Social gatherings shut down on campus

Emerson College’s student newspaper since 1947 • berkeleybeacon.com

Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020 • Volume 74, Issue 8

@berkeleybeacon // @beaconupdate

College

rep denies

severe textbook delays Alec Klusza Beacon Staff

The college disciplined six students in Little Building (above) for violating COVID-19 guidelines. Alec Klusza / Beacon Staff

In the first week of college,

their not-so-socially-distanced gathering was shut down Frankie Rowley Beacon Correspondent It was the first night out of college-mandated quarantine at the beginning of the fall semester. A group of half a dozen friends, all first-years living in Little Building, were chatting on Boston Common, soaking in their newfound college freedom.

They made small talk about the year ahead—what classes they’d take, aspirations they had, and dreams of eventually experiencing a normal college semester.

“We were just chilling,” one student, a visual and media arts major, said.

Within an hour, rain had moved in, cutting their plans short. The group, not yet done with their night, moved to a standard single dorm room on the fourth floor of Little Building.

The room, made to fit a twin XL bed, a one-person desk, a dresser, and little else, was now full of six students all crammed together.

Emerson’s COVID-19 safety guidelines prohibit gatherings of that size.

“There were three or four of us in the dorm, and the guy that we were with left,” another first year, a theatre and performance major involved in the incident, said. “He came back with this other

One alumni’s pandemic era restaurant journey Since March, Lien Ta closed one spot and appeared in the Democratic National Convention

Lein Ta. Courtesy Lien Ta

girl who none of us knew that he met on his floor, like, five minutes before.”

Those first-year students, two of whom spoke to The Beacon on the condition of anonymity due to privacy concerns, are now on disciplinary probation for the fall 2020 semester. That means they can’t hold on-campus jobs, remain on campus after residence halls close, return to campus before residence halls reopen, or hold specific roles in student organizations this semester.

Each must complete a disciplinary project that raises awareness about the consequences of breaking COVID-era safety guidelines.

One student opted for a sticker campaign. Another decided to create a bulletin board on social distancing. Both projects are due to be turned in to the Office of Community Standards and posted around the Little Building before Thanksgiving.

The August incident offers insight into Emerson’s handling of COVID-19 safety violations, and echoes similar stories that have popped up on college campuses across New England. There, gatherings have forced administrators vying to contain the virus to enforce punitive measures on students.

Other colleges, though, have taken more aggressive approaches.

(Emerson administrators have declined to comment on specific instances of COVID guideline violations due to privacy concerns.)

Sanctions, Pg. 2

Shawna Konieczny Beacon Staff Lien Ta ‘03 came to Emerson with the hope of one day working in magazine design. After a brief career in media, a reignited passion for food led Ta down a path in the restaurant industry. She now owns two Los Angeles restaurants on the frontlines of the battle between local eateries and a raging pandemic.

Here’s Looking at You, an American restaurant, opened in 2016, while modern adult diner All Day Baby opened more recently in fall 2019.

Both restaurants were shut down in March as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. And although Ta was able to reopen both at the beginning of the summer, only All Day Baby remains up and running due to the financial toll of the crisis on Ta’s restaurants.

“There’s no end in sight to this pandemic and we’re just watching the time go by,” Ta said. “Businesses are going to close one by one. I have two and one closed.”

The global pandemic has had a devastating impact on businesses across the country—180,000 businesses temporarily closed in March

alone, according to Yelp. Since then, some businesses have reopened, although the majority of them are still closed. Nearly 100,000 of them have shut down for good.

At the time of the city-wide shutdown in Los Angeles in March, which closed both restaurants, Ta oversaw 65 employees who were all furloughed. On May 28, both restaurants reopened for takeout and delivery. But after they both faced financial hardship, Here’s Looking at You closed indefinitely on July 12. “[Take-out only is] not what the restaurant is supposed to be,” Ta said.

“It doesn’t stack up to the bills that we have and there’s how much the rent costs and all of that stuff. It’s not that nobody is coming [into All Day Baby], which was unfortunately the case at Here’s Looking at You. So that’s why we made the decision to close that restaurant.”

Closing Here’s Looking at You has allowed Ta to focus solely on her other spot, which was just starting to get on people’s radar, she said.

Alum, Pg. 6 “We’ve kept All Day Baby open because people still do come,” she said. “It’s just not a lot of people.

There are days where it’s really hard

As excessive textbook shipment delays from Emerson’s bookstore persist, the college official responsible for overseeing the store has repeatedly insisted orders are being filled on time, despite acknowledging the delays in private emails.

Several students and faculty have reported extended wait times on orders from the bookstore since the beginning of the semester. Some community members said their orders were canceled after a month of waiting. Others are waiting for codes to access online books. Many more are frustrated with the lack of response from the bookstore, rather than with the delays.

Director of Business Services Karen Dickinson, who oversees the bookstore, maintains orders are being filled on time.

When presented with two examples of evidence and testimonials regarding the issue, Dickinson said any delays are not representative of a systemic problem.

“You order [the textbooks], and it takes three to five business days to get onto campus,” she said in an interview on Sept. 18.

On September 24, The Beacon published an article detailing some students’ experiences with the delays. In a later interview on Oct. 16, Dickinson reasserted her claim that orders are being filled on time.

“Not much has changed since the last time we spoke,” she said.

But emails from Dickinson to faculty show she has been aware of the delays since at least Sept. 29.

“There have been delays with textbooks arriving in time for classes this year,” Dickinson said in an email to graduate student and undergraduate professor Bruce Kilstein. “Most of them are due to late orders from facul Bookstore, Pg. 3

25

positive COVID-19 tests

.08%

positivity rate INSIDE THIS EDITION Students can stay on campus during winter break Pg. 3 Editorial: Bookstore delays are ridiculous Pg. 4 Cancel cancel culture, not people Pg. 5 New Basquiat exhibit opens at the MFA Pg. 7 The Emerson Ultimate Disc “Skunks” keep practicing Pg. 8

News

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson to offer housing to students over winter break Dana Gerber Beacon Staff

Emerson will offer limited housing to some on-campus students during the final two weeks of the fall semester and through winter break.

Fewer than 80 students are expected to be provided with short or long term stays in on-campus housing to accommodate special circumstances related to COVID-19, Christie Anglade, director of the Office of Housing and Residential Education, said in an interview.

Administrators announced the option in an email to residential students on Oct. 14, and applications are due on Oct. 18. Short term stays will be between Nov. 25 and Nov. 29, while long term stays will allow students to remain on the Boston campus through the beginning of the spring semester on Jan. 19.

“At any given point in time, we always have students who have a need for housing in between the periods that we are typically open,” Anglade said. “Especially now, because of COVID-19, I think some of those needs are exacerbated.”

The college also provided special housing for students over the summer.

Any student approved to stay on campus will move into the Paramount residence hall, which currently houses students in quarantine and isolation. The college will clean and sanitize the residence hall before students move in for break housing. Students who are approved for a long-term stay on campus will fill out a separate housing contract and will be charged $2,717, without a meal plan. Students approved for short-term stays will not be charged.

Paramount suites will include microwaves and mini-fridges, and

students in long-term stays will receive bathroom cleaning products.

Students will live alone in rooms but may share suites.

The fitness center, the library, and most academic and administrative buildings will either be closed or have significantly curtailed hours over winter break. Weekly COVID-19 tests at Tufts Medical Center will still be mandatory for these students, though the testing center will have reduced hours. Dining options have not been solidified, Anglade said.

“We’re hoping that by asking students to apply, we can get an idea of the number of folks that are going to stay and then develop a plan with dining about how we can support those students,” she said.

Anglade added that housing insecurity, unsafe family conditions, and international students facing barriers to leaving and reentering the country are the main reasons she anticipates students may need to remain in campus housing.

