could possibly have in a remote learning environment.” Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michaele Whelan could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Campus The campus in Boston is set to remain open for the remainder of the spring semester and students can make the decision for themselves about whether they would like to move home or stay in on-campus housing. The Office of Housing and Residential Education emailed Resident Assistants to gauge how many will be leaving campus. Those who choose to stay will continue to serve as RAs. The Dining Center will remain open for those who stay on campus but some services might be curtailed. It is unclear to what extent dining services will be interrupted. The college has not given updates about what will happen to other dining options like the Max Cafe and the Paramount Cafe. General Manager of Dining and Catering Services Dawn Sajdyk could not be reached for comment Wednesday. As of Wednesday night, there will be no changes to how the Emerson Los Angeles campus functions. Some ELA students have been told not to return to their internships or places of employment indefinitely. “I understand that transitioning to online courses will be a significant adjustment,” Pelton said in his statement. “Please know that staff and faculty are committed to ensuring a positive and fulfilling learning experience for the remainder of the semester.” It is unknown which on-campus facilities— such as ECAPS, the EDC, the mailroom, the Office of Student Success, Student Accessibility Services, etc—will remain fully operational. Emerson’s decision to allow students to remain on campus broke from other colleges in the area, like Harvard, MIT, and Suffolk, who are requiring students to move out after spring break. According to a statement by Suffolk’s president, students will be offered refunds for housing prices. Emerson is currently “leaning in the direction” of offering housing refunds to Kasteel Well students planning to return home for the remainder of the semester, according to Assistant Vice President of International and Global Engagement Anthony Pinder.
Student Hunter Corbett walks into her Residence Hall. Jakob Menendez / Marlboro Monitor “Whether they come from New Hampshire or Brattleboro or North Hampton.” As of Tuesday evening, there is one confirmed case of COVID-19 in Vermont with 215 residents of the state being monitored for the disease—62 people have tested negative for the virus in the state. Quigley also said that some classes will be transitioning to remote instruction. “We are like everybody else, moving to more online delivery of our program with the possibility that we may do that exclusively,” Quigley said. “Though like at Emerson, we have many of the same challenges that a lot of our work in the studio art, the performing arts, [which] involves a number of our students, needs to be face to face and we’re trying to figure out how we might deliver for that programming by using internet technology of various sorts.” There is a faculty team at Marlboro working to support their professors who may not be familiar with some remote-learning technology.
It is unclear whether other students will be eligible for reimbursement. Pelton explained the college’s decision to allow students to stay on campus as the right move for Emerson, saying there is a greater risk to larger institutions like Harvard and MIT. “Our students have already been on spring break and are back on campus, and we do not have any evidence to suggest that any of the students who are currently on campus have presumptive coronavirus,” he said. “I think every institution has to make a decision based on this set of facts and circumstances that they have in front of them, and because, in some respects, there’s no right or wrong decision. It’s just the best decision that you can make in the moment.” Extracurriculars Director of Student Engagement and Leadership Jason Meier said in an email Wednesday that he currently has no information about how student organizations are going to proceed. The Student Government Association will hold an auxiliary Joint Session meeting Thursday night to determine how their operations will proceed, according President Will Palauskas. Pelton was unable to provide any definitive answers on how student organizations will proceed, but said the college would provide answers on their frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 page. Pelton also said college officials are assessing whether to proceed with large community events like graduation, the EVVYs, and the ERA awards. Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Jim Hoppe could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
“We have a faculty working group, supported by our IT team that are developing some tutorials and templates for faculty who aren’t quite as conversant with distance learning techniques to get them up to speed,” Quigley said. Quigley said postponing Marlboro’s commencement—set to be their last if the proposed Emerson-Marlboro merger is completed—is not out of the question, but that he’s encouraged by Marlboro’s small size. “We’re working really hard to see if there’s a way that we could have commencement,” Quigley said. “And maybe we’ll be in the middle of May, maybe it’ll be in the middle of June. But the circumstances are serious and fast-moving. And what we’re trying to do is take advantage of our small size and our ability to be nimble.”
jacob_seitz@emerson.edu
from myself, and from the coaches because the campus is not closing,” Nicol said in a phone interview with The Beacon. “The college is not asking students to leave.” Nicol said the athletic department is waiting on a decision from the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, the governing body of 13 Emerson sports teams, but until then teams will continue playing and practicing as scheduled. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference, which would dictate the continuation of the men’s volleyball team’s season, also has yet to cancel any games. The College Abroad President Donald Trump announced Wednesday the suspension of all travel from European countries to the U.S. by non-citizens. There are currently hundreds of Emerson students in Europe through study abroad programs, according to Assistant Vice President of International and Global Engagement Anthony Pinder. Pinder said the college is working to return students from Valencia, Spain and Paris, France to the U.S. The future of international programs, including current and summer study abroad programs, remains unclear as the virus continues to spread across the world. Student Employment As it is unclear what offices of the college and services will remain operational, it is also unclear how student employment will proceed.
