The Huntington News
November 15, 2024
Californiabannedlegacyadmissions NU
says state law does not apply
By Lily Cooper | News Staff
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill Sept. 30 prohibiting private institutions from giving preference toward legacy and donor students in the admissions process. The ruling aims to make college admissions a fairer playing field and combat the June 2023 Supreme Court decision to end affirmative action, which ruled that colleges can no longer consider an applicant’s race when admitting students.
“The California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few, which is why we’re opening the door to higher education wide enough for everyone, fairly,” Newsom said in a statement Sept. 30. The law will take effect September 2025.
Just over two years ago, this ruling would’ve had no effect on Northeastern, a university based 3,000 miles away in Boston. But as of 2024, Northeastern has opened two campuses in California — one in Oakland in 2022 and another in Silicon Valley in 2023.
But despite the new state law, Northeastern told The News it will continue
to Oakland campus
to consider legacy admissions for students admitted to the Oakland and Silicon Valley campuses.
“Although Northeastern operates
two campuses in California, because the university is legally incorporated in Massachusetts, it is our understanding that the new California law does not
Students concerned about lack of allergy-free dining options
By Antaine Anhalt News Correspondent
Northeastern Dining says it offers a “wide assortment” of healthy and sustainable meal options, including accommodations for those with vegan, vegetarian, halal and kosher diets and foods free from the top nine allergens. But many students say a lack of assurance of allergen-free options has caused them to question the safety of the dining halls.
Many of Northeastern’s documents
outlining allergen information in dining halls have disclaimers that the school cannot guarantee safety for those with dietary restrictions, The News found. For example, the Northeastern Navigating Food Allergies and Special Diets on Campus guide says “Northeastern Dining uses manufacturer-provided ingredient information, and we do not confirm the presence or lack of an allergen.”
While it’s possible to get housing accommodations for a kitchen due to an allergy through Disability Access
Services, or DAS, not all allergies qualify for this accommodation.
The Dietary Disability Disclosure form from DAS says “A diagnosis of a food allergy alone does not qualify a student for accommodations under the [Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act].”
For students with severe food allergies and dietary restrictions, finding safe food in the dining halls can be a trying task — and an isolating one.
ACCOMMODATIONS, on Page 2
apply to Northeastern,” Vice President for Communications Renata Nyul said in an email statement to The News in October. “The university may consider
an applicant’s affiliations with Northeastern as part of a holistic review of each applicant for admission.”
BILL, on Page 3
MBTA unveils new Green Line train
By Asher Ben-Dashan News Correspondent
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, or MBTA, displayed a mock-up of the new Green Line Type 10 train Oct. 29 and 30 at Boston City Hall Plaza, unveiling the future look of MBTA trains and attracting frequent riders, curious passersby and public transportation enthusiasts.
“I think we’re really curious of what the future of the MBTA is,” said Marina Markot, 66, a former Northeastern employee and Jamaica Plain resident. “I read the news about it all the time to stay on top of it because I really want it to succeed.”
A prototype of the Type 10 was exhibited in a large tent at the center of the plaza. The train doors were open with wheelchair-accessible ramps set up, allowing attendees to pass through, sit down and scrutinize. MBTA engineers and workers were positioned around the plaza to talk about the features of the model, answer questions and
collect feedback from visitors.
“It’s nice to see Boston adopting something that I’ve been seeing worldwide in my travels, something that looks modern,” said self-proclaimed train nerd Scott Aldorg, 54, a Dorchester resident.
The Type 10 was designed by Spanish public transportation manufacturer Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, resembling trains the company designed in European cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Helsinki and Athens. The MBTA ordered the trains in 2022, and the prototype is expected to enter service at the earliest in winter 2027.
Signs around the tent also outlined the new features of the prototype along with a QR code linking to a survey for attendees to give feedback.
The main feature of the Type 10 is a flat floor design, increasing the accessibility of the vehicle. There are currently no Green Line trains that have a completely flat floor due to the necessary placement of the train’s wheels and engines.
LOCOMOTIVE, on Page 3
Results and reactions to the 2024 election
Read about the MA ballot questions and students’ thoughts on this year’s election.
SPORTS
Vinny Borgesi leads Huskies’ redemption
Read about Borgesi’s impact on Northeastern Hockey.
Solve The News’ crossword Answers will be revealed in the next print issue.
8 Graphic by Sofia Sawchuk
PAGE 9
Graphic by Emma Liu
by Emma Liu
The exterior of Reinhardt Hall on Northeastern’s Oakland campus. Northeastern told The News it will continue to consider legacy admissions for students admitted to its Oakland and Silicon Valley campuses despite a new California bill that banned legacy admissions.
Photo courtesy Lauren Matthews
The entrance to International Village’s dining hall. Many students with food allergies and dietary restrictions described having trouble finding safe food in the university’s dining halls.
Photo by Darin Zullo
CAMPUS
Students with allergies say dining hall options are limited
ACCOMMODATIONS, from front
“As a freshman, I didn’t know anyone else who had … food allergies and dietary restrictions for an intolerance or anything, like a severe one. I felt really isolated, even though I had friends,” said Marina Sperbeck, a fourth-year cell and molecular biology major and the president and founder of the Northeastern University Food Allergy Awareness Club. “My trouble with finding something safe to eat in the dining hall … I felt alone in that aspect. That’s what inspired me to create the Allergy Awareness Club.”
For students who need accommodations, the entire process can take months. Second-year biology major Charlotte Walborsky, who has anaphylactic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts, as well as non-anaphylactic dairy and egg allergies, first had to reach out to DAS with documentation from her allergist to begin the process of getting an accommodation for housing with a kitchen. She then spoke to the campus dietitian and waited for DAS to assess her case. Walborsky applied for an accommodation the second semester of her first year and was granted the accommodation for the next year.
Students are instructed by the allergy guide to check the ingredients for items they wish to consume on the menu. However, not all the items are labeled
properly or well, said Evie Pazan, a first-year psychology major with dietary restrictions including dairy, certain meat products, nuts and sesame.
“It’s really frustrating because half of the time things have all their ingredients listed and half the time they don’t,” Pazan said.
The food allergy guide also warns that ingredients listed may be “subject to change without notification,” which means that an item that was previously safe to eat could turn unsafe without letting students know.
“In the beginning [of the year], I felt safe [in the dining halls],” Sperbeck said, who has life-threatening peanut, tree nut, milk and egg allergies. “But then after experiences where I found out [the dining hall] could change the menu items and not tell you, then I was like, ‘I really don’t think I feel safe at any station besides the allergy-free one.’”
The only fully dedicated allergy-free preparation station is Delicious Without, located in International Village’s, or IV’s, United Table, which has a separated serving and preparation station. The station is dedicated to foods without the top nine allergens: egg, milk, wheat, shellfish, fish, soy, sesame, peanut and tree nut products and gluten.
Pure Eats in The Eatery at Stetson East is a separate serving station of allergy-free foods, but there is no
dedicated preparation station for food served there. “Please be mindful that all menu items served in this station are prepared and cooked using designated utensils and small wares in a shared kitchen,” reads the DAS Dietary Disability Disclosure Form. While these measures may help minimize the risk of cross-contamination, a shared kitchen still poses risks.
Delicious Without and Pure Eats also do not offer breakfast options.
“Some days I’d be in class the whole time during [Delicious Without’s] lunch portion,” Sperbeck said, recalling her first year at Northeastern. “I couldn’t get lunch, because they don’t serve breakfast either. … So that was hard for me.”
The caveat that “menus are subject to change” can cause issues when trying to find something to eat. Students say that even when they look at the menu beforehand, there is no guarantee it will be what is being served at that dining station.
“I think the most frustrating thing is just walking up to a station with a plan of like, ‘OK, these are the three things I can eat tonight,’ and walking up and it being something different,” Pazan said.
The prices of meal plans range from $2,700 for 100 meal swipes and $200 in dining dollars for the semester up to $4,300 for unlimited meal swipes and $400 in dining dollars. Dining plans
were revamped starting fall 2024, eliminating most meal exchanges in favor of adding dining dollars.
In response to questions about students’ concerns, Northeastern’s media relations team directed The News to a November 2023 article published by university-run media outlet Northeastern Global News. The article says students with concerns or seeking accommodations for allergies should contact Northeastern Dining’s registered dietitian, Gabrielle Cabacab.
For students with food restrictions who say they’re not getting the full range of options for the same price, dining hall meals aren’t always sustainable.
“First of all, I’m not getting proper nutrition,” said Lucy Shepherd, a thirdyear English major who had to quit her vegan diet after her first semester at Northeastern due to the limited food options. “But second of all, I’m paying for all this food. So I’m just gonna leave [veganism] behind until I have my own kitchen.”
“Avoiding Gluten” designates products that “do not include fresh or manufactured food containing gluten.” However, legally, the dining halls cannot claim anything as “gluten-free” per the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. The FDA requires a food item to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, which the dining halls cannot
guarantee due to the possibility of cross-contamination.
Northeastern’s Limited Peanut and Tree Nut policy dictates that peanuts and peanut oils are not added to baked goods or menu items, but students with peanut and tree nut allergies are advised to be cautious with bakery items. Some Impossible Beef items may contain pea proteins, which can trigger allergic reactions in people with peanut allergies, according to the policy.
For students who follow a kosher or halal diet, options can also be limited. For halal students, the Spice Bowl station in IV has a dedicated halal menu, and the halal dining guide outlines other safe foods. For kosher students, the Kosher Deli is available in IV. But both stations only offer lunch and dinner, and the Kosher Deli is only open Monday through Friday.
Students said that while allergy-free in the dining halls is possible, not everyone feels safe or comfortable with the levels of assurance provided by the university.
“It’s crazy just for the amount we pay,” Shepherd said. “I think that’s the worst part of it all. We don’t have enough options, but I’m paying thousands of dollars.”
Lucy Shepherd is a copy editor at The Huntington News.
SGA looks to improve communication, transparency with NU students
By Lily Webber Deputy Campus Editor
When Student Body President Matthew Coughlin and Executive Vice President Cassidy Donoghue decided to join the Northeastern Student Government Association and later run for leadership roles in its executive office, they had two things in mind: a love for the university, but also a desire to make change.
