UNIONIZING, 2
FEATURES, 3
EDITORIAL, 5
Boston-based Starbucks workers try to get a say in the workplace.
A 1892 muder myster turned poppunk musical hits the stage.
Read about the Editors’ views on Biden’s State of the Union address.
CE LE B RATIN G
FRIDAY, MAR. 4, 2022
50
YE ARS
O F
I N DE PE N DE N T
STU D E NT
SPORTS, 6 Women’s basketball drops the ball at Holy Cross
J O U R NA LI S M
THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY
YEAR LII. VOLUME A. ISSUE VI
Late-night Mexican restaurant at BU denied permit for 4 a.m. closing time Yoko Zhu Contributing Writer El Jefe’s Taqueria, a late-night Mexican restaurant, won’t be allowed to operate past 1 a.m. at its new Boston University campus location after the Boston Licensing Board rejected its request. The restaurant, located on 957 Commonwealth Avenue, applied to stay open until 4 a.m. at a Jan. 26 hearing. Instead it was granted a permit to remain open until 1 a.m. after representatives from both BU and the Boston Police Department raised concerns of strain on police force personnel and potential “incidents” occurring late at night. El Jefe’s Taqueria’s owner, John Schall, applied for a license to remain open until then so as to service community members who work overnight, such as police officers, firefighters and EMTs. “There’s a demand for it among both the students and the residents of these neighborhoods and we’re there to serve that need,” Schall said. At the hearing, Ken Ryan, BUs director of city relations, was joined by BUPD chief Kelly Nee in expressing the University’s concerns about the 4 a.m. closing time, requesting the board amend the hours of operation to close at 1 a.m. “We feel a 4 a.m. closing is uncharacteristic for the area and could result in otherwise avoidable circumstances and incidents at that hour on Commonwealth Avenue,” Ryan said. BU spokesperson Colin Riley
declined to comment further on the University’s objection to the closing time. El Jefe’s Taqueria has several other locations in the Boston area — one near Harvard Square, another near Boston Common and a third near Northeastern University’s campus. The former has closed at 4 a.m. for the past six years, the Boston Common location closes at midnight and the Northeastern location closes at 2 a.m.
Mark Harrington, commander of the Boston Police Department District D-14 in Brighton, said in the hearing that an early morning closing time could “create problems” — as it has in the past — and believed the restaurant’s operating hours should align with that of others in the area. “My concern is that I would have to commit cars down there, on a nightly basis, after 1 am,” Harrington said. Raising Cane’s and Blaze Pizza’s
West Campus location both close at 10 p.m. Pleading his case, Schall said there “hasn’t been an incident” at the Harvard Square location in the six years it has been operating, adding the new location on BU’s campus will not serve alcohol. “30% of our business is done between midnight and 4 a.m.,” Schall said. “There is absolutely a need for this.” The Boston Licensing Board of-
COLIN BOYD | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
El Jefe’s Taqueria, opening soon on Commonwealth Avenue. This location of the late-night Mexican restaurant, expected to open this weekend, was denied a permit to remain open until 4 a.m. due to concerns of strain on the police and potential “incidents” occurring at late hours.
fered Schall the opportunity to return in a year to appeal for later hours. Eloise Marseille, a freshman in the College of General Studies, said it can be hard to find food on campus after the dining halls close, especially when she’s up late on the weekends or studying. “I think 1 a.m. is a fine time to close, but I can understand people wanting it to be open around 4 a.m.,” Marseille said. “I live in Fenway, and the Fenway dining hall closes really early Friday, Saturday and Sunday.” Caroline Dehaven, a junior at the School of Hospitality Administration, said Boston is not a “nightlife” city and does not have a lot of options for food at night. “I definitely feel for people like medical interns and medical workers because it leaves them limited options at night,” Dehaven said. Peyton Nguyen, a freshman at the Sargent School of Health and Rehabilitation, said he thinks it would be nice to have more food options for students studying late at night. “Everybody has a completely different schedule in college, and there are a lot of people that have different obligations. They might pull all-nighters,” Nguyen said. “I think it would ultimately be better for the campus community if we did have more options.” Schall is projecting the new El Jefe’s Taqueria will open sometime over this weekend, he said. “We think it’s going to be a great store,” Schall said. “We’re really excited about being part of the Boston University neighborhood.”
Boston to lift indoor mask mandate Bella Ramirez StaffWriter Boston will lift its mask mandate for indoor spaces such as restaurants, gyms, bars, museums and entertainment venues starting March 5, according to a press release issued by the City. Bisola Ojikutu, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said the City made its decision based on data reflecting a decline in positivity rates of COVID-19, which dropped from over 32% in January to 2.5% as of March 1. “I am optimistic about where our city is headed, and the Commission will continue to monitor our key metrics and adjust our policies accordingly,” Ojikutu said. According to Ojikutu, approximately 72% of the city is fully vaccinated and Intensive Care Units beds were “below thresholds of concern.” The mask mandate will still apply to public transportation, healthcare settings and to the Boston Public Schools. The City also encouraged vulnerable populations to continue wearing high quality masks to minimize the risk of getting COVID-19. “I’m grateful that our city is ready to take this step in our recovery thanks to the hard work and commitment of residents keeping our communities
safe over many, many months,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. Ojikutu said timing played an important role in the City’s decision to lift the mask mandate, claiming families who travel for spring break have
the potential to increase transmissibility rates throughout the city. If rates of community transmission see an uptake from what the current data reflects, a mask mandate could be reinstated, according to the press
PERRY SOSI | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Three people sit inside Chipotle on Commonwealth Avenue. The city of Boston announced that the mask mandate for indoor spaces will be lifted Mar. 5 as positivity rates drop and approximately 70% of the city is fully vaccinated.
