Weeks into Trump administration, NU researchers wonder what’s next
CITY
Following Northeastern’s removal of nearly all diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, messaging from its websites and social media platforms Jan. 29, postdoctoral teaching associate Griffin Zimmerman sent a Canvas message to students in all four of his writing courses. Zimmerman told them he was cancelling class the next day to work on restructuring the curriculum, which
ed readings.
After a student posted Zimmerman’s message online, Northeastern administrators called a meeting with the English professor, asking him to remove the message from Canvas. According to Zimmerman, the administrators told his supervisor that it was not the university’s intention to prevent faculty from teaching their classes as planned.
“I didn’t want to give an opportunity for the university to become
Op-ed: From Cupid to college cynic
Ah, the long-awaited Feb. 14 — Cupid is coming to town. Either you’re single and dreading Valentine’s Day, or you and your significant other have a Contessa reservation locked down and are wondering why everyone is being so darn negative about the whole dating thing.
The happy couples have a point. Over the years, Generation Z singles have come to view the modern dating scene through an increasingly pessimistic lens — and there’s no lack of TikTok videos, articles and young people across college campuses to prove it. For every pleasant experience out there, it’s the dating “nightmares” that have captured our attention.
The stats also look pretty murky: 79% of Gen Z feels burnt out by dating apps. Nearly half of young men have opted out of dating. A 2024 Hinge study found that although 90% of Gen Z report wanting to find love, crippling fears of rejection stand in the way.
No doubt about it, this generation’s dating scene has gotten messy. But do our extreme levels of cynicism actually fix anything?
Before the complaints from swaths of Valentine’s Day haters
start to roll in (no judgment, I’ve been guilty of it too), it’s time Gen Z takes some personal accountability for our role in shaping and perpetuating modern dating culture.
We are living the ultimate dating irony: By incessantly complaining about problems in the dating world, we feed into them, transforming the inherently fun process of getting to know someone into an unenjoyable experience for everyone involved.
For evidence of Gen Z’s dating cynicism, look no further than our daily vernacular on campus. If you eavesdrop on just one “study” session at Snell Library, it will quickly become clear that our generation is consumed with using negative, hyper specific terms to characterize our relationship experiences. Today, people are immediately written off as “red flags.” They “love bomb” by disingenuously showering you in affection far too soon or “ghost” conversations, unexpectedly halting communication without saying why.
And how can we forget about the newest dating craze: the “situationship.” This undefined relationship status has become not only Gen Z’s new norm, but a term used to excuse any type of manipulative behavior under the sun.
continuing a focus that the univer sity needed to have rebranded,” said Zimmerman, who is transgender and advocates for the inclusion of marginalized students.
Zimmerman and other Northeastern professors have been left in a state of confusion over what coursework and research can continue in the wake of President Donald Trump’s slew of executive orders that have axed DEI research and programs on a federal level.
Northeastern was among the first higher education institutions to respond by instructing faculty Jan. 29 to report whether research funded by the National Science Foundation involved DEI principles and state that they have ceased any such research. The email was sent after over 430 faculty attended a tense faculty senate meeting, which was dominated by conversations about threats to federal research funds and the future of DEI.
LIFESTYLE
Love from the heart or love from your wallet? Has Valentine’s Day become too consumerist?
CROSSWORD
Solve
Clean air continues to evade Roxbury residents
DEVYN RUDNICK News Staff
Living in Roxbury for a week has the same health implications as smoking roughly 5.25 cigarettes.
Toxic air pollutants have plagued Roxbury for at least a decade, according to collected Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, air emissions data.
Air toxics are airborne substances that have eerily similar effects to
cigarettes when inhaled, causing serious health problems like fatal lung disease and cancer. Using an air quality index calculator, the real-world equivalent of these pollutants’ damage is revealed.
A low-income and ethnically diverse community, Roxbury has developed into a mass transportation hub and an archetype of poor air quality in Boston. This past year, the EPA reported environmental justice concerns in every tested
sector in Roxbury. The neighborhood scores in the 90th percentile or worse, on several EPA measures of air toxicity, including cancer risk, respiratory hazard and proximity to hazardous waste. This puts Roxbury in the top 10% of environmental justice concerns for both the state of Massachusetts and the entire U.S. Other neighborhoods in the area, like Brookline, display no pressing environmental justice concerns.
ALEXA COULTOFF News Staff
Boston City Hall earns landmark status
Read about this historic building’s controversial history.
Photo by Jessica Xing
SAMANTHA DENECOUR Columnist
Graphic by Morgan Conway
The News’ February crossword!
Graphic by Emma Liu
FACULTY, on Page 2
Graphic and photos by Catherine Gore, Elizabeth Scholl and Nia Calais
Passengers wait at the Nubian bus station. The EPA reported quality concerns with every tested area in Roxbury this year.
Photo by Devyn Rudnick
Answers will be revealed in the next print issue.
Research funding threats prompt alarm, confusion among Northeastern community
A College of Social Sciences and Humanities, or CSSH, faculty member, who spoke with The Huntington News on the condition of anonymity, said they have seen their colleagues struggle to make sense of Northeastern’s vague instructions regarding scrapping research that touches on DEIA-related topics.
“I think there’s a lot of frustration with how our administration is struggling to answer how vague the language of the [executive order] is,” they said. “A lot of faculty are asking, ‘My research is about this. Should I keep doing it?’ and the administration does not seem able to give a straight answer.”
The faculty member shared an email with The News from CSSH Dean Kellee Tsai that was sent to CSSH faculty and staff Jan. 31, in which Tsai affirmed her personal vision for CSSH to move forward with its work despite what the central administration may be advising.
“The recent flurry of Executive Orders and ensuing confusion over their implications for our work and lives has been unsettling, to put it mildly,” Tsai wrote. “CSSH faculty must exercise their academic freedom to teach and do research on any topic, using the words that they find most appropriate.”
In its “Navigating a New Political
Landscape” FAQ, published Jan. 31, the university says it “does not impose limitations upon the freedom of faculty members in the exposition of the subjects they teach.”
In response to a question about what faculty and staff should do considering the changing policies regarding federally funded research, the university instructed research to continue as planned.
“As recent news shows, this is a fluid situation that we are monitoring carefully,” the FAQ’s “Research and Teaching” section reads. “We will evaluate any forthcoming executive orders or pauses if they happen and provide updated guidance when necessary.”
Northeastern is an R1 research institution, a prestigious title that is awarded by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education to select universities across the country. To qualify, a university must spend at least $50 million on research and development and produce at least 70 research doctorates per year. But researchers using federal grants may be subject to cuts due to the National Science Foundation’s new policy of flagging keywords and halting research with mentions of terms including “trauma,” “barriers,” “equity” and “excluded,” according to an internal document reviewed by The Washington Post.
“One of the big things that’s really scary about this if you’re a researcher is that your work could go away if you have a buzzword in one of your abstracts,” said Emery Jacobowitz, a fourth-year computer science and linguistics combined major. “It’s scary to know that your livelihood is now unpredictable.”
Other students feel Northeastern acted too fast in stripping away its DEI policies when it ultimately may not be mandated by the government.
“Northeastern was alarmingly quick to bend to compliance and immediately overhaul their DEI language, and it’s not necessary,” said Adina Gitomer, a fifth-year PhD student in the Network Science Institute run out of CSSH. “I feel like they could’ve stuck their neck out a little more.”
Johan Bonilla Castro, an assistant professor of physics who is nonbinary and Latinx, was hired by Northeastern in January 2024. Since they began, they said they have felt the university’s support for their identity lessen.
Bonilla Castro conducts research concerning high energy particle physics, but says that a focal point of their work involves bringing their identity into physics to push for increased diversity in a historically white and male-dominated field.
“At the center of all of my work is my identity and my experiences,
and I can’t just take those away. I can’t just rebrand that,” they said.
When the university took down its DEI webpages, Bonilla Castro and their colleagues in the department of physics spoke about how to reassure students that their identities were supported. They said the group asked their department chair if they could send out a mass email. According to Bonilla Castro, after their department chair consulted the college’s higher-ups, the answer was no.
Bonilla Castro and Toyoko Orimoto, another department of physics professor, sent an email of support Jan. 31 anyway, which included an apology on behalf of how students and fellow staff may have been “hurting in so many different ways” by the rapidly changing policies coming out of the White House, and offered unconditional support from the physics community.
“If I were to have sent out the contents of that email a year ago, it would not have been a problem,” Bonilla Castro said. “Clearly, there are some differences in policy that aren’t actually on paper and aren’t being communicated.”
Students and faculty who spoke with The News said that the university has understandably remained in a gray area with its policies to avoid federal repercussions, but its
actions have had damaging effects on the community.
“From the management perspective, the university is doing a great job,” Bonilla Castro said. “But people are scared. The communications are being controlled, so how do we actually communicate with each other when we’re specifically told not to?”
As Northeastern students and faculty continue to adjust to the changing landscape, it’s unclear what policies will stick.
“It’s an unprecedented world and I want to respect the fear people are experiencing because the university is preemptively making changes that we don’t know if it’s going to shake out that they’re necessary,” Zimmerman said.
Moving forward, Bonilla Castro said they expect their National Science Foundation-funded projects to be halted, but they will not bow to the pressures of the Trump administration or the university to scrub their identity from their work.
“I want to love this university. I’ve been here for a year and would love to be here longer, but it seems that a lot of the stuff that was good for me and my profile is now really bad and I’m being told I need to just do research, shut up and fall in line,” they said. “That’s the way I’ve been made to feel and the way that a lot of my colleagues feel.”
Toxic pollutants plague nearby neighborhood
“When a lot of people think about air quality, they tend to think about respiratory conditions, but it’s also important to recognize that some of these air toxics also contain cancer-causing ingredients,” said Laura Senier, a Northeastern associate professor of sociology and health science and undergraduate program director of sociology and anthropology. “It can lead to a whole variety of adverse health endpoints for a population.”
Roxbury residents are inhaling toxins that slowly deteriorate their health with each breath. This is especially true for vulnerable populations like children and elderly adults as poor air quality incites high rates of asthma, difficulty breathing and other lung problems. Long-term exposure raises the risks of heart disease and cancer, according to the American Lung Association.
