November 14, 2019

The Huntington News November 14, 2019

The independent student newspaper of the Northeastern community

@HuntNewsNU

NU ADMINISTRATORS PRESSURE SGA OFFICIALS TO WATER DOWN ANTI-RACISM RESOLUTION

re have been several recent incidents on Northeastern’s B mming from white supremacist and fascist ideology; AND

te supremacist sentiment has been demonstrated by the s ected via the #HereAtNU1 tag on twitter; AND Photo by Ingrid Angulo Authors of the resolution (pictured from left) include SGA Sen. Joshua Roller, SGA Vice President for Student Affairs Erykah Kangbeya, James Lyons and Elizabeth Torres.

By Grace Horne and Isaac Stephens | News Staff Three weeks ago, Joshua Roller, a senator in the Student Government Association, or SGA, introduced a resolution calling on Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun to denounce white supremacy on campus and formally acknowledge the fascist organizing materials found in Snell Library this summer.

At last Monday’s SGA meeting, senators unanimously consented to the resolution — but its content had been amended.

On the Senate floor, Roller said administrators told SGA President Chris Brown that Aoun would not release an explicit statement about

the fascist materials and that the administration preferred the SGA resolution more generally reference a “trend” of racism.

According to an SGA official with knowledge of the situation, NU Assistant Vice President of Student and Administrative Services Marina Macomber suggested to SGA leaders that too much time had passed since the incident for Aoun to respond to it directly. The official said both administrators and SGA leadership recognized that “it would look bad for [Northeastern] to respond to an incident almost four months later.”

The official asked to remain

anonymous to protect their relationship with administrators.

The authors of the resolution include Roller, SGA Vice President for Student Affairs Erykah Kangbeya and two students-at-large, James Lyons and Elizabeth Torres, who respectively represent the Northeastern Students of Color Caucus (NSCC) and the Latin American Student Organization (LASO). Seeing compromise as preferable to impasse, the group opted to change the wording of the bill after SGA leaders discussed the issue with Macomber.

In the amended bill, the authors replaced clauses directly referenc-

ing the Snell Library incident with generalizations: One paragraph in the passed resolution references “an increase in white supremacist and fascist propaganda materials popping up”; another cites the popularity of the Twitter hashtag #HereAtNU. Roller said he was a “little thrown off ” by the administrators’ reaction to the original bill but still has hope there will be a response to the fascist materials specifically. Regardless, he said, he sees a watered-down statement from Aoun as better than no statement at all.

“With a choice between [administrators] mentioning Snell Library

or them mentioning the entire trend, I would rather focus on the entire trend,” Roller said. “I want them to get the big picture.”

To increase the likelihood of a response from Aoun, the bill’s sponsors also removed a sentence from the original text that claimed Aoun has never “made any official comment regarding the threat of white supremacy and fascist ideology in higher education.”

The clause was a “dealbreaker” for administrators, according to an SGA official familiar with the matter, because it was untrue.

RESOLUTION, on Page 2

Active Minds seeks to add emergency numbers to IDs

By Jayden Khatib News Correspondent

Photo by Dana Murtada Husky Cards are printed at the booth in Speare Hall. Students can go there to get their card re-printed.

Over 700 people have signed a petition started by Active Minds at NU, a club that promotes mental health awareness, asking Northeastern to put the phone numbers for the Northeastern University Police Department, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline and the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center on the backs of new students’ Husky Cards.

This petition is part of a nationwide Active Minds campaign for colleges across the country to put emergency hotline numbers on students’ IDs. Active Minds at NU hopes this change will help students in crisis reach help faster and fill in some of the gaps in the university’s mental health services.

“We thought that this would be a good step in the right direction for Northeastern to start thinking

more about mental health. It was a good campaign that was fairly well established for us to start moving forward with to do some on-campus advocacy,” said fifth-year biochemistry major Sarah Williams, co-president of Active Minds.

Active Minds leaders specifically chose the emergency numbers that they thought would be most helpful to the Northeastern community in times of crisis.

“As a student at Northeastern, your first contact in an emergency should be NUPD ... but we know that for mental health topics or sexual assault topics, that NUPD may not be the first people that someone will want to speak to ... If someone is contemplating taking their own life, the National Suicide Prevention PETITION, on Page 4

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November 14, 2019

Life on campus with a support animal

By Kelly Thomas News Correspondent Spend some time on campus and you’ll discover that Northeastern’s residence halls are home not only to students, but also to a community of pets who blend into the hustle and bustle of campus life and are an integral part of their owners’ lives.

The Disability Resource Center, or DRC, allows students to request an emotional support animal as an accommodation to live with them in a residence hall. For an animal to be approved, the DRC requires the animal’s veterinary records as well as documentation from the student’s therapist.

After the animal has been approved, students must sign an agreement detailing regulations and conditions of the animal’s stay. The owner’s roommates must also agree to the animal’s presence.

For Izzy Dodd, a second-year nursing major, the process of getting permission for Juno, her 8-monthold English Angora rabbit, to be on campus was challenging. After submitting the request twice, she made a number of phone calls and wrote multiple letters before Juno was finally able to join her.

Dodd said she thinks the DRC could be more flexible in granting

animal approvals, especially in cases like hers where Juno mostly stays in a cage in her room in Davenport B. “It just kind of seemed like a little bit over the top for what I was asking for. And I think it would help anyone, really, at school to have an animal just like at home,” she said.

Dodd said that adjusting to campus life after returning from NU.in Greece and dealing with an intense major was difficult for her.

“But then, I got a bunny and it helped a lot with staying on campus and making a home here instead of going back to my home all the time,” Dodd said.

Jasper Duval, a first-year health science and sociology combined major, said his 5-year-old tuxedo cat Ollie has helped him in a similar way.

“He is kind of one of the things keeping me grounded and making Northeastern feel like home for me,” said Duval.

Cameron Perry, a third-year computer science and game design combined major, said taking care of her 3-year-old black cat Boba has helped her relieve stress by getting her active and doing things throughout the day. “He’s been a good thing to have,” Perry said.

Duval expressed a similar sentiment and said getting up to feed and take care of Ollie helps him get his

Photo Courtesy Cameron Perry Cameron Perry said her 3-year-old cat Boba has helped her relieve stress.

Photo by Kelly Thomas Amy Hayward and her dog Forrest play outside of Interdisciplinary Science & Engineering Complex. day started. “He’s a big motivator for me,” Duval said.

For many roommates of support animal owners, the animals are a welcome addition to their homes.

Dodd said she brought Juno to school not only for personal benefit, but to be a “communal pet.” She said her roommates came to Northeastern from far away and miss their own pets, so Juno provides a piece of home for them as well.

Amy Hayward, a second-year American Sign Language major who lives off-campus, said one of her roommates “is a blessing” because of how she has helped her take care of 8-month-old Labrador mix Forrest.

“She loves him. She treats Forrest as if Forrest was her dog,” Hayward said about her roommate.

These animals have also created a sense of community for their owners and have opened them up to social opportunities.

Duval said people enjoy stopping by his room to visit Ollie. “That’s created some pretty good relations with people in my hall,” he said.

Hayward said Forrest has helped connect her with strangers as well as other dog owners from nearby col-

leges like Berklee College of Music.

She is also part of a group chat called “The Dog Moms of Northeastern,” where 20 to 30 dog owners coordinate play sessions for their pups.

“I’m constantly talking to people and people always approach me and ask questions or I see their eager faces and I’m like, ‘Yes, you can pet him, go ahead,’” Hayward said.

Dodd frequently brings Juno around campus in a stroller as a way to share the joy Juno gives her with others. “I’ll bring her to ISEC and she’ll snuggle with people.”

Though beneficial, living with a pet entails some difficulties. Aside from the olfactory issues — Dodd mentioned a pervading, farm-like hay scent in her room, while Duval noted occasional litter box odors in his — having a pet can limit owners’ freedom and ability to stay out for extended periods of time.

Hayward said she can no longer stay on campus to study for long sessions during the day, but instead has to take breaks to come home and walk Forrest. However, she said this responsibility has been good for her.

“It’s better for my mental health to take breaks,” she said.

Hayward also mentioned a challenge in the fact that Forrest is still young and in the process of training.

She is currently teaching him commands in ASL: So far, he knows how to sit, lay down, stay, come and “boop his nose” on Hayward’s finger.

When she takes Forrest out in public, Hayward said she finds many people have expectations for how well-behaved he should be. Hayward said “he’s not perfect” and will sometimes bark or “get a little rowdy,” which can scare other people.

She has even encountered instances of people crossing the street to avoid Forrest or waiting for the next elevator, not wanting to be in an enclosed space with him.

Hayward reacts well to these encounters. “I’m trying to be respectful of other people’s fears and curiosity.”

Despite the difficulties that come with having a pet, these animals unconditionally love and support their owners, perhaps the biggest benefit they provide.