release. Amanda O’Brien, a first year student at Northeastern University, said lifting the mask mandate was “premature.” “It might be a little too early to jump in, or at least go fully from masking to no masking,” O’Brien. “I feel like we’re trying to do a little bit too much at once.” O’Brien says she will continue to wear a mask, despite the City lifting the mandate. Sarah Visconti, a freshman at Northeastern University, believes the City’s action was motivated by COVID-19 fatigue. “I think people are just tired of having a mask on their face,” Visconti said. “I feel like everyone hopes for some form of normalcy but I think it’s going to be a while until things go completely back to how they were prior to the pandemic.” Stephen Clark, the director of government affairs for the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said the mask lift comes with “a sigh of relief.” “I think most industry operators in the city are ready to continue on the road to recovery,” Clark said. Clark said the move to remove mask mandates will see an increase in business for Boston restaurants. “I think the combination of not having the restriction but also having a sense of safety in the sense of having this behind us is beneficial,” Clark said. “And I think people now want to
patronize more Boston restaurants.” Mark Harrington, CEO of Healthworks Fitness Centers for Women Healthworks, said lifting the indoor mask mandate in gyms is beneficial for all. “We kind of regularly heard that customers are unwilling to work out in masks, or unwilling to try it, and it’s preventing a lot of casual people from coming in and kind of being active and be healthier,” Harrington said. Jarone Lee, medical director of the Blake 12 ICU at Massachusetts General Hospital, described the mask mandate lift as “amazing news.” “It sort of shows that we’re coming out of the most recent surge,” Lee said. “We are at a point where we can hopefully get rid of masks in certain settings.” Lee encouraged people to recognize their own comfort with masking or unmasking and said those who are immunocompromised or at a highrisk of infection are still prevalent concerns. “Everyone has to sort of think about their own risk, knowing that there’s still going to be a risk for some folks that [will be] higher than others, and we never really know who those are,” Lee said. Lee hasn’t ruled out the possibility of another COVID-19 outbreak. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s another surge with another variant that we’ll have to deal with,” he said.
2 NEWS
Travel ‘impossible’ for students with disabilities during Friday snowstorm Tanisha Bhat Campus Associate Boston University students with physical disabilities expressed their frustrations with having to attend classes in person during last week’s snowstorm. Students reported some sidewalks on campus were not plowed nor safe enough to travel on between classes. “I am not risking my life and my safety to go to a lecture. That’s so unreasonable,” said Roux Maisonet, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, who uses a wheelchair. Maisonet said it is “impossible” for him to travel during weather conditions harsher than flurries. It is generally very difficult for him to access the dining hall or other campus facilities without asking for assistance. “So I either have to take the T or have somebody help me through,” Maisonet said. “Even with that, my boyfriend has helped me through the snow and it’s really difficult for him to even help me through.” Boston received eight and a half inches of snow last Friday. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for most of New England and Governor Baker advised residents to avoid travel and use public transportation if needed. Quinn Barton, a sophomore in the College of General Studies, fractured her pelvis after a skiing accident and temporarily uses crutches to walk. She said she was surprised when BU announced last Friday would not be
a snow day. “With the snowstorm, especially because I also had to work that day, I was really worried about getting to class and getting to work with the snow,” Barton said. Barton said the sidewalks outside her residence at 1019 Commonwealth Avenue were not plowed, noting there was “so much snow that my crutches were just sliding everywhere and I wasn’t able to stand and walk.” BU spokesperson Colin Riley said the University’s campus remained open given the snowfall did not reach blizzard levels. “We want people to be safe, use good judgment, common sense,” Riley said. “At the same time, everyone’s here for an education and unless there’s some reason to close, snow falling is not necessarily an automatic snow day.” Riley said that BU’s Facilities department is responsible for clearing the University’s sidewalks and building entrances, while the City or state is responsible for plowing snow off the roads. Students also reported how BU has failed to provide accommodations during extreme weather conditions in the past, adding that BU Disability and Access Services has generally presented them with more obstacles than aid. When the last blizzard hit on Jan. 29, Maisonet was unable to use the bathroom at Rich Hall after a pipe burst outside the building. His only option was to find a bathroom in another building, he said. “If I needed to use the bathroom I
was told to just let somebody know and then within an hour or two somebody might come and clear the snow for me,” Maisonet said. “There’s just this overall feeling of ‘We get your frustrations, but we don’t actually care to fix them.’” Maisonet said every one of his issues with accessibility have been solved through BU Residence Life, not through DAS.
