April 12 2024

The Huntington News

THOUSANDS THROW COLOR ON CENTENNIAL AT NORTHEASTERN’S ANNUAL HOLI CELEBRATION

Thousands of students adorned Centennial Common with color on March 30 in celebration of Holi, a Hindu holiday meant to bid winter farewell and welcome spring.

NU Sanskriti, Northeastern’s Indian student association, hosted the annual event alongside the Office of Global Services, or OGS. With song, dance and no shortage of color, organizers said this year’s celebration attracted more attendees than ever before.

Students, many wearing white shirts in accordance with tradition, threw colored powder at each other and into the air, filling Centennial with clouds of every hue of the rainbow. Friends and strangers alike affectionately smeared each other’s foreheads and cheeks and yelled, “Holi hai,” or “It’s Holi!”

Dubbed “the festival of colors,” Holi honors the triumph of good and love over evil. The tradition of throwing colored powder comes from a story in Hindu mythology, in which a blue-skinned god smeared color on a goddess’ face to make her fall in love with and marry him.

Beyond its religious roots, in the United States, Holi is an opportunity for Hindus and South Asians to unite in celebration of their ethnicity, heritage and culture. When asked what their favorite part about the celebration was, many participants named the feeling of a sense of community.

“I think just seeing so many people from India together in this one space [is my favorite part],” said Deeksha Hardasani, a graduate student studying business analytics. “I feel like if I go out there I’ll probably make 20 more friends.”

Some students celebrate Holi purely recreationally. Several non-Indian students were welcomed onto Centennial to join the festivities, and parents and prospective students on campus tours paused to take pictures and observe.

To gain access to colors and NU Sanskriti T-shirts, students needed to reserve free tickets via an online portal.

By Annika Sunkara | News Staff

The event was originally scheduled for March 23 but was postponed due to inclement weather. Despite some confusion over the date and the event’s occurrence further from the observed date of Holi, which fell on March 25 this year, the excitement culminated the morning of March 30. At 11:30 a.m., NU Sanskriti executive board members began admitting people onto Centennial from a long line, which stretched from the Centennial Common sign past Shillman Hall and into the Ruggles Station cul-de-sac.

Once the majority of ticketholders gained entry to the event, the color throw paused for performances by NU Sanskriti club members, who presented coordinated Indian songs and dances. A tent decorated with traditional garlands, candles and framed pictures of Hindu gods stood at the center of Centennial for a puja — a ritual offering to gods conducted on days of worship or celebration.

This was NU Sanskriti’s third annual hosting of Holi on Centennial, and the event drew record attendance, indicated by enter, which remained two hours after the celebration’s start. Demand for tickets was so high that organizers said the club had to release a second round, which also sold out.

Nithin Paramashivam, a graduate student studying business analytics, emphasized how quickly tickets sold out.

“The tickets were getting sold like two, three minutes [after they became available],” he said. “It’s just crazy.”

Devansh Mehta, NU Sanskriti’s head of finance and a graduate student studying advanced and intelligent manufacturing, tracked approximately 25,000 page views on the ticketing portal and 18,000 clicks on its trackable links, he said. Fifteen-hundred tickets sold between the two rounds of sales. Mehta described the demand for tickets as “bittersweet.”

“It’s a matter of pride that a lot of people are interested in attending our events, but it’s also a shame that we cannot

CAMPUS

Read about professors’ opinions on how the school is managing asbestos.

LIFESTYLE

cater to the entire Indian student population on this campus,” he said.

Harshal Randad, NU Sanskriti’s head of events and a graduate student studying project management, attributed high attendance to the club’s branding and promotion of the event on its Instagram. Further bolstering awareness was the most coveted form of recognition a Northeastern club can receive: a collaborative reel with President Joseph E. Aoun, posted to both NU Sanskriti and the university’s official accounts. Randad said Aoun told them Holi is “his favorite festival.”

Mehta and Randad thanked OGS for funding the celebration, allowing all tickets to be free. Holi is part of OGS’ “Carnevale,” a series of events highlighting diversity on campus hosted in partnership with various cultural student organizations.

NU Sanskriti prides itself on creating space for Indian students to unite under shared backgrounds and experiences, especially given their representation in the student body.

The club caters to more than 7,900 active Indian students at Northeastern. The university has a high population of Indian international students, including many graduate students attending the university on student visas. For those who go months, or even years, without returning to India, celebrating Holi at Northeastern is a one-day trip back home.

“I mean, it’s a different country. We have literally crossed seven [seas] to be here,” said Himavarni Singh, a graduate student studying information systems. “But it still feels like home, so that’s a great feeling.”

Mehta called his shared experience with students like Singh “the driving force” behind hosting events like Holi. “It’s really important for us to create an atmosphere that will be the same as being in India, with being thousands of miles away from home,” Mehta said.

Photo

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Photo by Brian Daniels

Students dance, sing and throw colored powder on Centennial Common. Thousands attended the Holi celebration hosted by NU Sanskriti and OGS March 30.

Photos by Annika Sunkara

Northeastern assumes asbestos is present in older campus buildings, raising concerns

By Lily Cooper News Correspondent

At a February faculty senate meeting, Northeastern facilities department representatives said they assume there is asbestos present in certain older buildings on campus until proven otherwise during construction or renovations.

Faculty at the meeting expressed concerns, arguing the school should do more to protect its staff from potential asbestos exposure. Others, however, said they’re confident the school is taking steps to protect them and that, because the presence of asbestos doesn’t pose a threat unless the material is disturbed and becomes airborne, their health is not endangered.

The buildings mentioned at the meeting included those previously known as the United Realty Complex: Lake, Holmes, Meserve and Nightingale halls. The oldest of these buildings, Meserve Hall, was constructed in 1893, Associate Vice President for Facilities Operations Joe Lalley said at the meeting.

Lalley said Northeastern always “presumes that [asbestos] is present until proven otherwise,” and that if a concern is raised during renovation work, the university “will engage a third party to come in and do testing of the site.”

“Our strategies that are done by a licensed abatement contractor are remove or encapsulate,” Lalley said, according to the Feb. 28 meeting minutes. “Both of those are very acceptable strategies. We earmark about $800,000 a year for this. If we’ve confirmed asbestos is there, we do our best to see that it goes away in the right way and done by the right people.”

Asbestos, a mineral fiber that naturally occurs in rock and soil composed of thin, needle-like crystals, can cause diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis. Its resistance to heat, electricity and corrosion caused it to be widely used in construction materials, particularly as an insulator, throughout the 20th century.

The link between asbestos and cancer was discovered in 1934, however, bans against it were not enacted until the early 1980s, when Iceland became the first country to ban all types of asbestos. Today, 55 nations have banned its use.

The United States has made

progress toward reducing asbestos use. In 1970, the Clean Air Act classified asbestos as hazardous and allowed the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate it, and a partial ban in 1989 further limited its use.

However, the U.S. has yet to enact a full ban and continues to import and use asbestos today.

Certain faculty members were not satisfied with Lalley’s response, such as Valerio Toledano Laredo, a professor of mathematics, who questioned the facilities office’s reactive — rather than proactive — response.

Toledano Laredo said that as far as he is aware, there has been no inspection of floors four and five of Lake and Nightingale Halls, where the mathematics department is located, during his 18 years at Northeastern. He called for a “thorough inspection of the building[s] floor by floor” in order to certify that all asbestos-containing materials are sealed and do not pose a risk to faculty.

Associate professor of communications professor Heidi Kevoe-Feldman echoed this, saying, “If there is a way to do air monitoring in every building, office [and] floor for extra reassurance, faculty would really appreciate that. And [I] would argue that would be an essential expense. If this has already been done, let faculty know.”

Nursing Co-op Coordinator Jacki Diani extended the conversation beyond the United Realty Complex and said for years, there has been concern amongst faculty in Robinson Hall about asbestos. Since there are renovations planned in the building for this summer, she asked for assurance that an asbestos evaluation will take place alongside the renovation work.

Lalley said there has been “a lot of work going on in Robinson” to replace two pipe systems that previously failed and caused flooding.

“We are touching every space in that building and probably testing every space, and the outcome of that should be a good assessment of what remains in that building,” he said. “We know that there is asbestos in Robinson. We have known about it for years.”

Lalley said superintendents, facilities and maintenance staff are in the buildings daily and are trained to look for signs of asbestos and report them, ensuring a safe work environment for staff as per requirements from the Occupational Safety and

Health Administration, or OSHA.

Lalley did not elaborate on what these “signs” might be, and asbestos fibers are odorless and not visible to the naked eye. Some asbestos-containing products show dimpling over time, which is a possible tell, but the only way to ensure a material contains asbestos is through laboratory testing.

In a statement provided to The News, a Northeastern spokesperson said that buildings built before the 90s are likely to contain asbestos, but did not elaborate on what signs staff are trained to look for.

“Aging buildings are common across the city and beyond, including several on Northeastern’s Boston campus,” the statement read. “Asbestos-containing materials are not considered hazardous as long as they are properly encapsulated. Abatement and encapsulation are approved and commonly used maintenance techniques.”

Alan Waters, a health and safety officer at Online Facilities Management Limited who has worked with asbestos for 15 years, confirmed asbestos does not pose a risk unless the material is damaged.

“If you leave [asbestos] in place and you don’t damage it, it won’t cause any problems,” Waters said, although he expects that Northeastern would need to have had an asbestos management survey done to confirm or deny the presence of asbestos in buildings.

This differs from air testing, which, Waters said, is “not usually done unless you’re doing construction work.” Instead, this survey involves a professional taking “very small samples, analyzing them, reporting if [they] found asbestos, where [they] found it and what [their] recommendations are.”

“If [asbestos] is [found] in a good condition, the recommendation is to leave it in place and have it checked every year,” Waters said, adding that annual checking would incur additional costs.

“If they find asbestos and it’s crumbling and falling apart they’ll say ‘Have it removed,’ and then you’re into a whole different ballgame,”

Waters said. “You’ll need specialists to take it out under controlled conditions.”

This is a much more costly process, at $1,000 to $4,000 per 200 square feet. Overall, Waters said that the presence and threat of asbestos is dependent on the specifics of the building.