“If I look like garbage, if I feel like garbage, I know Forrest is going to be there to support me and to love me, no matter what the circumstances are,” Hayward said.

Administrators tell SGA to alter resolution RESOLUTION, from front In the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, whose perpetrator was a South Korean immigrant, Aoun released a statement that addressed fears of anti-Asian racism on campus. He also wrote to students in 2008 expressing “outrage” when racist graffiti was found in a hallway in Stetson West and promised “immediate action” when the university’s publicly displayed menorah was vandalized in 2012.

In 2014, flyers advertising an event hosted by the Alliance for Israel at Northeastern were vandalized with swastikas, and Aoun affirmed there is “no tolerance” for prejudice on campus. He released statements after similar incidents, both local and national, in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

In a Nov. 13 email to The News, university spokesperson Renata Nyul said Aoun did not publicly respond to the finding of the fascist materials because it was a “prank.”

“NUPD and the library conducted an extensive investigation into the June 2019 incident when flyers with fascist propaganda were found in a single book in the library. The investigation found absolutely no evidence of fascist or nationalist organizing on campus, and concluded this was someone’s idea of a sick joke,” Nyul wrote. “The university condemns the nature and content of all actions inspired by hate. President Aoun has been vocal about condemning such incidents over the years. However, issuing a statement to thousands of people about a prank would give it attention and legitimacy that it does not deserve.”

Peter Siccardi, a third-year electrical engineering major who serves on the Senate’s student affairs committee, said he is frustrated that the university hasn’t responded to the Snell Library incident in the four months since.

“I see it as a huge problem that they haven’t done anything up until

this point,” Siccardi said. He said he understands why administrators might want to remain silent about the fascist organizing materials in particular. “By bringing attention to [them], you are, in some way, giving a platform to those people and to those ideas. And in a lot of cases that is what the alt-right wants.”

Lyons said he is concerned the university might choose to ignore the resolution despite the changes. He said he thinks an adequate response would need to come from high up in the administration.

“You can’t ignore the Student Government Association because if you ignore the Student Government Association, you’re ignoring every single undergraduate student via our respective representatives,” Lyons said. “And that is a fundamental slap in the face to the entire student body on this campus.”

Siccardi said he wants to continue working through the SGA to address the threat of white supremacy,

whether administrators respond to the resolution or not.

“Ignoring the actions causes far more harm than bringing light to them ever would,” he said. “That’s part of the reason why, even if the administration doesn’t do anything, I want the Senate to have a plan B, a plan of action to still try to address it.”

Kangbeya said she will keep working to push legislation with similar goals and she will set up a meeting with administrators to discuss the resolution if they don’t respond.

“Wherever it goes, we’re gonna be here fighting together,” she said.

Deanna Schwartz contributed to this article.

Photo by Ingrid Angulo Authors of the resolution (pictured from left to right) include Joshua Roller, James Lyons, Erykah Kangbeya and Elizabeth Torres.

November 14, 2019

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NUPD 2019 Giving Day raises CRIME LOG over $1 million Compiled by Nico Malabuyo, News Staff

MONDAY, NOV. 4 The manager of Wollaston’s Market at Marino Recreation Center reported stopping a man unaffiliated with NU attempting to shoplift. Officers reported the man had a criminal record and banned him from all NU property. A report was filed.

TUESDAY, NOV. 5 A proctor in International Village reported their earbuds were stolen while on duty. A report was filed.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6 12:35am

An NU student reported two men grabbed her outside of International Village and cornered her friends in Ruggles Station.

Officers reported checking the area for the suspects with negative results. A report was filed.

12:34pm

A proctor in Hastings Hall reported that a man unaffiliated with NU was sleeping near the bathrooms. Officers reported the man had a criminal record and banned him from all NU property. A report was filed.

An NU student reported her unattended bag was stolen from Shillman Hall. A report was filed.

THURSDAY, NOV. 7

7:52am

The manager of Wollaston’s Market at Marino Recreation Center reported a man unaffiliated with NU stole a drink. Officers reported checking the area with negative results. A report was filed.

The manager of Wollaston’s Market at Marino Recreation Center reported stopping a shoplifter unaffiliated with NU. Officers reported the shoplifter had a criminal record and banned him from all NU property. A report was filed.

6:53pm

A detective reported attempting to stop two NU students near Cahners Hall and that both students were seen entering Melvin Hall. Officers reported going to the students’ rooms to speak to them and confiscating a Class D substance. A report was filed.

11:28pm

An RA in Stetson West reported observing an intoxicated student vomiting in the second floor bathroom. Officers requested an ambulance to transport the student to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for further assistance. A report was filed.

FRIDAY, NOV. 8 10:27am 1:49pm

The manager of Wollaston’s Market at Marino Recreation Center reported catching an NU student shoplifting. Officers reported banning the student from both Wollaston’s locations. A report was filed.

A detective reported seeing a group of students on Benton Street with a bag of alcohol heading to Davenport A. Officers reported speaking to the group and confiscating the alcohol. A report was filed.

Breakdown of recipient organizations by college

Where did Giving Day funds go?

Donors at Giving Day donated to 360 organizations across the university. Funds went to student centers and unions, campus religious organizations, Greek life, university functions, scholarships, athletic progams, student clubs and organizations and various funds in the individual colleges.

Donations could also be directed toward the area of greatest need, which allows the university to direct funds toward unanticipated expenses.

All data comes from Vice President of alumni relations’s Nov. 4 presentation to the Student Government Association.

s

12:08am

File photo by Samantha Barry Northeastern heavily advertised Giving Day, which took place April 11. Posters were hung across campus, including in front of Marino Recreation Center.

ion

3:51pm

Parents of current NU students made up a little under 11 percent of the total number of donors.

The group’s average donation was $124.74, totaling $192,227 for 160 different funds.

Northeastern employees made up the smallest percentage of the donors at a little over 8 percent. Employees donated $52,139 to 114 funds at an average donation of $37.89.

sented incentives such as free t-shirts or cups to students who donated as little as $1.

Although only 31 percent of donors were NU alumni, they donated the most money in total, with an average donation of $100 and a total of $440,890 given to 219 different funds.

C Or SSH ga niz at

6:13am

Northeastern’s annual Giving Day, which took place April 11 this year, raised over $1 million in total through 14,119 individual donations, according to a Nov. 4 presentation by Rick Davis, vice president of alumni relations, to the Student Government Association.

Despite the debate among students that surrounded this year’s Giving Day, students made up 39 percent of donors, contributing $21,561 to 247 funds. The average student donation was $3.83. During Giving Day events, Northeastern employees pre-

20

1:48pm

By Deanna Schwartz Campus Editor

ns ve tio u a Bo aniz rg O 16 COS izations 16 Organ

COE 14 Organizations D’Amore-McKim 14 Organizations

CAMD 10 Organizations NUSL 10 Organizations

CPS 7 Organizations Khoury 4 Organizations

SATURDAY, NOV. 9

SUNDAY, NOV. 10 2:25pm

Breakdown of recipient organizations university-wide

Other 32 Organizations Scholarships 24 Organizations

cs s ti ion le at th iz A gan r O

Student Centers and Unions 8 Organizations

72

Officers received a report from an unnamed party who claimed to have witnessed a man dealing with stolen property in the West University Functions 15 Organizations Village area. Officers reported stopping the man and found him to be in possession of a stolen laptop and cell phone. Officers Greek Life reported the man has a criminal record and is believed Student to possibly Clubs 75Or12 Organizations be an MIT student. Officers banned him from all NU property Religious and reported the case to the MIT Police. A report was filed.

11 Organizations

ns

2:28pm

An officer reported finding a person unaffiliated with NU inside Hastings Hall without authorization. Officers reported the man had a criminal record and will be summoned to court for trespassing. A report was filed.

io

An NU student reported his unattended shower caddy and toiletries were stolen from Stetson West. A report was filed.

75 Clu Or b ga s niz at

12:49pm

Individual colleges 111 Organizations

Graphic by Avery Bleichfeld

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November 14, 2019

Active Minds looks to increase access to emergency numbers PETITION, from front hotline number is an amazing resource to reach out to,” Williams said.

Williams said she hopes the presence of the numbers will be comforting to students struggling with mental health issues.

“We are hoping that just by including that number on the back of Husky Cards, that students who aren’t in a great place with their mental health may see that number on the card and realize that there’s always someone available to talk to, there’s always someone they can reach out to if they feel like they need help,” Williams said.

Williams said the club felt that beyond mental health issues, sexual assault was also an area that needed to be addressed on IDs. “Finally, with the Boston Area Rape Crisis [Center] number, we thought that that would be a great resource for students or faculty and staff who may have experienced a sexual assault and need a confidential resource to be able to call 24/7 in order to get the help that they need,” Williams said.