“It is not necessarily [ResLife’s] ballpark. They’re just used to handling these kinds of things,” he said. “Any accessibility need that I’ve had has actually never been solved by DAS. It has always been by ResLife,” he said. Barton said it was very difficult for her to acquire a Flexibility in Attendance Agreement, which would allow her to be absent in case
she couldn’t make it to class for an unforeseen reason — such as if it’s snowing. “[DAS] fought me every step of the way,” she said. “They were absolutely horrible. Honestly, they were not helpful,” she said. DAS did not respond to a request for comment. LIBBY MCCLELLAND | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
A ramp at the BU Beach. Students with disabilities express their frustrations with Boston University’s lack of consideration for their experiences during the Feb. 25 snowstorm.
Two more Boston Starbucks join nationwide efforts to unionize for a say in the workplace Zoe Tseng Staff Writer Two Starbucks locations, one in Allston and the other in Coolidge Corner, have moved to unionize, making it a total of four in the city that have joined nationwide efforts to
organize. Ash O’Neill, a barista at Starbucks in Allston and a senior at Lesley University, said the effort to unionize comes after the company made a number of COVID-19 policy decisions without workers being consulted first. “Our main reason for pushing to unionize is really making sure that we get more of a say in what happens
at our workplaces in our individual stores,” O’Neill said. O’Neill said the unionization of Pavement Coffeehouse last year inspired them to push for the same benefits. Employees of the two Starbucks branches joined other labor activists and unions in a march Feb. 26 at Government Center. The march highlighted the efforts of union-
PERRY SOSI | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
The Starbucks at 874 Commonwealth Avenue. Local unions and labor activists held a march outside Government Centre on Feb. 26 to push to unionize Starbucks in Boston.
building and the fight against racism, according to a statement. “We want to incorporate the battle for equity, political and social justice,” said Jamie Wallace, a union glazier and president of Coalition of Black Trade Unionists-Boston. Kylah Clay, who is also a barista at Starbucks in Allston and a master’s student at Boston University Metropolitan College, said it’s important for workers to support each other in their efforts to unionize. “There’s a saying in the labor movement, that when there’s an injury to one, there’s an injury to all,” Clay said. “We’re all a part of this struggle together.” Clay said she expects the Starbucks in Allston to model its union requests after Starbucks in Buffalo, New York. Starbucks workers in Buffalo voted 19-8 to form a union on Dec. 9, 2021, becoming the first Starbucks coffee shop in the country to unionize. Progressive Massachusetts, a grassroots social justice organization, endorsed efforts to unionize. “Starbucks has gained a reputation as a socially responsible company, and we ask management to live up to their professed ethos and treat workers asking for a union with respect and dignity, not coercion and retaliation,” the organization wrote in a Feb. 17 statement. Steve Gillis, a Boston school bus driver and executive board member of the United Steelworkers Local 8751, said that the unionization has come at the right time. “It’s been in that climate of the global Black Lives Matter movement, the movement for Indigenous rights, for LGBTQ rights, that has been uplifted, especially in the last couple of years, that this union organizing phenomenon has taken place,” Gillis
said. Gillis said the main reason people unionize is for higher pay, but unions can also help society run smoother. “To have a unionized workforce that’s getting more respect and pay benefits and rates, this is what makes various systems, from schools to warehouses, run better,” Gillis said. “The opposite is true in their absence.” According to Wallace, those who want to unionize comprise those who also face systemic racism. “Those are marginalized people,” Wallace said. “Those are the ones that are getting the short end of the stick all the time. So we have to form these coalitions to fight this monster.” On Dec. 13, two Starbucks, also in Allston and Coolidge Corner, moved to unionize following the landmark Buffalo case, making it four coffeeshops in total in the city looking to organize. Clay said she continues to help other baristas in the local area to unionize and encourages young people to show support. “We now have nine stores in the Massachusetts area that have filed a petition, and we’re helping more every day,” Clay said. “So if there are any students who are working at Starbucks and want to unionize, they can reach out… to show support.”
FEATURES 3
ARTS
REVIEW: Murder mystery meets female rage in STAMP’s production of ‘Lizzie: The Musical’ Eden Mor Staff Writer It’s 1892 in Fall River, Massachusetts. The Bordens, a widowed father and his two daughters, are an affluent and successful family. Emma and Lizzie are well-educated, practicing Christians, involved in local philanthropy and community projects. But soon after Mr. Borden remarries, he and his wife are found brutally murdered in their home, leaving the inhabitants of Fall River utterly perplexed. All signs point to Lizzie, but in a shocking trial the 32-year-old woman is acquitted, making her the subject of rumors and ostracization until her death. Take this mysterious American legend, add an original pop-punk score, and you’ve got a hit. ‘Lizzie: The Musical’ was written by Steven Cheslik-DeMeyer, Tim Maner and Alan Stevens Hewitt, and originally debuted in 2009 in New York City. The dramatic retelling of the Lizzie Borden story plays into the speculation surrounding the murders, exploring motivations such as sexual abuse, female oppression, insanity and forbidden romance. The show was performed and produced by STAMP, the College of Fine Arts’ Senior Theater Arts Major Productions, led by director Emma Cavage. The musical starred Grace Goble as Lizzie Borden, Kendall Anne Mood as her sister Emma, Becca Freeman as the family maid and Bridget and Charlotte Weinman as Alice, Lizzie’s friend-turned-lover. What truly made this show outstanding was the performances of these four actors. Goble fed into the mystery
surrounding Lizzie incredibly, developing her from a shy young woman to a terrifying murderer as the show progressed. She did an amazing job at capturing the piercing stare of the tortured young woman she was playing. The chemistry between Lizzie and Alice was a highlight of the performance. In each of Goble and Weinman’s scenes, they encapsulated the nuance behind what was at the time — a disgraceful attraction. The sexual tension between the two characters led to a powerful kiss in the first of two acts, which was met by an eruption of applause by the audience.