Sophomore Jehan Ayesha, who is from Malaysia, said she plans to apply to stay on campus until the spring semester begins. Ayesha, who also stayed in campus housing over the summer, has to arrive early on campus for Resident Assistant training.

“If I go home, adjusting to jet lag, I also have to quarantine for two weeks,” she said. “What do I gain from going home for two weeks when I’ve been away for over a year?”

Also the executive vice president of the Student Government Association, Ayesha said it has been difficult to be away from family and friends for so long. But she feels Emerson has been largely accommodating to international students.

“I do miss home, and it hurts more when people point it out,” Ayesha said. “It forces me to think about

Andrew Brinker Beacon Staff

Beacon Archives what I’ve experienced and what I’ve had to endure, because living here alone in so much uncertainty, I had to fend for myself in a way.”

Kendra Stokes, associate director for housing operations, said it seems students are grateful for the option to stay on campus.

“This is a good catalyst to help students [remember] that November is coming,” she said. “Students need to really forward think on this one, as there is a more extended period of time that they’ll be away from campus.” dana_gerber@emerson.edu

The Little Building residence hall. Alec Klusza / Beacon Staff With a surplus of people, things quickly went south. The newest arrival to the gathering announced that she had brought alcohol—specifically Twisted Teas.

“Two people were drinking and the rest were sitting and talking, and then someone said the word alcohol,” the VMA major said. “And that’s when the [resident assistants] knocked and were like ‘Open the door’.”

Another person who attended the gathering said no one drank any alcohol but that there was alcohol in the room.

Within seconds, their not-so-socially-distanced get-together was busted.

“The RAs heard from the outside that somebody said ‘alcohol’,” the theatre and performance major said. “So they knocked on the door, they came in, told everybody to leave the room. Everybody left, they took our IDs and took pictures of them.”

2

State COVID metrics rise as virus’ second wave approaches Coronavirus cases ticked up dramatically in Massachusetts over the last week, as epidemiologists ramped up warnings that the winter season may bring about a second wave of the virus.

Twice this week, single day case totals broke 800, a mark last hit in late May when numbers were dropping off from the state’s peak in April. Massachusetts’ rate of positive tests per people tested has been on a steady rise since mid-August.

That number was recorded at 4.6 percent on Wednesday, compared to around a 1.5 percent average in mid-August.

Cases in Boston are on the rise as well. Three weeks after the city entered the “red zone,” the state’s high risk categorization for COVID-19 infections, the seven day average positivity rate is soaring, sitting at 5.7 percent as of Wednesday, up from 4.5 percent last week. Boston has reported 1,275 new positive tests over the last two weeks.

The uptick in positivity rate led the city’s public school system to cancel all in-person instruction Wednesday, meaning roughly 2,500 “high-need” students, the only ones who were allowed to return to the classroom at the beginning of October, will transition to remote learning on Thursday. Students with disabilities, learning English as a second language, or in foster care are classified as high need.

The school district said it would begin a phased reopening when the city again maintains a positivity rate below five percent for at least two weeks.

While case numbers at Boston-area colleges remained relatively

First-year students sanctioned after informal dorm gathering Cont. from Pg. 1 Northeastern University, for example, dismissed eleven first-year students on Sept. 2 for congregating in the same room at The Westin Hotel. The university’s COVID policy strictly states students may not have any additional persons in their assigned residential spaces. These students’ tuition was not refunded, but was credited to their accounts for future semesters at the university.

Boston University saw a similar incident after a weekend party in early October caused six first year students to receive deferred suspensions for the Fall 2020 semester. The party consisted of 20 students—all were disobeying COVID protocol, and some were drinking underage.

Harvard suspended three freshmen after a dorm room party at Mather House two weeks ago.

The incident reported by The Beacon came about quickly. Few were thinking about the dangers of meeting up in a large group in the midst of a pandemic.

“I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, there are kind of a lot of people here,’” the VMA major said. “But I was not thinking, and I just kind of brushed it off.”

The college’s “Return to Campus Guide” says “residents can have no more than one” guest in single-person dorms. Those in suites may only have three guests at a time, and all must follow COVID guidelines for social distancing and mask wearing.

October 22, 2020

The first-years all received emails from the Office of Community Standards sometime in the next few days, instructing them to meet with a college official via Zoom to discuss disciplinary actions.

“She [Director of Community Standards Julie Rothhar-Sanders] talked through the whole scenario and asked us exactly how it happened from our perspectives,” the theatre and performance major said. “And then, we got our emails about how we would be punished for what happened.”

The college collectively charged the group with four counts: alcohol possession, alcohol consumption, disobeying community standards, and putting other students at risk. Eventually, the office only charged students with the specific counts for which they were found responsible.

Rothhar-Sanders, whose office im-

poses sanctions on students who violate college policies, said she handles each offense differently, looking at the “risk factor” for specific situations to determine the proper discipline.

“It really depends on what the incident is, any prior conduct history, what was actually happening,” Rothhar-Sanders said. “So every incident is very, very different. For COVID policies, people can get a formal warning.

People can be placed on disciplinary probation. It’s very clear in the campus community compact that folks can look at things like separation from the college [or] suspension.”

Her office is committed to making sure these incidents are as few and far between as possible in order to ensure the health of Emerson students, faculty and staff, she said.

“We take these kinds of COVID violations very seriously and have a very impactful conversation with anybody that meets with me because we’re trying to limit the spread.”

Rothhar-Sanders, to protect students’ privacy, declined to tell The Beacon if any additional students have faced COVID-related disciplinary measures this semester.

The experience “was just not fun,” the VMA major said. “I didn’t sleep, like, at all, literally. It was just not an enjoyable experience.” frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

Gov. Charlie Baker State House News Service low for the first month of their reopenings, those numbers are now trending up. At Boston University, administrators noted a “worrisome” increase in cases over the last week, reporting 34 new cases, compared to just eight cases the week before.

BU’s case total sits at 188.

After an outbreak among its swim and dive team last month, Boston College is reporting 221 total positive tests to date, while Northeastern University has reported 139 positives.

Emerson has reported 25 positive tests to date, including multiple cases among food workers on campus.

The college’s positivity rate out of total tests conducted sits at .08 percent, one of the highest in the area.

Emerson does not report the positivity rate per people tested and has refused on a number of occasions to provide The Beacon with the number of unique community members that have been tested. That number is required to calculate the positivity rate per people tested. dana_gerber@emerson.edu

Incident Journal Monday, Oct. 12: An unknown individual placed a hose taken from the MBTA Greenline Outbound Station onto the hood of an ECPD cruiser. The cruiser sustained minor damage.

Tuesday, Oct. 13: A worker at a local business came to ECPD seeking video of a motor vehicle accident they were involved in on October 10 on Boylston Street.

A student reported being struck by a motor vehicle while walking in the vicinity of Washington Street and Temple Place. The student was not injured.

Friday, Oct. 16: A student reported accidently leaving their cell phone on Boston Common. The phone was gone when they went back to retrieve it.

Saturday, Oct. 16: OHRE turned over drug paraphernalia confiscated while investigating a smell of cannabis.

The Emerson College Police Department provides the Incident Journal to The Beacon every week. Beacon staff edit the Incident Journal for style and clarity, but not for content.

The Berkeley Beacon

October 22, 2020

3

SGA hopes new legislative model brings administrative action Charlie McKenna Beacon Staff

The Student Government Association passed its first piece of legislation, about several recent “Zoom-bombing” incidents, Tuesday—nearly halfway through the organization’s first semester under a new legislative model.

The act will serve as a test of the organization’s new legislative model, which aims to have SGA take a more active role in making change at the college. The model, curated by the previous semester’s executive board, places great emphasis on passing legislation designed to charge administrators with changing college policy. In the past, SGA could only amend their own policies and had no formalized structure to propose changes to college policy.

It remains to be seen if legislation will have any power in influencing college policy.

