Kasteel lockdown, suspension lifted

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

Thursday, November 18, 2021 • Volume 75, Issue 12

@berkeleybeacon // @beaconupdate

Turning Point USA suspension lifted after sticker controversy Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

Emerson lifted a suspension of the college’s Turning Point USA chapter this month, allowing the conservative organization to resume on-campus activities weeks after drawing backlash for promotional material perceived as Sinophobia.

The initial suspension, which came after the group passed out stickers that read “China kinda sus” [sic] in reference to the video game “Among Us,” has since been tion into alleged bias-related behavior and invasion of privacy. Under its suspension, the organization and its members were prohibited from hosting meetings, tabling events, and reserving on-campus spaces.

In the wake of the controversy, some students questioned whether the organization should have a place on campus at all.

“I was kind of surprised it was approved just because Turning Point’s whole thing is to trigger liberals,” said Noah Schulte, a junior political communications major, in October. “[The college] should be doing everything they can to punish these students because what they were doing was blatantly racist.”

The stickers, and the college’s reaction to the event, sparked controversy among both Emerson students and national commentators—both critical of and supporting the organization. In particular, the incident drew the attention of conservative media outlets such as the National Review, as well as organizations such as the Foundation for Individuals Rights in Education, that criticized the college’s reaction as an infringement on free speech.

Suspension, Pg. 3

Emerson’s campus in Well, Netherlands. The Berkeley Beacon Archives

Netherlands lockdown leaves Kasteel students unfazed Bailey Allen

last Friday.

Beginning Nov. 13, according to the

Beacon Staff

Amid a rise in COVID cases throughout the Netherlands, Emerson students studying abroad at Kasteel Well face a three-week partial lockdown, which has limited their ability to go out to local establishments since

non-essential shops and services are to close at 6 p.m., while essential shops and services are to close at 8 p.m. Face masks are required wherever citizens do not need to show a coronavirus entry pass—a smartphone appli-

Wu sworn in as city’s 55 th mayor Abigail Lee

the culmination of a historic election cycle that boiled down to two women of color. Before this year, the mayor’s

Beacon Correspondent Michelle Wu was sworn in as mayor Tuesday, ushering in a new era for the city of Boston as the former city councilor became the city’s first woman and person of color elected to serve in the corner office.

“Boston was founded on a revolutionary promise that things don’t have to be as they always were,” she said at her swearing-in ceremony.

Voters confirmed Wu, a former city councilor, to the mayoralty on Nov. 2,

by white men.

“When we make City Hall more accessible, we are all raised up,” Wu said.

The ceremony was attended by former Acting Mayor Kim Janey, Massachusetts Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as Rep. Ayanna Pressley—whose constituency includes Emerson.

“I’m confident that you will lead our city with integrity and that you will

Former performing arts professor gets 30 years in prison Charlie McKenna & Frankie Rowley

cation that proves whether someone has been vaccinated, recently had COVID-19, or tested negative.

According to the World Health Organization, the Netherlands saw 290,563 cumulative COVID-19 cases over the course of the last month—from Oct. 17 to Nov. 17—resulting in a daily average of about 9,000.

Dutch, Pg. 3

center equity,” Janey told Wu at the start of the ceremony.

Before her election, Wu served for eight years as an at-large councilor, including a stint as council president from 2016 to 2018. As the city’s first Asian-American councilor, she said her election to the mayor’s office represented a triumph for second-generation immigrants like her.

“The first time I set foot in Boston City Hall, I felt invisible,” Wu said.

“Today I see what’s possible in this building.”

Wu, Pg.2

Mayor Michelle Wu at her swearing in. Courtesy

Emerson Stage to conclude fall season with production of ‘Marie Antoinette’

Beacon Staff

briefly served as a professor in Emerson’s Performing Arts Department, was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday for assaulting a number of underage students during his tenure as a middle school theater teacher in Minnesota.

Fietek departed Emerson in July 2020 after a former student came forward with allegations of assault from his time at the Anoka Middle School for the Arts. He was subsequently arrested in his ta. On Aug. 19, Fietek pleaded guilty to three feloNo Emerson students accused Fietek of assault, though he did continue a relationship with an underage student from Minnesota during his time at the college, according to the warrant issued for Fietek’s arrest.

On Wednesday, victims and their supporters flooded the courtroom for the 48-year-old’s sentencing. Among them was Zander Danielson Sellie, who first came forward with allegations against Fietek in 2009.

Sellie, who met Fietek when they were 11, said being able to share their story at the sentencing Professor, Pg. 2

INSIDE THIS EDITION

COVID cases on-campus rise Pg. 2 New stations on Green Line speed up commute Pg. 3 Editorial: Students should be able to stay over break for free Pg. 4 Sexual attachment is natural Pg. 5 Alum publishes new book Pg. 7

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positive COVID-19 tests Mariyam Quaisar

Marie Antoinette. Graphic Emerson Stage

the Greene Theater. Directed by Annie. G Levy and written by David Adjmi, the play stars Giavanna Mariano, a senior theater and performance Emerson Stage will conclude its fall season major, as Marie. with a production of “Marie Antoinette,” that “It’s a play that invites us to really look at this aims to present audiences with a revolutionary Mariano said. “It’s not a pro-Marie Antoinette Queen of France through the hardships and pit- play, but it’s also not against her. She’s just a refalls she faced.

The cast and crew started rehearsals on Oct. 12, and, after a little over a month, they are ready being in a position of authority.” to show the world their Marie from Nov. 18-21 in Marie, Pg. 7 Beacon Staff

.14%

positivity rate

58,000+ tests completed

The Berkeley Beacon

News Wu takes office, pushes

November 18, 2021

2

widespread reform

Cont. from Pg. 1 Wu ran on a progressive campaign which included a proposal for a fare-free T—one of the reasons she drew support from Tim Lasker, president of Local 453. As the MBTA’s second largest union, “She is going to be one of the most dynamic and effective mayors that we’ve ever seen,” Lasker said.

Wu asked the city council for $8 million in funding to make three bus lines fare-free for two years.

Wu has also pledged to address inequality in Boston through affordable housing, a Boston Green New Deal, and a reimagined Boston Police Department.

During the ceremony, a small group protested the clearing of encampments at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, the area known as Mass and Cass, which has become the center of the city’s opioid epidemic and homelessness crisis, highlighting another issue the new mayor will face.

Also on Wednesday, Wu announced that the city would be pausing the clearing while a Superior Court Judge considered a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union. The suit was later dismissed by the judge, clearing the way for the city to resume the

encampment clearing. “[Wu] should follow through on her commitment to lead with public health and invest in evidence-based solutions,” Cassie terial Aid and Advocacy Program, said to The Beacon. plans to address the homelessness crisis, the issue remains at the forefront of many Boston residents’ minds.

“I want to see the Mass and Cass situation resolved in a more thought out way,” said Olivia MillEmerson. “Homeless people have been treated very unfairly by Mayor Janey’s recent ordinance.”

In her farewell address last Wednesday, Janey touched on the crisis and said she felt “proud of our outreach teams for continuing the work of serving all of our residents and connecting people with services.”

For many, Wu’s election represents a signal of progress and a commitment to disrupting the status quo. First-year visual and media arts major Mahkye Hayden, who was drawn to Wu by her stance on affordable housing and mative.

“Her background being Asian-American brings insight and a change of pace that I think is

Professor given max sentence in sex offender case

Courtesy

Cont. from Pg. 1 “It was really powerful for me, because I came forward 4,372 days ago,” they said in a phone interview with The Beacon. “I rewrote my statement three times because I’m a big proponent of not making history all unicorns and rainbows.”