Athletics The athletic department will not cancel any future contests or events despite the college’s transition to online classes due to COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, according to Athletic Director Patricia Nicol. “It’s a mutual decision from the campus,
stephanie_purifoy@emerson.edu andrew_brinker@emerson.edu
Living Arts The Berkeley Beacon
March 12, 2020
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Alum’s live podcast tour comes to Boston in mid-March Shruti Rajkumar, Beacon Staff Though Emerson alum Patrick Hinds ‘96 graduated with a BFA in performing arts, he spent his college years unsure of his future. He explored his interests through radio and TV internships, which landed him a full-time news associate at CNBC in New York City. After realizing he didn’t want to work for corporate television, he quit his job a year later to focus on what made him happy. “I was pretty unhappy [at my job], so I left,” Hinds said in a phone interview. “I wanted to pursue more creative endeavors so I got a job in a restaurant and started writing [books] and I kind of just kept going [until] I discovered podcasting in 2009. [Podcasting] went from being a very passive ‘I enjoy doing this’ to an obsessive ‘Not only do I love doing this but I love the industry.’” In May 2017, Hinds and his friend Gillian Pensavalle created True Crime Obsessed, a true crime comedy podcast that recaps well-known crime documentaries. Each episode of the podcast ranges from 55 to 65 minutes, and focuses on a specific crime documentary film. Clips from crime documentaries are interspersed with comedic descriptions and commentary provided by Hinds and Pensavalle. Hinds said that he didn’t discover his love for podcasting until 2009 when he started listening to Downstage Center, a Broadway podcast by The American Theatre Wing that included interviews with Broadway actors about their careers. As a Broadway enthusiast himself, Hinds decided to continue the premise of Downstage Center with his own podcast—known as Theater People—after it was discontinued. After a few months, he realized that he loved podcasting and wanted to continue it for a living. “I think when I discovered I could put a microphone in front of my face and I could put my actual voice out into the world…that really spoke to me,” Hinds said. “And I think that’s why podcasting stuck in a way that writing didn’t.” Hinds decided to switch gears and create a true crime podcast due to its popularity at the time, with the circulation of true crime podcasts such as Serial, In the Dark, and My Favorite Murder. “[While] Broadway is a love deep in my soul, I was able to focus more on podcasting as
a business and as something I could do to make a living, and that’s why I sort of pivoted towards true crimes podcasts,” Hinds said. In 2018, Hinds and Pensavalle began live shows at conventions in cities across the U.S., which evolved into a tour to coincide with the podcast itself. The shows are a live version of the podcast that uses a screen to play clips from the documentary rather than just the audio. “We sort of go through it and we laugh at urselves, about how angry we get, and we laugh about any of the things in the documentary other than the crime or the victim,” Hinds said. “The stuff that we’re poking fun at are if the documentary was made poorly or things like that. It’s pretty different from anything else out there and we love it.” Hinds and Pensavalle’s True Crime Obsessed tour is coming to the Royale in Boston on March 20. Hinds and Pensavalle are joined on the show by Tim Pilleri and Lance Reenstierna, the hosts of the Missing Maura Murray podcast, and the radio producer and TV documentary host of Oxygen’s The Disappearance of Maura Murray, during which the local Maura Murray case will be covered. Pensavalle said that touring adds to the connection that she and Hinds have with fans of the podcast, as well as adds a visual element to the podcast experience. “Something that we take really seriously and take as a really big compliment is that people feel like…they’re just hanging out with their friends while Patrick and I break down these documentaries [in the podcast],” Pensavalle said in a phone interview. “Patrick enjoys my reactions to things, and eye rolls don’t really translate over podcasting so people like to see us actually react and have physical reactions that you can’t see on the podcasts.” True Crime Obsessed viewership grew from only 349 viewers in their first preview podcast in 2017 to a record 6,034 in episode 121 in 2020. As the podcast grew in popularity, Hinds’ husband Steve Tipton, who has a background in business and finance, began managing the podcast in 2018. In early 2020, Hinds and Tipton established Obsessed Network, a podcast network that provides a platform specifically for true crime podcasts, including True Crime Obsessed. Hinds and Pensavalle covered the 2017 Netflix documentary Abducted in Plain Sight in December 2018 on True Crime Obsessed. Documentary director of Abducted in Plain Sight
Gillian Pensavalle and Patrick Hinds ‘96 create the True Crime Obsessed podcast. Courtesy of Curtis and Cort photography Skye Borgman said that Hinds’ podcasts, as well as the Obsessed Network, provides a great platform for different approaches to true crime podcasts. She said that the comedy of the podcasts creates an easier and more digestible conversation about sensitive topics, such as child sexual abuse. “I think it provides this great community really for people who love true crime, for people who had trauma in their lives and just need to be able to move on from it,” Borgman said in a phone interview. “So you can listen to something funny about it and have a choice of different approaches while still talking about some really important things.” Hinds and Pensavalle covered the 2017 Netflix documentary Abducted in Plain Sight in December 2018 on True Crime Obsessed. On March 2, 2020, Hinds released the network’s first original podcast series called Obsessed With: Abducted in Plain Sight. The four-part podcast for the 2017 Netflix documentary Abducted in Plain Sight is about a teenager from Idaho in the 1970s who was abducted by her neighbor on two separate occasions. Hinds and Borgman speak about the details of the story that were left out and discuss the updates on
the case. “The biggest one was trying to get a little more insight into the parents. I think people felt there was more to the parents, like there was something more that they knew,” Borgman said. “A lot of people really wanted to know how Jan is doing now, so we were able to kind of talk to her and ask her some of these burning questions too about her dad and her mom and how everybody’s doing now.” Hinds currently lives in the theater district of New York City with his husband, whom he met 13 years ago on MySpace and Match.com, and their six year old daughter Daisy. “We feel lucky about our lives, we live right in the theater district in Manhattan [and] we love going to the theater,” Hinds said. “There’s a lot of art and success surrounding [Daisy at school] and we feel very lucky about that. We work really hard at our jobs but we also have a great family life and we just couldn’t be happier.”
shruti_rajkumar@emerson.edu
Solved: The Myth of Reverse Racism Melanie Curry is a sophomore journalism major and the Beacon’s deupty lifestyle editor.