Weinman’s portrayal of Alice was especially on point by perfectly reflecting the character’s shyness and innocence. Never falling out of character, she mastered the sweet nature of the character not only through her effortlessly soft vocals, but in her doe-eyed expression and feathery composure. Mood took a different approach when embodying Emma, the older Borden sister, bringing an equal balance of sass and psycho to the role. Dressed in all black, Emma’s frantic nature was an audience favorite, exemplified in the song she shared with her sister, “What the F*ck Now,
Lizzie?” Mood’s voice was extremely versatile throughout the show, allowing her to achieve both the nasally sarcasm and maniacal laughter her dialogue and lyrics warranted. Last but certainly not least, Freeman deserves a true standing ovation for the power and sheer mania she brought to her role as Bridget. Her exaggerated Irish accent brought ample comedic relief to the story, without sacrificing the nuance of her character. Her powerful vocals, which often grew into screams, beautifully complimented the show’s rock combo score.
SYDNEY ROTH | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Becca Freeman, as Bridget in STAMP’s production of “Lizzie: The Musical,” snarls into the microphone. Eden Mor calls the College of Fine Arts’ Senior Theater Arts Major Productions performance Feb. 26 a unique, crowd-pleasing musical experience.
Freeman set the stage wonderfully in her spirited interpretation of “The House of Borden,” where she seemed to explore every square inch of the small theater — jumping onto the band’s elevated platform, stomping around aggressively and engaging with the audience. It was clear she would be the show’s driving force when she crouched down in front of an audience member and belted out lyrics several inches from his face, which he welcomed, thrashing his head and singing along. The cast and crew took advantage of the small theater that housed their performance by truly making the audience a part of the show. Viewers were seated in two sections, and a raised platform in between them was used as a sort of addendum to the stage. The set, designed by Danielle DeLaFuente, transformed the musical into an immersive experience. Throughout the play, the actresses tore paper off the walls in a rage, and drew on the walls in chalk. At one point, Freeman as Bridget even blew a powdery substance into the crowd when fixing Lizzie’s tea, which created an eerie fog as it dispersed throughout the theater. Maia Soltis deserves a special shout out for her costume design, which was fittingly pop-punk inspired, but not too dated, and included slight changes between the two acts, reflecting the growing intensity of the plot. The lighting design by McKenna Ebert achieved similar success, varying in color and intensity and strobing along to the blaring rock music. If the earplugs the audience was offered at the beginning of the show are any indication, it was quite a unique musical experience, nothing short of a crowd pleaser.
SCIENCE
Environmental fraternity returns to in-person events Melina Nguyen Staff Writer There are two types of fraternities on campus — the ones that are social and the ones that are professional. Of the latter, there’s one that has gained particular traction over the past few years. As the only fraternity of its kind at Boston University, Epsilon Eta is a co-ed community for those who are passionate about environmentalism. It is primarily composed of Earth and Environment Department majors, copresident Michael Small, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences, said. Gwendolyn Heiler, one of the copresidents of Epsilon Eta, said the selling points of the fraternity include a welcoming, tight-knit community for people invested in environmentalism and professional opportunities. “Something that sets Epsilon Eta apart is it’s more of a smaller organization,” Heiler, who is also a junior in CAS, said. “There’s a lot of other environmentally focused things on campus, but … it’s more closed which is nice because then everybody gets to know each other and it’s a bit more professional and official.” During this semester’s rush week, participating students got a chance to talk with fraternity members to see if it would be a good fit and vice versa, Heiler and Small said. “We did a nature walk, game night, trivia night, painting, speed dating, and a conversation about urban
gardening,” Stella Dzialas, treasurer of Epsilon Eta and a sophomore in CAS, wrote in an email. “We try to do things that are fun and engaging but also incorporate environmentalism for some of them.” Epsilon Eta was founded in 2018 with an alpha class of about 10 to 15 members and subsequent classes of eight to 10 members, Heiler and Small said. Now, the latest class has doubled in size. This spring, the fraternity accepted over 20 new members to its latest rush class for a record total of over 70 members, Small said. The growth over these past few semesters is mainly due to word of mouth, he said. “At this point, it feels like pretty much everyone that’s coming through and rushing is like, ‘Oh, I knew this person beforehand. They were so nice and they really hyped it up so much and made me want to join,’” Small said. A considerable number of individual students also discover Epsilon Eta through Splash and social media, he said. The fraternity has been remote for the past few semesters, but the e-board is now planning urban gardening events, a sustainable “makers’ fair” and even a formal as part of the transition back to in-person, Small and Dzialas said. “With COVID kind of subsiding, we’re able to do a lot more things in person,” Heiler said. “We do cleanups, which is really nice, but we want to get more involved with the [Boston]
community.” The e-board, as well as members, also hosts “climate conversations” to discuss environmental topics and the intersections between environment and society, such as urban gardening benefiting low-income and BIPOC communities, Small said. Ruby Rodriguez, a new member of the Zeta rush class in Epsilon Eta, and junior in CAS, said she was already passionate about environmentalism. “During the rush event, we had
a seminar of them explaining urban gardens which had a lot to do with environmental racism,” Rodriguez said. “That’s something I’m passionate about, and I’m glad that they are too.” Ashley Duong, another Epsilon Eta member and freshman in the College of Communication, said she is hoping to “gain more experience in environmentalism” as well as connect with other members professionally and academically. In addition, Duong said she
is looking forward to developing friendships inside the fraternity through social events that Epsilon Eta has to offer, including walks and volunteering. “The time where I was rushing was really incredible,” said Duong. “It was all social events to get to know people and truly get to know people … and connect with you about your hobbies and just be really nice people.”