“Childhood asthma rates are unparalleled in Roxbury compared to the rest of Boston,” said Orla Molloy, a fourth-year environmental studies and political science combined major and co-chair of the Student Sustainability Committee at Northeastern. “There is a graveyard with a couple of children who had died from asthma as a result of direct pollution from Nubian station.”
Molloy recently participated in a Roxbury “Toxic Tour” with Alternatives for Community and Environment, or ACE, a popular local organization that aims to have a say in environmental decisions statewide. The walking tour taught Molloy about the health risks those living near Nubian Square face.
Roxbury’s daily air quality index report is typically in the 50s, which is considered poor with high levels of pollution by AccuWeather’s air quality scale. This scale is the EPA’s tool for measuring and communicating how clean the air in a region is. The higher the number, the more polluted the air. Last year, the air quality index annual average for Roxbury was at least one point higher than Mattapan, Dorchester and East Boston, nearby neighborhoods with daily reports often 10 points lower than Roxbury.
“Our zip code is actually killing us,” said Massachusetts state Sen. Liz Miranda, a Roxbury native. “We have lead in our water pipes and the soil is polluted, and we have bad air quality and that shocking statistic of us dying 30 years ahead of time.”
Miranda grew up near Nubian Square in a part of Roxbury coined “Dudley Triangle.” According to Miranda, Dudley Triangle is “the most [environmental justice-concerned] community in the city of Boston.”
“I realized that we were living in an environmentally unjust community and the air quality was so bad that people in Roxbury live to be like 60 years old when people in the Back Bay get to live until 90,” Miranda said. “So as you can see, the disparity in the health outcomes is such a rare consequence of the toxic air pollutants that we’ve been living with for so long.”
The looming danger may be invisible, but it does not go unnoticed. Many Roxbury residents are acutely
aware of the threat to their health that the air presents. Community members have mobilized to improve the air quality before, marching in the streets in 2021 and rallying for World Asthma Day to reduce air pollution in May 2024. ACE continues to work with residents like Molloy to achieve tangible environmental justice.
ACE members regularly host “neighborhood listening sessions,” attend City Council meetings and advocate for environmental justice and education in Roxbury. In 2020, the organization won a lawsuit against Transdev Services, Inc., an international company that operates and maintains public transportation, for exceeding the state’s legal limit of bus idle time, securing funding for local nonprofits and cleaner air.
“This settlement is a major win for cleaner air in Boston communities,” said Heather Govern, director of the Conservation Law Foundation’s Clean Air and Water program, in an interview with The Huntington News. “Toxic tailpipe pollution threatens the health of our most vulnerable neighbors and contributes to the climate crisis. With increased training and monitoring at bus lots, Transdev will be better able to stop excessive bus idling and the spread of this harmful pollution.”
Roxbury has high traffic density, several transit stops and bus stations, all contributing to heavy vehicular pollution.
“It’s incredibly important to shed light on the fact that the air
pollutants that are associated with heavy-duty, diesel-powered buses are directly linked to increased mortality rates across Massachusetts,” Molloy said.
Most Roxbury residents are dependent on the notoriously unreliable public transportation. While Roxbury is a designated transportation hub, the routes don’t reach many parts of the neighborhood — leaving residents without public transportation, but with the consequential pollution.
“These communities are not very well-served, usually by public transit,” Senier said. “So they will often, unfortunately, end up with a big concentration of bus depots in their community, but the buses don’t necessarily run through those communities during the day for people to actually get to work or get home.”
The poor air quality is rivaled by a deep dedication to educating and bringing awareness to anyone willing to listen. Environmental activism has become a pillar of community engagement in Roxbury, with larger organizations like ACE leading toxic tours and fighting legal battles while student-led initiatives and smaller groups like Reclaim Roxbury spearhead grassroots activism.
Still, after years of working and great strides toward improved air quality, Roxbury’s air remains flagged for “potential environmental justice concerns,” according to the EPA’s records.
Lower-income and predominantly non-white communities suffer
from “negative externalities,” such as heavy pollutant bus stations and waste dumps, Molloy said. The surplus of these negative externalities in neighborhoods like Roxbury is known as “environmental racism” — institutionalized discrimination that deprives residents of essential environmental rights like clean air, according to the National Resource Defense Council.
“Although there are other polluted neighborhoods across Boston, the air tends to be more polluted in areas where there’s increased public or affordable housing developments; obviously, this is not a coincidence,” Molloy said.
Roxbury has a 31% poverty rate compared to Boston’s 19% citywide rate and continues to pay the most in environmental tolls because of it. Community advocates say this is a result of historical disinvestment in Roxbury, along with other low-income communities. Systems that neglect the health of residents in such areas continue to be perpetuated across the nation.
“A lot of people don’t realize that for poor communities and of color communities, the greatest correlation of toxicity is race,” Miranda said.
Like most low-income and nonwhite communities in the United States, Roxbury is victim to a broader, systemic trend of disproportionate environmental justice concerns.
“How can we expect people living in poorly maintained public housing to break the cycle of poverty when they’re simultaneously confronting environmental issues like horrible air quality?” Molloy said.
FACULTY, from Front
ROXBURY, from Front
Boston City Hall earns landmark status, but not all residents are fans
ISABELLA BREGANTE KENNEDY AND JACOB WILLIAMS News Correspondents
Boston City Hall was designated as a historical landmark by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Jan. 24, ensuring the building’s preservation. The Boston Landmarks Commission voted on the building’s architectural, cultural and civic significance in early December 2024, which set the stage for the building’s new landmark status.
The current City Hall, constructed in 1968, replaced the former City Hall, now known as “Old City Hall.” The original City Hall was built in 1865 and was characterized by its French architecture. Nevertheless, “New City Hall” has been the heart of Boston’s government for the past 50 years. Many Boston residents find the building’s design to be quite a shock.
“It doesn’t appear to fit the site. It seems large and disjointed in comparison [to the rest of the buildings],” said Krystyna Ostaszewski, a second-year architecture student at Northeastern.
“It’s super industrial. … It just doesn’t look right. But it does seem fitting that it would be a landmark.”
City Hall did not achieve landmark status without controversy. Nestled in the heart of Boston’s historical district, the building undeniably stands out. Often criticized for its brutalist design, the concrete structure draws both criticism and praise.
Much of the original discourse surrounding the building had to do with the cause for its construction; the “New City Hall” required
Boston’s burlesque district, Scully Square, to be demolished, removing a center for nightlife.
“The city in the mid-20th century was suffering and was seen as very backward, and a city that businesses didn’t want to invest in,” said professor Daniel Abramson, director of architectural studies in the Department of History of Art and Architecture at Boston University.
“The political and business leaders and much of the community really wanted to demonstrate that Boston was not stuck in the past and that it was capable of moving forward.”
The bid to design Boston City Hall was one of the first modern architecture competitions in the United States to have dominion over designing a government building. Out of the 256 contest submissions, Kallman McKinnell & Knowles, a Boston-based architectural firm, won with its hyper-modern brutalist design.
Brutalist architecture, which found its beginnings in Britain in the 1950s and ‘60s, is meant to demonstrate a more raw and honest feeling, foregoing nearly all materials beside concrete.
Boston has long been characterized by its traditional, Victorian-style brownstones and English architectural influence. City Hall thereforefaced scrutiny due to its brutalist architecture and stark contrast to surrounding historical buildings.
“Do you want to live in a community that’s homogenous, where everything is the same, or are
you comfortable with diversity?” Abramson said.
Jerry Leonard, 90, who has volunteered at Boston City Hall for 10 years, answered this question for himself.
“I love the building. I think it’s fascinating. It’s one of the oldest cities in the country with one of the newest [government] buildings,” Leonard said.
Leonard walked from his post in the lobby of City Hall to a railing overlooking the brick-lined first floor, and pointed to the concrete ceiling above.
“So here you’re looking at three different stories. We haven’t gone anywhere, and here we have the bricks. We have the concrete. We have the transition,” Leonard said.
But not everyone is as enthusiastic as Leonard about City Hall’s design.
“So really, all the old buildings [in Boston] are fantastic buildings, and I think you’ve got a bit of a monstrosity here in the middle,” said Nicholas Altmann, a tourist visiting from Liverpool, England. “It looks like something from Star Wars. It looks like something Darth Vader wants to destroy.”
With differing opinions, the public sentiment surrounding City Hall is a mixed bag. However, there does appear to be a general consensus that the building deserves its recognition.
“By every standard and criteria for how buildings get landmarked, it’s deserving,” Abramson said. “You may or may not like Boston City Hall aesthetically, but it meets the criteria for architectural, historical and community significance.”
Dozens convene for conservative student convention, Steve Bannon speech
Dozens of students from multiple universities in the area convened at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge Feb. 8 for the Harvard Conservative and Republican Student Conference featuring keynote speaker Steve Bannon.
Students said the event, which several conservative Harvard student groups organized, was an opportunity to find community in a region that leans heavily Democratic.
“I came today mainly to network, but also to learn about the conservative movement and to gain confidence in the conservative
movement, especially in such a liberally-entrenched college like Harvard,” said Lucas MacFee, a collge student who is part of the Leadership Institute.
In addition to Bannon, who was the White House Chief Strategist for seven months during President Donald Trump’s first administration, keynote speakers included former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands and professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School Amy Wax. In between speeches, students attended panels concerning foreign policy, American identity and immigration and labor.
“The panels are amazing because you can hear, especially in the conservative and right-wing movement, there are tons of different opinions, and hearing [panelists] convey them and making your own conclusion from that is probably one of the most productive parts of going to these types of conferences,” said Nick, a student at Harvard who asked for his last name to remain anonymous due to concerns about being a conservative on Harvard’s campus.
“This event, being student-run, is designed to
promote right-of-center discussion and to provide a means for right-ofcenter students to connect with one another,” the Harvard Conservative and Republican Society said in a statement to The Huntington News.
The conference wrapped with a speech from Bannon, who advocated for conservative positions on a range of prominent policy issues.
Bannon, a controversial figure who criticized establishment Republicans after leaving the White House in 2017, called “legal immigration programs” a “scam against American citizens.”
“There’s no legal immigration in our nation, understand that. It’s either illegal immigration to the border of 10 million people to destroy the low-skilled African Americans and Hispanics, and they brag about it,” Bannon said, adding that immigrants work for low wages in the U.S., which he likened to slavery and indentured servitude.
