November 30, 2017

The Huntington News Vol. XI No. 5

The independent student newspaper of the Northeastern community

Nov. 30, 2017

Cultural sorority banned for hazing

By Alejandro Serrano News Staff

Photo by Brian Bae Charlton Muhlauri fires the ball downfield during a game against Boston University Oct. 17.

Soccer stars bond over Zimbabwe connection

By PJ Wright News Correspondent Run into Ackim Mpofu or Charlton Muhlauri on Northeastern’s campus, and there’s a pretty good chance the other is not too far behind.

The two senior soccer players have been practically inseparable since they arrived on the Boston scene in the fall of 2014. They’ve taken many of the same classes together, they hang out on the weekends and they’ve even spent several holiday breaks together.

“I’ll go to the cafeteria and people will ask me, ‘Hey where’s your brother?’” Muhlauri said. “It’s pretty cool. And when my dad calls, he’ll ask how Ackim is doing.”

Both originally from Zimbabwe, their bond began two years before they become teammates at Northeastern. Muhlauri came to the United States in 2011 and attended Kimball Union Academy in Meriden, New Hampshire, while Mpofu arrived in 2012 and went to Cushing Academy

in Ashburnham, Massachusetts.

The Zimbabwe connection cannot be understated. They share many of the same cultural similarities and speak the same languages. Having a right-hand man with a similar background has been huge for the both of them.

“It just makes everything a lot easier,” Muhlauri said. “Both on the pitch and off, we know each other’s likes and dislikes. We do drills in practice together. We’re usually playing next to each other during games.”

Northeastern soccer as a whole is equipped with a multitude of nationalities. From Sweden to Venezuela to Japan, the team is made up of players from around the globe – only 15 players on Northeastern’s 30-man roster are from the United States.

“It’s honestly so fun to have diversity on the team,” Mpofu said.

“We’re able to experience all of the different cultural backgrounds and learn how everyone interacts.

Those are skills you take with you

for the rest of your life … getting to know people from different areas I think is an important life skill.”

“We barely have any Americans, though I think this is the most Americans we’ve had in my four years on the team,” Muhlauri said. “There’s a lot of different kinds of music playing in the locker room before the game, which is pretty cool.”

As high school juniors, they were selected to play in the Junior New England All-Star Game.

“We had known of each other before then, but that’s definitely where it all started,” Mpofu said.

As they were nearing the end of their high school careers, Mpofu and Muhlauri sprouted into two of the top prospects in the region and began receiving college scholarship offers. They visited Northeastern together, and as time went on, they saw a future where they could play with each other at the collegiate level.

“We each had different options for TEAMMATES, on Page 12

Following an investigation for hazing, the Northeastern University chapter of the alpha Kappa Delta Phi sorority must immediately cease all activities and operations, a sorority official said Wednesday morning.

Individual sorority members will retain their membership, but are prohibited from functioning on behalf of the sorority in any matter.

The national board of the multicultural sorority voted Monday to close its chapter at Northeastern University because of the chapter’s hazing practices, James Gaffney, the executive director of the international Asian-interest sorority, said in an email to The News Tuesday.

“This decision was reached following a joint investigation that uncovered numerous acts of hazing during the new member education process,” Gaffney said in the email.

Gaffney said the chapter’s actions “were not sanctioned by the sorority’s leadership and are in direct violation of our risk management policy, as well as the standards of acceptable behavior that we expect our members to meet.”

In an email Wednesday morning, Gaffney said he could not comment on details of the case.

Following an investigation, Northeastern’s Student Conduct Board suspended the sorority earlier this month, according to a university statement.

The university had not responded to a request for comment by press time.

In the Nov. 13 email to The News, a university spokesperson said the sorority was amid an appeal process about the decision.

The sorority was ordered to suspend all activities during the process.

“Northeastern is committed to fostering a safe environment free of all forms of harassment, and the safety

of our students is our top priority,” the university’s email statement read.

Following a tip, The News had been investigating the suspension of the sorority for the last three weeks.

The News emailed six members of the sorority multiple times each and messaged the sorority via Facebook.

No inquiries were answered.

Gaffney said the national board was aware of the allegations prior to The News’ inquiries, which started on Nov. 6.

Ethan Lam, the Multicultural Greek Council’s current student president, did not respond to a request for comment by press time Wednesday night.

Earlier this month, Lam said the council had no comment because the appeal process was still active and the situation was not yet definite.

The sorority’s Facebook page was taken down by Tuesday evening.

Before then, the last post was from the first week of October, according to regular checks by The News. The organization’s Instagram account was still active as of Wednesday night.

The Northeastern chapter of the sorority was founded in 2015, according to a Facebook post by the international sorority on Nov. 22 of that year.

“We would like to officially welcome our 51st chapter at Northeastern University,” the post read.

“We cannot be prouder of these 16 sisters and am so happy that you are now apart of this eternal sisterhood.”

Gaffney, the national sorority executive director, said in the statement that he hopes to reopen the alpha Kappa Delta Phi chapter at the university.

“We thank the administration of Northeastern University for responding to this situation in a fair and timely manner,” his statement read.

“We look forward to working with them to return to Northeastern in the future.”

President Aoun’s book exceeds expectations

By Glenn Billman Deputy Campus Editor Joseph E. Aoun: A man who has said his fourth language is rap and also has been honored by the French government for his contributions to academia. So what does a book penned by Northeastern’s president look like? How many times does he say “experiential learning?” As it turns out, it’s a surprisingly good read with only 28 mentions over 149 pages.

“Robot-Proof: Higher Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence” starts with a dire premise: The machines are better than us at just about everything. From playing “Jeopardy!” to conducting financial analysis, robots have surpassed humans’ cognitive capabilities almost across the board.

Anyone familiar with Northeastern, or who has heard Aoun speak in the past several years, can guess his solution to this shakeup. Aoun advocates for, drumroll please, experiential and lifelong learning. But while his remarks at convocations and the State of the

University on this subject come off as trite, his written defense of Northeastern’s academic model is a comprehensive examination of the ways the job market is changing and how workers must change with it.

While the general concept of experiential, lifelong learning may seem overdone to a Northeastern student, his emphasis on humanics and multi-universities is thoughtful and well-done.

Basically, Aoun writes that universities need to teach students humanics — literacy in technology, data and humans — to make them adept, adaptable and yes, robotproof. While computers may be able to replace a laborer on a machine line and efficiently read and summarize complicated legal documents, Aoun argues no robot can understand the human experience. While they often exceed the human ability to accurately answer a question, they are unable to distinguish diverse connections between fields, to generate adequate context, to understand cultural norms and to produce creative content from a blank state.

By emphasizing humanics, human

workers can fill this niche robots are incapable of dominating.

The idea of multi-university networks is another big-ticket item in “Robot-Proof.” It boils down to the idea that a lifelong learner can pivot in their career with the help of brief, customized and personalized courses and co-ops in a number of different fields and locations within the same university. Each location challenges the learner’s mind to learn different cultural practices and can give insight into different, localized industries such as technology.

For the first three-fifths, “RobotProof” can read like a horror story for anyone majoring in the liberal arts. Leaders from companies across the board emphasized how many hundreds or thousands of jobs they were creating for engineering and computer science professionals, while Aoun emphasized how even those with some of the highest levels of education in the humanities, such as a law degree, were being replaced by more efficient computer programs.

In the fourth of five chapters, Aoun attempted to remedy this by stating EXPERIENTIAL on Page 9

Photo by Lauren Scornavacca President Joseph E. Aoun performs a rap at the empower ceremony.

Page 2

The Huntington News

OPINION

November 30, 2017

Editorial Board

Editor-in-ChiEf Managing Editor CaMpus Editor opinion Editor City Editor LifEstyLE Editor sports Editor photo Editor dEputy CaMpus Editor dEputy City Editor dEputy LifEstyLE Editor dEputy sports Editor dEputy photo Editor assistant photo Editor BusinEss ManagErs soCiaL MEdia ManagEr

Paxtyn Merten Sophie Cannon Julia Preszler Zipporah Osei Maggie Dolan Gianna Barberia Jake Sauberman Lauren Scornavacca Glenn Billman Hannah Bernstein Sumya Mohiuddin Jenna Ciccotelli Alex Melagrano Dylan Shen Erika Christiansen, Shaina Richards Calli Remillard

Staff Writers Alejandro Serrano, Alex Bensley, Brian Fields, Calli Remillard, Caroline Ingram, Charlie Wolfson, Elissa Taublib, Irvin Zhang, Janette Ebbers, Jasmine Heyward, Jill Sojourner, John Hagerty, Kaitlyn Budion, Katie McCreedy, Morgan Lloyd, Noah Greany, Riley Robinson and Tim Foley

Staff Photographers

hEad staff photographEr Brian Bae Albert Tamura, Patrick Leung and Riley Robinson

Copy Editors

Alyssa Lukpat, Ansong Huang, Caroline Panchelli, Erika Knox, Jade Okanlawon, Jasmine Heyward, Kaitlyn Budion, Katie McCreedy, Lily Rupert, Lindsay Lowery, Maria Lovato, Marley Pine and Olivia Rayburn Opinions expressed in The Huntington News by letters, cartoonists and columnists are not necessarily those of The News staff or of the Northeastern administration. Northeastern University undergraduate students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication.

Column: Prioritize student wellness

According to the International Association of Counseling Services, a university should have one counselor for every 1,000 to 1,500 students. Northeastern currently has 17,000 undergraduate students enrolled, and only eight counselors working in University Health and Counseling Services office according to the UHCS website. This means there is one counselor for every 2,125 students, well below that recommended range.

Northeastern should have 11 counselors at the absolute minimum. UHCS did not comment on this because UHCS doesn’t speak to student journalists.

While discussing this with Student Jasmine Heyward Body President Suchira Sharma, I was reminded of some interviews I did for a class assignment last year. I was writing about depression and anxiety on college campuses, and spoke with several Northeastern students about their experiences. The one thing they had in common? Each had come up with unique coping methods (some healthy, some not) because Northeastern’s resources weren’t accessible when they needed them.

As Northeastern students, we are fortunate to go to a school that is wellfunded. A quick walk through the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Complex on Columbus Avenue shows that this university is invested in being on the forefront of advancement and discovery. So why isn’t the university interested in making sure students are healthy and thriving enough to reap the benefits?

Every student I spoke to told me it often takes more than a month to get a counseling appointment with UHCS. I was also told that even emergency walk-in appointments can have a wait of more than 30 minutes. These are the appointments that the UHCS website recommends for students feeling “intense distress or hopelessness” or “unable to function as a student.”

Walk-in physical appointments can leave students waiting for hours.

Northeastern thrives on good press. The university loves to talk about the student who traveled the world while adding organizations like the UK Parliament to their resume, or the friends whose app is changing community engagement. These are amazing accomplishments and the students involved should be proud. The university is right to celebrate them, but how many students could have had similar accomplishments if they had more mental health support from the university and therefore would have better academic performance and more energy for pursuing opportunities?

Many students have given up on UHCS entirely. They sit on waiting lists until they can get therapy off-campus, if they can afford it. They start meditating or eating better or using escapism tactics like long sessions surfing the internet or playing games. Some turn to substance use. Students talk to trusted professors about how their mental health concerns impact their work or they accept that their classwork, GPA and access to opportunities at Northeastern will suffer.

Other schools in our area are doing better. I had the opportunity to speak with a counselor at UMass Boston last year. Each semester, UMass counselors table at wellness and activity fairs so that students know what resources are available to them before a crisis begins. They offer group therapy to marginalized groups that often feel like they’re not well represented in traditional therapy contexts. There is an on-call clinician that is accessible in 10 minutes or less. These things happen because mental health is a priority.

At Northeastern, student wellness just isn’t important to policy-makers. The school needs to admit that. Then changes need to be made.

News illustration by Oriana Timsit

Editorial: We can do more to combat media illiteracy Whether you follow the news daily or you only follow along when there’s a breaking story, there’s a good chance you get your news through some form of social media.

You aren’t alone. The latest study from the Pew Research Center found that 67 percent of Americans get their news from social media, up from 62 percent last May. Social media has made news more accessible to the general public, which is beneficial to an industry that relies on an engaged readership for financial and moral purposes.

Yet as more people log into their Facebook accounts to catch up on the day’s news, it seems fewer are thinking critically about what they’re consuming and some don’t even know what they are reading.

The danger in so many people getting their news this way is that while consumption rises, media literacy does not increase with it.