“It’s all about the type of asbestos and how risky it is, in other words, how likely it is to be damaged,” Waters said.

The Massachusetts state government also advises that if asbestos-containing material is in good condition, the best thing to do is to leave it alone. This aligns with Northeastern’s stance that unless the material is going to be disturbed as a result of construction, measures to remove it do not need to be taken.

However, OSHA requires all colleges to survey their buildings and test for asbestos.

“Northeastern complies with all local, state and federal requirements for proper maintenance of buildings that may contain asbestos,” the university said in its statement to The News. “The university regularly inspects these buildings with licensed and trained facilities staff and initiates abatement work as needed.”

Daniel Douglass, a marine and environmental science professor who’s had a basement office in Holmes Hall since 2007, was unaware of the conversation about asbestos at the senate meeting, but is not concerned about the presence of asbestos in the building that houses his office, he said.

“I’m not worried … if they know there’s asbestos in an exposed location and they’re not cleaning it up I’d be super mad, but if you’re not breathing it, it doesn’t matter,” Douglass said.

He said he’s more concerned about other issues that come from working in an older building.

“We’re in the basement, so we spend much more time thinking about when it rains really hard and water sometimes floods into the basement,” Douglass said. “We joke like, ‘Oh it’s been a whole year since it flooded the last time.’’’

He added he is confident that if asbestos was discovered, Northeastern would “take the right steps and do something about it.”

Another professor, who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation, said they believe the school may be holding back from getting a full assessment done.

When asked if faculty would protest the university’s refusal to test buildings, the professor said they were unsure.

“It’s a scary-sounding kind of thing, but sometimes you have to ask the degree to which it is really an issue,” they said. “There can be a reluctance for staff to speak out about this kind of stuff.”

The professor suggested that a student protest might be less risky and more effective.

“I think the university listens to students more than faculty ... particularly if parents get involved,” they said. “They’re not gonna kick [students] out of school for it, right? But for [faculty] there is that concern about your job security.”

The professor also commented on Toledano Laredo’s comparison between the cost of asbestos testing and the construction of EXP.

“I understand I’m talking about a lot of money, but EXP costs $400 million and we’re talking about people’s lives and health here,” Toledano Laredo said at the meeting. “This can cause lung cancer. This isn’t a trivial matter.”

Northeastern’s most recent construction projects, EXP and Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex, are both dedicated to STEM research, while the humanities classes continue to be taught in older buildings, like the United Realty Complex.

“STEM programs and departments bring in a lot of money into the university, and I’m sure that’s a lot of their justification for building these giant multimillion-dollar new projects,” the professor said. “Whether it’s Northeastern or other places, you’re not seeing a lot of these multimillion-dollar facilities for humanities and arts. So it’s not surprising that we’re in the older buildings.”

Lake Hall stands at 43 Leon St. Representatives of the facilities department said Northeastern assumes asbestos is present in older campus buildings such as Lake, Holmes, Nightingale and Meserve halls unless proven otherwise.

Photo by Jessica Xing

White Hall in August 2023. The first-year residence hall was shut down last summer for renovations that included asbestos removal.

Photo by Elizabeth Scholl

Northeastern professors, staff form Faculty for Justice in Palestine chapter

By Emily Spatz Campus Editor

More than 20 Northeastern faculty and staff have formed a chapter of the nationwide Faculty for Justice in Palestine group and signed on to a letter expressing solidarity with Palestine.

The April 5 letter, which faculty shared with The News, condemns what it calls penalization of pro-Palestinian expression and “longstanding university norms and policies” that have been “unevenly applied” during student protests after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

“University campuses should not be corporate environments, but sites for debate, contestation and the struggle for truth,” the letter reads. “We cannot be silent bystanders, but engaged educators and scholars who stand against genocide and stand up for justice.”

Twenty-seven professors, assistant professors and assistant teaching professors signed the statement, which also announces the formation of a Northeastern Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine, or NFSJP, group.

The letter’s publication comes after months of pro-Palestinian student activism calling on Northeastern to cut its ties with companies that do business with Israel and demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Students have also repeatedly called out the university for what they say is stifling and penalizing pro-Palestinian speech.

It’s not the first letter faculty have

sent to the university regarding the Israel-Gaza war.

In November 2023, more than 130 faculty and staff members signed an open letter condemning antisemitism and criticizing pro-Palestinian protests where slogans like “From the river to the sea” were used.

Faculty for Justice in Palestine, or FJP, has chapters at 80 other campuses across the country. The organization was founded after Israel declared war on Hamas after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, according to the group’s website.

“We join a larger national network that has formed in response to the unprecedented censorship and retaliation for those who speak out on the Palestinian cause, particularly in light of the violent genocidal assault that continues to unfold on the Palestinians in Gaza,” NFSJP said in a statement to The News.

FJP has six principles of unity for its chapters, which NFSJP echoes in its letter. The principles include endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement; following action calls from faculty at Palestinian universities; defending and supporting students who are “defamed or disciplined” for supporting Palestine; educating the public about Israel’s “violent, repressive occupation”; and combating racism.

The letter says that while the group has been “heartened” by “some ways in which [the] university has responded to the current crisis,” it has also been “distressed” to see students punished for protests.

In a statement to The News, the

group said it supports the university’s official recognition of the Students for Justice in Palestine, or SJP, and Northeastern Law Students for Justice in Palestine.

“At the same time, we are concerned by — and are monitoring closely — Northeastern’s uneven application of policies towards these student groups, such as vetting and approval of invited speakers, allowances to hold public events, and policing of their engagement with faculty and staff, among others,” NFSJP said.

During a chalking demonstration in November 2023, Mariam Hassan, a first-year student in the School of Law and organizer with SJP, told The News she found the university’s demonstration regulations limiting.

“It becomes impossible to do indoor things, disruptive things, and that’s what solidarity with Palestine means,” Hassan said.

In January, the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution placed three students who were involved in a Huskies for a Free Palestine protest in December on deferred suspension for breaking the school’s Code of Student Conduct. In February, the unofficial campus group was denied access to EXP when it attempted to deliver a letter calling on the university to demand a ceasefire in Gaza to President Joseph E. Aoun.

“Northeastern Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine stands in solidarity with Northeastern students who are advocating for Palestinian liberation,”

the letter reads. “We seek to support and amplify student organizing. We also seek to promote scholarship and learning about Palestine, and on the interlocking histories of settler colonialism and empire more broadly.”

The group said its immediate demands for the school are aligned with the national FJP’s core principles.

“One thing we would like to see right away is more respect for students’ rights to express their views and to gather for events and demonstrations,” the group told The News. “This should be a campus where open debate and diverse views are encouraged rather than subjected to endless red tape and ever-changing requirements.”

FJP has chapters at Amherst College, Boston University, Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts’ Amherst and Boston campuses.

“We echo the words of colleagues elsewhere who have recognized the movement for justice in Palestine as a crucial terrain for defending freedom of expression within the academy; nurturing free inquiry and academic autonomy, engaged pedagogy and open scholarship; and strengthening systems of democratic governance on our campus,” the group’s letter reads.

“We stand against all forms of racism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. We view the struggle for Palestinian freedom as interconnected with anti-racist and anti-colonial struggles around the globe, with movements for gender and sexual freedom, disability justice, workers’ rights and a liveable and sustainable planet.”

Read the full letter on our website at www.huntnewsnu.com

Coughlin-Donoghue slate wins 2024 student government presidential election

By Sencha Kreymerman & Anne Zhu News Staff

The annual election for the Student Government Association has come to a close, with the uncontested Coughlin-Donoghue slate for student body president and executive vice president announced as the official winner March 26. Students also voted on four referendums ranging from topics including sustainability education to club budget transparency.

Over 13,600 students voted in this year’s election, but 45% chose to abstain from the Student Government Association, or SGA, direct election. Excluding abstentions, about 36% of the student body participated in the direct election.

Of the 13,673 students who cast votes, roughly 38% voted for the Coughlin-Donoghue slate, 14.26% voted no confidence and 2.06% issued write-in votes.

This year’s voter turnout was up from past years, with 25.72% of the undergraduate student body voting in 2023 and 25.95% voting in 2022.

The vote guaranteed Matthew Coughlin, a third-year mechanical engineering major, the position of student body president and Cassidy Donoghue, a second-year political science and psychology combined major, the position of executive vice president.

Students also voted in support of all four referendum proposals on the

ballot, which included banning plastic water bottles, adopting the MBTA’s University Pass Program, mandating transparency from the SGA Finance Board and implementing a sustainability requirement into NUPath.

Although all four referendums passed with a majority vote, Northeastern is not required to implement the proposals. The referendum ballots serve as a reflection of the student body’s opinions and “call for the Northeastern administration to act,” according to the SGA’s election manual.

The plastic bottle ban

A proposal that would phase out — and then ban — the use of single-use plastic water bottles on campus passed with a roughly 60% “yes” vote from voting students.

To promote environmental sustainability on campus, the SGA and D’Amore McKim School of Business sustainability committees proposed a referendum asking students if Northeastern should prohibit the sale and distribution of plastic water bottles. If enacted, the university would begin phasing out purchasing single-use plastic water bottles and limiting their distribution on campus.

The proposal pointed to the environmental impact of single-use plastics and aimed to reduce waste within the Northeastern community. It highlighted educational institutions’ role in shaping the values and behaviors of their students and community, criti-

cizing the “culture of convenience and disposability” created by the normalization of single-use plastic bottles.

The referendum has garnered support from the community, with more than 200 students, faculty and staff signing to advocate for the ban of single-use plastic bottles.

Northeastern’s ticket to ride

A proposal asking the university to give students unlimited access to the city’s MBTA subway and bus systems passed with the support of 93% of voters.

The initiative, proposed by Sustainable Transportation @ Northeastern, or STAN, encourages Northeastern to opt into the MBTA University Pass Program, which allows students unlimited subway and bus access. This would be funded through a $50 semesterly “transit access fee,” which students on co-op or taking classes remotely would be given the choice to opt out of.