“People forget that we were children,” they added.

Fietek’s sentence represents the pled guilty to in the state of Minnesota. He is also required to register as a predatory offender.

Sellie said they were relieved that Fietek would be unable to harm any more children.

“It’s really, really good to know that justice was served here,” they said.

Fietek’s arrest came in the wake of

a Facebook post from Jacob Tighe, now 25, who detailed the abuse he suffered at Fietek’s hands while he was one of the former professor’s students.

After Fietek’s sentencing, Tighe took to Facebook to share his reactions to the sentencing of the man he once considered an idol.

“Jefferson raped me,” he said. “He groomed me with anecdotes of straight He planted ideas in my head of how he could help me achieve new levels of show me what it meant to do that as a child.”

He noted that the trial was a way of learning more about Fietek, especially in regards to his treatment of him and other victims.

“I know I’m not the only one he did this to, and that there are other men and

welcome,” Hayden said. “It seems like she very much cares about the people of Boston.”

Wu inherits a city emerging from over a year of economic strife from the pandemic. However, Pressley told The Beacon that the city was prepared for the future because of Janey’s tenure.

“The city will now be in a better position for a full recovery, and then to chart a brighter and more just path for the city of Boston,” Pressley said.

Danny Rivera, who sang at the event and interned for Janey when she was City Council President and sang at her farewell speech, predicted that the former mayor, who will return to her role as council president, would continue her commitment to the city of Boston in the future.

“I believe that while she’s passing the torch to Mayor-elect Wu, there is still work that she will said.

In her speech and when greeting attendees afterwards, Janey became emotional as she closed When considering the most memorable aspect about her term, Janey said to The Beacon, “[it’s] the people, connecting with residents all across Boston, every single neighborhood.” abigail_lee@emerson.edu boys out there who have been through this same sort of torture,” he continued.

“I know now that we were bragging rights, or notches in his bedpost, and not the people he claimed to love so much.”

Sellie said they believe Fietek likely abused more victims than have come forward to this point.

“I think there will be some more coming up from other people who are still wrestling with what happened to them,” they said. “But for me, he can’t harm any more people and that’s what’s important. The world knows what he did.” while traumatic, ultimately pushed him to speak up against the injustices committed against him and others.

“Jefferson gave me a voice that I didn’t know I had before,” he wrote.

“If it weren’t for that man sitting in this courtroom right now, there would still be a pedophile living in Malden, Massachusetts… Jefferson himself gave me the strength to bring him down all these years later.”

Sellie said there were a lot of periences in the courthouse Wednesday, with Fietek looking on.

“It was a lot of us going ‘this is what happened to us, you spent a lot of time using us all as puppets, you’re not going to do that anymore,’” they said.

“That was really, really great.”

They said Fietek’s conviction didn’t feel real until they saw him being taken away in handcuffs.

“That was the moment where I was like, ‘okay, this is actually happening,’” they said. “That was pretty shocking to see and also very satisfying, knowing that it was several decades in the making.”

Fietek’s nephew, Josh Masterton, got the justice they deserved.

“The people who came forward are some of the bravest people I’ve ever tice done,” Masterton wrote in a tweet. contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Charlie McKenna / Beacon Staff

Positive COVID-19 tests rising on campus, mirroring statewide trend Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

In the ten-day period since Nov. 8, Emerson reported 13 new positive COVID-19 tests—a marked increase in overall infections mirroring worsening cases in Massachusetts.

Though daily case numbers remained relatiely low—with a daily high of three on Nov. 10 and 11—they steadily accumulated into the double digits in the past week. The spike also corresponds with the switch to a pooled testing method, which began for students on Nov. 1.

Three community members were reported to be in on-campus isolation on Wednesday, with zero in on-campus quarantine.

Of the 13 positive tests, 12 were recorded in the seven-day period between Nov. 10 and Nov. 16. The recent surge returns the college to a high not seen since late September, when 10 positive tests were reported over the course of a week.

Despite the rise in positive tests, Associate Vice President for Campus Life Erik Muurisepp, who serves as Emerson’s “COVID Lead,” said he was not concerned—pointing out that the percentage of positives compared to overall tests administered is small.

“I think some more regular positive numbers are coming through,” he said in a phone interview. “We’re not seeing any concerning trends or any in-classroom transmission.”

“In the realm of doing 5,000 tests, around that, a week, we’re still doing very well,” he added.

Muurisepp said the rise in positives speaks to a trend beyond the confines of the Emerson community.

“What it really says for us is that the virus is still present,” he said. “We’ve got to figure out how to learn to adjust to living with it, but there’s nothing of concern at this point.”

He noted that the spike mirrors

a visible rise in cases in Massachusetts. In the same seven-day period, the state recorded 15,199 total cases—an average of 2,171 per day—and 107 deaths. On Wednesday, the state recorded its highest single-day total in two months.

“Look at numbers in the New England area—they’re starting to go up a little bit,” he said. “That’s really where it’s important to make sure folks are still following protocols. Getting vaccinated, paying attention to when they’re eligible for booster shots as they approach the winter season and of course, most importantly, [getting their] flu shot.”

He also stated that with Boston entering its colder months, COVID is a “natural concern” along with the common cold and flu.

“As we enter the colder season, obviously, folks are coming indoors in all aspects of Emerson and elsewhere, and outdoor dining is not as pleasant or plentiful with the colder weather,” Muurisepp said. “There is just natural concern as we enter this season with colds, flus, and of course, COVID potentially increasing spread.”

However, Muurisepp acknowledged that concerns of travel-related COVID transmission prompted the college to provide at-home COVID-19 tests, which students will be required to take at least two days prior to their return to campus from Thanksgivto retest on campus within the three days of their return to campus.

“We felt that offering that rapid test to everyone is peace of mind for folks when they’re about to travel back to Boston, peace of mind for us as we welcome everyone back, and then enter testing again for that week after Thanksgiving,” he said.

frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

November 18, 2021

3

New Green Line stations make off-campus commutes faster—though just barely Gabel Strickland

Beacon Correspondent

train, said that while he enjoyed the T’s new clocks and platforms, “speedwise it feels about the same.”

Liam, a part-time Boston Uni-

Gabel Strickland / Beacon Correspondent

stations of St. Paul Street and Boston University West, while the new Babcock Street station supplants two previous stops, Babcock and Pleasant Streets. The original four stops, three of which closed on Monday and one in February, created a “bottleneck” that caused outbound trains to be delayed.

With the consolidation, the MBTA estimates that a minute will be shaved off of the commute from Packard’s

it to Somerville in the north.

“Anything to help the T stations, because a lot of people use [the T],” year student at Boston University.

Waiting for the inbound train at Amory Street station, Bartholomew welcomed the improvements to the city’s public transit service, which she described as “the easiest way for a college student to get around.”

Amory Street replaces the former

Corner to Kenmore.

While Amory Street was not the only new station to be opened as part of the project, its creation was certainly the most drastic change to the Green Line. It closed two functioning stations to create a bigger one and features: 150-foot canopies to shelter riders, safety barriers between the station and the roads, raised 225-foot platforms for easier boarding, count-

down clocks, digital screens, benches, “The new stations look a lot nicer and have been modernized,” said senior visual and media arts major added the digital signs you see on the underground stops that tell you when Nevertheless, Ploscowe, who takes the Green Line from Allston to Emerson in the mornings and

outbound train at Amory Street, agreed that it was hard to notice any change in the train’s speed—though he conceded that the MBTA had successfully refurbished the new station with modernized structures and equipment.