There isn’t enough of a focus on making sure we understand the types of journalism we take in or critically evaluating the posts we’re liking, sharing and commenting on.

Something as simple as mistaking an opinion piece for a straight news article can plant the idea that a publication is biased in its coverage.

Op-eds submitted to papers are sometimes read as the work of a journalist at the publication. At times, even press releases are read as articles. These seem like simple mistakes, but once a reader has made that error, their opinion of the publication begins to change.

The credibility of the news they’re reading is called into question over something that could have been

avoided had they consumed their news with more careful consideration.

Few people are ever taught to to think critically about media consumption. Any film studies major could tell you why discussing and analyzing media matters. Any journalist could explain why it’s important to read not one or two, but several stories on a topic before you form your opinions. But not everyone gets the training they need to exercise that kind of media literacy.

Not everyone will become part of the media and not everyone will respect the fields involved in creating media. Regardless, everyone will consume it. There should be systems in place to ensure that we consume news it in a way that is smart, productive and helps foster communication.

Media Literacy organizations like The Center for Media Literacy and The National Association for Media Literacy Education or NAMLE, are at the forefront of the media literacy movement and believe that smart media consumption should be a cornerstone of education.

NAMLE has praised MIT, University of Texas, University of California at Berkeley, University of Pennsylvania, University of Southern California, Temple University, University of Massachusetts and New York University for their media literacy programs. Northeastern University should be on that list.

With the NUpath system already in place, creating classes that focus on media literacy would not be

difficult and could be taken by a variety of students. The university already offers Interpreting the Day’s News as a course, but its focus is on current events rather than media literacy. Making media literacy courses accessible to students outside of the humanities and the arts is an important part of making sure it’s effective.

To go further, Northeastern should make a commitment to using its influence and resources to teach media literacy beyond the confines of its campus. Other universities have already made that commitment.

Temple University has a Center for Media Literacy and Information that does research and provides outreach, education and professional development on media literacy issues. At The State University of New York at Stony Brook, these efforts have existed since 2006. Stony Brook has a Center for News Literacy which teaches undergraduate students how to use critical thinking skills to judge the reliability and credibility of news reports and news sources.

It organizes national conferences on news literacy and started a high school teacher training program in an effort to start conversations about news literacy before college.

We can expect that media consumption will continue at the incredible pace that it has taken over the past decade. It can only be in our best interest to make sure that we know how to consume intelligently and that we look to our institutions of learning to teach future generations to do the same.

Think about the worst racial policies of America: chattel slavery, Jim Crow segregation, share-cropping, mass incarceration and ethnic cleansing. Add to the list education, housing and economic discrimination, wealth gaps and health gaps.

Now think of a way to reinstitute the best elements of all these putrid ideas and you have the 2017-18 proposed Tax Reform Plan.

The proposed plan is actually a refighting of the U.S. Civil War. The major issues of that war were southern states continuing to hold black people as slaves and the question of slavery spreading to new territories.

Today, we have the Civil War 2.0.

Many of the same southern states that lost the first Civil War have initiated a Tax Reform Plan that will effectively disenfranchise most black people in America in the long term. The negative impact of this proposed Tax Reform Plan, as it is being proffered by the Republicancontrolled House, Senate and White House, will be that of 100 Hurricane Katrina’s on black communities across America.

The proposed Tax Reform Plan

will greatly reduce Medicaid by $5.3 trillion over ten years and trigger $400 billion in Medicare cuts over ten years, including $25 billion in the first year. It will also greatly reduce the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance program by 30 percent.

For students, it will eliminate the ability to write off student loan interest, dramatically reduce college Pell Grants, reduce the number of Head Start slots by 200,000 and cut K-12 education funding by 30 percent.

This plan will create an additional $1.5 trillion deficit that would force the gutting of social service programs for decades to come. Individual Americans will be affected.

It will eliminate rental assistance to nearly 1 million households and cut job training by 40 percent Under this plan, the wealth disparity between white and nonwhite Americans will be exacerbated. The median black household wealth will be on a path to hit zero by 2053.

This proposed tax plan is as close to the return of slavery that black people have been faced with since the first Civil War. Many government operatives, foundations, universities

and corporate-sector leaders have aligned and seemingly conspired to destroy the progress made by black people over the past 152 years under the guise of tax reform.

The proposed Tax Reform Plan will destroy Black America. At best, this plan is the reincarnation of trickle-down economics, which never worked. At worst, it is a kind of neo-slavery and works as an ethnic cleansing of black people in America. Either way, it is something that black people in America cannot afford.

What must you do? Call and write to your congressional representatives and tell them that you are against the currently proposed Tax Reform Plan. Share this information with everyone you know. Ask them to share this information Send contributions and investments to organizations working to fight this proposed Tax Reform Plan. Vote your interest in every election and encourage everyone you know to do the same.

Op-ed: Proposed tax reform is bad for Black Americans

Phillip Jackson is the founder and Chairman of the Board of The Black Star Project.

November 30, 2017

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NUPD CRIME LOG Compiled by Jill Sojourner, News Staff

NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

The Boston Police Department, or BPD, reported sending officers to Huntington Avenue and Gainsborough Street for a man in a vehicle chasing a woman. BPD further reported the man, who was unaffiliated with Northeastern University, parked the vehicle in front of Pavement Coffeehouse and began pursuing the woman on foot down Huntington Avenue toward Wings Over Boston. The Northeastern University Police Department reported locating the vehicle in front of Pavement Coffeehouse parked the wrong way. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Tuesday, Nov. 21 @ 1:04 p.m.

NUPD reported stopping an individual, who was unaffiliated with NU and previously banned from all NU property. NUPD further reported the individual was unaware he was banned, and sent him on his way. A report was filed.

NU PD

NU PD

Tuesday Nov. 21 @ 12:38 p.m.

An NU student reported her wallet was stolen off campus on Huntington Avenue. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

NU PD

Tuesday Nov. 21 @ 9:58 a.m.

An NU student reported her bicycle was stolen from the bicycle rack in front of Davenport B. A report was filed.

NU PD

NU PD

Tuesday, Nov. 21 @ 9:53 a.m.

The manager of Wollaston’s Market in the Marino Recreation Center reported stopping a cooperative female shoplifter. NUPD responded and reported the shoplifter was a Northeastern University student, and banned her from both Wollaston’s Market locations. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

NU PD

Monday, Nov. 20 @ 11:32 a.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 22 @ 7:45 a.m.

The manager of Wollaston’s Market in the Marino Recreation Center reported detaining a shoplifter.

NUPD responded and reported speaking to the individual, who was unaffiliated with NU, and sent him on his way. A report was filed.

Wednesday, Nov. 22 @ 12:09 p.m.

An NU staff member reported a group of high school students in the fourth floor men’s restroom of the Curry Student Center barricading the door and smoking marijuana. NUPD responded and reported the group was gone, but a strong odor of marijuana was still present. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Wednesday, Nov. 22 @ 2:11 p.m.

An individual reported another individual in the gender neutral restroom on the fourth floor of the Curry Student Center smoking marijuana. NUPD responded and reported speaking to two individuals, who were unaffiliated with NU. One was found to be a missing person, and BPD was notified. Both individuals were sent on their way. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Wednesday, Nov. 22 @ 5:09 p.m.

An NUPD officer reported stopping a vehicle on Columbus Avenue. NUPD further reported arresting the driver of the vehicle, who was unaffiliated with NU, for failing to submit his identification. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Thursday, Nov. 23 @ 11:09 p.m.

An NU student reported four men at the Dunkin’ Donuts in Hayden Hall who appeared to be stealing from and vandalizing the area before fleeing toward Churchill Hall. NUPD responded and reported stopping four men, who were unaffiliated with NU, running through Centennial Common.

NUPD further reported damage to the cash register, which appeared as though someone attempted to forcibly open it, and food and other items thrown around the area. The student confirmed the four men were the ones he saw. They were banned from all NU property and sent on their way. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division

Friday, Nov. 24 @ 5:32 p.m.

An NU student reported his bicycle was stolen from the bicycle rack outside of Hayden Hall. A report was filed.

Photo by Paxtyn Merten A panel of famed editors discuss Steven Spielberg’s new film, “The Post.”

New film looks at Pentagon Papers

By Paxtyn Merten Editor-in-Chief Some may look at “The Post” and ask why a movie about the Pentagon Papers focuses on The Washington Post when the story began with The New York Times. A panel of former Post and Boston Globe editors spoke to this and dove into the monumental 1971 controversy at Northeastern University Tuesday afternoon.

Former Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr., who was hired as a technical consultant on the set of the Steven Spielberg movie, said “The Post” is more about the relationship between Post publisher Katharine Graham, played by Meryl Streep, and editor Ben Bradlee, played by Tom Hanks, as they decide what to do with the papers.

Downie said some at The Times were upset the movie focused on The Post because of their rivalry.

“The question is, do you want a movie about Ben Bradlee and Katharine Graham or about Abe Rosenthal and Punch Sulzberger?” he asked to chuckles from the crowd.

The panel consisted of Downie, former Boston Globe Editor Matt Storin and Northeastern professor of law Woody Hartzog and was facilitated by Northeastern School of Journalism Director Jonathan Kaufman. It explored the roles of The Post and The Globe in publishing the Pentagon Papers as the legal battles hashed out in court.

“I think it reminds us how important journalism is,” Kaufman said after the talk. “I mean, this was taking on a president, taking on a government, taking on a war and the thought that went into it.”

The Pentagon Papers — confidential documents which detailed decades of information about the Vietnam War that varied widely from what government officials told the public — first fell into the hands of The New York Times in 1971 through Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst who turned against the war. Three days into publication of stories about the documents, a federal district court issued a restraining order to temporarily prevent The Times from publishing about the Pentagon Papers. The Post continued the job.

Upon receiving the Papers, editor Bradlee took a team of editors and reporters to his home to work on the story, where he met with publisher Graham, lawyers and other Post stakeholders to argue about whether or not to publish any of the papers’ contents. Downie said lawyers said they should not publish as The Times had already been restrained, and members of the board worried it would bankrupt the paper.

“Graham had only been eight years in charge of The Post after the death of her husband, and as a woman I think that she already wasn’t trusted by members of the board just in running the newspaper,” Downie said of the internal controversy surrounding the publication of the papers.

Three days after The Post began publication of the Pentagon Papers, the courts enjoined them along with The Times.

At The Globe, Storin had only been the city editor for a week before

the publication was pulled into the Pentagon Papers controversy, but he had just returned from a reporting trip in Vietnam and had significant foreign reporting experience relative to the rest of the Globe staff. He became a part of the reporting effort.

The conversation at The Globe on whether to publish the papers took only between five and 10 minutes, which Storin said was primarily because of widespread faith in thenEditor Tom Winship.

“Tom Winship was God in that building,” he said. “Even the publisher kind of genuflected in front of Tom Winship, and anyone who knew Tom Winship would know that there was no way that we were not going to publish those papers.”

Several staffers on The Globe were subpoenaed. Storin showed members of the audience a picture of the subpoena, which listed his name and several others.

“It’s been framed on my wall for 30 years,” he said. “It’s not every day you have the United States of America versus you.”

Downie talked about what it was like to work as a technical consultant for “The Post” and to speak directly with character actors, screenwriter Josh Singer and Spielberg. The first time Downie met Spielberg was his first day inspecting the sets, when Spielberg told him “The Post” was a labor of love he wanted to finish before the end of the year.

“He made that movie in about one-third of the time it normally takes to make a movie, and they’re all working very hard to do it,” Downie said.

Downie was also impressed by the realistic sets, including the newsroom and especially the set of Graham’s house.

“When I walked onto that set I almost had tears in my eyes because I was so fond of her,” he said.

“Somehow, they managed to do everything exactly the same … I kept looking around the corner, like ‘Is she still here?’”

“The Post” is based on a screenplay that young screenwriter and playwright Liz Hannah wrote after reading Graham’s autobiography and reworked alongside Singer. “[Hannah] was so taken by the arc of [Graham’s] life where she inherited a newspaper that she was not expected to run, started running that newspaper and then had to make this tremendous decision about the Pentagon Papers, and then in the case of Watergate and continued to create a great newspaper,” Downie said.

Kaufman said the movie’s focus on Graham will create a female hero in the movie, which he said is especially important now, when the question of how women are treated in the workplace has become such a big conversation.

“I think seeing Katharine Graham, seeing Meryl Streep playing Katharine Graham, is a very different image of women journalists,” Kaufman said. “And so I think for our women students, they’re going to take a kind of pride beyond the journalism part of it that here’s a powerful woman making important decisions and really standing for the best the country could hope for.”