COURTESY OF BU EPSILON ETA VIA INSTAGRAM
Epsilon Eta at Boston University during rush week. Epsilon Eta, a co-ed environmental fraternity, was founded in 2018 with about 10 to 15 members. They now have over 70 members and are back on campus with in-person events.
4 OPINION
COLUMNS
Heartland: The chaos of American urbanism in Xenia, Ohio Maxwell Pociask Columnist Tornadoes are chaos in its purest form. With high velocity winds throwing heavy objects around sporadically, they are truly untamed works of nature. Xenia, Ohio, the sight of two devastating tornadoes in the late 20th century, is not only an example of the destructive chaos that tornadoes wield, but an example of the chaotic urban environment developed over the last century of technological advancements in the United States. Xenia is unfortunately most notable for these two natural disasters — the first of which destroyed around 1,400 homes — and for being the setting of Harmony Korine’s 1997 film “Gummo,” which also discusses the impacts of the tornado. While the city might not have much else to its name, I believe that it deserves a bit more of a spotlight, as it makes the perfect example of “hodgepodge urbanism” rampant throughout smalltown America. A drive around Xenia would not look too different from another city of its size in most of the country. There is the historic main street district with its decorative masonic facades and walkable corner shops, the small collection of pre-war victorian homes mixed in with the cheap 1970s ranch-style houses, and, of course, a larger-than-necessary helping of low-density big box stores and fast food chains with a sea of parking lots to accommodate.
The characteristics of major U.S. cities are usually defined by the booming industries that caused them to gain prominence in the first place. Boston, for example, has the old colonial townhouse and brownstone apartment styles of pre-automobile society prominent throughout its many neighborhoods. But, as you move into the suburbs, which saw most of their growth during the post-war interstate boom, you find much more car-centric design in both residential and commercial architecture. Small cities like Xenia, which were incorporated in the early 19th century and are too far from any major cities to be considered proper suburbs, have a fascinating combination of less homogenous real estate development styles compared to larger cities. In Xenia, a historic mainstreet which grew as a result of 1800s railroad infrastructure, will be within a mile, or even a block, of 1960s suburban sprawl. The proximity of these different architectural styles is a sort of physical recounting of U.S. history. You can see where causes of industrial growth transitioned from train-riding tradesmen to meatpackers in oldsmobiles, and how the people of each era designed the places they chose to live, work and eat a warm meal. It’s important to recognize the impacts these respective development styles have on our people and our planet. Suburban sprawl might bring consistency and comfort for its residents, but car dependency means a reliance on fossil fuels and an exorbitant amount of space dedicated to parking lots. Brick masonry of historic downtowns may be more cost-intensive,
but the walkability provides convenience to shoppers, and the blank canvas retailing space provides flexibility for real-estate investment. Xenia isn’t the sort of picturesque small city you’d want to put in a magazine, but it is an accurate example of the vast majority of small cities in the U.S. The reality is that the less-than-beautiful jumbling of these different developmental styles is who we are as a country.
The U.S. is a collage of many cultures, climates and lived experiences, and we have gone through many periods of social and technological revolutions that changed the way we built our cities. Small cities are microcosms of these revolutions, and as we look toward a new technological future, it’s important to consider how 21st century advancements will add to the quilt-like patchwork architecture of cities like Xenia.