“I think it was kind of a combination for me of really liking Northeastern and having a lot of pride in our school … but with the other side of that being that I think that Northeastern can do a lot better, especially for how much we’re paying to be here,” said Donoghue, a third-year political science major. “I think that there’s a lot the school can be doing to improve the student experience, and I just want to be a part of a student organization that is working to help fix that.”
In an interview with The News, Coughlin, a fourth-year mechanical engineering major, agreed with Donoghue and cited three angles that motivated him to run for president, including planning more engaging events for the student body, improving club funding and enhancing students’ lives.
“Cassidy and I really ran on … trying to improve the club funding and club recognition process,” Coughlin said. “The third core part that led us to run for these positions is really a desire to be able to improve that student experience by working with administrators, in particular, by con-
necting students with [the] university better and really advocating for what students want and what students need in the college experience.”
Coughlin and Donoghue ran as an uncontested slate for the 2024-25 academic year. At the time, Coughlin was the current executive vice president, or EVP, and Donoghue was the speaker of the senate.
According to its website, the Northeastern Student Government, or SGA, works to “take on different projects and initiatives, write legislation and advocate to members of the University administration to improve student life, classroom programs and the overall Northeastern Boston campus undergraduate experience.”
The current slate and leadership emphasizes a desire to promote quality of these projects over quantity, Coughlin and Donoghue said.
“After 100 years, we’re starting to analyze what works, what are things that we can reliably do in one school year, or have at least a timeline for, that can really make a difference for students,” said Olivia Oestreicher, a fourth-year political science and communication studies combined major and the SGA vice president for external affairs.
Oestreicher listed the SGA’s accomplishments for the fall 2024 semester as developing the Paw Print Pursuit, a voter registration drive with Northeastern Votes, in collaboration with the Resident Student Association. The organization also hosted an elections debate in collaboration with the College Democrats
and Republicans and its first homecoming tailgate — a collaboration with NU Votes and the DogHouse, the official student section of the Northeastern Huskies.
Coughlin emphasized SGA’s involvement on the academic front when asked about tangible initiatives. Plans include updates to TRACE evaluation questions, the development of a syllabi database and the official establishment of the Wellness Days Pilot Program.
However, SGA has long been criticized for a lack of transparency in their operations. Students are often left wondering what exactly SGA does.
“The number one question I get when I tell Northeastern students I was student body president is: What does SGA actually do?” wrote former student body president Angelica Jorio in an op-ed for The News in April. “SGA doesn’t exactly do a good job in letting students know what it does.”
Moving forward, SGA leadership said it hopes to increase transparency in its actions and purpose.
“We are a student-based organization, and my job and my number one priority is to make sure that students know what we do and know that we are here for them,” Oestreicher said. “We’ve historically been failing at communicating what we do well enough to the student body.”
Recent initiatives to improve communication to the student body include a monthly newsletter, a redesign of the SGA website and ac-
tive social media posting, according to Oestreicher.
While short-term initiatives and events allow for student involvement, in an effort to increase transparency with students, Oestreicher and Coughlin said that long-term goals and plans require collaboration with Northeastern administration.
“We’re working with the university’s pace too, and it’s slow and sometimes frustrating, but also very necessary in order to make these programs the quality that they need to be,” Oestreicher said. “We can’t do it without administrative connections.”
Recently, SGA added a spreadsheet link on its Project Memos section of its website that allows students to track the progress of SGA initiatives.
In recent years, SGA undertook the initiative to restructure its internal government. Efforts included the introduction of new positions and committees, as well as a redirection of responsibilities among SGA personnel.
“About two years ago, we looked across the SGA leadership team and saw a challenge, and that was that our leadership structure had not been updated in about 20 years. In that 20 years, though, Northeastern had changed a lot,” Coughlin said. “SGA had a structure that was reflecting a Northeastern of the past, not a Northeastern of the present.”
Coughlin said the need to restructure came out of rapid developments of the university, which includes the addition of global campuses, student body population growth, the university shifting focus to research, the devel-
opment of research buildings and an increase in hiring of faculty and staff.
After Northeastern opened its Oakland campus in 2022, SGA created the Global Experience Committee, which “focuses on advocating for student voices within the university’s global network and works to address and improve the overall student experience across Northeastern’s undergraduate global programs.”
As the academic year progresses into its second semester, and the last semester of Coughlin and Donoghue’s term approaches, both SGA leaders hope to move forward and build a stronger organization.
“I’d like to look back, and I think we want to say that we accomplished kind of tangible, individual initiatives,” Coughlin said. “On top of that, I think we want to look back and say that SGA has continued to build this durable framework to set projects up for success, both now and in the future, so that this association can continue to be a strong advocate for an improved student experience.”
Donoghue hopes students will recognize SGA as an organization they belong to and can rely on.
“I want to make sure that I’ve set SGA up in a way that students can get involved and feel like they belong in SGA, because we are supposed to be the voice of all students, not just some students,” Donoghue said. “We want to have that reach, have all of those opinions, have all of that passion brought to our association, because that’s really what drives the actual work.”
CITY/CAMPUS
Transit Authority displays future train design, collects community feedback
Several attendees commented on the narrow amount of space in the walkways of the train car, caused by the engineering of the flat floor design.
“It’s interesting, but it’s much too narrow,” said Thaddeus Kochanski, 54, of Lexington, Mass. Kochanski, who is a public transportation enthusiast and electrical and computer engineer, explained why the trains appear to be so narrow.
“If you want to have a flat floor, you have to put the traction motors and all the electrical components somewhere,” Kochanski said.
The Type 10 will also feature live display screens that update as the train moves through different stops. These will help communicate if each station is accessible for people with disabilities as well as what the available connections are.
The excitement of transit enthusiasts of all ages in attendance was clear as curious eyes took in the dimensions of features like seat spacing, ceiling height, hand holds and accordion diaphragms.
“I’ve always been fascinated by trains and public transportation,” Scott Aldorg said. “Whenever there’s a new train, I get excited. It’s just not something that happens very often.”
Other features of the train include bridge plates at all doors to connect the gap between train and platform, wider doors to make boarding easier and new safety features including a collision avoidance system. The Type 10 is also 40 feet longer than past Green Line models.
The MBTA’s train system has long been a point of criticism from residents of Boston, especially the Green Line.
“It all feels very slow, but I don’t know that there’s a whole lot they can do about it,” Aldorg said. “The fact is that the tunnels are tight. It feels like it starts and stops a lot ... It’s an old system, so there’s not much they can do about that. Anything they can do to make it more comfortable would be great.”
The MBTA’s Green Line has long been chastised by riders for its slow zones and service disruptions, and locals were eager to offer input.
“This is a pretty vibrant city ... the denizens thereof pay attention to what’s going on in town and like to be aware and up to the minute,” said Brian Markot, 81, a Jamaica Plain resident. “There’s a piece of that here ... giving people a chance to comment on it. ... People that get involved, feel involved and it’s reciprocal.”
Mills at Northeastern to keep legacy admissions despite statewide ban
In the 2023-24 academic year, six out of California’s 71 private nonprofit colleges, including Northeastern University Oakland, admitted students with legacy or donor ties, according to the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.
“The fact that the wealthiest people in our country, who already have such a huge life advantage, get an even bigger advantage when they apply to elite private colleges just doesn’t make any sense and is completely unjustifiable,” said the bill’s author and California State Rep. Phil Ting in an interview with The News. “Higher education can have such a major impact in people’s life and career trajectories, especially the more selective the institutions are … It is surprising that they want to offer preferential treatment for the wealthiest people in our state.”
Valerie Johnson, who works as the legislative affairs manager for The Campaign for College Opportunity, an organization that co-sponsored the bill, said while Northeastern is legally allowed to continue considering legacy admissions, doing so “would be sidestepping the California law as it’s meant to be implemented.”
“It really undermines the intention of the legacy ban and
keeps unfair admission practices in place, shielding Northeastern from reforms that California legislators and leaders have established as the new norm in our state. … It dishonors the spirit of the legislation,” Johnson said in an interview with The News.
Ting said schools that do not receive any money from the state of California are technically exempt from a ban on legacy admissions, but warned Northeastern could run the risk of “potentially break[ing] the law.”
“If they want to continue to give preferential treatment to the richest people in the country … that is their prerogative,” Ting said. “But at some point, I would encourage the Attorney General to take legal action against them.”
California is only the fifth state to pass a legacy ban, joining Illinois, Colorado, Maryland and Virginia. In Massachusetts, Bill S.82 aims to achieve the same goal, but has stalled in the state senate.
Within a week of the Supreme Court banning affirmative action, the Boston firm Lawyers for Civil Rights filed a complaint against Harvard University’s use of legacy admissions with the United States Department of Education. They argued legacy admissions benefit primarily white students at the expense of their peers.
“[California is] one of only a few states in the nation to have been able to make this step towards a fairer process that levels the playing field for first generation students and students of color, who have been historically excluded from elite institutions like Northeastern,” Johnson said.
Northeastern has said that, beginning in fall 2024, it will annually award full tuition, room and board scholarships to up to 10 seniors graduating from high schools in the Oakland Unified School District and Pell Grant-eligible residents of Oakland, California. It will also waive the application fee for all students currently studying at Oakland Unified School District high schools. Ebony Clinton Brown, Northeastern’s dean of undergraduate admissions, told Northeastern Global News the initiative is an attempt to deepen “Northeastern’s commitment to expanding access, specifically for high-achieving and lower-income students.”
Following the end of affirmative action, Black enrollment for Northeastern’s Class of 2028 dropped by 35%, from 7.8% to 5.1%, in comparison to the Class of 2027. Johnson says legacy admissions also contribute to lower enrollment numbers for students of color since legacy students are primarily white.
“[Legacy] students are typically largely white, wealthy students, and so we have established a system that gives preferential treatment, essentially affirmative action, for rich and white people,” Johnson said.
On average, legacy students are slightly more qualified than standard applicants in terms of grades and extracurriculars, according to a Harvard University study. The research group found legacy students are 33% more likely to be admitted than non-legacy applicants with the same test scores, even when not taking their legacy ties into consideration. However, researchers said this is due to these students likely growing up in wealthier, more educated families and having access to private schools or expensive extracurriculars.
Over the past few years, Northeastern has grown exponentially, establishing a global presence as its acceptance rate drops year after year. However, Northeastern’s upgrades and expansions have come at a cost.