“It’s a lot easier to wait around for the train, for sure,” he said. “I wouldn’t say it’s faster, but I’d say it’s a better wait.”

The Amory Street Station is only ed within the Green Line Transformation. The rest are still in progress, in a long line of changes Boston will see on the Green Line. gabel_strickland@emerson.edu

Dutch COVID spike a nuisance for Emerson students

Hongyu Liu / Beacon Staff

Cont. from Pg. 1 The lockdown comes during the erated amid the pandemic. For the entirety of the 2020-21 school year, European travel regulations prevented Emerson students from entering the country, forcing the cancellation of the program.

To many students at the castle, though, the rise in cases didn’t come as much of a shock—especially given

Marcus Cocova / Beacon Correspondent

College quietly lifts suspension of conservative group on campus

In a statement to The Beacon, Steinbaugh said that although the stickers “may be upsetting or hurtful to some,” FIRE disagreed with the college’s handling of the incident.

“We’re glad that Emerson lifted the suspension of the group, but it should not have suspended them in the first place and should not impose any form of formal sanction now,” he said. “Interim suspensions are intended to prevent immediate threats to security and public safety. This was an abuse of that authority.”

The college has not publicly disclosed the results of its review, nor did it announce to students that TPUSA would be allowed to resume activities on campus.

Jenna Coviello, program coordinator at the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership, declined to comment on the suspension or further details about the matter. She stated that the college

improve his commute; while his ride may have been a few minutes quicker, he said the change had not been very evident thus far.

“Honestly, I haven’t even noticed any major changes [in travel time] with the decommissioned stations,” going through those BU stops, but I guess my commute still feels long.”

Other passengers agreed. Jason,

The MBTA opened two new Green Line stations on Monday, shaking up the commutes for scores of off-campus college students traveling to and from Emerson and other Boston-area institutions and revitalizing the oldest public transit system in the nation.

The new stations, at Amory Street and Babcock Street in Brookline, are a consolidation of four previous stations along the Green Line’s B Branch, which runs from Boston College to Government Center. They are part of the transit agency’s “Green Line Transformation” project, which ultimately aims to increase the line’s

Cont. from Pg. 1

afternoons, said he was skeptical that

had “communicated directly with the organization about its status.”

The organization, which describes itself as a space for open political discourse, hosted its first post-suspension event in the 2 Boylston Place alley on Wednesday. Titled “Israel has the right members encouraged passersby to debate the conflict between Israel and Palestine. President Sammi Neves, an international student from Brazil, held a sign reading “I Heart ISR.” Vice President for Campus Life Jim Hoppe said he only hoped the incident, and the ensuing suspension, taught the members something.

“They’ve been advised and hopefully, as with any kind of process, there’s learning that takes place,” Hoppe said.

Emerson’s Turning Point USA branch could not be reached for comment on this article. frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

to mask mandates in various areas across the small Western European nation.

“We all agreed going into this lockdown that Amsterdam was one ally enforce mask mandates,” Drew Mitchell, a sophomore visual and media arts major said, regarding the country’s capital where many Emerson students spend their weekends.

“Maybe on public transportation we were wearing them, but not really when going outside or even inside.

I can kind of understand how their cases rose.”

Lida Everhart, also a sophomore visual and media arts major, said Emerson students were oftentimes the only ones wearing masks on their outings to Amsterdam.

“I remember we went on an acaical Museum where we were split up into groups,” she said. “In my group, the tour guide was really confused by all of us wearing masks. She was saying, ‘Oh, they don’t have to wear their masks,’ and a [staff] member of Emerson was like, ‘You guys can do whatever you feel comfortable with.’”

According to Maya Raman, a sophomore visual and media arts major, the Kasteel Well program has been mostly business-as-usual.

“Within Emerson itself, within the Kasteel campus, nothing has really changed with the lockdown,” she said. “It’s more about how we interact with the outside world.”

“Since we are kind of in a bubble [on the castle grounds], we don’t have to wear masks as much as [students] do on the Boston campus,” Raman continued. “If we’re outside, nobody’s wearing masks, or even sometimes in classrooms we’re

not required to wear our masks if we’re sitting down, which is kind of strange. In general, the COVID prothey are on the Boston campus; they haven’t really changed very much with a lockdown.”

When it comes to fears about contracting the virus, Mitchell is not too concerned.

“Throughout the week, we’re in such a tight community here at the castle, [so I’m] not too worried,” Mitchell said. “Traveling-wise, I’m pretty sure other countries are doing okay. Not many people have been traveling recently just because of the end of the semester burnt-out vibes… for traveling, we honestly respect all the orders like wearing the masks and social distancing in each country we go to.”

According to Mitchell, Kasteel Well staff have not imposed any travel restrictions upon the students.

“I’m actually planning on going to Amsterdam this weekend,” Mitchell said. “I’m just staying there overnight, but I’ve been looking up a lot of the Amsterdam rules and a lot of places there are closing down early. ‘fun night’ trip.”

“For a lot of it, you just need to have proof of your vaccine and obviously follow the mask mandates and social distancing orders,” he added.

“I’m curious to see how that’s gonna go this weekend.”

Many students noted that the most tangible effect of the lockdown had been in the nearby small town of Well—namely, the cancellation of ‘American Nights’ at Onder de Linden, a local cafe and bar frequented

by Emerson students.

“We all go over there and get trashed and hang out with the Dutch locals, but because of the lockdown, you can’t get trashed at 7 p.m. It’s kind of sad,” Raman said. ening it was for him when the local bar shut down.

“The bar owner always lets us play our music there and a lot of locals come out to hang out and chill with us,” Mitchell said. “It’s such a good time because we’ll all go together around maybe eight or nine or dance. But now you just recently

have the new restrictions they put in place so we had to put that on hold.

Seeing that kind of sucks.”

Despite the lockdown, Everhart ing she did throughout the semester.

“Going to Paris or Berlin or wherever, people are going into really packed clubs where no one’s wearing a mask,” she said. “We’re having a lot been able to have in the U.S., while still being a completely COVID-free campus. We’re really privileged to have gotten that—and we’re not really mourning the increasing cases in the Netherlands just because we’ve status quo right now.”

The college has no intentions to cancel the remainder of the semester nor the Spring 2022 semester in light of the lockdown, according to Assistant Dean for Global and Equity Education Tikesha Morgan, despite the Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment patients in ICUs this winter.

In a recent email sent out to students and parents signed up for the Spring 2022 cohort, Morgan wrote the United States as a “high risk” or “red” country, discouraging its citizens from traveling to the U.S. “It’s important to note that these designations sometimes have a political element, and are not necessarily 100% based on science,” Morgan wrote. “EU countries have been upset that the United States only just began to allow their citizens to travel to the US. There has been a tit-for-tat on travel restrictions.”

The castle has yet to report any positive COVID-19 tests, Morgan wrote.

“The Fall 2021 castle group have been traveling around Europe, and so far all of them have tested negative on their weekly COVID-19 tests,” Morgan wrote. “There is no way to know what the future might bring, but if the past is any guide, this spike should peak and then diminish by the time January comes around.”

Adrianna Pray contributed reporting. bailey_allen@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

November 18, 2021

4

Opinion

Emerson should not charge students staying on campus through winter break to need short and long-term stays, without including a meal plan or most of the typical campus amenities, so why are these students being forced to pay for a similar price tag to the average month in on-campus housing when classes are in

Editorial A winter break away from home can ments off we have as college students with family can be restorative after a draining semester. Many international students, however, don’t have the same opportunities to head home for the holidays that national students do, whether

“This institution should be accommodating these students, especially after a pandemic”

it be because of the high cost of internapandemic.