According to the Pew Research Center, 77% of immigrants are in the U.S. legally. An IZA World of Labor report found that immigrants do earn less than natives when they enter a new country, but wages generally grow over generations.
Bannon often urged the audience to “fight” and likened the current political climate to the American Revolution, Civil War and World War II.
QUICK READS
Demonstrators protest Trump administration
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the Massachusetts State House, holding signs and joining in chants, Feb. 5 to voice their disapproval of President Donald Trump and his recent executive orders.
The protest was one of a nationwide wave of demonstrations advertised on social media as part of the 50501 movement, referring to a goal of 50 protests held across all 50 states in one day.
The demonstration did not go without opposition: Two counter-protesters in “Make America Great Again” hats held up signs with anti-transgender slogans. They were flanked by Massachusetts State Police officers.
Demonstrators like Lexi Spagnardi, a disability justice professional at Massachusetts General Hospital, said that standing together against the new administration was vital.
“If we’re out here showing up and not hiding, then that sends a message that we’re not just going to let this all happen to us,” Spagnardi said.
This is just one of several recent protests outside the State House, including a transgender unity rally Jan. 30 and one in support of immigrant communities Feb. 9.
NU student identified as DOGE engineer
Second-year Boston University student Philip Wohltorf said he liked some of Bannon’s points while being critical of others.
“Overall, I think it was a motivating speech,” he said.
“They [Democrats] don’t believe in the United States of America as an idea or an entity. What they believe in is money and power and transhumanism,” Bannon said.
According to Britannica, transhumanism is a philosophical and scientific movement that advocates the use of current and emergent technologies. It’s not clear if this is what Bannon was referring to.
Members of the audience clapped and banged on tables in support of Bannon’s points. After taking a question about whether Trump will have to “crown” somebody as a successor, Bannon looked around the room and told the audience that some of its members would be leaders in the conservative movement in the next few years. He encouraged students to continue to stand up for their beliefs, even in a liberal area, and urged them to “fight.”
“You have to fight. And if you’re relentless and driven and focused and pure of heart, we’ll win,” Bannon said. “And if we win, they’ll talk about you hundreds of years from now.”
Madison Evangelist contributed reporting.
A Feb. 2 WIRED Magazine report named Northeastern firstyear Edward Coristine as one of a handful of young engineers in Elon Musk’s newly minted Department of Government Efficiency. Now, U.S. officials familiar with the matter say he holds roles as senior adviser at the State Department and at the Department of Homeland Security, according to The Washington Post.
Coristine — who is listed in the Student Hub as a mechanical engineering and physics combined major — and his peers have been granted extraordinary access to sensitive government data. He is listed as an “expert” within the U.S. government’s Office of Personnel Management, WIRED reported. According to WIRED, Coristine spent three months last summer before starting at Northeastern working at Neuralink, a company founded by Musk that develops brain implants. A friend of Coristine who spoke to The Huntington News on the condition of anonymity said tech billionaire Elon Musk is an “idol” to Coristine.
The friend connected to Coristine said he completed the fall 2024 semester at Northeastern but did not return for the spring 2025 semester.
“Through high school, his goal was never really to go to college,” they said. “He really just wanted to build his own thing, like Mark Zuckerberg or Bill Gates.”
EMILY SPATZ News Staff
Steve Bannon speaks to the audience. Bannon served as the White House Chief Strategist for seven months during Donald Trump’s first administration.
Photo by Daniel Patchen
The exterior of Boston City Hall. The building was constructed in 1968 and designated a historical landmark Jan. 24.
Photo by Jessica Xing
Photo by Chloe Craft
Northeastern law professor takes on sports betting
In recent years, sports betting has skyrocketed nationwide. But the problem goes deeper than the cash.
GITANA SAVAGE News Staff
On Feb. 9, sports fans across the country gathered on their couches to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles face off in the 59th Super Bowl. However, the championship title wasn’t be the only thing at stake. Americans across the country were expected to legally bet a whopping $1.39 billion on the game, $14 million more than the year prior.
Sports betting is on the rise in the United States, with Americans betting an estimated $150 billion a year on sports, increasing by 23% since 2023. While the bets are getting bigger by the year, they have substantially increased among college students. According to the National Collegiate Athletic Association, 58% of college-aged students have bet on sports at least once, despite the legal age for gambling being 21 years old in most states. While maximum bet sizes and restrictions vary platform to platform, on DraftKings, a Boston-based sportsbook, users can place up to $500,000 on a single bet.
In 2023, the steadily increasing bets caught the eye of Northeastern School of Law professor Richard Daynard. Daynard, a seasoned public health advocate who serves as the president of the Public Health Advocacy Institute, or PHAI, is widely recognized for his landmark fights against Big Tobacco in the ’80s and ’90s.
Now, Daynard’s newest focus is sports gambling.
March 10, 2023, marked the first day of legal, mobile sports betting in Massachusetts. It wasn’t long before sports betting took off in the state, cementing itself in many Bostonians’ daily routines. For some, sports
betting serves as a way to connect with friends.
“I think the social aspect is really big,” said Thomas Dies, a fourth-year business administration and communication studies combined major and former social marketing co-op for DraftKings. “Especially since COVID, people want connection and it’s very easy for sports not only to connect people, but if you hone in on a specific player or hone in on a specific result, to build that camaraderie.”
However, Daynard and the PHAI, warn that the sense of camaraderie young sports betters may feel comes at a high cost.
“We had heard about and learned about the potentially addictive nature of gambling in general and figured that certainly applied to sports gambling as well, particularly as it appeals to younger people, particularly young males, and we were concerned about that,” said Mark Gottlieb, executive director of the PHAI, in an interview with The Huntington News.
These concerns led the PHAI to explore the potential risks of this new, more accessible form of gambling, and what they found was troubling.
Gambling is the only non-substance-related addictive disorder recognized by the American Psychological Association. A gambling addict experiences an increase in tolerance over time and then the withdrawals that accompany many substance-related addictions.
Gambling addictions are also linked to depression, anxiety, increased instances of intimate partner violence and the development of additional substance addictions. According to the Ohio Casino Control Commission, gambling addicts have the highest rate of suicide among all other
addiction disorders. Amid mounting concerns, Daynard and his team knew something must be done to mitigate the harms of sports betting.
In 2023, the PHAI filed a class action lawsuit against DraftKings for unfair and deceptive advertising for its promotion of a $1,000 bonus for users who opened an account. The promotion, Daynard explained, wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. In order to receive the $1,000 bonus, users must first put a deposit of $5,000 or more into their account.
“Then you have to make $20,000 of bets in the next 90 days, then after you’ve done all that, you still don’t get the $1,000,” Daynard said. “What you get is a $1,000 credit toward more betting.”
In August 2024, the Superior Court of Massachusetts struck down DraftKings’ motion to dismiss the lawsuit, and, though met with a mixed response, it made Massachusetts the first of five states to file similar class action lawsuits against the company, including New York, Illinois and Kentucky.
“I think going for an industry like Big Tobacco and going for something like sports betting are two very different ball games,” said Sam Herlihy, a fourth-year business administration major and former content editor co-op for DraftKings. “I don’t think [the marketing] was really predatory in any way. I felt like [Daynard] may have had just a gripe with sports betting in general and was picking a very small thing to try and latch on to to hurt the company.”
However, it’s not only the PHAI that has expressed alarm about the rise of sports betting. Ethan Kroon, a fifth-year journalism and media and screen studies combined major, is
dedicating his capstone project to the rise of online gambling, particularly its connections to capitalism and Western patriarchy.
The PHAI found similar ties between the rise of hyper masculine messaging and sports betting.
“It’s certainly a challenging cultural environment for young males in these times,” Gottlieb said. “I think there is a lot of toxic masculinity, there’s a lot of detachment, there’s a tremendous political polarization which probably feeds culture wars down to that level as well, but mostly what we have here is an addictive product that is geared to piggyback off of a natural interest in sports and also a competitive rivalry amongst young males.”
DraftKings has a Responsible Gaming, or RG, model in place, which provides players with a number of resources, including the option to set budgets and limits, and provides a link to the National Council on Problem Gambling. The RG team ensures all of the departments are following regulation and abiding by state and federal guidelines, Herlihy said.
“Everything we were doing was intended for the well-being of the consumers first,” Herlihy said.
“DraftKings has a huge Responsible Gambling department that would have to approve everything from the disclaimers I would put on posts to the exact verbiage of certain posts.”
Although DraftKings provides these resources, in most cases, the onus is on users to take advantage of them, leaving Daynard skeptical about their effectiveness.
“There’s an old public health [saying] about a cliff and people fall off the cliff fairly regularly as they walk along the path there … so the Responsible Gaming model is like
providing an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff,” Daynard said. “Is there another approach possible? Maybe perhaps they could build a fence on the side of the cliff so people didn’t fall off.”
Now, Daynard is looking for ways to “build a fence” for sports bettors. Recently, Daynard’s team helped draft the SAFE Bet Act, alongside U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko, D-N.Y. If passed, the act would create clearer guidelines for sports betting companies and introduce an array of restrictions, including a prohibition on advertising sports betting between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. and promoting “bonus bets” or “odds boosts” that are designed to induce gambling.
To Kroon, the guardrails in place for apps like DraftKings aren’t working. He’s begun to imagine alternative solutions to help prevent gambling addiction.
“I think there’s a level of education that needs to happen where people are educated on gambling in the same way that they are on drugs,” he said, “That messaging just doesn’t exist on the same level for gambling. So I think people don’t really recognize those risks.”
Daynard and his team hope to spread awareness that, at the end of the day, sports betting companies’ primary goal is to profit, and they’re willing to go great lengths to make that happen.
“[Sports betting companies] will take anybody’s money. They’re not picky,” Daynard said. “And, of course, that means a lot of college students, including at Northeastern University, are going to be [sports betting], and a substantial fraction of them are going to be addicted and suffering from serious harms.”
N.U.in students report difficult transition to Boston
SIERA QOSAJ News Staff
As Northeastern students returned to the campus for the spring semester, first-year students who spent the fall semester around the world as part of the university’s N.U.in program arrived in Boston for the first time.