In 1964, Northeastern’s tuition was roughly $900 a year, or half the cost of Harvard’s tuition of $1,760 per year at the time. Today, Northeastern’s annual tuition is $65,000, more expensive than Harvard’s $56,500 yearly fees.
This has created a shift in the demographic of the Northeastern student body. Last year, data published by The New York Times showed that 52% of Northeastern students come from families where parents earn in the top 10% of national family incomes, or annual family incomes above $191,406.
“I grew up in a housing project, and I applied to Northeastern because of the co-op program. I figured that would pay the expense of tuition,” said Jerry Cronin, who graduated from Northeastern in 1966 and whose granddaughter, Sophia Allen, is now a third-year computer science major at the university. “I am not a believer in the legacy system at all. My feeling is, you earn it, and I think I was a lot better off because I had to earn it.”
Johnson said that though Northeastern’s legacy admits may differ from the traditional Ivy League stereotype, she still believes that the practice of legacy admissions is harmful.
“Whether Northeastern gets off on a technicality or not, I think it’s a disservice and a dishonor to their students to say that first-generation students don’t deserve the same privilege that a lot of their more wealthy and white peers receive,” she said.
BILL, from front
The new MBTA Green Line Type 10 train sits under a tent at the Boston City Hall Plaza. MBTA engineers and workers gave tours of the new design, showcasing its accessibility features.
Photos by Asher Ben-Dashan
LOCOMOTIVE, from front
LIFESTYLE
New MFA exhibit invites visitors to explore democracy through art
By Lily Cooper News Staff
As the 2024 election unfolded and political dialogue grew to a crescendo, the Museum of Fine Arts opened an apt new exhibit: “Power of the People: Art and Democracy.”
The collection of 180 works, which opened Oct. 26 and will be open through Feb. 16, 2025, “invites visitors to reflect on, discuss, create and participate in the democracy we share.”
The exhibit is eclectic and at times hard to follow, exploring the complex idea of democracy through three themes: the Promise, which delves into the idealization of democracy in society; the Practice, looking at democracy in action; and the Preservation, which examines how people can effectively use their voices to protect democracy.
“I think the curators were hoping this would begin a dialogue in a way that feels inviting, independent of political affiliation,” said visitor Carl
Williams. “At the end of the day, we can all still care about democracy.”
“Speaking to people who are less in the government and politics mindset about democracy makes me excited,” Williams said. Williams said he studied political science in college, “and I got to be in class with other politics nerds and talk about these things in a very esoteric, lingo-heavy way, but I don’t think that’s where democracy lives. It doesn’t live in books, it lives in practice.”
One example of this practice was
shown in a large area of the Preservation room devoted to posters created by students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in the aftermath of the 1970 Kent State Massacre, which claimed the lives of four unarmed Vietnam War protesters. The works feel particularly relevant now, after college campuses, Northeastern included, erupted in protest against the Israel-Hamas war earlier this year.
Works relating to protest led people to explore the ever-evolving nature of democracy and see how much, or how little, progress has been made. For visitor Daequan Roberts, the latter impression was given.
“I see a photo over there telling Black people to go vote for freedom,” Roberts said. “In this generation, nothing has changed. We still really need Black people to vote for freedom.”
June August, another visitor at “Power of the People,” also saw the present political climate reflected in the works of the exhibit, particularly in one image: Stanley Forman’s Pulitzer Prize winner, “The Soiling of Old Glory.” The historic photo, taken in 1976, depicts a white man attacking civil rights activist and current Northeastern professor Ted Landsmark with the American flag at City Hall Plaza in Boston.
“I looked at this, and it reminded me of Jan. 6, the way they were stabbing people with the flag,” August said. Williams also drew comparisons with the symbolism of the American flag in “The Soiling of Old Glory.”
“There’s a work over there that includes a swastika, and the image description explains that the swastika was not a symbol associated with hate until the Nazis co-opted it, much like how this flag was not a weapon until it was grasped by someone who wanted to use it as one,” Williams said.
The events of Jan. 6, 2021 surfaced again in the Promise area of the exhibition, in William Evertson’s 2021 work “Capitol Offense,” which tied together the events of Jan. 6 with the only other attack on the Capitol in American history: the burning of Washington by British troops in 1814. This piece and many others throughout the exhibit helped to weave together the history of democracy with the political landscape of 2024. Visitors are invited to reflect on the idea that the United States was built on the notion of freedom and ask themselves whether that is still the case today.
“This is such a timely exhibition,” August said. “In fact, I wish the museum had opened this a month before the election. Maybe if more people had a chance to see it, things would be different.”
In the Practice room, a tablet asked visitors to type the word that came to mind when they heard the word “democracy.” Responses were then displayed on the wall in a word cloud. The resounding winner was “freedom.” Across the room, a video showed Americans being asked “Do you think your vote matters?” Their answer was “yes.”
Review: Sean Baker, Mikey Madison bring chaotic calamity to ‘Anora’
By Ian Dartley News Correspondent
Sean Baker wants his audience to be locked into the present. There’s no need for a backstory, no requirement for extensive exposition and a refusal to “tell” — it’s all show. And that’s the crux of his newest film, “Anora.”
The eighth feature film from the New Jersey-born director, “Anora” is a love story about Ani, a 23-yearold Russian-speaking stripper from Brooklyn, and her runaway marriage with Ivan, the son of a powerful Russian oligarch. Their tale starts off like a Disney film — though far more X-rated than “Cinderella.” Their elopement is initially filled with sex and glamor, but reality strikes when Ivan’s controlling father gets word of their marriage.
What ensues after the dreamlike first act is a cavalcade of chaos as Ivan runs away after his father’s hired goons show up, hogtie and nearly kidnap Ani — all before she beats them up in Ivan’s penthouse. The film becomes far more akin to a Coen brothers rollercoaster than the stress and calamity of “Uncut Gems.”
“Anora” feels like another installment in the great showcase of Baker’s filmmaking ethos: punch-drunk portrayals of marginalized subcultures. “The Florida Project” is loud
and glum, its ending going from a tear-inducing window into the painful reality of the United States’ hidden homeless to a bittersweet bandage. “Tangerine” is a chaotic story about a transgender sex worker’s odyssey for revenge on her cheating pimp/boyfriend.
And so Baker has now turned his lens to a different, yet similar, corner of Americana.
“I like to see it as people who are chasing the American dream, but don’t have easy access to it,” Baker said in an interview with NPR. Ani, the daughter of a Russian migrant, lives in a small home in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach, known for its high population of Russian-speaking immigrants. She spends much of the film chasing after her new husband and clinging to the hope that she can rise out of the depths of poverty.
It’s certainly one way of fulfilling that dream against all odds, and as the story takes turn after turn, oftentimes dizzying in its repetition and vociferous with the shouting and slamming and shattering of everything in the title character’s way, her determination to cling to her marriage becomes increasingly questionable.
The same way Sin-Dee Rella from “Tangerine” would stop at nothing in her way to find her cheating ex and
Moonee from “The Florida Project” did whatever possible to block out reality, Ani refuses to let her life fall out of her control.
Mikey Madison, who began her career playing the moody teenager Max Fox on the comedy series “Better Things,” has been plodding through minor roles in films on the cusp of a major break. She landed a voice role in the 2019 animated retread of “The Addams Family.”
That same year, she played convicted murderer and Manson family member Susan Atkins in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.” But it was after Baker saw her striking role as Amber Freeman in the 2022 soft reboot of “Scream” that he knew she was the perfect choice for Ani.
“I was in the theatre next to my wife and producer [Samantha Quan], and I turned to her and I said, ‘We’re calling Mikey’s reps the minute we leave the theatre,’” Baker said in an interview with Variety.
In “Anora,” Madison emerged as a fully realized talent giving depth to the title character. In her eyes, the audience can find Ani’s cold feelings when hinting at her past, and her physicality in both her dancing and fighting is the type of rough-andtumble style one would find in the rougher corners of society.
There’s no sense of calm in “Anora.” Madison’s performance helps construct that tornado of emotions swirling around the main characters as they comb through the corners of New York City, but the side characters help bring levity to the tension.
Vache Tovmasyan and Yura Borisov’s Garnick and Igor, two henchmen hired by Ivan’s family, are injections of deadpan deliveries and slapstick physical jokes in the eye of the storm that “Anora” creates.
Suprisingly, this circus of genre-bending chaos comes together neatly. Through Baker’s tight direction and defining performances from Madison and the rest of the cast, what could’ve easily been a confusing and aimless film with no realized themes instead blossoms as another portrait of the common American’s pursuit of happiness.
That serpentine journey weaves through New York City’s strip clubs, diners and penthouses, and, as the movie progresses, Ani often seems on the verge of breaking. But she’s tough — she’s from Brooklyn. Even through a spurned repudiation by Ivan’s family at the top of the second act, one can’t help but wonder how much more emotional and physical abuse she can take.
It’s a common thread through Baker’s filmography. His charac-
ters are subjected to Sisyphus-like tortures with just enough comedic moments to break the audience from that tragic trance.
And just as “Tangerine” and “The Florida Project” wind up with a vicious, tear-jerking punch at the very end, the final moments of “Anora” are just as shocking. Perhaps an admonishment to Ani’s own persistence in feigning control over her own life, or just the cold, hard reality of her lack of emotional connections, the very end of the film is several uncomfortable minutes that strike a bold underscore through the previous events.
The 2024 Palme d’Or-winning film is sure to garner endless Oscar buzz, and it’s a long time coming for Baker. He’s hiked through the filmmaking industry for years, unveiling tapestries of struggling subcultures and placing a magnifying glass over them for audiences to observe.
With “Anora,” the laughs, love and pain that Ani experiences create a heartbreaking tale — a sort of inverted Disney story — reflective of what many suffer through. Few films this year have presented something more disturbing and more human than Ani’s final cries as the screen fades to black — a macabre ending to a turbulent, American love story.
Text on an exhibit wall reads “Power of the People: Art and Democracy.” The exhibit contained pieces that explored the idea of democracy through three themes: the Promise, the Practice and the Preservation.