Students who support this initiative said going online to find these phone numbers might be too inconvenient in a time of emergency.

“All these resources are available

online ... but whenever I think of going online to find the NUPD number or any other numbers for resources that might be available, it seems like it might be a hassle to find or to determine exactly which one is the right one,” said Karthik Boyareddygari, a third-year physics and mathematics combined major and treasurer of Northeastern’s Sexual Assault Response Coalition. “If you just had clearly labeled numbers on Husky Cards that almost everyone carries around always, it seems like it would just make it much more convenient.”

Williams sees this petition as a way to help students during the ongoing national mental health crisis.

“There’s been a recent increase in the last decade or so in national suicides and rates of anxiety and depression and other mental health disorders. College students especially are struggling,” Williams said.

“There’s a dire need to help these students, or just people in general, with mental health disorders, and we think that this may be one very small step that could at least impact some people that are considering taking their own life.”

Another reason Active Minds thinks it’s important to publicize these emergency numbers is that they believe Northeastern’s current

infrastructure for dealing with student mental health falls short.

“I think that they do the best that they can with the money allotted, but I have heard various complaints about the [University Health and Counseling Services] at Northeastern, particularly long wait times, inability to find appointments, inability to find therapists through the referral system,” said Taylor Rose McDermott-Pinch, a fifth-year communication studies major and co-president of Active Minds.

“I think a lot of that problem is just stemming from a lack of funding. The university could, and should, spend more resources on mental health awareness and advocacy on campus,” she said.

One particular issue that students see is the lack of counselors available to speak with students.

“We have the worst amount of counselors per student of all the schools in the Boston area. SWAN, the Students Working for an Accessible Northeastern, published a graph of student-to-counselor ratios for Boston, and ours is staggeringly off to the right compared to everyone else’s. So [the university should] definitely [be] putting money into finding more counselors and into making students aware once they get those that UCHS is better now, that

Photo by Dana Murtada Over 700 people support the initiative to add emergency numbers to IDs. we gave more counselors, that we have counselors who can take you for longer,” McDermott-Pinch said.

Students do see the recent establishment of Find@Northeastern, a 24/7 mental health resource that students can access via a quick phone call, as a potentially positive sign.

“We do appreciate that it appears they’re trying. The new Find@Northeastern just came out, and obviously, it’s very new, so there’s not a lot of data on if it’s actually happening. But it’s definitely a step in the right direction,” McDermott-Pinch said.

Supporters of the petition hope that, even if nothing else changes, this small tweak to Husky Cards may have a big impact. “[I signed] because when I saw the petition, I thought, if we have all this space on the back of the card, why not use it for something that could potentially help someone who needs it? If you put a helpline on it,

someone who’s having a hard time, they’re probably not going to look it up online, but they’re always going to be looking at their card,” said Ellazan Gregg, a first-year international affairs and political science major.

Amaura Kemmerer, associate dean for wellness and director at the Office of Prevention and Education, said the university is open to the idea of putting emergency numbers on Husky Cards.

“We think it is a great idea and we would be happy to work with students in a way that looked at how we could do that,” Kemmerer said. “I think we would obviously make sure it was done in a way where it was relevant for students in any location ... but it’s definitely something we are excited and willing to do with Active Minds.”

Taylor Driscoll contributed to this article.

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November 14, 2019

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Pressley urges youth to vote at BU College Democrats’ Election Day Forum

By Kelly Garrity News Correspondent When U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley arrived at Boston University from Chicago in 1992, she had no intention of running for Boston City Council or Congress.

“I was not obsessing about title or position,” she said Tuesday, Nov. 5 to a crowd of over 100 students in a town hall event hosted by the Boston University College Democrats at the George Sherman Union Conference Auditorium. “I focused on the impact that I wanted to have on world and I worked backwards.”

Students turned out for the event for varying reasons. Helen Hawkins, a BU third-year international relations major, hoped to hear about Pressley’s time serving on Boston’s City Council. “I’m currently working on the campaign of Michelle Wu, who is running for City Councilor,” Hawkins said, “so I’m trying to hear about her experience when she was on the City Council and try and connect it to my current work.”

Alyssa McLaughlin, a second-year political science major at BU, came to the event to learn more about Pressley’s experience running for office. “As someone interested in running for office myself one day, I’m here to hear about what that process was like for her,” McLaughlin said.

The speech took the form of a Q&A moderated by Cecilia Szautak, a second-year political science major and political director for the BU College Democrats, and Nathan Bindseil, a senior political science major and BU College Democrats vice president. Szautak said the questions came from students who signed up to attend the event as well as members of BU College Democrats’ executive board.

Pressley, who currently represents Massachusetts’ 7th District, emphasized the importance of civic participation and encouraged students to vote in the elections that were held Tuesday. “[Pressley’s team was] just really eager to come and talk to students about voting and how important it is, especially a year after her victory, definitely a really pressing time to get students engaged,” Szautak said.

Pressley attributes this upset victory to an increase in youth voting in last year’s election. This election saw Pressley rise to beat 20-year incumbent Mike Capuano, a

reliably progressive representative.

Despite being 13 points down in the polls, Pressley made a comeback and beat Capuano by 17 points on election day. She claimed this was because she and her team grew the student vote by 400% in some areas, including BU. “We need you all to participate,” she said. “We need you to make your voice heard here in municipal elections, in state elections, in federal elections.”

Pressley also wants to expand voting rights to younger people. “[They] have greater acumen and knowledge about existing legislation, who is serving in the halls of Congress and the Senate, than most people that are eligible to vote right now,” Pressley said.

She also noted that young people are leading “on every existential threat to our country,” from the climate crisis to gun violence prevention. “When it comes to voting rights, I am all about increasing access to the ballot and engaging as many more voices as possible in the name of accountability,” she said.

In the past, Pressley has worked on expanding the breadth of outdated state liquor license laws to ensure equality for minority communities, increasing sexual health education and making condoms available in Boston public high schools and changing the narrative about how to prevent human trafficking, but

Photo by Kelly Garrity Rep. Ayanna Pressley poses for a photo with attendees at the BU College Democrats Election Day Forum. the representative says lowering the voting age has proved surprisingly contentious.

“I cannot believe that out of all the issues I’ve worked on … one of the most polarizing [issues] that I’ve championed was lowering the federal voting age to 16,” she said.

In addition to discussing the importance of voting, Pressley took aim at Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky).

“This Democratic majority Congress is very capable of walking and chewing gum. We can lead and legislate on those issues of care and concern and consequence to the American people, which we’ve done,” she said. “Those bills are sitting at the door of Mitch McConnell, who won’t do his damn job.”

Pressley also answered questions about President Donald J. Trump’s impeachment probe, an ongoing investigation that began in September 2019 after it was revealed that a CIA whistleblower filed a complaint alleging wrongdoing on the part of the head of state.

“I have been resolved, very soberly so, and supportive of impeachment since April,” she said. “I do believe impeachment is possible. I do believe it is necessary both in the name of our election security, our national security, the preservation of our Democracy, and the legislative hate and hurt that has been caused.”

During her speech, Pressley referred to Trump’s time in Office as “a stain on our history,” and referred to him not as President but as “the occupant of this White House.” The reason for this, Pressley said, is “not because I dishonor the office of the presidency, but because I believe that he does. He is simply occupying space. He does not embody the grace, strategy, the empathy, the intellect of a president.”

In the meantime, Pressley believes she can continue to make a difference from her own district.

“This is a seat that was once occupied [by] John F. Kennedy, this is one of the most progressive seats in the country. It’s also one of the most vibrant and diverse and one of the most unequal in the country,” she said.

The district, Pressly said, is over 50% people of color, 40% foreign born and nearly 40% single female head of household. Furthermore, in a three-mile radius from “Cambridge to Roxsbury, life expectancy drops by 30 years, immediate household income by $50,000.”

This diversity, Pressley told the crowd, puts her district in the perfect position to affect change by being innovative and bold.

“If any district in the country should be leading, it should be this one.” Pressley said.

Photo by Kelly Garrity Pressley shakes hands with an attendee at the BU Election Day Forum.

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November 14, 2019

Photo by Samantha Barry Kristen Brennan and Hannah Magnuson, both employees at Brennan’s Smoke Shop, stand in front of the Massachusetts State House in protest of the menthol ban.

Boston Convenience Store Owners Association protests the menthol ban

By Christie Ya-Chi Lee News Correspondent The Boston Convenience Store Owners Association (BCSOA) rallied on Wednesday, Nov. 6 in front of the Massachusetts State House to protest against the proposed ban of menthol cigarettes by Boston Public Health Commission. Massachusetts convenience store owners gathered to express their distaste of and the ironies in the recent regulations on vaping and nicotine consumption.