A few weeks ago, I scrolled on my TikTok “For You” page and stumbled across a video of a white girl claiming that every race can be racist. I stared in shock for a few seconds before reading the comment section, expecting other TikToker users to educate this woman on her definition of racism. To my surprise, many of the viewers agreed saying that her words were the truth. Why were so many viewers, both black and white, ready to believe a white woman dictating that all races can be racist? To explain the difference between racism and prejudice, here are the definitions: Racism is defined as the systemic unequal distribution of power between races while prejudice is a perceived opinion or belief about a group, according to ThoughtCo. Every race can harbor negative and positive feelings for each other. For example, it is a common joke among black people that white people do not properly season their food. This assumption is prejudiced—not racist. However, if the tables were turned and white people made stereotypical comments about black people relying on government aid or assuming all Latinx people are undocumented—these comments are racist and prejudiced.
The difference between people of color mak- are—prejudice against any race is harmful and ing prejudiced comments about white people no one should engage in it. Yet, the belief that and white people making prejudiced comments people of color can be racist towards whites is about people of color is that white people are fallacious. Furthermore, this distinction bethe dominant group in power. The comments tween racism and prejudice also showcases the people of color make about white people hold misconception in reverse racism. no actual power in place, meaning these comHow can people of color be racist towards ments about whites do not affect their influence whites in a societal system designed to benefit and power in society. However, since whites are only white people? They can’t. the dominant race in all So why are so social, economic, and many white peo“To explain the difference political spheres, what ple claiming that is said about people of between racism and prejudice, affirmative action color can harm them in is reverse racism? here are the definitions: Racsociety. Since the beHere’s another exginning of time, ism is defined as the systemic whites have been ample: if a black person living in an affluent, preunequal distribution of power in power and peodominantly white neighple of color have borhood called the pobetween races while prejudice lived under syslice about a suspicious tematic forms of is a perceived opinion or belief oppression that white man with dreads and baggy jeans walking will keep them about a group.” down the street, the podown in society. lice would typically pay Whites have never no attention to the matter. On the other hand, if experienced this, so when laws like affirmative the suspect in question were black and the caller action try to even the playing field, white vicwere a white person, the police would typical- timhood emerges. ly take the man in for questioning or physically “The way America is currently set up, there’s assault the man for being in the neighborhood. nothing white people can’t have,” Doyin RichWhile both the black and white caller hold ards wrote to the Huffington Post. ”Wanna join prejudice against the suspect, the difference in the rap game, play professional basketball or each scenario is that the white caller has more participate in any black-dominated activity? If institutional power than the black caller and that you’re good enough, you’re in.” their prejudice and racism can potentially harm It’s not so easy for people of color to get a other races. job, go to college, or become and stay finanThis is not to say that black people and other cially successful because there are institutional people of color are not prejudiced, because we barriers. Additionally, the stereotypes whites
hold about people of color can also contribute to these barrier blocks. So when affirmative action gives people of color a leg up, the educational system is not discriminating against whites or being racist towards whites—it’s evening the playing field that has been off balance for centuries. To every white person reading this, don’t try to be a victim. You have privilege, accept it, and make small changes every day to recognize it. Affirmative action is not racist. Stereotypes and biases of whites are not racist. By claiming they are, whites ignore the truth behind real racism. Racism is our criminal justice system disproportionately imprisoning people of color for years on small marijuana charges while a white Stanford swimmer is sentenced to six months after being convicted of sexual assault. Racism is a black man driving down the street and being stopped by the police for a simple traffic violation, only for the police officer to shoot them because the officer thought he had a gun when in actuality he had a hairbrush. The officer never serves a day in prison. Racism is being labeled as the angry black woman, being told your hair is unkempt and nappy, or that you speak well for a black woman. Prejudice is the perceived opinion or belief about a group not based on experience or logical reason, while racism uses prejudice to reproduce a systematic disadvantage of power based on race. Remember that.
melanie_curry@emerson.edu
News The Berkeley Beacon
March 12, 2020
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College transitions classes online, dorms to remain open amid outbreak Stephanie Purifoy and Chris Van Buskirk, Beacon Staff
Emerson College joined on Tuesday a series of universities and colleges across the state that have transitioned classes online in response to the rapidly spreading COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus. The move comes hours after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency in the Commonwealth and reported that the number of COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts surged to 92, more than doubling the number of cases reported just 24 hours ago. In-person classes at the college will end on March 13 and during the following week—March 16 to 20—there will be no formally scheduled classes. Classes will resume remotely on March 23. Officials said the Boston campus will remain open until the end of the spring semester, however, students will have the option to leave or stay on campus. “That’s obviously very disruptive,” Baker said in regard to colleges across the state moving classes online. In an email to the Emerson community Tuesday evening, President M. Lee Pelton announced the transition and wrote that over the past several weeks, the college’s senior leaders and members of the Emergency Management Team “have taken steps to keep our community safe while supporting the core mission of the College: teaching and learning.” “There are no reported or known cases of COVID-19 at Emerson, and the risk of community spread on our campus remains low at the present time,” Pelton wrote. “However, in the interest of safeguarding the health and wellness of our students, faculty, and staff as well as members of the greater community, who may be more vulnerable to this disease, the College has made the difficult decision to transition all in-person classes to online learning for the remainder of the spring term.” Pelton could not be immediately reached Tuesday night for further comment. Vice President and Dean of Campus Life James Hoppe said the Baker’s state of emergency declaration was the tipping point that led Emerson officials to transition classes online. “It’s been a topic of conversation, at least for the last two weeks, because when the decision to adjust the Kasteel Well program was made that included the need to provide in-