Photo by Asher Ben-Dashan
Review: ‘Conclave’ is an exhilarating account of papal ascendance
By Jake Guldin News Staff
When a pope dies, cardinals congregate in Vatican City to elect his successor: a God-fearing man capable of following in St. Peter’s footsteps and shepherding the Catholic Church, with its 1.39 billion members, for the rest of his mortal life. Though believers and skeptics alike are granted some insight into the election process — it is public knowledge that a cardinal must secure a two-thirds majority to earn the title of “His Holiness,” for instance — the exact details are shrouded in mystery. Until now.
Edward Berger’s superbly acted and handsomely mounted “Conclave,” a 2024 adaptation of British author Robert Harris’ 2016 novel of the same name, provides a thrilling, fictionalized rendition of the hushed conversations and bureaucratic procedures that culminate in a new pope’s selection.
Penned by “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” co-writer Peter Straughan, the film follows Thomas Lawrence (Ralph
Fiennes), the dean of the College of Cardinals tasked with leading the titular papal conclave, as he investigates and eventually uncovers damning information about several candidates competing for the Vatican’s top position. Among those vying for the role are Aldo Bellini (Stanley Tucci), an American liberal; Joseph Tremblay (John Lithgow), a Canadian conservative; and Goffredo Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto), an Italian traditionalist.
Though the film’s whole cast is magnificent — their ability to exchange ruthless barbs and suspicious glances is second to none — Fiennes is its centerpiece, delivering his best work since portraying the charismatic concierge Monsieur Gustave H. in “The Grand Budapest Hotel” a decade ago.
From the film’s opening moments to its final scenes, Fiennes makes it glaringly apparent that Cardinal Lawrence is exhausted. He speedily navigates Vatican City’s labyrinthian roads and alleyways, his breathing irregular, after learning of the pope’s passing; he instantly loses his patience with the indignant Sister
Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) when asking to speak with a nun accosted by Joshua Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), a Nigerian cardinal and an early favorite for the papacy; and he converses with Monsignor Raymond O’Malley (Brian F. O’Byrne), his assistant, about the surprise arrival of Vincent Benitez (Carlos Diehz), a previously unknown, Kabul-based cardinal, as if their interaction’s duration could throw his schedule into complete disarray.
Besides Fiennes, Rossellini is a standout, making the most of a role largely relegated to the periphery.
Rossellini’s best moment comes during a revelatory scene from the film’s second act. After scouring the late pope’s bedroom, Lawrence uncovers a document detailing Cardinal Tremblay’s simony and, with Sister Agnes’ help, creates photocopies for each cardinal. At a meal the following day, the cardinals loudly bicker over the information’s veracity, with Cardinal Tremblay vehemently denying its legitimacy and imploring his supporters to maintain their fidelity to him.
“Although we sisters are supposed to
be invisible, God has given us eyes and ears,” she bellows, going on to explain that, per her own observations and correspondences with the recently deceased pope, Cardinal Tremblay not only bribed cardinals for their votes but also invited the nun that Cardinal Adeyemi had an altercation with in the hopes of jeopardizing his bid for the papacy. She concludes her assuredly delivered monologue with a polite curtsy (a choice the actress said “felt right”) — after all, as a nun, she is subordinate to her male peers in the Vatican.
Besides featuring indelible performances from Fiennes, Rossellini and the rest of its esteemed ensemble, “Conclave” sports potent cinematography and editing by Stéphane Fontaine and Nick Emerson, respectively.
Fontaine, renowned for his work with French auteurs like Jacques Audiard, conjures many instantly iconic images, such as one depicting the cardinals flocking to the Sistine Chapel. Shot wide and high, they solemnly make their way to vote with pristine, white umbrellas in hand as rain cascades over them.
Emerson, who spliced together the Florence Pugh vehicle “Lady Macbeth” and Autumn de Wilde’s gorgeous adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma,” expertly strings Fontaine’s shots together, creating palpable tension by deliberately lingering on some of his frames for a needlessly prolonged period. As a viewer, when an anticipated cut or transition does not come to fruition, uneasiness sets in, and Emerson understands this in spades. Unfortunately, Berger’s film does have its shortcomings, with Volker Bertelmann’s overbearing, string-heavy score and a baffling final twist being especially egregious. However, though these deficiencies compromise the movie’s serious, self-aggrandizing nature, they simultaneously provide laughs, intentional or not, that bolster the viewing experience.
With career-best work from a coalition of extolled thespians and crafts bound to garner nominations and wins throughout the upcoming awards season, “Conclave” is must-see cinema: an insightful, heart-pounding and, at times, funny account of a conniving conclave’s machinations.
Boston Palestine Film Festival brings audience into heart of conflict
By Aiden Stein News Correspondent
A sold-out theatre awaited the last film after the weekend-long Boston Palestine Film Festival, part of which was held at the Museum of Fine Arts, or MFA. Now in its 18th year, the festival continues to feature Palestinian filmmakers during the month of October, this year running from Oct. 18 to 27.
“From as far as Boston, the festival is our expression of Palestinian existence and is a safe space for community gathering, community mourning and re-interjecting as we appreciate these cinematic works of art and visualize collectively a free Palestine,” said Michael Maria, the director of programming for the festival, before the final film.
The Boston Palestine Film Festival, or BPFF, has partnered with the MFA since its inception. This year, films were also screened at the Coolidge Corner Theatre, the Brattle Theatre and the MassArt Design and Media Center, as well as the Regent Theatre in Arlington for the first time, hoping to reach wider and more diverse audiences.
“I feel like I needed this festival,” said Maha Temre, a Brown University student. “I needed to see that other people cared and that other people wanted to engage — it’s the Boston Palestine Film Festival at the MFA, that says something.”
The series, which featured Palestinian short films, documentaries and full-length films, was largely centered on themes of family and love during displacement and war.
In the second film that day, “Aida Returns” by Carol Mansour, the director’s mother’s last wish was to return to Yafa, and it follows the efforts of her friends and family to make that wish happen after her passing.
“I don’t know if you noticed, [but] a lot of people that were leaving were crying because it was just emotional to
be able to return home,” said Ahlam Abuawad, a PhD epidemiology researcher. “So many of us in the diaspora will never be buried there, but I think it’s more so that so many people can’t even go home.”
Abuawad said as soon as she saw the ashes, she knew what they were planning: “It’s wild because they went, they risked their lives to do that.” Abuawad’s grandfather passed away last year in the United States and wasn’t able to fulfill his wish to be buried in Palestine — a story she expressed is a common one.
Abuawad carries reminders of Palestine and her family on her shoulders — her keffiyeh was adorned with green flowers and leaves by her mother.
“I think everybody’s finding their own way, their own connection — people bring seeds and plants from Palestine and grow it in their gardens,” Abuawad said. “Carrying on the culture and the knowledge and passing it on from generation to generation — that to me is the most important when you can’t return home.”
Layla Cable, a Palestinian activist and teacher, has a collection of keffiyehs of every color palette. “Hirbawi, this company that makes these, started making them in multicolors for us, so every year I used to buy one,” Cable said. She buys her daughters a different color every time she visits. While she’s glad to see more young people taking an interest in Palestinian culture, she emphasizes that people should know the history behind it.
“They call it Israeli because they’ve taken the clothes,” Cable said. “They stole all the ancient clothes when people were driven out — they made the women take their dresses off.” Cable said many Palestinian artifacts are still held in a Tel Aviv museum. “They said in 100 years, we’re going to announce this is [Israeli] culture.”
One year, Cable brought her daugh-
ter, who was wearing an antique jacket from Cable’s grandmother, to a talk at Lesley University. An Israeli woman approached her and praised her daughter for preserving Israeli culture, which Cable retorted was made for her Palestinian grandmother’s wedding. The woman then tried to buy the jacket off of Cable’s young daughter, offering whatever she wanted, she said.
“They’re so involved with their own narrow, bigoted nationalism, they don’t see other people,” Cable said. “I mean, it was a shock to me. When I said, ‘No, you can’t have it,’ she said, ‘But that’s ours.’”
Cable became a refugee in 1967 when she was a college student and didn’t realize the amount of racism toward Arabs, Palestinians and Muslims she would face in the U.S.
“They kind of made it all about Islam; it’s not — most people are not really religious in the Middle East, it’s like anybody here,” Cable said. “Nobody goes to church, nobody goes to the mosque — it’s majority Muslim, but the culture is the same.”
Laila Ahmed, a writing, literature and publishing major at Emerson College, met Bob David, a cancer and sickle cell support program manager at Boston Medical Center, earlier that day when they received last-minute tickets.
“I’m Lebanese American, and I’ve never been to those lands, but I could feel my family in there,” David said. “I was just telling Laila — the scenes with the women and men dancing — I mean, there are old videos of my family. That could have been my family.”
“I was sobbing throughout the whole thing. I’m sure my makeup looks a mess, but the film was amazing,” Ahmed said. Ahmed is Muslim and Pakistani American, and she has family and friends in the West Bank. Her family has also experienced refugeehood, so she feels deeply connected to these stories.
“It’s beyond even being a story about Palestine and Lebanon and Syria — everyone with a mother can relate to this story, everybody with a sister who they miss or has had to grieve a person or a place or even a feeling — anyone can relate to this story,” Ahmed said. Israel is still displacing 1.8 million Palestinians, with more killed in strikes across Gaza and now Lebanon. “As we talk about Israel’s genocide in Gaza, its occupation in the West Bank, for people who don’t have a connection to it, it feels like just another part of the news cycle, and the tens of thousands of deaths, they just feel like numbers,” Ahmed said. “Every single one of those 42,000 deaths in Israel’s campaign on Gaza right now, every single one of those numbers had a story just like this, a 90-minute-plus, intergenerational story of connection and loss and happiness and family.”
Abuawad said her family never thought that something like this would happen in their lifetime when people were talking about Palestine.
“There’s a shift happening, but we have to be prepared that that shift won’t change anything for years be-
cause this has been going on for more than a century,” Abuawad said. “We’re not going to undo it in a year, which is really heartbreaking because we want to save as many people as we can.”
Amidst these feelings of frustration and powerlessness, community groups and artists across the world have come together to write, listen and create every form of art to express the pain and message of the Palestinian people.
“There’s a beauty in the unity that’s been forming,” Abuawad said. “I’ve met so many people in this past year that I wouldn’t have met otherwise, so just stay united. Keep hope alive.”
