September 30, 2021

The Huntington News September 30, 2021

The independent student newspaper of the Northeastern community

@HuntNewsNU

TUDENTS ADVOCATE FOR BETTER MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT, UHCS RESPONDS

UHCS

University Health and Counseling Services

By Rachel Erwin | Managing Editor After about a year and a half of pandemic living, it’s no surprise that mental health issues are on the rise, especially on college campuses. Some students at Northeastern believe the school is not taking these problems seriously.

Jackie Williams, a third-year biology major, decided it is time to take action. A few months ago, she created a petition to urge Northeastern to address understaffing and underfunding issues in University Health and Counseling Services, or UHCS, WeCare and the Disability Resource Center, or DRC. Additionally, she called for improved collaboration between the three departments.

After attempting to get accomodations for a concussion that left her unable to attend classes or take exams in the fall 2019 semester, Williams faced a number of challenges.

UHCS and WeCare advised Williams to email her professors and explain her absences, but her professors would not allow them without a note. When she asked the DRC for an official accommodation, she said she wasn’t informed or aware of the temporary conditions accommodations policy, which states that the DRC will “provide [students] with some strategies or services to assist [students] if [they] are injured or have a temporary condition and can work with [students] and [their] professors in certain circumstances if necessary.”

ACCOMMODATION, on Page 2

Student Spotlight: Saint Street Cakes creator Morgan Knight makes going viral look like a cakewalk

By Gwen Egan | News Staff Fortnite audio, frosting frogs and a Northeastern student making a birthday cake — somehow, these elements created Morgan Knight’s first viral video on TikTok, garnering around 749,500 views.

Morgan Knight, a fourth-year political science major, is the creator of Saint Street Cakes, a Boston-based baking business that recently gained quite a bit of online attention. Knight’s clientele grew from friends of friends to people who have seen her online content, stemming from her first viral video.

“My love language [is] sharing food with people.

I took my first and only cake decorating class when I was 10,” Knight said, “and from then on I’ve just loved baking.”

Saint Street Cakes began when Knight posted a picture on Instagram of a cake she made. Juliet O’Hare, a fourth-year combined business administration and political science major and Knight’s roommate, said that the cake was made for her birthday.

“I turned 21 in January when everything was still kind of locked down. [Knight] made me this beautiful strawberry and cream cake with a little 21 and little strawberries on it,” O’Hare said. “She posted on her Instagram and all these people contacted her and said, ‘Can you make me a cake? I’ll pay you.’”

As far as the name, Knight drew inspiration from bakeries like Milk Bar and Magnolia Bakery that have an aspect of their names that is slightly playful.

“I live on a street that has the word Saint in it.

And because it’s a bakery based out of my home, I [thought] it could be kind of cool to have it be Saint Street, and then [I] just ended up loving how that sounded.”

Casey Waskiewicz, a fifth-year combined international affairs and political science major, said that before she was a customer of Saint Street Cakes she could easily identify Knight in their shared Zoom class.

BAKER, on Page 5

Photo courtesy Morgan Knight

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September 30, 2021

Petition for seamless wellness resources gains traction with student body ACCOMMODATION, from front Instead, her DRC advisor told her injuries and illnesses did not qualify.

Forced to look elsewhere, Williams obtained documentation from urgent care.

“When I did share this note with my professors, several professors still refused to accommodate me with make-up exams because I was not attending class, even though I explained that attending classes was physically painful for me and requested recordings,” Williams said.

When visiting WeCare, Williams shared the extent to which her concussion was also affecting her mental health. She said that staff members there pushed her to answer personal and invasive questions about her mental health and the event surrounding her concussion, and she complied in the hopes of receiving the accommodations she needed. However, she had no idea that WeCare staff are mandated reporters, which is not explicitly stated on their website.

“Eventually, I did reveal the upsetting personal information because I felt I had no choice,” Williams said. “While a few of my professors were very kind, supportive and accommodating, others were not and one did not even respond to me. Because I had to reveal information I did not want to, and some professors still would not help me, it became very emotionally distressing for me to continue in my classes with those professors.”

WeCare and the DRC, Williams said, sided with these professors and told her that her best course of action was a retroactive medical leave of absence. She was lucky enough to receive a refund, but that policy changed as of this semester. Now, students will not get their money back if the same thing happens to them.

In addition, students who return from medical leave are required to complete 67% of the credits they attempt that year, or they will lose their financial aid, as part of a plan called Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP. Williams is grappling with this now, as she was not able to complete all the credits necessary.

There is an appeals process through Student Financial Services, but it is unpredictable.

“I wasn’t able to do it, and we lost thousands of dollars because of that,” Williams said. “I’m lucky that my parents, who are helping me pay for my school, are willing to kind of stick it out with me and wait to see if I’m going to get that appeal because, if not, I don’t know if I would even be able to keep going to school here.”

Williams is not the only student who has had these experiences.

Casey Buttke, a fourth-year criminal justice and political science combined major and the current student body president, has also had trouble getting her mental health accommodations approved.

Originally from Toronto, Buttke had not seen her therapist in a long time, so the DRC told her that her therapist could not give an accurate depiction of Buttke’s current mental state. Once she started working with a new therapist, the DRC never responded to her second request for extended time on assignments and tests, she said.

Buttke said this lack of communi-

cation may be particularly detrimental to new students as well as international students who may not be used to the way American systems function.

If information could be made more readily accessible to students, she said people would have less challenges adjusting.

“You’re not changing the processes, you’re not changing anything within the office, but you’re just streamlining this process that can be incredibly daunting and incredibly overwhelming, especially when students are not local, or are already confused about moving to college,” Buttke said.

Like Williams, Buttke was also unaware that WeCare staff are mandated reporters. She had reached out to them after struggling in classes as a result of trauma, but when she mentioned she was working with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, WeCare staff reported the situation to NUPD, which she said discouraged her from seeking further assistance.

Colleges need to start paying more attention to students’ concerns, said Amy Reynolds, a professor of counseling psychology at the University of Buffalo Graduate School of Education and the current president of the Society of Counseling Psychology. Having spent 10 years of her career working in college students’ mental health, she urges administrators to provide more resources for health and counseling services on campus.

“We’re in a perfect storm situation where many say that the other current pandemic is mental health,” Reynolds said. “While many counseling centers have made efforts to increase the number of staff and address these issues, in many colleges and universities that has not happened.”

Reynolds said that increasing visibility of resources for students is essential, in addition to spending time educating faculty and staff about these resources, so they know where to refer students. She also said that all offices on campus should begin to incorporate goals for student health and wellness into the work that they do.

“It shouldn’t just be the work of the help center and the counseling center to address these needs, because, quite frankly, many students never make it to those settings,” Reynolds said.

“They are talking to the professors; they are talking to their resident assistant; they are engaging with other people on campus ... we have to create consciousness of what’s available and communicate effectively.”

Administrators should be invested in students’ wellbeing, Reynolds said, because it directly impacts their academic success. They should also be wary of professors violating federal law by denying students’ accommodations, which are often protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Khush Potdukhe, a third-year computer science major, shared that his mental and physical accommodations were treated differently, pointing to a disconnect in the way professors view mental and physical health. He entered Northeastern with mental health accommodations, so when he sustained a concussion later on, professors argued that he was asking for too much.

“One of my professors, at a time when I wasn’t given accommodations,

said, ‘I get the concussion, but before that, too, you weren’t doing well,’” Potdukhe said. “I was like, ‘Yeah, because I had a medical problem.’”

Other students have brought up issues with scheduling appointments after referrals from UHCS and receiving responses from DRC. Alicia Vazquez, a second-year biology and mathematics combined major, struggled to get follow-up appointments with a doctor who had prescribed her medication for depression. She had experienced negative side effects, including mood swings and worsened depression and anxiety, and she was heading into finals. When she finally got a response, he advised her to stay on the pills, which she said she now regrets.

“It’s so hard for people with mental illness to do a lot of things and giving time and energy to getting an appointment to take care of yourself is really difficult, especially when you’re in a very intense depressive episode,” Vazquez said.

“Making it even harder to help ourselves or get an appointment is so frustrating and so unhelpful.”

Vazquez also experienced problems trying to appeal the DRC’s rejection of her requested accommodations.

She had asked for oral presentations in place of essays, and they offered her a solution of a reduced course load instead, which she said felt irrelevant.

Now, they told her it may take up to 60 days to hear back, when she

initially wanted the accommodation for summer classes.

Students like Williams and Buttke are working to address these issues.

They met in August via Zoom with representatives from UHCS, WeCare and the DRC, where they began to discuss potential solutions for improving communication and collaboration.

Dr. Christine Civiletto, the interim executive director of UHCS, is grateful that students have expressed their concerns and is looking to increase transparency within her department.

“We’re really responding to the concerns that we’re hearing and making sure that students are able to access the resources because we know there are resources available, but what good are they if students don’t feel like they can quickly access them or if they feel confused about how to get to them?” Civiletto said.

Civiletto has invited staff representatives from the DRC to speak with UHCS mental health clinicians about how the accommodations process works and how to direct students to the right place.

She is also working on implementing a streamlined process for reaching out to UHCS patients for follow-ups.