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November 30, 2017

Global students take Turkey Day

By Alyssa Lukpat News Correspondent Victoire Cointy, a third-year communication studies student from France, will never forget her first Thanksgiving in America. Her holiday was filled with Christmas music, American football, baking and laughter at her friend’s house in Washington, D.C. “Her family had already taken care of the cooking, but we had to do a lot of the baking. We made pecan pie and pumpkin pie. They had Christmas music playing in the background,” Cointy said. “It was basically a slow motion thing in films where you see people laughing and baking together, kind of like a stock photo.”

Cointy’s first Thanksgiving experience was everything she expected the holiday would be.

“It was weird at first because it wasn’t my family, but I felt very welcomed from the get-go and it was like they’d known me forever,” she said. “You hear about Thanksgiving so much and build up an idea in your head of what Thanksgiving is and it was exactly that: a big family coming together and having food.”

Cointy is one of approximately 20 percent of Northeastern students who originate from countries other than the United States, many of whom do not return home for Thanksgiving break. For many international students, Thanksgiving is the first traditional American holiday they experience. For Cointy, it was also her first exposure to another sacred American tradition: football.

“I’m not that big a fan of American football,” she said. “I didn’t watch much of the game myself, but my friend’s uncles were very vocal about certain portions of the game which I found very funny,” she said.

For Catu Berretta, a second-year computer science student from Uruguay, watching football while eating traditional food on Thanksgiving was also a strange concept.

“It’s funny that the tradition is to eat a lot of food, pass out and watch the football game on TV as you digest,” Berretta said. “It’s weird that people watch so much football.”

Berretta celebrated her first Thanksgiving at her friend’s house in New Jersey.

“I ate so much. We had a weird combination of things: turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing and gravy,” she said. “We

also had a pie contest and went around the table saying what we were grateful for. Then we took a nap after lunch.”

Berretta loved eating traditional Thanksgiving food. She will never forget eating stuffing for the first time.

“Stuffing is so good. I had never had stuffing before, but I had eaten pumpkin pie,” she said. “The stuffing was like soggy dry bread that somehow manages to have a texture. It just tastes really good. I don’t even know how you make it.

It was like pieces of bread that were boiled and baked, and it was tasty.”

Ziad Hassan, a second-year electrical and computer engineering major from Morocco, and Hamaad Hafeez, a second-year electrical engineering major from Pakistan, stayed in Boston for Thanksgiving this year. They prefer Black Friday shopping to eating traditional foods on Thanksgiving day.

“We went Black Friday shopping and got our winter coats because in Morocco I didn’t really have that many winter clothes,” Hassan said.

Hafeez did not travel for Thanksgiving break because he does not have family nearby.

“I stayed on campus and ate free food because I didn’t have anywhere else to go,” Hafeez said.

Hassan said Thanksgiving is similar to an Islamic holiday he celebrates in Morocco. The holiday, Eid, happens after a one-month fast during Ramadan.

“After that month, everybody breaks their fast in the morning by having a big breakfast together,” Hassan said. “It’s a very similar concept where the entire family sits together and eats, but it’s usually sweets and pastries rather than an actual meal.”

Although Berretta enjoyed her first Thanksgiving experience last year, she was less interested in celebrating Thanksgiving this year because of the history behind it.

“I think it’s sketchy we’re celebrating how people landed in America and became friends,” Berretta said. “It’s not true, because people landed in America and murdered everyone. There’s definitely other holidays that are more significant for me.”

Cointy wants to bring parts of Thanksgiving back home.

“If there’s anything I could take back to France it would be the Thanksgiving food,” Cointy said.

Photo by Riley Robinson Uruguayan native Catu Berretta celebrated her first Thanksgiving in 2016.

Photo by Sophie Cannon Free condoms are available to students at the University Health Sciences Center in Forsyth Hall.

STIs and college students: education and prevention

By Sophie Cannon Managing Editor A whirlwind of clothes hitting the floor, limbs tangled in bedsheets too small for the dorm-sized beds and an ad-free Spotify playlist in the background. As depicted by the many romantic comedies and teenage television shows, this is a common scene of the college-aged love life.

What is missing from this impassioned event? The discussion around sexually transmitted infections, or STIs, and use of contraceptives.

Unfortunately, this is not just the case in the movies, as many students are also either not aware of the risks that come with unprotected sex or the fact that STIs are on the rise in their demographic.

There were a reported 2 million cases of STIs between the years of 2015 and 2016, according to a new Center for Disease Control (CDC) report comparing rates of STIs between those years. Of those cases, 1.6 million were chlamydia, which is most often found in young women.

Syphilis, which is most often found in men who have sex with other men, saw a 36 percent increase in young women over the one-year period the report covered. As STIs rise, many do not know the types of questions to be asking, nor the places to go to ask those questions and get information on STIs and sexual health.

“What’s interesting about Northeastern is that there is such a diverse group of students with various backgrounds of STI knowledge,” said Kathrine Gilmore, treasurer of NU Sexual Health Advocacy, Resources and Education, or NUSHARE, and a fifth-year communication studies major. “For whatever reason, sexual health programming kind of stops when you get to college. We don’t have a women’s center on campus, and most colleges do. We don’t have anything sectioned just for sexual health.”

With the rise of STIs in the college demographic, the lack of a reliable resource center for testing, sexual health questions and advice exacerbates the problem and makes it harder for students to become informed or deal with an existing STI. While the University Health and Counseling Services, or UHCS, is a resource, many students do not know what the office provides in terms of STI education and testing.

UHCS does offer STI testing, however according to a poster in a locked back room in UHCS, each STI test costs $25 and must be paid for out of pocket. After being contacted by email and by phone, UHCS declined to comment.

“UHCS is not open with the fact that they charge, so every year we have to research what they charge,” Gilmore said. “When we talk about resources, people are surprised that

they even offer it.”

University spokesperson Matthew McDonald said in an email to The News that the health of Northeastern students is the university’s highest priority.

“University Health and Counseling Services provides the university’s more than 20,000 undergraduate and graduate students with confidential, compassionate, and high-quality care throughout their college experience,” McDonald said. “Preventative care, including sexual health counseling and STI testing, is available to students through UHCS.” The rise in STIs affects the city of Boston as a whole, where college students make up a large portion of the population during the school season. Samantha Johnson, a program manager for the prevention and screening division of the Boston Medical Center, noted the rise in STIs in her college-aged patients.

“We have seen an uptick in chlamydia and gonorrhea,” Johnson said. “They have always been very common, especially inside colleges.

Tight-knit groups, such as in college, have that as the most common form of disease. These diseases can pop up if you are not getting tested between partners.”

Another effective way to prevent the spread of STIs is through barrier-method contraceptives, most commonly the condom. This too comes with an unfortunate stigma, as many sexually active couples do not use contraceptives aside from the oral pill or intrauterine device, which do not protect against STIs. According to Men’s Health magazine, in the most recent National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior less than half of men ages 18 to 24 used a condom the last time they had penetrative sex.

“We are strong proponents of the condom,” said Colin Thompson, co-coordinator of the campus health advocacy group Peer Health Exchange and a fourth-year environmental science major. “It covers the bases, it is cheap and accessible. But there is the social stigma. It’s hard to walk into the drug store and buy condoms or reach into a bowl to get them; it’s become a joke almost. We have to focus on ending the stigma and shifting the conversation and making it a more common conversation.”

The image of a nervous teenage boy or girl at the drugstore counter asking for condoms is just as common of a scene as the steamy college dorm room, and is yet another barrier to getting rid of STIs on campuses nationwide. While stigmatized, condoms are also often discarded because one partner does not want to use them.

“We have a lot of guys that don’t enjoy using them so they don’t wear them,” Johnson said. “Women also

don’t know how to negotiate with their partners on the condom front.

In our field we do condom negotiation workshops where we teach and empower partners to be able to advocate for their own sexual health needs. When you come in to get tested at a public health clinic, they provide that. Unfortunately, not everyone goes to a public facility.”

Bridget Brunda, a fifth-year health science major and another co-coordinator of Peer Health Exchange reminds her mentees that condom use is not just for traditional penetrative sex, something else she said students have a misunderstanding or lack of education about.

“All types of sex, including oral, come with the risk of STIs,” Brunda said. “Even making out can transmit herpes. We need to think about how we are conducting ourselves.”

Providing those barrier methods, specifically condoms, to Northeastern students is also a challenge within itself.

Gilmore, who was an RA for a freshman dorm last year, tried to provide condoms to her residents during a sexual awareness program she planned. UHCS and her RA supervisor refused to fund her program, making it all the more difficult to provide contraceptives to the student body free of cost and stigma.

“I did a sexual health program and wanted to have condoms to back that up,” Gilmore said. “[UHCS] told me absolutely not, and made me very uncomfortable so that I didn’t even grab a handful for myself.”

Gilmore added that for the individual student who wants to go to UHCS for free condoms, they have now moved the bowl from the lobby to behind a door.

“If you want them you have to go in as if you have an appointment, and then go back out. It’s the extra burden and embarrassment just to be safe,” she said.

Without proper sexual health education, turning the CDC report’s results around for the next yearly study proves very difficult. Sexually active students must know when and how to use protection, feel comfortable enough to advocate for condoms, have the finances available to get tested if on campus or the knowledge of where else to go for free. Then, with every change of partner or health condition, do it all over again.

“We try to foster introspective thought, but it can be difficult in our age group,” Thompson said. “Public health has always been hard to instill any form of behavioral change. If they don’t want to change, they won’t. What we focus on is telling them about the contraceptives, but you should be going and using the knowledge of yourself and your body to make the most informed decision.”

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New tax bill threatens graduate students

By Riley Robinson News Staff Alex Ahmed, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in personal health informatics, lives with three other people in an apartment in Jamaica Plain.

Like other graduate students who work as teaching or research assistants, she receives a tuition waiver and lives off a stipend provided by the university.

“I would definitely say it’s challenging. I know a lot of students take second jobs to make it work,” she said. “I took a second job to make it work.”

Ahmed and many other Northeastern graduate students have expressed concern about H.R. 1, the Republican tax reform bill in the House of Representatives.

Some changes would directly affect college students, such as cutting the deduction for interest on student loans. It would also count tuition waivers like Ahmed’s as taxable income, bumping these students into tax brackets more than double the rate they would be paying otherwise.

Professor William Dickens, chair of the Department of Economics, said it is unprecedented for a bill with such large effects on the American economy to be pushed through Congress with the speed of this tax reform.

“The Republican Party is pushing this bill through quickly,” Dickens said. “The only possible explanation for why they are pushing it through so quickly is they know it’s a bad bill and they want it to pass before there’s public pushback against it.”

Dickens also said that graduate students’ worries are justified.

“Anyone who’s thinking about going to graduate school in a field where they’re likely to get an assistantship or a fellowship should be aware of the fact that this is going to make it really, really hard for them

to survive,” he said.

Dickens said graduate students could face a 50 percent increase in taxes, something Ahmed had already discovered in her own estimates.

“I would be paying almost half my income as taxes,” Ahmed said.

“My other half is already on rent. If I didn’t have a second job, I would have zero left over for living.”

The reality may be even worse than what Ahmed predicts. If the House tax reform became law, Ahmed would likely be paying more than half of her stipend in federal taxes.

Ahmed received $24,640 as stipend from the College of Computer Science this school year, according to billing invoices she shared with The News. Under the current tax code, she is in the 15 percent bracket and will owe $3,219.75 in federal taxes without any deductions.

Ahmed, like other graduate students, also receives a tuition waiver from the university. It is essentially a scholarship — she never sees the money, it just states that she owes nothing on her student account. This year, her tuition is valued at $29,408.

Under the proposals in the House tax bill, Ahmed’s income would now include the tuition she is not paying, for a total of $54,048. This amount puts her in a 25 percent tax bracket.

Ahmed would then owe $13,512 in federal taxes. Massachusetts state income tax would take an additional 5.1 percent, which would no longer be deductible.

Ahmed would now have to live on less than $11,000 for the year. This is more than $1,000 below the federal poverty line. Poverty defined at the federal level would hit even harder in Boston, where the cost of living is higher. Boston housing costs are 24 percent greater than the national average and electricity costs are 57

Graphic by Kaitlyn Budion

Graduate student Alex Ahmed will have to pay more than four times as much tax if H.R. 1 is passed.

percent higher according to a Boston Magazine analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

These increases would not only affect graduate students working as research or teaching assistants for the university, but also students whose tuition is paid for by an outside employer.