Former Chief Justice Joseph Johnson, part of the executive board responsible for overhauling the organization’s constitution, said he believes legislation will force the college to take recommendations from SGA more seriously.

“If you make it a piece of legislation saying ‘this is what we want, this is legislation from the student body,’ it takes more precedence, and it’s taken way more seriously from administration, [the] Board of Trustees, et cetera, because they see it as an actual formal document from a governing body of students,” he said. “That’s what our hope going with the legislative model was.”

Authored by Executive Vice President Jehan Ayesha-Wirasto, “An Act to Advocate for LGBTQIA+ Students of Color” calls on Emerson to enact several policy changes to address three separate Zoom-bombing incidents, where unnamed individuals joined organizations’ virtual meetings and began hurling racist obscenities at group members.

Spectrum, an organization dedicated to the needs of LGBTQ+ students of color, was the first organization to have a meeting Zoombombed, on Sept. 24. In the following weeks, organizations ASIA and Frames per Second also had meetings invaded.

The legislation calls for administrators to allow the Social Justice

A Student Government Association meeting from Spring 2020. Beacon Archives Center to create a mandatory annual cultural tolerance assessment for all community members. If someone fails the assessment, they would receive “feedback and support” from the college to ensure they pass on a second attempt.

The act also calls on Emerson to acknowledge “micro and macroaggressions”, provide more transparency in its investigation of racist acts on campus, and give clearer definitions of hate speech and hate crimes.

Debrosse said she hopes the legislation passed Tuesday will spur the college to respond to inappropriate incidents with more urgency.

The college did not immediately respond to the first Zoom-bombing.

Only after the second incident occurred did Vice President and Dean for Campus Life Jim Hoppe send an email to students on Oct. 9 denouncing the attacks.

“The concern for me and others was that something was said after the second time,” Debrosse said.

“The first time was one too many, and a response should’ve happened right after that, and then ASIA happened and then Frames per Second happened. I want to know why it’s happening, how they’re doing it, and [use] that information to build effective legislation. Hopefully, we can prevent it from happening. But if it does happen again, the school

will know better.”

The organization passed two resolutions during the spring semester.

The first was a statement in solidarity with the full-time faculty union’s decision to boycott directed study courses. The second, authored by former Executive Treasurer Abigail Semple, initially sought to provide financial compensation for students whose courses couldn’t proceed normally after shifting online, but was amended to open a dialogue with administrators.

When the resolution supporting the faculty union passed, it showed that students both inside and outside SGA stood with the union’s decision, former Executive President Will Palauskas said in an interview in February.

“Now it’s not just going to be coming from the full-time faculty union. It’s not just going to be coming from one student. It’s going to be a resolution that was authored by one student and then sponsored by maybe 20 others,” he said. “And those 20 students represent a good portion of the 3,800 undergraduates here at Emerson. It’s like saying the vast majority of undergraduates at the college believe that what’s happening is not okay, and it’s important that we start to create some really big change.”

Despite the show of solidarity from SGA, full-time faculty mem-

bers still do not receive compensation for directed study courses.

There does not appear to be any difference between resolutions and legislation.

Ayesha-Wirasto, who is also a member of the activist organization Protesting Oppression with Education Reform, said administrators have been more receptive to policy proposals coming from SGA than from POWER. “SGA—like it or not—we have a platform that the college, as an institution, legitimizes,” she said.

“They would much prefer to hear from SGA than POWER, even if we are saying the exact same things, just because that is the nature of our platform. And I think taking a stance is important, but it is so easy to do. I think it’s important to vocalize our support for something, but what are we doing beyond that?”

Debrosse said SGA could use legislation to hold administration accountable if policies that potentially harm students are implemented in the future.

“It is our job, essentially, to make sure that they know we don’t like [a policy] and to make sure that we create legislation that speaks for all students where everyone is represented and to make sure our stance is clear,” she said. “Emerson acts like they can do whatever they want just because these kids

are shelling out money they don’t really have. But that’s unacceptable.

We, as students, are the very reason this school is running, [and] if they present something that doesn’t align with what we want, it is our job to make sure that our concerns are understood.”

Debrosse said it was important for her to fill open positions across SGA before passing legislation so the organization could incorporate a variety of perspectives in policy-making efforts.

“It wouldn’t make a whole lot of sense if our point is to advocate for students but we don’t have the people to represent those students,” she said in a phone interview from Florida. “It’d be much better to have someone to speak for international students, intercultural students, VMA students, to make sure that everyone’s voices come to the table. If we started doing legislation even a month ago, we wouldn’t have most of the people we have now.”

Johnson said the intent in shifting to a legislative model was to give students more of a voice in affairs at the college.

“As much as I think SGA has been doing great work… we just wanted to formalize it more, make it more accessible and [make] people take us more seriously,” he said.

Ayesha-Wirasto said it’s been difficult for SGA to determine how the legislative model can best function.

“Specifically about legislation, it’s been hard because we’ve never done it before,” she said. “It’s really just, how can we settle into a routine or figure out a timeline of things?

Drafting [legislation] and [then] reviewing [it] and then getting it approved by the rest of SGA, and then how are we going to publish it or communicate it with the people we’re trying to send the legislation to?”

The new constitution does not represent a dramatic shift in the way SGA functions at the college, Palauskas said.

“I feel like there’s a playbook in a way,” he said. “It’s not radically different. It’s different, but it’s not like we totally deconstructed the idea of what student government means. I think we just kind of codified it in a new way.” charlie_mckenna@emerson.edu

College official denies textbook delays as shipping issues persist

Cont. from Pg. 1

ty, many of whom did not know what classes they would be teaching until the last minute.”

The source of any delays, she told faculty members, is professors who failed to turn in their book lists on time.

“Textbook rentals continue to be the most popular choice for students followed by used books,” Dickinson said in an email to faculty on Sept.

30. “When faculty submit their adoptions on-time, it allows us to shop our used book distributors early, as well as transferring titles from other campuses, providing the largest selection of rental and used titles.”

Communications professor Joshua Way, who has been teaching Fundamentals of Speech Communication for nearly a decade, uses the same digital book every year.

His classes were waiting for sever-

al weeks on a physical slip with request codes that would allow them to access the online material.

“It’s not like some obscure book that we sprung upon the bookstore,” Way said in a Zoom interview.

“We’ve been using it for years—this is a class everybody takes.”

The process of requesting and receiving a digital textbook seemed redundant, he said.

“That was the most frustrating thing,” Way said. “It’s just the most anachronistic thing I can imagine, waiting for a physical slip of paper for a digital thing.”

Way saw his students struggling to deal with the stresses from the delays and bookstore, most of whom are first-year students.

“Your first year, your first few weeks as a freshman on campus…

I think they were a little stressed,” Way said. “I know a few students physically tried to go [to the book-

store] a few times. I know they were trying to call them and were never getting calls back.”

Kilstein, who teaches classes in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing said he received an email from the bookstore notifying him that his order for his poetry class was canceled after waiting nearly a month for his books to arrive. When he reached out to Emerson for help, the college told him via email they were not responsible for the delay and subsequent cancellation.

Kilstein said it is the college’s responsibility to keep faculty and students informed.

“Even if [faculty] got those lists in late, that doesn’t excuse the bookstore from their obligation to let students know that,” Kilstein said in an interview. “There has to be some kind of responsibility that the bookstore and Emerson itself has to get

the materials people need for their education. You’re paying tuition, right, so how come there’s no way to know where your books are?”

Currently, he said, there is no way to track an order from the bookstore website, as it will only display “in process” or “complete.”

“Somebody between the bookstore and Karen should be saying, ‘Oh right, this is a problem, so we need to get information out to everybody to know that this order is going to be delayed.” Kilstein said.

Kilstein said the college has largely ignored the issue.