ILLUSTRATION BY SMARAN RAMIDI
EDITORIAL State of the Union … more like State of the Boring On Tuesday, President Biden delivered the first State of the Union of his presidency. Yet many Americans could not be bothered to listen to the leader of their country lay out a series of plans and objectives that will undoubtedly impact their lives in some way. Early television ratings from the speech confirm this. Biden’s State of the Union, which garnered 38 million active viewers, is lower than those of his two predecessors Obama and Trump, who received 51.8 million in 2010 and 45.5 million in 2018 respectively on their first addresses. This very well may be a cherry picked statistic which overlooks changing television viewing
habits and the variety of factors which kept people from watching the address live, but the message remains the same — the State of the Union did not seem nearly as important in 2022 as it did in recent years. This is partially due to the fact that the major world-defining story at the moment has very little to do with Washington D.C. as much as it did in years prior. For Trump’s final State of the Union in February 2020, which drew slightly more viewers than Biden’s, the focus of the American public was transfixed on Trump - it was one day before the Senate would vote on whether or not to convict him of impeachment and remove him from office. Today, given Vladimir Putin’s ongoing occupation and invasion of Ukraine, the focus of America and the world has shifted elsewhere — even though Biden’s actions will likely play a pivotal role in Ukraine’s future. Only a week ago Americans were transfixed upon other issues like inflation, COVID-19 mandates, gas prices and traditional culture war mainstays like Critical Race Theory. But ever since Putin’s invasion began, many of those topics have moved to the rearview mirror. This leaves President Biden delivering a
State of the Union, an address meant to relay us information and lay out a plan on the most prescient issue, that can’t offer up a solution for the most important current issue. But this year’s State of the Union address is not really an anomaly. It feels like, in recent years, the address has become less relevant than it previously was in the past. This is mainly because of two things that have changed about our political and media landscape in the past 20-25 years. First, news is delivered instantaneously to everyone all the time. In the original constitutional mandate for a State of the Union the purpose was for the President to, “From time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union.” Today that original purpose is not being fulfilled. Everyone already knows what the “state of the union” is. They’ve been informed from outside sources or from the White House itself. Releasing all information about the union’s state at once is, today, redundant. The second reason why the address is less relevant is that what the President proposes and outlines in their speech increasingly does not get actually achieved by Congress. The constitutional
mandate for State of the Unions also expresses that the address should, “Recommend to their [Congress] Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.” Today, given our political divides, what measures the President recommends in their address are less likely to be achieved. Of the more than 12,000 pieces of legislation put before this current Congress only 315, or 3%, of those were eventually enacted. These factors, combined with the lack of any Trumpian antics, created a State of the Union that was largely uneventful and unexciting. With the exception of a Lauren Boebert outburst, Biden saying Putin “has no idea what’s coming” and a few applause lines like “fund the police,” if you missed this year’s State of the Union, you didn’t really miss much. Which leads you to wonder why we even do this? The answer — it’s constitutionally mandated. And, given our country’s historical reluctance to alter the commandments of our founding fathers, it will probably always be mandated. So each year, the President will have to waltz into Congress and deliver a long speech full of promises that may never come to fruition.
ILLUSTRATION BY SMARAN RAMIDI
EDITORIAL BOARD Jean Paul Azzopardi, Editor-in-Chief Jesús Marrero Suárez, Campus Editor Nellie Maloney, Co-Podcast Editor
Emily Stevenson, Managing Editor
Cici Yu, City Editor
Taylor Hawthorne, Co-Podcast Editor
Smaran Ramidi, Layout & Graphics Editor
Emily Pauls, Features Editor
Taylor Coester, Photo Editor
Michelle Tian, Lifestyle Editor
Mary Geena Prestia, Multimedia Editor
Mitch Fink, Sports Editor
Brian Foisy, Co-Opinion Editor
Sujena Soumyanath, Co-Opinion Editor GRAPHIC BY ALEXIA NIZHNY
NEWS 5
LIFESTYLE Pretty privilege is real Kendall O’Brien Staff Writer Typing up and thoroughly explaining the concept of “pretty privilege” and why it exists pains me. I don’t want this ideology to be real, nor do I want people, “pretty” or not, to be affected by it. But it does affect others. Pretty privilege operates on the principle that people who are more conventionally attractive based on societal beauty standards have more advantages and opportunities compared to people who are deemed less attractive. No one wants to blatantly say that you live a better life if you look better. I have never believed this to be true until science proved otherwise. Studies show that conventionally attractive people compared to unattractive people are more successful reproductively, report being healthier, do better when it comes to dating and marriage, are more successful in the labor market and are viewed as having more successful political careers. “Pretty privilege” has been a concept that people have most likely thought about, but never vocalized due to the shallowness of the idea and lack of a title. Maybe you’ve been a receiver of this principle, a participator or a viewer, but everyone has been affected by this flawed concept. Wasn’t that new kid in middle school, who happened to be good-looking, immediately absorbed by the popular group? Why was it that my pretty best friend got a warm greeting from the barista but I got a cold look? The impact of pretty privilege is similar no matter how distinct the story is. TikTok has called attention to