Northeastern is currently lobbying Congress to reject these changes, according to an email sent to all graduate students Nov. 17.

“Over the past several weeks the Northeastern Government Relations team has been on Capitol Hill urging members of Congress to oppose this bill,” Provost James C. Bean said in the email. “Our Government Relations team consistently pursues a proactive agenda on Capitol Hill on the behalf of the university including our students on efforts such as this tax reform bill, the travel ban and immigration, DACA, national financial aid policies and research funding.”

However, some students, especially those going on co-op, may

potentially benefit from the proposed changes to tax bracket rates.

The Northeastern Visitor Center advertises the average co-op wage as $20 per hour. If a student were to work at this wage full-time for six months, they would earn $19,200.

Under the current tax code, they would owe $2,403.75, but under the House bill, they would owe $99.75 less. Under the Senate’s proposal, their taxes would be reduced by almost $300. These figures ignore any deductions or state income taxes.

The Senate version of the bill, titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, does not cut the student-friendly deductions like its House counterpart. Graduate tuition waivers would not be taxed. The current $2,500 deduction for student loan interest would remain untouched.

First-year master’s of business administration student Chris Crouse said the current House bill would hurt graduate students in the short term, but is optimistic that university policies would adjust to offset

the cost.

“The universities are going to bear the cost over the long term to compensate for the additional tax,” Crouse said. “Universities are going to have to stay competitive to get the best candidates, the best students. To do that, they’re going to have to up the stipend to offset the tax costs.”

Isha Srivastava is a second-year computer science graduate student and vice president of Graduate Student Government, or GSG. She said several students have come to GSG with their concerns.

“Especially for people who are parents, for them it becomes very difficult if [a bill] like this is passed,” Srivastava said. “Even many of the master’s students are parents and are receiving income from the university. They are all going to be affected.”

GSG is currently planning a phone bank to call members of Congress and express their concerns.

“I hope it’s not passed,” Srivastava said. “I hope, for their betterment at least, that it doesn’t happen.”

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November 30, 2017

myNortheastern launch gets mixed response

By Morgan Lloyd

News Staff The university launched a new online portal, myNortheastern, to replace the myNEU portal on Monday following months of devel-

opment.

The new portal brought an updated design and interface to the website, but some students said they were unable to login or use it properly.

Rajiv Shridhar, the director of Systems and Production Services

for Northeastern’s Information Technology Services department, said this is just the first in a series of future upgrades for the portal.

“This is just the first step. It is a big step, but it is a first step on our journey with the new portal,”

Photo Illustration by Patrick Burgard A student logs on to the new myNortheastern website, which went live Monday.

Shridhar said.

MyNortheastern has a completely different interface from myNEU, although most of the content of the two appears to have remained the same.

Shridhar said the idea for a new portal was proposed last year and formal development started in March.

“There has been active work to talk to students, to staff, to faculty to see what they use more, what they like about the environment they use now and what they would like to see in the future,” Shridhar said.

Some of the improvements Shridhar mentioned included easier searching capability, a more devicefriendly interface and branding that is more in line with the university.

For first-year school psychology graduate student Nikki Caron, however, the updated portal brought new challenges.

“I was trying to do something related to a graduation requirement, and I had just been given directions from my department, and now the way to do it is totally different, so that was a little frustrating,” Caron said.

Taylor Meeks, a first-year student studying microbiology in the College of Professional Studies, also felt that adjusting to the new portal was somewhat difficult.

“I personally am not the biggest fan because I can’t navigate it very well,” Meeks said. “I can’t really

figure it out very well, and I think I’m a pretty tech-savvy person.”

The portal is likely to adapt in the upcoming months. As Shridhar emphasized, this is only the initial release of myNortheastern.

“We were looking for a platform that would be flexible, that would allow us to do the things we need to do as we continually evolve the portal to serve our future needs,” Shridhar said.

Others, such Chen Xu, a fifthyear student majoring in civil engineering, faced technical problems while trying to use the new portal.

“I tried once, but I didn’t figure out how it worked,” Xu said. “I tried logging in to myNEU last night, but it just redirected me to another page.

I was confused, so I just logged in directly on Blackboard.”

For Xu, however, the myNEU interface was also confusing, something he hoped myNortheastern would improve upon.

“Sometimes when I’m looking for something [on myNeu], like a term or a link, some of them are hard to find. It’s a little bit of an inconvenience,” Xu said.

Despite the criticism, however, Caron said the new portal was ultimately an improvement over myNEU. “It’s easier to navigate, I think,” Caron said. “It was kind of overwhelming at first, but now it is kind of streamlined.”

AMAZING t-shirts inspire self-confidence

By Paxtyn Merten Editor-in-Chief One morning early this spring, Jenna Malley received a text from a friend saying “I don’t feel that great this morning. I can’t remember how amazing I am.” Malley asked her why, but another message was already on the way: “Nevermind, I looked in the mirror and now I feel fine.”

The sentiment resonated with Malley, who at the time was searching for a way to honor her best friend Kennedy Clifford, who died by suicide in 2014. This text conversation spurred the fifth-year Northeastern accelerated master’s student into action. She reached out to Jacklyn Oleksak, a fourth-year student at Stonehill College who had been close friends with Clifford, and the AMAZING Campaign was born.

Through the campaign, which launched in March, Malley and Oleksak sell clothing and accessories with the word “AMAZING” written backward across them, so when people wear the items they can see the word in the mirror or in selfies. All profits from the sales are donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

“The AMAZING Campaign is based off the idea that everyone deserves to see how amazing they are, physically see it in the mirror, be able to wake up and put on a shirt or a hat and look in the mirror and say ‘Okay, I’m amazing,” Malley said.

The campaign started small: Malley and Oleksak aimed to sell 11 t-shirts through Bonfire, a custom shirt sales company, in the weeks leading up to Clifford’s April 13 birthday so members of their local New Jersey community could wear them in tribute to Clifford. However, within the first 48 hours they sold more than 200 shirts.

“We were pretty shocked by that because we didn’t think our message would resonate with that many people,” Malley said. “We were getting orders from people we didn’t even know. We were getting orders from across the country, across the ocean. We got orders from Europe.

It was absolutely insane.”

The pair realized they had to move off the t-shirt starter website and created their own website in July.

They expanded their inventory. As of November, the campaign has raised

more than $4,000 through more than 500 orders to support suicide prevention efforts. The co-founders are now working with lawyers to turn the AMAZING Campaign into a recognized nonprofit.

Audrey Mayer, a 62-year-old social worker who has been a professional therapist for the past year, lives in the Westwood, New Jersey, community that Clifford was a part of. Her son was Clifford’s peer before her death.

“I was studying at the time and even noticed in graduate school suicide is not really addressed enough for mental health clinicians to learn how to treat head-on, how to vet, how to investigate,” Mayer said.

“As a mother, when Kennedy killed herself, I resented it. I resented that it was on the menu — I hate that it’s on the menu for kids. But I can’t just go in denial … so we started talking about it more clinically and objectively in our own home.”

Mayer, who had a career in telegraphics and telecommunications before she went back to school to work in therapy, said she is enthusiastic about the AMAZING Campaign because of the way it pairs a strong aesthetic with a positive message.

“This is my Christmas gift this year, it’s been my birthday present for a few friends, I have some in the house for spontaneous gifts,” Mayer said. “I think it’s important. There’s a businesscard that Jenna [Malley] has … so I put them in with the t-shirt so when people get the t-shirt they understand why they got that gift.”

Malley said she wanted the campaign to be clothing-based so it would spark more conversations and raise awareness of mental illness and suicide prevention and to tell people struggling with mental illness that they are not alone.

“With the shirt idea, we’re also hoping that people will feel more comfortable talking about mental illness, because both of us who started the campaign are absolutely horrified by the stigma that surrounds mental illness,” Malley said. “We’ve heard so many stories of people wearing it and they love that they can actually open up and talk about it in a more comfortable, casual way because they’re not the one who brought it up. It’s a natural way to bring it into a conversation

because it’s right there — it’s on your chest.”

Mayer said the campaign is already minimizing the taboo that surrounds mental illness and suicide in her community. After she gave one of her friends an AMAZING t-shirt, her friend opened up to Mayer about her struggle with her son’s mental illness, she said.

“The campaign has become a bridge for some people who need to talk about it who don’t know how to introduce it,” she said. “I don’t know how to introduce the idea of suicide prevention in a lot of conversations that aren’t with peers or colleagues, but are just with mothers in my neighborhood, and this is a way I’ve been able to do it. And the parents are wearing these proudly. And so are the kids.”

Though it is a lot of work to build up the campaign, Malley said if it makes one person think about Clifford or changes their views on mental illness, it is worth it.

“We didn’t feel like her passing should be the end for her,” Malley said. “We felt like the kindness and the generosity she’d always shown to every single person in her life deserved to be carried on.”

Kennedy Clifford’s sister, 25-yearold Connelly Clifford, tries to get the word out about the AMAZING Campaign in New York City where she works. When Malley and Oleksak first told her about the idea for the campaign, Clifford said she appreciated that her sister’s suicide inspired something positive.

“I grew up with my sister and watched her make such a positive influence on people’s lives,” Connelly Clifford said. “She would literally bring cookies into school on test days to make people feel better or an extra pair of socks to give to somebody during gym. Random little things like that, random acts of kindness — we call them random acts of Kennedy.”

Clifford is returning to school at Salve Regina University in January to pursue a master’s degree in holistic counseling. There, she will look at ways to expand treatments for mental illness beyond medication and eventually teach others these same strategies as a professor or private practitioner. In the meantime, she hopes the AMAZING Campaign will continue to grow.

“There are so many amazing

organizations out there: American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Samaritans, they all have this general message that they’re there to listen to people and help people,” she said, “but I want something as well that can just help people smile or feel better, just know that they’re amazing if they’re looking in the mirror and wearing one of the t-shirts. I would really love if it became nonprofit, and even if it starts as a club on college campuses … we can just kind of branch this out all across the Northeast.”

Similarly, Mayer said the campaign should expand into high schools.

“It really needs to be in the high schools, like DARE [Drug Abuse Resistance Education] was,” Mayer said. “If you bring it in early enough, it’s successful, and I think the AMAZING Campaign can do it because it’s not all buzzkill. It’s innovative and it’s challenging and it’s getting in front of very serious problem and that’s what I like about it. It’s optimistic, and if we look at

suicide as every other disorder or disease, it is early detection and diagnosis that is life preserving.”

After obtaining nonprofit status, Malley hopes to partner with high schools and colleges to do informational programming and advocacy, especially in Massachusetts and New Jersey. Malley said she would like to work with that age group as a part of AMAZING, specifically graduating seniors and college freshmen coming into schools without knowing their mental health options.

“Obviously we would love to just end suicide, but realistically that’s not feasible because although people like to say suicide is 100 percent preventable, we know that it’s not,” Malley said. “Our goal is really just to raise awareness of mental illness, raise awareness of suicide, especially among younger age groups so we can make them aware of the resources that are available to them and make sure they’re utilizing those resources.”

Photo by Paxtyn Merten Fifth-year Jenna Malley, founder of the AMAZING Campaign, poses with her dog Otis while wearing an t-shirt from her organization.

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Boston Ballet negotiates new dancer contract

Photo courtesy Boston Ballet The American Guild of Musical Artists faces its ninth month of contract negotiations with the Boston Ballet, working to retain existing benefits and protections that were obtained for its dancers in their last contract. The contract expired in June 2016. Pictured above, Boston Ballet dancers perform in “The Fifth Symphony of Jean Sibelius” in fall 2017.

By Maggie Dolan City Editor Thanksgiving weekend marked the opening of this season’s production of “The Nutcracker” for the Boston Ballet, but the holiday season also marks more than nine months of contract negotiations between the Ballet and its dancers.

The previous three-year contract expired in June 2016, but the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), the dancers’ union, is negotiating to hold onto benefits only acquired a few years ago for the 55 dancers it represents.

“Proposals from management were really extreme originally in their proposed cuts,” said Deborah Allton-Maher, the lead negotiator for the dancers and associate executive director of AGMA. “Cuts in benefits, cuts in salary structure, restructure in salaries. It was quite broad and comprehensive negative change.”

Allton-Maher said typically such extreme cuts to a contract occur when a company faces financial strain, but AGMA can find no evidence of such challenges, and ticket sales have recently been record-breaking.

She praised the Ballet for its recent

investments in a new dance school and new productions, but said it needs to continue to invest in its current dancers and be more transparent about their finances.