Domestic travel in the United States is safer than it was at the beginning of the pandemic, which has allowed most students to go home for Thanksgiving.

However, international travel is still widely restricted by vaccination, testing and quarantine policies, and many other obstacles related to the pandemic.

For those with nowhere to go during

International students make up about 12.5 percent of the Emerson student body; this institution should be accommodating these students, especially after a pandemic and especially because they

Beacon Archives

Thanksgiving, they are left to rely on Emerson.

Emerson provides housing for students through the winter break — but at a cost. According to an email sent to residential students on Nov. 1, students will be charged $2,717 to remain on campus through winter break. This amounts to nearly a third of a semesterly housing payment for 23 days of on-campus living.

Yet, students staying on-campus through the break won’t be able to access the same amenities on-campus students have grown used to—namely the dining center, which will close on Dec. 17 and not reopen until Jan. 7.

The closure leaves students like

Haohan Sun, a junior visual and media arts student, to buy their own groceries and cook or pay for food at nearby restaurants.

“I’d prefer if we had a meal plan because obviously I don’t usually cook,” he said. “If I need to cook for like Christmas I have to buy everything and I would prefer to have the dining hall open.”

It makes perfect sense that Sun ey required to cook for himself over the break considering the high cost of simply having a roof over his head for the duration of the holidays.

During his stay, Sun, and the rest of the students who opt to remain on-campus through the break will be forced to

move into the Paramount Residence Hall. Students paying for accommodations during the break must move out of the comfort of their own dorm, all for the reasonable price of $2,717.

Yet, students like Sun have no other choice.

“I came from Shanghai, and right now China has policies that if you go back, whether you are a Chinese citizen or a foreigner, you have to stay quarantined for 14 days“ Sun said. “After you arrive at the airport you are sent to a hotel, and stay there for like 14 days…..and that time is almost like our winter break, so there is like no point in staying home to then going back (to campus).”

International students are also critically important to the health of our economy. They contribute $41 billion to our national economy and have supported more than 458,290 jobs in the 20182019 academic year alone, according to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers. International students are sought out by universities and colleges left and right, but when it comes to giving them the support they need they sometimes fall short.

The college’s responsibility to help international students is about more than just being fair, but also being compassionate. International students shouldn’t be put in the position where they have to stay on campus or an oftentimes an impossible course back home.

The Berkeley Beacon Editorial Board is the voice of the student newspaper that looks to serve the Emerson College community with thoughtful insight into ongoings and occurrences affecting their everyday lives. The board’s positions are determined by its members. The board consists of the editor-in-chief, managing editors, and opinion editors. The opinions expressed by the Editorial Board do not impact the paper’s coverage.

You can respond to a position brought forward by The Beacon Editorial Board in the form of a Letter to The Editor by email: Letters@BerkeleyBeacon.com.

Don’t let apathy stop you from grieving the loss of a pet Shannon Garrido Beacon Staff

meant well, kept telling me that I would “feel better” if I went out and distracted myself. All I wanted to do was lay in bed.

If someone close to you has lost a beloved pet, let them grieve the same way you would if they had lost a family member, because

When we lose a family member, we are told to grieve. We cut our days short, we make funeral arrangements, we take time off, or drown ourselves in work. We do whatever it takes to get by.

For so many, including myself, family. They are family. They are there when you need a companion and a confidant for as long as we can remember having them around.

Yet, when our pets die, our days don’t stop.

I have had pets die throughout my life, the most recent being my little white Maltese, Nico, just this weekend. No matter how many pets you lose, it never gets any easier.

When my parents had to work long hours, Nico was there to keep me company, making sure to stay put on my bedside. He was there for my sister when I was too busy to keep her company after school.

He was there to worry us all when his little body would disappear behind our furniture, making a mess as he went by.

Now that Nico has passed, I am filled with grief. It’s like there is suddenly a hole in my heart that cannot be filled by anything other than his little brown eyes staring at me.

However, I do not feel comfortable asking my professors for

Nicolas, beloved pet and friend / Courtesy Shannon Garrido off when I really need it. Going up to my professor and saying, “My seems ridiculous.

It doesn’t feel like this loss is enough for my peers to take seriously. It just seemed like a sad thing that happened to me, yet not sad enough that I couldn’t do my work.

I found myself thinking that because my loss was not an actual cuse. But, it should be emphasized In so many cases, losing a pet can be harder than losing a relative.

Like psychologist, speaker, and author Guy Winch states in his article for the Scientific American, so many people feel embarrassed to admit that they are struggling due to the apathy of others. Instead of

admitting we feel bad, we laugh it off or simply don’t talk about it.

This indifference to the loss of a person’s pet can actually make the person grieving feel worse, according to the book “Clinician’s Guide to Treating Companion Animal Issues.” In my case, I felt that even though the last thing I wanted to do was go out and have fun, or work pected of me. Friends, who I knew © 2021 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved.

The Beacon is published weekly.

Anything submitted to the Beacon becomes the sole property of the newspaper. No part of the publication may be reproduced by any permission of the editor.

people to get over loss easily because the deceased is small and fluffy. Yes, pets can be bought, but the love they provide cannot.

They cannot simply be replaced and their memory does not become an afterthought in the span of a week.

The loss of these lifelong companions can not only overwhelm us with pain and grief, but also with feelings of guilt. Just like losing family or friends, the death of a pet can make our brain spiral to all of the moments you took for granted.

All the times I was having a bad had to clean up after Nico reminded me of how little time we had left and I had no idea.

When our pets die, we are in charge of giving them a proper Editor-in-Chief Charlie McKenna

goodbye. While we are filled with heartache over the loss of our fourlegged friend, we have to decide how their life should be honored.

For those struggling with this, think about where the memory of your pet can be honored, not only for you, but for them. In Nico’s case, we buried him at his favorite spot, Rancho Don Rey, Sabana de la Mar. The fields of this Ranch located in the province of Hato Mayor in the Dominican Republic were his happy place. He would rub himself on the chinola fields and bask in the hot sun. There, he can soak in the sun rays and live among the grassy fields forever, just like he always wanted to.

Death, loss, and grief are complicated things. We all feel it differently, and we all should. No loss is too small or too big. As people, we should work to make others feel safe enough to feel it freely.

shannon_garrido@emerson.edu

Tyler Foy (Sports) Kaitlyn Fehr (Copy)

Managing Editors Lucia Thorne (Content) Hongyu Liu (Multimedia) Campbell Parrish (Operations)

Advisor Jerry Lanson

Section Editors Camilo Fonseca (News) Mariyam Quaisar (Living Arts) Shannon Garrido (Opinion)

(617) 824–8687 berkeleybeacon.com contact@berkeleybeacon.com

The Berkeley Beacon

November 18, 2021

5

It’s okay to get attached after sex; in fact, it’s natural Mariyam Quaisar Beacon Staff

meant something to you.

More so, you should not be ashamed if you or your partner does not feel anything. Many people do not have such a reaction to intercourse— which is how the terms “bang and bolt” and “hit and quit” were coined.

Not having any connection is also OK. Also, it’s not only when you lose your virginity that there is the

Losing one’s virginity is usually a powerful moment in one’s life, and it often results in feeling a strong connection to whomever they lost it to.

I’m here to tell you that such a feeling is normal, and nothing to suppress or be ashamed of.