This past summer, Civiletto worked with the Office of the Provost to create a faculty guide for supporting students’ mental health. It features scripts for how to talk to students, tips on recognizing mental health

problems and advice on when or when not to escalate. Civiletto said she is working to create similar guides for other campus partners, including Housing and Residential Life. UHCS has also onboarded new clinicians, including a dedicated triage team who can respond to urgent issues.

Additionally, the free Find@Northeastern counseling session limit has been lifted. Instead of having 10 free sessions, students now have unlimited access.

“We were hearing from students that it felt a little bit like a barrier, like ‘I don’t want to get started with a therapist if once I’m really into it that I have to switch to someone else or I have to figure out another way to pay for it,’” Civiletto said. “So, we worked pretty hard to make sure that we could lift that limitation, and now it’s unlimited sessions, free, no insurance, no copay.”

Despite these changes, however, Buttke said there is still a call to action for Northeastern’s administration to put a larger emphasis on students’ health.

“I really do think that where the petition will be most helpful is once we get to the administration to really show that this is something that students care about, and this is something that is really important,” Buttke said. “I think that right now, all the offices have shown that they are incredibly willing and ready to make changes, as much as they can. And so that’s amazing.”

Illustration by Charlie Allan

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Former Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes visits Northeastern

By Sydney Steinberg News Correspondent Former Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes spoke at Northeastern’s Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex, or ISEC, auditorium Sept. 20, attracting hundreds of students. In the interview, moderated by the Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs, Diversity and Inclusion and Edward W. Brooke Professor of Political Science & International Affairs Mai’a Cross,

Rhodes spoke about his latest book “After the Fall” and his stance on recent foreign policy decisions such as the withdrawal of Afghanistan, the impact of the global financial crisis and the aftermath of 9/11.

Dan Urman, a professor at Northeastern’s School of Law and the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, said he was pleasantly surprised by the turnout. “[The line] was impressive. It’s great to see students so engaged and interested in learning,” Urman said.

Photo by Marta Hill Rhodes’ talk to Northeastern students was highly anticipated, filling the auditorium to capacity.

Northeastern instructor and former U.S. Foreign Service Ambassador Janet Garvey thought the student turnout demonstrated the inquisitive nature of Northeastern students.

“It’s part of what a university is all about, having people like Mr. Rhodes come and speak, and giving students a chance to ask questions is even more important,” Garvey said.

Rhodes, who has spoken at a number of colleges, chooses specifically to speak to students and younger generations.

“Northeastern is a great place to get a sense of the audience I’m trying to reach because ultimately, when I think of an audience, when I sit down and write a book or do a podcast, I’m thinking about young people,” he said. “I think that young people have the capacity to change things, and are generally usually thinking about things in more interesting and more innovative ways.”

Students were required to obtain tickets in advance, and many were unaware that having a ticket did not guarantee admission. Ultimately, not all ticket holders were able to view the event in person.

First-year political science and

international affairs combined major Maya Waldron was one of the first students in line outside the auditorium. Expecting a large turnout, she arrived over two hours early.

“I got here around 3:45-ish to study and do homework, and then I moved over to the line,” Waldron said. “I think it’s been talked about all around campus. I mentioned it to my friends and they were like, ‘Can you send me the email to that?’ They made sure to mark it in their calendars and stuff, so I was expecting a lot of people to show up.”

Third-year business administration major Dustin Birnbaum did not expect a lot of students to come hear Rhodes speak and was fortunate enough to spot the growing line from his apartment across the street and arrive at ISEC earlier than he initially planned.

“In my head, I was like, ‘There’s no way that many people are going to come.’ I live [across the street] so I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just come half an hour early and see, ​​and then maybe I’ll be one of the first people there.’ But no, I was [waiting in line] out the door a couple of seconds ago,” Birnbaum said.

Students who were in attendance heard stories from Rhodes’ experience growing his career. After obtaining a

Bachelor of Arts in English from Rice University, he moved to New York City where he got a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from New York University. In New York, he also witnessed the 9/11 terrorist attacks and was inspired to get involved in foreign policy. He worked on a number of political campaigns from Rudy Giuliani’s mayoral campaign to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, which, in turn, led to him working in the Obama administration.

“If I had a plan to end up in the White House, I never would have ended up there,” he said of the career events that enabled him to follow Obama throughout his presidency.

Rhodes’ advice for students as they begin their career is to participate in experiences that genuinely interest them, rather than what might look good on a resume.

“You will be better at what you’re doing if you care,” Rhodes said. “If you are passionate about a person, or you’re working for a cause, or you’re working for an issue you’re involved with, you will both be more passionate about it, and you’ll also be better because you’ll be motivated to get up every day and work hard and push yourself.”

What is the Student Government Association? SGA officials explain group, promise transparency

By Srishti Gummaraju and Marta Hill News Staff and Campus Editor From the outside, the Student Government Association at Northeastern may seem to be an amorphous group of students with a confusing internal structure, but Nicole Miranda, a fifthyear health science major and parliamentarian for student government, said the group acts as a liaison between the student body and the administration. Student Government Association, or SGA, takes what the students want to see changed on campus and brings it to the attention of relevant parties.

“A lot of the work we do is able to get right on to [President Joseph E.] Aoun’s desk,” Miranda said. “We are able to take the opinions of the student body and really present that to the administration and hopefully get some work done based on what the student body wants or needs.”

SGA is made up of several different bodies: e-board, cabinet, other leadership, senate, committees and boards.

The Senate, the largest congregation, is composed of student senators, who represent specific groups on campus.

Many senators serve on various committees and boards responsible for separate areas like finance, elections, sustainability and academic affairs. Committees and boards work on projects that could directly affect student life. Anyone is able to join a committee or board by contacting the vice president in charge and explaining their interest.

There is also the e-board which is composed of the president, executive vice president and all other vice presidents. The cabinet, which includes all of e-board along with two executive directors and the chief of staff, acts as

a liaison between SGA and the Northeastern administration.

SGA president Casey Buttke, a fourth-year political science and criminal justice combined major, said SGA functions as a bridge between the students and the administration; students often organize through petitions and Buttke said SGA can help the petitions reach the right people at Northeastern.

“I have also encouraged all of our leadership and all of our senators this year to, if they see a petition or a post or even just someone posting something on Instagram, to send it into our group Slack and let’s talk about it, let’s figure out how to help that person,” Buttke said. “We really try to keep our eyes open for students who aren’t reaching out to us directly but who we think we can help.”

Miranda encouraged students to attend senate meetings, which are open to anyone, read the meeting minutes or reach out to SGA leadership. SGA has moved to a hybrid model with in-person attendance encouraged but an online option for those in wellness housing or not in Boston.

Matt Coleman, a second-year business administration and psychology combined major, is a senator from the D’Amore-McKim School of Business. He joined SGA last year and said the transition to in-person senate has been very smooth. “[SGA] is an organization that enables student senators to advocate on behalf of a certain group of people or advocate on behalf of their own beliefs in this body that actually has an impact on administrative decisions from time to time,” Coleman said.

The direct impacts students can see from SGA’s work come mainly from projects and initiatives the organization is able to take

to Northeastern’s administration, Buttke said. Some projects from recent years include campaigning to get compost bins in dining halls and moving to get emergency numbers on the back of Husky cards.

“In terms of COVID, we campaigned that first spring to have the Pass/Fail option available for students,” Buttke said. “The administration was originally pushing back a lot on us and then we really turned to the students and we said, ‘Here are ways that you guys can voice your support for this,’ and people came out in droves really supporting it.”

Some current projects SGA is tackling include initiatives surrounding mental health and sustainability, and plans for a syllabi database and textbook exchange program.

Buttke emphasized that students don’t have to be a senator to join committee projects they are passionate about — projects are open to all students.

“I’ve really been encouraging our leadership team to delegate more and have more project leads and make sure that more freshmen feel empowered to lead their own projects and lead their own initiatives,” Buttke said.

She went on to mention the importance of having a diverse team working on each project, with students from different backgrounds.

“We actually actively encourage that there be students at large who are on our committees because otherwise we only have the perspective of someone who is otherwise involved in SGA, and it can be incredibly helpful to have people who just aren’t,” Buttke said. “Having them be able to come and participate in these discussions and join in on these committees and really help with our advocacy makes a huge difference.”

Buttke, who ran on a joint slate with Izzy Galinkin last year, won the student body vote with 86% support.

Currently, Buttke is involved with initiatives surrounding mental health and changes to the dining system at Northeastern.

“I have been Chief of Staff for two years, which has meant that I have been very much on the administrative side of SGA, and one of the reasons I ran for president was because I was really excited to get back into working on tangible advocacy,” Buttke said.

When asked about her goals for SGA this year, Buttke said she wants to increase the proactiveness of members in leadership positions. Buttke said she makes a habit of reaching out to students on social media if she sees them advocating for a cause, and she encourages students to reach out to SGA if they have anything they want to see changed.

If students want to go beyond joining a committee or casually working with SGA, the next level of involvement is as a senator. To become senator, students must receive 30 signatures from peers in their academic

college or club on campus.

“If you have a specific niche that you want to get into we have a variety of projects posted on our project board, and it’s pretty non-committal because to get involved in those projects you don’t have to be a senator,” Coleman said.