“It’s just sad that Emerson, rather than reaching out to students and being proactive and saying, ‘Oh, here’s a problem, this is what we’re going to do, or this is what you should be doing, we’ll deny there’s a problem,” Kilstein said. “‘We’ll blame the professors for some reason, and everybody’s on their own,

go try to figure out what to do as an alternative.’”

Dickinson said the college plans to revert to its typical process of purchasing books directly in the store for the spring semester.

“We are definitely having books on campus in the spring and going back to the old ways of doing things,” Dickinson said.

The college shifted the book ordering process entirely online this semester after shuttering the textbook annex and converting it into a dining space.

“We tried [a virtual process] this semester and it didn’t work as well as we wanted it to,” Dickinson said.

“So we’re going back, but books will be in the main bookstore. The textbook annex is still going to be used for dining.” alec_klusza@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

October 22, 2020

4

Opinion

Don’t make students wait weeks for textbooks. That’s unnacceptable Editorial

In the midst of midterm season, some students are still waiting on one precious class material: their textbooks.

The campus bookstore has seen severe delays this semester—so much so that people have gone weeks or months without getting their hands on the pages that house their required reading. The Beacon reported this week that extended shipping wait times ran up to a month. Some orders were cancelled entirely. And communication about the issues has been spotty at best.

As a result of the bookstore’s new remote ordering and shipping format, it’s understandable that the order process might not run as smoothly as years past. But being months late is ridiculous and unfair to students and faculty members alike. The semester is already halfway over.

Students who did not have access to textbooks fell behind on coursework in some instances, and others gave up completely and instead sought out other online sites to deliver the books. One member of the Editorial Board canceled their order after a week of waiting and resorted to Amazon, where the price was twice as high.

Between the pandemic and the economic crisis, money is tight for a lot of families right now. It’s reasonable for students, who often pay steep prices for textbooks, to expect to receive their orders in a timely manner. That way, their investment doesn’t go to waste. Not getting their already-expensive books in time often leaves them with no choice but to buy elsewhere and potentially pay more than they would have at the campus bookstore. The price of books, after all, does not decrease, despite the hybrid learning format and shortened semester. So those who don’t receive the textbooks (or receive them embarrassingly late) face a financial loss at the hands of the college bookstore.

Another key issue with the current ordering process is that there’s no way for students to track when their textbooks will arrive like they could by ordering on Amazon or

other third-party vendors. Ideally, students would receive tracking updates or hear from the bookstore before sitting in the dark and questioning the status of their orders.

Most importantly, textbooks are necessary for students to properly engage with some courses. This learning obstacle for students, which also poses a pedagogical issue for professors, comes during a strange semester. And the reality that students are not getting materials for important classes cannot be ignored.

Simply put, this cannot happen again. Systems need to be implemented to ensure this level of operational incompetence does not again disrupt the learning experience for students paying upwards of $70,000 for an education.

Students pay too much for courses and too much for textbooks to endure this delay of resources that are essential to their education. And when there are no straightforward answers from the college about these delays, in addition to the financial and educational consequences, it’s almost guaranteed that students will lose faith in the bookstore and college administration as a whole.

For these reasons, students who experienced significant delays that prevented their learning opportunities deserve refunds on their textbooks. For the lack of transparency and service, it’s the least the college can do.

Hopefully next semester, as the bookstore plans to return to a more familiar in-person state, these textbook hold-ups will not continue.

Improvements in the ordering process should be on their way. But in the meantime, do something for students who faced the issue this time around.

This editorial was written by the Beacon’s editor-in-chief, managing editors, and opinion editors. The opinions expressed by the Editorial Board do not impact the paper’s coverage.

© 2020 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved.

Editor-in-Chief Diti Kohli

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.

Managing Editors Domenico Conte (Content) Tomás González (Visual) Dylan Rossiter (Operations)

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It’s reasonable for students, who often pay steep prices for textbooks, to expect to receive their orders in a timely manner The Barnes & Noble bookstore on Boyslton St Beacon Archives

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The snake tightens its grip on American democracy Joseph Ploscowe

The Berkeley Beacon

October 22, 2020

5

Three things to bring before checking into the ‘Paramount Hotel’ Domenico Conte Beacon Staff

I’d give the Paramount Hotel three stars following my brief stay in the college’s on-campus quarantine residence hall.

After showing symptoms of COVID-19 but receiving a negative test last week, I was advised by the college’s Center for Health and Services to head to Tufts for a “rapid test” and another Broad Institute test to definitely rule out any chance of me having COVID. While I awaited the results, I was required to stay in the Paramount Center, my first and hopefully last time in the dorm altogether.

Until I tested negative twice more and was diagnosed with “some other viral illness,” I moped around my sixth floor room, switching between chills and hot flashes, praising ExtraStrength Tylenol because I’d never used it before. Even though my stay only lasted a mere 23 hours, I wish I had brought a few more things, which is basically the extent of my takeaways from my experience with the college’s quarantine dorming and process. I also couldn’t help but think of the students who end up in Paramount with a long stay, an illness far worse than mine, or both.

The college’s process, in my experience, lends itself to a smooth arrival to Paramount. I immediately received a phone call from the resident director of the building. She called me from her cell phone, and for the rest of my time there, she provided a highly receptive hand if ever needed. I appreciated having a number to reach out to if I needed anything, which I’m thankful for because it helped mitigate the isolated feelings that come with being practically locked down.

Housing Director Christie Anglade sends students entering quarantine a thorough list of items they may want to bring to Paramount. She covers the

The Paramount residence hall at night. Beacon Archives essentials: chargers, favorite snacks, toiletries, etc. Although the email and list provided is certainly helpful as a guide, there are some things omitted from that list I highly recommend any student entering Paramount not do without:

pillow before I was able to identify the one they provide—seriously, it’s closer to the thickness of a comforter than any other pillow, and it looks like one, too. I’d never seen anything like it. Bring your own! Your neck is telling you this, not me.

Pillows This may seem obvious to some, but it wasn’t to me. Perhaps it was because I was so apathetic about going in the first place that I purposely packed minimal items, as if I were somehow manifesting a short stay.

Regardless, I guarantee not bringing a pillow to quarantine will be your No. 1 regret.

When you enter the quarantine room, on the bed, there are two fleece, hospital-style blankets, a top sheet, towels, and what is actually a pillow, despite it looking like someone took a regular pillow and rolled it out until thinner than a twice-folded towel. I was about to text the resident director to tell her I did not receive a

Mattress Pads If there’s anyone out there sleeping on a college mattress without a mattress pad, what planet are you from?

And if you’ve never slept on our mattresses without padding of some sort, believe me when I say how miserable it is. My neck hurt from the “pillow”, but the back aches were unforgiving the next day. Not having a mattress pad, combined with not having a genuine pillow, made my short stay in the Paramount a little distressing.

I spent only one night without these items, and will see to it that I never relive the experience. If my stay were longer, I would have done whatever it took to have these bedding materials.

The college is also obliged to

provide students entering quarantine a cart to bring belongings. I did not seize this opportunity. If I knew what I know now, I would have requested a cart for these items. So, if they do not already deliver a cart to you, know that you are entitled to one, and you may want to use one.

Additional Blankets For those students who like to sleep with anything more than two light fleece blankets and a surprisingly rough top sheet, I’d recommend bringing an additional blanket of choice to Paramount. The fleece blankets are an ugly sandpaper color, but the top sheet actually felt like it.

Having another blanket, pillow, and a mattress pad would have made my time there far more enjoyable. And if such items were already provided, I’d be looking at probably a four-star review.

I understand these slight complaints may come off as petty and ungrateful. However, I’d stress the

fact that this building is a place we are sending students who may be severely ill. While the general process of entering and leaving is logistically sound, the food provided in abundance, and an overall sense of security established, an improved set of bedding materials would go a long way for students under the weather.

In my brief time there, I could not help but think of fevered students days into their stay, struggling for warmth with three thin blankets, twisting and turning while searching for a comfortable position, neck lacking elevation.