According to psychologist Tamsen

“For many of us, regardless of our gender identity, losing our virginities is emotional”

Butler, regardless of whether or not

someone, the body releases increased hormone and neurotransmitter that is activity, and relationship-building. It is in no way a “bad” chemical, but a realistic one.

is released when someone hugs you, so just imagine how much is released when someone is literally inside you.

If you are someone who gets easily attached, easily trusts, easily feels, then keep that in mind when you engage in intercourse. It is very hard

tocin than males, according to Markus MacGill, editor for Medical News Today, which is why they are more likely to feel an emotional connection with their partner. The hormone itself

women’s, and everyone else’s, feel-

and emotion, hence it plays a major role in emotional attachment after

unless, of course, one keeps their heart closed and their legs open.

So, it is OK to feel attached to the person who takes your virginity. It is created by the make-up of our bodies, and it is natural. with giving your body to someone else has been drilled into the minds of girls for centuries. This idea has been pushed into society and has become a norm, but it doesn’t actually validate

in bonding two (or more) people, according to psychologist Deborah Anapol. Having a mutually satisfying

ing around, people, including women, are bound to feel an attachment with their partner without being placed in If we are told that the act of having obviously you’ll get emotional, not emotional activity.

Illustration Lucia Thorne I was one of those people who took my virginity very seriously. I made in a relationship with someone I loved (or thought I loved). After giving such an important part of me to him, my attraction and connection grew naturally. Not only had he entered my life physically, but he saw me bare, for all I was.

For many of us, regardless of our gender identity, losing our virginities is emotional. It can be stressful, beautiful, painful, and scary all wrapped into one. There’s no shame in feeling any or all of that. It does not mean you are subjecting yourself to the standards society has placed on you; it does not mean you need to marry this person, or that your body is no longer

no matter how much you try. Take it from me. Don’t let anyone tell you that you only feel that way because you are a woman, or even shame you because you feel that way when you are not.

I am a very emotional person. I get attached and even worse, I confuse that attachment with feelings. It has taken me time and practice (literally) to understand how to handle my myself up to someone in such a way.

I know that I cannot handle one night stands. I need intimacy and romance, which is perfectly OK. It is healthy to know your limits when more importantly to not beat yourself up when you identify them.

As humans, we are supposed to feel. As animals, we are supposed to and it’s natural. Along with that, emotions sometimes feel good, they are healthy, they are natural. mariyam_quaisar@emerson.edu

Taxidermy is tasteless and cruel Campbell Parish Beacon Staff

pet. After all, there’s a reason why the vet doesn’t tell you you’ll get your pet back in good shape if it dies.

As I scroll through TikTok, I look at the curated videos suggested to me based on my previously viewed videos, aka my for you my videos, more than I would care for. I guess the TikTok algorithm here to set the record straight. I am a firm believer in being vehemently This whole piece started when I saw a video of a poor dog after its owner preserved its carcass for their viewing pleasure. If you wish to not view the video, I will do the

“Immortalizing your pet in your living room as a shelf decal seems more hurtful than honoring” video. The TikTok shows a pet chi-

huahua that now has an oddly bendy spine.

The person who is responsible dermist.’ Why did they include but I now feel peer pressured to include the detail that I eat meat.

Immortalizing your pet in your living room as a shelf decal seems more hurtful than honoring. Just because they were your pet does not mean you know what is best for them. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to become part of the furniture in your parents home once you pass even if your parents thought “that’s what you would have wanted.” @reanimatedremains works on preserving animals for their owners, with over 134,000 followers on TikTok and 14,000 on Instagram.

As much as I disagree with stuffing the carcass of your dead pet, I have done. You have to give credit when it’s due and @realanimatedremains knows what they’re doing when it comes to making once living things into stiff, stuffed animals. stand the purpose of the entire process. The animal has already crossed the Rainbow Bridge, a metaphor that all pets go to this peaceful place after death. A place where they are no longer in pain, they can play all the time, and have unlimited food. profitable career path — according perience and proven skills can earn

Courtesy Creative Commons spending that much money to preserve your pet. Especially when not ing around 200-300 dollars to keep their pet forever, and that is only The practice is just so gruesome and it shows how little respect people truly have for any life that doesn’t resemble their own. Your beagle had a heartbeat just like you, so why would you treat the moments of his passing life as a

$25,000 to $30,000 yearly.”

pets who are known for being a part of our everyday life, should be treated with the same respect you would treat your dead grandmother.

for the wealthy. I cannot imagine

who are living, it doesn’t benefit

$50,000 annually. Museum work-

“It is creepy, it can be cool, but it is mainly creepy” the animal. It’s a selfish choice that we as humans make to help us sleep at night.

I understand there are deep connections between animal and owner, and sometimes it is hard to let go, but there are better options than

keeping them forever as a piece in your home for your guests to stare at. It is creepy, it can be cool, but it is mainly creepy. Let your pet rest, put them somewhere they would have loved, and please stop turning them into your disturbing version of a Build-A-Bear.

It makes me think that if there ple we loved who have passed on, people would do it. If you wouldn’t your poor pet through it.

campbell_parish@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

November 18, 2021

6

Living Arts

Alum publishes comedic short story anthology, ‘Eggplant Emoji’

Karissa Schaefer Beacon Staff

Labeled as “humor for the culturally refined” and promising to subvert expectations—Eggplant Emoji Volume 1, a new collection of comedic short stories from an Emerson alum, was released last month.

The anthology, written by self-proclaimed “jack of all trades,” James P.W. Martin ‘13, features 12 stories from 10 different authors. The stories written by Martin are titled “The Cockroach” and “George Washington’s Tig ‘ol Bitties.”

Martin’s previous work can be found in other volumes of short stories like The Secrets We Keep and Creaky Stairs: A Book of Dark Truths – Volume 1. During most of his life, Martin has been creating art in some type of way, whether it be through films, acting, singing, editing, or writing.

“I’m at the point where I just want to focus on projects that I love and believe in and bring them to life,” he said.

Martin’s interest in reading and writing fiction started in sixth grade after he read Stephen King’s Pet Sematary. He later attended Emerson for a film degree, which helped land him in several nationwide film festivals (some can be found on his YouTube), and an editing job for a documentary about individuals with communicative disabilities. Currently, Martin resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, and takes part in the Bucks County Writers Group, which is where the idea for Eggplant Emoji was born.

“These are some of the funniest authors I know and it’s just been a pure joy,” Martin said. “My biggest recommendation to any writer is to join a writers group to have people read your work and you review their work. I surrounded myself with authors who are publishing books and it gave me the confidence I needed to start my own publication.”

One of Martin’s fellow writers and author of the anthology’s short story “Hard Times; or, Impotence in the Time of COVID,” Jack McBiggs, added that every author is a contributor to the group. His story is about dealing with the inability for a man to get hard during the pandemic, and how that is dealt with in comparison to a deadly respiratory infection.

“The fact that you can’t get hard is not high on the list in the medical commu-

Courtesy James P.W. Martin

Courtesy James P.W. Martin nity, but to local losers, it’s catastrophic,” McBiggs said. “It’s the combination of something shameful and isolating, and that is impotence. All at once, we got hit with a medical issue that affected everybody and separated us all, causing us to withdraw in ourselves. It’s about reaching out during that time, no matter what you’re embarrassed about.”

After doing work in women’s fiction and horror, Martin decided that this time around he wanted to emulate R-rated comedies. He figured the genre could bring different and new ideas to the world of literature, which he describes as “wide open and untapped.” Martin said that at

a time of so much stress during the pandemic, comedy can help remind people to laugh.

“The idea behind the anthology was R-rated comedies made for popular TV shows and movies, so why not bring R-rated comedies to literature?” he said.