The 18th year of the BPFF has ended, but if the pattern holds, and the war hasn’t stopped them, Maria says they are planning to be back in October 2025 with a new set of films.
“There are people after 18 years who still don’t know that this festival exists,” Maria said. “If people want to know how they can help, it’s by spreading the word and coming, and then figuring out how to apply yourself and your energy after the festival to bring positive change for Palestinians.”
A couple leans on each other as Michael Maria previews the last film. The last two screenings of the festival sold out to a packed house.
Photo by Aiden Stein
MASSACHUSETTS BALLOT MEASURE RESULTS
By Alexis Algazy and Ananya Kulkarni | City Editor and Managing Editor
The results of the 2024 presidential election were decided early in the morning Nov. 6, delivering the news that the majority of Americans voted for former President Donald Trump to return to office over Vice President Kamala Harris.
But in Massachusetts, there were several other high-stakes decisions being made in polling booths across the state Nov. 5. Voters determined the fate of five contentious ballot measures, from the legalization of psychedelics to allowing the unionization of rideshare drivers.
Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know about the results and what was on the ballot.
Q1
State auditor’s authority to audit the legislature
An overwhelming majority vote of just over 70% of Massachusetts voters decisively voted Nov. 5 in favor of passing Question 1, which expands the investigative powers of the Massachusetts state auditor.
The state auditor’s current role is to ensure state agencies follow existing laws, but the auditor does not have extensive investigative power. Question 1 asked voters whether the auditor should be allowed to investigate the state legislature, specifically to review documents and accounts.
Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio proposed the ballot measure. Supporters of Question 1 believe the ballot measure will work to increase transparency in the Massachusetts Legislature. Opponents of the measure argue that there must be separation between the legislative and executive branches.
DiZoglio first announced her office would audit the legislature in March 2023, but State House leaders claimed she had no legal authority to do so.
The Boston Globe Editorial Board endorsed Question 1 Sept. 30. The endorsement said the ballot measure wouldn’t fix all issues with the state legislature, but that it would be progress.
“But it sure wouldn’t hurt to shine a little light in at least some of those dark corners the Legislature has created for itself,” the Globe Editorial Board wrote.
that can and should be built upon. I’m proud to support this ballot question, which if passed, would empower and allow workers to collectively bargain for even greater pay and benefits,” Campbell said in an email statement to The News.
Now that it has passed, 25% of active rideshare drivers’ signatures must be collected to form the union.
Q4
Limited legalization and regulation of certain natural psy-
57.1% of voters cast their ballots against Question 4 Nov. 5, which would have legalized certain psychedelics if passed. There is no legal framework regulating the use and possession of certain psychedelic substances in Massachusetts found in plants and mushrooms including psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine, mescaline and ibogaine.
The State Legislature retains the power to amend any ballot measures that pass, meaning the audit’s execution “now lies in the hands of the Legislature,” The Globe reported Nov. 10
“This is no longer a disagreement between two entities of government, this is something that the voters of the Commonwealth clearly want and I hope the legislative leaders see the light,” DiZolgio told WCVB Nov. 10.
Q2
Elimination of MCAS as high school graduation requirement
Massachusetts voters agreed to end a statewide high school standardized testing requirement in a 59% majority vote to pass Question 2 Nov. 5. High school students in Massachusetts must pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, exam to graduate. Ques tion 2 proposed the elimination of the MCAS graduation requirement for students across the state. Supporters argue that a one-time standardized test is not a sufficient way to dictate graduation and that it pressures teachers to teach preparation for the test rather than overall education. However, opponents believe an objective requirement is necessary, which MCAS provides.
The main proponent and top donor for passing Question 2 and repealing the “high-stakes” MCAS exam was the Massachusetts Teachers Association, a union representing 117,000 educators across the state.
Governor Maura Healey, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education were notable opponents of this measure.
“We still need standardized testing,” Massachusetts House of Representatives member and former high school math teacher Jim Hawkins said in support of Question 2. “When we say we want to remove MCAS as a graduation requirement, that doesn’t mean there’s no graduation requirement. It just means that MCAS is the wrong thing to use.”
Q3
Unionization for transportation network drivers
Question 3, which proposed allowing Uber and Lyft drivers to unionize, narrowly passed on Election Day, with about 53% of voters in favor of the measure.
Prior to the election, rideshare drivers using platforms such as Uber and Lyft could not form unions in Massachusetts as they were considered “independent contractors.” Question 3 authorized rideshare drivers who transport passengers to unionize, allowing them to negotiate with their employers for better working conditions, pay and benefits. Supporters of Question 3 believe the ballot measure will allow rideshare drivers to advocate for better working conditions.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell endorsed Question 3 and is a proponent of rights for rideshare drivers. This past June, Campbell’s office reached a settlement with Uber and Lyft to allow drivers to accrue sick leave.
“Our settlement with Uber and Lyft secured an unprecedented package of minimum wage, benefits and protections for workers. It’s a strong foundation
Question 4 would allow the creation of therapeutic centers for people to utilize psychedelics for medicinal purposes under professional supervision. The measure would also allow individuals over 21 years old to grow and pos sess personal amounts of psychedelic substances. Proceeds from the retail sale of psychedelic substances would be subject to a 15% state tax, the measure would also authorize localities to levy an additional 2% tax.
“People should vote yes on Question 4 because the conditions that the substances seem effective in treating are life-threatening or debilitating,” said Graham Moore, educational outreach director of YesOn4 prior to Election Day. He said these conditions include post-traumatic stress disorder, opioid addiction and end-of-life anxiety and distress.
Proponents of this measure believed this law would allow for safer, regu lated access to psychedelics while opponents argued the decriminalization of these substances could lead to substantial medical harm such as acute cardiac problems and long-term neurological effects.
In a public statement posted to Instagram, YesOn4 wrote “We will keep fighting to find new pathways for all those who struggle with mental health and look forward to working with legislators in the new session to continue advocating for access, for hope and for healing.”
Q5
Minimum wage for tipped workers
A proposal to increase the minimum wage of hourly employees received the support of only 42% of Massachusetts voters on Election Day, meaning the measure was not passed.
This measure would have gradually increased the minimum hourly wage employers must pay their workers over five years. Under the proposal, if an employer paid its workers the state minimum wage, all tips earned by workers at an establishment would have been pooled by the employer and distributed evenly among all employees, including those who are not tipped.
Proponents of Question 5 believed that the proposed law would provide greater financial stability and ensure larger corporations pay their employees minimum wage in addition to tips rather than allow tips to serve as a subsidy for a minimum wage. Notably, the Committee to Protect Tips and the Massachusetts Restaurant Association opposed this measure. These groups believed this measure could backfire through substantially increased business costs which could result in layoffs and lower tips.
“I like the money that I make. I have mouths to feed, I don’t want to take a pay cut,” said Mark Szkolnik, who has worked at The Westland on Westland Avenue for two years.
Szkolnik believed that if the measure had passed, food prices would double, and back-of-house staff who do not interact with customers would benefit from the tips front-of-house staff earn. He said everyone at The Westland agreed about opposing the measure, including customers who came in and inquired about the sign on the door.
“We’re all against this. It’s someone from another state, all [the way] across the country, trying to ruin our happiness. It’s not going to happen,” Szkolnik said.
Szkolnik was correct: About 64% of Massachusetts constituents voted “no on 5,” like its window sign read.
While graduation requirements will now look different and rideshare drivers work to unionize, psychedelic advocates will continue their fight for legalization and front-of-house staff will continue earning and keeping their tips.
Graphics by Emma Liu
NU COMMUNITY STUNNED
AFTER TRUMP REELECTION
By Frances Klemm | News Staff
The Associated Press called the presidential race in the early morning hours of Nov. 6 after 10 electoral college votes from the key swing state of Wisconsin pushed Donald Trump over the 270 vote threshold. This election marks the first time since 2004 that a member of the Republican party has won the popular vote for president. Nov. 14, Trump had tallied 76 million votes while Vice President Kamala Harris had 73 million.
“I feel like sh**. This is pretty terrible and I genuinely don’t know how somebody who got double impeached with all of those felony counts and everything could get elected again.”
“I’ve never felt more aggressive, violent, like so angry in my entire life, but I, what I’m not going to do is grab a gun and charge on the Capitol because of it.”
— Eve Sullivan First-year cell and molecular biology major
Photos by Jessica Xing
— Valentina Moghaddam
Third-year criminal justice and psychology combined major
“One key issue that I want to see from Donald Trump is I want to see him bring back the purchasing power to the dollar. And I also want to see the U.S. debt get decreased.”
— Luke McLoughlin Second-year business administration major
How Vinny Borgesi is leading the Huskies to redemption on the ice
By Elli Einset News Staff
Following its tough loss against Boston University in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East tournament last season, the Northeastern men’s ice hockey team is eager to go further this year — and one of the stars leading them is Vinny Borgesi.
The junior defenseman and assistant captain has helped lead the
team since last year. It’s a rarity for an underclassman to be named an assistant captain.
“Honestly, I didn’t know it was going to be me,” Borgesi said. “Obviously, I think it’s something that I take a lot of pride in, but it’s also my natural ability. I think I do a great job of using my voice, being a leader, trying to help guys become better — not only on the ice, but off the ice.”
Captain Jack Williams, a junior forward, said he could “split the “C,” — as in captain — with Borgesi.
“We work really well together. He’s very vocal. He’s a good leader [and] he works really, really hard,” Williams said.
All good players have to start somewhere, and for Borgesi, it was on figure skates.
Borgesi began playing hockey at 3 years old on figure skates. He was almost five when he changed to hockey skates, a special memory he recalls clearly.
Slowly growing more serious about the sport, Borgesi was a freshman in high school when he began the recruitment process for Northeastern.
“[I] saw him playing in a couple tournaments up this way. You could just tell he was the first thing that stuck out, he was an elite skater,” head coach Jerry Keefe said. “He was just dynamic. It seemed like he had the puck on his stick the whole game. … You could tell he was going to be a special player from the time he was 14 years old.”
As a freshman, Borgesi appeared in the majority of Northeastern’s games, only missing two. In these games, he garnered nine assists, ranking third among defensemen. In addition to playing for the Huskies, he also attended the Las Vegas Golden Knights development camp.
Last season, Borgesi earned career-highs in goals and assists. Among all Hockey East players, Borgesi’s 14 assists tied for fourth among all defensemen, and his 16 points landed him tied for fifth.