“To put the brakes on and to put in reverse what supports the dancers, which is the purpose of a ballet company, is unacceptable to us,” she said. “If there is in fact a need to economize in areas, then this is certainly not the place to do it and certainly not to this extreme.”

Dancers have formed a social media presence in response to the negotiations through a Facebook community called “Stand with the Dancers of Boston Ballet” and an Instagram page.

A member of the page who is involved in the issue spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect their job. They said these accounts are outlets the dancers use to inform the public about the situation.

“We want to talk to everybody,” they said. “We want to make sure everyone is informed. We want to make sure that everyone knows what’s at stake, not only for the dancers but for the community and what everyone stands to lose.”

The source said overdue contracts are not a typical issue for the Ballet,

as they are usually completed before the previous contract expires. But this round of negotiations brought cuts to important protections such as physical therapy programs, seniority compensation for dancers who are loyal to the company for years, compensation for injured dancers and wage increases as the costs of living in and around Boston rise.

“The concessions that we are being faced with are so valuable and are rights and protections that we have fought for through decades of collective bargaining and that we just obtained the last round of negotiations,” they said.

They said because of the Ballet’s nonprofit status, it faces a major challenge of ending each year with a net balance of zero, requiring financial decisions to go through a lot of tedious planning. That has also made contract negotiations difficult.

“Expenditures have to match income,” they said. “And for the ballet company, it’s very difficult.

There’s a lot of rotating parts that require a lot of financial commitment, and ballet dancers are not cheap. Ballets are expensive to produce.”

The source said in the past, the Boston Ballet has been seen by

other musical artist institutions as the “golden standard” of contracts when it comes to dancer protections and benefits, and other companies base their own contracts on those standards.

“So, to take a contract that’s so strong and so revered in the dance community,” they said, “and to dismantle it in a way that would strip it of a lot of what makes it so impactful, is such a shame to see that all go.”

According to a spokesperson for Boston Ballet, the group is working toward a timely agreement that will benefit both the dancers and the organization.

“We continue to negotiate in good faith to ensure our extraordinary dancers’ wellness and to preserve the stability of this beloved non-profit arts organization for our patrons, families and students to enjoy for many years to come,” the spokesperson said.

Allton-Maher said the negotiations have been respectful and some small compromises have been made, but AGMA and the Ballet are not yet close to reaching a final agreement.

“They have given explanations to support their position, and we essentially don’t agree with them,” she

said. “We reject the need to make such an extreme adjustment to the contract in response to the challenges that they have expressed that they’re facing.”

She said while they are not satisfied with the current state of the negotiations, she appreciates her time spent working with the dancers who are members of the union.

“Working with the committee of dancers always, in the Boston Ballet, is a tremendous experience,” she said. “These are very smart, very articulate, motivated, responsible, incredible group of people.”

AGMA plans to proceed with strategic, but currently confidential, measures to escalate to pressure on the Ballet to comply with their standards.

The anonymous member of Stand with the Dancers of Boston Ballet interviewed by The News said they are hopeful that consensus will be reached soon.

“Those escalations are incredibly consequential and we will escalate and strategize into the future as we see fit,” they said. “But for now, we still hold out a lot of hope that we can get a lot of progress accomplished with company management.”

Scaramucci resigns from Tufts University

By Ryan Grewal

News Correspondent Weeks of friction between former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci and the Tufts University law school culminated with his resignation from the law school advisory board.

Scaramucci, a Tufts alumnus who found success in the finance industry, served on the board from June 2016 until Tuesday morning, during which time he served as President Donald J. Trump’s communications director.

His 11-day stint in the White House abruptly ended after his profanityladen conversation with New Yorker reporter Ryan Lizza.

His conflict with the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy community arose in early November when Fletcher graduate student Carter Banker began a petition to remove “The Mooch,” as Scaramucci is often derisively called, from the board.

The Tufts Daily, the university’s student newspaper, published two op-ed pieces by Fletcher graduate student Camilo Caballero, who called Scaramucci unethical and urged his removal from the board.

Scaramucci sent both Cabellero and The Daily cease and desist letters Nov. 21 through his lawyer, Samuel J. Liberman. The letter sent to The Daily claims that the op-eds defamed Scaramucci.

“Your baseless accusations of Mr. Scaramucci being an ‘unethical opportunist’ and dishonest have caused particular damage to Mr. Scaramucci’s business in the investment advisor and journalism industries – both of which rely on professional trust,” the letter read.

Gil Jacobson, The Daily’s editorin-chief, ran the letter Monday, after consulting with legal experts.

“My first instinct [upon receiving the letter] was to contact the Student Press Law Center,” he said. “We spoke to a lawyer from the SPLC and from there decided to publish the cease and desist and from there we decided to wait and see.”

Following the publication of the letter, Tufts cancelled a Nov. 27 event where Scaramucci was scheduled to appear. Scaramucci posted a long-winded letter to the Fletcher community defending his seat on the board Monday night; however, the following morning he announced his resignation, telling The Daily he left

because of the event cancellation.

“My involvement with the Trump administration, and the infamous nature of my firing, are not reasons to remove me from the Fletcher School Advisory Board,” Scaramucci wrote in his letter. “Those unique and valuable experiences make me an even more valuable resource and well-rounded advisor.”

Second-year undeclared Tufts

student Mert Erdan said as a student from Turkey, he finds Scaramucci’s reaction to the op-ed strange.

“I’m personally an international student and actually find it very weird that some … alum is trying to sue a school newspaper for having an editorial,” Erdan said. “The fact that he’s suing over opinion just sounds very unfounded to me.”

Erdan said although the lawsuit

seems scary, he doesn’t think the newspaper will get into real trouble.

“Obviously, I feel bad for The Daily — do I necessarily think anything bad is going to happen to them? Probably not,” Erdan said. “I think Scaramucci is sort of overreacting to this entire event.”

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons The Tufts Daily, the university’s student newspaper, received a warning letter from Anthony Scaramucci’s lawyer Nov. 21 after publishing two op-eds criticizing him. Pictured above, a Tufts academic building.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons Anthony Scaramucci resigned from a Tufts University advisory board Tuesday.

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November 30, 2017

Coalition calls for automatic voter registration

By Katie McCreedy News Staff A coalition of civic organizations are calling for Massachusetts to implement automatic voter registration, or AVR, to help increase voter turnout after only 32 percent of registered Boston voters cast a ballot in this month’s mayoral election, according to the Boston Election Department.

Common Cause is a nonpartisan, national organization that works to hold the government accountable through lobbying and public education programs, among their main efforts is increasing voter turnout.

Pam Wilmot, the executive director of Common Cause’s Massachusetts chapter, said the organization believes AVR will increase voter turnout.

“AVR is a small change with a big impact,” Wilmot said. “It will make the process more efficient, accurate and inclusive, potentially registering up to 60,080 new voters.”

AVR will register citizens to vote once they interact with a state agency, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles or MassHealth. It is essentially an updated version of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, commonly referred to as the “motor voter” act, which required all states to allow citizens to register to vote while receiving or updating their driver’s license.

“We are actually leading the campaign for AVR here in Massachusetts and we have a coalition of 53 organizations that are pushing for it,” Wilmot said.

Now, Common Cause is teaming up with a coalition of Massachusetts civic organizations, including the Boston Teachers Union, Young Democrats of Massachusetts and League of Women Voters MA,

to encourage the state House and Senate to pass legislation authorizing AVR. Bill H.3937, being considered by the Massachusetts House of Representatives, would instate AVR. It would also increase security measures for inter-agency data transmission, when voter information is electronically transmitted from one government agency to another, to ensure that all personal voter information is protected. The bill also aims to lower the cost of voter registration through these efforts to make registration more electronic.

If approved, the bill would take effect Jan. 1, 2019. Wilmot, who is also a 1988 Northeastern School of Law graduate, said she is hopeful the bill will pass in January when the House is back in session.

“We want the reform to be in place for the 2020 election,” Wilmot said.

“2018 is too soon. There needs to be time for needed updates and to connect agencies. Interestingly, the reform will actually make less work for local election officials.”

Without AVR, citizens must “opt-in” to fill out extra paperwork and take time to register. AVR would turn this system into “opt-out” registration, meaning that citizens instead have to choose not to be registered.

With AVR, the citizen’s information is transferred to an electronic database that verifies voter eligibility. Then, they receive a postcard which they can return to indicate their political party affiliation or to opt-out of registration. If the citizen does not return the postcard, they are registered as an unaffiliated voter.

This means that they cannot vote in closed elections — elections only open to a party’s members — but they can vote in general elections.

In 2008, only 61 percent of eligible voters aged 18 to 24 were registered

Photo courtesy Creative Commons Massachusetts civic organizations are partnering to push the state legislature to enact automatic voter registration, hoping for an increase in voter turnout after few people voted in the November mayoral election. to vote, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement, meaning many college students may not vote simply because they are unregistered. Hannah Haaijer, a second-year behavioral neuroscience major, said she is hopeful about the system because it will make people’s lives easier.

“The people who are voting right now are the people who want to vote, but maybe if it was easier, people who don’t always vote would,” Haaijer said.

AVR is already approved in 10 states and Washington, D.C., including Massachusetts’ neighbors Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut.

In Oregon, the first state to enact AVR, statistics are available from

the 2016 election. According to the Office of Oregon’s Secretary of State, 88,573 voters who were newly registered with AVR voted for the first time since 2008. Also, eligible voters registered in the state increased by 13 percent from 2012 to 2016 when AVR was implemented.

Catherine Li, a first-year computer science major, said she is cautious about AVR, but sees potential.

“I think it would help a little bit, but not significantly, because I think if people wanted to vote they would also go out of their way to register,” Li said.

International students at Northeastern also have concerns about voter registration in the United States, where turnout is low compared to many other countries.

Flavio Tinoco, a first-year international business major, said voting here seems much different than it is at home in Honduras.

“It’s very easy and most people vote in Honduras,” Tinoco said. “It’s a thing when Election Day comes that everyone goes out and votes.”

Moving forward, Wilmot said Common Cause is planning more events for January when the House is back in session to help encourage a floor vote.

“We had a press event about 10 days ago and at the end of January we have another lobbying event. The legislature is away for the break, so this is a quiet period,” Wilmot said.

“But, we’re still working on things during this period, just not quite as full throttle as before their recent break.”

WINTER INTERSESSION JANUARY 2 – JANUARY 18 Take a Course Over Winter Break and Accelerate Your Progress Towards a Degree!

Biological Sciences LIFE.1010-001 Life Science I Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:30pm

Health HSCI.3080-001 Global Health Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm

Chemistry CHEM.1010-002 Applied Chemistry for Non-Scientists Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 1:00-4:00pm

Legal Studies LGST.2620-002 Introduction to Business Law Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 1:00-4:00pm

Economics ECON.2010-001 Economics I (Microeconomics) Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm

Philosophy PHIL.2030-001 Introduction to Ethics Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm

ECON.2020-001 Economics II (Macroeconomics) Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm

Political Science POLI.1010-001 Introduction to American Politics Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm

English ENGL.2110-001 Poetry Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm ENGL.2170-002 The Horror Story Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 1:00-4:00pm UMass Lowell is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action, Title IX, H/V, ADA 1990 University. This ad was produced at no cost to the Commonwealth.

POLI.1100-001 Introduction to Politics Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm POLI.1210-002 Introduction to International Relations Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 1:00-4:00pm

Psychology PSYC.1010-002 Introduction to Psychological Science Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 1:00-4:00pm PSYC.2600-001 Child and Adolescent Development Blended Course. Face-to-face classes meet Mon. through Wed. 9:00am-12:00pm. Thurs. through Sat. is online.

PSYC.2550-001 Community Psychology Mon.-Sat., 9:00am-12:00pm PSYC.2720-002 Abnormal Psychology Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 1:00-4:00pm

PSYC.3280-002 Dynamics of Interpersonal Relations Mon.-Fri., 6:00-9:00pm Sat., 1:00-4:00pm PSYC.3350-001 Psychology and Women Blended Course. Face-to-face classes meet Mon. through Wed. 9:00am-12:00pm. Thurs. through Sat. is online.

PSYC.4730-001 Seminar in Social Psychology: Positive Psychology Blended Course. Face-to-face classes meet Tues. & Thurs. from 12:30-3:45pm. Mon., Wed., Fri. & Sat. is online.