BSCOA members did not see the government’s interest in keeping the youth away from tobacco products as accomplishable by the ban. Instead, they believe the ban will only open other doors, namely, illicit markets, for the youth to access products illegal to them.

Humayun Morsted, BCSOA’s clerk, wanted the public to know that the rally is about more than just revenue.

“It’s about the service we provide to the community. What happens if this [menthol ban] protocol gets into the wrong hand? I’ve got children, too. This protocol [will promote] black markets, [and Menthol cigarettes] will be accessible to children’s hands daily,” he said.

Most of the store owners’ families were present, and regardless of whether store owners had children or not, the consensus was that banning menthol cigarettes would inexorably exacerbate the public health issue by inciting black markets’ existences.

Morsted was also concerned with the level of secrecy that the government has maintained regarding FDA’s regulation. E-cigarettes were never authorized by the FDA. He

thinks that “FDA has to get their hands on this [issue surrounding e-cigarette regulation].” Otherwise, states, such as Massachusetts, will only “use the vaping ban as an excuse to ban the sale of menthol cigarettes.”

This reasoning was central to the rally as members chanted, “Stop the ban.”

Jeff Cruz, owner of Four Brothers Market in Roslindale, expressed his frustration on how the ban will impact young adults. “[Teenagers] don’t buy vapes and cigarettes from convenience stores or retails, but from their friends and [social groups],” Cruz said at the rally. “[The government] banned Juuls, now there’s an illicit market [selling them]. You can go on Snapchat and search ‘hashtag Boston Juuls’ and you’ll find guys selling Juuls for 30 or 40 bucks, but you don’t even know if its [authentic] or regulated at all. It’s going to happen with cigarettes.”

BCSOA members, including Morsted and Sheiekh Bahauddin, owner of Convenience Plus on Harrison Ave, took pride in their “96% compliance rate” with checking IDs during sales of tobacco products.

Customers are adults and the ban would only negatively impact convenience stores while ineffectively controlling the youth vaping epidemic.

Bahauddin said that Massachusett’s compliance rate “is the highest in the country.”

During the rally, BCSOA members passionately communicated their concern of maintaining communities, most of which are marginalized, that will be negatively impacted by the proposed ban both in their economic structure and social dynamic.

Most, if not all, BCSOA members started their businesses as a means to maintain their families.

“For years and years, what [the government has been] trying to do is not going to have any impact on youth smoking. All they are doing is hurting the communities. Now, they have a chance to get it right,” said Paresh Patel, independent liquor/gas convenience store owner.

Similarly, Morsted expressed the micro-level impact of the ban on the owners’ communities. “[The government] doesn’t understand how this ban would impact convenience stores. People come in and buy snacks, milk, eggs, and other [household essentials].

Without [their motivation of] buying cigarettes, customers get angry and they won’t come in the stores altogether,” he said.

Besides the ban’s arbitrariness and condescension to marginalized communities, Bahauddin also pointed out inconsistencies behind the legislatures.

“We’re not pedaling anything that’s not legal. You as an adult, me as an adult,” he said. You can buy menthol liquor, cherry liquor, so why not ban those? Why don’t [legislations] go there?”

Dr. Michael Siegel, a public health researcher at Boston University, said that banning vapes will revert exadult smokers back to cigarettes and is actually harmful to public health.

He believes that the ban will also harm the youth.

“A ban on menthol e-cigarettes will simply cause youth to switch to vaping THC cartridges. Youth will vape whatever is available. If it’s not flavored e-liquids then it will be black market THC vape carts. These

are exactly the products causing the respiratory disease outbreak.

For this reason, I think a flavor ban will have devastating public health consequences,” he said.

Cruz said that he often found marginalized communities to be predisposed to menthol cigarettes.

However, he doesn’t see racial categorization as the priority of his service to providing his customers’ needs. “[These convenience stores] rely on the local community to survive,” Cruz said. “I don’t [judge people] by the color of their skin. I recognize the person and say, ‘Are you going to grab [whatever they regularly needed]?’ And boom, I give them what they need.”

Cruz was frustrated by the lack of consideration in marginalized communities.

“What’s going to happen [if the ban were imposed] is [tobacco companies] will up the Marlboro Reds, what white folks smoke, and everyone is going to smoke Marlboros Reds. And then [the government] is going to ban cigarettes. Once you ban cigarettes, then, what makes a convenient store convenient? Because what makes it convenient [for customers] is ‘Oh, I’m going to grab my milks, eggs, bread, and my pack of smoke,’ or ‘my rollers to smoke joints with,’” he said.

Last year, the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb first proposed the ban of menthol cigarettes. This year, after Gov. Charlie Baker’s four-month ban on sales of Juul beginning on Sept.

25th, BPHC proposed a ban on the sale of all flavored tobacco products that will be considered this month.

Public health commissions have

focused on the alarmingly high consumption rate of tobacco by youths since 2008, to which the FDA responded by enacting the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act in 2009.

Urged by BPHC, Baker made the decision to impose the vaping ban.

BCSOA can no longer quiet their communities’ voices of the concern for public health, specifically the youth’s. Baker’s ban was only lawful when Baker declared it as a “public health emergency.” His proposal had initially struck down use of medical marijuana vapers, too.

Cruz commented on governmental regulations surrounding tobacco use.

“A lot of these decisions are pretty baseless,” he said. “Just this morning, right before I came [to the rally], I did a quick research.

Teen smoking, [which the current bans] are all about, is actually going down. It was about 24% in the 1970s, and now it’s at 3%. I guess the government wants to put the nail on the coffin, which is just reversed [considering the government’s effort in] the past 50 years of fighting Big Tobacco.”

In September, President Donald Trump announced his wish to ban the sale of flavored cigarettes.

Subsequently, states immediately took action by banning vaping. But the question remains as to whether regulating or banning is the right way to treat this public health issue.

Siegel urges: “But before legislators stop the sale of all flavored vaping products, they should consider what appears to be the real cause of these illnesses and the effect bans will have on public health.”

CITY

November 14, 2019

Page 7

Boston Public Library eliminates overdue fines for cardholders under the age of 18

By Avery Bleichfeld News Staff This month, the Boston Public Library, or BPL, took a step toward embodying the phrase “Free To All,” which is carved above the entrance to the central branch at Copley Square.

On Nov. 1, the library eliminated all fines on overdue books for cardholders 18 years and younger in an attempt to facilitate access to library materials and programs. This comes as another step in a nationwide movement for libraries to go finefree for some or all of their patrons.

According to an Oct. 25 press release, the Boston Public Library announced fines would be eliminated for youth card holders. It also announced that pending fines and replacement fees would be removed.

While there are no monetary penalties on overdue items, patrons must return items before more can be checked out and will still be responsible for paying for items that are not returned or lost.

According to BPL President David Leonard, the move reflects the library’s values of being accessible, welcoming and promoting reading at all levels for Boston’s youth.

“Too often, fines penalize those least able to afford them and have the unintended effect of turning young people, in particular, away from their libraries,” Leonard said. “That’s just not what ‘Free To All’ should mean in the 21st century.”

The Boston Public Library Board of Trustees chose to eliminate overdue fines for youth cardholders in a unanimous vote on Oct. 3.

At libraries nationwide, this follows the philosophy that overdue fines can keep cardholders away from library materials and programs.

Jennifer Hoffman, manager of books and borrowing at Denver Pub-

lic Libraries, which went fine-free for all patrons Jan. 1, said a system of fines is based on shame. Hoffman helped create their fine-free system.

“The presence of fines, or knowing that someone has a fine, would often keep them from walking into a library and experiencing all the other ways they can enjoy the library,” Hoffman said. “Because they’re worried about the $4 charge for a book they returned two years ago, they aren’t comfortable coming in.”

Paul Negron, communications manager at the Urban Libraries Council, an organization connecting libraries in 42 states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada, said that library fines especially impact low-income communities.

“Libraries have become much more than just a place to check out books,” Negron said. “Folks who are finding themselves utilizing all these services are those who might not have access to those kinds of things at home. Those are our low-income populations, those are our children … If your main source of access to these services and this information is through the library and you come and you have a late fee of $10 or $20 and that’s a huge deterrent, [it] leaves a bad taste in people’s mouths and people move away from the library and they don’t reengage.”

This deterrent can keep materials that otherwise would have a positive impact on children and families out of their hands.

“Books are expensive, videos are expensive, and oftentimes families with a limited income won’t have a lot of books or media if they don’t have an opportunity to access them through a library,” Hoffman said.

“Research shows that having books in the home helps with school achievement, but if you’re charging fines to kids who have really limited

Percentage of late fines that BPL collected in 2019 Late fines that BPL recieves 8.8%

Late fines that BPL issues and does not collect 91.2%

Percentage of Large Libraries that have considerd getting rid of late fines

No 46.5%

Yes 53.5%

*A large library serves a population of over 100,000.