For more information about SGA, Miranda said students can follow SGA on social media.

“The best part is that there’s literally no barrier to entry. Anyone is able to join the Senate, which is why I think it’s such a diverse group of people that come in. You are not running against other people to become a senator,” Miranda said.

Buttke and Miranda both emphasized that this year SGA wants to be transparent and more connected with the student body than in years past.

“We’re really accessible — just communicate with us,” Miranda said. “We’re only going to be able to do as much as people tell us that we should do. We can generate as many projects as we want but we want to hear what would work best

Photo by Harriet Rovniak Student Government Association senate meetings are open to everyone, and students do not have to be an elected senator to particpate in committee projects.

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‘Northeastern TikTok’ reflects first-year struggles

By Clara McCourt Lifestyle Editor Northeastern first-years have taken to TikTok to mount their frustrations about the school’s party culture and social scene — and they’re racking up thousands of views.

Feeling a lack of party culture, some freshmen have decided to create it for themselves, much to the chagrin of the university.

Northeastern students have carved out a niche for themselves on TikTok. The hashtag #northeastern has over 39 million total views on its videos.

Keshvi Davani, a first-year cell and molecular biology major, says that “Northeastern TikTok” has become a community on the app.

“When I moved here, my For You Page was flooded with TikToks made by other Northeastern students,” Davani said.

Arielle Greenberg, a second-year combined mathematics and psychology major, says that she took inspiration from her fellow students.

“Northeastern TikTok definitely garners more attention than, say, dancing videos. I was inspired to make mine through other Northeastern TikToks I’ve been seeing,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg’s TikTok, captioned, “When you want to party and have fun in college but then you commit to northeastern university,” received over 392,000 views. Greenberg says her TikTok was inspired by a lack of

school spirit and community impacting her Northeastern experience.

“I literally wanted to transfer last year because of the social scene …

COVID made it so much worse,” Greenberg said.

Davani says that she feels separated from the rest of the freshman class due to her housing in International Village. She, along with members of her floor, made a TikTok captioned, “When u have to make ur own hall party cuz you’re a northeastern freshman.”

Erin Sheedy, a first-year biochemistry major, notices an exclusivity within her class.

“In the first week or two, everyone made cliques like we were in high school. People are stuck in this high school mindset because of COVID,” Sheedy said. Sheedy’s TikTok, centered around having difficulties making friends, received 20 thousand views.

Davani says that it’s difficult for freshmen not only to make friends within their class but also to break

into the social scene.

“It’s harder for freshmen to find out about events and parties compared to upperclassmen. I don’t know why that is,” Davani said.

Some students have taken party culture to an extreme. In a Sept. 16 email, Senior Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Madeleine Estabrook warned against off-campus misconduct. Estabrook announced an increased police presence in the area, as well as a zero-tolerance policy for students who violate the Code of Student Conduct.

“Among these complaints are reports of Northeastern students traveling in large groups from on campus residences and hotels to off-campus gatherings in the neighborhoods adjacent to campus. … As the semester continues, let us redouble our efforts to show care and concern for Northeastern’s neighbors while also keeping the university community safe,” Estabrook said in the email.

“It’s a little scary, realizing how bad the problem is. I think this will change the dynamic of how people go out in the future,” said Olivia Summers, a first-year nursing major.

Summers’ TikTok about first-year party culture racked up over 91,000 views.

Sheedy says the university shouldn’t get involved unless students’ safety is at risk.

“If [the university] thinks there’s a danger, they definitely should get involved. But I feel like it’s a right of passage for freshmen to make harmless mistakes. We are living out the past two years of not being able to party. Now that we kind of can, people are going wild,” Sheedy said.

In the email, Estabrook emphasizes that there are safe ways to interact socially. Davani gives the university credit for the programming they arranged for the class of 2025.

“Orientation and events definitely helped [socially]… things like StuffA-Husky introduced me to random groups of people,” Davani said.

Photo by Marta Hill Convocation and orientation were safe, community-building experiences for first-years amid partying concerns.

As a second-year, Greenberg said she feels left out seeing the first years have positive programming through the university.

“At least the freshmen had convocation and orientation, [second-years] were kind of thrown to the streets. Northeastern didn’t make the effort to give us the freshman experience,” Greenberg said.

Greenberg says she feels like “Northeastern TikTok” will be a unifying force among lonely students.

“When I was a first year, I remember feeling so isolated. I thought I was the only one struggling. It’s a comforting feeling knowing that other people feel the same way,” Greenberg said.

Davani explains that some first years used “Northeastern TikTok” as a way to meet and engage with new people in their class.

“I found some people’s Instagrams from their TikToks and asked them to hang out. This happens a lot,” Davani said.

Sheedy agrees, saying that TikTok brings first years together safely.

“I made a couple of friends just because of posting my TikTok. A lot of people reached out that were in the same boat,” Sheedy said.

Greenberg says that “Northeastern TikTok” highlights a commonality between students that is hard to find anywhere else.

“I like that everyone here has a sense of humor, that we can make light of the situation that we’re in,” Greenberg said.

Column: The best NU coffee shops to visit, ranked

By Joseph Labrador News Correspondent Looking to satisfy your daily coffee fix with something other than a latte from the Curry Student Center Starbucks? Well, look no further! Here’s a guide to Northeastern’s coffee shop and café scene — find out which spots are worth it and which ones will make you go for Dunkin’ iced coffee instead.

1. Farmer’s Horse Coffee From the drinks, to the food, to the vibes, Farmer’s Horse does not miss! Farmer’s Horse’s warm and homey atmosphere combined with its unique art and décor creates a one-of-a-kind environment perfect for studying or catching up with a friend over coffee. In addition to drinks, its menu features savory breakfast sandwiches, lunch options and a small selection of delicious pastries. For my fellow cold or iced coffee drinkers out there, know that you’ll never deal with flavorless, watered-down iced coffee here. Their cold brew plus “The Basic” breakfast sandwich is my favorite way to start off any morning!

374 Massachusetts Ave., (617) 372-0428 2. Tatte Bakery and Cafe Tatte’s sleek, elegant and bright interior is a familiar sight to Boston college students who pass by one of their many locations around the city.

They serve up a solid cup of coffee and have a good selection of food options to go along with your daily caffeine fix. Tatte gains major points for its mouth-watering pastries that

excel in both aesthetics and taste.

However, due to its popularity, it is common to experience long lines and slow service.

369 Huntington Ave., (617) 263-8989 3. Pavement Coffeehouse Pavement prides itself in the freshness of its products. Their coffee is locally roasted in Boston, and as a result, customers are left with quality coffee and espresso-based drinks.

Their breakfast sandwich game is also strong, not only because of their homemade bagels but also because of their special selection of breakfast sandwiches — a personal favorite is the Tequila Sunrise which includes eggs, bacon, diablo cream cheese and pico de gallo. Beware, though, it’s not uncommon for Pavement to run out of bagels by the end of the day, so the earlier you go the better!

44 Gainsborough St., (617) 859-7080 4. Caffè Nero Caffè Nero is another coffee shop that does cold coffee well — cold coffee fanatics will greatly appreciate their flavorful and refreshing cold brew. For those of us who study in coffee shops for the “main character” vibes, Caffè Nero is my top choice for a coffee shop study session. It doesn’t get as crowded as a place like Tatte, and aesthetically, Caffè Nero is a favorite. It features mildly moody lighting, rustic décor and its iconic shade of blue that permeates everything from the walls to the coffee cups.

114 New Edgerly Road, (617) 209-6202

5. Blue Bottle Coffee If you’re into iced coffee and have not tried this place out, you are implored to take a trip to the Prudential Center as soon as possible, find the Blue Bottle stand and order yourself a New Orleans Cold Brew. This is definitely my favorite cup of coffee, and it’s made with milk, cane sugar and roasted chicory which gives it its unique flavor. The location, however, is unideal, especially during the week when students are running between their dorm, classes and various meetings, but if you do have the time, Blue Bottle’s coffee is worth the walk.

800 Boylston St., (510) 653-3394 6. Caffé Bene This coffee shop chain is based in South Korea and has the most unique drink and food options out of all the places on this list. Notable coffee options are their Vietnamese-style coffee, their maple latte and their hazelnut latte, which is a personal favorite. Besides coffee, Caffè Bene has lots of different items on their menu including parfaits, sandwiches, gelato and more.

Another plus about this place is that it is open pretty late compared to other local coffee shops and cafes, closing at 9:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. For those moments when you need a late night coffee fix, Caffé Bene is a perfect option.

333 Massachusetts Ave., (617) 982-6688 7. The Underground Cafe and Lounge The Underground is the newest addition to the Northeastern

Data visualization by Michelle Wu University coffee shop and cafe scene and had its grand opening Sept. 20. It falls short in the iced coffee department but does a better job with its hot drinks and its small food menu.

When compared to the other coffee spots in the area, The Underground is not quite special. For those living on Columbus Avenue, though, it is the closest place to get coffee on that side of campus.