Although Northeastern currently offers an 11% student discount on fourmonth MBTA passes, STAN believes the University Pass Program plan more impactfully addresses sustainability issues and students’ transportation needs. The proposal argues that this initiative would not only ease the financial burden on students but also allow Northeastern to build strong partnerships with the MBTA and the city of Boston, increase public transit use, reduce road congestion, lower pollution levels and encourage communi-

ty-centered economic growth.

Other universities across the U.S. including the University of California, Los Angeles, University of South Florida and George Washington University have begun implementing similar pass programs. STAN argues that this proposal offers Northeastern an opportunity to establish itself as a leader in transit access and sustainability in Boston.

SGA budget transparency

The “Call for Finance Board To Be More Transparent with Budget Allocations” referendum, championed by a number of senators, passed with almost 95% of voting students’ support.

The proposal underscored a need for enhanced transparency within SGA. It highlights the significant financial contribution full-time undergraduate students make through the Student Activity Fee, amounting to approximately $2 million to $4 million annually. Despite this substantial investment, the referendum notes a lack of transparency regarding how the undergraduate SGA Finance Board allocates these funds to recognized student organizations.

Drawing attention to the Finance Board’s historical inconsistency in providing transparency and the absence of recent reports on budget allocation decisions, the referendum invokes precedent from peer institutions like Boston University, Cornell University, American University and Auburn Uni-

versity, which publicly disclose Student Activity Fund allocations. It also points out the constitutional obligation of the Finance Board to present bi-annual reports on its activities, a commitment that has not been fulfilled, as evidenced by the perpetual “Coming Soon” status that has appeared on the Finance Board’s website since September 2023, according to the proposal.

Rethinking ticketing policies

A group of students led by the Live Music Association sought to overturn a new ticketing policy enacted by Northeastern events management. The policy requires all student organization events — even free ones the Student Activity Fee funds — to use ticketed entry. The sponsors argued this creates unnecessary barriers for students to attend campus events.

This proposal was not included on the school-wide referendum ballot, as the authors did not collect the required 187 signatures, SGA told The News.

The reform proposal laid out several issues with the new ticketing system. Many students decide to attend free events at the last minute based on their schedules and awareness of the events, the proposal said. Students may also reserve tickets they ultimately don’t use, resulting in empty seats.

The reform proposed either eliminating required ticketing entirely for student organization events or implementing a student ID walk-in option similar to athletic events.

A student holds up a sign during a NUSLSJP pro-Palestine demonstration in Cabot Quad Nov. 16, 2023. More than two dozen Northeastern faculty and staff members signed a letter announcing the formation of a NFSJP group.

Photo by Curtis DeSmith

Get to know your local liaisons

Q&A with Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Mission Hill, Fenway-Kenmore Liaison Margaret Van Scoy

By Xavier Alvarez News Correspondent

Margaret “Maggie” Van Scoy became a liaison for the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services in July 2022. In this role, she serves as the connection between the city government and four neighborhoods: Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Mission Hill and Fenway-Kenmore.

While these historic areas have many differences, Van Scoy enjoys having the opportunity to engage with the wide array of cultures and communities. The News spoke with Van Scoy about her experience as a liaison and how she handles the variety of issues in each neighborhood.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Huntington News: How did you enter into this role?

Van Scoy: I knew about this role and this opportunity because I was watching what the mayor was doing — what Michelle [Wu] was doing. I was doing that because I used to be a policy intern for her when she was a councilor at-large back in 2019. I just have

always found her such an inspiring and thoughtful leader that I thought it would be a great opportunity.

HN: What has this role been like for you so far?

Van Scoy: This role is kind of a wild ride. I listen to the residents, and I let the city know what the residents are thinking and what’s going on in neighborhoods, so it’s a lot of information that you have to gather into your mind when you first start out.

HN: You cover a wide variety of neighborhoods compared to other liaisons. How do you approach these different communities?

Van Scoy: I think understanding that each neighborhood has a different identity is important. I knew about the general makeup of neighborhoods from an outsider’s perspective, but when I started this role, I think I learned quickly that the way that you get to know a neighborhood is through talking to people who have lived there, who have built community there, who know the history of the neighborhood.

HN: What are some of the biggest issues you hear about?

Van Scoy: Obviously, there are a lot of different things going on.

On trash day, [Beacon Hill residents] take up a garbage bag and they set it on their sidewalk. They do this in Back Bay as well. And they’re allowed to do that after 5 [p.m.] the day before their trash pickup … which means that rodents can smell the food, chew through the bag and then have a feast basically all night. [Fenway-Kenmore] and Mission Hill have seen a lot of development in recent years, so I hear a lot about what you want to see in terms of more housing affordability or what development should look like.

HN: What does the role look like on a daily basis?

Van Scoy: Our work is a mix of more administrative work in City Hall and on-the-ground fieldwork: answering phone calls, answering emails, getting in touch with departments to follow up on cases, like if somebody has reported a pothole.

And then on other days in the field, we run coffee hours in our

neighborhoods where people can stop by and ask us a question or state a concern. I will use the 311 app and walk my neighborhood and log issues that I see. I went all around [Beacon] Hill and took a photo of every gas mount that needed repair so that I was able to track on my 311 app all the repairs that happened.

HN: What’s been your experience getting in contact with residents?

Van Scoy: I like to introduce myself to business owners by going into different businesses and walking up to the counter and introducing myself and telling them a bit about my role and giving my business card and things like that.

I also do that when I go to citywide events and when I go to neighborhood events. I’ll meet people through other residents. I reach out to people on social media, those sorts of things, too.

HN: What role does Northeastern University play in the neighborhoods you liaise for?

Van Scoy: I’ve seen Northeastern

get really involved in neighborhood-led events like the Mission Hill Road Race every year. I do think that Northeastern’s presence on the Hill, sometimes with parties, can get a little bit much for some other residents, so we like to manage the student population and the resident population living together with the help of Northeastern University leadership, our police and others.

HN: What does being a liaison mean to you?

Van Scoy: Being a liaison to me means that the neighborhood knows that they can go to you for information about the city, that you’re a friendly face of the administration [and] that you are the government with boots on the ground.

HN: What do you like most about the role?

Van Scoy: My favorite part of the job is probably attending events and meeting people. I love seeing what people care about, seeing what gets people excited — what brings community together every year. That’s been my favorite part.

Q&A with Roxbury Liaison Asha Janay

By Gitana Savage News Staff

In September 2023, Asha Janay took on the role of Roxbury Liaison in the Department of Neighborhood Services. In the brief time Janay has been a liaison, she has been hard at work helping Roxbury thrive by connecting with residents and sharing city resources.

As a Roxbury native herself, Janay is passionate about supporting Roxbury in any way possible. The News sat down with Janay to hear more about the day-to-day operations of a liaison and what issues are currently prominent in Roxbury.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

The Huntington News: What is the overview of your job and what does it look like day-to-day?

Janay: As a Roxbury liaison, we’re both doing admin and community-based work, so I try to spend as much time as I can in the community by doing coffee hours, responding to fire emergencies and doing walkthroughs if there are any sidewalk or trash complaints or rodent issues.

HN: What brought you to the role of Roxbury liaison?

Janay: I was working with preg-

nant and postpartum patients as a social worker and something told me to be more engaged in the community, especially Roxbury since I’ve lived there for the past 20-plus years.

One of my sisters-in-law was like, ‘Hey, you know, you should reach out to somebody from the city of Boston to see ways you can do more volunteer opportunities.’ Then I ended up connecting with the Chief of [Community] Engagement Brianna Millor to see ways I could be more engaged and then she told me about this role.

I ended up interviewing within that same week for the position. I love community work; I mean, it’s a hobby that turned into a paid position. Giving back to the community is my passion and I’m glad I’m in the role that I’m in right now.

HN: As a Roxbury native, how do your personal connections to the neighborhood affect the way you do your job as a liaison?

Janay: Honestly, I feel like being a Roxbury liaison opened my eyes to a lot of things. Before, I never looked at the sidewalks or if there was an issue that was going on, I didn’t know who to report it to.

I think being from Roxbury and knowing the people of Roxbury, I’m

able to advocate for them because I’m living in the same situation that they’re living in, so I think it makes the connection a little bit deeper and more personable.

When a Roxbury resident calls me about trash pickup, rodent issues, noise complaints, etc., I’m able to actually do the work and follow through. It makes the job a little bit easier knowing the people and living in the same community you serve.

HN: Have you noticed any particular ways Northeastern University has impacted the Roxbury community, whether it be positively or negatively?

Janay: We have some amazing co-ops from Northeastern who are doing great work. I’ve been in contact with the Office of City and Community Engagement, and I’m currently working with Chimel [Idiokitas], who is a Roxbury native as well, and Chelsea [Lauder], just to see ways that they can try to help out, do more events and have the Northeastern students be more engaged in the community.

That’s something that we’re constantly working with, but I’ve always had positive interactions with Northeastern and they’ve done so much for the Roxbury community.

HN: What have been some key issues or needs that you’ve identified in the Roxbury community?

Janay: I would say some of the key issues are street and sidewalk repairs. The sidewalks are an ongoing situation. There are constant sidewalk issues, trash pickup and street repavements. I’ve been doing a lot of walk-throughs for sidewalks with the Department of Public Works and trying to get that repaired when the weather gets better.

HN: What are some key organizations that you’ve worked with in the Roxbury community that you think are particularly noteworthy?

Janay: I think the neighborhood associations have been a great support for me. They’ve connected me to a lot of residents of Roxbury and connected me to different businesses. I think having a good relationship with different associations, whether it’s Fire and Forestry, Project R.I.G.H.T. or [the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative], they have all been very supportive in responding to any questions or concerns that I have because I’m still learning about what the job entails and working on building that connection, so they’ve helped me.

HN: Could you tell me a little bit more about how you found a passion for that and why that type of work is important for you?

Janay: I wasn’t born in America; I was born in Somalia. I came here at a young age — I think age 5 — with my mom and we left our country because of war. And coming to America, we’ve had a lot of resources that usually migrants don’t always get, but I feel like we have more support because of the community.

Being able to come to America, to a whole new country, new language, new food — shoutout to Somali culture and [the Somali Development Center] — they have been very supportive to my family when we came to America and helped my mom find a job.