“Not that they’re all R-rated, but many of them are. The whole point is just to make people laugh. I believe laughter is medicine and brings people together, and I think that’s more important than anything right now.”

Martin’s passion for short creative works is translated from onscreen to pages in a book. However, he plans to do

Payton Cavanaugh / Beacon Correspondent

You are all that the myth can’t bear; opera Iphigenia is a triumph Payton Cavanaugh

Beacon Correspondent On Nov. 13, I watched “Iphigenia,” an opera that tells a new rendition of the well-known Greek Myth Iphigenia at Aulis, in the Cutler Majestic theater hosted by ArtsEmerson. The show left me with many questions pertaining to the true meaning of the myth, and the complexities of breaking the tests of fate, which I discussed in depth with friends for hours afterward. It completely capti-

vated audience members such as myself from beginning to end and left a lasting impression.

The tale of Iphigenia at Aulis depicts the sacrifice of woman for man. In the Greek myth, Iphigenia is sacrificed by her father Agamemnon, to conciliate the goddess Artemis. However, what if Iphigenia challenges her ultimate destiny?

What if rather than women sacrificing for the greater good of man, man sacrifices their glory for their own mistakes?

What if Iphigenia took hold of her fate

and contested the greater myth?

In the new rendition by Wayne Shorter & esperanza spalding, the fate of Iphigenia is completely altered. Guided by the influence of Artemis, Iphigenia finds her voice and her destiny.

The play addressed many societal flaws such as the patriarchal ideals which dominate our society and empowered women to fight the social pressures and ideals meant to subjugate them.

“What is a woman but a castoff shell,

the opposite and build upon his brand by basing a show on Eggplant Emoji.

“My long term goals include creating a TV series of ‘Eggplant Emoji,’ where different filmmakers could present their own short comedic films or sketches, and every episode can introduce you to new, hilarious people,” Martin said. “I’m building a brand here and I’m excited for all the funny content we’re going to put out.”

McBiggs values the genuineness that comes from comedic fiction, because of the inability of readers to fake laughter. To him, “laughter is the gold standard.”

“Laughter is involuntary, and the only real currency that means anything for a work of art,” he said. “I encourage everybody to comedic pitch because the minute you make somebody laugh with something you wrote, it’s game over, and you’re gonna want to do that again. It’s the ultimate goal.”

Martin said his favorite piece from the anthology is “Tinderella,” a modern take on “Cinderella,” but with the dating app Tinder. Heather Twerking, an alias for the writer of “Tinderella,” detailed how the idea came to be from a writer’s retreat in the Poconos. The writers group took part in a word war, which is an hour long competition to see who can write the most.

“I made the mistake of telling somebody about that idea and they just latched onto that,” she said. “I was like, I’m gonna write it, no matter how dumb it comes out. It’s really cool to find out that you can do comedy writing. That wasn’t someits unseen iridescence,” says one of the multiple Iphigenias.

The opera not only analyzed the prospect of an alliance between Artemis and Iphigenia but also explored the many internal monologues of Iphigenia. The show includes many different Iphagenias, each with an alternative perspective.

Each version of the character differed not only in the content of their characters but also visually. The costumes were vastly different, but each correlated to the various versions of her.

The show concludes in an ending far from fate’s design, in which the multiple perceptions of Iphigenia are far too strong for the myth to end in its original resolution.

The chants of Greek men battled with Iphigenia’s inner strength. “For Greece, no sacrifice too great,” spoke the Greeks, only to be dampened by the words of the Iphigenias, “for Greece, no sacrifice.”

The juxtaposition of the two lines hit me hard and showed the true inner battle Iphigenia was faced with. A battle in which she had to choose between everything society told her she had to be and changing the course of her fate in order to save herself.

The play was a telling portrayal of a woman’s fight against the expectations of a sexist society. The talent of the cast, musicians, and crew matched the brilliant vision of the playwright. This rendition of the classic Greek myth left the audience leaping to their feet to applaud

thing I tried before.”

Twerking said getting into comedy writing was an accident, born of hanging out with the wrong people at the right time. Coming from a 12 year career as an editor, she is trying to “bridge that gap” between editing and writing by diving into a focus on fun writing, which she has been doing for six years now.

Twerking praised Martin for his myriad talents—ranging from jokes to karaoke, the only way she could sum him up was “incredible.”

“He did the art, the marketing, everything for this book,” Twerking said. “He’s extremely professional. We all love him.”

While working on the process of publishing his own work, Martin recognized the effort and character each author adds to the collection. In a publication world that has minimal focus on “humorous, character driven pose,” he said he wanted to give each of these individual voices a place where they could collaborate and express originality.

“I know so many hilarious authors who otherwise wouldn’t have their stories published, not for lack of engagement or quality, but simply because there aren’t outlets that are publishing the best comedic fiction out there,” Martin said. “I wanted to create a platform that presents the best comedy out there where emerging or otherwise unknown authors can find a home.” karissa_schaefer@emerson.edu the astounding performance.

While the acting was nothing short of incredible, the musical score was equally as astonishing. Though it was the cast’s vocals that truly strung it all together.

From the booming & boisterous nature of the Greek men’s chorus to the captivating and altogether ethereal vocals of Iphigenia, the vocals left the audience with a significant impact.

The set, though simplistic in nature, was striking and truly added another dimension to the performance. The simplicity of the set also allowed the story to take shape and gave the spotlight to the characters.

While watching this play, I witnessed a young girl of about 10 years old in the audience as she became completely transfixed by spalding’s performance. At first, I thought it strange for such a young child to be viewing a play deeply rooted in such complex concepts. However, as I watched her light up with curiosity as spalding took the stage, and become deeply invested in her fate, I realized the effect of Iphigenia was far more vast than I had originally anticipated. The way that the play was able to connect with individuals of all ages and varying perspectives was the most special part about it.

“You are all what the myth can’t bear,” said Artemis. “Remember that and what you are.” payton_cavanaugh@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

November 18, 2021

7

‘Marie Antoinette’ production to modernize classic story Cont. from Pg. 1

Courtesy Carolyn Freyer-Jones

Alum finishes and publishes late friend’s book Sophia Pargas Beacon Staff

An Emerson alum released her debut purchase on Amazon Wednesday. The book, originally started by the author’s best friend about life coaching, is now a story about their friendship through life, sickness, and death.

Carolyn Freyer-Jones ‘88 and Michelle Bauman quit their day jobs to begin coaching groups of women together, and soon added the title of business partfriendship only seemed to grow stronger until Bauman died of breast cancer in 2015. Ever since, Freyer-Jones has made it her mission to continue Bauman’s personal and professional legacy—and she started by completing the book she left behind.

At its core, the book is a story about how coaching changed both Bauman and Freyer-Jones’ lives for the better.

“It’s a book about two strong women starting the greatest journey of their professional lives as coaches and as friends, and all the things that come from that, and the surprises of Michelle losingher health, but also some incredible surprises,” Freyer-Jones said. “It’s the story of two friends coming together and amazing things happening both personally and professionally. It’s also the story of the profession of coaching, which is a great one.”

While the book centers largely around the profession of life coaching, it is ultimately rooted in the story of Freyer-Jones and Bauman’s friendship through the ups and downs of their lives.

“The book is really about the story of Michelle and I and her death,” Freyer-Jones said. “It combines the story of our friendship, and coaching, and what happened as we started our businesses together. There’s a lot of different things woven into the book about growing a business, about being a friend and what that means, and how one uses something like death and doesn’t become a victim from it.”

Bauman and Freyer-Jones’ relationship was multi-faceted, to say the least.