742 Columbus Ave. 8. Pressed Cafe Pressed Cafe is a relatively new cafe that opened this year. While you will definitely see some people sitting with their laptops and a cup of coffee, just as you would in a typical coffee

shop, you will also see people enjoying full meals and being tended to by a waiter. Combined with their bar, loud pop music and a large food selection, Pressed leans more towards a standard restaurant, as opposed to a cafe. So if you’re looking for good coffee or a place to study, this is not the place to go.

105 Huntington Ave., (857) 233-5427 Everyone has their own vision of what the perfect cup of coffee tastes like and what the ideal coffee shop experience should feel like, so go out, go explore and find the place that satisfies your coffee cravings!

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NU student’s viral cakes make business explode BAKER, from front “When we would be on Zoom, I remember sometimes I would see her coming in and out of the frame with cakes,” Waskiewicz said.

Knight didn’t just have one TikTok that received quite a few views.

Her following is currently sitting at around 31,000 people. Knight’s most popular video has been seen by around 2.4 million people.

“My first TikTok that went viral was a vegan frog cake I did for a close friend of mine, Natasha, for her birthday. It was the fifth Saint Street cake,” Knight said. “Then suddenly with TikTok, almost all my

customers were people that I didn’t know.”

One of Knight’s most popular cakes is based on singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers. Knight says that this “Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher cake,” as she called it on her Instagram, is one of her most meaningful projects. “[The cake] was for when Phoebe came on Zoom to perform at Northeastern. I wanted to mix the ghost from Strangers in the Alps with the Punisher cover because I thought that the ghost is still a really big motif in the second album, so I really liked being able to kind of

mess around with that,” she said.

Knight’s TikTok detailing the process of making the Phoebe Bridgers cake currently has 214,000 views. She said she’s remade this same cake four or five times since then.

Through her viral TikToks and Instagram page, @saintstreetcakes, Knight accumulated a reputation for baking on campus. O’Hare said she’s witnessed Knight’s recognition grow. ”She’s kind of become known as the girl that bakes cakes. Now that things are opening back up and I’m running into people, they’re always asking ‘How’s Morgan and her

cake?’” O’Hare said.

As far as the future of Saint Street Cakes, Knight has big plans that may not involve baking as her full-time gig. Knight said she sees herself pursuing a career in policy or legal advocacy. However, that doesn’t mean she’s going to stop making cakes anytime soon.

“I think that having cakes as a side hustle/passion project is really fun.

[A] big dream for Saint Street Cakes is [to make it] a brick and mortar store,” she said. “’I’d like to one day kind of ‘Ina Garten’ it — work in policy for a long time and then make a bakery.”

Marvel’s underdog ‘Shang-Chi’ speaks to underrepresented communities

“Simu Liu” by Gage Skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 Simu Liu speaks on a stage at Comic Con.

By Karissa Korman News Correspondant “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” opened in theaters Sept.

3 to a flood of moviegoers, many of whom were stepping foot into a theatre for the first time in over a year. The 25th installation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “ShangChi” was much-anticipated not only for comic buffs and cinephiles but also for Asian audiences across the country. Although the film boasts a revenue of over $320 million and a collection of overwhelmingly positive reviews, the journey from production to premiere for Marvel’s first Asian-led film was not paved without difficulty.

The film industry harbors a long history of excluding Asian stories and Asian creatives from its productions, with little more than a slew of racist caricatures to show for the handful of instances when Hollywood has invited Asian influences into its studios.

“In 2010, the ‘Last Airbender’ movie came out. Eight-year-old me was so psyched for this movie. I watched it, and I realized, ‘No one in this movie looks like how they’re

supposed to,’” said Luke Liu, a second-year business administration major. “That was my first experience with white-washing, and it was done so glaringly. They had the money to cast it correctly, but they just chose not to.”

Exclusion and misrepresentation of Asians and Asian Americans runs so rampant in filmmaking that “Shang-Chi” is only the third major Asian-led film, after 1993’s “Joy Luck Club” and 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” to come from the American film industry. Other supposedly “Asian” films, such as 2020’s live-action “Mulan” remake and the aforementioned “Avatar: The Last Airbender” adaptation, hide the executive power of white directors, writers and producers behind their pitches for diversity.

In the weeks leading up to the film’s premiere, fans voiced concerns over Disney and Marvel Studios’ apparent lack of official promotion for the film, even crediting “ShangChi” actor Simu Liu and other cast members with sharing a bulk of the film’s promotional content themselves.

Adding fire to the flames of frustrated fans, Disney CEO Bob

Chapek referred to “Shang-Chi” as “an interesting experiment” during the Disney quarterly earnings call.

Liu himself took to Twitter and Instagram in response.

“We are not an experiment. We are the underdog; the underestimated,” he wrote. “We are the ceilingbreakers. We are the celebration of culture and joy that will persevere after an embattled year.”

“Shang-Chi” and Asian audiences encounter an unimpressive track record within the Marvel film catalogue as well. White western characters, storylines and storytellers have dominated the superhero franchise, and fans are eager for more diversity, both on screen and behind the camera.

“I’m thinking of that one scene in ‘Avengers’ when they’re circling around the whole team, and it’s just literally white people,” said Kelsey Zhen, a second-year combined media and screen studies and communications major.

Starring an all-Asian leading cast, Japanese-American Destin Daniel Cretton in the director’s chair and Chinese American David Callaham and Cretton in the writers’ room, many fans see “Shang-Chi” as a step in the right direction toward achieving greater diversity both on and off-screen, where it has long been absent.

“I really wanted to be a film major,” said Deefah He, a second-year combined business administration and design major.

“But my dad said, ‘You have to see that in society you’re an East Asian woman. It would be very hard for you to make it big as a director.’”

As Marvel’s first Asian-led film and fully theatrical release since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, “Shang-Chi” is paving the way for the studio’s much-anticipated “Eternals,” directed by the Oscarwinning Chloé Zhao and starring Gemma Chan. For Asian viewers like Zhen, this momentum is not only a good omen for the future of diverse representation but also for the expansion of opportunities for Asian

filmmakers in an industry that has historically excluded them.

“Seeing people that you can relate to because they’re also Asian gives you encouragement to consider film as something you could enter in the future — not just as an actor but also behind-the-scenes,” Zhen said.

Emerging from an adverse year of racist scapegoating that has tried the spirit of Asian Americans, “Shang-Chi” is a testament to the community’s resilience and promise. The care and respect with which “Shang-Chi’s” filmmakers incorporate Asian, specifically Chinese, culture and history into all levels of its storytelling and worldbuilding is a breath of fresh air for Asian fans.

“They spoke in Mandarin for a good portion of the movie. I didn’t think a franchise like Marvel would take that risk,” he said. “I felt very proud.”

“Shang-Chi” is a pioneer, setting a precedent for Hollywood to produce more stories that reflect Asian culture and voices with depth and integrity. Entrenched in a history of denying Asian audiences the right to see themselves reflected in film, major studios often overlook the significance of diverse storytelling.

But in a post-“Shang-Chi” world, Asian American audiences cannot help but reflect upon the identityaffirming shock of Marvel’s latest film.

“If I could’ve seen “Shang-Chi” when I was 10 or 12 years old, seeing someone like yourself on the bigscreen means a lot more than you would think,” Liu said. “Superheroes represent such a great aspect of humanity, and they show what you can do and what you can achieve.”

Storytelling is the articulation of the human experience. As “ShangChi” joins the ranks of Marvel’s superhero lineup, the herald of the franchise’s increasingly diverse future, Asian Americans look to the beginnings of an industry and a world beyond it that are ready to embrace their identities, their history and their potential.

Calendar compiled by Lily Elwood and Katie Mogg Graphics by Jayden Khatib

Now - Oct. 17 Monet and Boston: Legacy Illuminated Find 25 of Monet’s masterpieces at the Museum of Fine Arts specifically selected from the MFA’s collection of his works as well as pieces from local private collections.

465 Huntington Ave., free with student ID

Now - Nov. 22

Central Square Farmers’ Market Head over to Cambridge for an outdoor farmers’ market where you can buy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, meat, bread, prepared food and more.

76 Bishop Allen Dr., Cambridge, MA

Friday, Oct. 1 Jonas Brothers Concert Buy some last minute tickets and experience the live performance of one of America’s most beloved boy bands. The Jonas Brothers will be performing live in Boston on Friday.

Fenway Park, 4 Jersey St., Prices start at $39.95

Monday, Oct. 4

CUP presents Student Showcase Watch your peers perform, or even show off your own talents, at the Student Showcase!

Northeastern students have the opportunity to display their skills next Monday.

Online or in Afterhours, Free

Saturday, Oct. 9 The Beatles tribute concert Experience a blast from the past by watching RAIN, a Beatles cover band, perform the greatest hits of one of the world’s most influential musical acts next Saturday.

Wang Theatre, 270 Tremont St., $39

SPORTS

Page 6

September 30, 2021

Hate does not stop Katherine Marchesseault

By Peyton Doyle and Vitoria Poejo Sports Editors Freshman defender Katherine Marchesseault has already established herself as a mainstay in the starting XI of Northeastern’s women’s soccer team. Marchesseault is the only member of her class to start all eight games for the Huskies so far this season, helping them secure four shutouts with her play on both sides of the ball.

On Sunday, Sept. 19, Marchesseault attempted her first career penalty kick in a match against Brown University. She said the decision to take it was just spur-of-the-moment.