struction online,” he said in an interview with The Beacon Tuesday night. “ On Friday, there were just eight cases reported in Massachusetts. Six people have been hospitalized but there have been no confirmed deaths from the virus. State Health officials reported 20 cases located in Suffolk County. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Michaele Whelan sent an email to faculty members late Tuesday afternoon with information in preparation for classes to transition online. Whalen included in the email a link to a guide prepared by the Instructional Technology Group to help faculty members with the new procedures. The email also stated that computer labs will be open with staff to walk professors through the different tools. Times and locations were not specified. “This is a difficult time for our campus and communities, one marked by widespread anxiety and rapid developments in relation to COVID-19,” Whalen wrote. “In keeping with our emergency planning process and in consultation with the faculty leaders of assembly and the unions, as well as the faculty library and technology committee, we are planning for the possibility that we would need to move all our classes in Boston online.” Pelton’s email stated that students will be able to access housing and dining services although some services might be “curtailed.” College officials will send several emails in the upcoming days detailing the implications COVID-19 might have on large-scale gatherings at the college such as the ERA Awards and EVVY awards, according to a statement from the Student Government Association released Tuesday night. Students can also expect to receive more information from administrators on extracurricular activities, student employment, and housing. The college canceled the Kasteel Well program on March 2 because of a drastic spike of cases in Europe. All castle students returned to Boston March 6 and received housing and meal plans with no extra charge. Suffolk University, a mere stone’s throw away from Emerson, asked students living on-campus to make plans to move out of their “University-sponsored housing,” according to a statement from the institution released Tuesday. International students are exempt from the move. The university also transitioned to on-
Students traverse across the busy Boylston and Tremont St. intersection.. Jakob Menendez/ Beacon Staff line classes and said specific instructions from faculty members would be sent to students in the following days. “Students who move out of the residence halls will be eligible for a pro-rated refund based on the time remaining in the semester,” the statement read. Hoppe said he regularly talks to deans at other colleges in the area. As for not closing dorms at Emerson, Hoppe said officials made the decision with all the information available as of Tuesday. “We try to look at facts as much as we can … taking guidance from other folks who are experts. And then at the end it’s a group decision,” he said. Harvard University on Tuesday asked all students to stay home after spring break and announced it would move to online classes this week. MIT has canceled all events involving more than 150 people, including classes which will now take place online. Babson College announced Tuesday that it would transition all classes online as a proactive measure to curb the spread of COVID-19. Officials at Babson wrote in a statement that students will be able to meet academic requirements remotely.
In the press conference, Baker said public K-12 schools in the state would be exempt from normal attendance and school year requirements so districts can decide whether to cancel classes. The city canceled the St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Monday over fears of a rapidly spreading COVID-19. In a paragraph directed at all students, Pelton wrote that the transition to online courses will be a “significant adjustment.” To the returning Kasteel Well students, Pelton said the Office of Internationalization and Global Engagement will release new information shortly. “I realize this has been an especially challenging week for you,” he wrote. Finally, addressing faculty members, Pelton said they would have the college’s full support during the transition. “I understand that, in many ways, we are asking you to rethink how you teach in order to help ensure our community’s health and wellbeing,” he wrote. stephanie_purifoy@emerson.edu c_vanbuskirk@emerson.edu
Students grapple with leaving or staying on campus following pandemic “In Dubai it’s the cases are rising and rising about coronavirus and [my parents] said that they were worried that the borders were going to be shut down because there are a lot of countries near Dubai and near UAE where the borders have already shut down,” she said. “So it’s just like a bad situation wherein two months I might not be able to go back home at all, so it’s just better if I like [go home] right now.” Grupa said there was a lot of speculation before Tuesday’s announcement and students were afraid the college would adopt a policy similar to other Boston-area institutions, forcing students to move off campus. Grupa said her Residence Director and housing staff has been helpful with her situation and offered to help her store some of her belongings when she leaves campus. Sophomore Tom Garback also spent his semester in Kasteel Well and said he is not planning on going back home because of his housing situation. “My family is moving from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. So in the interim, they’re in an apartment, and the apartment doesn’t have room for me because they expected by the time they would get to their new house it would be after this semester,” he said. “Yeah, so… I really just don’t have room, I’d be like sleeping on the couch.”
Tomas Gonzalez, Beacon Staff Sophomore Allison Valton said she was relieved when she heard she could go home for the rest of the semester. She has a skin disease that makes her more susceptible to illnesses. “I get sick really, really easily and it gets pretty serious pretty quick just because of my disability,” she said in an interview. “So, the coronavirus is really scary for me. So when [I heard that] they are sending us home I guess it really calmed a lot of my fears about just, like just getting sick and being away while I was sick—that was terrifying.” Emerson announced all students could move out of campus dorms Tuesday after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency because of the rapidly spreading COVID-19. As of publication, 95 cases of the virus have been identified in the state. All classes at Emerson will be conducted online for the rest of the semester. Since the announcement, students have been grappling with the decision of whether to stay on campus where they have secure housing or move out and avoid the risk of living in a major metropolitan area during the pandemic. Valton suffers from Ichthyosis, a group of skin disorders characterized by dry, scaly, or thickened skin that can lead to people losing the protective barrier that helps keep moisture in their skin and can lead to people getting sick easier. The sophomore attended the Kasteel Well program during the first half of the semester and came back with the group after the program was canceled last week. “I think one of the bigger challenges I had at the castle was this mentality of like, ‘Oh, it’s just the flu, we’re going to be fine like it only kills old and disabled people and I would just be
Since the announcement, students have been grappling with the decision of whether to stay on campus where they have secure housing or move out. Montse Landeros Cabrera / Beacon Staff sitting there like, ‘yeah, that’s me.’” Valton is moving out of her Piano Row dorm on Thursday and said she will miss being surrounded by her friends the most. “[My roommate] is my best friend,” she said in an interview. “I wake up and I see her every day, and I know it makes me a lot more social.