Item Collection and Debt Reduction during San Francisco Public Libraryʼs Amnesty periods for debt holders 800,000

Items returned

Debt reduction

Value of returned items

600,000 400,000 200,000 0 1998

2001

2009

2017

2018*

* in 2018, the San Francisco Public Library ran an item collection campaign without amnesty for debtors.

Sources: Library Journal, Boston.com, San Francisco Public Library and The Financial Justice Project

Graphic by Jayden Khatib transportation options — they can’t get to libraries themselves, and often their parents can’t get to libraries during working hours — it’s pretty easy for youth to have fines, which would then block them from [check-

ing books out].”

San Francisco Public Libraries, or SFPL. which went fine-free for all patrons on Sept. 16, eliminated fines for youth in 1974. Michelle Jeffers, chief of community programs and

partnerships, said that SFPL has shifted the culture in their libraries to prioritize youth access.

“Because of our culture of being fine-free for youth for 45 years there’s a lot of effort for youth. We prioritize programs for them, we prioritize resources for them, we treat them with all the privacy concerns that libraries treat adults to … ,” Jeffers said. “We really uphold the value of youth, children and teens within our library.”

Eliminating fines for youth encourages them to use the library long-term.

“One of the things in our mission statement is that we want to encourage the joy of reading and learning.

So, we certainly want to encourage that joy of reading and learning from a young age,” Jeffers said. “We know that people who use the library as children, also become lifelong library users. We’re not here to serve just one age, but we do want to serve them at all the stages of growth.”

Moves to fine-free library systems create an environment for patrons that fit into a broader definition of the role a modern public library has.

Negron said that a library is a community hub, not just a place to check out books.

“It’s a place that is welcoming, it is a place that is available for the public, no matter what part of the city or maybe county you live in, it’s an area you can go and you can get help for certain things that you need,” he said.

Boston Public Library offers youth Homework Help Sessions as well as computer workshops and other programming meant to stimulate public discussion.

“People do tend to equate libraries with books, which is a compliment,” Hoffman said. “However, we’re really about connecting people with ideas and information and that comes in so many different ways.”

Photo by Julian Perez Boston Public Library, or BPL, has eliminated fines for patrons under 18 years of age.

SPORTS

Page 8

November 14, 2019

Photo courtesy Northeastern Athletic Communications Women’s soccer goalkeeper Megan Adams kicks the ball away from her goal in a game earlier this season. The sophomore was injured her first year after sustaining a bad concussion.

After a long road to recovery, Adams makes her mark on NU women’s soccer

By Paige Stern News Staff Described as the “ultimate team player” by NU women’s soccer head coach Ashley Phillips, Northeastern’s women’s soccer goalie Megan Adams had to endure three years of severe head trauma symptoms before she could lay her feet, and her devotion to her team, back on the field.

Growing up in Franklin, Massachusetts, Adams can’t remember a time that she wasn’t involved in sports. From 3 years old, her parents placed her in several sports as a way of creating character and passing time, as many parents do. But for the Disney and Patriots fan, soccer stuck with her through it all.

“I played soccer from 3 years old.

[I played] basketball in fifth grade, I played a year of Pop Warner tackle football, I did karate for four years and got my black belt. I got kicked out of lacrosse camp because there wasn’t enough contact,” she said laughing.

Adams’ relationship with Phillips goes all the way back to the goalie’s eighth-grade season, where she was thrown between the pipes for the first time — by chance. For most of her training, Adams was a field player, where she usually played in the midfield or as a forward. But her team’s goalkeeper got injured.

Phillips recalled the team’s coaches “thought [she] had more potential to compete at a high level as a goalkeeper.” And although Adams explained that switching to a different position at that age is fairly late for most players, she has remained in goal since.

Phillips sees herself as a mentor to Adams, as Adams was one of the first goalkeepers she trained before joining the Northeastern University staff.

To this day, Phillips, who is going on her 10th year of working with the Northeastern women’s soccer team, still sees the selfless character Adams

expressed the day she switched to goalkeeping through her devotion to being a team player.

“She was basically told that was the best way that she would help the team, and knowing that she changed her position, which was kind of a selfless act, to help a team be successful. Especially when you don’t know anything about it. She never played the position [before],” Phillips said. “That was just the start of what showed Megan’s character, which is extremely high.”

When asked about the main difference between being a field player and a goalkeeper, Adams said the greatest advantage about goalkeeping is having more opportunities to contribute to the team’s success.

“You’re more in a spotlight in goal, which can be a lot of pressure.

Your teammates are always trying to protect you and you have a say.

You always have the ability to stop a potential goal, and you’re always in a defensive play,” she said. “I always have the chance to do something for my team.”

By the time she reached her freshman year of high school, Adams found herself driving for about an hour and a half to and from club soccer practice five times a week.

While she was committed to the sport, Adams was even more devoted to being part of a team.

“One of the main things I love about playing is being part of a team dynamic,” Adams said. “There’s a love for the sport, and there’s a love for working out together and getting better. But there’s also that social bond you make with people. That has always been very important to me.”

But toward the end of high school, her way of life was flipped over completely. In the summer before her junior year of high school, Adams experienced two injuries. In June 2015, Adams’ face was met by

a cleat in the middle of a game, and she ended up having to get stitches.

In hindsight, she believes she may have sustained a concussion in the incident.

In the following September, while sprinting in the middle of a match, Adams was tripped, the side of her head hitting the girl’s knee in the midst of her fall. At first she didn’t feel any symptoms and completed the game, as well as several others over the few days that followed the injury.

Soon enough, Adams started experiencing concussion symptoms and sought out medical attention.

Once diagnosed, Adams’ soccer career went on a three-year hiatus.

By the time she arrived at Northeastern, she had tried several treatments, including acupuncture, various types of physical therapy and VASPER, which Adams said was a horrible experience.

“At that point I was two years into it, and I had almost forgotten what it feels like to feel normal,” Adams said.

“I had headaches all the time, I’d bend over and [feel] dizzy, and things felt out of whack. It wasn’t until I got to Northeastern my freshman year that I actually started to feel better.”

For the majority of her freshman year, Adams was not allowed to train or play on the team. However, Phillips remembers that despite her uncertain athletic future, Adams consistently found ways to contribute to the team’s success.

“She was the first kid to cleanup at practice. She was the first kid to fill up water bottles, or run them onto the field when we’re doing fitness tests. She found any way to help out the group when she probably wasn’t very happy with the situation she was in, which shows she’s a very team oriented, selfless human in general. I think that’s one of the biggest things that our staff but also her teammates

really respect about her,” Phillips said.

As time went on, and the Northeastern Athletics medical staff continued to help Adams heal and regain strength, she jumped at the opportunity to get back into shape with each clearance she received.

When told she could work out again, she worked out every day. When told she could play non-contact, she begged Phillips to put her in training sessions.

And though neither Phillips or Adams knew if the day would come, by the end of the spring semester of her freshman year, with the help of the Northeastern sports medical staff, Adams was given a full-go clearance. Immediately after being cleared, she consistently asked her coaches to be thrown onto the field during a spring game. From then on, Adams has not only been a consistent team player off the field, but on the field too.

Another consistent player on Adams’ team is her mother, Lori Adams.

Since Adams’ parents got a divorce when she was young, her mother was more involved in raising her. Like her daughter, she devoted a majority of her time and money to soccer.

“She’s done everything to give me every opportunity to play,” Adams said. From paying for club soccer and joining Adams on her travels to meet with college recruiters, Lori has been involved every step of the way, and hasn’t let anything change that since her daughter started college.

“My mom was at every game this season, which includes flying down to North Carolina, flying to Florida,” Adams said. “That has always been something special between the two of us. We’ve always both cared, and she’s always been beyond supportive.”

Even while Adams wasn’t allowed to play during her freshman year, her mom attended most of the games just

to support the team, even with no assurance that her daughter would be cleared any time soon.

While injured, Adams felt as if she was spiraling because so much in her life had changed. But it’s what she experienced that has given her a wider perspective of the game, and her life.

“It’s been great that I was still able to be [on the team], which is such a fantastic opportunity, and going through that because now I have a unique perspective on things and know to be grateful for the time on the field because you really don’t know what is going to happen,” she said. “Nobody ever expected I’d be out for three years and somehow still came back.”

Now going on her third year at Northeastern as a criminal justice major, Adams recognizes one of her greatest accomplishments as simply being here.

“Playing here in general and being part of this program is an accomplishment, to me,” she said. “It feels like an accomplishment to be a Division I athlete. This is something so many kids dream of and never get that opportunity — whether they don’t have the talent, [or] they didn’t have the resources like the support my mom gave me.”

She is already looking forward to her next season. For her and her team to be successful and play in the NCAA Tournament, she knows that the work needs to start now, and there’s no doubt that she’ll continue to build up her team in any way she can.