She asked senior Mikenna McManus, who generally takes the kick, if she could attempt it. While her request mounted the pressure, Marchesseault never wavered and blew the ball past the keeper for her first career goal.

For all players, a season will have ebbs and flows, the glory and pride of a goal, the agony and fury of a close defeat. For Marchesseault though, her freshman season presented a challenge that all her years of playing soccer had not prepared her for, one that none of her teammates had ever experienced either.

On Sept. 5, the women’s soccer team was defeated 1-0 in overtime by the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Three days later, Marchesseault, posted publicly on her Instagram account. The series of stories that Marchesseault uploaded all discussed racism. One, in particular, was a video that adamantly condemned the use of racial slurs in the game of soccer.

In the post’s caption, Marchesseault said the following: “The N-word is not free to be used in your home, in your class, or on the field. Soccer is a community. We are supposed to be family. This word was used towards me in a game this past weekend. I share my experience to spread awareness and teach our generation right from wrong. Please

help future generations live and love in a safe world.”

These posts were followed by a wave of support from her teammates, the majority of whom are white. A common response made by her teammates on social media said, “I will never understand you, but I stand with you.”

In an interview with the News, Marchesseault spoke about her experience in the match against the River Hawks, one that was just her fifth official collegiate match and second away from home.

“It was from a player on their team. I went into a tackle with her,” Marchesseault said. “My cleat must have hit her leg, and she said the word. I definitely retaliated, and then I was taken out of the game. I stayed quiet about it until the end of the game, but my coaches saw that something was wrong, so I told them what happened. There wasn’t much that could be done because it was hearsay, but [head coach Ashley Phillips] went to the other coach after the game to let them know.”

The incident, which resulted in a yellow card for Marchesseault, was dealt with within the team for the most part, with everyone around her giving her their support. While many of her teammates and coaches acknowledged that they could not understand what she may be going through, they would help her in any way that they could.

Marchesseault mentioned that following the incident, all of her coaches and some members of the training staff spoke to her personally.

“My coaches still are always checking in on me, and I’ve had meetings with a couple of them since then,” Marchesseault said.

Grace Moore, a senior on the team and one of Marchesseault’s preseason roommates, shared her reaction to the incident as well as her teammates’ in an interview with The News.

“A lot of the team was in shock because we didn’t think it could happen and haven’t really heard of it happening,” Moore said. “Of course, there will be trash-talking in any game, but the idea of insulting someone else based on their race is something that I would never even think of. ” Moore said the team held a meeting where the incident was addressed and people were free to let out their emotions. Some at the meeting discussed their struggles with discrimination, including homophobia and anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments.

“The meeting was good to try and move past it, we just all wanted to comfort Kat any way we could. The coaches were very open and honest with us,” Moore said. “At first, we didn’t know what happened with Kat, the coaches were initially upset with how Kat reacted because they didn’t know.

Once they found out though they were very understanding. They said that if anything were to happen like that we will walk away, we will pull you girls off the field and we will walk away.”

Prior to their game against Harvard on Sept. 15, the team sported new warmup shirts. The front of the red shirts said the words “equality” in white lettering above the Husky mascot.

The back showed the logo of the Northeastern University Black Athlete Caucus, or NUBAC, with, “We stand together” written above it.

We wanted to let everyone know that we would not stand for this.

We got the new warmups, and we wear patches on our jerseys to try and spread our message. I think that NUBAC is a really great group on campus, and it has done so much to help Black student-athletes at Northeastern.

— Grace Michael Senior defender

Marchesseault said that initially, the team wanted to wear their “charity game” shirts in support of cancer research, but after the team meeting they felt it would be better to aim the design towards a stance in support of equality for all.

Grace Michael, a senior defender, discussed how the team is addressing the issue of discrimination while on the field.

“We wanted to let everyone know that we would not stand for this,” Michael said. “We got the new warmups, and we wear patches on our jerseys to try and spread our message. I think that NUBAC is a really great group on campus, and it has done so much to help Black student-athletes at Northeastern.”

In a previous interview with the News on Sep. 14, NU’s Athletic Director Jim Madigan said that when it came to fans interacting with players, there would be a no-tolerance policy for hate speech, but so far it has not been an issue for his department.

“The games that we’ve been a part of right now for volleyball and men’s or women’s soccer, I feel like that has not been an issue,” Madigan said. “We expect appropriate behavior at all of our home games, both directed at our team and our opponents. We’re just not going to tolerate any type of negative behavior. We don’t expect it but if we encounter it, we’ll deal with it. If it’s not appropriate, we’ll just remove the people from the game.”

While Marchesseault felt prejudice from one collegiate foe, she said that she wholeheartedly agreed with what

SPORTS

September 30, 2021

Page 7

t, Huskies Madigan said. She does not believe that something like that would be said from someone involved with NU. Moore held the same sentiment as her teammate when it came to the school community.

“I honestly wouldn’t ever think that would happen at Northeastern,” Moore said. “We have a pretty diverse campus and a very loyal fan base, so I feel confident that our fans or students wouldn’t do something like that.”

The Lowell player involved in the incident was said to be a senior on the team and will not receive a further reaction from NU. However, following the incident coach Phillips told her players no women’s soccer games would be played against UMass Lowell any time in the near future.

Michael gave her thoughts on the decision to drop Lowell from the schedule.

“We aren’t going to play them in the immediate future for good reason, but I think that if we did go up against them again there would be a ton of fire for that game,” she said.

While she is glad to not be playing against Lowell any time soon, Marchesseault said that she simply wants to put this incident behind her.

She said she appreciates the ample amount of support she received not just from her coaches and teammates but also from the entire NU community following her social media posts.

“I just wanted to spread some awareness on the topic, and I had a lot of people reach out to me,” she said. “The whole school has been super supportive of me and what I am going through.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated at 12:35, Sept. 28 to accurately reflect that coach Phillips did not make a formal request to the athletic department about not playing UMass Lowell in the future.

Photos by Albert Tamura The Huskies will face off against the Boston College Oct. 5.

Northeastern men’s soccer off to hot start Upcoming home schedule • Oct. 5 against Boston College • Oct. 9 against University of Delaware

Photo Courtesy Jim Pierce

• Oct. 12 against Brown University

By Thomas de Carbonnieres News Staff The Northeastern men’s soccer team (5-1-1) has gotten off to a hot start this season.

Following a season-opening tie against University of Massachusetts Amherst, NU rattled off back-toback wins against Bryant University and Merrimack College, both of which were comeback wins.

At half time, the Huskies were down 2-1 against the Bryant Bulldogs. After redshirt junior forward and captain Timothy Ennin tied the game up in the 56th minute, sophomore midfielder Søren Ilsoe scored the game winner in the 106th minute of extra time.

Ennin has proved to be the backbone of the Huskies offense so far, scoring goals in four of Northeastern’s six games.

In the game against Merrimack, Ennin banged home two goals after being down 1-0 at the half. Ennin

was later named CAA co-offensive Conference Player of the Week.

The Huskies dropped their home opener at Parsons Field after going undefeated in their first three away games. NU fell 1-0 to the University of New Hampshire, who entered the game as the 12th-ranked team in the country.

The Huskies were outworked in most facets of the game by the Wildcats, and they were outshot 18-10 and managed only one shot on target. Following their disappointing showing versus UNH, NU bounced back versus Hofstra University.

Ennin and sophomore midfielder Federico Tellez each banged home a goal for the Huskies in their first conference game of the season.

NU played its sixth game of the season Sept. 14, just across the river at Harvard University.

The Huskies fell down early against the Crimson after they scored just 14 minutes into the game. Soon after the start of the second half,

Harvard forward Alfred Perez saw a red card and was ejected from the remainder of the match.

Northeastern was given a new breath of life as senior forward Benjamin Klingen scored in the 62nd minute. After forcing extra time, senior defenseman Jack Monte scored the winning header in the 102nd minute.

The Huskies traveled down south just four days later to Williamsburg, Virginia to face off against the College of William and Mary in their first road conference game.

Ennin was largely stifled by the William and Mary Griffin’s defense, logging only 51 minutes of playing time and one shot. In his absence, Ilsoe stepped up for the Huskies, scoring two goals and providing NU with its third 2-1 win in a row.

The Huskies are now headed to North Carolina to play UNCW Oct. 2 before heading back to Boston to play Boston University at Nickerson Field.

CITY

Page 8

September 30, 2021

Wu, Essaibi George win historic mayoral prelim

By Kelly Garrity City Editor The votes are in, and City Councilors Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George are the winners of Boston’s preliminary election to determine who will vie to become Boston’s next mayor come November.

After a delayed vote tally, Wu and Essaibi George claimed victory late on the night of Sept. 14, with Wu well ahead, securing 33.4% of the vote to Essaibi George’s 22.5% as of 12 p.m. Sept. 15, with 100% of

precincts reporting.

City Councilor Andrea Campbell and Acting Mayor Kim Janey conceded late Sept. 14.

“It’s not the result we wanted, it’s not the result we expected, but we have something to be extremely proud of,” Campbell said in her concession speech. “I believe fiercely that we are victorious tonight, and I’ll tell you why: We kept this campaign about the issues that matter most to Bostonians, providing action and solutions that will make our city more affordable, safer, more equita-

ble and just, and where opportunity exists for every single resident of the city of Boston.”