I’m going to miss the social aspect of seeing my friends every single day.” Junior Meher Grupa, an international student from Dubai and a Resident Assistant in the Paramount Residence hall, said her family is making her go back home Friday.
tomas_gonzalez@emerson.edu
Editorial Disruptions caused by COVID-19 pandemic deserve transparency College officials announced Tuesday that the school will transition to classes online for the rest of the semester due to the global spread of COVID-19. Emerson is among a list of local colleges including Northeastern University, Harvard University, and Suffolk University that have made similar decisions. An update email sent by President M. Lee Pelton said March 13 will be the last day of in-person classes at the Boston campus. The college will begin the process to transition to online classes during the following week,and all classes will resume remotely beginning on March 23. The email also said that students will have the option to leave or stay on campus until the conclusion of the spring term. The school’s decision in moving classes online is justifiable, as Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared astate of emergency on Tuesday. COVID-19 cases in the state rose to 95 as of March 11 and the World Health Organization announced that the spread of COVID-19 has researched a pandemic. Emerson College’s decision to transition to online classes takes all the necessary steps to keep students, faculty, and staff members under the best health possible. However, college officials need to communicate daily with the community and inform them about further plans. The school has taken some actions toward supporting students and staff during this time of confusion. They created a new website dedicated to answering frequently asked questions about the virus and listed resources for support. They’re also posting all correspondence with students and staff on Emerson Today. For more specific questions, people can email covid19@ emerson.edu. International Student Affairs also emailed students Wednesday with information regarding student F-1 Visa status, internships, limitations on online classes, and travel restrictions. All of these steps are essential towards preventing anxiety within the Emerson community, and we commend them for doing so. With that being said, many questions still remain unanswered. Will the Equipment Distribution Center remain open? How can production classes continue without equipment? Will students with on-campus jobs continue working, especially those with federal
work-study? How can performing arts classes transition virtually? Will the commencement ceremony be affected? If international students go home now, will they be able to return in the fall? How will the school support faculties who have no online class experiences before? These questions have a significant impact on students’ wellbeing, and the fact they still remain unanswered is concerning. Although Pelton claimed in his Tuesday message to continue communicating with students, he has not sent a follow-up email since then. Teachers in classes are confused as the students, wondering how they could move their classes online and how to provide the best learning experience for their students. We understand that a lot of the questions students and faculties have cannot be answered by a single person or department, and that the school is still in the process of deciding what to do. We also understand moving classes online is a hard decision for Emerson, even if so many other schools in Massachusetts across the country are doing the same thing. This is unprecedented, and the school administration, different departments around campus, staff, and professors need time to work together to figure out how to move forward as a campus. This is challenging, especially because many classes require equipment, gear, and physical spaces for them to take place, and the fact that there is simply not enough data and governmental announcements to base decisions on. These challenges make clear and open communication especially important now. Students, faculties, and staff need to feel supported and included, and the more information the school can provide, the more smooth the transition will be. Even if there are questions that the school administration does not have answers to, it is better to acknowledge the questions rather than not mentioning them at all. The school made a difficult decision, and everyone is in this together. In this time of uncertainty, more communication and transparency from the school administration will build more trust among the Emerson community so we can work together through this hard time.
This editorial was written by The Berkeley Beacon editorial board, which consists of the Editor-in-Chief, the Managing Editors, and the Opinion Section. Editor-in-Chief Chris Van Buskirk © 2020 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved. The Beacon is published weekly. The Beacon receives funding from the Student Government Association of Emerson College. Anything submitted to the Beacon becomes the sole property of the newspaper. No part of the publication may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of the editor. Website berkeleybeacon.com Email contact@berkeleybeacon.com
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March 12, 2020
The Berkeley Beacon
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Editorial Cartoon Illustration by Christine Park
Online classes
Crossword by Ethan Spitalney
The first player who finished this crossword and sends an email with the picture of the completed crossword to the author at ethan_spitalney@ emerson.edu will get their name featured in the next crossword!
Across 1. TV-screen inits. 4. Lustrous bedding fabric 7. “Toys ___” 10. Beer often served with a lime wedge 11. Pro’s con? 13. Indigenous Greenlanders 14. Create a digital image 15. First stage of grief 17. Pounds abbr. 18. 10 and 28 across, say 21. “It’s __ good” 23. Preceding a breath out 26. A hammer might hit it 28. Form of infection 29. Actress Hathaway 30. Pick 31. Chicken product 32. Washes away 33. Cigarette droppings
Down 1. Pope of 795-816 2. Lithuanian coin prior to the Euro 3. Forensic lab evidence 4. Severe combined immunodeficiency, abbr. 5. Top-notch rating 6. Rolling; wheeling 7. Some campus narcs 8. Not having passed (of a check) 9. Push a knife into 12. ___ and outs 16. Hawaiian welcome gift 19. Antwerp (port city) to the French 20. US Civil War’s 1862 battle site
21. After a G in some musical scales 22. “10 Cloverfield ___;” 2016 John Goodman movie 24. Henry who founded Life 25. Body shop figs. 27. Stool component
Answers available on https://berkeleybeacon.com/ crossword-answers/
The Berkeley Beacon
March 12, 2020
Thoughts
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Let others cope with uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 on their own terms Abigail Hadfield Hadfield is a senior creative writing major and The Beacon’s Deputy Copy Editor. On Tuesday, I followed along on my phone as I flew back to Boston and watched school after school announce their plans to address the COVID-19 outbreak. My boyfriend received the notification that his school, Suffolk University, would be moving all courses online and closing residence halls, requiring all students to go home. He will spend his last semester of college learning online. Later that night, as I suspected would happen, Emerson announced they would be moving all classes online, although the campus and dorms would remain open for students to stay if they desired. I still have the fall 2020 semester left as a full-time student, so the news didn’t initially upset me as much as my peers who are graduating in May. Then, the more I thought about it, I realized how distressed I felt about this change. It meant that I might not see many of my friends for months, until the fall semester started up again. It meant I wouldn’t get to have class in-person ever again with one of my favorite professors, and it meant that there was a chance that I wouldn’t get to see the student show that my best friend spent weeks stage managing and preparing. I understand why Emerson made this decision, and I personally think they made the right one. But on social media and around campus, I’ve heard students reacting in all kinds of ways, and these reactions are gradually becoming very heated over time as students become even more stressed and concerned after reassessing their situations. As far as I can tell, students seem to be taking two main approaches to the school’s announcement of its plans for dealing with COVID-19. One response seems to be a sort of “no classes = party time” approach, and the other response is a combination of anger and sadness in which students feel they’ve been robbed of their time at Emerson and their full educational experience. Some of the latter are
“As far as I can tell, students seem to be taking two main approaches to the school’s announcement of its plans for dealing with COVID-19.” Illustration by Christine Park / Beacon Staff
mad at Emerson and believe the college’s plan was poorly executed or unnecessary, and some believe the school did what it had to do but still aren’t happy about it. Students in varying departments are also reacting differently depending on their coursework. At first, I didn’t really think much about the fact that we were moving classes online, because as a creative writing major, all of my courses can be moved somewhat easily to an online model. I’m taking lecture and discussion-based classes that can be replicated with video calls and Canvas discussion threads.