“That’s probably been the biggest growth in the department, she wants to contribute to the success of the team, not just be on the team,” Phillips said. “This year, we really saw that. She wanted to be a part of our ability to win, not just be a part of the camaraderie.”

SPORTS

November 14, 2019

Page 9

“Unbelievable” Craig Pantano backstops NU to success Fifth-year transfer goalie stands out in first year as a Husky

By Petrina Danardatu News Staff Craig Pantano has been playing hockey for as long as he can remember; to him, it’s basically second nature.

Pantano is the goalie for the Northeastern men’s hockey team and is beginning to gain attention through his strong starting statistics. In October, he had a 1.32 goals against average, among the lowest in the nation for the month.

With such impressive success in his hockey career, Pantano is even more impressive for being as humble as he is talented. Huskies’ captain and senior defenseman Ryan Shea noted his appreciation for Pantano’s contribution to the team’s early success.

“He’s been unbelievable,” Shea

said. “There’s definitely games throughout this first ten that we could have lost if we didn’t have him in the net.”

Through the first 10 games of the season, Pantano averaged 24.5 saves per game. So far, his season high for saves in a game is 37, when he allowed just one goal on 38 shots against Merrimack College, the college he transferred from.

“Playing Merrimack was a little bit weird,” said Pantano. “But I was there for four years, so my time there was pretty much done. And it was also really fun, a lot of memories came rushing back.”

Pantano’s decision to come to Northeastern was easy for him, and the transition into the school was made smooth by the friendliness of his teammates, good communication and understanding from his professors.

“When I went on the [NCAA transfer] portal, it was easy,” Pantano said. “I always wanted to go here when I was a kid. If you’re from

Mass. you always want to go to a Boston school, so I didn’t have to think about it too hard.”

His family, particularly his father and two brothers, helped to encourage him with their passion for the game. Pantano’s older brother was a goalie, which inspired him to pursue the position later on down the road.

Pantano made the decision to take two years, between high school and college, to play for junior hockey teams, acting as the netminder for the South Shore Kings and the Boston Advantage. He described these two years to be very beneficial for him because it allowed him to grow physically, but also as a player and as a person, which made him feel much more prepared for the next stage in his life.

Being a first-year Husky while also being among the oldest members on team, the 24-year-old Pantano finds himself having mixed experiences.

As a newbie to the team, he is getting to know his teammates on and off the ice, but he’s also able to share

season for the Merrimack team overall last year. He posted a save percentage of .889 with Merrimack, and this season it’s up to a sparkling .932 through 10 starts (he played the entire game in all but one of those).

During October, Pantano ranked second in the NCAA in goals against average, allowing just 1.32 scores per 60 minutes.

Not only does this allow the fifth-year a chance to end his college career on a high note, but it gives Northeastern a desperately needed influx of goalie talent after their star netminder Cayden Primeau left for the pros last spring.

Pantano-to-NU has been a

perfect match through five weeks.

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics Pantano stands poised in the crease to turn away UMass shots. some of his experienced perspectives on the game.

“He’s an older guy, he has a lot of experience, he keeps everything loose,” Shea said. “He’s a funny kid. I just think it’s exactly what we needed when we bring in 11 freshman.”

Though relatively new to the Husky team, Pantano has been received with open arms by his teammates and is excelling in his performance

on the ice, contributing greatly to the team’s strong start.

“We’ve been finding a way to win, which is great, and we’re building on our identity, and the things we want to do for every game,” Pantano said. “That kind of stuff builds up, so hopefully we’ll continue to have success.”

Mike Puzzanghera contributed to this story.

DeMelis and Riley Hughes, and defenders Jeremie Bucheler and Mike Kesselring.

The forwards have not been liabilities by any means, but head coach Jim Madigan must still be waiting for some increased production from that group. The trio has put forth just six points so far. Such a slow start is perfectly normal for the beginning of a college career, but sometime before the Beanpot rolls around, these guys will have to contribute a bit more to the offense for Northeastern to realize its ambitions.

(Note: Another freshman forward, Aidan McDonough, has played all 7 games since returning from an injury. He has two goals and an assist himself.)

.149 The NU power play is running at a sluggish .149. It’s trending up a bit, which says a lot about how it started the season. Three goals in, its first three attempts on Saturday against Merrimack boosted its numbers.

With NU not exactly an offensive powerhouse in five-on-five, this unit will have to get over 20 percent. The potential is there, with the supremely-skilled sophomore Tyler Madden at center (see his power-play marker Saturday) and a good offensive defense corps.

Men’s hockey’s early slate: By the Numbers

By Charlie Wolfson News Staff Northeastern men’s hockey’s start to the season has been anything but conclusive. With its extremely tough early schedule, it wasn’t expected to be a dominant month, but ties to Merrimack and Holy Cross were dismaying. That said, a road sweep of Union, a road split with St. Cloud State and a win over UMass Amherst were impressive. There’s a lot of good and bad to digest. Here are four numbers that shed some light on how the Huskies’ first 10 games have gone. .932 With a largely returning offense and a much-improved defense, the big question mark for the Huskies was goaltending. Much has changed since September. What was the biggest unknown may now be the biggest certainty. Craig Pantano transferred from Merrimack to play his final year of eligibility, and that decision is looking very good for both the goalie and his new program.

Pantano’s numbers have shot up from his sub-par stats during a horrid

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

5 Five freshmen have played all 10 games for the Huskies so far this season. Forwards TJ Walsh, Matt

51 NU has taken 51 penalties, averaging 5.1 per game. Amazingly, the penalty kill has been about 93 percent effective thus far. This is impressive, and the team deserves credit for it, but that high mark will simply not stay that way for an entire season.

It will most likely come down, and Northeastern’s might not be able to sustain that difference with their current offensive output. The solution to this would be to take fewer penalties. 5.1 per game is a lot.

OPINION

Page 10

November 14, 2019

Op-ed: Time to cancel call-out culture Former U.S. President Barack Obama gained bipartisan support for his comments criticizing the use of social media to publicly shame those deemed guilty of problematic behavior at the Obama Foundation Summit.

He said of cancel culture: “That’s not bringing about change. If all you’re doing is casting stones, you’re probably not going to get that far.”

His comments received praise from both sides of the aisle, from Democratic presidential candidates Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard to Fox News personality Ann Coulter and comedians John Cleese and Billy Eichner.

It has become commonplace for people to be outed on social media for their unsavory behavior. Recently, there was an attempt to cancel Lizzo after her song “Good as Hell” recharted and Billboard did not credit her recent collaboration on the song with Ariana Grande. Grande’s fans thought this was an intentional slight

by Lizzo and started the #LizzoIsOverParty. This summer, would-be Saturday Night Live cast member Shane Gillis lost that gig after a video surfaced of him using racial slurs against Asian people. A year ago, Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting the Oscars after homophobic tweets from a decade ago resurfaced and caused online fury.

Obviously, people need to be held accountable for their actions, but Obama had a point in his cautionary words against using online criticism to make points and shame people for minor mistakes.

As Obama said, this issue is particularly salient “among young people, particularly on college campuses.”

Though critics of Obama’s comments responded by saying he simply does not understand because of his age, some college students are alarmed by aspects of call-out culture as well. In

an Atlantic article from 2017, Conor Friedersdorf compiled reflections on cancel culture from undergraduate college students. These students were fine with backlash against “serious transgressions” (for example, the use of slurs), but felt cancel culture could go too far in punishing people for more minor things. Students discussed instances from their schools that made them afraid of unknowingly violating social norms and “becoming objects of stigma” to be piled onto online. For example, inappropriately themed parties and Halloween costumes could be deemed racially insensitive. A student at a women’s college brought up how her biologically-based views on feminism clashed with queer theory and other perspectives more supportive of transgender students.

She feared being socially excluded if she tried to discuss these views with other students.

People get canceled and called out for a number of things. Certainly people should be called out for using slurs or even for wearing racially-insensitive costumes. But the resultant pile-on from people online blows everything out of proportion and makes the punishment much worse than the actual transgression. Making a mistake and being corrected for it is one thing. Being deemed tainted, evil or unredeemable for that mistake, and having your social life and career ruined as a result, is going too far. It is almost as if there is an expectation for people to be born perfect and never grow and learn.

Additionally, the anecdote from the student at a women’s college presents another problem: cancel culture’s abandonment of the process of discourse. Refusing to listen to those you disagree with by punishing them and isolating them for voicing their opinions means there is no discussion, no changed minds and

“Wait, let me guess. You’re a computer science major, right?” a fellow first-year asked me during orientation week. When I told him I was an international affairs major, I was greeted with a look of surprise and a subtle eyebrow raise.

On the one hand, I’m not surprised by the first reaction. This was only one of many similar reactions I have received when I tell people my major. A sleek black-haired, glasses-wearing Asian male is not exactly the archetype of a humanities major.