Northeastern’s N.U.in program, originally introduced in 2007, is advertised by the university as providing students with “a holistic academic experience while earning credit toward their Northeastern undergraduate degree.” Applicants who were not admitted to the Boston campus are provided with the option to complete their first semester at one of 10 partner universities including University College Dublin, Saint Louis University Madrid and John Cabot University in Rome.
Once arriving in Boston, however, N.U.in students join the rest of the student body in classes. To some N.U.in students, adjusting to life on the Boston campus after arriving a semester later can be a difficult task.
“It’s definitely intimidating to make friends with people from Northeastern in Boston because these people already have their own friend group,” said Cordelia Ames, a first-year biological and mechanical engineering combined major who spent her first semester in Dublin.
GT Heming, a first-year computer
science major who spent his first semester in Madrid, detailed the social difficulties some N.U.in students face when arriving at the Boston campus.
“Because it’s the second semester, we’re coming at a weird time. It’s not really a point in the year where you’re trying to meet new people,” Heming said. “We already know a lot of people here who were in Madrid with us. But at the same time, a lot of the people here are really closed off, which is partially because they’ve already formed their own circles.”
Northeastern holds events at the beginning of the spring semester to introduce new and returning students to clubs and organizations on campus, such as the Winter Involvement Fair, which acts as an alternative to Fall Fest. However, Heming said he has benefited most from conversations with upperclassmen.
“Since my roommates are upperclassmen, I learned so much from them just in one night talking to them casually, so I feel like having something like that would be kind of huge,” Heming said, suggesting that Northeastern offer more opportunities for N.U.in students to connect with upperclassmen.
“Northeastern did a great job showing us clubs, but aside from that … we were kind of going in blind,” he said. “I had no idea where any of the buildings were, stuff like that.”
Many N.U.in students report
feeling a sense of anonymity upon their arrival to Boston and struggle to feel welcome in many campus spaces.
“I started hearing people yelling ‘abolish N.U.in’ in the dining hall, and it just became a joke,” Ames said.
Ames added that she was aware in advance of the treatment N.U.in students face upon their arrival to the Boston campus. “I kind of knew that the N.U.in thing was a joke and people would joke about it when I got back,” she said. “I was a little worried that I was gonna stick out like a sore thumb, but it hasn’t been that bad. It’s not a big deal if you don’t take it personally.”
Julian Bernetich, a first-year international business major who spent his first semester in Madrid, described a similar experience but described it as unexpected.
“My friend overheard one kid saying all the N.U.in kids need to get NU out, so there’s a lot of things like that,” Bernetich said. “It was … a shock to come here and be like, ‘Oh, damn. Everyone hates us personally.’ I was fully unaware.”
If someone hasn’t heard anything negative about the N.U.in program, all they need to do is log into one of the countless anonymous social media message boards used by Northeastern students. However, Heming said that despite a slew of posts criticizing or mocking N.U.in students on platforms including
Reddit, Sidechat and TikTok, he has never experienced negative reactions in person.
Maya Tjia, a first-year bioengineering major who was on the Boston campus in the fall, said the issue for Boston admits isn’t the N.U.in students themselves, but rather a general frustration with overcrowding.
“Don’t take the insults personally. It’s not a you issue, it’s a space issue with the school,” Tjia said. “[Stetson East] would get so crazy. Snell [Library] too, and Marino [Recreation Center]. It was already overcrowded and now it’s just so much worse.”
In 2024, 1,554 students participated in N.U.in across nine university partner locations worldwide in countries including Portugal,
Ireland and the Czech Republic.
“It’s a generalized stigma, but it’s not really personal,” Heming said. “And I think a lot of it’s because we’re just crowding the dining halls and stuff.”
Many students like Heming chose Northeastern not in spite of, but because of N.U.in program. In the 2022-23 school year, 3,780 undergraduate students had a global experience, which includes N.U.in, Dialogues of Civilization and semesters abroad across 66 countries.
“It can be an eye-opening experience,” Heming said. “And I think that’s super valuable for really anyone to have. And I think that’s something everyone should experience in some way, shape or form.”
by
Graphic
Mayah Hamaoui
Valentine’s Day: Is the romantic holiday straight from the heart or straight from your wallet?
SARAH PYRCE
As we trudge through February, that inescapable day has finally arrived.Whether you’re dreading it, excited for it or couldn’t care less, you simply cannot avoid the rampant commercialization of Valentine’s Day.
Your daily Dunkin’ run is flooded with ads for the Cupid’s Choice Donut. Try to get your shopping done at Target, and you’re dodging a sea of pink and red heart-shaped merchandise. Don’t even try walking by Paper Source — a gift and stationary store in the Prudential Center. Maybe you love embracing all the paraphernalia — I won’t pretend I haven’t indulged in a Cupid’s Choice Donut here and there — but are people really celebrating love, or has Valentine’s Day become a holiday defined by consumerism?
Many condemn Valentine’s Day for its narrow-minded stencil of what a relationship looks like. When and where did this candy and rose-embellished tradition even begin? It’s actually unknown. Historians theorize it originated from the Roman festival Lupercalia or the Christian legend of Saint Valentine.
Regardless, the holiday is
fairly cemented into American culture. In 1853, The New York Times wrote of Valentine’s Day: “It is one of those mysterious historical or antiquarian problems which are doomed never to be solved.”
Americans are projected to spend $27.5 billion on the holiday this year, with shoppers expected
… We hate this modern degeneracy, this miscellaneous and business fashion.”
The core of the holiday is well-intentioned, as the concept of celebrating love through gift giving is a manifestation of a common love language. How -
to spend $188.81 on average for gifts. The total expected Valentine’s Day spending has increased from $14.7 billion in 2009 to $25.8 billion in 2024. The holiday has clearly been shrouded by an excessive need to buy things.
This is not a new concept. The New York Daily Tribune lamented the state of Valentine’s Day back in 1847, writing, “There was a time when Valentine’s Day meant something.
ever, feeling obligated to buy things for your significant other, family members or friends for the sake of the holiday is inherently consumerist.
Brands have gone as far as to target the non-conformists of Valentine’s Day. Last year, Sweethearts released limited edition
“Situationship Boxes,” described as “sweet, muddled nothings and literal mixed messages.” These boxes were a clever marketing tactic to sell the damaged and imperfect candy hearts produced by Sweethearts, profiting off the confusing middle-ground of a “situationship.”
According to WasteExpo, the produc-
entine’s Day goods generates more carbon emissions than driving around the world 3,993 times. To break it down further, Americans will exchange 36 million heart-shaped boxes, 198 million roses and consume 880,000 bottles of sparkling wine on the holiday.
On TikTok, there is a competitive culture of posting what you got for your significant other and vice versa. One user shared all the gifts her boyfriend gave her for Valentine’s Day
last year, including everything from HOKA running shoes to Glossier perfume, clothing items and more.
Videos like this only reinforce the need for excessive consumerism for social sharing. Forbes Communications Council member Leslie Poston writes, “When we see products or media trending, it’s not just popularity we’re seeing — it’s a communal endorsement, a signal that the consumer’s choice fits within the larger social narrative.”
Valentine’s Day is, without a doubt, a marketing scam. There is absolutely no need to generate this excess amount of waste and perpetuate consumerist ideals. Broken down to its simplest form, the idea of the holiday is admittedly sweet. A handmade card expressing your love for someone, a thoughtful act of service or quality time that reflects the nature of your relationship — whether that be a quiet picnic or a noisy concert — are just a few ways to celebrate love without all the frills. Every relationship is unique, and they don’t all fit into the stencil of Valentine’s Day consumerism. Unfortunately, we may be so deeply entrenched in the commercialization of it all that the holiday is too far gone from its wholesome intentions.
Retro Review: Love is unforgettable in Michel Gondry’s ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’
This Valentine’s Day, it’s important to keep those we love in mind — some, however, may be inclined to disagree.
“Today is a holiday invented by greeting card companies to make people feel like crap,” Joel Barish (Jim Carrey) says in 2004’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” grumbling during a mindless commute.
Despite his usual routine, something sparks Joel to hurriedly take a different train than originally planned, almost like it was fate. Such spontaneity encapsulates “Eternal Sunshine,” which takes you off the beaten path on a journey where you can change your fate — and even destroy it.
This cult classic follows two lovers who seek to erase each other from their memories — literally, with a cranial procedure. Clementine Kruczynski (Kate Winslet), Joel’s partner with a spirit as striking as her hair, makes the impulsive decision to manually remove all her memories of the couple’s withering relationship.
Under the anything-but-careful guard of the memory-erasing firm’s employees (Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood), Joel follows in Clementine’s footsteps. The film film explores the inner workings of Joel’s mind as Clementine slowly disappears from his memory, making his past as unknown as his future. Such a concept is as bizarre as it sounds. In Joel’s mind, it rains in-
doors, faces and locations disappear and he teleports through time. The mastermind behind “Eternal Sunshine” is none other than celebrated and revered screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Before this film, he had written the surrealist “Being John Malkovich” and “Adaptation,” starring Nicolas Cage as Kaufman him self. Kaufman has a reputation for perplexing the mind and bending the rules through his work, and it all comes together in “Eternal Sunshine,” an absurd yet approachable work of art.
The introverted Joel is often outshone by Clementine’s fiery attitude, yet his silence speaks volumes. Car rey and Winslet have spectacular chemistry as two char acters who loathe each other. All the while, their quarrels and quirks make their dynamic even more intriguing, with such a relationship showing love’s hidden weaknesses and strengths. Can we truly take away the pain of heartbreak, and is it worth it in the
end to take that pain away?
The execution of “Eternal Sunshine” makes this question one that is not as existential as one would think, using humor and a dash of charm to keep its audience open-minded. The film tells a love story, but it also tells of a surreal
treasure. This film has a ridiculous amount of heart in it, making such a nonlinear narrative more accessible than a film trying to outsmart its audience.
“Blessed are the forgetful, for they get the better even of their blunders,” Dunst’s throughout the film, quoting philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Maybe to forgive is to forget, but why bother when you can simply forget all of your pain away? It’s up to you to decide to keep those you love — or have loved — in mind, whether you want to erase them
MEAGAN ELLIS News Correspondent
Graphic by Morgan Conway
Natasha Sun
New England gamers flock to Northeastern’s ‘Super Smash Bros.’ tournament
PALOMA WELCH, KAYLA GOLDMAN
News Staff
For several hours at the beginning of February, one room in Curry Student Center was filled with some of the best “Super Smash Bros.” players in New England. While the competition was friendly, the players’ dedication was fierce, as they vied for pride and recognition in the Smash world.