But for my friend majoring in performing arts, moving online seems nearly impossible. Her classes involve acting and being in a shared space to perform and critique. Similarly, journalism majors concentrating in broadcast production have no clue how classes will function without access to equipment and production spaces. I think that people’s reactions largely stem from a central place of uncertainty, because we are living in an unstable time. We don’t know how long the virus will continue to spread, or where, and we don’t know whether
“Then, the more I thought about it, I realized how distressed I felt about the change.”
these measures are an overreaction or a lifesaver. Specifically at Emerson, there are many details to process moving forward that students don’t know—will student employees still have a job? Are we getting a tuition refund? What happens if students are unable to travel home this summer? All this uncertainty can spark fear, anger, sadness, or even a comedic response from those who just want to make light of the news to process it. But we’re all in this situation together, and we all deserve the time and space to deal with this change personally. While everyone is entitled to feel how they feel about the closure, and we should allow everyone to process this in their own way, your own reaction should not invalidate someone else’s feelings. Don’t make light of this to someone who has every right to be upset, but don’t get mad at someone for not being distressed. People have different ways of dealing with upsetting information, and for some students, this information might not even be upsetting in the first place. Tensions are rising as students demand information from the school and wait to hear what will happen, and while the waiting game is fun for no one, it would be incredibly counterproductive to shame others for their own reaction to this news. Try to put yourself in your peers’ shoes before attacking them on social media or in-person for how they react. Someone making jokes might be doing so because they need to improve their mood with humor. Someone who is expressing their anger or sadness doesn’t need to be told that the college was justified, they just need to be allowed to mourn their time at this school. We can remember that these measures are being put in place for our safety, and that ultimately we need to look out for all members of our community, but we can also be upset with the situation even when we know it may be for the best. abigail_hadfield@emerson.edu
Good customer etiquette empowers the service industry Melissa Rosales Rosales is a senior journalism major and The Beacon’s Podcast Producer and Opinon Columnist. The quote “put yourself in someone else’s shoes” takes a hard look at empathy. Whenever I see a “Masshole” driving in Boston, I just remember my mom telling me, “they probably just really need to poop.” While I chuckle on the roads and actually grow some empathy for crazy drivers, I wish customers could put themselves in service industry workers’ shoes as well. I find myself behaving extremely empathetic to waitstaff because I’m a server at Legal Sea Foods. But we shouldn’t have to actually work in the service industry to be good customers. I never really cared about tipping 20 percent or treating waitstaff respectfully until I found myself on the other side of the table: writing down complicated orders, opening a wine bottle with one hand, cracking lobsters, and memorizing food and drink menus— while still being a prompt and kind waitress to about five tables at the same time. All of these details were a lot more complicated than I thought they’d be. When nights were hectic and I was “in the weeds” or struggling to catch up and handle all my tables at once, I always worried I wouldn’t get a good tip because of my slow service. One of those nights, a table told me to take my time. “We were servers once, too. We get it,” one guest said. I sighed with relief. This was a coded message not to worry, and I didn’t. They still
gave me a good tip. Now, whenever I go to a restaurant, I see myself saying the same thing to the server who’s waiting on me. I also make sure to give a good tip because I see myself in them. I know they have to clean their tables, fold 100 linens, and take out the trash, too. I know how hard you have to work to get a good tip. I’ve worn those black, non-slip shoes before. In a Vice article about working in an ice cream shop, author Bettina Makalintal still treats workers with the same respect even after leaving the job two years later. “I’m nice to the point of apologetic, and I always, always put a few dollars in the tip jar—that kid behind the counter deserves it,” Makalintal said. There is a certain expectation when we dine out that we should receive good service. We are allowed to have this kind of expectation, but we shouldn’t use it as an excuse to mistreat workers who unfortunately couldn’t exactly give us that experience. “In times of stress, ice cream soothes; in times of happiness, it commemorates; and being the person who provides it puts you in the middle of all of those things,” Makalintal said. “When you can’t create the exact experience each person needs, it’s easy to get on people’s bad sides, and the miserable humidity of summer, I’m sure, never helped the situation.” According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of 2018, there are 3.7 million food service workers like Makalintal who prepare and serve food to customers, including fast food, and there are 2.6 million waiters like me. These are the millions of people nationally who work to serve others, but let’s not forget
“Those millions are also human beings who also deserve respect, understanding, and empathy.”