pretty privilege with people stitching or integrating their own stories and experiences. Many women have come forward saying that they have experienced free drinks at bars, price drops at coffee shops, people opening doors and even free of charge tire changes, simply because of the way they look. Others have spoken up about being on the opposite end of the spectrum. Men and women have spoken up about being looked over, ignored and disrespected when they are with their attractive friends. People who have shared that they have experienced both the advantages of having pretty privilege and the disadvantages of not having it truly proves that this concept is concrete. A TikTok user who goes by the name MermaidKeels discussed on her platform that she has experienced “the best and worst of pretty privilege” after losing weight. She noticed little, kind gestures such as not having to pay for an extra drink or dessert at a restaurant, something that never happened to her when she was over 200 pounds, she said. If you happen to find someone attractive, chances are you perceive them in a more positive light, in turn treating them better. Pretty privilege and the “Halo Effect” go hand in hand. The Halo Effect is a type of cognitive bias in which our perception of someone is positively influenced by our opinions of that person’s traits such as physical appearance. The Halo Effect can shape our thoughts on intelligence, incompetence and can be seen in many settings, ranging from the classroom to the courthouse. If you have used one trait to make an overall judgment about something, you have been affected by the Halo Effect. The dangers of pretty privilege
ILLUSTRATION BY KACPER BAZAN
are plain and simple. The people positively affected by it are being spoon-fed that their looks can get them anywhere and everywhere. When they are given hand-outs for their exterior, they are in a sense told that doing the bare minimum is okay. What happens when that beauty fades? When beautiful actors age, they have to compensate more. They need to fascinate the audience with something other than their looks, so they show their personality and talent. If your face is all you have,
you will end up mourning your past. The other side of pretty privilege is how “ugly” people are treated. Actual dehumanization of “unattractive” people happens. That’s barbaric. Disregarding someone for being unattractive in your eyes can cause insecurities beyond belief. Humans who aren’t “genetically blessed” shouldn’t have to imagine themselves as happier, more confident people if they were better looking. It’s heartwrenching to think that people see themselves as moths in a mass of
butterflies that make up their social media feed. Pretty privilege is probably something that will never undo itself in society since it’s all up to each individual person to respect people for who they are. We’re all unintentionally kinder to a stranger based off of their front, but by understanding that looks can be a facade that doesn’t do one’s personality justice, every stranger can treat one another with courtesy and respect.
COVID-19 timeline making it seem like we never left 2020. Now I’m out of my teens and in my 20s. I’m not scared of aging, but I’ll admit that I had to take a second to wrap my brain around having the same first digit age as my cousin who is both getting married and graduating his medical program in May. I’m in the same decade that many of my friends and family members were in when they got their first salaried job, first house and had their first, and sometimes second, kid. All it took was 24 hours to go from a teen to a 20 year old. Only one minute from 11:59 p.m. to 12 a.m. It doesn’t help that I can vividly remember moments from years ago and feel like it happened yesterday. Years don’t seem very long if you can still feel like you are a freshman in high school –– something that was about five years ago. Now I’m trying to really do the “adulting” thing. Around the same time as the “turning 20 crisis,” my roommates and I started to look for off campus apartments. A first foray into doing the adult thing. After weeks of procrastination and talk, I contacted a realtor, which led to a Zoom call and visits within a week. The adult world moves fast apparently, especially when it has to do with the housing market in Boston and trying to find apartments to rent next semester. We had to come up with a list of wants and needs –– which was actually thrilling –– as well as calculate budgets like how much we’d be willing to pay and how much we’d save compared to
on-campus housing –– which was admittedly less exciting. We looked at two places in person after whittling down from about six options that fit the parameters we gave the realtor. The first place was amazing and, by the time we walked out the door, all of us had already made up our minds that it would be ours. The second apartment left us feeling lackluster after the first place. Going forward, the finalized budget estimates could be made. You have to include monthly rent, security deposit, broker’s fees, first month’s rent, furnishing and grocery costs as well as a timeline of when everything would be due. Then consider the competitive market and the possibility of another group taking the apartment before we can even sign a guarantor form. Adulting is stressful. The day we were getting everything together to just take the listing off the market was one of the most back-and-forth, jumbled days I’ve experienced in a while. It was a matter of getting the real adults –– parents –– on board, making sure everyone approved the budget and timeline, keeping the realtor in the know and informed about all of our questions, and then actually submitting the paperwork and hoping it would go through fast enough. We hadn’t even gotten to the actual lease yet. Basically what I’ve gotten from adulting so far is that it’s complicated, fast, competitive, jolting and overall expensive. But now we have somewhere to live next semester. I just need to get used to telling people I’m 20.