On the other hand, I can’t help but feel the latter reaction was an instant judgment, consciously or not, of me as a person.

These judgments are rarely positive. For example, my conservative Asian extended family members sent me subliminal messages through questions like “What can you really do with an international affairs major?” or “You don’t like math or science?” All of these reactions and comments were prompted only by my admission that I was majoring in international affairs: a non-STEM, predominantly female field of study.

To me, these experiences represent

a bigger problem with how people perceive college majors. In most cultures, but especially in Asian families, STEM majors are highly revered, while humanities majors are seen as less desirable and prestigious.

Obviously, this is not a new concept. Any college student could testify that there are distinctly different stereotypes associated with STEM and humanities students. But it seems to me as though majors themselves are gendered – that different fields of study have taken on traditionally ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ qualities.

This perception can impact the academic choices of teenagers and young adults, as some might feel pressured to “identify with their own gender group,” as one researcher put it. Men and women who go against these gendered norms open themselves up to scrutiny, which can make them question their own academic choices. Researchers from Georgetown University have argued that this is a significant factor as to why women leave STEM, not because of low grades or loss of interest as some might believe.

This scrutiny can come from all directions. My extended family’s judgment of my decision to pursue a

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Image by Mike Brice from Pixabay Former U.S. President Barack Obama recently made comments criticizing cancel culture at the two day Obama Foundation Summit Oct. 29-30. no real action. You must be willing to acknowledge other people’s views if you want to show them how they’re wrong or reach a compromise.

People have come forward criticizing Obama’s comments. Ernest Owens wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times claiming that the former president’s criticism of cancel culture betrays his preference for niceties over justice. He compared hashtags like #MeToo and #MuteRKelly to protest movements and rightfully points out that use of social media to call out powerful people promoting bigotry is a good thing.

Holding people accountable is good, as is having a voice and addressing problems. What Owens misses is that the tendency for younger people to attack online is not solely targeted towards people when it is deserved and that it is not necessarily an effective means of change.

Taking a scorched earth approach and demonizing everyone who has done anything you deem “wrong” (whether it be an actual crime, an offensive joke or the result of ignorance) is not how you make the world a better place. Life isn’t binary

and expelling those you disagree with rather than communicating with them will do nothing but alienate people who might have otherwise joined your side. Outing people who committed actual crimes and showing the world that these people can’t get away with their behavior is not the same as publicly shaming comedians or other public figures for decades-old tasteless jokes. Cancel culture can do great things. It can punish people who deserve to be punished and bring important issues to light. It can also unduly reprimand people and allow people to feel righteous about being “judgmental,” as Obama put it.

Owens concluded that social media is a democratizing tool that we should continue using. This is true, but we must recognize when it is important to use. Attacking injustice is always admirable. Being unable to coexist with people different from you is something else entirely.

Emma Plante is a second year journalism and political science combined major.

Column: Academic stereotypes harm gender equality

By Poon Singhatiraj News Correspondent

The Huntington News

non-STEM major is representative of a bigger problem; research suggests parents are less inclined to support both their sons’ pursuit of a degree in the humanities and their daughters’ pursuit of a degree in STEM. Scrutiny can also come from educators themselves. My female friend from high school told me stories of how she always felt pressure from her physics teacher to prove she belonged in her high school physics class. With her and the one other girl in the class being called on to answer questions more frequently than their male counterparts, she felt singled out because of her gender.

All of these factors compound together to produce unequal gender participation in both STEM and humanities majors, which has cascading effects. Lower female involvement in STEM fields decreases their economic opportunities and mobility in an era where STEM workers are in greater demand and are paid higher wages. Those pursuing humanities majors can be subject to unfair judgments of their intelligence, even if research has repeatedly shown that the humanities are essential to society.

Scrutiny in the form of subtle

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Photo by Julian Perez comments and actions can discourage people from choosing majors considered atypical for their gender identity. To combat this, in our capacity as college students, we must question personal underlying stereotypes of what the ‘typical student’ for a certain major may look like. Furthermore, we must remind ourselves to not make and act upon subconscious snap judgments based on assumptions. If we want to work toward achieving gender parity in education, we have to start with ourselves.

Opinions expressed in The Huntington News through letters to the editor, cartoons and columns are not necessarily those of The News staff or its board of directors.

Northeastern University students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication.

For inquiries about the Board of Directors, email the outreach coordinator. For general inquiries, email the managing editor.

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LIFESTYLE

November 14, 2019

Page 11

Looking for love on NU Crushes

By Savannah Miller News Correspondent Wherefore art thou girl on the ISEC bridge? You can find out by joining the Facebook group NU Crushes, a blossoming hub for students to anonymously share which strangers or friends they’re crushing on.

The group was created April 30, 2018 and has recently gained a lot of attention, with more than 6,600 members and over 500 posts made in the last 30 days. There are a variety of posts, from wholesome moments with friends, to secret admirers admitting a crush on a classmate to appreciation posts about a person seen around campus. Scrolling through the group, you might catch someone calling out your name and complimenting or describing you by the outfit you wore last night in Curry — and an anonymous love story is born.

The creator and administrator of the group, Kris Brethower, is a fifthyear computer science and linguistics combined major. He said his initial purpose for creating the group was to help people find missed connections or to confess feelings that they might not feel comfortable expressing to someone in person.

“I wasn’t really thinking about how big or not the group would get when I originally created it,” he said. “To be honest I’m not surprised that it’s gained a lot of traction since people have a desire to share their feelings anonymously — think about Whisper or YikYak.” Some posts refer to the crush by name and mention a defining feature, receiving comments tagging the subject of the post. Others are more playful, such as “I have a crush on anybody who takes their laundry out of the dryer in a timely fashion.”

The confessions are usually well received by their objects of admira-

tion, even if romance isn’t achieved.

Jacob Barrett, a second-year business administration and communication studies combined major, was the subject of an anonymous post identifying him by name as well as the possible subject of multiple posts about various people named Jacob.

“The first impression that I had was that it was fun,” Barrett said. “It’s like a puzzle that’s being put together, with all these people leaving hints for one another and it’s all kind of coming together in these really, really funny ways.”

However, Barrett finds it unlikely that an actual date would transpire.

“It’d have to be a really special person, because it’s hard to gauge someone’s personality based solely on the impression they leave on you in an anonymous group,” he said. “If I get a post on that group, it’s more so I’m entertained by the fact that I got a mention on it.”

Jeremy Lalicon, a first-year mechanical engineering major who has visited the group’s page, expressed a similar sentiment.

“If someone were to post about me I’d feel honored, honestly. I’d feel subconsciously better,” Lalicon said.

“You could probably find a date, but it’s probably mostly just to have fun.”

Other students are less enthusiastic about the idea of a group meant for anonymous posting.

“It seems a little bit invasive,” said Faith Occhipinti, a first-year computer science major. “If you get to be anonymous but your crush does not get to be anonymous, that’s you putting them on display for the rest of the world.”

She also wasn’t convinced of how effectively the group connected a crush or missed connection.

“Saying it online, especially if it’s anonymous, it isn’t going to get you anywhere,” she said.

With dozens of daily submissions, some posts are bound to incite a

negative reaction.

“Sometimes something gets posted that I didn’t realize would upset someone,” Brethower said. “More often it’s because someone submits something that looks legitimate but is really an inside joke roasting one of their friends or bullying someone they don’t know. There’s no way to know beforehand because they look the same as all other posts.”

Brethower manages the influx of posts to the thriving group by reviewing all confessions before posting them and taking down any that receive complaints.

“Not all submissions are posted, but the vast majority of them are,” he said.

Lalicon said he approves of the admin’s treatment of the posts.

“This is people’s personal feelings and involves people anonymously listing people as well as different qualities about that person on the group, so I feel it should be moderated in some sense,” he said.

On the other hand, Barrett said the delay in posts causes confusion.

“There’s been a lot of confusion going back and forth because the main flaw with the group is there’s a delay on when you submit a post,” he said. “I submitted a post two days ago asking for clarity, and it’s still yet to be posted.”

He said it’s hard to follow a thread of posts when some might be posted days after being submitted, so it’s difficult to discern what they refer to.

Despite some drawbacks, NU Crushes has attracted thousands of students to share experiences and connect with one another.

“I love the interaction between people and I feel like it’s a great online community,” Barrett said. “I’m really excited to see where it goes in the future because it’s really fun to check my phone at the end of the day and see what kind of stuff has been put on there.”

Breaking down the bucket hat

By Ananya Sankar News Staff

They might seem like quirky, oddly-shaped hats, but the bucket harbors a secret — and it’s ready to spill. From Irish fishermen to war veterans and LL Cool J, bucket hats have followed a strange trajectory in their rise to prominence.