“I never really cared about tipping 20 percent or treating waitstaff respectfully until I found myself on the other side of the table.” • Illustration by Christine Park / Beacon Staff those millions are also human beings who also deserve respect, understanding, and empathy. However, I’ll admit that the working experiences in only one service industry doesn’t always make me a good customer. Once, my friend Julianne Giffin and I were walking around a clothing store when I picked up a shirt on a folded pile, then dropped it back. Giffin said, “Pick that up and fold it back. I work in retail.” Giffin works as a sales associate at Urban Outfitters. She does everything from folding and keeping the store tidy to shipping, working fitting rooms, making displays, and handling customer returns. Giffin is aware the workers get paid to fold clothes, but it makes workers feel good when they see customers help out. “It’s just a nice gesture that people think about the people who work there. They don’t have to make it perfect, but if they put it in the same area or something, it’s just nice,” she said. At the time, I was embarrassed Giffin called me out in the store, but I’m glad she did. She
was right. I was such an advocate for servers but a hypocrite when it came to other service industry workers. Etiquette expert Diane Gottsman said “tips” stands for “To Insure Prompt Service.” It’s a “valuable reminder to treat your server with respect and courtesy” and to reward good service. Retail stores won’t be able to operate if everyone leaves clothes around in their improper areas. Service industries depend on customers to be respectful and courteous to their employees, too. It’s easy to think that it’s a service industry workers’ job to please the customer. However, it shouldn’t be hard to also remember that we have a job to treat workers like all humans, too—humans who aren’t perfect. We make mistakes sometimes, but we rely on each other to understand them, because we’re all just trying to make a living. melissa_rosales@emerson.edu
Sports
The Berkeley Beacon
March 12, 2020
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Athletes question seasons’ future following outbreak Ethan McDowell, Sports Editor Senior women’s tennis athlete Mackenzie Swaney spent the first few matches of her final season recovering from a concussion. Two days after her first practice, Swaney received the news that the team’s remaining matches may be in jeopardy. “I was like ‘wow, I was just getting cleared and now I can’t play because of corona[virus],’” Swaney said in an interview. The college announced the transition to online classes in an email Tuesday amid the spread of COVID-19, commonly known as coronavirus, throwing the future of the 2020 spring sports season into question. Vice President and Dean of Campus Life Jim Hoppe, in an interview with The Beacon Tuesday night, said the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference will meet tomorrow, and the college will go along with whatever the conference decides. Information surrounding a definitive decision was not readily available as of Tuesday night. Swaney said she hopes the conference decides to continue the season, giving her the chance to appear in a match as a senior. “It is getting very crazy, but I think it’s kind of still early to really determine if we should be canceling these things,” Swaney said. “Personally, I would love to like at least get one match in.”
The women’s tennis team is scheduled to play its next match on March 21 against Lesley University. The baseball team played Framingham State University Tuesday, and after receiving the news following the game, senior outfielder Cam Beattie is facing the reality that this might be the last time he wears a Lions uniform. “The first thing that came to my head was ‘this is the last time I’m gonna get to suit up and play baseball,’” Beattie said in an interview over the phone. If the Lions’ remaining 27 games are canceled, Beattie said he will not understand the reasoning behind the decision. “I was just kind of devastated by the news in terms of I feel like we should be able to play,” Beattie said. “I honestly don’t understand why it would cause us not to be able to play, but that’s just my personal opinion.” Graduate student pitcher Brian Fisher is also in his final season of eligibility and said the team had a strange feeling going into its game against Framingham. “Going into the day and going to the game it kind of felt a little different,” Fisher said in a phone interview. “I felt like everyone was just a little distracted, and the guys just had a weird feeling around the game.” Freshman infielder Thai Morgan and Freshman catcher Matt Nachamie have appeared
in all 10 of the baseball team’s games this season and hope the season continues. Nachamie said he saw this news coming when other schools in Massachusetts began to announce closures. According to a statement released by Tufts University Tuesday, the New England Small College Athletic Conference will cancel league and championship play. “Most of the other schools in our conference, such as Babson and MIT, closed down for the semester,” Nachamie said in an interview. “We kind of knew something was coming, but we didn’t really expect it to come this fast.” The Massachusetts Institute of Technology announced Monday that visiting teams will be asked to only bring essential personnel and team members to future sporting events. Morgan said he would not mind the Lions implementing similar plans. “Some teams are playing without crowds, and our games don’t get crowds anyways,” Morgan said in an interview. “If we’re able to play, I think we should play.” Men’s volleyball sophomore setter Josh Elliot said he hopes the season continues, but he is also concerned of the impact this will have on his teammates. Senior setter Lucas Raagas is the only senior on the Lions’ roster, and Elliot said he wants to see his teammate
recognized on senior day. Elliot said Berklee College of Music student and outside hitter for Emerson Danny Darress faced a difficult decision whether or not to go back to his home city of Long Island, New York, because if he did Berklee would require him to quarantine himself for two weeks. Men’s lacrosse sophomore midfielder Alex Hrisanthopoulos is concerned about how online classes will impact his studies. “For me, specifically, cinematography courses, where I want to handle the camera, that kind of stuff is really hard to learn online,” Hrisanthopoulos said in an interview. Hrisanthopoulos said the lacrosse team is trying to keep things positive by joking and sharing memes in their group chat. As of now, Hrisanthopoulos said the team is still planning to play its remaining two games this week. Despite the mystery surrounding Emerson’s athletic programs, Beattie said the baseball team is determined to seize any opportunities they have left to play. “If there was any opportunity possible to play, I promise you, and I think the 26 or 27 other guys on the team with me would definitely agree with that we’re all more than willing to play,” Beattie said.