Although he earned these records last season, Borgesi continues to focus on becoming a better player in the present.
“I honestly don’t really look at it as beating the points,” Borgesi said. “Something that I’ve been working on is just to not look too much in the future. Obviously, just stay level-headed. Come to the rink, work hard every single day, get better and focus on yourself. I think, honestly, if I do that, the end result is going to be something that I like.”
“He’s a really driven kid,” Keefe
said. “He’s a guy that feeds off his emotions. He’s a really intense kid and the thing with him is he wants to be a difference maker when he’s on the ice. That’s in his DNA.”
Maintaining good energy on and off the ice is an easy task for Borgesi, as he is just being himself.
“It’s natural for me. I am a loud guy. … Being vocal, being positive [and] holding guys accountable. I think that just generates energy itself,” Borgesi said.
So far this season, the Huskies are 1-4-2, 0-2-2 HE, including back-toback losses to the reigning national champions and number one team in the country, University of Denver. Although these were tough losses, it was a “good test for us,” Keefe said.
As the Huskies take on the rest of their season, Borgesi will continue to use his voice to help lead his team.
“The most impactful thing I can do is obviously my attitude and effort each and every day,” Borgesi said. “That’s something that I can control. That’s something that I work hard for each and every day.”
Vicious on the ice, beloved everywhere else, Taze Thompson is one to watch
By Frances Klemm News Staff
It’s impossible to do it all — but Taze Thompson comes pretty close. In her final year on the ice at Matthews Arena, the women’s ice hockey senior forward and captain has melded her strength in academics to her dominance in hockey, becoming both a beloved captain and a vicious player.
Hockey has been a consistent piece of Thompson’s life from an early age.
“I feel like I was kind of born into the sport. I grew up watching my dad play and chasing around my older brothers, who always had skates on too,” Thompson said. “I was always rollerblading around the house and wearing gear that was way too big for me, but I loved putting it on.”
Her father, Rocky Thompson, a former NHL skater and the current assistant coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, needed their family to move around often for his career.
“Growing up, everything was always changing but the one thing that stayed the same was hockey,” Thompson said. Thompson began her collegiate career at Harvard University. After her freshman year in Cambridge, where she won Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Thompson entered the transfer portal. “When we found out she was going to the portal, we watched some film and jumped on her really quick,” associate head coach Nick Carpenito said. “Her tenacity, her physicality, her compete level — those are her big three [strengths].”
Her first year at Northeastern, Thompson logged 20 points, including three in the Hockey East Tournament where the Huskies secured their sixth-straight Hockey East Championship. The next season, Thompson scored a career-high of 12 goals in a season with eight assists.
“I can’t imagine being anywhere other than Northeastern. It’s my home now.” Thompson said.
Senior goaltender Paige Taborski sings Thompson’s praises on the ice.
“Her ability to read the plays is phenomenal,” Taborski said. “She’s always in the right spot, battling hard to get that puck, putting herself in good spaces in general.”
Over her last three years at Northeastern, Thompson has been perfecting her body positioning and stick handling. “She’s come a really long way and it’s made her very, very effective all over the ice defensively, offensively. She creates a lot of opportunities for herself and her teammates just from those two little skills right there,” Carpenito said.
A play on the second day of a dominant weekend in October against Holy Cross was named Hockey East’s No. 1 play of the week. In the 4-2 game against Holy Cross Oct. 19, Thompson sent an assist from a meter off the faceoff circle towards junior forward Lily Shannon by the net, who lodged it in.
“I think all of the Holy Cross players were watching me, but I saw Lily sneaking in back and she made herself available to get that shot off and score,” Thompson said. “It was an incredible shot.”
Thompson lit up describing the third period energy of the Oct. 19 game. “That was probably one of my favorite moments of the season so far,” she said.
The senior notched a five-point performance that weekend, tying her career-high with one goal and two assists at Holy Cross. Following the stellar showcase, Thompson received recognition as Hockey East’s “Player of the Week” for the first time in her career.
“It’s always an honor to be recognized by Hockey East, where there’s so many incredible players,” Thompson
said. “It always comes from the help of my teammates, who truly just lift me up in every aspect and make me so much better on and off the ice.”
Not only does Thompson execute on the ice for her teammates, she has formed friendships that extend beyond hockey. Taborski and Thompson developed a close bond after being stuck in the airport on their way to the Frozen Four tournament their sophomore year, and they’ve been roommates ever since.
“When Taze first came in, you could automatically see this energy that she had about her,” Taborski said. “She’s probably the nicest person I’ve ever met right off the bat. She always cares about how other people are doing, how they’re feeling. She always just wants to make sure that everyone’s okay.”
Now as team captain, Taborski em phasized how well Thompson has come into the role. “Any time she speaks, all eyes and ears are on her, intently listening, just wanting to hear what she has to say,” she said.
Carpenito echoed this sentiment.
“I don’t think she had to do too much growing from the last two years to this year,” Carpenito said. “She’s very willing to hold people accountable, but she does it the right way where it’s not personal. She can be tough. She can be empathetic and compassionate. She’s the perfect mix of different traits in order to be a really effective leader and it’s paid off big time for us this year.”
Although the captain title comes with making tough calls, Thompson and assistant captains graduate forward Molly Griffin and junior defender Kristina Allard have prioritized creating an uplifting space in the midst of an oftentimes cutthroat sport.
“I’m always everyone’s friend first and that’s something that I never wanted to change with the letter on my chest,” Thompson said. “Our number one focus was just having an environ
ment where everyone feels that they are seen and recognized and welcomed for who they are.”
Despite the added responsibility of captaincy, Thompson doesn’t slow down when she walks out of Matthews. Last year she was named an AHCA/ Krampade All-American Scholar and, for the second year, was placed on the Hockey East All-Academic Team.
Thompson uses her psychology major and nutrition minor to further excel as an athlete and leader.
“[Collegiate hockey] is all psychological — I think — 90% of it is a mental battle,” she said. “Learning about leadership psychology and
Band, so giving back to Indigenous communities at home is personal.
“My Indigenous background and heritage is really important to me and [also] to keep speaking up for Indigenous recognition,” she said. “That part of my life is so profound and back home it’s something that I want to keep working with and hopefully after I’m done here give back.”
Thompson is one to watch everywhere she goes, and Northeastern students shouldn’t miss an opportunity to catch her last year on the ice.
“You never want your time in a good place to come to an end because it’s been that incredible of an experience,
what the future holds and I’m so excited
Vinny Borgesi looks to strike the puck against Stonehill Oct. 12. The assistant captain ranked fifth among all defensemen in Hockey East last season.
Photo by Sydney Ciardi
Northeastern men’s basketball is putting last season behind it
By Elli Einset News Staff
After a disappointing 12-20 record last season and the graduation of key players including Chris Doherty and Luka Sakota, Northeastern men’s basketball is back and ready to redeem themselves. As this season kicks into gear, the Huskies are focusing on accountability and putting their trust in each other in order to be successful.
“Believing in the coaches, they put us in the right places to win, so just believe in that and do what you gotta do,” said junior guard Harold Woods.
Head coach Bill Coen emphasized the progress the team has been working through this offseason and the importance of taking it one day at a time at a CAA press conference Oct. 18.
“Just trying to get one percent better each and every day,” Coen said of the team’s focus this season. “Go in the gym, trust the process, get in there, put in the work and know that if you do that, it gives you the best chance for positive results, and not be results-driven but more process-driven.”
The team has been pushing harder on all fronts. Workouts and practices have been more intense to prepare the Huskies for this season, Coen said.
“Practice has been way harder than the last two years I’ve been here. Coach Coen took more energy into it,” Woods said. “He’s focused on winning and we just gotta keep believing and keep going.”
Although five of last season’s players left, Northeastern bounced back, recruiting two freshmen, three transfers and a walk-on.
“I’m still adjusting, but I feel like I’m getting better every day, just not trying to do too much and do my part and help out the guys with the bigger roles on the team,” said freshman guard Ryan Williams.
“It gives [an] opportunity for guys like Masai [Troutman] to step into [a] leadership role,” Coen said, referring to the junior guard. “It changes a little bit of our offensive scheme on who we play through and who we’re going to put the ball in whose hands at certain times of the game. And that’s been a little bit of an adjustment for our team and we’re working
through that in the preseason. But it’s also an exciting time because there’s an opportunity for everybody to rise to the occasion and fill the void.”
Despite these new losses and additions, the team has been able to build their camaraderie on and off the court.
“I think everyone is starting to connect. We have a lot of people who played with each other already but I think the new guys are still kind of getting into that connection and trying to fit in,” Williams said.
This chemistry off the court has been stronger than in other years, which has been due to team events outside of practice, players said.
“The energy on the team has been different. It feels more like we’re a family,” Woods said.
In the offseason, the team continued to work toward getting better for this winter. For Williams, it meant working harder to be able to transition as smoothly as he can from the high school to college level.
“Going into the summer before coming here, I just knew that my game had to get more mature because college basketball is a lot
Crossword Edited by Arielle Rabinovich
58. Instance or example
59. Longs for, intensely
1. Ski lift with a crosspiece 5. Could be Double Stuf or mint
9. To abstain, from food 13. Counterpart to set, for the sun 14. Another try 15. Sunburn remedy 16. NYC mayor (2 wds.)
18. Michael, of “Arrested Development” 19. Rodents frequenting the Boston streets
20. Mitchell’s partner in “Modern Family”
21. One who uses coupons, perhaps 22. Suffix meaning “kinda”
23. College in Kingston, R.I. 24. Mini burgers 26. Seasonal latte flavor (2 wds.) 29. Wiped
Timid
Copies, briefly
Que __, __
35. Word to describe cash, or chewing gum 36. Bogus
37. “Shame on you”
38. Pulls the plug
40. _ ___ of the puzzle (2 wds.)