I would argue the asymptomatic student is served rather well through our quarantine process, despite them perhaps wishing for a higher quality pillow, but symptomatic students, on the other hand, deserve better. This is likely why all of my complaints relate to the sleeping experience—I’d personally challenge all those involved in deciding that the materials provided were enough to sleep just one night with them. And then consider doing that with a virus.

That’s essentially it for the things that weren’t already outlined by housing. I’d encourage bringing snacks and water, although the three meals a day do bring plenty of food opportunities. If you think you’ll want more than a bottle’s worth of water per meal, I’d recommend a cup or water bottle. And if you know you are staying for a long period of time, I’d consider bringing a decoration of some sort in case the view presented is that of a brick wall.

Oh, and they also don’t knock in the morning when delivering breakfast. So if you’re in quarantine, check periodically, or else you’ll notice too late and be like me—restless, neck and back aching, staring out at an empty beige brick wall and then staring down at a clump of cold eggs. #KeepParamountEmpty domenico_conte@emerson.edu

We can cancel online orders, not human beings

Illustration Ally Rzesa

Carlota Cano

Beacon Correspondent English poet Alexander Pope, once said “To err is human,” alluding to the fact that all people make mistakes.

Some of these mistakes are more serious than others, like knocking over the coffee mug onto your expensive computer or accidentally spray tanning yourself orange like Ross Geller in Friends.

However, Pope was not able to live to see the day when the media and the masses joined together to exile other human beings for their mistakes.

The time has come to talk about “cancel” culture and its consequences.

One of Merriam-Webster’s definitions of the word cancel is “to bring to nothingness,” ultimately highlighting the similar effect that “cancel” culture has sprung onto society. Nowadays, people are diminishing the significance of others. The actions associated with “canceling” someone leave little room for mistakes and have a negative impact on mental health.

This phenomenon or culture of “cancelling” originated on Twitter as a hashtag. The creation of this hashtag was supposed to serve as a way to hold public figures accountable for their ac-

tions. The term describes the disconnection that occurs between these stars and their fans, just as anyone would “cancel” a subscription to a streaming service or online program. In fact, the term “cancel” became even more popular when the troublesome actions of stars, like Louis C.K. and Bill Cosby, came to light.

In a Vogue interview, singer Taylor Swift said, “When you say someone is canceled, it’s not a TV show. It’s a human being.” Her remarks came after her public feud with Kim Kardashian in 2016 regarding Swift’s claims that Kanye West had not sought approval to use her name in one of his songs.

Videos and audio tapes were released that contradict Swift’s claims, starting a feud between Swifties and Kardashian fans. Consequently, the #TaylorSwiftIsCancelled hashtag spread across social media.

To be clear: pointing out that “cancel” culture is significantly damaging to society does not mean it was wrong to condemn the wrongdoings of murderers and sexual assailants, like Harvey Weinstein, for example. For that reason, they are involved in legal proceedings. Society fails to point out that human beings are complex and different, leaving room for misinterpretation and mistakes, like in the Taylor Swift case.

There needs to be a very careful consideration of the consequences of “cancel” culture. Comedian Billy

Eicher framed a possible alternative situation well: “To me, ‘cancellation’ is childish. I’m into conversation, not cancellation. I’m into owning up to past mistakes, acknowledging blindspots and hurtful remarks, talking through it, discussing it, learning, moving past it and making progress together.”

Like Eicher, I also believe in the power of conversation and communication. However, since social media has the ability to reach millions of people almost instantaneously, it can become a dangerous rabbit hole for drama and social exile. What happened to Taylor Swift was unfair and added to the drama. There are bad people out there who deserve punishments from public opinions. However, people should be aware of what they say on social media instead of just following the viral trend. Otherwise, it would cause unnecessary mental harm to those innocent people. Whether famous or not, innocent people voicing their opinions should have to succumb to the horrors of social exiliation and feelings of loneliness. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), “Social isolation can lead to adverse consequences such as depression, poor sleep quality, impaired executive function.”

Within this era of “cancel” culture, the words of successful businessman Warren Buffet have never been more clear: “It takes 20 years to build a rep-

utation, and five minutes to ruin it.”

As such, I find it rather unfair how an individual’s social life and good standing can cease to exist the second they make a mistake. If this culture perpetuates, we will see many people silencing themselves and avoiding sharing their opinions because of the fear of being permanently excluded.

Personally, there have been instances in the last couple of years where I’ve refrained from voicing an opinion because of the backlash that it could have caused me. In a similar situation, a student commented on this issue in an article for The Atlantic, “I probably hold back 90 percent of the things that I want to say due to fear of being called out. People won’t call you out because your opinion is wrong. People will call you out for literally anything.

Hence why I avoid any situation that could put me in that position. And that’s sad.”

We can cancel online orders, plans and deliveries. But we need to stray from “canceling” other human beings. There’s beauty in knowing that humans are different and unique and a bonus in learning from mistakes as well. We need to form a nonviolent communication community that strives for more transparent social justice today and for the future generations. carlota_cano@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

October 22, 2020

6

Living Arts

EIV brings Buzzfeed veterans to speak in virtual panel Campbell Parish

Beacon Correspondent Two Buzzfeed trailblazers and Emerson alumni offered advice to students entering the entertainment industry in an Emerson Revisited panel Thursday.

The panel, featuring Zach Kornfeld ’12 and Ella Mielniczenko ’13, was the first in a series hosted by Emerson Independent Video designed to give attendees a glimpse into the realities of the media world.

Kornfeld became a member of The Try Guys, a group of four friends who make YouTube videos trying new things that amassed more than 1.4 billion views, in 2014. Although The Try Guys formed their channel at Buzzfeed, they left the company in 2018 to make their own production company, 2nd TRY LLC. Since 2019, Kornfeld accomplished a lot, including making his own tea brand, Zadiko, and completing a nationwide comedy tour, Legends of the Internet.

“I get to fuck around and make fun jokes and have a wonderful group of people around me to continue our stream of content,” Kornfeld said in an interview with The Beacon. “We have a loyal fan base [that] has allowed me to do a lot of really fun stuff.”

After coming up with the idea of Emerson Revisited, seniors Annabelle Gustat-Karzen and Kevin Serrano brainstormed alumni to speak on the panel.

“Zach is a YouTube personality,” Gustat-Karzen said. “Ella does a lot of social media and digital content production for Spin Master. We knew they would do really well together, and they also knew each other from the past, from Buzzfeed.”

Throughout the panel, both Kornfeld and Mielniczenko discussed the importance of creativity and finding people around which you are comfortable with. Both stressed how essential it is to take a break and recharge.

Kornfeld mentioned during the panel that he is taking a sabbatical from The Try Guys to work on scripted writing.

“Find collaborators who you want to share your brain with,” Kornfeld said during the panel. “There are so many things I want to do. I barely get time to do scripted writing, so i’m blocking off a full month from November to December.”

Mielniczenko also shared her struggle of working a typical day job and feeling like her day is predetermined and how it can hinder creativity. She shared that this year, especially, it has

been very hard to be creative.

“It’s hard to keep being creative so consistently, and that’s a huge turn in the digital media industry, just the amount of work needed to upkeep all of your access points,” she said.

Mielniczenko, however, said creativity comes easier with practice.

“Creativity is a muscle, and you have to exercise it, and the best way to exercise it is to be creative every day,” Ella Mielniczenko said. “I’m serious about a little thing every day, and you will be working that creative muscle.”

Kornfeld and Mielniczenko knew of each other throughout college. Both worked at Buzzfeed where Kornfeld was a producing partner and Mielniczenko served as an executive producer and director of editorial content.

Kornfeld graduated from Emerson in 2012 with a BFA in film production, now referred to as visual and media arts. Mielniczenko graduated in 2013 with a degree in film production and a producing minor.