QUESTIONS? Call 800-480-3190

Visit https://continuinged.uml.edu/winter

LIFESTYLE

November 30, 2017

EVENT CALENDAR Calendar compiled by Elissa Taublib, News Staff

EVENT OF THE WEEK HAVE A LIT TIME AT A TREE LIGHTING Thursday, Nov. 30

Photo courtesy Creative Commons

Get into the holiday spirit by attending the 2017 Boston Common Tree Lighting, where a 53-foot white spruce tree will be lit amongst other holiday decorations. The 76th annual event is a celebration of a century of friendship between Boston and Nova Scotia, with guests including Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Honourable Stephen McNeil, the Premier of Nova Scotia. This year’s tree arrived from Nova Scotia, a tradition that has been in place since 1918. In 1917, Boston’s mayor offered help after the explosion of two ships that collided in Halifax Harbor. A year later, Nova Scotia sent a Christmas tree to Boston to thank them for all the support, and that has become a tradition since then. 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.; Boston Parks and Recreation Department - 1010 Massachusetts Ave; free

Friday, Dec. 1

Saturday, Dec. 2

Sunday, Dec. 3

There’s no better way to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season than by strolling through one of the most historic neighborhoods in Boston. At the 11th Annual North End Holiday Stroll, you can shop local while exploring the extremely narrow streets that contain some of the city’s oldest buildings. The streets of Boston’s Little Italy will be festively decorated in red and green, and visitors will be able to enjoy their surroundings while shopping and snacking at the North End’s renowned and independently-owned fashion, gift, home, food and wine shops. 6 p.m. – 11 p.m.; The North End; free

Make your holiday shopping experience more gratifying by helping others in Shop With a Cause 2017. This is the 4th annual Shop With a Cause charity event, and all participating businesses donate a percentage of their profits to a charity of their choice. Organized by Fire Opal and Jamaica Plain Business & Professional Association, some of this year’s participating shops include: J.P. Licks Homemade Ice Cream Company, which will donate to Community Servings; Fresh Hair, which will donate to Eliot School of Fine & Applied Arts; and Tres Gatos, which will donate to 826 Boston. 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Jamaica Plain; free

This comedy show will turn a typical, boring Sunday night into a hilarious and fun evening. And there’s absolutely no better way to start off your week than with a laugh. The Midway Or The Highway Comedy open mic event is your chance to see new talents perform onstage or even jump up and perform yourself. Featuring actress Emily Winter and comedian Julia Shiplett, this is a 21+ event.

Organized by Comedy at Midway Cafe, the show is free but you must register on the website in order to guarantee your seat. 9 p.m. – 11:59 p.m.; Midway Cafe - 3496 Washington St, Jamaica Plain; free

Monday, Dec. 4

Tuesday, Dec. 5

Wednesday, Dec. 6

Start off the winter season with one of the most popular activities amongst students this time of the year. At CAB Presents: Ice Skating on Frog Pond, you can go ice skating with your friends on the pond, which has an amazing view of Boston Common, the oldest city park in the United States. During the summer, Frog Pond is a spray pool, but when temperatures start dropping it turns into an outdoor ice-skating rink.

Organized by the Campus Activities Board of Boston College (Boston College CAB), tickets to this event will be sold in pairs on Wednesday at 8 a.m. through the Robsham website. 7:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.; Frog Pond, Boston Common - 38 Beacon St; $14

If you are interested in Chinese culture, then this is just the event for you. Presented by the Berklee Chinese Music Industry Club, the Berklee Chinese Pop Music Showcase will feature singers such as Piao Huang, Jiayun Yu, Junshu Zheng and guest singers Wentian Liu, Geyang Xu and Jun Xu. The event is the closing ceremony of the Chinese Music Industry Meets Berklee event, which is designed to establish Berklee as a leader in preparing students for careers in the Chinese Music Industry. The performances will highlight genres such as pop, ballad, rock, R&B, fusion, jazz and EDM. 8 p.m. – 10 p.m.; Berklee Performance Center 136 Massachusetts Ave; $8

You will never see the Museum of Fine Arts in the same light after participating in the Shady Ladies Tour of the Museum of Fine Arts.

During this tour, you will acquaint yourself with the museum and art collections’ prevalent themes of sexuality and the power struggles that women have faced. One will also see a plethora of ancient Greek women, Roman priestesses and ancient murderesses in the art. Join this tour in what is often perceived as a conservative museum and discuss art after viewing it in a new perspective, one that highlights rather than hides the important role of women throughout history. 6:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m.; Museum of Fine Arts; $25

Page 9

“Stranger Things 2” in Review Warning: Contains spoilers.

In its sophomore season, Netflix’s “Stranger Things” uses its visual charm and well-rounded cast to build a nostalgic yet fresh story with unexpected twists. I was a huge fan of the first season — it was everything I love about ‘80s cinema and culture encapsulated in a show. The great use of color, incredible cinematography and retro synths created an atmosphere that transported viewers back in time. The show’s fictional setting Mohit Puvvala of Hawkins, Indiana, created a sense of subtle claustrophobia as the events of the first season stayed within the town despite the show’s grandeur. To put it simply, creators Matt and Ross Duffer — known as the Duffer Brothers — caught lightning in a bottle.

Due to the first season’s monumental acclaim, the announcement of “Stranger Things 2” created tremendous hype on social media. Usually, this kind of buzz and speculation surrounding a season leads to unattainably high expectations. Well, I’m happy to say that while it’s not perfect, “Stranger Things 2” delivers on many of its promises and more than satisfies cravings for a binge-worthy season.

“Stranger Things 2” picks up a year after the events of the first season. Will Byers is back in the group after being lost in the Upside Down, and things are, for the most part, back to normal for his friends Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. Joyce Byers has finally found her boy, Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler are still together and Jonathan Byers is still, well, himself. However, not everything is the same, as Eleven is still missing after her encounter with the Demogorgon at the end of season one. Will is coughing up slugs and is faced with some sort of Upside Down version of PTSD. And as a new threat emerges, the characters find themselves once again facing the unknown from the Upside Down.

I loved the fleshed out character arcs that expanded upon things that were established or hinted at in the first season. There’s a sweet friendship that develops between Dustin and Steve that I loved. Steve becomes a mentor for Dustin and even reveals to him the secrets to his flawless hair. He could have easily become just another standard ‘80s bully like Biff from “Back to the Future,” but the show flips this trope and makes Steve one of the major protagonists. The show also lovingly uses ‘80s film tropes by including an “ET”-inspired friendship between Dustin and a demogorgon. Although Nancy starts the season in a relationship with Steve, she eventually becomes lovebirds with Jonathan and I couldn’t be happier about it. As numerous fan fictions can confirm, I think everyone saw this coming from a mile away.

They even played with ‘80s style rom-com humor when Jonathan and Nancy denied their interest toward each other to a laughably cheesy level. The shots leading up to their much anticipated “get-together” are John Hughes-esque.

I also liked the new additions to the show. Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink, added a new dynamic to the team. Though she initially acted more mature than the boys, she eventually leveled with her new friends and became a part of the team. Billy Hargrove, played by Dacre Montgomery, was a menacing bully. My favorite of the new characters was easily Sean Astin’s character, Bob Newby. He provided some much needed levity as one of the only outsiders looking in on the clandestine mystery of Hawkins.

I found myself laughing nearly every time he spoke, and his addition to the cast balanced out the much darker tones in the show.

My main issue with this season has to do with the seventh episode. It centered around a new character, Eight, who has psychic powers that allow her to create illusions. She then uses these powers to control Eleven. Her grunge character felt too tonally inconsistent with the rest of the cast and ultimately felt contrived and lazy. They should have used this time to put Eleven in a more coming-of-age situation that’s true to her character as opposed to what we got, which was out of place for what the show was trying to build.

Eleven is still growing as a person, and simple moments with her and Hopper highlight the family dynamic she’s been missing her whole life. I don’t think her character was ready to find others like her quite yet because her story in Hawkins was far from done.

That episode aside, I loved “Stranger Things 2.” It’s not as good as the first season only because the first season felt like a ticking time bomb. The stakes were much higher because there was a missing kid. Every day he was missing, things became darker. In season two, those stakes are there, but they don’t feel as high. They diminish the threat of the large Demogorgon by adding numerous smaller Demogorgons. It was the same thing James Cameron did with the 1986 film “Aliens” — take the creature from the first movie, add more, but take away the scary aspects. Although they eat Dustin’s cat, but I wasn’t genuinely terrified of anything. However, this season proved to be a delight, and fans are going to want to revisit the Upside Down.

Aoun’s book lays out a plan for educators

EXPERIENTIAL, from front liberal arts are just as important and difficult as “harder” sciences.

However, because most of the book is dedicated to the importance of data and technological literacy, it’s a hard sell. The conclusion seemed to be: Liberal arts as a silo will no longer exist. Aoun contends the three

Photo by Riley Robinson pillars of humanics are especially important to students in the liberal arts in order to become “robotproof.”

One of the pitfalls of the book and his argument was that it could verge on being redundant. Part of Aoun’s plan is to have teachers include explicit cognitive goals in

their syllabi and reiterate learning outcomes in each lesson and presentation. This structure is reminiscent of high school state standards, and it seems like a meddlesome, unnecessary and ultimately unhelpful expenditure of energy.

What is most striking about this book was not the importance of using higher education to best the up-and-coming robots seeking to redefine the workplace. It was that as an administrator and a leader of Northeastern, Aoun undersells and misrepresents himself every step of the way. He’s notably elusive to the students he serves, and when he did appear this past year, it seemed like a marketing ploy for his book and himself. In making his thesis concise and palatable during speeches, he’s

also made himself into a meme.

This book thoughtfully and convincingly presented his ideas and highlighted his good intentions. It’s a shame his outreach to students comes off as a marketing tool or a joke. The even bigger shame is that while his book reads like a love letter to higher education, learning and, in many ways, Northeastern, the average education given here doesn’t come close to measuring up to his lofty goals.

In “Robot-Proof,” he cites a 2011 study that found more than 45 percent of undergraduates had virtually nonexistent improvements in critical thinking, reasoning and written communication after two years; after graduation, 36 percent still have no improvement at all.

As I continue with my second year at Northeastern, I can’t help but wonder if this statistic includes me too. Has Northeastern made me literate in data, technology or humans? By the time I graduate, will I be an irreplaceable member of the workforce?

While I don’t doubt Aoun’s blueprint for higher education in the modern world, I doubt his execution at Northeastern. I doubt his ability to transform his incredible education, expertise and ideas into effective action. “Robot-Proof” has given me an appreciated insight into what “experiential learning” means when it’s not a punchline, but it has also shown me how far Northeastern has to go to actualize Aoun’s dream of creating robot-proof students.

LIFESTYLE

Page 10

November 30, 2017

Music ensembles prepare for performances

By Elissa Taublib News Staff Northeastern’s symphony orchestra and choral society will host their fall concerts Dec. 1 and 2, respectively, featuring musical pieces from different time periods. Both performances will be held at the Fenway Center at 8 p.m.

The NU Choral Society is the oldest and largest vocal ensemble

at Northeastern University. It has a group of about 100 singers, all of whom will be presenting part one of Handel’s “Messiah,” an oratorio composed in the 18th century by George Frideric Handel, along with other short music pieces. The earliest piece that will be performed is from the early 15th century, and the most recent was written only a few months ago.

Professor of music and Director of

Choral Activities Joshua Jacobson said the purpose of any concert is to use music to communicate in ways that words alone cannot. He said music speaks directly to the heart by using an emotional language.

“Choral music brings people together,” Jacobson said. “When you have an ensemble, each person by themselves cannot create the piece; it’s only through the cooperative work that it comes together.

Photo by Riley Robinson A member of Northeastern’s symphonic orchestra practices for their upcoming performance.

Each week we come away from rehearsal with the feeling that we’ve accomplished something, not just that we’ve learned music, but that by working together in empathy we can create something great.”

Besides rehearsing once a week, members of both ensembles are also expected to practice on their own in preparation for the concert.

The choir director has conducted Handel’s “Messiah” before, but said each time he brings something new to the piece. Jacobson said when he is performing such old music, he thinks about how he can recreate the original sound to make it relevant to the performers and audiences today.

Fifth-year behavioral neuroscience major Emmalee Todd, who is the student president of the NU Choral Society, has been a member of the choir since her sophomore year.

She said being part of the group has given her the opportunity to become part of something that is bigger than herself. She said she wants the audience to feel as if they have stepped out of their normal lives during the fall concert.

“My hope for this concert is that people will be able to come to this and experience something that kind of transcends the struggles of everyday life that they’ve been dealing with,” Todd said. “They can forget about all the difficult stuff that’s going and just enjoy some really fantastic music and hopefully be moved by it.”