They began as close friends and quickly became business partners whose lives were intertwined in every way imaginable, Freyer-Jones said.

“I did not have plans to be a business

partner,” she said in a phone interview.

“That was not part of the journey. That happened just because we met at the gym and became close friends. When we decided to work together, Michelle knew what it meant to be a good business partner. She really modeled generosity.”

When Bauman became sick, Freyer-Jones helped her through her illness and stayed by her side until the end. She uded even when her sickness was at its worst.

“Michelle did not act like a victim when she was sick,” Freyer-Jones said. feelings about being sick, but she never said it wasn’t fair. She said, ‘Look, if I’m not going to be here much longer, I’m not going to act like this was a terrible thing.

When you talk after I’m gone, do not say I fought a battle, because that’s not what this is like. I had joy every single day.’”

When Bauman passed, her husband gave Freyer-Jones all of the notes, materials, and chapters of the book that she left she did.

“We had talked, at some point, about writing a book together,” Freyer-Jones said. “We ended up writing one together faster than she’d imagined.”

Steve Chandler, Freyer-Jones’ life coach and an acclaimed author, emphasized how daunting and impossible it may seem to write a book with someone who has passed. Chandler was also close to Bauman, and bore witness to the pair’s vivacious friendship and partnership. “[Freyer-Jones] would take some of Michelle’s pages and then she would respond and put in her own oversight or feelings about it, so it feels like it’s co-written even though one person doing the writing has already passed away,” he said. “It was a really hard book to pull off as a writer—to write with someone else’s writing and still make it feel really present and powerful. You still end up getting to know both women really well from a professional viewpoint and how passionate they were about their work which was changing so many lives.”

While the logistics of writing the book for Freyer-Jones was balancing her need to grieve her friend with her desire to continue Bauman’s legacy.

“I honestly thought that walking her to the end of her life would be the hardest thing I would ever do,” Freyer-Jones said.

“It was much harder after she left. Everything in our lives was shared. We talked about our husbands, we talked about our businesses, we talked about our groups that we ran.”

For Freyer-Jones, it took some time to be able to channel her grief into a project as ambitious as completing Bauman’s grief I’d never had before was huge,” she said. “I really had to take a pause and all of these plans for future work. I took a year of just doing my individual work before I decided to get back out there and do anything larger.”

the wonderful friendship they shared. After reading the book, readers are hoped to feel the same love and passion for life that Freyer-Jones found not only in coaching, but also in her friendship with Bauman, Chandler said.

“I was in tears reading the manuscript, because it really brought Michelle back to life for me,” he said. “All of her words are so full of life and hope for everyone else. You really get to see inside the heart of a professional woman who was really powerful and maintained a love of other people in life, all the way through. It’s a great book about transformation. People change, and other people help that to happen.”

Bauman’s creation to be out in the world, and hopes all who read it will get to know her late friend’s legacy, as well as learn something about the possibility of overcoming even the most painful hardship.

Michelle again,” Freyer-Jones said. “People will get to hear her voice, and read the talks about grief in a way that doesn’t mean the world is over. Grief is hard, and it’s not an easy thing to walk through that talks about grief in a real way that’s not like ‘my world ended,’ because mine didn’t.” sophia_pargas@emerson.edu

Marie Antoinette was a divisive public figure with opinions ranging from hatred to sympathy to jealousy to allegiance because of the decisions she made as Queen of France and the way she acted in power and with wealth.

“An important part of this show is talking about memory and legacy,” junior theater BFA major Josh O’Brien said. “Everyone has such a drastic opinion of her, whether it’s good or bad. Some of us see her as this beautiful fashion icon, and others see her as this terrible leader. No one feels lukewarm about her.”

It is often overlooked that Marie, at the end of the day, was a human being with struggles, Mariano said. She was a woman in power who faced obstacles everywhere she looked, and much of the blame was pinned on her.

“She was still a human being and she was a part of a system that didn’t teach her to be any better,” Mariano said. “It’s a lot easier to be mad at a person. I like theater that invites us to consider and to think and to come out on a Friday night and be like ‘oh yeah Marie Antoinette I really didn’t think about her that much.’”

O’Brien plays multiple characters—Joseph, Marie’s brother, Mr. Sauce, a peasant shopkeeper who captures Marie when she tries to escape France, and a guard. He finds the portrayal of exorbitant wealth to be a major part of the production as we see Marie Antoinette live her life as a queen.

“The importance lies in talking about wealth and the exorbitant wealth, and how that came to be Marie’s downfall,” O’Brien said. “I hope to evoke a sense of horror or awakening of this top one percent that exists in our society as well.

It’s very reminiscent of that.”

While the show replicates historically accurate events, it is in itself a contemporary take on the story of Marie Antoinette.

“There’s not a lot of old French or old English, we’re not doing accents, I cuss and swear and yell at people and freak out,” Mariano said. “It’s a very modern, contemporary take on it, this Marie could be a person. We recognize this language. The set is incredible, the costumes are incredible. The designers worked incredibly hard.

It’s informed by what the costumes of the day were, but it is also a modern take on [the designer’s] own design taste.”

Marie’s costumes change throughout the play as Mariano dons different colors throughout the story to represent her character’s life experiences and growth.

“We start from a very sort of frivolous pink, like Barbie, and then, as time goes on, and as Marie matures, the colors change,” Mariano said. “Ten years pass and [they] go from bubble gum pink to deep red and then deep midnight blue.”

While the costumes and sets are big and beautiful, they play their part of providing the show with extravagance until it is not needed anymore. The vision of the play changes as the play’s emotions change.

Sophomore theater and performance major Julia Weinstock, who plays Yolande Martine Gabrielle de Polastron and Mrs. Sauce, said the show doesn’t aim to glorify

Marie or the period setting.

“It’s not romanticizing this time period, which is very important,” Weinstock said. “We have maybe two or three scenes that are pretty, fancy, expensive, extravagant but then it ends really close to the beginning because that’s not the point of it. There are some very luxurious costumes [and] bright colors, but it’s very purposeful.

Some characters have bright colors and some very clearly do not.”

One of the main themes, and a big part of the show’s vision, is fragmentation, according to Weinstock and Mariano.

“At the beginning, Marie thinks everything’s great and then as things go wrong everything falls apart,” Mariano said. “The truth of the matter is it was already falling apart at the beginning, she was just very deliberately not paying attention to it and deleting herself.”

There is fragmentation in the physical sense as well, as the set acts on the emotions evoked throughout the play and the events.

“It’s happening inside Marie, it’s happening around her, and it definitely happens when people come in and crash into Versailles and take it down,” Weinstock said.

“The set itself fragments. There are almost no straight lines in the set, and it’s very stripped down and abstract. It’s meant to show not just extravagance, the point is to show the fall from extravagance.”

The set breaking down not only represents the events of the time, but also Marie’s life as it falls apart.

The show drastically changes in terms of feel and beauty to portray the story of the queen’s downfall.

“The show shifts tones dramatically halfway through,” Mariano said. “You see these beautiful sets, these beautiful pillars of Versailles, they come out in humongous dresses and wigs, gorgeously decorated. And then, the walls break, there is fracturing and then we see the dirty, dingy side of Marie.”

The play hopes to confuse the audience about their opinions on Marie Antoinette because neutrality does not go hand in hand with her story and doings.

“We’re not getting people to necessarily sympathize with Marie or to hate her,” Weinstock said.

“We’re trying to tell her story truthfully. We anticipate people to dislike Marie. She has flaws, she said bad things, and we also want people to be surprised by finding themselves ending up feeling bad for her. The goal is to have people flip flop. It’s definitely a play that’s going to make you think and question yourself.”