Kornfeld said he picked Emerson over other colleges because of the hands-on experience that students receive here. During an interview with The Beacon, Kornfeld said that many students at Emerson are driven, and those are the kind of students that he

wanted to surround himself with.

During the panel, Kornfeld shared stories about how he left well-paying jobs because he wasn’t happy. Mielniczenko shared advice about the importance of making time for yourself and making sure that you are not burning yourself out—that as a creator, it’s important to evaluate the kind of work that you are completing and see if you are able to refuel yourself.

“This is somewhat of a privileged position, but I think that you will find yourself at times where you need to decide between the safe thing and the riskery thing to go after your dreams.

I, more than once, have quit a job and rolled the dice on another job,” Kornfeld said during the panel.

“The Try Guys have just allowed me to unlock a lot of wild dreams that I never imagined were possible,” Kornfeld said.

Kornfeld emphasized the importance of making the most out of the time spent in college.

“Take advantage of this time of your life to live as much as possible. As an artist, you are only as good of a story teller as the stories you have to tell,” Kornfeld said during an interview with The Beacon. “Right now you are in college, the time you are going to be mak-

Zach Kornfeld Courtesy ing the memories and collecting the stories that you will be telling for the rest of your life.”

Emerson Revisited is putting on another panel on Nov. 5. with special guest Henry Winkler, an Emerson alumnus and well-known actor. campbell_parish@emerson.edu

‘It’s just this deep frustration’ Alum Lien Ta on owning eateries in the moment Cont. from Pg. 1 to keep up with the orders when it’s just like a couple of us. Aside from Jonathan and myself, I only have six employees now.”

While at Emerson, Ta was a writing, literature and publishing major, as well as one of the founding members and eventual editor-in-chief of Gauge Magazine. After graduating, Ta worked as a reporter at E! Online and then later as an editor at Movies.com where she worked under the E! founding editor, Lew Harris. Just before switching career paths, Ta also worked as an editor at Hollywood.com.

The Georgia native said after years of working in celebrity reporting, she wanted to do something different.

“One day, I just decided that I didn’t really want to be in this career anymore,” Ta said. “So anytime any individual is probably at a crossroads, they’re thinking about, ‘What else can I do?’ And I just thought, I’ve always loved food. I’ve always loved restaurants, more specifically; it wasn’t like I had this hobby of cooking or anything like that. Sometimes you get a crazy day and you just think ‘I’m going to do this.’ And that’s ultimately what I told myself that I would do.”

When she decided to start her career in food, Ta spent five years working in every position, from hostess to manager. One job Ta never had was that of a chef—she knew that if she wanted to go after her new pursuit, she would need a partner.

Ta met her current business partner and chef, Jonathan Whitener, while working at Animal in Los Angeles.

She met him right as Ta questioned her dream and was worried it wouldn’t be fulfilled, in fall 2014.

“I worked with Jonathan for more than a year before I realized one day—I had this epiphany— that this old dream of mine could probably be resurrected if I asked Jonathan if [he] wanted to do something like this with me,” Ta said.

It took around six months to find

a location for their restaurant and to accumulate the funds before Here’s Looking At Me opened in 2016.

Ta said it was more difficult to open her second restaurant, All Day Baby, because she was already running Here’s Looking at You. On the third night of the Democratic National Convention, Ta and her restaurant, All Day Baby were featured in a five minute segment about small independent businesses severely impacted by the pandemic. Ta explained how the feature opened a new door for her.

“What came out of that DNC appearance was at least it opened up doors to renegotiate my lease terms with my landlord, to try to get that rent price down or to get rent forgiveness or abatement,” Ta said. “I wasn’t able to essentially reach him for a long time to kind of get this solidified. But that experience on the DNC was useful in that way.”

In 2017, Ta attended the James Beard Women’s Entrepreneurial Leadership Program, a training program that is targeted towards female restaurant owners.

There she met Carolyn Johnson, a chef and business owner of multiple restaurants in the Greater Boston area, including Concord’s Mooncussers Fish House in Back Bay and 80 Thoreau.

Due to COVID-19, Johnson’s Back Bay location had to let go of almost every employee except for the managers.

“It’s been pretty brutal, needless to say,” Johnson said.

The biggest problem many of these local restaurants are facing is revenue, or the lack thereof, Ta said. She applied and received a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for each of her restaurants to help keep employees on the payroll and to help her businesses stay open.

Ta said government assistance is an essential part of moving forward.

“It’s about money,” Ta said. “It’s about government relief. There’s a bill called the RESTAURANTS Act that would enable small independent restaurants to receive grants and funding. It’s been put into the HEROES

Lien Ta ‘03 established two restaurant in Los Angeles, Here’s To Looking At You and All Day Baby.

Courtesy Lien Ta Act, version 2.0. It was just time. A lot of us don’t have time. It’s so dependent on how many dollars you have in the bank account.”

The Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act is a $2.2 trillion stimulus package meant to combat the economic struggle that COVID-19 has placed on American citizens. Within the act, $120 billion would go into the RESTAURANTS Act to help independent restaurant owners through a grant program.

The House of Representatives signed off on the HEROES Act, which

also includes another round of stimulus checks. But President Donald Trump has recently halted negotiations for another COVID-19 stimulus package until after the election.

“It’s offensive,” Ta said. “There’s not a lot of forethought when there’s anybody in positions of power to make these kinds of decisions about funding.

The HEROES Act is also addressing stimulus checks and unemployment, and all of it matters.”

Stimulus packages like this one would be beneficial for restaurants like All Day Baby, as well as any of the 180,000 other businesses that have

closed because of the pandemic. Johnson said that pushing these negotiations back could have an impact on independent businesses across the country.

“It’s just this deep frustration,” Johnson said. “Now the fact that [negotiations] aren’t until after the election, it’s like ‘Do you know how many restaurants are going to close? Or small businesses or bookstores or all these pieces of our communities that are just clinging to hope?’”

shawna_konieczny@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

October 22, 2020

7

New MFA Basquiat exhibition mixes art with Hip-Hop

Joshua Sokol Beacon Staff

A new exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston pays tribute to hiphop and graffiti culture, displaying it as a testament to the post-graffiti American art movement.

Titled “Writing the Future: Basquiat and the Hip-Hop Generation,” the exhibition links the American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat to the early days of hip-hop culture, Liz Munsell, the MFA’s Lorraine and Alan Bressler Curator of Contemporary Art, said in a press conference on Oct. 19.

The show will run from Oct. 18 to May 16 next year in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery alongside an illustrated catalogue, including scholarly essays and detailed shots of artworks included in the exhibition.

Out of the 120 pieces in the show, 25 are Basquiat’s work, while the others highlight artists like A-One, ERO, Fab 5 Freddy, Futura, Keith Haring, Kool Koor, LA2, Lady Pink, Lee Quiñones, Rammellzee, and Toxic.

Munsell said this exhibition is crucial to the public discussion about Basquiat and his contemporaries’ involvement in the hip-hop generation, which was neglected by the mainstream art world. “[The exhibit] was really to show more of [Basquiat’s] intersections with hip-hop culture, but also with intersections with communities of color,” Munsell said.

Jean-Michel Basquiat (19601988) was an American artist of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent who came out of the Neo-expressionism movement of art, which is characterized by extreme subjectivity and abstract utilization of artistic mediums. He started his career making graffiti art in the Lower East Side of Manhattan on the sides of train cars and buildings, then moved to poetry, drawing and painting. He used his art

The artwork that is presented is both geographically related and genre-focused.

Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts

to comment on power dynamics like wealth versus poverty and the reality of being Black in America.

Hip-hop is a multi-disciplinary movement. This includes mediums of music, dance—specifically breakdancing—and graffiti culture. Going back to its conception in the 1980s, the exhibit seeks to break down the history of what is now a worldwide phenomenon.

All of the artists exhibited in the show except for Keith Haring are people of color. Munsell said these fellow artists have not been traditionally included in the narrative around Basquiat and his work.