I think they gave me the passion to be more engaged in the community. I ended up giving back to the homeless. I do a homeless drive on my own every year, both summer and wintertime, where I gather winter gear, summer gear and food and give it to the homeless individuals that were on Mass. and Cass, but also around the Roxbury area.

I think coming to America, finding that community and having that community support gave me the passion to continue to give back.

Family-run cafe brings Vietnamese coffee, greenery, love to Mission Hill

By Ali Caudle News Staff

Lush plants and succulents abound in a new cafe on Tremont Street. Owned and run by an immigrant family from Vietnam, The Green Haus offers a menu of small breakfast and lunch plates, an array of richly decorated pastries and a variety of coffee and tea.

The Green Haus is rooted in family. The cafe is a flourishing green space with wooden shelves holding plants of all sizes for sale, inspired by the family’s gardens in Vietnam.

“We like coffee, Mom likes plants, we have a garden, why not put the two together? That’s how this concept started,” said Phi Long Phan, The Green Haus’ marketing manager and the owner’s younger brother. “We just like people, that’s how we came into the food service. It’s like what Dad always [said],… ‘When I retire, you know what I want to have? I want a coffee shop.’”

The cafe, located on the same block as Northeastern student favorites like Crispy Dough Pizzeria and Mike’s Donut Shop, held a grand opening celebration in February, after spending several months in a soft-opening phase.

Co-owner and founder Linh Phan immigrated to the United States to attend Boston University, where she

graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics in 2022.

Phi Long Phan followed her lead, coming to the U.S. to attend BU, where he is now a third-year business administration major. Long Phan handles marketing and social media for the cafe.

He said the coffee culture in Boston inspired his family.

“We came from Vietnam, a tropical country, perfect conditions for just any coffee, beans, fruits. We have astounding smoky-like coffee,” he said. “That’s why we want to join and bring some of our, what you can say, Vietnamese-ness to the neighborhood.”

The siblings’ parents and younger brother, who is in high school, immigrated to join Linh and Long Phan in the U.S., where they helped craft the concept of The Green Haus. The cafe is a family effort, built as a labor of love.

The cafe menu features sandwiches and tartines in addition to an assortment of pastries from Flourhouse Bakery in Newton. Special treats include elegantly-decorated floral cupcakes, Nutella cruffins — a croissant-muffin hybrid — and warm cinnamon buns.

“Everything that we do not do inhouse, we do it locally, so we support other businesses. We try to create a network of small businesses in the area so we can all support each other

to grow,” Long Phan said. “Because, if you go by yourself, sure you can go far, but if you go with other people, you can go even further.”

Instagram reels by Boston-area food influencers serve as mini advertisements for the cafe, with some receiving hundreds of thousands of views.

Aesthetic scenes of the cafe interior, shots of milk swirling in iced coffee and clips of trays of succulent cupcakes are overlaid with trending music.

Eleanor Hardy and Thya Norris, seniors at Belmont High School, said they found out about the cafe from an Instagram reel and made the trip to Mission Hill to check it out.

“It feels homey and I like that they went for a more kind of natural style,” Norris said. “Like it is a cafe, but that’s not the first thing I noticed when I walked in.”

Both girls held their phones up to capture shots of their matcha lattes against the aesthetic backdrop. Norris also purchased a cupcake with a rosette-shaped swirl of frosting resembling a succulent. Hardy bought a bushel of dried lavender flowers wrapped in newspaper print.

Lauren Coburn, a third-year business management major at Emmanuel College and barista at Green Haus, has been an employee since November. She said she loves the atmosphere of the cafe.

“The most unique thing about

it is the overall concept; I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Coburn said. “In Mission Hill, we don’t have anything else like it.”

Long Phan said the interior is designed to reflect a sense of harmony. Everything inside is hand-built and handmade. Each piece of furniture and decor was carefully selected to cultivate the ambiance of symmetry and beauty in nature.

Hardy praised the hanging plants and soft lighting. “I feel like a lot of the time there’s a lot of lack of individuality in local cafes because there’s kind of been a push towards a more minimalistic architectural sense,” she said. “I like how [The Green Haus] integrates natural elements into the cozy vibe.”

Bustling with students, families and young professionals, the cafe encourages community and connection. The cafe provides a social atmosphere with a unique “unplugged weekends initiative,” where it encourages customers to put away their laptops and tablets to live in the moment.

“We want to think of this place as where people can just sit down and talk and enjoy and we want it to be a stress-free place,” Long Phan said. “So you know, during the week you’re on your laptop all the time, on a phone, all the time handling all kinds of business. Super stressful. That’s why we have unplugged weekends.”

The cafe runs frequent promotions, including “Facemask Fridays” where a purchase of $15 or more is rewarded with a free face mask.

“Have a sip of coffee, if you want to use a face mask right there, right then, put it on, eat, just chill,” Phi Long Phan said. “Or take it home.”

Going forward, Phi Long Phan shared the family’s plans to add an online ordering option, expand to catering and increase the number of vegan offerings.

“They treat all their employees as family, which I feel like is really important and really nice. They always make sure they’re taking care of us and accommodating everything we need,” Coburn said. “As a business itself, I feel like the family has done such an amazing job coming together and being able to juggle all of this and just being so grateful for their customers.”

The Green Haus is the culmination of months of hard work. The investment in the community has been reciprocated, with customers filling the space day after day. Phi Long Phan believes the love behind it is what makes the cafe special.

“We’re really, really trying to make this space special for us and for everyone,” Phi Long Phan said. “This is our first business and this is our foundation. So this is actually very kind of sentimental, special in a sense to us.”

PAX East creates bonds within gaming circles, platform for indie developers

By Darin Zullo News Staff

Cosplayers, influencers and indie developers alike came from all across the East Coast to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center for PAX East 2024. Spanning from March 21 to March 24, each day overflowed with competitions, panels and meetups for gamers to enjoy.

Although the PAX gaming convention began in 2004, the first PAX East took place in 2010. Since then, interest in the convention has only grown, becoming a place for gamers to forge communities with each other.

Themed events spanned across a multitude of video and tabletop game franchises. For attendees who wanted to meet up in a more informal setting, several rooms were available all day for casual tabletop, console and PC gameplay.

Indie developers, game design students

PAX East, like other conventions, remains essential for indie game developers because it gives them a platform to generate interest in their games face-to-face. The amount of gaming content available online is so vast that it can be overwhelming for many consumers, leaving the work of many indie developers to get lost in the shuffle. At PAX, however, gamers get the chance to play demos for themselves, and having the experience brought to them in person can make all the difference.

Daniel Scalise is the creator and main developer of “A Corgi’s Cozy

Hike,” which was available to play as a demo at PAX East. Designed to be laid-back, players get to go on a relaxing and whimsical adventure as a corgi who uses “corgi butt power” to collect treats, build animal sanctuaries and rescue other dogs. Saving animals as part of the gameplay hints at the good cause behind the game. As an avid animal lover, Scalise wanted to find a way to help animals as a developer.

“I always wanted to make games that help the world, so I left my job and started a company making games to donate to animal shelters,” Scalise said. “I saw how much animals did for us, and I saw how much animal shelters struggled.”

One of Scalise’s first games, “Rescue Pets,” began this trend by donating 20% of all revenue to Dog Gone Seattle, a rescue shelter for homeless dogs.

For “A Corgi’s Cozy Hike,” 10% of every purchase will be donated to animal shelters, Scalise said. The game is set to release on Steam later this year.

PAX East also proved to be a golden opportunity for college students entering the game design field. Several colleges had their own booths dedicated to showcasing games that students created as projects for their game design programs.

“[One] game that’s here that’s from the students in our program is called ‘Carpool Chaos’ — it’s like ‘Overcooked’ meets ‘Crazy Taxi,’” said Garrett Chinian, a fourth-year game design major at Fitchburg State University. “One of our faculty is also presenting a game that she’s been working on.”

“Carpool Chaos” has been a

collaborative effort from students in Fitchburg State’s game design program since the start of the spring semester, Chinian said. The program’s layout involves students pitching game design ideas at the start of the semester and submitting a completed version by the end as a final project. Once he graduates, Chinian has his sights set mostly on contract work as a game artist.

“Most people have their dream studio,” Chinian said. “I would love to work for Rockstar [Games] or Microsoft, but, realistically, I want to try to find an internship at an indie studio in the area.”

Cosplayers

For many attendees, PAX East was the perfect occasion to cosplay as characters from their favorite games and franchises. Throughout the weekend, several cosplay meetups took place where differently-costumed attendees could compare their looks. These meetups were especially popular for fans of larger franchises like Pokémon and Final Fantasy.

At the Pokémon cosplay meetup March 24, over 30 attendees arrived cosplaying as their favorite Pokémon characters. After announcing a raffle with Pokémon-related prizes, the two emcees called up cosplayers in groups for photo shoots based on categories such as their Pokémon type and the games their characters appeared in. Finally, everyone joined together at the front of the room for a picture of all the attendees.

Rydia Vielehr, an actress and singer in the Boston area, emceed the meetup. Vielehr, who cosplays under the

name Miz Sylver, frequently emcees for panels and has attended PAX East almost every year since its inception, she said. What keeps her coming back each year is the sense of community attendees build through both meetups and casual gameplay sessions.

“My favorite part is probably seeing people that I don’t see all the time and playing games with them,” Vielehr said. “I love going to something like the classic console room and playing games of [Super Smash Bros.] over and over again.”

Online celebrities, influencers

PAX East also provided ample opportunity for online celebrities and influencers within the gaming community to connect with their fans. Many of these celebrities appeared on panels, such as Samantha O’Neill, also known as NintendoFanGirl, a content creator, cosplayer and brand ambassador for Nintendo.

Brian David Gilbert, a writer, actor and video producer, attended as a panelist for “The PAX Panel Show” and “Um, Actually: The Panel.” Gil-

bert is best known for the videos he produced for Polygon, a gaming and entertainment news website. Given his long history of producing gaming content, Gilbert showed a deep appreciation for PAX East’s attendees.

“It’s mostly the community and how everyone is so excited and passionate about this,” Gilbert said. “It’s easier to make friends with people because we all have similar interests.”