On Feb. 1, the Northeastern Super Smash Bros. club hosted its fourth-ever semesterly regional tournament. The tournament drew over 140 college students to the second-floor suite of Curry Student Center, where participants competed in three games: “Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros.,” or “SSB,” “Ultimate” and “Melee.”
The championship had two tournaments: one for “Ultimate” and one for “Melee.” Nintendo released the first version of the game — “Super Smash Bros.,” in 1999. “Melee” is the second installment, and “Ultimate” is the fifth and most recent install-
The New England Collegiate Smash Bros. Championship, formerly known as the Massachusetts Battle of Top Academics, was founded in fall 2023 by Aiden Ih, a fourth-year computer science major and co-president of the Northeastern Super Smash Bros. club. This semester, 36 “Ultimate” and eight “Melee” teams competed, each made up of three players and one substitute.
“Ultimate” games are played on a video game monitor, and “Melee” games are played on a CRT-based computer. The “Melee” tournament is run by Super Smash Bros. club co-president Ben Brown, a fourthyear chemical engineering major.
The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth team played hard to win the “Melee” tournament. First place in the “Ultimate” tournament was taken home by the St. John’s University team from Queens, New York — led by fourth-year legal studies major Ethan Jameer.
“We really put our all into the sets we played,” Jameer said. “It’s really awesome to have known these people for the past three or four years and to travel with them and compete with them. And then, after so long, get a giant victory right when we are all about to graduate.”
Northeastern entered four teams into the “Ultimate” tournament and two teams into “Melee.”
Fourth-year mechanical engineering major Joseph Luevanos, whose gamer tag is “Joey Cannoli,” is the second highest-ranked Northeastern player and has played on the “Ultimate” Northeastern A-Team in all four New England Championship tournaments.
“I feel like I have met a lot of people [through ‘Smash’] I would not otherwise meet if I had stuck within my comfort zone,” Luevanos said.
The other teams participating traveled from around the New England and Tri-State areas, including players who are state, nationally and globally ranked.
“I think a lot of the game is psychological. When you play for a really long time, doing the inputs is second nature, so it’s more about figuring out how your opponent plays and figuring out their habits,” said Brent Lee, a second-year video production major and “Ultimate” player for Fisher College’s team. Lee is ranked third in Massachusetts and 143rd in North America.
Though the “SSB” community is male-dominated, there were a few female players in the “Ultimate” tournament, one being the team
who plays as Princess Peach.
“Sometimes I feel a little bit intimidated, only because I feel like people will try to underestimate you and think that you don’t know what you’re doing,” Rivera said. “Luckily, with the people I’ve been surrounded [with] in high school and people who I’ve met in the Boston scene, they’re pretty open to other people playing and to new people.”
Also present at the event was a broadcasting team leading a live stream accessible on Twitch. The team was run externally by Andrew Tham, a tax accountant and Suffolk University alum. Tham is the individual technical director and lead producer and runs the broadcasting system as a side job to help tournaments like these.
“I started this small production side hustle to operate in communities like this where they don’t have the infrastructure to have a larger broadcast and good quality stream,” Tham said. Working under him were three broadcasters hired by Tham, including George ElMassih, a math teacher and Northeastern alum.
“I think that the goal of commentary is to make it accessible for people that aren’t as cued in,” ElMassih said. With past experience playing
insight to create a better experience for their audience.
Though the club was not officially established until 2023, Northeastern has always had an active “SSB” community. Northeastern alum Luke Nardini was introduced to the game while a first-year at Northeastern. Nardini graduated in 2022 with a degree in computer science but still helps run the tournaments.
“[‘Smash’] was a big thing in my common room in White Hall,” Nardini said. “It’s been really fun to see the size of the organization grow.”
The club meets for weekly practice sessions on Mondays, “Melee” tournaments on Wednesdays and “Ultimate” tournaments on Fridays. There is no experience required to join the club and compete in tournaments. Dylan Bretschneider, a fourth-year bioengineering major who is on Northeastern’s “SSB” electoral board as a tournament organizer, said the community around “Super Smash Bros.” is one that brings people together.
“I’ve made a lot of friends and a lot of memories through this club, and I feel very excited and very confident it’s going to continue on, and it’s going to keep growing,” Bretschneider said.
Dorm Room Dining: Trader Joe’s pantry picks
MAYA
QUINLAN,
EMILY CHUNG News Correspondent, News Staff
With one busy semester after the next, college students are constantly searching for quick, cost-effective meals that will keep them satisfied as they move between classes and club meetings. A popular choice among students for grocery shopping is Trader Joe’s, a chain known for its unique snacks and convenient premade meals. Its low prices and fun, seasonal products attract college students all around Boston with shallow pockets and rumbling stomachs.
When scanning the grocery store aisles to find some tasty goods, a small section on the top shelf tends to go unnoticed. The canned goods sit patiently, collecting dust as their neighbors bid them adieu. The reasons for this neglect are a mystery, as these small cans come packed with flavors and nutrients that will last a lifetime in any pantry.
Next time you need to stock up on groceries for the week, run down to the world’s smallest Trader Joe’s at 899 Boylston St. It’s the closest one to campus, but if you’re feeling claustrophobic, just keep trekking down the street until you hit the bigger one at 500 Boylston St. Make sure to keep an eye out for these three delicious and nutritious canned goods: Greek Chickpeas with Parsley and Cumin; Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions; and Giant Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce.
To help you get started with turning these canned goods into meals, here are three quick and easy recipes that take 10 minutes or less to prepare.
BEANS AND CHEESE
(Giant Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce)
Prep time: 3 minutes
Cost: ~$2.50
Ingredients:
• 1 can of giant baked beans
• Shredded parmesan or cheddar cheese to taste
Directions:
1. Microwave beans for 3 minutes.
2. Add cheese of choice.
OUR HOT TAKES:
MAYA: This recipe is nostalgic for me. It reminds me of chili, specifically the kind I would get served over fries at this burger joint across from my high school.
EMILY: This could be a good option for a student in a rush who still wants a hearty, satisfying meal. The assembly was simple and quick, and the “chili” is savory and comforting, yet packed with protein and fiber.
ZUCCHINI, EGGPLANT AND QUINOA
(Grecian Style Eggplant with Tomatoes and Onions)
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cost: ~$5
Ingredients:
• Drizzle of olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 can of eggplant with tomatoes and onions
• 1/2 zucchini
• 1 cup cooked quinoa
Directions:
1. Turn the stove top on medium heat, combine olive oil and garlic and cook until browned.
2. Add zucchini and sauté until soft and fragrant.
3. Add canned eggplant and stir until mixture is evenly heated.
4. In a bowl, add cooked quinoa and layer the eggplant mixture on top.
OUR HOT TAKES:
MAYA: I’m obsessed with zucchini, especially when it’s cooked in tomato sauce. This recipe fuels my obsession and pairs nicely with quinoa rather than the typical rice base. Next time, I would add some red onion for an extra pop of flavor.
KALE, FETA AND CHICKPEA SALAD
(Greek Chickpeas with Parsley and Cumin)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: ~$7
Ingredients:
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• A couple of handfuls of kale (pro tip: massage in olive oil)
• 1/2 can of Greek chickpeas
• 1/2 cup of broccoli, roasted
• A handful of feta to taste
• 1/2 lemon (squeeze to taste)
• Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Combine ingredients in a salad bowl and toss.
OUR HOT TAKES:
MAYA: Salads are delicious, especially as a refreshing pick-me-up lunch to get the juices flowing during a long day. It can sometimes be difficult to get protein into an abundance of leafy greens, especially if you are vegetarian. Beans are amazing meat alternatives, and you cannot go wrong with these lemony herb chickpeas. I love the way the feta pairs with these chickpeas, and I would make this again with some extra veggies.
EMILY: In college, it can be tough to reach a healthy daily vegetable intake, but this recipe makes it simple. Just throw everything into a skillet and cook until done — it’s that easy.
EMILY: This salad is simple, and the marinade from the chickpeas serves as a really flavorful dressing. You can mix and match different vegetables with this and toss in leftover produce from your fridge. The salad is bright and refreshing — a great lunch option.
Two competitors fist bump after playing each other in a Swiss Melee round. Crowds gathered around individual matches to cheer on their friends and teammates.
Photo by Margot Murphy
Graphic by Katie Mulcahy
Behind the creation of NU’s brand: The emergence of the public relations department
ANYA HILL News Correspondent
Northeastern University’s Office of External Affairs has a succinctly stated goal on its website: to position the university as “the world leader in experiential learning and an engine for global impact.”
While the department, whose leader has touted it as “the best comms operation in higher ed” in an October email to The Huntington News, is currently home to a number of programs — including the university’s brand management, communications department, the Office of City and Community Engagement and Northeastern Global News. The News found through a review of archives dating back to 1958 that it took some time for the university to develop its full-fledged public relations unit.
Until the 1900s, companies worldwide mainly used advertisements, pamphlets and propaganda as a form of public relations. As print newspapers became more widespread in the 18th and 19th centuries, businesses and organizations relied on the media to promote their products and ideas. In the 20th century, the need for public relations in higher education became apparent as more universities were established and competition increased.
A 1958 memo from Northeastern’s public relations office found in Snell Library’s archives collection is the earliest document that explicitly lists what the department was responsible for. The memo, addressed
to then-President Carl Ell, said the “function and duties of public relations” at Northeastern was to establish a press bureau and conduct bids on publications for advertisement, fundraising and annual reports.
The memo said the PR office was also responsible for coordinating events like commencement as well as assisting with general brand management duties.
Two years prior to that memo, however, Ell had been doing some brand management of his own.
In May 1956, Ell delivered an address at a Boston event hosted by The Newcomen Society, a nonprofit educational foundation, to describe the financial and physical growth of Northeastern he led through his presidency.
“We at Northeastern intend to continue an emphasis on both quantity and quality, serving primarily at the undergraduate level,” Ell told event attendees. “This does not necessarily mean that we shall double our present faculty or double our present facilities in order to accommodate twice as many students in our present programs in the decades ahead. Rather, it means that we shall be continually reviewing our operations with a view toward improving and modifying them as the situation demands and rendering the best possible service to the maximum number that the University can wisely accommodate.”