The Northeastern University Symphony Orchestra, or NUSO, is also performing music ranging from the baroque period to the present day this weekend at a concert. Although the group is open to all students, staff and faculty, one has to audition to be a part of the ensemble. Fourthyear computer science and math

major William Meehan is the public relations manager of NUSO and a cello player. Meehan said since there is a selection process, members of the symphony usually have been playing their instruments for a long time.

“You meet friends at the orchestra,” he said. “It’s a learning experience because it offers you a new perspective on the music that you are playing as well as just a good social experience.”

Jacobson said students look to hang out with people who have shared interests, and the choir can unite those interested in singing.

“There’s an incredible high that you get when you harmonize with your fellow human beings,” he said.

“I mean that both in the literal sense of making music together and also in the harmonizing your soul with people that you like and trust.”

Meehan also stated the importance of the symphony orchestra as a cultural cornerstone to tie in with the centuries-long tradition of classical music. He also said they serve the university not only in the concerts they host, but also by attracting prospective students that are looking to join an orchestra in college. On Dec. 1, the group will be performing “Light Cavalry,” an orchestra by Franz von Suppé, as well as “Symphony Number 6” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

“As much as the concert is for us, we hope that the audience comes out with a new perspective on the music,” Meehan said. “The orchestra provides an excellent cultural outlet, especially being so close to the Boston Symphony Orchestra [and] with the campus [being] on the ‘Avenue of the Arts.’”

Students can get their tickets through the myNortheastern portal.

Boston Winter brings cheer to City Hall Plaza

Photo by Cheyenne Tang A young girl ice skates at the skating path found at the Boston Winter festival, which is taking place at City Hall Plaza for the next month.

By Sam Cronin News Correspondent With an expanded shopping market and outdoor skating path, City Hall is full of holiday cheer. From Nov. 24 until Dec. 31, Boston’s City Hall Plaza is transformed for Boston Winter as part of Boston Seasons series of events. As part of a campaign to partner with small businesses, the plaza is filled with

vendors selling everything from mittens and hats to artwork and holiday decorations.

“It was a very quaint and cozy event,” said first-year political science major Matt Boutros. “All the vendors are personable and very nice.”

The sponsors of the event, Berkshire Bank and Xfinity, see it as a way to support corporate citizenship and local businesses.

“We’re thrilled to work with Mayor Walsh and the City of Boston to activate this space in the heart of Boston, create a setting that will bring business and community together and provide exciting memories at City Hall Plaza for all,” said Heidi Higgins, a Berkshire Bank representative.

The holiday market is produced by Millennial Entertainment Group, a leading global producer of seasonal

experiences. There are over 85 vendors represented including LovePop Cards — pop-up greeting cards seen on the television show, “Shark Tank” — and Yo-Sox, a wacky start-up sock business. “[Boston Winter] is an absolutely amazing opportunity,” said Yo-Sox vendor Mak London. “Hopefully we can attract more real fans who love fun socks.”

The events are part of a three-year

initiative by Boston Garden Development Corp and the City of Boston Property Management Department to revitalize the plaza and create a welcoming space for all to enjoy.

Other events will take place at the festival, such as ice-skating lessons and an interactive wine and beer experience. Santa Claus will visit the marketplace if he can fit a stop to Boston into his busy holiday schedule.

November 30, 2017

SPORTS

Page 11

Column: Celtics are the real deal “Oh my goodness, [Gordon] Hayward came down so hard…Hay–…Hayward has broken his leg! Hayward has broken his leg,” said ABC announcer Mike Breen, stunned. He repeats “oh my gosh” a few times in disbelief before continuing with the perfect summation: “That is how quickly a season can change.”

And just like that, The Boston Celtics’ $29.7 million dollar player, the fourth highest salary in the NBA, was out for the season a mere seven minutes into his debut.

The question of whether or not the Celtics were poised to dethrone the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference went out the window.

Kyle Taylor Finals aspirations were killed, and the brightside reality became that regardless of wins and losses, this team will just take this season to gel together and build chemistry.

I wrote a column about how the Celtics were ready to burst out for a 60-win season two weeks before the 2017-18 season began. After that, I was all but certain we’d be fortunate to come close to the 48 wins of last season.

I had tickets to the first home game against the Milwaukee Bucks the day after the injury. I watched firsthand as the Celtics lost their second straight game to start their season 0-2 as of Oct. 18. Everything was bleak. Kyrie Irving should’ve stayed in Cleveland. Our “very-able” newcomers were showing their inexperience and lack of cohesion. And maybe our team wasn’t as deep as previously thought. Then Kyrie shouted some expletives at an opposing fan, and the Celtics didn’t lose another game until Nov. 22. Going on a tear of 16 straight wins and ranking up to the league’s best defense wasn’t exactly what the analysts were predicting after the nightmare start to the league. Not even the Boston faithful could’ve imagined such a start.

So, after watching every game, here’s how the improbable streak went down in a nutshell.

Coach of the Year?

Brad Stevens. Regardless of the score or who was on the court, he continued to motivate his players by encouraging them to stick to his system.

And it worked. The Celtics rallied back from four 16+ point deficits to win, and one of those was a brilliant comeback against the league-dominating Golden State Warriors. The Warriors usually make their opponent look like five players you wouldn’t even see at Marino but, in a game that would’ve been far too easy to quit on, Brad Stevens put his players in premier situations to score and had them defending as a cohesive unit. They held the Warriors’ four All-Stars to just 33 percent shooting on 61 shots combined.

Turns out the Warriors can lose when that happens.

Next Man Up

The ability for every member of the team to contribute is the story of season thus far. In a game without our All-Stars, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford (and All-Star-caliber Gordon Hayward), the Celtics rallied back from being down 17 points to beat the Charlotte Hornets. The bench had the Celtics trending to large runs that cut into leads in a number of games and provided the spark necessary to get back into them, oftentimes with Irving resting on the bench in the third quarter. This would give a rested Irving the perfect momentum to come back in for utterly clutch performances.

“End of the game is winning time”

Irving thus far has been even more clutch than ever. Any basketball fan knows of the shot he hit to earn the Cavaliers their first championship ever against the Warriors in 2015. Essentially, he embodied that moment in every fourth quarter this season.

Celtics fans have been truly blessed with end-of-game performers. Isaiah Thomas earned the “King of Fourth” moniker last season after saving the Celtics game after game in the clutch. It looks like Kyrie has been more than willing to pick up right where Thomas had left off. How does he do it?

“Pretty simple: It’s winning time,” Irving said in a press conference.

“Been doing it for a few years in the league in the fourth quarter. Just doing whatever is needed to get the win.”

The young players, such as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, have been ungodly and have contributed in no small part to the gold that’s been struck early. Even Marcus Smart, who is in the middle of the worst shooting season in NBA history, has begun to turn it around and has been a key factor in every game.

Alas, the Celtics finally fell to the Miami Heat in a game that turned out to be insurmountable (and downright unlucky) for the Celtics. And then again to the Detroit Pistons, who had their best game of the season. Still, neither one of those was a particularly bad loss. The Celtics have been playing games with little rest in between to compensate for a January game in London against the Philadelphia 76ers, which will have four days of rest before and after. The Celtics’ opponent is often far more rested, as they have played the most games thus far in the NBA. So, after the first loss to end the streak, with legitimate criticisms to the game plan and adjustments that the coaching staff can take into account, it felt like the Celtics’ season could really start this time. It’s tough to really build when you’re red hot like they were. You know what they say: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

It’s great to watch this team. With how the season began, nobody expected Boston to achieve such success. Being so evidently set up for the present and the future is just a testament to how general manager Danny Ainge hasn’t flopped in years. With such a young team that boasts the best record in the NBA with one-fourth of the season down in the books, it seems that any way you look at it, one thing is for certain: the grass is greener over here.

Photo courtesy Erik Drost, Creative Commons Kyrie Irving dodges former teammate Derrick Rose in a shot attempt.

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics Fourth-year forward Dylan Sikura fights off two University of Connecticut defenders during Tuesday’s defeat.

Men’s hockey drops two following comeback win

By Calli Remillard News Staff Northeastern men’s ice hockey made a 2-1 comeback late in the game against the University of Vermont at Matthews Arena Nov. 17, followed by a home game loss against local rivals Boston College the next night.

The game against UVM was off to a quick start, with NU taking seven shots on goal in the first ten minutes of play. First-year goaltender Cayden Primeau steered aside five from UVM during the scoreless first period.

Returning to the ice for the second frame, UVM netted the first goal of the game just over a minute in, scored by first-year forward Alex Esposito.

Just under two minutes to play in the period, the Huskies were granted another advantage when the Catamounts were called on a high sticking minor.

Second-year defenseman Ryan Shea put up two shots against UVM second-year goaltender Stefanos Lekkas, but one was deflected while the other chipped off the goalpost.

The Huskies were unlucky on the power play, and the period ended with UVM ahead by one.

Both competitors were hungry to score as the third period began, playing a lot of back and forth across the neutral zone. Fourth-year defenseman Garret Cockerill fired a shot from just outside the faceoff circle, going bar down before the puck strayed out of the net. The play was reviewed and deemed no goal by officials, despite protests from fans in the DogHouse.

The Catamounts offense came down hard on Primeau, who consistently steered away pucks throughout the game. A UVM breakaway nearly halfway through the third left Primeau to face off against three rushing offenders, but Cockerill rushed back, diving just in time to poke the puck out of Catamount possession.

With 8:10 left in the game, secondyear forward Matt Filipe gave the Huskies their first point of the game, tying the score at one.

“We weren’t able to capitalize early in those first two periods and you can get frustrated, and I like the way we, particularly in that third period, we stuck with it,” head coach Jim Madigan said. “We’re going to have to keep working, grinding it out, which we did.”

The Huskies, with a newfound vengeance, fired shot after shot at Lekkas but remained unlucky in pulling ahead until the final two minutes, when second-year defenseman Jeremy Davies found the back of the net off a pass from fourth-year forward Dylan Sikura. Davies scored his second goal of the year to give the Huskies the point they needed to pull ahead.

The final two minutes of play resembled a Northeastern power

play kill, with the hosts trying hold on to their lead while fending off a six-man attacking team as UVM opted to pull Lekkas in favor of the extra man.

The Huskies held onto their 2-1 lead and kept the Catamounts at bay, securing their seventh straight home game win in Hockey East play, dating back to last season.

“It was great to get the win,” Madigan said. “The value of each win is two points, and whether you get them early in the year or the end of the year doesn’t matter, you just have to get them.”

Primeau made 20 saves in Friday night’s game, 10 of which came during the final twenty minutes of play alone.

“I knew that I was going to have to be sharp the last two minutes because they’re trying to get a goal to tie it up, so they’re just throwing everything at the net,” Primeau said.

The Huskies were back at it the following night, hosting Boston College at Matthews Arena.

The game was fast paced and intense right from the puck drop, with both teams hungry for a point.

The two teams battled for puck possession throughout the first period, most play taking place in the neutral zone. “[Boston College] carried the play in the first period,” Madigan said.

“They’re a fast team and they push you beyond your comfort level, and after the first period I thought we got a little more adjusted to their pace.”

Halfway through the frame, an Eagles breakaway left Primeau alone to face a BC attacker one-on-one, but a quick glove save put a stop to the visitors’ advances.

BC second-year defensemen Jesper Mattila took advantage of a rebound with less than one minute remaining in the first period, giving the Eagles the lead.

The Red and Black hit the ice during the second period and, mirroring the previous night’s performance, were eager to get on the board. Sikura, Gaudette, Shea and Davies had multiple good looks throughout the second period, but remained unsuccessful as the frame progressed.

The Huskies riddled BC secondyear goaltender Joe Woll with pucks throughout the third period, but were unable to find the back of the net during numerous breakaways and pile-ups in the crease.

A minor for slashing on Filipe left Northeastern shorthanded going into the final ten minutes of play in the game, during which the Eagles took advantage and scored their second goal of the game.

A third goal followed just seconds later, BC second-year forward Ron Greco tucking one just under Primeau leaving the Huskies trailing by three.

A minor for unsportsmanlike conduct landed Sikura and BC first-year forward Aapeli Rasanen

in the penalty box, making the ice a four-on-four territory. BC netted their third goal of the period just 35 seconds after their last point, giving them a four point lead.

Northeastern finally got on the board with 3:19 left in the game.