42. Massive, earless marine animal (2 wds.)
43. In the heart of 44. ____ Moon, occurring near the autumnal equinox
47. NYC subway operator
48. Lie in bed and watch TikTok, slangily 49. Double reeded instruments 50. Video game console introduced in 2006 51. Lice offspring
52. Might be surrounded by a white picket fence 53. Alcoholic autumnal beverage (2 wds.)
56. Exam for prospective law students
57. Primates
60. Classic gum flavor
61. This, in Havana Down
1. Cherishes 2. Mole or freckle
3. In the current condition (2 wds.)
4. Sports league abbreviation
5. Appoint, for a minister
6. Paper measurement
7. Popular genre for raves
8. Paired with “ahs”, when in awe
9. Deceptive appearance
10. Over-the-counter pain relief
11. More achy, maybe
12. These are shed when sad
17. Having a strong, unpleasant odor
19. Most ready
21. Under the weather
23. Mini guitar, informally
24. Went over 65 mph, maybe
25. Fib
27. Broadcasted message, for short
28. A hit, for movies
31. Happiest
32. Chocolate source (2 wds.)
33. Melts or fuses
35. Sobbed
36. Bro’s sibling
38. Varieties of beer
39. Marks the spot, maybe
40. An act in jest
41. School org.
42. Occasions or happenings
44. Christmas shrub
45. Humiliate or belittle
46. University in south New Jersey
50. Small brown bird
51. Confidentiality contracts, for short
53. Meat from the pig’s hind leg
54. Software connection point, for short
55. You might break this when starting a conversation
different than high school — you can get away with a lot more in high school,” Williams said. “I feel like college had to be more mature and [I have to make] quicker decisions with the ball in my hand.”
The team won its season opener game against Boston University Nov.
and
The
4, narrowly fell to Princeton Nov. 10 and dominated Harvard Nov. 13. The Huskies are looking ahead to the rest of the season,
hopefully the rest of the results end in their favor.
Huskies play Central Connecticut State in New Brunswick Nov. 16.
LA Pratt dribbles the ball against Boston University Nov. 4. The junior transfer notched a game-high 24 points in the matchup.
Photo by Brian Daniels
The Huntington News
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Op-ed: The 2024 election revealed just how deeply our country hates women
The tumultuous and historic 2024 presidential election has now ended with former President Donald Trump winning the race for the White House against Vice President Kamala Harris. The conclusion of the election speaks volumes about many values of voters nationwide, but calls one truth into sharp focus: The United States is a country that deeply despises women.
Voters across the country held onto hope that the results of the 2024 election would yield us the first female president of the United States. It’s not unreasonable to believe that a felon-led campaign based on bigotry would not be successful in securing the American peoples’ vote for president-elect, especially against a well-educated candidate with nearly 21 years of governing experience. Yet, we as a nation now find ourselves confronting another four years of a Trump presidency.
This election maintained a focus on two primary issues: reproductive rights and the economy, both of which are major reasons to vote for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. However, there is a stark difference in how women and the issue of reproductive rights have been treated by Trump compared to members of the Democratic party, and that difference is rooted in misogyny.
In an attempt to appeal to his voters, Trump boasted about his involvement in the 2022 overturn of
Roe v. Wade despite the skyrocketing rate of women dying in states with strict abortion bans. Texas alone has seen a 56% increase in maternal mortality between 2019 and 2022. It also cannot be forgotten that Trump has made countless sexist remarks demeaning women, and in May 2023, was found liable for sexual abuse by a New York jury.
While one could infer that Trump is not suited to lead a country predominantly populated by women based on this information, our nation’s collective disdain for women put sexism and perceived economic benefit ahead of women’s rights and well-being in this election.
Regarding the economy that voters were so deeply invested in, analyses from Nobel Prize-winning economists indicated that Harris’ economic plans were “vastly superior” to those of Trump’s. Yet, the businessperson was elected president over the female candidate.
To this extent, I struggle to fathom the call for a “better economy.”
I never thought that the value of a
dollar would outweigh my worth as a woman.
The Nov. 5 election serves to prove and remind us that patriarchy continues to have a tight grasp on the United States. This nation was founded on the idea of equal opportunity but continues to deny it to women.
It is angering that our country has continually stripped women of not only our rights, but also our hope that one day we may exist in a world where women are viewed as equals to men.
In these early days following the election, a woman’s future in the United States feels dismal, but one thing is certain: The anger and sadness that we are experiencing in solidarity with our sisters, mothers and friends for the way we have been treated will not dissipate, nor will we let it be ignored.
KaraOrsiniisafourth-yearhealth sciencemajorandcolumnistfor The News. She can be reached at orsini.k@northeastern.edu.
Op-ed:Thereelectionof Trumpandtheshattering ofourlastbitofhope
It is hard to imagine a time when the United States was not so divided.
It is hard to imagine a time when Donald Trump was not the sole talking point in every household in America. And it is really hard to imagine a country that welcomes him back with open arms, time and time again.
It may have just been wishful thinking, but the 34 felony counts he amassed through one of the four criminal cases against him should have done something. It should have been over when the first whistleblower came forward about the phone call Trump had with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Trump should have been sent on his way when his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6 at his direction and introduced the first few cracks in our democracy.
In the wake of the 2024 presidential election, we must ask ourselves how we let this happen again.
When we voted him out in 2020, many Americans felt a sense of rejuvenation in the country, a flame of hope reignited after the four long, dark years of his first term. Through the Biden administration, the little flame of hope stayed alive, albeit now with a slight flicker when Trump and his supporters began to rear their heads again. Now, however, after failing yet another successful and overqualified woman in her upward battle for presidency, the little hope we had left has finally escaped us.
Vice President Kamala Harris should have been the one we elected to power. The White House should have opened its doors to not just any woman, but a woman of color who would have been the first to finally turn the tide of white male presidencies. As a country, we have not only disappointed her, but every woman in America.
We must now swallow an unfortunate, bitter pill: The United States is not what we hoped it would be. States are fiercely tied to a political party rather than a candidate, and the fate of an election lies solely on the backs of the seven swing states. Millions of Americans were watching the votes come in Nov. 5, some hopeful for what the future might bring, and others already accepting their impending defeat.
For those who are privileged enough to not care about how the election affects them, or worry about the state of their rights for the next four years, I hope you are able to take a step back and now provide your support to those who do have to worry.
Trump told the world exactly what he would do. Despite proving his ineptitude to the rest of the world, he was still reelected. The fault does not lie with him, but with the people who provided him with a platform.
It lies with the working class who felt the economy slip away, the millionaires who only care about their taxes, the men of this country who believe that they have a right to control a woman’s body and the left-leaning Democrats who sat out on this election because of the genocide in Gaza.
Trump rose to power in 2016 due to a deeply rooted racist fear that struck the hearts of the white supremacists in this country. As the first “white president,” Trump took advantage of the festering rage that millions had when former president Barack Obama won the presidency not once, but twice. He rose as the next white savior, the pariah that would finally “Make America Great Again.”
To beat Harris, he made use of a similar strategy. He would bring back masculinity and appeal to the men of the country, who were irked by seeing a woman rise to power. Trump
offered a sense of security and a return to “normalcy,” where men were back to making the important decisions about women. How else would a democracy work?
The next four years are going to be a struggle. There is no denying the irreparable damage that a second Trump presidency will bring.
There is also no sugarcoating the fact that the Senate, House and Supreme Court are now all in the hands of the Republican party.
For now, and perhaps even the next few days, we can grieve about what has happened to the country, but it is not to be given up on. We cannot change what has happened, and we cannot “fix” anyone’s mindset.
The 2024 presidential election was the closest we have ever been to breaking the glass ceiling.
Despite not winning the popular vote as Hillary Clinton did in 2016 in her fight against Trump, Harris has proven through her campaign that a female presidency is not far in the future. As disappointed in the country as we may be, it is now entirely in our hands to keep democracy strong and hold him accountable for anything he may do in the next four years.
It will be a woman’s world yet.
RachanaMadhavisafourth-year behavioralneurosciencemajor andopinioneditorofTheNews. She can be reached at madhav.r@ northeastern.edu.
Photo by Jessica Xing
Photo by Jessica Xing
By Rachana Madhav | Opinion Editor
By Kara Orsini | Columnist
Op-ed: Rediscovering harmony in a nation polarized by politics
By Shivani Tripurani | Contributor
I have always been more booksmart than street-smart. While this skill has indeed earned me coveted job interviews, I have come to realize that I lack the ability to back up my resume with endless small talk. My true interviewing potential feels unfulfilled, and I often strive to expand my social repertoire by engaging in dynamic discussions.
I expressed this shortcoming to my dad, and in an almost “I told you so” tone, he unapologetically laid out the reality of the 21st-century social scene.
“Sports and politics: You need to have at least one of the two wrapped around your finger to loop in any potential network, Shivani.”
Of course, given that my dad works in IT, his opinion is biased and arguably privileged. Still, upon moving from South India to the United
States for college, I realized that if not an encyclopedia of sports jargon, having a foundation of political knowledge is undoubtedly the prime meridian for most public discourse.
For example, how is it that my music taste, fashion sense and ideal way to spend a Sunday morning are all an implication of my political perspective? How is it that I was once intrigued by Jubilee’s Middle Ground videos on YouTube, but now I find them to be political echo chambers with biased editing styles and cutthroat comment sections?
Even more disheartening is that upon the arrival of the 2024 presidential election, the consequences of Nov. 5 will only further bitterly divide the nation rather than harbor a sigh of relief.
As further proof, my brother will continue fearing financial insecurity, my neighbor will continue fearing the extinction of ancestral traditions, my professor will continue fearing that college education is nothing more than indoctrination and my mother’s Facebook friend will continue fearing theocracy and gun violence.
Once again, I turned to my dad and probed: “Since when has the symbol of a president morphed from a bridge to a battleground?” And to that, I craft my own response: when we shifted from truly listening to one another to simply waiting for our turn to speak.
In light of this, I took a step back and reflected. I reminded myself that a huge part of this idea that “the
United States is a polarized nation” is a perspective I have likely harbored from the very antagonist of this issue: the media — a political cauldron of volatile ideas and values.
In reality, one realizes that much of what the news, politicians and, recently, TikTok all report is that the polarization the country feels is actually a phenomenon called “learned divisiveness.” This concept describes how division in society is propagated by political rhetoric and media influences rather than innate values held by an individual.
In a recent study by Time Magazine, experimenters suggested that the intense disagreements and extreme polarization faced by voters are not the norm but rather the exception; in other words, there exists a skewed perception of true public opinion. The reason radical opinions appear to be so widespread is that the loudest folks are simply the most outraged, and this phenomenon creates a vicious cycle of demonizing a group of people that may or may not exist.