In 1959, Ell transferred power over the university to President Asa S. Knowles.
Knowles requested that Milton J. Schlagenhauf, a psychology professor at the university and Office of Public Relations associate, serve as coordinator of functions, despite his planned retirement that year.
“It would be very helpful to me in assuming my new duties as third President of the University, if you would postpone your plans for retirement one year and remain here in a special capacity at your present salary rate until June 30, 1960, when your retirement would become effective,” Knowles wrote in a letter to Schlagenhauf preserved in Northeastern’s archives collection.
He explained that as coordinator of functions, Schlagenhauf would be “continuing [his] present activities in arranging and directing meetings, functions and other official events of the University.”
Schlagenhauf accepted the offer, writing to Knowles that “The conditions outlined in your letter of February 26, 1959, are agreeable to me, for I fully recognize the need of maintaining flexibility to meet future developments.”
The following year, Northeastern celebrated the 50th anniversary of its co-op program. For the anniversary, the university went all out on advertising, paying for features in the Boston Sunday Herald, the Boston Sunday Globe, the Boston Sunday Advertiser and the Christian Science Monitor.
These advertisements would cost around $30,000 if they all went to print, which would be around
$322,000 today, according to figures in an archived memo. But the PR department’s suggested budget for the 1959-60 year only allowed for $8,500, or $92,000 today, to be spent on advertising, according to another archived document.
Throughout Knowles’ presidency, relations between the university and international entities expanded.
Michael Arnon, press and information counselor of the Embassy of Israel, reached out to Knowles in a July 1960 letter, offering to discuss with students “Israel’s foreign policy and various aspects of its life, such as its government education, culture, labor, agriculture, etc.” Arnon wrote that no fees would be involved in this arrangement.
“If an opportunity develops to invite one of your representatives to the University, we shall write to you at once,” Knowles wrote back in August 1960.
One document The News found in archives, a “Statement Concerning Northeastern University and its Services to Youth, Adults, Business and Industry,” discussed how the university could use its resources to attract a “unique” clientele and highlight the co-op and graduate studies programs.
Northeastern’s expanding public relations department mirrors the growth of PR in the country as a whole and the university’s own immense growth.
What began as a small, two-page list of responsibilities at a commuter college expanded as the school gained more students, swallowed
several other campuses and advertised to potential students around the world. In fall 2023, Northeastern was ranked within the top 20 universities with the largest number of international students.
Now, the university is getting more than advertisements published in newspapers — in August 2024, both The Boston Globe and the Wall Street Journal published articles about Northeastern’s “reinvention” over the past several decades, calling the institution “elite” and “in demand.”
Northeastern’s media relations department also runs its own media outlet, Northeastern Global News, which publishes frequently asked questions about prominent, controversial campus topics on behalf of the school.
The scale of Northeastern’s growth through the past century would not have been possible without the carefully crafted image that the university’s PR department has created.
Even almost 70 years ago, Ell said in his Newcomen address, “The present home of the University is an achievement ... but behind the creation of this group of buildings lies a long history of problems, planning, preparation and growth.”
Read more from the archives at www.huntnewsnu.com
A letter (left) and statement discussing Northeastern’s public relations initiatives. The need for public relations in higher education became more evident in the 20th century. Documents courtesy Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections.
Graphic by Catherine Gore
EVENT CALENDAR
FEBRUARY 16
Women’s Hockey vs. Boston College
2 p.m. at Matthews Arena
Admission: Free with Husky Card
Men’s club basketball looks to cement legacy after record-breaking season
AMELIA BALLINGALL News Correspondent
The Northeastern men’s club basketball team is coming off a program high, going 35-2 (13-1 New England - East) in the 2023-24 season with a conference championship win and an appearance in the National Club Basketball Association, or NCBBA, Final Four. The team is 6-3 (3-1 New England - East) in the 2024-25 season as of February 4th.. Its success is led by a veteran leadership group, who are looking to push the club even further in what is many of their final member season.
6
FEBRUARY
Northeastern theatre production of “Fefu and Her Friends”
7:30 p.m. at Studio Theatre in Curry Admission: $5-10 ticket fee
7
Conference play got underway the week before winter break, and with a few New England - East games under its belt, the team currently sits third in the conference behind Boston College (6-0, 6-0 New EnglandEast) and Harvard-Classics (5-1, 5-1 New England - East).
“The final goal is always just to win a national championship,” said Daniel Dalzell, a fifth-year environmental science and economics combined major who plays shooting guard on the club team. “We were just so close to it last year that, obviously, we want to make it back there and have an opportunity to do that again.”
Northeastern set numerous NCBBA records through the 202324 season, including the most wins in NCBBA history, the longest win streak (28) and the longest run at No. 1 (17 weeks). The Huskies came
into the 2024-25 season ranked fifth in the NCBBA preseason poll.
The team’s dominance in the 2023-24 season was bolstered by an unusual abundance of non-conference games. On top of its 14 typical New England - East matchups, Northeastern added 23 out-of-conference games to its schedule, playing teams from schools including Quincy College, Clark University and Bryant University throughout the fall semester.
Although a nationals win is the ultimate goal, Dalzell also highlighted the importance of taking the season one step at a time.
“We have conference play coming up right now … so [we’re] getting ready to make the push, try and get to regionals again, and if we can perform well enough there, onto nationals to try and use the experience from last year to be able to perform better,” said Beckett Sanderson, a fourth-year data science and economics combined major and president of the club team.
The team split with Tufts University in its conference-opening weekend series Dec. 7, winning the first matchup 68-56 and losing the second by a slim margin, 77-75. The team returned from winter break hiatus ready to go, clinching backto-back wins by more than 20 points over Stonehill.
This season, Northeastern was expected to return many of its 202324 roster, including its starting top five. However, some big losses in the
offseason and dealing with an “injury bug” throughout the fall semester has given the team a different look, and the players have stepped up to the challenge.
“It’s made people who wouldn’t normally otherwise, in the past, have to be leaders vocally, to now have to become leaders,” Dalzell said.
Notably, the Huskies’ coach, Knox Lendall, who led the team from 2021-2024, departed in favor of an assistant coaching opportunity at Post University.
“[Lendall] had sort of built the program from the bottom up, it felt like. He really just did everything for us, … so it’s been a really big adjustment for us,” Dalzell said. “We try to keep it intense, even though we don’t have an official designated coach, but just because of the great season we had last year, we really wanted to keep up the same intensity.”
The heavy upperclassman presence of the team has helped them naturally slot into leadership roles where it’s needed. Of the team’s 16-person roster, nine are fourthyears and two are fifth-years, eight of whom joined at the same time back in 2022 and are largely responsible for the Huskies’ recent success.
“[The team] has kind of grown up as our year has grown up,” Sanderson said. “We just become closer because we’re with each other, spending a lot of time [together], and now, we are the senior class and so you’ve just had this kind of continuity of the core group of
players having been the core group of players for three years now, so you have a lot of chemistry with everyone and that kind of culture stems from that.”
The veteran group now works to spread the culture they’ve created to younger members, ensuring the same tight-knit community as the seasons progress, and ultimately, leaving a legacy for the club.
“I know I play a bigger role, a bigger voice. Last year, it was my first year on the team, so I was guided by others and followed either [Francois]’s footsteps or just the older people,” said Jonathan Wu, a third-year finance major who plays both point guard and shooting guard on the club team. “But now that I’m a junior … [and] we have some younger kids on the team, [I’m] definitely trying to guide them and make sure they’re in the right headspace for game day.”
Wu is the leading returner for the Huskies after post ing 10.26 ppg in his rookie season, and will look to lead the Huskies on the court through another glorious season.
“It’s more than just basketball,” Wu said. “It’s a community, and we all understand.”
A men’s club basketball player prepares to take a shot. The team set numerous NCBBA records through the 2023-24 season.
Record-setting NU goaltender Erika Silva Adams ‘01 reflects on career
you, to come back and just see this record-setting crowd?
7
6
Erika Silva Adams’ ponytail was often the only one on the ice growing up, but after a record-breaking career, she’s built herself a legacy in women’s hockey.
From being the only girl in Joe Bertagna’s boys’ clinics to setting 11 Northeastern records, becoming the U.S. National Team’s goaltender and a goaltending coach herself at Brown University, Adams has always been at the forefront of women’s hockey.
“Someone said to me, ‘Erika, aren’t you sad that your records have been broken by some of these goalies that have come after you?’ And I said, ‘No, I’m honored because could you imagine if my records were to still stand?’ That means our program would not continue to elevate. That’s the whole purpose, right? We want to move that stick,” Adams said.
Recently inducted into the Beanpot Hall of Fame on the same night of Northeastern women’s hockey’s 4-0 victory in front of a record-breaking crowd in TD Garden, Adams sat down with The Huntington News to reflect on her career and the sport.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Huntington News: You came back for the Beanpot this year with 13,000 people in attendance at TD Garden. What was that like for
Adams: The record-setting crowd was, I mean, it’s the turnout that I anticipate and expect because I think that women’s hockey is probably the best game to watch, but I’m not the only person that’s going to sit in the seats. It was pretty awesome to see this huge milestone and it shows how much the sport has grown in both visibility and support and [the] sheer numbers of women [that] play. You have to remember that most of these moments, they don’t just appear. It all came from all the women playing before me, and my group of women that played with me and now the women that play currently. It is a work in progress. That’s what it takes in order to grow a sport. It takes the amazing individuals that continue to push the envelope.
HN: Could you put into context where the Northeastern women’s hockey program was during your time and what the goals of the team were?
Adams: I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself and I wanted to go to a school where I wasn’t given the net. I had to earn it. I did not waste one second because I knew how precious ice time was. And I knew that if I wanted to reach the U.S. National Team, if I wanted to be an All-American, if I wanted to break the ceiling, if I wanted to hold 11 Northeastern records, if I wanted to accomplish whatever it
was that day, I had to have an intent and purpose and get 1% better every time I put my skates on. I, at one point, held 11 records at Northeastern, which, if you know anything about the goalies that have played behind me or even in front of me, there are some pretty incredible goalies. That’s not an easy feat. So I would say I’m proud of all of the things that I’ve done at Northeastern, but I’m really excited that I was in such great company.