Second-year forward John Picking scored his first collegiate goal, finding the perfect angle around Woll for the point.

The late point for the Huskies showed a glimmer of a comeback, but it wasn’t enough to ward off the Eagles, who were 4-1 at the final buzzer.

“They deserved to win, they were the better team from start to finish,” Madigan said.

The Huskies were on the road this Tuesday, traveling to Hartford to take on the University of Connecticut.

Third-year goaltender Ryan Ruck saw his first start in four games, following a concussion sustained during a game against Boston University on Nov. 4.

UConn hit the ice hard, striking twice within two minutes halfway through the first period and adding a third goal just before the end of the first period.

“We had a real poor start,” Madigan said. “It’s hard in this league to come back from a three goal deficit.”

Primeau replaced Ruck at the start of the second period. The Red and Black remained unlucky in finding the back of the net, but not for lack of trying — NU outshot UConn 27-18 during 60 minutes of play.

Multiple attempts finally proved successful with 2:48 to go in the middle frame when Sikura got the Huskies on the board with his seventh goal of the season.

Gaudette’s assist on Sikura’s goal earned him his 100th career point, making him the 52nd player in team history, and the 22nd player to do so in three seasons or less. Sikura also earned himself a spot on this list this season, scoring his 100th point Oct. 20.

Just over five minutes into the final 20 minutes of play, UConn struck again for their fourth goal of the game.

A rough start proved to be a rough night for the Huskies, but their penalty kill was overall successful in killing three of the four UConn power plays, including a 17-second overlap which gave the hosts a two man advantage.

“I thought we limited their opportunities in the second and third period, but we just couldn’t get enough goals by them,” Madigan said.

The 4-1 loss makes NU 10-1 all-time against UConn.

Following a pair of tough losses, the Red and Black are looking to turn the page this weekend, hosting Merrimack in a weekend series at Matthews Arena, set to begin on Friday night at 7 p.m.

SPORTS

Page 12

November 30, 2017

Huskies outplay No. 1 Wisconsin

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics Third-year guard Vasa Pusica pulls up from three-point range in an earlier game against Boston University.

Men’s basketball endures tough PK80 Invitational

By Charlie Wolfson News Staff “For me, a loss is only a loss if you don’t learn from it,” Bill Coen said in a phone call from the airport in Columbus, Ohio, Nov. 19, awaiting his team’s flight back to Boston after a rough weekend on the road.

Coen, head coach of the Northeastern men’s basketball team, had a busy week ahead of him, helping his squad learn from their misadventures on a road trip that took them to California and Ohio.

They lost a game Nov. 17 that was a nailbiter until the dying seconds, 73-59 at Stanford. They were walloped by Ohio State in Columbus Nov. 19, 80-55, in a game that wasn’t even as close as the final score suggests.

The Stanford game goes down as an “L,” both Coen and Donnell Gresham Jr. said, but there are positives to take out of it as the team tries to find their identity moving toward conference play.

“We’re not happy with the result,” said Gresham, a second-year guard.

“But I believe we showed that we can compete with Stanford. We expected to win the game, though.

A few plays down the stretch didn’t work out in our favor.”

The Huskies trailed by 19 with 10:43 remaining in Friday’s game, but they battled back to within two points with 5:42 left on the clock.

After that, though, they couldn’t hold off the relentless Cardinal any longer.

“We really needed one more stop,” Coen said. “I thought we had the momentum going our way. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it. They had a three and we mishandled the last two

possessions down the stretch. They escaped with the victory.”

Coen said he was proud of the way his team performed, though, and he praised the six-minute stretch that saw them nearly mount a remarkable comeback.

Gresham led Northeastern in scoring with 15 points. Second-year guard Bolden Brace notched 13 points, grabbed eight rebounds and delivered three assists.

Second-year guard Shawn Occeus, coming off of a strong game Nov. 12 against Wentworth, only scored four points.

As they took on Ohio State in their second power-five matchup in three days, Northeastern had the look of a team physically outmanned.

Size has been a lingering problem this season; the Huskies only have just three players 6’8” or taller, and one of them, first-year forward Jason Strong, hasn’t contributed many minutes to this point.

At some points during the game on Nov. 12, Division-III Wentworth had their way with the Huskies in the paint.

Ohio State scored around the rim early and often, and there seemed to be little Northeastern could do to slow them in the early going.

OSU shot 63 percent from the floor in the first half, and they led 47-17 at the break.

NU switched to a zone defense to start the second half, which Coen said was meant to minimize their size disadvantage, but the Buckeyes still cruised to a 25-point win.

The Huskies were outscored 48-26 in the paint. In the first half, in particular, this was a key factor in the hole they dug for themselves: They

were outscored 30-6 in the paint in the first half.

“They’re very big,” Gresham said.

“They shot the ball well. They also rebounded. They’re a big team.”

While Northeastern’s issues with size on the inside are evident, Coen chalks some of the early season struggles up to the process of figuring out what kind of team they are.

“We have to figure out rotations, we have to figure out style of play,” Coen said. “What ways we can win and what are the best ways for us to play. That’s the challenge in our nonconference schedule. We built the schedule in a way that prepares us for CAA play. For us, it’s a learning process. Sometimes you like what you learn, sometimes you don’t.”

Gresham was one of few bright spots on the scoresheet for NU Sunday, scoring 16 and bringing down five rebounds.

Third-year center Anthony Green and third-year guard Vasa Pusica scored eight points apiece. Green also led the team in rebounds with nine, and minutes with 29.

As they prepared for another weekend away from home, Coen didn’t expect the previous weekend’s losses to get his team down during practice.

He planned to use the week to guide them in learning from the Stanford and Ohio State defeats.

“We’ll address that,” he said. “We have a young squad. We only have one senior. Playing at this level, you have to be consistent. I think the silver lining is that this level of competition holds you to a higher degree of accountability. That’s where the learning’s going to take place.”

TEAMMATES, from front where to go for college, but it really came down to Northeastern and the fact that [Muhlauri] was coming here. That was kind of it for me,” Mpofu said. “I wasn’t going to come here if he didn’t.”

“I remember calling him on Skype a couple times in high school and I was like ‘Hey, you thinking about going to Northeastern still?’”

Muhlauri said. “We both committed really late but it was one of those things where it was ‘If you go, I’ll go.’”

From the beginning, they knew they were going to be roommates.

Now in their senior year, they are the only duo on the Huskies’ roster that have lived together all four years.

Now, as the two young Zimbabweans quickly approach their final semesters as Northeastern Huskies, they reflect on their last four years and appreciate not just how far

they’ve come as soccer players, but the people they’ve met along the way.

“For Ackim and I, our relationship has gone from friends, to teammates, to now brothers,” Muhlauri said.

“Soccer comes to an end eventually.

But we realize that through soccer, through Northeastern, we became really good friends and that will never end.”

Oct. 21’s Senior Night against James Madison marked Mpofu and Muhlauri’s final home CAA match.

Going through the same routine with the same people for four years can be grueling and tedious.

But on that day at Parsons Field, the two were suddenly hit with the reality that things were about to change.

“Before [senior year], you kind of think to yourself, “All right, I’m ready to be done with this. I’ve been here for way too long,’” Muhlauri

said. “After you play in one place for so long, a lot of players are looking forward to playing the next level.

But once Senior Day comes, when they call out your name and you walk out on the field, that’s when you realize, ‘Wow this is going to be the last time I’ll be on my home field with my teammates.’”

Mpofu, who hasn’t been able to play this season because of a rare disease called Pigmented Villonodular Synovitis (PVNS) that is characterized by inflammation and overgrowth of the knee joint lining, was hit with similar emotions.

“I was talking to [Muhlauri] the day before, saying ‘Nah I’m not going to cry. I’m not even playing.

It’s fine. We’re here and we’re just going to get through it,’” he said.

“But I remember them calling [senior goalkeeper] Jonathan [Thuresson’s] name first and I was like, ‘Oh man here we go.’”

Midfielders share culture

By Caroline Ingram News Staff The Northeastern women’s hockey team traveled south during Thanksgiving break to participate in the first-ever “D1 in D.C.” tournament held at the Kettler Capitals Iceplex in Washington, D.C. The tournament featured four teams, including NU, Boston University, Minnesota State and the nation’s top-ranked team, University of Wisconsin.

Friday afternoon, the Huskies faced off with Wisconsin in a game where the odds were highly stacked against them. The unranked Huskies embraced the underdog mentality, subsequently handing the Badgers their first loss of the season.

Heading into the game, the Huskies felt comfortable as the underdog, something head coach Dave Flint mentioned following the game.

“I told the team before the game how the pressure wasn’t on us, the pressure was on them [Wisconsin],” Flint said. “They’re the number one team and they’re undefeated. People weren’t expecting us to beat them, so I told the team to go into the game relaxed and just focus on playing our style of play.”

First-year goalie Aerin Frankel got the nod in net and was up to the test yet again, turning away 39 of 41 shots she faced.

The strong play by Frankel transferred over to the rest of the team, who were able to score three goals against a Wisconsin team that had yet to give up more than two in a game.

With regard to Frankel’s outstanding play, Flint noted how her performances allowed the team to play more aggressively.

“When you have a reliable goalie in net, it gives the team a lot of confidence to play hard and play aggressive,” Flint said. “She’s really stepped up for us and I think that gives all the other players something to think about, knowing a young teammate has stepped up in the way that she has.”

Fourth-year forward McKenna Brand opened up the scoring just over five minutes into the first period, sending a shot from fellow fourth-year Denisa Krizova past second-year Kristen Campbell in net for the Badgers.

Following a very evenly battled first period, NU struck again 1:04 into the second period with a goal from third-year forward Tori Sullivan.

After first-year forward Veronika Pettey dumped the puck into the zone, the puck was mishandled by Campbell and Sullivan capitalized on the opportunity, doubling the NU lead.

Wisconsin was able to get one back on a breakaway goal by third-year forward Sam Cogan who was able to beat Frankel on her glove side.

In the final period, NU extended the lead by two with a breakaway goal of their own.

Sullivan blocked a shot in front of Frankel and the puck was picked up by fourth-year defenseman Ainsley MacMillan, who then fired a pass to second-year defenseman Codie Cross as she was exiting the penalty

box. Cross beat Campbell through the five-hole with a low shot.

Although Wisconsin tacked on a second goal, it was too little too late, as the Huskies were able to close out the clock for the 3-2 win.

Flint was very impressed with his squad, and particularly proud at the team’s strong play against such a tough opponent.

“We competed hard, and I thought it was our most complete game of the year,” Flint said. “I thought from the goal line out everybody played pretty well.”

Although the Huskies only put 18 shots on Campbell, they were able to capitalize on their offensive opportunities, something they had struggled with against Maine in their previous game.

Likewise, even though the team let Wisconsin fire 41 shots on Frankel, Flint noted how they did a nice job of keeping the Badgers to the perimeter, not letting them get too many quality shots on net.

“I thought Frankel was very good in net, and it helped that we blocked 31 shots as a team,” Flint said. “A lot of their shots came on a 5-on-3 chance that they had for over 40 seconds, and then they had a 6-on-5 for over two minutes, so a bunch of shots came in that span. So I thought we did a pretty good job in terms of limiting their odd man rush opportunities, and eliminating chances for them right on the doorstep.”

In the Saturday game against Minnesota State, the Huskies again got off to a strong start with a goal a little over ten minutes into the opening frame. Brand scored for the second game in a row, a top shelf shot fired from close range on thirdyear goalie Katie Bidulka, who had no time to react.

Minutes later, Krizova added a rebound goal after Sullivan’s shot was initially stopped by Bidulka.

The scoring opened up from there, with Krizova knocking home another one on a breakaway goal that slipped through the five-hole of Bidulka.

The explosion of offense was certainly a huge positive take away from the weekend’s game for the NU coaching staff.

“We’ve had our fair share of struggles this year in putting up goals on a consistent basis,” Flint said. “Obviously we don’t lack the talent to be able to score goals, it is just a matter of the player chemistry clicking and players taking advantage of their chances.”

The game was closed out at 6-1, with Krizova finishing off her hat trick, and with goals by third-year forward Taytum Clairmont, and Pettey.

With the hat trick, Krizova passed the 150-point mark for her career, making her only the seventh player in school history to do so.

Overall, the tournament was a resounding success for a NU team desperate for some momentum to fall their way. Flint was pleased with the team’s play and hopes the two big wins will help solidify the message to the team that “they can play with, and beat, any team in the country.”

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics Members of the women’s hockey team celebrate a win over Wisconsin.