Over the years, Gilbert has amassed a large fan following. Many of these fans excitedly met with him after his appearance on “The PAX Panel Show.” Gilbert expressed his gratitude for getting to meet his fans in person.

“It’s extremely meaningful to meet people in person as opposed to the online experience of getting comments or anything like that because it’s so distant from that,” Gilbert said. “When I make things online, it can be very easy to get isolated, and you feel like what you’re doing doesn’t mean anything, but getting to meet people in person, it’s like I have an impact at least on their life.”

Every Pokémon cosplayer at the March 24 meetup poses together. Over 30 attendees came to the meetup dressed as their favorite character.

Photo by Jessica Xing

LMA, RSA BRING ‘RUPAUL’S LAGANJA ESTRANJA TO CAMPUS

By Janira Skrbkova & Carol Queiroz

So you wanted a twist, huh?

To kick off Springfest 2024, Northeastern’s Live Music Association, or LMA, and the Resident Student Association, or RSA, hosted a drag performance in the Curry Ballroom with headliner Laganja Estranja of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season six. Local Boston drag queens Candace Persuasian and Briar Blush joined Estranja for the performance.

LMA, a student-run club that hosts live music events on campus year-round, has organized multiple drag performances over the years, featuring queens like Sasha Colby, Mhi’ya Iman Le’Paige, Olivia Lux and more. Drag shows have become a defining element of the club, so much so that it typically hosts at least one drag show per semester. Joshie Antony, LMA’s president and a fourth-year health science major, talked about how the organizations landed on the lineup of queens to perform.

“We discussed as an [executive]-board, along with RSA, about who we thought would really grab peo-

For this performance, the cast of three was entirely made up of transgender women. Since her season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” aired in 2014 and her cameo on season six of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” Estranja has been openly vocal about LGBTQ+ rights, especially after coming out as transgender in 2021.

There was no shortage of interest in the event, with the line snaking from the entrance of the ballroom all the way down the halls of Curry Student Center. Students brimmed with anticipation.

“I think the art of drag is a staple of the queer community,” said Devin Mullen, a second-year cell and molecular biology major. “And I think the fact that Northeastern is willing to not only invest in, but have a whole production of drag queens really shows the students that they want to have diversity at the forefront of their university.”

Mullen’s friends, who all waited together for the show to start, gushed over the prospect of seeing one of their favorite queens live.

arising over the somewhat appropriative nature of her character choices.

“Laganja is a person that, unfortunately, had to face a lot of turmoil from the fans during season six because of her personality and really had a complete transformation from when we first saw her to ‘All Stars,’ and then, I believe she came back as an assassin,” Mullen said. “The fans really loved her after that, and she was kind enough to tell us about her trans story — I love how open she is about that.”

The ballroom doors opened up to an environment that matched the energy of its attendees, with moody pink and green spotlights illuminating the room and infectious pop music blaring from the speakers. Students had the space filled in no time, crowding into their seats along the aisle. To their excitement, each queen was set to perform three unique acts.

Blush took the stage for the first performance of the night, entrancing the audience in an iridescent

‘RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE’ ALUM CAMPUS FOR SPRINGFEST

Blush came out just as high-energy for her second set, ponytail-flipping, high-kicking, shawl-twirling and skipping down the aisle to the likes of Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy.”

For her final performance, Blush burst with personality in a silver jumpsuit, swiveling her head theatrically, swinging her arms and jutting her hips. When met with rapturous applause, she said coyly, “Oh, stop, stop … why did you stop?”

Persuasian began her first act in a silver chrome bodysuit strutting to Beyoncé’s new single “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM.” She heavily interacted with the audience, dancing among the crowd, encouraging students to clap along and dance with her, giving her bedazzled cowboy hat to a lucky student in the front row and even “stealing” a student’s phone to take a few selfies on the runway.

Persuasian took things to a vulnerable level for her second act, inviting the audience into her experience as a transgender woman. While Persuasian lip-synced

she swept her long blond hair away from her back so the audience could read the text, students erupted in a standing ovation.

For her last act, Persuasian brought on two backup dancers that immediately sent the crowd into a frenzy. Rocking a red sequined bodysuit, she danced to Beyoncé’s “ALIEN SUPERSTAR” before the crowd burst out in applause.

Estranja stunned in a vibrant pink and yellow bodysuit, chains hanging from her hips to give her an extra edge, sporting an equally funky and colorful wig.

After delivering a dynamic performance, Estranja said, “It is truly my privilege to still be here, traveling the world, a decade after ‘Drag Race’ … Nowadays, I’m really trying to use my mic for change.”

She went on to underscore the importance of students voting in the upcoming election and the urgency of the LGBTQ+ community having a seat at the table.

was a go. In the end, three contestants had to sashay away and the behavioral neuroscience major was, as RuPaul says, “A winner, baby!”

Estranja, always full of surprises, came out for her final performance to talk about the release of her upcoming album, as well as her latest single “Daily Basis,” which drops April 20. She involved students once again, teaching them the corresponding dance for her song, with moves that matched the lyrics.

At the end of the event, all three women graced the stage for yet another emotional standing ovation.

“We will keep rising, and we want to keep seeing you guys enjoy queer art the way it was meant to be,” Blush said.

As students filtered out of the ballroom, excitement and joy were still in the air.

Second-year international business major Haylen Wehr, who the queens pulled onstage to dance during the show, expressed her thoughts on the performance.

“It was so fun,” Wehr said. “I’ve just loved drag for the longest time and I love being able to interact with drag however and whenever I can.”

When asked what she likes most about the art of drag, Alex Booker, a first-year English and political science combined major, said, “I love how much expression there is. It’s such an inclusive space for you to be yourself, and there’s so many different people of different identities within drag that are all celebrated. I just absolutely adore that. It’s so personal, and through that, it becomes even more uplifting.”

Laganja Estranga struts down the runway. Along with her performances, she also spoke about the importance of students voting and the LGBTQ+ community having a seat at the table.

Photo by Brian Daniels

‘Usual Girls’ refuses to hold back, addresses brutal realities about girlhood head-on

By Darin Zullo News Staff

“Usual Girls” is by no means a typical feel-good, light-hearted play about womanhood. At times, it’s a comedy, but with every laugh it delivers, a harsh reality follows.

Playwright Ming Peiffer describes it as “a show about the joys and horrors of growing up being a woman — the extreme joys and the extreme horrors,” and to that end, it succeeds. Samantha Richert Boehm, an assistant teaching professor in the theatre department, directed Northeastern’s March 28-April 7 production of “Usual Girls,” bringing Peiffer’s play and its stark message to a new audience.

The play follows Kyeoung (Cecilia

Liang), an Asian American woman, from childhood into adulthood, chronicling her experiences with sexuality and how they lead to ostracization and objectification. Right from the opening scene, Kyeoung is discriminated against when Rory (Jude Riley), a boy whom she goes to school with, bullies her on the playground. After hearing Kyeoung and her friends talking about sex, Rory threatens to tell the teacher unless her friends kiss him. When Kyeoung volunteers to kiss him to protect her friends, Rory calls her slurs and makes racist comments about her eyes and vagina.

Earlier scenes such as this have more of an interplay between comedy and drama. Most of the dialogue consists of jokes at Rory’s expense,

and while his comments are deeply hurtful, the true consequences of the societal issues they underscore aren’t fully shown until later on. As Kyeoung and her friends grow up and their understanding of these issues develops, the blistering truths reach the forefront of the narrative.

“It’s very raw and very vulgar, and I think, in a way, how we have communicated to the audience and how they reacted really speaks to how shocked they are about these words and the ugly side of being a woman,” said Liang, a second-year communication studies and theatre combined major.

While some scenes are more dramatic than others, they all intend to capture the struggles that women may face as they come of age. In one scene at a sleepover, Sasha (Eve Davidson), the first girl in the group to go through puberty, expresses shame regarding her changing body. Even though the other girls are jealous of her, she is afraid and doesn’t want to grow up, something that may have felt all too real for female audiences.

“While not every single experience in this necessarily is something that I’ve experienced, I feel like I relate to Sasha very heavily,” said Davidson, a second-year theatre major. “I was a girl who did not want any of that. Everyone was so excited to grow up, and I was like ‘Nope, I’m good right where I am.’”

The strengths of the characters in “Usual Girls” lie in the nuance of their behaviors. For instance, when

Rory, the only named male character in the play, makes racist and misogynistic comments toward Kyeoung on the playground, he reveals in an offhand line of dialogue that his beliefs come from what his father tells him.

Through the backlash that Rory’s comments receive, Peiffer leaves a subtextual message about manhood for the audience to infer. Many racist and misogynistic men are the way they are because of negative male influences, but that does not excuse their behavior, Peiffer conveys.

While the ignorance Rory’s father inflicts makes the boy pitiable, he is not someone the audience is meant to sympathize with.

Peiffer’s societal commentary also reveals itself through the way other women treat Kyeoung as a teenager. Because she has more sexual experience than most of the girls at her school, her friends abandon her and her peers ostracize her. Among many other scenes that show Kyeoung trying to conform to white societal standards, the judgment from other girls shows that they have been taught that there is shame in sexuality.

In scenes where Kyeoung attempts to conform to the standards imposed upon her, an older character, only referred to as “Woman,” appears. Uniquely, Woman (May Aurluecha) speaks directly to the audience, simultaneously watching the scene and engaging with it by reflecting on Kyeoung’s desperation to meet society’s outlandish expectations of her as an Asian American woman.

To appropriately manage the sensitive subject matter throughout the play, Richert Boehm created a safe and open environment both on and off stage, which cast members said they greatly appreciated.

“She provides a safe space because it’s obviously a very sensitive play, and she just has this calming and soothing way of going about things,” said Aurluecha, a fourth-year business administration major.

“Usual Girls” is a rare portrayal of an Asian American female lead in Western theatre, something that Richert Boehm recognized and appreciated about it. While the play spoke to her as a woman, she acknowledged the additional importance of race even though she could not relate to it, which Liang admired.