Instead of a concession speech, Janey opted to release a statement.

“While we are still waiting on some results, it appears that we have come up short in the election,” she said in the statement. Janey congratulated Wu and Essaibi George on their victories and promised to assist in the transition.

“I am also committed to ensuring a smooth transition for the next Mayor, so that SHE will be able to hit

the ground running,” Janey said in the statement.

The city’s former Chief of Economic Development John Barros pulled in well behind the four female candidates, with 3% of the vote as of Wednesday, compared to Campbell’s 19.7% and Janey’s 19.5%.

With preliminary victories behind them, Wu and Essaibi George will go head-to-head on Election Day set for Nov. 2, and the city will have a chance to chose its first elected nonwhite, non-male mayor.

Things are already heating up be-

tween the two candidates, considered to be the most ideologically opposite out of all those who ran in the preliminary. In her victory speech, Essaibi George made a point of highlighting the distinctions between Wu and herself.

“Let me be very clear about this: The mayor of Boston cannot make the T free. The mayor of Boston cannot mandate rent control,” said Essaibi George, taking a shot at two policies Wu’s campaign has advocated for.

MICHELLE WU - -

- -

Wu was first elected to the City Council in 2013. She was the first Asian American woman to serve on the Council.

She won 33% of the vote in the preliminary, winning many precincts in Allston-Brighton, Downtown, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain and East Boston.

In the preliminary, Wu had two Super PACs supporting her: Boston Turnout Project and Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund.

In a poll ahead of the Sept. 14 preliminary, 61% of respondents who said Wu was their first choice where white, 7% were Black, 11% were Hispanic and 20% were Asian.

In the same poll, over 60% of respondents who said Wu was their first choice for mayor identified as liberal or very liberal.

Wu has worked as a restaurant owner and attorney prior to serving on the City Council.

Photo by Avery Bleichfeld Mayoral candidate and City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu speaks to press at a campaign event in Roslindale following her victory speech in the preliminary elections Sept. 14.

ANNISSA ESSAIBI GEORGE - - - -

- -

Essaibi George was first elected to the City Council in 2015.

She won 22% of the vote in the preliminary, winning many precincts in West Roxbury, South Boston, Dorchester and parts of Roslindale and Hyde Park.

In the preliminary, Essaibi George had two Super PACs supporting her: Real Progress Boston and Bostonians for Real Progress.

In a poll ahead of the Sept. 14 preliminary, 57% of respondents who said Essaibi George was their first choice where white, 12% were Black, 12% were Hispanic and 9% were Asian.

In the same poll, 53% of respondents who said Essaibi George was their first choice identified as moderate. 17% identified as conservative.

Essaibi George worked as a Boston Public Schools teacher prior to serving on the council and is a small-business owner.

Photo by Alyssa Fell

Photo by Avery Bleichfeld Mayoral candidate and City Councilor At-Large Annissa Essaibi George holds a sign at a protest Sept. 24 in response to the Biden administration’s actions against Haitian migrants.

CITY

September 30, 2021

Page 9

Boston Newspaper Guild holds rally at WBUR event calling for new contracts for Boston Globe workers

Photo by Dakota Castro-Jarrett Boston Newspaper Guild, or BNG, members protested outside the WBUR CitySpace Sept. 20. The BNG represents about 300 staff members at the Boston Globe.

By Dakota Castro-Jarrett News Correspondent

On Tuesday, close to a hundred Boston Newspaper Guild, or BNG, union members in red and white shirts marched down St. Paul Street to join an already developing protest in front of the WBUR station in the Allston neighborhood of Boston.

The rally was organized in response to the “Trailblazers: Women News Leaders from Katherine Graham to Today” panel hosted by WBUR, an event intended to highlight “the progress women have made as leaders in news media throughout history and particularly in the last year,” according to the event’s page on WBUR’s website.

The rally had little to do with the event’s subject but rather with the presence of one of the panelists for the discussion, Linda Pizzuti Henry — the CEO of Boston Globe Media Partners, the company that owns the Boston Globe as well as Boston.com and STAT News.

“Not much trailblazing is happening,” said Kevin Slane, a Boston.com staff writer and a recording secretary for the BNG, referring to Henry’s time as CEO of the Boston Globe.

Under Henry’s leadership of the Boston Globe, the contract for

Boston Globe writers expired nearly 1,000 days ago at the end of 2018.

The lack of contract has allowed Henry and the other owners and executives of the Boston Globe, including Henry’s husband and owner of the Red Sox, John W. Henry, to use practices such as outsourcing that BNG employees believe are hurting the working conditions and pushing many skilled journalists away from the highly regarded newspaper.

The BNG is determined to get a new contract that can give Globe workers the protections they feel are being denied to them. At the same time, the owners of the Boston Globe wish to continue using the practices that have been most profitable to them. This has left the contract negotiations in a stalemate that has been heightened by the owners and executives of the Boston Globe hiring the law firm Jones Day to handle contract negotiations.

Slane, who is also on the bargaining committee where he represents the BNG in contract negotiations, expressed frustration with the company’s decision to hire Jones Day. “The proposals we receive from the company are unacceptable,” Slane said, “[and] bargaining agreements have solely happened with lawyers specialized in busting media unions.”

Jones Day has an extended history

of working with media companies to address the recent rise in union organizing that has happened with many news outlets across the country, and has been called by the Columbia Journalism Review “a go-to for media executives facing union drive.”

The BNG is critical of Jones Day for its involvement in former President Donald Trump’s attempt to challenge the results of the 2020 election as well as the role they played as his campaign’s primary law firm.

Boston Globe Media’s choice to hire Jones Day has also been a focus of criticism for the BNG because of the heavy financial cost of the law firm to the company.

While the rally mainly focused on these critiques of Henry’s leadership, another important part of the rally was focused on another major panelist at this event, Gloria Steinem.

In an open letter to Steinem, the BNG called on the renowned feminist to speak out. Steinem has a history of fighting for labor rights as the founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, an organization that helps advocate for women-related issues within the labor movement.

“As a co-founder of Ms. Magazine and feminist icon, you’ve been a powerful advocate for women’s empowerment, for civil rights, and for union organization,” Globe

The ability for workers to have good job security is essential and that is especially true for women who have had to fight hard to win the right to work.

— Felice Freyer member of the BNG and reporter at The Boston Globe employees wrote in the letter. “We don’t need to explain to you why a fair contract is so important, — it’s

something you already know as a founder of the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Our question for you is this: Can you help us, by speaking out at the WBUR event and urging Globe ownership to do better?”

The letter also drew attention to the history and connection between workers’ rights and women’s rights, a connection noted by rally-goers. One of the signs carried by BNG members during the rally read “Feminists for Fair Contracts Now.” “The ability for workers to have good job security is essential and that is especially true for women who have had to fight hard to win the right to work,” said Felice Freyer, a member of the BNG and Globe reporter focused on health policy and public health.

Despite the open letter and the rally, Steinem did not speak on the contract struggle. The BNG seemed unfazed by this on Twitter. On social media, one can see numerous posts about the success of the rally and a very recent endorsement from Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and former Boston Mayor Ed Markey. Slane, for one, is optimistic about the energy and resolve demonstrated by members of the BNG. “We will continue to negotiate and hope that [Boston Globe Media Partners] will listen,” Slane said.

OPINION

Page 10 The Huntington News EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief

Matt Yan

Managing Editor

Rachel Erwin Mihiro Shimano

Column: Texas’ new abortion law is unconstitutional

Editor-at-Large

Kelly Chan Campus

Marta Hill Annie Probert Skye Richmond City

Kelly Garrity Sarah Barber Breaking News

Gwen Egan Ethan Wayne Sports

Vitoria Poejo Peyton Doyle Lifestyle

Clara McCourt Katie Mogg Lily Elwood Opinion

Madison Boudreau Popovic Poon Singhatiraj Projects

Jayden Khatib Photo

Harriet Rovniak Quillan Anderson Design

Angelica Jorio Multimedia

Avery Bleichfeld Hannah Rosman Web Manager Social Media

Grace Comer Luiza Loyo Copy Chief

Alexis Santoro

BUSINESS

Business Manager

Eva Arad

Development and Outreach Coordinator

Brittany Mendez

Photo Courtesy Alyssa Endres A few weeks after Texas passed an abortion bill that outlawed abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, the Department of Justice, or DOJ, is attempting to sue the state over what is believed to be an unjust bill.

The Biden administration asked for a preliminary injunction, which would block the enforcement of the state’s new law, while the lawsuit pans out in federal court.