An introduction to adulting Thalia Lauzon Senior Writer A couple weeks ago, I was asked how old I was. After taking a moment to simply remember the day of the
ILLUSTRATION BY SMARAN RAMIDI
month, I did the inevitable stumbling and mental calculations to process and answer the question. Just when I was about to say 19, I stumbled again and had to readjust and correct myself to say 20 years
old. It was two days after my birthday. In a matter of 48 hours, I went from being 19 to having to tell someone I was 20. I felt like I just got a hold of being 19 rather than 18 — which I still feel sometimes with the
SPORTS 6
SPORTS Women’s basketball loses regular season finale to Holy Cross, looks to Patriot League playoffs Chloe Patel Sports Associate The Boston University women’s basketball team dropped its regular season closer to the College of the Holy Cross 48-59 Wednesday night in Worcester. The Terriers (16-13, 12-6 Patriot League) scored the lowest amount of points since league competition began in January, and one of their lowest point totals this season. “We struggled to score a little bit. We didn’t share the ball as well as we did in our previous matchup,” assistant coach Kourtni Williams said postgame. Freshman guard Alex Giannaros led the pack with 15 points. Giannaros opened up the scoring in the matchup and carried the Terriers to a 5-0 start with a layup and a three-pointer, but she wasn’t able to keep control of the ball throughout the game, giving up five turnovers. Besides Giannaros, junior guard Sydney Johnson had 13 points, and junior forward Maren Durant scored 10. The Crusaders (20-9, 14-4 PL) were led by senior guard Avery LaBarbera, who scored 24 points. LaBarbera proved the engine of Holy Cross’s offense early on with 13 points in the first half, but the Crusaders looked to find more depth scoring across their lineup in order to take down the Terriers. Holy Cross was able to do just that in the second half. LaBarbera brought the defense with her wherever she
went. Whether in the paint or beyond the arc, LaBarbera’s ability to score on all three levels spaced the floor and opened up uncontested threepoint attempts for her teammates. Sophomore guard Bronagh Power-Cassidy was the largest benefactor of LaBarbera’s strong performance against BU — the Dublin, Ireland native shot 3-for-3 from distance. Holy Cross had a total of 12 assists in the game compared to BU’s two. The Crusader defense collected a total 23 defensive rebounds and held the Terriers to 34.5% shooting from the field. “Hats off to Holy Cross, they did an amazing job defensively,” Williams said. Surrounding the court was a loud crowd that raised the energy of the high-stakes game even further. The game determined the number one seed of the Patriot League tournament, and the Holy Cross win gave them the regular-season championship. “This is the first time that we’ve played in an environment I would say this intense,” Williams said. “It was a tough environment to play [in] and very rowdy and hard to hear.” The Terriers, despite starting the game up five points, were always at least two scores behind Holy Cross once they gave up the early lead. “It’s tough that we really struggled to kind of get into a rhythm and a flow,” Williams said. While the Terriers lost this game, the team’s 12 wins in the Patriot League matches its most in a single season since they joined the league in 2013. With the Terriers’ loss and Ameri-
can University’s win over Lafayette, BU fell to the third seed in the Patriot League tournament. The Terriers will welcome the United States Military Academy to
the Case Gym on March 7 at 6 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League tournament. Williams emphasized a need for the team to look forward as they pre-
pare for its playoff matchup. “Just focusing on us,” she said. “Just preparing, bouncing back and being confident in who we are and what we do and what got us here.”
LIBBY MCCLELLAND | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Freshman Alex Giannaros in a Feb. 16 game against the College of the Holy Cross. Despite Giannaros leading with 15 points, the Terriers lost to the Crusaders in their regular season closing game on Mar. 2.
Off The Post: NHL reprimands Russia Belle Fraser Columnist Hockey feels very small right now. With Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, the NHL has stepped back from highlighting this week’s top plays and has instead taken a stance on the war unfolding across borders. The league released a statement Feb. 28 directly condemning Russia’s recent actions and has halted all business relations with the country. Additionally, it has suspended NHL Russian language digital media sites and has crossed Russia off the list as a location option for any future NHL events or competitions. It’s obvious the league’s decision isn’t going to have any significant effect on the progression of Vladimir Putin’s plan, but it does speak to the line between sports and politics that has continued to blur over the past few years. It takes less than ten seconds after opening Twitter to find a hothead in the comment section posting their proclamation to keep politics out of hockey. Everyone, whether young or old, Republican or Democrat, male or female, is united by their love for the team and nothing else. Turning on ESPN on a Tuesday night to watch
60 minutes of hockey can be a nice escape from the chaos of the world. But this feels different. The NHL is in an interesting position. With 50 active Russian-born players, including some of the league’s biggest names, the NHL recognized that these athletes and their families are in an “extremely difficult position,” in their Feb. 28 statement. The spectrum of opinions from these Russian players on Putin and his government has been broad up until this point. Alexander Ovechkin, captain of the Washington Capitals and one of the league’s greatest performers, has been outright in his support of Putin and the pro-Russia mentality –– nurturing a strong relationship with the president. On the other side of the Eastern Conference, the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin had to take a leave of absence last season to deal with what’s been reported as a “politically motivated” move and intimidation tactic after the left wing forward publicly spoke out against Putin. Things have shifted, though. Ovechkin, in a Feb. 25 press conference, called for “no more war” –– probably his most bold comment about his home country’s decisions to date. At this point, it’s hard to separate current events from seeping their way into NHL locker rooms and players’ minds.
ALEXIA NIZHNY | DAILY FREE PRESS STAFF
Although it would be nice to have hockey be a perfect bubble that only concerns scoreboards and postseason standings, the world we live in no longer allows that. As much as these athletes live as heroes on posters in our rooms, they also exist outside the rink.
I think it’s important the NHL addressed the situation and I applaud the league for taking a distinct stance. Going against war shouldn’t be a shocking decision, but it expands the responsibility and conversation the league is willing to take on and facilitate.
Games will continue to be played, goal-songs will continue to be cheered and players will continue to represent their given teams, but it’s a step in the right direction for the league to have a heightened awareness about the global events outside of the arenas.