Personally, I believe that nothing is as straightforward as picking one side, especially when the shared goal of Americans should be to fight for the weak, advocate for one another, carry the legacy of our forefathers and support respective nations with pride. Of course, this is a massive simplification, but how can debates about core values and human rights truly be as corrosive and violent as today’s social climate makes us believe? The idea of achieving a middle
ground is truly not very far-fetched, because the United States’ polarization is fueled by a deep emotional divide rather than fundamental ideological differences: a shared vulnerability that comes with being human.
The stereotype is that the old, evangelical Republicans hate the young, unionized Democrats, and vice versa. The reality is, however, that both parties are inherently quite similar.
Both sides value protecting an individual’s rights: one advocates for the mother’s choice while the other advocates for an unborn’s life. Both seek safety: one via regulating weapons to prevent violence and the other via the advancement of weapons for self-defense and personal freedom. Both aim to protect the planet for our children: one through protection and sustainability and the other through innovation and change.
Correcting the misconceptions that our values are disparate and uncompromising is the first step to combat afferent polarization and prevent partisan leaders from wielding our false impressions into a strategic weapon against opposing parties.
At the end of the day, diversity in thought is a beautiful phenomenon, and rather than viewing a middle ground as a compromise of one’s values, we should be viewing it as an achievable potpourri of enrichment and collaboration.
As a society, we are turning red-blue color confined because we lose sight of our common goals and
instead reduce complex issues to simplistic bipartisan binaries. Of course, every individual’s priorities for the United States are diverse because of varying economic statuses, occupations, opportunities and cultures. However, a key takeaway is to remember that the next time you converse with someone, identify and question the nuances in their unique beliefs and identify and question the truth behind your rudimentary beliefs. Do your convictions align with your own values or a mere sense of loyalty for a particular party? Sure, you can be fiscally conservative and socially liberal all you want, but it’s important to engage with the humanitarian reasons behind both your own and your neighbor’s opinions. Rather than latching on to political buzzwords, question how a perspective can translate into personal actions and broader policies.
I’m not going to lie. Sometimes, I dabble with the idea of becoming a sports connoisseur to impress my colleagues in a more palatable manner, but then I realize that politics has no reason to be a sensitive topic. Politics is a dynamic subject, and it is vital that every citizen feels empowered and educated about their earned rights and their fulfilling role.
ShivaniTripuraniisasecond-yearbehavioralneuroscience anddatasciencecombinedmajor. She can be reached at tripurani.s@northeastern.edu.
Op-ed: Let’s avoid this next time. Let’s discuss politics at family gatherings.
By Ava Vitiello | Columnist
Political echo chambers have begun to run rampant in American political discourse.
By definition, an echo chamber is an environment where someone only encounters information and opinions that are similar or the same as their own. This term has become popular due to the rapid increase in the number of people getting information and news from social media. Since social media utilizes personalized algorithms, it is easy to fall into a rabbit hole of extremely polarized ideals. When stuck in an echo chamber, it is also easy to look down upon — and sometimes even hate — those who are outside of your echo chamber. No matter how right you may think you are about your opinions,
the only true way to grow and expand your knowledge is to step outside your personalized political bubble and discuss politics with those you disagree with.
So how do we escape these echo chambers and herd mentality? The answer is by facilitating difficult political discussions.
These difficult discussions are pertinent to continue having a pluralist society. A pluralistic society is made up of many different religions, beliefs and ethnicities coexisting together while maintaining their ideals. A key aspect of pluralism is political discussion, which allows these opinions to be explored.
It is unlikely that we can ever truly change a person’s mind about something we disagree on. Still, in facilitating a civil discussion, both parties are likely to gain mutual respect for one another after respectfully describing and explaining their different perspectives.
The goal of political discussion should not be to change the mind of whoever you’re talking to, but rather to understand why someone feels the way they do. While it is easy to write off people as “crazy” or “argumentative,” if we sit down and genuinely try to determine why people feel the way they do, we may learn something from them and gain a deeper understanding of our own opinions.
While it is easy to talk about these discussions in theory, there are barriers to political discussion which make it harder to facilitate conversations in practice.
One reason people find political discussions difficult is due to the discomfort that they initiate. In our society, discussing politics has become almost taboo, with many people shying away from conversations surrounding politics. Whether it is a holiday conversation with extended family, a discussion about political candidates with friends, or even a discussion in the classroom, it is easy to get caught up and feel immense anxiety and heated emotions in these conversations.
Another reason Americans tend to avoid political discussion is due to a need for more information surrounding pertinent topics. A lot of Americans do not want to engage in political discussions because they feel uninformed — they claim not to “pay attention” to politics — or are genuinely afraid of conflict and creating unwanted tensions between friends and family. All of these fears are valid. Discussing politics with someone you know holds different values than you can be extremely scary. There is no way to know how someone will handle an opinionated political discussion. While scary and uncomfortable, this is how we
grow as a society and take steps to lessen the political divide.
Many people are not only afraid to talk politics with those they disagree with, but also to discuss politics in general. This is one of the reasons that people stay inside their comfort zones and do not seek challenges from their points of view. Ask yourself: When was the last time you researched the beliefs of another religion or attempted to understand a different group’s position?
Political extremism is also another factor that blocks discourse. Extremism in politics refers to the extent to which individuals are polarized into left- or right-wing groups and their subsequent outlook on society. Political extremism on both sides of the ideological spectrum can cause people to react in severe ways to different social and political events that they hear about.
Extremism is currently at an alltime high, with immense polarization being spread through political party leaders, social media and more. This chaos-inducing conflict is the main killer of pluralism and open political discussion.
When people think of politics in recent years, they think mainly of political extremism and associate this behavior with all of politics. This is a huge turn-off for people who do not feel this way, making
maintaining political discussions even scarier. Whether you look at political extremists on the left or the right, you will always find individuals manipulating people’s emotions to gain power.
Moving past discomfort and political extremism is hard. While this is true, keeping yourself informed about today’s issues and going out of your way to discuss politics with someone you disagree with can help you grow and empathize with your fellow citizens.
Look for news articles on topics that go beyond “buzzword politics.” Research policy and acquaint yourself with the agenda of your local policymakers. Start small and ask a peer how they feel about their local news. When you broaden your scope of knowledge about a topic, you will gain confidence in your stance and begin to question news that focuses on extremist stances.
Politics can cause family ties to break and friendships to end, but if you are looking to learn something new from the people you care most about, then it could be a good idea to bring up politics at your next family gathering.
AvaVitielloisasecond-year politicalsciencemajorandcolumnist for The News. She can be reached at vitiello.a@northeastern.edu.
Photo by Jessica Xing
Photo by Jessica Xing
Massachusetts mobilizes for women’s march before 2024 presidential election
the
In 2017, thousands of Massachusetts resi-
days later.
Almost 800 demonstrators poured into Boston Common, signs displaying “My Body, My Choice” and “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” held high above the sea of pink-clad heads — a callback to the women’s marches
The event kicked off at 2 p.m. just outside the State House, opening with words from head
“I salute every woman here from every walk of life,” Murphy said, addressing the broad range of girls and women before her.
Speakers James “Jimmy” Hills of the internet talk show “Java with Jimmy,” and Dana Alas, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, followed.
“Thank you for being here, for exercising your voice and for making sure everyone knows that we’re not going back,” Alas said. “When women move, the country moves.”
Speeches concluded with impromptu remarks from Rev. Debra Haffner, a unitarian universalist minister. From there, the march began, winding through Boston Common.
As they marched, crowd members called out chants that a booming collective voice rhythmi-
“Show me what democracy looks like,” pierced the Common’s typical midday chatter, met with, “This is what democracy looks like.”
With 72 hours until Election Day at the time of the march and the future seemingly hanging in the balance, for the protesters on Boston Common, there was a palpable sense of déjà vu.
“I went to the march in New York City in 2016 after Donald Trump was elected,” said Angie Pisacane, a 25-year-old South Shore resident. “I feel privileged that I’m able to do this march and be here, but I’m also so frustrated that it needs to continue to happen.”
Trump’s controversial comments toward and treatment of women were brought to light when he announced his candidacy eight years ago. With Trump’s inauguration came a flood of demonstrators, marching and rallying for
“If a march has to happen in January, then we will be there too,” said Ava Needel, the president of Nauset Regional High School’s feminist club.
When conservative Supreme Court Justices struck down Roe v. Wade, the constitutionally protected right to abortion, in 2022, Americans took to the streets again. Now, the daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters of the first wave of feminism feel they continue to fight for the same issues as their predecessors.
“It’s scary to think how much we’re going back, almost to the 1800s,” Needel said.
Still reeling from the landmark Dobbs decision that undid 50 years of precedent, abortion access and reproductive healthcare was a top priority for protesters.
“I grew up in the ‘70s, and we had the good fortune to have access to the birth control pill and abortion,” said Anne Harvey, a 66-year-old resident of West Roxbury. “I was actually a victim of a really tough miscarriage, and I was telling my friends a few minutes ago that if I hadn’t had access to healthcare when it happened 20 years ago, I could have died.”
Although many women have been fighting for generations, the struggle for equality continues.
“It all started from just wanting to do something. I felt kind of helpless,” Murphy said.
With more diverse allies than ever before, the women’s march had a wide-reaching support network to aid its endeavors.
“I’m gay, and I’ve found that women have always stood up for me and my rights and struggles,” said 17-year-old Raymond Hildreth, a senior at the Groton School. “I just really feel the need to return the favor and give them as much as they’ve given me over the years because they’ve provided safe harbor when masculine spaces have been unsafe or toxic.”
Following the powerful demonstration, marchers returned to the State House for a final speech by state Sen. Becca Rausch.
“It is so important that you are here today,” Rausch said. “How many of you are tired? How many of you are angry?”
Rausch left demonstrators with a resounding call to action.
“Do something with this energy,” she said. “We will not go back, but only if we put in
Massachusetts State House with a fierce dedication to protecting those same freedoms. Such liberties remain precarious with Trump’s reelection three
By Devyn Rudnick and Janira Skrbkova News Staff
Women hold up and wear signs while chanting and marching across the Massachusetts State House grounds. Women and citizens of all ages participated in the march.
Photos by Devyn Rudnick