This law forbids abortions after six weeks and encourages Texans to sue those who helped someone get an abortion for at least $10,000. The DOJ’s lawsuit would stop this from happening. However, the conservative wing of the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the anti-abortion bill to continue being Texan law

Ashley Mandel

NEWS STAFF Ananya Sankar, Annah Chaya, Annetta Stogniew, Arjun Ramachandrula, Christie Ya-Chi Lee, Dakota Castro-Jarrett, Elena Plumb, Isaac Stephens, Jessica Brite, Julie Sung, Lucas Cooperman, Marisa Lijoi, Niyati Parikh, Petrina Danardatu, Seamus McAvoy, Srishti Gummaraju, Thomas de Carbonnieres

COPY EDITORS

DESIGN STAFF Alexis Mesa, Charlie Allan, Devin Raynor, Kayla Shiao, Linda Yan, Sofie Kato

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bill Mitchell, Carlene Hempel, Gal Tziperman Lotan, James Ross, Laurel Leff, Lincoln McKie, Mark Gooley, Meredith O’Brien, Olivia Arnold, Rachel Zarrell Opinions expressed in The Huntington News through letters to the editor, cartoons and columns are not necessarily those of The News staff or the Board of Directors. Northeastern University students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication.

For inquiries about the Board of Directors, email outreach@huntnewsnu.com. For general inquiries, email managing@huntnewsnu.com.

The Huntington News 360 Huntington Ave. 102 Lake Hall Boston, MA 02115 huntnewsnu.com

@HuntNewsNU

in a 5-4 vote. In response, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi acted swiftly to schedule action on an abortion bill meant to protect women’s rights.

Thankfully, the bill was successfully passed Sept. 24 by the U.S. House of Representatives.

The passing of the Texas law as well as the dismissal of its proposed ban by the Supreme Court were grave mistakes. Texas’ new law is “clearly unconstitutional under long-standing Supreme Court precedent….This kind of scheme to nullify the Constitution of the United States is one that all Americans, whatever their politics or party, should fear,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said about Senate Bill 8, or SB8, which is the anti-abortion law in question.

Essentially, SB8 overrides Roe v.

Wade — a landmark 1973 federal decision legalizing pre-viability abortion throughout the country — since six weeks is clearly too early for a fetus to survive outside the womb. In this instance, Texas law is superseding federal law, which is in direct opposition to the Supremacy Clause in Article VI of the Constitution, ultimately rendering the anti-abortion law unconstitutional in itself.

I also believe SB8 violates the

Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits states from making laws that infringe upon the personal autonomy of Americans, a right that is protected by the first 13 amendments. This is exactly what the state of Texas has done to its female, non-binary and transgender residents who can have abortions. They no longer have autonomy over their own bodies to make the decision of whether or not to have a child after only six weeks of pregnancy. This infringement is an extreme violation of basic human rights.

As such, I wholeheartedly agree with the DOJ’s decision to take legal action against Texas. Six weeks is not a long enough window to prohibit abortions for a number of reasons, including the fact that an individual might not even be aware they are pregnant by this time.

Although supporters of the law might claim it is only to preserve life, as claimed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, I would beg to differ and say that the lives of people already living on this earth are being affected more from this legislation.

I’d also argue it is a deeper-rooted issue than just preserving and fighting for the right to life, and it goes beyond being a ‘conservative

versus liberal’ issue. It is ultimately the rights of women versus the state, considering how short of a time frame the former are given to make a life-altering decision.

As students at Northeastern, it is important to be aware of this type of news because this law does not only affect people in Texas. The passing of this law is a rude awakening to the possibility of other states implementing similar legislation, cracking down on reproductive rights even harder than before. This is a direct attack on the status of reproductive rights in this country. As such, Northeastern students should be advocates of reproductive rights and encourage others to educate themselves on these ongoing events.

Alyssa Endres is a third-year political science and communication studies double major. She can be reached at endres.a@northeastern.edu.

Disclaimer: This previously stated that the Texas law allows private citizens to sue those who get abortions.

In actuality, it empowers private citizens to sue those who help people get abortions. This article has been updated at 10:02 a.m. on Sept. 28 to rectify this error.

Op-ed: To actually empower women, let us fire the girlboss

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September 30, 2021

Photo by Harriet Rovniak #Girlboss trended on social media platforms and circulated in American pop culture in the 2010s for half a decade before its façade as a woman empowerment movement collapsed. Sophia Amoruso popularized the term “Girlboss” in her 2014 autobiography “#GIRLBOSS” to inspire her female-dominated audience because if she could turn her eBay shop into a multimillion-dollar business, anyone could. #Girlboss immediately gained nationwide traction as a term to encourage women toward pursuing business opportunities.

What no one would expect was, by 2020, the tide of public opinion turned against Amoruso and other female CEOs who also embodied the girlboss template for corporate success. Lawsuits filed by former employees stated that they were fired for requesting maternity and paternity leave, and a compilation of reviews complained about toxic work culture.

What led girlbosses to their own demise was that they were performing the very inequitable activities the girl-

boss persona condemned, exposing the entire movement as blatant irony.

Girlboss culture capitalizes on a social justice ploy that generates both financial and social capital.

It creates a damaging identity that contradicts the progressive theory of intersectional feminism, which acknowledges how interconnected and inseparable class, race and gender are to social identity. I strongly think that girlboss culture hinders the evolution of intersectional feminism as it colludes directly with capitalism: Privileged women are using a deceptive feminist movement to promote their class interests.

Feminist activist and author bell hooks argues this in her book “Feminist theory from margin to center.” She explains the problem with today’s feminist theory — now championed by the modern feminist movement #Girlboss — is that it still lacks wholeness and complete representation of the female struggle. For hooks, mainstream feminism falls short when privileged women who live at the center define the movement. Women at the center hold limited perspectives on reality that rarely include knowledge and awareness of those at the margin who lack the representation and power to be included at the forefront of society.

Although hooks never explicitly mentions the hashtag, mainstream movements like #Girlboss are exactly what hooks cautioned against. Rather than progressing intersectional feminist theory, its culture does the opposite: It amplifies the class division that

is already prominent within women. I agree with hooks and believe girlbosses do this in two ways: using the assertion that all women are oppressed to promote their class interests and placing a select few women at the top to address gender inequality.

Girlbosses use what hooks states as a “common oppression” ploy to use performative activism to generate profits. Girlbosses plaster a surface-level women empowerment movement into consumer culture, despite the ugly truth that their businesses are rampant with the very things they preach against. They take advantage of today’s commercial trends of giving back to the world — so branding a company as one that has a female CEO and wants to empower women? Cha-ching.

Girlboss culture also fails to address any real problems present in the U.S. workforce. No matter how they brand their businesses, #Girlboss is a grim hypocrisy. It became a successful money-making marketing template because it claimed to retaliate against the status quo; in reality, it had already conformed to the long-standing power structure in corporate America. Girlboss is a powerful example of how token gestures of rare female corporate success do not effectively solve the underlying gender inequality issues in the workplace.

What follows suit is that when the same women at the center define #Girlboss as feminism, others buy into it. Lower-class women assimilate into a phenomenon that is working

to oppress them, hindering them from achieving their own liberation.

We cannot try to incorporate feminism with capitalism and think that social justice will come out as the victor. The toxic culture of girlboss must go to end the cycle of false feminist narratives.

Even though we are approaching an age of accountability, there needs to be more recognition for those at the margin who do not have a voice in social movements. These changes happen by shifting the feminist movement away from the center.

Underrepresented women, especially Black women, understand the sexist, racist and classist oppression more than those currently at the center.

Hooks highlights that “it is essential for the continued feminist struggle that Black women recognize the special vantage point our marginality gives us and make use of this perspective to criticize the dominant racist, classist, sexist hegemony.”

Ultimately, dismantling girlboss culture and all other forms of performative activism requires uplifting women by using intersectional feminist theory as a driving principle. Here at Northeastern, we can do our part to start the cultural shift: Breaking down the division between center and margin requires awareness, education and advocacy that we must embrace.

Lily Xu is a second-year politics, philosophy and economics major.

She can be reached at xu.lil@northeastern.edu.

OPINION

September 30, 2021

Page 11

Op-ed: Does Boston have enough climate change precautions in the aftermath of storms like Hurricane Ida?

Photo by Harriet Rovniak I think it is safe to say that climate change is one of the biggest threats to our world, and one cannot help but notice it within everyday life. Extreme weather has been hitting Boston hard. Within the first few days of me being back in the city, the remnants of Hurricane Ida descended upon Boston. Ida was labeled as a Category 4 storm with winds up to 150 mph before losing strength over land, but the East Coast was not spared the havoc it wreaked. In Boston, heavy rainfall descended on the city, causing severe flooding that shut down the Massachusetts Turnpike and

parts of the Orange Line.

Events like this prompt us to ask: How prepared is Boston to deal with and prevent climate change — and how can we best handle storms like Ida? In my opinion, the city (and the whole country) should be taking as many initiatives and precautions as possible to protect our climate from further destruction. In 2016, the City of Boston launched Climate Ready Boston, an ongoing effort to reduce extreme temperatures and rising sea levels in the Greater Boston area. It presents several strategies ranging from maintaining up-to-date climate projections to creating a coastal protection system to address flooding risks.

While Boston’s climate plan certainly seems more in-depth than other cities around the United States, can it do enough? If climate change shows Boston citizens one thing, it is that flooding is one of the greatest threats to this city. Hurricane Ida was only one example of how prone Boston is to flooding. In 2013, Boston was ranked as the eighth coastal city

in the world most vulnerable to flooding. Sea levels in Boston rise an inch every eight years, and the situation is only getting worse. The city is looking to combat this problem by raising vulnerable streets, and building watertight doors on the MBTA. One example is Main Street in Charlestown, which will be elevated two feet — that alone will cost around $3 million.