“She likes to challenge uncomfortable things, and I really appreciate that,” Liang said. “It’s quite rare for a play to have Asian people be the protagonists, and I really appreciate that she chose this play [and] voiced … this nuance of being a woman and being Asian.”

“Usual Girls” certainly has its fair share of uncomfortable moments right up to its ending, but Aurluecha says the discomfort that the play leaves its audience with is key to its effectiveness.

“I think it’s just very crazy and insane in that way, but that’s because it’s so real and so unfiltered,” Aurluecha said. “It’s a very important story that I think needs to be told because this is what we face.”

ICCA semifinal showcase features spellbinding performances, student camaraderie

By Heidi Ho News Staff

It was a full house when Berklee Performance Center hosted the annual International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, or ICCA, Semifinal March 23.

Each of the 10 competing a cappella groups from colleges and universities in the Northeast performed three songs, eliciting rapturous applause. Audience members donned merchandise of their preferred a cappella group and were ecstatic when Upper Structure from Berklee College of Music won first place, advancing them to the ICCA Finals in New York City set for April 27.

Other special awards included Outstanding Vocal Percussion, which Dean Maida of Upper Structure and Melody Henrich of The Unisons won for “Begin Again” by Taylor Swift and for “creature” by half alive, respectively; Outstanding Arrangement, which Brooklyn Boehme and Benjamin Angus of A Minor won for “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls; and Outstanding Choreography, which Mia Roberts and Lucas Farol of Vocollision won for the entire set.

All talented a cappella groups earned the judges’ hearts and attention, making it impossible for them to choose a singer for the Best Soloist award.

“We had a little fight. Because there were so many incredible soloists, our judges could not pick a shining star

to get this award,” said ICCA Northeast Producer Emily Jane Benjamin when presenting the award.

Although each group’s performance lasted only 10 minutes, significantly more time went into preparation for the big day, singers told The News. Bryant Kessie, the Allegrettos’ performance director and a third-year at Boston University studying music education, said that the group rehearsed for eight hours a week leading up to the semifinal.

“[Long rehearsals are] tough, for sure. Other people, I wouldn’t be able to do it with, but for this group of people, I’d spend more than eight hours a week with them,” he said.

“They’re the best people in the world to be around.”

Kessie considers members of the Allegrettos family and, despite not winning or receiving any special awards, he believes that the most important part of the experi ence was having fun with them.

“More than what we do on stage, it’s the stuff we do when we’re just hanging out. That’s the best part of being part of the Allegrettos,” he said.

The Unisons, one of

Northeastern’s a cappella groups, shares this sentiment.

“It’s an unmatched experience. Being able to sing in a circle with your friends is proven to release endorphins — that’s why many people connect it with spirituality,” said Grace Wayrynen, The Unisons’ president and a third-year behavioral neuroscience major.

Although the tournament that inspired the 2013 American Music Award-winning movie “Pitch Perfect” was portrayed with a heavy dose of drama and sabotage in the film, Kessie and Wayrynen described the ICCA Semifinal as a friendly competition.

“Some people, especially as you get to further competitions, are a little more cutthroat, but we’re all still friendly competitors,” Wayrynen said. Kessie has learned to be more laid-

He explained that the more pressure one puts on themselves, the less fun an experience will be.

“You get to see other people who enjoy the same thing you do and bond about the fact that we spend most of our weeks making robot noises,” he said.

Both Kessie and Wayrynen wanted their performances to have an emotional impact on the audience. In general, the a cappella songs featured themes of love, acceptance and self-discovery.

The songs in The Unisons’ set were intentionally sequenced to tell a story.

“At the beginning of the set, the character is dealing with a relationship where they’re relying on the other person for a lot of their happiness,” Wayrynen said. “By the end of

the set, the character is taking back control of their life and identity.”

When the competition ended, all a cappella groups received standing ovations from an impressed audience.

Philip Auerswald, a father who flew in earlier that day from Washington, D.C. to see his daughter perform with the Cleftomaniacs of New York University, described what made him happiest when his daughter performed.

“I love the way [the Cleftomaniacs] make each other stronger,” he said.

Even though he was rooting for the Cleftomaniacs to win, he was happy with the results.

“Upper Structure deserved their win,” he said. “Once Upper Structure performed, I was like, ‘That was an amazing performance.’”

Abby Barton (left) and Cecilia Liang in a scene from “Usual Girls.” Northeastern’s production of Ming Peiffer’s play ran from March 28 to April 7.

Photo by Brian Daniels

The Boston College Dynamics, a co-ed a cappella group at Boston College, performs. Ten a cappella groups from Northeast colleges and universities performed at the ICCA semifinals March 23.

Photo by Elizabeth Scholl

Northeastern’s dance team sets the bar high for national stage in Daytona Beach

By Sofia Garrett Deputy Sports Editor

The Northeastern University Dance Team is a spectacle at every sports event it attends, most commonly basketball games — but in Daytona Beach, Florida, the group hopes to prove itself as more than a halftime enjoyment.

The Huskies are set to compete in the Team Performance and Hip-Hop divisions at the Daytona Beach National Cheerleaders Association and National Dance Alliance Collegiate National Championship competition April 11 to 13. Last year, Northeastern earned third in the nation for Team Performance — a new program best — and placed in the top 10 for Hip-Hop, and the Huskies hope to keep riding that wave.

Head coach Nicole Vicino described last year’s Team Performance routine as innovative, showcasing one of the group’s greatest strengths: entertainment. Going into this season, the dancers looked to build on their success, along with hammering down on weaknesses.

“We got some great feedback from the judges last year about focusing on technique and pushing ourselves,” Vicino said. “We’re really diving into that this year and building upon what we did last year.”

Vicino is well-equipped to prepare her dancers for the nationals stage, as she was a member of Northeastern’s dance team from 2011 to 2016 and part of the first group of Huskies to compete at nationals. After graduating, she joined the Celtics dance team for two years before returning to Northeastern to coach. Alongside assistant coach Kelsey Dillon, Vicino ensures the team is ready when it hits the stage in Daytona.

“It’s been 10 years that I’ve been a part of the team. And over the 10

years, it’s been such a transformative time for the Northeastern dance team,” Vicino said. “So many teams have been around for 30 to 40 years. And we’re really still in the beginning phases of our team.”

Now in her fifth season as head coach, Vicino is excited to see the program take it to the next level — and there is no time like the present.

Northeastern will compete its Team Performance and Hip-Hop routines in the preliminary rounds April 11 and 12, with the hopes of qualifying to recompete in the finals April 12 and 13. The Hip-Hop finals take place on Daytona’s infamous Bandshell, an outdoor stage familiar to fans of the hit Netflix docuseries “Cheer.”

“We’ve got a group of really driven, competitive dancers,” Vicino said. “I think that their mindset is more cohesive than I’ve experienced in the past few years. They’re all really focused on this one goal: Bandshell for Hip-Hop and making it to the top three again for Team Performance.”

The Huskies have worked relentlessly the last six months in preparation for nationals, from team workouts every Tuesday morning to daily practices in the evening. In the time ticking down to nationals, the team is only pushing itself harder.

“These final weeks are really where we get down to the nitty-gritty details … like making sure everyone’s hands are angled the same way,” senior captain Kelsey Hagen said. “These are really big differences that can affect how well you score on the score sheet. We’re doing a lot of things over and over again so that when we go on stage, we can just feel confident about our performance and really focus on just giving it our all.”

For Hagen, this nationals marks the end of her collegiate dance career, as she’ll stand on a very different stage in May for graduation.

“It’s definitely very bittersweet,” Hagen said. “While there are dance alternatives, this is really my last opportunity to dance on this competitive team environment. But this team this year and our routines are definitely very special and unlike anything we’ve done ever before. So I think that it’s going to be a very special nationals for me.”

Vicino highlighted the huge value of all the graduates, emphasizing how greatly they will be missed by the team.

“They’ve just been really pivotal in driving the growth of this program,” Vicino said. “They’ve been extremely consistent. They cared a lot. They’ve created new team traditions. They have just been an absolute dream to coach over the past four years.”

While the departure of beloved graduates is heartbreaking for the program, Northeastern’s dance team isn’t structured around year or seniority. Vicino explained how the dancers have established a coequal, safe space for all.

“I think everybody on the team, and even the freshmen who are in their first season, have stepped up,” Vicino said. “There’s big pockets of greatness from everybody in terms of showing leadership and creating a cohesive team bond.”

The team culture is best summarized by not a word, but rather an item — a traveling journal, to be specific, Vicino said.

Each dancer gets an opportunity to document their feelings in the group’s shared notebook before passing it on to a teammate who’s making a noticeable effort in practice that week. Then, the cycle continues.

As a newcomer, freshman Alexi Deninno expressed her gratitude for the team’s welcoming atmosphere.

“I feel like there’s no separation between grades. [Upperclassmen] never really say the word ‘rookie,’” Deninno said. “We all have the same passion,

the same goals and everyone is so including. [The seniors] bring the best energy, and they’re like second parents. It’s amazing.”

The Huskies showcased their team chemistry and cohesive bond April 5 at Northeastern’s annual NDA/NCA National Send-Off, where the team debuted its nationals routines for the first time.

“The stakes feel a little bit higher because you’re performing for people that you really care about, and you want to do your best and show them what we’ve been working for,” Vicino said. “This is a great confidence boost for the team, getting to perform for their peers and show the school, staff and faculty who we really are.”

Different from the entertaining routines the Huskies perform at sports games, their nationals routines are packed with explosive tricks, costume manipulations and an obvious “wow” factor — a side of the dance team people might not expect.

“I think that there’s a lot of education that needs to be done about how special dance is,” Vicino said. “It

truly is a sport, and there’s so much that goes into it, so much time and practice, and we need more support. I think it’s one of the most demanding activities on the human body.”

That is what Northeastern’s dance team looks to prove when it steps on stage in Daytona Beach — and the team wasn’t shy about sharing its goals for the trip.

“My biggest hope is winning first in our Team Performance,” Deninno said. “We deserve it, and we’re going to give it our all.”

Vicino emphasized her confidence in her dancers and the results they will receive.