Greg Tate, author, musician, and founding member of the alternative music organization Black Rock Coalition discussed how the featured artists worked together as creatives—

but also as friends, intricitally connecting their personal lives with the art.

“All of these artists hung out on a weekly, nightly basis with each other in the downtown club scene,” Tate said. “We’re really focusing on that moment that’s called post-graffiti, when these artists chose to enter into the galleries to present their work.”

The artwork that is presented is both geographically related and genre-focused. The majority of this work came out of the East Village and West Village of New York City, where the movement was centered, Tate said. “[The artists] ended up experimenting with different mediums and cross-pollinating these different scenes at the same time,” Tate said. “A lot of other kids were coming from

the boroughs to this epicenter, because it was the place to be.”

This cultural shift took place in a version of New York City that already had an established gallery scene, due to what Tate called a “useful audacity” to interject ideas into a culture dominated by white artists.

The MFA took three years to plan the show due to the large institutional nature of the museum. The curatorial team worked to ensure the exhibit presented a sense of authenticity, Munsell said.

The wall texts, presented in English, are available also in Spanish and Haitian Creole—reflecting the artists’ multilingual identities—through the MFA mobile app.

“The idea behind that is that Jean-Michel is often referred to as a Black artist, which he absolutely was,

but he was also Latinx,” Munsell said.

“It’s really important to recognize that artists of color have not received enough space in our institution.”

In 2019, the MFA faced allegations that middle schools visiting the museum were subjected to racial insults during a field trip.

This language accessibility and representation also incorporates the public face of hip-hop in America as a contribution from Black culture, Tate said.

The MFA’s community outreach program included a group of local, contemporary hip-hop artists into the conversation around this exhibit to see how the show sat with them.

This was an opportunity for the MFA to speak to these communities who are historically and systemically left out of institutional conversations, as well as an opportunity for those communities to speak back, Tate said.

“They were amazed that the MFA was even doing this show,” Tate said.

“It was very important for the director of the museum that Boston had a voice in the show—that’s why the wall text will have voices from those individual communities.”

The exhibition also includes a playlist curated by Tate with songs directly inspired by artwork in the show and out of the post-graffiti movement as a whole, like “All of Me” by Billie Holiday and “Rebel Without a Pause”

by Public Enemy.

The diverse nature of the exhibition works to encapsulate the complexities of this American movement in a modern world where cultural institutions are facing challenges due to COVID-19.

“Despite the threats and complete lack of support for young artists, they were so resilient and persistent,” Munsell said. “It’s a real lesson in times of hardship, like right now, for young artists to see this show and hopefully draw inspiration from it.” joshua_sokol@emerson.edu

Here’s why you feel ‘The Ick’ on dates ‘Contrary to what it may sound like, the ick isn’t a newfangled STD.’

Gary Sowder Beacon Staff

Temperatures have started to dip below the sixties. The leaves in the Common are fluttering off the trees.

The pumpkin spice latte is back. It’s official: fall is here. Yet there is a much more sinister season creeping up on the horizon. A season that strikes fear into the hearts of all that call themselves “sexually liberated”. The Sword of Damocles to a certain someone who is trying to pad out their resume with a certain sex column.

That’s right, for all the catholic autumn girls—or whatever the fuck that meme is—it’s cuffing season.

Landlords everywhere are turning on people’s radiators and forcing us Bostonians to crack open our windows and let the freezing air into our temperatures. As a result, people have been looking for cud-

dle buddies with whom to brave the cooler season. And even I am not immune.

A couple weeks ago, I was drinking and watching RuPaul’s Drag Race, as I am wont to do, and I decided to text a boy. His name was Noah. In the past year, we chatted periodically on Grindr, exchanged a couple nudes, but our plans never seemed to materialize. Tonight, that would change. After seeing his profile, I texted him “Hey,” which is code for “what are you doing?” which is, in turn, code for “Have you douched?” We talked a little, and then I found out he lived a ten-minute walk away. Plump with this new information, I invited him over. And he said yes.

He had one caveat, though: no sex. Making out was fine, but no clothes were coming off. He made good on his promise, and we spent our time tonguing and dry humping like two teens in the back of a Toyota Camry. And when we weren’t kissing, we talked. And he was perfect. We had the same taste in music, same taste in movies, and he got all of my references. Which, if you’ve read a lick of my column, you would know I love a reference.

On paper, he was a prime boyfriend candidate. And in the moment, it really felt like the start of something.

The key word there is “on paper”.

After two sporadic hours of sleep, he left my apartment at 9 a.m. to go to work. The moment Noah closed my door, I felt nothing. No excite-

ment. No childlike glee at the possibility of a new relationship. I didn’t even have the urge to text him. In fact, I was glad he left. I could finally get some sleep, and I wouldn’t have to spoon a space heater––and I say that with love. As a very moist individual myself, I empathize with the struggle of a sweaty cuddler.

But sleep was not in the cards for me. That same morning, I had plans to get frozen yogurt with my friend Catherine. After regaling her with my dating troubles, she informed me that I had “the ick.”

Contrary to what it may sound like, “the ick” isn’t a newfangled STD. It’s that gross, nothing feeling that follows a perfectly good date.

And I had it bad. Every time Noah texted me I felt exasperated, coupled with an obligation to respond.

When he asked me how my day was going, I begrudgingly sent him a flurry of one-word answers. Despite him being absolutely perfect, I had no interest in pursuing anything with him. I felt as though there was something deeply, psychologically, wrong with me. Noah was perfect, he had every interest in dating me, and our connection appeared to be instant. Why wasn’t I excited? Why didn’t I care?

Catherine and I, determined to get to the bottom of this like a two-person Scooby Gang, realized something. This wasn’t because Noah was absolutely perfect and I was some broken child of divorce.

He wasn’t a factor in the equation––

it was because I didn’t like myself around him. When Noah and I hung out, I was bubblier. I was cutesy.

I was cuddly. I’m none of those things when I’m on my own. I’m overly intellectual. I’m an uncomfortably open book. But when I was with Noah, I only wanted to be what he needed. I was performing as his ideal boyfriend, not because of any pressure he was putting on me but from pressure I was putting on myself. A first date is, in a way, a job interview. And there is this expectation that you must put your best foot forward. Unfortunately, this places us under a personal magnifying glass, where we are forced to determine which parts of ourselves are date-appropriate, like Cher Horowitz picking out an outfit.

I decided that, on my next date, I was going to be fully, 100 percent me. Luckily, I had another date with a guy named Jackson. He was cute.

He was short. He was a leftist. Everything seemed to be lining up perfectly. Y’know, on paper.

If my two-day entanglement with Noah was a slow burn to ick-ville, my date with Jackson was dead on arrival. He was boring, he didn’t know how to make conversation, and he made his indecisiveness so much of a personality trait that it took us thirty minutes to decide on a movie. As a joke, I put on High School Musical. He didn’t find it funny. We didn’t click. At all. And, as our date slogged on, I wished I had just drawn a bath and listened

to a podcast.

It was the quintessential ickdate. If any guy was going to make me never want to see him again, it would be Jackson. But, after dropping him off at the train station, I didn’t feel bad. I didn’t feel like I had failed. I felt nothing—and the good kind of nothing this time.

Jackson and I had a horrible date, but not because of me. We just didn’t connect. And that wasn’t my fault. It wasn’t Jackson’s, either.

I know this is going to sound like a pile of cliché crap—but hear me out—next time you go on a first date: be yourself. Don’t put on any airs. Don’t perform this perfect version of yourself; just be you. That isn’t me giving you permission to overshare or look a mess or not make the effort. You still have to put your best foot forward. This is me telling you that we shouldn’t feel pressured to bury things we don’t like about ourselves simply to appear dateable.