Marie Antoinette is a woman of history who had power, money, and standing. She made bad choices but there is a depth to her that this play may show the audience, Mariano said.

“What I hope is, by the end of the show, you’re not rooting for her demise in a ‘Whoo thank god I’m going to go get dinner now’ way,” she said. “I hope you’re like ‘All right, I understand how we came to be in this place.’ What I want is everybody’s second glance for Marie Antoinette and that’s all.

Beyond that, who could say.” mariyam_quaisar@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

Sports

Senior Grace Cosgrove playing on the soccer game on Sep. 15. Hongyu Liu / Beacon Staff

Senior forward reflects on four years as a Lion Clarissa Calderon

Beacon Correspondent Grace Cosgrove’s final season as a forward on Emerson’s women’s soccer team ended on a triumphant individual note, even though the team’s playoff run was cut short.

Cosgrove, a senior who has played on the team since her first year, was named to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference First Team All-Conference for her play on the field. She said it was bittersweet to be leaving the team.

“It will definitely feel weird not playing anymore considering I’ve played all my life,” Cosgrove said.

“I’m thankful for the memories and years.”

Cosgrove never failed to show up for the Lions on the field. In 2018, she started in all 19 games,

collecting four goals and one assist.

In 2019, she led the team scoring eight goals and recorded her first career hat-trick.

Her 2020 season may have been taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic, but her senior season was a and three assists. Cosgrove, who has played on the women’s team since her first year at the college, said soccer became a central part of her life at a young age.

“The sport of soccer, in general, has taught me so much,” she said.

“It’s been such a big part of my life for so many years.”

Cosgrove worked her way up the team hierarchy quickly—becoming a leader for her teammates and eventually being named a captain for her senior season. The team’s head coach, David Suvak said Cosgrove was always able to make the right play in the midfield.

“Grace brings a very smart,

technical, and athletic aspect to our team in the midfield,” Suvak said. “She controls the tempo and playmaking style that brings us success.”

During her illustrious career, Cosgrove racked up a number of awards—including a NEWMAC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award, a spot in the NEWMAC Women’s Soccer All-Academic team and the NEWMAC Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. Despite her many accomplishments, she said her fondest memory this season was beating Springfield.

“In my career here at Emerson we have never beaten them and they have eliminated us both times from the playoffs my freshman and sophomore year,” Cosgrove said.

Suvak said Cosgrove stands out as a player because of her upbeat approach to the game.

“She has a leadership quality to

November 18, 2021

8

Grace Cosgrove playing against a Wheaton player during the Nov. 2 game.

Elaina Bolanos / Beacon Correspondent uplift our team in training and in match competitions,” he said. “She truly makes playing NCAA soccer a pleasure to play and coach.”

Fellow Co-Captain Cali Bruce, a junior, said Cosgrove had a tremendous impact on the team and has been able to lead effectively.

“She has played a big role in getting us to where we are today, on and off of the field,” Bruce said.

“She puts in 100 percent effort every practice and game, and pushes all of us to do the same.”

Although Bruce will miss playing with Cosgrove on the field, she will miss her friendship even more.

“I will miss her listening ear the most,” Bruce said. “She is such a good problem solver, and always approaches conversations with curiosity and kindness—and I know I am not alone in this sentiment.

She is such a positive role model and good friend to everyone on the team.”

The Lion’s season came to a close after a 1-0 defeat against

Wheaton College in the NEWMAC Quarterfinals. Cosgrove said the 2021 season took on special significance because of her role as co-captain “Having the position as captain was new but it was something I was ready to step into,” Cosgrove said.

After graduation, Cosgrove said she will move back to California in an effort to work in the film industry, with the ultimate goal of moving to New York City.

Cosgrove said she hopes the team will continue to put in the effort necessary to succeed after her gratitude toward her teammates.

“Work hard and work with each other because working as a team is the most important part of the game,” Cosgrove said. “I wanted to say thanks to my teammates over these past four years that have made my time here at Emerson clarissa_calderon@emerson.edu

Women’s basketball drops fourth straight game Tyler Foy

Emerson was shooting 10 of 29—a measly 34 percent—and had 11 fouls at halftime. Down by 17, Gould said improving the defense in the second half was highlighted in the locker room. Coming back onto

Beacon Staff

The fourth time proved not to be the charm for the women’s basketball team on Tuesday, as they fell to Brandeis University in a defeat full of sloppy defense, turnovers, and missed opportunities.

The Lions fell 75-53 to the Judges in a game that never felt close, the fourth straight game the women’s basketball team has dropped since their season tipped off on Nov. 6.

Head coach Bill Gould said the start of this season is less about results and more about improving on the team’s skills. preparation is going to be about us less about the other team,” Gould said in a post-game interview. “I told the team already, if we go 15-0 in non-conference and then go 0-10 in conference, then you stunk. If it’s the opposite, if we go 0-15 and then go 10-0, we had a great year.”

Brandeis proved to be a challenge for the Lions, who knew they were up against a skilled team heading into the game. Junior guard Chelsea fellow Lions would be able to rise to the occasion.

“We knew that they were going to be good, but we thought they were after the game.

The Lions won the tip but then quickly turned the ball over––something the team would do nine more times than Brandeis over the course

Sydney Ciardi / Beacon Correspondent of the game. Gibbons would knock session—giving the Lions a 3-2 lead that proved to be their only one of the game.

The Lions were playing unorganized basketball and Gibbons said that the team’s miscommunication impacted them on both ends of the court.

“We made up a defense for them we wanted,” Gibbons said. “Then we tried to adjust it mid game and it just didn’t work. We just couldn’t make that adjustment.”

The Judges would rip off a few runs throughout the quarter—build-

ing a 22-9 lead that Emerson was able to trim to 22-13 by the end of the quarter. Gould said the Judges’ leadership played a large role in their loss.

“They’re well disciplined, well coached, and a really veteran team,” Gould said. “They know how to do things and they’re a very good team.” again give up 22 points and only mustered 14 of their own. The Judges had a 15-zero run, but the lead could’ve been more devastating, as Emerson was able to put up two back-to-back threes in the last minute of the half to make it 44-27.

the defensive side of the game but couldn’t do much more on offense.

In the second half of the game, the Lions would give up just 31 points, but mustered only 26 points of their own. Of the 53 points scored

by Emerson, 27 came from behind the three point line. Gould said the team aimed to improve their 9 of 26 shooting from beyond the arc.

“We need to do a better job,” Gould said. “If we’re going to go nine for 26 which isn’t great. I mean, it’s not horrendous, but if you make a few more of those. And now all of a sudden, it’s a different game.”

Gibbons led the team in offense–– putting up 13 points and scoring nine from the three-point line. She said this was a result of taking advantage of the lack of defense on the outside.

“I value it, but it’s not everyit up between threes and other shots, but I was just shooting the three because that was just more open today.” the goal for the team and Gould said the development of their young core is the most important thing for the program’s future.

“We’re so young,” Gould said.

“It’s about improvement. And even we improved, we got better so I’m

Sydney Ciardi / Beacon Correspondent happy with that.”

Emerson’s women’s basketball team now moves to the UMass-Dartmouth tournament starting this Frisity. Gibbons is a co-captain of the team and said the main takeaway is to have a better performance to start the game.

“Today especially we didn’t come out as strong as we would like and then we couldn’t get out of that hole,” Gibbons said. “The message is just communicate more on dethe game plan and come out strong and don’t get down on ourselves.” tyler_foy@emerson.edu