ethan_mcdowell@emerson.edu
Lions wrap up nationwide spring break Emily Cardona, Beacon Staff Emerson’s spring sports teams traveled across the country for their 2020 spring break trips, playing 29 games in five states. The baseball team, men’s and women’s tennis team, and women’s lacrosse team all traveled to Florida for their spring break trips. Softball went to Tucson, Arizona and the men’s lacrosse team took a road trip along the east coast. The men’s lacrosse team started its road trip on Feb. 29. They journeyed to Newburgh, New York, for its first game against Mount Saint Mary College. The Lions left for Newburgh on Feb. 29 and won their first matchup of the season 8-4. On March 1, the team planned to visit the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. The Lions learned more about Welles Crowther, a former Boston College lacrosse player, who saved dozens of lives before dying during the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001. “We got to learn more about his story and more about 9/11 which was a very neat experience for the team,” senior captain and attack Austin Franklin said in an interview with The Beacon. On March 2, the team continued its road trip to Collegeville, Pennsylvania, to play against Widener University later in the week. After practice, the team spent the rest of the day exploring downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. “I think everyone got cheesesteaks, they were really good, probably the best cheesesteaks that I ever had,” Franklin said. “We also got to see the place where the Declaration of Independence was signed and the Liberty Bell.” On March 3, Franklin said that the team visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “We got to run up the ‘Rocky Steps’ which was a big highlight for everybody,” Franklin said. Head lacrosse coach Matthew Colombini said he wanted the trip to encourage team bonding and help start the spring season against a tough opponent. On March 4, the Lions lost 17-7 against Widener University at University of Pennsylvania. “Widener University is a really good opponent, and it’s really good for the team to play against a very competitive team,” Colombini said in a phone interview with The Beacon. “Off the field, it’s great time for everyone to get to know each other.” On March 1, the women’s lacrosse team flew to Clearwater, Florida. The team lost its first game by a score of 23-5 against John Carroll University. The following two days, the team practiced at Phillip Jones Stadium and Water Campbell Field. On March 5, the team flew
The baseball team went 1-5 in their six games in Orlando, Florida. Courtesy of Matt Nachamie back to Boston. “John Carroll was a good team, and they challenged us a lot,” Koffman said in a phone interview with The Beacon. “Watching the film afterward, and playing a team that is higher in level, helps us see where we can grow in certain areas.” Senior captain and midfielder Jenna Tomsky said the team used the spring break trip as an opportunity to relax and tan on the beach. “Off the field, we really just bonded doing beach activities,” Tomsky said in a phone interview with The Beacon. “We had a corn hole tournament, and we just got to chill out and hang with each other in the hotel rooms, we were working on that team chemistry that would transfer on the field.” Head coach Jessie Koffman said the spring break trip helped create a better team bonding environment. “Spring training is a time to go to warmer weather and to play some games, but it is also a time for team bonding and to build a team’s cohesiveness,” Koffman said in an interview with The Beacon. “Because when the team is closer off the field, they will be closer on the field.” The women’s lacrosse team planned to play two games at Clearwater, however, its last game on March 7 resulted in a delay. Koffman said she doesn’t know why the other team postponed the game, and the team cut its trip short and flew back on March 5.
The baseball team traveled to Orlando, Florida, to compete in the Russmatt Baseball Tournament on March 1. The Lions played six games in total during its spring break trip. Head coach Nicholas Vennochi said the trip allowed the Lions to start the season in warmer weather and play against teams they do not normally face. “Being from New England, we have to worry about the weather and we wanted to start the season off in a place we usually don’t play in,” Vennochi said in a phone interview with The Beacon. “The trip created the opportunity for everyone to come together because everyone is stuck with each other for a week.” Vennochi said the baseball team learned a lot over the six games they played. “We just wanted to start the season with being together and playing baseball,” Vennochi said. “Overall the team had a good time before the conference begins.” Both the men’s and women’s tennis teams flew to Orlando, Florida, on Feb. 29 to participate in the Spring Sports Orlando, Florida program. Colleges nationwide can register and pay to get in contact with various teams and schedule matches with each other. Head coach Aaron Begeron said the company provides locations for the matches and hotels. The tennis teams played five matches during the trip. “The key component for us was bonding,” Bergeron said in a phone interview with The
Beacon. “We wanted the team to spend time with each other and get to know each other a lot better. In a competitive standpoint this time is great for the team to progress throughout the week of matches.” Begeron said the tennis teams do not get much time to work on team chemistry since they travel off campus to practice, and he wanted the trip to be an opportunity for the teams to bond. “We had team dinners, and we had a couple of off days, so a few of the kids went to Universal,” Bergeron said. “We wanted to get more unity as a group from this trip.” The softball team flew to Tucson, Arizona, on Feb. 29. The Lions planned to play 10 games during their spring break trip, that’s two games per day. The Lions last game on March 8 got cancelled, and they returned to Boston on March 9. Sophomore outfielder and infielder Mary Kuczkowski said the team participated in several group dinners. “One of the restaurants that we went to had a patio area where you could play corn hole and ping pong,” Kuczkowski said in an interview with The Beacon. “It was really fun because we did a lot of team bonding.” Due to the tight game schedule on March 5, the team got an off day to do any activity. Kuczkowski said she hiked at the Santa Catalina Mountains mountains with her father. “Most of our families flew in with us, so on Wednesday the team split up with our families and did different things,” Kuczkowsi said. “Some girls went horseback riding in the desert, others went shopping, or to the zoo. Some people went to Tombstone.” Kuczkowski said the team learned a lot from play in Arizona and became more productive on offense. It was definitely a learning experience because we had tough competition and these teams have the benefit of being able to practice and play outdoors,” Kuczkowski said. “Learning to work as a team was the biggest thing especially because playing outdoors is a different experience.” The softball team left Aroniza with an 0-9 record, and Kuczkowski said her favorite part of the trip was playing against competitive teams. “If you look at our record coming back you might not feel incriedable about it, but I think that taught us to be resilient in a way,” Kuczkoski said. “We played teams that had a rogester twice the size of us and being able to compete with them was fun.” emily_cardona@emerson.edu