It’s easy to be what people want us to be and push the heavy lifting onto someone else. We don’t endure the seemingly endless slog of first dates just to mold ourselves to fit into someone else’s life. We don’t deserve that. We deserve someone that’s going to fit our lifestyle just the way it is. Don’t go into the dating world as a square peg trying to cram themselves into a round hole.

Pun intended. gary_sowder@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

Sports Skunks in masks keep disc alive during pandemic

Pandemic or not, there’s no stopping the Skunks.

The college’s co-ed ultimate Frisbee team practices two to three times a week in Boston Common during the altered semester, all while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines.

“Historically, we would be doing certain drills to prepare for tournaments, but this year it’s a little different,” said Skunks President and co-captain Jared Merrifield. “We’ve been really trying to focus on staying distanced, working on drills that keep us kind of far away. Compared to last year, we’re not scrimmaging or anything like that just because of distance. We’re really taking COVID seriously.”

The Skunks roster consists of 30 players, ten of which are new to the team. All players are required to wear masks at practices, even without be-

ing linked to any specific conference with overarching guidelines or recommendations that other teams at the college operate under. They also are reminded to do “six feet checks,” which they jokingly refer to as “rabies checks,” to remain distanced.

Incorporating new players to the team is challenging, especially while managing a safe environment during the pandemic. With COVID regulations in mind, the Skunks adapted the ways that allow them to still bond off the field as well. The team has a Facebook Messenger group chat and a Snapchat group chat which keeps them connected.

“After practice in my previous two seasons, we’d go to the dining hall, grab a table, sit together, and eat dinner,” Merrifield said. “But this season, it’s not quite as much of that because the space isn’t there [in the dining hall] and you can’t be in large groups of people. But people still have been trying to eat together, going out in the Common after prac-

8

Skunks players warming up before practice. Zhihao Wu / Beacon Staff

Junior Jon Luke Lassa rallies in a pass at a Skunks practice.

Photo by Zhihao Wu / Beacon Staff

Tyler Foy Beacon Correspondent

October 22, 2020

tice and bringing lunch in smaller groups.”

On the field, however, the Skunks still build team chemistry as usual.

First-year player Adam Tzach said he has enjoyed his first few weeks practicing and bonding with the team. He said that being on the team has helped him get out and exercise which also said that it has been really nice due to the isolation of the pandemic.

“At practice, we’re still talking, we’re still communicating, and making jokes as we go,” Tzach said. “We still have to communicate when a disk gets thrown and make call outs about our plays. But even during short water breaks, we will joke around and have a great time.”

Before the semester started, USA Ultimate, the sport’s national governing body, cancelled all the season’s tournaments. Without formal competition, it could be difficult for teams to find motivation because the ultimate end goal is stripped away from them.

Still, sophomore Tatum Jenkins has found that focusing on individual growth has motivated her.

“I’m a little less motivated in terms of winning, but in certain ways I’m more motivated to improve just myself as a player because now I feel like I have the time to do so,” Jenkins said. “We’re not working toward a specific goal. We’re working, especially with people who just joined, more on one-on-one things like… different tosses and cuts—just very small things in the sport that, if you can really perfect them, really improve my performance.”

One aspect of gameplay that now only exists in players’ memories is travel. Jenkins said she misses car rides to competitions with the team.

“We all pack into however many cars we need, so you’re getting to know people in this small car,” Jenkins said. “At least our drives are only like an hour, hour and a half long, and then you’re spending an entire weekend at another player’s house. So it’s a lot of time with teammates, which I personally loved.”

The Skunks do not use the same recruiting process as other sports teams on campus, mostly due to them being an organization and not an official team under Emerson Athletics. Most players learn about the team through word-of-mouth or the college’s org fair. In fact, the Skunks only became a college-recognized team last fall after operating independently for several years.

Merrifield said the pandemic could have played a major factor in the overall growth of the team due to the students opting out of in-person classes.

At least ten new players on the team joined the roster this semester.

Tzach said he learned about the team in a unique way. The Skunk’s Instagram page, @emersoncollegeultimate, is how he discovered Emerson entirely.

“I actually followed them on Instagram way before I even knew about Emerson,” Tzach said. “I just was on Instagram one day and I saw the Emerson Skunks, and that just sounded really weird to me, so I had to check it out. It was an ultimate Frisbee team, and I always liked Frisbee.”

The Instagram page has been posting creatively written player introductions daily, highlighting player’s names, hometowns, majors, and extremely random fun facts. Sophomore Jacob Wasserman’s introduction reveals that his favorite weather is a sunshower, and his favorite palindrome is “Atlanta”. Sophomore Truman Segel is introduced as a VMA student from New Jersey, but the post also mentions his “favorite neglected tropical disease,” which is rabies.

In a time where students are told to isolate for their safety, the ability to get out on the field is an outlet for joy for Skunks players. While most athletes on campus are forced to completely abandon traditional practice formats and schedules, the Skunks are able to provide a close-to-normal experience for all students that wish to participate.

Youran Cai, co-captain and vice president, has found that keeping active is the top priority for her.

“My motivation, personally, is just to stay in shape because practices are probably the only time I exercise during the week,” Cai said.

tyler_foy@emerson.edu

Emerson baseball returns to diamond Nate Lannan Beacon Correspondent After last season was abruptly cancelled to prevent the initial spread of COVID-19, Emerson baseball will finally bounce back and return to the diamond.

The team is starting practice this week, but with a focus on conditioning. They will continue to practice for five weeks.

“We’re going in small groups,” head coach Nick Vennochi said. “We can start adding equipment as the fall goes on in hopes for the fourth and fifth week to be not a full team practice, but hitting the ground balls and fly balls and throwing some bullpens.”

Vennochi also expressed that his players are excited to get back on the diamond and compete. “[They are] excited to have any kind of season, to be with their team, to be with their coaches,” Vennochi said. “I know that it’s not perfect.

They want to play, they want to scrimmage, they want to do what we normally do, but then the guys all understand that there are sacrifices that need to be made to hopefully... have some semblance of a normal life.”

Vennochi and his players made it clear that while there will be challenges and unfamiliarities ahead, they are more than ready to take them on.

“It’s going to be a lot of time and sacrifices,” junior pitcher and outfielder Michael Logerwell said. “It’s gonna be more in the conditioning realm. We’re going to try to do as much as we can without necessarily breaking the rules. But I know we’re not going to be using baseballs until, like, the second week.”

First-year third baseman Sebastian Germosen said he is more than ready to take on the challenges of a pandemic-restricted season, and he’s relieved that baseball is coming back.

“Transitioning to college ball hasn’t been hard, but with the restrictions and lack of real practice, my preparation for the season isn’t the

same,” Germosen said. “A year ago, I was able to go out with my teammates or with my dad to get work in and practice. With my high school team, we practiced every day for about three hours. I was able to go to the weight room and work out any time. Now, we’re starting practice a month late, and we won’t be able to have regular practice for a couple of weeks due to some restrictions we have.”

While the pandemic has not quite silenced baseball like it has with other aspects of life, it still forces those in charge to introduce some pretty imposing restrictions.

“I mean, obviously we’re going to be washing our hands, washing equipment as much as we possibly can,” Vennochi said. “But we’re going to be told the guidelines we have to be under by the NCAA, by our conference, and by our department.”

Logerwell is also anticipating some restrictions.

“I expect we’re going to have to get tested a lot, and we’re really go-

The baseball team will begin practicing this week while adhering to COVID-19 safety guidelines. Beacon Archive ing to be monitored heavily,” Logerwell said. “This constant testing and sanitation, staples of the pandemic, have permeated the world of baseball very easily.”

Despite the restrictions, the Lions’ outlook seems positive. The team is looking forward to the beginning of the season, and they’re excited to get

back to the diamond.

“We’re happy to have what we have for sure,” Vennochi said. “I know we’re going to work hard, I know that we’re going to be positive, I know that we’re going to be energetic.”

nathan_lannan@emerson.edu