“I know that they’re going to score much higher than they’ve ever scored before,” Vicino said. “I think we’re going to hit records for placement and for scores. My hope is that they come out of it feeling extremely proud about the routines that they put out and that they show the country who Northeastern is, and that they’ve got a really solid dance program on top of academics. And I know that’s going to happen.”

The dance team presents its Team Performance routine at Northeastern’s annual NDA/NCA National Send-Off April 5. Last year, the Huskies finished third at nationals for their Team Performance routine.

Huskies battle back with late-game six-run performance to claim series win over Towson

By Amelia Ballingall Sports Editor

After a week at home, the Northeastern baseball team (24-7, 7-2 CAA) traveled to Towson University over the weekend, and despite losing their nine-game winning streak April 6, the Huskies rallied back April 7 to take the series 2-1 with a 9-4 victory.

The first inning was nearly a 1-2-3 frame from both sides, the only difference being a hit by pitch from Tigers junior righty Brett Seils. Although his flounder put graduate student Tyler MacGregor, Northeastern’s leader in runs (42), on base, Seils kept his composure, striking out the rest of the first-inning batters.

On the mound for the Huskies, starting pitcher Wyatt Scotti pitched a near-perfect stretch in his six innings of work. In his eighth appearance this season, the senior allowed only three hits and no runs, bringing his ERA down to 4.34. Only two Towson runners managed to get in scoring

position in those six innings.

With Scotti manning the forefront of the Huskies’ defense, Northeastern got on the scoreboard first, earning two runs in the second inning.

A fielding error from Towson sophomore center fielder Cole Stefano left a big opportunity for the Huskies, who had two runners on, both in scoring position. With plenty of space, sophomore Jack Goodman and junior Jack Doyle both ran home, giving the Huskies a 2-0 lead.

At the top of the third, Northeastern extended its lead by one. Facing MacGregor, graduate student Alex Lane and junior Mike Sirota back to back to back to start an inning is a formidable task, and the trio quickly loaded the bases. Doyle struck out swinging, giving Towson a glimmer of hope with the first out of the frame, but Goodman capitalized on the opportunity, extending his breakout-season success with a fielder’s-choice single to bring MacGregor home.

Scotti finished out his day strong

with 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth, still at the top of his game after throwing 87 pitches. He was relieved by sophomore right-hander Charlie Walker at the bottom of the seventh, but Walker struggled in his sole inning.

After being silenced for so long, Towson was eager to get on the board, as Walker allowed a walk and a hit against his first two batters.

However, with two consecutive infield flies, the runners were forced to wait, and Northeastern secured two outs. But before the Huskies could seal their third and end the inning, the Tigers roared to the lead.

A fielder’s choice hit from senior Jeremy Wagner scored two runs for Towson, and circling back to the top of the lineup, Stefano drove a two-RBI single into right field, giving the Tigers a 4-3 lead.

The Huskies responded immediately with an impressive six-run performance. Senior Luke Beckstein started it off for the Huskies with a sacrifice bunt, scoring redshirt sophomore

Harrison Feinberg. MacGregor then knocked an RBI single into center field before stealing bases with Lane, yet another trademark double-steal from the Huskies this season. Sirota stepped up to the plate, and with an intimidating record to his name, including a CAA preseason Player of the Year nod, the Tigers opted to intentionally walk him and load the bases. However, this didn’t go as Towson planned, as a bases-loaded walk extended the Huskies lead to 6-4. Finally, senior Gregory Bozzo notched a season-high three-RBI afternoon in just one hit, his right field drive scoring Doyle, Sirota and Lane. By the end of the inning, Northeastern had jumped back in front heftily, owning a five-run lead the Tigers couldn’t chip into.

In that inning, the Tigers cycled through three pitchers, none of them able to slow Northeastern’s momentum. A 1-2-3 inning from junior righty Dennis Colleran and a sole hit against Northeastern junior closer Jack Beauchesne ended the day in favor of

the Huskies, 9-4, as they left Towson with another series win.

Over the weekend, Northeastern made it to the top of one nation-wide ranking — although maybe not one to write home about. After breaking the single-season program record for hits by pitch April 5 with 18, Beckstein was nailed four more times to lead the country with 22. On the bright side, the leadoff hitter now owns Northeastern’s top on base percentage at .561, so those blows might just be a blessing in disguise.

On April 16, the Huskies will return to Massachusetts, but remain on the road as they visit Boston College for the pair’s second matchup this season. The Huskies defeated the Eagles just a couple weeks ago and will look to do the same in the Baseball Beanpot championship, a tournament Northeastern has not been in the finals for since 2018 and has not won since 2013. The Huskies will seek their first Beanpot victory in over a decade when the first pitch flies at 5 p.m.

Photo by Ali Caudle

John Martinson, a venture capitalist and philanthropist, donated $5 million to Northeastern’s Honors Program in February. The sizable donation aims to support a new branch of the program that serves newer and incoming honors students.

The new John Martinson Honors Program is split into two groups: the “Legacy” half is for those admitted into Honors before fall 2023, while the “Reimagined” half is for students admitted into Honors in fall 2023 or later.

Looking at the requirements of each program side by side, it’s difficult to see the point of the restructuring.

The crux of Northeastern’s Honors Program, both before and after the donation, is the ability to graduate with an “Honors Distinction.” For the Legacy Program, the requirements involve earning a final cumulative GPA of 3.5 or above, completing four to six Honors requirements based on whether students were

admitted before or after they became a Northeastern student and fulfilling the Honors Interdisciplinary Seminar requirement.

However, the requirements to graduate with the Honors Distinction differ for the Reimagined Program. To gain the achievement, students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and complete one global experience if they are an internal admit to the program — meaning they applied during the school year — and two if they are a first-year admit.

Northeastern places a large emphasis on its global experiences, but making it a requirement for honors students to study abroad to earn the Honors Distinction seems unfair. This option may be out of reach for students who want to graduate with that distinction — tuition and program fees for study abroad programs are expensive enough without the added costs of food and other necessities. The $6,000 Global Bank Account — which honors students can use to finance global experiences — and additional funding opportunities may help, but it still may not be enough for some.

The Reimagined Program also introduces the “Honors Impact Badge” concept, which allows students to unlock higher-level Honors opportunities after they complete their first year. Some of these higher-level opportunities include Honors Interdisciplinary Seminars and Inside the Honors Studio classes, the Honors Alumni Mentoring Network, Honors upperclass housing options and more.

In order to receive the badge, firstyear students must complete three

distinct Honors experiences. The first is Honors Discovery, which was required before the donation; the second is living in an Honors Living Learning Community, also previously required; and the third is a choice of various academic options which, though not explicitly required, is highly encouraged. These experiences will, according to the website, “support [first-year students] to grow in their role as impact agents in their communities, both within and outside of Northeastern University.”

I can concede that completing the three first-year experiences is not difficult. Most students’ schedules will leave room to take two Honors classes, especially because there are Honors offerings for certain departmental courses, such as political science, mathematics and biology.

What strikes me as odd about the Honors Impact Badge is that it supposedly closes off the higher-level opportunities to those who do not successfully complete the above experiences. What if a student does not pass their Honors calculus class? Or if the student’s registration time ticket or the class size prevents them from gaining entry into the course?

With that comes the fact that, for the most part, the three first-year experiences were already required before the Reimagined Program with no strings attached. The reason for this change is unclear to me.

I also struggle to see the overall impact of this badge. Making access to higher-level opportunities conditional isn’t how a “revamp” should work — the opportunities should just be available.

I have the perspective of a “Lega-

United States citizens are anxiously anticipating the 2024 presidential election, which is shaping up to be even more tumultuous than the previous election in 2020. Amidst conflicts like the war in Gaza, a fluctuating economy, attacks on reproductive rights and the climate crisis, the country is divided on who will be the best leader to address these issues.

Naturally, the public’s opinion is based on many factors, including personal beliefs about the economy, science and religion. Yet, generally

speaking, Gen Z voters tend to side with Democratic views on issues such as abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, which have been continually targeted by the GOP in recent years.

Despite this, many young voters may choose to opt out of voting in the upcoming election regardless of their political affiliation. Young voters are apprehensive to vote for either party’s presumptive nominee, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump for the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively. Much of young voters’ apprehension is related to the age of both candidates and an overarching distrust in the U.S. government, likely due to the state of politics in recent years. In discussions with my peers, I often hear this election referred to as a choice between “the lesser of two evils.”

While I don’t think that is an unfair statement to make, it doesn’t mean Gen Z voters should turn down the opportunity to have a say in this country’s future. Opting not to vote for the “lesser of two evils” as to renounce both candidates and their political positions doesn’t benefit anyone, especially those who have the most at stake.

cy” honors student, so I can’t speak for how well the restructuring is going or will go in the future. I can only speak on my own personal experience in the Legacy Program, and from what I can tell, I think we may be better off than our “Reimagined” peers.

Through the Honors Program, I have been able to take two First-Year Inquiry courses and one Interdisciplinary Seminar; I was also able to study abroad in Portugal last summer to finish my language requirement. In my first two years, I had access to the Honors housing options Northeastern provided. I didn’t have to unlock a badge to do any of these things — they were there for me to engage with.

According to Northeastern Global News, Martinson’s donation will go toward “enhanced integration with the university’s co-op program and providing students with additional global experiential learning opportunities.”

This is a great use of the gift, especially concerning the co-op program. From my experience in the program, there hasn’t been much overlap between the two, and more resources available for the co-op process never hurt anyone.

The complete restructuring, however, seems unnecessary. There’s no need to fix what wasn’t broken, except, I guess, when the fix puts your name on the door of an office.

Kristina DaPonte is a third-year journalism major and deputy lifestyle editor for The News. She can be reached at daponte.k@northeastern. edu.

As the youngest generation of adults in the country, Gen Z voters have a long future ahead of them. The outcome of this election and its implications for all future politics in the U.S. may determine much of Gen Z’s satisfaction with the future of this country.

During the 2020 election, Gen Z voters played a major role in pushing voter turnout to be the highest in the country’s history. That momentum cannot be lost among Gen Z voters for the upcoming election, as decisions made by the next president will change our lives in this country as we know it.