HN: Now with the Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL, in its second season, what do you think has changed on the college level — just in seeing this next level of play that players can reach?
Adams: I played in the NWHL [National Women’s Hockey League] and played pro up in Canada for the Brampton Thunder. But we had to travel to Canada. We didn’t get paid and the NWHL was not supported in a manner in which it would thrive. So the PWHL, with all its sponsorships and supporting cast, makes me so happy because, when I was a young girl, the only thing I could thrive and strive for was to be on the U.S. National Team. That’s a pretty big goal. Now I did it, but I would’ve liked to see what we have now: a place where other women can play. They don’t have to reach that level. They can still showcase their incredible talent, and be able to be revered and
viewed as professional athletes. I think it’s important for people to understand when you’re the only female in a room full of men or boys, they’re going to pick you out of the crowd simply because, when you have a ponytail, you’re already going to be assessed before you get on the ice. If I wasn’t prepared and I wasn’t focused and I wasn’t ready and I didn’t have my intent and purpose for that day — meditating, visualizing and preparing myself — I would be considered, ‘Oh, she’s just a girl. She’s not very good.’ I always had to prove myself.
HN: What do you hope to see out of the sport in the future?
Adams: I want to see more people attending regular season games for women’s college hockey because it’s amazing. It’s incredible and they’re missing out. And that’s how we’re going to grow the game. Getting butts in the seat. And then, obviously, funding — backing and funding for the PWHL so that we can continue to get closer and closer to what the NHL is doing. Because so many of these women are incredibly talented and they should be paid and be able to play hockey as their job, just like the men do. But it’s going to take every single person. Men, women, boys, girls, every hockey team, no matter what the sex or gender is, come out and support women’s hockey. And they will not be disappointed.
FRANCES KLEMM Deputy Sports Editor
Photo by Brian Daniels
Photo by Jessica Xing
Photo by Brian Daniels
Photo by Sofia Sawchuk
Photo by Jessica Xing
Undefeated in 2024 regular season, women’s club water polo splashes into 2025
and economics combined major. “It was unexpected.”
After an undefeated 2023-24 regular season, Northeastern’s women’s club
This season, Northeastern’s team has a new coach, Jacque Li, who went to nationals three times during her collegiate
each team aims to score the most points by getting the ball into the goal at the opposite end of the pool. Players are not permitted to touch the bottom of the pool and must tread water to
professional water polo experience. For those in her shoes, “My advice is to just have fun with it and don’t take it too seriously,” she said.
often regarded as an
said Caroline Vooss, a second-year
An essential part of the sport is the relationships the players form with each other.
“One thing I really loved about the sport, especially as a woman, is the confidence it can bring women who play the sport because [water polo] is so physically demanding and requires you to not give up,” Solomon said.
The team has had to overcome late practice hours resulting from the high demand for the Cabot Center pool, given the facility is the only campus pool for Division I and club aquatic sports. The pool, however, is too shallow and is not properly staffed, according to co-captains Schlegel and Solomon.
“As a club sport at a school that has D1 teams, I understand that there is a
still not great,” Solomon said. “It doesn’t even meet the standards of the collegiate water polo association,” Schlegel said.
The Cabot pool is utilized by the men’s and women’s club water polo teams, the women’s Division I swim team and diving team, the triathlon team and the men’s and women’s club swim teams.
“It is interesting that our pool and the facilities are so poor given that other sports that have men’s [Division I] teams have great facilities,” Solomon said.
Despite these hurdles, the team continues to thrive both as a community and competitively.
The team competed in its first tournament Feb. 1 and Feb. 2 against UConn, Boston University, UMass and Boston College.
Members of Northeastern’s women’s club water polo team huddle up and take shots during practice. The team
Crossword
Edited by Arielle Rabinovich
ACROSS
1. Ranks below lieutenants
5. Recipe abbrev.
10. Expression of lament
14. Shopping __
15. What you might draw on a Valentine
16. Partner of Bugs
17. “Gotcha” (2 wds.)
18 Lewis and Clark transporter
19. China shop visitor, according to idiom
20. Hits
22. Cable channel home to bygone show “Cribs”
23. Curie
24. What one might do to get abs
26. Lead-in to space or nautical
28. Not a Rep.
29. Only two of a kind, in poker (2 wds.)
31. Charred
34. Something you might open at a bar
36. Small bills
37. What you might receive from an admirer on Feb. 14th
40. Herb often burnt, in spiritual rites
41. Day to break fast
42. Can be done to “Not Like Us,” according to the AHA
45. Whiskered companion, perhaps found on the streets of Boston (2 wds.)
47. Start to ache (2 wds.)
50. Lou Gehrig’s disease, briefly
51. Time periods
53. Freestyled, perhaps
54. Tenant’s agreement
56. GPS alternative
58. Pied __
59. Domesticate
60. Female equines
62. Complete absence
63. What you might ask for when running late (2 wds.)
64. “Sound the __!”
65. Alternatives to stouts
66. Pause, in music
67. Dimples
68. Young chaps
DOWN
1. Use shears
2. Fuel conduit to a stove (2 wds.)
3. Saw, like a doctor to a patient
4. Rise to the challenge (2 wds.)
5. Marijuana chemical, for short
6. Smile widely
7. December gift-bearer
8. Verifies
9. Abbrev. on a business card, often before a room number
10. Jessica __
11. Pyrenees town
12. United
13. Spooky Massachusetts town
21. Relaxation destination
23. Disney princess introduced in 2016
25. What you might try to do with your class crush
27. Organize again
30. Hip
32. “Losing My Religion” band
35. “See ya!”
37. Russian Blue or Siamese
38. Concur
39. Job, in the music industry
40. Burger bun seeds
42. Sofia, of “Lost in Translation”
43. Groomed
44. Remedy
45. The “magic word”
46. Mesoamerican dish made with corn husk
48. Alternative to a Brita
49. Related to the vertebrae
50. Table for religious offerings
52. __ wrap
55. Religious offshoot
57. Energetic; lively
60. Satirical magazine
61. Texting abbrev.
PALOMA WELCH News Staff
Photos by Brian Daniels
OPINION
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Frances Klemm
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STAFF
Aoife Jeffries, Auden Oakes, Ava Vitiello, Bailey Reynolds, Bowen Rivera, Caroline Baker Dimock, Cassandra Joyce, Chloe Craft, Devyn Rudnick, Eleanor Hardy, Eli Curwin, Elsa O’Donnell, Emily Chung, Emily Rodriguez, Grace Cargill, Janira Skrbkova, Jenny Tran, Katarina Schmeiszer, Madison Evangelist, Meghan Hirsch, Mikayla Tsai, Nidhi Prakash, Paloma Welch, Samantha Denecour, Sarah Pyrce, Siera Qosaj, Yashavi Upasani, Zach Cohen
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Opinions expressed in The Huntington News through letters to the editor, cartoons and columns are not necessarily those of The News staff or the Board of Directors. Northeastern University students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication. For inquiries about the Board of Directors, email outreach@huntnewsnu.com. For general inquiries, email managing@huntnewsnu.com.
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College dating culture doesn’t have to be this way —
By rattling these words off amongst our friends, we normalize the very actions we claim to denounce. Rather than surprising us, unkind dating conduct has become an expected part of our everyday. She flirted with your best friend right in front of you? He stood you up after weeks of planning a trip? Well, how could you expect anything else — it’s just a “situationship” after all.
In a video with over 82,000 likes on Instagram, @amazingishgrace calls out how much we’ve come to normalize this poor behavior in dating, creating new terminology “to justify or make sense of” the ill-treatment that is “ultimately very dehumanizing.”
Compounded with overarching generalizations like “men are trash” or “women aren’t loyal,” Gen Z has brought an antagonistic air to dating that never needed to be there in the first place. With this negative out-
we have to open up
look, you are always waiting for the other shoe to drop, viewing every new romantic prospect as someone who could possibly hurt you. Now, your guard is up. The second a person doesn’t communicate exactly as you’d hoped, they become yet another one of the cautionary tales in an ever-growing collection of dating horror stories. You act accordingly, using your alarmist fears to justify treating new dates without the respect you know is warranted.
Now, you’re part of the problem too.
This has become Gen Z’s collective dating story. Too often assuming the worst in others, we’ve developed an excessive fear of being mistreated — a fear which has ironically caused us to mistreat people. Gen Z now lives and breathes by a self-protective motto: “Hurt them before they can hurt me.” Ignore this person before they can ghost me. Make fun of an ex’s appearance because they must already be mocking mine.
Or, on the flip side, we tell ourselves: Don’t approach your crush because they’ll rudely reject you. Hold off on sharing anything
honest or vulnerable to avoid being laughed at.
When we see the worst in people, we become the worst of people — infusing the Gen Z dating scene with an endless loop of insecurity, risk aversion and downright rudeness to each other.
Of course, some negativity has its place in dating. Rejection and relationships are painful, and I admit that there is plenty of catharsis in ranting with friends or blasting Sabrina Carpenter’s “Slim Pickins” and Drake’s “You Broke My Heart” on repeat. There’s also some sense of safety in knowing all the ways that a person can do you wrong.
But negativity in dating is no different than any other form of negativity in life: Bad experiences are going to happen, but allowing them to consume our worldview only does more harm than good.
Let’s start acting under the assumption that most people are kind. Unlike what some on the internet may have you believe, no one is running around intending to hurt or use you — and on the off chance
they are, it doesn’t mean that you must sacrifice your own morals in order to hurt them back.
Rather than dwelling on that one time someone stood you up, spend just as much time reminding yourself of the many people who have treated you with kindness without expecting anything in return.
Adopting a positive outlook may just mark the best shift in Gen Z’s dating life. If we start to believe that there are plenty of amazing people out there to enrich our lives, we won’t ever feel we have to settle for anything less than that.
And regardless of what is implied nowadays, we actually do owe each other something in dating — not flowers and chocolates nor intimacy or quick text responses, but a baseline sense of respect and understanding.
Samantha Denecour is a fourthyear English and political science combined major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at denecour.s@northeastern.edu.
Without adequate test prep resources, NU is failing law school-hopefuls
As a secondyear in college, my dream has always been to take the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, and go to law school. When I first came to Northeastern, I soon realized that preparing for law school as an undergrad through the university’s curriculum was not as helpful as I thought it would be.