As far back as the early 1900s, bucket hats were used primarily for practical purposes by Irish farmers and fishermen seeking cover from the rain. They were made of wool or tweed and held together by a few simple stitches, representing the most that a poor group of working-class men could afford.

But come wartime during the mid 20th century, military-issued bucket hats could be found everywhere on the battlefield. According to CR Fashion Book, the hat’s olive cotton fabric was often covered in camouflage print, which allowed soldiers to blend into their rural surroundings.

It quickly became a symbolic representation of the American soldier, cemented in history as the uniform of the Cold War era.

So how’d we get from fisherman to high fashion? With ’80s hip-hop.

Eric Arnold, a hip-hop historian, told The Guardian that bucket hats became “a way to identify yourself as a cultural practitioner or devotee

of hip-hop.” They were the emblem of a counter-cultural movement providing a softer image to the world of rap and redefining what black fashion meant. While LL Cool J and Run-DMC set off the trend, musical sensations such as A$AP Ferg, Anderson .Paak and Tyler, the Creator have been spotted flaunting the look.

The hip-hop scene even transformed the hat into a unisex emblem, with icons such as Lauryn Hill and later Rihanna rocking the bucket.

And the best part? The bucket hat’s particularly diverse history has allowed it to garner a special duality that can satisfy almost any style.

“The people I know who wear them do so very effortlessly,” said second-year business administration major Riya Alluri. “The whole vibe of the bucket hat is trying to be cool without trying hard at all.”

CR Fashion Book writes that “depending how you rock your bucket, it can communicate casual cool (fishing-lure floppy) or untouchable excess (Gucci bucket glam).” Whether it be denim, silk, sherpa, tweed, plaid, felt, fluorescent, translucent, neon or embroidered, the possibilities are endless.

But for consumers, the amount of money they can spend on these hats isn’t so endless. In fact, as the trend has increased in popularity and high-fashion brands have picked it

up, prices have skyrocketed. What was once a handmade item for the working class and minority communities now boasts a $340 price tag simply because it has a Prada logo.

In a disappointing turn of events, the communities who initially popularized the look are no longer able to afford and access the hats as easily.

Some consumers have also noted that the prices don’t seem to match the product’s utility.

“If it’s for utility it’s probably better, with all around coverage for your neck and face. That protects you,” said first-year biology major Rachel Li. “But if it’s an accessory, I don’t really see the point right now.”

For her tight college budget, the trend just isn’t worth the hype from Li’s point of view. But others see the benefit of buying the accessory for cheap.

“I would definitely buy it from a thrift store, because that’s the type of vibe that it comes with — very thrifted, vintage clothing,” said second-year physical therapy major Anmol Patel.

But whether or not the price is worth the hype, bucket hats are bouncing back into the fashion scene, this time as a staple on the runway. From fishermen to Fendi, the accessory brings with it a bucket full of history and a unique way to boost your style.

Calendar compiled by Morgan Lloyd | Graphics by Devin Raynor

Thursday, Nov. 14 Green Line records presents a jam session with three of Northeastern’s finest bands, including garage rock group Traffic Circle and Heartbreaker, “what happens when pop gets a little poisonous. 7 p.m.; AfterHours; free

Thursday, Nov. 14 NU Theatre presents the classic tale of the proletariat rising up for the privilege to pee in their production of the Tony-Award winning musical “Urinetown.” 7:30 p.m.; Studio Theatre in Curry Student Center; $10.

Thursday, Nov. 14 The Italian Film Festival at Northeastern concludes with “La macchinazione,” or “The Ploy,” a movie about the murder of noted Italian poet and filmmaker Pier Paolo Pasolini. 7 p.m.; 236 Richards; free.

Friday, Nov. 15 Join Northeastern University’s premier and only satire magazine Times New Roman at AfterHours for a night sure to be filled with hilarity and amusement from a variety of student performers. 7 p.m.; AfterHours, free.

Friday, Nov. 15 Dress like it’s the 20s while learning about Vietnamese cultures while fundraising for the Dreams Scholarship, a college scholarship for high school seniors of Vietnamese descent. 6:00 p.m.; Curry Ballroom; free.

Saturday, Nov. 16 NU Stage presents a winning assortment of musical theatre performances from everyone’s favorite musicals based on the theory of “the vast variations of life experiences” for their Fall Revue.

7:30, Blackman Auditorium, free.

Sunday, Nov. 17 Alpha Epsilon Phi Sorority and Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity host their annual charity date auction, raising funds for charity by auctioning off fun date nights for you and your special someone. 7 p.m.; Curry Ballroom; $13

Tuesday, Nov. 19 CUP present a hilarious night of stand-up comedy from Trevor Wallace, a comedian who got his start in Vine known for poking fun at features of modern college life such as AirPods and White Claw. 7 p.m.; Blackman Auditorium; free

Wednesday, Nov. 20 Learn how to make Pâte à Choux, a delicious light French pastry with many usages in French cuisine, from Diane Saraceni, a Northeastern employee currently opening a chocolate business. 12 p.m.; Xhibition Kitchen, free

Page 12

LIFESTYLE

November 14, 2019

Photo by Nia Beckett The Forever 21 on Newbury Street features signage revealing that the location is closing, a result of the company filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September.

Forever 21 fails to adapt to increasingly conscious Gen Z consumption

By Nia Beckett News Correspondent

Photo by Nia Beckett Shoppers pick through sales bins at the Forever 21 on Newbury Street Oct. 26 in search of cheap finds before the store officially closes.

Photo by Nia Beckett Bright yellow barriers keep customers out of the permanently closed basement level of the Forever 21 on Newbury Street, one of the 200 locations of the company that will soon close.

Generation Z, or Gen Z, once flocked to Forever 21’s revolving collection of trendy clothing that hung haphazardly from its cluttered racks. Now, the location on Newbury Street, plastered in bright “store closing” posters, is in its final days.

The once-popular fast fashion retailer, which targets a young adult audience, announced in late September that it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. As a result, it will close 200 stores, including the Newbury Street location, which has yet to set a closing date.

Forever 21 isn’t the only prominent retailer in trouble. In what is being called the “retail apocalypse,” businesses across several industries, including fashion brands such as Topshop, Payless and Charlotte Russe, have shuttered stores or filed for bankruptcy over the past couple years. The decline of these fashion giants marks a shift in the industry and the behavior of its customer base.

Forever 21 is a fast fashion brand, meaning it quickly and cheaply produces clothing to keep a constant flow of what is “in style” on its shelves. But younger consumers, who comprise the company’s target market, increasingly align their social and environmental beliefs with their shopping habits, according to the State of Fashion 2019 report. So as consumers become more aware of the devastating effects of fast fashion on the environment and

garment workers, they are less loyal to brands.

Daniele Mathras, an associate teaching professor of marketing at Northeastern, indicated that young adults are getting more involved with trends like the capsule wardrobe, a collection of essential garments that can be worn for multiple occasions. Another rising trend is author and organizing consultant Marie Kondo’s innovative method of minimizing, which involves only holding onto pieces that “bring you joy.” People are less interested in the trendy, easily-disposable garments Forever 21 specializes in and are more drawn to pieces that support their identity, Mathras said.

“So much of what we do is to create this personal brand,” Mathras said. “I don’t think Forever 21 was resonating with their target market anymore.”

Fifth-year nursing major Sarah Chung, who shops online for the basic garments she used to purchase at Forever 21, echoed this sentiment.

“Now they have the weird logos, and they’re trying a little too hard to try to appeal to the masses,” she said.

One value Gen Z shares is sustainability, which is only expected to grow with the expansion of initiatives that bring awareness about poor practices in the fashion industry.

Northeastern’s Fashion and Retail Society facilitates discussions and activities related to every part of the fashion industry. The club “made it a big part of our mission to educate people” on the fast fashion issue,

said president Aneri Shah.

Fashion and Retail Society has held sustainability panels in the past, but this year’s was more indepth, Shah said. It broke down the effects of fast fashion, the benefits of ethical sourcing and how to upcycle.

“People aren’t going to completely stop, but I think a lot of people have thought about it more and have started buying a lot less from these [fast fashion] stores,” Shah said.

Fashion Revolution — a global not-for-profit movement that demands increased sustainability, ethics and transparency in the fashion industry — is also working toward similar goals. Kathleen Grevers, a graduate student at NU and director of U.S. education and global programming for the organization, works to bring awareness to high school students. Through her research, she found that the cultural mindset needs to shift to conscious consumption.

“If somebody pays what a piece of garment is actually worth, and they take pride in the ownership of that piece, that piece will last a long time,” Grevers said.

Jonty Harrison, marketing director of Fashion and Retail Society, adheres to this mentality. While he doesn’t claim to make shopping decisions based on sustainability, Harrison is mindful of the garments he buys and extends the lifespan of his clothes by wearing them until they appear worn out.

“When I buy a piece, it has to be one I really like,” Harrison said.