It can feel uncomfortable to form an opinion by casting a vote if neither choice feels morally right or satisfactory to an individual. However, the hardest decisions are often the most important ones that need to be made.

The country’s policies surrounding immigration and reproductive rights are just a couple examples of issues that Gen Z voters cannot afford to be indifferent on. While it’s highly possible that neither candidate has a stance that fully aligns with one’s personal beliefs, choices still must be made in regards to dire issues.

Voters have to consider which candidate will best uphold their values and protect the welfare of U.S. residents, not just who will be a perfect president.

As of this year, 41 million Gen Z individuals will be of voting age. It is crucial they take advantage of that right. Gen Z voters are looking for politicians that are more representative of them, which means having younger politicians in office that will advocate for the beliefs of Gen Z. This election is the most opportune time to begin working toward that shift in our government.

I hope Gen Z voters will make the choice to go to the polls, undaunted by the controversy surrounding the election. We have so much information at our disposal, which can be overwhelming when trying to discern where one stands politically. But, what matters is what we choose to do with that information, and right now, voting is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves and others.

Photo by Darin Zullo

Photo by Darin Zullo

Op-ed: The best way to save SGA is to leave it

For the past four years, I have had the distinct and weird experience of having served on both The News’ editorial board as design editor and the Student Government Association’s, or SGA’s, executive board as student body president. This has given me the unique perspective of hearing from some of SGA’s biggest critics while being its biggest cheerleader. I have never done this before and will probably never again, but with the new SGA president and executive vice president having been announced on March 25, I wanted to share my thoughts on two of the biggest criticisms faced by SGA.

SGA doesn’t do anything…

The No. 1 question I get when I tell Northeastern students I was student body president is: What does SGA actually do? Totally fair question. SGA doesn’t exactly do a good job in letting students know

what it does, especially since the majority of advocacy done in the organization doesn’t happen in Senate, as most believe, but in its committees instead.

Senate is the more formal body of SGA, and I think it is the main branch students think of when referring to SGA. Speaking frankly, it is also the most broken branch. It is in a state of perpetual limbo due to its Congress-like rules that should guide procedures but instead hinder its progress. Student body representation in Senate, both in terms of students demographics and fields of study, has also always been an issue. And no matter how hard leadership tries to recruit, it is never enough. I don’t blame people for not wanting to join or leaving after a year. Ask anyone who has been in Senate for a semester or more, and they will have some sort of nightmare story to tell from a meeting. Mine was the internal election Senate in spring 2022, where the meeting lasted almost eight hours, and I got home at 3 a.m. All these problems make Senate ineffective in dealing with students’ issues.

On the other hand, I got involved with SGA by joining committees, and it’s where many people find their passion for advocacy in the Association. They are its heart and soul. SGA’s eight committees, which range from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Sustainability to Global Experience and Academic Affairs, are where the advocacy

really happens.

The various committees created Wellness Days, implemented TRACE, and established the Dining Advisory Board and the Campus Planning Advisory Board that provide direct feedback to university administrators. There might be important legislation that is passed in Senate, but the nitty-gritty work and countless hours spent advocating with administrators is done by committees.

SGA does do good things, but it is just exceptionally bad at communicating them to the student body. And Senate can be the best of times or the worst of times.

SGA is cliquey and insular… Yes. 100%. Could not agree more. This is one of the main reasons I ran for student body president in 2022. I was the first non-executive board member ever elected to the presidency, and my running mate, Sebastian Chávez Da Silva, and I ran in the first contested election since 2017. In a recent WRBB x Huntington News podcast episode, a host asked how common uncontested elections are.

Before fall 2023, when legislation was passed removing prior SGA experience from presidential requirements, a lot of potential slates weren’t able to run. It was hard to find two people who had been in Senate long enough to satisfy the requirements. To find four and have at least two slates? Forget it. Thankfully, it is now

a lot easier because of the changes that have been made.

SGA’s biggest problem, however, is that it is an insular institution. Many still believe that to be successful in the role, you have to be an ‘insider.’ That is somewhat true: There are many advantages to knowing and gaming the system. Speaking from personal experience, it is so much easier to run for an SGA position once you know how the system works — not just know the position, but how to navigate SGA as a whole. When I ran for president, I had been involved with committees for two years, but I had only been a senator for a semester. And let me tell you, it was a massive adjustment, in large part because of the strange and strict Robert’s Rules of Order the Association follows.

The issue with being an insider and being comfortable with the myriad of rules — some good and some meh — is that most people don’t do anything else. They go on to represent the student body without substantial experience being part of more than one or two clubs.

I love how committed people are to SGA. Students are the backbone of the Association. However, to effectively serve as the voice of the student body to administration, one has to be in the student body — not just SGA.

I do not claim to have been a perfect president, and there are many things that I could have done better. Being new to SGA leadership while having been heavily involved with

five other organizations prior to my presidency afforded me the perspective that SGA wasn’t everything.

Our perspectives in leadership, Senate and committees weren’t everything. We had to do outreach and be in constant conversations with different student organizations and the student body because, ultimately, they are our highest priority. I do think SGA can be an instrument for good on this campus, and it has been, but it’s not perfect. In so many instances, the Association is wrapped up itself, set in its ways, and even new solutions bring up the same problems.

I hope to see many more contested elections down the line — tough, close elections where students get to vote on who really has the best vision for Northeastern’s future and the fight to make it happen.

My last bit of advice:

If you have never been involved in SGA, join it. Advocate for what you believe in; make some noise. You are the most powerful advocate for your fellow students.

And if you have been in SGA for a while, leave it. Join clubs. Be a part of the student body you hope to represent.

Angelica Jorio is a fourth-year political science and economics combined major, design editor of The News and former student body president. She can be reached at jorio.a@ northeastern.edu.

Op-ed: Don’t judge me for being a night owl

Yes, I’m writing this at 4 a.m. I know I shouldn’t keep ruining my sleep schedule. I know I shouldn’t keep dozing off during my afternoon classes. I know the birds’ chirps at the crack of dawn are certainly not meant for me.

Recently, I have been having a mid-college crisis. I am more than halfway done completing my degree, and soon, I’ll be walking across the stage to receive my diploma. Afterward, I wish to obtain a Ph.D. While the idea of overexerting myself and packing in even more late nights for another set of years may sound crazy, the opportunity to be at the forefront of scientific progress entices me and my curiosity.

Sometimes I feel like doing as many things as possible within a day before fitting in just enough hours of sleep to get through my classes.

Extracurricular activities consume a lot of my time: I play in the symphony orchestra and a chamber group, research music cognition and a machine learning model to

predict success in field hockey and of course, serve as The News’ data editor. If I can, I sneak in a couple of minutes to destress by reading books or playing “Genshin Impact.” I could be devoting more hours to sleep, but when will I have more time in my life to dedicate myself to my interests? Will there be another time I can enjoy absorbing the profundity of the masterpieces of Bruch, RimskyKorsakov, Brahms, Forsyth and Chopin on my three instruments? Will I ever get opportunities to run neuropsychology research to discover how our enjoyment of music relates to neural entrainment? Or time to examine chains of events that lead field hockey players to have a higher probability of scoring a goal?

On top of my extracurricular commitments, I am also determined to excel in my classes. I have been busy this semester taking high-level classes in supervised machine learning, human-computer interaction, large-scale information and retrieval systems and laboratory research design. Thus, I have very little time to sleep.

There are also some possible advantages to being a night owl. An investigation by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan found that people who stay up late have more creativity and originality. Another by the University of Liège in Belgium suggested that night owls have more mental endurance. Satoshi Kanazawa of the London School of Economics and Political Science said that staying up late may be

associated with higher intelligence. A study from the University of Alberta indicated we may also have bursts of strength in the evening due to increased motor cortex and spinal cortex excitability. A study from the University of Madrid implied we may be better at reasoning.

I recognize that sleep is a physiological need that I should prioritize over school and my passions. While that is true, some people just work better late in the evening. I’m not saying it’s better to be a night owl than an early bird, but my current work schedule makes this the best option for me. While I need to take periodic power naps to compensate for my sleep deprivation, working at night makes me feel more focused. I always start assignments as early as I can. Yet, starting or continuing to work closer to my bedtime fills me with a subtle underlying pressure that drives me to do as much as I can before I stay up too late. Conversely, if I try to sleep at a reasonable time and get up early to do work, I overestimate how much time I have and don’t feel as motivated to complete my tasks. The Yerkes-Dodson Law even justifies how a certain stress level may be necessary to optimize performance.

I firmly cut myself off from work when my roommate wakes up for his early commute to his co-op — I don’t need the embarrassment of awkwardly encountering him and having him question why I’m up studying for my Graduate Record Examination instead of burying my face in my pillow.

On top of it all, I find the night very beautiful. There is something

refreshing about working at Snell in a group study room without the clamor of students packed in the library throughout the morning and afternoon. Occasionally, I am fortunate enough to see the moon shine outside my window, giving me the mental refreshment I need to keep working until I can call it a night (technically early morning). None of these words are meant to advise that you should not prioritize sleep. Sleep has many benefits, which is why I don’t restrict myself to only two or three hours of sleep every single night. As I mentioned before, I am determined to do well in my classes, so I must sleep to stay relatively alert in my lectures and also to retain all the information I’ve learned so I don’t waste my tuition. However, getting at least seven hours of sleep daily is impossible with how much I want to do before graduation.

I also understand that some are too groggy in the evening to feel productive and would rather be

early birds, and that is OK. I do not judge anyone for their work habits. For instance, while procrastination is a questionable habit, some people feel more motivated when pressured to work close to their deadlines. For me, procrastination loads me with too much stress to work well, which the Yerkes-Dodson Law can also explain.

I’m more than halfway through the spring semester of my junior year. Afterward, I’ll have only two semesters left to fully immerse myself in Boston and the college experience. So please don’t mind me if you happen to receive a text or email from me at a questionable hour — I’m just trying to get the most out of my time here.

Jethro R. Lee is a third-year data science and psychology combined major and data editor of The News. He can be reached at lee.jet@ northeastern.edu.

Photo by Jessica Xing

Photo courtesy Angelica Jorio

Graphic by Katie Mulcahy