Northeastern has no specific “law” undergrad major, and declaring yourself “pre-law” is essentially useless. While the law and public policy classes are plentiful and incredibly well-designed, there is no built-in preparation for this daunting standardized test essential for law school admission.
The LSAT is a two-hour and 30-minute test on analytical reasoning and logic. According to the Princeton Review, receiving a high score on the LSAT is the best way to get into a top law school, even if you have a good undergrad GPA. The test is also set up so that the average test taker cannot finish it in the allotted time.
With about 100 multi ple-choice questions in less than three hours, this test is designed to make you stressed and nervous.
sion Test, or MCAT, are similar to those who take the LSAT; these students are high-achievers, organized and goal-oriented. While this is true for some, many people who want to be lawyers and doctors do not know the best steps to take, the perfect extracurriculars or the best study techniques. When we put even more stress on the brightest undergraduate minds, how can we expect them to succeed all on their own after graduation?
Another reason students may not seek help is that people love to say how they are self-made. They pride themselves on “doing it all” with no help from their peers, parents or mentors. This mentality is rubbish. Frankly, I think individuals who would rather succeed on their own than with the help of others are fooling themselves.
The university we attend is one of the largest investments we make as young adults, and it should be part of that helpful process. The problem with undergrad is that sometimes it prepares students poorly
uate degree at Northeastern is only four to five years of your life. To put it in perspective, if you live to be 70 years old, undergrad is only about 7% of your life. Therefore, undergrad is what you make of it, especially if you are a humanities major at a research and STEM-oriented university.
@HuntNewsNU
Based on this description, it is clear that one preparing to take this exam must be excruciatingly composed.
As a nervous test-taker, the LSAT is daunting.
Many students who prepare to take the Medical College Admis-
sons that prestigious universities like Northeastern sometimes struggle to prepare their students is because they put too much emphasis on undergraduate education. Yes, this is important, and it can provide a groundwork for future education. On the other hand, an undergrad-
Secondly, universities can trick you. They want you to graduate and succeed so their graduation percentage looks better, but they also want money. Sometimes they want money more than they want you to succeed. As a student, you need to not only be aware of this, but you need to hack the system. If you are a third-year student and you have decided you want to take the LSAT, what do you do? How can you utilize your resources here to your advantage? Something incredibly annoying about Northeastern is the difficulty of identifying the resources it offers due to the sheer size of the university. For example, if you are a student in the College of Science, there is free tutoring every Monday and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the College of Science Tutoring Center. There are a plethora of resources available to you on the Student Hub, which most of the time go undiscovered and unappreciated. These resources are helpful, but not necessarily if you choose to take the MCAT or LSAT. What does Northeastern offer to assist you on these tests?
In terms of preparation for the LSAT, I have found virtually nothing. The only program that Northeastern has for students hoping to attend law school is the PlusJD program. This program essentially grants students preference if they went to Northeastern for undergrad
and want to attend Northeastern University School of Law as well. Its timeline for LSAT prep reads, “Students prepare for LSAT exam.” As you can see, this is not extremely helpful for those who want to take the exam, but do not know where to start. Another unhelpful resource is the unofficial self-designating prelaw track, which can provide some support in terms of advising. If you are interested in this option, you can join its email chain to receive information regarding “pre-law relevant opportunities.” Even its description of resources is vague.
Northeastern does have a lot of resources, but these resources do not reach those hoping to take the LSAT. Luckily, there are resources outside of Northeastern if you are hoping to prepare for this unnerving exam.
There are free LSAT practice tests and tutoring options online (if you are willing to pay an arm and a leg). The Law School Admissions Council also provides some free resources for those thinking about law school.
Northeastern may not have the best options for pre-law preparedness, but if you are seriously thinking about law school, I think the best resource is finding someone who has already been through the process. What Northeastern lacks in pre-law advising is made up for with exceptional professors who have been to law school and can be utilized as mentors. Other students are currently preparing to take the LSAT exam. Using people as your resource is a skill that you can use in your future career, so taking advantage of these individuals while in undergrad is the best preparation.
Ava Vitiello is a second-year political science major and columnist for The News. She can be reached at vitiello.a@northeastern.edu.
AVA VITIELLO Columnist
Graphic by Isabella Kaness
CUPID, from front
What did DEI really mean to Northeastern? Did it mean anything at all?
ANTAINE ANHALT Contributor
President Donald Trump issued an executive order Jan. 21 attacking diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, and related programs across the country, including at “institutions of higher education with endowments over 1 billion dollars” — a category Northeastern falls into with an endowment of $1.85 billion, as of June 30, 2024. Not long after this executive
longing at Northeastern” replaced the ODEI page, And as of Jan. 29, most of colleges and schools at Northeastern have taken down their individual DEI pages, including the Khoury College of Computer Sciences and the D’Amore-McKim School of Business.
For a university that prides itself on having a diverse campus, Northeastern can talk about the meaning of diversity all it wants. But actions are another matter — one with far more impact than just words. Without diversity, equity and inclusion, there’s no way to build
can students and future applicants — particularly minorities — feel as though they belong when their own school doesn’t seem to make them a
Sure, changing up the websites and DEI programs wasn’t an entirely
eastern. President Trump’s executive order still has Northeastern would subject to federal investigation if it didn’t comply. However, that knowledge does little to lessen
these changes feel and what sort of statement this makes to the students of Northeastern. Besides, a federal
investigation isn’t guaranteed. It’s only a risk.
Instead of taking that risk to stand up for their students, Northeastern decided to roll back its DEI programs within less than a week of the beginning of Trump’s term and showed us what we’re really worth to them: a grand total of not that much.
How can we know that Northeastern will still carry on these programs and leave it at only a name change? After affirmative action in college admissions was struck down by the Supreme Court in June 2023, Northeastern had a 35% drop in Black students enrolled for the Class of 2028. If Northeastern is no longer “obligated” to uphold its DEI programs, will it still put effort, time and money into them? Or will these “precious resources” go elsewhere? The answer feels unclear.
The tagline for what used to be the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was “Northeastern believes in a welcoming and inclusive environment for all.”
Now, those words are nowhere to be found on the Belonging at Northeastern page.
So do those values still hold true? Does Northeastern really still believe in a “welcoming and inclusive environment for all,” or was it all performative? Northeastern uses diversity as a pull to encourage students to apply — but without a committed DEI program, how trustworthy is that rhetoric?
The new Belonging at Northeastern page is so bare that it’s hard to believe that there’s really as big of a commitment to diversity and inclusion programs as Northeastern claims to have.
Before the change, the ODEI website included a concise blurb about its “commitment to global inclusive impact,” far more direct and to-the-point than the new Belonging at Northeastern ones. Also included were clear links to affinity groups, learning development, initiatives and resources, as well as a form to subscribe to their newsletter. All of these have been scrubbed from the Belonging at Northeastern page.
Now, as of Feb. 14, the Belonging at Northeastern page features two surface-level paragraphs about “fostering a community of belonging,” a handful of photos showcasing “diversity” that truthfully feel tokenizing and a menu with a mere two options: the “Presidential Council on Belonging” and “Affinity Groups.” Northeastern once told students that there was value in their diverse identities and viewpoints. Now, they’re stripping that messaging down. “Belonging” isn’t the same as “diversity and inclusion.” “Belonging” is when someone gets to decide who has the right to be in any space, whereas “inclusion” means all are welcome. For students who are part of these underrepresented communities, these alterations feel like a stab in the gut.
When President Joseph E. Aoun announced the President’s Council on Diversity and Inclusion in 2013, he said, “If anyone in this community feels that they are not full members of the Northeastern family, that is unacceptable.”
This change has made many students feel they’re no longer a “full member of the Northeastern family.” That is unacceptable.
Unintentional or not, with the removal and altering of these DEI pages, Northeastern has just made several thousands of students feel like they’re not as important as those who don’t benefit from DEI programs. Students of color, LGBTQ+ students, disabled students and Jewish students currently still have affinity groups from Belonging at Northeastern, but how long will that last? How long until Northeastern decides they are tired of putting in these resources? Will they last through the next four years?
There’s no way to know.
Harvard University still has its DEI page up. So do Boston University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brandeis University. And these colleges also all have endowments north of $1 billion.
So, Northeastern, what’s your excuse?
Antaine Anhalt is a first-year communications studies major. He can be reached at anhalt.a@northeastern.edu.
Don’t worry about graduating, you still have time
The last time I was at the nail salon, I sat in the chair across from one of my favorite nail technicians, talking about winter break and our families. When the topic of college inevitably came up, our conversation turned to graduation, which is quickly approaching for me this
the next few years, I had gotten so tense that she couldn’t file my nails. After taking a deep breath and letting my hands go limp, I said something which very likely resonates with a lot of graduating students.
“It’s scary to think about graduating when all I’ve ever known is school.”
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always known exactly what lay ahead of me: elementary school then middle school, to high school then college. Now, college then what? Of course, I have generic ideas about getting a
that have given our college lives structure and meaning won’t remain the same once the college part comes to an end. Schedules and responsibilities shift, friends move away and we feel an overwhelming urge to figure out exactly what we’re going to do about it now so that we don’t feel the anxiety of anticipating those changes.
But no matter how hard I’ve tried to come up with a magical way to prepare for how different my life will
make any of the things I worry about suddenly resolve.
And as much as I love my life as it is right now, I have to remember that what I love about it isn’t the intricacies of being a college student like registering for classes or studying for next week’s quiz. I love what I’ve made of my time in college — writing and learning feverishly, sitting with my friends in my sunny living room for hours on a Sunday and walking
meant to impose a feeling of impending doom about the future.
No matter how cliché it sounds, graduation really is the start of the rest of our lives, even if we’re not sure what it’s going to look like yet. So, while the anxiety you feel may be incredibly uncomfortable, you can and must confront it with an appreciation for all of the good that has yet to come.
uation. Most of the things
the coming years with apprehension of my 20s (or 30s or 40s), nor will it
Graphic by Maya Quinlan
Graduates hold their caps at the 2024 undergraduate commencement ceremony in Fenway Park.
Photo by Val O’Neill
Headshots by Jessica Xing, Margot Murphy and Elizabeth Scholl