So, does Boston have the climate change precautions it needs in order to keep the city safe? I am relieved that the city is attempting to do its part in combating climate change. However, after seeing the damage done by Hurricane Ida to the city and the country, there is still a long way to go. It is clear the city of Boston has a set of plans laid out, but these plans must go into motion since we are running out of time. Boston’s sea level is estimated to rise to up to 40 inches by the 2070s. This is less than fifty years away and is not that far away.

As someone from the younger generation, it frustrates me to see climate change not being taken

As someone from the younger generation, it frustrates me to see climate change not being taken seriusly... We must do everything in our power to save the world we have.

— Ava Alaeddini Northeastern student

seriously. Powerful politicians like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell have made dangerous statements about climate change like, “For everyone who thinks it’s warming, I can find somebody who thinks it isn’t.” These are powerful individuals denying a problem that could further these dangerous scenarios in our future.

Extreme temperatures, flooding and unpredictable weather are only a small sample of what could occur, and it is my hope that I can further educate myself and my fellow Northeastern students on this topic. Our school is already enacting certain measures to combat climate change, like the Climate Justice Action Plan, which recognizes Northeastern’s role in the current climate crisis and plans to make the university completely carbon-free.

We must do everything in our power to save the one world that we have and undo the damage that has been inflicted upon our climate.

Ava Alaeddini is a second-year English major. She can be reached at alaeddini.a@northeastern.edu.

Column: Political discourse on social media continues to divide society

Photo courtesy Madison Boudreau Popovic From standing up for tax reform to social and racial justice, there’s a time and place for it all. In recent years, politics began to infiltrate aspects of society where it never belonged.

This, in turn, promotes the spread of negativity and toxicity worldwide. It appears that no one can escape politics, no matter where they turn.

Social media became a popular platform for politicians to post about politics. Politicians from both sides of the political aisle, such as Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ted Cruz, tend to use Twitter to post about their beliefs in order to reach voters. This isn’t just exclusive to politicians, as celebrities also take to social media to “inspire change.”

During the most recent presidential election, celebrities, such as Ariana Grande, flocked to social media to encourage people to vote. However, posts by influential people about

politics actually don’t do much to influence them.

To be quite honest, there are many people who aren’t fortunate enough to have access to such platforms. In a Pew Research Center survey from 2021, 24% of adults in the U.S. who make less than $30,000 a year don’t have smartphones. On top of this, 41% of households considered to be lower income in the United States don’t have laptops or desktop computers. So for politicians and celebrities who continue to try reaching society through social media, they’re only reaching those who are incredibly privileged.

To put this in perspective, over 223 million Americans used social media in 2020. At that time, the population of the United States was 331,449,281 people.

In fact, those privileged individuals who use social media don’t wish to see any political content on their feeds. Fifty-five percent of U.S. adult social media users in a Pew Research Center survey from 2020 claim they’re tired of political posts. Nowadays, social media acts as a dividing medium rather than a medium where users can make or maintain genuine connections, despite what it was originally intended for.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook while attending Harvard for the purpose of connecting with people, which he said was lacking on the internet.

“You could find music; you could find news; you could find informa-

I feel like we are more divided as a nation than ever before, and it may be because of people sharing their beliefs in the wrong place, at the wrong time, out of what appears to be convenience, instead of sparking real change through attending a protest or contacting legislators to help pass bills.

— Madison Boudreau Popovic Opinion Editor

tion, but you couldn’t find and connect with the people that you cared about, which as people is actually the most important thing. So that seemed like a pretty big hole that needed to get filled,” Zuckerberg said, in an interview with Freakonomics Radio.

With all of this politicization comes a spread of negative feelings.

I feel like we are more divided as a nation than ever before, and it may be because of people sharing their beliefs in the wrong place, at the wrong time, out of what appears to be convenience, instead of sparking real change through attending a protest or contacting legislators to help pass bills. Despite this, some think it’s acceptable and actually a good thing. For instance, 15% to 20% of participants in the same Pew Research Center survey from 2020 like seeing political posts on social media. I said it last year, and I’ll say it again, it’s sad how divided society is and continues to be because of politics on social media platforms.

It’s great to stand up for what you believe in, but we must remain mature and realize that the statements made by people like Ocasio-Cortez and Cruz don’t belong on Twitter.

They belong at protests and in the halls of Congress. They belong where real change can occur. Northeastern students and staff must do their part in this by not always running to social media to make a political statement. After a while, people will stop listening and view it as white noise. We should channel our energy and passion for politics into action that could create real change, such as signing petitions, donating money toward causes you believe in, volunteering for political leaders or organizing/attending protests.

Madison Boudreau Popovic is a second-year political science and business administration combined major with a minor in French and Opinion Editor of The News. She can be reached at popovic.m@northeastern.edu.

Illustration by Madison Boudreau Popovic

SPORTS

Page 12

September 30, 2021 Pho

HN: Do you think coaches and players are excited to

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Huntington News: What are your goals as athletic director?

We, first off, want to help athletes achieve their academic, athletic and social goals here at the university.

That’s no different than when I was head coach and making sure that we’re providing work and resources for [student-athletes] to be successful in those areas. I think that’s the goal for myself, for

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This transcript was edited for length and clarity.

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Jim Madigan has been involved with Northeastern University for 40 years, first as a player for the men’s ice hockey team in the early 1980s, then later serving as an assistant coach, academic administrator and head coach of the men’s hockey team. After 352 games and two conference championships, Madigan left his head coaching position in June to become NU’s new athletic director. In a conversation with The News on Sep. 14, Madigan laid out his vision for NU.

have a more normal season this year with a more traditional schedule?

I think everyone involved with athletics, whether it be at the professional level, collegiate level or high school, everyone is excited to return to a normal environment — that normal environment that we were used to pre-COVID-19. There are obviously still some limitations because COVID is still around, and we’ve got to make sure we still provide for the health and safety of our student-athletes and staff.

But we are excited to return back to more normalcy, your traditional playing season with traditional travel, everything that goes with it in practice schedules and everything else. You can see it in the students’ eyes. You can see it in the general university population that they’re excited to be on campus. They’re excited to be back in the classroom, participating in activities, engaging in any area of the university that they can. And that’s it. It’s vibrant, there’s a lot of vibrancy and excitement around campus right now, and that carries over towards student-athletes.

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Sports Editors

the department and for our coaches who interact and work with our student-athletes each and every day.

I want us to have success in every component and every program.

Success is measured, not just by winning championships — certainly, that’s the ultimate. But I want us to, as a department, get better each and every day. I want us to achieve excellence in every part of the organization and build a culture of respect, trust and caring that will permeate all the way down to the organization, to the student-athletes and providers. Athletes and our coaches are key resources for being competitive and winning in sports.

We invest a lot of time, money and effort into our teams’ successes. We want to win, and we want to do it the right way. For me, I’ve been involved with Northeastern University for 40 years. We’ve been doing it the right way for 40 years. We’re going to continue to do it the right way, and we’ll do it the right way if we’re going to achieve our competitive excellence. That’s the goal.

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By Peyton Doyle and Vitoria Poejo

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Q&A: Jim Madigan hopes to maintain academic, athletic excellence as Athletic Director

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HN: Have you made it to any games yet? What’s it like to have fans back in the stands?

It has been tremendous. Last Tuesday, the volleyball game in Cabot was packed for the most part, with students there and student-athletes of other teams. The supporters were there so it was just a doozy, an exciting atmosphere in the building, and we played Boston College, so you’re playing your opponent that’s close by, and they have brought some fans over. It was a great, great venue and that’s what college athletics is all about, excitement, enthusiasm and a great energy level from our studentathletes and fans who attended to cheer on the players.

HN: Will there be a reduced capacity at Matthews Arena for hockey and basketball games?

Right now, we’re planning on opening up without any limitations.

People will need to be masked coming into the buildings as per our university’s policy about being indoors. We’ll continue to follow the data and follow the science to see where we’re at and rely on health experts here on campus that will determine if we have to make some changes.

HN: Will there be a vaccine requirement for fans that aren’t from Northeastern?

We’re still going through some of those protocols right now. We are still a few weeks away from getting to that point, but there have been ongoing conversations.

HN: How have season tickets been selling?

They actually have been very well.

I saw a tremendous amount sold right off the bat and a tremendous response in total sales. The tickets department is happy with all four programs and where they’re at right now, so we’re excited about that. Our students don’t need to sign up for season tickets because they’ll get a ticket with their relationship to the university. With so many students on campus, we expect to get a great turnout for our games. It’s not just the ticketed sports events either, there’s excitement around our other programs and students wanting to show support.

HN: What have you heard from the city about the Beanpot?

We’re still very much early in that process. The Beanpot is from Feb. 7 to 14 this year, but we’ve had meetings and we fully expect to return back to a traditional Beanpot experience as we did up until 2020. The Bruins are planning on opening [TD Garden] without any limitations in terms of capacity, so our expectation is the same, but of course, we’ll keep an eye on the data.

Photos by Brian Bae Athletic director Jim Madigan in Matthews Arena.